The Vatican on Monday forbid blessings of same-sex relationships, rejecting calls for the practice by progressive bishops in Germany and elsewhere.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith  in a document personally approved by Pope Francis  said it was not permissible for clergy to pronounce blessings on any sexual relationship outside of marriage between a man and a woman.

The Vatican said the church should welcome with respect and sensitivity persons with homosexual inclinations, but added that the presence in such relationships of positive elements, which are in themselves to be valued and appreciated, cannot justify these relationships and render them legitimate objects of an ecclesial blessing.

The declaration of the unlawfulness of blessings of unions between persons of the same sex is not therefore, and is not intended to be, a form of unjust discrimination, but rather a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite and of the very nature of the sacramentals, as the Church understands them, the document stated.

The document, written as a response to a dubium  or doctrinal question  noted that the church cannot bless sin. However, the answer to the proposed dubium does not preclude the blessings given to individual persons with homosexual inclinations, who manifest the will to live in fidelity to the revealed plans of God as proposed by Church teaching.

In recent years, progressive priests in Germany and elsewhere in Europe have widely blessed same-sex relationships.

The Vatican ruling comes after a documentary released in October showed Pope Francis expressing support for same-sex civil unions. However, the Vatican later said his comments were taken out of context, though it did confirm his belief that gay couples should enjoy legal protections.

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Ghislaine Maxwells brother has released a previously unseen family picture showing the socialite with her six siblings just weeks before Jeffrey Epsteins arrest in 2019.

The image shows the familys last reunion in London and was taken weeks before Ghislaines 'world exploded' with the arrest of the US financier on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York.

The photo shows a smiling Ghislaine sitting in front of her siblings Anne, 73, Kevin, 62, twins Isabel and Christine, 70, Philip, 71, and Ian, 64, taken on what would have been the birthday of the family's controversial patriarch, Robert Maxwell, had he not fallen into the ocean almost 30 years earlier.

On Monday, Ghislaine's brother Ian - seen on the far right perched on the arm of a sofa - spoke out in her defense, calling her a 'patsy' for Jeffrey Epstein and claiming she is now being scapegoated because the American authorities 'lost' Epstein when he killed himself in his jail cell.

Upon Epstein's death, the focus immediately shifted to his former girlfriend and alleged madam Ghislaine, who has been accused and charged with six federal crimes relating to child sex trafficking. She has denied all claims against her.

Ian appeared on Good Morning America after speaking to The Times of London in an interview over the weekend to protest his sister's innocence.

Ghislaine Maxwell, 59, in June 2019 (pictured front) with her six living siblings. Ian Maxwell, her older brother, top right, shared it this weekend. A month after it was taken, Jeffrey Epstein was arrested and Ghislaine went into hiding with her husband, Scott Borgerson. The siblings, L-R, are: Anne, 73, Kevin, 62, twins Isabel and Christine, 70, Philip, 71, and Ian, 64

He claims she had her life ruined by Epstein, was not part of his criminal enterprise despite what multiple women say, and is taking the fall for it because someone needs to and Epstein is dead.

'She's a patsy for Jeffrey Epstein who they lost on their watch and they are taking it out on my sister and dammit, that's wrong.

'She is not Epstein. Epstein was guilty. He did time. And he was gonna do a hell of a lot more time. But she is not him.

'And I don't know how many times I have to say it. She's deserves to be treated as Ghislaine, presumed innocent, get on with the defense, tell us what you've gotta tell us, put it up, and then let the jury decide,' Ian fumed.

It is one of the most recent photographs of her. Only one other - what appeared to be a staged photo at an In-N-Out Burger in L.A. - has surfaced in the last two years.

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What became of Robert Maxwell's nine children? Robert Maxwell (back row, centre) pictured with his wife Betty (sat with youngest daughter Ghislaine on her knee) and seven of their eight children at home in Headington Hill Hall, Oxford. When this photo was taken Ian (5) was 11 years old and attending preparatory school, while Isabel, then 17 (4) was at grammar school with their sister Christine (3), and youngest son Kevin, 8, (6) was at preparatory school. Second oldest son Philip, (1), had entered his second undergraduate yer at Balliol College, Oxford, while Anne (2) was also studying at the university, but at St Hugh's College. 1. Philip, 71, the brilliant scientist who fled to Argentina Philip Maxwell 'Poor Philip', as his friends always knew him, was a brilliant scientist and mathematician who won a scholarship to Balliol College, Oxford, aged just 16. But he so loathed his domineering father that, as soon as he could, Philip fled to Argentina to get 'as far away from [him] as possible'. The pair fell out irretrievably when he married Nilda, an Argentine, in 1977, against Robert's wishes. The marriage didn't last  Nilda moved out taking their daughter Marcella with her and a second marriage also failed. Philip was last heard of living in a 65-a-week flat in North London trying to be a writer. The subject? His bullying father. 2. Anne, 73, ex-actress called 'ugly' by her father Anne Maxwell When her fledgling acting career floundered, her father's reaction was: 'What have you and Pope John Paul II got in common? You're both ugly and you're both failed actors.' Having studied Italian and French at Oxford, she then trained as a Montessori teacher, married an osteopath and is now believed to be a hypnotherapist in Surrey, practising under another name. She has kept out of the limelight since her father's death at the age of 68. 3. Christine, 70, one of the twins Christine Maxwell Christine and her twin sister Isabel made The Sunday Times Rich List in 1999 after amassing their 100 million in the dotcom boom. She is the author of The Dictionary Of Perfect Spelling (a book with 20,000 words aimed at secondary school pupils) and is married to a Roger Malina, an astrophysicist at a French university. They have two sons and a daughter and split their time between a Spanish-style mansion overlooking San Francisco and Aix-en-Provence in the South of France. 4. Isabel, 70, the second twin Isabel Maxwell Once described in The Jerusalem Post as 'a fireball' who is 'always in your face', Isabel was always the Maxwell to watch. She never wanted to join the family firm, so after graduating from Oxford with a degree in modern languages, followed by a masters from Edinburgh, she became a TV reporter. In 1981, she moved to California to work in TV before making a film set in 1968 starring rock singer Neil Young. 'It wasn't ET,' she said, '. . . more a labour of love.' But technology was her future. She and twin Christine co-founded one of the earliest internet search engines, known as Magellan, in 1992. 5. Ian, 64, the 'fall guy' brother Ian Maxwell Taunted mercilessly at home  his father would ridicule him in front of visiting friends. When he joined the family business, he was compared unfavourably to his younger brother, Kevin. In the aftermath, of their father's death, Ian, then 35, and Kevin, 32, assumed control of the company and stood trial for their part in their father's 460 million pension fraud. They were acquitted, but the Maxwell name was mud for years and business opportunities were limited to overseas ventures. Ian's first wife was an American former college basketball star and model called Laura Marie Plumb. They met when she moved to London to help set up a TV cable company. The couple married in 1991  the year of Robert Maxwell's death  and the ensuing media attention put Laura under great strain. On the day that Ian and Kevin were arrested, she was photographed sobbing. The couple divorced in 1996. 6. Kevin, 62, Britain's biggest ever bankrupt Kevin Maxwell The cleverest son and driving force of the family, Kevin was crestfallen by his father's death, saying that he 'missed his presence and ability to dominate'. He admitted to being totally in awe of him. The only Maxwell sibling ever to express remorse in public for the fallout from Robert Maxwell's crimes, Kevin made reference to the 'moral burden I will bear for the rest of my life'. His first wife, Pandora Warnford-Davis called her father-in-law Robert the 'fat fraudster'. When, in June 1992, Kevin was arrested and charged with fraud after hundreds of millions disappeared from the Maxwell empire's employee pension funds, she appeared at the window of their home at dawn and shouted: 'P*** off, or I'll call the police!' only to realise the early morning callers were the police. In 2007, they divorced after 23 years and seven children together. Pandora was last heard of living in Oxford, renting out a room through Airbnb. Soon after his arrest, Kevin became Britain's biggest ever bankrupt when a 407 million bankruptcy order was made against him. 7. Ghislaine, 59, Jeffery Ghislaine Maxwell Known for her association with financier and convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein, Ghislaine previously worked for her father until his death in 1991. When he died, she moved to the United States and became a close associate of Epstein, and also founded a non-profit group focused on protecting the oceans - The Terra Marr Project. However, it ceased operations on July 12, 2019, a week after the sex trafficking charges against Epstein - her former boyfriend - were brought by New York federal prosecutors and made public. In 2020, Ghislaine herself was charged by the US government with the crimes of enticement of minors and sex trafficking of underage girls, and she has faced a number of accusations. She has denied them all. Ghislaine was arrested in in Bradford, New Hampshire by the FBI on 2 July 2020, and has been jailed ever since. Michael, Ghislaine's oldest brother Robert and Betty Maxwell's first-born fell into a coma aged 15 after a car crash in 1961 and died eight years later, never having regained consciousness. Karine, the middle sister Died of leukaemia aged just three in 1957. Advertisement

Ghislaine Maxwell's older brother Ian on Good Morning America on Monday speaking in her defense

Ian said his younger sister is a 'patsy' for Jeffrey Epstein who killed himself in jail in 2019

He added that his sister is the victim of a 'media lynch mob' and says she is being treated differently to other crime suspects, is 'tortured' in jail and cannot sleep.

'The real problem is that the media frenzy about her, which had shifted from Epstein onto her, drove her absolutely mad.

'I'm not minimizing the seriousness of the allegations but my sister is fighting for her life... that's pretty serious too,' he said.

'Ghislaine wants to confront the accusers head-on and deal with this and get on with her life.

'She is as convinced as she can be that she will be exonerated. We as a family are behind her, solidly behind her.'

He says the last time he spoke to her was in June 2020, a month before she was arrested, and she told him: 'Ian, I dont want you to be in a situation where someone is going to put pressure on you.

'I am going to take the pressure so that none of you have to  not Scott, not Kev  I am going to deal with it.'

He claimed that when Epstein killed himself in July 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, his sister had moved on with her life and was happily married to Scott Borgerson, the man she was found holed up with in New Hampshire last summer.

TIMELINE OF THE MAXWELLS AND JEFFREY EPSTEIN 1991: Ghislaine's father Robert dies mysteriously after disappearing from his yacht, Lady Ghislaine, in the Canary Islands. She moves to New York. 1990s: Ghislaine and Jeffrey Epstein start dating and become friends 2001: After breaking up, Epstein and Maxwell remain friends and she has begun working for him. It was in 2001 that the trip to London where they met Prince Andrew took place. Virginia Giuffre Roberts claims she was forced to have sex with Andrew - he denies it 2008: Epstein is convicted of soliciting child prostitutes in Palm Beach, Florida, gets a sweetheart deal and protects unnamed co-conspirators 2009: Epstein and Maxwell are sued by the first victims. He settles them quietly with payments 2010: Epstein, after a year-long prison term which involved him leaving custody every day to go to work, is released He is photographed with Prince Andrew in Central Park days later 2011: Virginia Giuffre Roberts goes public with her claims that she was a victim of Epstein and Maxwell 2015: Giuffre Roberts sues Maxwell specifically for defamation 2016: Ghislaine quietly marries tech CEO Scott Borgerson, 44 June 2019: Ghislaine reunites with her family in London and tells them she's married July 2019: Epstein is arrested in New Jersey at Teterboro Airport August 2019: Epstein kills himself in jail July 2020: Ghislaine is arrested in New Hampshire Advertisement

Ian says that she was not involved with Epstein by that point.

The marriage only became public in court papers.

Her brother revealed that he found out about it with the rest of the world.

'I think Ghislaine has just determined with him, obviously, that they want to keep a very low level of public knowledge about their lives,' he told the Times.

He added that she wanted to protect Borgerson's children.

'Ghislaine was married, with stepchildren, getting on with her life and then bang.

'She's married, has a husband, two stepchildren.

'She was simply seeking to protect her family.

'She was not running from law enforcement.

'Suddenly he dies and they've got this really serious problem... it seems to me inescapable that the authorities decided they had to do something about it,' he said.

Ghislaine managed to hide from public view for a year before the FBI arrested her in New Hampshire in an early morning raid.

Since then, she has been in jail in Manhattan.

Her attorneys have complained repeatedly about the conditions she has faced.

On Monday, her brother said they amounted to 'torture'.

'She's lost 20lbs, she's losing her hair, she can't concentrate... she has a flashlight shone in her cell every 15 minutes during the night so she has no sleep of any real quality.

'That is torture,' he said.

He also spoke of their father, the disgraced media tycoon Robert Maxwell who died mysteriously during a yachting trip in the Canary Islands in the 1990s after pillaging the pension funds of The Mirror newspaper group, saying that he was an 'extraordinarily well-connected man'.

'My father was an extraordinarily well connected man.

'She had grown up in that world and was very able to move in it freely,' he said, making no mention of their father's crimes.

In his interview with The Times, Ian said of his sister's relationship with Epstein: 'I know she wishes that she had never met him. He has ruined her life.

'The Ghislaine that we know has been buried in this caricature, this monstrous creature that has been invented as an abuser and a pimp.

'Ghislaine is very charming. She has a very good sense of humor.'

Maxwell has had multiple attempts at bail turned down.

She has agreed to renounce her British and French citizenship in an attempt to be released by the judge has rejected her efforts.

Ian, in a separate interview, said his sister was their father's favorite. She is shown with their parents, the disgraced media tycoon Robert Maxwell - who died in the early 90s - and his wife Elisabeth who died in 2013

'Ghislaine is an American. She's never been a flight risk. In the year or so between when Epstein died and when she was arrested, she was in the United States all the time.

'She was not running away from law enforcement,' her brother said.

She remains behind bars.

Multiple women claim she procured them for Epstein when they were underage girls, and facilitated his pedophile ring by organizing travel for them or meetings with Epstein.

She denies the charges.

Her brother told The Times: 'She did the house up or managed one or two of his properties.'

He added that Ghislaine believes firmly that her father was murdered on his boat - Lady Ghislaine - and said their childhood was difficult and filled with punishment.

'We were all physically punished, girls and boys; the girls were smacked and the boys belted, mostly for poor grades, laziness and lack of application at school.

'You didnt want to be too close to home because it was quite tense.

'Meal times were always pretty tough. We had to stand up and account for what wed done that day, that week, that year.'

He told how Ghislaine, the youngest, seemed to be their father's favorite of the children and how the other kids were 'stunned' when he named his boat after her.

'It was all a big mystery. Ghislaine was given this bottle, she crashed it against the side, the wrap fell off and there it was the Lady Ghislaine.

'She was stunned. We all were stunned,' he said.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 15) - A group of lawyers on Monday called on United Nations Special Rapporteur on Independence of Judges and Lawyers Diego Garcia-Sayan to "undertake more aggressive and concrete measures" on the continuing attacks against Filipino lawyers.

"We earnestly plead your office to undertake more aggressive and concrete measures on these matters, to immediately form a team for the conduct of investigative mission to the Philippines, to inquire intensively into the attacks against Filipino lawyers, to uncover the perpetrators and prosecute them, and to recommend measures to prevent their further occurrence," read a March 15 letter by the National Union Peoples' Lawyers or NUPL.

The NUPL noted that 61 lawyers, prosecutors, and judges were killed since 2016. Of this number, 54 are work-related.

"The continuing, increasing, and more brazen killings and attacks on lawyers and judges have been going for many years now but we noticed a sharp increase since President Duterte came to office and has made our profession one of the most dangerous in the world," the NUPL said.

The lawyers group added that the victims are usually those who handled drug cases, and those who served as counsels to human rights activists and political prisoners.

The NUPL said these attacks produce a chilling effect which affects the performance of lawyers.

"Sadly, the victims and their families have not yet obtained justice. Almost all of the perpetrators have never been brought to the bar of justice, read the letter. And the prevailing climate of impunity emboldens the perpetrators of these dastardly acts to commit further attacks.

The NUPL also said current measures to address the attacks are not enough.

"They could only find a little refuge and passive succor from the government. Several steps to address these attacks are perceived or proven to be mere tokens, much delayed, even ineffective or misdirected especially since the state forces themselves, or their agents, and proxies are reasonably suspected to be behind these attacks," the group said in the letter.
Congress leader on Monday attacked the BJP government over privatisation of airports by commenting on social media: "They don't know how to build but sell."

Gandhi tweeted on Monday afternoon: "#IndiaAgainstPrivatisation which hurts the public and benefits only a handful of cronies."

Gandhi's attack comes in wake of the government aiming to sell its residual stake in four airports as part of the Rs 2.5 lakh crore asset monetisation pipeline.

The sale of Airport Authority of India's remaining stake in the Delhi Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports, as well as identification of 13 more airports for privatisation, has been planned for the next fiscal.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation will take approvals for divestment of equity stake of the AAI in the joint ventures running Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports.

For the 13 AAI airports identified for privatisation, the possibility of bundling of profitable and non-profitable airports will be looked at to make more attractive packages.

In the first round of airport privatisation under the BJP government last year, the Adani Group bagged contracts for six airports - Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, and Guwahati.

Adani Enterprises in January had signed the concession agreement with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for operating and developing the Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram airports.

In a regulatory filing, the company said that the concession period is 50 years from the commercial operation date.

"Adani Jaipur International Airport Ltd, Adani Guwahati International Airport and Adani Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, wholly-owned subsidiaries of the company, have signed the concession agreement on January 19, 2021 with Airports Authority of India for the operations, management and development of Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram airports respectively," it said.

--IANS

miz/ash

(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 states federally qualified community health centers, serving hundreds of thousands of low-income residents, are asking the state for permission to ignore age limits immediately as they administer COVID-19 vaccines, using a new, direct federal supply of doses.

Five executives from the 17 community health center organizations in Connecticut formally asked the state Department of Public Health earlier this month to let them bend the rules.

Their logic: Their patients are among the hardest to reach and least likely to make, and keep, inoculation appointments through the standard online and telephone systems. Why not jab them with vaccinations whenever they walk in the door, regardless of their age?

That makes sense because those patients will need vaccinations sooner or later  and the sooner the better if they live in dense urban housing and work on the front lines, as many of them do.

It makes sense for another reason: As of this month, the Biden Administration has added a direct supply line of vaccines to the federally qualified health centers, known as FQHCs, much like the direct lines to pharmacies. With this weeks shipments, those community health centers in Connecticut will have received about 60,000 first doses through the new program.

And it makes sense for yet another reason: The health centers serve the exact populations that are slow in receiving vaccinations, state data suggests. Their patients are about 75 percent Black and Latinx and they live, largely, in the same 50 Zip codes that Gov. Ned Lamont has targeted for 25 percent of vaccinations in order to achieve some semblance of racial equity.

Dr. Deidre Gifford, the acting public health commissioner, had not given the health center directors an answer as of late Monday. She issued a statement in response to my query: Our FQHCs have been and continue to be excellent partners in our vaccine program. We truly appreciate our collaboration with FQHCs and all of their work to meet our equity targets.

You know that means no, and she went on to say the providers should focus on the age groups, oldest first. She should reconsider.

On Monday, Gov. Ned Lamont pushed up the date when any Connecticut resident can make an appointment from May 3 to April 5. So, in a way, it wont matter after that day but it does matter until then and it matters symbolically.

Because of our unique position providing communities of care especially in the Black and brown communities, said Ken Lalime, CEO of the Community Health Center Association of Connecticut, we believe that this would meet the goals of the state.

Thats what they do in Chicago: in targeted neighborhoods, no restrictions. Its not fair in a narrow way of looking at it, bending the rules, but so what? What does fair even mean in a world where access to medical care is connected to wealth and employment? Bending the rules for target populations works for public health and thats all that matters.

In a Feb. 23 column, I wrote that if we want to end the race gap on vaccinations, the state should end all eligibility rules in cities. Just head into the neighborhoods with doses, forget about making appointments and sticking with age 55, or age 45, or teachers or whatever. End. All. Rules.

And the best way to do that is through the health centers. By no coincidence, as of last week only the community health centers have hit that 25 percent number. The pharmacies lagged, at 14 percent of their vaccinations going to residents of the 50 target Zip codes even though Walgreens and CVS say they are focusing in the cities.

The hospitals and local health departments also lagged, though not as badly as the pharmacies, state reports show.

They should have been dong that from the start, said Amos Smith, CEO of the Community Action Agency of New Haven, an anti-poverty group, who has been outspoken that the system in place is designed to let wealthier, overwhelmingly white people seeking COVID-19 vaccinations take most of the appointments in the urban health centers.

Its not that DPH is sitting on its hands when it comes to equity. The agency set the 25 percent target and its working with the providers.

Still, with the dedicated stream of vaccines heading to the FQHCs, those clinics should be able to serve their populations in a targeted way. We really need to figure out a strategy to ensure equity in the distribution of the vaccines, said Mark Masselli, founder and CEO of Community Health Center Inc., which is based in Middletown and is the only one of the centers thats statewide.

The racial gap between white people and people of color receiving vaccinations appears to be narrowing but the numbers are not clear because the race of some people receiving inoculations isnt recorded.

The community health center movement started in the 1960s as a reaction to then-rising unequal access to care. A federally qualified health center has some key financial advantages through Medicaid, and must be run by a board made up of people in the communities served, among other obligations.

They are the largest source of primary care for the more than 800,000 Connecticut adults and children enrolled in HUSKY Medicaid.

Weve seen examples of aggressive outreach by the community health centers. On Saturday, Fair Haven Community Health Center joined with community activists in an effort to knock on some 5,642 doors to make appointments for neighborhood residents. They needed to stick to the over-55 rule, unfortunately.

On Sunday in Stamford, Community Health Center Inc. joined with local groups there, to vaccinate more than 300 immigrants.

Its all great, but not enough. Even if its just for a few weeks until April 5, the community health centers need to do what they do, unfettered, with all the vaccine supply they need.

If, at the end of the day, they have vaccines left over  then couriers can carry those doses not needed in the cities to the nearby town halls, where wealthier people able to isolate in larger houses can line up at 6 p.m., six feet apart, waiting for a shot at a shot. That seems fair to me.

dhaar@hearstmediact.com
The Saxon chronicles (and those of France and Galicia) describe the Vikings as genuine brutes. Rude, crude and wild, tall with long hair and abundant beards, fierce eyes set in faces covered with scars, their arms covered in tattoos, blood and ritual incisions in their teeth. Witnessing them in action must have been a terrifying spectacle.

There is no doubt that they inspired dread in their victims. For the monks and peasants of western Europe in the 8th and 9th centuries, Viking raids were like solar eclipses, catastrophes of biblical proportion as the demonic horde descended. The invaders were a civilization with a rich oral culture but one that did not write its own books, so the accounts that have been passed down are recorded from the victims point of view. Nonetheless, recent publications such as Children of Ash and Elm; a History of the Vikings by Neil Price, suggest that these brutes were in reality considerably more refined than originally thought. Not the epitome of barbarism and dishevelment but instead a people who took pride in their appearance and had an acute affinity for esthetics, hygiene and fashionable clothes.

Price dedicates a demythologizing chapter to the sartorial elegance of the Germanic tribes forged in the valleys and fjords of Scandinavia, in which he argues that theirs was a very visual culture, one obsessed with appearances and in which at least some of the political and financial elite attired themselves in sumptuous imported garments (silk was valued as a treasure), of exquisite design and rich colors. It is true that a Vikings work clothes generally consisted of a basic tunic, a metal helmet (despite popular belief without horns), a sheepskin vest and a coat of mail. But the Scandinavians of the era knew how to scrub themselves up when they had something to celebrate or someone to impress.

Dressed to kill

The Vikings also bathed frequently, if not on a daily basis, and held accessories in high regard, frequently sporting brooches, rings and combs in their hair, and their tattoos, far from being crudely applied ink stains, were intricate artworks carrying ritual significance that today, unfortunately, we know little about. This side of Viking culture and their material customs had passed unnoticed for centuries, lost amid so many blood-soaked tales of pillage and ceremonial barbarity, but recent archeological discoveries suggest that it was in fact one of the most elegant societies in northern Europe during the transition period between the Iron and Middle Ages.

A historical reenactment of the Viking landing at Catoira, Pontevedra, in the 10th century. OSCAR CORRAL

Jacinto Anton, a journalist who has held a lifelong fascination for the Vikings, says some nuance is necessary. If we are discussing Viking elegance, we have to refer only to the top of the social pyramid in Scandinavian societies. Everyone else was subject to the material poverty of the era and wore serge, wool items and cheap dresses, as did French peasants, Goths and Saxons. It is true, however, that the Vikings did not fit the archetypal image of unkempt barbarians. Theirs was a culture that valued hygiene and apparel. Even Muslim ambassadors in Scandinavian courts or the Arab peoples that traded with them on the banks of the Volga or in the Caspian Sea couldnt help but notice that they washed and paid a great deal of attention to personal hygiene and sharp dressing.

It is also well documented that in numerous excavations of warrior tombs, according to Price, an abundance of combs, jewelry, masks and sophisticated garments have been discovered. In an interview with Anton, Price explained the reasons for these findings. The Scandinavians had a certain fear of the void that they compensated for by collecting objects, drawing and decorating, which is why their material culture was so rich. They were not illiterate but they had no knowledge of books. Even their form of writing, in runes, was based more on a desire for visual spectacle than that of a creating a story.

Furthermore, the Vikings traveled extensively, which allowed them to evolve into masters of non-verbal communication. Price also says that in reality, their terrifying appearance in battle, of covering their bodies in tattoos, filing their teeth, appearing out of nowhere reeking and drenched head to toe in blood, all formed part of a strategy of intimidation and warlike propaganda designed to sow terror among their enemies. Their tattoos, in particular, were ritual ornaments for combat not very different from those used by the Picts or the Celts and that are still used today by organized crime syndicates like the Yakuza in Japan.

Androgynous pioneers

Price places a lot of importance on recent discoveries that have contributed to altering our mindset about the Vikings. One such example is a silver-plated figurine uncovered in 2014 in the Danish town of Haarby, near Roskilde, depicting what is thought to be a warrior from 800 AD dressed in an ambiguous way (androgynous?), with a pleated petticoat reaching to his ankles and an extravagant V-necked shirt, an ornate cape and a long vest rounded off with a coquettish skirt.

Detail of Viking collar discovered in a tomb in Hallinge, Sweden. Print Collector / Print Collector/Getty Images

Apparently get-ups like this, which today would seem to us to speak of overt feminism, were worn above all by men of the warrior aristocracy, who were also fond of sporting shawls, brooches, linen tunics, tiaras and delicate leather boots. These men of war were generally dressed up to the nines before burial or cremation with deliberate ostentation to display their material wealth, which demonstrates to what extent these so-called barbarians valued their personal appearances. According to Price, at least two-thirds of a chieftains fortune would be lavished on his funeral, which would include a multitudinous feast with an open bar. At the most, the family would inherit the remaining third. The business of death is far from being a modern invention.

Dedicated followers of fashion

Price also notes that the ancient Norsemen were not familiar with pockets but instead had a wide range of brocades, necklaces, jewels, buttons made from bone or metal, silk or wool hats and colorful childrens clothing including nightgowns and tunics. They even designed such extravagant garments as a pair of leather-covered baggy trousers, a last hurrah on the 9th century Scandinavian catwalk popularized, it seems, by one of the Vikings most celebrated heroes, Ragnar Lothbrok, whose name means literally shaggy breeches. As much as for his military feats, Lothbroks contemporaries were awed by the fashions he made popular in a curious example of how seriously (or perhaps how mockingly) good taste and elegance was regarded among these seafaring men of war.

Anton highlights of Prices book the special attention the author dedicates to the most overlooked part of the Viking epoch, the travels of the Rus, those Swedish traders and warriors who opened the routes to eastern Europe by traversing the great rivers of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. The journalist notes that these achievements of discovery in the east and west were the work of a minority, those who called themselves Vikings (which is to say, pirates or raiders). The majority of Scandinavians of the time were simple farmers laboring under a subsistence economy in a hostile atmosphere not much different than in the rest of the known world at that time.

Anton concurs with Price that it makes little sense to try and sway the pendulum of historical assessment of the Vikings to view them as entrepreneurial and cosmopolitan traders who concerned themselves with good food and snappy dressing. There are recently published books that point in this direction, but in my opinion they are mistaken. Sure, we now know that they were not blood-thirsty savages, or at least not only that, but nor should we seek to turn them into a paradigm of civilization or good manners.

The Vikings perhaps do not deserve the bad press that their staunchest enemies sought to give them, but their reputation cannot be laundered or vindicated from a naive and ingenuous viewpoint. However clean their tunics may have been, they performed human sacrifices, launched unprovoked attacks on countries that had previously been trading partners and engaged in the slave trade. Scandinavian women of the age could divorce, inherit land and titles and fight in combat, but they were also subjected to the rigors of a patriarchal and zealously misogynistic society in which selective infanticide targeted girls and sexual violence was commonplace. They were neither saints nor devils, says Anton. They were simply a very distinctive people with values and a way of viewing life that we dont understand today.

From the Baltic to Istanbul

The Viking odyssey, as Price narrates, is the story of a people who took advantage of the collapse of the Roman empire and the subsequent era of large-scale migrations to open themselves up to the wider world at a time when the northern third of Eurasia was being globalized through forced marches. They were as much pirates as explorers and traders and they constructed a vast network of contacts that took them to such remote locations as Baghdad, Constantinople and the steppes of Central Asia as well as the places on the map they are more well-known for sacking and populating such as Britain and Normandy, Galicia, Cantabria and the Balearics in Spain, Italy and northern Morocco. Their journeys across the northern Atlantic took them across the Arctic circle several times. They colonized the Hebrides and the Orkneys, they invaded Ireland, England and Scotland and gained a foothold in such inhospitable places as Iceland and Greenland and ranged as far as Newfoundland and Labrador in modern-day Canada.





Alexander Ludwig as Bjorn Ironside in Michael Hirsts Vikings.

The History Channels popular series Vikings, created by Michael Hirst, follows this unprecedented series of adventures that took place between the 8th and 11th centuries and uses the Icelandic sagas (which were written many years later in the Middle Ages) and other historical and literary sources as well as the latest archeological discoveries to depict the era. Other works of fiction, such as The Last Kingdom (Netflix), have settled for a far more conventional vision. I like Hirsts series, says Anton. And I understand that Price also thinks highly of it. He considers it strong and well-documented.

Anton thinks it logical that Hirst, who he has also interviewed recently, took certain liberties in creating a work of dramatic coherence. Perhaps what I found least convincing was how one of the most important personalities of the Nordic sagas, Ivar the Boneless, was portrayed. His name was probably the result of a slight limp or sexual impotence. In the series, he suffers from a serious disability that forces him to crawl on the floor and even so he becomes one of the greatest military leaders of the age, something that is highly implausible in a society that valued physical strength and fitness above all else.

On the other hand, Hirsts series does show how the Vikings dressed for the occasion when holding great feasts, those lavish banquets soaked in beer and grain alcohol that were held to celebrate successful expeditions across the high seas. Then as now, style was no obstacle to efficiency.

English version by Rob Train.
Associated Press

A top Sudanese military official said the government will review an agreement with Russia to establish a navy base in the African country. The remarks about the deal, which dates back to the government of now-deposed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and has not been ratified by the Sudanese parliament, indicate that Khartoum is seeking some changes to the agreement. Sudans Chief of General Staff, Gen. Mohammed Othman al-Hussein told Blue Nile television station late on Tuesday that negotiations are underway with Russian officials to achieve Sudans interests.
The European Commission supports the transparency of framework agreements signed with vaccine manufacturers, the representative office of the EC in Hungary said.

The office reacted to remarks by Gergely Gulyas, the prime ministers chief of staff, who told a regular news conference earlier in the day that Brussels had banned the publication of vaccine procurement contracts by member states.



Gulyas added that he had turned to the commissioner in charge of the matter to allow member states to make the ECs vaccine contracts publicly available. In response, the EC office in Budapest said the publication of contracts was not in the ECs gift, and this was only possible with the approval of contracted partners.



The EC has contacted the companies and asked for their approval to make the contracts available to the public, and three of six framework agreements have been published, blanking out confidential business details, the statement said.



They are contracts signed with AstraZeneca, CureVac, and Sanofi-GSK, it added. The EC is not permitted to make public contract details about the planned and projected volume of shipments, the office said.



Commenting on untapped shipments of Moderna vaccines, Gulyas told the press conference that we ordered everything that is due to arrive in the first half year but we did not make orders for those shipments available in the second half year, especially towards the end of it.



In response to this issue, the EC office said it had not received any questions by the media and would not provide any information to the media about potential orders of Moderna vaccines from Hungary.



The EC, in cooperation with member states, aims to ensure that Europeans receive secure and effective vaccines and to significantly speed up supplies, the statement said.



As a result, an extra four million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be supplied to member states in March and the volume of vaccine shipments will be several times higher in the second quarter than in the first, it added.
A 32-year-old man is accused of shooting a passenger seated in another car after the passengers door had bumped his Mercedes parked beside it, according to police and prosecutors.

Police arrested Cole Tyler Miller and seized five AR-15 rifles, three handguns and a so-called ghost gun that resembled a Glock 19, as well as ammunition, a laser sight and rifle scope, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in court Friday. Miller is a convicted felon, having previously been convicted of possessing methamphetamine in 2017.

The shooting occurred at 5:37 a.m. Feb. 1 at 10540 E. Burnside St.

The man shot, William Blanchfield, told police that he had accidentally hit the Mercedes with the passenger door of a car parked beside it as he opened the door and got into the other vehicle, the affidavit said.

A short time later, the driver of the Mercedes stepped out, struck Blanchfields passenger window with a handgun and then shot him without warning, deputy district attorney Rachna H. Hajari wrote in a probable cause affidavit filed in court.

As he was riding in an ambulance to Oregon Health & Science University Hospital, Blanchfield told a paramedic, In case I die, I want someone to know that it was Cole Miller who shot me, the affidavit said. Police and prosecutors did not describe the wounds Blanchfield suffered.

Miller and Blanchfield have known each other for a couple of years, as both had dated the mother of Blanchfields child, according to the affidavit.

Last week, Miller was reported to have pointed a black handgun at a clerk from a Plaid Pantry on Southeast Woodstock Boulevard after he had been told to leave because he was trying to microwave his own food in the convenience store, the affidavit said. The clerk described to police the suspects white Mercedes 500 with white rims and tinted windows.

Police located Miller on Thursday in the 3700 block of Southeast 42nd Avenue. Miller told officers that the firearms in his car belonged to friends, according to the affidavit.

Miller is accused of attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault with a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon, being a felon in possession of a firearm. Hes being held at the Multnomah County Detention Center on more than $520,000 bail.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian
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The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), Mr Jonathan Amoako-Baah, says the country will, in the coming months, experience some intermittent power outages as a result of ongoing projects across the country.



A statement issued by Mr Amoako-Baah explained that although there was enough capacity to more than meet demand, works on the Pokuase and Kasoa substations, as well as other transmission line works across the country, have accounted for the intermittent outages.



Ghanas system peak demand is close to 3,200MW with an installed capacity of 5,300MW  this means theres enough capacity to more than meet demand. Some intermittent outages are to be expected on the grid in the coming months due to ongoing projects, the statement said.



He noted that, there is a general willingness and commitment by all stakeholders in the sector to work fervently to reduce the impact it will have on customers in the country.



He added that GRIDCo and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), in partnership with the firms working on the key projects, will in the coming weeks inform the public on the outage plans required for completion of the respective works in good time.



While acknowledging that recent power outages across the country had raised concerns over the return to perennial power outages, popularly known as Dumsor, Mr Amoako-Baah was definite that Dumsor is not coming back.



Indeed, the nature of the power system value chain, makes that impossible. As a crucial part of the entire value chain, overseeing matters on the transmission aspect of the process, GRIDCo wants to assure the country and all related stakeholders that none of the key participants in the value chain is resting on their oars, in an effort to maintain stability, accessibility, consistency and reliability of power supply at all times.



Below is the full statement by the GRIDCo CEO, Mr Jonathan Amoako-Baah



Recent power outages across the country have created considerable alarm amongst the general public; especially the incident on Sunday March 7th, 2021, which led to a total power system shutdown (a similar incident occurred in May 2017). The general sentiment, undoubtedly, is the fear of a return to perennial power outages, popularly known as Dumsor which defined a period in the country in times past.



Let me say this: Dumsor is not coming back. Indeed, the nature of the power system value chain, makes that impossible. As a crucial part of the entire value chain, overseeing matters on the transmission aspect of the process, GRIDCo wants to assure the country and all related stakeholders that none of the key participants in the value chain is resting on their oars, in an effort to maintain stability, accessibility, consistency and reliability of power supply at all times.



Issues on the ground



What happened on Sunday March 7th, 2021 and as highlighted in subsequent statements and interviews to the media, was a transient fault at 13:46h on a major transmission line between Prestea and Obuasi. This caused overloads on adjacent transmission lines and resulted in the shutdown of the generating plants at Aboadze and Bulk Supply Points from the Western parts of the country through the Ashanti Region. The hydro units at Akosombo and Kpong remained online but somewhat unstable for over fifteen minutes before eventually tripping at 14:04h. Restoration works by our technical resource team led to eventual normalisation that same day. Special mention must be made of the efforts of the VRA team at Akosombo Hydro plant, that ensured the quick availability of the first machines online to commence the restoration effort. We also commend the concerted team effort across the value chain generation, transmission and distribution  which worked relentlessly to fully restore the system and bring supply back to the entire country.



It has always been highlighted in several strategic discussions with key stakeholders, the inherent challenges in the value chain  particularly the need for key transmission and distribution infrastructure investments necessary to achieve a robust and reliable power system. Thankfully government, through the Energy Ministry, has shown consistent interest and commitment over the years to ensure a progressive and strong sector that is able to surmount and navigate its challenges.



Ensuring stability



Work is currently underway to fix certain incidental problems in the power system. External partners such as the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA); the European Commission, through the French Development Agency (AFD), Siemens and others, are supporting the government to resolve key issues in the sector. Currently, several projects are littered across the country to power the system to the next level. These include:



The current construction of the 330kV Anwomaso-kintampo transmission line, earmarked for commissioning by end of July 2021. The Project is being funded as part of the US$173m AFD loan facility and will help resolve the intermittent power outages in and around the Greater Kumasi area.

The US$45m Pokuase substation, part of projects under construction by MiDA, will be completed in June, 2021and will enhance supply reliability to major parts of Accra.

The US$45m Kasoa Bulk Supply Point is expected to enhance power delivery to the fast-growing Awutu Senya East Municipality, which covers Kasoa and its environs. The project will be completed in September 2021.

Work on the Tema to Accra transmission line upgrade project is ongoing and would be completed in July 2021. This project will additionally improve supply reliability in Accra and Tema and also ensure the evacuation of more power from generating plants in Tema

Other projects expected to commence are the installation of a 50MVar STATCOM in Kumasi by Siemens, estimated at about US$15m, to bring stability to the system and in the Ashanti region in particular. Additionally, to permanently address the intermittent power outages being experienced by residents in Greater Kumasi and its environs, Government, through the Energy Ministry, has decided to relocate the Ameri Power Plant, currently in Aboadze, to Kumasi by the first quarter of next year. This will transform power delivery in the region and northern Ghana.



Going forward



Overall, it is undeniable that there is enough generating capacity to meet the countrys demand. Ghanas system peak demand is close to 3,200MW with an installed capacity of 5,300MW  this means theres enough capacity to more than meet demand. Some intermittent outages are to be expected on the grid in the coming months due to ongoing projects (the Pokuase and Kasoa substations and other transmission line works across the country), however, there is a general willingness and commitment by all stakeholders in the sector to work fervently to reduce the impact it will have on customers in the country.



In the weeks to follow, GRIDCo and ECG, in partnership with the firms working on the key projects, will adequately inform the public on the outage plans required for completion of the respective works in good time. As a key player in the sector, we welcome comments and inputs from all relevant stakeholders and the general public to advance the industry. There is a concerted effort to transform the sector and it will be reductive for the recent interruptions to be attributed to a lack of funding from the Government of Ghana. GRIDCo is always ready for a transparent engagement on matters concerning its role in the sector.









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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Banksy's parody of Hollywood star Demi Moore's iconic nude pregnant Vanity Fair magazine cover could fetch 3million at auction.

The 7ft-tall canvas, unveiled in the British graffiti artist's debut US exhibition in 2006, features a naked and heavily pregnant figure clutching her belly but wearing an ape mask and smoking a cigarette.

In a poster set against the backdrop of the Hollywood sign, the parody was used to advertise the exhibition, which attracted 30,000 visitors including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Keanu Reeves and Cameron Diaz.

Moore, then 28, sparked controversy while pregnant with her second child when she bared her baby bump by posing naked for a photoshoot with Annie Leibovitz in 1991.

The cover has had a long cultural impact in the US, and helped to make pregnancy photos fashionable. It has been parodied on several occasions, including for the 1994 comedy film Naked Gun 33: The Final Insult.

Banksy's parody of Hollywood star Demi Moore's famous Vanity Fair magazine cover could fetch 3million at auction. The two-metre-tall canvas, unveiled in the graffiti artist's debut US exhibition in 2006, features a naked and heavily pregnant figure clutching her belly but wearing the mask associated with Banksy and smoking

Moore, then 28, sparked controversy while pregnant with her second child when she bared her baby bump by posing naked for a photoshoot with Annie Leibovitz in 1991

Leibovitz sued over the Naked Gun parody, but the case was dismissed in 1996 because the parody relied 'for its comic effect on the contrast between the original'.

Emma Baker, head of contemporary art evening sales at Sotheby's London, said the painting 'embodies the tongue-in-cheek humour, the outrageousness of Banksy in that show. He's poking fun at celebrity'.

And she added: 'It works on many levels, not just parody. You can almost see it as like a modern day fertility goddess, especially in a fine art context.

'Images of pregnant female embodiment aren't very common across the history of art. This is coming at it from a very different angle and it's very outrageous, but at the same time it's a painting and it's a work of fine art.'

She added: 'The monkey mask is totally synonymous with Banksy, that's his proxy as a disguise ... Any photoshoot where Banksy has to represent himself, you see him wearing this monkey mask.'

The exhibition featured a real-life Indian elephant, with a statement: 'There's an elephant in the room... Every day hundreds of people are made to feel physically sick by morons at art shows telling them how bad the world is but never actually doing something about it. Anybody want a free glass of wine?'

In a poster set against the backdrop of the Hollywood sign, the Danger Monkey Pregnant spoof was used to advertise the exhibition, which attracted 30,000 visitors including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Keanu Reeves and Cameron Diaz

The canvas is being sold by a private owner and will be going to auction for the first time.

Original Concept for Barely Legal Poster (After Demi Moore) will be offered at auction in London on March 25 as part of Modern Renaissance: A Cross-Category Sale.

In October 2019 , Banksy's oil on canvas painting depicting the House of Commons populated by chimpanzees sold for a record 9.9million.

Originally titled Question Time, the work was first purchased by a private collector in 2012 before resurfacing in 2019. Upon its return Banksy commented: 'Laugh now, but one day no-one will be in charge'.

His 2005 version of Claude Monet's Water Lillies - which depicted shopping trolleys and street cones against one of the impressionist painter's iconic backdrops - sold for 7.5million at auction last October.
A collective 51 volunteers removed 15,355 pounds of trash from four different rivers throughout the month of February in Keep the Tennessee River Beautifuls first Cherokee National Forest River Cleanup Series presented by Volkswagen.



For perspective, the total weight of litter removed is equivalent to 21 bull elk, which can reach up to 730 pounds and is the largest animal that can be spotted within the Cherokee National Forest. So, it could be said that the volunteers in this cleanup series removed enough trash from the rivers to be comparable to the weight of a herd of elk.

The cleanup series was largely made possible by funding received through the Volkswagen Community Grant Program by Volkswagen of America, Inc., administered by The Conservation Fund.

Everyone involved can button this project up knowing that we literally made tons of a difference for the Cherokee National Forest, the Tennessee River watershed, and the communities that they impact, said Kathleen Gibi, Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful executive director. From the diverse, stunning beauty we witnessed at each lake, to the passionate effort of our volunteers who removed an impressive amount of litter, to the incredible support from our sponsors and local partners, this series has been an unforgettable, positive experience.

KTNRB hosted river cleanups at four sites throughout the month of February, collaborating with local Keep America Beautiful affiliates and local governments:

Cherokee National Forest River Cleanup Series Results:

Feb. 6 Watauga Lake of the Watauga River Elizabethton, Tn. 3,202 pounds

Feb. 13 South Holston Lake of the Holston River Abingdon, Va. 5,294 pounds

Feb. 20 Tellico Lake of the Tellico River Vonore, Tn. 4,852 pounds

Feb. 27 Parksville Lake of the Ocoee River Benton, Tn. 2,007 pounds

15,355 lbs.

The 51 volunteers had other harrowing statistics from their efforts, including a total of 318 bags of trash, 148 tires, 1,433 pounds of Styrofoam, 215 pounds of random plastic, and 303 pounds of scrap metal.

The grant also allowed KTNRB to purchase equipment to support the use of their 5,000-pound, 25-foot work boat as well as an AmeriCorps position through a local East Tennessee chapter, CAC AmeriCorps.

This grant will continue to give back well past this river cleanup series now that our organizations empowered with support equipment so that we can easily host a cleanup and with additional staffing, said Ms. Gibi. We are so grateful to Volkswagen of America, Inc. and to The Conservation Fund for helping to make all of this possible.

Ms. Gibi said the organization was just hoping to meet the record it had set in 2019 with over 48,000 pounds of trash removed. By the time 2020 came to a close, the organization had worked with over 300 volunteers who removed more than 61,000 pounds of litter from the Tennessee River and its tributaries.

"Its a real testimony to the difference private investments from companies like Volkswagen can make for our community, said Ms. Gibi. This year, weve got our sights set on a goal to remove 100,000 pounds of trash from our waterways, and were already approaching 30,000 pounds for the year after this series.

Ms. Gibi said that the litter collected in 2020 was a 22 percent increase from their previous 2019 record that they set the year they first put their work boat in the water. Since the organization formed in 2016, KTNRB has rallied 1,750 volunteers to remove approximately 198,000 pounds of trash.

Its amazing to see what over 15,000 pound of trash looks like, but its even more fantastic to see the riverbanks clean and litter free, said Katie Allen, director of The Conservation Fund's Conservation Leadership Network. The efforts of Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful and all of its volunteers during the cleanup series have been outstanding, and they will benefit wildlife, water quality, and recreational experiences well into the future.

Other supporting sponsors of the cleanup series included the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, Keep America Beautiful, and Keep Tennessee Beautiful.

KTNRB plans to host the second Cherokee National Forest River Cleanup Series in 2022. They are also working on plans to reschedule a second cleanup on the Ocoee River that they had to cancel in February due to weather.

For more information about KTNRBs schedule, please visit www.KeepTNRiverBeautiful.org/upcomingcleanups.
A MAN has been accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl by touching her while she was out shopping with her mother in central Dublin.

Mohamed Eldars (28) allegedly put his hand between the girls legs from behind as she was walking through a busy shopping centre.

He is facing trial after a judge ruled the allegation was too serious to be dealt with at Dublin District Court.

Judge Bryan Smyth adjourned the case for further directions of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Mr Eldars, with an address at Clanbrassil Street Upper, Dublin 8 is charged with sexually assaulting the teenager, on March 1 last year.

Read More

Garda Shane OSullivan told Judge Smyth the girl reported that she was shopping with her mother in Dublin city centre when the accused walked behind her and placed his hand between her legs and on her leg.

It was more than just a brushing off, and his hand had gone further than that, she had told gardai. She had been facing forward and he walked up behind her, the garda said.

It was alleged the accuseds hand went straight to her vagina area and straight back out and there was no allegation that he placed fingers into this area or that he pinched or grabbed her.

Mr Eldars was later detained and made certain admissions, telling gardai it was an accident and his hand just brushed off her," Gda O'Sullivan said.

The DPP was directing summary disposal of the case at district court level subject to the issue of jurisdiction being considered, the judge was told.

Judge Smyth said he was refusing jurisdiction based on the outline of the prosecution evidence that he had heard. He said the consent of the DPP was required before the accused could be returned for trial to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Defence solicitor Andrew Broderick said there was consent to an adjournment to a date in April.

Mr Eldars was not required to address the court and was remanded on continuing bail.
Bandar Seri Begawan, March 15 : Brunei reported seven new imported cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, bringing its total tally of confirmed coronavirus infections to 199.

According to Brunei's Ministry of Health, all of the new cases are imported cases from Malaysia who arrived in the country via Singapore on March 1. The contact tracing for these cases is still being conducted and all the new cases are currently in the National Isolation Center for treatment and monitoring with the other four active cases, the Xinhua news agency reported.

With the detection of these cases, a total of 58 imported cases have been confirmed since the last local infection case reported on May 6. Brunei has recorded 312 days without local Covid-19 cases.

Brunei also reported one more recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic on Sunday, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 185.

There have been three deaths reported from Covid-19 so far in Brunei.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Germany, France and Italy became the latest European countries to halt the rollout of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine Monday, as scientists investigated reports of possible adverse side effects among several people in Norway who received the injection.

Norwegian officials said Saturday that one person had died from a brain hemorrhage and three others were hospitalized with blood clots shortly after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.

"So far, we cannot speak to whether the cases are connected to the vaccine. But due to the seriousness of the cases, we are investigating thoroughly," Sigurd Hortemo, chief physician at the Norwegian Medicines Agency, told reporters in Oslo.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the AstraZeneca drug is safe to use and urged countries to continue with their vaccination programs.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn said Monday the decision to pause the rollout was a "purely precautionary measure. Millions of AstraZeneca vaccinations have been administered across the globe. All of us are very aware of the consequences of this decision, and we did not take this decision lightly," Spahn told a press conference in Berlin.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the suspension would be lifted as soon as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) gave its approval.

"The decision, which has been taken out of precaution, in conformity with our European policy, is to suspend, by precaution, vaccinating with the AstraZeneca vaccine in the hope that we can resume quickly if the EMA gives the green light," Macron told reporters Monday.

The suspension appears to be further undermining confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine among the European public. Germany and France had already been accused of fueling skepticism after recommending in January that the drug not be given to people over 65, a position both governments later reversed.

"I would not have taken (the AstraZeneca vaccine) myself," 77-year-old Dutch citizen Marja Vestrik told Reuters on Monday, "though I think it's going to be all right in the end. If I had the choice, I wouldn't take AstraZeneca."

Other countries outside Europe have also paused AstraZeneca vaccinations, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia.

AstraZeneca support

WHO said there is no evidence that the AstraZeneca vaccine causes blood clots and urged countries to continue using it.

Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, a clinical scientist, said that all the vaccines approved by WHO had excellent safety records.

"Of the 330 million vaccines doses that have been deployed, we are not aware of any one confirmed COVID vaccine-related death. There have been deaths following vaccination in people, but people die of diseases every day," Swaminathan said at a virtual press conference Monday.

AstraZeneca insisted Monday that the vaccine is safe and echoed WHO's view that there is no evidence of a link to blood clots. Out of the 17 million people in Europe who have received its vaccine, AstraZeneca says fewer than 40 have developed blood clots, which health experts say is a lower rate than in the general population.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave his support to the AstraZeneca vaccine Monday, which was developed in conjunction with the University of Oxford.

"We have one of the toughest and most experienced (medicine) regulators in the world. They see no reason at all to discontinue the vaccination program for any of the vaccines that we're currently using," Johnson said.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is a key pillar of many countries' mass inoculation programs. It is relatively cheap and does not need to be stored at ultra-low temperatures, so it is seen as particularly suitable for less well-funded health systems, especially in parts of Africa.

Nigerian health workers began to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine Friday.

"We don't believe that this information is a reason for us to slow down our COVID-19 vaccination response," Lagos State Health Commissioner Akin Abayomi said Friday.

Vaccine skepticism

Scientists fear the halt in vaccinations could affect global confidence in the vaccines.

"It clearly has to be investigated. I think the big concern, though, is that we do know that, especially at a time when the disease is still actually very common and increasing across a number of European countries, that ultimately any delay in vaccinations will lead to more severe cases and more deaths," Paul Hunter, a professor at the Norwich School of Medicine, told VOA in an interview Monday.

"It will make it more difficult for people to accept the vaccine. It will put people off. And if it does that, as it almost certainly will, it will lead to more people getting ill, more people getting severely ill and more people dying."

Hunter added that investigations into reported side effects could have unintended consequences.

"As soon as you start worrying about a particular adverse outcome, then more people are likely to report that outcome. And you can actually almost generate a false impression of an epidemic purely because of increased reporting, because people have heard this sort of thing on the news," he said.

The AstraZeneca vaccine has just received official approval in Brazil, one of the countries worst hit by the pandemic. It has yet to be authorized for use in the United States, as regulators await the results of Phase 3 trials, expected in the next few weeks.


Care for others

Regarding Exhausted nurses ask you to mask up, (A13, March 11): As a nation we can still lose this battle. Are we that heartless as a people to condemn our health care workers to a never-ending hell of patients dying, out of breath, alienated from their loved ones? For what? Because we lack the patience to persevere a couple months longer? Because we fear the social pressure of others enough to continue creating the climate where the virus can continue to spread? Because we lack the sense of duty and responsibility to others to set aside political differences and act in ways that protect rather than endanger others? Many of us, myself included, have personally witnessed and benefited greatly from the individual acts of bravery and self sacrifice during public emergencies here in Texas. Are we not able to extend that ability to care for others to include doing such relatively simple, yet life-preserving acts as wearing a mask in public or getting a shot?

John McManus, Pearland

Protect teachers and students

Regarding Bullet shortage, (A2, March 2): I am one of the new gun owners discussed in the recent article Is ammo the new toilet paper? by Amanda Drane. I grew up around a grandfather with more guns than books and I never thought to get a gun until President Trumps America continuously threatened my familys lives. Before the pandemic, every teachers lounge in America cringed every time a news flash concerning a school hit the headlines.

Our governor made a show of having a committee of stakeholders convene after the Santa Fe school shooting. The result, the 2018 School Safety Action Plan, but no progress passing gun safety legislation. In the 2019 Midland-Odessa shooting, the background check system was bypassed in a private sale. The shooter failed a background check in 2014. And still no progress passing gun safety legislation. Universal background checks are the law in some states, but not in others. Private gun sales happen regularly.

As a Texan, a teacher and a citizen of a democracy I am compelled to voice my support of federal universal background checks. The House of Representatives passed HR8, the Bipartisan Background Check Act of 2021. Not a single Texas Republican representative voted to support universal background checks on all gun sales! Our senators must act! We cannot continue to live like this. We are meant for peace, union and prosperity for the next generation and so forth. Please, use the dignity we teachers take to work every day and do your job. Protect students, teachers and the community we serve. Passing federal background checks on all gun sales will help save lives.

Morgan Howard, Missouri City
In moving past this issue, I would like to call upon the good nature in the souls of the people within this Party. Our mission is to serve our communities with distinction and honor, Wenger. Only with the trust of the voters of Porter County will our organization live and thrive, and trust is guaranteed only through sincere and forthright action.
Australia will send a team of doctors including an infectious diseases expert to Papua New Guinea and consider fast-tracking vaccine supplies for the country as it battles an out-of-control coronavirus outbreak.

Fears about the situation escalated on Monday after Queensland health authorities found 250 positive COVID-19 results from 500 tests taken by PNG residents.

An Australian Medical Assistance Team will be deployed to PNG within days after the country reached out to the Morrison government for help. Credit:Eddie Jim

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk warned the surging COVID-19 cases presented a real risk to Australia, saying she had major concerns the virus could spread into her state and the Pacific nation needed more vaccines.

Some 500 tests, 250 positives, Ms Palaszczuk said. So one in two people. Thats quite extraordinary and quite concerning when its right on our doorstep.
Nokian Tyres has published its latest sustainability report, showcasing several milestones that the company reached during 2020. These include its new US factory receiving LEED v4 Silver certification; 100% of waste from manufacturing operations in Finland being recycled, and 99% in Russia and the USA; and having its emissions reduction targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

When asked about the last year, Jukka Moisio, president and CEO of Nokian Tyres, commented, The experience has proved the importance of sustainability, and we are integrating it even more heavily into our business strategy. We promise to improve the eco-friendliness of our tires without compromising on safety. Our new sustainability strategy for the next five years includes innovations that improve the sustainability and safety of our products. This is why we are working on a concept tire made entirely of materials that are renewable or recycled. We plan to publish the concept tire by 2025. We are proud to show leadership in sustainability.

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Alongside the steps taken to become a greener and more environmentally friendly company, Nokian notes it has also made changes to safety practices at its three production factories in Russia, Finland and the US.

In 2020, we also made major advances in occupational safety. Our LTIF [lost time incident frequency]figure decreased from 4.3 to a record low level of 3.7, and the work to reduce these figures continues. There are challenges, but we are committed to being part of the solution, Moisio explained.

In 2020, we started drafting a policy for sustainable natural rubber procurement, which will be finalized and implemented in 2021, he continued.

We are committed to the UN Global Compact, and improving working conditions and human rights along the supply chain is an issue we are working on together with our stakeholders. After an unprecedented year, we entered 2021 with some of the changes to our living environment turned into the new normal. Our commitment to sustainability has not changed  it stays at the core of what we do, concluded Moisio.

The full corporate sustainability report can be found on Nokians website: Nokian Tyres Corporate Sustainability Report 2020 (cision.com)

The president stresses the need for a vaccination awareness campaign.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said the first shot against COVID-19 reduces the probability of infection by 76%.

"It should be explained to people that the first shot against COVID-19 reduces the likelihood of infection by 76%. Thus, the chances of infection still remain. And the full protection against this danger is created only after the second shot. That is why we must not forget about face masks even now, when the vaccination campaign is already underway," he said at a regular conference call on the prevention of the spread of COVID-19, as reported by the president's press service.

Zelensky stressed it is necessary to constantly explain to people the issues related to vaccination.

Read also COVID-19: Ukraine to issue international vaccine certificates Vaccination in Ukraine

On February 24, 2021, Ukraine launched a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Doctors who treat COVID-19 patients, ambulance teams, laboratory personal involved in COVID-19 testing, residents and staff of nursing homes, as well as military personnel in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) zone in Donbas are to be vaccinated at the first stage.

Today, the vaccination campaign is underway in Ukraine with CoviShield (AstraZeneca), a recombinant vector vaccine produced under license at Serum Institute of India. Two shots with an interval of 28 days are required for complete immunization.

As of today, over 258,600 Ukrainians have signed up for the COVID-19 vaccination waiting list. Citizens aged from 21 to 39 account for the lion's share, and the share of people aged 80 and older is the smallest one.

Reporting by UNIAN
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Washington, March 15 : US President Joe Biden has said that an investigation into multiple allegations of sexual harassment against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was underway and the public should wait for its outcome.

Biden made the remarks on Sunday when reporters asked him if Cuomo should resign amid growing calls from top Democrats of the state asking him to step down.

"I think the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings us," The Hill news website quoted the President as saying.

Allegations of sexual harassment or sexually inappropriate behaviour against Cuomo reached a boiling point on March 10 when reports emerged that the sixth accuser, an anonymous current aide to Cuomo, alleged that the Governor groped her last year.

The following day, 59 Democratic lawmakers in the state's legislature, or about 40 per cent of the party's members in the New York Assembly and Senate, signed a statement requesting that Cuomo relinquish power.

New York state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said the judiciary committee under the assembly has been authorised to initiate an impeachment investigation into Cuomo.

The investigation team, headed by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, is tasked to examine allegations of misconduct against Cuomo, who has held the position of Governor since January 2011.

Also on Sunday in remarks similar to Biden's, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told ABC News: "The Governor should look inside his heart, he loves New York, to see if he can govern effectively... And that could be one of the considerations that he has."
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Parliament of St. Maarten's recent petition to the United Nations regarding racial bias on the islands of the former Netherlands Antilles has come under great scrutiny by varying members of the public. As a matter of fact, the topic of decolonization seems to have caused a lot of anxiety, as well as, confusion amongst the general public which is quite understandable. When discussing and analyzing decolonization, it is imperative to focus on the facts presented by the United Nations, the United Nations Charter, and the Kingdom Charter.

What Then Is Decolonization?

In his letter of September 15, 2015, to the Dutch Prime Minister, Marcel Gumbs, along with the Prime Ministers of Aruba and Curacao recalled that the United Nations had great doubts about whether or not the Kingdom Charter had really brought about decolonization. They pointed to the danger that the UN observed in the ability of the Governor to violate the islands' Full Measure of Self-Government or autonomy.

The UN pointed out four areas of concern during their debate on the Kingdom Charter:

1. The position and function of Governor. The United Nations General Assembly felt that a Governor, especially with the role assigned to him by the Kingdom Charter, conflicted with the Full Measure of Self-Government.

2. Article 44, which requires the permission of the Kingdom Government for an island to change its constitution or its legal system. The members of the United Nations questioned why an autonomous island would need to seek such permission.

3 & 4. Articles 50 and 51 allow the Kingdom Government to implement higher supervision. Here again, the UN had the "great doubts" that Marcel Gumbs alluded to. The UN members felt that truly autonomous islands could never be subject to any form of higher supervision.

We can conclude that to meet the UN standards of decolonization the four items mentioned above must be removed from the Kingdom Charter. That, according to the United Nations, is what decolonization means for St. Maarten and its sister islands.

Is A Referendum Needed?

The four changes to the Kingdom Charter mentioned above, do not require a referendum. They conflict with the UN Charter and all we will be doing is aligning the Kingdom Charter with the obligations set forth in the Charter of the United Nations. St. Maarten would remain part of the Kingdom with all the rights and privileges we currently enjoy through association with the Netherlands. Bear in mind that decolonization does not necessarily mean independence. Puerto Rico is fully decolonized, but not an independent country while still maintaining its American citizenship. The same concept would apply to St. Maarten and its sister islands.

Pro Soualiga Foundation
New Delhi, March 15 : In a major development in the coal block allocation scam case, which has been moving at a snail's pace for six years, the Supreme Court on Monday asked the Delhi High Court's Chief Justice to suggest five judges of "high calibre" to replace the special judge appointed to try the case.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian, said: "We accordingly request the Hon'ble Chief Justice, Delhi High Court to give us a panel of names of about five judges of a high calibre and absolute integrity to enable us to suggest an appropriate replacement for Bharat Parashar, Special Judge." The bench said it has received a letter from the Delhi High Court's Registrar General seeking its permission to nominate/post another suitable officer as special judge in place of Parashar, citing that the coal block allocation matter is pending for about six years when the law contemplates the disposal of such matters in two years, with the proviso of four extensions of periods of six months each.

"We find that Bharat Parashar who has acted as a Special Judge (PC Act), (CBI)-07, Patiala House Court, New Delhi, needs to be replaced, as he has now completed more than 6 years in the same post after having been posted as Special Judge in the above-mentioned court since August 19, 2014," the top court said in its order.

The special judge, which was nominated by Supreme Court on recommendation of a sitting Delhi High Court judge, had reportedly taken to task various investigating agencies from time to time. Parashar had also summoned former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the coal scam.

The top court had appointed senior advocate R.S. Cheema, as special public prosecutor to conduct the prosecution of the offences pertaining to coal block allocation matters on behalf of the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate after quashed 214 coal block allocations made between 1993 and 2010 in 2014.

The top court had termed these allocations arbitrary, illegal and amounting to unfair distribution of national wealth. The decision had come on a plea led by NGO Common Cause and others challenging the legality of allocation of coal blocks to private companies from 1993 onwards.
Mumbai, March 15 : Sending out a strong message, Mumbai Police have booked Bollywood actress and model Gauhar Khan for allegedly violating Covid-19 protocols after testing positive, officials said here on Monday.

The Oshiwara police station lodged an FIR after a complaint lodged by the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) against Gauhar.

Hailing from Pune, Gauhar (37) recently got married to actor Zaid Darbar, the son of veteran music director Ismail Darbar. She had tested positive for Covid-19 on March 11.

However, despite testing positive, she attended a film shoot and was moving around in public places, unmindful that she was a carrier and could post a threat to the general public, an official said.

"The BMC has filed an FIR against a Bollywood actor for non-compliance of Covid-19 guidelines after testing positive. The rules apply to all alike and we urge the citizens to follow the guidelines and help the city beat the virus," the BMC said on Monday.

The civic body also tweeted a copy of the FIR with the actress' name blurred with a slogan -- "No Compromise On City's Safety!" After a social worker tipped off the BMC on Gauhar seen moving around in public despite testing positive, a civic health team rushed to her home in the western suburb.

Gauhar allegedly did not open the door for the health team after which it called her on her phone, which she answered.

Finally, Gauhar relented and stepped out, following which the BMC team stamped her hand on the home isolation status which she flouted. She is now being shifted to an institution.

As cases in Maharashtra crossed a staggering 23 lakh on Sunday, the state and the BMC are taking stringent measures against persons flouting norms after testing positive.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
The Governors Official Program is comprised of a wide range of constitutional and legal duties and ceremonial and community engagements. Each year, the Governor hosts thousands of visitors to Government House to take part in investiture and award ceremonies, Open Days, receptions and meetings, and travels widely throughout Queensland to support the activities of Patron groups. View a chronological record of the Governors daily program below.

On Friday, in the morning, at Ayr, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC undertook, via telephone, a media interview with Mornings Presenter, ABC North Queensland, Mr Michael Clarke.

Following, at Burdekin Shire Council Chambers, Ayr, His Excellency received a briefing from Burdekin Shire Council representatives.

Following, at Ayr, His Excellency visited St Francis School, and addressed students and guests and read a book.

Following, at Burdekin Theatre, Ayr, His Excellency hosted a morning tea in support of the Ayr community, and addressed guests.

Following, at Plantation Park, Ayr, His Excellency attended Storytime, and read a book and toured the Plantation Nature Play area and Visitor Information Centre.

In the afternoon, at Gudjuda Deck Cafe, Ayr, His Excellency received, over a working lunch, Mayor, Burdekin Shire Council, Cr Lyn McLaughlin.

Following, at Bowen, His Excellency visited Bowen State School, and addressed students and toured the School.

Following, at Flagstaff Hill, Bowen, His Excellency received a briefing on the Flagstaff Hill Conference and Cultural Centre project.

Following, at North Queensland Cruising Yacht Club, Bowen, His Excellency hosted a reception in support of the Bowen community, and addressed guests.
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP)  A judge in Bolivia on Sunday ordered former interim president Jeanine Anez held for four months in preventative detention following her arrest on charges linked to the 2019 ouster of socialist leader Evo Morales, which his supporters consider a coup detat.

Prosecutors accuse Anez, who assumed the presidency following Morales resignation and exile, of terrorism and sedition for the violent social explosion that led to his ouster. She was arrested on Saturday and has called her detention an abuse, denying that a coup took place.

After a virtual hearing due to the pandemic, judge Regina Santa Cruz backed prosecutors request that Anez be held in a womens prison in La Paz. The judge also ordered four months of preventative arrest for two of her former ministers.

Anez and the two ex-ministers heard the ruling from police cells and will be transferred to prison in the coming hours.

Earlier, Anez called on the Organization of American States and the European Union to send missions to Bolivia to evaluate what she called an illegal detention.

The arrest of Anez and warrants against numerous other former officials has further worsened political tensions in a South American country already torn by a cascade of perceived wrongs suffered by both sides. Those include complaints that Morales had grown more authoritarian with nearly 13 years in office, that he illegally ran for a fourth reelection and then allegedly rigged the outcome, that right-wing forces led violent protests that prompted security forces to push him into resigning and then cracked down on his followers, who themselves protested an alleged coup.

Dozens of people were killed in 2019 in a series of demonstrations against and then for Morales.

On Saturday, Morales sent a tweet saying, The authors and accomplices of the dictatorship should be investigated and published.

After Morales resigned  or was pushed  and flew abroad, many of his key supporters also resigned. Anez, a legislator who had been several rungs down the ladder of presidential succession, was vaulted into the interim presidency.

But Morales Movement Toward Socialism remained popular. It won last years elections with 55% of the vote under Morales chosen candidate Luis Arce, who took the presidency in November.
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You can almost understand why most House Democrats were so suspicious of a long-overdue bill to bring some consistency to how counties conduct S.C. elections, after Gov. Henry McMaster interjected himself into the debate with ridiculous talk of fraud.

Fraud, after all, is the word Republicans across the country are using to justify efforts to roll back who can vote easily in elections; in traditionally deep-red Georgia, for instance, the state Senate voted last week to repeal a 2005 law that let everybody vote absentee, after GOP complaints that too many people voted absentee last year.

While we absolutely must be on the lookout for laws that lack sufficient safeguards to stop actual voter fraud, the fact is that investigation after investigation has found that the amount of voter fraud in this nation is infinitesimal.

Whats come to be called fraud usually amounts to different interpretations of state laws  or, in some cases, such as the one S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson tried to interject himself into last year, state voting laws that people in other states simply dont like. Despite Mr. McMasters warning in a letter to legislators last week that they needed to safeguard the voting process against the threat of fraud, that difference of interpretation is the only problem weve seen in South Carolina.

When politicians try to change how the state applies its election laws, as they did last year here and across the country, its the job of the courts to sort out the competing interpretations. But there are serious constitutional problems when state law allows county election commissions to apply their own individual interpretations to state law, with, say, one county using one process to verify the validity of voter signatures, an adjacent county using a different method and another county accepting all signatures without any sort of check.

H.3444 aims to correct that problem, by doing something most people probably assumed was already happening: requiring all county election commissions to follow not just the same laws but also the same interpretations when those laws arent clear. Specifically, they would have to follow the interpretation of the State Election Commission  which, again, is what most people assumed was already happening. Because its the only thing that makes any sense.

Just as S.C. and U.S. elections arent fraught with fraud, H.3444 is not, as some Democrats charged, laying the groundwork for voter suppression. (If legislators wanted to suppress voting, they wouldnt mess around with a wonky change like this; theyd pass some of the bills that extremist Republicans have introduced to  suppress voting.) The fact that anyone could possibly object to requiring a consistent statewide interpretation of our election laws speaks to the paranoia of the objectors  which speaks to how poisonous our whole election culture has become.

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Indeed, the only legitimate objection to the bill by House Speaker Jay Lucas was its attempt to expand the size of the State Election Commission with additional members appointed by legislators  who have no business appointing members to any executive branch commissions.

So it was a huge win for good government on Wednesday when the House removed the change to the makeup of the Election Commission and passed the bill with the simple change to require county election commissions to follow any policies or interpretations of law set by the gubernatorially appointed state commission.

Unspoken  but certainly on the mind of residents in counties such as Richland, which endured nearly a decade of botched elections due to sheer incompetence  was the fact that the bill also makes it easier for the state to intervene to safeguard against incompetent county election commissions. Although state law was changed in 2014 to reduce the problem, it still only allows the state to recommend training and request that employees be fired.

Meanwhile, a Senate subcommittee is meeting Tuesday to debate its own version of a South Carolina Election Commission Restructuring Act that does nothing to address the inconsistent policies from county to county but instead injects the Senate into the operations of the State Election Commission, by requiring Senate confirmation of the governors commission appointments as well as the agency director.

Theres nothing wrong with requiring Senate approval for the commissioners  that's already required for many gubernatorial appointments, not just here but also in states that respect the separation of powers. But the executive director of an agency that is deliberately insulated from direct political interference is a different thing: Even the governor doesnt have any official say in who the election commissioner is; the Senate shouldnt either.

The other part of S.499 gives the House and Senate the automatic right to squander tax dollars to hire their own attorneys to defend state election laws in court. Both bodies often do that already, but they have to ask the courts permission, since the state constitution gives that job to the state attorney general. Theres no good reason to change this. Or to interject the Senate into the operations of the State Election Commission.

What there is good reason to do  what the Senate should do instead of pursuing this silly little bill  is pass H.3444 to clear up the very real problem with state election laws that was revealed through the avalanche of lawsuits that accompanied election 2020.
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Police officers were called to shut down a round of the Hokey Cokey after families gathered to enjoy the weekend sunshine.

Officers attended the jig at around 10.30am on Sunday and engaged with the dancers as they put their left leg out, right leg out, turned around and dispersed.

Video footage shows the large group including children all holding hands in a circle before running in and out of the centre towards each other.

They can be heard singing the lyrics to the popular kids song at Alexandra Park in Hastings, East Sussex.

Posting on the Facebook page of A Stand in the Park, a group for Unity, Freedom and Personal Truth, one of the attendees said: 'I attended the first Stand in Hastings this morning. There were about 100 present, ages from baby to 80.

'We stood around in clumps, chatting, over an area of about 20 metres across. Then music started from a boom box and a dance troupe did a short synchronised rehearsed routine.

Pictured: Police officers were called to shut down a round of the Hokey Cokey after an anti-lockdown group gathered in Alexandra Park, Hastings, East Sussex, on Sunday morning

'There was a bit of a hokey-cokey, then we all held hands in a circle, at which point, at about 10.20am, two police constables rolled up in a car and watched us for a few mins, then got out of the car, wearing masks, and stood really close to the perimeter.

'Then more police came until there were about eight, and half went to the far side of the Standers, as though trying to 'surround' or 'kettle us' but with such woefully inadequate numbers that they had no chance.

'They chatted with a few Standers but I don't think they told anyone to leave. They were asking which of us it was who organised it.'

A Stand in the Park is an anti-lockdown movement which appears to have been launched in Australia but there are now groups across the world.

The group says it has come about because 'people are drawing their own line in the sand, saying enough is enough, and standing together for unity, for truth & for freedom.'

The current lockdown rules in England mean group gatherings of mixed households are banned.

Police deemed no enforcement action was required as the group dispersed after the sing-song

People are only permitted to exercise outside with one other person and while the risk of transmitting Covid-19 is lower when you are outside, singing can spread the droplets more easily.

It is unclear how many households were involved in the singalong or how many were wearing masks.

Police deemed no enforcement action was required as the chirpy group voluntarily dispersed after their sing-song.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: 'We were made aware of a gathering of about 40 people in Alexandra Park, Hastings, on Sunday morning.

'Officers attended to engage with those present, explaining the government's coronavirus regulations and encouraging people to follow them.

'The group engaged with officers and voluntarily dispersed so no enforcement action was required.

'The government's coronavirus regulations are in place to help stop the spread of the virus, protect the NHS and save lives.

'We will continue to use the four Es - engaging, explaining, encouraging and, where necessary and proportionate, enforcing.'
The purchase provides Creso Pharma with entry into the emerging global market for psychedelics medicines which is estimated to be worth up to US$100 billion.

Creso Pharma will be the first 100%-owned psychedelic medicines company listed on the ASX

( ) ( ) (FRA:1X8) has entered into a transformational agreement to buy established psychedelics company Halucenex Life Sciences Inc, which will strengthen the companys position in Canada, as well as lead to new market entries and commercialisation opportunities.

The purchase provides Creso Pharma with entry into the emerging global market for psychedelics medicines, which is estimated to be worth up to US$100 billion.

The proposed acquisition provides Creso Pharma with a first-mover advantage into the psychedelic medicines sector and marks the first 100%-owned psychedelic medicines company listed on the ASX.

Halucenex is a life sciences development company focused on researching, developing and licencing novel psychedelic molecules for the global pharmaceutical and nutraceutical markets.

Evolution into broader-based pharmaceutical business

Creso Pharma non-executive chairman Adam Blumenthal said: This is a major milestone for Creso Pharma and marks our evolution into a broader-based pharmaceutical business.

Creso will now sell its trusted cannabis products and progress the commercialisation of a range of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy treatments.

Our entry into this market provides the company with another lucrative vertical and an additional near term revenue stream.

Mental health and PTSD are becoming detrimental to our society and this has been highlighted in the last 12 months.

These conditions have been exacerbated by COVID-19 and the available treatments are shown to have limited effectiveness and many side effects.

Psychedelic-assisted therapy is a new alternative treatment route, which has considerable promise.

The acquisition of Halucenex will strengthen our presence in Canada, as well as provide a number of opportunities in drug development, which will inevitably lead to further new market entries and commercialisation opportunities.

Creso Pharma shares were almost 10% higher intra-day to A$0.23, with in excess of 50 million changing hands with a total value of more than A$10.674 million while the company's market cap is approximately A$185.9 million.

Commercialisation of one of worlds first psychedelic inspired medicines

Creso Pharmas strategic advisor Bruce Linton added: Public policy towards psychedelics is rapidly shifting and we are witnessing a massive regulatory wave, which will change the way that mental health disorders are treated.

WATCH: Bruce Linton explains significance of entering psychedelics market

Linton said: Cresos decision to enter the psychedelic space allow it to capitalise on its strong global partnerships, and its teams expertise in the development of new pharmaceutical products, to accelerate commercialisation of one of the worlds first psychedelic inspired medicines.

Following this acquisition, Creso will have the ability to provide varied combinations and outcome centric approaches that have the potential to considerably benefit individuals that are suffering from a range of debilitating illnesses.

Early advantage

Halucenex founder and chief executive officer Bill Fleming said: Halucenex is excited to be acquired by Creso and looks forward to levering its strategic relationships and expertise in the pharmaceutical industry.

Halucenex has an early advantage in that it has applied for the Controlled Substances License, it has a laboratory for research on psychedelic compounds and a medical clinic to conduct micro and macro dose trials.

WATCH: Bill Fleming discusses Halucenexs early-mover advantage in psychedelics

Our ability to design a clinical protocol and fast track a Phase 2 Treatment Resistant Depression clinical trial will allow us to be one of the first companies to demonstrate the efficacy of psilocybin in Canada.

Key deal terms:

Creso Pharma will pay:

$500,000 in cash;

29,251,795 Creso Pharma shares;

17,551,077 Creso Pharma performance shares that will convert into fully paid ordinary shares if the dealers licence amendment within 12 months of settlement of the acquisition; and

The shares and any Creso share issues on conversion of the performance shares will be subject to voluntary escrow for six months following settlement.

Settlement of the acquisition is conditional satisfaction of conditions precedent, including:

Creso completing financial legal and technical due diligence within 45 days of execution;

Creso obtaining all necessary shareholder and regulatory approvals, including approval for the issue of the company shares; and

Creso and Halucenex obtaining all third-party approvals and consents necessary to lawfully complete the acquisition.

Other key terms

In addition, Creso will advance Halucenex $250,000 to fund Halucenexs operations prior to settlement.

Creso has also agreed to apply at least a further $1 million in funding to Halucenex business during the 12 months period following settlement.

The vendors have a right to nominate a director to the board of Creso as a non-executive director up until three months following settlement.

Shareholder approval

Creso Pharma plans to seek shareholder approval for the issue of the consideration and performance shares at its upcoming annual general meeting expected to be held in April 2021.

Established Canadian psychedelics company

Halucenex is focused on delivering and developing evidence-based products for the treatment of treatment-resistant depression and other detrimental mental illnesses, with a specific focus on psychedelic-derived medicines.

It is currently focused on progressing clinical trials to research the efficacy of psilocybin to treat and alleviate treatment-resistant depression in individuals suffering from PTSD and other mental illnesses.

The company operates at a 6,000 square foot medical treatment facility in Nova Scotia, Canada, next to the Hants Emergency Hospital, with a controlled substances laboratory, and 18 treatment rooms for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

On receipt of its pending Controlled Drugs and Substances Dealers License (Dealers Licence), Halucenex will apply to commence a Phase 2 clinical trial.

The licence will allow Halucenex to possess and conduct research and development and clinical studies on psychedelic substances including LSD, psilocybin and MDMA.

Phase 2 clinical trial

Halucenexs Phase 2 clinical trial is expected to commence in the third quarter 2021.

Halucenex will also seek an amendment to the Dealers Licence to produce, package/assemble, sell, transport, import and export psychedelic substances.

Bottleneck in pharmaceutical-grade psilocybin supply chain

Given the growing interest in psychedelic inspired medicines, there is a bottleneck in the supply chain of pharmaceutical-grade psilocybin that is expected to expand as more companies enter the research domain, with clinical trial submissions testing psilocybin for a multitude of mental illnesses.

Synthetic psilocybin is preferred over naturally sourced psilocybin in clinical settings, as naturally sourced psilocybin is known to have greater inconsistency of potency and therefore dosage. Health Canada, therefore, approves clinical trials only if companies have access to synthetic psilocybin to ensure consistency of dosage and purity in formulations.

In anticipation of a worsening supply shortage, Halucenex has signed a supply agreement with one of Canadas only pharmaceutical-grade synthetic psychedelics manufacturers, Industries Inc., securing supply of 11.6g (11,600mg) of synthetic psilocybin for use in Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials.

Halucenex is currently one of about 11 companies to secure supply from , significantly de-risking the clinical trial timeline.

Fast track to revenue

Halucenex also has an affiliation with Veterans Affairs Canada via its strategic adviser David Fraser, which will provide a fast track to revenue through sales into a market with significant demand and government backing.

The prevalence of PTSD among veterans is considerably higher than the general population.

Veterans Affairs Canada is a government department responsible for pensions, benefits and service to war veterans.

The Canadian government has budgeted over C$25 million over the next decade to support research on veteran health and spends over C$1.1 billion annually on disability pensions.

Halucenexs short-term focus is on progressing clinical trials to assess the safety and efficacy of PAP using psilocybin to treat mental illness, with the aim of becoming a clinical drug pipeline provider, while also progressing two complementary business strategies.

Halucenex will conduct R&D to produce novel proprietary formulations of synthetic psilocybin in order to de-risk supply, increase yields for future micro and macro dosing formulations, and to open the manufacturing vertical.

Alongside partners Acadia University and non-profit research organisation Mitacs, Halucenex will research methods of synthesising psilocybin in scalable quantities, with the aim of developing formulations for use in preclinical and clinical experiments.

Halucenex will also conduct R&D into the interactions between natural and synthetic psilocybin derivates to accumulate intellectual property on the entourage effects of naturally sourced psilocybin.

In partnership with Acadia University and Mitacs, Halucenex is progressing the project to gather information on organic and synthetic psychoactive molecules derived from psychedelic psilocybin mushrooms, with preliminary results from the project expected by the second quarter 2022.
The Australian government is set to introduce a permanent rise in the unemployment payment after the COVID-19 supplement expires at the end of March. (William West/AFP via Getty Images)

Leading Industry Groups Stand Behind Post-Pandemic Workplace Reforms

CEOs from leading Australian industry groups are pushing for the Senate to approve contentious industrial relations laws this week, arguing there is no valid reason for the Bill to be delayed.

The certainty that these reforms will deliver is needed urgently to boost confidence, investment, and job creation to complete the recovery and help put the economy on track to generate higher incomes and sustained growth in the future, a joint statement representing various groups across the retail, rural, business, and construction sectors said.

A failure to vote on the Bill will increase uncertainty and stifle business confidence at the worst possible timejust before the JobKeeper scheme ends and as businesses are making critically important decisions on whether to retain staff.

According to the statement, over 182,000 fewer Australians were employed in February than last year, and overall Gross Domestic Product during the December Quarter was 1.1 percent lower than the previous year.

After passing the Lower House, the government must now negotiate with the Senate crossbench to achieve the Bills passage.

The Senate Education and Employment Committee recommended Parliament pass the contentious Coronavirus Economic Response Package Omnibus Bill 2020, after spending three months examining 130 submissions from various stakeholders.

That followed a nine-month consultation process involving industry groups and union representatives.

The Omnibus Bill was introduced to aid Australias post-pandemic economic recovery by streamlining workplace laws, giving business owners more flexibility in hiring and paying employees.

Under the proposed law, employers can also avoid converting a casual worker to part-time or full time if they can prove there are reasonable business grounds not to do so.

Further, the Omnibus Bill allows employers to increase work hours for part-time employees without overtime premiums.

To encourage investment, the Bill puts a stay on negotiating new work conditions over an eight-year period for Greenfields Agreements, covering major projects valued at over $500 million or projects worth more than $250 million if it is deemed of national or regional employment significance by the minister.

The most contentious aspect of the Bill was to offer companies affected by COVID-19 a means to bypass the Better Off Overall Test (BOOT), where employees could not be worse off under a new workplace agreement compared to a previous one.

This aspect of the Bill was eventually withdrawn due to widespread opposition.

Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Secretary Sally McManus is pressuring the Senate crossbench to support the rights of workers.

Workers know that each of the crossbench senators have a choice to make between supporting the rights of working people and siding with big business to cut pay and conditions, she said in a statement.

This bill will delay the recovery by crushing wage growth and taking away job security for millions of workers.

The combined statement represented a cross-section of industry groups including the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Australian Industry Group, Business Council of Australia, Australian Mines and Metals Association, Master Builders Australia, Australian Constructors Association, Australian Retailers Association, Restaurant and Catering Industry Assoc., National Retail Association, and National Farmers Federation.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Intensive care doctors in Germany warned Monday that the country would need to make an "immediate return" to partial lockdown if it is to avoid stumbling into a dangerous third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

"From the data we currently have and with the spread of the British mutation, we would argue strongly to return immediately into a lockdown to avoid a strong third wave," Christian Karagiannidis, director of Germany's intensive care register, told broadcaster RBB.

"We won't gain much from staying open for the next one or two weeks, because that will quickly bring us to a high level and make it twice as hard to push the numbers down again," said Karagiannidis, who works for the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive and Emergency Medicine (DIVI), which tracks intensive care capacities in German hospitals.

Germany has seen a rise in cases since it began a gradual easing of coronavirus measures in late February, allowing schools, hairdressers and other businesses to partially reopen.

Latest DIVI figures show that Germany currently has almost 2,800 people in intensive care, but Karagiannidis warned that the figure could rise to "5,000 or 6,000" if state governments do not respond to rising case numbers with stricter measures.

"It's clear that the intensive care numbers will rise quickly if we give the virus an opportunity," he said, urging the government to press on with vaccinating over-50s and over-60s.

Rising numbers, the spread of the British variant and a slow inoculation campaign have sparked growing fears of a resurgence of the coronavirus just as many Germans were hoping to come out of more than three months of partial shutdown.

Last week, the head of Germany's disease control agency Lothar Wieler warned that the third wave had already begun.

"We must avoid the same situation we were in before Christmas, with many infections, many serious cases and many deaths," said Wieler, head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for public health.

On Monday, official figures showed that the seven-day incidence rate rose again to 83 cases per 100,000 people, way above the 50 cases mark set by the government as a threshold for any easing in restrictions.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
A big coral bommie in the lagoon at Norfolk Island. Credit: John Turbull

Two weeks ago, I found myself hitting the water on Norfolk Island, complete with a survey reel, slate and camera.

Norfolk Island is a small volcanic outcrop located between New Caledonia and New Zealand, 1,400 kilometers east of Australia's Gold Coast. It's surrounded by coral reefs, with a shallow lagoon on the south side that looks out on two smaller islands: Nepean and Phillip.

The island is picturesque, but like marine environments the world over, Norfolk Marine Park is subject to pressures from climate change, fishing pressure, habitat change and pollution.

I was diving in the marine park as a volunteer for Reef Life Survey, a citizen science program where trained SCUBA divers survey marine biodiversity in rocky and coral reefs around the world. We first surveyed Norfolk Island in 2009, then again in 2013, with an eight year hiatus before our return this month.

While the scientific analysis of our data is yet to be done, we can make anecdotal observations to compare this year's findings with prior records and photographs. This time, our surveys turned up several new sightings and observations.

What we saw

Diving under the waves in Norfolk Marine Park takes you into a world of crackling, popping reef sounds through clear blue water, with darting tropical fish, a tapestry of algae and hard and soft corals in pink, green, brown and red.

A red-ringed nudibranch (Ardeadoris rubroannulata). This beautiful little mollusc was a couple of centimetres long, nestled on the side of a wall covered in colourful algae. I had to look twice to notice it, but recognised it as a species I had seen before in Sydney. It had previously only been recorded in the Coral Sea, the east coast of Australia and Lord Howe island, so it was nice to get a record of it even further east in the Pacific. Credit: John Turnbull, Author provided

In these surveys we record fish species including their size and abundance, invertebrates such as urchins and sea stars, and habitat such as coral cover. This allows us to track changes in marine life using standardized scientific methods.

Given recent major marine heatwaves and bleaching events in Australia, we were pleased to see healthy corals on many of our survey sites on Norfolk. We even felt there had been increases in coral cover at some sites.

This may be due to Norfolk's location. The island is further south than most Australian coral reefs, which means it has cooler seas, and it's surrounded by deeper water. I'm a marine ecologist involved in soft coral monitoring at the University of NSW, so I particularly noticed the wonderful diversity and size of soft corals.

I noticed generally low numbers of large fish such as morwong and sharks on our survey sites. Some classes of invertebrate were also rare on this year's surveys, particularly sea shell animals like tritons and whelks.

Emily Bay is a sheltered swimming beach at the eastern end of the lagoon, great for snorkelling too thanks to the diverse corals just below the surface. Credit: John Turbull, Author provided

Urchins, on the other hand, were common, particularly the red urchin. Some sites also had numerous black long-spined urchins and large sea lamingtons.

These invertebrate observations follow patterns we see in eastern and southern Australia, where there are declines in the numbers of many invertebrate species, and increases in urchin barrensregions where urchin populations grow unchecked.

The expansion of urchin barrens can threaten biodiversity in a region, as large numbers of a single species of urchin can out-compete multiple species of other invertebrates, over-graze algae and reduce habitat suitable for fish.

A highlight of any survey dive is when you find an animal you suspect may not have been recorded at a location before, and I had several of those on this trip.

I recorded first sightings for Reef Life Survey of blue mao mao, convict surgeonfish, the blue band glidergoby, sergeant major (a damselfish), chestnut blenny, Susan's flatworm, red-ringed nudibranch, fine-net peristernia and an undescribed weedfish.

While some of these sightings are yet to be confirmed by specialists, they gave a buzz of excitement each night as we searched the records to confirm our suspicions of a new find.

Banded parma are quite territorial  they charge you as you approach their turf. This one is guarding what it regards as its own personal coral clump. Credit: John Turbull, Author provided

Recruiting the locals

Other highlights for me included the warm welcome we received from the local community on Norfolk and the great turnout we had at our community seminar. Everyone I spoke to was supportive and encouraging when they heard we were on the island as volunteers doing surveys, and several people expressed interest in getting involved.

This is great news, as the best outcome is for local people to be trained to conduct their own local surveys.

Ideally we will return for comprehensive surveys of our 17 sites every two years or so, allowing us to plot trends over time. Only then can we hope to understand what is really happening in our marine environment, and make evidence-based conservation decisions. Having a skilled local team would make this easier and more likely to happen.

The soft corals on Norfolk Island are some of the largest Ive seen. Their structure is made up of soft tissue, often inflated by water pressure, rather than hard skeleton. Credit: John Turbull, Author provided

Lamingtons are an Australian cake (although there are claims they were invented in NZ!) and I love this descriptive common name for the Tripneustes gratilla urchin. The sea lamingtons on Norfolk appear particularly fat and happy, as they cluster in sheltered grooves during the day to avoid predators. They can also be different colours  Ive seen them on the east coast of Australia in orange and cream, even with stripes. Credit: John Turbull, Author provided

Susans flatworm is a colourful invertebrate listed as living only in the Indian Ocean and Indonesia. This sighting from Norfolk Island is a new record in the Pacific Ocean. When I first saw this little worm at the end of a survey, I wondered if it was anything special. Just as well I took the photo anyway! Credit: John Turbull, Author provided

In any case, our 2021 surveys in Norfolk Marine Park, conducted by our team of five dedicated volunteers and supported by many others, give us one more essential point in time in the Norfolk series, and gave me some great memories to boot.

You can view my full photo album from the Norfolk Island survey here.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Albany, N.Y.  Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to get a Covid-19 vaccine in the coming days, he said today.

Cuomo said he plans to get the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine at a community-based pop-up vaccination site. He did not say exactly when or where hell get the vaccine.

The state and local partners have been operating community-based vaccine clinics for weeks throughout New York at churches, housing developments, community centers and other locations. There have been several in the Syracuse area.

Cuomo said he wanted to get the Johnson & Johnson shot to demonstrate it is safe.

Although he is considered an essential government worker and could have received the vaccine weeks ago, Cuomo held off. He said he wanted to ensure that minority and other underserved communities had good access to the shots before he got his.

Cuomo spoke about getting his vaccine today during a visit to a mass vaccination site at the State University of New York Old Westbury on Long Island. The governor has visited multiple vaccine sites in recent weeks to talk up the states distribution network and its efforts to get shots to minority communities.

His tour included a stop a week ago at the New York State Fairgrounds.

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Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598
Pope Francis celebrates mass on the occasion of 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines, in St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, Sunday, March 14, 2021. (Tiziana Fabi/Pool photo via AP) PHOTO:Tiziana Fabi/Pool photo via AP

Vatican Bars Gay Union Blessing

By The Associated Press

ROME - The Vatican decreed Monday that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions since God cannot bless sin.

The Vaticans orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response Monday to a question about whether Catholic clergy can bless gay unions.

The answer, contained in a two-page explanation published in seven languages and approved by Pope Francis, was negative.

The decree distinguished between the churchs welcoming and blessing of gay people, which it upheld, but not their unions since any such sacramental recognition could be confused with marriage.

The Vatican holds that gay people must be treated with dignity and respect, but that gay sex is intrinsically disordered. Catholic teaching holds that marriage, a lifelong union between a man and woman, is part of Gods plan and is intended for the sake of creating new life.

Since gay unions are not intended to be part of that plan, they cannot be blessed by the church, the document said.

The presence in such relationships of positive elements, which are in themselves to be valued and appreciated, cannot justify these relationships and render them legitimate objects of an ecclesial blessing, since the positive elements exist within the context of a union not ordered to the Creators plan, the response said.

God does not and cannot bless sin: He blesses sinful man, so that he may recognize that he is part of his plan of love and allow himself to be changed by him, it said.

Francis has endorsed providing gay couples with legal protections in same-sex unions, but that is in reference to the civil sphere, not within the church. Those comments were made during an interview with a Mexican broadcaster, Televisa, in 2019, but were cut by the Vatican until they appeared in a documentary last year.

While the documentary fudged the context, Francis was referring to the position he took when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires and the country's lawmakers were considering approving gay marriage, which he and the Catholic Church opposed. Then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio instead supported providing legal protections for gay people in stable unions through a so-called law of civil cohabitation."

Francis told Televisa: Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God." Speaking of families with gay children, he said: You cant kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.

In the new document and an accompanying unsigned article, the Vatican said questions had been raised about whether the church should bless same-sex unions in a sacramental way in recent years, and after Francis had insisted on the need to better welcome and accompany gay people in the church.

In the article, the Vatican stressed the fundamental and decisive distinction between gay individuals and gay unions, noting that the negative judgment on the blessing of unions of persons of the same sex does not imply a judgment on persons.

But it explained the rationale for forbidding a blessing of such unions, noting that any union that involves sexual activity outside of marriage cannot be blessed because it is not in a state of grace, or ordered to both receive and express the good that is pronounced and given by the blessing.

And it added that blessing a same-sex union could give the impression of a sort of sacramental equivalence to marriage. This would be erroneous and misleading, the article said.

In 2003, the same Vatican office issued a similar decree saying that the churchs respect for gay people cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions.

Doing so, the Vatican reasoned then, would not only condone deviant behavior, but create an equivalence to marriage, which the church holds is an indissoluble union between man and woman.
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KYODO NEWS - Mar 15, 2021 - 22:53 | All, Japan, Coronavirus, World

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is arranging to depart on April 8 for a three-day trip to Washington and expected to become the first foreign leader to meet in person with U.S. President Joe Biden, government sources said Monday.

The leaders are set to discuss efforts to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific amid China's growing economic and military influence in the region, as well as global issues including the coronavirus pandemic and climate change.

Suga will receive his first dose of Pfizer Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday as part of preparations for the trip, his office said.

Suga is slated to get the second dose three weeks later before the trip. To lower the risk of spreading the coronavirus, he will take a small entourage that will receive both shots before departure, according to the sources.

The trip will also be kept short with as few events as possible, the sources said.

Suga had indicated his hope to visit the United States "as soon as possible" for a meeting with Biden. The leaders attended a virtual meeting last week with their Australian and Indian counterparts, in which they agreed to cooperate to expand COVID-19 vaccine production for developing countries.

Japan has prioritized vaccinating health care workers before expanding the rollout to the rest of its population. Suga, 72, had previously said he would receive the shot after people aged 65 or older become eligible in mid-April.

Suga's office said his vaccination will be open to the press, following the example of other leaders who have received their shots in front of cameras to ease concerns over the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Biden, 78, did so in December before taking office.

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Army maneuver officials are pushing for additional testing of aerial resupply by autonomous drones -- which could become a dependable lifeline for delivering ammunition and water to combat units when they need it most.

Soldiers with the service's Experimental Force, or EXFOR, at Fort Benning, Georgia, just completed the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment (AEWE) 2021, using commercial autonomous quadcopters to fly ammo for the M240 machine gun, M249 squad automatic weapon and M4A1 carbine to units fresh out of gunfights during the force-on-force portion of the exercise.

EXFOR, a company-sized unit, ran 15 resupply missions using drones designed to carry loads between 80 and 150 pounds. They delivered supplies directly to unit positions instead of relying on manned convoys or helicopters, which require security and can endanger more lives in combat.

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One of those missions was the emergency resupply of a unit in a defensive position, Ed Davis, director of the Maneuver Battle Lab, told an audience March 9 at an event to discuss key AEWE insights.

"They had about a 45-minute fight; they used up a lot of ammunition, so they had an emergency resupply come in," he said. "Two birds flew in formation and came in. One dropped off behind one squad. The other dropped off behind another squad, and the same bird had a second drop.

"This is the notion that you can get supplies forward to prepare for counterattack or potentially press the attack," Davis said. "You want to end the attack on your terms, not necessarily because you need ammo."

Soldiers participating in Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment (AEWE) 2021 at Fort Benning, Georgia carry two five-gallon water cans strapped together that were delivered by an autonomous quadcopter. (U.S. Army)

Out of the technologies from 26 defense companies taking part in this year's AEWE, quadcopters from Bell Textron and Malloy Aeronautics were among the few that could reach the maneuver force, officials said.

Capt. Chris Lapinsky, commander of EXFOR's A Company, 1st Battalion, 29th Infantry, sees drone resupply as a reliable alternative to resupplying troops by ground convoys and helicopters, which are often complex and dangerous in combat environments.

"I don't think it's a matter of if the Army is going to go to these; it's going to happen," Lapinsky told Military.com. "It's just, what is it going to look like in the end state?"

Drone resupply has also impressed XVIII Airborne Corps Commander Lt. Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla enough to sign a memorandum of endorsement of the concept for testing at the infantry brigade combat team, or IBCT, level, Davis said. But it's still unclear when the Fort Bragg, North Carolina-based command will receive aerial resupply drones and testing could take place.

"Gen. Kurilla has endorsed this; his [deputy commander] came down for a demonstration during the event, so they are excited about getting it," Davis said. "We just have to push the Army to try to get these systems into an IBCT ... because there is not a whole lot more we can do with them."

The concept is part of a larger effort, known as the Joint Tactical Autonomous Aerial Resupply System, involving the Maneuver Center of Excellence, the Sustainment Center of Excellence, the Army Research Laboratory and the Marine Corps, Davis said.

As a former observer controller at the Army's Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, Lapinsky has watched combat leaders wrestle with the challenges of trying to get ground and air resupply missions through enemy-held territory.

"If the [unmanned aircraft system] goes down, so what? You lose some ammo, you lose an aircraft that's probably 3D-printed ... versus having an entire convoy with fuel and stuff getting taken out with the soldiers," he said.

It took about 20 hours of training for troops to become proficient enough to prepare the quadcopters for a mission, including programming the flight plan and securing the supplies to the drones.

A unit's platoon leader or platoon sergeant would call in the request for resupply. The system was set up to make ordering easy.

"We had built a couple of tailored packages, so that way I could quickly say, 'Hey, send package two,' which was primarily 7.62mm, or, 'I need a mix of squad ammo as well as weapons squad ammo,'" Sgt. 1st Class Joel Rockhill told Military.com.

The smaller drones, which could handle 80 pounds, carried packages such as 400 rounds of belted 7.62mm for the M240, about 500 rounds of belted 5.56mm for the M249, and another 500 to 600 rounds of loose 5.56mm rounds for M4A1s, he said.

The larger drones, which could carry up to 150 pounds, could deliver 2,000 rounds of 7.62mm and still have about 10 pounds of capacity to spare, Rockhill said. He added that the resupply drones also could carry other necessities such as two, five-gallon water cans strapped together.

Because of their compact size, the drones being tested could land in tight places in both urban and woodland terrain, as long as there was a 25-foot by 25-foot open area, Rockhill said.

"We did everything from dropping off on top of buildings to in the middle of the woods," he said.

The autonomous drones were able to fly to the drop-off point on their own, but units will have to become proficient at taking control of them in case battlefield conditions change at the planned destination, Lapinsky said.

"Whoever is receiving that thing on the ground needs to have the ability to take control of it at some point in time because if the situation on the ground changes or you want to change the drop point, the guys on the ground would be the best poised to redirect that," he explained. "The capability is there; we just weren't able to utilize it at this AEWE."

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct how long it took for soldiers to become proficient in using the drones.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.

Related: Army Maneuver Officials Want to Buy Ammo Resupply Drones and Give them to BCTs
Malaysia is interested in participating in infrastructure projects in Ukraine, but it needs more information and incentives, Ambassador of Malaysia to Ukraine Raja Reza Raja Zaib Shah has said in an exclusive interview with Ukrinform.

"Now President [Volodymyr] Zelensky is trying very hard to attract investment in infrastructure, to build roads. There are a lot of opportunities but we need more information," he said.

"Malaysia can build roads. We have built roads in India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and we also build railway tracks. We have very good established companies that have projects overseas. Why can't they come to Ukraine? We need some attractive packages that Ukraine can offer, some incentives that they can offer," he added.

According to the ambassador, there are many objects for privatization in Ukraine that are potentially interesting to Malaysian businesses. "Yes, there are many, including small ports. I will convey this information to Malaysian companies. From time to time, I always do this because I have all this information on which roads or ports are to be given for concession. We hope some Malaysian companies will come here to invest," he said.

Comparing the conditions for investment in Eastern European countries with Ukraine, Raja Reza Raja Zaib Shah said: "Ukraine is a big country with a population of 43 million, one of the biggest countries in Europe. So this is a big market. Regarding some hindrances for some countries to invest in Ukraine, probably, one of the obstacles is finding the right partners or the right companies to collaborate or to conclude some cooperation agreements, to find the suitable company in Ukraine to start a new project or cooperation."

The ambassador said that the Ukrainian side should better present its capabilities in ASEAN countries, organize conferences and roadshows: "Go to Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, and explain to them what investment opportunities you can offer to Malaysia or ASEAN."

op
We just have to say a prayer for this officer and his family, said Lightfoot. The superintendent and I were able  to spend a little time with his mother, his grandmother and other family members who are all gathered here in the hospital and grateful for the news about how he came through the surgery and what his long term prognosis is.
Baku is ready to open communications with Yerevan, which will be a starting point for putting an end to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday at a meeting with visiting OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde.

"We already started the process of negotiations on the opening of communications between Armenia and Azerbaijan. That was part of the statement which was signed on November 10. Negotiations already had several rounds, different levels and I think that this particular issue can be a starting point for completely turning the page of war and leaving it to the history," he was quoted as saying on the presidential website.

According to the Azerbaijani leader, opening of communications will be in the interests of the entire region, giving a fresh impetus to cooperation and opening new possibilities. "And it can bring after many other areas of potential cooperation. I already publicly spoke that Azerbaijan is ready for that," he stressed, adding that the four months that have elapsed after the war "already demonstrate the will of both sides to turn the page and to concentrate on the future."

Linde, in turn, said that the OSCE "would see if there is anything we can do to contribute to resolving conflict in the OSCE area" and stressed that in this context international law, human rights, humanitarian law, peace and security are of top priority for the OSCE.
Joanne M. Pierce is a professor of religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross.

At the end of a small cemetery on the campus of the College of the Holy Cross, the Jesuit college where I teach, is the grave of Joseph O'Callahan, former professor of mathematics.

O'Callahan is one of the few Catholic military chaplains to have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, for his heroic actions during World War II.

Only five Catholic priests have received this highest American military honor. Two of them are in the process of being considered for the highest honor recognized in Catholicism: becoming a canonized saint. They are Vincent Capodanno, a Navy chaplain killed in Vietnam while assigned to a Marine unit in 1967, and Emil Kapaun, an Army chaplain who died in a prison camp during the Korean War in 1951 -- and whose remains were recently identified by the Pentagon.

What interests me as a specialist in medieval liturgy and worship is the connection between military bravery and spiritual heroism.

Christian Pacifism and Military Service

Kapaun was captured while ministering, unarmed, to wounded and dying soldiers in active battle. His fellow soldiers lauded the way in which he continued to assist other prisoners before dying of pneumonia in the prison. He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously in 2013.

Kapaun's spiritual heroism was also noted by those he served. A preliminary evaluation of his sanctity, or "cause" for canonization, was accepted by Pope John Paul II in 1993, and he was proclaimed "Servant of God." It is not unusual for decades to pass before this approval; in fact, a mandatory five-year waiting period has become a first step in the formal process of becoming a saint.

After this, officials in the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas, Kapaun's home, spent several years conducting a thorough investigation into his life and ministry. A final report, called a "positio," was accepted and approved by Vatican officials in 2016. Now, the pope must decide on declaring Kapaun "Venerable," the third step toward canonization.

It might seem unusual to associate priestly ministry with the violence of war. In the early first century, Jesus himself preached peace and nonviolence, instead of retaliation.

In some early Christian communities during the second and third centuries, soldiers could be accepted as candidates for baptism, the ritual immersion in water necessary for becoming a member of the church, only if they refused to kill other human beings.

In addition, Christians who wanted to become soldiers would be rejected by some Christian communities. However, this was not a universal practice and, in other Christian communities, Christians did enter military service in the Roman imperial legions. In fact, by the end of the third century, Roman emperors would attempt to purge their army of all Christian soldiers.

Christianity as a religion was illegal in the Roman Empire during these early centuries. However, at the beginning of the fourth century, Constantine, a military commander, became emperor and legalized Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. By the end of that century, Christianity had become the official religion of the empire.

But a Christian empire still needed to wage war and spill blood to survive. During this time, the theologian Augustine began to develop what came to be called the "Just War Theory."

In the 13th century, theologian Thomas Aquinas provided further explanation of how ordinary lay Christians could, under certain conditions, engage in warfare. A war had to be declared for just reasons and conducted by the appropriate authorities. The "legitimate" killing of enemy combatants was accepted by Christian bishops and popes for several more centuries.

However, the role of bishops, priests and other ordained clerics in warfare was less clear, because actual practice did not always reflect theological ideals.

Conflicting Practices

During the Middle Ages, this "Just War Theory" was not always followed in the heat of combat. Before the 12th century, it was not uncommon for armed bishops to lead troops personally into battle and fight themselves.

Priests, too, could be called into military service. However, the decrees of local Christian councils continued to forbid clerics from carrying weapons and shedding blood.

Even in the later medieval period, the question of bishops and clerics serving in the military was muddled. Priests did accompany Christian armies to provide moral and sacramental support. But certainly, priests and monks, like the influential abbot and spiritual author Bernard of Clairvaux, took active roles in preaching in support of wars against heretics and Muslims as well.

These religious wars, the Crusades, took place between the 11th and 15th centuries. Popes such as Urban II and Innocent III would call for Crusades to the Holy Land or areas of Europe led by dissident secular rulers.

Aquinas himself offers two apparently contradictory opinions on the role of clergy in wars. He concluded that they could not fight as soldiers because they would be obliged to shed blood, but elsewhere he defended the founding of religious orders of soldiers who would fight to defend the church and the poor. Most members of these orders did take religious vows but were unordained laymen.

Patron Saint of Military Chaplains

Even in pre-Christian times, religious figures accompanied armies to the battlefield and offered sacrifices and blessings for their victories. This continued to be true in medieval and modern Europe and, later, in the United States.

Catholics already venerate one saint as the patron saint of military chaplains. He is St. John of Capistrano, a 15th-century lawyer and politician who became a Franciscan friar and a famous preacher.

Nicknamed the "Soldier Saint," he personally led troops into battle at the city of Belgrade in an effort to stop the advance of a Muslim Turkish army into Europe.

However, John of Capistrano is also hugely controversial. His assumption of a military role was criticized because some found it inappropriate for a priest. His constant campaigning against the Jews reinforced existing hostility, leading to legal restrictions, anti-Semitic violence and forced exile for many Jewish communities in parts of Germany and Poland.

Kapaun as Patron Saint?

In the contemporary American military, regulations require that chaplains go unarmed into combat; international law states that they may not be treated as prisoners of war if captured, but must be treated with respect and released.

Apart from actually using weapons against enemy forces, military chaplains share the experiences of other soldiers. Many come under fire themselves, risking their own lives on active battlefields to minister to the dying and rescue the wounded. Their service is to all personnel regardless of differences in faith or religion -- for example, in conducting funeral rites.

For many Catholics, Kapaun's selfless actions during combat and imprisonment would demonstrate extraordinary heroism, not just in fighting the armed enemies, but also in what the Vatican calls "offering of one's life" for other human beings.

With the recent official identification of Kapaun's remains, the next few stages to sainthood may proceed more quickly. Diocesan officials note that part of the process involves exhuming and securing the candidate's body, which had not been possible for Kapaun until the return of American POW remains from their mass graves.

For the moment, perhaps his work as a Catholic chaplain could offer a resolution to a centuries-old paradox: the pragmatic goals of military service and the Christian call to a life of ultimate peacemaking.

-- The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Military.com. If you would like to submit your own commentary, please send your article to opinions@military.com for consideration.
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KYODO NEWS - Mar 15, 2021 - 22:43 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

A Japanese biotechnology startup said Monday it has developed jointly with a university in Okinawa a new method to detect novel coronavirus infection as fast as in two minutes.

The test developed by Mytech Inc. based in Kobe, western Japan and the University of the Ryukyus makes the virus visible through a microscope using fluorescent markers, according to the company.

A polymerase chain reaction test, the widely used method to detect coronavirus infection, needs several hours to amplify DNA samples to an amount needed for a genetic analysis.

An antigen test, another popular COVID-19 test, is not as accurate as the PCR method.

In its clinical experiment, 72 to 94 percent of the new method's results matched those of the PCR test, it said.

The company hopes to commercialize an automated testing device in time for the Tokyo Olympics opening in July.

"The method is fast and simple. It will be extremely effective for diagnosing many people at once," said Takeshi Kinjo, an assistant professor at the university.
Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - In this Dec. 28, 2020 file photo, police block off a part of the Broadway tourist district as a result of a bombing that took place on Christmas Day in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

The man who blew himself up inside his recreational vehicle in a Christmas Day bombing in Nashville was grappling with paranoia and eccentric conspiracy theories, but there are no indications he was motivated by social or political ideology, the FBI said Monday in closing out the investigation into the blast.

The FBI statement sets out to resolve some of the lingering mysteries of an explosion that initially perplexed investigators and the public because it appeared to lack an obvious motive or fit a clear profile. Though the blast damaged dozens of buildings, it took place early on a holiday morning well before downtown streets would be bustling with activity and was preceded by a recorded announcement warning anyone in the area that a bomb would soon detonate.

The FBI concluded that the bomber, Anthony Quinn Warner, chose the location and timing so that it would be impactful while still minimizing the likelihood of undue injury.

Police were responding to a report of shots on the morning of Christmas Day when they encountered the RV blaring a recorded warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes. Then, inexplicably, the audio switched to a recording of Petula Clarks 1964 hit Downtown shortly before the blast. Three people were injured and several dozen buildings were damaged.

The report found that Warner acted alone and set off the bomb to end his own life, driven in part by his longtime beliefs in several eccentric conspiracy theories and paranoia as well as the loss of stabilizing anchors and deteriorating interpersonal relationships. The Associated Press has previously reported that investigators scrutinized Warner's interest in conspiracy theories after being told by some of the people theyve interviewed that he believed shape-shifting reptiles take on a human form to gain control over society and that he discussed taking trips to hunt aliens.

Despite online speculation that Warner may have been motivated by conspiracy theories about 5G technology, given the proximity of the explosion to an AT&T building and the resulting havoc to cellphone service in the area, the FBI statement gives no indication that that is the case and said that the bombing was not related to terrorism.

The FBIs analysis did not reveal indications of a broader ideological motive to use violence to bring about social or political change, nor does it reveal indications of a specific personal grievance focused on individuals or entities in and around the location of the explosion, the FBI said.

Investigators conducted more than 250 interviews and combed through more than 2,500 tips, the FBI said. Authorities were able to identify Warner through DNA recovered from the blast site, quickly zeroing in on him as the culprit and concluding early on that he had acted alone.

Even if Warner didnt leave behind a clear motive, he did take steps in the weeks leading up to the bombing that suggested he didnt expect to survive. For instance, he gave away his car, telling the recipient that he had cancer  though it was not clear if he did  and signed a document that transferred his home in a longtime Nashville suburb to a California woman for nothing in return. He told an employer he was retiring.

A neighbour who made small talk with Warner about the upcoming Christmas holiday later recalled to the AP that Warner said something to the effect of, Oh, yeah, Nashville and the world is never going to forget me.

Law enforcement actions received scrutiny in the days after the bombing when it was revealed that Nashville police in 2019 had visited Warner's home after his girlfriend reported that he was building bombs in a recreational vehicle at his residence. But the police did not make contact with him or see inside his RV.
Xiaomi is looking at a horrific U.S. ban because of its alleged ties to the Chinese military and should have been blocked off investments, but a federal judge files an injunction to remove it for the company temporarily.

Now, small companies and the public can continue their investment in Xiaomi via the stock market and other channels despite its case in the U.S. courts.

The popular Beijing-based multinational technology conglomerate, Xiaomi, is close to facing the same fate as its fellow Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Huawei, who was one of the first companies to receive the harsh U.S. Trade Ban.

Huawei was also on the rise in debuting its devices in the global market, and its smartphone lineup highly depended on the Android OS--only to be taken away.

Now, Xiaomi is on the hot seat for the impending U.S. Trade Ban, particularly as its founder was found to have ties and previous connections to the Chinese military force, immediately making it into the U.S. watch list.

After months of investigation, the company got the attention of the U.S. that has now resulted in a court hearing to determine its business with the country.

Read Also: Xiaomi Mi 10S vs. Mi 11: Price, Specs, Camera, US Release Date, and MORE

Xiaomi US Trade Ban: Temporary Lifted by Federal Judge Injunction

The Beijing tech giant should have been losing several of its investors from the United States, but thanks to a ruling and injunction filed by the District of Columbia's judge, it allowed the continuation of its business.

Based on the injunction by the federal judge, Xiaomi is allowed to continue its stock trading in the country as the hearing proceeds.

The hearing would take place in the coming months, and it would be evaluated by the United States' courts and officials, hereby deciding the future of Xiaomi in the country, particularly its technology. Before this, Xiaomi had already revealed a "Plan B" that would allow the company to continue its production despite losing access to U.S. products in their devices.

Xiaomi is known for using the San Diego-based chip manufacturer, Qualcomm, technology, particularly its 5G and Snapdragon lineup that complements the performance and capabilities of its devices. In terms of operating system, Xiaomi uses the MIUI, which is an OS that bases itself on Google's Android, which is an open-source technology.

Xiaomi US Trade Ban: Denies Ties to Chinese Military

Xiaomi was designated by the United States government as a "Communist Chinese Military Company" or CCMC, which the injunction stopped from happening, thus allowing the continuation of its business in the country.

Moreover, the judge argued that the Department of Defense's decision to ban Xiaomi was based on a "shaky ground."

Xiaomi denies its ties to the Chinese military and continues to do so since the original proceedings of the case, in which the company repetitively rejected the idea of being under its influence. According to ZDNet, Xiaomi was placed on the CCMC list last January, which has begun a series of stock drops against the company.

Related Article: Xiaomi US Ban: Chinese Company Says They Have Plan B that Could Prepare Them For the Worst

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isaiah Alonzo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
New Delhi, Mar 15 (UNI) The Modi Government has been deeply committed to the welfare and protection of Indians abroad, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

Making a statement on recent developments pertaining to the welfare abroad of Indians, NRIs and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) in the Covid situation, the External Affairs Minister told the House that a huge collective effort by nameless and faceless individuals from Indian embassies and other organisations  in India and abroad - made that possible.

Informing that Air India operated more than 5,000 flights, 10.5 lakh passengers were brought back, Dr Jaishankar said.

'The air travel arrangements are a necessary enabling measure, the Gulf has been a focal point for our endeavours to ensure livelihood for our people. I recently hosted the UAE foreign minister and expect to do so with Kuwait soon,' the Minister informed the House.

'We expect the Gulf countries to address the concerns of the people who had to return due to COVID. Their employment opportunities have been a priority,' he said, adding that the Government has started a skills mapping programme for such workers.

The data were sent to State Governments, who will use them for their local employment. The Finance Minister took note of this and allocated Budget, the EAM added.



"We ensured that students do not lose a year. We are also making sure they get back as soon as possible", the Minister said, adding that the Government has been trying to come up with more bubbles and will keep extending the bubbles to more countries.

He also informed the House that the Minister of State for External Affairs Muraleedharan has also visited Oman and UAE.

'During our visits to the Gulf, we have interacted with both the representative community organisations and the partner governments. From the community, the overall picture was that our people were well taken care of during the pandemic by the host authorities".

From the Governments, the message was of appreciation for the responsibility shown by our people amidst the pressures of the pandemic,' he said.

Dr Jaishankar also said the Government is fully cognisant of the employment concerns that Indians abroad have in the context of the COVID pandemic.

"Especially in the Gulf, there has been tremendous economic and social disruption that has impacted them. We have softened it somewhat but real challenges are there to be addressed. Let me assure the House that we take this as a priority,' he added.

UNI AKS SV 1635
Police is investigating the operations of a child trafficking syndicate at Kokrobite in the Bortianor Ngleshie Amanfro constituency. Four persons believed to be Cameroonians were arrested over the weekend while they were transporting some children in a taxi cab.



The nine victims, aged between three and 12, were rescued as investigations continue.



Director of Anti-Human Trafficking Unit at the Police Headquarters, Chief Superintendent Michael Baah said four suspects have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping while investigations continue.



Traditional authorities in the area have since expressed shock at the development.



Adontenhene of Kokrobite, Nii Kwashie Djabum who spoke to Citi News urged parents to be extra vigilant in order to keep their children safe.



It is very shocking to hear such news in this community. Being a traditional ruler, Id like to advise parents in this community and the communities around for them to keep their eyes on their children.



Once such an incident has happened, maybe tomorrow or next day, something like that will also happen, so they should be careful with how they handle their children so that we will not hear such a thing in this community again.















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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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BURLINGTON, Mass., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WindESCo , the pioneer in wind energy optimization, has been selected to present WeBoost, its SaaS-based AEP improvement solution, to investors and industry representatives at the 2021 NREL Industry Growth Forum (IGF) held virtually on April 20-22, 2021. The IGF, celebrating its 26th anniversary, is hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). It is one of the nation's premier events for cleantech entrepreneurs and other industry experts. WindESCo was selected from a field of more than 150 entrepreneurs following an extensive selection process.

WindESCo helps its customers improve the performance of wind turbines through high-resolution data and proprietary analytics. Its software solutions find anomalies at wind farms, provide insights to fix them, and measures the results, unlocking hidden value of wind plants.

"We are thrilled to have been selected by NREL to participate in the IGF program," said Blair Heavey, CEO at WindESCo. "The WindESCo team has created unique solutions that provide significant value to wind plant operators and investors by improving AEP on existing assets. Our unique ability is to find and fix assets that yield increased AEP. We are at a pivotal time of growth in our business, with increased interest in our solutions from prospective customers. The acknowledgement by NREL is validating of the work we've done and the vision we've put forward."

More than 600 cleantech investors, entrepreneurs, and industry representatives are expected to attend this year's IGF. Among them will be 40 of the world's most promising start-up companies, including WindESCo, which will be presenting their cleantech innovations to potential investors and industry experts. In addition, the companies will compete for the 2021 outstanding venture awards.

"We're facing global pressures to reduce negative climate impacts and ensure clean water, clean air, and sustainable energy and food systems" said IGF Program Manager Sheila Ebbitt. "We received applications from around the world and across technology sectors. It was a challenge for our investor selection committee to narrow the selection down to the top 40 startups."

For more information and a complete list of IGF presenting companies, please visit https://www.nrelforum.com/.

About WindESCo, Inc.

WindESCo is the leading renewable energy performance analytics company. The company's mission is to maximize the performance of its customers' assets, ensuring every renewable asset achieves its optimum energy production and reliability. WindESCo has successfully combined wind domain expertise and AI, with the goal of partnering with wind plant owners to increase their plant output. Additional information about WindESCo can be found at www.windesco.com

SOURCE WindESCo

Related Links

http://www.windesco.com


Sometimes life is just a broken tea bag.

You can boil the water to the perfect temperature, warm your favourite bone china cup, fill the cup to the exact level which still leaves room for milk

And watch in horror as your teabag glumly and inexplicably bursts.

A limp, raggedy bag, a confused once-golden brew and wildly rogue tea leaves.

Tea leaves spilling everywhere. Nasty, floaty, incorrigible bits of dried leaves swirling in your cup and waiting to snag in your teeth like a spinach pastry.

Honestly, if ever there was a year of broken tea bags, 2021 must be it.

Or maybe that was 2020.

Who knows? The years are kinda morphing together at this point. A horrifying gaggle of rippling lockdowns, soaring housing costs, ongoing job uncertainty and the odd tsunami warning thrown in for dramatic effect (yep, writing from Auckland).

When all we want is a decent cup of tea.

I am, by nature, a level-headed and, dare I say it, fairly woke person.

I try to remind myself to take most of lifes blows with some levity. Or endurance. Or even resignation, if thats what is needed to deal with the moment.

Because no matter how low I get  and as a survivor of diagnosed C-PTSD and Anxiety, I can get pretty low  I know Ill eventually find my feet. Yes, I may have taken on a few extra unhealthy coping mechanisms or some new awkward humour defaults, but the point is that Im standing again.

So if I come out of the other side with useless Post-It-Notes, a new recipe for cake-free cake, and some epic yoga moves that no-one on this good green earth can actually physically embody

Well, I still made it to the other side. And thats what counts.

And its this inbuilt tenacity  this inexplicable yet profoundly human quality of resilience  that makes us bound to eventually get a good cup of tea.

And we need that tea, because life is really not that fair. Or sensible. Or easy.

In fact, lately its been downright shitty.

As a species, we are dealing with unimaginable stressors, worries and strains upon our homes, societies and even our globe.

Were doing it tough right now.

But even if our collective rising up comes in waves, and even if we take turns to stand while others take a breather, and even if tea bags are bursting on us left and right

We still keep trying.

We still keep believing for a better world and striving for a kinder community and sowing into a grander vision of the future.

And we do all of this in the face of and despite the messy teabags trailing hack-inducing ashes through our cups.

Because thats the nature of resilience. And resilience is what runs in our nature.

And here we are: learning and adapting and making fresh cups of tea.

So your tea bag burst. Irreversibly.

And your milk expired. Last week.

And the stores are in lockdown mode. Again.

And standing for two hours on cramping feet in a shuffling, masked-up queue of small talk amidst potentially virus-laden strangers, makes buying fresh milk a hazard at best and an introverts nightmare at worst.

Yet somehow  against all the odds  some deep, visceral spirit within us drives us on.

To do what must be done. To brave the inconveniences.

To look that ripped tea bag in its inconsequential eye, calmly toss it in the trash, and start all over again.

So 2020 was the year of broken tea bags.

And 2021 is looking as though its got a personal vendetta against our favourite, slightly-chipped mug.

But we know how to make a fresh cup of tea.
CONSTANTA, Romania, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CCoin Network was created as a real solution for banking and cryptocurrency issues: high fees, time required for payments execution, low security and loss of value.

CCoin Network Ecosystem is a Fintech group of companies with its own blockchain known as 'SourceLess Hybrid Blockchain', in which the main purpose is to change the financial functionalities to the benefits of its users. The system was created to have multiple functions, in which Cryptocurrency and FIAT, inside CCoin Network Core software allow almost instant interchange, without users interactions based on AI and SourceLess Blockchain .

The Blockchain MVP will be publicly released during the Public Sale of their token ccoinnet/CCOS (ERC20 on Ethereum Blockchain), starting 15 march 2021 .

Behind the project, there are 3 companies, CCoin Company LTD. - UK/Token Owner, SourceLess INC./USA Blockchain, and SourceLess Network SRL  Romania/Development.

As stated in CCoin Network's Whitepaper, buyers will have not just a token but will also own stocks of the Blockchain - SourceLess INC corporation and personal/business  web addresses (STR.Domain). As they declared, CCOS are tokens, stocks-ownership proof and str.domain addresses-ownership proof .

The company held a Private Sale starting March 2020 which was successful, with a total 87% sold, to a +30000 members community from the entire quantity of CCOS disposed for the Pre-ICO. Now they are putting on the market an ICO, the quantity of 6.3 M CCOS .

CCoin Network will begin migration from Ethereum Blockchain to SourceLess Blockchain starting 15 July 2021 .

CCoin Network previously announced the following deals with other companies which will Beta-test payments through their Crypto-POS Systems, in which, fees are dissolved into the system and they are also testing the eligibility of  5% fees based on post-mining additional tokens for each transaction so that can be used at cancelling negative value involved in each transaction. "The concept cannot be revealed at this point as we are getting the best version for financial sustainability," stated founder Alexandru Stratulat.

The systems are now in testing. During the ICO, they will have weekly updates with test results.

CCoin Network's team is growing and currently recruiting. Please visit their website for more information.

CCoin Founder Alexandru Stratulat created the architecture of the crypto-financial ecosystem in 2016.

CCoin Network

Sourceless Hybrid Blockchain

Carbon Free  Green energy / Blockchain

Website: www.ccoin.uk, WebWallet: wallet.ccoin.uk

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE CCoin Network
The Dutch authorities are halting the use of the vaccine against the amid concerns over recent blood clotting incidents.

"On the basis of new information, the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board (CBG) has advised, as a precautionary measure and pending further investigation, to pause the administration of the corona vaccine," the Dutch government announced on Sunday.

According to the statement, the vaccine will not be used in the next two weeks, until March 28.

Earlier on Sunday, Ireland suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine as new information emerged on blood clotting incidents in Norway.

On Saturday, the Norwegian Medicines Agency said that more cases of blood clotting had been found in adults who received AstraZeneca vaccine shots.

Earlier this week, several European countries, including Denmark, Iceland and Norway, halted the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine after Austria said it was investigating the death of a vaccinated woman from multiple thromboses.

The UK-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca said on Sunday that it had found no evidence of increased risk of blood clots from its COVID-19 vaccine after conducting a review of safety data of over 17 million inoculated people across the European Union and the United Kingdom.

(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.)
MELVILLE, N.Y., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- AIP Publishing, a leading not-for-profit scholarly publisher in the physical sciences, is pleased to announce a Read and Publish three-year agreement with Austria's prestigious Technische Universitat Wien (TU Wien).

The agreement, which runs through the calendar year 2023, provides researchers at TU Wien with access to most journals in AIP Publishing's peer-reviewed journal portfolio, including a growing number of open access titles, covering all areas of the physical sciences.

In addition, articles by TU Wien-affiliated corresponding authors accepted for publication in select hybrid journals (subscription-based titles that offer an open-access option) may be published open access without the payment of an article-processing charge (APC).

Penelope Lewis, AIP Publishing's chief publishing officer said, "TU Wien is renowned for top-level research that is generating knowledge for the benefit of society. AIP Publishing is honored to help disseminate their groundbreaking output through open access."

"TU Wien is committed to free and sustainable access to scientific information on the internet," said Ingrid Haas, Head of the Service Group for Journals and Databases at TU Wien Bibliothek. Making the university's research accessible to the wider scientific and technical community, while increasing its access to AIP Publishing's high-quality journals, helps further that commitment for years to come."

ABOUT TU Wien

Technische Universitat Wien (TU Wien) is Austria's largest research and educational institution in the field of technology and natural sciences. More than 4,000 scientists are researching "technology for people" in five main research areas at eight faculties. The content of the studies offered is derived from the excellent research. More than 27,000 students in 55 degree programmes benefit from this. As a driver of innovation, TU Wien strengthens the business location, facilitates cooperation and contributes to the prosperity of society.

ABOUT AIP PUBLISHING

AIP Publishing is a wholly owned not-for-profit subsidiary of the American Institute of Physics (AIP). AIP Publishing's mission is to support the charitable, scientific, and educational purposes of AIP through scholarly publishing activities in the fields of the physical and related sciences on its behalf and on behalf of our publishing partners to help them proactively advance their missions.

SOURCE AIP Publishing

Related Links

http://publishing.aip.org


A broad cross-section of Sri Lankan workers spoke with World Socialist Web Site reporters last week, condemning the arrest of 22 Alton Estate workers and in support of the Socialist Equality Partys campaign for the dropping of all charges.

The Alton workers, who were striking for a wage rise and protesting a violent assault by the estate manager, were arrested following a conspiracy by the estate management, the police and the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), the main plantation union. The frame-up of the Alton workers is part of a broader attack on the democratic rights of all Sri Lankan workers.

Uda Rathalla Estate workers picketing last September against austerity measures (WSWS)

The arrested workers were released on bail last Wednesday but with punitive conditions. These included a cash deposit of 15,000 rupees ($US76.34), two personal sureties from relatives, each certified by an area village officer, the surrender of their passports and to report in person to the Maskeliya police station near Alton every last Sunday of the month.

On March 1, the SEP issued a statement entitled Release jailed Sri Lankan estate workers! Defend all workers from company-police conspiracies! The statement has won strong support from workers across the island.

Tharindu, a Sri Lanka State Pharmaceutical Corporation laboratory technician, denounced the arrest of the Alton workers. It is clear that the bogus charges are an attempt to escalate the suppression of all workers.

When I read your statement it reminded me of the life sentences imposed on 13 Maruti-Suzuki workers in India in 2017. A similar conspiracy is being unleashed against the Alton workers.

He added: The government is on the side of the employers and the arrest of the Alton workers is a sign of how it is preparing to react to all class struggles. The working class must powerfully fight against this attack.

An office assistant from a Homagama college said that the plantation companies were attempting to intimidate and force estate employees to work under even harsher conditions.

They are branding them terrorists, he said, because they want to justify even greater attacks on estate workers. Condemning the unions collaboration in this assault, he added, this exposes who they are really working for.

A Colombo Port technician said that discussion of so-called violence in the plantations by the governments National Security Council indicated that plans were being made to escalate the attacks on the estate workers.

These workers, he said, are fighting for a decent living wage. The capitalists are extracting profit from workers engaged in production but it is a worker's right to get a living wage. The price of essentials has surged in recent years and so workers find it difficult to manage. Port workers have not had a pay increase for several years.

A container driver at the same port condemned the attack on Alton workers and said the estate workers had been fighting for a 1,000-rupee basic daily wage for years. This is a justified and necessary fight, he said. Workers cant even win a reasonable demand like this today because capitalism is in a big crisis.

The rulers are preparing for military attacks against workers, he added, and referred to the appointment of a retired army commander to head the Ports Authority. This was part of the militarisation of the country, he said, pointing out that port workers were involved in an ongoing struggle against the privatisation of Colombo port.

A worker from Deeside estate in Upcot said every worker had to support the Alton estate workers struggle. We faced a similar situation in 2016 when our daily workload was increased by two kilograms and so we went on strike without the consent of the trade unions. During that struggle seven workers were arrested and were blacklisted from the job. The SEP was the only organisation that supported and defended us through a powerful campaign that won the release of the arrested workers.

The plantation companies, he continued, have responded to the recent government decision to increase wages to 1,000 rupees per day, by threatening to cut working days to reduce their costs. We have been fighting for this [1,000-rupee daily wage] since 2015 but all the trade unions have done is betray us.

A female worker from the same estate explained the difficult working conditions at the plantation. Most of those arrested from Alton are women workers. Female workers are in the forefront of our wage struggle and we are suffering a lot. Even when we work for eight hours, sometimes we get only half a daily wage because we werent able to meet our management production targets.

She recalled attending an SEP election meeting in the area several years ago and said that she now realised that the partys program was 100 percent correct.

A non-academic school worker in Chilaw, in the northwest, was aware of the brutal conditions in the plantations and said it was not different to those during British colonial rule. He condemned the frame-up of the Alton workers and called for their unconditional release.

The arrest and jailing of workers who are involved a struggle for a living wage shows that the government and the plantation managers are escalating their attacks. This is in response to increasing competition in world markets and an attempt to increase profits by driving up productivity.

Under conditions of rising coronavirus infections, estate workers and the garment workers are being subjected to brutal exploitation, which is promoted as development, he said.

Teachers and non-academic school workers, he explained, had also been forced to work without adequate health and safety measures during the pandemic. Leave approvals were often rejected and the workload was piling up beyond the assigned duties, he added.

A medical doctor from Embilipitiya, a remote southern town, said that he was alarmed after reading a WSWS article on the Alton workers.

When a lawyer for the company says there is terrorism in the estates it is a serious matter. That the terrorist label is being used is an indication that the government and the companies are preparing to suppress all estate workers. At the same time, they are trying to communally divide workers

I agree with what you proposethat the workers must build their own action committees and organise a common struggle against attacks of the employers and the government, the doctor said.
Danone sacked its boss yesterday after a power struggle with activist investors.

The corporate giant behind Activia yoghurt said its board had ousted Emmanuel Faber.

The 57-year-old was stepping down immediately as chairman and chief executive, the company said.

Out: Danone said its board had ousted Emmanuel Faber (pictured) and that the 57-year-old was stepping down immediately as chairman and chief executive

Faber's departure comes after calls for his removal and a major governance shake-up by leading shareholders, who argue Danone has under-performed in recent years.

Leading the charge were, Artisan Partners, Danone's third-biggest shareholder, and activist investor Bluebell Capital.

The row has rocked corporate France where big firms rarely come under attack from investors.

Faber, a strong advocate for environmental issues, had originally proposed changes that would have seen him stay on as chairman with a chief executive underneath him.

But in a statement, Danone said: 'The board has decided that Emmanuel Faber will step down as chairman and chief executive.'

The company said Gilles Schnepp had been appointed as chairman in his place, while Veronique Penchienati-Bosetta, the international chief executive, and North America boss Shane Grant will jointly lead the business until a new chief executive is recruited.

Danone gave no reason for Faber's departure and no statement from him was included.

But a statement from Schnepp praised the former boss for his 'leadership and significant contributions to Danone since 1997'.

Schnepp added: 'He leaves Danone with a strong platform from which to accelerate and grow.'

Danone said it still believed in the 'necessity' of combining sustainable business practices with good business performance.

Shares in the French food group jumped in early trading following the news of Faber's departure.

Faber, who became chief executive in 2014 and later took on the chairmanship, had led a push into healthy foods, including through the 2016 acquisition of Colorado-based food company, WhiteWave.

But problems at the world's largest yoghurt-maker, which also makes Evian bottled water, were exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which hit sales to the restaurant sector for example.

That prompted Artisan Partners and Bluebell Capital to call for Faber to leave and to publicly champion Schnepp  the former chief of electrical firm Legrand named to Danone's board in December  who they said would be a truly independent chairman.

The row has shaken corporate France where it is rare for top institutional shareholders like Artisan to argue with companies so publicly.

Francesco Trapani, chairman of Bluebell, said: 'Gilles Schnepp has shown great leadership in getting the board to take the right decisions.

'We are fully supportive of him in his next key task to recruit a high-calibre chief executive able to combine shareholder value creation and Danone's commitments to environmental, social and governance.'
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BACKED BY Mayor Joyce Craig, Manchester school Superintendent Dr. John Goldhardt has gone big in an attempt to restart high school in the Queen City. To be sure, Manchesters schools are struggling but Goldhardt and Craig would have us believe that the way to turn things around is to lau
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Global buyout funds targeting India, says Nomura

Global funds, including the so-called blank-cheque companies, are looking to India for acquisition targets, which will see several business activities in the pandemic hit economy changing hands, according to Nomura Holdings Inc.

Nomura expects these acquisitions to be carried out through both primary and secondary markets, mergers and acquisitions as well as financing.

Nomra has cited instances like last weeks deal by the countrys biggest renewable power producer, ReNew Power, at an enterprise value of $8 billion.

Similarly, Online grocer Grofers is also looking to list in the US through merger with a blank-cheque company, according to a Bloomberg News report.

Blank-cheque firms are shell companies living on money raised from public investors or sponsored fronts of the cash rich looking to expand their business ownership by buying out growing and promising enterprises.

Besides the major global funds from the US, buy-out groups based in Hong Kong, Singapore, Mauritius etc are looking for opportunities to acquire businesses, mostly in growing markets like India, according to Nomura.

The Singapore Stock Exchange is consulting the market on allowing special purpose acquisition companies (SPAC) to go public, so that they could get enough backing for deals, and, as Nomura says, at least 10 Indian companies could go public through SPAC deals before the end of the year and the trend could accelerate if Singapore allows listing of blank-cheque firms.

Nomura also cited market deals by the rich and influential like Hong Kong billionaire Richard Li and ex-Credit Suisse chief Tidjane Thiam who have raised more than $66 billion in the US alone this year, as per Bloomberg data.

Nomura also expects more initial public offerings in India this year after last years mop-up of $4.6 billion in IPOs, as the market sentiment is supportive of investments in promising companies.

New shares listed in 2020 are now trading more than 50 per cent above their IPO prices on average, as per data compiled by Bloomberg.

Indian companies have so far this year raised about $1.7 billion, while State Bank of India is preparing to raise $1 billion by listing its mutual fund joint venture. Bloomberg adds.
Photo taken on Jan. 30, 2020 shows the headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. (Xinhua/Chen Junxia) The World Health Organization (WHO) and China joint team has suggested continuing to look for possible early cases in a wider range around the globe. Liang Wannian, a member of the WHO-China joint team, made the remarks at a briefing to European diplomats on the origin of the novel coronavirus on Friday. Liang said that China overcame the pressure of domestic epidemic prevention to work with the WHO to do the research of tracing the origins of the novel coronavirus. Chinese experts and the WHO experts worked together in Wuhan from Jan. 14. to Feb. 10 this year. They visited nine places, including Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, Huanan seafood market, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The team also visited and talked with local medical workers, lab researchers, scientists, market managers, community workers, recovered patients, and families of medical workers losing their lives in the epidemic, he added. Recovered coronavirus patient Cheng Lin donates her plasma at Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 18, 2020. (Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital/Handout via Xinhua) The joint study has achieved positive outcomes and reached some findings and conclusions, thanks to efforts from the two sides, Liang said. Firstly, a coronavirus with high similarity to the novel coronavirus in gene sequences occurs in bats and pangolins. But the similarity is still not enough to make it a direct ancestor of the novel coronavirus. Other species all could be potential natural hosts. Secondly, the first case in Wuhan got sick on Dec. 8, 2019. The Huanan seafood market could be an outbreak site and amplifier of the COVID-19 epidemic. Thirdly, the virus was found in environmental tests at the Huanan seafood market after its closure, especially in its aquatic product stalls. The coronavirus at the market might have been introduced through channels such as infected people, contaminated cold chain products, and animal products, but it is still uncertain. The COVID-19 virus is "the most likely" to be introduced through an intermediary host species, "likely" to be introduced through direct transmission or cold-chain food, and "extremely unlikely" to be introduced through a laboratory incident, according to the joint study. In terms of future study, Liang said that the joint study proposed four suggestions, and the first one is to expand globally unified database, including molecule, gene sequence, clinic, epidemiology, animal monitoring and environmental monitoring data. The second suggestion is to continue to look for more possible early cases in a wider range around the globe. The third one is that scientists around the world should search animal species that may become virus hosts in many countries and places, not limited to bats, and the last one is to further understand the role of cold chain and frozen food in virus transmission.
President Joe Biden led pandemic praise for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, calling him the 'gold standard of leadership' and gushing that he was an 'example for all Americans'.

Biden is under intense pressure to distance himself from the embattled governor amid mounting allegations of sexual harassment, bullying, racism and in some cases, sexual assault.

Cuomo denies all wrongdoing and is refusing to resign. New York Attorney General Letitia James is investing the claims against him.

But the sexual misconduct claims combined with allegations of a cover-up over how many COVID-19 deaths there were in nursing homes is leading many on both sides of the aisle to demand Cuomo's resignation.

The White House is hedging its bets.

On Monday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that while the allegations against him were 'troubling', she wanted to see the outcome of the AG's investigation.

In August last year, Biden tweeted that Cuomo had set an example for 'all Americans'

She previously said the fact the pair have been friends for a long time 'doesn't matter'.

In August last year, at the Democratic National Convention, Cuomo gave a ringing endorsement for Biden.

Biden, in return, tweeted: 'Andrew Cuomo, thank you for your leadership and the example you've set for all Americans during this pandemic.'

During an appearance on The Jimmy Fallon Show in April, months earlier, he gushed: 'Your governor in New York's done one hell of a job.

'I think he's the gold standard.'

Cuomo repeatedly batted away calls for him to run for president during the pandemic, when he was hailed as a hero.

He said that his support was firmly behind Joe Biden.

The pair have been friends for years and have formed a close political alliance.

Cuomo traveled to Delaware for Biden's son Beau's funeral in 2015, and Biden attended Cuomo's father Mario's in the same year.

Now, with mounting criticism of him and allegations against him, the President has come under intense pressure to distance himself from him.

After first calling the allegations against him 'troubling', White Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Monday hinted that he may soon be stripped of his title within the Governors' Association, but she also shied away from taking a firm position on the subject, saying instead they would wait the outcome of the Attorney General's investigation.

'It would be up to the NGA to determine if they were to make a change on that front,' she said.

Cuomo and Biden, shown together in 2015, have been friends and political allies for years. They are shown together at a 9/11 Memorial in 2020

She however said that the President would not take a side or any form of action until the investigation is complete.

'Our focus from here, from the federal government is of course supporting that independent investigation, which we adamantly do.'

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday the allegations were 'troubling'

Last Friday, Psaki said during an appearance on GMA: 'The president has known him a long time but that doesn't matter in this scenario.

'I would say the president, VP, we all believe that every one of these women coming forward should be treated with respect, should have her voice heard,' she added.

'It's hard for me as a woman to read a lot of these stories and sometimes we wake up and there's a new one, but we believe there in an independent investigation that's ongoing, led by the attorney general with subpoena power and we certainly support that moving forward'.

Last week, during a conference call with reporters, Cuomo refused to stand down and instead questioned the motives of his accusers.

'What is being alleged just did not happen. The last allegation is not true and I have not had a sexual relationship that was inappropriate period. OK. Thank you,' before hanging up.

'Women have a right to come forward and be heard and I encourage that but I also want to be clear- there is still a question of the truth.

'I did not do what has been alleged. Period. I wont speculate about people's possible motives, but I can tell you as a former Attorney General, who's gone through this situation many times, there are often many motivations for making an allegation.
HELSINKI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th March, 2021) The closure of the only Russian school in the northern Estonian city of Keila by local authorities has been appealed with the Baltic country's Supreme Court, the Tallinn-based Russian School of Estonia non-profit said on Monday.

On February 12, the Tallinn District Court declined the complaint filed by parents, upholding the decision of the Keila city council to abolish the Russian school.

"An appeal against the Tallinn District Court's ruling to approve the closure of the Russian school in Keyla has been submitted to the Supreme Court", the organization said.

Mstislav Rusakov, the non-profit's chairman and the lead attorney in the school case, said that if the appeal ends up declined by the Supreme Court, which is Estonia's highest instance court, the appellants will take it to the European Court of Human Rights.

In 2019, Keila's city council voted to merge the Russian school with a local Estonian school into a single state gymnasium with lessons only in Estonian. Human rights defenders have raised the alarm about former students of the Russian school, whose mother tongue is Russian, not being admitted to the Estonian schools because of insufficient fluency in Estonian, which they say amounts to the deprivation of the right to education.
Sterling, N.Y  Six people were injured Sunday in a fiery two-vehicle crash in the town of Sterling, Cayuga County Sheriffs deputies said.

None of the injuries appear to be life-threatening, deputies said, although one victim was airlifted to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. The others were taken to Upstate by ambulance.

The crash happened about 2:51 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of State Route 104 and State Barn Road, according to the office of Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck.

A 2009 Ford Flex SUV, driven by Pascall Luaboshi, 49, of Buffalo, was westbound on State Barn Road when it failed to yield the right of way on Route 104 and hit a 2005 Dodge Caravan heading east, deputies said.

The Caravan caught fire, but all five occupants were able to escape, deputies said. The driver of the Caravan was the victim who was airlifted to the hospital. Deputies did not identify any of the occupants of the Caravan.

Luaboshi was also taken to Upstate, deputies said.

The crash remains under investigation, deputies said.

The Cayuga County Sheriffs Office was assisted by the Cayuga County 911 Center, the Cayuga County Emergency Management Office, the New York State Police, Fair Haven Ambulance and Fire Department, CIMVAC Ambulance, Mentor Ambulance, Red Creek Fire Department, Victory Fire Department, Eastern Wayne Ambulance and Mercy Flight.

Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 72F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low 49F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.

The goal of travel restrictions is to protect the health of the general public as well as that of our faculty, staff and students.

Faculty, staff and students involved in clinical care must follow the restrictions and guidance of any health system or clinical entity in which they participate in clinical activities.

These recommendations are subject to change as additional guidance is issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal authorities as well as state and local authorities.

UC travel policies are based on the CDCs recommendations. The CDC guidance is based on whether travel is domestic or international; by those who are fully vaccinated or unvaccinated/partially vaccinated.
A health care network in Michigan said it had opened an investigation after some operating room doctors posted photos on social media last week showing themselves holding a surgically removed organ and tissue material as part of a game that they likened to The Price Is Right.

The doctors, who are employed as medical residents by Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Mich., and specialize in obstetrics and gynecology, asked people to guess how much an unidentified organ weighed, according to one of the Instagram posts obtained by the NBC affiliate WOOD-TV.

The station said it blurred part of the image so that people could not tell what type of organ was shown in the post, which was shared publicly.

The posts appeared to show at least one patient in the background, the television station reported. They were taken down shortly after the station contacted the medical residents on Friday.
[March 15, 2021] Chandler, Arizona Company Helping Students Take Tutoring Into Their Own Hands

CHANDLER, Ariz., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Chandler Innovations, the city's business incubation and entrepreneurial development program, helps young entrepreneurs follow their dreams. PeerSquared is a Chandler Innovations client working to empower students to help one another. Founder and CEO Michael Wang joined the incubator in 2020. Wang, a senior at Arizona State University, saw a need for accessible and effective after-school support and created a way for students to assist each other on a myriad of subjects through creating school-wide peer tutoring programs. "I created this peer-to-peer tutoring idea while still in high school through my own peer tutoring club," said Wang. "Once I graduated and went off to ASU, I realized I not only needed to build a great tutoring platform but also work more closely with all school stakeholders to make peer tutoring a school-wide endeavor." Wang sought out Chandler Innovations to learn more about building a sustainable business and growing his client base. Diana White, CEO of Chandler Innovations, has been working with Wang as he progresses through the program. "Michael's passion for helping othrs and his drive to consistently improve on his venture is wonderful to see in a person his age," said White. "Michael represents the rare group of young entrepreneurs that are not waiting for a degree or the right opportunity. He's making his own path. These are the leaders of the future."



Michael credits his mother's career as a teacher for his burgeoning success. "PeerSquared has given me a sense of purpose, and seeing all the students we help keeps me going," said Wang. "I want to see sustainable peer tutoring programs in every school district in the future." Chandler Innovations Incubator accepts applications year-round, with virtual classes starting every few months.

Visit https://www.innovationsincubator.com/apply-now.html to learn more and apply to the program. For more information about Chandler Innovations, visit innovationsincubator.com. For more information about Peer Squared, visit https://peer-squared.info/ About Chandler Innovations: Chandler Innovations is a business incubation program for tech-focused businesses. The program is sponsored by the City of Chandler and powered by Moonshot at NACET. Chandler Innovations offers programs for entrepreneurs and founders throughout the year. It also provides entrepreneurship mentoring and community events. Contact:

Diana White

CEO, Chandler Innovations

adminci@nacet.org View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chandler-arizona-company-helping-students-take-tutoring-into-their-own-hands-301246229.html SOURCE Chandler Innovations Incubator

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Germany, France and Italy have suspended the use of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine amid reports of serious blood clotting among some people who received it, Bloomberg reports.

The three governments said they would temporarily halt use of the vaccine as a precaution. On Sunday, AstraZeneca said that there have been 15 cases of deep vein thrombosis and 22 cases of pulmonary embolism among the 17 million people who got the shot in the European Union and United Kingdom.

The World Health Organization, which approved the shot for emergency use last month, on Monday said that its advisory panel was reviewing the reports, but that there was no evidence linking the incidents of blood clots to the vaccine.

Following a recent concern raised around thrombotic events, AstraZeneca would like to offer its reassurance on the safety of its COVID-19 vaccine based on clear scientific evidence, the company said in a statement. Safety is of paramount importance and the Company is continually monitoring the safety of its vaccine.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing the vaccine, and could issue an emergency use authorization as early as next month, Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, said, according to USA Today.

The AstraZeneca vaccine has been lauded as less expensive to manufacture than the Pfizer and Moderna shots. Studies show that the two-dose vaccine is more effective when the second dose was delayed more than six weeks.

Related Content:
A teenager who was killed in a single vehicle crash in Mayo late on Saturday night has been named locally as David McHale (17), from Mulrany.

He was the driver of a car in which two others were injured when it crashed at Corha on the Newport Road in Castlebar.

A passenger in his teens was described as being in a serious condition in Mayo General Hospital following the crash.

The second passenger, a man in his 20s, was also treated for injuries which were believed to be less serious.

The crash occurred about 11.50pm.

The Castlebar to Newport Road (R311) was closed for a time to allow a forensic investigation to be carried out.

Gardai are appealing for any witnesses to the crash to come forward.

Read More

They are also appealing to any road users who may have camera footage from the area between 11.40pm and midnight.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Castlebar garda station on 094 903 8200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any garda station.

The crash was the second fatal road incident in less than a week in the Castlebar area.

Last Wednesday, Denis Prosvirnevs, who was originally from Russia, was killed in a hit-and-run crash in the Humbert Way area of the town about 11.50pm.

A man in his 30s was arrested on Saturday in relation to the collision and questioned at Castlebar garda station.

He has since been released without charge.

A file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
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Editors Note: On March 15, 2020, Gov. Ned Lamont ordered all schools in Connecticut closed due to the pandemic. In the months that followed, learning moved online and many schools still havent reopened to full-time classroom instruction. On the one-year anniversary of this event, we examine the impact a year of disrupted learning has had on the states children.

On his first day as the nations education secretary, Miguel Cardona claimed the spotlight as he and the first lady toured an elementary school in his hometown, about one year after COVID-19 first disrupted the lives of students, teachers and parents.

After a quick round of thanks to the school staff, family and mentors who got him here, Cardona pivoted to the most pressing issue.

And how are the children? And how are the children? Cardona asked, slightly raising his voice for emphasis the second time. You know the strength of a community when you ask: And how are the children?

Cardona might also have asked where are the children?

Connecticut saw a record 3.1 percent drop in enrollment  thats 17,844 fewer students  in public or private schools this school year at the same time 95 percent of enrolled students didnt attend full-time in-person classes through January due to the pandemic, either because of family hesitancy or districts not offering a full return.

Its a huge question. Where are these children? said state Child Advocate Sarah Eagan, who heads the watchdog agency.

While most districts throughout the state saw fewer students showing up for school or logging on from home, the drop disproportionately landed in the states 10 lowest performing districts, as drastically fewer children from low-income families showed up for school.

The impact has left many children struggling to cope with the disruption and trauma the virus brought with it.

Data from the states child welfare, social service and education agencies show how serious the problems are. The number of families reported to the state Department of Children and Families for educational neglect between October and December more than doubled compared to those same months in previous years. Thousands more people are calling the states hotline seeking emergency shelter each month, many of them with children. Hospital officials warn they have reached a crisis level as more kids show up at their emergency departments in distress, typically with threats of self-injury or suicide  and a record number of 40 children from low-income families on any given day are now stuck in the hospital while they await a bed in a psychiatric treatment facility. One in three students with ADHD is now chronically absent from school, and half of those with a diagnosed emotional disturbance, such as anxiety or bipolar disorder, are missing an excessive amount of school.

MIA students

Shortly after the pandemic hit last March, Shkeia Dickersons landlord asked her and her three children to move out of their apartment in Meriden. She wasnt behind on rent and she thought the state and federal eviction moratoriums should have prevented her from being uprooted during a pandemic, but her landlord said she was planning to sell the place.

Dickerson  who suspects that the hot housing market piqued her landlords interest in selling  left as soon as an eviction was threatened. She couldnt risk losing her Section 8 voucher if she was evicted and she was anxious to avoid the permanent stain on her credit from an eviction request.

She packed light as she prepared to bounce between family, friends and motels. She left behind the childrens beds, dressers and countless other belongings.

During this upheaval, her kids sporadically logged onto school online.

It didnt take long before DCF was called.

My kids were stressed out. We were everywhere. We went from house to house to house. I got family members that was trying to help, but everybody was saying we could only stay so long. So were like, two weeks here, two weeks there, bouncing around, bouncing around, said Dickerson. Youre calling [DCF] on us left and right, left and right, left, right. And then what if our kids get taken? What if our kids get taken all because you made a report [when] you simply could have came up to that parents house and said, Hey, this is going on  What can we help you with?'

Dickersons family was just one of the 1,468 families reported to DCF for educational neglect during the first three full months of the school year, which is about 2.5 times more reports than the agency receives in a typical year.

When social workers and other DCF staff investigated this influx of reports, the percentage that turned out to be actual cases of educational neglect was smaller than normal. However, the influx did result in an increase of cases substantiated as neglect.

Chaz Brackeen, a DCF social worker in the New Haven region, has seen the uptick in reports firsthand. Most of her cases involve children who are old enough to stay at home and not logging on while their parents work.

Ive had cases where kids have not signed on since the whole pandemic, so the whole school year. So these kids have like 80 absences or more because they never signed on. You should see all the cases that Ive had because of kids just not logging on at all and lying to their parents, said Brackeen.

Many teachers and parents have been successful in getting students back in school before DCF is called, however.

In Middletown, teachers and school counselors are showing up at students doorsteps to encourage their attendance. If the students family is struggling to connect to the internet, they bring tech support or give the family free wi-fi. If the student seems to be struggling with anxiety or depression, they bring a mental health expert. If the family is facing eviction, they help get them in the long line for rental assistance.

If the student just isnt interested in school, they talk about something exciting going on at school.

Sometimes the visits are just to check in and see what a student looks like if theyve never turned on their camera during remote class  with the goal of building a better relationship with them in-person.

During a recent visit, the team encouraged one of the sophomores learning from home to turn on his camera more. Another, aware that one of his teachers and the school counselor were going to stop by, turned in some overdue assignments shortly before they arrived.

The visit is to figure out the why: Why are our students maybe not engaging? said Kristen Negron, a high school counselor in Middletown.

When one student went completely MIA for two weeks, Negron and some other school staff decided to go where they thought he might be.

If we had gone by the book with him during this school year, he would have been our first call phone call to DCF. Instead, we drove around for a while and found him on a street corner. Our whole crew hopped out. We were so excited. We got his new cell number and got him connected with his teacher. He was in school yesterday in the building, Negron said.

Research released last month by the RISE Network  the same organization that is helping to fund initiatives to get student re-engaged in school, such as the porch visits in Middletown and tutoring sessions in Meriden  found that the percentage of students in danger of failing has doubled since last year in historically struggling high schools. This school year, 33 percent of students are not on track to progress to the next grade, compared to 15 percent last year.

Jahnaya West Flemings two sons were not on track.

Fleming works full-time at a daycare near her apartment in New Haven and couldnt convince her 12- and 13-year-old sons to regularly log into school while she worked. When she got their second quarter report cards, she panicked.

She sat them down and tried to appeal to them to work harder while they waited for their school to reopen and offer in-person learning. She also set up cameras so she could spy on them from her phone while she was as work, took away their cell phones and video games, and installed a landline so she could call them if she saw they were not in front of their computers when they were supposed to be.

She also warned her boss that she might need to leave work for a while.

I was showing her the grades, and I told her, Im going to have to take some time from work  because honestly, from my perspective, I kind of felt like I was neglecting my own children. I am giving my heart out here with these children, but my children were struggling. And that, that right there really hurt my soul, said Fleming. And I put that responsibility on [my sons]. I sat them down, and I had a critical conversation with them, and I let them know.  So now what if I dont go to work? They say, Youre not going to get paid. I said, Exactly, and asked what is that going to mean for us?

It seems to have worked. They now attend classes and are earning all Bs and Cs.

But many other students are still absent.

Bria Parkman-McCullough, an English teacher at Central High School in Bridgeport, has students who havent shown up for months at a time, often because they have to go to work to help their parents who lost their jobs during the pandemic.

Sometimes they might show up for the first or second week of the semester, and then you dont see them anymore. And then there are the students who will come sporadically, maybe once a month, twice a month, say Hi, and thats pretty much all you hear from them, she said. When I think about students who are not getting the things that they need to be successful in the world, it just breaks my heart. It really does, because they already started at a disadvantage even if it was just because of the color of their skin  and now theyre in a place where theyre not getting the education at all.

Certain groups of students are showing up for school much less than they were last year  an issue that might worsen the states already largest in the country achievement gaps.

Homeless children, who have the highest share of students learning entirely online this year, are not showing up for classes at nearly twice the rate of last year, state data through Feb. 17 shows. Last year, on average, homeless students were absent one out of every nine days; this year that rate increased to one out of every 5 days. These students are primarily concentrated in the states poorest and historically underserved districts.

Caseworkers at New Reach, a New Haven-based agency that provides services for homeless people, have seen firsthand how housing insecurity prevents children from learning and creates other problems.

Housing instability creates stress for parents and, as with other stressors, this can impact the parents ability to navigate the situation of shelter or housing insecurity, one counselor wrote in a recent survey. There is a focus on housing and basic needs, which is tiring and takes a lot of energy. Education with and for their children is not as much a priority when there is the threat of homelessness or getting basic needs met. In my opinion, this stress and uncertainty trickles down to the children as well and may show up as behavior issues, difficulty sleeping, acting out, needing reassurance etc. Housing is a basic need, the threat of not having this need met could be similar to the impact hunger has on children and their ability to focus in school.

Everyone has the right to a sound mind. Homelessness and poverty robs one of such. Children experiencing homelessness and poverty often lack the ability to eat a healthy nutritious meal, ability to control emotions, ability to focus and the ability to be happy in general. These are all elements a child needs to receive a good solid education, another wrote.

Are children better off with DCFs involvement?

Connecticut has strict laws requiring teachers and other school staff to report to DCF when they believe a child is being abused or neglected.

In the pandemic world  where 74,000 public school children are still learning entirely from home  that law complicates things since a student not logging on can indicate an issue of internet access or potential neglect.

What we see, based on continued reporting about kids being left behind in the pandemic, can be also construed as panic on the professionals part, saying, I need to make the call just to protect myself, not that I believe this parent is neglecting their child, or is intentionally neglecting the child, but to protect myself and make sure I dont get in trouble. I need to make a report. And thats kind of where we are struggling in the pandemic, said Michael C. Williams, the agencys deputy commissioner of operations.

I do think people are concerned, said DCF Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes during a recent interview. Dorantes noted that when people call the DCF hotline because a child has gone off the radar, those teachers and others are just asking, How are they? Is everybody okay?

Dorantes said its the job of her vast agency to assess each call, and further investigate if necessary, to determine if a child is being neglected. But most often, as the data show, it is not neglect  it is just a matter of getting parents and children help for whatever is preventing them from showing up for school.

When something rises to the threshold of educational neglect, theres a suspicion that the parent is not providing the educational opportunity for that child or doing something that inhibits this child from coming to school, she said. I think families have been trying to hold it together to keep everybody healthy and safe and to try to understand the expectations of remote learning, which is difficult. So I do think that the bucket of educational neglect is a little bit more complex than just, you know, kids and their attendance at school.  Educational neglect for me feels different than [just attendance], it feels like theres a willfulness of not having your child be educated, and I dont know that we see that. I think we see families trying to figure it out.

While DCFs mandate is to help get students back on the right track, there can be downfalls associated with their involvement.

Once DCF starts looking and they get into a familys life, they can find something, said Josh Mitchom, an attorney in the public defenders office that helps families intertwined with the states child protection agency. In the aggregate, it is not good. Im sure we could find examples where a report of a child and family getting access to services leads to a good outcome. But I think calling DCF for most non-acute problems is like calling the police for a noise complaint. It is a blunt instrument  Theyre not going to remove a kid for absenteeism  but it is a stressor on families that are already stressed.

He has a client whose 14-year-old child struggles with significant mental health issues and hasnt been showing up for school. When the child walked out of the house and the mom called the police, DCF got involved.

And now DCF is harping on the issues of non-attendance. The mom already knew she had a situation, and now DCF is saying, We want you to get a mental health assessment, we want this, we want that. And I think it can often be more stress than resolution, he explained. Its good to provide services, but its not usually good to provide them under threat of coercion. That causes a lot of stress, and Im not sure that it works.

Williams, the agencys deputy commissioner, said that DCF has an obligation to do a full audit on families where neglect is suspected based on what was reported to the agencys Careline  a process that typically takes weeks.

It requires us doing a lot more in-depth, kind of collateral gathering on a family, other than just what the report was made for. So we look to see if they are up to date on medical and dental and on just a whole host of things, because now we are involved, and if something else is going on in the home, other than an educational neglect, we can be held liable for missing that, he said. A knock on the door from DCF announcing a suspicion of abuse or neglect will put a level of anxiety inside of you, because you dont know what else were going to find.

A record drop in student enrollment

Public schools throughout Connecticut saw a record drop in students enrolling this school year compared to last year. Nearly two-thirds of those not enrolling were from low-income families.

Public schools lost one out of every 33 students. In private schools, it was one in 16.

Roughly 44 percent of the drop can likely be attributed to families deciding to wait a year to send their child off to public pre-kindergarten or kindergarten, state officials believe. Another 17 percent can be traced to more families opting to homeschool their children.

That leaves a decrease of 6,981 students whose absence is unattributed to any cause.

The state Department of Education stopped tracking student transiency several years ago, but officials there believe the drop is a combination of the states natural declining school-age population and parents who are homeschooling their children but didnt formally unenroll them. Parents are asked to inform the district if they decide to homeschool their child, but the state Department of Education does not require them to do so.

Connecticuts law that enables parents to take children out of school says, Each parent or other person having control of a child five years of age and over and under 18 years of age shall cause such child to attend a public school regularly during the hours and terms the public school in the district in which such child resides is in session, unless such child is a high school graduate or the parent or person having control of such child is able to show that the child is elsewhere receiving equivalent instruction in the studies taught in the public schools.

Gov. Ned Lamont proposed legislation in 2019 that would have required home-schoolers to start registering annually with their school district. The proposal came shortly after Eagan, the states child advocate, found in a study of six public school districts that 36 percent of students withdrawn for homeschooling lived in families that had at least one prior report for suspected abuse or neglect from the Department of Children and Families.

That study was prompted by the death of Matthew Tirado, a 17-year-old Hartford youth with autism who died from starvation, dehydration and child abuse in 2017 after he went missing from school. While he was never withdrawn from school, his mother did fill out the paperwork to homeschool his sister.

There is an inadequate framework in Hartford and statewide for ensuring the safety of and education for children who are withdrawn from school to be home-schooled, Eagan wrote in her 80-page investigation.

Droves of protesters showed up at the state Capitol to oppose a registration for home-schooled children, some alleging the registry would be used by DCF to crosscheck families with abuse or neglect investigations. Proponents point out that Connecticut is among those with the least regulations.

The legislature ultimately opted not to require a registration.

The unaccounted drop in enrollment has left many worried.

One of our biggest concerns is how much of the declines in enrollment are attributable to students leaving the education system altogether and not receiving any education. Right now, its very difficult to identify that group of students that has fallen through the cracks in the system, said Michael Morton, the deputy executive director of the School and State Finance Project, an organization that lobbies at the state Capitol for education reforms.

The drop-off has disproportionately shrunk the states largest public school districts, with places like Hartford losing one in 13 students, Bridgeport losing one in 17, and New Haven losing one in 24. While declining pre-Kindergarten enrollment is a main driver in these districts, there has essentially been no increase in the number of children whose families have submitted the paperwork to show that they are being homeschooled, state data show.

In Bridgeport, just over half of the districts decline in enrollment is from the drop in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten enrollment.

Michael Testani, the districts superintendent, said he believes the remaining drop is attributable to fewer immigrants moving into the city as the federal government tightened the border, more families being priced out of his and other neighborhoods in Bridgeport as the housing market heats up, and a slight uptick in students attending a local charter school.

I dont think theres kids missing. I mean, weve gone as far as getting people out to the homes to check on kids that arent engaged, he said, adding that since the end of October, when his district submitted enrollment numbers, several families have notified the district they are home schooling their children. With any homeschooling option, obviously, the concern is: are they getting the time, the instructional time, from mom or dad or whomever?  Is it robust curriculum thats being used? And then, also, are we going to start seeing them once the pandemic kind of subsides? Are we going to get an influx of students? Thats why were planning as if all these kids that we normally would have enrolled in our buildings are coming back.

Where are the kindergarteners and pre-kindergarten students?

When it came time to decide whether she was ready to send her two daughters off to school, Brackeen decided to send 3-year-old Gabriella to pre-kindergartens but to keep her 4-year-old in daycare rather than enroll her with her sister at their school in New Haven.

Keeping her oldest daughter in the same program she was already attending was appealing, and Brackeen needed to work.

My job never stopped, she said of being a social worker.

In New Haven, nearly three-quarters of the decline in student enrollment is from fewer children enrolling in pre-kindergarten or kindergarten.

Statewide, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten enrollment shrunk this year by just over 7,800 students, a 14 percent drop from the 2019-20 school year.

There were basically thousands of students who [the education department] expected would be enrolled who were not, said Beth Bye, the commissioner of the states Office of Early Childhood.

There wasnt an uptick of children from low-income families showing up at daycares, data provided by the Office of Early Childhood shows.

Instead, many families were keeping children home.

We said this is a real problem. There are all these preschool kids who havent shown up anywhere, said Bye.

So the agency used some of the federal emergency response money sent to the state to deploy staff and the community and found 1,000 young children who were staying home. They helped families enroll 700 of those kids in public or private preschool or day care programs.

But you know, thats 1,000 kids out of 15,000 that were missing, she said. There are definitely concerns. We know how important the first five years of life are and that most brain development is going on in those first six years. And so losing a year of preschool is a big deal.

This story was produced with support from the Education Writers Association Reporting Fellowship program. The Connecticut Mirror retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.
Lucknow, March 15 : The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, on Monday, directed the state government to follow the 2015 rules for seat reservation in the upcoming panchayat elections.

The High Court bench comprising Justice Rituraj Awasthi and Justice Manish Thakur also directed the state administration to ensure that the UP panchayat election process is completed by May 25.

A PIL filed by a person named Ajay Kumar had challenged the February 11 government order which had fixed 1995 as the base year for rotating the reserved seats in village, blocks and district local bodies.

He claimed that it was in violation of an earlier order dated September 15, which had fixed 2015 as the base year. The last polls were held as per the September 2015 order, the petitioner pleaded.

Earlier in February, the Allahabad High Court had asked the Uttar Pradesh Election Commission to hold panchayat elections by April 30 this year as it rejected the poll panel's undertaking to hold the rural civic body elections by May 2021.

The High Court had noted that as per the mandate of the Constitution, the election of the panchayat should have been held on or before January 13, 2021.

After the expiry of the five-year term of panchayats on December 25 last year, the state government had asked the district administration to take over panchayat administration.

Assistant development officers were then appointed and given charge of the panchayat administrators of all panchayat bodies.

After the high court order, the Uttar Pradesh government HAD released the reservation policy for the panchayat polls. The government said that reservation by rotation will be implemented in the panchayat elections.
New Delhi, March 15 : India's February merchandise exports rose marginally to remain on the growth trajectory, official data showed on Monday.

Accordingly, the country's merchandise exports during the month under review rose to $27.93 billion from $27.45 billion in January and $27.74 billion in February 2020.

"Exports in February 2021 were $27.93 billion, as compared to $27.74 billion in February 2020, exhibiting a positive growth of 0.67 per cent," a Ministry of Commerce and Industry statement said.

"Non-petroleum and non-gems and jewellery exports in February 2021 were $22.52 billion, as compared to $21.28 billion in February 2020, registering a positive growth of 5.84 per cent."
Washington Post Blames Source for Falsified Trump Comments on Georgia Election

The Washington Post in a recent correction revealed it printed falsified quotes attributed to former President Donald Trump.

In a March 11 update to a story originally published in January, the paper acknowledged its story featured quotes that werent actually said by Trump during a December 2020 conversation with an investigator working from Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffenspergers office. A recording of the phone call was recently released. (See embedded file below.)

The recording revealed that The Post misquoted Trumps comments on the call, based on information provided by a source. Trump did not tell the investigator to find the fraud or say she would be a national hero if she did so, the Jeff Bezos-owned paper, known for its anti-Trump slant, stated in a correction.

The headline and text of this story have been corrected to remove quotes misattributed to Trump, it added.

No apology was included.

The same reporter who wrote the original story, Amy Gardner, wrote a new story about the recording being released.



The Washington Post reported on the substance of Trumps Dec. 23 call in January, describing him saying that Watson should find the fraud and that she would be a national hero, based on an account from Jordan Fuchs, the deputy secretary of state, whom Watson briefed on his comments, Gardner wrote, referring to Frances Watson, the chief investigator for Raffensperger. In fact, he did not use those precise words.

Rather, Trump urged the investigator to scrutinize Fulton County, where she would find dishonesty, he said. He also said, whatever you can do, Frances, it would beits a great thing. Its an important thing for the country. So important. Youve no idea. So important. And I very much appreciate it.

Fulton County was rife with issues during the 2020 election and its aftermath, according to Raffensperger and officials from his office.

Raffenspergers office didnt immediately respond to a request for comment regarding whether Fuchs leaked false details of the call.

The Washington Post didnt respond to a request for more information, such as whether its reviewing its policies on citing sources and whether it will refrain from using the source that fed it falsified information.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 28, 2021. (John Raoux/AP Photo)

CNN, The Associated Press, Reuters, ABC News, and NBC News were among the others that reported the falsified quotes. They all cited a single anonymous source. None responded to requests for comment. Only CNN had updated its article as of March 15, adding an editors note that said an earlier version of the story presented paraphrasing of the Presidents comments to the Georgia elections investigator as direct quotes.

The story has been updated following the discovery of an audio recording of the call, CNN stated.

Other outlets, including Business Insider and Vox, published stories that relied on other reports about the call, such as the Washington Post piece. And Democratic members of Congress used the falsified quotes during their effort to convict Trump of a charge of incitement of insurrection in February.

Critics said the situation illustrated severe problems with the media.

This kind of mistake is beyond serious. Theres zero accountability in major corporate media anymore, yet they continually insist theyre the ones holding the line on the truth. And always remember what should scare you about the media is what doesnt get exposed,' Mark Hemingway, senior writer at RealClearInvestigations, wrote in a tweet.

Others downplayed what happened.

Corrections are good! what would be corrupt and unaccontable [sic] is to not put out corrections when we get things wrong, argued Hayes Brown, a writer with MSNBC.

Watson, an investigator with Raffenspergers office, took the call from Trump on Dec. 23, 2020.

Watson said she was surprised by the call but didnt feel Trump put any pressure on her. Her team and Georgia Bureau of Investigation workers didnt find any wrongdoing during an audit.

She told WSB-TV that she recorded the call for posterity.

That probably will never happen again in my lifetime, she said.

Trump later called Raffensperger himself in December 2020, asking for the Republican official to investigate voter fraud claims. Raffensperger suggested his office released audio of that call, as he panned the allegations and said it was clear Democrat Joe Biden won Georgia.
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AdTechCares Partners with the Veterans Coalition for Vaccination and Venables Bell + Partners to Launch Vaccine Trust PSA Campaign

AdTechCares, co-founded in 2020 by Amobee and 50 partners from across the advertising ecosystem, has partnered with the Veterans Coalition for Vaccination (VCV)-formed earlier this year with six leading veterans organizations-and Venables Bell + Partners to launch a nationwide public service announcement (PSA) campaign to encourage full vaccination and help put an end to the Covid-19 crisis.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005133/en/

(Graphic: Business Wire)

AdTechCares and VCV worked closely with Venables Bell + Partners to develop the creative for the integrated campaign by looking to the past-from Rosie the Riveter to Smokey the Bear-for inspirational images that drove Americans to work together and overcome obstacles by appealing to a shared sense of duty, and updated these iconic images to reflect the America we see today. The "Call to Arms" campaign enlists arms of every kind from "the tatted, the toned and the sun-deprived" to encourage all Americans to get vaccinated because "better times are within arms reach." The ads end with a simple and direct call-to-action: "Don't wait. Vaccinate." Mass market messaging will appear across broadcast, digital, social, video and Times Square out-of-home. Integrated media for this effort was donated by the Ad Council and a sampling of the creative can be viewed here.

"As the Covid-19 crisis continues, even as the vaccines rollout, the advertising industry has an inherent duty to support fact-based journalism and to ensure continued access to accurate and timely information," says Ryanne Laredo, Chief Customer Officer at Amobee (News - Alert) and Co-Founder of AdTechCares. "It's an honor for AdTechCares to work with the Veterans Coalition for Vaccination and their renowned veterans organizations and we're confident we'll replicate the success of our initial Covid-19 PSA campaign with a renewed focus on driving the public to credible vaccine information with the goal of keeping humanity well."

"Veterans are among one of the most trusted populations in the United States, and through the Veterans Coalition for Vaccination we are able to bring together these leading veterans organizations to build trust for the nationwide vaccination effort," says Lorey Zlotnick, Chief Marketing Officer at Team Rubicon and founding member ofthe Veterans Coalition for Vaccination. "We are proud to launch a campaign that is visually representative of the communities that we serve and reaffirms the VCV's priority and commitment to equitable vaccine distribution. We invite you to 'roll up your sleeves' and help us defeat this virus."







"The national vaccination effort is the largest and most important mobilization in recent history. We felt that the messaging needed to be welcoming and optimistic, but also feel big, and really tap into people's sense of duty to a larger cause; something the Veterans Coalition is very familiar with," says Tyler Hampton, Creative Director at Venables Bell + Partners. "We couldn't help but be inspired by the 'in this together' messaging and design harkening back to World War II."

The new campaign builds on the artwork and messaging of iconic home front effort posters with a modern twist. Venables Bell + Partners partnered with photographer Jim Hughes (News - Alert) to photograph a wide range of masked people proudly displaying their vaccination bandages. Alice Blue Production Studio artists Lena Pigareva and David Waraksa then hand painted the images and created the typography to give them a vintage poster look. The campaign builds on a partnership between AdTechCares and the Ad Council and it's the biggest push in the history of the organizations.

Last March, Amobee launched a PSA campaign to lead consumers to authoritative sources like Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization to help the public understand the seriousness of Covid-19 and encourage mask wearing. Amobee's campaign quickly evolved into the formation of the larger AdTechCares coalition, which now includes more than 50 companies spanning demand-side platforms, supply-side platforms, agencies and data providers-including Universal McCann, eBay, DoubleVerify and others. That PSA campaign has served more than 4.8 billion impressions to over 2.6 billion people across dozens of countries in 50 languages with digital, video and out-of-home ads.

About Amobee + AdTechCares

Finally, there's a technology that understands how people consume content today. Only Amobee makes it easy for you to find your audience-no matter where they are, no matter what they're viewing. We help brands, agencies, and media companies unify audiences to optimize advertising results across all linear TV, connected TV, and digital, including social media to deliver the results that drive customer growth. Amobee is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singtel, one of the largest communications technology companies in the world, which reaches more than 675 million mobile subscribers. The company operates across North America, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia. For more information, visit amobee.com or follow @amobee.

AdTechCares is a coalition of advertising agencies, media companies and ad tech providers donating their time, inventory and technology platforms to combat misinformation about Covid-19, support fact-based journalism, and affirm that Black Lives Matter around the world. To join the AdTechCares coalition, click here. To follow on LinkedIn (News - Alert) , click here.

About Veterans Coalition for Vaccination

The Veterans Coalition for Vaccination will partner to convert vaccines to vaccinations. Utilizing veterans, we aim to build trust in the vaccine and fight the spread of misinformation. We have created a nationwide network that can quickly mobilize veteran volunteers to assist with the set up and management of vaccination sites. We aim to provide care to patients and support the decompression of the healthcare workforce; and ensure equitable distribution of the vaccine to communities often forgotten.

The VCV's founding members include Team Rubicon, Wounded Warrior Project, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Student Veterans of America (SVA), Team Red, White & Blue and The Mission Continues.

About Venables Bell + Partners

Venables Bell + Partners is a San Francisco headquartered advertising agency guided by core values of honesty, fearlessness and independence, and proud to work with clients including Audi, Chipotle, 3M (News - Alert) and Reebok. VB+P has been included in Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies List, named one of AdAge's top ten A-List agencies and Best Places to Work, and Adweek's Breakthrough Agency of the Year. For more info: www.venablesbell.com. Twitter (News - Alert) @VenablesBell, Instagram VenablesBell and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/VenablesBell/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005133/en/


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The ministers of energy of Israel, Cyprus and Greece took a major step March 8 toward bridging Asia and Europe, inking an agreement on connecting their national electricity grids through some 1,500-kilometer (932-mile) underwater Mediterranean cable. At a maximum depth of 2.7 kilometers (1.7 miles), the 2,000 megawatt Euro-Asia Interconnector will be the deepest and longest submarine electricity cable in the world.

The so-called electricity highway is designed to provide energy security for each of the three countries, using clean energy sources. It will span some 310 kilometers (193 miles) between Israel and Cyprus, 900 kilometers (559 miles) between Cyprus and Crete, and an additional 310 kilometers between Crete and Ithaca in Greece. Construction of the 2.5 billion euro project will be co-financed by the European Union, which has designated it a Project of Common Interest, and the partner states. Completion is scheduled for 2024.

The memorandum of understanding signed by Energy Ministers Natasa Pilides of Cyprus, Israels Yuval Steinitz and Greeces Kostas Skrekas calls for cooperation in planning, developing and implementing the project. The sides have committed to share information and harmonize standards in keeping with the goals of the Paris climate accord on decarbonizing the global economy.

The cable will provide us with emergency backing from European electric grids; more importantly, it will help us expand significantly our reliance on solar energy in keeping with the governments solar energy goals, Steinitz told Al-Monitor.

Israel has committed to generating 30% of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2030. To achieve this ambitious goal, the government has issued tenders for the construction of solar panel fields in the Negev Desert and is taking steps to encourage the installation of rooftop solar panels, the development of power storage capacity and the penetration of electric cars into the Israeli market. It also plans to increase public investment in renewable energy research and development.

Following the signing ceremony in Cyprus, Steinitz headed for a meeting in Cairo of the member states of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum formed in 2019 in the wake of major gas discoveries in the region. It consists of Israel, Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Italy and France, and the United States as an observer. The Emirates are also seeking to join the group with a view to transporting gas from the Persian Gulf to Europe in the future through a proposed gas pipeline from Egypt, through Cyprus to Greece and Italy.

Steinitz presented the forum with his vision of turning the Mediterranean Basin into a cleaner area by replacing maritime oil transportation with natural gas. Meeting participants approved the initiative and agreed to form a working group to advance the idea in cooperation with the EU.

According to Steinitzs long-term plan, the entry of commercial and tourism vessels into the Mediterranean will be limited unless they run on liquefied natural gas or hydrogen. Such a move is expected to reduce considerably air pollution in Mediterranean coastal cities from Syria to Egypt, including the cities of Haifa and Ashdod in Israel.

Steinitz told Al-Monitor his plan would also reduce the threat of polluting oil spills of the type that occurred in February 2021, causing one of Israels worst ecological disasters in decades. The oil reportedly leaked from a vessel transporting fuel from Iran to Syria. The Emerald allegedly turned off its transponders when it sailed in waters off Israels coast, making it hard to pinpoint the source of the leak.

The claim by Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel that the spill was a terror attack has not been substantiated by security agencies. Rather, it appears to have been caused by a fault in the old and poorly maintained tanker. In any case, even if Steinitzs proposal is adopted, enforcing it would be difficult as proven by Irans constant evasion of international economic sanctions on its oil exports.

The natural gas fields in the Mediterranean are spread over the territories of various countries, prompting disputes over gas production rights. One such conflict pits Lebanon against Israel. A US-mediated attempt in October 2020 to resolve the dispute has failed. Given the proximity of those talks to the US presidential elections, further discussions were postponed.

At least one dispute has now been resolved. Following more than a decade of negotiations, Steinitz reached an agreement last week with his Cypriot counterpart Pilides over the natural gas field that lies in the territorial waters of both countries  named Aphrodite by Cyprus and Yishai by Israel. As part of the agreement reached by the two ministers in Nicosia, the companies engaged in gas exploration in Cypriot waters will enter talks with those on the Israeli side to finalize the manner in which Israeli firms will be compensated for their share of the reservoir.
What just happened? Xiaomi has been granted a reprieve against DoD restrictions that stop U.S. companies investing in the firm. The tech giant will avoid restrictions that come from its addition to a Communist Chinese Military Companies (CCMC) list, at least for now, after it launched a lawsuit against the U.S. treasury and defense departments in the district court of Columbia last month.

Xiaomi was designated a CCMC in January, one of the final acts by Donald Trump's outgoing administration. A 1999 law requires the Defense Department to compile a catalog of companies owned or controlled by the People's Liberation Army. The Pentagon has added 35 companies so far, including Huawei and the Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC).

Its addition to the list meant Xiaomi was subject to an investment ban that prohibits U.S. companies purchasing its securities or derivatives of those securities. It also forces American investors to divest their holdings on November 11, 2021.

In February, Xiaomi sued the U.S. government over the designation, claiming it is "unconstitutional because it deprives Xiaomi of its liberty and property rights without due process of law," thereby violating the Fifth Amendment.

District Judge Rudolph Contreras issued an initial injunction over the weekend, granting a temporary ban to the restrictions. He said the U.S. case against Xiaomi was "deeply flawed," and it would likely succeed in its lawsuit to remove its designation as a Chinese military-linked company, writes the Financial Times.

Judge Contreras said Xiaomi would likely suffer "irreparable harm" in the absence of the relief, citing its share price falling almost 10% since the CCMC designation, banks suspending shares, and the company losing global contracts. He added that the DoD's memorandum that led to Xiaomi being added to the list was made on "shaky ground."

"[The memorandum] does not explicitly identify the agency's source of authority that governs the CCMC designation process, and when the memo does invoke the relevant statutory language, the excerpted language is quoted incorrectly. These errors do not inspire confidence in the fastidiousness of the agency's decision-making process," he said.

Xiaomi ended up on the list because it was allegedly a national security threat. Contreras said he was "somewhat skeptical that weighty national security interests are actually implicated here."

"Taken together, the Court concludes that Defendants have not made the case that the national security interests at stake here are compelling," he wrote.

Xiaomi said it was pleased with the outcome and will continue to its case against the DoD to have the CCMC designation removed.

"We believe that the inclusion of Xiaomi in the list of Chinese military-related enterprises is an arbitrary and arbitrary decision, and the judge also agreed with it. We will continue to ask the court to finally rule that the decree is invalid for Xiaomi," it said.
An anonymity order granted in favour of a British soldier charged with murder and attempted murder on Bloody Sunday has been extended at Derry Magistrates Court today.

As a Committal Hearing got underway, District Judge Ted Magill also said the court will explore the possibility of Bloody Sunday families watching court proceedings at a community centre in the city from tomorrow.

An ex-paratrooper known as Soldier F is charged with murdering Jim Wray and William McKinney on January 30, 1972.

He's further charged with attempting to murder Patrick O'Donnell, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon and Michael Quinn, as well as attempting to murder a number of persons unknown.

An application was lodged previously for Soldier Fs anonymity to be lifted.

Addressing that application, Judge Magill said: The situation is that Judge McElholm granted an anonymity order some time ago.

I have decided an anonymity order will continue.

The judge went on to say that he has received a substantial bundle of submissions which will be considered.

He added that the anonymity order can be revisited.

Judge Magill also banned the press from reporting the opening statements or any witness testimony for legal reasons.

The court heard that it was possible for some of the Bloody Sunday families to attend today but that wont be possible tomorrow.

The District Judge was asked whether families could be accommodated when the hearing proceeds.

Judge Magill said he wants as many people as possible to be able to hear proceedings, most importantly the relatives of the deceased, injured and the accused.

He added that a notification had just been received from Madden and Finucane Solicitors which suggested a video link could be set-up at a community centre in Derry.

The judge said he felt uneasy about people tuning in from home because the court would have absolutely no control and it would be too easy to contravene the law.

Madden and Finucane would have to provide assurances, he said, that there will be no breach of laws or regulations as it would be impossible for the court service to furnish personnel.

Judge Magill concluded: I will be relying on the integrity and bona fides of those at the centre.

If I can be satisfied there will be no difficulties I will do anything I can to oblige.

By all means set it up for tomorrow. I dont want to say no, if I can be satisfied I will be happy to do so.

The hearing will continue tomorrow morning at 10.30am.
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The spotlight on the International Olympic Committee is going to be mighty uncomfortable these next 11 months, and president Thomas Bach and his buddies have no one to blame but themselves.

Criticism of 2022 Olympics host Beijing escalated Monday when U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney published an op-ed in the New York Times calling for an American economic and diplomatic boycott of the next Winter Games over Chinas raft of human rights violations.

Its too late to strip Beijing of the 2022 Olympics, Romney wrote, and full-scale boycotts make little impact. But Romney said that doesnt mean the rest of the Olympic movement, led by the United States, should simply shrug its shoulders and say, Oh well!

Limiting spectators, selectively shaping our respective delegations and refraining from broadcasting Chinese propaganda would prevent China from reaping many of the rewards it expects from the Olympics, Romney wrote, urging American fans to stay home, sponsors to skip the glitzy junkets and President Joseph Biden to send a delegation of dissidents, religious leaders and ethnic minorities.

Let us demonstrate our repudiation of Chinas abuses in a way that will hurt the Chinese Communist Party rather than our American athletes: reduce Chinas revenues, shut down their propaganda, and expose their abuses.

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Giving weight to Romneys call for a targeted boycott of the Beijing Games is that he is not just another craven politician jumping on the bandwagon in hopes of scoring points. (Yes, Florida politicians lobbying for the Tokyo Olympics to be moved, Im talking to you.)

Romney is an Olympic insider, having served as president and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Games. He is intimately familiar with how the IOC works and, given how entrenched the organization is, its a good bet his phone is still filled with high-powered contacts from the Olympic world.

Bach cannot simply throw up his hands at Romneys suggestion and say that bringing China into line is above the IOCs pay grade, because Romney knows better. By explaining why a U.S. team boycott of Beijing would be both futile and unfair, even if action against China is warranted, Romney was speaking the IOCs own language. By extolling the high-minded virtues of the Olympics  he called them enduring demonstrations of the great qualities of the human spirit on the world stage: We witness determination, sacrifice, patriotism, endurance, sportsmanship  he was appealing to the vanities of Bach and other IOC members.

Story continues

The IOC is never going to do the right thing unless forced to by one of its own, and Romney might be as close as it gets.

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, shown on Jan. 19, 2021, is intimately familiar with the workings of the International Olympic Committee.

Bach can decry politics all he wants, but he and the IOC have repeatedly tried to use the Olympic Games to nudge authoritarian nations toward democracy and reform. But, as Romney pointed out, they have failed miserably.

The I.O.C. has hoped that awarding Games to repressive regimes would tend to lessen their abuses. But hope has too often met a different reality  in Hitlers Germany, Putins Russia and Xis China, Romney wrote. In authoritarian states, the Olympics has more often been a tool of propaganda than a lever of reform.

That falls squarely at the feet of Bach and the rest of the IOC.

MORE: USOPC leaders 'more optimistic than ever' athletes will be vaccinated before Tokyo Olympics

MORE: Mike Eruzione, 1980 Olympian, says don't boycott 2022 Games

The mere threat of yanking the Olympics would have caused colossal embarrassment for Chinese president Xi Jinping, and might have convinced him to ease up on Hong Kong and the Uighurs, even if it was only through 2022. But at a time when most countries have wised up to the extravagance of hosting an Olympics, Bach and the IOC dont want to risk offending the despots who are still willing to foot the bill for their lavish parties.

So they pretended their decision to ignore abuses leading up to and during the Summer Games in 2008 didnt embolden China. When pressed to hold China accountable, they claimed to lack the influence they are otherwise proud to tout.

Romney is right. With less than a year before the Beijing Games begin and the world still grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, its too late to move the Olympics. But that doesnt mean the Olympic movement lacks influence.

If Bach and his IOC brethren are too scared to exercise it, then the rest of the world must.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mitt Romney calls for targeted boycotts of 2022 Beijing Olympics
New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in his rally on Monday (March 15) in poll-bound Assam laid a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and claimed that he is following "Jinnah's footsteps".

Addressing a campaign rally at Dibrugarhs Naharkatia in Assam, Chouhan said, "Congress is not following in Mahatma Gandhi's footsteps. Congress and Rahul Gandhi are following in Jinnah's footsteps. And Jinnah's steps will destroy Assam and India."

Chouhan slammed Congress for its alliance with Maulana Badruddin Ajmal-led AIUDF for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections and said that this alliance is an insult to late Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

Congress joined with a man like Badruddin Ajmal who supported infiltrators and left no stone unturned in destroying Assam, who talks about creating a Muslim nation. Ajmal is a man with whom even Tarun Gogoi did not join hands. This is an insult to Gogoi too, he was quoted as saying by ANI.

Attacking Congress, he alleged that the party has failed to carry out any developmental work in the Northeastern states since Independence.

"Congress ruled Assam for 55 years, but what has it given? Assam which was not defeated by the Mughals due to the heroism of Lachit Borphukan (Ahom general), Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi gave only infiltration, violence, terrorism, agitation, hunger and unemployment, PTI quoted the MP CM as saying.

He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, Assam started advancing on the path of development.

He added that Congress will become history under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Chouhan shared the dias with Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal in Naharkatia. Assam will go to polls for 126 Assembly seats in three phases from March 27 to April 6. The results will be declared on May 2.

(With inputs from agencies)

Live TV
Emirates and TAP Air Portugal have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to expand the codeshare partnership currently in place between the airlines.

The new agreement will see customers of both airlines benefit from seamless connectivity on many new routes across the Americas, North Africa and East Asia. Emirates and TAP Air Portugal will also explore ways to enhance the co-operation on their respective frequent flyer programmes including reciprocal earning and redemption opportunities and popular benefits such as lounge access, said a statement.

In addition, both airlines plan on supporting each others stopover programmes in Dubai and Lisbon, with Emirates also supporting TAP Air Portugal as it looks at potential expansion opportunities in the UAE.

Subject to required regulatory approvals, the expanded agreement is expected to come into effect from May 1, 2021, will provide customers with seamless booking, ticketing and travel benefits across 70 destinations on both airlines networks.

Adnan Kazim, Emirates Chief Commercial Officer, said: "Emirates and TAP Air Portugal have enjoyed a mutually successful codeshare partnership for the past eight years. We are delighted to expand this relationship and look forward to delivering even more benefits to our customers."

Arik De, TAP Air Portugals Chief Revenue & Network Officer, said: "TAP Air Portugal is pleased to enhance our Emirates partnership, allowing our guests greater geographic access. We look forward to taking Emirates customers to more cities within Portugal, to our destinations in the Americas and North Africa, and for them to benefit from our Stopover Portugal program."

Under the expanded partnership, TAP Air Portugal will place its code on Emirates flights to popular East Asia destinations such as Taipei, Tokyo, Osaka, Mumbai, Delhi, Dhaka, Male, Jakarta, Denpasar, Manila, Hanoi, as well as Barcelona and Mexico City.

Emirates customers will be able to seamlessly access additional domestic destinations in Portugal, as well as TAP Air Portugals flights to cities in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Conakry, Morocco, Tunisia, Gambia, and Cape Verde. - TradeArabia News Service
WASHINGTON, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A new partnership between the American Association for Physician Leadership and the Indiana University Kelley School of Business aims to provide physician leaders with deeper access to business acumen that drives effective change in healthcare.

The American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL) is the only association solely focused on providing professional development, leadership education, and management training exclusively for physicians. The Kelley School of Business is the only top-ranked business school offering a rigorous MBA exclusively for physicians. Together, the two are committed to training physicians in the business of medicine and equipping physicians to better strategize the best course forward for their patients, their healthcare organizations and their clinical teams.

"It is more important now than ever for physicians to be the driving force behind change in our healthcare system," said Peter Angood, MD, President and CEO of AAPL. "This partnership provides a pathway for AAPL physician leaders to combine the practical knowledge we offer through coursework and conferences with the Kelley School's national reputation, in-depth expertise and world-class faculty through the graduate-level curriculum offered in the Physician MBA Program."

"We are thrilled to partner with AAPL, an organization whose mission so closely aligns with our own," said Idalene "Idie" Kesner, dean of the Kelley School of Business and the Frank P. Popoff Chair of Strategic Management. "As more physicians seek to advance their business training, this partnership elevates the importance of educating physician leaders in the language of business. When they can speak to the business of healthcareas well as the science of medicineour alumni are prepared to lead effective change for their organizations, their patients and the wider U.S. healthcare system."

The partnership provides new opportunities for both current and future AAPL members, including a reduction in Kelley Physician MBA course tuition for physicians who've completed AAPL's Master's Prerequisite Curriculum and access to the AAPL Capstone, the final requirement in fulfilling Certified Physician Executive (CPE) certification.

For more information on the partnership, as well as courses offered through AAPL and the Kelley Physician MBA Program,

https://www.physicianleaders.org/education/university-partners

About the American Association for Physician Leadership

The American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL) is focused on the personal transformation of all physicians, and through them the organizations they serve. With the goal of improving patient outcomes, workforce wellness, and a refinement of all healthcare delivery, AAPL has remained the only association solely focused on providing professional development, leadership education, and management training exclusively for physicians. Since its founding in 1975, AAPL has educated 250,000+ physicians across 40 countriesincluding CEOs, chief medical officers and physicians at all levels of healthcare.

www.physicianleaders.org

Contact:

Nancy Collins

(800) 562-8088

[email protected]

SOURCE American Association for Physician Leadership
150 Spring Breakers Arrested, Police Officers Enforcing Curfews Allegedly Attacked: Officials

Around 150 people were arrested in Miami Beach over the weekend as thousands of thousands of revelers pour into the city for spring break.

On Friday, about 120 people were arrested and two officers were injured during clashes with spring breakers, according to Local10.

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber told the news outlet that it is a very difficult situation, saying a lot of people are coming here, and they are coming here with the wrong intentions.

Were seeing too much spring break activity, he added to CNN on Saturday. Weve got a problem with too many people coming here. Weve got a problem with too many people coming here to let loose.

Miami Beach has a midnight curfew due to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19.

Officials told the news outlet that police were forced to use pepper balls to break up what Local10 described as aggressive gatherings.

We are dealing with the behavior, Chief of Police Richard Clements told the outlet. All we want to do is for people who want to come down here to have a good time, enjoy themselves, but obey the rules. One official said that one of Miami Beachs officers attempted to arrest an individual who was in a crowd, and the crowd ended up turning on those officers who were there.

Gelber then issued a warning: If you are coming here because you think anything goes, youre going to have a terrible time. We are going to arrest you.

Over the weekend, of those who were arrested, 42 were charged with felonies, officials told Local10.

Police also addressed a viral video taken over the weekend that showed an officer body-slamming a man, identified later as 19-year-old James Harrison, before taking him into custody on Friday.

The objective of getting that violent man into custody was achieved, Miami Beach Police Officer Ernesto Rodriguez told WSVN. Gelber, meanwhile, said that the slam appeared to be necessary because people were throwing rocks and bottles at police officers. Thats just outrageous. Theyre jumping on police cars.

Some video footage, according to WSVN, showed girls dancing on top of police cruisers.

Authorities added that at least 13 firearms were recovered between Friday and Monday, the report said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently said that lockdowns or travel restrictions due to the CCP virus aint happening in Florida, WPTV reported. DeSantis, a Republican, has long been critical of pandemic-related lockdowns, arguing that the measures are simply not effective.

According to federal data, Florida has had 144 deaths involving COVID-19 per 100,000 residents since the beginning of the pandemic. That compares favorably with large states that enacted stricter measures. New York, for instance, has had 245 deaths per 100,000 residents.

Lorenz Duchamps contributed to this report.
Panama prosecutors said Tuesday they have identified 20 child victims of sex abuse and other maltreatment at orphanages and have charged eight people to date.

An investigation was launched after a report by a parliamentary committee found dozens of children had suffered sexual, physical and verbal abuse at state-funded orphanages since 2017.

The report also listed forced abortions among children and poor living conditions at the shelters, most of which were run by publicly funded NGOs under the supervision of the government body SENNIAF, which is responsible for child care.

Investigations began in August last year, and the first arrests were made this month.

The alleged perpetrators were not identified.

Attorney General Javier Caraballo told journalists Tuesday that 20 victims had been identified and 18 criminal cases opened.

The numbers may change as the investigation was ongoing.

"We will not cease our investigations until each of the people linked to these facts is held accountable," said Caraballo.

His predecessor Eduardo Ulloa resigned after the scandal came to light. SENNIAF director Mayra Silvera has also stepped down.

The case has caused widespread outrage in Panama, and regular protests are held to call for those responsible to be punished.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 15)  The bed capacity in intensive care units in some regions are dwindling as the country experiences a surge in new coronavirus infections a year into the pandemic, a health official said on Monday.

Dr. Beverly Ho, Health Promotion Bureau and Disease Prevention and Control Bureau Director IV, said although the healthcare utilization rate nationwide remains at low risk at 35%, the ICU capacity in Metro Manila and Cordillera Administrative Region are at moderate level and danger zone, respectively.

The capacity for ICU beds in Metro Manila, the virus epicenter since Day 1, is at 65% while 38% of the mechanical ventilators are being used by patients with severe COVID-19. The utilization of ICU beds in Cordillera, where local transmission of the more transmissible United Kingdom variant was detected, is at 71%.

Meanwhile, the use of ICU rooms in Central Visayas and Davao Region are also going up, but they remain in the safe zone.

"Iba ang mix per region but the takeaway is similar, we cannot just be complacent about the numbers now because the ICU beds are slowly being filled up," Ho said in a media briefing. "Habang lumalaki ang total number of cases natin, inevitably, malaki ang number na mapupunta sa ICU."

[Translation: There are different figures per region, but the takeaway is similar. We cannot be complacent about the numbers now because the ICU beds are slowly being filled up. As our cases rise, inevitably, a big portion will go to the ICU.]

The Philippine General Hospital is seeing this grim trend as more COVID-19 patients with severe health conditions are being admitted, some of them needing intubation to help them breathe. There are 134 COVID-19 patients currently admitted in the government hospital, 30 of which have severe symptoms. PGH spokesperson Jonas del Rosario on Monday said they are seeing more severe COVID-19 cases compared to last year.

Private hospitals are dealing with the increase in COVID-19 patients. St. Luke's Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Benjamin Campomanes, Jr. told CNN Philippines News. PH that all their beds for COVID-19 patients, in both Quezon City and Bonifacio Global City branches, are occupied. He noted they still accept walk-in patients, but reminded them that they need to wait patiently before they can be accommodated.

Filipino Nurses United President Maristela Abenojar said healthcare workers are worried that the rapid and steep increase of COVID-19 cases could further push hospitals and healthcare workers to their limits. They are calling on the government to act accordingly, especially in responding to the more transmissible and possibly immune response-affecting variants.

"Panay pa din ang nagkakasakit sa amin. Tayo ay nag-first anniversary na ng lockdown at wala tayong nakikitang sapat na pag-angkop sa sitwasyon tulad ng pagpasok ng variants," she said.

[Translation: There are still many nurses getting sick. We are on the first year of the lockdown and we still do not see enough response, such as with the entry of the variants.]

OCTA Research Group projected that COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila may reach 6,000 cases daily by month-end and 8,000 daily nationwide by the end of the month, warning the pandemic is progressing much faster now despite being one-year into the nationwide lockdown.

CNN Philippines correspondent Carolyn Bonquin contributed to this report.
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PHOENIX  The body of a man has been found on a hiking trail near Phoenixs South Mountain, according to authorities.

Phoenix firefighters said their technical rescue team was dispatched to the Corona Trail Mountain after receiving reports of an unconscious male around 6 p.m. Saturday.

Crews located the man about 1  miles from the trailhead, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities said the trail is considered moderate to difficult and does have some steep elevations.

Police didnt immediately release the mans name, but they said there were no obvious signs of trauma or foul play.

The cause of death will be determined by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner.

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Once she got her second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, Debbie Coyle breathed a sigh of relief. Two weeks later, after completing the waiting period for full immunity, she started making lunch plans.

I couldnt wait to bust out of here, said Coyle.

The 62-year-old Kenner resident is a widow who recently retired from the insurance business. Dining out was her main social outlet, but she stopped visiting restaurants during the pandemic.

Now vaccinated, though, she feels more comfortable dining out. And she feels like she has some catching up to do.

I love nothing better than going out to eat with friends. Its really all I do, Coyle said. You go out to have more than a meal, its the company, the atmosphere, all of it. I missed it so much, I cant wait to get back to it.

That sentiment is resounding all across the local restaurant scene. As more vaccine rolls out, more people keep rolling into dining rooms and newly expanded outdoor dining areas.

For many older people, who are at higher risk from coronavirus, these post-vaccine visits often mark their first time back in a restaurant in a year.

Theyre proudly showing off completed vaccination forms like hall passes, theyre ordering cocktails to mark the milestone and theyre coming back, again and again.

Call it the vaccination celebration.

The CDC recently updated its guidance for people who have been fully vaccinated, underscoring the need to still wear masks in most settings, avoid large gatherings and abide social distancing rules. These protocols remain in place for restaurants in Louisiana, which require mask use and must space table at least six feet apart.

+11 After a wrenching year, heres why New Orleans restaurants see better times ahead In March, Marna and Frank Brigtsen renewed the lease on the Riverbend cottage that their Brigtsens Restaurant calls home. It was an affirmati

At Middendorfs, the classic seafood restaurant in Manchac, an early taste of the vaccination celebration trend arrived one February day when a mini bus from a senior care facility pulled off the highway and parked by the front door. Out filed a dozen people who had finished their vaccinations and insisted on returning to an old favorite for thin fried catfish platters.

They told us they were here to celebrate. It was so exciting for them, and it was exciting for us too, said Middendorfs co-owner Horst Pfeifer.

Losing the usual business Middendorfs sees from Mardi Gras had been a kick in the gut, Pfeifer said, but seeing the happiness of customers reconnecting again gave him a needed boost.

This restaurant is a comfort zone for a lot of our customers. Its a traditional place for them to come with family, Pfeifer said. Now, you see after grandma gets her vaccine, a family will meet out again for the first time.

Cravings beyond the plate

Those returning to restaurants now are coming with pent-up cravings for certain dishes and a yearning simply to resume a treasured part of the local lifestyle.

Some say time spent with friends is all the more precious now after a year of separation, and they don't want to waste another day if they can safely dine out.

Thats why the vaccination return feels so sweet to Desi Basan, 63, a retired executive assistant from Metairie.

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Were looking to spread our wings a bit, she said. I am really looking forward to some kind of life outside my home. I mean, theres only so much cleaning you can do.

She and her husband Rene have been ordering takeout through the pandemic, part of their intentional approach to support local businesses. But dining out again has a different appeal.

Its our nightlife, and when youre in, lets call it the senior group, the nightlife starts a lot earlier, Basan said. We arent going to bars, we go to restaurants.

Fully vaccinated now, shes raring to reengage her social life, but also still taking things cautiously.

I still want to sit outside when I can, and I want to make sure the restaurants are doing everything right, she said.

For restaurant operators, it can feel like the most wind theyve had in their wings in months.

Its very evident, and its growing, said Ed McIntyre, founder of Mr. Eds Restaurant Group.

The bump has been most noticeable at his Bucktown restaurant, Mr. Eds Seafood and Italian Restaurant, where the clientele normally skews a bit older.

Its people we havent seen in a year, but now they cant wait to come back out, McIntyre said.

The trend is also giving restaurant people something to cheer, and sometimes that goes beyond just having more business return.

Minh Bui, co-owner of Cafe Minh in Mid-City, said returning customers are bringing a brighter, more hopeful spirit to the dining room.

It creates the enthusiasm and energy for the restaurant, the staff is more excited, the kitchen sees the orders coming in. It adds up, it creates that energy; when you dont have that, it hurts, Bui said.

Hes frequently called out of the kitchen by guests who want him to know theyre back. Some visit twice a week now, Bui said, bringing different friends each time as they make their social rounds and work their way through his menu of Vietnamese-French fusion dishes.

Weve tried a lot of things to keep the restaurant open, we have to be creative and keep working," he said. "That adds up to pay the bills, but when youre hosting your customers again, its something more."

+5 Ian McNulty: Around New Orleans, Friday seafood and renewed faith in each other Entering year two of the pandemic, many of the things we love about New Orleans life are again being postponed, pushed back or thrown into doubt.

+21 Red beans and Saints: Reliving a historic season game by game, plate by plate This Saints season brought more uncertainty than most, starting with whether we would even get one during the coronavirus crisis. But when it 

+6 At Cafe Reconcile, a new chef, modern soul food and a mission that resonates deep Cafe Reconcile has red beans and rice on Mondays and seafood on Fridays. It has regulars who visit weekly. Sometimes the restaurant is slow, s
A former military officer friend likes to tell the story of attending a conference during the Jimmy Carter years. At the conference, one of the generals made a negative remark about Jimmy Carter. That general was cashiered by the end of the evening. That was appropriate behavior for a studiously nonpartisan, constitutional military that represented and defended all Americans equally. The military's current war against Tucker Carlson for insulting it points to the end of that era.

To recap, last week, for International Women's Day, Joe Biden boasted that the military is engaged in the important work of designing flight suits for pregnant pilots. Tucker Carlson pointed out that the American military has a problem if this kind of thing is a priority. Even as our military is obsessed with women, both real and fake, the Chinese military is aggressively becoming more masculine in orientation. In a war between masculine China and feminine America, no sane person would bet on America.

Tucker Carlson accuses Joe Biden of trying to feminize the military, argues China is ramping up it's military masculinity. pic.twitter.com/8lDKEPyws6  nikki mccann ramirez (@NikkiMcR) March 10, 2021

In response to Carlson's comments, the military engaged in a personal vendetta against him:

Say what you will about the left, but you can't deny they're completionists. When those guys commit to reorienting an institution they show up, roll up their sleeves, and they take care of their business. pic.twitter.com/wzHVwRyEta  Omri Ceren (@omriceren) March 13, 2021

Last week, for the United States military, China was not the enemy. Radical Islam was not the enemy. Drugs pouring into America were not the enemy. Rather, a news and opinion personality was the target of the military's wrath. Nor was this animus limited to snarky tweets from the teenage girls apparently staffing the military's, and especially the Marines', social media offices.

Instead, Master Gunnery Sgt. Scott Stalker, who is the command senior enlisted leader of the U.S. space command, directly attacked Tucker Carlson, by name, for daring to offend women in the armed forces.

Drama TV - my response to Mr. Carlsons comments on women in the Armed Forces. @TuckerCarlson pic.twitter.com/acix7CFLO9  U.S. Space Command, Command Senior Enlisted Leader (@US_SpaceComCSEL) March 11, 2021

A major general chimed in:

This is me, yesterday, conducting a re-enlistment for one of the tens of thousands of women who serve in our Army. Just a reminder that @TuckerCarlson couldnt be more wrong. https://t.co/M1MHe5zHrf  Patrick Donahoe (@PatDonahoeArmy) March 11, 2021

So did a general, a senior major of the Army, and a Pentagon spokesman  all of them attacking Tucker Carlson for hurting women's feelings:

I agree Pat . Thousands of women serve honorably every day around the globe. They are beacons of freedom and they prove Carlson wrong through determination and dedication. We are fortunate they serve with us. https://t.co/R4dycOXknl  GEN Paul E. Funk II (@PaulFunk2) March 11, 2021

Women lead our most lethal units with character. They will dominate ANY future battlefield were called to fight on. @TuckerCarlsons words are divisive, dont reflect our values. We have THE MOST professional, educated, agile, and strongest NCO Corps in the world. https://t.co/WeqWk6IWDq  SMA Michael Grinston (@16thSMA) March 11, 2021

@PentagonPresSec won't call on @TuckerCarlson to apologize for mocking US servicewomen, but ends press conference saying host "demeaned the entire US military."  Paul McLeary (@paulmcleary) March 11, 2021

Could these men be more woke  or condescending in their defense of helpless military women? It also didn't seem to occur to any of them that if women in the armed forces cannot take some chaff from Tucker Carlson, they have no business being in the military. What are they going to do when the enemy attacks? Cry?

By Sunday, people were beginning to realize that the commanding officer in charge of the social media accounts should have stepped in and disciplined these people  just as that long-ago general was severely disciplined for insulting the civilian commander in chief of the United States military. Mollie Hemingway, however, stated what others had already figured out: the commanding officer is on board with turning a media figure  a conservative media figure  into the military's number-one enemy:

Someone suggested alerting commanding officer Brian Russell to the embarrassing attacks from the @iimigofficial on US journalists who critique identity politics. You will perhaps not be surprised to learn he's all in on the attacks, too. https://t.co/qqtspKZ7WU  Mollie (@MZHemingway) March 14, 2021

Americans need to understand that this is not their dads' military. It's not even the pre-2008 military. Barack Obama purged from the Pentagon anyone who was not with the new Democrat party. This Pentagon trend worsened under Trump, as people in the modern military resented the fact that he was not starting new wars and was drawing down troops. Trump's peaceful ways may have saved lives and money, but they lessened opportunities for advancement within the military and shut down post-retirement sinecures in the defense industry.

With Biden's ascension to the White House, the military has become an openly partisan, pro-Democrat, possibly anti-American institution dedicated entirely to turning itself into a social justice avatar for American society while maintaining endless small wars across the globe for the benefit of military officers. George Washington weeps.

And to the military men and women who read this and disagree, don't attack me. Prove I'm wrong by becoming more of a fighting machine and less of a mewling college campus.

Image: WWII WAC recruitment poster. Library of Congress. Public Domain.
Current campus expectations, as of June 2, 2021:

Fully vaccinated: Individuals who have been fully vaccinated are no longer required to wear a facial covering while on campus except, per CDC guidance, on buses, e.g., UC shuttle. Note that individuals are fully vaccinated 14 days after their final dose of vaccine.

All those who are fully vaccinated are encouraged to be sensitive that not everyone has the same comfort level with an environment without facial coverings at the present time. To ease the concerns of colleagues and friends, we ask that you try to wear a facial covering when you are inside

Unvaccinated: Individuals who have not been fully vaccinated are still to wear a facial covering and maintain social distancing when indoors except when eating/drinking or alone in a private room or office. Unvaccinated individuals are not required to wear facial covering when outdoors and able to maintain 6 feet of social distancing.



Social distancing: We currently continue to plan for 6-feet social distancing in campus spaces. This is especially important in shared office and workspaces where individuals are or may be sharing space for an entire work shift and in high-traffic common areas and social settings like campus eateries, TUC and CRC.

Because CDC and State of Ohio guidance may change as conditions and scientific recommendations change, this guidance is subject to change as conditions change. We also know that many individuals may wish to continue with use of facial coverings and social distancing precautions for a time, even if fully vaccinated.

Members of the campus community are responsible for providing their own facial coverings.

At minimum, a facial covering should be cloth / fabric and cover the nose, mouth and chin. Facial coverings can also be made with a bandana. See more advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to wear and position a facial covering. See more from the CDC on how to select, wear and clean your facial covering.
Chandigarh, March 15 : Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Badal on Monday asked Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to tell people why he had defrauded them with false promises, grounded development and presided over the worst administration in the history of the state.

The SAD President, who was addressing a gathering on the occasion of the second Punjab Mange Jawab rally, announced the candidature of former chief parliamentary secretary Virsa Singh Valtoha from the Khem Karan constituency for the 2022 Assembly elections.

The announcement was done after the people unanimously supported Valtoha's candidature.

Demanding answers, Badal said the Chief Minister would have to tell people why he swore a false oath in the name of the holy Gutka Sahib that he would waive off all farmer loans after forming the government in the state.

"Punjabis want answers for the fraud committed on them by the Chief Minister who while promising jobs to youth also got forms signed from them and issued affidavits promising the same".

Stating that the Chief Minister would have to tell why he played with the sentiments of Punjabis, the SAD President also asked the former to tell one thing he had done for the people and the state during the last four years.

"Tell us one road, power grid or college you have made," he said adding forget doing anything the Chief Minister had presided over the complete collapse in the law and order and remained confined to giving clean chits to corrupt ministers and legislators who had established their own mafias.

He said the situation was such that even the holy city of Sri Amritsar Sahib was falling in disrepair and the Virasat-e-Marg was not being maintained.

He said similarly the promised compensation of Rs 10,000 per acre to farmers ploughing land beyond the barbed wire fence was not honoured.

Badal said in stark contrast to the Congress, the SAD had always strived to do its best for Punjab and Punjabis.

"This is because we satisfy the regional aspirations of the people unlike the Congress and the BJP which look up to their central command for directions." He said even now the SAD was fighting for the rights of the farmers and had even exited the Union Cabinet and severed its alliance with the BJP in protest against the passage of the three agricultural laws.

He appealed to the people to strengthen the SAD, saying if the SAD was strengthened the 'kaum' would also be fortified.

Former minister Bikram Singh Majithia while speaking said the people of Khem Karan had given a befitting answer to Sukhpal Bhullar who had threatened to lodge cases against people attending today's rally.

A Facebook panel during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, in Cannes, France, on June 20, 2018. (Eric Gaillard/Reuters)

Facebook Adding Labels to All Posts About COVID-19 Vaccines

Facebook says it will add labels to all posts about COVID-19 vaccines, as part of its efforts to help more people get a shot as well as to counter what it calls misinformation.

Weve already connected over 2 billion people to authoritative COVID-19 information, and today as access to COVID-19 vaccines expands, were going even further and aiming to help bring 50 million people one step closer to getting vaccinated, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement.

One of the ways the California-based technology giant is doing so is by adding labels on every post about vaccines.

The labels will show information from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Were continuing to expand our efforts to address COVID-19 vaccine misinformation by adding labels to Facebook and Instagram posts that discuss the vaccines. These labels contain credible information about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines from the World Health Organization. For example, were adding a label on posts that discuss the safety of COVID-19 vaccines that notes COVID-19 vaccines go through tests for safety and effectiveness before theyre approved, Facebook said in a blog post.

That label was rolled out around the world in six languages, including English and Arabic, with additional languages planned in the coming weeks.

Other labels in the near future will include ones targeted for vaccine subtopics.

We will also add an additional screen when someone goes to share a post on Facebook and Instagram with an informational COVID-19 vaccine label. It will provide more information so people have the context they need to make informed decisions about what to share, Facebook said on March 15.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies via video conference before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law in Washington on July 29, 2020. (Graeme Jennings/Pool via Reuters)

Facebook has already removed millions of posts that violate a list of allegedly false claims about COVID-19 it created with the help of WHO. Those include claims surrounding at least one topic that has yet to be determinedthe theory that the virus is man-made or manufactured.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. The virus is believed to have begun spreading in China in late 2019, and its origins arent yet known.

To further stem what it refers to as the spread of potentially harmful COVID-19 and vaccine information, Facebook is requiring administrators for groups with admins or members who have violated policies to temporarily approve all posts within their group.

The company is also reducing the reach of posts from users who have violated misinformation policies or have shared content that Facebooks fact-checkers deem false or missing context.

Facebooks fact-checks are dominated by left-leaning funding and personnel, and at least one such reviewer was funded by money from a company that owes its allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party.

The new announcements come 10 days before Zuckerberg and other tech CEOs are scheduled to testify to Congress during a hearing about misleading information plaguing online platforms.

The data shows the vaccines are safe and they work. Theyre our best hope for getting past this virus and getting back to normal life, wrote Zuckerberg on March 15, who has previously expressed concern about COVID-19 vaccines in private. Im looking forward to getting mine, and I hope you are too.
Ronald DeFeo, who was convicted of killing his parents and four siblings at the familys home in Amityville, N.Y., in 1974  a spree that spawned a series of books and movies, including the 1979 film The Amityville Horror  died on Friday at a hospital in Albany, N.Y. He was 69.

The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision confirmed the death on Monday and said that the cause would be determined by the Albany County coroner.

Mr. DeFeo, who was serving 25 years to life in prison, had been held at the Sullivan Correctional Facility in Fallsburg, N.Y., since 1975. He was transferred to the Albany Medical Center on Feb. 2.

Mr. DeFeo was convicted in 1975 on six counts of second-degree murder after he confessed to using a rifle to shoot and kill his father, Ronald DeFeo Sr.; his mother, Louise; his sisters, Dawn and Allison; and his brothers, Mark and John Matthew.
Fire from burning Chinese-owned factories light up the industrial neighborhood in Hlaingthaya (Hlaing Tharyar) Township, outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar, March 15, 2021. EPA



Security forces killed at least 22 anti-coup protesters in the poor, industrial Hlaingthaya suburb of Myanmar's main city, on Sunday after Chinese-financed factories were set ablaze there, an advocacy group said.



A further 16 protesters were killed in other places, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said, as well as one policeman, making it the bloodiest day since the Feb. 1 coup against elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.



The Chinese embassy said many Chinese staff were injured and trapped in arson attacks by unidentified assailants on garment factories in Hlaingthaya and that it had called on Myanmar to protect Chinese property and citizens. China is viewed as being supportive of the military junta that has taken power.



As plumes of smoke rose from the industrial area, security forces opened fire on protesters in the suburb that is home to migrants from across the country, local media said.



"It was horrible. People were shot before my eyes. It will never leave my memory," said one photojournalist on the scene who did not want to be named.



Martial law was imposed in Hlaingthaya and another district of Yangon, Myanmar's commercial hub and former capital, state media announced.



Army-run Myawadday television said security forces acted after four garment factories and a fertiliser plant were set ablaze and about 2,000 people had stopped fire engines from reaching them.



A junta spokesman did not answer calls requesting comment.



Doctor Sasa, a representative of elected lawmakers from the assembly that was ousted by the army, voiced solidarity with the people of Hlaingthaya.



"The perpetrators, attackers, enemies of the people of Myanmar, the evil SAC (State Administrative Council) will be held accountable for every drop of blood that shed," he said in a message.



The latest deaths would bring the toll from the protests to 126, the AAPP said. It said more than 2,150 people had been detained by Saturday. More than 300 have since been released.





An anti-coup protester raises his hand with clenched fist in front of a crowd during a candlelight night rally in Yangon, Myanmar, Sunday, March 14, 2021. AP
Booker strongly considering 2022 Senate run in Kentucky View Photo

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)  Democrat Charles Booker, who nearly pulled off an upset in last years Senate primary, said hes strongly considering another run for the Senate against Republican Rand Paul.

Booker, a Black former state lawmaker from Louisville, returned to progressive ideas such as a universal basic income and universal health care as he raised the prospect of mounting a 2022 campaign.

Im strongly considering a run for the United States Senate in 2022 because I believe our work is not done and we have the ability to tell a new story for Kentucky, Booker said Sunday on Kentucky Educational Television.

Booker said hell decide soon whether to enter the campaign.

Booker seized momentum late in last years Democratic Senate primary on the strength of a Hood to the Holler campaign that highlighted the common interests of Black Democrats in the cities and middle- and low-income white people in the mountains of eastern Kentucky  which he collectively has defined as people in forgotten places. His effort caught fire late in the campaign but fell just short and he lost to Amy McGrath, who had significant financial support from beyond the states borders. McGrath lost to Republican Mitch McConnell in November.

Booker would face an uphill fight against Paul in Republican-trending Kentucky. Paul, a former presidential candidate, is a libertarian-leaning Republican with a strong national brand.

After his primary loss, Booker created the Hood to the Holler advocacy group to help build rural-urban coalitions on health care and anti-poverty issues.

Those things arent partisan, Booker said. We just allow national politics to dictate the narrative, and people like Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul have told us were divided.

By BRUCE SCHREINER

Associated Press
On the history-making nomination, Wilson said, The recognition of my art and talent by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is bigger than me. It is for every young hairstylist who dreams beyond the salon chair to work on a motion picture set. It is for the young child who tells their parent they want to be a hairstylist to receive a response of Thats not a real career. The nomination is validation that hair styling is an art form, a craft and a skill. It also shows every Black woman or man doing hair that we can achieve, and importantly that our talent and skill is equal and exceptional.
DALLAS, March 15, 2021  Primary care clinics can play an important role in preserving patients brain health using the American Heart Associations Lifes Simple 7 as a guide, as well as addressing 6 other factors associated with cognitive decline, according to a new American Stroke Association/American Heart Association Scientific Statement. A Primary Care Agenda for Brain Health, published today in the Associations journal Stroke.

Preserving brain health in an aging population is a growing concern in the U.S. An estimated one in five Americans 65 years and older has mild cognitive impairment, and one in seven has dementia. By 2050, the number of Americans with dementia is expected to triple, the statement authors note.

Primary care is the right home for practice-based efforts to prevent or postpone cognitive decline. Primary care professionals are most likely to identify and monitor risk factors early and throughout the lifespan, said Chair of the scientific statement writing group Ronald M. Lazar, Ph.D., FAHA, the Evelyn F. McKnight Endowed Chair for Learning and Memory in Aging and director of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine. Prevention doesnt start in older age; it exists along the health care continuum from pediatrics to adulthood. The evidence in this statement demonstrates that early attention to these factors improves later life outcomes.

Lifes Simple 7 focuses on seven lifestyle targets to achieve ideal cardiovascular health: managing blood pressure, healthy cholesterol levels, reducing blood sugar, increasing physical activity, eating better, losing weight and not smoking. The new statement suggests primary care professionals also consider assessing risk factors to address cognitive health. The six risk factors to consider, in addition to Lifes Simple 7, that impact optimal brain health are depression, social isolation, excessive alcohol use, sleep disorders, less education and hearing loss. The statement lists risk factors for cognitive impairment, prevention strategies and best practices to integrate brain health prevention into primary care.

Scientists are learning more about how to prevent cognitive decline before changes to the brain have begun. We have compiled the latest research and found Lifes Simple 7 plus other factors like sleep, mental health and education are a more comprehensive lifestyle strategy that optimizes brain health in addition to cardiovascular health, said Lazar, who is also a professor of neurology and neurobiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The statement uses cognition to define brain health, referring to the spectrum of intellectual-related activities, such as memory, thinking, reasoning, communication, and problem solving that enables people to thrive and navigate the world on an everyday basis. The ability to think, solve problems, remember, perceive and communicate are crucial to successful living; their loss can lead to helplessness and dependency.

Studies have shown that these domains are impacted by factors that are within our control to change, Lazar said. Prevention and mitigation are important, because once people have impaired cognition, the current treatment options are very limited.

According to the statement:

Recent data show that hypertension, diabetes and smoking in adulthood and middle-life increase the odds of cognitive decline in middle-age and accelerate cognitive decline in older age.

People with dementia experience lower quality of life, and caregivers - typically family members - experience high rates of psychological stress and physical ill-health. Dementia is more costly than heart disease or cancer, with worldwide costs estimated at $818 billion in 2015.

Primary care is the right place for practice-based efforts to prevent or postpone cognitive decline. This setting can provide comprehensive coordinated care to promote AHAs Lifes Simple 7 as a guide for brain health and overall wellness.

Professional guidelines also recommend routine screening for depression and counseling patients to focus on healthy eating and exercising a minimum of 150 minutes a week.

Implementation of practices to prevent cognitive decline often fall short  referred to as an evidence-practice gap. However, new practices and technology like telehealth, which are more common as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, are addressing this gap.

Lack of access to primary care services may be a barrier to prevention. Even with the Affordable Care Act, an estimated 15% of Americans adults still lack health insurance, and 25% of Americans do not have a source of primary care.

Many people think of high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and other risk factors as affecting only heart health, yet these very same risk factors affect our brain health. Patients might be more likely to pay attention to the importance of addressing modifiable risk factors if they understood the links, Lazar said. Ive given lectures, and what people tell me is, the one thing they do not want to lose during the course of their lives is their mind.

In 2017, the American Stroke Association/American Heart Association issued a presidential advisory on achieving optimal brain health that includes Lifes Simple 7.

The American Heart Association and the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group together with additional contributors, including the Oskar Fischer Project and Henrietta B. and Frederick H. Bugher Foundation, have committed over $43 million to fund research with the potential to move forward brain health and cognitive impairment science. The American Heart Association/Allen Initiative in Brain Health and Cognitive Impairment has granted 3 competitive basic science research awards to study brain health over eight years.

This scientific statement was prepared by the volunteer writing group on behalf of the American Heart Associations Stroke Council, and the American Academy of Neurology affirms the value of the statement, additionally, as an educational tool for neurologists.

###

Co-authors are Virginia J. Howard, Ph.D., FAHA, vice-chair; Walter N. Kernan, M.D.; Hugo J. Aparicio, M.D., M.P.H.; Deborah A. Levine, M.D., M.P.H.; Anthony J. Viera, M.D., M.P.H.; Lori C. Jordan, M.D., Ph.D.; David L. Nyenhuis, Ph.D.; Katherine L. Possin, Ph.D.; Farzaneh A. Sorond, M.D., Ph.D.; and Carole White, Ph.D., R.N. Author disclosures are in the manuscript.

Additional Resources:

The Association receives funding primarily from individuals. Foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers are available here, and the Associations overall financial information is available here.

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the publics health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.
Monday was a somber day in New York, marking exactly one year since the first coronavirus-related death was announced on March 14, 2020 -- just three days after the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic.

At this time in 2020, counties were just starting to confirm cases of coronavirus locally, with the first in Herkimer County on March 12, then Oneida County on March 17 followed by Otsego County on March 23.

At the time Herkimer County confirmed its first positive case, there were only around 320 across the entire state.

Later in March, county leaders started reporting coronavirus-related deaths in the region. As of Monday, 552 lives have been lost over the past year in Oneida, Herkimer and Otsego counties. Throughout the state, the virus death toll has reached 39,585.

According to county health department data, nearly 29,000 positive tests have been confirmed in the three counties since March of last year.

Memorials have been held across the state to honor those who lost their lives. New York City officials held a memorial Sunday on the Brooklyn waterfront to remember the approximately 30,000 city residents killed by the coronavirus since March of 2020.
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PHOENIX  The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced that small non-farm businesses in all 15 counties in Arizona may apply for low-interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses from drought.

Eligibility includes businesses directly affected by the disaster as well as businesses dependent on farmers and ranches that have suffered agricultural production losses caused by the disaster that began Jan. 1, the agencys regional disaster field operations center said Friday.

According to the agency, small nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small business engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any kind may qualify for economic injury disaster loans of up to $2 million.

The loans are to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could have been met had the disaster not occurred, the agency said.

It said businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching are not eligible for SBA disaster assistance, but they can contact the Farm Services Agency regarding assistance.

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Credit: Dmitry Lisovsky for ITMO.NEWS

Researchers from ITMO University and St. Petersburg Academic University developed a new technology for marking authentic goods. Manufacturers will be able to label electronics, drugs, jewelry, and other products with invisible images that can only be seen with special equipment. These labels will help protect the goods from forgery. The research is published in Advanced Materials.

Companies all over the world are looking for ways to protect their goods from counterfeit. But the available methods offer only temporary solutions. As soon as wrongdoers discover a way to get through the existing protective measures, the technology becomes useless. Russian scientists have proposed new labels that are not so easy to decipher. They are made from semiconductor materials with the help of lasers.

"With a laser, we add ions of a rare-earth metal called erbium that create a unique image on a sticker made of a silicone nanofilm. To do that, we first make a lattice of holes on the film that are invisible to the naked eye. Some of these holes contain erbium ions, others don't. When subjected to laser radiation, the holes with erbium change colorand thus they allow us to correctly read the image," explains Dmitriy Zuev, head of the project, assistant professor at ITMO's Department of Physics and Engineering.

It may take wrongdoers a long time to discover the contents of such images. In order to do that, they would have to get into the shipment system, learn to work the equipment, and master label reading methods. These labels are made even more secure due to several customizable characteristics.

"Our labels are based on erbium ion luminescence, which is characterized by several parameters: intensity, wavelength, and radiative lifetime. A combination of these parameters allows us to create additional layers of protection. That's why when you get the hidden image with an infrared sensor, you will also be able to read the information about the luminescence parameters. This provides an additional degree of protection," says Artem Larin, a Ph.D. student at ITMO's Department of Physics and Engineering.

The developed system is resistant to chemical and mechanical effects, it also can be made on a flexible film. According to Ivan Mukhin, head of a laboratory at St. Petersburg Academic University and a researcher at ITMO, all of this adds to the technology's potential to be introduced into the real sector of economy.

Explore further Researchers discover affordable method for production of transparent solar cells

More information: Artem O. Larin et al. Luminescent ErbiumDoped Silicon Thin Films for Advanced AntiCounterfeit Labels, Advanced Materials (2021). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202005886 , Journal information: Advanced Materials Artem O. Larin et al. Luminescent ErbiumDoped Silicon Thin Films for Advanced AntiCounterfeit Labels,(2021). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202005886 , onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/fu  .1002/adma.202005886
OROVILLE, Calif.  K-9 Chico assisted Butte County Sheriffs deputies in an Oroville traffic stop on Sunday.

33-year-old Misty Black, and passenger, 38-year-old Timothy Jones were pulled over for vehicle code violations on Lincoln Blvd. at Ophir Road in Oroville, according to BCSO.

Deputy Arredondo arrived with his K-9 partner Chico who alerted to the odor of narcotics after a sniff around the vehicle.

During a search of the vehicle, authorities said they located multiple packages of narcotics, totaling 25 grams of heroin, and 5.2 grams of methamphetamine. They also located items that indicated possible sales of narcotics, such as packaging material and a digital scale.

Black and Jomes were arrested on multiple drug related charges. BCSO said after Jones was booked into the Butte County Jail, he was also found to be in possession of 1.6 grams of heroin. His bail was set at $62,000.
Democrats have supermajorities in both chambers of the state Legislature. The federal government has just approved more than $12 billion in new funding for New York. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is politically weakened like never before by ongoing scandals over alleged sexual misconduct and a reported cover-up of COVID-19 nursing home deaths. Simply put, legislators have a real chance to dominate the state budget process this year.

Both the state Senate and Assembly are slated to pass one-house budget resolutions Monday that are not too dissimilar from the $193 billion spending plan proposed by Cuomo in January. If Democratic legislators remain united against the governor  who has formidable constitutional powers over state spending  then they could score big political victories that have eluded them in previous years.

State lawmakers are looking to increase taxes on the wealthy much more than the governor, which could allow for increased spending on contentious issues like COVID-19 relief and funding for public schools. We have a very good shot at getting this done, state Senate Education Committee Chair Shelley Mayer said of winning a final victory this year in a yearslong fight with Cuomo over billions in funding for public schools after the 2006 Campaign for Fiscal Equity ruling.We need to get paid.

City & State took a look at each of the one-house budget proposals and the reactions from advocates and state lawmakers. Here is a breakdown of the top issues.

Taxes

Both chambers are looking to raise taxes on the wealthy more than Cuomo, who proposed a three-year increase on high-earners that would raise about $1.5 billion per year. Democratic lawmakers are pushing back on his proposal to postpone a middle-class tax cut, with state Senate Democrats also looking to raise $8.2 billion through a variety of proposals including higher personal income taxes on wealthy people, with new brackets for people earning above $5 million and $25 million per year. That is more or less the same as the Assembly, though there are some differences between the two chambers on other tax proposals. State senators are looking to increase the estate tax rate by 2 percentage points while the Assembly is pushing for a 4 percentage point increase as well as a new pied-a-terre tax. Its good that the Legislature is taking some meaningful steps to build out long-term revenues, Charles Khan, organizing director for the Strong Economy for All Coalition, which advocates for new taxes on the wealthy, said in an interview. (But) its a half-measure and may be even more so if concessions to Gov. Cuomo are made.

School funding

The budget proposed by Cuomo included $31.7 billion in state support for local school districts, including the same allocations as last year in Foundation Aid, the primary state funding source for public schools. Both chambers are proposing a $1.4 billion increase in Foundation Aid as well as adding billions in additional money over three years to fulfill the Campaign for Fiscal Equity ruling. Every school district is guaranteed a minimum 2.0% increase in Foundation Aid and every district is allocated at least 60% of their full Foundation Aid funding for the 2021-22 school year, reads a press release from Senate Democrats. Both chambers are also looking to increase funding for public colleges above what the governor proposed as well as a litany of additional spending, including $500 million to fully fund 4-year-old full-day prekindergarten statewide and a $1,000 per student increase in the Tuition Assistance Program.

COVID-19 relief

Both chambers want $2.1 billion in funding to help workers who did not qualify for previous COVID-19 relief programs, including undocumented people and the recently incarcerated, though activists are pushing for up to $3.5 billion to establish a new fund. Assembly Democrats are also proposing to use $3.125 billion in combined federal and state funding to provide rent relief to tenants, landlords and homeowners. The state Senate bill includes similar provisions, including hundreds of millions of dollars in new aid for the New York City Housing Authority.

The bottom line

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the different proposals in these gigantic fiscal plans, but taxes, schools funding and COVID-19 relief do highlight where some of the biggest differences are in the Legislatures respective proposals compared to the governor. The one-house budgets represent a starting point in negotiations that are expected to culminate in a new state budget by April 1. While the governor has typically gotten his way with budgetary matters in recent years, the political winds are blowing in the favor of legislators like never before, though a final fiscal victory depends on what happens in budget negotiations over the next two weeks.

Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled the name of state Senate Education Committee Chair Shelley Mayer.
The MoU will investigate applying proprietary processing technology to extract vanadium and other metals from various Gabanintha waste streams as well as the opportunity to use proprietary technology to manufacture VRFB electrolyte in Western Australia.

Several samples of GVP ore and waste streams have been sent to LES for initial assessment and confirmation analysis.

( ) (FRA:TN6) has executed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with LE System Co Ltd (LES) of Japan to assess the potential application of LES proprietary technology to extract vanadium and other metals from the Gabanintha Vanadium Project (GVP) waste streams.

The MoU will also explore establishing a joint venture (JV) to investigate the opportunity to manufacture Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries (VRFB) electrolyte in Western Australia - supporting TMTs downstream processing strategy.

In addition, TMT and LES will investigate the opportunity to sell the high-grade, high purity iron-vanadium concentrate to be produced from the Yarrabubba Iron-Vanadium Project to Japanese customers with the aim of providing a reliable source of vanadium for LESs VRFB electrolyte business.

Shares have been as much as 10% higher to 38.5 cents.

Step in sustainable project development

Successful application of the proprietary processing technology to the GVP waste streams would provide LES with access to a low-cost stable supply of vanadium products and provide TMT with potential environmental management benefits, supporting the companys key objectives of sustainability and environmental responsibility.

TMT managing director Ian Prentice said: Execution of this MoU with LE System is an important step in delivering on our vision of developing the GVP in a sustainable, environmentally responsible manner and represents another key component of our strategy to develop downstream processing opportunities to play a significant role in the development of a domestic VRFB industry.

The MoU also supports TMTs staged project development strategy through the investigation of opportunities to expand the customer base for the Yarrabubba high grade, high purity iron-vanadium product.

This opportunity would have scope to establish a significant downstream value add industry designed to target what TMT sees as the rapidly emerging stationary storage battery market opportunities in Australia, further enhancing the significant economic and social benefits for the Mid-West region of Western Australia, the State and the Nation that the development of Gabanintha is expected to generate over a long period of time.

Supported by WA Government

The development of this relationship with LES and the negotiation of this MOU was supported and facilitated by the Western Australian Government's Japan-based representative of the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation.

TMT is looking forward to continuing to work closely with the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF), the Western Australian Governments Lead Agency team and other Government agencies as it progresses the development of Gabanintha to be a producer of vanadium, a critical mineral with a vital role to play in the efficient and effective deployment of renewable energy.

Vanadiums strategic importance to the Australian economy has been recognised with its inclusion on the Australian Governments list of critical minerals and the recently announced modern manufacturing initiative, designed to support downstream processing and manufacturing including the resources technology and critical minerals processing road map.

Key MoU terms

The MoU establishes a framework for ongoing discussions, evaluations and negotiations aimed at progressing the technical collaboration, associated R&D, and the potential joint development of a vanadium electrolyte production facility in Western Australia, ultimately leading to the delivery of a definitive and binding agreement and the establishment of a JV for vanadium electrolyte manufacturing in Australia.

Key terms of the MoU are:

Technical collaboration between the parties assessing GVP waste stream samples, flowsheet design and associated R&D for the application of LES proprietary processing technology;

TMT to provide required samples, subject to availability, with each party to share costs of transport and analysis;

Aim to assess the potential to produce vanadium products from the GVP waste streams on a shared cost and benefits basis;

Explore the concept of using LES proprietary processing technology to deliver vanadium recovery, operating cost and capital cost improvements at GVP;

The parties to develop a vanadium supply plan to support LES forecast demand for electrolyte production;

Investigate the opportunity to jointly produce vanadium electrolyte for the VRFB market in Australia and prepare a study with regard to establishing a JV for manufacturing electrolyte;

The parties to investigate the opportunity to sell Yarrabubba high-grade iron-vanadium concentrate in Japan with the aim of extracting vanadium to satisfy LES long-term demand; and

The parties to work collaboratively to source investment to support the development of GVP, Yarrabubba and manufacturer of vanadium electrolyte.

The MoU is effective until December 31, 2021, unless the parties mutually agree to formally terminate or extend the term.

On March 8, 30 Christians were attacked by a mob of 70 radical Hindus who were reportedly armed with weapons. The Christians were gathered at the house of Jaggu, also a believer, for their prayer meeting when the vicious assault happened.

According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), the incident took place at the Surguda, Bastar District of India's Chhattisgarh state. An eyewitness to the attack said that the mob surrounded Jaggu's house while some of its members carried out the assault inside, burning Bibles and furniture, and totally ripping off the property. About six Christians were also seriously injured and had to be admitted to the hospital.

"This brutal attack on a prayer meeting is yet another example of the rise in crimes against religious minorities in several Indian states," said CSW's Chief Executive Scot Bower. "When private prayer gatherings are seen as soft targets for mob violence, it is evident that states are failing to uphold an individual's right to manifest their faith, which is a central aspect of freedom of religion or belief and protected by the Indian constitution."

This recent mob attack was linked to the newly approved anti-conversion law in India. Police in charge of the case said that they will open an investigation against the vandals and bullies.

After tagging India as the 10th most dangerous country to be a Christian, Open Doors noted that since 2014, "incidents against Christians have increased, and Hindu radicals often attack Christians with little to no consequences."

Chhattisgarh is one of the nine states in India where the controversial anti-conversion law was enforced. This is not surprising because according to the Evangelical Fellowship of India, Christianity has been present in the state for the last 200 years.

Since September, CSW documented three separate attacks against Christians in Chhattisgarh state. The attacks' severity ranges from the pillaging of their properties to physical assaults including attempted rape.

According to a report by Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), Chhattisgarh state is second to Uttar Pradesh where violence against Christians were recorded. EFI has received 55 incident reports last year and an additional 8 between January and March 2021.

"As a result of the anti-conversion laws, religious minorities can now be targeted by just about anyone, especially vigilante groups many of whom are complicit in the mob violence of earlier years in campaigns against beef and the slaughter of cows. Moreover, this law places the burden of proof on the person who has been accused of conversion," EFI said.

"In any criminal case (where) conversion is presumed to be illegal, the burden of proof is usually on the prosecution. In this ordinance, every religious conversion is presumed to be illegal. The burden of proof lies on the person accused of illegal conversion to prove that it is not illegal. So there is a presumption of guilt. The offence is cognisable. It is non-bailable and the police can arrest anyone," Justice Shah was quoted saying.

The increasing intensity of Christian persecution prompts Rev. Vijayesh Lal, National Director and General Secretary for EFI to appeal to the state governments.

"We especially appeal to the State Governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh to deal stringently with the various right-wing organizations operating in these states whose primary agenda is to create an atmosphere of fear among the Christian community and other religious minorities," said Rev. Vijayesh Lal.
Two French teenagers under murder investigation after girl drowns in Seine

PARIS (Reuters) - More than 2,000 people marched on Sunday in the Paris suburb of Argenteuil in tribute to a schoolgirl who was found drowned in the river Seine, in a case that has shocked France.

Prosecutors said on Wednesday that two French teenagers were under investigation for murder after police fished the body of the drowned schoolgirl out of the Seine.

They said the teenagers, a boy and a girl, both aged 15, had met the 14-year-old girl, whom they knew, in Argenteuil, west of Paris. The boy had beaten her and then with his girlfriend's help thrown her into the river, where she drowned.

French media reported that the victim had been bullied at school and that nude pictures of her had been hacked and circulated on social media.

Le Parisien newspaper said more than 2,500 people participated in Sunday's march, which started at the girl's school.

France has seen a spate of youth killings in recent weeks, mostly involving gangs, putting growing pressure on the government.

Junior interior minister Marlene Schiappa said on France Info radio that a committee of parents would be set up in the coming week to address the problem of harassment at school.

(Reporting by Leigh Thomas; Editing by Edmund Blair)
The St. Tammany Chamber has planned a March 24 webinar aimed at helping employees better deal with the mental health of employees, a need that has only increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. The one-hour event starts at noon via Zoom.

During the webinar, Humana psychologist Randy Martin will talk about what large and small employers can do to help their employees, including better use of the Employee Assistance Programs. He will be joined by Courtney Schroeder, regional wellness executive with Humana.

The gathering is sponsored by the chamber's Live Better Committee, which focuses on supporting employee mental health to help them be happier and their employers more successful. The webinar is free, but registration is required at sttammanychamber.org.
Angel Di Maria was forced to leave Paris Saint-Germain's match against Nantes early on Sunday after his house was broken in to.

The Argentina international was substituted during the second half of the 2-1 defeat after sporting director Leonardo had informed Mauricio Pochettino of the incident.

Pochettino immediately replaced Di Maria with Leandro Paredes before accompanying the former Real Madrid forward to the dressing room.

According to L'Equipe, Leonardo later confirmed to reporters that Di Maria left the field because of a break-in at his home.

Reports from RMC indicated that Di Maria's family had been home when burglars robbed the house - something that MARCA can confirm.

There were moments of tension during the incident because of the fact that Di Maria's family were at home at the time.

This tension was fuelled by reports in the French media that the player's wife and children had been kidnapped for a brief period of time.

A similar situation also reportedly occurred to Marquinhos, whose parents were home when his house was broken in to.

It's certainly a stressful time for Di Maria and his wife, who were subject of a robbery during their time living in Manchester. The latter had to take down all images of their home she had posted on social media.
Luxembourg's vaccine campaign should, on paper, be running smoothly. Vaccine centres have been set up across the country, with plenty of staff recruited to administer the jabs, but the vaccination rate remains low. Officials say the reason for the slow uptake is the most crucial of all - a lack of available doses.

With the news today that Germany, France and Italy have taken the decision to suspend the AstraZeneca vaccine, and Luxembourg to have followed suit on Monday evening, RTL takes a look at the situation in Luxembourg as things stand. How many jabs are available, and what is the plan for the coming weeks?

This week, the Grand Duchy was expecting a delivery of 5,030 AstraZeneca vials. Now, this figure has dropped to 2,400. Next week's batch was originally set to be around 12,221 vials. Just 1,500 of these will be delivered - a 90% decrease.

Premier Xavier Bettel expressed his frustrations at the situation in the Chamber on Friday, stating it made it impossible to give specific dates for the campaign's phases. But the uncertainty surrounding the vaccine rollout is not restricted to Luxembourg, as the rest of the European Union has struggled with the same issue concerning capacity and deliveries.

Four vaccines are currently authorised for use in the EU: alongside Pfizer/Biontech, Moderna, and the controversial AstraZeneca jab which has caused concern across the bloc in the last few days, the EMA gave the green light to the single shot Johnson & Johnson jab towards the end of last week. Deliveries for the latter are not expected until April. A fifth vaccine, CureVac, is likely to be authorised over the coming months.

"I don't care what name the vaccine goes by," said Bettel last week when questioned on the possibility of using the Russian Sputnik V jab. The vaccine, which has a 91.6% efficacy rate, is currently being tested by the EMA ahead of potential authorisation.

Bettel went on to say it was too early to give specific details on the Russian vaccine, but that crucial information, such as storage temperatures, gaps between doses and more, was the topic of discussion with Russian authorities in Luxembourg this week. He refused to comment on any political decision prior to the conclusion of these discussions.

Regardless of the vaccines on hand, Luxembourg is said to have the capacity to vaccinate more than 95,000 people per week, said the Prime Minister. All that is required now is the vaccine itself.
COVID In Maryland: March 14, 2021

Video Transcript

DENISE KOCH: The state of Maryland ranks low compared to other states for vaccine distribution. Governor Hogan isn't happy about it and says the state can do better if it were better equipped.

NICOLE BAKER: WJZ is live. Tonight, Rachel Cardin is breaking down vaccinations, do's and don'ts hours after Governor Hogan spoke to CNN about the vaccination plan for our state. Rachel.

RACHEL CARDIN: Denise, Nicole, we're here outside of the Maryland State fairgrounds, one of those vaccination sites. Now Governor Larry Hogan said the statistic ranking Maryland low with that vaccine per capita is not fair. He says they have thousands of people waiting for a vaccine but they just don't have the supply.

LARRY HOGAN: We could do it today. All we need is the vaccines from the federal government.

RACHEL CARDIN: Governor Larry Hogan fought back on CNN Sunday morning after Maryland was criticized for ranking 30th in the nation for vaccine distribution per capita.

LARRY HOGAN: It's all about supply right now. We can do 100,000 shots a day. We just hit 56,000 yesterday. The

RACHEL CARDIN: City reported 688,005 people are fully vaccinated. Hogan says it's more than 65% of the state's eligible population, saying they need more supply for the demand.

LARRY HOGAN: We don't have to wait till May 1. We can get moving even faster.

RACHEL CARDIN: GBMC infectious preventionist Molly Hyde tells WJZ the vaccine doesn't mean you're in the clear.

MOLLY HYDE: We will go back to normal. We're just not there yet.

RACHEL CARDIN: She says a vaccinated person is not fully protected until two weeks after their second shot. And even then--

MOLLY HYDE: So your vaccine is protecting you. But it's not necessarily protecting the people around you. And we are still in the middle of a pandemic.

RACHEL CARDIN: After announcing the raising of capacity limits on restaurants and stores, Hogan says that doesn't mean all restrictions are dropped, as masking and distancing are still enforced. Hyde says, that's crucial.

Story continues

MOLLY HYDE: If you're fully vaccinated, you really should still continue to maintain all of the current COVID precautions that you would have maintained before you got the vaccine.

RACHEL CARDIN: As two Baltimore area CVS locations are added to the list of vaccination sites, Marylanders are urged to remain patient as the state distributes vaccines to the thousands of people waiting for the shot.

For more on those two CVS locations, you can head over to our website. We also have more information for all of your unanswered questions when it comes to vaccines and mass vaccination sites. We're live outside of the Maryland State fairgrounds. I'm Rachel Cardin for WJZ.

DENISE KOCH: Thank you, Rachel. Well, another batch of students will return to classrooms in the city this week. Grades three to five and grade nine will begin hybrid learning tomorrow. Parents can decide whether or not they want their child participating in in-person instruction. Virtual learning is still an option. Now spring break for all traditional schools is the week of Monday March 29.
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New Delhi, March 15 : In an effort to help 50 million people get Covid-19 vaccines, Facebook CEO Marck Zuckerberg on Monday announced new tools, along with expanding efforts to address Covid-19 vaccine misinformation by adding labels to Facebook and Instagram posts that discuss the vaccines.

Facebook is adding a label on posts that discuss the safety of Covid-19 vaccines, that notes Covid-19 vaccines go through tests for safety and effectiveness before they're approved.

In the coming weeks, Facebook will roll out labels on all posts generally about vaccines that point people to the Covid Information Centre globally, and plan to add additional targeted labels about Covid-19 vaccine subtopics.

One of the new tools announced by the company will show you when and where you can get vaccinated, and gives you a link to make an appointment. The new tool will be available in the Covid Information Centre, that Facebook will show right in your News Feed.

"We've already seen people use Facebook to find vaccination appointments, so this should enable millions more people to do the same," Zuckerberg said in a post.

The social network said it has already connected over 2 billion people to authoritative Covid-19 information.

Zuckerberg also announced to bring the Covid Information Centre to Instagram.

The company said it will release new stickers on Instagram Stories, so people can inspire others to get vaccinated when it becomes available to them.

He said the company is now working with health authorities and governments to expand their WhatsApp chatbots to help people register for vaccines.

"More than 3 billion messages related to Covid have already been sent by governments, nonprofits and international organizations to citizens through official WhatsApp chatbots, so this update will help with the vaccination effort as well," Zuckerberg said.

To date, 3 billion messages have been sent by governments, nonprofits and international organizations to citizens through official WhatsApp chatbots on Covid-19 The company said it is expanding its efforts to address Covid-19 vaccine misinformation.

"We're adding a label on posts that discuss the safety of Covid-19 vaccines that notes Covid-19 vaccines go through tests for safety and effectiveness before they're approved," said Facebook.

In the coming weeks, Facebook will roll out labels on all posts generally about vaccines that point people to the Covid Information Centre globally, and plan to add additional targeted labels about COVID-19 vaccine subtopics.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Paducah Man Jailed on Meth, Marijuana Charges

By West Kentucky Star Staff

suspicious person standing outside of a home. Police made contact with 45-year-old Andrew J. Gewe of Paducah.



While officers were speaking to Gewe, he allegedly threw a syringe on the ground. During a search of Gewe, police reportedly found drugs and drug paraphernalia.



Gewe was arrested and lodged in the Graves County Jail. He's charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, tampering with physical evidence and possession of drug paraphernalia.

MAYFIELD - A Paducah man was arrested in Mayfield Sunday on methamphetamine and marijuana charges.The Mayfield Police Department said officers responded to a report of a
Oil prices rose on Monday, with Brent reaching $70 a barrel, as data showed China's economic recovery accelerated at the start of 2021, boosting the energy demand outlook at the world's largest oil importer.

futures for May were steady at $69.21, down 1 cent a barrel by 1150 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for April was at $65.62 a barrel, up 1 cent.

China's industrial output growth quickened in January-February, beating expectations, while its daily refinery throughput data rose 15% from the same period a year earlier, data showed.

"There is increasing confidence that global oil demand is rebounding as U.S. Covid-19 death toll is decreasing while China's apparent oil demand rebounded",

Market structure which encourages prompt consumption of oil, a pact by top producers to keep output largely reined in and a rebound to demand due to vaccine roll-outs will keep pushing prices upwards despite any temporary setbacks, analysts said.

"Futures spreads remain in backwardation, and dips in prices remain shallow and short-lived," said senior market analyst at OANDA Jeffrey Halley,

"Both (benchmarks) will find a procession of willing buyers if those regions are visited."

The supply cuts come as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, a group known as OPEC+, decided earlier this month to extend most of its supply cuts into April.

Further supporting prices, top oil exporter Saudi Arabia has cut the supply of April-loading crude to at least four north Asian buyers by up to 15%, while meeting the normal monthly requirements of Indian refiners, refinery sources told Reuters on Friday.

Earlier in February, the United States overtook Saudi Arabia to be India's second-largest supplier, data from trade sources showed.

Separately, U.S. energy firms have cut the number of oil and natural gas rigs operating by one in the first weekly drop since November, according to Baker Hughes Co.

(Reporting by Noah Browning and Florence Tan; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell, Jacqueline Wong and Louise Heavens)
YEREVAN, MARCH 15, ARMENPRESS. Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan has published an ad hoc public report, stating that the Azerbaijani authorities have carried out crimes against humanity with the armed attacks against Artsakh and Armenia during COVID-19, the Ombudsmans Office told Armenpress.

The report discusses the issue of launching a wide-scale aggressive war against Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and Armenia by Azerbaijan during the COVID-19 pandemic, in opposition to a call for global ceasefire by the UN Secretary-General and the demand of the UN Security Council for a general and immediate cessation of hostilities in all situations. It discusses the Azerbaijani state policy to make a human-made disaster during the pandemic to accelerate the rapid spread of the deadly virus, to achieve the eventual collapse of the health care system, causing increased deaths, other serious injuries and great sufferings to the population.

As part of a widespread and systematic attack, affecting not only the entire Armenian population, but also its own population, Azerbaijani armed forces intentionally accelerated the rapid spread of the deadly virus, instigated the collapse of the health care system, thus causing increased great sufferings.

Thus, from 1st March to 26th September (seven-month period), 49400 cases of the COVID-19 were reported, whereas during the war, 27th September to 9th November (one-and-a-half-month period), this number reached to 59287, and, at the post-war period, from 10th to 30th November (a half-month period), the number was 27280, the report says.

As for the deaths, 951 deaths were reported during the seven-month pre-war period, while during the war this number reached 658, and during the post-war half-a-month period the number was 584.

These facts once again prove the claims of the Ombudsman that the Azerbaijani authorities should be held accountable for the war crimes as impunity leads to new, more severe crimes.

The report will be submitted to the respective international organizations and the state authorities of Armenia, the statement says.

The report is available at the following link.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
For TKC, to agree or disagree really isn't the point . . .



Locals watching a national media local name check should AT LEAST realize that the politics of the pandemic are also surging and Kansas City is a battleground in continued Democratic Party attacks against Republican vaxx response.

Washington Post: The scramble for covid-19 shots in Kansas City's 'vaccine deserts'

By the way, even in the opening lines of the clip there's an error in the video . . . There is a COVID vaxx event scheduled for Arrowhead by Guv Parson . . . Still, it's impossible to deny ongoing KCMO complaints about distribution of the cure from KCMO. Moreover, the rollout has been slow, maddening and disorganized in KC, Missouri and across the nation.



The premise:

"A confusing vaccination rollout in Missouri has residents signing up for multiple lists and driving long distances. Kansas City, the states largest city, has gone months without a mass-vaccination event at a large venue."

Take a look . . .

You decide . . .
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More than two in five drivers let their insurance policy automatically renew last year resulting in 720million more heading to insurers, comparison website data suggests.

Each year, insurers auto-renew customers who choose not to act and shop around, in what is known as the 'loyalty penalty.'

It is estimated that around 17million did this in 2020, according to data from MoneySupermarket.

While this is roughly the same number as the year before, the loyalty penalty was found to be 7 per cent more last year meaning an average price increase of 42 - and that's despite the cost of cover falling overall.

Drivers who let their car insurance auto-renew often pay more than those who shop around

Some 8 per cent of drivers admit they allow their insurance to renew automatically without shopping around for a cheaper deal while one in five stay with their existing provider for ease.

Some 12 per cent believe changing car insurance provider is too much time or effort whilst another 13 per cent do not believe there are significant savings to be made.

According to the research, 8 per cent saw a rise of between 76 and 100 for allowing their policy to rollover.

The Financial Conduct Authority's transparency in insurance renewals rules that came into force in 2017 are intended to encourage drivers to shop around by highlighting their previous year's premium price against their renewal price, alerting drivers to any increase or decrease.

Despite this, 51 per cent of drivers do not recall seeing these notifications.

Of the remaining 49 per cent that did see the notifications, 31 per cent said they did not encourage them to shop around.

The research also shows the cost of an average premium decreased by 3 per cent year-on-year, making the extra loyalty penalty even more galling.

It fell from 503 in the last three months of 2019 to 490 in the same period in 2020.

LOCATIONS WITH CHEAPEST CAR INSURANCE COSTS Region Q4 2020 cost South West 330 Scotland 377 Wales 397 South East 407 East 427 North East 449 East Midlands 469 Northern Ireland 473 Yorkshire & the Humber 526 North West 575 West Midlands 582 London 690 Source: MoneySuperMarket

Residents of East London had the most expensive premiums in the last period of 2020 at 955  over double the UK average.

London as a whole had an average premium of 690, over double the South West which paid an average of 330.

Meanwhile, Kirkwall in Scotland had the cheapest premiums in the UK at 269.

Kate Devine, car insurance expert at MoneySupermarket, said: 'Letting your car insurance auto-renew almost always sees you end up paying more, with our research showing that the average premium increase last year was 42.

'While it's great to see that many of us are shopping around for a better deal, the number of people allowing their policy to auto-renew is still high at 41 per cent.

'If your policy is coming up for renewal, you should always shop around to see what deals are on the market - a new deal on your car insurance is very easy to find online and could save you up to 218.'

It is worth pointing out there that some drivers will simply auto-renew in the rare cases in which the price has fallen.

Drivers can easily run a quote through a comparison website, and then take this to their current insurer to see if they can match it.

Previous research suggests renewing three weeks' in advance to secure the best price, while finding a new policy one week, a day before or on the day of renewal will likely see drivers penalised.

Number of claims fell

Separate research from the Association of British Insurers found the number of motor insurance claims settled in 2020 reversed 19 per cent to 2.1million.

The fall reflects the fact there were significantly fewer journeys made by car in the past year.

Total payouts came to 8.3billion, a reduction of 6 per cent when compared to the previous year.

However, the average personal injury pay out rose 13 per cent on the previous year to 12,100.
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Island to hold doorstep vigil for Sarah Everard

A doorstep vigil will be held on the Island this evening to remember Sarah Everard.

The Women of Mann are inviting residents to take part in the tribute at 9.30pm.

People are being asked to stand on their doorstep or in their window with a candle or light for a minute of silence in Sarahs honour and to remember other people who have suffered at the hands of male violence against women.

The death of Sarah Everard occurred after she disappeared in South London on the evening of 3rd March 2021. A resident of London's Brixton Hill area, Sarah went missing after leaving a friend's house near Clapham Common to walk home.

Women of Mann are aware that many people are feeling angry, sad, or hopeless in the aftermath of Sarah Everards disappearance.

One of the organisers, Stacey Astill said: "We want to provide an outlet for those who wish to show support, and allow people of the island to come together from a distance in solidarity, commemoration, and indignation."
Bangladesh: Frozen fish exporters in a fix over Saudi embargo

by Arafat Ara

March 15,2021 | Source: The Financial Express

The country's frozen fish exporters were in dire straits, as the Saudi Arabia was not allowing shipment of fishes from Bangladesh without prior enlistment by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), sector insiders said. Traders said they could not export fishes to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) since November 2020, as the kingdom had tightened its enlistment policy although it was flexible for the exporters. Saudi Arabia, a vital market for Bangladeshi fish exporters, issued a circular at the beginning of 2017 regarding bringing meat, poultry and fish exporters under the SFDA registration. On the other hand, the KSA banned import of cultured fishes from the country in 2018, raising question over quality issues. A team of the SFDA was scheduled to visit Bangladesh in 2018 to inspect fish farming management system, processing plants, and quality control etc. But the team ultimately did not come to Bangladesh. At the same time, the SFDA teams visited other frozen fish exporting countries including India, Pakistan and Myanmar, and lifted the embargo on cultured fish export from those countries, the sector insiders also said. The main consumers of frozen fishes in the KSA are Bangladeshi expatriates. More than 2.0 million Bangladeshis are working in the Middle-Eastern country. The frozen fish processors said they had already faced a severe blow because of the coronavirus fallout. The obstacle regarding shipment to Saudi Arabia brought another setback to the sector. Bangladesh exported fishes worth US$ 10 million in fiscal year (FY) 2013-14, whereas the amount dropped to $5.11 million in FY 2019-20 mainly because of the embargo.



Ashraf Hossain Masud, senior vice president of the Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA), said the local exporters would not be able to export fishes to the KSA without the SFDA registration. They communicated with the Department of Fisheries (DoF) several times since they had faced the obstacle in shipment to the KSA. They also sent lists of suppliers to the DoF to take necessary steps to get them registered with the SFDA. But so far, they had not seen any notable progress to solve the problem, he noted. "We've sought immediate steps from the government. Otherwise, our market share might be lost to others countries like Myanmar, Thailand and India. These countries have already got the SFDA enlistment," he added. Meanwhile, the DoF sent a list of 34 exporters to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock (MoFL) last month to take necessary actions. The DoF, in its letter to the ministry, said Saudi Arabia was a major frozen fish importing country from Bangladesh. As the local exporters were not registered by the SFDA, they were facing barrier to send their items to the Arab country. Besides, the Ministry of Commerce, in a letter in January, also requested the MoFL to solve the complications regarding the SFDA enlistment as early as possible. Dodul Kumar Datta, managing director of Pacific Sea Food Ltd - a leading exporter to Saudi Arabia, said his export declined by 50 per cent after the KSA had imposed the embargo. He also requested the government to discuss with the Saudi authorities concerned, so that the KSA resumed import of cultured fishes from Bangladesh. Local fish traders opined that the problems regarding export to Saudi market were not solved only because of bureaucratic complications. If the ministry and departments concerned had communicated with the Saudi authorities, the barriers did not exist, as the exporters maintained quality of their items, they added. The MoFL officials could not be received to comment over the issue, despite repeated attempts by the FE correspondent.

 2021 - The Financial Express
It is deeply sad to be writing a tribute piece about a man whose joie de vivre was infectious and who believed in living his life to the full.

The death of Professor Jim Dornan, retired obstetrician and gynaecologist, has shocked all those who knew him, including people whose lives he touched momentarily. The 73-year-old, who is understood to have been fighting Covid-19, made a lasting impression on everyone he met.

His contribution to Northern Irish society and the health of women who lived here was huge. In his 40 years working in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, he delivered over 6,000 babies. He was chair of Health and Life Sciences at Ulster University and former chair in Fetal Medicine at Queens University.

A much loved and respected doctor, he was also Senior Vice President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London, with particular responsibility for developing global health initiatives.

A former pupil of Bangor Grammar School, Professor Dornan worked as a junior medic around Northern Irelands hospitals for 12 years, rising through the ranks to consultant and later, Director of Fetal Medicine at the Royal Maternity Hospital in Belfast. Throughout an illustrious career, he witnessed many changes in his sphere of work, including the widespread introduction of epidurals, the success rates of IVF and greater choice surrounding births by Caesarean.

He was also a keen advocate for womens rights. Shocked by statistics that showed around 30% of women in the world had no antenatal care, 50% gave birth outside a birthing unit and 50% had no skilled birth attendant, nurse, midwife or doctor with them at the time of delivery, he set about trying to find a solution.

He worked with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Professor Nynke van den Broek, to develop a three-to-four day Life-Saving Skills Course for international nurses, midwives and medics to help reduce maternal loss.

Expand Close Jamie Dornan, right, with his sister Jessica Dornan Lynas and father Jim Dornan during the pancreatic cancer charity NIPanC launch at the Mater Hospital in Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Jamie Dornan, right, with his sister Jessica Dornan Lynas and father Jim Dornan during the pancreatic cancer charity NIPanC launch at the Mater Hospital in Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA)

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In 2013, Professor Dornan published his book, An Everyday Miracle: Delivering Babies, Caring for, Women  a Lifetimes Work. The book candidly documented his experiences working in the maternity unit and anecdotes which provided an insight into womens lives and experiences as well as a sense of some of the ongoing debates within obstetrics and gynaecology.

He also hoped the book gave men a greater understanding of the challenges that women face and how they cope with them.

In an interview with the Belfast Telegraph in 2013, he told of an experience hed had as a young medical student, when he was given the opportunity to watch a woman undergo an emergency Caesarean section for fetal distress.

The emotional, safe arrival of the baby was his light-bulb moment and after three months in obstetrics and gynaecology, he decided this was the area of specialism for him.

A family man too, with three grown up children, Professor Dornan was better known in some circles as the father of actor Jamie Dornan.

In that same interview, he spoke of his immense pride in all three; Jamie, Liesa and Jessica, particularly in how they had coped with the loss of their mother, his first wife, who died from pancreatic cancer in 1998.

The family worked closely with NI PanC, a group set up in partnership with Pancreatic Cancer Action (PCA) and Pancreatic Cancer Research. Professor Dornan, who had previously been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, also lent his voice and support to a number of other local charities, Tiny Life and Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI.

While the work he carried out will be his legacy, Professor Dornan, who married fellow obstetrician and gynaecologist Samina in 2002, will also be remembered for his warmth, his wit, his laughter and larger-than-life personality.

He enjoyed new challenges and just recently, had appeared in series three of the locally shot crime drama Marcella, after previously having popped up in the BBC thriller The Fall, which starred his famous son.

Jim Dornan had time for everyone. He was easy to talk to, non-judgemental and kind. Hes been described in countless online tributes as a legend and a diamond. In short, he was a gentleman and one of a kind.
CENTREVILLE, Va., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CARFAX is honoring an exclusive group of dealers rated highly by verified customers in its second annual Top-Rated Dealer Program. The 2020 CARFAX Top-Rated Dealers received an average of 4.6 stars out of a possible five stars.

"CARFAX has more than 2.2 million verified customer ratings and reviews for dealerships around the country," said Bill Eager, CARFAX Vice President of Dealer Business. "The Top-Rated Dealer program recognizes the best of the best for exceptional service and customer care."

"This is our second year being recognized as a CARFAX Top-Rated Dealer," said Ralph Mahalak Jr., co-owner of the Low Payment Kings' Mahalak Auto Group in Florida, Michigan, and Ohio. "We saw a tremendous response from our customers when we won last year. It's really a special award to us because it comes directly from our customer feedback."

This week, CARFAX Top-Rated Dealers around the country are receiving word of this honor. As winners, they will have access to a suite of custom CARFAX Top-Rated Dealer digital assets that will help them share their excellent ratings from CARFAX.com in their online presence, including social media using #CARFAXtoprated. Their 2020 CARFAX Top-Rated Dealer badge will also be visible to customers on their CARFAX Vehicle History Reports. Additional award materials will be provided in the coming months.

About CARFAX

CARFAX, part of IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO), helps millions of people every day confidently shop, buy, service and sell used cars with innovative solutions powered by CARFAX vehicle history information. The expert in vehicle history since 1984, CARFAX provides exclusive services like CARFAX Used Car Listings, CARFAX Car Care, CARFAX History-Based Value and the flagship CARFAX Vehicle History Report to consumers and the automotive industry. CARFAX owns the world's largest vehicle history database and is nationally recognized as a top workplace by The Washington Post and Glassdoor.com. Shop, Buy, Service, Sell  Show me the CARFAX. Based in London, IHS Markit is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions.

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Australia will ask the World Trade Organisation to decide if China broke free trade rules over tariffs that wiped out Australias barley trade with the Asian nation, after negotiations between officials from both countries broke down.

Trade Minister Dan Tehan announced the next step in the WTO action, which comes after Beijing has slapped more than $20 billion in trade strikes on Australia over the past year.

Trade Minister Dan Tehan said Australia was taking the next step in its ATO action against China. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Tehan said Australia would request the WTO establish a dispute settlement panel to investigate the matter after consultations between the two countries had failed to yield a result.

While there was constructive engagement on both sides, these consultations did not resolve our concerns, Mr Tehan said.
Gathoni Njuguna, popularly known as This Is Gathoni, co-hosts the Staarabika and Maisha Countdown shows on Radio Maisha.

Before radio, Gathoni was a theatre actor at the Kenya National Theatre.

She speaks about her journey, the future of radio, motherhood, and more.

Your background is in theatre, how did you get into radio?

I started acting professionally in 2013 at the Kenya National Theatre doing stage plays in both Kikuyu and English. I previously worked as a radio presenter in Eldoret under Reuben Kigames Fish FM soon after graduating in Mass Communication.

After one of my shows at KNT, one of the audience members called me aside and complimented my voice. He told me Tom Japanni was looking for someone lively to join a show for a new segment. I sent my email and was called for an interview. I waited for almost two months without receiving feedback and had already given up when I received a call to report to the Radio Maisha studio. I thought it was another interview but when I arrived, was told to go on air. I was so tense that first day but I started learning and growing into my role.

Most touching story youve heard on air?

I think its a story of another lady who had endometriosis for 20 years. I didnt understand how someone had lived with the condition but never gave up. Some things teach you not to be petty.

How has social media changed the way you work?

Previously, I didnt post daily on social media because I might seem outgoing but Im not. I dont like letting people in on my business so much. But now, people can keep tabs on me.

Is that a good thing?

No. It has become really hard to just be yourself. I want to board matatus just like everyone else but theres a lot of pressure and societal expectations- but Im never bothered. Theres one time I met a fan in a matatu and later on, she inboxed me asking kwani huwa unapanda matatu? But she told me she loved my humility and I was thinking, Oh, God, you guys have the worst perception of who we should be.

What are some of the qualities that make a good radio presenter?

You have to be very consistent and authentic- you have to be original as you cannot be someone else, you dont have that space. Then you have to keep time because if your show is at 10, you have to be in the studio an hour before show preparation. Discipline and etiquette are also important- there are words you just cant use on the radio. A good radio presenter must know their personality and stick with it.

What are some of the challenges you face when dispensing your duties as a radio presenter?

Im very outspoken and speaking my mind can be dangerous- some things can rub off someone the wrong way. So I think the disadvantage is you sometimes have to overthink before speaking.

How would you describe working with Ann Njogu?

Its amazing- Ann has a very strong personality and she can come off as a bully. Its a good thing as she grounds you. But working together for the first time was hard and difficult. We worked hard on knowing each other and building that chemistry.

On your low days, how do you hype yourself before going on air?

I think a radio presenter is a part-time magician. I cant even explain how I switch into my radio role the moment that cue is on. I put all my worries aside- I think making that switch in an instant is one of the best things about radio and I love it.

Whats the future of radio?

I believe that radio is never going to die. But we have witnessed a rise in podcasts giving radio a run for the money. I think generally, radio has become more negative as most stations talk badly about marriage and relationships. I believe a good strategy is vital in staying relevant and understanding your audience.

How would you describe motherhood?

Its a scam (laughs). Its not easy especially for working moms but its fulfilling. It is the best job I think Ive ever done and not get paid for. Motherhood gives you purpose.

How do you juggle motherhood and work?

I dont have long hours on the radio so I plan my days accordingly. When I have to go back home I do it- sijipeangi shughuli sina.

What lessons from your late dad stuck with you?

My dad used to be worried about me constantly switching jobs- he could not understand why. I was always stressed and didnt know how to rest. He taught me the value of patience and just going easy on yourself. Whether you have a family or not, you just dont deserve to die because you are working.

Future plans?

Id love to host my show especially on a weekday and I believe that one day that dream will be realized- but Im not planning on taking the show away from Ann Njogu.

Parting shot?

Whatever you are doing, do it to the best of your abilities- you never know whos watching. I approach each show like its my last one
STAMFORD  The sidewalks of Selleck Street were lined Sunday with individuals eager to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the Building One Community headquarters, situated in one of the neighborhoods the state has designated for targeted vaccine distribution.

As the state continues to press for an equitable vaccination process, Gov. Ned Lamont and other officials gathered Sunday to put focus on B1Cs clinic that vaccinated lower-income to moderate-income immigrant families.

Let me tell you, this doesn't work unless trusted advocates who people believe tell you that this is the right thing to do for you, your family and your community, said Gov. Ned Lamont during a press conference outside of the clinic.

B1C Executive Director Anka Badurina explained that the site had roughly 350 vaccines allocated for the clinic, which ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

About 97 percent of our appointments today are members of the Latinx community, Badurina told Hearst Connecticut Media. One hundred of the appointments were folks from the (32BJ SEIU) union. The other 250 are our own program participants. These are people we know from the community and their families.

The clinic was held in Stamfords 06902 Zip code, one of 50 outlined by the state late last month as a priority for vaccine distribution. The Zip codes were selected because each ranks high on the Center for Disease Control and Preventions social vulnerability index, which weighs factors including education, access to health care, housing density and availablity of transportation.

Under the guidance of the Department of Public Health, providers were asked to direct 25 percent of all new vaccines to these locations, which happen to be home to nearly a quarter of the states population.

Now two weeks into this effort, statistics released last week by the state show that cities are still behind neighboring communities in vaccinating residents. While Hartford and Bridgeport are among the lowest, with about 11 percent of residents vaccinated, state data shows Stamford has reached nearly 18 percent of its population.

U.S. Rep. Himes, D-4, reiterated that Connecticut is focused on continuing its concerted efforts to allocate vaccines to the areas that need it most.

Getting people vaccinated, importantly getting people vaccinated in neighborhoods like this one  Communities of color, immigrant-heavy communities  where sadly, all too often, those most vulnerable to COVID-19 are those least likely to get vaccinated, Himes said.

Though the vast majority of vaccine recipients Sunday were part of the Latinx community, Badurina said the nonprofit also had members from the Haitian and Montenegrin communities attend the clinic.

Since distribution started, the goal of the nonprofit has also been to dispel misinformation over the vaccine in the surrounding community, Badurina said.

We host town halls to dispel these myths, she said. Our work has been to provide information that is real.

Grace Galarza, a 55-year-old city resident, spent this Sunday, like many other days in the past three years, volunteering her time to aid the nonprofit in helping her community.

She also received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday, which she said was an easy process.

This is a great opportunity to help my community, and help all of the people, she said, adding that her getting vaccinated would inspire others who had questions to follow suit. This is the area where people need help.

Dan Wilson, senior program manager for B1Cs Immigration Legal Services, said that the nonprofit is in constant communication with immigrant groups in the area. He said that having healthy community relations has helped with the processes of getting community members tested and now vaccinated.

There have been no hiccups at all, Wilson said. He thanked the Community Health Center for their involvement in their efforts.

We reached out and partnered with (B1C) so everyone has access to the vaccine. Not if you can drive somewhere, or if you can navigate VAMS or if you have ready access to a practice where they offer it, but really bringing that vaccine into the community, said CHC Vice President Amy Taylor. We will continue to do this until everyone who wants to be vaccinated, which hopefully is everybody, gets the vaccine.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who joined Lamont, Himes and Mayor David Martin Sunday morning, also stressed the importance of equitable vaccine distribution.

This racial justice movement has to be for all of Stamford and Connecticut, said Blumenthal. Everyone, regardless of their ethnicity or race, needs this vaccine whether they are documented or not. We will not be safe until all of us are safe.

Martin said Sunday that a high capacity vaccination site would be opening on Monday, March 15 on the south end of the city. The capacity, he said, will start at roughly 3,500. He said he hopes to expand that by up to 14,000 additional vaccines when the city receives additional supplies.

The more vaccines we get in this community, the more we will push it out, he said.
Ola Jordan has revealed her daughter Ella, 12 months, has still never met her parents or another child amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The former Strictly Come Dancing star, 38, welcomed her daughter with husband James Jordan, 42, just as the country was going into its first lockdown last year.

Speaking to The Sun, Ola told how her parents, who live in Poland, have been forced to communicate with their granddaughter solely through FaceTime.

Heartbreaking: Ola Jordan has revealed her daughter Ella, 12 months, has still never met her parents or another child amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic

She said: 'It's unbelievable to think my mum and dad haven't met my baby girl. It was my hope that my mum would be there to help give me tips with my first baby.

'We talk on the phone - and thank God we have Facetime - but not being able to have my parents around me when you have a little baby is really quite tough.

'I never, ever thought something like this would happen. My dad gets upset every time he sees her over the phone. He sobs "when am I going to hold her?"'

Ola said she hopes this will be the last Mother's Day she will have to spend away from her own mum Janina.

Family: Ola told how her parents, who live in Poland, have been forced to communicate with their granddaughter solely through FaceTime (pictured with her mother Janina)

The TV star added that it's 'scary' to think that by the time her parents get to meet Ella in person, she will be 'running' towards them.

Ola has been a 'shoulder to cry on' for husband James following the death of his father Allan who had been battling a brain tumour.

The professional dancer said it was 'shocking' to see a healthy man deteriorate so much over the last year.

James revealed that his beloved dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer back in July, following four months of health woes and trips to the hospital.

Heartbreaking: The former Strictly Come Dancing star, said she's been a 'shoulder to cry on' for her husband James after he announced his dad's passing over the weekend

The dancer shared the heartbreaking news on social media, as he appealed to his followers for help in finding a specialist surgeon for his dad.

Since then the dancer has spoken candidly about his father's deteriorating health, and being unable to visit him in hospital due to Covid restrictions, and broke down in tears on Loose Women last month while discussing Allan's terminal prognosis.

Hours before his father's death, James shared just how much he meant to him in a post that simply read: 'I love you dad' alongside a red heart emoji.

Over the weekend James then took to Instagram to share the tragic news of his father's passing, writing: 'My dad became an angel at 8:05am. I will forever miss him. He will always be my hero. RIP Daddy.'

So sad: On Saturday James revealed the sad news on Instagram that his father Allan had passed away after battling a brain tumour, noting that his dad 'became an angel at 8:05am'

Ola and James welcomed their little girl after a lengthy IVF battle, and the dancer said despite the struggles she's glad she waited until she was older to start a family.

Despite the challenges faced by many couples during lockdown, Ola added that her marriage to James is stronger than ever thanks to their sense of humour, though their lives as new parents had meant finding time for date nights has been hard.

The dancer also said she hasn't felt any pressure to slim down in the year since giving birth to her daughter, and is now content with her post-pregnancy figure.
The purpose of OHECC is to foster communication between higher education IT professionals across the state. In past conferences, we have communicated and shared ideas, created state-wide problem solving committees, negotiated state-wide contracts where all schools enjoyed buying discounts, and created on going relationships between IT professionals.

The Ohio Higher Education Computing Council (OHECC) groups together Information Technology (IT) organizations and professionals within institutions of higher education in the state of Ohio. It was founded at the University of Cincinnati in the early 1970s. Originally only State universities attended OHECC but as the popularity and effectiveness of this conference increased, private, technical, and community colleges began attending OHECC. Historically, the Council has held two conferences each year, in the spring and the fall, with locations rotating between participating institutions. Beginning in 2001-2002, OHECC leadership decided to hold only one conference in the spring.

At these conferences, vendors and manufacturers of computing hardware, software, communications and networking devices and other technologies are invited as sponsors, to exhibit and demonstrate the use of their products in higher education. Presentations are made by computing professionals, faculty and others addressing topics ranging from current use and delivery of technology within higher education to future trends and prospects.
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Armenia economic competition protection commission: Experts forecast inflation of butter prices

Armenia citizens' protest against acting health minister is over

Pashinyan visits France, judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku, Jun. 2 digest

Armenian Ambassador, FMO representatives consider opportunities for expansion of cooperation in Armenia

Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Armenia citizens throw polyethylene bags at Health Ministry building, police apprehend protesters

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

Newspaper: What instructions did Armenia acting defense minister get in Moscow?

Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

Armenia 3rd President reacts to photos of bodies of soldiers in freezer: It felt like the blood froze in my veins

Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

Turkey's Erdogan expresses willingness to support Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral cooperation

Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

Wargonzo: Russian MOD is dealing with settlement of conflict in Armenia's Syunik Province on a daily basis

Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

Latest on scandal over improper storage of Armenian soldiers bodies, more on COVID-19, Jun. 1

Armenia Constitutional Court launches case proceedings based on President's application

Armenia acting emergency situations minister says he's concerned about situation in army

Armenia acting education, science, culture and sport minister receives ICRC Delegation

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

Armenia deputy police chief: No real cases of vote-buying reported to date

Armenia human rights activists: Nearly 10 protesters detained during protest in front of government building

Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

Yerevan court rules to conditionally release man who attempted to assassinate ex-presidential candidate

People came to power in Armenia who consistently destroyed army combat-readiness, says ex-President Kocharyan

Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

Armenia 1st President spokesperson: Ter-Petrosyan has nothing to speak with the nation-destroying plague

Armenia acting PM orders internal investigation into case of storage conditions of fallen soldiers bodies, remains

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan gives interview to Russia newspaper

Armenia acting deputy PM on unblocking of roads with Azerbaijan: There will be no troops standing there

Nikkei: Toyota and Honda stop car production in Malaysia

Armenia official on deploying international observers at Azerbaijan border: You will hear reaction on this matter soon

USAID helps UN World Food Programme support displaced people in Armenia

Armenia official: Work of trilateral working group on roads unblocking has stopped after recent incidents

Russias Putin to Armenias Pashinyan: Relations between our countries are developing very successfully
When it comes to dairy leaders, Tom Lyon was a lion. However, Tom rarely professed it. Instead, he led by example and routinely advocated for farmers, for rural communities, and for public education through his own style of servant leadership.

As a teenage boy, I remember standing in line at the close of a co-op district meeting well past my bedtime on a school night just to garner a few moments with the gifted public speaker I had heard that evening. My father stood with me and eventually introduced us. I was most impressed by Toms gracious demeanor as he made the conversation about me, not him.

That first meeting in my mind summed up Tom Lyon. He looked to make the lives of those around him better. Sadly, Tom Lyon passed away on March 8, 2021.

Years later

As a professional covering the global dairy industry, many already knew what I had just come to recognize: Tom Lyon was one of the most visionary cooperative leaders in the world.

Under Toms leadership, 21st Century Genetics, for which he served as CEO, was the first A.I. organization to adopt the 50-point linear scale for rating individual type traits in dairy cattle. Thats because the cooperative funded some of the earliest work on the matter, in conjunction with Iowa State University. That pioneering research later caused all dairy breed organizations to switch to the 50-point linear system.

Realizing cheese was on a trajectory to become the nations leading dairy product, Lyon led a joint program with Swiss Valley Farms. We donated some of the research equipment to begin testing protein through the Mid States DHIA Laboratory over at Iowa State, Tom said in a 1990 interview by Miles McCarry. That kind of put things on a roll from the genetic standpoint.

More importantly, milk checks were impacted, too, and that improved the lives of many dairy farmers.

Cooperatives like Swiss Valley and some private milk plants began paying on a differential above 3.2% protein and started putting some premiums in (milk checks). The whole thing started mushrooming, he went on to say about what we know today as multiple component pricing. By the mid 1980s, we had protein data on about all our bulls.

What made that work pioneering at the time was the fact that cheese only accounted for 16% of U.S. milk production in the 1970s. By 1995, that number had leapt to 36%. And last year, it grew to 41% of the entire U.S. milk supply.

Indeed, Lyon saw well past the horizon.

To save farmers money

In cooperative circles, Lyon was most known for developing Cooperative Resources International (CRI).

I got the idea of developing a holding cooperative when we tried to merge cooperatives back in the 70s and 80s, said Lyon during a 1999 interview, the very night he was named National Dairy Shrines Guest of Honor. Cooperatives wanted to maintain their identity, their management people, their board of directors, and those sort of things.

In the development of a holding cooperative, much like the proprietary businesses put holding companies together, we brought together a group of co-ops. We could consolidate their balance sheets, we can give them operating power, and they could individually operate on their own, he went on to say.

That idea gave rise to CRI in 1993. Under Lyons leadership, they broke tradition and brought together a cattle breeding co-op and a dairy records cooperative  21st Century Genetics and Wisconsin DHI Cooperative. By the end of the decade, Noba, Louisiana Breeders, Atlantic Breeders, Eastern A.I., and Central Livestock would all join the CRI umbrella.

Lead with science

Science just about always wins, Lyon once said, whether it be with herd mate comparisons from the 1960s or biotechnology in the 1990s. It takes a lot of work on the societal things to make all of those innovations acceptable with breeders or consumers, he said at the close of the 1999 National Dairy Shrine banquet.

Ive always tried to support science and support research, and when you do that, you take some heat. You also put yourself in a position where you are going to have to change, advised Lyon. I believe we have a better life today because of science and the application of those technologies.

I also believe American agriculture has been the most productive industry in our land, he continued. The reason its been that way is because we have been in the forefront of research and technology.

An educational leader

Outside of agriculture, Lyon was a strong supporter of public education. He eventually went on to serve in advisory capacities for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Wisconsin-Extension, and Iowa State University. This all culminated with an appointment from 1986 to 1993 to the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents that covers the entire University of Wisconsin System. He eventually served as president of the Board of Regents from 1990 to 1992.

It is fitting that the Lyon family have asked that memorials in Lyons honor be given to the Thomas and Barbara Lyon endowed scholarship fund at Iowa State University, the Thomas and Barbara Lyon endowed scholarship fund at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, or the scholarship fund of the National Dairy Shrine. To the very end, Lyon was looking out for the well-being of farmers, especially dairy farmers, and their rural communities.

1999 interview with Tom Lyon

1990 interview with Tom Lyon

Click here to read the full obituary for Tom Lyon.

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2021

March 15, 2021
(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 15 - Italian drugs agency AIFA suspended the use of the jab across the country on Monday as a precautionary measure pending a ruling from the European Medicines Agency, in line with several other countries.

Meanwhile, Carabinieri NAS health police started seizing doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from a batch that officials in the northern region of Piedmont suspended the use of on Sunday.

Piedmont banned the use of that batch as a precautionary measure following the death of a clarinet teacher after he had the vaccine.

Prosecutors in Biella have opened a manslaughter probe in the death of the teacher, Sandro Tognatti, and seized batches of jab shots nationwide.

Several countries have suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine or of specific batches of it in relation to fears about blood clots and other possible side effects.

Last week Italian medicines agency AIFA suspended another batch following reports of a sailor and a policeman dying in Sicily after taking the vaccine.

They were followed by another officer in Sicily and a school janitor and teacher in Campania, making six such deaths in all in Italy.

AIFA stressed that the suspension was a precautionary measure and that a causal link between the "severe adverse events" and the vaccinations had not been established.

Health Minister Roberto Sperenza has said the COVID-19 vaccines being used in Italy are safe and the World Health Organization has defended the AstraZeneca jab.

Germany, Thailand, Norway, Iceland, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia have stopped giving the jab, developed with Oxford University, over blood-clot concerns, while Austria has joined Italy in stopping certain batches.

(ANSA).


Through leaving a huge cash pile for more aid spending, former President Donald Trump's administration opened the way for the federal government to easily provide the $1,400 checks in President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus bill.

Trump aided Biden's stimulus bill

According to Politico, then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin preemptively boosted government spending under the Trump presidency, accumulating well over $1 trillion. Thanks to the economy's instability after the pandemic, the rainy-day fund was built up to anticipate potential future stimulus initiatives.

In an email to the outlet, Mnuchin said, "Early on in the COVID-19 crisis, I made sure we still had enough funds on hand to be prepared for any required economic reaction."

Few people were surprised by how fast the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was able to offer the first round of direct payments when Americans began to collect the $1,400 stimulus checks in their bank accounts this weekend. The cash pile left by Trump not only meant that the checks were released quickly. But it also ensures that the Treasury does not need to raise spending to pay for Biden's sprawling relief legislation, Newsweek reported.

The House narrowly approved the stimulus package by a vote of 220-211 earlier this week. All Republicans voting in favor, and only one Democrat, Maine Rep. Jared Golden, voting against it. On Thursday afternoon, Biden signed the stimulus bill into law.

Stimulus Check: The Good, Bad Side that Would Surprise You

Republicans have escalated their attacks on the relief spending's high price tag over the last week. On the other hand, Trump's huge cash pile demonstrates that his government expects that the economy will need yet another massive boost.

According to recent polls, voters back the stimulus plan on a bipartisan basis. Based on a Wednesday Morning Consult/Politico poll, 74 percent of voters backed the measure, including 59 percent of Republicans. According to a February Quinnipiac University survey, the $1,400 direct payments were the most common provision among GOP voters, with 64 percent of respondents in favor.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in an interview with PBS NewsHour last Thursday that the positive public response was "unsurprising," given that voters are unaware of the bill's contents.

Third Stimulus Check: Why Do You Need to Track It?

Yellen says the stimulus bill will get the economy back on track

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Sunday that the US will return to full employment in 2022, reiterating her estimate now that the Biden administration's coronavirus pandemic relief package has been signed into law. Yellen said in an interview with "This Week" on ABC News, "I am hopeful that if we beat the pandemic, we will get the economy back at full employment next year."

Last month, Yellen claimed that the US economy could rebound. It will be based on President Joe Biden's bill being passed, which contains cash grants to families, an extension of the child tax credit, and support for vaccine delivery and testing.

The bill passed the Senate by a 50-49 vote earlier this month and the House by a 220-211 vote last week. It was the administration's first big victory, and it came as millions of Americans struggle to make ends meet as the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the economy in recent months. Last year, the Trump administration passed relief bills that included cash grants to taxpayers and other forms of assistance to people, Business Insider via MSN reported.

Stimulus Check: Biden's COVID Relief Bill Might be the Last

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The Nigerian Army says the troops of Operation Lafiya Dole have eliminated scores of the Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists on Saturday in Borno State.

The Director, Army Public Relations, Mohammed Yerima, a brigadier general, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Yerima said the encounters, which took place around the fringes of the Tumbus of Lake Chad region also led to the destruction of terrorists gun trucks and recovery of a large cache of arms and ammunition.

He said the combined troops of Sector 2 advanced and cleared Daban Massara and Ali Sherifti villages among other settlements before they harboured for replenishment and retrofitting along the axis.

He said, The army has begun the second phase of their operations and advancing along the Kukawa  Monguno road, about 14 kilometres to their base. They sighted terrorists gun trucks and swiftly commenced pursuit with heavy fire and deft manoeuvre.

ALSO READ: Nigerian army foils another kidnap attempt on Kaduna school

In the course of the hot pursuit which was aided by air cover provided by the Air Task Team of Operation Lafiya Dole, several terrorists were neutralized and their gun trucks destroyed.

Unfortunately, however, one officer and three gallant soldiers paid the supreme sacrifices while those wounded in action are currently receiving medical attention at 7 Division Medical Services and Hospital in Maimalari Cantonment.

Above is an on-the-spot account of the encounter between Nigerian troops and the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in the Mugono area and environs.

Members of the public are assured that the troops are on top of the situation and working assiduously to end the insurgency and terrorism in the country, in line with the directives of the Chief of Army Staff.

(NAN)
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The young girl who first spotted the walrus thought to have drifted to Ireland from the Arctic has come up with names for the creature  depending on whether it turns out to be male or female.

The giant walrus the size of a dairy bull landed on the rocks in Valentia Island in an extremely rare appearance of the North Pole species in Ireland.

Local man Alan Houlihan and his five-year-old daughter Muireann spotted it breaching out of the water as they walked along Glanleam Beach on the Kerry island on Sunday morning.

A video taken by Mr Houlihan shows the walrus climbing ashore.

It is believed the Arctic creature could have fallen asleep on an iceberg before being carried across the Atlantic ocean to Kerry.

Mr Houlihan said Muireann was the first to spot the giant creature on their stroll.

Muireann is the David Attenborough of Valencia Island, Mr Houlihan said.

Hes huge, hes about the size of a bull or a cow.

Myself and my daughter were out walking on the beach down near the lighthouse, he said. He breached out of the water onto the rocks and gave us a bit of a show.

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I thought it was a seal at first and then we saw the tusks. He kind of jumped up on the rocks. He was massive. He was about the size of a bull or a cow, pretty similar in size, hes big, big.

He was right beside us, less than 50 metres away from us. He went off again for a while and he came back and went back to the rocks.

He was sitting on the rock now kind of posing, at one stage there he threw up a fin and it looked like he was giving us all the birdie.

Speaking on RTE Radio Ones Morning Ireland, Mr Houlihan added: I hadnt seen anything like it before, in Ireland anyway. Ive never seen one. I spent my younger years fishing with my father and Ive never seen anything like it in Irish water anyway.

He went to check if the walrus was still there this morning, saying: I went down early this morning and theres no sign of him, so I hope hes eating scallop and getting ready for his journey back.

His daughter has also set out two possible names for the walrus. If its a girl she wants it Isabelle, and if its a boy she wants it Cian, Mr Houlihan said.

The director of Dingle Oceanworld, Kevin Flannery, said it is an amazing sight.

Its incredible. This is the first confirmed sighting of a walrus. Its a one-off as far as Im concerned.

I havent seen it before, maybe others might have thought they saw one before but this is a definite confirmation of one.

The leading marine biologist has his own theory on how he ended up in Kerry.

Hes from the Arctic. Id say what happened is he fell asleep on an iceberg and drifted off and then he was gone too far, out into the mid-Atlantic or somewhere like that down off Greenland possibly, Mr Flannery said.

He would be pretty tired and pretty hungry at this stage.

That is usually what happens to them is that they fall asleep on an iceberg and then get carried off from the Arctic.

He urged the public to give the walrus some peace to recuperate from his mammoth journey.

Hes on the rocks asleep. Im asking for people to leave him rest until he goes back.

Ive seen pictures of him sent to me by Seanie Murphy, the ex (coxswain) of the lifeboat, and Ive confirmed he is a walrus, not a seal with a toothache.

Mr Houlihan, who grew up on the island, said the walrus was shivering on the rocks before he left him yesterday.

I dont know if he is well," he said.

Mr Flannery said the walruss tusks are used for digging out clams on the ground.

Hopefully hell get a few scallops around Valentia.

But at this point, he wants to rest. Hes come from the North Pole, possibly off Greenland.

He could also be island-hopping and went to Iceland and on to Shetland but thats unlikely. Id say he came in out of the Atlantic. Its thousands of miles away.

If he regains his strength hopefully hell make his way back up.

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In central Yemen (Marib province) a Shia rebel offensive that began in early February grinds on, now in reverse. Calling the fighting a rebel offensive is misleading because most of the fighting involves artillery and mortar fire as well as dozens of cruise and ballistic missiles. The government forces respond with even more artillery fire and air strikes, all provided by the Arab Coalition. Six weeks of this intense fighting has killed or wounded nearly 500 fighters from both sides as well as a few civilians.

The rebel offensive has failed to push government forces out of the province completely and weakened the rebels sufficiently for the recent government counterattack to force the depleted rebel forces back. The February offensive was encouraged by UAE forces leaving Marib in early 2020 because of disagreements with Saudi Arabia over strategy and to deploy all their military forces in the UAE where they were needed to discourage any Iranian aggression against the UAE itself. For that reason, the UAE took their missile defense systems with them when they left Marib and that made government military bases more vulnerable to rebel ballistic and cruise missiles provided by Iran. The withdrawal of Arab coalition forces from Marib enabled the rebels to successfully regain control of much territory in the province. But the rebels suffered hundreds of casualties in recent failed efforts to capture the provincial capital, which is 120 kilometers east of the rebel held national capital Sanaa.

While the Arab coalition also lost UAE warplanes, the Saudis have a large air force and experienced pilots because of the thousands of airstrikes carried out since 2015. That combat experience has changed the Saudi Air force, which has long been plagued by relatively low pilot quality because of nepotism (royals preferred) in recruiting pilots. All those combat operations provided a long-needed reality check on Saudi air force leadership and less capable pilots have been quietly moved to jobs that reduce risk of losing aircraft or screwing up airstrikes. The Saudis use smart bombs and guided missiles and these require skill, training and practice to become proficient with. That includes becoming efficient with the use of the targeting pods, which enable a high-flying (about 6,000 meters, safe from most ground fire) pilot to accurately see what is down there and ensure he is hitting the right target. This makes it more difficult for the rebels to move around and mass forces for attacks. The more experienced Saudi pilots find and hit the rebels more often, which was a major factor in the failure of recent rebel combat operations, both offensive and defensive. This led to the rebels using more of their Iranian ballistic and cruise missiles for attacks on government forces inside Yemen. These attacks often succeed and are a major source of government forces' casualties.

Yesterday, Ismail Qaani, the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) Quds Force commander boasted to Pakistani journalists that Quds had organized 18 attacks in Yemen over the last ten days and these had done damage to Saudi Arabia and Yemeni government forces. Qaanis predecessor, Qassem Soleimani, proved a hard act to follow. Soleimani died in January 2020 when the Americans killed him and some Iraqi associates outside the Baghdad airport with missiles. Iran has been frustrated at its inability to carry out adequate revenge attacks on the Americans. Qaani gets most of the blame for this because Soleimani was the key to earlier Iranian success in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Qaani has presided over more defeats than victories. In 2020 Qaani sent a Quds Force general to be the Iranian ambassador to Yemen. Since the rebels control the traditional Yemeni capital, they can pretend to be a real government. The new ambassador is in Yemen mainly to supervise Iranian support for combat operations. Quds felt so confident that they ignored recent American offers for ceasefire talks and instead increased the number of offensive operations, which Qaani was now boasting about to foreign journalists who proceeded to publish what Quds Force was up to in Yemen. Someone in Iran realized that approach was a mistake and ordered the Shia rebels to do some damage control. Now the rebel spokesmen insisted they did not reject the American ceasefire offers but were simply seeking clarification. Previously the Saudis and Yemeni government had announced willingness to try another ceasefire. All previous ceasefire deals with the rebels were eventually rendered useless by rebel violations of the terms.

False Hopes

In early February, the U.S. announced it would cancel its designation of the Iran-backed Shia rebels as international terrorists and cancel some smart bomb shipments to Saudi Arabia and pause the sale of F-35 stealth fighters to the UAE. This was meant to encourage the Saudis to negotiate an end to the Yemen civil war. Iran and the Shia rebels interpreted this as a victory because the Americans were making it easier for Iran to continue making attacks on Saudi Arabia via the Shia rebels who control portions of the Saudi-Yemen border. The Shia rebels want autonomy, or independence, for their traditional territories in northern Yemen while Iran wants access to the Saudi border to increase its attacks on Saudi Arabia and commercial traffic in the Red Sea. The Iranians apparently misinterpreted the American gesture and ordered the Shia rebels to increase attacks against Saudi Arabia and ground operations against government forces. This turned out to be a big mistake because the Americans interpreted it as unwillingness to even consider a ceasefire. The Shia rebels have repeatedly failed to even consider ceasefire offers or, when accepted, respect them.

The new American government has not followed through on the February pledges because they were made mainly to appease U.S. factions that helped get the current U.S. government elected. The Americans said they would resume food and other foreign aid for desperate Yemenis. That aid had been halted by the U.S. and many other foreign donors when the Shia rebels refused to stop diverting most of that aid to other uses. The U.S. offered the Shia rebels a new ceasefire proposal but the rebels rejected that and called new American peace efforts in Yemen as part of a conspiracy against Yemen.

The seven years of civil war in Yemen have caused more health-related casualties to civilians that combat casualties to fighters or nearby civilians. The rebels have used control over foreign food and medical supplies to the 70 percent of the population they control. Tribes loyal to the rebel cause prosper while others literally starve. The rebels are preparing for another round of successful deceptions of foreign aid donors to steal aid and rebuild their depleted finances.

March 14, 2021: In the northwest (Hajjah province) government forces have pushed Shia rebels out of western portions of the province after two weeks of fighting. This is one area where the Shia rebels have been in trouble for several years and it is getting worse as the Saudi supported offensive seeks to reduce the rebel presence around the key 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. The Hajjah operation cuts key supply routes for rebel forces around Hodeida. Back in 2018 Saudi troops finally drove the Shia rebels out of Hodeida, after more than two years of fighting. The Shia counterattacked in the last year, regained some territory and have now lost that. This province is on the Saudi border and largely populated by Shia. But many Saudis believe Hajjah province should be part of Saudi Arabia. At one time in the 1920s, a decade before the Saudi kingdom was founded, Saudi forces conquered Hajjah province. British threats caused the Saudis to withdraw but the Saudis never forgot.

Another reason to take the province is to halt the Shia rebel smuggling that still takes place along the Red Sea coast. Pacifying Hajjah province meant making deals with the Shia tribes to assure them they would not be mistreated. To help with that the Saudis had the experience of the many Shia tribes in southwest Saudi Arabia, who have done much better economically over the decades than their Shia brethren across the border in Yemen. The Saudi pitch was classic Arabian; support the Saudi cause and the Saudis and Saudi Arabia will provide protection and aid. By January 2019 it was obvious to the Shia rebels that the key Shia tribes in Hajjah province had switched sides. The rebels shifted forces from the south to launch an offensive against their new enemy. The Saudis had persuaded the Hajour tribes in Hajjah province to accept Saudi military support to block Shia rebels from entering Hajour territory. That was a problem for the rebels because Hajour lands contained some key routes. The Hajour tribes dominated the province, which was sometimes called Hajour province. The Shia rebel campaign involved attacking, or rather besieging many villages. In 2019 the Saudis countered that with airdrops of food, ammo and other supplies while organizing a groups operation to break the siege. This put more pressure on the rebels because this was yet another Saudis success in or near the Shia rebel home province of Saada. This is not a new situation but has been growing worse since 2017 and caused a manpower shortage for the rebels as well as a worsening morale problem. The Shia rebels are on the defensive when it comes to Hajjah province but remain active by randomly firing rockets at towns and villages. This terrorizes the civilians but also makes those civilians more determined to resist the return of the Shia rebels.

In the southwest (Taiz province) Shia rebels recently lost ground as a government offensive to reach the coast and disrupt rebel access to Hodeida. These attacks have, since 2018, pushed the rebels back to the point where are only a few rebel-controlled areas left in northern Taiz province. In 2019 the rebels were present in about 30 percent of the province and now it is less than five percent. Taiz city has been under government control since early 2018 and by 2019 the rebels no longer controlled any territory on a permanent basis. Taiz is the third largest city in Yemen and the province occupies a strategic location. For that reason, the province has seen nearly constant fighting for nine years now and it but is no longer the most active combat zone in the country.

March 12, 2021: In northwest ( Hodeida province) Shia rebels near the Red Sea port of Hodeida resumed fighting with government forces in some parts of the city . 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 port fees and stolen aid supplies from controlling the largest Yemen port on the Red Sea was a great loss for the rebels. Hodeida is where most of the foreign aid comes in. The government and Arab Coalition finally broke rebel control of the port in late 2018 and negotiated a rebel withdrawal from the city in early 2919. The rebels can only raise the checkpoint fees so high before the traders realize that it would be cheaper to hire smugglers to get the shipments past the rebel toll keepers.

The U.S. has agreed to resume aid shipments to rebel areas, relying on rebel cooperation on monitoring whether the aid reaches those who need it or is stolen or heavily taxed by the rebels. For years the rebels have been successful at deceiving or intimidating most outside observers from reporting what actually happens to the aid. This is what led most foreign aid donors to halt shipments.

March 8, 2021: In the north, Shia rebels sent another explosives laden UAV into southwest Saudi Arabia (Asir province). Air defenses detected and downed the UAV as it headed for King Khaled Airbase. The day before the Shia rebels launched a ballistic missile at the airbase. The missile was intercepted and destroyed. Iran denies responsibility for all UAV/cruise missile/ballistic missile attacks on Saudi Arabia.

March 7, 2021: In northeast Saudi Arabia (tanker loading port of Ras Tanura) an Iranian explosive laden UAV was intercepted before it could reach the port. Further south, a ballistic missile was intercepted as it approached Dhahran, the city where ARAMCO (the Saudi oil company) is located. The UAV was launched from an Iranian ship in the Persian Gulf while the ballistic missile came from the Iran-backed Yemen rebels. This and other recent Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia have done some good for Iran by driving the price of oil up to $70 a barrel. This makes smuggling more Iranian oil less of a financial risk because even with the discount offered to buyers and the risk of having Iranian tankers seized.

In Saana, the rebel held capital, a detention center for about 900 Ethiopians smuggled into Yemen but detained by the rebels, experienced some violent demonstrations that was met by gunfire from the guards. This led to a fire that left over 40 migrants dead. Covid19, increased efforts by the naval blockade and more fighting inside Yemen has reduced the usual flow of illegal migrants to Yemen. There were apparently only 37,000 illegals reaching Yemen in 2020 compared to 138,000 in 2019. In 2017 about 100,000 illegal migrants came in and 2018 saw this increase another ten percent. About 90 percent of these migrants are from Ethiopia while most of the remainder are from Somalia. Until the Yemen civil war broke out in 2015 people smuggling from Somalia (Somaliland) and Djibouti was a major criminal enterprise with over 10,000 foreigners arriving each month and then being moved north, mainly to Gulf oil states where cheap labor was in demand. The smuggling gangs had arrangements, especially with tribal leaders, throughout Yemen to allow the movement of the smuggled foreigners, for a fee. After 2015 the traffic began to go both ways with thousands of Yemeni refugees reaching Somaliland, often on smuggler boats that had carried African refugees to Yemen, each month. Meanwhile the movement of Somalis (and other Africans) to Yemen continued with 100,000 arriving in 2015 and 115,000 in 2016. The civil war keeps most of these illegal migrants in UN supported refugee camps. Those with money can hire smugglers to take them across the Gulf of Aden to Sudan and from there to the Mediterranean coast and another boat to Europe. Since 2017 routes north to Saudi Arabia became usable and the people smugglers again had a way to get their customers to their destination.

March 1, 2021: During February the Shia rebels launched over 40 cruise and ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia. The exact number is unknown because a growing percentage of these weapons crash shortly after launch or suffer propulsion or guidance system failure before entering Saudi Arabia and crash. Some actually crash on the Saudi side of the border but in a remote area and are not discovered right away. This is especially true with the cruise missiles which are often Iranian UAVs carrying explosives and programmed for a one-way flight that is supposed to end when the UAV takes dive with its explosives rigged to detonate on contact. This is a low-tech way to create a cruise missile but the resulting weapon is not as reliable as a cruise missile designed and built as a cruise missile. Iran has some of those, but its cheaper and easier to smuggle the UAVs into northern Yemen. Since 2015 none of the missile attacks on Saudi Arabia have hit their targets although some debris from shot down missiles has caused damage or injury on the ground.

February 27, 2021: In Yemen Iran-backed Shia rebels launched more Iranian ballistic missiles at targets in Saudi Arabia. The missiles were all intercepted by Saudi BMD (Ballistic Middle Defense) systems.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-16 06:17:49|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, March 15 (Xinhua) -- UN General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir on Monday asked for concrete action to ensure the full and effective participation of women in decision-making.

In his speech to the opening of the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, Bozkir called on all UN member states to strengthen legislation against gender-based violence; establish reporting and redress mechanisms for victims; commit to data collection, election observation, and violence monitoring; and consider special and well-designed gender targets.

He asked all ambassadors present at the meeting to join him in becoming "international gender champions." He also asked journalists to end gender-based stereotyping, and gendered media coverage of women in public life.

"For no woman should feel the need to justify her presence; or make herself smaller so that others are comfortable; or fear expressing herself, exercising her right to vote, or seeking election to public office. No woman should be under threat, underpaid, or underestimated," he said.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will not be achieved without guaranteeing women's full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence against women, he said.

"Today, I urge you to be bold, to make possible what some may deem 'impossible,' to emulate the resilience of women around the world, in whose name we work. Together, we can become Generation Equality," said Bozkir. Enditem
INDIANAPOLIS, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sanctuary Wealth, home to the next generation of elite advisors, is accelerating its rapid growth with the launch of Sanctuary Global to service the Latin American market and the simultaneous opening of a major office in Miami. As an indication of how important this effort is to Sanctuary Wealth's long-range strategy and the resources the firm is committing, Bob Walter, President of Sanctuary Securities, will be relocating to Miami to lead up this latest global expansion.

"This is a very exciting time for Sanctuary. Not only are we launching Sanctuary Global and opening our Miami office, but we have a record pipeline of new partners and growth that we are excited to onboard in the coming weeks and months," said Jim Dickson, CEO and Founder of Sanctuary Wealth. "We are making a major commitment to serve the global market, and Miami is the perfect hub for that business unit. The response to our global offering has been phenomenal, to date, greatly exceeding our high expectations."

"Over the last few years, international advisors have largely felt unappreciated in the wirehouse environment, as their parent companies have looked to exit that business," Dickson continued. "It's a vital and growing segment of the world market with terrific advisors and great clients. Sanctuary Global is a game-changer and leveraging our partnership with Azimut gives us a competitive advantage to offer these advisors worldwide a new opportunity to better serve those clients by embracing our partnered independence business model powered by a large public company with global experience and expertise."

Sanctuary Global (www.sanctuary-global.com) will support the growing number of international clients who have needs both offshore and domestically, while also expanding Sanctuary's network of specialized elite advisors worldwide. While the number of offshore clients and Americans investing offshore has been growing, it has been increasingly difficult for advisors at the wirehouses to provide superior service to international clients, as their parent firms have sold off business units, while also issuing travel restrictions, raising client minimums, and reducing the number of jurisdictions their advisors can serve.

The primary focus for Sanctuary Global will be on serving the Latin American markets, a key component of Sanctuary's long-range strategy. The platform will serve both domestic and offshore advisors who serve Latin American families. Vince Fertitta, the President of Sanctuary Advisors and a seasoned international wealth management executive, will co-lead the subsidiary for Sanctuary with Bob Walter. Fertitta will focus on the domestic-based advisors with Walter overseeing the global platform and offshore expansion. Sanctuary expects to open offices throughout Latin America in the coming months in addition to establishing Sanctuary Global headquarters office in Miami.

"This is an important next step in Sanctuary's growth as a major force in the global wealth management space and I look forward to working with our international advisors and their clients and doing everything I can to make this office and platform successful," said Bob Walter, President, Sanctuary Securities.

These latest moves are reflective of Sanctuary's aggressive long-term growth strategy, which aims to capitalize on this once-in-a-lifetime shift of the wealth management industry, as wirehouse advisors seek independence in greater numbers and retiring advisors seek beneficial succession plans. In November of 2020, the company announced a $50 million investment from Azimut Group, a public asset management company that trades on the Milan stock exchange. This investment has not only expedited the build out of the Sanctuary platform, but also has allowed the firm to participate actively in the current record level M&A activity. Several acquisitions and additional new platform enhancements will be announced in the coming months.

About Sanctuary Wealth

Sanctuary Wealth (www.sanctuarywealth.com) is the advanced platform for the next generation of elite advisors, who have the entrepreneurial spirit to build and own their own practices and desire the freedom to deliver the tailored service their clients deserve. Sanctuary's ecosystem of partnered independence provides a complete technology and operations platform, as well as support from a community of like-minded advisors and the resources of invaluable affiliated businesses. Currently, the Sanctuary Wealth network includes 45 partner firms across 18 states with over $15.0 billion in assets under advisement. The Sanctuary Wealth Group includes the fully owned subsidiaries Sanctuary Advisors, a registered investment adviser, and the broker-dealer Sanctuary Securities, as well as Sanctuary Alternative Solutions, Sanctuary Insurance Solutions, Sanctuary Global, and Sanctuary Global Tax and Family Office.

CONTACT: Tony Kono

JConnelly

973 525 6855

[email protected]

SOURCE Sanctuary Wealth
The honey-trap headache: The four exclusive modules in India that report to the ISI

Honey trapped Army jawan arrested for leaking information to Pakistan

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 15: The intelligence wing of the Rajasthan Police arrested a 22 year old Army personnel on charges of spying and leaking information to Pakistan agents. Akash Mehria, who hails from Sikar, was allegedly honey trapped. He is alleged to have provided information to two Pakistan women. He is said to have been trapped on Facebook.

He was on a visit to his home, when he was summoned to Jaipur. He was then questioned by several intelligence agencies. The agencies said that he was involved in supplying crucial information to the Pakistani agents. The Pakistan agents got in touch with him through fake identities over the internet.

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After he received a friend re quest on Facebook, he started giving out crucial information relating to the Army through his phone. He had also indulged in chats that were explicit in nature. Mehria who was posed in Sikkim had joined the Indian Army in 2018 and completed his training in 2019.
New Delhi:

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his two deputies, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, will contest Legislative Council by-elections, the BJP announced on Wednesday.

A BJP statement said its central election committee had also picked Swatantra Dev Singh and Mohsin Raza, both ministers in the state government, as party candidates for the elections.

With UP MLAs voting in the by-elections, the win of all BJP nominees is virtually certain given the partys huge majority in the assembly.

A number of MLCs from opposition parties in the state, who resigned recently, also spoke in favour of the Yogi government. Political watchers believe they did so to facilitate the entry of the chief minister and his colleagues to the Council.

Aditynath and his colleagues have to be elected to one of the houses, Assembly or Council, to continue in their posts.

Aditynath and Maurya are Lok Sabha members and are likely to resign once they win the Council by-polls.

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Seoul, March 15 : Pop heroes BTS set the stage afire with a virtual performance of their hit single "Dynamite" at the 63rd Grammy Awards, which took place in Los Angeles on Sunday.

The septet performed "Dynamite" in a pre-recorded video, taking their dynamic gig from the Grammys stage to a rooftop overseeing a breathtaking night view of the South Korean Capital city.

"It's an honour to have our stage at the Grammy Awards, coupled with the nomination along with the other amazing musicians in our category. It's a significant moment for us. We owe everything to ARMY. We will keep going for our next goal," the boys had said in a statement, before their performance.

Image Source: IANS News

This year, the band earned their first Grammy nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, but they lost out to Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category.

This is the third consecutive year that BTS has participated at the Grammy Awards. In 2019, they first appeared as presenters for Best R&B Album, and last year the band took the stage for "Old Town Road" alongside Lil Nas X and other performers.

-- Syndicated from IANS
HSE University researchers together with specialists from the Humanitarian Action Charitable Fund (St. Petersburg) and the University of Michigan School of Public Health (USA) studied the specifics of remote work with Russian people who use drugs to reduce the harm of drug use. They discovered that the use of online platforms increases the  who use drugs to seek help. Online platforms also serve as a kind of 'gateway' for people with problematic drug use to receive a wider range of qualified help. The authors concluded that remote work in this field should be developed and built upon in an ongoing systematic way even when the threat of coronavirus recedes. The results of the study are published in the Harm Reduction Journal.

All over the world, people who use drugs face many health hazards. These include, for example, contracting HIV, hepatitis C, vein damage, overdoses, and numerous psychological problems.

Drug-related harm reduction programmes, often run by NGOs, are aimed at combating that harm. Humanitarian Action is one such non-governmental organisation in Russia. Founded in 1997, Humanitarian Action provides accessible services for people with substance use disorders, that are designed to reduce the severity of the negative consequences of drug use. These services include:

exchange and disposal of used syringes and needles;

provision of motivational packages containing sterile syringes, alcohol wipes, water for injections, ointments, bandages;

help with express testing for HIV, HCV, HBV, and syphilis;

support and referral of clients to medical centres for HIV diagnosis confirmation and initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART);

assistance in accessing treatment for opioid drug overdose;

case management in accessing social, medical, and legal services.

These services are provided at no cost to individuals when they visit the NGO's mobile units. The NGO has recently added web outreach work to its activities in order to increase the programmes' accessibility, including for people who use drugs who do not attend the mobile units.

One of the main online services that the NGO actively uses to interact with people who use drugs is Telegram instant messaging. As of June 2020, the platform had 30 million active users in Russia.

The researchers used the example of a St. Petersburg NGO to analyse the most frequent requests received via Telegram from people who use drugs, the difficulties they face with people who use drugs and the specialists assisting them, and the prospects for the development of a remote format of working in the field of drug use harm reduction.

Researchers have analysed the working reports of NGO staff in 301 cases of web outreach work. The period of contact with people who use drugs in these cases was from November 2019 to June 2020. These included a description of the clients' needs as well as the nature of the assistance provided.

In addition, the researchers conducted four semi-structured interviews with the NGO staff and the deputy director in June 2020, to study the process of web outreach in terms of organisational processes. A thematic analysis method was used in the study. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of the St. Petersburg Association of Sociologists.

It turned out that the most frequent online requests for help from people who use drugs concern:

minor complications arising from injecting drugs;

information regarding harm reduction, HIV, and HCV;

information regarding detoxification at home;

information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic;

psychological support.

The study provides a comprehensive picture of how the NGO works with people who use drugs. As a rule, NGO clients direct their question to a group chat. If the answer to a question may be important for all participants in the group chat, then the NGO specialist responds in the chat itself. If the question is of a sensitive nature and/or private communication is required, then the NGO staff member contacts the client privately. Sometimes other participants may provide answers in the general group chat. The NGO staff will then moderate the discussions in order to maintain a safe and comfortable space.

The most frequent enquiries concern minor complications related to drug use. These fall into the category of minor complications when face-to-face medical care is unnecessary. In fact, they refer to such unpleasant consequences of injecting drugs as collapsed veins, venous bleeding, varicose veins, venous ulcers, and rashes. People who use drugs describe their problems text and/or with photos. The specialists' answers are verified by medical professionals before they are sent. In cases where a web outreach worker feels that more skilled medical assistance is needed, the client will be directly contacted by a doctor working at the NGO.

Other common requests for help relate to information on how to reducing the harm and risk of contracting HIV or hepatitis -- for example, centres where antiretroviral therapy (ART) is available. Some clients enquire through the NGO staff about the ways in which HIV and hepatitis are transmitted.

A less common, yet still important topic of enquiry is detoxification at home. Only a few clients have shown interest in this topic, the researchers noted. NGO staff informed people who use drugs about the potential risks, as well as providing general information on how detoxification is carried out in medical settings and contact information of specialists with whom clients can get in touch.

Since April 2020, a number of COVID-19 pandemic-related needs have emerged. Specifically, clients have asked how they can get help during the pandemic, such as details of rehabilitation programmes or detoxification services.

Another frequent reason people who use drugs ask for help via Telegram is the need for psychological support. Among the most common requests are: difficulties in combatting drug addiction, anxiety about the repercussions of quarantine measures (e.g. drug shortages), anxiety about the death of a partner, worries about possible infection. If the clients do not request the help of a certified psychologist, the web outreach workers provide them with advice based on their personal experience and the contact information of the NGO staff who can be contacted for additional help.

During the study, the authors identified a separate block of enquiries that cannot be fully handled online because they require the client to be physically present. Such requests occurred in nearly a third of the cases analysed. For example, clients needed personal assistance in obtaining ART at a specialised centre, receiving ART in a home setting, personal assistance with hospitalisation for detoxification and rehabilitation, support from a certified psychologist, assistance with obtaining documents or confirming incapacity to work. In such cases, people who use drugs were invited to the NGO's mobile units for face-to-face assistance.

Other requests that could not be processed online included severe complications from intravenous drug use, such as severe venous bleeding and lesions, swelling, and skin abscesses. In addition, people who use drugs sought help via Telegram related to HIV and hepatitis testing. In these cases, clients received instructions on how they could be tested.

The smallest number of enquiries was related to overdose. For these requests, the NGO created a special Telegram bot that provided clients with the necessary information about symptoms, treatment options, and the contact information of a doctor who could provide online assistance. In two of the four cases, clients had to call an ambulance. The centre's staff stayed in touch with clients until the paramedics arrived.

The researchers determined the difficulties that arose during communication between people who use drugs and the professionals assisting them online. These include, for example, sending voice messages when the staff member cannot listen to them or messages at night when the staff member is not available. Sometimes clients send illegible messages because they cannot formulate the request correctly. The centre's staff then offer to call them back, but further dialogue may not take place.

Some staff noted that phone calls are the next step in communication between the client and the NGO specialist.

Nevertheless, as the research has shown, Telegram serves as a kind of gateway to harm reduction for people who use drugs. From the point of view of the NGO's staff, it is a convenient 'first step' that clients can take to receiving assistance. Importantly, the availability of such services increases the likelihood that people who use drugs, who are not ready to discuss their drug-related problems face-to-face, will contact specialists.

Researchers have concluded that existing online services aimed at reducing the harm of drugs could be improved. One of the possible solutions, they believe, is to automate some of the work, for example by using more bots that clients could use, including at night. 'However, not all services can be automated; therefore, it may be necessary to hire employees who can respond to clients during the night. This is especially important when it comes to critical situations such as overdose,' says the study.

The researchers also suggest that an effective way to develop online harm reduction services could be to increase their presence on darknet forums.

Every year in Russia, thousands of people die and suffer critical complications related to drug use. For example, according to data provided in a report by the State Anti-Drug Committee, 4,569 people died from drug use in Russia in 2019, an increase of 2.8% compared to 2018. There were also 18,053 cases of drug poisoning, an increase of 10.5% compared to 2018. Meanwhile, about half a million people (423,400) with mental and behavioural disorders related to drug use were registered in Russia in 2018, according to the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. Among them, 5,400 were minors.

During the pandemic, many services, including those related to healthcare, have become difficult to access -- especially for stigmatised groups. In this context, online services aimed at reducing the harm of drug use are of particular importance.

The findings of the study show how effective web outreach work with people who use drugs can be. However, according to the authors, further research in this area is needed. It is important, for example, to understand the motivations behind the refusal of drug addicts to continue communicating with specialists by phone, to clarify their needs, and to develop new ways to reduce the harm of drug use.

###
New Delhi, March 15 : Farmers protesting at various Delhi borders are garnering support from all sections of society. A lot of people have even left their jobs and work to support the cause.

Twenty nine-year-old Navkiran Natt is one of those who've left her profession and joined her family at the Tikri border to express her solidarity with farmers in the protest against the farm laws.

Natt, along with her family, has been at the Tikri border for the last three months.

Natt, a dentist by profession, has completed a Masters in Film Studies. Before joining the protest, she was doing internship in one of the projects related to film studies.

She told IANS, "I completed BDS from Punjab University and practised there for three years but the experience was not good so I joined a film studies course." "I have been at Tikri border for the last three months. After a lot of brainstorming on how we could support farmers, we began by making wall paintings. Then we started the Shaheed Bhagat Singh library at the three borders," Natt added.

Natt is also involved in Trolly Talkies, which was started at Tikri border to show movies to the farmers protesting here.

Every evening, a show is being organised for the farmers. She is also part of the editorial team of Trolly Times - a newspaper distributed here.
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Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

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Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

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Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

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Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

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Armenia President appoints judges

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Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

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Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

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US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

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Service on the new seasonal route begins May 6, continuing through August 16, with the ONT departure scheduled for 9:45 p.m. A return flight arrives ONT at 8:24 p.m.

Flight # Origin Destination Departs Arrives 1415 ONT CLT 9:45 p.m.* 5:27 a.m. 1515 CLT ONT 6:15 p.m. 8:24 a.m. *Overnight/red-eye service (All times local)

American announced earlier this month that it will begin flights twice a day between ONT and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in August. The carrier also flies to Phoenix and Dallas-Fort Worth from Terminal 4 at ONT.

"We are enormously grateful to American Airlines for showing such confidence in Ontario," said Mark Thorpe, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA). "We have worked hard throughout the pandemic to be ready for a return to more normal travel routines and, while there is still a way to go, it is encouraging that air carriers are making Ontario a focus of their recovery plans."

American will serve the Charlotte route with Boeing 737-800 aircraft equipped to accommodate 172 passengers with 16 in First-Class, 30 in Main Cabin Extra and 126 in Main Cabin.

In addition to American, airlines operating at ONT resumed or initiated new service to five destinations including Atlanta, Chicago (Midway), Houston (Intercontinental and Hobby), Seattle and Mexico City in the second half of 2020 while plans were announced for flights to another nine markets by Spring including Chicago (O'Hare), Honolulu, Las Vegas, Miami, Newark, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento and San Francisco. Colombia-based Avianca Airlines will begin service to El Salvador this summer, the first to Central America from the Inland Empire.

Hawaiian Airlines, which will begin service this Wednesday from ONT to Honolulu five days a week, announced it will fly the route seven days a week during the summer.

Ontario airport has been recognized three times since last summer for understanding and meeting the needs of its customers during the pandemic.

About Ontario International Airport

Ontario International Airport (ONT) is the fastest growing airport in the United States, according to Global Traveler, a leading publication for frequent fliers. Located in the Inland Empire, ONT is approximately 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the center of Southern California. It is a full-service airport which, before the coronavirus pandemic, offered nonstop commercial jet service to 26 major airports in the U.S., Mexico and Taiwan. More information is available at www.flyOntario.com. Follow @flyONT on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

About the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA)

The OIAA was formed in August 2012 by a Joint Powers Agreement between the City of Ontario and the County of San Bernardino to provide overall direction for the management, operations, development and marketing of ONT for the benefit of the Southern California economy and the residents of the airport's four-county catchment area. OIAA Commissioners are Ontario Mayor Pro Tem Alan D. Wapner (President), Retired Riverside Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge (Vice President), Ontario City Council Member Jim W. Bowman (Secretary), San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman (Commissioner) and retired business executive Julia Gouw (Commissioner).

OIAA Media Contact:

Steve Lambert, (909) 841-7527 [email protected]

SOURCE Ontario International Airport

Related Links

www.flyontario.com


Doodnath Maharaj was the general secretary of the Oilfields Workers Trade Union for nearly two decades. This is out of a total of 40 years service.

He was a dedicated and loyal comrade who did his best work away from the limelight. Indeed, he shunned it, embodying a self-effacing personality that was deeply mystifying to many who came to know him.
The 79-year-old institution that has been a backdrop for generations of politicians, celebrities and those of us simply in search of a quality corned beef on rye, announced on social media Sunday night that it would give away free sandwiches for the day if staff could go 30 days without needing to remind customers to mask up during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Youth Council of Nigeria, (NYCN) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately declare the invading bandits across the na...





The National Youth Council of Nigeria, (NYCN) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately declare the invading bandits across the nation as terrorists.

It said doing so would be a major move towards curbing insecurity currently ravaging the entire nation.

This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by the councils Vice President, South West, Comrade Dotun Omoleye.

According to the statement, declaring those behind rampant kidnappings as terrorists had become necessary as it would allow for proportional actions to be taken against the criminal elements.

The NYCN said it was worried by the incessant and fearless move by those bandits to launch attacks on defenceless students and others despite the resolve of the Federal Government.

It lamented that Nigerians were no longer safe in their home, schools, roads and even farm land.

The council described Buharis recent declaration that the Zamfara school abduction would be the last as regrettable, owing to the current spike in insecurity despite his declaration.

NYCN cited the 39 students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation in Mando area of Kaduna State who were abducted from the school premises on Thursday night as a sign that the presidents promise failed.

The statement reads in part: The attack on the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, coming just few days after gunmen attacked FAANs quarters in Igabi Local Government Area of the state is becoming an eyesore, and a wake-up call on the government to appropriately designate these enemies of the State as terrorists following the determination of President Buharis opposition to negotiating with these bandits, Omoleye stated.

Without doubt, if we do not want our nation to be overrun by violent and gun-wielding criminals by whose activities the peace and stability of our nation is becoming fragile daily; the Federal Government must be courageous enough to bandy these enemies as terrorists as they do not deserve the perceived pampering they currently enjoy.

We salute the sacrifices of the Nigerian security agencies towards protecting the people but it is becoming obvious that unless these bandits are so classified, the presidential directive to shoot holders of illegal AK-47 may not yield productive results.
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In a recent Rachel Maddow monologue on MSNBC, Maddow specifically questioned and criticized allegations that top Pentagon officers recommended reconsidering the use of National Guard troops due to the optics. When asked about those involved with that phone call at the Pentagon, the Washington DC Adjutant General mentioned the name of the Armys Chief of Operations, Lt. General Charlie Flynn. Maddow went on a rant of highly charged criticism of Lt General Flynn. She connected Charlie Flynn to his brother, retired Lt. General Michael Flynn, President Trumps first National Security Advisor and a passionate defender of Trump. Maddow demanded to know why General Charlie Flynn was involved with the phone call after highlighting him as the brother of Mike Flynn. Rachel Maddows criticisms are problematic on a number of levels, but are becoming ubiquitous from the left. These kinds of attacks threaten to rip the guts out of our nations military ethos. Let me explain.

First, its important to understand the dynamics of our military. Throughout the nations history a disproportional number of recruits and officers have come from a relatively small number of American families. In my own family, going back over a century, Army officer family members have served in every war from the Philippine Insurrection to me coming back from Afghanistan (note: My son is an Army ROTC cadet at The Citadel planning to serve). Our family is not unusual, as many military families are disproportionately prone to military service through multiple generations. According to Slate: In the United States, perhaps the strongest predictor of military service is having a family member who served allowing for extended family members, it averages to about 80 percent of new recruits across the services. Going a step further, between 22 and 35 percent (depending on the service) are the child of a service member. Additionally, 44.3% of new recruits come from the South, which is 20% beyond the southern population in the US. This comes from the traditional warrior and military culture of the South, as with my familys southern background.

The Flynn family is a great example of the nations military family family business. Beyond two Lt. General brothers in the same family, the family service includes many other family members going back generations from the World Wars to Iraq and Afghanistan. Two brothers rising to the rank of Lt. General (note: Charlie Flynn has been selected for a fourth star) is an unbelievable achievement. There are only a couple dozen Lt. Generals in the US Army of half a million soldiers. I had the privilege of serving with (then) Major Charlie Flynn when I was an Infantry Captain in Hawaii in the 1990s. He was one of the all-time finest officers I have known. A man dedicated to his profession and the nation. Both Flynn brothers have deployed to multiple combat zones numerous times.

Rachel Maddows attack against Lt. General Charlie Flynn was beyond disturbing. It was a blood libel predicated upon being the brother of her political nemesis, Lt. General Michael Flynn. Maddows implication was that this military family blood taint with Trump supporter Michael Flynn caused Charlie Flynn to hinder the protection of Congress. On practical grounds, this charge was a ridiculous assertion. The Capitol police force numbers around two thousand officers, while the number of DC Guardsmen (available for immediate deployment to the Capitol) was a couple dozen guardsmen. It is unlikely those few Guardsmen could have helped within the roughly three hours of the event. We dont know what General Charlie Flynn said, but after over three decades of honorable service in peace and war we should never question his loyalty to the nation. The blood libel defamation was despicable.

At a recent CNN Town Hall, President Joe Biden claimed former military members were disproportionately driving white supremacy: (We need to study the) impact of former military, former police officers on the growth of white supremacy in some of these groups. Bidens new Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, decried the alleged white supremacy within the military, and called for a stand-down to root out the alleged threat. Mainstream media continually highlight the alleged threat of extremism and white supremacy within the military. A letter from Senator Blumenthal and other Democratic Senators to the DOD IG alleged serious problems within the military culture. Unbelievably, they wrote: The issue of white supremacy and extremist ideology within the ranks of our military is not new. These allegations impliedly demand overhauling the culture of the military. It strikes at the traditions, including family traditions of service.

These attacks are beyond misguided and dangerous. In my experience as a military brad and career Army officer, the military was the most colorblind of all fields in American life. The ethos is of selfless service: Duty, Honor, Country. These attacks against military families and traditions threaten to rip apart a culture that has protected American freedom from the beginning. Its time to stop the onslaught against the military ethos, an ethos fostered by military families. Lets honor the ethos that has kept us free, including families like the Flynns.
A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) chemist checks pills containing fentanyl at the DEA Northeast Regional Laboratory in New York on Oct. 8, 2019. (Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images)

The Silent Epidemic: The Growing Threat of Fentanyl in Southern California

When Gail Smith lost her son to a drug overdose in 2016, she joined an Orange County club of which nobody wants to be a member.

My son Kenny died of an accidental overdose of heroin mixed with fentanyl, Smith told The Epoch Times. We were told that there was enough fentanyl to kill 10 elephants.

Smiths story is familiar to an increasing number of families and friends throughout Southern California who have lost a loved one to an accidental overdose of fentanylone of the most powerful opiates ever to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than the effects of morphine, according to the FDA; and local law enforcement agencies are confiscating illegal shipments of the drug in record numbers.

Over the past five years, seizures of the drug by the Orange County Sheriffs Department (OCSD) have skyrocketed. In 2015, the OCSD reported zero fentanyl seizures; in 2019, the department confiscated a total of 169 poundsenough to create 38 million lethal doses.

Officials have introduced legislation to form a Southern California task force to tackle the regions growing problem. But in the meantime, people are becoming addicted to the drug, and rolling the dice with their lives each time they take a dose.

Smith now runs a sober living home named after her son. She described fentanyl as highly addictive, adding, Those using it recreationally need to know: They have the potential of dying at any given moment.

Fentanyl began as a synthetic opiate originally developed and prescribed for the pain management of cancer patients according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). But because of the drugs powerful painkilling properties and inexpensive cost to produce, it was soon diverted into the illegal drug trade.

According to the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), some drug dealers are mixing fentanyl with other drugsincluding heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA (also known as ecstasy or molly)because it takes so little to produce a high, making it a cheaper option. Two milligrams of the drug are potentially lethal; 5,000 milligrams fit into a teaspoon.

Fighting the Danger

First responders say they are coming into contact with the drugs effects in increasing numbers. A firefighter from Southern California, who has had multiple run-ins with the drugs dangers, told The Epoch Times that fentanyl users are jeopardizing their lives every time they take it.

Some users get high, but with fentanyl, it seems like most dont realize how close to death they came, said the firefighter, who didnt wish to be identified for security reasons.

The firefighter pointed out that inconsistencies in the drugs production add to the problem.

Users seem to be surprised with the strength or inconsistency of the potency, he said. Ive seen an early-30-year-old found dead after ingesting fentanyl because no one checked on them. Ive also seen a partier who took some of the [drug] that a friend offered them and then went unconscious. It took multiple rounds of Narcan [an emergency overdose treatment] to bring them back.

The firefighter, who has been working in Southern California for almost a decade, affirmed that there is an increasing number of fentanyl-related overdoses in the region. He said many users were likely unaware that the drug they were using was laced with the opiate to create larger profit margins for dealers working the streets.

People who unknowingly take drugs laced with fentanyl can be more likely to overdose because their bodies may not be used to the stronger opioid, according to the NIDA.

Many users have severe respiratory arrest, the firefighter said. Fentanyl is a very powerful downer, and it is fast acting. It is also cheaperso someone may buy even more of it.

A firefighter displays Narcan, a lifesaving medicine used to treat drug overdoses, in Southern California, on Feb, 26, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Fentanyl crystals and pills. (Courtesy of the DEA)

This photo provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administrations Phoenix Division shows some of the 30,000 fentanyl pills the agency seized in one of its bigger busts, in Tempe, Ariz. (Drug Enforcement Administration via AP)

An Expert Weighs In

Scott H. Silverman is CEO of Confidential Recovery, a San Diego-based treatment program for clients with addiction issues. Hes been treating addicts for almost 40 yearsever since overcoming his own addiction to prescription and illegal drugs.

Silverman, author of The Opioid Epidemic, said the opiate problem affects people of all ages, and often starts with prescription pills.

Even most heroin users we work with started with a pain medication  prescribed by a doctor to them, he said. Opiates are not easy to get off of. Its a painful process. And for someone that suffers from pain, taking away their painkiller is not an easy process, by any means.

Ultimately, taking opiates only makes things worse, he added. Because opiates like fentanyl are so addictive, what will happen is, in less than a week or 10 days, is that you will get hooked on the stuff, he said. Then, its like driving a car with an 8-cylinder engine, but only with 3 of the cylinders working.

Silverman told The Epoch Times that once someone is addicted, they have to seek help from a professional who can provide the necessary medications to beat the problem. Often, someone else takes the first step.

When people are in the midst of their addiction, they are not seeking treatment. Its the families and loved ones that make the phone call to me, he said.

No one has come up with an easy process to get people off opiates, he said. When you try to get off it, youll go through withdrawals. There is a level of dependency that gets created in people, and that creates challenges.

When you are under the influence of something, you are not feeling anything anymore. The problem over time is that doesnt work, but they have not found anything to replace opiates for pain yet.

He also said things are getting worse. Now that drugs are getting legalized, they are getting stronger. Illegally, people dont know what they are buying off these streets right now. You can even overdose on fentanyl by it being airborne, which has even happened to law enforcement officers.

Making things even more frightening is how cheap and easy it is to make fentanyl, Silverman said.

Hypothetically to make fentanyl, you and I could take $500, go to the dark web, order the ingredients, and dilute them into pills. For that $500, we could make enough fentanyl pills to sell it for more than $10 million, he said.

When you use bitcoin to purchase it, theres no tracing it. Buyers could order it, and USPS could potentially ship it right to your door, and no one would know.

He noted that young people may be taking the drug without even knowing it.

Right now, younger generations are having whats called Skittle parties, where everyone brings a drug and puts it into a bowl while music is playing. When the music stops, everyone grabs something out of that bowl, Silverman said.

I was working with a family who lost their college-age son to that. He took something out of a bowl that had fentanyl in it and died.

Make an informed decision and do not get on opiates. I know people in their 60s and 70s that cant get off of it.

Pictures of people who died from a drug overdose line a fence at the Laguna Niguel Skate Park in Laguna Niguel, Calif., on Aug. 31, 2020. (Chris Karr/The Epoch Times)

Crossing Borders

Most of the fentanyl reaching Orange County is manufactured illegally in Mexico, according to the firefighter, local law enforcement, and the DEA. Drug cartels often use promises of money and electronics to hire young people to move it through border crossings into Southern California.

Once across the border, the drugs are then distributed to smaller dealers, some operating out of local business fronts to mask their illegal narcotics trade.

But the fentanyl problem transcends borders. The drug also presents a danger to the public in Canadawhere most of the fentanyl comes from China, according to Public Safety Minister Bill Blair.

On Feb. 25, he told the Standing Committee on Canada-China Relations that China is the main source of the countrys opiate crisis, which killed more than 17,000 citizens from January 2016 to June 2020. Fentanyl was involved in 75 percent of those deaths, he said.

Its no secret that China is one of the main source countries of fentanyl, as well as the precursors of chemicals used to make this highly potent and deadly synthetic opioid, Blair said.

Illegal fentanyl and fentanyl-like drugs are being mixed in and contaminating other drugs.  This continues to be a major driving factor in the overdose crisis that has tragically cut so many lives short in Canada.

Documentary filmmaker Spencer Folmar told The Epoch Times that he thinks the northeastern part of the United States is being hit hardest by the fentanyl epidemic.

Kids can buy lethal heroin for under $10, said Folmar. It is easier, and sometimes cheaper, than buying a pack of cigarettes or boozebut these drugs can kill a first-time user with one use.

Folmar, who recently spent time in central Pennsylvania while making his project Shooting Heroin, said the drug is being interlaced into heroin to maximize dealer profits.

The people and stories I have heard of victims to the opioid epidemic are not typical drug users. They are honor-roll students, working parents, and high school and middle school children, he said.

This epidemic doesnt discriminate, and it is killing and has killed far more than the current pandemic, but no one talks about it.

The Response

As Folmar documents the opiate epidemic to bring light to the situation, law enforcement and government agencies across the country are strengthening their counter-narcotic response.

On Feb. 17 in Santa Ana, the OCSD conducted a traffic stop shortly after noon. What started as a routine vehicle code violation ended in one of the largest seizures of fentanyl in Southern California history: two kilograms of the drug in powdered form, along with 11,000 counterfeit pills.

The deputy who searched the Ford pick-up truck discovered an estimated 1 million lethal doses of the drug in a backpack in the passenger area of the vehicle. After a preliminary investigation, the OCSD determined the narcotics were likely smuggled into the country from Mexico.

Two kilograms of fentanyl powder seized by the Orange County Sheriffs Department in Orange County, Calif., on Feb. 17, 2021. (Courtesy of the OCSD)

An earlier bust in the county, however, didnt go as smoothly. On Dec. 15, 2020, officers from the city of Orange Police Department pulled over a vehicle for an alleged traffic violation. The driver and passenger were under investigation for narcotics involvement.

After being ordered out of the vehicle in the parking lot of a small shopping center, the suspects tore open a large plastic bag full of white powderfentanylwhich then spread over the area, eventually landing on the officers clothing.

The small shopping area then turned into a HAZMAT scene, requiring the response of the city of Orange and Anaheim Fire departments to intervene. While police evacuated shoppers from the parking area, six officers and the two suspects were taken to local hospitals on precautionary measures.

In Riverside Countywhere, in the past four years, fentanyl-related deaths have increased by more than 800 percentDistrict Attorney Mike Hestrin has begun charging alleged drug dealers with murder.

There is no safe way to use or to sell fentanyl. Simply put, it is lethal, Hestrin said at a Feb. 22 press conference. Those who sell fentanyl should know that and, if they choose to sell it anyway and someone dies, the dealer should be prosecuted for murder.

Since Feb. 4, the Riverside County Gang Impact Teamwhich is supervised by the DAs Bureau of Investigationhas seized more than 10 kilos of fentanyl, enough to make around 5 million potentially deadly doses.

Officials Step Up

The fentanyl crisis has caught the attention of members of the California state government.

On Feb. 12, state Sen. Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) launched Senate Bill 350 (SB 350) to combat drug-related deaths. The bill would allow a manufacturer of various controlled substances, including fentanyl, to be charged with murder if they previously had been found guilty of illegally distributing the drugs.

SB 350 is designed to address implied malice for drug fatalities by considering them in a similar fashion to driving under the influence crimes. The bill would similarly require the court to issue an advisory to individuals convicted of selling or distributing controlled substances. The proposed advisory would provide a person convicted of these crimes with a warning that their actions could result in another persons death and lead to a homicide charge.

Its past time to hold drug dealers accountable before more parents are forced to bury their children.  This pandemic has led to a devastating rise in fentanyl-induced deaths across California, Melendez said on her website.

Law enforcement needs the tools to go after drug dealers who prey on kids. Alexandras law provides a valuable first step in getting this fentanyl epidemic under control and most importantlysaving lives.

The new law is named after Alexandra Capelouto, a 20-year-old college student who died of drug poisoning while visiting her family at home during a school break.

As a mother of five children, I cant imagine the pain of losing a child to drug poisoning, Melendez said.

In December 2020, state Sen. Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) introduced Senate Bill 75 (SB 75) to create a special Southern California task force to counter the regions fentanyl crisis.

The bill represents a second attempt to create a special regional task force, after an earlier bill was halted at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes has supported both bills.

Fentanyl continues to pose a substantial risk to our communities, he said when the new bill launched. The current trend of rising fentanyl-related deaths is unacceptable. SB-75 will put us on the right path to reversing this trend by holding drug traffickers accountable.

Members of the group would come from the California Department of Justice, the California Highway Patrol (CHP), and Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties. Task force members would report their findings and recommendations to the state Legislature and Attorney General.

On the national level, the DEA has launched Operation Engage, a comprehensive law enforcement and prevention support initiative aimed specifically at opiates.

Participating field divisions will focus on reducing drug use, abuse, and overdose deaths, while targeting the top threat identified by local DEA authorities. The division will simultaneously continue to combat drug trafficking, violence, and crime.

The operation was launched on Feb. 24 and aims to expand nationwide by 2022.

We will help empower individuals, families, and communities to do their part to help reduce the demand for drugs and get help for those who need it, DEA Acting Administrator D. Christopher Evans said in a press release.

Working alongside our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, as well as specialists in prevention, treatment, and education, we are raising awareness to make our communities safer.

A Mothers Final Plea

As fentanyl deaths are on the rise and hidden within the darkness of the COVID-19 pandemic, people under the age of 40 continue to be the demographic hit hardest by the life-taking opiate.

Overdose deaths in California grew by nearly 27 percent between June 2019 and June 2020, according to research provided by California Health Policy Strategies.

Smith, the Orange County mother whose son overdosed on the drug, implored anyone fighting opioid addiction to get help as soon as possible.

As a mother, I want to tell anyone struggling with substance use disorder: Please, do not wait. Get help today. One more time may be your last, she pleaded.

You were created for something great. God loves you and has an amazing plan for your life. Please dont let your family and friends see the local police come to their front doors to tell them you are gone.

For those struggling with addiction issues, please contact the Orange County narcotics helpline website at Orangecountyna.org/ocwp/
DALLAS, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Korbyt , the leading workplace experience platform, today announced the latest release of an enhanced feature called Space Management enabling companies to import maps of office layouts, manufacturing areas, and common spaces so employees or visitors can easily find and reserve safe meeting space in any physical workplace location. Admin users can create regions on their maps that comply with social distancing safety guidelines, inform users if available spaces are at capacity, and once reserved, connect to the company's existing calendar system so users can easily check-in.

As vaccines begin distribution across the world, many companies have started to imagine or execute a safe return to the physical workplace for some or all of their workforce and customers. A recent study by Steelcase revealed that 72 percent of businesses will take a hybrid approach to working from both home and the office which will offer greater flexibility to employees.

Korbyt Anywhere's Space Management provides a robust feature set for both businesses, employees, and visitors including:

Dynamic Maps Creation . Import maps of buildings, floors, campuses and any physical location.

. Import maps of buildings, floors, campuses and any physical location. Smart Reservations System. Locate safe spaces for individuals or teams to reserve rooms, workspaces, or use hot desking.

Locate safe spaces for individuals or teams to reserve rooms, workspaces, or use hot desking. Capacity Management and Notifications . Set regions and capacity so users can reserve safe space and receive check-in and "at capacity" notifications.

. Set regions and capacity so users can reserve safe space and receive check-in and "at capacity" notifications. Integration with Enterprise Systems. Check-in, change or extend reservations easily and connect to existing enterprise calendar systems.

Check-in, change or extend reservations easily and connect to existing enterprise calendar systems. Visitor Management. Create a secure and welcoming experience for employees and visitors by allowing them to locate, reserve and check-in through multiple devices like digital signage, kiosk and desktop screens or go touchless through mobile devices

"Over the past year, we saw an increased demand in platform features to support companies transitioning to the hybrid workplace. Korbyt Anywhere has become an essential technology to deliver personalized critical communications, reduce risk, and increase employee confidence in returning to the workplace," said Ankur Ahlowalia, Chief Executive Officer, Korbyt. "Our Space Management features were available prior to the pandemic, however, the last 12 months presented an opportunity to evolve Korbyt Anywhere's capabilities to not just meet employees where they are, but also integrate with existing technologies in the employee experience."

Korbyt has a proven track record of improving the workplace experience through digital signage screens. Korbyt Anywhere's Space Management features are a natural extension of the platform feature set, including targeted content creation and publishing, data visualization, media management, wayfinding and more.

Learn more about Korbyt Anywhere's Space Management features during the free webinar on March 17, 2021 at 10am CST. Register today .

Learn more about Space Management and hear from other leading companies using the Korbyt Anywhere Platform by registering today for Korbyt's free, virtual WorkplaceEX event on April 27-28, 2021.

About Korbyt

Korbyt Anywhere is a workplace experience platform that enables companies to reach targeted audiences and deliver relevant content, data and information, or enable easy access to the systems and resources on any screen, anywhere. The company is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with additional offices worldwide. For more information, visit https://www.korbyt.com .

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After reports of serious blood clotting, Irelands health minister on March 14 recommended temporary suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine. According to AP, Dr. Ronan Glynn, who is Irelands deputy chief medical officer, said that the recommendation was made after Norways medicines agency reported four cases of blood clotting in adults after reconvening the vaccine. He said that where there was no conclusive link between the vaccine and the cases, Irish health officials are recommending the suspension of the vaccines rollout as a precaution.

Danish, Norwegian and Icelandic officials have also taken similar precautionary steps. AstraZeneca, however, has defended its coronavirus vaccine, saying that its analysis not only showed no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots in vaccine recipients, but a lower number than in the general population. In a statement, AstraZeneca insisted that its vaccine was safe and added that the companys safety data showed zero evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis in any defined age group, gender, batch or any in a particular country from the jab.

WHO, EMA backs AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca has been embroiled in controversy in Europe, with some governments initially even refusing to certify use for people aged over 65 despite scientific advice finding no reason for limits. Italy and Austria have also banned the use of shots from separate batches, while Bulgaria and Thailand have said that they would delay its rollout. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health had said in a separate statement that it decided to pause AstraZeneca vaccinations following the report of a death in Denmark as a result of a blood clot.

The EMA, on the other hand, has clarified that there was currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions, which are not listed as side effects with this vaccine...The vaccine's benefits continue to outweigh its risks and the vaccine can continue to be administered while an investigation of cases of thromboembolic events is ongoing. The World Health Organization (WHO) also said that there was no reason as of now for nations to suspend the use of AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine. UN health agency spokesperson Margaret Harris told the reporters that Yes, we should continue using the AstraZeneca vaccine and added, There is no indication to not use it.


A migrant worker rides a tricycle full of waste along a street in Shanghai, China on Feb. 18, 2003. (Liu Jin/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinas Victory Against Poverty Draws Skepticism

The Chinese communist regime has made much fanfare of its apparent success in lifting tens of millions of rural residents out of poverty.

But leaked internal documents obtained by The Epoch Times show that Beijings strategy is reliant in part on directing state-owned and private enterprises to buy a range of goods from Chinas poorest provincesan approach critics say will not bring about sustainable economic improvement for these regions.

In late February, Chinese Leader Xi Jinping gave a televised speech declaring that China had secured a complete victory by lifting 98.99 million rural residents out of poverty, after efforts by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over the last eight years. He called the achievement a miracle on earth.

The state-direct strategy to eliminate poverty was outlined in a document called the 2020 action plan released last March by the regimes state planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission.

The plan called on Chinas state-owned companies to continue to lead the effort in buying products made in poor areas of China. Private companies were urged to prioritize purchases of agricultural products from regions in China whose economies were badly hit by the pandemic.

Additionally, the Chinese military stationed in poor regions of China should expand their consumption of local products and services, according to the document.

Li Linyi, a current affairs commentator, told the Chinese-language Epoch Times that Chinas state-direct approach cannot really help impoverished people. He said that once Chinese authorities or Chinese state-owned companies decide to change their purchasing policies, nobody will be there to pick up the slack to buy goods from poor regions.

As a result, Chinese regions or people that were once lifted out of poverty will fall into financial hardship again, according to Li.

Li added that the victory declared by the CCP was merely a political show for Xi.

China sets its own standard of poverty as people who earn less than $2.30 per day, according to state-run media. That poverty line is lower than the standard set by the World Bank, which defines poverty as those earning $5.50 or less a day for upper-middle-income countries like China.

The World Bank wrote on its website that as of September 30, 2020, there were about 373 million Chinese living under the $5.50-a-day poverty linemore than a quarter of Chinas population.

An elderly woman pushes a cart along a street near the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 5, 2021. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

State-Directed Policy

One of the leaked internal documents was issued by the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) last April. The document called on its employees and offices to buy products from several poor counties in China, saying this was an instruction from Chinas State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

Several counties named in the document, including Zhenning and Guanling, were located in southwest Chinas Guizhou Province, one of the poorest provinces in China. The document said that the company planned to reach the goal of spending 2.5 million yuan (about $383,510) to buy products from Zhenning and 2 million yuan (about $306,840) from Guanling.

The document also listed specific products and their prices from these different counties. For instance, AVIC employees were asked to buy certain brands of rice, vegetable oil, tea, shampoo, tissues, among others, from Zhenning.

Finally, AVIC asked its regional offices and units to take the purchasing initiative seriously since eradicating poverty was at the top of the CCPs agenda. The initiative would end in September 2020.

In another leaked document dated June last year, the municipal government of Yantai, a city in eastern Chinas Shandong Province, urged the citys top officials to proactively mobilize local trade organizations and all sectors of society to purchase products made by poor regions in Shandong.

Critics have long asserted that China doesnt have a real private sector since the CCP controls every aspect of society and also embeds party cells in companies. In the fight against poverty, Chinas private sector, under instruction from the CCP, has made considerable contributions, according to an March 2020 article published on the website of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, a political advisory body.

Chinese authorities in Guizhou mobilized 5,595 private companies since 2015 to assist about 1.39 million impoverished locals, the article said. Together, the companies contributed 21.7 billion yuan (about $3.3. billion).

Chinas state-run media Xinhua, in an article published in August 2020, admitted problems associated with some of the products purchased from the poor region. An unnamed senior high school teacher said that none of his family liked the taste of the tea leaves he purchased.

Another unnamed company employee said that the agricultural products were more expensive than similar products sold on the market.

Pedestrians ignore the poor and elderly in a Beijing subway on Dec. 14, 2005. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

Problems

Chinas corruption problems, which has resulted in the downfall of many high-ranking CCP officials since Xi took power in 2012, have also plagued local officials taking part in the effort to help the poor.

Last month, the county government in Taihui, located in eastern Chinas Anhui Province, reported that 33 local officials were penalized for corruption such as embezzling government funds to assist the poor.

Similar corruption problems were revealed by the municipal government in Tonghua, a city in northeastern Chinas Jilin Province, when it reported in December that 10 officials were penalized without providing more details.

These corruption cases are hardly a recent phenomenon. In September 2017, Chinese authorities in Pingxiang, a city in southwestern Chinas Jiangxi Province, announced that 92 officials were penalized for corruption, among them 74 were given party discipline punishment and 7 were prosecuted at local judicial bodies.

Aside from corruption, Chinas campaign to reduce poverty was sometimes met with a lackadaisical effort by regional authorities.

In a 2019 leaked document obtained by The Epoch Times, Chinese authorities in Ongniud, a region in northern Chinas Inner Mongolia, described communication and other problems hampering efforts to help impoverished locals.

For instance, local officials only showed up at the homes of the poor bringing rice, noodles, cooking oil, and milk without offering real assistance. There were also instances of residents being completely unaware of local job assistance programs.

Li said the only way to solve Chinas poverty problems is to reform its political and economic systems, so that the countrys wealth is not concentrated among the CCP elites and some powerful business groups.
Citizens wait in line to enter Seoulland amusement park in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday, as the weather warmed up. Yonhap



By Bahk Eun-ji



Health authorities called on the public to be vigilant against COVID-19, as the number of infections is resurging while people are engaging in more outdoor activities amid mild spring weather.



They have asked the public to adhere to social distancing measures and personal hygiene, adding the third wave of the pandemic is still ongoing.



According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Monday, last week's reproduction rate was 1.07, meaning one person spread the virus to 1.07 people on average. This was up from 0.94 recorded a week earlier.



The rate is an index that indicates to how many people a single COVID-19 patient will infect on average. If this index is 1 or higher, it means the virus is spreading, and if it is less than 1, it means the spread of the virus is suppressed.



Other data has also indicated negative results for the quarantine efforts.



The average number of daily local infections was 428.3 last week, 56.6 higher than the previous week's average.









Furthermore, for 24.5 percent of new patients last week, the authorities have not been able to determine how, when and where they contracted the virus.



"There are still sufficient conditions for the virus to become active again in our daily lives if we don't keep tight reins on quarantine work," senior health official Sohn Young-rae said during a regular virus response press briefing at the Government Complex Seoul, Monday.



According to the KDCA, the nation reported 382 new COVID-19 cases for Sunday, which was a smaller number compared to the previous several days because the number of tests conducted is usually small on weekends.





A parking lot at Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul is packed with cars belonging to people who went out to enjoy outdoor activities amid the mild weather, Sunday. Yonhap



Amid the upward trend, the government announced its detailed vaccination plans for the second quarter of the year aiming at achieving herd immunity by November.



Until the end of this month, about 377,000 patients aged 65 or older and workers at nursing homes will be given the AstraZeneca vaccine, which the government had initially suspended for the elderly group due to insufficient data but decided recently to recommence administering.



Starting April 1, vaccinations for those aged 75 or older will begin as they are in a high-risk group that is more likely to develop other complications if infected with the virus. Those aged between 65 and 75 are expected to get shots starting June.



The vaccinations will begin in April for special education workers, and health workers or teachers at daycare centers, kindergartens and elementary schools. Ordinary teachers at daycare centers and kindergartens, as well as elementary school homeroom teachers for first and second graders, will also get vaccinated starting June.





Workers at nursing homes in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, wait in line to get COVID-19 vaccines at a vaccination center in the region, Monday. Yonhap
Cyprus green-lighted an independent investigation on Monday after police were accused of using excessive force against protesters, leaving one woman reportedly needing eye surgery.

Police used water cannon and tear gas in Nicosia on Saturday as hundreds held an initially peaceful protest against government corruption and coronavirus restrictions.

Attorney-General George Savvides gave the go-ahead Monday for an independent watchdog to appoint criminal investigators to probe accusations of police brutality, his office said in a statement.

Savvides would then rule on whether any prosecution is warranted, it added.

Several groups including left-wing activists and trade unions had called for the protest against official corruption, notably over a controversial "golden passport" scheme that was scrapped last year.

They also voiced anger over the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has battered the Cypriot economy and triggered stringent, ongoing lockdown restrictions.

As police moved to break up the demonstration, musician Anastasia Demetriadou was knocked to the ground by a water cannon and wounded in her eye, according to her social media.

"Police used a water cannon to attack me because I was dancing peacefully on the sidewalk. I have a serious eye injury and I need surgery, but I don't regret anything!" Demetriadou wrote on Facebook.

She also posted a picture of herself with a black eye.

An AFP journalist who witnessed the incident said Demetriadou had been dancing during the protest on a major avenue in central Nicosia.

She and other protestors were shouting and gesturing at the police but were not throwing anything when the water cannon hit her in the face, knocking her to the ground.

Seconds later, after fellow protesters dragged Demetriadou around a corner and out of range of the cannon, over 20 riot police charged to chase protestors down the street where she was lying.

- 'Held accountable' -

Police later told AFP that 10 people had been arrested for "public affray and causing a disturbance" during the protest, which was held in defiance of coronavirus restrictions.

The ensuing clashes sparked a public outcry on the Mediterranean island, with images widely shared on social media.

Police spokesperson Christos Andreou told the Cyprus News Agency that the watchdog's involvement would ensure an "objective and impartial" examination of Saturday's events.

Justice Minister Emily Yiolitis said the police had not been instructed to use force.

"Extreme behaviour has no place in the police and the investigation will be thorough. Officers found to have committed such acts will be held accountable," Yiolitis told reporters Monday.

"Yes, there is a ban on demonstrations, but this does not mean the police can respond with violence."

Alexandra Attalides, a former European Parliament press attache who attended the protest, told the Financial Mirror news website she believed police had been "there ready for a conflict, rather than being there to supervise the event and keep the peace".

The police said water cannon was used after protesters started "throwing stones and other objects" at officers.

An AFP journalist saw dozens of riot police and the water cannon deployed from near the beginning of the initially peaceful protest, where children and disabled people were present.

Some protestors later threw oranges and water bottles after being forced down a side street by police.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  A Florida man spat on a security officer at Walt Disney World after she asked him to put on a mask, according to an arrest report released Monday.

Kelly McKin, 51, of North Palm Beach, Florida, is facing a charge of battery on a uniformed security officer following the encounter last month, the arrest report said.

McKin was outside Disney's Contemporary Resort when Disney World security officer Kristen Goldstein asked him to put on a mask while he was at the property. McKin told her he would once he was inside the building. When Goldstein told him Disney's policy required masks to be worn at all times, McKin told her to leave him alone and spat on her before walking into the resort, the report said.

The security officer wasn't directly hit, but some saliva did get on her forehead, the report said.

Security cameras caught an image of McKin and a bulletin was issued for him. McKin was stopped the next day after a Disney worker recognized him, according to the report.

Under questioning by a sheriff's deputy, he denied spitting at Goldstein. He said he had talked with the security officer about the mask policy and promised to put his mask on once he entered the building, and that was the end of their interaction.

I asked Kelly if he spat on Kristen or if he spat in the general direction of Kristen, and he replied he did not, and was adamant he did not spit on her," Orange County Sheriff's deputy Patrick Strawn wrote in the report.

McKin was told not to return to Disney World. No one on Monday answered a phone number listed for him in the arrest report.

Related video: Mask confrontation at Illinois Costco
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is to hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to consider its next move after several EU nations suspended their rollouts of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

The regulator said Monday it was reviewing data on reports of blood-clotting incidents potentially related to the AstraZeneca jab. Authorities have reported one death each in Denmark and Austria related to blood-clotting in people who had received injections from one batch of a million AstraZeneca doses distributed across 17 European nations.

In Italy, prosecutors in the north of the country have opened a manslaughter investigation after the death of a man over the weekend who reportedly passed away hours after receiving a dose of the vaccine.

The EMA said it was looking at blood-clotting as well as reports of unusual features, such as low platelet numbers reported in a small number of recipients of the AstraZeneca jab, adding the rate of clotting incidents did not appear to be higher than that seen in the general population.

The regulator said its safety committee would be looking at data on Tuesday, with an extraordinary meeting of the EMA to be held on Thursday to decide on a course of action. It said that while its investigation is ongoing, it currently remains of the view that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing Covid-19, with its associated risk of hospitalization and death, outweigh the risks of side effects.

On Monday, Austrias Health Minister Rudolf Anschober confirmed he had accepted the resignation of the countrys senior official in charge of Covid-19 vaccine over failures in the program. The departure of Clemens Auer came as Chancellor Sebastian Kurz accused the EU of a lack of transparency in the vaccine distribution process.
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1. Waze Sent To 12 Days Police Custody

Live Law

A special NIA court remanded assistant police inspector Sachin Waze in police custody for 12 days on Sunday, a day after his late-night arrest in connection with the parking of an explosive-laden Scorpio near industrialist Mukesh Ambanis residence in south Mumbai on February 25, as per TOI.

2. 16,000 COVID Cases In Maha In 1 Day

EPS

Maharashtra recorded this year's highest one-day spike of 16,620 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, which pushed its overall caseload to 23,14,413, while 50 deaths pushed the toll to 52,861, the health department said, as per PTI.

3. At Least 39 Reported Killed In Myanmar As Chinese Factories Burn

EPS

Security forces killed at least 22 anti-coup protesters in the poor, industrial Hlaingthaya suburb of Myanmar's main city on Sunday after Chinese-financed factories were set ablaze there, an advocacy group said, according to Reuters.

4. USA Designates 5 Chinese Companies As Security Threats

AP

In light of the worsening relations between the United States and China, Washington has labeled Chinese tech companies, including Huawei, as national security threats, according to ANI.
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.
Armenia economic competition protection commission: Experts forecast inflation of butter prices

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Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

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Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

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ALEPPO  The water level of the Euphrates River in Syrias northern province of Raqqa has decreased dramatically over the past few weeks. Should the river's water flow continue as it is now, economic activities  and particularly agriculture  in Raqqa and other Syrian areas that the river crosses through will be harmed.

On March 2, the General Administration of Dams in Northeast Syria, affiliated with the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, issued a statement accusing Turkey of cutting water sources that flow into the Euphrates. Since the end of January the average water flow quantity became less than a quarter of the quantity agreed upon according to the agreement signed between the upstream and the downstream countries that share the riverbed. This is a very low quantity that does not meet the operating and investment requirements for such a period of the year.

It continued, The aforementioned has coincided with the onset of the irrigation season where the quantities of water consumed to meet irrigation needs reach a peak. This also contributed to another decrease in the levels of the three dam lakes. On Feb. 27, the level of Tishrin [Dams] lake reached 320.7 cubic meters, and the level of the Euphrates [Dams] lake reached 301.7 cubic meters. These quantities [are very low] compared to the same period in previous years.

On March 4, the deputy of the co-president of the Local Administration Committee and Environment Committee in the Autonomous Administration, Hevin Sheikho, warned of an exacerbation of the living crisis and of environmental disasters in the areas of northeastern Syria if Turkey continues to reduce the water level of the Euphrates River.

In her statement carried by Hawar News close to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Sheikho added, Turkey is using water as a pressure card against the Autonomous Administration areas.

Turkey, for its part, did not comment on the Kurdish accusations.

Yet some question Ankara's role in the decrease, given the periodic drops in water level and the ongoing rivalry between the Kurdish administration and Turkey. An employee working at the Euphrates Dam in Raqqa told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, This is not the first time that the water level of the Euphrates River has decreased. This has happened repeatedly during the past years, even in the years before the Syrian revolution. The reasons and factors behind the water level drop vary. Sometimes Turkey would reduce the flow quantity for a temporary period in order to fill its own dams. At other times, quantities drop due to the lack of rain and snow.

The source claimed the SDF is trying to exploit this issue to disparage Turkey. The SDFs talk about the negative effects that the decrease in the river water level will have on the various economic sectors is exaggerated. The reality is different. The rivers water level drops for a few weeks every year and then goes back to its natural flow and rate. This does not significantly affect agriculture, fishing and other vital and environmental sectors, as the Autonomous Administration claims.

The Kurdish-led administration has previously accused Turkey and its rebel allies of cutting off service at the Alok pumping station in Ras al-Ain multiple times.

The Euphrates River is the longest river in Southwest Asia with a total length of 2,800 kilometers (1,740 miles), thus its importance to Turkey, Syria and Iraq. But the river has been suffering recent periodic water level drops. The SDF blames the Turkish government for the drops, but these accusations have yet to be proven.

Yahya al-Sayed Omar, a political economy researcher, told Al-Monitor, In the past the Euphrates River was at the heart of political tensions between Turkey, Syria and Iraq. Water rights between the three countries were regulated 1987, according to an agreement in which Turkey pledged that Syria would receive a minimum of 500 cubic meters per second. But in recent years, Syria's share of water has plummeted.

Omar said, The SDF claims the Turkish government is deliberately lowering the Euphrates water level in order to pressure it politically. It also claims that the Euphrates incoming water flow is not exceeding 200 cubic meters, which has economic and humanitarian consequences on civilians in its areas of control. Such consequences also affect the SDF as a de facto government, given that its areas depend on agriculture to a large extent.

Before determining who is responsible for the drop in the Euphrates water level, it is necessary to assess the water scarcity situation, he said, adding, No one can deny the fact that the Euphrates water level was affected, but has it actually decreased to 200 cubic meters per second as the SDF claims?

Omar believes only an impartial party needs to assess how much the water level has dropped.

Several reports, some of them official, indicated that Turkey is having the worst rainy season in decades. Some Turkish states have witnessed the worst drought in a hundred years. One may say that the water situation in Turkey is not in its best condition. The Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration stated that water levels in the city dams dropped by 24%. Although the capital [Istanbul] is far from the Euphrates sources, this rate reflects the current water and rain situation in Turkey, showing that it is also suffering from water scarcity, he added.

Omar believes the SDF is trying to politically exploit the issue of the Euphrates water level drop. Instead of seeking to alleviate the severity of the crisis, the SDF is making it worse, he said.

Omar concluded, During the Euphrates water scarcity crisis in the summer of 2020, the SDF stopped pumping drinking water to civilians in Raqqa under the pretext of declining water levels of the Euphrates River and dams. Drinking water in Raqqa, however, comes from artesian wells and not from the dams. The SDF tried to deprive civilians of drinking water when the drop of the Euphrates water level had no direct effect on drinking water. It aimed to pressure Turkey from a humanitarian aspect and to portray it as depriving civilians of drinking water.
Coco Stedman and Cameron Dunne took their affair to the next level on Sunday's episode of Married At First Sight when they shared a passionate kiss.

But after ending their marriages at the commitment ceremony, Daily Mail Australia can reveal Coco and Cameron have decided not to pursue their romance.

The Pilates instructor, 30, and crane operator, 32, all but confirmed they'd called it quits when they arrived separately for the show's reunion in Sydney last month.

Married At First Sight SPOILER: Daily Mail Australia can reveal Coco Stedman (left) and Cameron Dunne (right) have decided not to pursue their romance after having an affair on the show. They were spotted arriving for the cast reunion in Sydney separately last month

Steamy: The pair took their affair to the next level on Sunday's episode of Married At First Sight when they shared a passionate kiss, but they haven't gone the distance

Meanwhile, a well-placed insider said that after leaving the experiment in October, Cameron decided that Coco wasn't the right fit for him.

'Cam moved back to the Gold Coast and they spoke a few times before Christmas, but he wasn't keen to pursue anything,' the source said.

He apparently 'ghosted' Coco, and their short-lived romance will be discussed at the cast reunion when it airs in a few weeks' time.

Not a match! A well-placed insider said that after leaving the experiment in October, Cameron decided that Coco wasn't the right fit for him

Done and dusted: 'Cam moved back to the Gold Coast and they spoke a few times before Christmas, but he wasn't keen to pursue anything,' the source said

During Daily Mail Australia's stakeout of the MAFS reunion last month, Coco and Cam arrived separately and kept their distance.

Cam arrived with Russell Duance, who also quit the experiment on Sunday night.

The two men were joined by James Susler, who is 'married' to Joanne Todd, fuelling speculation he will also leave the show early.

Is everything okay? Cameron appeared stressed as he arrived for the cast reunion

Three's company! Cam arrived with Russell Duance (left), who also quit the experiment on Sunday night, and James Susler (centre)

It comes after Cameron admitted on Sunday night's episode that there was 'obviously a connection' between him and Coco.

'It's hard to ignore and it's probably not the right thing to be doing, but it's hard to ignore that,' he said. 'Feelings are feelings but I don't know where it goes from here.'

Married At First Sight continues on Monday at 7.30pm on Nine
Dallas School District Considering Renaming 3 Schools Over Namesakes Connection to Confederacy

Three schools in Dallas, Texas, will likely have their names changed later this month because of their connections to the Confederacy.

Dallas Independent School District (DISD) officials are proposing to rename John Ireland Elementary, Sidney Lanier Expressive Arts Vanguard, and John H. Reagan Elementary, in which all namesakes had served the Confederate cause during the Civil War.

Ireland led the Confederate troops before becoming governor of Texas in 1883. Under the DISD proposal, the Ireland Elementary would be renamed after Sylvia Mendez, a civil rights activist whose 1946 court case helped end segregation in Californias schools and pave the way for Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark Supreme Court decision ruled that racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional.

Reagan was a Confederate postmaster general and served as the Confederate secretary of the Treasury. The DISD proposal would rename Reagan Elementary to Bishop Arts STEAM Academy.

Lanier, a poet and Confederate army volunteer, would be dropped in favor of Jesus Moroles, a sculptor and a National Medal of Arts recipient who grew up attending DISD schools, including Lanier Elementary, according to the district.

The move is part of the districts November 2020 plan (pdf) to advance racial, socio-economic, and educational equity in the aftermath of widespread Black Lives Matter protests.

We are committed to understanding and valuing history as it affects our institutional viability and vitality, the districts equity plan reads. We recognize that the history of the community we serve includes intentional decisions that have led to racial and economic segregation that produced major inequalities that persist to this day.

The DISDs effort to purge the Confederate legacies came as early as 2018, when the names of Stonewall Jackson, William L. Cabell, Albert Sidney Johnston, and Robert E. Lee were removed from schools, causing local backlash at that time.

In a similar move, Californias San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) in January approved a decision to start replacing names of schools named after historical figures who engaged in the subjugation and enslavement of human beings; or who oppressed women, inhibiting societal progress; or whose actions led to genocide; or who otherwise significantly diminished the opportunities of those amongst us to the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The namesakes to be dropped, in addition to U.S. Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt, include two-time Secretary of State Daniel Webster, Spanish missionary Junipero Serra, American Revolution patriot Paul Revere, and Francis Scott Key, the author of the lyrics for The Star Spangled Banner.

Following local and national pushback, the SFUSD announced in February that it will halt the renaming process and instead, focus on reopening those schools for in-person learning.
Banking Services To Be Hit as Employees Go on 2-day Strike from Monday

Banking services are likely to be affected across the country as lakhs of bank employees went on a two-day strike from Monday protesting the privatisation of two public sector banks and 'retrograde' banking reforms.

About one million bank employees and officers are to participate in the strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions, an umbrella body of nine associations and groups.

The strike had been called after the conciliation meeting held between the bank unions and the Union finance ministry on 4th, 9th and 10th March failed. Bank unions have been asking government to reconsider its decision of privatise the government banks, which may also lead to job losses.

In the Union Budget presented last month, finance minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman announced the privatisation of two public sector banks (PSBs) as part of its disinvestment plan.

The government has already privatised IDBI Bank by selling its majority stake in the lender to LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India) in 2019 and merged 14 PSBs in the past four years.

In the early hours of the strike call, banking operations in several branches of PSBs seemed completely affected. The services impacted include deposits and withdrawals at branches, loan approvals and cheque clearance. However, several ATMs continue to function normally.

Most of the banks, including the State Bank of India (SBI), have informed their customers that its normal services may be impacted at offices and branches but they were taking steps to ensure smooth functioning of certain other services.

While functioning of PSBs is affected, services at private banks like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and IndusInd Bank remain unaffected by the strike. An HDFC bank official said no major impact of the strike on their operations. Private banks fear that their operations may also be impacted of striking unions push for closure at some of their branches.

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
NGT forms 5-member panel to investigate on violation of environmental norms by JSW

Sachin Vaze remanded to NIA custody: What we know about the case so far

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 15: A special court of the National Investigation Agency remanded assistant police inspector tor Sachin Vaze to custody until March 25, following his arrest by the central agency on Saturday.

The NIA arrested Vaze for his alleged role in planting explosives in a vehicle which was found outside the house of Mukesh Ambani. Vaze is also under investigation for his alleged role in the suspicious death of businessman Mansukh Hiran.

Vaze had denied that he was using the Scorpio which was in possession of Mansukh Hiran, a senior Maharashtra Anti- Terrorism Squad (ATS) official said on Thursday.

The ATS, which is probing Hiran's mysterious death, recorded Vaze's statement earlier this week, he said.

Ambani bomb threat case: NIA arrests Sachin Vaze

Hiran's wife had claimed that her husband had given the SUV to Vaze in November, which the Mumbai crime branch officer returned in the first week of February.

On February 25, the SUV was found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house in south Mumbai with explosives and a threat letter inside. Hiran had claimed that it had been stolen a week earlier, but the case got murky when he was found dead in a creek in Thane on March 5.

Vaze, accused by Hiran's wife of involvement in her husband's suspicious death, was shunted out of the Mumbai crime branch on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the investigators have yet to trace the Innova car in which the man who parked the Scorpio near Ambani's house is seen leaving the spot in CCTV footage, another official said.

Vaze was on Friday transferred from the crime intelligence unit to the special branch. Teams of the ATS and NIA, which has taken over the probe have almost identified Hiran's last location from where he disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

Grammys 2021: Beyonce breaks record for most Grammy wins for a female artist | Oneindia News

The agencies found a face mask and several handkerchiefs on Hiren's face when his body was pulled out of creek in Thane.
"Our core belief at Signet is that Love Inspires Love. Signet's Purpose - Inspiring Love - infuses our work with meaning, and is a standard of responsibility to which we hold ourselves accountable. It extends beyond our walls to our industry and our stakeholders across the globe," said Signet Jewelers CEO Virginia C. Drosos. "It's with that deeply held belief in mind that we are proudly joining the UN Global Compact initiative as a way to further demonstrate that the actions of our company align with our purpose and values. Signet employees in every part of our business are inspired by the opportunity to be the change we want to see the world, and it is on their behalf that we step up in visible support of human and labor rights, sustainability and anti-corruption practices."

We are now accelerating our long-standing Corporate Social Responsibility strategy with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives, including recent highlights:

For the third-consecutive year, the Bloomberg  Gender Equality Index included Signet, the only specialty retail jeweler to earn that distinction.

Gender Equality Index included Signet, the only specialty retail jeweler to earn that distinction. Signet recently announced it is raising its minimum wage to $15 /hour for all U.S. employees by 2022. It also provided Love Takes Care Appreciation Awards to full-time and part-time U.S. employees serving customers in stores as they reopened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

/hour for all U.S. employees by 2022. It also provided Love Takes Care Appreciation Awards to full-time and part-time U.S. employees serving customers in stores as they reopened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Signet joined the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Alliance.

Signet deepened its commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by adding two new Directors to its Board, increasing the Board's representation of women and persons of color to 59% percent.

Signet became Great Place to Work-Certified, as a result of the company's commitment to its employees.

"Joining the UN Global Compact further expresses our commitment to our multi-year strategy to drive business awareness and action in support of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030," said Eugenia Ulasewicz, Chair of Signet's Board-level Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability Committee. "I'm proud of Signet's sustainability progress, such as with our renowned responsible sourcing practices which span more than two decades, and I look forward to helping expand our societal impact even further."

The Company's sustainability journey began before 2000, with more than two decades of Signet playing an instrumental role in helping establish international responsible sourcing trade associations, such as the World Diamond Council, the industry arm of the Kimberley Process, an ongoing commitment to remove conflict diamonds from the global supply chain. The Company is also a Founding and Certified Member, and current Chair of the Responsible Jewellery Council, while providing support to the Diamond Development Initiative, and Diamonds Do Good.

In 2011, Signet was named to the Organization for Economic Cooperative Development (OECD) Conflict Minerals Working Group. And Signet's Responsible Sourcing Protocol has been in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights since 2011. With that work, Signet has led hundreds of suppliers in implementing the UN Guiding Principles for more than a decade, and in line with OECD Due Diligence Guidance since 2016.

About Signet Jewelers

Signet Jewelers Limited is the world's largest retailer of diamond jewelry. As a purpose-driven and sustainability-focused company, Signet is a participant of the United Nations Global Compact and adheres to its principles-based approach to responsible business. Signet is a Best Places to Work certified  company and has been named to the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index for three consecutive years. Signet operates approximately 2,900 stores primarily under the name brands of Kay Jewelers, Zales, Jared, H.Samuel, Ernest Jones, Peoples, Piercing Pagoda, and JamesAllen.com as well as digital marketplaces under the URLs www.kay.com, www.zales.com, www.jared.com, www.hsamuel.co.uk, www.ernestjones.co.uk, www.peoplesjewellers.com, www.pagoda.com, and www.jamesallen.com.

For more information, contact:

David Bouffard, Signet Jewelers

[email protected]

SOURCE Signet Jewelers Ltd.
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A firefighter prepares a vaccination against COVID-19 at the Gymnase Le Moulin in Cergy, a northwestern suburbs of Paris, France, on March 13, 2021. (Martin Bureau/AFP via Getty Images)

AstraZeneca Vaccine Suspended by Germany, France, Italy, Spain Over Precautions

AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccinations were halted by France, Italy, Spain, and Germany due to precautions, officials said Monday, as Italian officials seized thousands of doses of the medicine in a northern province after a man died. The UK company and EU regulators have previously said there is no evidence that the vaccine is to blame for reported blood clots and alleged deaths.

The decision has been made  to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine as a precaution, hoping that we can resume its use quickly if the judgment of the EMA [European Medicines Agency] allows it, French President Emmanuel Macron said at a press conference on Monday.

Germanys government said Monday that it will also suspend the use of the AstraZeneca shot after reports of dangerous blood clots emerging in connection with the vaccine. Some reports said recipients of the vaccine have fallen ill.

After new reports of thromboses of the cerebral veins in connection with the vaccination in Germany and Europe, the PEI considers further investigations to be necessary, said the German Ministry of Health Monday. The European Medicines Agency will decide whether and how the new findings will affect the approval of the vaccine, it added, according to news reports.

The Italian medicines authority AIFA, meanwhile, confirmed it would suspend the vaccine as a precautionary and temporary measure ahead of the EMAs ruling. Italian prosecutors on Monday announced they seized thousands of doses of the vaccine in the northern province of Piedmont after a man died hours after he received the vaccine, Reuters reported.

The man was identified as 57-year-old Sandro Tognatti, a music teacher who fell ill and died in circumstances that are unclear, officials told the news agency. Officials in Italys Sicily ordered a separate batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine be seized after two deaths were reported.

It is therefore important to ensure that continued administration of the drug throughout the country does not lead to further consequences (harmful or fatal)  until we are completely sure that (Tognattis) death cannot be attributed to the above-mentioned inoculation, prosecutor Teresa Angela Camelio said in a statement Monday.

In a statement to The Epoch Times, AstraZeneca said that the safety of all is our first priority.

We are working with national health authorities and European officials and look forward to their assessment later this week. Around 17 million people in the EU and UK have now received our vaccine, and the number of cases of blood clots reported in this group is lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected among the general population, it read.

But also on Monday, Spains Health Minister Carolina Dias announced that the country will stop administering the shot for two weeks. Dias also announced it would be a precautionary and temporary measure.

Spanish officials have said theyve only been giving the AstraZeneca vaccine to people under the age of 55.

AstraZeneca has said there have been 37 reports of blood clots out of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the 27-country European Union and Britain. The drugmaker said there is no evidence the vaccine carries an increased risk of clots.

Many thousands of people develop blood clots annually in the EU for different reasons, the EMA has said. The incidence in vaccinated people seems not to be higher than that seen in the general population.

In Europe, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Romania, Luxembourg, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, and Iceland had previously suspended usage of the vaccine. Outside of Europe, Thailand, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Indonesia have suspended it. Denmarks Medicines Agency also said that a 60-year-old woman died after receiving the shot

Polish Health Minister Adam Niedzielski on Monday warned that Poland would hold off on a decision to approve the vaccine.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The campaign aims to correct stereotypes and misrepresentation of Latinas by featuring exceptional Hispanic women who are leading the way in a broad range of fields. It highlights the superpower that is at the core of their success and invites all Latinas to reflect on what is their own superpower.

Recognition of the extraordinary contributions of Latinas to the US Economy and American culture is long overdue. Latinas start businesses 6 times faster than any other segment of the US population, and they hold the top spot in virtually all social channels.

On March 31st, Claudia Romo Edelman, creator of the Hispanic Star, will host a panel with a selection of the remarkable Latinas that were featured in the campaign to explore how to accelerate the achievements of Latinas as a whole. Breaking down the barriers such as the Latina pay gap and access to higher education, will not only benefit Latinas, it will benefit everyone in America. "It is hard to believe that Latinas are paid 47% less than non-Hispanic men for the same job," said Claudia Romo Edelman. "Our Latina Superpower campaign does more than advocate for equality. It shines a spotlight on the amazing contribution of Latinas to the progress of our country."

Hispanic Star is proud to be partnering with Goya to make this effort supporting Latinas possible. Goya has been a champion of Latinas for 85 years and has consistently helped bring Hispanic families together.

For more information and to review the complete list of these amazing women, go to http://goya.com/85years

About Hispanic Star

The Hispanic Star is a national collective effort to unify and advance the Hispanic community. It is the largest network of its kind, combining corporate leadership and community organizations at the national and local level to accelerate the upward mobility of Hispanics. At its core, the Hispanic Star is founded on the simple premise that what is good is for Hispanics is good for America. For more information, visit www.hispanicstar.org and We Are All Human.

About GOYA

Founded in 1936, Goya Foods, Inc. is America's largest Hispanic-owned food company, and has established itself as the leader in Latin American food and condiments. Goya manufactures, packages, and distributes over 2,500 high-quality food products from Spain, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America. Goya products have their roots in the culinary traditions of Hispanic communities around the world. The combination of authentic ingredients, robust seasonings and convenient preparation makes Goya products ideal for every taste and every table. For more information on Goya Foods, please visit www.goya.com.

Media Contacts

Marisa Garcia de Celis

[email protected]

Natalie Maniscalco

[email protected]

SOURCE We Are All Human
Jay Robinson and the Robinson Team were awarded Keller Williams top accolades at the companys annual meeting held in Miami. The team was named #1 Luxury Agent (in sales above $800,000) across the company with $63,469,000 in 2020. They were also named #1 in Tennessee. The team had $146,104,316 in sales last year and celebrated being named #2 across the southeast.

Mr. Robinson has stacked up an enviable track record over his three-decade career with over $1.2 billion in sales. He notes that the success his team enjoys comes from a very simple, yet effective approach. With decades of experience and no employee turnover, the team has knowledge of the market and prices properties appropriately. They stage the property to sell and follow up throughout the process to make sure their clients get the best price for their homes. The strategy has worked well for over three decades; however, in todays climate, it becomes even more important, said officials.

Mr. Robinson said, In real estate, there are generally buyers or sellers markets; however, thats not the case today where we are seeing both. Our reputation has been built on knowledge of the markets, experience and getting the best price for our buyers and sellers. Any realtor offering to buy a home as is or offering to purchase a home warranty is taking an unnecessary action in todays market and is leaving cash on the table. Theres just no need to buy into gimmicks.

Mr. Robinsons team of a dozen real estate professionals works throughout the Chattanooga market and into northwest Georgia and northern Alabama. While their market continues to grow, so does their base of clients. The Robinson Team is now working with third and fourth generations of clients.

Mr. Robinson explains that many of these clients come from transactions that have had challenges. Were problem solvers. Its at the heart of all we do. Anyone thinking that buying or selling a home or property without a glitch happening will be greatly surprised when the unexpected happens. Because of the experience of our team, situations like this is where we do our best work.

Mr. Robinson noted that the current market provides additional challenges. Last year at this time, there were over 2,000 properties on the market in Hamilton County. Today, there are less than 500. This means that representatives for buyers and sellers have to be at the top of their game to get the best outcome for their clients. We are honored by the accolades we received at the recent conference; however, we are energized to do even more for those we represent in 2021. This year will be an interesting one and we are uniquely positioned to meet client needs on either end of a transaction.






Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 79F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies with periods of rain late. Low 61F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
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With both Pt Fortin hospitals now converted to Covid-19-only facilities and no 24-hour accident and emergency service, Kay Arjoon was yesterday forced to deliver her nephew while parked on the Otaheite roadside.

Arjoon, 37, her nine-month-pregnant sister-in-law, Christene, 34, and brother Ricardo, had driven from Cap-de-Ville in Point Fortin in an attempt to reach the San Fernando General Hospital before delivery.
There are many aspects to American Rescue Act, the massive relief bill signed by President Biden, that will be debated until the last gong of eternity.

But count this among the reasons he had to go big: One year into the pandemic, food insecurity has soared, with 42 million Americans expected to experience it in 2021, according to Feeding America, the non-profit colossus.

That includes 13 million children  or 1 in 6  that will go hungry. There are 365,000 food-insecure kids in New Jersey alone.

So it is reassuring that the stimulus bill took some aggressive steps toward reducing food insecurity and child poverty, but there are miles to go before we adequately address the linchpin of this countrys moral frailty.

What this pandemic has done is clear: It has highlighted dysfunctions and disparities, says Adele LaTourette of Hunger Free New Jersey. We dont really anticipate food insecurity decreasing too dramatically in the near future, and over the next few years, it will remain fairly consistent.

So we need to focus on this moment as a reset. This boost is important, a great start. But the fact that there has been recognition about the problem of hunger in our nation makes it possible to see what is possible.

Count us in, particularly with solutions that will help children. For example, the bill provides an additional $880 million for SNAP  a 15-percent boost for the food stamp program, which will run through Sept. 30. That translates to $28 per person per month  not an insignificant increase for a struggling family of four  but it leaves one question: Why not make the increase permanent, or at least tie it to the health of the economy?

We know SNAP works, says Shelley Skinner, the executive director of the Better Education Institute. Its good for people, good for families, good for the local economy. That is one policy that obviously needs to be permanent.

Who says so? Moodys says so. For every $1 spent on SNAP benefits, it generates $1.70 in economic activity. It is one of the most efficient and effective policy programs that our government runs, and it has lifted millions out of poverty.

In our state, 64 percent of SNAP participants are in families with children.

Food banks throughout NJ need as much help as they can get right now as they work to feed the many residents who have been affected by #COVID19. If you are able, please donate to one of the food banks providing critical support to our community members. https://t.co/AgOqkvmnjc  Speaker Craig Coughlin (@SpeakerCoughlin) May 18, 2020

Then theres the Pandemic-Electronic Benefits Transfer program (P-EBT), which replaces the value of school meals that were missed when schools were closed just by adding money to the familys EBT card. It reduced very low food security among children by 30 percent.

Biden had already increased the benefit amount that was capped at $5.86 per child per day by 15 percent. Now, he will stretch the program beyond September, until the end of the pandemic itself.

LaTourette suggests that P-EBT replace the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), the fed-funded, state-administered program that is extremely cumbersome for program sponsors, and they frequently lose money.

By replacing the SFSP with a P-EBT card, You guarantee getting kids food in the summer, to replace the meals lost when school ends, she explains.

Fortunately, this President seems open to anything, and hes in a hurry to get there. On his second day in office, Biden said that we cannot, will not, let people go hungry, and he has been as good as his word.

During that first week, he alleviated two problems with by signing one executive order: He increased the federal cost share of FEMAs emergency food assistance, which funds struggling restaurants and nonprofits, so that they could prepare and distribute meals to needy populations. With one magnificent stroke, he fed families and he put people back to work.

And the American Rescue Act is a historic push forward.

But lets stay focused on eradicating child hunger, because we know the consequences. It leads to poor health, stunted development, behavioral issues, and poor academic performance.

Or consider this: The National Academy of Sciences found that childhood poverty costs the US between $800 billion and $1.1 trillion annually, because it decimates lifetime earnings and escalates illness, homelessness, child abuse, and crime.

Fixing this problem -- now -- not only a moral imperative, it is a reflection of our national soul. As Nelson Mandela put it, there is no keener revelation of a societys soul than the way in which it treats its children. This is our chance to prove we get it.

We can do better New Jersey. Thousands of our children are at risk of hunger and food insecurity. @SpeakerCoughlin @NJSenatePres @GovMurphy @emv52 https://t.co/9XtO1f1VUv  Adele H LaTourette, (@AdeleHLaTourett) July 5, 2020

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'Metro Man' Sreedharan launches campaign in Kerala, says BJP fighting polls on development plank

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Palakkad (Ker), Mar 15: Launching his campaign, BJP candidate in Palakkad ''Metro Man'' E Sreedharan on Monday said the party is fighting the elections on the plank of development and reasserted his claim that the NDA will form the government in Kerala after the April 6 Assembly polls.

He attacked the state''s ruling LDF, alleging that it was a government hit by corruption, scandals and nepotism.

"The (CPI(M)-led) government was not keen on the development of the state. Its main focus was upliftment of the party," said the 88-year old technocrat, a day after his name was officially declared as the BJP''s candidate for Palakkad Assembly constituency.

Taking a dig at Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Sreedharan said, "he is a good chief minister for his party but not for the state."

Sreedharan alleged that the LDF government did nothing for the development of the state during its five-year rule.

He said the CPI(M)-led government did not take any steps for the implementation of NilamburNanjangud line to create a broad gauge rail connection from the town of Nanjangud in Karnataka to Nilambur in Kerala.

Taj Mahal to be renamed as Ram Mahal: BJP MLA Surendra Singh

Nothing has been done to implement a railway line between Guruvayur and Thirunavaya despite getting sanction, he added.

The government stopped the preliminary works of light metro projects for ensuring improved transports systems in the cities of Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram.

He expressed hope that the BJP-led NDA will win the Assembly polls and a government will be formed under his leadership.

Sreedharan said if elected, he would try to regain the lost glory of Palakkad district in rice production.

"Once upon a time Palakkad was the largest producer of paddy, popularly called ''Nellara (the rice bowl of the state). Those days have gone by a long time back. That lost glory will be regained," Sreedharan told a news channel.

He lamented that Palakkad lacks basic facilities needed for a town.

Grammys 2021: Beyonce breaks record for most Grammy wins for a female artist | Oneindia News

"There are no good higher education facilities in Palakkad barring Victoria College. Improved higher education facilities are required in Palakkad," said Sreedharan who made a surprise entry into politics through the BJP last month.

Sitting MLA Shafi Parambil of the Congress and CPI(M)''s C P Pramod are his main rivals in the election.
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She turned 36 last month.

And Jodi Gordon has shared images from her birthday bash, which took place on a chartered yacht in Sydney Harbour.

The former Neighbours star flaunted her fabulous figure in a sheet polka-dot dress for the celebrations.

High seas: Jodi Gordon has shared images from her 36th birthday party, which took place on a chartered yacht in Sydney Harbour

The ex-wife of retired NRL player Braith Anasta wore her brunette hair pulled back from her fine features in a low ponytail.

The mother of one went barefoot as she posed with guests and blew out candles on a cake in photos posted to her Instagram account.

She captioned the gallery: 'The most beautiful night out on the harbour with friends and family to celebrate 36! So grateful for every one of you.'

Still got it! The former Neighbours star flaunted her fabulous figure in a sheet polka-dot dress for the celebrations

Making a wish: The ex-wife of retired NRL player Braith Anasta wore her brunette hair pulled back from her fine features in a low ponytail

Not pictured was Jodi's boyfriend, banker Sebastian Blackler.

Jodi shares daughter Aleeia with her ex-husband, former NRL premiership winner Braith.

They married in 2012, welcomed their daughter in 2014, and separated a year later.

Jodi, who previously played Elly Conway on Neighbours, went Instagram official with new beau Sebastian on November 21 last year.
Johnson & Johnson, which has developed a vaccine for Covid-19, is one of several US pharma companies with an Irish base. Photo: Reuters/Shannon Stapleton

Even amid the pandemic, the business relationship between Ireland and the United States has gone from strength to strength.

Last week, Tanaiste Leo Varadlar launched the American Chambers 2021 US-Ireland Business Report, which shows an increase in the number of US companies operating in Ireland over the last decade.

The figure now stands at over 800, and shows an increase in the numbers employed here by US companies to 180,000, up from 100,000 a decade ago.

Today, Ireland is home to the worlds top five global software companies, 14 of the globes 15 top med-tech companies and all the top pharma companies.

One-fifth of Covid-19 related products are made here. This is even more remarkable considering how decades ago, Ireland had legislation on the statute books to actively stymie the foreign control of manufacturing in the country.

Thankfully, attitudes towards foreign direct investment (FDI) have changed since then, as Ireland opened itself to the world.

We are fortunate to have strong economic diplomats in our state agencies.

IDA Ireland won 246 new investments and 20,123 new jobs in 2020  and 52pc of these projects went to the regions outside Dublin. 94pc of American Chamber members surveyed recently said their corporate headquarters had a positive view of Ireland as a place for future investment.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Ireland has risen to become the ninth largest source of FDI in the US. Enterprise Ireland-supported companies sent 4.31bn in goods and services to the US market in 2019 and there are now 110,000 employees of Irish companies across all 50 states. In fact, more than 650 Irish firms now have a US base.

Joseph Quinlan, a Wall Street Economist, writing in the report, says Ireland will continue to lead the way when it comes to attracting the capital of some of the worlds most innovative companies.

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He points to the fact that, according to gures from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Irelands share of US investment stock in Europe has doubled since the start of the millennium. In 2019, the figure stood at 9.9pc.

According to the latest gures from the United Nations, Ireland was one of the few countries in the world to register a rise in FDI inows during the rst half of 2020. Ireland serves as a key access hub for a market that is on par with the size of Americas economy and more than Chinas total output.

Commentators often ask what will drive inward investment to Ireland in the years ahead. The answer, I believe, is our people.

As firms scan the world for the best places to serve customers, nd innovation and secure a return on investment, the major issue corporate leaders face is access to talent.

We are entering a post-Covid-19 economy where the future of work and the ability of a person to work from almost anywhere are significant concerns.

This year, the American Chamber is asking Government to place a special emphasis on benchmarking Irelands attractiveness for international talent in this new, competitive environment.

How does Ireland compare on residential accommodation costs? Where does Ireland sit against competitors on business red tape, personal taxation and the ease of navigating the visa and permits system?

Undertaking this exercise will help us understand the gaps we need to close to maintain our strong reputation.

We must also keep our foot on the accelerator when it comes to the broader transformation of our economy and society.

We have to stay ahead, in terms of the changes brought on by global technological revolutions  for example, automation within our advanced manufacturing sector.

We must keep driving the enhancements weve seen through the digitalisation of public services, and keep apace with the transition to the green economy.

Ireland has many advantages, including its position as an English-speaking, euro-denominated, EU member. Even without the UK, the European Union will remain one of the most attractive markets in the world for US business.

The reasons for this are well known, such as the single market, political stability, pro-business policies and a consistent regulatory regime. Ireland is perfectly positioned to be the bridge that explains Europe to the US, and the US to Europe.

US multinationals will remain among the most globally-minded entities in the world  they go where there are opportunities for growth.

This is a business imperative for them  while the US market is large and wealthy, US rms must operate abroad or experience a decline in their size, operations and earnings in the long term.

If we focus on our competitiveness and talent-attraction strategy now, Ireland will remain that international location of choice into the future. We have already proven our worth as a highly valued global partner of US business.

As US-Ireland Business 2021 lays out, Irish-US links are among the deepest in the world.

I am confident these deep links will survive through the current uncertainty and stay strong for another sixty years.

Gareth Lambe is President of the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland
[March 15, 2021] Mouser Electronics Recognized As Global Distributor of the Year by Littelfuse for Tenth Year

Mouser Electronics, Inc., the industry's leading New Product Introduction (NPI) distributor with the widest selection of semiconductors and electronic components, has been named the 2020 Global High Service Distributor of the Year by Littelfuse, an industrial technology manufacturing company empowering a sustainable, connected and safer world. This is the 10th time that Mouser has been honored with the top award. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005553/en/ Mouser Electronics has been named the 2020 Global High Service Distributor of the Year by Littelfuse - the 10th time that Mouser has been honored with the top award. (Photo: Business Wire) "On behalf of the entire Mouser team, we sincerely thank Littelfuse for this tremendous honor. It's particularly rewarding to be recognized for the tenth year," said Jeff Newell, Senior Vice President of Products, Mouser Electronics. "This achievement is a testament to our outstanding global partnership, along with all of the hard work by our team members across the globe. We look forward to much continued success." "Mouser Electronics is a valuable channel partner for Littelfuse and we are proud to recognize them as 220 High Service Distributor of the Year," said Malcolm Evans, Littelfuse Vice President of Global Sales, Electronics Business. "Close alignment with our distribution partners is an important part of our growth strategy and the exceptional service Mouser delivers reinforces the Littelfuse commitment to customer-focused innovation."



Littelfuse chooses the winner of the High Service Distributor of the Year award based on a variety of distributor performance metrics, including overall sales growth, focus product sales, growth in the number of customers served, and the number and quality of creative marketing campaigns that reach customers. Mouser previously won the Littelfuse High Service/Catalog Distributor of the Year award in 2008 through 2011 and in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019. To learn more about the Littelfuse product line available from Mouser Electronics, visit https://www.mouser.com/manufacturer/littelfuse/.

For more Mouser news, visit https://www.mouser.com/pressroom/. As a global authorized distributor, Mouser offers the world's widest selection of the newest semiconductors and electronic components - in stock and ready to ship. Mouser's customers can expect 100% certified, genuine products that are fully traceable from each of its manufacturer partners. To help speed customers' designs, Mouser's website hosts an extensive library of technical resources, including a Technical Resource Center, along with product data sheets, supplier-specific reference designs, application notes, technical design information, engineering tools and other helpful information. About Mouser Electronics

Mouser Electronics, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is an authorized semiconductor and electronic component distributor focused on New Product Introductions from its leading manufacturer partners. Serving the global electronic design engineer and buyer community, the global distributor's website, mouser.com, is available in multiple languages and currencies and features more than 5 million products from over 1,100 manufacturer brands. Mouser offers 27 support locations worldwide to provide best-in-class customer service in local language, currency and time zone. The distributor ships to over 630,000 customers in 223 countries/territories from its 1 million-square-foot, state-of-the-art distribution facilities in the Dallas, Texas, metro area. For more information, visit https://www.mouser.com/. About Littelfuse

Founded in 1927, Littelfuse is the global leader in circuit protection with advancing platforms in power control and sensor technologies. The company serves customers in the electronics, automotive and industrial markets with products that include fuses, semiconductors, polymers, ceramics, relays and sensors. Littelfuse has more than 12,000 employees in more than 50 locations worldwide. Trademarks

Mouser and Mouser Electronics are registered trademarks of Mouser Electronics, Inc. All other products, logos, and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005553/en/

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Mananthavady BJP candidate declines offer to contest Kerala Assembly polls 2021

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Wayanad (Ker), Mar 15: The BJP''s candidate from tribal-reserved constituency of Mananthawady in Wayanad district of Kerala for April 6 Assembly elections has refused to contest.

In a video shared on Monday, Manikantan, who belongs to the Paniya tribe, declined the offer by the BJP, saying he does not wish to contest in the poll.

The BJP leadership had on Sunday released its first set of candidates in the southern state including Mananthawady.

Known as Manikuttan among his friends and relatives, the 31-year old MBA graduate said he had no clue about his candidature till he heard the news.

'Metro Man' Sreedharan launches campaign in Kerala, says BJP fighting polls on development plank

"As a Wayanad resident, it is indeed an honour to get nominated to contest in the polls. But Iam happy working as a Teaching Assistant in the Veterinary Science University here. Neither me or anyone close to me are in active politics. I am happily engaged and content with my job and family. Hence I happily reject the proposed nomination," he said in the video.

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It is unclear whether the local leadership of the BJP in Wayanad had consulted Manikantan prior to offering or announcing his name as their candidate in Mananthavady.

The BJP leadership is yet to react on the development.
The founder of online fashion firm In The Style said he was totally overwhelmed after his little baby made its debut on the stock market in London.

Shares in the company, which was set up by entrepreneur Adam Frisby in 2013, and targets women aged between 16 and 35, began trading on AIM at 200p each.

They immediately soared and were changing hands at 237p when the closing bell rang  valuing it at 124million.

Overwhelmed: Shares in online fashion firm In The Style, which was set up by entrepreneur Adam Frisby (pictured) in 2013 soared on its stock market debut

In a tweet shortly after trading began, Frisby said: Im totally overwhelmed. In The Style is just my little baby.

If I ever stand for one thing I hope its to just give it a go.

The 33-year-old quit his job at Burger King to start the business from his bedroom with 1,000 of seed funding eight years ago, having left school with no qualifications. He sold a third of his stake in yesterdays listing  handing him 12million.

His remaining 23.1 per cent stake was valued at nearly 29million when the stock market closed yesterday.

Stock Watch - Keywords Studios Shares in Keywords Studios fell after the video games makers boss stepped down for a short time. The firm said Andrew Day had taken a temporary leave of absence for health reasons, effective immediately. Day is expected to return following a period of recovery and would remain on the board of directors. Finance chief Jon Hauck and operating chief Sonia Sedler have been appointed as co-chief executives. Shares fell 3.2 per cent, or 76p, to 2338p.

The Manchester-based firm designs fashion collections with reality TV stars such as Love Islands Dani Dyer.

Frisby, who is chief executive, said: Today is a really exciting day for In The Style.

It has been an incredible journey over the last seven years for the business.

We are very pleased to welcome our new shareholders to the business and I am really excited for the next chapter of the In The Style journey.

Petrofac shares fell 18.6 per cent, or 25.05p, to 109.4p after it was barred from competing for new contracts in the United Arab Emirates, months after a former executive of the oilfield services provider pleaded guilty in Britain over bribery charges. The UAE accounted for roughly 10 per cent of its contract revenue in 2019.

In January, former executive David Lufkin pleaded guilty to three bribery charges brought by the Serious Fraud Office over payments made to agents to influence awarding of contracts worth $3.3 billion in the UAE.

The former executive pleaded guilty to 11 other counts in 2019 related to bribery charges in Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The wider stock market struggled for direction with the FTSE 100 falling 0.2 per cent, or 11.77 points, to 6749.7 while the FTSE 250 gained 0.1 per cent, or 15.88 points, to finish at 21,522.35.

Companies battered by lockdowns were among the winners, as more positive news about the UKs vaccine rollout emerged, with British Airways-owner IAG up 2.5 per cent, or 5.2p, to 217.6p and Rolls-Royce 2.7 per cent, or 3.15p, to 118p, on the Footsie.

On the mid-cap index, shopping centre owner Hammerson rose 5.4 per cent, or 1.89p, to 36.8p while Upper Crust-owner SSP was up 4 per cent, or 13.6p, to 351p.

Recruiter SThree said its first-quarter performance had returned to pre-pandemic levels and exceeded its expectations, boosted by a recovery in its US business and hiring in the pharmaceutical sector.

Fees for the quarter stood at 75.5million, compared with 74.7million a year ago. Shares rose 4 per cent, or 14p, to 362p after the update.

DCC agreed a 68.7million deal to buy laboratory and medical supplier Worner to expand its healthcare arm.

Shares edged up 0.5 per cent, or 30p, to 6004p after it announced the move for the company, which operates in Germany and Switzerland.

Sales, marketing and services firm DCC it will join its Vital business, which supplies the community and primary care sectors in the UK and Ireland and it will aid the groups expansion in continental Europe.

Worner recorded revenues of 60million last year and employs 158 people, DCC told investors.
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Remote working will benefit people in Laois according to a Fianna Fail TD for the county but his local Sinn Fein opponent has highlighted a problem faced by many people who are supposed to already have high-speed connections but do not.

Sean Fleming, Minister of State at the Department of Finance, said a lot businesses and Government bodies throughout Ireland are examining including remote working as an option on a permanent basis.

He says this potentially could be a major benefit to many of the 12,000 Laois people who normally commute to work in Dublin and other areas outside of the county on a daily basis.

"Many companies and public bodies are exploring the option of a blended working arrangement including some time working on-site and some of the time at a remote location, which in many cases may involve working from home for part of the week.

"This may be an opportunity for many Laois people to cut down on the hours they spend travelling to work five days a week. Any reduction in the number of days people spend commuting long distances to and from work will improve their quality of life, general wellbeing and time with their family.

"It is important that people continue to go out to work on a regular basis and not be housebound as too much working from home can interfere with home and family life.

"The issue of a blended working arrangement can help productivity and also benefit employees. This is an issue that is being considered carefully by the Government for when we all come out of the Covid pandemic," he said.

However, Sinn Fein Laois Offaly TD Brian Stanley highlighted a shortcoming that undermines remote working.

Dep Stanley raised difficulties and gaps in the rollout of the National Broadband Plan (NBP) in Laois Offaly in the Dail with the Taoiseach Micheal Martin.

Some households are located in so-called 'blue areas. These are supposed to be already services by commercial Broadband providers and not in need of a connection to the National Broadband Scheme. The reality is they are not, he said.

He told Mr Martin that a problem arises whereby people are in neither the intervention area nor the blue area.

"The blue areas are the areas that are supposed to be serviced already by existing companies and networks, such as the metropolitan area networks. The problem is that the maps show households and businesses that are supposed to be in the covered areas, mainly on the edges of villages and towns. I have constituents in Laois and Offaly who cannot get broadband service from a private provider.

"I have raised this matter with National Broadband Ireland and the Minister and a stock reply keeps coming back. What I am trying to get across to the Taoiseach is that many of the affected individuals are self-employed and are trying to run small businesses. They have children who are home-schooling and they cannot get a broadband service anywhere. This needs to be resolved.

"The broadband scheme, as constructed, is flawed and there are flaws with the maps. It is not good enough for National Broadband Ireland to write back to me saying it is tough luck. What we need is action. We need to get broadband to houses, businesses and farms across the midlands, including Laois and Offaly, and the rest of the country," he said.

In reply, the Taoiseach Micheal Martin said the Government is very committed to the roll-out of broadband.

"Obviously, broadband is essential, particularly in enabling people, including the self-employed and businesses more generally, to conduct their work. It is essential for those who are working at home and students who are studying. I am referring to the nature and importance of connectivity. I will relay to the Minister what has been said here by Deputies, including on communication from the Department on areas designated on the blue map, he said.
Tripoli, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Mar, 2021 ) :Forces loyal to Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar announced the arrest of a top Islamic State group figure in the south of the North African country.

The eastern-based marshal's forces led an operation in the southern desert town of Ubari targeting the "most prominent leader" of IS in Libya, Mohamed Miloud Mohamed, who goes by Abu Omar, leading to his arrest, said a statement by Haftar's spokesman Ahmad al-Mesmari.

Abu Omar was among the top IS leaders in Libya when the group took control of the central coastal city of Sirte in 2015, the statement added.

The militants made Sirte a stronghold where they trained fighters and orchestrated attacks, including killing scores of foreign tourists in neighbouring Tunisia, before they were driven out of the Libyan city in 2016.

IS gained a foothold in Libya amid the chaos that reigned in the country after dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled and killed in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.

Described as a "dangerous terrorist", Abu Omar had "close ties" with Abu Moaz al-Iraqi, the head of IS in Libya, who was killed last September by pro-Haftar forces, Mesmari's statement said.

Abu Omar is also accused of having abducted in 2015 four Italian engineers, who were freed after payment of a ransom estimated at four million Euros ($4.8 million), it added.

A political crisis in the wake of Kadhafi's overthrow saw the oil-rich country split between rival authorities in the east and west and the disintegration of security apparatuses, creating fertile ground for jihadist groups like IS to take root.

After IS was ousted from Sirte the group was significantly weakened in Libya, but its members have retreated into the desert or blended in with the population on the Mediterranean coast.

A new transitional government was recently approved under a UN-sponsored inter-Libyan dialogue to unify the country's institutions and is due to be sworn in on Monday.
Burma China Calls on Myanmar Junta to Punish Arsonists who Attacked Factories in Yangon

Smoke rises from a fire at a Chinese-owned factory in Hlaing Tharyar, a Yangon industrial zone, on Sunday./ The Irrawaddy

Global Times, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, has called on the military regime to punish the people who attacked garment factories in Yangon on Sunday.

In an editorial the Beijing-based newspaper said, We strongly urge the Myanmar side to stop these kind of crimes, punish the perpetrators and compensate Chinese factories for their losses.

The Chinese embassy in Yangon said many Chinese staff were injured or trapped in arson attacks by unidentified assailants on garment factories in Yangons Hlaing Tharyar Township and called on Myanmar to protect Chinese property and citizens.

The Global Times said, The violent attacks were apparently well organized and planned. One twitter account tweeted a warning to the Myanmar military government saying: If one civilian is killed one Chinese factory will become ashes. This verified account belongs to the Founder and Executive Director of Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN). This is just one example of inflammatory instigations. The London-based BHRN was founded in 2015.

The editorial also claimed that China doesnt interfere heavily in the Myanmar situation but tries its utmost to promote peaceful settlement of the crisis according to law.

It said, China holds friendly ties with all parties in Myanmar. No matter which party holds power, Myanmar maintains friendly cooperation with China.

Chinas failure to condemn the Feb. 1 military coup has sparked increasing anger across Myanmar as mass protests against the regime sweep the country.

Thousands of anti-coup protesters gathered at the Chinese embassy every day last month. Fury towards Beijing has grown as China continues to defend the junta, describing the coup as an internal affair at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

In response to the increasing anger directed at Beijing, Chinas ambassador to Myanmar, Chen Hai, told local media that the current situation in the country is absolutely not what China wants to see.

Chen Hai also said Beijing was not informed in advance of the military takeover, adding that China hoped all parties in Myanmar could handle the current problem properly through dialogue and consultation and lead the country back on track as soon as possible.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said last week that all parties in Myanmar should keep calm and exercise restraint, address their differences through dialogue and consultation within the constitutional and legal framework, and continue to advance the democratic transition.

China will not change the course of promoting friendship and cooperation, no matter how the situation evolves, Wang Yi said in his annual press conference. Instead, Beijing will try to bring about reconciliation by engaging with all relevant parties, he said.

But Myanmar citizens responded by stepping up criticism of China and its economic interests in Myanmar, including oil and natural gas pipelines, mines and factories.

In February, Beijing held an emergency meeting with Myanmar officials from the Home Affairs and Foreign ministries.

According to a leaked document, Bai Tian, the director-general of the Department of External Security Affairs under the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asked the military regime to assure the security of oil and natural gas pipelines, following the increase in anti-Chinese sentiment in Myanmar because of Beijings stance on the coup.

That drew a sharp response from the people of Myanmar on social media, with some suggesting that whether or not the pipelines are blown up is an internal affair.

Global Times said in its editorial that, China is the strongest country in the region and we respect every countrys handling of their own internal affairs. From a long-term perspective, this basic policy has become an important condition for our neighboring countries to keep their independence and autonomy.

It continued, All parties involved in Myanmar hope China will support them, but if China really imposes its own position and interests on the country, it will go against the long-term wishes of Myanmar society. Therefore, even though some people are willing to see China intervene, they dont have any reason to justify such perspective. Using factories funded by China as hostage to manoeuvres in Myanmars domestic struggles will never be permitted.

The Global Times said also that while the West is now publicly supporting the National League for Democracy (NLD), they have previously fiercely blamed the NLD for the Rohingya issue. Aung San Suu Kyis reputation has changed radically in the Wests public opinion. China backed Daw Aung San Su Kyis government at the UNSC in 2017.

The editorial said, China respects Myanmar peoples right to handle their own affairs, and emphasizes a peaceful solution under the framework of Myanmar constitution and laws. This is Chinas sincere goodwill toward Myanmar.
(Alliance News) - Portugal will be removed from England's travel ban red list, the UK Department for Transport said.

The decision means returning travellers will be able to quarantine at home, rather than in a hotel at a cost of GBP1,750.

But Ethiopia, Oman, Somalia and Qatar have been added to the red list to "protect the country against new variants of Covid-19", the DfT said.

The changes come into force at 4am on Friday.

Portugal's Algarve region is a popular hotspot destination for UK holidaymakers.

Foreign leisure travel could be permitted for people from England from May 17 under Boris Johnson's road map for easing lockdown restrictions.

The DfT said it has decided to axe its ban on direct flights and sailings from Portugal a including Madeira and the Azores a due to "evidence that shows the risk of importing a variant of concern from these destinations has reduced".

Portugal was initially added to the red list partly because of its connections with South America.

But the DfT said the country has "put steps in place to mitigate the risk from its links with countries where variants have become a concern".

Mauritius will also be removed from the red list.

People who have spent time in a country on the list in the previous 10 days are banned from entering England, unless they are British or Irish citizens or have residency rights.

Anyone entitled to enter must stay in a government-approved hotel for 10 days.

Qatar's international airport is popular for people returning to the UK on connecting flights from countries in Asia and Australasia, so its addition to the red list will have a significant impact.

A travel ban is already in force for the United Arab Emirates, which is another Gulf hub.

The government's Global Travel Taskforce will provide a report to the prime minister on April 12 setting out recommendations for how and when foreign holidays could resume.

Turkey expects to welcome UK holidaymakers this summer without requiring proof of a vaccine or negative test.

Tourism minister Mehmet Ersoy said the country is "looking forward to welcoming British tourists with open arms".

He went on: "We will not require vaccination passports from international travellers when entering the country."

After April 15, Turkey will also re-evaluate whether visitors must continue to produce evidence of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of their departure.

Ersoy said: "I expect there will be no such requirement from British visitors as the UK Government is rapidly and impressively rolling out the vaccination programme for the whole nation, and a significant portion of the population will be vaccinated by early summer."

He added that employees at hotels and other tourist facilities in Turkey will be prioritised for Covid-19 jabs before the summer season.

Turkey's plan not to require proof of a vaccine or test is in contrast to other hotspots popular with UK holidaymakers.

Greece will require international tourists to have been vaccinated, had a recent negative Covid-19 test or have coronavirus antibodies.

Visitors to Cyprus must have had both doses of a vaccine.

source: PA

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
New Delhi, March 15 : The government accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) to 112 defence proposals worth Rs 1,99,860 crore under various categories of capital acquisition to promote domestic manufacturing, Minister of State for Defence, Shripad Naik, said on Monday.

Replying to a question asked by Congress MP Rajmani Patel in the Rajya Sabha, Naik said that AoN to 112 defence proposals was accorded during the last two financial years -- from 2018-19 to 2019-2020 -- and the current financial year till December 2020.

He said the 'Make in India' initiative in the defence sector is implemented through various policy initiatives that promote indigenous design, development and manufacturing of defence items.

These initiatives include priority to procurement of capital items from domestic sources under the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020, notification of 'negative list' of 101 items for which there would be an embargo on import beyond the timeline indicated against them, and simplification of the industrial licencing process.

He also said that many significant projects, including the 155 mm artillery gun system 'Dhanush', Bridge Laying Tank, Thermal Imaging Sight Mark-IIA for T-72 tank, Light Combat Aircraft Tejas, Akash Surface to Air Missile system, Submarine INS Kalvari, INS Chennai, Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette (ASWC) and others have been produced in the country under the 'Make in India' initiative in the last few years.

The minister also stated that the contracts for various capital acquisition requirements of the government in the defence sector are being awarded to domestic, public and private sector companies, as per the extant provisions prescribed in the defence acquisition procedure.

In addition, the OFB and DPSUs place orders on Indian vendors, including those situated in Uttar Pradesh, for supply of various items, components etc. as per their requirements.

Moreover, the government has established a Defence Industrial Corridor in Uttar Pradesh with six nodes at Aligarh, Agra, Chitrakoot, Jhansi, Lucknow and Kanpur to develop defence manufacturing ecosystem and promote indigenous manufacturing, he stated.
Prosecutors in the northern Italian region of Piedmont said on Monday they had seized a batch of 393,600 shots of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine following the death of a man hours after he had received a jab.

The move represents another blow to the image of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Italy and will further hinder the governments anti-coronavirus inoculation campaign.

On Sunday Piedmonts regional government suspended use of the batch, ABV5811, after Sandro Tognatti, a 57-year-old music teacher, fell ill and died in circumstances that have not yet been clarified.

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Magistrates in Sicily ordered the seizure of a separate batch of AstraZeneca vaccine last week following the sudden deaths of two men who had recently been inoculated.

Italy's medicines regulator has now announced a precautionary, temporary suspension of the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Ireland, Germany, France, Denmark, Norway and Iceland have all suspended use of the vaccine following blot-clotting issues, some of them fatal, in people who had used it.

Mr Tognatti had his shot on Saturday afternoon, his wife told Italian newspapers. He developed a high temperature during the night and felt ill again on Sunday morning. An ambulance was called, but he died shortly afterwards.

It is therefore important to ensure that continued administration of the drug throughout the country does not lead to further consequences (harmful or fatal) ... until we are completely sure that (Tognattis) death cannot be attributed to the above-mentioned inoculation, prosecutor Teresa Angela Camelio said in a statement.
Biden Administration Acknowledges Border Surge A Big Problem

As the surge of illegal immigrants at the U.S.Mexico border remains at historic levels, the Biden administration acknowledged its a big problem, saying that its currently assessing whether to add additional facilities for unaccompanied minors.

During a daily White House briefing on March 15, press secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration believes it has a handle on the border situation, while blaming the previous administration for leaving behind a dismantled and unworkable system.

Like any other problem, we are going to do everything we can to solve it, she told reporters. Our focus here is on solutions.

Psaki noted that the CDC recently updated its guidelines to return to full capacity, which she said will help expand capacity to move children more quickly out of CBP facilities.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency will also now work more closely together, which Psaki said will allow the government to more quickly ID, vet, confirm sponsors and family members of the unaccompanied minors, and will lead to quicker placement.

None of these border patrol facilities are made for children and we want to move them as quickly as possible into shelters and then into homes, Psaki added. FEMA [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] is now providing support at the border  we hope this will help quickly get children into HHS facilities and placed with vetted sponsors and families.

Border Patrol apprehended 100,441 illegal border-crossers along the southern border in February, according to CBP. The number reflects a 28 percent increase over January.

Over the weekend, Homeland Security announced that FEMA will be sent to the border to support a government-wide effort over the next 90 days to safely receive, shelter, and transfer unaccompanied children who make the dangerous journey to the U.S. southwest border.

According to a March 13 statement, FEMA is now integrated and co-located with HHS to look at every available option to quickly expand physical capacity for appropriate lodging.

At one point during the briefing, Psaki was asked if the presence of FEMA was an acknowledgment that the border surge is reaching disaster levels; the press secretary side-stepped the question.

I know that we always get into the fun of labels around here, Psaki told reporters. This is one of the steps the president felt would help expedite processing, help ensure that people who are coming across the border have access to health and medical care. Clearly, the numbers are enormous, this is a big challenge.

Psaki also said that the administration is looking at additional facilities to open to move unaccompanied children into facilities where they can receive access to health care, educational resources, mental health resources, legal resources.

According to CBP data, in fiscal year 2021 through February, 29,792 unaccompanied children and single minors have been encountered along the Southwest Border. That includes 2,942 under the age of 12 and 26,850 between 13 and 17 years old.

The Biden administration has repeatedly declined to call the border surge a crisis, while also reiterating that the U.S.Mexico border is not open.
An employee of the Rangnang Disabled Soldiers' Essential Plastic Goods Factory checks the quality of plastic bags for washing powder product in Pyongyang, on Monday, March 1, 2021.

North Korea has ordered local officials to take a more active role in managing state-run companies, but company managers complain that the increased oversight will make production goals harder to reach, sources in the country told RFA.

The directive, given by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a seminar for chief secretaries of city and county-level party committees, is claimed by the authorities to be an attempt to revitalize the economy which has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic and a yearlong Sino-Korean border closure.

RFA reported in January that state-run enterprises were directed to be more self-sufficient to shake off what authorities called the import disease. The factories are expected to meet production goals without imported raw materials, but now managers of these factories must also deal with local officials watching their every move.

Officials of enterprises are criticizing the Central Party for doubling down on bad practices that effectively monopolize their control of the economy, a factory official in the countrys northwestern province of North Pyongan told RFAs Korean Service March 8.

The officials said the authorities held the first-ever short course to try to revive the economy, which has been devastated by the coronavirus, but the measures they outlined in the course are self-righteous and full of errors, and they do nothing other than increase the control of the party leadership, said the source, who requested anonymity for security reasons.

According to the source, those running the enterprises complain that the increased party oversight ties their hands and feet, making them unable to actually serve local economies. They say it is absurd for authorities to say the power grab is an attempt to revive the economy.

The city and county level officials dont know the basics of the economy. If they are asked to guide economic projects, their meddling will not only ruin business operations but also administrative work, said the source.

The result will effectively neutralize the role of the company officials, who are held responsible for business operations. This will seriously impact the companys profitability and aggravate economic hardship, the source said.

Another factory official, also from North Pyongan, told RFA the same day, that assigning company control to local officials was well meaning, with the intention to develop city and county-level economies.

It forces all economic management and operations to proceed only under the leadership of the party, which faithfully executes the central committees directives, said the second source, who requested anonymity to speak freely.

The most important thing during this current period of serious economic hardship is to eliminate reckless and unnecessary interference of party officials in economic projects. What they should do is bolster the authority of enterprise managers who are experts in economic matters. This would secure autonomy in business operation so that they can carry out the production goals set forth by the state, the second source said.

Too much control by party secretaries would force company managers to adhere too closely to the partys dogma under the authorities supervision, meaning they would lack the power to properly run the company according to the second source.

Eventually conflict and tension between the party secretary and the company manager would arise and cause the company to fall short of production goals, the second source said.

If that happens, the party secretary will manipulate the assessment data to pin all the blame on the company manager, and only the manager will be punished unfairly.

East Asian economy expert and Georgetown University Professor William Brown told RFA that the directive essentially tells the local officials to get more results with less input.

I expect it's all about resources and freedoms, he said.

Kim here is telling local party secretaries to step up their development work but he never indicates the localities are being given any new resources from the central government, nor does it indicate they are being given any more freedoms to do things in a better or more efficient way. This would push these secretaries to squeeze factories for the resources. What else can they do? Brown said.

Brown said that factory managers are frustrated at having been told to somehow increase production, with local government interference diverting resources and labor away from the business to unrelated projects.

In general, Kim seems to be stirring everyone up to produce more with less.

Reported by Hyemin Son and Hee Jung Yang for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
LAS VEGAS - A woman arrested in Las Vegas several days after an attack on an Uber driver in San Francisco that was widely viewed on social media agreed Monday to be transferred in custody to California to face criminal charges.

LAS VEGAS - A woman arrested in Las Vegas several days after an attack on an Uber driver in San Francisco that was widely viewed on social media agreed Monday to be transferred in custody to California to face criminal charges.

Malaysia Kings court appearance in Las Vegas came hours after police in San Francisco announced that Arna Kimiai, 24, a woman seen with King in the Uber driver confrontation, turned herself in to face robbery, assault and battery, conspiracy and other charges.

Kimiais attorney, Seth Morris, said Kimiai posted a $75,000 bond to go free pending a future court appearance during which charges could be filed.

Video provided by the driver showed a maskless woman, later identified as Kimiai, coughing on him and grabbing his cellphone. Police also said that as three women exited the vehicle, one sprayed what was believed to be pepper spray toward the driver.

In Las Vegas, King, 24, did not have a lawyer during her brief court appearance by closed-circuit video. She agreed not to contest extradition. She was not asked about the charges against her.

King was arrested Thursday on a warrant from California accusing her of assault with a caustic chemical, conspiracy, assault and battery and a health and safety code violation.

Justice of the Peace Eric Goodman said authorities from California have 30 days to take King into custody, and told her she may also face felony charges in Las Vegas stemming from allegations that she and a man tried to use another persons identification to obtain funds from that persons bank account.

Court records show King was arraigned on burglary and conspiracy charges in that case and has a court date in May.

The Uber driver, Subhakar Khadka, 32, was attacked after stopping his car when he realized one of three female passengers wasnt wearing a mask, police said.

An altercation ensued, largely captured on video, San Francisco police said in a statement about Kimiai's arrest.

At one point, the video shows Kimiai coughing on Khadkas, grabbing his cellphone from the centre dash area and ripping off Khadkas face mask.

Khadkas regained possession of his phone but was sprayed with what was believed to be pepper spray as the women got out of his car, police said.

Khadka later said he believed he was attacked because he is a South Asian immigrant. However, authorities have not commented on the allegation, and no hate crimes charges have been filed. Khadka came to the U.S. eight years ago and works to support his family in Nepal.

Uber said in a statement that it had banned all three riders.

A GoFundMe account to assist Khadka raised more than $97,000 by Monday. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that he planned to spend the money pursuing legal action and to support his family.
As New York's Gov. Andrew Cuomo politically immolates in sex harassment allegations, one guy who's got to be uncomfortable about the entire wretched specter is Gropey Joe Biden.

Slow Joe's narrative-makers have finally let him come out of his shell with this ridiculous punt of a response:

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden on Sunday passed up an opportunity to join other Democrats calling for the resignation of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is under investigation after multiple allegations of sexual harassment. Asked by a reporter if Cuomo should resign, Biden responded, "I think the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings us." Biden, who made the comments upon returning to the White House from a weekend at his home in Delaware, had not previously spoken publicly about the allegations against Cuomo. However, his comments reflect the wait-and-see position the White House has taken regarding Cuomo's future.

See, if the investigators don't find anything indictable in this he-said, she-said world of sexual harassment accusations, then they didn't happen, right? It all comes down to the investigators and courts to make it real, just as election fraud all comes down to whether the Supreme Court wants to hear about it. If such bosses say "yes," then it happened. If the bosses say "no," it didn't. Truth is subject to their approval. In Bidenworld, it's never about the merits of the actual case.

This is absurd. Either he "believes women" or he doesn't. He probably does believe these seven and counting women because he's got a history of this of his own.

Hence, the punt. Better for someone else to investigate, and investigate, and investigate long beyond Cuomo's term. It's a delay tactic that could easily be a cover-up for rigging.

Why might it be rigged? Well, because the Democrat machine in one-party blue states are powerful.

Biden and Cuomo are political allies, pillars of the Democrat "establishment." Biden, recall, called Cuomo "the gold standard" of COVID pandemic response. That's the same Cuomo who locked down healthy New York but seeded New York's nursing homes with COVID patients, killing thousands. Biden and Cuomo are the same Democratic establishment.

Yet unlike Biden, who keeps his nasty temper private, Cuomo is a nasty guy in a public way and therefore has made a lot of political enemies. In New York, which is a one-party state, in his case, they're New York's far-left crazies. Although Biden governs like them, he's otherwise in opposition to them. These rabid leftists are active, though, and now that President Trump is out of the picture as the demon, they want Cuomo's job.

Biden can see that, and he likely fears Cuomo's in for a toppling.

It may because certain other elements of the Democratic establishment (which may or may not include Joe), as John Nolte has noted at Breitbart News in his column on March 2, want to take Cuomo down for sex harassment in order to protect the rest of the Democrat governors who also forced nursing homes to take COVID patients  in New Jersey, in Michigan, in Pennsylvania, in California. Knock Cuomo out for sex harassment, and watch the mention of the nursing home scandal go away. Those Democrat governors, after all, are the flower of their party.

But a knockout game like that is dangerous for Biden. Biden never seeded nursing homes with COVID patients and killed off old people, but he sure as heck has a sex harassment record comparable to Andrew Cuomo. He's been accused of creepy groping, over and over. He's been accused of sexual assault by Tara Reade. He's made the same lame excuses as Cuomo since has, about never meaning to offend anyone. Wonder where that came from.

No wonder he doesn't want to say anything. If Cuomo goes down as the fall guy in the Democrat bid to protect other governors, on sexual harassment allegations, where does that leave Joe, who's done the same things? With Cuomo out, the accusers against Joe will once again come out of the woodwork. If Cuomo goes down, what's to keep him in place?

Democrats know that Biden is insentient, and like Cuomo, he too is surrounded by left-wing crazies who want his job. If Cuomo goes down, what is to stop the takeout of Joe as the next domino?

No wonder the old fool is closing his eyes, holding his tongue, and crossing his fingers.

Image: Screen shot from camera aimed at a live television set, filtered with Adobe CameraRaw.
"We have been supplying radar systems to NAV CANADA since 1959, and MSSRs since the 1980s," said John Gallagher, managing director, Weapons & Sensors, Raytheon UK. "The more advanced Condor Mk3 was designed and developed by Raytheon UK engineers in Harlow, Essex, England, and will be manufactured at our facility in Glenrothes, Scotland, helping to sustain 70 jobs in Harlow and 20 jobs in Glenrothes over the next 15 years."

Condor Mk3 MSSR is an innovative, new, low-cost, high-probability detection radar which brings together native state-of-the-art surveillance technologies to provide cutting-edge, reliable, secondary radar system hardware to air traffic operators around the world.

Additional features have been included in the system such as automatic adaptive power control, fully configurable software, a high-duty cycle transmitter and built-in ADS-B, all in a much smaller footprint.

"NAV CANADA has a long history of working with Raytheon and looks forward to the next chapter in our ongoing relationship," said Warren Gosselin, director CNS Solutions, NAV CANADA. "The previous generation of Raytheon radars have been a stable backbone of our operation, and we expect the latest generation to continue that robust service."

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 2,000 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 subsidiary of the Raytheon Technologies organisation 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

Alicia Tetlow

+44 (0)1279 407600

[email protected]

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1456206/Raytheon.jpg

SOURCE Raytheon
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Geoscientists at Sandia National Laboratories used 3D-printed rocks and an advanced, large-scale computer model of past earthquakes to understand and prevent earthquakes triggered by energy exploration.

Injecting water underground after unconventional oil and gas extraction, commonly known as fracking, geothermal energy stimulation and carbon dioxide sequestration all can trigger earthquakes. Of course, energy companies do their due diligence to check for faults  breaks in the earths upper crust that are prone to earthquakes  but sometimes earthquakes, even swarms of earthquakes, strike unexpectedly.

Sandia geoscientists studied how pressure and stress from injecting water can transfer through pores in rocks down to fault lines, including previously hidden ones. They also crushed rocks with specially engineered weak points to hear the sound of different types of fault failures, which will aid in early detection of an induced earthquake.

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Fundamental structural information

To study different types of fault failures, and their warning signs, Sandia geoscientist Hongkyu Yoon needed a bunch of rocks that would fracture the same way each time he applied pressure  pressure not unlike the pressure caused by injecting water underground.

Natural rocks collected from the same location can have vastly different mineral orientation and layering, causing different weak points and fracture types.

Several years ago, Yoon started using additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, to make rocks from a gypsum-based mineral under controlled conditions, believing that these rocks would be more uniform. To print the rocks, Yoon and his team sprayed gypsum in thin layers, forming 1-by-3-by-0.5 inch rectangular blocks and cylinders.

However, as he studied the 3D-printed rocks, Yoon realized that the printing process also generated minute structural differences that affected how the rocks fractured. This piqued his interest, leading him to study how the mineral texture in 3D-printed rocks influences how they fracture.

It turns out we can use that variability of mechanical and seismic responses of a 3D-printed fracture to our advantage to help us understand the fundamental processes of fracturing and its impact on fluid flow in rocks, Yoon said. This fluid flow and pore pressure can trigger earthquakes.

For these experiments, Yoon and collaborators at Purdue University, a university with which Sandia has a strong partnership, made a mineral ink using calcium sulfate powder and water. The researchers, including Purdue professors Antonio Bobet and Laura Pyrak-Nolte, printed a layer of hydrated calcium sulfate, about half as thick as a sheet of paper, and then applied a water-based binder to glue the next layer to the first. The binder recrystallized some of the calcium sulfate into gypsum, the same mineral used in construction drywall.

The researchers printed the same rectangular and cylindrical gypsum-based rocks. Some rocks had the gypsum mineral layers running horizontally, while others had vertical mineral layers. The researchers also varied the direction in which they sprayed the binder, to create more variation in mineral layering.

The research team squeezed the samples until they broke. The team examined the fracture surfaces using lasers and an X-ray microscope. They noticed the fracture path depended on the direction of the mineral layers. Yoon and colleagues described this fundamental study in a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Sound signals and machine learning

Also, working with his collaborators at Purdue University, aYoon monitored acoustic waves coming from the printed samples as they fractured. These sound waves are signs of rapid microcracks. Then the team combined the sound data with machine-learning techniques, a type of advanced data analysis that can identify patterns in seemingly unrelated data, to detect signals of minute seismic events.

First, Yoon and his colleagues used a machine-learning technique known as a random forest algorithm to cluster the microseismic events into groups that were caused by the same types of microstructures and identify about 25 important features in the microcrack sound data. They ranked these features by significance.

Using the significant features as a guide, they created a multilayered deep learning algorithm  like the algorithms that allow digital assistants to function  and applied it to archived data collected from real-world events. The deep-learning algorithm was able to identify signals of seismic events faster and more accurately than conventional monitoring systems.

Yoon said that within five years they hope to apply many different machine-learning algorithms, like these and those with imbedded geoscience principles, to detect induced earthquakes related to fossil fuel activities in oil or gas fields. The algorithms can also be applied to detect hidden faults that might become unstable due to carbon sequestration or geothermal energy stimulation, he said.

One of the nice things about machine learning is the scalability, Yoon said. We always try to apply certain concepts that were developed under laboratory conditions to large-scale problems  thats why we do laboratory work. Once we proved those machine-learning concepts developed at the laboratory scale on archived data, its very easy to scale it up to large-scale problems, compared to traditional methods.

Stress transfers through rock to faults

A hidden fault was the cause of a surprise earthquake at a geothermal stimulation site in Pohang, South Korea. In 2017, two months after the final geothermal stimulation experiment ended, a magnitude 5.5 earthquake shook the area, the second strongest quake in South Koreas recent history.

After the earthquake, geoscientists discovered a fault hidden deep between two injection wells. To understand how stresses from water injection traveled to the fault and caused the quake, Kyung Won Chang, a geoscientist at Sandia, realized he needed to consider more than the stress of water pressing on the rocks. In addition to that deformation stress, he also needed to account for how that stress transferred to the rock as the water flowed through pores in the rock itself in his complex large-scale computational model.

Chang and his colleagues described the stress transfer in a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports.

However, understanding deformation stress and transfer of stress through rock pores is not enough to understand and predict some earthquakes induced by energy-exploration activities. The architecture of different faults also needs to be considered.

Using his model, Chang analyzed a cube 6 miles long, 6 miles wide and 6 miles deep where a swarm of more than 500 earthquakes took place in Azle, Texas, from November 2013 to May 2014. The earthquakes occurred along two intersecting faults, one less than 2 miles beneath the surface and another longer and deeper. While the shallow fault was closer to the sites of wastewater injection, the first earthquakes occurred along the longer, deeper fault.

In his model, Chang found that the water injections increased the pressure on the shallow fault. At the same time, injection-induced stress transferred through the rock down to the deep fault. Because the deep fault was under more stress initially, the earthquake swarm began there. He and Yoon shared the advanced computational model and their description of the Azle earthquakes in a paper recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.

In general, we need multiphysics models that couple different forms of stress beyond just pore pressure and the deformation of rocks, to understand induced earthquakes and correlate them with energy activities, such as hydraulic stimulation and wastewater injection, Chang said.

Chang said he and Yoon are working together to apply and scale up machine-learning algorithms to detect previously hidden faults and identify signatures of geologic stress that could predict the magnitude of a triggered earthquake.

In the future, Chang hopes to use those stress signatures to create a map of potential hazards for induced earthquakes around the United States.

His research effort, as well as Yoons initial work, were funded by Sandias Laboratory Directed Research and Development program. Yoon received funding from the Department of Energys Office of Fossil Energy to continue his research.

Mia Fevola's Instagram account was inundated with abusive comments on Monday evening, after she shared a photo with her new boyfriend.

The 21-year-old posted a romantic black and white image of herself cuddling up with the Western Bulldogs' number one draft pick, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, 18.

The innocent photo, which was captioned with a simple heart emoji, was soon swamped with vile abuse from trolls.

Trolls: Mia Fevola's (right) Instagram account was inundated with abusive comments on Monday evening, after she shared a photo with new boyfriend, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (right). The pair went 'Instagram official' on Monday, confirming their relationship

In response, Mia shared a comment, made by a fan, condemning the 'slut shaming' from predominately male fans.

The Instagram Stories post read: 'Wow we're slut shaming now, today of all days where hundreds and thousands of women across the nation marched for the right to be safe wherever they are and with whomever they are with, be it on a social scale or professional.

'This is precisely the toxic masculinity and culture we're up against, you should be [ashamed] of yourself for this comment.'

Sweet: The 21-year-old posted this romantic black and white image of herself cuddling up with Jamarra, 18. The innocent photo, which was captioned with a simple heart emoji, was soon swamped with vile abuse from trolls

Hitting back: In response, Mia shared a comment, made by a fan, condemning the 'slut shaming' from predominately male fans

The comment referred in part to the 'March 4 Justice' protest around Australia on Monday.

The mass protest came after former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins alleged she was raped in Parliament in 2019 and Attorney-General Christian Porter denied allegations he raped a 16-year-old girl in 1988.

Additionally, a Reclaim These Streets vigil, which took place in London on Saturday following the murder of Sarah Everard, turned violent when police clashed with peaceful protesters.

Support: While the negative comments in question were quickly swept off Mia's Instagram account, she received several shows of support from appalled fans

While the negative comments in question were quickly swept off Mia's Instagram account, she received several shows of support from appalled fans.

One wrote: 'I can't believe some of the comments on this post. Most seem to be from men. Why are you tagging her ex in the post?! He seems to have moved on, and so has she. Why can't people just be nice.

'Does it matter who he is? Leave the woman alone. She's young and enjoying her life. In a world that's turned into an absolute s**t show, why are people just becoming more toxic and just cruel. Just be happy for her. Otherwise, there's an unfollow button and move along.'

One person wrote: 'The majority of men commenting and slut shaming on this post are the ones women are marching for justice and up against what an absolute shame and disgrace this is to our nation'

Another added: 'The hate comments on here from so many narrow minded fools is beyond me! This is the reason women don't feel safe in Australia as we are all judged by disrespectful fools!

'We all have the right to date who we want, marry who we want, wear what we like and go where we want! I am raising a young man and teaching him to respect women!

'Those that spread hate need to look inside yourselves and figure out why your so pathetic! Good on you Mia for being happy and proud to share! Don't let people dull your sparkle ! And for those other idiots! Shame on you! Judgmental p***ks!'

One more chimed in: 'The majority of men commenting and slut shaming on this post are the ones women are marching for justice and up against what an absolute shame and disgrace this is to our nation.

Rising star: Jamarra is the Western Bulldogs' number one draft pick and has been dubbed 'Buddy Franklin 2.0'

'I'm mortified at these comments. Mia I suggest you block away or disable comments. Clearly the mothers of these males have failed immensely in every way'.

Mia confirmed her romance with Jamarra on Monday, with the model cuddling up to her new man in a photo shared to his Instagram profile, with the AFL star liking comments congratulating the pair on going 'Instagram official'.

Key forward Jamarra has been dubbed 'Buddy Franklin 2.0'.

In December 2020, Jamarra told The Age that he tried to model himself on the Sydney Swans star: 'I just use him as a person that sets goals for me... Everyone has that person you want to become, or even do better [than].'

Budding romance: They couple were previously spotted together for Mia's 21st birthday celebrations (pictured) but Mia told the Herald Sun at the time that the pair were 'just friends' and in the same social circle

He is the first Indigenous player to be taken at pick one since Des Headland in 1998, and becomes the first Bulldog to top the AFL draft since Brownlow Medallist Adam Cooney had his name called out first in 2003.

Mia, who is the stepdaughter of Carlton great Brendan Fevola, 40, will no doubt become a WAG to watch in Jamarra's upcoming season.

They were previously spotted together for Mia's 21st birthday celebrations, but Mia told the Herald Sun at the time that the pair were 'just friends' and in the same social circle.

Mia split from Richmond Tigers star Daniel Rioli, 23, in February 2020 after two years of dating.

Over: Mia split from Richmond Tigers star Daniel Rioli, 23,(left) in February 2020 after two years of dating. Pictured in 2019

'Daniel and I are no longer together; however, we still love and care for each other very much and remain the best of friends,' she wrote on Instagram.

Mia is the eldest child of Brendan's longtime partner, Alex.

The former footy star adopted Mia as his own daughter after he married Alex in 2005, and they have remained close even during times when the couple were separated.

Aside from Mia, Brendan and Alex share three daughters, Leni, Lulu, and Tobi.
The Former Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr. Ishmael Ashitey, yesterday handed over the regions administration to the newly sworn-in Regional Minister, Mr Henry Quartey, in Accra.



Mr. Ashitey highlighted various programmes and initiatives being undertaken in the region and also spoke about his achievements and the challenges his administration faced.



We are here to hand over work done over the last four years to you and your team to continue from where we left off, he said.



He urged the directors and staff at the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council (GARCC) to support his successor in his work.



Mr. Ashitey also encouraged the new minister to have confidence in the staff at the regional administration office, who he described as hardworking.



New administration



Mr. Quartey thanked the President for reposing confidence in him and also expressed gratitude to the former minister for his support.



He urged Mr. Ashitey to put his knowledge and expertise at the disposal of the new administration so that the objective of developing the region further could be achieved swiftly.



He stated that his administration intended to launch a project dubbed: Lets make Accra work in a matter of two weeks to tackle issues on security in the region.



Theres work to be done and we cannot waste time. Well also jump on to the issues of sanitation, abuse of siren, education, jobs and security quickly, he said.



Commitment

The regional minister pledged to continue with the good works of his predecessor and urged the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to cooperate with him to develop the region.



He advised the MMDAs to continue with their struggle against the COVID-19 disease, adding that he would meet with them soon to develop a plan to fight the disease together.



He expressed concern over the reduction of teaching time for Ga in basic schools in the Greater Accra Region and said he would lobby the Ministry of Education to increase instruction time for the language in the schools.



Mr. Quartey appealed to traditional leaders in the region to desist from multiple sale of lands in order to bring the issue of land guards to the barest minimum.



Promise to work together



The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the Adentan Municipal Assembly, Mr. Alexander Nii-Noi Adumuah, who spoke on behalf of the MMDAs in the region, welcomed the new regional minister and promised to cooperate with him.



The ceremony was attended by a former Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mrs. Elizabeth Sackey; the Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Mr. Divine Agorhom, and other party stalwarts.

Source: graphiconline.com









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TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI)  Teachers beginning Monday can be immunized at any COVID-19 vaccine clinic across the State of Indiana.

In Tippecanoe County, teachers and school staff have 13 sites to choose from.

All school staff from grades pre-K to 12 are now eligible, including bus drivers, cafeteria workers and other school corporation employees, as well as staff at licensed child care centers, according to a state news release issued Monday morning.

As News 18 previously reported, school staff before Monday could only be vaccinated through a federal program at pharmacy chains like Walmart, Meijer and Pay Less.

West Lafayette Community School Corp. Supt. Rocky Killion they should have been fully eligible much sooner.

"Frankly I've been a little disappointed in Indiana that we've been so backwards in this ... Teachers and staff should have been on the forefront of getting vaccinated first and foremost," he says.

Killion says more widespread vaccinations for teachers could be a turning point to completely reopening schools next fall. He adds research shows students nationwide have fallen behind during the pandemic in part because of e-learning.

"We need to get back to the education of everyone in person because that's the best education model that works," he says. "I think e-learning only works well for maybe a small population."

Teachers can use the state's coronavirus website to sign up. Kroger and Meijer are using their own registration portals.


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Relations between Japan and South Korea, which have reached a low point over historical disputes, are likely to be a topic of conversation. Also on the agenda will be the month-old military coup in Myanmar and North Koreas nuclear and missile programs, which remain firmly in place after the Trump administrations failed flirtation with the Norths leader, Kim Jong-un.

The decision to make Japan the first destination for Mr. Blinken and Mr. Austin was seen as a significant and reassuring development in Tokyo, which worked hard to maintain close ties with Mr. Trump even as he demanded huge increases in payments to keep American troops in the country. On Friday, the White House announced that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga would be the first foreign leader to meet with Mr. Biden in Washington.

At the end of the Trump administration, with regard to Asia, we were bickering with our allies over how much to pay for the cost sharing in terms of defense, said Victor Cha, who oversaw Asia policy at the White House during the George W. Bush administration and advises the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. We had a very unilateral view when it came to alliances as a nation, almost a disdainful view with regard to them.

At the same time, Mr. Cha said, China was using its economic leverage all around the region to bully other countries.

The Trump administration took an often contradictory approach toward China. Mr. Trump often flattered its authoritarian leader, Xi Jinping, as he tried to strike trade deals. At the same time, his administration criticized Beijings human rights abuses, military and cyberspace incursions, and assaults on democracy.

The Biden administrations strategy could prove just as dizzying. Mr. Blinken has described seeking a relationship that is based at once on cooperation, competition and, as needed, confrontation with China.
Christian Porter is taking a major gamble in launching defamation proceedings against the national broadcaster, and this fight will be ugly.

In many ways, however, this is the most in control the Attorney-General has been in weeks  and he is seeking, very strategically, to back the ABC into a corner.

Attorney-General Christian Porter. Credit:Trevor Collens

Porters lawsuit against the ABC and Four Corners reporter Louise Milligan alleges the February 26 online article that revealed a historical rape allegation against a then-unnamed cabinet minister defamed him by portraying him as the perpetrator of a brutal rape of a 16-year-old girl in 1988, when he was 17.

A threshold question for the Federal Court, where the lawsuit has been filed, will be whether the article identified him, even though he wasnt named.
Are you an emperor of camp like Liberace, a burlesque queen living in a satin upholstered jewelry box like Dita von Teese, or so idiosyncratic that you belong among the unclassifiables, a la Phyllis Diller, who has a room dedicated to her wigs? It doesnt matter, as long as your home is an aria of personal expression. Lack of money, he adds, should not be an obstacle, since, in aesthetic matters, it tends to be inversely proportional to taste.

THE PROBLEM with many self-help books is that they are gauzy and vague, their principles deracinated from any real-life examples. How to Be Yourself mostly avoids this common pitfall, as Mr. Doonan takes readers on an anthropological tour of people he admires and includes mini-histories of influential mentors.

Still, reading the second book Mr. Doonan recently published, Keith Haring, about the prolific late artist, underscores an idea I have long held to be true: Biography is the best self-help. The principles of living arise organically from the story of an exemplary life  or from a life that was not so exemplary. The lessons have not been detached from their origins.

In this slim volume, Mr. Doonan recounts the story of a driven young man from the small town of Kutztown, Pa., who drew compulsively from a young age, dropped out of commercial art school, and moved to New York City in 1978 in search of intensity  sexual, professional, emotional, and artistic.

Inspired by the graffiti movement, he started defacing public buildings and drawing his now famous cartoon iconography  the crawling baby, the dog, the flying pyramids, the dancing man  on vacant ad spaces in the subway. Art, he wrote in his journal, is for everybody.

In a few short years, he had gained a cult following, and by age 25, he was a world-famous pop artist in the vein of Andy Warhol. Like Mr. Warhol, he treated art as a business, and his Pop Shop, which he opened in 1986 out of an impulse to offer his art in the affordable form of T-shirts and buttons, was one of a kind.
A woman wearing a mask sits on her bicycle at a red light on a nearly empty street in Beijing on March 22, 2020. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

Pandemic May Have Been Caused by Bioweapon Research Accident in China: Former State Department Investigator

The virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic could have been the result of a bioweapon leak in China, according to David Asher, former lead COVID-19 investigator at the U.S. State Department.

This might have been a weapons vector gone awry; not deliberately released, but in development and then somehow leaked, Asher said on March 12 during a panel discussion at the Hudson Institute.

This has turned out to be the greatest weapon in history. Youve taken out 15 to 20 percent of global GDP. Youve killed millions of people.

The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes the disease COVID-19, first surfaced in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. A lab at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where scientists have conducted extensive research on bat coronaviruses, has long been speculated to be the source of the outbreak, possibly due to an accidental leak.

That theory was declared extremely unlikely by World Health Organization (WHO) expert Peter Ben Embarek on Feb. 8, following a two-week fact-finding mission in Wuhan. However, within days, WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus appeared to walk back the statement, saying that all hypotheses remain open and require further study.

A fact sheet released by the U.S. State Department in January stated that it had reason to believe several researchers at the institute fell ill with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses in autumn 2019. A senior researcher at the institute said in July 2020 there was zero infection among lab staff and students.

Asher noted that China stopped talking publicly about its research at the Wuhan lab in 2016. He recalled that in 2016, he heard a Chinese military commentator speak on Chinas state-run media about how China has entered into an area of Chinese biowarfare  including using things like viruses.

They made a public statement to their people that this is a new priority under [Chinese leader Xi Jinpings] national security policy, Asher said.

He said he doubted this was a coincidence and added that 2016 could be the year when the Chinese military became involved in biological programs at the Wuhan lab.

You need to understand that the nature of the communist state in China and its secretive, dual-use approach to everything military to be able to appreciate it, Asher said. He added that he believed nobody in the WHO understood China well enough to know that it could obfuscate its classified programs.

China was also uncooperative during the early stage of the outbreak. Asher said the United States and its allies made nearly 100 requests to China, whether to ask for its assistance or to offer help.

China rejected them all and repeatedly said the virus wasnt contagious, even though it knew it was being spread from human to human, according to Asher.

The WHO initially parroted Beijings claim that the virus wasnt contagious, dismissing an email warning from Taiwan.

A scientific paper published in 2020 concluded that Beijing concealed the viruss transmissibility for at least three weeks before publicly acknowledging that the virus was contagious on Jan. 20, 2020.

Jamie Metzl, a WHO adviser and senior fellow for the Atlantic Council, also spoke on the panel, criticizing the WHO fact-finding mission as not a real investigation.

It was more of a chaperoned two-week study tour, where they were given highly curated information, Metzl said.

On March 4, Metzl organized an open letter calling for a full and unrestricted international forensic investigation into the origins of the virus. The letter pointed to how experts on the WHO team werent adequately screened for conflicts of interest.

Two foreign experts on the WHO teamPeter Daszak and Marion Koopmanshave been found to have clear ties to the Chinese regime.
Japans official circles praised the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC), according to which the Motor Sich company will be returned to the state ownership in a lawful manner.

"Japan praised our decision on Motor Sich. Nobody hid this during my official high-level meetings. We knew that Japan was concerned about this issue, and it is very good that these decisions were made," Ambassador of Ukraine to Japan Serhiy Korsunsky said during online discussion "US-Japan Security Alliance: Possible Tips for Ukraine" on Monday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He added that he had been monitoring the situation around Motor Sich for a long time and believed that "a huge nonsense has been done with this whole story", so he personally also supports the return of the company to the ownership of the Ukrainian state.

The diplomat also expressed the belief that Ukraine needed to strengthen the security dialogue with Japan

In this context, the ambassador informed that discussion "local Japan or global Japan" was being held in Japan.

According to Korsunsky, a similar discussion "local Ukraine or global Ukraine" would be useful for our country to determine whether we want to be part of a democratic camp that "really creates our common future, or whether we try to pick up some illusory benefits from China ".

"If we say that we are part of a democratic world, that the United States is our main security provider, it is impossible to even imagine a different context, then we must understand that everything that concerns China will be very meticulously considered by our allies and partners in G7 and G20. Because any transfer of technology, any cooperation, which could disturb the balance of power in terms of security, will be considered very ill," the Ambassador of Ukraine warned.

As reported, on March 11, Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council adopted a decision to return the Motor Sich enterprise to state ownership.

Earlier, Ukraine imposed three-year restrictive measures on Chinese citizen Jing Wang and three Chinese-based companies. The sanctions also targeted a company from the British Virgin Islands.

On January 8, President Volodymyr Zelensky enacted the NSDC decision on the application of personal special economic and other restrictive measures.

In January, the U.S. Department of Commerce imposed sanctions on China's Skyrizon Aircraft Holdings Limited, an investor in Ukraine's Motor Sich. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the United States wanted to warn exporters that Skyrizon had close ties to the Chinese army.

On August 6 last year, the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine announced that it would assess the sale of Motor Sich for compliance with competition law.

On September 4, 2020, Chinese investors in Motor Sich submitted a Notice of Investment Dispute to the Ukrainian Justice Ministry regarding their intention to apply to an international arbitration court to recover $3.5 billion in losses from Ukraine. The working group on pre-arbitration settlement also includes a representative of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine.

It emerged in November that Chinese investors in Motor Sich had hired three law firms for the $3.5 billion lawsuit against Ukraine.

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1. Roads. The citys roads are a mess. Significant resources are needed to fix them.

2. Public safety. The crime rate is too high. Police pay and resources come first.

3. More city programs. The city must invest more in city programs and services.

4. Comprehensive plan. The city needs to focus on rebuilding and rebranding.

5. Cut city spending. City officials must get serious about trimming the budget.

Vote

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TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 15, 2021 / Adcore Inc. (the "Company" or "Adcore") (TSX:ADCO)(FSE:ADQ), a leading e-commerce advertising management and automation platform to leverage digital marketing in an effortless and accessible way ("Effortless Advertising") today announced that it will expand its presence in China with the opening of a corporate office in Shanghai later this month. The establishment of this office follows the opening of Adcore's regional headquarters in Hong Kong in early 2020, and reflects the Company's commitment to the rapidly growing digital advertising market in the Asia-Pacific region.

Omri Brill, CEO of Adcore, stated, "Following the immense success the company experienced from launching our Hong Kong office nearly a year ago, we are excited to strengthen our foothold in China with the opening of a mainland office in Shanghai. When we announced the opening of our Hong Kong office, we noted the growing importance of digital advertising in China, which is expected to be $128 billion in 20211. To provide some additional context, according to a study by McKinsey & Co, before COVID-19, China was already a digital leader in consumer facing areas, accounting for 45% of global e-commerce transactions, and consumers and businesses in China have accelerated their use of digital technologies as a result of the pandemic2. With our wide-reaching platform, Adcore is well-positioned to partner with Chinese companies seeking to reach a global customer base and we have already seen tremendous interest in our marketing technologies coming from China. The expansion of our presence to the Mainland puts us closer to our Chinese clients and provides a local team that's fluent in Mandarin, which we believe will accelerate our growth, open new opportunities and drive further penetration of this valuable market." Mr. Brill added: "I couldn't be more thrilled about the launch of our Shanghai office as I believe China will be a major growth engine for our company in 2021 and beyond."

Gal Itkin, General Manager of Adcore Greater China, commented, "Shanghai is a technology hub where both retailers and consumers rely heavily on digital advertising to sell products to the global market as part of their day to day commerce. As more companies look to expand their digital marketing reach, Adcore offers the ideal solution to leverage platforms such as Google, Facebook and Microsoft that are not directly accessible from China. We believe our presence on the Mainland, backed by our regional headquarters in Hong Kong, together with our platform's capabilities, will allow us to heighten our marketplace recognition and attract a larger share of the vital and growing businesses located in this region."

ABOUT ADCORE

Adcore is empowering entrepreneurs, advertisers, and the future of e-commerce through its advertising management and automation platform. By combining extensive industry knowledge and experience with its proprietary artificial intelligence engine, Adcore offers a unique digital marketing solution that empowers entrepreneurs and advertisers by managing and automating their e-commerce store advertising, and monitoring and analyzing the performance of their advertising budget to ensure maximum Return on Investment. In addition to being named numerous times on Deloitte's Fast 50 Technology list, Adcore is a certified Google Premier Partner, Microsoft Partner, Facebook Partner and TikTok Partner.

Established in 2006, the Company employs over fifty people in its headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel and satellite offices in Toronto, Canada, Melbourne, Australia and Hong Kong, Greater China.

For more information about Adcore, please visit https://www.adcore.com/investors/

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements about the Company. Wherever possible, words such as "may", "will", "should", "could", "expect", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict" or "potential" or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof.

Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

For further information please contact:

Martijn van den Bemd,

GM North America

Telephone: 647-497-5337

Email: martijn@adcore.com

U.S. Investor Relations:

John Nesbett/Jennifer Belodeau

IMS Investor Relations

Telephone: 203-972-9200

Email: jnesbett@imsinvestorrelations.com

Canada Investor Relations

Virtus Advisory Group

Telephone: 416-644-5081

Email: info@virtusadvisory.com

ADCORE INC. https://www.adcore.com/investors/

1 Source: https://www.emarketer.com/content/china-digital-ad-spending-2019

2 Source: McKinsey & Company, China consumer report 2021, Understanding Chinese Consumers: Growth Engine of the World

SOURCE: Adcore Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/635213/Adcore-to-Expand-Presence-in-China-with-Opening-of-Shanghai-Office
Roads across wore a deserted look as the city entered a week-long on Monday.

People in the city, during their morning walks, were seen following COVID-19 safety guidelines.

Kishore, who was on his morning walk, told ANI, "Morning walk is important to maintain a healthy immune system to tackle corona. People respect the government guidelines regarding lockdown"

"There is no crowding and social distancing is properly maintained during the walks. People are wearing masks," he further said.

"Unless people sanitise themselves regularly and follow social distancing, we cannot be sure that will contain the coronavirus," he added.

Due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, the state government on Thursday decided to impose a in district from March 15 to 21.

Only essential services such as vegetable and fruit shops and milk booths will stay open, according to the order issued by the district administration.

"Complete lockdown to remain imposed in City Police Commissionerate area from March 15 to March 21. Essential services will continue," said Nagpur Guardian Minister Nitin Raut.

The state health department on Sunday evening informed Maharashtra reported 16,620 new COVID-19 cases and 50 deaths in the last 24 hours.

The state had a total of 1,26,231 active cases. The total death toll in the state stood at 52,861.

In the last 24 hours, Mumbai reported 1962 new COVID-19 cases.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had on Thursday said strict lockdown measures will be enforced in some parts of the state to contain the spread of COVID-19.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Abu-Jamal, 66, is currently being held for life without parole at the Mahanoy Penitentiary in Pennsylvania. He suffers from severe respiratory difficulties and has to deal with serious heart failure, as well as debilitating skin problems.

He is being held in solitary confinement in the prison infirmary but has not received any medical treatment, despite his intense suffering.



For his doctor, Ricardo Alvarez, "his release is the only treatment" to prevent the worst.



Abu-Jamal, a former president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, has spent nearly 40 years in detention. After 30 years on death row, and after having escaped the death penalty twice thanks to international mobilisations, he is now being held for life without parole. He was jailed for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner following a trial widely condemned as unfair and criticized for constitutional failings.



The IFJ, the SNJ, the SNJ-CGT and the NWU (National Writers Union) have consistently denounced the behaviour of the political and prison authorities as intolerable and inhumane.

THEY CALL ON JOURNALISTS TO SHOW THEIR SOLIDARITY AND SEND MESSAGES TO DEMAND THAT MUMIA ABU JAMAL BE URGENTLY TRANSFERED TO HOSPITAL:



Tom Wolf - GOVERNOR OF PENNSYLVANIA

> Mail: brunelle.michael@gmail.com



John Wetzel - PENNSYLVANIA STATE SECRETARY FOR PENITENTIARY AFFAIRS

> Mail: jowetzel@state.pa.us



Larry Krasner - PHILADELPHIA ATTORNEY

> Mail: justice@phila.gov



Textes a copier-coller (anglais + francais) :

NAME/ SURNAME/ JOURNALIST.../CITY/ COUNTRY

We are extremely worried about Mumia Abu Jamals state of health. He has tested positive for Covid-19 and has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Taking into consideration his medical history (hepatitis C) he is especially vulnerable. If he remains incarcerated his chances of survival are extremely low. Because of this we request his immediate hospitalisation so that he may receive whatever treatment is necessary in the care of independent professionals. We would also request his release from prison as soon as his health allows him to re-join his family. To avoid massive contamination through the Covid pandemic we would also request that all sick, elderly inmates should be freed.



NOM / PRENOM / Journaliste ... / VILLE / FRANCE



Nous sommes tres preoccupes par letat de sante de Mumia Abu-Jamal, teste positif pour Covid-19 et diagnostique avec une insuffisance cardiaque congestive. Tenant compte de ses antecedents medicaux (hepatite C) il est tres vulnerable. Sil reste incarcere, ses chances de survie seraient extremement faibles. En consequence, nous demandons son hospitalisation immediate pour quil recoive les soins appropries par des professionnels independants et sa liberation des quil sera en etat de rejoindre sa famille. Pour eviter la contamination de la pandemie de Covid, nous vous demandons egalement de liberer tous les detenus les plus vulnerables, malades et ages.
Today Apple was honored with their historic first Academy Award nominations for its feature films since the Apple TV+ global launch of Apple Original Films just over a year ago. The widely acclaimed "Wolfwalkers" was nominated for Best Animated Feature and the epic war film Greyhound, starring and written by Tom Hanks, for Best Sound. Including todays nominations, Apple has been honored with a total of 81 awards wins and 329 nominations to date.

Zack Van Amburg, Apples head of Worldwide Video: "Nothing is more exciting than seeing these unique and meaningful films resonating with both critics and audiences globally. We are incredibly proud of what were building at Apple, and to have these films celebrated in this way  and in such a short space of time  were humbled and thankful for the artists and filmmakers who have partnered with us."

Jamie Erlicht, Apples head of Worldwide Video: "Were grateful for the Academys recognition of Wolfwalkers and Greyhound. We want to congratulate the filmmakers and the cast and crew who brought these brilliant stories to the screen, and to everyone who has championed these films around the world. We are excited to continue sharing exceptional storytelling from the most creative visionaries in the year ahead and beyond."

Wolfwalkers

(Click on image to view Jumbo Format)

Apples "Wolfwalkers" is the latest from two-time Academy Award-nominated director Tomm Moore and director Ross Stewart, and co-produced by the award-winning animation studios Cartoon Saloon and Melusine Productions.

'Wolfwalkers" has won an AFI FEST prize and has been named best animated film across multiple critics groups, including by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, New York Film Critics Circle, Dublin Critics Circle, Chicago Film Critics Association, San Diego Film Critics Society, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and more. A BAFTA- and Golden Globe Award-nominated film, "Wolfwalkers" is also up for 10 Annie Awards and was nominated by the Producers Guild of America in the category of Best Animated Feature.

This week, "Wolfwalkers" will be returning to cinemas starting with a New York theatrical run at the Angelika Film Center beginning Friday, March 19. Additional theaters in major North American markets will be added throughout March and April.

In a time of superstition and magic, a young apprentice hunter, Robyn Goodfellowe, journeys to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last wolf pack. While exploring the forbidden lands outside the city walls, Robyn befriends a free-spirited girl, Mebh, a member of a mysterious tribe rumored to have the ability to transform into wolves by night. As they search for Mebhs missing mother, Robyn uncovers a secret that draws her further into the enchanted world of the Wolfwalkers and risks turning into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy. Wolfwalkers is produced by Paul Young, Nora Twomey, Tomm Moore, and Stephan Roelants. GKIDS serves as the theatrical distribution partner in North America. WildCard serves as the theatrical distributor for the film in the UK.

Greyhound

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The epic war film Greyhound, starring and written by Tom Hanks, received an Academy Award nomination for Best Sound.

In the epic war film "Greyhound," Tom Hanks stars as a longtime Navy veteran who, as a first-time captain, is tasked with protecting a convoy of 37 ships carrying thousands of soldiers and much-needed supplies across the treacherous waters of the Atlantic during World War II. For five days with no air cover, the captain and his small force of three escort ships must make their way through an area of the ocean known as "the Black Pit," battling Nazi U-boats while protecting their invaluable ships and soldiers.

"Greyhound" is inspired by events during the Battle of the Atlantic, which took place in the earliest months of Americas alliance with Great Britain and the Allied Forces. Stephen Graham, Rob Morgan, and Elisabeth Shue star alongside Hanks. The film was written by Tom Hanks, directed by Aaron Schneider, and produced by Gary Goetzman.

The Oscar nomination for "Greyhound" follows recognition from BAFTA, where the film is nominated for Special Visual Effects and Sound; the Visual Effects Society and Motion Picture Sound Editors, where it is nominated in two awards categories each; and the Cinema Audio Society, which nominated it for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing. The film has also received nominations from the Peoples Choice Awards, Critics Choice Super Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and multiple critics groups.

Archive: Apple TV News
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's attorney is pushing for a delay in his high-profile murder trial in light of recent news that George Floyd's family is receiving an almost $30 million settlement.

Chauvin has been charged in the killing of Floyd in May 2020, and on Monday, defense attorney Eric Nelson asked a judge to delay the trial and move it to another location, The New York Times reports. The request came after it was announced on Friday that Floyd's family will receive a $27 million settlement from the city of Minneapolis after bringing a wrongful death lawsuit.

"I am gravely concerned with the news that broke on Friday," Nelson said, arguing it "has incredible potential to taint the jury pool," The Associated Press reports.

Judge Peter Cahill said he agreed that news of the settlement could potentially impact the case and said he will consider a delay, according to the Times. The judge also reportedly said he would re-interview the jurors who were previously seated and ask them what they know about the settlement.

"I wish city officials would stop talking about this case so much, but at the same time, I don't find any evil intent that they're trying to tamper with this criminal case," the judge said, per CNN.

Jury selection in Chauvin's murder trial began last week, and eight jurors have been seated so far, according to AP. Chauvin, who was seen kneeling on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes in a video that sparked outrage and nationwide protests last year, is facing murder and manslaughter charges. He has pleaded not guilty.

More stories from theweek.com

Trump reportedly redirected a Navy hospital ship from Seattle to L.A. because Newsom was more complimentary than Inslee

Cuomo vs. Inslee: A COVID-19 tale of two governors

2 killed after commercial-grade fireworks explode at California home


Sir Keir Starmer's personal poll rating has slipped into negative territory for the first time since he became Labour leader.

A new survey conducted by Ipsos MORI found that 33 per cent of people are satisfied with Sir Keir's performance, down seven points on last month.

But some 42 per cent said they are dissatisfied, up seven points, giving the Labour leader a net score of minus nine.

Boris Johnson received scores of 44 per cent satisfied, up two points, and 51 per cent dissatisfied, no change on last month, giving him a net score of minus seven.

The numbers are likely to cause concern in Labour HQ as Sir Keir prepares to mark his one year anniversary in the top job in April.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson was handed a boost as the survey suggested that almost nine in 10 people believe the Government has done a good job on the coronavirus vaccination drive.

A new survey by Ipsos MORI showed Sir Keir Starmer's personal poll rating has slipped into negative territory with the Labour leader now scoring slightly worse than Boris Johnson

More Britons now optimistic about economic recovery More Britons are now confident the economy will improve over the next year, as the success of the vaccination drive fuels hopes of a return to normal life. An Ipsos MORI Political Monitor survey found that some 43 per cent of people in the UK believe the economy will improve over the next 12 months. That number represents a significant increase of 14 points from last month. Some 14 per cent said they believe the economy will stay the same, up five points, while 41 per cent think it will get worse, down 19 per cent. That gives an overall economic optimism index score of plus two, compared with minus 31 last month. Ipsos MORI said the overall score is the most optimistic the British public have been on the economy since 2015. The change from February to March is also the largest month on month improvement, a swing of 16.5 points, since the company's polling began in 1978. The surge in optimism came as the Government's coronavirus vaccination drive continued to exceed expectations. Advertisement

The latest Ipsos MORI survey was conducted between March 5 and March 12 and it involved 1,009 adults.

The numbers suggested that Mr Johnson has seen a slight improvement in the way voters view his handling of the coronavirus pandemic while Sir Keir's scores have taken a hit.

Some 43 per cent of people said they believe Mr Johnson has handled the pandemic well, an increase of four points, while 46 per cent said he has handled it badly, no change on last month.

But for Sir Keir, some 26 per cent said they believe he has handled the crisis well, a fall of six points, with 26 per cent of the view that he has handled it badly, an increase of four points.

Mr Johnson is ahead of Sir Keir on the question of who would be the 'most capable PM', with the former backed by 47 per cent of people and the latter by 37 per cent.

Some 43 per cent of people agreed that Mr Johnson has what it takes to be a good premier while 45 per cent disagreed, broadly the same as last month.

When the same question was asked in relation to Sir Keir, some 30 per cent agreed, a drop of six points, while 35 per cent disagreed, an increase of 10 points.

Ipsos MORI said Sir Keir's net satisfaction rating of minus nine was better than his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn after his first year in charge and is broadly comparable with that of Ed Miliband and David Cameron's ratings after one year.

The publication of the poll comes after Sir Keir faced a bitter backlash from some Labour MPs for wobbling over Meghans racism claim about the Royal Family and for bungling the partys tax plans.

They said the party leader misjudged the public mood by appearing too sympathetic to the Duchess of Sussexs explosive claims in his first reaction.

On the question of general election voting intention, the latest survey put the Tories on 45 per cent, Labour on 38 per cent, the Lib Dems on six per cent and the Greens on five per cent.

The survey showed public satisfaction with the vaccination drive remains high, with 88 per cent of respondents of the view that the Government has done a good job of ensuring jabs are rolled out as quickly as possible, up from 78 per cent last month.

Some 85 per cent of Labour supporters said they believe the Government has done a good job on the rollout.
Contact: Ford Porter

Ford Porter govpress@nc.gov

Today, Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D. announced beginning on March 17, people in Group 4 who have a medical condition that puts them at higher risk of serious illness and people who live in certain congregate settings will be eligible for vaccination. The rest of Group 4, which includes other essential workers will become eligible April 7. (See Deeper Dive said Governor Cooper.The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is in constant contact with providers across the state and surveys both their vaccine capacity and supply. The state was able to update its timeline today based on provider feedback and expected supply. As with previous eligibility changes, some vaccine providers may not be ready to open to Group 4 on March 17 if they are still experiencing high demand for vaccines in Groups 1 through 3.said Secretary Cohen.More than 1.1 million North Carolinians have been fully vaccinated as the state works with local health departments and providers to distribute this vaccine quickly and equitably. While supply is still limited, the increased federal allocation of doses is helping providers administer vaccines to more people.North Carolina has continued to emphasize equity in the vaccine distribution process. In the last four weeks, more than 20 percent of the state's first doses have been administered to Black North Carolinians. On Sunday, Bloomberg News recognized North Carolina as the leader in the nation for reporting demographic data on who has been vaccinated down to the county level.On Wednesday, Governor Cooper attended the opening of a federally supported community vaccination center opened in Greensboro, This site  one of just 18 sites nationally  will help the state continue its effort to reach more marginalized and underserved communities. The federal government will provide the center's vaccine supply, which is in addition to North Carolina's weekly allotment from the Centers for Disease Control. The site will operate seven days a week with the capacity to provide up to 3,000 vaccinations per day, with options for drive-thru service in the parking lot and walk-in service.Detailed information about each vaccine group is online HERE (English) or HERE (Spanish). North Carolinians can find vaccine providers in their community through the NCDHHS online tool, Find a Vaccine Location . The COVID-19 vaccine help center is available to answer vaccine questions at 888-675-4567.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 79F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies with periods of rain late. Low 61F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
New Delhi:

Former Pakistani military general and president Pervez Musharraf has been declared in absconder in Benazir Bhutto assassination case by a court, says Pak media.



An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan reportedly delivered its verdict in a decade-old-case involving the gruesome assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.



In its verdict the court acquitted five millitants, sentenced two police officer to 17 years in prison and declared Musharraf absconder, reports said.

Judge Asghar Khan announced the verdict, declaring Musharraf a proclaimed offender and ordered seizure of his property.



Musharraf, 74, has been living in Dubai since last year when he was allowed to leave Pakistan on pretext of medical treatment.



The judge sentenced former Rawalpindi CPO Saud Aziz and former Rawal Town SP Khurram Shahzad suspects out on bail to 17 years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of Rs 5 lakh each.



Both police officers - who were present in the court, have been arrested from Adiala Jail.



Five Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) suspects have been acquitted over lack of evidence.



The suspects - Rafaqat Hussain, Husnain Gul, Sher Zaman, Aitzaz Shah and Abdul Rashid - were arrested soon after the crime and have been in jail. They had denied the charges.



Former two-time premier Bhutto was killed in a gun and bombing attack in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007 when she came out of park after addressing an election rally.



The case was registered soon after the assassination and the trial went through many ups and down until concluded yesterday in Rawalpindi.

All accused were present at the time of announcement of trial except Musharraf.The trial of five suspects started in January 2008, while Musharraf, Aziz and Shahezad were implicated in 2009 after fresh probe by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

10 years later and we still await justice. Abettors punished but those truly guilty of my mothers murder roam free, Bhuttos daughter Aseefa Bhutto Zardari tweeted soon after the verdict was announced.



There will be no justice till Pervez Musharraf answers for his crimes, she tweeted.



Bhuttos another daughter Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari tweeted, Musharraf ordered crime scene washed & doors locked trapping SMBB vehicle inside #ArrestMusharraf.



Pakistan Peoples Party leader Sheila Raza also expressed dissatisfaction over the verdict. We had reservations over the probe and the FIR lodged by the government, she said.



Eight different judges heard the case during this period who were changed due to different reasons.



Initially TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud was blamed for murder and Musharraf government issued a taped conversation of Mehsud with a certain operator in which he was congratulating the operator for the murder.



But FIA Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Azhar Chaudhry in his concluding arguments disowned the evidence of audio record and transcript of telephonic conversation.



He termed it a cooked up story by Musharraf to mislead the investigators and to save himself.

ATC Judge Asghar Ali Khan who heard the case in citys Adiala Jail reserved the judgment after conducting day-to-day hearing going on since Monday.

The trial of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf who was the president when Bhutto was killed and who has been accused will be held separately on his return to Pakistan.



The five suspects Rafaqat Hussain, Husnain Gul, Sher Zaman, Aitzaz Shah and Abdul Rashid were arrested soon after the assassination and have been in jail.



Then Rawalpindi police chief Saud Aziz and SSP Kurrum Shehzad are also among the accused and their fate will be decided in the case. Both were arrested initially but released on bail in 2011.



The main trail five suspects started in January 2008, while Musharraf, Aziz and Shahezad were implicated in 2009 after fresh probe by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).



Eight different judges heard the case during this period who were changed due to different reasons.



Initially TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud was blamed for murder and Musharrafs government issued a taped conversation of Mehsud with a certain operator in which he was congratulating the operator for the murder.



But FIA Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Azhar Chaudhry in his concluding arguments disowned the evidence of audio record and transcript of telephonic conversation. He termed it cooked up story Musharraf to mislead the investigators and to save himself.

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On Sunday, Mar. 14, The Korea Brand Research Institute released their girl group brand reputation rankings for Mar. 2021. Keep on reading to see who made the top 50 rankings.

What are the Brand Reputation Rankings?

The brand reputation rankings is an index created through big data analysis that finds the consumers' online habits and what influences brand consumption. The girl group brand reputation index can measure both the positive and negative influence of girl groups, media interest, consumer interest, and communication volume.

For this month's girl group brand reputation rankings, the Korean Brand Research Institute analyzed 3,383,629 pieces of big data from Feb. 14 to Mar. 14. They then divide their research into the participation index, media index, communication index, and community index. Compared to the available38,283,504 pieces of big data

BLACKPINK is the Most Popular Girl Group for March 2021

BLACKPINK (Jisoo, Jennie, Rose, and Lisa) ranked in first place with a brand reputation index of 3,672,760. BLACKPINK has a participation index of 426,808, media index of 979,048, a community index of 1,138,714, and a communication index of 1,128,190. Compared to their brand reputation index of 4,747,078 in Feb., their index fell by 22.30%.

Brave Girls Rises to Second Place + Is the Second Most Popular Girl Group of March 2021

Following their viral fan edit, Brave Girls (Minyoung, Yujeong, Eunji, and Yuna) ranked second place with a brand reputation index of 3,556,213. Brave Girls have a participation index of 950,956, a media index of 169,920, a community index of 1,277,679, and a communication index of 1,157,658. This is the first time Brave Girls ranked within the top 50 of the brand reputation rankings.

IZ*ONE is the Third Most Popular Girl Group of March 2021

Coming in at third place is IZ*ONE (Kwon Eunbi, Miyawaki Sakura, Kang Hyewon, Choi Yena, Lee Chaeyeon, Kim Chaewon, Kim Minju, Yabuki Nako, Honda Hitomi, Jo Yuri, Ahn Yujin, and Jang Wonyoung) with a brand reputation index of 2,648,040. IZ*ONE has a participation index of 568,072, a media index of 497,614, a community index of 773,982, and a community index of 808,372. Compared to their brand reputation index of 2,727,082 in Feb., their index fell by 2.90%.

(G)I-DLE is the Fourth Most Popular Girl Group of March 2021

(G)I-DLE (Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Soojin, Yuqi, and Shuhua) ranked in fourth place with a brand reputation index of 2,507,360. (G)I-DLE has a participation index of 436,016, a media index of 547,520, a community index of 781,909, and a media index of 741,914. Compared to their brand reputation index of 3,535,118 in Feb., their index fell by 29.07%.

MAMAMOO is the Fifth Most Popular Girl Group of March 2021

Fifth place goes to MAMAMOO (Moonbyul, Solar, Wheein, and Hwasa) with a brand reputation index of 1,896,108. MAMAMOO has a participation index of 116,620, a media index of 200,681, a community index of 766,960, and a communication index of 811,847. Compared to their brand reputation index of 3,230,068 in Feb., their index fell by 41.30%

These are the TOP 60 Most Popular Girl Groups of March 2021

1. BLACKPINK

2. Brave GIrls

3. IZ*ONE

4. (G)I-DLE

5. MAMAMOO

6. TWICE

7. Red Velvet

8. Oh My Girl

9. GFRIEND

10. Girls' Generation

11. Dreamcatcher

12. LOONA

13. ITZY

14. aespa

15. Apink

16. Lovelyz

17. Weeekly

18. WJSN

19. TRI.BE

20. EXID

21. MOMOLAND

22. PIXY

23. Rocket Punch

24. Laboum

25. fromis_9

30. Weki Meki

31. cignature

32. woo!ah!

33. Stellar

34. Cherry Bullet

35. NATURE

36. CAMILA

37. After School

38. CLC

39. Ladies' Code

40. DIA

41. Berry Good

42. f(x)

43. BESTie

44. PURPLE KISS

45. Brown Eyed Girls

46. Hello Venus

47. PRISTIN

48. TWEETY

49. GSA

50. MAJORS

Did your favorite girl group make the top 50?

For more K-Pop news and updates, always keep your tabs open here on KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Alexa Lewis
With most long-term care residents vaccinated against COVID-19 and infection rates plunging, facilities across Pennsylvania on Monday began opening their doors wider than theyve done in more than a year.

At Messiah Village near Harrisburg, visitors began arriving in the morning, with no time limits on visits.

We are really excited to welcome families back. Its been a long time. The residents and the families really need this connection, said Katie Andreano, the communications manager at Messiah Lifeways, which has about 250 residents in its skilled nursing and personal care units.

For most long-term care residents, the coming days will mark their first opportunity for close contact with family or friends since Pennsylvania facilities were locked down by the states order a little more than a year ago.

Even with the lockdown, COVID-19 took its greatest toll among long-term care residents. In Pennsylvania, more than half of the states nearly 25,000 COVID-19 deaths involved long-term care residents.

Yet even with that, many family members and experts feared isolation from the lockdown posed a grave danger of its own, contributing to depression, mental and physical decline and loss of will to live among some long-term care residents.

Shes 92. How many years does she have left? And shes been robbed of one of them, said Cindy Sheaffer, whose mother lives in an assisted living facility in Cumberland County.

Sheaffer on Friday attended a rally at the state Capitol held by a group called Pennsylvania Caregivers for Compromise, whose catchphrase has been because isolation kills too. The group for months had pushed for Gov. Tom Wolf and state officials to find ways to expand visitation.

Sheaffer described more than a year without consistent, meaningful visits with her mother.

Her mothers facility was among the many which for a while allowed window visits, where the visitor remained outside a window or similar barrier. Sheaffer said her mother couldnt grasp why her loved one wasnt in the room, making the visits stressful.

Later, the facility allowed distanced, restricted indoor visits. But those proved temporary, as Pennsylvanias second wave of COVID-19 infections last fall triggered another tight lockdown that continued until Monday.

A sea change began in the middle of last week when federal officials recommended a dramatic easing of restrictions, essentially advising facilities to allow unrestricted visits except in certain high-risk situations.

The new advice is largely driven by high levels of vaccination at most long-term care facilities and a dramatic drop off in infections within them, with the drop attributed to the vaccines. In Pennsylvania, all skilled nursing residents who want vaccine have been vaccinated, and the state expects vaccination at assisted living and personal care facilities to soon reach that level.

On Friday, the Wolf administration said it strongly encourages Pennsylvania facilities to adopt the federal advice, noting visitation is critical to residents physical and mental health and there is no substitute for physical contact, such as the warm embrace between a resident and their loved one.

The states announcement further said, if the resident is fully vaccinated, they can choose to have close contact, including touch, with their visitor while wearing a well-fitting mask. Regardless, visitors should physically distance from other residents and staff in the facility.

In essence, Pennsylvania is recommending that facilities allow responsible indoor visitation at all times for all residents, regardless of whether the resident or the visitor is vaccinated against COVID-19.

Exceptions would involve unvaccinated residents in a situation where the countys COVID-19 test positivity rate is greater than 10% and fewer than 70% of the facilitys residers are vaccinated, or when the resident has COVID-19 or is in quarantine.

Still, it remains up to individual facilities to decide how much to expand visitation. On Monday, there was fear some facilities would continue strict policies.

Its strongly suggested, but theres not anything to say they must do it. There are a lot of shoulds. I just wish it was a lot more enforceable, said Diane Menio, executive director of the Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interest of the Elderly.

Menio said on Monday afternoon she heard of a facility that will limit visits to 15 minutes. We are still concerned about facilities that will not open it up in a way that helps a lot of people, she said.

Zach Shambaugh, CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, which represents for-profit long-term care providers, called the new recommendations welcome news.

He noted that, because of the recommendations, there will be strong public pressure on facilities to expand visitation, and he expects most if not all will do so within a few weeks. He noted that some had long planned for expanded visitation and were ready to adopt them on Monday, while others will need time to put in place protections and policies to protect their residents from COVID-19, which remains a threat.

At Messiah Village, for example, visitors are being asked to sign up online for approximate time slots, although Andreano said thats only to help anticipate and manage volume.

Theres no time limit on visits and people can visit every day, but not more than two visitors per resident per visit. Visitors must pass a screening for COVID-19 symptoms, wear a face mask and keep at least six feet away from residents other than their loved ones.

Shambaugh said that, by expanding visitation, facilities take on a risk of being sued as the result of residents coming down with COVID-19. He said his organization continues to push for facilities to be made exempt from lawsuits stemming from COVID-19 infections as long as they followed government recommendations.

More from PennLive

Wolf eases COVID-19 restrictions for Pa. restaurants, theaters, gyms and casinos, allowing more people inside

She saved his life: Pa. professor has helped more than 200 people find COVID-19 vaccine appointments

Tips from a COVID-19 vaccine hunter: She has bagged 200-plus appointments
Prior to Canopy Health, Lam was Chief Medical Officer of Sutter Health Bay Area, where he oversaw the quality and safety departments of 10 hospitals and three foundations with 2,500+ physicians. Dr. Lam, a longtime physician executive at Sutter Health, is a family medicine physician with nearly 17 years of medical executive experience spanning health plans and medical group and health system leadership. Born in Hong Kong, his family immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s. Kelvin grew up in the Bay Area. His uncle, a physician, influenced him, which led him to pursue a biology degree before attending medical school at UCLA as a Regent's Scholar. Dr. Lam commented, "I am excited to join an innovative organization that brings together the top care providers in the bay area to deliver the highest quality and affordable health care in a coordinated system."

"Dr. Lam brings a passion for population health to Canopy Health and will continue the work that has already begun with alliance partner collaboration," said Jeff Burnich, MD, Chief Physician Enterprise Executive of Canopy Health. "His experience understanding, that data alone, doesn't convince or change behavior but working to establish personal relationships and credibility to drive change through primary care physician relationships. He is passionate about working toward more affordable, high-quality healthcare, making him the perfect candidate to fulfill the mission of Canopy Health."

"With more than 50,000 enrolled members, Canopy Health is well-positioned for future growth," said Mike Robinson CEO of Canopy Health, "We would like to thank Dr. Durbin for her outstanding leadership as Chief Medical Officer for Canopy. Dr. Durbin has an impressive list of accomplishments, and we appreciate all of her hard work in developing the clinical standards for Canopy Health."

About Canopy Health

Canopy Health is a physician- and hospital-owned medical alliance that delivers a refreshing approach to healthcare and providing transparent, affordable care from a network of exceptional providers.

Incorporated in March 2015, as an affiliation between UCSF Health and John Muir Health, including ownership and leadership by Hill Physicians Medical Group and John Muir Medical Group, Canopy Health developed our mission. Our mission is to provide a top-quality continuum of care across the Bay Area through strong alliances with primary care providers, top-tier academic medical facilities, community hospitals, and medical groups.

Canopy Health currently includes five physician groups John Muir Physician Network, Meritage Medical Network, Hill Physicians Medical Group, Santa Clara County IPA (SCCIPA), and Dignity Health Medical Network  Santa Cruz. With 22 participating medical centers across nine Bay Area counties  including Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, and Sonoma.

SOURCE Canopy Health
TURIN, MAR 15 - Italian police have opened an instigation to suicide probe in the death of a 12-year-old girl who hanged herself with the belt of her dressing gown at Ivrea near Turin on Sunday night, judicial sources said Monday. Police think she may have been taking part in a choking game on TikTok. There is no evidence of that for the moment, however, they said. The girl was found by her father hanging from a mantelpiece in their home. He called emergency services who rushed to the scene but could do nothing for her. If proven it would not be the first case of a girl dying while doing a TikTok suffocation game. In January a 10-year-old Palermo girl died after doing a so-called Blackout Challenge on the Chinese video sharing site. TikTok has since tightened its rules on the age of users, as have Facebook and Instagram, at the request of Italian authorities. The Palermo girl's death on January 21 was followed on January 28 by the case of a 48-year-old woman influencer from Siracusa, also in Sicily, who was cited by postal police for allegedly instigating suicide by posting a video on TikTok showing a man and a woman wrapping adhesive tape around their mouths and noses so they could not breathe in another Blackout Challenge. The privacy watchdog, meanwhile widened its probe into the case of the Palermo girl by asking Facebook and Instagram for information on how she had been able to open accounts on their platforms too. They said they would collaborate fully with the investigation. In the case of the Siracusa influencer, police said they had found out that she had posted other challenge videos that had helped her amass over 730,000 followers of various ages. They found around 20 videos of dangerous challenges including inhaling cream through the nose, closing your eyelids with pincers, and pretending to break an arm with saucepans. All the challenges were performed by the influencer. All the videos posted by the woman, who has children of her own, were removed. (ANSA).
Israel on Sunday unveiled a laser-guided mortar system that it said could significantly bring down the numbers of civilian casualties during an attack. The laser-guided mortar system called the Iron Sting has been developed by the research and development unit of Israels Defence Ministry along with local firm Elbit Systems Ltd. Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said the mortar system is capable of hitting targets in urban areas while meeting the moral standards set by the country.

The Directorate of Defense R&D in the Ministry of Defense, the IDFs Ground Forces and @ElbitSystemsLtd reveal the Iron Sting: a precise, laser and GPS guided mortar munition 1/2 pic.twitter.com/PW8sBlDONj  Ministry of Defense (@Israel_MOD) March 14, 2021

'Ten years of R&D'

The Israeli defence forces and Elbit Systems Ltd. recently carried out a series of successful tests with two laser-guided mortar in the south of the country. The two systems - Keshet kit and Hanit system, were installed on an APC and 4x4 SUV respectively and both displayed accuracy and lethal fire capability in quality targets, open areas, and dense urban complexes with minimal to no damage to the periphery. The tests were conducted to ensure the system works fine before it could be delivered to the Israeli defence forces. The system has been made possible after ten years of research and development, said the head of R&D at Mapat, Brigadier General Yaniv Rotem.

Iron Sting is a networked precision fire system  a mortar munition that employs laser and GPS to engage targets accurately and prevent collateral damage. Trials have been conducted successfully, concluding the systems development, ahead of its supply to the IDF, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

This comes weeks after the United Nations court opened an investigation against Israel over allegations of war crimes. Tel Aviv is accused of using inhumane measures against Palestinian people during the 2014 conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza strip. Earlier this month, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that it would look into the alleged war crimes cases carried out in the Gaza strip in 2014 and beyond.

Lebanon:

The US-led coalition has carried out an air strike to block Islamic State group fighters evacuated from Lebanon from reaching eastern Syria, its spokesman said today. Hundreds of IS fighters were evacuated Monday from the border region between Lebanon and Syria under a ceasefire deal and were headed to an IS-held town near Syria's eastern frontier with Iraq.

Irreconcilable ISIS terrorists should be killed on the battlefield, not bused across Syria to the Iraqi border without Iraq's consent, wrote Brett McGurk, the US presidential envoy to the anti-IS coalition.

Our coalition will help ensure that these terrorists can never enter Iraq or escape from what remains of their dwindling 'caliphate'," he wrote on Twitter. Coalition spokesman Ryan Dillon confirmed to AFP today that a US-led bombing raid had blocked the convoy's route. "To prevent the convoy from moving further east, we cratered the road and destroyed a small bridge," Dillon said, without providing further details on their location. "IS is a global threat; relocating terrorists from one place to another for someone else to deal with is not a lasting solution," he said. The evacuation deal was negotiated between IS and powerful Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, which has intervened in the war in neighbouring Syria to prop up the Damascus government.

Hezbollah had been fighting a week-long offensive against IS on the Syrian side of the border with Lebanon, coinciding with a simultaneous assault by Lebanese troops on their side of the frontier. The battles ended Sunday with the announcement of a deal that would see IS forces bussed hundreds of kilometres (miles)from Syria's western border with Lebanon to its eastern frontier with Iraq. Jihadists and civilians, including children, left the border region two days ago, but on Wednesday their buses were still held up at the entrance to Deir Ezzor province.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that there was a delay but did not specify why and Syrian military sources reached by AFP declined to comment. The United States considers Hezbollah to be a "terrorist" organisation

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Myanmar's ruling junta imposed martial law on townships in the country's most populous city Sunday following the deadliest day since the Feb 1 coup, per Reuters.

Driving the news: At least 38 civilians were killed in live ammunition Sunday, said the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent monitoring group, in a statement. A police officer was also killed.

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34 civilians lost their lives in Yangon, where martial law was imposed as Chinese-financed garment factories were set ablaze, according to the AAPP.

China's embassy said many staff were wounded and "trapped in arson attacks by unidentified assailants" in the city and it had urged the military to "protect Chinese property and citizens," Reuters reports. China is seen as supportive of the junta.

The big picture: A total of 2,156 people have been arrested, charged, or sentenced and at least 126 people have been killed since Feb. 1, per AAPP.

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A woman receives an injection of the the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine (PA)

One further death and 121 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in Northern Ireland over the past 24 hours, the Department of Health has reported.

The total death toll in Northern Ireland now stands at 2,099.

Some 1,270 positive cases have been confirmed in the last week, up from 1,230 in the previous seven days.

There are currently 182 Covid patients in hospitals across Northern Ireland, with 22 in intensive care and 16 requiring ventilation. Hospitals are operating at 93% capacity.

A total of 14 care homes are dealing with Covid outbreaks.

Read More

It comes as Northern Ireland's vaccination programme was extended to 50-59-year-olds, with booking slots now available at the seven regional vaccination centres.

GPs are also now covering the 50 plus age range.

After receiving his AstraZeneca jab on Monday morning, Northern Ireland's chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride insisted it was "safe and effective".

It comes as the Republic and a number of other countries temporarily paused administration of AstraZeneca doses after reports of people suffering blood clots in Europe.

Dr McBride said the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) had made clear there was no evidence of a link between the vaccine and reported cases of blood clots.

He said there had been no reported concerns of vaccine linkage to clotting in Northern Ireland.

"I didn't need to be called a second time this morning when the opportunity was to get my vaccine," he said.

"The MHRA is very clear that they do not feel that those are linked to the vaccine and are probably random events which are occurring, and would have occurred normally.

"What the public should be assured of is that the MHRA is a global leader in safety and efficacy of vaccines and is publishing data on side effects on a weekly basis."

Dr McBride added: "I was delighted to get the AstraZeneca vaccine this morning.

"This is a safe, effective vaccine as recommended by MHRA and let's remember - this virus kills people, kills people my age, younger people and older people, and the benefit is strongly in favour of people getting this vaccine at this time."

First Minister Arlene Foster has also urged people to take the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The DUP leader said she will be booking her jab for this week or next after the rollout was extended.



Mrs Foster said: "The MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) have been very clear that it is safe to take the AstraZeneca vaccine.

"I am looking forward to taking it, either this week or next week, depending on when I am able to get my vaccine booked for, but it is very important that people continue to take the vaccine.

"We have made huge progress in the UK in relation to the vaccine, so it is important that people continue to do that so we can leave lockdown in the rearview mirror and we can move on with our lives."

Meanwhile Finance Minister Conor Murphy has announced three new business support grants to the Northern Ireland Assembly in what is a 178m lifeline for firms continuing to face challenges during the pandemic.

The three schemes will support almost 20,000 businesses including: a 50,000 grant for large businesses unable to access grant funding during the first lockdown; a 25,000 payment to manufacturing businesses unable to access grant funding during the first lockdown; and top-up payments of 5,000 and 10,000 for businesses which received grants during the first lockdown but are not eligible for one of the current Executive support schemes.

Mr Murphy, who announced the schemes at midday today, said: This package of support will help businesses and safeguard jobs through the period ahead as we emerge from the current restrictions.

Read More

Meanwhile, the PSNI also confirmed there has been an additional 135 200 penalty notices issued this week for breaches of Covid-19 regulations. 3856 such fines have been issued since March 2020.

33 additional fines have been issued this week to licensed premises or for restriction of gatherings in a private dwelling.

One additional fine for failing to isolate has been issued this week, alongside a further one fine issued to a business or premises breaching the regulations.

A further 25 Community Resolution Notices have been issued within the past week.
A US Navy contractor who was charged over his alleged involvement in the Capitol riots was known to his coworkers as a white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer who grew a Hitler mustache, federal prosecutors say.

Army reservist Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, 30, was employed as a security contractor at the Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck, New Jersey when he allegedly breached the Capitol on January 6.

Federal prosecutors revealed in court papers filed last Friday that the Navy started its own investigation into Hale-Cusanelli following his arrest in the Capitol riots and that dozens of his coworkers had revealed he held white supremacist views.

The Naval Criminal Investigation Service interviewed 44 of Hale-Cusanelli's Navy base coworkers and 34 of them told investigators they believed he had 'extremist or radical views pertaining to the Jewish people, minorities and women'.

Army reservist Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, 30, who was charged over his alleged involvement in the Capitol riots was known to his coworkers as a white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer who grew a Hitler mustache (above), federal prosecutors say

Investigators also recovered photos from Hale-Cusanelli's cellphone of him in April 2020 after growing a Hitler mustache, prosecutors say.

The photos were allegedly taken while he was on duty at the Navy base, according to court documents.

Images of pro-Nazi cartoons and were also recovered from his phone, prosecutors say.

One Navy seaman said that Hale-Cusanelli told him 'he would kill all the Jews and eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and he wouldn't need to season them because the salt from their tears would make it flavorful enough'.

A Navy Petty Officer told investigators that Hale-Cusanelli talked constantly about Jewish people and recalled him saying that 'Hitler should have finished the job'.

A contractor said Hale-Cusanelli allegedly once told him that he 'did not like the Jews because they caused all of the world's problems'.

Investigators also recovered photos from Hale-Cusanelli's cellphone of him in April 2020 after growing a Hitler mustache, prosecutors say. The photos were allegedly taken while he was on duty at the Navy base, according to court documents

Investigators say they recovered this image from Hale-Cusanelli's cellphone that shows him displaying the white supremacist's 'OK' hand gesture in August 2019

Other coworkers recalled Hale-Cusanelli making derogatory remarks about women, black people and other minorities.

A Navy Seaman allegedly told Hale-Cusanelli that 'babies born with any deformities or disabilities should be shot in the forehead'.

Another told investigators that Hale-Cusanelli had once said 'Jews, women, and blacks were on the bottom of the totem pole'.

Hale-Cusanelli has been charged with seven criminal counts, including obstructing congressional proceedings, civil disorder and disorderly conduct in the Capitol as a result of the January 6 riots.

On the day of the riots, authorities said Hale-Cusanelli made videos of himself screaming at Capitol Police officers, climbing a scaffolding to enter the building through doors kicked open by rioters and chanting 'Stop the steal!'

Some of those videos were posted to social media.

Images of pro-Nazi cartoons and were also recovered from his phone, prosecutors say

The image above of a pro-Nazi cartoon was uncovered from his phone, according to prosecutors

Prosecutors argued in the filing that Hale-Cusanelli is a danger to the public and should remain jailed while he awaits trial.

Jonathan Zucker, Hale-Cusanelli's attorney, wrote in a filing that there was no evidence his client belongs to any white supremacist organizations.

In arguing for his release, Zucker cited in the filing a letter written by one of his supervisors, Sgt. John Getz, that defended him against the white supremacist accusations.

Prosecutors, however, cited Getz's interview with investigators that contradicted hi statements from the letter.

Getz had told investigators that he knew Hale-Cusanelli was a Nazi sympathizer and Holocaust denier.

Hale-Cusanelli has since been discharged from the Army Reserve and barred from the Navy base, according to the filing.

Hale-Cusanelli has been charged with seven criminal counts, including obstructing congressional proceedings, civil disorder and disorderly conduct in the Capitol as a result of the January 6 riots. He is pictured circle above during the riots
Sickening footage has emerged of a waterbird being kicked and stabbed to death by young fishermen in a shocking alleged act of animal cruelty at a popular Sydney pier.

Investigations continue after police were made aware of the distressing vision posted on social media last Friday.

Police made two arrests within 24 hours while a manhunt for a third male seen in the video allegedly involved in the killing of the bird continues.

Officers believe the horrific attack of an Australian pied cormorant occurred at a pier near Walsh Bay on March 4.

Footage filmed by a friend shows two young fishermen reeling in their catch before they are allegedly seen kicking the defenceless bird along the ground and stomping on its head multiple times.

The fishermen are captured reeling in their catch after an Australian pied cormorant got caught up in their fishing line

A third male joins in while their mate filming can be heard laughing in the background as he eggs the trio on.

'Take him, bro,' the male filming is heard calling out.

Following inquiries, police identified an 18-year-old man in the footage and attended a home in Revesby in Sydney's south-west on Saturday.

Rabih Habib, 18, was arrested and charged with serious animal cruelty and was bailed to appear in Downing Centre Local Court on March 31, the Daily Telegraph reported.

A second male, 13, arrested at the Revesby home on Saturday will be dealt with under the Young Offenders Act.

Two males were captured allegedly kicking and stomping on the head of the bird, which died

A RSPCA NSW spokesman told Daily Mail Australia it was unable to comment on the incident as while the police investigation was ongoing.

Police inquiries into the incident continue as detectives seek to identify a third male seen allegedly killing the bird in the video.

The male is described as being of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern appearance, aged in his late teens or early 20s, medium build, black mohawk-style haircut, and a beard.

He was wearing a black singlet with a white logo across it, black three-quarter length pants, and black sneakers.

Police also hope to speak to the male who filmed the incident.

Police believe the alleged act of animal cruelty occurred at Sydney's Walsh Bay on March 4

The waterbird died on the pier as result of the sickening attack being investigated

The footage sparked widespread anger online, including more than 1,300 comments on the NSW Police Facebook page after officers issued a public appeal.

'To have so little regard for life is actually frightening and the pack mentality is even more disturbing. Honestly this is one of the worst things I've seen all year,' one man wrote.

Others called for harsher penalties for those found guilty of animal cruelty.

The Australian pied cormorant, also known as a shag, is found throughout mainland Australia and also along the New Zealand coastline.

The species is more common in the south and along the coast of south-western Australia.

Anyone with more information is urged to call Crime Stoppers.
SOUTHINGTON  A Meriden woman organized a protest outside a TD Bank location on Queen Street Monday after an incident she believes was racial profiling.

Gwendolyn Samuel said she tried to withdraw money from her business account last Tuesday at the Southington branch while traveling to Bristol. Bank workers said they felt uncomfortable giving her the money and declined to make the transaction, according to Samuel.

Samuel left the bank and was able to pull money from the account using the ATM outside. She went back into the bank and asked to speak to a manager but left before seeing anyone.

Samuel, who is Black, later withdrew money from her account at a Bristol TD Bank location. She believes her race played a role in the Southington bank workers decisions.

I dont even know what else to infer, she said. I dont know what made them uncomfortable.

On Monday, Samuel made a display with a mock ATM with blacks only written on it for the protest. About a dozen other people attended the protest. Samuel said she wanted to keep the protest small and wanted to raise awareness.

The TD Bank corporate office released a statement Monday in response to the protest, saying the company took the incident seriously and that it was under review.

At TD Bank, we proudly serve diverse communities and customers and do not discriminate in the services we provide or the products we offer. We regret that Ms. Samuel did not have a positive experience, which is what we strive to provide. We hope to contact her to understand and address her concerns, the statement said.

The security of our customers' accounts is a top priority and we regret that the specific reasons why the transaction could not be completed may not have been explained to Ms. Samuel at our Queen Street store in Southington, bank officials wrote. Due to privacy concerns, we cannot discuss the account activity of particular customers, although we can confirm that the customer's transaction was completed at another TD store in the vicinity.

Samuel said bank officials did contact her but that shes waiting to hear more details about why she wasnt able to withdraw funds from her account.

Her goal with the protest was to find a solution and not to attack TD Bank or make the incident into a racial battle. While most of the bank workers in Southington were white, that was also true of the location in Bristol where she was able to withdraw money.

The pandemic is hurting so many people, I just want to figure out how we can work together, Samuel said. What happened to me should not have happened.

The same experience did not happen to me when I left the Southington one. Its the culture in there that needs to be addressed, she said.

Samuel has founded several groups including the Connecticut Parents Union, the State of Black Connecticut Alliance and the Meriden Kids Walk Safe Coalition  Safe Routes to School Initiative.

She said encouraging working families to put their money in banks rather than a mattress is part of her work. Her experience with TD Bank undermines that, Samuel said.

We need to make sure that these institutions arent making it hard (for families) to access their own money, she said.

Shes filed a complaint with the Federal Reserve and the banking committee of the General Assembly. Samuel also plans to contact federal legislators who can hold banks accountable. Samuel isnt calling for a boycott of TD Bank but said she might if change isnt made.

I want them to be held accountable which they will, one way or another, Samuel said.

jbuchanan@record-journal.com203-317-2230Twitter: @JBuchananRJ
A crisis is a terrible thing to create.

This, nonetheless, is what President Joe Biden has done at the southern border.

His rhetoric during the campaign suggesting an openhanded approach to migrants coming to the U.S., and his early moves to undo Donald Trumps border policies are creating a migrant surge that risks running out of control.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas says the situation isnt a crisis, but a challenge  an acute and stressful challenge with some urgency, but merely a challenge all the same.

Consider the contours of this so-called challenge. Twice as many people, about 80,000, tried to cross the border illegally in January of this year as compared with January a year ago.

Even though it isnt peak traveling season yet (that traditionally comes in May and June), U.S. Border Patrol has already begun releasing migrants into towns on the border.

Axios reported on a briefing prepared for Biden that warned that the number of migrants kids is on pace to set a record, and there arent nearly enough beds to accommodate them. (The Biden administration has ordered FEMA to assist with food and shelter with roughly 4,000 youths being held in U.S. detention facilities at the border.)

Biden officials tend to discuss the push factors, the conditions that prompt migrants to flee their countries in Central America. What we have much more direct control over is the pull factors, our own policies and practices that create an incentive to come here.

Trump had a number of false starts at the border. By the end, though, he had created an entirely reasonable system based on his lawful authorities to impose order at the border.

There is no good reason to rip up much of this arrangement, though thats exactly what Biden has done.

During the pandemic, Trump turned around people who illegally crossed borders on public health grounds. Biden has created an exception for unaccompanied minors, which is an obvious incentive for families to send children under age 18.

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Under Trump, the Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as Remain in Mexico, ended the practice of letting Central American migrants into the U.S. while their asylum claims were adjudicated.

This was crucial because under the old procedure, asylum-seekers were allowed into the U.S., and even if their claims were ultimately rejected, as the vast majority of them were, the migrants overwhelmingly ended up staying anyway.

This created a huge magnet  get to the border and claim asylum and youre in the United States, very likely to stay.

Biden has trashed the Migrant Protection Protocols. No new asylum-seekers will be enrolled in the program, and the backlog of people who had been waiting in Mexico are being admitted into the U.S.

Hes also suspended the so-called safe third country agreements that Trump forged with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to get asylum-seekers to apply in one of those countries.

The premise of the Trump approach was that people who feared for their lives in their home country because of persecution dont necessarily need to come to the United States to escape. It should be enough for them to go to another country in the region, or if they are indeed applying for asylum in the U.S., to stay in Mexico while doing so.

Allowing them into the country, with no reliable internal enforcement mechanism, constitutes an end run around our immigration system. Because migrants, like anyone else, respond to incentives, the more who are allowed in, the more will come. And, since resources arent infinite, if enough families show up at the border, it inevitably overtaxes our personnel and facilities.

Mayorkas blames Trump for having dismantled our nations immigration system in its entirety, a claim as absurd as the notion that the Biden administration started from scratch on vaccinations.

Trump got a handle on the border, which in 2014 and again in 2019 had descended into chaos. Call it what you will, a crisis or a challenge or something else, but Biden is on a path to heedlessly repeat this experience.
Brazil has surpassed India's COVID-19 count to become the second most affected country globally. The land of tropical beaches has reported over 1.14 crore COVID-19 cases, out of which over 1 crore people have recovered from the contagion. Brazil has reported total of 2.78 lakh deaths so far.

The South American country has reported 43,812 new COVID-19 cases and 1,127 new deaths as of now, making it the most lethal week since the pandemic first spread across continents in 2020 and now is second only to the US.

India has reported over 1.13 crore total COVID-19 cases so far, out of which over 1.10 crore people have recovered so far. Over 1.58 people have succumbed to the contagion in India so far.

The rise in COVID-19 cases in Brazil can also be attributed to the slow COVID-19 inoculation. Only 4 per cent of the Brazilian population have been administered the first shot of the COVID-19 jab so far, according to an Associated Press report. The report further states 79 per cent of the Brazilian population wants to be inoculated against the virus. Brazil has approved the Chinese vaccine CoronaVac and the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab.

World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also expressed concern over the exacerbating COVID-19 situation in Brazil. The WHO chief said, "Unless serious measures are taken the upward trend now flooding the health system and becoming more than its capacity will result in more deaths."

He added, "The situation is deeply concerning and the measures that should be taken should be as serious as possible." India, on the other hand, has inoculated 2.99 crore people, out of whom 1.4 lakh people were vaccinated in the last 24 hours. The beneficiaries who received their first doses of the life-saving jabs stood at more than 2.44 lakh whereas 54.55 lakh people received second doses of the vaccine till March 15, 2021.

With agency inputs

Also read: People-centric health system need of the hour: WHO's Soumya Swaminathan

Also read: COVID-19 update: Cong raises concern over spike in cases, asks govt to scale up vaccination drive
Syracuse, N.Y.  Firefighters from Binghamton to Watertown on Monday gathered on many Interstate 81 overpasses to pay tribute to a Watertown firefighter who died Friday from injuries he received during training.

A procession of police and other emergency vehicles escorted the mans body from Binghamton to Watertown, according to the New York State Police.

In Central New York, different fire departments gathered on overpasses with trucks and flags as the procession passed on the highway. Some departments raised ladders and displayed large U.S. flags.

As the procession passed, many firefighters took off their hats and stood at attention.

The procession took the body from Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton to Cummings Funeral Home in Watertown.

Firefighters stand at attention on a bridge over Interstate 81 near North Syracuse on Monday, March 15, 2021 as a procession passes below with the body of a Watertown firefighter, Peyton Morse, who recently died from injuries he got training.Alaina Potrikus | abeckett@syracuse.com

Peyton Morse, 21, died Friday afternoon, according to a statement from the Shaker Road-Loudonville Fire Department. Morse was a senior at Siena College. Morse had previously been an associate member of that department before training to become a firefighter in Watertown.

Morse suffered a medical emergency at the New York State Academy of Fire Science on March 3 and was flown to Guthrie Hospital in Sayre, Pennsylvania, according to the statement. The academy is located in Montour Falls, near Watkins Glen.

Morse graduated from LaFargeville Central School in 2017, according to his obituary. In May he will be awarded a bachelor degree from Siena College, where he mentored students as a resident advisor.

He was engaged to Celeste M. Oppito, of LaFargeville on Sept. 27 and the couple planned to marry in October. His family held a marriage ceremony at Peytons bedside before he died, according to his obituary.

Calling hours will be held from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday at the St. Marys Catholic Church, Clayton.
To venture onto a trail is to break away from the grind of the man-made world, to find respite in open spaces and comfort in woods. It is to peak around corners and bends, to enter vast clearings, marvel at blue skies and climb over subtle rolling hills.

This world, expansive and beautiful, as striking as a field of bluebonnets in April or the burst of a startled deer at dawn, as calming as a deep breath, is all around and deep inside us.

I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief, Wendell Berry writes in his lyrical meditation The Peace of Wild Things.

For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Berrys words capture the inspiration and refuge to be found along the Howard W. Peak Greenway Trails System, which meanders through woods and along creeks, breaking away from this sprawling city while residing deep within it. It is a magical place to witness deer and hear the hoots of owls; to count butterflies and marvel at blue jays; to cruise over limestone and past live oaks.

The greenway system is a jewel. It is one of the best investments of public funds the community has ever made  and it must be completed and expanded, circling and connecting San Antonio. This will happen because we are confident the political will exists to make it so. But it will be a relief when funding is formally identified because the 1/8-cent city sales tax that had funded the trail construction will shift to VIA Metropolitan Transit, per voter approval.

Its possible federal funds from the American Rescue Plan may be used to help finish the trail system, or Bexar County of the city of San Antonio could issue bonds. Popular before the pandemic, these trails have become a place of refuge for thousands of San Antonians. Nearly 57,000 people hit the trails in May 2020.

Whats clear from a recent survey is visitors to the trails want more. They want lighting to safely expand hours. They want trails to be connected and expanded for commuting. And so do we. Heres to a visionary project that connects San Antonio and takes us away from the city, revealing stunning natural beauty. It merits more attention and continued investment.
BY GERARD BEST

Do anything online and you always leave digital footprints behind. Your Internet-connected devicesphone, laptop, tablet, even your smart appliancesall emit a digital signature thats personally identifiable. This links your virtual footprint to your social identity. All of which have serious implications for your real-world privacy. But one Internet security body just made a physical move to significantly boost your online privacy.



Everything you do on the internetwhether thats filing taxes, working from home, watching movies, or taking online classesstarts with a Domain Name System (or DNS) event. The DNS is a phonebook for the internet. Its a framework that translates human-readable domain names into the internet protocol addresses that devices use. Most of us spend little or no time thinking about the DNS because typically our internet service provider simply gives us access to a DNS server, and the DNS quietly does its work in the background. You type into your browsers URL window, and the DNS dutifully looks up the relevant address so that you can browse to the correct destination.



But this otherwise mundane lookup activity can reveal critically sensitive data about the person using the device. And that has created a strong and dangerous motivation for commercializing unsuspecting users personal data. Typically, cybercriminals lead the way as the people we are most afraid of having access to our private data. But some of the popular apps that we use daily also cause for concern, as they can collect, share and monetize our personal data.



And its not just individual victims who are targeted. Large organisations such as governments, businesses, and schools can also fall prey to data-harvesting schemes. The stakes are even higher as COVID-19 related public health and safety mandates, from social distancing and quarantines to stay-at-home orders and curfews, threaten to keep millions confined to their homes globally. In the Caribbean and around the world, the sudden restrictions have forced many to go online for social interactions and business transactions. For many, the internet is the only option. The surge in Internet usage is exposing points of weakness in users data privacy practices. And some DNS service providers are cashing in on those vulnerabilities.



But Quad9 is a not-for-profit DNS service provider with a difference. Since its launch in 2017, it has provided DNS services at no cost, with no contract, and without collecting or reselling personal data. Quad9 announced last month that it had moved its headquarters from California, USA to Zurich, Switzerland. The move makes Quad9 the first public DNS security solution to extend European Union-standard General Data Protection Regulation freedoms to all internet users. By using this DNS service, anyone in the Caribbean and worldwide can receive the same fully legally enforced rights as a Swiss citizen.



The privacy protection claims of DNS security solutions are only meaningful if they are bound under the law and enforced by an empowered authority. Privacy policies which are not backed by law are empty promises, said John Todd, general manager of Quad9.



Three of the four major DNS providers in the world are domiciled in the United States and are subject to the same court in northern California, a jurisdiction that shields them from privacy claims and responsibility to individual users. Quad9 has set itself apart by voluntarily placing itself in a jurisdiction that strictly enforces privacy laws to the highest global standards.



Quad9 understands the need to complement their secure and privacy-preserving protocols with policies and practices that protect users, too. Based in Europe, Quad9's service now leverages a strong regulatory environment in the public interest," said Mallory Knodel, Chief Technology Officer, Centre for Democracy and Technology.



Caribbean Internet users, whether individual or corporate, could all benefit from innovative DNS services that put a strong premium on users data privacy and online security. With the latest move from Quad9, the choice is becoming clearer.
The Hyde Amendment, which since 1977 has banned nearly all federal funding for abortions for low-income women, seems likely to survive this year despite newfound opposition from President Biden. But there are signs the tide is turning.

Biden, who abruptly reversed his longtime support for the amendment as a presidential candidate in 2019, has indicated he will not include the funding limits in his proposed 2021-22 budget. It would be the first Hyde-free presidential budget since 1993, when newly elected President Bill Clinton proposed a spending plan that contained unrestricted abortion funding  funding that was resoundingly rejected by the Democratic-controlled House and Senate.

Every presidential budget since then has included the Hyde Amendment from the outset.

This could also be the first time in 45 years that the House of Representatives approves a budget without the Hyde Amendment. The Appropriations Committee chair, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., promised at a December hearing to include abortion funds in the budget sent to the House floor, saying it was time to enable women to make deeply personal life decisions without politicians inserting themselves into the doctors office.

In a possible preview of a floor vote, opponents of abortion, led by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., tried to add Hyde Amendment language to the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill to prohibit any of its funds from being used for abortions. She enlisted an additional 205 supporters in the 435-seat House, but Democratic majorities in House committees rejected the amendment, and it was not included in the bill Biden signed last week.

The situation is different in the Senate. Filibuster rules would require 60 votes to consider a budget that removed the Hyde Amendment. And supporters of abortion funding have not yet mustered even a majority in the 100-seat chamber.

A 2019 bill to write the Hyde Amendment into law, automatically including it in future budgets, was defeated in the Senate but won support from two Democrats, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania. They were joined by a third Democrat, Tim Kaine of Virginia, in support of an amendment that would have banned abortion funding in the COVID bill.

A budget without Hyde Amendment restrictions is obviously on the wish list but seems unlikely this year, said San Francisco attorney Beth Parker, who represents several Planned Parenthood affiliates in California.

But Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, co-chair of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, said she is cautiously optimistic.

Lee was a young staff assistant to Rep. Ron Dellums, D-Oakland, in 1976 and remembers the anger she felt when Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill., first introduced the amendment, three years after the Supreme Court declared a constitutional right to abortion in Roe vs. Wade.

The House and Senate, both then solidly controlled by Democrats, endorsed Hydes proposal to ban federal funding for abortions in all U.S. health programs  Medicaid, Medicare, the military, the Peace Corps, tribal health programs, federal prisons and Washington, D.C.  except for cases of rape, incest or danger to the womans life. The court upheld the amendment in 1980.

I knew I was going to try one day to get rid of that amendment, Lee said in an interview. First elected to Congress in 1988, she proposed a bill six years ago to repeal the Hyde Amendment, enlisted 30 colleagues as co-sponsors, and said she expects 200 to join her this session. The Democratic Party election platform first called for a repeal of the amendment in 2016 and did so again last year.

If we do our work, well get it passed, Lee said. The public is with us.

Not so, said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., at the Appropriations Committee hearing in December. Most of the public supports a funding restriction that protects the conscience rights of the great majority of Americans, he said.

His statement is supported by polls consistently finding that majorities oppose federal funding of abortions. But polls also show that about two-thirds of Americans still support Roe vs. Wade. And in the 34 states that do not provide their own funding, the Hyde Amendment has made abortions virtually inaccessible for many low-income women.

Californias Medicaid program, called Medi-Cal, has covered poor womens abortions since a state Supreme Court ruling in 1981. The court said Medi-Cal already funded childbirth and must treat reproductive choices equally.

As a senator from Delaware, Biden voted for the original Hyde Amendment in 1976 and later backed a more restrictive version that would have denied abortion funding in cases of rape or incest. Biden maintained his support of Hyde at the outset of his presidential campaign but, under mounting criticism from liberals and womens-rights advocates, announced an about-face at an Atlanta fundraiser in June 2019.

Circumstances have changed, the candidate said.

On Jan. 22, his third day in office and the 48th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris issued a statement saying they were committed to making sure everyone has access to care  including reproductive health care  regardless of income, race, zip code, health insurance status or immigration status.

Foes of abortion contend Biden went further in his COVID-19 bill. Of the $1.9 trillion in appropriations, said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, more than $400 billion could be used to pay for abortions or for insurance plans that cover elective abortions.

But most of the sum she cited was the $350 billion allotment to state, local and tribal governments, reeling from revenue losses and health costs related to the coronavirus. The legislation does include as much as $35 billion for a six-month subsidy of the insurance program known as COBRA, which covers laid-off workers who have lost their health coverage and could be used, in some cases, to pay for abortions.

The Hyde Amendment does not apply to COBRA. How long will it apply to Medicaid and other federal health programs?

Until members know theyre not going to be re-elected if they dont support an end to discrimination, said Lee, who has opposed the amendment for 45 years. I think were close to that day.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
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The 6th edition of the Kazakh Film Festival will take place online, between March 16 and 18, with three films to be presented, informs a press release sent to AGERPRES on Monday.

The event is organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Romania, in collaboration with KMG International and in partnership with the French Institute - Cinema Elvire Popesco.

"The year 2021 marks the 30th anniversary of Kazakhstan's independence. The films screened at the festival highlight the deep roots of Kazakh history and are shared with the Romanian public to celebrate this anniversary together and to pay tribute to bilateral diplomatic ties. These works of art remind us of the universal values of devotion to our national heritage," said Ambassador Nurbakh Rustemov.

During the three days, the films "Tomiris" (2019), which was awarded the Grand Prix at the L'Etrange Festival in Paris, "Zhangak Tal"/"The Walnut" (2015) and "Doroga Domoy"/"The Road Home" (2015) will be screened.

"We have been promoting the Romanian-Kazakh cultural partnership through various initiatives for many years. This year, in the context of the pandemic, we will be together at this event online, from the safety and comfort of our homes, and we will enjoy three masterpieces on different themes - the war, love and family. We will also continue to support those involved in managing the current health crisis caused by the pandemic and hope that we will be able to e enjoy the next edition in the cinema hall of the French Institute, our long-term partner in this wonderful cultural project," said Iskander Abdibaitov, chief officer of KMG International.

The films can be accessed for free from Romania, after a reservation on the Eventbook/Cinema Elvire Popesco portal.

The event is presented by film critic Irina Margareta Nistor through a podcast.
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En espanol | Given the astonishing beauty and richness of the 63 U.S. national parks, it's no wonder they're so popular: They received 237 million visitors in 2020  only a 28 percent drop from the year before, despite widespread closures and travel slowing nearly to a halt due to the pandemic. This year will likely attract many more visitors, drawn to outdoor vacations relatively close to home.

These are some of our tips for finding beautiful, less crowded spots and precious moments of solitude, even in the most popular of these wonderful destinations, based on our many years of visiting, working and living in the national parks.

1. Visit lesser-known national parks

Every national park-lover needs to visit Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon at some point, but consider visiting some of the lesser-known parks as well. One of our favorite sleeper parks is Petrified Forest in Arizona; here you'll find remains of a colorful prehistoric forest, some of the logs more than 100 feet long and up to 10 feet in diameter. But there's so much more: artifacts of the ancient indigenous people who lived here, including the remains of large pueblos and massive rock art panels; fossils of plants and animals from the late Triassic period (the dawn of the dinosaurs); a striking and vast painted desert (a badland cloaked in a palette of pastel colors); a wilderness of more than 50,000 acres where you can find wildness, beauty and quiet; and a remnant of historic Route 66 complete with a 1932 Studebaker! Other favorites include Guadalupe Mountains in Texas (hike to the top of the tallest mountain in the state), Channel Islands (see what California looked like before European explorers arrived) and Michigan's remote Isle Royale, where you'll find the solitude normally associated only with the national parks in Alaska.

2. Find little-known havens within a park

Most national parks are pretty big places, but visitors tend to congregate at some of the most well-known and iconic sites, leaving other areas blissfully quiet. For example, Yosemite Valley includes some of the park's most famous attractions, but the valley is a tiny fraction of the park. Visit the Hetch Hetchy area, often described as the twin of Yosemite Valley, and hike to Wapama Falls or Rancheria Falls. Or drive to the lesser-visited northwest corner of Yellowstone and walk the Bighorn Pass Trail that follows the striking Upper Gallatin River; this is a spectacular landscape and we saw only two other groups of hikers the last time we were there (in the middle of the summer!). At Rocky Mountain, avoid the popular Bear Lake Corridor area, and take the dramatic Ute Trail through the park's alpine tundra or the lovely Colorado River Trail in the park's Never Summer Range.
Alabama will receive $4.043 billion in direct aid as part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan President Biden signed into law last week.

Among counties, Jefferson will receive the largest allocation ($127 million), followed by Mobile ($80.14 million), Madison ($72.32 million), and Montgomery ($43.93 million).

Birmingham will get $148.82 million, by far the most among cities. Mobile will receive $60.21 million, Montgomery $42.14 million.

The funds are part of the $350 billion provided to state and local governments to help boost budgets hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin projected a $63 million shortfall in the citys FY2021 budget due to COVID-19s impact on the economy.

The mayor is very appreciative of President Biden and Vice President Harris for prioritizing support for cities, counties, and states, said Kelvin Datcher. Birminghams director of external governmental affairs. Every city, county, and state in the country will receive funding from the American Rescue Plan. Congresswoman Sewell, too, has been a stalwart for cities and counties all across the country.

Specific spending parameters will be outlined by the U.S. Treasury in the upcoming days and weeks, Datcher said. Public officials will likely have a wide latitude to replace revenue losses and cover costs due to the pandemic and invest in economic development, water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure and government services.

Funds cannot be spent to replace net tax revenue caused by a change in law or for pensions.

Datcher says the citys priority will be supporting human infrastructure.

Spending will reflect the shared goals, priorities, and values of the mayor and city council, he shared. The Resources will be deployed to benefit residents, especially small businesses and families, and making city employees whole from sacrifices made due to the budget shortfall. This will be a peoples plan.

Datcher says he is slated to share what we know now with the councils committee on governmental affairs on Monday afternoon.

Guidances continue to come down, were not sure yet what all the restrictions are, Datcher added. The mayor is committed to getting the City Council as much information as soon as he gets is regarding each and every dollar available to the city.

A total of $195.3 billion is allocated to the states and District of Columbia; $25.5 billion was divided equally, with an additional $1.25 billion provided to D.C. Remainder was divided among states and D.C. proportionally based on seasonally adjusted unemployment rate over the three years ending last December.

Local governments were allocated $120.2 billion and it was allocated based on several criteria, including a modified Community Block Grant formula and population.

Funds must be spent by 2024.

Click here to see how much each Alabama county and city will receive.
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Sub Sahara, a TV series that mirrors the typical African society and its pressing needs was screened at Blue Pictures Cinema, Onikan, Lagos over the weekend.

Using the character, Kenny, as a representation of Africa, Sub Sahara also tells the tale of how African leaders and the people are often distracted by peripheral issues, and ignore the important ones.

The plot revolves around relevant social issues.

At the event, the director, Buhari Yesufu, described the series as an unorthodox story.

It highlights the confusion and lack of urgency of pressing issues in Africa. The lead character is a representation of things that are missing and have been taken from the African culture and society.

It shows how we have been distracted by significantly insignificant problems that have arisen from Kennys absence. This live-action method of storytelling takes us back to an era in Nollywood filmmaking, to remind the audience of a better history than what we had access to.

The lead character in the film, Papa Kenny, represents the elite who have information but do not really know what the information represents, he added.

Mr Yesufu also told PREMIUM TIMES that logistics was a major challenge he encountered while shooting the film. He said this was because the series was produced during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Cast

The movie features young faces in Nollywood like Sophie Alakija, Steve Chuks, and Tobi Bakre, Darasimi Ogbetah, Vasco Egbaiyelo, Eva Ibiam, Mijah Confidence, Adebiyi Adetola, and Ebenezer Akachukwu.

On the choice of the cast, he said they were chosen based on their professional acting, charisma, and ability to deliver on the movie.

Speaking on the challenges encountered, Darasimi Ogbetah, who played the role Mama Kenny said it was very demanding.

Because I am a young person and I always acted much younger roles in movies, acting as a mother was quite different but the support of other cast helped me, she said.

Sub Sahara will be screened in Nigerian cinemas later in the month while the TV series will show on terrestrial stations to enable others watch it.
AA Roadwatch are warning Limerick motorists that there is debris on the M7 westbound between J27 Birdhill and J28 Castletroy. Drivers are asked to approach the area with care.

Meanwhile, traffic is still busy both ways on the N69 approaching works at Kildimo, please use alternative arrangements if possible.
The Canadian Armed Forces counter-intelligence unit covertly investigated then-military reservist Patrik Mathews as a possible terrorist threat  months before he was exposed as a neo-Nazi recruiter by the Winnipeg Free Press  per newly-released classified documents.

The Canadian Armed Forces counter-intelligence unit covertly investigated then-military reservist Patrik Mathews as a possible terrorist threat  months before he was exposed as a neo-Nazi recruiter by the Winnipeg Free Press  per newly-released classified documents.

On Monday, CBC News reported on a series of Department of National Defence internal reports and emails the public broadcaster was able to obtain through access-to-information requests.

In June and July 2019 the CAF counter-intelligence unit gathered information on Patrik Mathews and produced two reports. (Winnipeg Free Press files)

In June and July 2019  shortly before the Free Press revealed its month-long undercover investigation  the CAF counter-intelligence unit gathered information on Mathews and produced two reports.

According to the government, the unit is tasked with "identifying, investigating and countering threats to the security of the DND and the CAF from espionage, sabotage, subversion, terrorist activities and other criminal activity."

Last month, the Canadian government officially designated the Base  a violent neo-Nazi paramilitary organization Mathews was linked to  as a terror group.

Despite the unit probe, however, the local chain of command in Winnipeg  where Mathews served with the 38 Canadian Brigade Group  was left in the dark about the militarys concerns and investigation.

In August 2019, the Free Press exposed Mathews as a member of the military who was moonlighting as a recruiter for a neo-Nazi group. Soon after, the RCMP raided his Beausejour home, seized weapons, and released him without charge.

Days later, Mathews vanished; his truck turned up near the U.S.-Canada border.

American prosecutors now allege he illegally entered the country and began plotting violent attacks with fellow neo-Nazis. Hes currently awaiting trial in Maryland on multiple criminal offences.

According to CBC, a chain of internal emails shows Canadian military staffers dealing with media requests were unsure of how to respond to such a high-profile case of extremism within its ranks.

This is consistent with a written statement sent by the DND to the Free Press on Monday.

"We were not prepared to respond publicly to a CAF member being affiliated with an organization connected with hate-related criminal activities," a DND spokeswoman said.

"While the chain of command took action right away, we had to navigate what could be communicated without compromising the investigation and ensuring we followed legislation of the Privacy Act, while also ensuring information was released in the public interest of openness and transparency."

In August and September 2019, the Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre produced two reports on Mathews in order to help senior federal leaders make decisions about how to handle the case.

At the time, ITAC warned the government the threat level was "medium," saying an act of terrorism "could occur" in Canada.

In the written statement, the DND spokeswoman said in the aftermath of the Mathews case, the military launched its hateful conduct incident tracking system in July 2020. It aims to provide "greater insight on the scope and scale" of such conduct within its ranks.

The military realized there had been "no single or synchronized source for information on the nature and frequency of the occurrence of hateful conduct incidents," the spokeswoman said.

"As of the end of February 2021, the CAF is tracking a total of 214 reported incidents (January 1997-Feb. 26). Disciplinary actions taken falls within each individuals chain of command and CAF-wide statistics would not be immediately available."

An earlier internal report from the military police identified more than 50 incidents of hateful conduct or extremist activity in the CAF from January 2013 to November 2018.

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rk_thorpe
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 20:46:16|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's import value was recorded at 13.26 billion U.S. dollars in February 2021, up by 14.86 percent compared to the same month last year, but it decreased by 0.49 percent compared to January, the Central Agency of Statistics said on Monday.

The agency's head Kecuk Suhariyanto said oil and gas imports in February reached 1.30 billion U.S. dollars, down by 15.95 percent compared to those in January, or 25.37 percent down compared to those in February last year.

Meanwhile, non-oil and non-gas imports in February were recorded at 11.96 billion U.S. dollars, up by 1.54 percent compared to those in January, and increased by 22.03 percent compared to those in February 2020.

The highest decline in non-oil and non-gas imports in February compared to the previous month occurred in the pharmaceutical sector of 96.9 million U.S. dollars or 38.03 percent, while the largest increase was in the machinery and electrical equipment sector of 172.8 million U.S. dollars or 10.03 percent.

Cumulatively, Indonesia recorded an import value of 26.6 billion U.S. dollars from January to February this year, while non-oil and non-gas imports during the period was 23.75 billion U.S. dollars.

The three highest suppliers of non-oil and non-gas imports during January to February were China, Japan and Singapore.

Meanwhile, non-oil and gas imports from Southeast Asia from January to February were recorded at 4.41 billion U.S. dollars (18.57 percent) and the European Union 1.55 billion U.S. dollars (6.53 percent). Enditem
Tory Solicitor-General Bob Runciman

25 years ago: Canadian police attack striking government workers

On March 18, 1996, riot police mounted a brutal attack on striking Ontario government workers, acting on orders from Ontarios Tory government. One picketer was knocked unconscious and three more were hospitalized after police clubbed and shoved their way through a picket line outside the Ontario Legislature.

The attack came without warning. Members of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) riot squad burst out of police vans and nearby government buildings and immediately began hitting the pickets with truncheons and riot shields. According to the president of the Metro Toronto Police Association, other Toronto cops overheard OPP constables boasting that they planned to whack em and stack em just before they charged.

Solicitor-General Bob Runciman, the representative of the ultra-right Progressive Conservative government of Premier Mike Harris, rejected all criticism of the OPP. He said that the riot squad acted with remarkable restraint.

The provincial workers strike was part of a groundswell of working-class opposition to the Tory governments class-war program. On February 23, workers in Hamilton, Ontarios third-largest city, staged a one-day strike to protest the Tories assault on social programs, government services, and trade union and democratic rights. The next day, Hamilton saw one of the largest demonstrations in Ontario history, as workers from across Ontario rallied outside the Tories annual convention.

The attack on the picket line demonstrated that the Harris government wished to make an example of the workers. However, the greatest threat to the strike itself came from the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) and Ontario Federation of Labor (OFL) bureaucracies, which segregated the Ontario government workers strike from the broader anti-Tory movement.

The strike consisted of 55,000 members of the OPSEU. The Harris government was attempting to lay off at least 13,000 of its total 81,250 employees. OPSEU President Leah Casselman took the governments negotiating offer of axing 9,400 jobs instead of 13,000 as an opportunity to claim victory for the workers on strike.

Both the OPSEU and OFL leaderships accepted the key elements of the governments agendathe elimination of thousands of Ontario government jobs and the privatization of government services and agenciesand were looking for a means to end the strike.

Fascist coup plotter Junio Valerio Borghese

50 years ago: Fascist coup plot exposed in Italy

On March 18, 1971, Paese Sera, a left-wing journal, published details of an unsuccessful coup attempt by Junio Valerio Borghese, the founder of Italys fascist National Front party. The public learned details of a December 8, 1970 plot in which hundreds of fascist members of the military seized key strategic buildings and infrastructure, plotted to kidnap Italian President Giuseppe Saragat and establish a fascist state.

The Borghese coup demonstrated the immense danger of a fascist resurgence in unstable postwar Italy, just 25 years after the overthrow of Mussolinis fascist state. Borghese, from an aristocratic Roman family, was a lifelong fascist and had remained loyal to Mussolini to the end. After a short prison sentence at the end of World War II he immediately entered into neo-fascist politics, first joining the Italian Social Movement and then forming the National Front in 1967.

The late 1960s and early 1970s were a period of major class struggles in Italy. Strikes in the large industries were met with attacks from police and the far right. There were seemingly endless wildcat strikes as workers became dissatisfied with both the bourgeois government and the Stalinist Communist Party leaders, who held the second largest number of seats in parliament. Fearing a workers uprising like that of France in May 1968, the fascists under Borgheses National Front conspired with active military members, the Sicilian Mafia and the CIA to prepare the coup.

The attempt was nearly successful. The fascist forces marched on Rome late at night and captured the national broadcasting center, where they announced over the radio the overthrow of the government and the establishment of a new regime. An armory was raided and several government buildings occupied. The National Front members believed that they would be backed by the US, which would send NATO forces to prop up a new fascist government. This did not materialize.

Borghese fled to Spain where he was given asylum by Francos dictatorship. Shortly after the story in Paese Sera was published, the Italian government arrested a handful of the coup plotters. In 1978, 46 conspirators were convicted. However, after an appeal in 1984 all of the defendants were acquitted by the Italian Supreme Court.

Detainees at Tule Lake camp

75 years ago: Last US internment camp for Japanese-Americans closes

On March 20, 1946, the US government decommissioned the Tule Lake War Relocation Center in California, where tens of thousands of Japanese Americans had been interned during World War II. The facility was the last of a network of 10 concentration camps on the West Coast to be shuttered. Its closure came more than six months after the conclusion of the war.

The Democratic Party administration of President Franklin Roosevelt had ordered the mass roundups through Executive Order 9066 shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, part of a broader assault on democratic rights as the US prepared to enter the war.

On March 19, the last 449 prisoners at the camp were transported to an immigration detention center in Crystal City, Texas. In February, 4,406 inmates had been sent to Japan. They included 1,116 adults who had renounced their US citizenship, 1,523 Japanese nationals, and 1,767 who remained American citizens, most of them children. Another 2,737 were released in California, but were placed in a legal limbo, having been stripped of their citizenship.

Many of the inmates had been coerced into renouncing their citizenship in December 1944. After several years imprisonment, they were informed that the internment camps were closing within 12 months. By becoming renunciants, they were told that they would remain in the camp until its closure, thereby avoiding separation from their family. Others renounced to express their hostility to their brutal treatment.

A mass deportation of all remaining inmates, including those who did not want to leave the US, was only halted in November 1945, by a court order obtained by civil liberties attorney Wayne Collins. He charged that the renunciation program had been based upon the duress of indefinite imprisonment and had violated the constitutional rights of those affected. The US authorities responded by seeking to settle the cases of those detained through hasty administrative hearings. Only in 1968 did Collins succeed in restoring the citizenship of 4,978 Japanese Americans who had been caught up in the program.

Throughout its existence, Tule Lake was notorious for its harsh conditions. In July 1943, it was designated a segregation center, where inmates from other camps who had fallen foul of a loyalty questionnaire were dispatched. When the detainees protested their treatment in November 1943, martial law was declared at the camp, leading to months-long curfews, searches and the end of all normal daily activities.

At its height, almost 20,000 Japanese Americans were held at Tule Lake. In total, some 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, 62 percent of whom were US citizens, were detained during the course of the war.

Revolutionary workers arrested by the police in Eisleben

100 years ago: German Communist Party initiates mass actions

On March 18, 1921, Die Rote Fahne (the Red Flag), the newspaper of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD), called for workers to take up arms in response to the decision on March 14 by the governor of the state of Saxony, Otto Horsing, a Social Democrat, to send troops to the mining region of Mansfeld to restore order.

The international situation was fraught. In February, the French had threated to invade Bavaria if Germany did not come to terms on war reparations. On March 20, a plebiscite was set in Upper Silesia, one of the chief coal mining regions of Germany, to decide if it would be a part of Germany or Poland.

When troops arrived in Mansfeld, a center of support for the KPD, a general strike was declared on March 22 in the region. But it met with only partial success. The KPD sought to deliver an ultimatum to non-Communist workers and soon was seeking to foment an armed uprising in central Germany. Mass demonstrations also occurred in Hamburg and other regions.

The KPD called for a national general strike on March 24, which was only sporadically followed by workers. Armed workers under the influence of the KPD sought to occupy factories. Supporters of the party were driven from the docks in Hamburg by police, who killed 22 workers. Government troops shelled one factory in Mansfeld on March 28 and the workers were forced to surrender.

By April 1, the KPD leadership was forced to call off the strike in what had amounted to a setback for the party. Tens of thousands of strikers lost their jobs. Thousands were imprisoned and eight were sentenced to death.

The March Action, which had not been preceded by the preparation of the German masses in advance, became the topic of a broad discussion in the international Communist movement. As Trotsky remarked later, At the Third World Congress the German Communist Party with its March Action occupied the central point of discussion. The International was compelled to issue new slogans and to declare that the task of the European Communists did not consist in capturing power today or tomorrow, but in winning the majority of the working class and in creating the political preliminaries for the seizure of power.
Ryan Serhant on Capitol Theatres big screen for a live Q&A with Tampa Bays top realtors and brokers Valor Capital, a real estate firm with more than 35 years of international building experience, has developed more than $1 billion in properties around the world.

Jackie Diaz of Premier Sothebys International Realty, Cheryl Franzese of Coastal Properties Group International, Martha Thorne of Coldwell Banker, and celebrity real estate agent Ryan Serhant, star of Bravos networks Million Dollar Listing and Sell It Like Serhant, were among the 150 high-profile brokers and realtors who attended the one-of-a-kind introduction of Valor Capital and their upcoming development, Serena by the Sea, a $70M, 80-unit state-of-the-art luxury condominium development located between downtown Clearwater and Dunedin. The event was held at the Capitol Theatre, a historic theater in Clearwater, FL, managed by Ruth Eckerd Hall.

Valor Capital, a real estate firm with more than 35 years of international building experience, has developed more than $1 billion in properties around the world. Their latest $70 million project in the U.S. will also be a boon to the local economy, adding between 950 and 1,680 new jobs and $200 million in gains to Tampa Bay.

Ryan Serhant, who could not attend in person due to a last-minute scheduling conflict with Bravo, instead made his appearance via a live Zoom call on Capitol Theatres big screen for a Q&A with Tampa Bays top realtors and brokers. Topics discussed included the Tampa Bay real estate boom, why Ryan is so interested in this area, and advising on how to sell in a highly competitive market. After the Q&A, guests were treated to a group photo with the TV star.

Jessica Papa, a prominent broker in the Tampa Bay Area, who was recognized at the event for selling the developments 40th unit which put Valor over their escrow target said, Im both honored to be part of this amazing new project and quite proud of the contribution Valor Capital is making to the Clearwater area. Serena by the Sea encompasses the perfect blend of architecture and COVID-safe technology to achieve the best expression of luxury living.

In line with new COVID-19 protocols, safety was treated with paramount importance. Event Planner Jessica Ralph of Parties A La Carte managed the event admirably; all 150 attendees (the maximum allowed per COVID conventions) signed waivers and were given temperature checks and hand sanitizers at the door. Wrist bands were also provided to help maintain crowd control.

Festivities included a meet-and-greet, ribbon-cutting ceremony debuting the new sales gallery, and a champagne reception in a full-size model kitchen with Floridas #1 rated celebrity chef Bob Aungst.

Brokers and realtors toured the 6,000-sq. ft. sales gallery which was also built as a co-working space specifically for them. Made to appeal to all five senses, the design center gives potential buyers the ability to view all the finishes and materials, as well as customize their home and lifestyle needs for an overall true feel for what life is like at Serena by the Sea. There is also an outdoor meeting space with clear views of the Intracoastal Waterway, the Clearwater bridge and downtown Clearwater. Advanced technology includes a floor to ceiling visualizer LED screen for special realtor events, with a high-end security system.

Valors Corporate headquarters and Sales Gallery were designed by Conway + Partners, based in New York City. It was curated by DKOR International, based in Miami, FL, along with Peter Erdei, of Erdei Designs local custom-designed furniture.

In all, the event was tremendously successful and were thankful to everyone who attended, said Moises Agami, CEO at Valor Capital. Im happy to know that our guests were very surprised and delighted to see the new standards for relaxed luxury living weve achieved. Weve definitely generated a great deal of interest in Serena by the Sea.

Groundbreaking will be in April 2021, when Ryan Serhant says he hopes to be able to attend in person.

Additional credits:



Photographer Aaron Lockwood (@lockwoodstudios) created the visual chronicle of the festivities.

VPN Studios (@vpnstudios) handled the audio/visual, including piping the Capital Theater event into the sales gallerys large LED screen so guests sequestered off per COVID guidelines could view it life-size, in style.

About Serena by the Sea

Valor Capitals newest resort-style, waterfront condominium development, Serena by the Sea offers relaxed, luxury living where its residents enhance their lives, find solace from the confusion and difficulties of daily life, refresh and prepare to conquer life once again. Serena by the Sea is where one can truly pause and appreciate all that they have achieved. Visit http://www.serenabythesea.com

About Valor Capital

Valor Capital is a subsidiary of Terra Capital Partners SA de CV (Terra Capital Partners). Terra Capital Partners has been in operation for over 15 years (while its main partner has over 35 years of experience) and is the parent company of several sub-companies and investment funds that each have a specialization in different aspects of the real estate business (shopping malls, corporate offices, residential buildings, and land development. To learn more, visit http://www.valorc.com


Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-16 00:41:17|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Zambia will recruit 1,200 police officers as part of efforts to beef up security, a senior government official said on Monday.

Minister of Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo said this follows an advertisement that appeared in the media last month on the recruitment exercise.

He told reporters during a press briefing that the recruitment exercise has been decentralized to enhance transparency and accountability in order to allow potential candidates to apply.

"The total number of constables to be recruited is as permitted by the treasury authority countrywide is 1,200," he said.

The government, he said, was concerned over assertions that the recruitment of security has not been transparent hence the decision to decentralize the recruitment process, and promised that the process will be done on merit. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 20:43:21|Editor: huaxia

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ABUJA, March 15 (Xinhua) -- An internal security official in Nigeria's northwest state of Kaduna said Monday that an unspecified number of students and teachers were reported to have been kidnapped after gunmen attacked on a primary school in the state.

Samuel Aruwan, the commissioner for internal security and home affairs in the state, said in a short statement that the state government has received "security reports of kidnapping of some pupils and teachers in a primary school located in Rema, Birnin Gwari local government area," without mentioning the date and time of the gunmen attack.

Aruwan said the state government is currently obtaining details of the kidnapping incident, including the actual number of pupils and teachers reported to have been kidnapped. Enditem
Armenia economic competition protection commission: Experts forecast inflation of butter prices

Armenia citizens' protest against acting health minister is over

Pashinyan visits France, judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku, Jun. 2 digest

Armenian Ambassador, FMO representatives consider opportunities for expansion of cooperation in Armenia

Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Armenia citizens throw polyethylene bags at Health Ministry building, police apprehend protesters

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

Newspaper: What instructions did Armenia acting defense minister get in Moscow?

Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

Armenia 3rd President reacts to photos of bodies of soldiers in freezer: It felt like the blood froze in my veins

Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

Turkey's Erdogan expresses willingness to support Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral cooperation

Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

Wargonzo: Russian MOD is dealing with settlement of conflict in Armenia's Syunik Province on a daily basis

Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

Latest on scandal over improper storage of Armenian soldiers bodies, more on COVID-19, Jun. 1

Armenia Constitutional Court launches case proceedings based on President's application

Armenia acting emergency situations minister says he's concerned about situation in army

Armenia acting education, science, culture and sport minister receives ICRC Delegation

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

Armenia deputy police chief: No real cases of vote-buying reported to date

Armenia human rights activists: Nearly 10 protesters detained during protest in front of government building

Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

Yerevan court rules to conditionally release man who attempted to assassinate ex-presidential candidate

People came to power in Armenia who consistently destroyed army combat-readiness, says ex-President Kocharyan

Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

Armenia 1st President spokesperson: Ter-Petrosyan has nothing to speak with the nation-destroying plague

Armenia acting PM orders internal investigation into case of storage conditions of fallen soldiers bodies, remains

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan gives interview to Russia newspaper

Armenia acting deputy PM on unblocking of roads with Azerbaijan: There will be no troops standing there

Nikkei: Toyota and Honda stop car production in Malaysia

Armenia official on deploying international observers at Azerbaijan border: You will hear reaction on this matter soon

USAID helps UN World Food Programme support displaced people in Armenia

Armenia official: Work of trilateral working group on roads unblocking has stopped after recent incidents

Russias Putin to Armenias Pashinyan: Relations between our countries are developing very successfully
An experienced skydiver who plummeted to his death after his parachute failed to deploy during a competition has been named as Russian national Dimitri Didenko.

The 30-year-old was performing a solo wingsuit jump at Jurien Bay, north of Perth, during the Virtual Nationals Skydiving Competition on Sunday when tragedy struck.

About 20 close friends watched on in disbelief as Mr Didenko's 'high level jump' went horribly wrong about 1:30pm and rushed to his aid, however he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mr Didenko's death has left friends 'heartbroken', with tributes pouring in on social media for 'the greatest adventure companion'.

Russian national Dimitri Didenko died on Sunday after his parachute failed to open during the Virtual Nationals Skydiving Competition at Jurien Bay, north of Perth

Friends have paid tribute to Mr Didekno (pictured) on social media, calling him 'the greatest adventure companion'

'I don't know how the heavens go, but I do know that Dimitri's spirit will continue to live on, in the people that truly knew and loved him,' a friend wrote.

Mr Didenko, who recently moved to Perth after living on the Gold Coast, had completed more than 6000 jumps, regularly participating in competitions globally and taking part in record-setting skydives.

'The world won't be the same without you. I met you what feels like a life time ago and we shared so many fun adventures and memories crossing oceans and continents to meet up for skydiving related activities. Records were made and most importantly fun was had,' another friend posted.

Skydive Jurien Bay said Mr Didenko was 'very experienced' and was performing a 'high level' jump at the time of his death.

'Our thoughts are with the man's family and friends,' a spokeswoman for the skydive company said.

Co-owner Pete Lonnon said in the 10 years he had been at Jurien Bay there had not been a fatality at the skydiving hotpot.

Mr Didenko (pictured) was a 'very experienced' skydiver and was performing a 'high level' jump at the time of his death

Mr Didenko was performing a solo wingsuit jump at Jurien Bay, north of Perth, on Sunday at 1.30pm during the Virtual Nationals Skydiving Competition (competitors are pictured)

'The staff here are pretty shaken up, we're looking after each other and counselling will be available,' Mr Lonnon told Seven News.

An investigation will be conducted by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Australian Parachute Federation. WA Police will also prepare a report for the coroner.

A crucial part of the investigation will be information captured on a GPS device which had been attached to Mr Didenko's helmet as part of the competition to judge his skydive.

The event was held virtually at seven locations around Australian this year because of Covid restrictions.

Daredevils and tourists are known to visit Jurien Bay to skydive. In 2019 a man in his 20s fractured his leg during a 'hard landing' while skydiving.
HK's 'Better Days' gets nod as Oscar nominees named

Hong Kong's "Better Days" is in Oscar contention. File image: Shutterstock

Hong Kong's film industry has been given a boost, with the SAR's choice for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, bullying drama "Better Days", among the five nominees for the award.



The film, directed by Derek Tsang, is the first nominee from the SAR since 1993's Farewell My Concubine to make the final list, and only the third Hong Kong film ever nominated for the prize. Filmed and set in Chongqing, the film was a major hit on the mainland.



It will compete with films from Romania, Bosnia, Tunisia and a co-production from Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden for the award, to be announced on April 25.



Also nominated was "Do Not Split", a documentary about the 2019 anti-extradition protests in the SAR, which is up for Best Documentary Short.



Netflix's 1930s Hollywood drama "Mank" led the Oscar nomination with 10 nods, including best picture.



Other best picture nods went to dementia drama "The Father, "Judas and the Black Messiah," Korean-language drama "Minari, "Nomadland", #MeToo revenge tale "Promising Young Woman" "Sound of Metal," and "The Trial of the Chicago 7."



Director Chloe Zhao, who was born in China, nabbed one of the five best director nods for "Nomadland," the Searchlight Pictures release about modern van dwellers in the United States. British director Emerald Fennell was also nominated for "Promising Young Woman."



Only one woman, Kathryn Bigelow, has ever won a best director Oscar.



Lead actors picking up nominations included a first Oscar nod for the late Chadwick Boseman, previous winners Frances McDormand and Viola Davis and Britons Carey Mulligan, Vanessa Kirby, Riz Ahmed and Gary Oldman. (RTHK/AFP)
Hackers aiming to call attention to the dangers of mass surveillance say they were able to peer into hospitals, schools, factories, jails and corporate offices after they broke into the systems of a security-camera startup.

That California startup, Verkada, said it is investigating the scope of the breach, first reported by Bloomberg News, and has notified law enforcement and its customers.

Swiss hacker Tillie Kottmann, a member of the group that calls itself APT-69420 Arson Cats, described it in an online chat with The Associated Press as a small collective of primarily queer hackers, not backed by any nations or capital but instead backed by the desire for fun, being gay and a better world.

They were able to gain access to a Verkada super administrator account using valid credentials found online, Kottmann said. Verkada said in a statement that it has since disabled all internal administrator accounts to prevent any unauthorized access.

But for two days, the hackers said, they were able to peer unhindered into live feeds from potentially tens of thousands of cameras, including many that were watching sensitive locations such as hospitals and schools.

Kottmann said that included outdoor and indoor cameras at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, where 26 first-grade students and six educators were killed in 2012 by a gunman in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

The school districts superintendent didnt return calls or emailed requests for comment Wednesday.

One of Verkadas affected customers, the San Francisco web infrastructure and security company Cloudflare, said the compromised Verkada cameras were watching entrances and main thoroughfares to some of its offices that have been closed for nearly a year due to the pandemic.

As soon as we were notified of the breach, we proceeded to shut down the cameras in all our office locations to prevent further access, said John Graham-Cumming, the companys chief technology officer, in a blog post. To be clear: this hack affected the cameras and nothing else.

Another San Francisco tech company, Okta, said five cameras it placed at office entrances were compromised, though theres no evidence anyone viewed the live streams. At Cloudfare, videos of an office lobby downloaded by the hackers actually date from last summer and had been saved for a theft investigation, Graham-Cumming said.

Twitter said it permanently suspended Kottmanns account, which posted materials gathered in the hack, for violating its rules against ban-evasion, which typically happens when users start a new account to circumvent an earlier suspension. Kottmann had earlier received a message from Twitter suspending the account for violating its rules against the distribution of hacked material, the hacker said.

The Verkada footage captured and shared by hackers appeared to include a Tesla facility in China and the Madison County Jail in Huntsville, Alabama. Madison County Sheriff Kevin Turner said in a statement Wednesday the jail has taken the cameras offline, adding we are confident that this unauthorized release did not and will not impact the safety of staff or inmates. Tesla didnt respond to requests for comment.

Verkada, based in San Mateo, California, has pitched its cloud-based surveillance service as part of the next generation of workplace security. Its software detects when people are in the cameras view, and a Person History feature enables customers to recognize and track individual faces and other attributes, such as clothing color and likely gender. Not all customers use the facial recognition feature.

The company attracted negative attention last year when video surveillance industry news site IPVM reported that Verkada employees had passed around photos of female coworkers collected by the companys own in-office cameras and made sexually explicit comments about them.

Cybersecurity expert Elisa Costante said its worrisome that this weeks hack wasnt sophisticated and simply involved using valid credentials to access a huge trove of data stored on a cloud server.

What is disturbing is to see how much real-life data can go into the wrong hands and how easy it can be, said Costante, vice president of research at Forescout. Its a wake up call to make sure that whenever you are collecting this much data we need to have basic security hygiene.

Kottmann said the hacker collective, active since 2020, doesnt set out after specific targets. Instead, it scans organizations on the internet for known vulnerabilities and then works to just narrow down and dig in on interesting targets.

About the photo: In this March 4, 2020 file photo, a security camera is shown on the second floor of a row of rooms at a motel in Kent, Wash. Hackers aiming to call attention to the dangers of mass surveillance said they were able to peer into hospitals, schools, factories, jails and corporate offices after they broke into the systems of a security-camera startup. That California startup, Verkada, said Wednesday, March 10, 2021, it is investigating the scope of the breach, first reported by Bloomberg, and has notified law enforcement and its customers. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Cyber K 12
ALBANY -- In a packed courtroom bristling with emotion, Christopher Porco publicly declared his innocence Tuesday before a judge sentenced him to 50 years to life in state prison for murdering his father and attempting to kill his mother.

Orange County Judge Jeffrey G. Berry cast aside Porco's request for leniency and also his plea for police to find the real killers, telling Porco he had violated one of life's most sacred bonds by beating his parents with an ax as they slept in the bedroom of their suburban Delmar home.

Joan and Peter Porco, who died from his injuries, were found bludgeoned on Nov. 15, 2004, setting in motion an intensive 21-month investigation and the most widely followed murder case on record in this region.

"Christopher Porco, as a child I loved my parents, and most everybody does love their parents, and that's the way it's supposed to be," Berry said, adding the evidence "led the jurors to the conclusion that you committed these violent, cold, barbaric, premeditated, terrible acts, the worst acts that a child could ever perform or do to their parents."

In handing down the maximum penalty, the judge dismissed Porco's lack of a documented criminal history. He reminded the 23-year-old former college student that police, as part of their murder investigation, had shown Porco burglarized his parents and employers, sold stolen goods on the Internet, forged college transcripts, and committed calculated financial forgeries against the very father he professed to love.

Moments earlier, Porco, dressed in a jail jumpsuit and flushed with emotion, read aloud a short letter in which he said his financial forgeries had only been intended to "absolve my parents the financial burden of college."

"A minor dispute between my father and me was taken completely out of context and then multiplied by the police and the prosecution they needed to invent a reason why a person who has never been violent his entire life would randomly decide one day to partake in unspeakable destruction of life," Porco said.

It's the first time Porco has spoken publicly about the attack. He never testified at his seven-week trial in Orange County last summer, where the case had been moved because of publicity.

About two dozen of his supporters were in the courtroom for the sentencing, and many had written letters to the judge requesting leniency. Across the aisle, a throng of police officials, forensic investigators, detectives and friends and colleagues of Peter Porco filled several rows behind his sister, Patty Szostak.

There were no emotional outbursts from the courtroom audience, although a few people gasped when Porco's attorney, Terence L. Kindlon, unexpectedly announced that Porco would be making a statement.

Porco claimed the community had been poisoned by police to believe he was guilty, and that "true perpetrators," whom he contends committed the attack, are still at large.

"Unbridled media leaks by the police and (prosecutors) has been a direct attempt to paint me as an evil person and my family as dysfunctional," Porco said, echoing assertions made by his attorneys since the murder. "These lies perpetuate to this day and what saddens me is the public still does not know much about this case that I feel resembles the truth."

He said he misses his father and that his "heart aches" for his mom.

Porco's mother, Joan, who barely survived the attack and was left permanently disfigured, also spoke at the sentencing. She has stood by her son, and declared again Tuesday that her son would have been incapable of such a heinous act.

"I cannot understand this," she said. "With every ounce of my being I cannot accept that Christopher could have or would have chosen to butcher us in any conceivable way, for any conceivable reason."

With very little physical evidence at the grisly crime scene, police built a largely circumstantial case against Porco in which they said he was motivated to kill his parents at a time when he was flunking out of college, heavily in debt and trapped by his father's discovery that he had lied about his academic standing, finances and study habits.

Porco drove home in the middle of the night from his Rochester campus, staged a break-in at his parents' home as he had done during a prior burglary, and attacked them with an ax, possibly while wearing gloves and protective clothing, according to prosecutors. Porco claimed to have never left school, but surveillance cameras captured him leaving and returning to campus.

Joan Porco allegedly identified her son as the assailant before losing her memory of the attack.

She arrived at the courtroom on the arm of her older son, Johnathan, a naval officer who testified as a prosecution witness at trial.

The murder case divided the family, leaving only Christopher and Joan Porco professing his innocence.

Szostak was the first person to speak Tuesday, and she explained how the murder of her brother had nearly destroyed her life and ruined a tight-knit and loving family.

"Where we had once been a happy group of 12 gathered for holidays and summer vacations for the last two decades, we are now a small band of survivors of murder and our time together is overshadowed by unspeakable grief," Szostak said.

Szostak, who lives in Vermont with her husband, said Peter Porco had been a mentor and protector, "my most trusted friend."

She sobbed softly and struggled to hold back tears, recounting the nightmares that plague her as she imagines her brother being awakened in his bedroom "to the repeated crushing blows of an ax and most likely to the agonized screams of his wife."

Christopher Porco clasped his hands, his eyes down, never looking up as his aunt recounted the horrific last moments of her brother, an affable law clerk known as "Gentle Peter" who was widely known in Albany's broad legal circles.

Szostak looked straight ahead, her back to the judge as she spoke, never appearing to glance at her nephew seated a few feet away. But many of her words were clearly directed at him as she pointed out that Peter Porco may have tried to call 911, but that Christopher, whose name she never said, had cut the phone line the night of the attack.

"The crime was not merely an act of violence, nor was it a crime of passion," she said. "It was done with forethought and was the coldest, most barbaric act one human being can perpetrate against another."

The two consecutive 25-years-to-life sentences handed down by Berry will likely put Porco behind bars at least until he is 68 years old, and possibly for life.

Berry indirectly scolded Porco for failing to admit his guilt, even in the face of "a powerful circumstantial evidence case." The judge recounted how years ago he had taken part in mentoring a prison program designed to help inmates convicted of violent crimes take responsibility for their crimes.

"It was a program that we instituted for people who were lifers, people who had done terrible things: murdered people, robbed people," Berry said. "Whatever state's prison you are taken to, if there is a program like that there, I strongly suggest that you participate in that program and help other people understand and to help you understand the gravity of the actions which this jury found you guilty of."

Lyons can be reached at 454-5547 or by e-mail at blyons@timesunion.com.
The Jan Sangh said that it would repeal preventive detention laws which it said were absolutely in contradiction to individual liberty

It was only under Lal Krishna Advani, and then especially under Narendra Modi, that the BJP became the mass-based electoral force it has become, from the cadre-based party that was the Jan Sangh. (Photo: PTI)

In 2019, the BJP won 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal. It is hard to see why it will not win the Assembly elections now because it has so much more resources than the rest (more than 90 per cent of electoral bond money, which is the anonymous but legal funding by corporates to political parties, according to RTI reports) and also the power of the Central administration. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised he will bring real change to West Bengal. Perhaps he will. The interesting thing to me is that his party has never defined what this change is.

Formed in 1951, the Jan Sangh/BJP manifestos move effortlessly back and forth from grand and formless expression like national rejuvenation yagna directly to things like running more trains with third-class compartments as opposed to air-conditioned ones, pushing the benefits of cow manure and asking linguists to introduce technical and scientific terms based on Sanskrit to replace English.

The partys ideologue, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, did not want the states to exist. In his Integral Humanism lectures, he had said: According to the first para of the Constitution: India that is Bharat will be a federation of states, that is Bihar Mata, Banga Mata, Punjab Mata, Kannada Mata, Tamil Mata, all put together make Bharat Mata. This is ridiculous. He did not tell us that if we removed the states, what mechanism of administration would come between the Union government and the village.

In the first manifesto, the party identified black-marketing, profiteering and nepotism as the countrys key problems. Over time, the Jan Sangh dropped all references to these problems without saying whether they had been solved or had become less relevant to the party.

On agriculture, the party was for encouragement of the use of mechanical appliances in agriculture. However, later it said that tractors will be used only to break virgin soil. Their use for normal ploughing purposes will be discouraged. (1954). This was because it was trying to protect oxen from slaughter.

In 1971, the Jan Sangh resolved to limit the maximum income of all citizens to Rs 2,000 per month and the minimum to Rs 100, maintaining a 20:1 ratio. It would continue working on reducing this gap till it reached 10:1, which was the ideal gap and all Indians could only have incomes inside this range based on their position. Additional income earned by individuals over this limit would be taken by the government. Residential houses in cities would be on plots that did not exceed 1,000 square yards.

In 1954, the party said that it would repeal the Constitutions first amendment that curbed freedom of speech by imposing reasonable restrictions. However, after 1954, this demand disappeared from the manifestos.

Interestingly, the Jan Sangh also said that it would repeal preventive detention laws which it said were absolutely in contradiction to individual liberty. This promise was made repeatedly in the 1950s. In time, both the Jan Sangh and the BJP became the most enthusiastic champions of preventive detention and laws like UAPA.

Even though the idols were smuggled into the mosque in December 1949, there was no reference to Ayodhya or a Ram temple there in any manifesto from 1951 to 1980.

In defence policy, it wanted compulsory military training for all boys and girls, removal of licences for possessing muzzle-loading guns (an eighteenth-century weapon) and expansion of the National Cadet Corps.

Like Atma Nirbhar Bharat, the Jan Sanghs swadeshi meant giving subsidies to local industries and tariff protection. Import of consumer goods and luxury goods would be discouraged. Labour rights, including strikes and lockouts, would be discouraged.

Culturally, the party was against alcohol consumption and called for nationwide prohibition. It wanted English to be abolished and replaced in all spheres by local languages, and especially Hindi.

There is no comment whether positive or negative on the Constitution, which was adopted months before the first Jan Sangh manifesto, or even about the ideals it represents. Dr B.R. Ambedkar had proposed modest changes to Hindu personal law, especially on the question of inheritance for women. He identified two dominant forms of traditional inheritance law and modified one of them to make inheritance fairer for women. In its 1951 manifesto, the Jan Sangh opposed this reform.

While it signals anti-Muslim intent, the Jan Sangh did not have the transparency of the BJP and its open dislike of Muslims. The Jan Sangh was unable to express its majoritarianism as clearly and in as full-throated a fashion as the BJP was later able to.

This was because it lacked a specific programme on the back of which to mobilise anti-Muslim sentiment, such as the campaign against the Babri Masjid. It was not important as an issue all this time. The lack of a mass-mobilisation issue nationally meant that the Jan Sangh remained a minor political player, getting only a few seats in each election. In the last election it contested under its own name, in 1971, the Jan Sangh won 22 seats and seven per cent of the vote, making it only the fourth largest party in Parliament. It was only under Lal Krishna Advani, and then especially under Narendra Modi, that the BJP became the mass-based electoral force it has become, from the cadre-based party that was the Jan Sangh. It is remarkable that this should have been achieved in the absence of a coherent, consistent ideology and even a definition of what parivartan it stood for and would bring.
How the U.S. Lost the Pech Valley in Afghanistan

Americas deadliest infantry battle of the Afghan War began in the early hours of July 13, 2008. Taliban fighters unleashed a torrent of machine gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades at a newly built American base in the town of Want in northeastern Afghanistan.

The base, located in area that had turned against the Americans, was nearly overrun. Just under 50 U.S. troops fought waves of enemies, mere feet away from them.


A Ukrainian couple who grew tired of arguing are trying to repair their relationship by tying their hands together for three months. The two plan to document their experiences on social media.

Thirty-three-year-old Alexandr Kudlay and 28-year-old Viktoria Pustovitova began what they call their experiment on Valentines Day in February. Since that time they have gained thousands of followers on Instagram. They tied themselves together with handcuffs - a set of two metal rings that are joined together and locked around their wrists.

Kudlay recently told Reuters reporters, In terms of physical comfort, with every day passing, we are getting used to it more and more. It gets easier.

He came up with the idea after Pustovitova said she wanted to break up with him.

We used to break up once or twice a week. When during another fight Vika once again said that we had to break up, I replied: Then I will attach you to myself.

Pustovitova refused his idea at first. She hung up the telephone on him the first time he suggested it. But, after a while, she changed her mind. For nearly a month, neither of them has had any personal space. They do everything together, from food shopping to taking a break to smoke.

Pustovitova said, I decided it will be an interesting experience for me, that it will bring into my life new bright emotions" which I had not experienced before.

I love him, so I came to a decision to do it.

Now they put pictures of themselves on Instagram showing a happy existence. They have also appeared on talk shows on Ukrainian television.

As for their relationship, some tension has come up, but the couple say they have found new ways of dealing with disagreements.

Fights between us did not disappear, we still fight, Kudlay said. But when we approach a dead end and there is no understanding between us, we simply stop talking instead of packing up our things and walking away.

Pack up means to gather things together so that you can take them with you.

Public opinion about their decision has been a mix of praise, doubt, and curiosity.

Among the most important questions is how the couple goes to the toilet. The answer: The other has to wait outside with a hand remaining inside the bathroom. They take turns showering.

Im John Russell.

Sergiy Karazy and Margaryta Chornokondratenko reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted if for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

couple  n. two people who are married or who have a romantic relationship

wrist  n. the part of your body where your hand joins your arm

comfort n. a state in which you do not have bad feelings, pain or extreme conditions

reply  v. to say, write, or do something as an answer or response

tension  n. a state in which people, groups, countries, etc., disagree with and feel anger toward each other

curiosity  n. a desire to learn or know more about something or someone

toilet  n. a large bowl attached to a pipe that is used for getting rid of bodily waste and then flushed with water
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks outside the White House in Washington as President Joe Biden looks on, on March 12, 2021. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

Schumer: Eliminating Filibuster Will Be on the Table if Republicans Keep Voting No

Changing or eliminating the filibuster is possible if Republicans continue to oppose Democrats legislative priorities, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on March 14.

The filibuster is a 60-vote threshold in the upper chamber to end debate on a proposal and bring it to a vote. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on March 10 called it the essence of the Senate.

Its the only legislative body in the world where a majority is not enough for most things on the legislative side. It should not be changed.

McConnell also noted that Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) have indicated that they dont want the filibuster axed, and were counting on them to stand up for the institution.

Asked about the remarks during an appearance on MSNBCs The Sunday Show, Schumer said that America needs big, bold change.

The kind of change we began to do in the American Rescue Plan has to continue in the many ways that it has and in many other waysinfrastructure, democracy, things that we have talked about a little bit here, child poverty. We would like to work with our Republican colleagues to bring that big bold change, no question about it. Thats our preference, and we will try, he said.

But if they vote no on everything in terms of the kinds of change that America needs, then our caucus will have to get together and figure out how to get it done. Everything will be on the table and failure is not an option. We cannot turn away from the big, bold change that is needed.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) speaks to a reporter outside the Senate Chamber in Washington on Feb. 13, 2021. (Greg Nash/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Manchin earlier this month said the Senate is designed to make sure the minority party has input as he continued opposing eliminating the 60-vote threshold, but suggested a willingness to shift to a so-called talking filibuster.

Now, if you want to make it a little bit more painful, make him stand there and talk, Im willing to look at any way we can, he said. But Im not willing to take away the involvement of the minority. Ive been in the minority. Ive been in the majority. And I can tell you the respect I have on both sides when Ive been there should be Ive got something to say, listen to me, and I want that to happen.

While Schumer accused Republicans of failing to work with Democrats, Republican lawmakers have said the same thing about him and Democrats during the early months of the Biden administration, especially in light of how Democrats passed the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package without a single Republican vote.

I look forward to continuing to work with this administration, and I just hope that Sen. Schumer does not continue to be an obstacle to bipartisanship, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters on Capitol Hill last week. Thats what the people of this country want to see.
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Prime Minister Imran khan Monday said the elections of leaders from Balochistan and merged tribal districts as Senate chairman and deputy chairman respectively would help strengthen the federation

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Mar, 2021 ) :Prime Minister Imran khan Monday said the elections of leaders from Balochistan and merged tribal districts as Senate chairman and deputy chairman respectively would help strengthen the federation.

He, in a meeting with Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and Deputy Chairman Mirza Muhammad Afridi, who called on him here, said their elections on top slots in upper house of the parliament was also a matter of pride for the people of their areas.

Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak also attended the meeting, a Prime Minister Office press release said.

The prime minister hoped that the Senate chairman would continue rendering his services efficiently in his second tenure too, just like his previous term.

He also expressed good wishes for both the chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate.
Hyundai Motor Company has revealed a glimpse of the all-new KONA N without its camouflage disguise.

In a series of teaser images, fans and enthusiasts can enjoy a first look at the latest member of the brands high-performance N range.

The all-new KONA N will be the latest addition to the Hyundai N brand line-up, and the first N model with an SUV body type.

As the first images reveal, the stylish SUV boasts a sporty appearance, further emphasised by its wide, low stance. For the very first time, the Hyundai N division and Hyundai Design Center worked together to develop on an SUV body type, creating a product that clearly represents a powerful presence and driving fun. The all-new KONA N combines the modern design of the recently launched new KONA with the bold and dynamic language of the companys N models.

The front view is dominated by large, sporty and iconic air intakes, and the new light signature gives Hyundais latest high-performance model an aggressive, powerful appearance. The lower grille defines the character of the bumper fascia: its shape is inspired by an aeronautic fuselage and extends to the side of the car, emphasising its aerodynamic efficiency and speed. An N logo on the unique upper grille completes the look.

At the rear, a large double-wing roof spoiler for enhanced downforce gives spice to the rear view. It also incorporates a third, triangular brake light, as is customary with N models. Large N dual exhaust mufflers fully express the models high-performance spirit. Lower down on the rear bumper, a large diffuser enhances the airflow departure. The sporty appearance is further emphasised through body-coloured fenders, bringing KONA N visually closer to the ground.

The all-new KONA N is equipped with the eye-catching features reserved for N models, such as exclusive alloy wheels and red accents that embellish the side sills.

The all-new KONA N will be the latest addition to the Hyundai N family, Hyundais high-performance, motorsport-inspired line-up. It will also expand the successful Hyundai SUV family.-- Tradearabia News Service
The development of an 'Avoca Type' Destination Centre on Carrick-on-Shannon's Main Street will not be going ahead.

The development, which included the proposal to demolish buildings across from St Mary's Church, has been a source of contention over the last year, with the Geraghty family, who own one of the properties, leading a petition against the concept proposal.

Leitrim County Council issued a statement to www.leitrimobserver.ie noting that, on Friday, March 12 the Council was informed that "its proposal for an innovative town centre experience, an Avoca Type Destination Centre in the centre of Carrick-on Shannon was unsuccessful under Call 2 of the Government's Urban Regeneration Development Fund".

Lar Power, chief executive of Leitrim County Council when asked for a comment about the result outlined that:  this was a hugely disappointing result and a very unfortunate outcome for the Town Centre of Carrick-on-Shannon and the County of Leitrim.

He added like all towns in Ireland, Carrick-on-Shannons town centre is under duress and in decline from a retail perspective, and I truly felt this application represented a once in a lifetime transformational opportunity to arrest this decline, restore prominence of the town centre and thereby hugely enhance the opportunity and viability for all retailers in the town centre.

Mr Power went on to say that he categorically believes it would have been truly a game changer for Carrick-on-Shannon town centres fortunes from a retail perspective and would have resulted in a must visit Retail Destination for visitors and locals alike in the North West. This project without doubt would have given the town centre the ability to fully recover and grow.
Covid-19 threat still looms, despite several vaccines being available globally.

India comes at the second spot in terms of cases at 11,262,707 and is currently witnessing a definite surge in caseloads in Maharashtra.To recall, the WHO faced severe criticisms for "mishandling the crisis" and delaying the announcement to declare it as a pandemic.India was among 58 nations, including 27 European Union members, who moved a draft resolution in May last year, demanding evaluation of the WHO's response towards the novel coronavirus pandemic.The resolution demanded initiation "at the earliest appropriate moment to review experience gained and lessons learned from the WHO-coordinated international health response to Covid-19"."We are deeply concerned by the morbidity and mortality caused by Covid-19 pandemic, the negative impacts on physical and mental health and social well-being, the negative impacts on economy and society and the consequent exacerbation of inequalities within and between countries," read the draft.The WHO on January 23 declared a global health emergency, but did not declare it as a pandemic and waited for a week for its director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to return from China.By that time, Covid-19 cases increased 10 times and the virus entered 18 countries.According to Health Policy Watch, till as late as February, the WHO did not support countries for imposing travel restrictions to China."When countries began evacuating their citizens from Wuhan, the Covid-19 epicentre, the WHO said it did not favour this step".The WHO finally declared it a pandemic on March 11.In a tweet on Thursday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "COVID19 has turned our Earth globe europe-africa upside down & shown why strong health systems are so critical."As many countries put the worst of the pandemic behind them, in India, Covid-19 cases are once again on the rise in Maharashtra and state Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Thursday that "lockdown is required in some places" to curb the virus spread.On Wednesday, Maharashtra touched 13,659 fresh cases -- the highest since 13,395 cases were recorded on October 8, 2020.The state has touched a progressive total of 22,52,057 cases till date and 52,610 deaths -- both highest in India -- and the count is increasing afresh since the past two weeks.On the other hand, Brazil has overtaken the US as the country with the most daily Covid-19 cases and deaths in the world amid the spread of an aggressive strain.Brazil's daily Covid-19 death toll surged to 2,286 on Wednesday, its highest yet during the pandemic. The US death toll on Tuesday was 1,947.Brazil is now home to hundreds of new Covid-19 variants and is reporting nearly 70,000 cases a day.More than 29 million cases have been reported in the US.The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr Rochelle Walensky said during a White House briefing on Wednesday that while trends are starting to head in the right direction, "the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths still remain too high and are somber reminders that we must remain vigilant as we work to scale up our vaccination efforts across this country".Despite several vaccines now available globally, the Covid-19 threat still looms.Source: IANS
For Subscribers Gov. Noem hires jet consultant to help South Dakota buy new aircraft

An out-of-state consultant has been hired for $195,000 by Gov. Kristi Noem's administration to help the state of South Dakota buy a new aircraft.
SAN FRANCISCO, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Female scientists and beauty and wellness brand founders/CEOs, Carol Christopher, Ph.D., Elsa Jungman, Ph.D., and Barbara Paldus, Ph.D., with the guidance of Odile Roujol, Founder of FaB Fashion & BeautyTech community, founded the Science of Beauty Collective to redefine industry standards, support female brand founders, and offer a new approach to beauty.

With the beauty and wellness industry saturated with seemingly interchangeable terms like "anti-aging", "clean", "natural", "green", and "non-toxic" it can be difficult for consumers to understand what these slogans actually mean. Realizing this void, the Science of Beauty Collective has a mission to bring transparency to the industry, and to challenge industry leaders to create better products for consumers that are backed by data and science.

"Talking with Carol and Barbara (just before the pandemic), we had this idea to build awareness of how science is used in beauty, and to help other founders. Through these conversations and identifying voids in the industry, The Science of Beauty Collective was born, in San Francisco! We took the time to gather multicultural leaders - all equally science-minded - and that has reinforced the need to help people to find the right information and scientific approaches to beauty. We are a movement," says Elsa Jungman, Ph.D., CEO of Dr. Elsa Jungman (http://www.dr-ej.com).

"We want our industry to be data-driven and transparent in all aspects of bringing a product to market: ingredients, sourcing, safety testing, manufacturing, and sustainability. Consumers deserve products that perform safely and are supported with scientific data in order for them to make informed decisions about their purchases," Carol Christopher, Ph.D., CEO of Ellis Day Skin Science ( http://www.ellisdayskinscience.com ) shares. "However, we are not regulators and we don't want to police other brands. Instead, we are calling on brand founders to commit to a higher standard in the market. Through the Science of Beauty Collective, we offer these founders education, resources, and support regardless of where they are in their brand's journey."

The Science of Beauty Collective is sharing their combined industry expertise to enable others to design and conduct experiments and studies, generate data to validate the value of products, and ultimately build better products. "What started as a Slack channel and informal weekly Zoom meetings has turned into a shared mission: a community of female founders in beauty and wellness who value science, data and transparency and want to work with other like-minded women," states Barbara Paldus, Ph.D., CEO of Codex Beauty (http://www.codexbeauty.com).

The Science of Beauty Collective offers:

Support for new female founders/CEOs in adhering to a higher scientific standard.

Networking and connection with other science-focused women leading beauty companies.

Building awareness among the media and investors of the value that science & technology bring to the beauty industry.

Quarterly Zoom meetings with Scientific and Subject Area Experts in our group to share experience & key learnings.

Slack community where we can lean on each other for questions, resources, information and fact checking.

Designated mentorship hours for emerging female founders.

Learn more at scienceofbeauty.org or email us at [email protected] to join the conversation and be invited to the Slack channel.

SOURCE Science of Beauty Collective
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A wild elephant has recognised the vet who treated him 12 years ago in a heartwarming moment caught on camera.

The 31-year-old bull named Plai Thang reached out his trunk to touch Doctor Pattarapol Maneeon's hand during an unexpected reunion this month.

In 2009, the elephant was found struggling through woodland in Rayong, eastern Thailand.

It was suffering with potentially fatal trypanosomiasis - a parasitic condition also known as sleeping sickness.

A wild elephant has recognised the vet who treated him 12 years ago in a heartwarming moment caught on camera. The 31-year-old bull named Plai Thang reached out his trunk to touch Doctor Pattarapol Maneeon's hand (pictured) during an unexpected reunion this month

In 2009, the elephant was found struggling through woodland in Rayong, eastern Thailand. It was suffering with potentially fatal trypanosomiasis - a parasitic condition also known as sleeping sickness

Doctor Pattarapol arrived to treat the stricken jumbo, which was 'close to death' and contending with a fever, loss of appetite, and swelling on its face, neck and stomach.

Plai Thang was also suffering from inflamed eyes, stiff legs and back and anaemia.

The frail animal was taken to the Forest Industry Organisation's territory in Lampang province to be treated by staff from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.

He was released several months later after recovering.

Earlier this month, Doctor Pattarapol was patrolling the area when he said he recognised the distinctive sound of the elephant he encountered 12 years ago.

He beckoned to Plai Thang who reached his trunk out to greet Doctor Pattarapol, making contact with a human for what is believed to be the first time in more than a decade.

The vet is certain that Plai Thang recognised him.

Earlier this month, Doctor Pattarapol (left) was patrolling the area when he said he recognised the distinctive sound of the elephant he encountered 12 years ago

The doctor (right) beckoned to Plai Thang who reached his trunk out to greet Doctor Pattarapol, making contact with a human for what is believed to be the first time in more than a decade

'I remember the sound very clearly,' Doctor Pattarapol said. 'Plai Thang's noise is very unique.'

'Plai Thang was very aggressive when we first met. His body was weak and he could not fight other elephants. It took a long time for him to heal, but we learned that he was very smart and took care of himself.

'Recently, we met again. We could remember each other and we greeted. It was a very special moment.

'I hope it encourages everybody to appreciate the work that people do with elephants,' Doctor Pattarapol said.

Elephants are the official animal of Thailand and there are an estimated 3,000-4,000 of the animals living in the country.

Of this figure, at least half are domesticated, while the remainder live in nature reserves.
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HERNDON, Va., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Peraton has been awarded a U.S. Army contract for Hypersonic Test Engineering, Mission Planning and Systems (HyTEMPS), valued at up to $44 million over two years.

This award builds upon Peraton's more than 10 years of experience supporting the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) Technical Center and its mission to develop hypersonic vehicle technologies and provide hypersonic weapon and vehicle flight testing capabilities.

Under the contract, Peraton will be responsible for providing comprehensive mission support for interservice flight test missions, deploying whenever and wherever needed to ensure flight test events are successfully executed. To support these test events, Peraton will develop hardware and software solutions associated with the development, maintenance and sustainment, and operations of mission and test systems.

Peraton will also continue to support the advancement of the Army's Portable Range Operations and Test Network (PROTN) and will begin work on new initiatives, including developing and deploying novel collection mechanisms that place a broad array of instrument sensors closer to a hypersonic vehicle's flight path and point of impact to obtain more testing data. These novel collection mechanisms may include developing a single networked architecture to rapidly share telemetry and test data; developing and operating an open ocean range system that incorporates sensors based on ships, barges and unmanned maritime systems; and incorporating advanced data collection using aerial drones.

"Hypersonic vehicle testing is an extraordinarily complex process," said Roger Mason, President, Space & Intelligence sector. "In addition to the inherent challenges of studying an object traveling at speeds above Mach 5 across uninhabited ocean regions requiring the support of multiple test ranges and collection assets, we also must account for the unique maneuverability of the hypersonic test vehicle. The HyTEMPS contract allows us to bring together our extensive hypersonic testing and evaluation knowledge and experience to create more testing capacity and capability for the customer."

Because the Department of Defense has prioritized developing and fielding hypersonic weapons, the hypersonics flight test rhythm is scheduled to triple from two events to up to six events per year. This places a major responsibility on contractors like Peraton to provide the capabilities, solutions, and services necessary to execute effective tests on an increasingly tight schedule.

"Peraton's extensive experience in hypersonic testing and evaluation positions us to provide mission-critical support to the Army's cutting-edge hypersonic initiatives," said Mason. "We are honored to expand our relationship with the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Technical Center to support more tests and gather richer data."

About Peraton

Peraton drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world's leading mission capability integrator, we are a trusted provider of highly differentiated national security solutions and technologies that keep people safe and secure. Peraton serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies, including the Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, and NASA. Every day, our 10,000 employees do the can't be done, solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit Peraton.com/News and follow @PeratonCorp on Twitter for news and updates.

SOURCE Peraton
A week after nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital began an open-ended strike calling for Tenet Healthcare to increase staffing, the two sides have yet to return to the negotiating table.

Despite calls from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Jim McGovern and the Worcester City Council for Tenet Healthcare to reopen negotiations with nurses, the Dallas-based parent company of Saint Vincent Hospital has yet to do so.

The striking nurses are putting everything on the line for the safety of their patients, and only want Tenet, which is the cause of the tension at the hospital, to get back to the table and settle this contract for the good of all nurses, staff and the greater Worcester community, Director of Communications for the Massachusetts Nurses Association David Schildmeier said in an email to MassLive.

Nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital began an open-ended strike on March 8 at 6 a.m. Since then, the nurses have picketed daily from 6 a.m. to midnight at the hospital calling for increased staffing.

The last time the two sides met was on March 3 when the MNA countered an offer brought by Tenet two days earlier.

According to Schildmeier, Tenet rejected the offer quickly after it was presented and didnt make a counteroffer.

The nurses have no interest in negotiating against themselves, Schildmeier said.

On Monday, Saint Vincent Hospital CEO Carolyn Jackson released a letter she sent to the MNA on Sunday criticizing union members for bullying patients and replacement nurses.

The allegations laid out by Jackson include texting pictures of wounds to nurses from burner phones as a way of calling them scabs, photographing license plates of cars of nurses who crossed the picket line and telling nurse managers, I know where you park.

Jackson also said the picketing nurses told a boy and his father, who came to the hospital for a COVID study, that they would die if they entered the hospital. Jackson also claimed that the picketing nurses blocked a nurses husband from entering the hospital, yelled racist remarks to a delivery person and pointed a flashlight into the eyes of employees in the parking garage.

The MNA denied heckling any patients or visitor to the hospital. Schildmeier said police officers are directing traffic at each entrance, which makes an accusations of blocking entrances or distracting drivers impossible.

Theyre trying to deflect from the issues, Schildmeier said. Instead of getting back to the table, this is the stuff they put out.

Schildmeier said incidents occurred where nurses who crossed the picket line were ridiculed at the hospital entrance and on a private nurses Facebook page. Schildmeier said the incidents were addressed immediately.

It is reprehensible that Tenet is exploiting these isolated situations to deflect from the most important issue, which are the unsafe patient care conditions and Tenets mistreatment of all staff at the hospital, Schildmeier said. It is irresponsible for this corporation to peddle these lies while refusing to work with the nurses to address a patient safety crisis that has been going on for two years.

The MNA represents 800 nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital. According to the hospital, about 15 percent of those nurses opted not to participate in the strike.

On Feb. 23, nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital delivered a 10-day notice of their intention to strike. On March 8 at 6 a.m. the nurses strike began and Saint Vincent brought in replacement nurses.

Public complaints from nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital date back more than a year when more than 70% signed a petition calling for safer staffing levels.

A month later, more than 200 nurses attended a negotiation session with management to provide information about the staffing levels.

Last May, after furloughs were implemented, nurses filed a vote of no confidence in Jackson and her management team.

In December, more than 400 nurses participated in an information picket to protest the same conditions. In January, nurses picketed outside the hospital as part of an informational demonstration.

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There has been a lot of debate about whether an insider should run the Albuquerque Police Department during these turbulent times when public scrutiny of law enforcement is at a peak across the nation. My communitys experience with Harold Medina suggests this particular insider is exactly what we need in Albuquerque.

Harold Medina is one of us. He is homegrown, growing up in Taos and raising a family here in Albuquerque. He knows this community on all levels. To all of us who work in the community, that is a very strong and important point. He values family, neighbors and community. He understands our city, our people, our diverse cultures and our issues.

As the president of the Alamosa Neighborhood Association in the Southwest Mesa, I have worked with many police officers over the years. Harold stood out as a leader as he worked up the APD ranks from patrol officer to sergeant to lieutenant to commander. He became part of the community, and even as a deputy chief and now the interim chief of police, he still keeps in touch.

Medina has a real grasp on what community policing should be. Besides being a strong leader, he has a friendly manner and is easy to get along with, which proves to be a very important asset while working with neighborhoods and on a grassroots level.

Albuquerque has always had its challenges with crime. I respect that Medina owns up to those challenges, and he supports his officers as they work with those of us at the neighborhood level to keep our streets safe. He also understands the value of working with government leaders in the city, county and state, as well as the criminal justice system as a whole and the unsung heroes at nonprofits who provide services to the people. It takes all of us working together to overcome the poverty, addiction and lack of services to treat mental illness.

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I trust Medina to keep us safe because he has the experience. Property crime went down when he was in charge of that unit a decade ago. After he left, the unit was disbanded as APD lost hundreds of officers. Its no surprise property crime went up, along with violent crime. Its also no surprise that property crime is once again going down with Medina in charge. Im confident (with) his focus on gun violence, and especially victims of gun violence, (that) violent crime will go down as well.

Our neighborhood has worked with him and watched him grow. He is a decisive leader who has the integrity to move APD forward and keep the focus on fighting crime and community policing.
"Not only are LGBTQ+ students more likely to feel like they do not belong to their campus community, they are also more likely to experience disciplinary action from their institutions themselves. Some face mandatory counselling, reparative therapy, and loss of campus privileges when their identities are brought to the attention of campus administration," said Director of REAP Paul Carlos Southwick. "What's more: This discrimination and abuse is funded by taxpayers. These findings should serve as a wake-up call for all higher education stakeholders to address the ongoing abuses taking place at publicly funded institutions."

The report, "The LGBTQ+ Student Divide: the State of Sexual and Gender Minority Students at Taxpayer-Funded Christian Colleges," represents a sample of 3,000 full-time students currently enrolled in four-year degree programs at Christian colleges and universities that explicitly discriminate against LGBTQ+ students. Students were surveyed via the College Pulse mobile app and web portal, and the survey was weighted to be nationally representative of Christian colleges and universities. Among the key takeaways:

More than 1 in 10 students self-identifies as a sexual minority, and 2 percent of students identify as a gender minority. Among those who attend Christian colleges and universities, around 12 percent of students self-identify as non-heterosexual. With a more broad definition that encompasses self-identification and any attraction or experience that is not between a heterosexual female and a heterosexual male, the number of non-heterosexual students more than doubles to 30 percent. When students were asked to select their gender, 2 percent of students identified as either non-binary, genderqueer, agender, transgender, or otherwise non-cisgender.

Among those who attend Christian colleges and universities, around 12 percent of students self-identify as non-heterosexual. With a more broad definition that encompasses self-identification and any attraction or experience that is not between a heterosexual female and a heterosexual male, the number of non-heterosexual students more than doubles to 30 percent. When students were asked to select their gender, 2 percent of students identified as either non-binary, genderqueer, agender, transgender, or otherwise non-cisgender. Gender minority students are seven times more likely to be sexually assaulted on their Christian campus than cisgender students.

Gender minority students are twice as likely to be subjected to disciplinary action by their Christian college than cisgender students.

Sexual and gender minority students are 15 times more likely to report their sexuality or gender identity has prevented them from feeling accepted by others on their college campus compared to their peers. They are also more likely to say their gender or sexual identity has prevented them from holding leadership positions, living on campus, and joining campus groups compared to their straight peers.

They are also more likely to say their gender or sexual identity has prevented them from holding leadership positions, living on campus, and joining campus groups compared to their straight peers. Sexual minority students experience three times the harms faced by straight students. Students were asked about 11 potential harms they may have experienced during college, such as depression, anxiety, bullying, harassment, isolation, sexual assault, or substance abuse. Students self-identifying as sexual minorities were significantly more like to say they have experienced harm compared to heterosexual students. For instance, 13 percent of heterosexual students say they experienced four or more harms from this list, while 37 percent of sexual minority students experienced the same.

Students were asked about 11 potential harms they may have experienced during college, such as depression, anxiety, bullying, harassment, isolation, sexual assault, or substance abuse. Students self-identifying as sexual minorities were significantly more like to say they have experienced harm compared to heterosexual students. For instance, 13 percent of heterosexual students say they experienced four or more harms from this list, while 37 percent of sexual minority students experienced the same. Sexual minority students are three times more likely to experience depression and anxiety compared to heterosexual students. They are also three times more likely to have seriously considered suicide or had an eating disorder, and twice as likely to report loneliness compared to their straight peers.

They are also three times more likely to have seriously considered suicide or had an eating disorder, and twice as likely to report loneliness compared to their straight peers. Gender minority students are nearly five times more likely to experience bullying or harassment . Sexual minority students are twice as likely to experience bullying or harassment. Five percent of cisgender students reported bullying or harassment while 24 percent of gender minority students reported bullying or harassment. Eleven percent of sexual minority students reported bullying on their college campus. Moreover, among students who were bullied, 85 percent of those who self-identify as non-straight reported the bullying had come from someone at their college or university.

. Sexual minority students are twice as likely to experience bullying or harassment. Five percent of cisgender students reported bullying or harassment while 24 percent of gender minority students reported bullying or harassment. Eleven percent of sexual minority students reported bullying on their college campus. Moreover, among students who were bullied, 85 percent of those who self-identify as non-straight reported the bullying had come from someone at their college or university. Sexual and gender minority students are more likely to say the source of their depression and anxiety stems from their gender or sexual identity. Among those who say they have experienced depression or anxiety, sexual and gender minority students were most likely to say the source of their depression or anxiety was due to their gender or sexual identity. For example, 41 percent of both sexual and gender minority students say their sexual identity is the source of their depression.

"Every year, millions of high school seniors make decisions about which college they'll attend. While students and families take into account a variety of factors in their decision, what they all have in common is the hope for a good education and a path to a bright future," said College Pulse Co-Founder and CEO Terren Klein. "Our work is about elevating the voice of every student to ensure they have an equal opportunity to fulfill that hope."

Read the report's full findings here .

About the Religious Exemption Accountability Project (REAP)

REAP empowers queer, trans and non-binary students at religious colleges, universities and schools where discrimination and abuse is practiced using taxpayer money. As a program sponsored by the national nonprofit Soulforce, REAP elevates the experiences of sexual and gender minority students through civil rights litigation, documentary film, oral history, research and public policy. For more information, visit www.thereap.org

About College Pulse

College Pulse is a survey research and analytics company dedicated to understanding the attitudes, preferences and behaviors of today's college students. College Pulse offers custom data-driven marketing and research solutions, utilizing its unique American College Student Panel that includes over 485,000 undergraduate college student respondents from more than 1,500 two- and four-year colleges and universities in all 50 states. For more information, visit https://collegepulse.com/ or College Pulse's social Twitter account @CollegeInsights.

SOURCE College Pulse; Religious Exemption Accountability Project

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Stroke survivors often have difficulty with sex, and it can affect their lives beyond the bedroom. A new study offers fresh insight on the barriersand how health care providers might help.

Researchers interviewed 150 stroke patients at a medical center in Lima, Peru. Nearly 60% said they suffered from some kind of sexual dysfunction. Only 10% described their sex life as optimal.

The patients' average age was 63, and more than two-thirds were men. The most frequently reported problems were a decrease in the frequency of sexual encounters and decreased sexual desire.

Significantly, dysfunction was more related to how patients viewed their abilities than it was to their level of impairment, which was measured separately, said Dr. Victor Montalvan, the study's lead researcher.

"The objective part of the disability was not related to sexual dysfunction," said Montalvan, a neurologist at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock. But the self-perception of seeming disabled was.

Depression and fear of having a new stroke during intercourse also were associated with dysfunction, he said.

The findings will be presented Wednesday at the American Stroke Association's virtual International Stroke Conference. The research is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Susan Barnason, a professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Lincoln, said the research adds to what has been "quite a paucity of information" about stroke survivors and sexuality. Despite the study's focus on a single hospital in Peru, the findings track with what has been reported elsewhere, said Barnason, who was not involved in the new research.

Recovering sexuality after a stroke is important to a person's overall health, she said.

"It makes the patient feel like they're more normal," Barnason said. She was on the committee that wrote recommendations for sexual counseling for people with cardiovascular disease issued in 2013 by the American Heart Association and the European Society of Cardiology's Association of Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions. If a survivor enjoyed a healthy sex life before their stroke, recovering that life can help them understand that "you may have some paralysis or speech issues, but that doesn't mean your whole body isn't working."

Montalvan said the new study's findings on self-perceived limits reflect how people often learn to work around impairments. "There are people who are mildly disabled, but they really feel very deeply disabled. And there are people who are deeply disabled physically, but they think that they can do a lot of things."

He gave the example of people who might have lost use of their hands but learn to paint by holding a brush in their teeth. "They feel pretty functional," he said, despite being impaired.

Montalvan said that although stroke survivors should be cautious about physical activity, sex is not considered a specific risk factor for another stroke.

"Based on the guidelines that we reviewed, it really is not contraindicated for a person who has had a stroke in the past to continue their sexual life," he said. "It's actually good to restart a sexual life."

People should talk to their doctor about making sure underlying conditions such as high blood pressure or high blood sugar are under control and be aware of possible issues from other health problems such as an irregular heartbeat or an enlarged heart, he said.

Having sex is "reasonable" after a stroke, according to the AHA, which recommends health care providers ask survivors and their partners about sexual activity during follow-up exams.

That discussion can be difficult, Barnason said. "I think as providers, we take for granted that patients will say something if they need help. But it's important for providers to broach the topic."

Montalvan said his research interest was prompted by the vast number of patients asking him for help with sexual issues. Sexual concerns, he said, can be overlooked during follow-up care, when patients and doctors can be focused on addressing problems with speech or weakness.

In his study, none of the 15 doctors recruited to interview patients initially said they regularly asked patients about sexual topics. The doctors cited time pressure and the idea that the problems were best addressed by other specialists.

At the end of the study, though, most said they not only would be willing to do so more frequently, but they thought the discussions prompted a stronger doctor-patient relationship.

A healthy sex life, he said, also aids stroke recovery by enhancing a couple's relationship. People in good relationships are less likely to miss appointments, more likely to take their medication and less prone to depression.

"At the end of the day, keeping a good sexual function is good for cardiovascular health," Montalvan said. "It's good for emotional health."

Explore further Stroke survivors may have higher suicide risk

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Documentary Qinghai: Our National Park will premiere on March 12

By:Zhao Chunyuan | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-03-12 17:43





The large-scale ecological civilization documentary Qinghai: Our National Park, directed by the National Radio & Television Administration and jointly produced by Qinghai Provincial Radio & Television Administration and Shanghai Media Group, will premiere on Shanghai DRAGON TV, Zhejiang Satellite TV, Hunan Satellite TV, Hu Bei Satellite TV, Yunnan Satellite TV and Qinghai Satellite TV from March 12. Qinghai Satellite TV will broadcast it from March 12 to 14 at 7:30 p.m. As one of the producers, Shanghai Media Group will also present the documentary through its multiple channels. It will be broadcasted on DOCUTV at 8:00 p.m. every night from March 12 to 14, and on DRAGON TV at 10:00 p.m. every night from March 15 to 17. In addition, the apps BesTV and Knews will also broadcast the documentary online at the same time.

Qinghai Sanjiangyuan National Park, China's first national park system pilot, shoulders the mission of accumulating experience for the national ecological civilization system and providing a model for the construction of national parks.

The Qinghai Provincial Radio and Television Administration and Documentary Center in Shanghai Media Group have spent more than a year producing the documentary which has three 50-minute-long episodes. The first episode,entitled "Grass to Sea", focuses on the source of the Yellow River, the Qilian Mountains and Qinghai Lake.The second episode named "Ice and River", focuses on the source of the Yangtze River. The last episode,"Gorge and Valley", focuses on the Lancang River. By following the footsteps of people with different identities and professions, people will rediscover nature and human lifestyles by listening to the narratives of each ordinary individual from a scientific, poetic, pure and simple perspective.
A 78-year-old woman was brutally bashed and left bleeding on the steps of a Melbourne church on Saturday morning.

The woman, named only as Penelope, was opening Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox church in South Yarra at 6am, as she has done every morning for 30 years, when she was attacked.

She suffered a broken wrist, a fractured pelvis and bleeding on the brain in two spots, but is in a stable condition in hospital.

The woman was opening the church as she had done for 30 years when she was savagely attacked by a man and a woman

She was opening the church when a male and a female approached her trolley before the man punched her and pushed her to the ground and began to kick her.

She was left on her own for 30 minutes when she was found lying on the steps by a street cleaner who called the police.

The attackers did take her trolley but it was later found in a nearby park with nothing stolen.

It's too early to know if she will make a full recovery.

Penelope is the full-time carer for her husband who has dementia and the attack has meant she may not be able to care for her husband again.

She was a beautiful woman, parishioner Jane Pallot told NCA NewsWire.

'She is a beautiful lady and church is her life, and we will make sure she is looked after.' She said.

Penelope's daughter-in-law told Neil Mitchell on 3AW that she has remained positive.

'She is eternally positive, but that's just her nature. But she's very unwell.' She told 3AW.

She said the family was shocked but hoped the attackers would be caught in order to stop another attack.

'We're just shocked  and just devastated for her.'

'We want the people who did this to be found, so firstly they can't do it to anyone else and that they're held accountable for what they've done.' She said.

She was left on the steps of the Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox church in South Yarra (pictured) before a street cleaner found her and called police

Her daughter-in-law was optimistic about her recovery.

'She's a really strong woman, so she's very practical about it, she knows that is was a random thing', she said.

The photo of the victim shows her looking stunning and defenceless, 3AW's Neil Mitchell called the picture 'heart wrenching'.

Penelope was unable to describe the attackers but did say they were 'young', both are still on the run and Victoria Police said the investigation is ongoing.
London: China accused the UK of groundless slanders after the British government said Beijings crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong wasnt in compliance with a treaty that paved the way for the citys return to Chinese control.

The UK has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or right of supervision over Hong Kong after the handover, and it has no so-called obligations to Hong Kong citizens, China said in a statement posted Sunday on the website of its London embassy.

Britains Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Dominic Raab. Credit:AP

No foreign country or organisation has the right to take the Joint Declaration as an excuse to interfere in Hong Kong affairs, which are Chinas internal affairs.

The statement came after UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Saturday said China is in a state of ongoing noncompliance with the 1984 treaty that paved the way for Hong Kongs return to Chinese control. His remarks have gone further than previous comments by the UK, which had called the changes a breach in the declaration.
Highlights The complaint notes that Google collects browsing history and other web activity data even after enabling the incognito private browsing mode on Google Chrome.

Google, and its parent company Alphabet, may have to pay $5 billion as compensation in a class-action lawsuit in the US following the complaint.

Google has disputed the claims noting that it informs users beforehand about the tracking activity that may take place in incognito mode.

Google, and its parent company Alphabet, may have to pay $5 billion as compensation in a class-action lawsuit in the US following the complaint from three Google users about the tech giant tracking user data in incognito mode. The complaint, which was filed last June, noted that Google carries out a pervasive data tracking business. It further noted that Google collects browsing history and other web activity data even after enabling the incognito private browsing mode on Google Chrome.

The lawsuit alleged that Google uses different systems, including Google Analytics, Google Ad Manager, website plug-ins, and other applications, including the mobile apps, to track users, according to Cnet. "Google knows who your friends are, what your hobbies are, what you like to eat, what movies you watch, where and when you like to shop, what your favorite vacation destinations are, what your favorite color is, and even the most intimate and potentially embarrassing things you browse on the internet -- regardless of whether you follow Google's advice to keep your activities 'private,'" the complaint notes,

"The court concludes that Google did not notify users that Google engages in the alleged data collection while the user is in private browsing mode," US District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, wrote in her ruling as cited by reports.

Google has however disputed the claims noting that it informs users beforehand about the tracking activity that may take place in incognito mode and that being incognito does not mean being invisible. The tech giant in its court ruling also noted that the user's activity during that session may be visible to websites they visit, and any third-party analytics or ads services the visited websites use.

"Incognito mode in Chrome gives you the choice to browse the internet without your activity being saved to your browser or device. As we clearly state each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity during your session," Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda noted in a statement to Bloomberg.

Earlier this month, Google said that it will phase out the third-party cookies and once that is done, it will not replace the cookies with any other tracking tech. The Chrome browser will prohibit the cookies from collecting that information. However, the change is only applicable on the web version of Chrome, Google will continue tracking users on the mobile version of the Chrome browser.
The vegan Salchi Salsa Dog is available at Hi-Lo Lounge at 1354 Prince Avenue in Athens, Georgia. (Photo/Jason Born)
Kabul, Mar 14(UNI) Afghanistan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar in a telephonic conversation with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu welcomed Turkey's decision to host the next round of Afghan peace talks, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Praising Turkey's readiness to hold the next round of Afghan peace talks, Atmar in the statement said

"it is expected to be a step forward in securing a ceasefire and reaching a political solution in accordance with the will of the Afghan people,"

Their is much speculation regarding the schedule of the meeting that is to be held in Turkey, the Turkish Foreign Minister had on Friday said the UN-led meeting on Afghan peace is planned to be held in Istanbul in April.

While a report by Afghan news agency Tolonews quoted unknown sources saying that the UN-led conference on Afghan peace is scheduled to take place in Turkey on March 27.

US is yet to confirm any schedule for the meeting.

The Afghan government had confirmed on Saturday it's willingness to participate in the UN-led conference in Turkey and the Moscow conference on Afghanistans peace.

The Turkey meet was proposed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a letter to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

In the letter, Blinken had given several suggestions to the Afghan government for fast tracking the peace process, including convening a UN-facilitated conference with international stakeholders, proposals to facilitate discussion between the two sides to form a negotiated settlement and ceasefire.



He had also advocated a meeting between both sides in Turkey to finalize a peace agreement.

Along with these proposals, the US Secretary of State had made it clear that the United States is considering all options regarding Afghanistan, including the May 1st deadline for full withdrawal of US troops.

UNI XC RKM JAL 1613
New Delhi [India], March 15 (ANI): Delhi's Patiala House Court on Monday directed the prosecution to supply the copy of chargesheet and other documents to all accused in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) sedition case in which the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader is an accused among others.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Dr Pankaj Sharma also granted bail to seven accused on a personal bail bond of Rs 25,000 in the matter, who were never arrested by Delhi Police in the case. The Court also noted that Kanhaiya Kumar, and one other had already got bail in the case earlier.

The Court slated the matter for April 7 for scrutiny of documents.

However, Advocate Sushil Bajaj represented sought exemption from appearance of the CPI(M) due to his social engagement, but the Court said it can't consider this application in advance.

Former student leader was also produced by the Tihar Jail authority as he is currently in judicial custody in connection with a case related to North East Delhi Violence.

All the 10 accused named in the chargesheet appeared in court today.

On the last date, the Court took cognisance of Delhi police's chargesheet and had issued summons against all accused.

In its chargesheet, the police claimed student leader led a procession and supported -- along with others named as accused -- seditious slogans raised on the campus on February 9, 2016, during an event to mark the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

Earlier, the matter was adjourned several times due to the pendency of required sanction from the concerned department. In the chargesheet filed in a court in January 2019, Delhi Police had said that Kanhaiya Kumar and others, including former JNU students and Anirban Bhattacharya, led a procession and raised anti- slogans in the university campus during an event on February 9, 2016.

The chargesheet stated that there were video footages wherein Kanhaiya Kumar is "seen leading the students who were "raising anti- slogans" and that he had been identified by the witnesses in the videos. "The location of mobile phone at the place of occurrence" was also cited as evidence against Kumar in the 1200-page chargesheet.

As part of other evidence, the police said the Forensic Science Laboratory had retrieved an SMS sent by Khalid to Kumar, asking him to "arrive at Sabarmati Dhaba, JNU, as their permission had been canceled by the JNU administration, "under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC)".

(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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SUGAR LAND, Texas, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Team, Inc. ("TEAM") (NYSE: TISI), a global leading provider of integrated, digitally-enabled asset performance assurance and optimization solutions, announced today that Amerino Gatti, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, and Susan Ball, EVP & Chief Financial Officer, will participate in Simmons Energy 21st Annual Energy Conference to be held virtually on Monday, March 22, 2021.

Amerino Gatti, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, and Susan Ball, EVP & Chief Financial Officer, will host virtual one-on-one meetings throughout the day.

About Team, Inc.

Headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, Team Inc. (NYSE: TISI) is a global leading provider of integrated, digitally-enabled asset performance assurance and optimization solutions. We deploy conventional to highly specialized inspection, condition assessment, maintenance and repair services that result in greater safety, reliability and operational efficiency for our client's most critical assets. Through locations in more than 20 countries, we unite the delivery of technological innovation with over a century of progressive, yet proven integrity and reliability management expertise to fuel a better tomorrow. For more information, please visit www.teaminc.com.

Contact:

Kevin Smith

Senior Director, Investor Relations

(281) 388-5551

SOURCE Team, Inc.

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CANTON, Ohio, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TimkenSteel Corp. (NYSE: TMST), a leader in customized alloy steel products and services, today announced it will increase base pricing on special bar quality (SBQ) products 3.500" and below by $55 per ton and $40 per ton for sizes above 3.500". This increase is applicable to orders not already covered by pricing agreements and is effective for shipments beginning May 3, 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 2,000 people and had sales of $831 million in 2020. For more information, please visit us at www.timkensteel.com.

SOURCE TimkenSteel Corp.

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ROME (AP)  The Vatican declared Monday that the Catholic Church won't bless same-sex unions since God cannot bless sin.

The Vaticans orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response to a question about whether Catholic clergy have the authority to bless gay unions. The answer, contained in a two-page explanation published in seven languages and approved by Pope Francis, was negative.

The note distinguished between the churchs welcoming and blessing of gay people, which it upheld, but not their unions. It argued that such unions are not part of God's plan and that any sacramental recognition of them could be confused with marriage.

The note immediately pleased conservatives, disheartened advocates for LGBT Catholics and threw a wrench in the debate within the German church, which has been at the forefront of opening discussion on hot-button issues such the churchs teaching on homosexuality.

Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, which advocates for greater acceptance of gays in the church, predicted the Vatican position would be ignored, including by some Catholic clergy.

Catholic people recognize the holiness of the love between committed same-sex couples and recognize this love as divinely inspired and divinely supported and thus meets the standard to be blessed, he said in a statement.

The Vatican holds that gay people must be treated with dignity and respect, but that gay sex is intrinsically disordered. Catholic teaching says that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and woman, is part of Gods plan and is intended for the sake of creating new life.

Since gay unions aren't intended to be part of that plan, they can't be blessed by the church, the document said.

The presence in such relationships of positive elements, which are in themselves to be valued and appreciated, cannot justify these relationships and render them legitimate objects of an ecclesial blessing, since the positive elements exist within the context of a union not ordered to the Creators plan, the response said.

Story continues

God does not and cannot bless sin: He blesses sinful man, so that he may recognize that he is part of his plan of love and allow himself to be changed by him, it said.

Francis has endorsed providing gay couples with legal protections in same-sex unions, but that was in reference to the civil sphere, not within the church. Those comments were made during a 2019 interview with a Mexican broadcaster, Televisa, but were censored by the Vatican until they appeared in a documentary last year.

While the documentary fudged the context, Francis was referring to the position he took when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires. At the time, Argentine lawmakers were considering approving gay marriage, which the Catholic Church opposes. Then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio instead supported providing legal protections for gays in stable unions through a so-called law of civil cohabitation.

Francis told Televisa: Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God."

Speaking of families with gay children, he said: You cant kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.

In the new document and an accompanying unsigned article, the Vatican said questions had been raised about whether the church should bless same-sex unions in a sacramental way in recent years, and after Francis had insisted on the need to better welcome gays in the church.

It was an apparent reference to the German church, where some bishops have been pushing the envelope on issues such as priestly celibacy, contraception and the church's outreach to gay Catholics after coming under pressure by powerful lay Catholic groups demanding change.

In a statement, the head of the German bishops' conference, Bishop Georg Batzing, said the new document would be incorporated into the German discussion, but he suggested that the case was by no means closed.

There are no easy answers to questions like these," he said, adding that the German church wasn't only looking at the church's current moral teaching, but also the development of doctrine and the actual reality of Catholics today.

Bill Donohue, president of the conservative Catholic League, praised the decision as a decisive, non-negotiable end of story" declaration by the Vatican.

The Vatican left nothing on the table. The door has been slammed shut on the gay agenda," Donohue wrote on the League's website, calling the document the most decisive rejection of those efforts ever written."

In the article, the Vatican stressed the fundamental and decisive distinction between gay individuals and gay unions, noting that the negative judgment on the blessing of unions of persons of the same sex does not imply a judgment on persons.

But it explained the rationale for forbidding a blessing of such unions, noting that any union that involves sexual activity outside of marriage cannot be blessed because it is not in a state of grace, or ordered to both receive and express the good that is pronounced and given by the blessing.

And it added that blessing a same-sex union could give the impression of a sort of sacramental equivalence to marriage. This would be erroneous and misleading, the article said.

Esteban Paulon, president of the Argentine Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transsexuals, said the document was proof that for all of Francis' words and gestures expressing outreach to gays, the institutional church wouldn't change.

Saying that homosexual practice  openly living sexuality  is a sin takes us back 200 years and promotes hate speech that unfortunately in Latin America and Europe is on the rise," Paulon said. That transforms into injuries and even deaths, or policies which promote discrimination."

A similar note of exasperation was echoed in the Philippines, Asias largest Roman Catholic nation, where gay rights leader Danton Remoto said it simply wasn't worth it to fight an old institution. I keep on telling LGBTQIs to just have their civil unions done, Remoto said. We do not need any stress anymore from this church.

Other critical commentators noted the Catholic Book of Blessings contains blessings that can be bestowed on everything from new homes and factories to animals, sporting events, seeds before planting and farm tools.

Juan Carlos Cruz, a Chilean survivor of sexual abuse who is gay and close to Francis, said the document was out of step with Francis' pastoral approach and was tone deaf to the needs and rights of LGBT Catholics.

If the Church and the CDF do not advance with the world ... constantly rejecting and speaking negatively and not putting priorities where they should be, Catholics will continue to flee," he warned.

In 2003, the same Vatican office issued a similar decree saying that the churchs respect for gay people cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions.

Doing so, the Vatican reasoned then, would not only condone deviant behavior, but create an equivalence to marriage, which the church holds is an indissoluble union between man and woman.

Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of the U.S.-based NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and an advocate for greater LGBTQ inclusion in the church, said she was relieved the Vatican statement wasn't worse.

She said she interpreted the statement as saying, You can bless the individuals (in a same-sex union), you just cant bless the contract.

So its possible you could have a ritual where the individuals get blessed to be their committed selves.

___

AP writers David Crary in New York, Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, Almudena Calatrava in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report.
Rob Gronkowskis first foray into free agency was a brief one.

The former Patriots tight end is sticking in Tampa Bay on a one-year, $10 million deal according to ESPNs Adam Schefter. On the 10 Questions with Kyle Brandt podcast, Gronkowski was said he was looking forward to being a free agent, but ultimately knew where he wanted to be.

I definitely want to be back with the Buccaneers. Thats where my eyesight is. Thats where Im leaning toward, big time, Gronkowski said. But with the free agency process, you just never know what may happen. Theres some other teams interested out there, too. Ive also never been a part of the free agency process, so I actually want to dip my toes in, just to see whats out there.

As it stands, the Buccaneers have less than $10 million in salary cap space, per Over The Cap, so another move is likely coming. One of the heroes of Super Bowl LV, Gronkowski said hell only be signing one-year contracts for the rest of his career.

Its pretty rare to see someone to ever even finish a contract in the NFL, so that was pretty special there, Gronkowski said. But Ive never been a free agent before, but Im planning on being a free agent after every season. I feel like Im a one-year deal guy for the rest of my career  even if I play 10 more years. Im going to be a one-year deal guy, a free agent every year, and just control my destiny every year.

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Keeping Up with the Kardashians star Kim Kardashian has revealed that her biggest goal, if and when she passes the California State Bar in 2024, would be to end the death penalty.

'Abolishing the death penalty is, like, so high up my list,' the 40-year-old aspiring lawyer told Vogue on Sunday night.

'And as I have clients that, you know, have gone through close situations like Julius Jones in Oklahoma City that I'm really fighting for. It really makes you stop and just feel that you can't sit still until they right all of these wrongs.'

'Abolishing the death penalty is so high up my list': Keeping Up with the Kardashians star Kim Kardashian revealed her biggest goal, if and when she passes the California State Bar in 2024, would be to end the death penalty (pictured in 2019)

The 40-year-old aspiring lawyer told Vogue on Sunday night: 'And as I have clients that, you know, have gone through close situations like Julius Jones in Oklahoma City that I'm really fighting for. It really makes you stop and just feel that you can't sit still until they right all of these wrongs'

Kim reportedly spends 18 hours a week studying law under the guidance of Jessica Jackson, Van Jones, and Erin Haney so she can eventually start her own law firm.

Kardashian is following the footsteps of her late father - OJ Simpson defense attorney Robert Kardashian Sr. - who died, age 59, from esophageal cancer in 2003 when she was only 22.

It's the end of an era for the criminal reform advocate, whose 20th (and final) season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians premieres this Thursday on E!

'It's really crazy to look back and just to think 20 seasons. That's a long time,' Kim marveled.

Skipping college: Kim reportedly spends 18 hours a week studying law under the guidance of Jessica Jackson, Van Jones, and Erin Haney so she can eventually start her own law firm

Legacy: Kardashian is following the footsteps of her late father - OJ Simpson (R) defense attorney Robert Kardashian Sr. (M, pictured in 1995) - who died, age 59, from esophageal cancer in 2003 when she was only 22

'I think my most emotional time was when we told our crew that we weren't going to go forward after season 20. I think I was also super emotional when my audio girl [Erin Paxton] gave me my mic. She gave me my original mic that I started with and gave every family member - exactly how it was labeled...And it's just really special.'

Kardashian's voice, or rather vocal fry, has drastically changed since the first season back in 2007.

'I know! That's the biggest mystery to me and my sisters. We are blown away. We have no idea what happened to our voices,' the reality star laughed.

'We have completely different voices. I look back and I think, oh my god, there's so many embarrassing things that are on TV for the world to see. But then you have to kind of, just, understand that I'm so grateful for also the evolution because I've learned so much. So I'm happy that we were able to be on for so long for people to see that.'

Premieres this Thursday on E! It's the end of an era for the criminal reform advocate, whose 20th (and final) season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians

Kim marveled: 'It's really crazy to look back and just to think 20 seasons. That's a long time'

Kardashian said: 'I think my most emotional time was when we told our crew that we weren't going to go forward after season 20. I think I was also super emotional when my audio girl [Erin Paxton] gave me my mic. She gave me my original mic that I started with and gave every family member - exactly how it was labeled...And it's just really special'

'We are blown away. We have no idea what happened to our voices. We have completely different voices!' The reality star's voice, or rather vocal fry, has drastically changed since the first season back in 2007

On December 10, Kim and her famous family signed a new multi-year global content deal with Hulu/Star, which starts streaming in late 2021.

Kardashian was first introduced to the idea of punk by Burberry CCO Riccardo Tisci, who dressed her for the Met Gala's Punk: Chaos to Couture in 2013.

The half-Armenian beauty was pregnant with her first child when she donned the floral Givenchy maternity gown that spawned a million memes which left her in tears.

'I would've done anything to go, so I was just happy to be dressed up. So we had that conversation and he was just like, "F*** it. You're punk. It is what it is,"' Kim recalled.

Kim was first introduced to the idea of punk by Burberry CCO Riccardo Tisci (L, pictured in 2014), who dressed her for the Met Gala's Punk: Chaos to Couture in 2013

Punk? Kardashian was pregnant with her first child when she donned the floral Givenchy maternity gown that spawned a million memes which left her in tears

The half-Armenian beauty recalled: 'I would've done anything to go, so I was just happy to be dressed up. So we had that conversation and he was just like, "F*** it. You're punk. It is what it is"'

Kim continued: 'I think punk is just an attitude of, like, not giving a f*** about - but not being not mindful of people and their feelings. It doesn't mean that you're, like, a total a**hole; it just means you live your life your way and beat to your own drum, and hopefully that inspires people to want to do that for themselves'

'And I get that. And as I'm, I think, more confident in myself I get that more. And I think punk is just an attitude of, like, not giving a f*** about - but not being not mindful of people and their feelings. It doesn't mean that you're, like, a total a**hole; it just means you live your life your way and beat to your own drum, and hopefully that inspires people to want to do that for themselves.'

One of Kardashian's proudest moments was when Martha Stewart, whom she met at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in 2012, told her she 'loved' her shapewear brand, SKIMS.

'I'll never forget it. I'm obsessed with Martha Stewart,' the KKW Beauty/SKIMS CEO gushed.

'I always try to see what I'm obsessed with and what's a necessity in my life. And if it's not perfect, how can I try to make something that is? And the one huge gap that I feel like was missing in shapewear was just color range.

'I'm obsessed with Martha Stewart!' One of Kardashian's proudest moments was when Martha Stewart (L, pictured in 2015), whom she met at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in 2012, told her she 'loved' her shapewear brand, SKIMS

The KKW Beauty/SKIMS CEO said: 'I always try to see what I'm obsessed with and what's a necessity in my life. And if it's not perfect, how can I try to make something that is? And the one huge gap that I feel like was missing in shapewear was just color range'

Kim continued: 'There's so many different skin tones. If I can't find mine, I know my daughter when she wants it she won't be able to find hers. I was very specific about my fabric. I must have tried it on for, you know, a whole year making sure that we had the perfect fabric. It's just honestly, like, my heart and soul. I love it' (pictured February 26)

'Honestly, I just thought, this doesn't make sense. There's so many different skin tones. If I can't find mine, I know my daughter when she wants it she won't be able to find hers. I was very specific about my fabric. I must have tried it on for, you know, a whole year making sure that we had the perfect fabric. It's just honestly, like, my heart and soul. I love it.'

Vogue agreed that Kim is 'one of the authors of social media' and she explained why her 300+ million followers get so invested in her lifestyle and brands.

'I definitely realized how to use social media as a tool to enhance my business. I would always show people a little bit of my design and have them be apart of that world with me,' Kardashian said.

'It happened organically but I realized later it made the fan or the customer feel like they're invested in that product because they helped me pick the color of the bottle. They helped with my decision process along the way and I genuinely wanted their help, so it just was kind of this - I always say the stars aligned on that.

Off limits? Kardashian was not asked about her third divorce, this time to Kanye West (R, pictured in October), but she did reveal how the coronavirus allowed her to better bond with their four children

Christmas Eve family portrait: The Calabasas socialite said, 'this time that I've been able to spend with my children has been priceless. That part has been so beautiful'

'But it's not as easy as it looks though. It does look very easy on the Internet. It's a full-time job and it's extremely time-consuming and it's not as easy as it may appear to some people.'

The Calabasas socialite was not asked about her third divorce, this time to Kanye West, but she did reveal how the coronavirus allowed her to better bond with their four children.

'This time that I've been able to spend with my children has been priceless. That part has been so beautiful,' Kim noted.

'Just knowing that when we do start to fill our plates back up I hope that we don't fill them up with things that don't make us happy. Even the work schedule! I used to work nonstop and I would've done anything and everything at all hours and never taken into consideration just slowing down at all. So this was a forced halt.'
The pandemic has taken the wind out of the sails of local environmentalists public display of support in recent months, but their collective cause persists.

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The pandemic has taken the wind out of the sails of local environmentalists public display of support in recent months, but their collective cause persists.

Their lessened public presence doesnt necessarily mean interest has petered out, activist Debby Dandy said  just that theyre following health regulations.

On Friday, local activists are hosting a subdued Global Day of Climate Action event outside of Knox United Church, where their numbers will be limited to 10 due to ongoing COVID-19 health regulations.

Although greater numbers used to correspond to the level of support, Dandy said the very fact people are still out there in the midst of a pandemic  masked and distanced, of course  should say something.

"You hope that the observers think, Theyve done the most they can do there," she said, adding its something theyll have to roll with for the time being.

For her part, Dandy is involved in a number of environmental activist causes, including her joining fellow activist Madelyn Robinson in heading Brandon KAIROS  one of 35 such faith organizations in a national campaign to "bring Canadians together in ecological conservation, environmental activism and advocacy for climate justice."

This comes through in a few key areas of focus, including "For the Love of Creation," which sets out to mobilize people to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and demonstrate support for increased federal climate action.

The larger "A Just Recovery For All" effort encompasses various organizations throughout the nation  theirs included  and pushes for change as society adapts to an eventual new, post-pandemic normal.

"We are going to have to recover from the pandemic, things will not be the same, and we need to do it with recognition that this is an opportunity to do things differently," Dandy said.

"I know that people are concerned about the economy  its always about the economy  and so it just means careful strategizing."

Jobs will be lost in the shift, so the real question, she said, is how are people going to be re-trained to do the work of a green recovery?

Fridays Global Day of Climate Action is an offshoot of the global Fridays for Future climate strike effort founded by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg in 2018.

Inspired by Thunberg, local activist Renna Kelly, then a 12-year-old Ecole New Era School student, started up the local effort in 2019.

"I just wanted to start up something because we didnt have anything here consistent," she said by phone Sunday, adding shes relieved to see the effort continue in her absence.

Now a 14-year-old student at Ecole secondaire Neelin High School, Kelly still attends the occasional Fridays for Future outside of Knox United Church.

The early parts of the pandemic, as tragic as they were, might provide some insight regarding the potential impacts of environmentalism, she said. Emissions were down, the fog of pollution that hangs over major cities subsided and animals returned to places disrupted by humans.

"In some places in the world, they started going carbon-neutral or at least working toward that point, so I definitely think its possible and it should happen."

In addition to gathering on the last Friday of each month, Dandy said local activists have taken to letter-writing campaigns and taking part in online discussions.

Fridays gathering is intended to re-establish their public presence and remind people environmentalism isnt going anywhere.

Brandon KAIROS is also planning a Public Witness event for Earth Day on April 22. Just what, exactly, it looks like will depend on the health regulations in place at the time, Dandy said.

"This year, Im hoping we can connect with others and do something that respects the guidelines," she said. "Earth Day is celebrated and recognized because the Earth is us all  the Earth takes care of us and we take care of it."

Those interested in joining the cause can email organizers at knoxchurch@wcgwave.ca.

 tclarke@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB
Chennai, March 15 : Miffed over the granting of reservation to the Vanniyars, the Chettiar communities of Tamil Nadu have threatened to boycott the upcoming Assembly elections and also announced to file a case in the Madras high court against it.

Recently, the Vanniyar community was granted 10.5 per cent reservation under Most Backward Classes (MBC) leaving another 40 similar communities without any reservation.

A joint association of Chettiar communities, Federation of Kongu Chettiars and Sozhliya Chettiar association has announced the boycotting of the upcoming Assembly elections.

The joint association claims that it represents the Kongu, Shozliya, Nilgiri and Kuruguni Chettiars and said that they have already given representations to Chief Minister Edappady K. Palaniswami as well as DMK chief M.K. Stalin against the "injustice" meted out to them.

Babu Padmanabhan, the coordinator of the association told IANS over telephone from Coimbatore: "Yes we have held a meeting of our four communities and we have called for the intervention of both Chief Minister K. Palaniswami and the DMK President M.K. Stalin to remove this 10.5 per cent reservation under the MBC category to the Vanniyar community which is totally unacceptable." The senior leader of the association added, "While there are 40 other communities under this category, the state government has given reservation status only to the Vanniyar community as they are an organised vote bank and this is not acceptable. We are moving high court and will also boycott elections if an amicable settlement is not reached." The Chettiar community has a significant presence in areas like Coimbatore, Erode, Salem areas and this can turn out to be an issue to be sensitively handled by the AIADMK government.
Germany, France and Italy say they will stop administering the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine after several countries reported possible serious side effects, throwing Europes already struggling vaccination campaign into disarray.

Despite this, Australian health experts remain confident in the countrys rollout, saying the temporary pauses in parts of Europe were precautionary and there was no evidence adverse health effects were a result of the vaccine.

Germany, France and Italy said they would temporarily stop using the AstraZeneca vaccine. Credit:AP

The European Union blocked the export of the shipment of 250,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses from Italy to Australia earlier this month, prompting the Morrison government to claim the export ban would not affect its immunisation rollout.

Since then, European nations have continued to halt the use of the AstraZeneca jab.
No Fund House Crosses SEBI's Exposure Limits on AT-1, AT-2 Bonds: CRISIL Analysis

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India's fund houses do not cross the threshold set by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) directive on restricting their exposure to additional tier-1 (AT-1) and additional tier-2 (AT-2) bonds, a CRISIL analysis of February 2021 mutual fund (MF) portfolios showed.

Recently, SEBI restricted the exposure of MFs to AT-1 and AT-2 bonds.

The move has been termed as a risk mitigation measure to reduce portfolio risk in debt MF portfolios and comes after write-offs hit investors in such bonds issued by two banks in the past year.

The analysis of February 2021 MF portfolios shows that none of the fund houses crosses the threshold of 10% of such instruments at the asset management company (AMC) level.

However, 36 schemes spread across 13 fund houses breach the cap of 10% per scheme in securities.

The latest directive caps investments by a mutual fund house under all its schemes in bonds with special features to not more than 10% from one issuer.

It also specifies that no MF scheme can hold more than 10% of its net asset value (NAV) of its debt portfolio in such bonds, and not more than 5% of the NAV of the debt portfolio should be due to such bonds from one issuer.

Besides, the analysis found that banking and public sector undertaking (PSU) fund category has the highest number of schemes (seven) exceeding the 10% cap in such securities.

This category is followed by the credit risk fund (five), medium duration fund (four), medium to long duration funds (four), and dynamic bond fund (three) categories.

"The regulator's move to 'grandfather' limits previously held is a positive move. In the medium to long term, with the restrictions in place, it could reduce appetite among MFs for these securities, thus limiting the risk for investors," said Piyush Gupta, director, Crisil Funds Research.

"This is also prudent given the advent of hordes of individual investors in to debt funds. They may not have the ability to understand MF portfolios and gauge risk, especially in such type of bonds - we saw how they were caught unaware by the recent write-offs."

Furthermore, SEBI has directed MFs to value perpetual bonds (AT-1) based on a 100-year maturitya change from the current methodology where the call option date of the bond was considered for calculation.

"This could cause volatility in pricing, especially of securities trading at a discount. It could also impact the portfolio maturity or duration considering the change of maturity date of securities to 100 years, and cause volatility in the categorisation of schemes within the specific maturity dates," the analysis report said.

Consequently, the department of financial services had written to SEBI to withdraw the guidelines related to the change in valuation norms.

"From an investor's perspective, the latest move to limit exposure to these types of securities reduces the portfolio risk. Investors should continue to monitor their portfolios on a regular basis and invest as per their risk-return profiles to meet financial goals," the report said.

Disclaimer: Information, facts or opinions expressed in this news article are presented as sourced from IANS and do not reflect views of Moneylife and hence Moneylife is not responsible or liable for the same. As a source and news provider, IANS is responsible for accuracy, completeness, suitability and validity of any information in this article.
Sinn Fein Junior spokesperson on Defence, Sorca Clarke TD, has welcomed the upcoming engagement with the Chair of the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces in the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee.

Longford/Westmeath Deputy Clarke said: I welcome the opportunity to put questions to the Chair of the Commission, Aidan ODriscoll, when he stands before the Committee in April. This Commission is a one-time opportunity to right the wrongs in the Defence Forces and develop a new course for our armed services.

The Irish Defence Forces have a long track record of serving in UN missions overseas and are often highly praised for their professionalism and discipline in some dangerous conflict zones. It has become clear, however, that there are a number of very serious issues which need to be addressed.

Reducing troop numbers and closures of barracks have had a devastating effect on soldiers who have become unemployed, as well as on local communities in the area. Recent reports of Naval Service ships being anchored or running on skeleton crews due to severe understaffing are hugely worrying

Working conditions, long hours and poor pay and compensation have caused many highly trained personnel, both military and civilian, to end their employment with the Defence Forces. This highlights the need for the legalisation of trade union representation for employees of the Defence Forces. The Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces offers and opportunity to address al of these issues.

There is a duty of care to all of the women and men in the military or otherwise employed in our Defence Forces. We need to ensure that this duty of care is honoured. The recent allegations of sexual abuse and inadequate responses to such abuse need to be addressed head on.

Engaging with the Chair will give TDs the opportunity to raise all of these issues and scrutinise the report.
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U.S. officials have arrested and charged two men with assaulting U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick with bear spray during the Jan. 6 riot, but they do not know yet whether it caused the officers death.

George Tanios, 39, of Morgantown, West Virginia, and Julian Khater, 32, of Pennsylvania, were arrested Sunday. They were expected to appear in federal court Monday. The idea that Sicknick died after being sprayed by a chemical irritant has emerged in recent weeks as a new theory in the case.

Khater formerly lived and worked in Chapel Hill, according to his social media.

The arrests are the closest federal prosecutors have come to identifying and charging anyone associated with the deaths that happened during and after the riot. Five people died, including a woman who was shot by a police officer inside the Capitol. But many rioters are facing charges of injuring police officers, who were attacked with bats, sprayed with irritants, punched and kicked, and rammed with metal gates meant to keep the insurrectionists from the Capitol.

Investigators initially believed that Sicknick was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, based on statements collected early in the investigation, according to two people familiar with the case. But as theyve collected more evidence, the theory of the case has evolved and investigators now believe Sicknick may have ingested a chemical substance  possibly bear spray  that may have contributed to his death, officials have said.

Khater is the man in a video obtained by the FBI that showed him spraying Sicknick and others with bear spray, according to court papers.

Give me that bear (expletive), Khater said to Tanios on the video, according to court papers. Sicknick and other officers were standing guard near metal bike racks, the papers say.

Khater then says, they just (expletive) sprayed me, as hes seen holding a white can with a black top that prosecutors said appears to be a can of chemical spray.

Story continues

After he sprayed the officers, they immediately retreat from the line, bring their hands to their faces and rush to find water to wash out their eyes, according to the court papers.

The two suspects were in custody, and the names of their lawyers werent immediately clear.

Suspect ran Franklin Street restaurant

Khater, a former general manager and co-owner of Frutta Bowls on West Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, lived in North Carolina for all of 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile. Khater ran the shop, which sold acai bowls, with his brothers, WCHL reported at the time.

In 2019, Khater moved to Pennsylvania, where he managed a Frutta Bowls in downtown State College that has since closed, according to the Centre Daily Times. He was identified by the FBI after they received a tip from someone who worked with him at a fast food restaurant in State College, prosecutors said.

Sicknick died after defending the Capitol against the mob that stormed the building as Congress was voting to certify Joe Bidens electoral win over Donald Trump. It came after Trump urged supporters on the National Mall to fight like hell to overturn his defeat.

The circumstances surrounding Sicknicks death remain unclear, and a final cause of death has not been determined. Capitol Police have said he died after he was injured while physically engaging with protesters and the agencys acting chief said officials consider it a line-of-duty death.

Medical examiners autopsy report incomplete

Sicknick collapsed later on and died at a hospital on Jan. 7. The Justice Department opened a federal murder investigation into his death, but prosecutors are still evaluating what other specific charges could be brought in the case and the probe continues, officials have said.

The medical examiners report on Sicknicks death is incomplete. Capitol Police say they are awaiting toxicology results.

The FBI has already released about 250 photos of people being sought for assaulting federal law enforcement officers during the riot. Some have already been arrested, and the Justice Department said about 300 people have been charged with federal offenses related to the riot.

Julian Shen-Berro contributed to this report.
A New York sheriff has been warned that he broke federal law by flying a pro-Trump flag from a a police boat last summer.

The flag flying incident took place as Donald Hilton, an Oswego County sheriff, patrolled hundreds of other boats taking part in a flotilla parade for the former US president on Oneida Lake last August.

Onboard the police boat, the sheriff was found to have flown a Making America Great Again, and was pictured doing so by a local news outlet, the Post-Standard.

His actions were referred to the US Office of Special Counsel (OSC) for investigation, according to the Washington Post.

The office told Mr Hilton in a letter sent on Thursday last week that he had been in violation of an anti-corruption law for federal officials known as the Hatch Act.

Read more:

Trump fans mocked for praising his dreadful appearance at Mar-a-Lago event

House Democrats says they wont co-operate with Republicans who made false election fraud claims

Frustrated Fauci urges Trump to tell Republicans to get vaccinated

It is supposed to stop federal employees from promoting political candidates.

Mr Hilton was told that by flying the pro-Trump flag on-board an on-duty boat, he gave the impression that the Oswego County Sheriffs Office endorsed that candidate.

OSC determined that you violated the Hatch Acts prohibition against using your official authority to affect an election, the special counsels office told Mr Hilton.

OSC officials said no further action would be taken against Mr Hilton, but provided him with a warning for future political events.

According to the Post, the Oswego County legislature chairman, Jim Weatherup, said Mr Hilton reassured him that it will not occur again, and would also take no further action.

It follows concerns surrounding the number of current and former members of law enforcement who were arrested in the wake of the Capitol riot on 6 January, which was carried out in support of Donald Trump.
As the controversy over the safety of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine continued on Monday, the Nigerian government assured of its safety as the country distributes almost four million doses of the vaccine.

At least three European countries  Germany, France and Italy  on Monday joined a few others who had suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

However, the Nigerian government assured its citizens that it had tested the vaccines and they were safe for use, echoing the view of the World Health Organisation and many other countries including the UK.

A Nigerian official also said all Nigerian states but one had received doses of the Oxford-Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccines except.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines have been distributed to all states except Kogi state, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, said at the weekly briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19.

Mr Shuaib said Kogi State was not supplied with its portion of the vaccines due to a lack of adequate storage facility.

Kogi State was not supplied with the vaccines because their cold store is still under repairs following vandalisation during the EndSARS protest, he said.

Nigeria took delivery of 3.94 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines in early March and has since begun administration to prioritised groups.

President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and members of the PTF received jabs of the vaccines publicly to drive vaccine acceptance.

Mr Shuaib last Monday said the government has started distributing doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to various states across the country.

He explained that the delivery of the vaccines to the states is predicated on satisfactorily meeting the conditions to keep them safe and potent.

He, however, did not disclose the amount of COVID-19 vaccines each state received.

Kogi State

Kogi State has been enmeshed in controversy since the outbreak of COVID-19 with the state governor initially denying the existence of the virus and then discouraging COVID-19 tests in the state.

Kogi, a state of about 3.5 million people, is thus the least impacted across the country with a total of just five infections. Two patients have died and the remaining three have since recovered. The last fatality was recorded in early June, 2020.

The PTF on COVID-19 had in February declared Kogi a high-risk state for refusing to acknowledge the existence of the disease.

The PTF said the state government had failed to report testing, lacked isolation centres, and, therefore, warned Nigerians to be wary of visiting the state.

Mr Bello has repeatedly made controversial and false statements about the coronavirus pandemic, a situation that pitted him against federal officials and health professionals.

The governor had in one instance described the deadly disease as a hoax.

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Since the pandemic broke out in February 2020, Nigeria has carried out over 1.6 million tests of which over 160,000 cases have been found and a total of 145,399 patients have recovered across the country.

About 2,013 fatalities have also been recorded from the virus.

Vaccines safety

Although there have been growing concerns over the safety of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, the Nigerian government said the vaccines are safe and effective.

This is coming about two months after South Africa rejected about 1.5 million doses of the same vaccine after evidence emerged that the vaccine did not protect clinical-trial participants from mild or moderate illness caused by the more contagious virus variant that was first seen in the country.

Over seven European countries have also suspended the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines citing blood clotting difficulties and a death suspected to be from its usage.

The Nigerian authorities have tested and authorized the use of the vaccines because it is safe and efficacious, the chairman of the PTF, Boss Mustapha, said at the Monday briefing.

He said the government will always prioritize the health of its citizens.

The AstraZeneca vaccines are important especially to the COVAX arrangement, a WHO programme that promises access to vaccines for up to 20 per cent of participating countries population.

Because it is relatively cheap, easy to make, and store, the AstraZeneca vaccine is regarded as the most suitable for developing countries like Nigeria.
A brick-wielding ice addict who smashed several car windows after believing the 'army was out to get him' told terrified drivers he had a gun and threatened to 'blow the heads off' onlookers, a court has heard.

Shane Smith faced Wyong Local Court on the NSW Central Coast on Monday after being charged with multiple offences including destroying three car windows and intimidating two cops following a destructive rampage three days earlier.

The court heard the 33-year-old was 'delusional at the time' of his disturbing attacks on strangers and police because he had been 'up for days' after taking a hit of ice.

'He believed the Army was out to get him,' Smith's Legal Aid solicitor told the court, the Central Coast Express Advocate reported.

Shane Smith (pictured left and right) appeared via video link in Wyong Local Court on Monday after he was charged over several incidents, including using bricks to smash three car windows on the NSW Central Coast

Pictured: the shattered front windscreen of a car Smith threw a brick at during his destructive rampage on Friday afternoon

According to an agreed set of police facts, Smith 'armed himself with a bucket of half bricks and brick sized rocks' while wandering the streets of the Central Coast about 6pm on Friday.

Smith had been captured on dash cam footage approaching a car with a large slab of brick in his right hand on James Watt Drive at Chittaway Bay, before telling the fearful motorist 'Don't f**k with me c**t'.

'What the f**k ... don't do it, don't do it,' the panicked driver yelled in disbelief as Smith went on a foul-mouthed rant and threw the brick at the driver's side of the vehicle, shattering the window.

As the driver pleaded with Smith, he issued a chilling threat: 'F**king drive off now, I'll give you 10', adding 'I've got a gun in my pocket, c**t'.

He then threw a brick at the windscreen of another vehicle on the same road, telling the horrified female driver 'Do you want a war, do you f***n want a war'. Minutes later Smith threw a brick at a separate car and again told the driver he had a gun.

Smith later approached shocked onlookers in the front yard of their property and told them 'I've got a gun and I'll blow your head off', the court heard.

Police were called, with Smith caught by cops shortly after, where he threw half of a brick at their vehicle but 'narrowly missed'.

He was taken back to Wyong police station and proceeded to tell a female officer 'I want to root you. I love you' as he grabbed his crotch, the court heard.

Wyong Local Court was told Smith (pictured) was 'delusional at the time' of his offending on Friday because he had been 'up for days' having taken the drug ice

The court was told Smith demanded the female officer smack his buttocks and asked her 'Did you want to see me wanking like a dog', before later calling her a 'fat sl*t' and a 'f'n stripper sl*t'.

Smith also told the custody sergeant 'I'm gonna burn your f'n home down' and added 'I'm gonna f**k your wife then f**k your sister, burn your f'n home paedophile dog'.

He then urinated in the police cells, requiring it to undergo a 'forensic clean'.

Smith pleaded guilty to all charges against him, which also included affray, throwing a missile at police, threatening to burn an officer's house down and urinating in the police cells.

He will be sentenced on April 30.
(Newser)  President Biden got his COVID relief bill through Congress, but an even bigger fight might loom over his next economic initiative. Bloomberg reports Biden aims to engineer the biggest tax hike since 1993 to pay for a slew of programs ranging from infrastructure to the climate to increased help for low-income Americans. Among the possibilities: The corporate tax rate could rise from 21% to 28%; those who make more than $400,000 could pay more income tax; those who make more than $1 million could pay higher capital gains taxes; and the estate tax could be expanded. Parts of former President Trump's tax cuts also could be repealed. A White House economist says the brunt of the increases would hit the wealthiest Americans, with those making less than $400,000 unaffected.

story continues below

Expect a protracted fight. "Well have a big robust discussion about the appropriateness of a big tax increase, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in February. Bloomberg notes that Biden would have to win the support of at least 10 Republicans, and the Hill amplifies what is meant by "at least." Biden will have to fight to keep the support of Democrats in red states, including Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Manchin previously told the Hill that repealing the Trump tax cuts would be "ridiculous," though he did later walk back the comments somewhat. "People would accept the corporate tax raised a few points but beyond that youre going to have problems, especially in the middle of an economic crisis," an anonymous Democratic lawmaker said last month. (Read more tax hikes stories.)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 12:23:37|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yong, former vice chairman of the Hainan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, has been indicted on a charge of taking bribes, the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) said in a statement on Monday.

Wang was accused of taking advantage of his former positions while working in Hainan to seek gains for others in project approval and contracting, changing the nature of land, job promotion, among others, and accepting huge sums of money and gifts in return, the SPP added.

Wang's case has been handed over to the Guilin Municipal People's Procuratorate of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region for review and prosecution upon the designation of the SPP after the National Supervisory Commission concluded its investigation, according to the statement. Enditem
Digital cable TV and broadband service provider GTPL Hathway has roped in actor Boman Irani as its first-ever brand ambassador. The company is launching a major advertising campaign featuring Irani with a tagline 'Connection Dil Se' for a deeper and wider connect with the existing and future customer base. GTPL has associated with composer duo Sachin-Jigar duo for the theme song which captures the spirit with which GTPL celebrates its connection with its customers.

Commenting on the association with Irani, GTPL MD Anirudhsinh Jadeja said, "GTPL is proud to onboard versatile actor Mr. Boman Irani as its brand ambassador. Mr. Irani is a highly respectable Indian film actor, theatre and voice artist whose films are watched and enjoyed by the pan-India audience. Our new tagline 'Connection Dil se' is in line with the Company's ethos to connect and actively engage with all the key stakeholders. The campaign is being launched in TVC, Print and Radio mediums and will also take a digital route to engage across all geographies."

Commenting on being associated with GTPL, Boman Irani stated, "It is indeed an honour and a pleasure to be associated with GTPL, a prominent brand in broadband and cable TV. I have been a customer of cable services since the early 90's and broadband subscriber for almost a decade. I have always appreciated the prompt service and the relationship that a cable operator enjoys with his customers. The tagline "Connection Dil Se" resonates with all the relationships that I have cherished over the years and I am sure GTPL enjoys the same "Connection" with its customers. I wish Team GTPL the best in all their endeavours and look forward to being associated with the Brand."

Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
: Member of Parliament for the United People's Party MP Omar Ottley says the 2021 Parliament has exposed the untruth of the so-called 10-10-10 and St. Maarten's autonomy, causing the main actors in that deal to "falsely claim that the March 9, 2021, Petition to the United Nations is a call for Independence."

In a press release issued on Sunday, Ottley asked, "If since 10 10 10 the past Parliament and Governments of St Maarten have been telling the people that we are Autonomous and achieved self-governance, why did it take the parliament of 2021 to discover that this is not true?"

He said those scribes of the 10 10 10 agreement should have told the people of St. Maarten the truth long ago that the United Nations had informed The Netherlands that it must complete Article 73 if St. Maarten is to be fully decolonized.

Article 73 stipulates that countries administering colonies allows them to "develop self-government, take due account of the peoples' political aspirations, and instruct the former colonizers to assist the Countries in the progressive development of their free political institutions. Article 73 also aims for these countries to receive support for their political, economic, social, and educational development.

PHILIPSBURG:--- "This Petition to the UN is in no way a call for Independence. We are simply finishing the job of getting full autonomy, Ottley reiterated. He said, unlike some politicians who had lied for eleven years about 10-10-10, we are open about the facts, and we welcome debates because that is part of a healthy democracy." On October 10, 2010, St. Maarten became a Country within the Netherlands Kingdom and should have received a full self-government measure if it had received full autonomy from its former colonizer.

"It is sad to see the same politicians lying again to the people of St. Maarten, claiming that they didn't support the recent Petition by Parliament to the United Nations for an investigation into Racial Discrimination and Injustices by The Dutch Government because it is "a call for Independence. The truth is the Petition uncovers your failure, and you want to distract from the truth." Ottley called the claim "a cowardly act to hide their failure."

Suppose St. Maarten receives a full measure of self-governance from the Netherlands by finalizing Article 73 completing the decolonization process. In that case, it will address economic fallouts such as the one caused by the Corona Virus COVID-19 Global Pandemic by being able to broker financial agreements with better terms and fewer conditions imposed on the people.

Though he feels some of the accusations directed at the Petition are emotionally driven, he said the point remains that the perception of equal partners within the Kingdom is not accurate and will never be true, especially with the democratic deficit," said MP Ottley.

Another concern the MP has is the flipflopping on the liquidity position for St. Maarten and some MP's support of Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs in her negotiations with The Netherlands.

"It is amazing to see how the same MPs that criticize the Prime Minister for furthering negotiations with the Netherlands are now screaming over the liquidity support received from the same agreement that they ridiculed her for."



I came into politics and, in a short time, learned that yes, while we can blame The Netherlands for many injustices, it does not exclude our shortcomings and lack of transparency.

He issued a call to other MPs to "stop playing politics with the people and tell them the truth. Put the interest of the St Maarten people first and stop promoting mental slavery."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 16)  The Chinese Embassy in Manila announced on Monday it will allow the processing of visa applicants in the Philippines who have been vaccinated with China-made COVID-19 vaccines.

"To make visa facilitation arrangements for foreigners fully vaccinated with Chinese COVID-19 vaccines is a helpful effort and try, based on full consideration of safety and efficacy, to facilitate the cross-border personnel exchanges after massive vaccination," the embassy said in its social media post.

Those who will apply need a vaccination certificate as proof that they have been vaccinated with a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine.

The Chinese embassy said visa applicants travelling to China for "necessary resumption of production and business activities" can prepare and submit requirements issued before the pandemic.

The scope of visa applicants for "emergency humanitarian needs" was also expanded such as foreign family members of Chinese nationals or foreign nationals with Chinese permanent resident permit, including spouse, parents, children, and other dependent close relatives (siblings, grandparents and grandchildren), traveling to China for family reunion, family supporting, family visit, funeral of relatives or visiting relatives in critical medical condition.

Those who hold a valid APEC Business Travel Card could apply for M visa with an invitation from the inviting entity.

The Chinese embassy said it will keep its eye on the vaccination progress in the Philippines and the issuance of COVID-19 vaccination certificates.

"The Chinese embassy will keep close contacts with the relevant Philippine authorities on establishing a mechanism for verifying vaccination certificates, discussing a mutual recognition mechanism for international travel health certificates, to facilitate healthy, safe and orderly bilateral personnel exchanges," the embassy stated.

Beijing clarified that passengers flying to China are still required to provide negative antibody or swab test certificate before boarding and are subject to quarantine protocols.

China has closed its borders to foreigners after the COVID-19 pandemic started in Wuhan city.

Manila received around 600,000 Sinovac vaccine doses from Beijing this month to start the national vaccination program in the country. Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said another batch of one million Sinovac vaccine doses are expected to arrive in the country by March 21 or later. The Chinese government also donated 400,000 more doses that will be administered to medical frontliners.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 15)  Wearing face mask at home is a must to help stem the spike in COVID-19 cases, health officials said on Monday, as they noted rising coronavirus clusters in households.

During a virtual briefing on Monday, officials from the Department of the Interior and Local Government and Department of Health encouraged the public to still observe minimum public health standards even if they are inside their houses.

RELATED: Health advocate backs mask-wearing at home, hopes urban poor to get free product access

DILG Usec. Jonathan Malaya said the agency supports this, further stressing the need to wear a face mask, especially since there is now an evident household transmission of the virus.

"Dati ang COVID nakukuha sa workplace, pero ngayon pami-pamilya na. Dahil nagkaroon po ng COVID fatigue ang ating mga kababayan simula nang nagsimula ang immunization program," Malaya said.

[Translation: Before the COVID was spreading through workplaces, but now COVID is transmitted among family members. This is because Filipinos have experienced COVID fatigue since the start of the immunization program.]

Malaya added that if a person is not sure that he is COVID-19 free, then he should wear a face mask at home.

This was backed by DOH Epidemiology Bureau Dir. Alethea de Guzman, who spoke at the same briefing.

De Guzman said this should be considered as an "important" practice, especially if there are elderly or members of the family with comorbidities.

"Kung natatandaan po natin last year, 'yung ni-launch ang BIDA solusyon, ini-encourage natin ang mga communities na kahit sa bahay ay magsuot ng mask...," she said.

[Translation: If you remember last year when we launched BIDA Solusyon, we encouraged them to wear a mask even if they're at home. ]

Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinge, World Health Organization Representative to the Philippines, also discussed this during a briefing late last week.

"That where the new variants have been confirmed, theyre seeing not individual cases in households but practically everybody in the household being infected," he said.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire in December even said that a person can contract the virus from a family member.

"Even if you celebrate nga within the household, there is still that risk of having the infection especially if one of the members of the family goes out to work or maybe went out to the groceries," she said as the government discouraged the public from attending holiday gatherings.

READ: You could kill your loved ones: DOH, experts warn against holiday gatherings amid pandemic

The Land Transportation Office also implemented a policy requiring people to wear face masks inside a private vehicle even if they come from the same household.

In December, the government started requiring the public to wear a face shield on top of a face mask when going out of their homes.

According to Malaya, imposing lockdown is not enough, Filipinos must also contribute to curbing the spread of the virus by being more responsible.

On Sunday, an independent research group monitoring the health crisis in the country has updated its COVID-19 projection with grimmer figures.

Prof. Guido David of the OCTA Research said new cases nationwide may jump to 8,000 in a day by month-end if the highly transmissible virus is not contained. This may shoot up to around 17,000 to 18,000 by mid-April, he added
[March 15, 2021] More than 770 households and 12 businesses in the Laurentides Region now have access to high-speed Internet

QUEBEC, March 15, 2021 /CNW/ - A combined investment of more than $1.5 million from the Government of Canada, the Government of Quebec and Cogeco means that high-speed Internet network access is now available to 774 households and 12 businesses in the Laurentides Region. As a result of this collaboration in the telecommunications sector, residents of Esterel and Lac-des-Seize-Iles in the Pays-d'en-Haut Regional County Municipality can count on an extended network providing access to reliable and effective Internet service at an affordable price. The completion of this connectivity project was announced today by Stephane Lauzon, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Seniors and Member of Parliament for ArgenteuilLa Petite-Nation; Gilles Belanger, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier of Quebec (high-speed Internet); Nadine Girault, Quebec Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie, Minister of Immigration, Francization and Integration, and Minister Responsible for the Laurentides Region; Agnes Grondin, Member of the National Assembly for Argenteuil; Joseph Dydzak, Mayor of Esterel; and Johanne Hinse, General Manager for Quebec and Vice-President of Programming and Community Relations at Cogeco. In Esterel, 621 households and 10 businesses have new broadband Internet network access, whereas high-speed connectivity in Lac-des-Seize-Iles is now possible for 153 households and 2 businesses. Government funding was provided through the Quebec branche and Connect to Innovate programs, with the federal government and the provincial government each investing $57,160 in this backbone network project. Project partner Cogeco Connexion Inc., which also invested in building a last-mile network, contributed $1,425,088, bringing the total investment to $1,539,408. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the degree to which the regions rely on the Internet to function every day. Given the constant evolution of technological tools, access to quality high-speed Internet service at an affordable price is essential for everyone, whether it's for working, learning or communicating with loved ones. <>Quotes



"Access to reliable connectivity is key to the success of residents in rural regions of Quebec. The COVID19 crisis has shown us how important it is to be able to access the digital world. By investing in these projects through the Connect to Innovate program, we are helping bridge the digital divide so Quebecers in the regions can also benefit from all the advantages the digital world has to offer. To date, the Government of Canada has invested over $213 million in 54 projects, which will connect up to 250,293 households in Quebec."

 Stephane Lauzon, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Seniors and Member of Parliament for ArgenteuilLa Petite-Nation "The Premier of Quebec has made a formal commitment to provide high-speed Internet access to all Quebecers by the fall of 2022. The availability of reliable, effective and affordable services is a key element of economic recovery in the regions during this global pandemic. We are making this a priority and have recently tabled an additional $660 million in budgetary appropriations to provide the means to achieve this. There is still much work to be done, and we are doubling our efforts to achieve our goal."

 Gilles Belanger, Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier of Quebec (high-speed Internet)

"I can proudly say that every day we actively contribute to reducing the digital divide that exists between major urban centres and the regions by working closely with the different levels of government. And providing service to homes and businesses in Esterel and Lac-des-Seizes-Iles is another step toward digital inclusion for all."

 Johanne Hinse, General Manager for Quebec and Vice-President of Programming and Community Relations, Cogeco Connexion Quick facts The Government of Canada's $585-million Connect to Innovate program aims to improve high-speed Internet services in Canada's rural and remote communities.





Connect to Innovate program aims to improve high-speed Internet services in rural and remote communities. The Government of Canada has allocated billions of dollars toward Internet infrastructure in rural and remote regions, including through the $1.75-billion Universal Broadband Fund.





has allocated billions of dollars toward Internet infrastructure in rural and remote regions, including through the Universal Broadband Fund. The goal of the $100-million Quebec branche program (link in French only) is to provide high-speed Internet services to rural areas that are currently underserved or without service. Stay connected Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on social media.

Twitter: @ISED_CA, Facebook: Canadian Innovation, Instagram: @cdninnovation and LinkedIn SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

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i still don't like brian but i still fucking love that album. one of my top 20 of all time.

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Oh no, is Brian a bad person?

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idk tbh but i've never liked him. there's probably some dumbass reason from over a decade ago

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i love this album. i revisited & got really into it randomly again a couple years ago, its still damn good.

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I definitely downloaded songs from this album off Myspace Music pages lol

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I was never a big fan of them, but I have been listening to a few of their songs lately.

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i was just listening to meds on the weekend, still an amazing album. I think black market music might be my ultimate fave by them though. or maybe it's Without you im nothing? hard to pick!!!!



i find it extremely traumatic to see brian that old although he looks good. what is time



Edited at 2021-03-15 11:45 pm (UTC)

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I just watched The Drowning and was surprised to find out Brian's son played one of the main characters

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omg I did not know this. Im currently hate watching the drowning lol.

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Yes, I can't say it was good :/

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Aw, it's been that long since their last good album?

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I peaced out after Meds, I think I liked like 3 songs at most. But Brian will forever that beacon of light to my bi teen self 

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Saaame and then it would always trick me into giving it another try and I would start to enjoy the album and BAM! That fucking duet with Michael Stipe. Something about their voices togetherjust did not mesh for me.

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Luckily I loved Meds so I was still able to enjoy them, but yeah I definitely peaced out right after. Could not tolerate their next album at all. Sleeping With Ghosts will forever be my favorite album though.

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ONTD, what were you up to in 2006?



Seeing Placebo live!!

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15 years?? Noooo. Without You Im Nothing is their best album imo

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I got soooo into placebo after seeing them in Velvet Goldmine and they were all over my MySpace page in the subsequent years lmao



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Velvet Goldmine ended up being the introduction to most of my favorite bands hah Basically my music taste could be described as Bands on The Soundtrack of Ewan McGregor movies.

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I havent seen Velvet Goldmine in yearssss...I wonder if its streaming somewhere

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I can't find my dvd of it anywhere and I'm so pissed because the dvds go for so much on eBay I can't even buy another copy.

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I think I only know their song in Cruel Intentions, which I love.

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In 2006 I was in this damn website 80% of my life, I quit my job at Hot Topic and started working at Borders lol, my boyfriend ruined this album and No, Virginia from the Dresden Dolls by cheating on me really close to the release dates so they just have that angst lol, oh and he totaled my car, I saw The Dresden Dolls and They Might Be Giants at the Variety Playhouse and in 2007 I saw Placebo and met them (minis Brian) at Project Revolution. I also saw them in 2003 on Brians 30th birthday and that is a trip to think about.





This album killed my love for Placebo I think. A lot was it being ruined by my ex cheating on me but it was such a shift in sound that I did not enjoy and I didnt buy any of their music after this but those first four albums are some of my favorite of all time. Theyre just such a mood.

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i was a baby goth in 2006, listening to Placebo, amongst others



i'll describe the way i feel, weeping wounds that never heal~ </3

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Representative Image

Nangarhar [Afghanistan], March 14 (ANI): A policeman was killed in an attack by unidentified gunmen in the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province on Sunday.

The incident took place at 08:30 am (local time) in Jalalabad city's district 1, Tolo News reported citing sources. They added that the policeman had served as a security guard in the Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), the country's power distributor.

"The policeman was shot and killed while he was on duty at the gate of the DABS and the gunmen have stolen his weapon too," the sources were quoted as saying in the report.

Local security officials so far have not commented on the incident.

No group, including the Taliban, has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Further details are awaited. (ANI)
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California Personal Injury Attorneys We saw an opportunity to give our current and prospective clients a website that is easier to explore, helping them find all the information they need, said James McKiernan, founder of James McKiernan Lawyers.

For over 38 years, James McKiernan Lawyers has served clients on Californias Central Coast, helping those who have been injured due to negligence or wrongful conduct obtain compensation. Today, James McKiernan and his team are excited to announce their newly launched website  https://www.jamesmckiernanlawyers.com/.

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Personal injury clients can now find more robust content about vehicle accident cases such as auto, bicycle, boat, bus, and other common accidents in California. The website also offers helpful FAQs and information on complex injuries and cases, including brain injuries, spine injuries and wrongful death.

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James McKiernan Lawyers has handled over 30,000 personal injury claims. They are experienced in all areas of accidents and injury cases  no matter how complicated. The California attorneys have also won million-dollar settlements and verdicts for their clients.

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Collective, a co-production between Romania and Luxembourg about a 2015 night club fire in Bucharest that claimed dozens of lives, has been nominated for an Oscar in the "best foreign language film" category.

The documentary received rave reviews from international press for exposing corruption, with filmmaker Alexander Nanau followed the unfolding investigation in real time. Even former US President Barack Obama tipped Collective as one of his favourites of 2020.

In 2015, a fire in the Bucharest "Colectiv" night club immediately claimed 27 lives, but 37 more people died during the weeks that followed due to inadequate hospital facilities and rampant infections. Not only were the hospitals, even the so-called specialised burn unit, unequipped to handle burn victims, but the disinfectant used in medical facilities nationwide was being diluted to the point of losing all effectiveness at killing bacteria.

Eventually, the shameless lies spouted by the Romanian ministers and the revelations that followed brought down the government. But the unprecedented fight against the thick, murky swamp of corruption that followed didnt last long.

Samsa Film, a production company based in Luxembourg, contributed to the political documentary by sending a team of sound, image and special effects technicians, as well as a photographer.

Wolfwalkers, an animated fantasy adventure film, was nominated in the best animated feature category. The film talks of a young apprentice hunter and her father who journey to Ireland to help wipe out the last wolf pack. But everything changes when she befriends a free-spirited girl from a mysterious tribe rumored to transform into wolves by night.

The Oscars will be handed out on 25 April 25 in Hollywood.
if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi...
Editor: I recently read in The Times-Tribune of a plan to develop a pedestrian access to Steamtown National Historic Site and the Electric City Trolley Museum via the former Cliff Street underpass (Where the sidewalk ends, March 1). Its about time.

When the historic site and trolley museum were developed in the 1980s and 1990s, a glaring omission was a pedestrian walkway into the park. In an urban setting, a lack of pedestrian access is nearly unfathomable.

Although the Marketplace at Steamtown provides a bridge into the site from the second-floor food court, this access was unreliable due to mall hours and inclement weather.

Visitors on foot have been forced to walk uphill along a roadway without a sidewalk to enter the area. It was hardly safe or welcoming.

A pedestrian walkway into the historic site and the trolley museum will benefit both attractions and the city of Scranton.

This mistake should have been corrected years ago, but the wheels of government sometimes move slowly or even grind to a halt like a rusty locomotive.

Fortunately, it seems that a lubricating new vision is being applied to those wheels. Everyone should cheer this effort.

ROGER CLEVEN

CLARKS SUMMIT

Editor: Our founding fathers did an excellent job writing our Constitution, but it was impossible for them to foresee ways in which our democracy would be weakened.

The influence of large, dark money contributions for campaigns from corporations and super PACs, as allowed by the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court ruling, is a major reason that legislators dont listen to the majority of voters.

Another major weakness of our democracy is the challenges to voting that working people face.

Seniors and members of the military move often and have a difficult time keeping their registration up-to-date.

There is no good reason why voters should have to wait hours in line to vote. We should make it easier to vote, not more difficult.

The For the People Act has been passed by the House of Representatives. Now, it goes to the Senate. It would make voting more accessible for working people, help ensure that politicians work for the people instead of special interest donors, and it would strengthen ethics laws that prevent politicians from enriching themselves.

Please contact Sens. Pat Toomey and Bob Casey and encourage them to pass this bill in the Senate. In the House, Republican Reps. Dan Meuser, of Dallas, and Fred Keller, of Snyder County, voted against it.

JOE CZARNECKI

DALLAS

Editor: Theres not one word of the disaster at the border from Democrats who complained about what former President Trump did on immigration.

They know former President Obama started the cages for children at the border but there was not a word from them about it.

This country is going to be like a socialist nation where we will have no say.

First, its the removal of statues, books and guns and then the takeover of our lives. We will have no ambition to better ourselves. Government will have control of our lives, just like in other countries.

Why do immigrants want to come to this country? They believe that it was the best country in the world. At one time they had to adopt our laws, come in legally, better themselves on their own and support themselves.

My mother had relatives come to the United States and she had to take full care of them until they could care for themselves. It was done by the laws and not what is going on with this president.

People will find out how great former President Donald Trump was for this country.

EMIL KONZMAN

CLIFFORD TWP.,

SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY

Editor: Later generations of people descended from ethic immigrant families, whether through Ellis Island, San Francisco, the slave trade, or the Mexican or Canadian borders, should look to their own ancestral histories for an answer in trying to solve the current ethnic migration problem in this country.

Empathy and the extension of compassion, aid, and understanding to refugees and immigrants who are caught in their desperate plights, would ensure that they would never be forced to turn to lives of crime to survive in this country like many immigrants at earlier times in American history.

Bigoted discrimination, prohibition, and denial of equal rights toward earlier influxes of ethnic immigrants and slave populations in times past, was a factor that gave birth to a large share of ethnic organized crime families and gangs in this country and also caused much undue suffering among these transplanted populations even since as far back as Colonial times.

Acceptance and affording the means to incorporate into American life for immigrants and refugees can only serve to strengthen the American social fabric and promote a climate of good will, industriousness, prosperity and tranquility.

ROBERT F. DeRIGGI

archbald
International evangelist Luis Palau has passed away at the age of 86 after a three-year battle with lung cancer.

He died at his home in Portland, Oregon, surrounded by his family, his son Kevin Palau said in an announcement on Facebook.

He is survived by wife Patricia and their three other sons Keith, Andrew, and Stephen.

"We are heartbroken, yet full of hope and faith. We serve a good God who loves us tremendously. And Dad gave his life to share that Good News with the world," said Kevin.

In a joint statement, the four sons said he had died "suddenly and very peacefully, just as he had hoped."

The family is planning a small, private service in Portland to be streamed online in honour of his life, with details coming soon.

"This is hard news, but Luis is experiencing the beauty of the Lord face to face," they added.

Palau was born in Ingeniero Maschwitz, a small town near the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires, on November 27, 1934.

He became a Christian aged 12, not long after the passing of his father, and started preaching on the streets while still only a teenager.

He was already hosting his own Christian radio programme at the age of 19 before moving to the US in 1960 under the mentorship of Californian pastor Ray Stedman.

He met his wife while studying at Multnomah School of the Bible (now Multnomah University) in Portland, Oregon, but his ministry would extend far beyond the US, taking him to over 80 nations around the world.

His more than six decades in ministry included time as an intern with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and occasionally acting as translator for the late evangelist Billy Graham's Spanish-language outreaches.

He and Graham remained close friends and his involvement with the latter's ministry laid the foundation for the launch of his own global evangelistic organization in 1978.

Luis Palau visited the UK on several occasions, hosting a London outreach over several weeks at the Queen's Park Rangers Stadium in 1984 and an open-air event in Inverness, Scotland, in 2009.

Paying tribute, British evangelist J John said he had "the profoundest respect and affection" for Palau.

"One reason that Luis was so good as an evangelist was that he was so openly and wonderfully enthusiastic about the gospel. As anyone who heard Luis will testify, there was joy in what he said," he said.

People are being invited to share their memories of Luis at https://LuisPalau.org
The entrance of Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, Calif., on March 13, 2020. (Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

Reopening of Californias Theme Parks Unlikely to Match Floridas Economic Rebound

Commentary

The impending reopening of Californias theme parks is welcome news for thrill-seekers and Disney fans, but their hysteria pales compared to the delight of local economic leaders.

Gates to popular attractions such as Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm can swing open as early as April 1 under Californias guidance.

This is huge news for the local economy.

There are about 60,000 hotel rooms in Orange County, and in normal years, visitors to Anaheim typically add $9 billion in economic impact to the local economy.

A Costly Decline

Of course, the past year was hardly a typical one.

Hotel occupancy rates in Orange County fell from about 85 percent just before the pandemic last February to less than 20 percent last April, the month after the shutdowns began, according to global hospitality data and analytics company STR.

From last November through early March, hotel occupancy rates have generally ranged from 35 percent to 40 percent, still less than half of pre-pandemic levels, data show.

Average weekly room rates in Orange County were in the range of $153 to $177 per night in the month before the pandemic, and quickly fell to less than $90 per night in April, a more than 40 percent decline, according to the data company.

With room occupancy at half its normal rate and room rates at 60 percent, hospitality revenues are likely only about 20 percent of normal levels. This means the economic revenue from visitors is likely only about $1.8 billion instead of the usual $9 billion a year.

Going Forward

Looking at hospitality analytics firm STRs data from Orange County, Floridathe home of all the Orlando-area theme parksCalifornians can glean some projections about how quickly they might get back to that $9 billion economic impact from visitors to Orange Country, California.

Not surprisingly, Orange County, Florida, also was severely impacted by the travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders. Its hotel occupancy fell from weekly averages of 78 percent to 89 percent in February 2020 down to 12 percent last April.

It rebounded back up to about 25 percent before the Florida theme parks reopened last June and Disney World reopened last July 11. Since then, there were spikes in Orlando-area occupancy levels around Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, and Mardi Gras.

Otherwise, occupancy levels in Floridas mid-state hotels were generally 30 percent to 40 percent, finally rising up to about 46 percent just in the past two reporting periods.

During this time, Florida officials generally allowed theme-park operators to develop safety plans which maintained social-distancing and other public health measures. Disney reports that its Florida parks are operating at about 35 percent capacity under those guidelines.

At 35 percent occupancy at the theme parks, the Orlando-area hotels are at 46 percent capacity.

Californias Restrictions

California has implemented more restrictions than Florida.

Whereas in Florida theme park operators were allowed to develop safety protocols based on public health guidelines, California is ordering its theme-park operators to follow protocols based on a tier system established by the state.

If current conditions still exist when they reopen, the theme park operators in Orange County, California, will be limited to 15 percent capacity, less than half the visitor density Florida theme parks are permitted.

Based on the economic analysis of this writer, hotel occupancy rates in California will likely only increase 5 to 10 percentage points when theme parks are finally allowed to get to the 35 percent operating level already seen in Florida.

The primary rationale for this somber prediction is that California will require all theme park visitors to reside in California.

This might be all right for the theme park operators and possibly also for restaurants near the theme parks, but likely not for the hotel industry.

According to Visit Anaheim, 55 percent of visitors to Orange County, California, typically come from Southern California, while another 8 percent travel from Northern California.

Given the state imposing an initial capacity limit of 15 percent on local theme park operators, there will likely be more demand than tickets available. However, as Orange Countys health situation improves, theme park operators will next be able to move capacity to 25 percent and then to 35 percent.

Only then will the economic impact from theme parks reopening in California likely approach what has been observed so far in Florida.

In all, its great news that the local theme parks will be reopening over the next six weeks or so.

However, many of those furloughed bars and restaurants and possibly most of the hotel workers will likely have to wait a little longer for this piece of great news to trickle down to their being able to get back to work.

Tim Shaler is a professional investor and economist based in Southern California. Hes a regular columnist for The Epoch Times, where he exclusively provides some of his original economic analyses.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Melbourne followed by Sydney and Brisbane are the Australian cities Chinese property buyers love the most.

But Hobart has surprisingly overtaken the Gold Coast and Perth to be the fourth most popular city among interested rich buyers from Asia.

Juwai IQI, a Chinese-based international property sales website, has revealed Australia is the most sought-after market for wealthy Asian investors after the United States.

Melbourne (pictured) followed by Sydney and Brisbane are the Australian cities Chinese buyers love the most

Unlike the US, Australia has one of the world's lowest per capita death rates for Covid, making it a particularly attractive investment destination.

'Australia's high-quality lifestyle, dependable economy and deft handling of the pandemic make it extremely desirable both to investors and potential new permanent residents,' it said.

In 2020, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane had the most enquiries from potential buyers on the Juwai IQI website - the same top three order as 2019.

Hobart, however, went from being the eighth most searched Australian city to the fourth, leapfrogging Canberra, Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast.

With property prices surging to record highs in 53 of Australia's 88 sub markets, in the CoreLogic data series, cashed-up Asian investors are also worried about missing out.

When it came to high-net worth individuals with a second property, Sydney was in the 14th spot on Juwai IQI's international list citing Wealth X data, behind New York, London, Los Angeles, Paris and Chicago, but ahead of Monaco and the American ski resort town of Aspen in Colorado.

But Hobart (pictured) has surprisingly overtaken the Gold Coast and Perth to be the fourth most popular city among interested rich buyers from Asia
MOSCOW  Three human rights groups announced on Monday a legal action that they say is the first to target soldiers from the Russian mercenary organization Wagner for crimes committed in Syria, highlighting growing efforts to hold accountable contract soldiers in war zones.

The case arose from the swirl of violence in Syria as multiple factions, contract soldiers and proxy forces fought one another outside the Geneva Conventions or other treaties on the laws of war. The legal filing tries to use a patchwork of national legislation and treaties to plug that hole, what the rights groups called an impunity gap for mercenaries even as they proliferate on modern battlefields.

We are seeing a resurgence of mercenaries in armed conflicts around the world, Ilya Nuzov, director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at the International Federation for Human Rights, one of the groups that brought the legal action, said in a telephone interview. Unfortunately, they commit grave human rights abuses.

The case, if it ever comes to court, would seem easy to prosecute because those accused filmed themselves killing a man who they claimed was a member of the Islamic State militant group. It is not clear why they recorded the killing, but analysts said it might have been for propaganda reasons or as a horrific form of advertising.
The New York Times

When Paul Moser considers getting a coronavirus vaccine, he also thinks about his outstanding medical debt: $1,200 from a few urology visits that he has been unable to pay off. Moser, a 52-year-old gas station cashier in New York state, has friends who were surprised by bills for coronavirus tests and worries the same could happen with the vaccine. For now, he is holding off on getting his shot. We were told by the legislators that all the testing was supposed to be free, and then, surprise, it
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She foreshadowed that Mr Porter would give evidence in the proceedings. Ms Chrysanthou and Ms Giles have acted successfully for a series of high-profile defamation plaintiffs, many of them women, including Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young against former Liberal Democratic Party senator David Leyonhjelm. Loading The statement of claim alleges the ABC article conveys a series of false and defamatory claims about Mr Porter, including that he brutally raped a 16-year-old girl in 1988, when he was 17, and that this contributed to her taking her own life. They say the article also conveys that Mr Porter was reasonably suspected by police of rape, warranting criminal charges being brought against him, and there were reasonable grounds for suspecting both that he committed the crime and that it contributed to [the woman] taking her own life.

Mr Porter has strenuously denied allegations made by a woman that he raped her during a debating tournament in Sydney in 1988. The woman took her own life last year, after telling NSW Police that she did not wish to pursue her complaint. Mr Porters lawyers say the Attorney-General was readily identifiable as the unnamed cabinet minister in the ABCs online story, and his name was trending prominently on Twitter after it was published. He was obliged to identify himself on March 3, they say. The statement of claim says factors that supported the identification of Mr Porter as the subject of the report included a Four Corners broadcast in November last year that presented Mr Porter as a sexist and misogynist. The lawyers also say that only six male members of cabinet were about the same age as the woman in 1988 and, of those, only Mr Porter and two others were senior cabinet ministers. A photo caption in the article said the allegation involved a senior minister.

On the day the article was published, visits to Mr Porters Facebook page and website increased significantly, the statement of claim says. Mr Porters lawyers argue the ABC and Milligan should pay aggravated damages, which are awarded in cases where a partys conduct is considered improper, unjustifiable or lacking in bona fides, because they knew Mr Porter was readily identifiable as the subject of the article and would ultimately be compelled to publicly respond. They say the ABC and Milligan also knew the allegations could never be proved in any criminal or civil proceeding but proceeded anyway to ensure that he was publicly condemned and disgraced in the absence of any finding against him. Ms Giles, principal director of law firm Company (Giles), said that if the ABC and Ms Milligan wish to argue the truth of the allegations, they can do so in these proceedings. The ABC will file a defence to the proceedings at a later date. It is not yet known if the broadcaster will seek to rely on the defence of truth, which would effectively result in a rape trial being held in the context of a civil case.

In defamation cases, the standard of proof is the balance of probabilities, rather than the higher criminal standard of beyond reasonable doubt, but it is still a high bar when the allegations are serious. As is common in many cases involving media outlets, it is likely the ABC will argue the article does not convey the very serious imputations of guilt or suspicion alleged by Mr Porter but lower-level claims. Loading The judge is the final arbiter of what a publication says. In recent days, two-thirds of Mr Porters legal team - Ms Chrysanthou and Ms Giles - acted for former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins, who has alleged she was raped by a former staffer in the office of Defence Minister Linda Reynolds.
Stepping up pressure on Nicaragua, the United States on Thursday placed sanctions on three senior Nicaraguan officials, including a top police commander, accusing them of attacking anti-government protesters and other abuses.

The action is intended to hold the government of President Daniel Ortega accountable for months of violent crackdowns on demonstrators that have killed more than 200 people, including children and youths, administration officials said.

Opponents accuse Ortega and his family of widespread corruption and of using the presidency to enrich themselves illegally. Ortega has stacked the legislature and judiciary with allies and orchestrated a constitutional reform to allow himself to rule practically indefinitely.

A month ago, amid rising international condemnation of the Ortega government, the Trump administration took its first punitive action by ordering U.S. visas be revoked from an undisclosed number of Nicaraguan officials.

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On Thursday, the Treasury Department sanctioned Francisco Javier Diaz Madriz, Nicaraguas national police commissioner; Fidel Antonio Moreno, a senior official in the Managua mayors office; and Jose Francisco Lopez Centeno, president of the state oil company, who oversees work with the Venezuelan energy company, which has long given inexpensive gasoline to Nicaragua.

The sanctions mean any assets the three men have in the United States will be frozen, and U.S. citizens are barred from business transactions with them or any companies in which they have 50% or more ownership.

The violence perpetrated by the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega against the Nicaraguan people and the efforts of those close to the Ortega regime to illicitly enrich themselves is deeply disturbing and completely unacceptable, said Sigal Mandelker, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

The three were sanctioned under the 2012 Global Magnitsky act that allows for targeting individuals accused of human rights abuses or corruption. It was originally designed to punish Russian officials blamed for the death in prison of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter
NASHVILLE  With Tax Day (April 15) a month away, the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance and the Tennessee State Board of Accountancy are sharing important information for consumers who might be waiting until the last minute to file their taxes.

Last year was a challenging one for many Tennessee consumers who faced financial uncertainty because of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Board Executive Director Wendy Garvin. Tax Day is still set for April 15, 2021. If you need to file an extension, the time to do that is before the deadline. If you are filing a return on April 15, all consumers should remember that licensed certified public accountants (CPA) can be a valuable resource when preparing a tax return. Additionally, using a licensed CPA gives consumers peace of mind that theyre working with a licensed professional.

The Tennessee State Board of Accountancy protects the public interest by ensuring that persons professing special competence in accountancy meet minimum requirements to be a licensed CPA. Consumers who have a complaint about a licensed CPA can file a complaint by visiting our website here.

TDCI encourages Tennesseans to consider the following when submitting income taxes this year:

Get your refund faster through direct deposit. Your income tax refund can be electronically deposited into your financial account for free. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) can automatically deposit your refund into up to three separate accounts if you set up direct deposit when you file your return. Click here to learn how.

File your taxes for free. If your income is $57,000 or less, if you are 60 years old or older, or if you have a disability or speak limited English you can generally get free tax preparation assistance at a location near you through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA). The IRS offers instructions to help you get started.

If you decide to file your tax return yourself, remember:

If your income is $72,000 or less, you can use any one of several major tax preparation software products, offered through the Free File Alliance, to prepare and file your return for free. The Free File Alliance is a nonprofit coalition of industry leading tax software companies partnered with the IRS to help Americans prepare and e-file their federal tax returns for free. If your income is more than $72,000, you can still download free tax filing forms through the IRS.

There are many easy-to-use tax preparation software products on the market that will help you walk through the tax filing process step-by-step. These are not free, but they may be less expensive than paying someone to file your return for you.

Tip: Depending on your age, income and filing status, you may not be required to file a return. Click here to see if you are required to file a tax return.

Questions about your tax return and stimulus payments?

The IRS has a link that will provide information about the second stimulus payment if a person has not received the last round of payments in December. (Get My Payment | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov)

The third round of stimulus checks will be based on Adjusted Gross Income from your 2020 tax return. If the 2020 tax return has not been filed, the payment will be based on Adjusted Gross Income from your 2019 return. If you had a significant income reduction in 2020 and you have not filed your 2020 return, you may not receive a stimulus check even though you qualify. Taxpayers will be given an opportunity to obtain any stimulus due but not paid when they file their 2021 tax returns.

If you did not receive the full stimulus payments in 2020 and qualify for those payments based on your 2020 Adjusted Gross Income, you will be able to claim those payments through the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 tax return, increasing any refund of taxes due. Find more information at Recovery Rebate Credit | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov).

Whats New for 2020 Tax Returns

Taxpayers have the option to use prior year income amounts from 2019 when computing the Earned Income Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit.

If a taxpayer was paid interest on a federal tax refund due to late processing, that interest is taxable in 2020 and must be reported on the 2020 tax return. The IRS will send a Form 1099-INT if you received interest of $10 or more on your refund.

if you received interest of $10 or more on your refund. In 2020, taxpayers who do not itemize deductions may take a charitable deduction up to $300 for cash contributions made in 2020 to qualifying organizations. The maximum allowable amount is the same for both single and married filing joint filers. In 2021, the charitable deduction will remain $300 for single files and increase to $600 for joint filers.

Beware of potential tax frauds. Tax fraud is becoming increasingly common and more sophisticated. Here are a few ways to protect yourself from fraud:

The IRS will never:

Call or email you to ask for personal information.

Demand immediate payment without first sending you a bill in the mail and giving you an opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.

Require you use a specific payment method for taxes, like a prepaid debit card.

Ask for credit card information over the phone.

Threaten to have you arrested for not paying.

If you have been the victim of any of these scams, consumers are encouraged to file a report with the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1-800-366-4484 or www.treasury.gov/tigta. If you suspect youve been a victim of identity theft involving your income tax return, report it to the IRS. For more consumer tips and information about reporting other forms of identity theft, visit www.tn.gov/consumer. For other questions or concerns, contact the Tennessee State Board of Accountancy by email at accountancy.board@tn.gov or call (615) 741-2550.



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Glanbia Ireland has moved to limit the growth in milk supplies during the peak months of the year, with farmers facing a 30pc cut in price for volumes delivered beyond specified levels.

The move follows concerns that Glanbia, which is Irelands largest milk processor, will struggle to handle the continued growth in milk supplies during the peak production months of April, May and June.

A new mechanism, which the processor described as a temporary measure, was given the green light by the Glanbia Ireland council yesterday (Monday).

The new policy will apply to milk supplied during April, May and June from 2022. The base used as an anchor for the policy will be calculated on each suppliers highest total volume over these peak supply months during 2018, 2019 or 2020.

Glanbia stressed that no restrictions will apply to milk supply volumes outside of the peak period.

Under the processors peak supply management policy:

Farms with annual milk supply of less than 550,000 litres in the base period may grow their volumes over the peak supply months by 5pc per year over their base;

Farms with annual milk supply of over 550,000 litres may grow their volumes over the peak supply months by 2.5pc per year over their base;

Growth for recent entrants (those supplying milk for less than three years) will be facilitated up to the 550,000 litres threshold, after which they align to a compound growth rate of 2.5pc on peak months;

For suppliers who have a peak supply profile higher than the Glanbia Ireland average, their peak supply volume will be adjusted down to reflect the average profile. No adjustment will be made to suppliers who have a profile at or under the Glanbia Ireland average.

Price deductions will be imposed on all milk supplied above the allocated peak volume, Glanbia Ireland confirmed.

A milk price deduction of "30pc of the prevailing milk price" will be imposed on excess supplies, or the cost associated with the disposal of the milk, whichever is higher.

The Glanbia Ireland board confirmed that any net funds collected through the companys Peak Supply Management Policy will be redistributed and paid out in the milk price at the shoulders under existing or future seasonality schemes.

In order to encourage increased milk supplies away from the peak Glanbia will introduce:

Enhanced seasonality bonuses to incentivise production outside of the peak supply months;

The launch of a once-off retirement scheme that will offer a five-year incentive for producers who opt to exit milk production. This is open until January 1, 2022;

The creation of a reserve pool that will allocate additional peak volumes to exceptional cases, such as a disease outbreak in the base period. This reserve pool will also be open to applications from expanding suppliers that meet what Glanbia describes as a defined set of criteria.

In order to incentivise off-peak milk production, Glanbia has confirmed that it will pay a seasonality bonus of 4c/l (incl. VAT) for January and December supplies and 3c/l for February.

Glanbia Ireland chairman, John Murphy insisted that the Peak Supply Management Policy was a temporary measure which was necessitated by delays in the commissioning of a new cheese plant at Belview, in south Kilkenny.

This development is subject of High Court proceedings.

A timeframe for how long the restrictions on peak milk supplies will apply was not specified by Glanbia.

IFA President Tim Cullinan said that the announcement by Glanbia today is effectively the first step towards a milk quota for Glanbia suppliers and will cost farm families money.

Since 2015, farmers have optimised their milk production through efficient use of our grass-based production system. Farmers are now being asked to produce more milk at times of the year when production costs are higher. This decision will cost farmers money, he said.

IFA National Dairy Chairman Stephen Arthur, who is a Glanbia supplier himself, said many suppliers have significant financial commitments and Glanbia must ensure that farmers with development plans are facilitated in achieving their targets.

If farmers are being asked to shift their milk supply pattern away for the most efficient time of the year, then they must be properly compensated, he said.

There are also fundamental questions about how this decision impacts on the Milk Supply Agreement between farmers and Glanbia, he said.

We are very concerned about what appears to be a two-tier milk pricing policy and the precedent this sets, he said.
Shares of Godawari Power and Ispat rallied 13 per cent to Rs 633, also its 52-week high, on the BSE on Monday after the company got approval for consent to operate' the enhanced capacity of iron ore pellet plant and consent to set up manufacturing facilities in other divisions.

At 12:24 pm, the stock was trading 9 per cent higher at Rs 610, as compared to 1.6 per cent decline in the S&P BSE Sensex. The trading volumes on the counter more-than-doubled with a combined around 380,000 equity shares changing hands on the NSE and BSE, so far.

Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board, Raipur has accorded its approval for 'Consent to Operate' enhanced capacity of iron ore pellet plant from 21,00,000 to 24,00,000 tons per annum (TPA) with immediate effect.

Similarly, the Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board, Raipur has also accorded its "Permission to Establish' the proposed expansion and modernization of existing manufacturing facilities along with integration of existing environmental clearances at exiting plant location, it said.

The company further said the capex required for the above expansion will be invested out of internal accruals of the company.

On February 24, Godawari Power said that the company has started booking export orders of high grade iron ore pellets (65.5 per cent Fe) to China and Other Countries. The first export order of 50,000 MTs has already been booked and the delivery will take place in the month of April, 2021.Going forward the Company will mainly concentrate on production and export of high grade iron ore pellet only, it said.
California schools are using COVID relief payments for teacher bonuses and a union has jokingly requested a trip to Hawaii using the money - even as classrooms are still closed, internal memos have revealed.

The memos, shared online by the group Reopen California Schools, appear to show that some school districts have been using state and federal COVID relief money on educator bonuses instead of getting kids back into classrooms.

'I've been inundated with reports of school districts spending state and federal COVID relief money on substantial one-time bonuses to teachers and administrators instead of spending them on getting kids back in classrooms or to curb learning loss,' the group tweeted.

'You'd think this money would be spent on PPE, supplies, and programs for kids. Not quite.'

An Employee Compensation Committee at the Clovis Unified School District, located in Fresno County, met on Wednesday to discuss how the relief funds would be used, according to the group.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has said about 9,000 of the states roughly 11,000 schools have either reopened or have a 'firm date' to reopen

California schools are using COVID relief payments for teacher bonuses and unions are allegedly requesting trips to Hawaii even as schools remain closed

Reopen California Schools published memo claiming Dublin Unified School District was looking at funding $2,500 teacher bonuses for possible trips to Hawaii

Another California school district was allegedly looking at giving 1% bonuses to teachers and staff

The Clovis Unified School District was allegedly considering one-time bonuses for teachers up to $6,000

'Because of the influx of one-time dollars from the state and federal government related to COVID relief for schools, committee members were asked to focus their immediate work on a possible one-time, off-schedule payment to employees paid in the current school year,' the memo reads.

According to the memo, committee members studied funds it received during three rounds of federal aid and the state's recent AB-86 bill  which provided appropriated $4.6 billion in state funds for schools to reopen and meet public health requirements.

According to the AB-86 bill text, funds may be used for any purpose consistent with providing in-person instruction and services including salaries.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 also allocated $15million to the Department of Education that can be used to pay teacher salaries.

Last year's CARES Act does not appear to directly include teacher salaries but contains a provision that permits funds to be used for 'other activities that are necessary to maintain the operation of and continuity of services in local educational agencies and continuing to employ existing staff.'

The committee noted that each of the relief funds 'have specific restrictions on eligible expenses and must be spent within the next 12-24 months.'

'ECC members also discussed how they would like a one-time payment to employees to be distributed given the extraordinary effort required of every employee over the course of the pandemic,' the memo reads.

The committee determined to recommend to the district's governing board that district employees receive a one-time payment.

According to Reopen California Schools, a source familiar with the negotiations was 'outraged' that the district was considering offering $6,000 bonuses which 'is supposed to go towards programs for students.'

'This community has had an influx of teens arriving at the ER with self-injury. Grades have dropped substantially and many students disengaged. Poor hybrid schedules started just a few weeks ago and before aid bills passed,' Reopen California Schools tweeted.

An Employee Compensation Committee at the Clovis Unified School District, located in Fresno County, reportedly met on Wednesday

A memo from the Clovis Unified School District, published online by Reopen California Schools, appears to show the district was allegedly considering one-time bonuses for teachers

San Juan Unified School District in Sacramento County allegedly discussed paying 1% bonuses with state and federal aid money, in what appears to be a screenshot from a school board agenda packet shared by the Reopen California Schools group.

'The superintendent is recommending that the board approve the one-time, off-schedule payment of 1% as outlined in the side letters of agreement between SJUSD and the following bargaining groups,' the document reads while listing affiliated teachers unions and associations.

Reopen California Schools claimed in a tweet that the pay bump means food service and special education aides who have been in-person since Sept get a bonus around $300.

'Teachers who haven't stepped foot on campus get about $1,000 and the superintendent gets $3,000,' the group tweeted.

'Why don't the low wage staff who have been in-person the whole time get the $3,000 and the superintendent who gets paid 10 times what they do get $0?'

Reopen California Schools later posted an update in which it claimed the school district 'is not only offering a 1% bonus to all staff, it's giving teachers an extra $500 stipend with COVID relief money.'

Reopen California Schools published memo claiming Dublin Unified School District was looking at funding $2,500 teacher bonuses for possible trips to Hawaii. The mention of Hawaii, in item D, was meant not seriously, the union has said

Dublin Unified School District, located in the Bay Area, has proposed paying its teachers a one-time $2,500 bonus, according to a memo.

The $2,500 bonus is intended to cover costs such as PPE, technology upgrades to provide distance learning, childcare for teachers and 'anything else.'

'An airplane trip to Hawaii when this is all over?' the memo reads.

Robbie Kreitz, speaking on behalf of the teacher's union, told DailyMail.com that item listed in the internal memo was 'taken out of context.'

'We have been laser focused on bargaining for the safe return to campus for all Dublin students. In fact we return to the table tomorrow to continue that work,' Kreitz said.

'The comment you are referencing was on an internal DTA member communication and was taken out of context.'

Kreitz added: 'It was quite clear that we are bargaining for the stipend to be used for the first three items on the list including the weekend time for preparation to return, safety equipment needed to return and support of childcare for those children who have not returned to campus.'

'Item D not only does not connect to those, it was simply a playful comment not connected to the first three on the list on an internal communication to DTA members.'

Reopen California Schools later noted that the $2,500 for childcare and a trip to Hawaii was requested by the Dublin teachers union and has not been approved by the district.

San Juan Unified School District in Sacramento County allegedly discussed paying 1% bonuses with state and federal aid money

In what appears to be a school board meeting agenda packet from San Juan Unified School District, published by Reopen California Schools, officials looked at giving 1% bonuses

President Joe Biden has promised to provide educators the 'pay and dignity they deserve,' according to his campaign website.

'In 2018, public school teachers made 21.4 percent less than workers with similar education and experience. And public school teachers' average weekly wage hasn't increased since 1996,' according to Biden's campaign site.

'As President, Biden will correct this wrong. Biden will triple funding for Title I, the federal program funding schools with a high percentage of students from low-income families, and require districts to use these funds to offer educators competitive salaries and make other critical investments prior to directing the funds to other purposes.'

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is facing recall efforts, acknowledged mistakes in his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, but insists the recall effort against him has more to do with politics than the public health crisis.

The effort gained steam over the winter as coronavirus cases spiked in California, keeping schools and businesses shuttered to the frustration of many residents.

Newsom said about 9,000 of the states roughly 11,000 schools have either reopened or have a 'firm date' to reopen.

He said billions of dollars in state and federal aid recently approved should help ensure that schools can offer summer programs and other supplemental learning to make up for lost time.
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Written by ACM

*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- Shortly Before the Crucial, forthcoming National Elections of September 2021 in EU's Biggest Country : Germany, suddenly, an UnExpected Shift in Citizens' Votes in 2 Key Federated States near Strasbourg (France) Revealed a Popular Quest in favor of a kind of "New Right", (See Facts + Definitions Infra). But, will a Slow to move Establishment Hear the Voice of the German People, on Time and Clearly ?

- Giving an Absolute Majority of 52 Representatives, to the ChristianDemocrats (CDU), Rightists (AFD), Liberals (FDP), and "Free Voters" (pro-Direct Democracy+ Conservatives), against Only a Minority of 49 to "Socialists" and "Greens", while Also Rejecting the Leftists withOut Any Representative, and Even withOut Taking into Account an augmented number of "Various" (Most of whom Use to Stand Traditionaly on the Right), and Nonobstant Also a somewhat Higher Abstention than in the Past, apparently Mostly at the Right), the Voters of "Rheinland-Pfalz"' German Lander, (located at the North-West of Strasbourg's French Region of "Great East", marks, Today, the Greatest Surprize. *

Keeping 27,7% of the Votes to mainstream Center-Right of CDU, (with 31 Representatives), Followed by the Rightists of the AfD with 8,3% of the Votes (and 9 Representatves), Added to another 5,7% of Voters from the Liberals/FDP, and 5,5% from the "Free Voters", (with 8 more Representatives Each), the Long-Time Party formerly Directed by Chancellor Angie Merkel, (2005-2020), Nowadays Chaired by former MEP Armin Laschet (2021-2024), is Still largely Able to Lead, But will have Now to Negociate with 3 More, Independent Political Groupings, if it wants to get an Absolute Majority... The Paradox, Obviously is that, While Laschet (that "Eurofora" has Already met in EU Parliament in Strasbourg, in the Past), has a Notorious Reputation of being quite "Centrist", Nevertheless, if former CDU Supporters' current Fugue towards Various Destinations at his Right Persists Further, (be it towards the AfD, FDP, Freie Weller, Various Right, or Nowadays' Abstentionists), the CDU Leadership will have to Find a Way, Ideas, and Resources Making them Credible to those People too...

+ A partly Similar Trend emerged Today, mutatis-mutandis, also at the Neighbouring Baden-Wurtemberg German Lander, located at the North-East of Strasbourg's French Region of "Great East" Region : Here it Apparently looks like a "Pat", with an Equal Share, until now, of 77 Representatives Each for the "Left" ("Greens" 58, and "Socialists" 19), and the "Right", ("CDU" 42, with Liberals 18, and Rightists/AfD 17). But the Right seems to represent More Voters in that Regional Parliament : 49,8 % , than the Left : 43,6% ! However, Again, the Mainstream Center-Right of "CDU" Keeps the Lead of Votes at the Right side, with 24,1%, Followed by the Liberals (10,5%) and Rightists/AfD (9,7%), as well as "Various" Right (5,5%), while, at the Left, the "Greens" with 32,6% are added to 11% of "Socialists", (the Leftists remaining Out of that Parliament, as the "Free Voters", mainly Rightists). But, from Now on, any CDU Leadership will have to Negociate and Convince also ...3 Other Parties (Liberals, Rightists, and Various Right), If it wants to Head all the Right Side of the New, 2021+ Political Spectrum, (Comp. Supra)...

From this Topical point of view, Obviously, Armin Laschet's apparently Smooth "Modus Vivendi" Deal with Friedrich Merz, after Mid-January 2021, concerning their Foreseable Future, Might, Naturaly, Help things, in practice, at the Aftermath of the September 2021 National Elections. However, to be Realist, such a Creation of a "New Right" Coalition, aiming to Govern Germany, in one way or another, might Need also something More...

In this regard, it's Not a pure matter of Chance that the above-mentioned Developments, Both concerning Also "Greens"' Future Relations with the Right (as it was the case in Baden-Wurtemberg) or the Left (as it happened at Rheinland-Pfalz), and Both located Near Strasbourg, had Also Various Exceptional (even if InDirect) Links even with the Historic, Long-Time former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, the "Father of ReUnification" of Both Germany itself and of All Europe, particularly around a precise Moment of PanEuropean and Global History :

- Indeed, Kohl was Also a Key for the Adoption by the CoE of its landmark "Oviedo" Treaty on "BioEthics", i.e., about Human Rights and Bio-Medicine, back on 1997-1998, as well as of a Relevant Protocol against "Human Cloning", around CoE's Historic 1997 Summit of Heads of State/Government, held in Strasbourg then, amidst successive rotating Presidencies held by France, Germany, and Greece, (etc), as well as a Traditional Supporter of elementary BioEthical Values inside Germany itself. And, When "Eurofora"'s co-Founder, Both at CDU's and the Green's Annual Party Congresses, successively at Nearhy Karlsrhe and Freiburg, on 2009 and 2010, respectively, largely Backed the Idea (UnBelievable, then) of an Attempt to Bring "ChristianDemocrats" and "Greens" Together, even at a Governing level, soon partly Endorsed and Strongly Backed even by then Pope Benedict on 2011, (particularly at his Landmark Official Speech in the Bundestag, at Berlin : See ... + ..., etc), this Obviously was done in View to Help the Development also of certain Basic (and Crucial for Humankind's foreseable Future) Values, includng BioEthical, extending to "Human Ecology" and "Human Nature" Protection too, in view, particularly, of some Recent and Evolving Technologies with Great Risks to the Detriment of all Humanity, in case of practicaly Possible, Eventual Abuses, (Comp., f.ex., Among Others, also : ... + ... + ..., etc).

=> So that, when Some were pushed to more or less Drop, or, at least, Stop really Defending, even some Crucial, Nowadays, BioEthical Values, (f.ex. on the Controvrersial and UnPopular "Same Sex Marriage" among Homosexuals, including Submission of Children to the Force of Homosexuals, under Pretext of "Adoption", etc, while some, elsehere accross the World, soon Started Even to Back the Artificial Fabrication of Human Beings in Labos, by Technocrats, under Any Hollow Pretext, until they Reached also the Genetic Manipulations Transmissible to all Descendants, Even in Future Generations, i.e. Inevitably Risking to Create and Impose Real "Racism", Dividing Humanity into Distant and/or Hostile Races, etc, (See, f.ex. the November 2018 Notorious Incident at Hong-Kong, a December 2019 Positive Response by China, immediately Followed by the present Deadly Virus' of 2020, and some who appear to Seek to somehow Exploit that Pandemic's Threats in order to Impose several Strange and/or Controversial Agendas on 2021, Serving some Shady Interests, (etc), inevitably Raise Various Legitimate Concerns among the People, who Need Convincing, Free and Rational Public Debates, serious Policies, and Conscious Political Leaders to Trust.

=> All this, Obviously, involves, but is Not Only a Matter of Economy, Security, and/or GeoPolitics, etc., since it's, Fundamentaly Also a Core Issue of Human and Society Values.



>>> And, most probably, almost Certainly, it's Not Far Away from some Recently "Burning" Topical Issues, Both in Europe's and USA's, as well as Others' Global Key Players' Nowadays Political Agenda, (including what some might call that current Problem which looks like the "Creation of a New Right", as Also the German People might have Tried to tell us Today : Comp. Supra)...

(../..)

("Draft-News"
Washington County BOE nixes recommendations on school closures

The Washington County Board of Education votes against the superintendent's recommendations to close Hancock Middle-Senior High and Cascade Elementary schools.
While it may be the last thing you want to think about, estate planning is an important step you can take to protect the interests of your family. A well prepared estate plan will help you ensure your wishes are carried out and your loved ones are taken care of once you're gone. If you pass away without a plan in place, your family members may be left to sort out the mess in court. To give you a better idea of what estate planning entails, this section provides detailed information on wills, trusts, health care directives, probate, and estate administration. You'll find articles and resources on making a will, challenging a will, creating a health care power of attorney, setting up a trust, navigating the probate process, and more.

Wills, Living Wills, and Trusts

A will can help make the transition after a loss as painless as possible for your loved ones. Your property will be transferred quickly and many tax burdens can be avoided. Wills typically describe the estate, name individuals who will receive specific property, and dictate any special instructions you may have. Depending on your wishes and the size of your estate, your will could be anywhere from a single page to a lengthy document.

While a will allows you to express your financial wishes once you're gone, a living will expresses your health care preferences while you're still alive. With a living will, you'll be able to designate the medical treatment you wish to receive, should you become unable to communicate your wishes due to illness or incapacitation. A health care power of attorney, on the other hand, allows you to designate a person who can make medical or end-of-life decisions on your behalf.

Trusts are another estate planning tool you can use to manage your property and avoid tax burdens. A trust can either be created during a person's lifetime, or after death, by a will. There are a number of different types of trusts serving a wide range of functions. An asset protection trust, for example, is designed to protect a person's assets from future creditors. A charitable trust, on the other hand, is used to benefit a particular charity or cause.

Estate Planning Lawyers

An estate planning attorney can help you in a number of different ways. If you're interested in creating a will or setting up a trust, an estate planning attorney can draft the necessary documents and help lay the legal groundwork for your plan. That way, your loved ones will be able to avoid the costly and time-consuming probate process. In addition, if you'd like to express your wishes regarding medical treatment, an estate planning attorney can help you draft a living will or a health care power of attorney.

If a loved one dies without a will, on the other hand, probate could be necessary. Probate is the court-supervised process of sorting out a person's affairs. If that's the case, it may be important for you to find an experienced probate attorney. An estate planning attorney will be able to guide you through the probate process and represent your interests in court.
LENTEN FISH FRIES

St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church Men's Club and Knights of Columbus Council 9973 will hold weekly fish fries through March 26 from 5-8 p.m. Both groups will serve fried or baked fish including 2 sides - smashed potatoes, French fries, or cole slaw, and a roll - for $10 a plate; the St. Luke Ladies Club will sell desserts. Drive thru service only at St. Luke's Family Life Center, 910 Cross Gates Blvd., Slidell. Direct questions to church office at (985) 641-6429.

American Legion Post 374, located at 2233 Carey St. in Olde Towne Slidell, will weekly Friday night fish fries through April 2. Choice of eating in or taking out, but you need to call (985) 643-7276 by 3 p.m. on Friday to reserve dinners. Plates include two catfish fillets (fried or blackened), fries, coleslaw and hushpuppies for a $10.00 donation.

Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 501 Most Holy Trinity Drive, near Covington. KC Council 14614 will hold fish fries on Fridays through March 26 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dinner choices include fried catfish, fried shrimp, catfish/shrimp combo, crawfish pie (with either fish or shrimp) and boiled shrimp salad. Each dinner comes with hush puppies and choice of two sides (french fries, baked macaroni or cole slaw.) Children's dinners are available. All orders are placed from vehicle in church lot. Drive thru-only.

St. John of the Cross Church hall, 61030 Brier Lake Blvd., in Lacombe; Knights of Columbus Council 12989; Lenten fish fry on March 26 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Drive-thru only dinners of local domestic catfish, Gulf wild-caught shrimp, or a combo plate for $10; all come with smashed potatoes, hush puppies and green beans. For more info, call the hall on the day of the fry at (985) 882-6625.

St. Peter Catholic Church, 125 E. 19th Ave., Covington, Knights of Columbus No. 12906; Every Friday through March 26, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. drive-up only, no seating available; $10 per dinner. Choose from fried Louisiana farm-raised catfish, wild-caught fried shrimp, potato salad and French fries, bread roll. Orders will be placed while in St. Peter car line, which begins on Jefferson and 19th streets. For more info, contact jvphoto@jimvance.com or call (504) 451-2700.

St. Anselm Catholic Church, 306 St. Mary St., Madisonville; Every Friday through March 26; drive-thru only, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.; fried shrimp, fried catfish, soft-shell crab, stuffed crab, gumbo. Childs plate available. Prices vary. For more info, call (985) 845-7342.

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church Mens Club, 345 Westchester Place, Slidell; Every Friday through March 26; 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.; drive-thru only. Enjoy fried fish, crab-boiled smashed potatoes, salad, roll and dessert; $10 per dinner. For more info, text or call (504) 905-8527 or check Our Lady of Lourdes Mens Club Facebook page.
Photo: (Photo : Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels)

For the first time, a former Great Ormond Street Hospital porter, Paul Farrell, who confessed to a series of instances of abusing children after befriending their parents, has been captured. After a judge lifted restrictions banning his image from being released, Farrell, who served at the children's hospital from 1994 to 2020, has now been seen for the first time.

Paul Farrell, a "predatory pedophile," pleaded guilty in February at Wood Green Crown Court to 69 charges against eight victims, including rape, indecent abuse, and sexual assault of a child under 13.

Many of the allegations were "multi-incident," according to prosecutors, who say they amount to "several hundred" incidents of sexual assault against boys as young as five or six years old over 35 years.

While the 55-year-old did not specifically target children at the hospital, at least two alleged victims claim he sexually assaulted them in the linen room where he has access.

He served as a babysitter and befriended parents before assaulting their children. The Metropolitan Police Service has warned that there is a "very real risk" that he exploited more children, asking any other victims to come forward.

READ: Pedophile Trapping Techniques: Why The Online Realm Can Be A Dangerous Place For Children

Thus, the judge also lifted media reporting restrictions when any alleged wrongdoing happened within the facility.

"We're looking at several hundred separate incidents of sexual assault over 35 years against boys aged five or six to sixteen," prosecutor Paul Douglass said of the charges.

He said that patients at the hospital were not abused, but he admitted that "I had a key to the linen room," Douglass said, "and I locked the door and raped two boys in there."

He also confessed to crimes against six other women, all of whom are now between the ages of eight and 43, including taking lewd photos of children between 1985 and 2020.

The defendant was set to stand trial on five counts of indecency with a child, but charges were dismissed.

ALSO READ: Online Pedophiles Use The Internet To Sexually Abuse Children As Young As One

Judge Orders Him to Appear In Person for Sentencing

Farrell's attorney, David Osborne, said that his client would receive either a life sentence or an extended sentence.

"We are deeply sorry that he was able to misuse his role and use our hospital to commit any of his offenses," a spokesperson for Great Ormond Street Hospital said, and expressed condolences to all the victims of "this heinous rape" and said Farrell had "admitted to a list of truly heinous crimes."

"The accounts they gave to police of the violence they suffered at the hands of Paul Farrell and how their childhoods were taken from them were nothing short of harrowing," said Detective Sergeant Jules Manock as he paid tribute to the "incredibly brave" survivors. He was on the safeguarding team that led the investigation.

"We'll keep working with the police to learn more about his crimes to see if there's anything else we can do to avoid more incidents like this.

"We recognize that the crimes he committed and his relation to the hospital can cause concern and anxiety among our patients, their families, and the rest of the hospital community. We want to clarify what was said in court: Paul Farrell did not specifically threaten children at GOSH.

READ MORE: Parents Be Warned! Know These Pedophile Symbols To Protect Your Children From Predators
New Delhi:

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday met BJP national president Amit Shah in the national capital.

After meeting Shah, Khattar said he briefed in detail to BJP president on Haryana violence that erupted after Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Singhs verdict in the state last week. He said he has done a satisfactory job and complied courts order.

When asked about oppositions demand for his resignation, Khattar said he has done well to control the situation. Those who are demanding, let them do, he said.

The Haryana CM said that he had controlled the situation with patience and peace had been restored in the state.

Jo maangta hai vo maangta rahe, humne apna kaam acchi tarah kiya tha: Haryana CM ML Khattar on demands for his resignation pic.twitter.com/g5SemDLLNt  ANI (@ANI) August 30, 2017

What I had planned, executed well on the ground, he said. Reacting to Dera people's claim that BJP came to power with their support, Khattar said that they appeal all groups for their support and welcome it, but it does not mean anyone can break law.

Also Read: High Court terms Friday Dera violence as war like-situation

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 15)  AC Bonifacio recently debuted in the US series "Riverdale," but how did she prepare for that popular dance-off scene with one of the show's main characters?

Speaking to CNN Philippines' New Day on Monday, Bonifacio shared what it was like to play Star Vixen in an episode of Riverdale's Season 5, where she can be seen donning a cheerleading outfit in a dance battle at the school gym with Cheryl Blossom, portrayed by Madelaine Petsch.

"When my agent called me and told me that I booked [Riverdale], I was jumping for joy 'cause I could not believe that I would be able to watch myself on one of my favorite shows," said Bonifacio, who was born and raised in Canada.

She added: "I've been watching her (Petsch) and she was amazing, so professional and she's so nice. In between takes, she would always talk to me and she knew me beforehand so I was like, 'oh my gosh, she knows me.'"

The 18-year-old dancer-actress who revealed that her cameo in the hit teen drama was her first acting stint in Hollywood. Riverdale's fifth season aired on January 20, but Bonifacio's dance-off scene can be seen in the latest episode "Chapter Eighty-Three: Fire in the Sky" which dropped last week.

"I don't think I did anything differently. It was my first acting stint in English, in Hollywood and it was a really exciting experience for me," she said. "We did a lot of rehearsals with the Vixen Girls and Madelaine. We were changing a lot of choreo to make it look good on camera."

It is not yet clear whether Bonifacio will be appearing in the succeeding episodes of Riverdale. The show will be airing three more episodes weekly until April 1 for its latest season.

Bonifacio and Lucky Ancheta of the Filipino-Canadian duo Lucky Aces were named grand champions in 2016 of ABS-CBN's Dance Kids competition.

Last year, Bonifacio made headlines after doing a solo dance cover performance of Korean-pop group Blackpink in the "How You Like That" virtual contest, where she can be seen donning different looks inspired by each of the girl group's members. She eventually clinched the second prize, but her entry already garnered a million views just a day after it was uploaded in social media platforms.

Bonifacio has one advice to fellow young women pursuing their passion: "Just keep going."

"In whatever you love, whatever your passion is about, just keep going even if it gets tiring, don't give up," she said. "Just keep going, 'cause I promise there is a better road, you just gotta go through the bumps first."
Since the spring term 2020, the University of Cincinnati has used a combination of both required and voluntary mitigation testing.

When invited to participate in random testing, students who reside in UC Housing, students who attend face to face or hybrid classes on campus, and students who work or conduct research on campus, or come to campus for other activities are required to receive testing unless they receive an exemption.

Others are encouraged to receive testing in order to help keep our campus safer.
An Irish OnlyFans model was blackmailed by an anonymous man online who threatened to reveal her photos to her family and friends.

In a case branded 'disturbing' by an internet security firm, the woman received pictures of her own home from someone claiming to have access to photos of her as well as all her personal details.

OnlyFans is an online platform that allows people to upload paid-for content for subscribers to subscribers to watch and is popular with porn stars and sex workers.

The platform says it has measures in place to stop content from being taken from the site through screenshotting or recording.

In a case branded 'disturbing' by an internet security firm, a female OnlyFans model received pictures of her own home from someone claiming to have access to photos of her as well as all her personal details

But Ceartas, an Irish tech firm that says it can 'remove your personal and private content from the internet' has shared detaisl of what it called 'our most disturbing case yet'.

The company said that a female model working on OnlyFans has been sent a message from someone claiming to have her home address and information on family members and friends.

They threatened to share photos taken from her account with her relatives and even work colleagues if she did not give them a 'large sum of money'.

Ceartas said the case took a 'darker turn' the woman was sent a photo from outside her house, with a message saying the person was keeping an eye on her.

The firm said it worked with Irish police and the OnlyFans creator to set up a successful sting operation that resulted in three people being arrested.

The Irish Times reported that the operation involved the woman agreeing to meet to hand over the money in Blanchardstown, a suburb of Dublin.

When three men turned up on Tuesday, they were arrested by undercover police officers.

A spokeswoman for the Gardai, Ireland's police force said: 'Gardai from Blanchardstown arrested three men in the Clonsilla area on Tuesday 9th March 2021, as part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged blackmail / extortion attempt.

'All three were detained under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at Blanchardstown Garda Station.

'Two of the men, aged in their late teens and 20s, have since been charged and appeared before Dublin District Court CCJ 2 on 10th March 2021 in connection with the case.

'A third man in his 30s was released without charge. The investigation is ongoing.'
New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that it will hear a batch of petitions in Aadhaar-related matters in the first week of November.

The Attorney General told the Apex court that Centre will extend the deadline to furnish Aadhaar to avail the benefits of various social welfare schemes till December end.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court had said it would first go through the crucial judgement on privacy before taking a call on Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's challenge to the Lok Sabha Speaker's decision to certify a bill to amend the Aadhaar law as a money bill.

Supreme Court likely to hear Aadhaar case in the first week of November; Deadline for Aadhaar extended till December 31.  ANI (@ANI) August 30, 2017

The plea was mentioned before a bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices P C Pant and D Y Chandrachud for an early hearing, but the apex court said it would first peruse the judgement delivered by its nine-judge constitution bench declaring the right to privacy a fundamental right.

Also Read: WikiLeaks hints at Aadhaar database theft by CIA using UIDAI certified software Cross Match

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
A vial containing a Covid-19 vaccine by AstraZeneca is ready for use in Gia Lai Province in Vietnam's Central Highlands. Photo by VnExpress/Tran Hoa.

The number of people experiencing side effects after receiving their Covid-19 shots in Vietnam is "within the expected level," according to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.

Dang Duc Anh, director of the institute, on Monday said around 26 percent of those vaccinated against Covid-19 globally experience normal side effects, and that around 0.7 percent would experience severe reactions. In Vietnam, the rate of people with severe side effects is about 0.1 percent.

"There is always a certain chance of experiencing side effects following the injection. That chance is within the expected level as determined by vaccine producers, World Health Organization (WHO) and other relevant entities," he stressed.

According to the WHO, up to 10 percent of those who are vaccinated against Covid-19 experience common side effects like swelling and pain at the site of injection, headaches, nausea, joint pain or light fever. More serious effects include anaphylaxis.

Vietnam started its Covid-19 vaccination program last week, giving frontline workers their first shots of a vaccine produced by British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

Of over 11,000 people who have received their shots, 11 cases have experienced severe side effects with signs including high fever and blood pressure. Cases suffering the most severe side effects are detected sporadically and hold no obvious connections. All have been screened prior to their injections and showcased no serious underlying conditions. Their health is now stable and carefully monitored, Duc Anh said.

The causes of such side effects are being investigated by the Ministry of Health.

None have experienced blood clots after vaccination, a problem that has prompted at least 10 countries, including Denmark, Iceland and Norway to temporarily suspend the use of the vaccine, which has been approved for use in over 70 countries and territories.

AstraZeneca and European Medicines Agency have said there has been no evidence to prove the vaccine caused blood clots, and stressed its benefits far outweigh the risk of contracting Covid-19.

Over 117,600 shots of AstraZeneca vaccine have been delivered to Vietnam, expected to be depleted within this month.
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Editor Introduction

Security technology has been a vibrant and successful market for decades now, but sometimes the public is not aware of those successes. Awareness in some cases is limited because security technologies work behind the scenes to keep everyone safe.

In other cases, the industry may be seen in a negative light, based on misinformation about topics such as surveillance and privacy. How can we get the word out about our industrys successes? We asked this weeks Expert Panel Roundtable: How can the security industry market and promote itself better?


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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during the weekly question time debate at the House of Commons in London on March 10, 2021. (UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via Reuters)

Johnson Deeply Concerned Over Clashes During Sarah Everard Vigil

The UKs Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday said hes deeply concerned over footage showing clashes between police and protesters at a vigil for alleged murder victim Sarah Everard.

The Metropolitan police on Saturday drew public criticisms and faced an official inquiry after officers clashed with and tackled to the ground protesters gathered at a memorial for Everard at Clapham Common, London, defying the governments CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus restrictions.

Police officers scuffle with people gathering at a band-stand where a planned vigil in honour of alleged murder victim Sarah Everard was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, on Clapham Common, south London, on March 13, 2021. (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)

Like everyone who saw it I was deeply concerned about the footage from Clapham Common on Saturday night, Johnson said in a statement.

Johnson said that Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick had committed to reviewing the police action, and that Home Secretary Priti Patel had ordered a review to learn lessons on how to improve policing of such events in the future.

Patel is due to make a ministerial statement to Parliament on Monday afternoon, on policing and the prevention of violence against women.

Londons Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick in Hendon, London, on April 21, 2017. (Hannah McKayWPA Pool/Getty Images)

Dick on Sunday defended her officers actions and declined to resign.

Kit Malthouse, the minister for crime and policing, was asked on Sky News if he backed calls for Dick to resign.

No I dont, he said.

I do recognise that the police are in an incredibly difficult position, I mean throughout this pandemic, weve asked them to do a job that theyve never done before, and to stand between the public and this terrible virus, in a way that none of us are used to, Malthouse said.

Sarah Everard, wearing the coat she wore on the night she went missing. (Met Police)

Everard, 33, disappeared on March 3 near Clapham Common, London, while walking home at around 9 p.m. Her body was found a week later in a woodland outside of London. A Met police officer, 48-year-old Wayne Couzens, was charged with the kidnap and murder of Everard.

UK Police In A Pickle

The Met was criticised for its actions at the Saturday vigil, partly because it took a different approach from that during Black Lives Matter protests last summer, when some officers took a knee in support of the protesters.

The alleged murder of Everard by a Met police officer sparked fear and distrust toward the police force. After officers searching for Everard reportedly warned women in the area to be careful, and not to go out alone, the focus of debate partly shifted to gender relations, and the police officers arresting of female mourners and protesters has been described as man-handling.

Protesters holding signing reading DEFUND THE POLICE and END STATE VIOLENCE after the death of Sarah Everard, who was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by a police officer, outside New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service, in London on March 14, 2021. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images)

Protesters hold up signs as they sit on a wall surrounding the fountain at Trafalgar Square during a protest against the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts Bill, and the actions of the police at the vigil of alleged murder victim Sarah Everard in London, on March 14, 2021. (Hollie Adams/Getty Images)

The Met on Sunday said the officers made arrests after a small minority of people began chanting at officers, pushing, and throwing items.

Patsy Stevenson, one of the arrested protesters, told Sky News that she was arrested for standing there.

The fact that the police turned up was just disgraceful, because before then, it was a peaceful protest, she said. I was arrested by police for standing there. I wasnt doing anything, they threw me to the floor.

Police detain Patsy Stevenson as people gather at a memorial site in Clapham Common Bandstand following the alleged kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard, despite a ban on gatherings due to the CCP virus restrictions, in London, on March 13, 2021. (Hannah McKay/Reuters)

England has been under its third national lockdown since Jan. 6 in an effort to curb the spread of the CCP virus, which causes the disease COVID-19. People are only allowed to meet with one person from another household.

Police told organisers of events to honour Everard that public gatherings would be in breach of CCP virus restrictions and could lead to fines of up to 10,000 ($14,000), a warning the police had issued many times before to other planned protests. Organisers of the event Reclaim These Streets said they had cancelled a vigil on Clapham Common and other events around the country, after a judge in the high court refused to overrule the Metropolitan Police. But hundreds of people went to Clapham Common on Saturday to leave flowers and drawings at a memorial for Everard. Police later said in a statement that these had been done in a safe and lawful way. After 6 p.m., more people started to gather in a larger group, which prompted the police response. Protesters calling for greater public safety for women after the death of Sarah Everard, against the police handling of a gathering on Clapham Common in Sarah Everards honour and against a proposed law that would give police more powers to intervene on protests hold placards as they gather in Parliament Square in central London on March 14, 2021. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP via Getty Images)

On Sunday, more people gathered outside New Scotland Yard and at Parliament Square to call for safety for women, and protest against the Mets actions at the vigil for Everard and a new bill that would impose conditions on one-person protests.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Overcoming barriers

The meeting chaired by the Ministry of Finance on 9 March finalized a plan to modify the existing trading system of HNX by building a temporary trading system for HoSE with the participation of the private sector. The emergence of this unexpected solution is not impossible. The idea of moving part of stock trading to the trading system of HNX is also a solution similar to that proposed by FPT. In fact, the HNX has also promoted the construction of a separate trading board for stocks on HoSE. This solution can make use of the available resources of one of the two units of the Ministry of Finance without having to equip additional items, at no cost, as well as use technical human resources already on the payroll.

With the proposed solution by FPT, the trading system used for the HNX will be revised and run on a new server system different from the current system at HoSE. Private capital will be mobilized to purchase new hardware server system, and technical staff who previously were deployed for the system on HNX will modify the software. This new revised trading system will temporarily replace the existing trading system at HoSE.

It is immediately apparent that this solution cannot be implemented without approval from the highest level. This is also the reason why in the list of given solutions, there is no similar solution of FPT, that is to say, the choice of a private company to immediately deploy the work without going through normal procedures. Changing the core of a term trading system, which only operates for a few months until the full implementation of the KRX system, is unheard of. Even a simple solution that HoSE immediately buy a new server system is impossible. It is even more impossible for HoSE to raise capital outside the budget to purchase any equipment.

On the other hand, if there is no voluntary financial and human support of private companies to check this solution, it will be impossible to choose such an expensive, time consuming and risky solution. The KRX system is being implemented urgently and this is an overall system to operate the stock market, while the system congestion is an incident occurring in the short term. The solution of replacing the core of the trading system is also just to resolve the present situation. In fact, it is not much different from the solution of lifting lots, changing floors, or depositing transactions.

Question about time

Investors are most concerned about when the solution to replace the core of transactions, so that the market operates normally without congestion. The timeline set by the parties focuses on a period of three to four months. According to a source knowledgeable about the two-floor trading systems, the current interest market is overloaded and set to be replaced, but the stock market management software system generally includes many different components.

The core part of new transactions revised by FPT is the part that is being used on the HNX and will have to connect with many other technology departments available at HoSE, such as information disclosure, transaction monitoring, as well as connection with the Depository Center and member securities companies. Modifying the systems to connect with each other will take time.

Previously, the solution that HNX would create a separate price list for HoSE stocks, is not much different from this task. Securities companies that were consulted all have said that editing would be costly and many units could not have autonomy in technology. Half the securities companies surveyed said that the adjustment time should be at least two months, while the other half said four months. The solution that FPT offered is similar to the solution to create a separate board for HoSE shares on the HNX, only with a new server system located at HoSE instead of using the existing system on the HNX.

The General Director of a securities company said that his company's policy is to support this solution or any solution to combat congestion, but the difficulties will be put on the company shoulders. The solution is only short-term, since it was identified from the beginning as a temporary replacement until a new system is available. According to the General Director, if the editing takes upto six months, then after a few months, the effectiveness must be reviewed, as this solution was not taken into account at the outset because the efficiency versus time was too little, with the most worrisome being that if something goes wrong then markets will be interrupted and tens of thousands of billion dong can be affected in trading.

Technically, this means that FPT will receive most of the modification of input and output parameters to suit the existing systems on both HoSE and securities companies. FPT can only partially control the progress of this part. However, a smooth, secure and accurate trading system must undergo a rigorous testing process. This in turn depends on the total number of components connected to the system. In particular, the task of monitoring and disclosing information is paramount, as well as the stability of the new system to connect with many other components not in the same system.

The factors that will arise during implementation cannot be calculated first. Another rather subtle thing is that when the KRX system is complete, it is unclear what the temporary system will be used for. FPT believes that this system can be used as a backup system for KRX. However, an opinion in this area says that KRX is an overall system that manages the entire market, from transactions to monitoring, clearing, and custody. The core of transactions is currently only for connection to the Thai system, and cannot be used for the KRX system.

Nguyen Ha
Makerspaces -- collaborative workspaces where people work together on projects using both high and no-tech tools -- have become increasingly popular in recent years. A new $1.5 million grant awarded to Binghamton University faculty could help improve makerspace learning for youths and help them find support during moments of failure.

"Shock would be the best way to describe it," said Amber Simpson after she found out she was chosen for the research grant. An assistant professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Educational Leadership, Simpson was awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to take place over three years.

The project will "address the gap through adapting, implementing and refining a professional development program for informal educators to productively attend, interpret and respond to youths' experiences with failure while engaged in maker programs."

Simpson holds workshops within the community to develop makerspaces for kids. She taught a "making and tinkering" class and the students worked with Your Home Public Library in Johnson City and Windsor Central Middle School. Students working with the library developed a project in which they spent one night a week helping youths make remote controls using Makey Makey invention kits that provide hands-on lessons on circuitry and conductivity -- and then built video games using an online program that introduced basic coding. At the middle school, her students came up with similar making and tinkering activities to do during a weekly after-school program in the school's new makerspace, a converted section of their library.

Simpson sees a lot of value in the makerspace world. "It doesn't have to happen in four walls," she said. "It could happen anywhere." From recyclable material to pinecones, Simpson expressed the value in this new and more accessible way for kids to learn.

Kids and families are engaging in STEM content without them even knowing and it's almost hidden in what they are doing, she added. "For example, I see a lot of informal measurement happening. It may not be what's considered 'school math,' but they are using their knowledge and engaging in these STEM practices in a way that school may or may not be supporting them."

Simpson is also hoping to take makerspaces to an online module because of the COVID-19 pandemic. "We are actually trying to examine how to build a community of practice through an online format," Simpson said. "Some of our aims have shifted a little in the current landscape."

Due to COVID-19, the need for youth makerspaces in homes and communities has grown. Simpson said she wants to shift the focus for kids from just Zoom learning to different activities. She hopes to help kids see that their home environment is a makerspace that will enhance and support what they are learning in school.

Another large part of Simpson's research revolves around the notion of failure and the importance of failure within the learning process. She said that failure is not such a bad thing. Kids often find it detrimental within their school environment, yet they have a more positive attitude toward failure in makerspaces.

"When I think about the makerspaces, I don't think kids even see it as failure," Simpson said. "How people view failure is different based on the context they are in." She expects a large shift in the learning process when the understanding of failure is more prominent.

Simpson's core partners in this research are The Tech Museum of Innovation, The Bakken Museum, Montshire Museum of Science, The Minneapolis Institute of Art, Thinkery and Amazeum Children's Museum. Adam Maltese at Indiana University and Alice Anderson at Minneapolis Institute of Art are co-principal investigators on the grant. Simpson said Maltese and Anderson will develop a professional development model based upon the instructional moves of educators when kids fail and then take the model and distribute it widely. "Their role is figuring out how to take the professional development model and adapt it to be more sustainable and have a larger reach," Simpson said.

The funding, Simpson explained, will be used to support their partnering sites. "Dissemination is a huge part of this, doing workshops at other museums as we continue," Simpson said.

A lot of trial and error will be involved. "We will try things out in the short term, tweak things in the short term," Simpson said. "But hopefully by the end of the grant, it's more of a model that will work for more individuals."

###
Bangladesh has agreed to take United Nations officials to a Bay of Bengal island housing thousands of Rohingya refugees, and the visit may take place this week, a foreign ministry official said Monday, more than two years after the world body asked to assess the suitability of the controversial site.

U.N. officials, meanwhile, told BenarNews they had not been given a date nor told if they could conduct assessments during the trip to Bhashan Char, the island housing more than 14,000 Rohingya who were moved from refugee camps in and around Coxs Bazar.

The government had been in talks with U.N. officials about the refugees relocation, said Md. Delwar Hossain, director general at the Myanmar desk of Bangladeshs Foreign Ministry.

They are going to visit [Bhashan Char], as we were able to reach a consensus with them. They are supposed to go either on Tuesday or Wednesday, Hossain told BenarNews.

We had been in a discussion with the U.N. over relocation of Rohingya and the methods of providing them with humanitarian assistance there.

Mostafa Mohammad Sajjad Hossain, a spokesman for the Dhaka office of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, confirmed that the Bangladesh government had agreed to facilitate a visit of the agencys officials to the island.

Further to discussions with the government of Bangladesh, the U.N. has agreed to undertake a first mission to Bhasan Char at the earliest possible date and is in ongoing discussions with the government about the details of the visit," Sajjad told BenarNews.

Neither the government nor U.N. officials BenarNews spoke to could confirm whether the world body would conduct a technical assessment of the conditions on the island during the visit.

International humanitarian and rights organizations had said no one should be relocated from Coxs Bazar until United Nations experts certify that the remote island is habitable, and a mechanism is in place to ensure that refugees are accorded basic human rights.

Still, the government moved the first batch of 1,642 refugees to the controversial low-lying island on Dec. 4.

The foreign ministrys Hossain said U.N. officials would have to decide next steps following their visit.

They will look at the overall situation of Rohingya refugees there and decide what to do. It is an obligation for the U.N. to go there to help the refugees, according to its mandate. We have a consensus on this point, Hossain said.

Basically their working-level officers will go to Bhashan Char. If they go there, they may get an understanding of the situation, then they can decide how to proceed.

The Bhashan Char visit would be the first for U.N. officials since Yanghee Lee, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar at the time, visited the island in January 2019, when the government had begun constructing housing for the refugees.

Lee had advised Dhaka to allow full technical, humanitarian and security assessments before sending Rohingya there.

More than 14,000 Rohingya have now been moved to Bhashan Char, and more would be relocated if they want to move voluntarily, said Mohammad Samsuddoza Nayan, an additional Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner.

At least 22 local NGOs are helping the government in the relocation work and providing comprehensive humanitarian assistance, including food, to the Rohingya, he told BenarNews.

Fortify Rights, a Southeast Asian group, had said last October that Bangladesh had coerced the Rohingya into moving to Bhashan Char, an allegation that the government had forcefully denied several times.

Late last month, a delegation from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation visited Bhashan Char and said they were satisfied with the infrastructure there, the Bangladesh foreign ministry had said. That visit was the first by any international official since Lees visit more than two years ago.

Bangladesh officials have built housing on the island for about 100,000 Rohingya in a bid to relieve pressure on crowded mainland camps in and around Coxs Bazar. The camps house about 1 million refugees who fled neighboring Myanmar, including about 740,000 who escaped a brutal crackdown in Rakhine state in August 2017.

Island preparations

Nurul Islam, a refugee who relocated to Bhashan Char from the Kutupalong camp in Ukhia, said preparations have started on the island for the U.N. visitors.

We will tell them what the situation is like and will request that they be involved in various activities, he told BenarNews over the phone.

We have and are getting all kinds of facilities on Bhashan Char, except medical care for major diseases. I will request that they introduce critical healthcare facilities on the island.

Mostafa Kamal, a Rohingya leader from a refugee camp in Teknaf, also welcomed the planned trip by U.N. officials.

The U.N.s visit to Bhashan Char is good news. They will be able to make the right decision about the future of the Rohingya after observing the situation there, he told BenarNews.

The views of the U.N. will help those who are undecided about whether to go to Bhashan Char make a decision.

Delwar Hossain, a professor of International Relations at Dhaka University, said it was a good move on the part of the government to agree to a U.N. delegation visit to Bhashan Char.

This is definitely a positive change. The inclusion of the U.N. is very important, he told BenarNews.

Bangladesh has had very good relations with the U.N. since the time of the refugee crisis during the war of liberation, he said referring to Bangladeshs war of independence in 1971.

The U.N. and Bangladesh have the same objective for Rohingya refugees, because both sides are working for humanity, he said.

The academic expects U.N. officials to make a pragmatic decision and continue to cooperate with Bangladesh on the Rohingya refugee situation.

At the same time, the relationship between Bangladesh and the international community on the Rohingya issue will be further strengthened, he said.

Abdur Rahman in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, contributed to this report.
Hyderabad, March 15 : Actor Adivi Sesh paid tribute to 26/11 martyr Sandeep Unnikrishnan on the latter's birth anniversary on Monday. Adivi plays the late real-life hero in the upcoming film "Major", which is inspired by the braveheart.

On the occasion, the actor announced that the film's teaser is slated to be launched on March 28.

Adivi posted a small video from the film, sharing its first look. "On the Birthday of #SandeepUnnikrishnan. We REMEMBER.Here is the #MajorGlimpse," he captioned it.

Talking about posting a look from the film, Adivi said: "We all remember him for his heroic sacrifice and bravery in the 26/11 attacks, but not many people know how he led his life until then. 'Major' celebrates the way he lived, and not just his sacrifice. Remembering him as a son, a friend and a soldier, on his birthday, I wanted to celebrate him and his ethos." Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan is known for his valiant action during the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. He was consequently awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award.

The film is set to release on July 2, and it also stars Sobhita Dhulipala, Saiee Manjrekar and Prakash Raj. Directed by Sashi Kiran Tikka, the film marks Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu's debut as a producer.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-16 05:55:51|Editor: huaxia

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HELSINKI, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Finland will use the European Union (EU) fund for renewing the economy rather than for recovery, Minister of Finance Matti Vanhanen said at a government press conference here on Monday while announcing the Sustainable Growth Program for Finland.

According to the program, Finland plans to use half of the EU recovery fund for climate projects and a fourth for digitalization. Meanwhile, part of the 2.1-billion-euro (2.5-billion-U.S.-dollar) funding will also be used for speedier access to healthcare and employment, announced Vanhanen.

The program, which is mainly on how to use the EU recovery fund, was prepared by a ministerial group representing all the five parties in the current government coalition, aiming at a strong public-private partnership to promote the Finnish economy.

Finland expects that each one euro from the EU recovery fund would attract nine euros as matching investment from the Finnish industries, the minister indicated.

Krista Mikkonen, Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, said at the press conference that a six percent decline in the country's annual climate emissions could be reached with the help of the program. She described the plan as the largest Finnish climate measure so far.

Commenting on the program, the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK) welcomed this ambitious investment by Finland to be a frontrunner in environmental measures and digitalization, with a view to creating new export opportunities.

The preliminary total of funding that Finland could receive from the EU recovery package for 2021-2023 is approximately 2.1 billion euros, at current prices. Finland will also receive funding for other programs under the EU recovery package, including the Just Transition Mechanism and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. These would increase the overall amount of EU funding for Finland to an estimated total of 2.9 billion euros, according to the government.

The Finnish spending plan of the EU recovery fund is subject to EU Commission approval. Vanhanen said changes could be accommodated.

Finnish economy was hit by COVID-19 comparatively less than some other countries. The economic decline in 2020 has been estimated to be 2.9 percent in GDP. (1 euro = 1.19 U.S. dollars) Enditem
Tens of thousands of Australians are expected to hit the streets at 40 rallies today for the Womens March 4 Justice.

Organisers of the protest rally have rejected Prime Minister Scott Morrisons invitation to meet privately in Parliament House on Monday after he declined to attend the Canberra rally in person.

The marches follow historical rape allegations against Attorney-General Christian Porter, which he vehemently denies, and claims from several women that they were sexually assaulted by a former Liberal staffer.

Today on Please Explain, Tory Maguire and deputy federal editor Stephanie Peatling discuss the womens march and how it will affect the government.
New Delhi, Mar 12 (PTI) The Indian Navy provided assistance to a stranded cargo ship with seven Indian crew members as it was drifting in the Gulf of Oman following failure of its propulsion and power generation systems, officials said on Friday.

The cargo ship was going from Oman to Iraq, they said.

The Indian Navy provided support to the stranded ship MV Nayan on Thursday after its frigate INS Talwar received a call from the cargo vessel requesting for technical assistance, the officials said.

INS Talwar was deployed in the Gulf of Oman.

They said the cargo ship was drifting at sea since March 9 owing to failure of its propulsion, power generation and navigational systems.

'Based on preliminary aerial assessment about the distress of MV Nayan, the Indian Naval ship dispatched its VBSS (Visit Board, Search and Seizure) team along with a technical team by boat to offer assistance to the vessel that had seven Indians as her crew,' an Indian Navy spokesperson said.

The official said the naval teams worked continuously for seven hours on board MV Nayan to operationalise her key equipment such as generators, steering pump, sea water pump, compressor and main engine.

'The naval team also assisted in operationalising navigation equipment like GPS and navigation lights before MV Nayan could proceed for her next port,' he said. PTI MPB DV DV
Please note The Sun Chronicle is providing this story and all of our local coronavirus coverage for free so that all readers have access to this important information about the pandemic. Please visit our dedicated coronavirus coverage page for more stories. If you'd like to support our mission, please subscribe.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has warned there will be more positive Covid-19 cases after a hotel worker tested positive for the highly contagious UK strain.

The 47-year-old hotel quarantine security guard who works at the Sofitel Wentworth and the Mantra Hotel at Haymarket returned a positive test late on Saturday night, ending the state's 55 day streak.

His four family members have since tested negative and 130 close contacts were asked to self-isolate after working an overnight shift with the man at the Mantra Hotel on Friday.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant on Monday warned that it was likely more cases would recorded as the man visited numerous locations.

'Pleasingly to date there is no evidence of widespread transmission, but of course we know how dangerous the various strains of the virus can be so NSW Health is doing everything they can to make sure we stay on top of it,' she said.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has warned there will be more positive Covid-19 cases after a hotel worker tested positive for the highly transmissible UK strain

The man worked at the Mantra Hotel at Haymarket and the Sofitel Wentworth (pictured) housing returned international travellers on March 11 and 12 while infectious

The security guard also visited Pancakes on the rocks in Beverly Hills on Saturday, March 13 from 10.45am to midday

She also said leaks from hotel quarantine could have occurred but stressed there was no need to 'overreact'.

'We're pleased about those numbers but encourage everyone with the mildest symptoms to come forward,' she continued.

'While it is always concerning to have a case outside of overseas travellers, it is not surprising; we always know it is a high risk.'

The man, who had already received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on March 2 worked while infectious at the Mantra from 7pm on Friday night to 7am on Saturday.

During his shift, the man visited the Dae Jang Kum Korean restaurant in Haymarket, between 12.15am and 12.20am, before going to the nearby 7-Eleven in Capitol Square, on George Street, from 12.20am to 12.25am.

Venues visited by the infected worker Pancakes on the rocks at Beverly Hills - Saturday, March 13 from 10.45am to midday. Dae Jang Kum Korean restaurant in Haymarket - Saturday, March 13 from 12.15 to 12.20am 7 Eleven in Capitol Square, Haymarket - Saturday, March 13 from 12.20am to 12.25am Angelo Anestis Aquatic Centre in Bexley - Saturday, March 13 from 9 to 9.30am. A train from Hurstville to the city arriving at 6.30pm on Friday, March 12 and city to Hurstville leaving at 7am Saturday March 13. Hudsons Coffee Shop, Hurstville Private Hospital: Monday March 8, 8.30 to 9am Tuesday March 9, 8.30am to 9am Wednesday March 10, 8.30am to 9am Thursday March 11, 8.30am to 9am Friday March 12, 8.30am to 9am Coles, Hurstville Station - Wednesday 10 March, 8pm to 9pm Advertisement

He then visited Angelo Anestis Aquatic Centre in Bexley on Saturday, March 13 from 9am to 9.30am and Pancakes on the rocks in Beverly Hills the same day from 10.45am to midday.

He also caught a train from Hurstville to the city arriving at 6.30pm on March 12 and from the city to Hurstville leaving at 7am the next morning.

People who were at these locations are urged to monitor for symptoms and come forward for testing even with the mildest of symptoms.

'While the source of the new case's infection is still under investigation, genomic sequencing results received last night show a match to the viral strain of a Covid-positive returned traveller who was in the Softitel Wentworth quarantine hotel while infectious,' a NSW Health alert read.

'The genome sequencing results indicate the strain found in the hotel quarantine guest and security guard is the more transmissible B1.1.7 variant of the virus (also known as the UK variant).'

Dr Chant said it remains unclear how the man contracted the disease despite adhering to all safety protocols.

'Investigations have confirmed this gentleman did work a shift on the same floor, floor 11, in the Sofitel when the international returned traveller was infectious; genomic sequencing indicates they are a match,' she said.

'(But) we did review the CCTV footage and can I just say this gentleman was exemplary in his adherence to the procedures for mask wearing and other protections and precautions.

'So we haven't been able to find an exact source or explanation for how this person became infected.'

He then went to the nearby 7-Eleven in Capitol Square, on George Street (pictured), from 12.20am to 12.25am

Anyone who visited Coles, in Hurstville Station, (pictured) on Wednesday March 10 between 8pm to 9pm has been urged to monitor for symptoms

The man briefly visited the Dae Jang Kum Korean restaurant in Haymarket (pictured), between 12.15am and 12.20am on Saturday during his night shift

She confirmed all close contacts will be retested on Monday and reiterated the premier's warning that more cases are likely.

'We identified 167 staff who worked at the Mantra hotel with the security guard,' Dr Chant said.

'We have text messaged all of them and spoken with the vast majority, 157 of the 167, and a number of them have presented for testing.

'We will follow up and we will be assessing that. Those individuals will be told to be in isolation for 14 days if they were in contact with the gentleman.'

NSW recorded an additional three cases on Monday from 8,199 tests, all of which are in hotel quarantine.
Bamako, Mali (PANA)  Malis justice officials should scrupulously respect due process rights in the case of five men detained since December 2020 for allegedly plotting a coup against the Mlain transitional government, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Sunday
University of Cincinnati is a big-time university (46,388 students strong) with a small-campus feel. Our beautiful, pedestrian-friendly campus is surprisingly compacta 10-minute walk gets you from Nippert Stadium to DAAP! But you wont want to rush. Cincinnati invites you to slow down and recharge. Almost daily, youll find students enoing on Sigma Sigma Commons, hanging out near TUC on Main Street, and playing Frisbee on the field at Nippert Stadium.

See for yourself. Take our virtual tour and explore student life at UC!
President Biden and others who would stake the future of modern civilization on wind and solar technologies are ignoring former environmental activists who have now soured on so-called green energy. As better-informed people increasingly turn to responsible use of fossil fuels and nuclear power, political leaders continue to pursue a false green promise.

In Washington, D.C., radical anti-fossil fuel policies are being promoted that would devastate Americas economy. It continues to be promoted even though it is obvious that overreliance on wind energy contributed to costly and deadly power outages last month during a Texas cold snap and similar, but not so deadly results recently in Europe.

There are plenty of arguments against these green proposals made purportedly to save the planet from human-induced warming.

First, the underlying premise of looming planetary doom due to man-made warming is demonstrably false. By nearly every metric, Earth and its people are flourishing. As much as half the planets surface has become greener over the past 50 years because of slightly higher levels of carbon dioxide and natural increases in warmth. Secondly, investments in wind turbines and solar panels divert resources from more reliable and efficient fossil fuels and nuclear power that have produced unprecedented prosperity.

Green warriors who dismiss these arguments at least ought to consider that many of those who once embraced radical plans to save the planet now spurn them.

One is Michael Schellenberger, a green-energy activist who hosted on his 16th birthday a fund raiser to save rain forests. Now middle aged and author of the 2020 book Apocalypse Never, Mr. Schellenberger says, The idea that were going to replace oil and coal and natural gas with solar and wind and nothing else is a hallucinatory delusion.

Mr. Schellenberger tells of his realization that fossil fuels were key to an astonishing improvement of the human condition since the 18th century and are necessary to raise billions of third world inhabitants from crushing poverty and privation. Green technologies, he concludes, are expensive, unreliable, environmentally damaging and incapable of sustaining the globe.

Human civilization would have to occupy one hundred to one thousand times more space if it were to rely solely on renewables, Mr. Schellenberger writes. If the United States were to try to generate all of the energy it uses with renewables, 25 percent to 50 percent of all land in the United States would be required. By contrast, todays energy system requires just 0.5 percent of land in the United States.

There are plenty of others like Mr. Schellenberger. In the 2013 video documentary Pandoras Promise, he appeared with four former opponents of nuclear power to promote that technology over both of the green technologies they once endorsed.

Of nuclear power Mr. Schellenberger writes: Between 1965 and 2018, the world spent about $2 trillion for nuclear and $2.3 trillion for solar and wind. At the end of the experiment, the world received about twice as much electricity from nuclear as it did from solar and wind.

One of the better known environmentalists to have moderated his views is Dr. Patrick Moore, a founding member of Greenpeace who left the organization and wrote Confessions of a Greenpeace Dropout: The Making of a Sensible Environmentalist. Currently a board member at the CO2 Coalition, he also has written a paper, The Positive Impact of Human CO2 Emissions on the Survival of Life on Earth. The paper concludes that carbon dioxide released from fossil fuels in the industrial age may have reversed a long-term, dangerous decline that threatened to bring CO2 concentrations below the level needed for plant life. That catastrophe would make the current climate scare an ironic footnote in the epitaph of humanity.

Another who first promoted but now rejects alternative energy is Michael Moore, a quintessential West Coast liberal whose 2019 documentary Planet of the Humans presents green energy as an environmentally dangerous, money-grubbing, capitalist con. However, the film falls well short of sensible when it concludes that environmental issues demand Earths depopulation.

Which returns us to the stubborn allegiance to green energy of people like those now in power in Washington, D.C, who are proposing economically crippling carbon taxation schemes. Why the insistence on punishing the technologies that provide affordable, abundant and reliable energy and supporting those that do not?

Mr. Schellenberger suggests that underlying extreme environmentalism is an anti-civilization view that rejects the very solutions that would solve the supposed problems. Those concerned about carbon dioxide reject nuclear power just as Malthusians who predicted mass starvation from overpopulation opposed birth control, he says. Alex Epstein, author of The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, identifies the affliction as an absence of clear thinking.

Whatever sociopathic or intellectual disorder drives the green obsession, a regrettably high number of our leaders suffer from it.
Associated Press

A top Sudanese military official said the government will review an agreement with Russia to establish a navy base in the African country. The remarks about the deal, which dates back to the government of now-deposed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and has not been ratified by the Sudanese parliament, indicate that Khartoum is seeking some changes to the agreement. Sudans Chief of General Staff, Gen. Mohammed Othman al-Hussein told Blue Nile television station late on Tuesday that negotiations are underway with Russian officials to achieve Sudans interests.
[March 15, 2021] CPG Digital Marketing Market to Reach US$ 60.6 Billion by 2027, Globally |CAGR: 7.8%|UnivDatos Market Insights

NOIDA, India, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A comprehensive overview of the CPG Digital Marketing market is recently added by UnivDatos Market Insights to its humongous database. The CPG Digital Marketing market report has been aggregated by collecting informative data of various dynamics such as market drivers, restraints, and opportunities. This innovative report makes use of several analyses to get a closer outlook on the CPG Digital Marketing market. The CPG Digital Marketing market report offers a detailed analysis of the latest industry developments and trending factors in the market that are influencing the market growth. Furthermore, this statistical market research repository examines and estimates the CPG Digital Marketing market at the global and regional levels. The Global CPG Digital Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.8% from 2021-207 to reach US 60.6 billion by 2027. Market Overview The global CPG Digital landscape is evolving at a rapid pace. Over the last couple of years, CPG Digital Marketing has witnessed a significant change in the way customers devour information. Moreover, digital advertising has completely changed primitive marketing methods and has further compelled marketers to stay connected with their buyers via social media applications and the internet to sell their products and services. As per a study, digital ad spending as a percentage of total media ad spending increased from 45.9% in 2018 to 53.6% in 2020. Also, a rise in total ad spending by the developed countries is a key contributing factor for the growth of the industry. During 2018-2019, China, UK, Norway, Ireland, and Denmark were the top 5 leading countries with digital ad spending of 69.5%, 66.4%, 65.5%, 62.6%, and 61.1% respectively in 2019. Furthermore, escalating emphasis on content marketing, big data, and marketing automation is also acting as the growth catalyst to the industry. As per a survey, these techniques were the top-rated digital marketing technologies with 20.3%, 20.2%, and 10.3% respectively. Request Sample Copy of this Report @ https://univdatos.com/report/global-cpg-digital-marketing-market-current-analysis-and-forecast-2020-2027 Covid-19 Impact Digital transformation is redefining the way consumers interact with consumer goods. Also, industries are learning to adapt to these new changes by realigning their strategies to fulfill the new demands of their customers. Therefore, companies have started doing strategic alliances for digital transformation and wider reach to the consumer. For instance: In 2020, Google partnered with "MCN MEDIA BRANDS" to develop a comprehensive playbook for CPG brands to embrace digital marketing transformation. Also, due to the COVID -19 pandemic, online shopping witnessed a sharp rise. As per a study, essential items sch as household supplies in the United States skyrocketed by 76% in March and packaged food by 46% in March. Furthermore, advertising production halted overnight. As per a report by McKinsey, more than 50 % of ad campaigns have been disrupted since the COVID-19 outbreak began.



Ask for Price & Discounts @ https://univdatos.com/report/global-cpg-digital-marketing-market-current-analysis-and-forecast-2020-2027 Global CPG Digital Marketing Market report is studied thoroughly with several aspects that would help stakeholders in making their decisions more curated.

By Format, the market is primarily bifurcated into Search Marketing

Email Marketing

Social Media Marketing

Content Marketing

Others The search Marketing segment dominated the by format segment of the global CPG digital market and will grow at 6.7% CAGR to reach US$ 24.3 billion by the year 2027. However, the content marketing segment would witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period. By Programming Type, the market is primarily segmented into Programmatic

Non-Programmatic Amongst programming types, the programmatic segment accounted for the largest share and is expected to grow at 8.1% CAGR during the forecast period 2021-2027. In 2019, the programmatic segment accounted for a revenue share of almost 78.9%. By Platform, the market is primarily studied into Desktop

Mobile In 2019, the mobile segment dominated the global CPG Digital market with nearly 56.8% of the market share and it is anticipated by 2027, the segment will garner US$ 38.4 billion of the market. CPG Digital Market Geographical Segmentation Includes: North America ( the United States , Canada , and Rest of North America )

( , , and Rest of ) Europe ( Germany , United Kingdom , Italy , France , Spain , and Rest of Europe )

( , , , , , and Rest of ) Asia-Pacific ( China , Japan , India , South Korea , Australia , and Rest of Asia-Pacific )

( , , , , , and Rest of ) Rest of the World Based on the estimation, the North America region dominated the CPG Digital Marketing market with almost US$ 12 billion in revenue in 2019. At the same time, the Europe region is expected to grow remarkably with a CAGR of 9.3% over the forecast period on account of the growth in the total mobile ad spends which accounted for 41% of all digital ad spend across the region. Ask for Report Customization @ https://univdatos.com/report/global-cpg-digital-marketing-market-current-analysis-and-forecast-2020-2027 The major players targeting the market includes Oracle Corporation

Microsoft Corporation

Accenture Interactive

PwC Digital Services

IBM iX

Dentsu

Deloitte Digital'

Blue focus Communication Group

Epsilon Competitive Landscape The degree of competition among prominent global companies has been elaborated by analyzing several leading key players operating worldwide. The specialist team of research analysts sheds light on various traits such as global market competition, market share, most recent industry advancements, innovative product launches, partnerships, mergers, or acquisitions by leading companies in the CPG Digital Marketing market. The leading players have been analyzed by using research methodologies for getting insight views on global competition. Key questions resolved through this analytical market research report include: What are the latest trends, new patterns, and technological advancements in the CPG Digital Marketing market?

Which factors are influencing the CPG Digital Marketing market over the forecast period?

What are the global challenges, threats, and risks in the CPG Digital Marketing market?

Which factors are propelling and restraining the CPG Digital Marketing market?

What are the demanding global regions of the CPG Digital Marketing market?

What will be the global market size in the upcoming years?

hat are the crucial market acquisition strategies and policies applied by global companies? We understand the requirement of different businesses, regions, and countries, we offer customized reports as per your requirements of business nature and geography. Please let us know If you have any custom needs. For more informative information, please visit us @ https://univdatos.com/report/global-cpg-digital-marketing-market-current-analysis-and-forecast-2020-2027 About UnivDatos Market Insights UnivDatos Market Insights (UMI) is a passionate market research firm and a subsidiary of Universal Data Solutions. We believe in delivering insights through Market Intelligence Reports, Customized Business Research, and Primary Research. Our research studies are spread across topics across the world, we cover markets in over 100 countries using smart research techniques and agile methodologies. We offer in-depth studies, detailed analysis, and customized reports that help shape winning business strategies for our clients. Contact UnivDatos Market Insights

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A sex worker's cries for help while being held hostage by Brighton siege gunman Yacqub Khayre have been played to an inquest.

Khayre died in a police shootout after killing 36-year-old receptionist Kai Hoa at a serviced apartment in Melbourne on June 5, 2017.

The 29-year-old gunman also took a sex worker hostage and told triple-zero call takers he had a bomb.

'It's a hostage situation,' Khayre said in the call played to Victoria's Coroners Court on Monday.

A sex worker's cries for help while being held hostage by Brighton siege gunman Yacqub Khayre (right) have been played to an inquest

'The clerk is dead.

'There's a bomb in the premises as well.'

The sex worker being held hostage can be heard saying: 'Please help me'. She survived.

Khayre was monitoring news of the siege while holed up in the apartment and called Channel 7, as he knew the network was covering it.

'This is the Brighton hostage,' he said, according to a statement by the chief of staff at the time.

'This is for IS, this is for Al Qaeda.'

Khayre had previously been acquitted of a terror offence and was on parole for unrelated crimes at the time.

He wore a GPS ankle bracelet to monitor compliance with his curfew.

In the lead-up to the siege, he committed burglaries to fund his purchase of firearms including a double-barrelled shotgun used in the siege.

Coroner Audrey Jamieson is examining the extent to which Khayre was being monitored on parole, and the extent to which his actions could have been anticipated and prevented.
The new Kings Cross Coca-Cola sign is turned on for the first time on Sept. 15, 2016, in Sydney, Australia. (Zak Kaczmarek/Getty Images for Coca-Cola)

Coca-Cola to Penalize Outside Law Firms for Not Being Diverse Enough

Coca-Cola has rolled out new diversity guidelines for outside legal counsel, including requiring law firms to employ diverse attorneys to provide at least 30 percent of billed time, of which at least half must be by African American attorneys.

Bradley Gayton, general counsel for Coca-Cola, introduced the guidelines with a heavy heart, telling law firms in a Jan. 28 letter that diversity measures taken by the companysuch as scorecards, summits, committees, and action plansarent working, and we have a crisis on our hands.

We need to commit ourselves to specific actions that will accelerate the diversity of the legal profession, Gayton wrote.

The American Bar Association (ABA) reported last year (pdf) that, while the percentage of men and women of color in the legal profession in the United States has grown by around three percentage points to 14.1 percent over the past decade, white men and women are still overrepresented in the legal profession compared with their presence in the overall U.S. population.

The ABA noted in the report that African Americans make up about 13 percent of the U.S. population while around 5 percent of attorneys in the United States are black.

Hans Bader, a civil rights lawyer, told the Daily Wire that targets in affirmative action programs shouldnt be tied to the general population but to the qualified labor pool. He described Coca-Colas new guidelines as illegal.

In terms of billing commitments, the guidelines also stipulate an ultimate aspiration of tightening the quota further to 50 percent from the broader category of diverse attorneys, with half of those having to be black.

Acknowledging that the plan is far from perfect, Gayton wrote that Coca-Cola believes it offers greater promise than continuing down the current path hoping to reach a different destination.

To incentivize law firms to meet Coca-Colas new diversity goals, they will be required to provide a plan for reaching the objectives, and if two quarterly reviews show theyve failed to meet them, theyll see their fees cut by 30 percent. Further failure to observe the guidelines may result in the firm being denied consideration for Coca-Cola legal work.

Coca-Cola will also establish a panel of preferred firms, with the guidelines noting that meeting the new diversity commitments will be a significant factor in determining your firms inclusion and ongoing status on the panel.

In a recent interview with Attorney at Law Magazine, Gayton said he hopes other companies will follow Coca-Colas lead and impose similar diversity measures.
Oman Airports has welcomed the first Air Arabia Egypt flight from Cairo, marking the start of direct flights by the airline which will operate two weekly flights between Cairo International Airport and Muscat International Airport.



Air Arabia Egypt will operate its flight line between Cairo and Muscat, departing from Cairo International Airport at 2:45 pm Cairo time and arriving at Muscat International Airport at 6:35 pm Muscat time.



Samer Ahmed Al Nabhani, Chief Commercial Operations at Oman Airports, said that these weekly flights between Muscat and Cairo will cater to the aspirations of travellers wishing to visit the two countries, whether from Oman or Egypt, including those who wish to get to East Asia by transiting through Muscat, due to the connecting lines between Muscat International Airport and other airports in Asia via direct flights.



Muscat International Airport has also recently made great strides in the areas of health and safety as a result of adhering strict precautionary travel procedures within the current crisis and in line with the national efforts and response plans around Covid-19.  TradeArabia News Service
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Shares of eight PSU banks declined on Monday as employees of PSU banks have gone on a nationwide strike to protest against the proposed privatization of two state-owned lenders.

Indian Bank (down 3.61%), Bank of India (down 3.23%), SBI (down 2.76%), Canara Bank (down 2.61%), Union Bank of India (down 1.99%), Bank of Maharashtra (down 1.96%), Punjab National Bank (down 1.95%) and Bank of Baroda (down 1.36%) edged lower.

Around 10 lakh bank employees are on protest against the privatisation of public sector banks, that was announced during the Union Budget. Services such as deposits and withdrawal at branches, cheque clearance and loan approvals would be affected due to the strike.

FM Nirmala Sitharaman had announced that two public sector banks other than IDBI Bank would be privatised, with the government setting its disinvestment target for FY22 at Rs 1.75 crore.

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All Renewable Energy Plan for Europe

Posted on 28 May 2020 by michael sweet

Smart Energy Europe: A Plan to provide 100% of ALL ENERGY using Renewable Energy to Europe

Introduction

All Energy renewable energy systems are often commented on here at Skeptical Science. Many comments suggest that it will be difficult, expensive or impossible to use renewable energy to power the world. To bring everyone up to date, here is a review of an All Energy plan for renewable energy in Europe.

Summary

Smart Energy Europe Connelly et al 2016 (300 citations, peer reviewed; free similar paper) details a map of the transition from the current energy system to one using 100% renewable energy for All Energy (All Energy is all energy used in the economy: electricity, transportation, heat and industry). They find that using renewable energy for All Energy will cost about the same (within 10%) as using fossil fuels in Europe. In addition, there will be about 10 million new jobs created and no money exported to other regions for fuel so the economy will expand. Their plan includes the expense of building out all the renewable generators, all storage required and the expense of additional infrastructure like district heating.

Background

There exists a large amount of peer reviewed literature (Jacobson 2018, Aghahosseani et al 2017, Hansen et al 2019 ) on the topic of converting to a completely renewable energy system. This post details one proposed pathway to get to 100% non-carbon energy in Europe. For other parts of the world similar paths would work. Examining the pathway for Europe allows us to see key points for a 100% non-carbon world.

It has been shown ( Aghahosseini et al 2017) that it is cheaper to build out a bigger system than a smaller system. For example, it is cheaper to build out a system for all the USA than one for each state. This is logical since some states like Florida have large solar resources while the Mid-West has a large wind resource. It is cheaper for Florida to import wind energy at night than to generate all its own energy. Many plans now cover large grids.It has also been shown (Lund et al 2017) that it is much cheaper to build out a complete energy system (electricity, transportation, industry and heat) than to build out separate systems for each energy need. Plans that focus on electricity only are not as useful for long range system planning because they are not efficient.

In Smart Energy they point out three key characteristics of the fossil energy system:

Fossil fuels have provided very large and cheap energy storage over the past 150 years

The energy system consists of very segregated energy branches (transportation, heat, electricity, industry)

There is currently no direct replacement for the fossil fuels in todays energy system

Because storage is so cheap using fossil fuels the system has developed to be very inflexible. Using intermittent renewable sources (primarily wind and solar), a more flexible energy system is required.

Steps Required

Smart Energy Europe describes a renewable energy system where the energy systems (electricity, transportation, heat and industry) are interwoven. The system is much more efficient when interwoven compared to separate.

Nine steps are set out to calculate the transformation from fossil energy to renewable energy. These are not actual proposed steps, they are steps used to calculate the costs of the conversion to renewable energy. In reality, several steps are implemented at the same time. By evaluating the changes necessary at each step we determine the critical changes that have to be implemented.

The nine steps are:

Initial projected fossil system for 2050 (baseline system). Eliminate nuclear power. Implement economic heat (cooling) savings. Convert to electric cars. Convert all heating (cooling) to heat pumps. Install district heating where economic. Introduce electrofuels for remaining transport needs. Replace industrial usage of coal and oil with natural gas. Replace fossil natural gas with electromethane.

The energy system is now entirely renewable energy. Key observations from these steps are discussed below.

Key Observations

1) Smart Energy Europe uses EU28 ref 2050 as their reference scenario for future energy needs.

2) Nuclear power is inflexible and must be run all the time to be economic. Removing nuclear allows the amount of variable renewable energy to be substantially increased. There is a small increase in CO2 released.

3) Increasing insulation and other building changes to make them more efficient are economically helpful. Decreasing energy demands makes the system cheaper.

4) Converting to electric cars reduces the emitted CO2 and increases electric demand. Charging cars is flexible because if electricity is cheap during the day cars can be charged then but if electricity is cheaper at night the cars can be charged at night. The increased demand combined with more flexible charging of cars enables more renewable energy in the system.

5) Electric heat pumps are much more efficient than boilers to supply heat. Replacing fossil heaters in businesses and homes with heat pumps reduces CO2 emissions, reduces the primary amount of heat required and increases the percentage of all energy that is electric. More renewable energy can be used in the system.

6) District heating uses less energy than individual heat pumps where it is economic. In addition, district heaters have large storage systems where heat (or cold) is stored for future use. Heat storage is about 100 times cheaper than electrical storage H Lund et al 2016, . Implementing district heat reduces electricity demand and makes the system much more flexible. For example, currently many industrial heat pumps run all night , when electricity is cheap, and store the heat in large water tanks. During the day the hot water is used to heat buildings. The heat pumps can be run any time electricity is cheap and additional storage is cheap to build. The combination of demand flexibility and heat storage add much resilience to the system.

7) Equivalents of natural gas, gasoline, diesel fuel and jet fuel can be made from electrolysis of carbon dioxide and water, by the decomposition of biomass or a combination of these processes. These are called electrofuels. Substituting electrofuels for fossil fuels results in a large increase in electricity demand. Additional flexibility in energy demand is a key benefit (electrofuel plants are generally assumed to shut down first when electricity supply is low). In addition, the electrofuels can be stored in existing fossil fuel storage. Storage of electrofuels is approximately 1,000 times cheaper than storage of electricity. H Lund et al 2016, This supercheap storage of energy is a key benefit of examining all the energy system and not just electricity.

8) This step converts all remaining uses of fossil coal and oil to natural gas.

9) In this step more electromethane is produced to make the system entirely renewable energy. Combined cycle gas turbines burning methane provide electrical back up on days when the wind and sun are not strong enough to provide enough electricity.

Smart Energy Europe find that a 100% renewable energy system for Europe (E28) would cost about 10% more than the projected costs of a fossil system in the year 2050. Considering the error in estimating costs that far out these two numbers could be considered equivalent. In addition, the renewable energy system was not optimized for cost in their model. Optimizing the system for cost may even lower the cost of the renewable energy.

The final renewable energy system would consist of approximately:

2750 GW of offshore wind

900 GW of onshore wind

700 GW of solar PV

3800 TWh of bioenergy (this amount of bioenergy is at the low end of estimated bioenergy supply for the E28.)

Key Findings and Observations

Examining the results some points become clear. For example, the electrofuels are a major cost in the system. These are cheaper to make from bioenergy than from direct electrolysis from CO2. Electricity is very efficient at heating/cooling buildings. Bioenergy is not efficient at heating buildings. Thus it is cheaper to use bioenergy to produce electrofuels than to use the bioenergy to heat buildings (not enough bioenergy is available to do both).

Greater electrical demand allows a higher percentage of electricity to be generated by intermittent renewable sources (wind and solar).

Large amounts of expensive electrical storage are not necessary.

District heating helps store energy in addition to being an efficient source of heat. It makes sense to have policies to promote district heating.

Likewise policies that support increasing heat efficiency of buildings are important to implement. Building codes that require greater efficiency save money and reduce the amount of energy needed in the system.

Laws that encourage faster uptake of electric cars help the transition.

Converting fossil energy usage to natural gas helps the transition to renewable energy in the end.

Building combined cycle gas peaker units combined with electromethane provides backup energy. The system should be set up so that as little gas peakers as possible are used.

Subsidizing the production of electrofuels will help get that industry started. They can implement scale up and develop more efficient methods of manufacture of their products.

Electrofuels are a very cheap way to store energy long term. Using electrofuels for storage can be cheaper than other proposed storage like pumped hydro and batteries.

Because it is so inflexible nuclear power does not work well in a renewable world. In addition, it is very expensive electricity.

The Smart Energy plan includes other types of renewable energy like hydropower and geothermal. They were left out for brevity.

The authors of Smart Energy Europe did not optimize the system for lowest cost. There are a number of items like the amounts of wind and solar power, how bioenergy is utilized and modal shifts in the transport sector that would lower overall costs. This analysis was designed to show that renewable energy was possible, similar in cost and achievable using existing technology. Further optimization may result in lower costs and result in an even more competitive system.

The system described in Smart Energy Europe is completely different from Jacobsons system in his papers. Both systems lead to complete renewable energy systems at a cost similar to or less than fossil fuels. This indicates that there are many ways to build a cost effective renewable system. Additional benefits accrue from lower pollution and local investment. The only thing holding us back from switching to renewable energy is political will.

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Gohpur: Addressing a rally in the poll-bound Assam, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday (March 14) said that the northeast region of India was neglected by the previous governments before the BJP-led government came to power at centre.

"Northeast was neglected by the Centre before BJP came to power... Nobody would talk nicely to ministers from here in Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured that a central leader visits northeast each month to interact with people so they don't feel ignored, " he said in Gohpur rally.

The Defence Minister also highlighted the achievements and contribution of people from the northeast region of the country. Singh in his speech included several names of the prominent personalities from the state including warrior Lachit Borphukan, musician Bhupen Hazarika and freedom fighter Kanaklata.

"Assam has given birth to warriors like Lachit Borphukan who killed his own uncle for the country. "Nation first," he had said. His valour is celebrated across India. At National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune, the best cadet is awarded the Lachit Borphukan trophy," he said.

"Our government gave Bharat Ratna to music legend Bhupen Hazarika while the previous governments neglected him. This shows our commitment and emotions towards people from NorthEast and Assam," he added.

The Union Minister also remembered freedom fighter Kanaklata, who sacrificed her life fighting for the Independence of the country. Singh emphasised that India has a Coast Guard ship in her name to honour her. "We cannot ignore the great contributions of Srimanta Sankardeva in the formation of the Assamese society," he said.

Rajnath Singh urged the people of Assam to vote for BJP, while attacking the ruling-party Congress, he said his party will increase the pace of development in the state.

Earlier yesterday, the Defence Minister had also held rallies in Golaghat and Biswanath districts to campaign for elections of the 15th Legislative Assembly of Assam.

As per Election Commission notification, Assam Assembly elections will be held in three phases starting from March 27 for 126 seats. A total of 2,32,44,454 electors will cast their votes in the 15th Legislative Assembly.

Live TV
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Henry Kwabena Kokofu has appealed to the government to expedite the implementation of the Representation of the People's Amendment Act (ROPAL).



The Act seeks to provide an opportunity for Ghanaians living abroad to vote in Ghana's general elections.



The Act was passed by Parliament twelve years ago and a High Court in Accra in 2017 ordered the Electoral Commission to begin the process of implementing the ROPAL.



However, the Electoral Management Body hasn't implemented the Act yet.



Speaking on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', Dr. Kokofu brought back to memory the significance of ROPAL.



He emphasized it's about time Ghanaians in the diaspora were allowed to participate in the country's elections stressing they equally have a stake in the affairs of the nation.



"They should be able to vote and have a say in the election of leaders for the nation," he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi.







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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Confusion rent the air on Monday in Ifedolapo community in Ilorin after a corpse was found under Osere bridge in the area.

Residents raised unanswered questions as to the cause of death.

Some thought Friday nights rainstorm, which destroyed many properties in Ilorin, could have been responsible for the death.

Police spokesperson in Kwara, Ajayi Okasanmi, confirmed the development in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said he already spoke with the Kwara Fire Service to evacuate the corpse.

After supervising the evacuation processes, the Divisional Police Officer of B Division, Surulere, Ilorin, Akinwale Olaoye, said Fridays heavy downpour would be the most likely cause.

He said there was no report of any missing person since Fridays rainstorm and described the situation as Sudden Unnatural Death.

Mr Olaoye added that the investigation would continue to unravel the identity of the corpse.

(NAN)
[March 15, 2021] Ether Capital Corporation Closes Offering of Units

Ether Capital Corporation ("Ether Capital" or the "Company") (NEO: ETHC) announced today that it has closed its previously announced overnight marketed offering (the "Offering") of 8,283,950 units of the Company ("Units"), including the underwriters' partial exercise of their over-allotment option to acquire an additional 820,950 Units, at a price of $3.35 per Unit. The Company also completed an additional concurrent unbrokered private placement of 298,500 Units at a price of $3.35 per Unit (the "Private Placement"). The combined gross proceeds of the Offering and the Private Placement were approximately $28.75 million, before deducting commissions and expenses of the Offering. Each Unit issued today consists of one common share in the capital of the Company ("Common Shares") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole common share purchase warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire, subject to adjustment in certain circumstances, one Common Share at an exercise price of $4.00 per Warrant prior to March 15, 2023. In the event that the closing price of the Common Shares is greater than $8.00 per Common Share for a period of 15 consecutive trading days at any time after the closing of the Offering, the Company may accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants by giving written notice to the holders thereof and in such case the Warrants will expire 30 days after the date on which such notice is given by the Company. The Warrants have been conditionally approved for listing on the NEO Exchange Inc. ("NEO"), and trading on the NEO is expected to commence later this week, subject to the Company fulfilling all applicable listing requirements. The Units were offered in each of the provinces and territories of Canada, other than Quebec, pursuant to a prospectus supplement dated March 10, 2021 (the "Supplement") to the Company's short form base shelf prospectus dated March 4, 2021 (the "Base Shelf Prospectus") and in the United States pursuant to exemptions from the registration requirements of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and applicable state securities laws. The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering and the Private Placement to execute on the Company's business strategy of investing in projects, protocols, technologies and businesses that leverage the Ethereum ecosystem and Web 3 technologies, which may include investments in digital assets. The Company may also use the net proceeds for working capital requirements or for other general corporate purposes. Pending any such permanent use of the net proceeds, the Company intends to invest the net proceeds in Ether. The Offering was led by Canaccord Genuity Corp. and CIBC World Markets Inc., as co-lead underwriters, on behalf of a syndicate of underwriters including Cormark Securities Inc., PI Financial Corp. and M Partners Inc. The Private Placement was not brokered. This news release does not constitue an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of the Company in the United States or in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.



About Ether Capital Corporation Ether Capital is a Toronto-based technology company whose long-term objective is to become the central business and investment hub for the Ethereum and Web 3 ecosystem. Ether Capital has invested in Ethereum's native utility token "Ether" as a strategic asset, and selectively invests in projects, protocols and businesses that leverage the Ethereum ecosystem and Web 3 technologies. Founded by a highly experienced Board of Directors and management team, Ether Capital has the experience and relationships to support businesses and invest in industry-shifting disruptive technologies. For more information, visit http://ethcap.co/.

The content of this document is for informational purposes only, and is not being provided in the context of an offering of any securities described herein, nor is it a recommendation or solicitation to buy, hold or sell any security. The information is not investment advice, nor is it tailored to the needs or circumstances of any investor. Information contained on this document is not, and under no circumstances is it to be construed as, an offering memorandum, prospectus, advertisement or public offering of securities. No securities commission or similar regulatory authority has reviewed this document and any representation to the contrary is an offence. Information contained in this document is believed to be accurate and reliable, however, we cannot guarantee that it is complete or current at all times. The information provided is subject to change without notice and neither Ether Capital Corporation, nor any of its affiliates, will be held liable for inaccuracies in the information presented. 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 in regard to the expected date by which the Warrants are expected to commence trading on the NEO and the intended use of proceeds of the Offering and the Private Placement. The Company cautions the reader not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Generally, but not always, 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", "on pace", "anticipates", or "does not anticipate", "believes", and similar expressions or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might", or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available to management at the time they are made, management's current plans, estimates, assumptions, judgments and expectations. 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. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, geopolitical, technological and social uncertainties; uncertainties in regard to the development and acceptance of blockchain technology (including proof of stake and Ethereum 2.0), and the Ethereum platform and anticipated timing and impact of the Ethereum network upgrade, the impact of the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus on the Company, and the other risk factors discussed in the Company's Annual Information Form dated March 25, 2020, the Risk Factors section in its most recently filed management's discussion and analysis, the Risk Factors section in its Supplement and Base Shelf Prospectus and its other filings available on-line at www.sedar.com. Although the forward-looking information contained in this press release is based on assumptions that the Company believes to be reasonable at the date such statements are made, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. In addition, the Company cautions the reader that information provided in this press release is provided in order to give context to the nature of some of the Company's future plans and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update or revise any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005467/en/

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A driver told police he was practicing breathing relaxing techniques moments before he crossed into the wrong lane of traffic in Toms River and crashed head-on into another car, resulting in injuries to three people, authorities said.

The crash occurred about 4:55 p.m. Saturday near the intersection of Hooper Avenue and Washington Street, according to police.

A 19-year-old Brick man told police he was traveling south on Hooper when he crossed the double-yellow lines and crashed into an oncoming car, according to Toms River Police Chief Mitchell A. Little.

The driver, who was not charged, told police he was practicing a deep-breathing techniques and may have blacked out prior to the crash, Little said in a statement, adding there was no indication of impairment or cell phone use.

A rear passenger in the other car who was not wearing a seatbelt, suffered severe head injuries and was airlifted to Jersey Shore Medical Center. Two others were taken to the hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, the chief said.

Toms River police and the Ocean County Prosecutors Office are investigating the crash, Little said.

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Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
New Delhi, March 15 : The Narcotics Control Bureau has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay High Court order granting bail to Rhea Chakraborty in cases registered against her under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act).

A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian is likely to hear the matter on March 18. The High Court granted bail to Rhea in October last year after furnishing a bond of Rs one Lakh. She was among the 20 arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in connection with the drugs angle probe into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput. She had spent 28 days in custody.

Rhea's counsel had contended that the NCB lacked jurisdiction to probe the matter in view of the Supreme Court order of August 19 directing to hand over all investigations in the Sushant case to the CBI, the offences under which the accused were nabbed by the NCB were bailable and the charges under the NDPS Act Section 217A against the accused did not have supporting evidence.

Rhea and her brother Showik Chakraborty and three others -- Abdel Basit Parihar, Samuel Miranda and Dipesh Sawant -- were accused of having facilitated the procurement of drugs for consumption by late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. They filed bail applications before the Bombay High Court after their bail plea was dismissed by a Special NDPS Court in Mumbai.

Among the conditions listed for Rhea's bail was depositing her passport with the NCB, reporting to the local police station daily for 10 days, not leaving Mumbai without informing the NCB, etc.

"The arrest and custody of Rhea was totally unwarranted and beyond the reach of law. The hounding and witch hunt by three Central agencies -- the CBI, ED and NCB -- of Rhea should come to an end", Rhea's counsel had said then.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery
Press Release

March 15, 2021 Villar bats against biodiversity loss and pushes for wildlife protection STRESSING that the Philippines is biodiversity-rich, but also among the world's biodiversity hotspots or those areas experiencing high rates of habitat loss, Sen. Cynthia Villar urged the public to be more vigilant against biodiversity loss, wildlife protection and conservation of their habitats. "What makes the issue even more important to our country is the fact that the Philippines is one of the world's 17 megadiverse or biodiversity-rich countries, which hosts two-thirds of the Earth's biodiversity," said Villar in her privilege speech in observance of the World Wildlife Day celebration last March 8. The biodiversity-rich countries, Villar said, contain about 70 to 80 percent of the world's plant and animal species. Due to this, the Senate chairperson of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, underscored the need to create awareness on biological diversity and take action about its protection. She warned that any damage or loss will cost too much for our country. More here chronic disease transmission. She said researches indicated that the constant exploitation of wild fauna and their habitats had raised the risk of zoonotic disease transmission (or the transmission of disease from animal to human). Furthermore, she said the need to protect our wildlife resources finds critical relevance now as we continue to battle the ill-effects of the COVID-19 virus. As a legislator and environmentalist, Villar said she has been pursuing various programs and legislations to conserve and protect places like rivers and wetlands. She pushed for the amendment of Republic Act (RA) 7586 or the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) Act which was passed into law in 1992. The Act provides the legal framework for the establishment and management of protected areas in the country. She also strongly opposed the planned reclamation of a critical habitat in her home city of Las PinasLPPCHEA or the Las Pinas-Paranaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area, also known as Las Pinas-Paranaque Wetland Park. "We share the habitat of wildlife, thus we are both sustained by them, too. Destruction of those habitats translate to loss of livelihood and economic opportunities for people," said Villar as she noted that was one of the points she insisted in objecting to the planned reclamation. She said the reclamation would disrupt the livelihood of thousands fisherfolks and urban poor who depend on the wetland for their daily sustenance. Just last week, Villar said she filed Senate Bill No. 2078 or the "Revised Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2021," amending the 20-year-old RA No. 9147. The bill seeks to strengthen the wildlife conservation and protection mechanism in our country as the incidence of wildlife crimes has evolved and grown, violators have become more equipped, organized, and syndicated or with international connections.
Kolkata: A delegation of the Bharatiya Janata Party delegation`s West Bengal delegation met the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) here on Sunday demanding the medical report of Chief Minister Mamata Mamata Banerjee to be made public. "Mamata Banerjee first called it an attack, then accident, and today she took out a procession. Her medical report should be made public as we suspect that doctors were influenced", BJP MP Arjun Singh told media persons after the meeting.

The delegation also handed over a letter to CEO over the same issue, and said, "The alleged attack has been used to extract the maximum possible political mileage. The Election Commission of India in its report today has ruled out the possibility of any such attack. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) and its cadre have attempted to use the Chief Minister`s purported injury which seems self-inflicted in order to gain sympathy and cause violence in different parts of the state."

The letter from the BJP state unit stated that TMC`s allegation on BJP regarding the attack is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct, adding "It is necessary that truth be brought out before public so that staged incidents do not repeat to deceive the masses and manipulate their voting choices."

The Election Commission, however, said that the injury caused to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram was not a result of an "attack", as per the findings of the state`s Observers and Chief Secretary.

Notably, the EC admitted to security lapse and ordered that Director (Security) Vivek Sahay, an IPS officer, be removed from his post and placed under suspension immediately. The official source told ANI that there is no evidence of an attack carried out on Banerjee.

Earlier on March 10, Banerjee had alleged that she was pushed by a few unidentified people during her election campaigning. She was later brought to Kolkata`s SSKM Hospital by road from Nandigram. She has sustained "severe bone injuries" on her left foot and ankle as well as bruises and injuries on her shoulder, forearm, and neck, according to the report of her initial medical examination.

Mamata Banerjee, who was discharged from the hospital on March 12, held a roadshow in Kolkata on Sunday. She was confined to a wheelchair and was accompanied by senior TMC leaders and security personnel pushing her wheelchair.

The West Bengal poll is likely to witness a triangular contest with TMC, Congress-Left alliance, and the BJP in the fray for the 294-member state Assembly. The eight-phase poll will start from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

TMC bhagao, BJP lao, Bangla bachao: Smriti Irani

Union Minister Smriti Irani on Sunday took a jibe at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and said the people of the state wanted `TMC (Trinamool Congress) bhagao, BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) lao, Bangla bachao`.

Live TV

Addressing a public rally at Salboni to support Medinipur BJP candidate Samit Das, the Union Minister said that Mamata Banerjee took undue credit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s welfare schemes for the poor in the state.

"PM Modi sent Rs 4 lakh crore from Delhi for the poor people and the development of the state, but Didi, when you were supporting the previous Congress governments at the Centre, how much money did you spent?... Didi has supported those who have looted India`s treasury and have raised their voices against the nation," she is quoted as saying by ANI.

(With Agency Inputs)
New Delhi, March 15 : In a massive action against the recruitment scam case, the CBI on Monday conducted searches at 30 places in several states after registering a case against 17 army officials, including six Lieutenant Colonels, one Major, one Naib Subedar and one Havildar and their family members.

A CBI spokesperson here said that multiple teams of the agency carried out searches at 30 locations including Base Hospital, Cantonment, other Army establishments and civilian areas in 13 cities -- Kapurthala, Bhathinda, Delhi, Kaithal, Palwal, Lucknow, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Vishakhapatnam, Jaipur, Guwahati, Jorhat and Chirangon.

The official said that several incriminating documents have been seized during the searches. The official said that the documents recovered during searches are being scrutinised.

The CBI has registered a case on March 13 this year on a complaint from office of Additional Directorate General, Discipline and Vigilance, Adjutant General's Branch, Integrated Headquarter of Ministry of Defence (Army), DHQ PO, New Delhi.

The CBI has booked 17 army officials including Lt Colonel, Major, Naib Subedar, Sepoy etc.; six private persons and others on the allegations pertaining to bribery and irregularities in recruitment of officers and other ranks through Service Selection Board (SSB).

The CBI has named Naib Subedar Kuldeep Singh, posted at Base Hospital Delhi Cantonment, Lt Colonel MVSNA Bhagwan, posted at Army Air Defence Corps (on leave) Vishakhapatnam, Major Bhavesh Kumar, Group Testing Officer, 31 SSB Selection Centre North, Kapurthala, Lt Colonel Singh, posted at 31 SSB Kapurthala, Lt Colonel YS Chauhan, 6 Mountain Division Ordinance Unit, Bareilly, Lt Colonel Sukhdev Arora, Joint Director, DG Rect., Directorate General Recruiting, New Delhi, Lt Colonel Vinay, GTO Selection Centre, South Bengaluru, Lt Navjot Singh Kanwar, 12 Grenadiers/ 21 Mountain Division, Guwahati Assam, Cadet Hemant Dagar, SSC (Tech) 53, OTA Chennai, Cadet Indrajeet, NCC (SPL) Entry 47, OTA Chennai, Havildar Pawan Kumar, Armny Service Corps Centre, Bengaluru, and several others.
US President has said that the first virtual summit of the leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, went very well and everyone seemed to like it a great deal.

Known as the "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, the grouping comprises the US, India, Australia and Japan. The representatives for the four-member nations have met periodically since its establishment in 2007.

Biden on Friday opened the first Leaders' Summit held virtually and attended by Prime Minister Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

"It (Quad summit) went very well. Everyone seemed to like it a great deal," Biden told reporters on Sunday in his first reaction on last week's Quad summit involving leaders from Australia, India and Japan.

In his address to Quad leaders on Friday, Biden had said that it was going to be a vital arena for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. He also described Quad as a new mechanism to enhance cooperation and raise mutual ambition as they address accelerating climate change.

"We know our commitments...Our region is governed by law, committed to all the universal values and free from coercion but I am optimistic about our prospect, he said, in an apparent reference to China which is flexing its muscles in the region.

"The Quad is going to be a vital arena of cooperation in the Indo Pacific and I look forward to working closely with all of you in the coming years, Biden told Quad leaders.

The four countries plan to establish a series of working groups that will focus on climate change; critical and emerging technologies, including working to set technology standards and norms and jointly developing some of the critical technologies of the future, officials said.

In a joint op-ed in The Washington Post on Saturday, the four leaders asserted that all countries should be able to make their own political choices, free from coercion.

"To strengthen our quest for a region that is open and free, we have agreed to partner to address the challenges presented by new technologies and collaborate to set the norms and standards that govern the innovations of the future, they wrote.

The Quad summit, among other things, finalised a landmark initiative under which huge investments will be made in India to create additional production capacities to roll out a billion coronavirus vaccine doses by 2022 for exports to the Indo-Pacific region, seen as a significant step to counter China's expanding vaccine diplomacy.

"We will combine our scientific ingenuity, financing, formidable productive capacity and long history of global-health partnership to surge the supply of life-saving vaccines, in close collaboration with multilateral organisations including the WHO and Covax Facility," they wrote.

Emphasising that the Quad nations' foundations of democracy and a commitment to engagement unite them, the four leaders concluded saying, "We know we can provide for the safety and prosperity of our people at home by confronting global crises together, with purpose? and resolve.

"We summon from tragedy the strength and resilience to unify and overcome. And we recommit ourselves, once again, to an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, secure and prosperous," they said.

The evolving situation in the Indo-Pacific region in the wake of China's increasing military muscle-flexing has become a major talking point among leading global powers. The US has been favouring making Quad a security architecture to check China's growing assertiveness.

China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. Beijing has also made substantial progress in militarising its man-made islands in the past few years.

Beijing claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. But Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims. In the East China Sea, China has territorial disputes with Japan.

Both maritime areas in the South and East China seas are rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources and are also vital to global trade.

In November 2017, India, Japan, the US and Australia gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the Quad to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence.

The four leaders are scheduled to meet in person later this year.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Press Release

15 March 2021

Exhibitors, trade visitors, buyers and the media offer a positive assessment of the virtual events that took place in the week from 8 to 12 March - Keen interest in networking - High international participation - Forward-looking lectures and discussions at the ITB Berlin NOW Convention - After-Event ticket costs 29 euros - ITB Berlin 2022 from 9 to 13 March in Berlin - ITB Berlin Travel & Tourism Declaration: industry figures make a public appeal

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ITB Berlin remains the leading platform for the global travel industry - in a virtual format and in the year of the pandemic 2021. From 8 to 12 March 2021, the World's Leading Travel Trade Show gathered the industry on its new and entirely virtual platform at ITB Berlin NOW. During the five-day event, around 65,700 users visited the online platform, of whom around two-thirds (64.5 per cent) came from abroad. Taking as its slogan 'The digital Meet-up for the Travel Industry. Anytime. Anywhere.', the trade show gave participants a unique virtual meeting place in surely one of the most challenging times in recent decades. 3,513 exhibitors representing destinations, hotel chains and tech companies from 120 countries made use of the new format to present their products and services. There was also keen media interest. Over 1,000 media representatives and travel bloggers from 54 countries covered the event live. 80 per cent of the participants made use of the networking features, which included business meetings via individual and group calls, chats and searching for business partners. During ITB, the programme of events over a total of 265 hours registered around 52,600 participants: Some 700 speakers at more than 400 discussion rounds at the convention, who held lectures, interviews and took part in exhibitor presentations and press conferences and gave their views on how the industry can overcome the effects of the pandemic and initiate a successful recovery. Many companies were creative at their events, the Balearic Islands for instance, which held a press conference live from the port of Palma de Mallorca.

Martin Ecknig, CEO of Messe Berlin: "The last 12 months have shown how important it is for the travel industry to have a platform in these difficult times, in order to be sure of a specialist meeting place after months of uncertainty and in such an exceptional situation. In particular, there was keen interest in the many networking opportunities, which reflected the quality of ITB Berlin NOW users. Four out of five contact requests led to a successful business match. The successful conclusion to a week of live events showed the additional benefits of this virtual solution. For ITB Berlin NOW is not over yet. Even after the event, meetings can be scheduled and content and other functions will remain online until 31 May 2021. For the period of this service, all users can expand their reach even further, find important information and contacts, network with each other, evaluate their results and access programme items. At the same time, customers are keen to be back in Berlin again next year as usual."

Looking ahead: next ITB Berlin 2022 from 9 to 13 March

Next year, ITB Berlin is scheduled to take place as an in-person event in Berlin from 9 to 13 March 2022. "The experience gained at ITB Berlin NOW will influence our planning for March 2022. We will take the lessons learned and combine them with our decades-long experience of organising in-person events", said David Ruetz, head of ITB Berlin. "At the same time, we are keeping all options open to expand ITB Berlin's content and dates with a virtual event. For us, planning a hybrid trade show means combining the essential elements of an in-person and virtual industry event in the best possible way. That gives every audience the best possible chance to take part in the trade show and convention - regardless of where they are in the world."

For the CEO, another reason for optimism was the positive mood among consumers which the Statista institute confirmed by releasing a joint survey at ITB Berlin NOW. According to the analysis, 70 per cent of respondents plan to travel in 2021 or intend to plan a trip soon. 37 per cent of those polled in Germany are making actual plans. The findings of a global survey by IPK International from January of this year are also a reason to be optimistic about travel in 2021. 62 per cent of travellers worldwide intend to travel abroad this year. For the majority of those currently not aiming to travel abroad, the risk of Covid infection outweighs financial reasons. A combination of vaccines now being available and a high willingness among outbound travellers (90 per cent) to be vaccinated has nullified the main reason for not wanting to travel, meaning that nothing stands in the way of a rapid and widespread recovery of the industry. "How the tourism industry could successfully recover from the crisis was the main topic these past few days. After all the bad news of recent months we are delighted to note that people want to travel again", Martin Ecknig added.

Click here to see the video

Trade show experience continues until May: new After-Event ticket costs 29 euros

All members of the industry who were unable to take part in ITB Berlin NOW from 8 to 12 March can still access online content by purchasing an After-Event ticket, available from the Ticket Shop at 29 euros. This provides meeting schedules, access to all videos on demand, as well as press releases and exhibitor presentations plus the Show Floor, Brand Cards and the press section. The ticket is valid from 15 March to 31 May.

This year the entirely virtual event targeted trade visitors only, while consumers were able to get inspiration for their upcoming vacations from livestreamed evening events at the Berlin Travel Festival, a partner event. The programme for the public was very well received. Parallel with the running time of ITB Berlin NOW, four different episodes were broadcast at 7 p.m. on each day. The last one is due today, Friday at 7 p.m. The most popular to date has been about Maggie Haselwanter, who attempted the journey to New Zealand on her moped Sunny at 30 kph, but who stranded in Turkey because of the pandemic. Also high in the ratings were the panel moderated by Charlott Tornow (Travel Joys), Carlo Speth (Holday Pirates, Luise Morgeneyer (blogger), Timo Kohlenberg (CEO America Unlimited) and Bruno Marti (25hours Hotel) asking the question "Take a trip. But How?" Brandenburg, a session partner, also offered valuable tips every day on trips in the greater area of Berlin.

The parallel ITB Berlin Convention, which featured high-profile participants and was videostreamed live on several channels from two broadcasting studios on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds, provided comprehensive orientation for the industry. Under the heading 'Rethink, Regenerate, Restart - Tourism for a Better Normal', numerous leading representatives of airlines, the hotel and cruise industries offered insights into best practices, forecasts and visions for the future in lectures, interviews and at discussions rounds. The global travel industry's leading think tank also examined important topics such as sustainable tourism, the changing face of luxury travel, sales strategies and scenarios for a recovery, especially where tourism destinations were concerned. Not least, the convention addressed the most important trends and developments in the fast-growing Technology, Tours & Activities (TTA) market.

Virtual Show Floor is the platform's hub

The focus of ITB Berlin NOW was the Show Floor featuring exhibitors who along with their co-exhibitors were able to present their products and services on so-called Brand Cards. At a total of 13 themed ITB cafes, participants were also able to exchange their views on various industry trends in technology, CSR and LGBT+. With the innovative Discovery Graph and Leadfinder tools, participants were able to make widespread use of smart matchmaking technology. Turn up the speakers and dance - that was the message on Thursday evening, when thousands of ITB users followed the exclusive appearance of the internationally celebrated DJ Paul van Dyk via a livestream on the ITB Berlin NOW platform.

First ITB Berlin Travel & Tourism Declaration

In the run-up to the show, the convention organisers had asked CEOs to address policymakers with calls for action against the backdrop of the challenges facing the industry due to the coronavirus pandemic. ITB Berlin will summarise them shortly in the ITB Berlin Travel & Tourism Declaration and publicise them.

The trade show also gave a positive assessment of two exclusive partnerships which each celebrated a debut in their respective roles. Thus, the federal State of Saxony was represented as the first official cultural destination at ITB Berlin NOW 2021 and was able to promote itself at the show as an outstanding destination for cultural and city tourism, as well as offering a unique nature experience and adventure holidays. Next year, Saxony will be the official host country of the World's Largest Travel Trade Show. With Georgia, the show also welcomed its first Digital Adventure and Sustainability Partner. It heralds the beginning of a multi-year partnership. Georgia will be the official cultural destination in 2022 and the official host country in 2023.

Participants' views

Veronika Hiebl, managing director of Tourismus Marketing Gesellschaft Sachsen mbH:

Saxony made every effort at the first virtual edition of ITB Berlin to win the hearts and minds of trade visitors as the official cultural destination of the show. Despite minor difficulties at first, we experienced four fascinating and eventful days. With our show combining emotive films, inspiring presentations of topics and products as well as interviews with experts in over 80 sessions, some in several languages, we were able to reach a large audience. The two livestreams devoted to Saxony at the show contributed decisively to this success. In spite of the wide range of virtual events that ITB Berlin NOW offered, we long for a "real" ITB again in 2022 when, in front of a global audience, Saxony will be the official host country."

Marek Andryszak, CEO TUI Deutschland:

"ITB Berlin has always been a focal point for the travel industry. Berlin is where we have been able to meet numerous business partners and experience the best travel destinations. Even if in 2021 we see that it can be done virtually, the format cannot replace face-to-face meetings. This year, the format offered an adequate solution and I am optimistic that we will come together again next year in Berlin."

Sir Tim Clark, president, Emirates:

"ITB Berlin remains the World's Leading Travel Trade Show and there is no other platform for the travel eco-system of a similar size and global dimension. Especially in these testing times for our industry, ITB Berlin NOW offers a unique opportunity for exchange and inspiration."

Tobias Woitendorf, managing director, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Tourismus:

"The show is an enormous challenge that requires a high level of coordination between everyone involved. We did everything we could to generate a positive effect for the industry in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and naturally also for ITB. With this year's virtual event, the show has clearly set the stage for the future. Let us hope that in addition to what are definitely sustainable virtual elements, face-to-face meetings will be possible again from 2022 in Berlin."

Dr. Anna Bialk-Wolf, Institute of Research & Development of Medical Tourism:

"Faced with such an exceptional situation it is important to experience a community feeling and continuity. ITB Berlin NOW was an important platform for fulfilling those needs."

Sandiaga S. Uno, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia:

"In this pandemic we have to be able to adapt to the situation. As a result, we were unable to exhibit at a live event. The virtual format was a good solution in the current situation. It enabled our industry to promote our tourism potential and destinations. This coincides with our strategy to adopt technology in the tourism and creative sectors. We encouraged our actors early on to make use of digital technology to promote their products."

Peter Strub, COO Studiosus Reisen:

"ITB Berlin NOW 2021 was an excellent opportunity to meet all partners from around the world on a virtual platform. It was even more important than in previous years, as there was so much more to talk about than simply tourism products. In addition to hotels, activities, sightseeing and new attractions in various countries, the focus was on getting a feeling for when a country will open and under what conditions travelling may be possible."

Michael Frauen - CEO, The Pearls of Africa (Buyers Circle):

"I can only congratulate the organisers on their ITB Berlin NOW platform. From what I have seen, they have invested huge time and effort. With this platform and the existing cost structure, a large number of smaller companies also had the chance to take part in this world-class trade show."

Frank Straka, Director Idea Spa Travel (Buyers Circle):

"There is still a lot of uncertainty and I have no idea how things will ultimately turn out. Whatever the case, the team at ITB Berlin NOW did a fantastic job - just like in the previous 25 years I attended ITB Berlin."
Wildlife habitats are an important factor in determining the importance and natural capital of an ecosystem. Credit: Trond Larsen/Conservation International

Conservation scientist Trond Larsen and his team trekked through a remote forest in Liberia, recording the plants, animals, and insects that they saw. They noted whether the forest was intact or degraded. Far above their heads, NASA's Earth-observing satellites collected data about the terrain as the satellites continued their well-traveled orbits over Africa.

The data collected by the team and the satellites will be used by the Liberian government and the global non-profit Conservation International to factor the country's natural resources and ecosystems into its economic planning. This process is known as ecosystem accounting and helps to meet the standards outlined in the United Nation's System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA).

This project supports the goals of the Gaborone Declaration for Sustainability in Africa that includes 18 African countries, including Liberia, committed to ecosystem accounting for their natural resources and ecosystems. The project is a joint effort between NASA, Conservation International, and the Liberian Government through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to pilot an innovative and replicable approach to more accurately map ecosystems to support effective planning and sustainable decision-making. NASA's satellite data and expert analysis will provide a country-wide picture of Liberia's hardwood forests, mangroves, and other ecosystems; Conservation International and the Liberian Government through the EPA will augment that data with their expertise in ecosystem accounting, field studies, and local knowledge to quantify the value of the country's natural resources and related ecosystem services. The project is focusing on Liberia for now, with plans to move on to Botswana and Gabon in the future.

"The problem is that we don't consistently know the value of ecosystems in Sub-Saharan Africa, and countries can't plan for and manage what they can't measure," said Daniel Juhn, Vice President at the Moore Center for Science at Conservation International. Taking stock of the country's natural resources is the first step toward identifying the natural capitalor valueof those resources, he says, which could improve conservation efforts.

Liberian biologists and research scientists from Conservation International trekked through remote sections of forest to collect observations about the ecosystems. Credit: Trond Larsen/Conservation International

Assigning an economic value is easier for some ecosystem services than others. For example, coastal mangroves provide firewood for cooking and smoking, as well as habitat for fish, mollusks, and shrimp. However, mangrove forests also protect coastal communities from extreme weather, bring in revenue from eco-tourism, and store enormous amounts of carbon in the soil, roots, and the trees themselves. Those services are much harder to quantify.

To ensure adequate ecosystem accounting, scientists and conservationists need maps detailing the types of land cover that exist in Liberia and their locations. That's where NASA comes in.

The NASA research team, co-led by research physical scientists Lola Fatoyinbo and Chris Neigh along with associate research scientist Celio De Sousa in the biospheric sciences lab at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, has made land cover maps of the entire country using images from the joint NASA and United States Geological Survey's Landsat mission. The skies above Liberia are often cloudy enough that satellites can't get a good view of the land below, so De Sousa had to find cloud-free images of each area, then use computer programs to overlap and stitch them together to make a mosaic of all of Liberia.

He classified areas into different categoriesforest, mangrove forest, water, urban areas, and agricultural areasusing machine learning algorithms. Lastly, De Sousa refined the classifications using very high resolution commercial satellite data and tree height information from the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) program.

NASA is working alongside Conservation International and the Liberian Government through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to pilot an innovative and replicable approach to more accurately map ecosystems to support effective planning and sustainable decision-making. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scientific Visualization Studio

"To produce these high-quality land cover maps, we're really leveraging NASA's technical expertise," said De Sousa.

De Sousa made a landcover map for every year in the last two decades. This timeseries allows researchers to see how human activities and natural processes have changed the Liberian landscape. It will also give the Liberian government the information needed to determine how changing land from one type to anotherfor example, converting an old-growth forest into a palm oil plantationwill impact the country's economy and biodiversity.

Conservation International refined those landcover maps using biodiversity information from their field studies and local knowledge from Liberian communities living in those areas. For example, the Conservation International team will parse a large area broadly classified as "hardwood forest" into distinct ecosystemslike old-growth forest, primary growth forest, grassy meadows, and streams. Each of these ecosystems has its own set of plants and animals that live there, and thus different natural resources and ecosystem services that each provides. Then Miro Honzak from the Conservation International team will calculate the economic benefit of these ecosystems.

"We're essentially translating the ecosystem into a sector of the economy so that countries can plan more effectively and sustainably," explained Juhn.

Looking at ecosystem extent maps from year to year allows scientists to see how the land changes over time. The timeseries above shows the expansion of urban areas (red) and contraction of mangroves (purple) near the city of Buchanan, Liberia. Credit: NASAs Scientific Visualization Studio

Liberian government officials will be able to use this information to understand the impacts of various infrastructure projects or the cost of land conversion. The information will also help identify opportunities and determine how much funding to allocate for things like forest protection in order to adhere to the standards outlined in the new SEEA guidelines, which will be released in 2021.

"The goal is to hand off what we've produced to these countries so that they can continue doing ecosystem accounting," said Neigh.

The project capitalizes on existing data from NASA and others that is easily accessible in Google Earth Engine, allowing the Liberian government to continue factoring ecosystems into their accounting each year. The partnership also intends to help Botswana and Gabon implement similar systems in the future.

Explore further New mangrove forest mapping tool puts conservation in reach of coastal communities
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CBS continues to keep silent about the rumored spinoff NCIS: Hawaii. But thats not keeping fans from sharing their theories about the new series.

Some believe theyve found a clue about who could lead the Hawaii team. Is it possible that Cote de Pablos Ziva David will be making a comeback?

NCIS stars Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly | Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images)

Cote de Pablo left NCIS in season 11

De Pablo made her first appearance on NCIS way back in season 3 as a Mossad agent. She eventually joined the team and became one of the most popular characters on CBS top-rated show. Fans loved her flirtatious relationship with Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), which eventually became a romance. The couple was so well-loved that NCIS fandom named them #Tiva.

But in season 11, de Pablo wanted out. She opted not to return, and appeared in two episodes that season before saying goodbye. In season 13, it was revealed that Ziva had apparently been killed off-screen when her home in Israel was attacked.

Michael Weatherly left two seasons later

Weatherlys Tony DiNozzo continued for two more seasons on NCIS without Ziva. But when the news came that Ziva had been killed, Tony left to look for answers about her death. He also found out that he and Ziva shared a daughter named Tali.

At the end of season 16, NCIS shocked fans when Ziva returned. It was revealed that she had faked her death to save her family. De Pablo came back the following season for a few special episodes. But fans havent seen her since.

RELATED: NCIS: Hawaii Will Include Some of the Team From the Canceled New Orleans Spinoff

NCIS fans think theyve found a clue that indicates Cote de Pablos return

When the rumor surfaced that NCIS: Hawaii was in the works, the first question on most fans minds was: who will lead the new team? Insiders revealed that the studio was in the process of hiring the writers room and looking for a pilot director. But, there was no news about casting.

This has led some fans to theorize that a popular character or two could be returning to lead the new NCIS team. Many are theorizing (or hoping) that Ziva could be back for the spinoff. And theres one clue in particular that could back this theory up.

Is Cote de Pablos IMDB page a big clue?

Fans noticed that De Pablo doesnt have any projects in the works on her IMDB page. Her most recent credit is NCIS, since she appeared in an episode that aired in 2020. Could this mean that de Pablo will be back at work on the Hawaii spinoff?

Since she left NCIS in 2013, de Pablo has appeared in a few different projects. Her biggest role was in the film The 33, which was based on the real-life events that trapped 33 miners in Chile for 69 days. She also appeared in the 2016 TV movie Prototype and the 2019 film Seneca. When it comes to 2021 and beyond, nothing is listed on de Pablos page.

RELATED: NCIS: Hawaii: Everything We Know About the New Spinoff

Why did she leave NCIS?

When de Pablo left NCIS in 2013, she was vague about the reasons for her departure. Two years later, she made it very clear why she left when explaining why she wouldnt make a cameo in Weatherlys final episode.

I chose not to, she told a crowd at Babson College, according to Fox News. I worked eight years crafting this character and loving her. I felt or I perceived that the character was not being treated with the respect that I thought she deserved so no money in the world (would make me stay).

She added that she wouldnt go back unless someone can really write something fantastic. Since de Pablo did eventually return, it appears that she is much happier with how they wrote her character. This could mean its time for Ziva David to lead her own NCIS team.

NCIS airs Tuesday nights on CBS.
By Dairyn Ortiz and Yecika Ramirez

Essential. This is a word that many have heard of late in the face of one of Americas biggest and gravest challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic. Our healthcare heroes have worked tirelessly in the battle against COVID-19 on the frontlines at hospitals, nursing homes and community clinics.

These workers have saved many lives and keep communities safe. They truly have earned access to vaccines for their health, safety and that of their patients and families.

We, and our co-workers, are also on the front lines. We may not be visible, but every day, we help to feed Pennsylvanians. We make sure that our grocery stores are stocked. We process and package the food that sits on the dining room table. We work hard each day to ensure that the food supply chain remains alive and well in our state and nation.

We are both members of UFCW Local 1776 and we are among the 20,000-plus grocery store and pharmacy workers, and the 10,000 food processing workers that our local represents across the state. We have seen many of our co-workers fall ill or, in some instances, die from COVID-19.

Their memories are not lost, and we keep their families in our prayers. Still, despite the risks, our fellow members continue to come to work every day to ensure that food is being produced for our communities.

But we need help. On behalf of all of our co-workers, we are writing to publicly urge Gov. Tom Wolf and his Acting Secretary of Health to take appropriate measures to make sure that food processing and packinghouse workers are prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine.

We have been very successful in working with employers across our entire union to enhance safety measures and protocols at our worksites, including our own. We have worked hard, as have the vast majority of employers, to secure personal protective equipment for workers and to institute important safety protocols to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. At many worksites, it was necessary to make significant changes to production areas to help prevent the spread of this deadly virus to allow for proper social distancing.

Our union was very pleased when Gov. Wolf rightly classified all of these workers as essential. The governor was right to classify grocery stores, pharmacies and food processing/packinghouse as lifesaving businesses. But these businesses cannot remain open without the very workers, like ourselves, that keep them operating.

We know from our own experiences that our fellow workers are taking an enormous risk every day. A new study by the University of Pennsylvania confirms what we already know about our work; that essential workers have a 55% higher chance of contracting COVID-19 than members of the general public. The study also found that our family members have a 17% higher chance of contracting the virus.

Now, because of the work of so many scientists and researchers, we can see a light at the end of this dark tunnel. Our nation was key to developing and purchasing millions of COVID vaccines for distribution. Yet, still, we are waiting for this important resource to protect essential workers like ourselves.

We take pride in nourishing America and benefiting our communities. We are proud to hold good-paying jobs that benefit all Pennsylvanians and our local economies. But we are also painfully aware of the fact that COVID-19 is still a threat. This virus continues to wreak havoc in our communities and among our co-workers and their families.

For the sake of ourselves, our families and our communities, we need to have access to COVID-19 vaccines now.

Dairyn Ortiz works at JBS Souderton in Montgomery County and Yecika Ramirez works at Cargill Meat Solutions in Hazleton, PA, in Luzerne County.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

PRAGUE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th March, 2021) The next supplies of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine to the Czech Republic will be reduced by 40 percent, the country's Health Ministry said on Sunday, citing the UK-Swedish pharmaceutical company.

On Friday, AstraZeneca confirmed a shortfall in shipments of doses to the whole of the European Union. The company explained that the shortfall was due to "lower-than-expected output from the production process" and asserted readiness to compensate for part of the shortfall with vaccines from the international supply network. AstraZeneca aims to provide the European Union with 100 million doses in the first half of the year, 30 million of which are due to be delivered in the first quarter.

"We have our first results from the negotiations with the manufacturers of the AstraZeneca vaccine. According to them, the next vaccine supplies to the Czech Republic will be reduced by 40 percent.

As such, we will receive 9,600 doses instead of 16,800 in the coming week; 10,800 instead of 88,000 from March 22 to March 28. At the end of March, we will receive 99,800 doses of the vaccine," the ministry said in a statement.

On Saturday, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis told reporters that he and his four counterparts from Austria, Bulgaria, Latvia and Slovenia sent a letter to the heads of the European Commission and Council, pointing out that the deliveries of vaccine doses to individual EU member states were not being implemented on "an equal basis."

According to Babis, the current vaccine supplies are not sufficient to vaccinate 70 percent of the adult EU population, therefore, jabs should be allocated proportionally to the size of each member state's population.
Noam Galai/Getty ImagesBy IVAN PEREIRA, ABC News

(NEW YORK) -- On March 14, 2020, New York City recorded its first death from the coronavirus, and in one year, that toll skyrocketed to over 30,000 lives lost -- more than 10 times the number of people killed on Sept. 11, 2001.



On Sunday, New Yorkers of all walks of life marked this grim anniversary with several events to honor and memorialize their fallen neighbors on some of the city's iconic locations.



Earlier in the afternoon, Lincoln Center premiered a music video featuring the Young People's Chorus of New York City performing "You'll Never Walk Alone," from the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical Carousel.



In the evening, candles were lit around the fountains and stayed on for 30 minutes, one minute for every thousand New Yorker deaths.



Later Sunday night, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio hosted a memorial service that streamed live and included photos and videos of New Yorkers who died.



"Voices from across the city will join as one to stand in solidarity and demonstrate how we remain strong, hopeful and determined," de Blasio said in a statement.



The New York Philharmonic played "Dectet" as black and white images of New Yorkers killed by the virus were projected onto the Brooklyn Bridge in a memorial service called "A COVID-19 Day of Remembrance."



Bishop Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship choir performed and more images were projected as spiritual leaders gave remarks and prayed for the victims.



NYC 2021 Youth Poet Laureate Serena Yang recited an original poem that reflected on the deaths.



"A city that never sleeps is a city that never forgets," she said.



Carolina Juarez Hernandez, of East Harlem, wiped away tears as she spoke about losing her father to the virus.



She and the rest of her close family members were also diagnosed with the virus last March, but her father became severely ill, was hospitalized and eventually died.



Hernandez said she was not allowed to give her father one last hug before he passed in April.



"To this day I cannot remember when I hugged him the last time," she said.



Hernandez said that she and her family have been able to move on thanks to the support of her fellow New Yorkers and reassured people that they can get through the rest of the pandemic.



"I want anyone who has struggled to know you are never alone," she said.



Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
State workgroup to recommend in-person office work policies

State workgroup to recommend in-person office work policies

State convenes Return-to-Office Workgroup of business, labor and public health leaders to make recommendations on returning to work safely

March 15, 2021

Media Contact: Jason Moon, 517-282-0041

As Michigan ramps up vaccine distribution, more employers and workers are preparing to return to in-person office work in some form. To support this process, the State has established the new Return-to-Office Workgroup consisting of business, labor, and public health experts to provide Gov. Whitmer with concise recommendations that will be used to inform MDHHS orders and MIOSHA rules as well as standards and best practices for employers to use in planning their own phased reopening.

Even as COVID-19 cases are down from the winter peak, workplace safety remains a concern. As reported to MDHHS by local public health departments, office workplaces have had 275 outbreaks over the last six months, sixth among all settings. This data demonstrates the need for a strong partnership between diverse stakeholders and subject matter experts who can help develop a phased return-to-office work strategy that ensures the protection of Michiganders.

"Our priority remains the health and safety of Michigan workers and workplaces. Throughout the pandemic, we have worked closely with employers to provide strategies for safer in-person work and this group is an extension of that collaboration," said Michigan COVID-19 Workplace Safety Director Sean Egan. "Congregation in any setting creates risk, employers have implemented innovative approaches to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and bringing this new group together will provide a mechanism to capture key insights to align policies with best practices and health guidance."

The advisory group will provide ongoing guidance and will meet weekly with their first meeting scheduled for March 18. Guidelines are constantly evolving as the health environment improves and the new group will be engaged in those changes and be a key advisor. The State of Michigan will also consult state legislators regarding the phased-in return to in-person office work.

Currently, MIOSHA's emergency rules require employers to develop policies to determine whether remote work for employees is feasible to help ensure that COVID-19 transmission is mitigated to the maximum extent possible. The rules do not prohibit in-person work. Remote work is a strategy to minimize in-person contacts and is included in guidance from the CDC and Federal OSHA to protect employees in the workplace.

An extension of the emergency rules is expected, consistent with a phased-in return based on guidance from the group, updated health data, and consultation with appropriate health experts. MIOSHA will soon begin the formal rulemaking process for COVID-19 workplace safety rules. These rules will accommodate a smooth transition back to normal once the pandemic ends.

Return-to-Office Workgroup members:

Dr. Kate Birdsall, president, MSU Union of Nontenure-Track Faculty, AFT

Tim Carroll, safety specialist, Office of State Employer

Susan Corbin, director, LEO

Sean Egan, COVID-19 workplace safety director, LEO

Rachel Eubanks, state treasurer, Dept. of Treasury

Tina Culver, president, Communication Workers of America, Local 4009

Dr. Natahsa Bagdasarian, senior public health physician, MDHHS

Elizabeth Hertel, director, MDHHS

Harry Kemp, senior VP, general counsel and corporate secretary, Lear Corporation

Dr. Pranav Kothari, chief of healthcare strategy, Rock Family of Companies

Grace Lee, president and CEO, Ashford Connex

Lois Murray, president, AFSCME, Local 2172

Hannah Naltner, chief of staff, Steelcase

Lisa Peacock, health officer, Health Dept. of Northwest Michigan

Tameka Ramsey, owner, T. Ramsey & Associates.

Mayor Andy Schor, City of Lansing

Ryan Sebolt, director of government affairs, Michigan AFL-CIO

Mike Turnquist, senior deputy director, state facilities administration, DTMB

Ryan Weiss, counsel, U.S. operations, regulatory and North America, Dow Chemical Company

Alena Zachery-Ross, superintendent, Ypsilanti Community Schools

"The establishment of this group ensures the recommendations will be based on real-world feedback from a diverse set of business, labor and public health experts," said Dr. Pranav Kothari, director of health care strategy for the Rock Family of Companies. "The members of this group have been navigating the unique COVID-19 challenges in their field and are prepared to make informed recommendations. Partnerships like this are essential so we can all get back to work safely."

"Often, the voice of the employee is lost in conversations about returning to work," said Tina Fuller, president, Communication Workers of America, Local 4009. "We're proud to partner with the state as they prioritize these voices by including them in the advisory group. This structure will ensure that the voice of the worker is present, and influential, as rules are modified and continue to be updated with employee safety and health in mind."

The advisory group complements the collaborative work that MIOSHA and other state agencies are currently performing with businesses in the field. This work includes the MIOSHA Ambassador Program where over 2,000 businesses have been provided free education and one-on-one guidance to understand regulations on workplace safety. Ambassadors work directly with business owners and managers to implement safety directives to help ensure a safe workplace for employees and customers.

To learn more about the efforts to support a safe reopening in Michigan, visit Michigan.gov/COVIDWorkplaceSafety.
Jeff Bezos has turned down a request from Bernie Sanders for the Amazon chief to appear at a Senate hearing on income inequality in the US, as Amazon workers in Alabama participate in a closely watched vote to determine whether they will join the first-ever labour union in the companys history.

More than 5,800 workers at the companys warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama are voting through March to decide their membership in the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.

Amazon has sought to curb the union efforts by discouraging workers with a text message campaign, in-person meetings and an anti-union website.

The progressive senator from Vermont and chair of the Senates Finance Committee has called out Mr Bezos for his companys objections to the union effort.

Jeff, youre worth $182 billion  thats a lot of money, the senator told MSNBC on 14 March. What is your problem with allowing workers in Alabama to organize for better wages and better working conditions? You can afford to pay them more.

Read more:

Mr Sanders will chair a committee hearing on 17 March on The Income and Wealth Inequality Crisis in America. Witnesses will include Amazon worker Jennifer Bates from the companys Bessemer, Alabama fulfillment centre.

Amazon, the nations second-largest retailer behind Walmart, does not have a labour union in the US. Workers at the Alabama facility would be the first to join.

The union drive has attracted a growing, high-profile support campaign, including a Democratic congressional delegation that travelled to the facility earlier this month.

President Joe Biden  who has vowed to by the most pro-union president  posted a video statement on social media supporting workers rights to form unions and warned against employee intimidation; he did not mention Amazon specifically but he mentioned workers in Alabama in a post on Twitter.

Its a vitally important choice  one that should be made without intimidation or threats by employers, he said. Every worker should have a free and fair choice to join a union.

Amazon has come under fierce scrutiny from workers and watchdogs over warehouse working conditions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Mr Sanders joined senators Cory Booker, Sherrod Brown and Robert Menendez in a letter to Mr Bezos urging the company to protect workers during the public health crisis.

Following criticism from Mr Sanders in 2018, the company raised its starting hourly wage to $15.

The senator has pushed for raising the federally set hourly minimum wage  which has been set at $7.25 since 2009  in a series of recent actions in the Senate. His proposal, which was rejected by all Senate Republicans and eight Democrats, would gradually raise the federal minimum by $2.25 through 2025.

We fully endorse Senator Sanders efforts to reduce income inequality with legislation to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour for all workers, like we did for ours in 2018, an Amazon spokesperson said.

On MSNBC, the senator also called out the Walton family behind Walmart: Youre the richest family in America. Why are you having a starting wage of $11 an hour, so your workers have to go on public assistance?

Mr Sanders called wealth inequality  exacerbated by Covid-19 and its economic fallout  a very dangerous issue marked by persistently slow wage growth and a widened racial wealth gap while the nations highest earners grow their incomes four times faster than wages at the median income level.

We cannot have a moral society or a strong economy when so few have so much and so many have so little, he said.
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A 28-year-old motorcyclist, who worked delivering food to people at home, died on Saturday evening in Marbella when was in a head-on collision with a car driven by a British woman who was allegedly travelling on the wrong-side of a motorway carriageway.

It is claimed that after the accident the woman tried to flee the scene, first at the wheel of her extensively damaged Mercedes rental car and then on foot. When Local Police found her hiding in a hedge sources have told SUR she showed signs of being drunk.

The fatal accident happened at 8.30pm on the A-7 motorway as it passes through Marbella and the collision happened on the Cadiz-bound carriageway on which the food delivery man was driving in the correct direction.

At kilometre 174 of the road, about 400 metres from the exit to Puerto Banus, he was faced with a Mercedes GLA 200, rented from a hire car company, being driven in the wrong-direction on the carriageway by the British woman described by sources as 35 years old and a resident in Malaga province.

The young Colombian man was thrown from his motorbike, which burst into flames and, despite efforts to revive him at the roadside, he died at the scene.

Hiding

The woman's Mercedes rental car. / SUR

Witnesses told police that the woman continued to drive on, in the wrong direction, despite flames licking the outside of her vehicle, but only managed to get 150 metres before being forced to abandon the car and flee on foot.

Local Police offers from Marbella found the driver hiding next to the car wash of a nearby petrol station where, apparently, she had tried to call a taxi.

Officers verified that the woman showed signs of being under the influence of alcohol but, according to the sources consulted, she was unable to maintain her balance during a breathalyser test and the result is not yet known as police are awaiting confirmation from further alcohol and drug tests at hospital.

She was arrested on suspicion of negligent manslaughter, various offences against road safety and abandoning the scene of the accident.
NPR 24 Hours News.

France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Ireland have joined a number of other European nations in temporarily suspending the administration of a COVID-19 vaccine made by AstraZeneca after reports of abnormal blood clotting in several people.

Germany's health minister Jens Spahn announced Monday that the country would suspend administering the AstraZeneca vaccine. Spahn said it was a precautionary measure following the recommendation of the Paul Erlich Institute, an agency of the health ministry.

"This is a professional decision, not a political one," Spahn said. In order to maintain confidence in the vaccine, he added, "we have to give our experts in Germany and the EU the time to review the latest incidents."

The Dutch government said Sunday evening that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine would not be used in the country until at least March 28. Officials in Ireland said earlier that day that they had temporarily suspended the shot as a precautionary measure.

The move comes after countries including Italy, Austria, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Latvia suspended, delayed, or limited the rollout of the vaccine over safety concerns.

Meanwhile, in Thailand officials announced a plan to restart vaccinations using the AstraZeneca shots as soon as Tuesday, following a brief pause last week. Thailand was the first country outside of Europe to stop using the vaccine following safety concerns.

The AstraZeneca vaccine, made in conjunction with the University of Oxford, is not authorized in the United States. But it is used widely in Europe, and about 117,000 doses have been administered in Ireland  mostly to front-line health care workers.

The Dutch Medicines Authority advised government officials that new information tied to safety concerns of the vaccine was discovered over the weekend. Pending further investigation of these claims, the country is pausing the administration of the shots, the agency said. All pending appointments to get the shot have been canceled.

Ireland's Department of Health made the decision to defer its rollout of the vaccine even though "it has not been concluded that there is any link between the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca and these cases" of blood clotting, said Dr. Ronan Glynn, the department's deputy chief medical officer, in a statement.

"The decision to temporarily suspend use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine was based on new information from Norway that emerged late last night," Stephen Donnelly, Ireland's health minister, said in a tweet Sunday. "This is a precautionary step."

Ireland's National Immunisation Advisory Committee recommended deferring the AstraZeneca vaccine after learning of four new "serious blood clotting events" following vaccination among people in Norway.

The Norwegian Medicines Agency reported that several younger vaccinated people experienced bleeding under the skin after getting the shot. In addition, there were four reports of severe blood clots or brain hemorrhage, including one death, in younger people.

So far, there are no reports from Dutch authorities of similar clotting occurring in patients who have received the vaccine.

Abnormal clotting can produce blood clots that cause strokes, heart attacks, and other potentially fatal health events. It can also cause uncontrolled bleeding in the brain and elsewhere.

But experts say it's not clear whether the vaccine can be blamed for any of the clotting problems in people who had been recently vaccinated.

"There are some proportion of people who are going to get blood clots anyway," Dr. Seema Yasmin, an epidemiologist and clinical assistant professor at Stanford University, told NPR's Here & Now on Friday. So it makes sense that the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization continue to support the vaccine's

The European Medicines Agency is investigating reports of clotting events in people who got the AstraZeneca vaccine. The agency plans to report on its findings within a few days.

In the meantime, both that agency and the WHO continue to support the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

NPR 24 hour.
The international rating agency S&P Global Ratings has affirmed Ukraine's "B/B" ratings with a stable outlook, noting that the country's public finances exceeded experts' expectations in 2020.

"Ukraine's growth, balance of payments and public finances exceeded our expectations in 2020," S&P said in a press release that is available to Ukrinform.

The agency reaffirmed Ukraine's long-term sovereign ratings in foreign and national currency on the global scale at the level of "B", ratings on the national scale at the level of "uaA", and short-term ratings at the level of "B".

S&P also notes that the country's reserve adequacy has improved, which provides protection against possible adverse external events, including the subsequent delay in the repayment of soft loans.

At the same time, according to the agency, epidemiological considerations still pose a serious risk.

The press release also says that during the next year, the agency could raise Ukraine's ratings if the country's external liquidity and consolidation of public finances exceed real forecasts, primarily as a result of more active economic recovery.

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Pope comments on civil unions were 'edited,' lacked 'necessary contextualization': Vatican official

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Recently released comments by Pope Francis seemingly supporting civil unions for same-sex couples were edited and not given necessary contextualization, according to a Vatican official.

Last month, a documentary titled Francesco premiered in Rome, Italy, and seemed to show the pontiff expressing support for the blessing of civil unions for same-sex couples.

Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it, said Francis in the film, adding, what we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that.

In response, the Vatican Secretariat of State sent out a statement to Catholic Church officials around the world explaining that the comments did not change church teaching on the issue.

The statement explained that the comments of Francis in the recorded interview were edited and published as a single answer without the necessary contextualization.

It is clear that Pope Francis was referring to particular state regulations, certainly not the doctrine of the church, which he has reaffirmed numerous times over the years, added the Secretariat, as reported by the National Catholic Reporter.

The Vatican explained that the comments came from a 2019 interview in which the pontiff was explaining his support for Argentina legalizing civil unions instead of same-sex marriage.

As noted by the Jesuit publication America magazine, Francis support for civil unions instead of gay marriage nevertheless contradicted a 2003 document signed by Pope Benedict XVI.

The document stated that support for LGBT individuals cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions.

News of Francis comments in the film had garnered much celebration among LGBT advocacy groups like the Human Rights Campaign, which interpreted them as changing Catholic theology.

Today, Pope Francis took a significant step for inclusion and acceptance in the Catholic Church by embracing unions for same-sex couples and affirming that LGBTQ Catholics are a part of their religious family, said HRC President Alphonso David in a statement.

By shifting Catholic theology in a more inclusive direction and making clear that LGBTQ people have a right to their own families, Pope Francis is letting LGBTQ Catholics know that being a person of faith and being LGBTQ are not mutually exclusive.

James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor at large of America magazine, said in a statement on Twitter that he believed Francis comments were a major step for the Catholic Church.

It is in keeping with his pastoral approach to LGBT people, including LGBT Catholics, and sends a strong signal to countries where the church has opposed such laws, tweeted Martin.

The comments also garnered criticism from many conservative Catholics and evangelical Protestants, among them Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear.

No matter what a pope, pastor or elected official says, we do not get to define sexuality or the family, said Greear, as reported by the Baptist Press. The Creator does, and on this, His word could not be more clear.
Gov. J.B. Pritzkers administration is set to unveil a plan later this week that will more gradually move the state from current coronavirus restrictions to a full reopening, officials said Monday.

Illinois is now in the fourth phase of the governors reopening plan, as it was over the summer before the fall resurgence of the pandemic, with limits on crowds and indoor dining. In the next phase of the governors plan, all sectors of the economy reopen and conventions, festivals, and large events can take place.

But, Illinois Department of Public Health director Dr. Ngozi Ezike noted, Were not getting rid of masks. We think masks have to continue to be a mainstay.

Meanwhile, an average of 102,147 coronavirus vaccine doses were administered daily over the last week in Illinois, officials reported Monday, while 62,508 coronavirus vaccinations were administered Sunday, bringing the statewide total to 4,102,810.

Public health officials also reported 782 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 12 additional deaths. That brings the states total since the pandemic began to 1,210,113 cases and 20,955 deaths.

Additionally, several hundred people from at least nine school districts gathered in Naperville on Sunday to demand they be given the option of returning their children to classrooms full time five days a week.

And Chicago Public Schools parents of high school students have until Friday to say yes or no to in-person learning, but they still dont know exactly what those options mean or when their students might finally get the chance to return after a year of remote instruction. Here are some answers to common questions for parents.

Heres whats happening Monday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:

5 p.m.: Tracking COVID-19 in CPS schools: Look up your school

In the two weeks since tens of thousands of students began returning to the classroom in Chicago Public Schools, more than a dozen pods of students have been placed in quarantine as a small number of isolated cases of the coronavirus have been identified.

Since March 2020, a period when schools were mostly closed to students and operated with smaller-than-normal staffs, officials have tracked a total of 984 confirmed COVID-19 cases  939 adults and 45 students  associated with CPS buildings, according to the districts online tracker.

How many of those have been reported in the past two weeks? And is there evidence of coronavirus being passed in schools? To read more and look up your school, click here. Karen Ann Cullotta and Jonathon Berlin

4:30 p.m.: Survey about COVID-19 vaccine finds 45% of African Americans, 35% of Latinos in Cook County have doubts about vaccination, prompting campaign to encourage people to get the shot

Cook County officials Monday kicked off a new outreach campaign to encourage residents to get the vaccine after a survey found that 46% of African Americans and 35% of Latinos in the county have doubts about getting a COVID-19 vaccine.

The My Shot campaign will feature county residents sharing their experience after getting the vaccine and the reason why they chose to get it, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said during a news conference Monday morning at Proviso Missionary Baptist Church in Maywood that was streamed online.

According to a survey conducted in January and February whose data were used to craft the campaign, 32% of Cook County adults are hesitant about coronavirus vaccines, with the largest hesitancy in those 18 to 34 years old. Of those surveyed, 46% of African Americans and 35% of Latinos in the county said they probably will not, definitely not or are not sure whether they will get a vaccine.

Most cited concerns about the side effects of the vaccines.

Read more here. Laura Rodriguez Presa

4:25 p.m.: CVS starts administering COVID-19 vaccine at eight Illinois pharmacies

CVS Health has started administering COVID-19 vaccines at eight stores in Illinois, including one Chicago.

The doses going to CVS are part of the federal retail pharmacy program, which supplies vaccines directly from the federal government to 21 pharmacy chains and networks, including Walgreens, Jewel-Osco, Walmart, Marianos and CVS.

CVS said Monday it wont be releasing the addresses of pharmacies giving out the vaccine because it does not want to overwhelm those locations with people seeking a dose without making an appointment.

In addition to the Chicago store, CVS is administering the Pfizer vaccine at stores in Olympia Fields and Flossmoor in south suburban Cook County, Kankakee, Mendota, Hoopeston, Pekin and Belleville.

CVS is only taking registrations from eligible priority groups, including people older than 65, K-12 teachers and staff, child care workers and essential public-facing workers.

Read more here. Abdel Jimenez

3:38 p.m.: Gov. J.B. Pritzker set to lay out additional steps before full reopening of Illinois  but Dr. Ngozi Ezike says were not getting rid of masks

Gov. J.B. Pritzkers administration is set to unveil a plan later this week that will more gradually move the state from current coronavirus restrictions to a full reopening, officials said Monday.

Illinois is now in the fourth phase of the governors reopening plan, as it was over the summer before the fall resurgence of the pandemic, with limits on crowds and indoor dining. In the next phase of the governors plan, all sectors of the economy reopen and conventions, festivals, and large events can take place.

But at a state Senate Health Committee meeting Monday, Illinois Department of Public Health director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said to get from where we are now to phase five, (is) maybe not just an on-off switch but a dial, so there may be one more phase.

Read more here. Jenny Whidden and Dan Petrella

3:04 p.m.: Community leaders address how to get more vaccinations to brown and Black Chicagoans

As Illinois continues to increase COVID-19 vaccination numbers (statewide vaccinations have reached 4.1 million as of Sunday), state and local leaders continue to grapple with how to make sure those in Chicagos hardest-hit communities get vaccinated. They want to make sure people in Chicagos brown and Black communities, who have suffered disproportionately from COVID-19, have access to vaccines. And they want to ensure the vaccine distribution process is equitable.

Chicago Tribune reporters Lisa Schencker and Darcel Rockett spoke with community leader Arturo Carrillo, Brighton Park Neighborhood Councils director of health and violence prevention; Rev. Brian E. Smith, director of advancement and strategic partnerships at the Chicago Theological Seminary, and Dr. Maya Green, Howard Brown Healths regional medical director for the South and West sides. All three community leaders are familiar with the challenges facing people of color and spoke about vaccine equity, access and outreach during a Facebook Live event on Monday.

As far as hesitancy when it comes to taking the vaccine, Smith said Black people are not against being vaccinated. Rather theyre concerned about being victimized, given the U.S.s long history of racism in medicine.

Green agreed citing the language around Black and brown communities mistrust should change to one of the medical system has had a lack of trustworthiness towards communities of color. Green said conversations about vaccine hesitancy must respect that history and seek solutions from Black and brown communities.

That conversation cannot look like me, as the doctor, trying to come in and educate, Green said. I have to come in and listen because our communities of color are brilliant. Theyre already educated from history.

Theres a difference between equality and equity, Smith said. Equality is treating everyone equally, but equity is treating people according to their specific needs, and thats whats needed given disparities between white communities and those of color, he said. Smith said hes been working with leaders of other congregations to share ideas and information. And hes been asking members of his congregation to testify about their experiences when they get vaccinations.

This is very important in terms of helping people to feel comfortable with the process and help them deal with the fears they may have regarding the vaccine, Smith said.

Carrillo said a lack of better planning, for the vaccine rollout, is partly to blame for disparities between white people and people of color.

We knew there was going to be a moment where the vaccine was going to roll out and, unfortunately, our city government hadnt planned as intentionally as they should have to ensure the infrastructure was there in these communities  the moment these vaccines rolled out, Carrillo said.

Carrillo added a lot of the concerns hes seeing in the community are based on legitimate questions, such as whether its OK for pregnant women to get vaccinated. His group and other nonprofits have been trying to address those questions and dispel myths by providing information in Spanish and through social media.

Howard Brown has also held Spanish-language events on vaccinations, Green said.

Lisa Schencker and Darcel Rockett

1:58 p.m.: COVID-19 vaccines for children: When can kids get shots? Do they even need them?

Children have fared better than adults in the coronavirus pandemic, a fact that makes the development of vaccines for them a unique effort in the annals of medical science.

Historically, pediatric vaccines have focused on killer childhood diseases, but the pandemic has thrown a curve into that thinking. While the virus has been a deadly force among older adults, its been shown to be mild in the young.

Thats sparked an emerging debate among scientists about how critical it is that children be immunized. Some say the case for inoculating kids is less pressing, given that their outcomes tend to be so much better. Worldwide, the rollout of vaccines has prioritized older people and others at risk because of their health or occupation.

Read more here. Bloomberg News

1:14 p.m.: A day of free sandwiches? If Mannys Deli gets 30 days of perfect mask wearing, apparently so.

Mannys Cafeteria & Delicatessen is staking a mountain of free corned beef  and pastrami and salami and, yes, even turkey if you must  on keeping that mask on at the legendary South Loop restaurant.

The 79-year-old institution that has been a backdrop for generations of politicians, celebrities and those of us simply in search of a quality corned beef on rye, announced on social media Sunday night that it would give away free sandwiches for the day if staff could go 30 days without needing to remind customers to mask up during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more here. Josh Noel

12:11 p.m.: 782 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and 12 additional deaths reported

Illinois health officials on Monday announced 782 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 12 additional fatalities, bringing the total number of known infections in Illinois to 1,210,113 and the statewide death toll to 20,955 since the start of the pandemic.

Officials also reported 39,145 new tests in the last 24 hours. The statewide positivity rate for cases is 2.2%.

The 7-day daily average of administered vaccine doses is 102,147, the highest so far, with 62,508 doses given on Sunday. Officials also say a total of 4,102,810 vaccines have now been administered.

Chicago Tribune staff

11:56 a.m.: The COVID-19 pandemic devastated many small businesses. It also sparked a surge in new ones. I just felt like this was the time.

The coronavirus pandemic has been brutal for many small business owners.

Retail shops, gyms and bars closed for months, while restaurants struggled to subsist on takeout.

But even as many business owners closed their doors for good, others saw opportunities to start something new.

Five Chicagoans from across the city share what it was like to launch a company during the pandemic.

Read more here. Lauren Zumbach

8:14 a.m.: Lake Theatre in downtown Oak Park hoping for mid-April opening

As COVID-19 numbers decrease and more people become vaccinated, the owners of the Lake Theatre in downtown Oak Park say they are planning to reopen to patrons by mid-April.

The theater, which has been closed for nearly one year, hopes to welcome back moviegoers on April 15.

We think a combination of vaccinations, the reduced spread of the virus and the firming up of the movie release schedule all kind of coincide, said Chris Johnson, CEO of Classic Cinemas, which owns Lake Theatre.

While he could possibly reopen sooner, Johnson said he is preferring to play it safe and wait until next month to continue to monitor metrics and await state guidance on capacity.

Currently, theaters are limited to the lesser of 50% capacity or 50 people. Johnson is hopeful even more capacity will be allowed in the near future.

6 a.m.: COVID-19 cancels spring break on college campuses as students seek other ways to cope with pandemic burnout

Like many schools across the country, Southern Illinois University canceled its traditional weeklong spring break to limit travel during the coronavirus pandemic. Other colleges are either shortening the break or advising students to stay put  one is even offering students $75 gift cards to remain on campus during the recess.

But the prospect of a nonstop semester can be daunting for stressed-out young adults, especially after a tumultuous year of online learning and social isolation. As professors and students raise concerns about mental health, some colleges eliminating break have added single non-instruction days to break up the term. Still, there are typically fewer vacation days this semester.

At SIU, the spring term started a week later than normal and an optional spirit week is scheduled to run through Saturday, while classes will continue. The spirit week will include activities such as bingo, crate stacking and painting to provide a fun springtime respite, according to a spokeswoman. Students can also claim free apparel that says, I lost my spring break and all I got was this T-shirt.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has also nixed its normal spring break. The faculty senate in October approved the schedule change, which pushed back the start of spring semester to allow for entry testing after the winter holidays and added three non-instruction days. Professors could not schedule exams, assignment due dates or class meetings on the non-instruction days of Feb. 17, March 24 and April 13.

Without a week-long spring break this semester and given the heightened stress associated with the ongoing pandemic, it is critically important to our students wellness to honor these non-instruction days, Provost Andreas Cangellaris said in an online message.

Read more here. Elyssa Cherney

6 a.m.: Pandemic prompts state to offer break on overdue traffic fines and other fees for low-income residents

Low-income Illinois residents who owe outstanding fines or fees in Chicago and many suburbs wont have the money taken out of their state income tax returns this year under a one-year deferral program Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza and Mayor Lori Lightfoot plan to announce Monday.

The program is expected to affect about 41,000 people, said Abdon Pallasch, a spokesman for Mendoza.

This year, given all the hardships that COVID has brought on, we thought it appropriate to bring this relief to the working poor, he said. The fines and fees do impact the working poor harder than other tax filers.

Outstanding fines and fees will not be wiped off the books, however. The comptrollers office will collect them when the program ends.

Read more here. Jenny Whidden

5 a.m.: River North bar cited for COVID-19 violations during weekend celebrations for St. Patricks Day

City investigators cited one River North restaurant and bar for violating COVID-19 regulations during St. Patricks Day festivities this weekend.

Clutch Bar was cited for operating beyond capacity  with 60 patrons in a space for 50  and allowing more than six people at a table and spacing tables too close together, according to Chicagos Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection. The bar, located at 316 W. Erie St., was the only establishment cited as part of the Saturday sweep of bars and restaurants, which included 40 full investigations, with an additional 49 businesses observed.

Read more here. Morgan Greene

In case you missed it
Relationship lending and a simplified organizational structure allow community banks to be a better source for Paycheck Protection Program funding to small businesses

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, a stimulus package introduced by the Biden Administration, recently received Congress' approval. The stimulus package, like its two predecessors aimed at providing relief for individuals and businesses hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic, includes another round of funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

The American Rescue Plan includes $7.25 billion for PPP loans as well as a number of changes to make it easier for the smallest of businesses to gain access to the funding. With billions on the table for struggling small businesses, new research from the University of Florida Warrington College of Business finds that community banks are a critical source for helping these businesses keep their workforce employed during the pandemic through PPP loan access.

"Smaller community banks have traditionally been an important source of funding for small businesses," said Christopher James, William H. Dial/SunTrust Eminent Scholar and research author. "Community banks tend to be relationship lenders, characterized by local ownership, local control and local decision making. Relationship lenders had strong incentives to make PPP loans in order to preserve small business relationships in the face of the massive economic downturn caused the pandemic."

In their research, James, Warrington Ph.D. student Jing Lu and Georgetown University Ph.D. student Yangfan Sun, find that community banks were able to respond faster to PPP loan requests from small businesses as compared to larger banks. They also find that community banks made more PPP loans per dollar of deposits than larger banks, particularly during the early stages of the pandemic.

"Community banks tend to specialize in lending based on close personal ties between the loan officer and the small business customer," James said. "This type of lending requires providing branch managers with greater decision rights in making lending decisions. As a result, lenders at community banks were able to respond faster when the PPP was introduced."

Consistent with community bank focus on small business lending and their faster implementation of PPP lending, the authors find significantly more PPP loans per small business in counties where community banks had higher market shares. More important, the authors find that higher levels of PPP lending are associated with significantly fewer small business bankruptcies.

"The goal of PPP was to mitigate the adverse impact of the pandemic on small businesses," James said. "The significantly lower rate of bankruptcies among small businesses in areas with higher levels of PPP lending suggests that the PPP provided real benefits to small businesses."

Overall, James, Lu and Sun's research finds that community banks are an important source for small businesses when crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic, arise and business owners need to secure help quickly to continue paying their employees.

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First President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan posted the following on his Facebook page:

Vazgen Manukyan [candidate of the opposition Homeland Salvation Movement for Prime Minister of Armenia] today presented three options for a solution to the domestic political crisis, including a. military coup, b. the road to achieve the resignation of the Prime Minister through the pressure of the whole nation organized by the opposition Homeland Salvation Movement and c. the inadmissibility of the holding of snap elections by the Prime Minister.

However, Manukyan doesnt take into consideration the following circumstances: the first option is absolutely unconstitutional which the army realized and rejected with full resoluteness. As far as the opposition Homeland Salvation Movement is concerned, it is already outdated since the four-month public events and sharp disagreements showed that it doesnt enjoy the support of the masses at all.

In regard to the third option, I fully agree with Manukyan because besides dodging responsibility for the embarrassing defeat, the Prime Minister and his supporting political party are guided by the overt obsession of maintaining power, not the concern about strengthening and empowering the state. I also agree with the publics claims that the ruling party will use administrative resources, if it holds elections, and as a result, all polling stations may become hotbeds for tension. In this case, I am certain that we Armenians will witness the most embarrassing elections in the history of Armenia, and this may mean the end of Armenian statehood.

Thus, the only way out which will be the interests of the state, the people and the Prime minister is, in my opinion, the immediate and voluntary resignation of the Prime Minister and perhaps temporary refuge of the Prime Minister abroad, by ensuring legal guarantees for immunity by the National Assembly. In this case, the duties of the Prime Minister need to be performed by a non-partisan Deputy Prime Minister who will be able to ensure the holding of fair elections through neutrality.
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CHARLES CITY, Iowa  An April trial is set for a Floyd County man accused of child sex crimes.

Jeffrey Hitchcock, 53 of Charles City, has pleaded not guilty to third-degree sexual abuse and lascivious acts with a child. Law enforcement says the abuse involved a victim under the age of 14 and occurred throughout 2020.

Hitchcock is now scheduled to stand trial in Floyd County District Court beginning on April 13.
In the year since the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic, millions of families have endured the excruciating rise and fall of the U.S. outbreak  waves of sickness that leave untold wounds long after hospitalizations ebb and infections subside.

Some have borne the tragedy more than others, with multiple family members lost to covid-19 in a matter of months.

For the Aldaco family of Phoenix, it has shattered a generation of brothers.

All three men  Jose, Heriberto Jr. and Gonzalo Aldaco  were lost to covid, each at different moments in the pandemic: first in July, then December, and finally last month.

Their deaths are now among more than 530,000 in the United States, where, even as millions are vaccinated, the virus still leaves families grieving the new loss of a loved one each day.

"Those three men, they drove the family. They were like the strong pillars, the bones of the family. And now theyre all gone," said Miguel Lerma, 31, whose grandfather Jose Aldaco raised him as his own son.

To Lerma, their deaths feel like an epic American story of resilience, courage and hard work cut short. All three came to the U.S. from Mexico and over the decades made it home for their families.

"They literally showed that you can come from nothing and struggle through all that and still build a life for yourself and your kids," said Lerma. "It just upsets me this is the way their story has to end."

Jose's daughter Brenda Aldaco said that, with so many Americans gone, the magnitude of each death and its reverberations are profound.

"When you really think about each single person, each person individually, what did that person mean to someone? Its just overwhelming. Its overwhelming," she said.

A family 'ready to create memories'

Jose Aldaco, 69 when he died, arrived in the Southwest in the early '80s when Brenda was still an infant, following his sister, Delia, and older brother, Gonzalo, who had both left Mexico not long before him.

"They came out here for a better opportunity  I dont even want to say a more comfortable life  but a more attainable, elevated life than what they had," said Priscilla Gomez, Jose's niece and Delia's daughter.

Gomez thinks of all three uncles as central figures  symbols of strength  for her and the entire extended family.

"They were so consistent, the most consistent male figures for me," said Gomez.

Big family gatherings were a staple of life in the Aldaco households.

"Those three men, when they were in the same room, it was just a good time," said Lerma, a dance teacher in Phoenix.

Reunions and holidays often evolved into joyous, music-filled events, where Gonzalo, the oldest, would pull out the guitar and the family would dance and sing together till the early hours of the morning.

"If it was someones birthday, they would sing 'Las Mananitas.'  They were just always ready to create memories for us," recalled Gomez.

Lerma said what Jose cultivated most of all was a family where love and affection was the main currency. "Hes the one who taught us to be so amorous," said Lerma. "He was that warmth. He was that love for us."

Wave after wave in Arizona

After a calm spring, the pandemic hit Arizona with terrifying force  the first of two waves that would rip through a state where pandemic precautions were slow to come and quick to disappear. Lerma said his family heeded the warnings.

"We were a family that accepted the pandemic was real," he said. "We did take it seriously."

Jose and his wife, Virginia, lived at their daughter Brenda's house, where they helped raise their teenage grandson.

Brenda's father worked a few days a week at his job in a hotel restaurant, but was mostly retired. "He was perfectly able  doing yardwork, cooking every day, jogging three times a week at the park," said Brenda.

Despite the family's effort to stay safe, the virus found a way into their household that summer. Jose was the first to get sick, but soon all four were ill and isolating in their bedrooms.

They waited on test results. Both elders were getting worse. When the bedroom door was open, Brenda's son would hear his grandfather.

"My son would say, 'Mom, Abuelo doesnt sound good.  He sounds like hes dying,'" recalled Brenda.

She felt paralyzed, though. Her mother was adamant that she didn't want him to go to the hospital.

Eventually, Lerma, who lives separately and did not have covid, put on a mask and came to coax Virginia and Jose to go to the hospital. Lerma found Jose lying in bed, covered in a sheet, with a sky-high fever.

"He was forcing fast breaths to try to get any air that he could into his lungs," said Lerma. "Thats when I started freaking out and losing it."

Virginia and Jose were admitted to the hospital. A few days later, Virginia was doing well enough to go home, but Jose's condition only got worse.

The last time Lerma saw him it was over FaceTime, while Jose was being wheeled through the hospital to be put on life support. Losing my dad, this is what heartbreak is, said Lerma. This is what the sad songs are about.

Three brothers  'family men'  gone

By the time of Jose's death, the virus had already killed about 150,000 Americans. Like so many other families, the Aldacos were not able to have a proper funeral.

"It felt like his death was just brushed under the rug, like hes just another statistic," said Lerma.

Priscilla Gomez said she'll never forget hearing her mother take the phone call when she learned of her brother's death.

"To not be there in-person to comfort them or to hold them up when they feel like they just want to throw themselves on the ground and just sob  you feel completely helpless," she said.

As the pandemic stretched into the winter months, a new wave of infections and deaths gripped Arizona and much of the rest of the U.S. By late December, the total U.S death toll had surpassed 300,000, and Heriberto Aldaco Jr.  the youngest, in his late 50s  was now also hospitalized with covid.

"You think youve gone to a particular point in your grieving, and then its not done  here it comes again.  Now my dads baby brother is sick," said Brenda Aldaco. "Then he passes away."

Less than two months later, yet more shattering news would come to the family.

The last remaining brother, Gonzalo Aldaco, the eldest in his early 70s, was hospitalized with covid. He died in February.

Brenda Aldaco described her father and uncles as above all else "family men."

"They were totally and completely devoted to the people they loved  always present, always someone you could rely on," she said.

Sometimes, she still expects her father to come home from the hospital: "It was just hard for me to even grasp the concept of 'Hes gone' that the three of them are now gone and under the same circumstances and within a period of six months."

This story is from a reporting partnership between NPR and KHN.
On this weeks episode of Working, Rumaan Alam spoke with New York Times best-selling author Julia Turshen about her new cookbook, Simply Julia. They discussed how her family influenced her path to her profession, why she focuses on building a positive relationship to cooking and eating, and how her new book differs from her two previous ones. This partial transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Rumaan Alam: In Simply Julia, you write directly to your reader. You say, Im a home cook, just like you. What does that mean to you? Is a home cook different from being a French chef? Whats the difference?

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Julia Turshen: Some French chefs are home cooks, but for me, when I say very proudly and unabashedly, Hi, Im a home cook, and Im a home cook who writes for other home cooks, what I mean is my work comes from my home kitchen to yours. Im not a restaurant chef, Im not a caterer, Im not a TV chef. Im not any of these other things that are all fantasticthats just not me.

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I want to be very clear about who I am and who Im writing for. When I say Im a home cook, I want to establish: we are in the same space here. I am not in some more authoritative space speaking down to you. Im on the ground with you. I have cooked at home every day for many, many years, and Im really delighted to have the opportunity to share everything Ive learned so you can skip ahead and be hopefully as comfortable and as calm as I feel in my kitchen, because its the place where I feel the least anxious in my life. I feel plenty anxious in other areas, but I know cooking at home stresses so many people out, and I want to alleviate that as much as I can.

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Speaking of cookbooks, Ive heard you describe your own childhood poring over the cookbooks in your family kitchen, and you didnt even go to culinary school.

No.

If you were an 11-year-old at home looking at Moosewood, or whatever it was you were looking at 

Thats so accurate, yes.

Why is it then that you chose a formal academic education at a liberal arts college, versus an experience of culinary preparation that has to do with going to school and getting a degree or certificate?

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What a privileged, amazing choice I got to make to a) get a higher education, b) get to choose what that was, c) get to choose something that is not necessarily all that career-oriented. I studied poetry and creative writing, and I think that has laid amazing groundwork for the work I do as a cookbook author. In terms of making that choice, Ive been interested in food foreversince I was really, really young, always so interested in the kitchen. Its always where I wanted to be.

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I grew up in a house that was a publishing house. My parents both worked in publishing, so I was exposed to books and magazines at such a young age. Im sitting in front of my bookshelf right now. This is one of many, many bookshelves in our house, and its filled with cookbooks, and this is a fraction of them, and many of them are the ones I grew up with. I had that early exposure, which let me know that theres more than one road to go on for whatever youre passionate about.

For me, its always been food, and a lot of adults in my life would say, Are you going to go to culinary school? Do you want to have a restaurant one day? because that makes a lot of sense. If youre into food, thats the career. I just have never been interested in that, and Ive always been interested in this intersection of cooking, and writing about cooking, and tool-giving. I feel what I do as a cookbook author is just try to give tools. That feels like something Im very connected to and really enjoy doing.

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In terms of studying poetry, I write recipes for a living. No, theyre not poems, but I take a poets approach to it: I try to be as descriptive as I can, and I try to not have that description go on and on and on. I try to keep it really economic, very clear, like a lot of my favorite poets. I want someone when they read my recipe to be able to imagine what this smells like, what it looks like. That education was really, really useful because I tend to go on and on, and studying poetry is helpful when it comes to editing myself.

Weve articulated that theres a couple of ways to be in the space of cookbooks, food, and publishing as a larger part of the media economy. There is the home cookthat is the path that you have chosen. There is the celebritywhen you see a famous persons visage on the cover of a cookbook. Theres the serious trained chef, whos going to tell you that you have to buy a sous-vide tool or whatever. Then theres the kind of restaurant cookbook where its like, You love going to Babbo? Heres how to replicate that experience at home. Have you found in that economy that theres a hierarchy in terms of what peoples training is? That someone who is a credentialed chef maybe feels that a home cook has less authority inside of that system?

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I see these mostly perceived hierarchies. Ive collaborated on a ton of books in addition to doing my own, so Ive had many perspectives about cookbooks, and I think about them all the time. The advice that Ive given to everyone Ive collaborated with, the advice Ive given to anyone whos asked me about cookbooks and getting into them, and the advice I try as best I can to follow myself, is to only write the book that only you can write, which sounds easier than it actually is to do.

When I apply that to myself, I dont want to be artificial about who I am. Im not a restaurant person, and if youre coming to me for restaurant food, youve come to the wrong place. Im a daily home cook who believes that that is a valuable thing, and thats what I try to express. I hope that that connects with people, and I think it does, because I think there are more home cooks than there are restaurant cooks, or TV cooks, or celebrity cooks. But it is hard to put out creative work that you use to pay your mortgage and all that stuff, in a world that prioritizes things like celebrity and perceived hierarchy.

To listen to the full interview with Julia Turshen, subscribe to Working on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or listen below.
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Although Challenge is not the triathlon series to pioneer using NASCAR tracks as a race venue (that would be Revolution3 with their Rush event), they can certainly lay claim to having perfected. After excellent execution at Daytona, they put on another star-studded event at Homestead-Miami Speedway, won by Jan Frodeno and Jodie Stimpson. Our Eric Wynn was on scene, and brings to you these images from an outstanding race.

After not meeting her expectations in Daytona, Jodie Stimpson came back to Miami for revenge and got just that. She dedicated her emotional win to her father, who passed away in 2020.

Matt Hanson tried to set himself up for another great run by maximizing aero gains on the bike.

Tyler Butterfield left it all on the run course trying to bridge the gap to the leaders.

Eric Lagerstrom looked smooth on the run despite not having the race performance he wanted in such a world-class field.

The heat and humidity made many athletes suffer. The smart ones, like Andrew Starykowicz, used any ice water to their benefit to try and cool off.

You have dug deep if you're taking Coke cans to get yourself to the finish. It wasn't the best of days for Tim O'Donnell.

As expected, Lucy Charles-Barclay led out the swim. Less expected was how close the chasing pack stayed with her.

Charles-Barclay put together a gritty bike performance, trying to keep touch with Sara Perez Sala.

Perez Sala, meanwhile, led the majority of the bike, fighting to hold off PTO Champion Paula Findlay, Skye Moench, Jackie Hering, and more.

Peak America: the flag and Lesley Smith on board her Utah-based Ventum.

Hering gutted out a difficult run to bring herself onto the bottom step of the podium.

Sean "Wattie" Watkins watched on as his partner, Heather Jackson, clawed her way into the top 10.

The nerves and butterflies before a race never go away.

Rudy Von Berg again took 5th place. However, he was less pleased with his performance in Miami versus his race at Daytona.

Although Frodeno ran away from the field, the rest of the podium was a toss-up with Ben Kanute, Lionel Sanders, and Chris Leiferman matching strides.

Race staff and volunteers were the real stars of the show, with age-groupers and professionals alike raving about the race. Said Frodeno, "Thanks for having the balls to put [the race] on!"
NCC increased its grant monies from $450,000 in 2019 to $570,000 in 2020  by 21%  awarded to young post-doctorates who dont have many other avenues of support. The innovative studies we fund are helping to advance our progress in immunotherapy and other cancer treatments. -- Jerome Ritz, M.D.

The National Cancer Center is pleased to announce it has increased its 2020-21 research grant awards by +20%, resulting in the appointment of three additional research fellows to pursue promising and innovative cancer research. Each fellow initially receives $40,000 and will be eligible for an additional grant of $42,000 if he or she has demonstrated good progress at the conclusion of the first year.

NCC increased its grant monies from $450,000 in 2019 to $570,000 in 2020  by 21%  awarded to young post-doctorates who dont have many other avenues of support. The innovative studies we fund are helping to advance our progress in immunotherapy and other cancer treatments, said Jerome Ritz, M.D., member of the NCC Scientific Advisory Board and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He added: Serving on the Scientific Advisory Board of the National Cancer Center has given me the opportunity to contribute to and support basic cancer research.

Regina English, Executive Director of the National Cancer Center, said, We are delighted to expand our cancer research fellows program this year, thanks to the generosity of our supporters in 2020. During this challenging global health crisis, we want to assure you that National Cancer Center is working on all fronts to continue to fulfill our mission.

Recipients of the new post-doc fellowship awards are William Maguire, M.D., Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, who is studying melanoma; James Kaminski, Ph.D., Boston Children's Hospital, who is working on leukemia research; and David Frankhouser, Ph.D., City of Hope National Research Center, who is focused on breast cancer. Further details of their projects can be found on the NCC grants page here.

All award decisions are made by the NCCs Scientific Advisory Board. which is chaired by Darell D. Bigner, M.D., Ph.D., Duke University Medical Center. In addition to Drs. Bigner and Ritz, the Scientific Advisory Board includes John M. Kirkwood, M.D., University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute; Janet M.D. Plate, Ph.D.; and Victoria L. Seewaldt, M.D., City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center (Duarte, California).

For nearly 70 years, the NCC has been dedicated to providing financial support to research with the promise of conquering cancer. The NCC runs six cancer research programs: Aggressive Cancer Project; Fighting Childhood Leukemia; The Breast Cancer Project; Childrens Cancer Project; Prostate Cancer Project and the NCC Project. The organization also provides education on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

About National Cancer Center

National Cancer Center was founded by Dr. J. Ernest Ayre in 1953 as a non-profit organization committed to research and education about cancer. Dr. Ayre was a pioneer in refining and promoting the Pap test for women, a major factor in reducing deaths from cervical cancer. He was also one of the first researchers to recognize the enormous potential of Interferon for cancer treatment. NCC currently funds research at Duke University, Yale University, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard University, the Salk Institute, Boston Childrens Hospital and other prominent universities and research institutes throughout the U.S.
What you need to know about Pa.'s UC system going offline Thursday
Syria: NGOs file torture case against Russian Wagner members Alleged mercenaries tortured and killed man in Homs

(ANSAmed) - MOSCOW, MAR 15 - A member of the family of a Syrina citizen who was tortured, killed and maimed by six individuals in June 2017, in the governorate of Homs, in Syria, filed a legal case in Moscow, seeking justice against alleged members of the Russian group Wagner.



The case was facilitated by the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Russian rights group Memorial.



The lawyers of SCM, FIDH and Memorial, Ilya Novikov and Petr Zaikin, represent the brother of the victim, Mohamad A, according to a statement released by the associations, a copy of which was viewed by ANSA.



It is the first attempt made by the family of a Syrian victim to hold Russian suspects accountable for serious crimes allegedly committed in Syria. The legal case requires the start of judicial proceedings based on a murder that was committed with extreme cruelty, with the aim of establishing who was responsible for this and other crimes, including war crimes.



Ilya Novikov, one of the lawyers representing the victim's family member, explained: "Russian law provides for the State to be obliged to investigate crimes committed by Russian citizens abroad. The investigative committee has so far not started any investigation on the crime in question, although all the necessary information was officially communicated to Russian authorities over a year ago".



"The case presented by the newspaper Novaya Gazeta a year ago was ignored", said Alexander Cherkasov, president of the Memorial Human Rights Center. "This has forced us, human rights defenders, to address Russian investigative authorities. In effect, this is a repetition of what happened 20 years ago, when forced disappearances, torture and extrajudicial executions committed during the armed conflict in North Caucasus were not investigated. Today, we see another ring in this chain of impunity". (ANSAmed).




(Newser)  A splashy narrative has emerged in Florida amid the pandemic from politicians and real estate developers, writes Candace Taylor in the Wall Street Journal. It states that Florida is the place to be for tech workers and uber-rich hedge fund execs looking to flee Silicon Valley and New York. And indeed, the state is seeing a surge in luxury sales of waterfront mansions and condos in recent months, including high-profile buyers such as Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. Such purchases generate headlines and buzz, but Taylor points out a "far less discussed" aspect of Florida's demographics: About the same number of people move out of the state as move in, a trend that has held steady for several years. In fact, the state's population growth rate of 1.38% throughout the pandemic is the lowest since 2014.

story continues below

A lot of people go down there and realize that they dont like hurricanes, says demographer Hamilton Lombard. Taylor's story includes an interview with one New Jersey native who uprooted his family to Oregon for just that reason. Staring at those tracker maps for weeks before a hurricane hits starts to create a stress level, he says. A Miami real-estate consultant says many newcomers end up moving home after five years or so. One company in the position to track such things is Atlas Van Lines. The 50-50 split between those moving in and those moving out "kind of surprised me because when you hear some of the news stories about the number of people moving to Florida, I expected that the number [of incoming moves] was going to be greater," says COO Barry Schellenberg. Read the full story. (Read more Florida stories.)
(Natural News) Media Research Center (MRC) President Brent Bozell and conservative leaders on Tuesday, Feb. 23, launched a petition drive urging state attorneys general to investigate whether or not Big Tech companies such as Twitter, Facebook, Google and YouTube are violating the states consumer protection statute.

In a statement, Bozell pointed out that the CEOs of Google, Facebook and Twitter have repeatedly alleged their platforms are neutral forums for political speech and that they support an equal exchange of ideas.

The actions by these tech companies, however, prove those claims are patently false. Conservative speech is under attack. Countless conservatives, former President Trump included, have been censored or outright banned on these platforms for simply expressing their beliefs, Bozell said in the statement.

We cannot allow Facebook, Google and Twitter to continue to deceive the public with lies about the political neutrality of their products. Were urging Americans who believe in preserving free speech to contact their state attorney general and request they investigate these companies for their deceptive trade practices. (Related: Texas congressman wants social media firms held accountable for biased censorship of speech.)

Expectation vs reality

The letter highlighted the contradiction between the words and actions of Big Tech leaders.

It cited Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey telling a congressional committee that his platforms purpose is to serve the public conversation, offering a free exchange of ideas in which all voices can be heard.

It also mentioned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerbergs CNBC interview last year where he said that he didnt think Facebook or internet platforms in general should be arbiters of truth.

Political speech is one of the most sensitive parts in a democracy, and people should be able to see what politicians say, Zuckerberg said.

The letter also noted that CEO Sundar Pichai said that Google and YouTube are both neutral platforms.

We are equally committed to protecting the quality and integrity of information on our platforms, and supporting our democracy in a non-partisan way Let me be clear: We approach our work without political bias, full stop. To do otherwise would be contrary to both our business interests and our mission, which compels us to make information accessible to every type of person, no matter where they live or what they believe, Pichai said.

Bozell and the conservative leaders pointed out that the Big Tech leaders were not putting those claims into practice.

Twitter had censored former President Donald Trumps campaign and personal accounts 625 times while leaving President Joe Bidens personal and campaign accounts alone. Trumps account was ultimately banned from the platform.

Google and YouTube had targeted conservative platforms such as The Federalist and PragerU.

Facebook had removed more than 265,000 pieces of content and displayed warnings on 180 million pieces of content related to the presidential election from March 1, 2020 through Election Day. Facebook and Twitter had also censored the New York Post bombshell expose on Hunter Bidens influence peddling and any mention of Stop the Steal. (Related: Facebook, Twitter gave Biden cash while protecting Hunter.)

The letter also mentioned that during a Senate hearing in October 2020, both Twitter and Facebook claimed they censored liberal accounts as much as they censored conservatives. But when asked to provide an example of liberal accounts they have censored, neither Facebooks Zuckerberg nor Twitters Dorsey could come up with a single example.

In the letter, the signatories accused Facebook, Google and Twitter of willfully and knowingly misrepresenting the nature of the services they are offering to the public.

They claim they are platforms free from political bias, but that is unequivocally not the case, they said in the letter.

Follow TechGiants.news for more news and information related to Big Tech companies such as Google, Facebook and Twitter.

Sources include:

WND.com

NewsBusters.org
Yemen's army backed by the Saudi-led coalition forces has begun a large-scale offensive in Abs district, Hajjah province, against the Houthi rebels.

The offensive comes after years of a political and military stalemate during the six years of deadly civil war, Xinhua news agency reported.

Houthi fighters responded with heavy gunfire and artillery shelling from sandy hills and green farms, showing fierce resistance.

Abs is a few miles away north of the strategic Red Sea province of Hodeidah, which is also under Houthi control.

The civil war erupted in late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthis seized control of much of the country's north and forced the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, displaced nearly 4 million, and pushed the country to the brink of famine.

Losing Abs would be a major blow to the Houthi rebels.

"The enemy (Houthi) was preparing to attack the army's positions in the area, but the soldiers were on the lookout," Taha al-Omari, commander of the 105th Brigade of the Fifth Military Region, told Xinhua on Sunday.

"Today, the Fifth Military Region, with its all units, carried out a large offensive, recapturing more than 10 villages in Abs and cutting off roads and backup lines of the enemy between this southern frontline and the northern and western frontlines of Abs, as well as cutting off the road linking Mustaba district with Bani Hassan area in Abs to isolate the enemy," he said.

The villagers have fled the area following military tensions weeks ago to the internally displaced camps in several other areas under government control.

The offensive in Hajjah province coincided with another army's large offensive in the central-western province of Taiz, as the army advanced there too, retaking large areas from the Houthis, according to local media reports.

The move came after the Houthi group last month announced a wide offensive to seize control of the central oil-rich province of Marib, the last northern stronghold of the government.

The UN has called on the Houthi group to stop its offensive on Marib as the province hosts more than 2 million internally displaced people.

Dozens of fighters from both sides have been killed since then, according to local media.

The US special envoy for Timothy Lenderking met with the delegation of the Houthi group in Muscat last month, presenting them with a comprehensive plan for a nationwide cease-fire and an end to the Yemeni civil war.

However, the Houthis has rejected the proposal in a statement, calling it "an empty one that represented the Saudi vision".

--IANS

ksk/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ghislaine Maxwell's brother spoke out in her defense on Monday, calling her a 'patsy' for Jeffrey Epstein and claiming she is now being scapegoated because the American authorities 'lost' Epstein when he killed himself in his jail cell.

Maxwell's older brother Ian, 64, appeared on Good Morning America after speaking to The Times of London in an interview over the weekend to protest his sister's innocence. He is one of her six siblings.

He claims she had her life ruined by Epstein, was not part of his criminal enterprise despite what multiple women say, and is taking the fall for it because someone needs to and Epstein is dead.

'She's a patsy for Jeffrey Epstein who they lost on their watch and they are taking it out on my sister and dammit, that's wrong.

'She is not Epstein. Epstein was guilty. He did time. And he was gonna do a hell of a lot more time. But she is not him.

'And I don't know how many times I have to say it. She's deserves to be treated as Ghislaine, presumed innocent, get on with the defense, tell us what you've gotta tell us, put it up, and then let the jury decide,' Ian fumed.

He also revealed a new photograph of his sister, taken in London in June 2019, a month before Epstein's arrest.

It is one of the most recent photographs of her. Only one other - what appeared to be a staged photo at an In-N-Out Burger in L.A. - has surfaced in the last two years.

Scroll down for video

Ghislaine Maxwell, 59, in June 2019 with her six living siblings. Ian Maxwell, her older brother, top right, shared it this weekend. A month after it was taken, Jeffrey Epstein was arrested and Ghislaine went into hiding with her husband, Scott Borgerson. The siblings, L-R, are: Anne, 73, Kevin, 62, twins Isabel and Christine, 70, Philip, 71, and Ian, 64

Ghislaine Maxwell's older brother Ian on Good Morning America on Monday speaking in her defense

Ian said his younger sister is a 'patsy' for Jeffrey Epstein who killed himself in jail in 2019

He added that his sister is the victim of a 'media lynch mob' and says she is being treated differently to other crime suspects, is 'tortured' in jail and cannot sleep.

'The real problem is that the media frenzy about her, which had shifted from Epstein onto her, drove her absolutely mad.

'I'm not minimizing the seriousness of the allegations but my sister is fighting for her life... that's pretty serious too,' he said.

'Ghislaine wants to confront the accusers head-on and deal with this and get on with her life.

'She is as convinced as she can be that she will be exonerated. We as a family are behind her, solidly behind her.'

He says the last time he spoke to her was in June 2020, a month before she was arrested, and she told him: 'Ian, I dont want you to be in a situation where someone is going to put pressure on you.

'I am going to take the pressure so that none of you have to  not Scott, not Kev  I am going to deal with it.'

He claimed that when Epstein killed himself in July 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, his sister had moved on with her life and was happily married to Scott Borgerson, the man she was found holed up with in New Hampshire last summer.

TIMELINE OF THE MAXWELLS AND JEFFREY EPSTEIN 1991: Ghislaine's father Robert dies mysteriously after disappearing from his yacht, Lady Ghislaine, in the Canary Islands. She moves to New York. 1990s: Ghislaine and Jeffrey Epstein start dating and become friends 2001: After breaking up, Epstein and Maxwell remain friends and she has begun working for him. It was in 2001 that the trip to London where they met Prince Andrew took place. Virginia Giuffre Roberts claims she was forced to have sex with Andrew - he denies it 2008: Epstein is convicted of soliciting child prostitutes in Palm Beach, Florida, gets a sweetheart deal and protects unnamed co-conspirators 2009: Epstein and Maxwell are sued by the first victims. He settles them quietly with payments 2010: Epstein, after a year-long prison term which involved him leaving custody every day to go to work, is released He is photographed with Prince Andrew in Central Park days later 2011: Virginia Giuffre Roberts goes public with her claims that she was a victim of Epstein and Maxwell 2015: Giuffre Roberts sues Maxwell specifically for defamation 2016: Ghislaine quietly marries tech CEO Scott Borgerson, 44 June 2019: Ghislaine reunites with her family in London and tells them she's married July 2019: Epstein is arrested in New Jersey at Teterboro Airport August 2019: Epstein kills himself in jail July 2020: Ghislaine is arrested in New Hampshire Advertisement

Ian says that she was not involved with Epstein by that point.

The marriage only became public in court papers.

Her brother revealed that he found out about it with the rest of the world.

'I think Ghislaine has just determined with him, obviously, that they want to keep a very low level of public knowledge about their lives,' he told the Times.

He added that she wanted to protect Borgerson's children.

'Ghislaine was married, with stepchildren, getting on with her life and then bang.

'She's married, has a husband, two stepchildren.

'She was simply seeking to protect her family.

'She was not running from law enforcement.

'Suddenly he dies and they've got this really serious problem... it seems to me inescapable that the authorities decided they had to do something about it,' he said.

Ghislaine managed to hide from public view for a year before the FBI arrested her in New Hampshire in an early morning raid.

Since then, she has been in jail in Manhattan.

Her attorneys have complained repeatedly about the conditions she has faced.

On Monday, her brother said they amounted to 'torture'.

'She's lost 20lbs, she's losing her hair, she can't concentrate... she has a flashlight shone in her cell every 15 minutes during the night so she has no sleep of any real quality.

'That is torture,' he said.

He also spoke of their father, the disgraced media tycoon Robert Maxwell who died mysteriously during a yachting trip in the Canary Islands in the 1990s after pillaging the pension funds of The Mirror newspaper group, saying that he was an 'extraordinarily well-connected man'.

'My father was an extraordinarily well connected man.

'She had grown up in that world and was very able to move in it freely,' he said, making no mention of their father's crimes.

In his interview with The Times, Ian said of his sister's relationship with Epstein: 'I know she wishes that she had never met him. He has ruined her life.

'The Ghislaine that we know has been buried in this caricature, this monstrous creature that has been invented as an abuser and a pimp.

'Ghislaine is very charming. She has a very good sense of humor.'

Maxwell has had multiple attempts at bail turned down.

She has agreed to renounce her British and French citizenship in an attempt to be released by the judge has rejected her efforts.

Ian, in a separate interview, said his sister was their father's favorite. She is shown with their parents, the disgraced media tycoon Robert Maxwell - who died in the early 90s - and his wife Elisabeth who died in 2013

'Ghislaine is an American. She's never been a flight risk. In the year or so between when Epstein died and when she was arrested, she was in the United States all the time.

'She was not running away from law enforcement,' her brother said.

She remains behind bars.

Multiple women claim she procured them for Epstein when they were underage girls, and facilitated his pedophile ring by organizing travel for them or meetings with Epstein.

She denies the charges.

Her brother told The Times: 'She did the house up or managed one or two of his properties.'

He added that Ghislaine believes firmly that her father was murdered on his boat - Lady Ghislaine - and said their childhood was difficult and filled with punishment.

'We were all physically punished, girls and boys; the girls were smacked and the boys belted, mostly for poor grades, laziness and lack of application at school.

'You didnt want to be too close to home because it was quite tense.

'Meal times were always pretty tough. We had to stand up and account for what wed done that day, that week, that year.'

He told how Ghislaine, the youngest, seemed to be their father's favorite of the children and how the other kids were 'stunned' when he named his boat after her.

'It was all a big mystery. Ghislaine was given this bottle, she crashed it against the side, the wrap fell off and there it was the Lady Ghislaine.

'She was stunned. We all were stunned,' he said.
By Joe Guzzardi





Among President Biden's first day executive actions is one that promised to tackle climate change, a primary concern of Congress. Included as part of the Biden administration's climate change objectives are rejoining the Paris Agreement and leading what the administration called a clean energy revolution that will, by 2035, achieve a carbon pollution-free power sector. On Earth Day 2021, Biden will host a Leaders' Climate Summit where he'll emphasize his ambitious agenda.



Biden's goals are noble, but assuming they're eventually achievable, they're down the road. Ever-growing human populations, with their larger carbon footprint, are a big variable in climate change. But Biden is ignoring the current Southwest border crisis that will add tens of thousands of people to the nation's 330 million residents.



The Wall Street Journal reported that, through February, Customs and Border Protection will have taken 9,000 unaccompanied minors into custody, an unprecedented crisis. Biden's administration also announced that it will admit 25,000 asylum seekers held in Mexico.



Making northbound travel more appealing to prospective asylees, Biden ordered Immigration and customs officials to lay out the red carpet. The federal government is, at taxpayer expense, flying aliens to mainland destinations where their presence, proof of the unpopular border surge with voters, will be less visible.



Under Biden, the children and adult asylees will remain in the U.S. indefinitely, raise families and add to the U.S. carbon footprint as automobile, housing and durable goods consumers. When family reunification kicks in, the number of new, settled migrants will increase by a factor of more than three, the number that Princeton University found represents the average number of immigrants from abroad that will join their stateside relatives. The average U.S. carbon footprint for each individual in the U.S. is 16 tons, among the world's highest.



Population growth, whether created through natural increases by births outnumbering deaths or in-migration outpacing out-migration, is, the Census Bureau confirms, the leading cause of the United States' ever-larger carbon footprint. Regulations like those the Biden administration hopes to put in place cannot negate the nation's current immigrant intake of more than 1 million annually plus whatever unknown number of illegal aliens successfully cross the border.



During the early 1970s, President Richard Nixon signed several laws aimed at reducing each American's per capita effect on the environment. Five decades ago, when Nixon was president, the U.S. population was 203 million. Today immigration-fueled growth has pushed the nation's population to 330 million. According to the Census Bureau, the U.S. receives one net international migrant every 666 seconds. The Census Bureau also predicts that by mid-decade, immigration will be the largest contributor to a U.S. population that exceeds 400 million, and will inevitably create a larger carbon footprint.



Whatever legislative changes the Biden administration may rule on in the guise of clean energy and reducing climate change impacts, their positive impacts will be reduced or completely negated by the increased emissions from millions of new people. Research in 2020 from The Journal of Population and Sustainability evaluated 44 countries, including the U.S., and found that emissions arising from population growth between 1990 and 2019 wiped out two-thirds of the emission reductions that arose from greater energy efficiency programs.



Blame Congress, not immigrants. Newly arrived migrants require more urban development  housing, schools, health care, governmental services, streets, parking, waste removal and places to work, shop and worship. The result is more urban sprawl, and its irreversible habitat loss.



In 1996, President Clinton, as part of his "Population and Consumption Task Force Report, President's Council on Sustainable Development," urged that immigration be discussed "with sensitivity and care" on behalf of "the American future."



Republicans and Democrats alike have ignored Clinton's sound advice for 25 years. Their shameful cowardice - they know if they spoke the truth about immigration and population, the public wouldn't support their agenda - ensured that runaway growth would escalate during those two and a half decades.





Joe Guzzardi (jguzzardi@pfirdc.org.) is a Progressives for Immigration Reform analyst who has written about immigration for more than 30 years. This article was distributed by Cagle Cartoons Inc.


[March 15, 2021] Omnispace Demonstrates 5G Satellite Capability with U.S. Navy & Marine Corps

TYSONS, Va., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Omnispace, the company that is redefining mobile communications by building a global hybrid network, today announced the successful demonstration of 5G satellite capability with the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN), along with the Navy and Marine Corps. Omnispace was selected by NSIN in 2020 to pilot its technology in connection with Verizon's new 5G "Living Lab." This week, Omnispace successfully tested an initial 5G-via-satellite capability in a LinQuest lab demonstration for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. A number of commercial-off-the-shelf 5G devices successfully communicated voice and data services via an emulated 5G radio access network (RAN), to Omnispace's on-orbit satellite, leveraging LinQuest Corporation's lab facility in Northern Virginia. "Omnispace is honored to have been selected to work with the U.S. Navy and Marines to demonstrate 5G capability from space," said CampbellMarshall, Vice President, Government and International Markets, Omnispace LLC. "The development of standards-based 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN) technology powered by Omnispace's S-band spectrum will allow small tactical 5G devices to communicate directly and seamlessly with 5G-capable satellites and terrestrial networks, giving our warfighters ubiquitous global connectivity and true comms-on-the-move."



"5G will be a critical technology for our military operations in the very near future, and those operations aren't limited to dense urban environments where most 5G infrastructure is being deployed," said Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Newell, Director, SoCal Tech Bridge, Naval X, a driving force behind some of the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) 5G initiatives. "Truly global, mobile 5G connectivity in aero, maritime and remote areas will be essential across a broad spectrum of our government and military operations." Omnispace is continuing the development of a global hybrid 5G communications network based on 3GPP standards, which will the ensure security and interoperability of devices all over the world for a wide array of enterprise and government customers.

The company plans to make its direct-to-satellite 5G NTN connectivity solutions available through its 'one global network,' which will utilize the company's existing 2 GHz priority spectrum rights. Initial elements of the Omnispace network will enter into service in 2022. About Omnispace

Headquartered in the Washington D.C. area, and founded by veteran telecommunications and satellite industry executives, Omnispace is redefining mobile connectivity for the 21st century. By leveraging 5G technologies, the company is combining the global footprint of a non-geostationary satellite constellation with the mobile networks of the world's leading telecom companies to bring an interoperable "one network" connectivity to users and IoT devices anywhere on the globe. Learn more at: Omnispace.com and follow on LinkedIn or Twitter @omnispace. Press Contact:

Marie Knowles

+1-202-422-2589

mknowles@omnispace.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/omnispace-demonstrates-5g-satellite-capability-with-us-navy--marine-corps-301247114.html SOURCE Omnispace

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SANTA FE  A panel of state legislators blocked a proposal Monday that sought to keep New Mexico on daylight saving time all year.

The legislation, Senate Bill 102, would have shifted New Mexico to permanent daylight saving time as soon as federal law allows states to make the change.

Opponents said the move could disrupt economic activity in southern New Mexico, putting New Mexicans on different time than their neighbors in El Paso. It might also complicate international trade at the border with Mexico, they said.

The bill was tabled on a 7-3 vote in the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee, keeping it from advancing to the full House for consideration.

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................................................................

The measure had already passed the Senate  on a 22-18 vote earlier this month.

Supporters said the twice-a-year time changes are antiquated and contribute to health problems.

Sen. Cliff Pirtle, a Roswell Republican who has championed the measure for years, said he didnt anticipate creating a checkerboard problem of different time zones if the bill were passed. Instead, he said, it would encourage the federal government to take action nationwide.

This is a stronger message to Congress to fix it, Pirtle said.
Jason Ruckart, a managing partner at Roy's restaurant in Woodland Hills, hands chopsticks to customers Nicole and Kyle Lehning as they dine outdoors in July. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline in Los Angeles County as the hard-hit and heavily populated region prepared to reopen businesses  including indoor restaurants, gyms and movie theaters  for the first time in months.

With the caveat that the figures may be artificially low due to lags in weekend reporting, county health officials on Sunday reported 644 new coronavirus cases. There were 28 deaths in the county, compared with 250 deaths a day during the winter peak in January.

There were 951 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county Sunday; a third of those were in intensive care. On Saturday, 979 COVID-19 patients were in county hospitals, marking the first time in more than three months that the figure dropped below 1,000.

Sunday's declines continued a downward trend in recent weeks, bolstered by millions of vaccinations being delivered to county residents, that put Los Angeles on a path to move out of the state's strictest tier for business closures and restrictions. Starting Monday, the county will permit various businesses that have been closed for months to reopen at a portion of their capacity.

Museums, zoos and aquariums may open indoors at 25% capacity; gyms, fitness centers and yoga and dance studios at 10% capacity; movie theaters at 25% capacity, with reserved, separated seating for groups; and retail and personal care services at 50% capacity.

Restaurants can open indoors at 25% capacity but must maintain eight feet of distance between tables. Indoor malls can operate at 50% capacity.

The change in tiers also means that county residents can gather with members of up to two other households indoors but must wear masks and maintain social distancing. Fully vaccinated residents can gather in small numbers indoors without masking.

Also under the new guidelines, schools may reopen for in-person instruction for grades seven through 12. Local school officials have control over when reopening will occur.

The changes go into effect Monday at 12:01 a.m.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
10 has another branded content title coming to primetime on Saturday nights.

Advancing Australia, hosted by Guy Pearce is a twelve part series that meets entrepreneurs, business owners and state of the art thinkers.

This follows from 10 screening Three Blue Ducks, which centred around a restaurant franchise, part-owned by Andy Allen.

Advancing Australia is produced by Bengar Films and supported by AGL for Network 10.

Climate change, mental health struggles, physical impairments and waterways clogged with waste. Doesnt sound like Australia is the lucky country, does it?

Introducing the landmark television event Advancing Australia. Premiering Saturday, 27 March at 6pm and hosted by Guy Pearce, this 12 part series is set to put major national issues under the spotlight, with each episode telling the story of innovators who are generating change and inspiring others to do the same.

From Bondi to Broome and Phillip Island to Melville Island, well meet and showcase the brilliance of modern-day Australian heroes, who have overcome obstacles to drive change.

Showing us how we can all play a part in making Australia a great place to live for all Australians, Advancing Australia is uplifting television at its best. And lets be honest, thats exactly what we all need right now.

6.00pm Saturday, 27 March on 10.

Related
Dr Carney will lead the regulatory approvals process for the Julimar Project and champion the companys environment and community strategy.

Current community-based initiatives will be translated into a company-wide and comprehensive ESG system in the near term.

( ) ( ) (FRA:C8U) has appointed the highly-regarded sustainability expert Dr Soolim Carney as general manager  Environment and Community, effective immediately.

Dr Carney has more than 20 years of experience specialising in environment, health and safety, indigenous affairs, government relations and community investment.

She was previously regional environment manager for Corps ( ) mining, refining and smelting operations in Australia, providing leadership on environmental standards, risk management and performance.

Joining Chalice, Dr Carney will focus her considerable skills and experience on leading the regulatory approvals process for the Julimar Project and championing the companys environment and community strategy.

Deep and diverse knowledge of ESG

The new appointment reflects Chalices values-based approach and commitment to best practice environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles as well as its desire to accelerate development of the globally significant Julimar Group Element (PGE)-Nickel-Copper-Cobalt-Gold discovery.

Chalice managing director Alex Dorsch said: It is a great pleasure to welcome Soo to the Chalice team.

She brings a deep and diverse knowledge across all facets of ESG and her unique skill-set will be invaluable as we deliver on the next phase of growth for our business.

Soo has delivered State and Commonwealth environmental approvals for several major projects across Western Australia and is highly regarded in the industry.

She will be an immensely valuable addition to our leadership team.

We have already demonstrated our strong ESG credentials since our major discovery at Julimar, through regular open engagement with the local community and by adopting a proactive approach to environmental practices.

Soo will lead the formalisation of these practices into company-wide systems and processes.

Extensive leadership experience

Dr Carney was previously member of Alcoa of Australias senior leadership team and the companys global environment leadership team, contributing to the delivery of the global Environment and Sustainability strategy.

She has also held senior health, safety and environment leadership roles across BHP Group Ltds (ASX:BHP) (NYSE:BHP) iron ore operations in Western Australia, where she coordinated the delivery of major State and Commonwealth environmental approvals for the $20 billion Outer Harbour Development ahead of schedule and without third-party appeal.

At ( ) (FRA:WOPA) (OTCMKTS:WOPEF) Dr Carney delivered major State and Commonwealth environmental approvals to enable board sanction of the $15 billion Pluto LNG Project.

Community and environment Initiatives

Chalice has implemented a number of community-based initiatives as part of its stakeholder engagement and advocacy plan, including a suite of communications materials aimed at providing key information to the local communities surrounding the Julimar Project.

The company has also developed a Julimar Project Community Newsletter, distributed at key locations throughout the Shire of Toodyay and has commenced community investment initiatives within surrounding communities, including funding for local events and environmental groups, with investment to be increased as the project advances.

Dorsch said: The rapid success and growth of the company over the past 12 months, particularly as it relates to our external stakeholders, has highlighted the importance of continued best practice in ESG and affirmed our belief that we must create positive and long-lasting impacts on the local communities in which we operate.

Soo will be tasked with helping Chalice to deliver on this vision as we advance our major project towards development as a long-term supplier of many of the critical metals required to decarbonise the global economy and reduce pollution.
New Delhi, March 15 : The Opposition on Monday praised the government's efforts to bring back people who were stranded in the Gulf and other countries during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Congress leader Anand Sharma said, "All the officials of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian missions abroad should be complimented for the work they have done during the pandemic." Sharma also requested the government to take up the issue of the students who have lost an year due to the pandemic.

In reply, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said, "Our main focus was to bring the stranded Indians back. Once the recovery picks up pace, we will try to arrange for their return." Earlier in the day, Jaishankar told the Parliament that more than 45 lakh people from various countries have been brought back during the lockdown, which highlights the success of the diplomacy of the current government.

Noting that seafarers are a category that requires special attention, the minister said that crew change rules pose a challenge but even the issue with the crew at the Chinese ports have been successfully resolved.

Jaishankar was speaking on the recent developments pertaining to the welfare of Indians starnded abroad during the pandemic.

In the process, the minister said, the government spent Rs 33.5 crore from the Indian Community Welfare Fund.

"This repatriation process would not have been possible without partner governments. This highlights the success of diplomacy of the current government," Jaishankar said.

He added that India has confirmed agreements for air bubbles with 27 nations so far.

Jaishankar also mentioned how under the Prime Minister's directions, India pushed its effort to provide food items and medicines to the people in the Gulf region.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  The owner of a scuba diving boat that burned and sank off the California coast, killing 34 people, has sold off his two remaining vessels.

Glen Fritzler of Truth Aquatics Inc. sold the dive boats to Channel Islands Expeditions, which was listed as the owner as of Dec. 9, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

Fritzler and his family are not involved in any way with the newly formed company, which intends to operate the boats Vision and Truth in the waters off of the Channel Islands and elsewhere in California, fleet operation officer Joel Mulder told the Times.

We are making all the safety improvements in preparation, and were working with the Coast Guard, he said.

The dive boat Conception was off the Channel Islands when a fire broke out on Sept. 2, 2019, killing a crew member and all of the passengers in the bunkroom below deck.

Officials said they were trapped by flames that blocked a stairwell and a small hatch that were the only exits. All died of smoke inhalation, according to coroners reports.

The captain has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of seamans manslaughter. Jerry Boylan is accused of misconduct, negligence and inattention by failing to train his crew, conduct fire drills and have a roving night watchman on the boat when the fire ignited.

Federal safety investigators blamed Truth Aquatics for a lack of oversight.

Fritzler and Truth Aquatics havent been charged with a crime. But they are facing wrongful death lawsuits filed by families of those who died.

Jennifer Fiore, an attorney representing two of the families, told the Times that its believed the dive boats were being sold to help pay for Fritzlers legal defense.

Hilary Potashner, one of Fritzlers attorneys, declined to comment to the Times about the sale because of the lawsuits.

Truth Aquatics had sued in federal court under a provision in maritime law to avoid payouts to the families of the victims.

However, attorney John R. Hillsman, who represents six families, told the Times that Truth Aquatics agreed to pause that lawsuit, allowing the families to proceed with their lawsuits in Los Angeles Superior Court.

After those cases are completed, a federal judge will decide whether the company can legally limit its liability, Hillsman said.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been crushed by accusations of sexual misconduct, as well as allegations that he covered up COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.

Cuomo, if he doesnt resign or get impeached, could have trouble winning re-election next year.

But never fear. Mayor Bill de Blasio has refused to rule out an Albany run.

Based on what, exactly? New York City is a worse place to live than it was when de Blasio took over in 2014.

Crime is rising. De Blasio did away with stop-and-frisk and now gunfire is heard everywhere. Thats no coincidence.

People are scared to go into the subways, fearful that theyll be robbed, assaulted or pushed onto the tracks.

Homelessness is worse. Graffiti is making a comeback. The city is dirtier.

And no, New York City hasnt deteriorated because of the coronavirus pandemic. Its de Blasios own policies that steered the city in the wrong direction.

De Blasio backed bail reform measures that puts criminals back on the street and encourages them to offend again.

He tossed aside the broken-windows policing policy that only made New York the safest big city in America. Quality-of-life offenses go unpunished.

Constantly playing to the far left, De Blasio pays more tribute to the rights of criminals than to the rights of victims. Criminals these days have very little to fear from the long arm of the law.

And lets not forget the pay-to-play allegations that have hounded de Blasio. Or the $773 million that went down the drain thanks to his failed Renewal education policy. Or the $850 million that his wife, First Lady Chirlane McCray, cant account for that went to her ThriveNYC program.

Add to that the fact that too often during his tenure, de Blasio has seemed less than interested in showing up and actually being mayor. Recall his regular trips to his favorite gym and restaurant in Brooklyn. And his frequent trips out of town. His absences from City Hall, particularly on Fridays.

Must be nice to have so many three-day weekends.

True, De Blasio has been more present during the coronavirus pandemic, giving daily briefings, but that doesnt expunge his record. And Cuomos troubles shouldnt make us forget de Blasios profound shortcomings.

We dont need de Blasio to do to the entire state what hes done to the five boroughs. Hes the last person who deserves a promotion.

You would think that de Blasios laughable run for president last year would have stripped him of any illusions he had about his popularity, even among fellow Democrats.

New York City voters drive statewide elections. You think residents of the five boroughs are going to rush out and vote for de Blasio for governor? We can hardly wait for the term-limited end of his mayoralty this Dec. 31. Everybodys tired of the act.

All of which doesnt mean that de Blasio has nothing going for him in a statewide race.

He has name recognition. He has a record he can point to. He can raise money, particularly from the well-heeled in the real estate industry.

And de Blasio has experience in government, having served as a school board member, city councilman, public advocate and mayor.

He worked for the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. Hes run campaigns for Hillary Clinton and Rep. Charles Rangel. He was a City Hall aide to Mayor David Dinkins.

Based strictly on resume, de Blasio is one of the most qualified politicians in New York.

And if de Blasio really does think that Cuomo is bad for the state, the mayor should run against the governor in a primary, if Cuomo indeed looks to run for a fourth term. De Blasio should put his money where his mouth is.

That would take actual political courage.
The different kinds of trees and the close proximity to Mir Alam Tank draws the birds towards the zoo.  Twitter

Hyderabad: As the migratory season comes to an end, many birds that had made the Nehru Zoological Park their holiday home are beginning to make their way back.

This, bird-watchers say is an annual affair as the zoo is the middle ground for birds to call their home. Since the zoo already has greenery coupled with the presence of a large water body, it becomes a viable nesting place. The Deccan Birders group, on Sunday, had a bird-watching trip.

In the midst of buildings, the only green space that migratory birds or domestic birds find is in the zoo. Also, the different kinds of trees and the close proximity to Mir Alam Tank draws the birds towards the zoo. The presence of the two make the birds think of the zoo as a viable nesting place," said Shafath Ulla, a former secretary of the Deccan Birders Group.

These birds actively avoid the city and prefer the guarded and protected environs of the Nehru Zoo, he said. On their excursion on Sunday, the group saw some rare birds like the crowbilled drongo, forest wagtail, bee-eater and paradise flycatcher, to name a few.

J.V.D. Moorty president of Deccan Birders, told Deccan Chronicle: These birds are drawn to the zoo and they have made it a part of their flyway. The zoo plays a home away from home for them, as there is no disturbance to the ecology over there. Also, since it is the end of the migration season, many birds are flying back. They go to places like China, Tibet, Europe, Mongolia, and more.

However, this is not just a time to see the migratory birds. Courtesy of the instinct, carnivorous birds like hawks and eagles, remain close to the flyway as their prey is flying along the same path.

The larger carnivorous birds, keep the flyway in close proximity and wait along the route for the prey to come their way, he said.
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Back in 1968, Emma Lee Turney was promoting her first antiques show in Round Top and sent a short press release to Life magazine, which published it in their next issue.

Readers took note, and some 6,000 or more people flocked to the Round Top Rifle Association Hall for a show that featured 26 dealers selling mostly American country antiques. Shoppers swarmed amid the swirling smell of barbecue cooking on pits outdoors. The big three of Texas matriarchs  Ima Hogg, Faith Bybee and Hazel Ledbetter  came to shop, and Turney knew she was onto something big.

Through several decades of organizing and promoting antiques shows  including her legendary shows in Round Top  Turney helped launch careers and stimulated the economy in several Texas counties.

She made lifelong friends and preserved a big slice of Texana and Americana: the hard work and craftsmanship of immigrants and others who built cabinets and furniture, created rugs and pottery and art.

Turney, who spent much of her life in the Houston area, died March 6. She was 92.

Where will we go next?

Turney grew up in Tulsa, Okla., and after graduating high school moved to Houston because her sister lived here. Not long after World War II, she signed up for classes at what was then the Massey Business College. An accomplished ballroom dancer, Turney taught at Arthur Murray Dance Studio for a while and worked at a weight-loss studio, recalls longtime friend Barbara Tungate.

She opened an antiques store with other dealers and found her niche. When they got a new container of antiques in, they would address invitations to interior designers and then sell out their goods in a day. Not only did she have a good eye for antiques, she also knew how to network.

She worked like nothing Ive ever seen. She had good friends and was a terrific cook and loved to entertain, but that mind of hers was always thinking, Where will we go next? said Tungate, who met Turney in 1968. When I met her, she did 16 shows a year, including a Thanksgiving show in the basement of the old Shamrock Hotel. People would shop at her show and then go have lunch.

Turney, a no-nonsense woman who lived and worked by a strict set of rules, was driving in the Round Top area with Tungate and declared that it would be a good place to have an antiques show. Back in the 1960s, Bybee and Ledbetter were buying land and older homes in and around Round Top, and Hogg was long known as a meticulous consumer of American antiques, both for her Winedale project and for Bayou Bend, her home that became a renowned house museum and part of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Ledbetter knew Turney from the antiques shows she had organized and promoted in Houston, Austin, Fredericksburg, Rosenburg, Galveston and elsewhere, and encouraged Turney to start something in Round Top.

Round Top Spring Antiques Week When: March 29 - April 3 Where: Big Red Barn, Event Center, Continental Tent in Round Top Details: roundtoptexasantiques.com/show-dates Marburger Farm Antiques Show dates: March 30-April 3; roundtop-marburger.com/ See More Collapse

Though her Original Round Top Antiques Fair began at the Rifle Hall, it operated at different sites until it landed at what is now commonly called the Big Red Barn in Carmine, the little town you pass through on your way to the even tinier Round Top. Its often joked that Round Tops population swells from 90 to 90,000 when its time for the spring and fall antiques shows, and much of its popularity and connection to antiques shopping is due to Turneys shows.

Along the way Turney also wrote two books, Antiques Business as a Lifestyle in 1978, teaching others how to earn a living in the antiques world, and Denim and Diamonds, marking the 30th anniversary of her Round Top shows in 1998.

In 2005, Turney sold her business to Susan Franks, who soon added a Continental Tent to showcase European antiques as they increased in popularity. Turneys interest, though, was always in American country, and that style of antiques remains the mainstay in Franks main building today.

Emma was the most amazing show promoter that I have ever known, Franks said. She had her heart in it, like I do. It was her passion, as it is mine, and I think thats why we connected. She was beloved by everybody and she did change peoples lives. She turned Round Top, Texas, into the largest antiques venue in the U.S.

Turneys focus was on the Original Round Top Antiques Fair, and many other antiques shows emerged in her wake, with big shows opening at Marburger Farm and, later, The Compound and Excess Fields in addition to shows and flea markets up and down Texas 237 from Brenham to La Grange.

Devoted friend

Folk artist Kiki Neumann remembers the day she met Turney as if it were yesterday.

It was 25 years ago, and Neumann and Turney had mailboxes next to each other at a Montrose post office. One day they were there at the same time, Neumann picking up a few letters and Turney opening her box to find a deluge of mail.

I turned to her and said, Are you some sort of big deal? And she said, Yes I am, said Neumann, who makes birdhouses and art objects out of discarded wood and old license plates. She told me that she does antique shows, and I told her that Im an artist and maybe I should do them, too. I had no confidence, and she encouraged me to get out of my shell. Since then, Ive done Round Top venues as a folk artist 36 times. She changed my life.

Neumann, a paper industry rep-turned-artist who turns 68 this week, supplies her goods to Buc-ees convenience stores statewide.

She described Turney the way many describe strong, determined women: charming, tenacious, smart and outspoken. More than anything, her work life was a dogged pursuit of creating something from nothing.

Emma was a one-of-a-kind person who put something together that changed four counties economics, and she had the tenacity to stay with it year in and year out, Neumann said. It takes a special character to do that. I see her as a she-ro in the business, a Texas legend.

Antiques dealer Larry Bahn agreed. He was early in his antiques career when he managed to get a booth at one of Turneys shows in Galveston in the 1970s.

That put me on the map, and I did all of her shows thereafter, said Bahn, whose The Country Gentleman shop operated for several years on Dunlavy. He now sells from two Heights antiques shops, A.G. Antiques and Heights Antiques on Yale.

You know, with Emma, she was the godmother of antiques. She nurtured  a huge array of great dealers who have spread it on around, said Bahn, 78. When I meet someone new in the business, Im eager to help them get started because thats what people did for me.

Emma will be missed. She was a humongous influence on the antiques industry and in Round Top in general. It is what it is today because of her, he said.

Nancy Krause, 85, is likely the only antiques dealer from Turneys first Round Top show whos still living and working. She still operates Nancys Antiques in Brenham, selling American antiques.

There were 26 of us back in 1968, and look what it has grown into, Krause said. We had exposure and it was wonderful. Then everybody started setting up all up and down (Texas 237). We were forbidden to go to see shops in Warrenton, so we put hats and sunglasses on and went anyway.

The economic impact is staggering, Krause added. Its not only the show, but hotels and gas stations and restaurants. People are finding real estate here now because they love the area, and Emma Lee is the one who started it all.

diane.cowen@chron.com
In late February, Vestnik Kavkaza visited liberated territories of Azerbaijan where the work on recovery of the devastated region is going on. Our reporters visited Aghdam, Fizuli, Jabrayil, Zangilan, and the Iranian and Armenian border and recorded scales of destruction committed by the occupation forces of the Armenian army in Azerbaijani cities.

The second and third stops of the photo return to liberated districts were Fizuli and Jebrayil. These are cities in the south of Azerbaijan, near the Iranian border. They were destroyed just like Aghdam. To recover them, Azerbaijan has to do a great work. A lot of internally displaced people and their relatives would like to return to Fizuli and Jebrayil today. However, the cities, especially Fizuli, should be built from the ground up: occupants tore them to tatters.
It was only in January 2021 that a team of international experts assembled by WHO finally visited Wuhan to start a month-long investigation on the ground

The much-anticipated report from the international mission to Wuhan to investigate COVID-19's origins is set to be published this week, following intense US and Chinese pressure over its contents.

The coronavirus pandemic has engulfed the planet, killing more than 2.6 million people and shredding the global economy since the first cases emerged in the Chinese city in December 2019.

In the 15 months since then, science has miraculously developed multiple vaccines to fight the diseasebut the mystery at the very heart of the pandemic remains unsolved.

It was only in January 2021 that a team of international experts assembled by the World Health Organization finally visited Wuhan to start a month-long investigation on the ground.

The WHO mission was aimed at finding clues as to how the virus originally jumped from animals into humans.

Now, another month on after leaving Wuhan, the team and its Chinese counterparts are set to issue their findingswhich should help to identify the most likely pathways, while relegating other less probable hypotheses.

Hunt for clues

While global leaders want immediate answers, uncovering the exact origin of an epidemic takes timeand is sometimes never found.

Nonetheless, the mission members, drawn from a range of fields and disciplines, are upbeat.

"I'm convinced we're going to find out fairly soon. Within the next few years, we're going to have real significant data on where this came from and how it emerged," British zoologist Peter Daszak, one of the team members, said on Wednesday.

On February 9, the team held a lengthy news conference in Wuhan before departing, giving a taster of what might appear in the report.

Experts believe that SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, originally came from bats, and jumped into humans via an intermediate animal.

However, samples from tens of thousands of wild, domestic and farm animals in the region revealed no trace of the virus.

The scientists are also uncertain as to where and when the outbreak started, though the Wuhan cases remain the earliest known.

Likeliest route

That said, the mission has produced a number of hypotheses.

"There was conduit (back) from Wuhan to the provinces in south China where the closest relative viruses to SARS-CoV-2 are found in bats," Daszak told an event hosted by Britain's Chatham House think-tank last week.

"It provides a link and a pathway by which a virus could convincingly spill over from wildlife into either people or animals farmed in the region and then shipped into a market.

"That's a really important clue."

The team also did not rule out transmission through frozen meatimported frozen food packages being Beijing's favourite theory.

Dutch virologist Marion Koopmans, also a member of the team, said that while transmission of the virus could potentially happen through infected people touching frozen food products, "the origin most likely is not the outside of the package".

However, she and her colleagues said frozen wild meat from neighbouring provinces remained a "very valid option".

The idea of a lab leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virologya hypothesis promoted by former US president Donald Trump's administrationis "the least likely on the list of our hypotheses", said Koopmans.

It was downplayed at the Wuhan news conference.

However, back in Geneva, in the face of clouds of suspicion that continued to hang over the mission, WHO boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus insisted all hypotheses remained on the table and promised transparency over the report.

Tug of war

Behind the scenes and in public, China and the United States have been engaged in a tug-of-war over the report.

The plan to publish a summary first, with the main report to follow, was ditched in late February, without any real explanation from the WHO.

The White House, which had had concerns about a summary report being issued first that would not contain the underlying data behind it, voiced its delight and claimed credit for the change of plan.

US and Chinese diplomats have waded in more than once while awaiting the report, with one side calling for greater transparency; the other insisting that the mission was only possible with scientific cooperation from Beijing.

Trump had accused the WHO of being China's puppet.

Though his successor Joe Biden has changed the tone towards the UN health agency since becoming US president in January, Washington has continued to voice serious concerns about the WHO investigation, and has pushed Beijing to provide more information.

The pressure is emanating not just from the United States.

Walter Stevens, the European Union's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, recently called for the report to be "completely transparent" and answer the questions "that we all have".

The mission insists it got access to all the sites and people it wanted to.

However, team leader Peter Ben Embarek asked for more data, in order to go deeper into the investigation.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th March, 2021) The Spanish National Police have seized the first ever half-submersible vessel for transporting drugs that was built in Europe, the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) said on Monday.

According to its press release, the vessel was seized in the city of Malaga as part of operation FERRO that is being conducted in close cooperation with Europol and law enforcement agencies of other EU states.

Europol notes that similar vessels captured in the past have always been manufactured in Latin America.

The operation was launched in 2020 to eliminate an organized crime group operating from Spain and involved in large-scale drugs trafficking.

As part of the operation, 47 house searches were carried out in 10 Spanish cities, 52 individuals were arrested, two special boats were seized along with 3 tonnes of cocaine and 0.7 tonnes of hashish. The crime group was composed of Spanish, Colombian and Dominican nationals, involved in large-scale trafficking of cocaine, hashish and marijuana.

Besides Spanish police and Europol, police forces of Colombia, the Netherlands, the UK and the US took part in the operation.
The six-story, 400,000-square-foot facility, located at the NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital campus on 6th Street between 7th Avenue and 8th Avenue in Park Slope, is the first major ambulatory care facility built in Brooklyn in 40 years and the largest. The Center for Community Health elevates the patient experience to new heights, serving as a one-stop destination for patients to receive individualized, coordinated care from diagnosis to treatment.

The Center for Community Health offers a wide range of ambulatory care services, including oncology, digestive, and endoscopy services, as well as an infusion center, ambulatory surgery, diagnostic imaging center, and more. Multidisciplinary teams of physicians from Weill Cornell Medicine work together to consider each patient holistically, whether they are being treated for digestive diseases, cardiovascular issues, cancer, or other conditions, or coming for outpatient surgery, interventional radiology, or diagnostic imaging.

"NewYork-Presbyterian is dedicated to making world-class care more accessible, convenient and equitable in all the communities we serve, and the opening of the Center for Community Health is a reflection of that commitment," said Dr. Steven J. Corwin, president and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian. "The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for high-quality care close to home, and we are so pleased to expand access to our care and open this incredible resource for Brooklyn, helping residents spend less time in the hospital and more time living their lives."

"NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital is committed to improving the health and well-being of the Brooklyn community, and the new Center for Community Health will provide seamless access to high-quality, innovative care, all in one convenient location," said Robert Guimento, president of NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. "Focusing first and foremost on patients' needs and the delivery of outstanding care, this new building is designed for healing and represents the future of ambulatory care."

"The Center for Community Health epitomizes Weill Cornell Medicine's enduring dedication to providing exemplary and compassionate care to our patients," said Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine. "The center offers patients a convenient single destination for all of their medical needs, a beacon for maintaining good health and well-being. We are proud to work with our esteemed partner NewYork-Presbyterian to continue our vital work ensuring the best medical care is accessible throughout the city, as we strive for health equity in all communities."

The Center for Community Health is designed to make patient visits as convenient and pleasant as possible. The building is awash in natural light with views of tree-lined Brooklyn streets and the Manhattan skyline, helping to create a healing, soothing environment. Stunning pieces of artwork from a diverse group of artists, including local Brooklyn artists, are displayed throughout the building. The building's layout encourages social distancing and COVID-19 safety measures are in place, including temperature and symptom screening upon entering, hand sanitizing stations throughout the building, appropriate personal protective equipment for all health care providers and patients, frequent disinfection of high touch surfaces, and more.

Access service representatives welcome patients in the lobby to orient them and help them navigate the building. Kiosks are located in the lobby to make registration quick and easy, and patients also have the option to complete their paperwork remotely and securely before their visit, on their mobile phone or online, reducing wait times. Upon arrival, patients are offered a personalized "smartband" that provides access to the building. Each surgical patient's visit has a clear, planned flow that begins and ends in the same space for patients having a procedure - a private prep and recovery room that serves as "home base" for them and their companions throughout their visit. For ambulatory surgery, patients will be assigned a nurse who will care for them throughout their visit.

Technologies are central to delivering exceptional, cutting-edge care. A prime example is the Center for Community Health's imaging center, one of the most advanced in New York City. With an MRI system, a fully digital PET/CT system, two 4D Ultrasound machines and more, specialists can produce the highest quality images and immediately incorporate the findings into a patient's electronic medical record. The MRI system is also equipped with lighting and sound features to soothe anxiety.

Clinical features of the building include:

12 state-of-the-art operating rooms for ambulatory surgery, six procedure rooms for outpatient endoscopy and special procedures

Diagnostic imaging services

Pre-anesthesia evaluation center

Prep and recovery for ambulatory surgery

Ambulatory infusion center with dedicated pharmacy and lab

Clinical trials office

Multi-specialty medical and surgical practices

The facility also has a valet-staffed parking facility, grab-and-go cafe, comfortable waiting lounges, a conference center accessible from the lobby, and staff dedicated to helping patients and visitors navigate the building.

SOURCE NewYork-Presbyterian

Related Links

https://www.nyp.org


How did you learn today that you had received your Oscar nomination?

The reality was that, from the beginning, hearing my name in a conversation alongside people like Glenn Close or Olivia Colman or Amanda Seyfried or Yuh-Jung Youn [her fellow nominees]  thats already enough. Im beyond happy. Im like, I dont want to be greedy or thinking about something more because its already too big to be true. I remember when I got to set this morning, Judd Apatow asked me, Do you want to have a break during the [announcement] ceremony? Do you want to watch it? Do you want to be alone? Do you want to be around other people? I was like, No, no, no, please, lets not talk about this! Lets just work! Lets shoot!

And then what happened?

We were shooting a scene with Pedro and me, and Judd came to me in the middle of the take, and he was coming closer to me. And I was like, What is happening? Is it that bad that hes not even confident to say it out loud? Because he was literally going, like [leans in closely to the camera], and I was like, Mm-hmm? You just got your nomination! I was like what? I lost my mind in that moment.

Did you have a chance to celebrate the news with your co-stars and co-workers?

Not a celebration, because we were shooting. I was like, Should we keep working? But it was a really powerful moment for me and its going to stay with me for the rest of my life, I believe. Because its never going to be the same. Even in 50, 60, 70 years, if someday I get another nomination for anything. This is the biggest day of my life, and I was around Judd and Pedro, and I saw in their eyes that they were really happy for me.

Have you spoken with Sacha yet?

I havent, because I just got home. I literally just opened the door.

Did you keep track of Rudy Giulianis further misadventures after the Borat sequel was released?

I still dont want to get involved with the political stuff because Ive been living in America for less than two years. Im not really politically familiar, to have positions. I should at some point. I can only say that I was extremely happy to see such huge celebrations on Nov. 7 [the day most media organizations called President Bidens victory]. I was living in L.A. and I went with my girlfriends in the streets of West Hollywood and it was just beautiful, how many people were celebrating, dancing and singing. They were united.

I was extremely impressed by the speech of Vice President Kamala Harris, where she said I might be the first but Im not going to be the last. For me, as Maria, I also want this to be my motto. Because as an Eastern European and a person that has this huge recognition right now, and this platform, I would love to bring more attention to my region of the world. These people are talented and they need these chances. Theres going to be another Maria who will be the next one.
"We commend the Polish Government for their vision and leadership to address carbon emissions, air pollution and increasing demands for reliable energy," said Patrick Fragman, Westinghouse Chief Executive Officer. "Westinghouse has a long history of successful, nuclear innovation and is well-positioned to partner with Poland to address their needs, create jobs, and secure the country's energy future."

According to the recently adopted Poland's Energy Policy 2040 (PEP 2040), the Polish Government desires to build six to nine GW of electricity from generation III or III+ pressurized water reactors by 2043 to replace retired coal-fired capacity.

The Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power plant offers the highest safety and operability available in the market. The operating plants continue to set industry records in the ease and duration of commissioning and refueling outages, as well as outstanding capacity factors.

If selected as the nuclear power partner, Westinghouse will source and develop a nuclear supply chain estimated to create more than 2,000 jobs in Poland, ensuring the highest quality of components, expertise, and accountability. These wider investment plans were discussed during the meeting between CEO Patrick Fragman and Grzegorz Somkowski, Board Member of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency.

Westinghouse Electric Company is the world's pioneering nuclear energy company and is a leading supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies to utilities throughout the world. Westinghouse supplied the world's first commercial pressurized water reactor in 1957 in Shippingport, Pa., U.S. Today, Westinghouse technology is the basis for approximately one-half of the world's operating nuclear plants. For more information, please visit www.westinghousenuclear.com.

Contact: Sarah Cassella

Director, External Communications

Westinghouse Electric Company

Telephone: +1 412-374-4744

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Westinghouse Electric Company
On Saturday, the Norwegian Medicines Agency said that more cases of blood clotting had been found in adults who received AstraZeneca vaccine shots. Earlier this week, several European countries, including Denmark, Iceland and Norway, halted the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine after Austria said it was investigating the death of a vaccinated woman from multiple thromboses.
The BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty are expected to open higher on Monday, tracking firm global cues and positive trading at Nifty futures on the Singapore Exchange. Among the individual stocks, shares of YES Bank, Axis Bank, MTAR Tech, Tata Communications, SBI cards, Bajaj Finance, GTV Engineering, Fortis Malar Hospitals, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Dilip Buildcon and others will be in focus in Monday's trading session.

Stocks to watch today: Here is a list of top stocks that are likely to be in focus in Monday's trading session.

Also read: Stock Market Live Updates: Sensex opens 154 pts lower, Nifty at 15,004; MTAR Tech, YES, Axis Bank, SBI Cards in focus

YES Bank: Shares of YES Bank will be in focus on Monday's trade amid report that the Reserve Bank of India has rejected the lender's proposal to set up an asset reconstruction company, citing conflict of interest.

Axis Bank: The private sector bank has signed pact with Fettle Tone LLP and its partners for acquiring a 9.90 per cent stake in Fettle Tone LLP's partnership capital.

MTAR Technologies: After successfully raising Rs 596 crore from IPO, the stock of MTAR Technologies is set to be listed on BSE and NSE today.

GTV Engineering Ltd: The company has said that its board has approved the purchase of equity shares of Chirchind Hydro Power Pvt. Ltd. The company, however, did not reveal the details of the proposed transaction.

Fortis Malar Hospitals Ltd: Rajasthan Global Securities Pvt. Ltd has purchased additional 26,904 shares in Fortis Malar Hospitals, raising its total shareholding to 5.03 per cent from 4.93 per cent.

PSU banks: Shares of public sector banks, such as State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, will remain in focus as the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has given a call for a nationwide strike to protest against privatisation of state-owned lenders.

Kotak Mahindra Bank: The board of directors of the bank has approved a dividend on 100 crore 8.10 per cent non-convertible perpetual non-cumulative preference shares of the face value of Rs 5 each for the current financial year. The record date for the dividend payment will be March 19, 2021.

Bajaj Finance: The debenture allotment committee of Bajaj Finance has allotted 300 secured redeemable non-convertibles debentures on a private placement basis.

Tata Communications: Shares of Tata Communications will be eyed as the government has proposed to sell its entire 26.12 percent stake in the telecom company.

SBI Cards & Payment Services: A subsidiary of State Bank of India, SBI Cards' board approved a proposal to raise up to Rs 2,000 crore by issuing bonds.

Dilip Buildcon: The company has said it has received a provisional completion certificate for four/six laning of a road project in Maharashtra. As a result, the company is entitled to receive a bonus of Rs 5.08 crore for completion of the project ahead of the deadline.
The Romanian authorities are considering the possibility that foreign tourists who want to visit Romania will necessarily present a negative COVID test at the entrance to the country, said on Monday the Minister of Economy, Business Environment and Tourism, Claudiu Nasui, participant in an event marking the completion of the central fuselage of the experimental high-speed helicopter RACER, in Romaero, according to AGERPRES.

On leaving, Nasui was asked by the journalists about the Government's strategy regarding tourism in the coming season, namely whether there will be a vaccination passport.

"We don't have an answer to that question yet. I can tell you that we are discussing that Romanians should be free to travel as much as possible and not only Romanians, but also foreign tourists who come to us. There must be a way to recognize each other, to know what an antibody test, a negative COVID test mean, for example, or that the vaccination process has taken place with approved vaccines. I mean some mutual recognition, bilateral at least, of some documents," Nasui said.

The discussions so far have taken place within the governing coalition, but also with several ambassadors, the minister said, refusing to elaborate what countries it is about.

"There are several discussions at EU level, but at the moment we do not have their conclusion. As a minister, my wish is for people to be able to go on holidays as easily as possible and our industry can take advantage. The economy benefits from tourism, it's basically like an export, that the world comes and leaves its currency here," the government official continued.

This week, Nasui will meet with the Greek Minister of Tourism. Asked what they will talk about, the minister replied: "Let's see what documents we can recognize from each other, just to make this opening as soon as possible."

At the same time, when asked if foreign tourists will have to submit a negative test upon entering Romania, Nasui said: "I don't know how to put it, but we are talking about it and we are analyzing it, for sure".
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Youre probably itching to get out of town after a year of this pandemic  and youre dying to try some new food. Its been easy to fall into routines during the pandemic, even down to the restaurants weve been ordering delivery from. So why not shake up the scenery and the menu with a small weekend trip?

No one needs an overview of the food of south Louisiana. This is where the best boudin in town is served from behind a gas station counter, and anyone whos spent any time in our region already has a list of their favorite joints. So here are a few of mine, which Ive put together after years of driving between my folks place outside Lake Charles and New Orleans or simply exploring Acadiana. You may know some, but hopefully youll discover a new one.

So grab a cooler (youll need it later), some coffee and hit Highway 90 heading west. And save room for pie.

Rita Maes Kitchen

711 Federal Ave., Morgan City, (985) 384-3550

After the first hour and a half stretch of your drive into Acadiana, youll be ready for a late breakfast. Pop off Highway 90 at Morgan City and hit Rita Maes Kitchen. The restaurant is tiny, so keep your eyes peeled on Federal Avenue. For shy of 30 years, Rita Maes has been serving simple, belly-warming Cajun and Creole dishes in downtown Morgan City. Recent lunch specials have included a seafood gumbo served with a shrimp and fish po-boy. Rita Maes has kept its window counter seating closed during the pandemic, so get a hearty plate to-go and take the short drive around the corner and down Freret Street to eat on the banks of the Atchafalaya. Open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon-Fri., 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sat.

Spring fever: Tips for making the most of spring while keeping it Covid safe Its been a long, hard year under the global COVID-19 pandemic. As of press time, 28,844 New Orleanians have contracted the virus, and weve l

Bon Creole Seafood

1409 E. St. Peter St., New Iberia, (337) 367-6181; bon-creole.com

After a quick walk around Morgan Citys downtown to ward off the post breakfast snoozes, jump back onto Highway 90 and head for New Iberia, about an hour on. The lunch counter at Bon Creole Seafood serves daily lunch plate specials ranging from pork roast with rice and gravy and stuffed catfish over angel hair pasta to gumbo and seafood baskets. But keep your eye on the prize: the po-boy. Bon Creole is renowned for its classic sandwiches, which overflow the crisp French bread with expertly cooked seafood. A half is more than enough, but youll really be tempted to go for the whole. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sun.

The Best Stop Supermarket

615 Highway 93 N., Scott, (337) 233-5805; beststopinscott.com

Scott, on the westside of Lafayette, is only about 45 minutes up Highway 90 from New Iberia, and by this point, your next meal is probably the last thing on your mind. Thats cool, because The Best Stop is why you should bring a cooler on this trip. The market sells all kinds of high-quality sausages, specialty meats and Cajun seasonings, so browse the coolers and pick up some hog head cheese and boudin to bring home with you. But on the way out, grab some cracklings for the road as you head toward Opelousas. Open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sun.

Billys Boudin & Cracklin

904 Short Vine St., Opelousas, (337) 942-9150; billysboudincracklin.com

As youre heading north on I-49, make a pitstop in Opelousas for the big boudin balls at Billys Boudin & Cracklin. A larger meat market, Billys has a few locations in Acadiana, but the Opelousas store is just off the interstate toward Alexandria, and the boudin is worth the quick stop. Of course, you can get their boudin the traditional links way, but Billys offers a few alternatives: hefty boudin balls made with pepper jack cheese, boudin rollups (kinda like an eggroll) and crawfish boudin pistolettes. Grab a bag o balls and head back for the Interstate. Open 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat., 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sun.

Leas Lunchroom

1810 Highway 71 S., Lecompte, (318) 776-5178; leaslunchroom.com

Leas Lunchroom  with its succinct pies and baked ham sign out front  has been a central Louisiana institution since 1928 and is the reason why Lecompte was named the Pie Capital of Louisiana. The family-run restaurant has nine different types of pie, from pecan and chocolate to apple and cherry. End your day trip with a ham sandwich for an early dinner  or breakfast if youre staying the night in nearby Alexandria  and a couple of pieces of pie. Open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sun.
BANGKOK (Reuters) - A mass trial began in Thailand on Monday for activists accused of sedition and insulting the powerful monarchy at a major protest last year, one of a series of mass demonstrations against the country's military-backed establishment.

The 22 demonstrators deny charges of committing sedition and a litany of other offences, which includes lese majeste in section 112 of the Thai criminal code, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison for each count.

"They can lock me up but they cannot lock up the truth," protest leader Parit "Penguin" Chiwarak shouted as he arrived in a prison truck, defiantly flashing the three-finger "Hunger Games" salute synonymous with the youth movement.

"The truth is always the truth whether in prison, under torture or awaiting execution, the truth is the truth," said Parit, 22, who is among seven defendants held in pre-trial detention accused of sedition and insulting King Maha Vajiralongkorn during two protests in September.

Parit later announced he would go on hunger strike until he and his friends were granted bail.

How long the trial will last is not known and the judge adjourned proceedings until March 29, defence lawyer Krisadang Nutcharat told Reuters.

The court could not be reached for comment but during earlier indictment processes it has denied multiple bail requests for the seven on the grounds that could re-offend by holding more protests.

Thailand's youth movement has posed the biggest challenge so far to prime minister and former coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha, who they say engineered a process that would preserve the political status quo and keep him in power after a 2019 election. Prayuth has rejected that.

Protesters also broke a traditional taboo by demanding reform of the monarchy, saying the constitution drafted by the military after the 2014 coup gives the king too much power.

(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Martin Petty)
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

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Duke University Imposes Stay-In-Place Order for Undergraduates, Cites Party-Linked COVID-19 Surge

Duke University on Saturday imposed a week long stay-at-home order for all of its undergraduate students, citing a surge in CCP virus cases on campus that it says is caused by students who attended recruitment parties.

Just days after the state reopened schools, three leaders of the Durham, North Carolina-based university issued a letter to students outlining the order that requires undergraduates to stay-in-place until at least 9 a.m. on March 21.

The letter warns that students who are flagrant or repeat violators may be punished with suspension or dismissal from the university.

The letter notes that in the space of seven days, more than 180 students tested positive for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus and a further 200 students were in quarantine because they may have been exposed to an infected person.

This is by far the largest one-week number of positive tests and quarantines since the start of the pandemic, wrote John Blackshear, the dean of students; Gary Bennett, the vice provost of undergraduate education; and Mary Pat McMahon, the vice provost of student affairs.

They noted that the recent outbreak was principally driven by students attending recruitment parties for selective living groups.

Duke University spokesman Michael Schoenfeld said in a statement that the recent COVID-19 cases are almost all linked to unsanctioned fraternity recruitment events that took place off campus and are the direct result of individual behavior in violation of Dukes requirements for in-person activity.

According to Dukes policy, student gatherings are limited to 10 people indoors or outdoors, unless specially approved by the Student Events Policy Committee.

Those who are found responsible for organizing and hosting these events will be held accountable through the student conduct process, he added.

If this feels serious, its because it is, the three leaders wrote in their March 13 letter. This stay-in-place period is strongly recommended by our medical experts. This action is necessary to contain the rapidly escalating number of COVID cases among Duke undergraduates.

Several restrictions are now in effect on campus for undergraduates, according to the letter, including shifting all classes online, with limited exceptions, prohibiting the use of laboratories, libraries, and common campus spaces, except for essential activities.

Undergraduates must remain in their hall room or apartment at all times except for essential activities related to food, health, or safety, the letter states. Students living off-campus are not permitted on campus, except to participate in surveillance testing, seek medical care or pick up grab-and-go food orders.

Further, for undergraduates returning from travel, two negative surveillance tests are now required.

The restriction of student movementcoupled with a renewed dedication to following social distancing, masking, symptom monitoring and other public health guidelinesgives us the best path toward curtailing further spread, the letter states.

Violations of these requirements will be considered a violation of the Duke Compact and will be treated as such; flagrant and repeated violations will be grounds for suspension or withdrawal from Duke.

Our ability to complete the semester, commencement for our seniors, and the health and safety of our community, including your fellow undergraduate students, is hanging in the balance. Now more than ever we NEED you to come together as a Duke community to meet this challenge together. We know you can do it, Blackshear, Bennett, and McMahon added.

The university said it would continue to monitor the situation and would provide updates on March 18. It also said that it is investigating the events and parties linked to the recent cases.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 15)  The Philippine General Hospital is treating more COVID-19 patients with severe health conditions, some of them needing intubation to help them breathe, its spokesperson Jonas del Rosario said on Monday.

There are 134 COVID-19 patients currently admitted in the government hospital, 30 of which have severe symptoms. Del Rosario said they are seeing more severe COVID-19 cases compared to last year.

"When you are in the ICU, you are in a critical condition, you are intubated, getting other procedures like chemo profusion, dialysis, and all that. About 50% are moderate. Another 20% are severe, where they need high-flow oxygen," he told CNN Philippines.

The spokesman also said they are monitoring three patients who were detected with the more transmissible South Africa variant.

PGH is not yet in need of a "timeout" as their healthcare workers can still manage the number of patients. But del Rosario admitted that they could soon be overwhelmed if the admissions in other hospitals continue to rise and patients are transferred to their hospital. He said they may ask the national government to implement a stricter community quarantine status if all hospitals in the region reach 100% capacity or if there is a shortage of medical workers treating COVID-19 patients.

The OCTA Research Group issued a more grim projection for the new COVID-19 cases in the country amid continuous spike in coronavirus infections. The independent research group monitoring the pandemic in the country said on Sunday that new cases nationwide may jump to 8,000 in a day by month-end if the highly transmissible virus is not contained. This may shoot up to around 17,000 to 18,000 by mid-April.
The most recent data, which is as of April 15 and denotes when cases were reported, cites a total of 34 adults and 19 children with actionable cases, meaning they were present in a school during a period when they could have been contagious. The previous week saw 40 adult and 18 student cases.
Indeed, as the Erie County clerk, she was a vocal opponent of efforts to offer drivers licenses to immigrants without legal status. As a member of Congress, she received an A rating from the National Rifle Association, though over the years she has said that her views on both matters have changed, and, her allies note, she has long been supportive of other top Democratic priorities, including abortion rights.
Standard Chartered announces the signing for a EUR 55 million funding with the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Ghana (MoF Ghana, the Borrower) of a road infrastructure supported by an Export Credit Agency (ECA).



Working closely with Exportkreditnamnden1 (EKN, the Swedish ECA) and Swedish Export Credit Corporation2 (SEK), Standard Chartereds project financing will fund the asphalt overlay of 100km of feeder roads in Tamale, Walewale, Nalerigu, Gambaga, Damongo, and Yendi (each towns in the Northern Region of Ghana).



The financing transaction provides a significant contribution to the Ghanaian Governments commitment for major investments in road transportation infrastructure, and alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 93 (SDG) concerning industry, innovation and infrastructure.



The road infrastructure project will help considerably the Governments efforts to boost the socio-economic development of the countrys urban and rural communities by providing easier access to healthcare, education, employment and other social services. Tamales road network project is being developed by a Swedish EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contractor, QG Konstruktion AB (QGMI, SCB client), and will help improve regional networks in the Northern Region and consequently increase the flow of business, agricultural trade and market access.



Desislava Radeva, Director, Structured Export Finance, Standard Chartered Bank, said: We are extremely proud to reinforce our position as a reliable bank of choice to Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Ghana and to enhance our collaboration with EKN and SEK by closing this landmark infrastructure financing during such challenging times.



1 The Swedish Export Credit Agency is commissioned by the government to promote Swedish exports and the internationalisation of Swedish companies. Website: https://www.ekn.se/en/



2 https://www.sek.se/en/



3 https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/infrastructure-industrialization/



INTERNAL



Mansa Nettey, Chief Executive, Standard Chartered Bank Ghana Plc said: This transaction stays true to Standard Chartereds brand promise, Here for good, and underscores our proficiency and capacity to provide solutions that contribute to Ghanas socio-economic development. The Bank has operated in Ghana for 125 years and will continue to be a conduit for long term project and infrastructure financing that help Ghana achieve its Sustainable Development Goals.



Maria Mattsson, senior underwriter at EKN, said: EKN's mission is to enable financing of the purchase of Swedish high-quality equipment. It is particularly rewarding that EKN has participated in this important project.



Marcio Jordao, Structured and Export Finance Director at QGMI, said: Our participation once again reaffirms QGMIs commitment with Ghana. This project, developed with the important support of Standard Chartered Bank, EKN and SEK, will promote the growth of the region economy and a better quality of life for the local population.



This transaction marks another significant ECA-supported term facility arranged by Standard Chartered Bank and signed with MoF Ghana during 2020. It follows the Banks EUR 78 million UKEF-supported financing for the construction of a new regional hospital in Koforidua, Ghana4 (developed by a UK EPC contractor, J.V. Tyllium-Ellipse UK Ltd).





Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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

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A generous gift from two Ohio-based senior executives at Merrill Lynch with Miami ties is now providing access to Barrons news, insights and resources free of charge.

Miami grad Teri Engle, CFP, Senior VP - Wealth Management Advisor, King Engle Group at Merrill Lynch combined forces with Liz Armitage, another ML Wealth Management Advisor to fund the program for Farmer School students. At Merrill Lynch I work with families to implement a customized financial plan based on their unique circumstances and life goals. Ive seen firsthand how financial acumen can enhance clients' lives and help them achieve financial wellness. Barrons has provided investors and their advisors with insightful research for decades. Its my hope that this program can serve as a foundation of financial knowledge for students. Additionally it is my hope that more females and diverse students will become interested in the financial services industry.

My Dad was a Miami grad, both my mom and sister attended Miami, and my son Durham Colohan just graduated in 20. Personal experiences make me love and honor Miami and want to support the University. In particular, I would like to support education in finance, students who may be interested in a career in this field, and the Farmer School of Business itself which plays such an important role in teaching and exposing students to opportunities in this area.



"It is a natural fit for Teri and me, given our positions as Financial Advisors in Wealth Management at Merrill Lynch, to share our knowledge and to team with the outstanding Barrons organization and sponsor their Barrons In Education program, added Elizabeth Armitage, CFP, Managing Director, Wealth Management Advisor, Knowles Armitage Lucas Group, Merrill Lynch.

Joe Lanza, Director of Financial Education at Barrons Group, explains why the program was created, Our national program introduces business students to financial executives, global markets, and real-time financial news. It promotes financial proficiency by connecting textbook theory to real world analysis and exposes students to an array of business careers.



Farmer School dean and Mitchell P. Rales Chair in Business Leadership Jenny Darroch concluded, The Finance department at the Farmer School of Business has the most majors of any department within Miami University, and this incredible gift will provide them, and all our students, with a valuable resource for enhanced financial acumen, insights and news. We are grateful to Elizabeth, Teri and Merrill Lynch for their sponsorship and foresight in thinking outside the box to ensure that our students are beyond ready to become tomorrows leaders.
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US Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called alliances "force multipliers" for Washington adding that working with allies is "critical" to push back against China's aggression.

Blinken and Austin writing in The Washington Post on Sunday said that they wanted "to lay out why alliances are vital to our national security and how they deliver for the American people."

Citing China's example, the two secretaries said that some countries are seeking to challenge the order and slammed Beijing for being "all too willing to use coercion to get its way."

"Not all countries share this vision. Some seek to challenge the order -- that is, the rules, values and institutions that reduce conflict and make cooperation possible among nations. As countries in the region and beyond know, China, in particular, is all too willing to use coercion to get its way. Here again, we see how working with our allies is critical," the Secretaries of State and Defense wrote.

The two secretaries said that the US along with its allies would hold China accountable for its gross human rights violations in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

"Our combined power makes us stronger when we must push back against China's aggression and threats. Together, we will hold China accountable when it abuses human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet, systematically erodes autonomy in Hong Kong, undercuts democracy in Taiwan or asserts maritime claims in the South China Sea that violate international law. If we don't act decisively and lead, Beijing will," they wrote.

"That will be our message in Asia this week and throughout the world in the weeks and months ahead," they concluded.

China has been rebuked globally for cracking down on Uyghur Muslims by sending them to mass detention camps, interfering in their religious activities and sending members of the community to undergo some form of forcible re-education or indoctrination.

Beijing, on the other hand, has vehemently denied that it is engaged in human rights abuses against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang while reports from journalists, NGOs and former detainees have surfaced, highlighting the Chinese Communist Party's brutal crackdown on the ethnic community.

Meanwhile, China imposed the draconian National Security Law in Hong Kong in July, last year, which criminalises secession, subversion, and collusion with foreign forces and carries with it strict prison terms. Since its implementation, several pro-democracy lawmakers have been arrested.

The two secretaries further wrote, "From his first day on the job, President Biden has emphasized America's reengagement with the world, because it's critical for us to meet the global challenges of our time. The United States is now making a big push to revitalize our ties with friends and partners -- both in one-to-one relationships and in multilateral institutions -- and to recommit to our shared goals, values and responsibilities."

The article comes as the first overseas Cabinet-level visits are scheduled for this week to Japan and South Korea.

"Our alliances are what our military calls "force multipliers." We're able to achieve far more with them than we could without them. No country on Earth has a network of alliances and partnerships like ours. It would be a huge strategic error to neglect these relationships," Blinken and Austin wrote.

"It's not only our one-to-one ties that are valuable. We're also focused on revitalizing the relationships between and among our allies. As the president has said, the world is at an inflection point. A fundamental debate is underway about the future -- and whether democracy or autocracy offers the best path forward. It's up to us and other democracies to come together and show the world that we can deliver -- for our people and for each other," they added.

The two secretaries in their opinion article further wrote that the alliances with Japan and South Korea contribute to the US's and the world's "security and prosperity," including when it comes to determining the best response to threats from North Korea, global security issues, climate change, cybersecurity and health security.

"As President Biden has said, the United States will lead with diplomacy, because it's the most effective way to meet the challenges we face today, few of which can be solved by us acting alone," Blinken and Austin stated.

"At the same time, we will maintain the world's most powerful armed forces, because that's a core source of our national -- and collective -- strength. And we will work hard to renew our alliances and ensure they're fit for purpose to address the threats and opportunities of our time," they said.

Austin will be visiting three nations - India, Japan and South Korea in the Indo-Pacific region to discuss the strengthening of existing partnerships and alliances there, read the US Department of Defense release.

In both Japan and Korea, the Secretary of Defence will be accompanied by Blinken during meetings with government officials.

(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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'Luck Of The Irish' Downtown Bingo Shopping Event This Week Hillsboro Main Street's first downtown Hillsboro event of 2021 will take place Wednesday, March 17 through Saturday, March 20, with the Luck of the Irish Downtown Bingo.



Sixteen downtown businesses will be participating, and shoppers must spend at least $10 at four different businesses to complete a bingo on their card.



Cards will be available in participating businesses and for download on the website at www.hillsboromainstreet.org/bingo. A full list of participating businesses and links to their websites are available on the bingo website.



Shoppers will be asked to visit the site and upload their completed card along with pictures of their receipts to confirm purchases. Shoppers may also email pictures of their completed cards and receipts to cmoore@hillsborotx.org.



Each participating business has donated one item to the grand prize basket. The grand prize basket will be hosted at Lemon Blush Boutique beginning Tuesday, March 16, for those who would like to view it.



Completed bingo cards must be entered by noon Monday, March 22, and there will be a live drawing at 6 p.m. Monday, March 22 on the Main Street Facebook page for the grand prize.



Each bingo equals one entry. A blackout would equal 10 entries.



"We have tried to make this event as safe as possible by spreading it out over four days," said Hillsboro Main Street Manager Chris Moore. "Please observe all safety measures required by each business."


New Delhi: After a gap of over two and a half years, the Indus Water commissioners of India and Pakistan will meet in New Delhi from March 23 to 24.

Under the Indus water treaty, the commissioners are required to meet annually to discuss issues pertaining to the agreement. The last such meet happened in Lahore in August 2018.

This is the 116th meeting of the Indus Water Commissioners which alternates between the two countries.

The Indian side will be led by Indian Commissioner for Indus Waters Pradeep Kumar Saxena, while the Pakistan side will be led by its Indus Water commissioner Syed Muhammad Meher Ali Shah.

In a break from tradition, no talks were held last year for the first time since the treaty came into effect in 1960, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking to Zee News, Pradeep Saxena said, "We are committed towards full utilisation of Indias rights under the Treaty and believe in amicable solution of issues through discussion."

Confirming that during the meeting, Pakistans objections to the design of Indian hydropower projects on the Chenab River will be discussed, he explained that a "resolution will be reached on these issues. Both the Commissioners will also finalise the program of tours of the Commission on either side as well as a schedule of meetings for the forthcoming year."

A number of routine matters will be discussed including data sharing. The Indian side has suggested the meeting, with Pakistan agreeing to it. Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudri has also confirmed the meeting, with the Pakistan delegation set to visit New Delhi.

The meeting comes in the backdrop of Indian and Pakistani forces issuing a joint statement and agreeing to observe the 2003 ceasefire pact at the Line of control. The India Pakistan Indus water talks will see both sides sitting with each other for the first time since the 2019 developments such as the Pulwama terror attack and the removal of special status for the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Under the Indus water treaty of 1960, waters of three eastern Rivers - Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi, which stands at around 3 million acre-feet ( MAF) is allocated to India for unrestricted use while the waters of three western rivers - Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab amounting to around 135 MAF annually goes to Pakistan.

The treaty also says that New Delhi has the right to generate hydroelectricity through the run of the river projects on the three western rivers which is subject to specific criteria for design and operation. Pakistan can, under the treaty, raise objections on the design of Indian hydroelectric projects on western rivers.

Pakistan, being a lower riparian state has objected to certain Indian projects on Chenab, that it is expected to raise during the upcoming meeting. Last March, a meeting was scheduled in Delhi but did not happen due to COVID-19. India had proposed a virtual meet in July 2020 but Islamabad was keen to hold it at Attari check post, but this also could not happen due to the pandemic.
(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 15 - Winter is set to return to Italy this week with snow on northern plains and at low altitude in the centre and south and strong Arctic winds sweeping the country, forecasters said Monday.

Icy gales will build up to full steam on Thursday and be followed by an Arctic vortex which will bring wintry conditions to most parts Friday, they said.

Cold, driving rain will also hit the peninsula, hardest in Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio and Campania.

The forecasters said it will be a typical "sting in winter's tail" after a relatively mild and sunny patch recently.

Spring flowers have been blooming early of late in many parts.

(ANSA).


WASHINGTON  Central Valley Rep. Josh Harder pulled off an upset to defeat a Republican in the 2018 election, but in 2020 he did something more impressive: He won again.

Harder was one of only a handful of swing-seat Democrats to survive last years elections, which ended with a sharply reduced House majority for the party.

Harder, 34, and those who know him credit his success to focusing on issues that matter to his district and efforts at bipartisanship. Democrats hope he can serve as a model for their candidates in next years midterms, which historically are rough for the presidents party.

But Harder also benefited last year from a weak Republican challenger in his first re-election campaign, raising questions about whether his success can be repeated, by him or by colleagues.

Harder brushes aside Democrats internal debate over whether the best political strategy is to tack moderate or go big on progressive goals while they can.

Ultimately, over the next two years, people are going to judge us not by, Were there progressive wins, were there moderate wins, who had the best dunk on Twitter?  the Turlock (Stanislaus County) Democrat said in an interview. People are going to judge us by whether or not their lives are getting better over the next few years. And if they dont, then were going to lose big in 2022, and were going to deserve it.

Since arriving in Congress, Harder has kept a relatively low profile. In the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection, Harder felt it necessary to remind the internet that he is not Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, who cheered the pro-Trump protesters who later invaded the Capitol. Harder said he received hateful messages intended for Hawley.

Harders issues arent necessarily the kind that will resonate beyond his 10th Congressional District. He carried a bill dealing with the nutria, a large invasive rodent plaguing Central Valley waterways, and displayed a taxidermied swamp rat on the House floor to raise support.

He also brought home money for water projects for the Central Valley, sometimes working with San Rafael Rep. Jared Huffman, a progressive who often clashes even with inland Democrats on issues pitting water storage versus the environment. Huffman praised Harder as smart and pragmatic, with an instinct for finding common ground.

Harders office calculates that he has the highest percentage of bills with bipartisan backing of any member of Congress, at 90%. The independent GovTrack ranked him 16th among first-term House lawmakers in getting members of the other party to sign on to his bills.

One of the Republicans Harder has worked with is Texas Rep. Van Taylor  they have co-sponsored each others bills and are both members of the Houses Problem Solvers Caucus, which brands itself as centrist.

Hes committed to solutions, Taylor said. Hes very focused, very disciplined, very scheduled and just works very hard. And you see that when you catch him  and I do catch him occasionally  hes always in between things.

Harder defeated Republican Rep. Jeff Denham in 2018 after a campaign built on grassroots mobilizing. Harders family goes back five generations in his district, and he graduated from Modesto High School before going on to Stanford, Harvard Business School and a stint in venture capital in Menlo Park. He bolstered his local roots with an army of volunteers and donors from the Bay Area and beyond, which helped him develop a strong ground game. Combined with the anti-Donald Trump wave across the country, Harder pulled off the upset.

Alex Edelman / Getty Images 2018

In 2020, however, the coronavirus pandemic forced Harder to rethink how to reach voters in his largely rural district. He turned to a mix of technology and innovation, holding phone-in and drive-in town halls, Facebook lives and drive-through office hours.

We built up the record of independent, local, effective leadership that people are hungering for, and then we had to find a way to get that message out and communicate with folks, Harder said.

To mimic the sense of community fostered by in-person campaigning, Harder arranged Zoom sessions by locality so volunteers were grouped with neighbors.

A lot of campaigns just eschewed in-person organizing, and I think that was a mistake, Harder said.

He was also gifted with a weak Republican opponent, Ted Howze, a Turlock veterinarian who turned out to have a history of bigoted social media posts against Muslims and immigrants. Harder carried the district by a wider margin than Joe Bidens victory there over Trump.

Alex Edelman / Getty Images 2018

Meredith Kelly, who has worked in communications with House Democrats campaign committee, said Harder recognized that what lawmakers do in the years between elections matters as much as the year theyre on the ballot.

He certainly built up a big war chest, Kelly said, and focused on ... getting local clips and citations to document the service he was providing his constituents.

As for the fatally flawed candidate against him, Kelly said some of that was a credit to Harders fundraising and constituent work.

It makes (Republican) recruitment hard, which leads you directly to Ted Howze, Kelly said.

The question for Harder is whether he can repeat in 2022. The presidents party historically loses House seats in the midterms, and Harder is already on the list of top targets for Republicans.

Thomas Holyoke, a political science professor at Fresno State, said successful Central Valley politicians focus on local issues like water, immigration, environmental quality and housing rather than national topics that move voters in some other swing districts.

Stephen Routh, a political science professor at Cal State Stanislaus, said Harder benefited last year from a common bounce for incumbents, but that he built on that advantage by working his district.

Harder has been very adept, very skilled and very sharp in coming home consistently and communicating with the voters and building a high level of trust, Routh said.

Harder said he will continue to focus on reaching out to House Republicans, although perhaps not those who voted against recognizing Bidens victory after the Jan. 6 insurrection.

We want a responsible Republican Party, Harder said. The question is, how do we go from here and how do we really strengthen the voice of Republicans who we may have disagreement with on the issues but are at least committed to the ideals of democracy?

With a razor-thin majority for Democrats in Congress, bipartisan cooperation will be necessary to get virtually anything to Bidens desk. That gives centrists such as Harder outsized power.

The worst thing that can happen is going through the next two years with most Americans feeling like there wasnt an impact on their daily lives, Harder said. That would be a disaster.

Tal Kopan is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan
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Toronto Cardinal demands churches be treated fairly after film crew gets more access to church than funeral

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The head of the Archdiocese of Toronto has demanded that Ontario province stop imposing stricter guidelines on houses of worship than secular entities.

Cardinal Thomas Collins sent out a call to action last week denouncing how the government has imposed stricter limits on houses of worship for in-person gatherings than secular businesses.

Collins gave an example of a movie production crew that was allowed to have around 50 people filming in a church basement hall while a funeral at the same facility was limited to 10 attendees.

I do not believe that our elected officials and medical officers of health consciously intend to suppress religious freedom; I realize that they are in an extremely difficult position. We do, however, ask to be treated equitably, wrote Collins.

The province has relaxed restrictions in Grey (Lockdown) regions, with retailers permitted to operate at 25 percent capacity. Yet places of worship, regardless of whether they seat 100 or 1,000 people, must remain at a hard cap of 10 people.

Collins said it makes no sense that funeral at St. Michaels Cathedral (capacity 1,500) will be capped at 10 people, while around the corner dozens can enter the local liquor store and thousands will visit the Eaton Centre.

I encourage all of you  to respectfully request that any restrictions for places of worship use a percentage of capacity as opposed to an arbitrary number, he continued.

We are still in the midst of fighting a pandemic and we must be prudent in our actions. Our strict WorshipSafe protocols in our churches have proven to be effective. Its time to address the growing inequities facing our faith communities.

The letter provided a link to a webpage where people can contact their Member of Provincial Parliament, which will also be shared with Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

As with the United States, many churches in Canada have taken issue with province-level restrictions on in-person gatherings, arguing that they violate their religious freedom.

Last November, Toronto International Celebration Church filed a lawsuit against the government challenging the provisions of the Reopening Ontario Act that restricted religious services.

According to the Notice of Application that the church filed last year, TICC has been following various public health guidelines, like spacing out attendees, wearing facemasks, and enhancing sanitizing practices.

The church does not dispute the wisdom of such measures and, with the sole exception of the impugned provision, supports their imposition notwithstanding their impact on the free exercise of religion, explained the notice.

The impugned provision represents a 99% reduction on the number of worshippers who may attend an in-person service at the church. For the church, the impugned provision represents a near total ban on in-person religious worship.
Armenia economic competition protection commission: Experts forecast inflation of butter prices

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AstraZeneca Plc is preparing to file for USemergency use authorisation (EUA) for its COVID-19 vaccine later this month or early April after accumulating enough data to judge the inoculation's efficacy, sources with knowledge of the ongoing clinical trial told Reuters on Friday.

The British drugmaker completed enrollment in its trial of more than 32,000 volunteers in January and now has data on at least 150 cases of COVID-19, two sources familiar with the trial told Reuters. The number of COVID-19 cases among those who got the vaccine versus infections in participants who received a placebo will show how effective the AstraZeneca shot was at preventing illness in those age 18 and over.

The AstraZeneca vaccine, developed in collaboration with Oxford University, has been authorised for use in the European Union and many countries but not yet by US regulators. "The US Phase III study results are necessary for the FDA's evaluation of an EUA request for our vaccine," a company spokeswoman said, without confirming trial details being reported by Reuters. "We expect data from our USPhase III trial to be available soon, in the coming weeks, and we plan to file for emergency use authorisation shortly thereafter."

Highly anticipated results from the US trial could help settle safety concerns arising over reports of serious blood clots in some vaccine recipients that have led several nations to pause administering the vaccine.

A World Health Organization expert advisory committee islooking into the matter. The data could also help determine what becomes of doses already sitting in US warehouses awaiting approval. The New York Times reported on Thursday that some countries have been asking to procure doses of the vaccine not currently being offered in the United States.

AstraZeneca said in February it expects its vaccine could receive US emergency use authorisation at the beginning of April and could immediately deliver 30 million doses to locations around the United States. In a Friday press briefing, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said the United States has a small inventory of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which it plans to keep and deploy to Americans should an EUA be granted.

The US stance could thwart AstraZeneca's efforts to come closer to delivering on its contractual obligation with the EU of 180 million doses in the second quarter. AstraZeneca told the EU earlier this year it would cut its supplies in the second quarter by at least half to less than 90 million doses, EU sources told Reuters, after a bigger reduction in the first three months of the year.

Also read: COVID-19 vaccine: Netherlands halts use of AstraZeneca jab amid blood clotting concerns

Also read: Sir Viv Richards thanks PM Modi for providing COVID-19 vaccines to Caribbean region
NEW YORK, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- France honored American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO David Harris today with one of the country's most prestigious awards. The ceremony took place at the French Consulate in New York City.

French Ambassador to the U.S. Philippe Etienne promoted Harris to the rank of Officer within the order of the Legion of Honor on behalf of President Emmanuel Macron in recognition of his "unwavering commitment to strengthening ties between the United States and France, his deep friendship for France, as well as his extraordinary work to combat antisemitism and hate speech  an effort highly valued by France."

The Legion of Honor is France's highest order of merit. In September 2005, Harris was inducted into the French Legion of Honor at a dinner hosted by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs. Today's ceremony elevated Harris from a Knight to Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honor.

"No other country on this planet, other than the U.S. and Israel, has had more of a direct impact on my life than France," said Harris. The son of Holocaust survivors, Harris recalled his family's personal connection to France, where his late father and mother first met as refugees from Austria and the Soviet Union. "France, which offered my parents a new start before the war, has loomed large in my life, essentially from day one," said Harris. "My father served in the French Foreign Legion before being imprisoned for three years in a French Vichy labor camp, my mother actively supported French war relief after arriving in America during the war, I grew up in a French-speaking home, and much of my family remained in France after the war."

He also spoke of AJC's longstanding engagement with the influential European nation over the past century. Since Harris became AJC CEO in 1990, those ties have expanded and deepened. AJC maintains two offices in France, AJC Paris and AJC Europe, which oversees the global advocacy organization's seven posts across the continent.

Harris noted the direct link between AJC's presence in France today to the 1950s and 1960s, when Georges Levitte served as an AJC representative in Paris, and whose son, Jean-David Levitte, was in recent years France's ambassador to the UN and the U.S., and diplomatic advisor to the French president. Levitte, in written messages, called Harris a "a true friend of France" and the honor bestowed on him "a great moment of tribute to the key actor of the American Jewish community."

"We at the American Jewish Committee shall continue to attach the highest priority to engaging with France and its leaders on many issues of mutual concern  often in agreement, sometimes in disagreement, always in friendship," said Harris.

Etienne said that under Harris's leadership AJC has become "one of the most influential" Jewish organizations in the world. "You have maintained a lively and open dialogue with the French government over the past decade and a half, with each of its successive administrations and ambassadors. And in recent years, you have always stood by my country when it was vulnerable, notably when it was the victim of terrorist attacks."

Today's honor, Etienne added, reaffirms France's "gratitude because your commitment to the struggle against antisemitism, which the government of France considers a national priority as well, has not wavered."

"You are a national and international treasure. France owes you a lot and I personally owe you a lot," said Francois Delattre, Secretary General of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, who first met Harris in 2004, when he was Consul General of France in New York. He said Harris is a "real source of inspiration" for three reasons  never compromising on fighting antisemitism, standing up for Israel's security, and defending democratic values.

French Consul General in New York Jeremie Robert hosted the event.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


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Italian prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation today after a music teacher died on Sunday - a day after receiving AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine.

The judiciary in Biella, in northern Italy, opened a preliminary probe into the death of 57-year-old Sandro Tognatti, whose cause of death remains unknown. They stressed that there is no link to AstraZeneca's vaccine at this stage and the probe is intended to establish whether anyone has a case to answer.

It came as Italians woke up to fresh lockdown restrictions today, with 13 of the country's 20 regions now in a 'red zone' meaning schools, restaurants, shops and museums have to close, and people cannot leave their homes except for work, health or other essential reasons.

Another seven regions have been declared 'orange zones', meaning shops and beauticians can remain open except during a night-time curfew, while all other venues have to close and travel outside the local area is restricted. Just one region, Sardinia, is in a lockdown-free 'white zone'.

Italy also temporarily banned the use of all AstraZeneca vaccines amid fears it causes blood clots, with France and Germany also enacting bans and saying they are waiting for European regulators to give guidance.

The European Medicines Agency said last week that there is no reason to halt use of the jab and that 'the benefits outweigh the risks of side effects', but its investigation is continuing and another report is due Thursday.

It comes after Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria also suspended the jabs. Austria, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have impounded one batch of vaccines thought to be linked to clots.

It is just the latest episode in a long-running saga between EU countries and drug-maker AstraZeneca over its vaccine, which has seen ministers accuse the company of nationalism, impose export bans on its jabs, wrongly claim it is not effective in over-65s and reopen old wounds with recently-departed Brexit Britain.

Italian prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation into the death of Sandro Tognatti, 57, a music teacher who died on Sunday a day after getting AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine - though officials say there is currently no evidence of a link

Italy has imposed new lockdown measures starting today, with a majority of the country placed in new 'red zones' where all shops except essential ones shuttered and travel outside the home restricted (pictured, Rome is deserted due to lockdown)

Venice was near-empty on Monday with its famous gondolas idle as new lockdown measures came into force, with only one region of the whole country - Sardinia - remaining lockdown-free

People pass Milan's famous Duomo as the region is plunged into the strictest Covid lockdown measures starting from today

People walk past closed bars and restaurants as Rome becomes a 'red zone', going into lockdown

Carabinieri police officers stop a car at a road block near St Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, as Rome goes into lockdown

Paris is also teetering on the brink of new restrictions with patients evacuated from its overflowing intensive care units after space ran out amid rising cases

Infection rates in the UK, in pink, compare favourably with many of the countries which have suspended their use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and are also lower than in France or Germany

Europe is presiding over one of the world's slowest jabs roll-outs which has left people vulnerable to infection, while the UK has masterminded one of the world's fastest, with Covid cases and deaths now falling sharply

ITALY: Tougher restrictions are coming in today to stem a rise in infections, almost a year exactly after Italy became the first country to impose a nationwide stay-at-home order

Many EU countries are seeing cases rise again with vaccines still coming too slowly to protect large chunks of the population against sickness and death

Indonesia delays roll-out of AstraZeneca jabs Indonesia has become the second Asian nation to delay its roll-out of AstraZeneca jabs amid fears over blood clots. Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin announced the move on Monday, after Thailand announced similar measures last week. 'To be conservative, (Indonesian health regulators) are delaying the implementation of AstraZeneca while waiting for confirmation from WHO,' he said. AstraZeneca is one of just a handful of coronavirus vaccines being rolled out globally - and as one of the cheapest on the market is crucial to ensuring poorer countries have access to the jab. Indonesia, the world's fourth most-populous nation, received 1.1 million doses of the AstraZeneca jab this month with another 10 million more expected by late April. So far, the sprawling archipelago has been relying on a jab developed by China's Sinovac as it rolls out an ambitious plan to inoculate more than 181 million of its nearly 270 million people within a year. Indonesia is one of the hardest-hit countries in Asia with more than 1.4 million infections and nearly 39,000 deaths, although the true toll is thought to be higher. Advertisement

Europe's move to ban the jabs also comes despite a third wave of Covid infections building on the continent, with leaders forced to reimpose lockdowns because large portions of their populations remain unprotected.

Doctors in Germany warned the country needs an 'immediate' return to lockdown to avoid a 'strong third wave', just weeks after measures started easing.

Paris was also teetering on the brink of tougher measures after intensive care units there overflowed, forcing hospital to evacuate Covid patients by helicopter to neighbouring regions where beds are available.

Covid cases are also rising sharply across other European countries including the likes of Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, the Netherlands and Sweden.

It comes after one health worker died and three more got sick from clots shortly after taking the vaccine, though the European Medicines Authority, the World Health Organization and AstraZeneca all insist the vaccine is safe.

Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon both threw their weight behind the jab on Monday, insisting it is safe and effective, while leaders in France and Italy also gave their backing.

The ban in the Netherlands comes as voters deliver their verdict on the country's coronavirus response on the first of three days of balloting in a snap election, weeks after a curfew led to several nights of rioting in major cities.

While Dutch authorities said it was 'wise to press the pause button now as a precaution', a series of top UK officials have rejected fears over the Oxford jab, saying the risks of Covid-19 are greater than those of vaccination.

In Ireland, health officials said there had been a 'small number of reports' of blood clots but none of them as serious as those described in Norway.

Irish authorities had recently been pushing AstraZeneca to speed up its vaccine supplies to the Republic, where 117,500 doses of the jab have been used so far.

A government plan to speed up the roll-out anticipates around 50,000 people per week getting the AstraZeneca shot from April to June.

Ronan Glynn, Ireland's deputy chief medical officer, said he hoped the delay would last only a week - with lockdown exit plans depending on the vaccine drive.

'We have a safety signal and when we get those we have to act and proceed on the basis of a precautionary principle,' he said.

'So hopefully, as this week goes on, we'll get more reassuring data from the EMA and we can recommence the programme.

'It may be nothing, we may be overreacting, and I sincerely hope that in a week's time we are accused of being overcautious.'

Meanwhile the UK has brushed off the concerns on the continent, with ministers saying that 'all is well' after the tally of people with a first dose passed 24million.

The carabinieri patrol the streets of Rome, which are almost deserted, on Monday as most of Italy is plunged into a new lockdown which is due to last until at least Easter

A municipal police car patrols on the deserted Piazza di Spagna in Rome, as three-quarters of Italians enter a strict lockdown

A man rides a bicycle in Via del Corso, in central Rome, after the city was placed under strict Covid restrictions

A man wearing a mask walks through St. Mark's Square in Venice which is typically heaving with tourists at this time of year after the region was placed back into lockdown

An Italian Carabinieri officer checks the documents of a driver as Rome becomes a 'red zone', going into lockdown

Dr Phil Bryan, a safety expert at the UK's medicines regulator (MHRA), said that 'people should still go and get their Covid-19 vaccine when asked to do so'.

'We are closely reviewing reports but given the large number of doses administered, and the frequency at which blood clots can occur naturally, the evidence available does not suggest the vaccine is the cause,' he said.

Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chairman of the UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said there was 'no demonstrable difference' in the number of blood clots between the general population and AstraZeneca recipients.

He told BBC Breakfast: 'We have to remember that there are 3,000 blood clots a month on average in the general population and because we're immunising so many people, we are bound to see blood clots at the same time as the vaccination, and that's not because they are due to the vaccination.

'One ought to also remember that Covid causes blood clots. So, the risks of not having the Covid vaccination far outweigh the risks from the vaccinations.'

Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford vaccine group, said there were 'huge risks' from Covid and 'if we have no vaccination and we come out of lockdown in this country, we will expect tens of thousands of more deaths to occur' in 2021.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that there was 'very reassuring evidence that there is no increase in a blood clot phenomenon here in the UK, where most of the doses in Europe been given so far'.

The WHO similarly rejected concerns on Friday, saying there was no reason not to keep using the AstraZeneca shot.

A patient is loaded into a helicopter at a hospital in Paris after it ran out of beds amid rising coronavirus infections in the city

Medical staff use a gurney to transport a patient to a waiting ambulance at a hospital in Angers, France, after they arrived from Paris where hospitals have run out of intensive care beds

A cyclist crosses the empty Piazza Navona square in central Rome after the city was plunged back into lockdown

Municipal police control drivers at Piazza Venezia square in central Rome as new lockdown measures come into force today

FRANCE: Infections have climbed to their highest levels since a November lockdown despite a weeks-long curfew intended to ward off a third complete shutdown

People walk through a park in Rome on Monday as the city entered a new Covid lockdown, with movement outside of the home except for essential reasons banned

People walk on the steps of Capitol hill as Rome entered a Covid 'red zone', with most activities banned to keep cases down

Carabinieri police officers check veichles at a road block in Rome to ensure people are not venturing outside their local area

A man buys a takeaway coffee from a shop in Rome which is allowed to keep offering takeaway under new lockdown rules

GERMANY: Cases are rising again in a trend blamed on the British variant, complicating efforts to lift a weeks-long lockdown which has drained public faith in the government's response

Norway said on Saturday that it had received reports of people 'bleeding under the skin' after receiving the shot, warning it could be a sign of low blood platelet counts.

The Nordic country suspended the AstraZeneca jab on Thursday and has since revealed that three more people have been treated in hospital for blood clots or brain haemorrhages soon after their vaccination.

But it said there was no proof of a link between the vaccine and the reported blood clots, which are now being probed by the country's medicines agency.

Dutch authorities blamed Norway's findings in part for their own decision to pause AstraZeneca vaccines, saying they were taking a 'precautionary measure pending further investigation'.

'The crucial question is whether these are complaints after or because of the vaccination,' Dutch health minister Hugo de Jonge said in a statement.

'We still need to be careful, so it is wise to press the pause button now as a precaution.'

No similar cases are currently known in the Netherlands, the ministry said, but it advised people who had received the vaccine to contact their doctor if they develop 'unexpected and/or unknown' symptoms after three days.

Austria has separately suspended the use of one batch of AstraZeneca vaccines after a 49-year-old nurse died of 'severe blood coagulation problems'.

Several others including Estonia, Latvia and Luxembourg have also suspended the use of vaccines from the so-called ABV5300 batch, a shipment of one million doses which was sent to 17 European countries.

Italy's Piedmont region meanwhile banned a separate batch, ABV5811, on Sunday after a teacher died following his vaccination the previous day.

The region had initially suspended all AstraZeneca vaccines until it tracked down the batch in question, which is now being probed by safety experts.

'It is an act of extreme prudence, while we verify whether there is a connection. There have been no critical issues with the administration of vaccines to date,' Luigi Genesio Icardi, head of regional health services, said in a statement.

But EU safety experts found last week that there was 'no indication' of a faulty batch, saying a problem with the Austrian shipment was 'considered unlikely'.

For its part, AstraZeneca says it has found no increased risk of blood clot conditions in its analysis of 17million administered doses.

The company says that the numbers of blood clots 'are lower than the number that would have occurred naturally in the unvaccinated population'.

Covid cases are also rising in the Czech Republic where the government tightened lockdown rules last week (pictured, a man goes for a jog in central Prague)

A man wearing protective face mask sits on a tram in Prague, Czech Republic, amid the country's Covid crisis

A woman wearing protective face mask walks on the abandoned Charles Bridge in Prague, Czech Republic, which has been left deserted after Covid rules were imposed last month

Ireland's death rate has also fallen but the government says hospital cases need to fall to 'low levels' before lockdown measures can be significantly eased

What deaths have been linked to the Oxford- AstraZeneca jab - and have they been proven? So far, more than 11 million doses of the Oxford jab have been administered in the UK alone, with countless more distributed worldwide. Out of the millions of vaccines already given, fewer than 50 reported blood-related issues post-vaccine, with no confirmed causal link to the jab. AstraZeneca, the World Health Organization and EU regulators have all rejected the blood clot fears. But even so, Ireland joined Denmark, Norway and Iceland in temporarily halting all AstraZeneca vaccinations following reports of 'serious blood clotting events' in Norway. Norwegian health authorities of Saturday confirmed that three healthcare workers who had the AstraZeneca jab were being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets. All three individuals in hospital in Norway for conditions including blood clots were under the age of 50. The Government were notified on Saturday. Meanwhile, the European Medicines Agency reported one person in Austria was diagnosed with blood clots and died 10 days after vaccination - but it stressed there is 'currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions'. A further patient was admitted to hospital in Austria with pulmonary embolism - a blockage in the arteries in the lungs - after being vaccinated, while one death involving a blood clot was reported in Denmark. A 50-year-old man is also thought to have died in Italy from deep vein thrombosis (DVT), while there has been an unconfirmed report of another death in the country. Italy also followed Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg and Lithuania in banning jabs from one particular batch of one million AstraZeneca vaccines, which was sent to 17 countries, after reports that a 49-year-old nurse died soon after getting one of the jabs. On Saturday, US boxer Marvin Hagler, died aged 66, after he reportedly suffered side effects of the Covid-19 vaccine. What vaccine he received has not been confirmed and the link between his death and a jab has not been proven. Advertisement

AstraZeneca has been embroiled in a row with EU leaders since the start of the year when it announced it would not be able to supply the number of doses promised.

Since then, European leaders have bitterly criticised the company and cast doubt on the vaccine's efficacy while at the same time blocking some exports of doses.

Combined with bureaucratic delays and vaccine hesitancy in some countries, the supply chaos has left the EU lagging way behind the UK and US in handing out jabs to its 447million people.

That has left countries such as France and Italy exposed to a third wave with only a fairly small proportion of the population protected against Covid-19 and herd immunity nowhere in sight.

Italy is set to begin a new lockdown on Monday as hospitals struggle with a spike in Covid-19 patients.

It comes almost exactly a year after Italy became the world's first country to bring in a nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of the virus.

Schools, restaurants, shops and museums will close across most of Italy on Monday, a year after it became the first European country to face a major outbreak.

Most regions - including those containing Rome and Milan - become high-risk red zones, with all residents told to stay home except for work, health or other essential reasons.

The feared new variants of Covid-19 are thought to be fuelling the rise in infections, which are now at their highest level since early December.

The new Italian government, led by former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi, says it aims to have 80 per cent of the population vaccinated by the end of September.

But until then, Italy's health minister says 'more stringent measures' are needed - in contrast to Britain where restrictions will start easing for the general public in two weeks' time.

On Sunday night the front doors of the Italian National Institute of Health in Viale Regina Elena, were damaged in an arson attack.

The unknown attackers doused the doors at the front of the building in a flammable liquid before setting it on fire.

Before the flames could cause too much damage, the Carabinieri intervened and extinguished them.

Across the border in France, patients were being evacuated from overwhelmed intensive care units in Paris over the weekend and airlifted to less saturated regions of France.

Officials say the Paris region may join much of Italy in imposing a new lockdown as new variants fill up hospitals.

'If we have to lock down, we will do it,' the head of the national health agency, Jerome Salomon, said on BFM television Sunday. 'The situation is complex, tense and is worsening in the Paris region.'

On Sunday night the front doors of the Italian National Institute of Health (pictured) in Viale Regina Elena were set alight by unidentified attackers

A flammable liquid was doused all over the entrance doors at the front of the building before begin set on fire. The Carabinieri managed to intervene and put out the flames, limiting the damage caused by the arson attack

Pictured: A Carabinieri guard stands outside the Italian National Institute of Health earlier today following an arson attack on the front doors of the building

The French government has been relying on curfews for months - along with the long-term closures of restaurants and some other businesses - to try to avoid a costly new lockdown.

But localized outbreaks are raising questions about the government's virus-fighting strategy.

Daily infections have risen to an average of nearly 24,000, the highest level since a November lockdown, and more than 90,000 people have died.

Meanwhile in Germany, Angela Merkel's party took a kicking in regional elections on Sunday as the public loses faith in her government's handling of the crisis.

Merkel's Christian Democrats slumped to historic defeats in two states amid frustration at the long lockdown and a scandal involving lawmakers who allegedly profited from mask procurement.

The party had enjoyed a bounce in the polls during Germany's early success against the pandemic, but it looks to have largely evaporated in recent months.

Merkel is not running for a fifth term in office at September's election but the party's poor performance will re-ignite questions over who should succeed her.

Ireland - whose infection rate is shown in blue, compared to the UK in red - has paused the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in a move which could imperil its plans to exit lockdown

The UK has given first doses to 24.2million people and second doses to 1.6million as of Sunday
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By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea so far has rebuffed entreaties from the United States to engage in dialogue, the White House said on Monday, as a chill in relations that began under then-President Donald Trump has extended into Joe Biden's presidency.

Nuclear-armed North Korea gave up on diplomacy with Trump even though he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had three high-profile summit meetings and exchanged a series of letters.

Trump had refused North Korean entreaties to relax sanctions against Pyongyang unless Kim took steps to dismantle his nuclear program, which he refused to do.

Biden White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters that U.S. officials have reached out to North Korea through a number of channels since taking office nearly two months ago.

"Our goal is to reduce the risk of escalation. But to date we have not received any response," Psaki said.

She did not elaborate on what type of escalation the United States was concerned about. North Korea conducted six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017.

Psaki said the administration was consulting former U.S. government officials who have been involved in North Korea policy from past administrations while also seeking input from allies Japan and South Korea.

"This follows over a year without active dialogue with North Korea despite multiple attempts by the U.S. to engage...You can all anticipate that there will be a continued expansion of engagement with partners and allies in the region," she said.

A senior Biden administration official told Reuters on Saturday there had been efforts to reach out to the North Korean government through several channels starting in mid-February.

The Pentagon expressed concern early this month about a U.N. report indicating possible reprocessing of nuclear fuel for bombs by North Korea.

(Reporting by Steve Holland, Jeff Mason, David Brunnstrom, Daphne Psaledaki and Simon Lewis; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Sonya Hepinstall)
She sat down for Vogue magazine ahead of the last season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which premieres Thursday, March 18 on E!.

During the interview, Kim Kardashian called 2020 a 'challenging year' during Monday's episode of Good Morning Vogue.

The 40-year-old reality star was asked about life beginning to return to normal post COVID-19 pandemic amid her impending divorce from Kanye West after nearly seven years of marriage.

Candid: She sat down for Vogue magazine ahead of the last season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which premieres Thursday, March 18 on E!. During the interview, Kim Kardashian called 2020 a 'challenging year' during Monday's episode of Good Morning Vogue

She said during the video interview: 'I think this year has been challenging for so many people but I also think that this year was a huge cleanse and just a huge opportunity for people to really be grateful for the simple things and and that is a huge -- I think awakening that some people had,' per Vogue via Page Six.

The mother of four added: 'I always try to look at things in a positive way.'

She continued: 'Even though it has been such a challenging year, it's a time to regenerate, get creative, spend so much time with family and just this time I've been able to spend with my children has been priceless. That part has been so beautiful.'

The beauty was not asked directly about her divorce nor did she speak on it.

Former: The 40-year-old reality star was asked about life beginning to return to normal post COVID-19 pandemic amid her impending divorce from Kanye West after nearly seven years of marriage; seen with Kanye

The Keeping Up with the Kardashians star has revealed shes now halfway through her law degree and has just two years left of studying before she can take her bar exam and become a fully qualified lawyer.

She said: 'Im still in law school, I have two years left. So I have two years under my belt. I actually am not doing an essay and doing this interview instead, so Im gonna have to get up really early tomorrow to write like a two-hour essay. So that is really steady and a lot of work.'

Kim has been taking a break from her studies over the past year because the COVID-19 pandemic has meant shes been unable to meet with her teachers.

'Even the work schedule, I would have worked non-stop and I wouldve done anything and everything at all hours and never taken into consideration just slowing down at all. This was a forced halt.'

Speaking out: She continued: 'Even though it has been such a challenging year, it's a time to regenerate, get creative, spend so much time with family and just this time I've been able to spend with my children has been priceless. That part has been so beautiful'

Kanye reportedly changed his number and will only communicate with his ex via security guards after she filed for divorce last month.

The rapper also reportedly 'cut her off' but is not cutting off his communication with their four children, North, seven, Psalm, five, Chicago, three, and Psalm, 22, month, with various nannies helping make the co-parenting easier.

The source went on: 'She leaves the house and he arrives and hangs out with the kids. They have an army of nannies so the transition is easy.'

Insiders told Page Six: 'Even before Kim filed for divorce, Kanye changed his numbers and said, "You can contact me through my security." Despite this, she trusts him around the kids. He loves them and is seeing a lot of them.'

The couple reportedly signed a prenuptial agreement and TMZ claimed neither party is contesting the terms of the document

Kim's divorce documents were filed by Laura Wasser and reportedly don't list a date of separation, instead claiming the date is 'to be determined'.

From the heart: The mother of four added: 'I always try to look at things in a positive way'

Family is everything: The rapper also reportedly 'cut her off' but is not cutting off his communication with their four children, North, seven, Psalm, five, Chicago, three, and Psalm, 22, month, with various nannies helping make the co-parenting easier
New Delhi: Zomato delivery executive Kamaraj, who was accused by Hitesha Chandranee of assault, lodged a formal complaint against her on Monday (March 15).

In the FIR, Kamaraj has accused Hitesha of hitting him with slippers, falsely accusing him of hitting her, assaulting, defaming him, and hurling abuses at him. Kamaraj has filed an FIR at Electronic City Police Station in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

For the unversed, Hitesha had put out a video in which she accused Kamaraj of assaulting her after a heated argument and alleged that the altercation left her with a fractured nasal bone. She had claimed that he also barged into her home and abused her too.

Kamaraj had refuted her allegations and claimed that she had hit herself with her own ring. After I reached her apartment door, I handed her the food and I was expecting her to pay me (as she had opted for cash on delivery mode of payment). I also apologised since the delivery was delayed due to traffic and bad roads. But she was very rude from the outset. She asked me Why are you late? I replied apologetically, as there were road blocks due to ongoing civic works and there were traffic jams as well. But she kept on insisting that the order has to be delivered within 45-50 minutes. I am working on this job for more than two years and this is the first time that I have had to go through this kind of an ordeal, he told The News Minute.

He also accused her of throwing slippers at him and hitting him. "When she was trying to push my hand away, she accidentally hit herself with her finger ring on the nose, which led to the bleeding. Anybody who sees her face, will understand that this wouldn't be created by a punch. And I dont wear any rings," he had said.
Civil society organisations staged a protest at Malaysias Parliament in Kuala Lumpur on March 14, demanding an end to the countrys emergency proclamation and the suspension of its Parliament. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) calls upon Malaysian Prime Minister to lift the suspension to allow the return of democracy.

Organised by the Freedom of Expression Cluster, formed of a group of civil society organisations in Malaysia, protesters demanded the restoration of their constitutional rights and fundamental liberties. It was reported that police arrived halfway through the protest to observe and ensure social distancing. The action was mobilised in response to the countrys ongoing Emergency Proclamation and the latest fake news ordinance handed down on March 12. The newly-gazetted Emergency (Essential Powers) (No. 2) Ordinance 2021 criminalises the creation and publishing of fake news. Those found guilty of creating or publishing fake news on Covid-19 or the Emergency proclamation now face a fine of up to RM100,000 (USD 24,000) and imprisonment.

Since January 11, Malaysias House of Parliament has been suspended after Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin issued a declaration of a state of emergency, ostensibly to battle the Covid-19 pandemic. But criticisms of the government and its Covid-19 response continue to resonate, with critics and opposition politicians accusing the embattled leader of abusing his power to stifle challenge to his unelected rule.

In February 2021, the Malaysian king and prime minister were also urged by 65 parliamentarians and 25 former parliamentarians from seven countries to allow Parliament to continue functioning without restrictions as soon as possible. The statement, signed by lawmakers and former lawmakers from Thailand, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Philippines, Singapore and Myanmar, said it was important for Parliament to convene to ensure government accountability, review the emergency measures, protect human rights, and contribute to major policy decisions. Media and civil society groups in the country continue to express concerns about the declining state of freedom of expression and political freedom in Malaysia under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition which took power in a political coup in February 2020.

The Freedom of Expression Cluster said:We want to reclaim the democratic space that is increasingly shrinking in this country and this ordinance has pushed the exercise of fundamental liberties to yet another edge that is not acceptable. We come to the streets today to defend our fundamental constitutional right to expression . . . At a time of a public health crisis - this right is more important than ever.

The IFJ said: Attempts by Malaysias government to curtail human rights and undermine democratic decision making is gravely concerning at this critical time. The IFJ urges the federal government to reconvene Malaysias Parliament to ensure the function of democracy to protect human rights and the rights of the media as soon as possible.
Everyshop has recently gone live with its online shopping platform in a testing environment which makes it possible for people to explore and purchase products on the platform.

Everyshop marketing executive Stef Michael told MyBroadband the response after this soft launch has been overwhelmingly positive.

This is, however, only a taste of what Everyshop will offer South African consumers.

Everyshop is owned and operated by JD Group, which owns high-profile retail chains like Incredible Connection, HiFi Corp, Sleepmasters, Bradlows, and Russells.

Through JD Group, Everyshop has access to over 500 leading international and local brands in over 160 categories.

This extensive product range is only one of the ways it is planning to take on competitors like Takealot, Makro, and Loot.

A big focus is the overall shopping experience, which Michael said will be totally different from any other South African online retailer.

We will provide our customers with a unique and curated personalized experience that is easy to use on mobile and desktop, he said.

It is a personalized online departmental experience that allows customers to search within their customer needs segment and get to products very quickly and find associated products.

Adding to the online shopping experience is Everyshops mobile-first optimised site, which is aimed at increasing accessibility to ecommerce.

Another differentiating factor will be the speed and accuracy associated with customers getting their order delivered.

Affordable and reliable fulfilment is key to the success of any online retailer and Everyshop has this box ticked, Michael said.

Their fulfilment is supported by a nationwide distribution network which includes 2 dedicated fulfilment centres and large-scale distribution centres.

These distribution centres position products closer to customers and offer faster and more affordable fulfilment across a wide variety of merchandise.

Through Everyshop, customers can quickly get products not typically associated with online shopping, like large appliances, furniture, and beds.

You can easily order a double door fridge and add your beauty or skincare in the same basket knowing the products will be delivered to you anywhere in South Africa, said Michael.

The good news for consumers is that Everyshops management is also well aware that competitive pricing is important to gain and maintain customers.

As part of the strategy to offer value to consumers, Everyshop will have weekly promotions with discounts on popular products.

An official launch date has not been announced yet, but it is set to make waves in the local ecommerce market.

We look forward to the official launch where the full Everyshop experience and launch deals will be available, said Michael.

Now read: Takealot competitor Everyshop launches with big tech specials
The Junta de Andalucia's Minister of Health, Jesus Aguirre, has confirmed that two cases of Covid-19 that could be of the South African variant are being investigated, adding to the one case that had already been confirmed.

In an interview on Canal Sur Radio on Sunday, 14 March - the first anniversary of the decree of the first state of alarm in Spain - Aguirre explained the regional government is awaiting the results of tests on two people who arrived from Tanzania and Senegal.

"New variants are new complications," he warned.

However, he emphasised "the great hope" that the Covid-19 vaccine offers and that the region hopes to have about 300,000 arriving weekly in the month of April, which would be "a month of take-off" in the administration of doses.

Aguirre pointed out that Pfizer has confirmed some 190,000 weekly doses in April, to which those sent by Moderna and the latest one approved  Janssen - would be added.

That said, Aguirre explained that he had "little hope" of receiving a large amount of the latter.
Garrett Riekhof's family has farmed crops like corn and soybeans near the Missouri town of Higginsville since his ancestors arrived there from Germany over a century ago.

"I'm still farming that exact piece of dirt," the 39-year-old, a fifth-generation Midwestern farmer, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "If that's not sustainable, I need somebody to teach me why it's not."

President Joe Biden's administration has said it aims to make U.S. farming greener as a key part of its broader push to swiftly curb planet-heating emissions and avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

"I think agriculture is probably the first and best way to begin getting some wins in this climate area," Tom Vilsack, Biden's new secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), said during his confirmation hearing in February.

Agricultural production accounts for approximately 10% of climate-changing emissions in the United States - and those will need to fall if the nation is to meet its pledge of net-zero emissions by 2050.

Vilsack plans to give farmers incentives to make the cuts using subsidies from the USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), a $30-billion-a-year fund that President Trump tapped into to support farmers hit by trade wars he launched.

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Reductions could come from changes like farming more efficiently, using more renewable energy and better protecting soils so they store more carbon.

But Biden's team will need to persuade farmers, most of whom do not support him politically, of the benefits of making the shifts.

According to a poll last October by the trade publication Farm Journal, 85% of 1,311 farmers surveyed suggested they would vote for Trump, who had no national plan to deal with climate change.

THE "WILD WEST"

Asked about their willingness to make climate-friendly changes, many farmers are quick to point out they have already moved to better protect soils and cut fertilizer use.

Brian Harbage, a seventh-generation livestock and crop farmer in Clark County, Ohio, said he adopted "no till" agriculture nearly three decades ago, when he took over the farm from his father.

Using the method, crop seeds are drilled into unplowed soil, cutting erosion and helping trap more carbon underground.

"We embraced it from day one," said Harbage, pointing to the savings it has produced in labor and fuel. "I just felt like the value was there."

Harbage, who has farmed for 28 years, said he also uses "precision agriculture" techniques, such as targeting fossil-fuel-based fertilizer only where it is most needed, cutting both the amount applied and the diesel fuel needed to apply it.

U.S. farmers already have begun doing more work with fewer emissions in recent decades, according to the Washington-based World Resources Institute.

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Crop and livestock production increased by around 30% from 1997 to 2017 while climate-changing emissions from agriculture rose by only 7%, researchers at the think-tank said.

But farmers say further cuts will be harder to make.

Planting "cover crops" - such as clover or other plants that boost nutrients in soil - on fields during the winter, after the main crop is harvested, could soak up more carbon emissions and boost soil nutrients, farm experts say.

But Harbage said he rarely uses them as part of the rotation on his fields because of the added cost and logistical challenges.

He is not alone. According to the 2017 U.S. Census of Agriculture, cover crops were grown on only 3.9% of croplands.

The equipment needed for greener farming can also be prohibitively expensive for farmers, in an industry where buying a new combine harvester costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, said Garrett Hawkins, president of the Missouri Farm Bureau.

"You can't just change, trade in or purchase new equipment just at the snap of your fingers," the cattle farmer said.

Hawkins said farmers are open to incentives to make green shifts in their practices, but efforts to introduce tighter regulations would meet strong opposition.

"We can continue to make positive impacts, we can sequester carbon - (but), at the same time, don't tie our hands with unnecessary regulation," he urged.

To help pay for green incentives for farmers, Vilsack has said he aims to establish a carbon market where polluting companies could invest in farm adaptation to offset their emissions.

Elena Irwin, director of Ohio State University's Sustainability Institute, said companies have already begun approaching farmers in Ohio to try to pay for farm emissions reductions and earn credits for them.

But without much regulation of that market, it's "a bit like the Wild West right now," she said. If a "carbon bank" was established, it could provide more certainty and stability for both farmers and investors in farm emissions cuts, she said.

Irwin said Biden's administration should cap the emissions of carbon-polluting companies to force them to pay for things like greener farming practices.

Otherwise, such financial flows would be "relying on the voluntary demand of large companies trying to do the right thing," she said.

"GLOBAL WEIRDING"

Farmers may increasingly have their own reasons for trying to cut emissions as well - including the more extreme weather and shifts in planting and harvesting seasons that many already see happening.

According to the 2020 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll, 81% of Iowa farmers now say they think climate change is occurring, up from 68% in 2011.

Only 18%, however, think "it is caused mostly by human activities" - a view at odds with a global scientific consensus that people are the chief driver of the problem.

"My personal opinions are that our climate has changed since the evolution of the world," said Riekhof in Missouri.

Still, he has noticed what he calls "global weirding" events, such as short hot- and cold-weather snaps and more extreme rain.

Jenny Hopkinson, senior government relations representative at the National Farmers Union, said more money needs to be invested in figuring out the best ways to sequester carbon and help farmers deal with more drought and heavy rain.

That should include public funding for both research and technical support to help farmers take up new ideas, she said.

"The key here is making sure we have an array of tools and options for farmers," she said, noting that for many farmers, adopting something new "takes folks seeing it work elsewhere."

Riekhof, who said he's keen to try shifts like using plant-based biofuels, said farmers also need to see that making changes won't hurt their bottom line.

Because trying new ideas always involves some level of risk, and implementing them takes time, farmers "are somewhat resistant to change," he admitted.
New Delhi:

It is like the pot calling the kettle black as Pakistan on Monday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad, J P Singh over the deaths of civilians in alleged ceasefire violation by Indian security forces along the LoC.

Director General (South Asia and SAARC) Mohammad Faisal summoned Singh and "condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations" by Indian troops, the Foreign Office said.

It said those killed in firing by Indian troops on Sunday included a woman. Faisal urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement, the foreign office said.

Earlier on Sunday, Pakistani troops violated ceasefire along Line of Control (LoC), five civilians, including a woman and two minor boys, were injured in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Five persons received splinter injuries in the cross LoC firing and shelling by Pakistani troops. Two of them are undergoing treatment at the district hospital, District Development Commissioner, Poonch, Tariq Ahmad Zargar told PTI.

(With PTI Inputs)

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Ronald DeFeo, the 'Amityville Horror' murderer who killed his six family members in 1974 on New York's Long Island, has died in prison.

DeFeo, 69, died Friday while serving a sentence at Sullivan Correctional facility in Fallsburg, New York, officials said. His murder spree inspired The Amityville Horror book and movie franchise.

DeFeo was transferred to Albany Medical Center and pronounced dead at 6.35pm Friday. The Albany County Medical Examiner's Office is expected to perform an autopsy to determine an official cause of death, but does not release the information except to relatives.

The state Department of Corrections said it could not disclose why DeFeo was hospitalized, citing health privacy laws.

DeFeo, who was 23 at the time of his crimes, used a .35-caliber Marlin lever-action rifle to slaughter the family, who were found lying face-down in their beds on November 13, 1974.

Father Ronald DeFeo Sr., 43, and mother Louise DeFeo, 43, were both shot twice. Siblings Dawn, 18, Allison, 13, Marc, 12, and John, 9, were each shot once.

Flanked by two Suffolk County Homicide Squad detectives, 24 year-old Ronald DeFeo is led to his booking on multiple murder charges in Hauppauge, New York, on Nov. 11, 1974

View of the home of Ronald DeFeo Sr. The car salesman, his wife, two daughters and two sons were found shot to death in November 1974 by Ronald DeFeo Jr.

DeFeo's attorney mounted an insanity defense, claiming he heard voices saying his family was plotting against him.

He was convicted in 1975 of six counts of second-degree murder and received six sentences of 25 years to life.

A year after the killings, George and Kathy Lutz purchased the house, but left 28 days later after reporting paranormal activity. They said there were 'strange sounds, voices and green slime oozing from the walls,' real estate site 6sqft reported.

The events reported by the couple after they moved in served as the inspiration for the 1977 book and 1979 cult classic film of the same name starring James Brolin, Margot Kidder and Rod Steiger.

George Lutz told ABC News in 2006 that some of the reported events such as the green slime were embellished, while insisting the book and movie were based on events that truly happened during the family's 28-day stay.

The day before moving in they asked a priest to bless the home. Father Ray Pecoraro said he felt an unseen hand slap him and heard a voice say, 'Get out.' Then Pecoraro became ill with flu-like symptoms and his hands began to bleed, Lutz said.

The family still moved in, but within days they noticed strange occurrences including 'odors in the house that came and went,' Lutz told ABC.

'There were sounds. The front door would slam shut in the middle of the night,' Lutz said. 'I couldn't get warm in the house for many days.'

The family kept the fireplace burning constantly in a futile attempt to stay warm, while also finding gelatinous drops on the carpet when they woke in the morning, he said.

Lutz said that at times his wife was physically transformed into an old woman with the face, hair and wrinkles of a 90-year-old.

The house where the family was killed is pictured more recently in as property listing

In 2016, the 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom home went on the market for $850,000 and was purchased months later by an unnamed buyer

Lutz claimed he woke at 3.15am almost every day, which was about the same time the DeFeo murders are believed to have happened.

One night he heard his children's beds 'slamming up and down on the floor' above him but he was unable to act because he was immobilized in bed by an unseen force. Later he woke to see his wife levitating and moving across the bed, Lutz said.

The next morning they fled the home, leaving their possessions behind.

Months later, a group of psychic researchers spent a night in the house to investigate Lutz's claims. Researcher Lorraine Warren remembers an 'overwhelming feeling' of 'horrible depression' in the house, while the team said one of its photographs showed 'what appeared to be a little boy, peering out from one of the bedrooms.'

DeFeo, whose nickname was Butch, was scheduled for a parole hearing in July, online state Department of Corrections records said.

In a 2006 jailhouse interview, DeFeo claimed he only killed his father, his mother and his eldest sister, Dawn. The other siblings were murdered by Dawn before DeFeo killed her, he said.

Ronald DeFeo, pictured in a mugshot, said voices in the house made him kill his family. His lawyers used the claim in a failed insanity defense

Ronald DeFeo, Jr., is led from the Suffolk County Police Headquarter on Nov. 14, 1974 in Hauppauge, New York after being booked for six counts of homicide in the shooting of his family the day before

DeFeo, at right, with his siblings in an undated family photo

Ronald DeFeo's family members, including Ronald DeFeo Sr., 43, and his siblings

Coroner's office employees remove a body from the home of Ronald DeFeo Sr. after the car salesman, his wife, two daughters and two sons were found shot to death in 1974

The address of the home when the crimes occurred was 112 Ocean Ave., but was changed to 108 Ocean Ave. to discourage tourists.

John G. Jones wrote a sequel to the book, 'The Amityville Horror Part II,' that was published in 1982.

Author Ric Osuna's 2002 book, 'The Night the DeFeos Died: Reinvestigating the Amityville Murders,' included material from Geraldine DeFeo, who has since changed her name but said she was DeFeo's wife at the time of the murders.

'In 1974, I was not only the wife of Ronald Joseph 'Butch' DeFeo Jr., but also the mother of his child,' she said. 'I knew his family and loved them as my own. Part of my life ended when the DeFeos were murdered and my husband was accused of committing this unspeakable crime.'

George and Kathy Lutz, former owners of the so-called haunted house in Amityville, New York, pose during a press tour for the book, 'The Amityville Horror,' in January 1979

A CBS Television advertisement for 'The Amityville Horror' from the Feb. 28, 1981, issue of TV Guide magazine

James Brolin and Margot Kidder in 'The Amityville Horror'

The film spawned several spinoff versions, including a 2005 remake of the original that starred Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George and Philip Baker Hall.

Other movies based loosely on the crimes and the paranormal claims include Amityville: The Final Chapter; Amityville: The Evil Escapes; The Amityville Curse; Amityville: The Horror Returns; Amityville: The Nightmare Continues; and High Hopes: The Amityville Murders.

The 1927 Dutch Colonial home underwent renovations after Caroline and David D'Antonio purchased it in 2010 for $950,000.

In 2016, the 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom home went on the market for $850,000 and was purchased months later by an unnamed buyer.

Dawn DeFeo, left, was 18 when she was killed and brother John was 9 at the time of his death

Sister Allison DeFeo, left, was 13 at the time of her death and brother Marc was 11
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty/Handout

What happens when a simple litmus test collides with a more complicated reality? Colorado attorney Regina Rodriguez checks a lot of boxes that Democrats value. Shes the daughter of a Mexican American father and a Japanese American mother whose family was interred during World War II. She was also nominated to the federal bench in 2016 by Barack Obamaand denied a hearing by Mitch McConnell. Its a personal story that once would have trumped everything in Democratic politics.

But today, progressives are fighting hard to stop Joe Biden from re-nominating her. Why? Because shes now a partner in a major corporate law firm, Wilmer Hale, that on its website cites its close relationship with regulated industries. And in 2006 she represented McDonalds in an anti-discrimination lawsuit.

So now, in the battle for the soul of the judiciary after four years of Donald Trump, Rodriguez, even with her compelling story and stellar pro bono community work, is an early example of the new litmus-test politics of the left.

No corporate lawyers need apply. But are they all bad?

Colorado Democratic Senator Michael Bennet, saying he is trying to right a wrong, is pushing Rodriguez and has not backed down from supporting her. He openly defied a letter from White House Counsel Dana Remus in December asking Democratic senators to help the White House move quickly on judges by submitting three candidates for circuit and district court vacancies. Bennet listed only one: Rodriguez.

Mitch McConnells Last Trump-Era Act? One More Unqualified Hack Judge.

He went out of his way not to follow the presidents directive, says Christopher Kang with Demand Justice, a progressive advocacy group. Its not about her personally, but a lot has happened in the last five years. If there were a Supreme Court vacancy open today, we wouldnt expect President Biden to nominate Merrick Garland to right a wrong.

Kang oversaw judicial nominations in the Obama White House, and he repeatedly says his opposition to Rodriguez is not about her, its about elevating civil rights lawyers and public defenders. Lawyers like Rodriguez, who was a former assistant U.S. attorney, are wildly overrepresented in federal courts. We have a Democratic Senate now and were not trying to find a nominee for a Senate Mitch McConnell controls, Kang says. She doesnt meet the moment.

Story continues

For the record, Rodriguez is highly qualified, with a long track record of community service to Colorados children and working families. Shes on the boards of early Head Start, Colorado Youths at Risk, and Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives. In 2016, she represented four children detained at the border and released to a family in Colorado, according to Bennets office. Yes, she works for a private law firm, but she does so much else, a spokesperson for the senator told the Daily Beast, pointing out also that Rodriguez was the first in her family to go to college, attending the University of Iowa, and then the University of Colorado for law school.

Her representation of McDonalds has drawn attention and legitimate criticism. The case centered on an African American woman with four children who after alleging racial discrimination at a McDonalds drive-through was subjected to abusive language from a supervisor before driving to a second McDonalds where she was offered free food to compensate, which she refused. The civil case was resolved with a summary judgment in McDonalds favor, and the complaints of intentional racial discrimination were dismissed.

The White House is very aware that President Obama sent his first judicial nomination to the Senate on March 17, and President Trump on March 21, and they want to be able to say theyre on par with previous administrations. Theyre trying to move quickly, and we all have March 17 in mind, says Kang. Obama sent a single nomination, David Hamilton for the Seventh Circuit, and it took until November, six months, for McConnells Senate to confirm Hamilton, a District Court judge who had the enthusiastic backing of Indianas then senior senator, Republican Richard Lugar.

The betting is that Biden will send an initial slate of names to the Senate for confirmation that will include a replacement for Merrick Garland on the D.C. Court of Appeals. District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, appointed by Obama and confirmed in 2013, is likely to get the nod and would then be positioned for the Supreme Court, fulfilling Bidens promise to name a Black woman to the Court.

According to the advocacy group Alliance for Justice, if you count judges who have signaled their retirement by June, there are 10 vacancies on the Courts of Appeals and 78 on the District Courts. Theres a lot of opportunity, says Daniel Goldberg, the groups legal director. Id be shocked if Garlands seat is not there (on the first slate).

Will Regina Rodriguez make the cut? The argument is very real and very raw, as newly empowered Democrats confront a new and painful conflict between racial and ethnic identity and Bidens call for professional diversity in the judiciary. Robert Raben, who chairs the endorsement committee of the National Hispanic Bar Association and who served as an assistant attorney general during the Clinton administration, strongly backs Rodiguez in what he characterizes as a family fight on the Democratic left. He sees her as a worthy nominee who got caught up in the obstructionist politics following Merrick Garlands nomination. She is in a tiny cohort of people who were robbed of their possibilities over an issue that had nothing to do with them, he told the Daily Beast.

I support Demand Justice, he continued. I helped Brian Fallon (co-founder) set it up. Were a tight family on the left and the issue theyre pushing is absolutely right, but the target they started with is off point. Their real target is not Rodriguez, the real target is the Democratic Senate caucus.

Raben contends that it is highly unusual for a Latina to move up the ranks of law the way Rodriguez did, getting named in 2013 National Hispanic Bar Association lawyer of the year. She played by all the rules, he says. Now progressives are changing the rules. Theyre sending a message to Democratic senators and the White House that they want a much more professionally diverse crewand younger. I agree with their principles, but I dont agree with every implementation of it.

The federal judiciary is much whiter and too male to be representative and achieving professional diversity can sometimes be at odds with ethnic diversity. If youre on the left and you go after a candidate whos African American, generally you losethe left losesbecause the historic exclusion of people of color is so powerful, says Raben. He recalls a fractious debate during the early Obama years mounted by the left over a Hispanic judge now sitting on the Fourth Circuit who had once done an amicus brief for Philip Morris, the tobacco giant.

Its now up to the White House whether Rodriguez nomination is forwarded to the Senate. Raben says he is very confident she will be nominated and confirmed. And with dozens of vacancies looming, its likely that Demand Justice has made its point, and that Biden will send to the Senate qualified nominees that bring ethnic and professional diversity, recognizing that these twin goals, however laudable, are sometimes in conflict.

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TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's de facto embassy in Myanmar has advised Taiwanese companies operating in the country to fly the island's flag and hang signs stating they are from Taiwan to avoid being confused with China, after Chinese-financed factories were set ablaze.

China's embassy said many Chinese staff were injured and trapped in arson attacks on Sunday by unidentified assailants on garment factories in the Yangon suburb of Hlaingthaya, and that it had called on Myanmar to protect Chinese property and citizens.

China is viewed as being supportive of the military junta that took power in Myanmar, overthrowing the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Taiwan is home to a large Sino-Burmese population and there are close cultural and business links.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said on Monday only one Taiwanese company was caught up in the violence, with 10 of its citizens trapped inside the premises though they were safe.

It said Taiwan's representative office in the country had got in touch with Taiwanese firms after receiving reports of the attacks on Chinese-invested firms.

The office "suggested Taiwanese businesspeople hang signs in Burmese reading 'Taiwanese company' at their factories and to hang our country's national flag, and explain to local workers and neighbours they are a Taiwanese factory, to avoid outsiders getting confused and misjudging".

Taiwanese firms in Southeast Asia have been confused for Chinese ones in protests before, including in 2014 when thousands of Vietnamese set fire to foreign factories in an angry reaction to Chinese oil drilling in a part of the South China Sea claimed by Vietnam.

China claims democratic Taiwan as its own territory. Taipei maintains no official relations with Myanmar, which formally considers the island part of China.

Separately, Financial Supervisory Commission Chairman Huang Tien-mu told reporters in Taipei that Taiwanese banks in Myanmar were operating as normal.

Three Taiwanese banks have branches in the country - Cathay United Bank, Mega International Commercial Bank and E.Sun Commercial Bank.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Emily Chan; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
The stock market brings stars to the eyes of many young individuals, as it allows one to grow wealth exponentially and leverage small investments for significant gains. All one needs to do, in principle, is make the right investments and trade at the right time. But the stock market has also opened up opportunities for many others as well who may not be direct investors. One of these includes being a stock sub broker.
The IBC Group, one of the Middle East's oldest Blockchain investment companies ,shifting its corporate headquarters to Toronto in Canada.

Tens of thousands of immigrant tech workers have flocked to Toronto in the past few years, making it the fastest-growing tech hub in North America. According to a recent study, 25% of Canada's workforce is made up of immigrants. And in the tech space, that number is an even higher 40%, or 350,000 workers.

"We have over 100,000 people immigrate to the Toronto region each year, which is twice as many as the San Francisco Bay Area," said Jason Goldlist, cofounder of TechToronto, a community for tech innovators that organises a monthly technology event, where entrepreneurs get to meet, and learn from, Toronto's tech leaders.

More than 140 languages are spoken in Toronto, making it the most multicultural city in the world, as well as being a hub for innovation and cutting-edge tech, such as Blockchain. The Toronto Stock Exchange recently listed the world's first Bitcoin ETF, and iMining Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Inc. (iMIN), which is set to acquire the IBC Group-backed CanETH subject to final approval by TSXV, emerged as the best performing stock on the TSX Venture Exchange, on its first day of public trading.

Khurram Shroff, Chairman of the IBC Group, points to these strengths as the drivers behind the companys decision to move its corporate headquarters to Toronto. "We believe this move best positions us for growth, as well as providing our personnel with more flexibility about where and how they work," he elaborated.

Khurram Bitcoin picIBC Group has been at the forefront of Blockchain-based projects and initiatives, globally. The group's investment in the POS Blockchain was instrumental in the Ethereum 2.0 beacon chain reaching the required threshold, for its launch in December 2020. Ethereum is the world's second-largest Blockchain, with a market cap of over $200 Billion. The company also made headlines with a 100,000 Bitcoin pledge, which aims to set up the Miami 2.0 Blockchain Strategy. This IBC initiative will help Miami achieve its ambition of becoming a leading technological hub in the United States, by leveraging 3 strategic pillars: Government Efficiency, Tech Industry Attraction, and Effective Leadership.

Despite the decision to move its corporate headquarters to Toronto, the IBC Group will retain its presence in Dubai. "We will continue to support major hubs for the IBC Group around the world, including those in Dubai, Kiev, London, Lisbon, and Nairobi among others. We also expect to add other locations over time," Shroff confirmed.-- Tradearabia News Service
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The beginning of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic presented significant challenges for educators and families as communities across the country adjusted to school closures and transitioned to online learning environments.

As the primary educational leaders of their schools, principals were often responsible for leading communities through the crisis. How did principals respond, and what can we learn from this experience?

Bryan VanGronigen, assistant professor in the University of Delaware School of Education, and his co-authors at the University of Pennsylvania and the City University of New York answer this question in "Calm During Crisis: School Principal Approaches to Crisis Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic," a research brief published by the University of Pennsylvania's Consortium for Policy Research in Education.

After an 18-member research team conducted interviews with 120 school principals across 19 states, VanGronigen and his co-authors identified four common themes among interview responses: a priority on basic physical and psychological safety, technological needs to access teaching and learning, the need for consistent, multimodal forms of communication, and a focus on social-emotional learning.

In an interview with UDaily, VanGronigen shares highlights from the team's interviews with principals, many of whom went above and beyond to ensure the wellbeing of their school communities.

Q: Why did you and the larger research team feel that it was important to capture principal responses to the pandemic?

VanGronigen: Many schools and district offices were closed for a few weeks as educational leaders and others took stock and devised some kind of plan for a return to teaching and learning. At the same time, a small group of colleagues in my field led by Dr. Jonathan Supovitz (University of Pennsylvania) started to discuss how we might document the experiences of educational leaders working to bring "school" back.

An old adage is that crises can bring out the best (or worst) in leaders, and one of our goals was to capture as much as we could about what our nation's educational leaders were doing in the early months of the pandemic. Moreover, it can be lonely at the top when you're an educational leader. A second goal was to share what we learned with our participants in order to highlight that these leadersdespite being from 19 different stateswere not alone and were contending with many of the same issues.

Q: Did any of the four themes highlighted in this research brief surprise you?

VanGronigen: Our brief focused on principals' initial responses to the pandemic, which allowed us to examine what principals prioritized when the chips were down. Principals sought first to check the "pulse" of their school community: Were people safe? Did people have food and shelter? Who needed what, and how could they get it? These kinds of questions targeted students," teachers," and families' basic needsand many principals were there to lead and assist. From New York City to Southern California to rural Montana, principals often described going door-to-door to drop off food, toiletries, diapers, and even cash support for rent and utilities.

The theme on technological needs didn't necessarily surprise me, but it did seem to surprise a few principals. These principals highlighted conversations with their teachers who were, themselves, surprised that so many students didn't have their own Internet-ready device, much less access to the Internet. Other principals reported that the very technological infrastructure of their communities, particularly those in rural and remote areas, was not well-suited for full remote learning. Some schools had to wait days, if not weeks, for shipments of mobile Internet hotspots, while others invited students and families with cars to park near school buildings to access free Wi-Fi. These stories, to me, highlight just one of many considerable inequities in our current education system.

Q: Earlier, you noted that crises sometimes bring out the best in our educational leaders. What aspects of this project heartened you?

VanGronigen: The principals that we interviewed were dealing with a lot, both professionally and personally, as they attempted to lead without clear policy guidance, help families experiencing food and housing insecurity, coordinate their own children's remote learning, or assume caregiver responsibilities. Despite all of this work, one of my favorite parts of our interview protocol asked principals to reflect upon how education might change for the better because of the pandemic. So many principals expressed optimism about the future of education, which was heartwarming.

For example, some principals noted how the pandemic prompted their schools to re-think their curricula so that social-emotional learninghow we learn to contend with our emotions, set goals, and create positive, empathetic relationships with otherswas placed front and center. One Minnesota principal, for instance, shared that their school had committed to engaging in "a 10-minute connection with every child, every family, every day." It was more than content standardsit was the whole child and family.

Q: How do you hope this work will help principals, assistant principals, and other educational leaders?

VanGronigen: I hope this work makes principals and other educational leaders feel like they're not alone in feeling overwhelmed, feeling like so many burdens of teaching and learning are placed on their shoulders, and feeling like they just need to manage the present before feeling able to plan for the future. Moreover, I also hope this work shines a light on just how multifaceted and complex the work of being an educational leader is. It's so much more than administrative work, but, to me, so much of a principal's time is consumed by that administrative work instead of the enjoyable, but rigorous work of leading people and organizations.

Principals want to be in classrooms observing teachers. Principals want to be kneeling down next to kids asking them to share about what they're learning. Principals want to be in their communities to ask business owners about internship opportunities for their students. Principals want to create a safe, rigorous and equitable learning community for everyone. I hope this work prompts some reflection by others, particularly policymakers and the general public, about the expectations we have for principals and educatorsand if we put them in the best position to actually succeed in their jobs.

Q: What recommendations do you have for educational leaders who may be struggling to meet the challenges of the pandemic?

VanGronigen: While I know many educators are exhausted from a year of toggling between remote, hybrid, and in-person learning, our brief highlights the importance of relationships and communication. I'd recommend that educational leaders, teachers and staff members jointly conduct an audit of their school's organizational and communication structures, norms and practices. Principals in our study had an easier time contending with the early stages of the pandemicif that's even possible to sayif they had strong existing structures alongside a school culture that fostered trust, care, and openness among staff, students, and the wider community.

A second recommendation is to examine the social and emotional well-being of students and staff in the school and what can be done to better attend to it. School accountability policies and policymakers want to see good test scores in English language arts and mathematics. But, that narrow focus often comes at great expense of what education can (and should) be. I admit that giving attention to social and emotional well-being is adding more to the already-overflowing plates of educators. But, I hope that by focusing on school community members as people, our leaders, teachers, and students will be in better positions to engage in meaningful learning that empowers and prepares our future generations for the challenges and joys of the coming years.

Explore further Report sheds light on impact of effective school leadership on student learning outcomes

More information: Calm during crisis: school principal approaches to crisis management during the COVID-19 pandemic. Calm during crisis: school principal approaches to crisis management during the COVID-19 pandemic. repository.upenn.edu/cpre_policybriefs/89/
In 2015 white supremist Dylan Roof opened fire on members of one of the oldest black churches in the United States. After attending being warmly welcomed to Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, in Charleston, South Carolina, Roof returned the congregations hospitality with a cruel spray of bullets that killed nine and wounded three. Around the globe, pastors and laypeople who assumed that their churches were safe quietly wondered, Could that happen here?

Since the brutal Columbine high school shooting in 1999, that opened the worlds eyes to the threat of active shooters, there have been 18 fatal church shootings in the United States, including Emanuel, from Idaho to New York, and Wisconsin to Louisiana. Carl Chinn, a church security expert, grieves, Most churches spend far more time and money training their choir than they do investing in the safety of their staff and guests. Chinn admits that the odds are likely that a church wont face a security threat, but when it does happen, he muses, the odds wont matter much.

In recent years, in response to shootings in churches like Emanuel, a growing number of churches have established security teams. These teams consider the security of a church facility on weekdays, when theyre largely populated by staff members, and also Sundays when congregations gather together. Some churches have paid security staff and others are composed of volunteers from the congregations. Some of these teams include parishioners who carry concealed weapons to their Sunday morning duties, while several denominations have issued statements deeming guns inappropriate for houses of worship.

Without much precedent for developing processes and procedures for this modern crisis, how do congregations begin to consider the security of their property and people?

The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a federal agency under the Department of Homeland Security, works with partners to defend against threats like cybersecurity, infrastructure security, and other national risks. CISA recently released a self-assessment guides for houses of worship to determine how safe their facilities are and how to improve security. It helps congregations notice and evaluate possible challenges, risks, and resources for tackling church security in active shooter situations. When this assessment is completed, it provides a road map for implementing suggested options for consideration based on best practices designed to improve facility security and preparedness. Churches can choose among a spectrum of solutions that range from low security to high security.

The assessment, a tool that can be used by church congregations, evaluates a churchs current level of security in five areas:

Security and safety/emergency management

Perimeter security/delineation

Parking and barriers

Access control/entry control

Closed-circuit Video and video surveillance systems

The assessment that can be downloaded for free at CISA, helps houses of worship begin by identifying their current posture toward security. Then, it offers options on a sliding scale of securityfrom very low to very highfor a designated security team or committee as they consider modifying what they have in place to improve security and decrease risk.

CISA reports that factors that contribute to security, safety, and emergency management efforts include: designating a security manager or security committee, volunteer ushers and greeters, existing safety plans, a commitment to training, engaging with first responders, and developing a crisis communications strategy.

Churches considering establishing a security team might consider inviting members of the congregation with a background in law enforcement, fire service, or emergency medical response. Of course, a security team can include a variety of interested volunteers from the congregation. Larger churches might consider hiring permanent personnel to fill security or safety roles.

The security assessment invites users to consider questions such as:

Does the house of worship have a written security and safety/emergency operations plan?

Are employees and volunteers trained on the security and safety/emergency operation plans?

Are congregants trained on elements of the security and safety/emergency operation plans?

For each of the questions for consideration in the assessment, the tool offers options for consideration. For example, one question asks, Does the house of worship have a camera system? A low-security response would be to explore installing a camera system onsite so that staff and first responders can identify and assess threats. And a higher-security response, for congregations already employing a camera system, would be to conduct a camera system survey to ensure that camera coverage is sufficient. Not all security responses require spending money. For example, a congregation might have a volunteer who notices the vehicles in the parking area throughout the week. Or they might decide to train ushers, greeters, and volunteers in security awareness and threat detection.

The assessment also includes a robust list of resources congregations can access. These range from learning more about security and safety/emergency managementsuch as how to handle mail, how to respond to a bomb threat, or how to stay alert to threatsto best practices for securing houses of worship.

Will your congregation make room to consider the safety and security of your church property? Its not difficult to imagine that smaller churches with limited resources might avoid an assessment like this that seems as though it would lead to solutions with financial cost. And its also easy to imagine that larger busy bustling congregations might not want to take time and focus away from church life and mission to consider the possibility of worst-case scenarios that they deem to be unlikely.

We encourage you to visit CISA and download the Houses of Worship Security Self-Assessment to share and consider with staff and volunteers. And we want to highlight, again, that you will be offered a variety of menu options as you consider whats best for your particular church. At a bare minimum, processing the assessment together will raise awareness about security issues and encourage thoughtful solutions. You serve faithfully as you seek to protect the beloved ones with whom youve been entrusted.
Metro Manila (CNN Philipines, March 15)  A year after the Philippine government first declared its community quarantine measures, Malacanang maintained that they have not been inefficient in handling COVID-19 cases.

In his briefing on Monday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, who also tested positive for the virus, reiterated that the government has been "excellent" in handling cases and the surge could be attributed to the new variants recently recorded in the country.

RELATED: Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque tests positive for COVID-19

"Umpisa po ng mga kaso natin we were doing a really good job, an excellent job...kailan lang po ito (surge), nangyari lang ng mga lumipas na araw," Roque said.

[Translation: From the start of the recorded cases, we were doing a really good job, an excellent job...this surge only happened a few days ago.]

"Ayokong sabihin na nagpapabaya ang mga Pilipino pero meron po talagang kinalaman itong mga bagong variants na lumalabas," he added.

[Translation: I don't want to say that the Filipinos are being complacent but this really has something to do with the new variants that are coming out.]

The Department of Health confirmed on Saturday that a new coronavirus variant called P.3 has been traced to the country, and that 98 cases of this variant has already been recorded, following the recent detection of 13 more.

The DOH also confirmed that the countrys first case of the P.1 variant first discovered in Brazil was found in the samples of an overseas Filipino worker who returned from Brazil and hails from Western Visayas.

READ: DOH reports COVID-19 variant unique to PH, first case of Brazil variant

Aside from the P.1 and P.3 variants, also discovered in the recent samples are 59 more cases of the B.1.1.7 variant first detected in the United Kingdom, and 32 additional cases of the B.1.351 from South Africa. This brings the total number of UK variant cases to 177, while the country now has 90 cases of the South Africa variant. Both variants are believed to be more contagious.

Roque also said in his briefing that while recommendations of independent research groups like OCTA Research are important, it takes "hours" for the government's task force to finalize measures that are crucial in balancing the economy.

Filipinos who are hungry due to lack of livelihood are also now dominating those who are getting COVID-19, he claimed.

In its latest forecast, OCTA warned that new cases nationwide may jump to 8,000 in a day by month-end if the highly transmissible virus is not contained and may even shoot up to around 17,000 to 18,000 by mid-April.

RELATED: TIMELINE: How the Philippines is handling COVID-19

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III told CNN Philippines' The Source that the government should be more open to criticisms that can help in the countrys battle against the health crisis.
(TNS)  A year ago, educators like David Hobbs were determined to look on the bright side and find a silver lining to this strange new thing we started calling "remote learning."Last week, Hobbs, assistant superintendent in Hampton's School Administrative Unit 21, almost laughed at the optimism of March 2020.A handful of Winnacunnet High students turned to remote learning for the first time as they quarantined after a school trip to Italy. Then the whole state went remote.The novelty wore off fast. Almost as soon as school buildings closed, families were clamoring for them to open again. They needed child care to go to work. They needed a break.Every school in the state is now open for in-person classes, but the much-maligned practice of remote learning won't be thrown out like yesterday's surgical mask."I think its going to be a component of education from here on out. I don't think we can deny that," Hobbs said. But he wants to see remote learning deployed judiciously."Now that we have these tools," he said, "how can we best leverage them in a way that's not putting kids on screen all day, but that's going to help kids connect with other kids and their teacher?"This winter's snow days offered a preview of the way schools might apply remote learning in the years to come. Instead of missing a day of class when the weather is bad, lessons can continue uninterrupted at home."The snow day from the past is probably transformed," said Winfried Feneberg, Kearsarge Regional School District's superintendent. Children will bring their computers home, and a teacher will stream live lessons all day."Unlike blizzard bag days, it's a seamless pivot," Fenenberg said.As long as there's internet access, that is.Newport Montessori principal Christy Whipple said that was less possible in her area  as in many areas of the state with spotty internet."The reality of living in New Hampshire, and rural New Hampshire, is there are going to be snow days," Whipple said. "When we have a blizzard in our area, that often means no Internet service."Children without reliable internet access at home also would be shut out of snow-day classes, just as remote learning laid bare the divide between the home computer haves and have-nots.The pandemic has pushed more school districts to provide each student with a take-home laptop or tablet. Supplying a device for every student has for several years been normal in wealthier districts, but remote learning, and money from the CARES Act, finally got laptops into the hands of students in poorer school districts.Families, too, might keep connecting remotely with their children's schools.Parent-teacher conferences of the future might be video calls, Hobbs said, instead of in-person meetings at school. Meeting online instead of in-person has been easier for teachers and families, he said, and has led to more frequent connections with more families.In recent recommendations, the state Department of Education has highlighted ways remote learning could be used even in fair weather.A consultant's report published last week suggested that portions of career and technical education courses could be offered remotely, eliminating some of the onerous travel back and forth from a regional career and technical education center.Online learning also might be part of cost-cutting strategies for school districts, the Department of Education said in January.Smaller districts might decide to use online learning to offer more electives to students, Feneberg said, or students could pursue higher-level math than what is taught in their home districts.Remote learning strategies like online worksheets, recorded lectures or live video feeds of teachers may remain a part of education after the pandemic ends, but Hobbs hopes the in-person classroom will be the norm once again.There's some magic in being in a full classroom with a teacher, he said.
Citis target price rises to 635p compared to 600p previously

Citigroup has joined the clutch of brokers upgrading the share price target for Royal Mail Group PLC ( ).

The US bank said following last week;s trading update, it expects 20121 adjusted operating profits of 708mln compared to its forecast of 504mln previously.

Citis target price rises to 635p compared to 600p previously.

Last week, JP Morgan has raised its price target on Royal Mail to 704p but said the shares have the potential to go even higher.

In its trading update, the postal service said it expects revenues to be some 900mln higher than expected in the year to end-March due to the surge in parcel volumes sparked by the switch to shopping online during the pandemic.

Shares today were 503.4p, close to a three -year high.
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Food group Aryzta has said its revenue and earnings performance for the first half of its financial year were ahead of expectations.

Group revenue for the six-month period was 1.3bn, a fall of 22pc on the corresponding period last year.

Group earnings fell by 26.5pc to 125m, according to interim results from the Irish founded company.

During the period the Cuisine de France owner continued to by affected by Covid-19 disruptions, which have had a particularly big impact on the global food sector.

On Friday Aryzta announced it is selling its North American business to an affiliate of private equity group Lindsay Goldberg for $850m (711m).

This division accounted for 533.4m of Aryzta revenue and earnings of 48.7m in the first half of financial year 2021.

Aryzta chairman and interim CEO Urs Jordi said today that the results highlight the significant progress achieved as a result of our strategy to simplify the business and to de-risk the balance sheet with the sale of our North American business for $850m.

We can now focus on delivering the necessary operational improvements and returning to organic growth as we leverage the significant broad bakery experience to improve shareholder returns, he added.

The company said an improvement in performance reflected the benefit of cost cutting and changes to its reporting structure, as well as a strong recovery in North American operations in the first half of its financial year 2021.

Quick service restaurants and retail channels recovered strongly in North America and recovery continued in rest of world, according to the company.

These improvements were offset by Covid-19 related disruptions in Europe, especially in the second quarter due, to the impact of lock downs and restrictions across the region and the resultant negative impact on the foodservice channel, the group said.

Aryzta generated a positive cash flow from activities of 33.8m during the six-months. It currently has 523m in liquidity.

The company said the liquidity position, along with with the proceeds from the disposal of the businesses in North America, means it now has certainty around debt reduction, strengthening its balance sheet and de-risking its financial position into the future.

Aryzta, on Friday, said that the early conclusion of the disposal of its North American business validates the boards strategy to remain independent.

It said the board of Aryzta is fully convinced its strategy serves shareholders and stakeholders best interests and provides the best route for value creation.

In December, after careful review" and a unanimous decision, the board of Aryzta rejected an offer of CHF0.80 (0.74) per share from the US hedge fund Elliott which valued the company at 734m.

Earlier this month, Aryztas Irish shares were delisted from the Euronext stock exchange in Dublin. Aryztas primary listing was already in Zurich.

The exit from the Irish stock market follows last years upheavals at the company, best known here as the baker of Cuisine de France branded goods.

The past year has seen major changes at the group with its previously Irish-dominated leadership ousted in a bid to improve shareholder value by Swiss fund management group Veraison Capital which has helped install a new chairman.

In January, Aryzta reached an agreement with Lion Capital and Invest Group Zouari to sell its remaining 4.64pc interest in French frozen foods group Picard for around 24m.
Perfume and Beauty in Times of Distress

Columns

In a time where an unprecedented economic crisis is happening, it might seem frivolous to reflect on what consequences Covid-19 brought to our obsessively perfume-oriented lives, or how it also might affect the mass market and niche/indie industries. But its in these times of distress that beauty and art play a role of such pivotal importance when juxtaposed to the crude and sometimes relentless blows of life.

We all had a tough 2020. Relatable memes werent sufficient to diminish the pain, anxiety, and in best case scenario, boredom, we all felt. Youre at work and all of a sudden the boss emails the whole company telling people to go home  a slight tense worriness sets in and you think this virus drama is going to last only a few weeks, and thats if you're lucky and manage to keep your job. Flash forward a year later and your trip to the supermarket is the adventure of the week. Some of us have the advantage of working from home, and our naturally relaxed coffee-break small-talk at the office turned into cringy corporate Zoom meetings, with that one co-worker displaying a new, ironic background every week (thats me, btw). Then there are others, left with no other choice than to remove themselves from bed, mask up, and put on a uniform so we can have food or be treated when sick. Not so fair for them.

We are able to adapt to whatever social malaise is thrown at us, and without exception the Covid-19 life became routinized as the chaos grew more and more palatable and freedoms restrained such activities as the banal mall visit to sniff the new flanker. This situation takes a toll on everyone, and the under-addressed mental health issue lurking behind every daily news report of new infecttions/strains/lockdowns should be highlighted, as its causing many people to live in survival mode and become lonely. More than ever, perfume and beauty are a refuge.

Chances are, if you clicked on the Fragrantica website, youre trying to forget about all of this and chase a little bit of beauty in this glorious hobby of ours. The discipline of aesthetics claims that beauty works as a sort of safe haven from the flow of everyday life  and God knows the flow of Covid-19 life can be quite a contrast with the soothing lavender of Carons Pour un Homme or the soft amber accord of Ambre Nuit.

The perfume industry will for sure change with the virus. Being a luxury item, it needs to be left free in its natural habitat, but currently the habitat is depleted from all chic-ness. The buying experience is severely affected by the practical implications of the obvious: I cant take my mask off to smell the paper strip! Then you have to put it inside the mask, or try to do all sorts of awkward tricks to smell it that keeps the sales assistant entertainedIts a logistic nightmare that will for sure keep many customers away from trying perfume. The impulsiveness of the perfume buying experience is severely affected. Thinking out loud: If it makes sense to take off your mask in the food court, why doesn't it make sense to take it off in the perfume department? With the proper social distance, being that its an intrinsic part of the business and allNevermind.

Theres a fancy mall in Lisbon where most of the exclusive niche brands are sold. Before Covid hit, the lights shined upon the faces of passersby as they catwalked through the fragrance designer counters: lip-filled 20 year-olds getting dolled up at the make-up chair for a Friday Girls' Night Out, post-divorce middle-aged men testing Mont Blanc Explorer (while eyeing the make-up chair counter), Asian tourists sliding their Visas for a couple of the new Dior Privees, and life was vibrant in all of its superfluous, short-lived, dopamine glory.

I terribly miss wearing my favorite fragrances outside the house, in different scenarios, and actually experiencing them without the mask on. Its a thrill to smell great at home and for ourselves, but its a greater joy to experience it with others and associate memories with it as they are happening. That is when our beloved perfumes consummate themselves.

I am sure most of you reading have coped against lockdowns the best way you could  whether it was over spraying your favorite chypre, or buying that fancy bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon that would accompany a four-hour-long slow-cooked Osso Buco  We've all got to live a little.


Sending out a strong message, Mumbai Police have booked Bollywood actress and model Gauhar Khan for allegedly violating Covid-19 protocols after testing positive, officials said here on Monday.

The Oshiwara police station lodged an FIR after a complaint lodged by the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) against Gauhar.

Hailing from Pune, Gauhar (37) recently got married to actor Zaid Darbar, the son of veteran music director Ismail Darbar. She had tested positive for Covid-19 on March 11.

However, despite testing positive, she attended a film shoot and was moving around in public places, unmindful that she was a carrier and could post a threat to the general public, an official said.

"The BMC has filed an FIR against a Bollywood actor for non-compliance of Covid-19 guidelines after testing positive. The rules apply to all alike and we urge the citizens to follow the guidelines and help the city beat the virus," the BMC said on Monday.

The civic body also tweeted a copy of the FIR with the actress' name blurred with a slogan -- "No Compromise On City's Safety!"

After a social worker tipped off the BMC on Gauhar seen moving around in public despite testing positive, a civic health team rushed to her home in the western suburb.

Gauhar allegedly did not open the door for the health team after which it called her on her phone, which she answered.

Finally, Gauhar relented and stepped out, following which the BMC team stamped her hand on the home isolation status which she flouted. She is now being shifted to an institution.

As cases in Maharashtra crossed a staggering 23 lakh on Sunday, the state and the BMC are taking stringent measures against persons flouting norms after testing positive.

--IANS

qn/arm

(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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Story Highlights 58% in U.S. think Biden is respected by world leaders

49% say U.S. rates favorably in world; 37% are satisfied with U.S. position

Republicans' positivity has tumbled since 2020, driving overall ratings down

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- At the start of Joe Biden's presidency, the 58% of Americans who think he is respected by leaders around the world is among the highest for recent presidents and far higher than Donald Trump's readings on the measure throughout his term.

Yet, this positivity about Biden on the world stage has not translated to optimistic views about the United States' international standing. Instead, the public's sentiment that the U.S. is viewed favorably in the eyes of the world (49%) and their satisfaction with its position in the world (37%) have fallen sharply. These declines are being driven by Republicans, whose near-record highs on these measures last year have tumbled, while Democrats' opinions have shown only modest improvements so far, with Biden newly in office.

Americans' Shifting Perceptions of the U.S. on the World Stage Feb 3-16 , 2020 Feb 3-18 , 2021 % % World leaders respect president 37 58 Satisfied with U.S. position in world 53 37 U.S. rates favorably in the eyes of the world 60 49 GALLUP

The latest findings are from Gallup's Feb. 3-18 World Affairs poll, which was conducted several weeks after Biden outlined his plans to "repair our alliances and engage with the world again" in his inaugural address. Biden's foreign policy goals are largely a reversal from Trump's "America First" strategy, which included the United States' withdrawals from the World Health Organization and the Paris climate accord. Biden tackled both of these issues in his first hours as president by signing executive orders. In addition, Biden has already spoken to many foreign leaders, taken steps to potentially restore the Iran nuclear deal, created a Defense Department task force to address the U.S. military's China strategy and imposed sanctions on Russia, with the promise of more to come.

Majority of Americans Think World Leaders Respect Biden

Since 2001, Gallup has regularly tracked Americans' perceptions of whether foreign leaders respect the U.S. president. Fifty-eight percent of U.S. adults say world leaders respect Biden, a reading that is shy of Barack Obama's initial 67% in February 2009. It is, however, well above George W. Bush's 49% in February 2001 and Trump's 29% in February 2017.

While Trump was in office, no more than 37% of U.S. adults said he was respected by leaders around the globe. Data from Gallup's World Poll similarly found the median approval rating of U.S. leadership among residents of 94 countries and territories was a record-low 28% in 2020. In 2019, median approval was 33% among 135 countries.

Line graph. Americans' views of whether other world leaders have respect for the U.S. president, trend since 2001. Currently, 58% say they think world leaders have respect for Joe Biden. The highest on record is 75% for George W. Bush in 2002 after the 9/11 attacks and the record low is 21% in 2007, also for Bush, during the Iraq War.

Ninety percent of Democrats and 19% of Republicans think Biden is respected by foreign leaders, typical of partisans' opposing views of presidents. The one notable exception was in 2002, after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when a record-high 75% overall said leaders around the world respected Bush, including majorities of both parties. Yet, Bush also owns the 21% record low in 2007 during the Iraq War. At that time, 45% of Republicans and 11% of Democrats thought other world leaders respected Bush.

Decline in Public's Views of How U.S. Is Rated on World Stage

Although a majority of Americans think Biden has the respect of leaders abroad, he faces the challenge of repairing the United States' global image. The overall 11-percentage-point decline in Americans' belief that the U.S. is viewed very or somewhat favorably in the eyes of the world, from 60% to 49%, is the result of a 37-point drop among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents since one year ago. The decline among Republicans overwhelms the more modest 13-point improvement, to 53%, in Democrats' and Democratic-leaning independents' views with Biden in office.

This trend is similar to what happened when Obama assumed office after Bush's presidency, in 2009. Between 2008 and 2010, Democrats' view that the U.S. rates favorably in the world roughly doubled, from 31% to 63%. At the same time, Republicans' fell from 58% to 38%.

Line graph. Percentages of Americans, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, and Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents who think the U.S. rates favorably in the eyes of the world. Currently, 49% of Americans think the U.S. is viewed favorably, including 53% of Democrats and 44% of Republicans. Democrats' views have improved from 40% in 2020, while Republicans' have fallen from 81% in 2020.

While 49% of Americans think the U.S. is viewed favorably on the global stage, even fewer, 37%, are satisfied with its position in the world. This marks a 16-point decline since one year ago, also the result of a far greater drop among Republicans (-55 points) than increase among Democrats (+22 points).

Partisans' views of satisfaction with the United States' position in the world have followed a trajectory similar to that involving their views of U.S. favorability. That is, between 2008 and 2010, when the presidency transitioned from Bush to Obama, Democrats' satisfaction rose from 14% to 50%, while Republicans' fell from 54% to 19%.

Line graph. Percentages of Americans, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, and Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents who are satisfied with the position of the U.S. in the world since 2000. Currently, 37% of U.S. adults, including 45% of Democrats and 27% of Republicans, are satisfied. Republicans' satisfaction has dropped from 82% in 2020 and Democrats' has increased from 23% in 2020.

Majorities of Americans expressed satisfaction with the position of the U.S. from 2000 through 2003. After that, less than half were satisfied until February of last year, when the reading rose to 53%.

Bottom Line

Americans are much more likely to think leaders around the world respect Biden than thought this of Trump throughout his presidency. Yet they are in a transition phase when it comes to rating how the U.S. is seen internationally; that is, it is too soon in the Biden presidency for Democrats to be happy with the U.S. role or image, given the damage Democrats believe Trump has done. However, Trump's departure from office has been enough to deflate Republicans' ratings. As Biden increasingly enacts his foreign policy agenda, Democrats' positive impressions of the U.S. on the world stage are likely to grow, and Republicans' may fall further, assuming polarization will expand to the extremes seen under the last two presidents.

View complete question responses and trends (PDF download).

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.
A judge will now decide whether a former soldier charged with two murders over Bloody Sunday should stand trial.

Soldier F is accused of murdering James Wray and William McKinney on January 30, 1972, when British troops opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in the Bogside area of Derry, killing a total of 13 people.

The ex-paratrooper is also accused of the attempted murders of Patrick ODonnell, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon and Michael Quinn.

He faces a seventh supporting charge of the attempted murder of a person or persons unknown on the day.

Soldier F is accused of murdering James Wray (left) and William McKinney (right) on January 30, 1972, when British troops opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in the Bogside area of Derry, killing a total of 13 people

The prosecution made opening remarks in Derry Magistrates Court on Monday, however reporting restrictions imposed on the hearing have prevented the media from publishing any of the details.

The committal hearing is a preliminary inquiry to decide whether there is enough evidence to proceed to a Crown Court trial.

The hearing is expected to last a few weeks, with reporting restrictions on the opening statements and witness testimony for legal reasons.

Soldier F has been granted anonymity, which District Judge Ted Magill said would continue until further notice.

Judge Magill said that Judge Barney McElholm granted the anonymity order and that he decided it will continue.

Soldier F listened to the proceedings remotely because of Covid-19 restrictions.

The ex-paratrooper is also accused of the attempted murders of Patrick ODonnell, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon and Michael Quinn. Pictured: Youths confront British soldiers before paratroopers opened fire on Bloody Sunday

The court heard that some of the families of the Bloody Sunday victims were to watch court proceedings remotely in a separate venue in the city.

A total of 13 people were killed and 15 wounded when members of the Armys Parachute Regiment opened fire on demonstrators on Sunday January 30 1972.

It was one of the catalysts for the Northern Ireland conflict which lasted for decades and cost thousands of lives.

Court proceedings are due to continue on Tuesday at 10.30am.
No Parliament should discuss laws passed by other Parliaments, issues of other countries: LS Speaker Image Source: IANS News

No Parliament should discuss laws passed by other Parliaments, issues of other countries: LS Speaker Image Source: IANS News

No Parliament should discuss laws passed by other Parliaments, issues of other countries: LS Speaker Image Source: IANS News

No Parliament should discuss laws passed by other Parliaments, issues of other countries: LS Speaker Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, March 15 : Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday brought to the notice of Duarte Pacheco, the President of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the issue of interference of Parliaments of other countries in the laws passed in different countries.

"No Parliament should discuss the laws passed by other Parliaments and issues of other sovereign countries," Birla told Pacheco.

Birla made the observation over "unwarranted and tendentious" debate in the UK Parliament that saw lawmakers criticising the Indian government's handling of the farmers' protest.

On March 9, India had summoned British envoy Alex Ellis to lodge a protest against the issue.

The debate was held on March 8 in response to a public petition that garnered more than 115,000 signatures, and witnessed lawmakers from Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democratic and Scottish National Party calling on the Boris Johnson government to raise their concerns over the handling of the farmers' protest and media freedom by the Indian government.

Pacheco called on Birla at the Parliament House earlier in the day on his seven-day visit to India. He reached India on Sunday and will stay here till March 20 as the guest of the Parliament of India. He was also present during the Rajya Sabha proceedings on Monday and was welcomed by the Chairman of the Upper House, Venkiah Naidu.

Referring to the strong historical ties of India with the IPU, Birla said that India has organised the IPU conference in 1969 and 1993, while former presiding officers G.S. Dhillon and Najma Heptulla had been IPU presidents in the past.

On the role of the IPU, the Lok Sabha Speaker said that it is inspiring the world community on issues like climate change, education, health, economy, terrorism and sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Birla mentioned that both India and IPU share the same global vision of strengthening democracy, saying "our collective vision is democratisation of governance at the international level".

Birla also appreciated the Portugal government for its support to the re-organisation of the UN Security Council and India's permanent membership in the council.

Regarding the challenges of Covid-19, the Speaker emphasised that India has always played the role of a responsible international partner.

"India has supplied Covid related treatment materials to more than 154 countries and it has deployed rapid response teams in several nations to tackle the pandemic. India, for its capability in Covid vaccines, has emerged as the pharmacy of the world." Acknowledging the positive role played by the IPU in the field of international cooperation, the Speaker said that the IPU is playing a vital role for the Parliaments and for voicing their concerns at the international level.

The IPU is an international organisation of national Parliaments. Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability and cooperation among its members and its initiatives include advancing gender parity among legislatures, empowering youth participation in politics and sustainable development.

It was established in 1889 as the Inter-Parliamentary Congress. IPU membership was reserved for individual parliamentarians, but it has since transformed to include the legislatures of sovereign states. The national Parliaments of 179 countries are members of the IPU, while 13 regional parliamentary assemblies are its associate members.
The European Film Promotion organization is poised to return to Hong Kongs FilMart with a virtual booth that befits this years online-only edition of the film rights market. Its umbrella stand will host 29 smaller European sales agencies, including four newcomers.

One of those, the French sales company Reel Suspects, will be pitching Bliss by Germanys Henrika Kull, which recently made its festival debut in the Panorama section of the Berlin film festival.

More from Variety

The other first-time participants are: Rise and Shine World Sales from Germany, which will be promoting the Austrian documentary Vienna Symphony by Iva Svarcova and Malte Ludin; Spains Feelsales with the Italian-German coproduction Hong Kong, Ga Yau, a documentary by Marco Di Noia; and Media Move from Poland, which will be looking to attract buyers interest in the Serbian drama Loan Shark by Nemanja Ceranic.

Other films which made recent Berlinale debuts are Maria Schraders tragicomedy and competition title Im Your Man, handled by Germanys Beta Cinema. The film also earned the silver bear acting prize for Maren Eggert. Another is Azor, by Andreas Fontana, which premiered in Berlins Encounters section, and is sold by Be for Films.

Germanys m-appeal is handling Berlin Panorama title Celts, by Milica Tomovic from Serbia. Picture tree International is representing Mission Ulja Funk, by Germanys Barbara Kronenberg, which was shown in the Generation sidebar.

Other hot European titles handled by Europe! Umbrella participants include: Les Films du Losanges Suzanna Andler, by French director Benoit Jacquot, which premiered at this years International Film Festival Rotterdam and plays next month at the Hong Kong International Film Festival; and veteran Carlo Sauras latest musical drama The King of the Whole World, represented by Spanish sales agent Latido Films.

Story continues

The virtual umbrella effort is supported by the Creative Europe  MEDIA Program of the European Union and backed substantially by the EFP member German Films, which is also a participant this time. Other support comes from Spains Instituto de la Cinematografia y de las Artes Audiovisuales (Spain) and Italys Istituto Luce Cinecitta.

Best of Variety

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Four healthy piglets were successfully cloned using cells from a single donor in Vietnam last week, opening the door to new capabilities in organ transplantation.

The piglets are of the I,' or Vietnamese Pot-bellied, a breed of small domestic pig found in northern parts of the country.

The four piglets were cloned on March 10 with somatic cells derived from the ear tissue of a mature pig, the verified Facebook page of the Vietnamese government announced on Sunday.

This is an outstanding step forward for Vietnams science and technology in the field of animal cloning, the post reads.

A group of scientists from the National Institute of Animal Sciences (NIAS) began their research into the cloning technology in July 2020 as part of a government program that encouraged research and application of biotechnology in agriculture and rural development.

A scientist inspects a cloned piglet in Vietnam. Photo: V. Giang / Tuoi Tre

The NIAS director, Dr. Pham Cong Thieu, was quoted as saying the scientists had overcome the challenges of limited infrastructure and equipment to make a success out of their research.

Using zona pellucida-free eggs allowed the group to create a large number of embryos in a short time, while blastocyst stage (days 56) embryo transfer improved conception rates to 61 percent against the world average of 24 percent.

The results of their research have been published in a number of acclaimed domestic and international scientific journals including Theriogenology, an international forum for researchers, clinicians, and industry professionals in animal reproductive biology.

Scientists take care of cloned piglets in Vietnam. Photo: V. Giang / Tuoi Tre

This outstanding achievement has opened up new research directions on the application of animal cloning technology in breeding, conservation of high-value and rare animals, combining animal cloning with gene-editing technologies to create high-yield, disease-resistant and climate-resilient breeds, and creating desired cloned pigs for organ transplantation in the future, the government-run social media page said.

Cloning is the process of producing individuals artificially using cells from an original, independent of the natural fertilization process.

Over 20 different breeds of animals have been cloned by scientists across the world since the first successful animal cloning was done on mice in 1979.

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New Delhi:

The Punjab and Haryana High Court said that the mayhem caused by followers of self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh last Friday was a war like-situation on Tuesday. The court added that the situation had to be tackled accordingly and gave directions in connection to the matter, Punjab and Haryana governments have been directed by the court to set up special investigation teams (SITs) of three officer headed by an officer not below the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) to investigate all the cases registered at various places in connection with the Dera violence. The bench comprising of Chief Justice SS Saron and Justice Surya Kant, Justice Avneesh Jhingan directed that no FIR registered by the two states during the Friday mayhem shall be cancelled without the permission of the High Court. The court has also directed the police that case diaries of each FIR and the report of investigation in connection with the violence to be submitted on a monthly basis to the concerned "area magistrates". The magistrates will submit their comments to the High Court within ten days. The court has also the Haryana government to file detailed report regarding the steps taken to sanitise Dera Sacha Sauda centres including its headquarters at Sirsa. The Dera counsel submitted before the court that security forces should have used rubber bullets to disperse the mob in Panchkula and not used bullets. The judges did not agree to the Dera counsels submission and said, You cant go soft when some people come armed with petrol bombs and deadly weapons to indulge in arson and lawlessness. The judges further said, This was a war-like situation and it had to be fought like a war-like situation. It was hearing a PIL filed by a Panchkula resident Ravinder Dhull, a lawyer, who had raised law and order concerns and stated that over 1.5 lakh people had reportedly entered the district earlier despite prohibitory orders. Violence broke out at Panchkula after Ram Rahim was convicted in a rape case by the special CBI court on Friday leaving 32 people dead while six died at Sirsa, even as incidents of violence were reported from parts of Punjab as well.

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(Natural News) If youre an American who was hard hit economically by lockdowns, stay-and-home orders and mandatory business closures and restrictions and you believe that the COVID-19 relief bill currently winding its way through the Democrat-controlled Congress will finally bring some respite, youre going to be very disappointed.

Because in reality, while spending that kind of money solely on businesses and Americans who need the help would be more than enough to make up for what many have lost, the bulk of those funds arent going to hard-working Americans.

No, the vast majority of that money has already been earmarked  for Democrat-controlled cities, states and special interests.

Again, the bulk of nearly $2 trillion in 100 percent deficit spending isnt going to help you, Mr. and Mrs. Ordinary American.

But of the money going to Americans, federal workers (already a huge Democrat constituency, by the way) are being rewarded with more than Americans who arent federal workers and instead are busy toiling away in the private sector.

In an interview with Fox & Friends Monday morning, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) dissected the bill in a way that few others have, revealing things that were previously hidden inside the hundreds of pages of legislation that, frankly, should infuriate the vast majority of Americans.

Watch the latest video at foxnews.com

For one, the bill calls for a one-time $1,400 payment to most Americans, but gives $1,400 per week to federal workers whose kids are still being kept out of in-person classes.

There are also hundreds of billions in payouts to deep blue cities and states that were in debt long before COVID-19 came over from China because they have long been run by Democrats who couldnt manage a lemonade stand without driving it into bankruptcy.

Also, Cotton said, most of the money isnt even spent right away (we thought it was for pandemic relief!?). And, he said, there theres a major reason why Joe Biden and Democrats are engaged in a full-court press to get this trillion-dollar boondoggle passed: The pandemic is waning as is the urgency for new relief.

One reason I think Joe Biden thinks theres no time to waste is that Democrats can see cases have plummeted since early January, Cotton said.

They can see that we now have three effective vaccines, and vaccination rates are surging, so I think theyre worried they wont have the coronavirus as an excuse to pay off all their clients and patrons in a $1.9 trillion blowout bill, he noted further. (Related: Some Democrats are beginning to admit that lockdowns have turned the US into a totalitarian police state.)

As you said, less than a dime of every dollar goes to coronavirus, the Harvard-educated lawyer and multi-combat tour former Army infantry officer added.

Just take a look at the payoff to some of their constituencies: $350 billion for states that are poorly run and that have longstanding problems but didnt even lose money because of the coronavirus, places like California and New York, Cotton said, noting that the bill also contains $130 billion for schools but only a nickel of each dollar of that money is going to be spent this year.

Most of it is for future years. Again, paying off teachers unions. And then maybe the worst of all, the worst of all, theyre going to give a lot of Americans a $1,400 check, he said. Federal employers are going to get that same check. They are also going to get $1,400 a week, every single week if their kids arent in school.

So if youre working in the middle of the country, hard to make a living, you get one $1,400 payment once. If youre a federal bureaucrat in Washington where your schools are still closed, you get it every single week. Talk about the swamp looking out after itself, Cotton said.

Got that? A massive spending bill that isnt really needed (because the government still hasnt spent hundreds of billions approved in the last COVID relief bill passed under Trump) and takes care of Democrat constituents and the Swamp in DC  par for the course, huh?

See more reporting like this at Corruption.news.

Sources include:

FoxNews.com

TheConservativeTreehouse.com

NaturalNews.com
An Accra Circuit Court will on March 25, start the trial of Lawrence Nana Asiamah Hanson, aka, Bulldog, who allegedly threatened President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in a video recording.



Hanson, an Artiste Manager, is alleged to have said on a United Television (UTV) programme that "The President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will not finish his four-year term if he failed to pay customers of Menzgold.



Prosecution led by Chief Inspector Simon Apiorsornu, retook the plea of Hanson and re-read the facts of the case after amending the charge sheet and the facts.



Hanson has denied the charge of "Offensive conduct to breaches of the peace.



The Court presided over by Mrs Evelyn Asamoah, admitted Hanson to his former bail of GHC 70,000.



Meanwhile, the accused person has been served with disclosures and all the documents prosecution intend to rely on.



This was after a case management conference had been conducted with the accused and the prosecution agreeing on timelines on which the case would be conducted or heard.



The new facts as presented by the prosecution were that the complainants in the case are citizens and regular viewers of UTV programme dubbed "United Showbiz, hosted by Nana Ama Agyemang Mcbrown, which is live every Saturday between the hours of 9:00pm and 11:00pm.



The prosecution said on January 9, this year, the programme was aired on UTV as usual and the accused was one of the panelists who appeared on the show.



Chief Inspector Apiorsornu said during the programme, the issue of Menzgold was raised and Hanson quickly responded that "The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo will not finish his four-year tenure if he failed to pay Menzgold customers."



The Prosecutor said on January 11, this year, the Police intercepted the said video recording on the facebook page of UTV, which attracted many comments from viewers who watched and heard the accused making those unguided comments.



The prosecution said on January 12, this year, Hanson was handed over to the Police by the National Intelligence Bureau for investigations.



In the course of the investigations, Prosecution said the Police requested for the original video recording from UTV and it was played to the accused and he admitted having made those comments.



The Prosecutor said the original video, which was in Twi and English language was forwarded to the Ghana Institute of Languages for transcription and same was transcribed into English language.

Source: GNA









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The closing credits for the River Oaks Theatre may be rolling if a deal is not struck soon between Landmark Theatres and Weingarten Realty. Late Monday afternoon, Weingarten President and COO Johnny Hendrix said that the companies are now engaging in talks after Landmark announced on Friday that negotiations have stalled.

"We are in some discussions with them, and we will see where it goes," Hendrix told Chron.

In a statement issued from Landmark Theatres, the theatre chain announced Friday that River Oaks Theatre was now preparing to leave its beloved home in Houston:

"Landmark Theatres is disappointed to announce that there has been no response or acknowledgment of the revised proposal we submitted to Weingarten Reality this week. In good faith, we presented a fair and reasonable proposal and asked for a response by close of business today. Unfortunately, there has been no response or even acknowledgement of this proposal, leaving us no choice, but continue with our preparation to leave our beloved home of 30 years."

The theatre's lease renewal will end on March 31, if an agreement is not reached with Weingarten. On Saturday, hundreds of River Oaks Theatre fans showed their support for "Operation: Save Houston Cinema" by buying tickets to four sold-out screenings of "Father."

Landmark Theatres has been incredibly overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for our residency at the River Oaks," Landmark Theatres President and COO Paul Serwitz said. " The Houston Film Critics Societys initiative to sell out the opening Saturday of The Father, brought pre-pandemic energy back to the River Oaks. We are so grateful for this gesture.

'HOUSTON'S HISTORY IS NOT FOR SALE': Protestors rally to save River Oaks Theatre

The theater will be shuttered unless a last-ditch move is made to save the theatre, according to Houston Film Critics' Doug Harris.

"I can't imagine that continued overtures to the Mayor's Office and Weingarten Realty won't go unappreciated and unnoticed. We need to pressure the people that may have the chance to save this theatre," Harris said. " If I were orchestrating this on a higher level, I would be talking to the big retailers with Weingarten...like Kroger's, Tilman Fertitta who operates La Griglia. All of the retailers could legitimately say 'We like what this theatre brings to the offering of this lifestyle.

Harris added that the River Oaks Theatre was a cultural icon for the neighborhood, a historic treasure which Weingarten should show pride in its affiliation.

"The theatre is a lifestyle component of the 77019 zipcode," Harris told Chron. "There ought to be more for this than just collect a check,"

Preservation Houston's Executive Director David Bush discussed the push to save River Oaks Theatre from repurposing or a wrecking ball.

"The building is actually a designated city of Houston landmark," Bush told Chron. "However under our preservation ordinance, designated landmarks can be demolished after the 90-day waiting period. There's nothing in the municipal code that really would prevent that."

Bush said that the 1939 Art Deco iconic venue River Oaks Theatre was unique in that the initial investment was significant.

"This is the last neighborhood theater left," Bush said. "This is the last one that's functioning."
The cope of social distance and isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic had increased the number of e-book readers substantially

Vattanak Khun CEO of 505 Digital Said, owned by Cambodia-based 505 Group (Cambodia)Co.,Ltd. has secured an undisclosed pre-seed funding at the Valuation of 5 Million US Dollar from a group of local investors.

At first, we wanted to build a platform to store public documents for helping our readers. Today we hosting more than thousand free books, thousands documents and 50 premium books and audiobooks in our platforms, we are working with 25 authors and received encouragement from the minister of Information and the minister of culture and fine-arts said Founder Vattanak Khun.

Early 2019, Vattanak Khun and co-founders Pin Sreyneat and put together their knowledge and expertise to create 505 Digital App and later incorporate it into a business in early 2021, today 505 houses over 25 staff members strong from writers, editors and multimedia creators served to hundred of thousand Cambodian reader and listener from all over the world.

Cambodia is on the fast-paced development in all areas, there are 21.24 million mobile connections in early 2020 which is 128% of the total population12.5 millions have access to the internet, 12 millions of mobile internet users (access via smartphone) and 80% of the smartphone owners are under the age of 35.

The cope of social distance and isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic had increased the number of e-book readers substantially.

Investing in 505 Digital App is not only profitable, but also contributes to the countrys development. It helps develop human resources with its free and premium books, and encourages and creates more authors. said the lead investor In Mean.

Disclaimer: No Asian Age journalist was involved in creating this content. The group also takes no responsibility for this content.
New Delhi, March 15 : The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a plea filed by senior Kerala Congress leader P.J. Joseph against the Election Commission order recognising the Jose K. Mani faction as the official Kerala Congress-Mani and allotting it the party symbol.

Joseph moved the top court challenging the Kerala High Court order, which upheld the Election Commission order.

Senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing Joseph, contended before a bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde that the poll panel had no material to hold Mani's faction was the real Kerala Congress-Mani.

However, the bench, which also comprises Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian, said the court is not keen to interfere with the Kerala High Court order, upholding the poll panel decision to grant the official election symbol of "Two Leaves" to the Mani group.

"We don't agree with you... we are not interfering," the bench told Joseph's counsel.

A division bench of the Kerala High Court upheld a single judge bench verdict upholding the Election Commission's order. In a majority verdict, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra held that Mani's faction was the Kerala Congress-Mani, and thus, entitled to use its name and its reserved symbol 'two leaves' for the purposes of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.

Joseph had contended before the High Court that poll panel's conclusion can said to be perverse. The dispute between party Vice Chairman Jose Mani and Working Chairman Joseph following the death of party chairman K.M. Mani in 2019.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
If completed, the proposed business combination would form the preeminent independent wealth management business in Canada and provide superior value for RF Capital minority shareholders and Richardson Wealth Investment Advisors

TORONTO, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. (TSX: CF) ("Canaccord Genuity" or the "Company") announced today that on March 9, 2021 it submitted a letter to the board of directors of RF Capital Group Inc. (TSX: RCG) ("RF Capital") in which Canaccord Genuity proposed to purchase 100% of the outstanding shares of RF Capital for $2.30 per share (the "Proposal") for cash or Canaccord Genuity common shares. The Proposal represented a 31% premium to the closing price of RF Capital common shares on March 12, 2021 and a 30% premium to the volume-weighted average price for the 20 trading days ended on that date. The proposed price of $2.30 per common share is supported by the formal valuation commissioned by the special committee of RF Capital's board of directors in connection with the recently completed transaction (the "RGMP Transaction") between RF Capital and Richardson GMP Limited ("Richardson Wealth"). The rationale behind the Proposal is simple - on a combined basis, RF Capital and Canaccord Genuity would become the preeminent independent wealth business in Canada.

Unfortunately, RF Capital's board of directors dismissed the Proposal on March 10, 2021 without reason. As a result, RF Capital shareholders, including its Investment Advisors ("IA"s) who, as a group, represent a significant shareholding, were not provided an opportunity to consider an offer at an attractive valuation. Representatives of Richardson Financial Group Limited (the "Richardson family"), which owns approximately 44% of the outstanding common shares of RF Capital, rejected an invitation to discuss the Proposal.

"We are resolute in our belief that our Proposal would provide superior value for RF Capital shareholders and that Richardson Wealth Investment Advisors would benefit from the scale, stability, and growth potential that Canaccord Genuity provides," said Dan Daviau, President & CEO of Canaccord Genuity. "The opportunity to bring together two of Canada's leading independent wealth management businesses presents compelling synergies and economic benefits not only for our own business and shareholders, but also for RF Capital shareholders, Richardson Wealth's Investment Advisors and their clients."

We are disappointed that we have been unable to engage with RF Capital's board of directors and the Richardson family in a meaningful and productive way in connection with our Proposal, despite numerous attempts to engage in constructive dialogue since last September. We feel strongly that RF Capital shareholders and Richardson Wealth Investment Advisors (including those with RF Capital shares subject to a multi-year escrow) should have an opportunity to consider the Proposal.

We believe the Proposal presents an opportunity to form the preeminent independent wealth management business in Canada, and a compelling opportunity for RF Capital's shareholders to participate in the ongoing success of Canaccord Genuity's existing platform and on a combined basis with the addition of Richardson Wealth.

Benefits of the Proposal

As two of the largest and longest-standing independent wealth management businesses in Canada , Canaccord Genuity and Richardson Wealth on a combined basis, with their strong complement of IAs and their shared commitment to their clients, would be well-positioned to serve the complex needs of Canada's most successful entrepreneurs, other ultra/high-net worth investors as well as a diverse population of private clients.

, Canaccord Genuity and Richardson Wealth on a combined basis, with their strong complement of IAs and their shared commitment to their clients, would be well-positioned to serve the complex needs of most successful entrepreneurs, other ultra/high-net worth investors as well as a diverse population of private clients. Canaccord Genuity has a proven track record of creating substantial value in the wealth management segment and, over the past ten years has invested more than $350 million in acquisitions, recruiting, and technology to support the growth of its wealth management businesses in Canada , the UK & Crown Dependencies and Australia . The combined business would benefit from this investment in value creation.

in acquisitions, recruiting, and technology to support the growth of its wealth management businesses in , the UK & Crown Dependencies and . The combined business would benefit from this investment in value creation. Canaccord Genuity is entrusted with $88 billion in client assets globally (as at February 28, 2021 ), up from $32 billion in 2015. Excluding significant items, our aggregate global wealth management businesses earned pre-tax net income of $90 million 1 for the nine-month period ended December 31, 2020 . The combined business would benefit from our global platform and experience operating across multiple regions.

in client assets globally (as at ), up from in 2015. Excluding significant items, our aggregate global wealth management businesses earned pre-tax net income of for the nine-month period ended . The combined business would benefit from our global platform and experience operating across multiple regions. With the benefit of more than six consecutive years of substantial growth in revenue and profitability, Canaccord Genuity has made significant investments to advance the support infrastructure, technology and product offering to keep pace with the changing industry landscape, while striving to exceed Investment Advisor and client expectations. Investment Advisors and clients of the combined business would also benefit from our infrastructure and technology investments and product offering, such as a state-of-the-art unified account management platform, powered by Envestnet.

Investment Advisors in Canada are increasingly choosing Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management as their platform to pursue the most productive years of their career. We have effectively doubled our client assets in Canada over a three-year period, having successfully recruited over 45 IA teams, collectively managing more than $11 billion in client assets. Among them, we have welcomed 14 IAs from Richardson Wealth who collectively manage over $3 billion in client assets. We believe such growth would continue or could even accelerate based on the strong complement of Investment Advisors of the combined business.

are increasingly choosing Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management as their platform to pursue the most productive years of their career. We have effectively doubled our client assets in over a three-year period, having successfully recruited over 45 IA teams, collectively managing more than in client assets. Among them, we have welcomed 14 IAs from Richardson Wealth who collectively manage over in client assets. We believe such growth would continue or could even accelerate based on the strong complement of Investment Advisors of the combined business. Investment Advisors who have joined Canaccord Genuity have been able to grow their practices by leveraging the modern technology, expanded product offering, and opportunities provided by our capital markets business, which is a leading equities underwriter in Canada . We believe that as part of a combined business, former Richardson Wealth Investment Advisors would have an opportunity to grow their practice in a similar fashion.

. We believe that as part of a combined business, former Richardson Wealth Investment Advisors would have an opportunity to grow their practice in a similar fashion. Although RF Capital has underperformed in terms of its financial record, the proposed business combination would result in significant cost savings, as well as revenue opportunities for the combined business, which we expect will be accretive to Canaccord Genuity earnings per share.

The expanded wealth management platform in Canada would provide Canaccord Genuity's shareholders with an added benefit which complements their exposure to a diverse geographic and business mix, with growing contributions from a stable and growing international wealth management business, and significant upside during periods where our capital markets businesses are positioned to deliver outsized returns. The value of Canaccord Genuity common shares has increased by 139% over the past 12 months.

RF Capital's Refusal to Engage Denies Shareholders and Investment Advisors the Chance to Decide Their Own Future

RF Capital has underperformed as a public company, with a current market capitalization of approximately $275 million and a float of approximately $80 million .

and a float of approximately . Over a five-year period, the market price of RF Capital common shares has declined by 62%, whereas the price of Canaccord Genuity common shares has increased by 135% over the same period.

Over a five-year period, Canaccord Genuity has seen its average assets under administration ("AUA") per IA team in Canada grow by 215%, whereas Richardson Wealth advisors have achieved substantially lower growth of 37%. This difference in growth rates reflects our unwavering commitment to investing in the growth of our wealth management business.

grow by 215%, whereas Richardson Wealth advisors have achieved substantially lower growth of 37%. This difference in growth rates reflects our unwavering commitment to investing in the growth of our wealth management business. Richardson Wealth Investment Advisors sold their Richardson Wealth shares for consideration with a headline value of $2.42 per share, but with RF Capital common shares trading below $2.00 since the RGMP Transaction closed in October 2020 , we believe that it is unlikely that they will be able to realize that value in any reasonable time frame.

per share, but with RF Capital common shares trading below since the RGMP Transaction closed in , we believe that it is unlikely that they will be able to realize that value in any reasonable time frame. The refusal by the RF Capital board to engage in discussions about the Proposal prevents Richardson Wealth Investment Advisors from an opportunity to participate in a transaction which would have provided the potential to create significant value for their shares accumulated over many years of service and, with a multi-year escrow, their ability to realize value is restricted and limited.

The full text of the letter sent to RF Capital on March 9, 2021 is as follows:

Attention: Mr. Donald A. Wright, Chair of Special Committee

Dear Mr. Wright,

On behalf of Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. ("Canaccord Genuity" or "our"), I write to propose a transaction whereby Canaccord Genuity would acquire 100% of the outstanding common shares of RF Capital Group Inc. ("RFG" or "you" or "the Company"), to form the preeminent independent wealth business in Canada.

Proposed offer for RFG common shares

We propose to pay $2.30 per RFG share, which represents a 31.4% premium to the closing price of RFG stock on March 8, 2021, and a 29.4% premium to the volume weighted average price for the 20 trading days ending on that date. This value is supported by the formal valuation commissioned by the Special Committee of RFG's Board of Directors in connection with the recently completed RGMP transaction, which resulted in a valuation range of $2.00 - $2.55 per RFG share. We are flexible in the form of consideration that we would offer, and would be prepared to use either all cash or Canaccord Genuity shares, or a combination thereof. This would give RFG shareholders the opportunity to participate in the ongoing success of the combined business, and the option to obtain immediate liquidity if preferred.

Canaccord Genuity's objective is to acquire 100% of RFG. However, given the reluctance to engage in discussions following our previous approaches, we recognize that Richardson Financial Group Ltd. ("Richardson"), who we understand currently owns approximately 44% of the outstanding RFG shares, may not be inclined to sell its interest. Therefore, we would be prepared to offer to acquire any number of shares representing over 50% of the total RFG shares outstanding.

We would expect that the RFG board would permit holders of shares that are currently subject to escrow provisions to accept our proposal, with the understanding that a portion of the consideration they receive would be subject to equivalent escrow provisions.

Proposed exchange of RFG preferred shares

As part of our offer, we also propose to exchange RFG's outstanding preferred shares into equivalent preferred shares of Canaccord Genuity. This will give the holders of your preferred shares, a significant portion of whom are your employees, investment advisors, and clients, the opportunity to realize the value inherent in our offer.

Highly accretive combination, substantial value creation and track record for growth

We are confident that the highly accretive combination of RFG's Richardson Wealth business with our existing wealth management platform, which will form the preeminent independent wealth business in Canada with over $60 billion in AUA, will result in substantial value creation for the shareholders of both RFG and Canaccord Genuity. We are excited about the opportunity that this transaction affords both RFG shareholders and Canaccord Genuity, as we complement our growing group of large wealth managers, with the excellent pedigree and talent of Richardson Wealth advisors. Over the past 3 years, the 14 Richardson Wealth advisor teams, representing over $3 billion in assets as of February 28, 2021, who have joined Canaccord Genuity have experienced a highly successful transition and, with the greater scale, market presence and synergy resulting from this transaction, we are confident that the combined team of advisors will benefit significantly as they grow their practices on a stable platform with a strong, supportive and entrepreneurial independent culture that, most importantly, allows them [to] better serve the needs of their clients.

We note from your financial results released on March 5 that RFG continues to lose money and, as a stand alone company, does not seem to provide the optimal opportunity for your shareholders and advisors. Canaccord Genuity, on the other hand, has experienced record revenue growth and achieved record client asset levels in our wealth management business. We also recently announced on February 3 a highly accretive transaction involving our UK wealth management business. In short, we have ample resources to complete the acquisition of RFG and to invest in the growth of the combined [business].

Next steps

It is our strong preference to arrive at a transaction supported by the board of directors of the Company. To that end we would propose entering into a non-disclosure agreement that would permit us to conduct a limited confirmatory due diligence review of the Company, which we are confident could be completed in less than 14 days, following which we would seek to enter into appropriate definitive agreements regarding an agreed transaction. However, if we are unable to negotiate promptly an appropriate non-disclosure agreement (for certainty, one that does not include standstill or non-solicitation provisions), we are prepared to proceed unilaterally with an offer directly to your shareholders.

Our Board of Directors is fully supportive of this initiative and has authorized and approved the submission of this letter. To date, other than attempting to contact representatives of Richardson, we have not had discussions with RFG's major shareholders regarding our proposal but, in the event that the RFG board elects not to engage with us, we reserve the right to do so.

This letter does not represent or create any legally binding or enforceable obligations. No obligations will be imposed on either party unless and until a definitive agreement is signed by both Canaccord Genuity and RFG.

We are prepared to move quickly and look forward to discussing this opportunity further. We urge a timely response and encourage you to give this request a favorable consideration. As you can appreciate, time is of the essence. Accordingly, we request that you respond to us by 5:00 P.M. EST on March 12, failing which this letter shall be null and void

Yours truly,

Dan Daviau

President & Chief Executive Officer

Canaccord Genuity Group Inc.

This press release does not constitute an offer to buy or an invitation to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy or invitation to sell, any securities of RF Capital or Canaccord Genuity.

ABOUT CANACCORD GENUITY GROUP INC.

Through its principal subsidiaries, Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. (the "Company") is a leading independent, full-service financial services firm, with operations in two principal segments of the securities industry: wealth management and capital markets. Since its establishment in 1950, the Company has been driven by an unwavering commitment to building lasting client relationships. We achieve this by generating value for our individual, institutional and corporate clients through comprehensive investment solutions, brokerage services and investment banking services. The Company has wealth management offices located in Canada, the UK, Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man and Australia. The Company's international capital markets division operates in North America, UK & Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East.

Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. is publicly traded under the symbol CF on the TSX.

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

This press release may contain "forward-looking information" as defined under applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). These statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's expectations, beliefs, plans, estimates, intentions and similar statements concerning anticipated future events, results, circumstances, performance or expectations that are not historical facts, including the Proposal, the business and economic conditions and Canaccord Genuity Group's growth, results of operations, performance and business prospects and opportunities. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential", "continue", "target", "intend", "could" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and a number of factors could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. In evaluating these statements, readers should specifically consider various factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. These factors include, but are not limited 'to, market and general economic conditions, the nature of the financial services industry and the risks and uncertainties discussed from time to time in the Company's interim condensed and annual consolidated financial statements, its annual report and its annual information form ("AIF") filed on www.sedar.com as well as the factors discussed in the sections entitled "Risk Management" and "Risk Factors" in the AIF, which include market, liquidity, credit, operational, legal and regulatory risks. Material factors or assumptions that were used by the Company to develop the forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to, those set out in the Fiscal 2020 Outlook section in the annual MD&A and those discussed from time to time in the Company's interim condensed and annual consolidated financial statements, its annual report and the AIF filed on www.sedar.com. The preceding list is not exhaustive of all possible risk factors that may influence actual results. Readers are cautioned that the preceding list of material factors or assumptions is not exhaustive. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes are reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Except as may be required by applicable law, the Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims, any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, further developments or otherwise.

Client assets include Assets under administration (AUA) and assets under management (AUM) which are non-IFRS measures that are common to the wealth management business. Client assets reflect the market value of securities and funds managed and administered by the Company from which the Company earns commissions and fees. This measure includes funds held in client accounts as well as the aggregate market value of long and short security positions. The Company's method of calculating AUA and may differ from the methods used by other companies and therefore may not be comparable to other companies. Management uses these measures to assess operational performance of the Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management business segment. The value of AUA and AUM will change with changes in market values and foreign exchange rates.



























1 Items excluding significant items are non-IFRS measures. Refer to non-IFRS measures in our annual MD&A for fiscal 2020 and our quarterly MD&A for the nine months ended December 31, 2020.

Contact: Investor and media relations inquiries: Christina Marinoff, Vice President, Investor Relations & Communications, Phone: 416-687-5507, Email: cmarinoff@cgf.com, www.cgf.com/investor-relations
India's private-sector funding to philanthropy rose 23 per cent in FY 2020, to Rs 64,000 crore, as compared to FY 2019. The increase in fund allocation was driven by family philanthropy which tripled its corpus, growing to approximately Rs 12,000 crore in fiscal year (FY) 2020, says India Philanthropy Report 2021, co-created by Bain & Company and Dasra.

The report, the 11th in an annual series, shares a comprehensive perspective on the growing philanthropic space in India. It said all other sources of private sector funding - foreign, corporate and retail - remained stagnant while fund flow from high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) or families grew.

While foreign contributions account for a quarter of all funding, domestic corporation donations also known as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) account for 28 per cent and retail investors account for another 28 per cent. The remaining 20 per cent comes from family philanthropy, also the biggest source of growth, accounting for almost two-thirds of the increase in funding since FY 2019.

"It is indeed heartening to see that something that is integral to Indian culture -- 'giving' to those who need it is coming of age. 2020 has been a year of hard truths. This is a wake-up call to reimagine our approach towards strategic and collaborative philanthropy and the impact it can have. The case for family philanthropy is clear and so is its transformational potential," said, Dinkar Ayilavarapu, partner, Bain & Company.

Education and health-focused funding accounted for the bulk of the share of family philanthropy funding at 47 per cent and 27 per cent, respectively. Wealth is also concentrated in a few cities - most wealthy families are based in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore who channel their funding there.

"Family philanthropy can collectively shape India's development agenda. Having partnered closely with over 300 family givers in the last 22 years, Dasra has seen the pivotal role that families play in addressing some of India's most complex challenges. Nurturing the nascent family giving ecosystem with enhanced support can be transformational for India," said Neera Nundy, co-founder of Dasra, a strategic philanthropic organisation.

The India Philanthropy Report 2021 indicates that the depth of India's wealth is expanding, with an increasing number of Indian ultra-high-net-worth families. "If these families start giving in line with their global peers (2 to 3 per cent of their wealth), family philanthropy could generate an additional annual investible corpus of Rs 60,000 crore to 1 lakh crore for the nonprofit sector. Such giving would be transformational, more than quintupling current family philanthropic giving (Rs 12,000 crore in FY 2020) and nearly doubling the size of nonprofit private funding in India. Understanding how to unlock this corpus is key, but equally important is planning for formalised support that family givers are bound to need as they enter philanthropy," the report said.

The report emphasises the openness to greater collaboration between funders, government, and NGOs, resulting in the co-creation of solutions to complex social issues. "The importance of unlocking groups outside of the existing cohorts of families to increase their giving could also bring significant impact. In addition, nurturing city circles to solve local issues could prove to be a catalytic model, especially when led by the influence and credibility of local champions. There is also great potential for entrepreneurship to fuel family philanthropy," it said.

Also read: India to see 63% more ultra-high net worth individuals by 2025

Also read: Hurun Global Rich List 2021: Kiran Mazumdar Shaw richest Indian woman entrepreneur
Omar's life centres around music - and with nothing for him in the job market, it was up to him to become his own boss and build the ideal career for himself

Dark times often inspire creativity, something that is proving true of Britains young adults in the face of the current job market.

The 16-24 age group has been one of the hardest hit when it comes to jobs, falling foul of the Last In, First Out theory during a period of mass redundancies, and struggling to get on the career ladder as increasing numbers of people fight for increasingly fewer jobs.

As a result, young entrepreneurs have concentrated their creative efforts on setting up online businesses, taking control of their own careers.

According to website builder GoDaddy, nearly 1 in 10 young adults have launched their own enterprise since February 2020, yielding 12% more revenue in a year than the average business owner in the process - so its all paying off.

One of these inspiring individuals, 24-year-old Omar Meho, used to tour the world as a DJ before the pandemic hit. Now, he teaches thousands of students across the globe with his online music tutoring enterprise, Music Workflow Academy.

Here, he shares his story and reveals his tips for bringing your own dreams to life in the digital landscape.

The beat dropped

After a career DJing around the world, lockdown offered Omar an opportunity to build a career that centered on his passions without the hectic lifestyle

Alongside his degree in business marketing eight years ago, music-obsessed Omar Meho taught himself to DJ - and it wasnt long before his hard work paid off.

After a few years learning my way around the decks, I got my first ever residency in Brighton. I gigged about once a week around my studies and played in pretty much every club in the city, managing to build good relationships with all the club owners as I went, says Omar.

It became a dream, really. Eventually clubs in France and Ibiza got wind of what I was doing and flew me out there. In early 2020, Dubai was next on the cards for me - then the pandemic hit.

Life came to a halt in February 2020, and Omar couldnt DJ - but it proved to be a blessing. His residencies would involve monthly stints of all-night shifts, which was starting to take a serious toll on his physical and mental health.

In a rare good news story during the pandemic, however, the first lockdown offered some much needed relief and the chance for Omar to try something new.

He says: With Covid coming in and my jobs being cancelled, my family suggested I use my expertise to teach others to DJ.

It had never really occurred to me to make a business out of teaching DJing; to be honest, Ive never had the confidence in myself to consider it! But I gave it my best shot and officially launched my DJ tuition business Music Workflow Academy in February 2020. I got my first client almost instantly and that client is still with me today.

Since launching, Music Workflow Academy has accrued 1,000 loyal students from across the globe, who sign up for one-to-one sessions with Omar or follow his online courses in their own time.

In less than 12 months, Omars accessible teaching style has caught the attention of international online course providers who have started hosting his tutorials, enabling his business to keep growing.

This has also inspired him to expand Music Workflow Academys offering into music production. Omar taught himself to use one of the worlds leading music production software programmes, Ableton, and is now set to be one of their accredited tutors.

Feeling the music

Music Workflow Academy has 1,000 students from around the world who come to Omar for tuition in DJing and music production

Omar cant quite believe how much hes achieved in such a short space of time. Thanks to his hard work and perseverance, hes created a career based on his passion - but without the burnout he was beginning to experience with DJing.

Lockdown could have limited my creativity, but instead its forced me to think outside of the box which I think is partly why this business has been such a success, explains Omar. 'I am so much happier thanks to my business.'

But Omar also had a little help along the way from GoDaddy.

After trying other website builders to launch Music Workflow Academy, he settled on GoDaddys eCommerce, Website and Marketing package, which has given him a slick, professional looking website that customers trust.

Im really happy with my GoDaddy site as it gives me options to host testimonials, booking systems, stores and courses all in one space - and its really easy to design yourself, regardless of experience.

They have an award-winning customer service team too - theyre genuinely amazing, he continues. Talking to them is like talking to a business partner. Theyre all experienced in building websites and know exactly how to help you and take an active interest in doing so - its invaluable when youre building a business.'

Omar was inspired to make a living out of his passion for music by his family. Here he is pictured with his father.

GoDaddy's Websites + Marketing product also gives you access to a range of tools to help you manage your social media posts as well as templates to create professional-looking posts for different platforms, making managing your social presence more effective so your business idea can flourish.

For anyone else considering going it alone with their own small business, Omar couldn't recommend going online with GoDaddy enough.

'You dont need to leave home to start a business anymore - you can do literally everything from your laptop and smartphone. Start by offering people free incentives and you'll quickly build up your clients.

'Everythings going digital so if you think you've got a good business idea, it makes sense to take the leap to online now.'

For Omar, Music Workflow Academy hasn't just changed his life - he hopes it'll change the lives of others hoping to break the music industry too.

He says: 'I want to help my students and improve their quality of life. I want to make the DJ sphere bigger, welcome more people in. I want to start hiring people and train them as tutors on the website so I can give everyone the chances Ive had.'

What difference will YOUR business make?


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Senior cellist Anna Dorrien has made a big impact in a short period of time with the Midland High School Symphony Orchestra.

Dorrien moved to Midland last summer from Austin, Texas, and was named to the All-State Orchestra in her first semester at Midland High.

"It has been wonderful having Anna join MHS Orchestras this year," MHS Director of Orchestras Anna Mamassian said. "Since her arrival, she has built great friendships with her peers and proven herself a magnificent musician and an integral member of the MHS Symphony Orchestra. I am very proud of her and her accomplishments this year."

Dorrien admitted it wasn't easy to change schools just before her senior year. At the same time, she has found a lot to like about her new surroundings.

"I really miss my old orchestra. We were nationally ranked and had a fantastic group, and a lot of my friends were in the orchestra," she said.

"But I've really been enjoying how friendly the Midland High orchestra is," Dorrien continued. "It's not as stressful as my old one, and more relaxed. And I've been able to focus on music without the same amount of competition."

Dorrien began playing the cello in sixth grade and has grown up in a musical family, with her father, Michael, being a professional studio guitarist.

She said one aspect that makes the cello so appealing is that its range is closer to that of the human voice than any other instrument.

"It just feels so natural to play it and to hold it. You can feel the sound and the vibrations just coming out," Dorrien said.

Her favorite cellist is Janos Starker, a Hungarian-American who is considered one of the greatest cellists in history and taught at Indiana University for 55 years until his death in 2013.

Dorrien said the favorite piece of music she has had a chance to play was the finale to Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony during her sophomore year, a piece which is about nine minutes long.

"(I loved) just how dramatic it was," she said. "It was really difficult for me, especially back then. It's a piece that a professional orchestra would play. But I really worked at it, and it sounded great in the end."

Dorrien has taken advantage of many opportunities to perform, including in the pit orchestra for theater, choir and dance performances and in small chamber ensembles.

She has even taught the cello to high school and middle school students since she was a freshman.

Now, Dorrien looks forward to studying history at Central Michigan University and playing in the orchestra there. She currently takes cello lessons with CMU professor Dr. James Fiste.

"I'd like to either be a teacher or a lawyer," she said.
Two Charged in Assault on Police Officer Who Died After Capitol Riot The Justice Department has charged two men in the assault on Brian D. Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer who died the day after he fought back rioters. President Biden spoke about the stimulus plan this afternoon, ahead of trips he and other administration figures are taking to promote the law.

Two are charged in the assault of a Capitol Police officer who died after the Jan. 6 riot. Capitol Police officers paying respects to Officer Brian D. Sicknick in the Capitol last month. Credit... Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times Two men have been charged with assaulting Officer Brian D. Sicknick of the Capitol Police and other officers during the Jan. 6 riot, the Justice Department said on Monday, but prosecutors stopped short of linking the attack to Officer Sicknicks death the next day. The F.B.I. arrested George Pierre Tanios, 39, of Morgantown, W.Va., and Julian Elie Khater, 32, of State College, Pa., on Sunday. They were charged with conspiracy to injure an officer, assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon, civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, and other crimes related to violent conduct on the grounds of the Capitol, the Justice Department said. Both appeared via video before federal magistrate judges on Monday. Mr. Tanios will appear in court again on Thursday to determine whether he will remain detained while awaiting trial. In a separate hearing, a lawyer for Mr. Khater indicated that his client intended to plead not guilty. Officer Sicknick and two other police officers were injured as a result of being sprayed in the face with an unidentified substance by Mr. Khater and Mr. Tanios, the F.B.I. said in search warrant applications filed in court. The officers were temporarily blinded and had to stop working to get medical attention, the bureau said. Law enforcement officials described the suspects briefly plotting before the attack. The men, who were among the thousands who traveled to the Capitol to protest Congresss certification of the election results, spoke to each other animatedly, surveillance video showed, and worked together to assault law enforcement officers with an unknown chemical substance by spraying officers directly in the face and eyes, an F.B.I. agent said in a court document. Mr. Khater and Mr. Tanios were seen on video early in the afternoon standing five to eight feet away from police officers, including Officer Sicknick, the F.B.I. said. It is not clear whether Officer Sicknick, 42, an Air National Guard veteran who had served in Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan, died because of his exposure to the spray. On Jan. 7, the day he died, the Capitol Police said in a statement that he had been injured while physically engaging with protesters at the riot and then returned to his division office and collapsed. Capitol Police officials initially said that he had been struck with a fire extinguisher, but later said that his death was not caused by blunt force trauma. In the following days, investigators homed in on the potential role of an irritant as a primary factor in his death. After the F.B.I. posted fliers with photographs of Mr. Khater and Mr. Tanios, a tipster told the bureau that the two men had grown up together in New Jersey, according to court papers. Another person told the F.B.I. that one of the men in the photos looked very close to Mr. Tanios, who had bragged about going to the insurrection at the Capitol on Facebook. A tipster also identified Mr. Khater as a former colleague at a food establishment in State College, Pa. Katie Benner and

Deb Haaland is confirmed to lead the Interior Department, making her the first Native American cabinet secretary. Representative Deb Haaland of New Mexico last month during a Senate Energy Committee hearing on her nomination to be interior secretary. Credit... Pool photo by Graeme Jennings Representative Deb Haaland of New Mexico made history on Monday when the Senate confirmed her as President Bidens secretary of the interior, making her the first Native American to lead a cabinet agency. Ms. Haaland became one of the first two Native American women elected to the House in 2018. But her new position is particularly meaningful because the department she now leads has spent much of its history abusing or neglecting Americas Indigenous people. Beyond the Interior Departments responsibility for the well-being of the nations 1.9 million Native people, it oversees about 500 million acres of public land, federal waters off the United States coastline, a huge system of dams and reservoirs across the Western United States, and the protection of thousands of endangered species. Republican opposition to Ms. Haalands confirmation centered on her history of fighting against oil and gas exploration, and the deliberations around her nomination highlighted her emerging role in public debates on climate change, energy policy and racial equity. Four Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, voted for Ms. Haalands confirmation. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, said supporting her confirmation would be voting to raise gas prices for families who are already struggling, to raise fuel and heating bills for seniors on a fixed income, to take the tough times weve been going through and make them even tougher. The new interior secretary will be charged with essentially reversing the agencys mission over the past four years. Led by David Bernhardt, a former oil lobbyist, the Interior Department played a central role in the Trump administrations systematic rollback of environmental regulations and the opening of the nations lands and waters to drilling and mining. Ms. Haaland is expected to quickly halt new drilling, reinstate wildlife conservation rules, expand wind and solar power on public lands and waters, and place the Interior Department at the center of Mr. Bidens climate agenda. At the same time, she will quite likely assume a central role in realizing Mr. Bidens promise to make racial equity a theme in his administration. Ms. Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo who identifies herself as a 35th-generation New Mexican, will assume control of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education, where she can address the needs of a population that has suffered from abuse and dislocation at the hands of the United States government for generations, and that has been disproportionately devastated by the coronavirus.

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Biden heralds the deployment of 100 million shots and 100 million stimulus checks. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:37 - 0:00 transcript Biden: Shots in Arms and Money in Pockets President Biden declared on Monday that within 10 days the U.S. would achieve his goal of administering 100 million vaccination shots and delivering 100 million stimulus checks to Americans. Over the next 10 days, well reach two goals, two giant goals. The first is 100 million shots in peoples arms will have been completed within the next 10 days and 100 million checks in peoples pockets in the next 100 days. Shots in arms and money in pockets. Thats important. The American Rescue Plan is already doing what it was designed to do, make a difference in peoples everyday lives. And were just getting started. By the time all the money is distributed, 85 percent of American households will have gotten their $1,400 rescue checks. Im pleased to announce and introduce another gifted manager to coordinate our implementation of the American Rescue Plan, Gene Sperling. Gene will be on the phone with mayors and governors, red states, blue states, the source of constant communication, a source of guidance and support, and above all, a source of accountability for all of us to get the job done. And together, were going to make sure that the benefits of the American Rescue Plan go out quickly and directly to the American people where they belong. Help is here and hope is here in real and tangible ways. Were just days away from 100 million shots and millions  in the arms of millions of Americans. Thats the way, thats the way on the way to get every single American access to the vaccine. President Biden declared on Monday that within 10 days the U.S. would achieve his goal of administering 100 million vaccination shots and delivering 100 million stimulus checks to Americans. Credit Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times President Biden said Monday that his administration was on pace to achieve two key goals by March 25: the distribution of 100 million shots of Covid-19 vaccines since his inauguration and 100 million checks and electronic deposits of stimulus payments under his economic relief bill. Shots in arms and money in pockets. Thats important, Mr. Biden said in a brief address from the White House. The president also introduced Gene Sperling, a longtime Democratic policy aide, as his pick to oversee implementation of the $1.9 trillion economic relief package that he signed into law late last week. The American Rescue Plan is already doing what it was designed to do, Mr. Biden said. Make a difference in peoples everyday lives. The United States has administered 92.6 million vaccine doses since Jan. 20, when Mr. Biden took office, according to data released on Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the current pace of vaccinations, the country will pass 100 million doses under Mr. Biden before the end of the week. Answering a question from a reporter after the speech, Mr. Biden brushed aside calls for his administration to enlist former President Donald J. Trumps help in appealing to Republicans who have resisted getting vaccinated. I discussed it with my team, Mr. Biden said, And they say the thing that has more impact than anything Trump would say to the MAGA folks is what the local doctor, what the local preachers, the local people in the community would say. So I urge, I urge all local docs, and ministers, and priests, to talk about why  why its important to get that vaccine. Mr. Bidens remarks came as his team launched a week of sales pitches for the relief bill. The president and several members of his administration will travel the country to promote the plan that contains direct $1,400-per-person payments to low- and middle-income Americans, new monthly checks for parents and additional relief for the unemployed, among other particulars. Mr. Biden will visit Delaware County, Pa., on Tuesday and will appear with Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday in Atlanta, which helped deliver Democrats the Senate majority that made the stimulus law possible. A group of other administration representatives and officials, including the first lady, Jill Biden, and Ms. Harriss husband, Doug Emhoff, will also make trips. Ms. Harris and her husband landed in Las Vegas for an event on Monday afternoon, while Dr. Biden finished an event in New Jersey. The road show is an effort to avoid the messaging mistakes of President Barack Obamas administration, which Democrats now believe failed to continue vocally building support for his $780 billion stimulus act after it passed in 2009. The challenge will be to highlight less obvious provisions, including the largest federal infusion of aid to the poor in generations, a substantial expansion of the child tax credit and increased subsidies for health insurance. Mr. Sperlings challenge with the rescue plan will be different than the one Mr. Biden faced in 2009, because the relief bill differs starkly from Mr. Obamas signature stimulus plan. The Biden plan is more than twice as large as Mr. Obamas. It includes money meant to hasten the end of the pandemic, including billions for vaccine deployment and coronavirus testing. Oversight of the $1.9 trillion relief legislation is currently expected to rely on the Government Accountability Office and the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, a panel of inspectors general from across the federal government. A Treasury official said that the department would set up a process to monitor the use of funds that are being sent to states to ensure that they are used according to the eligibility requirements in the law.

The House tackles Bidens immigration plans amid an influx of migrants. Thousands of migrants, many of them unaccompanied children, are showing up at the border daily. Credit... Adrees Latif/Reuters Democrats are preparing to push legislation through the House this week that would create a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, posing the first tests to President Bidens immigration agenda just as an influx of migrants is creating a new challenge at the border. Facing internal divisions and mounting Republican pressure, Democrats plan to take a notably narrow approach for now. Instead of bringing up Mr. Bidens immigration overhaul, which would legalize most of the 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States, the House will start with two measures covering groups regarded as the most sympathetic: people brought to the country as children, known as Dreamers; others granted Temporary Protected Status for humanitarian reasons; and farm workers. But with thousands more migrants, many of them unaccompanied children, showing up at the border daily, even those more modest steps face an increasingly uphill climb. Democrats concede they do not have sufficient Republican support to pass them in the Senate, and G.O.P. leaders, eager to turn Democrats difficulties on the issue into a political liability, are using the mounting problems to stoke fear and opposition to any but the most punitive of changes. Why would you legalize anybody, sending another incentive to keep coming, until you stop the flow? said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina and a leader of past bipartisan immigration efforts. I just dont see the politics of it  its just too out of control. Top immigration aides to Mr. Biden argue that the bills the House is taking up this week are a starting point for his broader plan, part of a pragmatic multiple trains strategy to avoid the pitfalls that have befallen prior administrations. Mr. Bidens broader legislation would also seek to tighten border security and address the root causes of the migration surge, by allocating funding for scanning technology at the southwestern border and providing aid to bolster the economies of the countries that are the main sources of the influx. But those long-term solutions are bumping up against the urgent need to move thousands of migrant children and teenagers out of border detention facilities. Pressure is building among the most progressive Democrats in Congress, for the administration to move more decisively, as they regard the situation at the border with increasing alarm. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, said in a recent interview that it took so much work to get President Biden to a place that immigration advocates felt comfortable calling a positive step. To see folks in our caucus try to undo some of that progress, she said, I think is really concerning. Nicholas Fandos and

Biden administration officials have tried to restart talks with North Korea. An image of Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, released by the state media agency in January. Credit... KCNA, via Reuters The Biden administration has tried to restart discussions with North Korea over the fate of its nuclear program, but its overtures have not been returned, the White House press secretary confirmed on Monday. Jen Psaki, the press secretary, told reporters in an afternoon briefing that we have reached out to North Korean officials but have not heard back from them, confirming a Reuters report from the weekend. We have a series of channels, as we have always had, that we can reach out through, Ms. Psaki said. We also are focused on consulting with many former government officials who have been involved in North Korea policy, including from several prior administrations. We have and will continue to engage with our Japanese and South Korean allies, to solicit input, explore fresh approaches. Weve listened carefully to their ideas. Diplomacy is always our goal, Ms. Psaki said. Our goal is to reduce the risk of escalation. But to date, we have not received any response. Mr. Biden took office amid mounting threats of nuclear proliferation around the globe, including in North Korea, which has expanded its arsenal of missiles, some of which could reach the United States. His predecessor, Donald J. Trump, cultivated a personal relationship with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un  including becoming the first American president in 70 years of conflict and standoff to meet personally with a North Korean head of state  in an effort to advance disarmament. Those efforts fizzled. North Korea continued to develop new weapons. A North Korean official declared last summer that hopes for peace with South Korea and the United States had faded away into a dark nightmare. Mr. Biden discussed the North Korean issue early in February with South Koreas president, Moon Jae-in, agreeing to closely coordinate on the matter, according to a White House readout of the call.

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Biden chooses a longtime public servant for the Justice Departments top environmental leadership post. President Biden has chosen a veteran of environmental law to oversee the Justice Departments enforcement of environmental and hazardous waste regulations, the White House announced on Monday as it begins to fill out the upper echelons of the nations top law enforcement agency. Mr. Biden plans to nominate Todd Kim, a longtime public servant, to run the departments Environment and Natural Resources Division. Mr. Kim worked in the general counsels office of the Energy Department during the transition and was an appellate lawyer in the Justice Departments environmental division for more than seven years in the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. Mr. Biden has made clear that the environment and enforcement of environmental laws will be a key objective for his administration. He signed an executive order on his first day in office requiring agencies to review policies that might undercut his efforts to fight climate change, ensure access to clean air and water, and hold polluters accountable, including those who disproportionately harm communities of color and low-income communities. Two weeks later, the Justice Departments environmental division withdrew nine policy memos from the Trump administration in an effort to comply with Mr. Bidens order. If Mr. Kim is confirmed, he will most likely issue new guidance on how the department will enforce environmental laws and take a more aggressive enforcement posture than it did under the previous administration.

Voting groups, mounting an effort to kill the filibuster, push Biden to act on voting rights. Cliff Albright, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund, handed out Black Voters Matter face masks near a polling place in McDonough, Ga., on Jan. 5. Credit... Audra Melton for The New York Times State and national voting-rights advocates are waging the most consequential political struggle over access to the ballot since the civil rights era  and an increasing number of Democrats warn that immediate congressional action is needed to prevent a new era of voter disenfranchisement. A new federal voting bill, which passed in the House this month with only Democratic support, includes a landmark national expansion of voting rights, an end to partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts and new transparency requirements on the flood of dark money financing elections. The measure would override a rash of new state laws from Republican-controlled legislatures. But the campaign to pass the For the People Act, designated Senate Bill 1, increasingly appears to be on a collision course with the filibuster and, in that regard, with the White House. The filibuster rule requires 60 votes for passage of most legislation, meaning that Republicans can block the voting bill and scores of others. The chances of getting to the 51 votes needed to scrap the filibuster are slim, with two moderate Democratic senators, Joe Manchin III of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, opposing the idea. But theres an even bigger roadblock: President Biden is also a no. In Atlanta, the Black Voters Matter Fund and other groups are preparing a national campaign for Senate Bill 1 aimed at both senators and Mr. Biden, who has expressed hope for the bills passage but has not actively worked for it. Hes got to have his Lyndon B. Johnson moment, said Cliff Albright, the groups executive director, referring to the former presidents arm-twisting on Capitol Hill for the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Youre president of the United States. You need to do more than hope that it passes. Similar initiatives are cropping up around the country. Two left-leaning elections groups, the advocacy arm of End Citizens United and Let America Vote, along with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, plan this week to announce $30 million to try to capitalize on the momentum around voting rights. We are at a once-in-a-generation moment, said Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United and Let America Vote. Voting-rights proponents also say they have not given up on stopping restrictive laws in states. Advocates in Georgia, who claim to have slowed or killed some restrictive bills, are aiming at local companies that have supported the bills sponsors, including Home Depot, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines and UPS. One possible sign of some success: On Sunday, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, whose members include those companies, expressed concern and opposition to restrictive clauses in two Republican bills. Nicholas Fandos and

The A.F.L.-C.I.O. urges President Biden to ban solar products from Xinjiang. A solar farm in the Xinjiang region of China. The country has come to dominate the global solar supply chain in the last decade. Credit... Gilles Sabrie for The New York Times The A.F.L.-C.I.O. is urging the Biden administration to block imports of solar products containing polysilicon from Chinas Xinjiang region, citing concerns about widespread violations of worker and human rights. In a letter sent Friday to the secretary of state, Antony J. Blinken, and the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, the labor group said that the global solar supply chain was deeply embedded in Xinjiang, and that products made with forced labor should not be used to meet the United States climate change needs. The push comes ahead of the Biden administrations first high-level meeting with Chinese counterparts on Thursday in Anchorage, Alaska, in which Chinas repression of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang are expected to be on the agenda. The A.F.L.-C.I.O., an influential federation of 55 labor unions, has long lobbied for tighter restrictions on the import of goods made with forced labor and supported a ban on cotton and textile products from Xinjiang during the Trump administration. The federation began focusing on the solar industry following recent research that showed that polysilicon production in Xinjiang participates in the same so-called poverty alleviation and pairing assistance programs that China has used to implement forced labor in the cotton and tomato sectors, it said. The largest Chinese solar companies also have documented ties to the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corp, a state-owned economic and paramilitary organization that has been sanctioned by the United States for human rights abuses, the federation said. The federation hoped its letter would help set the tone for the first engagement with China by the Biden administration, which has promised to take a strong stance on both mitigating climate change and protecting American workers, Cathy Feingold, director of the AFL-CIOs International Department, said in an interview. Are they going to indeed walk the walk of their climate- and worker-friendly commitments? she said. I think its a really important question to be asked. China has come to dominate the global solar supply chain in the last decade, in large part by offering generous subsidies to domestic solar producers. About 40 percent of the worlds supply of polysilicon, an essential ingredient for silicon-based solar panels and semiconductors, is now produced in the Xinjiang region. As the Biden administration looks to aggressively increase the supply of renewable energy in the United States, progressive groups have begun asking whether fulfilling goals on climate change will come at the expense of human rights. As national, state and local governments in the United States  and our global allies like the E.U.  invest taxpayer money and act to increase the role of renewable energy in our energy systems, we must all ensure that the renewable energy jobs of the just transition we are fighting for are not based on inputs produced by slave labor, Richard Trumka, A.F.L.-C.I.O., president, wrote in the letter. The extent of the use of forced labor in the region remains unclear, but because the Chinese government restricts travel and access to the region, many companies have had difficulty verifying that supply chains that run through Xinjiang are free of forced or slave labor. The Chinese government and major Chinese solar companies have denied any presence of forced labor in Xinjiang, saying that all work arrangements are voluntary and accord with Chinese labor law.

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The Capitol Police will begin scaling back the fencing erected after the Jan. 6 riot. The Capitol is seen through a temporary security fence in Washington last month. Credit... Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times The Capitol Police in the coming days will begin scaling back and in some cases removing fencing erected around the Capitol after the Jan. 6 riot, a Democratic aide familiar with the plans confirmed on Sunday, a visible milestone as Congress tries to return to normal. The agency, working with the architect of the Capitol, will take steps beginning this week to first move an inner perimeter of fencing closer to the Capitol building and remove looped razor wire strung atop it, according to the aide, who spoke anonymously to discuss security plans that were still private. The agency will then proceed to remove altogether a secondary, outer perimeter next week, allowing Independence and Constitution Avenues to reopen to traffic for the first time since January. It was unclear exactly how long the inner perimeter fencing might remain in place, as lawmakers and the law enforcement agency plan a path forward to ensure there is no repeat of the deadly rampage. In an email to House members, Timothy P. Blodgett, the chambers acting sergeant-at-arms, wrote on Monday that it would stay in place for at least as long as it takes to make security repairs to the Capitol building. Working with their federal, state and local intelligence partners, the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) has informed the sergeant-at-arms (SAA) that there does not exist a known, credible threat against Congress or the Capitol Complex that warrants the temporary security fencing, Mr. Blodgett wrote in the memo, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times. In another change, Washington officials on Monday announced that 16th Street Northwest between H and K streets  renamed BLM Plaza for its role in Black Lives Matter protests last summer  would be reopening to two-way vehicular traffic. A plaza in the center of the street with an iconic view of the White House will remain open to pedestrians until a more permanent plan is announced next month, the officials said. Imposing and impenetrable, the fence has become a charged political symbol in the two months since the attack, barring most Americans from the seat of government and causing headaches for the thousands of staff members, journalists and lawmakers who work inside the Capitol. In recent weeks, lawmakers in both parties, wary about the message it sent the country, had been agitating for its removal and a broader reconsideration of the security posture. It has also significantly disrupted the Capitol Hill residential neighborhood adjacent to the historic building, forcing road closures and cutting off access to a spacious plaza frequently used by nearby residents for recreation, commuting or even protesting. National Guard troops who arrived after the attack will continue to patrol the Capitol building and grounds. Their ranks have already been cut roughly in half, to 2,200, but the Pentagon and the Capitol Police have indicated that they might further reduce that number in the weeks ahead. As they curtail some of the fencing, the police are planning to place bike racks outside House office buildings to create another barrier.

The Biden administration has directed FEMA to help shelter children at the border. Migrant children waiting to be tested for the coronavirus at a shelter in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Credit... Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters The Biden administration is directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist in processing an increasing number of children and teenagers who have filled detention facilities at the southwest border, as criticism mounts over the treatment of young migrants. FEMA, which normally provides financial assistance during natural disasters, will help find shelter space and provide food, water and basic medical care to thousands of young migrants, Michael Hart, a spokesman for the agency, said in a statement. The administration also asked officials in the Homeland Security Department to volunteer to help care for and assist unaccompanied minors who have been held in border jails that are managed by Customs and Border Protection. Previous administrations have also dispatched FEMA to help process migrants during surges in border crossings. However, the Biden administration cannot use disaster aid funding to support the processing of migrants in Texas after they cross the border without the consent of Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican. States must request the funding from the federal government. A spokeswoman for the governor did not immediately respond to questions about whether he would submit a request. More than 3,700 youths were in Customs and Border Protection facilities this week, more than the roughly 2,600 children and teenagers held in such detention facilities in June 2019. Troy Miller, the acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, said last week that 9,457 children, including teenagers, were detained at the border without a parent in February, up from more than 5,800 in January. The Biden administration has so far failed to quickly process the young migrants and transfer them to shelters managed by the Department of Health and Human Services, where they are held until the government matches them with a sponsor. The administration has struggled to expand the capacity of those shelters, where roughly 8,500 migrants were held this week. The Biden administration recently directed the shelters intended to hold the children to return to normal capacity, despite the coronavirus pandemic. A Border Patrol facility is no place for a child, Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, said in a statement on Saturday. Our goal is to ensure that unaccompanied children are transferred to H.H.S. as quickly as possible. Mr. Abbott and other Republicans have characterized the increase in border crossings as a direct result of Mr. Bidens goal to roll back President Donald J. Trumps restrictive immigration policies. But Mr. Biden has kept a Trump-era pandemic emergency rule that empowers border agents to rapidly turn away migrants at the border, with the exception of unaccompanied minors. The surge of crossings is adding new pressure in a divisive policy fight that the last three administrations have also confronted. Mr. Bidens critics have moved quickly in recent days to blame him for the increase in arrivals, which they say threatens the countrys safety, economic recovery and health as the coronavirus pandemic continues to claim thousands of lives. Nicholas Fandos and Chris Cameron contributed reporting.

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Alex Padilla, Californias first Latino senator, delves into his familys story in a Times interview. As chairman of the Judiciary Committees Immigration Subcommittee, Senator Alex Padilla plans to push for an expedited pathway to citizenship for the more than five million unauthorized immigrants who are essential workers. Credit... Pool photo by Al Drago Less than two months into the job, Senator Alex Padilla, Democrat of California, is impatient to take on the kind of major immigration overhaul that has bedeviled Congress for decades. Mr. Padilla, 47, was appointed to the Senate in January to fill the seat vacated when Vice President Kamala Harris was inaugurated, and he was quickly named chairman of the Judiciary Committees Immigration Subcommittee, where he plans to push for an expedited pathway to citizenship for the more than five million unauthorized immigrants who are essential workers. The son of Mexican immigrants who had little formal education, Mr. Padilla grew up to graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, became Californias secretary of state and is now the first Latino senator to represent the state with the largest Latino population in the country. Before his first floor speech in the Senate on Monday, he sat down with The New York Times to talk about his vision for the office, what he wants to get done in Congress, and his familys story. Heres an excerpt. My parents came to United States in the late 60s. They met in Los Angeles. Theyre from different regions of Mexico. They found jobs, they found each other, they fell in love, decided to get married, and they applied for green cards. That was the sequence. I thank the U.S. government every day for saying yes to their applications. They became legal residents. They started a family in the San Fernando Valley. They came with very limited education. In hindsight, it makes all the sense in the world why they emphasized education so much for my sister, my brother and I. My mom had a chance to finish grade school; my dad wasnt so lucky. For 40 years, he was a short-order cook. My mom cleaned houses. On that modest income, they raised three of us. When I got the acceptance letter to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, I had never been east of El Paso. So it was a little scary. But I knew I had to go for two reasons: One, it was the chance of a lifetime. Second, I wanted the fulfillment of my parents dreams, to know their work and their struggle and their sacrifice were all worthwhile. In one generation, an immigrant cook and house-cleaners son gets to serve in the United States Senate. Talk about the American dream.

The White House is weighing a new approach to cybersecurity after failures to detect attacks. When not one but two cyberhacks have gone undetected by the federal government in such a short period of time, its hard to say that we dont have a problem, said Representative Mike Gallagher, Republican of Wisconsin. Credit... Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, via Getty Images The sophisticated hackings pulled off by Russia and China against a broad array of government and industrial targets in the United States  and the failure of intelligence agencies to detect them  are driving the Biden administration and Congress to rethink how the nation should protect itself from growing cyberthreats. Both hackings exploited the same gaping vulnerability in the existing system: They were launched from inside the United States  on servers run by Amazon, GoDaddy and smaller domestic providers  putting them out of reach of the early warning system run by the National Security Agency. The agency, like the C.I.A. and other American intelligence agencies, is prohibited by law from conducting surveillance inside the United States, to protect the privacy of American citizens. But the F.B.I. and Department of Homeland Security  the two agencies that can legally operate inside the United States  were also blind to what happened, raising additional concerns about the nations capacity to defend itself from both rival governments and nonstate attackers like criminal and terrorist groups. In the end, the hackings were detected long after they had begun, not by any government agency but by private computer security firms. The full extent of the damage to American interests from the hackings is not yet clear, but the latest, attributed by Microsoft to China, is now revealing a second vulnerability. As Microsoft releases new patches to close the holes in its system, that code is being reverse-engineered by criminal groups and exploited to launch rapid ransomware attacks on corporations, industry executives said. So a race is on between Microsofts efforts to seal up systems and criminal efforts to get inside those networks before the patches are applied. When not one but two cyberhacks have gone undetected by the federal government in such a short period of time, its hard to say that we dont have a problem, said Representative Mike Gallagher, Republican of Wisconsin and a co-chairman of a congressionally mandated cyberspace commission. The system is blinking red. The failures have prompted the White House to begin assessing options for overhauling the nations cyberdefenses even as the government investigates the hackings. Some former officials believe the attacks show that Congress needs to give the government additional powers. But the first problem is detecting attacks  and there, the United States has enormous work to do. David E. Sanger, Julian E. Barnes and

Democrats believe the relief bill can help them gain seats in the 2022 midterms. This is absolutely something I will campaign on next year, said Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, who may be the most vulnerable incumbent Senate Democrat on the ballot in 2022. Credit... Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times Democrats are starting to angle for a political payoff that would defy history: leveraging the passage of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus package to pick up House and Senate seats in the 2022 midterm elections against Republicans, who voted against it en masse. President Biden and other Democrats are preparing a blitz of events to promote the package, which has broad bipartisan support everywhere in the country other than Capitol Hill. This is absolutely something I will campaign on next year, said Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, who may be the most vulnerable incumbent Senate Democrat on the ballot in 2022. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, who heads the Democratic Senate campaign arm, said he would go on offense against Republicans who opposed the bill and sketched out the attack: Every Republican said no in a time of need. Republicans need to gain only one seat in the Senate and five in the House in 2022 to take back control, an expected result in a normal midterm election, but perhaps a trickier one if voters credit Democrats with a strong American rebound. Yet as Democrats prepare to start selling voters on the package, they remain haunted by what happened in 2010, the last time they were in control of the White House and both chambers of Congress and pursued an ambitious agenda: They lost 63 House seats, and the majority, and were unable to fulfill President Barack Obamas goals on issues including gun control and immigration. It has become an article of faith in the party that Mr. Obamas presidency was diminished because his two signature accomplishments, the stimulus bill and the Affordable Care Act, were not expansive enough and the pitch to the public on the benefits of both measures was lacking. We didnt adequately explain what we had done, Mr. Biden told House Democrats this month about the 2009 Recovery Act. Barack was so modest, he didnt want to take, as he said, a victory lap. At the end of last week, with the Houses first extended recess looming at months end, Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed House Democrats to seize the moment. Ms. Pelosis office sent an email to colleagues, forwarded to The New York Times, brimming with talking points the speaker hopes theyll use in town halls and news conferences. For their part, White House officials said they would deploy the whole of government, as one aide put it, to market the plan; send cabinet officers on the road; and focus on different components of the bill each day to highlight its expanse. Republicans say the Democratic bet is a foolhardy one, both because of how little of the spending is directly related to the coronavirus pandemic and because of voters fleeting attention spans.
The Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) informed on Monday that the poll conducted among the presidents of the polling stations abroad and their deputies reveals a majority opinion according to which the organization and conduct manner of the 2020 parliamentary elections abroad was "very good".

According to the evaluation questionnaire, on a scale from one to ten, 50.5% of the respondents gave a grade of 10 for organizing the elections abroad, 31.4% - a grade of 9, and 10.6% - a grade of 8. Instead, only 0.3% gave a grade of 4 and 1.7% a grade of 5.

Until February 28, as many as 303 presidents of the polling stations abroad and their deputies answered the questionnaire, shows a press release issued by AEP for AGERPRES.

According to the transmitted data, 86.5% of the respondents appreciated the usefulness of the information presented in the AEP video materials for carrying out the activity.

AEP recalls that for the training of persons who entered the process of designation as computer operators of the polling stations abroad, from the perspective of the legislation specific to parliamentary elections, for the first time, the presented materials were developed in video format, to be viewed at any time.

According to the release, 97.4% of respondents confirmed their intention to participate in future elections, which is "a very important indicator of how to organize and conduct elections abroad."

AEP states that it sent by e-mail the questionnaire to the 1,496 presidents of the polling stations abroad and their deputies, with the mention that 1,259 of them were designated, by decision of the authority, as operating members.
A stunning clause earmarking at least $3.5 billion to a globalist foundation funded by multibillionaire Bill Gates is hidden in the last few pages of the Democrats $1.9 trillion Covid Virus relief package.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is described as a key partner on Page 613 of the Democrats 628-page relief bill, which calls for a donation of not less than $3,500,000,000 to the Global Fund to Combat AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

Although its noble to raise money to help eradicate AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis around the world, its unclear why $3.5 billion in American taxpayer funds must be given to this charity right now.
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 EU ramped up the row over Northern Ireland today as it formally launched action over the UK's decision to suspend parts of the Brexit protocol.

Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic accused Britain of violating international law and undermining trust by unilaterally extending grace periods on trade.

But Boris Johnson shot back that the protocol exists to protect the Good Friday agreement - and that meant east-west trade as well as with the Republic of Ireland.

Concerns have been rising about sectarian tensions in the province with unionists furious at obstacles to trade with the UK mainland.

The government has argued that its unilateral steps are needed to protect supermarket supplies and parcel deliveries.

There are fears the dispute could end up in the European Court of Justice, while any attempt to impose huge penalties could throw relations into meltdown.

In a statement, Mr Sefcovic said: 'The Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland is the only way to protect the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement and to preserve peace and stability, while avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland and maintaining the integrity of the EU single market.

'The EU and the UK agreed the Protocol together. We are also bound to implement it together.

'Unilateral decisions and international law violations by the UK defeat its very purpose and undermine trust between us. The UK must properly implement it if we are to achieve our objectives.'

Concerns have been rising about sectarian tensions in Northern Ireland with unionists furious at obstacles to trade with the UK mainland

Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic (left) accused the UK of violating international law and undermining trust by unilaterally extending grace periods on trade. Lord Frost (right) is leading the talks for Britain

Mr Sefcovic said he hoped that the situation can be resolved with 'collaborative, pragmatic and constructive' talks.

Asked about the standoff during a visit to Coventry, Mr Johnson said: 'We haven't seen the EU's letter yet.

'But I think what I would say to our friends in Brussels is very simple - the protocol is there to uphold and to guarantee, to buttress the Good Friday Agreement.

'It (the protocol) should guarantee not just trade and movement north-south but east-west as well.

'That's all we're trying to sort out with some temporary and technical measures which we think are very sensible.

'But obviously we'll look forward to our discussions with our EU friends and see where we get to.'

A letter sent by the EU calls on the Government to 'rectify and refrain from putting into practice' issues announced by the UK over the grace period on March 3 and calls for bilateral discussions in good faith to find a solution to begin by the end of the month.

A Brussels official said: 'We think it is an enormous problem because there are real-life issues behind all of this and the stakeholders need stability and predictably.'

Boris Johnson has insisted the extensions are 'very sensible', with the Government denying there has been a breach of the protocol.

The Northern Ireland Protocol of the Withdrawal Agreement was designed by the UK and EU to avoid a hardening of the border on the island of Ireland when the post-Brexit transition period ended on December 31.

Northern Ireland remained part of the EU's single market for goods, meaning products arriving from Great Britain face EU import regulations.

The first of the grace periods had been due to expire at the end of March but the UK has pledged to extend them until October in a move widely welcomed by businesses in Belfast.
Credit: Manzano et al.

Researchers at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Italy and the PICO group at Aalto University in Finland have introduced the idea of an information demon that follows a customary gambling strategy to stop non-equilibrium processes at stochastic times. The new demons they realized, which differ from the renowned Maxwell's demon, were presented in a paper published in Physical Review Letters.

"Our research was driven by curiosity," Gonzalo Manzano, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told Phys.org. "We asked ourselves about the implications of processes whose fluctuations fulfill (or break) some strong properties of stochastic processes on the link between thermodynamics and information."

The recent study by Gonzalo Manzano, Edgar Roldan and their colleagues is based on previous works investigating the link between information and thermodynamics at the stochastic level. It also draws inspiration from recent research that explored the properties of a unique family of stochastic processes known as martingales in the context of thermodynamics.

Martingales are paradigmatic examples of stochastic processes that have been used in a variety of fields, including finance and mathematics. Manzano, Roldan and their colleagues applied knowledge of martingales to the study of thermodynamics with the aim of unveiling new universal thermodynamic laws.

"Our paper concerns the following questions: What happens when one gambles with the information acquired about the response of a small system during a nonequilibrium thermodynamic process?" Edgar Roldan, another researcher involved in the study, told Phys.org. "This can be formulated as a 'stopping' condition in which the gambler quits (e.g., quits playing roulette when its revenues have exceeded or fallen below a given amount)."

The main objective of the study carried out by Manzano, Roldan and their colleagues was to investigate the extent to which the laws of thermodynamics apply when using gambling-inspired protocols. To achieve this, they further developed the martingale theory of thermodynamics, a theoretical construct that they introduced a few years ago.

In their new study, the researchers introduced the idea of "gambling demons." A gambling demon is essentially a new version of the so-called Maxwell's demon, an idea and thought experiment introduced by physicist James Clerk Maxwell in 1867. In this thought experiment, Maxwell showed that by using information about the microscopic dynamics of a system, it may be possible to subvert the second law of thermodynamics, which states that heat will always move from hot to cold until it is spread evenly through a system. The apparent paradox has been an active area of research for many decades and was settled by considering the physical nature of the information produced by the demon, which would require work to be erased, according to Landauer's principle (first proposed in 1961).

"In Maxwell's original version, a small intelligent being (i.e., the demon) is able to defy the second law of thermodynamics by observing and manipulating a thermodynamic system at the microscopic level," Manzano said. "Even if the paradox is only apparent, Maxwell's demon is still of great interest today, because it allows extracting work at the price of producing entropy in the form of information. In the new version, we push the demon to its limits by taking away some of his powers."

In their paper, Manzano, Roldan and their colleagues considered the possibility that their theorized gambling demon can still observe the microscopic dynamics of a system but cannot manipulate it at will. Rather than manipulating the system, the demon can only decide to stop the thermodynamic process at any time it considers right.

"One may think that this less powerful demon cannot defy the second law, as in Maxwell's original setup, since one may naively expect that the demon would not be able to make good use of the information about the microscopic dynamics of the system," Manzano said. "However, we have seen that this is not the case, but the demon needs (i) a good strategy to meaningfully decide when to stop, and (ii) the dynamics of the system under consideration need to be non-stationary (or more technically, it needs to break time-reversal symmetry) and therefore, some investment of work is needed."

Manzano, Roldan and their colleagues explored the idea of gambling demons using techniques employed to study stochastic and quantum thermodynamics. More specifically, they derived a universal fluctuation theorem that relates the behavior of relevant thermodynamic quantities when stopping strategies are applied. This allowed them to explore the limits of these stopping strategies. Subsequently, the researchers verified their predictions in a series of experiments.

"The experimental configuration of our collaborators at the Pekola lab consisted of a small copper island maintained at a very low temperature (0.67 Kelvin) where electrons from two aluminum leads can jump," Manzano said. "In addition, a time-dependent voltage is applied to the metallic island, performing work into the system, and ensuring that the system is not stationary."

At particularly low temperatures, single electrons that enter a metallic island can be counted individually. By counting electrons one by one, the researchers were able to gather valuable information about a system. Using this information, they were then able to compute the relevant thermodynamic quantities and test stopping strategies.

"While we don't stop the system dynamics on the fly, the data obtained allow us to analyze the effect of different gambling strategies corroborating our theoretical predictions," Manzano said. "We also find that in this setup, a 'winning' strategy consists in stopping the dynamics if too much work is being invested. Applying it, we found that work can be extracted from information, overcoming the traditional second-law limits."

The researchers draw an analogy between the demon they introduced and casino games. According to Roldan, "one could think of a gambler playing the roulette and expecting profit based on his/her good chance of winning. If this individual played every day until the casino closed, he/she should expect that to lose money. However, the gambler could also devise a strategy that would allow him/her to make a net profit, for instance, by only playing until his/her revenue exceeds a pre-defined threshold value." Nevertheless, such strategies might only work if the probabilities of the numbers in the roulette change during the day.

"Consider a small system immersed in a thermal bath which is driven for a fixed total time following a deterministic nonequilibrium protocol," Roldan said. "If the protocol is always allowed to be completed, the work done on the system averaged over many realizations of the process is larger or equal than its free energy change, as follows from the second law of thermodynamics. What happens, however, when the process is stopped at a random time following a given criterion (e.g., a gambling strategy)?"

The idea can be linked to the concept of information demons. In the context of thermodynamics, for instance, Maxwell's demon leads to apparent violations of the second law by opening and closing a gate separating two containers at random times.

"Maxwell's demon uses two properties to seemingly violate the limits of the second law," Roldan explained. "First, it acts at stochastic times when a specific event takes place, a hot/cold particle gets close to the gate. Second, it applies feedback control, opening the gate it changes the dynamics of the process."

The gambling demons proposed by Manzano, Roldan and their colleagues are essentially devices that allow for apparent violations of the second law of thermodynamics using only the first component of Maxwell's original demon proposal. This first component is the execution of a task at a stochastic time. The resolution of the paradox follows nevertheless the same lines as it does in the original version.

"The key idea here is the use of a very particular set of strategies inspired in gambling that lead to stopping of the dynamics following a prescribed criterion," Roldan said. "Because the system upon which the demon acts is small and affected by fluctuations, the time at which the demon stops the dynamics is different in each cycle. This is crucial for work extraction, as we show in our work."

In their paper, Manzano, Roldan and their colleagues show that the gambling demon they realized can be used to extract work from a thermodynamic system beyond its free energy change. Using martingale theory, they calculated the average work extraction that these demons can achieve and tested their predictions in an experiment.

In this experiment, the researchers analyzed time series data collected using a single-electron transistor. They then applied gambling strategies based on measurements of the work done to the transistor. In other words, when the work exceeded a specific threshold, the demon stopped the system's dynamics; otherwise, it continued its evolution for a larger (fixed) amount of time.

"Our work implies that information-to-work conversion can be realized in systems where a precise control of the dynamics is not available," Manzano said. "This greatly extends the scope of Maxwell's original scenario and clarifies the minimal ingredients needed to link information and thermodynamics."

The idea of gambling demons and the universal nonequilibrium relations described in the paper could be applied to a number of areas of study. In the specific context to which they applied it, the demon could stop a system's dynamics following a strategy. However, the relations they described could also be applied to systems in which dynamics naturally stop when a specific condition is met, such as biological systems.

"The key insight of our study is that contrarily to beliefs up until now, it is not necessary to apply feedback to extract work beyond the free energy change," Roldan said. "This can be done applying suitable gambling strategies and we show how much work one can extract from them. Notably, our findings suggest that the amount of work one can extract through gambling is bounded by a measure of the time asymmetry of the physical process, so highly irreversible (far from equilibrium) dynamics can lead to large values of work extraction, much like arbitrage opportunities in the stock market."

In the future, the new gambling-based approach proposed by Manzano, Roldan and their colleagues could be used to improve the efficiency of microscopic heat engines and motors. In their next studies, the researchers plan to analyze the results they collected from a quantum physics standpoint. Their work could pave the way towards the development of gambling-based strategies for research and technology development that outperform more conventional methods.

"We believe our study is a first step in the development of new possibilities for efficient energy harvesting protocols at the nanoscale, which may use our fundamental knowledge on how to profit from fluctuations using clever information processing strategies," Roldan said.

 2021 Science X Network
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Germany's ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party suffered heavy setbacks in two state elections on Sunday, an inauspicious start in the key election year which is expected to produce a successor to Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The votes in the southwestern states of Baden-Wuerttemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate are the first of seven elections in Germany this year, including a federal election set in September.

The CDU garnered 23.6 percent of the vote, down from 27 percent in the last election, in its stronghold Baden-Wuerttemberg, while the Greens won 32.4 percent according to the preliminary result reported by local broadcaster ARD.

In Rhineland-Palatinate, the CDU got 26.8 percent of the vote while the Social Democratic Party (SPD) gained popularity by securing 36 percent of voter support, the exit poll showed.

CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak said the party "had wished for better results," but its national popularity has been waning due to the recent mask procurement scandal and its coronavirus policies.

Two members of parliament, one from CDU and another from its Bavarian sister party Christian Social Union (CSU), were exposed by local media that they had cashed in on the pandemic by brokering face mask deals.

What's more, the Germans were also frustrated with Merkel's conservative-led coalition over a slow vaccination progress due to supply shortages and excessive bureaucracy.

At the federal level, the CDU has witnessed its support rate decreasing from almost 40 percent last summer, when Germany was praised for its efficient measures in containing the pandemic, to around 33 percent this month.

Some analysts fear the loss in state elections could trigger chain reactions to the September federal election.

Since Merkel said she will not be running again as candidate for German chancellor, the rivalry within the conservative bloc to succeed her has been in the spotlight.

The negative results in the state elections could deal a blow to CDU Chairman Armin Laschet and help CSU's leader Markus Soeder. Both two are deemed as right for the job.

The CDU and the CSU operate as a political union in the federal parliament and will decide together in the coming months on their common chancellor candidate.
A Restaurateurs Reflections of an Industry Battered by Pandemic Guidelines

Commentary

As Orange County eateries begin reopening their doors for indoor dining, a Newport Beach restaurateur is reflecting on the inhumane treatment of the industry during the pandemic.

Newport Beach Councilman Noah Blom said state-mandated closures have led restaurant owners to become disillusioned as many people that werent ready to retire or wouldve never thought about selling their business were forced to do so.

The owner of Costa Mesas Arc Food & Libations and Newport Beachs Arc Butcher & Baker recalled how fellow business owners went from having a busy restaurant to an empty restaurant.

Blom, who was elected into city council last November, said he was motivated to enter politics after witnessing how the state shutdowns were impacting his 16-year-old son, and those in the hospitality industry.

The Beginning

Californias restaurants were ordered shut last March after the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 virus a pandemic, and the state entered its first lockdown.

Prior to the pandemic, Blom recalled 2019 and the beginning of 2020 as being the most profitable years for the hospitality industry.

When it all came to a halt last spring, he closed his Costa Mesa restaurant and allocated the remaining staff to his Newport Beach location.

Ultimately, out of 75 employees, he kept one.

He recalled firing his chef of 10 years, and families of whom he employed husbands, wives, fathers, and sons.

Its one of the hardest decisions you make in your entire life, he told California Insider. In this business, you dont build a team to let them all go on one day without any preconceived notion.

Early last May, he reopened his Costa Mesa location as a test to see whether police would enforce the shutdown. Costa Mesa police did visit the restaurant, Blom said, and were wonderful in showing their support discreetly.

Since then, Blom has been operating both restaurants.

As a result of the support he received from government agencies, he said he has been able to rehire employees that feel comfortable with working in the industry. Although his kitchen team and bartenders agreed to return, a majority of his servers declined, leaving him to find new hires.

Latest Lockdown

Restaurants were allowed to temporarily reopen after the initial round of restrictions was lifted late last May.

But the relaxed rules didnt last.

Restaurants were most recently ordered shut again last November due to a surge of new COVID-19 cases and concerns the upcoming holidays would result in gatherings that could strain the health care system.

Blom said he refused to cave in to all the state-mandated orders.

Its inhumane, we dont do that, and that was the last straw, he said. I think for a lot of us is that Im not firing my staff again, Im not going through that. Im not affecting families.

Blom said he considered his employees to be the most important part of his life.

I spend 14 hours a day with most of them, he said. Ive cooked side-by-side with every cook, I scrubbed floors and toilets together. You do the work together. Theyre part of you, and to forsake them just because theres fear is just not human.

A Struggle to Survive

At the start of the pandemic, restaurant owners were only allowed to operate through take-out service. Blom said that model alone was unsustainable for restaurants.

Theres a high cost associated for restaurants to be able to provide a quick-serve model, he said, and restaurants would have to purchase more to-go supplies.

Restaurants were met with more challenges once they were permitted to operate outdoors, Blom said.

Carpets, tents, heaters, and more were needed to make outdoor dining comfortable for patrons, he said, leaving businesses with extra expenses.

Legal Challenges

Wineries, bars, and restaurants across California have filed lawsuits against Gov. Gavin Newsom for the states dining bans. Blom cited a lawsuit from two San Diego County strip club owners who challenged the state mandates.

He said it wasnt the money or strength of the restaurant industry that pushed this lawsuit, but rather the owners of the club that united to make money and create a lobby to invite other restaurants into the fight.

Blom said, From a personal perspective and an angry perspective at the time, you feel like when your business is stolen from you and theres no answers for it and theres no end in sight.

California Insider is an Epoch Times show available on YouTube.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A couple who thought they may never have children have welcomed a pair of twins - who were born on different days and have different star signs.

Jess, 31, and Chris Chelin, 34, from York, were 'completely shocked' when they got pregnant with twins naturally.

The non-identical boys both weighed 6lb 7oz but Eric was born on January 19 at 11.52pm, while little Albert was born ten minutes later on January 20 at 12.02am.

The couple had previously spent over three years trying to conceive and had undergone two rounds of IVF, one that resulted in the birth of their now two-year-old daughter, Ayda.

Jess (left, holding Albert), 31, and Chris Chelin (right, holding Eric), 34, from York, were 'completely shocked' when they got pregnant with twins naturally after undergoing two rounds of IVF to conceive their daughter Ayda (centre), now two.

The babies both weighed 6lb 7oz but Eric (left) was born on January 19 at 11.52pm, while little Albert (right) was born ten minutes later on January 20 at 12.02am

Their new 'little miracles' were born in different sacs, have different hair colour and even have different star signs.

Eric has dark brown hair, from his dad's side, and is a Capricorn, while Albert has blond hair, from his mum's side, and is an Aquarius.

Jess said she felt 'overjoyed' when she held them for the first time.

The couple, who met in 2007 and married in 2015, always wanted to have a family of their own but were told they were unlikely to ever conceive naturally.

Their new 'little miracles' are non-identical and Eric (right) has dark brown hair while Albert (left) has blond hair and, while Eric is a Capricorn, Albert is an Aquarius

Jess, who was in her 20s at the time, was devastated when she was told her eggs were 'akin to a woman in her 40s'.

After three years of trying to conceive, they welcomed little Ayda into the world in September 2018 and felt 'extremely grateful' to have a child.

The pair never expected to welcome another, let alone a pair of twins.

Jess said: 'I was excited and overwhelmed when we realised we were pregnant with twins. I couldn't believe it, I didn't believe it until they were born. I'm just so grateful.

When Jess was in her 20s, she was devastated when she was told her eggs were 'akin to a woman in her 40s' and the pair never expected to welcome another child after Ayda, let alone twins (pictured: Jess while pregnant)

'We feel so lucky. They're our little miracles. It was amazing to hold them for the first time and to know the journey we've all gone through as a family.

'I feel so happy and grateful. I feel so lucky for what we've got.

'We always wanted more than one child but when we had Ayda we obviously knew there was a chance she was going to be an only child.

'Now we've got the boys too and it warms my heart knowing they're going to grow up having each other.'

She added: 'When people ask us how old our twins are it takes a bit to say which is quite funny.'

Jess said: 'We feel so lucky. They're our little miracles. It was amazing to hold them for the first time and to know the journey we've all gone through as a family'

Jess said it was agonising to watch her friends get pregnant - and the couple seriously considered moving to Canada or Australia because it became too overwhelming.

In 2017, they attempted their first round of IVF, which the NHS offers for free, but it sadly failed.

The couple were faced with the tough decision to go for more treatments which would have costed them thousands of pounds.

Thankfully, as the eggs didn't go through a full cycle, they were still eligible for the free round of IVF but were offered a different treatment which injects the sperm directly into the egg.

The injected Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) was successful and the overjoyed couple welcomed little Ayda.

Jess said it was agonising to watch her friends get pregnant - and the couple seriously considered moving to Canada or Australia as it became too overwhelming (pictured with Chris and the twins)

Jess, a primary school teacher, said: 'I had very little hope I was going to be able to have my own baby. They said it was very unlikely and the process of IVF is also really tough. It was so demoralising.

'As soon as we got married we talked about how we wanted to have children as we wanted them quite young and to be able to do things with them.

'Those two years seemed like the longest years ever, and it felt so futile.'

The couple were so certain they would not be able to conceive again, they moved from Leeds to York and bought their first home together immediately after Ayda was born.

But they're now going to have to sell their three-bed terraced house and move into a bigger home to accommodate the new members of the family.

Chris (pictured walking away from York Royal with his twins Eric and Albert) said the didn't think they'd 'have such a big family' as they believed they might never have their own children for a long time but have now 'got three beautiful babies'

Father Chris said it's been chaotic and they will have to make many unexpected adjustments, but that it's all been worthwhile as they have their 'perfect family'.

The property manager said: 'It's been completely crazy, our lives have been changed forever.

'But it's all worth it, all the chaos in the house, all the cleaning, all the late nights - it's 100 percent worth it.

'We never expected any of this, we didn't think we'd have such a big family. We just can't believe it.

'We genuinely believed for a long time that we might never have our own children and now we've got three beautiful babies.

'I'm exhausted but I've never been so happy.'

After Ayda was born, the couple moved from Leeds to York and bought their first home together but they're now going to have to sell their three-bed terraced house and move into a bigger home to accommodate the new members of the family (pictured: Eric and Albert)

Saudi Arabia and Greece are set to hold joint military exercises this month as the kingdoms forces arrived in the European country.

Six Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s, Anadolu news agency reports citing a Hellenic National Defense General Staff statement arrived Sunday on the Greek island of Crete this weekend as part of military cooperation between the two countries.

The Saudi forces were welcomed by Saudi Ambassador to Greece Saad bin Abdulrahman Al-Ammar and other officials.

Both countries according to the statement will hold this month a joint drill Eastern Mediterranean in view of training in complex air operations such as achieving air superiority/supremacy as well as protection and attack on land and sea targets. The two countries through the exercise will work for peace and stability in the region, said Hellenic Chief of General Staff Gen. Konstantinos Floros on Twitter.

The United States, France and the United Arab Emirates are also scheduled to take part in the exercises.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has declined a request from Senate Republicans to commence an investigation into how Gov. Gretchen Whitmers administration handled its COVID-19 response in nursing homes, citing insufficient evidence that any laws had been broken or coronavirus deaths caused.

Nessel, in a Monday letter to Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, and other Senate Republicans who had asked for an investigation into their concerns with the administrations COVID-19 response when it came to nursing homes, said the choice to investigate a claim must be made free from political motivations or influence.

Though I will not hesitate to act when justified, I also will not abuse the investigatory powers of this Department to launch a political attack on any state official, regardless of party or beliefs, Nessel wrote in the letter.

Runestads Feb. 23 request asked for an investigation into four areas: the governors COVID-19 nursing home policies, the accuracy of nursing home data, compliance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and compliance with Michigans Freedom of Information Act.

Related: States handling of COVID in nursing homes worthy of critique, but GOP lawmakers miss mark, experts say

In a Monday afternoon statement issued prior to Nessels letter, Runestad said the right thing for Nessel to do is get answers for every family who lost a loved one to COVID-19 in a nursing home.

He specifically criticized the administrations initial regional hub policy for nursing home patients in the early stages of the pandemic.

Grieving families are tired of the stonewalling. We need an investigation now, because families deserve answers, he said.

Other senators whod supported Runestads request for an investigation were Sens. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, Ruth Johnson, R-Holly, Kim LaSata, R-Bainbridge Township, Roger Victory, R-Hudsonville, Lana Theis, R-Brighton, Dale Zorn, R-Ida, and Curtis VanderWall, R-Ludington.

In her response to Runestads request, Nessel said she saw no evidence in the letter or elsewhere suggesting that the administrations efforts to contain COVID-19 in Michigans nursing homes resulted in increased deaths.

I appreciate that you and your colleagues have policy disagreements with Governor Whitmers response to COVID-19, she wrote. But an investigation by my office is not the mechanism to resolve those disagreements.

Critics of the Whitmer administration have long sought additional information on COVID-19s presence in the facilities.

Related: Nursing home debate gets heated with Michigan health director testifying at COVID-19 oversight hearing

In Michigan and elsewhere, the disease spread quickly in nursing homes, where many residents are especially vulnerable to the disease due to age or preexisting health conditions.

Nursing home residents and staff were high on the list for prioritization when COVID-19 vaccines became available. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services recently announced Michigan nursing homes in all counties can now allow indoor visitors and are encouraged to resume activities like communal dining and group activities.

Visitors need to wear masks, and in general, maintain six feet of separation from nursing home residents. A requirement that no case can have originated in the facility in the past 14 days remains in place, and visitors are required to take rapid antigen tests for COVID-19.

Read more on MLive:

Michigans nursing home strategy during pandemic perfectly appropriate, report says

Michigan to allow nursing home visitation statewide

57% of Michigan nursing home staff, residents decline COVID-19 vaccine so far

Michigan will identify nursing homes with coronavirus outbreaks. It comes too late for some families.

Michigan adds nursing home-specific coronavirus data to stat disclosures
STRONGSVILLE, Ohio -- The budget for trash pickup, disposal and recyclable processing will rise by 3 percent annually through 2025 under a new five-year, $14.1 million contract with Republic Services, the citys waste hauler.

The city has no plans to pass on the increase to residents, who do not pay separately for trash collection.

Also, the city will not switch to automated waste collection -- which involves trucks with mechanical arms lifting and emptying curbside trash cans -- even though officials have considered doing so for several years.

We found it was more affordable to keep things as they were, Law Director Neal Jamison told cleveland.com.

In 2019, Service Director Joe Walker told cleveland.com that Republic was pressuring the city to automate. Also, during a 2018 budget hearing, Mayor Thomas Perciak told City Council that Republic officials had visited him and pushed to convert the city to automated trash pickup.

Last year, the city received bids from two other waste haulers -- Rumpke, headquartered in Colerain, and Kimble, headquartered in Dover -- for the new contract. The city asked all the companies to submit bids for three options: one for conventional pickup; the second for automated pickup weekly and the third for automated trash pickup weekly; and automated recyclable collection every other week.

According to a city bid sheet, Republic was the only company to submit a bid for conventional pickup, which is the offer the city eventually accepted.

Republics bids for automated recyclable pickup weekly and biweekly were $15.1 million and $14.6 million, respectively. Kimbles prices were $17 million for weekly automated recyclable pickup and $15.3 million for biweekly automated recyclable pickup.

Rumpkes bids ranged from $15.6 million to $18.4 million for weekly and biweekly automated recyclable pickup.

Under the new contract with Republic, which City Council approved last fall, trash hauling and the processing of recyclables will cost $2.72 million in 2021; $2.8 million in 2022; $2.88 million in 2023; $2.96 million in 2024; and $3.1 million in 2025.

In 2020, the city budgeted roughly $2.6 million for trash hauling and recyclable processing, under the previous five-year contract with Republic.

Also, Republic will continue to operate a city-owned transfer station for garbage on Foltz Parkway. The firm will pay the city $1.15 for each ton of non-Strongsville garbage processed at the station, Jamison said.

Five years ago, the city didnt seek bids for trash and recyclable pickup. At the time, Walker said Republics rates were very favorable compared to what other communities were paying.

The city and Republic, headquartered in Phoenix, also signed a five-year contract in 2010. According to a 2010 memo from Walker to Perciak, Republic -- then called Browning-Ferris Industries of Ohio Inc. -- had submitted the lowest of five bids.

Read more from the Sun Star Courier.
TORONTO, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aberdeen International Inc. (Aberdeen or the Company) (TSX: AAB) is pleased to share an update regarding its recent acquisition, AES-100 Inc. (see press releases dated February 1, 2021, February 11, 2021, March 3, 2021 and March 10, 2021).



Pinakin Patel, President of T2M Global, will lead a panel on fuel cells and batteries at the 2021 Port of the Future Virtual Conference organized by the University of Houston in Texas. Mr. Patel will discuss the vision for a multi-purpose energy station, built on the Advanced Electrolyzer System (AES) technology platform. The potential market for hydrogen energy storage at the ports is estimated to be over $40 billion per year in the US alone.

AES-100 Inc. has acquired exclusive rights and all intellectual property pertaining to T2M Globals Advanced Electrolyzer System for the production of hydrogen from dilute syngas. T2M Global is the worlds leader in clean energy technology using hydrogen with zero carbon footprint and no greenhouse gas emissions.

The AES technology platform can also provide hydrogen to refuel port vehicles for cargo handling and can also refuel trucks to distribute the cargo to warehouses and other destinations. The Hydrogen Fuel Cell market size was valued at USD ~$1777 million in 2019 and is projected to reach USD ~$5515.89 million by 2026. Mr. Patel will lead the conference with a focus on enhanced resiliency of microgrids at the ports using hydrogen energy storage and fuel cells.

The panel members include the worlds largest stationary fuel cell (MW-class) manufacturer, promoters of hydrogen infrastructure, and workforce development for advanced energy technologies. Solutions discussed by this expert panel will apply to all ports in the US and globally.

The 2021 Port of the Future Conference will take place March 15-18. Mr. Patel will speak at the Panel: Fuel Cells and Batteries Wednesday, March 17, 2021, 2:10 PM - 3:10 PM. Time Zone: (UTC-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada).

ABOUT ABERDEEN INTERNATIONAL INC.

Aberdeen International is a global resource investment company and merchant bank focused on small capitalization companies in the mining and metals and renewable energy sectors.

For additional information, please visit our website at www.aberdeeninternational.ca .

For further information, please contact:

Ryan Ptolemy

Chief Financial Officer

Aberdeen International Inc.

ryanp@fmfinancialgroup.com

+1 416-861-5882
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here

The Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), the Pan-African Organization of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), has called on African Governments to give priority to journalists for the COVID 19 vaccinations since they have already been designated as frontline workers. The federations welcome the decisions taken by the Ugandan and Somali governments to include journalists among the first groups of people in the line for COVID-19 vaccination, and urges other African governments to do the same.

Since the start of March 2021, African countries have been receiving limited supplies of COVID-19 vaccines under the COVAX facility. However, FAJ and its affiliated journalist unions across the continent note with concern that in many countries, journalists, have been relegated to the periphery with regards to the administration of vaccine.

This is a worrying development since professionals in the medical, education and security sectors, who have been identified as essential workers have all been given priority by most African governments to receive the vaccine, while most of these governments have remained mute about journalists who have also been considered as frontline workers in the COVID campaign and are as vulnerable to contracting the virus as other frontline professionals.

Journalists cannot being tossed overboard at this critical time. Given the wave of misinformation and public skepticism about the benefits of Covid-19 vaccination, journalists and the media in particular have a very important role to play and are going to be needed more than ever before to convince the public to accept the jabs, said FAJ President Sadiq Ibrahim Ahmed.

Including them among the first recipients of the COVID-19 jabs, will make them more credible to the public since they will be reporting from the context of their own experience, Sadiq added.

FAJ further notes that in their frontline role interacting with members of the public, journalists face the added risk of contracting the virus or spreading it, if they are not protected early.

Information is an essential service and the failure to protect journalist at this time, could lead to the collapse of an essential service, at a time when the public needs a lot of reassurance about the safety of the vaccine through information campaigns.

FAJ demands that African governments that have not yet recognized journalists as frontline workers do so immediately and make a public commitment to ensure that journalists will be among the first to receive the available vaccines.

IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, said: "Journalists and media workers risk their life everyday to inform citizens during the pandemic. They played a key role as essential workers and they must be considered as such in the Covid-19 vaccination programs".
ROCHESTER, Minn.  A man reportedly found in bed with a 14-year-old is pleading guilty to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Robert William Vidales, 22 of Rochester, was arrested in October 2018 after a teenagers mother told Rochester police she found Vidales in their home wearing only underwear and socks. Officers say they arrested Vidales down the street from the home.

He pleaded not guilty in January 2019 but has now changed that plea to guilty. His sentencing is scheduled for April 26.
Associated Press

A top Sudanese military official said the government will review an agreement with Russia to establish a navy base in the African country. The remarks about the deal, which dates back to the government of now-deposed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and has not been ratified by the Sudanese parliament, indicate that Khartoum is seeking some changes to the agreement. Sudans Chief of General Staff, Gen. Mohammed Othman al-Hussein told Blue Nile television station late on Tuesday that negotiations are underway with Russian officials to achieve Sudans interests.
Texas businesses and homeowners are scrambling to buy back-up generators following last months Texas Blackout, calculating the benefits will outweigh the costs the next time a polar vortex pays a visit.

One reader complained, though, he couldnt get an appointment until May 6.

Building your own mini-powerplant, if done thoughtfully, is not necessarily a bad idea and could shore up the states electricity grid, save everyone money and fight climate change.

An old-fashioned diesel or gasoline generator roaring behind the house, spewing exhaust, is not the solution. Those units are unreliable, rarely generate enough electricity and run out of fuel quickly.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Texas Blackout left scars on businesses, but other disasters lurk ahead

The real answers are what the industry calls distributed generation and micro-grids. These are generators capable of taking businesses, homes or entire campuses off the grid for daysif not most of the timeand contributing to the grid when it needs a helping hand.

Five years ago, I wrote about a Houston start-up called M-Trigen, which developed a natural gas or propane-fired system capable of providing electricity, air conditioning and heat. The new chairman and CEO, Kevin Robert, told me their updated products could help.

I dont think people realize how much more electricity the world is demanding and where its going to come from, he said. Weve got to pursue every form of energy we can find, and distributed generation and microgrids are part of the solution.

Most Texans rely on power from the grid operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT. The nonprofit offers to buy electricity from generators at higher and higher prices every day until it has enough supply contracts to meet the next days demand.

Most of the year, ERCOT does not have to pay much in the day-ahead market to meet the grids needs. Demand averages about 55,000 megawatts, while operators own more than 70,000 megawatts of capacity.

A few days or weeks every year, though, demand bumps up against supply, and ERCOT starts offering extremely high prices. When demand exceeds supply, or the generation promised the day before fails to materialize, ERCOT must cut power to hundreds, thousands or even millions of Texans.

M-Trigen can reduce risk by customizing an appropriately-sized generator with multiple capabilities. The companys systems can create a micro-grid that remains online if ERCOT throws the switch by relying on the more dependable natural gas pipeline or an onsite propane tank.

Robert said the vast majority of M-Trigens clients remained online during the freeze.

The economics of a micro-grid, though, are complicated. Robert explained it depends not only on the difference in price between grid electricity and natural gas during different times of the year, but also how often the power goes out, what you are protecting and whether the larger grid will buy excess power from distributed generation.

Robert said some clients only want to run their generators when grid prices spike and ERCOT will pay them to take demand off the system. Others operate in places where M-Trigens power from natural gas is cheaper than grid electricity all the time.

Some only want M-Trigen as a back-up system or to provide heat. Robert said his system integrates exceptionally well with solar panels and can be cheaper than buying back-up batteries.

Weve found a lot larger application in the market and many more sectors than I ever thought, he said. Thats because were talking about a world that is electrifying itself, a world that wants to do that in a low carbon way.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: All will pay for the Texas Blackout

Natural gas and propane are fossil fuels and emit carbon, but the emissions are far less than from burning coal or oil. While some environmentalists hope batteries will eventually make fossil fuels obsolete, natural gas remains the primacy back up to wind and solar power for at least a decade.

Robert said his team has achieved very low carbon emissions by switching to a Toyota engine designed for natural gas and running a very lean fuel-air mixture. Hes also found a catalytic converter that eliminates almost all nitrous oxide to meet Californias clean air standards.

M-Trigen manufactures in Houston and is planning a Series A investment round to raise cash and ramp-up production. Its not the only company building natural gas generators or micro-grids, but they have a unique product that points to the future of the grid.

As Texas officials decide how to sort out the financial chaos left by the Texas Blackout and guarantee reliability, we should take stock of new technology that can reduce demand and protect property. We should not move backward and reopen mothballed natural gas and coal-fired generators when there are so many ways to move forward.

Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and policy.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
PULLMAN, Wash. - People who talk with their doctors are more likely to get vaccinated during a pandemic, according to a study of evidence collected during the "swine flu," the last pandemic to hit the U.S. before COVID-19.

Researchers from Washington State University and University of Wisconsin-Madison surveyed patients about the vaccine for the H1N1 virus, also known as the swine flu, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in 2009. They found that doctor-patient communication helped build trust in physicians, which led to more positive attitudes toward the H1N1 vaccine--and it was more than just talk; it correlated to people actually getting vaccinated.

The study, recently published in the journal Health Communication, builds on previous research showing doctors can curb negative attitudes toward vaccinations in general, but this study specifically focuses on that role during a pandemic.

"A vaccine during a pandemic is definitely different from others, like the flu vaccine, which people already know about," said Porismita Borah, an associate professor in WSU's Murrow College of Communication and lead author on the study. "During a pandemic, it is a new vaccine for everybody. People may have more hesitancy and may be more worried about side effects. The doctor's office is one of the best sources of information for patients who have questions."

The researchers analyzed survey responses from more than 19,000 people nationwide on their attitudes toward doctors and their willingness to discuss vaccines with their physician as well as their willingness to get vaccinations--and ultimately whether or not they got the H1N1 vaccine. They found that the willingness to talk to doctors about the issue correlated with increased trust and receiving the vaccination.

The authors note that doctors often feel that they cannot ethically tell patients to take a certain vaccine. Instead they recommend physicians simply act as a resource, helping answer questions so patients can make better informed decisions. They do not, however, need to wait until patients come to them.

"Doctors could voluntarily reach out to patients, even by email, to let them know what the COVID-19 vaccine means," said Borah. "They can answer questions like how was the vaccine made? What should patients expect? Why are there two doses? I think there might be many questions people have which can be easily answered by primary care physicians who are usually well trusted by the general public."

Doctor communication with patients is particularly pressing now, Borah added, given that that one in five Americans showed an unwillingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine and the amount of misinformation around the pandemic.

"People have to be really careful about what they're seeing and what they're reading because there is so much misinformation circulating on social media," said Borah. "Sometimes this misinformation is circulated by friends and family members without any sort of bad intention--they just share it, so it's extremely important to get information from trusted sources."

###
Surface Mining, Plant Hiring and Civil Earthworks Company, Beniwise Ghana Limited (BGL), has announced that it will expand its quality service delivery in the mining sector following their win as Best Performer in Contract Mining at the 6th Ghana Mining Industry Awards (GMIA) for the year 2019, which was held in December 2020.



Speaking on the organisations business outlook for the year, following their feat, the project Engineer in charge of Contracts, Monitoring and Evaluation at Beniwise Ghana Limited, Mr Jamal A. N Saleh said;



Over the years, we have built a solid reputation with some of the top mining companies in Ghana such as AngloGold Ashanti (Iduapriem) Ltd. (AAIL), Goldfields Ghana Ltd. (GFGL) and Golden Star Wassa Ltd. (GSWL) as a reliable contract mining partner. So we are confident that this reputation will attract new business opportunities from other top mining companies.



Additionally, we will work towards consolidating the performance that led to our selection for the award. We will enhance our processes in Load & Haul, Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) management, Rehabilitation & Revegetation of Waste Dumps, Reclamation & Demolition of abandoned working sites and Rom Pad Management Services. We are also committed to further explore and venture into areas such as: Drilling & Blasting, Exploration Drilling, Grade Controlling among others to win more awards in the years to come, he indicated.



Mr. Saleh attributed the organisations success to its skilled and committed staff. He noted that staff welfare, especially the emergency preparedness and response plan in the face of COVID-19, has been and will continue to be a top priority to enable staff continue to give off their best consistently.



The company is committed to remain compliant by further investing in all Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) as prescribed by the government, which is being spearheaded by the industry players to ensure staff safety. This is because central to our work is maintaining our good safety standards as depicted by our safety statistics. By this, we strive to avoid injury and damage to personnel and plant, he said.



Beniwise has a track record in energy conservation, environmental responsibility and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The company has processes that allow it to ensure environmental responsibility and safeguard the interest of their host communities.



Waste is segregated, in accordance with AAIL policy, while Hydrocarbons and other waste and harmful by-products of various processes are prevented from entering into water bodies in their community. As part of their CSR initiatives, the Company has employed 32 people from their host community and trained them in their line of business, under their value driven and sustainable mining focus.



Mr. Saleh expressed gratitude to AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine, Goldfields Ghana Limited, management and staff of Beniwise for their various roles in the companys success story. He commended the Chief Executive of Beniwise, Mr. Wise Agbey Amudzi, for giving BGL employees the opportunity to serve, and dedicated the award to the hard working staff of BGL, particularly the junior staff.





Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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By Josh Smith and Sangmi Cha

SEOUL (Reuters) - The sister of North Korean leader, Kim Yo Jong, criticised ongoing military drills in South Korea and warned the new U.S. administration that the smell of cordite wafting over the border would not help bring peace, state news reported on Tuesday.

Kim's statement was the North's first public message to Washington since President Joe Biden took office in January. It was delivered a day before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are due to arrive in Seoul for their first talks with South Korean counterparts.

"We take this opportunity to warn the new U.S. administration trying hard to give off powder smell in our land," Kim said in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA. "If it wants to sleep in peace for coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step."

For all the imagery of Kim's words, the joint springtime military drill begun last week was limited to computer simulations because of the coronavirus risk as well as the ongoing efforts to engage with the North.

But her message was clear.

"War drills and hostility can never go with dialogue and cooperation," Kim Yo Jong said.

When asked about Kim Yo Jong's statement, Blinken told a briefing in Tokyo that he was aware of her comments, but that he was more interested in hearing what America's allies and partners think about North Korea.

Blinken and Austin are travelling in Asia this week for foreign policy and security talks with allies in Japan and South Korea, among other stops.

The new U.S. administration is expected to wrap up a review of North Korea policy in coming weeks. And Blinken said Washington is considering whether additional pressure on North Korea could be effective.

The timing of Kim's comments seems designed to ensure that North Korea will be at the top of Blinken and Austin's agenda when they land in Seoul, said Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a Korea expert at King's College London.

Story continues

"Until now, the discussion was focusing on The Quad, dealing with China and the North Korea policy review," he said. "Now Kim's statement will be central to discussions."

North Korea has so far rebuffed entreaties from the United States to engage in dialogue, the White House said on Monday, as a chill in relations that began under then-President Donald Trump has extended into Biden's presidency.

Leader Kim Jong Un had three high-profile summit meetings with Trump and exchanged a series of letters, but the nuclear-armed state ended talks and said it would not engage further unless the United States drops its hostile policies.

'SHRUNKEN WAR GAMES'

Kim Yo Jong mocked South Korea for "resorting to shrunken war games, now that they find themselves in the quagmire of political, economic and epidemic crisis."

Boo Seung-chan, a spokesman for South Korea's Ministry of Defence, said the drills were routine and defensive in nature.

"The ministry's position is that North Korea must show a flexible attitude, such as responding to dialogue, to build a lasting and solid peace on the Korean Peninsula," he told a briefing.

The inter-Korean engagement that had improved in 2018 and is sought by South Korea "won't come easily again" and North Korea will be watching to see if there is further provocations, said Kim.

She said North Korea would consider pulling out of an inter-Korean military agreement aimed at reducing tensions along their shared border, and would review whether to dissolve several organisations aimed at cooperation with the South.

Kim's statement, as colourful as it is, is generally consistent with past North Korean statements expressing frustrations at disparities between words and actions, said Jenny Town, director of 38 North, a U.S.-based website that tracks North Korea.

(Reporting by Sangmi Cha and Josh Smith; Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese, Richard Pullin and Tom Hogue)
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Vaccination efforts across the country have come under fire for not meeting expectations on how quickly the COVID-19 vaccines could get into peoples arms.

Sarma Velamuri, a Houston physician who previously worked as a hospitalist at Baylor-St. Lukes Medical Center, saw it coming months ago when Harris County buckled down. Velamuri the CEO of Luminare, a health care startup that created software to help hospitals better diagnose sepsis and develop treatment plans. As the public overwhelmed sign-up links for shots that were only supposed to go to the most vulnerable, he knew it was time to strike.

This one-by-one of vaccination model that we have right now, Velamuri said, referring to the traditional process for shots, where you make an appointment, go to your doctor, sit in a chair for 90 minutes and then you get your shot? That's not going to work when you have to vaccinate 5 million people in 90 days.

Luminare, founded in 2014, now produces software that helps public health officials track, schedule and report COVID-19 vaccination data to state medical registries, improving immunization speed and volume. The most efficient sites can immunize 1,000 people in an hour, according to the company.

In Corpus Christi, Luminare helped facilitate the vaccination of 850 people in an hour; in Pearland, the software enabled officials to immunize 1,000 people in two days. Local officials said software that simplifies the vaccination management process could be key to improving a bumpy process.

Born of necessity

After a friends daughter died of sepsis in 2014, Velamuri invested his life savings in Luminare in hopes of reducing death rates from the blood infection, which causes a steep drop in blood pressure that leads to organ failure and sometimes, death.

INOCULATION TRANSPORTATION: Want a vaccine at NRG's super site? Show up with wheels.

Luminare is based in the TMC Innovation Institute, the Texas Medical Centers offices for promising medical and life science startups. The privately-held company, which now employs 25 people, completed the TMCx accelerator in 2018.

Velamuri declined to disclose revenue or funding, but according to Crunchbase, which tracks funding, it has received $1.6 million in three rounds, including $1.15 million in 2019.

When the pandemic shut down the nation last March, Luminare began developing new programs for COVID-19. The company created Quickscreen to screen people for COVID-19 symptoms. By April, Velamuri and his employees were tinkering again with the software to accommodate COVID-19 mass inoculations as scientists raced to develop and test a vaccine.

Most competitors are customized form-filling software, clinic software or mass texting software, Velamuri said. We are the only mass vaccination software built with infection control and public health reporting and scaling needs in mind.

The program, named Innoculate (a portmanteau of the words innovation and inoculate), simplifies the sign-up and scheduling process for both patient and provider. Public health officials can customize its features.

The programs portal assigns vaccine recipients to their sites, collects data on how many people have been vaccinated and updates hourly with a count. That information helps staff with traffic control, minimizing how much time people must wait for their shot. On a tablet or laptop, staff can check the sites vaccine-giving capacity for the day and scan QR codes to confirm a person is registered for their shot.

Vaccination sites must report their immunization data to the state within 24 hours of administering the vaccine. Innoculate immediately sends those medical reports to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

People looking for a vaccine can register with Innoculates waitlist, providing demographic data and, in some cases, health insurance information. Innoculate screens for people who dont qualify for the vaccine under the states eligibility criteria.

When a vaccine is available, the person is sent a QR code to self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms before arriving at the site. The system also sends the patient a reminder before the second appointment.

By putting all these different parts of the COVID-19 vaccination system in one place, the company drastically cuts time and people needed for data entry and prevents software hiccups, Velamuri said.

Where it works

Even a good vaccine management program cant make up for problems with supply and demand. While about 4.3 million Texans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, there are still 26 million more in the state yet to receive it. COVID-19 vaccine supply fluctuates constantly, making it hard for state and local officials to plan how many doses they will receive in a given \week.

While manufacturers promised 100 million doses by the end of 2020, only 20 million were available in December, USA Today reported.

But some parts of the problem can be fixed, such as vaccination management. An all-in-one package may be what public officials need, Velamuri said.

Luminare has deals with several cities and counties in Texas, including Dallas County, Nueces County, where Corpus Christi is located, and the city of Pearland. It is also working with local governments in Kentucky and Florida, Velamuri said.

In Corpus Christi, the software nearly tripled Nueces Countys capacity. The city-county partnership first expected to distribute 250 doses in an hour; at its peak, it was administering 850 doses an hour. To date, it has administered 44,000 first doses and 16,000 second doses with Innoculate.

Without this software thats able to track everything and perform the way it does there, we would not have the numbers that we have now, said Mayor Paulette Guajardo.

The software also enables the city and county to bring fewer staffers to its vaccine sites. Whereas the city would have to take 15 police officers out of the force each day to direct traffic, it would only need three with Innoculate, which regulates how many people are coming for a dose at a time. Rather than making city employees spend thousands of hours manually uploading vaccination records to ImmTrac2, the states immunization registry, Innoculate automates the process.

Other vaccination initiatives in Corpus Christi, such as the Save Our Seniors initiative to vaccinate homebound elders, also rely on Luminares program. The system is easy to learn, said Peter Collins, the citys chief information officer, allowing local firefighters and Meals on Wheels volunteers to organize door-to-door vaccinations.

Its amazing how flexible this software is, Collins said. It can support both our mega-site and this Save Our Seniors program.

COVID-19 QUESTIONS?: Ask the Houston Chronicles COVID Help Desk

In Pearland, city officials found Luminare as they sought an efficient way to process the high volume of users trying to register for the vaccine, said Joshua Lee, the citys spokesperson.

We had heard horror stories from a lot of our partner agencies, Lee said, about websites crashing, call centers going down, registration systems just falling flat and people being real frustrated with that process.

Pearland city officials approved a $85,000 contract with Luminare for software to manage their vaccinations in early February. When the city launched Innoculate, public health staff administered 1,000 doses over two days, finishing by 4 p.m. both days.

We didnt have to learn those lessons the hard way, Lee said.

As of late February, the Luminare developers are adding features to remove users from other vaccine waitlists they signed up for and allow patients to look up their immunization history. Next, Luminare plans to work on making vaccine registration accessible for people who dont have smartphones or stable internet access.

If you think about efficiency and process, it's more than just capturing a person's demographics on a form, Velamuri said. You want to implement a process that just does not change no matter what. That's what the software is the most useful for.

gwendolyn.wu@chron.com

twitter.com/gwendolynawu
For decades, Florida conservatives decried decisions by the Supreme Court of Florida striking down laws that violated the state constitution. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis sounded this note in his January 2019 inaugural address, complaining that Florida has seen judges expand their power beyond proper constitutional bounds and promising to end judicial activism. DeSantis entered office at the same time that three liberal justices on the Florida Supreme Court were forced to retire due to age limits. He promptly appointed three new justices, creating, in the words of the Tampa Bay Times, what some conservatives are celebrating as the most conservative state Supreme Court in America. (Donald Trump later appointed two of those new justices to a federal appellate court, and DeSantis appointed two more justices.)

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As the Daytona Beach News-Journal noted, these appointments raised expectations that an array of red-meat policies would swiftly emerge from the Republican-controlled Legislature, including several bills that clash with precedent. While, since 2019, the Florida Supreme Court has issued 14 decisions directly or indirectly overturning prior precedentseven lowering the standard for revisiting past decisionsthe court has not, so far, receded from precedent that invalidated a specific statute. The Republican Legislature, however, feels confident it willso confident, in fact, that it has brazenly begun to pass laws that violate precedent of the Florida Supreme Court.

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In the 2019 legislative session, for example, Republicans pushed through a school voucher law creating a new program that diverts taxpayer money from public schools to private schools. The bills critics in the Legislature warned the voucher program is unconstitutional under a 2006 decision, Bush v. Holmes. There, the Florida Supreme Court struck down a similar school voucher program championed by then-Gov. Jeb Bush, a Republican. The majority found that the voucher program violated the state constitutions requirement of a uniform, high-quality public education system open to all children. (When the new law passed, Bush described the decision as very twisted and political.) The Florida Constitution has not changed since 2006, but the membership of the state Supreme Court has. Republican legislators plainly believe the new majority will overrule Bush v. Holmes and greenlight their law. Civil liberties groups have not challenged the law in court.

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In the 2020 legislative session, the Legislature passed, and DeSantis signed, a bill that requires a minor seeking an abortion to obtain either her parents consent in most cases or a waiver from a judge. This statute is unconstitutional under a 1989 decision, In re T.W., in which the Florida Supreme Court held that the states interests in protecting maternal health or potential life were not compelling enough to outweigh a minors right to privacy. In 2003, the court reaffirmed that decision as binding precedent.

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Yet Republicans are now confident that they can ignore that precedent. In 2020, Republican state Sen. Kelli Stargel told the Florida Phoenix that I do feel if it goes to court, that its different than what was passed years ago that was deemed unconstitutional.  We fixed the deficiencies that the court pointed out. Thats false. The Legislature did not, and cannot, diminish the privacy rights laid out by the court. Stargel was more honest when she told the Florida Phoenix, I think the facts support people who believe that [In re T.W.] was an overreach back then. Stargel also acknowledged that the new majority might overturn the pro-choice precedent. Once again, civil liberties groups have not challenged the new law in court.

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The attack on precedent is also clear, though so far unsuccessful, in the area of tort reform, which often means reducing the amount of money civil plaintiffs can win in damages. Conservative lawmakers have long sought to enact this and other reforms to hobble civil suits. In the House in the 2019 session, state Rep. Tom Leek, a Republican, sponsored an unsuccessful bill to impose statutory limitations on the amount of damages a person can recover for pain and suffering in personal injury cases. The Florida Supreme Court held such a cap unconstitutional in Smith v. Department of Insurance in 1987. Leek said the aim of his bill was to give the state Supreme Court an opportunity to reconsider the decision in light of an alleged evolution in the law, though there does not appear to be any. (Disclosure: My practice includes the representation of plaintiffs in personal injury and medical malpractice cases.)

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The Florida Legislature believes that the court will change the law just because of a change in its membership.

More recently, in 2014 the court held in Estate of McCall v. United States that caps on noneconomic damages in wrongful death actions based on medical malpractice were unconstitutional; in 2017, it held in North Broward Hospital District v. Kalitan that caps in medical malpractice personal injury actions also were unconstitutional. Leek called these decisions wrong and said: We have a new court now. Another unsuccessful bill, sponsored by state Rep. Tommy Gregory, would have reenacted those caps. The bill as originally filed contained a paragraph attacking the decisions and stating that the reenactment was so that the courts may reexamine the opinions in McCall and Kalitan. As yet unsuccessful, these proposals will come up again.

We see here a Legislature unboundpassing, or considering, blatantly unconstitutional laws because it feels empowered by a court that has shown a willingness to revisit its precedent. There is an obvious danger when the Legislature passes laws that the Supreme Court has already found unconstitutional with the expectation that the court will reconsider its decisions because its membership has changed. United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once wrote in a dissent:

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A basic change in the law upon a ground no firmer than a change in our membership invites the popular misconception that this institution is little different from the two political branches of the Government. No misconception could do more lasting injury to this Court and to the system of law which it is our abiding mission to serve.

By its actions and its members words, however, the Florida Legislature expresses its belief that the court will change the law just because of a change in its membership, and that the Legislature can enlist the court in a project to advance an ideological agenda. In fact, if the Legislature revives a dead statute and it is challenged, an appellate court will have to strike the statute down; the state constitution then requires the Supreme Court to review that decision if review is sought. It is unfair of the Legislature to put the court and its justices in that position. And the Legislature merely expressing its belief that the court will revisit its precedent because its membership has changed may erode public perceptions of the courts legitimacy.

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Equally damaging, the Legislature thumbs its nose at the court and the courts precedents when it revives dead statutes. Our Supreme Court has already said what the law is in these and other cases invalidating statutes. The Legislature effectively usurps the judicial power and violates Floridas express and strict doctrine of separation of powersespecially if these laws remain in force because the Legislatures belief the court will revisit precedent scares people from filing lawsuits to enforce the state constitution. Lawmakers should respect the independent judiciarys role in our state government and stop its attempts to enlist the high court in its partisan march to overturn decades of case law holding the Legislature to the state constitution.
She is in the midst of a new romance with fellow model Richard Lee, whom she enjoyed a recent date night with in Malibu.

But Alessandra Ambrosio was spotted without her hunky beau on Sunday as she grabbed coffee with a female friend in Los Angeles.

The 39-year-old Brazilian supermodel was uncharacteristically covered up for her morning outing in a stylish linen jumpsuit with flared legs and spaghetti straps.

Girls-only: Alessandra Ambrosio was spotted without her hunky beau Richard Lee on Sunday as she grabbed coffee with a female friend in Los Angeles

Ambrosio layered up her look with an oversized fringe cardigan that she rolled up at the sleeves.

She carried her essential belongings in a Chanel crossbody bag, while her cellphone remained protected in its own shoulder strap case.

Alessandra trotted down the sidewalk in a pair of white leather loafers.

The Victoria's Secret Angel, known for accessorizing, fastened a slew of chains around her neck and rocked a variety of bangles on her wrists.

Chic: The 39-year-old Brazilian supermodel was uncharacteristically covered up for her morning outing in a stylish linen jumpsuit with flared legs and spaghetti straps

She shielded herself from the sun with a beige fedora and a pair of gold framed aviator shades that coordinated with her jewelry.

Ambrosio's golden brown hair was swept back into a low ponytail and her face looked noticeably devoid of makeup.

Adhering to COVID-19 protocols, Alessandra and her pal donned face masks, which they wore down on their chins as they chatted with one another away from fellow coffee patrons.

Ambrosio's outing on Sunday comes just days after she was spotted at Nobu restaurant with her model beau Richard for a covid-friendly date night.

New flame: She is in the midst of a new romance with fellow model Richard Lee, whom she enjoyed a recent date night with in Malibu

It's over! Prior to Richard, Alessandra had been dating Nicolo Oddi  an Italian businessman and designer for a little over two years; Alessandra and Nicolo pictured in 2020

The pair stepped out for the first time publicly in late February as they enjoyed dinner at Nobu, before driving off together in a black Range Rover.

A week later they enjoyed a casual day date, as they hit up a grocery store together on March 2.

Prior to their couples outings, she had been seen leaving flirty comments on his Instagram, but it is unclear when things became romantic.

Richard is repped by well known agency Wilhelmina as well as LA Models and she swiftly was by his side following her return from Brazil.

Fellow model: Richard is repped by well known agency Wilhelmina as well as LA Models and she swiftly was by his side following her return from Brazil; Richard pictured in 2020

Prior to Richard, Alessandra had been dating Nicolo Oddi  an Italian businessman and designer for a little over two years.

In recent months things seemed to wane between them, with Alessandra enjoying an extended vacation in Brazil with her family, while Oddi went back to LA.

The last time they had been photographed together was in the fall and it seemed as if things officially wrapped a few weeks back when she unfollowed him on Instagram.

Alessandra shares two children, daughter Anja and son Noah, with ex fiance Jamie Mazur, 39, whom she was romantically linked to from 2005 until their breakup in 2018.
Some years ago at a National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC, US President Barack Obama reignited a thousand year old debate with his comments about the Crusades.

While looking back at the death and destruction ISIS has meted out in those years, President Obama cautioned Christians to not get on a moral "high horse" in their judgement of the religion which produced it.

After all, hadn't the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, and slavery (in its American context) all been, at one time or another, conducted and defended in the name of Christ?

Of all the events mentioned the one singled out for the most commentary and debate was the Crusades. Amongst some Christian circles in particular, there appears to be an angry reaction to the idea that the Crusades and ISIS's caliphate could be compared on a similar level morally.

So what were the Crusades? Were they a righteous, just war fought for the protection of the innocent and defenceless? Or a campaign fought by violent extremists of a similar ilk to those in Iraq and Syria at the present time?

The just war

From the very beginning of the First Crusade in 1096, there was amongst theologians and churchmen an urgently felt need to define it as a war which was legitimate and just.

Following the teachings of the great fifth century theologian St Augustine, the scholars of the eleventh century had a fairly clear definition of what constituted a Christian just war. Firstly, it had to be fought for a just cause; either as a defensive war against invasion, or for the recovery of unlawfully taken property.

Secondly, it had to be authorised by a legitimate public authority. Finally, it had to be fought with a righteous intent  motivated by a love of God, and neighbour, and without desire for power and domination.

When using these criteria, the motives for crusade in the eleventh century can be considered reasonable on a number of points. While under less threat than in previous decades, Christian Western Europe had essentially been under siege from its enemies for several centuries. Muslim armies had overrun North Africa and much of Spain, and were a constant threat to both France and Italy. In the north, pagan Viking armies had terrorised much of Northern Europe's coastline  although by the eleventh century many had been converted.

Christians in the east were also struggling to stem the invasion from Muslim armies into their homelands. Ostensibly, the whole reason for the First Crusade came in response to a call in 1095 from the Emperor of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, Alexios Komnenos, to send military aid to help defend against the invasion of the Seljuk Turks into Asia Minor.

Recently converted to Islam, the Seljuks were zealous for their faith. Not only did they take over Byzantine land, but were also severely persecuting the Christians that they now ruled over, as well as Western pilgrims who attempted to travel through their territory.

Indeed, this was how the theologians of the Latin Church would frame their justification for the Crusades. It was a war fought for the defence and liberation of fellow Christians suffering under the persecution of a foreign enemy, and fought by Christian soldiers willing to lay down their lives for the sake of their brethren who could not defend themselves.

The holy war

However, while the Crusades were framed by theologians as a just war, they were also different in a manner which had no real precedent in Christianity prior to that point.

This was not a regular war fought on the authority of a secular ruler  the troops raised would not be given to the command of the Byzantine Emperor as had been requested. Instead, the instigator and leader of the crusading army was none other than the Pope himself, Urban II.

This is highly significant, as according to the understanding of the Roman Church, the Bishop of Rome was the heir to St Peter, and Christ's representative on earth. The soldiers who fought, were in very literal terms considered to be the militia Christi (soldiers of Christ). While on crusade they may have fought under the orders of their secular leaders, ultimately their allegiance was sworn to the Pope.

In return for the soldiers offering their services to the Pope, those who participated in the crusade would be granted an indulgence  offering them a remission of any penance they were required to serve, and giving them absolution of their sins.

For nobles and knights wracked with guilt over the violent deeds that their way of life demanded, it offered, in the words of Guibert of Nogent "a new way of attaining salvation ... Now they can to some degree win God's grace while pursuing their own way of life, with the freedoms and in the dress to which they are accustomed."

This represented an almost unheard of development in the Church. Warfare  which had up to that point had been an activity that would under many circumstances be expected to require penance  was now, under the guise of the crusade, considered to be a penitential act in of itself.

With these measures set in place, the stage was now set for a war in the Holy Land which would drag on for nearly 200 years  and would ultimately end in failure.

The verdict

The Crusades present to us a cautionary tale in Christian history. They are an example to us of what happens when the Church forgets the nature of the Kingdom of God, and the nature of the enemy it struggles against.

They stemmed from an obsession of the Western Church to not only exercise spiritual lordship over its members, but also political lordship. Laying aside the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, it instead took up a sword of steel. Rather than looking ahead to win souls for citizenship in the New Jerusalem, it focused its attention on capturing the earthly Jerusalem.

While many who participated in Crusades may have had strongly held, sincere convictions that they were doing the will of God, it ultimately represented a major misunderstanding of the gospel and the role of the Church in the world.

Whether there were grounds for a just war at the time or not  it is clear that it was not the kind of war the Church has been commissioned to fight.
Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, Libyas new prime minister, was sworn in on Monday ahead of United Nations-sponsored elections set for December that aim to reunite the war-wracked country a decade after the overthrow of dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Dbeibah, a prominent Mistratan businessman, was sworn in in Tobruk on Monday after having been selected as prime minister at UN-backed talks in February. His government was approved by a wide margin last month and will retain power until national elections on Dec. 24.

His administration is expected to supersede war-torn Libyas two rival governments: the UN-backed administration in Tripoli, and the Tobruk-based House of Representatives, which is aligned with retired Libyan general Khalifa Hifter.

Dbeibahs bid for head of the new government was briefly marred by bribery allegations reported on by the UN.

The outgoing prime minister of western Libyas UN-backed government, Fayez al-Serraj, has fully endorsed Dbeibahs premiership, saying he is ready to hand over authority. Meanwhile, Hifter offered the support of the armed forces for the international peace process, Agence France-Presse quoted him as saying.

After seizing control of most of Libyas east and oil-rich south, Hifter launched a failed offensive against Tripoli in 2019. That gambit drew Turkey and Russia deeper into the conflict, with Ankara sending soldiers and Syrian mercenaries to back the UN-recognized Tripoli government, and Russia sending Wagner mercenaries and Syrians to back Hifter.

The stalling of Hifters offensive last year was seized upon by diplomats from the UN and United States, who sought to bridge the divide to halt further conflict and entrenchment of foreign military forces.

Dbeibahs government will face significant hurdles in the coming months. Oil-rich Libyas economy is in tatters after a decade of civil war. Though oil production has restarted since a blockade by Hifter last year, there is yet no firm agreement on how to share petroleum revenues between the two governments.

The former business magnate has vowed to combat corruption but has yet to offer a plan to meet the many daunting political and economic challenges the country faces.

His government also will have to reckon with the presence of some 20,000 foreign fighters in Libya. The foreign mercenaries could give Russia, the United Arab Emirates and rival Turkey competing leverage over Dbeibahs attempts at reform.

A UN-backed deadline for all foreign troops to leave the country came and went in January.
Malaysia, as a member of the Joint Investigation Team in the MH17 case, is committed to its work and is closely monitoring the trial at the District Court in The Hague, but it will not take sides until the completion of the criminal investigation. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Malaysia to Ukraine Raja Reza Raja Zaib Shah spoke in an exclusive interview with Ukrinform about what is important for the Malaysian side in the trial and in seeking justice.

The ambassador also spoke about achievements in bilateral trade and prospects for cooperation in the defense sector, what can attract Malaysian businessmen and tourists in Ukraine, and how his own opinion of Ukraine has changed upon arrival in Kyiv.

OUR APPROACH TO MH17 CASE BASED ON EVIDENCE, NOT TO BE INFLUENCED BY ANY POLITICAL MOTIVES

Question: What's the current position of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on the results of the MH17 investigation? As we know, the former prime minister was quiet skeptical and he doubted the objectivity of the investigation and saw no convincing evidence that Russia should be held responsible for the MH17 crash. How has the situation changed since February last year after Mahathir Mohamad's resignation because there were no official statements from Mr. Muhyiddin Yassin?

Answer: It is undeniable that the downing of MH17 that happened on July 17, 2014 serves as a grim reminder and will always be in the memory of Malaysian people. Indeed, no words can describe the pain and sorrow of Malaysians, especially the families and loved ones. But Malaysia has never waived from our commitment, which is to seek justice for MH17 victims.

Despite the change in the Malaysian government and the leadership from Tun Dr. Mahathir to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in 2020, Malaysia's position on MH17 remains unchanged. We are still committed to the Joint Investigation Team process, and we still maintain that we want to have a transparent, credible and also effective process of the trial, based on the rule of law, in order for justice to prevail.

So our approach has always been based on evidence, not to be influenced by any political motives. In that sense, we always reiterate that the downing of MH17 should not be attributed to any country until the District Court in The Hague, the Netherlands, has examined all the evidence and delivered its judgment later, which I think is going to be a long process.

Question: So no comments till the final verdict?

Answer: We will have to wait for all the evidence that will be submitted to the court until the conclusion of the trial in The Hague. Then we will be able to know the truth and justice will prevail once the judgment has been delivered.

Question: Can you say in more detail about Malaysia's role in this investigation?

Answer: Malaysia is one of the five countries in the Joint Investigation Team, together with Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia, and Ukraine. So we are committed to the process from the very beginning. And again, we must emphasize of having a transparent, credible and also effective process, based on the rule of law, and the trial is still ongoing. So we hope all the parties will give their full focus, support and cooperation towards these collective efforts to secure justice. So that will be a final closure for the victims and family members.

Question: How do you assess the trial at the Schiphol Judicial Complex?

Answer: The trial has been ongoing for some time. We have to be patient. Some people might think that the process is very slow. At the beginning of the trial, they had deliberated on mostly procedural matters. We have to allow the process to take place, until the trial is concluded and until we get the final verdict from the court.

Question: The Malaysian side has no questions about this trial for now?

Answer: We are watching and monitoring the trial closely. Our Embassy in The Hague, the Netherlands, is following the trial closely. We have to allow all the evidence to be submitted to the court.

MH17 TRAGEDY HAS BROUGHT MALAYSIA CLOSER TO UKRAINE

Question: If we speak about the European Court of Human Rights, we have two applications from the victims' relatives and a lawsuit filed by the Netherlands to support the victims' relatives. What do you think about the role of the European Court of Human Rights?

Answer: We take note that parallel actions are being taken elsewhere, including in the European Court of Human Rights, although the trial is ongoing in the District Court in The Hague. Malaysia will not take sides until the completion of the criminal investigation. We will allow whatever action is being taken elsewhere besides the one in The Hague. Other parties are free to file any legal actions, like what Ukraine is doing. So these are all parallel and alternative actions to seek justice.

Question: If we speak about Malaysia itself, what is the amount of compensation paid by Malaysia Airlines to the victims' relatives?

Answer: The compensation given to the relatives of the victims was made on the basis of the Montreal Convention 1999 and also our local law. Malaysia Airlines has provided financial assistance to the families. There was immediate financial assistance of $5,000 for each family. This was after the incident. Malaysia Airlines also provided hotel accommodation for the families to travel to the Netherlands, funeral services and provided counseling services to the families. They also requested Malaysia Airlines to bring some of the belongings of the victims back to their own countries.

Question: Did the Malaysian government spend more money to support the relatives?

Answer: We have our national petroleum company, PETRONAS which offered ten million ringgit [about USD$2.5 million] to be shared among the family members [it is offered to all families of the victims] and this money was given in 2014-2015. PETRONAS also offered an education fund to children of the victims who are still studying. This is additional assistance offered by the Malaysian government through PETRONAS.

Question: In December last year, Minister of Transport Wee Ka Siong said in parliament that the Malaysian government would spend about MYR 23.3 million (USD$5.7 million) on the MH17 trial. What will these funds cover?

Answer: The five Joint Investigation Team countries have jointly agreed to finance the trial in The Hague. So we are committed to contribute USD$5.7 million for the trial, and this money will be allocated in the first quarter of 2021. This contribution will cover all expenses, including security, transportation, communication, facilities, including Ukraine's liaison office and other contingencies expenses. This money is to cover expenses during the trial in The Hague.

Question: So all of this money will be spent this year?

Answer: No, until the end of the trial.

Question: Could there be some additional spending?

Answer: Yes, the expenses could increase.

Question: What is your personal opinion about this case?

Answer: This tragedy has actually brought Malaysia closer to Ukraine. Unfortunately, we became closer because of a sad tragedy but this is the truth. I know this is a painful process for the family members but we are very pleased that finally, the trial has started in The Hague. There are four people who have been accused in the court. Although the trial is being conducted in absentia, meaning the accused are not present, we hope that at the end of the trial the family members of the 298 passengers and crewmembers will have something to say, 'Okay, now we know who is responsible for the downing of MH17.' For me it is important to seek the truth, but we must follow a true, credible and transparent trial.

BILATERAL TRADE IN COVID-19 CRISIS HAS EVEN INCREASED

Question: Then let's talk more about rapprochement. What plans does the Embassy have for this year? Are any visits and meetings between Ukraine and Malaysia planned for this year? What are the current priorities of our bilateral relations?

Answer: We are now in the COVID-19 pandemic situation. There are still travel restrictions. Malaysians cannot travel to overseas right now. Many things have been done virtually through online meetings. But there is still a possibility for visits or meetings to take place.

This year, Ukraine is supposed to host the second Malaysia-Ukraine bilateral consultation. The first one was held in Kuala Lumpur in 2019 between the two foreign ministries. Both sides are still exploring when and where to convene the next meeting, whether the Malaysian delegation will come to Kyiv, or the meeting will be held virtually, or the meeting will be postponed. These are some of the possibilities.

Secondly, Ukraine is interested to have a Joint Trade Committee meeting. Deputy Economy Minister of Ukraine Taras Kachka has already mentioned to me that they prepared to go to Malaysia to attend this meeting. I think the Joint Trade Committee meeting is a very important mechanism.

Last October, we organized an online Malaysia-Ukraine business conference, which is the first one, and I was pleased because 300 Malaysian and Ukrainian companies took part in the online business conference which, I think, is one of the success stories in 2020. This was acknowledged by Mr. Dmytro Kuleba, the Foreign Minister of Ukraine. Some top ten Ukrainian companies took part in this conference. This will provide opportunities for business meetings between Malaysian and Ukrainian companies. I hope that there will be some follow-up from this online conference.

Despite COVID-19, you will be surprised to know that Malaysia-Ukraine bilateral trade in 2020 (January to November) was even better than in 2019 (an increase of 6.4%). For example, from January to November 2020, our total bilateral trade was USD$310 million. I think COVID-19 does not affect our trade and business. So this is good news.

Question: But is it thanks to Ukrainian wheat and Malaysian palm oil, or there are some other categories of goods?

Answer: Yes, of course, Ukrainian agricultural products have now entered the Malaysian market. I should say in a big way. The Ukrainian Embassy in Malaysia and the ambassador have taken proactive approach to increase trade. He is doing a good job. I can give you some interesting statistics. For example, Ukraine is now the No. 1 sunflower oil supplier in Malaysia and also dried peas. Ukraine is the second-biggest supplier of wheat for Malaysia and dried legumes. For the last two years, for the first time, Ukraine has exported fruits (apples) and berries to Malaysia and, of course, Ukrainian chocolates and honey too. Malaysians are now very familiar with your agricultural products and your food products.

For Malaysia, we are very keen to export electronic products to Ukraine besides our palm oil  it is still our No. 1 export - and also IT products and so on. For the Ukrainian side, the new products that they would like to venture into the Malaysian market include poultry, chicken, meat and, of course, agricultural products. This is the priority for Ukraine.

Question: Did electronics exports from Malaysia increase last year?

Answer: Yes, about 16% of Malaysia's products to Ukraine were electronic products. We are pleased that Ukraine now is the fourth-biggest buyer of Malaysia's palm oil among the European countries after the Netherlands, Italy and Spain. We are happy with that. I want to mention here cooperation in three areas - defense, IT and aerospace.

WE CAN SOON EXPECT GOOD NEWS ON COOPERATION IN DEFENSE SECTOR

Question: What is a concrete example of this cooperation?

Answer: Two years ago, intensive discussions and negotiations took place between Malaysian and Ukrainian defense and aerospace companies. There was exchange of visits  many visits took place from Malaysia to Ukraine and also from Ukraine to Malaysia. For example, in 2019, a delegation from Antonov went to Kuala Lumpur. I think it was also reported that they were offered to provide maintenance services for cargo planes in one of the new airports in Malaysia. This discussion is still ongoing with Malaysian companies and also with Ukrspecexport and also Yuzhmash.

You asked me what kind of products we can expect. Of course, when I mentioned Yuzhmash, we are talking about making rockets. We are not referring to making screws and bolts. These negotiations are still ongoing. We can expect in the coming month some good news from this discussion. (You may also want to check with Yuzhmash or Ukroboronprom). Everyone knows that Ukroboronprom and Ukrspecexport produce defense, military equipment, armored vehicles. When I say Malaysia would like to have cooperation with Ukroboronprom, then you know this is something to do with defense technology and defense equipment. I will not mention the details here today because negotiations is a long process. It's not that easy to conclude agreements and contracts.

Question: How does the Malaysian side see the reform of Ukroboronprom? Is it an advantage for cooperation?

Answer: When we mentioned the word 'reform,' this is something forward-looking, we don't undertake reform and go backwards. When we talk about reforms in Ukraine, whether in Ukroboronprom or Yuzhmash, we expect some good progress, advancing some changes in the management and their working methods of these organisations. We hope there will be progress because I know myself the Chairman of Ukroboronprom, Mr. Yuriy Husiev. I know him when he was the governor of Kherson region. I know he is a good manager.

MOST ISLAMIC STATES CALL FOR PROTECTING RIGHTS OF CRIMEAN TATARS

Question: What role can Malaysia take in supporting Crimean Tatars in Russia's illegally annexed Crimea?

Answer: On the issue of Crimea, let me begin with the principled position. As you are aware, Malaysia supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. We voted in favor of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262 [on the territorial integrity of Ukraine] in 2014. In fact, I was the one who took part in the voting because at that time I was serving in New York. This issue, of course, is related to the issue of Crimean Tatars because they are part of the Crimean population.

Last year, at the General Assembly, President Zelensky announced to establish the international Crimean Platform and the summit will be convened this year in August. I think Ukraine will invite all the leaders, including Malaysia, to attend. For Malaysia, regarding the issue of Crimean Tatars, we want to mention that our position is based on respect for freedom, for example, of religion. We have called on all countries, all parties to abide by their international obligations and international law, which is to protect the fundamental rights of the Crimean Tatar people. We must address the issue of the safety and security of the Crimean Tatar people to ensure that their religion, educational and cultural rights are protected and guaranteed.

Question: First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzheppar said that Ukraine was applying to get observer status in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Can this status help Ukraine in supporting Crimean Tatars?

Answer: The issue of Crimean Tatars is already on the agenda of the OIC. I think every year they adopted resolutions on Crimean Tatars. They call for the protection of the fundamental human rights of Crimean Tatars.

There is also the separate issue of Ukraine applying to become an observer state in the OIC. You asked me why the observership process is slow. Because some other countries have other issues, and they want to link it with Ukraine's observership in the OIC. They were saying that if the OIC does not resolve their issues, they will not discuss the Ukraine issue to become an observer. But for Malaysia, we follow the consensus. If everyone wants Ukraine to become an observer, we will follow the consensus.

Question: How many countries are making such conditions?

Answer: One or two countries. The majority of the countries support the Crimean Tatar issue. I see this because (when I counted) there are one hundred countries that supported the UN resolution. There are also 30 or so OIC countries among them.

MORE INFORMATION, INCENTIVES NEEDED TO ATTRACT MALAYSIAN INVESTMENT

Question: If we compare conditions for investment in Eastern European countries with Ukraine, what can we do to be more attractive to Malaysia?

Answer: Ukraine is a big country with a population of 43 million, one of the biggest countries in Europe. So this is a big market. You mentioned why there are some hindrances for some countries to invest in Ukraine. Probably, one of the obstacles is finding the right partners or the right companies to collaborate or to conclude some cooperation agreements, to find the suitable company in Ukraine to start a new project or cooperation.

In Ukraine, you have this organization called InvestUkraine. I know it's not a big organization. I've been to their office in 2018. I told them that they should be aggressive and should go out, meaning they should organize conferences, roadshows. They should go to Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, and explain to them what investment opportunities you can offer to Malaysia or ASEAN. I think they have not done this. This is also one of the obstacles.

You have your strengths  in defense, in aerospace, aviation. Now President Zelensky is trying very hard to attract investment in infrastructure, to build roads. There are a lot of opportunities but we need more information.

Question: Are you also interested in building roads?

Answer: In fact, I told the Ukrainian deputy minister of infrastructure three years ago that Malaysia was interested in managing airports. Malaysia Airlines is a big company. They now have a 20-year contract to manage the Istanbul airport (Sabiha Gokchen). So Malaysia is interested in Boryspil Airport actually.

Question: Not Zhuliany?

Answer: No, not Zhuliany, Poltava or Kherson airports. The [deputy] minister told me that Boryspil Airport is still state-owned, it has yet to be put on concession or privatized.

Malaysia can build roads. We have built roads in India, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and we also build railway tracks. We have very good established companies that have projects overseas. Why can't they come to Ukraine? We need some attractive packages that Ukraine can offer, some incentives that they can offer.

Question: Maybe you also see some interesting objects for privatization in Ukraine?

Answer: Yes, there are many, including small ports. I will convey this information to Malaysian companies. From time to time, I always do this because I have all this information on which roads or ports are to be given for concession. We hope some Malaysian companies will come here to invest.

UKRAINIAN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN MULTI-COUNTRY TOUR PACKAGES

Question: Let's finally talk about some pleasant things - about the time when travel restrictions will be lifted

Answer: Tourism is an area where we can have close cooperation. The Malaysian Tourism Agency normally comes to Ukraine every year to take part in exhibitions, except last year. I think it's UITM [Ukraine International Travel Market]. We also do seminars, roadshows here in Ukraine. I remember last time they were held in Kharkiv, Odesa and Lviv in 2019. This is to attract Ukrainians to travel to Malaysia. As for Malaysians, they require visa to travel into Ukraine. Some 6,000 Ukrainians visited Malaysia in 2020 and 16,000 in 2019. We are doing promotional activities. There are some signboards about Malaysia in Kyiv.

I have to admit that not many Malaysian tourists come here. We don't have the exact figure. In fact, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were several Malaysian tourists stranded here because Boryspil Airport was closed and there were no flights back to Malaysia. I remember there was one group of tourists from Malaysia who were stuck in Kyiv for three months.

Sometimes, when I walk in Kyiv, I can meet Malaysians walking on the streets as they do not inform us that they're coming to Ukraine. Probably they come on business or for official purposes.

I've been here for three years and I can inform you that Ukraine has much to offer in terms of tourism. I think you need to have more promotion about tourism in Ukraine, I mean travel agencies. An interesting offer for Malaysians could be multi-country tour packages in which visiting Ukraine is combined with trips to two or three other Eastern European countries, such as Poland and Hungary. Even if Malaysian tourists spend two or three days in Kyiv, it would be good and could bring some income to Ukraine.

Ukraine has many ancient castles, monasteries, palaces, the Seven Wonders, for example, Askania-Nova. You have the Carpathian Mountains. These are all interesting places for Malaysians. Don't forget that Ukraine also has a very unique culture, food and some traditional festivals.

Ukraine should do more to promote medical tourism. Ukraine has spas and mineral springs. Not many people know about the springs in Ukraine, even myself. I've just discovered these when I came here.

By the way, I am also promoting Ukrainian tourism to my close friends, my old university friends and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I tell them that they can come to Ukraine. I am doing some free promotion for Ukraine (smiles).

Question: What was the most surprising thing for you here in Ukraine?

Answer: Earlier, I thought that Ukraine is a closed country. I used to travel to Poland from Malaysia, as well as Hungary. But I have never thought of going to Ukraine. I was thinking: 'What is there in Ukraine?' Ukraine has unique culture. People are very helpful and friendly. They are open to foreigners. I remember my first week here. I was in the subway, asking people for directions. I also asked them where to find a restaurant, the Pechersk Lavra monastery I'm really impressed that old buildings are demolished in Ukraine, like what some other countries are doing. It is good to preserve all these places.

Nataliia Kostina, Ukrinform

Photo credit: Yevhen Liubimov
Jaipur, March 15 : The Rajasthan BJP on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Ashok Gehlot government after it accepted phone tapping during the political crisis of July last year. It accused Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot of "crossing all limits and bypassing laws" just to "save his chair".

Eight months after leaked phone conversations between a Union minister and Congress leaders in Rajasthan triggered a political crisis in the state, Gehlot's government recently confirmed that phones were indeed "intercepted".

The confirmation was posted on the website of the Rajasthan Assembly in reply to a question asked during the House session of August 2020.

BJP MLA Kalicharan Saraf in his question asked: "Is it true that phone tapping cases were done in the last days? If yes, under which law and on whose orders? Place details on the table of the House." In the reply, furnished after a delay of many months, the government said: "In the interest of public safety or public order, and to prevent the occurrence of a crime which might risk public safety or public order, telephones are intercepted after an approval by a competent officer under the provisions of section 5(2) of The Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, and section 419 (A) of The Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules, 2007, as well as section 69 of the Information Technology Act, 2000." "Telephone interception has been done by the Rajasthan Police under the above provision only after obtaining permission from the competent officer." "As per the provision described in Rule 419(A) and Section 69 of the Information Technology Act 2000, the approval of the competent authority is granted," it said.

Cases taken on antitrust are reviewed as per rules under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary, Government of Rajasthan. All the cases up to the month of November 2020 have been reviewed, the answer informed.

However, details regarding the telephone numbers that were intercepted, and the time for which they were put under surveillance have not been shared and the answer remains limited in its approach.

Meanwhile, state BJP president Satish Poonia in his tweet attacked Ashok Gehlot and accused him of conspiring against the people of his own party.

In his two tweets, he also accused Gehlot of wearing a false mask of Gandhism and shedding crocodile tears for democracy.

"Those who wear the false mask of Gandhism and cry for democracy @ ashokgehlot51 Ji crossed all limits for the sake of saving the chair; They conspired against the people of their own party, but even tapped the telephone of the leaders of the opposition party in an unethical manner; indulged in spying," he said in his tweet.

In his second tweet, he shared the media cuttings and said that "The government has accepted this in response to the Vidhan Sabha question. Now what will Gandhi of Marwar answer?" Meanwhile, Saraf said that he is yet to receive a written reply from the state government.

The political crisis in the Rajasthan government was reported in July 2020 after recordings of phone conversations among Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, then Rajasthan Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh, and Congress MLA Bhanwar Lal Sharma among others, were "leaked".

Soon after, the Special Operations Group of the Rajasthan Police made them the base for an FIR against Shekhawat and Sharma among others.

However, Gehlot at that time denied the allegations and claimed that it was "not the way" of his government to tap the phones of Ministers and MLAs.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kiara Advani has the right lines when she opens up about her future plans. She wants to be "that actor who is good in every film", does not want to be defined by her hits and misses in Hindi film industry.

The Bollywood actress made her debut with the 2016 dud "Fugly", but has since then made a mark with some good performances in films such as "M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story", "Lust Stories", "Kabir Singh" and "Good Newwz".

In her seven-year-journey, Kiara has also faced failures with "Laxmii" and "Machine".

Does the industry define an actor through hits and misses? "If I look back in my journey, the opportunities I got -- whether it is Kabir Singh' or Lust Stories' -- were incredible opportunities that came to me at a time when not so many people knew me, so, yes, at the end of the day if the audience loves your work and appreciates your work that's when people will again want to take in another film. So, that is why we put a lot of pressure on us," Kiara told IANS.

The actress hopes to achieve flawlessness when it comes to her craft.

"I don't want to be defined by success or failure. I want to be that actor who is good in every film. That is what I am hoping to achieve," she said.

Kiara's last release "Indoo Ki Jawaani" dropped on OTT amid lockdown, but she has a busy year ahead, with her films such as "Shershaah", "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2" and "Jug Jugg Jeeyo" lined up.

"It's an exciting time. These are all different projects and I am excited. Shershaah' will be the next film to come out. I am really excited to shoot these films," she summed up.

Text: IANS

Images: Kiara on Instagram
Washington [US], March 15 (ANI): Indian Ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu has said that the relations between New Delhi and Washington is going "much deeper" and this was "very much reflected" in the equation between Prime Minister and President

Friday's power-packed virtual meeting between the heads of government from the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad -- a strategic forum comprising India, Japan, Australia and the United States of America -- has firmly set a "democratic diamond" around China. And even though China was not named during the 90-minute long summit, at least publicly, the joint statement followed by the strongly worded opinion article in The Washington Post has clearly underscored that Quad countries will be unrestrained from coercion.

"There are a lot of challenges right now which are international in nature like-minded countries need to come together face them and the quad was one such platform," Sandhu said while exclusively speaking to ANI post the summit on Saturday.

Biden, the host of the meeting, was joined by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. The official messaging from the Quad underplayed the security, and instead stressed on fighting COVID.

"The United States is bringing in technology. India has a vaccine production capability, and Japan is financing. And of course, Australia is coming in with logistics--there are three clear areas: health care and vaccine production; the second is IT and the third is climate change," Sandhu said while reflecting on the cooperation between the four democracies.

The summit was Biden's first multilateral leaders' meeting since taking office, with the first 60 days of his administration, something that security adviser Jake Sullivan said was "deliberate".

It took several rounds of meetings at the Foreign Minister level before the President of the United States came forward with a proposal that a virtual summit be held of the four Quad leaders, a move that experts say that the US clearly prioritized.

The Quad summit was the first time PM Modi and Biden came face-to-face at a public event after the American President took charge in Washington in January.

"Prime Minister Modi, it's great to see you," Biden said while greeting the Indian leader as he welcomed him to speak at the summit.

"India-US relationship is going much deeper, and this was very much reflected in the equation between Prime Minister Modi and President Biden," Ambassador Sandhu asserted. The top Indian envoy has been a part of the story of India-US relations and has seen it all from close quarters for decades.

When asked about President Biden and Prime Minister Modi's equation, Sandhu recalled the Indian Prime minister's visit to the US in 2014 and 2016 and said, "The equation between Prime Minister Modi and the then Vice President Biden was extremely good, not only at the lunch he (Biden) hosted in 2014, but also in the 2016 joint session of Congress, where, Vice President Biden had presided," Sandhu recalled.

"Coming back to Quad again, you have to just see the public viewing of the first five minutes, and I think you can see the general atmosphere that was very good amongst all the leaders," the envoy told ANI.

The leaders have also agreed to meet in person before the end of the year. But for now, New Delhi is expected to discuss steps to take in the Quad initiative further when US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visits India after stops in Tokyo and Seoul.

"This visit is a reflection of the importance which the United States accords to India, and the origins of our bilateral relationship. Defense Secretary Austin is going to be the first senior Cabinet Minister visiting India and India looking forward to this," Ambassador Sandhu concluded.

While reiterating its commitment to a free and secure Indo-Pacific region, leaders of the Quad countries -- India, Australia, Japan and the United States -- pledged to work with other countries who share the same goals and ensuring that COVID-19 vaccines are administered throughout the region till 2022.

In a jointly-authored opinion article for The Washington Post by Biden, Indian Prime Minister Modi, Australia Prime Minister Morrison and Japan Prime Minister Suga, they wrote that "the Quad," was born in crisis. It became a diplomatic dialogue in 2007 and was reborn in 2017.

"Now, in this new age of interconnection and opportunity throughout the Indo-Pacific, we are again summoned to act together in support of a region in need," the four leaders of Quad wrote for The Washington Post.

The Quad is a strategic forum comprising India, Japan, Australia and the United States of America, held its first-ever head of states meet virtually on Friday.

(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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Get a PDF Sample for more detailed market insights: https://www.imarcgroup.com/disaster-recovery-as-service-market/requestsample

Market Trends

Rapid digitization, along with the rising adoption of cloud-based services across various sectors, has augmented the global market for DRaaS. Furthermore, the increasing traction of DRaaS for mitigating the need for secondary recovery tools further propels the service demand. The growing penetration of DRaaS to escalate the data recovery process with minimal complexities is also bolstering the market growth. Additionally, the rising awareness towards the recovery benefits of DRaaS has propagated its utilization across small- and medium-sized enterprises. Moreover, several technological advancements, such as the advent of intelligent data replication, automated testing and virtual machine inventory, are further catalyzing the market growth. Besides this, the growing incidences of cyber-attacks and extensive R &

The report has segmented the market on the basis of service type, service provider, deployment model, end-user and region.

Breakup by Service Type:

Backup and Recovery Services

Real-time Replication Services

Data Protection Services

Professional Services Training, Education, and Consulting Services Support and Maintenance Services



Breakup by Service Provider:

Cloud Service Providers

Managed Service Providers

Telecom and Communication Service Providers

Others

For more information about this report: https://www.imarcgroup.com/disaster-recovery-as-service-market

Breakup by Deployment Model:

Public Cloud

Private Cloud

Hybrid Cloud

Breakup by End-User:

Large Enterprises

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)

Breakup by Vertical:

BFSI

IT

Government

Healthcare

Manufacturing

Other

Breakup by Region:

North America

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America

Middle East and Africa

Competitive Landscape:

The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined with some of the key players being Amazon Web Services, Bluelock LLC, C and W Business Ltd, Geminare Incorporated, IBM Corporation, iLand Internet Solutions Corporation, Infrascale Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Recovery Point Systems Inc., Sungard Availability Services LP, TierPoint LLC, etc.

Browse Related Report:

https://www.imarcgroup.com/ediscovery-market

https://www.imarcgroup.com/cloud-itsm-market

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Widespread public opposition to the corporate-driven demand for the lifting of COVID-19 safety restrictions became the major factor in an historic disintegration of support for the Liberal Party in last Saturdays state election in Western Australia (WA).

By cynically exploiting this popular concern, and proclaiming a hard border approach to try to isolate the state from the global pandemic, the Labor Party obtained a sweeping electoral swing, winning seats in the wealthiest suburbs of Perth, the state capital, for the first time ever.

Scott Morrison speaking at the National Press Club (Facebook/Scott Morrison)

The result in WA, coming on top of fresh coronavirus outbreaks in Brisbane and Sydney in the past few days, is a further blow to the increasingly crisis-ridden federal Liberal-National Coalition government. It has insisted, on behalf of big business, that all border closures, lockdowns and other COVID-19 restrictions must be ended in order to fully reopen the economy for profit-making.

At the same time, the stunning wipeout of the Liberals underscores the volatility of the political situation and the fragility of the entire parliamentary establishment produced by the worldwide COVID-19 catastrophe, intensifying social inequality, mass unemployment and under-employment and the rising danger of a US-led war against China.

The decimation of the Liberals, while currently boosting the Labor Party, points to the deepening social and political discontent in the working class. That disaffection has been heightened by the worldwide toll of death, disease and impoverishment produced by the corporate-government failure to combat the pandemic, due to the elevation of profit interests over lives.

On the current count, Premier Mark McGowans state Labor government is on track to hold 52 or 53 seats in WAs 59-member legislative assembly. That would decimate the Liberals, leaving them with just two or three seats, while the rural-based National party would be reduced to a predicted four seats.

The Nationals, who have no urban base of support at all, would become the official opposition party, unless they agree to a coalition with the Liberals, as exists in the federal government. Because the Liberals vote imploded to just over 20 percent, Labor could also secure a majority in the states parliamentary upper house for the first time in history, potentially winning 22 of the 36 seats, or possibly control the house with the support of the Greens.

If the results were repeated in WAs federal electorates, Prime Minister Scott Morrisons federal government would lose six seats, enough to remove it from office. This is not just a WA phenomenon. Labor also won recent elections in Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, as well as New Zealand, by similarly posturing as standing firm for public safety.

Ludicrously, Morrison claimed to be buoyed by the WA outcome, saying it showed voters rewarded governments that took effective action on the pandemic. Australians understand the difference between federal and state and I think this is a resounding endorsement of Mark McGowans leadership, which I didnt find surprising, he said.

In reality, Morrison is presiding over continuing coronavirus outbreaks and vaccine debacles. Moreover, he always opposed the WA measures. It was the demand by Morrisons Coalition government last year, echoed by the WA Liberals, for the abolition of WAs border restrictions that fuelled the electoral disaster.

WA Liberal leader Liza Harvey had to quit late last November after calling for the opening of the border. She was replaced as party leader by a first-time parliamentarian, Zak Kirkup, who lost his own seat on Saturday. Morrisons government backed a High Court challenge to WAs border restrictions by billionaire Clive Palmer, before backtracking in the face of public opposition. Not surprisingly, Morrison kept out of WA throughout the election campaign.

Saturdays defeat was the second record electoral tremor in WA. Labor gained office at the previous WA election, in March 2017, after a then record statewide electoral swing against the previous Liberal Party government. Almost a quarter of the states voters have swung to Labor since the Liberals won the 2013 state election.

The 2017 Liberal defeat intensified the crisis of Morrisons predecessor, Malcolm Turnbull. It was Turnbulls first electoral test since narrowly surviving the July 2016 federal election, after which he had clung to a one-seat majority. Eighteen months on, Turnbull became another victim of the factional turmoil wracking the Coalition, and was replaced by Morrison.

Morrison could face a similar fate, with his government already lacking a working majority in parliament as the result of a right-wing defection by a vehement Donald Trump supporter last month.

Although Labor is currently celebrating its WA success, the election underscored the lack of any firm electoral base for either of the two traditional ruling parties. The resulting volatility can be seen from the fact that at the May 2019 federal election, Labor won just five out of 16 seats in WA, with a near-record low primary vote of 29.8 percent. Last Saturday, Labor registered a primary vote of around 60 percent, yet that could soon dissipate.

As well as exploiting the popular opposition to the dismantling of COVID restrictions, the Labor Party benefited from near-universal backing by the WA-based corporate establishment, particularly the mining, property and media magnates, as well as the trade union bureaucracies and others in the political elite, including the Greens.

Throughout the election campaign, McGowan, a former naval officer, attacked the Liberals from the right, saying they would bankrupt the state, accusing them of promising too much spending.

Labors support among the wealthiest layers of society was underlined by its gaining all but one of the formerly blue-ribbon Liberal seats, such as Bateman, South Perth, Churchlands and Nedland, in Perths most affluent areas. In his victory speech, McGowan particularly promoted this achievement. He thanked the people who voted Labor for the first time in their lives.

In a revealing display, Labors major fundraiser dinner during the election campaign was hosted by the biggest property developer in Perth, Nigel Satterley, a former staunch Liberal supporter. The event was held at the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club in Perths most expensive suburb of Peppermint Grove. Many of the states prominent business leaders attended to mingle with McGowan and his ministers.

Far from being a WA aberration, this line-up epitomises the true character of the Labor Party as a servant of big business. Federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese equally enthused over the partys wealthy constituency. He hailed McGowans extraordinary victory, saying it boded well for federal Labors election prospects. Many people have voted Labor for the first time, (which) shows they are open to voting Labor, and I take great encouragement from it, he said.

Since taking office in WA in 2017, Labor has made keeping the support of the mining magnates its top priority, including by granting project approvals, downgrading the Environmental Protection Agency and imposing a public sector wage cap.

Labors pro-business record has been at the expense of the working class. Unemployment levels in areas around Perth are among the worst in the country. For all Labors claims to defend public safety, its Sustainable Health Review produced a sharp drop in the rate of health spending compared to population growth, and a more than doubling of waiting times for ambulances to deliver patients into public hospital emergency departments.

The social crisis will intensify at the end of this month, when the federal governments JobKeeper wage subsidy and JobSeeker coronavirus supplement end, along with COVID-19 mortgage, rental and insolvency moratoriums, throwing millions of workers and small traders across the country into poverty.

Despite its hard borders stance, McGowans government kept the border open for fly-in, fly-out mining workers to ensure there was no disruption to production and profits, and was responsible for a hotel quarantine failure that led to a five-day lockdown of Perth and nearby regions in February. A security guard at the hotel had contracted COVID-19 because neither the government nor his contract employer required mask-wearing or other basic safety procedures.

McGowans government has so far benefited from record iron ore prices and gas exports from the states north, primarily to China. Mining royalties worth more than $10 billion are expected to flow into government coffers this financial year, which is the primary cause of a projected $3 billion budget surplus.

But that largesse could soon be affected by the Biden administrations escalation of the conflict with China, with the Australian population placed on the front line, underlining the vulnerability of Australian capitalism.

That confrontation could not just end the WA revenue bonanza and deepen the social crisis. It could fuel rifts within the ruling class. McGowans campaign slogan of Keep WA Strong made a definite pitch to WA parochialism and separatist sentiment, which has a long history in the states business circles, in which there is anxious criticism of the anti-China offensive.
Almost 30 years after Woody Allen was first accused of sexually molesting his 7-year-old daughter, Dylan, the story is still being told. The four hourlong episodes of Allen v. Farrow retrace the history of the case, including the court battle for custody of Dylan and her brothers Moses and Ronan, which Allen lost, and the criminal investigation into Allens conduct, which concluded with Litchfield, Connecticut, States Attorney Frank Maco claiming he had probable cause to charge Allen but wouldnt proceed with a process that would have required Dylan to testify in court.

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But the series, directed by Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick, adds new depth to the story, including substantial present-day interviews with Dylan as well as the first public airing of the 1992 videotape, shot by her mother, Mia Farrow, in which Dylan says that Allen sexually assaulted her. (Allen, who declined requests to participate in the documentary, has always denied the charges.) After I finished watching Allen v. Farrows final episode, I spoke to Ziering and Dick about the countrys shifting attitudes toward sexual assault, how making the docuseries changed their minds, and how to handle the art of problematic artists. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Sam Adams: Youve been making documentaries about sexual assault for more than a decade now, since The Invisible War. Has the way those movies are received changed?

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Amy Ziering: Its changed dramaticallyalmost a universe of difference, honestly. When we were first pitching Invisible War, the response we got was, no one wants to hear womens stories. No one wants to hear stories about rape, and no one certainly wants to hear stories about women in the military being raped. So imagine that world, which was just 2010, 2008, and now look how many films are in this space, how many things are getting greenlit, how much interest there is. You see that difference right there.

For us, the big message, in both The Invisible War and The Hunting Ground, that we had to make sure we were saying in all our press was: believe women. That was radical. Now, as you see with On the Record and with the Allen v. Farrow series, we can go much, much deeper. On the Record is a much more complex examination of how is this different for Black women than it is for other women when they report? With Allen v. Farrow, its a much broader and richer and deeper palette that were able to explore.

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Unlike the previous films, Allen v. Farrow covers a story thats been extensively reported on, over a period of decades. What made you decide there was more to tell?

Kirby Dick: When we started discussing and focusing on this story more specifically, I certainly was reluctant because it had been covered so extensively. What weighed in favor of it was Dylans initial interview, which was so complete and so revelatory from a personal perspective. It was very strong. But then Amy Herdy, part of our team and our producer and investigative producer, started digging into this story and started finding more and more and more information about it. We started realizing that even though there was all this coverage, there was so much more that the public wasnt aware of. I think it was at that point, once we realized that no, this story has not only not been thoroughly investigated, but the spin that Woody Allen put out has really created a situation where this country has the wrong perspective on this story. We felt it was important to dive into it.

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Was there a particular piece of new evidence that really struck you?

Im the exact demographic to really have believed what I was told. Im embarrassed to say it, but I sort of bought what the predominant narrative was.  Amy Ziering

Dick: I think theres actually two. The chronicle of Paul Williams at the Child Welfare Administration in New York City and how from the very beginning, he interviewed Dylan, he completely believed her, he felt there was absolutely enough evidence to move it into the criminal court system, then the pushback and the cover-up that he encountered on multiple levels, all the way up to the mayors office, that was astonishing to me. Woody Allen had always used the fact that that investigation had cleared him, but the truth was that the investigator took the absolute opposite tack, felt that there was enough to actually have the court system investigate him and really believed Dylan. So that was revelatory.

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The other thing was the three government agencies who had investigators directly interview Dylan, all three of those interviewers believed Dylan. There was always this spin put out that he was investigated and he was cleared, when in fact the government agencies and primary investigators were actually all believing the accusations.

Ziering: Everything throughout surprised me. I never honestly  I didnt have a predisposition either way. Im in my late 50s. Im the exact demographic to really have believed what I was told. Im embarrassed to say it, but I sort of bought what the predominant narrative was. When we came in, I didnt know where anything would land. So throughout I was continually surprised. I want to say that.

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But after the fact, looking back, I would say I was most profoundly disturbed by the retribution, all the fallout, the shrapnel. I had no idea about how many people had been affected for the worse by this, not just the nuclear family but people that were looking to explore and to investigate and bring to light. That they had been so punished, that to me was really disturbing. The interview with Sheryl Harden, [Williams supervisor at the Child Welfare Administration], the things, as Kirby said, that we uncovered that happened to Paul Williams. [States Attorney] Frank Maco went through hell just for doing his job. A lot of people, if they found things that certain people didnt want disclosed, got severely punished and had consequences. That was really upsetting to me, and sad.

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One thing the series does very well is evoke how big an intellectual icon Woody Allen was by the early 1990s, how much media attention he commanded. The year before the accusations, a feature in the New York Times Magazine painted Woody and Mias relationship as a kind of bohemian ideal. So when the story broke, he had enormous power to shape the narrative, to place the emphasis on his relationship with Soon-Yi Previn rather than Dylans allegations of sexual assault. The magazine covers were about Woody and Soon-Yi, not Dylan.

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Ziering: The predominance of the narrative of Soon-Yi as Mias adopted daughter really elided the fact that Woody had actually been functioning as a father since Soon-Yi was very young. That was not at all in our public discourse or processing. We thought, Oh well, maybe its strange, but it really was drilled into us that this was a very highly distanced [childhood] relationship. When we started looking at the home movie footage, hes around constantly, and shes super young. Its like a 10-year relationship where hes functioning as the father.

The feedback weve been getting is that this is not just a film about Woody Allen and the family, even though it focuses on it a lot. Its also about how society looks at incest.  Kirby Dick

Dick: The other thing, you talk about Woody being at the height of his power, that was also getting to be the peak of independent cinema, and he was the independent filmmaker at that time. So yeah, he was a complete cultural icon for many different parts of society.

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Peter Marks, the Times reporter who covered the 1993 custody hearing, talks about how for a lot of people, loving Woody Allens movies wasnt just an aesthetic preference. It was really a core part of their identity, something that was hard for them to give up. He says he never watched another Woody Allen movie after the hearing, but a lot of those Woody Allen fans just set Dylans accusations aside. As Slates Lili Loofbourow says in Allen v. Farrow, theres this profound desire not to know the thing we dont want to know, because knowing it would mean reckoning with the consequences. We need the eggs.

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Dick: That doesnt just apply to peoples love of artists. It applies to the much bigger issue of incest, how the entire society does it. The feedback weve been getting is that this is not just a film about Woody Allen and the family, even though it focuses on it a lot. Its also about how society looks at incest. This is the most high-profile incest case of the last 50 years. Theres a narrative that has come out of that I think a lot of people have just unconsciously taken in. So not only are we trying to open up this issue and have people look directly at it but also to understand that they have been under the sway of this narrativearound incest in general, not even specifically in this case. We want people to reexamine that.

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Ziering: This narrative gives them permission to look away from something theyre already inclined to look away from. Not only did we feel we needed the eggs because hes so pleasant, its entertaining, but you identify with that Woody intellectual position, so theres this narcissistic thrill you get. But there is also, coupled onto that, sort of an existential linkI think Ronan [Farrow] talks about thisto your own identity. Right? Because you have so much invested, its not just pleasurable, its also much more of a cathexis onto him and his persona and all that he represents. Thats very hard to disengage from, or the cognitive dissonance of having that be perforated is very uncomfortable.

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One thing in Allen v. Farrow that helps disrupt that identification is the audiotaped phone conversations between Woody and Mia during the court battle and the criminal investigation. Even in the home movies, he seems like hes riffing on the persona we know so well, but on those calls, he sounds like a very different, more frightening person. Do you remember when you first heard those tapes?

Dick: Well, I certainly remember my reaction to them, hearing that tape where he denies that hes taping and then his attorney calls. That was

Ziering: We speculate its the attorney.

Dick: We speculate, yeah, right, thats true. Thank you.

Ziering: Just to make sure.

Dick: But anyway, just listening to the hours and hours of themit gets back to how traumatic it was for Mia, first with Soon-Yi, and then realizing what she had tried to deny for so long [with Dylan] was a reality. Its really heartbreaking, actually.

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Ziering: The tapes were a gift, because you get to hear a different persona entirely and make of it what you will. When we first heard them, we were like, this kind of makes the case for itself in a way. I grew up in L.A., so I had a little lessa lot less, I would sayreverence for celebrity, because you ran into them all the time and you really did see the major disconnect. But being able to have evidence of that disconnect in a way that is so viscerally palpable, we were grateful for.

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One of the most painful sequences in the series is in the last episode, when you effectively have the viewer watch the 2014 Golden Globes tribute to Woody Allen through Dylans eyes. Her New York Times op-ed came out just a few weeks later. What do you think brought her to come forward, and why did that telling of her story, which had been public record for more than two decades at that point, have such a different impact?

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Dick: I think her conversation with Ronan, and Ronan believing her, meant a lot. Mia was so traumatized and so uncertain about how to deal with this as a family, she just went into this mode of protection and not talking about it. So to be able to talk about it was the first step. You know, Dylan has been really courageous about this from age 7 on, right? Obviously there was all this trauma that just piled on top of her and compelled her to just close up. But I think underneath all that theres a really courageous person. I think as soon as she had some support privately from Ronan, and then publicly from Ronan, there was always that part of her that she was going to speak up and tell the truth. I think that its really incredible that she did it when she did. This is pre-#MeToo. I think in some significant way, this actually contributed to #MeToo happening, because she was speaking to people in Hollywood.

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Ziering: Culture change and paradigm shifts happen because of a confluence of forces. She was definitely ahead of the curve, and super out there and courageous. She was an outlier. But I think some of the culture change had begun actually in part due to the large student movement on campuses about rape that had been going on concomitantly. Invisible War, our earlier film, really became national news and was shown on campus and ignited national discussion. I think it was a confluence of forces that the culture was a little more primed to be open and hear things a little differently. I do actually think we all owe her a debt of credit for having been that courageous.

Dylans participation in Allen v. Farrow is extraordinary, but it can also be extraordinarily hard to watch. At one point, her body starts shaking uncontrollably. How do you negotiate as filmmakers the desire to tell these stories and allow these subjects to be heard with the risk of retraumatizing them in the process?

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Dick: I think Amy is really skilled at setting up safe spaces for subjects, especially during the interviews. I think that the interviews that shes done over the last decade in Invisible War, The Hunting Ground, and On the Record are just models for how filmmakers should interact with subjects. She just creates this really safe space. People have said to her and said to us that it was an empowering experience, it was a positive experience.

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Ziering: That reaction of Dylans points to the reason why we all have to be so grateful and protective of these people who have the courage to speak out, and be empathic and compassionate, because it is retraumatizing for them. It cant help but be. As Drew [Dixon] said in On the Record, My body is a crime scene. That doesnt go away. You cant disengage from your body. To have a physiological response in your own home so much later just is really striking and instructive for all of us about how these incidents are so devastating and have such reverberations that we all cant imagine. I feel like Im always worried in interviewing them. Im always saying, We can stop any time, and this is about your emotional health. Youre in control of this. If you dont want to answer something, fine. If you want me to leave, fine. People do take us up on that.

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Youve said that Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn, as well as Woody and Mias son Moses, who has defended his father publicly and also accused Farrow of being physically abusive, all declined to be interviewed for the film. But you do include excerpts of Woody reading from his autobiography, the tone of which can be jarringly out of kilter with the rest of the film. Was that just in lieu of being able to get him on the record yourselves?

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Dick: Yeah, obviously if wed done an interview with him, I dont think we would have used the audiobook. It does give his perspective on things, both how he met Mia and his initial interactions with Dylan. Whats really interesting is that this was written in 2020 and he still has this perspective today. In spite of the fact that his daughter is in obvious pain, there is really no acknowledgment of that. Not only is he talking about it, like, Listen, this is my point of view, but its done in such a dismissive way, as if its an opportunity to make jokes about it. I think that gives you an insight into his personality, and the way he could weaponize so much because the personal interactions didnt seem to be that important.

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Ziering: One thing I was really struck by was when we interviewed an expert and she said, You know what dads say to me if theyre falsely accused and they didnt do it? They say, Oh my God, how can I help my daughter? Why would she make this up? Who is molesting her?  She said, Thats what I hear from the dads, theyre shocked, theyre concerned, and their first priority is their childs mental health and how do we fix that? Where is this coming from? What must have happened for them to break like this? Lets all try and figure that out and help them because theyre in a lot of pain.

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When he does speak to Dylan, through a press conference, he says, Dont worry, the dark forces will not prevail. Thats not exactly How can I help?

Dick: Right, yes.

The series makes a real attempt to reckon with Woody Allens work as well as his actions, or more specifically the relationship viewers have with that work. You talked to a number of critics, most of them women, who say that his movies were foundational for themsome of whom say theyll never watch a Woody Allen movie again, some of whom are just reckoning with the fact that relationship is a lot more complicated now. Theres a point of view that says that the films dont even belong in this discussion, that compared with what Woody Allen is accused of doing, they dont matter. Why was it important to include that aspect of Woody Allens legacy for you?

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Dick: One of the things I found interesting is the uncomfortable position this puts film critics in, because so many have really loved his work. I think theres an identity created there, even maybe more so than in the public. Its a good thing that theyre uncomfortable, its a good thing that theyre acknowledging that, and its a good thing that theyre examining that.

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Ziering: Its OK to be uncomfortable. Thats where growth comes sometimes.

A lot of the time, even.

Dick: Were not just saying personal growth. They are writers who are interacting with society. Theyre taking this on at a more personal and more intense level and processing it back.

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Ziering: Western culture is littered with horrible people who made brilliant art. Its too reductive just to dismiss the art, but it is instructive to take their biography and learn from their art in a different way. What are the ideologies that theyre touting in their art? Maybe their biography informs that. Maybe I can analyze that rather than adopt it and inhale it without critical inquiry. The second level is, if I know someone is currently perpetrating crimes and my economically supporting them is giving them more power and impunity to do so, maybe I can make a different economic decision. Those to me are the two nexuses. Everybody is going to come up with their own way of landing. Im not going to stop reading Heidegger, and my dad was in concentration camps. Make of that what you will. I learn a lot from Heidegger, and I still do and always will.

Dick: And have been uncomfortable in the process of learning it.

Ziering: Right, yeah. Im glad hes dead so I can buy his books.
Aldar Properties, a leading UAE developer, said it has submitted a preliminary non-binding

offer for a majority stake in Egyptian real estate group Sixth of October for Development and Investment Company (Sodic).

The offer for a minimum of 51% of the outstanding share capital of Sodic is subject to due diligence, applicable regulatory approvals and other conditions. It will be implemented by a consortium controlled and majority owned by Aldar.

Following a satisfactory outcome of the due diligence process, the Aldar-led consortium intends to make a mandatory tender offer in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

In its offer to the Sodic board, Aldar stated that the indicative purchase price offered would be in the range of E18 to E19 per share.

According to Aldar, the mid-point of the range values the company at E6.6 billion ($420 million) and represents a 14% premium to Sodics closing price on March 11 and premia of 18%, 29% and 49% respectively over the three-month volumeweighted average price (VWAP) of E15.64, the six-month VWAP of E14.37 and the 12-month VWAP of E12.42.

Aldar pointed out that its offer represents a compelling liquidity event and value proposition for Sodics shareholders, reflecting the companys robust fundamentals and share price performance over the last 12months.

Headquartered in Cairo and listed on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX), Sodic is one of Egypts leading real estate companies with a strong track record in developing high-quality residential, commercial and retail projects.

The company is well-respected for its strong management team, high standards of corporate governance, valuable brand and approach to creating vibrant communities.-TradeArabia News Service
Tributes have been paid to retired obstetrician and gynaecologist Professor Jim Dornan, who has died aged 73.

The father of actor Jamie Dornan passed away after having suffered Covid-19. He had previously been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

Posting on social media on Monday morning, Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI wrote: "Incredibly sad news to share this morning as we learnt of the passing of Professor Jim Dornan.

"Jim was a passionate patron, advocate and long time friend to all at Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI.

"A champion for many local charities and causes in NI, Jim always gave his time and advice freely with big smile and plenty of fun.

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"He leaves a lasting legacy to the charity sector, the medical sector and to his family, friends and colleagues.

"We extend our deepest sympathies to Jim's family and friends at this very sad time. RIP Jim."

During his distinguished medical career, Professor Dornan was a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist with the Belfast trust from 1986 to 2012, professor of Foetal Medicine at Queen's University Belfast from 1995 to 2012 and senior vice-president of the Royal College of Gynaecologists from 2004 to 2006.

He was also chair of Health and Life Sciences at Ulster University and head of department with Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain.

His first wife Lorna Dornan had stage four pancreatic cancer and died in July 1998.

He later remarried top gynaecologist Samina Dornan.

The renowned surgeon and his Hollywood actor son Jamie later backed a new group, NI PanC, set up in Belfast to support families battling pancreatic cancer.

Having once considered acting as a career, the father-of-three recently appeared in the third series of the ITV drama Marcella, which stars Anna Friel and was shot in Belfast.

He had previous experience of playing a policeman, having appeared in The Fall, in which son Jamie played a serial killer, after Allan Cubitt, the writer and producer of the series, came up with the idea.
New Delhi: Amid a surge in COVID-19 confirmed cases, the Maharashtra government on Monday (March 15, 2021) issued stricter guidelines. The new order will be in effect till March 31 to curb the spread of coronavirus in the state.

"All earlier orders shall be aligned with this order and shall remain in force up to March 31, 2021," the official statement read.

The guidelines have come on a day when Maharashtra, the worst coronavirus-hit state in India, reported more than 15,000 COVID-19 confirmed infections. As per official data, the state recorded 15,051 cases in the last 24 hours, along with 48 fatalities. Maharashtra has so far witnessed 23,29,464 infections, of which, 52,909 people have succumbed to the virus.

According to the new order, several restrictions have been put on restaurants, movie halls, social gatherings, amongst other things.

Check the new guidelines:

a. All cinema halls (single screens and multiplexes)/ hotels/ restaurants to operate on 50% capacity with following restrictions:

i. No entry will be allowed without proper wearing of masks.

ii. Temperature measuring devices to be used to ensure no one with fever gets an entry.

iii. Adequate hand sanitisers to be kept at various convenient locations.

iv. Concerned establishments to ensure the presence of enough manpower to enforce wearing of masks as well as maintaining social distances by all visitors all the times.

In case of violation of this order, concerned cinema hall/hotels/restaurants shall have to remain closed for a period until the COVID-19 pandemic stays notified as a Disaster by the Central Government. The violation shall also attract penalties under the disaster act for the owner of the premises.

b. All shopping malls to adhere to following restrictions:

i. No entry will be allowed without proper wearing of masks.

ii. Temperature measuring devices to be used to ensure no one with fever gets an entry.

iii. Adequate hand sanitisers to be kept at various convenient locations.

iv. Concerned establishments to ensure the presence of enough manpower to enforce wearing of masks as well as maintaining social distances by all visitors all the times.

v. Mall management to ensure that theatres/ restaurants or any other establishments in the mall adhere to restrictions imposed herein or before and in operation now.

In case of violation, the violating mall will remain closed or a period until the COVID-19 pandemic stays notified as a Disaster by the Central Government. The violation shall also attract penalties under the disaster act for the owner of the premises.

c. No social/ cultural/ political/ religious gatherings to be allowed. The violation shall also attract penalties under the disaster act for the owner of premises. The property shall also have to remain closed till the period until the COVID 19 pandemic stays notified as a Disaster by the Central Government.

d. Not more than 50 people will be allowed to be present only for the purpose of weddings. The violation shall also attract penalties under the disaster act for the owner of premises. The property shall also have to remain closed till the period until the COVID 19 pandemic stays notified as a Disaster by the Central Government.

e. Not more than 20 people will be allowed to be present for the purposes of the performance of last rites. It will be the duty of the local authorities to ensure the same.

f. Home isolation to be allowed with following restrictions:

i. Information to this extent shall be given to the local authorities along with information of the medical professional under whose supervision the isolation will be adhered to.

ii. A board is to be put up on the door or conspicuous location for 14 days since the beginning indicating the presence of a COVID-19 patient at the said location.

iii. Home quarantine stamp to be affixed on the positive patient.

iv. It is advised that members of the family also restrict their movements outside to the extent possible, and never without a mask.

v. Any violation of isolation shall lead to immediate movement to Covid Care Center designated by the local authority.

g. All offices except related to health and other essential services shall work with 50% of attendance. Work from home is advised. Any office found to be violating shall be closed for a period until the COVID-19 pandemic stays notified as a Disaster by the Central Government.

The management trusts of all religious places to decide and declare the maximum number of visitors per hour depending upon the availability of space for movement and gathering with proper social distancing. It is advised that convenient systems like online reservations for visits may be initiated. Entry to these places shall be subject to following restrictions:

i. No entry will be allowed without proper wearing of masks.

ii. Temperature measuring devices to be used to ensure no one with fever gets an entry.

iii. Adequate hand sanitisers to be kept at various convenient locations.

iv. Concerned establishments to ensure the presence of enough manpower to enforce wearing of masks as well as maintaining social distances by all visitors all the times.



Live TV
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New Delhi: Back on campaign trails after leg injury, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday (March 15) mounted a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and her party's primary rival in the upcoming polls, Bharatiya Janata Party.

Addressing a gathering in Purulia, Banerjee said that the prime minister is not fit to run the country.

"PM is incompetent, cannot run the country," Mamata Banerjee was quoted as saying by PTI.

She also targeted the party's MPs from the state, saying they have done nothing for the people.

"Many BJP MPs nominated for Bengal elections have done nothing for state," she said.

"They will engineer riots, spread lies if they win polls," she added.

She further claimed that the TMC-led government in the state has done as much work as no other government in the world has been able to do.

"No other government in the world has been able to do as much work as us. Their (BJP) prime minister cannot run the country, totally incompetent," she said.

She reiterated her claim that she was attacked as part of a conspiracy to stop her from campaigning.

"Wait for a few days, my legs will be better. I will see whether your legs move freely on Bengal's soil," Banerjee said without naming anyone.

On Sunday, the TMC chief, confined to a wheelchair, held a roadshow in Kolkata.

Last week, Banerjee suffered an injury in her left leg in Nandigram. The Election Commission ruled out the possibility of any conspiracy but pointed to the security lapse.

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ALBANY  A man who sent 19 letters containing white powder falsely marked as anthrax to federal courthouses and Social Security offices in New York and Connecticut was sentenced Monday to two years of prison time - a punishment he's already served.

Jason Pantone, 36, sent the powder  wheat flour  to offices that included the James T. Foley U.S. Courthouse in Albany because he was angry at being denied Social Security disability benefits.

U.S. District Judge Mae DAgostino, who works in the courthouse and presided over Pantones case, stressed to him Monday that government employees have a right to be secure in their workplace.

The case was extremely concerning to me, she told the defendant.

We cannot have a society where public servants and judges are targets every time someone is disgruntled with something that has taken place, DAgostino told Pantone. Hopefully, after spending two years of your life incarcerated, you get that.

Even though the powder ended up being wheat flour, it caused great alarm and concern, the judge told the defendant.

When one is confronted in this day and age with an envelope with anything like white powder, your sense of security is lost, DAgostino told Pantone. I cannot possibly minimize the harm that you did, Mr. Pantone.  And it wasnt once once or twice. It was 19 times.

While D'Agostino noted Pantone had a history of mental health issues, he knew what he was doing, understood right from wrong and sent the letters as retaliation for not receiving Social Security disability benefits.



Pantone sent the letters in February 2019. Some letters contained smiley faces with the letter X as eyes. One letter stated: The substance contained in this letter is Anthrax. It's very dangerous and can result in death if inhaled or touched," according to an FBI agents affidavit in a criminal complaint.

Pantone mailed the powder to Social Security Administration offices in Plattsburgh, Buffalo, Rochester, Binghamton, Utica, Syracuse, Corning, Batavia, Geneva, West Nyack and White Plains in New York and to the agencys offices in Hartford and Torrington in Connecticut. He sent letters to U.S. District Court offices in Albany, Syracuse, Binghamton, Plattsburgh and Utica, the affidavit said.

Pantone additionally sent a tip to the FBI  on himself  which stated: Jason Pantone has been mailing fake/hoax anthrax letters to the social security offices in upstate New York. He leaves the letters in his mailbox to be picked up by the mailman. Why? I think because he was very upset over his SSA disability denial. He was denied a while ago, but recently talks about it a lot. He has been sending letters for about a week or so."

Pantone was arrested in late February 2019 following an investigation by the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. attorneys office in Albany. He had been incarcerated since his arrest. He'll serve three years of supervised release.

He pleaded guilty in October to conveying a hoax letter involving anthrax.

In a sentencing recommendation, Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy Anderson told the judge that Pantone's crime led numerous police, fire, medical and emergency response teams to arrive at the office buildings under the possibility that anthrax had been delivered. Offices were evacuated and closed at times for multiple days. The Social Security and court offices lost about SSA and U.S. District Courts in the Northern District of New York caused these agencies to sustain a total loss of approximately $15,500, the prosecutor stated.

"Disturbingly, the defendant did not address any of the letters to any particular person," the prosecutor said. He said Pantone "intended for any unsuspecting individual to open the letter, read the note, see the powder, and be placed in fear of death. Put another way, the defendant meant for the recipient, who he had never met before to believe that death was about to befall them from anthrax poisoning."

On Monday, Pantones attorney, Assistant Federal Public Defender Matthew Trainor, told the judge that Pantone failed to consider the significance of what he was doing and its effect on the people who opened the letters. His client, he noted, has mental health issues.

When afforded a chance to speak, Pantone told the judge he identified himself in the letters and told his psychiatric nurse  all in efforts to help authorities catch him.

It was never my intention to harm anyone, Pantone said.  I did not realize the repercussions that my actions would have. It was an impulsive decision that I deeply regret. Please be assured that I would never do anything like this again.

The judge made it clear she would not be lenient if Pantone was back before her. She said he cannot have direct or indirect contact with any of the offices he sent the letters without prior approval from the federal probation office.
Following numerous requests made by localities nationwide to the Ministry of Transport about their desire to build airports, concerns have been raised by the public and economic experts regarding their feasibility and economic efficiency.

Illusion from figures

Statistics clearly show that the local air transport market has developed considerably over the past 10 years, securing a double-digit growth rate of 15.8% annually.

Data released by the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) indicates the domestic air transport market grew by 17.1% in terms of passenger numbers and 13.8% in terms of cargo volume between 2008 and 2019. The fleet available for domestic flights increased by 3.5 times compared to 2008, the domestic route network rose by 2.4 times, and the international route network expanded by 2.4 times.

Whilst recent outbreaks of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic served to slow the industrys growth in 2020, analysts believe that the industry will soon get back on track and even develop faster compared to previous years providing that the COVID-19 pandemic is completely brought under control.

Due to this, aviation growth is closely related to tourism and socio-economic growth, contributing to creating a healthy and competitive market whilst bringing about many benefits for passengers in terms of travel opportunities, fares, and service quality. This is the key reason behind many localities proposing building airports that could risk breaking aviation network planning, with these proposals likely to impose a heavy burden on active airport hubs.

Requests for local airports impending

In line with the air transport development plan to 2020, with a vision towards 2030, as approved by the Government in 2018, the country is expected to be home to 28 airports, including 15 domestic and 13 international terminals, over the next 10 years.

While several Government-approved airports have yet to break ground for construction, such as Lai Chau, Sa Pa, and Na San in the north, Phan Thiet and Quang Tri in the central region, and Rach Gia in the south, many localities nationwide continue to make requests for new air terminals.

Most recently, the southern province of Binh Phuoc proposed that the Ministry of Transport add Tecnic Hon Quan terminal to the national air transport development plan, stating that the airport will boost local socio-economic development and maintain national security-defence.

Earlier, Bac Giang, Ninh Thuan, Ninh Binh, Ha Tinh, Cao Bang, Ha Giang, and Hai Phong all submitted requests for air terminals to be built in their localities. In addition, several localities also expressed a strong desire to transform their existing domestic air terminals into international ones. They include Lien Khuong terminal in Da Lat, Buon Ma Thuot in Dak Lak, Phu Cat in Binh Dinh, and Tuy Hoa in Phu Yen.

Outweighing economic efficiency

Despite enjoying remarkable growth over the past decade, it is not common knowledge that only a few airports have been able to make a profit. According to the Aviation Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), the majority of its 22 terminals have recorded a loss, except for Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat, and Da Nang International Airports.

15 of the corporations airports are suffering a big loss, ranging between VND40 billion to VND90 billion each annually, discloses an ACV official.

Airports that are expected to record a profit, such as Con Dao and Cat Bi, sustained an annual loss of approximately VND10 billion each. Elsewhere, newly-invested Tho Xuan airport in Thanh Hoa still recorded a loss of more than VND60 billion a year, though the number of passengers it received exceeds its design capacity.

The main factor in several localities putting forward such proposals is to promote socio-economic and tourism development. However, many have yet to clarify scientific grounds or economic efficiency once these airports are put into full operation.

Mass development of local airports not necessary

According to economic expert Dr. Ngo Tri Long, this is not the first time that localities have been keen to request that airports be built. He recalls that a similar situation occurred 10 years ago, with many airports now operating moderately.

There are airports that operate just one flight each day. It is an absolute waste, says Dr. Long, suggesting that airport planning should meet market demand because it is a costly investment to build an airport.

It is a waste of time and money if an airport is built without taking into account its economic efficiency. Our country remains poor and every penny counts, stresses the economic expert.

We also avoid proposing an airport for other purposes, for instance to stimulate tourism demand and push up real estate prices. Aviation is a luxury means of transportation, and it is not accessible by the majority of people, he concludes.

In line with this point of view, several economic and aviation experts believe that the demand for air transportation in many localities nationwide is not high, whilst many proposed sites have unfavourble terrain in which to build an airport on.

Is it necessary to build airports in these localities? questions Dr. Nguyen Thien Tong, former head of the Aviation Engineering Department of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology.

I think it is unnecessary to build an airport in Ninh Binh province which is close to Noi Bai airport in Hanoi and Tho Xuan airport in Thanh Hoa, Dr. Tong outlines. It is very convenient now to travel by bus from Ninh Binh to Hanoi or Thanh Hoa, and I believe it would be a big loss if the Ninh Binh airport is approved.

He also points out that it is not easy to mobilise capital sources for an airport project, even from private businesses, if an investor does not believe that the airport will operate profitably, while the demand for air travel remains low due to a small population.

Land clearance will be very costly that may lead to lawsuits concerning compensations, Dr. Tong also warns.

No airport building spree ahead

Throughout the debate all experts share the view that there are plenty of socio-economic and geographical criteria that must be taken into account before investing in an airport. Indeed, they agree that careful consideration is especially required when private investment is mobilised.

We should not make the same mistake as we built seaports and sugar mills in the past, stresses a leading expert. Every locality wants to have an airport, but the most important parameter is the economic efficiency the airport can bring back. There is no point in building an airport if the economic efficiency is almost zero.

Furthermore, other experts are also adamant that it is imperative to stop the recent wave of localities requesting for airports to be built without considering their economic efficiency. They also warn this trend could create the possibility of a bubbling real estate market emerging that only benefits a select group of opportunists.

The Prime Minister has approved a master plan on the development of the national airport network to 2030 with a vision ahead to 2050 drafted by the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV). Vietnam is set to be home to 26 airports by 2030, including 14 international airports. This number could reach as many as 30 by 2050, including 15 international airports and 15 domestic airports.

The master plan has been developed on the basis of a detailed and scientific analysis of air travel demand in each locality. Without specifying the quantitative demand for air transportation, it remains hard to have an airport project approved by the Government leader.

Dinh Viet Thang, director of the CAAV, says he supports the idea of investing in key air terminals as opposed to a mass development of airports.

In principle we must develop the national airport network in a synchronous manner.. Airport is a necessary condition, not a sufficient one for the development of a province, Thang states.

The CAAV director also suggests that localities should strive to increase investment in infrastructure whilst boosting tourism development as no travelers select a destination simply based on whether or not it as a notable airport.

VOV
 Flash

At least 15 people were shot, and two of them killed, in a "pop-up party" at a business on the South Side of Chicago on early Sunday morning.

The shooting happened at 4:40 a.m. A 31-year-old woman, who was shot three times including once in the head, was found dead outside the building; and a 39-year-old man, with gunshot wounds to his neck and leg, was later found dead inside a backroom in the business that operates as a tow company but also serves as an event space for pop-up parties, Chicago Tribune reported on Sunday.

The people, who were shot, are aged from 20 to 44.

Chicago police believe the shooting was gang-related. It wasn't clear how many people opened fire, the police said.

"Four guns were recovered at the scene. Our detectives are continuing to do their preliminary investigation and their interviews but several of the witnesses who were wounded are still in surgery and have yet to be interviewed, so more to come as far as any kind of motive or any additional evidence," Chicago police Superintendent David Brown said at a press conference Sunday morning. "We are following up on several different leads that we are yet unable to confirm."

According to the preliminary police report, one of those weapons was found outside the business and three others were found inside. The report said several shell casings and fired bullets were recovered from inside.

Chicago Fire Department District Chief Juan Hernandez expected the total number of people shot could grow, as some people who may have left the business show up at area hospitals on their own later in the day.

No arrests had been made Sunday morning, the local newspaper said.
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and Special Economic Zones Ltd (APSEZ), an Adani group firm, on Monday received the Letter of Intent (LOI) from the Sri Lankan government to develop and operate West Container Terminal (WCT) in Colombo.

APSEZ will partner with John Keells Holdings PLC, Sri Lankas largest diversified conglomerate, and with the Ports Authority (SLPA) as a part of the consortium. The WCT will be developed on a build, operate and transfer basis for a period of 35 years as a public-private partnership (PPP). WCT will have a quay length of 1,400 meters and alongside depth of 20 meters, thereby making it a prime transhipment cargo destination to handle Ultra Large Container Carriers.

In a statement, APSEZ said the project is expected to boost WCTs container handling capacity and further consolidate Sri Lankas locational advantage as one of the worlds top strategic nodes along the busiest global transhipment route. The Colombo port is already the most preferred regional hub for transhipment of Indian containers and mainline ship operators with 45% of Colombos transhipment volumes either originating from or destined to an Adani port terminal in India.

The network impact of this partnership will also benefit from the string of seven container terminals across its 12 ports that Adani operates along the Indian coastline handling an annual volume of over 6 million TEUs. This partnership will multiply and accelerate the transhipment options that will become available to serve various shipping lines and other potential port customers across the South Asian waters, benefiting both, India and in multiple ways, the company said.

Any port partnership is a validation of the mutual trust between two nations and in this context the WCT partnership is significant on several fronts. It is a continuation of the deep and mutually beneficial strategic relationship between two neighbouring nations whose history is deeply intertwined, and I am grateful to the leaders of the Government of India and and our Sri Lankan partners for the deep trust they have endowed on us," Karan Adani, CEO and whole time director of APSEZ, said.

The combination of the strategic location of the Port of Colombo as a launching point for transshipment across the entire subcontinent, the deep domestic strength of SLPA and John Keells Holdings PLC, and the Adani Groups unmatched network of container terminals across the Indian coastline opens up several dimensions of growth possibilities for years to come, not just within our two countries but also to the east as well as the west of our two nations, he added.

Krishan Balendra, Chairman of JKH, said: We are excited about this opportunity to invest in the much-needed capacity expansion of the Colombo Port and to partner the Adani Group, the leading port operator in India. The PPP model of development of the West Container Terminal would bring to bear the synergies, expertise and experience of the Adani Group, the John Keells Group and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, which would ensure a world class deep-water offering in the Port of Colombo, catering to the largest container ships afloat.

APSEZ is the largest port developer and operator in India with 11 strategically located ports and terminals  Mundra, Dahej, Tuna and Hazira in Gujarat, Dhamra in Odisha, Mormugao in Goa, Visakhapatnam and Krishnapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, Dighi in Maharashtra and Kattupalli and Ennore in Tamil Nadu  represent 24% of the country's total port capacity, handling vast amounts of cargo from both coastal areas and the vast hinterland. The company is also developing a transhipment port at Vizhinjam, Kerala and has recently taken over 31.5 per cent stake in Gangavaram port in Andhra Pradesh for Rs 1,950 crore.
Reporter

Debra Pressey is a reporter covering health care at The News-Gazette. Her email is dpressey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@DLPressey).
CHICAGO, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Progressing Cavity Pump Market by Pumping Capacity (Up to 500 GPM, 5011,000 GPM, and more), Power Rating (Up to 50 HP, 51150 HP, and more), End User (Oil & Gas, Food & Beverages, and more), and Region - Global Forecasts to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Progressing Cavity Pump Market size is projected to reach USD 5.9 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 6.0%, from an estimated USD 4.4 billion in 2021. The key drivers for the Progressing Cavity Pump Market include use of PCPs in enhanced oil recovery and upstream processes and Intensifying need for water & wastewater management in developed nations.

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=142949269

The up to 500 GPM segment by pumping capacity, is the largest contributor in the progressing cavity pump during the forecast period.

Progressing cavity pumps offering pumping capacity in the range of 0 to 500 GPM capture the largest share of the global PCP market. In 2020, the segment captured more than 65% of the total market owing to the versatility in operation offered by these pumps. In addition to compact size, these pumps require less power-consuming electric or hydraulic motors that are favored across the world for lower operational cost as well as high efficiency. Lower operational cost is also one of the prime factors due to which end-use industries prefer to use these motors over their more powerful counterparts. The food & beverages industry is among the top consumers of these pumps due to the relatively low requirement of flow rate for fluid processing.

Power rating, the up to 50 HP segment is expected to be the largest market for progressing cavity pump during the forecast period.

PCPs rated up to 50 hp are predominantly used for abrasion resistance in tough pumping applications. PCPs become mechanical, and their volumetric efficiency rises when the viscosity of the liquid increases and PCPs require limited power supply and flow as compared to other pumps. PCPs rated up to 50 hp are used mainly in the wastewater treatment (for handling polymers, waste, sludge, and flocculants); chemicals (for handling detergents, varnish, paints, inks, and soaps); buildings (for handling cement and bentonite); agro and food (for handling creams, emulsions, wine, and olive oils); food & beverages (for handling dairy product, beverage, convenience food, fruits and vegetables, baked goods, sauce and starch, personal care, meat, fish, and animal food) industries. Progressing cavity pumps with such power rating are not extensively used in the oil & gas industry owing to the fact that the oil & gas industry demands high power rated operational equipment.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Progressing Cavity Pump Market"

125  Tables

55  Figures

215  Pages

View Detailed Table of Content Here: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/progressing-cavity-pump-market-142949269.html

The water & wastewater management end user segment is expected to be the largest contributor during the forecast period.

Water & wastewater is the largest end user of PCPs among all the industries. The need to reduce life cycle costs and improve operating margins is anticipated to boost the usage of PCP units in the water & wastewater industry for the processing of polymers, waste, sludge, and flocculants. Intensifying demand for freshwater, handling liquids with higher viscosities, and a clean environment would also propel the need for water and wastewater management in the future, thereby creating opportunities for the usage of PCPs. The demand for these pumps is likely to rise from new plant installations, unit expansions, and unit upgrades. According to the UN, the worlds population will increase from 7.2 billion in 2013 to 8.1 billion by 2025. Hence, factors such as population growth, especially in urban areas, industrial development, increasing emphasis on wastewater treatment, international commitments and targets, and government policies would facilitate the growth of the water & wastewater industry. Moreover, by 2030, the UN plans to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water and adequate and equitable sanitation for all. This calls for huge investments in the water & wastewater sector. This, in turn, would push the demand for PCPs during the forecast period.

Asia Pacific is expected to dominate the global Progressing Cavity Pump Market

The Asia Pacific region was the largest market for progressing cavity pumps in 2020 and accounted for a share of 35.7% of the global market. The PCP market in Asia Pacific has been studied for China, Australia, India, and Japan. The other Asian countries considered in the study are Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea. According to the IMF, the economic outlook for Asia Pacific remains strong, and the region continues to be the most dynamic in the global economy. The region has many top global economies, such as China, India, and Japan, and is expected to grow at 5.6% till 2022. The major end users of progressing cavity pumps in the region include water & wastewater treatment, oil & gas, and food & beverages industries. The market in this region will be largely driven by China and Indiacountries exhibiting fast-paced economic expansion and healthy industrial growth rates. The market in Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia and Thailand, is at various stages of development. The government of Malaysia aims to serve clean water to 99% of the population by 2022 from 95.5% in 2015. Such targets are likely to reflect favorably on the PCP market. According to the Indian Ministry of Finance, the country plans to invest USD 646 billion by 2022 in various areas of development. About 70% of the investment would be made in power, roads, and urban infrastructure.

Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=142949269

To enable an in-depth understanding of the competitive landscape, the report includes the profiles of some of the top manufacturers in the Progressing Cavity Pump Market. These players include Xylem (US), Weir (UK), Sulzer (Switzerland), Roto Pumps (India), EBARA Corporation (Japan), Wilo (Germany), ITT Corporation (US), NETZSCH (Germany), CIRCOR International (US), SEEPEX (Germany).

Browse Adjacent Markets: Energy and Power Market Research Reports & Consulting

Browse Related Reports:

Submersible Pumps Market by Type (Electric, Hydraulic, Air-Driven), Application (Open Pit, Borewell), Operation (Single-stage, Multi-stage), Power Rating (<1, 1-5, 5-15, >15 HP), Sector (Industrial, Agricultural, Domestic), Region - Global Forecasts to 2025

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/submersible-pump-market-188587920.html

Oil & Gas Pumps Market by Type (Submersible, Non-submersible) Pump Type (Centrifugal, Positive Displacement (Screw, Reciprocating, Rotary and Gear, Progressive Cavity), Cryogenic), Application (Upstream, Midstream, Downstream), Region - Global Forecast to 2025

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/oil-gas-pump-market-72491540.html

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A Muslim man stands outside the court as judges deliberate on a challenge to the ban on Christians using the word Allah in their religious publications, in Putrajaya outside Kuala Lumpur, June 23, 2014.

Updated at 9:15 p.m. ET on 03-15-2021

The Malaysian government is appealing last weeks High Court ruling lifting a ban on Christian publications using the word Allah to refer to God, the attorney general told BenarNews on Monday. The issue is highly charged in Muslim-majority Malaysia, where Christians have been using the word for centuries. Major political parties had urged the government to appeal the ruling, which some Muslim groups said could lead to confused Muslims renouncing Islam and embracing pluralist thinking.

Attorney General Idrus Harun confirmed that the notice of the appeal, dated Mar. 12, was submitted to the Court of Appeal on Monday, but did not give details.

The submission on appeal was done today [Monday], Harun told BenarNews via text message.

The submission, seen by BenarNews, said that the government along with Home Minister Hamzah Zainuddin decided to appeal because they were not satisfied with last weeks ruling by the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

Take note that the appellants here, Minister of Home Affairs and the Government of Malaysia, who are not satisfied with the ruling of High Court Justice Nor Bee Ariffin that was delivered at the Malayan High Court in Kuala Lumpur on Mar.10, 2021, are hereby making an appeal to the Malaysian Court of Appeal on the entirety of the ruling, said the governments application for appeal.

On Mar. 11, Nor Bee ended a decades-long ban when she ruled that Malaysian Christians are allowed to use the word Allah to refer to God, and three other Arabic words, in publications.

The 1986 Home Ministry directive barring the use of Allah, Baitullah (house of God), Kaabah (holiest shrine) and solat (prayer) by Christian publications was unconstitutional because it restricted religious freedom, she ruled. It was also illegal and irrational, because Malaysian Christians had used these words for more than 400 years, Nor Bee said.

PEMBELA, an umbrella group representing Muslim NGOs, lauded the governments move to appeal.

Congratulations to the Home Ministry for appealing. This is the result of the pressure from PEMBELA and other NGOs, Aminuddin Yahaya, the groups chairman, told BenarNews on Monday.

Aminuddin, who is also the head of a hardline Muslim pressure group ISMA, urged the government to ensure there is no political meddling in the appeal process. He also called for all state Islamic authorities to intervene in the case.

The court must allow them to intervene because this issue is sensitive to the Muslim community, he added.

BenarNews contacted defense lawyer Annou Xavier, who represented the Christian woman Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill in last weeks case, but he declined to comment on the governments appeal.

Calls to the Home Ministry were not immediately returned.

Divisive issue

Meanwhile, Religious Affairs Minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri on Monday said he would hold a special meeting on the following day with leading Islamic jurists from all states to discuss last weeks high court ruling on the use of Allah by Christian publications.

He also said in a Facebook post that he had met with PEMBELA for a 45-minute discussion on the issue a day earlier.

On Sunday, the group issued a strongly-worded statement expressing shock and disappointment with the High Courts ruling, which had great implications for Muslims.

This contradicts the Federal Court's precedent decision. This decision gives room for abuse of the word Allah, said the statement. It will open wide the door for apostasy and pluralist thought.

The Federal Court decision Aminuddin was referring to was a 2014 ruling  in a separate case  that upheld the government ban on the use of Allah by Christian publications.

Last week, Muafakat Nasional, a group that consists of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO)  Malaysias oldest party and a partner in the ruling coalition  and the conservative Pan-Islamic Malaysian Party (PAS), had expressed serious concern on the High Court decision to allow the use of Islamic terminology by non-Muslims in their respective publications.

Muafakat had also demanded the government appeal the ruling.

But James Masing, deputy chief minister of Malaysias Sarawak state, where Christians are in a majority, had called the appeal demand ridiculous.

I believe the judge had considered all aspects of religious and cultural sensitivity when making the judgment, Masing said in a statement last week, according to several local news publications.

Thus, it is a most ridiculous demand by any political party or religious group in a multi-religious country like Malaysia.

Masing also said that demanding the federal government appeal the High Courts judgment was akin to seeking a review of Article 11 of the Federal Constitution, which allows freedom of religion in the country.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Muafakat Nasional's president attended the PEMBELA meeting on Sunday.
Councillor Pearse McGeough and Imelda Munster TD will be holding an online public meeting to discuss the closure of the Bank of Ireland branch in Dunleer.

Cllr McGeough said: This will be an opportunity for the public to have their say about the loss of the bank from Dunleer and how it will affect them, their neighbours and their families and also to discuss a way forward.

This announcement has shocked many people and left others feeling abandoned and the decision was taken without consultation in the midst of a pandemic.

"I would encourage people to attend the online Zoom meeting (Meeting ID 840 4875 7638 Passcode: 851690) on Tuesday evening 16th March at 7.30pm and have your say.

"Once the bank has gone it will be too late and it will be almost impossible to get it back.

This decision will affect businesses in the area, people who want to bank locally, community groups, investment for the area and many more.




YEREVAN, MARCH 15, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Defense of Armenia Vagharshak Harutyunyan met today with the staff of the engineering troops department of the Armed Forces, the ministry told Armenpress.

Head of the department, Major-General Ishkhan Matevosyan reported the minister on the ongoing matters of the department, the planned actions and upcoming programs.

The defense minister said he will be consistent with the quick solution of all the existing issues. He once again stated that everything will be done to drastically increase the attractiveness of the officer service.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products

Bern, 15.03.2021 - New production site approved for Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine: Swissmedic, the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, has granted the chemicals and pharmaceuticals company Lonza an establishment licence for a new production site for the manufacture of Moderna's COVID-19 active substance. The licence was issued last week following a successful inspection of the production plant in Visp. At this newly approved site Lonza can manufacture, on behalf of Moderna, active substances for COVID-19 vaccines.

Swissmedic had approved the first Swiss plant for the production of the active substance for Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine at the start of January 2021. At the new approved production site ("Ibex Solutions"), one production line is fully operational, and two further lines should be available in the near future.

Following the successful inspection of the second production site in Visp, the preconditions for safe production according to international quality standards are demonstrated and satisfied.

Establishment licences

Companies that manufacture or distribute medicinal or transplant products in Switzerland require an establishment licence. Swissmedic grants these licences on the basis of a successful inspection. An establishment licence proves that the companies possess the resources and processes needed to ensure and constantly monitor the quality of their products.

Address for enquiries

Swissmedic, Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products

Media Unit



+41 58 462 02 76

media@swissmedic.ch

Publisher

Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products

http://www.swissmedic.ch/?lang=2




British and European Union flags flutter ahead of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's arrival for a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec 9, 2020. (Johanna Geron / Reuters)

EU Launches Legal Case Against Britain Over Northern Ireland

BRUSSELSThe European Union launched legal action on Monday against Britain for unilaterally changing trading arrangements for Northern Ireland that Brussels says breach the Brexit divorce deal agreed with London last year.

The bloc has sent a letter of formal notice to kick-start an infringement procedure, which could lead to fines being imposed by the EUs top court, although that could be at least a year off, leaving time for a solution to be found.

Britains withdrawal agreement with the EU leaves the British-ruled province of Northern Ireland in the EU single market for goods and so requires checks on goods arriving there from other parts of the United Kingdom.

Some of those checks are meant to start when a grace period expires at the end of March. The plans have already disrupted some supplies reaching supermarkets in Northern Ireland.

Britain says it intends to extend the grace period unilaterally until Oct. 1, a decision the EU letter demands it reverses.

The United States called on both sides to preserve the Good Friday accord protecting peace in Northern Ireland, with the White House urging them to prioritise pragmatic solutions.

Maros Sefcovic, the top EU official in charge of UK relations, has sent a separate letter to British counterpart David Frost, seeking talks in good faith to resolve the issue this month.

Britain says it has not violated the agreement.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday the extension was simply a technical decision aimed at being fair. The protocol, he said, should guarantee trade between Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as across Northern Irelands land border with Ireland.

Thats all were trying to sort out with some temporary and technical measures which we think are very sensible, but obviously well look forward to our discussions with our EU friends and see where we get to, he said.

By Philip Blenkinsop, Alistair Smout, Guy Faulconbridge, Kate Holton, and Jeff Mason.


Today, more than ever, environmental, health and social concerns are of the upmost importance. The events of the last year have been unprecedented, shifting consumer expectation and calling into focus the role of brands in society. Above anything else, people want brands that they can trust, that are transparent and which are genuinely committed to being better.

When it comes to sustainability, Garnier has been committed for years; producing more natural formulas, using sustainable and fair-trade ingredients, even being the first to bring certified organic products to the mass skincare market. With the launch of its sustainability program Garnier Green Beauty, Garnier wants to go further, to shift the way the beauty industry operates and lead the change for all of us.

Garnier has also been committed to a world against animal testing since 1989, and is now Cruelty Free International has given the brand their stamp of approval under their Leaping Bunny programme. Garnier is one of the largest, most global brands Cruelty Free International has ever approved under the Leaping Bunny programme. This is a giant leap, not only for Garnier, but for the beauty industry as a whole. Leaping Bunny requires brands to forensically investigate their entire supply chain, including all raw material and individual ingredients, for any cases of animal testing. Approval must be given to all of a brands finished products - individual products or items cannot be approved in isolation.

For Garnier this was a case of securing a declaration from more than 500 suppliers, who source more than 3,000 different ingredients, from across the world. This stringent process ensures that consumers can buy Garnier products with complete confidence, knowing that they meet Leaping Bunnys strict criteria.

Garniers initiative Green Beauty is a complete end-to-end approach to sustainability. The aim is to transform every stage of Garniers value chain, reducing or eradicating environmental impact in the following areas:

Plastic & Packaging:

By 2025, Garnier will aim to use Zero Virgin Plastic in all packaging, saving 37,000 tonnes of plastic every year*

By 2025, all packaging will also be either reusable, recyclable or compostable

Product & Formula:

By 2022, all plant-based and renewable ingredients will be sustainably sourced

By 2025, 100% of Garniers new products will have an improved environmental profile

Factories & Manufacturing:

100% Carbon Neutral industrial sites by 2025, using renewable energy

CO2 emissions of industrial sites already reduced by 72%**

Solidarity Sourcing:

By 2025, Garnier will have empowered 800 communities worldwide as part of our Solidarity sourcing programme

Further, as part of LOreal for the Future, Garnier will be the first brand to implement Product Environmental & Social Impact Labelling. This aims to inform consumers on the environmental and social impact of their products, empowering them to make more sustainable choices. Being trialed in France and on haircare products, this labelling gives each product a sustainability score, from A to E, with products labelled A considered best in class. The score takes into account 14 environmental factors from sourcing, manufacture, transportation, usage and recyclability. Data is verified by Bureau Veritas Certification, an independent auditor. The Environmental & Social Impact Labelling of Garnier Haircare products will be accessible to consumers on the French brands haircare webpage before rolling out internationally.

In addition, Garnier has partnered with Plastics For Change to help with the social impact of plastic pollution. Over 3 billion people around the world live without access to organised waste collection. Thats almost half the planets population. Some of the worlds poorest people collect this waste to make a living. The waste pickers, many of them women, often live below the poverty line and work in appalling conditions. Through this association, Garnier will support the holistic development of waste picker communities in India. Plastics for Change support education for children, healthcare, nutrition, financial literacy and empowerment for girls & women - the basic foundations of a healthy and happy community.

As part of the global initiative Garnier has also partnered with Ocean Conservancy, an NGO working against ocean plastic for more than 30 years. Garnier has joined Ocean Conservancys Trash Free Seas Alliance. The Alliance was created in 2012 and unites scientists, conservationists and the private sector to find real-life, impactful solutions to the ocean plastic crisis. Garnier will team up with current Alliance members to identify innovative ways to reduce/redesign plastic packaging and stop the flow of plastic pollution into our oceans.

Adrien Koskas, Garnier Global Brand President, says Green Beauty will transform the way we do business. Developed with the help of our partners, researchers and customers, this initiative highlights a range of ambitious goals, underpinned by tangible targets. We pledge to lessen our impact on the planet and innovate for a sustainable future. It will take time, but Green Beauty will transform Garnier, and we hope the beauty industry as a whole. To be officially approved by Cruelty Free International under the Leaping Bunny programme is a real milestone and was always an important part of our Green Beauty mission. Today Garnier, takes another Green step towards becoming a fully committed, truly sustainable, transparent brand that delivers Green Beauty for all of us.

Pankaj Sharma, Director, Consumer Products Division, LOreal India, shared With the awareness and strong equity that Garnier enjoys, it becomes important for the brand to build its purpose and social commitment. The Garnier Green Beauty initiative is our journey towards contributing to a better and more sustainable planet, while also creating a community of our consumers and supporters who can take this journey with us.

John Abraham, Garnier India Brand Ambassador, I have been associated with Garnier India for a very long time and am especially proud to represent this initiative. With the continuous depletion of our environmental resources over the years, we firmly believe that individual contributions leading to a larger united front will help achieve the set goals. Through the Garnier Green Beauty initiative, we are offering an opportunity to all young ambitious Indians to come forward and join us in making small changes in your life today, contributing to a sustainable tomorrow and a greener future.

The Green Beauty initiative also presents an annual global Sustainability Progress Report, offering complete transparency on Garniers commitments. The report can be tracked publicly via the Garnier website and states where Garnier stands today, mapping out the process of how the brand will reach its ambitious 2025 targets. This progress report provides a clear and trackable summary of Garniers commitments, enlisting work which has been completed with the help of experts and scientists.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  New Mexico lawmakers on Sunday moved closer than ever to passage of a bill that would allow terminally ill patients to seek medical aid to end their lives.

The legislation, House Bill 47, cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 5-3 vote and heads next to the Senate floor.

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It won House approval last month, the first time medical aid-in-dying legislation has ever passed a chamber of the state Legislature.

In Sundays hearing, Rep. Deborah Armstrong, an Albuquerque Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill, highlighted her daughter Erins own story as she urged lawmakers to pass the bill. Erin has an inoperable brain tumor, she said, and has faced excruciating pain at times while undergoing treatment.

She has made all her own health care decisions, Armstrong said. At the end of her life, she deserves the ability to make that decision again.

The proposal ran into a barrage of legal questions from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Joseph Cervantes, an attorney and Democrat from Las Cruces. He supported moving the bill forward but said he may propose amendments when the full Senate takes up the measure.

His questions touched on a variety of sections of the proposal, including a provision calling for death certificates to list the underlying terminal illness as the cause of death, not suicide.

I dont think thats honest, Cervantes said.

But the committee made no changes to the measure Sunday. If the Senate revises the measure, the House will have to agree to the amendments before final approval, or the two chambers could send the legislation to a bicameral conference committee in hopes of reaching agreement.

The legislation passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on a party-line vote, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed.

Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto, an Albuquerque Democrat and member of the committee, didnt participate in the hearing.

Ivey-Soto, a lawyer known for going through bills line by line to suggest changes, announced that he had been asked by legislative leaders not to perform his senatorial duties on House bills. He left the meeting.

During the hearing, opponents said elderly patients or people with disabilities might be especially vulnerable to pressure or coercion to end their lives. Others said the bill sends a message that some lives arent worth living or put too much of a burden on caregivers.

Jay Santillanes, a lobbyist for the Navajo Nation presidents office, urged legislators to reject the bill. The Navajo Nation believes all life is sacred, he said, and the bill would have a disproportionate impact on disadvantaged communities like ours.

The proposal is called the Elizabeth Whitefield End-of-Life Options Act, named after a retired judge who testified in favor of the bill four years ago, pleading for the right to end her life on her own terms. She died 18 months later.

The proposal would require the patient to self-administer the life-ending medicine. Health care providers could prescribe the medication to a patient only after determining the person had the mental capacity to make the decision and that they suffered from a terminal illness expected to kill them within six months.

The patient would have to put the request in writing. Two witnesses  at least one of whom couldnt be related to the patient  would be required for the signing.

In most cases, a 48-hour wait would be required before the prescription could be filled.

In addition to Armstrong, the bills sponsors are Democratic Sens. Liz Stefanics of Cerrillos and Bill ONeill of Albuquerque and Reps. Dayan Hochman-Vigil and Patricia Roybal Caballero, also of Albuquerque.
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 15 (ANI/NewsVoir): Alkem Laboratories Ltd. (Alkem), one of India's leading pharmaceutical formulation development, manufacturing, and marketing companies in India, announced the launch of Brivasure, an affordable anti-epileptic drug for the treatment of Epilepsy in India.

* Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder. Of the 70 million persons with epilepsy (PWE) worldwide, nearly 12 million PWE are expected to reside in India; which contributes to nearly one-sixth of the global burden.1

* Brivaracetam has shown promise in patients with epilepsy whose seizures persist despite adequate treatment. The drug offers improved seizure control with minimal safety risks for patients with epilepsy2

* Alkem Laboratories Limited has introduced brand Brivasure, the brand of Brivaracetam, at an affordable price in India.

Brivasure, Alkem's anti-epileptic drug (AED) is a generic version of the parent molecule. Alkem has launched the drug in the market at price, Brivasure 25mg Rs. 79.50/strip, Brivasure 50mg 148.50/strip, Brivasure 75mg 230/strip, Brivasure 100mg 295/strip, post-patent expiry of innovator product, of Brivaracetam as on February 21, 2021. The drug has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) in the adjunctive management of partial-onset seizure with or without secondary generalization. The drug has exhibited a faster onset of action, efficacy with a favorable safety profile.3

Yogesh Kaushal, President, Chronic Business said, "With over 500 scientists working in 6 global R & D centers, we are empowering innovations that align with our philosophy of 'Extended Lifecare Beyond Boundaries'. With the launch of Brivasure, we aim to make the treatment of Epilepsy easily accessible to the patients at affordable pricing. We believe that healthcare is not just about curing people but enriching their lives. The Introduction of Brivasure is a testimony to our commitment to improving the quality of life and treatment compliance of epilepsy patients in India."

Dr Akhilesh Sharma, President, and CMO added, "The magnitude of epilepsy treatment gap in India is very high and ranges from 22 percent in urban to 90 percent in rural India. Making effective and high-quality anti-epileptic drugs more affordable and accessible to these patients is the need of the hour. Alkem has always been on the forefront, trusted by healthcare professionals as well as patients for over four decades now. With the introduction of brivaracetam by Alkem, we are optimistic about making steady progress and revolutionizing Epilepsy treatment in India as well as globally. Levetiracetam has been considered a broad-spectrum antiepileptic drug in India but after clinical usage, for over a decade we have learned that it has got its own disadvantages and is associated with certain behavioral side effects. Brivaracetam seems to be filling up this gap with its promising efficacy which was observed even in those patients who had previously discontinued Levetiracetam due to side effects, benign side effects, and simpler dosing regimen making it more convenient and cost-effective proposition for the patients."

Alkem continues to work persistently towards the production of apex quality generic products, branded generics, specialty products, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and nutraceuticals, which are marketed in India as well as globally at affordable prices.

1. Amudhan S, Gururaj G, Satishchandra P. Epilepsy in India I: Epidemiology and public health. Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology. 2015 Jul;18(3):263.

2. Khaleghi F, Nemec EC. Brivaracetam (briviact): a novel adjunctive therapy for partial-onset seizures. Pharmacy and Therapeutics. 2017 Feb;42(2):92

3. Klein P, Diaz A, Gasalla T, Whitesides J. A review of the pharmacology and clinical efficacy of brivaracetam. Clinical pharmacology: advances and applications. 2018;10:1

Established in 1973 and headquartered in Mumbai, Alkem (NSE: ALKEM, BSE: 539523, Bloomberg: ALKEM.IN, Reuters: ALKE.NS) is a leading Indian pharmaceutical company with global operations, engaged in the development, manufacture, and sale of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products.

The Company produces branded generics, generic drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and nutraceuticals, which it markets in Indian and International markets. With a portfolio of more than 800 brands in India, Alkem is ranked the fifth largest pharmaceutical company in India in terms of domestic sales (Source: IQVIA data March 2020). The Company also has a presence in more than 40 international markets, with the United States being its key focus market.

For more information on Alkem Laboratories Ltd., please visit www.alkemlabs.com.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)

DISCLAIMER

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The International Space Station is expected to offer one great and one good naked-eye viewing opportunities as it passes over central Pennsylvania this week.

The ISS is expected to appear in our sky at 8:38 p.m. Thursday, March 18, about the width of a fist at the end of an outstretched arms (10 degrees) above the southwest horizon. Over the next 5 minutes it will move toward the northeast, rising to a maximum height of 89 degrees before disappearing at 31 degrees above northeast.

It will appear at 7:51 p.m. Friday, March 19, about 10 degrees above the southwest horizon, moving to the east-northeast and rising to 50 degrees over 7 minutes and then disappearing at 10 degrees above east-northeast.

NASA explains, The horizon is at zero degrees, and directly overhead is 90 degrees. If you hold your fist at arms length and place your fist resting on the horizon, the top will be about 10 degrees. Each additional fist-width above the horizon is roughly another 10 degrees of elevation.

NASA doesnt issue one of its Spot the Station alerts for anything less than 40 degrees, and the space station is not expected to meet or top that point again this week.

According to NASA, the space station looks like an airplane or a very bright star moving across the sky, except it doesnt have flashing lights or change direction. It will also be moving considerably faster than a typical airplane (airplanes generally fly at about 600 miles per hour; the space station flies at 17,500 miles per hour).

Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.
Since being outlawed by Russia as "extremist" in 2017, more than 50 Jehovah's Witnesses have been imprisoned in Russia and the occupied Ukrainian region of Crimea for up to 7 1/2 years. Here's what you need to know about the challenges facing the denomination, which has about 8 million followers worldwide.

Terrified animals are being kept in tiny cages, electrocuted in agony and then skinned in front of their still-living cage mates at fur farms in China.

Investigators exposed horrifying scenes at 13 farms in northern China that they visited last year and which were raising raccoon dogs, foxes and mink for their fur.

They found workers ignoring basic guidelines for raising and slaughtering the animals, exposing them to torment and stress, along with painful deaths.

Staff also ignored Covid guidelines, risking outbreaks and mutations by exposing animals which can contract the virus to infection.

Activists uncovered horrifying scenes at 13 fur farms in northern China between November and December last year as thousands of foxes, raccoon dogs and mink were slaughtered

Raccoon dogs and foxes were found inside tiny wire cages that provide little protection from the elements and no stimulation while they wait to be slaughtered

Animals were filmed pacing and making repetitive movements, which is a sign of stress and trauma due to the conditions they are being kept in

Workers at the farms also failed to follow Covid safety precautions - which is particularly concerning since they were rearing mink (pictured) which are susceptible to infection

One farmer even claimed that the meat from slaughtered animals is being sold to nearby restaurants and served to unsuspecting diners, putting them at risk.

The investigation was carried out by Humane Society International as part of its #FurFreeBritain campaign, calling on the UK to end the import of fur from overseas.

Animal workers visited 13 farms spread across north and northeastern China between November and December 2020, though did not reveal exactly where they are located to protect their investigators.

Two of the farms were classed as large institutions, meaning they house more than 1,000 animals each, while the rest were 'medium-sized', meaning up to 500 animals.

Roughly 80 per cent of those animals will be killed each year, between November and December once they have grown to size.

The remaining 20 per cent will be kept as breeding stock. That means, of the farms investigators visited, at least 5,600 animals were slaughtered over two months.

Video taken at some of the farms reveals foxes, raccoon dogs and ferrets kept in tiny wire cages that are barely big enough for them to stand or walk around in.

The animals are deprived of all stimulation, with only a water and food bowl stuck through the bars of the cage, and nothing else to keep them occupied.

Footage reveals the animals howling, pacing in their cages, and making repetitive movements which are a sign of trauma and distress.

Animals were inexpertly electrocuted - leaving them writhing in agony and suffering prolonged and painful deaths instead of being knocked out

A fox is seen inside its bare wire cage with the only stimulation being a bowl of food poking through the bars before being slaughtered

Of the 13 farms investigators observed, they are thought to have slaughtered at least 5,600 animals between November and December

A mink is seen in a bare wire cage at one of the fur farms before being taken to be slaughtered

Workers are then captured electrocuting the animals - a method of slaughter that is meant to guarantee the most humane death by knocking them unconscious while stopping their hearts.

But staff at the farms administer the jabs in a haphazard way, randomly stabbing animals in their bodies before passing a high-voltage current through them.

Professor Alastair MacMillan, a vet who advises HSI, said the method bypasses the animal's brain - leaving them fully conscious while they are given the shocks.

Instead of passing out the animals are stunned and suffer prolonged and agonising deaths as their hearts shut down, similar to suffering a series of heart attacks.

The dead animals are then skinned in full view of their still-living cage-mates, causing further distress to the animals.

China is home to the largest fur producing industry in the world, rearing 14 million foxes, 13.5 million raccoon dogs and 11.6 million mink in 2019 including for export overseas to countries including the United Kingdom.

The carcasses of dead animals are piled up in front of their still-living cage mates to be skinned

The pelts of some of the foxes are displayed before being sold. The UK imports some 5.3million worth of fur from China each year

In 2019 the UK imported 5.3million of fur from China alone, and over the past five years imported furs worth 25.5million.

The top five countries exporting furs to the UK in terms of volume are Italy, France, China, Turkey and the United States.

Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International/UK, said: 'This is the sickening reality of life and death for animals on fur farms, a million miles from the glamorous image the fur trade tries to portray.

'It is heartbreaking to know that the first and only time these raccoon dogs see the world outside of their cage is the moment they are wrenched from it with the agony of a high voltage electric shock paralysing their bodies.

'In addition to the cramped conditions, our investigators also witnessed an almost total lack of disease control and health protection measures on fur farms, which is extremely worrying considering that mink, raccoon dogs and foxes are all capable of contracting coronaviruses.

'The UK imports millions of pounds worth of fur from China as well as many other countries, and there is absolutely nothing to stop fur from farms just like those we filmed at from being sold in UK shops and webstores.'
Gurugram, March 15 : A 22-year-old woman was allegedly lured and raped in Manesar in Gurugram district by a man on the pretext of finding her a job.

The medical examination of the woman has confirmed rape, the police said on Monday. The accused is absconding.

The woman is a native of Chamoli district in Uttarakhand and currently resides in Aliyar village in Gurugram.

The woman in her complaint told the police that nearly 4-5 days ago, she had come in contact with the accused Amit Kaushik, a Delhi resident, on Facebook messenger.

"During the online chat, Amit told me that he was a Delhi resident and used to commute to and from Gurugram. After this, he promised me a job at a reputed company in Manesar," she told the police.

"On Sunday, Amit called me and told me he had arranged a 'good job' for me. He asked me to reach Manesar immediately," the girl said.

"Trusting Amit, I went to Manesar where he took me to a hotel there and offered some soft drink laced with sedatives. After consuming the drink, I lost my senses and then he raped me," the victim told the police.

"After committing the crime, Amit threatened me with dire consequences if I narrated the incident to anyone. Later, I filed a complaint at Manesar women police station," the woman added.

"An FIR has been lodged against Amit under sections 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and a hunt is on to nab him," Pinki Devi, the Investigating Official, told IANS.
DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 15th Mar, 2021) Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and President of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU), the university today celebrated the graduation of the 10th and 11th batches of its Masters, Bachelors, and Diploma students from its school of business and Quality Management, School of e-Education, and School of Health and Environmental Studies.

Lt. Gen. Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chairman of Police and General Security in Dubai and Chairman of the board of Governors of HBMSU; and Members of the Board of Governors, attended the ceremony.

The university also held the graduation of its first PhD learners during the virtual ceremony, which is the first of its kind in the middle East and East Africa region to use the latest innovations in film production technology. With its use of advanced technologies, the event set a new benchmark for virtual university graduation ceremonies in a post-COVID-19 world.

The HBMSU graduation event, which was broadcast live on various digital channels, was attended by VIPs and dignitaries including Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor of HBMSU, and Members of the HBMSUs Board of Governors. Faculty and administrative staff, learners and their parents, were also present.

H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum sent a surprise e-mail message to the 516 female and male graduates: "So happy to share in the excitement of your graduation day, it is my pleasure to assure you that your HBMSU is very proud of you, and your well-deserved success. Best wishes for a bright future." The graduates expressed their happiness at H.H.s message, which reflected the leaderships keenness to enhance the morale, scholarship and creativity of the youth.

The first batch of PhD graduates included eight learners, of whom three were from the School of Business and Quality Management; three from the School of Health and Environmental Studies; and two from the School of e-Education. A total of 360 Masters degree, 146 Bachelors degree and several Diploma learners received their certificates virtually through blockchain technology. HBMSU is the first Arab university to adopt this advanced technology to enable graduates to share their academic certificates and degrees on their social media platforms or with other higher education institutions anytime, anywhere.

Lt. Gen. Tamim expressed his gratitude to Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed for his unremitting support and leadership, which have contributed greatly to enhancing HBMSUs global standing. He praised His Highness for his help in making HBMSU a beacon of knowledge and science for younger generations.

He congratulated all the graduates, saying: "We celebrate the accomplishment of our graduates today.

All of you reflect HBMSUs commitment to producing entrepreneurs rather than job seekers and transforming you into a great force driving the countrys advancement. This is in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to invest in the countrys young talent, who represent the UAEs most important asset. We will continue to adopt new methodologies and smart tools to further boost talent development, build specialised skills, and ensure that our young people are qualified to effectively drive growth and advancement," he said.

"In todays ceremony, we witnessed the graduation of the first group of PhD holders in several academic disciplines. We congratulate them on successfully obtaining this prestigious qualification. It shows that HBMSU offers higher education opportunities to those aspiring to continue their studies, in line with its bid to provide the community with highly qualified specialists, support scientific research, and cement the universitys academic leadership. The unique virtual ceremony is aligned with HBMSUs commitment to foster a culture of smart learning in the country and the region. In February 2019, our university pioneered online graduation ceremonies that leveraged advanced technologies and innovations."

Already a pioneer in smart learning, HBMSU has been achieving major successes and milestones in higher education development for almost two decades. "HBMSU has been investing for nearly two decades in smart learning to spread the culture of lifelong learning in the UAE. Today, HBMSU has reaped the benefits of its efforts through our 516 elite graduates, who are equipped to turn the UAEs ambitious aspirations into a reality," Lt. Gen. Tamim said.

The unique graduation ceremony is the first in the Middle East and East Africa region to use advanced film production techniques within an environment equipped with 3D and ultra-high-definition (4K) technologies. Advanced cameras, interactive screens, a high-tech studio, animation, and stop-motion technology were utilised for the event. The ceremony was broadcast on a custom landing page dedicated to the end user. The page had a live feed, engagement content, and a sharing feature. Users could chat, comment, or send emojis. The 360 Gallery introduced during the virtual graduation ceremony showcased the graduates and their scientific and academic achievements.

Out of the total graduates, 379 were from the School of Business and Quality; 107 were from the School of Health and Environmental Studies; and 30 from the School of E-education.
Prosecution demands 8-year prison terms for ex-investigators accused of bribery

 flickr.com/ Marco Verch

12:58 15/03/2021

MOSCOW, March 15 (RAPSI)  A prosecutor has demaded 8-year prison terms for two ex-investigators of the Investigative Committees Headquarters Sergey Dubinsky and Andrey Trinev charged with graft each, RAPSI has learnt from the press service of Moscows Basmanny District Court.

Moreover, the prosecution seeks a 15 million-ruble fine and deprivation of the right to hold public and law enforcement posts for 15 years and Colonel of Justice rank for Dubinsky and deprivation of the rank of Mayor of Justice and ban to hold similar posts for 10 years for Trinev.

Their sentencing is scheduled for Monday. The case has been launched upon an application filed by ex-attorney Alexey Kovrizhkin.
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwas office says it never got any letters from Nelson Chamisa regarding the mooted national talks, and neither was it aware of emissaries that the MDC Alliance leader sent to the president.

We are not in receipt of any letter from Chamisa at all. We are also not aware of any emissaries that he has sent to us. Thats completely untrue, Mnangagwas spokesperson George Charamba told the Daily News On Sunday yesterday.

This comes after Chamisa said on Thursday that he had written several letters and also sent a number of emissaries to Mnangagwa on the need to hold much-needed dialogue  but to no avail thus far.

Charamba also told the Daily News On Sunday yesterday that in spite of the confusion over Chamisas letters and emissaries, Mnangagwa remained ready to engage in dialogue with the opposition and other key stakeholders  in the interest of the country.

We have been ready from the first day after the results of the elections were announced in 2018.

We proceeded not just to offer him (Chamisa) recognition, we also made available a platform  the political actors dialogue (Polad)  for engaging him alongside all other politicians.

But we dont engage Chamisa to rescue his world that is collapsing, we engage Chamisa for national good, Charamba told the Daily News On Sunday.

We have been forced into election mode from the day after the 2018 election, and this is much regrettable  Creating Polad was to de-escalate electoral politics, but Chamisa decided not to join.

They thought that there is a magic wand in continued politicking electorally over a closed matter, without realising it could only underline their weaknesses and unreasonableness.

The dialogue is proceeding and engagement is happening every day, the tough-talking Charamba also told the Daily News On Sunday.

This comes as new opposition leader Douglas Mwonzora and Chamisa are stepping up the chase for talks with Mnangagwa and other key stakeholders, to help end the countrys decades-long political and economic crises.

It also comes as the opposition is set to hold nationwide consultations with Zimbabweans this weekend, on the mooted talks.

Charamba also said yesterday that while it was a positive thing that Chamisa now wanted dialogue with Mnangagwa, both the president and Zanu PF were not amused by the young mans dishonesty towards talks.

What we find unacceptable is for him to try and suggest that he is a crop above the rest  that is completely unacceptable.

Its not a crime for a young politician to realise the folly of his initial stance and seek engagement  thats normal in the learning curve of a political abstract.

What would be unacceptable is for that young politician to then try and legitimise his U-turn by making false claims, Charamba further told the Daily News On Sunday.

Last week, Chamisa twice publicly and directly called for both all-inclusive national talks and a joining of forces with other key stakeholders to deal with Zimbabwes myriad challenges.

I have written several letters to Mnangagwa. I have sent emissaries to Mnangagwa to say come let us reason together. This problem for Zimbabwe is too big for you.

You are incapable of solving it alone. It takes two to tango. Come lets look at the problem together. But he doesnt listen.

He has refused to listen. He has refused to understand where we are coming from. You cant say the country is normal  when student leaders are in jail, when senior MDC members are charged, when workers have had charges. That cant be normal, Chamisa told a meeting organised by Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition.

You cant be the only one who is right and everyone is wrong. That is what has to be corrected.

But it starts with understanding that something is fundamentally broken and that it needs to be fixed. And it can only be fixed by all of us, he also said.

But Charamba told the Daily News On Sunday yesterday that Chamisas sudden readiness to have dialogue was a face-saving act as his influence was dimming.

I dont think he has seen the light. What he has realised is that things are falling apart. We have seen a number of interests trying to rescue him, including foreign ones, but that cant be the basis of engaging Chamisa.

That he may have done as a way of face-saving is to hide behind fellow religious leaders who have tried to reach the president through the presidents uncle, vaMutendi (Zion Christian Church leader Bishop Nehemiah Mutendi), Charamba said further.

He also said the country was on a good economic trajectory, adding quickly that it was still important for people to dialogue for the good of the country.

However, Charamba chided the Church for reaching out to Western embassies over the countrys mooted national dialogue.

There is no leader, let alone in Zanu PF who declined dialogue  What is objectionable are two basic things, to distribute dialogue on a preferential basis and  to engage in dialogue which is prompted by foreign interests. These issues dont need foreigners. We are seeing church leaders who are going to the EU and Americans.

If they want funding to run their churches, thats entirely a different matter which should never be confused with Zimbabwes quest for national dialogue, which is a national initiative and which is an expression of national sovereignty, Charamba told the Daily News On Sunday.

This comes as Chamisa has intensified his push for talks, after the MDC Alliance said it had deployed people countrywide to consult on the scope of the planned dialogue that is meant to help end Zimbabwes myriad challenges.

We are dispatching 210 teams all over Zimbabwe in every constituency. This is a serious thing  Zimbabwe needs dialogue to have reforms.

We are engaging the people at various levels  including traditional leaders, our structures, business, trade unions and students. We are engaging citizens. The party will spearhead and not lead the process, MDC Alliance deputy spokesperson, Clifford Hlatywayo, told the Daily News On Sundays sister paper, the Daily News last week.

The issue of dialogue is to deal with the problems we are facing as a nation  The players are Mnangagwa, president Chamisa and the people of Zimbabwe, and these are the stakeholders who must take part in the dialogue.

There is no need to have Polad. The Zimbabwe crisis will not be solved by talking to friends only.

When we talk about nation-building there is a need to swallow pride. Even those who are not in good books must talk, Hlatywayo further told the Daily News.

All these issues are going to be discussed with the people. We are going to table them with the people. We need to take all on board, starting this weekend, he added.

All this also comes as there is a growing consensus among Zimbabwes key stakeholders on the urgent need for inclusive national dialogue to help end the countrys decades-long myriad challenges.

It also comes as the Church has presented a draft talks framework to Zanu PF, the MDC, Western powers and other stakeholders  as it pushes for Mnangagwa, Mwonzora and Chamisa to settle their political differences via the negotiating table. Daily News
The first Oakland students would be back in classrooms by March 30, with all elementary and at least one middle or high school grade back in schools by April 19 under a tentative deal reached by the district and union over the weekend.

The plan would reopen one of the largest districts in the Bay Area, where many of its 35,000 students have lacked the technology and resources to participate fully in distance learning.

Under the deal, preschool through second-grade students would return first, with older students phased in over the following two weeks. High-needs students across all grades, including homeless students, foster youth, English learners, disengaged students and those with special needs, among others, would also be able to return.

High-needs students make up about half the districts enrollment, officials said.

Based on the number of eligible children and families saying they would return, an estimated 13,000 students could be back in classrooms by mid-April.

Students would likely return part time, splitting the week between time in the classroom and virtual instruction.

I am thrilled, said kindergarten parent Selam Brown on Monday morning. Ill take a day a week. Ill take anything.

Her son, IV (pronounced ivy), short for Malchester Brown IV, attends Thornhill Elementary and has missed nearly a year of critical social interaction, Brown said.

He says all the time he doesnt have any friends, she said, adding that prior to distance learning he was never allowed access to a computer. Now hed rather stay in front of a screen than run outside.

Details on the return to in-person instruction were not immediately available, including how many days or hours students would be back in classrooms each week, but officials said they would provide additional information in the coming days.

Oakland is set to reopen prior to other large urban districts across the state, including San Francisco, with officials saying it is imperative to get students back given the devastating impact of distance learning, including mental health issues and learning loss. In addition, hundreds if not thousands of families have left the district, enrolling in private and charter alternatives or transferring to reopened public schools in nearby communities.

Getting our students safely back to a more normal routine will go a long way to fostering their education and their mental, physical and emotional well-being, said school board President Shanthi Gonzales.

The deal offers teachers a significant financial incentive, including a $2,000 stipend for all 2,700 union members who return to in-person learning. Thats in addition to $800 for teachers who opt to return voluntarily in March, according to a copy of the agreement obtained by The Chronicle.

All told, the agreement could cost the district well over $5 million in teacher stipends. However, the deal would allow Oakland to qualify for several million dollars in state funding tied to reopening.

Ideally everybody would have been thrilled about coming back, but I understand there is lot of fear and trepidation, Gonzales said. We do have a lot of additional money one-time from the state and federal government right now. This seems like a good use of it.

The agreement acknowledges that not all teachers will be fully vaccinated until mid-April, which is why officials will reopen the first sites in March with teachers who volunteer to return to in-person instruction.

All other teachers would be required to report to schools on April 14, with instruction for students through fifth grade, and one additional grade in middle or high school, who opt to return starting on April 19.

We believe that phasing in student return on April 19 allows all educators to complete their vaccinations, if they so choose, and for California's targeted vaccination program to reach our most vulnerable communities, said Keith Brown, president of the Oakland Education Association.

San Francisco teachers and district officials reached a reopening agreement prior to Oakland, but currently there are no plans to reopen middle and high school campuses, meaning they will likely not qualify for their share of the $2 billion available to districts across the state.

COVID Resources Coronavirus Map Tracking COVID-19 cases across the Bay Area and California.

What the Oakland school day would look like depends in part on how many families and teachers return. Gonzales said one possibility is distance learning for everyone in the mornings, with in-person students returning in the afternoon two days a week for lunch and class time.

The district has been readying classrooms for months to get ready for reopening, with most elementary schools ready for in-person instruction. The district is still assessing how to get students to schools, given limited public transportation options under pandemic bus schedules.

All that has to be figured out, Gonzales said.

A majority of elementary school families  representing 54% of 18,500 students  said they want to return to in-person learning, although the responses varied by race, according district officials. About 8% of families did not respond to requests to state a preference.

Thornhill parent Brown said she resents the rhetoric that implies those calling for reopening do not represent communities of color.

Its been really frustrating to hear people say that only rich white families want to go back, she said. We are minority through and through. We see how much IV needs to be back in school.

A majority of white, Black, Pacific Islander and multiple ethnicity families said they would return. A relative majority of Latino, Filipino American and low-income families also responded positively to in-person learning, although they had a higher rate of non-response. A majority of Asian American families said they preferred to remain in distance learning.

Communities of color and low-income families have been disproportionately hit by the pandemic, in terms of job loss as well as in the number of severe cases or deaths related to COVID-19. The district has a higher percentage of low-income families, with 72% of students on free or reduced-cost lunch, compared with 59% statewide. Many live in multigenerational housing as well and could be wary of returning to in-person instruction until vaccines are widely available.

This is a critical step forward for our students, families and staff, as we all can now see the light at the end of the tunnel of this yearlong ordeal, said Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell. I look forward to March 30 with great excitement for students and staff who are eager to be together again.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has urged Union minister to approve 26 road projects worth Rs 1,858 crore in the state and also requested him to consider developing a 'Narmada Expressway' from Amarkantak to the Gulf of Khambat.

Chouhan and Gadkari met at the CM's official residence here on Sunday evening.

"The chief minister has urged Gadkari to approve 26 road projects worth Rs 1,858 crore under the Central Road Fund Scheme," a public relations department official said.

Besides, Chouhan also requested the Minister for Road Transport and Highways to consider developing a 'Narmada Expressway', from the origin of the river Narmada in Amarkantak (MP) to the Gulf of Khambat (Gujarat) with an industrial corridor on its both sides, the official said.

Gadkari informed on the occasion that under the Bharat Mala scheme, an action plan has been made to provide Rs 50,000 crore to MP for the development of national highways.

The Union minister also urged the state government to get forest clearances and land acquisition works done on priority, the official said.

Chouhan said the world famous Khajuraho temple city in MP is being developed by the Union Tourism Ministry as an "iconic site". Therefore, it is necessary to develop a 10.15- km-long Banitha-Khajuraho national highway as a four-lane road for providing smooth connectivity to the world heritage site.

A proposal of Rs 71 crore for this is pending for approval with the central government and the CM urged Gadkari to give his ministry's nod as the earliest, the official said.

Chouhan also suggested linking the Indore-Jabalpur road via Budhni to reduce the distance between the two cities.

Later, addressing the inaugural session of the 'Sarthak Eduvision 2021', a three-day event organised here by the Bhartiya Shiksha Mandal, Gadkari said the education policy should have provisions to fulfil the country's requirement for the next 50 years for achieving long-term objectives.

He also insisted on having a provision for new experiments in life, and highlighted how he has encouraged the production of paint with the use of cow dung, which has not only cleared all quality standards but is also 50 per cent cheaper than the popular brands of paints.

The Union minister suggested for setting up one such factory of producing paint using cow dung in each village of the country so that villagers can sell the cow dung for Rs 5 per kg to the plant owners and in the process, the rural economy and growth will improve, the official said.
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SEATTLE  Two old four-plexes at 409-415 Federal Ave. E. sold last month for $2.2 million, according to King County records. The buyer was Federal Ave Apartment LLC, which is associated with MRN Homes and developer Michael R. Nelson.

No plans have been filed. Public records indicate a loan from First Federal Savings & Loan of Port Angeles. The deal was worth about $221 per square foot for the land.





. . .
South Australia is to question travellers from NSW and Queensland amid concerns over new COVID-19 cases in those states.

Recent travellers to South Australia from NSW and Queensland will be messaged to check on any exposure to new COVID-19 cases in those states.

Text messages will be sent out asking people to complete a short survey to check if they have been to any places of risk.

But no other restrictions are being put in place at this stage.

South Australia is to question travellers from NSW and Queensland amid concerns over new COVID-19 cases in those states (stock picture)

Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier says while there are new infections, they were picked up quickly.

'We have very good information about where the people have been,' she said.

'They have really good contact tracing and all of the information has been shared with us.

'I'm quite happy with the situation at the moment.'

In Queensland, a doctor at a Brisbane hospital tested positive, while in NSW a worker at a quarantine hotel has also become infected.

Also on Monday, Professor Spurrier, Premier Steven Marshall and Health Minister Steven Wade received their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

Mr Marshall said SA delivered about 8000 doses in the first three weeks, short of its initial target of 12,000.

But the premier said he made no apologies for taking a steady approach.

'We said from day one we want to get this right, not rushed,' he said.

On the flip side, Mr Marshall said the government was very happy with the spread of the vaccine across the state, with clinics set up in a number of regional and remote areas.
Brussels, March 15 : The European Union (EU) launched a formal infringement process against Britain by sending a letter of formal notice to its former member state on Monday, accusing the country of breaking the Northern Ireland Protocol and the good faith obligation under the Withdrawal Agreement.

It is the second time in a period of six months that the British government is set to breach international law, the European Commission stressed in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

Not long ago, Britain unilaterally extended grace periods for implementing post-Brexit checks on goods going from Britain to Northern Ireland. The first of these periods was to expire at the end of March but Britain said they will be extended until October.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that the decision to suspend parts of the Northern Irish protocol was lawful and right.

"We think it's lawful, and indeed, we think it's right, in view of the impact on the peace process and the Good Friday Agreement, and the need to have consent from both communities," Johnson said, referring to an agreement signed in April 1998 to help bring to an end a period of conflict in Northern Ireland.

Rejecting Johnson's claim, European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic said the Northern Ireland Protocol is the only way to protect the Good Friday Agreement and to preserve peace and stability while avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland and maintaining the integrity of the EU single market.

"Unilateral decisions and international law violations by the UK (United Kingdom) defeat its very purpose and undermine trust between us," Sefcovic said, urging Britain to properly implement the protocol while solving the issues in the EU-UK Joint Committee without recourse to further legal means.

The Northern Ireland Protocol, as an integral part of the Withdrawal Agreement, was ratified by both the EU and Britain and has been in force since February 1, 2020.
Karnataka Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Monday announced that he would contest the next Assembly election, drawing curtains on speculation over his political future.

I will contest the next election. I wont run away, Siddaramaiah said in the Legislative Assembly during his speech on the Budget, which took a brief political detour. Let there be no doubt on this. I hope Ive clarified this to the people of the state.

Siddaramaiah said this after Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri nudged him to spell out what he had in mind.

Also read  Siddaramaiah questions heavy excise duty on petrol, diesel

The BJP was quick to point out that Siddaramaiahs announcement was not only aimed at the people of the state, but also those within the Congress. Ostensibly, they meant Karnataka Pradesh Congress President (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar.

It is no secret that Siddaramaiah is nursing his ambition to become chief minister for a second term, which could come in the way of Shivakumars shot at the top post if the Congress is to win the next Assembly elections scheduled in 2023.

Siddaramaiah had said that the 2018 Assembly election would be his last. However, there is pressure on him from his loyalists within the party to contest the next election. It is not for (Siddaramaiah) to decide, former Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar said during this exchange.

Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, in a banter, said Siddaramaiah had conveyed the message to the right people within his party by announcing his intention to contest the next election. Minutes after Siddaramaiah said that, Shivakumar walked into the Assembly. See, I was right, Bommai quipped.

When Revenue Minister R Ashoka asked Siddaramaiah which constituency he would contest from, the Congress leader jokingly said Padmanabhanagar, which is Ashokas turf. He later said, I'm now representing Badami. I will continue there.

Earlier, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said Siddaramaiahs dream of coming to power would remain unfulfilled. Your dream is impossible. Also, you are criticising the Budget, which women have welcomed across the board. On the basis of this Budget, lets both go to the people in the upcoming bypolls. We will see what people decide, Yediyurappa said.

To this, Siddaramaiah dared Yediyurappa to dissolve the Assembly and face fresh elections. Why bypolls? If you are so confident, dissolve this Assembly. Let's see who gets the mandate, he said.

Siddaramaiah was the first chief minister in four decades to complete the full five-year term. In the 2018 polls, he contested from two seats - Chamundeshwari and Badami. He lost Chamundeshwari badly, while winning Badami in what was a close call.


Chicago had a snow depth of 7 inches  the deepest ever for the day  on March 17, 1960. The day was also memorable for two teenagers who used St. Patricks Day as their excuse for skipping school. Both wandered almost 1 mile out onto an ice-covered Lake Michigan. Onlookers at 79th Street tipped off police, who escorted the boys off the ice and to the Grand Crossing police station where they received a scolding from juvenile officers, according to the Tribune.
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At least 38 more people have been killed on Sunday as security forces in intensified their crackdown against anti- protesters to crush demonstrations calling for the reinstatement of the elected government.

According to an advocacy group, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), at least 126 people have been killed due to violent and arbitrary crackdowns, and casualties are drastically increasing in number.

"As of March 14, a total of 2,156 people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the attempted military on February 1... A total of 1,837 are still under detention or have outstanding charges/evading arrest," the AAPP said in a statement.

The group said that live ammunition was used to crush protests in Hlaing Tharyar, Shwe Pyi Thar, South Okkalapa, North Okkalapa, North Dagon, South Dagon, Thingangyun, Tamwe, Kyi Myin Tine Townships, Yangon region, Bago City, Mandalay City, Loikaw in Kayah State, Hpakant in Kachin State.

"In Hlaing Thar Yar, Yangon, many of the people were killed and injured by large numbers of junta forces and became like a battlefield. As per the current confirmed documentation, 22 civilians died and more than 20 wounded, three are in critical condition in that township. Junta forces did not leave the streets and wards and they violated and arsoned neighbourhoods," the group said.

"A similarly extreme crackdown occurred in Bago resulting in two deaths (including one woman) and 19 injuries. The woman died on the spot from a headshot. The junta forces threw this body into a ditch, covered with rubbish then left, said the residents," the statement further read.

As shootings with unarmed students and youths intensify, factories and departmental offices have also been set ablaze by the junta forces in some townships

Large numbers of protesters have taken to the streets of since the military seized power in the February 1 coup, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, despite the increasingly deadly posture taken by security forces to quiet the wave of protests.

Despite increasing pressure to restore the democratically-elected government, the junta have ignored the condemnation and has continued to violently suppress the protests against its unlawful takeover of the country. Several ousted lawmakers have even designated the military as a terrorist organisation.

(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.)
Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova has authorized three new suspicions to former PrivatBank officials.

She made the corresponding statement on Monday on Facebook.

"Some UAH 8 billion  this is the amount of losses that the management of the then non-state PrivatBank inflicted on the citizens of Ukraine in 2016, and as of today, to the state budget of the country. More precisely, in the language of criminal procedure, detectives and prosecutors suspect the chairman of the board of committing this crime," Venediktova said.

She said that in 2015, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), on its own initiative, carried out an audit of the 20 largest banks in Ukraine, including, of course, the largest  PrivatBank.

"In the course of this audit, it turned out that the required amount of additional capitalization of the bank is UAH 113.1 billion. In short and without going into complicated details, the main and basic reason for the institution's 'morbidity' was that, according to experts from the NBU, 90% of the loan portfolio was at risk due to the fact that these loans were issued to persons who are closely associated with the former owners of the bank," the prosecutor general said.

She said that on December 16, 2016, the former owners of the bank addressed a letter in the officially established manner to the Prime Minister of Ukraine with a request to make a positive decision by the Cabinet of Ministers on the acquisition of PrivatBank shares by the state.

"Thus, the Chairman of the Board, the Deputy Chairman of the Board and at the same time Head of the Bank's Treasury and the Head of the Interbank Operations Department of the Bank's Treasury were well aware that control over the bank's funds would be lost in the near future. As a result of the emergence of a criminal plan, the essence of which was to waste the bank's funds, the officials of PrivatBank decided to illegally write off the monetary obligations of foreign companies to the bank and at the expense of the same bank. Technically, the management in this case decided to replace the debtor: instead of the aforementioned foreign companies, Claresholm Marketing Ltd had to pay off the debts of PrivatBank," Venediktova said.

She added that the investigation has all the necessary evidence from the signing of documents "retroactively" to the introduction of fictitious data in the accounting documentation.

"In addition to the episode mentioned above, detectives and prosecutors have already informed the Chairman of the Board about the suspicion of embezzlement of PrivatBank's funds by unlawful accrual and payment on December 16, 2016, of an unjustified additional premium [indexed commission] in favor of a legal entity associated with the bank  Ingosstrakh Insurance Company. The investigating authorities believe that the bank officials, as of the date of the implementation of their criminal plan, were well aware of the NBU's decision on the connection between PrivatBank and Ingosstrakh," the prosecutor general said.

She also said that the participation of other persons involved in these and other crimes in the investigation of criminal proceedings from the orbit of PrivatBank is being carefully investigated by the relevant law enforcement agencies.

"There will be conclusion - there will be new charges. As before, our slogan has not changed - no politics, only criminal procedural pragmatism," Venediktova said.

The press service of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) said that in December 2016, on the eve of the nationalization of PrivatBank, the incumbent Chairman of the bank's Board ordered to transfer $314.9 million (UAH 8.2 billion at the NBU rate) from a correspondent account opened in one of the European banks, as repayment of debt on previously issued letters of credit to two agricultural trader companies.

NABU said that this scheme is the second episode of the criminal activities of the top management of PrivatBank, which was exposed by NABU detectives. The first concerned a scheme to withdraw almost UAH 140 million through an insurance company controlled by the former beneficiaries of the financial institution.

"To date, five people have been prosecuted in both episodes: the former Chairman of PrivatBank's board, two of his deputies and two heads of departments. The former chairman of PrivatBank is a suspect in both episodes," NABU said.
HOLLAND, MI  The Hope College community is mourning the loss of Jennifer Hampton, a physics professor who was killed in a crash Sunday, March 14.

Hampton, 48, was killed when another driver went through a red light on Chicago Drive and hit Hamptons vehicle, going north on Waverly Road, in the drivers side, Holland police said.

This loss brings deep sorrow for all of us who knew and loved Jenny as a colleague, friend and teacher, Hope College President Matthew A. Scogin said in a message to the campus community.

As kind and encouraging as she was brilliant, Jenny was a bright light at Hope.

Hampton taught at Hope since 2007. She was a physics professor and department chair. She was described by Hope College as a dedicated mentor of students in collaborative research.

She was remembered during Monday mornings chapel service, held virtually because of the pandemic.

She taught at all levels in the physics program and was faculty contact for Material Characterization Lab, which includes Hopes scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope, the college said.

Her research interests were highly multidisciplinary, drawing from chemistry and materials engineering as well as physics, and her areas of expertise included electrochemistry, nanoscale science, scanning probe microscopy, and batteries and fuel cells, the Hope College statement said.

She earned multiple grants from the National Science Foundation and published articles in its journals.

Her work with students focused on understanding and controlling the fabrication of inorganic thin films and nanostructures for energy related applications, Hope College said.

She was a member of Faith Christian Reformed Church where she served as a pastoral deacon and on the missions team.

A 1995 graduate of Oberlin College, she earned her PhD in physics from Cornell University.

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RICHMOND, Va., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the nonprofit managing the nation's organ transplant system, is partnering with the Virginia Modeling, Analysis & Simulation Center (VMASC) at Old Dominion University to develop a series of simulation models to examine the impact of possible changes to the transplant ecosystem.

Simulation modeling solves real-world challenges, enabling UNOS to leverage big data and predictive artificial intelligence to enhance research efforts. Feedback from these models will help researchers gain knowledge in anticipating and responding to potential threats and opportunities.

"UNOS is committed to innovating how we analyze, evaluate and improve the system to save more lives through transplant," said Ryan Ehrensberger, chief growth officer at UNOS. "That's why we're building simulation models to study the potential impact that changes such as emerging health trends, evolving patient and donor characteristics, and changing behaviors might have on the system and on the patients we serve."

The connection between UNOS and VMASC, a leading enterprise research center focusing on computer simulation modeling, data analytics and cybersecurity, will result in developing a robust tool for studying the transplant system.

"Simulation modeling is a powerful tool to experiment with complex systems, safely and securely in the simulated world," said VMASC Executive Director Eric Weisel. "Model building immerses experts, often from very different communities, together in a virtual laboratory that allows each to look at a challenge through their unique world view and contribute to a better outcome. I am convinced that research partnerships with leading institutions, like UNOS, are the best way to achieve real solutions to meaningful problems with lasting impact."

Click to learn more about simulation modeling at VMASC and other innovative research at UNOS.

About UNOS

United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is the mission-driven non-profit serving as the nation's transplant system under contract with the federal government. We lead the network of transplant hospitals, organ procurement organizations, and thousands of volunteers who are dedicated to honoring the gifts of life entrusted to us and to making lifesaving transplants possible for patients in need. Working together, we leverage data and advances in science and technology to continuously strengthen the system, increase the number of organs recovered and the number of transplants performed, and ensure patients across the nation have equitable access to transplant.

About VMASC

The Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center (VMASC) is an enterprise center of Old Dominion University, supporting the University's research mission through innovation, workforce development, and industry ecosystem engagement programs that create and integrate digital technologies into everyday practice. VMASC's research staff of faculty, scientists, support professionals, and students perform scientific research, develop computational models, and create information-to-insight and digital engineering solutions in the areas such as secure and intelligent critical systems, spaceflight and autonomy, and digital health and health equity.

SOURCE United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)

Related Links

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The arrests are the closest federal prosecutors have come to identifying and charging anyone associated with the deaths that happened during and after the riot. Five people died, including a woman who was shot by a police officer inside the Capitol. But many rioters are facing charges of injuring police officers, who were attacked with bats, sprayed with irritants, punched and kicked, and rammed with metal gates meant to keep the insurrectionists from the Capitol.
MBABANE - The businessman whose private farm is now guarded by soldiers fears that this is part of a hostile takeover of his farm.

He is also very concerned that this attempt involves a member of the royal family, who also happens to be a senior member of the Eswatini Defence Force (EUDF). The soldiers were deployed at Portion 3, Farm 982, a private property owned by Mandla Mkhaliphi at Sicunusa, a month ago with government claiming it was done to stop illegal mining which is disputed by the farm owner. Yes our commercial mining license, which we obtained in 2013, expired in 2018, but they cannot capitalise on that because the mining authority knows that our initial application required that we can mine and sell the product for many years. We all know that the five year renewal was not necessarily aimed at stopping operations but to allow auditing and environmental assessments. I dont know why the soldiers targeted my farm. For now any answer can be an assumption, he said.

Resisted

According to Mkhaliphi, he and his business partners first resisted when the soldiers approached them between June and August in 2019 after operations had long started in 2016.

The plan to crush the stone was implemented in 2015 before the initial operation in September, 2016, according to Mkhaliphi. He stated that they learnt about the sensitivity of the matter when the soldiers allegedly informed them that the quarry belonged to a member of the royal family who is now a senior member of the army. Mkhaliphi said they didnt make much of the matter then because they are emaSwati and were loyal to the countrys authorities, adding that their loyalty could not be questioned.

The farm in question forms part of a quarry. A quarry is a place where rocks, sand, or minerals are extracted from the surface of the earth. It is also defined as an open-pit mine, because it is open to the earths surface. The most common purpose of quarries is to extract stone for building materials. In an interview last Friday, Mkhaliphi confirmed ownership of the farm.

His confirmation came after this publication had established that Portion 3, Farm 982 situated at Sicunusa was registered under his name at the Deeds Registry. The government system shows that the farm belongs to Abednego Mkhaliphi Mandla. Mkhaliphi also confirmed that mere presence of the soldiers induced fear for his life.

He said there has never been a deployment of soldiers at or near his farm since he started the commercial quarry business in 2013 after obtaining the commercial quarry license from the Minerals Management Board in 2013. According to Mkhaliphi, the mining licence was valid for five years and was renewable. In his case, he stated that his mining licence lapsed in 2018. At that time, he said, crushing had been stopped as there were a few business operations taking place in the country. We applied for renewal of the licence before its lapse in 2018; however, there was no response from the Minerals Management Board. We were advised to reapply for the renewal, which we did in February this year, he said.

Stopping

The senior citizen stated that he learnt something new when they received a letter stopping them from operating what was referred to as a project quarry. This, he said was because they never applied for a project quarry. There is a difference between a project quarry and a commercial quarry licence. Project quarry means that government can make a study and hire a company to crush the rock and process the rock for a specific project. In commercial quarry, it means an individual can obtain a license and crush the rock for sale, he said. There has been information to the effect that the quarry mined at Mkhaliphis private farm was intended for the on-going construction of the Sicunusa/Gege and Nhlangano public road. It was also stated by some of the areas authorities that the State deployed the soldiers to stop illegal sale of the quarry. When that was put to Mkhaliphi, he stated that he was not aware of the claims.

The businessman mentioned that the crush stone had been sold to different companies and individuals for different purposes as it was mined with the commercial quarry license. He stated that the companies included Kukhanya, which had tendered for the Sicunusa/ Gege and Nhlangano Public Road.
DUBLIN, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "The Rise Of The African Cloud - 2021: How Global And Local Cloud Platforms Are Powering Africa's Digital Economy" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The African cloud is rising. This research finds that the use of standard cloud services is already widespread in the African continent, turbocharged by the COVID-19 pandemic. Cloud-based office applications are increasingly vital components of the African modern workplace. The rise of the cloud in the African market ostensibly goes beyond basic office applications. From banks looking to accelerate the rollout of new applications to startups disrupting entire industries with innovative, cloud-powered models, cloud services are transforming Africa's productive capacity and emerging as one of the most essential pillars of Africa's digital transformation.

There is some way to go, for Africa is, in truth, a tough place for cloud services. Many countries do not offer adequate, affordable, broadband speeds; latency to cloud data centers is too high from many locations. And perhaps most of all, the cloud is fundamentally about putting trust in what you cannot see, in a region where seeing and touching are essential to trust. All the same, the upside is considerable - and cloud services represent an opportunity that only the undiscerning would be prompt to dismiss.

This report is an extensive attempt to frame and quantify this opportunity. It is about the near-term economic, commercial and investor upside presented by the rapid adoption of cloud services in the African market.

From banks looking to accelerate the rollout of new applications to startups disrupting entire industries with innovative, cloud-powered models, cloud services are transforming Africa's productive capacity and emerging as one of the most essential pillars of Africa's digital transformation. The report is a comprehensive analysis on African private and public cloud services markets, including analysis of enterprise demand and cloud migration dynamics; market sizing and forecasting; competitive analysis; and much, much more.

Key Topics Covered:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

On market readiness and the broader state of cloud adoption

On why, and how African enterprises are moving to the cloud

On financial services and public sector cloud migration

On the impact of hyperscale cloud providers in the African IT competitive landscape

On the size and growth potential of cloud services in Africa

The African cloud market: a snapshot

PART I ASSESSING AFRICAN READINESS AND DEMAND FOR CLOUD SERVICES

How ready is the African market for cloud services?

About the Cloud Index - assessing cloud adoption maturity

From infrastructure to market impetus, five main dimensions

From infrastructure to market impetus, five main dimensions

From cloud aspirants to cloud leaders - key Africa cloud maturity categories

cloud maturity categories African cloud maturity has made a big leap

Sample Africa cloud readiness radars

cloud readiness radars What is the state of cloud adoption in Africa ?

? From cloud awareness to usage to migration - a widening gap

Why are African companies migrating to the cloud?

Why are African companies migrating to the cloud? Stability, security, scalability

Why are African enterprises NOT moving to the public cloud (faster)?

The public cloud in Africa - assessing usage patterns

- assessing usage patterns The public cloud in Africa - when a low trust, high touch culture meets a high trust, low touch concept

- when a low trust, high touch culture meets a high trust, low touch concept Key obstacles to the adoption of cloud services in Africa - what our surveys say

- what our surveys say How are African enterprises using, and migrating to the cloud?

Which cloud applications do African enterprises use? SaaS first, but IaaS is picking up

Charting the African approaches to cloud migration

African migration to the cloud - a rough mapping by industry vertical

What our surveys say - approach to cloud migration

PART II THE CLOUD CASE FOR AFRICA'S FINANCIAL SERVICES SECTOR, PUBLIC SECTOR AND STARTUPS

African Banks' migration to the cloud: motive, means and opportunity

Financial services cloud adoption - SaaS is highly popular

African bank migration to the cloud: forerunners, laggards and hybrid models

Financial services approaches to cloud migration - a mapping

Breaking down the financial services cloud migration model(s)

African banks and the cloud - charting Africa's biggest tech spenders

biggest tech spenders The African public sector: leveraging the cloud to transform service delivery

African public sector digital transformation and a COVID-19 moment

From ministries to NGOs - a complex maze of cloud adoption patterns

African public sector approaches to cloud migration - a mapping

Migrating to the cloud - key African public sector patterns

A strong cloud adoption outlook

African public sector cloud outlook - key charts

How African startups use the cloud

Overview - Startups and the cloud

How African startups use the cloud

Which platforms do African startups use?

PART III MSPs, HYPERSCALE AND THE EXPLODING AFRICAN CLOUD COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE



What is the cloud outlook for the African MSP?

A mixed landscape for the African managed service provider - challenging and exciting

African managed service providers and the mid-market, small business opportunity

The African MSP value proposition - local is lekker

The African MSP challenge - mistrust, and the high cost of expertise

Africa's large system integrators - a mixed outlook

large system integrators - a mixed outlook Africa's cloud specialists - the rising stars

cloud specialists - the rising stars Africa's cloud providers - from hybrid plays to generalists

cloud providers - from hybrid plays to generalists The hyperscale cloud in Africa

Hyperscale cloud overview

Global cloud provider Africa infrastructure - a snapshot

infrastructure - a snapshot Which cloud platforms are African enterprises using?

Key African customers by public cloud platform

Hyperscale cloud player overview - the leaders

Hyperscale cloud player overview - the challengers

PART IV CLOUD MARKET SIZE AND OUTLOOK: THE NUMBERS

How big is the African cloud opportunity?

A seismic shift in African enterprise spending on ICT

A seismic shift in the African enterprise market - and the increasing weight of IT services

African cloud services - inching towards the $3bn ARR mark

ARR mark Key cloud markets: South Africa and financial services

and financial services How big is the African public cloud opportunity?

The last frontier for the public cloud

Africa public cloud - it's a SaaS world - but IaaS is rising fast

public cloud - it's a SaaS world - but IaaS is rising fast Africa public cloud growth - key charts

public cloud growth - key charts Forecasting the African cloud

Our Africa cloud forecasts

cloud forecasts Our Africa public cloud forecast

public cloud forecast Table - Africa top 10 markets - Total managed cloud services revenue

top 10 markets - Total managed cloud services revenue Table - Africa top 10 markets - Public cloud services revenue

PART V COUNTRY ANALYSIS: FROM SOUTH AFRICA TO NIGERIA, SOME CLOUD MARKET SNAPSHOTS

South Africa

Kenya

Nigeria

Companies Mentioned

Alibaba Cloud

Altron

AWS

BCX

Cellulant

Dimension Data

Discovery Bank

EOH

Equity Bank

Gijima

Google

Huawei Cloud

IBM

iRoko

Konbo 360

Konga

Liquid Telecom

Maroc Telecom

Microsoft

Nedbank

NIBSS

Node Africa

Oracle

Routed Hosting

Salesforce

Siatik

SITA

ST Digital

Standard Bank

Sterling Bank

Synthesis Software

T-Systems

VMWare

Vodacom

Wragby

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/oajb9k

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

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Oman has joined China in blocking Clubhouse . The official line is that the audio-chat app is barred for not having the correct permit. However, some believe the move was an act of censorship.

Residents of the Gulf state have been sharing error messages from the app on other platforms. Reuters notes that Clubhouse has become popular in Arab countries, where states typically run media organizations and residents can face prison for sharing critical opinions online.

By its nature, Clubhouse is harder for governments to monitor than text-based social networks. There's currently no easy option to listen to discussions after the fact. However, there have been instances of users sharing audio from the app elsewhere.


remaining of

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Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Ruslan Demchenko was authorized to deal with bilateral relations with Russia only on April 27, 2010, six days after the signing of the Kharkiv agreements, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said.

"Ruslan Demchenko was appointed to the post of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on February 17, 2010 by order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 227-r. At the same time, according to order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs No. 82 on the distribution of duties between deputy ministers, his powers included bilateral relations with the Russian Federation only on April 27 - that is, six days after the signing of the Kharkiv agreements and their submission for ratification to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine," the press service of the ministry informed in response to an inquiry from the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Saturday.

As reported, the Main Investigation Department of the Security Service of Ukraine began a pretrial investigation against officials of state authorities on the fact of committing high treason in 2008-2010.

The SBU press center told Interfax-Ukraine that the investigators are investigating, in particular, the circumstances of the preparation and signing of the "Agreement between Ukraine and the Russian Federation on the stay of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on the territory of Ukraine until 2042" on April 21, 2010, compliance regulations and procedures during its approval by the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada. According to preliminary data from the investigation, the signing of this document led to an increase in the number of personnel of military formations and special services of the Russian Federation involved in the annexation of the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in 2014.
The first woman to accuse New York governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment has blasted national leaders for not calling for his resignation, as President Joe Biden refused to do so in his first public comments about the claims.

Last month, Lindsey Boylan, a former staffer with the Cuomo administration, accused the governor of sexually harassing her on several occasions, with six other women later making detailed accusations against him.

Following the claims, New York State attorney General Letitia James launched an investigation, as several prominent politicians including Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and New York City mayor Bill de Blasio called for his resignation.

On Friday, 16 of the 19 members of the Democrats House delegation also called for Mr Cuomo to resign, saying that the allegations impede his ability to effectively govern the state. The governor has refused to resign and has denied any wrongdoing.

However, despite calls to resign from prominent New York politicians, Mr Biden, his vice president Kamala Harris and House speaker Nancy Pelosi, are yet to call for Mr Cuomos resignation.

Read More:

Seemingly referencing their silence in a tweet on Sunday, Ms Boylan wrote: If you are a national leader asked to weigh in on @NYGovCuomo and you do not call for his resignation at this point, you do not care about womens equality.

On the same day, Mr Biden made his first comments on the claims, telling reporters on the White House South Lawn that I think the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings us.

Clarifying Mr Bidens comments later in the day, White House chief of staff Ron Klein said: What the President said is that theres a process. These charges are very serious charges. They ought to be investigated and that process ought to run its course.

However, Mr Biden has still not called for Mr Cuomos resignation, while Ms Harris has not publicly weighed in on the accusations.

Although Ms Pelosi said on Sunday that the women should be believed when asked about the claims, the house speaker added that she has confidence in the attorney general of New York and her investigation, but did not call for Mr Cuomos resignation.

Mr Cuomo defended himself in a press conference last week, saying that there are often many motivations for making an allegation, seemingly accusing the multiple women of having ulterior motives.

Ms Boylan previously criticised the White House in a separate tweet last week, saying that Mr Biden, Ms Harris and other prominent politicians were supporting speculation over the motives of the women with their silence on the claims.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki spoke about the situation during a press conference on Friday, in the administrations first comment on the accusations.

The president believes that every woman whos come forward  there have now been six, I believe, who have come forward  deserves to have her voice heard, should be treated with respect and should it be able to tell her story, Ms Psaki said.

Alongside Ms James probe into the claims, Mr Cuomo is the subject of an impeachment investigation, following the speaker of the the New York State Assembly authorising a probe into his position last week.

Although the governor has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women, he has repeatedly said that he never touched anyone inappropriately, but has apologised for making anyone feel uncomfortable.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
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When Heath Melton, executive vice president at Howard Hughes Corp., was approached by a flood technology company using a pump and meter to increase the amount of stormwater that could be stored in the developers Cypress master-planned community, he saw potential. The more water that can be stored during a heavy rain event, the less risk of flooding in the neighborhood and downstream.

He only had one caveat: the Harris County Flood Control District needed to be on board. Water knows no boundaries, he explained, and he wanted the backing of an official entity with knowledge of the impact on the greater watershed.

But it was the District that had sent the flood tech company his way in the first place.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Higher risks, lower returns as more money chases fewer investment opportunities

If the private sector is willing to take the risk and liability and prove it, then well talk, said Matthew Zeve, deputy executive director at Harris County Flood Control.

Houston has become a hub for flood-tech startups, as industry players from developers to insurance companies seek ways to reduce future damages. Tech companies focused on battling the impacts of climate change on flooding are drawn to the Bayou City as a place to pitch their solutions. But new solutions come with new risks, and when it comes to flooding, the potential liabilities are causing a conundrum for some startups in Houston: Government authorities want solutions to be proven before putting them in place. And the private sector wants the governments blessing before participating in pilots that could provide that proof.

That has left Richard Seline, a cofounder of Houstons Resilience Innovation Hub who has been trying to bring flood-tech technology to the Houston area, tearing out his hair.

Whats really happened is innovation and alternative ways of doing flood mitigation are literally being pushed out, he said. Pushed away.

Zeve said the flood control district consistently says no to different versions of the concept proposed to Melton because of the potential liability.

The reason why we tell these folks that were not interested in active management is it introduces one or more potential points of failure during a flood event, he explained. Were very concerned about the additional legal liabilities introduced by one of those systems. Because all it takes is one person to flood They can say its your fault because you didnt operate the system correctly  and then its who is right and who is wrong, and we have enough problems as it is.

No real comparisons

Thousands of ponds surrounded by grassy slopes dot the Houston region. Man-made, they serve a purpose: when it storms, the areas rainwater is meant to drain into the pond, away from buildings.

When the water reaches certain height, it drains into the nearest outflow stream. That system, which leverages the laws of gravity to mitigate the risk of flooding, has worked with varying degrees of success over the years. But now, some tech companies are suggesting giving nature a hand  whats known as active management. If a meter and pump could be installed to augment the process, draining ponds and making room for more water before severe rains hit, they argue, it could prevent stormwater from being released into the waterways until the threat of flooding had passed.

One of the companies attempting to change Zeves mind about such technology is OptiRTC.

The Boston-based company has partnered with cities such as Ormond Beach, Fla., to actively manage their stormwater. In Ormond Beach, a major storm in 2009 sent down 30 inches of rain in 72 hours, significantly flooding portions of town. Afterward, said Shawn Finley, the citys public works director, Ormond Beach improved the connections between its detention ponds and partnered with OptiRTC to install a pump where the system connected to an outflow stream.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Investors promised revival after Harvey. It didnt always happen

The area surrounding the system has not flooded in the two subsequent hurricanes, although Ormond Beach has yet to re-experience the intensity of rain that occurred in 2009.

It gives us peace of mind more than anything else, Finley said. If we were to have a bad situation, we feel like thats one part of town we wouldnt have to worry as much about. The city pays between $9,000 and $10,000 a year for OptiRTC to maintain the system.

But even with other cities implementing the technology, its hard to find a test case that would handle the volumes of water seen in the Houston region.

Our storm events and the volume of rain that we get in Harris County  unfortunately for us, its larger than most places in the country, Zeve said. So, its hard to find a place on the ground to match our conditions in Harris County.

Proof of concept

The Resilience Innovation Hub hosted its virtual grand opening in Houston in January. Its 32 members are focused on all aspects of disaster resilience, including how to automatically switch off a homes power during a flood and how to protect a car from water damage. The Hub was launched in part by the Insurance Information Institute, a trade group whose members are searching for ways to lower the costs associated with storms.

Public and private-sector insurers and reinsurers have lost over a trillion dollars on the U.S. Gulf Coast alone, Seline said.

Still, the Hubs members have found new private-sector solutions are a tough sell to local governments, Seline said. Theres no office or process to introduce something that isnt traditional, he explained.

For example, Floodframe, a waterproof cloth barrier that is installed around a homes perimeter and unfurls to protect against floods, markets itself as a cost-effective alternative to paying to raise a home. But Seline said the company, which had hoped to pitch its product to city programs interested in protecting low- and moderate-income housing, has yet been able to launch a pilot.

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Of course, theres the private sector, which includes developers that invest considerable resources into preventing flooding.

Howard Hughes Corp.  famous for its master-planned communities, including The Woodlands and Bridgeland  has developed networks of detention and retention ponds, which it stocks with fish and kayaks and landscapes with plants that attract wildlife. The developer has made it a point to plan for storm events: In Bridgeland, where the lead developer was a civil engineer with a background in drainage, 22 percent of the land was reserved for open space and drainage investment, and detention ponds exceed the countys minimum guidelines in terms of capacity.

Instead of fighting nature, we decided wed work with it, Melton said. Not a single Bridgeland home flooded during Hurricane Harvey.

Melton said the OptiRTC solution sounded interesting. But he was unsure about impacts on areas downstream or the potential for a mechanical failure, and in turn looked to the authority of the Harris County Flood Control District, which he believed had an understanding of the greater picture.

They might have some creative ideas that could be more of a private-public partnership, he said. Wed like to be part of that testing to see if that would work out.

And so the conversation has landed back in the Harris County Flood Control Districts lap in a manner Zeve called circular.

Its just one of those things where a lot of people, and rightly so, are scared of increasing their risk and liability when it comes to major flood events.

rebecca.schuetz@chron.com;

twitter.com/raschuetz
View of the Taiwan flag at the Embassy of Taiwan in San Salvador on Aug. 21, 2018. (MARVIN RECINOS/AFP via Getty Images)

Taiwan Tells Firms in Burma to Fly Flag to Distinguish From Communist China

TAIPEITaiwans de facto embassy in Burma has advised Taiwanese companies operating in the country to fly the islands flag and hang signs stating they are from Taiwan to avoid being confused with China, after Chinese-financed factories were set ablaze.

Chinas embassy said many Chinese staff were injured and trapped in arson attacks on Sunday by unidentified assailants on garment factories in the Yangon suburb of Hlaingthaya, and that it had called on Burma to protect Chinese property and citizens.

Chinas ruling communist party has been working to increase its political soft power in Burma, to the protest of many Burmese locals.

OANN TV host and former Navy intelligence officer Jack Posobiec told The Epoch Times that the Chinese Communist Party has a long history of supporting Burma, whether it is led by Suu Kyi or the former military junta. The CCP sees its southeast neighbor as an important source of rare earth metals and a strategic corridor to the Indian Ocean. Burma and southwestern Chinas Yunnan Province share an extensive border.

Taiwan is home to a large Sino-Burmese population and there are close cultural and business links.

Taiwans Foreign Ministry said on Monday only one Taiwanese company was caught up in the violence, with 10 of its nationals trapped inside the premises though they were safe.

It said Taiwans representative office in the country had got in touch with Taiwanese firms after receiving reports of the attacks on Chinese-invested firms.

The office suggested Taiwanese businesspeople hang signs in Burmese reading Taiwanese company at their factories and to hang our countrys national flag, and explain to local workers and neighbours they are a Taiwanese factory, to avoid outsiders getting confused and misjudging.

Taiwanese firms in Southeast Asia have been confused for Chinese ones in protests before, including in 2014 when thousands of Vietnamese set fire to foreign factories in an angry reaction to Chinese oil drilling in a part of the South China Sea claimed by Vietnam.

The Epoch Times reporter Frank Fang contributed to this report.
The panel investigating alleged human rights violations committed by police personnel, in Abuja, on Monday, ordered the arrest of three police officers, who reportedly shunned repeated invitations to appear in an extra-judicial killing case.

The police officers are Musa Sunday, Lucky Kehinde, and Lucky Okuku.

The panel constituted by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), in the aftermath of last years #EndSARS protests, ordered the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, to produce them on April 14 to answer to a petition concerning the death of Ovoke Onomrerhino in Delta State in 2019.

Claims

Police authorities had claimed that Mr Onomrerhino was arrested for armed robbery and died from the injuries he sustained after he allegedly jumped off a moving police van.

They had claimed the three police officers were in the vehicle when the incident happened.

But the father of the deceased, Godwin Onomrerhino, who petitioned the panel, had disputed the claim by the police, insisting that his son was extrajudicially killed.

The panel led by Suleiman Galadima, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, on Monday, berated the Nigerian police for abdicating their responsibilities and showing lack of preparedness in respect of the alleged crime.

Mr Galadima, who chairs the 11-member panel, queried police lawyer, Malik Taiwo, on why the three policemen invited to appear before the panel on two different occasions had refused to turn up.

He asked Mr Taiwo to tell the panel efforts the defence had made to produce the police officers.

Responding, Mr Taiwo, said the CSP has testified; it is just remaining two other police officers who are yet to be cross-examined.

He, thereafter, urged the panel to adjourn the case.

Meanwhile, Garba Tetengi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and member of the panel, expressed displeasure about the attitude of the police in respect of the case.

You want us to order for their arrest? I do not know what exactly is the problem. We are not making progress, Mr Tetengi said, adding, this is shocking!

Dissatisfied with Mr Taiwos defence, the panel ordered the arrest of the three police officers.

The panel also ordered the IGP to ensure the arrest and production of the officers before the panel on April 14.

The proceedings of the panel had been adjourned on different occasions due to the absence of the three officers since the hearing of the case started on December 3, 2020.

How deceased died

The petitioner, Godwin Onomrerhino, the father of the deceased, had told the panel that his son (Ovoke Onomrerhino) was extra-judicially killed by the police.

He said he wrote a petition to Nigeria Police Force Zone 5 in Delta State, demanding an investigation.

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He told the panel the police had yet to release the remains of his son for burial on the grounds that they were still investigating the matter.

But the police authorities had given a different account about how the deceased died.

Isah Hassan, a chief superintendent of police and former Division Police Officer (DPO), Abraka, Delta State, and Tambari Kambari, an inspector and investigative police officer, both testified on December 3, 2020, describing Mr Onomrerhino, the deceased, as an armed robbery suspect.

Mr Hassan said the deceased was arrested on June 29, 2019, by the Igun Vigilante Group for an armed robbery incident on the Eku-Igun Highway in Delta State on June 28, 2019.

He said the victim had taken policemen to where his gang kept their weapons, adding that as they were returning to the station, the suspect jumped off a police vehicle while in motion and sustained injuries.

They claimed that the suspect was taken to Abraka General Hospital where he died afterwards.

Mr Tambari had also been ordered by the panel to produce documents relating to the movement of the deceaseds corpse to Medisarj Hospital, Obiakuru, Delta state.

The panel adjourned hearing till April 14.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Indonesia will delay the rollout of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 jab pending a review by the World Health Organization (WHO) into blood clot fears, the Southeast Asian nation's health minister said Monday.

"To be conservative, (Indonesian health regulators) are delaying the implementation of AstraZeneca while waiting for confirmation from WHO," Budi Gunadi Sadikin told parliament.

The move comes after Ireland and the Netherlands became the latest countries to suspend AstraZeneca's Covid-19 shots over blood clot concerns despite the drugmaker and the WHO insisting there is no risk.

AstraZeneca is one of just a handful of coronavirus vaccines being rolled out globallyand as one of the cheapest on the market is crucial to ensuring poorer countries have access to the jab.

Indonesia, the world's fourth most-populous nation, received 1.1 million doses of the AstraZeneca jab this month with another 10 million more expected by late April.

So far, the sprawling archipelago has been relying on a jab developed by China's Sinovac as it rolls out an ambitious plan to inoculate more than 181 million of its nearly 270 million people within a year.

Indonesia is one of the hardest-hit countries in Asia with more than 1.4 million infections and nearly 39,000 deaths, although the true toll is thought to be higher.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
This is the moment a cop forced a woman to the ground and handcuffed her after she refused to wear a mask inside a Texas bank.

Bodycam footage shows an officer pinning 65-year-old Terry Wright down inside a Bank of America in Galveston after she ignored staff requests to wear a face covering inside the building.

The incident unfolded on Thursday - a day after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ended statewide orders requiring people to wear face masks in public places.

He declared that businesses should decide for themselves what COVID-19 precautions to take in their properties and many have kept their own mask rules in place.

In the Galveston incident, the woman complained to the cop that masks are no longer required in public - only for the officer to remind her that businesses are entitled to enforce their own mask rules.

Police have since issued an arrest warrant for Wright, who is from Oregon, after she was taken to hospital following the incident, but not detained as she left.

This frame grab from police body cam video provided by the Galveston Police Department, in Galveston, Texas, shows Terry Wright, 65, of Grants Pass, Oregon, arguing with an officer inside a Bank of America branch after being told she needed to leave the bank because she was not wearing a face mask, amid the coronavirus pandemic

Police said a bank manager called police after Wright refused to wear a mask while inside, and then refused to leave the building when asked.

The police department on Friday released the officer's body camera video footage.

In the video, Wright can be seen standing in the middle of the banks lobby, surrounded by other customers, all of whom were wearing masks.

Wright told the officer she had come to the bank to make a withdrawal. The officer asked her to go outside or put on a mask. She refused.

'What are you going to do, arrest me?' she asked.

He replied: 'Yes, for intruding on premises.' And then she said: 'Thats hilarious.'

Wright then told the officer the law said she didn't have to wear a mask. As the officer took out handcuffs, she pulled away and began to walk toward the door.

The officer stopped her and forced her to the ground. After she was handcuffed, she complained that her foot was injured.

'Police brutality right here people,' she said to the other customers at the bank. Replies of 'no' and 'no, it's not' could be heard.

Police said Wright suffered minor injuries during the struggle and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

The incident on Thursday at a Bank of America in Galveston was captured by the officer's body camera, The Galveston County Daily News reported, which Wright her pinned to the floor and handcuffed when she refused to leave. Pictured: A grab from the officer's body camera

Pictured: The officer pins Wright to the floor after she refused to leave the premises of the Bank of America, asking 'What are you going to do, arrest me?'

However, she was allowed to leave the hospital on Thursday without being detained further, after which she reportedly called the police asking about the next steps.

On calling the police on that evening, Wright said she asked 'what my next step is,' to which a police sergeant whose name should could not remember told her, 'non of my officers arrested you that day.'

Galveston police spokeswoman Stacy Papillion said Saturday said they did not know how she left the hospital, or confirm her account of the phone call, but said that Wright would be taken into custody.

Papillion said Wright was set to be arrested but was immediately taken to hospital upon a complaint of foot pain. 'She will be arrested on the warrant,' Papillion said.

The bank where Wright was arrested did not comment on the incident, aside from providing the Washington Post its marks policy.

'Police brutality right here people,' she said to the other customers at the bank. Replies of 'no' and 'no, it's not' could be heard

Wright, pictured sitting on the ground in handcuffs, told the Washington Post she was 'attacked' and compared mask requirements to the way that Nazi Germany forced Jewish people to identify themselves with a Star of David

Spokeswoman Carla Molina said: 'The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other medical experts continue to reinforce the importance of using face coverings and practicing physical distancing in all public spaces.'

Molina also explained that customers who do not feel comfortable wearing a mask can make use of the bank's drive-through windows and ATMs.

Officials in Texas have emphasized that despite the lifting of the state-wide mask mandate, businesses can still require masks on their own premises, and therefore individuals can still face arrest for trespass if they flout such rules.

Wright told The Washington Post that she has never covered her face inside stores, even when the statewide mandate was in place. She said she was in an RV park across the bay from Galveston in Hitchcock, Texas.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (pictured) on Wednesday ended statewide orders requiring people to wear face masks in public places, declaring that businesses should decide for themselves what COVID-19 precautions to take on their properties

Officials in Texas have emphasized that despite the lifting of the state-wide mask mandate, businesses can still require masks on their own premises, and therefore individuals can still face arrest for trespass if they flout such rules. Pictured: Patrons in a bar on March 4

She told the newspaper she was 'attacked' and compared mask requirements to the way that Nazi Germany forced Jewish people to identify themselves with a Star of David.

She also said she believed in a 'plandemic' in a reference to a documentary-style video in which an anti-vaccine activist promotes a string of questionable, false and potentially dangerous coronavirus theories.

Masks are still required in some situation. For example, The Texas Education Agency said after the governor's orders that schools should continue to mandate masks.

Meanwhile, some local officials have defied the governor's orders to stop enforcing some broader restrictions.

'We're not going to rescind anything,' Austin Mayor Steve Adler told CNN on Thursday. 'We told our community that we would always be guided by the data and the doctors, and we're going to continue that.'
The family of 71-year-old Juan Antonio Manrique had put him in a bubble. In the midst of the pandemic, this chronic kidney patient required dialysis three times a week, and was considered high risk from the coronavirus. He was very weak, explains his daughter Encarnacion. We couldnt even celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary. Juan Antonio was forced to get in an ambulance every other day to go for his dialysis, which he received alongside other patients. It was a half-hour journey between Roquetas de Mar (Almeria) and the capital of the province, a trip that he also shared with other kidney patients. He ended up catching the virus and died after developing Covid-19, as did the other three patients with whom he traveled in the ambulance. It is not known whether the vehicle was the point of contagion.

Maintaining an isolation bubble has become impossible for a lot of dialysis patients and many have been lost to the pandemic. More than 4,700 kidney patients have caught the coronavirus and the mortality rate has been 25% among this group, according to the Spanish Nephrology Society. In fact, this very high risk of death has prompted the Health Ministry to prioritize such patients in the vaccination campaign.

The Health Ministry has started to specify which collectives it considers to be at greatest risk for the purposes of the campaign, but is still yet to announce how and when they will get their jabs

After the elderly, medical staff and essential workers have received their inoculations, it will be the turn of other vulnerable groups: transplant recipients, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, lung cancer patients and people with Down syndrome who are aged over 40. The Health Ministry has started to specify which collectives it considers to be at greatest risk for the purposes of the campaign, but is still yet to announce how and when they will get their jabs. So far the ministry has only specified that the vaccinations will begin when the 80-and-over population has been inoculated, a process that is ongoing, but is yet to announce which vaccine will be used or when the jabs will start.

Many people with a chronic condition or in another at-risk group were hoping to enter this block in the vaccination campaign. The Spanish Society of Preventive Medicine, Public Health and Hygiene includes the following in their collectives considered to be most at risk: the obese, people with cirrhosis, schizophrenia or multiple sclerosis, oncology patients or those with a history of cerebrovascular illness. But with the vaccines still arriving at a slow pace, priority groups needed to be established.

Cristina Avendano, the coordinator of the vaccination group at the Federation of Spanish Scientific Medical Associations (Facme), the body that has worked with the Health Ministry to prioritize risk groups, explains that they will deliver the ministry with the report that identifies the risk groups; there are some that are clear and defined, but thats not to say that they are the only ones. These are conditions that identify patients with a very high risk of serious disease and death associated with Covid. The idea is not to make a precise list, but rather to go by blocks. Right now it is the turn of the block with much more risk.

Analysis of the scientific evidence has been key to settling which are the most serious conditions and the criteria that has taken precedence is the risk of mortality associated with Covid, insist those who have contributed to the decision making. I understand that people are anxious because their illness creates a sensation of vulnerability to the virus, says Federico de Montalvo, the president of the Spanish Bioethics Committee and a member of the board that decides on Spains vaccination strategy. But the feeling of risk is one thing and scientific evidence another. There are situations where the illness is fatal and others where it is not.

What has also had an influence is the fact that these groups will have to overlap with the vaccination of people aged 70 and over, Avendano admits. We have to take into account the availability of the vaccines and the workability, he says. For dialysis patients, for example, the risk of serious illness is combined with the fact that they go to hospital, which is a different circuit from primary healthcare, and allows for them to overlap with the vaccination of the over 70s.

The experts consulted for this article agree that the groups that have been selected by the Health Ministry are adequate. Here are the priority groups so far:

Dialysis patients. The risk of mortality for this group from Covid-19 is 3.5 times greater than the general population in the same age group and sex, according to Facme. These patients are already in a state of immunosuppression and usually have a lot of pathologies. Coming to the hospital for dialysis is a risk because they also usually come in collective ambulances, something that has meant a higher number of contagions, explains Patricia de Sequera, the president of the Spanish Nephrology Society. The daughter of Juan Antonio believes that this is what happened in the case of her father and is preparing a lawsuit along with two other families of dialysis patients who died of Covid, Javier Arroyo reports.

Transplant patients or those on a waiting list. This collective has very low defenses due to taking immunosuppressants in order to avoid the body from rejecting the new organ, meaning they are more vulnerable to infections. They have a mortality risk that is up to six times greater than the general population, albeit there may be differences according to the type of transplant, the time that has passed or the intensity of the immunosuppressive treatment, Avendano explains. The Catalonia region has already opted to bring forward the official decision to vaccinate this group, and started to call them for their jabs two weeks ago.

The over-40s with Down syndrome. A number of studies point to this group having considerably higher rates of medical conditions and mortality from Covid-19, in particular from the age of 40. What weve seen is that, as people with Down syndrome age prematurely, their biological age does not match up with their chronological age, explains Natalia Cuenca, coordinator of the Barcelona Down Medical Center from the Catalan Down Syndrome Foundation. Genetically they are also more susceptible and they have factors that worsen Covid.

Oncological patients. The Health Ministry has opted to start with all of those patients with blood cancers and solid tumors who are receiving chemotherapy treatments. Particular focus will be paid to lung cancer patients, whether they are receiving chemotherapy or immunotherapy. The president of the Spanish Medical Oncology Society, Alvaro Rodriguez-Lescure, says that the prioritization is suitable as far as we are concerned. People with lung cancer have long histories of chronic bronchial disorders and the risk of death and complications and death with Covid is much greater.

Mental illnesses

For now, the Health Ministry is not prioritizing any mental health patients in the first group of the chronically ill  not even those with depression or schizophrenia, who have the highest risk of complications and deaths associated with Covid. They have the same risk as a person with a transplant, argues Celso Arango, the president of the Spanish Psychiatry Society. If you have a serious mental health condition you have double the chances of catching Covid. And if you are infected, you have twice the chance of dying.

The scientific organization has sent a letter to the Health Ministry calling for this collective to be prioritized. Arango argues that the most urgent thing is to vaccinate those with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and personality disorders. We know that people with serious mental illness take longer to request help because they have a higher pain threshold and greater difficulty to ask for help given their cognitive situation. They take longer to arrive and they arrive in a worse state, the psychiatrist warns.

English version by Simon Hunter.
But after the awards show, Mr. Farrow tweeted, Missed the Woody Allen tribute  did they put the part where a woman publicly confirmed he molested her at age 7 before or after Annie Hall? Ms. Farrow says that her brothers willingness to speak publicly about the subject emboldened her to write about her memory of events, which appeared in The New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristofs blog. (Mr. Farrow, who helped his sister publish the open letter, said that after another newspaper declined to print the account, he took it to Mr. Kristof, a family friend.) Mr. Allen later published an Op-Ed in The Times denying his daughters allegations.

For two decades, Ms. Farrow says, she felt isolated and alone because of her experience. After publishing her letter, she received an outpouring of messages from people she knew sharing their own experiences with sexual abuse.

Loyalty to Mr. Allen

Still, many Hollywood actors remained loyal to Mr. Allen despite the accusations, and his star power and industry reputation remained mostly intact.

Four days after Ms. Farrows letter was published, her brother Moses Farrow told People Magazine that she was never molested. He also said that Mia Farrow coached the children to hate Mr. Allen and that she often hit him as a child. When Dylan Farrow learned what her brother said, she burst into tears, saying, It was like I had been told that this person that I knew and loved and trusted was gone.

In interviews with the filmmakers, Ronan Farrow along with two more siblings, Fletcher Previn and Daisy Previn, say that the abuse allegations against their mother were untrue.

In 2018, Moses Farrow followed up with a blog post that continued to dispute his sisters account of sexual abuse. He targeted a specific detail of her story, which she had included in The Times letter: that while Mr. Allen sexually assaulted her, she remembers focusing on her brothers electric train set, which had been traveling in circles around the attic. Mr. Farrow said that there was no electric train set in the attic. In Mr. Allens recent memoir, Apropos of Nothing, he also disputed that detail, calling it a fresh creative touch.
Many incoming and continuing international students currently abroad will not be able to obtain visas in time to arrive in the U.S. by the beginning of the semester or may choose to remain abroad during the pandemic.

Newly admitted students might have reduced Optional Practical Training (OPT) and Curricular Practical Training (CPT) options if they take their first semester online from outside the country. Programs with a significant number of international students should plan for the possibility of students who may arrive late or cannot arrive at all. Under no circumstances can a newly admitted student come to the U.S. unless their program will have an in-person component. Continuing students may be permitted to re-enter the U.S. at the discretion of DHS regardless of the mode of instruction.

Academic programs are creating opportunities for international students who cannot travel to the U.S. International Admissions and academic advisors will work with first-year international students to ensure that they have a fully online schedule, including access to Learning Communities.

Additionally, Enrollment Management and UC International have identified continuing international students who have returned home and cannot travel to the U.S. Academic advisors will work with these students to provide a fully online schedule whenever possible. For continuing students, it will be difficult, and in some programs not practical, to provide upper division courses that count towards the degrees.
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has announced an indictment against the head and associate of a Canada-based company that allegedly supplied custom encrypted phones to international drug traffickers. In just the second case of its kind, CEO Jean-Francois Eap and former distributor Thomas Herdman of Sky Global were charged with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Warrants have been issued for their arrests.

The RICO law is typically used to combat organized crime and was previously used against another encrypted phone company called Phantom Secure. Motherboard reports that the DoJ's announcement follows a crackdown in Europe that saw local law enforcement obtain and decrypt almost a billion messages sent between Sky Global's customers.

The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury on Friday, alleges that Sky Global installed sophisticated encryption software on devices designed to help drug traffickers to evade police surveillance. The custom phones  which included iPhone, Google Pixel, Blackberry, and Nokia handsets  allowed their users to communicate with each other in a closed network, with Sky Global routing their activity through encrypted servers located in Canada and France.

Sky Global's alleged purpose was to facilitate an international drug trafficking operation that included the import and export of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. The narcotics were distributed in the US and Canada, Australia, Asia and Europe. While the encrypted communications system was also allegedly used to mask money laundering activities that included Bitcoin transactions on Sky Global's website.

In order to hide their illicit enterprise, Sky Global's employees apparently set up shell companies to cloak the proceeds from sales of their encrypted software. In total, some 70,000 of the custom devices are in use worldwide, according to the DoJ.

"The indictment alleges that Sky Global generated hundreds of millions of dollars providing a service that allowed criminal networks around the world to hide their international drug trafficking activity from law enforcement," Acting US Attorney Randy Grossman said in a statement. "This groundbreaking investigation should send a serious message to companies who think they can aid criminals in their unlawful activities."
[March 15, 2021] NAV CANADA awards Raytheon UK contract for secondary surveillance radars to manage Canadian airspace

LONDON, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon UK, a unit of Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX), will deliver 12 Condor Mk3 next-generation Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar systems to NAV CANADA with an option to purchase additional radar systems as part of a 15-year contract. The first radar system will be shipped in March 2021 and installed by NAV CANADA in April. "We have been supplying radar systems to NAV CANADA since 1959, and MSSRs since the 1980s," said John Gallagher, managing director, Weapons & Sensors, Raytheon UK. "The more advanced Condor Mk3 was designed and developed by Raytheon UK engineers in Harlow, Essex, England, and will be manufactured at our facility in Glenrothes, Scotland, helping to sustain 70 jobs in Harlow and 20 jobs in Glenrothes over the next 15 years." Condor Mk3 MSSR is an innovative, new, low-cost, high-probability detection radar which brings together native state-of-the-art surveillance technologies o provide cutting-edge, reliable, secondary radar system hardware to air traffic operators around the world.



Additional features have been included in the system such as automatic adaptive power control, fully configurable software, a high-duty cycle transmitter and built-in ADS-B, all in a much smaller footprint. "NAV CANADA has a long history of working with Raytheon and looks forward to the next chapter in our ongoing relationship," said Warren Gosselin, director CNS Solutions, NAV CANADA. "The previous generation of Raytheon radars have been a stable backbone of our operation, and we expect the latest generation to continue that robust service."

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 2,000 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 subsidiary of the Raytheon Technologies organisation 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 Alicia Tetlow

+44 (0)1279 407600

alicia.tetlow@raytheon.co.uk Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1456206/Raytheon.jpg View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nav-canada-awards-raytheon-uk-contract-for-secondary-surveillance-radars-to-manage-canadian-airspace-301247339.html SOURCE Raytheon

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Alwaleed Philanthropies, signed two memorandums of cooperation (MoC), in collaboration with the World Scout Foundation to support women and youth involvement in scouting locally and internationally. It would also encourage their greater participation in community volunteering within the higher education sector.

The collaboration will support the kingdoms Vision 2030 goal of rallying one million individuals to volunteer per year.

The partnership agreements aim to align volunteering programmes in the Saudi universities with the framework of the World Scout Foundation as well as prepare students to participate in non-profit development projects. Furthermore, the programmes will work to improve community engagement by forging partnerships with third-party institutions within the community to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

The newly launched initiative is the first in the kingdom to build structured women and youth scout groups in Saudi universities. As part of the pilot phase, five universities are expected to be onboard in 2021, while further agreements will include more universities in Saudi Arabia as part of a broader scheme after this year. The first two agreements have been signed with Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU) and Prince Sultan University (PSU).

Emphasising the importance of encouraging youth to participate in volunteering programmes, Princess Sama bint Faisal Al Saud, Board Member of the World Scout Foundation and Head of the Saudi Girl Scouts Committee, said: Our countries need to empower and encourage women and youth to contribute positively to the continuous growth and development of our societies. Scouting is one of the most effective ways to develop the required skills, knowledge, and sense of responsibility to improve well-being of our local and global communities.

Princess Sama is the first Head of the Saudi Girl Scouts Committee, and has supported young women to participate in community engagement programmes throughout the kingdom.

Commenting on the announcement, Princess Lamia bint Majed Saud Al Saud, Secretary General of Alwaleed Philanthropies, chaired by Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud, added: Saudi women have a crucial role to play in the development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the wider region. I strongly believe that empowering women and youth through volunteer programmes has a ripple effect on families, communities, and countries, and can achieve long-lasting benefits and inspire other women, particularly young girls to participate in the society and drive environmental and economic progress in the kingdom. We are proud to work with our partners to support the kingdom in reaching 1 million volunteers per year, while simultaneously achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

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 organisations to combat poverty, empower women and youth, develop communities, provide disaster relief, and create cultural understanding through education. -- Tradearabia News Service
Derek Chauvins lawyer accused Minneapolis city officials and the mayor of trying to sabotage his client's right to fair trial by announcing a $27million wrongful-death settlement with the family of George Floyd in the middle of jury selection.

The defense attorney, Eric Nelson, told the judge on Monday that he should 'strongly consider' delaying the trial of the ex-cop charged in the death of the 46-year-old black man last May. He also wanted the trial relocated from Hennepin County.

During proceedings on Monday, one prospective juror was dismissed after admitting that she 'gasped' when she heard of the $27million settlement. She added that she could not be impartial if impaneled on the jury.

Nelson said he was 'gravely concerned' by the announced settlement from Friday, calling it 'incredibly prejudicial' to his client. He said that a settlement of that magnitude could be seen by jurors as an admission of guilt by the city.

Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill said that he would consider the request, though jury selection continued as scheduled on Monday. Two more jurors were selected during proceedings on Monday morning, bringing the total to nine.

Nelson argued in court in Minneapolis on Monday that the publicity surrounding the massive settlement could taint the jury pool and make it impossible to get a fair trial in Hennepin County.

'It's amazing to me, they had a press conference on Friday, where the mayor of Minneapolis is on stage with city council, and they're using very, what I would say, very well-designed terminology,' Nelson said.

Eric Nelson (left), the attorney for Derek Chauvin (right), the former Minneapolis police officer who faces second- and third-degree murder charges as well as second-degree manslaughter charge in the death of George Floyd, are seen above in court in Minneapolis on Monday

Nelson asked the judge to delay the trial in light of Friday's news conference announcing a $27million settlement between the City of Minneapolis and the family of George Floyd. Chauvin's attorney said that the publicity surrounding the settlement could prejudice prospective jurors and taint the jury pool

Chauvin's attorney said he took issue with the term 'the unanimous decision of the city council' which was used to describe the settlement on Friday.

'It just goes straight to the heart of the dangers of pretrial publicity in this case.'

He slammed Mayor Jacob Frey, saying that he should 'know better' given his background as a lawyer.

Frey appeared during a news conference on Friday alongside Floyd's family and attorney announcing the settlement.

'It is profoundly disturbing to the defense, because the goal of this system is to provide a fair trial and this is not fair,' Nelson said in court on Monday.

'The fact that this came in the exact middle of jury selection - it's perplexing to me, your honor, whose idea it was to release this information when it was released,' he said.

Nelson also noted that the son of Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office is trying the case, is a member of the Minneapolis city council.

Entering the room after the first break of the morning, Ellison made a barbed aside in the direction of the defense, saying, Is there anything else someone would like to not accuse me of?

His comment was a clear response to an earlier observation from Nelson.

When arguing the defense's pre-trial motion to have a continuance of the trial and change of venue following the citys settlement of the Floyd family civil suit, Nelson had noted that Ellisons son, Jeremiah, is on the city council.

His comment was heavy with the implication that the citys timing was convenient, leaning as it does in the prosecutions favor.

Nelsons attempt coincided with the filing of a court order ratifying all jury decisions made so far  a move requested by the prosecution who feared that the re-instatement of the third degree murder charge could jeopardize all earlier decisions.

In the midst of jury selection, Minneapolis last week agreed to pay $27million to settle a civil rights lawsuit from Floyd's family over his death.

Pictured: Floyd family lawyer, Attorney Ben Crump (left), and Jacob Frey, Mayor of Minneapolis (right) shake hands at a press conference at the Minneapolis Convention Center after the city reached a $27 million 'wrongful death' settlement with the family of George Floyd

George Floyd's brother Philonise Floyd (pictured) raises a fist speaks at the press conference

The Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously on Friday to pay the unprecedented sum to settle the lawsuit brought by Floyd's family over his death in police custody.

Moments after the settlement vote, Council President Lisa Bender, who previously sparked controversy by calling for the city police department to be abolished in the wake of Floyd's death, offered her condolences.

'I do want to, on behalf of the entire City Council, offer my deepest condolences to the family of George Floyd, his friends and all in our community who are mourning his loss,' the Democrat said in a statement.

Floyd's (pictured) family filed the federal civil rights lawsuit in July against the city, Chauvin and three other fired officers charged in his death

Floyd family attorney Ben Crump called it the largest pretrial settlement ever for a civil rights claim.

The settlement includes $500,000 for the south Minneapolis neighborhood that includes the 38th and Chicago intersection that has been blocked by barricades since Floyd's death, with a massive metal sculpture and murals in his honor.

The city didn't immediately say how that money would be spent.

Legal experts said publicity about the settlement could be bad for the defense, leading some potential jurors to think guilt has been decided.

But they doubted it would really affect the criminal trial.

Calling it a highly prejudicial issue, Nelson said: It's amazing to me that there was a press conference Friday in the exact middle of jury selection.

Nelson told Cahill during pretrial motions on Monday that he was gravely concerned that news of last weeks settlement could prejudice both seated jurors and prospective ones.

Cahill responded that he would take the request for a delay under advisement.

Nelson asked Cahill to grant the defense extra peremptory strikes which are used to dismiss jurors without cause.

Cahill said that he would call back the seven jurors that have already been seated and ask them what they know about the settlement.

The judge said he will ask the jurors if they can set that aside.

Nelson said he was concerned his client would not be able to get a fair trial due to all the high-ranking state officials that made comments at the onset of this entire situation.

The attorney also said that Fridays announced settlement was very suspicious timing to say the least, and has an incredible propensity to taint a jury pool.

Chauvin is seen kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis on May 25. Shortly afterward, Floyd was pronounced dead at the scene

Floyd family attorney Ben Crump announced the record settlement during a press conference

Nelson noted that while the judge told the jurors to avoid media coverage of the trial, the jurors are allowed to scroll through social media.

There are things the court should potentially be obligated to do to protect the jury from future press releases, Nelson said.

The prosecutor, Steve Schleicher, responded to Nelsons argument.

There are some things that the state of Minnesota and this prosecution team can control, and there are some things that the state cannot and does not control, Schleicher said.

We cannot and do not control the civil aspect of the case, we cannot and do not control the Minneapolis city council, and we certainly cannot and do not control the news cycle.

Schleicher said that the jurors who have been chosen have already been exposed to news coverage about the case and that anyone who could not set aside their views on what they have heard would not be impaneled.

While potential jurors have been exposed to media in the case, the jurors that we've seated have expressed that they can set anything they've heard outside the courtroom aside, and judge the case based on the evidence, he said.

Schleicher argued that jury selection should proceed as scheduled. He also said he would oppose granting the defense any more additional strikes of jurors.

Cahill asked the prosecutor if he agreed that it was unfortunate that the settlement was announced in the middle of jury selection.

'I wish city officials will stop talking about this case so much,' Cahill said.

'It's unfortunate and I wish they hadn't done it (at the moment they did,) but I'm not sensing any evil intent.'

Cahill said he would move forward with jury selection for now - though he is taking the request under advisement.

STATE OF MINNESOTA VS. DEREK CHAUVIN - THE CHARGES Second-degree murder Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, which in Minnesota can be 'intentional' or 'unintentional.' The second-degree murder charge requires prosecutors to prove Chauvin caused Floyd's death while committing or trying to commit a felony  in this case, third-degree assault. Prosecutors must convince the jury that Chauvin assaulted or attempted to assault Floyd and in doing so inflicted substantial bodily harm. Prosecutors don't have to prove that Chauvin was the sole cause of Floyd's death - only that his conduct was a 'substantial causal factor.' If the prosecution can prove Chauvin committed third-degree assault on Floyd, he can be convicted of Floyd's death. Prosecutors are fearful that Chauvin will escape conviction for second-degree murder, that carries a maximum 40 year sentence. But because Chauvin does not have any prior convictions, sentencing guidelines recommend he serve no more than 25.5 years behind bars. Second-degree manslaughter The manslaughter charge has a lower bar, requiring proof that Chauvin caused Floyd's death through negligence that created an unreasonable risk, and consciously took the chance of causing severe injury or death. In other words, Chauvin should have been aware that through his actions he was placing Floyd at risk of dying even though it may not have been his intent to kill him, according to prosecutors. If convicted of second-degree manslaughter in Minnesota, the charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. But sentencing guidelines for someone without a criminal record call for no more than four years behind bars. Third-degree murder Third-degree murder would require a lower standard of proof than second-degree. To win a conviction, prosecutors would have to show only that Floyd's death was caused by an act that was obviusly dangerous, though not necessarily a felony. That would result in a maximum sentence of 25 years. But there are caveats. Chauvin has no criminal history, which means he will probably end up serving about 12.5 years whether he is convicted of second or third-degree murder. Advertisement

Jury selection ended on Monday, with the process halfway complete after the first week.

Two more jurors were impaneled - bringing the total to nine.

Five more potential jurors will be brought into court on Tuesday morning and four more will be examined in the afternoon in a bid to fill the remaining five seats.

The ninth juror is a single mother in her fifties who lives just outside of Minneapolis and works as an executive assistant in a clinical health care setting.

She wrote in her questionnaire that she could not watch the entire video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck 'because it was too disturbing to me.'

Nonetheless, she said: 'I'm not in a position to change the law. I'm in a position to uphold the law.'

She added: '[Chauvin] is innocent until we can prove otherwise.'

As the morning session continued one further potential juror was struck for cause before the white woman who became juror number nine stepped up to be questioned.

The woman admitted that she had found the video of Floyds death too disturbing to watch in full but said that she had not formed a firm opinion of either Chauvin or Floyd.

She said that she believed all lives matter and admitted that she had not understood that Blue Lives Matter, referred to police lives  thinking instead it had simply meant all other lives.

A 75-year-old man was dismissed by the judge after he said he grew emotional watching the video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck.

'I didn't even see the whole video,' the man said.

'I saw as much as I could take of the video, and I was appalled by what I saw, and that feeling continues to be with me.'

The man said he was bothered by initial accusations against Floyd who was suspected of passing counterfeit money.

Those allegations 'seemed to me to be inappropriate. ... If anything, Mr. Floyd needed some medical attention,' the dismissed juror said.

'To exert that kind of force for that long just seemed to be out of line to me.'

Another potential juror, a man, was dismissed after saying that he could not be impartial and that he viewed a conviction for Chauvin as a 'path of least resistance.'

Were the jury to acquit Chauvin, the man said that he would fear for his family's safety.

Earlier on Monday morning, the eighth juror was seated as selection got underway again.

The black man in his thirties works in banking and is a youth sports coach and becomes the eighth juror seated. He said that he was keen to be a juror at a trial which he viewed as historic moment.

Answering the prospective jurors lengthy questionnaire he said that he did not believe the defendant sent out to murder anyone, but that, having viewed the video of Floyds death he was left at a loss as to what Chauvin was thinking.

He professed himself strongly in favor of Black Lives Matters  as a statement not a movement or organisation. But his view of Blue Lives Matters was somewhat negative.

He said, I think that police lives matter but I feel like the concept of Blue Lives Matter only became a thing to combat Black Lives Matter, where it shouldnt be a competition.

He became the second black man to be selected and joins a jury that so far consists of three white men, one black man, one Hispanic man, one white woman and one biracial woman.

A female juror was struck for cause directly before juror number 8 was seated having said that she could not be fair and impartial after hearing news of the citys settlement in the civil proceedings.

Her admission came after Chauvins defense moved to have proceedings halted and the trial relocated on just those grounds  claiming that the pool would be irrecoverably tainted by last weeks decision.

A group of protesters march in the snow around the Hennepin County Government Center, site of the Chauvin trial, on Monday

The first prospective juror to be called after lunch did not get further than being questioned by the judge before being dismissed by him for cause.

The man who described himself as an educator who worked with a student body including a large number of people of color and whose work involved what he described as, a lot of justice work, said that he would be a horrible candidate for this jury.

He expressed fear that his name had already been compromised having been required to give his ID to a police officer on arrival at the Justice Center that day. Describing the fact that a police officer knew his name in the trial of another police officer as a significant detail. He added, Im still shaking.

He said he was sick to his stomach at the prospect of sitting on the jury and that it would change his life forever were he selected.

Judge Cahill said simply, Well Im going to offer you a remedy for that and excuse you.

Attorneys will continue questioning jurors one by one until they get to a total of 14. Twelve will deliberate and two will be alternates.

Floyd, a black man, was declared dead on May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against his neck for about nine minutes.

Floyd's death sparked sometimes violent protests in Minneapolis and beyond and led to a national reckoning on racial justice.

Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter.

At least three weeks have been set aside for jury selection. Opening statements are scheduled to begin no sooner than March 29.

Cahill has told members of the jury pool to avoid all news coverage about the case.

The process of questioning jurors has been long and nuanced, with attorneys for both sides trying to ferret out potential jurors who may be biased.

The defense is striking people who tell the court they already have strong feelings about Chauvin's guilt.

A protester carries a portrait of George Floyd during a protest outside the courthouse in Minneapolis on Monday

The prosecution, meanwhile, is blocking potential jurors who seem inclined to give police the benefit of the doubt.

The seven jurors selected so far include five men and two women. Four of the jurors are white, one is multiracial, one is black and one is Hispanic. The jurors range in age from their 20s to their 50s.

Three other former officers face an August trial on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter.

The seventh juror was seated following a lengthy voire dire that crossed over from the morning and into the afternoon session of Friday's jury selection.

The single mother-of two, white and in her early 50s, described herself as being in the 'C-class' of executives and works in healthcare advocacy.

She admitted to knowing Attorney General Keith Ellison and having had work dealings with his office, but neither defense nor prosecutors viewed this as any impairment to her service.

Her selection marked the half-way point in the selection process that will see 12 jurors and two alternates seated.

She is the second woman to be seated on the panel that now consists of three white men, one Hispanic man, one black man and one bi-racial woman.
Race, rights and reparations: What a U.S. truth commission might look like today

Dr. Kelebogile Zvobgo is the founder and director of the International Justice Lab (IJL) at William & Mary's Global Research Institute, which brings together faculty and students to conduct research on human rights, transitional justice, and international law and courts. Recently, IJL research has been published in academic journals like the International Studies Quarterly and Journal of Human Rights, as well as in popular press outlets like The Washington Post and Foreign Policy.

Zvobgo is a trusted and authoritative voice on issues involving transitional justice and her recent work considers the role that truth commissions can play in addressing historical injustices in racially divided societies like the United States.

Can you explain for us what a truth commission is and the role it plays in society?

Truth commissions are inquiries into human rights violations and other abuses. For the most part, historically, they have been established in countries coming out of armed conflicts or after the fall of autocratic regimes. But, we have also seen them in standing democracies like Canada and South Korea. Commissions are temporary bodies established by governments to investigate historical (and sometimes also contemporary) violence.

They establish a pattern of abuse over time and make recommendations to redress past harms and prevent future harms. Importantly, commissions engage affected communities in their work, providing them a venue to share their narratives and have them reflected in the national narrative. Commissions, in some instances, can also facilitate interpersonal and societal reconciliation  but that last part is not a given.

What would a truth commission look like here in the U.S.?

We've actually had national truth commissions here in the U.S. One was the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians that was designed to investigate Japanese relocation and internment during the Second World War. That was implemented in the early 1980s and it made several recommendations, among them reparations to Japanese Americans, as well as education. The Commission called for public education across the country and an apology  and all of those were delivered. That was really quite a win

Now, there have also been initiatives at the state level, some of them completed, some of them ongoing In 2019, the Maryland state legislature created the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which is going to investigate lynchings in the state during the period of Jim Crow.

Currently, there are about 40 people who are documented as having been lynched, so they want to investigate the circumstances of these lynchings and add to the knowledge base of lynchings in this state  and the racial terror that permeated communities as a result  and address how descendants are faring and to implement such things as memorials, historical markers, etc. and anti-violence legislation.

Since the police killing of George Floyd in May of 2020, a lot of cities are engaging seriously with the idea of having a truth commission to address different types of abuses. Some of them are limited to what's happening  for example, inside a district attorney's office to investigate unfair prosecutions or police brutality.

In Congress, there is currently a proposal to create a United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation. So, there is an ongoing effort to have a truth commission to address issues of racism, systemic injustice and inequality  and bring us to a place where there is an authoritative account of the past.

To have a body like this one, to investigate abuses against Black Americans and people of color over the centuries, would be to say, this is our history and develop a set of recommendations to address historical and contemporary issues. That would be very, very powerful, especially if it's coming from a unit within the federal government.

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Do you think that reparations will become a more serious part of the national discussion regarding a remedy, if you even want to use the term remedy?

A lot of that would depend on what the truth commission suggests. Truth commissions actually issue policy proposals based on their findings. So, if they identified a particular set of abuses against a specific population, they might recommend specific reparations to direct victims or to indirect victims.

It's a range of remedies that truth commissions recommend, and then it's on policymakers to implement them. The main thing is to start with the script that's set by the truth commission.

I think one reason why people oppose reparations is because they think it'll cost too much, but the whole point of reparations is to repair a harm done to restore something to completion and to make people whole again. So, if the cost of reparations is high, it's because the cost of the violations themselves were very high.

We shouldn't limit ourselves and how we think about reparations. Reparations can be a check that is delivered to people, but it can also be community development and economic development. Reparations can mean new and better schools or better community services like health centers. Reparations can be apologies, they can be museums or memorial markers. They can be both material and symbolic.

Communication is a key part of this work  and a key part of the democratic process  so how, in this politically polarized time, do we get policymakers to respectfully communicate with each other?

That's gonna take a lot of hard work. It's my belief, and many others are welcome to disagree, that many Americans dont see democracy as a process, but as a way to get what they want done. So, there is not a fundamental commitment to representation, and to the ideas that have the most support winning over, but rather there's a greater commitment to  winning one's preferred agenda.

I think that's where the real problem is  and I think it's going to require a lot of education and re-education to make clear why democracy matters, and how quickly it can be lost.
Staff at Portlaoise hospital did not enjoy much respite from the Covid-19 frontline in the past week with people who have fallen ill with the disease presenting once again for treatment.

There were no patients with Covid-19 the first time in 2021 over the first weekend of March. The lull was brief, however, as doctors and nurses were back treating patients with the disease on Monday, March 8. The numbers have increased since and the hospital's ICU is also back at the coalface of the disease.

The HSEs Covid-19 Daily Operations Updates show that the number of Covid-19 patients in the Laois hospital by 8pm on Sunday, March 14 had risen to five. There was one critically ill patient in the hospital's ICU. The hospital had one suspect case at the end of the weekend.

The bed situation has also deteriorated. There were no general beds available by Sunday evening. This contrasts with 14 over the previous weekend when there were no Covid-19 positive patients. There was one available ICU bed at the hospital by 8 pm on Sunday night.

Portlaoise is part of the Dubin Midland Hospital Group which includes Tullamore, Naas, St James's and Tallaght in Dublin. All have Covid-19 patients.

The report shows that there were 17 confirmed cases at the Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore. The Offaly hospital had one suspect cases. Staff were treating four critically ill Covid-19 patients going into Monday. ICU had one patient who is suspected of having the virus.

There were just five general beds and one ICU bed available at the Offaly hospital on Sunday night.

Offaly has the highest incidence of the virus in Ireland at present.

Naas General Hospital had 14 people who were sick with the virus. There were thirteen suspected cases but noboyd was critically ill in ICU.

The Kildare hospital had six general care beds but no ICU bed was available on Sunday.

Kildare has the fourth-highest incidence of the virus in Ireland according to NPHET

Tallaght and St James's hospitals are in the same group.

There were 21 confirmed and five suspected cases at Tallaght on Sunday night. The Dublin hospital had 22 general beds and four ICU beds available. There were four critically ill Covid patients in ICU.

St James's had 35 confirmed and 73 suspected cases by 8 pm March 14. It had 111 general beds and six ICU beds available going into Monday. There were 17 confirmed in its ICU.

Nationally, there were 355 people in hospitals by 8 pm on Sunday night March 14. There were 163 suspected in hospitals with 17 people admitted with the virus in the previous 24 hours.

There were 95 critically ill people in hospitals on Saturday. Of these, nine were suspected cases. Of the total, 62 were ventilated (57 confirmed, 5 suspected).

There were no Covid-19 related ICU deaths on March 14.
Batla House encounter: BJP seeks apology from opposition after court gives death penalty to Ariz Khan

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New Delhi, Mar 15: Asserting that the court verdict in the 2008 Batla House encounter case has thoroughly exposed "terrorist sympathizers" and "doubters lobby", the BJP on Monday sought an apology from opposition leaders Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal for raising questions on the Delhi Police's integrity in the matter.

A Delhi court on Monday awarded death penalty to Ariz Khan for the murder of decorated Delhi Police Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma in connection with the sensational case, saying the offence fell under the "rarest of the rare category" warranting the maximum sentence.

"The Delhi court's verdict today in the Batla House encounter case thoroughly exposes the terrorist sympathisers and doubters lobby in the country. Now Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal who raised questions on the integrity of our police forces must apologise to the nation," BJP leader and Union minister Prakash Javadekar said.

Batla House encounter: Delhi Court awards death penalty to IM terrorist Ariz Khan

Several opposition leaders had raised questions over the encounter as a huge row erupted with some groups alleging that it was a staged gunfight. After the encounter on September 19, 2008, protest rallies were organised against it by teachers and students of Jamia Millia Islamia University.

A day after Khan's conviction on March 8, BJP leader and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said at a press conference, "There was a conscious, deliberate and consistent attempt to cast serious doubt on the authenticity of the Batla House encounter to weaken the morale of Delhi Police and give clear support to terrorists and their design. Why? For pure vote bank politics."

Inspector Sharma of the police's special cell was killed during the encounter between the police and alleged terrorists in Jamia Nagar in south Delhi following serial bomb blasts in the national capital in which 39 people died and 159 were injured.

Two terrorists were killed while two others fled. Khan had fled from the spot and was declared proclaimed offender. He was arrested on February 14, 2018, and faced the trial.

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Story first published: Monday, March 15, 2021, 20:15 [IST]
Marion Spears Karr MA, FACHE, Managing Director  Healthcare and Life Sciences Practice Leader, Comhar Partners, recently became a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the nations leading professional society for healthcare leaders.

The healthcare management field plays a vital role in providing high-quality care to the people in our communities, which makes having a standard of excellence promoted by a professional organization critically important, says Deborah J. Bowen, FACHE, CAE, president and CEO of ACHE. By becoming an ACHE Fellow and earning the distinction of board certification from ACHE, healthcare leaders demonstrate a commitment to excellence in serving their patients and the community.

Fellow status represents achievement of the highest standard of professional development. In fact, only 8,866 healthcare executives hold this distinction. To obtain Fellow status, candidates must fulfill multiple requirements, including meeting academic and experiential criteria, earning continuing education hours, demonstrating professional/community involvement and passing a comprehensive examination. Fellows also are committed to ongoing professional development and undergo recertification every three years.

Spears Karr is privileged to bear the FACHE credential, which signifies board certification in healthcare management as an ACHE Fellow.

Spears Karrs recognized healthcare management expertise is a valued asset to Comhar Partners Healthcare and Life Sciences Practice. This focused expertise allows Spears Karr to offer excellent counsel to the firms healthcare clients, ensuring the placement of the highest-quality executives at these essential, mission driven organizations.

Comhar Partners is a recognized national leader in retained executive search, professional recruiting, and talent advisory services. Comhar, derived from the Gaelic word meaning collaboration, was formed with the intention of providing recruiting expertise in deep partnership with the client in order to solve talent management challenges. Comhar Partners is headquartered in Chicago with specialized recruiting consultants based in 6 offices across the United States.

For more information regarding the FACHE credential, please contact the ACHE Department of Member Services by calling (312) 424-9400, emailing contact@ache.org, or visiting ache.org/FACHE.

To learn more about Marion Spears Karr, visit: https://comharpartners.com/marion-spears-karr/

To learn more about Comhar Partners, visit their website at https://comharpartners.com/

Visit Comhar Partners' Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/comhar-partners
The island is receiving more national attention after a recent clip on the "Co-Main Event" podcast wrapped up by speaking highly of the Guam flag.

The podcast, which started in 2012, has provided listeners with the independent discourse they crave about the crazy, dog-eat-dog world of mixed martial arts fighting, according to the podcast website.

Host Ben Fowlkes, who is also a veteran MMA journalist, spoke about the U.S. territory's flag as they closed out episode 443.

"The other thing I was going to just say is, did you notice when Trevin Jones got out there to fight, he was flying the flag of Guam behind him on the cage. Have you taken a good look at Guam's flag? Because it is awesome," said Fowlkes. "It's this blue flag with a red border. Then, in the center it's just like palm trees, sailboat, water and a little river, and it's just tranquil as s***, man. I don't know if I've ever seen a flag that just makes me feel as instantly calm as this one."

"It's like the opposite of the Montana that has the little seal in the center that's all about mining and industry," said co-host Chad Dundas.

"The Guam flag just says , 'Hey, relax. It can't be as important as all that.' 'Take 'er easy' is what the Guam flag wants to communicate to you," Fowlkes said.

"Thanks, Guam flag," Dundas said.

"Thank you," Fowlkes said.

A clip of the recording was circulated on social media over the weekend.

Earlier this month, Trevin "5 Star" Jones took home the Bantamweight Division win over Mario Bautista in UFC 259, in Las Vegas, Nevada after a second-round knockout.

Foreign land

This latest outside attention Guam has received is a turnaround after first-time Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene mistakenly referred to the island as foreign land when she railed against federal financial aid going overseas.

"I'm a regular, normal person. And I wanted to take my regular  normal person, normal, everyday American values, which is: We love our country. We believe our hard-earned tax dollars should just go for America  not for what, China, Russia, the Middle East, Guam  whatever, wherever," said Greene on Feb. 27 at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Del. Michael San Nicolas said they will be paying a visit to her and delivering Chamorro Chip Cookies as part of ongoing outreach to new members "to introduce them to our wonderful island of Guam."
(Natural News) Its now abundantly obvious that the globalists are deliberately driving our world into a debt bomb currency collapse. This is being engineered with massive government spending under the cover of covid relief bailout programs. In the US, Democrats are currently pushing a $1.9 trillion covid relief bailout / blowout, and this is just phase one of what they have in mind.

Under the Democrats and the fake Biden regime, it wont be long before America is swamped with $40 trillion in debt. (This could happen in just the next 18 months.)

Once the global currency collapse is triggered  much like the final snowflake falling on a mountain top and triggering a massive, deadly avalanche  governments around the world will loot whatever they can see.

What can they see thats yours? Bank accounts, primarily, but also stock market investments, pension funds and anything else thats electronically visible to the criminal government.

Understand this critical point: The only things the government cant loot from you are those things which are invisible to them.

Whats invisible to the government?

Physical gold and silver in your possession, for starters. They cant see it because it isnt electronic and its not connected to the net.

Yes, governments can see your Bitcoin. The blockchain is shared everywhere. Its a public ledge of your bitcoin holdings, the opposite of privacy! The IRS can easily track your bitcoin holdings right now, which means they can also confiscate your holdings by fining you in dollars and forcing you to sell your bitcoin to pay the IRS in dollars. Right now, the nation of India is proposing a total ban on cryptocurrency, meaning it will become a criminal offense to own Bitcoin. A similar law will eventually make its way to the USA, banning all cryptocurrencies that the government and central banks dont control themselves.

Digital books that you purchase through Kindle are quite visible to the deep state, but books on your shelf are invisible to the government. Or ammo in your safe. Or firearms you made at home using a Ghost Gunner, for example.

When you watch Netflix movies, thats visible (and tracked to build a psychological profile on you), but when you watch physical DVDs on your DVD player, thats invisible.

Things that are invisible are much harder for the government to loot from you once the global looting begins. Relying on things that are invisible also protects your privacy from prying eyes.

Shift your assets from visible to INVISIBLE

In preparation for the global looting thats coming, a key financial survival strategy is to shift your assets from visible (i.e. bank accounts, crypto, pension funds, stocks) into the invisible (physical gold, silver, ammo, collectibles, firearms that arent tracked, etc.). Importantly this strategy is both legal and ethical. You dont have to violate any laws to trade bank account digits for physical silver, for example. Yet in doing so, you are transitioning visible assets into invisible assets. (Which is one reason why governments hate gold and and silver in the hands of citizens.)

Many people are playing in the financialization space right now, thinking they are getting rich on Tesla stocks or cryptocurrency. But none of that counts  and it can all be looted  until you sell it and cash it out for something real.

At the end of the financial game currently playing out on the world stage, the only assets that matter are physical assets under your control when the music stops. Anything in a bank account, a brokerage account or a digital wallet of any kind can be found and confiscated. (Or aggressively devalued.)

Yet its much more difficult for governments to physically come to your house with an armed assault squad and steal your silver, for example. Especially if youve hidden it or buried it somewhere.

It doesnt mean government cant steal your invisible stuff if they really, really want to, but its far more difficult for them to do so, especially when they dont really know whether its worth raiding your house, since they cant see how much stuff you really have (physical gold, silver, ammo, firearms, etc.).

Todays Situation Update teaches you about making assets invisible to the government looters

In todays Situation Update, youll learn more details about how the government spies on your assets and how they electronically steal from you. More importantly, youll learn how to protect yourself from their theft.

Remember: All governments are criminal enterprises that thrive on the mass looting of their citizens. They are above the law and respect no rule of law that stands in their way. Once they find themselves in dire financial trouble, they will begin large-scale looting of private bank accounts, pension funds, stocks and anything else they can locate and steal.

It has been this way throughout history, again and again. And history repeats itself.

Listen to the full podcast here, and pass this along to others who need to become more invisible with their assets so they might have something remaining after the government tries to steal everything.

Brighteon.com/e9054024-56a7-4d3a-aa24-f3fa7d6a872e

Tomorrow, the Situation Update podcast brings you a special vaccine alert edition that covers the coming second wave of the super strain pandemic, caused by global vaccinations and viral adaptation. Catch that podcast here:

https://www.brighteon.com/channels/hrreport
A Bosnian war film and a Romanian documentary have been nominated in the best international film category for next month's Academy Awards, while a Bulgarian actress was nominated for an Oscar in a supporting role.

Quo Vadis, Aida?, directed by Jasmila Zbanic, tells the story of a translator for the United Nations in the town of Srebrenica, the scene of the Bosnian war's worst atrocity when 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed by Serb forces in July 1995.

Collective, by Romanian-German director Alexander Nanau, follows a group of Romanian investigative journalists in their arduous journey of uncovering public health-care fraud and corruption in the aftermath of a fire in a Bucharest nightclub that killed more than 60 people.

Collective was also nominated in the best documentary category -- the second time in as many years that a documentary from Southeastern Europe has been nominated in both categories after last year's Macedonian film Honeyland.

This is a win for independent investigative journalists and whistle-blowers, guardians of our societies, who can hold corrupt authorities accountable," Nanau said about the nomination.

Quo Vadis, Aida? director Zbanic won a Golden Bear award in Berlin in 2006 for her feature Grbavica.

"I am just so happy. This is a huge success for Bosnia," actor Boris Ler, a member of the film's cast, told RFE/RL.

Quo Vadis, Aida? and Collective will compete for the best foreign movie accolade along with films from Denmark, Hong Kong, and Tunisia, the academy announced on March 15.

Bulgaria's Maria Bakalova secured a nomination for best supporting actress for her role in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, the sequel to Sacha Baron Cohen's 2006 hit mockumentary Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation.

Wa Wa Wee Wa!" Bakalova, said, mocking Borat's signature exclamation. "Thank you to the academy for this honor! I really can't believe this -- to hear my name in the company of these remarkable women and their breathtaking performances is a dream come true!"

David Finchers Mank, the black-and-white drama starring Gary Oldman as Citizen Kane writer Herman Mankiewicz, led the overall field for the Academy Awards with 10 nominations.

For the first time in the 93-year history of the awards, two women -- Chloe Zhao and Emerald Fennell -- were nominated for best director.

The Academy Awards would typically have happened by now but this year were postponed by two months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

They will instead be telecast on April 25.

Based on reporting by the BBC, AFP, and AP
Like the first brush stroke on a blank canvas, the Master Blender's Selection series reflects boundless freedom of expression, created to be a personal statement, and foremost, change the traditional perceptions of Cognac. Available for a limited time, the single-batch Cognac is the result of 250 years of savoir-faire, made possible by unparalleled expertise.

The freedom of Renaud Fillioux de Gironde  eighth generation Hennessy Master Blender from a family lineage that has remained unbroken for more than two centuries  brings a blend that encapsulates the spirit of true craftsmanship. One of a kind, and never to be replicated, the limited edition is a result of a selection of high-quality eaux-de-vie, singled out with great potential and set aside in the Hennessy cellars specifically for the Master Blender's imaginative creations.

Hennessy Master Blender's Selection N4 is based on an intimate inspiration after a brisk winter walk in the Cantal mountains, a blend that began with one single eau-de-vie tasted by Renaud Fillioux de Gironde during a daily tasting years before, a taste that stayed with him, meticulously compartmentalized for this moment in time.

"When creating this blend, I was inspired by the contrast of a 'thermal shock,'" explains Renaud Fillioux de Gironde, Hennessy Master Blender. "Going from feeling one's smallness in such a wide open space to being inside, passing from daylight to the darkness of night, from solitude of the forest, being completely exposed to the elements in nature, to an environment of complete comfort and cozy abandon surrounded by friends."

As the second single batched creation of Renaud Fillioux de Gironde as the Hennessy Master Blender, the new blend differences itself from the earlier editions with its marked freshness and delicate side. Crafted with eaux-de-vie at least five years old that were aged in young French red oak barrels, Hennessy Master Blender's Selection N4 is a crisp, light amber Cognac with a slightly tarnished golden robe. It is characterized by aromatic liveliness, featuring notes of fresh apricot, candied orange peel and hints of fruity spices. On the palate, there is a sense of crispiness, making it to feel as if the blend crunches under the tongue.

Unlike most Hennessy Cognacs, Master Blender's Selection is a true single batch: blended only once, never to be replicated again. Maintaining the tradition of this remarkable Cognac series, the Master Blender's Selection N4 is bottled at 43% ABV, a great level to preserve each eau-de-vie's distinct personality. It is best enjoyed neat, or over large rocks to ensure the Cognac's structure remains untouched.

Starting March 2021, Hennessy Master Blender's Selection N4 is available at select fine retailers nationwide for a SRP of $89.99 (750ml).

To learn more, please visit Hennessy.com, Facebook.com/Hennessy or Instagram.com/HennessyUS.

ABOUT HENNESSY MASTER BLENDER'S SELECTION

At Hennessy, Cognac making is a living art that thrives on patience, passion and a unique know-how that has been cultivated for over 250 years. The fruit of generosity, Hennessy Master Blender's Selection can only come into existence with time, the highest finest raw materials and the know-how of many skilled craftspeople. Little by little, the eaux-de-vie they produce come together in a rare and precious expression of craft.

ABOUT HENNESSY

The leader in Cognac, the Maison Hennessy has shined around the world with its exceptional know-how for more than 250 years. Built on founder Richard Hennessy's spirit of conquest, the brand is present in more than 160 countries. Based in the heart of the Charente region, Hennessy is also a steadfast pillar of the regional economy. The House's success and longevity are rooted in the excellence of its cognacs, each of which is born of a unique process of transmission of know-how from generation to generation. The first spirits house to be certified ISO 14001, Hennessy unites its capacity for innovation and the support of all of its partners to protect this exceptional area. As a crown jewel of the LVMH Group, Hennessy is a major contributor to French international trade, with 99% of production sold in export, and a worldwide ambassador for the French art de vivre.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Kate Kenny, BCW Global

(908) 834-5563, [email protected]

SOURCE Hennessy
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The EU's three biggest countriesFrance, Italy and Germanyare the latest to suspend AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shots because of fears over blood clots and other possible side effects, despite the company and the WHO insisting there is no risk.

Here's a recap:

Nordic countries sound alarm

Denmark is the first country on March 11 to say it will suspend use of the AstraZeneca vaccine as a precautionary measure over fears of blood clots in vaccinated people.

Iceland and Norway follow the same day, temporarily suspending use of all their supply of the vaccine.

List grows

A day later Bulgaria suspends the use of the vaccine as it investigates the death of a woman with several underlying conditions who recently received the jab.

An initial probe had suggested the woman died from heart failure and an autopsy found no link with the vaccination.

Thailand abruptly delays the start of its rollout of the vaccine, stopping Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha from getting the first jab.

And the Democratic Republic of Congo, also due to start administering the vaccine, postpones its campaign citing "precautionary measures".

On Saturday, Norwegian health officials report three more cases of blood clots or brain haemorrhages in younger people who received the jab, but say they can not yet say they were vaccine-related.

Ireland and the Netherlands join the list Sunday, followed by Indonesia and then Germany, Italy and France on Monday.

Announcing its decision, the German health ministry says a closer look is necessary after the reported blood clotting incidents in Europe.

Suspending batches

The first halt of a batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine is announced by Austria on March 8, following the death of a 49-year-old nurse from "severe bleeding disorders" days after receiving it.

Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Luxembourg also suspend the use of doses from the same batch, which has been delivered to 17 countries and included one million vaccines.

Italy's medicines regulator on March 11 also bans the use of a batch as a precaution, triggering a similar decision from Romania.

And on March 14 Italy's northern Piedmont region suspends use of the vaccine after the death of a teacher who had received it the day before, with a national postponement coming a day later.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

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SAN FRANCISCO, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The global healthcare analytical testing services market size is expected to reach USD 23.9 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 9.8% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Growing emphasis on biosimilars, increased outsourcing of the aforementioned services by pharmaceutical companies, and rise in the number of clinical trials are some of the key factors expected to drive the global market in the years to come.

Key suggestions from the report:

The stringent regulation in the medical device & pharmaceutical industry is fueling the adoption of analytical testing services

The pharmaceutical product type segment led the global market with the largest revenue share of over 57% in 2020

This growth was owing to high outsourcing of analytical testing by pharmaceutical companies as it requires highly skilled staff and specialized equipment

North America dominated the global market with the largest revenue share of 42.0% in 2020 owing to the presence of the largest clinical trials market in the U.S.

Asia Pacific is projected to be the fastest-growing regional market during the forecast period owing to the expansion of the biosimilar market in countries such as India

Read 114 page research report with ToC on "Healthcare Analytical Testing Services Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product Type (Medical Device, Pharmaceutical), By Region (APAC, North America), And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/healthcare-analytical-testing-services-market

Biosimilars are FDA-approved treatments and possess highly identical properties to approved biologic drugs. They serve as a low-cost and effective treatment option when compared to biologics, which is anticipated to increase its demand remarkably in the coming years. An article on biosimilars published by Sandoz International GmbH, highlights analytical testing as a key stage in biosimilar development, thus creating demand for such services.

The global COVID-19 pandemic is expected to offer high growth opportunities to the providers of such services. As pharmaceutical companies across the world have started clinical trials for the development of vaccines and drugs for the treatment of COVID-19, the demand for analytical testing has increased. Also, to combat the coronavirus, there is a surge to meet the global needs including medical devices and pharma products that require rigorous testing before delivering the final product to the clients. This is expected to boost the demand for such services.

Grand View Research has segmented the global healthcare analytical testing services market on the basis of product type and region:

Healthcare Analytical Testing Services Product Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

Medical Device



Extractable & Leachable





Material Characterization





Physical





Bioburden





Sterility





Other Tests



Pharmaceutical



Bioanalytical





Method Development & Validation





Stability





Other Services

Healthcare Analytical Testing Services Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

North America



U.S.





Canada



Europe



U.K.





Germany





France





Italy





Spain



Asia Pacific



India





Japan





China





Australia





South Korea



Latin America



Brazil





Mexico





Argentina





Colombia





Chile



MEA



South Africa





Saudi Arabia





UAE

List of Key Players of Healthcare Analytical Testing Services Market

PPD, Inc.

ICON plc

LabCorp

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.

Syneos Health

SGS SA

Eurofins Scientific

Toxikon, Inc.

Intertek Group

Find more research reports on Medical Devices Industry, by Grand View Research:

Blood Warmers Market  Global blood warmers market size was valued at USD 869.2 million in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.3% from 2021 to 2028.

in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.3% from 2021 to 2028. Catheters Market  Global catheters market size was valued at USD 45.26 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.4% from 2021 to 2028.

in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.4% from 2021 to 2028. Sterilization Equipment Market  Global sterilization equipment market size was valued at USD 5.52 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.3% from 2021 to 2028.

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About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

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Mount Greylock District Budget Delayed Until End of March

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The Mount Greylock Regional School District continues to develop its fiscal 2022 budget as school officials work to develop a strategy to address diversity issues in the PreK-12 district.

On Thursday, the School Committee held its annual public hearing on the budget. In year's past, that has been the night the panel votes to approve the spending plan it will send to member towns Lanesborough and Williamstown with the property tax assessments voters will consider at their respective annual town meetings.

This year, no such vote was requested by the administration or taken by the seven-member committee.

"I'm going to keep on saying 'draft, draft, draft' all night long because this is a work in progress," Business Administrator Joe Bergeron said in presenting the budget to the board.

As recently as March 3, the district told the Williamstown Finance Committee that it would be ready with final budget numbers for the Fin Comm to review at its March 17 meeting.

On Friday morning, district Superintendent Jason McCandless said he anticipates the School Committee will vote the final numbers at its meeting on March 25.

"If the bottom line and impact on member towns change, they will be small scale changes," McCandless said Friday morning of the budget presented on Thursday evening. "We have a couple of moving pieces still out there, and we need them to settle before we make a final budget. The budget plan presented last night is very close to that, however."

That budget plan calls for assessment hikes to the member towns of 1.67 percent in Williamstown and 1.13 percent in Lanesborough.

In the case of the former, the assessment would be up by $201,924, from $12.1 million to $12.3 million. In Lanesborough, it would climb by $66,155, from $5.76 million to $5.83 million.

Overall, the district's budget as presented on Thursday is up by 4.5 percent, or $1 million, to $12,232,476 in FY22. Most of that increase is offset by grants and the use of revenue from School Choice and tuition.

The remainder, the part that falls on local property-tax payers, is divided based formulas laid out in the regional agreement that rely on a five-year rolling average of enrollment per town at the middle-high school and equalized value of property, a determination made by the state to ensure a fair measure of property values at the local level.

One unique feature of the Mount Greylock School District funding calculation is driving the higher assessment increase in Williamstown. Per the regional agreement, each town is responsible for the local share of the operating budget at its own elementary school  unlike the operating budget at the middle-high school, which is shared.

In Williamstown's case, the gross operating budget of Williamstown Elementary School is up by 8.3 percent, while Lanesborough Elementary's budget is up by 4.5 percent, in the draft FY22 budget. The operating budget at Mount Greylock is up by 2.4 percent, from $11.9 million in the current school year to $12.2 million in FY22.

Both elementary schools are seeing a proposed budget increase because of plans to add a full-day pre-kindergarten option, which McCandless is proposing to offer free of charge and with an emphasis on children with special needs, children from families experiencing economic difficulties and children working at English language acquisition.

The full-day option, which would be added to the current half-day program, will come as welcome news to Williamstown residents who fought hard against a 2016 decision to cut the full-day offering. Back then, each of the elementary schools and the middle high school was its own school district, and the three shared a superintendent.

"When you're talking about high quality preschool, at Lanesborough Elementary and Williamstown Elementary, we offer the highest quality preschool," McCandless said. "We're very proud of those programs and the people who make those programs happen on a daily basis.

"This is just a great investment on every level, and the time is always right to do this. But we think the time is particularly right this year as we know that even our youngest students and their families are going to be trying to rebound from this year that we're hopefully putting behind us soon."

While Bergeron walked the School Committee through some of the nuts and bolts of a draft budget that was reviewed more thoroughly by the committee's Finance Subcommittee, McCandless took the lead on discussing the principles that drove the budget's priorities.

That meant a heavy focus on one of his top priorities since moving into the corner office in the fall: working to address diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in the district.

In terms of the budget, the DEIB work is manifested by the acquisition of new classroom and library materials and financial support for professional development opportunities for faculty members. It does not, for now at least, include creating a new districtwide position focused on diversity.

That step has been called for by many in the community, including a group of parents and caregivers who signed on to a letter delivered to the School Committee during Thursday's public comment portion of the meeting.

"We offer two recommendations as you prepare the district's budget for the upcoming year," said Kim Nicoll, who read the letter into the record. "First, we urge you to dedicate ample funds to hiring an [DEIB] consultant or group to conduct a needs assessment and training for faculty, staff and students. These would be immediate steps that would form the foundation on which to build future initiatives.

"Second, we also urge you to hire at least one full-time staff member in the district who has extensive training in DEI and belonging work in the K-12 education sector. Our students and teachers need support that is embedded and continually happening in order to confront and dismantle systemic oppression and racism."

McCandless told the committee that the district needs to do more planning to decide what a position in that area might look like before it takes the step of creating a job description. He also indicated that the need for more planning for DEIB efforts is one of the reasons why a final budget has to wait until the end of the month.

"You may not see it as evidently [in the draft budget], although on the 25th, we are very hopeful you will: investment in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging work and planning," McCandless said. "Our real vision for this work  and certainly mindful of the excellent letter that was shared by Ms. Nicoll and the many families who signed that letter  is we know we need to have some very visible, real, tangible things going on. And between tonight and the 25th, you will see that.

"Like you, I see some real merit to, 'Let's do this now. Let's not even wait until the fall. Let's do it now.' I will, though, ultimately say it may not be a matter of if, for me it remains a matter of when and how we get there."

Other than the 2021-22 budget, the main topic of conversation at Thursday's meeting was the resumption of full in-person instruction in the 2020-21 academic year.

The School Committee heard six public comments from residents pushing for an immediate end to remote or hybrid models and a presentation from McCandless about why the decision is out of the district's hands.

Referencing last week's decision by the commonwealth's Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, McCandless said that the district's elementary schools will begin offering full in-person instruction on April 5 and the middle school will be back to full day sessions five days a week on April 28. He noted that individual families still will be able to keep their children in remote models through the end of the end of the school year.

The state mandate includes a requirement that schools continue to require face coverings and maintain 3 feet of distance between students in the classroom  not the 6 feet that districts have been trying to maintain throughout the academic year.

"Whether I like this or not is immaterial," McCandless said. "Whether the committee likes this or not is immaterial."

School Committee members expressed their frustration that the commonwealth is not doing more to vaccinate teachers.

"What I hear from my fellow teachers is exactly what Jake is saying: that the announcements came in the wrong order," said Michelle Johnson, a teacher in the Lenox Public School District. "First, we found out that we were being forced back to full in-person instruction. Then, we were told, 'Now, you're going to be prioritized [for vaccinations].' "

Teachers were moved up on the state's priority list for vaccinations on March 3 but not given priority status in the reservation system until March 11. The Baker administration has been pushing schools to go fully in person since last summer, but only got the legal authority to mandate it from the Board of Education in an 8-3 vote taken on March 5.

In other business on Thursday night:

 As part of the state's new mandate to return to full in-person instruction, capacity limits for school buses were lifted. Districts now can transport children in full buses as long as windows are kept open at least 2 inches and students are required to wear masks.

 McCandless reported on a second Zoom bombing incident at the middle-high school. Similar to the first, an intruder used the name of a student in a virtual classroom to gain access and played an offensive song, which was heard for about 10 seconds before the teacher was able to expel the intruder. "I completely wish we could bring you more clarity into who did this and why they did this and what we're going to do about it," McCandless said. "I'm as unsatisfied as I'm sure many of you are.  We will keep doing what we need to do to look into these events."

 The School Committee heard a presentation from a leader of Greylock Multicultural Student Union who updated the panel on the group's efforts to support students of color and engage on issues of equity and inclusion.

 Mount Greylock Principal Jake Schutz reported that attendance rates remain high at the middle-high school and staff reports that, on average, content is being covered at about the same pace as it would in a regular school year.

 School Committee member Jose Constantine revealed in passing that Kristen Thompson is no longer the principal at Williamstown Elementary School when he referred to her as the "then-principal" during a discussion of FY22 budget priorities. The school's website now lists her as the assistant principal and Cindy Sheehy as the principal. "This came about last week after a few weeks of discussion and planning about what would best serve students, staff, and the individuals involved as we work to get through this year," McCandless said on Friday morning.
IN the space of one month, the families of 326 people were left in shock and heartbreak after losing their loved ones to the Covid-19 virus.

May 2021 was the deadliest month of the pandemic in Trinidad and Tobago and the month with the highest number of Covid-19 cases.
One of the 150 initiatives developed to promote responsible drinking

Regulatory News:

Press release Paris, 15th March 2021

Pernod Ricard (Paris:RI):

At a time when all players in the wine and spirits industry are being hard hit by this unprecedented crisis with a record drop of 9.8% in the volume of wine, beer and spirits consumed in France1 in 2020, representing a fall of 28 million bottles for spirits alone1, the sharpest decline in 30 years and at a time when bars, restaurants and clubs are suffering enormously, with thousands of bankruptcies expected in the sector, Pernod Ricard has not abandoned its commitments and is continuing its prevention and education roadmap for the responsible consumption of its products. More than 150 initiatives are currently being developed in France and around the world by the Group, either alone or with other partners. Warning of the dangers of excessive or inappropriate consumption, protecting at-risk groups such as minors, promoting moderate consumption, and "drinking less but better" these are just some examples of the Group's commitment over the last twenty years, when it introduced its first prevention programmes.

The most symbolic of these latest initiatives is undoubtedly the addition of age-restriction labelling to all bottles produced by the Group's brands as of this year. This goal, announced in January 2020 with its peers in the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD), was originally scheduled to be introduced in 2024. However, the Group has decided to bring this rollout forward by three years. Pernod Ricard is already a pioneer, with its decision in 2007 to add a warning symbol for pregnant women to all its bottles.

The latest Group's initiatives are structured along three lines:

1. Training our employees and partners

Initiative: The Employee MOOC. Seeking to take advantage of the lockdown period to accelerate training, since April 2020 the Group has been rolling out an in-house digital training course (MOOC) aimed at educating all Group employees on both the risks of excessive or inappropriate consumption and responsible drinking guidelines.This training ends with a Code of Ethics signed by all employees, requiring them to respect responsible drinking guidelines and reminding them that any failure to do so may give rise to disciplinary action.

The training has already been completed by more than 80% of employees with PCs worldwide. Employees working in the vineyards and at the production sites will receive appropriate training shortly. This figure rises to almost 100% among sales representatives. In France, in addition to this programme, all sales teams in the field have received specific training given the greater vigilance required due to their roles, with particular emphasis on responsible drinking. Training modules in the form of podcasts have also been developed for their benefit, to raise awareness of the risks associated with driving and tiredness, mobile phone use, speeding, medication and alcohol.

2. Combatting under-age and binge drinking

Responsible Party Initiative: Several studies have shown a continuing reduction in binge drinking among young Europeans. According to the 2017 European ESCAPAD study, it fell by 25% between 2014 and 2017. Pernod Ricard set up the Responsible Party project over ten years ago in partnership with ERASMUS (Erasmus Student Network) with the aim of encouraging this trend. Since 2009, the programme based on "Responsible Parties" has been rolled out in 32 European countries, including France, reaching some 450,000 students. Building on this success, Pernod Ricard has set itself the goal of reaching at least one million young adults through its Responsible Parties by 2030. In April 2020, forced to suspend these events due to the pandemic, Pernod Ricard rolled out a digital version of the programme, entitled 'Sharing Good Vibes', on Facebook and Instagram, which has reached more than 6 million people, primarily isolated and at-risk students.

"Proof of age I check" initiative: The non-profit organisation Prevention et Moderation, of which Pernod Ricard is a founding member, announced the roll-out of an e-learning programme designed to train supermarket checkout staff in the correct enforcement of the ban on selling alcohol to minors. This module, called "Proof of age I check" consists of a motion design video and practical examples. It was integrated into all retailers training platforms in France in 2020.

3. Using digital to promote responsible drinking guidelines

Initiatives to manage digital drinks: The French did not drink more during the pandemic, as shown by three studies (YouGoV, IFOP and Sante Publique France). According to Sante Publique France, 24% of respondents say they drank less and 65% say they did not drink more alcohol during lockdown. French people have in fact changed their drinking habits by switching to digital drinks as a result of the closure of bars and restaurants. Against this backdrop, Pernod Ricard launched two global campaigns, the second of which was during the 2020 festive season, to provide a framework for these new habits. Simple and effective prevention messages, adopting the communication standards specific to these digital channels, were shared on the Group's social media and that of its subsidiaries, including "Respect the choice of other people not to drink alcohol" and "Keep to social distancing rules, even while enjoying a drink".

About Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is the world's No 2 in wines and spirits with consolidated sales of 8,448 million in FY20. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has developed through organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin&Sprit (2008). Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin&Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard, which owns 16 of the Top 100 Spirits Brands, holds one of the most prestigious and comprehensive brand portfolios in the industry, including: Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine's, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier-Jouet champagnes, as well Jacob's Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo, and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard's brands are distributed across 160+ markets and by its own salesforce in 73 markets. The Group's decentralised organisation empowers its 19,000 employees to be true on-the-ground ambassadors of its vision of "Createurs de Convivialite." As reaffirmed by the Group's strategic plan, "Transform and Accelerate," deployed in 2018, Pernod Ricard's strategy focuses on investing in long-term, profitable growth for all stakeholders. The Group remains true to its three founding values: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust, and a strong sense of ethics, as illustrated by the 2030 Sustainability and Responsibility roadmap supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), "Good times from a good place." In recognition of Pernod Ricard's strong commitment to sustainable development and responsible consumption, it has received a Gold rating from Ecovadis. Pernod Ricard is also a United Nations' Global Compact LEAD company.

Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN Code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 and Eurostoxx 50 indices.

_____________________________

1 Estimates based on IWSR data for calendar years 2019 and 2020

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005605/en/

Contacts:

Emmanuel Vouin Head of External Engagement: +33 (0) 1 70 93 16 34
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Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 49 Colleges In North Carolina for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 197 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment.

The 2021 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system which includes student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third party evaluations. Intelligent.com analyzed 197 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 49 making it to the final list. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each school.

To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-colleges-in-north-carolina/

2021 Colleges In North Carolina featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

Appalachian State University

Barton College

Belmont Abbey College

Brevard College

Campbell University

Catawba College

Davidson College

Duke University

East Carolina University

Elizabeth City State University

Elon University

Fayetteville State University

Gardner-Webb University

Greensboro College

Guilford College

High Point University

Johnson C Smith University

Lees-McRae College

Lenoir-Rhyne University

Livingstone College

Mars Hill University

Meredith College

Methodist University

Mid-Atlantic Christian University

Montreat College

North Carolina A&T State University

North Carolina Central University

North Carolina State University

North Carolina Wesleyan College

Pfeiffer University

Piedmont International University

Queens University, Charlotte

Saint Andrews University

Salem College

Shaw University

University of Mount Olive

University of North Carolina School of the Arts

University of North Carolina, Asheville

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina, Charlotte

UNC Greensboro

University of North Carolina, Pembroke

University Of North Carolina, Wilmington

Wake Forest University

Warren Wilson College

Western Carolina University

William Peace University

Wingate University

Winston-Salem State University

About Intelligent.com

Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides which include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/.
Queenslands Premier urged the federal government to consider vaccinating Papua New Guinea residents as she revealed major concerns the virus could spread into her state.

On Monday, Ms Palaszczuk said Queensland Health tested 500 swabs taken from PNG residents and 250 of those came back positive.

Queensland Premier Annastaica Palaszczuk has major concerns about COVID-19 spreading from PNG. Credit:Jono Searle/Getty

We have major concerns now about what is happening in Papua New Guinea, she said.

I hope that I will be able to speak with Prime Minister [Scott Morrison] or the Prime Ministers office in the next 24 hours just to talk about our concerns there, have a look at the flights coming in, she said.
Nigeria has started to vaccinate people after receiving its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines. Virologist and senior research fellow, Solomon Bakarey, provides some insights on how the country should go about the rollout plan.

The government hasnt unveiled a coherent plan. How much of a problem is this?

Its a big problem, and its making Nigerians sceptical about the vaccines.

Many countries, including some African neighbours, have rolled out distribution plans for the vaccines theyve procured. But Nigerian government is yet to unveil a coherent plan.

In my view, this means that the government isnt sincere about making sure theres equitable distribution. The consequence is that people will have doubts about the efficacy of its efforts as well as the vaccine. They might therefore be reluctant to show interest when the vaccines are made available.

This will not help the country and the international community will not take the country seriously.

What vaccines have been procured?

In early March it was announced that Nigeria had received 3.94 million COVID-19 vaccines shipped by the Vaccines Global Access facility  COVAX. These were Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines manufactured in India. This meant that the country could begin its vaccination programme.

The government has also announced it is expecting 41 million doses through the auspices of the African Union, which is also sourcing them from manufacturers in India. And the countrys regulatory authorities, the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, have approved the vaccines for use.

Earlier this year, Nigeria did not specify which of the three available COVID-19 vaccines  Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna or Oxford/AstraZeneca  would be procured but said it would budget for all of them. This was before considering issues such as the suitability of vaccines from a storage point of view.

The Pfizer vaccine, for example, can only be stored at -70C conditions while the Moderna vaccine can remain stable at refrigerator temperature for about 30 days. The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, due its different formulation, only needs to be kept in normal refrigerated conditions. This is better for Nigeria given the countrys erratic power supply.

Whats the rollout plan?

Nigeria plans to vaccinate 40% of its citizens against COVID-19 before the end of 2021, and 70% by the end of 2022.

The government has not released details of how this will be achieved, though its been possible to piece together some elements. For example, there is an online registration site which also gives details about which groups of people will be prioritised. At the front of the queue are frontline healthcare workers, those who work in high risk areas like entry points and contact tracing teams.

COVID-19 vaccination teams are also included. Others include security personnel, teachers and the elderly, especially those with co-morbidities cancer, diabetes, asthma, HIV and AIDS, and immunocompromised patients.

The general population will follow.

Whats the role of private companies, if any?

The government clearly cannot do it alone. Any rollout will have to be implemented with the help of a wide range of organisations. To save the countrys healthcare system from total collapse in the face of COVID-19 requires the input of all.

For the moment, only government agencies can procure COVID-19 vaccines. The reason for this is that global supply is low. This makes it imperative for governments to take charge until more vaccine manufacturers produce enough to go round.

But I think it will not be long before private companies will be asked to get involved.

Private sector involvement is already happening on other fronts. For example, the government announced that it has secured the services of the private sector for ultra-cold storage facilities to help store and distribute the vaccines.

This is not new. Private facilities already contribute significantly to healthcare provision in the country. One example is the involvement of private healthcare institutions in previous federal government vaccination programmes such as child immunisations against polio and measles.

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What lessons can Nigeria learn from other countries?

Nigeria can learn from the vaccination plans of countries such as the U.S., Canada, the UK, South Africa, Kenya and Ghana. It boils down to phasing the distribution of vaccines across different groups of the society, starting the priority lists with the most at risk population, teachers and then finally the general population.

Nigeria stands to gain a lot if it adopts their COVID-19 vaccine strategies to prevent and control the scourge. These include:

Having a coherent strategy to distribute the vaccines considering equitable distribution.

Unveiling a coherent plan for distribution and effective vaccination strategies.

Educating the public on the time-line for the exercise.

Communicating clearly to citizens about how it intends to reach the endpoint of the whole population being vaccinated.

Is there resistance to the available vaccines? Why?

Yes. There is distrust. This ranges from being sceptical about the governments ability to deliver a coherent plan, and to put in place necessary modalities, all the way through to the vaccination exercise until success is achieved.

The government has disappointed Nigerians before. Ordinary citizens find it difficult to trust political leaders.

Examples abound. Take the way the government handled measures to offset the effects of the lockdown. Its efforts left much to be desired. This added to Nigerians doubts of government intentions.

Also, many Nigerians do not know how potent the newly procured AstraZeneca vaccine is. Some are also bothered about the speed with which things have been done  from testing to manufacturing.

The government will have to work hard if its going to win peoples trust.

It is trying to reduce fears by putting top officials in line for vaccinations. For example, Dr Cyprian Ngong of the National Hospital, Abuja was the first to be vaccinated. Some health workers from the hospital have also been vaccinated. So also the president, vice president and some ministers.

But it will need to do a whole lot more to win over sceptical citizens.

The Conversation is a Premium Times syndication partner. We have permission to republish content.

Bank strike: Services at branches, ATMs could be hit for two days

Bank strike on March 15, 16: Branches to be shut for next four days

Bank strike today: List of services which will be affected

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 15: To protest against the Centre's plan to privatise the public sector banks, employees of India's banks will be on strike starting today.

Bank strike across India: Which services won't be available, will ATMs work? | Oneindia News

Nearly 10 lakh employees of the public sector banks and old generation private banks will go on strike on March 15 and 16.

In her budget speech, Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman announced the privatisation of public sector banks as part of the government's disinvestment drive to generate Rs 1.75 lakh crore.

Prior to the strike on March 15 and 16, the bass are scheduled to be closed on March 13-second Saturday and Sunday. This would mean that the banking services will be impacted for four days.

Bank strike on March 15, 16: Branches to be shut for next four days

However ATMs are likely to function for the next four days.

Cheque clearances, opening of new accounts, issue of demand drafts and loan processing are likely to be affected March 17. The State Bank of India said arrangements have been made for normal functioning in all branches and offices. However it added that work may be impacted due to the strike.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her Budget speech earlier this month announced plans to privatise two public sector banks.

About 10 lakh bank employees and officers under the banner of United Forum of Unions consisting of nine unions AIBEA, AIBOC, NCBE, AIBOA, BEFI, INBEF, INBOC, NOBW, NOBO are agitating against government''s proposal, AIBEA said in a statement.

The bank unions, after Friday''s dharna, will stage protests across the country in the next 15 days. "On 10th March, we will hold a protest demonstration before Parliament during the Budget session," AIBEA said.

Thereafter, 10 lakh employees and officers of the banks will observe two days of continuous strike on 15-16 March, 2021. "If the government proceeds further, we will intensify the agitation and go for prolonged strikes and indefinite strike. We demand of the government to reconsider their decision," AIBEA added.

The union said after India got independence no private sector bank came forward to help the economic development of the country that necessitated the nationalisation of major private sector banks in 1969.

Since then, banks have made great strides and have played a significant role in the country''s development and from 8,000 bank branches in 1969, today there are as many as 100,000 bank branches across India, of which many are in rural areas.

AIBEA said from 2010 to 2020, public sector banks have earned a total profit of Rs 14,57,000 crore.

"The only problem facing banks is the bad loans. Most of the bad loans are by the corporates and rich industrialists. Instead of taking action on them, the government wants to privatise and hand over the banks to them," AIBEA General Secretary C H Venkatachalam said.
AN asylum seeker who is living in the Tullamore direct provision centre has praised the quality of the accommodation which has been provided for his family, compared to many other facilities.

Azwar Fuard, 39, fled his native Sri Lanka along with his wife Safra Banu and three-year-old daughter Mariyam because of persecution of the Tamil Muslim minority.

He was first accommodated in a former hotel in Dublin and then moved to another direct provision centre which had been established at the Skellig Star Hotel in Cahirsiveen, Co Kerry.

The Cahirsiveen facility became embroiled in controversy when residents complained about unsuitable conditions there and up to 25 of them had tested positive for Covid-19 by June 2020.

Mr Fuard said he had concerns about the centre from the very start.

When we went inside the building we realised it was a single building, with high density of residents, more than 100 residents including nine children, he said. The situation was not okay and the facilities were not up to standard, the precautions were not satisfied.

The communal eating area was not suitable, Covid testing was not done before moving people during the pandemic, time was not adequate for new arrivals, and different groups were mixing together, leading to increased risk of infection.

The way it was handled at first was giving a very low confidence for the residents.

He had been heartened on his arrival in the Co Kerry town by the welcome the asylum seekers had received from local people but growing discontent about the direct provision centre itself prompted calls for its closure.

A number of residents, including Mr Fuard, went on hunger strike and there was intense lobbying for a transfer to other locations.

Two days later the Government announced its closure and the Sri Lankan man, who luckily escaped the coronavirus, said he was impressed with how democracy worked in Ireland.

We decided to highlight this issue in a democratic way to the Government and it reached to a high level, even the Dail, and they decided to move the people, he said.

It [was] a good victory. We were able to test the democracy, which was lacking in our own country, a reason we had to leave our former habitual land seeking protection here.

On the last day of July [Justice Minister] Helen McEntee announced in the Dail they were going to close the centre and would be moving the people group by group.

He learned he and his family were to be accommodated in Tullamore, where the direct provision centre had been established at the former Marian Hostel on High Street, and in two houses across the street, earlier in the year.

I didn't know Tullamore. I [only knew] it was in the Midlands because I checked on the map.

He said he was impressed when he arrived because he could see how different the Tullamore facility was from those in Dublin and Cahirsiveen.

In Tullamore I am very happy about the setting because I have been in two others and I have the knowledge about other centres... so by comparing those things I feel Tullamore [is] a very good set-up.

He said the Tullamore centre, which is run by Bridgestock Care, has a large number of excellent staff who are constantly cleaning, disinfecting and meeting the needs of the residents.

Because of the layout of the buildings the individual families have privacy and he is especially pleased with the cooking facilities.

Unlike the other centres, all the residents families can cook for themselves, socially distant in a very large kitchen, and they use food purchased on-site.

I think a set-up like this should be encouraged instead of a confined [one] without cooking facility. The way [Cahirsiveen] was opened was wrong.

Mr Fuard said he is aware of just a couple of positive Covid-19 cases in Tullamore and those were immediately dealt with by isolation.

He is also happy with the welcome the asylum seekers have received and the offers of help which have been given.

After arriving in Ireland, Mr Fuard, who is a marketing graduate, worked promoting Electric Ireland products but the employment was cut short because of the Covid-19 lockdown. He has since secured employment again in Dublin.

His wife is currently studying for qualifications in childcare. They are paid the direct provision allowance of 38.80 per week each.

He said both of them experienced discrimination in their home city, Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, and he would be fearful about returning there.

His main concern at present is the slow pace of the asylum application process and he has been told that understaffing, and delays caused by the pandemic, have further delayed assessments.

The process time is very high, more than one year, and when the process time is very high the Government is spending a lot of money on direct provision and accommodation, he said.

The Government should concentrate on speeding up the process and if the asylum seekers are suitable [for asylum], grant them and they'll go out of direct provision and start their own life. If they are not suitable, move them to the next stage or move them away from the country.

If they delay the process the people who suffer are those who come with problems, they will be still suffering inside the process for a longer period. I do not encourage the life in direct provision [because] it restricts on individual development and [is] depressive.

In the case of his own family he says the assessment interviews were postponed at least three times.

While he awaits the completion of his application, he says he is very pleased with the welcome he and his family have received in Cahersiveen and Tullamore: People of the community are really helping us. We feel very good, [they are] very warm people, they are even trying to support us in finding jobs and guiding for further education.

He concluded: I am very happy at the way the Irish people welcomed us and the way they speak and the way they help each other.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-16 01:23:52|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The higher education sector in Belgium switched to "code orange" on Monday, which allows many universities and colleges to partially reopen classrooms for students.

This latest decision to allow up to 20 percent of students to attend classes was taken after the "Concertation Committee" met on March 5.

Wearing a mask remains compulsory as well as respecting the physical distance of 1.5 meters between people.

Some 80 percent of students and faculty members will continue to study and work via distance learning.

Between March 5 and March 11, the public health institute Sciensano has registered 2,718 new daily infections on average, a 15 percent increase from last week.

To date, Belgium has recorded a total of 808,283 COVID-19 cases and 22,441 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in an increasing number of countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 263 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 81 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 Friday. Enditem
DUBLIN, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Pigment Market - Global Industry Analysis (2017-2020). Growth Trends and Market Forecast (2021-2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

There has been an increased demand for pigment in the global market owing to its wide array of applications in industries such as plastics, construction, textiles, paints and coatings. Paints and coatings are the largest consumers of pigments. They lend the desired finish and color to the surface they are used on. Pigments also safeguard paints against extreme weather conditions and corrosion. Demand for pigments is accelerating due to growing infrastructure, urbanization, plastics and building materials and paint & coatings market. The market is expected to face a shift towards eco-friendly and sustainable products due to stringent regulation of government bodies. Consumers are increasingly changing their preference and becoming more conscious hence, they are choosing eco-friendly alternative color shades.

However, there are certain restrains that can likely hamper the growth of the market in the coming years. Increased raw material prices and energy cost are key factors that can bring challenges in the growth of global pigment market. Furthermore, pigment market is also affected by the environment and regulatory authorities to protect consumers from toxic pollutants. The industry is facing challenges due to these regulations as government bodies are taking strict measures hence, resulting in increased price of organic pigments. Another major restrain faced by the market is maintaining stability in supply of intermediaries and finished product as the market heavily relies on these two.

The paint and coating industry segment is expected to lead the global market as this segment has the largest consumer base for pigments. The pigment market growth is flourishing due to rise of new application areas in paint and coatings industry. Urbanization is one of the biggest factors bolstering the demand in the market. Building materials is a key factor supporting the demand. Moreover, modern painting industry is also accelerating the demand for paint and coating industry segment as demand for high quality pigment and colors in printing ink is rising. Printing ink is consumed by major end users such as leather, paper, and plastic industry.

Asia Pacific is expected to lead the global market as this region is witnessing rise of producers as well as consumers of pigment. The rise in demand and production in this region is due to emerging economies such as China and India. They are the major producers of pigment as the manufacturers are migrating to these countries over the last decades. Asia Pacific meets the regulations for VOCs and lead chromate hence, bolstering the market in this region.

The key payers operating in the global pigment market are investing in enhancing their product portfolio with advanced technologies. Key players are engaging in research and development to produce superior quality of color that is less harmful to the environment. Additionally, the players are also adopting technological collaborations to increase the efforts in research and development activities for the company.

Key Highlights

Rise of urbanization and increased infrastructure to boost demand for pigment market.

Market is expected to face restrains owing to strict regulations.

Asia Pacific will lead the global market as it has the largest consumer base.

will lead the global market as it has the largest consumer base. Key players are actively investing in expansion of product portfolio to dominate the market.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary

2. Market Overview

3. Production Output and Trade Statistics, 2018-2020

4. Price Trends Analysis and Future Projects, 2017-2025

5. Global Pigments Market Outlook, 2017-2025

6. North America Pigments Market Outlook, 2017-2025

7. Europe Pigments Market Outlook, 2017-2025

8. Asia Pacific Pigments Market Outlook, 2017-2025

9. Latin America Pigments Market Outlook, 2017-2025

Companies Mentioned

Altana AG

Cathay Industries Group

Chemours

DIC Corporation

Ferro Corporation

Heubach GmbH

KRONOS Worldwide Inc.

LANXESS

Lomon Billions Group

TRONOX Holding PLC

Venator

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/wadxvh

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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Page is located in the heart of Arizonas Canyon Country and just minutes from one of the most unique lakes in the world, Lake Powell. Photo Credit: Ashley Scott As the base camp to Canyon Country and some of the Wests most extraordinary attractions, Hyatt Place Page/Lake Powell offers the ideal getaway for families and couples alike looking to reconnect after months spent indoors through active and invigorating experiences largely enjoyed alfresco."

Travelers looking to explore the great outdoors this spring in one of the countrys most premier adventure destinations can look no further than a road trip to Page, Ariz. located in the heart of Arizonas Canyon Country and just minutes from one of the most unique lakes in the world, Lake Powell.

New this season, Hyatt Place Page/Lake Powell is launching adventure-focused packages to highlight its immediate access to The Grand Circles 11 national parks, 16 national monuments and over 20 scenic byways. The hotel has established exclusive partnerships with some of the areas best adventure tour operators, Big Orange Jeep Tours and Epic Adventure Rides, to offer guests a truly memorable getaway filled with exciting excursions among the natural wonders of the region, from the famed Horseshoe Bend to Antelope Canyon and beyond.

As the base camp to Canyon Country and some of the Wests most extraordinary attractions, Hyatt Place Page/Lake Powell offers the ideal getaway for families and couples alike looking to reconnect after months spent indoors through active and invigorating experiences largely enjoyed alfresco, said Nadia Santacruz, general manager at Hyatt Place Page/Lake Powell.

Available to book now through the end of the year, Hyatt Place Page/Lake Powell has room rates starting from $100/night and is offering various stay packages including:

Hyatt Stay & Paddleboard Package (Rates from $210/night)

Soak up the sunshine and squeeze in some exercise on the sparkling waters of Lake Powell with this package that includes:



Accommodations in a standard guest room.

A paddleboard excursion for two hosted by Big Orange Jeep Tours. Equipment including life jackets and I-Rocker inflatable, stand-up paddleboards provided.

Rental accessories can be picked up and dropped off at Big Orange Jeep Tours, located at 818 N. Navajo Dr. (0.4 miles from the hotel).

Hyatt Stay & Epic Adventure Package (Rates from $310/night)

Enjoy everything you need to have an epic adventure around Lake Powell with this package that includes:



Accommodations in a standard guest room.

A Canyon & Cliffs UTV Tour hosted by Epic Adventure Rides, which guides guests across the desert trails, sandy washes, sand dunes and red rock sandstone of the Grand Stair Escalante National Monument.

Self-Driven Tour: Two-hour tour, four max guests (Rates from $400/night).

Guide-Driven Tour: Two-hour tour, three max guests (Rates from $350/night).

Hyatt Stay & Off the Beaten Path Package (Rates from $150/night)

Explore the backcountry of Page, Arizona and some of the citys best hiking trails and hidden gems with this package that includes:



Accommodations in a standard guest room.

A map guide to scenic and secluded hiking locations nearby.

A picnic lunch for two packed with sandwiches, whole fruit, chips, granola bars and water.

Far from the standard Hyatt Place, Hyatt Place Page/Lake Powell is a Southwest-inspired hotel that boasts spacious, suite-style guestrooms with separate places to sleep, work and play that provide a sophisticated retreat for those in need of some well-deserved rest and relaxation. After a long day of discovery, guests return to enjoy a cocktail on the open-air patio among roaring firepits and boundless views of Arizonas desert landscape; a thoughtfully sourced, regionally inspired dinner from the hotels signature restaurant, a dip in the heated, outdoor pool against a vibrant sunset backdrop; a peaceful lounge cozied up on contemporary furniture in front of the grand lobby fireplace, and so much more.

Hyatt Place Page/Lake Powell adheres to Hyatts Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment, a multilayered commitment designed to ensure safety and wellbeing for all guests that includes an accreditation process by the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), colleague training and support resources, and a cross-functional panel of medical experts and industry professionals that assist with fine-tuning various aspects of the hotel experience. In accordance with these rigorous protocols, hotel amenities including the pool, business center, fitness center and restaurant are currently operating at a limited capacity, and face coverings are required in all indoor public areas and when moving around in outdoor areas.

To book a reservation or for more information, visit PageLakePowell.Place.Hyatt.com or call 928-212-2200.

About Hyatt Place Page/Lake Powell

Located in the heart of Arizonas Canyon Country just a short drive from Lake Powells largest marina, Hyatt Place Page/Lake Powell is the base camp to The Grand Circles premier outdoor and adventure destinations including 11 national parks, 16 national monuments and over 20 scenic byways. The famed Horseshoe Bend, Glen Canyon Dam and Antelope Canyon are only minutes away. Designed with a contemporary, Southwest-inspired sophistication, the select-service hotel boasts 102 spacious, suite-style guestrooms with separate places to sleep, work and play, and offers convenient amenities like an outdoor pool; comfortable lounge patio seating with inviting firepits and boundless views of Arizonas desert landscape; a complimentary selection of hot breakfast items, fresh fruit and yogurt available daily; a 24-hour gym featuring state-of-the-art cardio equipment; a Business Center with close to 1,000 square feet of high-tech, flexible and functional meeting space; and complimentary Wi-Fi. When guests are looking to mix and mingle after a long day of adventure, lively social spaces throughout the hotel accented with cozy, modern furnishings greet them like the grand lobby fireplace or the Coffee to Cocktails Bar, where thoughtfully sourced, regionally inspired food, specialty coffees and premium cocktails are always on tap. For more information and to book your stay, visit PageLakePowell.Place.Hyatt.com.

About Hyatt Place

Hyatt Place hotels combine style, innovation and 24/7 conveniences to create an easy to navigate experience for todays multi-tasking traveler. Guests can enjoy thoughtfully designed guestrooms featuring distinct zones for sleep, work and play, and free flowing social spaces that offer seamless transitions from work to relaxation. With more than 375 locations globally, Hyatt Place hotels offer freshly prepared food around the clock, efficient service and differentiated experiences for World of Hyatt members. For more information, please visit hyattplace.com. Join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram, and tag photos with #HyattPlace and #WhySettle.
Washington County BOE nixes recommendations on school closures

The Washington County Board of Education votes against the superintendent's recommendations to close Hancock Middle-Senior High and Cascade Elementary schools.
YEREVAN, MARCH 15, ARMENRESS. The Deputy Minister of Defense Arman Sargsyan is denying news reports alleging that a military position in the Armenian town of Kapan is going to be surrendered to Azerbaijan.

There hasnt been any talk about surrendering any position, Sargsyan told reporters in parliament.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
MUHLENBERG TWP., Pa. - Pennsylvania's governor traveled to Berks County on Monday to get a first-hand look at how his plan to vaccinate teachers against COVID-19 is unfolding.

"We've already vaccinated 55,000 educators throughout the state," Wolf said.

As of Monday, about 2,200 educators and school staff in Berks County have been vaccinated.

"It's a huge step in ensuring that we get them back into the classroom," said Berks County state Sen. Judy Schwank.

In his tour of the Berks County Intermediate Unit in Muhlenberg Township, the governor was guided through each step of the process, from registration to vaccination to observation.

"Our ultimate goal is to offer every public and private school worker a vaccine to protect people, help even more students return to the classroom, and get communities another step closer to normal," Wolf said.

The state is working with Pennsylvania's IUs to administer 94,000 of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to school employees who want it.

"This is a step in the right direction for Pennsylvania schools," said Jill Hackman, the BCIU's executive director.

Wolf's visit to Berks County came amid sharp criticism from the county commissioners and at least one state lawmaker of the state's vaccine distribution process.

In a letter last week to the state's acting health secretary, Schwank said she was becoming increasingly frustrated, disappointed, and angry over how the state has distributed and administered the COVID-19 vaccines.

Schwank, a Democrat who represents Reading and many of its suburbs, asked that the Wolf administration provide Berks County officials and residents with an update specific to the county regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.

Wolf did not address the criticism on Monday.

27:36 WATCH: Gov. Wolf speaks outside BCIU vaccination clinic Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf visited the Berks County Intermediate Unit's COVID-19 vaccination clinic for educators on Monday. Other speakers we
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[March 15, 2021] Artificial Intelligence in Military Market worth $11.6 billion by 2025 - Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets

CHICAGO, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Artificial Intelligence in Military Market by Offering (Software, Hardware, Services), Technology (Machine Learning, Computer vision), Application, Installation Type, Platform, Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Artificial Intelligence in Military Market is estimated at USD 6.3 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 11.6 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 13.1% during the forecast period. An increase in funding from military research agencies and a rise in R&D activities to develop advanced AI systems are projected to drive the increased adoption of AI systems in the military sector. Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=41793495 Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a critical part of modern warfare as it can handle massive amounts of military data in a more efficient manner as compared to conventional systems. It improves the self-control, self-regulation, and self-actuation abilities of combat systems using inherent computing and decision-making capabilities. Some industry experts have noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has not affected the demand for Ai in Military, especially for military end use. Companies such as Lockheed Martin Corporation (US), Northrop Grumman Corporation (US), BAE Systems (UK), Rafael Advanced Defense Systems (Israel) and Thales Group (France) received contracts for the supply of AI systems to the armed forces of various nations in the first half of 2020, showcasing continuous demand during the COVID-19 crisis. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a large-scale impact on economies across the world, leading to many challenges, the AI in military market has continued to expand. This can be seen from both, the demand and supply sides, as leading manufacturers like Lockheed Martin (US), IBM (US), Northrop Grumman (US), and others continue to invest heavily in developing AI capabilities, and governments continue to invest significantly in securing these systems. This can be attributed to governments realizing the potential of improved capabilities that these AI systems offer in terms of defense arsenal as the global AI arms race tightens. However, even though the development of AI technology witnessed expansion, the overall building of the AI systems saw a hit. This was a result of the shortage of raw materials due to disruptions in the supply chain. Resuming manufacturing and demand depends on the level of COVID-19 exposure a country is facing, the level at which manufacturing operations are running, and import-export regulations, among other factors. Although companies may still be taking in orders, delivery schedules might not be fixed. Increasing Threats of Cyber Attacks is driving the growth of the defense applications that leverages AI The defense industry across countries is constantly under threat of cyberattacks. For instance, in September 2019, SolarWinds, a US technology company, was hacked, revealing sensitive data of many hospitals, universities, and US government agencies. Another notable incident was in October 2020, when the FBI and the US Cyber Command announced that a North Korean group had hacked think tnks, individual experts, and government entities of the US, Japan, and South Korea to illegally obtain intelligence, including that on nuclear policies.



Current cybersecurity technology falls short in terms of tackling advanced ransomware and spyware threats. The above mentioned SolarWinds hack was revealed when FireEye, a cybersecurity provider, was probing one of its own hacks. Such incidents indicate the increasing importance of having advanced cybersecurity capabilities. Artificial intelligence-based cybersecurity solutions that can be trained to independently gather data from various sources, analyze the data, correlate it to the signals indicating cyberattacks, and take relevant actions, can be deployed. Browse in-depth TOC on "Artificial Intelligence in Military Market"

164  Tables

77  Figures

278  Pages Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=41793495 Based on platform, the space segment of the Artificial Intelligence in military market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period Based on platform, the space segment of the Artificial Intelligence in military market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The space AI segment comprises CubeSat and satellites. Artificial intelligence systems for space platforms include various satellite subsystems that form the backbone of different communication systems. The integration of AI with space platforms facilitates effective communication between spacecraft and ground stations. Software segment of the Artificial Intelligence in Military market by offering is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period Based on offering, the Software segment is projected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Technological advances in the field of AI have resulted in the development of advanced AI software and related software development kits. AI software incorporated in computer systems is responsible for carrying out complex operations. It synthesizes the data received from hardware systems and processes it in an AI system to generate an intelligent response. Software segment is projected to witness the highest CAGR owing to the significance of AI software in strengthening the IT framework to prevent incidents of a security breach. The North America market is projected to contribute the largest share from 2020 to 2025 in the Artificial Intelligence in Military market The US and Canada are key countries considered for market analysis in the North American region. This region is expected to lead the market from 2020 to 2025, owing to increased investments in AI technologies by countries in this region. This market is led by the US, which is increasingly investing in AI systems to maintain its combat superiority and overcome the risk of potential threats on computer networks. The US plans to increase its spending on AI in military to gain a competitive edge over other countries. The North America US is recognized as one of the key manufacturers, exporters, and users of AI systems worldwide and is known to have the strongest AI capabilities. Key manufacturers of Ai systems in the US include Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, L3Harris Technologies, Inc., and Raytheon. The new defense strategy of the US indicates an increase in Ai spending to include advanced capabilities in existing defense systems of the US Army to counter incoming threats. Related Reports: Military Embedded Systems Market by Component (Hardware, Software), Server Architecture (Blade Server, Rack-Mount Server), Platform (Land, Airborne, Naval, Space), Installation (New Installation, Upgradation), Application, Services, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025. Network Centric Warfare (NCW) Market by Platform (Land, Air, Naval, Unmanned), Application (ISR, Communication, Computer, Cyber, Combat, Control & Command), Mission Type, Communication Network, Architecture, and Region - Global Forecast to 2021 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve. MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra

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New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/15/2021 -- The global Butyl Rubber Market is forecast to reach USD 6.42 Billion by 2027, according to a new report by Reports and Data. Butyl rubber is a type of synthetic rubber used mostly in tires and tubes, as it consists of unique properties such as excellent resistance to heat, chemicals & ozone, permeability to gas, and high low-temperature flexibility. It is also used in adhesives, sealants, protective clothes, closures, pharmaceutical stoppers, electrical cables, vials & tubes, hoses, and shoe soles.



With the growth in the manufacture of vehicles, the demand for tires is also expected to rise in the original equipment manufacturing market. This will have a significant impact on the market as butyl rubber is an indispensable raw material used for the manufacture of tires and tubes. Market players are also focusing on the replacement of old tires in keeping with new emission standards. The excellent gas barrier & good flex characteristics of butyl rubber has boosted its use across various industries. The butyl rubber sorbent has helped in removing PAH toxicity to a larger extent. The escalating use of the product for repairing roofs will propel the growth of the industry over the forthcoming years.



Top Players Covered in the Report Include:

Lanxess, JSR, Sinopec Beijing Yanshan, Sibur, Panjin Heyun Group, Zhejiang Cenway Synthetic New Material, Formosa Synthetic Rubber, ExxonMobil, PJSC NizhneKamskneftekhim, and Reliance Industries Limited, among others.



Europe occupies a significant market share of 19.8% in the year 2019 in the butyl rubber market. The compound is environment-friendly in nature, and the region is a large consumer of the product. The U.S., Germany, and China are the primary consumer base as well as production base.



Avail a Sample to know more about the complete Report @ https://www.reportsanddata.com/sample-enquiry-form/169



Further key findings from the report suggest:

There are new regulations that require manufacturers to reduce the consumption of fuel of both tractors and trailers. Market players are improving fuel efficiency by focusing on developing innovative materials and high-grade butyl rubber, such as halo-butyl rubber. The application of halo-butyl in the tire tread application improves its dynamic properties such as improved wet and dry traction and improved performance in rolling resistance.



The market product is used in the explosives industry for the manufacture of plastic explosives. The increasing demand for the compound as a binding agent in explosives coupled with the rise in demand from the mining industry for explosives is driving its demand in the coming period.



The increasing demand for butyl rubber for roof repairing and damp proofing is expected to propel the growth of the market. Moreover, the usage of food-grade butyl rubber in food applications is expected to propel the demand in the sector.



North America is forecasted to hold a market share of 20.3% in the year 2018. The region is switching to environmentally friendly products, and the growth in industrialization and automotive are fueling the demand for the market product.



For the purpose of this report, Reports and Data have segmented into the global Butyl Rubber market on the basis of product, applications, end users, and region:

Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; Volume, Kilo Tons; 2017-2027)

Regular butyl

Bromo butyl

Chloro butyl



Applications Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; Volume, Kilo Tons; 2017-2027)

Tires & lubes

Adhesives, sealants, stoppers

Industrial & medical gloves

Others



End Users Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; Volume, Kilo Tons; 2017-2027)

Automotive

Healthcare

Consumer Goods

Construction

Rubber Industry

Others



Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; Volume, Kilo Tons; 2017-2027)

North America

U.S

Europe

U.K

France

Asia Pacific

China

India

Japan

MEA

Latin America

Brazil



Key Highlights of the report:

The report provides an extensive evaluation of the global Butyl Rubber market including the recent trends and emerging trends of the industry.

A thorough qualitative and quantitative analysis of the market to offer an accurate insight of the industry to assist the readers and investor capitalize on the current and emerging opportunities of the market.

Extensive analysis of the product portfolio, application spectrum, and end-users to provide in-depth understanding to the readers.

Thorough profiling of the leading players of the industry and their expansion strategies.

SWOT analysis and Porter's Five Forces Analysis along with feasibility analysis and investment return analysis

Comprehensive study of recent developments in the market such as product launches, mergers, acquisitions, collaborations, joint ventures, and partnerships among others.



In conclusion, the report is constructed through a thorough primary and secondary research with the insightful data of the market validated from the industry experts and professionals. The study is an extensive document of the key aspects of the markets including trends, segmentation, growth prospects, opportunities, challenges, and competitive analysis. It also strives to offer the key players and novice companies key-pointers to strengthen their presence in the global market.



Table Of Contents

Chapter 1. Market Synopsis

1.1. Market Definition

1.2. Research Scope & Premise

1.3. Methodology

1.4. Market Estimation Technique



Chapter 2. Executive Summary

2.1. Summary Snapshot, 2020-2027



Chapter 3. Indicative Metrics



Chapter 4. Butyl Rubber Market Segmentation & Impact Analysis

4.1. Butyl Rubber Market Material Segmentation Analysis

4.2. Industrial Outlook

4.2.1. Market indicators analysis

4.2.2. Market drivers analysis

4.2.2.1. Increasing demand from automotive industry

4.2.2.2. High application in medical devices

4.2.3. Market restraints analysis

4.2.3.1. Availability of raw materials

4.3. Technological Insights

4.4. Regulatory Framework

4.5. ETOP Analysis

4.6. Porter's Five Forces Analysis

4.7. Competitive Metric Space Analysis

4.8. Price trend Analysis



Chapter 5. Butyl Rubber Market, By Product Insights & Trends

5.1. Product Dynamics & Market Share, 2019 & 2027

5.2. Regular butyl

5.2.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2017  2027 (USD Billion) (Kilo Tons)

5.2.2. Market estimates and forecast, By Region, 2017  2027 (USD Billion) (Kilo Tons)

5.3. Bromo butyl

5.3.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2017  2027 (USD Billion) (Kilo Tons)

5.3.2. Market estimates and forecast, By Region, 2017  2027 (USD Billion) (Kilo Tons)

5.4. Chloro butyl

5.4.1. Market estimates and forecast, 2017  2027 (USD Billion) (Kilo Tons)

5.4.2. Market estimates and forecast, By Region, 2017  2027 (USD Billion) (Kilo Tons)



Chapter 6. Butyl Rubber Market, By Application Insights & Trends



Continued..



Get the full TOC of the Report @ https://www.reportsanddata.com/report-detail/global-north-america-europe-and-asia-pacific-south-america-middle-east-and-africa-butyl-rubber-market-2017-forecast-to-2022/toc



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The UN's top court allowed Somalia's case to go ahead in a long-running maritime dispute with Kenya Monday, saying it regretted Nairobi's refusal to attend.

Kenya announced earlier that it would snub this week's International Court of Justice hearings after the Hague-based court refused to allow further delays in the case.

Somalia has asked the ICJ to rule in the dispute, potentially deciding control over a large Indian Ocean zone that is rich in fish and which might contain substantial crude oil reserves.

"The court regrets the decision of Kenya not to participate in the oral proceedings," ICJ President Joan Donoghue said.

But the court would go ahead with hearing Somalia's case, and would use written evidence provided by Kenya instead, Donoghue said.

Somalia criticised Kenya's "defiance" of the ICJ, which was set up after World War II to rule in disputes between UN member states.

"We are deeply concerned that Kenya has decided not to appear at these hearings," sad Mahdi Mohammed Gulaid, opening Somalia's case.

He said it was "inconsistent with the rule of law" and Kenya's commitment to the court.

Kenya "has no grounds to complain about its treatment by the court" after the ICJ granted three previous requests for delays that held up the case by 18 months, he said.

- 'Regrettable decision' -

"Fortunately this regrettable decision to boycott the oral hearings cannot prevent them proceeding, nor can Kenya's defiance prevent the court from fulfilling its mission," added Gulaid.

The ICJ is hearing a case brought by Somalia in 2014.

Somalia, which lies northeast of Kenya, wants to extend its maritime frontier with Kenya along the line of the land border, in a southeasterly direction.

Kenya wants the border to head out to sea in a straight line east, giving it more territory.

The disputed triangle of water stretches over an area of more than 100,000 square kilometres (40,000 square miles).

Story continues

Kenyan prosecutor Kihara Kariuki had earlier said in a letter his country would not be participating because the Covid-19 pandemic had "hampered Kenya's ability to prepare adequately for the hearing."

In its letter, Kenya also argued that holding the ICJ hearings virtually did not allow it to present its case in the most effective way.

The ICJ on Monday however dismissed Kenya's request for a "thirty minute opportunity to orally address the court before the commencement of the actual hearings."

Kenya recalled its ambassador to Somalia in February 2019 after accusing Somalia of selling oil and gas blocks at a London auction despite the pending delineation case before the ICJ.

Kenya also contested the ICJ's authority to rule in the case, but the court dismissed its objections in 2017.

dk/mjs
Major Project Status provides extra support from the Major Projects Facilitation Agency and represents another milestone in the path to bringing the world-class lithium project into production.

Core is striving to enter the construction phase in 2021, subject to a final investment decision.

s ( ) (OTCMKTS:CXOXF) wholly-owned Finniss Lithium Project, near Darwin in the Northern Territory, has been awarded Major Project Status (MPS) by the Australian Federal Government.

Award of MPS, which is in place for three years, provides the Finniss project with extra support from the governments Major Projects Facilitation Agency.

MPS is the Federal Governments recognition of the strategic significance of a project to Australia and incorporates a single-entry point for Australian Government approvals, project support and coordination with state and territory approvals.

A major milestone

Core Lithium managing director Stephen Biggins said: The award of major project status for our flagship Finniss Lithium Project is another major milestone for both the company and the Federal Government, as we strive to enter the construction phase in 2021, subject to a final investment decision.

With an updated Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) on Finniss due in the first half of 2021 ahead of a Final Investment Decision (FID), Core is on track to start construction at the Finniss Project before the end of the year.

Pathway for critical minerals hub

Biggins said: When in production, the Finniss Lithium Project will be the first Australian lithium producing mine outside of Western Australia, with our proximity to Darwin Port  the countrys nearest port to Asia  serving as a direct route for our lithium to be processed and delivered to end-users worldwide.

This opens up a pathway for a critical minerals hub to be established in Northern Australia, along with the potential for significant associated local modern manufacturing opportunities.

The granting of MPS for Finniss was made at the weekend in a joint statement by Federal Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews and Federal Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia Keith Pitt.

Shares have been more than 9% higher at A$0.24 this morning and the companys market cap is approximately A$233.5 million.
BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has praised constitutional changes he initiated saying they are needed to create a strong central branch of government to "establish order" in the Central Asian country, despite concerns by some groups they will create an authoritarian ruler if accepted in a referendum next month.

Kyrgyzstan was rocked by crisis after parliamentary elections in October 2020 led to protests that triggered the toppling the government and the resignation of then-President Sooronbai Jeenbekov -- the third time since 2005 that a Kyrgyz president and his government had been ousted by protests.

In an interview with RFE/RL on March 15, Japarov said that after trying a parliamentary system over the past decade and a mixed parliamentary-presidential system before that, Kyrgyzstan was now at a point where there must be one strong branch of power in the country.

"I think that this constitution will be a constitution that will bring the country forward. I believe this constitution will establish order in the country," Japarov said of the amendments that are expected to be approved at a referendum on April 11.

Japarov was among several prominent politicians freed from prison by protesters during the October unrest. He had been serving a 10-year prison sentence for hostage taking during a protest against a mining operation in northeast Kyrgyzstan in October 2013. He has denied the charge.

He proposed drafting a new constitution in November 2020 when he was acting president following the turmoil that brought down the previous administration.

In January, he easily won an election while a referendum held in tandem saw voters opt for a presidential system that will be the centerpiece of the proposed constitutional amendments.

Under the changes, presidential powers would be strengthened and the current law allowing a president only one term would be scrapped in favor of opening the post up for reelection to a second term.

The amendments also envision the creation of a so-called People's Kurultai (Assembly), described as "a consultative and coordinating organ" that would be controlled by the president.

A Constitutional Council will also be created, while the number of lawmakers will be cut to 90 from 120.

Last week, Kyrgyz lawmakers approved the bill on constitutional amendments and set April 11 as the date to hold the referendum to approve the new constitution.

Many in the Central Asian nation have criticized Japarov, saying that he is looking to impose a more authoritarian system of rule by changing the constitution and concentrating power into his own hands.

Criticism From Abroad

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the government to withdraw the draft constitution, submitted to lawmakers in February, saying it undermines human rights norms and weakens the checks and balances necessary to prevent abuses of power.

The current draft constitution does not reflect the high human rights standards Kyrgyzstan says it aspires to, Syinat Sultanalieva, Central Asia researcher at the New York-based human rights watchdog, said in a statement on March 5.

Meanwhile, Freedom House said in its Freedom in the World 2021 report that Kyrgyzstan dropped 11 points and is in the not free category with the rest of the Central Asian region.

The proposed constitutional changes, it said, reintroduce a super-presidential system while shrinking the size and role of the parliament, and also would allow the government to censor material that violates generally recognized moral values, without defining those values or offering an avenue for appealing such decisions.

"Kyrgyzstans status declined from Partly Free to Not Free because the aftermath of deeply flawed parliamentary elections featured significant political violence and intimidation that culminated in the irregular seizure of power by a nationalist leader and convicted felon who had been freed from prison by supporters," Freedom House said in the report.

But in the interview with RFE/RL, Japarov rejected those concerns saying Kyrgyzstan will "remain a democratic country" and added that there will be no persecution of politicians and journalists "as was the case before."

"We haven't persecuted anybody. We haven't prosecuted any journalists, and that wasn't the case in the past. In the past, [journalist] Syrgak Abdyldaev was stabbed, there was a case when a person was thrown from a high-rise building with his hands and legs bound, there were people jailed. Nothing like that is taking place now," Japarov said.

Politician Jenish Moldokmatov, however, would beg to differ.

He said on March 15 that one of the organizers of a rally in Bishkek against the constitutional amendments, Tilekmat Kurenov, was detained in Bishkek. The report has not been officially confirmed.

There are also questions surrounding the recent release from pretrial detention of a Kyrgyz organized-crime figure Kamchy Kolbaev, for whom Washington has offered a $1 million reward saying he is a transnational organized-crime boss and a convicted murderer whose criminal network engages in drug trafficking, human trafficking, arms trafficking, and other dangerous criminal activity.

Japarov told RFE Kolbaev "did not kill anyone" and noted that Kyrgyzstan does not extradite its citizens to foreign countries.

I have asked, via the Foreign Ministry, for the U.S. Embassy to give us the case against [Kolbaev]. I have asked them to present facts, evidence, so that we can try him openly. I said that embassy representatives can be present at the trial. [Kolbaev] was initially detained on the charge of illegal enrichment. He paid some cash [to the State Treasury.] And he is paying more cash now after his release. He did not kill anyone," Japarov said.

Japarov also said that Kyrgyzstan is doing well in terms of paying its international debts off and denied that his government agreed to give up some disputed territories to neighboring Uzbekistan.

International observers said the 52-year-old's landslide victory in the January election "generally respected" fundamental freedoms even though the vote was not "fully fair."
To help pay the long-term economic program designed as a follow-up to his pandemic-relief bill, President Joe Biden is currently outlining the first major tax hike since 1993, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Sources also mentioned that compared to the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus act, the President's next initiative is expected to be bigger as it will not rely just on government debt as the source of the funds. And it has slowly become clear that there will be a hike on tax, and it will be a possible component.

First Major Tax Hike Since 1993

Moreover, according to Bloomberg, Janet Yellen, the Treasury Secretary, shared that at least a portion of the next bill will have to be paid for. She also pointed regarding higher rates as key advisers are now making preparations for a package of measures.

Also, for Biden's administration, the planned changes are an opportunity not just in funding key initiatives like infrastructure, climate, and expanded help for poorer Americans, but also to address what Democrats argue are inequities in the tax system itself. The tax hike plan will also test both Biden's capacity to woo the ability of Republicans and Democrats to remain united.

Stimulus Checks Sent To Wrong Bank Accounts

The head of the United States public policy at Evercore ISI, Sarah Bianchi, who is also a former economic aide to Biden, shared that the U.S. President's whole outlook has always been that Americans believe tax policy needs to be fair. He has viewed all of his policy options through that lens. She also mentioned that the focus is on addressing the unequal treatment of wealth and work, The Hindustan Times reported.

Meanwhile, as the White House has rejected an outright wealth tax, as proposed by progressive Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, the administration's current thinking is targeting the wealthy. Based on several individuals familiar with the discussions, the Biden Administration is also expected to propose a suite of tax increases, mostly mirroring the new U.S. President's 2020 campaign proposals.

People familiar with the plan also stated that the tax hikes included in any broader infrastructure and jobs package are likely to include repealing portions of the 2017 tax law of then-President Donald Trump that benefits corporations and wealthy individuals as making other changes in making the tax code more progressive.

Nancy Pelosi Points Blame on Trump for Border Crisis

The individuals, who asked not to be named as the discussions are private, shared that the proposals are raising the corporate tax rate to 28 percent from 21 percent, expansion on the reach of the estate tax, and raising the income tax rate on individuals who are earning more than $400,000. The mentioned proposals are only some of the things that they put into consideration, Fox Business reported.

On the other hand, earlier this month, Bianchi wrote that congressional Democrats might agree to a $500 billion raise. An independent analysis of Biden's campaign tax plan by the Tax Policy Center estimated that it would raise $2.1 trillion in over a decade. But the plan of the Biden administration is likely to be smaller.

Also from HNGN:

Spring Breakers Arrested in Miami Beach

Stimulus Checks Start Arriving in Bank Accounts

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NEW YORK, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Deloitte Digital , a creative digital consultancy, announced that award-winning creative executive Leslie Sims has joined as managing director, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and U.S. chief creative officer, serving as a central creative leader for all of Deloitte Digital. Building on Deloitte Digital's commitment and investments in creative talent, Sims will work across the entire business to integrate its creative capabilities, teaming with Deloitte Digital's business strategy, design, technology and data talent to help clients across industries explore the breadth of possibilities and value creative can engender.

Leslie Sims joins Deloitte Digital as U.S. Chief Creative Officer.

Sims, who has been recognized as a Top 10 U.S. CCO by AdWeek and one of the Most Creative Women in Advertising by Business Insider, will drive the connection between creativity and consulting in order to elevate the human experience, create business impact as well as improve society and the planet. Sims' experience setting and resetting the creative vision for Fortune 500 organizations like IBM, U.S. Navy, General Mills, Mastercard, Staples and more will help Deloitte Digital clients across the C-suite harness the power of creativity to develop brand-defining experiences.

"I'm a long-time admirer of Deloitte Digital and feel fortunate to be joining such a purpose-driven, strategic and immensely talented group. The flexibility and richness of Deloitte Digital's business opens the aperture for creativity to have an impact across every aspect of our clients' businesses, from supply chain integrity to digital data management to a reimagined consumer experience," said Sims. "Creatives are always the most excited when working on something that's never been done before  and if there's any place with the capabilities and relationships to do that, it's Deloitte Digital."

Additionally, Deloitte Digital has doubled down on creative ambitions by integrating its digital experience and advertising/marketing capabilities, including Deloitte Digital's Heat, into a single group. Through this consolidation, Deloitte Digital brings a modern, integrated approach and delivers at the intersection of creative, business strategy, technology and data, acting as a true one-stop, full-service solution to clients' big picture needs.

"Solving the hardest and most interesting business problems takes deeply intertwining strategy, creative, industry insight, data and digital technology at scale," said John Peto, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and U.S. head of Deloitte Digital. "In that context I could not be more excited about Leslie joining our Deloitte Digital team. Leslie has built her career using insights and creative ideas to drive sustainable business growth, and I have no doubt that her creative leadership will fuel new growth for clients, inspire our talent and elevate the human experience for everyone with whom she works."

Sims' appointment follows other Deloitte Digital recent hires like former McCann COO Rich Whalen, Executive Creative Directors Milton Correa and Jones Krahl and 600 and Rising Founder Nathan Young. Leslie will be working closely with Chief Design Officer Nelson Kunkel and Chief Creative Officer in India Ayan Pal.

Sims started her career as a copywriter before working her way up to be chief creative officer, first for Y&R, and then for Ogilvy, where she led the national creative vision for both agencies. In these roles, Leslie created award-winning, transformative client work and was also named "Advertising Working Mother of the Year" by She Runs It. Leslie has served on international award show juries such as the prestigious Grand Effie jury in 2018 and the Cannes Lions Titanium jury in 2019. She is board member of the One Club for Creativity and is also a Clemson University Erwin Center board member.

Deloitte Digital connects creativity with technology for business  bringing empathy, ideas and experiences into all that it does. Whether it's driving results through data, engaging customers at every step of their journey, or getting a handle on the cloud, the team knows that being successful in a digital world means focusing not only on technology but on the human and the moments that matter most in real lives. Deloitte Digital achieves this by thoughtfully designing offerings to elevate the human experience to make an impact that matters to clients and to society. Visit www.deloittedigital.com or follow Deloitte Digital on LinkedIn or Twitter to learn more.

About Deloitte

Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world's most admired brands, including nearly 90% of the Fortune 500 and more than 7,000 private companies. Our people come together for the greater good and work across the industry sectors that drive and shape today's marketplace  delivering measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in our capital markets, inspire clients to see challenges as opportunities to transform and thrive, and help lead the way toward a stronger economy and a healthier society. Deloitte is proud to be part of the largest global professional services network serving our clients in the markets that are most important to them. Building on more than 175 years of service, our network of member firms spans more than 150 countries and territories. Learn how Deloitte's more than 330,000 people worldwide connect for impact at www.deloitte.com.

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee ("DTTL"), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as "Deloitte Global") does not provide services to clients. In the United States, Deloitte refers to one or more of the US member firms of DTTL, their related entities that operate using the "Deloitte" name in the United States and their respective affiliates. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more about our global network of member firms.

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Mosque leader plotted rape of pastors relatives after wife converts to Christianity: report

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The leader of a mosque in western Uganda allegedly sent men to rape three female relatives of a church pastor last month as a warning after the imams wife converted from Islam to Christianity, according to a report.

Sources told Morning Star News that three relatives of Rev. Nelson Walina, the pastor of All Saints Cathedral, were raped in Mussa village of Kasese district on Feb. 16. The incident came two days after imam Caled Bwambale Hussein was enraged after learning that his wife, Mariam Mbambu, converted to Christianity.

The ages of the three girls allegedly victimized by rape are 19, 17 and 16.

Church members told the United States-based nonprofit persecution news outlet that they learned of the imams orders from a Muslim who was sent to the churchs worship services on Feb. 21 and Feb. 28 allegedly to help plan an attack on the church.

The church leaders surrounded the stranger, known as Ali Masereka, who feared the possibility of mob justice by the members of the church, a church member was quoted as saying.

He pleaded for mercy and revealed that he had been sent on a mission by an imam of Kasese masjid [mosque] to inflict suffering on the Christians for the conversion of his wife to Christianity together with his five children.

Masereka also confessed that the imam had sent the men to rape the pastors relatives and was also planning an attack on the church. The mosque leader had also paid about $815 to 13 teenaged Muslims to attack the church, the man alleged.

Masereka was reportedly arrested on Feb. 29.

Pastor Walina told Morning Star News that he received a text message last Wednesday from the imam. According to the pastor, the imams text message warned that he only had two weeks to send back my wife and children to me.

If not, we are going to teach you a lesson that will make you regret for the rest of your life, the message allegedly stated. Your church also stands at a high risk.

The imams wife, Mbambu, said she ran from home because her husband intended to kill her after learning of her conversion on Feb. 14.

When my husband interrogated me about being a Christian, I refused to answer him, she told Morning Star News East Africa Correspondent. Soon, a Christian neighbor told me that my husband was out to kill me; hence I should escape with my children. That particular day in the evening hours, I escaped with my five children. I am thankful that the church received us.

The pastor says the church will not reveal the whereabouts of Mbambu.

We need prayers. I have reported the threats to the police who recently arrested Masereka, he said. One thing that is clear to us as a church is that we are not going to reveal the whereabouts of our hiding sister because we know that they are out to kill her and the children.

While most people in Uganda are Christian, some eastern and central regions have higher concentrations of Muslims.

The Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project shows that about 11.5% of Ugandas population is Muslim. Muslims in Uganda are primarily Sunni. The murder of and attacks on converts are not uncommon in the region.

According to World Watch Monitor, a homegrown Islamist rebel movement taking place in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo has emboldened Ugandan radicals to persecute Christians.

Voice of the Martyrs notes that Ugandas history has made it vulnerable to the influence of Islam as Arab countries also continue to invest significant resources into furthering Muslim interests in the country.

In Uganda, persecution is mainly seen in the form of local Islamists persecuting Christians, mostly in areas where radicals have been steadily encroaching.

Radical Islams influence has grown steadily, and many Christians within the majority-Muslim border regions are facing severe persecution, especially those who convert from Islam, a Voice of the Martyrs factsheet explains.

Despite the risks, evangelical churches in Uganda have responded by reaching out to their neighbors; many churches are training leaders how to share the gospel with Muslims and care for those who are persecuted after they become Christians.



Last December, a mob of Muslim extremists in Uganda reportedly killed 41-year-old former imam Yusuf Kintu a week after he converted to Christianity.
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In the latest USA Today poll, Americas support of the Black Lives Matter Movement has fallen while their faith in law enforcement has risen.

Last June, 60% of the nation described the death of George Floyd as murder  due to the knee of Milwaukee Police Officer Dereck Chauvin firmly being planted on Floyds neck for nine minutes until he died on the street pavement. Now, according to the recent poll, only 36% believe it was murder.

What happened to change public opinion?

Based on the USA Today poll, the disparity of Black and White thoughts about Black Lives Matter and George Floyd is clearly widening. Blacks are still passionate about the incident of George Floyds death and absolutely believe it was murder by law enforcement. Whites are less incensed about the police action with many even believing it was justifiable.

The jury selection related to the trial of Milwaukee police officer Chauvin has begun and the world is watching. And if the USA Today poll is any indication of public opinion, most Americans have increased their trust and preference for law enforcement versus how they felt at the height of the George Floyd/BLM protests during the summer of 2020.

Sadly, this latest poll shows the stark reality of the ever-present gulf between Black and White Americans regarding race relations.

The only way to resolve or heal the racial divide between Blacks and Whites in America is a transformative heart change. The laws may change, the situations and factors may change, but racial separation will remain the same until people see Gods image in every person, no matter their skin color or ethnicity.

Impaired race relations run very deep in our country since slavery until present. The only way to heal the broken relationship between Black and White Americans is for Christians to lead the way in heart repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing. Christians, Black and White, must demonstrate the love of Christ toward each other. And until the body of Christ steps to the plate and chooses to lead by example, rather than following the worlds narrative of racism, division, and blame, we will not see the healing that both people and our nation need so desperately.

As many have said, Hurt people hurt people. Until we allow the love of Christ to heal our wounds  the wounds are re-opened with every racial incident that is exposed on national media.

Even when the wound begins to scab over, there is always scar tissue that keeps the heart callous and hard toward each other.

If we are holding the other race captive to our hurt, pain and anger, we ourselves are in bondage to our emotions and unforgiveness. We, as Christians, must release each other of the past debt owed because of past actions and injustice toward each other.

Each race must be willing to take the first step toward reconciliation and healing. And as believers, we must heed the instructions of Matthew 5:23-24, Leave your gift at the altar and be reconciled to your brother.
A researcher (L) informs a volunteer about the Covivac vaccine trials at the Hanoi Medical University. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy.

Human trials for Vietnam's second indigenous Covid-19 vaccine began Monday at the Hanoi Medical University.

One hundred twenty volunteers, aged 18-59 and all Vietnamese, are set to participate in the first phase of trials for Covivac made by the Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC).

It will see 20 of the 120 get a placebo while the rest will get shots of varying doses: 1 mcg, 3 mcg and 10 mcg.

On Monday six volunteers were randomly given either vaccine doses or placebos at the universitys clinical research center, and their health will be closely monitored on-site for 24 hours.

The other 114 volunteers will get them at upcoming sessions, with 12-18 getting shots each time. The sessions will be spaced eight days apart and go on until April 20.

All will get two jabs, 28 days apart, and they will receive health checks eight days after the injections, with researchers monitoring them over phone and doing further checks throughout the trials to evaluate the vaccines immunogenicity.

A mid-term report of the first phase is expected to be completed in July.

Nguyen Ngo Quang, deputy head of the Ministry of Healths Administration of Science Technology and Training, said the total insurance cover for the volunteers is around VND40 billion ($1.7 million).

Last month the second phase of human trials of Nanocovax, the countrys first vaccine -- produced by Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC -- began.

Authorities have begun large-scale vaccination after receiving 117,600 doses from British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca last week, starting with frontline workers.

The government is also negotiating with manufacturers in the U.S., Russia and some other countries to obtain a total 150 million doses this year to cover 70 percent of the countrys population.
NASA on March 13 shared images of the Milky Way galaxy that contains an exotic collection of objects. Taking to its official handle on Instagram, NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory shared the photographs of the Milky Way galaxy which has a supermassive black hole at the centre. Since being shared, the post has got more than 26000 likes and gathered tons of comments from people.

NASA shares image of Milky Way galaxy

According to the shared post, the centre of the Milky Way galaxy contains an exotic collection of objects, including clouds of gas, neutron stars & white dwarf stars tearing material from companion stars, and Sagittarius A. Saggitarius A is a supermassive black hole weighing about 4 million times the mass of the sun. The region around Sagittarius A is green and blue coloured and is combined with radio data (red) from the MeerKat telescope in South Africa. Take a look at the pictures.

The post has gathered the attention of netizens and it has accumulated reactions from people. One user wrote, "Awesome in many ways." Another individual wrote, "Fireworks of the Universe itself." "Omg!...look how they shine!", another netizen commented. Another person wrote, "This is beyond beautiful."

NASA shared image of Neutron outside Milky Way galaxy

Meanwhile, last month NASA had shared a captivating image of a special, lonely neutron star spotted outside of the Milky Way galaxy for the first tie ever on NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile. Taking to its official handle on Instagram, NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory shared the breathtaking photograph of the newly identified neutron star 200,000 light-years away from Earth. The space agency added that the remnants from the original explosion are seen in space for several thousand years and contain the debris ejected from the stars interior.
Lethbridge Police Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh speaks during a news conference in Lethbridge, Alta., on Wednesday, March 10, 2021. Police in Lethbridge have suspended five of its employees with pay pending the results of a professional misconduct hearing. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Rossiter
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With an unfunded liability in the billions  again? still?  New Mexicos teacher pension fund is in need of some serious structural changes.

The difference between Educational Retirement Board assets and current and future obligations was $9 billion as of July. To put that in perspective, the states total spending for the 2019-20 fiscal year was about $7 billion, so the ERB deficit is more than enough to run the entire state for a year.

Reforms enacted in 2019 werent expected to get the ERB to full funding for 46 years. Coupled with unfunded liabilities in the states other major pension fund, the Public Employees Retirement Association, the unfunded liabilities in the two have played a key role in downgrades to the states credit rating.

And a key role in burdening taxpayers who have no retirement to call their own.

The Senate on Feb. 25 passed Senate Bill 42, which would increase taxpayer-funded contributions to the ERB fund by 1 percentage point over each of the next four years  taking the rate from 14.15% to 18.15% by the 2025 budget year. The price tag for taxpayers is estimated at an additional $34 million in the coming year, rising to an additional $136.2 million by 2025.

The icing on the cake? The bill doesnt increase educators contribution rates. (According to the website, employees put in 7.9% if they make less than $24K a year, 10.7% if they make more.) Ask the majority of New Mexicans who have no pension and less than $10K saved for their own retirements how that feels.

Jan Goodwin, the ERBs executive director, said she was pleased with the Senates 36-6 vote to increase taxpayer-funded contributions to the fund. Why shouldnt she be? Goodwin, who earns a whopping $183,000 annual salary, is leaving New Mexico after the 60-day legislative session to take a job at the New Hampshire retirement system. She has no reason to worry about the massive debt she leaves behind once she boards the airplane heading East.

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Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, a retired teacher, sponsored SB 42. Stewart, D-Albuquerque, says changes are necessary to put the ERB on more stable financial footing. I really think maintaining the viability of the fund is a commitment New Mexico makes to its educators, Stewart said.

Right on both counts. But real change beyond socking it to taxpayers is needed to ensure our states teachers, school administrators and university professors can rely on their retirement checks to be there as promised. Sen. William Sharer, R-Farmington, is on the right path when he says lawmakers should look at systemic, structural changes to the ERB  not just higher contribution rates.

ERBs more than 60,000 active members, 51,000 retirees and New Mexicos taxpayers deserve pension fund managers and a Legislature willing to do that work. Its time to teach the ERB how to fish rather than filling up its plate year after year with more taxpayer funds. There should be no legislative bailouts courtesy of already overburdened taxpayers  kicking in from 32% to 79% more than what employees are putting in is already more than their fair share.

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.
Verona, N.Y.  An early Sunday morning investigation into a domestic dispute led Oneida County sheriffs deputies to file weapons and child endangerment charges against a Verona man.

Thomas H. Happle, 46, of Verona was charged after deputies responded around 3:30 a.m. to a domestic dispute on Smith Road, according to the office of Oneida County Sheriff Robert M. Maciol.

Happle faces felony charges of criminal possession of weapon and criminal possession of a firearm and misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief and endangering the welfare of a child.

He was arraigned in Oneida County Court and released on his own recognizance due to the charges being non-qualifying offenses under NYS bail reform, according to the sheriffs office.

An order of protection was issued on behalf of the victims, the sheriffs office said.

Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
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A prosecution witness told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday how a former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, hurriedly returned the $25,000 he allegedly extorted from a complainant following the report of the case to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Bako Aliyu was testifying as EFCCs 10th prosecution witness in Mr Sanis trial for fraud.

The EFCC had on January 27, 2020 arraigned the former senator on fraud charges involving alleged extortion of $25,000 from Sani Dauda, the chairperson of A.S.D Motors.

The commission alleged that Mr Sani fraudulently claimed to Mr Dauda that the money was to be given to the Chief Justice of Nigeria and then Acting Chair of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, as bribe for an alleged case involving Mr Dauda.

A statement by EFCCs spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, stated that Mr Aliyu continued his part-heard testimony before the trial judge, Inyang Ekwo, on Monday.

Mr Aliyu, an investigator with EFCC, said Mr Sani took advantage of Mr Duada, who was at the time having some issues with the Nigeria Police.

He said Mr Sani collected the $25,000 from Mr Daudu under the pretext of offering the money to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and Mr Magu as bribe for the case.

The witness said the CJN and Mr Magu denied receiving bribe from Mr Sani, adding that the CJN published his denial in two national dailies.

He added that upon learning that the matter was before the commission, Mr Sani hurriedly returned the money to the complainant, begging him to change the statement he had volunteered to the EFCC.

Mr Aliyu also faulted Mr Sanis claim that the $25,000USD he gave ASD was part payment for the purchase of a brand new Peugeot 508 saloon car.

My lord our investigation shows ASD does not transact any business in Dollars. Moreover, the managing director of ASD motors is the one responsible for sales of vehicles, not the Chairman, he said.

Mr Ekwo thereafter adjourned the matter to March 16 for continuation of trial and cross examination of the witness.

Mondays proceedings were initially scheduled to review the audio evidence which was said to have captured Mr Sanis voice while allegedly extorting $25,000 from Mr Dauda.

However, due to a systems glitch, the interpreted English version of the conversation could not be played, prompting the judge to ask Mr Aliyu, an investigator with the EFCC, to continue giving evidence on his involvement on the case.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The director of the Oxford Vaccine Group on Monday said there was no link between the jab it developed with AstraZeneca and blood clotting, after several countries suspended its use.

Andrew Pollard said there was "very reassuring evidence that there is no increase in a blood clot phenomenon here in the UK, where most of the doses in Europe been given so far".

"It's absolutely critical that we don't have a problem of not vaccinating people and have the balance of a huge risk, a known risk of COVID, against what appears so far from the data that we've got from the regulatorsno signal of a problem," he told BBC radio.

Ireland and the Netherlands on Sunday became the latest countries to suspend their use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine out of precaution.

Denmark, Norway and Iceland have also paused their rollout of the jab.

AstraZeneca said on Sunday there was no evidence of increased blood clots from the jab after outcomes from 17 million doses were analysed.

The pharmaceutical company said the 15 incidences of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and 22 events of pulmonary embolism reported among those given the vaccine was "much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population".

"The nature of the pandemic has led to increased attention in individual cases and we are going beyond the standard practices for safety monitoring of licensed medicines in reporting vaccine events, to ensure public safety," chief medical officer Ann Taylor said.

"In terms of quality, there are also no confirmed issues related to any batch of our vaccine used across Europe, or the rest of the world."

The World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency have both said there is no evidence the use of the jab should be suspended.

Ireland said it had "temporarily deferred" use of the vaccine on the advice of its advisory panel following the move by Norway.

The Dutch health ministry also said it was suspending the rollout as a precaution.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
One of the hardest hit in the sexual harassment charges is the Cuomo daughters, who have been quiet. The three children of the government official have not issued statements yet.

The accusations of sexually harassing women in his administration are not reaching a point asking for his resignation. Not just by the people and also Democrat who was horrified by his multiple actions.

Cuomo's fall

After several women have charged Governor Andrew Cuomo with sexual assaults on them, many see him as an alleged sex offender. But one of his daughters is standing firm with him, Mariah Kennedy-Cuomo. She was with her father outside of the Albany Executive Mansion during a call, reported Fox.

Sources say that the other two daughters of Cuomo have reacted to the reports of multiple sexual harassments that is a major scandal for New York Democrats. Michaela, 23, is a stern advocate for sexual-assault victims as Brown university alumni. Their thoughts about their father's alleged treatment of women are not known.

Michaela in 2019 disputed in a Brown Political Review essay saying that official sexual-assault investigations help the perpetrator get away with it. Investigations will not show what really happened or find a punishment for the abuser. Her essay is called "Institutional Gaslighting; Investigations to Silence the Victim and Protect the Perp."

Once his ally recently in politics, Democratic state Attorney General Letitia James is now after Gov. Cuomo and bringing in heavy hitters. The investigation and charges are against sexual improprieties of the Cuomo daughters' father as accused by seven women. One woman said the governor touched and groped her sensitive parts under her blouse.

Also read: New York AG Denies Any Independent Probe by Cuomo For Sexual Harassment on Women.

The aggrieved woman made the claims of clumsy groping, but Cuomo said it was untrue. He later apologized for touching her inappropriately, added regret for any discomfort caused by it. Michaela penned the Ivy League institution school she attended that survivors should be believed and their course of action is supported.

Cuomo's Brown Alumni daughter made a group that brought awareness to harassment call 'Cultivating Upstanders for Sexual Assault Prevention' or CUSP in her LinkedIn. CUSP posted 'The Rape Pyramid' that allowing unwanted touching/ fondling will encourage higher officers. As of this report, the CUSP Twitter account is not active.

In 2020, all daughters of his ex-wife Kerry Kennedy, Cara, and Mariah were 26-year-old twins who were seen in the COVID-19 press briefs. The daughters were characters in a taxpayer-funded poster that publicized how he stopped COVID-19 in New York. That turned out to be false as a doctored data to hide a failed pandemic response. None of his daughters have said or tweeted anything on social media.

Cuomo said he told of his improprieties to daughters.

Still on damage control, March 9, he told his girls of the sexual harassment charges to them. He claimed to them that no woman was touched; no one said they weren't comfortable. He added they weren't supposed to feel awkward.

Michaela made a tweet last July to search for love; she is looking for someone #boyfriendcliff#. A boyfriend of a Cuomo daughter was shown in the COVID-19 poster. One significant thing is they are silent as he is crucified for harassment.

Related article: Governor Cuomo: Not to Resign over Sexual Harassment Issues

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Little Tsunami That Couldn't: Oregon Coast History, 2009

Published 03/14/21 at 7:20 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff





(Oregon Coast)  On Tuesday, September 29, 2009, a magnitude 8.3 quake shook the hell out of the ocean floor off Somoa and triggered a tsunami. Its effects were far-reaching, causing the National Weather Service (NWS) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to issue a tsunami advisory for the Washington and Oregon coastline, as well as California.

The result was a bit of anxiousness along the Oregon coast and some evacuating  unknowingly a dry run for the March 11 tsunami alert of 2011 (See Looking Back: 10-Yr Anniversary of Tsunami Scare on Oregon Coast). Yet no order to get of Dodge was issued as the NWS predicted a swell of only a few inches, no more than a slightly bigger wave in winter.

As the advisory first went out, it predicted a mild tsunami of up to two feet, arriving approximately 10 p.m. A little while later it turned into the lowest level tsunami alert possible.

A Tsunami Advisory means that a tsunami capable of producing strong currents or waves dangerous to persons in or very near the water is imminent or expected, the NWS said in a bulletin on that day. Significant, widespread inundation is not expected for areas under an advisory. Currents may be hazardous to swimmers, boats, and coastal structures and may continue for several hours after the initial wave arrival.

However, various police, sheriffs and coast guard agencies were keeping people off the beaches. Curious onlookers could be at risk for this larger-than-normal sneaker wave.

By the next day and Thursday, the Oregon coast was back to normal. No discernible rise in wave surges occurred. Some scientists reported slightly measurable wave activity in California, however.

Back in 2009, Oregon Coast Beach Connection was reporting the minute-by-minute developments of the alerts, and then the reactions in the following days. While many coastal residents were chuckling over the event, government agencies were applauding the chance for a dry run of a tsunami warning and reaction. The general consensus was that it all went well and efficiently.

Low lying beaches like Moolack Beach in Newport were evacuated, however.

Angi Wildt, now owner of the Angi D. Wildt Gallery in Astoria, was working at a shop in Depoe Bay in those days.

Everyone that came in that door was talking about it, Wildt said. Nobody was worried or scared.

In Manzanita  about 76 feet above the sea and several blocks back  the San Dune Inn was operating back then, owned by Brian Hines. He said visitors to town were better informed than he was initially.

First I heard about it, a couple came in and asked if we were in the 'zone,' " Hines said in 2009. "They checked in as they didn't want to stay further down by the beach."

Hines said some of his employees had only gotten half the situation right and he had to calm them a little and explain the advisory.

In Gleneden Beach, one witness told Oregon Coast Beach Connection her husband awoke her at nearly 3 a.m. to look at something truly odd.

My husband heard a strange noise like before an avalanche, and he looked out, she said. He said the ocean had no waves and looked black out to the horizon. He even woke me up to show me. Perhaps it was an aftershock causing it.

There was never any explanation as to what the couple saw that night.



Depoe Bay seawall

At least one TV news crew from Portland watching the surf at Cannon Beach noticed similar wave action, which can happen during more active surf and not necessarily the result of any unusual wave surge.

Wildt said there were about ten other people gathered at the seawall of Depoe Bay to watch if anything unusual happened. She said there was a sense of everyone being energized and excited about what might happen.

In the end, it was a story with no climax, only the lesser-than-a-surprise ending that nothing happened. Not even a little wave. Still, it's a good reminder how we all need to be prepared for the Big One, which could strike at any moment.

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New Delhi, March 15 : A 107-year-old man became the oldest person to receive the Covid-19 vaccine after receiving his first shot on Monday.

The man, Kewal Krishan, was inoculated in a private hospital under the supervision of his cardiologist Dr Ashok Seth, Chairman, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, Delhi.

The man lives in South Delhi and had undergone a major heart surgery two years ago. As per the hospital, he is the oldest patient in the world to have undergone stenting to the artery of the left side of the brain.

The surgery was done to prevent Krishan from a major brain stroke, Dr Seth said.

The hospital said that he has perfectly fine after the vaccination, adding that Krishan has set an example for many other elderly patients to keep a positive attitude to life and wellbeing "It is a heartening moment to see him (Kewal Krishan) receive the vaccine safely and will continue to lead a good quality of life in safety. This is important especially because two years ago, he started having repeated small strokes and was threatening a major stroke leading to paralysis," said Dr Seth.

Explaining Krishan's complexed medical condition, the doctor added: "He had a 95% calcified left carotid artery stenosis (blockage in the main artery supplying blood to the left half of brain). The blockages were very hard, torturous and angulated. It took us two hours to treat it via a non-invasive Carotid Artery Stent Implantation. I am happy to say that he improved and that day we prevented him from having a major stroke and today he is well, leading a quality of life and therefore took the vaccine to remain well and enjoy his life with his family".

Bidesh Chandra Paul, Zonal Director, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute said that Krishan will encourage others to come forward for the vaccination.

"We hope that this action will encourage people to get vaccinated. The second phase of the vaccine rollout has seen an encouraging response, the numbers are increasing day by day," he added.
Alta Zinc expands Italian exploration pipeline into copper and manganese mining districts

Alta Zinc Ltd (ASX:AZI) has expanded its exploration pipeline into two of the most commercially significant copper mining districts in Italy with the lodgement of applications for two exploration licences (ELs).

The company has applied for the Monte Bianco EL (8,200 hectares) in the Liguria region of the Northern Apennines and the Corchia EL (3,500 hectares) in the Emilia Romagna region.

Mineralisation at both projects is hosted in copper-rich VMS systems mined up to the early 1970s with historical production grades of 7% copper at the Libiola mine and 3-5% copper at the Corchia mine.

The Monte Bianco EL also contains the old Gambetesa mine which was, at the time, the largest manganese mine in Europe and operated from 1939 to 1971, with mined grades of 28-30% manganese to produce around 50,000 tonnes of manganese metal per annum.

In addition, the ELs are close to existing infrastructure (roads, centres of population, water and power) and within easy logistical reach of the hub port of Genoa.
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An incredible bolt of lightning striking Sydney Harbour just a few metres from a ferry during a huge storm has been caught on video.

A livestream webcam of the Sydney CBD from across the harbour shows the lightning shooting down narrowly missing the ferries berthing at Circular Quay about 7.40pm on Friday.

Sydneysiders were warned of severe thunderstorms and flash flooding last week after more than 4,000 lightning strikes were recorded that night.

Social media users were in awe at the remarkable video, commenting that passengers on the ferry were lucky not to be hit by the powerful bolt from above.

Lloyd Gledhill, from Kirabilli, from WebcamSydney set up a camera on the balcony of his north Sydney apartment in 2015 which boasts sweeping views Circular Quay that include the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

He told Daily Mail Australia the webcam is rolling 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with recordings of any critical incidents available to police.

The east coast is warned of a week of miserable weather, with rain forecast to soak Sydney for seven days straight.

A rain band will move through NSW and Queensland during the week giving large chunks of both states a drenching.

The incredible shot shows the lightning shooting down next to ferry's berthing at Circular Quay on March 12 about 7.40pm

Monday will be the only day without rain scheduled before the rest of the week is drenched.

'Every day from Tuesday through to next Sunday there will be showery conditions,' Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Adam Morgan told Daily Mail Australia.

'It's a wet week unfortunately, with the winds blowing in from the Tasman.'

Inland NSW will see showers and thunderstorms developing mid-week with a risk of heavy rain later in the week.
First responders extinguished a Holland Township building fire on Sunday afternoon.

First responder units were dispatched to a fire at the Johnson-Walton Funeral Home, located at 24 Church Road, at approximately 3:35 p.m., Chief Tom Dougherty of the Holland Township Volunteer Fire Company confirmed.

First responder units were dispatched to a fire at the Johnson-Walton Funeral Home, located at 24 Church Road, at approximately 3:35 p.m.Rich Maxwell | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A mulch fire started in front of the funeral home and spread to the outside soffits of the building, damaging its exterior and some bushes. The level 3 building fire, likely spread by yesterdays gusty winds, did not extend to the interior of the building, Chief Tom Dougherty of the Holland Township Volunteer Fire Company confirmed.

There was a little smoke inside the building, which we ventilated, Dougherty said.

No injuries were reported, and the building remains operable, he added.

First responder units were dispatched to a fire at the Johnson-Walton Funeral Home, located at 24 Church Road, at approximately 3:35 p.m.Rich Maxwell | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Units responding to the fire included the Holland Township Police Department, Holland Township Volunteer Fire Company, the Milford Fire Company, and the Milford-Holland Rescue Squad.

All units departed by the scene by approximately 4:30 p.m., police confirmed.

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

Caroline Fassett may be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com
More states are dropping their COVID-19 restrictions and mask mandates, such as the case in Los Angeles, wherein state officials cleared to reopen indoor dining and theaters.

Meanwhile, the nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, warned against loosening COVID-19 restrictions prematurely.

Fauci added that the public needs to avoid the urge to say that everything is going great, according to The New York Times report.

"When you get a plateau at a level around 60,000 new infections per day, there's always the risk of another surge," he was quoted in a report.

He noted that the surge in cases is the thing that they really want to avoid, saying that the country is going in the right direction.

Fauci's comments were released on the same day that the lifting of the mask mandate in Texas was imposed, according to a Newsweek report.

States Dropping COVID-19 Restrictions

In Texas, officials have lifted its mask mandate and capacity restrictions on restaurants and other businesses. This despite experts' warnings that a 100 percent dropping of mandates will worsen the spread of other variants.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that it is time to open the state of Texas 100 percent, according to an AFP News report.

There were mixed reactions following Abbott's announcement.

Meanwhile, in Houston, the majority of the people continued to wear their masks despite the new order.

Businessman Omar Abu-Shaaban said that he does not think the governor had the health of the people in mind. However, a 22-year-old resident, Kade Phillips, said that it's good for everyone to make their own choice.

Known grocery chains said that they would retain their mask orders in place.

Meanwhile, indoor dining establishments, gyms, and museums can start reopening their doors to the public in parts of Southern California.

Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state's health and human services secretary, said that opening more venues in the state is not a reason for the public to let their guards down, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

L.A. County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis warned that eating in a restaurant's indoor dining room still has risks, and dining outdoors remain safer.

Davis cited that there are other variants in the country.

"Many of those can be more easily transmitted, and some may be causing more severe disease," Davis was quoted in a report.

Meanwhile, breweries, wineries, and distilleries that serve food will continue to abide by rules applied to restaurants.

READ MORE: Fauci Says Normality is Impossible in 2021 Without a COVID-19 Vaccine

Vaccination Efforts

The majority of Americans say they are willing to get a COVID-19 shot once it is available to them, according to a CBS News report.

However, many are still saying no to the vaccines. The reluctance was reportedly linked to partisanship.

Younger Republicans say they are less likely to get vaccinated once the vaccine i

WATCH: Dr. Fauci Reacts To Texas, Mississippi Mask Mandate Drop - from MSNBC
[March 15, 2021] Asepeyo and Union de Mutuas award Lleida.net two registered electronic notification contracts

MADRID, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Spanish public health companies Asepeyo and Union de Mutuas have awarded two contracts to Lleida.net (BME:LLN) (OTCQX:LLEIF) (EPA:ALLLN), which will use the company's service to reliably manage communications with their customers. From now on, both mutuals will use Lleida.net's services to notify any type of information to their members and clients. These two new contracts confirm the growing trend that shows that public administrations are increasingly using electronic notification services provided to communicate with citizens. At this point, Lleida.net is now the official provider of registered electronic communications for public companies all over the world, including the national postal services of the United Arab Emirates, Colombia, South Africa and Zambia. "The contracts signed with Asepeyo and Union de Mutuas point that Lleida.net's technology is starting to gain ground among public administrations," Sisco Sapena, CEO and founder of the company, said. "In the same way as private companies, the public sector has started to replace classic methods with electronic notification and contracting procedures such as those developed and patented by Lleida.net," he added. According to Leida.net's own analysis, the penetration of certified electronic communications services by governments could increase fourfold by 2021.



Asepeyo, Mutua Colaboradora con la Seguridad Social, has an own extensive organisation present in all the autonomous communities and more than 3,300 professionals on its staff. Among its delegations, it has 142 care centres, four hospitals, five rehabilitation centres, two occupational health and safety centres and 15 customer service offices.

The Union de Mutuas is present in ten Autonomous Communities in Spain. Lleida.net, which is traded on OTCQX in New York, Euronext Growth in Paris and BME Growth in Madrid, is the European leader in its industry. The company offers its services to numerous companies in the financial, banking and insurance sectors, as well as to public administrations. Lleida.net's market cap is around eighty million euros. With 100 employees, is one of the European leaders in the registered electronic notification, contracting and signature industry. It holds more than 203 patents in e-contracting and e-notification, and its intellectual property portfolio is one of the largest in the industry worldwide. Four of these patents have been granted by the Spanish authorities themselves. With more than 3,000 shareholders, the company, which has operations in 19 countries, has become the leading European player in the sector in recent years. Today, its patented methods are recognised as valid for certifying legal notifications in procurement processes by authorities in more than 70 countries. Contact: The Paloma Project, Media,

rpl@thepalomaproject.com,

+356 7946 7486,

https://Lleida.net View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/asepeyo-and-union-de-mutuas-award-lleidanet-two-registered-electronic-notification-contracts-301247374.html SOURCE Lleida.net

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President Joe Biden faced mounting pressure Monday from Republicans over his handling of a surge in migrants -- including thousands of unaccompanied children -- arriving at the US-Mexican border.

While successive administrations have dealt with seasonal spikes in migration, Biden's critics claim he has driven the latest uptick by taking a softer stance on the flashpoint issue than his predecessor Donald Trump.

On January 20, his first day in office, Biden scrapped several of Trump's contentious immigration policies, including halting new construction of a border wall and proposing legislation to create a citizenship pathway for the nearly 11 million people living illegally in the US.

Republican congressman Kevin McCarthy of California, who leads his party in the House of Representatives, described Biden's policies as having created "more than a crisis."

"You can continue to deny it but the only way to solve it is to first admit what he has done, and if he will not reverse action, it takes Congressional action to do it," McCarthy told a press conference on the border in the Texas town of El Paso.

Republican congressman Chuck Fleischmann said Biden's administration had "created an environment" that caused an increase in migration. Other Republican lawmakers said human traffickers were profiting from Biden's policies.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Biden had inherited "a dismantled and unworkable system" from Trump.

"Like any other problem, we're going to do everything we can to solve it," she said.

- 'No jobs, no money' -

At a bus terminal in the border town of Brownsville late Sunday, a Guatemalan woman told AFP she had crossed the border illegally after her husband, who is already in the US, told her things may be simpler under Biden.

"My husband told me to come at this time," said Rubia Tabora, a 25-year-old mother of one.

"At home there are no jobs, no money."

Story continues

In February, the US Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) arrested about 100,000 people at the southern border -- including nearly 9,500 unaccompanied children -- a 28 percent jump over January.

In line with a pandemic-rooted policy adopted by Trump, who cracked down on immigration both legal and illegal as part of his "America First" doctrine, the Biden administration is deporting most of the undocumented people who arrive at the southern border.

But unlike Trump, Biden has opted against expelling minors who show up unaccompanied and are filling shelters set up to hold them, with limited capacity because of the coronavirus crisis.

Still, Brownsville mayor Trey Mendez said authorities in his community at the southern tip of Texas were not overwhelmed.

"I don't feel that it's a crisis for the city of Brownsville," he told reporters.

He said about 150 migrants daily are processed in the city, most of whom leave within 24 hours.

- 'Record' levels -

The Biden administration over the weekend ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support an effort to temporarily house thousands of children who crossed the US-Mexico border alone.

While detained migrant adults and families continue to be sent back to Mexico, unaccompanied children are being processed and then get help resettling with US relatives.

Dallas County commissioner J.J. Koch said that FEMA had asked the city to lease them a hall at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center as a "decompression center" to house up to 3,000 teenage boys aged between 15 and 17 for as long as 90 days, "while plans for more permanent sheltering or connection to sponsor families can be arranged."

He said FEMA "desires to begin operations as early as this week."

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Saturday that numbers of unaccompanied child migrants had reached "record" levels, but dated the surge back to April 2020 and blamed ongoing violence, natural disasters, food insecurity and poverty in parts of Central America.

The US Department of Health and Human Services is currently holding about 8,800 migrant children.

A local activist told AFP about 200 migrants in family groups traveled on from the Brownsville bus terminal on Saturday, after receiving Covid-19 tests.

Such scenes are being repeated at towns along the vast border that spans four US states.

Most in Brownsville had turned themselves in after crossing the frontier and were given paperwork requiring them to report to immigration authorities later on.

Chris Cabrera, a spokesman for a local Border Patrol union in Texas's Rio Grande Valley, told CNN that immigration numbers often surge around the time of an election or new presidency.

"A part of it is every election cycle, regardless of the political party that takes office. It gets interpreted in the southern countries a little different," he said.

The US Congress is this week considering two immigration bills.

One of them would grant several categories of migrants, including people brought to the country as children -- so-called "Dreamers" -- an immediate path to permanent residence.

pdh-wat/st/to
Firozabad : , March 15 (IANS) The station house in-charge (SHO) of the Naseerpur police station here, Pravendra Yadav, has been sent to lines after his video in which he is seen celebrating the birthday of a Samajwadi Party worker at the police station went viral on social media.

The Samajwadi Party worker whose birthday was celebrated at the police station on Saturday, has been identified as Mohit Yadav, a resident of the Tatapura village.

The video of the birthday celebration was uploaded on social media by a friend of Mohit Yadav.

The video shows the inspector cutting the cake and feeding it to Mohit Yadav went viral on social media on Saturday but was later deleted.

Mohit was also seen sharing the cake with other policemen.

Following primary investigation, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Firozabad removed the station in-charge Pravendra Yadav from the Nasserpur police station and attached him to police lines.

SSP Firozabad Ajay Kumar said, "Taking cognizance of the viral video, inspector Pravendra Yadav has been removed from the Naseerpur police station. The act of the police officer in uniform was found unethical in primary investigation. He has been asked to submit a written clarification. The matter will be investigated in detail. Further action will be taken on the basis of the inquiry report."
MIDDLETOWN  A New Britain family that lost all their possessions in a devastating apartment fire in late January found themselves fleeing from a second blaze three weeks ago at a city condominium where they were staying with relatives.

Nicole Sibley, her husband, Aref Alwashah, and 10-year-old son Zane Alwashah are now living out of a hotel on the Berlin Turnpike.

Sibley, who moved into her sisters home on Hamlin Court, awoke at 1 a.m. Feb. 25 to see smoky fog downstairs. Her 21-year-old nephew and son were sleeping at the time. I thought it was just my eyes, Sibley said. She walked a couple of steps down and saw dark smoke, so she yelled to her nephew, who called 911. All three made it to safety, she said.

I honestly dont know what made me wake up, Sibley said. Thank God I did.

Sibley remembered the cat and rabbit were inside and rushed back in. She found the cat under the dresser, but the rabbit was so hard to see, she couldnt find it. Thats when Sibleys nephew started calling for her. He told her to follow his voice out of the burning home, she said.

The late February blaze at the Hamlin Court apartments was a result of a pot that had been left on the stove, according to Middletown Fire Chief Robert Kronenberger. The cause was ruled accidental by the fire marshal. Zanes cat was saved but his rabbit, Caramel, died.

She ran in to try to get the animals. Shes really fortunate that she didnt get stuck in there, Animal Control Officer Gail Petras said. The rabbit was litter box-trained and roamed freely in their New Britain home, she said, the pet was difficult to find.

She couldnt even find the stairs at that point to follow out. She had to follow the sound of her nephews yelling to her. The smoke was so thick she couldnt see, and she almost fell down the stairs to get out with the cat in her arms, Petras said.

Police Community Relations Officer Jay Bodell said, This one they narrowly escaped.

Thats what got me, Bodell said. Most people dont experience that once in their life. This family experienced it twice in a month.

The family had lost most of their possessions in the first fire, which started in another unit. That three-family house, now condemned, suffered substantial damage from water and smoke, so the family had to gather whatever they could in their laundry baskets and leave.

Petras had met Sibley after the first fire, when the mother reached out the next day looking for help with the pet rabbit since they were temporarily moving in with Sibleys sister.

She was having a really hard time articulating it to me because she was incredibly emotional, Petras said after the Hamlin Court fire. She said, I cant believe this is happening again.

Thats when Petras decided to raise money to ease the familys financial hardships by collecting donations at the Police Department.

Things had been tough for a while, said Sibley, who cares for her mother full time, and her husband helps support his family.

I couldnt help feel for them, knowing they had lost most of their stuff in a fire already, Petras said. They didnt know where they were going to go, what they were going to do. Just thinking about that, and thinking that if I had been in that situation, I couldnt imagine dealing with something like this.

Police officers had experienced a difficult week, with several tragedies they had to deal with, and another involving animals, Petras said.

I wanted to see if we could do something positive. Weve got to help these people and theres got to be a way we can do something to make us all feel a little better and help them, Petras said. They were in so much need.

Bodell said, We can all relate to being in a tough spot this last year with the pandemic.

Whatever we can get, whatever somebody can spare. It hits people in the gut  its a gut punch, Bodell said. The 10-year-old boy lost everything: every toy, his bunny, PlayStation 4, all his games.

The effort was shared on the Middletown Police Department Connecticut Facebook page. In just a few days, through public donations, the drive raised $400 in cash, pet food and supplies, and $450 in various gift cards, according to Bodell. Mother and son came by the station Friday and were stunned by what they saw.

Petras said, Zane was so happy.

He immediately started to cry when he saw the PlayStation, Petras said. That made my week.

Zane was so surprised by what he saw, he was overwhelmed, Bodell said. All of us cried, Bodell said.

If you saw his face, It was priceless, Sibley said.

Bodell often holds fundraisers for Special Olympics Connecticut, and, most recently, for a crisis therapy dog to help crime victims, especially children. When the canine, which will arrive after Bodell attends a 14-day training session in April, will also be used to comfort officers who may be experiencing the traumatic effects of several tragedies that took place within a few weeks time, he said early this month.

I cant thank people enough, Sibley said. That put a smile on [Zanes] face.

Losing certain things  to him, its not as easy as it is for adults, Sibley said. Its a little harder for him to comprehend.

Sibley and her husband have looked at a couple of places to live so far, are looking for a two-bedroom apartment to rent in the New Britain, Berlin or Middletown area.

Im hoping someone who is a Realtor sees it and steps up and finds an apartment they can afford, so things can get back to normal, Bodell said.

Caramel will soon be buried, and Sibley hopes that brings Zane some comfort, she said. Plans are to buy another rabbit, but not until we have more stability, and get back on track, the mom said.

Donations, of cash and gift cards that will be used to purchase food, clothing, personal items, toys and other items, can be dropped off in a secure bin in the police station lobby at 222 Main St. For information, visit middletownct.gov or call 860-638-4000.
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Steelhead Streams in Western New York

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DEC Region 9 offers steelhead anglers an abundance of opportunities from the mighty lower Niagara River to Cattaraugus Creek, one of the premier streams in the state, to other smaller streams. These streams offer high quality lake-run steelhead fishing from November through April. The majority of the steelhead in these streams are the result of smolt stockings by DEC. There is some natural reproduction of steelhead that adds to the fishery, particularly in the Cattaraugus Creek system. Studies are ongoing to evaluate the contribution of these wild fish to the angler catch. Projects are being planned and implemented to increase the contribution of wild steelhead. For detailed information on steelhead management, migratory runs, fishing tackle and techniques see the Steelhead Fishing in Lake Erie Tributaries and Lake Ontario Tributaries pages.

Legend

PFR: Public fishing rights, which are public rights-of-way through otherwise private land. Please be considerate of the landowners and their property. Yellow "Public Fishing Area" signs are posted along sections of streams with PFR. Maps are available for all streams with PFR.

Public fishing rights, which are public rights-of-way through otherwise private land. Please be considerate of the landowners and their property. Yellow "Public Fishing Area" signs are posted along sections of streams with PFR. Maps are available for all streams with PFR. Blue text: Streams with PFR, click blue text to link to PFR map for that stream.

Streams with PFR, click blue text to link to PFR map for that stream. Need owner permission: In sections of these streams without PFR, you must obtain permission to fish from the landowner. Respect their property or you risk losing public access to these streams.

Please note: small tributary streams to the major water listed here also get runs of steelhead. These streams can provide good fishing, but they are located on private lands and you must have landowner permission to fish them. Your fishing license is not a permit to trespass on private property!

Public Access on Steelhead Streams in Cattaraugus County Water Section Public Access Miles Cattaraugus Creek (PDF) Village of Gowanda to Springville Dam 3.8 mi PFR, 6 mi in Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area, need owner permission on other sections 20 S. Branch Cattaraugus Creek (PDF) Mouth to falls 3.5 miles upstream One mi in Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area 3.5 Connoisarauley Creek Mouth to falls 2 miles upstream Need owner permission 2

Public Access on Steelhead Streams in Chautauqua County Water Section Public Access Miles Canadaway Creek (PDF) Mouth to falls at Laona 0.9 mi PFR, other sections need owner permission 6.5 Cattaraugus Creek (PDF) Virtually entire stream in Chautauqua County is located on the Seneca Indian Reservation. A Seneca license is required to fish on reservation lands. Seneca Nation license required. 6 Chautauqua Creek (PDF) Mouth to 15 miles upstream. Special regulations apply - check regulation guide. 8.5 mi PFR, State Forest lands, other sections need owner permission 15 Silver Creek Mouth to falls near Hanover Rd. and King Rd. intersection Need owner permission 7.3 Twenty Mile Creek PA state line to County Route 9. Need owner permission 6 Walnut Creek Mouth to falls below Rt. 39 in Forestville Village of Silver Creek park, other sections need owner permission 7.7

Public Access on Steelhead Streams in Erie County Water Section Public Access Miles Buffalo Creek Mouth to Blossom Dam. Need owner permission 14 Cattaraugus Creek (PDF) Mouth to Springville Dam. Virtually the entire lower 14 miles in Erie County are located on the Seneca Indian Reservation. A Seneca license is required to fish on reservation lands. 6 mi in Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area, 0.5 mi Erie County Park land located at Dam, Seneca Nation license required on lower section, other sections need owner permission 34 Cayuga Creek Mouth to Como Park Lake Dam J.C. Stiglmeier Park, Como Lake County Park, other sections need owner permission 10.4 Cazenovia Creek and East and West Branches Mouth to dam in East Aurora just below Center St. on E. Branch, Falls at West Falls on W. Branch. Cazenovia Park, other sections need owner permission 25 Clear Creek Mouth to falls above Bagdad Rd. Lower end located on the Seneca Indian Reservation. A Seneca license is required to fish on reservation lands. Special regulations apply - check regulation guide. Lower 6.0 mi on Seneca Indian Reservation, other sections need landowner permission. 10 Clear Creek, N. Br. Mouth to falls at Jennings Rd. Lower end located on the Seneca Indian Reservation. A Seneca license is required to fish on reservation lands. Special regulations apply - check regulation guide. Lower 0.4 mi on Seneca Indian Reservation, other sections need landowner permission. 6 Eighteen Mile Creek (PDF)

Mouth to falls 1.5 mi below Rt 62 bridge. Special regulations apply - check regulation guide. 1.5 mi PFR, 1.5 miles on Erie County Park lands, other sections need landowner permission. 8 S. Branch Eighteen Mile Creek (PDF) Mouth to Kromer's Mill falls above E. Church Street. 0.1 mi PFR, 1 mi on Erie County Park lands, other sections need landowner permission 6.3 Spooner Brook Mouth to Concord Road. Special regulations apply - check regulation guide. Need owner permission 5

Public Access on Steelhead Streams in Niagara County Water Section Public Access Miles Eighteen Mile Creek Mouth to Burt Dam Town of Newfane Fisherman's Park at Dam 2.2 Keg Creek (PDF) Mouth to 3 miles upstream 0.1 mi PFR, other sections need landowner permission 3 Niagara River Mouth to Whirlpool Area Several state parks, fishing platform at Niagara Power Authority turbines 11 Twelve Mile Creek (PDF) Mouth to Fitch Road 2.2 mi PFR, other sections need landowner permission 5 Twelve Mile Creek, East Branch (PDF) Mouth to Braley Road 4.0 mi PFR, other sections need landowner permission 7

Other Links of Interest

Current stream flow in Cattaraugus Creek (leaves DEC website)

Current stream flow in Buffalo Creek (leaves DEC website)

Current stream flow in Cayuga Creek (leaves DEC website)

Fish Passage at the Springville Dam (PDF)
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 81F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
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In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the donation will strengthen testing response at the country level, improve services delivery capacity, support initiatives to break the chain of transmission of the illness and improve case detection and management.

Testing is the key to getting back to normal. One of Ryvex's goals is to contribute on finding solutions to help stop the spread of COVID-19, particularly among vulnerable populations that have been disproportionately affected by this pandemic.

Barbados seemed to have avoided a destructive COVID-19 pandemic. The Caribbean nation, home to around 287 000 people, registered fewer than 400 cases of the disease for the whole of 2020. But January, 2021, saw a surge. By the end of the month, Barbados had registered well over 1000 new cases of COVID-19. On Feb 3, 2021, it went into lockdown. On the same day, Saint Lucia, an OECS member state, declared a state of emergency. It has confirmed more than three times as many cases of COVID-19 this year as it did last year. Like Barbados, Saint Lucia has imposed a nightly curfew on its 180 000 or so residents. Community transmission of COVID-19 has also been established in other parts of the Caribbean, including Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Ryvex remains committed in aiding with the efforts to contain the COVID19 pandemic in The Caribbean region through partnerships with public and private health institutions in the region.

Ryvex is the official distributor for SD Biosensor in The Caribbean region.

SOURCE Ryvex
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In the past 12 months, as the coronavirus swept from coast to coast and back again, scientific knowledge and inquiry have been thrust to the forefront of American political consciousness. With sciences newfound centrality to our public life has come increased respect and admiration for health care professionals and medical researchers. But as science has risen in national importance, so too have its detractors. As we round the one-year mark of COVID-19s deep imprint on the United States, it is worth considering how threats from all sides of the political spectrum threaten to distort popular scientific knowledge and sow mistrust.

On the one hand, some ignore science altogether  the cranks who downplayed the seriousness of the coronavirus amidst its terrifying dart across the country. These are the science skeptics. They include those who mock masking, those who berate doctors and denigrate microbiologists even as the vaccines they designed offer our best hope for returning completely to pre-pandemic life, and those who peddle snake oils (or, possibly worse, bleach) as miracle COVID-19 cures.

Though immensely frustrating to the medical community, particularly as ending the pandemic depends on our ability to effectively distribute vaccines, these skeptics are at least transparent in their denialism. Moreover, a good scientist can easily refute patently false claims. Consider, for instance, Dr. Paul Offitt, Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, who has authored numerous books refuting sham claims such as the idea that vaccines cause autism. Likely, Dr. Offitts activism and leadership in promoting vaccine education and awareness have saved the lives of thousands of children.

At the other end of our public discourse is an entirely different group: public figures who have solemnly pledged to follow the science but who have used science as a crutch to make fundamentally political decisions. Take the tragic saga of the American Federation of Teachers role in opposing school openings nationwide. The AFTs President, Randi Weingarten, may have pledged her fealty to science. Still, the scientific studies conducted on school re-openings across the world demonstrate that they are hardly transmission hubs for COVID-19. Meanwhile, political foot-dragging has delayed school openings nationwide, likely contributing to the uptick in youth depression, substance abuse, and suicide in the past 12 months.

An examination of the argument against school re-openings reveals that its logic is rooted in a value judgment, not in science. Is it worth it to send teachers back into school under less-than-ideal conditions? Science might tell you that school re-openings pose some risk to teachers. But science also might indicate that a refusal to return to classrooms means that more children will suffer. With scientific evidence supporting either side of the argument, we must rely on subjective judgment.

While scientific knowledge can recommend and inform, the core issue is that it cannot make decisions that are rooted, at a basic level, in what we value. We know that the flu kills thousands of Americans each year, yet no 21st-century flu ever stopped us from crowding into gyms, bars, and concert halls. Why? Because collectively, we made an implicit value judgment  that the risk of contracting the flu was a price worth paying for the comforts of pre-2020 America. In contrast, we recognize that yes, COVID-19 is markedly more lethal than the flu  and as the science is our guide, we have adjusted our behavior accordingly.

As we stagger towards normalcy, we should be mindful of the correct role of science in American life. Science is fundamentally about inquiry, discovery, and knowledge. It is up to us how we choose to apply that knowledge. Instead of scientific denialism, but also instead of citing science to justify decisions that fly in the face of empirical evidence, we should allow scientific evidence to inform our decisions and steer our behavior, while humbly acknowledging that values and judgment are our ultimate arbiters.

John Connolly is a medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Manila, March 15 : The Philippines' Presidential spokesman Harry Roque announced on Monday that he has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

In a televised press conference, Roque said that he got his swab test results a few minutes before he went on air around noon for the regular press briefing, reports Xinhua news agency.

Roque, who isolated himself after learning the swab test results, said he took the swab test on Sunday in preparation for his meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday.

He urged those who came close contact with him to go on quarantine.

Roque is the fifth member of Duterte's cabinet that has been infected.

Last year, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, Education Secretary Leonor Briones, and Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano also contracted the virus.

All the four officials have since recovered.

The Philippines is experiencing an upick in Covid-19 infections this month, similar to July-August 2020, when daily cases peaked.

The Philippines reported 5,000 cases on Saturday, the highest daily rise since August last year.

The Philippines now has 621,498 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 12,829 deaths.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
For Subscribers Gov. Noem hires jet consultant to help South Dakota buy new aircraft

An out-of-state consultant has been hired for $195,000 by Gov. Kristi Noem's administration to help the state of South Dakota buy a new aircraft.

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Exactly 10 years after a group of local and state elected officials first filed a legal challenge to Colorados most celebrated  and vilified  constitutional provision, the entirety of the Denver-based federal appeals court will now consider whether to pull the plug on that fight.
Food delivery companies have been among the winners throughout the pandemic, providing a source of income for many restaurants and variety for consumers. Photo: Charles Platiau/Reuters

Takeaway company Deliveroo on Monday morning confirmed its intention to float, saying that it will sell 1bn ($1.4bn) in new shares in its initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange.

The company said that any additional details of the offering would be disclosed in its forthcoming prospectus.

Despite that, some details of what Deliveroo intends to roll out have already been announced.

The official announcement comes following news released by the company last week that it would make 50m of shares available to its customers in a community offer.

The company also said it would give up to 10,000 to its busiest riders with a 16m "thank you" fund.

The takeaway go-between issued a statement last week that showed it had narrowed its losses in 2020 to 223.7m.

That's compared with a loss of 317.3m in 2019, following a bumper year, partially due to stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Brits shop closer to home due to lockdown while half of spending is online

Food delivery companies have been among the winners throughout the pandemic, providing a source of income for many restaurants and variety for consumers.

The company has said its IPO will take advantage of the dual-class share structure, which will last for three years and could see the company valued at 8bn.

Deliveroo's move for London comes hot on the heels of UK chancellor Rishi Sunak's announcement that the UK would change rules to allow founders to maintain control of their companies despite selling shares on the stock market.

The change is a bid to convince more high-growth tech businesses and "blank cheque," also known as SPACs (special purpose acquisition companies), to list shares in London.

The push to modernise the UK's public markets comes amid concerns that the UK is falling behind other international markets, notably the US.

Watch: Deliveroo launches London IPO as business surges
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Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra said that imposing further lockdown in the "nerve-centre of the country's economic activity" will prove to be debilitating. He said that over half of the new daily cases are in Maharashtra and lockdowns could prove to be detrimental to India's economic activity. He said that there is another viable solution to curb the spread of coronavirus in the state -- emergency permission to vaccinate everyone who's willing to take it, irrespective of their age group.

"Over half the new daily cases are in Maharashtra.The state is the nerve-centre of the country's economic activity & more lockdowns will be debilitating. Maharashtra needs emergency permission to vaccinate EVERY willing person. No shortage of vaccines," said Mahindra tagging PMO and Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan in the tweet.

Over half the new daily cases are in Maharashtra.The state is the nerve-centre of the countrys economic activity & more lockdowns will be debilitating. Maharashtra needs emergency permission to vaccinate EVERY willing person. No shortage of vaccines. @PMOIndia@drharshvardhanhttps://t.co/AemBFcrAd7  anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) March 15, 2021

Mahindra's tweet comes after Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray warned hotels, restaurants and malls to follow COVID protocols. He said not following the same would force the government to announce a lockdown, further hampering business. The warnings came during a virtual meeting with representatives of these industries on Saturday.

"When these sectors were allowed to reopen in October, there were some norms laid down for their functioning. They were followed for some time. But now, in many places, it is being noticed that no guidelines are being followed," he said adding that the economic cycle has been revived. "If everyone cooperates, the infection can be prevented, and we are not forced to impose strict restrictions like a lockdown," Thackeray said.

Maharashtra has been seeing around 15,000 cases per day for over a week. Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Thane are the worst-affected in the state.

Also read: 'Doesn't deserve applause': Anand Mahindra shares 'jugaad' pic; see here

Also read: 'Food for thought for the weekend': Anand Mahindra shares a viral picture on kindness


Enters Five Year Alliance with Byrnecut

Perth, Mar 15, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Wiluna Mining Corporation Limited ( ASX:WMX ) ( FRA:NZ3 ) ( OTCMKTS:WMXCF ) is delighted to announce that it has formally agreed to enter a five (5) year alliance with world leading contractor Byrnecut Australia Limited ("Byrnecut") for the performance of underground development and production mining services at the Wiluna Mining Complex. Wiluna Mining has commenced a three year, staged development plan that will see it being capable of treating all the ore types at Wiluna through four processes including;- Existing 2.1Mtpa CIL process plant;- 750,000 tpa flotation and concentrator which is commencing construction this month and will be commissioned in October 2021 scaling up to 1.5 Mtpa capacity by FY2024;- Gravity circuit; and- Tailings retreatment plant.On conclusion of the staged development plan, which is being developed to match the rate of the underground mining development, Wiluna Mining will be capable of processing all its ore at the Wiluna Mining Operations and will be producing approximately 250kozpa. Most of the gold at this stage will be produced as a concentrate however gold dore produced on site in parallel to concentrate sales will be continued to improve and optimise operating margins.Key to this development will be Byrnecut who will be responsible for development and eventually the mining of the underground mine at the Wiluna Mining Centre. Byrnecut are world leaders in underground mining and development and WMX is delighted to be partnering with them.The alliance will also allow WMX to amortize significant agreed mine capital and establishment costs over the five year alliance period and provides the framework and certainty to a long term seamless integrated approach to both mine planning and mining services execution to ensure the best outcomes and risk mitigation.About Wiluna Mining Corporation Ltd

Wiluna Mining Corporation (ASX:WMX) (OTCMKTS:WMXCF) is a Perth based, ASX listed gold mining company that controls over 1,600 square kilometres of the Yilgarn Craton in the Northern Goldfields of WA. The Yilgarn Craton has a historic and current gold endowment of over 380 million ounces, making it one of most prolific gold regions in the world. The Company owns 100% of the Wiluna Gold Operation which has a defined resource of 8.04M oz at 1.67 g/t au. In May 2019, a new highly skilled management team took control of the Company with a clear plan to leverage the Wiluna Gold Operation's multi-million-ounce potential.
1.20pm - Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle

Willie Mullins trains the favourite for the very first race on the card this year in APPRECIATE IT (7/4) who should win to get punters off to a good start from their sofas. His only defeats for Willie Mullins came on debut back in 2019 at Fairyhouse and at Cheltenham last year when his colours were lowered by Ferny Hollow in the Champion Bumper. Since then, he has looked iron clad over hurdles, winning three from three, including at the Dublin Racing Festival in February where he stamped his authority on a good field which included Ballyadam, currently third in the betting market for this race. If 7/4 is too short for you from a betting perspective, BLUE LORD (12/1), also trained by Willie Mullins, could well spring a surprise if he lines up here. He was third behind Appreciate it and Ballyadam last time out and new tactics could see him relish the Cheltenham test.

1.55pm - Sporting Life Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices' Chase

With Willie Mullins pulling Energumene out of this race last week, Shishkin has been left as the 1/2 favourite for Nicky Henderson. It is a very short price but he warrants it with a winning run of six races stretching back to January 2020. Included in that sequence was a win in last year's Supreme where he beat Irish challenger Abacadabras. He has won effortlessly three times since with an average winning distance of 15 lengths. The expected good to soft ground will suit him too but I'm going to oppose him. I think he'll be in a proper race in the Arkle for the first time since he won by a head in that Supreme last year. I think ALLMANKIND (9/2) is the horse to give him that race. He was a tearaway last year over hurdles and either jumped out, went 100 miles per hour from the front and won by a street or he ran himself into the ground and got overturned. I tipped him for last year's Triumph Hurdle thinking he could do a similar job to Our Conor in that race way back in 2013. It didn't work and he finished third but he's turned into a mature jumper over fences, despite not being a big horse. He has won three times over the larger obstacles including a 17-length demolition of Sky Pirate in Warwick last month. He is still a little sticky at the odd fence so will give you the odd scare but he seems to have a bottomless engine. I think he can match Shishkin up the hill if he gets him into a dogfight. I think this guy could be a special horse for the Skeltons.

2.30pm - Ultima Handicap Chase

This is a great punter's race if you're looking for value. The favourite has only won once in the last ten runnings of this race and that was back in 2018 with Coo Star Sivola. This column tipped the winner in 2019 in the shape of Beware The Bear at 12/1 while The Conditional won at 15/2 last year. This race is for out and out stayers and one I'm willing to stick with despite his advancing years is VINTAGE CLOUDS (25/1). He has had wind surgery since finishing eighth in this race last year. He's run once since the surgery and he was honourable if not impressive during that pipe opener at Kelso where he finished third. He was second behind Beware The Bear in this race in 2019 and carries less weight than each of the last two years. He will be up against it with younger horses but he always gives his running and can certainly get involved if still in fighting fettle.

3.05pm - Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy

It could be a battle of the mares in the Unibet Champion Hurdle. Last year's impressive winner Epatante is back to defend her crown with Ireland's great white hope coming in the form of the unbeaten HONEYSUCKLE (3/1). Epatante lost some of her allure when she laboured to a defeat at the hands of the admirable Silver Streak at Kempton over Christmas. Silver Streak is a good yardstick and was 6th in last year's Champion Hurdle but is no superstar and had six lengths to spare over Nicky Henderson's super mare. Honeysuckle is the favourite here but is still decent value at 3/1. With an unbeaten record stretching back over 11 races, you have to stick with her. I would be wary of the enigmatic Goshen who could be as brilliant as he was in beating Song For Someone by 22 lengths last month, or he could throw all the toys out of the pram and get pulled up halfway round. If you want an each-way punt, Silver Streak is reliable and will give you a run for your money, no doubt.

3.40pm - Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle

Concertista is a warm favourite for this but I am very much against her. She won by 12 lengths in last year's novice mare's hurdle and hasn't done anything wrong this term. I think she's had the measure of Minella Melody in two races this year but I'm keen to see her up against ROKSANA (4/1) who I think will win this. I was there to see it when she won this race in 2019 but that came at the expense of Benie des Dieux who had fallen when bounding clear at the last. Many Irish punters cursed their luck that day after a Willie Mullins accumulator was undone but Roksana probably deserved a day in the sun. She has been running over further this season and was thought to be heading to the Stayer's Hurdle. She was third behind Paisley Park at and Thyme Hill in the Long Walk at Ascot last December, a serious piece of form. She also beat Magic of Light last time out and annihilated Next Destination, a very good horse from the Paul Nicholls yard, at Wetherby last October and I think she is a tougher horse now than she was when she won this race in 2019 and when she finished fourth in it last year. I don't think the race is as strong as it was last year when Honeysuckle beat Benie Des Dieux and that's why Roksana gets my vote to regain her crown. I also think Great White Shark (12/1), a second-string from Willie Mullins' yard, could run into a place, maybe even ahead of Concertista.

4.15pm - Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

This is a very interesting race with the likes of Busselton from the Joseph O'Brien yard, Saint Sam for Willie Mullins and Dermot Weld's Coltor all with a chance from an Irish perspective. However, I'm going for a UK horse via France in the shape of HOMME PUBLIC (14/1). To me, he represents excellent each-way value at the weights considering he went down by just a neck to current second favourite Houx Gris when they were both plying their trade in France. They carried the same weight that day but the selection will carry three pounds lower than that rival here. Homme Public has been very good in both his races since the switch to the UK to the Oliver Greenall stable. He was second at Catterick first time out for Oliver on heavy ground but was seen to better effect on soft (good to soft) ground when beating Gilbertina by six lengths at Market Rasen. Going at Cheltenham this week is similar after some unexpected rain at the weekend so at the prices, this fella is a great value bet. Let's hope he's there or thereabouts as they clear the last hurdle.

4.50pm - Sam Vestey National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices' Chase

There is a lot to like about Next Destination here, a horse who was an exceptional novice hurdler for Willie Mullins before moving to the Paul Nicholls yard. He will stay and looks a top staying chasing prospect but he's gone a bit skinny in the market for me now with the redirection of long-time favourite for this, Royale Pagaille, to the Gold Cup. I'm going for familiar colours in this race with REMASTERED (8/1) trained by David Pipe. He was a fair hurdler but has a touch of class over fences and has recorded three wins from three runs over the larger obstacles, including a career-best to win the Reynoldstown at Ascot last month. He's won over three miles in the mud at Wetherby and so is a proven stayer. He will ensure this will be an absolute slog and I'm not sure others will stay as well as him up the hill. Native River ran in the same Brocade Racing colours in this race in 2016 and was only beaten by Minella Rocco. We all know what Native River went on to do in the Gold Cup in 2018 and who's to say this lad isn't good enough to emulate him on that front some day.

SELECTIONS AT A GLANCE:

1.30 - Appreciate It - 6/4 & Blue Lord (Eachway) - 12/1

1.55 - Allmankind - 9/2

2.30 - Vintage Clouds - 25/1

3.05 - Honeysuckle - 3/1

3.40pm - Roksana - 4/1

4.15pm - Homme Public - 14/1

4.50pm - Remastered - 8/1

SUGGESTED TREBLE

Appreciate It, Honeysuckle and Roksana - ALL TO WIN - 28/1
The 46th Cesar Awards, Frances equivalent of the Oscars, announced winners at a socially distanced ceremony in Paris that was punctuated by protests against theater closures in the country.

Josep, the feature directorial debut of French comic artist and political cartoonist Aurel, was named best animated feature. The 2d-animated film tells the story of Spanish illustrator Josep Bartoli, who fled Francos dictatorship in Spain in 1939, only to end up interned in a French concentration camp that had been set up to detain political refugees. It was selected as part of Cannes Festivals line-up last year and has won numerous awards, including best animated feature at the European Film Awards.

The film sold almost 200,000 tickets on its release in France, which was curtailed when cinemas shut in late October in response to the pandemic. A U.S. distributor has not been announced. At the Cesars, it beat Remi Chayes Calamity, a Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary, which won the top feature prize at last years Annecy Festival and qualified for this years Oscars, and Joann Sfars Little Vampire.
Shantanu wanted in 'toolkit' case was present at Tikri border from Jan 20 to 27. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, March 15 : Three accused in 'Toolkit case' on Monday withdrew their pre-arrest bail applications from courts after the Delhi Police gave assurance that notice of seven working days would be given to them in case their arrest is "imminent and unavoidable".

Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana disposed of the anticipatory bail applications of engineer-turned-activist Shantanu Muluk, lawyer Nikita Jacob and climate activist Shubham Kar in the Toolkit case.

"At this stage, it has been proposed by defence counsel that they are willing to withdraw the bail applications subject to condition that if the investigating agency finds arrest of accused is imminent and unavoidable, then seven days advance notice be given," the court said.

Climate activist Disha Ravi is an accused in the case. She was, however, granted bail last month.

Ravi, Muluk and Jacob are facing charges of conspiracy and sedition in the case related to the farmers' protest.

Police said that the 'toolkit' was a sinister design to defame India and cause violence.

On February 23, the court had granted regular bail to Disha Ravi with the judge citing "scanty and sketchy evidence on record".
Vanita Gupta, Joe Bidens nominee for Associate Attorney General, is wealthy beyond the dreams of virtually everyone on the planet. She has reported owning between $42 million and $187 million in assets and properties. Most of her wealth consists of shares in companies linked to her father.

Ordinarily, this would present no problem. We should all be fine with people possessing great wealth, whether by virtue of their own hard work and acumen or, as in Guptas case, that of their parents.

However, Sen. Grassley is concerned about Guptas large stake in Avantor (reportedly between $11 million and $55 million), a chemical company owned by her father. Whats the problem?

According to Bloomberg News, Avantor stopped all Mexican and Latin American sales of acetic anhydride, the only essential heroin chemical, after a Bloomberg Businessweek investigation found that the chemical was easily diverted for narcotics production. Following Bloombergs report, Mexico launched an investigation into the sale and distribution of the chemical, but has not publicly named Avantor as a target. The U.S. Department of Justice declined to say whether it is investigating those sales.

Grassley has submitted questions for the record to Gupta about her stake in the company, given her past statements in favor of decriminalizing possession of all drugs. Because the policy change Gupta advocated would increase demand for heroin and methamphetamine, thus fueling the need for their chemical precursors, Grassley asked Gupta:

Do you agree, then, that there is a potential undisclosed conflict of interest in your prior public advocacy for the decriminalization of heroin and methamphetamine possession because of the likely profit such a policy would allow a precursor-manufacturer like Avantor  whose stock you hold  to capture?

Grassley also asked Gupta whether she would agree, if confirmed, not to take any role in the enforcement of federal criminal drug laws as doing so may implicate or give the appearance of implicating a financial conflict of interest? Gupta apparently has affirmed in an ethics agreement that she wont participate personally and substantially in any matter that to her knowledge has a direct and predictable effect on the financial interests of Avantor. But Grassleys question seeks a specific pledge that she wont participate in enforcing drug laws because such enforcement would have a direct and predictable effect on the financial interests of that company.

Having an Associate Attorney General who cannot participate in enforcing drug laws due to a conflict of interest seems highly undesirable, should it come to that.

During her hearing, Gupta testified that she no longer supports decriminalizing all narcotics. I didnt hear her say when she changed her stance and whether there is any previous public record of such a change. However, I didnt watch the entire hearing.

The Washington Posts fact-checker awarded Gupta an upside-down Pinocchio for her tango of previously unacknowledged flip-flops on the issues of police defunding, drug decriminalization, and ending qualified immunity  the legal principle that shields government officials, including police officers accused of using excessive force in some cases, from having to face lawsuits for their conduct on the job.

When the Washington Post questions the honesty of a high-profile Biden nominee, even Democrats should wonder about the wisdom of confirming that nominee. Thats especially true when the nomination is for a top law enforcement job.

Ill try to find out and report on how Gupta answers Sen. Grassleys questions stemming from her stake in Avantor.

Sen. Graham has asked Gupta about her recommendation against the death penalty for Dylann Roof, the racist mass murderer. Ill try to follow up on this matter, as well.
DIY and building retailer Screwfix has announced plans to open more than 50 outlets and create about 600 positions across the UK and Ireland in 2021.

It said 80 per cent of new stores and over 500 jobs will be generated in the UK by the end of January next year and will be concentrated in retail management, service assistants and supervisors.

The retailer, which is owned by B&Q's parent company Kingfisher, is also proposing to increase its total number of stores in the British Isles to beyond 900 compared to its former target of 800.

Screwfix is proposing to increase its total number of stores in the British Isles to over 900

It currently has 711 stores in the United Kingdom and 12 in the Republic of Ireland and has experienced a rip-roaring trade during the lockdown due to a massive boom in demand for home renovation as people work less often from offices.

Screwfix has also benefited from its status as an essential retailer, which has allowed its shops to always remain open to customers. In contrast, other establishments like pubs, bars and clothes retailers have been forced to close at times.

The business announced that it had reached the 2billion annual sales mark in the 2020/21 financial year for the first time ever and just five years after it achieved 1billion in yearly purchases.

It said it has averaged one store opening a week in the last five years and had seen its online and click & collect sales shoot up, especially during the pandemic.

For example, in the three months to October 31 2020, the company observed its total sales growing 17.4 per cent year-on-year on the back of higher demand from trade customers and opened 17 new outlets.

B&Q did register a larger sales increase of 23.9 per cent though, with Kingfisher crediting both weather and non-weather related categories, as well as its latest kitchen range for the strong performance.

In the three months to October 31 2020, Screwfix's total sales grew 17.4 per cent as it said it saw higher demand from trade customers and opened 17 new outlets

The group is set to open its first establishment in the Middle East following a franchise deal Kingfisher signed last week with the Dubai-based conglomerate Al-Futtaim Group, with two stores in Saudi Arabia set to launch this autumn.

Kingfisher's growth has been so strong that the firm announced in December that it was paying back 130million that it claimed in business rates relief, on top of the 23million it agreed to hand back in furlough money last September.

Screwfix's chief executive John Mewett, said: 'I am incredibly proud of all Screwfix colleagues for their support in continuing to keep our customers supplied safely. We're delighted to be opening 50 new stores this year, creating 600 jobs.

'The growing demand for convenience means we now see scope for over 900 stores in the UK & Ireland, which will help our busy customers get their jobs done.

'We know that time is money for our customers, and these new stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland enable us to provide our customers with added convenience and certainty, and provide even more job opportunities for local communities when they need it most.'

Shares in Kingfisher ended trading 2.5 per cent higher at 308.3p today.
The front-page image of Queen Elizabeth II kneeling on Meghan Markle's neck in a French magazine Charlie Hebdo sparked outrage on social media on Saturday.

Drawing of Queen Elizabeth II kneeling on Meghan's neck

"Why Meghan left Buckingham," reads a caption on the drawing. "Because I couldn't breathe anymore," says a quotation bubble above Meghan's head. A menacing-looking Queen Elizabeth II pins Meghan down with her knee in the snap posted on the magazine's Twitter account.

French magazine Charlie Hebdo mocks George Floyd's murder and Meghan's racism concerns. The cover reads: 'Why Meghan left Buckingham Palace', 'Because I couldn't breathe'. pic.twitter.com/3Fuj789xn7  Nadine White (@Nadine_Writes) March 13, 2021

The illustration portrays George Floyd's death, which happened on May 25 when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes after an arrest. Derek Chauvin was discharged from the Minneapolis Police Department and will face murder and manslaughter charges soon. Three other former officers who were involved in the arrest will stand trial in August.

Users on social media slammed Charlie Hebdo for the cartoon, with some even calling it racist, as per the NBC News via Yahoo. Charlie Hebdo has not publicly replied to the criticism, and a call for comment on Saturday was not immediately returned.

Prince Harry and Meghan sat down with Oprah Winfrey for an explosive interview about a week ago, outlining their reasons for leaving the royal family. Meghan stated that royal sources had raised "concerns" over the couple's children's skin tones. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry welcomed their first child, Archie, in May of this year and expected their second child this summer.

The couple did not mention the person who allegedly made the comments, but Winfrey later said that Harry had made it known that it was not Queen Elizabeth II, his grandmother, or her husband, Prince Philip. "We're very much not a racist family," Prince William said in response to the allegations raised against the royal family.

Prince William Defends Family Against Interview Claims





Did Meghan Markle lie about the royals?

Meghan Markle has sparked new controversies after claiming that she didn't know much about the Royal Family previous to her marriage with Prince Harry during her much-discussed Oprah Winfrey interview. According to some experts and royal fans, during her interview with the US TV host, the Duchess manipulated the facts and did not tell the whole story, The News reported.

Prince Harry's sweetheart confessed to Oprah that she "didn't grow up learning anything about the royal family" and that she didn't have to "Google Harry" because he taught her everything she wanted to know. After Meghan Markle's statement, several media outlets claimed that she had addressed the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's wedding in an unearthed post four years before her wedding to Prince Harry.

Seven years ago, she wrote in her blog about her desire to be a princess. During her interview with Oprah, though, she said she "didn't know anything about royals."

When they posted their thoughts on Meghan's interview on social media, royal fans saw it as staged and controversial. However, the Duchess has a clearer interpretation of her statement, which has ignited fresh controversy.

Prince Harry Accused of 'Blowing Up Family'

Markle seeks evidence she bullied Buckingham Palace staff

Following her interview with American host Oprah Winfrey about the Royal family, Meghan Markle reportedly reduced staff members to tears. Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, also filed a formal request for evidence against the investigation after being accused of developing a toxic workplace at Buckingham Palace.

The news of Markle, who reportedly made staff members cry, came after her turbulent interview with American TV host Oprah Winfrey, in which she shared some controversial facts about the royal family. According to ANI, after the interview, the palace retained an outside law firm to look into the claims against the Duchess.

On the other hand, the Duchess of Sussex had asked proof to determine who is calling her a bully. According to sources, the Duchess needs access to all files, emails, and text messages linked to the Queen's bullying investigation. Meanwhile, both parties of the abuse case seem to be seeking legal advice, as per the Republic World.

Top 5 Biggest Bombshells Meghan Markle, Prince Harry Drop in Their Oprah Interview

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An FBI informant suspected of being the driving force behind the alleged plot to "kidnap" Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was quietly hit with a gun charge by the feds last week -- potentially signalling the government's suspected entrapment scheme that ensnared the "Wolverine Watchmen" militia may be falling apart.



From The Detroit News (Archive), "Feds indict Whitmer kidnapping case informant as secret rift surfaces":

The indictment of Wisconsin resident Stephen Robeson, 58, for illegally possessing a high-powered sniper rifle is the latest legal development in a criminal case that has relied heavily on informants and undercover FBI agents to reveal violent extremism in Michigan, legal experts say.



Though prosecutors have secured the conviction of plotter Ty Garbin of Hartland Township and compiled evidence that includes secretly recorded audio, video and more than 13,000 text messages, new criminal charges against a confidential informant could be exploited by defense lawyers.



An indictment after a prolonged period of cooperation suggests the relationship between Robeson and the FBI is destroyed and that prosecutors do not plan on using him at trial, legal experts said. But defense lawyers can try to call him as a witness and attack Robeson's credibility.



"This gives defense lawyers ammunition to create reasonable doubt," said Andrew Arena, former special agent in charge of the FBI office in Detroit. "It could be he broke bad on them during the investigation.



"It's a difficult proposition when you are using these guys. You're telling them don't commit crimes, you're doing everything to keep on top of them. But you're not with them 24 hours a day."

It seems more likely that the feds are only indicting Robeson as a form of witness intimidation because they fear he could testify against them and expose their entrapment scheme in court.

[...] Three sources familiar with the investigation identified Robeson as one of the government's undercover informants. Robeson attended and organized combat training in Wisconsin, participated in a June 2020 meeting in Dublin, Ohio, that served as a catalyst for the kidnapping plot, and he also attended a camp in northern Michigan where accused plotters underwent combat training, according to the sources.



Robeson's name also surfaced briefly during a federal court hearing in January. Joshua Blanchard, the attorney for accused plotter Barry Croft, mentioned Robeson while arguing government informants were the main drivers in the alleged kidnapping scheme.



Croft's lawyer Joshua Blanchard believes the government set up the meeting of militia members last summer in Ohio that led to the Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot, and that the feds paid for attendees' hotel rooms



"The government is the driving force," Blanchard says.  Robert Snell (@robertsnellnews) January 13, 2021

The one-paragraph indictment of Robeson on March 3 does not mention the Whitmer case, and it was filed five months after FBI agents say they thwarted a kidnapping plot that involved at least 14 people. The indictment alleges Robeson, a career criminal, possessed an Armalite .50-caliber sniper rifle [...]



Defense lawyers have portrayed their clients as tough talkers who were exercising First Amendment rights who never carried out any kidnapping plot.



"If Steve Robeson is at this meeting, he's the person who's driving this and inviting people and funding it," Blanchard said.

As I noted when this story broke in October right before the election, the FBI's affidavit revealed they had multiple informants and undercover agents involved in this operation going all the way back to June.



They could have arrested everyone months before the election but instead they chose to wait and drop the indictments as an "October surprise."



I predicted such a plot was going to happen two days before the story broke.





Lol, I wrote this article just 2 days ago.



Today, the FBI dropped their own "October surprise" to interfere in the election with this obviously informant-led "plot" to target Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.



FBI has been sitting on the case for months.



I called this exactly! https://t.co/zRcGvp4e6N  Chris Menahan  (@infolibnews) October 8, 2020

WRITE-UP:



Who Could Have Predicted This? https://t.co/NkAClW3Ptz  Chris Menahan  (@infolibnews) October 8, 2020



Robeson also appears to have infiltrated an anti-mask protest in July for the feds:

Last year, he drew public attention for protesting a mask mandate. He was interviewed by a local TV reporter as part of a story about protests at the Wisconsin state Capitol, where protesters spent two hours marching outside Gov. Tony Evers' office windows.



"We understand the virus. We understand what it is," Robeson said during the protest. "Why are we shutting our country down and restricting our movement?"

"Court documents indicate that Robeson came in contact with the militants during a pro-2nd Amendment meeting in Dublin, Ohio," Big League Politics reported. "Adam Fox, who has been alleged to be a homeless mentally-ill man, was propped up as the patsy to lead the efforts."



When are disability rights organizations going to stand up and demand the government stop entrapping low IQ, mentally disabled people in cockamamie terrorism plots?



We've seen this same pattern dozens of times.



There's a certain percentage of any population that is highly suggestible, highly gullible, very low IQ and fraught with mental issues.



The feds should be helping these people stay out of trouble rather than entrapping them in phony terrorism plots to try and justify stripping Americans of their rights!



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Last month the Earth had its coldest February in seven years, thanks to the effect of La Nina.

The irregular weather pattern causes abnormally strong winds that make the ocean colder than normal.

During February, the average temperature in the contiguous US was 30.6 F, or 3.2F below the 20th century average.

But it was a different story for the whole winter season: In the Northern Hemisphere, December 2020 to February 2021 ranked as the eight mildest winter in more than 140 years of record keeping.

Scroll down for video

February 2021 was the planet's coldest in seven years, due to the formation of La Nina in the tropical Pacific Ocean, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Pictured: A man uses a snow blower during a winter storm in New York

February 2021 was the planet's coldest in seven years, due to the formation of La Nina in the tropical Pacific Ocean, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The agency also pointed to 'unusually brisk' temperatures in most of North America, Scandinavia and northern Asia.

The US was particularly hard hit: The average temperature in the continental U.S. last month was 30.6 degrees F, or 3.2 degrees below the 20th century average.

That's the 19th coldest February in the 127 years the agency has kept records, and the coldest February since 1989.

An annotated map with key climate events that occurred during February 2021. Despite the chilly month, the Northern Hemisphere as a whole experienced its 8th warmest winter (December 2020 through February 2021) in 142 years.

'Below-average temperatures dominated much of the nation from the Northwest to the Great Lakes and south to the Gulf of Mexico,' the NOAA said.

In Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma, February 2021 was in the top 10 coldest on record.

February also brought the coldest air to Texas since 1989, with many regions, including Austin and Waco, setting records for the longest streak of below-freezing temperatures.

A furious winter storm ravaged the state that resulted in 57 deaths and millions of people losing power, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

But winter overall was relatively mild and dry in the US, with an average of 33.6 degrees F, or 1.4 degrees above average.

Globally, December 2020 to February 2021 was the eighth warmest winter in 142 years of record-keeping, according to NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.

Eastern Canada, much of Europe and southern and northeastern Asia experienced a remarkably mild February.

And South America and the Caribbean saw average temperatures in February that placed among the top 10 warmest for the month.

WHAT IS LA NINA? A weather pattern that occurs in the Pacific Ocean every three to seven years. It causes abnormally strong winds that make the ocean colder than it normally is. This small change in temperature can trigger local weather patterns all over the world, including torrential rain, plunging temperatures and cyclones. Rain clouds normally form over warm ocean water. La Nina blows all of this warm water to the western Pacific. This means that places like Indonesia, Australia and southern Africa can get much more rain than usual. It typically unfolds during the end of autumn or early winter. Advertisement

For January and February 2021, the global land and ocean surface temperature logged in at 1.30 degrees F above the 20th-century average, making it the 11th warmest year to date on record.

The average global land and ocean surface temperature last month was 1.17 degrees F higher than the average for the 20th century

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sent out a warning in August that La Nina conditions were present in the Pacific Ocean and were set to make their way to the US.

This weather phenomenon is formed by a build-up of cooler water that lowers surface temperatures.

'The current NOAA CPC outlook for the upcoming winter is showing a tilt toward drier conditions for the southern tier of the U.S. and wetter conditions over the northern tier of the U.S,' Michelle L'Heureux at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center told DailyMail.com.

The government agency also predicted a 75 percent chance of La Nina continuing through the Northern Hemisphere's winter, bringing more hurricanes and droughts to areas.

NOAA observed below-average temperatures stretching across the central and eastern regions of the Pacific Ocean in August, along with atmospheric circulation anomalies hanging over the surface - a sure sign La Nina has arrived.

'Typical La Nina patterns during winter include above-average precipitation and colder-than-average temperatures along the northern tier of the U.S. and below-normal precipitation and above-average temperatures across the South,' L'Heure'ux explained.
Rare turtle released back to the wild

Border guards in the southern province of Ben Tre recently released a rare turtle weighing 45 kilos back into the sea.





The 45-kilo turtle released into the sea

The turtle was handed over to Ham Luong Border Guard Station in Ba Tri District by Tran Thi Dien who bought it from a local fisherman.



The green sea turtle belongs to the Chelonia Mydas family which is listed in Vietnams Red Book of endangered species.



Earlier on March 5, Cuc Dai Border Station in Ben Tre also released a turtle into the wild. The turtle was originally caught by a local fisherman.




[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press.]

Publisher Toplitz Productions and developer Virtual Magic Games reveal the upcoming gem of the successful DYNASTY series: Wild West Dynasty Teaser Trailer: https://youtu.be/D-TphT8lqAs Where cowboys, settlers and gunslingers ride through the vastness of the prairie and enjoy a glass or two of hard liquor in the saloon in the evening - that's exactly where the latest offspring of the Dynasty series comes in. Wild West Dynasty takes you back to the time when America was first characterized by a thirst for adventure, the dream of a better life and the search for personal happiness. Can you feel the heat against your skin as you work hard in the blazing midday sun, perhaps in search of gold? Escape from everyday life and dive into the breath-taking time of the Wild West: https://youtu.be/D-TphT8lqAs Experience the history of America up close! ABOUT WILD WEST DYNASTY: America in the 1800s - the trails to the West: Settlers were committed on advancing further and further towards the US Pacific; in search of a better life, for business or adventure. They founded farms, raised cattle, dug for gold, built settlements and towns. A small find of gold is often enough to draw hundreds of daring adventurers and quickly a small settlement becomes a flourishing town with saloons, merchants, gambling, adventurers, and gunslingers...



Enter this breathtakingly exciting time and conquer the Wild West. Emerge from being a lonesome cowboy to founding a settlement and becoming the mayor of a gold-digger town: your personal endeavours know no bounds. Soon, other settlers will join you in your quest for happiness. Find a wife, produce a hardworking heir and start your legacy in "WILD WEST DYNASTY". For more info, click here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1329880/Wild_West_Dynasty/ About Toplitz Productions The German-Austrian publisher, whose name originates from the mysterious Toplitz Lake in the heart of Austria, develops and publishes games with "heart & soul" for all platforms. The company consists of a healthy mix of experienced industry veterans and young talents, all of whom are passionate gamers. They enjoy working with creative developers on many exciting titles, such as from the "Dynasty" and "Giant" series.

Stay up to date and learn everything worth knowing about Toplitz Productions by following the company on Twitter, Facebook, the official website and Instagram. About Virtual Magic Games SA Virtual Magic Games SA is a Polish developer of computer and video games. The team of about 25 people has over 20 years of experience in the world of entertainment, special effects, animation and VR/AR production. The extensive expertise in programming, graphics, animation and hardware form the basis for high-quality productions. Numerous awards at international competitions and festivals underpin the success of the previous projects of the dedicated and motivated team.
(Natural News) Doctors say cancer cells are smart, and can target vital organs, take them over, and shut down your life. Cancer is a disorder of the cells, where they mutate and multiply uncontrollably. Its very common in America, but doctors and oncologists are clueless when it comes to beating cancer. They use chemicals, surgery and radiation, usually to no avail, to stave off the inevitable just a few years. Yet, cancer barely even existed in America 100 years ago, so how is this lethal serial killer that attacks one in every three Americans, and kills half of those, able to hone in on vital cleansing organs and take people out like flies?

Lets start with pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is the least-survived cancer, with about a 95 percent kill rate. Why? Humans who consume bleach daily overwhelm the pancreas (and the prostate and bladder) with one of earths most deadly toxins, while the cancer and pharma death clock just keeps ticking for all those who dont know better  and thats about 2/3rds of all Americans. Lots of foods are bleached, including ones you wouldnt even think are bleached, because theyre not white. Understand this: Most bread in America is highly toxic for humans, in the short run and long run. Heres why.

Conventional bread is loaded with chemicals and sticky gluten that blockades your intestines, causing food to rot inside your body, eventually leading to cancer

Bread contains many chemicals, including ones to soften it, condition it, and preserve it. It also often contains bleach, because Americans are brainwashed to think white foods are clean. Then, the gluten stops up the intestines, and everything that remains in the body for more than 24 hours turns to poison. Constipated lately?

Gluten is nicknamed food glue for good reason. Once the intestines get blockaded, the damage starts setting in. Ulcers. Divots. Polyps. IBS. Crohns. Diverticulitis. Acid reflux. Sound familiar? After years of this, cancer starts developing and attacking those weakened areas.

A few years later and thats all she wrote. Surgery wont change the chronic damage thats ongoing, and medical doctors wont blame the cancer food. They dont even take classes on nutrition in medical school, so theres that. You need to visit a naturopath or nutritionist for valuable intel on healing foods, including superfoods and supplements.

Conventional milk is bleached  so avoid all conventional dairy

Did you know that humans are the only animals on earth that drink milk beyond infancy and from other animals? As humans drink other animals milk, we lose the lactase enzyme, making digestion quite difficult. Were all lactose intolerant to some degree, its just that the signs dont show right away. This leads to inflammatory diseases, including obesity (yes, it is a food disease) and cardiovascular disease. Plant-based milks are the alternative, but you should still search for organic products. Cancer thrives off inflammation, especially chronic, long-term inflammation.

That means you should avoid milk, ice cream, yogurt, sour cream, dairy coffee creamer, and cream-based soups.

Did you know margarine is bleached?

Made from the cheapest, most health-compromising vegetable oils, margarine may be the single most dangerous food any human being can consume, especially on a regular basis. Dont be fooled by the yellowish color and flavor. Margarine is chock full of trans fats that clog your arteries, veins and capillaries, restricting blood flow and the transportation of nutrients to the body. Cancer loves margarine.

Recently, in 2018, 30 brands of margarine were analyzed for their ability to cause cancer. Guess what? At least 18 of those brands revealed shocking lab results. Not only are the brands advertising nutritional lies on the labels, but the 18 that cause cancer contain a carcinogenic substance called glycidol. This cancerous compound is often combined with blood-clogging canola oil, and damage to the cells, memory, and blood is evident over time.

Top 11 ways to avoid cancer

#1. Minimize gluten intake

#2. Never drink tap water (fluoride causes cancer, brittle bones, memory loss, IQ loss)

#3. See if a Naturopathic Physician can get you off prescription medications safely

#4. Never eat canola oil (not even organic, expeller-pressed, as all canola oil coagulates and clogs blood)

#5. Never consume aspartame synthetic sweetener (causes cancer and anxiety)

#6. Avoid all flu shots and vaccines, even Covid-19 series

#7. Never eat food imported from China (loaded with heavy metal toxins)

#8. Avoid eating MSG, nitrates and nitrites (all concentrated salts  think deli meats, hot dogs, chips, Chinese food)

#9. Avoid all bleached foods, including most rice, pasta, bread, flour, milk, margarine, table salt and sugar

#10. Avoid all meat thats not organic (conventional meat often contains bleach, ammonia, hormones and antibiotics)

#11. Never eat GMOs  genetically modified organisms in nearly all fast food and processed food (bug-killer and weed-killer chemicals embedded in food)

Tune your internet dial to FoodSupply.news for updates on clean food that does not cause cancer, so you can avoid being a conventional food statistic who is left wondering, what happened, and why me?

Sources for this article include:

WorldofBuzz.com

FoodSupply.news

NaturalNews.com

PharmaDeathClock.com
More than 30,000 people booked Covid-19 vaccination appointments in the first three hours after the programme was opened up to people over 50, it has emerged.

The Health Minister has revealed the booking system experienced a surge in demand on Monday morning  despite concerns the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine may be linked to people developing blood clots.

Health officials and politicians have been speaking out in a bid to ensure public confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine after a number of countries, including the Republic of Ireland, suspended the use of the jab.

Robin Swann appeared at the Assembly on Monday afternoon and stood by the decision to continue to use the vaccine, which has been given to more than 300,000 people in Northern Ireland to date.

Whilst my Department is aware of the decisions of some other jurisdictions to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccination as a precautionary measure  in this instance I will again be led by the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) experts.

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They are very clear that members of the public should continue to come forward for their vaccination.

The evidence available from the UKs very large dataset shows no unusual correlation between receiving the vaccine and the frequency at which blood clots occur naturally.

While he accepted that some people may not feel want to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, he said there will be no facility to allow people to choose an alternative vaccine.

Until now, Northern Irelands vaccination centres have been administering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

However, following delivery of a significant amount of the AtraZeneca vaccine last week, this will be offered to people attending to the vaccination centres, including the SSE Arena which is due to open before the end of the month.

The media was invited to the Ulster Hospital on Monday morning as Northern Irelands chief medical officer, Dr Michael McBride, received his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Speaking afterwards, he described the move by the Republic of Ireland as a very precautionary decision.

He also said there are no cases of people developing blood clots that have been linked to the vaccine.

He continued: The MHRA is looking at all of the data, we have a small number of individual case reports of concerns but the MHRA is very clear they do not feel those are linked to the vaccine and are probably random events which are occurring and would have occurred normally.

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But as I said, what the public should be assured of is that the MHRA is a global leader in safety and efficacy of vaccines and is publishing data on side effects on a weekly basis.

This is a safe, effective vaccine as recommended by MHRA and lets remember, this virus kills people, it kills people my age, younger people and older people, and the benefit is strongly in favour of people getting this vaccine at this time.

The chair of the Stormont health committee, Sinn Feins Colm Gildernew, has said that he has booked an appointment, while the First Minister, Arlene Foster, has also said she is looking forward to receiving her first dose of the vaccine.

Im more than happy to take the vaccine and in fact very much looking forward to getting it, she said.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency have said there is no indication of a link between the vaccine and reports of blood clots.

As of today, there is no evidence that the incidents are caused by the vaccine and it is important that vaccination campaigns continue so that we can save lives and stem severe disease from the virus, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said.
A student has revealed she tried to take her own life five days before a photograph of her appearing exceedingly happy was taken - as she aims to prove that 'suicide doesn't have a look'.

Eluned Anderson, known as Ellie, from Cardiff, shared the image to Twitter recently, showing herself looking the picture of happiness as she smiles at the camera.

She was enjoying a romantic dinner in Birmingham with her boyfriend to celebrate their two-year anniversary last October.

But the 21-year-old captioned the image: 'I attempted suicide five days before this photo was taken. Suicide doesn't have a look.'

Ellie had locked herself in her room at her university halls in Liverpool and considered ending her life for a second time, having first attempted to aged just 13 after a traumatic childhood.

Eluned Anderson, known as Ellie, has revealed she tried to take her own life five days before a photograph (pictured) of her appearing exceedingly happy was taken - as she aims to prove that 'suicide doesn't have a look'

Ellie, from Cardiff, shared the image to Twitter (above) recently, showing herself looking the picture of happiness as she smiles at the camera

'I was going through a really difficult period,' she said. 'Things took a turn for the worse in October last year and I'd had a lot of abuse online.

'I'd had messages on Twitter telling me to kill myself and one man sent me three messages detailing exactly how he would rape me.

'It was incredibly rash and it took all my might to tell myself that this was wrong and I shouldn't go through with my plan. Really what stopped me was the thought of my loved ones.

'All these things came to me and I was so ashamed and I hid in bed. I was in my own head for a few days.'

Ellie also turned to self-harm. And yet, by the end of the week, on November 3, Ellie had put a mask on and headed out to dinner as if nothing was wrong.

The student (pictured) was enjoying a romantic dinner in Birmingham with her boyfriend to celebrate their two-year anniversary last October

'We were taught that we couldn't tell anyone about what was happening at home when we were young,' she said. 'I had to learn to put on a mask because what's the alternative?

I had to put on a smile, put on a dress and put on some make-up. Because the alternative is depression and to not be here.

'It's always easier to give up or stay in bed and there are days when I do hide away, but the majority of the time I'm facing the world with a smile.'

Ellie admitted she had a traumatic childhood. She is close to her two sisters and her father, who she says brought her up, but estranged from her mother.

Her suicidal feelings in October 2020 were the second time she had thought about ending her life. The first was when she was just 13 years old.

But the 21-year-old (pictured) captioned the image: 'I attempted suicide five days before this photo was taken. Suicide doesn't have a look.'

She said her suicide attempt as a child didn't work and she didn't tell anyone about what she had done and carried on as normal.

Ellie, a third year student at Liverpool University, was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder during her first year of studies and is on medication and has weekly counselling sessions to help her manage her condition.

After uploading her image to Twitter, Ellie said she received several messages commenting on her appearance, rather than focusing on mental health, which she said was a sad reflection of society.

The student shared her story following claims made by Meghan Markle in her bombshell Oprah interview, with the Duchess of Sussex, 39, speaking about her thoughts of suicide and how she felt a lack of support from the Royal Family.

Ellie wanted to challenge those who questioned the validity of Meghan's words, as she said she noticed people had a preconceived idea of what those struggling with their mental health should look like.

Ellie (pictured) had locked herself in her room at her university halls in Liverpool and considered ending her life for a second time, having first attempted to aged just 13 after a traumatic childhood

'People have this image of what mental health looks like,' Ellie, who started an internship as a parliamentary assistant earlier this year, said. 'My mental health is juxtaposed with my personality.

'On the outside, I'm a confident and opinionated woman and yet there are days where I can't face the world. You never know what's going on behind the mask or behind closed doors.'

While we've come a long way in talking about mental health issues, they are still stigmatised and considered taboo, Ellie said.

'I was terrified of getting a diagnosis because of the stigma around it,' Ellie admitted. 'I was terrified for years about what I was facing in my mind every day.

'Getting the diagnosis in 2019 was a relief and it's taken a while to come to the realisation that getting help isn't anything anyone should be afraid of.

'For me, I'm very prepared to be open and honest about my trauma and experiences but I understand for a lot of people that's not an option.

'I hope I can show them that it's okay and whatever battle they are facing, others are too. If I can put my little story forward in the world and help just one person, then I'll be happy,' she added.

If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org
Bilateral trade between Malaysia and Ukraine increased by 6.4% in the first 11 months of 2020 and amounted to $310 million, despite the coronavirus pandemic, Ambassador of Malaysia to Ukraine Raja Reza Raja Zaib Shah has said in an exclusive interview with Ukrinform.

"Despite COVID-19, Malaysia-Ukraine bilateral trade in 2020 (January to November) was even better than in 2019 (an increase of 6.4%). For example, from January to November 2020, our total bilateral trade was $310 million. I think COVID-19 does not affect our trade and business. So this is good news," he said.

According to the ambassador, Ukrainian agricultural products have now entered the Malaysian market. "For example, Ukraine is now the No. 1 sunflower oil supplier in Malaysia and also dried peas. Ukraine is the second-biggest supplier of wheat for Malaysia and dried legumes. For the last two years, for the first time, Ukraine has exported fruits (apples) and berries to Malaysia and, of course, Ukrainian chocolates and honey too. Malaysians are now very familiar with your agricultural products and your food products," he said.

Palm oil remains the No.1 product for Malaysian exports to Ukraine. "We are pleased that Ukraine now is the fourth-biggest buyer of Malaysia's palm oil among the European countries after the Netherlands, Italy and Spain," the ambassador said.

Commenting on the prospects for the development of bilateral trade, he added that Malaysia was interested in supplying Ukraine with electronic products, with their share being about 16%, as well as IT products. For the Ukrainian side, the new products that it would like to venture into the Malaysian market include poultry, chicken, meat and, of course, agricultural products, the ambassador said.

Raja Reza Raja Zaib Shah also noted that an important event could be a Joint Trade Committee meeting. According to him, Deputy Minister of Economy, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine Taras Kachka expressed the readiness of the Ukrainian side to go to Malaysia to take part in such a meeting.

The ambassador recalled that the first online business conference between Malaysia and Ukraine gathered representatives of 300 Malaysian and Ukrainian companies online in October last year. "I think this is one of the success stories in 2020. This was acknowledged by Mr. Dmytro Kuleba, the Foreign Minister of Ukraine. Some top ten Ukrainian companies took part in this conference. This will provide opportunities for business meetings between Malaysian and Ukrainian companies. I hope that there will be some follow-up from this online conference," he said.

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A Bucks County woman is accused of doctoring photos and video of her daughters cheerleading rivals to try to get them kicked off the squad, officials said.

The Bucks County District Attorneys Office last week charged Raffaela Spone, 50, with three misdemeanor counts of cyber harassment of a child and related offenses.

Spone manipulated photos from social media of three girls on the Victory Vipers cheerleading squad, a traveling squad based in Doylestown, to make it appear they were drinking, smoking and even nude, investigators said.

Spone also sent messages with the so-called deepfake pictures to the the girls and suggested they kill themselves, officials said.

Detectives traced phone numbers to a website specializing in selling them to telemarketers, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported, and which led to an IP address that showed activity from within Spones house in Chalfont. After searching Spones smartphone, detectives found evidence linking her to the numbers used to send the harassing texts and images, the affidavit said.

Spones attorney, Robert Birch, told WPVI-TV he cant comment because he said the DA hasnt presented any evidence.

She has absolutely denied what theyre charging her with and because of the fact that this has hit the press, she has received death threats. She has had to go to the police herself, they have a report, Birch said. Her life has been turned upside down.

The cheerleading team expressed sympathy for the families involved and said the team has a very strict anti-bullying policy.
An out-of-control dog has massacred seven pregnant sheep in Devon, leading the police to issue a warning to the public.

The incident happened in the Parracombe area between 3pm on Tuesday 9 March and 10am on Thursday 11 March.

All seven of the Swaledale ewes were carrying twins, according to police.

The sheep were likely attacked by a dog or multiple dogs.

"All these Swaledale Ewes were carrying twins," Lynton Police said on social media.

NOT A PRETTY SIGHT - Crime CR/019090/21 Parracombe area.

Between 3pm 09/03/21 & 10am11/03/21, Swaledale Ewes were attacked by a dog or dogs, 6 have died & more injured, seen or heard anything? Ring 101 or email 101@dc.police.uk #livestockWorrying #KeepDogsUnderControl #Exmoor pic.twitter.com/VN4bN1Nzuo  Lynton Police (@LyntonPolice) March 11, 2021

The force added the incident happened "in a fenced field which had a public footpath going through it, and not on open moorland."

Lynton Police said: "Please keep your dog under control and on a lead around livestock, it is a criminal offence to allow your dog to chase, bite or injure livestock.

"If you have seen or heard anything in relation to this crime, please contact the police quoting the crime number CR/019090/21 by ringing 101 or email 101@dc.police.uk."

According to figures released by NFU Mutual, livestock worrying cost farmers across the UK 1.3 million in 2020.
One Phuket efforts to help COVID-afflicted continue to break barriers

PHUKET: The efforts by those supporting the One Phuket initiative are having a sincere impact on the lives of those still struggling to get by amid the ongoing economic crisis, with 800 life bags packed on Saturday (Mar 13), and 420 of those delivered to families in need in Thalang and Srisoonthorn.

COVID-19economicscharity

By The Phuket News

Monday 15 March 2021, 04:49PM

One Phuket is reaching out to help those in no position to help themselves, but One Phuket needs your help to do that. Photo: One Phuket

One Phuket is reaching out to help those in no position to help themselves, but One Phuket needs your help to do that. Photo: One Phuket

One Phuket is reaching out to help those in no position to help themselves, but One Phuket needs your help to do that. Photo: One Phuket

One Phuket is reaching out to help those in no position to help themselves, but One Phuket needs your help to do that. Photo: One Phuket

One Phuket is reaching out to help those in no position to help themselves, but One Phuket needs your help to do that. Photo: One Phuket

One Phuket is reaching out to help those in no position to help themselves, but One Phuket needs your help to do that. Photo: One Phuket

One Phuket is reaching out to help those in no position to help themselves, but One Phuket needs your help to do that. Photo: One Phuket

One Phuket is reaching out to help those in no position to help themselves, but One Phuket needs your help to do that. Photo: One Phuket

One Phuket is reaching out to help those in no position to help themselves, but One Phuket needs your help to do that. Photo: One Phuket

One Phuket is reaching out to help those in no position to help themselves, but One Phuket needs your help to do that. Photo: One Phuket

One Phuket is reaching out to help those in no position to help themselves, but One Phuket needs your help to do that. Photo: One Phuket

One Phuket is reaching out to help those in no position to help themselves, but One Phuket needs your help to do that. Photo: One Phuket

One Phuket is reaching out to help those in no position to help themselves, but One Phuket needs your help to do that. Photo: One Phuket

One Phuket is reaching out to help those in no position to help themselves, but One Phuket needs your help to do that. Photo: One Phuket

Our neighbours need us. The 800 bags we packed this morning were funded by the amazing team at 5 Star Marine, but we must not leave it all up to them. Please donate what you can today so that we can help more people, One Phuket organiser Samantha Gayfer posted on the campaigns official Facebook page.

The initial aim for Saturday was to pack 2,000 Life Bags at Sutai Muay Thai.

We didnt raise the THB 200,000 necessary for this week, BUT the team at 5 Star Marine is covering these supplies. Three cheers for them! We need the rest of the community to chip in so we can continue this good work. Please donate what you can as you scroll and take a look at what it looks like to shop for 2,000 Life Bags. Thanks for the wheels Mark & Rebecca Kynaston, Samantha posted.

The One Phuket initiative is gaining much-needed momentum, and passed a ket milestone last Friday with 500 members now actively engaged in supporting the effort.

UNCLES HOUSE

The members are finding inspiration in the hard-hitting, heartfelt experiences in meeting the people in need across the island.

One such experience was posted under the title Lets Go To Uncles House - A Covid Story, highlighting the plight some of Phukets most-affected are being forced to live through.

As we drive door to door delivering Life Bags to those in need, we often see situations that are heart-wrenching, explained the post.

This past week we delivered to Uncles House. No, hes not my Uncle but this is what he is called in the community. Before Covid, Uncles House was just 3 people in one room with no running water and no air conditioning  just a bucket for a shower.

When Covid hit and people started losing the ability to pay rest or support their family, they sought refuge at Uncles House.

You see, Uncle owns his house, so that makes him very lucky. But, like many, Uncle doesnt have a job now. So when his house went from 3 people to 7 people, he was stressed about how to feed them.

There was no job. No money. No help.

Then as more and more people lost the ability to rent houses they moved into "Uncles House".Seven people quickly became 10 people, then 12 people, and now there are 17 people living with Uncle.

We met Uncle and the 17 people living in his modest home this week. All of them without jobs and no real hope of getting them.

But this is where the story changes. One Phuket was able to provide 5 Life Bags to this house.

Uncle and his new family can eat again today. And, for the first time in a long time, Uncle smiled, the post noted.

One Phuket is growing quickly. People are working hard  and together  to meet the islands needs BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH DONATIONS, the post pointed out.

People like Uncle now rely on us. So lets get out there. Lets spread the word and raise as many funds as we can. I have personally promised I will fill the gaps needed and I will deliver on my promise.

Now lets invite others to help us lift up the community. Every 1000 THB helps, the post concluded.

BUSINESSES STEP UP

Brett Wilson brought the Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach team to help with efforts packing Life Bags last week, while Enrico Bratta of Steam Cleaning Phuket, is donating 15% of the total income from services carried out until April 30 to One Phuket.

Katie Hudson, who represents Australian beachwear label Tom & Teddy in Phuket, is donating B500 for every pair of swim shorts for men sold to the effort.

The swim shorts sold at the Around the World in One Day Brunch at the JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa in Mai Khao Beach over the weekend raised B6,500.

Thank you Katie. I know your business is equally impacted by the economic crisis, but still you give, said Andrea Edwards, a key figure in the One Phuket drive.

To give you an idea, Katies donation means we can buy 43 life bags, which typically feeds more than 170 people, she added.

Katie Hudsoon confirmed that she will continue the contributions until at least the end of April.

We know many people are struggling to make ends meet regardless of what business youre in, but if your business can help raise funds or collect donations on site, please come and join us!, Andrea said.

We need to raise 200,000 baht every week to buy enough Life Bags to help the people most impacted by this crisis. If we can raise more, we can care for more.

ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE

Meanwhile, a collective of musicians, music students and music teachers gathered at Legend Music studio in Koh Kaew last month to record Another Day In Paradise, which has now been released to help raise funds to support COVID relief efforts across the island.

Filming of the video, which can be seen on FaceBook and YouTube, was held at Blue Tree Phuket.

Within hours of the videos release we were receiving donations to One Phuket. Many people dont like to have video and pictures of the poverty in their faces, so music related videos like Another Day In Paradise help in these situations, explained Phuket expat Gary Crause of Legend Music Recording Studio.

We felt compelled to do that particular song because we live in paradise. Many of us dont get to see the poverty firsthand, and many dont even realise how serious the situation is. This helps us bring attention to the problem right now, right here; and pulls on the heart strings to prompt more and more people to get involved!

LEAN ON ME FEST LIVE

The release of Another Day in Paradise comes ahead of the Lean On Me Live Fest to be held at the Blue Tree Arena this Saturday (Mar 20), from 3pm.

Lean On Me Live Fest will feature between 10 and 14 local bands. The concert is free and we will rely on donations from the patrons to raise money for the food charity drives, Gary explained.


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Despite an environment conducive to phishing scams, malicious actors achieved only a marginal increase in success in 2020, according to a report from cybersecurity company Proofpoint.

Catastrophic events, like a pandemic, coupled with hasty technological change such as many people forced to work from home immediately, have been a rich environment in the past for phishers, who use deception to infect machines with malware, steal credentials, and invade corporate networks.

But in a survey performed in connection with Proofpoint's annual "State of the Phish" report, 57 percent of organizations in seven countries revealed they were targets of a successful phishing attack in 2020, which is only a two percent increase over 2019.

However, phishers were a lot more successful in the United States, where 74 percent of organizations told researchers they'd experienced a successful phishing attack in 2020, a 14 percent increase over 2019.

While the increase in successful attacks was slight, their impact wasn't. Compared to 2019, the report noted that the number of respondents who told researchers that phishing attacks resulting in data loss increased 13 percent and those leading to credential compromise jumped 11 percent.

Regional Differences

The impact of successful attacks varied by region, noted the report, which is based on data from two surveys -- one of 3,500 working adults in seven countries -- Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States -- as well as one of 600 IT security professionals in those countries and an analysis of some 75 million phishing emails.

Japan, for example, experienced a large volume of phishing emails aimed at compromising credentials for Amazon accounts. Those attacks may have contributed to why so many of the country's organizations -- 64 percent, the highest of any region in the surveys -- had to deal with credential compromises.

On the other hand, Japan's organizations were the least likely to deal with direct financial loss from phishing attacks, at 11 percent. That contrasts with the United States, where 35 percent of organizations suffered immediate financial loss, nearly twice the global average.

Data loss and ransomware infections also had significant regional differences. In Spain, for instance, 69 percent of organizations experienced data loss. That compares to 47 percent of Australian organizations.

Meanwhile, more than two-thirds of Australian organizations (67 percent) were affected by phishing-based ransomware. That compares to 25 percent in France.

Pandemic Fueled Phishing

Historically, malicious actors have been quick to launch campaigns based on current events. That was the case with COVID-19. "Attackers were on it early, and they were prolific," said Proofpoint's Senior Security Awareness Strategist Gretel Egan.

"There was a lot of uncertainty, fear and doubt early in the pandemic, and it continues now," she told TechNewsWorld.

"Attackers were taking advantage of that," she continued. "We saw subject lines around 'Your co-worker has tested positive' or 'Your neighbor has tested positive' aimed at driving people to open that email and fall into a trap."

Evgeny Gnedin, head of information security analytics at Positive Technologies, a global cybersecurity company, noted that, according to research by his company, in Q1 2020, 13 percent of all phishing attacks were related to COVID-19. Of those, nearly half (44 percent) targeted individuals.

"The percentage of malware attacks and social engineering attacks against government agencies increased significantly as well, and this may be due to the pandemic," he told TechNewsWorld.

"Many attackers sent emails to government agencies of various countries with malicious attachments related to the coronavirus crisis," he said.

Gnedin added that the pandemic situation was used both for mass malware campaigns and APT attacks.

"With so much attention on the virus," he continued, "it's very possible that more hacks are being aimed at companies in every sector, as IT teams globally are busier than usual maintaining operations for the large increase in remote workers."

Growth in Malicious Domains

Another sign that phishers were hot to exploit the pandemic was the increase in suspicious domain name registrations last year. "In 2020, we saw 12,490 new domains being registered containing the word 'vaccine', 'COVID', or both," observed Shashi Prakash, CTO and co-founder of Bolster, an AI-powered fraud prevention company in San Jose, Calif.

"Of these, 6,104 sites showed signs of being weaponized for some sort of phishing or scam attack," he told TechNewsWorld.

Companies had to quickly transition to a new remote work environment, in many cases that included rapidly spinning up new technology, explained Steven Bay, cyber fusion center and security operations practice lead at Kudelski Security, a provider of tailored cybersecurity solutions based in Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland.

"This increased the risk to businesses and likely made them more vulnerable and open to attacks," he told TechNewsWorld.

"Phishing is already the most successful way to breach an organization," he continued. "Layer on top of that the fact that people were more likely to click on a phishing email related to COVID-19, and it's easy to see that hackers viewed it as a prime opportunity to launch attacks and breach organizations."

Double Dipping Extortionists

The Proofpoint report also noted that malware infections from phishing attacks dropped by 17 percent from 2019 and that organizations saying they experienced direct financial losses due to phishing dropped 47 percent year-over-year. It reasoned those results could indicate that organizations have implemented stronger preventive measures against these types of attacks.

Although the report found the number of organizations affected by ransomware attacks remained unchanged, Egan said that there was a change in how ransoms were paid.

"More than 50 percent of organizations that were infected opted to pay to regain access to their data," she continued. "That was a slight increase over 2019, but we saw fewer people getting access to data after a single payment."

"A lot more organizations were delivered follow-up demands for more money and a lot more organizations were willing to pay those follow-up demands," she observed.

She added that 32 percent paid the extra ransom in 2020 compared to two percent in 2019."

"In 2020, ransomware amounts skyrocketed," said Fleming Shi, CTO of Barracuda Networks, a security and storage solutions provider based in Campbell, Calif.

"Some criminal groups aren't using fixed amounts anymore," he told TechNewsWorld. "They're fixing the ransom amount based on a percentage of a company's revenue."

Lingering Problem

Why do phishing emails continue to work despite education programs to expose them and technologies to block them?

"Because we are all human," observed Saryu Nayyar, CEO of Gurucul, a threat intelligence company in El Segundo, Calif.

"While most anti-spam and anti-phishing filters do a great job at catching the most common hooks, the ones that do make it through tend to be topical and clever, which makes them more likely to catch their intended victim," she told TechNewsWorld.

In addition, phishers continue to evolve their craft. "Organizations sending phishing emails are more structured," explained Adrien Gendre, chief solutions architect at Vade Secure, a provider of an email filtering service based in Hem, Picardie, France.

"These are global organizations providing tools, platforms and services that can be leveraged and licensed to local organizations," he told TechNewsWorld. "This has increased the quality of the phishing emails significantly."

"They're much more sophisticated in the way they spread phishing emails," he continued. "Before, you might see 100,000 emails and they were all the same. Now we're seeing 100,000 emails and every one is different in some way. They are using tricks to make the content highly dynamic and make the emails unique when compared to each other."

The quality of the Web pages linked to the phishing emails have also improved. "I have a presentation where I show two Microsoft log-in pages," Gendre said. "I ask my audience to vote by a show of hands which page is real and which is malicious."

"Most of the people choose the malicious page," he continued. "The reason they choose the malicious one is because it has a better user experience than the real one."

John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.


AS vaccinations accelerate, governments are shifting attention to the challenge of economic recovery. Yet as we do, in just the last year, weve seen two major proposed investments in Winnipeg stall and languish. COVID-19 wasnt the cause; rather, the blame lies with us.

Opinion

AS vaccinations accelerate, governments are shifting attention to the challenge of economic recovery. Yet as we do, in just the last year, weve seen two major proposed investments in Winnipeg stall and languish. COVID-19 wasnt the cause; rather, the blame lies with us.

Politicians and public agencies arent communicating as well as they could be. While Im confident both projects will still happen, poor co-ordination between governments and public agencies means weve created a year of unnecessary risks and uncertainties when we could have worked at the problem together. It is time to take a different approach.

Residential development projects at Polo Park and Portage Place were each brought to city council in 2020. Both hold promise to transform their respective locations with residential infill housing on transit corridors. These developments represent hundreds of millions worth of construction work at serviced sites to grow Winnipegs tax base.

By contrast, with the premiers focus on attracting private investment, new agri-food factories are now under construction outside the city. But its much easier to deliver big projects in smaller towns and cities. In a major urban area such as Winnipeg, we have more existing infrastructure to work around, more neighbours to consult, and higher expectations for government-business co-operation.

Approvals can get complicated, quickly. Co-operation between governments is essential; investors expect it, as they should.

Poor communication between governments has practical consequences. Sometimes, its a lost opportunity to try a compromise that worked in another city. Sometimes, a co-ordinated response to a business proposal would have been more clear, affordable or effective than separate discussions. Sometimes, a series of deadlines can snowball into delays that lead to project limbo or outright failure.

Why is co-operation so underwhelming? City hall will tell you Broadway doesnt listen well, and the mayor will note that he can connect with the prime minister more easily than with the premier. Broadway believes city hall is too quick to take issues to the media. Ottawa officials complain that Broadway is too quick to shift problems its way.

Maybe we can move past all of that. Im an optimist and, as a card-carrying Conservative, Ive learned from my time at city hall that to deliver for my constituents, I regularly have to sit down with people I dont always agree with to work out solutions. For example, I know from recent conversations that senior industry leaders are exploring growth plans that depend on governments working together to fund a solution that will address capacity limits at the north end sewage treatment plant.

Winnipeg needs private investment for economic recovery. In addition to the Portage Place project, redevelopment of the Bay building is vital to strengthening Winnipegs downtown. The right plan to transform the historic landmark will amplify the millions in private and public investment that have been made over the last decade in an effort to invigorate downtown. Success is crucial.

Moving out of the core, opening Winnipegs portion of CentrePort can provide thousands of acres of industrial property, addressing the looming shortage of employment lands in our city. Remember, people move to communities that provide job opportunities and move away from those that dont. But key CentrePort sites still need basic services to realize the full potential of private investments there, and governments need to collaborate to solve that problem.

So Im proposing the creation of a working group, a "table of nine" to meet regularly  monthly, or even weekly if thats what it takes  with one elected official, one senior staffer and one public servant from each level of government. This would be a good-faith table, where participants roll up their sleeves with a common goal of working out solutions to build Winnipeg.

It would be a clearing house to share information, manage barriers and co-ordinate responses for every major capital investment inside the Perimeter Highway, public or private.

Each level of government can decide who should attend, but its in the public interest that the working group does not include the mayor, the premier or the senior federal regional minister. That way, perhaps, the participants can set some of the politics aside, even if politics will always be lurking in the background.

If we can make co-operation a habit instead of a stroke of unexpected luck, we can secure major projects  and the benefits they bring  more effectively than we can by acting apart. Such co-operation is necessary if we hope to seize the economic-recovery opportunities needed for our community.

If it takes the simple device of a regular meeting to make that happen more quickly, then lets try it now.

Scott Gillingham is the city councillor for St. James and chairman of city councils finance committee.
In 2016, Jack Antonoff stood up, performed a secret handshake and giddily took the Grammys stage beside Taylor Swift, as the pop deity won her second Album of the Year award. The New Jersey artist and producer had co-written and produced a handful of songs on Swifts album, 1989, which was the best-selling record of 2014.

Sunday night, it was deja vu for the pop mastermind raised in New Milford and Woodcliff Lake, as Swift took home her third Album of the Year award at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, this time for the surprise July LP Folklore. Again, Antonoff, 36, co-wrote and co-produced several songs on the best-selling album of 2020. Again, they did their cute handshake before taking the stage  two open-hand slaps, two back-hand slaps finishing with a big hug.

Antonoff has now claimed five Grammys across 15 total nominations. He was also nominated for Producer of the Year Sunday night as he additionally shepherded songs for country-pop trio The Chicks, Australian star Sia, British R&B star FKA Twigs and Canadian songstress Carly Rae Jepsen last year.

Though his most notable production credits lie with Swift, having assisted on her last five albums. The pair first met around 2013, bonding over their love of 80s pop  a heavy influence for Swifts work on 1989 a year later. They both obsessed over the cult-favorite track Only You by U.K. new wave influencers Yaz and became fast friends, Antonoff previously told NJ Advance Media. Much of their songwriting work, more than two-dozen tracks, has taken at Antonoffs home studio in Brooklyn.

Antonoff performed beside Swift Sunday night, strumming the guitar as Swift, 31, performed a trio of tunes from Folklore and its sister LP, Decembers Evermore. Aaron Dessner, the albums other co-producer and songwriter, also performed.

Left to right: Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner, and Taylor Swift pose onstage for the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards broadcast on March 14, 2021. (Photo by TAS Rights Management 2021 via Getty Images)via Getty Images

Antonoff, who also fronts the successful electro-pop band Bleachers and first gained national attention as a member of the indie-rock trio Fun in 2012, notched his last Grammy in 2018 for Best Rock Song, as he co-wrote Masseduction with indie favorite St. Vincent.

Antonoff began his music career as frontman for the New Jersey indie-rock outfit Steel Train, which fizzled out around 2010, just as Fun was gaining steam in alternative circles. The latter group scored smash hits with We Are Young and Some Nights in 2012, leading to Best New Artist and Song of the Year (for We Are Young) at the 2013 Grammys.

Since then, Antonoff has co-wrote and produced for a long list of mostly female mega-stars, including Swift, Lorde, Lana Del Rey, Pink, Sara Bareilles and Troye Sivan.

For all these achievements, Antonoff was named NJ.coms Artist of the Decade in late 2019.

In November 2020, Antonoffs Bleachers teamed up with Bruce Springsteen for a single called Chinatown. Bleachers third album is due out later this year.

Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff attend the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards at Los Angeles Convention Center on March 14, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy )

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier and Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 20:55:31|Editor: huaxia

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LISBON, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The Portuguese government announced on Monday that commercial and private flights between Portugal and Brazil and Britain will remain suspended until March 31.

According to a statement published by the Portuguese Ministry of Internal Administration, restrictive air traffic measures will be maintained due to the COVID-19 pandemic in these countries.

Only flights of a humanitarian nature will be allowed for the repatriation of Portuguese nationals and their families, as well as nationals of third countries with legal residence in Portugal, it said.

Passengers of these flights also have to present a negative PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test upon arrival, which is not older than 72 hours. In addition, they will need 14 days of prophylactic quarantine.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in an increasing number of countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 263 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 81 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 March 12. Enditem
Dubai-based hotel management company Aleph Hospitality has signed management contracts for three Kenyan hotels - Boma Nairobi, Boma Inn Nairobi and Boma Inn Eldoret - fully owned by Red Court Hotel, a subsidiary of Kenya Red Cross Society.

As part of the agreement, Aleph Hospitality has pledged financial support to the Kenya Red Cross, by donating a percentage of fees it earns from the hotels to local charitable initiatives.

Being managed under Red Court Hotels home grown Boma brand until now, Aleph Hospitality will now take over these properties and turn them into profitable assets once again.

Located in the heart of the capital, near to both Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Wilson Airport, Boma Nairobi features 148 rooms and suites, a conference hall, boardroom, two F&B outlets, a gym, spa and swimming pool.

Boma Inn Nairobi is a three-star hotel situated at the Kenya Red Cross complex. Also in close proximity to both of the citys airports, the hotel has 58 rooms, an all-day-dining restaurant and a lounge.

Meanwhile, the Boma Inn Eldoret marks Aleph Hospitalitys first property in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. It is located 15 km from Eldoret International Airport and offers 68 rooms and suites, three F&B outlets, meetings facilities, a gym, spa and swimming pool.

Founder and Managing Director Bani Haddad said: "We are delighted to take over the management of the three Boma hotels in a deal that further strengthens our presence in Kenya."

"We are committed to working with the owners to turn around the fortunes of these wonderful hotels and proud to support local humanitarian projects being run by the owner through the Kenya Red Cross," he noted.

Founder and Chairman of Red Court Hotel and former Secretary General of Kenya Red Cross Dr Abbas Gullet said: "We are thrilled to be working with a professional hotel management company that understands both the global hotel business and our local hospitality market."

"All profits from Boma Nairobi, Boma Inn Nairobi and Boma Inn Eldoret fund the Kenya Red Cross Society and we are confident that together we can re-establish successful hotel businesses that will help support this great cause," he added.

Also in Kenya, Aleph Hospitality operates the Best Western Plus Westlands in Nairobi and has been awarded the management contract for a Protea by Marriott hotel in Kisumu, as well as a business hotel to be located in Mombasa.

Haddad said: "We understand the Kenyan hospitality market exceptionally well and have seen an increase in demand for our management services during Covid-19, as owners in Kenya seek international expertise to help them manage costs, boost revenue and drive profits from their hotels."

"As a third party management company, we are able to do this while also enabling owners to have more visibility into their operations and better flexibility with contractual terms," he noted.

Aleph Hospitality, which has earmarked a pipeline of 50 hotels in the Middle East and Africa by 2025, manages hotels directly for owners, either on a franchise basis for branded properties or as a white label operator for independently-branded hotels.-TradeArabia News Service
TEL AVIV, Israel, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- EyeYon Medical announced today the completion of a $25 million in a Series C funding, led by a global strategic leader in the ophthalmic industry and CR-CP Life Science Fund. Other participants in the round include Global Health Sciences (GHS) Fund (Quark Venture LP and GF Securities), BPC and existing investors Triventures, Rimonci, Pontifax and Diamond BioFund.

EyeYon Medical was founded in 2011 by Dr. Ofer Daphna, CEO Nahum Ferera MD, and Dr. Arie Marcovich, MD., and develops advanced technology to treat acute problems in the ophthalmic world. The latest round brings the total amount of capital raised by the company to $36 million.

The new capital will be used to expand the clinical trials of EyeYon Medical's flagship product, the EndoArt, the world's first synthetic implant which enables doctors to treat chronic corneal edema with a minimally invasive surgery that erodes the use of human tissue. With nearly 13 million patients on the waiting list for corneal transplant, the EndoArt was created in an effort to ease global shortages of corneal donations. Clinical trials, which are already underway in selected medical centers across Europe (IVRC in Heidelberg, Instituto de Microcirugia Ocular (IMO) in Barcelona, and AMC in Amsterdam) and in Israel (Soroka Medical Center, Rambam Health Care Campus, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and Barzilai Medical Center) have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of EyeYon Medical's groundbreaking technology.

Following the new investments, EyeYon Medical will expand its clinical trials with the aim to receive regulatory approval in the USA, China and Europe and leverage the company's extensive professional network and the high demand for the product.

"The overwhelming interest in joining our latest funding round reflects the confidence investors have in our unique and disruptive technology and its tremendous ability to address the clinical challenges and the huge market opportunity in the growing corneal implants market," said Nahum Ferera, Co-Founder and CEO of EyeYon Medical. "Together with our team of clinical and medical device experts, we have developed a novel solution which has already shown groundbreaking results and safety in human trials. The latest investments position EyeYon Medical as a global pioneer in the ophthalmology space and in corneal care."

"These resources will enable us to accelerate the clinical and regulatory phases in our key markets," said Dr. Ofer Daphna, Co-founder and the inventor of the EndoArt. "EndoArt will simplify corneal surgical procedures and can potentially empower any anterior segment surgeon to perform the surgery with a vision to eliminate the worldwide long waiting list for available human donor corneas."

"CR-CP is pleased to support EyeYon Medical on this innovative and meaningful advancement. We are confident that this will benefit underprivileged patients via affordable yet efficient treatment," said Da Liu, Managing Director of CR-CP Life Science Fund.

Richel Liu, CEO of Rimonci, said: "As the earlier stage investor, we continuously feel confident about the company's promising solution. We also believe that leveraging NMPA Innovation channel approval will facilitate the EndoArt clinical penetration in China and make a contribution to eliminate China cornea blindness."

About EyeYon Medical

EyeYon Medical is a start-up company developing a variety of ophthalmic products for vision-threatening conditions. EyeYon Medical's flagship product is an Artificial Endothelial Layer - EndoArt, a synthetic implant, attached to the posterior corneal surface to treat chronic corneal edema secondary to endothelial dysfunction. A nonfunctioning endothelium results in corneal homeostasis loss due to excess fluid flowing into the cornea, resulting in severe vision loss. The minimally invasive EndoArt is designed to replace dysfunctional endothelium to cure corneal Edema, offering a safer and simpler solution that will be available to anyone, anywhere. EyeYon Medical also developed the Hyper CL, an FDA approved unique contact lens that acts as a premium therapeutic contact lens for a variety of corneal conditions which require eye drop treatment. For more information please visit https://eye-yon.com/.

Media contact

Yafit Lazar

Spokesperson

[email protected]

SOURCE EyeYon Medical

Related Links

https://eye-yon.com/


Meeting with Amit Shah not about change of leadership: Karnataka Minister

Cyclone Yaas: Amit Shah to hold review meeting with Chief Ministers of states to be affected

Lakshadweep MP says Amit Shah has assured draft laws won't be finalised without consulting locals

Amit Shahs chopper develops technical snag ahead of Bengal rally

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Kolkata, Mar 15: Union Home Minister, Amit Shah was unable to attend an election rally at Jhargram in West Bengal after his chopper developed a technical snag, the BJP state unit said in a statement.

Shah's rally was scheduled to begin at 11 am. He is scheduled to address another rally in Bankura before he flies off to Assam. "The Union home minister's helicopter developed a technical snag. He would be addressing Jhargram rally virtually," said a statement by the state unit of the BJP.

Bengal Polls: BJP releases candidate list; Babul Supriyo, TMC turncoat Rajib Banerjee in fray

On Sunday, the Home Minister led a road show at Kharagpur in Bengal where the BJP has fielded Bengali actor Hiranmoy Chattopadhyay. Both Jhargram and Bankura fall in the Jangalmahal area of Bengal.

Grammys 2021: Beyonce breaks record for most Grammy wins for a female artist | Oneindia News

Bengal would poll in 8 cases between March 27 and April 29 and votes will be counted on May 2.
Singapore: Myanmar observers fear a full-blown military assault could come within days, after two Chinese-financed factories were burnt on Monday and dozens of protesters killed on the streets.

Protesters returned to the streets on Monday after a bloody Sunday in which the industrial township of Hlaing Thar Yar in western Yangon, the biggest city in Myanmar, was a major target of security forces, with the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) reporting at least 22 killed and 20 wounded there alone.

The junta fired live rounds at protesters as the factories burnt. There has been a rising anti-Chinese sentiment in the country in the past month and a half, although it was unclear who was responsible for the factories destruction.

Thae Nu Naing, sister of Saw Pyae, Naing weeps by his body at their home in Mandalay, Myanmar, on Sunday. Credit:AP

The so-called State Administration Council, the title the junta has given itself, imposed martial law on the outskirts of Yangon, after the Chinese embassy released a statement calling for security to be enhanced and for Chinese employees, who it said were injured, to be protected.
The decimation of the Liberal Party in Western Australia could make Labor leader Anthony Albanese the prime minister in next year's federal election.

The state Liberals were reduced to a humiliating two seats in the WA lower house after a landslide victory for Premier Mark McGowan's Labor at last weekend's state election.

That spells trouble for PM Scott Morrison's Coalition government which holds a group of Perth seats by slender margins.

Political scandals engulfing Attorney-General Christian Porter and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, who both hail from Western Australia, had proven toxic for the Liberal Party.

State Labor's massive victory at the weekend will also deprive the Liberals of vital fundraising ability.

The Liberal Party's woes in Western Australia could make Labor leader Anthony Albanese the next prime minister by 2022

The party no longer has an army of state MPs for campaigning purposes and it can no longer rely on former federal cabinet ministers Julie Bishop and Mathias Cormann as major drawcards at fundraising dinners.

Former Perth federal Liberal MP Mal Washer said his party was at risk of losing federal seats in WA, following electoral annihilation at a state level.

'We're going to have trouble not only manning booths but also getting money to put up a decent fight,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Monday.

A Newspoll published in The Australian showed Labor leading Mr Morrison's government 52 to 48 per cent after preferences.

That represents a national swing against the Coalition of 3.5 per cent compared with the May 2019 election.

Should that be replicated in Western Australia, the Liberal Party would lose the inner-Perth seat of Swan, which Steve Irons holds by just 2.7 per cent.

The swing against federal Liberal candidates is set to be bigger than the national average, considering it already holds 11 of WA's 16 federal seats and is battling ministerial scandals involving rape allegations.

'They're both WA members and it does have an effect,' Dr Washer.

Political scandals engulfing Attorney-General Christian Porter and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds (pictured), who both hail from Western Australia, could also be toxic for the Liberal Party at the next federal election

'Politics is about perceptions and the perception's not good.'

This would endanger the Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt in Hasluck, a traditional bellwether seat in Perth's east on a 5.4 per cent buffer.

Another Liberal seat, Stirling, in Perth's northern suburbs, is on a margin of 5.6 per cent.

A redistribution possibly merging Mr Porter's Perth seat of Pearce with the neighbouring Labor electorate of Cowan could also dramatically slash his 7.5 per cent margin, making him vulnerable should there be a swing bigger than the national average.

Mr Porter could also be particularly vulnerable if he fails to shake the stain of allegations he raped a 16-year-old girl in 1988 when he was 17, which he vehemently denies and has followed through with a defamation suit against the ABC.

Should Labor gain four federal seats in Perth, its numbers in the House of Representatives would swell from 68 to 72.

State Labor's historic landslide election victory at the weekend has also decimated the Liberal Party, leaving it with just two seats and depriving it of vital fundraising potential. Pictured is former WA Opposition Leader Zak Kirkup who lost his seat

Mr Albanese would need to win back the Tasmanian seats of Bass and Braddon, which the ALP lost in 2019, plus the traditional bellwether NSW central coast seat of Robertson for any chance of victory.

Even then, he could need the support of Greens leader Adam Bandt, the member for Melbourne, and left-leaning independent Andrew Wilkie, in the Hobart-based seat of Clark, to form a working minority government.

Dr Washer, who is ideologically moderate, said the Liberal Party needed to preselect federal candidates who weren't hardcore religious conservatives, as happened at a state level.

'We've lost a lot of funding, we've lost a lot of kudos and it's been a blemish on us,' he said.

Mr Albanese said the WA state results were a good omen for the federal Labor Party.

Mr Albanese said the WA state results were a good omen for the federal Labor Party. Pictured is Western Australia's Labor Premier Mark McGowan claiming victory on Saturday night

'This is primarily about Western Australia but it has to be good new for federal Labor as well,' he said.

The federal Labor leader, who until recently had battled bad polls, said the Liberal Party in Western Australia was in a weak campaigning position.

'Certainly their campaign in the state election was disastrous, and it'll be the same people who are running campaigns on the ground during the federal campaign,' he said.

'They can fit people in a Mini.'

The ABC's election analyst Antony Green called the election for Labor with less than one per cent of the ballots counted and just 42 minutes after the count began on Saturday night.
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New Delhi, March 15 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called a virtual meeting of Chief Ministers on March 17, in view of the rising cases of Corona in the country.

The virtual meeting will begin at 11 am on Wednesday. During the meeting, among other topics, effective management of the vaccination programme to tackle Covid-19 will be discussed with the Chief Ministers.

In the past, too, Prime Minister Modi has held meetings with Chief Ministers several times during the Corona period through video conferencing and discussed strategies for the prevention of the global pandemic.

In the meeting to be held on March 17, feedback and suggestions about the ground situation in the respective states will be taken from the Chief Ministers. Based on the suggestions, a strategy will be prepared to stop the resurgence of Coronavirus cases in the country.

On Sunday, 26,386 new cases of Corona were registered. This is the highest incidence of the pandemic in the last 85 days.

At present, the number of active corona cases in the country is 2,19,262, while the total number of corona cases in the country stands at 1,13,85,339.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
[March 15, 2021] Resideo Appoints Kareem Yusuf to Board of Directors

AUSTIN, Texas, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Resideo Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: REZI), a leading global provider of home comfort and security solutions, today announced the appointment of Kareem Yusuf, Ph.D., as a new member of its Board of Directors. Dr. Yusuf will stand for re-election by shareholders at the 2021 annual meeting. Dr. Yusuf brings to the Board of Directors more than 17 years of executive leadership experience at IBM leading organizations across a variety of disciplines, including Product Management, Software Development, Mergers & Acquisitions, Technical Sales and Customer Support. As the current General Manager for AI Applications at IBM, Dr. Yusuf is responsible for a multibillion-dollar P&L focused on providing enterprise applications and industry solutions which harness the power of critical technologies such as AI, IoT, hybrid cloud and blockchain. He has extensive experience in managing and growing market-leading brands and applications, working with thousands of clients from around the globe and regularly consulting with global C-suite and line of business executives to help them amplify and maximize the value of their IBM investments. "I am excited to join the board of a company whose core business and technologies are essential to so many people around the world," said Dr. Yusuf. "I look forward to working with the team to help Resideo further drive its transformation initiatives and expand its presence across its current markets and in new technologies." Dr. Yusuf earned his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Leeds. He is an accomplished speaker, having presented multiple tech conference keynotes and given a TED Talk. "Dr. Yusuf is an accomplished global business and technology leader with vast experience across a variety of cutting-edge disciplines," said Roger Fradin, chairman of the board for Resideo. "His experience will greatly enhance Resideo's drive to build upon the company's rich foundation of technology and spur innovation and new product introduction." About Resideo Resideo is a leading global manufacturer and distributor of technology-driven products and solutions that provide comfort, security, energy efficiency and control to customers worldwide. Building on a 130-year heritage, Resideo has a presence in more than 150 million homes, with 15 million systems installed in homes each year. We continue to serve more than 110,000 professionals through leading distributors, including our ADI Global Distribution business, which exports to more than 100 countries from nearly 200 stocking locations around the world. For more information about Resideo, please visit www.resideo.com.







Contacts:

Investors: Media: Jason Willey Oliver Clark investorrelations@resideo.com oliver.clark@resideo.com

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/resideo-appoints-kareem-yusuf-to-board-of-directors-301247011.html SOURCE Resideo Technologies, Inc.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Six feet of social distancing  a hallmark of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection control throughout the pandemic  may be twice the distance needed for schools to safely reopen, according to new research.

The study, published in the journal, Clinical Infectious Diseases, last week, found, Lower physical distancing policies can be adopted in school settings with masking mandates without negatively impacting student or staff safety.

The topic of fully reopening schools has been viscerally debated amid a troubling increase of student suicides. Mayor Bill de Blasio previously said the issue highlighted the need to bring back school as quickly as possible.

The research compared the frequency of coronavirus cases in 242 Massachusetts school districts that required six feet of social distancing versus those that required only three feet and found no significant statistical difference in infection rates between Sept. 24, 2020 and Jan. 27, 2021.

The researchers compensated for ongoing community rates of coronavirus for the analysis and determined that less-strict social distancing measures could be safely maintained in schools  as long as mask-wearing and other infection control practices are kept in place.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published guidance in February for schools that called for six feet of social distancing; however, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended one meter  about three feet  of distancing would suffice.

The CDC did not issue new guidance in the wake of the study, but Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, said on CNNs State of the Union that the CDC is in the process of accumulating data of its own to issue new guidance.

And when the data shows that there is an ability to be three feet, they will act accordingly, said Fauci, indicating that changes could be occurring soon.

Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, said the CDCs guidance may be changing in light of the new research.

Good, Jha wrote, Because six feet doesnt protect teachers. But it does keep kids out of school.

Want to open schools safely? Masks. Ventilation. Testing. Vaccinating teachers/staff. Thats the list, Dr. Jha tweeted.

Children are less likely to require hospitalization after being infected. The majority of COVID-19 fatalities occur in individuals with underlying conditions, including lung disease, asthma, heart disease, a weakened immune system, obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease and cancer.

Because children are unlikely to develop severe symptoms, and therefore less likely to be tested, the true number of infection rates among people under 18 is difficult to ascertain.

Still, even asymptomatic children  like asymptomatic adults  can spread the virus to others, according to the CDC.
The Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and its subsequent impact on the United States, will be the topic of an event at Delta College.

The Delta Political Forum Committee will host a panel of experts on Thursday, March 25, for the free event, Recognizing Enemies Among Us and Combatting the Threat of Homegrown Violent Extremism. The event will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Zoom. Registration is required.
Australia will ask the World Trade Organisation to decide if China broke free trade rules over tariffs that wiped out Australias barley trade with the Asian nation, after negotiations between officials from both countries broke down.

Trade Minister Dan Tehan announced the next step in the WTO action, which comes after Beijing has slapped more than $20 billion in trade strikes on Australia over the past year.

Trade Minister Dan Tehan said Australia was taking the next step in its ATO action against China. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Tehan said Australia would request the WTO establish a dispute settlement panel to investigate the matter after consultations between the two countries had failed to yield a result.

While there was constructive engagement on both sides, these consultations did not resolve our concerns, Mr Tehan said.
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LETTER: Both sides need to do what is right for our country and our people
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 21:06:29|Editor: huaxia

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BEIRUT, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon signed on Monday an agreement with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, aimed at supporting small farmers to ensure their resilience amid the current economic crisis, the National News Agency reported.

"The agreement aims at launching a project that would support the production of organic fertilizers, high quality and environmentally sound forage crops to replace chemical fertilizers and imported animal feed," Lebanese Agriculture Minister Abbas Mortada said during his meeting with the FAO Representative in Lebanon Maurice Saade.

Mortada noted that the current tough economic situation necessitates continuous work to support farmers and productive sectors.

Meanwhile, Saade said that FAO is keen to stand by Lebanon's Agriculture Ministry and all parties that provide support for Lebanese farmers. Enditem
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Today

Cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 81F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

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A few showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
Press Secretary of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Yulia Mendel is launching her own show on the state TV channel Dim, which is broadcast on the temporarily uncontrolled territory of ORDLO, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

"We are not tired of talking with you. And especially with the Ukrainians who found themselves behind the contact line in Donbas and Crimea. Today, at 19:30 for subscribers of the TV channel Dim on YouTube, there is a pilot episode about disinformation and social services for Ukrainians on both sides contact line. Take into account  I am answering questions! Search today on YouTube channel Dim," Mendel said on Facebook on Monday.

As reported, the state TV channel Dim on March 1, 2021, significantly expanded its broadcasting by going on the ASTRA-4A satellite and including ten new transmitters. Now analog and digital signals to the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea and part of Donbas are given through 18 transmitters.
CAIRO - Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the premier of the transitional Libyan government entrusted with leading Libya until elections scheduled in December, has been sworn in in front of Parliament in Tobruk. The premier and his ministers were sworn in during a ceremony streamed by a Libyan television network.

"I swear by Allah the Almighty to abide by my duties with honesty and devotion, to remain faithful to the objectives of the Revolution of February 17, to respect the Constitutional declaration, to fully take care of the interests of the people and to preserve Libyas independence, its security and territorial integrity", said Dbeibah, two deputy premiers and 26 ministers.

The swearing in ceremony was followed by a speech given by Parliament speaker, Aqila Saleh, who urged to end divisions and open a new page.

Afterwards, as shown by images broadcast by television Libya al-Hadath, the head of the new presidential council, Mohammad Younes Menfi, gave a speech.
Oakland, Lunenburg Co, Nova Scotia, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) has signed a stewardship agreement with the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg (MODL) to protect 10 acres of wetland and upland habitat near Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. The property is in the community of Oakland and contains a cattail marsh with a treed edge, and a large open meadow. The wetland, known locally as Sweet Marsh, was purchased by MODL in the fall of 2020 along with a nearby beach.

DUC was consulted by MODL last year about how best to manage and care for their newly acquired wetland property.

What impressed me most about working with the Municipality was their excitement and willingness to conserve this wetland in its natural state, to be protected in perpetuity for locals and visitors alike, says Emma Bocking, conservation programs specialist with DUC.

Were very pleased to have this opportunity to work with Ducks Unlimited Canada to protect the Sweet Marsh. This will allow us to preserve valuable ecosystems and improves resiliency in the face of climate change, said Mayor Carolyn Bolivar-Getson.

The marsh and treed riparian edge offer good habitat for ducks and other birds like American bitterns and red-winged blackbirds. Sweet Marsh is publicly accessible and provides opportunities for recreation, such as bird-watching and hiking.

Like all wetlands, Sweet Marsh provides a suite of other ecosystem services to the watershed including water filtration, sediment retention, water cooling and flood control. Healthy, functioning wetlands are particularly valuable in settled areas because they can store water during times of flooding and release water during dry summer months.

We are starting to see more and more municipalities accounting for wetlands and other natural areas as assetsnatural assetswhen planning for climate change and community resiliency. It is encouraging to see these systems valued for the whole range of functions and services they can provide to communities and be protected for future generations, says Bocking.

Funding to support this project was provided by Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forestry through the Southwest Nova Scotia Priority Place Fund (Canada Nature Fund).

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is the leader in wetland conservation. A registered charity, DUC partners with government, industry, non-profit organizations and landowners to conserve wetlands that are critical to waterfowl, wildlife and the environment.

Attachment
Berlin: With German Chancellor Angela Merkel due to step aside after the coming general election, her Christian Democratic Union has slumped to its worst results ever in two regional ballots, as voters vented their frustration over the governments handling of the pandemic and the slow pace of vaccinations.

Results released on Monday (AEDT)showed the Greens were the big winners of the Sunday election, solidifying their decade-long hold on power in Baden-Wuerttemberg with a third straight victory in the western state. They also performed solidly in neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate, where they govern with the Social Democrats - who remained the strongest party - and the liberal Free Democrats.

German chancellor Angela Merkel, left, and her successor as chairman of the German Christian Democratic Union, CDU, Armin Laschet, right, point during a meeting in Duesseldorf, last year. Two regional elections point in the wrong direction for their party. Credit:AP

The two elections, held under strict hygiene and distancing rules, gave voters a first opportunity to express their discontent at the ballot box over missteps in Merkels pandemic strategy. And the results suggest that the CDUs new leader, Armin Laschet, has a major problem: although theyre still the strongest force nationally, support for Merkels bloc is dwindling and the Greens have the wind at their backs.

An alliance between the conservatives and the Greens remains the most likely outcome of Septembers vote. But Sundays results raise the prospect of an alternative outcome.
Periodontist, Dr. Keith Chertok, Offers Oraqix to Aid Gum Disease Treatment We offer quick and efficient treatments so appointment times are short, and minimally invasive treatments so patients can leave our office and quickly return their mouth to an even more comfortable state.

Periodontist, Dr. Keith Chertok, helps those with a fear of needles receive life-changing oral health and gum disease care in Berkeley, CA with Oraqix, a needle-free anesthetic. Made of gel, Oraqix is administered topically with a blunt-tipped applicator below the gum line. This non-invasive anesthetic helps Dr. Chertok provide leading periodontal care to those who suffer from a fear of needles or dental anxiety in Berkeley, CA.

A needle-free alternative to traditional anesthetics, Oraqix can provide numbing within 30 seconds. Dr. Chertok uses it to selectively numb only the specific areas that he will treat. The numbing sensation lasts about 20 minutes, so patients typically have feeling restored in their mouth by the time their appointment is complete. Oraqix can be used for scaling and root planing, periodontal maintenance, and other gum disease treatment and prevention methods. By using Oraqix, Dr. Chertok allows patients to ease discomfort and anxiety, and find relaxation while receiving necessary and often life-saving care.

Dr. Chertok is a highly skilled periodontist with over 30 years of experience serving Berkeley, CA. As a periodontist, he specializes in treating the soft tissues of the mouth and providing dental implants. Dr. Chertok always stays current with industry-leading technology and offers this advanced care at his state-of-the-art practice. In addition to providing the revolutionary Oraqix anesthetic, Dr. Chertok offers advanced treatments such as LANAP laser gum disease therapy and the Pinhole Surgical Technique (PST).

LANAP is a revolutionary, FDA-approved laser dentistry procedure that kills bacteria underneath the gum line and removes unhealthy gum tissue while regenerating heathy tissue. This minimally invasive treatment is quick and efficient, and allows for a fast recovery time. When paired with Oraqix, patients experience little to no pain in their gums, while effectively and efficiently eradicating gum disease.

My goal is to treat patients with as little interruption to their daily lives as possible. We offer quick and efficient treatments so appointment times are short, and minimally invasive treatments so patients can leave our office and quickly return their mouth to an even more comfortable state, said Dr. Chertok.

Those who suffer from gum disease and dental anxiety in Berkeley, CA are encouraged to connect with compassionate and experienced periodontist, Dr. Chertok for a consultation. To schedule an appointment and receive comfortable, life-changing care with Oraqix, call 510-548-0150.

About the Periodontist

Dr. Keith Chertok offers specialized periodontal care and dental implants to the Berkeley, CA area and beyond. For the last 30 years, hes offered minimally invasive techniques always implementing the most cutting-edge technology. He started his career graduating in the top five percent of his class from the New York University College of Dentistry before completing his specialty training in Periodontics and Implantology through University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). A leader in periodontics, he has taught at UCSF, the Dugoni School of Dentistry, and lectures across the country. For ten years he was also the attending periodontist in charge of periodontal education for new dental residents at the Veterans Hospital Healthcare System of Northern California at Mare Island. Among numerous other services, he offers single to full mouth dental implant transformations, revolutionary LANAP laser gum disease treatment, and minimally invasive gum recession solutions. To learn more about Dr. Chertok or the services he and his specialized team offers, visit their website at http://www.berkeleyperiodontist.com or call 510-548-0150 to schedule a personalized consultation.
(Bloomberg)  Tsingshan Holding Group Co. made numerous bold moves on its path to becoming the worlds largest nickel producer, but its new plan to supply carmakers with cheap, clean metal could be its biggest breakthrough yet.

The Chinese company shocked the nickel market twice this month by targeting two significant challenges for makers of electric vehicles and their batteries: first, getting enough nickel, and second, ensuring its delivered in a climate-friendly way.

Tesla Inc.s Elon Musk has said nickel is the metal that concerns him most as he looks to scale up battery-cell production, and last year he promised a giant contract for miners to encourage production. Without new sources of supply, the robust EV industry could face a critical shortage within a few years.

You have, essentially, a market that will grow exponentially in size, but you dont want to inhibit growth by running short of feed, said Michael Widmer, head of metals research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. What were seeing in nickel is Tsingshan trying to resolve those issues.

Teaming up with Tsingshan would appear to be an obvious choice for Tesla and rivals, but they arent just looking for cheap, abundant nickel  they want it to be green, too. Nickel is a dirty industry, and Tsingshans rise was driven largely by its development of a low-cost production process thats also extremely carbon-intensive.

Major emissions

Its vow to be greener dramatically demonstrates how the fight against climate change is forcing producers with poor environmental records to find new solutions for more discerning customers. Tsingshans financial might and history of innovation suggest that, within a few years, it may emerge as a top supplier of green nickel.

Tsingshan vigorously upholds and promotes energy conservation, emission reduction, and a low-carbon-footprint environment, the company said in a statement. Clean energy produced will be used mainly to power the production of raw materials required for the batteries used in electric vehicles.

Tsingshan also benefits from solid government support in Indonesia after helping transform the archipelago into a heartland of nickel and stainless-steel production. Now, officials there are courting investments from Tesla and other key players in the battery industry to make sure it plays a similarly critical role in the EV revolution.

The question is whether Tsingshans pivot will be sufficiently green to both unlock the investment and solve Teslas looming supply shortage. Tesla didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

Tsingshans announcements this month lengthen a list of commercial and technological breakthroughs that upended metals markets. The closely held company is owned by a husband-and-wife team, Xiang Guangda and He Xiuqin, and got its big break in the late 1980s with a business making frames for car doors and windows in Chinas eastern city of Wenzhou.

Tsingshan is credited with pioneering the large-scale use of nickel pig iron, a semi-refined product and low-cost alternative to the pure metal, to make stainless steel.

Its also benefited from a decision to invest in Indonesia during the 2000s. At the time, the nations nickel reserves were unproven, making it a risky move. Now, Indonesia is the largest producer, and Tsingshan runs nickel pig-iron plants and a stainless-steel complex in Sulawesi.

In recent years, its been building plants that use acid to make nickel chemicals for batteries, but progress on that path has been slower than planned.

Tsingshan jolted the market earlier this month by saying it planned to make the battery-grade metal using an alternative process, refining it up from materials previously reserved only for stainless steel. Prices subsequently suffered their biggest two-day slump in a decade as investors factored in the additional supply, but there also were immediate concerns about the environmental impact of the process, which relies on vast amounts of coal-fired power.

There are really big questions about how this process fits into global battery supply chains, Oliver Nugent, an analyst at Citigroup Inc., said by phone from London. Will ex-China automakers be willing to purchase this type of material?

To be sure, its likely to take a few years to build the solar and wind farms, and Tsingshan hasnt said when the hydropower plant will come online. So, for now, its method remains a quick-but-dirty solution that buyers like Musk might balk at, and Tsingshan plans to sell the product in China, home to hundreds of EV makers.

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., Chinas top battery maker, declined to comment.

On their own, the solar and wind projects would be far from enough to cover for emissions created by production, though a step in the right direction, said Sasja Beslik, the head of sustainable business development at Bank J. Safra Sarasin in Zurich. The hydropower project will be both more expensive, and environmentally and socially more challenging.

Weaning itself off coal and switching to more technically complex production also may raise overheads for Tsingshan, hurting its competitive edge. In addition, there are upfront costs to consider.

The average costs for new renewable-energy capacity in Indonesia suggest that the price tag for of building the wind and solar plant alone could be $2.9 billion, assuming an even split in capacity, according to BloombergNEF.

This is not an extremely low-cost source of new supply, which is where you would fear a flood of the market, Daniel Hynes, senior commodity strategist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group, said by phone. It might now be available to meet the demand, but at what cost?

Xiang is notorious for battering down costs, though. Nickel pig iron offered a radically cheaper option for making stainless steel, albeit with an immense carbon output.

Producing 1 ton of nickel in nickel pig iron would create about 45 tons of carbon-dioxide emissions, according to an analysis by Citigroup. By comparison, steel requires an average of about 2 tons of carbon dioxide per ton of metal, while aluminum requires about 20 tons when coal is used.

Investing in a 2 gigawatt solar-and-wind farm and a 5 gigawatt hydropower plant could help Tsingshan significantly dent its carbon footprint. Together, theyd likely meet most of the power needs for the industrial complex underway in the Morowali region, said Colin Hamilton, managing director for commodities research at BMO Capital Markets.

Those efforts could prove critical for the EV supply chain. The energy transition comes amid a raft of zero-emissions pledges by nations and carbon-neutral commitments by automakers such as Volkswagen AG and BMW AG. Sales of passenger EVs surged 43% last year, and BNEF forecasts a record 4.4 million units being sold this year.

Fresh supplies of battery-grade nickel have ground to a halt in recent years as miners face a litany of commercial and technical setbacks. The only place where supply is growing meaningfully is Indonesia.

Figures from International Nickel Study Group put last years production at about 2.4 million tons. During the next decade, miners need to boost annual production by 1 million tons to meet demand from battery-makers, said Jim Lennon, a senior commodities consultant at Macquarie Securities in London.

I cant find 100,000 tons worth of projects that are seriously going to get off the ground outside of Indonesia, he said. So if its not Indonesia, its nowhere.

Contact editor Yang Ge (geyang@caixin.com)

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Elon Musk has added another job title to his portfolio. As if being CEO of multiple companies wasnt enough, hes now Technoking of Tesla for some reason. Meanwhile, the companys CFO, Zach Kirkhorn, has a new position thats right out of Game of Thrones : Master of Coin.

Tesla announced the changes in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, as spotted by The Verge. Theyll still be CEO and CFO of Tesla, albeit with nonsense job titles.
The "systematic" and "competent" research of the Brancusi archive at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris revealed that there is no written document and no statement attesting to the artist's desire or intention to donate his workshop to the Romanian state, the Romanian Academy informed on Monday, according to AGERPRES.

"Constantin Brancusi's birthday, February 19, has become a national day, a good occasion to pay homage to the Romanian sculptor, recognized worldwide as a pioneer of new paths in modern art. It is our duty to draw attention when, on such occasions, but not only, the public space is invaded by statements that seriously falsify Brancusi's biography and mislead the public opinion, one of which is the statement according to which Brancusi wished to donate to the Romanian state his workshop with all its content, which donation was supposedly rejected by the Romanian Academy," reads a note of Arts, Architecture and Audiovisual Section of the Academy.

According to the same source, the minutes of the meeting of the Section of Language, Literature and Art of the Romanian Academy of March 7, 1951, invoked by those who claim, "without any documentary basis," the existence of a donation offer, records, in fact, the development of a regular meeting, which begins with the presentation of the activity report for the previous month and continues with a discussion about the work of Paciurea and Brancusi, seen in the distinction that was made in the era between realism and formalism.

The "systematic" and "competent" research of the Brancusi archive at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris revealed, according to the Romanian Academy, that "there is no written document and no statement attesting to Brancusi's desire or intention to donate his workshop to the Romanian state."
Labor expressed disbelief that Mr Morrison had not known of Ms Higgins rape allegation sooner than February 15, when the claim was revealed in the media. Labor also rebuked Mr Morrison for not reading the statement of a woman who accused Attorney-General Christian Porter of raping her in 1988, a claim he strongly denies. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Mr Morrison countered by citing public reports about sexual harassment and assault within Labor ranks, saying people in Parliament were living in glass houses and should not throw stones. Mr Albanese urged women among Labors ranks of staffers to come forward with their stories after news.com.au reported advisers were sharing anonymous allegations of sexual harassment and abuse in a private Facebook group. Labors national executive adopted a new policy two weeks ago for how party members should report and respond to allegations of harassment, bullying and assault.

Loading Its hard to look into anonymous suggestions. That is the truth. If people have ideas about doing that, I would be certainly open to hearing them, Mr Albanese said. But he wouldnt say whether he would require any MPs to step aside. I am not aware of any claims that have been put forward against any members of the caucus, he said. Senior Labor MP Tony Burke said if there were serious claims made against frontbenchers, they should step aside. Shadow minister Catherine King said where allegations were substantiated, there should be serious consequences for MPs involved. First-term Labor MP Anika Wells said her party had to be unafraid to examine ourselves.

Ill be the first person to pick up the phone to police if that means cleaning up this building and that is, I see, part of my legacy and duty to all the women that got me here and all the women who want to still come. Alicia Payne and Kate Thwaites, both former staffers who are now Labor MPs, said there had to be better structures to support staff with real consequences for bad behaviour, such as the sanctions being considered in Victoria that include potential expulsion from Parliament. Labor MPs Anika Wells, Kate Thwaites and Alicia Payne returned to Parliament from maternity leave and paid homage to a photo from 1943 of Dorothy Tangey and Dame Enid Lyons entering the front door of Old Parliament House. Credit:National Film and Sound Archive, Alex Ellinghausen Without consequences, were unlikely to get change because a lot of this is about power so there has to be checks on the power, Ms Thwaites said. While Mr Morrison did not attend Canberras March 4 Justice protest, more than a dozen Coalition MPs did, including frontbenchers Jane Hume, Melissa Price, Zed Seselja and Luke Howarth. About three-quarters of the Labor caucus joined the rally along with many of their staff.

Minister for Women Marise Payne said she and Mr Morrison dont normally attend marches but were very willing to engage on the issues. Both the Prime Minister and I offered the opportunity to meet with the organisers of todays protest on a number of occasions in a number of contexts, and those offers were very politely declined  thats a matter for them, Senator Payne told the ABCs 7.30 program. Liberal Celia Hammond told Parliament ahead of the protest the need for cultural change in society, in politics and in the criminal justice system was clear. Coalition politicians Sarah Henderson, Angie Bell, Jane Hume, Luke Howarth, Michelle Landry, Zed Seselja, Bridget McKenzie, Dr Anne Webster and Gerard Rennick at the Womens March 4 Justice in Canberra. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen We must refuse to accept that just because it has always been this way it should continue that way, she said. Personally, I refuse to accept that an acceptable response to all of this is to suck it up, toughen up, move on.

Loading She urged all sides of politics to listen, to put aside their own biases and engage in a truly genuine non-partisan process, not one that is carried out via a polemical tit-for-tat or the vile anonymous sewer that inhabits vast portions of social media. Liberal colleague Katie Allen, the member for Higgins, said the government had to act on the call for change. To start with, she wants to see more money put towards implementing the Respect@Work recommendations. The warm winds of change for women are now howling through the corridors of power and it is not a moment too soon, she said. Liberal member for Reid Fiona Martin said Australia stood at a critical point in its history.
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Pay as you Gas first 4 stations in Western Cape are already servicing 10.000 clients and more than 40.000 beneficiaries

PayGas plan to deploy 52 more stations in South Africa in the next 2 years, reaching 200.000 customers and creating 300 jobs for local entrepreneurs inside low-income communities

Tapping into a R4.5bn ($300 Million) market for low-income household energy inclusion in SA, and R600 bn ($40 bn) in Africa

On Saturday, 13 March 2021, PayGas opened its first station in Soweto, Gauteng to reach thousands

of beneficiaries previously without access to affordable, clean cooking energy. This is on top of the 4

pay-as-you-gas stations in Western Cape servicing more than 40 000 low-income beneficiaries in

Delft, Nyanga, Philippi and Kayamandi townships, thanks to the dedicated support of Clean Cooking

Alliance, AFROX (Linde Group) and PICK N PAY.

Today, an estimated 21 million individuals1 in South Africa, and 900 million on the African continent

are without access to affordable clean cooking. PayGas mission is to offer affordable access to clean

cooking energy (LPG), through the implementation of safe and locally managed gas dispensing stations

in townships, where consumers can buy only what they can afford, thanks to a proprietary technology

that fractions gas purchases into smaller quantities. This makes the purchase process more flexible and

hence affordable to low-income households in South Africa.

According to research2, a family of four people typically consumes an average of 7 kg of LPG for cooking purposes each month. The average household runs out of a 5 kg cylinder after 2 to 3 weeks. Often, low-income households cannot afford to swap an empty cylinder for a full sealed one - currently priced at R120 (8 $) - before their next income. This forces thousands of individuals across the country to

revert to alternative sources such as paraffin (kerosene), charcoal, wood, or expensive grid electricity3

to fulfill their monthly cooking needs. Gas is by far the cleanest, most sustainable option available as

it pollutes 20% less than kerosene and half as much as coal.4

Launched silently in 2019 and already counting more than 9500 consuming households, PayGas works

thanks to a patented pay-as-you-go software payment platform combined with a cashless refilling

station, connected to a barcode on customers' cylinders. Starting today, PayGas users located in Soweto can purchase an electronic Flash voucher (01for You from PEPKOR) at any spaza shop nearby, go to the Pay-as-you-gas station, and fill their cylinder, totally or partially, for as little as R10 (0.5 USD).

Together with Afrox (Linde Group) and through a micro franchising with Pick n Pay Market Stores

owners, PayGas plans to roll out more than 50 Pay-as-you-gas stations within the next 2 years.

The agreement with Pick n Pay and Afrox (Linde Group) is a major milestone for PayGas deployment

plan, said Philippe Hoeblich, Founder and CEO at PayGas. With their implantation, support, and

logistics, we can now execute the phase 01 of our ambitious plan to roll out more than 50 new PayGas

stations catering for close to 200 000 customers across major townships in South Africa in the next 24

months. I founded PayGas in response to a gaping need for flexible affordable clean cooking energy for

lower-income households in urban areas across South Africa and we cannot wait to execute on our

ambitious plans to cater to households in more cities in the country and across the continent.

We are delighted to have supported PayGas to deploy its first station outside the Western Cape, said

Simba Mudimbu, Senior Manager for Private Sector & Investment with the Clean Cooking Alliance.

The launch of the Soweto station, which is a model for safe, in-community LPG re-filling stations,

demonstrates that the pay-as-you-gas business model can be scaled across South Africa and beyond.

We look forward to continuing to support PayGas to maximize impact through its commitment to

providing affordable access to clean cooking energy.

About PayGas

With its solution Pay-as-you Gas, PayGas is the leading pas-as-you-go gas provider in South Africa. Founded in 2019 by Philippe Hoeblich and a team of international experts in the field, it delivers flexible affordable clean energy to lower-income households across the country. For more information visit paygas.africa.

1 http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0318/P03182017.pdf

2 Investigating the current and future roles of paraffin in South Africa, ENERGY RESEARCH CENTER/ University of Cape Town (2012)

3 http://www.poweroptimal.com/350-increase-decade-expensive-electricity-south-africa-compared-countries/

4 Africa Energy Outlook 2019 (International Energy Agency, IEA)
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by Francis Khoo Thwe

Chinese factories set on fire in Hlaing Tharyar. Protesters accuse China of supporting the military with anti-guerrilla weapons and advisers, and of protecting them from UN criticism. A 15-year-old girl among seriously injured. Since February 1, security forces have killed 126 people and taken 2,150 prisoners. The parallel government's call for a "revolution" and federal democracy.

Yangon (AsiaNews) - Democracy demonstrations continued fearlessly today throughout the nation despite yesterday's bloody toll in which security forces killed at least 39 people, causing several hundred injuries, including serious ones.

Many killings took place in Yangon, in the Hlaing Tharyar district, where some Chinese factories and shopping centres were set on fire. Protesters accuse China of supporting the military with anti-guerrilla weapons and advisers, and of protecting them from UN criticism.

The Chinese embassy immediately asked the "Myanmar authorities to impose effective measures to end all acts of violence". Almost in response to the Chinese appeal, the junta decreed "full martial law" in Hlaing Tharyar and other districts of Yangon, as well as in Mandalay. Despite martial law, thousands of people gathered in Hlaing Tharyar today (see photo 1).

An estimated 18 people died in Yangon; another 30 in nearby towns: Hlaing Tharyar, Thingangyun, Shwepyithar, South Dagon. The pro-democracy militants and the media try to draw up a balance sheet: 4 people killed in Twante; one killed in Hparant. A 15-year-old girl, Zuu Wint Wah, was shot in South Dagon and is now hospitalized in critical condition. Zuu was arrested in early March for participating in the protests and released a week ago.

According to the Association for Aid to Political Prisoners, security forces have killed 126 people and taken 2,150 prisoners since the February 1 coup. Of these, only 300 have been released so far.

The junta justifies the coup because of the alleged fraud in the elections last November in which the National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi's party won 75% of the seats. The Electoral Committee admitted minor irregularities, but not enough to change the voting results.

Two days ago, the interim head of a civilian government parallel to that of the junta, issued a message in asking the population to join in the "revolution" and take power away from the military.

Mahn Win Khaing Than (photo 4) - who lives in hiding, like most members of the National League for Democracy and deposed parliamentarians  posted his message on Facebook.

The Chrp (Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw), the group led by Mahn Win Khaing Than, was formed on February 5 and proposes a federal democracy. The junta declared the CHRP an "illegal and terrorist" group.
Opposition factions of the Armenian parliament, Bright Armenia and Prosperous Armenia, invited the defence and security parliamentary commission on Monday to discuss a draft decree to lift the martial law.

According to the opposition factions, the de jure martial law no longer reflects the real situation in the country and hinders political processes, Sputnik reported.

"We propose cancelling the martial law, introduced on 27 September", Prosperous Armenia lawmaker Arman Abovyan said, presenting the draft document.

Martial law was declared in Armenia on 27 September due to the escalation of the conflict in Karabakh. The parliament kept refusing to cancel it even after the signing of the trilateral statement on the cessation of hostilities. The abolition of martial law would allow the opposition to initiate the dismissal of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
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(diamonds.net) - The new owners of the Ekati mine are planning annual production of 5 million carats by 2022 after the deposit spent the past 10 months on care and maintenance. Arctic Canadian Diamond Company took over the operation in December as former owner Dominion Diamond Mines filed for bankruptcy protection in April 2020. Dominion was unable to meet its repayment obligations for debts that had swollen to CAD 1.2 billion ($820 million) when rough sales froze due to Covid-19. Its 40% stake in the Diavik mine remains part of the Dominion bankruptcy proceedings. Arctic, which is made up of three of Dominions bondholders  DDJ Capital, Brigade Capital and Western Asset Management  assumed $70 million of Dominions debt and injected $85 million of working capital into Ekati. That enabled the mine to resume operations in late January 2021, with the current plan extending operations to 2028, Arctics interim president, Rory Moore, told Rapaport News. The full interview with Moore and an analysis about Arctics plans are presented in the March issue of the Rapaport Research Report.
Sri Panwa owner Pla Wan injured as car hits power pole

PHUKET: Vorasit Pla Wan Issara, 40, the owner of the upscale Sri Panwa resort at Cape Panwa on Phukets east coast was injured when the car he was driving struck a power pole on Sakdidet Rd in Wichit last night (Mar 14).

accidentstransportpolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Monday 15 March 2021, 10:12AM

Capt Chatri Chuwichian of the Wichit Police and rescue workers were called to the scene, in front of Ao Nam Bor School, at about 7pm.

Mr Vorasit was trapped in the drivers seat. Kusoldharm rescue workers were forced to use hydraulic jaws of life equipment, and took about one hour to free him from the wreck

Mr Vorasit was rushed to Bangkok Hospital Phuket in Phuket Town.

The extent of his injuries have not been reported.

Capt Chatri explained that at this stage, police are still investigating the cause of the incident and already had the car taken to Wichit Police Station.

From the initial questioning, Capt Chatri explained that Vorasit was driving up towards Phuket Town when the accident happened.

The accident occurred on a curve, where it is believed that Mr Vorasit lost control of his car, leading to the collision, Capt Chatri said.

Unlike usual procedures in single-vehicle road accidents in Phuket, Capt Chatri made no specific mention of whether or not Mr Vorasit was tested for alcohol or whether CCTV footage from the area would be reviewed to determine whether he was speeding at the time of the accident.
New Delhi, March 15 : Banking services are likely to be affected across the country as lakhs of bank employees went on a two-day strike from Monday protesting the privatisation of two public sector banks and 'retrograde' banking reforms.

About 10 lakh bank employees and officers are to participate in the strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions, an umbrella body of nine associations and groups.

The strike had been called after the conciliation meeting held between the bank unions and the Union Finance Ministry on March 4, 9 and 10 failed. Bank unions have been asking government to reconsider its decision of privatise the government banks, which may also lead to job losses.

In the Union Budget presented last month, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the privatisation of two public sector banks (PSBs) as part of its disinvestment plan.

The government has already privatised IDBI Bank by selling its majority stake in the lender to LIC in 2019 and merged 14 public sector banks in the last four years.

In the early hours of the strike call, banking operations in several branches of public sectors banks seemed completely affected. The services impacted include deposits and withdrawals at branches, loan approvals and cheque clearance. However, several ATMs continue to function normally.

Most of the banks, including the State Bank of India (SBI), have informed their customers that its normal services may be impacted at offices and branches but they were taking steps to ensure smooth functioning of certain other services.

While functioning of PSBs are affected, services at private banks like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and IndusInd Bank remain unaffected by the strike. An HDFC bank official said no major impact of the strike on their operations. Private banks fear that their operations may also be impacted of striking unions push for closure at some of their branches.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
LITTLE ROCK, Ark., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- USAble Life, a leader in the field of ancillary insurance, today announced the appointment of Michelle Harding as senior vice president, general counsel, and human resources organizational development (HROD).

In this role, Michelle will be responsible for directing all legal, compliance, and HROD functions. She will serve as a strategic business partner to senior management, advising on legal matters and recommending HROD strategies that impact business operations. She will also provide strategic guidance and consultation on a broad range of business issues.

Michelle brings to USAble Life more than 25 years of legal, human resources, joint venture, merger and acquisition, and entrepreneurial experience. Most recently, she founded McCrae Blakey Group, a client advisory business for entrepreneurial-minded businesses seeking legal, regulatory, compliance, and government advocacy assistance. Before that, she served as senior vice president and general counsel for XOOM Energy, a retail energy business. Additional prior experience includes significant roles at ACN, Inc., United Technologies Corporation, Jackson Lewis, LLP, and the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.

Michelle received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Hampton University, Hampton, Va.

About USAble Life

Headquartered in Little Rock, Ark., USAble Life provides best-in-class ancillary insurance solutions (dental, life, disability, and supplemental products) that align and integrate with health plan offerings.

Uniquely owned by a joint venture of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, USAble Life employs almost 480 people with additional offices in Jacksonville, Fla. and Honolulu, Hawaii. USAble Life products are licensed to sell in 49 states and the District of Columbia. USAble Life maintains an "A" excellent rating from A.M. Best. For more information, please visit usablelife.com.

SOURCE USAble Life

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Germany, France and Italy said on Monday they would hit pause on AstraZeneca COVID-19 shots after several countries reported possible serious side-effects, throwing Europe's already struggling vaccination campaign into disarray.

Denmark and Norway stopped giving the shot last week after reporting isolated cases of bleeding, blood clots and a low platelet count. Iceland and Bulgaria followed suit and Ireland and the Netherlands announced suspensions on Sunday.

Spain will stop using the vaccine for at least 15 days, Cadena Ser radio reported, citing unnamed sources.

The moves by some of Europe's largest and most populous countries will deepen concerns about the slow rollout of vaccines in the region, which has been plagued by shortages due to problems producing vaccines, including AstraZeneca's.

Germany warned last week it was facing a third wave of infections, Italy is intensifying lockdowns and hospitals in the Paris region are close to being overloaded.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn said that although the risk of blood clots was low, it could not be ruled out.

"This is a professional decision, not a political one," Spahn said adding he was following a recommendation of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, Germany's vaccine regulator.

France said it was suspending the vaccine's use pending an assessment by the EU medicine regulator due on Tuesday. Italy said its halt was a "precautionary and temporary measure" pending the regulator's ruling.

Austria and Spain have stopped using particular batches and prosecutors in the northern Italian region of Piedmont earlier seized 393,600 doses following the death of a man hours after he was vaccinated. It was the second region to do so after Sicily, where two people had died shortly after having their shots.

The World Health Organization appealed to countries not to suspend vaccinations against a disease that has caused more than 2.7 million deaths worldwide. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said systems were in place to protect public health.

"This does not necessarily mean these events are linked to COVID-19 vaccination, but it's routine practice to investigate them, and it shows that the surveillance system works and that effective controls are in place," Tedros said during a virtual media briefing in Geneva.

He said an advisory committee meeting on AstraZeneca would be held on Tuesday.

The United Kingdom said it had no concerns, while Poland said it thought the benefits outweighed any risks.

The EMA has said that as of March 10, a total of 30 cases of blood clotting had been reported among close to 5 million people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca shot in the European Economic Area, which links 30 European countries.

Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton, said the decisions by France, Germany and others looked baffling.

"The data we have suggests that numbers of adverse events related to blood clots are the same (and possibly, in fact lower) in vaccinated groups compared to unvaccinated populations," he said, adding that halting a vaccination programme had consequences.

"This results in delays in protecting people, and the potential for increased vaccine hesitancy, as a result of people who have seen the headlines and understandably become concerned. There are no signs yet of any data that really justify these decisions."

Italian medicine agency Aifa's general director, Nicola Magrini, told a radio station several European countries preferred to suspend the vaccine "in the presence of some very recent and very few cases of adverse events" in women and young people.

"...Those who have already had the vaccine can and must remain safe," she said. "I feel like saying the vaccine is safe, even having reviewed all the data."

"Unusual" symptoms

AstraZeneca's shot was among the first and cheapest to be developed and launched at volume since the coronavirus was first identified in central China at the end of 2019 and is set to be the mainstay of vaccination programmes in much of the developing world.

Thailand announced plans on Monday to go ahead with the Anglo-Swedish firm's shot after suspending its use on Friday but Indonesia said it would wait for the WHO to report.

The WHO said its advisory panel was reviewing reports related to the shot and would release its findings as soon as possible. But it said it was unlikely to change its recommendations, issued last month, for widespread use, including in countries where the South African variant of the virus may reduce its efficacy.

The EMA has also said there was no indication the events were caused by the vaccination and that the number of reported blood clots was no higher than seen in the general population.

The handful of reported side-effects in Europe have upset vaccination programmes already under pressure over slow rollouts and vaccine scepticism in some countries.

The Netherlands said on Monday it had seen 10 cases of possible noteworthy adverse side-effects from the AstraZeneca vaccine, hours after the government put its vaccination programme on hold following reports of potential side-effects in other countries.

Denmark reported "highly unusual" symptoms in a 60-year-old citizen who died from a blood clot after receiving the vaccine, the same phrase used on Saturday by Norway about three people under the age of 50 it said were being treated in hospital.

"It was an unusual course of illness around the death that made the Danish Medicines Agency react," the agency said in a statement late on Sunday.

One of the three health workers hospitalised in Norway after receiving the AstraZeneca shot had died, health authorities said on Monday, but there was no evidence that the vaccine was the cause.

Following opposition from several European countries, AstraZeneca reiterated that its vaccine is COVID-19 vaccine is safe, as seen in "clear scientific evidence". The pharma major clarified that even though the number of thrombotic events was small in clinical trials, these were lower in the vaccinated group.

"A careful review of all available safety data of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union (EU) and UK with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country," the compansy stated on Monday.

"So far across the EU and UK, there have been 15 events of DVT and 22 events of pulmonary embolism reported among those given the vaccine, based on the number of cases the Company has received as of March 8. This is much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size and is similar across other licensed COVID-19 vaccines," it further added.

AstraZeneca said that the monthly safety report will be made public on the European Medicines Agency website in the following week.

"Around 17 million people in the EU and UK have now received our vaccine, and the number of cases of blood clots reported in this group is lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected among the general population. The nature of the pandemic has led to increased attention in individual cases and we are going beyond the standard practices for safety monitoring of licensed medicines in reporting vaccine events, to ensure public safety," said Ann Taylor, Chief Medical Officer at AstraZeneca.

AstraZeneca said earlier it had conducted a review covering more than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union and the UK which had shown no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.

Long-awaited results from AstraZeneca 30,000-person U.S. vaccine trial are currently being reviewed by independent monitors to determine whether the shot is safe and effective, a top U.S. official said on Monday.

ALSO READ: Danish woman who succumbed to blood clot from AstraZeneca's shot reported 'highly unusual' symptoms

ALSO READ: AstraZeneca to seek US approval for its coronavirus vaccine this month

ALSO READ: COVID-19 vaccine: Netherlands halts use of AstraZeneca jab amid blood clotting concerns

ALSO READ: WHO says no reason to suspend AstraZeneca COVID vaccine amid blood clot reports
While the statewide mask mandate and the restrictions on business capacities ended Wednesday, the majority of Laredoans have continued using face masks while out in public, and many businesses have maintained limit capacities and mask requirements.

With the exception of few around the city, almost everyone was wearing a face mask Wednesday as they shopped at Mall Del Norte, the Outlet Shoppes at Laredo, around downtown and in other locations.

We have to keep protecting ourselves because nobody else will, Sandra Cervantes said. I dont plan on letting go of the mask until we are all vaccinated and the government officially says that this is over. The contingency is still not over. What is over is the desperation of many businesses to reopen.

Among various pepole asked, only one man outside the mall said he will begin relaxing on his mask wearing depending on the location and the size of the crowd.

I plan to wear my face mask less not because I dont care about others but rather because we must be conscious of the places we go to and also be able to normalize again if there are not enough people in a space to require this, Eduardo Vela said. Going for walks without the masks and taking longer breathes while doing several normal activities where there are not many people is something I will certainly continue doing.

Many restaurants around the city are continuing to require mask usage.

One of the only parts around the city in which less people were seen wearing a mask was downtown, especially among the homeless population near Bethany House as they waited outside and talked amongst themselves. One individual said the reason why many of them were not wearing masks is not because of the heat.

Im not wearing it because it is too hot and one cannot breathe, Santiago Leija said. If the virus cannot make you breathe, I bet the heat does the same thing. However, I do wear if I go buy a soda or into the shelter because they still tell us to do so.

According to Leija, most people on the streets continue using the face masks. Even though he has yet not known somebody infected with the virus, he is cautious because there are more people out than usual during the warmer months.

Along with impacting masks usage and business capacity, Wednesday also was an opportunity for bars and night clubs, some that have been closed since the pandemic began, to resume operation. One place opening back up this week was the House of Whiskey in downtown Laredo.

Im currently discussing with my security team the occupancy issue, and right now we do feel inclined towards having some sort of occupancy limit that can change depending on how we see our customers respond, owner Salvador E. Cortes said.

As for face masks, Cortes said he will mandate for his staff to continue wearing them for the safety of the customers and themselves, but he will not make them mandatory for patrons.

I will for the time being enforce a face covering for my employees but not the public, Cortes said. We will encourage the use until our health experts say otherwise.

Those asked who said they will begin going out to local bars and nightclubs also said they will still wear their face masks as much as possible when they go out.

Certainly, social distance will no longer be possible at clubs, Esmeralda Serna said. However, one can still protect oneself by simply wearing a face mask or something similar as there is no need to be exposed completely to the virus, and we also have children and parents back home who need for us to take care of ourselves.

Cortes said he hopes his customers continue to practice safety standards as much as possible. He also said the reopening of his business does not guarantee they wont close again as he plans to continue following recommendations from the city and state.

Should cases jump, especially back to what they were in January, we would follow any procedures our state and local governments enforce upon us, Cortes said.

According to Cortes, COVID-19 has affected his business immensely as it has for the entire industry.

Many of us are no longer open, some of us are barely holding on, and some might not be able to recover, Cortes said. I for one will do all that I can to keep my business going within the safest possible way. As Governor (Greg) Abbott said, COVID didnt just disappear. We need to learn to live with it but be safe about it.

It is due to this that people like Cervantes plan to keep using a mask. She said she will wear one until towards the end of the year or even beyond.

I didnt even get a cold last year, Cervantes said. I think that the face mask had a lot to do with that as every year I do, and I plan to use it for the future to come as I am not getting COVID either.

jorge.vela@lmtonline.com
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Eskom plans to shed more than 4,000 jobs by 2030, but given the precarious state of the power utility, is that going to be enough? It has opted for the passive route of natural attrition, retirements and voluntary severance packages, rather than retrenchments.

Deputy president, David Mabuza

10-year plan

Net attrition

Our understanding is that Eskoms headcount reduction, as well as the cost reduction strategy that the utility started implementing in 2016, are amongst efforts aimed at improving the utilitys financial sustainability. It is envisaged that this would increase efficiencies in capital and operational expenditure, including employee benefits," Deputy president, David Mabuza said in response to question in the National Council of Provinces.He said that the restructuring process of Eskom into an efficient and financially sustainable entity, means that its turnaround and organisational transformation must be focused on achieving significant cost reductions and savings, while improving overall efficiencies across key cost drivers, such as expenditures on coal contracts and compensation of employees.The deputy president said Eskoms headcount reduction is part of the power utilitys 10-year Strategic Workforce Plan, which seeks to analyse and forecast the workforce that is required to execute the business strategy by enabling Eskom to identify, develop and sustain its workforce in support of its organisational objectives.However, since this headcount reduction does not include retrenchments, most liekly to appease the unions, and relies solely on natural attrition, retirements, limited replacement of attrition and voluntary separation packages, it will take nine years.Essentially, Eskoms workforce will reduce from 44,929 to 40,691 by 2030.This is informed by a range of factors within business categories but most importantly, it prioritises replacement of critical skills, that is, engineers, artisans, technical officials, technicians and operators, through learner intake to offset the impact of attrition.The bulk of the reduction will still be achieved through attrition with 11% from voluntary separation packages. Simply put, Eskoms historical attrition is projected to remain the same over the next three years, taking into account replacement of critical skills in operations," Mabuza said.EFF MP from Limpopo Tirhani Mathevula asked the deputy president in his capacity as the chairperson of the Eskom Task Team, he was informed of the recent revelations by the Eskom CEO that over the past year alone, they have reduced the Eskom workforce by about 2,000 and that a further 6,000 employees would still need to be released?Mabuza said Eskom has provided government with an overview of net attrition since the 2019 financial year, factoring in voluntary service packages, appointments for the year 2021, and projections up to year 2024 with a total of 6,074 employees to be released through voluntary severance packages and attrition.That being said, government advocates for Eskoms headcount review to be in a manner that balances and matches business delivery outcomes, core skills and improved organisational performance.As government we will ensure that Eskom continues to invest in critical skills, as well as a long term pipeline of engineering and technical expertise.Supporting Eskom is essential towards ensuring security of energy for our country. With energy security we will restore economic growth, increase employment, and improve the quality of life for all. Therefore, let us continue to work in unison towards these aspirations," Mabuza replied.
CARGOTEC CORPORATION, PRESS RELEASE, 15 MARCH 2021 AT 10 AM (EET)





Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has concluded a large order from YILPORT Holding Inc. for a total of 27 new Kalmar machines: 11 reachstackers, four empty container handlers and 12 heavy terminal tractors. The order was booked in Cargotec's 2021 Q1 order intake with delivery of all machines scheduled for Q3 and Q4 of 2021.



YILPORT Holding Inc. was established in August 2011 as a subsidiary to consolidate the port and container terminal operations of the YILDIRIM Group. Today, YILPORT Holding operates 22 marine ports and terminals globally: five in Turkey, seven in Portugal, two in Spain, two in Sweden and one each in Norway, Malta, Italy, Peru, Ecuador and Guatemala. In addition, YILPORT operates five dry terminals in Turkey and one in Sweden.



The Port of Oslo will receive three Kalmar Eco reachstackers and two Kalmar reachstackers for empty container handling. Leixoes Container Terminal in Portugal will receive two Kalmar Eco reachstackers, while Yilport Huelva in Spain will receive one Kalmar Eco reachstacker and four Kalmar heavy terminal tractors and Yilport Gebze in Turkey will receive one Kalmar Eco reachstacker and two Kalmar empty container handlers. Puerto Bolivar in Ecuador will take delivery of two Kalmar reachstackers and two Kalmar empty container handlers. Finally, Gavle Container Terminal in Sweden will receive eight Kalmar heavy terminal tractors.



The Port of Oslo and Gavle Container Terminal have a Kalmar Optimal Care service agreement in place which will cover all the new equipment. Yilport Huelva and Leixoes Container Terminal are supported by Kalmar's on-call services while Gebze and Puerto Bolivar will be serviced and supported by Kalmar's local dealers.



Raymond Hohle, CTO, Yilport: "Our collaboration with Kalmar has been extremely beneficial for our business operations at all our terminals. Not only have they provided excellent support to help identify exactly the right equipment solutions for our needs, but they are able to back these solutions up with high-quality local after-sales support at all our locations to help keep our fleet running efficiently and reliably."



Jurgen Wurzer, Director, Key Account Industry, Kalmar: "We are delighted that Yilport has once again chosen to refresh their equipment fleet with a variety of reliable, proven Kalmar solutions. With our holistic and flexible offering we can address all of Yilport's requirements and respond quickly to meet their changing needs."





Further information for the press:

Jurgen Wurzer, Director, Key Account Industry, Kalmar, tel. +43 46 37 17 88 11, jueregn.wurzer@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.com

Kalmar is part of Cargotec. Cargotec's

Attachments
This year Rotary International is celebrating 100 years in Africa. The Zone 22 Rotary Africa Centennial International Conference will take place virtually on 24 and 25 April. Running parallel to this year's conference, from the 23-25 April, is the African House of Friendship Virtual Projects Fair where organisations are invited to showcase their CSI initiatives to potential donors and funders.

Why CSI isn't where corporates should be skimping when it comes to budget cuts When asked what the reality on the ground is for NPOs after a year of Covid-19 and lockdowns of all levels, CSI group manager for Momentum Metropolitan...

The exhibition plans to unpack the latest trends, challenges and innovations in the local and international socio-economic, impact investing and volunteering space.In commemorating 100 years in Africa, we celebrate a global network of passionate and dedicated problem-solvers who take action to create lasting change. Rotary International invites innovative companies, those with ground-breaking products, and individuals whose services and solutions have the potential to move the continent forward, to join our virtual exhibition in April, says district governor Annemarie Mostert, chairperson of the 2021 African Centennial Celebrations.Bookings to secure exhibition space at the Rotary International Virtual House of Friendship are now open via Webtickets Speakers at the conference include Kenyan designer and eco-innovator Anyango Mpinga who has taken inspiration from her culture and childhood in Nairobi and whose circular fashion now features at leading fashion weeks across the globe, including Tokyo and Paris; Dr Tunji Funsho, chair of Rotarys Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee who was last year named as one of100 Most Influential People in honour of his work toward eradicating polio in Africa; and Anne Githuku-Shongwe, the representative for UN Womens South Africa Multi-Country Office (SAMCO) which is responsible for womens empowerment and gender equality in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia and South Africa.
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RALEIGH, N.C.  When Ann Camden learned last month that her 17-year-old daughter got exposed to the coronavirus at school and was being sent home, she packed her belongings, jumped in the car and made the two-hour drive to the coast to stay with her recently vaccinated parents.

The 50-year-old mother had been diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer and could not afford to become infected. She also was not yet eligible under North Carolinas rules to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. So she left her twin daughters with her husband and fled for safety.

Across the United States, millions of medically vulnerable people who initially were cited as a top vaccination priority group got slowly bumped down the list as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention modified its guidelines to favor the elderly, regardless of their physical condition, and workers in a wide range of job sectors.

North Carolina is one of 24 states that currently places people under 65 with underlying medical conditions near the bottom of the pack to receive the vaccine, according to Jen Kates, senior vice president and director of global health and HIV policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation. A report she wrote for the foundation last month listed Pennsylvania as the lone state making vaccines available to the medically vulnerable during its first phase of distribution.

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When North Carolina unveiled its initial guidance in October, it placed people with multiple chronic conditions near the top of the list. In response to December recommendations from the CDC to prioritize people 75 and older, however, it dropped those with chronic conditions to Phase 2. When the guidance changed again to expand eligibility to those 65 and up, medically vulnerable residents learned in January they would be dropped to Phase 4  to be vaccinated after frontline essential workers but before everyone.

When they slid us to group 4, it was very quiet, Camden said. It was like, We dont want to talk about it. Were just gonna kind of tuck you over there. That in itself was kind of insulting.

The states top public health official, Dr. Mandy Cohen, said residents under 65 with chronic conditions were moved down the list after health officials received data showing elderly residents are far more likely to die of COVID-19, though she acknowledged age is not a perfect proxy for risk.

Camden decided not to wait for the state to qualify her. Just two days after she arrived at her parents house, a friend connected her with a CVS pharmacist in Wilmington who had spare doses of the vaccine about to go to waste. Camden received a Moderna shot in the pharmacists dining room on Feb. 21.

Its incumbent on all of us to take it when we can get it, Camden said. I dont want to feel guilty or embarrassed because I was gonna get it whenever I could.

Jon DAngelo, a 32-year-old Carteret County resident who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, didnt qualify for a vaccine since he doesnt live in a long-term care facility. He said he jumped the line, but declined to describe where and how he got the vaccine. After a minute-long pause when asked how he justified his actions, he replied, Justice is more important.

Responding to the frustrations of people like Camden and DAngelo, states are now revising their guidelines again. As of Monday, 28 states had at least partially opened up vaccine eligibility statewide to those with high-risk medical conditions, Kates said. Four additional states are making the vaccine available to medically vulnerable residents living in certain counties.

North Carolina announced this week that it would start vaccinating people 16 years or older with at least one of 18 at-risk conditions on March 17. And last week, the state expanded its eligibility guidelines to include people like DAngelo who receive at-home care. DAngelo is now retroactively eligible under Phase 1, which launched in December.

Im glad they did it, but the fact that it took three months to correct is outrageous, DAngelo said.

On Monday, South Carolina expanded eligibility to disabled and at-risk people, and Michigan did so for medically vulnerable residents 50 and older. California is opening up vaccinations to the disabled and at-risk on March 15.

In Georgia, the governor announced this week that those 16 or older with serious health conditions will be eligible starting March 15. Shana Frentz, a 36-year-old with two autoimmune conditions, said she secured an appointment at a Georgia pharmacy that began signing up people a day before the announcement. Before that, she had explored the possibility of going to a neighboring state. During the months it took before she became eligible in Georgia, she said she and others like her felt kind of tossed aside.

Maura Wozniak, a 42-year-old Charlotte-area resident, has cystic fibrosis and will wait until its her turn to get vaccinated. Wozniak was furious with North Carolinas decision to push her back in line, as it meant a lengthier delay for her kids to get back to the classroom. But after learning on social media that shed soon become eligible, she cried in relief.

They were able to hear the pleas from high-risk individuals in the state, Wozniak said. The fact that they gave us a date was promising. Is everything gonna be perfect? No. But at least theres a certain window now.

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Associated Press writer Anila Yoganathan in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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Follow APs coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.

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Follow Anderson on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BryanRAnderson.

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Anderson is a corps members for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) has found that there are inaccuracies in the data reported in their Monthly Review Verification (MRV) that are uploaded by member publications every month. The report contains details of previous outstanding, current billing, payment receipt as well as current outstanding beyond the credit period of 60 days.

Based on this information, the INS takes action against agencies by issuing a disaccreditation notice against them if they are found to have arrears beyond the permissible limit of 5% of the outstanding amount. However INS has found several inaccuracies explained below.

1) Bills/ Invoices delayed / not sent to the agencies but reported in MRV as outstanding.

2) Payment received, yet shown as outstanding in MRV.

3) The outstanding amount pertains to extra credit period time, as per the mutual agreement between the publication and the agency and are still being reported in the MRV system.

4) Non deposit /filing of GST Return and thus denying the advertising agency the benefit of Input credit.

When disaccreditation notice is issued to agencies it severely impacts the revenue of other publications who are not allowed to accept ads from these agencies, hence INS cautions against wrong reporting of monthly data by member publications that results in the withdrawal of disaccreditation notice as it reflects poorly on the INS.

To avoid such errors in the future, the INS has advised:

1) To send the bills / VTS on time to enable the Agency to raise the bills to their clients for payments. Please note payment becomes due from agency 60 days from their receipt of bill. Not to show the outstanding in MRV until the bills/VTR are supplied to Agency.

2) In case the payments received from the Agency after the due date, then it may be reported under the Late Payment column of the MRVs.

3) In case of any dispute between the Client, Agency and Member Publication, the amount may be reported under the Disputed Bill Amount column until the matter is resolved.

4) If the Publication accepts PDCs from an Agency, it means that the credit period has been extended, therefore such amounts should not be reported under the MRV as outstanding amount.

5) The GST should be deposited and Return filed within the stipulated time period, as otherwise the agency will not be entitled to the Input credit.

d) The outstanding reported should only be that of INS Member Publications. Outstanding dues pertaining to other mediums like TV /Radio / events etc. should not be reported in MRV system.

7) It is also noticed that times the Publishers enter into agreements ( in case of Treaty / Deal with clients) with advertising agencies on discounted rates for specified business and non-fulfilment show this as outstanding amount. They are not able to provide ROs, voucher copies etc for this and thus such activities cannot be part of MRV analysis.
Vaccine passports could be used to accelerate the lifting of limits on social contact, the Government said last night.

Michael Gove is heading a review into Covid-status certification, which could see Britons having to prove they have been vaccinated or received a negative test before going into venues like pubs and theatres.

Last night the Cabinet Office Minister said that while the passports could help reopen the country and return to normal, there may be ethical considerations.

These could make the scheme unviable, such as disadvantaging minority communities, he added.

Michael Gove (right) is heading a review into Covid-status certification, which could see Britons having to prove they have been vaccinated or received a negative test before going into venues like pubs and theatres

Mr Goves review will examine if any restrictions should be placed on any particular organisations using vaccine passports.

This follows concerns that some bosses may make having the jab a condition of employment.

It will also consider if certification could play a role in reducing restrictions on social contact.

The analysis will feed into a separate review into when to lift social distancing requirements, such as the two-metre rule and wearing masks.

It will also look at whether passports could help with the reopening of the economy more quickly and more safely than otherwise.

Last night the Government said it was inviting evidence from organisations and individuals with relevant expertise in certification as well as those it would impact.

Last night the Cabinet Office Minister said that while the passports could help reopen the country and return to normal, there may be ethical considerations (stock image)

This review is an important part of our plan to help reopen the country and return to normal, said Mr Gove.

However, we recognise there are complex issues of ethics, privacy and inclusion. That is why I want to get as many views as possible.

The Government has committed to concluding the assessment ahead of Step Four of the four-stage lockdown easing plan, which will happen no earlier than June 21.

The terms of reference state it will examine the implications of certification for those unable or unwilling to get vaccinated or tested, including the equalities implications; and the impacts on groups disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

The review will also look at technological and non-technological options for showing someone has had the vaccine or a test, as well as what limits, if any, should be placed on which organisations could use certification for which purposes.
Kody Brown admitted that he felt like he was 'being passed around like a rag doll' between his four wives at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic amid fears he would spread the novel virus to his entire family with his visits.

On Sunday's episode of the TLC reality show Sister Wives, Kody and his wives  Christine, Janelle, Meri, and Robyn  had to figure out how they were going to practice social distancing and self-quarantining with their plural family in Flagstaff, Arizona, where they have four separate homes and a combined 18 children.

'I guess right now my biggest worry really is if I would have to be isolated from members of my family long-term,' Kody, 52, told the cameras.

Struggle: Kody Brown and his wives, Robyn, Meri, Christine, and Janelle (L to R), had to figure out how they were going to quarantine in their family on Sunday's episode of Sister Wives

They rule their roosts: Kody, 52, explained that each of his wives has their own home in Flagstaff, Arizona, and are in charge of their own households

'In my mind, part of the healing process when you're sick is that love and nurturing you get from your loved ones. I'm not going to not go care for a wife if she's sick,' he added. 'I don't want to not hug my kids.'

Christine, 48, Janelle, 51, Meri, 50, and Robyn, 42, live in four different homes, which made self-quarantining nearly impossible for Kody, who takes turns staying with each of his wives.

'I'm the most dangerous person in the whole family when it comes to COVID-19 because I'm going from house to house  I could spread it from house to house,' he acknowledged.

Kody explained that there were members of the family who were worried about their interactions because some of them weren't taking COVID-19 seriously.

'You pick your side, literally,' he said. 'There's almost a divide, like, "Oh, we need to quarantine right now," and others who are going, "You know what, why don't we spread it around so we can all check and see if we're immune ... or if we're going to get it."'

A producer asked him to elaborate on which of his wives said what during their conversation, but he refused to name names, saying: 'That is too much finger-pointing.'

Kody admitted that even though he is the family's patriarch, it felt like his wives were making the decisions for him.

Big concerns: 'I guess right now my biggest worry really is if I would have to be isolated from members of my family long-term,' Kody said

Plural family: Kody has a combined 18 children and two children with his wives. He is pictured with his family in 2018

'There's this sort of thing that happens in our relationships, that I guess is only fair in plural marriage  the mom, the household belongs to her,' he explained in his testimonial. 'It just feels odd to me. "Okay, this is what you're going to do." Well, wait a second, do I have a say in this?'

Janelle, who shares Logan, Maddie, Hunter, Garrison, Gabriel, and Savanah with Kody, was the first to tell her husband that she didn't want him visiting her home because some of their children were still working outside the house.

While she felt it was a personal decision, Kody insisted that 'the whole family's got to be involved in this discussion.'

'You know, it's just one of those times when maybe I wish I just told my wives what we were going to do,' he admitted. 'But I am so confused by this whole thing that I don't even know what to do.'

Kody later had a conference call with his wives to discuss their self-quarantine plans. Janelle, who was the first to start, explained that some of her children were still working and fraternizing outside of the home.

'You guys are pretty much naturally self-quarantined because your kids are all home and not in school. They're not working,' she noted. 'I pose a risk point for exposure. I think maybe I better not have Kody even come, because if for some reason we ended up infected, he would then bring it to all of you guys.'

Christine, who was in the room with Kody, shared her suggestion for a new visiting schedule that she thought allowed for more precautions.

Big decisions: Kody said there was a divide among his family. Some wanted to stay apart indefinitely while others were willing to risk regular contact

Leader: Janelle was the first wife to say she didn't want Kody visiting her home because some of her children were still fraternizing outside of the household

'How would you feel about going to one house and staying put there for a few days, and then when you're done, you know, as long as everyone's well and everything, then move onto the next house for a couple of days,' she said.

'But when you get to the next house, just make sure you shower really well and, you know, wash the clothes  like, take the clothes off immediately, put them in the washer immediately.'

Kody was clearly frustrated with Christine and had his head in his hands the entire time she was speaking. When she was done, he told her to just 'pass the baton' to someone else.

'Gosh, you're so cranky,' she told him.

'It's 'cause you guys are talking about my body,' he hit back. 'I feel like I'm being passed around like a rag doll now.'

Christine stressed that all she did was 'offer up a suggestion,' adding: 'It doesn't mean I think you are a rag doll or baton, for goodness sake.'

Janelle pointed out that Christine's plan wouldn't really work because it can take up to two weeks for COVID-19 symptoms to appear, if they appear at all.

Frustrated: During a conference call with his wives, a frustrated Kody admitted that he felt like he was 'being passed around like a rag doll' between them

Upset: While they ultimately agreed to quarantine by household, Robyn (pictured with Christine) was unhappy with the decision, saying it was 'heartbreaking'

'That's why it's so important that we do stay away from anybody and everybody,' Meri agreed. 'And it kind of sucks, but at this point maybe it includes family.'

At the time, Meri was self-quarantining with her daughter, Mariah, and Mariah's fiancee, Audrey Kriss, who fled Chicago, Illinois, earlier in the episode to return to Flagstaff.

Out of all the wives, it was Robyn who was most upset by the separation. She didn't like the idea that some 'stupid disease' could stop them from being together as a family.

'It's just such a kind of crazy shock to think of Kody not going to Janelle's house. It's like, no, this is not what you do. You know, it's like, you're a family  we're a family,' she said in her testimonial, noting that if they all lived in the same house, they would have to figure this out together.

'It's completely challenging our priorities and what's important to us. Like, how do we deal with this the right way?' she added.

Kody made it clear that if he was going to sacrifice seeing his kids, he wanted his wives and all of his children to take the same COVID-19 precautions he was.

'This is where I feel like maybe what's best for the group is more important,' Robyn told the cameras in her confessional.

'I don't know, I guess not everybody agrees with that, so I guess this is what we're choosing. It's heartbreaking that this is where we're at, that this is what we've decided and this is how we're going to do this.'
The Auckland Te Araroa Trust will host a First Steps Te Araroa walk through Rodney on Sunday, April 11.

Trust chairman Clayton Wakefield says a lot of people dont know that the 3000km walking trail from Cape Reinga to Bluff passes through Rodney.

This is an amazing chance to experience walking a section of the trail, meet fellow walkers and learn about our special part of Te Araroa, he says.

People of all ages and abilities can enjoy a morning walk  ticking off their first segment of one of the best trails in the world.

The First Steps Te Araroa walk will start at Matthews Road, off Woodcocks Road, Warkworth, and proceed over Moirs Hill to Puhoi, about 16km and 3.5 hours away.

Friendly local guides will be there to describe the route and point out highlights.

Walkers can take advantage of a bus that leaves the Puhoi Pub at 8am, which will take them to the trailhead in Matthews Road. A second bus leaves the Puhoi Pub at 2pm and returns walkers to Mathews Road if required.

The bus journey costs $10 and must be booked in advance by emailing auckland@teararoa.org.nz.

Walkers should meet at Matthews Road at 8.45am. They should wear appropriate footwear and clothing for the weather conditions, and bring snacks and water. The walk will conclude with an optional lunch at the Puhoi Pub.

Further event details can be found at www.facebook.com/TeAraroaNewZealandsTrail
Mumbai, March 15 : Mumbai Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze -- arrested in connection with the case pertaining to an abandoned SUV near the home of industrialist Mukesh Ambani -- was suspended from service for the second time in about 17 years, official sources said here on Monday.

The suspension order was issued by the Mumbai Police headquarters, a day after Vaze was sent to the custody of National Investigation Agency (NIA) till March 25.

An officer of the 1990-batch of the Maharashtra Police cadre, Vaze, 49, had earlier been suspended for his role in the custodial death of Khawaja Yunus, a suspect in the 2002 Ghatkopar bomb blast case.

However, he was reinstated in the police force last year and assigned to the Crime Branch and later served with the elite Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) which handles high-profile and sensitive cases.
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Texas shelter housing migrants sees spike in COVID-19 infections

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Migrant families coming across the border into Texas amid a new illegal immigration wave are testing positive for COVID-19 at a much higher rate  up to 10 times higher in some quarters  than the positive test rate among the U.S. population.

The Washington Times reports that its survey of jurisdictions that are doing the testing has found that Brownsville, Texas, has reported a 12% positive rate for the novel coronavirus among incoming migrant families. And a homeless shelter in Harlingen has seen a 25% positive rate among the migrants it has helped.

The current positivity test rate for the U.S. public is at 3.5%, per Johns Hopkins Universitys tracker.

The Washington Times quotes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as saying the families they've processed are between 5% and 10% positive for COVID-19, and they can only process 100 people a day among the 500 to 800 people who are coming across the border daily.

Pastor Bill Reagan, who runs the shelter in Harlingen, called Loaves and Fishes, said they're doing their best to help the massive influx of migrants. It would be best if Customs and Border Protection decides to release certain individuals into the United States that they thoroughly quarantine ... for the 14 days and test them and only release those that test negative, he said. But I also understand theyre overwhelmed.

The pastor said that among two groups that arrived at the shelter on Feb. 18 and Feb. 19, the first group had a COVID-19 positivity rate of 25%, while the second group was never tested before they were transported to the shelter.

Reagan believes many are not being tested despite having been in close contact with those who have tested positive, yet they are being released.

I think this is probably true for all the places people have been released from Border Patrol custody. All of them have been in close quarters for a long period of time. They all come together on the bus, theyve all been detained together, and I would suppose on their trip from Central America they have been mixing with all kinds of people, he told The Washington Times.

Say they come to us on a particular day  they may just have been exposed that day or a day earlier and not test positive because of that, he added.

The number of those whove been released without any testing is in thousands, Sheriff A.J. Louderback in Jackson County, Texas, told The Washington Times.

More than 100,000 people, including nearly 9,500 unaccompanied minors, crossed the southern border illegally in February, according to The Epoch Times.

As President Joe Biden vowed during the 2020 campaign to reverse many of former President Trumps policies, the Trump administration sought to ensure that migrant asylum-seekers would remain in Mexico while their cases were processed in the U.S.

However, The Washington Post recently reported that the Biden administration was planning to convert immigrant family detention centers in South Texas into rapid-processing hubs to screen migrant adults and children and release them within 72 hours.

The Biden administration has dismissed calls to describe the influx of migrants at the southern border as a "crisis," with White House Press Secretary Jen Paski rejecting the term "border crisis" outright.

"I dont think we need to sit here and put new labels on what weve already conveyed is challenging," Psaki said Tuesday at a press briefing.

Customs and Border Protection released figures this week showing that 100,441 people were apprehended in February while crossing the border illegally.

During the White House press briefing on Wednesday, Bidens Southern Border Coordinator Roberta Jacobson, a former U.S. ambassador to Mexico, acknowledged that illegal border crossings have spiked under this administration.

"We've seen surges before," Jacobson said. "Surges tend to respond to hope, and there was significant hope for a more humane policy after four years of pent-up demand.

"So I don't know whether I would call that a coincidence, but I certainly think that the idea that a more humane policy would be in place may have driven people to make that decision," Jacobson added. "But perhaps, more importantly, it definitely drove smugglers to express disinformation  to spread disinformation about what was now possible."

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who recently criticized the Biden administration over its stand on illegal immigration, told CNN on Thursday, There are three messages  One message from the White House  dont come now, come later. Message number two from the family members and neighbors  Hey, Pedro, ya pasamos. Were able to come. Come over right now.

Cuellar continued, Message number three is from the criminal organizations  Hey, I can get you across. Pay me a little bit of money. And they are going to listen to message number two and three. Quite honestly, that is whats happening until we have a solid message that we can send down to Central America.

A large number of migrants are listening to smugglers or family members messages, he added.

Speaking to The Houston Chronicle recently, Cuellar also warned that we are weeks, maybe even days away from a crisis on the southern border.

Inaction is simply not an option, Cuellar said. Our country is currently unprepared to handle a surge in migrants in the middle of the pandemic.

This week, John Modlin, interim chief in charge of the Border Patrols Tucson sector in Arizona, also warned that illegal immigration was likely to overtake the past three years combined. So right now, were about a hundred percent over where we were this time this last fiscal year, independent journalist Sharyl Attkisson quoted him as saying, according to The Epoch Times.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the states Department of Public Safety announced last week that they will deploy the Texas National Guard to the Mexico border as part of Operation Lone Star to prevent Mexican cartels and traffickers from smuggling people and drugs into the state.

Describing the situation as a border crisis, the Republican governor made the announcement on Twitter. He said the operation involves the deployment of the Texas National Guard as well as air, ground, Marine and tactical border security assets to deny Mexican Cartels & smugglers the ability to move drugs & people into Texas.
To



NASDAQ Copenhagen Executive Board

Lers Parkalle 100

DK-2100 Kbenhavn 

www.rd.dk







Telephone +45 7012 5300

Telefax +45 4514 9622













15 March 2021







Company Announcement No 24/2021

Prepayments, Realkredit Danmark A/S





Pursuant to 24 of the Capital Markets Act, Realkredit Danmark A/S hereby publishes prepayments as at Friday 12 March 2021. Please find the data in the attached file.

The information will also be available on www.rd.dk.





Yours sincerely

The Executive Board





Any additional questions should be addressed to Hella Gebhardt Rnnebk, Chief Analyst, phone +45 4513 2068.

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Malaysian discount carrier AirAsia, which also co-owns AirAsia India with Tata Sons, has launched a no-frills food delivery service in Singapore. Aligning with their super-app strategy in order to diversify revenues especially after the unprecedented blow caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to the airline industry, AirAsia announced the move. Even though several nations have started coronavirus vaccination programme, airlines across the globe are currently struggling to stay afloat and hence, the companies are resorting to new schemes to generate revenue.

AirAsia said in a statement earlier this month, "The rapidly growing food delivery platform of AirAsia super app - AirAsia food - is set to revolutionise the food delivery service sector in ASEAN with its official entry into Singapore today."

Even though AirAsia is the leading domestic carrier in Malaysia, it has been severely impacted by the governments ongoing lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19. Locally, the coronavirus restrictions in the area are called Movement Control Order that limits travel between states. Nikkei Asia reported last week that if AirAsia is unable to open domestic air travel by the end of next month, the airlines will have to furlough more employees after already having laid off 3,000 staff members.

In a statement, Tony Fernandes, CEO AirAsia Group said, "Our expansion into Singapore is a key milestone for AirAsia super app that has been Aseans fastest-growing e-commerce platform since it was launched last year. We are proud that despite the tough times we are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, AirAsia super app and AirAsia food, in particular, are making even strong headway by expanding into other countries and regions."

In the last few months, the Malaysian discount carrier managed to soften the financial blow by securing at least US$182 million of cash through a new share issuance on the stock market together with a private pavement to well-known Hong Kong businessman Stanley Choi. With the latest food-delivery scheme, AirAsia is up against German company Foodpanda that started in the sovereign island in March 2012, UK-based Deliveroo (launched November 2015), and Singapore-based Grabfood which began in May 2018.

Plunging revenues by air travel

In a report published on March 5, International Air Transport Association or IATA said that the air travel when measured by Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKs) plunged in the month of January from the staggering December levels. It also noted that air travel was 72 per cent lower than in the pre-crisis month of January 2019. The prominent setback for the airlines passenger business was mainly due to strict COVID-19 precautionary measures that halted travel.

Brian Pearce, IATAs Chief Economist had previously said in a statement, At -72% compared to 2019, the January passenger performance is a deep concern. It is even worse than the -69% in December. The vaccine roll-out and the increase in testing capacityparticularly as governments show renewed interest in rapid antigen testsis good news. But until governments ease travel restrictions a significant improvement is unlikely.
[March 15, 2021] Seenit Announces the First Free and On-demand Storytelling Summit on Harnessing the ROI of Social Good Storytelling

Seenit, the User-Generated Video platform, announces its first global Storytelling Summit on April 1st, 3-6 pm BST (10 am-1 pm EST). The event will focus on the ROI of social good storytelling and features talks from brands such as Amazon, ViacomCBS, and TIME'S UP UK on how companies can get started or boost their current Corporate Social Responsibilities ( CSR (News - Alert) ) efforts. With 40% of consumers seeking brands that act in society's best interest (Slater & Gordan, 2020) and the global COVID-19 pandemic bringing pressures on companies to communicate more humanly, the topic of social good storytelling has never been more relevant. "It is essential that as businesses, we reflect on what we are contributing and giving back to society and adapt our messaging, and the stories we tell accordingly. How your business reacts to this time will have a long-term impact on your brand as an employer," says Matt Sharp (News - Alert) , Employer Brand Manager at Amazon. With 14 talks, an interactive workshop, and networking opportunities, the event is a must for anyone interested in learning more about storytelling and how to create with your community, how it enhances your CSR and inclusion & diversity initiatives, and how harnessing the ROI of those initiatives helps build more resilient businesses. The speaker list includes the world's leading brands in this space, including Amazon, RELX, ViacomCBS, TIME'S UP UK, Crisis, and Made In Her Image.



"We are thrilled for Crisis to be partnering with Seenit to showcase the social power of storytelling. Here in the Studio, we know accelerating the end of homelessness will only be possible through collaboration; which makes storytelling an essential part of our toolkit," says Aimee Bryan, Venture Studio from Crisis. The virtual event is free and on-demand for anyone that signs up before the live streaming on April 1st, 3-6 pm BST (10 am-1 pm EST).

About Seenit Seenit is a company built around the mission of people-powered storytelling. Seenit enables organisations to crowdsource and edit User-Generated Video content from anyone, anywhere in the world, and turn it into collaborative stories. As the first video crowdsourcing platform, Seenit has over seven years of experience and a track record of success with the largest organisations in the world, including Amazon, BBC, Spotify (News - Alert) , ING. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005350/en/

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Mumbai, March 15 : A year after they were demonised and branded nationwide as 'Covid-19 Super Spreaders,' the Indian and foreigner members of the religious organisation Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) have a reason to cheer.

The authors and publishers of a prominent medical reference book published earlier this year, which allegedly sought to paint the TJ member in a poor light, have apologised and even committed to delete the offensive paragraphs in a reprint edition soon.

The development came after the Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) South Maharashtra Unit, raised serious objections to the book, "Essentials of Medical Microbiology" in its 3rd edition which hit the markets recently.

Intended for Second Year MBBS students, the book is authored by prominent medico-authors Dr. Apurba S. Sastry and & Dr. Sandhya Bhat, with a foreword by Pallabh Ray & Sujatha Sistla, and published by the reputed Jaypee Publications, New Delhi.

The book has references to the much-maligned Tablighi Jamaat held in New Delhi early March 2020 and willy-nilly blaming it for "an explosive outbreak" of Covid-19 with over 4,000 cases.

In another reference, it claims that there were 9,000 Indians and 960 foreigners from 40 countries, most cases were asymptomatic but detected positive after they returned home, and led to "several clusters of cases in various states" in the country.

SIO's Secretary Raafid Shahab and Joint Secretary Musaddiq Ul Moid said that this was despite several local, high court and Supreme Court judgements which have categorically ruled out the role of Tablighis in the spread of Covid-19 in the country last year.

Among them are at least 3 major judgements of the Bombay High Court, in which the police and sections of the media were taken to task for vilifying the TJ and creating divisions among communities, they pointed out.

Taking umbrage, the duo said the book's suggestions that the TJ cluster was an important causative factor for the spread of the Covid-19 scourge was 'fake' as "there has been no epidemiological study that corroborates such claim".

"After such irresponsible references, we took up the matter with the book publishers and the authors, took pains to explain the real situation, the court verdicts, etc. Finally, they have agreed to do the needful," Shahab told IANS.

"Pursuant to persistent follow-ups, on Sunday (yesterday), the authors have issued an apology letter and stated that the offending remarks against TJ have been deleted in the upcoming reprint," Moid told IANS.

"We sincerely apologise if we have inadvertently hurt the sentiments of a group of people by the content of our third edition of 'Essentials of Medical Microbiology' The intention was to convey the epidemiology timelines, nothing else," said the authors.

They added that understanding the sentiments of the people, the references have been changed in the re-print edition of the same book, which Shahab and Moid say is ranked among the top in its class.

The SIO has wholeheartedly welcomed the move by the authors and the publishers on the misleading references to the TJ and lauded their commitment to rectify the errors in the reprint edition soon.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)

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Marilyn Hartman, 69, earned the nickname 'Serial Stowaway' after she spent nearly two decades sneaking onto dozens of flights without a ticket

A woman who earned the nickname 'Serial Stowaway' after she spent nearly two decades sneaking onto dozens of flights without a ticket has revealed how her confident demeanor helped her bypass security with ease.

In her first media interview ever, 69-year-old Marilyn Hartman opened up to CBS2 about her stunning history of illegal joyrides around the country and across the world.

Speaking from Cook County Jail in Chicago, where she's awaiting trial for her latest brush with law enforcement, Hartman estimated that she managed to get onto at least 30 flights illegally since 2002.

Asked how she managed to get by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints, Hartman's explanation was startling simple.

'I got by them - this is the thing that is so crazy - by following someone they would be carrying like a blue bag,' she said. 'And the next thing I know, I get into the TSA line and TSA lets me through, and they think I'm with the guy with the blue bag.'

The explanation raised more questions than it answered as she didn't clarify what she meant by 'someone with a blue bag'.

A CBS2 review of court records and police reports showed that Hartman was repeatedly caught carrying a boarding pass from another passenger or arriving in another country without documentation to get through Customs.

But those accounts only tell part of Hartman's story, as she claims to have flown under the radar - quite literally - for 12 years before authorities first caught on to her scheme.

This map shows the trips serial stowaway Marilyn Hartman took in the US and Europe

Hartman estimated that she managed to get onto at least 30 flights illegally since 2002. She is pictured in airport surveillance footage from one of her many arrests in 2018

Records show Hartman was arrested in at least 20 airport incidents between 2014 and 2019. Over that period TSA agents became well acquainted with her face and ultimately started calling for back-up as soon as they spotted her.

Her notoriety was exemplified in an audio recording obtained by CBS2, in which a TSA agent was heard saying: 'There's been a Marilyn sighting over here.'

Hartman said she had been taking flights illegally well before 2014, but no one noticed.

'The first time I was able to to get through I flew to Copenhagen,' she said. 'The second time I flew into Paris.'

The first few times she was caught in airports without a ticket, she was interviewed by police and released. Her first arrest came on August 14, 2014, when she flew from San Jose, California, to Los Angeles without a ticket.

Hartman's name was subsequently added to the TSA's 'trespass list' and a judge let her off with a warning to never do that again - but she didn't listen.

She was arrested again seven months later in Jacksonville, Florida, after flying in from Minnesota without a ticket.

The court overseeing that case determined that she was not mentally competent to face prosecution.

But Hartman insisted that concerns about her mental state were overblown.

'I know they keep emphasizing the mental illness. Law enforcement would like to have that in place. But umm  no, I'm pretty good,' she told CBS2 with a laugh.

'I don't mind if people say: "She's a nut." Because when I look at it objectively, that's how I see it, is craziness. I purposely remained a mystery, because of the crazy factor. It was like something out of a movie.'

Records show Hartman was arrested in at least 20 airport incidents between 2014 and 2019. Over that period TSA agents became well acquainted with her face and ultimately started calling for back-up as soon as they spotted her. Hartman is pictured in various mugshots

In the four years after the Jacksonville arrest, Hartman had at least seven more brushes with law enforcement at Chicago's main airports - O'Hare and Midway.

The last time she successfully boarded a plane without a ticket was in January 2018, when she slipped past security at O'Hare and took a seat on a British Airways flight to London Heathrow.

But her plan was foiled upon arrival in the United Kingdom, where border officials discovered that she didn't have proper documentation.

Airports where the 'Serial Stowaway' has been caught trying to board passenger flights San Francisco International Airport Los Angeles International Airport Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport St. Paul International Airport (Minneapolis) Jacksonville International Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport Chicago Midway International Airport Heathrow Airport (London) Advertisement

Hartman was then shuttled back to Chicago, where she was charged with felony theft and misdemeanor trespass.

She was released from custody and ordered to wear an ankle monitor and undergo psychiatric evaluation. She later pleaded guilty to the trespassing charge and was sentenced to 18 months probation.

Hartman's last trip to O'Hare came in October 2019, when officers spotted her trying to get through a security checkpoint without a boarding pass.

She was charged with burglary, criminal trespassing, and probation violation. She is expected to enter a plea sometime this spring.

In the year and a half since her final arrest, Hartman became pen pals with CBS2 investigator Brad Edwards, who conducted the series of phone interviews in the outlet's latest report.

Hartman said she wanted to apologize to law enforcement and the TSA, saying: 'It was not my intention to make their jobs more difficult.'

She said that her bipolar disorder was behind the relentless urge to travel, explaining that she took the flights whenever she fell into a depressive episode.

'When I took the plane ride, I wasn't happy,' she said. 'It wasn't, "Oh, I'm going here or there" - I was actually in a depressed state of mind.'

'I'm bipolar. And this is something I've rejected for years,' she added.

Hartman explained that she had a troubled childhood, saying: 'There was so much violence and mental illness in the household.'

As for why she decided to speak out now, Hartman said she had waited to give an interview 'until I was confident that I wouldn't take an illegal flight again'.

Hartman appeared at a court hearing in early March to discuss details of a plea agreement in her latest case.

Prosecutors had proposed dropping the burglary charge and sentencing Hartman to 18 months probation with mental health counseling.

Serial Stowaway Marilyn Hartman was caught more than once at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (file)

But Judge Peggy Chiampas declined that proposal, saying: 'I will not be giving her a third probation.'

'I have real tough judge on this case,' she said. 'Judge Chiampas is pi**ed at me for the situation in which I found myself.'

The CBS2 report also questioned whether others should be held responsible for the fact that Hartman was able to sneak through airports so many times.

'For her to be able to repeat that over and over, that is just mind boggling,' aviation security expert Jeff Price told the outlet.

'The genius of her mode of operation is in its simplicity. It's the unsophisticated types of plans are often the most successful.'

Price, who once led security at the Denver International Airport, called for the TSA to use Hartman's example in its training of new agents.

'They literally should have a curriculum designed around how she's able to get through security and that should be taught to every Transportation Security Officer out there,' he said.
Associated Press

A top Sudanese military official said the government will review an agreement with Russia to establish a navy base in the African country. The remarks about the deal, which dates back to the government of now-deposed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and has not been ratified by the Sudanese parliament, indicate that Khartoum is seeking some changes to the agreement. Sudans Chief of General Staff, Gen. Mohammed Othman al-Hussein told Blue Nile television station late on Tuesday that negotiations are underway with Russian officials to achieve Sudans interests.
The new Formula One season is almost upon us and that means drivers and teams are busy preparing for this year's start. GPblog's F1 Social Stint finds out what drivers and teams are doing in preparation for the new season.

Mercedes out for film day in Bahrain

Mercedes did not have the best winter test in Bahrain, but it still has a second chance. The German team, unlike all others, had not planned a filming day before the winter test but after it. Mercedes was criticised for this when they had gearbox problems during the first day of testing, but the extra kilometres will come in handy after all.

Read more Start of the Formula 1 season: Read all about the winter test in Bahrain here

Bahrain. We just can't get enough of it. pic.twitter.com/18rut27ySA  Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) March 16, 2021

Ricciardo practices karate with his McLaren

Daniel Ricciardo seems to be enjoying his time at McLaren. When the tests are over and he jumps out of his MCL35M, he can't resist showing some karate moves for the camera.

This trick by Tsunoda explains fast lap times

Yuki Tsunoda impressed on Sunday afternoon with fast lap times during the winter test in Bahrain, but rumours that Tsunoda would make more use of DRS are proving true. This photo shows the Japanese driver already having his DRS open before the detection point. A nice touch for the Japanese, but during a race weekend it will not be allowed.

New F1 line-up with the famous intro tune

The 2021 Formula One grid has been shaken up after last year's Silly Season. Besides drivers changing teams, there are also many teams with new colours. Therefore, Formula 1 has made a nice intro video, with of course the inescapable Formula 1 intro tune.

Verstappen readies helmet for first test day

Max Verstappen can't wait to jump in the car tomorrow. His helmet is in place for the tests!

Making sure everything's in its place Max takes Friday duties for @redbullracing's first day of Testing tomorrow #PoweredByHonda pic.twitter.com/mxMVkOc7Uw  Honda Racing F1 (@HondaRacingF1) March 11, 2021

Honda has arrived in Bahrain's padddock aswell

This is communicated by the team through Twitter. Max Verstappen will be the one behind the wheel for Red Bull Racing on friday.

Ferrari staff visit Vettel's new team right away

Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari may not have parted on the best terms, but the fact that Vettel's staff still have a soft spot for him became clear in Bahrain on Thursday. vettel was briefly greeted at his new team by acquaintances from his time at Ferrari.

Pessoal de comunicacao da Ferrari foi ate a Aston Martin falar com Vettel. E no fundo da pra ver a assistente pessoal dele desde os tempos de Red Bull, Brita Roeske, agora de verde#f1#F1naBand pic.twitter.com/d48f3X89UY  Julianne Cerasoli (@jucerasoli) March 11, 2021

Haas out for the first time with Russian VF-21

After the unveiling of the new livery, Haas will now take to the track for the first time with the new VF-21. The new Haas car will make its debut during a filming day in Bahrain, where Ferrari is also making its first metres with the new car.

The #VF21 breaks cover!



Our shakedown in Bahrain is underway #HaasF1 pic.twitter.com/oyoQ9DdW1k  Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) March 11, 2021

Sainz confirms filming day for Ferrari in Bahrain

Carlos Sainz has revealed on Instagram that Ferrari will already be in action on Thursday in Bahrain. While all other teams only make their first metres on Friday, Ferrari will already roll out the SF21 on Thursday for a film day.

Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram Een bericht gedeeld door Carlos Sainz (@carlossainz55)
The 'St Kilda schoolgirl' at centre of nude photo scandal has announced her plans to join OnlyFans.

Kimberley Ametoglou, nee Duthie, asked her social media followers if they would subscribe to her account if she joined the popular paid subscription platform.

Before fans - namely her 86,000 followers on Instagram - could get too excited, the young mum and businesswoman said she would be keeping it 'classy'.

Kimberley Ametoglou, nee Duthie (pictured) has revealed she is considering making an OnlyFans account

The young mum (right) shares her three-year-old son Zac with husband Demirel Ametoglou (left), who is 27 years her senior and a Melbourne strip club owner

Ms Ametoglou promised her fans she would be 'super creative in bringing fun and cheeky content' and won't be making 'X rated, explicit content', reported the Herald Sun.

'No I won't be doing p*rn or full frontal things like that,' she told her fans on social media.

'If that is what you think, then sorry to disappoint but that is not me.

'This will be implied nude that is tasteful with creative imposed images and classy content of certain body parts.'

Ms Ametoglou warned she would need support from a large subscriber count to make an account on the racy platform.

The young mum shares her three-year-old son Zac with husband Demirel Ametoglou, who is 27 years her senior and a Melbourne strip club owner.

Ms Ametoglou runs a Queensland based eyelash salon and is currently battling stage four cervical cancer, announced in a GoFundMe page last April.

The fundraiser, set up by her parents, revealed the young mum had been diagnosed with cancer back in August 2019 and aimed to raise $20,000.

At the time Ms Ametoglou took to Instagram to thank her 'selfless' and 'kindhearted' followers for their support.

'I just want to thank everyone for the beautiful calls, messages and comments,' she wrote.

'This is life changing and if I make it out alive I will view the world completely differently.'

Kimberley Ametoglou (pictured) shot to fame after she leaked lewd photos of multiple AFL players and AFL player manager Ricky Nixon in 2010

It was over a decade ago that a 16-year-old Ms Ametoglou made headlines after leaking lewd photos of St Kilda players and AFL player manager Ricky Nixon.

The teenager first met the players at a footy clinic at her school in February 2010, before entering into a secret relationship with one of the squad members.

By December of that year the schoolgirl had posted nude photos online of several St Kilda players, including two of Nixon's clients.

The following year, the 17-year-old leaked photos of Ricky Nixon in his underwear, after he visited her in a hotel room on Valentines Day.

The Instagram star announced she is currently penning a tell-all memoir to speak her truth, following the expiration of non-disclosure agreements

She told The Age the images were leaked in an act of revenge 'because they treated me with disrespect'.

A decade on from the scandals, following the expiration of non-disclosure agreements, Ms Ametoglou has the opportunity to tell her side of the story.

The Instagram star announced she is currently penning a tell-all memoir where she would speak candidly about her experiences.

She warned her followers to expect graphic content in the new book as she wanted to be 'transparent' with her readers.

'NDA contracts have finally expired now it's 2021 and it's my chance to finally close a chapter,' she said.

'This is my story So I can finally recover and gain closure.'
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This post is part of a series sponsored by The Hanover Insurance Group.

General and professional liability coverage is a key component of insurance protection for allied healthcare businesses. However, healthcare organizations may be unaware of common liability coverage gaps that exist for many healthcare professionals including nurses, technicians and health aides.

Consider these scenarios

What happens if a patient receives the incorrect dosage of medication from a nurse at a healthcare facility? Or, imagine that a business faces an allegation that a health aide abused a patient in the facilitys care. How would your clients current general and professional liability coverage respond?

If allied healthcare professionals arent sufficiently covered by their general and professional liability policies, the facility could be forced to pay out of pocket for judgments or settlements against them. Thats why its important for allied healthcare businesses to be educated about the risks that may arise from coverage gaps related to general and professional liability to help ensure they have the proper protection in place for their businesses.

Closing coverage gaps for allied healthcare

Coverage for licensed healthcare practitioners  Many allied healthcare organizations depend on the individual physicians malpractice coverage for professional liability coverage, but that coverage oftentimes does not extend to technicians, nurses, health aides, medical assistants and others providing services, such as mobile diagnostics or prescription medication administration.

In addition, physicians malpractice coverage does not always provide protection for lawsuits against the actual business entity. Hanover Allied Healthcare Advantage offers broad professional liability coverage for allied healthcare organizations, including employees and sub-contractors, to help close those coverage gaps. In addition, The Hanover provides vicarious liability coverage for contracted and/or employed physicians.

Abuse and molestation exclusions  Professional liability policies often have exclusions for claims related to abuse and molestation. In addition, an allied healthcare worker may not be considered an insured under a general liability policy. This may create a coverage gap for allied healthcare organizations. With Hanover Allied Healthcare Advantage, coverage can be extended to explicitly include abuse and molestation coverage to help protect allied healthcare organizations and facilities from abuse and molestation claims against their allied healthcare workers.

Developed by healthcare experts, Hanover Healthcare Advantage includes strong general and professional liability coverage designed to help eliminate these types of common coverage gaps. This seamless solution for general liability and professional liability can greatly reduce the potential coverage gaps that can arise when these policies are placed with different carriers  and as a result, help mitigate potential E&O claims against your agency if your allied healthcare client ends up being underinsured for a claim.

For more information about The Hanovers allied healthcare offerings, visit the healthcare page on hanover.com.
Karen Is Going

to Want to Speak

to the Manager

About This
On 20 August 2020, Aleksey Navalny, Russian anti-corruption activist and critic of President Vladimir Putin, became violently ill on a domestic flight in Russia. While he recovered in a German hospital, toxicology tests conducted in Germany, France, and Sweden and by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons indicated that Navalny had been poisoned with a form of the Novichok nerve agent. Upon his recovery in January 2021, he returned to Russia where he was promptly arrested, put on trial, and sentenced to 2 years and 8 months, ostensibly for violating parole stemming from a 2014 politically motivated conviction.

On March 2, the United States Department of State issued a statement that Secretary Antony Blinken determined that the Government of the Russian Federation has used a chemical weapon against its own nationals, in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. In response, the United States, in parallel with the European Union, is imposing sanctions on Russia.

The United States joins the European Union in condemning and responding to the Russian Federations use of a chemical weapon in the attempted assassination of Russian opposition figure Aleksey Navalny in August 2020 and his subsequent imprisonment in January 2021, said Secretary Blinken in a written statement. We share the EUs concerns regarding Russias deepening authoritarianism and welcome the EUs determination to impose sanctions on Russia under its new global human rights authorities.

The Department of State is expanding existing sanctions first imposed on Russia after its 2018 Novichok attack against Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom. As well, the Department of Treasury and the State Department are sanctioning numerous Russian individuals and entities associated with the Russian Federations chemical weapons program and defense and intelligence sectors. Russia will also be added to the list of countries that are denied exports of defense articles and defense services.

The U.S. government has exercised its authorities to send a clear signal that Russias use of chemical weapons and abuse of human rights have severe consequences. Any use of chemical weapons is unacceptable and contravenes international norms, said Secretary Blinken.

The United States has consistently characterized the legal offensive against Mr. Navalny as politically motivated, an assessment shared by our G7 partners and the European Court of Human Rights. We reiterate our call for the Russian government to immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Navalny.
Packers And Movers Bangalore has been a quite good place for the people of India and everybody wants to visit Bangalore in his entire life as we always listen some or the other news from Bangalore. So if your next destination is Bangalore so just hold your breath as it will going to be best relocation in your life. As you can have look to other companies also and then you can compare the rates and facilities, you will definitely find us to be the most reliable and efficient company for your relocation with the best number of facilities with us. #PackersMoversBangalore Provides Packers and Movers Bangalore List, Movers Packers in Bangalore, Local Shifting, Relocation, Packers Movers Bangalore , Local Household Shifting, Office Shifting, Logistics and Transportation, Top Packers Movers Bangalore, Best Packers Movers Bangalore, Good Movers Packers in Bangalore, Home Shifting Bangalore, Packers And Movers Bangalore Reviews , Cheap Top Movers Packers in Bangalore, Moving and Packing Service Company Bangalore. has been a quite good place for the people of India and everybody wants to visit Bangalore in his entire life as we always listen some or the other news from Bangalore. So if your next destination is Bangalore so just hold your breath as it will going to be best relocation in your life. As you can have look to other companies also and then you can compare the rates and facilities, you will definitely find us to be the most reliable and efficient company for your relocation with the best number of facilities with us. #PackersMoversBangalore Provides, Movers Packers in Bangalore, Local Shifting, Relocation,, Local Household Shifting, Office Shifting, Logistics and Transportation, Top Packers Movers Bangalore, Best Packers Movers Bangalore, Good Movers Packers in Bangalore, Home Shifting Bangalore,, Cheap Top Movers Packers in Bangalore, Moving and Packing Service Company Bangalore.





Many of the companies are cheating people in the world as the name of Packers and Movers Bangalore Company so many of the people are bearing the loss due to the mistake of these cheat peoples. Firstly they are booked by the people who are unknown to the relocation services and then after they do not provide the proper services and do not tell the people about all the facilities and the process that needs to be follow at the time shifting. These types of companies are only increasing due to the unawareness of the people in India. People of India are not totally aware about the things that are going in their country and that is the reason that many of the people gets cheated.

These fraud companies are just dealing with the customers on cell phones and does not meet people physically for any of the deal and if you are not fixing the deal face to face then it may be very dangerous to you. So it is generally advised that you should have a face to face dealing with the company so that you may make all your doubts clear. It does not matter that how much busy you are but for your own safety you should take care about the things that you make a proper dealing with the company so that you cannot be defeated after time.

When you are looking for the best company online then you should make yourself clear that the company you are choosing should not be fake at any chance you can easily look at the reviews by the people who are served previously and that will help you very nicely in looking for the

Best Packers and movers Company .

Many of the companies are doing traps to attract the customers and to make people book their company. As many of the moving companies are posting fake reviews on behalf of their customers and they are just cheating people. Yes so now it has become much difficult to find that whether the posted review is real or fake so you should try to make it out by yourself like:

If the company is only having positive reviews and you are not able to find any of the negative review then you can think that this company may be fraud.

Reviews which are posted by the fake names an address can put the company into suspicious region.

You can also contact to the review writer to confirm about the posted review.
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Why the eVTOL Market Is Too Big to Ignore

The eVTOL market is still in its infancy. Since it involves such an innovative concept poised to revolutionize transportation, its something that cannot be ignored.

Everyone wants a new, more convenient way of transportation, and eVTOLs seem to deliver what people have in mind. Of course, that doesnt make anyone blind to the fact that this new transportation mode is very complicated, and developers have to give it their best to be able to make it successful.

But if it becomes successful, this market could be extremely big and will change the world completely. It will become so significant that it will be hard to ignore by investors, and if they do, they might end up regretting it later.

Also, if they invest, they might help the market develop and reach the top much faster, as there is a continuous need for development and progress. But why exactly is the eVTOL market too big to ignore? Lets find out.

Electric Motors Have Tremendous Potential

By now, people are already used to electric motors. After all, they were proven to be reliable and safe, so why would people not trust them?

Well, despite their safety, they are still not the best in the aviation sector. They are not optimized for this industry yet. Before electric motors are used for eVTOLs, they should be properly optimized for safety and performance reasons.

For instance, car-making businesses like Audi and Tesla had to do the same thing to make sure they meet the reliability and performance standards, so the same must be done regarding eVTOLs. This gives investors in prominent eVTOL companies plenty of opportunities.

Batteries Require Improvements as Well

Just like electric motors, there is also a need for innovation in the battery area. Aeromobility enthusiasts really have a soft spot for battery technology. Ever since lithium-ion batteries have been invented, they became extremely popular, and theyve been in continuous development. Over time, they might even be able to allow aircraft to fly more reliably and cleanly, and for practical distances.

Despite all of this, eVTOL experts generally believe only one company (Astro Aerospace, which you can read about here ) produces vehicles with batteries capable of taking passengers meaningful distances.

Again, this means theres tremendous potential for additional developments, which investors are excited about.

Major Companies Are Making Investments

Obviously, this new industry needs money. Its not so shocking  after all, were talking about a new technology that will change the world.

Thankfully, investment is coming from a variety of sources. There are already some programs with funds that can be committed to eVTOL. Boeing, Airbus, and Bell are some aircraft manufacturers with R&D infrastructure in place allowing funds for eVTOL developments.

The involvement of these big players understandably leaves many individual investors excited about the industrys future.

There Arent Any Pilots

You cant use a plane without a pilot, and so far, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, theres a shortage of pilots in this area. Since 2017, there were 609,000 pilots in the U.S. The number went down by 30% since 1987, which is concerning given the fact that more and more people will want to fly every single year.

So, since the pilot shortage is already concerning for airplanes, it will also be a problem for air taxi operations. What makes it even worse is that there are too many costs for flight training, as well as the associated benefits and salaries.

This need comes at a time when companies are beginning to introduce eVTOLs capable of transporting passengers.

In other words, there are major incentives for companies to fill this void.

This may come in one of two forms. The first is training for pilots. The second  and arguably more exciting  is autonomous flight.

Autonomous eVTOLs will most likely negate the need for pilots, or allow minimally trained crews (and even ordinary consumers) to operate aircraft. That means they will develop systems that will basically let the aircraft deal with the flying themselves. Meanwhile, the human pilots will only monitor things and make a few changes, as well as handle any possible emergency that may occur.

Theres a Need for Carbon Fiber

For the most part, the eVTOL aircraft will be made from carbon fiber. The downside is the cost of this material. Apart from that, its also pretty difficult to manufacture.

Its a very high-strength, but lightweight material. It can help make aircraft more efficient. However, it will be hard to make so many aircraft pieces every year from it. The manufacturers that managed to do it so far did it with a lot of R&D costs. Still, at the moment, there is no manufacturer that can build over 700 pieces per year.

This is another very clear opportunity investors have to push the market forward and deliver incredible growth.

In other words, while it represents a challenge, investors are grateful for such a clear opportunity.

Final Thoughts

The eVTOL market is big and still requires a lot of effort to become successful. Theres a big need for money, pilots, developments, and even materials to build the new aircraft. Without enough investments, work, and attention to this sector, we most likely wont see this new technology very soon.

By Travis Bard

 2021 Copyright Travis Bard - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




By Laura Sullivan and Kiran Handa Gaudioso

As Americans and as New Jerseyans, we are emerging from a long, cold winter.

Our nation has lost more than 530,000 souls to the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to rage. Our state and national economies are reeling from unprecedented unemployment and small business losses. In the space of a year, our lives have been fundamentally altered.

Yet for many of New Jerseys Black and Latinx households, the economic and health-related devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic was inevitable. The corrosive effects of structural racism, over generations, left Black and Latinx New Jerseyans disproportionately vulnerable when the crises of 2020 hit.

Now, as we start to think about possibly, someday, getting back to normal, we know that we cant simply go back. For New Jerseys Black and Latinx families, normal isnt good enough.

Normal was massive, longstanding economic inequities for Black and Latinx New Jerseyans. According to United Way of Northern New Jersey, in 2018, 37% of the states households  and 52% of Black households  couldnt even afford household necessities. This included households in poverty and those who were ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed)  earning above the Federal Poverty Level but not enough to make ends meet.

Normal was conditions that actually got worse for hundreds of thousands of Black and Latinx households during the recovery from the Great Recession. From 2010 to 2018, the number of the states struggling Black households grew by 10%, while struggling non-Hispanic white households decreased by 5%.

Normal was white New Jerseyans having a median net wealth of $106,210 in 2016, while typical Black and Latinx residents of our state had $179, according to the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice  which meant they had no rainy day fund to weather the past year.

COVID-19 deepened these economic disparities and sent health disparities into overdrive at the same time. Black and Latinx workers are more likely to be on-site employees at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, and they are also in the most danger if they do get it  nearly three times more likely than whites to be hospitalized with COVID-19, and twice as likely to die of it.

Unemployment and wage reductions have skyrocketed, particularly for women and Black and Latinx employees, who are more likely to work in hard-hit industries like child care and foodservice. Lower-income Black and Latinx households have spent everything they have  wages, savings, stimulus checks and unemployment benefits  while higher-income households have actually saved more than usual.

These are the wealth and health gaps, the cracks in our foundation, that structural racism has created. Theyre even more visible now, but theyve always been there  the result of decades of disinvestment in Black communities, hiring disparities, grinding poverty, relentless segregation, redlining and substandard public housing, substandard health care and education, police brutality, food deserts and pollution exposures.

To create a new normal for New Jerseys Black and Latinx families, we have to take bold, informed, and strategic action. We need stronger, more innovative policy initiatives, focused on secure incomes and assets, to help families not just survive the pandemic, but find stability and thrive in an equitable future.

Specifically:

Employees need quality jobs and incomes that support economic security, safety and well-being for themselves and their families across the life course. For example, we should strengthen family child care providers  small businesses, many owned by Black and Latinx women, that have too often been overlooked. These providers need access to the same financial incentives that child care centers receive  especially crucial since they and the working parents who rely on them are often both ALICE.

We need to take proactive steps to close the racial wealth gap and repair the harm of policies that have denied Black and Latinx families the asset-building opportunities available to white families. This means establishing a New Jersey Baby Bond program, stepping up state investments to ensure that current borrowers and future students are not saddled with student loan debt, and investing in homeownership for Black families and other families of color.

As a state and a society, we are at a crossroads. We can return to a normal that traps economically vulnerable families of color in New Jersey in hardship, and that will buckle again at the next sign of pressure. Or we can turn devastation into opportunity by combining clear-eyed historical understanding and robust data to create stability and equity for all New Jersey residents.

Lets choose opportunity.

Laura Sullivan is the director of the Economic Justice Program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. Kiran Handa Gaudioso is the CEO of the United Way of Northern New Jersey.

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Ten years after its onset, the war in Syria has become one the worst humanitarian disasters of the 21st century. The human cost has been beyond measure. Disturbing moments are seared in our collective consciousness, ranging from shocking chemical weapon attacks to images of doctors working in bombed-out hospitals, gross human rights violations and desperate civilians forced to flee their homes.

The sheer scale of the tragedy can overwhelm us: more than 13 million people still in need of humanitarian assistance. Sixty percent of the population are struggling to get enough food to eat, according to the World Food Programme. More than five million Syrians are refugees, at least six million internally displaced. An entire generation growing up with no or limited access to education and knowing only conflict. Human suffering that will continue to traumatise new generations of Syrians unless the conflict is brought to an end.

The unresolved conflict continues to lead to immense suffering and increasing humanitarian needs. Even if the conflict is in a less intense phase than before and the situation on the ground is less unstable than it was, it still hinders development and return of refugees, and is fertile ground for terrorist groups like ISIS.
The U.S.' approach to North Korea is expected to return to a more cautious track now Joe Biden has been elected president and avoid the aggressive charm offensives of his predecessor Donald Trump.

Already the North betrayed the first jitters, with the official Rodong Sinmun daily saying in an editorial on Sunday, North Korea "is a global military power that has a powerful ability to suppress war."

Last year, the official [North] Korean Central News Agency dismissed Biden as "senile" and an "old lunatic."

Boffins expect Biden is to adopt a gradual approach to dealing with North Korea's nuclear weapons with working-level talks painstakingly hammering out small improvements before any more high-level talks can be held.

Trump preferred flashy photo ops and a lot of glad-handing but ultimately achieved nothing in his three summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

No resumption of dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea is not expected any time soon after Biden is inaugurated in January, and North Korea could launch several provocations in the meantime to draw attention to itself.


Heres something worth celebrating.

Prices for wines from France, Spain and Germany should hopefully come down very soon.

Thats because the U.S. and the European Union recently agreed to a four-month-long suspension of tariffs on wines from these European countries in the U.S.

Hopefully, that temporary suspension becomes permanent.

As you might have noticed, wine prices have been significantly higher the past year or so. Thats because the U.S. imposed a 25 percent tariff on wines from France, Spain and Germany starting in October 2019.

By the way, the U.S. imposed a similar 25 percent tariff that same month on Scotch whisky (whiskey from Scotland). Recently, the U.S. and the E.U. agreed to a similar four-month suspension of tariffs on whisky. Slainte! (Thats Scottish Gaelic for cheers.)

The 25 percent tariffs were in response to several, long-simmering trade disputes between Europe and the U.S. One battle involves subsidies or tariffs for an American airplane manufacturer (Boeing) and for a European airplane manufacturer (Airbus). Another battle involves a 3 percent levy on revenue from digital services earned in France by companies with revenues of more than 25 million euros ($28 million) in France and 750 million euros worldwide, according to a Reuters news article last year.

As for European wine sales in the United States, the tariff had a devastating effect on sales last year. Between January 2020 and June last year, French wine sales dropped by 50 percent compared to the same time period the year before, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission as reported in Wine Spectator. Spanish wine imports declined by 60 percent during the same time period.

As for Scotch whisky, the 25 percent tariffs had a similar, negative effect. Whisky sales plummeted in the U.S. by 35 percent or roughly $700 million between October 2019 and a few weeks ago, according to The New York Times .

All this might seem strange since there were many stories around this time last year about wine sales skyrocketing soon after the start of the Coronavirus lockdown.

Sales have been good, stronger than normal for this season, Jim Nejaime, owner of Spirited Wines in Lenox, said last March in an interview for this wine column. Of course due to folks stocking in, since many more are spending much more time at home, not able to go out to dine, etc.

But for all the extra wine sold in stores, the sale of wine in bars and restaurants (which were closed for much of last year due to the pandemic) were clearly down across the country last year.

That might explain why the sale of premium wine (wine with an average price of $28 a bottle) dropped by 7.1 percent in 2020 compared to 2019, the first decline in premium wines sales in the U.S. since 2009, according to the most recent sales statistics.

I realize its hard for some people to sympathize with people who make wines that sometimes cost hundreds or thousands of dollars a bottle. Such a trade battle might seem like one group of rich people fighting with another group of rich people.

But in my experience, many winemakers are only wealthy on paper. And while there are definitely many expensive wines made around the world, most wines cost far less and are enjoyed by everyone everywhere.

And while money is definitely important, the reason why many winemakers go into business is not to become fabulously wealthy. Many of them became winemakers because theyre passionate about making great wine.

Its also easy to forget sometimes that winemakers are farmers. They have a hard enough time making great wine without having to worry about trade tariffs. They have good years and bad years. Rain, hail, sleet or frost can wipe out a single years harvest in a day or two. Ive talked to winemakers in Frances Burgundy region and Provence region in particular who have shared such sad tales. Theyve also generously shared their stories of good fortune as well as wines from such fabulous years.

So heres hoping this year turns out to be a great one for winemakers in France, Spain, Germany and everywhere else. And heres hoping that wine (and whisky) prices finally start to come down in stores across the country.

Cheers!

Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republicans weekend section every Thursday.

Follow Ken Ross on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook.
Gunmen have kidnapped primary school pupils and teachers in northwestern Nigeria, a state official said, in the fifth school abduction since December.

The state government has received reports of a kidnapping of pupils and teachers in the Birnin Gwari local government area, Samuel Aruwan, the secretary commissioner for Kaduna state, said on Monday.

'The Kaduna State Government is currently obtaining details on the actual number of pupils and teachers reported to have been kidnapped and will issue a comprehensive statement as soon as possible,' Aruwan said in a statement.

AFP news agency reported that the people were taken from the LEA Primary School in Rema, which lies within Birnin Gwari.

Kaduna is part of a region where banditry has festered for years. Armed groups kidnap large numbers of people for ransom or as leverage to negotiate the release of their members from jail.

Many have expressed concern that state authorities are making the situation worse by letting kidnappers go unpunished, paying them off or providing incentives.

Gunmen have kidnapped primary school pupils and teachers in northwestern Nigeria, a state official said, in the fifth school abduction since December. The state government has received reports of a kidnapping of pupils and teachers in the Birnin Gwari local government area, Samuel Aruwan, the secretary commissioner for Kaduna state, said on Monday

Referring to the latest attack, Sarkin Mota, a resident, told Reuters news agency that his son was among those kidnapped as well as three of his teachers.

'[They] were kidnapped early this morning when the teachers and pupils were coming to school,' Mota said.

'We are in [a] state of panic,' he said, referring to other parents when they received the news.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.

The kidnapping is just the latest in a string of mass abductions from schools in northern Nigeria.

Armed men attempted to kidnap students from The Federal College of Forestry Mechanization on the outskirts of Kaduna city overnight on Sunday.

Within the last few weeks, 279 schoolgirls were freed after being abducted from their boarding school at Jangebe in the northwestern Zamfara state.

Twenty-seven teenage boys were released after being kidnapped from their school in north-central Nigeria, along with three staff and 12 family members.

One student was shot dead in the attack.

The unrest and frequent mass abductions have become a political problem for President Muhammadu Buhari (pictured), a retired general and former military ruler who has faced mounting criticism over the rise in violent crime, and replaced his long-standing military chiefs earlier this year [File photo]

In December, 344 students were abducted from the Government Science Secondary School Kankara in Katsina, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari, while he was visiting the region.

Buhari has criticised local deals to free victims and Nigeria's federal government said it would 'take out' abductors.

However attempts by the military and police to tackle armed groups have had little success.

The unrest has become a political problem for Buhari, a retired general and former military ruler who has faced mounting criticism over the rise in violent crime, and replaced his long-standing military chiefs earlier this year.

Within the last few weeks, 279 schoolgirls were freed after being abducted from their boarding school at Jangebe in the northwestern Zamfara state. Pictured: A kidnapped girl is reunited with a family member in Jangebe [File photo]

While school kidnappings were first carried out by jihadist groups Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, the tactic has now been adopted by other militants in the northwest whose agenda is unclear.

Teachers have been forced to flee to other states for protection, and many children have had to abandon their education amid frequent violent attacks in communities, according to Amnesty International.

The most notable mass abduction in Nigeria came in April 2014, when news that 276 girls from a secondary school in Chibok were taken by Boko Haram drew international attention.

More than a hundred of the girls are still missing.
Exactly one year ago, Ted Yang answered a call to help coordinate Connecticuts philanthropic response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Now, after helping launch a nonprofit that has overseen the delivery of about $20 million in aid across the state, the New Canaan-based entrepreneur is handing off the baton to a new leader.

4-CT announced Monday that Yang had stepped down as chief executive officer and joined its board. At the same time, it appointed an interim CEO, Catalina Samper-Horak, who was the founding executive director of Building One Community, a Stamford-based nonprofit that serves the immigrant community. The changes are part of a long-planned transition.

I instigated this change. I think its the right time for this change one year after we started 4-CT, Yang said in an interview. Catalina is fantastic at what she does, and she is an amazing leader, fundraiser and connector to the communities we serve. Shell prepare the way for a long-term leader of 4-CT. Its a process being started up right now, and itll take some number of months to find that person.

Samper-Horak had served on the 4-CT board since its inception, but stepped down from the board to focus on her new position.

Im passionate about social justice and believe that we, as a community, all have a responsibility to help those affected by COVID. Given my own background and experience as a social entrepreneur, when Don (Kendall, 4-CTs other co-founder and executive chairman) and Ted asked me if I would consider this opportunity I thought it would be a great way for me to stay involved and capitalize on the things Ive done in the past.

Kendall described Samper-Horak as the ideal person to lead 4-CTs transition.

Catalina has the full package of skills and experience we are looking for in our interim leader, Kendall said in a statement. She is very passionate about 4-CT and believes we have an exceptional opportunity to capitalize on the wave of innovation that is happening currently in the direct aid and universal basic income space.

Samper-Horak expects to serve about six months as the interim chief executive. She will advise the board, which will pick the permanent CEO.

I have the direct experience of running a nonprofit, being on the front lines and working with vulnerable populations, Samper-Horak said. Combining my experience on the operational side and strategic side with my frontline, direct contact with people will help the board with their decisions.

One year in operation

4-CT was founded on March 15, 2020. Its formation was spurred by a call that day about the states response to the pandemic between Gov. Ned Lamont and Kendall, a Weston-based entrepreneur.

As soon as Don got off the phone with the governor, he called me, and we said Lets go do this, Yang said. The this was being able to put together large-scale, statewide philanthropy for rapid relief for COVID. Don and I are both entrepreneurs, so we wanted to jump in and make it happen.

Among earlier undertakings, Yang and Kendall founded the Connecticut chapter of Social Venture Partners, a venture philanthropy organization.

Ted was an amazing changemaker as he and Don (Kendall) got 4-CT off the ground, providing support for innovative programs and for Nutmeggers who would otherwise have fallen through the safety net, Lamont said in a statement. Believe me, Ted will stay very involved, just in a new role.

4-CT has since amplified its impact by teaming up with leading nonprofits across the state. Its partners include Fairfield Countys Community Foundation, The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

Through its partnership with HFPG, 4-CT developed a grant program that distributed a total of more than $12 million to community-based nonprofits across the state for projects in areas including housing, education, food assistance, health care, community-policing training and legal services.

In addition, 4-CT has overseen the delivery of $4 million to $5 million in aid from other philanthropies.

The 4-CT grants were all funded before Nov. 1, 2020. Since last November, 4-CT has directed all of its resources to its card program, which provides cash relief to low-income recipients through pre-paid debit cards. To date, the initiative has disbursed nearly $2 million, with organizations such as community health centers helping to distribute the cards.

Recipients decide how they use the cards  which are worth up to $1,000 each  but housing, food and childcare rank among the main needs addressed by those funds.

It came to our attention that there were needs that no one was addressing because they were cash needs, Yang said.

By distributing the cards through organizations such as community health centers, 4-CT also helps the recipients get access to COVID-19 vaccines, virus testing and personal protective equipment.

We wanted to get the cards distributed at the health centers so this population could get tested and vaccinated  and, more importantly, build a health care relationship, Yang said. Between 20 percent and 25 percent of the recipients of our cards have no health relationship (with providers).

Connecticut ranks among the states with the highest proportion of residents who have received at least one vaccine dose. But major disparities in access persist along socio-economic, racial and geographic lines. To accelerate the process, Lamont announced Monday a plan to open vaccine scheduling for those ages 45-54 on March 19 and begin scheduling for the 16-44 age group on April 5.

Connecticut is doing a great job of distributing the vaccines, but equity is always an issue, Yang said. The most disadvantaged populations dont have the uptake of the more prosperous ones. Thats something that 4-CT wants to help address.

pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; Twitter: @paulschott
2020 was a year marked by hardships and challenges, but the Fauquier community has proven resilient. The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you for your continued support, wed like to offer all our subscribers -- new or returning --

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ERIE, Pa., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Penelec, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), recently completed its yearly emergency preparation drill focused on testing its storm restoration process in the event severe weather causes widespread outages throughout its vast and largely rural service area.

Penelec conducted the drill virtually to align with its pandemic protocol, which includes not gathering for large in-person meetings to safeguard employees from the coronavirus. During the past year, Penelec employees have conducted storm calls and used electronic storm tools remotely to successfully manage restoration activities in the field.

The drill was designed to prepare employees assigned to storm restoration duties and review restoration processes and storm-management tools critical to quickly getting the lights back on. The drill scenario was based on an actual severe weather event, a powerful windstorm that swept through Pennsylvania last November causing tree-related damage to the system and interrupting electric service to 90,000 Penelec customers.

More than 30 Penelec employees from the Operations, Engineering, Safety, Logistics, Communications, External Affairs, Customer Support, Facilities, Corporate Support and Planning and Analysis groups participated remotely in the drill, which was observed by representatives from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC).

"This is a great opportunity for us to practice and sharpen our skills in preparation for thunderstorms and severe weather headed into the spring and summer months," said Nick Austin, regional president of Penelec. "Periodic emergency drills are another way we invest in reliability for our customers, in addition to the tree trimming and the continuous work we do to harden our electric distribution infrastructure and enhance its resiliency."

Primary objectives of the Penelec drill included:

Providing a training opportunity to employees who are new to their storm roles

Providing a platform for feedback to refine and improve storm restoration processes

Identifying operational gaps in the storm restoration processes and devise solutions to correct them proactively

Just days before the November windstorm, Penelec unveiled its new Crew Manager network-based system that assigns crews to work locations, efficiently manages workflow, helps on-board contractors brought in to assist with repairs, and even tracks hospitality needs such as hotel rooms for out of town crews and support personnel. Penelec managers have worked during subsequent winter storms to familiarize employees with the new system and improve its functionality. They reported progress on this front during the storm drill.

For the benefit of the PUC observers and employees newer to the storm-restoration process, storm team leads kicked off the drill with a presentation to explain some of the specific storm-management tools used to mitigate public safety hazards, assess damage, set estimated times of restoration for electric service and safely manage line crew activities and workflow.

Most years, personnel from local Emergency Management Agencies observe storm drills in person, touring dispatch control centers and visiting stations in a mini-trade show setting to learn more about storm processes and tools. Due to the pandemic protocol, separate presentations will be delivered to them later this year.

As part of the training, Penelec used its Incident Command System (ICS). ICS is a nationally recognized and accepted emergency management process used by all levels of government  federal, state, and local  as well as by many non-governmental organizations and the private sector to coordinate the response to major storms or other natural disasters.

Penelec serves approximately 585,000 customers within 17,600 square miles of northern and central Pennsylvania. Follow Penelec on Twitter @Penelec and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PenelecElectric.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,500 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Visit FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and follow FirstEnergy on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.

Related Links

http://www.firstenergycorp.com


Meghan Markle sent her best friend Jessica Mulroney a huge bouquet of flowers to mark her birthday yesterday - months after she stayed silent when the stylist was accused of 'racist bullying.'

The Canadian stylist, 41, from Toronto, shared a snap on her Instagram page of a large bunch of pink roses in a glass vase, penning: 'Luckiest friend, thanks MM.'

It comes weeks after Jessica defended the Duchess of Sussex, 39, ahead of the explosive Oprah Winfrey interview, praising her 'kindness, empathy and love.'

Meanwhile Meghan stayed silent as Jessica found herself at the centre of a Black Lives Matter race row last year when she was accused of using her white privilege against a black social media influencer.

Meghan Markle, 39, sent her best friend Jessica Mulrone, 41, from Toronto a huge bouquet of flowers to mark her birthday yesterday - months after she stayed silent when the stylist was accused of 'racist bullying'

Meghan's gift to her friend comes after the stylist spoke out in support of the royal ahead of the explosive Oprah interview earlier this month.

She said no one 'has ever had to deal with the pressure, the politics and the press' like Meghan in an Instagram post.

Uploading a photo of the pair of them, she added: 'In the face of it all, I have never

It was reported last year that the Duchess had cut ties with Mulroney after influencer Sasha Exeter accused the stylist of 'threatening her livelihood' when she posted a Black Lives Matter call-to-action on Instagram.

Posting on her Instagram stories, the stylist said she was the 'luckiest friend' and shared a photograph of a large bouquet of pink roses

Meghan remained silent when the Canadian fashion stylist was accused of racist bullying and abusing her white privilege to threaten the career of a black social media influencer.

Sasha Exeter alleged that Mrs Mulroney took personal offence when she asked bloggers to use their platform to advance the Black Lives Matter movement and that private messages between the pair had left her paralysed with fear.

Mulroney later faced accusations that she had used Meghan as her 'superpower,' though denied this was the case and refused to speak about the Duchess in interviews.

A source had claimed their friendship is no longer 'what it once was,' adding this was not due to the fall-out with Exeter, but because they have 'just grown apart.'

It comes after the Canadian fashion stylist, 41, said no one 'has ever had to deal with the pressure, the politics and the press' like Meghan in an Instagram post ahead of the Oprah interview

The insider added: 'Of course, Meghan has been worried about Jess. Shell always have love for her.'

However, Mulroney told Page Six in November that she and Meghan are 'constantly' in touch via FaceTime.

The stylist assisted Meghan in choosing a wedding dress for the actress' Suits character, Rachel Zane, in 2015.

The pair have been close friends for years, with Mulroney's daughter, Ivy, appearing in the Royal Wedding as a bridesmaid. Her two sons, Brian and John, were page boys.

Jessica recently spoke out in support of Meghan ahead of the explosive Oprah Winfey interview earlier this month

Jessica's friendship with Meghan was not the only aspect of her life that suffered as a result of the controversy.

Having quickly shot to fame thanks to her close friendship with the Duchess of Sussex, Jessica's fall from grace was even swifter.

DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that ABC had quickly severed ties with her, confirming that Jessica would not be returning to her occasional role as a fashion contributor on Good Morning America.

Canadian TV network CTV also distanced themselves from the stylist, revealing that it was pulling all episodes of her wedding-focused reality show I Do Redo from its platforms ahead of its expected US premiere on Netflix.

It was claimed in August that the Duchess of Sussex was reported to have cut ties with Jessica after black influencer Sasha Exeter (left) accused her of 'threatening her livelihood' after 'taking offence' at a Black Lives Matter video posted by the online star

She then stepped down from the board of directors of The Shoebox Project, a charity that she founded with her sisters-in-law, Caroline, Vanessa, and Katy Mulroney.

In a statement shared on Instagram, the charity said: 'Jessica Mulroney is a founding member of The Shoebox Project and she has dedicated herself to its growth and success over the years, for which we are very grateful.

'In light of recent events, the charity supports Jessicas decision to step away from the Board of Directors.'

Jessica's husband Ben - the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney - then stepped down from his role as the host of CTV's celebrity news show 'etalk', a position that he had held for 18 years.
Newly appointed Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Oksana Markarova has announced plans to establish the Ukrainian House in Washington in 2021.

"In the Ministry of Finance, in addition to the typical Ministry of Finance work itself, my team and I managed to start and successfully create new projects related to public finance  the eData portal, the Startup Fund, and the UkraineInvest office, which are still actively working and developing after I left the Ministry of Finance. Likewise, for Washington, I have a dream, which has already turned into a plan  to establish a permanent Ukrainian House, which will be the main platform for the promotion of Ukrainian narrative, a meeting place for the exchange of ideas of all friends of Ukraine, a place for discussion and promotion of Ukrainian culture," she said in an interview with LB.ua.

According to Markarova, the Ukrainian House will work in synergy with the embassy and will be open to everyone.

"And we will start establishing it this year," she said.
New York Mayor Bill De Blasio speaks as images of COVID-19 Victims are projected over the Brooklyn bridge as the city commemorates a COVID-19 Day of Remembrance in Brooklyn, New York on March 14, 2021. (Kevin Hagen/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

De Blasio: Cuomo In the Way of Saving Lives by Defying Calls to Resign

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday accused Governor Andrew Cuomo of being in the way of saving lives by defying calls to resign over his handling of the states CCP virus response and the mounting sexual harassment allegations against him.

Cuomo, 63, has been accused of harassment by at least seven women, some of whom are former aides. He has also been under fire for withholding COVID-19 death data from state lawmakers and the public.

He should resign right now because hes holding up our effort to fight COVID, de Blasio, a Democrat told CBSs Face the Nation. Hes literally in the way of us saving lives right now.

In January, New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, published a report that found that the state under-counted nursing home deaths by as much as 50 percent, while The New York Post later reported that one of Cuomos aides, Melissa DeRosa, admitted to lawmakers in a private setting that the administration hid nursing home data last summer due to a federal probe.

The mayor last week called for Cuomo to resign, supporting a growing chorus of calls for the governor to leave office. By Friday, Cuomo had lost the backing of almost the entire 29-member state congressional delegation and a majority of Democrats in the state legislature.

More than 55 Democratic New York legislators signed a letter on Thursday calling for Cuomos resignation.

The three-term governor has so far brushed off calls to resign, blaming cancel culture for the calls to step down.

People know the difference between playing politics, bowing to cancel culture, and the truth. Let the review proceed. Im not going to resign, Cuomo said in a conference call on Friday, urging people wait for independent probes to be conducted.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks at the COVID-19 vaccination site at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, on March 8, 2021. (Seth Wenig/Reuters)

De Blasio on Sunday accused Cuomo of covering up the number of nursing home deaths in the state to protect his public image.

I dont have a doubt in my mind, the mayor said, when asked if Cuomo deliberately attempted to cover up nursing home deaths in New York.

Everything was about his public image, de Blasio told host Margaret Brennan. Everything was about his political future. It was not about what people needed. And by the way, it was about campaign contributions.

The mayor suggested that the probes into Cuomos handling of the the states Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus response will show he acted in the benefit of his political backers.

The nursing home industry, the big hospital systems, they gave him millions and millions of dollars, and he went easy on them. And he tried to cover up for everyone. Not just him but his donors. And I think the investigations are going to prove this, Margaret. This was a thoroughly corrupt situation, and he just needs to resign so we can actually turn the page, he continued.

De Blasio said he believes an impeachment proceeding against Cuomo will soon begin if he continues to refuse to resign.

I think he is used to getting things his way, and its been almost an imperial governorship. But I got to tell you, the folks in this state and the political leadership dont believe him anymore, the mayor said. He doesnt have any credibility so I think an impeachment proceeding will begin and I think he will be impeached and perhaps right before that hell decide to resign. Thats probably the most likely outcome right now.

Andrew Cuomo cant lead us into the future, de Blasio added. We got the people of the state ready to reopen, but we got to get him out of the way to do it.

Cuomos office didnt immediately respond to a request for comment by The Epoch Times.
By Malcolm Galpern Levin

galpernl@grinnell.edu

Capitalism and War Inevitable, reads the Jan. 4, 1933 Scarlet & Black headline. The author, unnamed, begins by quoting Laetitia Moon Conard, a lecturer of sociology and economics for Grinnell College:

Capitalism is only concerned with profits, while socialism strives towards service and the good welfare of the people. Under capitalism, because of private and self-seeking ownership, extreme poverty and extreme wealth, depressions every few years, unemployment, and war are inevitable.

Such rhetoric, regarded as radical for its time, was common for Conard. A life-long social justice advocate, she frequently appeared on Iowa ballots for the Socialist Party. Over the course of her life, Conard was not one to back down from speaking about or acting upon her beliefs.

So who exactly was this trailblazer who defied gender norms before women even had the right to vote?

Elizabeth Laetitia Moon, later Laetitia Moon Conard, was born to Quaker parents on May 9, 1871 in Fallsington, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Westtown Friends Boarding School in 1889, she attended Smith College where she received her B.A. in 1894, and her M.A. in 1896.

Conard continued her studies at the Sorbonne in Paris from 1896-1897 and later received her Ph.D. in comparative religions from the University of Chicago in 1899, during a decade where only approximately 3.5 percent of women even graduated from high school.

In 1900, Laetitia Moon married Henry Shoemaker Conard, and in 1906 the couple moved from Pennsylvania to Grinnell, where Henry became a professor of botany at Grinnell College. The Conards lived at 1310 Elm St., where they raised three children  Elizabeth, who was born in Pennsylvania, and Rebecca and Alfred, who were both born in Iowa.

During her early years in Grinnell, Conard seems to have largely focused on caring for her children at home. However, by the 1920s, with her children substantially older and more independent, she started to get involved with the Grinnell community.

She participated in the founding of the First Friends Church in Grinnell and also taught at Uncle Sams Club, a Sunday school program for children in the poorer areas of Grinnell.

At the time, the womens suffrage movement was in full force, particularly with the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920, which granted women the right to vote. Conard formed the League of Women Voters two times, the second time occurring after the club lapsed when Conards family went away for a year on sabbatical.

Conard also served as a board member for the Grinnell Social Services Committee during the 20s and 30s and was heavily invested in fighting poverty in the community.

Susan Ferguson, professor of sociology at Grinnell College, conducted extensive research on Conards life and works with the help of Katie Mears `13.

In her research, Ferguson writes, It was said that she [Conard] knew what every poor person on the south side of town ate for breakfast, if they ate anything at all.

While still engaged in community work, Conard became more active politically and began campaigning for Progressive Party presidential candidate Robert La Follette in 1924. An S&B article written on Sep. 27, 1924 noted Conard as the acting chairman of the county committee for La Follettes campaign.

After attending Columbia University from 1925-26, Conard returned to Grinnell with a graduate degree in economics and sociology, which, in addition to her PhD from the University of Chicago, allowed her to join the College faculty. At Grinnell, Conard began her work in the economics department, but soon started teaching lectures on Introduction to Sociology, Social Origins and Social Control.

Sociology did not become an official major at the College until 1935 and existed solely as a minor in the economics department up until that point. Ferguson regards Conards role as one of the first teachers of sociology at the College as instrumental in turning sociology into a respected discipline at Grinnell.

Conard also became involved with the American Sociological Society and the National Council of Family Relations in the early 1930s.

During the 1930s, Conards life was largely characterized by her own political career. In 1932, she was nominated to run for governor of Iowa on the Socialist Party ticket and was the sole female candidate on the ballot.

The Daily Iowan wrote in September 1932 that in a talk given by Conard at the Johnson County Courthouse, she argued that, Socialism places human welfare above property rights. The old parties claim that the nation belongs to financiers, but we say it belongs to the workers with brain and muscle, and those who are looking for work.

Though Conard was not elected governor, her political career was far from over. In 1934, Conard was nominated to run for Iowas Fifth Congressional District, which then included Grinnell and Poweshiek County. Like her run for governor, Conard again came up short when the results of the election were tallied and she finished with 0.3 percent of the final vote.

Despite her two losses, Conards tireless attitude prompted her to be nominated by the Socialist Party yet again, this time in 1936, to run for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Daniel Kaiser, professor emeritus at Grinnell College, researched the life and legacy of Conard for his blog Grinnell Stories. He wrote that, if elected, Conard promised that the Socialist Party would solve the three great problems bequeathed to society by capitalism: inadequate food, clothing and housing for the masses; industrial autocracy; and the prevalence of war and militarism.



Conard received a total of 1,233 votes in the senate election, losing to Democratic Iowa governor Clyde Herring, who had also beaten her in the governors race of 1932. Though an official historical confirmation was never achieved, Kaiser notes in his research that Conard was apparently the first woman to stand for election in each of the three political campaigns she ran.

Following her political career, Conard continued to teach at the College, often incorporating her own political beliefs into her sociology courses and encouraged her students to engage in fieldwork as a method of understanding social problems, particularly poverty, in Grinnell.

After 15 years with the Grinnell College faculty, Conard retired in 1941 at the age of 70.

Teacher of Sociology Contributed Services Voluntarily for 15 years, wrote The S&B on Wednesday, March 26, 1941. Laetitia Moon Conard has the added distinction of having contributed her services without regular salary She has taught economics and sociology, at the same time carrying on an active life in public and social welfare work.

Conard was never hired as a professor despite her instrumental role in founding sociology at the College, instead serving as a volunteer lecturer of sociology during her years at the College.

In that same March 1941 article, the S&B refers to Conard as Mrs. Conard in the headline, rather than her well-deserved title of Dr. This was just one example of the sexism that Conard faced throughout her career, in an age when the faculty at nearly every college was overwhelmingly male.

At a celebratory dinner for the 1941 retirees, male professors like Edward Steiner were applauded for careers based in honor, dignity and courtesy, while Conard was praised for being, a good wife, friend, and teacher.

The attitudes of the academy or the society at large certainly at that time didnt make much room for women who were independent as Conard was, explained Kaiser.

Conards husband, Henry, has received significantly more attention and commemoration from the College. The Conard Environmental Research Area, a 365-acre field station located in Jasper County and owned by Grinnell College, is named after Henry Conard, not Laetitia.

We need to right the kind of wrong here where her life and contributions and accomplishments have been overshadowed by those of her husband at the College, said Ferguson. I was trying to bring her voice and personhood back to life for the department. Ferguson later added that she completed her research for the benefit of the broader campus as well.

Im thinking it would be kind of cool for the department to set up a scholarship or something in her honor if we could acquire funds, said Ferguson. I think that would also be cool to recognize her legacy.

Conard died on Nov. 29, 1946, and is buried at Westfield Cemetery, a short drive from the Grinnell College campus.

Why we should be remembering these women at Grinnell right now is [because] their voices and their contributions get forgotten, said Ferguson. To know that this highly educated progressive woman helped develop the Sociology Department and then contributed greatly to social justice movements in town and the state of Iowa  the political landscape in the state of Iowa  is amazing. She should be celebrated. She should be known.

Susan Fergusons research on Conard can be found here, Daniel Kaisers here and more information about Dorrie LaLondes work, who researched Conard for the Grinnell Historical Museum, can be seen here.
Houston rapper Paul Wall celebrates his 40th birthday today.

The self-proclaimed People's Champ recently made headlines for his individuality as a white rapper in the music industry, where the title "white rapper" isn't so common.

THE PEOPLE'S CHAMP PUTTING ON: Paul Wall is as Houston as it gets on Tik Tok

Wall recently spoke to Houston radio station 97.9 The Box about trending on social media and how fans have been praising the Houston emcee in honor of his birthday.

During the brief conversation, the rapper discussed participating in a Verzuz battle. The "Sittin Sidewayz" rapper was said that he was interested in participating in the viral event.

"It might be cool, depending on how it goes," Paul Wall said. "I enjoy watching the battles. But when you're doing it yourself I know that it's a lot that goes into it."

The rapper did confess if he were to participate in the now Triller-owned streaming event, the person who could match his energy and caliber would be none other than his fellow H-Town emcee, Chamillionaire.

"Maybe Chamillionaire. That would be cool to have my boy on there," the "Swangin in the Rain" rapper said.

A battle between the two Houston OGs would be epic, as the duo could be compared to a then Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. The two's work as the Color Changin' Click would have them revered as one of the most underrated rap duos ever.

It's nice to know that even at the age of 40, the "Still Tippin" emcee still has the "Internet Going Nutz."
Member of Parliament for Sekondi Constituency Andrew Egyapa Mercer says he will offer a 2,000 percent support for the Agyapa Minerals Royalties Transaction when it comes up in Parliament again, all things being equal.



The deal, despite being approved by Parliament on Friday, August 14, 2020, had to be suspended as a result of an order from the President.



The order followed the controversy that was stirred by a corruption-risk assessment conducted by the then Special Prosecutor, Martin Alamisi Amidu, in October 2020.



The assessment called into question the processes leading to the approval and cited then Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta for doing a bad job as regards due diligence on the deal.



It culminated in the resignation of Mr Amidu.



The reaction I received for daring to produce the Agyapa Royalties Limited Transactions anti-corruption report convinces me beyond any reasonable doubt that I was not intended to exercise any independence as the Special Prosecutor in the prevention, investigation, prosecution, and recovery of assets of corruption, Ghanas first Special Prosecutor wrote on Monday, November 16, 2020.



My position as the Special Prosecutor has consequently become clearly untenable.

On Monday, March 10, while delivering his first state-of-the-nation address in his second term, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo suggested that the controversial deal should be considered by the Eighth Parliament if it makes its way back.



In the course of this session of Parliament, Government will come back to engage the House on the steps it intends to take on the future of the Agyapa transaction, he hinted.



Speaking on The Key Points on TV3/3FM on Saturday, March 13, Mr Egyapa Mercer clarified that government never pulled the deal out of Parliament.



Parliament approved the transaction and documentation. However, because of the post-approval brouhaha, His Excellency the President indicated that they should suspend the process so that we can have further engagement, he noted.



He stressed, nonetheless, that the Minority Caucus, which walked out of the chamber during the approval session, had concerns with the deal because of its timing  near the 2020 elections  as they had approved the Minerals Income Investment Fund Act, Act 978, way back in 2018.



He said the only genuine concern one may raise about the transaction is valuation.



So, look, we can segregate the propaganda from the fact and I have said that a question that is raised that is legitimate relates to valuation.



I will not debate anybody who says that we dont have a problem with the transaction but are we getting good value for the Finance Ministry to now come and provide responses relative to the question of value?



If that question is answered, I support the Agyapa transaction 2,000 percent because it is good.



But Member of Parliament for Tamale North Constituency Alhassan Suhuyini, who was also on the weekend current affairs analysis show, argued that an assessment has to be made as regards the deal, taking into consideration its pros and cons.



He says when the pros outweigh the cons, there has to be fine-tuning somewhere but, for now, all indications show that the cons overshadow the pros, making the deal bad for Ghana.

Source: 3news









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BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to work with ASEAN countries, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) to deepen media cooperation and facilitate policy alignment, an official said on Friday.

Xu Lin, director of the State Council Information Office, made the remarks when attending the 6th Conference of ASEAN Plus Three Ministers Responsible for Information via video link.

He said that media cooperation between ASEAN, China, Japan and ROK has played an important role in strengthening the emotional bonds between people in the region and promoting people-to-people exchanges, adding that China is willing to work with all parties to create a good public-opinion environment for maintaining regional prosperity, stability and common development.

At the conference, the ministers and representatives expressed their hopes for continuing to promote cooperation on joint production and broadcasting, personnel training, new-media applications and media digital transformation.

[ Editor: WPY ]
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GOP Rep. Miller-Meeks Responds to Pelosi on Democrats Effort to Unseat Her

Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) responded to Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) telling reporters there is a chance that the Democrats investigation into Miller-Meeks election results could lead to the Representative being unseated and her opponent, Rita Hart, taking her place.

Miller-Meeks told Fox News on Monday that the public should be outraged at what the Democrats are attempting to do because her victory has been officially certified at many levels.

Well, its both disappointing and honestly people should be outraged, she said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Sunday excused Democrats who launched an investigation into possibly unseating an elected GOP House representative, explaining that the margin of victory was extremely slim.

It was six votes, Pelosi told ABC News on Sunday, noting the number of votes by which Miller-Meeks defeated her Democratic opponent, Hart.

Miller-Meeks was ultimately seated in Congress after votes were counted, recounted, and certified by the state. Several days ago, the House Administration Committee started a process that could lead to Miller-Meeks being unseated.

Miller-Meeks said that she was certified by her state and that Democrats did not raise any objections before or during her taking her oath of office, but now Hart has bypassed the Iowa courts and gone to Democrats in Congress to try to overturn the election results.

Let me just say that Rita Hart, in a media interview, in her own words said that she skipped over the Iowa courts rather than having the Iowa courts address these ballots. She skipped over the Iowa courts to go to Congress because they went to Congress to get the results that they need, not what the voters wanted, the votes that they need, said Miller-Meeks.

Meanwhile, Pelosi justified the Administration Committees investigation citing the very slim, 6-vote margin that Miller-Meeks won by.

It was six votes, and our candidate Rita Hart, the Democratic candidate asked for this process to begin, Pelosi told ABC. What the committee did, the House Administration Committee, was very narrow to take the process to the next step and see where it goes from there. An election of six votes out of 400,000 votes cast. This is not unique. This has happened, maybe even when you were in the Capitol before when races had been close one side or the others saying, lets take it to the House.

The former health official and Iowa doctor pushed back at Democrats effort to overturn her constituents 6 votes with 6 votes from Congress.

There are six Democrat members of the House Committee on Administration  and if six votes arent enough to win this election, then why are six votes of Democrat members of Congress enough to overturn an election.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
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Three more imported Covid-19 infection cases confirmed on Monday

Three more people have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 after returning to Vietnam from overseas, raising the total number of patients in the country to 2,557, the Ministry of Health reported on Monday evening.













Illustrative photo





According to the ministry's report, the new patients include two women and a man aged between 35-45 who recently returned from overseas to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Kien Giang Province.



They were sent to quarantine areas upon arrival and are now being treated at local hospitals.



With these new infection cases, the number of Covid-19 patients in Vietnam has increased to 2,557, including 901 locally-transmitted cases reported since the new outbreak started in Hai Duong on January 28. Hai Duong Province alone has recorded 717 cases.



As of 6 pm on March 15, a total of 2,115 Covid-19 patients had recovered and been discharged from hospital. There have been 35 deaths, most of them being the elderly with serious underlying diseases.



At present, nearly 40,000 people who had close contact with Covid-19 patients or returned from virus-hit areas are being monitored at hospitals, quarantine facilities, and at home.
Nemesysco, a leading Israeli group providing voice analytics technologies and solutions for genuine emotion detection, has signed up Spire Solutions, a leading value added distributor in the Middle East and Africa, for distribution of its voice analytics technologies and solutions across the Gulf region.

Spire Solutions will initially be focusing on promoting the human resources application of Nemesysco's Layered Voice Analysis (LVA) technology in the UAE.

Nemesysco's LVA technology is designed to reveal the genuine emotional state of a person. LVA detects and measures uncontrolled psychophysiological changes to a person's voice during open conversations.

The technology is indifferent to language or the content of speech and can detect and measure a range of emotions, including excitement, enthusiasm, assertiveness, aggression, stress, frustration, fatigue and more, said the statement from Nemesysco.

Spire Solutions is offering a voice analytics service based on Nemesysco's LVA technology to the human resource departments of various enterprises and government organizations.

This service allows managers and HR professionals to assess the personalities of candidates, including evaluating levels of honesty, and identify potential risks based on measurements of genuine emotional responses to questions during interviews and pre-employment testing.

These personality and risk assessments based on genuine emotion analysis allow HR teams to optimize their candidate selection processes by utilizing highly accurate data with higher levels of predictability than was previously available.

This service can also be used to conduct personality and risk assessments of existing employees and even external contractors and suppliers.

"We are honored to partner with Nemesysco and introduce its market leading Layered Voice Analysis solutions in the MEA region," said Sanjeev Walia, the Founder and President of Spire Solutions.

"We see a growing demand for remote recruitment and remote working, which are increasing organizational risks. Using Nemesysco's advanced voice analysis and emotion detection, we will be helping customers recruit the right talent via pre-employment integrity and personality evaluation. Also, we will be focusing on other areas such as enhancing customer happiness by capturing genuine emotional cues and supporting fraud investigations," explained Walia.

Spire Solution will also be targeting law enforcement agencies, call centers and financial service providers with a solution for risk assessment based on Nemesysco's LVA technology.

At a later stage, Spire Solutions is planning to expand the geographic reach for Nemesysco's solutions it is offering to include additional countries across the Middle East and selected countries in Africa, he added.

Nemesysco CEO Amir Liberman said: "We are tremendously pleased with how quickly synergies developed between the teams of both companies and have strong expectations for achieving mutual success with Spire."

"We see our cooperation with Spire as not only meaningful from the business perspective, but also as a testament for the benefits of peace and cooperation between our two countries that only a short time ago was not even imaginable," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
[March 15, 2021] Hunters' Open XDR Wins Gold in Sweep of 2021 Cybersecurity Industry Awards

NEWTON, Mass. and TEL AVIV, Israel, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hunters today announced that its open, XDR platform scaling SOC threat detection and response has achieved the highest level of recognition from The Globee Awards and Cybersecurity Insiders Excellence Awards in nine categories combined. The awards honor companies that demonstrate excellence, innovation and leadership in information security and vendors with advanced, ground-breaking products, solutions and services.

Hunters won gold in the following categories from Cybersecurity Excellence Awards by Cybersecurity Insiders amongst Middle East entrants: Threat Detection, Intelligence and Response (between 10 - 49 employees)

Data-centric Security

Machine Learning

Advanced Persistent Threat Protection (APT)

Breach Protection

Threat Hunting The Globee Awards Cyber Security Global Excellence Awards recognized Hunters with gold for: Startup of the Year, Artificial Intelligence in Security

Hot Security Company of the Year, Artificial Intelligence in Security

Silver winner: Startup of the Year, Security Software

Hunters stood out to the judges with its open, knowledge-powered XDR solution that harnesses adversary expertise and machine learning to proactively detect and respond to threats while interconnecting the entire attack urface  endpoint, cloud, network, identity and email. SaaS-delivered, Hunters seamlessly ingests petabytes of organizational data and security telemetry to search for alerts, identifying it even out of the noisiest attack signals, and automatically analyze, score and correlate threat leads. Using a proprietary Knowledge Graph, Hunters XDR provides analysts with detailed attack stories and context for effective investigation and rapid response.



In the past year, Hunters was also honored by Security Currents CISO Choice Awards for the Security Analytics and Security Operations categories, as well as Red Herrings Top 100 Europe . To learn more about Hunters XDR, join Hunters and Snowflake for a live webinar , Moving Beyond SIEM, on March 17th, at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT.

Hunters is also participating in Dark Readings panel , XDR: What Is It and How Does It Work In Real Life? on March 25th. About the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards

The Cybersecurity Excellence Awards recognize ground-breaking companies, leaders and products that demonstrate innovation and leadership in the information security community. The awards are produced by Cybersecurity Insiders in partnership with the Information Security Community on LinkedIn, tapping into over 400,000+ cybersecurity professionals' vast experience to honor the world's best cybersecurity products, professionals and organizations. About the Globee Awards

Globee Awards are conferred in eleven programs honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind their success. The Globee Awards recognize outstanding achievements and performances in businesses worldwide. Learn more about the Globee Awards at https://globeeawards.com About Hunters

Hunters  Security Made Better. The Hunters XDR platform scales threat detection and response across the attack surface, helping companies maximize value from their security investments, boosting SOC impact, and enabling analysts to focus on what matters. Hunters flexibly integrates with security tools such as EDR, cloud, identity, network, and others, connecting all telemetry using a proprietary knowledge graph, and automatically contextualizing, correlating and investigating threat signals, turning them into actionable findings. Coupled with data lake technology, Hunters offers a modern SIEM alternative that is agile and scales with your organizational needs. Learn more at Hunters.AI. Media Contact

Deb Montner

Montner Tech PR

dmontner@montner.com



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
This week's seven-state swing by the first and second families is just the beginning: The White House is mapping a multi-week campaign  in red and blue states  to sell the COVID stimulus.

Why it matters: President Biden's top advisers see the $1.9 trillion relief bill, which Biden signed Thursday, as the key to solidifying his political fortunes. The bill's strong bipartisan approval ratings supply Democrats with an opportunity to bludgeon Republicans in states that will determine elections for the foreseeable future.

What we're hearing ... Team Biden has broken each day into themes emphasizing different benefits of the bill, according to an administration official familiar with the plans:

Today, Biden will launch what he's branding the "Help is Here" campaign with a speech at the White House. Vice President Harris and the Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will headline a launch event in Nevada. Dr. Jill Biden, a teacher, will travel to New Jersey to emphasize the impact of the bill on schools and students.

Biden will launch what he's branding the "Help is Here" campaign with a speech at the White House. Vice President Harris and the Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will headline a launch event in Nevada. Dr. Jill Biden, a teacher, will travel to New Jersey to emphasize the impact of the bill on schools and students. Tuesday's theme will be "help for small business." The president will fly to Pennsylvania, and the vice president and second gentleman will visit Colorado.

theme will be "help for small business." The president will fly to Pennsylvania, and the vice president and second gentleman will visit Colorado. Wednesday  "help for schools"  will feature the first lady in New Hampshire and the second gentleman in New Mexico.

 "help for schools"  will feature the first lady in New Hampshire and the second gentleman in New Mexico. Thursday  "help to stay in your home"  will highlight measures in the bill to cover back rent, protect people against eviction and aid people experiencing homelessness.

 "help to stay in your home"  will highlight measures in the bill to cover back rent, protect people against eviction and aid people experiencing homelessness. Friday  "help immediately with direct checks"  will have Biden and Harris in Georgia.

Biden, who has yet to do a press conference as president, has granted a one-on-one interview to ABC's George Stephanopoulos, which will air Wednesday on Good Morning America.
 

Loan of 13.8 million for Kokhavynska Paper Factory

FINTECC incentive grant for energy efficiency upgrades

Donor support through EU4Business fund in Ukraine

The Ukrainian paper producer Kokhavynska Paper Factory (KPF) will reach the next stage of its development thanks to a 13.8 million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

The financing will support the expansion of KPFs product range, an increase in production capacity and improvements to the companys operating efficiency. These will be achieved through investment in new equipment, which will allow KPF to enter the pulp-based-tissue market segment. The new production facility will have a full-cycle, in-house manufacturing process.

In addition, more than 1 million will be allocated to the modernisation of a wastewater filtering facility as well as to energy efficiency and climate adaptation measures. These improvements will help to reduce water usage and to cut CO 2 emissions by 2,400 tonnes a year.

The energy efficiency improvements will be supported with an incentive grant of US$ 131,433 provided by the EBRDs Finance and Technology Transfer Centre for Climate Change (FINTECC) programme, which is designed to transfer technology in the areas of climate change mitigation and adaptation.

KPF has also benefited from technical cooperation in the form of a grant from the EU4Business fund in Ukraine used for pre- and post-investment support. In addition, KPF was supported by advisory services, focused on market research and the development of a business plan, provided under the Small Business Impact Fund (United States of America, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Sweden, the TaiwanBusiness-EBRD Technical Cooperation Fund and Norway).

Kokhavynska Paper Factory is one of the largest producers of recycled base paper and tissue and is located in western Ukraine. The company dates back to 1938, when the plant was built with the involvement of experts from Germany, Poland and Sweden. In the 1990s, the factory underwent voucher privatisation and is currently owned by 173 shareholders.

Following the privatisation, KPF rebuilt its old tissue production machines and acquired new additional one, as well as launching a production line for sanitary tissue products. The company now operates two tissue machines with a total capacity of 40,000 tonnes of base paper per year and has a total of seven production lines for sanitary tissue.

The EBRD is the largest international financial investor in Ukraine. To date, the Bank has made a cumulative commitment of 14.5 billion through 489 projects in the country.
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.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14) - A total of 9,634 cops will be deployed to the National Capital Region as the region implements uniform curfew hours, which will be from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., starting Monday, March 15.

Philippine National Police officer-in-charge Lt. General Guillermo Eleazar on Sunday said the cops will come from the Quezon City Police District, Manila Police District, Eastern Police District, Western Police District, Northern Police District, and Southern Police District to assist various local government units in enforcing the curfew.

Eleazar also said that police augmentation will come from the Highway Patrol Group, the Reactionary Standby Support Force, and other units that have already conducted similar operations before.

NCR mayors agreed last week to implement uniform curfew hours in a bid to control the spike of COVID-19 cases in the region. Meanwhile, some cities have also imposed localized lockdowns.

The PNP added that 373 checkpoints will also be set up.

Eleazar said in a statement that the deployment of cops in Metro Manila and in Cebu City last year compelled the people to behave and eventually resulted in the reduction of COVID-19 cases.

Moreover, the PNP reminded cops to observe maximum tolerance and respect peoples rights. The police also advised the public to observe minimum health protocols and respect law enforcers.

"Let us bear in mind that your PNP is not the enemy here, our common enemy is the coronavirus, and it takes our cooperation to contain the spread of the virus," said Eleazar.

Among those who are exempted from the curfew hours are medical frontliners, people dealing with medical emergencies, drivers of delivery trucks, people delivering essential goods, private employees who are on their way to and from work, construction workers, media workers, people coming to and arriving from airport, private transportation drivers, security guards, and fast-food restaurant employees.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairperson Benhur Abalos earlier clarified that essential workers who are on duty, or who will be going to or coming home from work during curfew hours will still be exempted as long as they present their IDs to authorities.

Liquor ban

On the other hand, the Quezon City government suspended the retail sale of alcoholic beverage starting Monday until end-March.

The city government will also close all gyms, spas and internet cafes for two weeks, following a serious outbreak in an unidentified gym.
Just over six years ago ( ) was a sub-15mln investment trust on the verge of liquidating itself.

Instead, a team led by chief executive Tony Dalwood, the former boss of  global private equity arm, and chairman Anthony Townsend, former chair of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC), launched a management buyout with the aim of transforming it into an asset management business.

Today, Gresham House has a market valuation of around 250mln and 4bn of assets under management, after asset growth of 42% over the past year.

The expansion has been driven by canny acquisitions and strong organic growth with a focus on environmental and socially responsible investments.

With client demand for these specialist areas of investment growing ever stronger and a management team that remains hungry, there is plenty of room for further organic and acquisitive growth.

For investors, asset managers can be attractive businesses. As the cost base is fairly fixed, growing assets should lead to bumper profits, with strong levels of cash that can either be spent on acquisitions or returned to shareholders.

Gresham House is keen to do both.

For 2020 the dividend was hiked 33% and ambitious is Dalwoods emphatic one-word answer to describe the companys acquisition aspirations.

I could embellish but Ill just say we are an ambitious company  and we want people to be proud of being part of what we are doing, so that they know that they're not just part of a machine but something that is making a difference.

Two purchases were agreed in the past year, the most recent being Appian, an Ireland-based active asset manager with roughly 330mln of assets centred around funds investing in equities, property, infrastructure and forestry. Once completed this 4.55mln deal will give the group access to the European Union. This followed last Marchs 7mln acquisition of TradeRisks, a specialist housing fund manager and provider of debt structuring and advisory services to the housing and social infrastructure sectors, which also brought a mandate to manage the Residential Secure Income PLC (LON:RESI) investment trust.

The year before that was spent integrating another pair of additions: Livingbridge VC, the UK-based manager of the Baronsmead venture capital trusts (VCTs) and two open-ended funds, which was picked up for 30mln potentially rising to 40mln; and FIM, a specialist in UK real assets, specifically sustainable forestry and renewable energy investments, which was bought for up to 25mln.

Dalwood is keen to keep growing the business organically too, with the headcount growing by 20% excluding acquisitions in each of the last two years.

This is to support an ever-growing range of fund products.

Building on the step-up in housing provided by the TradeRisks addition, the company is about to launch a shared ownership limited partnership fund in the next couple of months.

A UK forestry growth fund and a platform for forestry carbon credits are both in the pipeline too, using expertise in a space where the company has a 40-year track record, as well as a second British Sustainable Infrastructure Fund and a new private renewables fund.

These new funds will grow assets at different rates, depending on the areas.

Our Sustainable Infrastructure fund, for example, has got a lot of momentum, Dalwood explains. Compared to when were launching a new renewables fund and/or a shared-ownership housing funds, these are new so youve got to build that momentum so they will take a longer time to build.

During 2020, what was a tough year for most industries to survive, let alone pursue new avenues of growth, the AIM-listed company did not stand still.

Expansion was spread across asset classes, with the strategic equity team, which manages the Gresham House Strategic investment trust, growing public equity assets 80% to 508mln to more than offset a 3% dip for private equity to 412mln, while in real assets, forestry grew 36% to 1.8bn, new energy and sustainable infrastructure 41% to 932mln and housing by 230% to 307mln.

Helping drive the strategic equity growth, a 150mln mandate was won to manage Strategic Equity Capital, a small-cap equities investment trust, and the stable of Baronsmead VCTs raised 57mln. In real assets, the addition of the Residential Secure Income trust added 184mln of AUM, while the Energy Storage Fund exceeded its target with a 150mln secondary fundraise, the British Strategic Investment institutional fund hit its 300mln fundraising target, and the first Forest Fund closed a 108mln fundraising.

The GH25 five-year strategic plan unveiled in early 2020 set the aim of growing AUM to 6bn by 2025, with a step-change in operating margins to 40% from last years level of 29.6%.

A large portion of the groups assets are managed on behalf of institutional investors, pension schemes and high-net-worth investors, where demand for environmental, social and governance (ESG) funds is accelerating, as it is with retail investors.

For private investors there is plenty to choose from in the Gresham House range.

Among its investment trusts, those with an ESG bent or looking for a mix of income and sustainability might be attracted to the ( ). This offers access to the battery storage asset class, which is a niche that is loaded with huge potential as Britains increasing reliance on renewable energy means demand is mounting for industrial scale batteries to help balance supply and demand.

As this fund matures it should provide a utility-style income profile, as currently offered by the groups range of forestry, timber, wind and solar funds  though these are more suitable for high-net-worth and sophisticated investors.

Two other investment trusts give exposure to UK small caps: ( ) and ( ), both are using a specialist private equity type approach to investing which has generated outperformance over 20 years and have a concentrated portfolio looking to tap into the UKs recovery and some of the large valuation discounts out there. Open-ended funds include the UK Micro Cap, UK Smaller Companies, UK Multi Cap Income.

For investors seeking to invest in earlier stage growth opportunities that provide tax efficiency, the Baronsmead VCTs offer a generalist focus on smaller growth companies.
(Natural News) When George Orwells prophetic book 1984 was published in 1949, there was no way even he could have known what a visionary he was.

A novel about a dystopian future featuring an all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful central government, there was no way anything like that could ever happen in the United States or any of Europes liberal, civil rights-protecting democraciesright?

Wrong.

While Orwells date  1984  might have been just a tad premature, it wasnt by much. Not long after, within a decade, the world would embrace the Internet, which would then be mastered and taken over by a handful of big tech companies that learned everything about everyone and used that information to profit and consolidate power.

And curry favor with authoritarians in government, many of whom have now exposed themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Perpetual lockdowns, closing of businesses, and the curbing of constitutional liberties have all pretty much gone on with little resistance, from we the people, save a protest here and there. And because of that, the elites in big tech and government who know us better than we know ourselves and who now control virtually every aspect of our lives are using their power in the most authoritarian manner.

In a corporatist system of government, wherein there is no meaningful separation between corporate power and state power, corporate censorship is state censorship, modern-day visionary and libertarian Caitlin Johnstone wrote in August 2018.

She was already aware of the unholy alliance forming between big tech and big government deep state types who were laying the groundwork for tyranny in the not too distant future. All they lacked was a triggering event.

The Chinese Communist government gave them one  conveniently, many people believe, given the fact that, at the time, Donald Trump was eating Chinas lunch.

Johnstone wrote:

Last year, representatives of Facebook, Twitter, and Google were instructed on the US Senate floor that it is their responsibility to quell information rebellions and adopt a mission statement expressing their commitment to prevent the fomenting of discord.

Civil wars dont start with gunshots, they start with words, the representatives were told. Americas war with itself has already begun. We all must act now on the social media battlefield to quell information rebellions that can quickly lead to violent confrontations and easily transform us into the Divided States of America.

At the time, the big tech platforms had already begun silencing dissenting voices, a practice which has only quickened in the few years since, extending all the way to a former president of the United States, proving once and for all whos really in charge of information flow.

Today, these same tyrants are now using the excuse of quelling disinformation to further control the flow, end all dissent, and transform America into an unquestioning society of propagandized bots.

Were seeing this play out with the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Reuters reported last week that the Biden regime has reached out to big tech companies including Facebook, Twitter and Alphabet Incs Google to insist the platforms clamp down on COVID misinformation.

President Joe Biden, who has raced to curb the pandemic since taking office, has made inoculating Americans one of his top priorities and called the move a wartime effort. But tackling public fear about taking the vaccine has emerged as a major impediment for the administration, the newswire reported further.

First things first: Bidens mind is gone, so this isnt his effort, it is an effort being guided by the Marxist handlers behind the scene.

Secondly, this pandemic has been used by some of the same people as a cudgel to destroy our Bill of Rights, our electoral system, and our ability to share pertinent, counter-info that actually makes us better informed.

And its only going to get worse.

Disinformation that causes vaccine hesitancy is going to be a huge obstacle to getting everyone vaccinated and there are no larger players in that than the social media platforms, one administration source told Reuters.

Get the picture? Take the vaccine if you want any semblance of a life back, shut up about it, and if you have safety questions, keep them to yourself or suffer the consequences.

George Orwell predicted 2021 in 1949.

See more reporting like this at Tyranny.news.

Sources include:

Reuters.com

CaitlinJohnstone.com
The Polar Bear Hotel, part of the Harbin Polarland theme park in Heilongjiang, China, opened its gates this week to full bookings and criticism from animal lovers, after it was reported that all the rooms offer guests round the clock viewing of a polar bear enclosure.

Marketed as the worlds first polar bear hotel, the newest attraction at Harbin Polarland was jointly designed by famous Russian designer Kozylenko Natalia Yefremovna and Japanese theme park designer Shuji Miyajima. Its built around a small polar bear enclosure, allowing guests to look at two captive polar bears both from the ground floor and from any of the 21 rooms available. The concept has attracted a lot of attention, both from people willing to pay a premium to book a room, and from animal activists who accused the establishment of profiting from the animals misery.

Photo: YouTube

Polar bears belong in the Arctic, not in zoos or glass boxes in aquariums  and certainly not in hotels, Jason Baker, senior vice president at animal rights group PETA said. Polar bears are active for up to 18 hours a day in nature, roaming home ranges that can span thousands of miles, where they enjoy a real life.

A panoramic prison for polar bears havent we learned anything about animal cruelty? one person commented on Chinese social media.

Photo: China News Service

Gaps in Chinas wildlife protection law allows businesses to exploit animals without any concern for their welfare, someone else complained.

A spokesperson for the Polar Bear Hotel responded to the criticism by saying that the indoor area viewable by guests is only part of the bears total enclosure, and that they are allowed outside when the temperature and air quality permit it. That has done little to appease the general public, though, as photos of the tiny enclosure, featuring two small pools, fake rocks and ice continued doing the rounds online.



But despite the controversy surrounding its treatment of endangered animals, Harbins Polar Bear Hotel opened to full bookings and a lot of interest from visitors of the Harbin Polarland theme park. Apparently, the concept of having polar bears as neighbors, even for just one night, proved really popular. So popular, in fact, that people have no problem paying between $290 and $352 per night, to book a room
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

A two-month ban on catching and selling crabs has gone into effect from today.

This was announced yesterday by Agriculture and Marine Resources Directorate Undersecretary Dr Nabil Abul Fateh who said the clamp is aimed at preserving Bahrains marine resources and biodiversity in the territorial waters of the Kingdom.

The ban, which will last until May 15, during the breeding season of the crabs is expected to increase in their numbers.

It is part of the implementation of Resolution No. (52) of 2016 regarding the ban issued by the Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, Eng.Essam bin Abdullah Khalaf.

Maritime supervision teams, in co-operation with the authorities concerned, will launch monitoring operations to prevent any violations of this decision.

The law regarding the ban specifies that during the yearly ban it is prohibited to have nets, tools, or any means to catch crabs on the decks of boats in the areas designated for crabbing, as well as areas for docking boats if their purpose is to catch crabs during the ban.
Married At First Sight fans were left furious during Monday night's episode after bisexual groom Liam Cooper was outed at his wedding to Georgia Fairweather.

The 29-year-old was talking with the show's other participants when Rebecca Zemek outright asked him about his sexuality.

The uncomfortable exchange sent fans flocking to Twitter, with many viewers convinced Liam had been set up by the show's producers.

Put on the spot: Married At First Sight fans were left furious during Monday night's episode after bisexual groom Liam Cooper (pictured) was outed at his wedding to Georgia Fairweather

'That was not okay how Liam was put on the spot like that,' tweeted one viewer, while another commented, 'It would be the producers setting Liam up like that.'

Added another: 'Reality TV being what it is, if that convo about Liam was staged or planned, #MAFS just sunk to a new level of s**t.'

'So the producers chose the worse human on the planet to casually out Liam...' tweeted one furious viewer of Beck, 27.

Not cool: The 29-year-old was talking with the show's other participants when Rebecca Zemek (pictured) outright asked him about his sexuality

Conspiracy: The uncomfortable exchange sent fans flocking to Twitter, with many viewers convinced Liam had been set up by the show's producers

Others claimed Liam being outed so publicly without having any say in it was reprehensible.

'No one should be forced to come out like that on national TV. I want to give Liam a big hug,' wrote one viewer.

'F**k #MAFS for pushing a bi scandal storyline. Super disrespectful to not only Liam but also your viewers. @MarriedAU reflect,' tweeted another.

'No one should be forced to come out like that on national TV. I want to give Liam a big hug,' wrote one viewer. Pictured with bride Georgia Fairweather

Outrage: Some fans claimed Liam being outed so publicly without having any say in it was reprehensible

'I'm bisexual myself and the way your producers advertised this episode and treated Liam's bisexuality like a scandal possibility was disgusting.'

Commented another: 'I feel really sad for Liam that that's how his sexuality came out... nobody deserves that'.

After Liam and Georgia stopped by the table with the show's other brides and grooms, Beck asked the newly married couple what their 'non-negotiables' were.

'So the producers chose the worse human on the planet to casually out Liam...' tweeted one furious viewer of Beck, 27

'I feel really sad for Liam that that's how his sexuality came out... nobody deserves that,' tweeted one viewer

Liam said he didn't have any, which only encouraged Beck to push further, outing him in front of the group and his new bride.

'So what happens if they didn't swing your way? Is that a non-negotiable?' Beck asked, putting Liam on the spot.

After piecing it all together, a stunned Georgia, 25, turned to Liam and asked: 'Are you bisexual?'

'So what happens if they didn't swing your way? Is that a non-negotiable?' Beck asked, putting Liam on the spot

A red-faced Liam then fell silent as Beck and Georgia both burst out laughing.

Nodding his head, a clearly humiliated Liam finally confessed: 'I am, yeah. Yeah, yeah.'

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Channel Nine for comment.
Join Animals Asia with a monthly donation

Thank you for considering a monthly donation to Animals Asia. From rescuing bears from the horrors of bile farming to working towards an end to the cat and dog meat trade and wild animal performances in circuses, zoos and safari parks, the money you donate today could save animals from a lifetime of suffering. Youll also be supporting our public outreach and education work within the local communities to change attitudes towards animals and foster compassion throughout Asia. Why choose Animals Asia?

Animals Asia has improved the lives of thousands of animals since we began rescuing bears in 1994. We have world-class, award-winning bear rescue centres in Chengdu, China and Tam Dao, Vietnam and are the only organisation to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Vietnam government to end bear bile farming in Vietnam for good.

Were an organisation that gets things done and we wont rest until all animals are safe from harm and respected in their own right.

By joining Animals Asia with a monthly gift, you'll be playing your part in making sure that no animal ever suffers again.

Your impact

Without the kindness and generosity of our donors we couldnt carry out our vital work. Below are just some of the incredible achievements made possible by coming together to help animals.

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Today

Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 77F. Winds light and variable.

Tonight

Cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.

Tomorrow

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 78F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Oscar nominations were announced Monday and the list is full of movies you probably didnt see or maybe never even heard of.

You can thank the pandemic for that. Studios shelved many of their blockbusters and potential Oscar nominees for 2020 until later this year when moviegoers, they hope, are more able and willing to return to theaters.

So, we didnt get to see Steven Spielbergs West Side Story or Wes Andersons The French Dispatch. Instead, the unprecedented circumstances gave streaming services and smaller films that might have otherwise gotten lost in the shuffle a chance to grab the Academys attention. Thats not to say the field of nominees is weaker this year, just different.

Still, there are always a few surprises and snubs we didnt see coming. Here are 10 of the most glaring.

 Related: This years Oscar Nominations have multiple Cleveland connections

Surprise: LaKeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah

Stanfields FBI informant William ONeal is clearly the heart of the film, so hearing his name called in the supporting actor category was a bit of a head-scratcher. Even so, his co-star Daniel Kaluuya is still by far the favorite to win the Oscar for his role as Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton.

Surprise: Judas and the Black Messiah

The movie, which scored only two Golden Globe nominations, landed six Oscar nominations including best picture, making it the most acclaimed movie shot in Cleveland since 1978s The Deer Hunter.

Snub: Black-led films

It was an incredible year for Black ensemble films and Black filmmakers. Judas and the Black Messiah, Ma Raineys Black Bottom, One Night In Miami, Da 5 Bloods and The United States vs. Billie Holiday won over critics and audiences alike. Yet, only one -- Judas and the Black Messiah -- was nominated for best picture, while none of their directors were recognized. Its shameful only six Black directors have been nominated for an Academy Award in the ceremonys 93-year history.

 Watch Ma Raineys Black Bottom on Netflix

Suprise/snub: Female directors

The Academy has an equally poor record of recognizing women directors. So, when Chloe Zhao (Nomadland) and Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) became the sixth and seventh women ever nominated in the category, it marked the first time in history that more than one female director was nominated in the same year. Zhao is also the first Chinese woman and the first woman of color to be nominated. Still, Regina King, who was considered a contender for her directorial debut in One Night In Miami, was left out.

 Stream Nomadland on Hulu

Surprise: Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round

This nomination for best director seemingly came out of nowhere, leaving Regina King, Shaka King (Judas and the Black Messiah), Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods), Aaron Sorkin (The Trial of the Chicago 7), Florian Zeller (The Father) and Darius Marder (The Sound of Metal) on the outside looking in.

Surprise: Diversity

The Academy has been trying to shed its #OscarsSoWhite reputation for a while and this year was a step in the right direction, at least in the acting categories. 9 out of the 20 acting nominees are people of color-- including three each in the lead actor and supporting actor categories. Steven Yeun (Minari) and Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) made history by becoming the first Asian American and first person of Pakistani descent, respectively, to be nominated for an acting Oscar. But there were a few omissions, too, notably Da 5 Bloods stars Delroy Lindo and Chadwick Boseman and Minari actors Yeri Han and Alan Kim (see below).

 Stream Sound of Metal on Amazon Prime Video

This image released by A24 shows Alan S. Kim in a scene from "Minari." (David Bornfriend/A24 via AP)

Snub: Alan Kim, Minari

This movie about a Korean familys search for the American dream landed six nods, which ties it with five other films for the second-highest number of nominations. But the Academy once again showed its bias against child actors (see: Jojo Rabbit last year) by failing to make 8-year-old Alan Kim, who recently took home a Critics Choice award, the youngest actor nominated for an Oscar since Justin Henry in Kramer vs. Kramer in 1979.

 Stream Minari at A21films.com

Surprise/snub: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

The year was full of stellar performances by actresses in supporting roles, but none perhaps was braver than Maria Bakalova, who was subjected to the advances of Rudy Giuliani and deserves any and all of the awards. The nomination is one of two the mockumentary received-- the other is for best adapted screenplay. But the Academy missed a layup by ignoring the laugh-out-loud far-right rally anthem Wuhan Flu for best original song.

 Watch Borat Subsequent Moviefilm on Amazon Prime Video

Elizabeth Debicki and John David Washington star in "Tenet." (Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures/TNS)TNS

Snub: Tenet

Remember when we all thought the release of Christopher Nolans bombastic spy thriller six months into the pandemic was going to save the movie industry? Well, needless to say, the film fell short of those expectations and could only muster two noms -- for visual effects and production design -- and none, incredibly, for sound.

Tom Holland in Cherry," premiering globally March 12, 2021 on Apple TV+.

Snub: Cherry

Apple had high hopes for Joe and Anthony Russos Cherry, the Cleveland duos most personal film to date about the opioid crisis. Tom Hollands performance was praised by critics and the film had a unique visual style that couldve made it a player in the technical categories. Instead, the film was shut out. Perhaps the brothers will get some Oscar love for their next film, The Gray Man, coming in 2022.

 Watch Cherry on Apple TV+

 Related: Russo brothers come home, team up with sister to make Cherry, their most personal film yet

The 93rd Oscars ceremony airs Sunday, April 25 on ABC.
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New Delhi: Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah not to offend farmers protesting against the Centre's new agriculture laws. Speaking at an event in his home district, Baghpat (UP), Malik said if the Centre gives a legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) for crops, farmers will relent.

Siding with protesting farmers, the Meghalaya Governor also claimed that he prevented the arrest of farmer leader Rakesh Tikait when he heard rumours about it, adding that he had requested the prime minister and the home minister not to use force against farmers, and not to send them home from Delhi empty-handed.

Urging PM Modi and Home Minister Shah not to offend farmers, Malik said, "None of the laws is in favour of farmers. The country in which farmers and soldiers are not satisfied, that country cannot move ahead. That country cannot be saved. Hence, the Army and farmers should be kept satisfied."

Describing the condition of farmers as bad, Malik is quoted by PTI as saying, "They are getting poorer day by day while the salary of government officials and staff increases after every three years. Whatever is sown by a farmer is cheap and whatever he buys is expensive."

Malik said, "They do not know how they are becoming poor. The 'satyanaash' (annihilation) of the farmers is taking place without their knowledge. When they go to sow (crops), there is some price, and when they go to reap it, the price decreases by almost Rs 300."

"A lot of noise was created that farmers can now sell (crops) at any place. This is a 15-year-old law. Despite this, when a farmer from Mathura goes to Palwal with wheat, there is a lathicharge on him. When a farmer from Sonipat comes to Narela, there is a lathicharge on him," Malik said.

He further said that "There are many questions of farmers, which must be answered. Today, there is no law in favour of farmers. This has to be corrected. I want to assure you that in the matter of farmers, I will go to any extent to solve their problems."

Live TV

"The Sikh community does not back down and forget things even after 300 years. Indira Gandhi (ex-PM) had got the ''Mahamrityunjay Mantra Jaap'' done for a month after the Operation Blue Star. Arun Nehru told me that when he asked her that you do not believe is such rituals, then why are you performing these, she said you don't know, I have damaged their 'Akal Takht'. They will not spare me," he said, referring to Sikh farmers protesting against the laws.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 81F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
"So many incredible employees walk through the doors of Express offices every day, and as hard as it was to choose one overall winner, we are grateful to Lawrence for his incredible work ethic and giving spirit," - Express CEO Bill Stoller

Express Employment Professionals put 526,000 people to work in 2020 supporting local businesses all over the world, but one mans willingness to go above and beyond for companies in Montana stood out, earning him the distinction of being named the staffing companys Employee of the Year.

Lawrence Ornelas was one of five nominees for the Express Employee of the Year award, ultimately securing the top honor at Express International Leadership Conference (ILC). He was initially awarded $1,000 from Express as the Employee of the Year winner for his region, eventually winning $5,000 as the overall winner, plus $3,000 in lieu of traveling in-person to this years conference due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Ornelas has been placed on 36 assignments with the local Express office and owners Cheri and Jordan Nelson say he is always willing to take those last-minute jobs to grow and learn.

Lawrence has had good times, as well as struggles while working through Express these past five years, Jordan said. Through it all, we have supported him by believing in him and he has shown his appreciation through his dedication and hard work.

For the nomination, Nelson reached out to one of Ornelas supervisors at the local fairgrounds who said Ornelas was one of his most trusted employees, having access keys to every door at the facility and more, to the point that hed have even trusted him to house-sit at his home!

One year, the Kalispell office conducted a food drive to donate to the Veterans Food Pantry as part of the companys philanthropic efforts through the Brand It Blue Initiative. After mentioning in passing they could use help taking the donations to the food pantry and unloading them, Ornelas was the only employee to show up to help.

If we had more people like Lawrence, the world would be a better place, supervisor Tim Harmon said. I know that sounds corny, but its true. He has a sense of calmness and in the years that I have known him, he has never gotten upset or kicked rocks.

Reluctant to take credit for his work, Tim said Ornelas is a true team player and always uses the word we when given a compliment.

We are so excited for Lawrence to be recognized as Express Employee of the Year, Jordan said. He is very deserving of the recognition so everyone can celebrate his accomplishments and know what a truly exceptional man he is.

The remaining four nominees also received $1,000 as regional Employee of the Year winners, and $3,000 each, like Ornelas, in place of attending the usual in-person annual conference.

So many incredible employees walk through the doors of Express offices every day, and as hard as it was to choose one overall winner, we are grateful to Lawrence for his incredible work ethic and giving spirit, Express CEO Bill Stoller said. We congratulate the regional winners, as well, and thank them for their dedication to helping local businesses thrive.

Other nominees for Employee of the Year included:



Linda ByrdKansas City, Missouri

Desiree RodriguezHolland, Michigan

Hermane PrevilonParsippany, New Jersey

Bernard WhittAthens, Georgia

###

If you would like to arrange for an interview with Bill Stoller to discuss this topic, please contact Sheena (Karami) Hollander, 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 9 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 526,000 people globally in 2020. For more information, visit http://www.ExpressPros.com.
Lucknow, March 15 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday called for a dialogue between the protesting farmers and the union government.

Appealing to the agitating farmers, who have been upset over the new farm laws since they were passed in September last year, Rajnath Singh said any problem can be resolved through talks.

"The BJP's resolve is to double the farmers' income, and in no case, the MSP will end," he said, referring to the apprehension among farmers who have been agitating on the Delhi borders since November 26, 2020.

Singh, who was addressing a meeting of the BJP state executive in Lucknow, said: "We are all from farmers' families and we are ready for amendments and solutions, whatever is needed in the interest of agriculture." He focused on the role of grassroots workers in the Bhartiya Janata Party and said this was the only party which has not seen a split so far.

"This is not a crowd of workers aiming to gain power but a lively party which has a political vision," he said.

Commenting on the construction of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the minister said: "People used to say that whenever elections come, BJP leaders speak about construction of the Ram temple. It is a coincidence that when the structure fell in Ayodhya, there was a BJP government in the UP, and Kalyan Singh was the chief minister. And when the foundation stone for construction of the Ram temple was laid, there was a BJP government in UP, and Yogi Adityanath was the chief minister." Referring to the face-off with China in Ladakh last year, the minister said, "Our Army jawans have been displayed courage and valour with patience. We do not wish to attack anyone but will not tolerate the grabbing of our land." He further said no power on earth can stop India from becoming a global superpower.

Singh claimed that in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, the BJP will get more seats than its 2017 tally.

Addressing party workers, he said they cannot complain of any injustice to them by the party.

"I never made any demands and just kept working. We are lucky that we got an opportunity to become BJP workers," he added.

Citing the example of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, "Credibility is the biggest capital in politics and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an example of this."
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South Africa: Committee to assess progress on North West Section 100 intervention

Parliaments Ad Hoc Committee on section 100 Intervention in the North West will visit the province this week to assess progress and the impact of the intervention.

In a statement on Sunday, the committee said central to its visit, is to assess if the intervention has had a direct impact on service delivery and the lives of the people of the province.

Cabinet in May 2018 placed the province under administration following several governance lapses.

According to Section 100 of the Constitution, national government interventions in a provincial administration may take place when a province cannot or does not fulfil an executive obligation in terms of the Constitution or legislation.

The visit is constitutionally mandated as Section 100 (2) (c) prescribes that if the national executive intervenes in a province, the Council must, while the intervention continues, review the intervention regularly and may make any appropriate recommendations to the national executive. The visit follows extensive engagements that the committee had with the Inter-Ministerial Task Team (IMTT), National Treasury, the Office of the Auditor-General and law enforcement agencies, said the Committee.

Some of the issues raised that still needed attention was the high vacancy rate in senior management, especially heads of departments within the province.

Also, the slow pace of consequence management was raised as a serious issue that had the potential of undermining confidence the people of the province had in the intervention.

The Committee said another matter of concern was the reported hostility in the intervention team which impacted its ability to implement intervention strategies to turn things around in the province.

The committee will use this visit to assess if those issues of concern have improved and if the intervention is making an impact on the lives of the people of the North West Province, the Committee said.

The committee has also raised concerns about the pace of investigations that may lead to prosecution of wrongdoers.

While we remain cognisant that investigation must be meticulous and sometimes lengthy in efforts to ensure watertight legal processes, we remain concerned that some cases have dragged since 2018 with no set timeframe for conclusion of the investigation, said China Dodovu, Committee chairperson.

As part of the visit, the committee will interact with the North West Provincial Executive, the IMTT, the National Prosecuting Authority, administrators, labour organisations, Department of Health, and the Department of Basic Education.

The committee will also visit various sites, including Mahikeng hospitals, schools and Madibogo-Pan Bridge and road to assess service delivery.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-03-15. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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The government of southwestern Yunnan province is tracking 15 wild Asian elephants round-the-clock as the herd moves northward. The elephants, which started their journey from the southernmost prefecture in the province on April 16, were 10 kilometers away from the provincial capital Kunming on Tuesday. The local government has been tracking and escorting the animals to keep them away from residents. The elephants have damaged 561 square meters of cropland, according to media reports

Jun 02, 2021 05:22 PM
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday that federal officials told him that some migrants at the border will be sent to a holding facility in Midland.

Abbott, appearing on Fox News Channels Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, said Texas officials were surprised to learn around 9:30 Saturday night that migrants will be sent to Midland. There were no other details about how many migrants will be sent to Midland or where they will be held.
Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon (pictured) urged the Government to prioritise biosecurity in its Integrated Review of defence and foreign policy, which will be published tomorrow

Action must be taken now to protect against a Covid-type virus being used as a weapon to cause another deadly pandemic, a leading expert warned last night.

Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon urged the Government to prioritise biosecurity in its Integrated Review of defence and foreign policy, which will be published tomorrow.

The former commander of the militarys Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Regiment said he was concerned the threat of a man-made pandemic deliberately being imported into the UK, either by an enemy state or a terrorist organisation, would be overlooked.

The Integrated Review will set out plans to boost spending on cyber warfare and artificial intelligence and announce decisions to build high-tech military kit securing thousands of jobs in northern England and Scotland.

But Colonel de Bretton-Gordon said: I hope the politicians are not over-prioritising bombs and bullets when pathogens actually pose a more realistic threat to British lives. I am concerned it may be overlooked because we know this threat exists. While it was almost certainly not conceived as a weapon, the spread of Covid-19 has provided a template for terrorists, as well as Russia and China, for how effective a biological weapon could be.

It is highly likely these states are researching biological weapons, which [are] also of significant appeal to terrorists. For example, we know that ISIS attempted to introduce plague into refugee camps in Syria while jihadists also successfully obtained a large amount of weaponised ricin in Germany.

Colonel de Bretton-Gordon served for 23 years in the British Army, spending over a decade focused on chemical and biological attacks.

He led the Armys responses to anthrax, sarin and chlorine gas attacks in Iraq and Syria and also commanded Natos rapid reaction CBRN battalion. He has called for the UK to establish a National Biosecurity Centre to cover the domestic response to future pandemics.

The Integrated Review will set out plans to boost spending on cyber warfare and artificial intelligence and announce decisions to build high-tech military kit securing thousands of jobs in northern England and Scotland

It is also suggested Britain should lead international efforts to set up a global watchdog to monitor bio threats  which has scarcely been mentioned in any discussions as part of the Integrated Review.

Colonel de Bretton-Gordon says an international monitoring group  similar to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons or the International Atomic Energy Agency  is needed to inspect the thousands of labs where deadly pathogens could be created and to compile a register of scientists who are researching viruses.

The most dangerous pathogens such as anthrax and ebola are kept in maximum containment Biosecurity Level (BSL) 4 labs, of which there are around 50 in the world, according to the World Health Organisation.

But less toxic viruses, which until the Covid-19 pandemic were considered to pose less of an international security threat, are kept at labs which are not as well protected.

It is also suggested Britain should lead international efforts to set up a global watchdog to monitor bio threats  which has scarcely been mentioned in any discussions as part of the Integrated Review

There are thought to be around 3,000 of these BSL 3 labs around the world where pathogens such as influenza and botulinum are usually kept. These labs are less likely to be registered or inspected, and according to experts such as Colonel de Bretton-Gordon, these facilities could be used by terrorists.

He added: It is easy to manipulate a virus and there are laboratories in rogue and failing states where a biological weapon could be produced and brought into Britain, causing thousands of deaths.

The threat from bombs and bullets is relatively easy to quantify, the threats from pathogens and deadly chemicals is not straightforward. But if we ignore them, it could be not just catastrophic for us but the whole planet.

Last night the Cabinet Office said: The Integrated Review will set out the Governments vision for a modern defence, security, foreign and development policy as we tackle the threats of the 21st century.
Micah Szympruch shows off some of the products available today at Triple J farms during the Maple Taste and Tour.
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A military honor guard walks down the street to open the Provo Freedom Festival Parade in Provo, Utah, on July 4, 2018. (George Frey/Getty Images)

Group Urges Supreme Court Not to Hear Challenge to Military Draft

A military-readiness group is urging the Supreme Court not to take up a petition from a mens rights group that asks the court to strike down the law that authorizes military conscription solely for men as unconstitutional.

The case is National Coalition for Men v. Selective Service System, court file 20-928.

Based in San Diego, the National Coalition for Men (NCFM) was founded in 1977 upon the realization that men needed a unified voice in addressing issues concerning men and boys, according to its website.

The NCFM is represented in the case by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which argues that ending the men-only registration requirement would undo one of the last examples of overt sex discrimination in federal law after the Supreme Court allowed gay marriage and found last year that employment discrimination against gays and transgender individuals was illegal.

In 1981, the Supreme Court ruled in Rostker v. Goldberg that the Military Selective Service Act, under which men, but not women, are required to register for the draft, survived constitutional scrutiny because women at that time were categorically prohibited from serving in combat roles. Because the primary purpose of registration was to replace combat troops, the court stated, the existence of the combat restrictions clearly indicates the basis for Congress decision to exempt women from registration.

Although the Department of Defense rescinded the ban on women in combat in 2013, the obligation to register for the draft remains limited to men.

The question presented is whether, in light of the Department of Defense having lifted the ban on women in combat, this Court should overrule Rostker and hold that the federal requirement that men but not women register for the Selective Service  violates the right to equal protection guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment, NCFM stated in its petition.

But the Michigan-based Center for Military Readiness (CMR) argues in a friend-of-the-court brief filed March 12 that the Supreme Court should turn away NCFMs petition because Congress, not the courts, is constitutionally authorized to set military policy.

Our point is the courts dont get to make those decisionsmembers of the Congress have the constitutional responsibility to make policy for the military, according to Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, CMR President Elaine Donnelly told The Epoch Times in an interview.

We support the Selective Service System as an insurance policy in the case of a catastrophic national emergency.

Discussions about the role of the Selective Service System are currently taking place in Congress. After the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service completed its work in 2020, the Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing March 11 on the commissions final report.

CMRs Supreme Court brief acknowledges that some women have proved themselves capable of meeting the high standards that combat demands and previous policies regarding women in combat billets have been repealed, but the physiological differences between men and women have not been repealed.

The brief cites several key points of information resulting from a thorough 3-year study that the Marine Corps conducted from 2012 to 2015. During nine months of field exercises simulating combat requirements that were monitored by the University of Pittsburgh, the Marine Corps study objectively compared the performance of all-male and mixed-sex units.

A 2015 summary of the findings reported, All-male squads, teams, and crews demonstrated higher performance levels on 69% of tasks evaluated (93 of 134) as compared to gender-integrated squads, teams, and crews.

CMR argues that the purpose of a military draft, which could be reinstated during a time of catastrophic national emergency, would be to provide a ready pool of combat replacements. Drafting large numbers of women who cannot meet [combat] standards will hinder the process of providing timely combat replacements.

The ACLU rejects that reasoning.

Like many laws that appear to benefit women, men-only registration harms women, too, Ria Tabacco Mar, counsel of record for NCFM and director of the ACLU Womens Rights Project, said in a statement.

The Military Selective Service Act is based on outdated and sexist notions of womens and mens abilities to serve in the military, regardless of individual ability. Limiting registration to men treats women as unfit for this obligation of citizenship and reflects the outmoded belief that men arent qualified to be caregivers in the event of a draft. Such sex stereotypes have no place in our federal law.
HOUSTON - (March 15, 2021) - Increased internet-access spending by Texas public schools improved academic performance but also led to more disciplinary problems among students, a study of 9,000 schools conducted by a research team from Rice University, Texas A&M University and the University of Notre Dame shows.

Whether students benefit from increased internet access in public schools has been an open question, according to the researchers. For example, some parents and policy advocates contend it increases children's access to obscene or harmful content and disciplinary problems. Others believe it promotes personalized learning and higher student engagement.

To address these policy questions, the research team created a multiyear dataset (2000-14) of 1,243 school districts representing more than 9,000 Texas public schools. The team measured internet-access spending, 11 academic performance indicators and 47 types of school disciplinary problems. It used econometric techniques to develop causal estimates linking internet-access spending to academic performance and disciplinary problems. Using student earning, the researchers calculated the economic impact of increased annual internet spending.

To date, this is the largest and most comprehensive study linking school internet-access spending to academic and disciplinary outcomes, the researchers said.

The team found that increased school district internet spending is associated with not only improved graduation rates, but also higher numbers of students meeting SAT/ACT criterion and completing advanced courses. It also led to an improvement in commended performance in math, reading, writing and social studies. Interestingly, the researchers noted these improvements were stronger for students who lived in counties with greater internet access (as measured by the number of broadband providers).

On the flip side, increased school district internet spending also led to higher rates of disciplinary problems at schools, they said.

The team also calculated how much economic benefit a school district's internet access will bring students during their lifetimes. It found that a $600,000 increase in annual internet-access spending produces a financial gain of approximately $820,000 to $1.8 million per school district, together with losses from disciplinary problems totaling $25,800 to $53,440.

In other words, investments in internet access are well worth the costs.

"We are proud that Texas public schools can serve as a live learning case for understanding education policy," said study co-author Vikas Mittal, a professor of marketing at Rice's Jones Graduate School of Business. "Investments in internet access provide clear and meaningful academic benefits. Yet, schools need to implement policies to address increased disciplinary issues such as cyberbullying.

"K-12 education has transformed into virtual learning due to COVID-19," he continued. "Our research conclusions apply to a setting where physical learning is supplemented by internet access."

However, Mittal cautioned that these benefits cannot be expected to hold if physical learning is completely supplanted by internet-based learning.

###

The paper, "Investigating the Academic Performance and Disciplinary Consequences of School District Internet Access Spending," which appeared in the February issue of the Journal of Marketing Research, was co-authored by professors Shrihari Sridhar of Texas A&M and Yixing Chen of Notre Dame. It can be downloaded at https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1177/ 0022243720964130 .

To schedule an interview with Mittal or to request a copy of the study, contact Jeff Falk, director of national media relations at Rice, at jfalk@rice.edu or 713-348-6775.

Related materials:

Mittal bio: https:/ / business. rice. edu/ person/ vikas-mittal

Jones Graduate School of Business: http://business. rice. edu

Follow the Jones Graduate School of Business on Twitter @Rice_Biz.

Follow Rice News and Media Relations on Twitter @RiceUNews.
I-75/US-23 bridge improvements in Genesee County start March 16

Jocelyn Hall, MDOT Office of Communications, 989-245-7117 Transportation

COUNTY:

Genesee

ESTIMATED DATE:

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE:

August 2022

PROJECT:

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will invest $12.3 million in significant bridge improvements to 16 structures along the I-75/US-23 corridor through Genesee County. Work includes steel beam repairs, deck replacements, and protective epoxy coating. Most work will be completed by this October with additional epoxy flood coating expected in summer 2022.

TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS:

This Tuesday, March 16, crews will begin steel repairs on the I-75 bridge over Court Street. This work will require shoulder closures on I-75 and part-width work on Court Street using a temporary signal to maintain traffic. This configuration is expected in place through the end of March.

On March 22, crews will close the northbound I-75 ramp to westbound I-69 for bridge repairs. This ramp closure is expected in place through May. In April, drivers can expect a daytime single-lane closure on I-75 at the ramp, and double-lane closures on I-75 during some overnight hours to accommodate steel repairs.

On April 5, crews will start rebuilding the Maple Road bridge over southbound I-75. Maple Road will be closed and detoured. Southbound I-75 will be closed during overnight hours for bridge removal, setting of new steel bridge beams, and deck pours. These closures will be announced in advance of their start.

Additional improvements will be completed on the following bridges with traffic impacts announced prior to their start:

Hill Road over US-23

US-23 over Swartz Creek

Grand Blanc Road over US-23

Torrey Road over US-23

Baldwin Road over US-23

Thompson Road over US-23

Lahring Road over US-23

US-23 over the Shiawassee River

US-23 over Silver Lake Road

Owen Road over US-23



SAFETY BENEFITS:

Various improvements are being made to 16 bridge structures, extending the life of those roadways. Work includes steel improvements, replacement of several bridge beams, deck improvements to extend the life of the driving surface, and protective epoxy coating.
The Biden administration has tried to restart discussions with North Korea over the fate of its nuclear program, but its overtures have not been returned, the White House press secretary confirmed on Monday.

Jen Psaki, the press secretary, told reporters in an afternoon briefing that we have reached out to North Korean officials but have not heard back from them, confirming a Reuters report from the weekend.

We have a series of channels, as we have always had, that we can reach out through, Ms. Psaki said. We also are focused on consulting with many former government officials who have been involved in North Korea policy, including from several prior administrations. We have and will continue to engage with our Japanese and South Korean allies, to solicit input, explore fresh approaches. Weve listened carefully to their ideas.

Diplomacy is always our goal, Ms. Psaki said. Our goal is to reduce the risk of escalation. But to date, we have not received any response.
New Delhi, March 15 : Keeping in mind the aspect of public convenience, the National Highway-9 carriageway going towards Ghaziabad from Delhi was reopened for commuters on Monday.

The stretch was closed following a violence during a tractor parade by farmers in the national capital on January 26.

The carriageway at the Ghazipur border was reopened in due consultation with the police. Earlier, it was briefly opened on March 2.

Vehicles were seen plying on the carriageway after it was resumed for the commuters on Monday. They complained of the inconveniences they had to face after being advised to take alternative routes in the wake of the closure.

Thousands of farmers have been protesting against the Centre's three new farm laws since November 26 last year, along several Delhi borders. The farmers have expressed apprehension that the new legislations would pave the way for dismantling of the MSP system.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, March 15 : In a major action against the Islamic State (IS) modules, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday carried out searches at seven locations across the country, including one in Delhi.

An NIA source said that the multiple agency sleuths are carrying out searches at seven locations in Delhi, Karnataka and Kerala.

In Delhi, the searches are being carried out in the Jafrabad area.

He said that the NIA team is searching two locations in Bengaluru.

The source further said that the agency sleuths are also carrying out searches at four locations in Kerala's Kochi and Kunoor.

The source said that the premises of the people being searched belong to educated people, who have been allegedly radicalised by the IS groups.

"The people whose premises are being searched can be arrested after their questioning," the source added.

The source, however, refused to share more details.
The coronavirus pandemic is exposing gaping disparities in care and outcomes for people of color. Hispanic and Latinx persons have been three times more likely to be hospitalized and twice as likely to die from COVID-19 as white non-Hispanic people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Clearly, racial disparities will not disappear overnight, says ECRI CEO Marcus Schabacker, MD.

"Clearly, racial disparities will not disappear overnight," says Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, president and CEO of ECRI, the nation's largest patient safety organization. "By profiling this issue, we are calling much-needed attention to this public health crisis."

Of the 10 topics in the report, eight are related to or exacerbated by COVID-19. In addition to health disparities, others include emergency preparedness in aging care facilities, disease outbreak preparedness, supply chain shortages, telehealth, the improvised use of medical devices, and aerosol infection prevention. Each concern is coupled with strategic recommendations to avoid or counter it.

ECRI's full list of patient safety concerns for 2021 includes:

1. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in HealthcareDifferences may include frequency of screening for COVID-19 or other diagnoses, disease severity, complications, and deaths.

2. Emergency Preparedness and Response in Aging ServicesOver 570,626 confirmed cases and over 112,383 deaths occurred in nursing homes as of February 1, 2021.

3. Pandemic Preparedness across the Health SystemGovernment investigations, congressional reports and pandemic preparedness reviews warned that America's healthcare system was woefully unprepared for a fast-moving infectious disease outbreak.

4. Supply Chain InterruptionsLimits on exports, plus shutdowns in countries that manufacture and produce raw materials, resulted in delays for much-needed supplies.

5. Drug ShortagesThe COVID-19 pandemic led to shortages in almost every drug class used for mechanical ventilation.

6. Telehealth Workflow ChallengesEvent reports cited poor wi-fi, inappropriate monitoring, inadequate language services, and health privacy issues.

7. Improvised Use of Medical DevicesModified devices, workflow, or systems may lead to serious safety and regulatory compliance issues.

8. Methotrexate TherapyThe weekly administration of this cancer drugalso in use for autoimmune diseasesleads to dosing and dosing frequency errors.

9. Peripheral Vascular HarmSevere cases of injury and infection can lead to extended lengths of stay and antibiotic treatmentseven death.

10. Infection Risk from Aerosol-Generating ProceduresThe exposure risk from performing aerosol-generating procedures on suspected COVID-19 patients is very high.

ECRI's Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for 2021 provides detailed steps that organizations can take proactively to prevent adverse incidents and is available for public download. ECRI is also hosting a complimentary Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns webinar on Thursday, March 18, to explain how the list can be used to enhance safety in healthcare organizations across all care settings.

To learn more about ECRI, visit www.ecri.org, call (610) 825-6000, ext. 5891, or e-mail [email protected].

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ECRI is the only organization worldwide to conduct independent medical device evaluations, with labs located in North America and Asia-Pacific. ECRI is designated an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices PSO is a federally certified Patient Safety Organization as designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) formally became an ECRI Affiliate in 2020. Visit www.ecri.org and follow @ECRI_Org.

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Burma China Faces Backlash for Demanding Tougher Action on Myanmars Protesters

Flowers at the site in Hlaing Tharyar Township, Yangon, on Monday where a man was shot by Myanmars security forces while protesting against the military coup.

Myanmars pro-democracy supporters have condemned Chinas calls for the military regime to take tougher action against peaceful protesters amid allegations that Chinese-owned garment factories were set on fire. Beijing has demanded Myanmars security forces act to protect Chinese interests and citizens.

As the security forces killed at least 70 peaceful protesters across Myanmar on Sunday, China said many Chinese-owned factories in Hlaing Tharyars industrial zone were looted and burned. China urged the military regime to take immediate action against protesters.

Chinese government mouthpiece the Global Times said 32 factories built with Chinese investment had been vandalized, with around US$37 million (52 billion kyats) in damage.

Soon after the Chinese Embassy statement, the junta declared martial law in Hlaing Tharyar Township, where more than 37 anti-regime protesters were killed by the security forces during peaceful protests on Sunday.

Nearly a million social-media users shared a post in Burmese and Chinese saying: We totally condemn the Chinese Embassys statement, only standing for its self-interest. China has been silent and failed to condemn the military regime, despite hundreds of people losing their lives during the peaceful protests.

One pro-democracy comment said: Shame on you, China! You totally ignore the unlawful killing of Burmese people and only speak out for your self-interest.

Another social media user said: While we are losing our lives and counting dead bodies, China accused Myanmars people of burning its garment factories and urged the regime to take serious action against innocent citizens. It is demanding more peaceful protesters are killed?

Other comments accused China of totally ignoring the ongoing atrocities committed by the junta, saying there have been no reports of destruction of private property nor thefts by protesters.

An observer of Myanmars relations with China, who asked not to be named, told The Irrawaddy that the Chinese statement was a signal of approval from Beijing for the military to kill more innocent people.

China is failing to condemn the coup and the deadly crackdown on protesters. Now its urges the prosecution of people to protect its property. Myanmars people wont forget it. It is not a good sign for existing Chinese investments and future projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, she said.

Human rights activist U Aung Myo Min told The Irrawaddy that the military repeatedly claimed it launched bloody crackdowns only after protesters became violent. Chinas accusation about vandalism endorsed the militarys claim of violent acts by protesters, he said.

China totally turns a blind eye to the acts committed by the military. There are lots of videos of looting, shooting and other lawless behavior by the security forces during crackdowns on protesters, U Aung Myo Min said.

If China really cares about its interests, it needs to condemn the military and endorse serious UN action against the military, he said.

Anti-Chinese sentiment has emerged among people, including boycotts of Chinese products. It means that wherever China invests, the people will oppose it. I believe there will be more challenges for Chinese investment, U Aung Myo Min added.

You may also like these stories:

Myanmar Military Detains More Than 2,100 Since Coup

Ousted Myanmar Leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyis Court Hearing Delayed

China Calls on Myanmar Junta to Punish Arsonists who Attacked Factories in Yangon
A bill headed through the S.C. Statehouse would require doctors to offer lifesaving overdose reversal drugs to some patients who might potentially need them, even as the largest physicians' lobbying group in the state expresses concern the law would be an overreach.

If passed, Senate Bill 571 would mandate the state's prescribers offer to send patients home with a prescription for Narcan, or a generic equivalent, if the patient meets certain criteria, such as a history of substance abuse.

Patients who are taking a dangerous combination of medications or who require a large prescription for opioids would also qualify for the reversal drugs.

This past year, though much attention has turned to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed the lives of at least 7,700 people in South Carolina, health experts worry that the social isolation recommended to keep the coronavirus from spreading has exacerbated opioid use disorders.

In 2019, 876 people died of an opioid overdose in South Carolina, up from 816 the year before, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Overdoses involving the illicit drugs heroin and fentanyl also broke annual records in 2019. The greatest increases in opioid-related deaths are in younger men age 25 to 44.

When the pandemic struck, South Carolina emergency personnel responded to 915 suspected opioid overdoses in the month of May alone, which is the highest monthly number in the state's history, according to DHEC.

Statistics for the full 2020 year have not yet been released.

Administrations of overdose reversal drugs have also increased in recent years as EMS officers have more available and the state has worked on training programs to educate first responders about the drug's life-saving benefits.

Most commonly, the drug is administered by emergency personnel who are responding to reports of an overdose. It is also available at many pharmacies to anyone who wants to pick up a vial for themselves or for a friend or family member  no prescription needed.

Sara Goldsby, director of the S.C. Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, said that is not happening as often as public health leaders would like. She said this year's bill was proposed to encourage conversations between prescribers and their patients.

"It's to have those prescribers pause and consider the risks of the patient," Goldsby said.

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She added that prescriptions for opioids as pain treatment have gone down since the state passed legislation in 2017 creating a mandatory prescription monitoring system that requires physicians, nurses and others to make a record of every medication a patient is given.

The bill introduced in this year's session of the Legislature is the latest effort in the Statehouse to confront the opioid epidemic.

Similar legislation with identical language has been introduced in other states, according to the Center for Public Integrity. In California, where the same bill passed and became law in late 2018, patients can decline to accept the prescription if they wish, the state's Medical Board advised.

As of September, 10 states had passed naloxone prescription mandates like the one up for debate in South Carolina, according to The Network for Public Health Law. Prescribing naloxone to patients at risk of overdose also lines up with guidance issued by the Food and Drug Administration over the summer.

The effort does not have full-throated support, however.

Although the S.C. Medical Association supported the prescription drug monitoring program and is a member of Gov. Henry McMaster's Opioid Emergency Response Team, the association's president said in a statement his group has concerns about the bill.

The South Carolina Medical Association supports the General Assemblys passage of multiple bills aimed at stopping the opioid crisis, but has reservations about requiring physicians to offer naloxone to patients and providing discipline of physicians who do not, as this regulatory burden may deter the real motivation  to have a conversation on opioids with patients. Dr. Michael Finch Jr. said.

The legislation would make physicians and other prescribers subject to discipline by their professional boards if they don't comply.

Rep. Russell Fry, R-Surfside Beach, is one of the sponsors of the version of the bill making its way through the House. He said the goal of the legislation is to ensure greater access to naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, in South Carolina.

"Many of our overdoses occur from individuals who have no prior history of addiction or abuse. They are purely accidental," Fry said.

Having the drug available in the medicine cabinet "when every second counts" could save lives, Fry said.
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Beleaguered New York Governor Andrew Cuomo made a pointless public appearance on Monday where he took no questions from the media and made no mention of the mounting troubles against him, but instead said he'd soon be getting the vaccine.

Cuomo is facing mounting calls to step down amid a landslide of allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and racism.

He is also facing tough criticism of his handling of the number of nursing home deaths that happened across the state as a result of COVID-19. The 63-year-old governor is refusing to step down and instead has vowed to carry on serving, saying he is the best person for the job.

On Monday, he refused to take questions from the media and didn't even invite them to his public appearance at a vaccine site where he announced he was going to get the Johnson and Johnson vaccine soon.

He was at a mass vaccine site on Long Island and was surrounded by aides. Cuomo gave a pantomime-style welcome the crowd.

Cuomo is due to take part on a call with President Biden and other governors this week. He was appointed as head of the National Governors Association in August 2020.

After first calling the allegations against him 'troubling', White Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Monday hinted that he may soon be stripped of his title within the Governors' Association, but she also shied away from taking a firm position on the subject, saying instead they would wait the outcome of the Attorney General's investigation.

'It would be up to the NGA to determine if they were to make a change on that front,' she said.

She however said that the President would not take a side or any form of action until the investigation is complete.

'Our focus from here, from the federal government is of course supporting that independent investigation, which we adamantly do.'

On Monday, he refused to take questions from the media and didn't even invite them to his public appearance at a vaccine site where he announced he was going to get the Johnson and Johnson vaccine soon

Biden called Cuomo the 'gold standard' of leadership and thanked him for 'the example he set for all Americans' Biden is under intense pressure to distance himself from the embattled governor amid mounting allegations of sexual harassment, bullying, racism and in some cases, sexual assault. Cuomo denies all wrongdoing and is refusing to resign. New York Attorney General Letitia James is investing the claims against him. But the sexual misconduct claims combined with allegations of a cover-up over how many COVID-19 deaths there were in nursing homes is leading many on both sides of the aisle to demand Cuomo's resignation. In August last year, Biden tweeted that Cuomo had set an example for 'all Americans' The White House is hedging its bets. On Monday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that while the allegations against him were 'troubling', she wanted to see the outcome of the AG's investigation. She previously said the fact the pair have been friends for a long time 'doesn't matter'. In August last year, at the Democratic National Convention, Cuomo gave a ringing endorsement for Biden. Biden, in return, tweeted: 'Andrew Cuomo, thank you for your leadership and the example you've set for all Americans during this pandemic.' During an appearance on The Jimmy Fallon Show in April, months earlier, he gushed: 'Your governor in New York's done one hell of a job. Fox News's Janice Dean was among those calling for Biden to speak out on Cuomo 'I think he's the gold standard.' Cuomo repeatedly batted away calls for him to run for president during the pandemic, when he was hailed as a hero. He said that his support was firmly behind Joe Biden. The pair have been friends for years and have formed a close political alliance. Cuomo traveled to Delaware for Biden's son Beau's funeral in 2015, and Biden attended Cuomo's father Mario's in the same year. Now, with mounting criticism of him and allegations against him, the President has come under intense pressure to distance himself from him. Cuomo and Biden, shown together in 2015, have been friends and political allies for years. They are shown together at a 9/11 Memorial in 2020 Advertisement

'Good afternoon,' he started. When the crowd didn't greet him enthusiastically enough, he pushed them: 'Oh, it's a better afternoon than that... good afternoon!'

The crowd greeted him again and he replied: 'All right!'

He then joked about now looking old enough to be eligible for the vaccine, which is now available to everyone over the age of 60 across the state.

Cuomo has been urged to step down by politicians on both sides of the aisle for both the sexual harassment claims against him and because of his handling of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.

Last week, during a conference call with reporters, he refused to stand down and instead questioned the motives of his accusers.

'What is being alleged just did not happen. The last allegation is not true and I have not had a sexual relationship that was inappropriate period. OK. Thank you,' before hanging up.

'Women have a right to come forward and be heard and I encourage that but I also want to be clear- there is still a question of the truth.

'I did not do what has been alleged. Period. I wont speculate about people's possible motives, but I can tell you as a former Attorney General, who's gone through this situation many times, there are often many motivations for making an allegation.

Charlotte Bennett, 25, accused Cuomo of propositioning her in his office in June

Karen Hinton (left), a press aide, and Jessica Bakeman accused Cuomo of inappropriate actions

Lindsey Boylan, a former Cuomo aide, came out in December with allegations against him  she further detailed her experience in a February post to Medium

Cuomo is pictured outside the Governor's Mansion in Albany with his daughter on Friday

'That is why you need to know the facts before you make a decision.'

On Monday, during a White House press briefing, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that President Biden found the allegations 'troubling'.

'Let let me first say like everyone who as - continues to read stories and new developments seem to happen everyday.

'We find them troubling, the president finds them troubling, hard to read. And every woman who steps forward needs to be treated with dignity and respect.

The New York Attorney General is pursuing, of course, an independent investigation against Gov. Cuomo and that is appropriate. And the president believes that's appropriate. As does the vice president.

'The investigation needs to be both quick and thorough, consistent with how serious these allegations are.

'And, of course, our objective though here continues to be to get the COVID pandemic under control and we don't want the people of New York or any state to be impacted negatively.

'We will continue to work with a range of governors, including Gov. Cuomo, who I would expect to join the call tomorrow. We'll leave that up to him.

'But in order to continue to coordinate on getting the pandemic under control and economic assistance out the door.'

It was a sterner characterization than last week, when she said he would not desert him as other Democrats had, before an investigation is complete.

Now former aides are lining up to make claims against Cuomo's leadership style.

In a New York Times article published on Sunday, some described how he 'quizzed' them about how many people watched his daily briefings during the height of the pandemic.

Biden is pictured with Cuomo at a 9/11 commemoration in Manhattan in 2020

They say that almost immediately after the cameras cut away, he demanded to know which networks broadcast him live, how long they let him stay on for and when they cut away.

HALF OF NEW YORKERS WANT CUOMO TO STAY, POLL CLAIMS A poll of 800 New York residents found that half wanted Governor Cuomo to stay on, whereas half wanted him to leave. The poll was cited by The New York Daily News on Monday. Almost all of the people who say he can still govern are in New York City, whereas people outside the five boroughs are more divided on the subject. 'Voters say despite the ongoing investigations, Cuomo can continue to effectively do his job as governor, 48-34 percent. 'A strong majority of Democrats and a plurality of independents say he can govern effectively, while two-thirds of Republicans disagree.' Advertisement

CNN - where his brother works - aired the broadcasts daily and normally cut away only during the question portion of the briefing. Others, depending on the day and context, cut away sooner.

Cuomo won an Emmy for the briefings. On the 111th day of them, he said: 'To the 59 million viewers who shared in these daily briefings, thank you.'

Aides say that far from being the collaborative leader he was presenting himself as, he was so desperate not to share the spotlight that he went to great lengths to avoid having to.

On one occasion, he said to have insisted on greeting the USNS Comfort - a hospital ship sanctioned by President Donald Trump to be sent to New York City after Cuomo begged him for it but which was never filled - on a separate pier from NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The pair routinely held sparring press briefings where they took jabs at one another.

According to the Times piece, Cuomo was angry when de Blasio received a shipment of supplies from FEMA.

He contacted the regional administrator, Thomas Von Essen, and berated him, sources said.

In another incident, he allegedly pulled out of a planned joint appearance to welcome the USNS Comfort to New York City and showed up an hour before de Blasio to hold his own event.

His spokesman denied that he ever pulled out of a joint event, and said he also did not berate the FEMA administrator.

New York politicians said the 'problem' with Cuomo was that he had burned so many bridges that he has 'no path forward'.

'The problem with Cuomo is no one has ever liked him.

On March 30, Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio were due to do a joint press conference to welcome the USNS Comfort to Manhattan. According to sources, Cuomo pulled out of it and then held his own event an hour earlier on a different pier

Mayor Bill de Blasio on March 30, giving his press conference at Pier 90

'Hes not a nice person and he doesnt have any real friends.

'If you dont have a base of support and you get into trouble, youre dead meat,' Richard Ravitch, a former Democratic lieutenant governor, said.

State Senator Alessandra Biaggi said: 'I have not met a person yet in New York politics who has a good relationship with Andrew Cuomo.

'And Im not saying "close relationship,"

'Im saying "good relationship." Even people who are close to him I cannot say in good faith have a good relationship with him.'

They said that when he was working for his father, the late former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, the younger Cuomo was known as the 'enforcer'.

'Mario got to be the nice guy, and when it was time for someone not to be the nice guy, it was Andrews job.

'He was very good at it,' Assemblyman Richard N. Gottfried said.
In this file photo taken on Jan. 10, 2021, a health worker fills a syringe with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine against the novel coronavirus at the vaccination center in Pfaffenhofen, southern Germany. AFP



South Korea will begin administering vaccines to members of the general public aged 75 and over and other virus-vulnerable groups starting next month as part of its inoculation campaign, health authorities said Monday, with a total of 12 million people to get their first COVID-19 vaccine shots during the first half of the year.



The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced the list of second-quarter vaccine recipients by first including non-medical personnel and those who are not at long-term care facilities. Some 3.64 million people aged 75 and older will get vaccinated the first week of April, they said.



The KDCA said the inoculation priority group for the seniors will receive COVID-19 vaccines developed by U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. that are scheduled to arrive in the country later this month.



Vaccines provided by Pfizer will be given at state-run vaccination facilities as the products require ultra-cold chain storage.



The authorities said they plan to build a total of 254 such facilities at general hospitals, gymnasiums and other kinds of government sites across the country by July.



Elderly people aged between 65 and 74 will start receiving AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccines in June, they said. The number of people in the group is around 4.94 million.






The desperate attempts to separate Trump from conservatism By Rachel Alexander

The harder the left goes after someone on the right, the more squishy people on the right desert that person. Instead of circling the wagons and supporting our own, RINOs and moderates leave some of our top shining stars high and dry. Weve seen this pattern happen for years, its nothing new. The more successful a conservative leader is, the more likely they are to become a target, so this is a real ongoing problem. Unfortunately, there are a lot of self-righteous people in our party who care more about donations for reelection from powerful special interests than promoting real conservative values, so when they see someone like former President Trump getting beat up in the MSM, they use the ruse that hes not conservative to desert him. Now that Trump is no longer in office, the revisionists are coming out in full force. There is currently a split on the right between those who think Trump defines Republicans now, versus those who think he is toxic and must be deserted. The latter derogatorily refers to anything he does and those who approve of him as Trumpism, as if its a cancer that must be purged from the party. One of the most popular accusations is that Trump is a populist, not a conservative. What is the definition of a populist? Someone who cares about the little people, who is concerned about their interests and rights being exploited by a privileged elite. This sounds merely like a tenet of conservatism, not a completely different philosophy. The left and MSM always pretend that Republicans are the party of the wealthy, but thats not true. Republicans are about treating everyone the same and giving everyone the same opportunities, no matter how poor. Regardless, while Trump seemed to care a bit more about the average Joe than the previous two Republican presidents, there wasnt a huge divergence in policy implications. Another popular criticism is that Trump approved of large spending increases. If this was the criteria for being a conservative, then both George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush werent conservatives either. And maybe not Ronald Reagan either, since he presided over very large budget increases as well. Under Reagan, spending increased by 2.7%, higher than under George H.W. Bush and even Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. A third criticism is that Trump doesnt have a deeply held ideology. Well if thats true, then why did he come down on the conservative side of issues consistently for four years? These critics would have you ignore his actions and instead listen to them telling you what they claim to know he is thinking. The truth is, Trump pursued a very conservative agenda. All of the main tenets of modern day conservatism were there in his record as president: Second Amendment, pro-life, religious freedom, individual rights, lower taxes, decreasing regulations, strong military, opposition to authoritarian government, rejection of globalism, etc. Some quibble that his rejection of globalism was not conservative  but the antithesis of that would subvert U.S. patriotism for values like the Paris Agreement on climate change, or condone rights abusing countries on the U.N.s Human Rights Council who denounce the U.S. Trump has been critical of so-called free trade agreements like NAFTA because they arent purely free trade, they subvert U.S. sovereignty to foreign interests in ways that must be addressed. He rightly saw that we dont want our environmental, labor and consumer protection laws dictated by authoritarian countries. Ultimately, Trump kept almost all of NAFTA in place, renaming it as the USMCA. Trumps patriotism merely harkens back to the Founding Fathers. But the RINOs attack even that, claiming that Trumps patriotism is a form of nationalism, a word they have cleverly pounced upon because it can mean not just patriotism but also fascism or National Socialism. Its nothing more than clever word plays. Many of those on the right accusing Trump of not being a conservative arent very conservative themselves. They generally fit into one of two categories: 1) RINOs who caved in to obtain special interest money a long time ago and so want to pretend those positions are the status quo for Republicans, or 2) RINOs who enjoy the fawning attention from the left and MSM for attacking real conservatives. Many of the latter refer to themselves as intellectual conservatives, and fool people because they write for elitist news sources, some ostensibly on the right. But the real intellectual conservatives, like the late William F. Buckley Jr., acquired this title because they thoroughly understood conservative principles, wrote about them intelligently and could trounce the left in debates. The snooty wannabe intellectual conservatives point to one derogatory remark Buckley made in 2000 about Trump possibly running for president. Buckley called him a narcissist. But they fail to point out that Trump was not a Republican at the time, he was registered with the Independence Party of New York and had no conservative record at that time, so of course Buckley was going to criticize him. Buckley could easily have said something similar about Reagan before Reagan became a Republican with a political record. If Trump had behaved as a RINO while in office, then there would be no reason to defend him and his critics would be right. But hes had four full years to pursue a conservative agenda, and some believe he got more accomplished in one term than Reagan did in eight years (outside of foreign policy). Critics of Trump in this area even try to have it both ways. On the one hand, they say he is too liberal to be a conservative, cherry picking things hes said in the past before he aligned with the right to run for president. On the other hand, they say hes gone too far to the right, such as by demanding that Mexico pay for a border wall. So which is it? You cant have it both ways. It shows the shallowness and desperateness of their criticism. The reality is, Trump brought a coalition of those on the right together, uniting the party like we havent seen since the Reagan coalition of the 1980s. He brought in minorities including conservative gays, demographics which had been ignored for years as unattainable. His fans are both blue collar workers and the wealthy, also not easy to do. The Republican establishment couldnt stand it because Trump cant be bought; he wasnt dependent on contributions from special interest groups like they are, which exposed them. Lets hope they arent able to throw away all the accomplishments hes made by replacing him with what they really want, an updated version of John McCain. Rachel Alexander and her brother Andrew are co-Editors of Intellectual Conservative. She has been published in the American Spectator, Townhall.com, Fox News, NewsMax, Accuracy in Media, The Americano, ParcBench, Enter Stage Right and other publications.mericano, ParcBench, Enter Stage Right and other publications. Home
Young people were the first in Myanmar to peacefully protest the countrys new military regime. Then came labor unions. In the weeks since a Feb. 1 military coup, Mynamars resistance movement has expanded dramatically to include some perhaps unlikely activists: doctors, nurses, bankers, grocers, railway workers and other working professionals risking their middle-class comforts.

Myanmar was under military rule from 1988 to 2011. During the elections in 2015, the National Democratic League won by a landslide, and party leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a well-known dissident, became the countrys leader. The army overthrew her government on Feb. 1, 2021, and imposed martial law.

Soon, thousands of Myanmars health care workers were refusing to go to work  an attempt to thwart the coup regime by grinding government machinery to a halt. Health care is public in Myanmar, and health workers hold 10% of all government jobs. Most hospitals and medical schools have closed their doors.

As elsewhere in the world, doctors and nurses in Myanmar have become public heroes during the pandemic. Their high social status makes them important allies to the pro-democracy cause.

Doctors and nurses are among many other civil servants in Myanmar to engage in civil disobedience. Up to 90% of the staff in some government ministries is on strike, according to a senior official at the Ministry of Electricity and Energy; the junta says its 30%. Some of Myamars 7.4 million private-sector workers are also striking, including bank employees, whose absence has forced the government to limit daily cash withdrawals.

A revolt started by young people raised during Myanmars democratic transition is becoming a broadly based national resistance movement involving the middle classes  whom history shows are central to any successful protests movement. And despite increasingly deadly military crackdowns beginning in early March, the protests are still gaining steam.

Story continues

People with shields and hard hats duck and run for cover on a smoky street

Money talks

I study social movements and dissent in Myanmar. Active support from the comfortable middle class differentiates current protests from previous pro-democracy movements in Myanmar, from the Buddhist monks saffron revolution against the military dictatorship in 2007 to student protests for education reform in 2015.

Those protests, which did not achieve their goals, were confined to one segment of the population. This time around, Generation Z is leading Myanmars pro-democracy uprising, and some of my university students from there were arrested in a March 3 crackdown and face up to three years in prison.

But the youth are joined by many other kinds of people. Some workers walked off their jobs to rally behind the young people at protests. Other middle-class professionals support the movement more quietly, with money, rations, shelter and professional services like legal advice.

People across Myanmar are also boycotting products produced by the army and its conglomerates, such as Myanmar beer and the Joox music app, and goods imported from China and Singapore  two top investors in Myanmar, neither of which condemned the coup.

After bank workers began to strike late last month, international observers worried banks in Myanmar would collapse. But banks serve very few people in Myanmar. As of 2017, only 6% of the Southeast Asian countrys 54 million people were served by a financial institution.

During the pandemic, which has hit Myanmar hard, nonprofit organizations mobilized to create small aid networks that could provide funds to poor people who needed cash using online sites and phone apps. About 1 million people in Myanmar used a phone-to-phone cash transfer service called Wave every month of last year.

Now, during the protests, those same aid networks are providing financial support to help striking civil servants and private-sector workers partially make up for their forgone salaries. Grocers provide rations to keep food on protesters tables. Medical professionals help those hurt in the protests and provide free health care to their families. Teachers provide free education.

Through new apps such as Stay away, people are scrutinizing how they spend their money to avoid unintentionally financing the army and its supporters, who have investments in nearly every sector of Myanmars economy, from supermarkets to entertainment.

Men in hardhats sit on the ground facing monks in robes holding colorful umbrellas

Moral shaming

As protests grow, the militarys crackdowns are getting more and more brutal. As of March 15, more than 100 people had been killed and nearly 2,000 detained. Still, thousands of students and workers flood into the streets every day.

Dhamma versus adhamma is their slogan: Justice versus injustice.

To help the frontline activists, residents of neighborhoods surrounding the protest sites in Myanmars commercial capital, Yangon, build barricades and hide protesters from security forces. Businesses in the neighborhood of Sanchaung close between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for protests. Afterward, as trading and daily activities resume, neighbors clear the debris from clashes between security forces and protesters, then rebuild barricades for the next act of resistance.

When soldiers beat, shoot and kidnap protesters, people take videos and photos from nearby buildings and send them to media and to investigators at the United Nations.

[Deep knowledge, daily. Sign up for The Conversations newsletter.]

All over the country, social shaming of regime leaders and their families is a tactic of resistance. In the town of Monywa, in central Myanmar, residents have been following family members of the security forces in the streets and asking local shopkeepers not to serve them as customers.

From striking students to online activists to no-show nurses to helpful neighbors, Myanmars protesters resist in different ways with a shared goal: to restore their countrys nascent democracy. With sustained massive resistance to the military and moral support from much of the nation, Myanmars peaceful demonstrations may contain the seeds of a revolution.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Tharaphi Than, Northern Illinois University.

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Tharaphi Than does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Prince Harry and Ahmed Raza Khan during The Sovereign's Parade at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, April 2006

The father of an Army officer who Prince Harry notoriously called a 'P***' insists his claims of racism in the Royal Family are 'wrong'.

In 2009 Harry apologised after footage was published of him using the slur to describe his Sandhurst colleague Ahmed Raza Khan.

Harry said he had used the term without malice after the recording, taken in 2006, was released.

The prince said he was sorry for any offence caused by the incident and Captain Khan insisted he took no offence, contemporary reports said.

Now, following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, Mr Khan's father says he does not agree with the allegation of racism that emerged during the talk.

Muhammad Yaqoob Khan Abbasi, a former vice- president of Pakistan's Muslim Bank who has previously met Prince Charles, told The Sun: 'Prince Harry might have his problems with the family but I don't agree with him at all.

'I don't think the UK people or the Royal Family are racists. They are accommodating to people from all parts of the world and giving them access to the best facilities as citizens and residents.'

Mr Abbasi added: 'I have met members of the Royal Family and they were extremely polite and loving.'

He said Harry's use of the word 'P***' had caused hurt in the past, but said it was not possible to ignore the 'love' shown by members of the Royal Family.

One of the most serious allegations to come out of the Oprah interview is the suggestion of racism.

Now, following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's' bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, Mr Khan's father says he does not agree with the allegation of racism that emerged during the talk

Prince Charles with Ahmed Raza Khan's father, Muhammad Yaqoob Khan, Sandhurst Military Academy, Surrey, April 2006

Harry and Meghan  in slightly differing anecdotes  suggested a family member had talked about what colour skin their child would have.

Meghan said there had been 'concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born'.

When asked by Ms Winfrey whether there were concerns that her child would be 'too brown', Meghan said: 'If that is the assumption you are making, that is a pretty safe one.'

The couple refused to say which member of the Royal Family had made the comments but later confirmed it was neither the Queen nor Prince Philip.

Harry went on to heap criticism on his father, suggesting that he and his wife hadn't been protected or received the recognition that he clearly thought they deserved within the family.

'I feel really let down because he's been through something similar, he knows what pain feels like and Archie is his grandson,' he said.

'Of course I will always love him but there's a lot of hurt that's happened and I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try to heal that relationship.'

A source close to the prince at the time of his use of the word 'p***' had said he was willing to take his punishment 'on the chin' but stressed: 'Harry doesn't have a racist bone in his body.'
President Joe Biden has promised enough COVID-19 vaccine to immunize every willing adult by June 1. But right now, the gap between supply and demand is so dramatic that vaccinators are discovering ways to suck the final drops out of each vaccine vial  if federal regulators will let them.

Pharmacists involved in the COVID-19 vaccination drive say its common to have half a dose left in a Pfizer vial after five or even six doses have been administered  and to have half a dose left after 10 doses have been drawn out of a Moderna vial. Combining two half-doses could increase vaccinations by thousands at a time when 2 million or so doses are being administered every day in the country.

So, they want to use a single hypodermic needle to withdraw leftover vaccine from two vials from which all full doses already have been removed. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists asked the Food and Drug Administration to consider granting permission to do so in a recent letter. The governors of Colorado and Oregon also have sought permission to allow their pharmacists to pool COVID-19 vaccine vials.

Federal health regulators, however, have long opposed the reuse of drug vials because of the risk of introducing a bacterial contaminant. From 1998 to 2014 more than 50 outbreaks of viral or bacterial disease were reported as a result of unsafe injection practices, including injecting multiple patients with a drug from the same vial.

The FDA wouldnt comment on the pharmacists letter but restated to KHN its current policy that doses not be pooled from different vaccine vials, especially for coronavirus vaccines, which are not formulated with a preservative. On its website, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explicitly tells vaccinators to discard vials when there is not enough vaccine to obtain a complete dose. Do NOT combine residual vaccine from multiple vials to obtain a dose.

Its a recipe for disaster, said Ann Marie Pettis, president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. There is always a tiny chance that one of the two vials has previously been contaminated, which would contaminate a shot that combined their contents, she said. Spokespeople for both Moderna and Pfizer said excess portions of their vaccines must be discarded and never pooled. Johnson & Johnson had no comment on the issue.

Before the COVID-19 vaccination program, public health officials generally frowned on giving multiple patients doses of medicine from a single vial, unless it contained an antibacterial preservative. Most childrens vaccines, for example, have been shipped and stored in syringes or single-dose vials since 2001, when drug companies stopped using a preservative containing traces of mercury in some shots.

Rajesh Gupta, a biologics consultant who set up a sterility testing lab while serving at the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research from 2006 to 2013, sees little risk in the COVID-19 vaccination process, or even in using a single needle to combine vaccine from two vials.

The COVID-19 vaccines are being used so quickly after removal from cold storage that theres no danger of contamination, he said. I can say with some degree of confidence that its scientifically sound, if vaccinators carefully wipe the rubber stopper atop the vial with disinfectant before each penetration with a syringe, he said.

While their plea for combining vial contents may fall on deaf ears at the FDA, pharmacists already are taking many other steps to maximize the yield of the mRNA vaccines, which have quite finicky shipment, handling and administration requirements.

Documents leaked through a cyberattack on the European drug regulatory agency suggest that Pfizer has had difficulty assuring the quality of the mRNA in its vaccine. The company said in a response that all the vaccine doses it has put on the market had been double tested to ensure compliance with regulatory specifications.

Michael Hogue, president of the American Pharmacists Association and dean of the Loma Linda University School of Pharmacy in California, runs a clinic at a university gymnasium that has been administering up to 10,000 vaccines each week since Jan. 28. Its nowhere near as simple as administering flu shots at a pharmacy, he said.

The planning and procedures for these mRNA vaccines [made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna] require a tremendous amount of focus, said Hogue. You have to pay close attention to whats going on in the moment.

The Pfizer vaccine, which until recently was always stored in dry ice, is especially challenging. After Pfizer vials are removed from a freezer and thawed, saline solution is squirted into each vial. If the syringe preparer doesnt withdraw air from the vial after adding the saline, vaccine will shoot out.

After adding the solution, you take the vial between thumb and forefinger and make a rainbow sweeping motion 10 times gently to mix the liquids together, Hogue said. Shaking the vaccine could render it ineffective.

Each Pfizer vaccination contains just a bead of liquid  about 1/16th of a teaspoon  and pharmacists must use tiny syringes in which air bubbles tend to form. But they cant tap on the syringe to get the bubble out, because that, too, could damage the vaccine, Hogue said.

To get six doses out of the Pfizer vials requires a type of plunger that pushes the last trace of vaccine out of the syringe. But about 15% of the syringes the federal government has been shipping to Loma Linda have larger needles that leave a bit of vaccine in the syringe, making it impossible to extract all six doses, he said. So, Loma Linda has been purchasing its own syringes to replace the inadequate ones.

U.S. Pharmacopeia, a nonprofit agency that issues standards for use of medical products, issued an 11-page guide on how to store, handle and administer the COVID vaccines. Among other things, it urges that vaccine sites set up clean rooms  separate from the areas where vaccines are being administered  to prepare the syringes, said Farah Towfic, CEO of operations for USP.

That way we dont have clients breathing on it, not to mention the distraction of greeting old acquaintances who are bubbling over with enthusiasm about getting vaccinated, said Patricia Slattum, a retired Virginia Commonwealth University pharmacy school professor who has been volunteering at a mass vaccination site in Richmond, Virginia. Theres a lot of love to go around in there.

Another technique is to inject each needle into a different spot on the rubber vial stopper. If the syringe goes into the same location over and over, it can create a big hole that causes leakage. This tip is especially important now that Moderna is in talks with FDA to include up to 15 doses of vaccine in each vial, meaning 15 punctures of the stopper, noted Anna Legreid Dopp, director of clinical guidelines and quality improvement at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

To draw up the vaccine, you stick a needle through the rubber stopper, then turn the vial upside down, Slattum said. If you stick it in the same place, drops will leak down the needle. So theres an art to not losing vaccine.

Slattum hopes the FDA will consider allowing vaccinators to draw the leftover vaccine from two vials. We who are doing this work all feel this pressure, that our doing it well is one of the ways were going to get out of this pandemic, said Slattum. You just dont want to waste any vaccine!



Arthur Allen of Kaiser Health News wrote this story.

(Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.)

___

(c)2021 Kaiser Health News

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
We hold these truths to be self-evident

So begins one of the most pivotal pronouncements in the advancement of human liberty. With those words, Thomas Jefferson threw down a gauntlet at the feet of not just the king of England, but also at Parliament and the entire entrenched elite who, up until then, had reserved power unto themselves by dint of their education, upbringing and wealth.

No more, Jefferson insisted. By declaring the truths of equality and of unalienable rights to be self-evident, Jefferson freed the common people from the yoke of oppression they had too long labored under -- including the oppression of being told what to think by their betters.

This, in sum, is the genius of American democracy, that it was based on Common Sense, not just the pamphlet by Thomas Paine but the very concept itself. The American people had discovered that they were well enough equipped by their Creator to take on any task, meet any challenge, confront any oppressor. They could think for themselves. That was the key.

Because Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers gave voice to this revolutionary idea, they were granted authority by the people to conduct a Revolutionary War, deriving (as the Declaration of Independence would have it) their powers from the consent of the governed.

It is that same consent which has been the foundation of our democracy for the past 245 years, but it must not be taken for granted. Jefferson posited 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 foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Jefferson was right to caution that governments should not be changed lightly, but we must also be cautious of entrenched power and ask whether the peoples consent can be corrupted by a government that has grown hostile to its own citizens rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In multiple venues of American public policy today, it seems that common sense has been supplanted by doctrine and dogma  a dangerous condition, especially when the people are sufficiently educated to rebuff doctrine with facts.

This conflict naturally results in a serious breach of the consent of the governed, as a people who cannot trust their government to tell the truth will eventually question whether that government is legitimate. That breach is currently as dramatic as it has ever been since the Constitution corrected the errors of the original Articles of Confederation in 1787. You need look no further than the dispute over the legitimacy of the last election to know that the peoples consent is being put to the test, but you can also witness that strain in policy debates about transgenderism, gun control, and free speech. Nowhere is it more apparent than in the Biden administrations bizarre insistence that the border -- like its notion of gender -- is fluid, transitory and apparently altogether optional.

An open border represents a fundamental threat to the social contract between the governed and the government because it leaves the people unprotected. Just as the governed owe allegiance to the government, so too the government owes its allegiance to the people. Not any people, not the people of the world, but the people of the nation. The safety and happiness of the people must be the guiding principle of any government, yet clearly the willingness of the U.S. government to turn a blind eye to the influx of non-citizens into the country is a direct threat to the health and safety of the people.

Roberta Jacobson, who was the U.S. ambassador to Mexico and is President Bidens coordinator for the southern border, gave a press conference last week to explain what the administration was doing to change our immigration system, but she might as well have been honest and said it was to explain what they are doing to change our country at its core.

We cant just undo four years of the previous administration, Jacobson (pictured) said, but it looks like they are doing exactly that. Whereas the Trump administration worked tirelessly to halt illegal immigration, the Biden team is rolling out the red carpet. Border wall? Construction halted. Remain in Mexico policy? Abandoned. Catch and release? Restored, with busloads of illegal aliens being shipped across the country, many almost assuredly infected with COVID-19.

Jacobson said the United States was investing billions of dollars into Central American countries with the hope that conditions would improve in those nations so dramatically that their forlorn populations would give up the determined trek to our border. The ambassador claimed that this infusion of cash would address the root causes of illegal immigration, which she said are corruption, violence and economic devastation exacerbated by climate change.

Really? Sending $4 billion into the kleptocracies of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras is going to make for less corruption? In what universe? Our American dollars are going to somehow end violence in those countries? Well, if we can do that, tell me why we dont spend $4 billion to end violence in Chicago, where Democrat policies saw gun violence and murder jump by 50% in 2020.

What such policy claims represent is a utopian worldview that is divorced from common sense. Jacobson thinks conditions compel people to migrate whereas common sense provides clear evidence that U.S. policies for decades have acted as a magnet to attract migration. From her press conference, it is obvious that those policies wont change for the better. They will get worse. We are going to be rethinking asylum processing to ensure fair and faster consideration. According to Jacobson, this is all supposed to provide hope for families, but not American families, who will foot the bill and very possibly see their wages decreased or lose their jobs altogether.

This is all contradictory and nonsensical. Out of one side of her mouth, Jacobson tells us that Biden will work to expand safe and legal avenues to the United States, but out of the other side she wants to be clear that nothing in U.S. policy is intended to suggest that anyone should make the dangerous trip to try and enter the U.S. in an irregular fashion. The border is not open.

I suppose the videos of Latin Americans streaming across the border into the United States are just some deep fake production of QAnon or Roger Stone (pick your favorite conservative scapegoat!). Jacobson went so far as to complain that the Mexican cartels were somehow misleading migrants into believing that the border is open. Again, this complaint  the official position of the United States government  violated the common sense that Thomas Jefferson had promised the American republic. Anyone who has watched video of the border in the past week knows full well that the border is open and the crisis is real. We hold these truths to be self-evident.

But the Biden team doesnt get it. Instead of Trumps America First policy, we now have a federal government that intends to take responsibility for the hopes and dreams of foreign nationals. Not just that, but to do so while undermining Americans.

Dont forget the Democrat plan to grant amnesty to upwards of 20 million illegal aliens. Thats the equivalent of adding 10 times the population of Montana to our nation, and essentially it means that voters in Montana and elsewhere will be reduced to second-class citizens. If our elected leaders can dilute the vote of Americans by engineering a new electorate whenever convenient to do so, either through amnesty or through weakening election rules so that anyone can vote, then consent of the governed is no more than a cheap parlor trick.

The patience of the American people is being tested. Will common sense prevail? Or is it too late?
Intelligence agency director taken into custody

Vladimir Pcolinsky, a nominee of Sme Rodina, will give up his post.

Vladimir Pcolinsky being taken into custody. (Source: SME)

Vladimir Pcolinsky, director of the Slovak Information Service (SIS) intelligence agency, was taken into custody. The Specialised Criminal Court explained there are concerns he might continue in his criminal activities and try to influence witnesses.

The decision is not valid yet as Pcolinsky challenged it. The Supreme Court will now have the final say, the Sme daily reported.

Police detained intelligence service head Read more

Pcolinsky was detained on March 11 due to suspicions of corruption.

Following his arrest, President Zuzana Caputova decided to suspend him from the post. Pcolinsky, meanwhile, resigned and withdrew from public life completely, his lawyer Eva Misikova told the media.

Bribe of 40,000

Pcolinsky is said to have taken a bribe of 40,000 in the summer of 2020 from Zoroslav Kollar, who also faces corruption-related charges, in order to make SIS stop its activities involving him.

15. Mar 2021 at 11:27 | Compiled by Spectator staff
MUHLENBERG TWP., Pa. - Pennsylvania's governor traveled to Berks County on Monday to get a first-hand look at how his plan to vaccinate teachers against COVID-19 is unfolding.

"We've already vaccinated 55,000 educators throughout the state," Wolf said.

As of Monday, about 2,200 educators and school staff in Berks County have been vaccinated.

"It's a huge step in ensuring that we get them back into the classroom," said Berks County state Sen. Judy Schwank.

In his tour of the Berks County Intermediate Unit in Muhlenberg Township, the governor was guided through each step of the process, from registration to vaccination to observation.

"Our ultimate goal is to offer every public and private school worker a vaccine to protect people, help even more students return to the classroom, and get communities another step closer to normal," Wolf said.

The state is working with Pennsylvania's IUs to administer 94,000 of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine to school employees who want it.

"This is a step in the right direction for Pennsylvania schools," said Jill Hackman, the BCIU's executive director.

Wolf's visit to Berks County came amid sharp criticism from the county commissioners and at least one state lawmaker of the state's vaccine distribution process.

In a letter last week to the state's acting health secretary, Schwank said she was becoming increasingly frustrated, disappointed, and angry over how the state has distributed and administered the COVID-19 vaccines.

Schwank, a Democrat who represents Reading and many of its suburbs, asked that the Wolf administration provide Berks County officials and residents with an update specific to the county regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.

Wolf did not address the criticism on Monday.

27:36 WATCH: Gov. Wolf speaks outside BCIU vaccination clinic Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf visited the Berks County Intermediate Unit's COVID-19 vaccination clinic for educators on Monday. Other speakers we
Kosovo on Sunday opened an embassy in Jerusalem, making it only the third country with an embassy in the contested holy city.

The pledge given in the Oval Office today is finally fulfilled, Kosovos Foreign Ministry tweeted in reference to former President Donald Trumps role in forging relations between the two countries.

Ines Demiri, Kosovo's charge d'affaires in Israel, opened the facility in what she called a truly proud and historic moment for Kosovo-Israel relations. Israels Foreign Ministry said it warmly welcomed the opening of Kosovos embassy and the natural development of the relations and a realization of the Washington agreement.

The embassys opening came in exchange for Israels recognition of Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Serbia still sees Kosovo as its province, but the United States and most Western countries view Kosovo as its own country.

During a White House signing ceremony in September, the two Balkan states agreed to establish economic ties, and Serbia also pledged to move its embassy to Jerusalem by July 2021.

Kosovo on Sunday became the first European country and first Muslim-majority country to open an embassy in Jerusalem. Trump formally recognized the city as Israels capital in December 2017, and months later the US Embassy was moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Shortly after, Guatemala became the second country to relocate its embassy.

Jerusalem is sacred to Judaism, Islam and Christianity. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War, as the capital of their future independent state. Israel views the disputed city as its "undivided capital."

The Biden administration has restored relations with the Palestinians but does not plan to move the US Embassy back to Tel Aviv. Biden also plans to build on the Abraham Accords, which saw a number of Arab countries normalize relations with the Jewish state.
WASHINGTON - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waved away suggestions Monday that Canada is prepared to explore reopening its shared border with the United States any time soon.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers remarks during a new conference in Montreal, on Monday, March 15, 2021. Trudeau is waving off suggestions that the Canada-U. S. border is going to reopen any time soon. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

WASHINGTON - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau waved away suggestions Monday that Canada is prepared to explore reopening its shared border with the United States any time soon.

Canadians are looking forward to the day regular cross-border travel "eventually" resumes, Trudeau told a news conference in Montreal  his first public appearance outside Ottawa in recent memory.

But while that day will inevitably arrive, it's not imminent as long as COVID-19 continues to pose a serious risk to public health, he suggested.

"We're all eager to be able to travel again," Trudeau said.

"But I think we're all going to wait patiently until such time as the health situation allows us to loosen border restrictions internationally. That'll be eventually, but not for today."

Trudeau's recent conversations with President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, coupled with mounting optimism south of the border, have rekindled the debate about letting travel resume.

Just last week, Biden used his first prime-time address as president to float the possibility of allowing small gatherings by the July 4 holiday in the U.S., thanks to ample vaccine stockpiles and redoubled efforts to get them administered.

Biden said he expects to have enough vaccine for every U.S. adult by the end of May, and has ordered states to make all adults eligible for vaccination before May 1.

In Canada, however, where vaccine procurement and distribution has been less successful, government and diplomatic officials  satisfied that the selective restrictions have kept supply chains and the flow of cross-border trade largely intact  are in less of a hurry to lift the restrictions.

That hasn't dampened efforts by some U.S. lawmakers, business leaders and others to start ramping up their campaigns to get international traffic moving again.

New York congressman Brian Higgins, the Democratic chairman of the Congressional Northern Border Caucus, is urging Biden to prioritize a gradual easing of the border restrictions.

"The distance to Canada is now further than it has ever been in my lifetime," Higgins said in a recent letter to the president.

"Given the economic and social costs the border closure has had on the region, we must prioritize efforts to expand essential-traveller exceptions and plan for an incremental reopening now."

A congressional delegation from Washington state, led by Democratic congresswoman Suzan DelBene, has also been ramping up the border pressure on Biden, citing the economic impact of the yearlong closure.

DelBene said Canadian visitors made nearly 7 million trips in 2018 into Whatcom County, which borders B.C., spending an estimated US$138 million at local stores and businesses.

She complained about the discretionary approach of some Canada Border Services Agency officers, who in some cases have turned away travellers with a legitimate reason to cross the border.

DelBene cited the specific case of Point Roberts, a Whatcom community just south of Vancouver's Tsawwassen ferry terminal that has been cut off from the mainland for the last year.

Point Roberts residents "need to cross through Canada to reach the mainland United States for almost anything essential to the daily functioning of their lives," she wrote in a separate letter to Biden.

She wants the White House to prioritize a bilateral plan to restore travel that would include vaccinating and testing border guards, creating exceptions for family members and property owners and letting students who live on one side return to classes on the other.

The Wilson Center, a D.C.-based public policy think tank, has assembled a high-powered task force to examine the challenges inherent in both limiting cross-border travel and deciding how and when to lift those limits.

The panel includes former Quebec premier Jean Charest, former federal cabinet minister Anne McLellan and former Washington state governor Christine Gregoire.

The task force is expected to issue preliminary findings on the economic impact of the closure on Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 15, 2021.
Prioritising vaccine based on profession discriminatory: Centre tells SC

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 15: The Centre has told the Supreme Court that prioritising judges, lawyers, and other members of the legal fraternity in the vaccine drive will be discriminatory.

Listing anyone for inoculation based on profession was not in the interest of the nation. The Centre was responding to a notice based on a petition that sought such consideration.

"Covid-19 vaccination drive cannot be carried out based on a separate class for lawyers. It is not in the national interest to prioritise vaccination based on profession. That would amount to discrimination," the Centre said in an affidavit.

COVID-19 vaccine: Amid concerns over Covishield, India studies post-vaccination adverse events

The PL filed by Arvind Singh said that "the police, security forces, revenue officials, all these people have been given priority. However all these people have been priority, but these people whatever they do culminate into the judicial system. Judicial staff judges and lawyers are not included in the priority list for the vaccine," the petition said.
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South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg pleaded not guilty in an initial court hearing for three misdemeanor charges he is facing for striking and killing a man with his car last summer.

The Republican attorney general did not appear at the courthouse in Pierre, South Dakota, but his lawyer Tim Rensch made the plea on his behalf. The prosecutor noted that it is typical for defendants to plead not guilty at this point in the case before defense lawyers have a chance to look at the evidence.

Besides the misdemeanor charges, the states top law enforcement officer is facing calls for his resignation from Republican Gov. Kristi Noem and law enforcement groups.

But Ravnsborg has said he will not step down and  for now  maintains he is not guilty of breaking the law on the night of Sept. 12 when he struck a man walking on the shoulder of a rural highway. However, he could face up to 30 days in jail and up to a $500 fine on each misdemeanor charge: careless driving, driving out of his lane and operating a motor vehicle while on his phone. Though prosecutors said he was not using his phone at the time of the crash, he had been using it while driving about one minute before the crash occurred.

Rensch requested 60 days to look over the evidence in the case, to which the judge and prosecutors agreed.

In some cases, there is a mountain of discovery, Rensch told the judge. In this case, there is a mountain range of discovery.

He declined to comment further to reporters.

Ravnsborg, who was elected to his first term in 2018, initially told authorities he thought he had struck a deer or another large animal as he drove home to Pierre from a Republican fundraiser. He said he had searched the unlit area with a cellphone flashlight and didnt realize he had killed a man _55-year-old Joseph Boever_ until the next day when he returned to the crash scene on U.S. 14 near Highmore in South Dakota.

After an investigation that stretched over five months, prosecutors said they still had questions about the crash but were unable to file more serious criminal charges such as vehicular homicide or manslaughter, which could have meant years of prison time.

Boevers family members, including his widow Jenny Boever and his mother, traveled to Pierre for the hearing, which lasted less than 10 minutes. But for several minutes on Friday, the normally sleepy courthouse was crowded with lawyers, reporters and Boevers family members. His widow is planning to file a civil wrongful death lawsuit against Ravnsborg for her late husbands death.

Jenny, the widow, just wants to make a presence, said Boevers cousin, Nick Nemec, who has been outspoken in questioning the attorney generals account of the crash.

Nemec called Ravnsborgs decision not to plead guilty at the outset of the case troubling.

He was obviously outside of his lane. The skid marks on Highway 14 are still visible, he said. I think hes just as guilty as can be.

Emily Sovell, the Hyde County Deputy States Attorney who is the lead prosecutor, said it is not uncommon at all for defendants to initially plead not guilty before viewing the evidence.

Prosecutors declined to discuss details of the crash further, noting they are under a gag order from Retired Sixth Circuit Judge John Brown.

Brown made that order last month at the attorney generals request after Noem released videos of investigators questioning Ravnsborg on two separate occasions after the crash. Detectives were incredulous that Ravnsborg did not realize he had struck a man, telling him that Boevers face had smashed through his windshield and Boevers glasses had been found in his Ford Taurus after the crash.

House lawmakers had moved to begin impeachment proceedings against the attorney general last month, but took a step back after the judges order.

Lawmakers have said they will consider whether Ravnsborg should be impeached after the criminal case concludes.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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China's top legislature concluded its most important annual session on March 11, outlining the future direction of the country's development.



The 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) passed during the fourth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) aims to make a key step for China to achieve its goal of socialist modernization in all respects by 2035, which could be equivalent of a medium developed country in terms of per capita income.

All eyes will be on how the document will deliver on these promises, and especially on how it will accomplish something only a handful of countries have managed in the last half century: breaking past the middle-income trap.

Used to describe a country's delayed jump from middle-income status to high-income status, the middle-income trap is something China has attempted to hurdle over the past two decades, and is a challenge that must be overcome if it is to realize its newly acquired goals.

Analysts have been clear that the next 15 years are crucial to China's future development, stating it must achieve GDP growth of more than 5 percent over the next five years if it is to ensure a smooth transition that has so far snared middle-income countries since the 1960s.

The current coronavirus pandemic, rising tensions with the United States and growing issues with precuring technology have only made the task more difficult. So how does China's 14th FYP expect to achieve it?

Innovation, innovation, innovation

The first key initiative is an acceleration in innovation. China's new FYP aims to pursue "innovation-driven development", including the strengthening of science and technology areas, making breakthroughs in core technologies, and increasing R&D spending by more than seven percent per year, according to goals in the Government Work Report that supplement the FYP.

Upgrading traditional industries and strengthening areas like the digital economy have been mentioned by analysts as an essential move in realizing a high-income economy, and are an area that countries like Brazil have failed to rectify in their pursuit of moving into the higher bracket.

China however appears in no mood to repeat the same mistake. The Government Work Report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang on March 5 mentioned the term "innovation" 33 times, as well as "technology" and "technological" a combined 33 times, highlighting how policies related to these concepts will be placed at the heart of the government plans.

This boost in innovation will help create essential technologies needed for China's development, including semiconductors and chips, helping it to become more self-sufficient in the field of technology.

Creating super-spenders

Increased innovation however is only one part of the plan, or the supply side of it. Along with the production of higher-quality products and services, the creation of a "strong domestic market" to expand China's "domestic demand", or the demand side, has also been deemed essential.

In the U.S., domestic consumption is key, making up close to 87 percent of its entire economy but in China that figure is significantly smaller, with domestic consumption contributing less than 60 percent  57.8 percent in 2019 and 54.3 percent in 2020  to its economy.

The 14th FYP therefore aims to address this problem and create a "super-sized domestic market", one that can properly harvest the spending power of its 400 million strong middle class. China's large population is at times its biggest asset, and the new five-year plan looks to utilize it even further, reforming the legal process of turning migrant workers into city dwellers by making it easier for them to earn household registration permits  known as hukou's  which will in turn lead to an even bigger middle class and stronger consumer market.

Policies are also being created to ensure the millions of citizens who've recently been lifted out of poverty continue to enjoy greater economic opportunities, thus increasing their personal and disposable income, and creating an even larger army of super-spenders.

External markets still key

Releasing the full power of its domestic market does not however mean forsaking what made China the economic power-house that it is today. Exports have since the 1980s been essential in China's economic growth.

Instead, the 14th FYP aims for exports to stand side by side with domestic consumption as part of a policy known as "dual circulation", whereby both "internal" and "external" circulation of capital combine to create a complete economic platform.

And rather than retreating away from the international market, China's 14th FYP aims to increase "both the quality and quantity" of imports and exports, as well as a greater pursuit of "high-standard opening-up". Greater market access for international companies is set to improve, as is a further reduction in its negative list. Promoting fairer opportunities and opening-up more sectors of the economy to international economic cooperation is also set to continue.

Building on the work of last year, in which China joined RCEP and signed an investment agreement with the European Union, plans are in place to step-up negations and sign free-trade agreements with Japan, Republic of Korea, as well as exploring what opportunities the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership can offer it.

The world waits expectedly

The 14th FYP therefore aims to chart a new course for China's economic strategy, one that maximises innovation, domestic and external markets. Key to ensuring it can deliver its long-term goals will be its transformation into a high-income country, and it therefore needs to shake off the shackles that come with being ensnared by the middle-income trap as soon as possible.

For the global economy, it is essential China makes this leap, with the country now responsible for 17 percent of the world's economy and an essential cog in the global supply chain. As the only major economy to experience economic growth last year, global markets need a high-income China.

China often under promises and over delivers in its FYP, meaning there is great expectation that its latest plan is well placed to be delivered over the next five years.

Thomas Scott-Bell is an editorial writer for China Focus.




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MINSK -- A court in Belarus has sentenced RFE/RL freelancer Liza Hancharova and her father, Alyaksandr Hancharou, to 15 days in jail on charges of taking part in an unsanctioned demonstration.

On March 15, the Central District Court in Minsk found the two guilty of taking part in an unsanctioned rally on March 13.

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Both have rejected the charges, saying they were not taking part in the protest but had been arrested by police while they were nearby by chance.

Hancharova was also found guilty of planning to shoot video of the rally for unspecified "extremist Telegram channels," a charge which she also rejected.

RFE/RL deplores the jailing of Liza Hancharova, a graphic designer with Radio Svaboda, our Belarusian service, in Minsk. For the simple act of watching a protest take place, Liza was brutally attacked on the street by police and jailed for 15 days. She should be released immediately," said RFE/RL President Jamie Fly.

Hancharova told the court that police brutally threw her onto the asphalt pavement several times during her arrest and used "suffocating methods" against her.

Hancharova and her father were among about a dozen people detained in different parts of Minsk on March 13 amid an ongoing police crackdown against people protesting against the official results of an August 9, 2020, presidential election.

Sixth Term

The official results handed a sixth term to Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has run the country since 1994.

Thousands of people, including dozens of journalists who've covered the protest rallies, have been arrested.

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.

Some have been given lengthy prison sentences. Leading opposition figures have been pushed out of the country.

Some human rights organizations say there is credible evidence of Belarusian security officials torturing detainees.

Lukashenka denies allegations that the election results were fraudulently altered in his favor. He refuses to negotiate with the opposition over their demands that he step down from power and conduct a new election that is free and fair.

The European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and governments in other countries have refused to recognize Lukashenka as the legitimate leader of Belarus.

They've also imposed sanctions against him and other senior Belarusian officials in response to what they call the falsification of the election results and brutal crackdowns against peaceful demonstrators following the vote.
Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s (TEPCO) tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is illuminated for decommissioning operation in the dusk in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, in this aerial view photo taken by Kyodo on March 10, 2016. (Kyodo/File Photo via Reuters)

Japan May Release Fukushima Water Into Ocean as Part of Nuclear Cleanup

The Japanese utility giant Tokyo Electric Power Co., or Tepco, may release more than a million cubic meters of treated radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean as part of a decades-long operation.

Its being considered as part of a $200 billion cleanup process that has been largely delayed by the buildup of contaminated water in tanks that crowd the nuclear site, which was wrecked by a 2011 tsunami that followed a magnitude 9.0 earthquake. The melted cores are kept cool by pumping water into damaged reactor vessels.

The water is pumped out and run through the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) and treated. Currently, storage tanks hold enough radioactive water to fill more than 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Tepco expects it will max out its storage space by the middle of next year, and says that the storage tanks hamper the decommissioning process.

The utility giant has said that all radioactive materials but tritium can be safely removed from the water, and that tritium, a form of hydrogen, is largely harmless. According to Japans Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the water would be reprocessed to ensure it meets safety standards.

Most analysts expect that the Japanese government will release the water into the ocean after it is treated. However, the move has been met with opposition from fishing communities, particularly in the Fukushima prefecture, while South Korean and Chinese officials also have objected to such a move.

A proposal to release the treated water into the ocean, or decrease its volume by evaporation, has been introduced by a panel under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The final decisions will be made by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who will instruct Tepco to implement the option chosen.

Japans Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks during a meeting at the COVID-19 infection control headquarters at the prime ministers office in Tokyo on Jan. 22, 2021. (Kazuhiro Nogi/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Japans nuclear watchdog must also first clear the final plan.

The exact timing on when the government will decide on the method and the period is yet to be decided, a Japanese government official told reporters at a press briefing organized by the Japanese Embassy in South Korea earlier this month, the Korea Herald reported.

We are still evaluating the situation. But its true that there are limits to the storage space of the tanks, and the government consider it as a task that cannot be delayed, the official said.

The period as to when the water will be completely filled will depend on the level of rain and typhoons this year, the official added. We will review the plan considering such situation.

There still is no plan for where to put the radioactive debris from the reactors.

Its no good just moving highly radioactive waste from inside the nuclear reactor to somewhere else in the plant, Hiroshi Miyano, the head of the decommissioning committee of the Atomic Energy Society of Japan, told Reuters. Where will the waste go? Will it be pulverized? These are the questions that need to be asked.

The total cleanup effort is expected to take up to 40 years, according to the Japanese government.

Reuters contributed to this report.




Haiti - Social: National Mourning of 3 days





The General Secretariat of the Presidency informs that following the tragedy of the police officers killed https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33226-haiti-flash-failure-of-the-anti-gang-operation-in-village-de-dieu-several-police-officers-killed-others-injured.html by terrorists in the Village de Dieu, that the country will observe three days of mourning which will begin from this Monday March 15 to Wednesday March 17, 2021, throughout of the national territory, to salute the memory of these valiant police officers who fell without the exercise of their function, the flags will be put at half mast on all public buildings.



All of our fellow citizens must be able to join in this well-deserved tribute to the police officers Georges Renois Vivendern Desilus Wislet, Eugene Stanley and Ariel Poulard, killed in the Village de Dieu



"These police officers were engaged in operations aimed at restoring order, ensuring the safety of their compatriots, fighting crime and kidnapping and protecting lives and property according to the noble mission entrusted to the police institution by the Constitution of the country. "



HL/ HaitiLibre


















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Business travel, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, was a big part of Singapores economy. Many travellers would come to Singapore to close deals and make decisions that can cost millions.



(TRAVPR.COM) SINGAPORE - March 15th, 2021 - As Singapore looks to rebound its economy and get more travellers coming back, a new facility for such travellers, Connect@Changi, has opened.

Not only will they not need to serve a Stay-Home Notice (SHN), theyll also be able to meet other travellers physically at meeting rooms in Singapore instead of over Zoom.

The catch? Travellers will have to take several Covid-19 tests throughout their stay. But its perhaps a small price to pay for the privilege of meeting business partners in person.

Connect@Changi will let travellers conduct meetings safely

The facility is located just a stones throw away from Changi Airport, at the Singapore EXPO & Max Atria.

Travellers will be ferried straight from the airport, and receive short-stay accommodation with WiFi as well as meals.

If they need a place to ponder over their strategies before a meeting, there are courtyards available with park-like settings.

That said, Singapore-based visitors wont require testing when using the facility as theyll be completely separated from foreign travellers.

Measures to prevent contact with others

To minimise contact with frontline staff, therell be various no-contact measures.

For example, meals will be delivered to pre-installed shelves which are outside guest rooms. Meeting rooms will also be self-service.

Book Connect@Changi room from $384

You can book a room at the facility from $384, although this will include the following:

3 meals

Complimentary mini-bar

Toiletries

WiFi

Two-way airport transfer

COVID-19 tests required during the course of the stay

The meeting rooms are also separately charged, and you can book them through the Connect@Changi mobile app.

The location being close to Changi Airport will hopefully make business travel smooth and fuss-free.

Connect@Changi

Address: 9 Somapah Road, Singapore 487370

Contact number:+65 6982 7611

Helping business travellers connect physically

One of the companies that will begin using the facilities is Advanced MedTech.

Lee Weikang, Senior Director, Business Development at Advanced MedTech said that in-person meetings will allow tangible connections as well as bond renewal for a globally-diverse team.

They plan to hold a global senior leadership meeting of up to 30 executives there.

There are certainly things that Zoom meetings cannot replicate, and the facility hopes to bring these physical connections back to visitors safely.

At the same time, Singapore will be able to offer itself as a business hub for meetings and events, which will help the aviation sector recover as well.

###
Australian Economy a Bright Light in the Pandemic

A new barometer has found Australia and New Zealand leading the pack when it comes to the global fight against the negative economic and health impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The research modelled by consultants EY found Australia is well placed to emerge from the pandemic in a strong position thanks to a robust economic and health response.

The EY Global COVID-19 Economic Index looks beyond the traditional measures of GDP and employment and incorporates balance sheet strength across households, government, central banks, non-financial corporates and financial institutions.

EY Oceania chief economist Jo Masters says Australias strong global position should give businesses the confidence they need to invest and hire, for consumers to open their wallets, and for governments to progress productive reform.

Federal and state governments have ploughed an unprecedented amount of fiscal stimulus into the economy, supported by the Reserve Bank of Australia, Master said.

The growth baton now needs to pass to the corporate sector to drive forward our continued recovery, boosting investment to stand alongside household spending as growth drivers.

The research shows that while an above-average health outcome does not guarantee a strong economic outcome, it significantly improves the odds.

Masters said for the most part, those countries that have limited the health crisis have also performed well on the economic indicators.

Australia is certainly one of those that has excelled, she said.

However, she said when support measures like the JobKeeper wage subsidy end later this month, she expects there will some businesses that cant survive and some jobs will no longer be there.

But she believes it is time to move away from the big, broad-based support measures and instead support specific industries like those that have been impacted by the lack of international tourism.

The opening of international borders will be highly dependent on the rollout of the vaccine both in Australia and overseas.

While it is difficult to pick the exact timing to open our borders, I think Australia remains a very desirable destination for students, importantly for skilled migrants, and for tourists, Master told the ABC.

I do think that we will see those three sectors come back over time.
Thousands who braved the rain in Brisbane to add their voices to the national March 4 Justice protest joined a mass performance of a Chilean protest song about rape culture and gender-based hate crime.

After a minutes silence for women who had lost their lives to violence, the crowd chanted and danced to the English version of Un Violador en Tu Camino. Credit:Getty Images

King George Square was packed with protesters for the march, one of many arranged around Australia following historical rape allegations made against Attorney-General Christian Porter, who has denied the claims.

Attendees in Brisbane wore masks and signed in to assist with COVID-19 tracing, in light of fears of a possible community outbreak in recent days after a local doctor tested positive.
New Delhi: The Ghazipur border, which was closed due to farmers protests against Central farm laws, was reopened on Monday (March 15) for traffic movement. However, the movement is allowed only for those entering Uttar Pradesh from the national capital.

The decision to open the carriageway of the National Highway-24 going towards Ghaziabad from Delhi has been opened after discussions between Delhi Police with police officials of Ghaziabad district.

"In view of prevailing law and order situation at the Ghazipur border and considering public convenience, the carriageway of NH-24 going towards Ghaziabad from Delhi has been opened after consultation with police officials of Ghaziabad District, Uttar Pradesh," said Delhi Police.

"Traffic Alert: Gazipur Border, Delhi to Gazipur is open for traffic movement," Delhi police tweeted.

On March 2, the Ghazipur border, which remained closed since January 26 following the Republic Day violence, was reopened for vehicular movement. Later, the border was closed for traffic movement.

Ghazipur border is among those sites where farmers have been protesting since November 26 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.

As agitating farmers assemble at the Gazipur border and tried to break police barricades, one carriageway of the National Highway 24 for Uttar Pradesh to Delhi was first closed for traffic on December 3 last year.
[March 15, 2021] Edelman Financial Engines Announces Investment From Warburg Pincus LLC

Edelman (News - Alert) Financial Engines ("the Company" or "firm"), the nation's top independent financial planning and investment management firm, along with lead investor Hellman & Friedman, a premier private equity firm focused on making large-scale equity investments in high-quality growth businesses, today announced a strategic investment from Warburg Pincus (News - Alert) , a preeminent global private equity firm focused on growth investing, which will become a minority equity owner and Michael Martin, Managing Director, will join the Company's Board of Directors. The investment values the Company at $7.3 billion and is expected to close in the second quarter 2021. This recapitalization marks a significant milestone in fulfilling a vision that has long been in the making for the Company and its investors. In 2015, Hellman & Friedman's investment in legacy Edelman Financial Services helped that firm become the leading independent financial planning and investment advisor in America. That same year, Financial Engines began to combine its technology-based offering in the workplace with a more comprehensive, high-touch and advisor-led approach, and brought Warburg Pincus on as a significant investor as part of that transition. In 2018, Hellman & Friedman's strategic take-private of Financial Engines and merger with Edelman Financial Services accelerated that journey, creating the top independent RIA in America, recognized three years in a row by Barron's. Since the merger, Edelman Financial Engines has continued to expand and enhance its service offering, growing AUM by nearly $100 billion, while always acting in the best interest of its nearly 1.3 million clients. The Company's strong financial performance in 2020 demonstrated the strength and resiliency of the firm. With the backing of Hellman & Friedman and Warburg Pincus, the Company enters its next phase of growth grounded in its unwavering mission to bring more financial help to the many that need and deserve it. "This new investment from Warburg Pincus alongside the continued support from Hellman & Friedman demonstrates the abundance of opportunity ahead for our business," commented Larry Raffone, President & Chief Executive Officer, Edelman Financial Engines. "Our record growth in 2020 created momentum that has continued into 2021. We are well-positioned and excited to take advantage of the opportunities in front us and to fulfill our long-term vision of helping more Americans meet all their financial goals." "We are very proud of the progress that the Edelman Financial Engines team has made since we merged Edelman Financial Services with Financial Engines in 2018, creating an unparalleled investment advisory business that provides millions with access to high-quality, unbiased financial planning-led advice," commented Allen Thorpe, Partner, Hellman & Friedman. "We are excited to continue working with Larry and team as they seek to protect and enhance the financial wllbeing of so many Americans, and we look forward to partnering with Michael and the Warburg Pincus team. They bring great expertise in the financial services industry and will be a great addition to the Board as we support the Company's bright future together."



"We have a strong history with Edelman Financial Engines and are thrilled by this opportunity to invest in its continued growth in partnership with Hellman & Friedman," said Michael Martin, Managing Director, Warburg Pincus. "We believe that the Edelman Financial Engines business model, which spans workplace retirement plan advice and traditional financial planning and investment management services, uniquely positions the firm to help millions of Americans reach their financial goals." Moelis & Company LLC acted as lead financial advisor to Edelman Financial Engines. PJT Partners also acted as a financial advisor, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett provided legal counsel. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz provided legal counsel to Warburg Pincus.

About Edelman Financial Engines Since 1986, Edelman Financial Engines has been committed to always acting in the best interest of our clients. We were founded on the belief that all American investors - not just the wealthy - deserve access to personalized, comprehensive financial planning and investment advice. Today, we are America's top independent financial planning and investment advisor, recognized by Barron's1, with 150+ offices across the country and entrusted by more than 1.2 million clients to manage more than $260 billion in assets.2 Our unique approach to serving clients combines our advanced methodology and proprietary technology with the attention of a dedicated personal financial planner. Every client's situation and goals are unique, and the powerful fusion of high-tech and high-touch allows Edelman Financial Engines to deliver the personal plan and financial confidence that everyone deserves. For more information please visit www.EdelmanFinancialEngines.com. About Hellman & Friedman Hellman & Friedman is a preeminent global private equity firm with a distinctive approach focused on investments in high-quality growth businesses. H&F seeks to partner with world-class management teams where its deep sector expertise, long-term orientation, and collaborative partnership approach enable companies to flourish. Since its founding in 1984, H&F has raised over $50 billion of committed capital, invested in over 90 companies, and is currently investing its ninth fund, with $16.5 billion of committed capital. Learn more about H&F's defining investment philosophy and approach to sustainable outcomes at www.hf.com. About Warburg Pincus Warburg Pincus LLC is a leading global private equity firm focused on growth investing. The firm has more than $58 billion in private equity assets under management. The firm's active portfolio of more than 195 companies is highly diversified by stage, sector, and geography. Warburg Pincus is an experienced partner to management teams seeking to build durable companies with sustainable value. Founded in 1966, Warburg Pincus has raised 19 private equity funds, which have invested more than $89 billion in over 920 companies in more than 40 countries. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information please visit www.warburgpincus.com. 1 The 2020 America's Best RIA Firms Independent Advisory Firm Ranking issued by Barron's is qualitative and quantitative, including assets managed, technology spending, staff diversity, succession planning, the size and experience of teams, and the regulatory records of the advisors and firms. Firms elect to participate, but do not pay to be included in the ranking. Investor experience and returns are not considered. The 2018 ranking refers to Edelman Financial Services, LLC, which combined its advisory business in its entirety with Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. (FEA) in November 2018. For the same survey, FEA received a precombination ranking of 12th. 2 Data as of 12/31/2020.  2021 Edelman Financial Engines, LLC. Edelman Financial Engines is a registered trademark of Edelman Financial Engines, LLC. All advisory services offered through Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. (FEA), a federally registered investment advisor. Results are not guaranteed. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005198/en/

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Eliana Pinckney was only 11 years old when her father, a longtime faith leader, activist and legislator, was shot and killed by a white supremacist in 2015.

Its been nearly six years since the late Rev. Clementa Pinckney and eight others were gunned down in the infamous Emanuel AME Church massacre in Charleston that rocked the country.

The former state senator and senior pastor at Emanuel AME was revered by state and national leaders alike for his passion, dedication and persistence as a public servant who sought to reduce inequity and improve the lives of his constituents.

Today, his eldest daughter is preparing to graduate high school and embark on her next chapter.

At only 16 years old, Eliana has already made a name for herself.

Between speaking out against gun violence at activist marches and using her social media page as a platform for social justice, friends and family members have been impressed by the way Eliana has carried on a new legacy in the wake of her father's death.

Her classmates have noticed her knack for leadership, too.

This fall, Eliana was elected to receive two of the most prestigious titles a high schooler can obtain: senior class president and homecoming queen.

As a lifelong lover of the arts, Eliana plans to study public relations and musical theater in college. Although she hasnt completely ruled out a potential career in politics, she isnt certain that she wants to follow her late father on this path quite yet.

"That's just not where my passions lie at the moment, but you know, in the years to come, maybe things will change," Eliana said.

While its unknown what exactly the future has in store for the young student, one thing so far is clear: Eliana may be forever surrounded by the legacy of her father, but its a challenge she has taken in stride.

"She is truly her fathers child," said Elianas mother, Jennifer Pinckney. "She doesnt have a shy bone in her body."

Her fiery spirit, outgoing personality and knack for leadership "truly comes from her father," she added.

"Thats what I can say is very different from me. Im very shy, very quiet. I dont have to be seen, I dont have to be heard," Jennifer Pinckney said. "I always say, She looks like her mother but she acts like her father."

On the other hand, her youngest daughter, Malana, now 11, looks more like Jennifer's late husband but is more quiet and reserved like her mother.

"When I look at both girls, I see Clementa. One acts like him, one looks like him," she said. "They definitely didnt let the tragedy get them down or the situation deter them from being the best that they can be."

Jennifer Pinckney was ecstatic in September, when, even amid the global coronavirus pandemic, Eliana "campaigned like her daddy" for the role of senior class president at Columbias Dreher High School and won.

A few months later, Eliana was crowned homecoming queen, a major milestone for the fun-loving teen who grew up idolizing romantic Disney Channel movies like "High School Musical."

Still, Eliana went into the event reminding herself that regardless of the outcome, she had "so many other things to be grateful for."

"Whether I won or not, I was very happy with where I was in my life and where I am in my life. But yeah, the crown didn't hurt," she said with a laugh.

Conversation on civil rights

In addition to her role on homecoming court and within student leadership, Eliana has a laundry list of accolades and accomplishments that any college-bound senior would envy.

Project chair for the National Honor Society, president of a school leadership club and co-captain of the dance team are all titles under her belt.

This summer, in the wake of national civil unrest following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, Eliana and a group of peers organized a panel of senators, police officers, student leaders, counselors from across the state to have a conversation about civil rights, police brutality and racial injustice.

"Having that conversation was such a pivotal moment for everybody who was involved," Eliana said. "Having the opportunity and the ability to organize something like that was so moving for us, especially as people of color."

That isnt where her activism efforts have ended.

The teenager is constantly using her social media pages to speak out against action of racism, sexism and other human rights issues.

"I think its so important to use the platform that I have to speak out," she said. "Its so important to have those conversations."

Bruce Davis, Elianas seventh grade guidance counselor and mentor, describes Eliana as a genuine, caring individual with a kind heart who has never met a stranger.

"She is the ultimate giver, she will sacrifice everything she has to make sure that others have," Davis said.

Eliana loves to see people happy and in good spirits, even if it's at the expense of her own time or well-being, Davis said.

Still, he said, the student is fiercely passionate in her beliefs, no matter the subject.

"She never backs down from a challenge, even if shes intimidated by it," he said.

Elianas mother agreed.

"It really doesnt matter what it is, she is going to have something to say," she said.

Growing up, Eliana was often the youngest person in her grade, thanks to her parents decision to enroll her in kindergarten a year before her peers.

"Shes very intelligent and mature for her age. You would never know she was younger," Davis said. "Honestly you would think she was older than her peers because a lot of times shes the one imparting wisdom on them."

Eliana and her younger sister have likely endured more tragedy and trauma than most adults experience in a lifetime.

"I know thats an extremely heavy burden upon them, but they continue to march forward, they continue to take life one day at a time and make the best of it," Davis said. "For me, when Im in their presence, the problems I have pale in comparison to the experiences theyve endured. That pushes me to continue forward. If they can, then I can too."

For as long as he's known the Pinckneys, Eliana has always had high aspirations for her future, Davis said.

"Its going to be impossible for her to ever escape the shadow of her father but ... I want the world to know that Eliana is going to be Eliana Pinckney and not just the daughter of Sen. Pinckney," he said. "She's going to reach heights that might even be higher than what her father did."

Her father's daughter

When Clementa Pinckney first ran for the House of Representatives, his wife remembered how he doubted himself early on in the campaign.

"He came to me and said, Do you think I should run? And I was like, Youd be crazy not to. All you could do is lose, but if you dont even try youll always wonder," she said.

Decades later, Eliana approached her mother with the same question with regard to a potential bid for senior class president.

"I found myself actually saying the same thing. If you lose at least you can say you tried but youll never know unless you try," she said.

While Eliana didnt find herself actively utilizing her fathers campaign strategies while she pursued the role of senior class president, she later reflected on how the life lessons she'd learned from her dad have shaped her own path.

She wanted to make sure she was running for the right reasons: Not just because she wanted to add another title on her resume, but so that she could improve the lives of her classmates and peers.

"That is something that my dad did in church and that he did in the Senate and that he did with us," she said. "I definitely couldnt have been where I am now without all of that advice from him."

Another life lesson she obtained from her dad: Lead with love.

"We dont fight hate with hate, we fight hate with love. Thats just the way my parents raised me, thats just the way that my family grew up. Those are the people I surround myself with," she said. "To be able to spread that to the rest of the world, if I could do nothing else in my life that would be the one thing that I would want people to know or the one thing I would want people to remember me by."
Strategy Analytics: High Mix of 5G Drives All-Time High Baseband Revenue in 2020

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the global cellular baseband processor market clocked all-time high revenue in 2020, according to Strategy Analytics.

Strategy Analytics' research finds that strong demand for 5G fueled the baseband market to $26.8 billion in 2020, up 25 percent year-on-year. The Strategy Analytics' Handset Component Technologies (HCT) research report "Baseband Market Share Tracker Q4 2020: iPhone 12 Design-wins Propel Qualcomm's 5G Share to All-Time High" estimates that Qualcomm, HiSilicon, MediaTek, Samsung LSI and Intel (News - Alert) and captured the top-five cellular baseband revenue share spots in 2020.

Qualcomm led the baseband market with a 43 percent revenue share in 2020, followed by HiSilicon and MediaTek (News - Alert) , each with 18 percent share.

led the baseband market with a 43 percent revenue share in 2020, followed by and , each with 18 percent share. 5G basebands posted over eight-fold shipment growth year-on-year and significantly contributed to the overall baseband revenue growth in 2020. The baseband market performed well despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, trade war with China and shortages.

Niche cellular IoT companies Altair Semiconductor ( Sony ), Nordic Semiconductor and Sequans saw good traction for their IoT-centric basebands in 2020.

( ), and saw good traction for their IoT-centric basebands in 2020. New entrant Apple (News - Alert), which acquired Intel's smartphone modem business, will join the fray in the next two years.

Sravan Kundojjala, Associate Director, commented, "After two consecutive years of shipment decline, Qualcomm (News - Alert) turned the tide in 2020, driven by iPhone 12 design-win. Qualcomm executed its 5G strategy well with its multi-tier antenna-to-modem strategy in 2020 and established itself as an undisputed 5G market share leader. 5G basebands accounted for over 50 percent of Qualcomm's total baseband revenue in 2020. However, Qualcomm and the baseband industry face a challenge to maintain healthy pricing in light of an increasing mix of lower priced 5G chips. Given the baseband industry's consolidated nature, baseband vendors should stay away from price wars and explore new revenue-generating opportunities such as non-handsets, semiconductor content expansion, Artificial intelligence (AI), and 5G cloud gaming services."







According to Christopher Taylor, Director of the Strategy Analytics RF & Wireless Components service, added, "MediaTek made an early move in 5G and captured the number three spot in the 5G baseband market in 2020 with its 7 nm-based Dimensity 5G SoC family of chips. MediaTek will continue to gain 5G momentum in 2021 and emerge as the strong number two 5G player thanks to its broad customer base in China. However, the company should keep an eye on its cost structure to compete well with Qualcomm, especially in mmWave 5G markets."

Stephen Entwistle, Vice President of the Strategy Analytics Strategic Technologies Practice, added, "Thanks to in-house customer success, HiSilicon and Samsung showed strong growth in the 5G baseband market in 2020. However, HiSilicon's overall baseband shipments took a hit as a result of sanctions. Qualcomm, MediaTek and Samsung LSI will benefit from HiSilicon's challenges. Unisoc, on the other hand, ranked number one in both 2G and 3G markets and showed signs of recovery in 4G basebands. Strategy Analytics believes that Unisoc has a massive opportunity to capture long-tail 4G demand in India and other emerging markets."

About Strategy Analytics

Strategy Analytics, Inc. is a global leader in supporting companies across their planning lifecycle through a range of customized market research solutions. Our multi-discipline capabilities include: industry research advisory services, customer insights, user experience design and innovation expertise, mobile consumer on-device tracking and business-to-business consulting competencies. With domain expertise in: smart devices, connected cars, intelligent home, service providers, IoT, strategic components and media, Strategy Analytics can develop a solution to meet your specific planning need. For more information, visit us at www.strategyanalytics.com.

Source (News - Alert) : Strategy Analytics, Inc.

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Rapper and community activist Trae the Truth held a grand opening for his Bumpboxx store in the Galleria mall over the weekend. The new store is the latest in the community leader's efforts to bring the love of music and unity to the city of Houston.

HELPING THE COMMUNITY: Trae the Truth and Relief Gang mobilized to feed Houstonians

Bumpboxx, a small mom-and-pop electronics company claims it makes the world's loudest Bluetooth boombox speakers.

Over the weekend the Houston rapper cut the ribbon on his new store, and Mayor Sylvester Turner declared March 13, "Trae the Truth and Bumpboxx Day."

Mayor Turner shared a few words of praise about the Houston emcee's efforts in Houston.

"I just want to say this about this guy," Turner said, pointing to Trae the Truth. "If you're in need, Trae the Truth and Relief Gang show up. I don't care if it's this city or if you're down in Louisiana, you name it. He shows up, and he does it without being asked."

Turner's words rang true to Bumpboxx CFO Glen Takeda, who explained that Trae is the reason the company came to Houston.

"We started five years ago. We made a prototype and we posted it on social media. It got 700 DMs that day," Takeda explained. "Then Trae reached out to us and said 'You don't know who I am, but I'm going to help you guys. You don't even have to pay me or anything.'"

The storefront in the Galleria marks a beautiful intersection of the Houston rapper's community involvement and his entrepreneurship. Fans from far and wide came to the store opening. The line to get inside was a few yards long.

TRAE IN THE BOOTH: Tobe Nwigwe teams up with Trae the Truth for new track

J. Prince and jeweler AB Aeusco gifted Trae with a custom chain for all of his hard work.

"It's a blessing you know, just coming from where we've come from. It's one thing to have your own store but another thing to have a store in the Galleria Mall," Trae told Chron. "Everyday is progress of the different things we've accomplished and most definitely an amazing blessing."

To celebrate the store opening, Trae was joined by some of his friends, including rap executive J. Prince and Bun B, whom he gifted their own custom Bumpboxxes.

Courtesy

Before officially bringing the storefront to Houston, the Bumpboxx brand did an collaboration with Selena Quintanilla, which sold over half a million dollars in units in one day, according to Takeda.

The Bumpboxx Store in the Houston Galleria is open everyday, and located on level 3 across from Agenda.
According to information published by Associated Press on March 15, 2021, the Israeli military said that it has conducted a joint naval exercise with Greece and Cyprus, in the latest sign of increased cooperation among three countries that increasingly view Turkey as a rival in the Mediterranean Sea.

According to information published by Associated Press on March 15, 2021, the Israeli military said that it has conducted a joint naval exercise with Greece and Cyprus, in the latest sign of increased cooperation among three countries that increasingly view Turkey as a rival in the Mediterranean Sea.

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Dolphin-class submarine of Israeli Navy during "Noble Dina" (Picture source: Twitter account of Tsahal IDF)

It said the Noble Dina exercise, which was led by Israel and also included France, covered anti-submarine procedures, search and rescue scenarios, and a scenario simulating battle between ships. The exercise was concluded on Thursday.

Israel, Greece and Cyprus have taken a number of steps in recent months to cement ties, including advancing plans to build a 2,000 megawatt undersea electricity cable and a 1,900-kilometer (1,300-mile) undersea gas pipeline. The three countries defense ministers met in November and agreed to increase military cooperation.

Greece and Cyprus are embroiled in a dispute with Turkey, which has sent gas prospecting vessels into waters claimed by Greece and drilling ships into an area where Cyprus claims exclusive rights. The tension brought NATO allies Greece and Turkey close to open conflict last year, but tensions have eased since then.

The Greek navy was present, with the frigate HS Adrias, the fast attack ship HS Grigoropoulos, the submarine HS Pipinos, a helicopter and a maritime patrol plane P-3C Orion. On the Israeli side, a Dolphin-class submarine was engaged as well as the INS Romach ship.

It was the first participation of Auvergne (D654) which is an Aquitaine-class frigate of the French Navy. The Aquitaine class were developed from the FREMM multipurpose frigate program.

The Dolphin class is a diesel-electric submarine constructed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG (HDW) in Kiel, Germany, for the Israeli Navy. The first boats of the class were based on the export-only German 209-class submarines, but modified and enlarged. The Dolphin 1 sub-class is slightly larger than the German Navy Type 212 in length and displacement. The three newer air-independent propulsion (AIP) equipped boats are similar to the Type 212 vessels in underwater endurance, but are 12 metres (39 ft) longer, nearly 500 tonnes heavier in submerged displacement and have a larger crew than either the Type 212 or the Type 214.

The Dolphin 2-class are the largest submarines to have been built in Germany since World War II. The Dolphin class boats are the most expensive single vehicles in the Israel Defense Forces.

Each Dolphin-class submarine is capable of carrying a combined total of up to 16 torpedoes and Popeye Turbo submarine-launched cruise missiles (SLCMs). The cruise missiles have a range of at least 1,500 km (930 mi) and are widely believed to be equipped with a 200 kiloton nuclear warhead containing up to 6 kilograms (13 lb) of plutonium.The latter, if true, would provide Israel with an offshore nuclear second strike capability.
American mink distribution areas. The species was introduced into Eurasia for the production of fur, but many individuals escape from farms or are released into the wild). The cases of Covid-19 (OIE) declared on farms correspond to transmission from humans to animals. Credit: CIRAD, Author provided

On January 14, a team of international experts commissioned by the World Health Organization arrived in China for a three-week mission with the aim of visiting Wuhan to meet Chinese scientists and help to pinpoint the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the pandemic. The mission has received criticism, and some scientists are calling for an independent inquiry into the origins of the pandemic in China.

The COVID-19 crisis has shown that past plans aimed at preparing for pandemics were not sufficient. To prevent future pandemics, strategies must be in place before viruses even begin to develop in humansin other words, within the animal kingdom and at the animal-human interface.

It is therefore essential to identify the origin, the evolutionary processes and the initial chains of transmission that led to the current pandemic. This must also be seen in the light of the determinants of that emergence.

It is thought that the coronaviruses that have emerged in recent years (SARS, MERS-CoV) circulate in bats and were transmitted to humans by intermediate host animals. These diseases are known as zoonoses. The role of a domestic or wild animal is often observed in the case of zoonotic coronavirusesthe camel for MERS-CoV and the masked palm civet for SARS, although doubts persist about whether it is indeed this small mammal that is involved, rather than other wild animals raised in China.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a zoonosis as a disease or infection naturally transmissible from vertebrates to humansand vice versa. The current pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been class as a zoonosis, but no animal reservoir or intermediate host has yet been formally identified. This classification thus seems premature to some authors who identify this disease as an "emerging infectious disease (EID) probably of animal origin".

The first patients officially declared to have COVID-19 in China were probably exposed to the virus at a seafood market in Wuhan. However, while some of the swab samples taken from surfaces and cages in the market tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, no virus has been isolated directly from animals and no animal reservoir has yet been identified. Nevertheless, the hypothesis (animal lead) is that the coronavirus evolved from an ancestral virus found in bats, via an as-yet unidentified mammal.

Many different species can be infected with SARS-CoV-2

The virus has been detected in animals exposed to infected humansdomestic cats, dogs and ferrets, captive lions and tigers, farmed minkas well as gorillas, indicating possible transmission from humans to animals (reverse zoonosis) and the receptivity and susceptibility of carnivores, in particular mustelids.

One of the recent hypotheses as to the intermediate host that may have allowed the evolution of an ancestral virus into SARS-CoV-2 (the COVID-19 virus) concerns mink that are raised in China for their fur. In China, the rearing of wild animals for food, therapeutic purposes and fur has grown considerably over time, and is now the livelihood of millions of people.

Fur production has grown rapidly in China since the 1990s and most farms were built recently, with little technical or veterinary supervision. Its economic importance is now considerable, with fur farming employing around 7 million people. The main species farmed in China for fur are mink, fox and raccoon dog, with annual production estimated at, respectively, 21, 17 and 12 million animals slaughtered in 2018. The mink-farming industry is largely unstructured. According to 2016 estimates, almost half of farms are small-scale family businesses with fewer than 1,000 mink, while the remainder are medium-sized farms as well as a minority of integrated factory farms with between 10,000 and 52,000 animals.

The receptivity and susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 of mustelids, including the American mink (Neovison vison), documented in the context of transmission from humans carrying the virus, and taking into account other genetic, economic, ecological and epidemiological elements, direct suspicions toward these species. Moreover, work on cell receptors (ACE2) has shown that many species could be receptive to SARS-CoV-2, particularly primates or carnivores. However, the authors of this study stress the importance of avoiding over-interpreting the predictions put forward and point out that experimental and observational data in the field are required.

Infectious diseases are on the rise

Infectious diseases have emerged with increasing frequency since the mid-20th century, and they're more probable in geographical zones marked by an increase in the pressure exerted by man on natural areas, by great animal biodiversity, by the transformation of natural spaces into agricultural land, and by the hunting and capture of wild animals. In developing countries, more than cultural factors, it is often the combination of economic insecurity and low agricultural productivity that lead poor rural communities to harvest wild animals or their products, to use as food (bushmeat), commercial products, or agricultural inputs. This is the case with bat guano, which is used as a fertilizer in Southeast Asia.

Domestic and wild animal production promotes the spread and increased virulence of emerging pathogens, due among other things to the transport of animals over long distances, and to the storage of high densities of animals with shirt life cycles and often with limited attention to biosecurity. In addition, breeders follow cost-cutting strategies that can hinder the early detection and control of emerging diseases: animals showing symptoms of disease are quickly sold. The lack of transparency in animal supply chains often allows sick animals to be marketed along with others that are healthy.

These elements provide a better understanding of how mink farms could have acted as an intermediary between bats and humans in the case of SARS-CoV-2. This phenomenon was observed for avian influenza, with the virus being introduced through contact with asymptomatic wild reservoirs (palmipeds), followed by the amplification of the disease in intensive, high-density farms and the eventual production of mutant viral strains that are virulent for the initial wild reservoir species.

Economic fears

The acceptability of health surveillance systems also comes up against economic logic, with farmers fearing the impact of announcements of disease outbreaks on market prices and their ability to export. Conversely, the mass slaughter of farm animals often pushes up prices, as seen in China after Denmark's slaughter of farmed mink, and paradoxically increases the profits of farmers not affected by the control measures.

In addition to ecological factors, economic factors are frequently encountered in low- and middle-income countries: economic insecurity of poor rural farmers, rapid growth in exploitation of wild and farmed species to meet growing demand for animal products, and a lack of transparency in agricultural sectors.

Studies are necessary in a One Health perspective. This would involve looking for viruses and antibodies in samples collected and stored before the COVID-19 pandemic through various studies in animals and humans; analyzing samples from mink farms, but also raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and foxes (Vulpes spp.) for coronavirus and typing any viruses found; conducting epidemiological studies based on serologies specific to a response to SARS-CoV-2 on those farms, on animals and exposed human populations; and analyzing and modeling the links between bats and wildlife farms and between these farms and human populations.

Fur breeders should be surveyed on how they manage infectious disease cases, since their response (attempted treatment, selective sale of sick animals, etc.) can influence the risk of emergence in humans. Studies are required relating to the organization of the fur industry and its links with wild animal or wild animal product supply chains.

Field projects are focusing on studying the risks of the emergence of coronaviruses from wildlife and the wildlife trade. The ZooCoV project, which began in Cambodia and associates CIRAD, the Institut Pasteur in Cambodia, IRD and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), should boost our knowledge of wild-meat supply chains and thus help prevent and control the health risks associated with such practices.

Prevention is the key

On a more global scale, it is necessary to prevent the risks of zoonotic emergencies and pandemics. To this end, the PREZODE initiative, announced during the January 2021 "One Planet Summit", will build on and strengthen existing cooperation with the world regions most exposed to the risk of zoonotic disease emergence. PREZODE will support the integration and strengthening of human, animal and environmental health networks, in line with the One Health approach, in order to better assess and detect threats of zoonotic disease emergence and develop prevention operations with the entire range of stakeholders so as to protect people, the planet and socio-ecosystems and thus reduce pandemic risks.

Following the China mission, the team of experts appointed by the WHO concluded that the hypothesis of the virus having escaped from a laboratory was highly unlikely. They felt that the theory of an intermediate host between bats and humans was the most likely, and that the possible role in the spread and amplification of the virus of frozen foods and of markets like the one in Wuhan should also be considered. However, fundamental questions remain: when, where and how did SARS-CoV-2 first infect humans?

In this context, it is worth noting that a recent FAO-OIE-WHO report also observed the existence of fur farms in Southeast Asia. Moreover, recent studies in the region identified a betacoronavirus similar to SARS-CoV-2 in bats (Rhinolophus shameli) captured and sampled in Cambodia in 2010. Another betacoronavirus, also similar to SARS-CoV-2, was also isolated from a different bat species (Rhinilophus cornutus), this time in Japan in 2013.

This information prompts an expansion of the geographical zone within which spillover may have occurred via domestic animals or wild species, either farmed or hunted and consumed. Indeed, in some parts of Southeast Asia, wild animal meat is commonly traded and consumed. In Cambodia in particular, pangolins, civets and raccoon dogs, which are particularly susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2, are some of the species concerned.

As stressed by the WHO experts, this means that inter-species transmission may have been possible south of Wuhan, and potentially outside China, followed by amplification through Wuhan's live-animal markets, which would therefore be a secondary cluster of the epidemic rather than the original focus.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
UP eases covid restrictions: Shops allowed to open on weekdays in districts with less than 600 active cases

Vaccinate or no salary in this UP village

Uttar Pradesh gram panchayat polls: 2015 to be the base year to reserve seats on rotation, rules HC

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Mar 15: The Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court on Monday ruled that the base year for applying reservation on seats by rotation will be 2015.

A bench comprising Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice Manish Mathur gave the decision on the PIL filed by one Ajai Kumar.

The Uttar Pradesh government is expected to release the final list of reserved seats on 17 March, 2021, while the court passed the interim order, restraining authorities from finalising the list for panchayat polls.

Ajai Kumar, the petitioner said the government had issued the UP Panchayat Raj (Reservation and Allotment of Seats and Offices) Rules in 1994 , whereby it had provided 1995 as the base to reserve seats on rotation.

The government issued another notification on September 16, 2015, proving that the base year would 2015 and applied it in the panchayat elections that year.

The said notification was issued considering the change in demographic situation in the state and that notification is still in existence, argued the counsel for the petitioner.

However, the state government is applying 1995 as the base year for the process this time in contravention of the September 16, 2015 notification, pleaded the petitioner, adding that it does not stand reason.

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The three-tier panchayat elections to elect a total of 57,207 heads are scheduled for April. Uttar Pradesh has 826 vikas khands (development blocks), and 58,194 gram sabhas. There are 7,31,813 wards in the gram sabhas, and 75,855 wards in kshetra panchayats and 30,051 wards in 75 zila panchayats.
SHANGHAI, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- From 22nd-24th Jul, 2021, Asia Nonwovens Exhibition (ANEX), one of the three major nonwovens exhibitions in the whole world, and Shanghai International Nonwovens Exhibition (SINCE), which is an important and influential nonwovens exhibition in Asia, will be held again after six years in Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre (SWEECC), Shanghai, China.

As a technical and trade platform of the nonwovens industry, both ANEX and SINCE has formed an industry value chain covering from nonwovens raw materials, nonwovens production machinery & accessories, nonwovens roll goods, testing and inspection machinery to converted goods. The related industries covering from hygiene, medical, filtration, fabrics & apparels, home furnishings & upholstery, wiping, automotive etc.

At present, 80% of booths have been booked.

CONCURRENT EVENTS

Global Nonwovens Industry Summit

In 2021, Global Nonwovens Summit (GNS), launched by Asia Nonwoven Fabrics Association (ANFA), EDANA, INDA will also land on the exhibition site. At that time, industry leaders will give speeches at the seminar and talk about the latest market trends, advanced technology and innovative applications of nonwoven materials.

Exhibitor Technical Presentation

Exhibitor Technical Presentation, the concurrent activity, will invite more industry experts and well-known exhibitors to participate and share the latest industry technology and information.

Business Matchmaking

Business Matchmaking is aimed at providing new business opportunities. ANEX2020+SINCE2021 will establish an efficient trade platform for exhibitors and buyers with high precision matchmaking.

Click the link now and book your booth: https://en.since-expo.com/ExhibitorApplication/

For more exhibit inquiries

Susanna Zhang

E: Susanna.zhang@informa.com

T: +86-21 6157 3924

About ANFA

Asia Nonwoven Fabrics Association (ANFA) is the only international trade association, which represents the nonwovens industry in Asia both in name and substances, to contribute to healthy growth of nonwovens-related industries in Asia. ANFA has more than 300 members companies, presenting the primary companies of global or Asian nonwovens industry from Japan, mainland China, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, etc. countries and areas. Since the establishment, ANFA has made a great contribution to the sound growth of the nonwovens industry all over the Asia region. Besides, representing Asia, ANFA keeps a close linkage with INDA in North America and EDANA in Europe.

About CNTA

China Nonwovens Technical Association (CNTA) devoted to:

Technical innovation and R&D in nonwovens, filtration

Import and export of nonwovens (roll goods, converted products), filter media, and related raw materials, machine parts, equipments, chemical, instruments etc.

Consulting of investment, cooperation, trade, etc. for foreign companies.

Organizing international S&T exchange, conference and exhibition etc.

Promoting trade, cooperation, between Chinese companies and foreign partners.

About Informa Markets

Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. Our portfolio is comprised of more than 550 international B2B events and brands in markets including Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Infrastructure, Construction & Real Estate, Fashion & Apparel, Hospitality, Food & Beverage, and Health & Nutrition, among others. We provide

Customers and partners around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, specialist digital content and actionable data solutions. As the world's leading exhibitions organizer, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com.

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Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1454479/image_823252_28725723.jpg


High optimism on the future of work

With a survey sent out to the Vietnamese public from November 12 to December 27 last year, 1146 responses were collected from a list of questions relating to technology, jobs, and skills. PwC Vietnam chairman Grant Dennis said, Our survey findings reflect the accelerated presence and influence of technology in the workplace and the pace of change to come in Vietnam. Enabling workers and firms to adapt in the new technological environment and empowering them to achieve outcomes will be key to any organisations success.

According to the survey, the findings highlight that changes are underway, and fast. There is general agreement that technology is changing jobs  90 per cent believe that technology will change their current jobs in the medium term (6-10 years), and 83 per cent believe they will feel the impact in the short term (3-5 years).

The perception of such changes is also layered with optimism, where 90 per cent of Vietnamese respondents believe that technological developments will improve their job prospects in the future. This level is much higher than the global sentiment of 60 per cent recorded in PwCs Global Upskilling Hopes and Fears report released in 2019. However, there are lingering concerns about automation putting jobs at risk.

In response to the rise of digital transformation, a majority of respondents (84 per cent) say that they would learn new skills now or completely retrain in order to improve future employability. To address the widening skills gap, there is need for collaborations among governments, institutions, and businesses.

The significant impact of technology on jobs, however, comes with a sense of uncertainty. The report noted that 45 per cent of Vietnamese respondents expressed concerns around job security due to automation. This is not surprising as the uses of digital technologies are increasingly becoming key solutions across industries. This progress is shaping a future where digital skills are expected to be among the top 10 job competencies in the next five years.

The need for adapting new skills resonates with the majority of the survey respondents. The report reveals a majority (93 per cent) are already making efforts to reskill and upskill. Technology related skills are top of mind, with 43 per cent respondents wanting to become better at learning and adapting to different technologies and 34 per cent looking to become proficient in a specific technology.

It is encouraging to note that 88 per cent Vietnamese surveyed said that to different extents, they are provided opportunities to improve their digital skills at work. This shows that businesses are doing their part to meet the upskilling needs of their workforce.

However, the skill mismatch and opportunity gaps are real and widening in an increasingly technology-enabled economy - globally and locally.

According to PwCs Global CEO survey 2021, 79 per cent of CEOs in Asia-Pacific expressed concern about availability of key skills, compared to 72 per cent globally.

In this regard, while over half of respondents feel the responsibility for upskilling is on them, PwC believes both the government and businesses have important roles in providing people access to inclusive upskilling programmes.

COVID-19 has intensified the stark mismatch of people with the right skills for available jobs, making the need to upskill and reskill people increasingly critical. Government, business leaders, and educational institutions must work together to upskill our people to meet the workforce needs of the future and drive inclusive, sustainable, social, and economic growth for Vietnam, added Dinh Thi Quynh Van, general director of PwC Vietnam.
Merdan Ehet'eli, a young Uyghur who was stuck in Serbia without travel documents for the past two years, arrived in France and was granted asylum earlier this month with the help of the French embassy in Belgrade. A French society for authors and the European Uyghur Institute played an important role in the passage to France of Ehet'eli, An accomplished poet whose poems Country and Common Night have been well received.

In 2016, Ehet'eli went to the Greek-controlled part of Cyprus to study. A year later, he completely lost contact with his family in Hotan (in Chinese, Hetian), in northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Authorities are believed to have held up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities since early 2017, including many intellectuals and cultural elites who have worked to preserve their ethnic heritage. Facing financial difficulty because he could no longer receive money from home, he decided to suspend his studies and start a band with two Uyghur friends. In 2018, the three of them went to Belgrade, where they began performing in nightclubs and were planning to record and release an album.

After Ehet'eli and a bandmate lost their passports, ID cards, and bank cards while on a train, the Serbian government demanded that they leave the country within two weeks. The Chinese embassy in Belgrade told Ehet'eli that he would have to renew them in the XUAR, where he was certain to face persecution amid the ongoing campaign of extralegal detention in the region. RFA recently spoke to Ehet'eli about his troubles in Serbia and to renowned Sinologist Marie Holzman, who stressed how important it is for governments to give political asylum to young poets and artists such as Ehet'eli at a time when the Uyghur language and culture are under assault.

Ehet'eli: My two musician buddies and I went to Serbia together to play music. We had a band called None Wu, [and we played] electronic music. I was in charge of all the writing for the group, including lyrics, stories. One of the guys in the group was Hassan Rock, a curly-haired Uyghur guy who lives in Spain and plays the guitar. The other one was Irpan Tughrul, who lived in Japan. We had visas for Serbia in our Chinese passports. We wanted to release an album, and so at first, we spent three months working on that. When it was nearly finished, wed run out of money, so we started playing shows. We played our first show in a nightclub. In about a year and a half, we played dozens of shows in famous clubs in Belgrade.

Our work in Serbia was going well, but two of us lost our passports. We were stuck there, unable to go anywhere. Both of our things were in one bag, which we lost on the tramway. We were worried about going to the Chinese embassy and sought help from other people, but Serbia is different from other countries. If the Serbian government were to give you asylum, you wouldnt ever be able to leave the country, and still, they wouldnt give you citizenship. The police detained us once, and in court they requested that we leave the country within 15 days. Finally, we made the decision to go to the Chinese embassy. They accepted our applications but then called us several days later saying they had found Irpans passport but apparently not mine. He went and picked it up. Twenty-some days after that, they called saying my passport was ready and I could go pick it up. [It was then that I was told that I had to return home to renew my passport].

Preserving Uyghur culture

Holzman: The Chinese government targets all people who offer interesting aspects of life, for example poets and musicians. They give us the best parts of life. Nothing could happen without the artists. In some ways they open the minds of the people and they help them live better lives and happier lives. So, it is part of the human soul. It might not be part of the material life, but it's the part that is so important for human beings. And the sad thing is, the Chinese totalitarian system, of course, wants to crush that, because this is a part that brings out the best. But now, finally, I think nobody can say that nothing is happening [in the XUAR], and nobody can say it's not a great tragedy. So, that is a good point too, because it's sad that it had to go so far, but at least now people are waking up, and understanding that the Chinese government is not a peaceful ally, is not someone you can work with and not be ashamed of working with them. This is a real, real turning point.

France now has accepted to receive another Uyghur writer, Merdan Ehet'eli ... And his case is particularly important for France, because a group of people has been asking for the creation of a house. The name of the house would be the House for Political Refugees. And I was asked to suggest names of people who could be welcome and who could spend some time in this house for political refugees, a house that would help those people adjust to their new life and get their health back and recover from the stress and the pain and long travel. I gave the name of Merdan Ehet'eli, and I'm happy to say that this house for political refugees is not open yet but will open this year. His name is on the list. So, I really hope that he will find a comfortable and friendly lodging and living situation at least for some time. As soon as it opens, he should be the first one or one of the first ones to enter the house.

[Ive also considered] the possibility of creating a center for preserving Uyghur culture, because if you have that kind of center, you need people  who are really invested in teaching the language, the culture, and people who are themselves the possessors of a [unique] culture. If you don't have that you can't teach it. So, I'm very happy that we have this newcomer who can help, I hope, in preserving Uyghur culture.

I can say as an outside observer, the more I talk with my Uyghur friends, the more I realize how much they are losing now, how great their culture was, how magnificent, and what a lifestyle they had, for people who had a little bit of money. How they organized [fraternal groups of men called] meshreps and bands and music and concerts and reading of poetry. When I hear the description of their lives 40, 50 years ago, for me, it's almost like a fairy tale. I myself have never lived in such a highly cultivated, culturally rich environment. And I feel almost envious of their memories and doubly sad of imagining what [the XUAR] is losing now.

Reported by Jilil Kashgary for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by the Uyghur Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

Porsha Williams and her ex-fiance Dennis McKinley are still learning how to navigate their non-romantic relationship.

On Sunday's episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Porsha and Dennis got together after Cynthia Bailey's wedding, which the former couple attended separately, to discuss where they were at.

As viewers recall, Porsha and Dennis dated for a year before getting engaged in September 2018, just two months after she learned she was expecting.

Though they appeared happily in love, even landing their own Bravo spinoff, Dennis cheated on Porsha while she was pregnant with daughter Pilar Jhena, and the affair drove a wedge between them. On RHOA in 2019, Dennis admitted to being unfaithful and said it was because he was sexually turned off by Porsha during her pregnancy and after, as she battled postpartum depression.

Fast-forward to Cynthia and Mike Hill's nuptials last October, Porsha, 39, didn't want her ex to be there. "I tried to tell Dennis that I didn't want him to be invited," she explained to cameras. But "him finding out that I didn't necessarily want him to be at the wedding, he felt like I was going to bring a date."

RELATED: RHOA's Porsha Williams Says She Moved Too Fast with Dennis McKinley  'I'm a Hopeless Romantic'

Dennis then proceeded to say he was "SINGLE ASFK" on his Instagram Story. "I thought the timing was poor. Why are you saying that now? We've been broken up," Porsha said.

"This all is messy because people are going to automatically assume, 'Oh, you believe the blogs and you're upset with me,'" Porsha told cameras, referencing the rumors that she and Tanya Sam had gotten intimate with a stripper at Cynthia's bachelorette party.

"Now, since we've argued, I'm really uncomfortable with him coming to the wedding," she said in a confessional.

Story continues

Dennis McKinley, Porsha Williams and daughter Pilar Jhena

But Dennis' decision to attend didn't stop Porsha from going to the wedding herself. "At the wedding, I really was really irritated with Dennis because he dropped this 'single as f---' the same time that Kenya had dropped this stuff in the blogs. So it was almost like, 'Oh, is he in his feelings about this and that? Was that the reason?' You're sending all kinds of crazy signals. Like, don't do that," she said to cameras.

After Cynthia's big day, Porsha and Dennis met up at a restaurant for a meal, where the exes discussed their past.

RELATED: Porsha Williams' Fiance Dennis McKinley Says Her Postpartum Depression Drove Him to Cheat

Though the conversation began with some arguing back-and-forth, they shifted gears to revisit their breakup.

"I just felt like little issues started getting bigger and bigger and bigger for me," Porsha told Dennis. "I kept telling everybody that we were fine. You know, I have my place, you living there but you also have this place in the city and I'm okay with it. Even though I was saying it, for some reason, for me as a woman, it just started to not really sit with me well."

Dennis, though, felt there were "a lot of reasons" for them to not live in a house together, pointing out that she had kicked him out multiple times. He also felt that Porsha's mom took her side on things, including when it came to a "PJ issue."

Knowing what it was like to not spend the majority of her time with her dad growing up, Porsha wanted the opposite for her own daughter, who will turn 2 this month.

Porsha Williams/Instagram Porsha Williams and Dennis McKinley with daughter Pilar Jhena

"Out of everything we go through, I would never want it to affect your relationship with PJ," she said. "I did not have my dad my whole life. So I would never want her to grow up and have f---ing daddy issues because we are going back and forth all the time."

"I'm not a bitch, it's just like, [I] have to act this way sometimes to protect myself," she continued, getting emotional.

After Dennis said he didn't know what Porsha was "afraid of," she denied that she was feeling that way. "Dennis, it's not that I'm afraid. If we didn't have a baby, you and me probably wouldn't even be talking anymore, because you'd be f---ing over me and I'd be over you," she said.

He then told her that he wasn't going to "allow" himself to be "as vulnerable" as he was the entirety of their relationship.

"Just move on then! And I just move on. I'm sure you're tired," she replied, wiping away tears. "I'm tired."

Despite their fractured past, Dennis expressed that he ultimately wanted the best for his ex. "I want you to be happy," he told her before they raised a toast.

RELATED: The 15 Most Shocking Breakups in Real Housewives History

Porsha Williams/Instagram Dennis McKinley and Porsha Williams with daughter Pilar Jhena

As for Porsha, her hope was that they would learn to better communicate, and that she would be able to move on.

"It's very hard for me and uncomfortable for me sometimes to find that balance between loving him and then also having to let the relationship go," she said in a confessional. "My hope moving forward with Dennis and I is that we will have better communication and that we will heal from the romantic side of our relationship."

The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sundays (8 p.m. ET) on Bravo.
48Hour Discovery (48HD) and CQDM are proud to announced that the company has been awarded $800,000 for peptide drug discovery using its patented drug discovery platform. The two-year project is funded through the CQDM Quantum Leap program, which supports exploration of innovative technologies, tools, and platforms that accelerate or facilitate drug discovery and development. Merck is supporting the study as a member of CQDM. 48HD will collaborate with the University of Alberta on the project. GlycoNet, a Network of Centres of Excellence based at the University of Alberta is also providing funding support.

"This project offers 48Hour Discovery and its University of Alberta collaborators the opportunity to demonstrate the value of this game changing, peptide drug discovery platform." said John Dwyer, Vice President of Research for 48Hour Discovery.

For the CQDM project, researchers at 48Hour Discovery will screen targets selected by Merck. Specially constructed libraries containing billions of peptides will be screened using phage display and proprietary bioinformatic algorithms to quickly identify hit compounds.

"This valuable collaboration increases our ability to explore and deliver the therapeutic potential of our technology." said Ratmir Derda, CEO of 48Hour Discovery.

CQDM is pleased to have facilitated the establishment of collaborations for 48H Discovery by creating beneficial links between this emerging company and the pharmaceutical giant Merck. These links between small Canadian companies and big pharma are important for a sector as crucial as life sciences." Diane Gosselin, President and CEO, CQDM

"We are delighted to see the growth and evolution of 48Hour Discovery in the Canadian biotech industry. As an organization investing in early, cutting-edge technologies, GlycoNet is proud to support 48Hour Discovery since its creation in accelerating drug discovery. We are also looking forward to continuing our partnership with CQDM to co-invest in innovative projects of great economic impact." said Elizabeth Nanak, CEO of GlycoNet.
Ever since Adaiah Hudgins-Lopez studied abroad in Bath, England, during her junior year at Bowdoin, she has hoped to return. When I left the UK, I said, I'm going to be back here some day. She was thrilled and surprised when she got into Cambridge, and urges other interested students to not be daunted. Take the chance and apply!

She is part of a cohort of approximately eighty-five international students selected to receive this year's scholarship from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Twenty-four are from the United States.

Hudgins-Lopez is the first Bowdoin student to win the award, which was established through a gift of $210 million from the Gateses in 2000 to support academically gifted scholars from outside the UK who are committed to improving the lives of others.

Hudgins-Lopez said the mission of the Gates Cambridge program reflected her desire to pursue academic studies that can advance other people's lives. I want to figure out how to serve people better and help get them to where they want to be, she said. That is my focus.

At Cambridge, where she'll be a member of Trinity College, she'll investigate the relationship between legal systems and immigrant populations through an anthropological lens. She'll study immigration law, the concept of legal consciousness, and how undocumented communities form a collective identity to elevate their voices and promote the autonomy of their people. In particular, she's excited to learn from two scholars she admires: Sian Lazar, who will be her supervisor, and Yael Navaro.

At Bowdoin, Hudgins-Lopez was a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow and majored in anthropology and English. She worked on an independent project that looked at how storytelling can facilitate communication across differences within the context of school district engagement.

As part of her undergraduate research, she partnered with her father, the head of a school district outside of Detroit, to organize meetings between parents and principals to promote more engagement by families in their local schools. Participants shared how they thought problems could be solved and conflicts resolved, and how schools could get to know students more and serve them better.

Hudgins-Lopez is currently working as an associate for the nonprofit Root Cause in Boston, a consulting organization that partners with foundations, nonprofits, school districts, and public agencies to develop, implement, and measure strategies that improve people's lives. Prior to that, she taught fifth grade in a public school in Atlanta, Georgia, with Teach for America.

She became interested in the lives of undocumented immigrants when she worked as a summer immigration law assistant in 2019 with the International Institute of Metropolitan Detroits Immigration Services.

She said she was moved and often inspired by the stories of the people she was assisting, and was especially impacted by working with other young people. She remembers wondering: What does it mean to navigate the world, especially when the place where you live doesnt acknowledge your existence, at least on paper? And, as a young adult, I am asking myself the same thingwhat does it mean to navigate the worldbut in such a different context. That's when a lot of my core research questions began to arise.
The Central Military Commission has released a set of revised regulations regarding the work of the Communist Party of China disciplinary inspection commissions in the armed forces, which will take effect on April 1.

The implementation of the regulations will be of great significance to the reform of the military discipline inspection and supervision system, and the efforts to improve Party conduct, build Party integrity, and combat corruption within the armed forces, a statement on the issue of the regulations said Sunday.

The document gives priority to the Party's political building, while focusing on strengthening self-supervision of discipline inspection commissions to ensure their power is exercised in accordance with Party regulations and the law, the statement added.
[March 14, 2021] RS Components signs franchise deal with Infineon, speeding customer access to broad semiconductor portfolio

TOKYO, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RS Components (RS) in Japan, a global omni-channel solutions partner for industrial customers and suppliers, announced it has signed a global franchise agreement with Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY), a world leader in semiconductor products and technologies. Design engineers and purchasing professionals across industry, who are looking to source parts from RS' vast electronics offering online, are now able to quickly access Infineon's extensive product portfolio, which features innovations in power, automotive, security ICs, wireless and MCUs. The agreement brings further benefits for RS customers via its DesignSpark online engineering platform and community of more than one million members, by highlighting the latest products and technologies from Infineon, and providing a unique resource for shared technical and industry knowledge to support faster commercial availability of new engineering designs.



"With the expansion of our direct e-Tailer network we are very confident of broadening our customer base as a result of the complementary customer access of RS," said Susanne Horn, VP Distribution & EMS Management Europe & Global e-Tailer at Infineon. "Furthermore, the offered DesignSpark platform, where engineering and designers can connect and collaborate on ideas and new projects, is a great opportunity and added value service for a faster time to market for our customers." "As a world leader in semiconductors, Infineon has a key role to play in developing products and technologies that link the real and the digital world, enabling smart mobility, efficient energy management and the secure capture and transfer of data," said Andy Keenan, VP Global Product and Supply Management at RS. "We are aligned in our goals to shape a better future for our planet through technology, and this agreement will strengthen our ability to support engineers across the globe in their quest for sustainable designs."

To find out more about the Infineon products available from RS, visit: https://jp.rs-online.com/web/b/infineon/ -Ends- SOURCE RS Components

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
A brass Asante gold dust container is coming out of storage at the New Orleans Museum of Art to be displayed in the reinstalled African art gallery.

The container, from what is today Ghana, is intricately decorated with raised reliefs of a scorpion and salamander; a standing bird surmounts the circular lid.

With outstretched wings and beak touching a sphere midway up the back of the torso, the bird looks backward. The action of looking backward speaks to the Akan and Twi and Fante word Sankofa, or look back and take.

Looking back suggests recollections and even borrowing ideas from the past. The notion of looking back and taking forms a very significant philosophical foundation for the growth and development of community.

In looking back, a community is able to identify situations that have plagued them in the past and find solutions for the present and, by extension, the future. It is also another way of using the mistakes of the past to rectifying similar situations in the present.

This artwork will complement a Ghanaian display of gold weights, speaking to the broader idea of objects of personal adornment.
Getting Enough Sleep can Help Teens Cope with Social Stress and Pressure

Coping with Social Stress: Sleeping well at night can help teens deal with social stress and pressure in a healthy way. So, hurry up, pull out your blankets, and catch some Zzz's to handle challenging social situations better.
China is ramping up efforts to improve the ecology of its major waters, especially the Yangtze River, the longest river in China, and the Yellow River, Chinas second longest river.

Last month, China released its newly adjusted list of wild animals under State priority conservation, which indicates that the protection of Yangtze finless porpoise, an endangered species in the Yangtze River, has been upgraded from the second level to the highest level.

The news gives great joy to Xu Xudong, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), who has always been concerned about the ecology of the Yangtze River.

Through in-depth investigations, Xu, also a researcher with the Institute of Hydrobiology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, found that the population of the Yangtze finless porpoise, an important indicator of the health of the Yangtze River ecosystem, has been put at risk and the aquatic community in the river declined over the past several years.

Therefore, Xu has repeatedly submitted proposals suggesting upgrading the protection of the Yangtze finless porpoise from the second level to the first level during the annual sessions of the National Committee of the CPPCC.

"By protecting the Yangtze finless porpoise, we are also protecting the Yangtze River. A sound Yangtze River ecosystem not only means an ever-flowing river with clear water, but also thriving biological communities," said Xu.

Xu is full of confidence in the protection of the Yangtze River ecosystem, as a series of relevant measures have been taken this year.

On Jan.1, 2021, Chinas central government imposed a complete 10-year fishing ban in key waters of the Yangtze River. Later on March 1, the Yangtze River Protection Law officially took effect.

During the just-concluded annual session of the National Committee of the CPPCC this year, Xu suggested relevant authorities issue guidelines on the ecological restoration and assessment of inland waters and urge local governments to include biological indicators such as habitat restoration and biodiversity in their river governance evaluation systems so as to guarantee full implementation of measures for restoring the ecology of the Yangtze River.

Zhao Qingfeng, also a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC and former head with the state-owned forest farms and forest seeds and seedlings station in northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region, has engaged herself in protecting the ecology of the Yellow River.

"I grew up by the Yellow River and have become very attached to the river," Zhao said, adding that the Yellow River, known as the mother river of the Chinese nation, requires meticulous care and protection.

Zhao noted that in recent years, Ningxia has taken measures to return farmland to wetland and the land for breeding and raising to beaches in the Yellow River basin.

Santangdun village in the wetland area of Qingtongxia reservoir along the Yellow River returned 10,500 mu (about 700 hectares) of farmland to wetland, according to Zhao, who disclosed that for each mu of farmland returned, villagers can get 300 yuan ($46.11) in compensation.

They have used the compensation to develop green agriculture, and planted 7,000 mu of organic apple trees. Meanwhile, the village has used part of the compensation to establish a cold-chain system for the purchase of apples. The system has also solved the problem of the storage and transportation of the fruit.

The governance of the Yellow River embodies systematic thinking, according to Zhao, who explained that as a systematic project, ecological protection requires equal attention to the conservation and restoration of the ecosystems of mountains, rivers, forests, lakes farmland and grassland, and proper handling of the relationship between man and nature.

At this years annual session of the National Committee of the CPPCC, she proposed that continuous efforts be made to strengthen the implementation of major projects for the protection and restoration of important ecological systems and improve the efficiency of ecological management of the Yellow River.

Thanks to Chinas unremitting efforts, the water quality of the countrys major rivers, lakes, and coastal waters has improved constantly.

In 2020, 83.4 percent of the assessed 1,940 surface water sections across the country were categorized as good quality (Grade I to III), an increase of 8.5 percentage points year on year.

Only 0.6 percent of the assessed surface water sections were categorized as Grade V, the standard for poorest water quality in China, down 2.8 percentage points compared with the previous year.
Kim Min Seok is officially back to film "Hooray for Independence" after successfully completing his COVID-19 quarantine.

According to reports, it was announced on March 14 that the 31-year-old actor would resume shooting the JTBC's upcoming show. This move is to adhere to the government's protocol in hopes of preventing the spread of the global pandemic.

Production for "Hooray for Independence" Halted after a Staff Tested Positive for COVID-19

To recall, on February 22, the variety program released an official statement saying that they were forced to postpone its filming after a staff member tested positive from the said virus. This was just a day before the premiere of "Hooray for Independence."

At the time, a representative from JTBC shared that the management has taken a precautionary step to address this matter immediately, stating:

"We have taken the precaution to have all the staff members who came in contact take the COVID-19 test, and we have canceled the production presentation event that was scheduled for the morning of the show. Currently, all the people who have been tested came out negative."

Kim Min Seok Had to Undergo Quarantine Despite Testing Negative from COVID-19

Unfortunately, the "Because This Is My First Life" actor was the person on the set who had close contact with the infected person. Despite having a negative result, Kim Min Seok had to comply with the COVID-19 guidelines and undergo the quarantine period.

Following the delay of the "Hooray for Independence" premiere, the upcoming show is set to air on March 22 at 10:30 PM.

"Hooray for Independence" Cast and Hosts

JTBC's forthcoming show is an observation type of reality program that depicts the life of celebrities who have never tried living alone.

In the "Hooray for Independence," the show will follow the life of stars and the entire cycle of living freely. This includes the struggle and challenges of learning how to live independently for the first time and finding their own home.

Hosted by Super Junior's Kim Heechul and Boom, celebrities like Song Eun Yi, Jae Jae, and AKMU's Lee Soo Hyun, Lee Chan Hyuk have previously confirmed their appearance.

This will be interesting for the 48-year-old Song Eun Yi since she has never lived independently and had been living alongside her mother until now.

The same goes for the acoustic duo Lee Chanhyuk and Lee Suhyun, who will be moving out of their parent's house for the first time.

On the other hand, Jae Jae, whose claim to fame is her massive following on YouTube, will be an interesting character on the show.

The viewers can totally relate to the "MMTG" host, who describes herself as a "half celebrity, half ordinary person" since she's the only one who has a 9-to-5 job.

Interestingly, the 28-year-old serves as the producer at SBS. Aside from her "MMTG" and being a producer, she also has a brief stint in the hit romantic comedy series "Pop-Out Boy!" and the 2020 series "Awaken."

READ MORE: Kim Min Seok Bravely Shares About the Time he Caught Someone Filming Women with a Hidden Camera

For more K-Drama news and updates, keep your tabs open here art Kdramastars.

Kdramastars owns this article.

Written by Geca Wills
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The Ogun Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) on Sunday confirmed the death of one person while it said one other sustained injury in a multiple accident involving three vehicles at Aseese, on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Ojuoro Olusola, the Mowe-Ibafo Divisional Commander of TRACE, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the accident occurred at about 5.53 p.m.

Mr Olusola said the accident involved an Iveco Mini Truck with registration number T 4337LA and a Toyota Corolla marked FJA 154 BK and a Daf Truck with no number.

He said the speeding Daf truck hit the Iveco Mini truck as it was about negotiating out of a trailer park on the expressway from the rear, hitting the Toyota Corolla.

Five people were involved in the multiple accident that led to the death of one person, while one other person sustained various degrees of injuries.

The corpse of the victim has been handed over to the family members while the survivor is receiving treatment at Famobis Hospital, he said.

He said the three vehicles had been towed off the road through the assistance of officials of TRACE, Federal Road Safety Corps, Police and Army to ease the free flow of traffic in the area.

Mr Olusola implored motorists to adhere strictly to all traffic rules and regulations as well as against speeding to avoid unnecessary loss of lives and property. (NAN)
A Tale of Two Curtains

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Recently, there were reports in the press about lavish amounts being spent on renovation of toilets in the office of the Planning Commission in New Delhi. In response, Planning Commission officials stated that the works were done by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).

Having had my career as an engineer in the CPWD, I had occasion to hear and witness many tales about the progress we have made since independence, on public expenditure for private whims and vanities of VIPs. The following are two such tales.

In 1962, when Dr Radhakrishnan was President, the division in charge of the maintenance of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, was under the control of a superintending engineer, who was a meticulous perfectionist with very refined tastes.

Once, during an inspection he felt that the curtains in the room in which the President received foreign dignitaries, were not quite up to the mark. He promptly ordered the executive engineer (EE) to change them after getting the sample of cloth approved by the President.

During his next inspection, he found that the curtains were unchanged, and pulled up the executive engineer. The EE pleaded helplessness, because, he said that the President did not want any change.

But the superintending engineer was a determined man.

He asked the EE to get him an appointment to meet the President, so that he could personally plead with him. The appointment was duly granted.

When the superintending engineer walked into the room and paid his respects, Dr Radhakrishnan, asked him in his customary professorial manner,

Well, Mr superintending engineer, what is the problem?

Sir, we were seeking your approval to change the curtains in one of the rooms.

Yes, your EE told my secretary. But I see nothing wrong with the existing curtains.

You are right, sir, but we thought because you receive many foreign dignitaries in that room, we should put in something better.

At this, Dr Radhakrishnan, burst out laughing aloud.

And then, assuming a very serious demeanour, he said, Mr superintending engineer, you are under a delusion. The foreign dignitaries come to see me. They do not come to see the curtains! I do not want the resources of our country where millions go hungry, to be spent on such minor frills!

Twenty-five years later, in 1987, I had occasion to go round the Parliament House building.

Inside the Prime Ministers office there, the assistant engineer proudly pointed out to me the silk curtains newly put in.

He said they were very costly and were specially woven in the Benares handlooms, to the designs of a private consultant in interior decoration who was arbitrarily appointed on a lucrative consultancy for a long period for refurbishing government buildings.

I smiled, because I was reminded of the curtains in Dr Radhakrishnans room.

We seemed to have made a lot of progress in 25 years!

(SS Kaimal is former chief engineer of the government of India and former chief technical adviser to the United Nations (UN). He is also the founder joint secretary of the All-India Confederation of Central Government Officers' Associations, which worked in the 1960s and 1970s for reforms in the administrative apparatus and to convert it into a modern, people friendly organisation, liberated from the Macaulayan snail-paced red tape rituals.)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 17:32:46|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Somalia on Monday received the first shipment of 300,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to help contain the spread of the COVID-19 in the Horn of African nation.

The health ministry said the first shipment will target frontline workers, elderly and people with chronic health conditions and aims to reduce deaths and diseases caused by the pandemic.

"The arrival of the COVID-19 vaccines happens at a critical time as Somalia is now experiencing a new wave of the epidemic. It can be contained if all countries stand together, Somalia included," Fawziya Abikar Nur, minister of health and human services said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.

"I call on all health workers and people at high risk who have been prioritized to receive vaccines from this first batch, so we can protect our health workforce, other frontline workers and high risk people," Nur added.

The minister said the government has secured enough vaccines from the COVAX Facility to vaccinate at least 20 percent of the population.

Nur said the government is in the process of assessing ways of providing vaccines for more people.

"We have strong systems in place to carry out immunization campaigns and enable safe delivery of the COVID-19 vaccines to frontline workers. This first roll-out of the vaccination will be a landmark step in Somalia's fight against COVID-19," she said.

She said Somalia has recorded 8,946 confirmed COVID-19 cases including 349 deaths since March 2020.

From Feb. 1 to 22 this year, a total of 1,432 new cases and 76 deaths were reported in Mogadishu alone. This, the officials said, has been the largest increase in a week since May-June 2020 when the epidemic peaked at between 500-600 cases a week.

James Swan, UN secretary-general's special representative for Somalia said the world body is ready to support the Somali authorities for the COVAX vaccine roll-out.

"We are committed to supporting the government of Somalia to reach out to the most vulnerable groups and frontline workers to ensure that spread of the virus is contained, and that Somali people recover quickly from this pandemic and the country continues making progress towards peace and stability," Swan said.

The vaccine, which has been validated by WHO for emergency use and is licensed to the Serum Institute of India, only requires standard refrigeration which makes it easier to transport and store.

To create awareness among families on the importance of being vaccinated against the virus, social mobilizers will be deployed to communities to encourage the use of the COVID-19 vaccine.

They will also reinforce the importance of continuing COVID-19 prevention measures, including washing hands frequently, wearing face masks and observing physical distancing. Enditem
International deliveries of arms were flat from 2016 through 2020 compared with the previous five-year period, but they were still close to the highest level since the end of the Cold War, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report released on March 15.



Three of the top five arms exporters -- the United States, France, and Germany -- increased deliveries from 2016 to 2020, but a decline in exports from Russia and China offset the rise, SIPRI said in its latest review of global arms transfers.



It was the first time since the 2001-05 period that the volume of deliveries of major arms between countries did not increase from the previous five years, SIPRI said.



The United States remained the top exporter, accounting for 37 percent of global arms transfers during the period, SIPRI said. Half of U.S. transfers were made to the Middle East.



Russia, the world's second-largest exporter, accounted for one-fifth of global arms deliveries, but its sales declined by 22 per cent compared to the 2011-15 period, mainly due to a sizeable drop in imports by India, SIPRI said.



SIPRI senior researcher Pieter Wezeman said it was too early to tell whether the slowdown in arms deliveries would continue.

Impact Of Pandemic



"The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic could see some countries reassessing their arms imports in the coming years," Wezeman said. "However, at the same time, even at the height of the pandemic in 2020, several countries signed large contracts for major arms."



The United Arab Emirates, for example, recently signed an agreement with the United States to purchase 50 F-35 jets and up to 18 armed drones as part of a $23 billion package.



Middle Eastern countries accounted for the biggest increase in arms imports, up 25 percent in 201620 from 201115.



Saudi Arabia was the world's largest arms importer, accounting for 11 per cent of global imports during the period. Other top importers were India, Egypt, Australia, and China.



Asia and Oceania were the largest importing regions for major arms, receiving 42 percent of global arms transfers in 201620. India, Australia, China, South Korea, and Pakistan were the biggest importers in the region.



France, the third largest exporter, with 8 percent, recorded several large deals, most notably with India, Egypt, and Qatar, the institute said.



Germany and China completed the list of top five exporters.



The SIPRI arms transfers database does not include small arms and is based on public sources, including newspapers, specialized international journals, and government and industry reports.

With reporting by Reuters and dpa
(Natural News) The leaders of a town in Maine passed a resolution opposing a mask mandate put in place by the states governor. Board members in the town of Paris, Maine said the mask-wearing order by Gov. Janet Mills violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. Ironically, the leader of Maines largest people with disabilities organizations supported Mills order.

The Paris Select Board unanimously passed the resolution during the evening of Feb. 22, with all board members wearing masks. The board resolution called on the state to cease and desist violating both the ADA and the U.S. Constitution. It also supported an overturn of Mills executive order. According to the board members, the governors mask mandate does not provide any exemptions for those with disabilities  something they argued as a form of discrimination.

Mills mask mandate orders people to wear face coverings in public settings, whether or not they can maintain proper physical distance. She stepped the order up a notch in December 2020 by ordering establishments to bar those without masks from entering. The governor described the latest mandate: Anyone who still insists on entering a store or other facility without wearing a mask, or insists on taking it off after they get inside, they can be and should be removed and charged with criminal trespass.

The order announced Dec. 11 provided exemptions such as curbside delivery of goods for those who have legitimate medical reasons to not wear masks. A jail time of 180 days and a $1,000 fine await those who violate Mills COVID-19 related orders.

A similar fiasco happened in Androscoggin County over the mask mandate. On Feb. 17, county commissioners voted 1-6 to shoot down a resolution condemning the mask-wearing order. County Commissioner Isaiah Lary proposed the anti-mask resolution with the argument that Mills order was unconstitutional. The Republican was the only one who voted in favor of the resolution during the commissioners virtual meeting.

The failed anti-mask resolution in Androscoggin County came after several supporters devoid of face coverings appeared in person two weeks ago to speak out on the matter. It also followed a comment by County Sheriff Eric Samson that he and his deputies would no longer attend in-person meetings unless the mask mandate was enforced.

Other states have opposed mask-wearing mandates put in place by Democrat governors

The leader of Maines largest advocacy group for the disabled expressed opposition toward the anti-mask mandate. Disability Rights Maine Executive Director Kim Moody said her group supports Mills mask-wearing orders and dubbed the Paris Select Boards resolution as misguided civil disobedience.

Moody said in a statement: We know that the vast majority of Maine people with disabilities wear face coverings when in the community because it is safer and smart. [We] want others to do the same, because many of us have compromised immune systems or are otherwise in high-risk categories. She added that her group rejects recent attempts to misappropriate our identities and misuse important and hard-fought civil rights protections as a form of misguided civil disobedience. (Related: Analysis shows mask mandates do NOT curb surge in coronavirus cases.)

Maine joins a growing number of states who have overturned mask mandates with the Paris Select Boards Feb. 22 resolution. Most of these states shooting down their mask orders have Democratic governors  with Mills being one of them.

In Montana, GOP Gov. Greg Gianforte lifted a statewide mask mandate put in place since July of last year. The newly-elected governor repealed the order Feb. 12, sticking to a promise he made a month earlier. Gianfortes predecessor, former Gov. Steve Bullock, issued the initial order. Originally applying to Montana counties with four or more active COVID-19 cases, it was eventually expanded to cover the entire state in November 2020.

Similarly, a mask-wearing order in Wisconsin was overturned  this time by lawmakers at the state level. The Wisconsin State Senate repealed the mask mandate issued by Gov. Tony Evers last month. State senators voted 18-13 to repeal his order Jan. 26, which was set to expire in April of this year. Evers put the order in place in August 2020 amid the pandemic, but Republicans in the Wisconsin legislature called the measure an overreach of the governors powers. (Related: Bidens federal mask mandate will not be national, says constitutional law experts.)

As of mid-March, thirty four states still require face coverings. Recently, five states have lifted their mask mandates: Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota and Texas, while Alabama and Wyoming have set expiration dates for their mask orders.

Visit MedicalTyranny.com to read more about mandatory mask orders and other measures amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Sources include:

NewsCenterMaine.com

News.Yahoo.com

PressHerald.com

CentralMaine.com

USNews.com

SFGate.com

FoxNews.com
Posted Monday, March 15, 2021 4:43 am

For generations, weve been told that money is power. Its an axiom that continues to drive our politics. Despite being able to vote for our elected officials, once they reach public office, theyre all too often swayed by lobbyists and big money interests. Instead of representing the people, lawmakers spend the majority of their time fundraising, relying on large donors and holding court with corporations.

That can change, but only if Congress passes the For the People Act.

The For the People Act is a bold anti-corruption and democracy reform bill that would strengthen our democracy by reducing the influence of big money in our politics. It would enact limits on donations from lobbyists and increase the power of campaign contributions from everyday Americans by creating a small-dollar donor matching program.

These changes would open up new opportunities for different kinds of candidates to run for office  candidates who come directly from our communities and understand the problems we face. Instead of being beholden to the donors and lobbyists with the fattest wallets, our elected officials will be working for the people.

Without this type of bold democracy reform, our political system will never be truly democratic or fully representative and our government will continue to work only for the privileged few. Its past time to build a better system for all Americans  which is why Im urging Congress to pass the For the People Act.
Some were young women all too conscious it could have been them.

Others were mothers fearful for their daughters safety.

All wanted to pay tribute to 33-year-old Sarah Everard.

But a vigil for the marketing manager at Clapham Common, south London, on Saturday descended into chaos as police officers tried to enforce Covid rules on the public gathering.

Yesterday shocked women of all ages made clear exactly how they felt about the heavy-handed crackdown as a protest at Parliament Square ran late into the evening and flowers continued to pile up in Clapham.

PEACEFUL VIGIL

On Saturday, hundreds of people gathered peacefully on Clapham Common to pay their respects to Miss Everard, who disappeared as she walked home through the area on March 3.

Organisers Reclaim These Streets had cancelled the event after Scotland Yard rejected their proposals for making it Covid secure. But mourners wearing facemasks defied lockdown restrictions and flooded on to the common throughout the day and into the evening.

Some were young women all too conscious it could have been them. Others were mothers fearful for their daughters safety. All wanted to pay tribute to 33-year-old Sarah Everard

ROYAL SUPPORT

The Duchess of Cambridge was one of the women who paid a private visit to the makeshift shrine.

She was seen pausing in front of floral tributes before laying two bunches of daffodils. An aide said: The duchess wanted to pay her respects to Sarah and her family. She remembers what it felt like to walk around London at night before she got married.

A MINUTES SILENCE

As the sun began to set at 6pm, Clapham Common Labour councillor Joanna Reynolds led a minutes silence. She said: We need to make sure our streets are safe for our women and our girls.

The crowd chanted sisters united will never be defeated and whose streets? Our streets. Women, many in tears, flashed the lights on their phones and lit candles as they vowed not to be curfewed.

Campaigners made speeches on the bandstand, with one woman declaring: The police have tried to repress us. This is a sickening response when the man who has been charged with Sarahs murder is a Metropolitan Police officer.

The Duchess of Cambridge (pictured) was one of the women who paid a private visit to the makeshift shrine. She was seen pausing in front of floral tributes before laying two bunches of daffodils

POLICE MOVE IN

As darkness fell minutes later, officers began moving in towards the bandstand to enforce Covid rules banning public gatherings.

One officer could be heard saying: Nobody here is socially distanced, were in the middle of a pandemic. Were asking people to go home. It led to a chorus of boos from the crowd and to chants of where is Sarah? and shame on you.

Lily, 27, one of the attendees, said: It was a nice, calm, peaceful vigil and they werent allowing people to speak. And it was from that moment things started to turn.

VIOLENCE AND CHAOS

Campaigners continued making speeches for another five minutes before more police descended on the bandstand. Angry clashes could be heard as about ten officers tried to ask the mourners to go home.

Dramatic images then showed women being arrested all at once. Katie Bowden, 25, who lives in Clapham, said: I dont know what happened but suddenly the officers stormed into the bandstand.

Nothing had changed  there was lots of chanting but it wasnt particularly aggressive. People were very angry and chanting, arrest your own. It was very upsetting. I really didnt think theyd be that heavy-handed.

THE DAY AFTER

Yesterday hundreds more women descended on Clapham Common.

They condemned the heavy-handed police response to Saturdays vigil. Schoolgirl Charlotte Grace, 16, from Bromley, south-east London, said she felt unsafe and let down by police. She said: Its absolutely disgusting what happened on Saturday night. The police should have laid back and let people mourn.

Marieke van Eijndhoven, 57, who came to pay her respects with her daughter Helen Dunbar, 23, said: Its scary thinking that it could happen to anybody. I have two daughters and I worry so much about them but you have to let them live their lives.

Anna-Marie Panek, 21, who lives in central London, said she feels overwhelmed by Miss Everards death. Every time I open my phone, there are just pictures of Sarah or of women being restrained, she added. I want to believe that this is an isolated incident but I think there is a fear that it could have been any one of us.

Jessica Gleadhall, 20, from west London, said the polices conduct on Saturday was awful.

She added: Whoever instructed them to start pinning women down really hasnt thought it through.

What were they hoping to achieve? People need to be held accountable for how they handled that situation. Last night women wept in silence around the floral shrine at the bandstand. Flowers were also tied to lampposts and trees alongside messages on brightly coloured placards.

A minute of silence was held in which the demonstrators lay on the ground. After dusk fell they lit up the night by holding up their illuminated phones, each casting off a small part of the darkness surrounding them

MORE PROTESTS

Meanwhile, hundreds of people gathered outside New Scotland Yard, the Metropolitan Polices central London headquarters, at 4pm yesterday to protest against being brutalised by officers at the vigil. The group chanted: Shame on you while holding banners saying Men  your silence is deafening and Cressida youre a woman too in reference to Met commissioner Cressida Dick.

Among the demonstrators was Mona Cauwels, a 47-year-old mother, who said: Im here today with my 14-year-old daughter to use my right as a citizen to protest. What happened to Sarah could have happened to my daughter and my heart is broken that few people seem to understand this. Louisa Herring, 24, a student from Brixton, south London, said: We are heartbroken. Theres so much emphasis on how women should behave and not enough on men.

Men need to be educated on how things they perceive to be minuscule can make us feel. As our signs say, She did everything right yet why did this happen? Hundreds of the protesters then marched towards Parliament Square at 5pm holding banners such as Believe all women.

A minute of silence was held in which the demonstrators lay on the ground.

After dusk fell they lit up the night by holding up their illuminated phones, each casting off a small part of the darkness surrounding them.

Additional reporters: Az Munrallee and Kumail Jaffer
9 Rafales set to fly into India next month with mid-air fuelling in UAE

With mid-air fuelling in UAE, India set to get 3 more Rafale fighter jets today

6 Rafale fighters to be flagged off by IAF chief from France

UAE to deploy Airbus 330 to provide mid-air fuelling for Indian Rafales

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 15: The UAE would deploy its Airbus 330 multi-role transport tankers later this month to provide mid-air fuelling to the Rafale jets. This would ensure that the fighters can fly non-stop to India.

The facility would be extended by UAE to the next batch of 8 Rafale jets that would be flagged off from France in April. This would mean that the second base of the Rafale fighters located in Bengal's Hasimara would be activated in April.

It was decided to request UAE for help was taken after the Indian Air Force's earlier experience that found that the use of French refuellers slowed down the speed of the fleet of the fighter jets.

Three more Rafale jets to land in India from France in non-stop flight

The first squadron of the Rafale jets is stationed at Ambala Air Force station. The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29 last, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore.

The formal induction ceremony of the fleet had taken place at Ambala on September 10 last.

A second batch of three Rafale jets arrived in India on November 3, while a third batch of three more jets joined the IAF on January 27.

The sources said the second Rafale squadron is being raised at the next main operating base (MOB) at Hasimara in mid-April this year. India is expected to get more Rafale jets from France in the next couple of months.

A squadron comprises around 18 aircraft.

The Rafale jets are India''s first major acquisition of fighter planes in 23 years after the Sukhoi jets were imported from Russia.

The Rafale jets are capable of carrying a range of potent weapons. European missile maker MBDA''s Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile, Scalp cruise missile and MICA weapons system will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.

The IAF is also procuring a new generation medium-range modular air-to-ground weapon system Hammer to integrate with the Rafale jets.

Rafale induction ceremony cost exchequer over Rs 41 lakh: Rajnath Singh

Hammer (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) is a precision-guided missile developed by French defence major Safran.

The missile was originally designed and manufactured for the French Air Force and Navy.

Grammys 2021: Beyonce breaks record for most Grammy wins for a female artist | Oneindia News

Meteor is the next generation of BVR air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) designed to revolutionise air-to-air combat. The weapon has been developed by MBDA to combat common threats facing the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Sweden.

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Story first published: Monday, March 15, 2021, 11:53 [IST]
I speak to you today out of necessity. We are all here today not because we want to be here, because we have to be here. We fundamentally recognise the system is broken, the glass ceiling is still in place, and there are significant failings in the power structures within our institutions. We are here because it is unfathomable that we are still having to fight this same stale, tired fight.

As it has been said before, time can be used constructively or destructively. Human progress rarely rolls on inevitability. It is through dedication and effort that we move forward. When we fall asleep at the wheel, what tends to happen is that time becomes an ally of those who seek stagnation. We regress.

Brittany Higgins speaks at the March 4 Justice protest in Canberra. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

It is the custodians of the status quo keeping the existing order alive. To see real progress, we must seek it out. I am cognisant of all the women who continue to live in silence. The women who are faceless. The women who dont have the mobility, the confidence, or the financial means to share their truth.

Those who dont see their images and stories reflected in the media, those who are sadly no longer with us. Those who have lost their sense of self-worth and are unable to break the silence, all of which is rooted in the shame and stigma of sexual assault.
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A Chinese hotel built around a central polar bear enclosure for its guests' non-stop viewing pleasure opened on Friday to immediate condemnation from conservationists.

At 'Harbin Polar Land' in northeastern China, the hotel's bedroom windows face onto the bears' pen, with visitors told the animals are their 'neighbours 24 hours a day'.

A video shows the bears - a threatened species - photographed by crowds of guests under harsh warm lights, in a space consisting of fake rocks and icicles, and a white painted floor.

A newly opened hotel in China's northeast is built around a polar bear enclosure for its guests to view

'Harbin Polar Land', a Chinese hotel in the country's northeast, has drawn condemnation from conservationists over its polar bear enclosure

Animal rights activists urge people to stay away from establishments profiting 'from animals' misery'

Animal rights organisations reacted with outrage, urging customers to stay away from establishments profiting 'from animals' misery'.

'Polar bears belong in the Arctic, not in zoos or glass boxes in aquariums - and certainly not in hotels,' said Peta Asia's Vice President, Jason Baker.

In the wild, polar bears usually roam territories that can span thousands of miles, Baker added.

'Polar bears belong in the Arctic, not in zoos or glass boxes in aquariums - and certainly not in hotels,' said Peta Asia's Vice President, Jason Baker

Harbin is famous for its ice-carving festival, and the hotel resembles a giant igloo, with its roof topped by artificial ice.

But some Chinese social media users expressed unease at how far the theme has been taken.

'A panoramic prison for polar bears... haven't we learned anything about animal cruelty?' one commentator said.

Harbin is famous for its ice-carving festival, and the hotel resembles a giant igloo, with its roof topped by artificial ice. But some Chinese social media users expressed unease at how far the theme has been taken. 'A panoramic prison for polar bears... haven't we learned anything about animal cruelty?' one commentator said

In the wild, polar bears usually roam territories that can span thousands of miles

'Gaps in China's wildlife protection law allows businesses to exploit animals without any concern for their welfare,' a spokesman for China Animal Protection Network, who declined to be named, told AFP.

Chinese authorities recently changed the law to ban the consumption of wildlife for food after speculation over the origins of the coronavirus nudged investigators towards a Wuhan market selling animals.

But the use of parts of endangered species in traditional medicine remains rampant, and Chinese circuses and zoos are often criticised for poor standards in animal housing and care.
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
Immigrans wait for their bus at a bus station in Brownsville, Texas before traveling to meet relatives or sponsors, in Brownsville, Texas, on March 2, 2021. (Sergio Flores/AFP via Getty Images)

Texas Mayor: Border Situation Not a Crisis for City Right Now

The surge in illegal immigrants crossing into the United States from Mexico has been dubbed a crisis by Republicans and some immigration experts, but the mayor of Brownsville, Texas, says his city is not seeing an unprecedented surge.

I dont feel its a crisis for the city of Brownsville right now, Mayor Trey Mendez, a Democrat, said in a Zoom call with reporters on Monday.

Brownsville hugs the border in southeast Texas, sitting across from Matamoros, Mexico. It has a population of around 189,000.

The city has seen 156 and 131 border crossers in the previous two days, Mendez said. Those numbers arent unusual: in 2019, before former President Donald Trump implemented a program to have asylum seekers wait in Mexico until their claims were heard, Brownsville would see about 400 a day.

President Joe Biden revoked that program and other Trump-era immigration orders, which critics say has contributed to the number of illegal aliens entering from Mexico, soaring above 100,000 in February, Bidens first full month in office.

House Republicans elsewhere in Texas on Monday called the situation the Biden border crisis and called on him to reverse his early actions on immigration.

Illegal immigrants are seen after crossing the Rio Bravo river to turn themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents to request asylum in El Paso, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on March 4, 2021. (Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters)

Mendez said he couldnt speak for other border cities.

The only way the situation could turn into a crisis for Brownsville is if the numbers get to a point where we cannot efficiently process people.

The city has the capacity to process about 250 immigrants a day.

Mendez expects the number to rise, given that peak migration season hasnt started. Hes conveyed the capacity to the federal government. Theyre aware of that, and theyve promised not to overwhelm the city of Brownsville, he told reporters.

Several programs the Biden administration has initiated, such as a program that reunited some children who cross the border with parents who are already in the United States, will likely lead to more unaccompanied minors entering the United States, but Mendez expects them to use other ports of entry.

Another issue is if the percentage of immigrants testing positive for COVID-19 increases. The latest positivity rate was 7.3 percent.

If the aliens test positive, they are sent to a shelter or a hotel to quarantine, although the city does not have the legal authority to force them to stay. The city was not able to provide a number for how many have left prematurely, but officials said that when they leave, they dont stick around in Brownsville.

If they leave early, thats why theyre leaving, because they want to just get out of town and go to where their destination is, Mendez said.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday he wishes former President would use his popularity among Republicans to persuade more of his followers to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

In a round of interviews on the morning news shows, the government's top infectious disease expert lamented polling showing that Trump supporters are more likely to refuse to get vaccinated, saying politics needs to be separated from commonsense, no-brainer public health measures.

Fauci said it would be a game changer for the country's vaccine efforts if the former president used his incredible influence among Republicans.

If he came out and said, Go and get vaccinated. It's really important for your health, the health of your family and the health of the country,' it seems absolutely inevitable that the vast majority of people who are his close followers would listen to him, Fauci told Fox News Sunday.

There was no immediate comment from the former president's office Sunday.

Trump has urged people to get vaccinated, doing so again two weeks ago at a conservative political gathering in Florida.

But he hasn't been among former presidents and other public officials who have been vaccinated on camera to encourage others to get the shot. It was revealed only recently that he was vaccinated in private at the White House before leaving office in January.

Trump did not appear in a new public service campaign for the COVID-19 vaccine that included former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Polls have shown Republicans joining Black people and other groups in expressing greater skepticism than others about the safety of the vaccine.

Fauci said he doesn't understand the resistance.

What is the problem here? This is a vaccine that is going to be lifesaving for millions of people, he said on NBC's Meet the Press. He added: I mean, I just can't comprehend what the reason for that is when you have a vaccine that's 94-95% effective and it is very safe. I just don't get it.

The number of vaccine doses distributed and administered each day in the U.S. is rising, with more than 2.5 million daily shots in arms on average in the last week.

About 1 in 5 Americans have received at least one dose, with about 1 in 9 fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The coronavirus is blamed for over 530,000 deaths in the United States. Deaths and newly confirmed infections per day have tumbled over the past two months. But cases are running at a still-troubling average of about 55,000 a day.

Fauci repeatedly warned against pulling back on public health measures too early, saying the virus could come surging back, endangering the goal of getting the country closer to normal by early July.

He pointed to Europe as a cautionary tale. Rising virus cases this winter followed rollbacks on restrictions on the continent.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi:

The North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has promised more missile flights soon after Tuesday launch. The United Nation has condemned the launching, while United State has warned the North on Wednesday.

Pyongyang on Tuesday Tuesday had unleashed Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missile.

North Korea for the first time in a statement released on Wednesdat acknowledged sending a missile over Japan's main islands.

The North Korea in the last few days has threatened to send a salvo of missiles towards the US territory of Guam and US President Donald Trump has warned of the Korean country of strong retaliation.

The United Nations Security Council has already imposed seven sets of sanctions on Pyongyang.

The UN council had earlier said that North Korea actions are not just threat to the region but to all UN member states.

Russia and China which has allies with the Korean country had backed the US-drafted declaration.

North Koreas mouthpiece, The Rodong Sinmum newspaper on Wednesday had carried more than 20 pictures of the launch near Pyongyang and in one of the pictures Kim can be seen surrounded by aides with a map of Northwest Pacific.

The South Korea military in its official statement said that the missile had travelled 2,7000 kilometers and reached an altitude of 550 kilometers.

Soon after the missile launch, US President Donald Trump said, Threatening actions only increase the North Korean regime's isolation in the region."

The UN Security council also called an emergency meeting. According to reports the council said, Enough is enough.

"North Korea has violated every single UN Security Council resolution," the council said.
New Delhi, March 15 : Legislators of Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chanted 'Jai Shri Ram' for the first time during the budget session which started on March 8 and ended March 12, but saw their BJP counterparts not joining them and even leaving the chamber amid the sloganeering.

The AAP, which seemed averse to get a Hindu tag so far, even presented a "deshbhakti" (patriotism) budget.

Presenting the budget for 2021-22 on March 9, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who holds the Finance portfolio, termed the annual budget a "deshbhakti" budget and said the Delhi government under Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's leadership has adopted 10 principles of 'Ram Rajya' and made all efforts to justify its claims, citing its development works in the last 6 years.

The AAP, from the first day of the session, tried to create an atmosphere of patriotism in the Assembly right after the Lt Governor's Address, and it remains to be seen how effective its use of "deshbhakti" and "Ram Rajya" against the BJP will be.

Kejriwal, in his recent visit to Surat where his party performed unexpectedly well in the civic polls, had stated that people have started taking the AAP as an alternate not only in Gujarat but in many other poll-bound states too, and his speech in the Delhi Assembly seems to indicate that the AAP is trying a master stroke to counter the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Party legislator and spokesman Saurav Bharadwaj said the party highlighted its achievements and related its development works with patriotism, thinking the opposition (BJP) would support it. However, he said that the BJP's response had amazed them.

"Even we were surprised to see that BJP legislators did not pay heed to deshbhakti or Ram Rajya slogans. It seems that the BJP leadership has yet to decide whether to oppose AAP's deshbhakti or oppose it." Asked by IANS as to whether the party will carry its 'deshbhakti' strategy in other states, Bharadwaj said: "It is not a political strategy of AAP. It came as a reply for the BJP as it has been questioning whether Kejriwal is Ram bhakt or not. Therefore, Kejriwal gave a reply to the BJP that he is a Lord Hanuman bhakt and his government follows principles of Ram Rajya." Though Kejriwal and Sisodia targeted the BJP in and out the Assembly, alleging it of not supporting their patriotism, the BJP is not impressed.

Delhi's Leader of Opposition Ramveer Singh Bidhuri told IANS that the BJP would welcome AAP's patriotism syllabus if they include "the Modi government's achievements including construction of the Ram temple and surgical strike against Pakistan... otherwise, their patriotism syllabus will not be a complete patriotism syllabus".

"We will welcome it if they adopts BJP's path of Lord Ram, but their (AAP) strategies will be incomplete without including PM Modi and BJP's achievements." Reacting to Kejriwal's statement for taking the senior citizen to Ayodhya once the Ram temple is completed, Bidhuri said: "BJP won't oppose this move because it is a win-win situation for us if they do so. Before it, the opposition slammed BJP for not building Ram temple in Ayodhya and now when it has been started, they do not have so much on this.

"Kejriwal should take senior citizens to Ayodhya, I personally will be too happy. But, before leaving for Ayodhya, he should thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making this dream true."
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New Delhi:

After Reserve Bank of Indias annual report, as per which 99% of the Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes worth Rs 15.44 around 99%returned to the banking system.

On this former finance minister, P Chidambaram lashed out at the reserve bank saying the decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes did not give the desired result. He also questioned the Narendra Modi government whether its demonetisation decision was designed to convert black money into white.

The opposition was quick to seize on the data to attack the government with former finance minister P Chidambaram saying,"RBI 'gained' Rs 16000 crore, but 'lost' Rs 21000 crore in printing new notes! The economists deserve Nobel Prize." "Rs 16,000 cr out of demonetized notes of Rs 15,44,000 credit not come back to RBI. That is 1 per cent. Shame on RBI which 'recommended' demonetization," he tweeted.



Chidambaram also wondered if demonetization was "a scheme designed to convert black money into white?". Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal said his party would move a privilege motion against RBI Governor Urjit Patelfor misleading a parliamentary panel on the issue.

On this Jaitley attacked the opposition in his speech by saying that those who never acted against black money while in power were trying to create a confusion that the success of note-ban hinges on the amount of money that stays out of the system.



After the note ban, old notes were allowed to be deposited in banks, with unusual deposits coming under income tax scrutiny. A collateral damage as a result of rising in printing and other cost was dividend RBI pays to the government.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CORE Real Estate Capital ("CREC"), a Columbus-based private commercial real estate investor, today announced that the firm has rebranded to CREC from CORE. CREC, with more than $1 billion of real estate assets under management, employs a value-add strategy, specializing in multifamily real estate investments in secondary and tertiary cities throughout the United States.

When the company was founded in 2001, explained chairman and founder Jeff Coopersmith, the name was simply derived from his own surname and the fact that it was a real estate firm. Over time, however, Coopersmith pointed out, the meaning of "core" as a type of real estate strategy increasingly diverged with the firm's actual investment activity.

Mr. Coopersmith said, "It became clear that our acronym did not accurately reflect the firm's identity or strategy, so it made sense to change the way we represent ourselves. We are still the same CORE Real Estate Capital, but we have adopted the unique CREC symbol to better differentiate our brand in the marketplace and avoid the implication that we are only focused on 'core' real estate."

He added, "Our new name comes at an opportune time, as we recently completed our 50th investment, relocated to a new office (in the historic Budd Dairy Building at 1086 N. 4th Street) and re-launched our website (www.crecrealestate.com). In addition, our team has grown with the addition of several new associates, and we are poised to increase our investment activity. We are excited to debut our new CREC identity in 2021."

About CREC

CORE Real Estate Capital (CREC) is a private commercial real estate investor. Based in Columbus, Ohio, the firm invests through institutional funds and private placements and has more than $1 billion of real estate assets under management. Employing a value-add strategy, the firm specializes in the multifamily, hotel and senior housing sectors in secondary and tertiary cities throughout the United States. Since CREC's inception in 2001, it has completed 50 investments across 17 states.

Contact

Caroline Luz

Lambert & Co.

203-656-2829

[email protected]

SOURCE CORE Real Estate Capital

Related Links

http://www.crecrealestate.com


Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 22:04:21|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, March 15 (Xinhua) -- There is no evidence to back the claims that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine may cause blood clots, a leading British vaccine expert said Monday, after a number of European countries, fully or partially, have suspended the use of the vaccine following reports of several suspected deaths from clotting after vaccinations.

More than 11 million doses of the vaccine have now been given in Britain, and Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has said "very clearly that they're not seeing any increase in the number of cases of blood clots" over what they would see normally, Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford vaccine group, told the BBC's Today program.

"A lot of stuff happens to people all the time in normal times and, in the case of blood clots here in the UK, we see about 3,000 cases of blood clots happening every month. So, when you then put a vaccination campaign on top of that, clearly those blood clots still happen and you've got to then try and separate out whether, when they occur, they are at all related to the vaccine or not," he told the BBC.

Pollard made the remarks after the Netherlands on Sunday became the latest of several European countries to suspend use of the vaccine following reports that patients who have received it have developed blood clots.

Austria, Italy, Bulgaria, Denmark, Romania, Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia and non-European Union countries Norway and Iceland have also banned the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, developed by British company AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, as a precaution after similar reports of blood clots, which European drug regulators are still investigating.

Pollard warned that the stalling of vaccination program could cause "tens of thousands of more deaths" later this year.

"It's absolutely critical that we don't have a problem of not vaccinating people and have the balance of a huge risk -- a known risk of COVID -- against what appears so far from the data that we've got from the regulators -- no signal of a problem," he said.

The MHRA said in a statement last Thursday that "it has not been confirmed that the report of a blood clot was caused by the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine," saying that people "should still go and get their COVID-19 vaccine when asked to do so."

The vaccine rollout is a vital part of Britain's plan to recover from the pandemic.

On Feb. 22, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his long-anticipated "roadmap" exiting the lockdown. The March 8 reopening of schools in England was the first part of the four-step plan, which Johnson said was designed to be "cautious but irreversible".

Other parts of Britain, including Wales and Scotland, have also unveiled plans to ease the restrictions.

Experts have warned Britain is "still not out of the woods" amid concerns over new variants and the risks of the public breaching restriction rules.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines. Enditem

The White house has urged Britain and the European Union to preserve the Good Friday agreement protecting peace in Northern Ireland.

It comes after the EU launched legal action against the UK for changing Brexit trading arrangements.

We continue to encourage both the European Union and the UK government to prioritise pragmatic solutions to safeguard and advance the hard-won peace in Northern Ireland, said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

President Biden has been unequivocal in his support for the Belfast Good Friday Agreement. This agreement has been the bedrock of peace, stability and prosperity for all the people of Northern Ireland, she added.

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Brussels has formally taken legal actions against the UK for what it calls a deliberate breach of international law following its unilateral action on the Northern Ireland protocol.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said: "Unilateral action to dis-apply or not to implement aspects of the Protocol does nothing but corrode trust, the only basis on which sustainable long-term solutions can be found. It exacerbates uncertainty and instability; two things Northern Ireland can well do without."

The Taoiseach welcomed the strong backing from the EU and the US. He was speaking today in an online address to the Brooklyn Institution as part of his St Patrick's Day virtual events in the US.

"President Biden's assertion that 'the US is back", has given us great heart. The US was central to the establishment of the UN, its leadership is indispensable. Having its heft and ingenuity back at the table to tackle global challenges at scale is a game-changer," said the Taoiseach.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-16 06:30:55|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The White House confirmed on Monday that the administration of President Joe Biden has recently reached out to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) but has not yet received a response from Pyongyang.

"I can confirm that we have reached out," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during the daily news briefing when asked by reporters about the matter, adding that the United States maintains a series of channels through which it is able to communicate with the DPRK.

Psaki said the United States has "not received any response" to date, stressing repeatedly that Washington's priority has been, and remains, "to reduce the risk of escalation" through diplomacy. She did not elaborate on what kind of escalation the United States is concerned about.

"You can all anticipate that there will be a continued expansion of engagement with partners and allies in the region," the press secretary told reporters.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Tokyo on Monday, kicking off a two-leg tour to Northeast Asia that will later bring them to Seoul.

Sung Kim, acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told reporters last week that Blinken would discuss the DPRK nuclear issue with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts during the ongoing trip.

Kim said that the U.S. commitment to seeking a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula has not changed. Enditem
It did not take long for linebacker Jarrad Davis to find a suitor in free agency. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Davis has agreed to sign a contract with the New York Jets.

No deals can be made official until Wednesday, March 17th at 4 p.m. ET. Davis and the Jets reached the reported agreement during Mondays legal tampering period. Per Rapoport, its a one-year deal worth $7 million for Davis to join the Jets.

Detroits first-round pick in 2017 out of Florida, Davis made some occasional splash plays but struggled to be in the right place at the right time and to diagnose plays quick enough in his time in Detroit. He did flash more upside as a pass rusher and when asked to do less in the overall defensive scheme under former head coach Matt Patricia.

There was an anticipated strong market for Davis, and the one-year, $7 million deal is a high figure for an off-ball LB who lost reps and played his way out of the starting lineup in Detroit.

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(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 15 - Italian drugs agency AIFA suspended the use of the jab across the country on Monday as a precautionary measure pending a ruling from the European Medicines Agency, in line with several other countries.

The decision was taken after talks between Premier Mario Draghi and Health Minster Roberto Speranza, ministry sources said.

Speranza voiced confidence that EMA will "clear things up as soon as possible".

AIFA said it would in due course issue instructions for people who have had the first shot in order to complete the cycle.

Meanwhile, Carabinieri NAS health police started seizing doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from a batch that officials in the northern region of Piedmont suspended the use of on Sunday.

Piedmont banned the use of that batch as a precautionary measure following the death of a clarinet teacher after he had the vaccine.

Prosecutors in Biella have opened a manslaughter probe in the death of the teacher, Sandro Tognatti, and seized batches of jab shots nationwide.

Several countries have suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine or of specific batches of it in relation to fears about blood clots and other possible side effects.

Last week Italian medicines agency AIFA suspended another batch following reports of a sailor and a policeman dying in Sicily after taking the vaccine.

They were followed by another officer in Sicily and a school janitor and teacher in Campania, making six such deaths in all in Italy.

On Monday the family of a 54-year-old Neapolitan woman, Sonia Battaglia, said she was in critical condition after having a shot of the suspended batch last week.

AIFA stressed that the suspension was a precautionary measure and that a causal link between the "severe adverse events" and the vaccinations had not been established.

Health Minister Roberto Sperenza has said the COVID-19 vaccines being used in Italy are safe and the World Health Organization has defended the AstraZeneca jab.

France, Germany, Thailand, Norway, Iceland, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia have stopped giving the jab, developed with Oxford University, over blood-clot concerns, while Austria has joined Italy in stopping certain batches.

EMA is expected to rule on the safety of the jab by the end of the week. (ANSA).


Check out the news you should not miss today:

Society

 Vietnam reported zero new COVID-19 cases on Monday morning, marking the countrys tally at 2,554 with 2,086 recoveries, according to the Ministry of Health.

 Police in the southern province of Binh Phuoc on Sunday said they had captured five Chinese, aged 19 to 23, who had illegally entered Vietnam to get to Ho Chi Minh City one day earlier.

 The Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee has recently reported to the Ministry of Planning and Investment the implementation of the citys second metro line Ben Thanh  Tham Luong connecting District 1 and District 12, expecting construction work to begin in 2022.

 A worker from Vietnam Poyun Electronics Co. Ltd., located at Cong Hoa Industrial Park in Chi Linh City, northern Hai Duong Province tested positive for COVID-19 while she was being isolated at home in Quang Ninh Province, the Quang Ninh Center for Disease Control said on Sunday. She had finished centralized quarantine and tested negative eight times before.

 Authorities in Vietnams northern province of Ha Nam have tried their best to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as around 50,000 people had flocked to the provinces famous Tam Chuc Pagoda on Sunday.

Lifestyle

 'Bo Gia,' (The Father), a movie directed and produced by famed comedian Tran Thanh, on Sunday grossed over VND200 billion (US$8.7 million) and became Vietnams highest grossing movie by domestic revenue.

 An international watercolor painting exhibition titled 'Arts and Peace' will run until March 19 at the Vietnam Watercolor Art in Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City, featuring 60 paintings by artists from 17 countries such as France, Japan, the Netherlands, Thailand and Vietnam, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Sunday.

Education

 Many universities in Hanoi will welcome students back to campuses today after a long break to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
The leader of a mosque in western Uganda allegedly sent men to rape three female relatives of a church pastor last month as a warning after the imams wife converted from Islam to Christianity, according to a report.

Sources told Morning Star News that three relatives of Rev. Nelson Walina, the pastor of All Saints Cathedral, were raped in Mussa village of Kasese district on Feb. 16. The incident came two days after imam Caled Bwambale Hussein was enraged after learning that his wife, Mariam Mbambu, converted to Christianity.

The ages of the three girls allegedly victimized by rape are 19, 17 and 16.

Church members told the United States-based nonprofit persecution news outlet that they learned of the imams orders from a Muslim who was sent to the churchs worship services on Feb. 21 and Feb. 28 allegedly to help plan an attack on the church.

Source:The Christian Post
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 21:08:11|Editor: huaxia

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A few tourists are seen at Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul, Turkey, March 16, 2021. Turkey's largest city and cultural and economic hub Istanbul is facing a drastic decline in the number of foreign tourists amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to recently released official data. In January, Istanbul saw 334,825 tourists with a 67.1-percent year-on-year decrease, the Istanbul Statistical Office announced in its latest report. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

ISTANBUL, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's largest city and cultural and economic hub Istanbul is facing a drastic decline in the number of foreign tourists amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to recently released official data.

In January, Istanbul saw 334,825 tourists with a 67.1-percent year-on-year decrease, the Istanbul Statistical Office announced in its latest report.

The occupancy rate of the accommodation facilities across the city dropped to 20.2 percent in the same month, from 50.8 percent in 2020, while the total number of foreign tourists visiting Turkey in January stood at 509,787, a 71.5-percent year-on-year decline.

Famous for Byzantine and Ottoman-era monuments and hosting the Bosphorus Strait, which divides the European and Asian continents, Istanbul is the most visited city in Turkey.

In January, Russian tourists visiting the city topped the list with 50,000, followed by Iranians, Germans, the French, and Ukrainians.

"People are bored, and they want to travel against all odds," Irfan Karsli, head of the Istanbul-based Ligarba Tourism travel agency, told Xinhua on Monday.

"With the ongoing global vaccination programs, tourists can be more courageous when deciding to travel," he noted.

However, many countries have tightened the rules, requiring a series of documents such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and imposing quarantine periods upon the arrival, which made tourists avoid going abroad.

"In the end, everything depends on the number of COVID-19 cases. And, there is no sign of relief so far in the regard," he pointed out.

Istanbul, with a population of more than 16 million, registered 112 cases out of the 100,000 between Feb. 25 and March 5, according to the health ministry's latest data.

In Karsli's view, there can be a slight revival in tourism in Turkey in September and October, but he does not expect a significant recovery this summer.

"Reservations for the summer season should have already closed during this period. However, we do not have enough booking yet," he explained.

Nalan Yesilyurt, a board member of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, expects a partial increase in the number of tourists as of May thanks to the vaccination program.

"The vaccination program, which is going on quite fast in Turkey, will provide a sense of confidence to tourists," she told Xinhua.

For Yesilyurt, Turkey, with Istanbul in particular, is still quite in demand among tourists, especially in the European countries.

"Istanbul is a world metropolis with its history and culture. It is a world brand and will always continue to be a center of attraction," she remarked.

Turkey started its nationwide COVID-19 vaccination program with the vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech in mid-January.

So far, more than 11 million doses have been administrated as part of the vaccination campaign, according to the health ministry's latest data.

The Turkish government has recently launched a gradual and controlled normalization period, easing several coronavirus-related restrictions, such as opening restaurants and cafes in low and medium-risk provinces. Enditem
A month from now, many middle and high schoolers across the Portland area will return to in-person teaching, at least part time, for the first time in a year. And bars and restaurants across the Portland area can now open for indoor dining up to half their normal capacity.

Are we inching back to something resembling normalcy?

On the latest episode of Beat Check with The Oregonian, youll hear from two of staff writers about these baby steps toward our old lives  and a few things that arent likely to change anytime soon.

In the first half of the show, The Oregonian/OregonLives education reporter, Eder Campuzano, talks about how students are faring. Campuzano spoke to four metro area teens and pre-teens about their last year and what it means to go back to in-person instruction.

Then, food writer Michael Russell talks about the state of the Portland bar and dining scene, the takeout revolution and when he plans to eat indoors.

Heres the full episode.

Subscribe to Beat Check on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen to podcasts.

 Andrew Theen; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheenatheen@oregonian.com
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson described therapy for unwanted same-sex attraction as "repulsive" and vowed to end so-called conversion therapy days after Parliament members likened prayer and fasting to such past practices as electroshock therapy and "corrective rape."

Johnson apologized last Friday amid complaints from activists that his government has delayed taking action on the issue of gay conversion therapy after he declared in July 2020 that the practice was absolutely abhorrent and vowed to ban such therapies.

According to The Telegraph, three of his advisers who identify as LGBT "quit over a lack of progress."

Proponents of such a ban say the practice is cruel, ineffective and contributes to suicide among LGBT-identifying people.

Source:The Christian Post
Detectives are looking into a possible connection to a mass shooting Monday afternoon outside the Bethlehem Star Missionary Baptist Church at 9231 S. Cottage Grove Ave. As people were leaving the church, six people were wounded by at least two gunmen, a police spokesman said. As many as five mourners drew their own weapons and returned fire during the broad daylight attack.
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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.
TIRUPATI: Telugu Desam party suffered a humiliating defeat in the municipal and corporation elections in Andhra Pradesh, the results of which were declared on Sunday. Giving a major jolt to Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the YSR Congress has stormed again into Naidus native Chittoor district and snatched all the two corporations and four municipalities.

The grand success for the ruling party in the Gram Panchayat polls was repeated in the urbal local body polls too, wherein the YSRC again put up an impressive show, so much so the TD failed to grab even a single municipality or corporation. The YSRC won as many as 228 of the 247 wards in all the six civic bodies in the district that went to polls on March 10.

The TD candidates secured 17 wards in five civic bodies. In Punganur municipality, the Opposition has drawn a blank. Other parties including the BJP, the CPIM, the Janasena and the CPI drew a blank. Independent candidates won two wards in Chittoor and Nagari civic bodies.

In the district, there are 248 wards spread over the two corporations  Chittoor (50) and Tirupati (50) -- and four municipalities, namely Madanapalle (35), Punganur (31), Nagari (29), Puttur (27) and Palamaner (26), which went to polls on March 10.

Of the total, elections in 131 wards were declared unanimous and 116 wards went to polls. The SEC stopped the election process in the 7th division of Tirupati corporation. In Punganur, the ruling party won all 31 wards.

As per the official reports, in Tirupati, the YSRC won 48 (of which 22 were unanimous) out of 50 divisions and the same situation prevailed in Chittoor too where the ruling party bagged 46 (of these, 37 were unanimous) out of 50 divisions.

TD candidates were able to win only four divisions  three in Chittoor and one in Tirupati. The YSRC has also clinched the Madanapalle municipality by winning 33 ( of which 15 were unanimous) out of the 35 wards, in which the TD was able to win only two wards.

The TDs debacle continued in other municipalities like Nagari, Puttur and Palamaner. In Nagari, out of the 29 wards, YSRC candidates won unanimously in six wards and TD won one ward unpposed. Of the 22 wards that went to polls in this municipality, the YSRC had secure 18 wards and the TD won three wards while one ward went to an independent.

In Puttur with 27 wards, the Opposition party performed a little better, by winning 5 wards; while the ruling party won 22 wards, of which one was unanimous. Out of the 26 wards in Palamaner, eight wards went for polling, of which six went to the YSRC and two to the TD. Cumulatively, thus, the YSRC won 24 wards in this municipality.

The municipal election results in Chittoor district dented the hopes of TD chief Chandrababu Naidu to revive the partys fortunes in his native district. The partys debacle in both panchayat and municipal elections in this district is a big blow to him. Naidu, thus, will have difficulty keeping his flocks together.

TD dealt major blow in Anantapur too

TD suffered a major jolt in Anantapur district where YSRC won Anantapur Municipal Corporation and nine municipalities. Shockingly, the Telugu Desam, which had ruled AMC, could not win even a single division in the corporation. As against a total of 50 divisions, YSRC won in 48 divisions while independent candidates, who were TD rebels, won the other two.

Internal differences between Prabhakar Chowdary and JC Pavan groups and fielding weak candidates reportedly affected Telugu Desam prospect in all divisions.

In 40th division, locals encouraged TD rebel candidate Sri Lakshmi, who contested as an independent candidate, after she was denied a party ticket.

Similarly, Telugu Desam could not prove its existence in Dharmavaram municipality where YSRC bagged all 40 municipal wards. Paritala Ravi's son Sriram, who was in-charge of Dharmavaram, drew a blank.

Though Telugu Desam had won Anantapur Municipal Corporation and 10 municipalities in the previous elections, YSRC bagged all seats except Tadipathri municipality. Hindupur, Madakasira, Kadiri, Kalyanadurgam, Gooty and Guntakal municipalities were also pocketed by YSRC.

Urban MLA Ananta Venkatrami Reddy said people's verdict was a clear positive sign about Jagan Mohan Reddy administration.

People realised that unlike Chandrababu Naidu, YSRC was firm on implementing welfare schemes, he said.
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Labor leaders are throwing their weight behind Eric Adams in the New York City mayoral race.

Mr. Adams, the Brooklyn borough president, has won three major labor endorsements in the past two weeks, cementing his status as one of the top candidates in the crowded Democratic primary field.

As Mr. Adams rose, Loree Sutton, one of the first women to join the race, dropped out, and the campaigns pushed to qualify for public matching funds. Andrew Yang, the former presidential candidate, announced over the weekend that he had raised an impressive fund-raising haul.

Here is what you need to know:

Adams wins key labor endorsements.

Mr. Adams is making the case that he is the candidate for working-class New Yorkers.

We are building a blue-collar coalition that will deliver results for the New Yorkers who need them the most, Mr. Adams said last week.

He has received support from three unions: Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union, which represents about 85,000 building workers in New York; the Hotel Trades Council, which has nearly 40,000 members in the hotel and gaming industry; and the District Council 37 Executive Board, the citys largest public employees union, representing 150,000 members and 50,000 retirees.
Vanderpump Rules alum Lala Kent has given birth to a baby girl named Ocean Kent Emmett.

The 31-year-old reality star shared the happy news from her hospital bed, posting a intimate snap to her Instagram account on Monday.

Her fiance Randall Emmett, 49, had whipped up fans excitement yesterday when he shared a picture of Lala in labor with the caption: 'And so it begins'

LaLa Kent gives BIRTH! Vanderpump Rules star welcomes daughter Ocean Kent Emmett as she shares intimate snap from hospital on Monday

Emmett also shares two children London, 11, and seven-year-old Rylee with his ex-wife Ambyr Childers.

Late last month, she opened up to her 1.5 million Instagram followers about some of the scary complications with her pregnancy.

Kent said she experienced bleeding and placenta problems early in her pregnancy.

Sharing every moment: Yesterday, Randall posted this picture of Lala in labor

'At six weeks, I started bleeding,' the blonde beauty wrote. 'I went to the emergency room, already knowing what they could tell me. They took me into a room for an ultrasound and I laid there quietly.  For the first time, I heard the pitter patter of my baby's heartbeat. 'Your baby is still there.'

The star, who announced her pregnancy in September, became nervous.

'For the next three weeks, I would continue to randomly bleed and each time, I would call my OB and be beside myself. Although bleeding during pregnancy isn't normal, it is common. My bleeding was the result of a clot. I was put on bed rest until it was gone,' Kent added.

As the parents-to-be await the imminent arrival of their baby girl, the 49-year-old producer shared a snap of Kent hooked up to IVs in a hospital bed; seen in 2019

When she was 20 weeks along her doctors told her they were 'concerned.'

They were worried about how the baby would grow and wanted to keep an eye on the pregnancy.

'The next appointment, there was growth  not much, but some,' she shared. 'After a few weeks, my doctors concluded that this was a placenta problem, not a kid problem. Although we never want any problem, this was a relief.'

Hard times: Late last month, she opened up to her 1.5 million Instagram followers about some of the complications with her pregnancy

Candid: Kent shared a snap of her eight-month pregnant belly while nude in the bath

At that point, her placenta was measuring more mature.

She ended with: 'I am going to appointments two days a week. They continue to monitor her heartbeat and her growth. When they notice her growth start to slow is when they will make the call to take her out. This could be anywhere from 35 to 37 weeks. In one to three weeks, I could be delivering my angel and all I keep praying for is she comes out healthy. That is all I think about every day, all day.'

A few weeks ago, Kent also shared a snap of her eight-month pregnant belly while nude in the bath.

The star wrote: 'Did anyone else hit the 'I'm over it' phase with 6 weeks left? I'm so blessed to get to experience this but y'all my back and ribs are doooone. A flame thrower has also taken residence in my chest.'

She added: 'My following is 96%. So here is my 8 month pregnant bod.
A Peruvian prosecutor on Thursday requested 30 years in prison for presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori for allegedly laundering money from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.

Prosecutor Jose Domingo Perez presented his accusation after investigating the candidate for more than two years.

The daughter of the convicted former president Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) is also accused of organized crime, obstruction of justice and false testimony.

The indictment asks to ban the presidential candidate from leaving the country for 36 months during the trial.

The prosecutor also requests the dissolution of the Popular Force party, which Keiko Fujimori founded in 2010, and the liquidation of her husband's real estate company.

Peru will hold its presidential elections on April 11, where Keiko Fujimori is among the group of 19 candidates.

The presidential candidate later said on Twitter that she plans to keep facing the accusations to fight in the elections, the third time Keiko Fujimori seeks Peru's highest office.

She previously ran for office without luck in 2011 and 2016.

The prosecutor said that the candidate received more than a million dollars from the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, laundering the money by using donors, raffles and cocktails as a front.

The money she received from local entrepreneurs in the dairy industry and casino owners sought for support of the Fujimori legislative caucus.

Fujimori is not the favorite candidate so far, according to various polls, due to the general apathy of voters overwhelmed by the effects of the pandemic that has killed more than 48,300 in Peru and infected more than 1.3 million, according to official figures.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
SAN FRANCISCO, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman urges XL Fleet Corp. (NYSE: XL) investors with significant losses to submit your losses now. A securities fraud class action has been filed and certain investors may have valuable claims.



Class Period: Oct. 2, 2020 - Mar. 02, 2021 Lead Plaintiff Deadline: May 7, 2021 Visit: www.hbsslaw.com./investor-fraud/XL Contact an Attorney Now: XL@hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895

XL Fleet Corp. (NYSE: XL) Securities Fraud Class Action:

The complaint alleges that: (1) XLs sales pipelines was materially inflated; (2) XL grossly overstated its customer base; (3) XLs technology had been materially overstated and did not provide customers the represented cost savings; and (4) that XL lacks the supply chain and engineers to roll out new products on the announced timelines.

The truth emerged on Mar. 3, 2021, when analyst Muddy Waters published a report calling XL More SPAC Trash. Based on interviews with former employees, Muddy Waters claimed that salespeople were pressured to inflate their sales pipelines materially, and that customer reorder rates are in reality quite low due to poor performance and regulatory issues. The report also alleged that at least 18 of 33 customers XL featured were inactive. Muddy Waters also claimed that XL has weak technology and that XLs announcement of future class 7-8 upfits seems highly promotional because the task is too technologically complex for XL engineers to deliver on the promised timeline.

Then, on Mar. 4, 2021, after XL issued a denial, Muddy Waters criticized XLs placeholder response, tweeting, We spoke to a fleet manager for one of the companies XL brags about in its response. He said MPG gains only ~10%, not 25%. He said didnt help for highway driving. Also his company bought at a deep discount. Tell. The. Truth.

In response, the Companys share price declined $5.55, or 33% over three trading days.

Finally, on Mar. 10, 2021, after XL issued a more detailed response, Muddy Waters released another report, observing that XL did not deny key allegations, including (1) its inflated pipeline, (2) overstated customer base, and (3) low customer reorder rates.

Were focused on investors losses and proving XL misled investors by exaggerating its order backlog, said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.

If you are an XL investor and have significant losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firms investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding XL Fleet should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email XL@hbsslaw.com.

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman is a national law firm with eight offices in eight cities around the country and over eighty attorneys. The firm represents investors, whistleblowers, workers and consumers in complex litigation. More about the firm and its successes is located at hbsslaw.com. For the latest news visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @classactionlaw .
Ireland is about to mark the biggest ever Global Greening  as 66 countries prepare to shine their best-loved monuments in emerald light to show solidarity with Ireland on St Patricks Day.

While the Irish at home and abroad may not be able to mark the March 17 how theyd envisaged, there will be no shortage of merriment and reminders of global friendships on St Patricks Day. An eclectic display of 670 sites will be lit up green for March 17, as part of Tourism Irelands global greening event.

Among the more eccentric examples are the Tilted Sauna, also dubbed the Drunken Sauna  an abandoned facility, tilted on its side on Tampaja Lake, in southern Finland.

Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: This is the 12th year of Tourism Irelands Global Greening initiative and its bigger and better than ever this year, with some wonderful and unusual new additions like the Tilted Sauna in Finland and a giant troll sculpture in Denmark.

Bjarke Cirkelsten in Denmark, a huge troll sculpture, is made from recycled wood and created by Copenhagen-based artist Thomas Dambo.

A huge Kissing Couple statue, along a bicycle route between Amsterdam and Zaandam, will also be green for the day. The male statue is a stunning 8.6 metres high and the female is 8.1 metres high.

Read More

Important State buildings internationally will also be lit green, including the Embassy of Ireland in London, which will participate in the greening for the first time.

Other newcomers include the New York Irish Center, New York, City Hall in Vancouver, the Irish Embassy, Beijing, BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, the House of Representatives in Nicosia, Cyprus, and the Chambre des Muette (HQ of the OECD) in Paris.

Mr Gibbins said: Although St Patricks Day will be very different this year, Tourism Ireland aims to capitalise on the heightened exposure for Ireland around the globe on March 17, to ensure that Ireland remains top of mind as a great holiday destination for bookings when the time is right.

The global greening initiative has grown annually since its inception in 2010, when just the Sydney Opera House and the Sky Tower in Auckland went green.

Despite Covid-19, countries across the world have reached out to be part of the event, further cementing Irelands place in the international psyche this St Patricks Day.
SACRAMENTO  Gov. Gavin Newsom is shifting into campaign mode to save his job, but it will be months before voters find out if and when they will have an opportunity to weigh in on a potential recall  the result of changes adopted several years ago by California Democrats trying to protect one of their own.

That law created one last-ditch opportunity to prevent a recall from making it onto the ballot. Even if organizers exceed the required number of signatures when they file their petitions this week, Newsom will have six weeks in which he could try to convince enough signers to change their minds and push the petition below the qualification threshold.

The governor instead appears to be going on offense, breaking months of near silence on Monday to denounce the recall as a power grab by Trump loyalists and far right-wing Republicans. Given the massive scale of the recall drive and the limited tools available for Newsom to reach the voters who signed the petition, a signature-withdrawal strategy would be a long shot to stop an election unless the margin is extremely close.

For a statewide election, its a needle in a haystack, said state Sen. Josh Newman, a Fullerton Democrat who tried it in his district in 2017, was recalled anyway, then won back his old seat last year. Its unviable. Its too expensive.

Newsom recall proponents said last week they had collected more than 2 million signatures. If they submit all of those to county election offices by Wednesdays deadline, and their current verification rate of nearly 84% holds, they could have about 1.7 million valid signatures  200,000 more than they need to qualify.

A representative for Newsom declined to discuss the governors plans. But after all but ignoring the recall drive, Newsom launched a campaign Monday to defend himself in a likely election, with a fundraising appeal to supporters and national endorsements including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. The California Democratic Party also put $250,000 cash and a $100,000 in-kind contribution into a committee backing Newsom, which released an ad tying the recall to extremists and supporters of former President Donald Trump.

Theyve moved on to fighting rather than trying to keep the recall off the ballot, said Anne Dunsmore, campaign manager for Rescue California, one of the groups collecting signatures to oust Newsom.

Because the names of people who sign recall petitions are not public, finding those who might be willing to rescind their signatures is a difficult prospect. Dunsmore said it would be a massive waste of resources by pro-Newsom forces and called the recall election a fait accompli.

But that election, if it happens, wont come for a while.

Once the recall campaign turns in its petitions, county election officials have until April 29 to count how many registered voters signed and report their numbers to the secretary of states office.

The state then has 10 days to tally the counties results. If the recall campaign has qualified, it starts the signature-withdrawal period, in which voters get 30 business days to let their local election officials know theyd like to remove their names from the petition. Voters are offered the chance regardless of whether the Newsom campaign tries to persuade them to do so.

Then counties have 10 more business days to report the number of rescinded signatures back to the secretary of state. Assuming the recall is still eligible, the state Department of Finance gets 30 business days to estimate how much the election will cost, and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee has another 30 days to review the estimate.

Only then is the recall certified, at which point Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis must call an election within 60 to 80 days. That timeline could push a vote all the way to November or December.

The extended period to withdraw signatures and review the cost of the election was among the changes in a 2017 law intended to buy Newman, the state senator, more time to fight his recall. It pushed the vote until the following year, when it was consolidated with a regular primary that legislators hoped would have better Democratic turnout.

Newman had narrowly won election to a traditionally Republican seat in 2016, giving Democrats an unexpected two-thirds majority in the Senate. After he voted to pass a gas tax increase the following year, local Republicans launched a drive to remove him from office.

The campaign to recall him was closely linked with an unsuccessful effort to repeal the gas tax increase, which Newman said was confusing for people who signed the petition and made it worth it for him to try to convince them to withdraw their support. Finding them, however, was an expensive struggle.

Newman said his campaign spent hundreds of thousands of dollars sending canvassers to the homes of voters who fit a profile they assumed the recall campaign was targeting. They ultimately submitted more than 2,000 signature-withdrawal requests, not enough to prevent the election from taking place.

Its an extremely diluted prospect, because youve got to ask everybody, Hey, did you sign a petition? Newman said. The incentives dont align.

After having won back his seat in November, Newman is carrying a bill that would give the target of a recall the right to see who signed the petition against them for the purposes of communicating with voters. If it passes, the measure would not take effect until next year and would have no effect on Newsoms recall race.

Newman said its only fair that the target of recall have an opportunity to face their accuser and make an appeal. Yet even if the process to withdraw signatures becomes more efficient, theres still the challenging political optics of appearing to undermine the will of the public.

Its an existential problem for an elected official. What would you do, within reason, to stop from being kicked out of office? Newman said. You wind up looking defensive, but theres sort of no choice.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff
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Organisers arranged a minibus to ferry guests from one end of Bourke Street to the other. Credit:Illustration: John Shakespeare

Monash University event planners were keen to roll out the red carpet last Thursday night at Melbournes RACV Club on Bourke Street for the launch of In the National Interest, a series of political thought pieces curated by the vice-chancellors professorial fellow, publisher Louise Adler. The 12-title series includes contributions by former prime minister Kevin Rudd, former Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Martin Parkinson and leading barrister Rachel Doyle SC.

It could be Adlers most significant political publishing foray since the high-profile former journalist quit as chief executive of Melbourne University Press in January 2019 following a sudden downsizing and sharp change in direction at the university imprint towards academic publishing.

So perhaps it shouldnt be surprising that Monash pushed the hospitality boat out. While the RACV launch was a cocktail affair, the authors and a lucky few were invited for supper at chef Dusty Treweeks swanky Italian eatery Bottega a few blocks away at the top of Bourke Street.

Organisers even arranged a minibus to ferry guests from one end of Bourke Street to the other  a thoughtful gesture, but one that prompted some head scratching, as the two venues were a) on the same street and b) three tram stops from each other.
A group of illegal immigrants rapidly deported from the United States under Title 42 wait on the Mexican side of the Paso del Norte International Bridge between El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on March 10, 2021. (Paul Ratje/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden Promised Us!: Migrants Swarming USMexico Border Claim President Encouraged Them to Come

Migrants who are attempting to illegally cross the U.S.Mexico border into the United States claim that President Joe Biden encouraged them to come.

Biden promised us that everything was going to change, Gladys Oneida Perez Cruz, a woman who traveled to the border with her child, told The New York Times on March 14. He hasnt done it yet, but he is going to be a good president for migrants.

Perez said a coyotea human smugglercharged her $9,000 for the trip to the border. The woman said she and her son embarked on the journey on Feb. 7 and hoped to reach her sister in Maryland. Hours after crossing the border, they were apprehended by Border Patrol agents, the news outlet stated, adding that Perez decided to return to Honduras.

According to the paper, another woman claimed, Biden promised us! The paper had a byline from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, a city located next to El Paso, Texas. I did not make it, another woman was heard saying into her phone around the same time.

But Acting Border Patrol Commissioner Troy Miller recently told reporters in a conference call that the border is not open to migration. Do not believe human smugglers who tell you otherwise, he said.

Coyotes and cartel members, however, are reportedly promising migrants that the United States is now open under the nascent Biden administration. Starting on his first day in office, Biden undid several of former President Donald Trumps executive orders regarding border security.

Illegal immigrants from Central America take refuge in a makeshift U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing center under the Anzalduas International Bridge after crossing the Rio Grande river into the United States from Mexico in Granjeno, Texas, on March 12, 2021. (Adrees Latif/Reuters)

Republicans have been quick to denounce the surge of migrants at the border, with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) leading a delegation of about 12 GOP representatives to the border on March 15. They have said that Bidens executive actions were solely responsible for the surge in illegal immigrants.

Over the past weekend, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the surge is a humanitarian challenge while stressing that Trumps immigration orders created the crisis. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas made a similar assertion several weeks ago when questioned about the border situation.

Separately, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency stated that theyve encountered more than 100,000 migrants at the border in February alone, while numerous elected officials who represent border areas in the United States have described the situation as a crisis. White House officials have so far declined to refer to it as such.

The DHS stated in a recent update: The federal government is responding to the arrival of record numbers of individuals, including unaccompanied children, at the southwest border. Since April 2020, the number of encounters at the border has been rising due to ongoing violence, natural disasters, food insecurity, and poverty in the Northern Triangle countries of Central America.

The federal government is working around the clock to move unaccompanied children to Department of Health and Human Services facilities, the DHS stated.

DHS didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.
Hugo Lopez-Gatell without a face mask on the streets of Colonia Condesa in Mexico City on March 10. TWITTER: @ADRIANAG03

While Mexicos death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has risen to more than 192,000, the government undersecretary responsible for the countrys response to the crisis decided to take a stroll through one of the capitals fashionable neighborhoods, despite having tested positive for COVID-19 himself.

In images shared on social media, Hugo Lopez-Gatell, head of Prevention and Health Promotion at the Secretariat of Health and spokesperson for the governments coronavirus task force, was photographed in a popular park in Colonia Condesa without a face mask in what could have been put down to just another memory lapse on the part of a government official  several, including President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, have been spotted breaking health regulations  had it not been for the fact that Lopez-Gatell laid down the coronavirus laws himself. Furthermore, Lopez-Gatell had confirmed in a press conference the same day that he was still contagious.

After 19 days of illness I am completely recovered. I have no symptoms at all and I feel in good shape, strong and good spirits, said Lopez-Gatell on March 10 as he resumed his virtual presence in daily briefings about the advance of the virus in Mexico after his enforced absence, which included five days in hospital. What is true is that I was tested again today [last Wednesday] and I am still positive, which is to say that I have a sufficiently high viral load to be contagious. As such, although I have been given the medical all-clear, I have not received an epidemiological all-clear, he added. Immediately afterward, images of Lopez-Gatell that had begun to circulate on the Internet blew up in a social media storm.

Why, if it was possible that he could pass on the virus, did he decide to go for a walk in one of Mexico Citys busiest parks and why did he remove his face mask when doing so? These were the questions being asked on social media, opinion articles and in the local media the following day, and in response to which Lopez-Gatell attempted to defend his actions: There is no medical or epidemiological contraindication against going for a walk. My level of contagiousness is minimal. Naturally I am not going to be inside an office or mixing with other people, he said in an interview with the journalist Joaquin Lopez Doriga.

The requirement to remain at home in the case of displaying coronavirus symptoms is plastered across every corner of the city and signed by the Secretariat of Health. In the event that someone is aware they have been infected with COVID-19, the guidelines have been crystal clear for a year: self-isolation. As such, the explanation given by the head of the coronavirus task force has not convinced those observers who view his stroll as a provocation: The probability of me passing the virus on from behind my double face mask while walking in the park six meters away from other people is virtually zero, Lopez-Gatell told Doriga.

The message those images sent to citizens were nonetheless shocking in a country that is not only bearing the loss of 192,000 people to coronavirus, but also witnessing the saturation of hospitals, the inability of thousands of Mexicans to gain access to decent healthcare and the thousands more who have been forced into debt to obtain oxygen, medicines and to fund a hospital bed for a family member. The sight of Lopez-Gatell out and about with COVID-19 directly takes aim at those among the electorate who have scarce recourse to healthcare services and to which the ruling party, the National Regeneration Movement, is attempting to appeal.

Hugo Lopez-Gatell at a beach in Oaxaca in January. CUARTOSCURO

This is not the first time the undersecretary has faced a deluge of criticism for paying little heed to his own healthcare recommendations. At Christmas he was seen with a friend in a restaurant in Oaxaca, where he had repeatedly urged the population to remain at home, precipitating one of the most delicate moments Lopez-Gatell has faced during the pandemic and which came during some of the darkest weeks of the crisis. Lopez Obrador backed his task force chief and praised his work rate during those long months.

Lopez-Gatell announced on Twitter on February 20 that he had contracted coronavirus and that he was experiencing mild symptoms. He subsequently self-isolated at home and stopped appearing at the daily coronavirus task force press conferences. Ten days later, La Jornada reported that the undersecretary was in the hospital. After several days of speculation and denials from official sources, the Secretariat of Health confirmed that Lopez-Gatell had been admitted to hospital and that he was in good health and in very good spirits.

I was not hospitalized because my situation was delicate but to receive treatment, which was intravenous and easier to administer [in a hospital] than at home, Lopez-Gatell told La Jornada, stating that he has not experienced any difficulty in breathing. On March 1, he was discharged from Centro Citibanamex, a field hospital set up to alleviate the crisis in Mexico City. Jose Luis Alomia, director of Epidemiology at the Secretariat of Health, revealed at that time the undersecretary had received supplementary oxygen and had been prescribed a course of intravenous anti-inflammatory medication. Lopez-Gatell said that no further details of his treatment would be revealed because it should be considered a private matter and one not of public interest.

At almost the same time as Lopez-Gatell, Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval also tested positive for COVID-19. Sandoval also self-isolated for 20 days before returning to work last week after returning a negative PCR test.

At their outset, Lopez-Gastells press conferences were a vital reference point for comprehending the governments strategy in the face of the coronavirus crisis, but as time has progressed they have served to add to polarization and controversy, his repeated refusal to extol the virtues of wearing a face mask chief among them.

While debate over Lopez-Gastells constitutional in Condesa continues on social media, the numbers indicate that there is no immediate end in sight to the pandemic. There have been 2.16 million cases recorded in Mexico, resulting in 194,710 COVID-related deaths. Meanwhile, the governments drive to provide free vaccinations for the countrys 117 million inhabitants has so far reached only 3.7 million people.

English version by Rob Train.
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France is struggling to contain the widespread of the deadly coronavirus and the hospitals are facing the effect of it.

Coronavirus hospitals in Paris are running up to their full capacity, leading to a massive shortage of beds, especially in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Considering this, France's government announced plans to evacuate nearly 100 coronavirus patients from the ICUs of Paris hospitals.

The government is hoping to avoid another lockdown through these transfers, while the officials prepare to speed up the vaccination programme.

"By the end of this week, probably around 100 patients will have been evacuated from the Ile-de-France region," government spokesman Gabriel Attal said.

Starting with the process, two patients of age 33 and 70 were airlifted to the southwestern city of Bordeaux.

Attal also reported that two specially equipped trains will transfer "several dozens of patients to regions that today are under less strain" from the coronavirus pandemic.

While the government is starting the process of evacuating patients from Paris, people are worried if the capital city will undergo another lockdown.

"We are doing everything we can to not have to take more difficult, more restrictive measures," Attal said.

However, he also was careful to not dismiss the idea of lockdown completely. "We will always take whatever decisions are necessary," WION cited him as saying.

A weekend lockdown has already been ordered in the northern Pas-de-Calais region where COVID patients were being transferred from the more crowded area.
Two men have been arrested and charged with assaulting a Capitol Police office with a chemical substance -- possibly bear spray -- during the violent Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Officer Brian Sicknick, an Air Force veteran, later died.

Julian Elie Khater, 32, of State College, Pennsylvania, and George Pierre Tanios, 39, of Morgantown, West Virginia, face multiple charges for their alleged roles in the Capitol riot, the Justice Department said Monday.

Among other charges, Khater and Tanios are accused of working together to assault law enforcement officers, including Sicknick, by spraying them in the face and eyes with an unknown chemical substance.

Read Next: Almost Nobody Wants Troops at the US Capitol, Including the Guard Chief and Congress

Both men face three counts of assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon; one count of conspiracy to injure an officer; one count of civil disorder; one count of obstructing or impeding an official proceeding; one count of physical violence on restricted grounds while carrying a dangerous weapon and resulting in significant bodily injury; and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct by committing an act of physical violence on Capitol grounds.

Sicknick died Jan. 7 from injuries he sustained two days earlier while protecting the Capitol from a mob of Trump supporters who sought to interfere with Congress' certification of the presidential election.

Sicknick, 42, was a former staff sergeant with the New Jersey Air National Guard who served from 1997 to 2003. He deployed overseas multiple times, including to Saudi Arabia in 1999 in support of Operation Southern Watch and Kyrgyzstan in 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

He joined the Capitol Police in 2008 and recently had been assigned to its First Responder's Unit. After his death, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had flags at the Capitol lowered to half-staff in his honor. Sicknick also lay in honor at the Capitol, a rare recognition that is typically reserved for members of the federal government who served their country with distinction.

According to the criminal complaint and arrest warrant, which was filed March 6 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and released by the Justice Department, Khater and Tanios were caught on surveillance cameras spraying the officers.

The complaint said the two men "appeared to time" their spraying of the chemical substance to coincide with other rioters' attempts to forcibly take down makeshift bike rack barriers that were keeping them away from the Capitol building.

At about 2:14 p.m., the complaint said, the two men were filmed having an animated conversation with each other. Video of the incident shows that Khater moved toward Tanios, said, "Give me that bear s--t," and reached into Tanios' backpack, according to the complaint.

Tanios replied, "Hold on, hold on, not yet, not yet ... it's still early," it adds.

Video then shows Khater "emphatically" telling Tanios, "They just f---ing sprayed me," the complaint states, and he can be seen holding a white can with a black top, which appears to be a can of chemical spray.

According to the criminal complaint, that exchange and Khater's retrieval of the spray can show they were working together and planned to use the spray against law enforcement.

A few minutes later, video shows Khater walking through the crowd toward the bike rack barrier, where he stood directly across from a line of officers, including Sicknick, the complaint states.

A Metropolitan Police officer's body camera showed that rioters began pulling on a bike rack with ropes and their hands at 2:23 p.m. A few seconds later, the complaint adds, Khater can be seen on the video holding a canister high in the air in the officers' direction, moving it from side to side. He was standing about five to eight feet away from the officers, according to the document.

Three officers, including Sicknick and the officer with the body camera, can be seen on video reacting to something striking them in the face, the complaint states. They "immediately retreat from the line, bring their hands to their faces, and rush to find water to wash out their eyes," it details.

Khater allegedly continued spraying the canister toward officers until another Metropolitan Police officer sprayed him, the complaint says.

The three officers who were sprayed were blinded temporarily and needed medical attention, according to the complaint. The two who survived said the spray was at least as strong as any pepper spray they had been exposed to during their law enforcement training. One officer had scabbing on her face that remained for weeks and other lasting injuries under her eyes.

Law enforcement released photographs of Khater and Tanios, along with other suspected rioters at the Capitol. According to the complaint, the FBI received a tip that the two men knew each other and grew up together in New Jersey.

Another tipster told an FBI investigator that he used to work with Khater at a restaurant. When shown a photograph of the suspect who sprayed the officers, the witness said he was "100% sure" it was Khater.

Law enforcement also received tips that Tanios had posted a photograph of himself at the Capitol on Facebook. The suspect in the surveillance video was wearing a hooded sweatshirt with the logo of Sandwich University, a sandwich shop in Morgantown owned by Tanios. It appears to be identical to the sweatshirt Tanios wore in the photograph he posted, the complaint states.

Tanios also is wearing Sandwich University clothing in his Facebook profile picture, which was not taken at the Capitol, according to the complaint. And one of Tanios' former business partners positively identified him to law enforcement as one of the rioters when shown photographs.

In a release Monday, the U.S. Capitol Police thanked its investigators, and partners from the FBI and Metropolitan Police Department, for their work to identify and arrest the alleged assailants.

The attack on the U.S. Capitol and on our police officers, including Brian Sicknick, was an attack on our democracy, Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said. Those who perpetrated these heinous crimes must be held accountable and -- let me be clear -- these unlawful actions are not and will not be tolerated by this department.

The Capitol Police said in the release that the investigation into Sicknicks death, which crosses multiple jurisdictions, is ongoing, and the department will comment further after it is complete.

The department said that Sicknick was injured while protecting Congress during the riot, was taken to a hospital, and succumbed to his injuries the next night.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the date of Sicknick's death.

-- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey.

Related: Air Force Vet, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick to Lie in Honor at US Capitol
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NEW DELHI: Actor Akshay Kumar, who has been holidaying in the Maldives with his family, is all set to return back to his work and begin shooting for his upcoming film 'Ram Setu'. On Monday, the actor gave a sneak-peek from his Maldives holiday and explained how he summed up his vacation.

Treating his fans with a fun-filled post, Akshay shared a video in which he can be seen sliding into ocean. However, there's a twist to it. The 53-year-old, a doting father was seen sitting on his daughter Nitara's inflatable dolphin-shaped toy. Akshay, who was seen wearing a red suimsuit, wrote, "Last day of the holidayguess who insisted I slide down using her favourite fishy and had a good laugh."

Recently, Twinkle took to Instagram and gave a glimpse from her Maldives vacation with husband and 'Khiladi' actor Akshay. "Verified Couples on Instagram and then in reality. If we all really smiled at each other like we do when someone pulls out a camera, there would be fewer divorces :) #SmileOkPlease," she wrote.

On the work front, Akshay recently wrapped up 'Bachchan Pandey'. After he returns from his vacation, the actor will be heading to Ayodhya to begin shooting for 'Ram Setu'. Akshay plays an archaeologist in the film and his look and character are inspired by several Indian and international professional archaeologists who work in the field. The film also stars Jacqueline Fernandez and Nushrratt Bharuccha in key roles.

Akshay had announced the film on Diwali last year by releasing posters on his social media. He called the film 'a bridge between generations past, present and future'.


File Photo

MANILA, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Presidential spokesman Harry Roque announced on Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

In a televised press conference, Roque said that he got his swab test results a few minutes before he went on air around noon for the regular Monday press briefing.

Roque, who isolated himself after learning the swab test results, said he took the swab test on Sunday in preparation for his meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday. He urged those who came close contact with him to go on quarantine.

Roque is the fifth member of Duterte's cabinet that caught the highly-infectious coronavirus.

Last year, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, Education Secretary Leonor Briones, and Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano also contracted the virus. All the four officials have since recovered.

The Philippines is now experiencing an uptrend in COVID-19 infections this month, similar to July-August 2020, when daily cases peaked. The Philippines reported 5,000 cases on Saturday, the highest daily rise since August last year.

Complicating the Philippines' fight against COVID-19 is the emergence of the highly infectious coronavirus variants found in Britain, South Africa, and Brazil.

Health experts believe that these variants, coupled with the people's failure to comply with health protocols such as wearing a face covering and keeping distance, drive up the infections.

The Philippines now has 621,498 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 12,829 deaths.
If there is one thing that Christine England knows to be true, it is that immediate gratification is a mighty tempter.

She mentioned the pattern of people wanting their wishes fulfilled right away at a rate of about once every 10 minutes in a recent conversation. Weve all gotten so used to getting our own way, we want everything done yesterday, she said in her catchall Rhode Island accent, referring specifically to the speed at which smartphones provide answers, affirmations and a pint of chocolate shortbread ice cream.

Its an attitude that England strives to allay in her year-old Facebook group, Lowcountry Eat Out!, which functions primarily as a digital trading post for restaurant recommendations.

As a self-appointed champion of local restaurants, England is constantly reminding loyal members of the online community that Charleston area food-and-beverage outlets are doing the best they can to keep their guests happy in COVID-era conditions. Shes expert at making outspoken diners feel good about quietly accepting that commercial kitchens sometimes sell out of specials or take longer than anticipated to put together a cheeseboard.

But while England is standing up for patience, her experience with Lowcountry Eat Out! proves that not every situation requires a willingness to wait.

England created Lowcountry Eat Out! as Lowcountry Quarantine Take-Out + Delivery on Mar. 18, 2020, the day that on-premise dining was banned across South Carolina by governor's order. England, whose husband, Ray, is the executive chef at Tavern & Table on Shem Creek, knew overwhelmed owners and workers werent in any shape to update corporate websites and social media accounts with their plans.

So she started calling and texting her chef friends, asking if they were open and had a takeout menu.

I want to spend some money, she told them.

All of the information she collected went straight to the Facebook group, which she shared with a few hundred friends and contacts. What I did not expect was the people who showed up would share it with their friends, she said. Without England issuing another invitation, the group doubled and tripled and quadrupled in size, picking up more members every week.

Lowcountry Eat Out! has over 38,000 members. Over the course of its first year, the group has emerged as one of the most powerful forces in Charleston area food-and-beverage, with several restaurant owners crediting it for keeping their businesses open and hailing it as a bulwark against future crises.

Beyond that, the Group of Happy Food Loving People who are supporting restaurants through dining, recommending, sharing + engaging with restaurants + their social media to save our food community may well signal where hospitality is headed when the pandemic is in the past.

Notably absent from the ongoing Lowcountry Eat Out! conversation are the chefs who fancy themselves celebrities and the publicists they pay to burnish that impression. Instead, most of the 150 posts that members supply each day concern where to find the best pizza or cheeseburger or chicken wings.

And in a remarkable number of cases, at least one restaurant owner responds with some variation of, It would be our honor to make that for you.

Who's Nico?

Lourdes Andino of James Island didnt name her middle son after chef Nico Romo. In fact, up until this year, shed never heard of Romo, who shares his first name with his Mount Pleasant restaurant. Andinos young son loved to see the restaurants sign when they drove down Coleman Boulevard.

Every time we drive by, a 45-minute conversation ensues, Andino told fellow Lowcountry Eat Out! members in January, adding that it might be nice to buy a NICO T-shirt for her sons upcoming birthday. Does anyone know anything about the origin of the name of the restaurant? Is that the name of the owner?

Only a few commenters beat Romos team to respond, exalting the restaurant and its chef. As they predicted, NICOs account soon chimed in: Lourdes, we would love to have the guest of honor + birthday boy and the whole family join us!

On Feb. 6, Romo welcomed young Nico to the restaurant, presenting him with a navy-blue NICO chefs coat for his eighth birthday and showing him a few cooking techniques. Andino took lots of pictures, knowing Facebook group members privy to the planning would want to see the festivities. An incredibly genuine, humble and generous man with a restaurant equal in accolades! she wrote. If you have yet to dine here  plan on it ASAP!

Its helped us connect, Romo said of the group.

He remembers feeling frighteningly isolated at the start of the pandemic. Cut off from customers, he stood alone in a silent restaurant, wondering if to-go customers liked what he was sending out. Romo was used to scanning the dining room for peoples reactions but now brows were furrowing and eyes were closing in contentment miles from his kitchen.

Romo got into the habit of posting every deal and special to Lowcountry Eat Out! It was essential, he said, to tell potential customers that a restaurant formerly known for its oyster bar service was now delivering burgers.

He had no fear of flak.

(England) made a strong statement really quickly. If you have an issue with the food, this is not a place to criticize, Romo said. She made the page about having a positive attitude.

Positivity isnt just central to Lowcountry Eat Out!s core philosophy. Its the rule. Group members are commanded in all capital letters to Love the little guys! and warned against dismissing other members advice. Some are fast food junkies just learning local spots we love  if you don't like what one suggests, recommend your fav!

From the looks of Lowcountry Eat Out!, participants are exceptionally compliant. The reality is theyre heavily moderated by the supremely energetic England, who already works full-time in real estate. Shes now trying to figure out if she can deputize a few other people who know enough about the restaurant industry to weed out mean comments about Southern pizza and Ohio, both of which tend to pick up when the national political scene is tense.

Its OK to say, Im not OK with whats happening in D.C.,  England said. Its OK to have those feelings. Whats not OK is to go into a food group and get angry over food. Ive had people message me first thing in the morning, saying, Oh my God, Im so sorry: I had some vodka last night.

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Unmasked anger

Misplaced furies reached an all-time high last May when restaurants reopened. Charleston hadnt yet enacted a mask ordinance, and nearly every post devolved into a debate between members who thought restaurant employees ought to be masked and members who were opposed to masks on principle.

The argument wasnt confined to Facebook, though. While England was driving to her best friends house a few hours away, her phone pinged at a tempo commensurate with a family emergency.

You have to remember I'm in real estate, my phone number is public, England said of the texts and voicemails. It was all, This person is saying this, and this person said that, and I feel insulted. And I was like, this is where the line has now been crossed.

On the verge of tears, England went on Facebook Live to plead with people to be more civil. Members began to worry she was going to shut down the group, which she was seriously considering.

I was like, Well, the restaurants are open, and people can go elsewhere for information, England admitted. But I had so many restaurants reach out to me, saying, Look, you're doing an amazing thing and it literally is making a difference. You can't stop that, and you can't give it to somebody that's not going to care like you do.

Realizing it was impossible to keep tens of thousands of people happy, England decided to keep the group going, albeit with a new rule. Rule #6 of Lowcountry Eat Out! is No Masks or Gloves Opinions. Anyone who expresses a pro- or anti-mask sentiment is now immediately booted from the group.

From the perspective of a traditional journalist looking to help diners find transcendent food experiences, Englands methods can seem downright wacky.

In addition to deleting controversial opinions, she rewrites peoples posts to change their tone. She avoids drawing members attention to stories that could be interpreted in multiple ways, such as Food & Wines coverage of at-work pressures for restaurant employees, and generally allows restaurants to post whatever they want, whenever they want. Around Valentines Day, she held back more members posts than usual so restaurants holiday announcements wouldnt get lost in the pileup.

Yet England has one important attribute in common with old-time restaurant reporters. She doesnt ask for payment from restaurants and turns down the free meals offered when she patronizes them. When aspiring food influencers ask why shes been so successful, she points out that their focus on fame could be holding them back.

I'm doing this from my heart, she said. I'm very serious when I say I want to help the restaurants.

New York atmosphere

Jennifer French, owner of Amicis Italian Bistro in North Charleston, confirms that England is genuine in her support. She has asked for absolutely nothing, she never expects anything, French said. I will be forever grateful to her.

French is one of several area restaurant owners who saw Lowcountry Eat Out! as a life raft through the stormiest period in recent American restaurant history. Although England welcomes all restaurant owners to post in the group, many of them take advantage of the opportunity only sporadically. They might remember to upload a menu just before Valentines Day, for instance.

Not French, who since opening six years ago hasnt set aside money for advertising.

She never limits me, said French, who checks in most days and posts a Facebook video every Friday. French wasnt sure people wanted to watch her cook when her daughter suggested it, but shes parlayed the quarantine diversion into television appearances and guest teaching gigs.

At this point, French has lost count of how many new customers shes gained through Lowcountry Eat Out!

Group members put a tremendous amount of stock in their fellow members endorsements. When England recently stopped by at Swig & Swine to pick up takeout, an employee asked if she was from Lowcountry Eat Out! The barbecue restaurant had been mentioned prominently in the group a few days earlier, spurring a 90-minute table wait that night. I just wanted to say thank you, the employee said.

Ubiquity has helped group regulars such as NICO, Savi, Cuban Gypsy Pantry and Amicis. But French said her restaurant has probably also benefitted from the groups demographics.

According to England, millennials represent the largest share of membership, but they dont post frequently. The online conversation is dominated by retirees from the Northeast who are forever lamenting the ice cream, bagels and hot dogs they left behind.

In other words, theyve found a kindred spirit in French, who uses NY Atmosphere n Food as her restaurants Facebook handle.

That is my clientele, its my huge clientele, said French, whos so pleased to have the business that she doesnt mind if her guests go on about their nonnas meatballs before trying hers.

Donna Ingalls moved to South Carolina 16 years ago from New Jersey. Since joining Lowcountry Eat Out! shes become a proselytizer for the group. You must join if you like to eat, is Ingalls opening pitch.

Its amazing, the retired schoolteacher continues. Its supporting restaurants in the Lowcountry, and the person who runs it is an absolute warrior. Shes responsible for keeping a lot of restaurants alive.

When Ingalls sees a restaurant mentioned in the group, she records its name in her phone. She organizes her lists of places to visit by geography, price point and cuisine, including Cuban.

Ingalls and her husband had never eaten Cuban food before she joined Lowcountry Eat Out! But members kept raving about the Cuban Gypsy Pantrys green fries, so they felt like they ought to try them.

Cuban Gypsy Pantrys owners now know the Ingallses as regulars.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, has chosen three companies to participate in a new partnership to test and evaluate satellite servicing technologies.

Altius Space Machines of Broomfield, Colorado, Honeybee Robotics of Brooklyn, New York, and Orbit Fab of San Francisco will provide cooperative robotic grapple fixtures and data to be studied by NASA's Exploration and In-Space Services projects division (NExIS, formerly known as the Satellite Servicing Projects Division) engineers. The engineers will utilize robotics facilities at Goddard via Space Act Agreements to collect data on the performance of the companies' fixtures.

NASA will document the test results and make the information available to other federal agencies for incorporation in future projects. NASA is planning to begin testing in the spring and summer of 2021 and to release the report by the end of the year.

"We're excited to be able to offer these companies the benefit of our world-class facilities," said Dennis Andrucyk, director of Goddard. "NASA and the private sector has a proud and triumphant history of working collaboratively to reach new milestones in space exploration, and this new program will build on that tradition to achieve our goal of servicing satellites in orbit."

The vast majority of satellites were designed to live their lives alone. Because they were not designed to be serviced, they do not have grapple fixtures, which would allow robots to grab onto, or capture, a free flying spacecraft. A notable exception is the Hubble Space Telescope that was designed to be serviced, and therefore features various grapple fixtures that allowed for easier upgrades, repairs, and life extension. The next evolution of fixtures, which the testing will focus on, involves autonomous grapple, meaning a robotic capture not requiring human maneuvering.

NASA astronaut Catherine (Cady) Coleman is pictured with power and data grapple fixture hardware in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station. The space station was designed to be docked with and serviced - something reflected in its many grapple fixtures.

The grapple fixture testing process will help make NASA aware of the technologies available for supporting in-orbit satellite servicing and assembly projects and give the agency the ability to evaluate multiple options. In return, the companies will receive the benefit of NASA's years of in-orbit servicing experience and capabilities, as well as the ability to test their hardware in state-of-the-art facilities.

"Part of NASA's job is to look at technologies being developed by industry so that the government does not reinvent things that already exist," said Joe Easley, lead robot operator for NExIS. "This helps us determine what problems have already been solved so we can invest in technologies that are not being explored."

Goddard also leads NASA's On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing 1 (OSAM-1) mission. In order to refuel another satellite, the spacecraft's robotic arms will have to capture it. Like most other satellites, OSAM-1's client was not designed to be grappled. OSAM-1 will also demonstrate assembly of a communications antenna and manufacturing of a beam with its Space Infrastructure Dexterous Robot (SPIDER) payload, developed by Maxar Technologies.

A robotic servicing arm (left) practices autonomous capture of a satellite mockup (right) in Goddard's Robotic Operations Center. Because there is no grapple fixture, the arm will use the marman ring, which originally attached the satellite to the rocket that launched it to space.

"Satellite servicing will be an important element of future space exploration," said Brian Roberts, NExIS deputy division chief. "Being able to routinely conduct repairs and upgrades in orbit has the potential to transform the way we think about near Earth and deep space travel and operations."

Realizing the challenge of grappling a non-cooperative satellite, or a satellite that wasn't designed to be serviced, NASA and private industry began examining ways to incorporate items like grapple fixtures into new satellite designs. This realization is the impetus behind the agreements to develop and test grapple fixture designs.

As satellite servicing technologies have advanced, more mission managers have inquired about ways to incorporate that technology into current and upcoming spacecraft and observatories. The NASA report will provide concrete information to federal agencies about private solutions available.

NASA has developed a wealth of methods for testing space technology that would be too arduous, time-consuming, and expensive for private companies to develop on their own. Among the unique facilities NASA possesses to evaluate servicing technologies are robots programmed to simulate the behavior of objects in space that float away from each other when touched.

"It is very challenging to develop these sorts of simulations, and NASA's investments have resulted in a world-class facility that really does not exist anywhere else; it's a unique opportunity for companies to have their devices evaluated in this sort of facility and to receive feedback that can help them refine their technologies," Roberts said.

###

Goddard's Servicing Technology Center is one of the facilities that will be used to test the companies' grapple fixtures. The facility is currently being used to test satellite servicing technologies in a space-like environment in support of OSAM-1.

In the future, similar evaluation efforts could seek out technologies such as servicing tools, reconfigurable robotics, grappling techniques, sample collection devices, inspection tools and more.

By Tracy Vogel

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 22:03:23|Editor: huaxia

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Bank employees protest against proposed privatization of two public sector banks in Agartala, ndia's northeastern state of Tripura, March 15, 2021. Banking services across India were hit Monday in the wake of a countrywide two-day strike against the proposed privatization of two public sector banks and retrograde banking reforms, officials said. According to United Forum of Bank Union (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine bank unions in India, over a million bank employees and officers participate in the strike. (Str/Xinhua)
Good evening, my fellow Americans. Tonight I would like to talk to you about where we are as we mark one year since everything stopped because of this pandemic. A year ago, we were hit with the virus that was met with silence and spread unchecked - denials for days, weeks, then months that led to more deaths, more infections, more stress, and more loneliness.

Photos and videos from 2019 feel like they were taken in another era - the last vacation, the last birthday with friends, the last holiday with extended family. While it was different for everyone, we all lost something a collective suffering, collective sacrifice, a year filled with the loss of life and the loss of living for all of us, but in the loss, we saw how much there was to gain in appreciation, respect and gratitude.

Finding light in the darkness is a very American thing to do. In fact, it may be the most American thing we do, and that is what we have done. We have seen front-line and essential workers risking their lives, sometimes losing them to save and help others; researchers and scientists bracing for a vaccine; and so many of you, as Hemingway wrote, being strong in all of the broken places. I know its been hard; I truly know.

As I've told you before, I carry a card in my pocket with a number of Americans who have died from COVID to date; its on the back of my schedule. As of now, total deaths in America 527,726. Thats more deaths than in World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War and 9/11 combined. They were husbands, wives, sons and daughters, grandparents, friends, neighbors, young and old. They leave behind loved ones unable to truly grieve or to heal, even have a funeral, but Im also thinking about everyone else who lost this past year to natural causes by cruel fate of accident or other disease. They, too, died alone. They, too, leave behind loved ones who are hurting badly.

President Joe Biden takes off his mask to speak about the COVID-19 pandemic during a prime-time address from the East Room of the White House

You know you've often heard me say before I talk about the longest walk any parent can make is up a short flight of stairs to his childs bedroom to say I'm sorry I lost my job, can't be here anymore, like my dad told me when he lost his job in Scranton. So many of you had to make that same walk this past year; you lost your job, you closed your business, facing eviction, homelessness, hunger, the loss of control, maybe worst of all the loss of hope.

Watching a generation of children who may be set back up to a year or more because they have not been in school because of their loss of learning. Its the details of life that matter the most, and we miss those details, the big details and the small moments, weddings, birthdays, graduations; all of the things that needed to happen but didn't - a first date, the family reunions, the Sunday night rituals, its all exacted a terrible cost on the psyche of so many of us.

For we are fundamentally a people who want to be with others to talk, to laugh, to hug, to hold one another, but this virus has kept us apart. Grandparents havent seen their children or grandchildren; parents havent seen their kids; kids havent seen their friends. The things we used to do that always filled us with joy have become things we couldn't do and broke our hearts. Too often, we've turned against one another. A mask, the easiest thing to do to save lives sometimes, it divides us. States pitted against one another instead of working with each other; vicious hate crimes against Asian Americans who have been attacked, harassed, blamed and scapegoated.

At this very moment, so many of them - our fellow Americans on the front lines of this pandemic trying to save lives - and still, still they are forced to live in fear for their lives just walking down streets in America. Its wrong, its un-American, and it must stop.

Look, we know what we need to do to beat this virus; tell the truth, follow the scientists, the science, work together, put trust and faith in our government to fulfill its most important function, which is protecting the American people - no function more important. We need to remember the government isnt some foreign force in a distant capital; no, its us, all of us. We, the people.

For you and I, that America thrives when we give our hearts, when we turn our hands to common purpose, and right now, my friends, we are doing just that, and I have to say, as your President, Im grateful to you. Last summer, I was in Philadelphia, and I met a small-business owner, a woman, and I asked her, I said, 'What do you need most?' Never forget what she said to me. She said, she looked me in the eye, and she said, 'I just want the truth, the truth, just tell me the truth.'

Think of that. My fellow Americans, you are owed nothing less than the truth. And for all of you asking when things will get back to normal, here is the truth: The only way to get our lives back, to get our economy back on track is to beat the virus. You have been hearing me say that for - while I was running and the last 50 days I have been President, but this is one of the most complex operations we have ever undertaken as a nation in a long time.

Thats why Im using every power I have as President of the United States to put us on a war footing to get the job done. It sounds like hyperbole, but I mean the war footing, and thank God we are making some real progress now. In my first full day in office, I outlined for you a comprehensive strategy to beat this pandemic. We have spent every day since attempting to carry it out.

Two months ago, a country - this country didn't have nearly enough vaccine supply to vaccinate all or near all of the American public, but soon we will. We have been working with vaccine manufacturers Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson to manufacture and purchase hundreds of millions of doses of these three safe, effective vaccines, and now at the direction and with the assistance of my administration, Johnson & Johnson is working together with a competitor, Merck, to speed up and increase the capacity to manufacture new Johnson & Johnson vaccines, which is one shot.

In fact, just yesterday I announced, and I met with the CEOs of both companies, I announced our plan to buy an additional 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccines. These two companies, competitors, have come together for the good of the nation, and they should be applauded for it. Its truly a national effort, just like we saw during World War II. Now because all of the work we've done, we will have enough vaccines for all adults in America by the end of May.

Biden said the US would be heading towards normality by July 4 when families and friends will be able to celebrate Independence Day in 'small groups'.

Thats months ahead of schedule, and we are mobilizing thousands of vaccinators to put the vaccines in ones arm, calling active-duty military, FEMA, retired doctors and nurses, administrators - and to those who administer the shots. And we've been creating more places to get the shots. We've made it possible for you to get a vaccine at nearly one - any 1 of 10,000 pharmacies across the country, just like you get your flu shot.

Were also working with governors and mayors in red states and blue states to set up and support nearly 600 federally supported vaccination centers that administer hundreds of thousands of shots per day. You can drive up to a stadium or a large parking lot, get your shot, never leave your car and drive home in less than an hour.

We've been sending vaccines to hundreds of community health centers all across America located in underserved areas, and we've been deploying and we will deploy more mobile vehicles from pop-up clinics to meet you where you live so those who are least able to get the vaccine are able to get it. We continue to work on making at-home testing available. And we've been focused on serving people in the hardest hit communities of this pandemic: Black, Latino, Native American and rural communities.

So what does all this add up to? When I took office 50 days ago, only 8% of Americans - after months, only 8% of those over the age of 65 had gotten their first vaccination. Today, that number is 65%. Just 14% of Americans over the age of 75 50 days ago had gotten their first shot. Today, that number is well over 70%.

With new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC, that came out on Monday, it means simply this: Millions and millions of grandparents, who went months without being able to hug their grandkids can now do so. And the more people are fully vaccinated, the CDC will continue to provide additional guidance on what you can do in the workplace, places of worship, with your friends, as well as travel.

When I came into office, you may recall, I set a goal that many of you said was that kind of way over the top. I said I intended to get 100 million shots in peoples arms in my first 100 days in office. Tonight, I can say were not only going to meet that goal. Were going to beat that goal because we've actually on track to reach this goal of 100 million shots in arms on my 60th day in office. No other country in the world has done this. None.

And I want to talk about the next steps for thinking about. First, tonight, Im announcing that I will direct all states, tribes and territories to make all adults, people 18 and over, eligible to be vaccinated no later than May 1. Let me say that again. All adult Americans will be eligible to get a vaccine no later than May 1.

Thats much earlier than expected. Let me be clear, that doesn't mean everyones going to have that shot immediately, but it means youll be able to get in line beginning May 1. Every adult will be eligible to get their shot. And to do this, were going to go from a million shots a day that I promised in December before I was sworn in, to maintaining, beating our current pace of 2 million shots a day, outpacing the rest of the world.

Secondly, at the time when every adult is eligible in May, we will launch with our partners new tools to make it easier for you to find the vaccine and where to get the shot, including a new website that will help you first find the place to get vaccinated and the one nearest you. No more searching day and night for an appointment for you and your loved ones.

Thirdly, with the passage of the American Rescue Plan - and I thank, again, the House and Senate for passing it - and my announcement last month, I have a plan to vaccinate teachers and school staff, including bus drivers. We can accelerate massive nationwide effort to reopen our schools safely and meet my goal that I stated at the same time of about 100 million shots - of opening the majority of K through 8 schools in my first 100 days in office. This is going to be the number one priority of my new Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

Biden was also criticized for taking credit for the vaccine rollout that began under Trump

Fourth, in the coming weeks, we will issue further guidance on what you can and cannot do once fully vaccinated to lessen the confusion, to keep people safe, and encourage more people to get vaccinated.

And finally, fifth, and maybe most importantly, I promise I will do everything in my power. I will not relent until we beat this virus. But I need you, the American people, I need you. I need every American to do their part. Thats not hyperbole, I need you.

I need you to get vaccinated when it's your turn and when you can find an opportunity and to help your family, your friends, your neighbors get vaccinated as well. Because heres the point. If we do all this, if we do our part, we do this together, by July the 4th, theres a good chance you, your families and friends will be able to get together in your backyard or in your neighborhood and have a cookout and a barbecue and celebrate Independence Day.

That doesn't mean large events with lots of people together, but it does mean small groups will be able to get together. After this long, hard year that will make this Independence Day something truly special where we not only mark our independence as a nation, but we began to mark our independence from this virus. But to get there, we cant let our guard down. This fight is far from over. As I told the woman in Pennsylvania, Ill tell you the truth.

On July 4th with your loved ones is the goal. But a goal - a lot can happen. Conditions can change. The scientists have made clear that things may get worse again as new variants of the virus spread. We've got work to do to ensure that everyone has confidence and the safety and effectiveness of all three vaccines.

So my message to you is this. Listen to Dr. Fauci, one of the most distinguished and trusted voices in the world. Hes assured us the vaccines are safe. They underwent rigorous scientific review. I know theyre safe. Vice President Harris and I know theyre safe. Thats why we got the vaccine publicly in front of cameras so, for the world to see so you get to see us do it. The first lady and the second gentleman also got vaccinated.

Talk to your family, friends, your neighbors, the people you know best who have gotten the vaccine. We need everyone to get vaccinated. We need everyone to keep washing their hands, stay socially distanced, and keep wearing the mask as recommended by the CDC, because even if we devote every resource we have, beating this virus and getting back to normal depends on national unity.

And national unity isn't just how politics and politicians vote in Washington and what the loudest voices are saying on cable or online. Unity is what we do together as fellow Americans, because if we dont stay vigilant and the conditions change, then we may have to reinstate restrictions to get back on track. And please, we dont want to do that again. We've made so much progress. This is not the time to let up. Just as we were emerging from a dark winter into a hopeful spring and summer is not the time to not stick with the rules.

Ill close with this. We've lost so much over the last year. We've lost family and friends. We've lost businesses and dreams we spent years building. We've lost time, time with each other. And our children have lost so much time with their friends, time with their schools, no graduation ceremonies this spring. No graduations from college, high school, moving-up ceremonies.

You know, and there's something else we lost. We lost faith in whether our government and our democracy can deliver on really hard things for the American people. But as I stand here tonight, were proving once again something Ive said time and time again to the - probably tired of hearing me say it. I say it to foreign leaders and domestic alike. Its never, ever a good bet to bet against the American people.

America is coming back. The development, manufacture, distribution of vaccines in record time is a true miracle of science. It's one of the most extraordinary achievements any country has ever accomplished. We also just saw the Perseverance rover land on Mars, stunning images of our dreams that are now reality, another example of the extraordinary American ingenuity, commitment and belief in science and one another.

And today I signed into law the American Rescue Plan, a historic piece of legislation that delivers immediate relief to millions of people, includes $1,400 in direct rescue checks, payments. That means a typical family of four earning about $110,000 will get checks for $5,600 deposited if they have direct deposit, or in a check, a Treasury check.

It extends unemployment benefits. It helps small businesses. It lowers health care premiums for many. It provides food and nutrition, keeps families in their homes. And it will cut child poverty in this country in half, according to the experts. And it funds all the steps Ive just described to beat the virus and create millions of jobs.

In the coming weeks and months, Ill be traveling, along with the first lady, the vice president, the second gentleman and members of my Cabinet to speak directly to you, to tell you the truth about how the American Rescue Plan meets the moment. And if it fails in any place, I will acknowledge that it failed, but it will not; about how after long, dark years, one whole year, there is hope and light of better days ahead.

If we all do our part, this country will be vaccinated soon, our economy will be on the mend, our kids will be back in school, and we'll have proven once again that this country can do anything, hard things, big things, important things.

Over a year ago, no one could have imagined what we were about to go through, but now we're coming through it. And it's a shared experience that binds us together as a nation. We are bound together by the loss and the pain of the days that have gone by. We are also bound together by the hope and the possibilities in the days in front of us.

My fervent prayer for our country is that, after all we've been through, we'll come together as one people, one nation, one America. I believe we can and we will. Were seizing this moment in history, I believe, will record we faced and overcame one of the toughest and darkest periods in this nations history, the darkest we've ever known.

I promise you we'll come out stronger with a renewed faith in ourselves, a renewed commitment to one another, to our communities and to our country. This is the United States of America, and there's nothing, nothing, from the bottom of my heart I believe this, theres nothing we can't do when we do it together.

So, God bless you all. And please, God, give solace to all those people who lost someone. May God protect our troops. Thank you for taking the time to listen. I look forward to seeing you.
WASHINGTON  It took President Joe Biden all of six weeks to spark a slew of fights with Texas Republicans over oil, immigration, guns and more.

Even as the president this week touted major early victories for his administration  including accelerating COVID vaccinations and a $1.9 trillion stimulus  new battles are brewing on several fronts as Biden took executive action or threw his support behind legislation aimed at expanding voting rights, bolstering unions and restricting gun purchases.

Meanwhile, Texas Republicans including Gov. Greg Abbott headed to the border to pin a migration surge there on the presidents new approach to immigration.

It sure feels like President Biden is targeting Texas, said U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, a Republican from The Woodlands who pointed to Bidens moves to end the Keystone XL pipeline and pause drilling on federal lands.

Biden is out of control, Attorney General Ken Paxton tweeted earlier this week as he railed against a Biden order on voting access.

HOW TO CASH IN: Everything you need to know about the stimulus child tax credit

Paxton has already stopped one White House policy with a lawsuit filed two days after Bidens inauguration. The state sued over Bidens order halting certain deportations for 100 days, which a judge blocked in an early victory for the state. But Paxton has threatened to challenge other Biden priorities, including a Democratic bill that would essentially establish a national election code.

Turning up the heat on a Democratic president early isnt a new playbook for Republicans  and its one that has worked well for the party before. The GOP openly obstructed many of the priorities of former President Barrack Obama, starting as he took office in 2009.

Then they won control of took the House in the midterms the next year.

Democrats took the same approach with President Donald Trump in 2017 and saw the same results in 2018.

Keeping this in the forefront with the base supporters is a good strategy  look at what the presidents doing, making Biden the bad guy and bringing up how everything he is doing is so counter to Texas values, said Renee Cross, senior director at the University of Houstons Hobby School of Public Affairs. Thats going to play extremely well with the Republican base.

Cross said its especially important for Republicans as Biden has racked up some big victories early in his term. The president this week declared all Americans will be eligible for COVID vaccines by May and signed the stimulus package set to boost incomes of many Texans, which polling shows is widely supported, even by many GOP voters.

You dont want your opposition to seem to be winning at everything, Cross said.

LIVING HELL: A failure of government oversight produced a housing system across the U.S. that hurts the people who need it the most

Republicans say the stimulus, which Democrats passed without a single GOP vote, is a sign of how little Biden and his allies in Congress care about working across the aisle, even as Biden has stressed he wants to unify the nation.

I know the national narrative for Americans is that were all taller, smarter and better looking since Joe Biden became president, but the truth is, this is the most partisan White House that Ive seen, Brady said. I dont know why they went their own way, but I dont think its going to get any better.

Texas Democrats, meanwhile, have united behind most of Bidens priorities, even as some moderates in the Texas delegation have balked at Bidens moves on oil and immigration. His Texas allies are working to frame Bidens early days as focused on fighting for the working class, pointing to aid for the 3.9 million Texans living in poverty included in the stimulus.

This administration did not give up, did not give in, U.S. Rep. Al Green of Houston said as he voted for the stimulus this week. This administration has become now a symbol of hope and help for working class people.

Trouble on the border

The border has been at the center of Texas Republicans earliest and most sustained battle with the Biden administration so far. Paxtons successful lawsuit challenged one of Bidens first immigration actions. Republicans have blamed his administrations shift from the restrictive policies of the Trump White House for creating a migrant surge there now  though the surge began late in Trumps term.

Border Patrol this week reported more than 100,000 encounters with migrants crossing into the U.S. from Mexico in February, a 28-percent jump from the month before.

The Biden administration has said its focus is establishing an orderly and humane way of handling the surge of immigrants, largely Central Americans fleeing violence, poverty and political upheaval. But newly minted immigration officials in Bidens cabinet say theyre having to build that system from the ground up after the Trump administration didnt just neglect our immigration system, they intentionally made it worse.

At least three Texas Republicans  Abbott, U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Houston and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn  made high-profile trips to the border to highlight what they say is the first major crisis of the Biden administration. Democrats representing Texas border communities have joined them in warning of a looming crisis as theyve urged the administration to take stronger action.

Texans held press conferences in D.C. and went on conservative news shows to blame the presidents policies as House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy said he would take a trip to the border himself on Monday.

The reason theyre coming now is the reason they came when Barack Obama was president, which is because theyve been promised amnesty, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said on Sean Hannitys Fox News program. Joe Biden is telling them, If the kids come, they can stay.

Order on transgender students

Biden on Monday signed an order making it the policy of his administration to protect students from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

It was a step in part toward undoing Trump administration policies on Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education, and returning to Obama-era efforts to protect transgender students by allowing them to use the bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding to their gender identities.

Paxtons response was almost immediate. He called it the most insidious of all Bidens orders so far in a letter to the president, in which he threatened: If you take any further measure  I will stop you.

The exchange made it clear that Texas will again sue to stop federal rules on this matter from taking effect, as it did in the Obama years.

Voting rights fights

Paxton has been fighting the Biden presidency since even before his inauguration. Paxton led a failed lawsuit to overturn election results in four battleground states as Texas Republicans supported Trumps baseless claims that the election was stolen from him.

Texas Republicans have used similar unproven claims of widespread fraud to justify making the states voting laws among the nations most restrictive. Now Biden and Democrats in Congress have those restrictions in their sights.

The House last week passed a voting rights bill that would ban voter ID laws, institute automatic and same-day voter registration and would expand mail-in and early voting options. And it would take redistricting out of the hands of the states lawmakers just as theyre gearing up to redraw political boundaries.

The president this week also signed an executive order aimed at making it easier for Americans to vote, which the White House described it as an initial step to protect the right to vote  and it was a relatively small one. It directed federal agencies to work harder to register voters and said the Biden administration would look for ways to make it easier for federal employees and those in federal custody to vote.

Paxton, on the other hand, said it showed Bidens intent to steamroll state-run elections. Hes already threatened to sue if Biden ever gets a chance to sign the voting bill into law.

Guns and unions

Biden has also thrown his support behind bills the Democratic House passed this week that would expand background checks on gun purchases and undermine so-called right-to-work laws in states like Texas that weaken unions.

Texas Republicans opposed both measures, and the state is likely to sue if either becomes law.

Texas GOP Chairman Allen West this week was fundraising off the gun bills, which would require background checks for all gun buyers. The bill would also close the so-called Charleston loophole that gives the FBI only three days to conduct a background check by extending that window to 10 days.

It is crucial that we secure Texas as a Second Amendment safe haven NOW  especially with the Biden administration preparing to wage war on our responsible gun owners like you and me, West wrote in an email to supporters.

Biden, meanwhile, has been vocal about his support for unions  and has acknowledged they helped him win the presidency, saying in a recent White House meeting with labor leaders that these are the folks that brung me to the dance.

Hes backing a Democratic bill aimed at bolstering unions by strengthening federal labor laws and making it easier for employees to organize. The bill would allow bargaining agreements to require all employees pay union dues, something Republican lawmakers in Texas have banned in an effort to weaken unions.

Youre seeing these very extreme policies, said Brady, pointing to the unions bill. These arent the priorities for the country right now, in my view.

ben.wermund@chron.com
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YEREVAN, MARCH 15, ARMENPRESS. A stable operational situation with no incidents has been maintained along the Armenian-Azerbaijani line of contact of the Armenian state border overnight March 14-15, the Defense Ministry of Armenia told Armenpress.

According to the information provided by the Armenian National Security Service, the situation has also not changed in Vorotan-Davit Bek section of the Goris-Kapan inter-state road which is under the responsibility of the NSS border troops.

The Armed Forces of Armenia and the NSS border troops control the border situation along the entire length of the border zone and fulfill their tasks.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Television presenter Eamonn Holmes has told how he wishes he could banish sectarianism in Northern Ireland.

The Belfast man shares his thoughts on a wide range of subjects in a podcast ahead of St Patrick's Day.

The podcast is hosted by St Patrick Centre pilgrim guides Martina Purdy and Elaine Kelly and also marks the Downpatrick organisation's 20th anniversary.

The 40-minute discussion is being aired today at the start of a week of online events for St Patrick's week and includes writing and art competitions, a virtual walk, a day of dance and a show telling the story of Patrick.

In the interview, Eamonn, who is originally from the New Lodge, recalls St Patrick's Day as "always the most special day in our household".

He said: "My father, a working man, he was a carpet fitter but he always took St Patrick's Day off.

"And I remember one day  he had been to 11 o'clock mass in St Patrick's on Donegall Street the mass was said in Irish and they bless you with a St Patrick's relic.

"And his boss called him in and said you've got to come and work today and my dad just resigned his job... I remember him consulting with my mother and she was with him absolutely."

He also recalls going to mass and being given a shamrock, after which the family enjoyed a day out on the coast, before going home for fish and chips.

"It always has been a special day. Then, of course, I marry an English woman whose birthday happens to be on St Patrick's Day," he added.

Eamonn, who has homes in east Belfast and England, told his interviewers that, like St Patrick who is said to have banished snakes, if he could banish anything it would be sectarianism.

He said: "I'm so proud to be from here, I'm so proud to be a Belfast man... our friendliness around the world is absolutely renowned. If I could take that strain of what divides us and separate it and throw it into the Irish Sea, I would do that"

He also recalls his schooldays at St Malachy's College and in particular Fr Patrick Walsh, later Bishop Walsh, who was then president of the college.

"He was a towering influence he ruled with an iron fist there and I have tremendous respect for the man, a great disciplinarian but you were in fear and awe of him," he said.

He relates one story when he got detention from Fr Walsh for being late because his bus was hijacked.

"These days I would have been sent for a month's counselling ... I'd have been given a councillor and all sort of recuperation policies," he laughed.

"But that kept that school going there was no excuses for the Troubles We were an oasis while bombs and bullets and noises went on all around us in north Belfast."

Eamonn, who has interviewed Hollywood stars such as John Travolta, Dustin Hoffman and Meg Ryan, also reveals that the person he would still like to interview is the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton.

He said: "I think when you look at people who just get on with it and know what it is to serve as opposed to what it is to give orders, you think 'you know you could be a different person but you have accepted this role'..."

He also reflects on his 40 years in journalism, saying he has been "blessed" to do a job he loves and would do it again.
March 15 : Siddhant Chaturvedi, who is currently working on Phone Bhoot, has tested positive for COVID-19. Taking to his Instagram stories, the Gully Boy actor confirmed the news.

On Saturday night, Siddhant shared a post and stated that he is feeling fine and has self-quarantined at home. While the actor said he is tackling the situation head-on, he thanked his fans for their concern. Thank you all for all your concerns. Confirming that I have tested positive for Covid -19. I'm feeling fine at this time and self-quarantining at home. I have taken all precautions and followed all protocols as advised by the doctors. Being positive and tackling this head-on, the Phone Bhoot actor wrote.

Image Source: Instagram/siddhantchaturvedi Siddhant Chaturvedi tests positive for COVID-19

With Maharashtra seeing a second wave of coronavirus cases, many Bollywood celebs are catching the virus. Last week actors Ranbir Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali were tested positive for the virus. Reportedly, Tara Sutaria has also tested positive for coronavirus. However, the actress has not yet confirmed the same.

Meanwhile, after debuting in Bollywood with Zoya Akhtar's most successful film Gully Boy in 2019, Siddhant received rave reviews for his stellar performance in the film. Siddhant has a couple of films in the pipeline. While he is awaiting the release of the sequel to Yash Raj Films' Bunty Aur Babli, co-starring Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan and newcomer Sharvari, he has also wrapped up Bakun Batras next with Deepika Padukone and Ananya Panday. Siddhant was recently shooting for Bhoot Police in Udaipur along with Ishaan Khattar and Katrina Kaif.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Highlights India is planning new bill against cryptocurrency.

Action will be taken against crypto investors.

Investors likely to get six month window to liquidate assets.

The uncertainty around cryptocurrencies in India continues as the government is now planning to propose a new bill which will not only ban digital money but will also fine anyone trading in the country or even holding such digital assets. This will impact Bitcoin, Dogecoin and other crypto money investors. The new bill proposes to criminalise possession, issuance, mining, trading and transferring crypto-assets, a senior government official told Reuters.

The government has been planning an action against cryptocurrencies for past few months but recent comments had given some hope to investors. However, if the new bill is enacted into a law, it will be a point of concern for them. This will make India the first major economy to make holding cryptocurrency illegal. Even China, which has banned mining and trading, does not penalise possession.

The official said that investors will be given a window of six months to liquidate their assets before a penalty is levied on them. In India, over 7 million people are believed to have invested more than $1 billion in cryptocurrency and would be hoping for a way to get reimbursed before a law is imposed.

The industry is also hopeful that the government will not impose a complete on cryptocurrencies including and might just end up regulating the trade.

The official said that the plan is to ban private crypto-assets while promoting blockchain technology which forms the backbone for virtual currencies. The claims come at a time when Bitcoin has seen a fresh surge in price. World's biggest cryptocurrency hit a record high $60,000 on Saturday, nearly doubling in value this year as its acceptance for payments has increased with support from such high-profile backers as Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk.

Interestingly, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has clarified that there will not be a complete ban on cryptocurrency. Speaking at the India Today Conclave South on Sunday, the finance minister said that the government is not shutting all windows for cryptocurrencies, or blockchain, and fintech as yet. She said that a Cabinet note was being readied in this regard, which will give exhaustive information on the formulation of cryptocurrency in India.

"My view on this is that, of course, the Supreme Court has commented on cryptocurrency and while the RBI may take a call on official cryptocurrency, from our side, we are very clear that we are not shutting off all options," said FM Sitharaman.
The head of Russia's RDIF sovereign wealth fund says it has reached "agreements with companies from Italy, Spain, France, and Germany to launch production" of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.



Kirill Dmitriev, whose organization has funded the vaccine and is responsible for selling it globally, said the deals would allow for the supply of Sputnik to the European market "once the approval is granted" by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).



The EMA launched a rolling review of Sputnik V earlier this month, but EU member Hungary has begun using it as part of its vaccine rollout, even though it lacks approval by the European agency.



The Czech Republic and Slovakia have also ordered doses and said they would not wait for EMA approval.



According to the RDIF, Sputnik V has been registered in more than 50 countries.



Dmitriev said on March 15 that 3.5 million people in Russia had received both shots of the vaccine.

Based on reporting by AFP
Good morning.

This week, counties across California will be allowed to ease some of the nations most stringent remaining pandemic restrictions.

Starting today, restaurants in Los Angeles County will be able to serve diners indoors for the first time in most of a year. Gyms, movie theaters and museums, which have all been shuttered or allowed to operate only outside, will at last be able to open their doors in L.A., as well as in Orange, San Bernardino, Sonoma and nine other counties moving from the states most restrictive purple tier to the second most restrictive red tier in the states color-coded reopening framework.

Another dozen counties are expected to meet the threshold for moving into the red tier on Tuesday, after the state loosened the rules in conjunction with an effort to vaccinate people in hard-hit, vulnerable communities.

[Heres everything you need to get caught up on Californias reopening.]

On Thursday, President Biden marked the anniversary of the World Health Organizations declaring of a pandemic.
Sunday, March 15, 2020, would remain a black day for the residents of Ado Soba in the Abule Ado Abule Ado community of Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State.

This was due to the early morning gas pipeline explosion that rocked the peaceful community and levelled to the ground, high rise buildings, bungalows, school, shops and led to the sudden death of many people there within a twinkle of an eye.

The aftermath of the devastation was seen and felt within the community and its environs but Ado Soba suffered a large chunk of the natural phenomenon in which no fewer than 23 people allegedly lost their lives.

Most buildings around the explosion site were reduced to rubbles. Those that withstood the impact had their roofs, doors, windows, railings blown away and glasses shattered.

Scavengers, trying to make quick money, were seen carting away iron rods and other materials salvaged from the collapsed buildings.

Most of the victims then could hardly talk about their experiences as they were either recovering from injuries, mourning their deceased ones or counting their losses.

However, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) visited the community a year after the ugly incident and met a completely different scenario and a transformation that will make as anyone marvel.

Indeed, any visitor to Ado Soba community one year after will hardly believe that it suffered a serious setback and devastation a year ago.

The residents believing in the saying when there is life, there is hope took the bull by the horn and began rebuilding their community and thus making it look better than what it was before the pipeline explosion of last year.

Most of the houses in Ado Soba are now wearing a new look; roofs have been replaced and most buildings wearing fresh coats of paint, courtesy of the residents.

An excavator was seen working at the explosion site.

However, a building that is still standing out like a sore thumb and looking desolate because of its state of disrepair is the Bethlehem Girls College (BGC), a reminder of the incident.

The landlords, residents and business owners had rebuilt, parked into their homes and started their businesses, and thus putting behind them the traumatic experiences of last year.

Some of the victims, however, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that forgetting the incident had proved difficult because they are still struggling and living daily with the aftermath of the explosion.

Damilola Oyerinde said that she was in the family sitting room that morning with her then 18 months old daughter when the force of the explosion threw her from the sitting room to the bedroom.

I was carried from the sitting room to the bedroom and my neck was trapped inside the glass. I couldnt bring out my head, she recalled.

The 25-year-old hairstylist said that she was admitted at the Navy Town Hospital, Ojo, where she received stitches to close her cuts.

She also said that her face, neck and body were also stitched from the cuts she got from the shattered glasses.

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It was there a doctor discovered that I couldnt see any longer. Then, I was referred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) for an eye surgery.

During the course of the treatment, I was also referred to the National Orthopaedic Hospital (NOH), Igbobi.

While carrying out an x-ray, they discovered that I still have pieces of glasses in my body.

Mrs Oyerinde said the experience had left her physically, financially and emotionally traumatised because of the agony she has to live with.

According to her, seeing the scar tissues all over her face and body daily, leaves her depressed.

She added that she had been jobless since her recovery because her shop also collapsed during the explosion.

I still live in fear because not even in my wildest dreams would I have believed something like this will happen to me.

I was told at the Orthopaedic Hospital to go for plastic surgery but how will I pay for it? So I didnt even pursue that option.

I still go for the regular eye check-up every month.

I spend about N13,500 on treatment not to talk of the silicone gel I apply on my body daily. Each tube costs N5,000 and that is just for one week, she added.

She disclosed that all the hospital bills incurred during her treatment were paid by her husband, adding that she had not received any compensation from any institution.

I have tried so many times to reach out to the Lagos State Government (LASG). I went to the Lagos State Secretariat at Alausa because I heard there is a relief fund set up for those who sustained injuries.

They promised that they will call me. It is almost one year now I have not received any call from them, she told NAN.

She urged LASG to live up to its promises to compensate the victims, to help alleviate some of their sufferings.

Promises unfulfilled

NAN recalls that LASG set up a N2 billion Emergency Relief Fund with an initial donation of N250 million, after the incident, to assist the victims. Also, the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) donated N200 million into the fund.

Just a few houses from Mrs Oyerinde, a landlord, Francis Duru, recalled that his family of four were awake and were observing their morning prayers and devotions when they heard the blast.

Our house was shaken to its foundation and badly damaged. The roof, walls, doors and windows were blown away and destroyed.

My wife and children were injured, he said.

Mr Duru, who is also the Secretary of Soba Landlords and Residents Association, said he and other residents still live in fear and would always run out of their homes, sometimes naked, at the sound of sudden loud noises.

According to him, 23 people died and about 300 houses, including businesses, were destroyed.

He expressed his displeasure with the LASG and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for not paying compensations to the victims of the pipeline explosion.

The secretary explained that the landlords and business owners who had rebuilt or renovated their buildings were able to do so through loans accessed from banks.

After waiting for the promises from LASG and other agencies and nothing was forthcoming, we had to approach banks and other institutions for help.

Some of us used our goods as collateral. Many of us are still servicing these loans and if we dont pay, the banks will seize our goods.

The banks even come from time to time, threatening to seize the buildings he added.

Mr Duru, however, commended the LASG for giving N2.5 million compensation to relatives of those who lost their lives in the explosion.

The secretary commended LASG and the Amuwo Odofin Local Government Council for helping to restore electricity supply to the community.

He urged the governments to hasten the process for compensation for those affected during the explosion.

The state opened three accounts after the incident and Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the money realised from the accounts would be for compensation, rebuilding and for the lives that were lost.

Let them release those funds so that people here can have some relief from debts, he said.

Mr Duru also urged the NNPC to compensate for the damages that happened in the community and ensure that the pipeline is fixed and covered in order to avoid any future recurrence.

For Alani Korodo, owner of a block manufacturing industry in the community, the incident came as a big blow, which not only set him 30 years back but also negatively impacted his health.

The businessman, popularly known as Korodo in Abule-Ado, said that his business; including trucks for transporting materials, concrete cement blocks meant and building materials for sales were completely destroyed.

It has not been easy for me since the incident happened. Ive been in this business for over 30 years. I started having negative thoughts so much so that it has begun to affect my health.

It has also affected my eyes and I cannot see very clearly now. I had to undergo two surgeries to regain my sight, he said.

He added that he had been so hopeful for a compensation but after waiting for almost a year without anything, he had decided to put his trust in God and move on with his life.

Also, Mummy Precious, a businesswoman and a distributor of drinks and ice blocks to retailers in the community, said that she had decided to forget about the incident and move on with her life.

According to her, she used to have a big and thriving business outfit before the explosion but the incident reduced it to a wooden shop.

She said, I keep praying and hoping that someday, she would pick up again. Im thankful to God that I lost just my business.

What about those whose buildings collapsed, those that sustained injuries and worse still, those that lost their loved ones?

I had talked about it severally in the last one year, yet nothing came out of it. I am tired and really want to move on with my life, she said.

NAN also recalls that the Group Managing Director (GMD) of NNPC, Mele Kyari, while commiserating with victims on March 15, 2020, referred to the incident as unfortunate but completely avoidable.

It is very obvious that people are building on our right of way, which constitutes a serious danger to lives and property.

The incident happened as a result of overcharged air, resulting from gas leakages from activities around the pipeline.

Unfortunately, there was an ignition which led to a chain of events, CONCLUDING igniting our pipeline, he said.

Mr Kyari said that every asset on the right of way would be taken out to safeguard the public.

NAN reports that the landlords and residents would hold a memorial service on March 14, to honour those who lost their lives.

(NAN)
Attorney Cleta Mitchell to Lead Initiative to Safeguard Election Integrity

Attorney Cleta Mitchell has been named the chair of a grassroots initiative that seeks to safeguard the sanctity of the ballot box across America.

The National Election Protection Initiative, which was launched by FreedomWorks, aims to mobilize grassroots efforts in key states and counties to protect election integrity, the conservative and libertarian advocacy group told Newsmax. FreedomWorks President Adam Brandon hosts the show Save the Nation on NewsmaxTV.

The initiative provides a platform for conservatives and other like-minded Americans who want to participate in election activism and provides a counterweight to other left-leaning voting initiatives. It also aims to train and coordinate participants for grassroots efforts to address a range of election integrity concerns such as voter registration, voter rolls, and election procedures and rules across several key states.

The initiative comes after the November 2020 election was shadowed by a series of allegations of irregularities and election fraud. Former President Donald Trump and his allies challenged the Nov. 3 election results in the courts, alleging that illegal votes were cast and counted in several swing states due to alleged voter fraud and relaxed election regulations that were changed by state executives without going through state legislatures.

Meanwhile, evidence emerged in the weeks following the election in the form of sworn affidavits and expert testimony that provided accounts of irregularities during the election process. Critics and members of the legacy media have characterized those claims as baseless.

Many of these issues were left unresolved following President Joe Bidens inauguration and have prompted Republican lawmakers and conservatives to launch legislative measures and grassroots efforts aimed to restore confidence in future elections. Trump is also working on his own initiatives to address this issue.

What is urgently needed today is the involvement by conservative and patriotic Americans in the election process at the local and state levels, challenging the vast resources of the leftist groups who have dominated election activism for too long, Mitchell, who has worked as an election law attorney, said in a statement to Newsmax.

Following the election, Mitchell had been assisting Trumps post-election legal efforts in Georgia. She received renewed prominence after it was revealed that she had participated in a call between the president and Georgias Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to discuss a settlement on an election dispute.

Mitchell subsequently resigned from the law firm Foley & Lardner, where she was a partner. She said at the time that she, her firm, and her clients had received massive pressure from leftist groups via social media and other means following the release of the TrumpRaffensperger call.

Mitchell told Newmaxs Save The Nation on March 14 that protecting election integrity is crucial because it is the very bulwark in which our nation is built, the right to vote, to choose our elected officials.

If people dont have confidence that their vote is going to count and meaningful because the system is somehow rigged against them, theyre not going to participate, she said. Our country is built on the consent of the governed and if the governed are not giving their consent, weve really eliminated our Democratic Republic, and weve become essentially a totalitarian government. And I think thats very frightening.

A recent Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll found that a majority of 1,007 attendees believe election integrity is the No. 1 issue facing the nation today. This was followed by constitutional rights and immigration.

Election reform has been pushed back in the public consciousness as Democrats seek to pass a sweeping bill aimed to amend several aspects of the electoral process and campaign financing. The bill, H.R. 1, also dubbed as the For the People Act, passed the Democrat-controlled House on a largely party-line vote of 220210. Its now being considered in the Senate.
Democrats push for 'permanent' stimulus benefits

US Senate Democrats will push to make permanent two provisions of President Joe Biden's Covid-19 relief bill that provide emergency enhanced benefits for the poor through food assistance and child tax credits, two leading lawmakers said on Sunday.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that making enhanced child tax credits permanent is an important goal for Democrats, as they seek to move forward with bold new initiatives that also include legislation to upgrade US infrastructure.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Schumer's fellow New York Democrat, called separately for enhancements for a nutrition program aimed at women, infants and children in the $1.9 trillion bill to be extended indefinitely. Biden's legislation temporarily increased the value of the program's cash vouchers for fruits and vegetables from $9 per month for children and $11 for women to $35 per month for both. The bill also expands the US federal child tax credit for one year from a partially refundable $2,000 per child to a fully refundable $3,600 credit for children under 6 and $3,000 for children aged 6 to 17, a move that experts say will significantly decrease child poverty in the United States.

"That's one of the most important things we can do. We can change America, if we make them permanent," Schumer told MSNBC. "It will be so good for these kids, their families, but for all of America and our economy."

Nearly 11 million, or one in seven, US children live in poverty, the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank, estimates. Making the provisions permanent could prove difficult, with many Republicans opposed to any expansion in US welfare services that is not accompanied by work requirements for benefit recipients.

The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives can pass legislation on a simple majority and has begun to move bills that reflect party priorities such as police reform, gun control and measures to enhance voter participation. But the 100-seat Senate, which is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, requires 60 votes for most legislation.

Schumer said Democrats would try to work with Republicans to enact 'bold change' but warned that his caucus would consider other means, including possible changes to Senate rules, if Republicans continue to oppose Democratic legislation. "But if we can't, if they vote 'no' on everything in terms of the kinds of change that America needs, then our caucus will have to get together and figure out how to get it done," Schumer said. "Everything will be on the table and failure is not an option."


Last year saw my most ambitious holiday plans falling into pieces due to Covid, which was pretty devastating. Having postponed the trip 3 times, then crossing off Ibiza and Madeira island from the itinerary, and now most disappointingly, saying goodbye to the Canary Islands leg of our trip, means I will no longer go on the pilgrimage that follows the steps of Taiwanese writer San Mao - a fearless soul, unaffected by the thoughts and opinions of others; and with a to hell with it - rip up the damn paper and set it on fire attitude.

I have learnt that over the years, avid readers of San Mao have crossed half the world to visit the Canary Islands, some weeping in front of her former house, some placing flowers, letters or little trinkets at her door, and some even spending their own savings to fix the plaque on Jose's (San Mao's husband) grave, neglected over time. Eventually, the tourism of Spain established a San Mao pilgrimage route to encourage more Chinese travellers to visit the islands.

Below are some google and wechat (@images of San Mao's former home at the peaceful town of Telde on Gran Canaria island, Jose's grave, and a memorial plaque on La Palma island.
The Biden administration is tapping an executive at the Colorado School of Mines to head the secretive agency that develops advanced technology for the military, the school said Monday.

Stefanie Tompkins, a former Army intelligence officer and vice president for research and technology transfer at Mines for the last three years, has been appointed director of the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA.

Pentagon's mad scientists coming to Colorado to test underground robots The Defense Advance Research Projects Agency will take over a Colorado mine in April to test

Famous for supporting research that eventually led to creation of the internet, DARPA spends about $3.5 billion annually developing technology that resembles the creations of science fiction, from bioengineering to jetpacks.

Tompkins worked at DARPA for 11 years prior to her stint at Mines, most recently as acting deputy director. Before that, she led the agency's Defense Sciences Office, overseeing research in fields ranging from atomic physics, biochemistry and materials science.

+2 Fort Carson soldiers could catch a drone bus to the barracks next year Fort Carson troops will be able to ride around the post on a pair of robotic buses next year under a first-of-its-kind research program backed by the Army and a Washington D.C. nonprofit.

Mines President Paul C. Johnson said in a statement that Tompkins is ideally suited to lead an agency that combines innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit.

"Dr. Tompkins is a hands-on, highly engaged and visionary leader who genuinely enjoys helping others advance their ideas and innovations. During her tenure, Mines has expanded the scope, scale and impact of its research, and built solid partnerships with industry, U.S. and international universities, and government agencies and labs," he said.

"These successes reflect Dr. Tompkins' extraordinary skills as an administrator, bridge builder and partner. Like my colleagues across campus, I am thrilled for Stefanie and DARPA, and am going to miss her."

Pentagon program would turn computers into next flying aces America's next fighter ace could be a software engineer if a contest run by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency finds success. The Pentagon's mad scientists are looking for computer programs that "can perform simulated within-visual-range air combat maneuvering, colloquially known as a dogfight."

Defense One was first to report Tompkins was in line for the appointment, which doesn't require Senate confirmation.

Trained as a geologist, with an undergraduate degree from Princeton University and graduate degrees from Brown University, Tompkins spent 10 years in the private sector, including work as a scientist and manager at Science Applications International Corporation, where she conducted and managed research in planetary geology and imaging, Air Force Magazine reported.

"It will be difficult to leave Mines, but my time here has helped prepare me for a number of national challenges, such as critical mineral supply chains, about which I knew little when I first arrived," Tompkins said in a statement.

"I also have a much deeper understanding of academias role in the national security research ecosystem, and look forward to renewed engagement with the many universities working on DARPA programs.
FBI agents were looking for an extremely valuable cache of fabled Civil War-era gold  possibly tons of it  when they excavated a remote woodland site in Pennsylvania three years ago this month, according to government emails and other recently released documents in the case.

On March 13, 2018, treasure hunters led the FBI to Dents Run, about 135 miles (220 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh, where legend has it an 1863 shipment of Union gold was either lost or stolen on its way to the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia.

The FBI has long refused to confirm why exactly it went digging, saying only in written statements over the years that agents were there for a court-authorized excavation of what evidence suggested may have been a cultural heritage site.

In any event, the FBI says, the dig came up empty.

But the father-son duo who brought a small army of federal agents to the site remain convinced the FBI uncovered something there  and their lawyer, Bill Cluck, is still pressing the case, successfully suing for access to government emails about the dig.

Those documents, which Cluck provided to The Associated Press, show that federal law enforcement was indeed after buried treasure.

We believe the cache itself is in the neighborhood of 3x5x8 (feet) to 5x5x8, wrote K.T. Newton, an assistant U.S attorney in Philadelphia, in a 2018 email marked Confidential.

Since the Elk County site was on state-owned land, the FBI had to secure a federal court order to gain access. The legal maneuvering generated emails between Newton and Audrey Miner, chief lawyer for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

On March 13, as FBI agents clambered up a hill to the target, Miner bluntly asked Newton: Can you please provide the basis upon which the Office of the United States Attorney asserts that the gold, if found, belongs to the federal government?
The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost.
The independent committee that selects candidates for the two New Orleans-area levee authorities will meet Friday to consider candidates for an interim seat on the east bank authority board.

Quentin Dastugue of Covington, chief executive of Property One Inc., and a former Louisiana state representative and Republican candidate for governor, recently stepped down from his seat on the board. The seat is reserved for non-technical members who do not live within the boundaries of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East.

Dastugue, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2009, serves on the patient committee for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. He also was inducted into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame in 2018.

Dastugue's term was to expire on July 1; Gov. John Bel Edwards has already appointed former New Orleans resident Roy Arrigo to fill the seat for a four-year term. The interim appointee will serve only from when selected by Edwards until July 1. The committee can select two candidates for Edwards to choose from.

Roy Arrigo Roy Arrigo was recently selected by Gov. John Bel Edwards to sit on the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East board, beginning J

Arrigo, who is retired from a sales management position, moved to Baton Rouge at the end of July. He had lived in a home next to the 17th Street Canal in New Orleans' Lakeview area, and was a vocal advocate for other homeowners along the canal during reconstruction of floodwalls along the canal.

He attended most of the levee authoritys meetings since it was created in 2007 and has often criticized its actions, including efforts to move money from the Jefferson and Orleans districts to the Lake Borgne Basin Levee District in St. Bernard Parish.

Environmental news in your inbox Stay up-to-date on the latest on Louisiana's coast and the environment. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Because of his move to Baton Rouge, Arrigo stepped down from the separate New Orleans Non-Flood Asset Management Authority board. That entity was created after Hurricane Katrina to oversee operation of Lakefront Airport and other Orleans Levee Board assets unrelated to flood protection.

As of Monday, Arrigo was the only candidate applying for the interim position.

The selection committee will meet virtually on Zoom at 11 a.m. Friday.

Members of the public may participate in the meeting by joining it here:

https://laitram.webex.com/laitram/j.php?MTID=m77c157fd1a86ff46664431f6aea9d877

The meeting also can be reached by phone: 1.408.792.6300; or toll-free at 1.877.668.4490.

Meeting number (access code): 177 713 7079

Meeting password: xQ6AGWZW4t4




[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press.]

March 12th, 2021 -- Mosaic Mask Studio is proud to announce the Shields of Loyalty will arrive on March 18th on Windows PC for $17.99.



Shields of Loyalty is a turn-based dark fantasy strategy game in 2D that takes on the legacy of the genre classics and enriches them with great features and modern gameplay. Experience challenging TBS action with high replayability on the island world of Mantaria and lead your army victoriously from battle to battle!



Features Mosaic Mask Studio is proud to announce the Steam Early Access launch of our tactical turn-based strategy gamewill arrive on March 18th on Windows PC for $17.99.is a turn-based dark fantasy strategy game in 2D that takes on the legacy of the genre classics and enriches them with great features and modern gameplay. Experience challenging TBS action with high replayability on the island world of Mantaria and lead your army victoriously from battle to battle! Command one of several avatars with unique skills and auras.

Train your units up to become more powerful followers, who you lead and manage in challenging missions.

Find artifacts and strengthen your troops in battle.

Free "heroes of the old wars" and use their power and auras to your advantage!

Discover the abilities of your units and use them wisely in the fight against the unholy brood.

Form your units into larger squads to fight against powerful enemies and withstand the onslaught of evil.

Tactical depth! Use auras of your avatars and heroes, the terrain, and strategically advantageous formations to master the challenges.

Survive randomly generated environmental effects such as lightning, storms or meteorites that occur and don't differentiate between friend and foe. Shields of Loyalty is scheduled for a full 1.0 release in 2022.



To learn more, visit: https://mosaicmask-studio.com/en/shields-of-loyalty is scheduled for a full 1.0 release in 2022. Twitter: @MosaicMask



About Mosaic Mask Studio

Mosaic Mask Studio is a German game studio based in Hanover-Germany and founded by Seckin Olmez in 2010. Our aim is to produce high quality video games on various platforms. Telling exciting stories, creating worlds you'll keep in mind, and just entertaining in an exciting way is what were going to do.

Media Contact Josh Knapp Mosaic Mask Studio is a German game studio based in Hanover-Germany and founded by Seckin Olmez in 2010. Our aim is to produce high quality video games on various platforms. Telling exciting stories, creating worlds you'll keep in mind, and just entertaining in an exciting way is what were going to do. Indie Bros. on behalf of Mosaic Mask Studio
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This is the third time the Armenian parliamentary opposition has raised the issue since the end of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh.

During a Monday session of the parliaments defense committee the Prosperous Armenia and Bright Armenia factions claimed that the government has maintained martial law since a Russian-brokered ceasefire was established in Nagorno-Karabakh on November 10 for political purposes.

Prosperous Armenia lawmaker Arman Abovian said martial law does not correspond to the current situation and is a serious obstacle to political developments.

In particular, he pointed out one of the provision of martial law under which during its effect the prime minister cannot be impeached.

Edmon Marukian, the head of the opposition Bright Armenia faction, also claimed that martial law is currently maintained only for political purposes.

The parliamentary opposition cannot start a no-confidence motion during martial law. In Yerevans municipal assembly lawmakers cannot start a no-confidence vote in the mayor and so on. Elections that were scheduled in the town of Ijevan and some other communities have been postponed because the martial law has not been lifted yet, he said.

Pro-government lawmakers who sit on the committee said they were in favor of ending martial law but in due time. They said that most restrictions pertaining to freedom of assembly and speech were lifted still in December.

If all the grounds for martial law are eliminated, of course, this martial law will be lifted as early as possible, said Armen Khachatrian, a member of the majority My Step faction.

At the same time, Khachatrian said that he expected the government to initiate a bill to lift martial law within the next 7 or 10 days.

The committees pro-government head Andranik Kocharian said, for his part, that the sooner political agreements are reached about holding snap elections, the sooner the current martial law regime will be abolished. The sooner we create harmonious political conditions or reach consensus, the sooner martial law will be lifted, because there will be snap elections, and there can be no elections during the effect of martial law, he said.

Eventually, the pro-government members of the defense committee did not give a positive conclusion to the opposition bill.
India's top diplomat in Colombo, High Commissioner, Gopal Baglay held talks with top Tamil Leaders during his visit to the Northern and Eastern Provinces on March 11 to 13th.He recalled commitments of the Sri Lankan Government on the aspirations of the Tamil community on equality, justice, peace and dignity which could be achieved through a United Sri Lanka that will contribute to peace, reconciliation, inclusive progress and strength of the country.

Indias top diplomat in Colombo, High Commissioner, Gopal Baglay held talks with top Tamil Leaders during his visit to the Northern and Eastern Provinces on March 11 to 13th. He recalled commitments of the Sri Lankan Government on the aspirations of the Tamil community on equality, justice, peace and dignity.

Baglay stated that this could be achieved through a United Sri Lanka that will contribute to peace, reconciliation, inclusive progress and strength of the country. The Tamil Leaders sought further assistance for infrastructural development, more additional economic investment as well as additional projects under grant assistance for development cooperation from India in the province. The Indian envoy held seperate meetings with the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party or EPDP which thanked India for its consistent position on the implementation of the 13th Amendment which provides for the devolution of the Tamil community.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Tamil Peoples National Alliance(TMTK) and Tamil National Peoples Front(TNPF) were engaged in talks concerning the Tamil minority and increasingly urged Indian assistance under development cooperation. Baglay ensured assistance from India in these spheres and his visit came in the backdrop of the Sri Lanka resolution to be moved at the UN Human Rights Council next week.

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The resolution accuses Sri Lanka of war crimes with threats to take those responsible to the International Courts and impose targeted sanctions against officials allegedly responsible for human rights. Sri Lanka was hoping that India would be standing by her when the UNHRC moves its latest accountability and reconciliation resolution this month. A UN Report has called for stringent actions against those allegedly responsible for gross human rights violations during the last phase of the armed conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Nadu (LTTE).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa also had a telephonic conversation on Saturday during which they had reviewed topical developments as well as ongoing cooperation between the two countries in bilateral as well as multilateral forms. The two leaders agreed to maintain regular contacts between relevant officials, a Prime Ministers Official statement said in New Delhi .

Also Read: UN accepts SFJs donation: Time for India to put its foot down
Thailand will start using the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday after a brief delay due to concerns over its safety, officials said, with the prime minister and his cabinet due to be the first to receive it.

Thailand was on Friday the first country outside of Europe to suspend use of the AstraZeneca shot. Authorities in Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and the Netherlands suspended their use of the vaccine over blood clotting issues.

Natreeya Thaweewong of the spokespersons office of government house told reporters in a text message that the delayed inoculations of Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his ministers would take place on Tuesday morning.

AstraZeneca said on Sunday it had undertaken a careful review of data from more than 17 million people vaccinated in the United Kingdom and European Union, which showed no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia.

Thai Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul earlier on Monday said the AstraZeneca vaccine would be given to the cabinet if cleared by local health experts, who were meeting on Monday.

Anutin said many countries had confirmed there were no issues of blood clots as a side effect of the vaccine and would continue administering it.

Our academic committee said it should be given and they will meet this afternoon for more confidence, he added.

If there is no further information, it will be given tomorrow, he said.

Thailands mass vaccination strategy is heavily reliant on the AstraZeneca shot, which will be produced locally from June for regional distribution, with 61 million doses reserved for its population.

Thailand has imported some AstraZeneca vaccine shots in addition to 200,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine from China for medical workers and high-risk groups. A further 800,000 Sinovac doses would arrive on March 20, Anutin said on his Facebook page.
Meghan Markle is reportedly already networking with senior Democrats to help her ambitions to become the first female US president.

The Duchess of Sussex previously told friends about her political ambitions  and now hopes her blockbuster Oprah Winfrey interview will strengthen support in the US, sources told the Mail on Sunday newspaper.

She has been openly networking among senior Democrats to help build fundraising teams and a campaign for the White House, according to a senior UK politician who served under former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and has close ties to Washington.

Harry and Meghan shocked the world with their tell-all Oprah Winfrey interview.

The Blairite, internationalist and Democratic party networks are buzzing with talk about Meghans political ambitions and potential backers, the anonymous source told the UK paper.

Markle, 39, is thought to be looking at the 2024 campaign if President Joe Biden, who will be 82, decides against running for a second term, the source said. If successful, it would make her the first female US president.

Her biographer and friend, Omid Scobie, also previously claimed that the former actress has her eyes set on the US presidency.

Meghan is the embodiment of the American dream. One day we may see Meghan become president, the author of Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan And The Making Of A Modern Royal Family previously told a documentary.

How Meghan's shocking claims stack up

In the wake of Meghan and Harry's bombshell TV interview, some details are already being questioned.





Princely 'Snub'





Meghan's view:

The Palace went against protocol to deny her mixed-race son the title of prince and subsequent security.

What we know:

Archie wasn't entitled to become a prince at birth - but can take that title when his grandfather Charles takes the throne.

Long-established Royal rules limit the title of prince and princess to the monarch's children and grandchildren and those in the direct line of succession.

But even with the title, taxpayer-funded security isn't guaranteed - as Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie can attest.





Nowhere To Turn





Meghan's view:

There was no support from the "institution" when Meghan struggled with her mental health and, in the end, Megxit was the only way she and Harry could protect themselves.

Harry also struggled. I had no idea what to do. I wasnt prepared for that. I went to a very dark place as well, he said of his wife's plight.

What we know:

Meghan's revelations about feeling suicidal while pregnant were among the most shocking of the interview, especially as she said she was denied help when she explicitly asked for it.

Prince Harry has previously been candid about his own mental health, revealing Prince William convinced him to get counseling after he was "very close to a complete breakdown".

Harry, Meghan, William and Kate have all been vocal in campaigning for mental health support and work with charities in the field, so it has surprised some commentators that Harry and Meghan weren't able to access the help needed directly if others failed to step up.





Secret 'Wedding'





Meghan's view:

"Three days before our wedding, we got married ... just the two of us in our backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury."

What we know:

There are some pretty strict rules around weddings, such as needing witnesses.

The private ceremony would have been a wonderful way for the couple to celebrate their love and exchange personal vows before the televised extravaganza at Windsor Castle, but, as has since been acknowledged, it wasn't legally binding.





Crying Foul

Meghan's view

Amid preparations for the real wedding, there was a clash with future sister-in-law Kate, and Meghan was left in tears. Kate apologised, but when a false narrative emerged in the media that it was Meghan who made Kate cry, the Firm failed to protect Meghan and correct it.

What we know:

There are two very different sides to the story, and no one expects the Duchess of Cambridge to front the media about it any time soon, so it's hard to know the exact truth.

However, the counterclaims keep coming.

Reports in The Times have since claimed Meghan slammed the door in Kate's face when she took flowers to the Sussexes' home in an attempt to mend fences.





Meghan's view:

"When I joined that family, that was the last time I saw my passport, my driving licence, my keys - all of that gets turned over."

What we know:

Much of Meghan's interview detailed how she felt both trapped and unsupported in her new role, and having official documents taken away would only highlight her loss of agency.

On a practical level, we know many royals happily drive themselves around - Prince Philip only stopped in 2019, aged 97, after a headline-making crash.

The Australian also notes Meghan went overseas regularly "including to her ostentatious baby shower in New York".



Meghan's view:

She hadn't googled Harry or his family before they got together and was totally taken aback by Royal protocol, such as having to curtsy to the Queen even in a family meeting behind closed doors.

What we know:

Previous reports from the favourable biography Finding Freedom, would suggest both Harry and Meghan were a bit more clued up about each other before they first met.

Authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote: "Naturally, both participants in this blind date did their homework with a thorough Google search. Harry, who scoped out Meghan on social media, was interested."

Less convincingly, Meghan's half-sister Samantha has suggested a famous photo of a teenage Meghan outside Buckingham Palace indicates a stronger interest in the royal family than she cares to admit.



Another friend also told Vanity Fair last year that the Duchess would seriously consider running for president.

One of the reasons she was so keen not to give up her American citizenship was so she had the option to go into politics, the unidentified friend told the magazine of Markles brief time in the UK.

Another biographer previously insisted that the Duchess does not have the skin of a rhino to run for office, with her sensitivity to criticism only further highlighted during her sit-down with Oprah.

I would state categorically that she has no chance of ever running for president. She would be eaten alive, Andrew Morton, author of Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, told Vanity Fair last year.
Gardai are expected to interview Tanaiste Leo Varadkar under caution within weeks over the leaking of a confidential Government document.

However, the Fine Gael leader is unlikely to be troubled in the short term after he was backed by his Fianna Fail partners in Government  while Sinn Fein failed to call for him to stand aside.

Issuing a standard warning that anything Mr Varad kar says will be taken down and may be given in evidence is a commonplace precursor to interviewing a witness or potential defendant in a criminal investigation, sources said.

Mr Varadkars solicitors have previously offered that he supply a written statement.

However, instead he is set to be interviewed last among the major witnesses to the leaking to the National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) two years ago of a new draft contract for GPs that the Government had drawn up with the Irish Medical Organisation.

Mr Varadkar accepts he leaked the document to Dr Maitiu O Tuathail, president of the NAGP, and has conceded it was an error of judgment. However, he says he has legal advice that he did not breach the law in any way.

He also cleared messages to Dr O Tuathail from his phone to free up space, he has said, denying Dail suggestions from Sinn Fein that these were official records that could be subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act.

The gardai have not yet requested any materials or information from Mr Varadkar, whom they are thought likely to seek to interview around the Easter break, having already taken an oral statement from former Health Minister Simon Harris.

Read More

The criminal investigation is looking at whether there may have been a breach of the Criminal Justice Act or the Official Secrets Act.

Although Mr Varadkar was head of Government at the time, as Taoiseach, and constitutional questions may come into play. Even if a file is forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions, there can be no presumption that any charges would be preferred.

Fianna Fails Michael McGrath signalled his partys full backing for Mr Varadkars continuation in Cabinet.

The Public Expenditure Minister said: The Tanaiste acknowledges that it was wrong to provide that document, but he has also stated on a number of occasions that his advice is that he did not break any law, and I think he is entitled to due process.

There is now an investigation on the way. And I think its important that we all protect the integrity of that investigation. It will take its course in the fullness of time.

Asked if Mr Varadkar should stand aside from Cabinet until the investigation is completed, Mr McGrath said: I dont believe that that is necessary.

Sinn Fein TD Mairead Farrell was asked on The Week in Politics if Mr Varadkar should stand aside from Cabinet. She said Sinn Fein had put a motion of no confidence in the Tanaiste to the Dail in November and unfortunately, that wasnt backed.

Its a decision for Fianna Fail and the Green party if theyre happy to back a Government that is in this situation, she said. What this highlights is that theres this culture of friends in high places, a culture that should have been gone decades ago.

Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys said Mr Varadkar was motivated by the public good in making the leak.
So you think that you know everything about St Patrick? It's all just the driving the snakes from Ireland, converting the pagans and using the shamrock to teach about the Holy Trinity? Well we bet you didn't know this.....

We should be really wearing blue

The original color first associated with St Patrick was blue. But because the Saint preached about the Holy Trinity through the symbol of the shamrock gradually it became the most common shade in connection with him.

You weren't legally allowed to drink on St Patrick's Day

Due to strict laws curtailing the of sale of alcohol on Holy Days in Ireland, from 1927 to 1961, the only place you could legally get a drink on Paddys day was at The Royal Dublin Dog Show. Of course, if you had access to your own drink at home there was nothing stopping you enjoying a tipple or two but those relying on pubs back then were all very sadly disappointed.

He wasn't Irish

Ok, we probably all should know this by now but you would be surprised by the number of people who insist that St Patrick was actually Irish. He wasn't. Patrick was born in what was then Roman Britain at the end of the 4th century AD and taken to Ireland by slavers when he was a teenager. The exact location of his birth is still debated with some believing he hailed from Wales and others convinced he came from Scotland.

He wasn't originally called Patrick

Surprisingly enough St Patrick's name wasn't actually Patrick - at least it wasn't his birth name. He was named Maewyn Succat, and according to legend changed his name to Patricius, or Patrick, which derives from the Latin term for "father figure," when he became a priest.

There were never any snakes in Ireland

This could be a bit contentious but there weren't any snakes in Ireland despite the tradition that St Patrick drove them all from our shores. The reference is thought to be metaphorical: St. Patrick  who converted pagans to Christianity  was the man who supposedly drove "evil" non-Christians from the land.

Parades first started in America

It may surprise you to know but the first St Patrick's Day parade wasn't held in Ireland but in America, New York City to be exact. According to historians the first St. Patrick's Day celebration in America was in 1737 hosted by the Charitable Irish Society of Boston.

An illustration of a New York City St Patrick's Day Parade in the 1800s.

St Patrick's Day isn't just a national holiday in Ireland

March 17 is also a national holiday on the island of Montserrat in the Caribbean, a tiny island with around 4,000 inhabitants which became home to a large number of Irish emigrants in the 17th century. Montserrat is holding an entire week of celebrations, including a Patricks Day dinner, a calypso competition and a church service.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

During the past decade the European People's Party in the European Parliament was criticized for its unwillingness to vote for measures that would sanction the Hungarian Fidesz government, which is accused of breaching key democratic principles.

Researchers have said the EPP protected Fidesz in order to safeguard Hungarian votes in its ranks and protect their own interests, but this support had weakened by 2019, when Fidesz was suspended from the EPP.

Researchers analyzed the votes of EPP MEPs for 24 resolutions covering the protection of EU fundamental values between 2009 and 2019. They found there was a "sharp increase" in the tendency of EPP MEPs to support these resolutions over time, and during 2011 to 2019 a below-average EPP cohesion on these votes compared to others.

Before Fidesz left the EPP MEPs on the group had become more likely to vote in favor of sanctions against Hungary.

In the period 2009 to 2019, EPP average party cohesion on votes about fundamental values was 67.3 per cent, compared to overall average voting cohesion of 92.5 per cent in the same period, and 92 per cent for votes originating in the Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs committee. The average cohesion for votes on the Hungarian situation was 59 per cent.

The analysis shows EPP MEPs were around 20 per cent less likely to vote for a resolution if it targeted Hungary or Fidesz.

MEPs from more authoritarian or traditionalist political parties were around 30 per cent less likely to vote for resolutions on fundamental EU values than those from liberal political parties.

The research, published in the journal European Political Science Review, was conducted by Lise Esther Herman, from the University of Exeter, Julian Hoerner, from the London School of Economics and Political Science and Joseph Lacey, from University College Dublin.

Dr. Herman said: "Our analysis suggests the EPP protected Fidesz in order to safeguard Hungarian votes in its ranks, and their strategic, office, and policy-seeking interests.

"We found MEPs are more likely to oppose sanctions when their party is in government at the national level, which suggests they are willing to protect the capacity of their national organizations to form alliances with states where democratic values are at risk within the EU's intergovernmental institutions."

Dr. Lacey said: "We found there was a sharp dip in support for resolutions involving fundamental values in 2015 following the onset of the Syrian refugee crisis from EPP MEPs from all member states. The Hungarian Government was strongly opposed to the influx of asylum seekers, criticizing the welcoming approach of German chancellor Merkel, and ordering the construction of a fortified fence at its southern border."

In September 2015 Fidesz voted against the Commission's proposal for the relocation of refugees throughout the Union and, in June 2014, Viktor Orban also voted against the EPP's official candidate for the European Commission Presidency, Jean-Claude Juncker, in the European Council. Researchers say this may have made it harder for EPP MEPs to deny issues in Hungary and also protect their reputation in the European Parliament and avoid tensions with other political groups.

Dr. Hoerner said: "Over time increasing evidence about democratic backsliding and arguments in favor of taking a stand seem to have convinced conservative EPP MEPs to support sanctions. In 2012 they may have genuinely believed that claims about democratic backsliding in Hungary coming from political opponents were overstated and politically motivated. In 2018, it becomes far harder to minimize the significance of Fidesz's breaches or to see the Hungarian situation as an isolated case."

Explore further Study questions European Parliament's perception as champion of gender equality

More information: Lise Esther Herman et al, Why does the European Right accommodate backsliding states? An analysis of 24 European People's Party votes (20112019), European Political Science Review (2021). Lise Esther Herman et al, Why does the European Right accommodate backsliding states? An analysis of 24 European People's Party votes (20112019),(2021). DOI: 10.1017/S1755773921000023
A wetland created by Auckland Council three years ago on DOyly Reserve has fallen far short of what was promised, according to neighbours and park users, with some describing it online as a rat-infested, weedy mess.

By contrast, Hibiscus Coast Forest & Bird, which first pushed for the creation of the wetland 10 years ago, claims it is a major environmental success story  a view that a number of residents agree with, saying it might not be beautiful, but it has more beneficial life in it than mown grass.

The wetland, in Stanmore Bay, is the result of Council turning a piped stream into a more environmentally sustainable wetland. Previously the reserve was mown grass that got boggy in winter when a stormwater pipe frequently overflowed.

As well as a place for plants, birds, insects, lizards and fish to thrive, the restoration was done to enable the community to enjoy the reserve, year-round.

The project cost $1.5 million, $1.1m of which came from the developers of 20 Link Crescent, McConnell Property, in mitigation for piping a natural stream that had flowed through their land.

Local residents, including Vicki Rapson, were enthusiastic about the wetland when the plan was consulted on.

We saw a lot of pretty drawings, but it doesnt look like that now, she says. There were supposed to be native trees, fruit trees and natural seating on rocks. It all sounded nice and it is disappointing to see whats materialised.

She says in dry weather the stream vanishes beneath weeds and one path floods after heavy rain, making it unusable.

Nearby residents also describe a smell of stagnant water and an increase in rats and mice.

Volunteers of the Pest Free Hibiscus Coast project began trapping rats in the reserve last October, working with the students of Stanmore Bay School.

Coordinator Jenny Hanwell says rat numbers dont appear high, relative to other parts of the Coast.

Since predator control began, around 60-70 rats have been removed, although bait is also used, so the number killed could be higher. The numbers caught are expected to increase in autumn and winter.

Birdlife appears to be flourishing. Although its early in the restoration process, those working on bird count surveys in the reserve have seen paradise shelducks with young and a resident white faced heron. There are more blackbirds and pukekos  a trend that is higher at DOyly wetland than elsewhere on the peninsula.

We are keen to get the people who live around the reserve involved in trapping to help protect this site, Jenny says. NZ has lost 90 percent of its wetlands since European settlement, so even restoring small ones like this provides valuable habitat, as well as filtering and cleaning the water as it flows through.

To improve the birdlife we recommend further restoration work, with additional plantings of native trees. It would be great if the community could be involved, she says.

Stanmore Bay principal Matt Sides says it has been a valuable area for students to study, including looking at water quality. He says a subcontractor, who was part of developing the wetland, recently approached the school for permission to work there again to improve the aesthetics.

The person feels that it has been ignored since completion. I cant wait to see it go back to what it was originally designed to look like, Matt says.

Weeds clog the waterway

Creating the wetland meant losing an off-leash area to exercise dogs. Claire Tierney flagged her concerns about this at the recent Hibiscus and Bays Local Board Parks Management Plan hearing.

No other space was made available to replace that off leash area, and now its just a mess of weeds going to seed, Claire says.

Councils Healthy Waters division general manager, Craig Mcilroy, says weed removal is done as required over the year  more often in the warmer months. There were two major stints of work: the first between April and June 2019 and the second between November 2019 and the end of February 2020.

He says that last year native plants appeared to be largely taking over.

The remaining weeds have recently been sprayed and we will be planting specimen trees in April/May when they are more likely to survive and establish themselves, Craig says. This will also help to provide shade and cool the stream.

He says organic material such as leaves and grass rot in shallow water. This uses up the oxygen in the stream and naturally produces sulphur dioxide, which can have a strong smell and turns the water a dark colour.

Although it looks and smells unpleasant, it is a natural process and will be restored when there is more rain.

He says the area is designed to receive water from the built up residential area around it and by doing so reduces the possibility of homes flooding.

There will definitely be times when the water prevents people from walking through the area and at those times people should not utilise this area, for their own safety.
Victoria has recorded its 18th consecutive day of no new local coronavirus cases, but health authorities have ramped up efforts to track down returned travellers from interstate hotspots.

On Monday the Department of Health announced it had started contacting all arrivals to Victoria from Brisbane since 10 March after an outbreak linked to a doctor at a Brisbane hospital.

A returned traveller, believed to be a super-spreader, infected a doctor at Brisbanes Princess Alexandra Hospital and another guest who was staying on the same floor of the Hotel Grand Chancellor.

Anyone in Victoria who visited The Morning After Cafe at West End, The Corporate Box Gym at Greenslopes and The Stones Corner Hotel at Stones Corner at various times on Thursday March 11 is being treated as a close contact and is required to isolate for 14 days.

It comes after similar warnings were announced at the weekend for returned travellers from Sydney as a result of a quarantine hotel leak involving a security guard.


Surveyors on Queensland's Lady Elliot Island have merely glimpsed a few albino hatchlings but never a grown-up. Jessica Buckman is familiar with locating crawlers when she stride to Queensland's Lady Elliot Island to check newly hatched green turtle nests.

But the little pink creature she discovers in the neck of one nest on Monday was different from a normal discovery - an unusual albino hatchling that was having slight difficulty digging itself out.

100,000 Eggs Laid

Buckman said to Guardian Australis from the Great Barrier Reef's southernmost coral cay, "I brought out a bit of sand and she or a he was at the center of it. I was very surprised, It was quite extraordinary to witness."

Jim Buck her colleague, who has been included in the monitoring of turtle's work on the reef for over 30 years, evaluated that just one in every 100,000 eggs laid would emerge an albino hatchling.

He has barely ever glimpsed a handful and was amazed to find another one in the nest they surveyed on Monday - one that couldn't make it and was still glued in its shell.

How difficult could it be? Buck explained that It was tough to tell if there were others because at the time the hatchlings finally got hatched they were not there.

Read More: Sea Turtle Sightings in Ireland & the UK Are Mysteriously Declining

Albinism in Animals

Albinism is an inherited condition characterized by a whole or partial shortage of pigmentation, ensuing in pink or white samples. it normally results in a very short life in the animal world because they cannot disguise themselves.

Buck disclosed that in all his years of turtle study, he had not noticed an adult albino turtle or even heard a record of one being sighted.



Buckman further explained that the hatchling was not the toughest but after some assistance getting out of the nest, it was prepared to make the necessary walk to the water's edge around 15 to 10 meters away.



She explained they do require to walk down to the water themselves for them to bond into the magnetic field of the planet, and that's how they crack open where they are on the map.Though she was not confident she would see it again.

The usual number in general, for green turtle hatchlings making it to maturity, is one in 1,000. These fellows have a largely decreased chance of enduring to that stage.

The Green Sea Turtles

Buckman and Buck works in an ecosystem management at Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort. They execute crucial roles in looking after the success of loggerhead turtle and green turtle nests there and on close-by Lady Musgrave Island.

He explained to the news report that unluckily, the success ratio of these tiny ones is also further diminished as a result of low sight and the inability to disguise, this week they can observe that the animal rather easily, so certainly predators would have similar leverage.



Green sea turtles, such as the translucent tyke in question, are endangered all around the world, they have been considered an endangered species since 1982. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

Related Article: Saving the Eastern Pacific Leatherback Turtles in 10 Years

For more news, updates about turtles and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News
Things have been heating up between Brian Austin Green and Sharna Burgess since they were first linked last winter.

And it looked like the couple were settling into the domestic phase of their relationship while running errands in Malibu on Sunday.

The Beverly Hills, 90210 actor, 47, and Dancing With The Stars pro, 35, were quite the pair while picking up healthy groceries from Whole Foods.

Nesting phase: Brian Austin Green and girlfriend Sharna Burgess looked like they were getting domestic while fetching groceries from a Whole Foods in Malibu on Sunday

Green bundled up in a blue jacket over jeans and a white tee shirt while out with his love, keeping warm amid Southern California's recent rain storms.

Sharna was also dressed to deal with the winter weather, looking cozy in a dusty blue cropped sweatshirt and camel-hued joggers with colorful sneakers.

She twisted her block tresses into a top knot secured with a gold scrunchie while accessorizing with a gold chain necklace.

The couple picked up some snacks and firewood from the upscale grocery store. It seemed they had a busy day ahead, as the ex of Megan Fox had his eyes glued to his phone while leaving the shop.

Chilly: Green bundled up in a blue jacket over jeans and a white tee shirt while out with his love, keeping warm amid Southern California's recent rain storms

Winter wear: Sharna was also dressed to deal with the winter weather, looking cozy in a dusty blue cropped sweatshirt and camel-colored joggers with colorful sneakers

Things seem to be going well for the pair, who went public in January.

In an Instagram Live around Valentine's Day Green described the Australian as an 'amazing, considerate, loving, kind person.'

'Sharna's been amazing in my life... She's been so invaluable, she really has,' he explained.

Green went through a very public breakup with actress wife Fox last year.

Sweet: Talking about his girlfriend of several months around Valentine's Day, Green said 'Sharna's been amazing in my life... She's been so invaluable, she really has'

The Transformers star, who has three children with Green, moved out after falling in love with rapper Machine Gun Kelly.

The pair met while filming a movie together in Puerto Rico in March 2020.

Fox and Green's divorce was finalized in November. They had been married for a decade.
It is that time of year again  tax season.

In order to help get you organized and prepared for the grueling task of filing your taxes, here are some commonly missed tax deductions. By taking advantage of them, you have the potential to save hundreds or thousands of dollars.

1. Sales and Income Tax

Many filers forget to include state sales and income tax as deductions. If you live in a state that doesn't impose an income tax, adding up all the tax you've paid on personal and household items can really mount up.

On the other hand, if your state does have an income tax, it's usually a better strategy to claim that as a deduction for more savings unless you made some big-ticket purchases such as a car or boat.

2. Demutualization

If your insurance company switched its status from being a mutual insurer and began offering stock to stockholders, this process of demutualization will save you money if you sold your shares based on what the shares were worth when they were distributed to you as a former policyholder.

3. Charitable Donations

Out-of-pocket charitable contributions are often overlooked, especially if they were in the form of many small donations rather than a few large ones. If you've covered the cost of postage, baked cookies for fundraisers or given rides to the clients of nonprofit organizations, save your receipts. If they total more than $250, you can deduct the amount if you have documentation from your favorite nonprofit. If you provided rides or did other significant driving, claim 14 cents per mile for this deduction.

4. Childcare

If you're a working parent and your kids spend part of the day with a sitter or in child care, claim those expenses as a tax credit. If you have childcare reimbursement through your place of work, you can easily overlook the additional costs you incur beyond the $5,000 or $6,000 allocated by these accounts.

Don't miss out on significant savings; save the receipts for sitters and after-school care. If your children are older and in college, don't forget to deduct the interest you've paid on their student loans throughout the year.

5. Job Search

Job losses and career changes aren't all bad. If you were looking for a job in your previous field; had business cards printed; mailed out resumes; drove to an interview; paid for meals, lodging, and parking for an overnight trip; or paid for advertising or employment agency fees, you can deduct those costs up to 2 percent of your adjusted gross income.

If you are a first-time job seeker, you can't claim those deductions, but you can claim your moving expenses if the new job is more than 50 miles from your old place of residence. You can claim the costs of moving your belongings to the new site and driving your vehicle there as well as parking and toll fees.

6. Mortgage Interest and Remodeling

If you're a homeowner, your luck continues. If you remodeled your existing home, deduct state sales tax for building materials if you're itemizing. If you bought your house, be sure to claim the interest paid on the points on your mortgage.

If you've refinanced, you have to distribute the points interest over the life of the new mortgage. If you've made your home more energy-efficient, there are tax deductions for that, too, including a 10 percent deduction on costs up to $500 for six specific energy-efficient home products, as well as 30 percent of the cost of certain major upgrades.

7. Military Travel

If you are a member of the National Guard or are a military reservist, part of your travel expenses for attending meetings or drills more than 100 miles from home and overnight stay are deductible, even if you don't itemize. You can write off all your lodging cost and half your meal expenses, as well as mileage and tolls if you drove your own vehicle. Mileage is partially reimbursed, as well.

8. Self-Employment

With widespread job loss, many Americans have opted for self-employment  but this freedom does come at a price. Workers not only have to buy their own health insurance, but also pay a hefty self-employment tax.

Make sure to deduct the cost of health insurance premiums you pay for yourself and your family, which reduces your self-employment tax. You're going to have to dig a bit through Schedule SE. Your health insurance figure from Line 29 is subtracted from your calculated self-employment tax on Line 3.

Additional tax deductions for the self-employed include contributions to a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRA, which are made pre-tax, as well as the cost of business meals, ongoing education or training, and business use of your home.

This article was written by Bob Lotich, contributor to GOBankingRates.com and blogger ChristianPF.com. GOBankingRates is a leading consumer banking and personal finance website that specializes in connecting consumers with the best interest rates nationwide.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Sunday that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo should seriously consider whether he can continue to govern effectively as he faces multiple sexual harassment allegations.

However, Pelosi stopped short of outright saying Cuomo, a Democrat, should resign, as many other Democrats - including both of New York's U.S. senators - have done.

"The governor should look inside his heart - he loves New York - to see if he can govern effectively. And that could be one of the considerations that he has," Pelosi said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday.

Pelosi reiterated her initial statement from two weeks ago that there should be an independent investigation into the "credible and serious" charges against Cuomo, and voiced confidence in New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is leading an investigation into the claims.

"She has called for, I think, an expeditious investigation. And again, with all the respect in the world for what these women have come forth and said," Pelosi said Sunday. "This is a subject very near and dear to my heart. There is no tolerance for sexual harassment."

When asked Sunday evening whether Cuomo should resign, President Joe Biden also deferred to James's investigation.

"The investigation is underway, and we should see what it brings us," Biden said as he arrived back at the White House after a weekend in Delaware. It was the first time the president commented directly on the matter since a recent wave of top Democrats called on Cuomo to resign.

Late Friday afternoon, New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand called on Cuomo to resign, becoming the latest and most powerful of the state's Democrats to join the growing chorus of politicians who have publicly said Cuomo should step down.

In addition to the sexual harassment allegations, several former aides to Cuomo said he created a hostile and toxic work environment for decades with his bullying behavior. Cuomo's administration has also been accused of covering up the scale of nursing-home deaths in the coronavirus pandemic.

"Confronting and overcoming the Covid crisis requires sure and steady leadership," the Senate majority leader and Gillibrand said in a joint statement Friday. "We commend the brave actions of the individuals who have come forward with serious allegations of abuse and misconduct."

The statement continued: "Due to the multiple, credible sexual harassment and misconduct allegations, it is clear that Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners and the people of New York. Governor Cuomo should resign."

Schumer and Gillibrand had previously said they were concerned by the accusations against the governor but had stopped short of calling for his resignation.

Cuomo has been defiant and said he will not resign, suggesting that the accusations against him could be politically motivated and driven by "cancel culture."

"People know the difference between playing politics, bowing to cancel culture and the truth. Let the review proceed," Cuomo told reporters Friday afternoon. "I am not going to resign."

On Friday evening, a photographer captured Cuomo outside the governor's mansion in Albany, talking on the phone while draped in a blanket.

Fallout over Cuomo's multiple scandals has only continued to widen, however.

A majority of the New York congressional delegation has now called for Cuomo's resignation, and the New York State Assembly authorized an investigation into the allegations against the governor last week, the first step toward possible impeachment.

Larry Schwartz, New York's "vaccine czar" and a Cuomo ally, has been calling New York county officials to try to gauge their support for the governor - making one county official so uncomfortable that the executive filed an ethics complaint, The Washington Post's Amy Brittain and Josh Dawsey reported.

Cuomo was a constant topic on Sunday's political shows. Republican Govs. Larry Hogan of Maryland and Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas both said they thought Cuomo faced serious allegations but did not call on him to resign, saying it was best left to the people of New York and Democrats to handle.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat who has clashed frequently with Cuomo, predicted the governor would try to hold out as long as possible but eventually be impeached.

"I think he is used to getting things his way. And it's been almost an imperial governorship," de Blasio said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

"But I got to tell you, the folks in the state and the political leadership don't believe him anymore," de Blasio said. "He doesn't have any credibility."

- - -

The Washington Post's Sean Sullivan contributed to this report.
The Indian economy is slowly recovering from the coronavirus lockdown, with the country's gross domestic product (GDP) growing 0.4 per cent in October-December quarter. However, as per former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, the growth numbers of 2022-23 will reflect the actual economic conditions, not 2021-22 numbers.

Rajan said if the virus doesn't cause more problems, India will surely see a huge rebound in growth in FY22. However, he said, the growth should be interpreted carefully and should not be seen as a sign that 'all is well' with the economy.

"When the economy shrinks 8 per cent, as it did in fiscal 2021, any rebound because of the end of lockdown coupled with ordinary growth and some pent up demand can make the subsequent growth numbers look extraordinary. However, the true test of our resilience is not 2021-22 but 2022-23, when the numbers will (be) more reflective of our actual situation," Rajan told news agency PTI in an interview.

Recently, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) had said it expects India's GDP growth to bounce sharply to 12.6 per cent in FY22, making it the fastest-growing economy in the world. While the Reserve Bank of India has forecasted a 10.5 per cent growth in FY22, the Economic Survey estimated it at 11 per cent.

Rajan also cautioned against a second wave of coronavirus cases and called for increasing the pace of vaccination.

"We risk being complacent about the virus. It is not over. Brazil is experiencing a far worse second wave than the first. We might too, unless we are careful. We need to vaccinate on a war footing - the early rollout is proceeding well, and we need to keep accelerating the pace," he said.

Also read: 'Drastic changes' in monetary policy framework can upset bond market, warns Raghuram Rajan

While lauding the Union Budget for transparency and conservatism on tax receipts, he said the Budget is less clear about revenue raising and financial sector actions. "The slow projected pace of fiscal consolidation could have been made more feasible by credible measures to bind the government, such as a fiscal council and a debt target."

In the Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had pegged FY21 fiscal deficit at 9.5 per cent and for FY22 at 6.8 per cent. She suggested a glide path to bring the fiscal deficit to 4.5 per cent of GDP by FY26.

Rajan also opposed raising of tariffs, saying that at a time when global demand is rising because of huge spending in the West, India should position itself to export. "Raising tariffs is not a sensible way to do this."

Responding to a question on the government's plan to privatise two public sector banks, Rajan called for improving governance at such banks. He called for reconstituting the boards of PSU banks and getting rid of political appointees. The board should be professionalised, given more autonomy, including over appointing management, he said.

Rajan said it would be a 'colossal mistake' to sell the banks to industrial houses, adding that it is politically infeasible to sell any decent sized bank to foreign banks.

A report by RBI's internal working group, released in November last year, had suggested allowing large corporate and industrial houses to be the promoters of banks.

Saying that details about how the government plans to do privatisation of two banks are not out yet, Rajan said, "Perhaps one of our private banks may be in a position to acquire a public sector bank, but I am not sure they have the appetite."

On the Budget proposal to set up bad bank under the ARC (asset reconstruction company), AMC (asset management company) and AIF (alternative investment funds) model to acquire, manage and turnaround bad loans, Rajan said its success will depend on execution and design.

"With the new "bad bank", the devil is in the details. If its management has proper incentives, independence, and adequate capital, it can improve the restructuring of bad assets significantly. Poorly designed, the bad bank will just shift bad loans from one pocket of the government to another," he said.

Also read: Indian corporations in banking is a bad idea: Raghuram Rajan, Viral Acharya
My hometown of Pacoima, Calif., is the epicenter of the epicenter. For me, its not just data. Its personal. My dad still lives in the house we grew up in. Thank God my father got his second shot about two weeks ago. Weve had him practically bubble-wrapped for the last year.

My best friend growing up lost two uncles to Covid. My wifes two best friends  one lost a mom; one lost a dad.

The first time I got a chance to participate in a [Senate Democratic] caucus Zoom call, I was set up in the dining room. Less than 10 minutes into the Zoom, I had to tell them, Ive got to go, because a friend of the family just passed.

The urgency because of the devastation of Covid is like nothing weve ever dealt with before.

Youve been on the job for 50 days now. Youve been through two all-night vote-a-ramas, an impeachment trial and now passage of President Bidens $1.9 trillion stimulus bill. That feels like a lot.

If Ive ever used the term drinking from a fire hose before in my life, I completely take it back, because these last few months have been like nothing else. It hasnt been easy, but its certainly gratifying. To think back and say I was one of the votes for this package that was approved on Saturday [March 6] thats being compared with L.B.J. and F.D.R.  to be a part of that? Thats an indicator of the kind of impact you can have.

Your last job was as the secretary of state of California. So youre quite familiar with election law. What is your view on the state of American elections? What can be done to beat back the false claims of widespread voter fraud that a large percentage of the American people now believe?

Were you here on Jan. 6? You OK?

I was here, yes. I had trouble sleeping after, but I think Im pretty much recovered. Thank you for asking.
New Delhi, March 15 : Thirteen years after the Batla House encounter, a Delhi Court on Monday sentenced Ariz Khan, who was convicted of the murder of inspector Mohan Chand Sharma and other offences, to death.

Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav called it a 'rarest of rare case' while awarding the death penalty.

The prosecution had sought death penalty for Khan in the case, while the counsel for the convict sought leniency on the ground of his young age.

On March 8, the court had convicted Khan in the case, noting that he murdered encounter specialist and inspector Mohan Chand Sharma.

The Additional Sessions Judge had said that Khan, along with his associates, intentionally and voluntarily caused the murder of Sharma by the use of gun shot.

Ariz Khan was convicted under Sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 333 (voluntarily causes grievous hurt), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

He has also been held guilty under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 174(a) (non-appearance in response to a proclamation) and 34 (criminal intention) of the IPC and Section 27 (using any prohibited weapons) of the Arms Act.

On September 19 in 2008, the Special Cell of Delhi Police had carried out an encounter at the Batla House in Jamia Nagar, in which two suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists and inspector Sharma were killeed.

Ariz Khan had fled from the spot and was declared a proclaimed offender. He was arrested on February 14, 2018.

Ariz Khan is allegedly associated with the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen. The police claimed that he was present at the Batla House during the encounter and had managed to give the police a slip.

In July 2013, a trial court had sentenced Indian Mujahideen terrorist Shahzad Ahmed to life imprisonment in connection with the case.
NORWOOD, Australia, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Author and retired physician Ramdyal Bhola has made his authorial debut with Brainwashed, an entertaining and insightful memoir chronicling his journey to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a doctor. Beginning in his birthplace of Guyana, the story spans several decades and continents as Bhola sets out to study and practice medicine and explore the world.

Born in Guyana at a time when there were no national universities, Bholas path to higher education was challenging. However, his father was convinced his son would be a doctor and worked tirelessly to provide the means for Bholas educational endeavors. As Bhola lovingly recounts, his father brainwashed him into remaining laser-focused on medicine, even naming him after their towns physician.

After graduating from secondary school, Bhola made the difficult choice to leave his family behind to attend university in England, where he graduated from the medical school at Newcastle University in Newcastle upon Tyne. Dissatisfied with the British medical system, Bhola migrated to Port Augusta, South Australia, where he operated his own practice, the Port Augusta Medical Centre, to serve the unique needs of rural and Indigenous populations.

Through his book, Bhola demonstrates the power of hard work and sacrifice in transforming dreams into reality. Having originally written the book to share his international adventures with his friends and family, he hopes others can glean inspiration and encouragement from his story of success.

Relaying intimate and intriguing stories of family life, international travel, cultural traditions and medical practice along with patient vignettes, Brainwashed is a one-of-a-kind memoir about a man who overcame many obstacles and traversed many countries to become a distinguished and well-respected physician.

Brainwashed

By Ramdyal Bhola

ISBN: 9781504323352 (softcover); 9781504323345 (electronic)

Available from Amazon, Book Depository and Balboa Press

About the author

Ramdyal Bhola is an author and retired medical practitioner. Born in Guyana, South America, he moved to England to attend university. He graduated in 1971 from Newcastle University in Newcastle upon Tyne with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and post-graduate qualifications in obstetrics and gynecology (DObstRCOG), general practice (MRCGP) and rural and remote medicine (FACRRM). He practiced medicine for 34 years in rural Australia and 10 years in Adelaide. He was active in medical politics at a local level and provided medical education to students, trainees and overseas trained doctors. Practice management was his passion. This passion combined with his commitment to patient care and community culminated in a high-quality practice at Port Augusta Medical Centre. In recognition of this, the practice was used by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners to help set the standards for accreditation and general practice.

Balboa Press Australia is a division of Hay House, Inc., a leading provider in publishing products that specialize in self-help and the mind, body and spirit genre. Through an alliance with the worldwide self-publishing leader Author Solutions, LLC, authors benefit from the leadership of Hay House Publishing and the speed-to-market advantages of the Author Solutions self-publishing model. For more information or to start publishing today, visit balboapress.com.au/ or call 1800 050 315.

Attachment
New Delhi:

A delegation of opposition parties on Thursday met President Ram Nath Kovind and demanded to convene Tamil Nadu state assembly immediately.

While talking to media after meeting President Kovind, CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury said they have demanded that the Tamil Nadu Governor must convene state assembly for an immediate floor test. He said,"let the assembly to decide that which party is in majority."

Congress leader Anand Sharma said that they have conveyed in writing that 21 MLAs gave letters of withdrawal of support from Tamil Nadu government.

The step has been taken after the political crisis erupted in Tamil Nadu where 21 AIADMK legislators, who are loyal to VK Sasikala, withdrew their support from the government post-merger of Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam camps.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Prototypes of the Ukrainian coastal missile system with Neptune anti-ship missiles were transferred to the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Monday, March 15, the information and press department of the Ministry of Defense said.

Defense Minister Andriy Taran noted that the systems manufactured under a state contract between the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and Kyiv-based Luch State Design Bureau will significantly enhance the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Azov-Black Sea region. According to him, the corresponding unit has already been formed in the Ukrainian Navy.

"Thanks to the joint work of the Defense Ministry and state-owned enterprises, it was possible to manufacture weapons of a new generation, and increase the deterrent potential and increase Ukraine's influence at sea. Our 'home task' is to include the Neptune system, missile and patrol boats, as well as corvettes into a single defense system that can repel the enemy from the sea," Taran said.
DENVER, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kiosk Association announces the release "U.S. Self-Service Kiosks" market research report. 134 pages and 34 graphics covering Market Drivers for the unattended self-service kiosk market. For purposes of kiosk and interactive signage markets, the ATM, Vending and hybrid POS self-checkouts such as Walmart are not prime weighted factors.

The report is available by contacting any of the Kiosk Association gold sponsors. It is also available for sale by Research and Markets research store. Gold sponsors which may be contacted include: Olea Kiosks, Inc. , KioWare , Pyramid Computer , Frank Mayer and Associates, Inc. , Nanonation , KIOSK Information Systems , Kiosk Group , Vispero , Zebra , AUO , 22Miles , Honeywell , and LG Electronics Business Solutions .

ADA Accessibility News from Kiosk Association

Free Regulatory Checklist for Kiosks  14 Point Checklist ADA, Accessibility and PCI.

 14 Point Checklist ADA, Accessibility and PCI. US Access Board Free Seminar Reviewing Revised 508 Standard s, Requirements for Hardware and Software and Interactive Terminals Kiosks

s, Requirements for Hardware and Software and Interactive Terminals Kiosks Kiosk Association holds our second call this year with US Access Board prior to that seminar.

PCI Compliance and EMV Compliance

The Kiosk Association is conducting a poll on the direction of EMV deployments. We recommend all new deployments include EMV and Contactless. The target should be PCI-PTS v5 devices. Several RFPs have specified v3 which will only require replacing in a year. Worth noting a large segment is continuing with mag stripe only. Let us know what you think - take the poll . 30 seconds, one question and no registration required.

Questions - Contact Craig Keefner | [email protected] | 720.324.1837 m (text or call)

About the Kiosk Association:

Based in Colorado the Kiosk Association or KMA has served the unattended self-service kiosk market since 1995. We lead the effort to optimize self-service engagements and outcomes using technology such as kiosks, digital signage and displays, service, monitoring, and touchscreens.

ADA Accessibility and PCI EMV Compliance are the primary regulatory focus for the KMA. KMA is a Participating Organization with the PCI SSC. For ADA, the KMA meets annually with U.S. Access Board on accessibility standards for unattended. Additional market coverage includes digital signage, interactive digital, retail automation, Point-of-Sale and smart city. See us on LinkedIn . The Kiosk Association is available on https://kioskindustry.org and https://kma.global

*LOGO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-0315s2p-kioskma-300dpi.jpg

This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com

SOURCE Kiosk Manufacturer Association
KALAMAZOO, MI -- Western Michigan University will once again host a virtual commencement because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The spring commencement will be held virtually on Saturday, May 1, spokesperson Paula Davis said.

While we wish we could share this special day in person, we plan to honor the graduates in a meaningful way that will reflect our immense pride in everything they have achieved throughout their time at WMU, the university said on its website. The virtual ceremony will be as close to a traditional commencement experience as possible. More information, including viewing times, will be announced soon.

After the holiday break, in-person classes at the university resumed in January. Student move-in after the break was delayed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, because students traveled home between semesters.

Both Westerns spring and fall commencement in 2020 were held virtually because of the pandemic.

Across the state, colleges and universities are making plans to celebrate students however they can this spring amid ongoing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. The University of Michigans recent decision to host a virtual commencement was met by angry parents and students who rallied for in-person celebrations.

Grand Valley State University is also planning a virtual graduation ceremony.

In Kalamazoo, more than 1,100 people have signed a petition urging the university to host an in-person celebration. The petition In-Person Graduation for Spring 2021 Graduates at Western Michigan University has garnered 1,151 signatures, as of Monday, March 15.

The current positivity rate among those tested on-campus during the seven-day period ending on March 10 is 2.6%, according to the universitys COVID-19 dashboard.

Also on MLive:

268 infected in new coronavirus outbreaks at 56 schools, says Michigans March 15 school outbreak report

Michigan Republicans protest Comerica Park capacity limits for Tigers Opening Day

COVID-19 pandemic still teaching Michigan schools lessons a year later

Most classes will be in-person at University of Michigan this fall, officials say
The domestic airport sector is expected to incur a net loss of Rs 5,400 crore, and cash loss of Rs 3,500 crore in FY21, impacted by a 66 per cent year-on-year slip in passenger traffic amid COVID-19 induced travel restrictions, rating agency Icra said in a note on Monday.

It also said that given the significant delays in tariff orders in the past, timely tariff orders of regulator Airports Economic Regulatory Authority, which adequately compensates for the ongoing Capex and revenue loss due to COVID remains critical from the credit perspective.

According to the agency, domestic passenger traffic may drop by 61 per cent, while the international passenger traffic will nose dive by 85 per cent in 2020-21.

The industry, however, could see its profitability improving to Rs 190 crore backed by an expected massive 130 per cent year-on-year recovery in traffic in the next fiscal, the note stated.

The major growth drivers for the sectors in the near-term will be the success of mass vaccination, resumption of business travel, improvement in leisure travel, a ramp-up in non-aero revenue streams and monetisation of real-estate land parcels, it said.

"With the subdued international traffic, which has a higher yield per passenger when compared to domestic traffic, the revenues and profitability are adversely impacted in FY2021.

"The sector is expected to witness a decline in operating income by 61 per cent to Rs 8,400 crore while reporting an operating loss of around Rs 1,700 crore (-20 per cent margin) and a net loss of Rs 5,400 crore (-64 per cent margin) in FY2021," said Shubham Jain, Senior Vice President and Group Head at Icra.

The overall cash loss for the sector is estimated at around Rs 3,500 crore in FY2021, he said, adding with such significant losses, the debt coverage metrics have deteriorated sharply.

However, the liquidity of airport operators is robust with opening cash balances of Rs 8,100 crore as of March 31, 2020, which has supported in meeting the operational expenses, debt obligations and equity requirements for Capex, Jain said.

The liquidity is likely to deplete to around Rs 5,700 crore by March 31, 2021. The depletion of liquid reserves along with poor internal accrual generation could result in higher dependence on debt for the airports which are in the midst of large Capex, he added.

While the vaccination has started across major countries, the recovery in air travel in the international segment could be dampened by the recent rise in COVID-19 infections across nations, which could also result in longer restrictions on international traffic, the note said.

The passenger traffic levels are likely to reach almost 80 per cent of pre-COVID levels in FY 2022 translating to the overall traffic growth of around 130 per cent year-on-year, as per the agency.

According to the note, the sector is expected to witness improvement in operating income by 73 per cent to Rs 14,500 crore, while the operating profit is expected to improve to Rs 4,240 crore (29 per cent margin) and net profit to Rs 190 crore (1 per cent margin).

The ratings of airport operators continue to derive strength from the regulatory framework, which allows efficient cost-recovery from user tariff; the variation in passenger traffic due to economic cycles that often lead to temporary traffic decline are offset by truing-up the shortfall in the next regulatory period, albeit, with a lag, the note said.

Therefore, the loss of revenues on account of COVID-19 is expected to get largely recouped over the next control period for the airports developed on a PPP basis. Hence, the ratings in the sector have remained more resilient, Icra said in the note.

Slow ramp up in traffic would affect the cash flows available for debt servicing for airport operators adversely. This, along with large bullet repayments, is expected to result in a modest debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) cover in FY2022, it added.

However, the on-balance sheet liquidity for the airports is strong to meet the debt obligations. In FY2022, the interest coverage and DSCR are expected to improve to 2.4x and 1.5x, respectively. But, they will remain lower than interest cover and DSCR of 3.1x and 4.6x, respectively, in FY2020, Icra noted.

"The path to recovery in case of airports is longer; domestic air travel is expected to recover back to pre-COVID levels by FY2023 and the international sector by FY2024.

"Given the significant delays in tariff orders in the past, timely tariff orders from the regulator, which adequately compensates for the ongoing Capex and revenue loss due to COVID remains critical from the credit perspective," Jain said.
Getty Images / Contributed Photo

NEW HAVEN  A North Carolina man who fired a gunshot outside a New Haven home in 2019 has been sentenced to four years in federal prison in connection with the incident, according to prosecutors.

Jimmie Williamson, 38, of Durham, N.C., was sentenced Friday by Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer in New Haven to 48 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has received unconfirmed reports shots were fired at Enniskillen Police Station this afternoon.

In an anonymous call dissident republicans  using a recognised codeword  also claimed they have left a device near the police station.

Its the same group believed to be behind an ongoing security alert near the Fermanagh-Cavan Border.

More to follow...
Denver International Airport continued to dig itself out Monday after the city received more than two feet of snow over the weekend, resulting in the cancellation of more than 2,000 flights  including 1,300 on Sunday alone.

As of 1:30 p.m. EDT, the airport had just over 1,000 cancellations, per FlightAware. But it still accounted for the vast majority of the 1,100-plus canceled flights across the country and had the most cancellations of any airport in the world.

American, JetBlue and United had already issued waivers covering travel through Monday; Southwest and Frontier later extended theirs through Monday as well. Scroll down for the full list of airlines and destinations covered.

'Historic and crippling': Winter storm dumps over 25 inches of snow in Cheyenne, Wyoming; travel halted in Colorado and Nebraska

American Airlines

Dates covered: March 15

Destinations covered: Nine, including Denver, Aspen, Colorado Springs, Durango, Steamboat Springs and Vail

Details: https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/travel-alerts.jsp

Delta Air Lines

Dates covered: March 15

Destinations covered: Denver, Grand Junction and Colorado Springs

Details: https://www.delta.com/us/en/advisories/weather-alerts/Colorado-winter-weather

Frontier Airlines

Dates covered: March 15

Destinations covered: Denver and Colorado Springs

Details: https://www.flyfrontier.com/alert/?mobile=true

JetBlue Airways

Dates covered: March 15

Destinations covered: Three Colorado airports, including Denver, Montrose and Steamboat Springs

Details: https://www.jetblue.com/travel-alerts

Southwest Airlines

Dates covered: March 15

Destinations covered: Colorado Springs, Denver, Montrose-Telluride, Steamboat Springs

Details: https://www.southwest.com/html/advisories/swa_travel_advisory_2021291615320124537.html

United Airlines

Dates covered: March 15

Destinations covered: 10, including Denver, Colorado Springs, Vail, Aspen, Breckenridge in Colorado as well as Cheyenne, Wyoming

Details: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/notices.html

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Winter Storm: 1,100-plus canceled flights as Colorado digs out
LOME, Mar 8 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Mar, 2021 ) :The government of Togo welcomed its first batch of AstraZeneca anti-COVID-19 vaccines as part of the World Health Organization (WHO) COVAX facility at the Gnassingbe Eyadema International Airport Sunday night.

The batch included 156,000 doses of vaccines, 157,500 syringes and 1,575 safety boxes to be used for immunization targeting health personnel and people over 50 years in the capital Lome and its outskirts.

"It's a landmark moment we are experiencing today," said UNICEF Representative to Togo Dr. Aissata Ba Sidibe shortly after the first batch of the vaccines arrived at the airport in Lome.

"I would like to commend the efforts of the government of Togo to be one of the first countries in the world to receive the first batches COVAX initiative vaccines, so as to protect the most at risk populations against COVID-19," she said.

Mustafa Mijiyawa, the Togolese minister of Health, ensured that these were "approved vaccines" and declared the immunization operation will start by Thursday and Friday after debriefing Tuesday and Wednesday.

So far, Togo has registered a total of 7,570 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 6,306 people who have recovered, 1,172 patients under treatment and a death toll at 92, since it reported its first positive COVID-19 case on March 6, 2020.
An alternative approach to spending big on a new tractor might be to buy a large one for the demanding field work and a smaller one for the lesser tasks

The demand for power in the tractor market continues unabated with the average new tractor size increasing annually.

Alas, so does the cost, and any farmer looking to move up to 150hp plus will be spending well over 100,000 for a basic model from one of the mainstream manufacturers.

That is a lot of money and it begs the question as to whether it will be realistically recouped through increased productivity. This is especially so when the need for that power is limited to just a few days of mowing, harvesting or cultivating each year.

The expense does not stop at the initial price. Big tractors are expensive to run and maintain  150hp on a mower or large slurry tanker is quite justifiable nowadays, but may be wasted on a mounted fertiliser spreader or yard work with a front loader.

Calculating the true cost of operating a tractor is not complicated; the difficulties arise in deciding upon the numbers to use in the equations.

Depreciation

One of the biggest expenses is depreciation, a figure that relies on a selection of variables unique to each situation.

A quick scan of online sales sites suggests that a 150hp tractor is likely to lose 40-50pc of its value over five years, especially if the hours are greater than 500 annually.

Given its likely to lose at least 110,000 when new, an operator is faced with a running cost of up to 11,000 per year for depreciation alone.

This is not a comforting thought to those who only need that sort of power for a few days per year, so in this case can buying new can be justified?

This question is as old as tractors themselves, but what is new is the growing disparity in power requirements between tasks.

An alternative approach might be to spend the money on two used tractors instead a large one for the demanding field work and a smaller one for the lesser tasks that make up a good deal of a tractors running time.

A big issue with this plan is reliability. Although there are no hard and fast rules, five years is generally viewed as the point at

which problems begin to accrue at an increasing rate.

In addition, the reliability of a modern tractor will depend not so much on its mechanical condition but more on the state of its electronics.

A small but untraceable fault in loom, for instance, can reduce the value of an expensive machine to whatever a salvage yard is prepared to pay for it.

Advantages

That said, there are still advantages in taking the multi-tractor route.

The mainline unit can be used for the more demanding jobs where it will work efficiently. For the lighter jobs, a smaller tractor will, in turn, be more efficient than an oversized

unit.

As already noted, lower hours protect the residual value so using the larger machine less will reduce its depreciation, even when second hand.

Back-up machine

A higher level of depreciation on a smaller and cheaper machine is not as significant overall. Reliability concerns will also be mitigated by the presence of a back-up machine.

Time may also be saved in having two tractors available.

For example, mowing and tedding, are two weather-sensitive operations which could be performed concurrently. Minutes taken to switch implements are also reduced,

This may appear a minor consideration, but can make a big difference during busy periods.

Tractor-buying policy is often as much a personal preference as it is a logical decision. It could even be argued that due to the number of variables involved a dispassionate assessment is impossible.

Yet that doesnt preclude a long hard look at just what you might be able to purchase for the average cost of a new 150hp tractor.

Thanks to the internet, the number of used tractors realistically available to farmers has greatly increased over the past few years.

On one site alone a search for tractors of between 150 and 200hp with a maximum of 2500 hours yielded a choice of 370 machines available throughout Europe.

Looking through these offerings, you can buy a decent 150hp+ tractor for 70,000, leaving 40,000 available for a smaller machine if we take the 110,000 figure as our budget.

That balance will actually secure a brand new tractor of 100hp if you are prepared to look at non mainstream brands.

Yet nearly new machines from the big manufactures start appearing at less than two years old on some Irish listings site.

It is quite possible to buy something respectable for around 30,000, giving an overall 10,000 saving over a brand new 150hp tractor.

Two for the price of one with money to spare is not an unattractive proposition.
In a major re-shuffle, the Election Commission of India on Sunday suspended West Bengal's Director Security from his post in connection with the major lapse of security that resulted in the alleged 'attack' on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram. Suspending the SP and DM of East Medinipur, it also directed the Chief Secretary and DGP to identify security personnel who 'failed in their duties' to protect the CM over the next three days.

In addition, the Election Commission also appointed Former DGP Intelligence Punjab, Anil Kumar Sharma as Special Police Observer for the West Bengal polls. As Special Police Observer, Anil Kumar Sharma is the second Special Police Observer, in addition to Vivek Dube, to observe the conduct of elections in West Bengal.

Election Commission action on Nandigram incident: EC suspends Purba Medinipur SP Pravin Prakash. "Charges shall be framed against him for major failure of bandobast," the commission says.  ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2021

EC issues detailed directions

1. Shri Vivek Sahay IPS, Director Security shall be removed from the post of Director Security and be placed under suspension immediately. The charges must be framed against him within a week for grossly failing in discharge of his primary duty as Director Security to protect the Z+ protectee.

2. Chief Secretary, in consultation with DGP, is authorised to post suitable Director Security immediately following the extant procedure. Posting order may be communicated to the Commission latest by 1300 hours on 15th March 2021.

3. A Committee of Chief Secretary and DGP shall identify within the next three days the other proximate security personnel below Director Security, who failed in their duties to prevent the incident and protect the Z+ protectee VVIP and take suitable action for their failure under intimation to the Commission by 1700 hours on 17th March 2021.

4. Ms. Smita Pandey IAS: 2005 be posted immediately as DM and DEO, Purba Medinipur in place of Mr Vibhu Goel IAS who shall be transferred to a non-election post.

5. Mr Pravin Prakash, IPS, SP Purba Medinipur shall also be placed under suspension immediately and charges shall be framed against him for a major failure of bandobast.

6. Mr Sunil Kumar Yadav, IPS:2009 be posted immediately as SP Purba Medinipur in place of Mr Pravin Prakash, IPS.

7. Chief Secretary shall ensure that the investigation of Nandigram PS Case number 97/21 dated 11-03-2021 is completed and consequential action is taken as per law in the next 15 days. A report in this regard shall be sent to the Commission by 31st march 2021.

On Wednesday, hours after filing her nomination from Nandigram, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee abruptly left her on-ground campaign claiming that she was attacked by 4-5 people while she was returning after performing puja in a temple at Barulia Bazar in Nandigram. There, she had also claimed that no security official was present when she was attacked. Earlier in the day, the ECI ruled out the possibility of Mamata's injury being an 'attack' and said that details relating to this will be given in due course

West Bengal is set to go to polls in 8 phases - March 27, April 1, April 6, April 10, April 17, April 22, April 26, and April 29 with results to be announced on May 2.
A Swiss prosecutor is probing whether the late Saudi king broke any laws when he transferred $US100 million ($129 million) to a fund controlled by fellow royal Juan Carlos I of Spain in 2008.

Last month, a hearing was held behind closed doors in Geneva to discuss a legal opinion that prosecutor Yves Bertossa sought from scholars on whether the payment by the late King Abdullah could constitute a crime under Saudi law, according to documents seen by Bloomberg. Bertossa first solicited the advice in a July 23 letter to the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law.

King Abdullah reigned for nearly a decade until his death in 2015 at age 90. Credit:AP

Bertossas request for an opinion came just a month after Spanish Supreme Court prosecutors announced they would investigate whether Juan Carlos, who abdicated and lost his immunity from prosecution in 2014, could be pursued for possible crimes linked to a high-speed train contract in Saudi Arabia won by a Spanish-Saudi consortium.

Bertossas scrutiny of King Abdullah, the half-brother of the current king, could roil Switzerlands longstanding role as a preferred destination for Saudi wealth. Middle Eastern investors had 432 billion Swiss francs ($600 billion) stored in the country at the end of 2019, according to the Swiss Bankers Association, nearly a fifth of the total. Saudis flock to Geneva every July and August to avoid the fierce desert heat, staying in luxury villas along Lake Geneva.
Public Housing 2.0 could be coming to California.

For decades, cities across the United States have been moving away from public housing, tearing down or privatizing federally owned developments that are often isolated, mismanaged and deteriorating from lack of investment.

Now there is a growing movement to get the government back into the housing development game. Except this time the model is called social housing, and advocates say it has more in common with European or Asian models than the checkered legacy of U.S. public housing.

Two Bay Area lawmakers, Assembly Members Alex Lee of San Jose and Buffy Wicks of Berkeley, have introduced the Social Housing Act of 2021. The law would create a California Housing Authority, which would develop residential buildings to house the poor as well as middle-income households whose rent payments would help subsidize their neighbors.

The biggest difference I would say from American public housing and what we strive for with social housing is not restrict it to poor folks, Lee said, adding that the vision of mixed-income social housing means you can cross-subsidize for posterity and perpetuity.

Social housing is also gaining traction on the local level. Berkeley City Council Member Terry Taplin has asked staff to study the feasibility of social housing. In San Francisco, Supervisor Dean Preston has introduced a ballot measure that would authorize 10,000 units of social housing. And Oakland Councilwoman Carroll Fife has said she is interested in studying it for her city.

Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle

While the idea is in its infancy, Taplin said he wants to pursue innovative housing solutions that dont rely on the private market because the market has failed to guarantee housing.

When there was public housing, we didnt do the work to maintain it and make sure that everyone was living in safe conditions and we let a lot of that housing stock fall into disrepair, he said. But that doesnt mean we cant try to figure out a better way.

While the details are vague as to how social housing will be structured, financed and implemented, there is widespread agreement across political lines that the current system is broken.

The result is that housing production in the Bay Area largely caters to the extreme ends of the economic spectrum. On the one hand, Bay Area nonprofits build thousands of units for low-income residents using a complicated array of financing sources including tax credits, bonds and some city and state money. While these groups are successful at developing subsidized housing, the projects often face neighborhood opposition, take more than five years to develop and cost upward of $700,000 a unit. Housing proposals at both the Balboa Reservoir and Schlage Lock factory property have taken more than a decade to plan and gain approvals for construction.

Meanwhile, nonsubsidized housing is so expensive and difficult to build that developers can only make it profitable by catering to high-wage earners. Even with rents down 24% because of the pandemic, the average one-bedroom in San Francisco rents for $2,650, 44% higher than Seattle and 27% more than Los Angeles. The average home price is $1.4 million.

Wicks pointed to Singapore, where 82% of residents live in mixed-income housing estates built by the government and then sold to residents on a 99-year-lease. She also wants to study Vienna, which has 220,000 municipal housing units, a quarter of the capitals entire housing stock. There, social housing, built on government-owned land and operated by outside groups, is mixed-income with 50% low-income residents.

If you have statewide housing, its not impacted by the market, she said. The state can dictate what the rents are.

While the idea is gaining traction among affordable housing advocates, its also met with cynicism by those who argue that the U.S. public sector has a poor track record building and owning housing. Those critics say the last 30 years have proven that private nonprofits are more effective and efficient than the government at housing management and development. Multiple public housing authorities, including San Franciscos, have been taken over by other government agencies due to corruption and incompetence.

Modeling social housing after Europe and Asia could be tough, because in the countries where it has worked have very different attitudes toward government than we have in the U.S., according to Barry Zigas, a housing policy expert who has worked in both the public and private sectors for 40 years.

These are countries where government support of basic human necessities is a given, he said. Its not a controversial proposition. That is not the case here.

For now the concept of social housing seems to be popular among the two factions of the regions land-use politics, embraced by both the YIMBY movement, which supports all new housing development, and the progressives, which tends to favor affordable housing but not market-rate development.

Paul Kuroda / Special to The Chronicle

For social housing to work, the public authority would likely have to be able to bypass some of the local planning processes that make projects so time-consuming and expensive. For instance, state agencies such as the University of California are exempt from local zoning and planning rules, which allows them to build dorms and academic buildings far faster than the private sector can.

If we put social housing through the same rigamarole that we put nonprofit affordable housing through, it wouldnt address the underlying shortage problem, said San Francisco YIMBY Executive Director Laura Foote.

While Foote said she would love to see the creation of a state social housing authority that could overrule local rules, she thinks legislation has a better chance of passing if cities more receptive to dense development could opt into the program, while other cities opt out.

Former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, a developer and former mayor of San Antonio, thinks that a California Housing Authority would be helpful  not as a replacement for the current nonprofit tax credit model, but in addition to it.

The California case is so special. The need there is so great. There is such great wealth and rising incomes. Areas like San Francisco and Silicon Valley are paying the price in outmigration, in the loss of jobs, in traffic from people having to make long-distance commutes, he said. Its negatively impacting the larger economy. If some of that need can be filled with pure public housing, I would encourage it.

Derek Sagehorn, author of housing equity nonprofit East Bay for Everyones paper, titled California Housing Corporation: The Case for a Public Sector Developer, said that one reason past public housing efforts have failed is that they have only served a narrow swath of the poorest residents.

Politicians will work harder to represent those neighborhoods if they arent relegated to a corner of a city and focused specifically on the poor, he said. Having that broader coalition means you have more people that are invested in it.

J.K. Dineen and Sarah Ravani are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com, sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen, @SarRavani
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Deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn has urged the public not to lose sight of the "danger" Covid-19 poses.

It comes as 575 additional cases of the virus and no new deaths were reported this evening.

There is now a total of 227,316 confirmed cases of the virus here, while the death toll stands at 4,534.

Read More

Dr Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, said: While there has been a very understandable focus on the vaccine programme over recent days, we must not lose sight of the danger that Covid-19 continues to pose.

"While, in time, vaccines will have a very significant positive impact on Covid, they will not stop a further wave of disease over the coming weeks. We are seeing this play out across Europe with many countries now experiencing pressure on their hospital and critical care capacities. We must not let this happen here.

Together, we have done an extraordinary job of driving down incidence of disease. These efforts are cause for real hope and, if we can return to decreasing indicators of disease, we can continue to protect our loved ones and look forward to much brighter days ahead.

Of the cases notified today, 232 are in Dublin, 48 in Meath, 41 in Tipperary, 38 in Kildare, 30 in Galway and the remaining 186 cases are spread across 20 other counties.

As of 8am today, 360 Covid-19 patients are in hospital, of which 85 are in ICU.

As of March 12, 606,904 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland with 443,092 people having received their first dose, and 163,812 people receiving their second.

Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the Nphet Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said: I noted last week that we are also seeing an increase in mobility, and, while some increase is to be expected due to many returning to school, we must continue to be very cautious. Now is not the time to be socialising, its just too risky.

We must do all we can to continue to suppress this virus and to ensure that as many people as possible get to benefit from vaccination over the coming months. Each of us knows the range of tried and trusted tools at our disposal.

"If we continue to keep our distance, wash our hands, wear face masks and stay home we will continue to drive down transmission of this disease.

Professor Karina Butler, Chair of National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) said health officials are continuing to review the AstraZeneca vaccine.

All vaccines authorised for use Ireland are proven to be very effective against severe Covid-19 disease. The safety of vaccines is underpinned by the ongoing monitoring that the NIAC, the HPRA and the EMA undertake on a rolling basis," she said.

Professor Butler added: We will continue to monitor the situation relating to COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca and if we can be satisfied that these events are coincidental and not caused by this vaccine, we will reassess the situation and our recommendations.

"The HPRA will keep NIAC fully informed as the EMA investigation progresses and we, in turn, will ensure to keep you updated.

It comes as 30,000 people due to get AstraZeneca jab this week will have their vaccinations rescheduled in the next few weeks.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said he hopes most of the people whose vaccines are being deferred will receive their first dose by the end of the month without affecting the rollout of vaccine to other people.

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Use of the jab was suspended on Sunday as a precaution after reports of serious clotting in adults in Norway which left four people in hospital.

Mr Donnelly said he understood that people were naturally disappointed by the deferral of their appointments but that the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) and the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) had acted decisively and quickly in response to new information late on Saturday night about the Norway cases.

He added that he had no hesitancy in temporarily suspending use of the AstraZeneca jab and that he hopes it will only be for a short period.

Mr Donnelly told RTE Radio 1s Morning Ireland programme: Hopefully the 30,000 for this week will be rescheduled very, very quickly.

So will everybody be done within the time left in March? Id say pretty close, possibly, maybe there may be a bit of spillover into April, but very, very quickly.

We should be able to reschedule them and in so doing, not have to delay other people. So in other words, do the 30,000 at the same time as people who we were planning on doing in the coming weeks as well.

Mr Donnelly defended the States vaccination programme, highlighting that 99% of people over the age of 85 have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine within a three-week period as planned.

The vast majority of the target groups for the GPs are being done, he said.

For example the group 85 and older, there was a three-week period for the GPs to vaccinate that group.

And there was understandably some focus on some of the things that didnt work which is absolutely fair and lessons needed to be learned, but within that three weeks 99pc of that cohort were still vaccinated.
A scene from Blue Planet II, showing a walrus mother and her pup resting on an iceberg (PA)

A giant walrus the size of a dairy bull has landed on the rocks in Valentia Island in what is believed to be the first-ever sighting of the North Pole species in Ireland.

Local man Alan Houlihan and his five-year-old daughter Muireann spotted it breaching out of the water as they walked along Glanleam Beach on the Kerry island this morning.

Marine biologist Kevin Flannery believes the Arctic creature could have fallen asleep on an iceberg before being carried across the Atlantic ocean to Kerry.

Mr Houlihan said Muireann was the first to spot the giant creature on their stroll.

Muireann is the David Attenborough of Valencia Island.

Hes huge, hes about the size of a bull or a cow.

Myself and my daughter were out walking on the beach down near the lighthouse, he said. He breached out of the water onto the rocks and gave us a bit of a show.

I thought it was a seal at first and then we saw the tusks. He kind of jumped up on the rocks. He was massive. He was about the size of a bull or a cow, pretty similar in size, hes big, big.

He was right beside us, less than 50 metres away from us. He went off again for a while and he came back and went back to the rocks.

He was sitting on the rock now kind of posing, at one stage there he threw up a fin and it looked like he was giving us all the birdie.

The director of Dingle Oceanworld, Kevin Flannery, said it is an amazing sight.

Its incredible. This is the first confirmed sighting of a walrus. Its a one-off as far as Im concerned.

I havent seen it before, maybe others might have thought they saw one before but this is a definite confirmation of one.

The leading marine biologist has his own theory on how he ended up in Kerry.
By Colin Packham and Melanie Burton

CANBERRA/MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of women gathered outside Australia's parliament and across the country on Monday, calling for gender equality and justice for victims of sexual assault.

The March 4 Justice rallies were spurred by a recent wave of allegations of sexual abuse, discrimination and misconduct in some of Australia's highest political offices.

Women wore black to signal "strength and mourning" and chanted "We will not be silenced". Protestors in Melbourne carried a metres-long white banner bearing the names of women killed in Australia from gendered violence since 2008, while those outside Parliament House in Canberra prepared to deliver two petitions demanding change.

While leaders of the major opposition political parties came out to join the crowds in Canberra, a delegation of organisers rejected an invitation to meet with Prime Minister Scott Morrison in private.

"We've come to his front garden," Janine Hendry, one of the organisers, told Reuters. "We are 200 metres from his office and it's not appropriate for us to meet behind closed doors especially when we are talking about sexual assault which does happen behind closed doors."

Recently reported scandals include a rape allegation against Attorney-General Christian Porter, who has strongly denied the alleged 1988 assault.

Porter lodged defamation proceedings in Australia's Federal Court on Monday against the Australian Broadcasting Corp over a news article on the alleged rape. The ABC did not immediately respond to the legal action.

A former senior political adviser for Morrison's Liberal Party has also been accused by several women of rape or sexual assault. The man has not been named, nor commented publicly on the allegations.

The public anger over the government's handling of the alleged incidents mirrors the sentiment on display at protests in London over the weekend following the killing of 33-year-old Sarah Everard, who disappeared while walking home at night-time.

Story continues

Morrison had been enjoying strong public approval ratings, chiefly for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, but a Newspoll conducted for The Australian newspaper published on Sunday showed the centre-left Labor party has pulled ahead of Morrison's Liberal-led coalition on a two-party preferred basis.

Morrison said Australia had made big strides toward gender equality over the years, though he acknowledged the job was "far from done" and he shared the concerns of the protestors.

However, he raised some hackles by expressing pride in the right to peaceful protest: "Not far from here, such marches, even now, are being met with bullets, but not in this country."

Among the gatherings, protestors in the seaside town of Torquay lined up on the beach to form the word "justice".

"The start of the solution is quite simple  making noise," Grace Tame, a sexual assault survivor and advocate who was named Australian of the Year, told the crowd in Tasmania.

CORRIDORS OF POWER

The politically charged assault allegations are expected to dominate parliamentary proceedings in coming days. Both Porter and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds - who has been criticised for failing to report an alleged rape of one of her former staff members by another - are both on sick leave.

Reynolds on Friday apologised "unreservedly" and reached a financial settlement with her former staff member Brittany Higgins over the latter's allegation of rape by the unnamed former Liberal employee in Parliament House. Reynolds had called Higgins a "lying cow" in front of staff, a comment she said referred to comments by Higgins about her treatment after the alleged assault, not the attack itself.

Higgins told the gathering in Canberra she hoped to bring about changes to workplace culture to "ensure the next generation of women can benefit from a safer and more equitable Australia."

Deirdre Heitmeyer, 68, said she drove for more than six hours to attend the protest.

"I can't believe we have to still do this," she told Reuters. "We were out in the 1970s calling for equality and we are still here."

(Reporting by Colin Packham and Melanie Burton; Additional reporting by Jill Gralow and Renju Jose; Writing by Jonathan Barrett; Editing by Jane Wardell)
The woman had been treated as a Jane Doe after an anonymous caller dialed 911 about 8:30 a.m. Sunday to report her body was in an alley in the 2600 block of West Gladys Avenue, according to Kellie Bartoli, a police spokeswoman. Monday afternoon the Cook County medical examiners office said she had been identified as Melissa Grilli, 34, from the 1800 block South Gunderson Avenue, Berwyn.
Syrians shop at a market in Damascus, as the nations marks 10 years of war (ANSA)

As Syria marks a full decade of civil war, the Holy Sees humanitarian arm for the Oriental Churches is expressing Pope Francis care and concern for all Syrians through a host of projects to rebuild the war-torn nation.

By Devin Watkins

Syria marks a grim anniversary on Monday: Its been 10 years since the so-called day of rage, when discontent with the government of Bashar al-Assad boiled over into massive street protests.

A violent crackdown on demonstrators led to an armed insurrection which spiraled into a civil war.

Pope Francis marked this 10th anniversary of bloodshed a day earlier with a renewed appeal for peace in beloved and martyred Syria. Yet, his concern and care go beyond mere words and appeals.

ROACO, the Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches, has accompanied the Syrian people in the Popes name ever since conflict broke out.

The humanitarian arm of the Vaticans Congregation for the Oriental Churches unites a host of aid agencies to assist suffering populations in rebuilding churches, homes, schools, and healthcare facilities.

Msgr. Kuriacose Cherupuzhathottathil, the Secretary of ROACO, spoke to Vatican Radios Antonella Palermo about the many ways the Church is helping Syrians deal with the ongoing crisis.

The agencies and the Oriental Congregation, together with the local Churches, try to stay close to the people in need and help them, said Msgr. Kuriacose. We try to provide them with basic necessities, like food and shelter.

Listen to the full interview

Sign of Popes love

The aid and funding delivered by ROACO are not only a sign of the Churchs solidarity. They are also an expression of the Popes care, according to the Secretary.

All projects that are financed in Syria demonstrate the love of the Holy Father to this nation, he said. Because we, as the Congregation and agencies of ROACO, work in the name of the Holy Father. Actually, every gesture of aid to Syria demonstrates his love and his attention to this nation, which requires much more than what we do today.

Binding up Syrias wounds

Those projects, said Msgr. Kuriacose, include the reconstruction of three Catholic hospitals in Syria. These healthcare facilities offer Syrians an important lifeline, and many services are offered free-of-charge for those in need.

ROACO also helps to finance the construction of churches, monasteries, religious houses, social and humanitarian projects, and catechetical centers.

Syria is a wounded and bleeding nation, according to Msgr. Kuriacose, and we are trying our best, as ROACO, to heal the wounds by providing the help the people need.

Preparing terrain for refugees return

However, added the Secretary, some of ROACOs most important aid goes toward helping Syrians stay in their nation, as well as assisting those who wish to return home.

Over 5 million of them have fled the destruction, while another 6 million are internally displaced.

The United Nations says some 13.4 million Syrians within the country require some form of humanitarian assistance.

For these people to come home, or back to where they lived before, they need security, said Msgr. Kuriacose. So, what we are trying to do is to accompany them where they are now, and we try to accompany them in their suffering, and also provide them hope.

He said those seeds of hope come in the form of preparing the terrain for their return, like rebuilding homes, schools, and clinics.

Msgr. Kuriacose added that ROACO continues is work, because the necessities are so alarming.

In order to construct a peaceful society, we have to do a lot more, he said.

Childrens hope for a better future

Msgr. Kuriacose concluded the interview recalling a personal experience which touched him deeply.

While visiting a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon in 2018, he said his delegation visited a ROACO-funded school for around 600 children.

He said that despite their cramped conditions and difficult daily lives, he could see in the eyes of those children the light and hope for a better future.

I am sure, he concluded, that those children would considereven though the experience they are living is hardthat these difficult times are a stepping stone for their future, which I hope they will live in Syria and not in a refugee camp in any other country, as they help in the reconstruction of Syria.
Julia Moriconis first taste of Worcester came during one of its darkest hours.

As a firefighter in Chicago, Moriconi traveled nearly 1,000 miles east in December of 1999 after six Worcester firefighters lost their lives in the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. blaze.

Photos from the event show Moriconi standing on the stage as part of the honor guard in the ceremony at the then-Worcester Centrum that honored the six fallen heroes. Moriconi, who was 32 years old at the time, stood next to Firefighter Paul Brothertons photo as former President Bill Clinton addressed the crowd.

It was a very, very emotional week and a week of bonds, Moriconi said. We bonded with people. I still talk to people around the country that I met.

Moriconi returned to Chicago after the ceremony but trekked back to Worcester annually to participate in fundraisers for the fallen firefighters.

Her love for the city only intensified.

I left my heart in the city, Moriconi said.

More than two decades later Moriconi lives in Worcester. No longer a firefighter, the 53-year-old is now a small business owner in the city, opening Mrs. Moriconis Ice Cream amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Julia Moriconi (bottom, center) stands as part of the honor guard during a ceremony at the Worcester Centrum in 1999 that honored six Worcester firefighters who died in a blaze at the Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. building.

The journey to opening the ice cream shop in the Sprinkler Factory on Harlow Street included many turns and countless hurdles during the pandemic.

Following her career as a firefighter and paramedic, Moriconi pursued a passion for baking.

Im happiest when I bake, she said.

Following her heart, she enrolled in an elite pastry school in New York City at 45 years old, which she described as more difficult than the firefighter academy.

I was the oldest person in my class. I was the crone, Moriconi said. It was intensive. It was extremely intensive.

Still, Moriconi excelled, especially with dairy-based desserts. The school suggested, if Moriconi was serious about dairy cuisine, that she enroll at Penn State Universitys ice cream course. After four years on the schools waitlist, she received a call.

When she did, Moriconi not only enrolled in the ice cream course but the universitys entire dairy program.

I said to my husband, Im going to be commuting to Penn State for an entire school year, Moriconi said. He just kind of looked at me, put his hands up and said, Yeah you went to New York for a year, whats new?

Moriconi and her husband live about five minutes from Worcester Regional Airport. The classes began just as American Airlines added a flight to Philadelphia at the airport. Every other week, Moriconi would fly from Worcester to Philadelphia then to State College, Pennsylvania for the classes.

Residents of Worcester County are now reaping the benefits of Moriconis travels, education and her connection to the second-largest city in New England.

The couple moved to Worcester in 2015.

At the start of 2020, Moriconi lined up Small Business Administration funding and selected a potential location in Worcesters Canal District.

Julia Moriconi operates Mrs. Moriconi's Ice Cream at the Sprinkler Factory in Worcester every Saturday. Moriconi began the business during the COVID-19 pandemic.

One final preparation paused the pursuit of a Water Street location. Moriconi and her husband flew to Italy for the worlds largest pastry expo in January.

We knew there was something going on in China, but once we got to Italy, they kept saying they were having an influenza epidemic, Moriconi said. Thats all we saw.

It wasnt influenza but coronavirus. Moriconi and her husband saw the images that many Americans only witnessed in blips on the evening news or photographs online.

We saw so many people that were sick, Moriconi said. There were people laying on the sidewalk near a hospital wrapped around the block. It was terrible.

Moriconis husband soon became sick then she contracted the illness. She was eventually admitted to a hospital in London, but because she didnt travel to China, she wasnt tested for coronavirus.

They said, Oh its just ear infections, throat infections, pneumonia. Theyre giving me all these diagnoses that we later found out were attributed to COVID, Moriconi said.

Moriconi and her husband were then allowed to board a plane back to JFK Airport in New York City for an eight-hour layover, likely still contagious from what they presume was COVID months before any mask mandate and weeks before the first documented case in Massachusetts.

After returning home to Worcester, Moriconi focused on signing a lease for a spot on Water Street within Worcesters bustling Canal District. The negotiations coincided with the opening of the Worcester Public Market in the neighborhood but other businesses like Bay State Brewing Co. along with Suzette Creperie & Cafe and OneZo.

As March progressed, Moriconi continued firing off emails to the owner but never heard a response. By mid-March, she realized why.

I was so busy, I wasnt paying attention to the news and I realized, Oh my God, were shutting down, Moriconi said. I thought, wow, I have to sit this year out after all I did.

Initially, Moriconi paused her plans for opening in 2020, but seeing other businesses in the city open and persevere inspired her to move forward.

I cant stand sitting around, Moriconi said. I thought, what can I do? And all these people who knew what I was trying to do kept emailing me about when Im making ice cream.

Julia Moriconi operates Mrs. Moriconi's Ice Cream at the Sprinkler Factory in Worcester every Saturday. Moriconi began the business during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While still searching for a home to her business, Moriconi agreed to participate in the Shrewsbury Farmers Market once she began operations.

The pandemic delayed her ability to produce ice cream because freezers became as valuable and scarce as PPE, hand sanitizer and toilet paper.

Ordinary freezers were difficult to find because people purchased them to stock up on food. Moriconi needed a batch freezer for her operation. They were even more difficult to find.

Ice cream companies were exploding, Moriconi said. They were ordering any batch freezer that was available in the country.

Once Moriconi finally located a batch freezer, it was delayed in North Carolina due to a COVID outbreak.

Through all the obstacles played in her path, Moriconi debut at the farmers market on July 8 with 100 pints of ice cream. She sold out in 90 minutes.

I thought, I need a bigger machine, Moriconi said.

Mrs. Moriconis Ice Cream is currently created on a farm in Dunstable that produces ice cream. The machinery available at the farm allows Moriconi to produce 200 pints of ice cream in four hours.

After making the ice cream, it hardens overnight before Moriconi transports it in a refrigerated cart to the Sprinkler Factory. Mrs. Moriconis Ice Cream is open inside the building that houses arts and creative businesses from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.

If the small weekend window doesnt work for customers, as many restaurants did during the pandemic, Moriconi implemented a delivery service.

I just put it out there that I would deliver to Worcester and the surrounding areas on one day, MetroWest on another and Boston on another, Moriconi said. People responded.

Saturday afternoon, Moriconi shuffled between a freezer and an adjacent table as she packed brown paper bags with pints and half pints of ice cream for online orders.

About 20 minutes after opening at the Sprinkler Factory, a middle-aged couple walked through the door and stopped in front of Moriconis booth.

We remember you from Redemption Rock, the woman said.

Julia Moriconi operates Mrs. Moriconi's Ice Cream at the Sprinkler Factory in Worcester every Saturday. Moriconi began the business during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2019, before the trip to Italy, before freezer shortages or even the Shrewsbury Farmers Market, Moriconi hosted a handful of pop ups, including one at Redemption Rock Brewing Co. in Worcester.

At the time, she was only making cheesecakes from homemade cream cheese along with homemade Italian ice cream.

I was just trying to get my name out and get to know people, Moriconi said. Thats so refreshing that people from two years ago sought me out.

This time around the couples eyes grew larger above their masks as they stared at list of flavors Moriconi had stashed in her freezer: Milk and Cookies, featuring chocolate chip cookies from Crust Bakeshop; PB and J, another collaboration with Crust; Sicilian Pistachio; Sprinkles, which a portion of the proceeds goes back to the Sprinkler Factory; and many more.

Ive upped my game a bit, Moriconi said. I only used to have two or three flavors.

Julia Moriconi operates Mrs. Moriconi's Ice Cream at the Sprinkler Factory in Worcester every Saturday. Moriconi began the business during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For now, Mrs. Moriconis Ice Cream will reside in the Sprinkler Factory for three hours each Saturday as shes paused searching for a larger permanent location. She also envisions pop ups in the summer.

As the city climbs out of the pandemic with a sense of optimism, Moriconi shares a similar sentiment.

Things look really great for me and if things look great for me, things look great for Worcester, Moriconi said. Thats how I feel.

Related Content:
Daniel Agbesi-Latsu, Kadjebi District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has urged Ghanaians to dispel the conspiracy theories and myths against the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out in the country.



Mr Agbesi-Latsu said conspiracy theories should be treated with contempt, adding that they have no scientific proof.



He said the vaccination would contribute to the reduction in COVID-19 ill-health and deaths and also enhance the mental and psychosocial well-being of Ghanaians.



Addressing congregants of the Roman Catholic (R.C) Church at Mempeasem in the Kadjebi District of the Oti Region, Mr Agbesi-Latsu, said the COVID-19 vaccination would also reduce disruption in social and economic functions and proof of COVID-19 vaccine for travel.



He said the post-recovery effect of the pandemic was so dire and called on all to protect themselves against the disease.



Mr Agbesi-Latsu said there were reports of patients with protracted symptoms such as coughing, impotence, infertility, fainting, forgetfulness, shortness of breathing, among others, as a post-COVID-19 syndrome and thus, urged everyone to get vaccinated.



He also advised them to adhere to the COVID-19 preventive and safety protocols since the vaccination would serve as additional protection against the pandemic.



Mr Augustine Abofuah, the Catechist of the Mempeasem R.C Church, urged the congregation to get vaccinated since the vaccines were safe, simple and effective tools to prevent diseases.



He said the vaccination would help minimise the risk of complications of infected persons, so everyone should get involved.



The Commission also sensitised members of Menuso, Titiaka, Yadzo, Ahamansu and other communities on the pandemic and the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out.

Source: GNA









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Madrid, March 15 : The Spanish National Police anounced that they have dismantled the "biggest" cocaine distribution network operating in the country.

The National Police confirmed on Sunday that the operation was carried out in collaboration with the Colombian National Police, with investigations starting in early 2020, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Dismantled: the biggest cocaine distribution network in Madrid," they reported on social media, adding that "12 people have been arrested in Badajoz, Guadalajara, Madrid, Malaga and Valencia and 600 kg of cocaine seized".

Searches were also carried out in Marbella and Pinto, Parla and Pozuelo de Alarcon, all close to Madrid.

The organisation that has been dismantled controlled a network of safe houses where they stored the drugs before distributing it around Spain.

The National Police explained that "due to the danger of the members of the group, the intervention of the Special Operations Group (GEO) was necessary".

The GEO is an elite unit specialised in high-risk operations.
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Power Metal Resources has a diverse portfolio of exploration and development assets

PLC ( ) accelerated its earn-in to the Silver Peak silver project in British Colombia, Canada.

The project includes the Eureka-Victoria silver mine, the first Crown-granted mineral property in British Colombia.

Power Metal holds a 30% interest in the project and is now forming a project holding company.

Power Metal agreed with its partners who hold the remaining 70% interest in Silver Peak to list the project holding company on a recognised stock exchange. The process has now commenced with tthe relevant paperwork being prepared.

Power Metal agreed to pay the C$108,952 remaining under the exploration earn-in commitment of C$250,000 into the new holding company to extinguish that earn-in requirement. This payment will be made from existing cash resources.

Power Metal has also elected to satisfy the final earn-in payment to secure its 30% project interest through the issue of 5,139,281 new ordinary shares of 0.1p at a price of 2.225p along with the issue of 2,569,641 warrants at 2.89p.

"Alongside its extensive exploration activities Power Metal is intent on generating material organic value from corporate work in respect of its portfolio of interests, said Power Metals chief executive Paul Johnson.

In just seven months since we engaged with Silver Peak we are now, with our partners, planning to move this project interest into its own independent listing. The level of interest in quality silver projects is considerable and we believe that material value can be generated for Power Metal through the listing of Silver Peak.

Power Metal now has three project interests moving forward with planned IPOs: Silver Peak, Kanye Resources in Botswana, and the Australia gold joint venture with ( ).
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 13:25:59|Editor: huaxia

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SYDNEY, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 cases in Papua New Guinea (PNG) stood at well over 2,000 on Monday as officials sought a solution to the recent steep rise.

Virus numbers has more than doubled in PNG within the past month -- largely in the capital city of Port Moresby -- raising concerns about the ability of local medical services to cope.

Prime Minister James Marape returned to the capital from East Sepik province, where he was attending funeral services for former leader Sir Michael Somare.

"I have to return back to sit with the doctors and scientists and find a way forward for the country both clinically and non-clinically. I will return back for the burial tomorrow," Marape told local outlet, the Post Courier.

Close to half of PNG's cases have been recorded in the National Capital District (NCD), with National Pandemic Controller David Manning urging not to let the virus spread further to rural regions where medical resources were even more scarce.

"We must do all we can to ensure this virus does not spread to the rural and remote areas of our country," Manning said.

No further containment measures were introduced to cope with the surge. However, Manning urged all residents to follow health advice, and business owners to take responsibility.

"If you want to continue to operate your business without the government imposing strict measures, please do your part by following the health rules in place. It is for the good of everyone," Manning said. Enditem
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Georgia on Monday began a national coronavirus vaccine drive by inoculating medical workers with the AstraZeneca jab, rejecting concerns over side effects that have led several EU countries to halt its use.

The low-cost shot is crucial to rollouts in poorer parts of the world but several countries including the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway have paused inoculations with AstraZeneca over blood clot fears.

"We received some 43,000 doses of AstraZeneca through Covax and began today vaccinating medical staff," deputy director of the national centre for decease control Paata Imnadze told AFP, referring to the UN's mechanism for vaccine distributions.

"We are confident that AstraZeneca is safe. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have said there is no evidence linking between the vaccine and clotting," he added.

Imnadze said Georgia expects to receive batches of the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine in the near future and plans to inoculate 60 percent of the country's population by the end of the year.

The Black Sea nation of some 3.7 million people has so far reported 268,565 coronavirus cases and 3,650 deaths.

The WHO said last week there was no reason to stop using AstraZeneca, which is one of only three COVID-19 vaccines with the organisation's approval.

The EU's drug regulator, EMA, has said European countries could continue using the vaccine even though there were 30 cases of so-called thromboembolic events among five million people who had received the jab in Europe.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
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U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas to Asia surged by 67 percent in 2020 as total LNG exports out of the United States jumped by 32 percent despite the record-low demand and prices last summer due to the pandemic, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Monday.

The relatively high export levels from January to May and the rebound in exports in the latter part of last year more than offset the record low export volumes from the summer of 2020, when global demand and global LNG prices were very low.

In two consecutive months, November and December 2020, the U.S. set new records of LNG export volumes. The U.S. exported 9.4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of LNG in November 2020 and then smashed that record in the following month when LNG exports averaged 9.8 billion Bcf/d in December, EIA data has shown.

Total U.S. exports of LNG thus continued to march higher in 2020 despite the pandemic and averaged 6.6 Bcf/d on an annual basis, up by 32 percent compared to 2019.

American LNG exports to Asia surged by 67 percent last year, and accounted for nearly halfor 3.1 Bcf/dof all LNG exports out of the United States, according to EIA data.

The key driver of the surge in U.S. exports to Asia was China, which significantly boosted its imports of American LNG after lowering its tariffs on imports of U.S. LNG to 10 percent from 25 percent. When tariffs were 25 percent in 2019, just two cargoes of LNG were shipped from the United States to China, the EIA said.

India and Japan also boosted imports of U.S. LNG. India took advantage of the record low LNG prices in the spring and summer of 2020 to stock up on American LNG, while Japan increased its imports from the U.S. in the last quarter of 2020, thanks to high seasonal winter demand and new long-term supply contracts.

U.S. LNG exports to Europe also rose last year by 0.6 Bcf/d to average 2.5 Bcf/d. Exports increased to Turkey, the UK, Spain, Greece, and Lithuania, according to EIA data.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Mining magnate Gina Rinehart has announced she will be parting ways with a large portion of her cattle farms in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.

The nation's richest woman has put almost two million of combined hectares on the market, and will reportedly make $300million from the sale.

The agricultural arm of Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting announced on Sunday that 20 per cent of their cattle portfolio would be included.

Mining magnate Gina Magnate will part ways with almost two million combined hectares

The sale includes 1.876 million hectares across seven properties in Western Australia, with the profits to be shared with joint venture partner S. Kidman and Co.

Elders, the real estate specialists handling the properties, described the sale as 'a rare opportunity' to buy land with 'rich histories in the Australian beef industry'.

Potential buyers have the opportunity to purchase stand-alone properties on a 'walk in, walk out' basis, reported Real Commercial.

The sell of seven properties will reportedly make the nation's richest woman $300 million, pictured: Willeroo Station, NT

In the Northern Territory Rinehart will part ways with neighbouring properties Aroona Station and Willeroo Station located just 100 kilometres from the Katherine.

The sweeping properties have a combined carrying capacity of 33,125 animals and almost 320,000 hectares.

Rinehart's Riveren Station and Inverway Station are also on the market with a combined 726,400 hectares and a carrying capacity of 61,376.

The agricultural arm of Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting has announced they will be parting ways with 20 per cent of their cattle portfolio in the sale, pictured: Phoenix Park Station, WA

In Western Australia Rinehart will sell more than one million hectares of land, including Nerrima Station, Phoenix Park, Ruby Plains and her Stuart Creek stations.

The extensive portfolio is expected to send 45,000 head of cattle to market per year, with 108,000 cattle and offspring spread across the stations.

Elders will entice buyers with a number of strategic feeding ports and export depots on the properties, and are inviting expressions of interest to be submitted now.

Elders real estate manager Tom Russo described the sale as 'a rare opportunity' to buy land with 'rich histories in the Australian beef industry', pictured: Aroona Station, NT

'The geographic locations of the stations, coupled with the completion of an extensive and high-quality capital improvements program and a refinement of the breeder herd allows for the operation of an efficient beef production enterprise which enjoys economies of scale and operational flexibility,' said Elders general manager Tom Russo.

The impressive portfolio has also hit the market at a time of favourable seasonal conditions for northern cattle producers, said Elders NT and Northern Queensland area manager Paul McCormick.

Mr McCormick said the return of the wet season in the Northern Territory has been a significant confidence boost for the cattle industry.

The seven cattle stations are spread across Western Australia and the Northern Territory, pictured: Ruby Plains Station, WA

'This, coupled with better than average rainfall in Northern Queensland, continues to drive unprecedent livestock demand and an increasingly favourable outlook for producers,' he said.

Rinehart's Hancock Australia is the second largest producer of Australian beef in the nation, just behind Australia's Agricultural Company and boasts the world's largest full-blood and pure bred wagyu herd.

After the sale the company will continue to operate cattle stations across Queensland, South Australia, New South Wales and the Northern Territory.

After focusing on improving the properties technology infrastructure, animal welfare and water storage, the agribusiness 'is now looking to complete its investment cycle and focus on other areas of growth in its agricultural operations.'
Rob Gronkowski returning to the Buccaneers might not be a slam dunk.

Though the tight end said his preference is to keep playing in Tampa Bay, hes going to see what other offers are out there in free agency. At 31 years old, Gronkowski has never been a free agent before.

I definitely want to be back with the Buccaneers. Thats where my eyesight is. Thats where Im leaning toward, big time, Gronkowski said on the 10 Questions with Kyle Brandt podcast. But with the free agency process, you just never know what may happen. Theres some other teams interested out there, too. Ive also never been a part of the free agency process, so I actually want to dip my toes in, just to see whats out there.

Gronkowski, who starred in Super Bowl LV, said from here on out hes only interested in one-year contracts. As it stands, the Buccaneers have less than $10 million in salary cap space, per Over The Cap.

Its pretty rare to see someone to ever even finish a contract in the NFL, so that was pretty special there, Gronkowski said. But Ive never been a free agent before, but Im planning on being a free agent after every season. I feel like Im a one-year deal guy for the rest of my career  even if I play 10 more years. Im going to be a one-year deal guy, a free agent every year, and just control my destiny every year.

Beyond just the talented roster, Gronkowski could be enticed to return to Tampa Bay because of the lighter workload, too. Bruce Arians gave Gronkowski the option to skip practices, telling the Los Angeles Times hed never been allowed to do that in New England.

Even with Gronk Id say, Dude, youre not practicing on Wednesdays. I need you on Sunday. I dont need you on Thursday, " Arians said. And he was like, Oh, man, Ill be fresh. Ill be like, super. I told him that if he ever needed a day off, he should just let me know. Because he never had days off before.

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Plenty of history was made when the Academy Award nominations were announced Monday morning, but it just wouldnt be the Oscars without a few swerves and head-scratching omissions. Below, the Projectionist surveys the biggest surprises and most high-profile snubs.

Who leads Judas and the Black Messiah?

When two men or two women colead an Oscar contender, you can bet that savvy strategists will position one as a lead and one as a supporting role in a bid to spread the wealth and get them both nominated. That was the original plan for Judas and the Black Messiah, where Lakeith Stanfield was deemed the lead, mostly so he could get out of the way of Daniel Kaluuya, whos been racking up supporting-actor wins all seasons. But in a big surprise, Stanfield picked up more votes in the supporting-actor category, so both men earned their nominations there. It does raise the question, though: If Stanfield and Kaluuya are both supporting actors, then who exactly is this movie supposed to be about?

Aaron Sorkin gets the Argo treatment.

Though The Trial of the Chicago 7 is one of the most nominated Oscar contenders and Aaron Sorkin picked up a nomination for his screenplay, he was left out of the best-director lineup entirely as Another Round director Thomas Vinterberg nabbed the spot most expected would go to Sorkin. Still, plenty of history was made in that category: The Nomadland director Chloe Zhao became the first Chinese woman and first woman of color to be nominated for best director, and alongside Promising Young Woman filmmaker Emerald Fennell, this is the first time in Oscar history that two women were nominated in the best-director category at the same time.
LAST SUNDAY marked the centenary of the deaths of Joseph ODonoghue, Michael OCallaghan and George Clancy.

ODonoghue was a young member of the IRA; OCallaghan had just retired as Mayor of Limerick; and Clancy had just been elected Mayor of Limerick.

The brutal killing of the three men by British Crown forces, particularly the savage deaths of OCallaghan and Clancy in front of their terrified wives, made headlines all over the world. It made a particular impact in America when, shortly after the murders, Kate OCallaghan, the widow of Michael, published a 32 page pamphlet with the help of the Benjamin Franklin Bureau. The name of the pamphlet, The Limerick Curfew Murders, 7 March 1921, Presented by his Widow, was compelling as were the contents.

The thoughts in this article were prompted by reading the brochure of the Limerick Memorial Committee (April 1957) which was responsible for erecting a monument on the grounds of Strand House in memory of the three men killed on March 7. The memorial also included Sean Wall, chairman of Limerick County Council, who was killed in action, on May 6, 1921, and all other Limerick people who had died in the War of Independence. Reflection on their lives and the events of the period help us to understand, and to appreciate, Limericks distinctive contribution to Irelands quest for freedom.

1916

The experience of Michael OCallaghan at the time of the Easter Rising and its immediate aftermath provides an insight into political life in Limerick. OCallaghan, while supporting the Irish Volunteers, took no part in the abortive plans for armed action in Limerick. George Clancy and the commanding officer, Michael Colivet, were directly involved. Following the executions of 1916, Michael OCallaghan supported the statements by Bishop ODwyer against General Maxwell and when the Bishop was awarded the Freedom of the City of Limerick, on September 24 1916, he declared that he is an Irishman who has rendered great service to his country. In the following year Michael OCallaghan, often working with Stephen OMara, played some part in the events leading to the creation of a new republican Sinn Fein party in October 1917. Significantly, both OCallaghan and OMara were members of successful business families that had played an active role in Limerick civic life for many years and both had mayors in their family pedigree.

1918

Michael OCallaghan, on January 23 1918, nominated Alphonsus OMara, the brother of Stephen, to be the new mayor of Limerick and, thereby, played some part in a striking new political initiative. OMara won the election by 23 votes to 13 and, referring to the newly created republican Sinn Fein party, he stated that while all his sympathies were with Sinn Fein, that did not mean he would be the mayor of one political party. This remarkable declaration, and the subsequent acting out of it, has not been given due recognition: the focus has been on the year 1920, when all of Ireland was represented by Sinn Fein, but in Limerick the process began two years earlier. A clear sign of this policy was manifested at a meeting of the Corporation, on May 3, when the corporation elected two IRA prisoners, Michael Colivet and James McInerney, to replace two councillors who had deliberately resigned for this purpose.

During the rest of the year 1918 and 1919 Limerick was at one with the evolving independence movement in Ireland but also manifested some initiatives of its own. The Corporation and most of the people of Limerick joined with the nationwide protest against Lord Frenchs appointment as Lord Lieutenant and Military Governor in May 1918. The Corporation and mass gatherings of people protested specifically against Lord Frenchs proposed act of conscription; his ban on Irish organisations such as the Irish Volunteers, the Gaelic League and Cumann na mBan; and his use of martial law to imprison hundreds of members of those associations without any civil trial. On September 5, 1918 the Corporation made a unique gesture by awarding the Freedom of the City to Eamon de Valera, Eoin MacNeill and Kathleen Clarke as representative of the three national organisations that had been banned.

Limerick, through the person of James OMara, the brother of Stephen and Alphonsus, played a significant part in the general election victory for Sinn Fein in the election at the end of 1918. James OMara, previously a representative of the Irish Party at Westminster, left the party and declared, on September 26, that he would stand for Sinn Fein in Kilkenny. He not only donated money to the Sinn Fein campaign but also, on the arrest of Robert Brennan, he took over the running of the campaign with great success. Kate OCallaghan recalled that her husband and George Clancy wrote the election address for Michael Colivet who was in prison and who was elected for Limerick City. Con Collins was returned for West Limerick and Dr Richard Hayes for East Limerick. James OMara was returned for Kilkenny. When the results were announced, on December 28, 1918, Sinn Fein had won 73 seats, the Irish Party 6 and the Unionist Party 26.

1919

Limerick throughout 1919 played its part in attempting to support the work of Dail Eireann which met for the first time on January 21, 1919. The English government refused to accept the legitimacy of the Dail and, by skilful negotiations, had persuaded President Wilson that his pledge small nations rightly struggling to be free did not apply to Ireland. As a result neither the Dail representatives to the Paris Peace Conference, nor the Irish American Commissioners were allowed permission to present Irelands case. Once again the Limerick Corporation, with Alphonsus OMara having been re-elected mayor in January, took a unique initiative: it conferred the Freedom of the City on the three commissioners, Frank Walsh, Edward Dunne and Michael J Ryan, on May 9, 1919. Limerick was the only city to make such an award. The other distinctive role played by Limerick in supporting Dail Eireann related to the Dail Eireann loan which Michael Collins launched on June 19, 1919. James OMara was one of the trustees and George Clancy was responsible for the loan in Limerick City. When the loan was terminated at the end of July 1920, Limerick City and County had made a greater contribution to the loan than any other combined city and county in Ireland: Limerick City raised 5,991; Limerick West 17,385;and Limerick East the staggering sum of 32,285. Incidentally, the Limerick Leader was banned for a short time because it had broken Lord Frenchs rules that the loan should not be advertised.

1920

The local election results for Limerick, which were announced on January 30, 1920, brought a nationwide victory for Sinn Fein. In the new council there were 26 Sinn Fein members; 6 Labour; and Ratepayers and Independents. Michael OCallaghan was elected mayor having been proposed by Michael Colivet and seconded by George Clancy and Emily Crowe, the first woman to be elected to the council. In a significant act, the Corporation formally pledged its loyalty to Dail Eireann. The Corporation faced not only many labour disputes but also increased incidents of conflict between the IRA and the recently arrived Black and Tans in the police force. The military regime of Lord French which still operated under martial law was still in place. It was in this context that Michael OCallaghan received his first death threat. He had attended the funeral of Thomas MacCurtain, Lord Mayor of Cork, who had been murdered, on March 20, by Crown forces; and soon after returning home, he received a letter which read: Prepare for Death. You are a doomed man. Rory of the Hill. He asked the Limerick Leader to publish the letter and it appeared in the paper on March 24. Soon after OCallaghan received this threat, in early April, there began a campaign by the IRA to destroy the barracks of the RIC and this was met by a campaign of the Crown forces to destroy the creameries. The deteriorating situation led, in early April, to significant changes in the English administration in Ireland: Sir Hamar Greenwood was appointed Chief Secretary (April 2); General Neville Macready was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the army in Ireland (Apri 14); and in early May General Hugh Tudor was appointed Police Commander. It was under his regime that former British army officers were recruited as an Auxiliary police force in July.

The County Council elections of June 1920 resulted in another victory for Sinn Fein. In all of Munster Sinn Fein won 151 of the 154 seats and Sean Wall was elected as chairman of the council. On August 5 the Corporation was forced to consider the grave matter of Roman Catholics being forced from their work and their homes by sectarian violence in parts of Ulster. Michael OCallaghan made his views known forcibly: he declared Ireland is Ireland for Catholics and Protestants and George Clancy expressed similar sentiments saying Ireland was Ireland for all Irish men and women. The debate led to a public meeting of Limerick Unionists, on August 21, presided over by Sir Charles Barrington and James Goodbody which declared that they were opposed to a six county Northern Ireland and that we take this opportunity of stating that we have never experienced any religious intolerance in the past, and we do not anticipate in the future.

This statement is very revealing not only for its insight into life in Limerick at that time but also in regard to the claim by some recent historians that Irish republicanism was sectarian.

Michael OCallaghan publicly addressed the issue of police violence, including that of the Black and Tans and Auxiliaries, in a letter in the Limerick Leader, on August 21. The letter had been sent to General Macready and the mayor wished to make its contents known. He made reference to the deaths and destruction caused by the police in Limerick City and added I know you have no real right to exercise any authority in this country and I address you simply to ensure that your professed ignorance of outrage and atrocity shall be culpable. Significantly, Macready makes no mention of this letter in his memoir but soon after it was published there was an official and ruthless raid on the OCallaghan house. The OCallaghans then went to London for a few weeks and George Clancy acted as deputy mayor. The short break away did not end the death threats.

Michael OCallaghan and his wife returned home on September 15 and he conducted his civic duties as before. However, he was warned not to sleep at home as his life was in danger. On October 15 he received his final death threat. It read: This reign of terror must be stopped. You are, therefore, warned that in the event of the continuance of these heartless and cowardly crimes you will be personally held responsible and punished in such a manner that others will be deterred from criminal courses. The situation in Limerick became even worse in the last two months of the year and, on December 10, it was officially declared to be under martial law.

1921

On January 19, 1921, Michael OCallaghan received a copy in the post of the Weekly Summary. This publication was produced by Dublin Castle and was designed to encourage the police and Auxiliaries in their work. General Crozier, the commander of the Auxiliaries, later condemned it as a weekly incentive to murder indiscriminately. Michael and Kate OCallaghan, on comparing the postmark and the typing with the letters containing death threats, found them to be identical.

In summary it may be said that Michael OCallaghans life was under threat from official British sources. It was that threat which became a reality on the night of March 7 for both himself and George Clancy.

For more on Limericks murdered mayors visit Limerick GAAs YouTube page where John Cregan, chairman, leads an insightful discussion.

Limerick GAA has also launched a new new jersey to commemorate the 1921 All-Ireland win.
EDUCATION Minister Peter Weir has announced a programme of regular coronavirus testing for schools in Northern Ireland.

Minister Weir announced that all pupils in years 12-14, and staff at post primary schools, will be offered rapid Covid tests twice a week when they return on March 22.

That lateral flow Covid testing, which is voluntary, is to be extended to all primary school staff after the Easter holidays.

The announcement raises the possibility the Executive will agree that all primary school pupils can return to face to face teaching before Easter, with the issue set to be a key part of discussions today as the Minister continues to call for unity on bringing pupils back into the classroom as soon as possible.

Pupils in P1-P4, pre-school and nursery returned to classrooms last Monday and will remain in school when exam years 12-14 in post primary return next Monday.

Mr Weir urged all political parties to see sense when the NI Executive meets on Tuesday to review lockdown restrictions and allow all children to return to school as soon as possible.

Id have preferred if wed been in a position where decisions could be made earlier, but we are where we are, Peter Weir told the NI Assembly yesterday.

Last week we were able to agree that P1-P3 and preschool children would have no interruption to their education. That was an important step forward. We will only reach something close to normality when we have all students back.

I hope the Executive will unite around a position where we are seen to value the education and the role of our young people, he said.

Mr Weir said he fully understood the need for certainty on the return to school dates.

Some of those at Primary level will see a situation where they are seeing a younger sibling heading into school, he said. There is a level of confusion why they are not. Its important that we bring a level of certainty.

I will again be pushing for that return as soon as possible in line with whatever health regulations need to be put in place. From an academic point of view, and where families are at, and also from the point of view of mental health and well-being of young people, its critical that we get that return to face to face teaching as soon as practically possible.

Its unlikely, though, that there will be any immediate resumption of school sport, with the Minister telling the Assembly that he would have to reluctantly accept that some aspects of school life would have to remain under restrictions.

Some activities associated with schools that have a somewhat higher risk due to mixing within and between year groups, such as school sports, must remain paused at the moment, he said.

These activities will therefore remain paused until public health advice permits them to recommence.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Conor Murphy confirmed that the Department of Education has bid for 4m funding for summer scheme 2021 as well as 5m to support a youth service summer scheme.
United Kingdom Announces Nuclear Weapon Buildup

March 14 , 2021 (EIRNS)The Guardian, citing Whitehall sources, reported the shocking news on March 12 that the Boris Johnson government plans to increase the number of warheads in the British nuclear stockpile from the current level of 180. The U.K.s stockpile of nuclear weapons peaked at about 500 in the late 1970s, but had been gradually decreasing ever since as the perceived threat from the Soviet Union and now Russia had been assumed to be decreasing.

The full reasons for the anticipated move are not yet clear but it comes amid speculation it is designed to help persuade the U.S. to co-fund aspects of a Trident replacement warhead for the 2030s. Its costs, too, are uncertain. If they are tearing up decades of progress in reducing numbers, it will be a slap in the face to the 190 other members of the [Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty] treaty, and will be regarded as a shocking breach of faith, said David Cullen, the director of the Nuclear Information Service.

The New York Times first reported about a year ago that the Trump administration had included in its budget request funds for the development of a new warhead, the W93, to replace the W76 currently deployed on Trident submarine-launched ballistic missiles. The same New York Times report also quoted Adm. Charles Richard saying that the development of the W93 would also support a warhead replacement effort for the U.K.

But it isnt just Britains nuclear forces that are going to get a boost. A few hours after the Guardian article appeared, the Telegraph posted an article reporting that Britains military is to get an 80 billion upgrade to include upgrades for the conventional forces as well, including the modernization of the armys fleet of Challenger tanks as well as new frigates for the Royal Navy. The boost will also include the acquisition of so-called suicide drones which can loiter over a battlefield and then dive down on targets from above as they find them. Turkey supplied such weapons to Azerbaijan, which used them very effectively in last falls war against Armenia.

These moves form part of a major rethink of Britains defense, foreign policy and security outlook, with results to be revealed in two government documents over the coming fortnight, the Telegraph reports. The first, the U.K. Integrated Review, will be published on March 16. It will map out what the Prime Ministers Global Britain vision means in practice, including a tilt to the Indo-Pacific. The second, the Defense Command Paper, will come out March 22. It will reveal a major modernization plan for the Armed Forces, seen as long overdue by defense chiefs.

The Telegraph also reports that there is a geopolitical component to the plan to increase the number of nuclear warheads in the U.K. stockpile: Chinas swelling nuclear stockpile. Sam Armstrong, of the Henry Jackson Society foreign policy think tank, said: The world is an increasingly dangerous place and this increased nuclear deterrent tells us all we need to know about where the long-term threat from China is heading.
What about the agony of families of BJP workers killed in TMC rule: Amit Shah to Mamata

India

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Ranibandh, Mar 15: Wishing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee speedy recovery, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said that she is in pain due to her injury and wondered whether she could feel the agony of the families of BJP workers killed during TMC's rule in the state.

Shah, who was addressing a poll rally here, said 130 BJP workers were killed by TMC goons. He hit out at the TMC for not doing enough for the development of the minorities and introducing cut money culture in the state. He promised that if BJP is voted to power in West Bengal in the ooming Assembly poll it will implement the seventh Pay Commission for the state government employees.

My chopper suffered glitch, but wont call it a conspiracy: Amit Shah's dig at Mamata

"Didi (elder sister) when you were hurt in your leg you felt pain. I wish you speedy recovery. But what about the pain of the mothers of 130 BJP activists who were killed by TMC goons? Did you ever try to feel their pain?" he said at the rally.

"You never felt the pain of these people. They will give you a befitting reply while casting their votes in the assembly poll," he added. Banerjee was injured at Nandigram on March 10 while campaigning after filing her nomination for the seat where she will take on her former protege and now BJP heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari.

Ridiculing Banerjee's allegations of an attack on her at Nandigram that left her injured in the leg, Shah said as per the EC's report there was no attack on her. "The EC is saying that there was no attack. But she is saying there was a conspiracy. The TMC is saying there was an attack. Only God knows who is speaking the truth," he said.

West Bengal elections 2021: Suvendu seeks rejection of Mamata Banerjee's nomination

Shah raked up the incident to mock Banerjee in his virtual address at a rally in tribal Jhargram. Shah said, "I was going to come here for campaigning. Unfortunately my helicopter developed a snag and I couldn't come to see you. But I won't call it a conspiracy".

His comments come after BJP leaders from Bengal accused the TMC supremo of enacting a drama to seek sympathy votes in the upcoming assembly polls. Banerjee was injured on March 10 and was admitted to SSKM hospital in Kolkata.

She was discharged on March 12. Shah hit out at the TMC government for not doing enough for the development of minorities and said the Mamata Banerjee dispensation had indulged in corruption in tribal welfare schemes.

West Bengal assembly polls 2021: TMC postpones manifesto release for third time

"TMC seeks cut money even for giving a tribal certificate. We will ensure the land rights of the tribals. The special focus will be on education, health and drinking water for the tribals in the area. We will also mention it in our manifesto," he said.

In his virtual address Shah highlighted designated central schemes for the tribal communities which the state government did not implement properly. "Special stress will be given to the education of tribal students. We will provide 50 er cent financial assistance those among them who score above 70 per cent," he said.

Alleging that the TMC government has introduced "cut money culture" in West Bengal, Shah said BJP will change the situation in the state. "This is BJP's fight to make Bengal 'Sonar Bangla'. Our goal is to ensure that there is a change in West Bengal's situation, a change in the situation of the poor of the state. Our aim is to end infiltration and also transform Bengal," he said.

The top BJP leader alleged that TMC is indulging in appeasement politics. "Whenever there is a festive occasion such as Durga Puja, you all have to go to court to take permission for the processions under Mamata Ji's rule. You all have to change this situation," Shah said at the rally.

Reaching out to West Bengal government employees and said the seventh Pay Commission will be implemented in the state if the saffron party is voted to power. Ranibandh is a part of the western district of Bankura which has a significant tribal population, crucial to any party's electoral success.

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Story first published: Monday, March 15, 2021, 21:11 [IST]
Nearly 9,000 units and 800,000 workers, who are employed directly and indirectly, are on strike after the Rs 50,000-crore knitwear industry in Tamil Nadu's on Monday decided to protest againt the spike in yarn prices.

According to industry sources, the production loss is estimated to be around Rs 165 crore due to the strike.

As many as 27 knitwear stakeholders' associations and 8 trade unions have called for the strike, which will involve about 9,000 worker units, catering to both domestic and export markets. These units employ around 800,000 workers directly or indirectly.

The turmoil in garment manufacturingthe lynchpin of Tirupur's economyhas had a cascading effect on the entire value chain in the region, said Raja Shanmugham, president of Exporters Association.

Commonly used combed cotton variants such as 30s and 40swhich indicate the thickness and fineness of the yarnhave seen their prices surge by 24 per cent from Rs 215 to Rs 268 a kilogram.

Cotton price is a key reason cited by mills for the spike in yarn prices. Cotton price jumped 19% from Rs 37,200 per candy on October 1 to Rs 44,300 per candy on March 1, 2021. One candy equals 356 kilograms.

In order to control the rising yarn prices and to bring it to the attention of the Centre and state governments, associations and trade unions have decided to close all shops on Monday, Shanmugham said.

"We have been facing this price hike issue since last year. It has resulted in an increase in our product prices ranging from 1-1.5% to 4%," said Vinod Kumar Gupta, managing director of apparel firm Dollar Industries Limited.

Representatives of the industry have written to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman and Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani to look into the spike in yarn prices which is hurting small and medium-sized businesses.

Many players in the sector are facing issues due to raw material shortage and might be forced to halt their operations if this continues, Gupta said.

The knitwear industry also went on strike in 2010 when yarn prices shot up suddenly.


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Bill Clinton, never an enthusiastic supporter of unions, did push some labor-backed measures, like a bill to prohibit companies from permanently replacing strikers. (Naturally, a Republican filibuster prevented passage.) But unions most remember Mr. Clinton for pressuring Congress to ratify the North American Free Trade Agreement, a deal that labor advocates correctly predicted would cause a large loss of factory jobs to Mexico. They were further irked when Mr. Clinton normalized trade relations with China, a move that several prominent economists now say cost more than one million American factory jobs.

Labor leaders applaud Barack Obama for helping millions of workers with the Affordable Care Act. Union leaders also praise him for supporting the Employee Free Choice Act, which would have made it easier for workers to unionize and increased penalties on companies that punished workers for seeking to unionize. But many labor leaders remain upset that he didnt do more to secure the bills passage while Senate Democrats enjoyed a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority. In his second term, Mr. Obama championed the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation trade pact that unions feared would create another exodus of factory jobs if Congress approved it.

Mr. Biden is clearly aligning himself with unions far more than his old White House partner did. And he may find the key to success is to tacitly reach back to the New Deal. Even then, the country can expect some tensions and letdowns. F.D.R. did the most for the union movement of any president, said Joseph McCartin, a labor historian at Georgetown. Still, at times his administration deeply disappointed labor.

While Roosevelt often pursued the interests of big business, he greatly expanded workers rights even as he fought to overcome the Great Depression by signing the National Labor Relations Act, which gave private-sector workers a federally protected right to unionize.

Presidents Harry Truman, John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson had similarly positive but complex relationships with unions. But none of them felt the need to give robust pro-labor speeches like Mr. Bidens, partly because unions were much bigger and stronger back then and because many union members of that era were doing just fine.

Today, unions are far weaker than in the 1950s and 60s. Millions of workers are struggling after four decades of wage stagnation and increasing income inequality, fueled in part by corporate Americas focus on maximizing profits. Today, just one in 16 workers in the private sector are in unions, down from nearly one in three when Kennedy took office.

Mr. Biden, who has played up his Scranton Joe persona, knows this and sees that labor could use a boost. He also recognizes that lifting Americas workers could help woo blue-collar voters away from Trump Republicans.
A Vietnamese woman and two Chinese men have been indicted for helping multiple Chinese nationals stay illicitly at a hotel in Da Nang.

A source close to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper confirmed on Monday morning that the Da Nang Peoples Procuracy had issued an indictment against Chau Vy Anh, 29, who hails from the central city, and two Chinese men, 34-year-old Xiang Yi Pin and 25-year-old Ma Bing, for arranging for others to live unlawfully in Vietnam.

On July 31, 2020, immigration officers under the municipal Department of Public Security inspected Lemon Tree Hotel in Ngu Hanh Son District and found eight Chinese people without legitimate visas and passports.

A probe later revealed that the hotel belonged to a company director named Ho Ngoc Tham.

Tham said he had leased the venue to Xiang and Anh due to loss-making business operations in September 2019.

Meanwhile, Ma had worked at the hotel since late 2019 until he returned to China in January 2020.

However, the Chinese man entered Vietnam illegally in June the same year and dwell in the hotel.

Xiang and Anh were aware that Mas visa had expired but still agreed to let him stay at the hotel for a fee.

When a social distancing drive was implemented in Da Nang in July, Ma discussed with Xiang and Anh his plan to help more illegal Chinese migrants live in the hotel.

Between June 2 and July 31, 2020, Xiang and Anh colluded with Ma to organize for about 15 Chinese to stay at the hotel against the law.

After collecting room fees from these foreigners, Xiang and Anh paid Ma approximately VND200,000 (US$8.6) per room per day.

In order to execute the plan, Ma contacted a Chinese man named Lao Zhang via WeChat to arrange locations where he picked up the Chinese border jumpers and brought them to Lemon Tree Hotel.

Xiang also created a group chat on WeChat to exchange information with the illegal Chinese and helped them dodge police inspection.

Xiang and Anh assisted the foreigners in buying food and essential products during their stay.

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South Africa: Mthethwa saddened by passing of Maqashalala and Ngubane

Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa is deeply saddened by the passing of Noxolo Maqashalala (44) and Menzi Ngubane (56).

Ngubane passed away on Saturday at his Ladysmith home in KwaZulu-Natal after he suffered from a stroke in 2020. Magashalala was found dead at her Honeydew home in Johannesburg on Friday.

The sector has been robbed at a time when there is so much tension and stress in the industry due to the economic collapse and already existing challenges within the industry.

South Africa and the world have lost two phenomenal thespians. Menzi Ngubane was an icon, an acting officionado who used his voice and his influence to demystify issues on kidney disease and sugar diabetes, while promoting positive lifestyle changes.

He was a well-known and well-loved public figure who left an ineffaceable mark on the South African arts landscape, Minister Mthethwa said.

While mourning the loss of Ngubane, the sector was dealt a double blow with the news of the death of Maqashalala, one of South Africas greatest actresses.

Many will remember Maqashalala for her lead role as Viwe in the 2003 SABC1 youth drama series Tsha Tsha.

She also appeared on Generations, Rhythm City and Intersexions. She was a sterling performer who gave her best at every role that she took on, Mthethwa said.

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture extends its condolences to the family, friends and fans of these two iconic artists. May their souls rest in peace.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-03-15. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
She has been documenting her stay in the lap of luxury in the West Indies on the paradise island of Anguilla.

And Kimberley Garner continued to make herself the envy of her Instagram followers as she uploaded a stunning video to her Stories on Monday.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 30, shared a clip of herself reclining on a sun-lounger wearing a yellow criss-cross bikini from her own range.

Toned: Kimberley Garner made herself the envy of her Instagram followers as she shared a clip of herself on a sun-lounger in a yellow criss-cross bikini on the island of Anguilla on Monday

In the a short video, the blonde beauty showcased her enviable physique and golden tan in a variety of poses as she relaxed in the sun.

She highlighted her sensational figure in the swimwear set from her eponymous brand, Kimberley London, as it criss-crossed across her slender waist.

The TV star flicked back her blonde tresses over the back of the sun bed while modelling the two-piece.

High life: The former Made In Chelsea star, 30, who is now a successful swimwear designer, showcased her enviable physique and golden tan in a variety of poses as she relaxed in the sun

Eye-catching: She highlighted her sensational figure in the swimwear set from her eponymous brand, Kimberley London, as it criss-crossed across her slender waist

Later, Kimberley shared the view from the balcony of her suite as she nears the end of her trip at the Malliouhana Auberge Resort in the Caribbean.

Taking to her Instagram Stories, she posted a video of crystal blue waters, writing: 'Just a few more days here.'

While international travel is currently prohibited from her native Britain, the businesswoman has been able to fly without restriction after basing herself at her second home on the Florida coast.

Crystal blue: Kimberley shared the view from her balcony to her Instagram Stories, as she revealed she is nearing the end of her trip at the Malliouhana Auberge Resort in the Caribbean

Kimberley has previously been sunning it up in Miami with her boyfriend since late December, after spending Christmas in Barbados.

But it hasn't all been carefree partying as she took to Instagram to defend herself from backlash over her international travel.

The reality star said she jetted out of the UK on December 14  a week before London moved into Tier 4  to 'check on my apartment'.

The London native said at the time: 'I bought my place here this time two years ago. It was a massive achievement, still really can't believe it sometimes. I run a business - I'm not an influencer.

Loving life: Kimberley has been documenting her stay in the lap of luxury in the West Indies as the businesswoman has been able to fly without restriction after basing herself at her second home on the Florida coast

'I am here, but I am very very strict still. I see people in Tulum and all over going to parties and it doesn't feel right to me.

'I haven't been out to any parties and turned down invites from friends as feel it's just not right to be in a crowd - it's not OK at the moment.

'I'm really lucky to be in the sun and outdoors, and am valuing that totally, but not going to live normally as it's not a normal world at the moment.

'I really think and feel for everyone home at the moment, it really sucks, please be brave, please be kind to each other.'
EDWARDSVILLE  When the COVID-19 pandemic started in the U.S. in March 2020, many people expected it to be over sometime in the spring, or by summer at the latest.

But public health officials, including the Madison County Health Department, knew better.

And even with good news in the form of vaccines, lower case positivity rates and fewer deaths, they know that the effects of the coronavirus could last for years to come.

We absolutely knew that this would be at least a two-year stretch, said Amy Yeager, director of community health and public information officer for the Madison County Health Department. Whenever you talk about something reaching a global pandemic level, its usually a two- to five-year time span.

When you add on the fact that it was a new virus, thats a one-two punch for us in public health. The speed at which it was moving and growing was also an indicator of the potential severity of it.

With COVID-related deaths at 530,000 nationwide and 466 in Madison County as of Sunday, not to mention the economic repercussions, Yeager understands that COVID fatigue may be higher than ever as the pandemic hits the one-year mark.

But she notes that COVID-19 is a brand-new virus and we are still learning about it.

We know a lot more about this virus than we did in early March of last year, when Illinois had not yet issued a stay-at-home order, Yeager said, It could easily be decades before we learn everything about this virus.

I anticipate that through the end of my career that this COVID-19 virus will continue to be part of my profession and my career. We will continue to learn more about and see the ramifications of it from the health standpoint of individuals as well from the public health standpoint.

Yeager cautions that a return to the good old days  or at least the pre-COVID days of 2019  will be more of a gradual process.

We fully anticipate that even once people are vaccinated and are somewhat back to more of a socializing kind of lifestyle, were still going to be deep in this for quite a while, Yeager said. The vaccine is another advancing step forward to helping us move through this pandemic, but its not going to solve everything.

We still need to monitor the vaccine and determine how long it will be effective, and what point we will reach herd immunity. The CDC has said that 70 to 80 percent of our society needs to be vaccinated before herd immunity starts to kick in, and thats not going to happen overnight. However, having the vaccine brings a lot of hope in this step.

In a prime-time address Thursday night, President Joe Biden said he will direct U.S. states to open vaccine eligibility to all adults beginning May 1.

It remains to be seen whether that goal can be achieved, but the news on the vaccine front continues to be encouraging.

It will still take months to get to some of these future phases, but in the last month in Madison County weve gone from 900 to 1,110 doses a day and having vaccine by appointment only a few days a week to having 2,300 to 3,000 a day, Yeager said. On Tuesday, we had the Lewis and Clark (Community College) clinic and the mass vaccination clinic in Collinsville (at Gateway Convention Center) and we set a single-day high with 3,246 doses.

Its still by appointment only, but its six days a week in Collinsville (every day but Wednesday) and twice a week at Lewis and Clark. Were preparing to do three mobile clinics a week in the county and we have the capacity to do six if we have enough staff available.

While vaccination still may be months away for many Madison County residents, Yeager is impressed by the response of the global medical community to the coronavirus.

The virus was identified to have shown up in humans in December of 2019 in China, and the fact that we had vaccine developed and approved through emergency use authorization and we were starting to vaccinate people in Madison County by December of 2020, that was lightning fast, Yeager said.

Thats what happens when you can put most of the worlds research from major manufacturers all together in one major effort. That again shows the scope of global impact and the number of resources that were put toward developing and distributing the vaccine.

While things seem to be trending in a positive direction, the pandemic is not over.

Yeager urges people to not let their guard down, especially when it comes to COVID safety precautions that have proved to be effective.

Were advancing in the battlefield, but the battle is not over yet, Yeager said. The number of COVID cases has gone down tremendously from the heights we had in November and December. We anticipated that the rates would go down with vaccinations and people not having as many large family gatherings.

Weve been doing this for a year, so people have become more diligent about washing their hands, keeping their distance and wearing masks. Well all be glad when the masks are gone, but we understand their importance and why we need to continue to wear them for a time to come.
The coronavirus pandemic has triggered an unprecedented crisis that has done much to exacerbate the already significant social inequalities in Spain. Thats according to Caritas Spain, the Catholic Churchs official charity organization in the country, which presented a report on March 9 on its activities in the last 12 months.

The report, released by the charitys Social Observatory, states that 500,000 people have come to the organization for help for the first time, or have done so again after an extended interlude. In fact, one in three people helped by Caritas falls into these two categories. As a result, requests for assistance have shot up by 57%, and numbers have even tripled in certain areas and at specific times.

Around 700,000 people helped by Caritas are unable to meet their basic utility costs

Andres Mendoza and his family are a case in point. In recent months, their lives have been turned upside down by the coronavirus crisis. Prior to the pandemic, Mendoza, 49, worked as a security guard and his partner was a transport monitor for people with disabilities in Madrid. They were not living in the lap of luxury, but they were getting by. Then in March last year, Mendozas partner was put on the governments ERTE furlough scheme  financial support she has yet to receive  and the family lost a significant slice of its income. Mendoza himself earns just 500 a month from his part-time job, which, as he points out, is impossible to live on, particularly when there are four children to support. The situation has been such that Mendoza went to Caritas for the first time in June and now receives a daily meal for each member of the family. I never imagined myself asking for help. It has been quite hard, he says.

The organizations 70 branches across the country provide assistance in meeting basic needs, such as food, shelter and legal advice. Caritas does not yet have a figure on the total number of people it has helped since the beginning of the pandemic, but believes it is more than the 2.4 million recorded in 2019. What the organization is clear on is the severe drain on income caused by the pandemic. According to its report, 258,000 people who have been helped by Caritas live in households with no income, 75,000 more than prior to the pandemic.

Raul Flores, the coordinator of the Caritas research team, pointed out during the presentation of the report that more than half of job seekers are unable to find work. In a social system where integration is predominantly based on a good job, these people are being deprived of a basic right, said Flores.

Poverty and social exclusion are going to increase. It is going to depend on how many family-protection mechanisms are put in place Raul Flores, coordinator of the Caritas research team

The difficulties involved in finding work mean that more than 825,000 people helped by Caritas are living in severe poverty  an income of less than 370 per month for a single-person household or less than 776 for families consisting of two adults and two children. Moreover, around 700,000 people are unable to meet their basic utility costs  they cannot heat their homes adequately or turn on the lights when they need to. Mendozas home has no heating, but Mendoza makes it a priority to pay the electricity and gas bills. However, covering all the familys expenses has turned into an impossible task. The family cannot afford to pay their rent, which is 550 a month. Two months ago, we received an eviction order, he says.

According to Flores, poverty and social exclusion are going to increase. It is going to depend on how many family protection mechanisms are put in place.

Natalia Peiro, secretary general of Caritas, points out that the economic blow of the pandemic struck before many were able to put the 2008 financial crisis behind them. We had a fragile and precarious labor market [before 2020], with complicated access to housing for people on low incomes and with a social model in which vulnerability was the reality for a large percentage of citizens, she says. Before the pandemic, 18.4% of Spains population  8.5 million people  were living in socially excluded circumstances, according to data from Caritas 2019 VIII Foessa Report, a study that takes into account 35 variables including income, health, education and access to housing. Of these 8.5 million, more than four million were suffering severe social exclusion. The pandemic hit within this context and its consequences have been especially serious for those who were already in a vulnerable situation, resulting in an increase in the social divide, Flores pointed out.

The problem is that financial support is not reaching people. Mendoza applied for the guaranteed minimum income in August last year to try to make ends meet. I still havent heard back, he says. A total of 96.4% of the families helped by Caritas have not received the guaranteed minimum income after applying for it, while 12.8% have been denied it. But there has also been a sizeable contingent who never applied due to lack of information. According to the report, 67% said they did not have enough information to request the financial aid.

Making matters worse, four out of every 10 families no longer receive support from regional authorities. As Flores pointed out, the data reflects a situation pretty far from an acceptable reality. He added: For the already-battered economies of families, the tsunami that has paralyzed the economy and the effects of its sustained wave are lasting too long. Any recovery in employment has been nothing more than a mirage.

Homelessness, loneliness and the digital divide

Caritas has also highlighted the reality of homeless people, who had nowhere to stay during the coronavirus lockdown and no opportunity to maintain a modicum of hygiene. Sleeping on the street or staying in temporary or emergency shelters have exposed homeless people  a population already at high medical risk  to high potential levels of viral transmission, Peiro pointed out. In 2019, Caritas managed to provide shelter to 5,000 homeless people and helped more than 35,000 rough sleepers. In recent months the organization has set up 13 new centers and more than 1,400 new complementary places.

Peiro also flagged up the loneliness that the elderly have experienced on account of the pandemic. The organization has helped 11,000 elderly people since March of last year, compared to the 7,000 it helped in 2019. The level of social vulnerability that has become evident during this crisis also highlights the scarce resources that exist to promote home care, said Peiro.

Meanwhile, equal job and education opportunities have been undermined for those who dont belong to the virtual community given the rise of teleworking and online learning. More than half (52%) of the families helped by Caritas are technologically marginalized as they either lack an unlimited internet connection, devices or sufficient online skills. As a result, more than 60% of households with at least one minor had difficulties in completing the school year last summer.

The Caritas report also touched on the use of the 65 million provided by the 70,666 people who donated to the Caritas in the face of the coronavirus campaign. So far, the organization has allocated 41 million to emergency aid, 3.3 million to vulnerable children and nearly 1 million to health supplies and protective equipment. Caritas has also used 2.5 million to support a total of 65 projects responding to the effects of the pandemic in poor countries.

English version by Heather Galloway.
A fight between Fox News host Tucker Carlson and the U.S. military is sending shockwaves of confusion  and potential real-world ramifications  through conservative circles.

The spat began with Carlson's Tuesday night show. During one segment, he spouted misogynist opinions about "new hairstyles" and "pregnant women" fighting in war, calling it "a mockery of the U.S. military."

"While Chinas military becomes more masculine as its assembled the worlds largest navy, our military needs to become, as Joe Biden says, more feminine, whatever feminine means anymore since men and women no longer exist," Carlson said. "The bottom line is its out of control, and the Pentagon is going along with this."

The comments led to immediate pushback from generals, a top Pentagon spokesperson and rank-and-file members of the military. On Thursday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters, "We absolutely won't just take personnel advice from a talk show or the Chinese military" and expressed a hope Carlson would apologize.

Instead, Carlson was unrepentant, claiming without proof the Pentagon is waging "a large and coordinated public relations offensive" against him on his Thursday show. Republican Senator Ted Cruz has taken his side, demanding an in-person meeting with the U.S. Marine Corps leadership to discuss what he termed "political attacks to intimidate Tucker Carlson."

The battle between Carlson, an extraordinarily popular right-wing media figure, and the military is a confusing one for many American conservatives, who tend to skew heavily pro-military. In 2016, 60% of veterans who voted cast their vote for Donald Trump, according to exit polls.

With his status as one of the right's most influential voices, some experts speculate that in the Trump power vacuum, Carlson has the potential to set the agenda of conservative talking points.

"There's not going to be one [conservative voice] that breaks through for a while, and that's going to benefit Tucker both because of his savvy and his platform," said Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters for America, a left-leaning watchdog organization that studies conservative media.

"Thats going to give him a lot of political influence," he added.

ALSO READ: Alex Jones, once powerful, sees his audience turn on him

The fight is drawing battle lines among some far-right extremists, who are simultaneously pro-military and pro-Tucker. On one popular QAnon message board, there is consternation about the conflict. The board is a relentless barrage of every conceivable conspiracy theory, many anti-Semitic in origin, held together by the baseless belief that the U.S. military is controlling "the plan" to imprison or, often, kill their political enemies.

"So what's going on here?" one poster wrote. "Is the brass really concerned about Tucker Carlson? Is this a distraction?"

"Seriously this is a psyop if I ever saw one," reads another top-voted comment, referring to the idea of "psychological operations" used by the U.S. military to influence or change public opinion. The commenters were unable to agree on the benefit of the military running this imagined psy-op against Carlson.

The cognitive dissonance of the military vs. Tucker is largely being bridged, as Cruz did, by claiming the Biden administration is the enemy after all: Cruz emphasized the military is "under Biden" in his press release. This, in itself, is fairly remarkable. It seems in the fight between the powerful American military and a Fox News personality, the personality is winning out on the right.

"I look at Telegram channels where there's Proud Boys. I look at the pro-Hitler [channels], the Boogaloos, they all love Tucker," Carusone said. "They will post clips from the night before in these channels. He is probably one of the few figures who cuts across the various fragments in the ecosystem."
Maldives: Minister Zaha calls out IOTC members over disappointing tuna-preservation commitments

by Aishath Hanaan Hussain Rasheed

March 15,2021 | Source: Raajje

Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture Zaha Waheed has expressed her disappointment at The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) organization for failing to present revised measures on rebuilding near threatened stocks of overfished yellowfin tuna in the Indian Ocean. at the IOTC Special Session held earlier this week. Minister Zaha made the remarks in a tweet posted on her personal account on Friday, where she expressed deep disappointment that the IOTC Special Session concluded without a revised measure on rebuilding yellowfin tuna stocks. Minister Zaha added that yellowfin tuna stocks were overfished all across the Indian Ocean, and stated that IOTC member states must all compromise for the conservation of yellowfin tuna. The Maldives' delegation at IOTC had submitted a proposal at IOTC Special Session, which outlined about a 15 percent reduction from the 2015 baseline for yellowfin tuna fishing, with a responsible catch limit of 346,438 tonnes. The proposal had received support from other coastal states, but had not been adapted following the abject refusal of the European Union to compromise on their own high catch limit. The EU had defended their own distant water purse seine fleet, which the Blue Marine Foundation identifies as the largest harvester of yellowfin tuna in the Indian Ocean.



Maldives' delegation has been reported to have expressed desperation and sadness at the disappointing outcome, declaring that This is not a negotiation  this is political greed, in referring to the exchange. There will be another meeting for the IOTC in June this year, and international parties are looking to Maldives for more leadership ahead of the event to procure effective solutions to the overfishing of yellowfin tuna. Maldives practices Pole-and-Line fishing for tuna, which is by far the least impactful and most sustainable method of fishing tuna as recognized by scientific research.

 2021 Raajje
Nurses receive colorful balloons at the welcome ceremoney on Saturday. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

It's the best season in Wuhan, as the signature cherry blossom trees are in full bloom. Wuhan University, one of the best places in China to enjoy the flowers, set up special cherry blossom open days for the medical workers participating in the COVID-19 prevention and control, inviting medical teams from all over the country to enjoy the cherry blossoms on campus this weekend.

On the first day of the event, more than 3,000 medical personnel and their families from around the country gathered at Wuhan University to appreciate the cherry blossoms.

Wuhan's cherry blossom season is a highly anticipated event. However, at the beginning of 2020, more than 340 medical teams and 42,000 medical workers from across the country rushed to Wuhan and other cities in Hubei Province to combat the epidemic, missing the beauty of the cherry blossoms in full bloom.

This season, during which Wuhan is back to its usual scene of being filled with cherry blossom admirers everywhere, Wuhan University has set March 13 and 14 as special cherry blossom viewing days for anti-epidemic medical workers.

"I am very happy to see the city returning to its former vitality and vigor, which shows that the hard work we put in last year was well worth it," Sui Shaoguang, director of the Emergency Department at the Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University from Liaoning Province, told the Global Times.

Sui has vivid memories of last year's battle in Wuhan, where his medical team was one of the first to be stationed at the Leishenshan Hospital, and is proud of the wonders China created there. "Leishenshan Hospital was still a construction site when we arrived, but within a few days, our A10 ward received its first patients and then later we also cured the first patient in this new hospital," Sui recalled.

At the scene on Saturday, there were also many patients who had been treated and cured by the medical teams at Leishenshan Hospital, waiting early to see their rescuers again.

On March 14, Leishenshan Hospital reopened after the closure of the cabin last year. The hospital's president, Wang Xinghuan, led about 400 medical workers and their families for a tour.

From opening on February 8, 2020 to its closing on April 15, Leishenshan Hospital has received a total of 2011 patients, of which more than 1,000 were seriously or critically ill, and finally more than 1,900 had recovered and been discharged from hospital . The mortality rate of patients stood at 2.3%. During this period, more than 3,000 medical personnel from 16 medical teams left their combat traces here.

Seeing the reunion in cherry blossom season as a solemn appointment with Wuhan's "comrades-in-arms" and local residents, Qin Wei, Sui's colleague and head nurse of the No.1 Department of Neurosurgery, returned to Wuhan full of longing and anticipation.

"Last year, when we left Wuhan, our patients' local medical staff kept inviting and reminding us to come back to Wuhan one year later to enjoy the cherry blossoms. We just did our duty in Wuhan, but the enthusiasm of the people in Wuhan made us very moved and grateful," she told the Global Times.

The Global Times found many medical staff shedding tears of joy when they met their local Hubei colleagues who were fighting the epidemic together last year, and many of them wrote their best wishes for Wuhan on a signature board on campus.

Wuhan University also held a welcoming ceremony, volunteer explanations, special performances and other activities to thank the medical workers for their past contributions.

A junior student surnamed Liang from Wuhan University's School of Politics and Public Administration, told the Global Times that teachers and students at the school learned about this activity half a month ago and were excited about the event.

"All of us have actively registered as volunteers, receiving training to conduct tours or provide drinking water and souvenirs for the medical staff at the service points on the days of the event. We want to show our gratitude through our hard work and service," Liang said.

A young medical worker takes her child to enjoy the beautiful scenery under the blooming cherry trees at Wuhan University on Saturday. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

Photo: Cui Meng/GT

A mother on Sunday brings her son to Leishenshan Hospital, where she used to work. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

At the reopening of Leishenshan Hospital on Sunday, a medical worker from the Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University from Liaoning Province, burst into tears when looking at the place where they had combat the epidemic.
The Washington Supreme Court is on a roll. On March 11, it took the unprecedented step of outlawing mandatory sentences of life without parole for people under the age of 21making Washington the first state in the nation to extend such protections to defendants who, while technically adults at the time of their crime, have greater potential for rehabilitation because of their youth. The previous month, a majority of the court struck down Washingtons drug possession law, effectively legalizing possession of controlled substances while overturning thousands of convictions going back decades. And, in January, the court made it easier for victims of police misconduct to sue law enforcement officers who violate their rights.

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This extraordinary series of decisions shows how a diverse and progressive judiciary can make the country a more just and equitable place. The Washington Supreme Courts members exemplify the kind of judges whom Joe Biden should be looking for as he prepares to announce his first slate of judicial nominees. To counter the current dominance of conservative ideology in the federal judiciary, liberals cant rely on moderates committed to minimalism; they need a distinct vision of the law as a force of justice that guarantees equal rights and dignity to those who are impoverished, unpopular, and powerless. To find one, they need only look to Washington state.

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Because it interprets its own state constitution, the Washington Supreme Court has much more leeway than a federal court to depart from SCOTUS jurisprudence. States high courts have final say over the meaning of their own state constitutions, which gives justices room to expand rights that SCOTUS has constricted under the federal Constitution. Many state constitutions, including Washingtons, provide greater protections than the federal Constitution. Thats why, in 2018, the Washington Supreme Court has permanently banned the death penalty and prohibited sentences of life without parole for juvenilestwo steps SCOTUS has refused to take.

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Those decisions were a preview of things to come. In 2019 and 2020, Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee appointed two new justices to the court: Raquel Montoya-Lewis, a Jewish Native American woman, and Grace Helen Whitener, a disabled Black lesbian immigrant. (In November, the state voted overwhelmingly to keep both women on the bench.) There, they joined Justice Mary Yu, an Asian American Latina lesbian, as well as Steven Gonzalez, the current chief justice, who is Hispanic, and one of just two men on the nine-member court. Inslees appointees created the most diverse high court in American history.

The Washington Supreme Court was far from conservative before these appointments. But less than three months into 2021, it is flexing its muscles as a progressive powerhouse. In Mancini v. Tacoma, for example, the court affirmed a jurys award of $250,000 in damages to an innocent woman who was traumatized by police who raided her home, pointed guns at her, dragged her outside wearing nothing but a nightgown, and held her on the ground, handcuffed, for 15 minutes.* The officers, through a combination of negligence and racial profiling, had raided the wrong apartment. The victim would have had little chance of winning damages in federal court thanks to qualified immunity. But the Washington Supreme Court allowed the jurys verdict to stand, refusing to grant immunity to the officers or hold them to a lower standard because they claimed to be protecting public safety.

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Mancini was a modest victory for criminal justice reform, an affirmation that police who terrorize communities may not escape liability, but its impact pales in comparison to State v. Blake, a landmark ruling the court issued the following month that will change criminal justice in Washington forever. Blake challenged the states unique ban on drug possession. While every other state requires proof that the defendant knew they possessed drugs, Washington has no such requirement, so an individual who had no idea she possesses an illegal substance could still be prosecuted and imprisoned. The defendant in the case, Shannon Blake, was convicted of possessing a tiny amount of methamphetamine, which was found in the coin pocket of her jeans. She alleged that she had borrowed her friends jeans and did not know they held any drugs. And she asserted that, by punishing her for innocent conduct, the law violated her due process rights.

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Thousands of people will now be able to clear their criminal records.

In a sweeping 54 decision, the Washington Supreme Court agreed. (Montoya-Lewis, Whitener, Yu, and Gonzalez joined Justice Sheryl Gordon McClouds opinion of the court.) The majority held that, under the state constitutions due process clause, the Legislature lacks the power to punish Blake for innocent conductor, more accurately, nonconductwithout proving any mental state at all.

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As Crosscuts David Kroman has explained, the decision had momentous consequences for current and former drug defendants. The decision didnt just apply to the particular circumstances of Blakes conviction. It also wiped the states existing possession law off the books entirely, legalizing drug possession throughout the state and forcing law enforcement to stop arresting and charging people caught with small amounts of illegal substances. The Washington Legislature will likely pass a new law once again prohibiting possession of drugsbut it cannot apply the revised statute retroactively thanks to the due process clause. Because the old law has been completely voided, past convictions for possession cannot stand. Thousands of people will now be able to clear their criminal records; thousands more will be resentenced, released from prison, or freed from parole. Defendants charged with fines and fees under the old law will have to be refunded. Washington residents thrown into removal proceedings due to a conviction under the nullified law may be able to avoid deportation.

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Too many decisions about criminal law tinker around the edges of a fundamentally broken system. Blake, by contrast, cuts to the heart of a grave injustice, and provides an immediate remedy to everyone who was wronged.

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In March, the same five justices who made up the Blake majority issued another blockbuster opinion, this time involving life without parole, or LWOP. SCOTUS has prohibited states from imposing mandatory LWOP on people who were under 18 at the time of their crime. That means a certain convictionsay, first-degree murdercant automatically trigger LWOP; instead, the judge must have discretion to hand down a lighter sentence. In 2018, the Washington Supreme Court imposed a stricter rule under the state constitution, barring all LWOP sentences for minors. (That means a juvenile defendant must always be able to petition for early release.) Neuroscientists, the court reasoned, have found that minors have diminished culpability because the part of the brain that inhibits impulsive and risky behavior does not fully develop until the age of 25. For the same reason, these defendants have greater capacity for rehabilitation. Thus, condemning a child to die behind bars is fundamentally cruel in violation of the Washington Constitution.

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On March 11, in two combined casesMonschke and Bartholomewthe court took this reasoning a step further, moving Washington ahead of every other state in the realm of juvenile justice. Neither defendant was legally a child when he committed his crime; one was 19, the other 20. Both were automatically sentenced to LWOP upon conviction of aggravated first-degree murder. If they had been a few years younger, they would both be eligible for resentencing under the courts recent precedent. The court rejected this arbitrary line drawing, explaining that there is no meaningful developmental difference between the brains of 17-year-olds and those who are 20. Thus, the constitutional guarantee of an individualized sentenceone that considers the mitigating qualities of youthmust apply to defendants who were under 21. Every defendant in Washington state who was sentenced to LWOP for a crime committed before the age of 21 may now request early release at a resentencing hearing.

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Decisions like these will not always be politically popular. Safeguarding constitutional rights takes real courage, and in the federal judiciary, many Democratic appointees prefer to assume a defensive crouch rather than defend a robust conception of civil rights. To his credit, Biden appears to be looking for diverse judges with nontraditional career paths and proven progressive credentials. If he does not draw nominees directly from the Washington Supreme Courtand Inslees appointees would be grand slam choiceshe should look for the kind of candidates who would fit comfortably on that bench. Democrats have spent far too long playing it safe with cautious, centrist nominees. If they want judges who serve as a serious intellectual counterbalance to Donald Trumps Federalist Society heavyweights, theyll need to think more like Jay Inslee.

Correction, April 20, 2021: This article originally misstated that the petitioner in Mancini v. Tacoma was Black.
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YEREVAN.  The Military Police are preparing a report related to the disseminated video, and there is no need or cause for any serious concern on the Kapan frontline. Deputy Defense Minister Arman Sargsyan on Monday told this to reporters in the National Assembly of Armenia.

"There is no problem in terms of security. At the moment, the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff are doing everything to improve the condition of the soldiers. These are ongoing works that are carried out on a daily basis," added the deputy minister.

And asked whether there was an order to hand over a military position in Kapan town, he responded that there was no issue of handing over a position.

Sargsyan, however, did not deny that there are problems in the army, at the same time noting that intensive steps are being taken to resolve them, and daily work is being done to improve the security environment.
Armenia economic competition protection commission: Experts forecast inflation of butter prices

Armenia citizens' protest against acting health minister is over

Pashinyan visits France, judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku, Jun. 2 digest

Armenian Ambassador, FMO representatives consider opportunities for expansion of cooperation in Armenia

Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Armenia citizens throw polyethylene bags at Health Ministry building, police apprehend protesters

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

Newspaper: What instructions did Armenia acting defense minister get in Moscow?

Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

Armenia 3rd President reacts to photos of bodies of soldiers in freezer: It felt like the blood froze in my veins

Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

Turkey's Erdogan expresses willingness to support Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral cooperation

Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

Wargonzo: Russian MOD is dealing with settlement of conflict in Armenia's Syunik Province on a daily basis

Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

Latest on scandal over improper storage of Armenian soldiers bodies, more on COVID-19, Jun. 1

Armenia Constitutional Court launches case proceedings based on President's application

Armenia acting emergency situations minister says he's concerned about situation in army

Armenia acting education, science, culture and sport minister receives ICRC Delegation

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

Armenia deputy police chief: No real cases of vote-buying reported to date

Armenia human rights activists: Nearly 10 protesters detained during protest in front of government building

Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

Yerevan court rules to conditionally release man who attempted to assassinate ex-presidential candidate

People came to power in Armenia who consistently destroyed army combat-readiness, says ex-President Kocharyan

Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

Armenia 1st President spokesperson: Ter-Petrosyan has nothing to speak with the nation-destroying plague

Armenia acting PM orders internal investigation into case of storage conditions of fallen soldiers bodies, remains

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan gives interview to Russia newspaper

Armenia acting deputy PM on unblocking of roads with Azerbaijan: There will be no troops standing there

Nikkei: Toyota and Honda stop car production in Malaysia

Armenia official on deploying international observers at Azerbaijan border: You will hear reaction on this matter soon

USAID helps UN World Food Programme support displaced people in Armenia

Armenia official: Work of trilateral working group on roads unblocking has stopped after recent incidents

Russias Putin to Armenias Pashinyan: Relations between our countries are developing very successfully
During meet with Antony Blinken, Jaishankar thanks US for strong support

India recognised by US as important part of conversation on Afghanistan: Jaishankar

Will champion the fight against racism, intolerance: Jaishankar on Oxford University racism row

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Mar 15: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said India will take up with the UK when required the alleged incidents of racism in Britain.He also described India as the land of Mahatma Gandhi and said it can never turn its eyes away from racism.



"As land of Mahatma Gandhi, we can never ever turn our eyes away from racism. Particularly so when it is in a country where we have such a large diaspora. We've strong ties with UK. We'll take up such matters with great candour when required," he said.

"We will monitor these developments very very closely. We will raise it when required and we will always champion the fight against racism and other forms of intolerance," he added.

Rashmi Samant, Indian president-elect of Oxford student union quits over 'racist social media posts

Rashmi Samant, who made Oxford University history as the first Indian woman to be elected President of the Oxford Student Union (SU), has resigned from the post just days later amid controversy surrounding some of her past remarks and references.

Some of Samant's old social media posts had emerged, which were branded as "racist" and "insensitive".

These included a holocaust reference on a post during a visit to the Berlin Holocaust Memorial in Germany in 2017 and an Instagram caption on a picture of herself in Malaysia that read "Ching Chang", which upset Chinese students.

The 22-year-old also attracted criticism for a campaign post caption that separated women and trans women, with the Oxford LGBTQ+ campaign calling for her resignation.

Grammys 2021: Beyonce breaks record for most Grammy wins for a female artist | Oneindia News

Samant, from Udupi in Karnataka, has since left for India to be with her family amid deep regret and many of her social media accounts have since been deleted.
SACRAMENTO  After months of sitting back while the recall movement gained momentum, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Democratic Party went on offense Monday, launching a campaign aimed at keeping Newsom in office.

The state party joined the recall fundraising spree by dropping $250,000 in cash and a $100,000 in-kind contribution into the campaign, which debuted an ad characterizing the effort as the work of Republicans and far-right groups loyal to former President Donald Trump.

I wont be distracted by this partisan, Republican recall  but I will fight it, Newsom tweeted. There is too much at stake. Getting Californians vaccinated, our economy safely reopened, and our kids back in school are simply too important to risk.

The Democrats ad labels the recall a power grab and suggests the effort is fueled by national Republicans and extremist groups like the Proud Boys, who supported Trumps effort to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Newsoms anti-recall website juxtaposes images of recall protesters and insurrectionists attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Instead of helping fight the pandemic, national Republicans are coming to fight Californians, the ad says.

Randy Economy, a spokesman for the recall campaign, said Newsoms effort to portray the recall as driven by far-right Republicans is nonsensical. He said 38% of the 2.1 million signatures that recall organizers say they have collected came from independents, Democrats and members of third parties.

Hes desperate. Hes fighting for his political life, Economy said. The people have spoken loud and clear, and the campaign has now begun.

Democrats and Newsom are all but conceding the recall will qualify for the ballot and are transitioning into campaign mode. Recall supporters must submit about 1.5 million valid signatures of registered voters by Wednesday.

Raphael Sonenshein, executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State Los Angeles, said Newsom appears to be trying to get out in front of the surge in attention the recall campaign will receive this week when it turns in its last batch of signatures.

Its an effective way to grab control of the narrative, Sonenshein said.

Newsom is trying to nationalize the campaign and draw support and money from Democrats outside the state. On Tuesday, he is scheduled to appear on ABCs The View, his first sit-down interview focused on the recall.

The governor has tried to solidify his progressive base by touting support from Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Cory Booker of New Jersey, Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and Georgia voting-rights activist Stacey Abrams.

Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner


Image credit: Andre Messika Diamonds







Andre Messika, a Paris-based topnotch distributor of polished diamonds migrated to Israel in 2003, to establish Andre Messika Diamonds in the Israel Diamond Exchange in Ramat Gan and has not looked back since.

In 2012, in recognition of the continuous rise in turnover and a robust cashflow, Andre Messika Diamonds was honoured as Outstanding Exporter. A member of the Responsible Jewellery Council since 2012, the company adheres to its principles and code of practice. The company manufactures diamonds into exquisite gems, not just white diamonds, but all fancy colours, be it yellow, blue, red, pink and many of the other stunning hues.

Today, as the Founder/Chairman of Andre Messika Ltd., he steers the company that has grown into one of the largest manufacturer and distributor of rough and polished diamonds.

Here, in an exclusive Interview with Rough&Polished, Andre Messika talks about his company with immense passion, having nurtured it for many decades

Some excerpts:

Globally, the diamond/diamond Jewellery industry bore the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic but is gradually returning to normalcy. Recently, miners have increased rough prices; polished prices are steady and demand for jewellery is also picking up. What are your views on this?

As for many other industries, COVID-19 was a wake-up call. It was a time for the market to reevaluate its priorities and come to grips with a different reality. The rapid global recovery in markets is also felt by the diamond industry and many of its core actors.

With a stagnant consumer base, manufacturers and miners were forced to re-adjust their production rates, giving the industry a much-needed breath of fresh air. I perceive this last year as a true rebirth for our industry, and an accelerant to sustainable growth for the diamond industry as a whole in the coming decade.

What is the current status of Andre Messika Ltd? How as the pandemic affected the workings of your company? And, how has the company fared in its export performance this fiscal year? Can you give us an update?

Andre Messika Ltd has performed remarkably well throughout the COVID-19 period and continues to support our market's recovery. My son Ilan, has taken an executive position in the company and continues to scale our operations with a fresh and deeply specialized approach.

Expanding on the principles of the RJC of which we are members for nearly a decade now, and together we have increased the level of transparency and traceability as we have become an official partner in the Sarine Diamond Journey initiative as well.

Please also tell us about your diamond cutting and polishing factory in Namibia. Are there any new initiatives on the horizon going forward?

We are now very active and focused in Namibia, where we proudly have a polishing factory, which is the largest company employing physically challenged and hearing-impaired polishers.

We believe in empowering people and communities with opportunities that will help them shine as bright as the perfectly crafted diamonds for which we have become world-famous.

Our goal is to support the entire value chain, and we will continue supporting local communities through our numerous operations in the industry. We intend to share more of our thinking on this issue very soon.

Which diamond consuming country is the biggest market for your company currently? And, globally which markets, according to you, are worth looking at as prospective markets for diamond/diamond Jewellery? Your opinion?

Our operations are truly global, with a client base that we have built and serviced for more than 55 years. As the world continues to globalize with growth across the board, we see diamonds and jewellery attracting more consumers in various markets in which we are already active in. I am particularly excited to expand our work into mainland China, one of the most powerful and dominant consumer bases in the world.

The lab-grown-diamond (LGB) sector is finally being accepted worldwide as a legitimate entity. Will natural diamonds and LGDs grow amicably as two sides of the diamond industry? How do you see this panning out in the future? Your thoughts?

I do not see lab-grown diamonds posing a real threat to natural diamonds. While similar on an atomic level, lab-grown diamonds represent an entirely different asset. A large part of a natural diamond's value comes from its unequivocal and provable rarity - something which lab diamonds will never possess. I expect the popularity of lab-grown diamonds to increase in tandem with natural diamonds, as a low-market alternative to what will remain a premium product.

Analysts see LGDs as a tough competitor to Natural diamonds, especially from Gen Z which prefers LGDs against mined diamonds for obvious reasons of human and environmental issues. Your opinion?

The natural diamond industry today is one of the most transparent, regulated, and ethical industries in the world. It creates millions of jobs worldwide and is the very bedrock of a large number of national economies. Thus, I do not agree with the assertion that the natural diamond industry is currently a cause of humanitarian issues.

As stated in the above answer, I believe that lab-grown diamonds will grow into a substantial, vivacious market. Lab-grown diamonds do not have the fundamental characteristics of a rarity for them to ever become as valuable as natural diamonds, leaving a meaningful opportunity for growth across both markets.

Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough&Polished




Haiti - Elections : Already more than 4 million registered voters





Jude Jacques Elibert, Director General of the National Identification Office (ONI) informs that the registration process for the referendum, the elections and the delivery of National Identification Cards (NIC) is progressing rapidly. He specifies that as of March 10, 2021, 4,115,042 Haitian citizens both inside and outside the country have received their CIN and are already registered.



Registered voters by department :



Artibonite: 418,417

Center: 276,493

Grand'Anse: 172,781

Nippes: 124,863

North: 428.157

North-East: 193,173

Northwest: 235.912

West: 1,739,481

South: 300,559

South-East: 224,023

The Diaspora (11th department): 1,183



"More than 4 million voters already registered for the referendum of June 27 and the elections of September 19, 2021.



The Government, the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) and international partners are working to strengthen the democratic process in Haiti," declared Frantz Exantus, Secretary of State for Communication.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















A group of Louisiana state troopers joked in text messages about brutalizing a black man after they arrested him following a high-speed chase, saying they'd given him 'a whoopin' he wouldn't forget.

The three troopers involved in the incident were arrested last month for allegedly using excessive force in the May 2020 arrest of 29-year-old Antonio Harris, the Washington Post reported.

A fourth trooper in the same unit also was arrested for a separate allegedly racially motivated incident.

Their arrests come as federal civil rights probe has been opened focusing on the Louisiana state patrol's 'Troop F,' which also had a black man in 2019 die while he was in the custody.

In the incident last year, trooper Jacob Brown said: 'LOL he was still digesting that a** whoopin,' in a text to Dakota DeMoss, according to the arrest warrant obtained by The Advocate. They had just arrested Harris after he led them on a high-speed chase.

'He gonna be sore tomorrow for sure,' responded Brown. 'LMAO  warms my heart knowing we could educate that young man.'

From left to right: Jacob Brown, Randall Dickerson, George Harper, and Dakota DeMoss

An arrest warrant for DeMoss was filed last week, which helped unseal the texts about the May 2020 incident, which also included troopers Brown and George Harper.

Investigators determined that excessive force was used in the incident after reviewing bodycam footage and that Brown allegedly lied about the suspect resisting arrest.

Brown was conducting a traffic stop on a driver who had drifted over the fog line. After running the driver's plates, Brown learned there were outstanding warrants stemming from gun and escape charges.

While calling for backup, the suspect fled, leading to a 29-mile chase, reaching speeds of 150mph before the chase ended with the use of spike strips.

Brown claimed that the driver fled on foot and refused to place his hands behind his back when stopped, leading to a struggle with troopers.

'Tactical strikes' were then used on the suspect, per Brown's report.

The Louisiana State Police has been accused of several acts of excessive force in recent years (Pictured: State police headquarters)

Bodycam footage, however, showed that the suspect immediately surrendered after leaving his vehicle, yet DeMoss hit the suspect with his knee and slapped him in the face before turning off his bodycam, according to the Advocate.

Harper then allegedly hit the suspect in the head multiple times while Brown pulled his hair. DeMoss also grabbed the suspect by his hair after a search was conducted.

'I hope you act up when we get to the f****** jail,' Harper then said to the suspect. 'I am going to punish you, dumb b****. What the f*** is wrong with you.'

DeMoss and Harper received counseling the month following the May 2020 incident and a warning from a supervisor. They are now on administrative leave.

Meanwhile, Randall Dickerson, a trooper accused with Brown of excessive force in another traffic stop, is also on leave. Dickerson also was arrested.

One incident of alleged excessive force left a Black man, Ronald Greene, dead (stock pictured)

DeMoss, Harper, and Dickerson have filed a lawsuit to stop the investigations taking place into them, alleging the investigations weren't launched within 14 days of officials becoming aware of incidents involving them.

A judge temporarily sided with the troopers and is expected to make a final decision next week.

Brown has since resigned from the state police force. He has reportedly been arrested three separate times in relation to traffic stops where he allegedly used excessive force against black men, according to the Advocate.

'This further shows that there is a cultural problem with State Police, in particular at Troop F,' said Ron Haley, who is representing two plaintiffs in lawsuits following other incidents.

'The fact that it has taken almost two years for even one ounce of accountability is extremely disturbing. Why has it taken so long?'

In another incident in May 2019, Brown allegedly beat his victim with a flashlight, which caused broken ribs, a fractured arm, and deep cuts to the victim's head.

That led to a lawsuit from the victim, Aaron Bowman, filed against Louisiana's State Police.

And Ronald Greene, the victim of another incident, allegedly died in police custody in May 2019 per a lawsuit. He was under the supervision of officers also from Troop F.

The police initially claimed Greene died as the result of a car crash chase. DeMoss was allegedly involved in that incident.

Col. Kevin Reeves, a former member of Troop F, resigned as State Police superintendent in the fall.

'We see that a trust has been broken because the people, as we speak, believed in the state troopers because they are the elite of the elite,' President of the Ouachita Parish Branch of the NAACP Ambrose Douzart said to KNOE.
She teamed with Margaret Mitchell, who was building a group inside Google dedicated to ethical A.I. Dr. Mitchell had previously worked in the research lab at Microsoft. She had grabbed attention when she told Bloomberg News in 2016 that A.I. suffered from a sea of dudes problem. She estimated that she had worked with hundreds of men over the previous five years and about 10 women.

Their work was hailed as groundbreaking. The nascent A.I. industry, it had become clear, needed minders and people with different perspectives.

About six years ago, A.I. in a Google online photo service organized photos of Black people into a folder called gorillas. Four years ago, a researcher at a New York start-up noticed that the A.I. system she was working on was egregiously biased against Black people. Not long after, a Black researcher in Boston discovered that an A.I. system couldnt identify her face  until she put on a white mask.

In 2018, when I told Googles public relations staff that I was working on a book about artificial intelligence, it arranged a long talk with Dr. Mitchell to discuss her work. As she described how she built the companys Ethical A.I. team  and brought Dr. Gebru into the fold  it was refreshing to hear from someone so closely focused on the bias problem.

But nearly three years later, Dr. Gebru was pushed out of the company without a clear explanation. She said she had been fired after criticizing Googles approach to minority hiring and, with a research paper, highlighting the harmful biases in the A.I. systems that underpin Googles search engine and other services.

Your life starts getting worse when you start advocating for underrepresented people, Dr. Gebru said in an email before her firing. You start making the other leaders upset.

As Dr. Mitchell defended Dr. Gebru, the company removed her, too. She had searched through her own Google email account for material that would support their position and forwarded emails to another account, which somehow got her into trouble. Google declined to comment for this article.
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE  A former firefighter at Scott Air Force Base was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison Thursday for emailing child pornography to undercover investigators.

Jace A. Faugno pleaded guilty Sept. 10, 2019 to two counts of distribution of child pornography. He admitted sending a video containing child porn to an FBI agent on Sept. 30, 2018 and to an agent of the Air Force Office of Special Investigation on Oct. 5, 2018 via the Kik messaging app.

Faugno was a senior airman stationed at Scott.

Faugno told agents that he was in the video, which showed the sexual assault of a 9-year-old. He then asked whether he could have sex with the undercover agents' daughters, his plea says.

Faugno, who lived in the 5300 block of Savoy Court in St. Louis when he was charged in 2018, has since moved to Kentucky. His sentencing has been delayed multiple times, including because of the coronavirus pandemic.

This article is written by Robert Patrick from St. Louis Post-Dispatch and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
A week-long retreat to mark the fifth anniversary of the death a young Derry nun killed in an earthquake in South America will be held next month.

Sister Clare Crockett, aged just 33, died on April 16, 2016, when an earthquake struck the home and school of Servant Sisters of the Mother in Playa Prieta, Ecuador, where she had been working for two years helping the poorer children of the region receive a higher standard of education.

Her death touched thousands across the world, and especially in her hometown of Derry.

Since then, a mural has been painted on the gable wall at the junction of Deanery Street and Lecky Road, close to Sr. Clares family home, and a monthly Mass celebrated in the Carmelite Priory and Retreat Centre in Termonbacca.

Her grave in Derry City Cemetery has become a place of pilgrimage.

Her sister, Megan Nicell, said the family had been overwhelmed by the many messages of prayer and support they have received, as well as the testimonies from those who draw daily support from their devotion to the Derry nun.

She said: This is an important anniversary for us, it marks five years since we lost Clare, and want this retreat to be a celebration of the life that she led and the great devotion that so many have to her.

The retreat will very much be focussed on Sr. Clares life, from her childhood growing up in Derry, her friendships, her great love of acting and drama, and her vocation and life with the Servant Sisters of the Mother.

The retreat will include a healing Mass on the Thursday night, and Bishop Donal McKeown will celebrate the final evening on the Sunday.

Each evening will have a different priest leading the service.

Megan added: We know there will be a huge demand for tickets, and we will do our best to accommodate everyone, but wed also encourage people to watch the retreat from their own homes, as it will be available online.

The retreat will take place from Monday  Sunday, 19-25 April at 7:30pm each night in St Columba's Church, Long Tower (if places of worship are open by that date). Due to Covid regulations, this will be a ticket-only event.

Tickets will be available on Tuesday and Wednesday next, 23 and 24 March between 6:00pm - 9:00pm. by ringing 07594849704, 07754360176, or 07594849689.

Please note, these lines will not open until 6:00pm on both nights  do not call the Long Tower Parochial House or Long Tower Church regarding tickets.

The event will be streamed live at http://longtowerchurch.org/webcam/ and on the Long Tower facebook page.
A man from Canada revealed the dangers of connecting to a public WiFi, showing viewers what a hacker can see when gaining access to your computer via a video he uploaded on TikTok.

TikTok user Matthew Linkert, who goes under the handle @mattlinkert__, has made a video demonstrating how a hacker can remotely break into someone's computer.

In the video, Linkert had set up a fake access point to make it look like free WiFi from the popular coffeehouse chain Starbucks and used his iPad to log in to the made-up WiFi.

He showed how, from his computer, he retrieved his iPad's internal IP addresses as well as the email address and password he used to login into the fake Starbucks WiFi.

Read Also: [HACKER] New Malware Uses USBs to Steal Data; Microsoft Vulnerabilities Used to Target Devices

Linkert continued by demonstrating how a hacker can set up pages to "prompt downloads or even enter phone numbers."

He warned that any unsuspecting users who clicked the made-up download button could potentially install a virus that gives the hacker complete access to a computer without the user's knowledge.

Browsing secured websites is also compromised when a hacker gains access to your computer, with Linkert demonstrating how secured sites or URLs start with an HTTPS, switches to a non-secure site, and allows hackers to see "everything you're doing."

Remote Access Trojan

Linkert showed in another video, which was divided into two parts, how hackers use a now-defunct Remote Access Trojan (RAT) called "Orcus" to gain almost full access to someone's computer.

After warning users that his video that it is for "educational purposes only," and reminded them that he does not condone hacking, he proceeded to run Orcus and showed viewers how powerful the software could be.

He showed how he could view another computer's desktop to watch its activity, look at another computer's webcam, scour through the files without any detectable trace, and gather all passwords saved on the computer.

The program is not available for download anymore, and Linkert warned in a later video that no one must try to look for the software at all.

Securing Your Connection

Linkert recommended the use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to keep users safe when accessing public WiFis while reminding his viewers to be extra careful when connecting to these public networks.

Norton, a California-based digital security company, describes a VPN as a "secure tunnel" that makes all data coming back and forth a device over a WiFi connection encrypted and hence secure.

In their blog post, Norton recommends making it a habit to use a VPN before connecting to the internet for an added layer of protection.

Such protection includes masking someone's IP address, location, and search history for privacy, as well as protecting one's personal information while it is being sent over the network.

They added that the use of VPN could provide users access to region-blocked services, avoid censorship on countries with geographical restrictions, and benefit from cheaper long-distance telephone charges.

VPN use also brings potential drawbacks, such as slower internet access and the possibility of encountering difficulties in its setup.

Related Article: Russian Hacker Who Stole at Least $100 Million Now in Jail

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Lee Mercado

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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A new solar energy plant in Hau Giang Province, Vietnam, which required an investment of VND700 billion (US$30.5 million), was inaugurated on Monday.

The Hau Giang Solar Power Plant was built on a 33-hectare plot in Hoa An Commune, Phung Hiep District.

With a design capacity of 35 megawatt-peak, the power plant is expected to produce 50,800 megawatt-hours of electricity and reap VND80 billion ($3.5 million) in revenue per year.

The facility was built by a consortium led by Halcom Vietnam JSC and SE Corporation from Japan.

Nguyen Quang Huan, chairman of Halcom Vietnam JSC, described the project as the first step in a long-term and sustainable-leaning investment plan of Hau Giang Province.

Halcom Vietnam has received endorsement from Hau Giang authorities for the construction of another solar power plant with a projected capacity of 40 megawatt-peak in the area.

The implementation of the coming project will reap certain benefits from the preexisting infrastructure in the locale, Huan added.

Nguyen Van Hoa, deputy chairman of the Hau Giang Peoples Committee, stated that the namesake solar power plant is the provinces first-of-its-kind, which is expected to utilize the ample potential of sunlight radiation in the region.

Electricity from the plant will be connected to the 110kV transmission line that stretches from Hau Giangs Vi Thanh City to Long My Commune.

As noted in the Renewables 2020 Global Status report (REN21), Vietnam ranked 5th in the world in terms of solar energy in 2019.

The shift to renewable energy, especially solar power, in Vietnam is considered among the best in the world, thanks to the new Feed-in Tariff price incentive policy of the government.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Hyderabad: The price of onions is continuing to fall after a recent spike. On Monday, onions were being sold for Rs 20. The Malakpet market yard, considered the largest onion market in the city, received 70 truckloads of the bulbs, 43 of them from Maharashtra and Karnataka. Experts said that the over-production of onions had led to the drop in prices.

The trucks from Karnataka and Mahrashtra brought in 5,640 quintals of onion. In the state, there are places like Mahbubnagar, Medak, and Tandur and in Andhra Pradesh we have Kurnool, from where we get onions. From these places we received 23 trucks carrying 2,760 quintals of onion, said Damodar, an AMC with the agriculture department.

He said many farmers had chosen to plant onions as the prices had risen last year. But the prices had risen as farmers were unable to send their yield out due to the pandemic. We had a lot of supply issues last year. Now there is a surplus amount of onions, he said.

G.V. Ramananjenayulu, agrarian expert from the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, said: Going by the look of things, the prices of onions are expected to fall even further. This is a usual occurrence, the price falls every time a new crop comes to the market.

In a calendar year, the price of onions falls steeply only twice. While the first is in March the next time would be around September. "Since, the state has no or very little production, we depend on imports from other states," he said.
After struggling financially during the coronavirus pandemic, several Americans will be waiting longer for the badly needed aid as some of them mentioned that their stimulus checks were deposited to the wrong bank accounts this weekend.

Stimulus Checks Sent To Wrong Bank Accounts

Some of the taxpayers were surprised to see that the last four digits of their bank account numbers were not correct when they checked the payment status of their checks on the website of the IRS. The said issue happened during the first two rounds of direct payments when technical glitches from third-party tax preparers caused numerous delays for many filers.

According to USA Today, the latest news about their checks put some taxpayers frustrated as they might have to wait for a paper check in the mail, while others still have not received a single dime of the second payment that was supposed to arrive several months ago. When contacted by the news outlet, the IRS directed all the questions to the FAQ page for its 'Get My Payment' tool.

On its website, the IRS stated that once the bank information of a filer is invalid the bank will return the payment to the IRS. The same thing will also happen if the account has been closed.

One among the recipients, 52-year-old Lori Young did not recognize the bank destination for her third check. The retired nurse, who is living in Camden in South Carolina, receives Social Security disability benefits, Yahoo! Finance reported.

Trump Aids Biden's Stimulus Bill, Leaves a Massive Cash Pile

Young received her first $1,200 Economic Impact Payment last spring.. However, she was not able to get a second $600 check in December after wrong bank account information appeared on her IRS 'Get My Payment' tool details.

For five years, the retired nurse received her Social Security benefits via direct deposit and has not changed any detail in her bank account. Her $1,400 payment showed the wrong bank account information on the tool of the IRS as her medical bills are currently piling up.

Young expressed her frustrations as she pointed out that she has so many bills to pay. She also shared that despite steady support coming from her Social Security still she has a lot of medical issues that is why she is relying on the stimulus checks in order to pay her bills.

Stimulus Checks Start Arriving in Bank Accounts

Moreover, based on tax professionals, the issue with wrong bank accounts popped up among filers in the first two rounds who had set up a tax advance in previous years when filing returns. But the IRS shared that together with their tax partners they are taking steps in redirecting stimulus payments to the correct account for those who had problems.

In addition, some individuals may also receive 'payment status not available' when they check the website of the IRS. But the agency mentioned that once an individual will get this message, either they have not yet processed the payment or not eligible for a payment.

Meanwhile, other individuals have run into some problems updating their bank account information with the agency. A resident of Pittsburgh, Ryan Deckard, received his first payment, but he never got his second stimulus check which prompted him to check his account on the 'Get My Payment' tool, but his account showed that it was no longer active for him.

Also from HNGN:

Spring Breakers Arrested in Miami Beach

Nancy Pelosi Points Blame on Trump for Border Crisis

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Iranian ship hit in attack in Mediterranean, company says

March 15,2021 | Source: Hellenic Shipping News

An Iranian container ship was damaged in an attack in the Mediterranean, the state-run shipping company said on Friday, adding it would take legal action to identify the perpetrators of what it called terrorism and naval piracy.



The ship, Shahr e Kord, was slightly damaged in Wednesdays incident by an explosive object which caused a small fire, but no one on board was hurt, the spokesman, Ali Ghiasian, said, according to state media.



Such terrorist acts amount to naval piracy, and are contrary to international law on commercial shipping security, and legal action will be taken to identify the perpetrators through relevant international institutions, Ghiasian said.



The vessel was headed to Europe when the attack occurred and will leave for its destination after repairs, he added.



The Iranian-flagged vessel last reported its position off Syrias coast on March 10 as it headed for the Syrian port of Latakia, Refinitiv ship tracking data showed.



Two maritime security sources said initial indications were that the Iranian container ship had been intentionally targeted by an unknown source.



The incident comes two weeks after an Israeli-owned ship the MV HELIOS RAY was hit by an explosion in the Gulf of Oman.



The cause was not immediately clear, although a U.S. defence official said the blast left holes in both sides of the vessels hull. Israel accused Iran of being behind the explosion, a charge the Islamic Republic denied.



On Friday, Israeli officials did not provide comment when asked if Israel was involved in the Shahr e Kord incident reported by Iran.



The vessel, which is among Iranian ships that have been designated by the U.S. under tough sanctions measures, was detained in Libya in 2019 although the ship was later released.



A third maritime security source told Reuters that three other Iranian ships had been damaged in recent weeks by unknown causes when sailing through the Red Sea.

 Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide All Rights Reserved

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New York's "vaccine czar" - a longtime adviser to Gov. Andrew Cuomo - phoned county officials in the past two weeks in attempts to gauge their loyalty to the embattled governor amid an ongoing sexual harassment investigation, according to multiple officials.

One Democratic county executive was so unsettled by the outreach from Larry Schwartz, head of the state's vaccine rollout, that the executive on Friday filed notice of an impending ethics complaint with the public integrity unit of the state attorney general's office, the official told The Washington Post. The executive feared the county's vaccine supply could suffer if Schwartz was not pleased with the executive's response to his questions about support of the governor.

The executive said the conversation with Schwartz came in proximity to a separate conversation with another Cuomo administration official about vaccine distribution.

"At best, it was inappropriate," said the executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear that the Cuomo administration would retaliate against the county's residents. "At worst, it was clearly over the ethical line."

Schwartz, who is working in a volunteer capacity to run New York's vaccine distribution, acknowledged making the calls in response to an inquiry by The Post, but said he did so as a 30-year friend of Cuomo and did not discuss vaccines in the conversations.

"I did nothing wrong," Schwartz said. "I have always conducted myself in a manner commensurate to a high ethical standard."

Schwartz is one of Cuomo's longtime lieutenants, serving as secretary to the governor - the most influential aide to the New York governor - from 2011 until 2015, and then advising him off and on since, earning the reputation as Cuomo's enforcer. Schwartz returned last spring to be the administration's point person on the coronavirus pandemic - moving into the governor's mansion at one point - and has managed much of the state's response.

His calls to county officials could fuel questions about an intermingling of politics with the state's public health operation. The conversations came in advance of a March 8 announcement by the governor's office that the state plans to open 10 new mass vaccination sites around New York - distribution hubs that have been keenly sought by local officials.

Arthur Caplan, director of medical ethics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said political outreach by the person helming the state's vaccine response could lead to officials fearing that vaccine decisions could be based on favoritism.

"People do not see calls coming from the governor's mansion as somebody wearing one hat and then putting on another hat," he said. "If you are in control of a vital supply of a lifesaving resource like vaccines, you are carrying an enormous amount of implicit clout when you ask for political allegiance. And you shouldn't be doing that anyway. The public health goal to maximize the best use of vaccines has nothing to do with any public declaration of political fealty. And it shouldn't even be implied or hinted at."

In several statements he emailed to The Post on Saturday, Schwartz said the calls he made to assess political support for Cuomo were distinct from the role he plays in the vaccine distribution effort.

"I did have conversations with a number of County Executives from across the State to ascertain if they were maintaining their public position that there is an ongoing investigation by the State Attorney General and that we should wait for the findings of that investigation before drawing any conclusions," he wrote.

Schwartz described the calls as "cordial, respectful and friendly," adding: "Nobody indicated that they were uncomfortable or that they did not want to talk to me."

He added that decisions about where to locate mass vaccination sites are not made by one individual but are determined by members of the governor's vaccine task force and outside consultants, "based on merit, data and facts and not politics."

Schwartz declined to answer if he had taken the ethics oath required for New York state public officers. The law states that no officer should engage in conduct that could give an impression that any person could "unduly enjoy his or her favor in the performance of his or her official duties."

Beth Garvey, acting counsel to the governor, said in a statement that the ethics oath is not required of volunteers under an executive order issued by Cuomo to facilitate the participation of volunteers in the state's coronavirus response. "Any assertion or implication that this was a failing on the part of Larry Schwartz is simply false," she said.

In interviews with The Post, several public officials who received the calls from Schwartz spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the conversations, saying they fear swift retribution from Cuomo if they speak out against him.

The officials said Schwartz appeared to be taking stock of where they stood on Cuomo and whether they would continue to support him, and said he emphasized the need to let the state investigation play out.

One official who received a call did not view it as an explicit threat and was not disturbed by it, but added: "Looking back on it, Larry probably wasn't the best person to make a call like that." A second official from a separate county said: "I didn't feel that there was correlation between the answer I was going to give and my vaccine supply. But I could see how maybe someone else maybe got that impression."

They described the outreach as politics as usual in the Cuomo administration, which has long earned a reputation for leaning on allies and threatening opponents. The spotlight on the governor's style has intensified in recent weeks, as Cuomo's political power has become mired in dual scandals: one related to multiple accusations of sexual harassment and unwelcome touching, and the other centered on his actions related to nursing-home deaths.

On Friday, a majority of the New York congressional delegation - including the state's two U.S. senators - called for Cuomo to step down, issuing a barrage of public statements, many just minutes apart from one another. One official involved in the discussions said the timing was planned to absolve any one lawmaker from receiving Cuomo's wrath.

"He can't kill us all at the same time," said the official, a senior aide to one of the lawmakers who called for Cuomo to resign, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the internal strategy.

The governor has been accused of workplace harassment, improper touching or both by five women, including four who worked for him. An allegation by a sixth woman - also an employee - was referred by the governor's office to local police for investigation Wednesday. Many others, male and female, have described a hostile and abusive workplace in which young women were frequently treated differently.

Cuomo has denied accusations of unwanted touching and largely been defiant in the wake of growing calls for his resignation. He has dismissed some of the claims as part of a "cancel culture" that he derided as "dangerous" and "reckless," urging critics to wait for the conclusion of the state attorney general's probe of the harassment allegations. He said earlier this month that he never intended to cause any pain or make anyone feel uncomfortable.

The controversies have been fueled in part by a growing willingness - even among party allies - to break a code of silence that was long expected in the notoriously cutthroat and fealty-driven world of New York politics.

Ron Kim, a New York state assemblyman, went public in February with a call from Cuomo that he said was explicitly threatening in nature over his criticism of the nursing home deaths scandal. A top Cuomo adviser has disputed that Cuomo threatened to "destroy" Kim, as Kim has said.

One of Cuomo's accusers, former staffer Lindsey Boylan, has alleged that Cuomo's aides leaked her personnel file to reporters, and on Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported on attempts by the governor's aides to call former employees attempting to glean information about Boylan.

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said Cuomo's tactics of using fear to govern largely worked because "retribution was very harsh if you crossed him. People were very concerned."

But now, she said, "You're seeing some of the fear starting to crumble. So when you have that stripped away, you don't have a lot to back you up."

A spokesman for Cuomo did not respond to a request for comment on the governor's reputation for exacting retribution.

Amid the burgeoning crises, Schwartz has remained his staunch ally. After several years working in the private sector, he returned to Cuomo's side in the early days of the coronavirus pandemiclast year, volunteering to manage medical equipment and supplies directed to hospitals and health care systems.

Schwartz told The Post that he assisted with ensuring bed capacity for hospitals and helped launch a contact tracing program. He said he currently is volunteering in his role as head of the vaccine rollout.

In his book "American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic," Cuomo wrote that when he had asked Schwartz to help him manage the public health crisis, "I knew that if I asked, he wouldn't say no; he was that good a friend. I'd known him for thirty years."

Cuomo said he even invited Schwartz to move into the governor's mansion for a period of time, along with him, his dog, Captain, and his three daughters, writing, "Now Larry was added to the pack." He said Schwartz put in long hours, often not returning to the mansion until midnight or 1 a.m.

Across the state, Schwartz is viewed as someone with singular influence.

New York state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat who represents the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, said he was in a meeting with Schwartz and the state health commissioner earlier this year in which he said Schwartz often answered questions before the commissioner. Mamdani had been pressing for incarcerated individuals to receive access to the vaccine, and he said that during the meeting, it became clear to him that Schwartz had large sway over decisions about vaccine distribution.

"He sets policy in regards to rollout, in regards to eligibility and has the real ability to dictate the supply to different parts of the state," said Mamdani.

Schwartz told The Post that he holds weekly calls with county executives and county health officials.

But he said that when he called county officials to assess their support for Cuomo, "they were hearing from me as someone who has (known) the Governor for 30 years and someone who has been involved in NYS Government and Politics for about the same time."

He said he made the calls at night, although he said some officials may have returned the calls the following morning. "I find time to oversee the vaccine program [as] well as take on other responsibilities," he wrote in an email. "I am able to multi task."

"Everyone took my call or called me back," he added. "NOBODY indicated they were uncomfortable discussing with me or thought it was inappropriate."

When asked whether Cuomo directed him to reach out to county officials, he responded: "It was my decision to make the calls."

A spokesman for Cuomo did not respond to a request for comment on whether the governor was familiar with Schwartz's outreach to county officials.

The Democratic county executive who filed notice of an ethics complaint said that Schwartz made no explicit threat to withhold vaccines, but felt there was an implication of what was at stake, given Schwartz's influence over the vaccine distribution channels and the fact that he only called or emailed to discuss vaccine allotment.

"I'm not calling about vaccines," Schwartz told the executive, then stressed that it was crucial to let the investigation by the attorney general play out, according to the executive.

If the executive's position on Cuomo changed, Schwartz said, he would appreciate a head's up, according to notes the executive took at the time.

"There was a lot going through my mind," the executive recounted. "This is putting me in an impossible position where I potentially have to choose between like a weird political loyalty to a governor who controls a lot of things, not just vaccine, and is known to be vindictive, and on the other side, doses of lifesaving vaccine every week for my residents who are literally desperate for them."

A spokesman for the state attorney general's office did not respond to a request for comment about the notice of an ethics complaint the executive filed.

In describing the calls to The Post, Schwartz said, "there was no pressure and I never asked anyone to support the Governor. All I asked them was if their public position of calling for an independent investigation by the Attorney General and waiting for the outcome of her report had changed."

He said vaccines are distributed in the state based on the number of eligible residents and a county's administration rate.

"It's not based on favoritism, politics or anything else," he wrote. He also said he took offense at the fact that his "accuser" was speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Several Republican county executives reached by The Post said they had not received such calls from Schwartz. A longtime Cuomo critic, Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin, quipped, "He didn't call me because he knew I would never say something nice about (Cuomo)."

- - -

The Washington Post's Michael Scherer and Alice Crites contributed to this report.
Dr. Mehl, 73, the son of European immigrants who escaped the Holocaust, grew up in Brooklyn and spent his entire 50-year career at N.Y.U., where he could often be found in the hallway kibitzing with lab technicians, cafeteria workers or security guards. Colleagues referred to him as the Mayor of N.Y.U.

He could also be unabashedly emotional. When he dropped me off at summer camp, hed be the only father crying, his daughter said.

Dr. Mehl was a voracious reader  history books about World War II, Israel and the United States were his favorites. When he traveled, hed wake up each morning to tackle an exhausting itinerary of museums, monuments and restaurants. Hed be planning the next vacation even before we came home, said his wife, Nancy Greenwald.

At a time when many doctors are plotting retirement, Dr. Mehl insisted on working full time, though last March, he finally agreed to take off Fridays. He laid out a meticulous plan for that first Friday: Wake up, read the newspaper, return to bed, eat breakfast, and then have a nap. But he woke up that day with back pain, and when it became excruciating, Ms. Greenwald decided to call an ambulance. (Four of the patients he had treated the previous week, they later learned, had tested positive for the virus.)

It was only when the ambulance crew refused to allow her to climb inside that Ms. Greenwald realized her husband might be sick with the coronavirus. Her most searing memory was standing outside N.Y.U. later that day as a long line of ambulances, their lights flashing, waited to drop patients off at the emergency room. A few days later, she, too, fell ill with Covid-19 but quickly recovered.

In one of his last conversations before being intubated, Dr. Mehl assured his wife and daughter hed be awake in 10 days, but not before making a wisecrack about the lousy food. He lingered on a ventilator for 50 days, and died on May 20.

If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). You can find a list of additional resources at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
New Delhi: In a major action against the Islamic State (IS) modules, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday (March 15) carried out searches at seven locations across the country, including one in Delhi.

An NIA source said that the multiple agency sleuths are carrying out searches at seven locations in Delhi, Karnataka and Kerala.

In Delhi, the searches are being carried out in the Jafrabad area. He said that the NIA team is searching two locations in Bengaluru.

The news agency, IANS reported a source saying that the agency sleuths are also carrying out searches at four locations in Keralas Kochi and Koonur.

The source said that the premises of the people being searched belong to educated people, who have been allegedly radicalised by the IS groups.

"The people whose premises are being searched can be arrested after their questioning," the source added.

The source, however, refused to share more details.

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At any given time, be it virtually or in person, you will always find Martin High Schools La Banda del Animo perfecting its skills.

Its no surprise that behind every great award-winning band is a director leading them with pride and passion while diligently working on methods and techniques to instill in the students.

Martin High School band director Bobby Castro adds a method of singing into the use of instrument playing and musical visuals. This technique assists the students in becoming more musically inclined. Castro believes students can be better musicians by incorporating singing during their music rehearsals. The voice is one of the principles of the Music Kodaly Method.

With the Kodaly Method, the MHS Tiger Band members perfect their vocals while also improving their skills with their instruments.

This method, which was taught to them by Castro, will also be shared with other educators at a national conference.

Castro will serve as a presenter at the Organization of American Kodaly Educators National Conference. His session, Kodaly in the Wind Ensemble-Instrumental Instruction, was selected for the 2021 OAKE National Conference Music for All.

The session led by Castro will demonstrate how certain elements of a band piece can be modified to fit the Kodaly Method.

I firmly believe a teacher can be creative enough to make adjustments while still staying true to the method, Castro said.

The true essence of the Kodaly Method is singing. The Kodaly Method is used in the band program and music theory classes at Martin High School. He will also demonstrate how students can become better musicians through singing in a band rehearsal.

Singing chorales and using band literature invites students to perform more musically, singing in tune and helps students understand the relationship between their own section and other sections around them, Castro said.

Inspired by the vision of Zoltan Kodaly, the mission of the Organization of American Kodaly Educators is to support music education of the highest quality, promote universal music literacy and lifelong music making and preserve the musical heritage of the people of the United States of America through education, artistic performance, advocacy and research.

A 1981 Martin High School graduate, Castro has been a music educator for 28 years and has served in various capacities as an elementary music instructor, assistant band director and of course as band director at Martin High School. He has had the distinct honor to present at the Texas Music Educators Association in 1992 and 1994. He holds a masters degree in music from Texas A&M University Kingsville as well as various certifications. He is TEMA Region 14 Band Vice-Chair and lifetime member of the Texas Commission on the Arts and belongs to the Percy Grainger Society.

The OAKE Convention will be held in Jacksonville, Florida from March 25-28.

cocampo@lmtonline.com
Prime Minister Mario Draghi warned the citizens of Italy to close the shops, restaurants and schools, as a "new wave" of the coronavirus outbroke.



For three days over Easter, April 3-5, there will be a total shutdown. Italy, which one year ago imposed one of the first national lockdowns, is once again struggling to contain the rapid spread of infections.

Last week the government in Rome blocked the export of 250,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to Australia in a bid to address shortfalls of vaccines. However, WHO said there was no indication this was true.





Last week the government in Rome blocked the export of 250,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to Australia in a bid to address shortfalls of vaccines.



Elsewhere, Bulgaria, Denmark and Norway have all paused the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine over fears it causes blood clots.



The World Health Organization said on Friday there was no indication this was true, stressing that countries should not stop using the vaccine.



From Monday, schools, shops and restaurants will shut in more than half of Italy, including the two most populous regions containing Rome and Milan.







Source: IANS Italy's vaccination campaign has been hit by delays, as has been seen elsewhere in the European Union.Last week the government in Rome blocked the export of 250,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to Australia in a bid to address shortfalls of vaccines.Elsewhere, Bulgaria, Denmark and Norway have all paused the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine over fears it causes blood clots.The World Health Organization said on Friday there was no indication this was true, stressing that countries should not stop using the vaccine.From Monday, schools, shops and restaurants will shut in more than half of Italy, including the two most populous regions containing Rome and Milan.Source: IANS

The country has reported more than 100,000 Covid-related deaths, Europe's second highest tally after the UK, the BBC reported.
Today

Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 77F. Winds light and variable.

Tonight

Cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.

Tomorrow

Scattered thunderstorms in the morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 78F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
She Remembers by Ariana Glaser This story means the world to me, and if it makes just one person feel something they didnt know they needed to feel, then Ive done my job as a writer. - Ariana Glaser

Readers of young adult paranormal romance will love She Remembers by Ariana Glaser, a novel about a girl whose life is abruptly ended by cancer and who is reincarnated into a less than perfect life. But readers wont just love it because of the prose and haunting poignancy of the story; theres another component that adds a layer of depth it was written in honor of a teen whom Ariana greatly admired.

Putting something so personal out there is so scary, Ariana Glaser shared on her Instagram account. But as an artist, you learn early in life that if you dont take risks, youll never learn. Youll merely be left saying 'what if?' One question that I get pretty often is 'Why do you write?' And every time I respond, 'Because I want to make someone FEEL something.' This story means the world to me, and if it makes just one person feel something they didnt know they needed to feel, then Ive done my job as a writer.

Ariana also shared with her publisher, Foundations Book Publishing Company, Bella was an incredible inspiration to me; seeing someone so young whom I admired pass away was eye opening; it taught me about the importance of making life count and not taking things for granted.

Foundations Book Publishing Company released She Remembers on November 16th, 2020, and it immediately became a #1 New Release in Teen and Young Adult Diseases, Illnesses, and Injuries on Amazon in the US. Its currently available for purchase on all online retailers and is available for expanded distribution.

Ariana Glaser has been writing short stories since the age of seven. She finished writing her first novella, The World I Never Knew, at the age of eleven and published it at the age of twelve. Ariana finished writing her second novel, She Remembers, less than a year later. Ariana's other creative pursuits include acting, singing, dancing, and playing piano. She lives on Long Island, New York with her family and pets.

Instagram: ariananglaser; Twitter: @ArianaNGlaser; TikTok: ArianaNGlaser

Read more about She Remembers here:

https://www.foundationsbooks.net/book/she-remembers/

For author interviews and all media inquiries contact:

Susan Pierce

Publicist & Promotions Director

Foundations Book Publishing Company

SJ.Pierce@FoundationsBooks.net

Direct: 404-410-6956
Ireland has temporarily suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, however, health officials in Northern Ireland have said the vaccination roll-out will continue. (Victoria Jones/PA)

Anyone aged 50 or over across Northern Ireland can now book their Covid-19 vaccination appointment, Health Minister Robin Swann has announced.

The programme is being extended from Monday to 50-59-year-olds, with booking slots available at the seven regional vaccination centres.

GPs are also now covering the 50 plus age range. This means people have the choice of being contacted by their doctor and receiving a jab, or booking themselves in at one of the seven centres, if they havent already been invited.

Those with an existing invitation are asked to keep the appointment.

First Minister Arlene Foster said she was looking forward to booking her appointment.

"One of the advantages of being over 50," she said.

"Full credit to the staff and volunteers rolling out the vaccine."

Aged 50 or over? You can now book your #COVID19 vaccination appointment



aiRead more https://t.co/kfYl0dKGVa



Book online https://t.co/vqf6xIMQ13



aiIf online booking is not possible, then call 0300 200 7813 to make an appointment. Booking line is open 8am to 8pm, Mon - Fri pic.twitter.com/nK4U0hGvi5  Department of Health (@healthdpt) March 15, 2021

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Vaccination centres are being migrated to AstraZeneca vaccine deployment for first doses, to maximise use of available Covid-19 vaccine supplies in NI.

That means that increasingly, the same vaccine will be provided by GPs and the centres. Anyone who received the Pfizer vaccine as a first dose will still receive the Pfizer vaccine for their second dose.

Dr Alan Stout, chair of BMA Northern Irelands GP committee, welcomed the move.

He told BBC's Good Morning Ulster earlier: "This is very good news and shows how well the programme has run in Northern Ireland that we have moved to this point so quickly. Most people getting their first jab from now on will be getting AstraZeneca."

Really good news. Full credit to the staff and volunteers rolling out the vaccine. Iam looking forward to booking my appointment - one of the advantages of being over 50! pic.twitter.com/2EJQV4SG1u  Arlene Foster #WeWillMeetAgain (@ArleneFosterUK) March 15, 2021

The announcement comes after no Covid-19 deaths reported on the island of Ireland on Sunday, in one of the brightest days of the pandemic for months.

However, a difference of opinion over the safety of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been causing officials in Northern Ireland a headache over the weekend.

On Saturday night, officials in the Republic of Ireland announced the temporary suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine amid concerns over its safety.

Health officials in Northern Ireland monitored the situation over the weekend and Sunday night the Department of Health announced that the roll-out of the vaccination programme here will continue.

It followed updated advice from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which is the UK regulatory body for medicines and approves vaccines for public use when it is satisfied on grounds of safety and effectiveness.

It issued a statement, which said: We are aware of the action in Ireland. We are closely reviewing reports but given the large number of doses administered, and the frequency at which blood clots can occur naturally, the evidence available does not suggest the vaccine is the cause.

A statement from the Department of Health subsequently said: In line with MHRA guidance, the roll-out of Northern Irelands vaccination programme will continue. A further expansion of the programme will be announced very shortly. AstraZeneca vaccines are helping to protect the most vulnerable in our community from Covid-19, saving lives and reducing hospitalisation levels.

Dr Stout has moved to reassure those with concerns about the AstraZeneca vaccine.

He said: "Everything that we are seeing and everything that is being told to us is that this is extremely safe and we can really genuinely see the difference it is making."

On Sunday evening Mr Swann said: Vaccination is our bridge to better, safer and more normal times for everyone.

Already a large and growing proportion of our adult population has received a first jab. Vaccination is providing vital protection from Covid-19.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride stated: We need to vaccinate those most at risk and those around them. The more of us who are vaccinated, the more we are all protected. Vaccination alone will not provide 100% protection but it will change the balance in our favour against this virus. When your turn comes, dont delay, get the jab. Protect yourself and others.

Vaccines are being dispensed in parallel by GP practices and vaccination centres. Plans are also being finalised for community pharmacies to join the programme in the coming weeks.

In addition, an additional regional mass vaccination centre will open at the end of this month at the SSE Arena.

People wanting to book a vaccination centre appointment are asked to do so online at https://vaccinations.covid-19.hscni.net/booking

If online booking is not possible, then the telephone booking number is 0300 200 7813.

The booking line is open 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday.
Azerbaijan fulfills its obligations in accordance with the trilateral agreement and returned all prisoners of war to Armenia, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said.

He said that the Armenians currently held in Azerbaijan are not considered prisoners of war. "These are the individuals who, after the cessation of military operations on November 26, 2020 were illegally sent from Armenia to the Azerbaijani territory," the Azerbaijani minister stressed.

"I would like to once again comment on the issue related to the exchange of prisoners of war. The Azerbaijani side transferred all prisoners of war to the opposite side in accordance with a trilateral agreement," Bayramov said.

Leader of the Opposition Erin O'Toole rises during Question Period in the House of Commons in Ottawa, Canada, on March 9, 2021. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

OToole Voices Support on Tibetan National Uprising Day

Conservative Leader Erin OToole paid tribute to the brave women and men who sacrificed their lives for the just cause of Tibet in a statement on the 62nd Tibetan National Uprising Day.

This day commemorates the 1959 Tibetan uprising against the presence of Communist China in Tibet, OToole said on March 10.

In March 1959, thousands of Tibetans took to the streets of Lhasa, Tibets capital, to revolt against the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) illegal invasion and occupation of their homeland. The Tibetans surrounded the Potala Place, home of the Dalai Lama, to protect him and eventually helped him to escape into exile. Many were killed by the Chinese military when they opened fire on them.

OToole said freedom of religion and belief are increasingly facing threats globally, therefore Canada must stand behind those who advocate for religious freedom.

I take religious freedom very seriously, he said. We must stand up for those who are oppressed and facing human rights abuses.

The Conservative Leader also criticized the CCPs atrocities against other faith groups.

Conservatives have urged China to stop the persecution of people who practice their religion or belief including Catholics, other Christians, Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Falun Dafa practitioners, including genocide of the Uyghur people.

On March 8, independent think tank Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy, published a report, concluding their findings that the CCP is responsible for the ongoing genocide against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Likewise, reports on the CCPs alleged state-sanctioned force organ harvesting of Falun Gong prisoners of conscience in China continue mounting with new updates.

Human Rights Watch has also reported that the Chinese regime hasnt ceased its imprisonment of Christians who attend underground churches to practice their faith.

OToole expressed his respect for the Tibetans for their non-violent struggle for genuine autonomy, human rights, and justice for 62 years, without either malice or compromise, saying it is a great testament of their belief and virtues.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 22:40:42|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Zambia has started demanding a valid negative SARS-CoV-2 certificate for any visitors to the country, its health ministry said on Monday.

The southern African nation has started demanding the certificate which should not be older than 72 hours failure to which travelers will be tested at the points of entry.

"As the pandemic continues to revolve across the globe and closer to home, our points of entry remain on high alert, with screening and testing heightened, despite the reduced number of travelers seen at our borders," Health Minister Jonas Chanda said in a statement.

He said both Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RTDs) were being utilized depending on the presentation of the traveler but added that the country has not recorded any increases in the number of respiratory tract infections identified at the border entries.

Meanwhile, the country recorded 153 new COVID-19 cases out of 4,353 tests done in the last 24 hours, with the cumulative figure now standing at 84,950.

On the other hand, 619 patients were discharged during the same period bringing the total recoveries to 82,375.

However, six people died during the same period bringing the total deaths to 1,164. Enditem
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  After a rise in car thefts and commercial burglaries in 2020 on the South Shore, residents undoubtedly are left with concerns and questions for the police officers serving their neighborhoods.

Enter the 123rd Precincts Build the Block meetings, where neighborhood coordination officers (NCOs) address residents concerns and work with them toward a possible solution.

The next virtual meeting will be 5:30 p.m. Wednesday via Zoom, hosted by NCO Police Officers Crystal Vale and Gabriel Cuadros. The meeting ID and passcode to join are included in the 123rd Precincts tweet below.

Come hop on Zoom with NCO C for their Build the Block Meeting. pic.twitter.com/QJGzI4kuXs  NYPD 123rd Precinct (@NYPD123Pct) March 12, 2021

The neighborhood policing initiative first was laid out by the NYPD in 2015 under which NCOs patrol the same neighborhood on consistent shifts each week in an effort to familiarize themselves with residents to prevent crimes from occurring.

The 123rd Precincts post read in part: This is a new way of doing business for the NYPD and we need your help to make it work.
Turkey expects to welcome UK holidaymakers this summer without requiring proof of a coronavirus vaccine or negative test (Steve Parsons/PA)

Turkey expects to welcome UK holidaymakers this summer without requiring proof of a coronavirus vaccine or negative test.

Tourism minister Mehmet Ersoy said the country is looking forward to welcoming British tourists with open arms.

British nationals made more than 2.5 million visits to Turkey in 2019, according to Government figures.

The UK Government is rapidly and impressively rolling out the vaccination programme Tourism minister Mehmet Ersoy

Mr Ersoy said: We have world-class border processes in place for ensuring travel will be low-risk throughout Turkey.

We are working with the British authorities to ensure these necessary processes are world class and as up to date as possible.

We will not require vaccination passports from international travellers when entering the country.

After April 15, Turkey will also re-evaluate whether visitors must continue to produce evidence of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of their departure.

Mr Ersoy said: I expect there will be no such requirement from British visitors as the UK Government is rapidly and impressively rolling out the vaccination programme for the whole nation, and a significant portion of the population will be vaccinated by early summer.

He added that employees at hotels and other tourist facilities in Turkey will be prioritised for Covid-19 jabs before the summer season.

Expand Close A general view of Besiktas Park and the Bosphorus, Istanbul Nick Potts/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp A general view of Besiktas Park and the Bosphorus, Istanbul Nick Potts/PA)

Turkeys plan not to require proof of a vaccine or test is in contrast to other hotspots popular with UK holidaymakers.

Greece will require international tourists to have been vaccinated, had a recent negative Covid-19 test or have coronavirus antibodies.

Visitors to Cyprus must have had both doses of a vaccine.

Leisure travel is currently banned for people living in the UK, but the rule could be relaxed for those in England from May 17.

The Governments Global Travel Taskforce will provide a report to the Prime Minister on April 12 setting out recommendations for how and when foreign holidays could resume.
She's been keeping busy by managing her Swim Society business during her extended trip to Barbados.

And Montana Brown enjoyed a brief break from her schedule as she strolled along the beach on the island on Monday.

The Love Island star, 25, stood out in lemon print swimsuit as she engaged in a phone call on the sandy shores.

Relaxed: Montana Brown enjoyed a brief break from her schedule as she strolled along the beach in Barbados on Monday

Highlighting her toned figure, the swimwear designer styled her one-piece with a baggy shirt.

The media personality opted for comfort as she went barefoot and wore minimal accessories.

Proving less is more, the Bournemouth University alum ditched her make-up and scraped her tresses into a low ponytail.

Making a splash: The Love Island star, 25, stood out in lemon print swimsuit as she engaged in a phone call on the sandy shores

All in the details: Highlighting her toned figure, the swimwear designer styled her one-piece with a baggy shirt

Less is more: The media personality opted for comfort as she went barefoot and wore minimal accessories

The TV star has been soaking up the sunshine since she managed to escape Britain's third national lockdown when she jetted off to the Caribbean island.

Montana recently thanked her followers for sending her 'lovely messages' and supporting her decision to travel in the midst of a global pandemic.

Her outing also comes after fellow Love Islander Amy Hart defended influencers sharing sun-drenched snaps from abroad while the UK was in lockdown.

The former flight attendant, 28, has insisted that being an influencer is a 'credible' line of work and described it as a new form of advertising.

pointed out that she did not go to Dubai during lockdown and as a result, her social media content was not as entertaining as those who did.

According to The Mirror, the blonde said: 'Influencing is a credible and valid job. People say we contribute nothing to society: look at my tax return.

'It's a new form of advertising. If someone said they worked in advertising and they had to go to Dubai, you wouldnt bat an eyelid.

'I didn't go to Dubai, and as a result, my content isn't as good as the people who did go. As a result, I'm not as good at my job.'
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DALLAS  The U.S. government plans to house up to 3,000 immigrant teenagers at a convention center in downtown Dallas as it struggles to find space for a surge of migrant children at the border who have strained the immigration system just two months into the Biden administration.

American authorities encountered people crossing the border without legal status more than 100,000 times in February  a level higher than all but four months of Donald Trumps presidency. The spike in traffic poses a challenge to President Joe Biden at a fraught moment with Congress, which is about to take up immigration legislation, and has required the help of the American Red Cross.

The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center will be used for up to 90 days beginning as early as this week, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press that was sent Monday to members of the Dallas City Council. Federal agencies will use the facility to house boys ages 15 to 17, according to the memo, which describes the soon-to-open site as a decompression center.

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The Health and Human Services Department is rushing to open facilities across the country to house immigrant children who are otherwise being held by the Border Patrol, which is generally supposed to detain children for no more than three days. The Border Patrol is holding children longer because there is next to no space in the HHS system, similar to the last major increase in migration two years ago.

A tent facility operated by the Border Patrol in Donna, some 500 miles (804 kilometers) south of Dallas, is holding more than 1,000 children and teenagers, some as young as 4. Lawyers who inspect immigrant detention facilities under a court settlement say they interviewed children who reported being held in packed conditions in the tent, with some sleeping on the floor and others not able to shower for five days.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Saturday directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help manage and care for children crossing the border.

I am incredibly proud of the agents of the Border Patrol, who have been working around the clock in difficult circumstances to take care of children temporarily in our care, Mayorkas said in a statement. Yet, as I have said many times, a Border Patrol facility is no place for a child.

Asked about housing migrant teens at the convention center, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that the administration has been looking for additional facilities for unaccompanied children but that she would have to look into the specifics of the arrangement in Dallas.

Certainly we would ensure that were meeting the standard that we have set out, Psaki said.

The growing number of child arrivals comes at politically charged moment, with Congress taking up immigration legislation this week. Biden has delighted pro-immigration advocates by backing a bill to offer a path to citizenship to all of the estimated 11 million people in the U.S. illegally. He also suspended several Trump-era policies to deter asylum, including one that forced them to wait in Mexico for court hearings in the U.S.

Republicans have seized on the numbers to portray a border spinning out of control.

This crisis is created by the presidential policies of this new administration, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Monday while leading a large congressional delegation to El Paso, Texas. Theres no other way to claim it than a Biden border crisis.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a similar statement, blaming Bidens policies for a humanitarian crisis for unaccompanied minors coming across the border.

Democrats criticized large camps set up in Tornillo, Texas, and Homestead, Florida, to house children during previous emergencies, including in 2018 when the Trump administration separated thousands of immigrant families.

Biden has kept pandemic-related powers in place that allow him to immediately expel people who enter the country without legal status, denying them an opportunity to seek asylum. Biden aides have yet to say when the administration may lift that authority. It does not extend to children who cross the border alone.

U.S. authorities encountered children traveling alone 9,457 times in February, nearly double the number in January and the highest since May 2019, when the figure neared 12,000 during the peak of a Trump-era surge.

The memo sent to Dallas City Council members says the Federal Emergency Management Agency and HHS will be responsible for providing shelter management and contracts for food, security, cleaning, and medical care at the convention center. Dallas previously offered space to HHS during the 2014 surge of crossings of immigrant children.

Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax said in a statement that collective action is necessary, and we will do our best to support this humanitarian effort. He referred questions to HHS, which did not respond to requests for comment Monday.

HHS also has said it will house immigrant youths in Midland. Teenagers began arriving Sunday at a converted camp for oilfield workers where volunteers from the American Red Cross will care for them. BuzzFeed News first reported the opening of the Midland facility.

The Red Cross has sent about 60 volunteers to the facilities in Midland and Dallas and expects to deploy more in the coming days, said Greta Gustafson, a spokeswoman for the group.

The surge at the U.S.-Mexico border has presented a major test for Bidens administration, which promised to break from the more restrictive measures against migrants enacted by Trump. Biden has left in place some Trump policies, notably the expulsions of immigrant adults and families under a public-health declaration citing the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden declined to reinstate public-health expulsions of children, and his administration has also been unable to expel many families in South Texas due to policy changes in Mexicos Tamaulipas state, across from the Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Border agents are apprehending more than 400 children a day on average, far more than the number of children that HHS is processing and releasing to sponsors. The Biden administration has announced several policy changes to try to expedite releases, but experts and immigration lawyers say the government could do more to speed up the process, particularly of releasing children to their parents in the U.S.

___

Merchant reported from Houston.
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FILE PHOTO: A Volkswagen logo is seen at a construction completion event of SAIC Volkswagen MEB electric vehicle plant in Shanghai

BERLIN (Reuters) - Carmaker Volkswagen plans to cut up to 4,000 jobs at its plants in Germany by offering early or partial retirement to older employees in a move that could cost several hundred million euros, company sources said on Sunday.

Volkwagen said in a statement it had agreed a plan with the works council to open partial retirement to those born in 1964, while offering early retirement to those born from 1956 to 1960.

Volkswagen said it expected up to 900 workers to opt for early retirement, while a low number in the thousands would choose partial retirement, without giving a precise figure.

Two company sources told Reuters 3,000-4,000 positions would be cut in connection with the programme to be implemented at the six German plants of the main VW brand, which now employ about 120,000 people.

Handelsblatt newspaper, which earlier reported on the plan, had said the company would cut up to 5,000 jobs.

Volkswagen declined to comment on the cost, which will depend on how many employees accept the offer. One source estimated it at close to 500 million euros ($598 million).

As the 83-year old automaker tries to become more of a tech company modelled on Tesla, Volkswagen said it was raising the training budget by 40 million euros to 200 million.

Volkswagen said it was also extending a hiring freeze until the end of 2021. It had previously only been in place until the first quarter. External hires can only be made in areas like electric cars, digitalisation and battery cell development.

The Volkswagen Group said in January it would cut overhead costs by 5% and procurement costs by 7% over the next two years.

(Reporting by Jan Schwartz, writing by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Edmund Blair)
To the delight of Trent Sellers and other tourists, masks are no longer required at the Alamo.

I love it, said the 35-year-old oil pipeline worker from Odessa in West Texas. I dont think I should be forced to wear a mask, and I am not going to wear one.

Sellers, who visited the Alamo late last week with 10 family members and friends, was among the many visitors coming to one of Texas most popular tourist sites without face masks.

Gov. Greg Abbotts repeal of the states mandatory mask rule kicked in Wednesday. And Alamo management followed suit.

Last Tuesday, mask-wearing was still required on Alamo Plaza. Alamo Rangers, who police the historic grounds, warned visitors to keep their masks on. Theyd enforced the mask rule since the Alamo reopened in August after shutting down nearly six months ago because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The next day, masks were optional.

On ExpressNews.com: Gov. Greg Abbott lifts statewide mask order and business restrictions

The Alamo is owned by the state of Texas but operated by the nonprofit Alamo Trust. The Alamo Trusts board of directors decided to drop mandatory mask rules, but only for visitors  employees still have to wear face masks, spokesman Kevin Femmel said.

The Alamos new policy requires staff to wear masks while strongly encouraging visitors to do the same, Femmel said.

The policy was not decided by any one individual; it was reached collectively by the Alamos leadership, staff and attorneys, he said.

Several Alamo employees, who asked to remain anonymous because they werent authorized to talk to the media, are worried about the policy change. They said they expressed their concerns to Alamo management that mask-less visitors could expose them to COVID-19.

About 1.8 million people visited the 4.2-acre Alamo grounds in 2019.

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, head of the state agency responsible for the Alamo, did not respond to a request for comment.

The Alamo Trusts approach contrasts sharply with San Antonios major theme parks, SeaWorld San Antonio and Six Flags Fiesta Texas, museums and other tourist attractions. They are keeping their mask rules in place.

Abbott repealed state mask requirements and occupancy restrictions on businesses across Texas. However, business owners can still require visitors to don face masks on their premises.

On ExpressNews.com: Many of San Antonio's tourist attractions will still require masks - but see trouble ahead

The Alamo website states: Face Masks Strongly Encouraged. Signs around Alamo Plaza direct visitors to wear face masks. But management dropped the word mandatory from the signs.

At San Antonios other Spanish missions  Concepcion, San Jose, San Juan and Espada  the masks-required rule still applies when visitors are unable to socially distance. The National Park Service oversees the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, which includes the four South Side missions.

At the Alamo, with some guests wearing masks and others going bare-faced, the crowds late last week reflected the division in America over mask-wearing.

Lance and Janna Bridwell, from Sanger in North Texas, had their masks on, but mostly kept them below their noses as they toured the Alamo on Thursday.

Janna Bridwell, a medical-surgical nurse at Denton Regional Medical Center, said she raised her mask while inside buildings, such as the Alamo church and gift shop, as a courtesy for other visitors.

She said she had been vaccinated.

I dont care if anyone wears a mask or not, she said. I work in the hospital. I never got it. Most of the nurses have not gotten it. Its been a little too much.

On the Alamo grounds, visitors seemed evenly divided between mask-wearers and those without face coverings or masks.

James and Shelly Walker, a couple from Odessa, walked around the Alamo grounds on Friday without masks. But Shelly said she planned to put on her mask inside the church and gift shop.

I have respiratory problems and want to protect myself from COVID, she said. But my husband wont wear a mask.

James Walker nodded.

Its a conspiracy, he said of COVID-19. I dont trust the government.

Walker accused Democrats of stoking fear of COVID-19 to gain advantage over the GOP.

Of course, not all mask-less visitors see the pandemic and efforts to curb it as a conspiracy.

I been vaccinated and not worried, said Mike, a retired Marine from the Dallas area, as he toured the church with his three boys, ages 11, 8 and 7, on Thursday.

Neither he nor his sons wore face coverings. My boys are healthy, he said.

Mike, who didnt want to give his last name, said COVID-19 cases are dropping, another reason he kept his mask off.

Sellers and his family werent planning to wear masks during their stay in San Antonio  not at the Alamo or anywhere else. With one exception: San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, where he and his family were staying.

The hotel is keeping its mask requirement in place.

As soon as we walk in there, they shove a mask in your face and say, Put this on, Sellers said. And if you refuse it, they tell you its private property.

He said hed had a mild case of COVID-19 five months ago. He lost his senses of taste and smell for several days.

Were celebrating our freedom five months after COVID, Sellers said.

randy.diamond@express-news.net
The country needs to well prepare for conditions to compete with its rivals in attracting foreign investment.

South Koreas LG Electronics Inc. announced that a Vietnamese factory in the northern province of Hai Phong and one in Nanjing (China) are two major sites in its automotive electronics productions abroad.

Vietnam continues to be key overseas production base of global giants. Photo: VSIP II Binh Duong province

The move of part of the companys plan to enhance manufacturing efficiency in its automotive business, according to foreign media.

The South Korean company closed its vehicle infotainment parts plant in Kunshan, southeastern China and transferred the production to its plant in Hai Phong. The facility in the Vietnamese northern port city will be responsible for manufacturing components such as audio, video and navigation devices.

LG Electronics, one of the leading home appliance makers in South Korea, has been focusing on bolstering its automotive business in recent years for its future growth. To boost its automotive business, the company opens the first research & development (R&D) center focused on its vehicle solutions in Hanoi. It also planned to build the second R&D center in the central province of Da Nang.

LGs factory is one of many manufacturing facilities that have planned to expand to Vietnam recently as the country has successfully controlled the pandemic, ensuring stability for investors here.

This year, the Japanese appliance-maker Panasonic Corp will move its Thai-based production of refrigerators and washing machines to Vietnam as part of the global restructuring of its manufacturing.

According to the relocation plan, the large-scale refrigerator manufacturing line will be moved to Panasonic Appliance Vietnam in Hanois Dong Anh district and the washing machine production line will be transferred to the northern province of Hung Yen.

The move of the Japanese manufacturer is part of its plan to improve cost efficiency.

In 2021, Taiwan-based Foxconn or Hon Hai Precision Industry, known as a major manufacturing partner of Apple, will invest in another $700 million manufacturing plant to make MacBooks and iPads in the northern province of Bac Giang. It is part of its plan to shift away from being overly dependent on Chinese production, with the goal of bringing their production outside of China to more than 30% of their total output.

The US tech giant Microsoft is scheduled to start producing its Surface line, including notebook and desktop computers, in the north this year.

In recent years, the sudden increase in trade orders and supply chain relocations at the height of the US-China trade war had had put a strain on China's existing infrastructure, leading to rising business costs , according to local economists.

Meanwhile, Vietnam is an attractive destination as factory wages are between one-half to two-thirds below those in China, and despite those lower wages, the quality of its laborers is comparable to Chinas one, according to foreign business associations.

Hanoitimes
ROME, MAR 15 - The entry way to the Higher Health Institute (ISS) was hit by an apparent arson attack on Sunday night. Some unknown persons set fire to the doorway of the institute's Rome HQ causing slight damage, sources said Sunday night. Police said it may have been "the gesture of a madman" or an attempt to intimidate the scientific body, which has been guiding Italy through the COVID pandemic. The ISS received crossparty solidarity with Health Minister Roberto Speranza saying "this was an unacceptable act of intimidation", An internal circular issued after the attack urged all staff to take the utmost care and attention. ISS President Silvio Brusaferro said the ISS "is owrking to overcome the pandemic". The head of the Higher Health Council (CSS), Franco Locatelli, said "this was an outrageously intimidatory act, absolutely menacing and clearly unacceptable". The ISS has been the object of some protests by anti-vaxxers and anti-face.ask campaigners. Some business groups have also protested against Italy's latest lockdown amid the third wave of COVID-19. (ANSA).
The Florida Peninsula Insurance family of companies announces the retirement of their chief financial officer, Francis L. Lattanzio.

Lattanzio is a co-founder of Florida Peninsula Insurance Co. and has served as CFO since its inception in 2005. Effective immediately, Lattanzio will transition from his role as CFO but he will remain with the company as a consultant. Gary Cantor will replace him as the new CFO. Cantor is also a co-founder of the company and has served as executive vice president since 2005.

Prior to co-founding the company, Lattanzio served as chief financial officer at Aetna Personal Lines and as a partner at Price Waterhouse and Tillinghast  Towers Perrin.

Cantor was previously co-founder and president of Seven Seas Communications, which provided satellite telephone service to ships at sea and oil and mining companies around the world. Prior to Seven Seas, he was the general manager of Boatphone, the first cellular carrier in the Eastern Caribbean. He has held various financial positions at companies such as Digital Equipment and Dole Foods.

Since 2005, Florida Peninsula has grown from a wind-only home insurer to a multiperil and flood company insuring more than 140,000 homes throughout Florida. Today,

Florida Peninsula markets through a network of 2,500 independent insurance agents.

Topics Florida
Nashville Bomber Motivated by Conspiracy Theories, Not Social or Political Beliefs: FBI

The man authorities said detonated a recreational vehicle, killing himself in downtown Nashville on Christmas Day last year, was motivated by life stressors including paranoia, not social or political ideology, the FBI said on Monday.

The FBI and law enforcement partners conducted a lengthy investigation into the bombing, which Anthony Quinn Warner was accused of committing.

The probe found Warner, 63, acted alone in building and setting off the improvised explosive device which blew up his RV.

The team, with the help of the FBIs Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia, looked into why Warner decided to act as he did.

Based on analysis of the information and evidence gathered throughout the investigation, the FBI assesses Warners detonation of the improvised explosive device was an intentional act in an effort to end his own life, driven in part by a totality of life stressorsincluding paranoia, long-held individualized beliefs adopted from several eccentric conspiracy theories, and the loss of stabilizing anchors and deteriorating interpersonal relationships, the FBI said in its report on the bombing on March 15.

The FBI assesses Warner specifically chose the location and timing of the bombing so that it would be impactful, while still minimizing the likelihood of causing undue injury. The FBIs analysis did not reveal indications of a broader ideological motive to use violence to bring about social or political change, nor does it reveal indications of a specific personal grievance focused on individuals or entities in and around the location of the explosion.

Only Warner knows why he detonated the explosive device but authorities are confident, based on the evidence collected, such as Warners own writings and interviews with those who knew him best, that the assessment is accurate.

Law enforcement officers gather to search a house connected to Anthony Quinn Warner, in Antioch, Tenn., on Dec. 26, 2020. (Harrison McClary/Reuters)

Douglas Korneski, special agent in charge of the FBIs Memphis Field Office, thanked citizens and others for support during the investigation.

Additionally, the collaborative efforts of all local, state and federal agencies who responded to this incident, and the hundreds of hours dedicated by their men and women, were truly invaluable to this unified effort. They exemplified the tireless dedication weve come to expect from those who respond to these types of critical incidents, he said in a statement.

Warner blew up the vehicle at 6:29 a.m. near an AT&T facility on Second Avenue in the most populous city in Tennessee. Six police officers had rushed to the scene after several 911 callers reported hearing gunshots.

The RV was broadcasting a message about an impending bombing before it went off, prompting the officers to rush to evacuate people from the area.

Several of the officers were injured, but no one died apart from Warner.

Officials had suggested that Warner may have been targeting the AT&T building. Lt. Steven Rogers, a former FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force member, described the bombing as unusual.

Ive never seen anything like this in my 38 years in law enforcement, where an individual who wants to bomb an area actually notifies potential victims to clear the area, he said in a previous interview with NTD. So clearly, this individual did not want to kill people. He wanted to minimize the loss of human life.

Warners ex-girlfriend called 911 in 2019 to warn that Warner was building bombs but police said they didnt have enough evidence to search the home.
Violence by pro-democracy protesters against Chinese properties are mounting in Myanmar and security forces are opening indiscriminate fire to check the attacks.

At least 38 protesters were killed on Sunday after two Chinese-financed factories were set on fire and a host of other Chinese properties attacked.

The Facebook page of the Chinese embassy in Myanmar has been bombarded with an unending stream of vitriol blaming the February 1 coup on "Chinese backing and encouragement", specially after a statement by the mission calling for "punishment" of those attacking Chinese properties.

Many posts in Burmese social media even carried threats to "set fire" to an oil and gas pipeline that connects the China-financed port of Kyaukphyu in Myanmar's Rakhine state to China's Yunnan province .

Protesters have been carrying placards saying "Myanmar military coup, Made in China", reflecting huge Burmese anger over Beijing's muted response to the coup that has been severely criticised by the West.

India has avoided direct criticism of the takover but expressed "serious concern" at the Myanmar situation and called for "orderly democratic transition".

Late on Sunday, the Chinese embassy described the situation as "very severe" after pro-democracy protesters set ablaze two Chinese-financed garment factories in Hlaingthaya suburb of Yangon.

"China urges Myanmar to take futher effective measures to stop all acts of violence, punish perpetrators in accordance with law and ensure the safety of life and property of Chinese companies and personnel in Myanmar," the embassy said in a statement.

Myanmar security forces pounced on the protesters setting fire to the factories at Hlaingthaya and opened indiscriminate fire.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) claimed that at least 22 protesters had died in the Hlaingthaya firings.

Burmese mediapersons trying to reach the suburbs after reports of indiscriminate firing were blocked off by security forces who told them that "martial law had been declared" in Hlaingthaya and an adjoining district of Yangon.

But Burmese social media carried at least two videos of dead and injured protesters been carried away by their comrades after the firings.

AAPP officials said at least 16 other protestors had died in indiscriminate firings in several other cities like Mandalay and Bago, making March 14 the bloodiest day in Myanmar since the coup.

One policemen was also killed in Bago, they said.

In both places, properties of Chinese jade buyers and bulk importers were attacked, independent mediapersons said.

AAPP officials closely monitoring the Myanmar situation say at least 126 protesters have been killed so far since the country plunged into chaos over fierce public resistance to the military takeover.

Some 2,250 protesters have been taken into custody and only 300 of them, specially those injured, have been released.

Licenses of four Burmese media groups including the leading multilingual online and TV platform Mizzima have been cancelled as the junta tries to muzzle the press.
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Trevor Noah kicked off the 63rd annual Grammy Awards by taking a swipe at the royal family, comparing the event to the Capitol riots, and joking about cocaine during an incredibly divisive opening monologue.

Noah quickly took aim at the royals in the first minutes of the ceremony on Sunday night, mocking the 'tension' within Buckingham Palace - exactly one week to the hour after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's explosive sit-down aired on CBS, the same network that broadcast this year's Grammy Awards.

Kicking off the socially-distanced event, which took place in an open-air tent, Noah joked: '...Our impressive nominees will be sitting at those tables for their awards. So right now there is more tension in that tent than at a family reunion at Buckingham Palace.'

He also couldn't resist the opportunity to get in a jab at the UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, mocking the 56-year-old for his looks and 'talent' following singer Harry Styles' performance of his hit song Watermelon Sugar.

The Daily Show host also made a quick crack about the Capitol riots, claiming that the Grammy Awards would be the 'biggest outdoor event this year... besides the storming of the Capitol', despite earlier insisting that the show would 'not be about politics'.

Mockery: Grammy Awards host Trevor Noah took a swipe at the royal family just seconds into his opening monologue, one week after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell sit-down

Couldn't wait? The 37-year-old late night host hadn't even made it to the stage before he trolled the royals, joking about the 'tension' in Buckingham Palace

Noah couldn't resist the opportunity to get in a jab at the UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left), mocking the 56-year-old for his looks and 'talent' following singer Harry Styles' (right) performance of his hit song Watermelon Sugar. Pictured: UK PM Boris Johnson talks to bus drivers on the day he announced the UK's new 3 billion bus strategy, March 15

Boris Johnson became the butt of the jokes after the former One Direction heartthrob - who also picked picked up his first ever Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance - finished his stint on stage.

'It's crazy to think that someone that talented and handsome is from the same place as Boris Johnson,' Noah joke. 'Man, the UK is diverse!'

He then went on to make a thinly-veiled drug reference while touting the security measures taken to keep all attendees safe amid the coronavirus pandemic, saying: 'This is going to be the rare award show where the white stuff going up people's noses is cotton swabs.'

Reaction to the political joke was incredibly mixed, with some slamming Noah as 'shameful' and 'distasteful' for trying to make light of the Capitol riots - during which five people died - while others applauded his risque humor.

'I turned off the Grammy Awards as soon as you made that joke about the Capitol attack,' one viewer wrote on Twitter. 'You think that was funny? 'The largest outdoor event since the attack on the Capitol.' Shameful.'

One person then branded the joke as 'gauche' while another outraged spectator chimed in: 'Totally distasteful comment from @trevornoah regarding the Grammys being the biggest outdoor event since the storming of the Capitol.'

'Not funny. People died there,' another Twitter user hit back at the host.

However some praised the host's decision to bring up such a controversial topic, with one person calling his opening monologue 'fantastic' and 'hilarious'.

One added: '@trevornoah with the Capitol riot jokes is the opening I needed.'

'In first 5 mins, beloved @trevornoah has made a dig at zoom calls, Capitol Insurgency, post-award drugs and the Royal Family. WE LOVE HIM!' another added.

Upset: Noah's joke about the Capitol prompted fury from some online, with viewers branding the host 'distasteful' and 'shameful' for making light of the riots, during which five people died

Amused: Others praised his risque jokes, with one calling the opening monologue 'fantastic'

Ironically, given the very divided opinions of the viewers at home, Noah added that he wanted this year's awards show to 'bring us together as only music can' - having told Billboard ahead of the ceremony that he hoped the ceremony would be 'a moment of hope' amid the pandemic.

He also insisted that - unlike his late night show - the awards ceremony would not focus on politics.

'An awards show is very different from The Daily Show. We're speaking to a broader audience, it's not politics,' he said.

'I'm not there to do politics, I'm there to do music.'

The awards show aired just hours after Harry came under furious fire for allowing his interview with the TV mogul to be aired by the same network that caused outrage by showing a photograph of his mother dying.

In 2004 CBS was condemned when it became the first broadcaster or publisher to show the 'distasteful' photo of Princess Diana taken moments after the 1997 car crash in Paris in which she died.

When the same photo later appeared in an Italian magazine, Prince William and Prince Harry issued a rare statement condemning it, saying they were 'deeply saddened that such a low has been reached'.

But Harry allowed CBS to make millions with the Sussexes' Oprah Winfrey interview that was broadcast on March 7.

Connection: The 63rd annual Grammy Awards aired on CBS - the same network that broadcast Oprah's explosive interview with Meghan and Harry

The broadcaster was unrepentant, saying the photo was 'not gory'. No British publication has ever published it.

Royal biographer Hugo Vickers said: 'It is quite embarrassing for Prince Harry. How could he possibly co-operate with an organisation which some years ago was the only outlet to publish a deeply distressing photo of his mother's dying moment?

'It is pretty hypocritical of him. I suppose he didn't remember, or maybe he had no choice because of contracts signed? If he was still being advised by the Palace, they would have spotted this sort of thing a mile off.'

Former Buckingham Palace press secretary Dickie Arbiter said: 'The problem with American networks is that they are all about ratings, and advertising and bringing in money. It is not about decency.

'In 2004 it was publishing a photograph which was in incredibly bad taste. In 2021 it is running a two-hour interview with Meghan and Harry. Both will have made it a lot of money.'

The fallout from the interview has been furious and widespread, particularly over the Sussexes' claim that an unnamed royal raised concerns about their son Archie being 'too brown' - the most damaging allegation made during the sit-down.

An impassioned Prince William publicly hit back against those racism claims on Thursday, insisting, 'We're very much not a racist family.'

The Duke of Cambridge was the first royal to personally respond to the allegation during his first royal engagement since the Oprah interview, as he also revealed that he has not spoken to his brother since it came out but 'will do'.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement issued on Tuesday that the issues raised, especially over race, were 'concerning' and would be addressed by the Queen and her family privately.
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Police detain a woman as people gather at a memorial site in Clapham Common Bandstand, following the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard, in London. Picture: Reuters

British prime minister Boris Johnson and the head of Londons Metropolitan Police will discuss ways to protect women and girls from violence amid a storm of criticism over the forces handling of a vigil in memory of murdered Sarah Everard.

Mr Johnson is expected to chair a meeting of the Government's Crime and Justice Taskforce today, with Dame Cressida Dick - who has resisted calls to quit over the events - among the attendees.

On Saturday, officers used force on on peaceful crowds gathered on Clapham Common to remember the 33-year-old marketing executive who went missing while walking home from a friends flat on March 3.

A serving Met police officer has been charged with Ms Everards murder.

Read More

Ms Dick said what happened to Ms Everard made her "more determined, not less" to lead the organisation, and welcomed the Home Secretary's request for an independent investigation into the events over the weekend.

Priti Patel, who will be at the meeting on Monday with Justice Secretary Robert Buckland and director of public prosecutions Max Hill, has asked the chief inspector of constabulary to conduct a "lessons learned" review into the police's actions at the vigil.

However, Ms Patel is herself under scrutiny over her imminent plans to bring in new legislation that would crack down on the right to protest.

The prime minister said he was "deeply concerned" about the footage from the event, some of which showed police officers grabbing women and leading them away in handcuffs.

He added: "I have spoken with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner who has committed to reviewing how this was handled, and the Home Secretary has also commissioned HM Inspectorate of Constabulary to conduct a lessons learned review into the policing of the event.

"I will chair a meeting of the Government's Crime and Justice Taskforce to look at what further action we need to take to protect women and ensure our streets are safe.

"The death of Sarah Everard must unite us in determination to drive out violence against women and girls and make every part of the criminal justice system work to protect and defend them."

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds criticised the Government for responding with "yet more meetings and another consultation" at a moment when the country is "demanding action to tackle violence against women and girls".

London mayor Sadiq Khan said he would be asking the Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Independent Office for Police Conduct to look into the events.

And Martin Hewitt, chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said he would bring together police chiefs on Monday to discuss "what more we can do to better protect women".

It comes as landmark legislation comes before the Commons that will give police greater powers to crack down on disruptive protests.

Labour has said it will vote against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill because it contains "poorly thought-out measures to impose disproportionate controls on free expression".

Reclaim These Streets had organised the vigil before being forced to cancel following consultation with the Metropolitan Police, which said it would be in breach of coronavirus rules.

Nimco Ali, who is advising the Government on tackling violence against women and girls, compared the force's behaviour with an abuser.

She told Times Radio: "It does come from a handbook of abusive men, where the fact that you're constantly blaming the victim for your act of violence.

"So rather than actually taking accountability, it was more like 'women shouldn't have turned up'."

The Metropolitan Police said four people were arrested for public order and coronavirus regulation breaches.

Calls for Ms Dick to resign were led by Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, while Women's Equality Party co-founder Catherine Mayer said her position was "untenable".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the Commissioner should not quit, but condemned the policing on Saturday as "wrong". Mr Johnson is understood to have confidence in her.

Ms Dick said on Sunday: "What happened to Sarah appals me. As you know, I'm the first woman commissioner of the Met, perhaps it appals me, in a way, even more because of that.

"What has happened makes me more determined, not less, to lead my organisation.

"I've listened to what people have been saying in the last week, I know that in the streets all across the UK women don't feel as safe as we would all like women to feel. I am utterly determined."

Anna Birley from Reclaim These Streets said she did not want Dame Cressida to resign, but asked for the Met chief to meet with the group.
Beijing's 21 million residents saw familiar buildings and landmarks swathed in a thick, orange haze on Monday, as sandstorms swept across the region, bringing unprecedented air pollution in their train.



As the sandstorm peaked, levels of PM10 particulates showed readings beyond the scale of the instruments designed to measure them, with local residents saying they could barely see things a few hundred meters away.



According to the Beijing environmental monitoring center, the concentration of PM10 particulates exceeded 8,000 micrograms per cubic meter in parts of Beijing on Monday.



"I'm at the airport, getting ready to go on a business trip," Beijing resident Li Hua told RFA on Monday morning.



"Visibility is very poor; it's foggy and kind of orange, and visibility is only about one kilometer," she said.

People cross a street during a sandstorm in Beijing, March 15, 2021. Credit: AFP

Airport authorities at two airports -- Capital and Daxing -- said they had canceled more than 20 percent of flights owing to the pollution.Fengtai district resident Chen Guoming said trains on Beijing's subway were running slower than usual on Monday."The subway trains were slower this morning," Chen said. "Maybe it was because of the winds."Retired meteorology official Zhang Baikui said the sandstorm was a level 8 in intensity."The sandstorm is still very serious, and it will go on like this for 24 hours," Zhang told RFA. "Most people are just staying home, unless they have no choice but to go to work."The China Meteorological Administration said via its official account on the social media platform Weibo that this was the worst sandstorm to hit the region in a decade.It said huge swathes of northern and northwestern China were affected, with sand and dust drifting across areas of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, Beijing, and Tianjin, with sandstorms in some areas.

'Orange everywhere'



A resident of Beijing's Daxing district surnamed Liu said the entire city was enveloped in the orange dust.



It was really orange everywhere, even underfoot," Liu said. "This was when the storm was very severe, and it went on like that until 9.30 a.m."



"My driver said that around five oclock in the morning, visibility was really poor, barely 10 meters."



"We haven't had such a huge sandstorm in Beijing in 20 years," she said.



A Beijing resident surnamed Sun said things had improved slightly later in the day.



"Air pollution in Beijing is pretty bad today, although it is a little better now [than before][, maybe because there is now a bit of a wind," she said.



Social media users quipped that "Operation Blue Sky" clearly still had some time to run, in a reference to Feb. 25 comments from air pollution czar Liu Bingjiang, who claimed that "Operation Blue Sky" had exceeded its goals, and that "the battle to keep our skies blue has been won."



Others posted memes joking that NASA's Perseverance Rover, that is currently sending back photos featuring large quantities of orange dust from Mars, was really in Beijing.



In the northern region of Inner Mongolia, six people -- including a five-year-old child -- were reported dead and dozens missing in the area around the Gobi Desert, which local authorities said was the source of the sandstorms.



Search parties were being formed to look for more than 80 members of herding communities still missing in the storms, that whipped through the region over the weekend, local media reported.



Inner Mongolias grasslands are under extreme environmental stress from desertification and pollution from Chinese mining, tree-felling and other resource extraction activities.



Reported by Qiao Long and Lau Siu Fung for RFA's Mandarin and Cantonese Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
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Teak and banana mixed plantation. Credit: Axel Fassio/CIFOR, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

A digital tool that uses barcodes to routinely track the banana breeding process is helping scientists identify suitable varieties, with the hope of improving cultivation programs.

The banana breeding tracking tool, BTracT, was developed as part of a a project led by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), according to a statement issued by the IITA last month.

A specific barcode identity, according to the scientists, is fixed on each plant in each location, and the BTracT records features such as pest resistance, plant stature, color and feel of cooked bananas. The details are then stored in a global banana breeding database called MusaBase to be accessed by scientists.

Scientists say that prior to the development of BTracT, it was challenging to organize and keep track of data on banana varieties being bred over several years.

"When I arrived [here] six years ago, all of the operations were written down and then transferred to three different Excel [spread] sheets: for pollinations, for seeds harvested  and seeds that were being weened for the field and planted in the field," says Allan Brown, IITA banana breeder based in Arusha, Tanzania. "There were mistakes made on all of these sheets and they rarely matched up with each [other]."

Many researchers, he adds, struggle with these same issues, so any innovation that increases the efficiency of the breeding program or reduces the time required to develop new varieties will benefit smallholders.

Trushar Shah, IITA's Integrated Breeding Platform hub manager, tells SciDev.Net that the tool can be used to collect field and laboratory data through Android handheld tablets or phones, with a dashboard aggregating the data from different users and locations. The dashboard also provides real-time analytics and reporting at all levels of the breeding program.

"The [tool's] initial development took over a year with deployment and adoption in Arusha followed by other breeding locations," Shah says. The development started late 2017 and it is now fully operational within the IITA banana breeding programs in Uganda and Tanzania.

According to the IITA statement, banana is a source of food and income for millions of smallholders in low- and middle-income countries but yields remain low. Uganda's average annual banana yield, for example, is ten tons per hectare, despite having the potential to produce 60 tons per hectare a year. The low yields are attributed to factors such as use of low yielding verities, poor soil quality and pests and diseases.

Paul Kimani, a professor of plant breeding and genetics from Kenya's University of Nairobi, says that BTracT is a useful innovation, for helping banana breeders because keep track of progress.

"It takes about 20 years to develop a banana variety. Keeping records this long is a challenge. You need a very well-organized program and highly reliable and qualified technicians,"Kimani adds.

But Kimani cautions that the tool may not be a silver bullet for banana breeding, adding that its true value will become clearer as more breeders in differentparts of Africa and the world use it.

"The success of these tools depends on how easily accessible they are to breeders in different countries, ease of use and availability of training for potential users," he explains. "In general, modern breeders use a wide array of tools, each making a different contribution. No one tool can transform banana breeding."

Provided by SciDev.Net
The invasive European green crab continues to spread along the coasts of the western US and Canada. Their invasion has resulted in dramatic losses of native species in the western U.S., including clams, mussels and oysters. Credit: Edwin Grosholz, UC Davis

Some invasive species targeted for total eradication bounce back with a vengeance, especially in aquatic systems, finds a study led by the University of California, Davis.

The study, published today in the journal PNAS, chronicles the effort and failureto eradicate invasive European green crabs from a California estuary. The crabs increased 30-fold after about 90 percent had been removed. The study is the first experimental demonstration in a coastal ecosystem of a dramatic population increase in response to full eradication.

"A failure in science often leads to unexpected directions," said lead author Edwin (Ted) Grosholz, a professor and ecologist with the UC Davis Department of Environmental Science and Policy. "We slapped our foreheads at the time, but with thought and understanding, it's told us a lot about what we shouldn't be doing and provided a way forward for us. The world should get less focused on total eradication and work toward functional eradication."

"Functional eradication" is described in a study led by the University of Alberta, co-authored by Grosholz, and published in the March issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. The authors consider this a more effective approach to invasive species management, particularly regarding species for which total eradication is unlikely.

UC Davis Professor Edwin Grosholz holds a trap of invasive European green crabs at Seadrift Lagoon near Stinson Beach in California. Credit: Edwin Grosholz, UC Davis

Explosion

For the PNAS study, researchers in 2009 began intensive efforts to eradicate the European green crab from Stinson Beach's Seadrift Lagoon. The crab is considered among the world's top 100 invasive species, costing the U.S. commercial shellfish industry about $20 million in annual losses. By 2013, the population had decreased from 125,000 to fewer than 10,000 individuals.

But one year later, in 2014, the population exploded to about 300,000 green crab in the lagoona 30-fold increase over 2013 levels and nearly triple the pre-eradication population size.

The scientists did not observe such population explosions of green crab at any of the four other nearby bays they were monitoring, suggesting the increase was the result of eradication efforts and not atmospheric or oceanographic changes.

The study found the population explosion was due in part to the fact that adult decapod crustaceasuch as shrimp, lobster and crabtypically cannibalize younger individuals. When most adults were removed, juveniles grew unchecked and overcompensated for the loss of adults.

A mass of European green crabs captured at Seadrift Lagoon in California. Credit: Edwin Grosholz, UC Davis

Precautionary tales

The study notes that this short-term overcompensation drove a process called the "hydra effect," named after a mythical serpent that grew two new heads for each one that was removed. Grosholz likens it to the Sorcerer's Apprentice in the Disney film Fantasia, in which several spellbound brooms emerge from just one chopped by apprentice Mickey.

The study is also a precautionary tale for natural resource managers: "Don't try to get them all, or it could come back to bite you," Grosholz said.

"Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, this study highlights the need to evaluate possible unintended consequences in selecting management strategies and tailoring these to the particular context and expected outcome," said Greg Ruiz, a co-author and marine biologist with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.

As described in the Frontiers in Ecology study, the authors advise a "Goldilocks level" approach, where the population is low enough to protect native species and ecosystem functions without risking a population explosion of the invasive species.

That strategy was eventually employed at Seadrift Lagoon, aided in large part by local volunteers and residents. Such community science efforts may be key for helping other ecosystems struggling with invasive species, such as in national and state parks, where citizen engagement can be high.

Explore further Limiting invasive species may be a better goal than eliminating them
As atmospheric concentrations of CFC-11 drop, the global ocean should become a source of the chemical by the middle of next century.

The world's oceans are a vast repository for gases including ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. They absorb these gases from the atmosphere and draw them down to the deep, where they can remain sequestered for centuries and more.

Marine CFCs have long been used as tracers to study ocean currents, but their impact on atmospheric concentrations was assumed to be negligible. Now, MIT researchers have found the oceanic fluxes of at least one type of CFC, known as CFC-11, do in fact affect atmospheric concentrations. In a study appearing today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team reports that the global ocean will reverse its longtime role as a sink for the potent ozone-depleting chemical.

The researchers project that by the year 2075, the oceans will emit more CFC-11 back into the atmosphere than they absorb, emitting detectable amounts of the chemical by 2130. Further, with increasing climate change, this shift will occur 10 years earlier. The emissions of CFC-11 from the ocean will effectively extend the chemical's average residence time, causing it to linger five years longer in the atmosphere than it otherwise would. This may impact future estimations of CFC-11 emissions.

The new results may help scientists and policymakers better pinpoint future sources of the chemical, which is now banned worldwide under the Montreal Protocol.

"By the time you get to the first half of the 22nd century, you'll have enough of a flux coming out of the ocean that it might look like someone is cheating on the Montreal Protocol, but instead, it could just be what's coming out of the ocean," says study co-author Susan Solomon, the Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies in MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. "It's an interesting prediction and hopefully will help future researchers avoid getting confused about what's going on."

Solomon's co-authors include lead author Peidong Wang, Jeffery Scott, John Marshall, Andrew Babbin, Megan Lickley, and Ronald Prinn from MIT; David Thompson of Colorado State University; Timothy DeVries of the University of California at Santa Barbara; and Qing Liang of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

An ocean, oversaturated

CFC-11 is a chlorofluorocarbon that was commonly used to make refrigerants and insulating foams. When emitted to the atmosphere, the chemical sets off a chain reaction that ultimately destroys ozone, the atmospheric layer that protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Since 2010, the production and use of the chemical has been phased out worldwide under the Montreal Protocol, a global treaty that aims to restore and protect the ozone layer.

Since its phaseout, levels of CFC-11 in the atmosphere have been steadily declining, and scientists estimate that the ocean has absorbed about 5 to 10 percent of all manufactured CFC-11 emissions. As concentrations of the chemical continue to fall in the atmosphere, however, it's predicted that CFC-11 will oversaturate in the ocean, pushing it to become a source rather than a sink.

"For some time, human emissions were so large that what was going into the ocean was considered negligible," Solomon says. "Now, as we try to get rid of human emissions, we find we can't completely ignore what the ocean is doing anymore."

A weakening reservoir

In their new paper, the MIT team looked to pinpoint when the ocean would become a source of the chemical, and to what extent the ocean would contribute to CFC-11 concentrations in the atmosphere. They also sought to understand how climate change would impact the ocean's ability to absorb the chemical in the future.

The researchers used a hierarchy of models to simulate the mixing within and between the ocean and atmosphere. They began with a simple model of the atmosphere and the upper and lower layers of the ocean, in both the northern and southern hemispheres. They added into this model anthropogenic emissions of CFC-11 that had previously been reported through the years, then ran the model forward in time, from 1930 to 2300, to observe changes in the chemical's flux between the ocean and the atmosphere.

They then replaced the ocean layers of this simple model with the MIT general circulation model, or MITgcm, a more sophisticated representation of ocean dynamics, and ran similar simulations of CFC-11 over the same time period.

Both models produced atmospheric levels of CFC-11 through the present day that matched with recorded measurements, giving the team confidence in their approach. When they looked at the models' future projections, they observed that the ocean began to emit more of the chemical than it absorbed, beginning around 2075. By 2145, the ocean would emit CFC-11 in amounts that would be detectable by current monitoring standards.

The ocean's uptake in the 20th century and outgassing in the future also affects the chemical's effective residence time in the atmosphere, decreasing it by several years during uptake and increasing it by up to 5 years by the end of 2200.

Climate change will speed up this process. The team used the models to simulate a future with global warming of about 5 degrees Celsius by the year 2100, and found that climate change will advance the ocean's shift to a source by 10 years and produce detectable levels of CFC-11 by 2140.

"Generally, a colder ocean will absorb more CFCs," Wang explains. "When climate change warms the ocean, it becomes a weaker reservoir and will also outgas a little faster."

"Even if there were no climate change, as CFCs decay in the atmosphere, eventually the ocean has too much relative to the atmosphere, and it will come back out," Solomon adds. "Climate change, we think, will make that happen even sooner. But the switch is not dependent on climate change."

Their simulations show that the ocean's shift will occur slightly faster in the Northern Hemisphere, where large-scale ocean circulation patterns are expected to slow down, leaving more gases in the shallow ocean to escape back to the atmosphere. However, knowing the exact drivers of the ocean's reversal will require more detailed models, which the researchers intend to explore.

"Some of the next steps would be to do this with higher-resolution models and focus on patterns of change," says Scott. "For now, we've opened up some great new questions and given an idea of what one might see."

###

This research was supported, in part, by the VoLo Foundation, the Simons Foundation, and the National Science Foundation.

Written by Jennifer Chu, MIT News Office
Mumbai, March 15 : Wife Tahira Kashyap Khurrana was solely responsible for his bad results in class 12 board exams, claims Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana. Not only that, he holds Tahira responsible for ruining his attempt to be a doctor, in a post he shared on Monday evening! Sharing a photo on Instagram, Ayushmann wrote: "This girl was solely responsible for my bad scores in class 12 boards. We decided to date just before our chemistry exam. Had terrible ranks in PMT and CET exams as well. Thank you @tahirakashyap for ruining my attempt to be a doctor." "No no it's not your fault, Im just a bad multi-tasker and you on the other hand were so good with it. It was the year 2001, when we heard Bryan Adams' Inside Out on loop, cassette ghis gayee thi. We were also afraid ki parallel line se parents phone na utha le. Aaj do dashak ho gaye. Now you'll ask me what's a dashak? Go figure out! Happy anniv. Umm," he added.

Ayushmann and Tahira Kashyap celebrate 20 years of togetherness on Monday. Earlier in the day, the actor revealed on Instagram story that he had started dating Tahira during his class 12 board exams.

Tahira also expressed love for Ayushmann in an Instagram post. She wrote: "Haters will say it's so cheesy! Well I have been there too, but it's amazing to be on this side of the spectrum... such a sucker for love I am hopelessly in love with you @ayushmannk #happyanniversary #oganniversary #20years."
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IN THIS ISSUE Greetings! This week we're announcing two new grape variety names that can be used as a type designation on American wine labels, and the spring cycle of the Chemist Certification Program is now open. We also provide some tips for avoiding problems with the Government Health Warning on alcohol labels. NEW GRAPE VARIETY NAMES APPROVED We recently granted administrative approval for the use of the grape varieties Pecorino and Verdiccio as a type designation on American wine labels.



Wine bottlers may use these names, as well as other names granted administrative approval, to label American wines pending the results of our next rulemaking to revise the list found in 27 CFR 4.91 of grape variety names approved for use in designating American wines. Visit Grape Variety Designations on American Wine Labels at TTB.gov for additional information about the regulation of grape variety names. NOW OPEN! SPRING APPLICATION PERIOD FOR CHEMIST CERTIFICATION PROGRAM The 2021 spring cycle of the TTB Chemist Certification Program is now open through April 1. You can find details on how to apply in section 9 of TTB Procedure 2018-2. As a condition of importation, some countries require that certain chemical analyses be performed on wine, beer, and/or distilled spirits entering their marketplace. TTB offers the Chemist Certification Program as a service to the alcohol beverage industry to facilitate the export of domestic alcohol beverage products. Under this free program, chemists in the private industry are certified to conduct the specific tests listed in TTB Procedure 2018-2. If you have questions regarding the Chemist Certification Program, contact the Scientific Services Division. AVOIDING COMMON ERRORS ON YOUR LABELS  GOVERNMENT HEALTH WARNING One of the most common problems we see on alcohol beverage labels is errors in the mandatory health warning statement, including punctuation and formatting problems.

The following health warning statement must appear on all alcohol beverages that contain 0.5% or more alcohol by volume: GOVERNMENT WARNING: (1) According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. (2) Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems. Follow these tips: The words " GOVERNMENT WARNING" must appear in capital letters and in bold type

must appear in capital letters and in bold type Don't omit or change any punctuation marks (periods, commas, colon, parentheses)

You may not include health warnings specifically related to alcohol consumption that are required by a foreign government See the regulations in 27 CFR part 16 for the full rules about how to meet the health warning statement labeling requirements and speed your label approval process. TTB Newsletter Archives >>>
St. Petersburg ex-customs officer detained on bribery charges

 The press service of Moscow's Basmanny District Court

15:17 15/03/2021

MOSCOW, March 15 (RAPSI)  A former chief of a department of the St. Petersburg Customs Oleg Gusev was ordered to be put in detention on Monday as part of a bribery case, the press service of Moscows Basmanny District Court told RAPSI.

The former customs officer will stay in detention until April 26.

Gusev stands charged with receipt of a large-scale bribe. The case details have not been revealed yet.
The transaction would create the beginnings of one of the worlds largest digital healthcare ecosystems outside of the US

A little-known pioneer in the field of AI biotech is understood to be mulling a transformational acquisition and a US stock market listing that will put it on the radar alongside the industrys emerging success stories.

( ) is thought to be making the final preparations for a deal that would provide it with access to 100mln patient records from around 30,000 doctors.

Its a transaction that would create the beginnings of one of the worlds largest digital healthcare ecosystems outside of the US.

Tapping into a data pool of this scale would represent a major breakthrough for Aladdin, a leader in secure blockchain technology and artificial intelligence (AI) systems that not only protect the security of healthcare data but radically speed up disease diagnosis and drug discovery.

Underlining the huge interest in AI biotech, often also referred to as pharma-tech, is a series of private fundraisers backed by some of the worlds largest drugs companies and investors.

Significant interest

Earlier this month Exscientia raised US$100mln in Series C financing (increased from an initial US$60mln).

joined the latest round, while Novo Holdings and Bristol Myers Squibb were already shareholders of the Oxford-based machine learning specialist.

Exscientia is not alone in finding significant investment support.

Recursion last September brought in US$239mln and inked a partnership with German giant Bayer.

Meanwhile, Atomwise, which was initially backed by the Silicon Valley accelerator Y Combinator, reportedly netted US$123mln from a Series B round.

And there have been breakthroughs using this cutting-edge technology.

Benevolent AI hit the headlines early in the coronavirus outbreak by identifying Eli Lilys arthritis drug, Baricitinib, as a potential treatment for the severe effects of the infection.

Quietly proving its capability

Aladdin, meanwhile, has been quietly proving its capability in making scientific advances in understanding and combatting viruses such as COVID-19.

It has constructed a knowledge graph consisting of 10 million edges through the text mining of over 47,000 scholarly articles about COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, and related coronaviruses.

In doing so it identified Dexamethasone amongst other repurposed drugs as a potential aid for the disease in March last year, much earlier than its peers.

A look at Aladdins website reveals it has possibly flown under the radar  perhaps as a result of being listed in Germany, not the most fertile of environments for technology start-ups.

A mooted listing on Americas OTC Market later in the year may help to introduce it to an investment community much more au fait with and interested in the latest developments in healthcare and artificial intelligence.

Certainly, the US is the leading source of capital for innovative new companies in the field.

Top team

Aladdins scientific team, drawn from Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London and Swedens Karolinska Institute, has won over 30 AI competitions including first prize in the internationally recognised KDD cup.

More importantly, it has developed three core platforms: drug discovery, biomedical knowledge graphs and disease diagnosis which it intends to commercialise through its acquired digital healthcare ecosystem.

As well as carrying out COVID research, Aladdin has deployed its expertise to help find treatments for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other age-related ailments such as Alzheimers.

The company has co-developed a cardiovascular AI-assisted diagnostic product that has gained three patents in China. It also owns the global rights and will be applying for patents in Europe and the US in due course.

Renewed focus on Alzheimers

Its work in Alzheimers, meanwhile, comes at a time of renewed scientific interest in a degenerative condition that affects 50mln people worldwide with devastating physical, emotional and financial impact to patients and families.

With no tangibly beneficial therapies to address the underlying pathology, new approaches are urgently needed, and Aladdin believes through its proprietary AI new discoveries can be accelerated significantly alongside innovative approaches such as autophagy.

Drug companies are responding by redoubling their efforts in developing pharmaceutical treatments, while influential groups such as the Alzheimers Society are supporting AI-based research.

AI is a growing area of dementia research. It holds huge potential for more accurate, early diagnosis of the condition as well as predicting its progression, the Society said on its website.

We look forward to seeing how this exciting field grows and develops in the coming years. We will continue to support research in this ever-changing field.
ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Homepoint, one of the nation's leading mortgage originators and servicers, today welcomed John Forlines as the company's new Chief Risk Officer and Jean Weng as its General Counsel. Both John and Jean bring tremendous experience and a wealth of knowledge to Homepoint's proven executive leadership team, which averages more than 25 years of mortgage industry experience across the board.

"We're thrilled to add John and Jean -- two high-performing and strategically driven individuals who align incredibly well with our company mission and vision -- to our team at Homepoint," said Willie Newman, President and CEO of Homepoint. "Their well-rounded skillsets and extensive backgrounds in the financial services sector will greatly fortify our business as Homepoint continues to rapidly grow and evolve as one of the nation's top mortgage lenders."

Forlines joins Homepoint following a 33-year career at Fannie Mae, where he most recently served as Chief Risk Officer. In this role, Forlines oversaw the agency's enterprise risk management including credit and operational risk management for its $3.5 trillion book of single-family and multifamily loans. Also, during his time at Fannie Mae, Forlines held titles of Chief Audit Executive and Chief Credit Officer, roles in which he maintained a comprehensive view of corporate functions as well as credit risk related to underwriting and servicing risk management activities.

"I am incredibly excited to join Homepoint and be a part of its journey as the company continues to grow and expand the ways it supports its partners and customers," Forlines said. "It is easy to see the bright future that lies ahead for Homepoint, given its outstanding leadership team and commitment to doing the right thing. That ability to grow so quickly while maintaining such a high quality of business is a very attractive trait in a company, and I am looking forward to continuing to enhance Homepoint's great reputation within the mortgage industry."

Weng comes to Homepoint after serving as Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at New York-based Voya Financial, Inc., a Fortune 500 company that provides retirement and asset management solutions. There, she oversaw the company's Board and Committee operations and advised the company's Board of Directors on corporate governance practices and trends, headed the company's government relations function, and led the company's privacy, procurement and intellectual property team. Prior to Voya, Weng had a 12-year career at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP in New York, where she advised companies and underwriters on capital raising transactions within the firm's Capital Markets Group.

"I am thrilled to be joining such a dynamic company with an incredibly strong growth trajectory and a philosophy of 'we care' for all stakeholders. I look forward to contributing to Homepoint's continued progression as a public company that keeps its associates, partners, customers, and shareholders at the forefront of every strategic decision it makes."

About Homepoint

Homepoint is a leading mortgage originator and servicer that is evolving the homebuying and homeownership experience. The company supports successful homeownership as a crucial element of broader financial security and well-being, delivering a seamless and less stressful homebuying experience.

Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Homepoint works closely with a nationwide network of more than 5,500 mortgage broker and correspondent partners with deep knowledge and expertise about the communities and customers they serve. Today, Homepoint is the nation's third-largest wholesale mortgage lender and the 7th-largest non-bank mortgage lender.

Home Point Financial Corporation d/b/a Homepoint. NMLS No. 7706 (For licensing information, go to: nmlsconsumeraccess.org). Home Point Financial Corporation does not conduct business under the name, "Homepoint" in IL, KY, LA, MD, NY, or WY. In these states, the company conducts business under the full legal name, Home Point Financial Corporation. 2211 Old Earhart Road, Suite 250, Ann Arbor, MI 48105. Toll-Free Tel: 888-616-6866.

Media Contact:

Brad Pettiford

Director of Public Relations

(734) 356-3092

[email protected]

SOURCE Homepoint
English Lithuanian

The leading tour operator in the Baltic States Novaturas from the 27th of March resumes flights from Latvia to Egypt. From April, 4 flights per week program will be operated from Latvia to the main Egyptian resorts.

"On the 9th of March, the Latvian government has lifted restriction on traveling to the third countries. The governments decision states that flights to the third countries are allowed to be operated from the 17th of March. We are starting with two flights per week program from Latvia to Egypt. The first plane after almost a year from Riga airport to Hurghada is planned to take off on the 27th of March, and on the 28th of March - to Sharm El Sheikh resort. From April, the number of scheduled flights will double - we will operate 4 flights a week program. Planes to Egyptian resorts have been departing from Estonia and Lithuania for some time now, and we are glad that travelers from Latvia will soon be able to enjoy their holidays in Egypt as well, says Audrone Keinyte, head of Novaturas group.

The Company currently operates flight programs to Tenerife and Egypt. From mid-February, holiday destinations program has also been supplemented with holiday offers to the United Arab Emirates, and from March to - Maldives. Flights to Turkish resorts will be resumed in all markets in April. Depending on the period, up to 10 flights per week are planned from Lithuania, four flights are planned from Latvia and five flights from Estonia per week.

About Novaturas group

AB Novaturas group is the largest tour operator in the Baltic States, offering summer and winter package holidays in more than 30 destinations worldwide and more than 100 sightseeing routes. In 2019, the group served more than 293 thousand customers.
New Delhi, March 15 : The prosecution on Monday sought death penalty for Ariz Khan, an alleged Indian Mujahideen terrorist, in the 2008 Batla House encounter, while the counsel for the convict sought leniency on the ground of his young age.

Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav will pronounce the order on the sentencing at 4 p.m.

On March 8, the court had convicted Khan in the case, noting that he murdered encounter specialist and Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma.

Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav had said that Khan, along with his associates, intentionally and voluntarily caused the murder of Inspector M.C. Sharma by a gunshot.

Ariz Khan was arrested in February 2018, a decade after allegedly being on the run after the encounter at L-18 in Batla House.

During the course of proceedings on Monday, Advocate M.S. Khan, arguing for Batla House Convict sought leniency on the ground of his young age Senior Public Prosecutor A.T. Ansari sought death penalty and said that it is a gruesome murder of law enforcement officer and defender of Justice.

Prosecutor Ansari said that the collective conscience of the society was shocked due to the incident.

Ariz has been convicted under section 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 333 (voluntarily causes grievous hurt), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant), 302 (murder).

He has also been held guilty under 307 (attempt to murder), 174(a) (Non-appearance in response to a proclamation) 34 (criminal intention) of the Indian Penal Code and 27 (using any prohibited weapons) of the Arms Act.

On September 19 in 2008, the Special Cell of Delhi Police carried out an encounter in Jamia Nagar's Batla House, in which two suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists and Inspector Sharma died.

Ariz is allegedly associated with the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen. Police claimed that he was present at Batla House, along with four others, and managed to give police a slip during the encounter.

Of the five men residing in the apartment in Batla House, Mohammed Sajid and Atif Amin were killed during the encounter, Junaid and Shahzad Ahmad fled and were caught years later, while Mohammad Saif surrendered to the police.

A trial court had, in July, 2013, sentenced Indian Mujahideen terrorist Shahzad Ahmed to life imprisonment in connection with the case.
For four years, Spains National Library concealed the fact that one of the most important works in its extensive collection had been stolen: Sidereus Nuncius, or Sidereal Messenger, an astronomical treatise published by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in 1610. The National Polices historical patrimony department has been investigating the works disappearance since 2018. According to specialists who spoke to EL PAIS, the Latin treatise is worth around 800,000. In the work, Galileo describes the astronomical discoveries he made after building and perfecting a telescope in 1609, including that the moon is mountainous, that Jupiter has four moons and that the Milky Way is made up of separate stars.

It took the National Library four years and four months to report the theft  even though the technical department had known that the original had been replaced by a copy since May 2014, when book restorers discovered it by accident during a program to preserve old books from acid-deterioration called IFADU. But despite this discovery, in these four intervening years, the forged copy of Sidereus Nuncius left by the thief continued to appear in the librarys catalog as the original, according to an investigation by EL PAIS.

This was not the first time that the Sidereus Nuncius had been stolen from the National Library. The important work, along with 100 other books by astronomers such as Johannes Kepler and Nicolaus Copernicus, were taken from the library in 1987, and recovered two years later by police. As there was nothing different about the treatise, the returned work was thought to be the original.

The copy seemed to us to be too new to be from 1610. The printing and embossing process leaves a mark, and it didnt have any, it was very clean. We thought it was odd Fuensanta Salvador, book restorer

But why did the National Library continue to present the forged copy of Sidereus Nuncius as the original in its catalog and take more than four years to report what happened? To answer this question one has to go back to May 2014, when several restorers from the preservation and conservation department were examining books in the general library. As part of the IFADU program, dozens of books were stacked on tables to be visually examined  including Sidereus Nuncius.

It was pure chance, explains Fuensanta Salvador, one of the restorers who was part of the program. The work has a binding and spine made of parchment. Upon seeing it, we thought that it should be in an acid-free conservation box. The copy seemed to us to be too new to be from 1610. The printing and embossing process leaves a mark, and it didnt have any, it was very clean. We thought it was odd. We immediately told the technical team.

The technical team opened an investigation that involved at least three departments and several people, according to Mar Hernandez, who was the head of the area at the time. A microscopic examination of the work quickly confirmed the suspicions of the restorers: Sidereus Nuncius was a fake. Despite this, the treatise continued to be listed as the authentic work in the internal catalog of both the National Library and the Digital Hispanic Library. However, the catalog of the exhibition Cosmos, which was held in the library between March and September of 2018, did list the work as a copy. This exhibition, commissioned by Jose Manuel Sanchez Ron, included 200 works by authors such as Euclid, Claudius Ptolemy, Archimedes and Isaac Newton.

The Cervantes room of Spains National Library. Bernardo Perez

On September 20, 2018  52 months after the work was discovered to be a forgery  the head of the National Library, Ana Santos, received an email from British researcher Nick Wilding, warning her that Sidereus Nuncius, which was digitized by the library, was a copy. Wilding, a professor of Georgia State University in the United States, had discovered another forgery of the same work back in 2012. According to Santos, Wilding offered to provide all the information to show that the treatise was not the original. Of course, I accepted his proposal, says Santos. The first thing I asked was why had no one informed me.

Eight days later, Carlos Solis, a science history researcher at Madrids Complutense University, sent a message to the librarys email address for general inquiries that stated: Galileos work Sidereus Nuncius is not in the National Librarys catalog, in its place, there is a copy. Where is the original now?

On October 3, the National Library replied to his inquiry: The work you refer to is, as indicated in the librarys catalog, a copy of the 1610 edition. That same day, Solis replied: The question is: where is the original that has been substituted now for a copy? Seven days later, on October 20, 2018, Santos reported to police that Sidereus Nuncius had been stolen. But why did it take more than four years to report such an important robbery? We thought that we needed to have more information before filing a report, says Santos, who has headed the National Library since 2013. We wanted to know when the forged copy arrived, the trajectory of the book, when it disappeared. The investigation had not ended, more information still had to be collected.

The first thing I asked was why had no one informed me Ana Santos, head of the National Library

According to Santos, no one in the library told her that the work had been stolen in 2014 and that she only found out thanks to the email from the British researcher. The technical team wrote a report [on the theft], without signing it, dated June 7, 2015, but it was not brought to management, she says.

But Mar Hernandez, who was head of the technical team at the time and is now retired, refutes this version of events. According to Hernandez, Santos called her in 2018  two days before the police report was filed  to reprimand her for not informing her of the robbery four years ago. In response, Hernandez sent Santos an email two days later that in addition to arguing that the head of the library was indeed told of the situation, pointed out that the issue was discussed in a meeting on problematic books in the library.

In the email, to which EL PAIS has had access, Hernandez tells Santos: I have always consulted and informed you of everything. You never would have put up with a person appointed by you who you did not completely trust and who did not inform you of everything. After the weekly meeting of the management team, you, Jose Luis Bueren [the current head of the technical department] and I stayed back to discuss the issue and try and find a solution. Hernandez also has two other emails that support her argument: one sent in 2014 in which she asks Santos to be informed of the situation, and another one from 2016, sent to four people, where she says that she has told Santos about the forged copy.

One day after Santos filed a police report, Solis finally received a response to his inquiry about the whereabouts of the original. The National Library said that the copy of Sidereus Nuncius was a fake, that it was not known what happened to the original and that the case had been brought to the police. Since then, the work now appears in the library catalog as a copy instead of the original version.

Main suspect

After Sidereus Nuncius was discovered to be a fake in 2014, investigators found out that one of the few people who had consulted the work before it was taken was Cesar Ovidio Gomez Rivero, the man who stole two engraved and illustrated world maps from the 1482 treatise Geography by Ptolemy from the National Library in 2007. This theft highlighted the lack of security at the institution and led Spanish writer Rosa Regas to resign as its leader. Cesar Antonio Molina, who was culture minister at the time, accused Regas of not telling him of the theft.

According to police sources, Gomez Rivero consulted Sidereus Nuncius in 2004, three years before stealing the maps from Geography. The thief, who was born in Uruguay, posed as a researcher to access the librarys valuable incunables between 2004 and 2007. The maps were later recovered in New York and Sydney.

Santos says that security at the library has been tightened since she took charge and that it is very difficult to swap an original for a forgery. It is a failure and a misfortune, but unfortunately robberies happen. The world of forgeries is complicated. More forged copies have been detected in the library. We have not tried to cover up anything, she says.

English version by Melissa Kitson.




(@FahadShabbir)

Sunday clashes between anti-coup protesters and security forces in Myanmar left at least 59 people killed and 129 injured according to hospital data, though the actual toll is estimated to be even higher, the Myanmar Now news agency reported on Monday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th March, 2021) Sunday clashes between anti-coup protesters and security forces in Myanmar left at least 59 people killed and 129 injured according to hospital data, though the actual toll is estimated to be even higher, the Myanmar Now news agency reported on Monday.

The reports came from three hospitals  Yangon General, Hlaing Tharyar and Thingangyun Sanpya  but doctors and rescue workers expect the final toll to to be much higher, Myanmar Now stated.

The largest demonstrations were reportedly held in Yangon, Mandalay, Bago and Hpakan. On Sunday night, following the protests, martial law was declared in two of Yangon's industrial townships, Hlaing Tharyar and Shwepyitha, the news agency said.

Despite casualties, the protests have continued in Mandalay and Yangon since Monday morning, Myanmar Now noted.

On February 1, the country's military overthrew the civilian government, arrested State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint and declared a year-long state of emergency.

This week marks the sixth week since the protests against the military rule started in Myanmar. The total death toll is estimated at over 100 since the start of the unrest in early February.
Caused by the worldwide spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to damage global public health and economic vitality. The only hope of returning to any semblance of normalcy lies with the achievement of population immunity, either by natural infection or by vaccination.

A new preprint, released on the medRxiv* server, describes a predictive model of protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection that could help evolve optimal vaccination strategies to maintain protection and reduce the death rate.

As natural infection is associated with a frighteningly high loss of life (over 2.6 million deaths and counting), vaccine-elicited immunity is the only viable way out. Active immunity has been observed to set in following the vast majority of infections.

Researchers estimate that convalescents with antibodies against the virus (seropositive convalescents) are protected against reinfection by 90%, while vaccine antibodies do the job of reducing reinfection by 50-85%. The duration for which protective immunity lasts is unknown, but the immune response is known to wane rapidly.

Also, new variants have rapidly emerged that could be resistant to antibodies specific to the antigens of the older strains.

The current study aims to identify the factors that predict adequate protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection so that it becomes possible to predict how the changes in immunity levels will affect the clinical outcomes of the individual patient. This would help to tailor vaccination and immunotherapy protocols so as to ensure this level of immunity is created and maintained  and, in turn, this would help economic activity to begin again with confidence.

In early influenza pandemics, a hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) titer of 1:40 is correlated with 50% protection from infection. This level results from analyzing data on standardized HAI tests carried out on serum from individuals challenged with the influenza virus vs controls.

The lack of similar assays for immunity to SARS-CoV-2 has made it difficult to compare the level of immunity in a susceptible population to that in a resistant one, and human challenge models are impossible with the current death rate.

Immunological mechanisms associated with protection from infection include neutralizing antibodies, as well as memory T and B cells. The use of convalescent serum and therapeutic antibodies (such as the Regeneron cocktail) has proved the major role played by neutralizing antibodies.

The current study used neutralization titers obtained during in vitro studies with sera from vaccinated and convalescent individuals. The neutralization capacity of standardized convalescent serum has been suggested to be more comparable to the results from a variety of assays, and so the sera were normalized against this standard.

Neutralization titers were averaged, and the log standard deviation was also determined in each study for the sake of achieving comparable values. The normalized mean convalescent neutralizing titer was calculated for the same assay in the same study, and values from different studies were compared against the reported phase 3 vaccine efficacy.

The authors thus obtained a strong linear relationship between the mean neutralization level and the protective efficacy for different vaccines. The results show that a 50% protective neutralization level is achieved at about a fifth of the antibody titer found in convalescent plasma, on average.

That is, the level of neutralizing antibodies required to protect against 50% of infection is one-fifth of the mean neutralizing antibody titer found in convalescent serum. Again, when adjusted to prevent false results due to a normal distribution of data, they found that the estimated protective level was about 29% of the mean convalescent level, slightly higher than the earlier estimation. However, the latter figure represents the titer needed to ensure 100% protection.

This demonstrates the ability to predict the correlation between the average level of protection and the observed efficacy of protection if the level of neutralization titers and their distribution is known.

To test the utility of this approach in arriving at the protective efficacy of a new vaccine, the researchers analyzed the data against all possible groups of vaccinated or convalescent subjects, apart from one, to predict the efficacy of the last group.

They tested the predictive accuracy against a new vaccine with phase 3 efficacy results recently released, at around 81%. The researchers found that, with the mean observed neutralization level of around 79% of the convalescent titer measured in that study, the new vaccine had a predicted efficacy of around 79%, which is close to the reported figure.

This study can be carried forward with access to more standardized assay and trial results, which would yield more homogeneous data. The researchers caution that the association of neutralization with protective efficacy in these studies does not imply that such antibodies mediate protection against infection.

Instead, other immune responses leading to protection could be correlated with neutralizing titer, and thus create an apparent association. Thus, examining the predictive value of other serological and cellular immune markers is necessary to identify the best predictive marker, compared to neutralization.

Nonetheless, the rapid decline of neutralization titers after natural infection and vaccination has been observed. The mean neutralization titer wanes by half over the first eight months following infection. However, the decline likely slows down over time.

The researchers compared the neutralization titer decay in convalescent sera and in vaccine recipient sera. They found that when measured at 26-115 days from vaccination or from the onset of symptoms, the titers appeared to decline at almost the same rate.

The researchers assumed that neutralization is the major mechanism of protection against infection or at least the major correlate; that both vaccine-induced and natural antibodies decay at the same rate; and that the rate of decay is unrelated to the initial titer. The researchers then constructed a model of neutralization and protection over the first 250 days after vaccination, using the half-life of the 90-day neutralization titer from convalescent sera.

This showed that decreasing neutralization titers affect protection from infection in a non-linear fashion, with the drop being proportional to the initial vaccine efficacy.

For example, a vaccine starting with an initial efficacy of 95% would be expected to maintain 58% efficacy by 250 days. However, a response starting with an initial efficacy of 70% would be predicted to drop to 18% efficacy after 250 days.

This approach would also allow an estimation of the time taken for the initial efficacy to drop to 50% or 70%, thus helping to determine the interval necessary before a boost will be needed to maintain minimal neutralization efficacy levels.

The model also shows that a lower neutralization titer against a variant of concern (VOC) will have a greater impact on vaccines with lower protective titers against the wildtype virus. If the vaccine has high efficacy (95%) against the latter, for instance, a five-fold drop in efficacy would reduce the efficacy against the VOC to 67%.

Conversely, if the vaccine has only 70% efficacy at first, the efficacy against the VOC at five-fold lower levels will be only 25%. Such figures are of concern in the light of recent research, which shows that the neutralization titer against the South African VOC B.1.351 is 7.6-9-fold lower than for the earlier variants.

Protection from severe infection. (A) The predicted relationship between efficacy against mild (any) SARS-CoV-2 infection (x-axis) versus efficacy against severe infection (y-axis). The black line indicates the best fit model for the relationship between protection against any versus severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. Shaded areas indicate 95% confidence intervals. Efficacy against severe infection was calculated by using a severe threshold that was a factor of 0.16 smaller than mild infection (CI = 0.039 to 0.66). (B) Extrapolating the decay of neutralisation titres over time. This model assumes a half-life of SARS-CoV-2 neutralisation titre of 90 days over the first 250 days 5, after which the decay decreases (at rate 0.01d-1) until a 10-year half-life is achieved 33,34. For different initial starting levels the model projects the decay in level over the subsequent 1000 days. The green line indicates the predicted 50% protective titre from mild SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the purple line indicates the 50% protective titre from severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. The model illustrates that, depending on the initial neutralisation level, individuals may maintain protection from severe infection whilst becoming susceptible to mild infection (ie: with neutralisation levels remaining in the green shaded region). (C) Extrapolating the trajectory of protection for groups with different starting levels of protection. The model uses the same assumptions on the rate of immune decay discussed in panel B. Note: The projections beyond 250 days rely on an assumption of how the decay in SARS-CoV-2 neutralisation titre will slow over time. In addition, the modelling only projects how decay in neutralisation is predicted to affect protection. Other mechanisms of immune protection may play important roles in providing long-term protection that are not captured in this simulation.

The study also shows that the 50% neutralization level that confers protection against severe infection was 3% of the average convalescent level, assuming that neutralization and not cellular responses are important in this protection.

This six-fold difference in the protective titer against severe infection relative to that against any infection will probably be reflected at all levels of vaccine efficacy against mild infection with SARS-CoV-2. If so, and if it does not change over time, individuals with protective immunity are far more likely to remain protected against severe disease for far longer, even with waning neutralization titers, than to be protected against infection per se.

The researchers project an exponential decay rate after eight months until a ten-year half-life. Against this background, they predict that even without a boost to the immune system, a large percentage of individuals will remain protected against severe infection with a similar strain, requiring only 3% of the initial mean neutralization titer in convalescent patients, even if mild or asymptomatic infection occurs as the titer drops below 20% of the mean convalescent titer.

This study provides a model to use the available limited data on convalescent and vaccination antibody studies in order to predict the course of immunity to the virus.

*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.
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(Newser)  "Get your shots, friends," Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves tweeted Monday. "And lets get back to normal!" With that, the state is dropping restrictions on who can receive a coronavirus vaccination, starting Tuesday. Mississippi already was letting anyone 50 or older book an appointment, the New York Times reports, and Reeves suggested people in that category sign up quickly. In his address to the nation last week, President Biden told states he wants them to open up vaccinations to everyone by May 1. Alaska also beat that date, letting everyone who lives or works in the state have the shots. Michigan said it will open up by April 5.

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About 20% of Mississippi residents have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 11% have had two; the state's supply consists of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, per the Oxford Eagle, which both require a second shot. Those figures are higher than most of Mississippi's neighbors but lower than those of most other states, per the Times. Reeves, a Republican, already lifted the state's mask mandate, which Biden called a mistake. The governor also let businesses return to full capacity, per WAPT. The president had appealed in his address to "stick with the rules" in an effort to limit the virus. (European nations halted the use of one vaccine Monday.)
Andrew Cuomo accuser speaks with investigators for 4 hours View Photo

As New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo tried to return to the business of governing Monday, one of his sexual harassment accusers met via Zoom for more than four hours with investigators working for the state attorney generals office.

During the interview, Charlotte Bennett revealed new details about Cuomos behavior and what she said was a sexually hostile work environment, according to her lawyer, including a claim the governor frequently made suggestive remarks about the size of his hands.

One piece of new information that came to light today was the Governors preoccupation with his hand size and what the large size of his hands indicated to Charlotte and other members of his staff, her lawyer, Debra Katz, said in a statement.

Bennett also provided investigators with 120 pages of records to corroborate her accusations, according to Katz.

Bennett, 25, is one of a number of women who have accused Cuomo of workplace harassment. Some have said Cuomo demeaned them with pet nicknames or objectifying remarks about their appearance, subjected them to unwanted kisses and touches or asked them about their sex lives. A few, including Bennett, said they believed the governor was probing their interest in a sexual relationship.

Cuomo also faces an allegation that he groped a female staff member under her shirt after summoning her to the governors mansion in Albany late last year.

The claims have led to a chorus of Cuomos fellow Democrats demanding his resignation, including, on Friday, both of New Yorks U.S. senators.

Even as he remained overshadowed by scandal, Cuomo has tried to press on and project normalcy.

Monday he appeared at a vaccination site on Long Island and talked about the importance of getting a new state budget done by an April 1 deadline  one he said was critical to getting the state back on its feet.

Thats a process that normally involves intense negotiations and deal-making between Cuomo and the two top leaders in the Legislature.

This year, though, Cuomo is having to negotiate with people who have demanded that he step down. More than 130 state lawmakers have said Cuomo should resign, including Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. The state Assembly has opened up an impeachment investigation.

The majority of the Legislature has called for his impeachment or resignation, Baruch College political science professor Doug Muzzio said. So I mean, you know, how can you work with a legislature that is composed of his antagonists? It doesnt work.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said he would try.

Im going to proceed as if its a normal negotiation, he said.

Sen. John Liu, a Queens Democrat on the Senate finance committee, said the allegations surrounding Cuomo have distracted him and lawmakers. He said Democrats who now have veto-proof supermajorities are hoping Cuomo will support long-stalled efforts to legalize marijuana and raise taxes on New Yorkers making more than a million dollars.

The governor is clearly distracted and thats not going to help his position, Liu said. At the very minimum, hes facing serious investigations as well as calls for his resignation. None of that adds to his negotiating position.

Sen. Brad Hoylman, a Democrat of Manhattan, said budget discussions with Cuomos staff are ongoing and called the overall dynamic awkward to say the least.

Its not everyday that you and your colleagues demand the head of your party to step down and proceed with a negotiation, Hoylman, who chairs the Senates judiciary committee and sits on its finance committee, said. I also think it speaks to why so many of us are concerned with these swirling scandals and the ability for the executive to manage this situation.

The attorney general, James, last week named a former federal prosecutor, Joon Kim, and employment discrimination attorney Anne Clark to lead the Cuomo investigation. They have full subpoena power and will document their findings in a public report.

Cuomo, a Democrat, has said hell fully cooperate. His office didnt immediately comment Monday when asked about Bennetts interview with investigators.

The attorney generals investigation is on top of scrutiny that Cuomo is facing from federal prosecutors who are scrutinizing how his administration handled data on COVID-19 outbreaks at nursing homes.

John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor Daniel Feldman, who served as a state lawmaker from 1981 to 1998, said the governor is in the tough position of needing political support from a Legislature thats increasingly said hes lost his ability to lead.

He pointed to former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who quit in 2008 after admitting he paid for sex with prostitutes.

It was said at that time, that had Spitzer maintained cordial relations with a majority of the Legislature, he would not have resigned and if he was impeached he wouldnt have been convicted, Feldman said.

Cuomo has insisted he wont let himself be distracted and he wont resign.

At his event at the Long Island vaccination site Monday, from which reporters were barred, ostensibly because of COVID-19 restrictions, the governor didnt address the scandal but did speak generally of comebacks in the face of adversity.

Sometimes, God comes and he knocks you on your rear end for one reason or another, or life comes and knocks you on your rear end for one reason or another, Cuomo said in a comment that was intended to reference the states situation, but could also apply to his personal troubles.

The question is what you do when you get knocked on your rear end. And New Yorkers get up, and they get up stronger, and they learn the lesson.

By MARINA VILLENEUVE and MICHAEL R. SISAK

Associated Press
[March 15, 2021] UK Businesses Lose 37 Billion Every Year Through Poor Spending Controls Reveals Soldo

Lack of visibility around cashflow impacts pandemic recovery efforts LONDON, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Soldo, leading European pay and spend automation platform today unveiled a new Coleman Parkes study it commissioned which found that the UK economy loses around 37bn a year through poor business spending controls[1]. While an astonishingly high figure, the UK is not alone. Weak spending controls were reported to be costing European businesses 301 billion, with businesses in Germany losing 54bn a year, while France and Italy also reported sizeable figures (37bn and 26bn respectively). Against a backdrop of low productivity and the economic impact of the pandemic, this concerning figure is equivalent to 2% of revenues for every business in the country  with losses starting at around 50,000 for small businesses, rising to around 12m for the biggest UK firms. "Although many businesses in the UK are struggling to manage cashflows in this exceptionally challenging economic landscape, we see that many are losing significant revenues on an annual basis simply through poor management of spending," said Carlo Gualandri, CEO. "Looking at this loss of revenue at a macro-level, the numbers are quite staggering." INEFFICIENT PRACTICES THREATENING BUSINESS STABILITY Conducted by Coleman Parkes, the study 'A Brighter Future: better Spend Controls Key to Economic Recovery' of 900 finance and business leaders across the UK, France, Germany and Italy highlights how poor visibility, over-spending and duplication of spend are the biggest contributing factors to limiting organisational growth. The research also reveals that over 19 billion is lost each year in unclaimed VAT across the UK, of which around 3.8 billion is lost due to errors in the way receipts are processed. In the face of extraordinarily challenging trading environments, it is remarkable to see companies not claiming back money that is rightfully theirs which could be reinvested into company growth. "Finance functions need to transform to drive business results, too much time and revenue is being wasted because of inefficient practices that are holding finance teams back. After all, it is these teams who are ideally placed to provide the strategic insight that will enable the company to thrive (or survive), in the wake of Covid," comments Carlo Gualandri, CEO, Soldo. FINANCE TEAMS LOSING THE BATTLE AGAINST ADMIN UK businesses are losing out due to inadequate spending controls, with only 14% deeming current measures "very effective". The challenges span multiple areas, with finance teams reporting over-centralisation causing slowdowns, excessive paperwork and poor visibility on spending. The impact of these inefficiencies is stark. The Soldo report demonstrates that inefficiencies within spending processes are damaging organisations. 40% of UK businesses say that bad financial practices have led to unnecessary spending, and 29% report the duplicatin of costs.



Effective time management is also something that UK finance teams are struggling with; Soldo's research shows that senior UK finance staff lose over 350,000 hours each week performing unnecessary admin tasks  worked out to a staggering 15.4 million hours being wasted each year. "The road to recovery is long but digitising the processes that free up valuable time and resource is the starting point every business needs to be looking at. The pandemic itself has given us lots of food for thought on how we can 'build back better' in our own teams and is something we will focus on as we start to emerge and recover from 2020," says Matt Emerson, Chief Financial Officer at Atrium.

THE SHIFT TO DIGITAL IS GALVANISING RECOVERY "This study clearly demonstrates the dual challenges businesses have of reducing costs, while enabling a route to recovery. While cash is leaking at a staggering rate from within organisations, they have to find ways to optimise and speed up spend management practices, as well as patching up the holes within organisations to ensure they are better positioned for future growth," comments Stephen Saw, Director, Coleman Parkes. Soldo's analysis also reveals how UK finance teams have largely not yet digitised core areas of their work  45% of payroll tasks, 49% of receipts/invoices obtainment and management and 41% of data copying into accounting systems are still paper-based processes and demand some kind of physical process.. "Businesses that create efficiency and help teams to delegate the responsibility for spending to anyone in the businesses will be key to a swift return to growth. Technological adoption will empower business leaders, armed with better data and real-time information around spending, tech-enabled businesses are much more confident in their ability to invest for future growth," concludes Gualandri. About the research Soldo commissioned Coleman Parkes to conduct a detailed analysis on the impact of digital transformation on the finance function in small to large organisations in the UK, France, Germany and Italy. To achieve this objective Coleman Parkes designed and executed a highly targeted and representative quantitative research study surveying 950 senior finance decision makers (400 in UK, 400 in Italy, and 75 in each of France and Germany). The respondents were either owner/managers or finance directors as of November 2020. Market representation was key in order to calculate the micro and macro impact of poor spending controls on businesses and economies as a whole. Coleman Parkes conducted all calculations in-house. About Soldo Soldo is a European pay and spend automation platform that combines smart prepaid company cards issued by our partner Mastercard. Soldo's comprehensive spend management solution is tailored to suit multinational corporations right through to small businesses. Soldo is headquartered in the UK, with additional offices in Dublin, Milan and Rome and was founded by serial entrepreneur, Carlo Gualandri. Soldo customers including Bauli, Gymshark, GetYourGuide, Monzo and Toyota are empowered to spend company money on advertising, software, travel expenses, e-commerce, and more.

Financial decision makers can control every cost with custom budgets and real time tracking of transactions. Start spending the brighter way. We're proud to be supported by the world's leading investors including Accel, Battery, Connect and Dawn. For more information, please visit www.soldo.com and follow us on Twitter: @soldo [1] To calculate the macro impact of poor spending controls, Coleman Parkes identified through this research the baseline revenue loss of 2% across all markets surveyed, and applied this calculation to the GDP of each market (and Europe as a whole) to establish the total economic impact of poor spending controls in business.

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Elizabeth Beth Millstone Roman, February 22, 2021, age 75, after recently suffering a stroke.

The daughter of Dr. Robert and Thelma Millstone, she was born in San Francisco but grew up in St. Louis, where she graduated from Ladue Horton Watkins High School. She went on to do her undergraduate work at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY, then earned her MSW at the University of Washington in Seattle. She spent most of her adult life in St. Louis, where she practiced with Jewish Family and Childrens Services and the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. She also worked in private practice for many years.

Throughout her long career as a social worker in St. Louis, Elizabeth Millstone Roman concentrated in several special areas: in adoption, in suicide prevention, in counseling children with cancer, and in family therapy. But Beth remained the inveterate social worker even after retirement, said her sister, Margaret Isenman. She was truly interested in and sympathetic to everyone she came into contact with.

A passionate reader, she savored a good conversation about books. Never happier than when she was near a beach or beside a pool, Mrs. Roman loved to swim. She arranged vacations so that she could share her love of water with her six grandchildren, to whom she was devoted. Her generous nature came through in everything from the thoughtful gifts that she always wrapped carefully to the dinner parties where her friends and family relaxed over great food and lively talk. In recent years, she was deeply involved in creating a family history book in text and photos for the younger generations.

Mrs. Roman is survived by her husband, Richard Roman of St. Louis, and her daughter, Professor Rachel Jameton of Asotin, Wash., as well as by her sister, Margaret (Paul) Isenman of Washington, DC. Other survivors include her grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and two stepbrothers, G. Noah Newmark of Los Angeles and Michael (Judith) Newmark of St. Louis.

A Zoom memorial service will be held on April 17, Mrs. Romans birthday. Tributes in memory of Beth Millstone Roman can be made to Washington University (Memo: Fund #30588), MSC 1247, 7425 Forsyth Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63105. This fund supports research by Dr. Deborah Parks in the Division of Rheumatology.

A RINDSKOPF-ROTH SERVICE
Some 30,000 people due to receive the AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab this week will have their vaccinations rescheduled in the next few weeks, the Health Minister has said.

Stephen Donnelly said he hopes most of the people whose vaccines are being deferred will receive their first dose by the end of the month without affecting the rollout of vaccine to other people.

Use of the jab was suspended on Sunday as a precaution after reports of serious clotting in adults in Norway which left four people in hospital.

Mr Donnelly said he understood that people were naturally "disappointed" by the deferral of their appointments but that the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) and the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) had acted "decisively and quickly" in response to new information late on Saturday night about the Norway cases.

He added that he had no hesitancy in temporarily suspending use of the AstraZeneca jab and that he hopes it will only be for a short period.

Mr Donnelly told RTE Radio 1's Morning Ireland programme: "Hopefully the 30,000 for this week will be rescheduled very, very quickly.

"So will everybody be done within the time left in March? I'd say pretty close, possibly, maybe there may be a bit of spillover into April, but very, very quickly.

"We should be able to reschedule them and in so doing, not have to delay other people. So in other words, do the 30,000 at the same time as people who we were planning on doing in the coming weeks as well."

Mr Donnelly defended the State's vaccination programme, highlighting that 99% of people over the age of 85 have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine within a three-week period as planned.

"The vast majority of the target groups for the GPs are being done," he said.

"For example the group 85 and older, there was a three-week period for the GPs to vaccinate that group.

"And there was understandably some focus on some of the things that didn't work which is absolutely fair and lessons needed to be learned, but within that three weeks 99% of that cohort were still vaccinated."

The minister added that at present 95% of the vaccines arriving into the country were being administered within seven days.

Speaking on the same programme HSE chief executive Paul Reid acknowledged the temporary suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine was "disappointing" for those due to get jab.

But he said the decision was made to ensure the continued rollout of the vaccination programme in a "safe way".

"We all expect and hope that it is a very short pause," Mr Reid said.

"We know the European Medicines Agency has established a committee looking at the data all across the world.

"We know our own Health Products Regulatory Authority are a member of that committee and will be involved in the assessment throughout this week.

"Of course it is frustrating, of course I understand it.

"I think it does enhance and continue our strong reputation of progressing cautiously."

But Mr Reid said people over the age of 70 will continue to be vaccinated this week.

"Our overall vaccination programme across the over-70s is progressing really well," he said.

"Over 130,000 vaccinated already. Another 50,000 will be vaccinated this week.

"So despite the issues that we have in AstraZeneca this week, a very good programme continues."

Over the weekend, 250 housebound people over the age of 70 were vaccinated in their homes through the National Ambulance Service.

Mr Reid added that the rollout of the vaccination programme would "step up" in the second quarter of the year.
Disney has delayed the upcoming UK tour of Beauty and the Beast.

The production had been due to open at Leicester Curve on 25 May before visiting the Bord Gais Energy Theatre in Dublin. It will instead open at the Bristol Hippodrome on 25 August.

A statement on the production's website reads: Whilst we cannot wait to bring our new production of Beauty and the Beast to theatres around the UK and Ireland, working with the information we have available, it is with sadness that we have to delay the opening of the tour.

"We understand the disappointment this will cause, but the health and wellbeing of our audiences, cast, crew and theatre staff have to remain paramount as we make plans to bring our shows back to the stage."

Beauty and the Beast has music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton, and is based on the award-winning animated film of the same name. The piece follows a young woman who stumbles upon a petulant prince cursed to resemble a beast unless he can find true love.

The Olivier Award-winning musical had its UK premiere at the Dominion Theatre in 1997, while the show's Broadway run lasted from 1994 to 2007 (the tenth-longest running production in Broadway history).

New dates for Dublin have been announced for November 2022. The Curve dates have not been rescheduled, and ticket-holders are advised to contact their point of purchase.
In their study, which is now published in the journal Nature Aging, they show that the level of non-coding RNAs in the blood of a Parkinson's patient can be used to track the course of the disease. For their study, the team led by bioinformatics professor Andreas Keller and his doctoral student Fabian Kern created and analyzed the molecular profiles of more than 5,000 blood samples from over 1,600 Parkinson's patients. This resulted in around 320 billion data points, which the researchers analyzed for biomarkers of Parkinson's disease using artificial intelligence methods. "Our project is among the largest RNA biomarker studies in the world," says Andreas Keller, head of the research group for clinical bioinformatics at Saarland University and spokesperson for the Center for Bioinformatics at the Saarland Informatics Campus.

Of special interest was the level of a specific class of ribonucleic acids in the blood samples, so-called microRNAs. MicroRNAs are short, non-coding segments of RNA that play an important regulatory role in the translation of genetic information. "Because microRNAs are stable in the bloodstream, contain diverse information for diagnosis and prognosis, and their influence on an organism's genes has been well studied, we consider them promising candidates for robust biomarkers, also in the context of Parkinson's disease," says Fabian Kern, first author of the study and a doctoral student in Keller's research group. The group has already successfully identified microRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease and lung cancer in other large-scale studies.

With regard to Parkinson's disease, the bioinformaticians from Saarbrucken have now demonstrated that the disease progresses in particularly strong molecular waves during the third decade of life and from around the age of 70. "The indication for this effect is the increased concentration of deregulated microRNAs that we found in blood samples of the corresponding study cohorts," explains Andreas Keller. The researchers obtained the blood samples from one of the largest Parkinson's studies in the world, the 'Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI)' from the USA. Since the PPMI dataset is a longitudinal study, they were able to investigate in particular whether the concentration of microRNAs varies over the time axis and thus draw conclusions about the progression of the disease. The researchers replicated their results using independently collected samples from a second cohort of more than 1,000 patients provided to them by the Centre for Systems Biomedicine in Luxembourg.

In the current study, the bioinformaticians at Saarland University worked with whole blood analyses and examined the total concentration of microRNAs in all blood cells. In doing so, they were able to show that the information content of certain cell types varies depending on the subject's age and stage of illness. "In the future, we want to analyze the blood down to the single-cell level, which will allow us to make much more precise statements," says Keller with regard to future research projects.

A total of eleven institutions were involved in the current study, among them Stanford University, where Andreas Keller was a visiting professor in 2019 and 2020, the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in Phoenix, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and the University of California in San Diego. "The fact that our expertise in the field of microRNAs and bioinformatics is recognized on an international level and that we play a leading role in a predominantly American study shows the quality of research at the Saarland Informatics Campus," says Andreas Keller.

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Background Saarland Informatics Campus:?

800 scientists and about 2100 students from more than 80 nations make the Saarland Informatics Campus (SIC) one of the leading locations for computer science in Germany and Europe. Five world-renowned research institutes, namely the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), the Max Planck Institute for Computer Science, the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems, the Center for Bioinformatics and the Cluster for "Multimodal Computing and Interaction" as well as Saarland University with three departments and 21 study programmes cover the entire spectrum of computer science.

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Matching the right brandable domain with the right buyer - is like hooking the hottest rapper up with a 'blazing' beat during the peak of his career.

Duane Lawton had ambitions of becoming one of hip-hop's most-read scribes when he started DLL Enterprises as a side hustle in the mid 2000's, just as e-commerce and social media saw explosive growth online. Lawton's hip-hop journalism career stalled but he got bit by the online marketing bug.

DLL Enterprises is basically a one-man shop. I earned a college degree in digital marketing in 2012 and probably should have entered the industry on a corporate level but I wanted to be a work-from-anywhere entrepreneur instead of slugging through long commutes to and from a job everyday", Lawton said.

Significant success in entrepreneurship can be difficult to achieve though and even more of a challenge to sustain; Lawton has experienced a series of highs and lows in his online pursuits. Ive done a little bit of everything online; mostly freelance work, making YouTube videos, conducting market research projects, doing a few consulting gigs, and have continued writing about hip-hop culture. But Ive had to hold down unfulfilling jobs because my online income has been unstable; wildly fluctuating throughout the years", Lawton admits.

In the latter part of 2015, Lawton experienced a health scare that shook up his whole world. I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. It was a complete shock. At the time of the diagnosis, my youngest son was just 8 months old! I didnt know if I would survive. I went through a 12-hour surgery to remove the tumor and then went through two grueling months of chemo and radiation treatments. I was on medical leave from my job for nearly a year and still had to have multiple nasal reconstruction surgeries. My 'new normal' has been difficult to process at times, but my faith in God along with the love and support from my wife and family has gotten me through. I feel truly blessed to be alive", Lawton says.

Lawton started investing in brandable domain names while on medical leave because it required little energy and he could get started with a limited amount of capital. My body, mind and spirit took a beating from the cancer ordeal but eventually my creative juices started flowing again", Lawton says. "I'm a wordplay guy; I craft witty domain names that I think will appeal to cutting-edge companies and disruptive businesses looking to jumpstart or breathe new life into their brands.

Lawton has a small portfolio of about 65 brandable domain names across a wide spectrum of business industries such as Sharpentry.com (possible fit for a blade sharpening service) and TierTitan.com (potential match for a software development company). Both brandables, as well as 30 other domain names owned by Lawton, are currently listed for acquisition at https://Brandpa.com/sellers/f7951482

"A good brandable domain name tells a story before customers even visit the website. For example, I own HeightHero.com. What's my pitch? I think it'll be a great domain name for a manufacturer of ground ladders and other apparatus equipment for firefighters. Heroes need heroic tools", says Lawton.

The highest-appraised brandable in his growing portfolio is a unique play-on-words, SuiteSugar.com. Lawton thinks the domain could be a good fit for a corporate catering business, fashion brand, concierge service, software developer or even a musical group. SuiteSugar.com is currently listed at https://www.brandbucket.com/profile/domainking77

Even though Lawton plans to significantly grow his brandables portfolio, he maintains realistic expectations; he continues freelance work and self-publishes an essay series on Medium called, "Lyrical Luminary", which is a deep-dive into the careers of hip-hop's greatest rappers (https://duanelawton.medium.com).

As a domainer and writer, Lawton sees parallels between brandables and hip-hop. "Matching the right brandable domain name with the right buyer (at the right time) is like hooking the hottest rapper up with a 'blazing' beat during the peak of his career. In fact, the hip-hop brandable is going to be my new investment strategy!", Lawton says.

Just as digital art NFTs have taken the investment world by storm, Lawton predicts brandable domain names will be the next 'new thing' to own in an investment portfolio. "I think brandables are promising investments but it's definitely a buy-and-hold game. You have to have a little luck in terms of timing and an abundant amount of patience."

Duane Lawton is a freelance writer, researcher, brandable domain investor and a fan of classic hip-hop.
Wholesale fibre network provider Full Fibre Limited announced a financing deal with specialist infrastructure investment fund Basalt Infrastructure Partners III, which will see the company deploy its wholesale fibre-only infrastructure to at least 500,000 additional premises by 2025. The business will continue its focus on 'forgotten' market towns and areas, initially in the West Midlands, Central and South West, which might otherwise be left behind by the national FTTP rollout. This investment will augment and scale Full Fibre's existing build capacity and is set to expand its lightning-fast, gigabit fibre optic network to the first 100,000 premises in 2021 and at least 500,000 by 2025.

Unusually for an Alternative Network Provider, Full Fibre is a wholesale only network operator. Full Fibre concentrates on working with a growing number of retail broadband ISP providers to deliver transformative gigabit connectivity across previously underserved market towns, whereas most other providers look to sell their services directly to consumers, which can restrict consumer choice and competition.

Full Fibre CEO Oliver Helm said:

"We engaged Axxeltrova as our exclusive corporate finance advisors. We chose Axxeltrova because of the depth of their sector knowledge and track record. They helped us with the development of the investor material, including financial modelling, marketing the opportunity to potential investors and supported us through the negotiations. They have been excellent to work with throughout the transaction and highlights Axxeltrova's expertise as a technology and telecom sell-side advisor.

Faisal Ahmed, Partner at Axxeltrova Limited, said:

"I am absolutely thrilled to have supported Full Fibre in securing their first institutional investment, which will enable the management team to embark on an exciting growth journey over the coming years. It has been a pleasure to work with Oliver Helm and the team on this transaction, and I'm very confident in Full Fibre's strategy and ability to build fibre networks across the UK, and I look forward to continuing to support them on that journey.

About Axxeltrova Limited:

Axxeltrova is an FCA regulated tech-focused specialist investment bank. We understand technology and work across the tech value chain from Digital Infrastructure, Smart Cities, deep tech to SaaS, marketplaces and much more. The firm assists its clients in capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, recapitalization and leveraged buyouts. In addition, Axxeltrova provides a wide array of services such as financial advisory services, strategy consulting, due diligence and valuation.

For more information, visit https://axxeltrova.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210314005013/en/

Contacts:

Faisal Ahmed

faisal.ahmed@axxeltrova.com
Jill Biden will visit a New Jersey elementary school on Monday while Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff will hit Las Vegas as the trio kicks off the first road show of the Biden administration.

Dubbed the 'Help is Here' tour by the White House, the tour will see everyone one from the top four principals to Cabinet secretaries out touting the benefits of President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.

The first lady will visit Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington, New Jersey, where she will check out is strategies to combat the coronavirus and tout the money the COVID relief bill contains to help schools reopen. She will be joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

The vice president will check out a vaccination clinic and a culinary academy in Las Vegas. And Emhoff will visit a food relief organization.

Jill Biden will visit a New Jersey elementary school on Monday to tout how the American Rescue Plan will help schools reopen

Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff leave for Las Vegas to kick off their part of the 'Help is Here' tour

This is Harris' first domestic trip as vice president and it comes as Nevada officials have eased up on restrictions, allowing the streets of Las Vegas to become crowded again. The capacity for gaming floors and other establishments will increase from 35 to 50 percent.

President Biden get in on Monday's actions when he talks about his plan during a speech at the White House in the afternoon. He'll hit the road on Tuesday when he visits a small business in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

Biden will tape an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in Pennsylvania that will air on 'Good Morning America' Wednesday morning.

Monday kicks off the week-long roadshow amid reports Biden will propose the first substantial federal tax hike since 1993 for Americans to help pay for his plan.

Four people familiar with discussion told Bloomberg that Biden is expected to propose a series of tax increases, including repealing parts of Donald Trump's 2017 tax law that resulted in most Americans seeing more in their paychecks.

Meanwhile, Cabinet officials will be involved in selling Biden's plan - Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited a UPS facility in Maryland Monday morning that distributes the COVID vaccine.

And the tour will include stops in states that helped put Biden in the White House.

Biden and Harris will appear together in Atlanta on Friday. The Democrats' win in two Georgia special Senate elections gave the party control of the Senate. And the votes of Democratic Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock from that state helped make the legislation law.

Harris will meet with small-business owners in Denver on Tuesday. Wednesday will find Jill Biden in Concord, New Hampshire, and Emhoff in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This is Kamala Harris' first domestic trip as vice president

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy greets Jill Biden upon her arrival in his state

Cabinet secretaries are getting into the tour: Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg greets United Parcel Service (UPS) employee Joe Jackson with an elbow bump during a tour at a UPS facility that is delivering vaccines in Landover, Maryland

Biden defeated Donald Trump in Nevada, Pennsylvania and Georgia, which helped him win the 2020 presidential election.

Biden has said over and over again he doesn't want to repeat what he believes was a mistake by the Obama administration in not selling its 2009 stimulus to the public.

His COVID relief plan includes $1,400 direct payments to most Americans, $350 billion in aid to state and local governments, an expansion of the child tax credit and increased funding for vaccine distribution.
Moroccan cement demand declines 8% in February

ICR Newsroom By 15 March 2021

Cement consumption in Morocco fell eight per cent to 1,079,983t in February 2021 from 1,173,350t in February 2020, reports the countrys Ministry of Urbanisation and Housing.



In the January-February 2021 period demand decreased 10.1 per cent YoY to 2,116,988t from 2,355,548t in the 2M20.

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By Moira Warburton

VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Technologies Co Ltd. Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou will appear in a Canadian court on Monday as her U.S. extradition case enters its last phase of arguments leading to a final hearing in May.

Meng, 49, was arrested in December 2018 at Vancouver International Airport on a U.S. warrant for allegedly misleading HBSC about Huawei's business dealings in Iran and causing the bank to violate U.S. sanctions.

She has since been fighting the case from under house arrest in Vancouver and has said she is innocent.

After two years of legal proceedings, Meng's case now enters the final stretch leading up to a decision from Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes in British Columbia's Supreme Court on whether to extradite her, pending approval from the federal minister of justice.

Beginning Monday, the court will hear arguments regarding allegations that Canadian and U.S. authorities committed legal missteps during Meng's initial questioning and arrest, which her lawyers say should invalidate her extradition.

Witness testimony on these allegations concluded in December 2020.

Meng's team has previously argued that the extradition should be rejected due to the alleged political interference by then-U.S. President Donald Trump in her case.

Trump told Reuters in December 2018 that he would intervene in the case if it would serve national security interests or help close a trade deal with China.

Canadian prosecutors representing the federal government assert that appropriate processes were followed. They have argued that now that Trump is no longer president his comments are moot, and that their influence is best judged by a politician, not a judge.

The case has caused a frost in relations between Ottawa and Beijing. Shortly after Meng's arrest, China detained two Canadians - Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig - on espionage charges, which Canada has called retaliation.

On Thursday China's Global Times reported that Spavor and Kovrig's trial would take place "soon," citing an anonymous source. The Global Times is published by the People's Daily, the official newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party.

Hearings are scheduled to finish in May, but the potential for appeals from either side means the case could drag on for years.

(Reporting by Moira Warburton in Vancouver; Editing by Denny Thomas and Sonya Hepinstall)

(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.)
HARRISBURG  Within weeks of the first coronavirus cases last spring, as large swaths of Pennsylvanias economy shut down, the state Legislature followed suit, allowing most of its members to vote remotely.

Lawmakers said they were confident they could carry on the business of the people without gathering inside the General Assemblys ornate chambers  where desks are spaced fewer than 6 feet apart  and, in some cases, without being in Harrisburg at all.

But that didnt stop many of them from cashing in on expenses.

An analysis of legislative records found lawmakers requested and received $726,877 from the beginning of March  as the pandemic emerged  through the end of 2020 as reimbursement for lodging and meals while traveling to and from the Capitol or other meetings across the state.

The analysis found two House Democratic lawmakers each padded their salaries by more than $24,000 in additional taxpayer money during that time through the special perk.

The payments, known as per diems, have long been criticized as an unnecessary largesse for the countrys largest full-time legislature, which pays the third-highest salaries for state lawmakers in the country.

But against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused historic hardship for so many across the state, the payments are receiving fresh attention.

Per diems are daily flat rates lawmakers can claim when they travel more than 50 miles from their house for legislative business. Unlike in the private sector, legislators dont have to provide receipts, leaving open the possibility that their actual daily expenses could be more or less than the full per diem rate, which in 2020 generally ranged from $178 to $200.

Pennsylvania has some of the most generous per diem rates among all state legislatures, according to an analysis by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Lawmakers are not required to accept per diems and always have the option to forego them and instead submit receipts for expenses.

All of us have been asked to make sacrifices during this pandemic, and the General Assembly should be no different, Sen. Tim Kearney, D-Delaware, said last summer, as he and three Democratic colleagues introduced legislation to suspend per diems during the pandemic.

It seems like the least we can do, he added in a recent interview.

The bill was assigned to a committee last September but never got an airing. A bipartisan group of senators has signaled they will try, once again, to pitch a bill this session to require receipts for reimbursement. But politically, doing away with per diems will likely be a heavy lift because any change would be up to those who benefit most  the lawmakers themselves.

According to Senate officials, legislators in the chamber received a total of $90,425 last year in per diems. Of that, just under $58,000 was shelled out to 17 of 50 senators after the first presumed positive cases were identified in early March.

(Cant see the table of per diem payments above? Click here.)

At the top of the list: Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, who  at $16,157 in per diem reimbursements during the pandemic months  far exceeded his colleagues, even those in leadership positions. Then-Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre, who was required to be on the floor during sessions and was second on the list for the most reimbursements in the chamber, collected $5,426.

Browne did not respond to requests for comment. In the past, he has noted that his role as chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee requires him to be in the Capitol more than other senators, particularly during budget hearings in early spring and budget negotiations that often bleed well into summer.

Still, the Senates reimbursements pale in comparison to the 203-member House of Representatives.

In all, the House paid out $955,696.68 for per diems in 2020, with at least $668,993 after the virus began to spread in Pennsylvania in March, records show. (Because House members were given extra time to file expenses after the pandemic hit, it is possible that the chambers per diem spending is higher.)

State Rep. Mark Longietti, D-Mercer, was neck and neck with Rep. Chris Sainato, D-Lawrence, in topping the list of reimbursements in the chamber. Longietti collected $24,115 to Sainatos $24,073. Neither lawmaker responded to requests for comment.

Sainato, for one, is no stranger to rising to the top of the per-diem list. In 2016, he charged taxpayers for just over $30,600 in meals, lodging, and incidental expenses, according to PennLive. That was the most that year for any House member or senator.

At the time, Sainato noted that at roughly 250 miles away, his district is one of the farthest from the Capitol. He also said that since being elected in the 1990s, hes never missed a voting day.

Indeed, in 2020, records show, he collected a per diem for nearly every voting session in the House after the chamber permitted remote voting in mid-March. He also often charged per diems for the day before and the day after session, in order to travel to and from the Capitol (although the flat rate for travel days is lower).

Even through the summer months, when the legislature wasnt in session, Sainato raked in thousands in per diem expenses, mostly to attend hearings by the House Democrats policy committee. (Policy committees hold non-voting meetings focused on issues important to political parties).

Sainato attended 24 such meetings in July and August, according to House records, taking in about $5,800 in per diems in that time frame.

At taxpayer expense

Often, the public doesnt know whether or how much their lawmakers have padded their salaries with per diem payments. That is because there is no easily accessible line-item in the legislatures budget that spells out what it spends annually on such reimbursements.

Both chambers provide per diems breakdowns only through public records requests but do so in a format that is difficult to analyze in a meaningful way.

Dan Truitt, a Republican former House member from Chester County, said when he joined the legislature in 2011, he quickly came to the conclusion that per diems were something of a racket.

During voting weeks, he said, there were always breakfast fundraisers or receptions where lawmakers could score a free meal. As for dinner, lobbyists were frequently available to pick up the tab.

Taking a per diem on top of that seemed excessive.

It started feeling really creepy to me, all the different ways people were maximizing the amount of money going into their pockets at taxpayer expense, said Truitt, who served six years in the House.

While in office, Truitt said he introduced a bill in each legislative session to ban per diems. When he would circulate a memo to colleagues seeking co-sponsors for the legislation, he said he would jokingly start out with the phrase, In an effort to make new friends...

The bills never got a hearing, he said.

House Democrats cash in

In mid-March of last year, the House passed temporary rules to allow members to vote remotely (the Senate already had rules in place to allow remote voting). Party leaders and committee chairs still had to physically be present in the Capitol to formally consider legislation, but rank-and-file members could submit votes from afar to their leaders, though they could not participate in debates.

The normally packed voting floor in both chambers cleared out significantly. Still, on any given session day, there were more Republicans in the chambers than Democrats. As time went on, Democrats complained bitterly that a handful of GOP lawmakers would show up in person but flout mask-wearing rules, creating an unsafe work environment.

Even so, in the House, Democratic lawmakers ended up charging more in per diems than their GOP colleagues: $401,068 from March 1 through Dec. 31, to Republicans $267,925, according to records.

The top per diem earner on the GOP side, former state Rep. Tom Murt of Montgomery County, received nearly $10,000 less than Sainato, collecting $14,732. Murt was sixth for per diems overall in the House, with the Democrats snagging the top five slots.

Rep. Kevin Boyle, a Democrat from Philadelphia, had the third-highest reimbursement total in the House, collecting $21,604 during that time frame.

In an interview, he said 2020 was an unusually hectic year for the House State Government Committee, on which he serves as minority chair. The panel was the hub last year for COVID-19 and election-related legislation, making it one of the busiest in the legislature. It met at least 17 times after the pandemic began, legislative records show.

Not only was it one of the busiest committees in the state legislature, Boyle said, but one of the busiest in America given the scope of its work in a historic election year during a pandemic. And as the ranking Democrat on the committee, he was required by House rules to attend committee meetings in person.

The committees Republican chairman in 2020, former state Rep. Garth Everett of Lycoming County, collected just $2,138 after the pandemic began. In an interview, he seconded Boyles description of how busy the committee was last year. But he said he tried to commute most days, given that his district is a manageable 90-minute drive, and took partial per diems mostly for meals.

I was never one who liked to hang out in Harrisburg, just to hang out in Harrisburg, Everett said.

Lawmakers have the option to opt-out of collecting per diems and instead get reimbursed by submitting receipts for the actual cost of lodging and meals while in Harrisburg or other parts of the state on legislative business.

In the House, 61 members went that route in 2020, according to chamber officials, who noted that it is possible some of those lawmakers also collected partial per diems (for instance, just for lodging or just for meals).

Still, the difference in price tag is stark: The House last year paid out $115,747 to lawmakers who submitted receipts for lodging and meals  nearly $840,000 less than what it shelled out for per diems.
During the past decade the European People's Party in the European Parliament was criticized for its unwillingness to vote for measures that would sanction the Hungarian Fidesz government, which is accused of breaching key democratic principles.

Researchers have said the EPP protected Fidesz in order to safeguard Hungarian votes in its ranks and protect their own interests, but this support had weakened by 2019, when Fidesz was suspended from the EPP.

Researchers analysed the votes of EPP MEPs for 24 resolutions covering the protection of EU fundamental values between 2009 and 2019. They found there was a "sharp increase" in the tendency of EPP MEPs to support these resolutions over time, and during 2011 to 2019 a below-average EPP cohesion on these votes compared to others.

Before Fidesz left the EPP MEPs on the group had become more likely to vote in favour of sanctions against Hungary.

In the period 2009 to 2019, EPP average party cohesion on votes about fundamental values was 67.3 per cent, compared to overall average voting cohesion of 92.5 per cent in the same period, and 92 per cent for votes originating in the Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs committee. The average cohesion for votes on the Hungarian situation was 59 per cent.

The analysis shows EPP MEPs were around 20 per cent less likely to vote for a resolution if it targeted Hungary or Fidesz.

MEPs from more authoritarian or traditionalist political parties were around 30 per cent less likely to vote for resolutions on fundamental EU values than those from liberal political parties.

The research, published in the journal European Political Science Review, was conducted by Lise Esther Herman, from the University of Exeter, Julian Hoerner, from the London School of Economics and Political Science and Joseph Lacey, from University College Dublin.

Dr Herman said: "Our analysis suggests the EPP protected Fidesz in order to safeguard Hungarian votes in its ranks, and their strategic, office, and policy-seeking interests.

"We found MEPs are more likely to oppose sanctions when their party is in government at the national level, which suggests they are willing to protect the capacity of their national organizations to form alliances with states where democratic values are at risk within the EU's intergovernmental institutions."

Dr Lacey said: "We found there was a sharp dip in support for resolutions involving fundamental values in 2015 following the onset of the Syrian refugee crisis from EPP MEPs from all member states. The Hungarian Government was strongly opposed to the influx of asylum seekers, criticizing the welcoming approach of German chancellor Merkel, and ordering the construction of a fortified fence at its southern border."

In September 2015 Fidesz voted against the Commission's proposal for the relocation of refugees throughout the Union and, in June 2014, Viktor Orban also voted against the EPP's official candidate for the European Commission Presidency, Jean-Claude Juncker, in the European Council. Researchers say this may have made it harder for EPP MEPs to deny issues in Hungary and also protect their reputation in the European Parliament and avoid tensions with other political groups.

Dr Hoerner said: "Over time increasing evidence about democratic backsliding and arguments in favour of taking a stand seem to have convinced conservative EPP MEPs to support sanctions. In 2012 they may have genuinely believed that claims about democratic backsliding in Hungary coming from political opponents were overstated and politically motivated. In 2018, it becomes far harder to minimize the significance of Fidesz's breaches or to see the Hungarian situation as an isolated case."

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Top officials of the water resources ministries of India and Bangladesh will meet here on Tuesday to discuss issues related to river water-sharing and flood forecast, sources said on Monday.

The Indian delegation will be headed by Pankaj Kumar, secretary in the Jal Shakti Ministry. The Bangladesh side will be headed by senior secretary Kabir Bin Anwar, the sources added.

The meeting takes place ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh later this month.

Sources said the two sides will discuss water sharing of Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dudhkumar and Dharla rivers.

Discussions are likely to take place on further cooperation in the area of flood forecasting, they added.

A system of transmission of flood forecasting data on major rivers like Ganga, Teesta, Brahmputra and Barak during the monsoon season from India to Bangladesh already exists.

They added that discussions are also expected to take place on drawing water from Feni river for the Sabroom town in Tripura.

Further, talks are also expected on a possible Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for drawing water from the Surma river.

India and Bangladesh have a robust mechanism in place to address water issues at different levels. An Indo-Bangladesh Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) is functioning since 1972. It was established with a view to maintain liaison in order to ensure the most effective joint effort in maximising the benefits from common river systems.

This enables meetings at the ministerial, secretary and at technical experts' level.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Nacogdoches, TX (75965)

Today

Sunshine and a few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 83F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds light and variable.
Standing behind bars, Bolivias former interim President Jeanine Anez speaks to an unidentified woman at a police station jailhouse, in La Paz (Juan Karita/AP)

A judge in Bolivia ordered former interim president Jeanine Anez held for four months in preventative detention following her arrest on charges linked to the 2019 ousting of socialist leader Evo Morales, which his supporters consider a coup detat.

Prosecutors accuse Ms Anez, who assumed the presidency following Mr Morales resignation and exile, of terrorism and sedition for the violent social explosion that led to his ousting.

She was arrested on Saturday and has called her detention an abuse, denying that a coup took place.

After a virtual hearing due to the pandemic, judge Regina Santa Cruz backed prosecutors request that Ms Anez be held in a womens prison in La Paz.

The judge also ordered four months of preventative arrest for two of her former ministers.

Expand Close A billboard of Bolivias former president Evo Morales (Juan Karita/AP) / Facebook

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Ms Anez and the two ex-ministers heard the ruling from police cells and will be transferred to prison in the coming hours.

Earlier, Ms Anez called on the Organisation of American States and the European Union to send missions to Bolivia to evaluate what she called an illegal detention.

The arrest of Ms Anez and warrants against numerous other former officials has further worsened political tensions in a South American country already torn by a cascade of perceived wrongs suffered by both sides.

Those include complaints that Mr Morales had grown more authoritarian with nearly 13 years in office, that he illegally ran for a fourth reelection and then allegedly rigged the outcome, that right-wing forces led violent protests that prompted security forces to push him into resigning and then cracked down on his followers, who themselves protested an alleged coup.

Dozens of people were killed in 2019 in a series of demonstrations against and then for Mr Morales.

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On Saturday, Mr Morales sent a tweet saying: The authors and accomplices of the dictatorship should be investigated and punished.

After Mr Morales resigned, or was pushed, and flew abroad, many of his key supporters also resigned.

Ms Anez, a legislator who had been several rungs down the ladder of presidential succession, was vaulted into the interim presidency.

But Mr Morales Movement Toward Socialism remained popular.

It won last years elections with 55% of the vote under Mr Morales chosen candidate Luis Arce, who took the presidency in November.
TEL AVIV, Israel, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Vesttoo is very proud to announce that Mrs. Hedwige Nuyens, Managing Director of the International Banking Federation (IBFed), has joined Vesttoo's advisory board. Mrs. Nuyens has more than 30 years of experience in the finance and banking industries, presently leading strategies revolving around digital transformation and the role of banks in supporting the economy. We are looking forward to collaborating with Mrs. Nuyens and benefiting from her expertise in the finance and banking sectors, as Vesttoo is expanding its insurance-linked asset classes as uncorrelated, stable income investments with strong diversification characteristics.

Mrs. Hedwige Nuyens Joins Vesttoo as Advisory Board Member

Mrs. Nuyens currently heads the International Banking Federation, representing the banking industry at international level. The IBFed includes all the major national banking associations (United States, European Union, Japan, Australia, Canada, South Africa, China, Brazil, India and Korea) covering more than 95% of the banking industry.

Previously. Mrs. Nuyens held the positions of Head of Group Prudential Affairs at BNP Paribas, Chief Financial Officer of the Catholic University Louvain and Chief Risk Officer of ABN Amro Bank in Belgium.

Hedwige holds a Faculty of Law and a Master's in financial sciences from the Catholic University Louvain and a Master's in business administration and finance from the EHSAL Brussels. She followed courses on Digital Transformation at Insead, on Sustainable Finance at Cambridge, on Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning at MIT and on Cyber Security at Harvard.

"We are very excited to work with Mrs. Nuyens, continuing to strengthen our relationship with the banking community, spreading the importance of diversification and derisking of investment portfolios with insurance-linked asset classes from the Life and P&C markets," said Yaniv Bertele, CEO of Vesttoo.

"I am looking forward to collaborating with Vesttoo, especially in the aspects of the use of advanced algorithms for risk management and portfolio risk diversification. These are very interesting times in both insurance and banking, with unique challenges due to COVID-19 and the economic environment," said Hedwige Nuyens.

Hedwige joins the prominent experts already on our advisory board, executives from all areas of the global and regulatory insurance space, executive financial experts and executives from the global business arena. They are:

William Lowry

William Lowry is a Senior and C-level executive in multiple reinsurance companies, expert of Insurance Linked Securities (ILS) and the former CFO of Swiss Re in the US. William brings significant experience in the management of insurance, reinsurance, ILS and insurance-related companies to the advisory board.

Charles E.F. Millard

Charles E.F. Millard is a Senior Advisor/Board Member for AQR, Kiski Group, Ross Corporate Services (UK), and Kosmos Management. He was previously Director of the US Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation under President G. W. Bush, and Head of Pension Relations for Citigroup.

Steve M. Goldman

Steve Goldman is a former partner at Kramer Levin Natfalis & Frankel LLP and an expert attorney who specializes in banking and insurance law. He is the former Commissioner of the NJ department of banking and insurance, dealt with corporate law at Sills Cummis Epstein & Gross PC for 22 years and sat on President Obama's advisory committee.

Joseph Haviv

Joseph Haviv is the founder, chairman and managing member of Protostar Partners private equity. Additionally, he sits on the MC Square Capital advisory board, and is a lead investor of Constitution Reinsurance and Partner Reinsurance. In the past, he was a partner at McKinsey and Co. and VP at EXOR America, among others.

Dr. Michel Leonard

Dr. Michel Leonard, CBE, is an economist and data scientist with 20 years of experience in insurance and finance. He is 3i's Vice President & Senior Economist, as well as faculty at NYU and Columbia University. His past roles include: Principal & CDS at MaKroLLC, Chief Economist & SVP in Aon, Chief Economist & Data Scientist Alliant Insurance KKR and Global Business Advisory Council for the White House/State/Commerce.

Emmanuel Pierron

Emmanuel Pierron has 20 years of experience in Insurance, Reinsurance and Innovation: risk, technique and big data, operations and new technologies. He has a strong interest and vast experience in the creation of activities, business and startups. Past roles: Chief Innovation Officer at KAMET (AXA Group's VC), Chief Data Officer at AXA Group and Chief Technical & Claims Officer at Direct Assurance.

Ari M. Paltiel

40 years of experience in socio-demographic research & mortality statistics. Demographer & Lecturer at Hebrew University and member of governmental advisory committees on demography & mortality. Held multiple senior positions in the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics and led pioneering investigation teams in Israel & Germany.

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Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday he will nominate a civil rights attorney and former clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to become the newest justice on New Jerseys Supreme Court.

Rachel Wainer Apter, 40, director of the state Division of Civil Rights and formerly an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, was fittingly introduced during a ceremony at Rutgers-Newarks Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall  on what would have been Ginsburgs 88th birthday. Ginsburg was once a law professor at the school.

In the words of Justice Ginsburg, Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you. Murphy said. In every aspect throughout her career, Rachel has lived these words.

Gov. Phil Murphy (left) and Rachel Wainer Apter appear at Rutgers-Newarks Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall on Monday morning. Murphy announced he will nominate her to become the newest justice on the New Jersey Supreme Court.Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media

Wainer Apter, a registered Democrat and Englewood resident, would replace outgoing Justice Jaynee LaVecchia, an independent who announced last week shell retire at the end of August.

But first, Wainer Apter needs to be approved by the State Bar Associations Judicial and Prosecutorial Appointments Committee and then be confirmed by the Democratic-controlled state Senate.

If she is confirmed, it would shift the makeup of the state Supreme Court from three Republicans, three Democrats, and one independent to four Democrats and three Republicans.

Wainer Apter said Monday she has never focused only on laws or systems and instead on the individual lives that laws and systems are meant to serve but can so often harm.

The New Jersey Supreme Court has a proud history of recognizing the equal dignity of every human being and acknowledging how the law impacts real people each day, she added. Justice Ginsburg shared that legacy. I hope to be able to live up to that promise.

From D.C. to Trenton to your town, the N.J. Politics newsletter brings the news right to your inbox. Sign up with your email here:





Wainer Apter is the second person Murphy, a first-term Democrat, has chosen to become an associate justice on the states highest court.

His first pick, Fabiana Pierre-Louis, joined the bench last year as the first Black woman to serve on the court in New Jersey history.

State Attorney General Gurbir Grewal (left) talks to Rachel Wainer Apter and her mother, Suzanne Adelson Wainer, at Rutgers-Newarks Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall on Monday morning. Gov. Phil Murphy announced he will nominate Wainer Apter to become the newest justice on the New Jersey Supreme Court.Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media

Wainer Apter grew up in Rockaway and graduated from Morris Hills Regional High School. She scored a perfect 1600 on her SATs.

She recalled Monday how her great-grandparents fled anti-Semitic persecution in Russia and Eastern Europe and said learning about the Holocaust had a tremendous impact on her childhood. She said she read only stories about the atrocity and had vivid dreams she was living during that period.

That gave me a strong sense of how fortunate I was to live in this time and place, but it also impressed upon me the horrors that can come from dehumanization, when one person deems another person as other or denies their humanity, said Wainer Apter, a mother of three.

She received her bachelors degree from the University of Pennsylvania and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2004. She was a law clerk for Ginsburg from 2011-12 and also clerked for federal judges Robert Katzmann and Jed Rakoff.

Wainer Apter stressed Monday she has focused her career addressing systemic inequality, including cases related to equal rights, discrimination, voting rights, and the rights of people with disabilities.

She worked for the global law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and then the ACLU, where she handled a high-profile case in which a Colorado baker refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple. The ACLU supported two men who were refused service. The U.S. Supreme Court sided with the baker in 2018.

Wainer Apter worked on Murphys transition team shortly after he was elected in 2017 and then was counsel to state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, notably leading the states case to preserve the DACA immigration program.

She also helped draft the Murphy administrations Immigrant Trust Directive, which limits how much local officials can cooperate with federal immigration officials.

Currently, Wainer Apter runs the states Division on Civil Rights, the agency that enforces the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination.

Rachel Wainer Apter watches Gov. Phil Murphy greet her son Noam, 7, at Rutgers-Newarks Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hall on Monday morning. Murphy announced he will nominate Wainer Apter to become the newest justice on the New Jersey Supreme Court.Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media

Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver said Wainer Apter has dedicated her professional life to protecting others from those grave threats to their liberties.

She has been a champion for all New Jerseyans, Oliver added.

Wainer Apters nomination comes as Murphy runs for re-election in November. It also gives the governor the chance to have placed two justices on the seven-member court  both women 40 or younger  who could serve for decades until the mandatory retirement age of 70. Wainer Apter is only a few weeks older than Pierre-Lewis.

But a degree of uncertainty hangs over her confirmation. Because Wainer Apter lives in Englewood, four state senators from Bergen County have senatorial courtesy over the pick  meaning they can stop the nomination from advancing.

One of the four is a Republican: Holly Schepisi, a state assemblywoman who was recently chosen to replace the late Gerald Cardinale in the Senate. Schepisi could block the nomination  which is possible in an election year.

She told NJ Advance Media on Monday that its premature for me to give any sort of comment but noted that she will meet with Wainer Apter.

I have a lot of homework to do, Schepisi said. I think its gonna be really important to sit down and understand everything from her courtroom experience to positions, neutrality as a judge versus activism.

Numerous Democratic senators praised Murphys pick, as did at least one Republican.

State Sen. Robert Singer of Ocean County, R-Ocean, lauded Wainer Apter for combating anti-Semitism online in his county and said he has no doubt that Rachel will seek to protect our constitutional liberties and freedoms on our states highest court.

State Sen. Richard Codey, D-Essex, called her part of the best of New Jersey. State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, said Murphy made a fine nomination.

Former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, the favorite for the Republican nomination to challenge Murphy in Novembers gubernatorial race, blasted the pick, saying the governor feels the need to lurch our court even further to the left instead of finding a moderate middle ground.

Murphys nominee is an inexperienced activist who will unfairly legislate from the bench, Ciattarelli said.

Murphys campaign manager, Mollie Binotto, called Ciattarellis characterization meritless and misogynistic.

What he clearly doesnt understand is New Jerseyans are moving forward  not back, Binotto added.

Martha Minow, the former dean of Harvard Law School, said Wainer Apter has demonstrated how someone with a first-class mind, enormous dedication to hard work, and a commitment to advancing justice can make a difference in the lives of individuals and in the vitality of our system of laws and government.

She brings enormous talent, tenacity, and compassion to everything she does, Minow added.

NJ Globe was the first to report Wainer Apters impending nomination.

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.
There was no reason to celebrate on Rachel Van Lears anniversary. The same day a global pandemic was declared, she developed symptoms of COVID-19. A year later, shes still waiting for them to disappear. And for experts to come up with some answers.

The Texas woman is one of thousands of self-described long-haulers, patients with symptoms that linger or develop out of the blue months after they first became infected with coronavirus. Hers first arrived March 11, 2020.

BAD NEWS: Contagious U.K. variant of COVID-19 found widespread in Houston's wastewater

The condition affects an uncertain number of survivors in a baffling variety of ways.

"Were faced with a mystery," said Dr. Francis Collins, chief of the National Institutes of Health.

Is it a condition unique to COVID-19, or just a variation of the syndrome that can occur after other infections? How many people are affected, and how long does it last? Is it a new form of chronic fatigue syndrome  a condition with similar symptoms?

Or could some symptoms be unrelated to their COVID-19 but a physical reaction to the upheaval of this past pandemic year  the lockdowns, quarantines, isolation, job losses, racial unrest, political turmoil, not to mention overwhelming illness and deaths?

These are the questions facing scientists as they search for disease markers, treatments and cures. With $1 billion from Congress, Collins' agency is designing and soliciting studies that aim to follow at least 20,000 people whove had COVID-19.

Weve never really been faced with a post-infectious condition of this magnitude so this is unprecedented, Collins said Monday. "We don't have time to waste.

With nearly 30 million U.S. cases of COVID-19 and 119 million worldwide, the impact could be staggering, even if only a small fraction of patients develop long-term problems.

Fatigue, shortness of breath, insomnia, trouble thinking clearly and depression are among the many reported symptoms. Organ damage, including lung scarring and heart inflammation, have also been seen. Pinpointing whether these symptom are directly linked to the virus or perhaps to some preexisting condition is among scientists tasks.

Is it just a very delayed recovery or is it something even more alarming and something that becomes the new normal? Collins said.

There are a few working theories for what might be causing persistent symptoms. One is that the virus remains in the body at undetectable levels yet still causes tissue or organ damage. Or it overstimulates the immune system, keeping it from returning to a normal state. A third theory: Symptoms linger or arise anew when the virus attacks blood vessels, causing minute, undetectable blood clots that can wreak havoc throughout the body.

Some scientists think each of these may occur in different people.

Dr. Steven Deeks, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, said researchers first need to create a widely accepted definition of the syndrome. Estimates are all over the map because no one is defining it in the same way, he said.

Deeks is leading one study, collecting blood and saliva samples from volunteers who will be followed for up to two years.

Some people develop long-term problems even when their initial infections were silent. Deeks said some evidence suggests that those who initially get sicker from a coronavirus infection might be more prone to persistent symptoms, and women seem to develop them more than men, but those observations need to be confirmed, Deeks said.

Van Lear says she was in great shape when she got sick. At 35, the suburban Austin woman had no other health issues and was a busy mother of three who often worked out. First came a chest cold, then a high fever. A flu test came back negative, so her doctor tested for COVID-19. Soon after she developed blinding headaches, debilitating fatigue and nausea so severe that she needed emergency room treatment.

I was very scared because no one could tell me what was going to happen to me, Van Lear said.

Over the next several months, symptoms would come and go: burning lungs, a rapid heartbeat, dizzy spells, hand tremors and hair loss. While most have disappeared, she still deals with an occasional racing heartbeat. Heart monitoring, bloodwork and other tests have all been normal.

Fatigue, fever, and no taste or smell were Karla Jefferies first symptoms after testing positive last March. Then came brain fog, insomnia, a nagging smell of something burning that only recently disappeared, and intermittent ringing in her ears. Now she cant hear out of her left ear.

Doctors cant find anything to explain it, and she bristles when some doctors dismiss her symptoms.

I understand that COVID is something that we're all going through together but dont brush me off, said Jefferies, 64, a retired state worker in Detroit.

As an African American woman with diabetes and high blood pressure, she was at high risk for a bad outcome and knows shes lucky her initial illness wasnt more serious. But her persistent symptoms and home confinement got her down and depression set in.

Political and racial unrest that dominated the news didnt help, and church services  often her salvation  were suspended. She knows all that could have contributed to her ill health and says listening to music  R&B, jazz and a little country  has helped her cope.

MASK MANDATES: Chron readers had plenty to say about Gov. Greg Abbott lifting Texas' mask mandate

Still, Jefferies wants to know what role the virus has played.

Im a year in, and to still from time to time have lingering effects, I just dont understand that, Jefferies said.

Jefferies and Van Lear are members of Survivor Corps, one of several online support groups created during the pandemic and that have amassed thousands of members. Some are enrolling in studies to help speed the science.

Dr. Michael Sneller is leading one study at the NIH. So far, 200 have enrolled; they include survivors and a healthy comparison group.

They are being given a series of physical and mental tests once or twice a year for three years. Other tests are seeking signs of ongoing inflammation, abnormal antibodies and blood vessel damage.

Sneller said hes found no serious heart or lung tissue damage so far. He notes that many viruses can cause mild heart inflammation, even some cold viruses. Many people recover but in severe cases the condition can lead to heart failure.

Fatigue is the most common symptom in the coronavirus group, and so far researchers have found no medical explanation for it. Insomnia is common, too  in both groups. Sneller says thats not surprising.

The whole pandemic and lockdown affected all of us," he said. Theres a lot of anxiety in the control group too.

Many have symptoms similar to chronic disease syndrome; and to a condition involving fatigue and thinking difficulties that can develop after treatment for Lyme disease, a bacterial infection spread by certain ticks.

Researchers are hopeful that studies of long-term COVID-19 may yield answers to what causes those conditions, too.

___

Follow AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner at @LindseyTanner.

___

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.
Former Victoria's Secret model Jess Hart has recently said she's not comfortable with being an 'influencer' on social media.

But it appears the blonde bombshell is more than happy with the perks of the controversial job title.

The 34-year-old couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she posed on a brand new Mercedes G-Wagon, worth a whopping $250,000.

Nice work if you can get it! Model Jessica Hart, 34, flaunted her new Mercedes brand G-Wagon worth $250,000 - after confessing she's always found 'influencing' cringey

'A dream of mine came true this week! I have been a long time fan and lover of Mercedes-Benz, for those of you that know me, know this,' she began.

'I've been working with them over the years but last week they made it official,' she added.

She went on to say she was the newest member of the Mercedes-Benz 'family' after being made a brand ambassador.

It's official: 'I've been working with them over the years but last week they made it official,' she said, of her partnership with the luxury car brand

'You're looking at the newest member of the Mercedes-Benz AMG ambassador family. So many people to thank!! I can't wait for our adventures together.'

It comes just weeks after Jess spoke about being 'uncomfortable' with the term 'influencer' in a soul-baring Instagram post.

'Doing my best at being an influencer how am I going?' she captioned a series of pictures of her holding her infant daughter Baby and riding a bicycle.

Influencer: 'I've always cringed at the idea of being an influencer. I don't know why, it's an honour to influence. I only ever post things I truly believe in or really use,' she said earlier this month

The Australian Vogue cover girl continued, 'I've always cringed at the idea of being an influencer. I don't know why, it's an honour to influence. I only ever post things I truly believe in or really use.'

'Back in the day it was just 'is she a good influence?' My mum [used] to worry if my friends were good influences on me.'

'What she came to realise was I was the bad influence on my friends. I loved being naughty. Anyway, these days I pride myself in being a good influence. I hope to be a good influence to my daughter and an honest 'influencer' to you guys'.

Honoured: 'Back in the day it was just 'is she a good influence?' My mum [used] to worry if my friends were good influences on me,' she said, previously

'P.S. this post has nothing to influence you with. I'm just a mum on a bike. - unless you like my leggings as much as I do, they're @skims and my sunnies are awesome and by @velvetcanyon,' continued one of the stars of MTV's now-defunct reality TV series The City.

Jessica welcomed her first child Baby with her fiance James Kirkham in November.

In October, James proposed to the model in front of her family and friends at their beach-side baby shower in Malibu, California.
For landlords and brokers, participating in the Section 8 program can involve bureaucratic challenges, including having an inspector review and sign off on the health and safety of a unit before it is rented. But those additional steps cannot be used as grounds to deny a Section 8 tenant.

A spokeswoman for the Corcoran Group said that the company was committed to upholding the principles of the Fair Housing Act, referring to the 1968 federal law, as well as offering comprehensive education and training programs for our employees and affiliated sales agents.

We take these allegations seriously, the spokeswoman said.

A spokesman for the Century 21 corporate office declined to discuss the case but said that the company does not tolerate any discrimination. Compass did not respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Philip, the broker for the Upper East Side apartment, said in an interview that he did not recall that conversation last year but knew it was illegal in New York to discriminate against someone because of their source of income.

I would never say anything straightforward like this because I do consider Section 8 qualified, Mr. Philip said, adding that he had been a broker for 40 years but had never rented to someone with a voucher. Maybe she rubbed me the wrong way.

For years, undercover operations have been frequently used to expose potential discrimination in both the rental and homeowner markets. The method is also used by government investigators, including those who target Section 8 discrimination.

The lawsuit raises questions not only about widespread bias against voucher recipients but also about the blatant flouting by agents and property owners of both New York City and New York State laws that prohibit discrimination against people because of their source of income.
New Delhi, March 15 : Delhi, which had been reporting over 400 Covid cases daily for the last few days, saw its tally dip to 368 on Monday, taking its total to 64,406, and the cumulative positivity rate to 4.82 per cent, as per the health bulletin.

On Sunday, the national capital had registered 407 cases, against 419 on Saturday, 431 on Friday and 409 on Thursday.

With three more fatalities on Monday, the death toll has risen to 10,944, according to the bulletin issued by the Delhi Health Department.

With 306 recoveries, the total number reached 6,30,799, while the number of active cases stands at 2,321 as on Monday.

A total of 62,272 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours, and the positivity rate was 0.59 per cent.

Out of the total 5,711 beds for coronavirus patients in the national capital, 5,104 are vacant. A total of 1,344 patients are in home isolation. Total number of containment zones as on date are 548.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain told the media that the Covid-19 situation is under control in the national capital since the positivity rate is under 1 per cent.

"There are two benchmarks of positivity which could trigger a worry -- 5 per cent set WHO and 1 per cent in general. There was a time when our positivity rate went beyond 15 per cent. However, the current positivity rate of Delhi is far from both parameters. The situation is under control now," he said.

"The positivity detected in Delhi on Sunday was 0.6 per cent. However, if we compare, many states are reporting a manifold rise. Gujarat's positivity rate is three times of Delhi, Punjab reported six times more positivity than us while Maharashtra has 30 times more positivity," he added.
Andrew Cuomo has received public support from his family after they shared a tweet from actor and long-time friend Bill Baldwin defending the New York Governor amid sexual harassment and bullying claims from multiple women.

His daughters Mariah and Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo, as well as the governor's sister Maria Cuomo Cole, on Sunday all retweeted the post from Baldwin in which he defended the governor's legacy.

The tweet also called on critics to wait for the state to conclude its investigation into the sexual harassment allegations currently engulfing the New York State Governor's administration, saying he has 'earned the right' for them to be looked into.

'I have known the entire Cuomo family since the 1980s. I have tremendous respect & admiration for every single one of them,' Baldwin's tweet on Saturday said.

'Don't you think, after 40 years as a New York public servant, he deserves and has earned the right to an investigation before everybody rushes to judgment?'

Mariah, 26, and Michaela, 23, are two of Cuomo's three daughters with Kerry Kennedy, who herself is the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, the liberal icon and brother of former president John F. Kennedy.

Governor Cuomo's daughters and sister came to his defence on Sunday by sharing a tweet from Bill Baldwin defending him amid sexual harassment and bullying claims. Pictured: Billy Baldwin's Saturday tweet, ReTweeted by Cuomo's daughter Michaela

Pictured: New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, walks with his daughter Mariah on the grounds of the Governor's Mansion following allegations that he had sexually harassed young women, in Albany, New York, March 12, 2021

Pictured: Actor Billy Baldwin (left) with now-NY Governor Andrew Cuomo (middle). Baldwin tweeted: 'I have known the entire Cuomo family since the 1980s. I have tremendous respect & admiration for every single one of them.'

It was revealed by the New York Post last year that Mariah's twin sister Cara - Cuomo's third daughter - had been dating state trooper Dane Pfeiffer, who was assigned to her father's security detail.

When the Governor learned of the relationship, Pfeiffer was transferred to a post near the Canadian border. Cara does not appear to have shared Baldwin's tweet.

All three of Cuomo's daughters made appearances during the Governor's Emmy-award winning coronavirus press briefings last year, often taking starring roles.

Mariah was seen arm-in-arm with her father on Friday while he spoke on a cell phone outside the governor's Albany mansion.

Michaela was a vocal supporter for survivors of sexual harassment during her time at the Ivy League Brown University in Rhode Island.

She argued in 2019 in a Brown Political Review essay that official sexual-assault investigations serve to defend the powers that be, rather than 'to decipher the truth or dole the consequences.'

Mariah Kennedy-Cuomo attends Governor Andrew Cuomo announcement and briefing on COVID-19 response at New York Stock Exchange, in May 2020

According to The Post, the title of her essay was: 'Institutional Gaslighting; Investigations to Silence the Victim and Protect the Perp.'

US President Joe Biden sidestepped questions Sunday on whether New York Governor should resign over the allegations, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the state leader should 'look inside his heart' to decide if he can govern.

The pair stopped short of joining a growing list of other politicians, including many fellow Democrats, in demanding Cuomo's resignation.

Exiting Marine One Sunday, Biden told a reporter that 'the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings us.'

New York's new Governor, Andrew Cuomo, walks from the Governor's Mansion in Albany, New York, to attend services with his girlfriend, Sandra Lee, center, and his daughters, from left, Cara, Michaela, and Mariah. Pictured in 2011

Eight women have come forward since last month to denounce what they said were inappropriate words and gestures from Cuomo. One former employee said he slipped his hand under her blouse in an incident last year.

New York's senior senator, Chuck Schumer, now the majority leader in the US Senate, is among those who have explicitly called for the governor to step down.

Cuomo's accusers, most of them women who worked in the state government with him, 'must be treated with respect,' Pelosi said in carefully worded comments on ABC's 'This Week' program earlier Sunday, adding that 'they are credible and serious charges.'

She added: 'The governor should look inside his heart - he loves New York - to see if he can govern effectively.'

Joe Biden is seen on Sunday evening returning to the White House and asked about Cuomo

Cuomo, who at 63 has been governor for the last 10 years, has repeatedly denied acting in any way he considered 'inappropriate.'

He has shrugged off the calls to resign, asking people to wait for the results of several investigations, including one being led by the state's attorney general, Letitia James.

Pelosi told ABC she had 'zero tolerance for sexual harassment' and said Cuomo's accusers should be listened to.

But she said both the women and Cuomo 'deserve to hear the results of these investigations,' adding that she had confidence in the state's attorney general.
Burma Ousted Myanmar Leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyis Court Hearing Delayed

Lawyers at Zabuthiri Township Court on Monday. / The Irrawaddy

Ousted civilian leader State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyis latest court hearing was cancelled on Monday due to a nationwide internet shutdown across the country. The military regime cut mobile internet connectivity from Sunday night, although some broadband connections were still accessible on Monday.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was detained along with other members of the democratically-elected government by the junta when it seized power in a Feb. 1 coup. The State Counselor led the National League for Democracy (NLD) to a landslide victory in last Novembers election, but the military regime claims the poll was marred by fraud.

The militarys governing body, the State Administrative Council, has opened a total of four cases against her at a Naypyitaw Court, which was ordered to hear them via video conferencing.

The video conference was not held today because there was no internet access, Daw Aung San Suu Kyis lawyer U Khin Maung Zaw told reporters.

At the previous court hearing, Zabuthiri Township Court decided that the next hearing would be delayed until Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had been able to hire lawyers to defend her.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi faces four charges. Two of them, Section 25 of the Natural Disaster Management Law and Section 8 of the Export and Import Law, were filed soon after her arrest. The military accuse her of interacting with a crowd during the coronavirus pandemic and possessing unlicensed walkie-talkies and other foreign equipment that was allegedly found in her villa compound.

Two additional chargesSection 67 of the Telecommunications Law in connection with the telecommunication equipment allegedly found in her villa compound and Section 505(b) of the Penal Code accusing her of seditionwere filed in early March.

On Monday at the court, police said that only two of the group of lawyers led by lawyer U Khin Maung Zaw would be granted the power of attorney to defend Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Police said they would arrange power of attorney for only two young lawyers in my team. We will make sure they get the power of attorney at the next court hearing on March 24, said U Khin Maung Zaw.

At her previous court hearing, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said she would like to meet her lawyers U Khin Maung Zaw and U Kyi Win in person, and the NLD central executive committee has also recommended the two to defend their leader, said U Khin Maung Zaw.

The United Nations Human Rights Declaration, which the world has acknowledged and our country has ratified explicitly, says everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to have all the guarantees necessary for his or her defense. That right is being robbed now, said U Khin Maung Zaw.

The court hearing of ousted President U Win Myint was also not held Monday.

At least 166 people have been killed by the security forces during crackdowns on anti-regime protests as of Monday afternoon.

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We are really excited to open an office in La Grange and look forward to sharing the resources, tools and reach that Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago offers home buyers and sellers.

Diane Glass, CEO of Chicago real estate brokerage Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago, is pleased to announce that the firm will open a storefront location at 518 W. Burlington Avenue in La Grange, Illinois this month. Terri Doney, managing broker of the firms Hinsdale and Downers Grove offices, will manage the new location. The new office represents the firms continued expansion into the western and southwestern suburbs where they now have offices in Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Evergreen Park, Glen Ellyn, Hinsdale, Naperville and Wheaton.

Glass said, We are really excited to open an office in La Grange and look forward to sharing the resources, tools and reach that Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago offers home buyers and sellers.

The La Grange market is strong and a good fit for us as it complements our west suburban and southwest suburban offices including Oak Park and Hinsdale, said Mark Pasquesi, president of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago. Im pleased were entering the La Grange market, and know Terri Doney is the perfect manager to lead us there.

Doney added, We recently announced that Steve Jasinski and the Jasinski Home Team joined our company. We would like to welcome Steve along with Judy Riley, Jaime Carney, Kevin Farmar, Christina Andino, Frank Cosgrave and Chris Snider to their new office. They will be the first agents to occupy the beautiful new space and Im looking forward to working with them.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago is in growth mode. The La Grange office represents the third expansion so far in 2021. In January, they acquired Live Here Chicago, a boutique residential leasing and sales firm and expanded services for clients and created career opportunities for rental brokers. Several weeks later in January, the firm joined forces with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Biros Real Estate, a leading southwest brokerage and gained an office in Evergreen Park, Illinois. These openings followed on the heels of the River Forest office in 2020, Downers Grove in 2019 and Oak Park in 2018. Contact Mark Pasquesi at mpasquesi@bhhschicago.com for more information on expansion opportunities.

ABOUT BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOMESERVICES CHICAGO

The La Grange office is located at 518 W. Burlington Avenue. To reach the office, call 708-603-2164. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago is a full-service real estate firm with more than 1,400 real estate professionals and staff in 24 offices serving customers throughout the Chicago metropolitan area, the North Shore, West and Southwest communities, Southern Wisconsin, Northwest Indiana and Harbor Country, Michigan. Recognized as a Top Workplace in Chicago, their local roots are complemented by the extensive global reach of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, one of the nations leading real estate brands. Clients can experience all-inclusive homeownership services from their affiliated companies: Prosperity Home Mortgage, Fort Dearborn Title, and HomeServices Insurance. Visit BHHSChicago.com.


Cheques can be presented and cleared in any bank branches by September 30, after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) told to extend the image-based Cheque Truncation System (CTS) to all their branches.

The measure was first announced during February policy meet of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), but the guidelines were to be issued by March.

In its notification, the RBI said are free to adopt a model of their choice, like deploying suitable infrastructure in every branch or following a hub & spoke model, etc.

The CTS has been in use since 2010 and presently covers around 1,50,000 branches. However, there are about 18,000 branches still outside the CTS clearing arrangement. This gives rise to hardships due to longer time taken and cost involved in collection of cheques presented by the customers, the RBI said in its notification.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said he hopes the 30,000 people due to receive the AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab this week will have their vaccinations rescheduled in the next few weeks (Brian Lawless/PA)

Some 30,000 people due to receive the AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab this week will have their vaccinations rescheduled in the next few weeks, the Health Minister has said.

Stephen Donnelly said he hopes most of the people whose vaccines are being deferred will receive their first dose by the end of the month without affecting the rollout of vaccine to other people.

Use of the jab was suspended on Sunday as a precaution after reports of serious clotting in adults in Norway which left four people in hospital.

Mr Donnelly said he understood that people were naturally disappointed by the deferral of their appointments but that the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) and the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) had acted decisively and quickly in response to new information late on Saturday night about the Norway cases.

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He added that he had no hesitancy in temporarily suspending use of the AstraZeneca jab and that he hopes it will only be for a short period.

Mr Donnelly told RTE Radio 1s Morning Ireland programme: Hopefully the 30,000 for this week will be rescheduled very, very quickly.

So will everybody be done within the time left in March? Id say pretty close, possibly, maybe there may be a bit of spillover into April, but very, very quickly.

We should be able to reschedule them and in so doing, not have to delay other people. So in other words, do the 30,000 at the same time as people who we were planning on doing in the coming weeks as well.

Mr Donnelly defended the States vaccination programme, highlighting that 99% of people over the age of 85 have received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine within a three-week period as planned.

The vast majority of the target groups for the GPs are being done, he said.

For example the group 85 and older, there was a three-week period for the GPs to vaccinate that group.

And there was understandably some focus on some of the things that didnt work which is absolutely fair and lessons needed to be learned, but within that three weeks 99% of that cohort were still vaccinated.

We all expect and hope that it is a very short pause Paul Reid, HSE

The minister added that at present 95% of the vaccines arriving into the country were being administered within seven days.

Speaking on the same programme HSE chief executive Paul Reid acknowledged the temporary suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine was disappointing for those due to get jab.

But he said the decision was made to ensure the continued rollout of the vaccination programme in a safe way.

We all expect and hope that it is a very short pause, Mr Reid said.

We know the European Medicines Agency has established a committee looking at the data all across the world.

We know our own Health Products Regulatory Authority are a member of that committee and will be involved in the assessment throughout this week.

Of course it is frustrating, of course I understand it.

I think it does enhance and continue our strong reputation of progressing cautiously.

Our overall vaccination programme across the over-70s is progressing really well Paul Reid

But Mr Reid said people over the age of 70 will continue to be vaccinated this week.

Our overall vaccination programme across the over-70s is progressing really well, he said.

Over 130,000 vaccinated already. Another 50,000 will be vaccinated this week.

So despite the issues that we have in AstraZeneca this week, a very good programme continues.

Over the weekend, 250 housebound people over the age of 70 were vaccinated in their homes through the National Ambulance Service.

Mr Reid added that the rollout of the vaccination programme would step up in the second quarter of the year.
Metal Detectorist Unearths Extremely Rare 1,000-Year-Old Viking Treasure on Isle of Man

An amateur treasure hunter has uncovered a hoard of Viking artifacts that is believed to have been buried on the Isle of Man more than 1,000 years ago.

The collection includes treasures such as a large silver brooch and an exceedingly rare solid gold arm-band. The find is a momentous discovery, dated roughly A.D. 950 and estimated to be worth several thousand pounds, the Manx National Heritage Museum said in a statement.

It has already been declared official treasure by the Coroner of Inquests and will be displayed at the Manx National Heritage Museum located in Douglas, Isle of Man, according to the statement.

The buried treasure was unearthed by a retired police officer and metal detectorist, Kath Giles.

Lynsey Clague, the communications manager at Manx National Heritage Museum, told The Epoch Times that Giles relocated to the Isle of Man after retirement and has since taken up amateur treasure hunting.

Remarkably, this is Giless third notable find since moving to the Island, Clague said.

Clague added that Giless previous discoveries include a Bronze Age axehead and sword, both of which were donated to the Manx National Heritage Museum.

Giles found the treasure with her metal detector in December last year, on private farmland at the north of the island. She knew shed uncovered something significant and exciting the moment she saw the treasure.

I am so thrilled to have found artifacts that are not only so important, but so beautiful! Giles said in the statement.

I knew I had found something very special when I moved the soil away from one of the terminals of the brooch, but then I found parts of the pin, the hoop, and underneath, the gorgeous gold arm-ring.

The braided gold arm-band features a flat band at the center, stamped with a decorative design, according to the statement.

Allison Fox, the curator for archaeology with Manx National Heritage, said in the statement that they received a phone call from Kath late last year, informing them of the discovery.

With Kaths help, we were able to document the site and ensure there were no further objects remaining in the ground, Fox said.

The arm-ring is a rare find. Gold items were not very common during the Viking Age. Silver was by far the more common metal for trading and displaying wealth. It has been estimated that gold was worth 10 times the value of silver and that this arm-ring could have been the equivalent of 900 silver coins, Fox added.

The silver brooch is one of the largest examples of its type ever discovered, the statement noted. Known as a thistle brooch of ball type, it features a ring and a pin with intricate designs. Despite the pin being broken at the center, the brooch set is complete and exceedingly rare.

The arm-ring and brooch are also the first of their type ever discovered on the Isle of man. The discovery reflects significantly the wealth circulating on the Island and in the area around the Irish Sea over one thousand years ago, according to the statement.

Vikings arrived on the Isle of Man in the 800s, firstly trading and eventually settling, Fox said. Kaths hoard can be dated on stylistic and comparative grounds to around A.D. 950, a time when the Isle of Man was right in the middle of an important trading and economic zone.

Fox added that the Viking rule was coming to an end at that time, and its possible that this dynamic caused some groups of Vikings to move to the Island.

The Viking and Norse influence remained strong on the Island for a further three hundred years, long after much of the rest of the British Isles, Fox said. The arm-ring, brooch, and cut armband are all high-status personal ornaments and represent a large amount of accumulated wealth. Finding just one of these items would be of significance.

This, coupled with the fact that the treasure pieces were all found together, suggests that they were buried by someone quite wealthy who felt they were in immediate danger, Fox said.

The location of the discovery and the landowners identity are being kept confidential to preserve the dig site, but the treasure will be on display at Manx National Heritage Museum.

Manx National Heritage would like to sincerely thank both the finder and landowners for all their support and assistance with this remarkable discovery, she added.

(Courtesy of Manx National Heritage)

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U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez has returned home to Hudson County.

The former Union City mayor, assemblyman, state senator and congressman has moved his North Jersey office from Newark to Jersey Citys waterfront.

Menendez made the announcement Monday morning in a pre-recorded video from Liberty State Park, in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. His new office is located at Harborside 3 on Hudson Street, at Exchange Place. His office had been in the Gateway Center in Newark, where the office of Cory Booker, New Jerseys other senator, is located.

We are going to give more New Jerseyans access to a U.S. Senate office than ever before, said Menendez, in his third full term in the Senate. Jersey City is a dynamic place, growing dramatically, a microcosm of our nation where different cultures come together and blend; it makes New Jersey so unique.

Working every day in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty is going to remind me of the promise of this nation  that everyone is welcome, everyone is equal, and in this place, everything is possible.

Coincidentally, Menendezs son, Rob, is considering a run for Jersey City mayor against Steve Fulop, who is running for his third term in office.
Prominent investment house Bell Potter has publicly attacked a new compliance test for financial advisers, claiming it is biased against stockbrokers, will lead to job losses and push up costs for retail investors.

The mandatory compliance exam written by the soon-to-be-defunct Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority has sparked outrage within the broking community, with experienced professionals struggling to pass it. Three sources told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that Bell Potters failure rate at the November sitting was 100 per cent, while Shaw Stockbroking and Morgans both said a majority of its brokers did not pass.

Minister for Financial Services Jane Humes chief of staff met with two senior Bell Potter directors. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Bell Potters head of compliance Lewis Bell and retail broking boss Dean Surkitt met Financial Services Minister Jane Humes chief of staff on February 9 after the firm sent a letter of complaint about the exam. The exam is not specific to stockbroking and tests competency across a broad range of issues including ethics and insurance.

Mr Surkitt sent an email to the ministers office following the February meeting to outline his request for changes to the test. I appreciate your candid response to our questions, the email, obtained by this masthead, said. Whilst we will continue in earnest to have our adviser cohort sit and pass the exam by the deadline, we remain committed to the cause of a specialised exam specifically for stockbrokers.
Even as California, including many Bay Area counties, opened up coronavirus vaccine eligibility to roughly 4.4 million younger residents with disabilities and underlying medical conditions on Monday, access to appointments remained spotty for some.

Jenny Panighetti, who lives in Mountain View and uses a wheelchair because of arthrogryposis, a muscle and joint disease, has been trying since last week to book a vaccine appointment. But she found that many sites are either not scheduling first-dose shots or have yet to update their eligibility to include people under 65 with disabilities or health conditions associated with serious illness and death from COVID-19.

Under California guidelines, this group was eligible for vaccines starting Monday. But the same supply constraints that have plagued the states vaccination rollout for months will likely mean that some people like Panighetti may have to wait weeks before they can get their shots.

Its so frustrating, said Panighetti, 38. I dont know what to do. I understand theres not enough vaccine, so I get that. Its just hard when you dont even see an update.

But in San Francisco, which on Monday opened up appointments at the mass vaccination site at Moscone Center for eligible people under 65, many residents were able to schedule appointments for this week and next week.

Whats most common is theres a lack of uniformity across different counties, said Lawrence Carter-Long of the Berkeley-based advocacy group Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund. What youre likely to get in one place, one ZIP code, is not the same as youre going to get in another.

Several states, including Alaska, Michigan and Utah, have opened or plan to soon open vaccines to everyone 16 and older, as the United States inches closer to the goal set by President Biden to have vaccines available to all adults by May 1.

California last week expanded eligibility to people 16 or older with disabilities, certain underlying medical conditions, and to people 16 or older who are public transit workers or who live or work in high-risk congregate settings, including incarcerated populations. People who are homeless also are included in this group.

The qualifying underlying medical conditions are cancer, chronic kidney disease at stage 4 or above, chronic pulmonary disease, Down syndrome, solid organ transplant recipient, pregnancy, sickle cell disease, certain heart conditions, severe obesity defined as a body mass index of 40 or higher, and Type 2 diabetes.

A disability qualifies if someone is likely to develop life-threatening illness or death from the coronavirus, or if acquiring COVID-19 will limit their ability to receive care vital to their survival.

Counties can adopt slightly different prioritization rules depending on local needs and vaccine supply. For example, some counties vaccinated teachers at the same time they were vaccinating people 65 and over, while other counties focused on 65-and-older residents first.

In this latest eligibility group, San Francisco set a lower bar than the state for what qualifies as obese and thus who is eligible for vaccines; people need only have a BMI of 30 or higher. San Francisco also includes people with HIV in the list of those who are eligible.

Despite fits and starts, the Bay Area is making progress vaccinating residents. About 27% of San Francisco residents 16 and older have received their first dose, Mayor London Breed said Friday. In Santa Clara County, 23% of residents 16 and older have received their first dose, and 30% of Alameda County residents 16 and older have had a first dose, according to county data.

Several counties already have started targeting high-risk homeless populations for vaccines, at brick-and-mortar clinics and through mobile vaccination units.

Denise Porter, a 47-year-old homeless woman in Martinez, got the Johnson & Johnson shot on Monday at a mobile vaccine clinic run by Contra Costa County. She received word of the clinic Friday at Martinezs weekly mobile showers.

I was happy to hear about it because COVID has been killing a lot of people, said Porter, who lost her housing after a relationship split in July.

Its been kind of depressing, she said moments after she received the vaccine. She hopes the vaccine will turn her prospects around and she can try to get a job helping people.

The county began targeting homeless residents on Friday, giving shots to 30 people staying in Concord motel rooms as part of Project Roomkey, a state program to house the homeless in hotels during the pandemic. They have been using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires one shot. The two other vaccines available in the United States, made by Pfizer and Moderna, require two shots.

Younger people on list for vaccine The following groups are now eligible for vaccination in California. People 16 and older who: are homeless, incarcerated or who live or work in other high-risk congregate settings are public transit workers, including airport and commercial airline workers but not private planes have certain disabilities have underlying health conditions associated with severe illness and death from COVID-19 were already eligible before March 15 See More Collapse

We see that as a huge benefit because it can be difficult tracking down homeless residents for second doses, said Linae Altman, a Contra Costa County public health program specialist who runs the Healthcare for the Homeless program.

In the countys 2020 homeless count, Contra Costa County tallied about 2,000 people. So far, in the infancy of the homeless vaccine outreach, about half of them have agreed to get shots, Altman said. She said she believed those numbers would rise as they continue to visit encampments into the summer.

The county vaccinated 15 people at the clinic Monday morning. A third clinic is scheduled in Martinez on Friday.

Catherine Ho and Matthias Gafni are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com, matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho, @mgafni
Lagos, March 15 : A senior security official said that Nigerian troops have thwarted an attack by gunmen on a school in Ikara area of the northwest state Kdaduna, while efforts are still ongoing to bring back the 39 missing students from a college in Igabi area of the state after gunmen attack on Thursday night.

Samuel Aruwan, the state commissioner for internal security and home affairs, said at a press conference in Kaduna city on Sunday that a group of gunmen attacked on the Government Science Secondary School in Ikara area between late hours of Saturday night and early hours of Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.

"Fortunately, the students utilized the security warning system in place, and were thus able to alert security forces in the area," Aurwan said.

He said that the security forces comprising the troops of the Nigerian army, police and some security volunteers moved swiftly to the school and engaged the bandits, forcing them to flee. "The troops are still on the trail of the armed bandits," he said.

According to the commissioner, following a head count by the school management, all students of the school have been verified safe and present. "The attempted kidnap was foiled completely and no student was taken from the school," he said.

On the missing students from the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization in Igabi area of the state, Aruwan said, the state government and the troops maintained a clear focus to ensure the safe return of the missing students, and to consolidate intelligence gathering and security vigilance towards forestalling possible attempts on other facilities or institutions.

He said the government will continue to provide updates as further information becomes available.

A series of gunmen attacks has recently happened in the northern part of the most populous African country, including attacks on schools and kidnapping of students.

The latest gunmen attack on school took place on Thursday night when a group of unidentified gunmen attacked the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization in Igabi area of Kaduna.

About 180 persons rescued as security troops rushed to the college and engaged the gunmen. 39 students were confirmed missing by the state government on Friday.
One reason might be that theres simply more of them around. Whereas once upon a time, a tube of Burts Bees reigned supreme (for about $7), and a $25 tube of Kiehls lip balm was a status symbol, the last few months alone have seen the release of lip balms from Christian Dior ($59), cult clean brand Ilia ($39), and luxe German brand Augustinus Bader (beloved by Victoria Beckham, $55). And theyre bougie. Rouge Dior Floral Care Lip Balm Credit:Dior Each lipstick tube is made of 15 different elements by partner workshops in France and Italy, Hardy told Wallpaper magazine of the Hermes lip balms. Refillable, they are meant to be kept as precious objects, like jewels. (A lip balm refill, at $56, is currently sold out on the Hermes website.) The Dior one features a silver-coloured band with the CD initials, as an echo to the fitted waists of the Houses runway look. The Bader one is made of copper-tinted metal. They also, says Marita Burke, creative director of Mecca Cosmetica, dovetail with the latest beauty trend of looking natural which has been going strong for the last year or so and was seen in many of last years runway shows, including Diors 2021 Cruise collection, and Alberta Ferrettis Spring/Summer 2021 collection. This natural lip version is really the dominant trend at the moment, and so I think that natural gloss, a plump lip, has replaced the bold statement colour that was so strong a couple years ago, says Burke, adding that lip balm is one of the fastest-growing lip categories at Mecca Cosmetica (which carries numerous luxury versions).

Increasingly, weve got customers [in the stores] saying, I just want a natural look, I want to look like the best version of me, I dont want too much heavy colour, not too heavy makeup. The balms are also part of the larger beauty and cosmetics trend of the search for the best technology to address anti-ageing, says Burke. I do think the whole anti-ageing movement has highlighted our insight around fine lines around the lip area, how do you avoid these. Indeed, Augustinus Bader claims its balm, which contains the brands secret TFC8 complex of amino acids, high-grade vitamins, and synthesised molecules, rejuvenates [lips] while reducing the visible signs of ageing with each application. In Australia, Felicity Evans, the founder of Byron-Bay based health and beauty brand Imbibe Living, says her Collagen Lips lip treatment ($32), with its key ingredient, Bioactive Collagen Peptides, can help stimulate [your lips] natural collagen and reduce wrinkle depth. It gives you the satisfaction of a plumper lip without having to go anywhere near a needle, says Evans, of her 100 per cent natural lip treatment, which was released in January.

Collagen lips, a lip treatment from Imbibe Living Dr Gunatheesan isnt convinced. Theres no way a collagen peptide can permeate through your lip membrane and then give you collagen production, she says. But it can make your lips appear plumper, and hydrated. Because itll [the product] have the other ingredients. (It does, and they include avocado oil, jojoba oil, shea butter, and other essential fatty acids.) She gives the Augustinus Bader one the side eye, too. Probably rubbish, she says. Of luxury lip balms in general, she adds: I think, honestly, youre paying for the packaging and the status... The only real anti-ageing thing would be a combination of an anti-oxidant and a retinol, and you definitely cant put that in a lip balm, because thats going to give you dermatitis. Though she has tried many of the luxury lip balms herself, her favourite pick  and the one she recommends to patients  is one by pharmacy brand Dermal (around $6).

Its got all the usual good stuff, shea butter, lanolin, petroleum  a good sealant  and urea, which sucks moisture into your lips. Loading And for those of us who crave that luxury hit with our balm? Just avoid ones with botanical ingredients  like rose hip oil and jojoba oil  or make sure theyre lower down on the ingredients list, as they can be irritating, says Dr Gunatheesan, adding, the blander the better. Or, if you want to keep a foot in both camps, do what Jo Goldman does.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 72F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low 49F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
A 62-year-old woman from The Bronx twice on Friday tried to withdraw tens of thousands of dollars in another persons name from a bank in Hanover Township, Northampton County, Colonial Regional police report in court papers.

Rachel Cruz was arraigned Friday night before District Judge Richard Yetter III on charges of forgery, theft by deception, identity theft and access device fraud, records show. She was housed in Northampton County Prison in lieu of $35,000 bail, records show.

Cruz went into the Wells Fargo Bank at 2750 Shoenersville Road and, using a withdrawal slip with details in someone elses name, tried to take out $55,000, police said. She then returned to the bank and requested a cashiers check for $100,000 made out to cash, police said.

Cruz was detained in the bank and police were called at 4:26 p.m., court papers say. She was holding a deposit slip and had a fraudulent New Jersey drivers license in the other persons name, police said. The victim was contacted and verified the account information was his, police said.

Cruz, when questioned by investigators, admitted to conspiring with other actors who fled from police upon our arrival, court papers say.

Records dont indicate an attorney for Cruz.

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Tony Rhodin can be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com.
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Some say that the outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in people hating crime. Others argue that criminal activities are going on despite the pandemic.



Prolific and opportunistic criminals are taking advantage of it to attack government institutions, organisations and individuals, according to the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL).



Investigation show that known malware, formerly relatively dormant, have been detected since the pandemic.



Though these cyber threats are constantly evolving, some of the latest threats identified include malicious domains, online scams and phishing, data harvesting malware, disruptive malware (ransomware and DDos).



Malicious domains



Undercover investigation by INTERPOL revealed that there has been an increase of domains registered with the key words COVID or Corona to take advantage of the growing number of people searching for information about COVID-19.



Many of these are considered to be developed with malicious intent.



As at the end of March 2020, there were 2,022 malicious and 40,261 high risk newly registered domains, according to Palo Alto Networks.



Scams, phishing



INTERPOL also revealed that cyber criminals are creating fake websites related to COVID-19 to entice victims into opening malicious attachments or clicking phishing links, resulting in identifying impersonation or illegal access to personal accounts.



Also, Trend Micro, the global leader in enterprise data security and cybersecurity solutions reports that that nearly one million spam messages have been linked to COVID-19 since January 2020.



The international criminal police organisation has warned that business online compromise has become the scheme of choice, involving the spoofing of supplier and client E-mail addresses or the use of nearly identical E-mail addresses to conduct attacks.



With more attention being paid to the spread of the deadly virus, all have been advised not to let their guards down, as data harvesting malware, such as, Remote Access Trojan, info stealers spyware and banking Trojans infiltrate systems, using COVID-19 related information as a lure to compromise networks, steal data, divert money and build botnets.



Disruptive malware



Cyber criminals are deploying disruptive malware like ransomware against critical infrastructure and response institutions, such as hospitals and medical centers, which are overwhelmed with health crisis.



Such ransomware do not typically aim to steal information, but hinder accessing critical data anddisrupt systems.



As the number of people relying on online tools increase, they put pressure on security measures in place.



Offenders search for more chances of exposure to steal data, make a profit or cause disruption.



Developments

INTERPOL states that cyber threats facing individuals, businesses and critical infrastructure will continue to evolve, causing harm globally, following the rapidly changing social and economic circumstances.

Further increases in cyber crime will occur, as criminals look for other revenue streams by leveraging the cyber elements of other types of crime.



Online scams and phishing will surge due to the economic downturn and shift in busviness landscape, generating new criminal activities.



Governments, businesses and schools will come to rely on online connectivity and virtual communications tools, as employees continue to work from home, increasing their vulnerabilities and presenting more opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit.



But in the wake of all these, INTERPOLSs global cybercrime programme is developing and leading the global law enforcement response against cyber threats.



Accordingly, the international security agency uses purple notices to alert member countries to emerging and high risk cyber threats, provides technical guidance to victim organisations for their recovery efforts and conducts a global cybercrime survey to better understand the rapidly evolving global situation.



Interpol is also working with online cyber security communities and holding emergency services with a variety of stakeholders to provide tailored services to member countries for prevention, detection and investigation of cybercrime units, the Interpol Global Cybercrime Expert Group and its sector.

Source: graphiconline.com









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Jaipur, March 15 : : A hospital in Jaipur has been recommending the ancient practice of Jal Neti to help its staff escape the clutches of Covid-19 and has been successful to an extent.

Elaborates Dr. Virendra Singh, chest expert with Rajasthan Hospital, "We have a 100-member staff in our Covid facility, while our non-Covid facility had 200 members. Even as just one staff was infected in our Covid ward, a total of 20 employees were infected by Covid in the non-Covid ward," he informed.

The Covid ward staff members were taught the art of Jal Neti to prevent them from the infection while the other ward staff were left free, considering them to be safe as they were in non-Covid ward, said Singh.

So the effects were clearly evident in the small infection rate in employees deputed in the Covid ward against a high infection rate in the non-Covid ward, he added.

An international medical journal, Lung India, reported in May last year that doing salt-based water gargles and nasal wash (Jal Neti) on a regular basis can prove helpful for patients in the early stages of the suspected contraction of this deadly virus.

The study, authored by Dr Sheetu Singh, a chest specialist at SMS Medical College, Jaipur, said that Jal Neti helps patients fight Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

However, she emphasised on proper learning of nasal wash technique under expert supervision.

Like hand-wash, nose and throat wash can remove or reduce the viral load. Previous studies have shown that cells in threat and nasal mucosa convert chloride ion of hypertonic saline to hypochlorous acid (HOCL) having an anti-viral effect. Interestingly, HOCL is an active component of the bleaching powder which is used in disinfecting hands by wash, she said.

Yogini Hemlata from Yagasthali concurs that Jal Neti can be an important cleansing kriya which removes Kaph Dosh. "Since covid is related to kaph, this kriya is quite important. It acts like an ear nose throat doctor and clears cough," according to Hemlata.

Added Dr Virendra Singh: "Many studies show that nasal wash and gargles can reduce period of illness, symptoms of the viral disease and amount of viral shedding. With decreasing amount of viral shedding, the risk of spread of infection in other household people reduced.

Those engaged in preventive categories should follow nasal wash and gargles, he said adding that we recommend this practice for prevention.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Anyone who uses social media daily has almost certainly seen enough adorable animal photos to last a lifetime.

Animal photos are not just pretty pictures. According to one veteran wildlife photographer, they may be the secret to "saving the planet."

Joel Sartore said he's taken about 11,000 of his unusual animal portraits in the last 16 years while unloading his camera gear at Utah's Hogle Zoo.

His "Photo Ark" initiative aims to capture photos of an animal currently being cared for by humans, worldwide. In zoos, aquariums, and other private buildings, he says there are between 15,000 and 17,000 animals, all of which are fair game for his camera and the project.

"From elephants to ants, we photograph rare and common species, big and small."

It's all part of Sartore's 25-year dream to save thousands of animal portraits from extinction by storing them in a metaphorical ark.

"The Photo Ark's mission is to become a nature ad campaign," he said, "to have people excited about what they can do to help save the planet."

Related Article: Animals That Went Extinct In 2020 (and some that might disappear in 2021)

Photoshoot at Hogle Zoo

His first subject at the Hogle Zoo was a rare animal known as the hyrax. The African native is around the height of a chihuahua and resembles a fuzzy woodchuck or a very fat squirrel at first sight.

Janice Thompson, the zoo's small animal supervisor, said, "They sort of look like rodents, but they're not related to rodents at all." "The elephant is probably their nearest living relative."

Employees at the zoo coaxed a hyrax from its wide enclosure into a small cage that had been set up ahead of time for Sartore's filming. He orchestrates each photoshoot such that the final image resembles a human studio portrait. His photographs do not represent the animal's habitat or zoo facilities. In front of a black paper background, he photographed the hyrax. He shot Zion and Ziva, two of Hartmann's mountain zebras, in front of a white sheet hanging on a wall by zoo staff.

Photo Ark

There is close eye interaction between zoo animals and human animals in many of the Photo Ark portraits he has taken over the years.

He explained, "We want people to see that these creatures are alive, intelligent beings." "We have a basic right to life because they are alive, have thoughts, and are conscious."

The National Geographic Photo Ark, led by photographer Joel Sartore, is a multi-year project aimed at documenting every species found in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries, inspiring action through outreach, and assisting wildlife conservation efforts. Discover all about animals around the world and the challenges they face in the wild by browsing at the thousands of pictures in the Ark.

It aims to harness photography's power to motivate people to save endangered animals before it's too late. In his search to capture our world's incredible diversity, founder and photographer Joel Sartore has taken photographs of over 11,000 animals - and counting! He's almost finished recording all of the almost 15,000 animals that live in zoos and animal sanctuaries around the world.

Joel Sartore

In his hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska, National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore created the Photo Ark in 2006. In his journey to build this photo archive of global biodiversity, he has visited more than 50 countries and photographed over 11,000 animals.

ALSO READ: Search for the "Elusive" Tasmanian Tiger: Why People Are Still on the Hunt for Extinct Species
A female protester has been caught on camera being carried away by four police officers after appearing to perform a peaceful protest at Melbourne's March 4 Justice on Monday.

The woman can be seen lying down on a tram line in the Victorian capital's CBD with onlookers watching in the background.

The police are then captured carrying the woman away by her arms and legs as other protesters follow.

A female protester has been caught on camera being carried away by four police officers after appearing to perform a peaceful protest at Melbourne's March 4 Justice

The woman was appearing to block tram lines before being arrested and carried away by police

Thousands of protesters attend March 4 Justice rally in Melbourne

The images were posted to Twitter on Monday afternoon by Matt Smith, who tweeted the woman was 'put to ground by police then carried off'.

The first image appears to show the woman lying on tram tracks blocking a tram in an apparent peaceful protest.

Another protester can be seen in the foreground, also appearing to block the tram lines.

The second image shows the female protester being carried away by four officers with several shocked onlookers following the scene.

The demonstrations were occurring in Melbourne for the start of marches across 40 metropolitan areas in Australia from midday on Monday, demanding an end to gendered violence, inequality, and misogyny in the workplace.

Tens of thousands of women are expected to protest across the country in an effort to seek justice for victims and survivors and demand reform to prevent future attacks.

Demonstrations are being held in 40 metropolitan areas across Australia this week

Protestors are marching to seek justice for victims and survivors and demand reform to prevent future attacks

Brittany Higgins held back the tears at she described the moment she was allegedly raped inside parliament house during a speech at the March 4 Justice protest.

Ms Higgins claimed in February that she was raped by her colleague in 2014 and, on Monday, took the the stage to address protesters in front of Parliament House in Canberra following a powerful introduction by The Project host Lisa Wilksinson.

When speaking about sexual violence endured by one in five Australian women and her alleged rape, the young woman told the cheering crowd: 'If it can happen in Parliament House, it can happen anywhere.'

An estimated 2,500 people also gathered at Town Hall in Sydney holding signs and demanding an end to violence against women.

'We are marching for justice and we won't stop marching until we get change ... every single woman and ally who is here today will not stop raising our voice,' MC Jaime Evans said.

Protesters then spit in to groups of 500 to keep in line with Covid gathering restrictions while marching towards Parliament House in Sydney, chanting 'justice, now'.

'I'm here today because in every household a woman is affected by violence ... it is the biggest public health issue we are facing,' she said.

'We need to give a voice to the voiceless... and the government needs to listen.'
What you need to know about Pa.'s UC system going offline Thursday
Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond has revealed her husband Ladd broke his neck in two places when he crashed his fire truck last week.

Ladd, 57, and Ree's nephew, Caleb, 21, were both hospitalized on Wednesday when the fire trucks they were each driving collided head-on as the men were rushing to the site of a fire on Drummond Ranch in rural Oklahoma.

In an update on Monday, Ree revealed that Ladd didn't realize how seriously he was injured when he initially refused medical attention at the scene of the accident.

Scary accident: Ree Drummond has given an update on her husband Ladd after a fire truck collision last week revealing that he broke his neck in two places

'This was partly because he wanted the paramedics to focus on Caleb, partly because he was still a little stunned by the accident, and partly because cowboys don't like to admit when they're hurt,' she said in a blog post on her website.

Ree explained that Ladd felt well enough, despite feeling a bit stiff, to drive himself to the hospital.

'He called me on his way and tried to explain what happened, at which time I promptly lost all feeling in my knees before running out the door and heading to town' she said.

Once he got to the hospital, Ladd was told he broke his neck in two places. 'Evidently one of the two fractures was very close to being catastrophic,' she revealed.

'Cowboys don't like to admit when they're hurt': Ree revealed that Ladd didn't realize he was injured when he initially refused medical attention at the scene of the accident and drove himself to hospital

Carnage: The author shared photos from the crash scene after the men collided with each other when they were each driving a fire truck

Ladd and Caleb, 21, were both hospitalized on Wednesday when the fire trucks they were each driving, were involved in a collision as the men were rushing to the site of a fire on Drummond Ranch in rural Oklahoma

He underwent surgery in Tulsa where a few rods and 'other hardware' were used to stabilize the severe fracture.

Ree said she's just grateful that he will be able to make it to their daughter's wedding in May.

'He will have to wear a neck brace for several weeks to let the other fracture heal, and the girls and I will bling out the brace for Alex's wedding but we are just grateful he will be here for Alex's wedding,' Ree said.

Alex, 23, is set to marry her fiance Mauricio Scott on May 1.

Ree also shared an update on Caleb who she said was taken to hospital with a few broken ribs and a severe concussion. Like Ladd, he has also now been discharged from hospital.

He'll be okay: Ree also shared an update on Caleb who she said was taken to hospital with a few broken ribs and a severe concussion. Like Ladd, he has also now been discharged from hospital

'Rather than wish the accident didn't happen, I'm gonna live in a state of gratitudenot just for the guys being okay, but also for the love, kindness, and prayers of so many of you,' Ree said on a blog on her website on Monday

Going to be okay: Ree said she's just grateful that Ladd will be able to make it to their daughter's wedding in May

'Rather than wish the accident didn't happen, I'm gonna live in a state of gratitudenot just for the guys being okay, but also for the love, kindness, and prayers of so many of you,' Ree said. 'Thank you all so very much for reaching out to our family and for keeping us in your hearts through the past several days. I can't tell you how much it means to all of us, and I'll never, ever forget it!'

The mother-of-four also shared photos of the aftermath of the collision.

'For both Caleb and Ladd to be okayinjured, yes, but fixableafter seeing the condition of their trucks makes me not want to spend one second complaining,' she said.

Caleb was reported to be in critical condition in hospital following the head-on collision.

The pair had been responding to a grass fire that was encroaching on the rural property on Wednesday, according to local CBS affiliate News On 6.

The crash happened on a country road about eight miles west of the town of Pawhuska.

Caleb Drummond, 21, was behind the wheel when he collided head on with a fire truck driven by Ladd as they responded to a grass fire about eight miles west of Pawhuska

According to Oklahoma highway patrol, the trucks hit one another 'head-on' due to 'high winds on a gravel road' that caused visibility to be decreased.

Caleb, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was reportedly ejected from the truck and thrown 70 feet as a result of the impact.

Ladd Drummond, 57, declined medical treatment at the scene.

According to local news outlet Fox23, firefighters in the area had been battling grass fires across northeastern Oklahoma for several days.

The Drummond family is one of the largest landowners in the U.S., owning 433,000 acres of property, and Ree and Ladd have raised their four children on their ranch in Pawhuska.

High winds and smoke had led to reduced visibility at the time of the collision which happened at about 1:43 p.m. local time, according to local CBS affiliate News On 6

Caleb, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was reportedly ejected from the truck and thrown 70 feet as a result of the impact. He suffered head, arm, leg and internal injuries and is being treated at St. John's Medical Center in Tulsa

Drummond became famous for her popular cookbooks, blog and Food Network show.

She also opened a Pioneer Woman-themed boutique hotel, a restaurant and a store in Pawhuska and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of fans flocked to the small town each week.

Ladd is now a key player at Drummond Land & Cattle Co, the notoriously private family-held company that Frederick Drummond started after arriving in this country from Scotland in the late 19th century.

In addition to the money they bring in from their cattle and horse endeavors, Drummond Land has also received $23.9 million from the federal government via he Bureau of Land Management since December 2006.

Ree Drummond, 51, who married Ladd in 1996, became famous for her popular cookbooks, blog and Food Network show, all under her Pioneer Woman brand.

These contracts are awarded to the family to keep wild horses and burros on their massive property, with government records stating that they need the land to 'support animal protection.'

Ree also came from money, growing up as the daughter of a surgeon on a country club in Bartlesville, about 20 miles east of Pawhuska.

She left for school at the University of Southern California and, a few years after graduating, planned to move closer to home, to Chicago.

Her plans took a detour when she stopped for a visit in Bartlesville and met her Marlboro Man, who she wed in 1996, paving the way for the birth of her alter ego.

Ree opened a Pioneer Woman-themed boutique hotel, a restaurant and a store in Pawhuska and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of fans flocked to the small town each week
Mexicos Pemex has discovered a gigantic oilfield in the state of Tabasco that could hold as much as one billion barrels of oil, Octavio Romero Oropeza, chief executive of the state oil firm, said in an interview with the Mexican state broadcaster on Sunday.

Pemex, the most heavily indebted oil company in the world, has been struggling to reverse the decline in its oil production, even after leftist nationalist Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador came to power in 2018, offering increased support to the state oil firm and promising increased production for a Mexican energy independence.

The new discovery in Tabasco is a gigantic field, Pemexs CEO told the state broadcaster, comparing the oil find with the giant oilfield in Quesqui, which Pemex said it had discovered in 2019. The Quesqui field is the most important discovery in the country since 1987, Pemex said at the time.

Details on the new discovery will be unveiled on March 18, Romero said on Sunday.

Lopez Obrador came to power with the promise to increase state support for Pemex and make the state-run major the pillar of a turnaround for the countrys declining oil production.

Lopez Obrador has also been a vocal critic of the energy reform of his predecessor Enrique Pena Nieto, who opened in 2013 Mexicos oil and gas sector to private investment for the first time in seven decades.

The incumbent Mexican President seeks a greater role for Pemex in reversing the downward trend in Mexican oil production and is criticizing the energy reform and the foreign oil firms for failing to do so.

Petroleos Mexicanos, as Pemex is officially known, will continue to focus on oil exploration and production as well as a future $8-billion refinery, Dos Bocas, which is planned for Lopez Obradors home state of Tabasco.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
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About 8,000 Nigerians have received their first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, has said.

Mr Shuaib while speaking at the weekly briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, on Monday, said no serious adverse effects have been reported from those who have been vaccinated.

As part of the vaccine launch in the states that occurred last week, over 8,000 Nigerians have been administered the vaccines thus far, he said.

We have not received any official report of serious adverse effects from any of those who have been vaccinated but mild side effects such as swelling at the side of the vaccination is expected as this is normal.

He said the agency is working closely with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to monitor any unusual adverse reaction to the vaccines.

Nigeria commenced vaccination of its citizens beginning with healthcare workers who are often at the risk of exposure to infections being the first responders to patients.

About four million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines were delivered to Nigeria through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Assess Facility (COVAX) in early March.

The Nigerian government said it aims to vaccinate approximately 109 million people against the COVID-19 virus over a period of two years.

Health authorities said only eligible population from 18 years and above will be vaccinated.
Good morning, North State. Here's what you need to know to start your day on Monday, March 15.

Some fire survivors to receive 30% of their claim from Fire Victim Trust on Monday

Some Camp Fire survivors could find the first round of fire victim's trust payments in their accounts today. Representatives with the fund said some of the money will pay off Camp Fire survivor claims. The initial payment will be 30% of the total approved and accepted claim amount. More than 71,000 fire victims filed claims by the February 2021 deadline.

Colusa and Siskiyou among several counties moving to red tier

33 counties are now able to open movie theaters, and museums at 25% capacity. Gyms can now operate indoors at 10% capacity in the red tier. In the North State, Siskiyou and Colusa counties have made the improvement to the red tier. Tehama, Glenn, Sutter, and Yuba are all still in the highest tier of restrictions.

Road closures in Redding

A traffic alert to be aware of today, from Center Street to North Court Street and Riverside Drive in Redding will be shutdown. The city is asking motorists to find an alternate route as that area will open in July for cyclists and pedestrians only. From Center to California Streets one or more Division Street lanes will close through March 26.

Chico's 9-11 memorial was damaged by fire, again

Police and firefighters are searching for an arsonist who vandalized the 9-11 memorial at Chico's Fire Station 5. A photograph that was gifted to the memorial from a local woman whose brother died on 9-11 at the World Trade Center was also burned. Authorities ask that if you see any suspicious activity at the station to contact Chico police.

Derek Chauvin's defense asks to delay trial in light of Minneapolis settlement with George Floyd's family

Jury selection was set to resume in the trial today of ex-police officer Derek Chauvin. However, Derek Chauvin's defense attorney Eric Nelson asked the court Monday to delay Chauvin's criminal trial or re-question jurors in the wake of a $27 million civil settlement between Minneapolis and George Floyd's family. In a hearing Monday, Nelson said he is "gravely concerned" by the announcement, calling it "incredibly prejudicial."
Most of Greenland is covered with ice today. But a new study shows that within the last million years it melted off and became covered with green tundra, perhaps like this view of eastern Greenland, on the coast near the ocean. The research provides strong evidence that Greenland is more sensitive to climate change than previously understood--and at risk of irreversibly melting. Credit: Joshua Brown/UVM

In 1966, US Army scientists drilled down through nearly a mile of ice in northwestern Greenlandand pulled up a fifteen-foot-long tube of dirt from the bottom. Then this frozen sediment was lost in a freezer for decades. It was accidentally rediscovered in 2017.

In 2019, University of Vermont scientist Andrew Christ looked at it through his microscopeand couldn't believe what he was seeing: twigs and leaves instead of just sand and rock. That suggested that the ice was gone in the recent geologic pastand that a vegetated landscape, perhaps a boreal forest, stood where a mile-deep ice sheet as big as Alaska stands today.

Over the last year, Christ and an international team of scientistsled by Paul Bierman at UVM, Joerg Schaefer at Columbia University and Dorthe Dahl-Jensen at the University of Copenhagenhave studied these one-of-a-kind fossil plants and sediment from the bottom of Greenland. Their results show that most, or all, of Greenland must have been ice-free within the last million years, perhaps even the last few hundred-thousand years.

"Ice sheets typically pulverize and destroy everything in their path," says Christ, "but what we discovered was delicate plant structuresperfectly preserved. They're fossils, but they look like they died yesterday. It's a time capsule of what used to live on Greenland that we wouldn't be able to find anywhere else."

The discovery helps confirm a new and troubling understanding that the Greenland ice has melted off entirely during recent warm periods in Earth's historyperiods like the one we are now creating with human-caused climate change.

Understanding the Greenland Ice Sheet in the past is critical for predicting how it will respond to climate warming in the future and how quickly it will melt. Since some twenty feet of sea-level rise is tied up in Greenland's ice, every coastal city in the world is at risk. The new study provides the strongest evidence yet that Greenland is more fragile and sensitive to climate change than previously understoodand at grave risk of irreversibly melting off.

"This is not a twenty-generation problem," says Paul Bierman, a geoscientist at UVM in the College of Arts & Sciences, Rubenstein School of Environment & Natural Resources, and fellow in the Gund Institute for Environment. "This is an urgent problem for the next 50 years."

The new research was published March 15 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Scientists were stunned to find frozen plant fossils--twigs and leaves--preserved under a mile of ice on Greenland. The discovery, explained in this video, helps confirm a new and troubling understanding that the Greenland Ice Sheet has melted during recent warm periods in Earth's history--within the last million years. These periods were like the one we are now creating with human-caused climate change. Understanding the Greenland Ice Sheet in the past is critical for predicting how it will respond to climate warming in the future and how quickly it will melt. Since some twenty feet of sea-level rise is tied up in Greenland's ice, every coastal city in the world is at risk. This video shows how a long-lost ice core was rediscovered in a Danish freezer and then studied. The new research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides strong evidence that Greenland is more sensitive to climate change than previously understood--and at risk of irreversibly melting. Credit: Quincy Massey-Bierman

Beneath the ice

The material for the new PNAS study came from Camp Century, a Cold War military base dug inside the ice sheet far above the Arctic Circle in the 1960s. The real purpose of the camp was a super-secret effort, called Project Iceworm, to hide 600 nuclear missiles under the ice close to the Soviet Union. As cover, the Army presented the camp as a polar science station.

The military mission failed, but the science team did complete important research, including drilling a 4560-foot-deep ice core. The Camp Century scientists were focused on the ice itselfpart of the burgeoning effort at the time to understand the deep history of Earth's ice ages. They, apparently, took less interest in a bit of dirt gathered from beneath the ice core. Then, in a truly cinematic set of strange plot twists, the ice core was moved from an Army freezer to the University of Buffalo in the 1970s, to another freezer in Copenhagen, Denmark, in the 1990s, where it languished for decadesuntil it surfaced when the cores were being moved to a new freezer.

More about how the core was lost, rediscovered in some cookie jars, and then studied by an international team gathered at the University of Vermont in 2019 can be read here: Secrets Under the Ice.

For much of the Pleistocenethe icy period covering the last 2.6 million yearsportions of the ice on Greenland persisted even during warmer spells called "interglacials." But most of this general story has been pieced together from indirect evidence in mud and rock that washed off the island and was gathered by offshore ocean drilling. The extent of Greenland's ice sheet and what kinds of ecosystems existed there before the last interglacial warm periodthat ended about 120,000 years agohave been hotly debated and poorly understood.

The new study makes clear that the deep ice at Camp Centurysome 75 miles inland from the coast and only 800 miles from the North Poleentirely melted at least once within the last million years and was covered with vegetation, including moss and perhaps trees. The new research, supported by the National Science Foundation, lines up with data from two other ice cores from the center of Greenland, collected in 1990s. Sediment from the bottom of these cores also indicate that the ice sheet was gone for some time in the recent geologic past. The combination of these cores from the center of Greenland with the new insight from Camp Century in the far northwest give researchers an unprecedented view of the shifting fate of the entire Greenland ice sheet.

The team of scientists used a series of advanced analytical techniquesnone of which were available to researchers fifty years agoto probe the sediment, fossils, and the waxy coating of leaves found at the bottom of the Camp Century ice core. For example, they measured ratios of rare formsisotopesof both aluminum and the element beryllium that form in quartz only when the ground is exposed to the sky and can be hit by cosmic rays. These ratios gave the scientists a window onto how long rocks at the surface were exposed vs. buried under layers of ice. This analysis gives the scientists a kind of clock for measuring what was happening on Greenland in the past. Another test used rare forms of oxygen, found in the ice within the sediment, to reveal that precipitation must have fallen at much lower elevations than the height of the current ice sheet, "demonstrating ice sheet absence," the team writes. Combining these techniques with studies of luminescence that estimate the amount of time since sediment was exposed to light, radiocarbon-dating of bits of wood in the ice, and analysis of how layers of ice and debris were arrangedallowed the team to be clear that most, if not all, of Greenland melted at least once during the past million yearsmaking Greenland green with moss and lichen, and perhaps with spruce and fir trees.

And the new study shows that ecosystems of the past were not scoured into oblivion by ages of glaciers and ice sheets bulldozing overtop. Instead, the story of these living landscapes remains captured under the relatively young ice that formed on top of the ground, frozen in place, and holds them still.

In a 1960's movie about Camp Century created by the Army, the narrator notes that "more than ninety percent of Greenland is permanently frozen under a polar ice cap." This new study makes clear that it's not as permanent as we once thought. "Our study shows that Greenland is much more sensitive to natural climate warming than we used to thinkand we already know that humanity's out-of-control warming of the planet hugely exceeds the natural rate," says Christ.

"Greenland may seem far away," says UVM's Paul Bierman, "but it can quickly melt, pouring enough into the oceans that New York, Miami, Dhakapick your citywill go underwater."

Explore further Greenland melting likely increased by bacteria in sediment

More information: Andrew J. Christ el al., "A multimillion-year-old record of Greenland vegetation and glacial history preserved in sediment beneath 1.4 km of ice at Camp Century," PNAS (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Andrew J. Christ el al., "A multimillion-year-old record of Greenland vegetation and glacial history preserved in sediment beneath 1.4 km of ice at Camp Century,"(2021). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2021442118
RIMINI, MAR 15 - A 36-year-old Albanian illegal immigrant was arrested in Rimini Saturday night after trying to stab his 30-year-old wife in front of police who had been called in after a string of alleged domestic abuse. The woman phoned the police for fear he would hurt her and their children aged four and seven. The man recently tried to strangle her in front of the children and also threatened to cut her throat with a meat cleaver, she alleged. She also said he was violent with the kids. Neighbours said they could corroborate her claims. The woman, also of Albanian origin, said she had not called police before for fear he might become even more violent. While police were escorting him out of the house he turned and tried to stab her in the stomach after shouting, in Albanian, "I'll burn you alive", only to be blocked by the officers. The man, who does not have a criminal record but is an irregular migrant, has been in a Rimini jail since Sunday morning. He has been charged with domestic violence and resisting arrest (ANSA).
(Newser)  Rumors and conspiracy theories swirled this past week regarding the whereabouts of Ze Gotinha, the mascot for the Brazils national vaccination program, the AP reports. The clamor surrounding the costumed Ze Gotinha began Wednesday, after former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva drew attention to his recent absence. Where is our beloved Ze Gotinha? da Silva said in a speech criticizing President Jair Bolsonaros handling of the pandemic. Ze Gotinha, whose name translates roughly as Joe Droplet and who resembles an overgrown Casper the Friendly Ghost, was created in the 1980s to help the health ministry promote vaccination against the polio virus and put children at ease. He has since made regular appearances to warn about the importance of preventing measles, tuberculosis, whooping cough, diphtheria, and, most recently, COVID-19.

story continues below

But the last time Gotinha was seen publicly in a ceremony in Brasilia was Dec. 16, launching the national vaccination program. The character, much beloved by children, declined Bolsonaros attempted handshake in the name of social distancing. Da Silva, a leftist who is Bolsonaros rival, presented his own theory about what happened to Gotinha: Bolsonaro fired him, because he thought he was from the Workers Party. One theory is that the mascot's publicity services may not be needed at the moment, as Brazil is using its limited doses to vaccinate the elderly and people in priority groups, not yet children. Many on social networks are speculating about Gotinhas fate. One person spoke of the drama of Gotinha being unemployed. Another reinterpreted a typical poster of a missing child, with the image of the mascot and the caption disappeared. (Read more Brazil stories.)
More than 300 Merchants Offer "Buy Now, Pay Later" across Spain, Italy and France

LONDON, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Afterpay (ASX:APT), the leader in "Buy Now, Pay Later" payments, today launched its European service, Clearpay, to merchants across Spain and France. Italian merchants will begin offering Clearpay later this month.

Clearpay enters Southern Europe with some of the best fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands and retailers in the market. Globally, more than 75,000 retailers offer Clearpay, or Afterpay as it is known outside of Europe, to its more than 13 million active customers across the world. In the first half of fiscal 2021, Afterpay delivered $10.1 billion in global underlying sales on a constant currency basis.

Today, Southern Europe has an addressable ecommerce market which exceeds 150b1 across Spain, Italy and France. With large millennial populations, a strong fashion and beauty market, and significant consumer debit card usage, there is a strong opportunity to offer "Buy Now, Pay Later" (BNPL) services. By offering Clearpay in Europe, the company is able to support existing global retail partners who would like to offer the service to their customers across Europe.

"In the last year, global ecommerce grew faster than it had in the last ten years," said Nick Molnar, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Clearpay. "By introducing Clearpay, we are giving Europeans a better way to access the things they want and need in their lives via a flexible payment service that allows shoppers to spend their own money and pay over time  instead of turning to expensive loans and credit cards which come with interest, fees and revolving debt."

With Clearpay, shoppers have the ability to receive products immediately and pay in four installments over a short period of time. The service is completely free for European customers2  helping consumers spend money responsibly, without incurring interest or revolving and extended debt. More than 90 percent of Clearpay global purchases are made with debit cards.

Clearpay enters the Southern Europe market after its recent acquisition of Pagantis, a Spanish-based payment company. Clearpay received regulatory approval from the Bank of Spain to offer its products across Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and Germany.

More information about this announcement can be found here .

About Afterpay Limited

Afterpay Limited (ASX: APT) is transforming the way we pay by allowing customers to receive products immediately and pay for their purchases over four installments, always interest-free. The service is completely free for customers who pay on time - helping people spend responsibly without incurring interest, fees or extended debt. As of December 31, 2020, Afterpay is offered by nearly 75,000 of the world's favourite retailers, and is used by more than 13 million active customers globally.

Afterpay is currently available in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain, where it is known as Clearpay. Afterpay is on a mission to power an economy in which everyone wins.

1 Source: CNMC, Osservation.net, Handelsverband Deutschland

2 Late fees may apply. Eligibility criteria apply. See clearpay.com for full terms.

SOURCE Clearpay
A Texas restaurant owner publicly opposed Governor Greg Abbott's decision to lift the state mask mandate  and his place of business suffered for it.

Mike Nguyen, owner of The Noodle Tree ramen restaurant in San Antonio, called the governor's decision "selfish" during a CNN interview.

"I will say that the governor doesn't have us Texans' [best] interest at play at this point," said Nguyen. "I think it's more of a personal interest, I think the decision to drop the mask mandate is selfish and cowardly and there's no reason to do it. Dropping the mask mandate will not help the economy, it will not help us open and a lot of us feel that he's putting a lot of us in danger."

YOU ARE NOT ALONE: 'I hate it here' trends on social media as Texans react to lifted mask mandate

A few days later Nguyen's business was vandalized with racist graffiti, according to Newsweek's Christina Zhao.

Photos shared to Facebook by Elder Eats KSAT 12 showed graffiti covering the windows of the restaurant that included the words, "No Mask," "Kung Flu," "Commie," "Hope U Die" and "Ramen Noodle Flu."

Following his CNN interview, Nguyen shared in a Facebook post that he had some hesitation because of the potential backlash he could face, but his words needed to be said.

"We are Texans and what we do especially in San Antonio is have each others back during times of need. We do the right thing," Nguyen wrote in a post. "Our governor has betrayed us but that doesn't mean we have to follow him blindly. ...We can stand United and do what's right because we are Texan, we are Texas y'all."

Nguyen's words proved true, and the racist incident prompted people to patronize The Noodle Tree. In a post shared via Facebook stories, the restaurant thanked San Antonians for their support and said they were slammed with orders. They eventually sold out of everything and had to close for the night.

Courtesy of The Noodle Tree via Facebook stories

Gov. Abbott announced on March 2 that he would be lifting the mandate and opening Texas at "100 percent capacity." At the time, he said in a statement that, "With the medical advancements of vaccines and antibody therapeutic drugs, Texas now has the tools to protect Texans from the virus."

He later clarified that while he would not be enforcing the mandate, the state is still urging people to wear masks and follow the safe practices that have been put in place over the past year.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 18:45:35|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

KAMPALA -- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni explained late on Sunday his delay for receiving a COVID-19 vaccine jab in the ongoing first phase of vaccination campaign in the country.

In a televised national address, Museveni said he hasn't received a dose of COVID-19 vaccine, so as to allow frontline workers who are at risk of contracting the virus to be vaccinated first.

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BEIJING -- Nearly 65 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered across China as of Sunday, Li Bin, deputy head of the National Health Commission, told a press conference Monday in Beijing.

- - - -

KATHMANDU -- Nepal's drug regulator has permitted private companies to import the COVID-19 vaccines to ensure early availability of vaccines and support the ongoing vaccination drive against the pandemic.

By issuing a notice on Sunday, the Department of Drug Administration asked interested manufacturing companies and their authorized importers or sellers to apply for the import of vaccines within seven days with all required documents.

- - - -

SEOUL -- South Korea reported 31 more cases of COVID-19 variants in recent days, bringing the total number of such cases to 213, the health authorities said Monday.

Among the newly confirmed cases spotted since Thursday, 19 were imported while the remaining 12 were locally transmitted, according to the Central Disease Control Headquarters.

- - - -

MANILA -- Presidential spokesman Harry Roque announced on Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

In a televised press conference, Roque said that he got his swab test results a few minutes before he went on air around noon for the regular Monday press briefing.

- - - -

WELLINGTON -- New Zealand reported seven cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation on Monday, with no new cases in the community.

The new imported cases came from the Netherlands, India and Pakistan, with the other three cases' travel itineraries pending, according to the Ministry of Health.

- - - -

SYDNEY -- A quarantine hotel in the Australian State of Queensland was placed into lockdown on Sunday, with genomic sequencing showing the likely spread of COVID-19 between returned overseas travellers.

Last week a local doctor was tested positive for the B117 strain of virus after treating two patients who were transferred from the hotel to a nearby hospital.

- - - -

ADDIS ABABA -- Ethiopia reported on Sunday 1,413 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, taking the national count to 175,467, said the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, 10 new fatalities were reported across the country, pushing the nationwide death toll to 2,550, said the ministry. Enditem
But unlike the fast, easy and cheap manufacture of generic drugs, making biosimilar copies of biologics often costs hundreds of millions of dollars. Then they need to be extensively tested in long and expensive clinical trials. By our count, 85 percent of biologic drugs that should be squaring off against biosimilar competitors face none.

Even when a biologic drug encounters biosimilar competitors, prices dont decline much at all. Herceptin today faces five knockoffs; even so the average price for trastuzumab (the generic name for Herceptin) remains 26 percent higher than the 2007 price for branded Herceptin in todays dollars. Back then it had no competitors.

The second challenge is that branded biologic drug companies have built impassable patent blockades. No biosimilar will take on Humiras $16 billion in 2020 U.S. sales until at least 2023 because 257 patent filings stand in the way. Another biologic, Enbrel, on the market since 1998, will not have its $5 billion in sales challenged until the end of 2028.

Requiring lower prices of older biologic drugs will not upend the rewards Congress intends the drug companies to receive. Biologic drug companies successfully lobbied for a guaranteed minimum of 12 years free from competition. For perspective, pills and tablets only receive five to seven years of protection from competition when they come to market.

Here is how the new law, which we are calling Production Plus Profit Pricing, or P-quad, would work. After 12 years, and regardless of patents, the maker of the original biologic would set a price that guarantees a 10 percent profit over and above the cost of making and distributing its product. Thats still more profit than most U.S. industries generate.

Independent consultants at Milliman estimated that over the next five years P-quad could yield an additional $265 billion in savings when compared to the current model of biosimilar competition: $95 billion to the federal budget which funds Medicare and much of Medicaid and $170 billion primarily to employers, employees, states and patients. In the employer-based health insurance market annual premiums could fall by $160 per person on average.

There is already bipartisan political agreement that the prices of older drugs should fall to make room for new products that will themselves be high priced. As one example, Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire; Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana; and Tammy Baldwin, Democrat of Wisconsin recently introduced a bill that would end monopolies early for rare-disease drugs that earn revenues in excess of what was anticipated. The pharmaceutical industry and its investors also describe the expectation that prices should fall eventually as a social contract to which they should abide.

Prices of new drugs will continue to make headlines, as well they should. But we must fix the problem that older biologic drugs have perpetually high prices, and do so by passing a law that ensures that at the appropriate time their prices fall fast, and they fall far.

Dr. Bach is the director of the Drug Pricing Lab and Center for Health Policy and Outcomes at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Mr. Trusheim is a visiting scientist at the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management, the strategic director at M.I.T. NEW Drug Development ParadIGmS (NEWDIGS) and the president of Co-Bio Consulting.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com.

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With COVID-19 cases down, camping picks up in South Dakota

South Dakota parks are seeing camping reservations fill up. That includes at recreation areas in Aberdeen and Watetown.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iran has charged a French tourist with spying and spreading propaganda against the system, his lawyer said Monday, the latest in a series of cases against foreigners at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and the West.

Benjamin Berier was arrested some 10 months ago after taking pictures in a desert area where photography is prohibited and asking questions on social media about Iran's obligatory Islamic headscarf for women, said his lawyer Saeed Dehghan.

Dehghan told The Associated Press the charges came in a Sunday hearing in the justice department in the northeastern city of Mashahd. He said Berier was in good health.

However, he is angry because of the charges and length of detention, Dehghan said. He said the city's senior prosecutor was expected to decide in the coming days whether to send the case before a judge.

If the prosecutor endorses the charge, his case will go to a judge to decide, said Dehghan.

Authorities were holding Berier at a prison in Mashhad, Dehghan said. Under Iranian law, a spying conviction can result in up to 10 years in prison.

The lawyer said Berier has had telephone contact with his family in France and authorities provided both consular and legal access to him in recent months.

Berier has become the latest Westerner held on widely criticized espionage charges. On Sunday, prominent British-Iranian dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe reappeared in a Tehran court to face similar accusations of spreading propaganda after completing a five-year prison sentence. She remains in limbo in Iran awaiting the verdict, unable to fly home to London.

The cases come as Iran escalates pressure on the United States and European powers, including France and Britain, to grant the badly needed sanctions relief the country received under its tattered nuclear accord with world powers.

While former President Donald Trump abandoned the landmark nuclear deal with Iran in 2018 and reimposed harsh sanctions on the country, President Joe Biden has offered to join in talks toward restoring the deal. But Washington and Tehran have reached an impasse, with each insisting the other move first to revive the deal.

Rights groups accuse hard-liners in Irans security agencies of using foreign detainees as bargaining chips for money or influence in negotiations with the West. Tehran denies it, but there have been such prisoner exchanges in the past. Last March for instance, Iran and France swapped French researcher Roland Marchal for Iranian engineer Jalal Ruhollahnejad.
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Tehran, March 15 : Iran's Health Ministry has warned against a new wave of the Covid-19 pandemic during the country's new year, Nowruz, celebrations which are scheduled to begin on March 20.

The observance of health protocols in the country has reached its lowest level in the past four months, Xinhua news agency quoted Sima Sadat Lari, the Ministry spokeswoman, as saying at a briefing on Sunday.

Amid non-compliance with the health protocols and rising cases of Covid-19 variants, travels and gatherings during Nowruz would all be serious warning signs for a new wave of the disease, said Lari.

"We hope that all people observe the hygiene principles, and avoid unnecessary travels and gatherings to prevent another wave of this disease in the country," she noted.

The Ministry reported 7,593 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday, raising the total nationwide tally to 1,746,953.

The pandemic has so far claimed 61,230 lives, up by 88 in the past 24 hours, said Lari.

Of the newly infected, 748 were hospitalised, said Lari.

A total of 1,492,488 people have recovered from the disease and discharged from hospitals, while 3,831 remain in intensive care units, she added.

Iran announced its first Covid-19 cases on February 19, 2020.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Warner Bros. has released two new trailer for their highly-anticipated musical In the Heights, based on the Broadway sensation by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The show was originally written by Miranda in 1999 during his sophomore year in college at Wesleyan University, debuting on Broadway in 2008.

Quiara Alegria Hudes, who wrote the book for the play, wrote the screenplay adaptation for director Jon M. Chu, with the musical debuting in both theaters and on HBO Max on June 18.

New trailer: Warner Bros. has released two new trailer for their highly-anticipated musical In the Heights, based on the Broadway sensation by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Original play: The show was originally written by Miranda in 1999 during his sophomore year in college at Wesleyan University, debuting on Broadway in 2008

The first trailer, dubbed 'Powerful,' begins with Nina (Leslie Grace) chatting with Benny (Corey Hawkins) when she steps away to 'listen to my block.'

She adds, 'It's quiet, usually the 1 train is up there screeching,' as the main character, Usnavi de la Vega (Anthony Ramos) breaks into a musical interlude.

'There's a breeze off the Hudson/And just when you think you're sick of living here the memory floods in,' he sings, as we see kids playing near a pair of fire hydrants spraying water on the block.

Block: The first trailer, dubbed 'Powerful,' begins with Nina (Leslie Grace) chatting with Benny (Corey Hawkins) when she steps away to 'listen to my block'

Musical: She adds, 'It's quiet, usually the 1 train is up there screeching,' as the main character, Usnavi de la Vega (Anthony Ramos) breaks into a musical interlude

Usnavi adds this is, 'a story of a block that was disappearing, once upon a time in a far away land called Washington Heights.'

We see that Usnavi is now much older, sitting with a group of kids off a beach, telling them to say the name Washington Heights so, 'it doesn't disappear.'

Usnavi tells Nina that 'bad things have been happening on the block since you've been at school,' with a brief shot of Miranda in his small role as 'Piragua Guy.'

Far away: Usnavi adds this is, 'a story of a block that was disappearing, once upon a time in a far away land called Washington Heights'

Kids: We see that Usnavi is now much older, sitting with a group of kids off a beach, telling them to say the name Washington Heights so, 'it doesn't disappear.

The musical numbers reveal more about these characters, like how Benny wants to go to business school.

We also get a glimpse at Nina's father Kevin (Jimmy Smits), who says he just wants her, 'to do better than me.'

The first trailer ends with several shots from various musical numbers that show the drive and the passion of these diverse characters in Washington Heights.

Benny: The musical numbers reveal more about these characters, like how Benny wants to go to business school

Kevin: We also get a glimpse at Nina's father Kevin (Jimmy Smits), who says he just wants her, 'to do better than me'

Characters: The first trailer ends with several shots from various musical numbers that show the drive and the passion of these diverse characters in Washington Heights

The second trailer, dubbed 'Washington Heights,' features some footage overlapping from the next, with Usnavi on the beach with the kids.

He's also seen chasing away someone who is tagging the steel grate to his bodega, while we get another look at Miranda's Piragua Guy.

We also see Usnavi trying to approach Vanessa (Melissa Barrera), though he's deflated when she mentions he has something on his shirt.

Usnavi says that he 'just wants to see the world through her eyes,' while another character says there is talk of 'kicking out all the dreamers,' likely referring to the 'DACA Dreamers.'

Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz, reprising her role from the Broadway musical) tells Nina that, 'we had to assert our dignity in small ways, little details that tell the world we are not invisible.'

Beach: The second trailer, dubbed 'Washington Heights,' features some footage overlapping from the next, with Usnavi on the beach with the kids

Vanessa: We also see Usnavi trying to approach Vanessa (Melissa Barrera), though he's deflated when she mentions he has something on his shirt

Abuela: Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz, reprising her role from the Broadway musical) tells Nina that, 'we had to assert our dignity in small ways, little details that tell the world we are not invisible'

Usnavi gets a glimpse at Vanessa's life, marveling at her fashion designs, adding, 'You made all of this?'

'This is me,' she says, as they share a moment together, before the trailer ends with another powerful musical number.

In the Heights debuts in theaters and simultaneously on HBO Max starting June 18.

Me: 'This is me,' she says, as they share a moment together, before the trailer ends with another powerful musical number
LATEST March 16, 2:45 p.m. One arrest has been made in the attempted carjacking caught on camera at a San Francisco Safeway, the San Francisco Police Department announced Tuesday.

In a press release, the department said a 16-year-old San Leandro girl was taken into custody and charged with felony carjacking, robbery, aggravated assault, elder abuse and conspiracy. The suspect vehicle from the attack was detained Friday by Antioch police, who identified her as one of the suspects in the Safeway carjacking. The suspect has been booked into San Francisco's Juvenile Justice Center.

Police are still seeking three other suspects in the case. According to SFPD, an unknown female initially approached the victim, allegedly asking to borrow her phone to call a family member. When the victim handed over her phone, police say she was then attacked by the female and two others.

March 15, 8:16 a.m. A 75-year-old woman walked back to her car, a red Lexus, after a routine trip to Safeway early Thursday evening.

In the footage taken by a witness first obtained by KGO, three young women ambush her in the parking lot of the Richmond District store  grabbing her keys and purse and attempting to steal the Lexus.

Thats when an unidentified good Samaritan exiting the store stepped in and intervened.

"I'm walking across the parking lot and I see this old woman being dragged across by her head, the man, identified only as a recent college graduate, told KGO. These girls are punching her and kicking and [stomping on her].

The mans impulse decision scared off the alleged carjackers. He dropped his groceries, rushed over to the car and hopped onto the back of the car. He then broke through the Lexus rear window, which he says was kind of scary enough to freak them out. They ended up fleeing to a parked getaway car, while the stranger rushed to help the woman, KGO reported.

Honestly, I'm still trying to find out why I did this one, he added in the KGO interview.

The woman, reported KGO, declined to be hospitalized after the attack; she also informed the kind stranger that he did not have to pay for the shattered window. It is unclear what condition she is in.

San Francisco police did not immediately respond to a request for comment from SFGATE.

But he didnt leave first without grabbing his dropped purchase  a container of almond milk. "That stuff's not cheap!" he joked.

SFGATE Managing Editor Katie Dowd contributed to this report.
Labour Minister Krajniak resigns

He sees it as a political gesture.

Milan Krajniak accompanied with Boris Kollar (in the back). (Source: SITA)

Labour Minister Milan Krajniak of Sme Rodina resigned from his post on March 15.

"I see it as a step towards ending the coalition crisis," Krajniak wrote in a letter he wants to send to the president.

He stressed that every coalition party should make some kind of political gesture, and this is the gesture he decided to make.

SaS: It is either Matovic or us Read more

Krajniak's resignation comes after the representatives of another two coalition parties, Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) and Za Ludi, called on PM Igor Matovic of OLaNO to resign from his post, or otherwise they would leave the coalition.

Speaker of Parliament and Sme Rodina chair Boris Kollar reiterated that their party does not have any demands for reshuffles in the cabinet. The party presented five conditions last Wednesday (March 10), focused on helping people and businesses hit by the pandemic.

The Slovak Spectator will bring updates to the story.

15. Mar 2021 at 18:13 | Compiled by Spectator staff
CHP

A California Highway Patrol helicopter rescued an injured hiker from Skyline Wilderness Park in Napa County on Saturday afternoon, said Shaun Bouyea, a spokesperson for CHP - Golden Gate Division Air Operations.

While exploring a remote, difficult-to-access trail, the hiker slipped and fell, injuring herself badly enough she couldn't walk out of the park, Bouyea said. The hiker called for help using her cell phone at about 12:25 p.m., and Cal Fire Napa County responded and requested that the CHP send a helicopter.
The 2021 Oscar nominations are in, and David Finchers Mank leads all nominees with 10 nods for the 93rd Academy Awards.

Syracuse University alumnus Aaron Sorkins The Trial of the Chicago 7 tied five other movies for the second-most with six nominations, along with Judas and the Black Messiah, The Father, Minari, Nomadland, and Sound of Metal. Promising Young Woman is up for the next most awards, with nods in five categories.

The Trial of the Chicago 7, a Netflix original film which chronicles the seven people put on trial over the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, was nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Sacha Baron Cohen), Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography (Phedon Papamichael), and Best Film Editing.

But Sorkin, who wrote and directed the movie, was left out of the directing category. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for directing for Trial of the Chicago 7 and won best motion picture screenplay at the Golden Globes last month.

This years best director nominees include Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round), David Fincher (Mank), Lee Isaac Chung (Minari), Chloe Zhao (Nomadland), and Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman). Zhao and Fennell are just the sixth and seventh women to be nominated in the category, and Zhao is the first woman of Asian descent to be nominated for directing.

Other notable snubs include Regina King for directing One Night in Miami, which was also left out of the best picture list. Ma Raineys Black Bottom and Da 5 Bloods, including star Delroy Lindo, also became trending topics as fans wanted more recognition; Mank was also left out of the screenplay category despite 10 nominations, including best picture.

Sorkin, whose credits include The West Wing, A Few Good Men, The Newsroom and The American President, previously won an Oscar for his The Social Network script. He was also nominated by the Academy for writing Moneyball and Mollys Game.

BIG SNUB!! AARON SORKIN left OUT for BEST DIRECTOR for #Chicago7! And I was hoping REGINA KING would get nominated for #OneNightinMiami but NO! CONGRATS to SURPRISE NOMINEE #ThomasVinterberg for getting IN for #AnotherRound! #OscarNoms  Scott Mantz (@MovieMantz) March 15, 2021

Just wanna say I called the Aaron Sorkin snub here! https://t.co/pbU1yQkBL0  Tim B (@theatretimothy) March 15, 2021

Theres a lot thats good about the #OscarNoms. But Im going to be annoyed on behalf of Regina King, One Night in Miami and Ma Raineys Black Bottom for the rest of the day. pic.twitter.com/kxqtzKfvbH  Lisa Bee (@leebee4life) March 15, 2021

Wait, so Da 5 Bloods just got shut out, huh?#OscarNoms



How is it not nominated for Best Picture but Aaron Sorkin's TV movie Trial of the Chicago 7 is?  Ali M Latifi (@alibomaye) March 15, 2021
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Over the past year, 10 of the orchestras 97 members have retired, a stark increase from the two to three who retire in an average year, said Brad Gemeinhardt, the chairman of the orchestra committee, which negotiates labor issues on behalf of the musicians. Prominent figures in the music world are sounding warnings about the peril the orchestra faces: Riccardo Muti, the revered conductor, said in a statement earlier this year that the artistic world is in disbelief that the very existence of a great orchestra like the Mets could be in danger and even at risk of disappearing.

The Met, which was financially fragile even before the virus, was forced to shut its doors on March 12, 2020, and it furloughed most of its workers, including those in its orchestra and chorus, in April. (It continued to pay for their health coverage.) In the fall, the Met presented an offer to its employees: it would resume partial payments in exchange for significant long-term pay cuts and concessions. The unions resisted. By the end of the year the Met orchestra was the only major ensemble without a deal to receive pandemic pay, according to the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians.

Then, in December, the company locked out its roughly 300 stagehands after their union, Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, rejected the Mets proposed pay cuts. (In a letter to the union last year, Peter Gelb, the Mets general manager, wrote that the average full-time stagehand cost the Met $260,000 in 2019, including benefits; the union disputes that number, saying that when the steady extra stage hands who work at the Met regularly, and sometimes full-time, are factored in, the average pay is far lower.)

Mr. Gelb said that the company had no choice but to seek cuts when the pandemic left it in a perilous financial situation.

Suddenly we had no revenue, we had shut our doors and we had to do immediate triage so that the company would not fall apart and fold, Mr. Gelb said. We are doing the best we can in terms of keeping the company viable so that they will have jobs to return to.

At the end of last year, the Met offered the unions that represent the orchestra and chorus an olive branch: reduced paychecks for simply coming to the bargaining table. The American Guild of Musical Artists, which represents choristers, dancers and others, accepted the arrangement in January, and its members are receiving paychecks. Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians has not yet accepted the offer, Adam Krauthamer, the unions president, said, but it is in the final stages of reaching a deal that the orchestra is voting on.
A new batch of Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, consisting of 224,640 doses, arrives on Monday in Romania, announces the National Coordinating Committee for Activities on anti-COVID-19 Vaccination (CNCAV), according to AGERPRES.

The vaccines will be delivered by air, at the airports in Otopeni, Cluj-Napoca and Timisoara, the quoted source states.

The transport to the storage centers will be provided by the producing company, including by land, the vaccines being transported in optimal safety conditions, in special containers, with carbonic ice and sealed foil.

The allocation of vaccine doses is made according to the delivery schedule provided by the producer, meaning that, weekly, Romania receives the vaccine batches necessary for the immunization of the population.
Vinajayak Jaya Malla started his mountain guide training in 2009. Having worked in the mountains, Malla knew that to stand out from the crowd and to become a good guide for his clients, he needed extra training. For the next nine years, he toiled hard training in mountains, both small and big, across Nepal battling extreme weather, learning basic and advanced mountaineering skills.

Battling extreme winter conditions in areas like Langtang and Manang, where he honed the art of rock, ice and snow crafting, Malla topped his final assessment of his NNMGA/IFMGA training making him a recognised mountain guide both nationally and internationally

It took me a while, but I finally got there., says Malla. Had trouble with finances, but its been worth everything as it will bring me a wide range of opportunities in the future.

Malla is one of 70 odd Nepalis who have been recognised by the International Federation of Mountain Guides Association (IFMGA). This recognition they get through Nepal National Mountain Guide Association (NNMGA) has brought them more clients, better opportunities which include climbing in Europe, South America, North America and Antarctica and most importantly better remuneration as they are the only recognised mountain guides in Nepal.

But, things are now changing. The Department of Tourism, through the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, released a statement about the passing of a new law that will recognise red book holders of the Nepal Mountaineering Association as mountain guides.

While this has been seen as great news by many from the mountaineering sector, the NNMGA, which has been trying to set a benchmark, is concerned that the government and the Department of Tourism are undermining their work and trying to tarnish the sector by handing out mountain guide certificates to anyone.

The crux of the conflict

Foreigners crossing a crevasse on an aluminium ladder at Island Peak. Photo: Mark Horrell/Flickr

The NNMGA gives licences based on training and tests, says Ang Norbu Sherpa, the associations president. This is not a mountaineering training course. It is specific for guides because it takes a lot of training and wherewithal to become a guide.

But, according to the new rule, anyone who possesses a red book provided by the NMA will be recognised as a national mountain guide. The NMA hands out three types of books to people who work in the mountains for data and insurance purposes.

NMA offers Black, Blue and Red book to Nepali climbers.

The first is a black book that is given to the kitchen and support staff who work in the high altitude areas. If a person works and renews this book for two years in a row, that book is upgraded to a blue book, which recognises the person as a support climber. The book can be upgraded to a red book, which gives the person the title of a sirdar (expedition leader) who manages all the other Sherpas in a climbing expedition or trekking group.

We are just trying to recognise the mountaineers who have done so much to the sector, says Meera Acharya, the director at the Department of Tourisms mountaineering department. These people have sustained the industry so we cannot avoid what they have done for the mountaineering sector anymore. This is a way to respect them and help them.

The NNMGA, aware of this, welcomes the governments plan of recognising the climbers, but most of its members say that red book holders should be called expedition guides and not mountain guides as the term mountain guide is vast.

The role of a mountain guide is more than just managing logistics, says Tenzeeng Sherpa, the treasure at the NNGMA. It takes a lot of hard work to learn ethics and the code of conduct of becoming a mountain guide as they need to work under pressure and make decisions according to the situation.

International standardisation vs national recognition

Record holder Kami Rita Sherpa says that NNMGA, which has little over 70 climbers, cannot sustain the industry and welcomes the government decision as it is an upgrade.

Tenzeeng says that the reason why the NNGMA is concerned is it, as an organisation, wants to make mountaineering safe and create guides who can be trusted internationally. He says that Nepal producing these mountain guides who have experience in tackling complicated situations will help create opportunities to cater to high paying clients. Currently, all the high paying clients bring mountain guides from other countries because most do not trust Nepali guides.

But, record-breaker Kami Rita Sherpa says that this is just an assumption and statements like these undermine the efforts of people like him.

Im not a certified international mountain guide, I never have been and never will be, but people still come and ask me to guide them to the top, says Kami Rita. This is a positive step which will do good for the mountain sector, which is why I fully support this decision.

The NMA also is positive about the move as it says this new rule, which had been lobbied by it for years, has finally been put to practise.

They are international mountain guides. These are national mountain guides. There is a difference as they will always be on top. But, the rule will recognise them both as Nepali and international mountain guides, which is good for them, says Santa Bir Lama, the president of the organisation. But, I dont understand their problem with recognising these climbers, some of whom have given their all to the sector. I feel this is unwarranted.

Risks and assurances

Another concern from the NNMGA was about people who have not climbed and were idle and still renewed their red book could become mountain guides. This they say is dangerous as it might tarnish the reputation of Nepali mountain guides in the international community.

A red book is given to all Everest summiteers. If that is the case, everyone will come claiming that they are mountain guides and that, in the long run, will create a lot of problems in the mountain, says Tenzeeng.

But, the NMA says that people who are not climbing actively will not be getting the licence. Even if they do get the mountain guide certification, their clients who have access to their climbing history will not choose such a person.

You are climbing in the death zone. You will want an experienced head with you. If a person chooses someone with minimal experience just because he is cheap, that is on the climber, not on the NMA or the government, says Lama.

Kami Rita also echoes Lama. He goes on to say that the NNGMA, which has little over 70 climbers, cannot sustain the industry and welcomes the government decision as it is an upgrade.

We are called porters by foreigners. Even though we do so much work, we are still tagged as people who carry stuff. Im positive that this recognition will bring about a positive change, he says.

Inter-agency tussle

The Department of Tourism says the law has come to effect after being discussed for a few years.

An NMA member, who did not want to be named, says that the NNMGA was trying to undermine the work of the 2,000 climbers who sustain the sector and had intentions of closing the NMA as it wanted to run a monopoly in the mountain sector.

Of course, we are angry. This is one good thing that is happening to us and they want to take this away from us, he said. If you look at Everest, over 1,000 of us go and work there. The NNMGA only has maybe 10 who go work at Everest.

He adds that as the NMA members work in Nepal, the rules and laws must be made taking them into consideration.

If they want, they should go abroad to guide. They are international guides, right, he questions, adding many of them would not even last a few days above camp 2 on Everest.

When asked if the mountain will be safe even with untrained guides on the mountains, Lama and Kami Rita along with other members of the NMA say that it will. They question if members of the NNMGA has conducted any rescue operation and add that not one of them had even been a part of the fixing team on Everest.

They will use the ropes that we fix and climb to the top, says Kami Rita. If they are that trained, why dont they fix ropes? Im up for a competition with them you know. And Im sure that non-internationally certified mountain guides will win.

The NNMGA members also say that they understand how good climbers they [those advocating for the new rule] are but question if they are as good a mountain guide.

Another concern they have is who will take action if anything bad happens in the mountains. As an organisation, the NNMGA takes action against any members who does something wrong in the mountain. But with 2,000 new mountain guides being added, they question who will be responsible for them.

In response, the Department of Tourism says it along with the government of Nepal will take action as it is the body that is handing out these mountain guide certificates.

As the regulatory body, that is our job, says Acharya.

But, the NNMGA says that as the departments liaison officers do not even go to base camp, the chance of it taking action is highly unlikely.

Meanwhile, the NNMGA on Monday filed a writ petition opposing the decision.
Australians may have to give up part of their inheritance to their ex-partner even if they receive the money after break up, a top lawyer has warned.

De-facto couples under Australian law can legally lay claim to each other's property within two years of separating.

Reid Family Lawyers founder Fiona Reid said that means an ex-partner could be entitled to a portion of your inheritance if it is received within that two-year period.

'What many people dont know is that everything goes into the asset pool, regardless of when that asset came into the relationship, and this includes inheritances,' the Sydney lawyer told Daily Mail Australia.

De facto couples under Australian law can lay claim to each other's inheritance within two years of separation, a lawyer has warned (stock image)

She said the two-year rule also applied to marriages as married couples have to be separated for 12 months to file for a divorce.

They then have a further 12 months to apply for a share of each other's property - within which time one party could receive their inheritance.

Ms Reid said there were two steps couples could take to protect their inheritance from an ex-partner's claim.

Firstly, she advised Australians to enter into a financial agreement with their partner which would deny them access to any future inheritance.

'While these agreements arent bulletproof, youre better to have one than not have one,' she said.

The two-year rule also applied to marriages as married couples have to be separated for 12 months to file for a divorce and then have a further 12 months to apply for a share of each other's property (stock image)

She also recommended keeping detailed records of any documentation related to an inheritance windfall.

That could include mortgage applications or probate documents.

'Ensure you keep details of the amount of any inheritance you might have received during the relationship and how it was applied to the asset pool at large,' she said.

'This will be important evidence when you are asserting a greater contribution if your relationship ends.'
For Subscribers Gov. Noem hires jet consultant to help South Dakota buy new aircraft

An out-of-state consultant has been hired for $195,000 by Gov. Kristi Noem's administration to help the state of South Dakota buy a new aircraft.
Relations between Japan and South Korea, which have reached a low point over historical disputes, are likely to be a topic of conversation. Also on the agenda will be the month-old military coup in Myanmar and North Koreas nuclear and missile programs, which remain firmly in place after the Trump administrations failed flirtation with the Norths leader, Kim Jong-un.

The decision to make Japan the first destination for Mr. Blinken and Mr. Austin was seen as a significant and reassuring development in Tokyo, which worked hard to maintain close ties with Mr. Trump even as he demanded huge increases in payments to keep American troops in the country. On Friday, the White House announced that Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga would be the first foreign leader to meet with Mr. Biden in Washington.

At the end of the Trump administration, with regard to Asia, we were bickering with our allies over how much to pay for the cost sharing in terms of defense, said Victor Cha, who oversaw Asia policy at the White House during the George W. Bush administration and advises the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. We had a very unilateral view when it came to alliances as a nation, almost a disdainful view with regard to them.

At the same time, Mr. Cha said, China was using its economic leverage all around the region to bully other countries.

The Trump administration took an often contradictory approach toward China. Mr. Trump often flattered its authoritarian leader, Xi Jinping, as he tried to strike trade deals. At the same time, his administration criticized Beijings human rights abuses, military and cyberspace incursions, and assaults on democracy.

The Biden administrations strategy could prove just as dizzying. Mr. Blinken has described seeking a relationship that is based at once on cooperation, competition and, as needed, confrontation with China.
New Zealand writer-director Taika Waititi accepted a Grammy Award on Sunday for his film Jojo Rabbit - more than a year after its release.

Jojo Rabbit, which came out in 2019 and was already represented at last year's Oscars, won the Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media.

'I guess they're just giving Grammys to anyone now! I'll take it, thank you,' said Taika from the Sydney set of his latest film, Thor: Love and Thunder.

Better late than never! New Zealand director Taika Waititi accepted a Grammy Award on Sunday for his film Jojo Rabbit, which was actually released in 2019

'It was so long ago, I can barely remember anything about making that movie,' he added.

'But it seems like it's never going to go away, and I'm happy about that.'

Taika already won an Oscar for adapting Jojo Rabbit's screenplay last year.

Acclaim: 'I guess they're just giving Grammys to anyone now! I'll take it, thank you,' said Taika from the Sydney set of his latest film, Thor: Love and Thunder

The win comes after Taika raised eyebrows by celebrating the murder of Captain Cook last month.

He took to Instagram to share his glee on the anniversary of the British explorer's death, which happens to fall on Valentine's Day.

'Today we celebrate love, and also fondly remember the demise of Captain Cook at the hands of the beautiful native Hawaiians in 1779,' the filmmaker wrote.

Winner: 'It was so long ago, I can barely remember anything about making that movie - but it seems like it's never going to go away, and I'm happy about that,' he added

He added in the caption: 'Love is in the air.'

The What We Do in the Shadows director, who is of Maori descent, has long been vocal about his disdain for Cook.

Last year, he shared a similar post on the anniversary of Cook's death on February 14.

'Demise': The win comes after Taika raised eyebrows by celebrating the murder of Captain Cook last month. He took to Instagram to share his glee on the anniversary of the British explorer's death, which happens to fall on Valentine's Day

'Hey lovers! Happy Valentines & Captain Cook peacefully passing away under the delicate care of native Hawaiians in 1779 Day! Please spread love. I love you, Polynesia!' he wrote in 2020.

Captain Cook, who landed in Botany Bay with his crew in 1770, was killed on a beach in Hawaii in 1779.

Taika's latest film is distributed by Disney, which recently fired The Mandalorian actress Gina Carano for past comments she made on social media.
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CHARLESTON, S.C., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Charleston Tours & Events, the premier resource for top-rated experiences in the historic city of Charleston, SC, is happy to see the vaccination rollout for COVID-19 ramping up as the area heads into its peak tourist season.

"We always field a lot of inquires during this time of the year, and we are seeing an uptick in phone calls as the vaccination continues to roll out," said Drew Yochum, Charleston Tours & Events VP of Sales & Marketing. "Charleston is seeing a tourism surge as we get into March and spring break season."

Charleston Tours & Events has been the market leader in running reduced rate combination tours for over a decade. The wildly popular harbor tour, with up-close views of Fort Sumter, can be purchased in tandem with sightseeing tours around the city, including carriage and bus tours. Charleston Tours & Events has partnerships with Boone Hall Plantation, Palmetto Carriage Works, and the South Carolina Aquarium, among others, to offer discounted rates for combination tours.

"Our combo tours are just a phenomenal way to experience this historic city. For tourists and locals alike, you get a nice discount on each tour you choose, and there's just no better way to see the harbor and get a close-up look at the city's landmarks," said Yochum. "Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our crew and passengers during this time, so we're running our cruises at voluntarily reduced capacity and continually assessing our standards to keep everyone as safe as possible."

"Tourist season is here, and we want people to know that we're running our tours and hope they come out and experience Charleston in the best and safest way possible," noted Yochum. "Listening to our customers, we hear a pent-up demand to travel, and the vaccine rollout has helped everyone feel safer."

About: Charleston Tours & Events offers public and private sightseeing tours, both on land and on the water, throughout all of Charleston, SC. The company hosts daily harbor tours, sailboat cruises, themed and dining cruises, carriage tours, and many other activities that allow their guests to immerse themselves in the city's rich history and culture.

Contact: To purchase a ticket, please visit https://charlestonharbortours.com/. For any questions or additional information, please send us a message here: https://charlestonharbortours.com/contact/.

Contact: Beth Scribner 843-402-8719, [email protected]

SOURCE Charleston Tours & Events

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The Luxembourg-flagged "Bourbon Evolution 802" was the target of an attack by a dozen pirates off the coast of Nigeria on Sunday, the Maritime Affairs Commission reported.

The Luxembourg-flagged Bourbon Evolution 802 was attacked by pirates in international waters off Nigeria on Sunday 14 March. It is a 100-metre-long boat designed for underwater operations.

In a brief statement on Monday, the Office of the Maritime Affairs Commissioner said that the 21 crew members escaped "unharmed" from the incident.

Two patrol vessels operating in the area were able to quickly intervene and board the vessel, forcing the ten or so pirates to flee.

The crew of the Luxembourg-flagged vessel immediately raised the alarm and took refuge in the reinforced "citadel", as required by security procedure. The "citadel" is an area where personnel can be protected during such an attack.

The Luxembourg authorities were informed of this attack by the Bourbon group and followed the development of the situation until the crew was released thanks to regular contacts with the shipowner and the French authorities.

MPSVs (Multi-Purpose Supply Vessels) are vessels specially designed for underwater operations at depths of up to 3,000 metres. The Bourbon Evolution 802 can carry 25 crew members, 45 clients, and 15 catering staff, explains the Bourbon group on its website.
The critically acclaimed 1992 film A Few Good Men still remains a cult classic. The film narrates the story of a Marine hazing gone awry which leaves an innocent man dead. Based on author Aaron Sorkins 1989 play the film is directed by David Brown and Andrew Scheinman. The cast list of this legal drama features actors like Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore. Recently fans on Twitter have been talking about this classic film. Find out is A Few Good Men a true story?

Is 'A Few Good Men' a true story?

Yes, the 1992 cult classic is indeed based on a true story. A chilling incident that took place in Guantanamo Bay had left a man dead in reality. According to a report in Ranker.com, the tale surrounds a man named William Alvarado who became the target of violent hazing due to a rumour circulating amongst the marines stationed in Guantanamo Bay. The story alleges that Alvarado had informed on a marine who had fired shots into Cuba. The story still remains unsubstantiated but it states that this prompted the marines to call code red which is jargon used for the hazing ritual. While in the movie William Santiago, dies due to the hazing ritual the events played out less tragically in real life.

Did Alvarado die?

A Few Good Men true story reveals that Alvarado was blindfolded and gagged while the Marines beat him. They reportedly also cut his hair. Things turned gnarly when a marine noticed that Alvarado was turning blue. The Marines soon realised that the hazing had gone too far. The hazed marine nearly died due to his injuries but received medical assistance in due time.

What happened to the other Marines?

One of the marines named Cox who had headed that hazing was charged by the court. He chose to fight his charges instead of taking the plea bargain. The report in Ranker reveals that Cox was at the risk of facing a potential punishment of a court-martial and a prison sentence of up to 20 years. After the film was made in 1992, David Cox was murdered under mysterious circumstances. Coxs body was discovered on the banks of Charles River months after his disappearance. He had been shot with four bullets.

'A Few Good Men' Review

The movie has received 7.7 out of 10 stars on its IMDb page. Fans have loved the movie ever since it was released. Heres what fans on Twitter think about the film.

Morning folks! Im up early as usual despite watching A Few Good Men until late! Asda today but no treats, saving myself for an Easter egg fest! Have a lovely week everyone  pic.twitter.com/8y1p9WzY62  Karina ingham (@KarIngham) March 15, 2021

A Few Good Men on BBC tonight. Fitting. pic.twitter.com/se0WFirp7i  Cassandra Jaramillo  (@cassandrajar) March 10, 2021

me 6 months ago: never seen A Few Good Men me now: seen A Few Good Men once and seen the court room scene 20 times  Megan Michener (@_hokienation) March 10, 2021

I haven't heard that exactly but I can tell you that the legal eagle guy (on YouTube) gives it a much higher accuracy rating than films like A Few Good Men or other more conventional "legal dramas."  Martin Wallace (@Aliteraryshadow) March 12, 2021

Source: Still from A Few Good Men(Amazon Prime)

Image Source: Still from A Few Good Men(Amazon Prime)

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When the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation began offering telehealth services in Montana in early February, the nation's largest nonprofit addiction treatment provider promised quality care for far-flung residents without their even having to leave home.

That promise was what Montana and more than 40 other states had in mind when they temporarily relaxed rules restricting telehealth services and allowed out-of-state providers to hold remote patient visits for the duration of the covid-19 pandemic.

A year into the pandemic, telehealth has become widely accepted. Some states are now looking to make permanent the measures that have fueled its growth. But with it have come some unintended consequences, such as a rise in fraud, potential access problems for vulnerable groups and conflicts between out-of-state and in-state health providers.

In Montana, for example, not everybody cheered the virtual arrival of the Minnesota-based Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. The head of Montana's largest behavioral health provider, Billings-based Rimrock, worried that an influx of out-of-state providers could lead to Rimrock's losing a significant number of its privately insured patients.

Rimrock patients with private insurance subsidize patients who are on Medicaid, CEO Lenette Kosovich said. The difference in insurance reimbursement rates between the two is so great that the loss of those privately insured patients would hamper Rimrock's operations, she said.

"I'm all for competition, as long as it's fair competition," Kosovich said. She added that she would like to see rules in place ensuring that out-of-state providers that enter Montana via the relaxed regulations of the pandemic meet the same licensing requirements as in-state providers.

"They don't take Medicaid, so they don't have to go through the same rigors," she said. "We've been really very vocal that we want more legislation that speaks to that. Even the playing field."

Hazelden Betty Ford is not out to poach anybody else's patients, said Bob Poznanovich, the foundation's vice president of business development. Instead, it's targeting patients who aren't receiving care and can't go to one of its 15 drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, he said.

"We think it's important that a national brand like ours is able to provide care nationally," Poznanovich said. "That becomes important to our patients, who come from all over the country. It's also important, I think, for people who can't access quality care, who are in some health care deserts where there just isn't good care."

A federal government survey estimated that a shortage of mental health providers exist in 5,800 geographic areas, populations or facilities  such as prisons  across the U.S., with 6,450 practitioners needed to fill the gaps. For primary care, the need is even greater, with nearly 7,300 areas short of health professionals.

For patients nationwide, telehealth can make getting medical care much easier. Ayanna Miller, a 24-year-old student at Northeastern University in Boston, is among those embracing the technology.

"Sometimes you don't really need to go into the office. You really just need, like, a quick conversation with your doctor," she said. "I've also done telehealth for therapy. You don't necessarily need to be in the same room with your therapist."

As the stresses of the pandemic have strained mental health and addiction recovery, the need for help has increased. Hazelden Betty Ford has accelerated its pre-covid plans for expansion and expects to offer telehealth services in all 50 states within two years. Next on deck: Arizona and New Mexico.

"We've heard grumblings, like 'Why are you coming into our state?'" Poznanovich said. But, he added, "More people have welcomed the entry into the marketplace because they think that we will help create a bigger marketplace."

Before covid, remote doctor visits by computer or phone were rare: Just 2.4% of enrollees in large-employer health plans used a telehealth service in 2018, according to KFF. That was due in part to different policies among states and federal rules that limited where and to whom telehealth services could be offered.

But now, states are waiving patient copays and coinsurance, reimbursing telehealth services at the same rate as in-person services, waiving licensure requirements and allowing audio-only visits, among other measures.

In the first months of the pandemic, with lockdowns the norm throughout the country, telehealth visits surged to about 7 in 10 medical appointments, according to the Epic Health Research Network. That had tapered off to about 1 in 5 visits as of summer.

Existing and startup services are flourishing. Poznanovich compared the surge to the dot-com boom of the early part of the century, noting that the foundation's internal studies show that hundreds of telehealth companies have received financing.

"There is a land-grab mentality right now," he said. "We're seeing some really crazy market valuations because of the potential number of clients."

Today's rush will lead to permanent changes in health care, said Florida radiologist Dr. Ashley Maru, who invested in three telehealth companies. More innovative virtual providers entering the field may come at the expense of physicians who see patients in brick-and-mortar offices. But it also presents a solution to the national shortage of doctors, he said.

"You're going to see a national change in the landscape of medicine," Maru said. "They're going to be able to cross state lines and really uproot and disrupt everything."

The prospect of unfettered interstate virtual health care worries some health industry officials. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana spokesperson John Doran said he shares Kosovich's concerns that local providers could suffer or be driven out of business, particularly in smaller states.

"The future of medicine has to include connecting a Montana patient to a Montana provider," Doran said.

Poznanovich said that, besides providing services to people who weren't receiving them before, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation forms partnerships with local providers in some markets and offers education and resources to providers where it expands.

Some states are forging ahead with plans to make their telehealth changes permanent. A Montana bill passed the state House of Representatives unanimously Feb. 9 and is pending in the Senate.

"We were forced to use technologies in ways that we maybe thought we weren't ready for and it turns out that we were," Jackie Jones, government affairs director for the state's securities and insurance commissioner, recently told state lawmakers in supporting the bill.

Certain patients may be left out of the telehealth revolution. The rapid, wide-scale implementation of telemedicine could leave behind people with limited internet access or tech literacy, including the elderly, poor and non-English speakers, according to a New England Journal of Medicine article.

Meanwhile, telehealth fraud cases have "gone through the roof," said Mike Cohen, an operations officer with the Office of Investigations of the Department of Health and Human Services' inspector general's office. Telehealth in general is a good thing, he said, but with any popular medical advancement, "there's going to be rats on the ship."

Many fraudsters are trying to steal patients' identities and sell them on the black market, he said. Some providers are overcharging for appointments, are billing for services that weren't given, or are not registered or licensed in the U.S. Some scammers offer to put a patient at the front of the line for a covid vaccine in exchange for payment.

"Our sense is that it's more widespread than we envisioned," Cohen said. "If we're going to make this permanent, we need to make sure there's guardrails to ensure programmatic integrity and also patient safety."

Even when working optimally, telehealth can have its limits. Miller, the Northeastern University student, said she was diagnosed with covid in January and had mild symptoms. By early February, she felt better and wanted to schedule an in-person physical with her doctor to find out if the virus had affected her in other ways.

The doctor was taking only virtual appointments, and Miller was left feeling unsatisfied just answering the doctor's questions by video call.

"The scariest thing about covid is you just don't know how it's going to impact you," Miller said. "I can say how I feel, but I don't know if there's anything that I'm not catching because I'm not trained."
Guest Column Constructive Engagement Stumbles Right Out of the Box in Myanmar

Soldiers prepare to crack down on anti-regime protesters in Yangon in early March. / The Irrawaddy

It was a major diplomatic breakthrough for Myanmars new junta, the State Administration Council (SAC). On March 9, its vice chairman, Vice-Senior General Soe Win, met the head of the European Unions military staff Vice-Admiral Herve Blejean via video conferencing to discuss the SACs efforts to establish the rule of law and community peace in accordance with Myanmars Constitution. They also talked cordially about how Myanmars security forces were handling current protests, the SACs five future work plans and its COVID-19 vaccination programs.

What appeared to be an EU recognition of the SAC and endorsement of its actions came on the heels of a similar event involving Australias second-most senior military officer Vice-Admiral David Johnston. On Feb. 22, he rang Soe Win and the two military commanders reportedly talked about the leading role of the SAC. The new governing body, Soe Win explained, works for the establishment of a democratic state based on justice and freedom, and Myanmars security forces had not cracked down on any peaceful protesters but only used minimal force in controlling riots sweeping the country. The Australian vice-admiral then told his Myanmar colleague that his country is a development partner of Myanmar, and they also discussed cooperation between the militaries of the two countries which, Soe Win said, are both based on democratic norms and values. Johnston, on his part, promised that Australia would provide assistance to Myanmar to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

At least, that is how the military-controlled and now again strictly censored state media in Myanmar reported Soe Wins phone conversations with Blejean and Johnston  never mind that Johnston actually rang Soe Win in an attempt to free detained Australian academic Sean Turnell and stated that the use of lethal force and violence against peaceful protesters is unacceptable. Johnston went on to demand that restoration of democracy and immediate release of all civilian leaders who have been detained since the coup on Feb. 1.

Human rights groups in Australia slammed Johnstons phone call accusing the government in Canberra of bolstering the credibility of an illegitimate regime. But, as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Feb. 23: Some analysts defended the call and said it was reasonable for the Australian government to use every opportunity to urge the military not to use violence on protesters.

In the same spirit, the EU said in statement issued on March 9 that the reason for Blejeans call to Soe Win was to urge the Myanmar military to immediately stop all violence and that they should release the democratically-elected leadership of the country including DawAung San Suu Kyi and U Win Myint as well as all other political detainees. Blejean emphasized the particular importance of extending an invitation to UN Special Envoy Schraner Burgener to visit Myanmar as soon as possible, allowing her to consult the view of all parties concerned and facilitate a dialogue.

The reason behind Johnstons as well as Blejeans calls to Soe Win is obvious: the EU and Australia thought that Myanmars new leadership would be more willing to listen to a military officer than a civilian politician and, hopefully, act accordingly.

It is, however astounding that Australia and the EU could not predict how those two calls would be perceived by SAC  and how the junta would use them in its own propaganda. It is unforgivably naive to believe that Myanmars generals would listen to friendly advice given by any Westerner, military or civilian. They listen only to themselves.

Commenting on Westerners who believe than can engage Myanmars military leadership, I wrote in The Irrawaddy of June 11, 2015 that those policies of many Western countries reflect what amounts to a blatantly neo-colonial attitude. Words to the effect: We have to go and tell those funny little brown fellows how to run their country, and, because we are big and clever white guys, surely they have to listen to us. But, at the same time, it is easy to imagine what the Myanmar generals reaction must have been when they received those Western proponents of engagement: Those myaukpyu (white monkeys) are sort of amusing. But they are not very clever. So lets use them. Or words to that effect.

The most extreme and least thought-through example of the constructive engagement policy is to be found in an opinion piece published in the Nikkei Asian Review of March 2. Written by Bill Hayton, who is listed as an Associate Fellow with the Asia-Pacific Program at Chatham House in London, its headlined Myanmars monthlong phony war is over.

How he could get that impression when, the same day as the article was published, anti-military protests were being held all over Myanmar, is a mystery. But those protests, in Haytons version of events, are only some disruptions in Yangon and Mandalay. It [the military] built itself a new capital on Naypyidaw precisely to escape the risk of disorder in the old one of Yangonit is not to give up just because noisy urban crowds want it to do so.

It is nothing short of an insult to the millions of people across the country who took to the streets and risked their lives to describe what is happening as noisy crowds involved in some disruptions which apparently are confined to Myanmars two major cities. People marched in every city and town from Putao on the far north to Kawthaung in the deep south, including  which Hayton must have missed  Naypyidaw. All those people, and especially those who were gunned down by Myanmars police and military, deserve respect  and not to be dismissed as troublemakers by a Western academic sitting in peaceful comfort elsewhere in the world.

Haytons recipe for finding a solution to the crisis in Myanmar is equally devoid of any resemblance to what is happening on the streets of the countrys cities and towns, or close to anything that could realistically be done.

Having repeated the old myth of the Tatmadaw is acting as it does because it sees itself as the guardian of the nation, the only force standing between national unity and disintegration and not to protect its economic interests and other privileges, Hayton goes on to suggest that it is vital that Myanmars neighbors and friends around the world  whoever they might be  rapidly engage with the military leadership.

And for that to work, talk about reducing the militarys role in politics should be suspended. Then he goes on to say that some face-saving compromises on claims of irregularities in the election results could be agreed upon. Hayton also believes that this could be a moment for the US and China to find some common ground because neither superpower wants to see instability in Myanmar. He says that some kind of joint initiative between the US and China is possible on which Japan, India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) could come on board.

It is hard to imagine a more unworkable plan of action for the way forward. Appeasement has never worked, nor has constructive engagement, which initially was the name given to the policy of the US administration under Ronald Reagan in the early 1980s to justify trade and other relations with the apartheid regime in South Africa. That failed miserably because, as Stanford J. Ungar and Peter Vale wrote in the winter 1985/86 issue of Foreign Affairs: Having been offered many carrots by the United States over a period of four-and-a-half years as incentives to institute meaningful reforms, the South African authorities had simply made a carrot stew and eaten it. Eventually, South Africa became a democracy but that was because of internal factors and a new, more enlightened leadership in Pretoria, not because the US and some other Western countries cozied up to a repressive regime.

And to believe that Japan, India and ASEAN would come on board some joint US-China initiative  even if that against all odds were to happen  is outright foolish. First of all, China would not even consider going into some kind of partnership with the US and regional foes and rivals such as Japan and India. China, which has a lot at stake in Myanmar, a strategically important neighbor, is pursuing a much more elaborate agenda to protect its own interests, which includes playing politics with a number of actors in the country without involving anybody else.

And would Japan and India want to come on board, i.e. play second fiddle, in such a grand plan? As for ASEAN, the first to suggest that it should play an important role in nudging Myanmar towards democracy was Kevin Rudd, a former Australian prime minister and now president of the Asia Society. In a BBC interview on Feb. 13, he said that that the way forward is a dialogue with the coup makers under ASEAN guidance, apparently forgetting that the blocs two guiding principles  non-interference and consensus  make it highly ineffective as a mediator or even a player in any regional conflict.

ASEAN never made its position clear on the freedom struggle in East Timor because it was considered an internal affair of Indonesia, and it failed to address numerous border disputes between member nations such as Thailand and Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, and the Philippines and Malaysia. ASEAN has also been unable to articulate a common policy on the South China Sea disputes.

And who, as Hayton seems to believe, says the struggle for democracy in over? Even if street manifestations were to be suppressed completely  which even now seems unlikely as people gather in their thousands for nightly candlelight vigils  the fight will continue in different shapes and forms.

What Myanmar least of all needs is some kind of patronizing white messiahs telling anyone in the country what to do and giving bad advice to outside actors. Change will eventually come to Myanmar, but it will come from within  and that would have to involve at least some sections of the armed forces. There is a role that the international community can play, but that would have to be to support Myanmar civil society organizations without talking down on them, which too often was the case in the past. The various nationalities of Myanmar should be supported on their own terms because they and nobody else are the masters of their country and its destiny.

Bertil Lintner is a Swedish journalist, author and strategic consultant who has been writing about Asia for nearly four decades. He currently works as a correspondent for Asia Times. His views are his own.

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Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 72F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
Panaji, March 15 : Hundreds of bank employees staged a protest march in Panaji, as part of a pan-India two-day strike against the Central government's moves to privatise public sector banks and other proposals to reform the banking sector, announced in Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the protest, A.M. Pereira, general secretary of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) said that the strike was planned by bank workers' unions as part of an extensive action plan to urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop privatisation of public sector banks.

"The UFBU strongly opposes the various announcements made in the Budget of the central government regarding reform measures like privatisation of IDBI Bank and two Public Sector Banks, disinvestment in LIC, privatisation of one General Insurance company, allowing FDI in insurance sector up to 74 per cent, aggressive disinvestment and sale of public sector undertakings, etc," Pereira said.

Public sector bank workers are on strike for two days beginning Monday.

"The government's announcement to privatise our public sector banks is totally unfortunate and unwarranted. The need of the hour is to strengthen public sector banks," he also said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-16 03:28:07|Editor: huaxia

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RAMALLAH, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Monday welcomed the recent efforts of some Arab and European countries to create an atmosphere for peace with Israel.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman of the Palestinian president, told reporters that the peace process had been stalled due to the policy of the former U.S. administration and the Israeli right-wing government.

Abu Rudeineh referred to a series of meetings held by the Munich Group in Paris over the last few weeks on resuming the stalled peace process in the Middle East.

The Munich Group, or the Munich Format, refers to the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, France, and Germany meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in February 2020, to discuss Israel-Palestine peace efforts. Subsequent meetings took place in July via video conferencing, September in Jordan and January 2021 in Cairo.

Peace talks between Israelis and the Palestinians have remained stalled since 2014.

"Since 2014, the Israeli right-wing government has been refusing to cooperate with the international community to create this atmosphere that will lead to achieving peace in the region," Abu Rudeineh said.

He noted that the Palestinian side "is fully coordinating these efforts with the Egyptian and Jordanian brothers," adding that it "backs any efforts that preserve international law and the two-state solution."

But he stressed the Munich Group is not an alternative to the Middle East Quartet, comprising the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia.

Saying the Palestinian side welcomes the expansion of the Middle East Quartet, he voiced the hope that some Arab and European countries will be included.

Meanwhile, Abu Rudeineh reiterated the Israeli settlement in Palestine is illegal and that real peace requires the establishment of a Palestinian state on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. Enditem
New Delhi:

Five Haryana police personnel who were posted in Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singhs security and charged with sedition were dismissed from service on Thursday, said police officials.

Charges of sedition and attempt to murder were slapped against them for trying to free Gurmeet Singh after the Panchkula CBI court on August 25 convicted him in two different rape cases.

Apart from the policemen, two other people were also booked on similar charges. They were produced before a court on Wednesday which sent them to seven days police remand.

As much as 36 people died in the violence by Dera supporters after a CBI court convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a 15 year-old-rape case of rape.

Also Read | Dera chief Gurmeet Singh gets 20 years in jail, Rs 30 lakh fine for raping two women

The self-styled godman was sentenced to 10-10 years of imprisonment in rape cases of two women. Both the sentences will run consecutively. Apart from 20 years jail, the Dera chief was also slapped with a fine of Rs. 30 lakh.

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GREENVILLE  Lockheed Martin Greenville received its first U.S. Air Force F-16 needing maintenance as part of a $900 million contract it signed in December.

The fighter jet arrived on March 9 from Edwards Air Force Base in California.

The Upstate facility will begin work on the plane and expects to deliver it back to the U.S. Air Force in the fall, a Lockheed spokesperson said. The next jet is expected in April.

Under its contract, Lockheed Martin will provide depot-level maintenance  or complete overhauls, repairs or rebuilding of parts  on F-16 fighters to keep them in the air through 2046. The Air Force sought out another depot facility after it maxed out at Hill Air Force Base in Utah.

The Greenville plant already has manufactured the F-16.

The arrival of this first jet marks the beginning of fighter Sustainment work at the site and positions Greenville as an F-16 Center of Excellence, supporting both F-16 production and sustainment operations, Greenville site director Mike Fox in a statement.

The Air Force uses about 1,300 F-16s, making up about 45 percent of its fleet, according to the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.

Lockheed Martin won the contract for the upkeep of F-16s over three other bidders.

Its Greenville site was the best choice because it already builds the jet and has the most comprehensive knowledge of it, the company said. The contract made Lockheed Martin's Greenville site the first ever U.S.-based F-16 industry depot to support government-owned depot facilities.

Production of F-16s created more than 400 jobs when it started in Greenville after moving from Fort Worth, Texas. The Greenville site has ramped up production to four aircraft a month. It delivers F-16s for Bahrain, Bulgaria and Slovakia.

Lockheed Martin nearly shut down production of the F-16 but saw increased demand for the jets in the fall that could push it from 4,588 jets to 5,000, the company said in September. It had a backlog of 130 jets and said it would take more than seven years to hit the 5,000 mark.

One of those contracts was $62 billion to build 90 F-16 fighter jets for Taiwan's military and the Royal Moroccan Air Force over a 10-year period.
Study shows children are removed from normal lessons or playtime to plug gaps in their learning and be 'fixed' academically, ready for SATS

A fear of poor SATs results is driving headteachers to separate pupils by ability despite the impact on children's self-esteem and confidence, according to a study by researchers from UCL published in the peer-reviewed British Journal of Sociology of Education.

The findings, based on a survey of nearly 300 principals of primary schools in England, provide new evidence of a high-stakes culture around testing where some pupils are prioritised above others and physically segregated from them.

More than a third (35%) of headteachers said SATs were the reason for grouping children into different ability sets for English, and just under half (47%) for maths, according to the results which also include in-depth interviews with school principals.

Other practices adopted by schools include targeting resources at pupils on the borderline of passing SATs at the expense of 'hopeless' cases. The most significant finding was the growth of 'intervention' sessions where children are removed from normal lessons or playtime to plug gaps in their learning and be 'fixed' academically.

The authors warn that these approaches are part of a 'potentially damaging' system where some children are made to feel inferior and which raises questions about how groupings 'might exacerbate inequalities'.

A debate is needed, they say, about the consequences for primary school children of high-pressured learning assessments, and also for staffing and resources.

"These forms of disciplinary power are encouraged by the disciplinary function of SATs themselves," says Dr Alice Bradbury from UCL Institute of Education.

"They place pressure on headteachers to prioritise results over the broader purposes of education.

"The SATs are in themselves a practice of division, designating children as at age related expectation (ARE) or not. This binary between success and failure, passing or failing, is a brutal division of children at age 11.

"Early evidence from teachers suggests that there is a strong desire for change following the (Covid) crisis, including the removal of testing."

Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) are used to assess a child's educational progress and form the basis of school league tables. The most significant (Key Stage 2) take place in May of the final year of primary education (year 6). For this type of testing, the focus of recent research has been largely international, not on how schools in England are affected or on headteachers' views.

This study involved an online survey from March to June 2019 of 288 heads about the impact of SATs in general and on issues such as staffing and extracurricular sessions. Comprehensive interviews were also conducted with 20 headteachers at a range of schools across England.

Education leaders at faith schools, academies and community primary schools were among those who took part, with 'good' the most common Ofsted rating.

The research focused on the impact on teachers and children from assessment policies which put pressure on schools.

The findings showed evidence of three approaches towards separating children in relation to SATs. The first was dividing by ability into sets, despite what the authors say is 'increasing evidence of the disadvantages'. In some schools, pupils physically moved from their normal class to different rooms/teachers, and some were even streamed permanently.

Several heads expressed concern about putting children in sets and some rejected the practice. One headteacher commented that 'pupils get into a psyche of failure because they've always been in the bottom set'.

Another approach which was commonplace involved 'booster' sessions - singling out children on the cusp of achieving a benchmark SAT grade. These are a feature of educational 'triage' where students are sorted into who will fail, pass with help, or succeed without extra support.

The authors also identified a new variant of this triage system which they say has been triggered by the 'increasing complexity of school league tables'. These involved pupils on the borderline of reaching 'greater depth' (above the expected level for year 6) who are given special support, for example, before school and during holidays.

The final practice was what the authors call 'intervention culture' where some pupils are withdrawn from normal lessons to resolve 'gaps' in their learning. They say this intensifies division by excluding those children in need of additional help from other parts of the curriculum.

The authors acknowledge that divisions created by these practices would not disappear entirely without SATs, which are currently suspended because of the pandemic. However, they suggest these tests might be replaced with 'more nuanced ways of understanding a child's attainment'. They add: "There can be no triage or 'cusp' if there is no benchmark to judge them by."

###
Official charts today laid bare the full devastating impact of the coronavirus crisis on the UK.

A new Office for National Statistics report assessing the damage done by the pandemic showed Covid-19 caused more deaths in 2020 than other infectious diseases caused in any year for over a century.

The last time an infectious disease had a similar toll on the nation was way back in 1918 during the so-called 'Spanish flu' influenza pandemic.

The ONS report also sets out the scale of the consequences for the economy, with public sector debt having reached levels last seen in the early 1960s as ministers borrowed billions of pounds to keep the UK afloat.

Coronavirus has also taken a sledgehammer to the jobs market, with many industries suffering a bigger fall in vacancies during 2020 than they did in the wake of the 2008 financial crash.

However, unlike the 2008 crisis and the resulting economic downturn, average house prices have actually increased throughout the pandemic.

The house price boom comes despite the UK economy suffering a 9.9 per cent dip in 2020 - the worst annual performance since the Great Frost devastated Europe in 1709.

The coronavirus crisis caused more deaths in 2020 than other infectious diseases caused in any year for over a century

Public sector debt continues to climb above 2.1trillion, with debt now at levels last seen in the early 1960s

Despite the UK economy being hammered by Covid-19, average house prices in the UK continued to surge during the pandemic

The ONS report, entitled 'Coronavirus: A Year Like No Other', was released to mark the one year anniversary of people in the UK first being told to limit their non-essential contact with others and to stop all unnecessary travel.

The report confirmed that Covid-19 caused more deaths last year than other infectious diseases caused in any year for more than 100 years.

More than 140,000 people have died in the UK with coronavirus either described as the underlying cause or as a contributory cause on their death certificates.

Some 73,500 people in England and Wales who died in 2020 had Covid-19 registered as the underlying cause of death.

The ONS said coronavirus is 'likely to be classed as an infectious and parasitic disease', allowing a comparison with previous deadly outbreaks.

The statistics body said: 'This means COVID-19 was the underlying cause of more deaths in 2020 than any other infectious and parasitic diseases had caused in any year since 1918; that year there were just over 89,900 deaths from various infectious and parasitic diseases registered in England and Wales.'

Data released earlier this year by the ONS showed the UK had officially suffered its worst recession in 300 years in 2020.

Over the whole of last year the economy dived by 9.9 per cent - the worst annual performance since the Great Frost devastated Europe in 1709.

It means that the pandemic effectively wiped out seven years of growth during a single 12-month period.

The new report confirmed public sector debt continues to climb above 2.1trillion, illustrating the scale of the challenge now facing ministers as they try to get the public finances back onto a sustainable footing.

Debt as a percentage of the economy has now reached levels last seen in the early 1960s.

Ministers have borrowed tens of billions of pounds throughout the pandemic to pay for things like the furlough scheme and financial support for businesses.

Huge borrowing combined with lower tax revenue and the massive hit to GDP have caused national debt to surge.

The ONS said: 'At the end of January 2021 public sector net debt (excluding public sector banks) was 97.9 per cent of GDP.'

The report also revealed the extent of the damage done to the jobs market, with the number of vacancies falling sharply after the first lockdown was imposed on March 23 last year. The hit suffered by some industries was even worse than that in 2008.

An ONS Vacancy Survey showed that vacancies fell 38 per cent, from 701,000 in January to March 2008 to a low of 432,000 in April to June 2009 before rising again.

The imposition of the first national lockdown in March last year resulted in a sharp fall in job vacancies in many industries

The Office for National Statistics said earlier this year that over the whole of 2020 the UK economy dived by 9.9 per cent - the worst annual performance since the Great Frost devastated Europe in 1709

In comparison, quarterly vacancies stood at 802,000 across the UK in October to December 2019 and fell by 57 per cent to a low of 343,000 in April to June 2020.

'By October to December 2020, the number of vacancies had risen to 590,000, down 26 per cent on the same three months of 2019,' the ONS said in its report.

Despite the damage done to the economy, the UK housing market continued to surge during the pandemic.

House prices shrank along with the economy back in 2008 but in 2020 house prices increased even as GDP was hammered.

As a result, the average UK house price reached a record high of 252,000 in December last year - an increase of 8.5 per cent over the year.

The ONS said the difference between 2008 and 2020 could be because the former crisis was largely related to 'structural issues with financing mortgages'.

'Whereas the fall in GDP in 2020 was possibly driven more by reduced opportunities to spend, caused by lockdown restrictions, rather than primarily a lack of funds,' the report said.
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's ( ) ( ) (FRA:B9S) Scott Williamson caught up with Proactive's Andrew Scott soon after receiving several batches of assay results, including from maiden drill holes, at the King Snake prospect that confirm high-grade massive sulphide nickel-copper-platinum group elements (PGE) mineralisation. He says King Snake, a massive sulphide vein (MSV) prospect, has strong and growing potential to add to the companys mining inventory and support restarting the existing 450,000 tonnes per annum concentrator at Ta Khoa Nickel-PGE Project in Vietnam's north.
ROME, MAR 15 - League leader Matteo Salvini said Monday that new Democratic Party (PD) leader Enrico Letta was putting Premier Mario Draghi's broadly backed government in danger with talk of granting automatic Italian citizenship to children born in Italy to migrant parents. A Ius Soli law giving citizenship to the children of migrants was among the points raised by ex-premier Letta after he was voted the PD's new leader by a party assembly on Sunday. "Only a Martian, only someone who has landed from Paris or Mars, could concern himself with gifting citizenship to immigrants in a country where the schools, the nurseries and the universities are closed, the factories are in trouble and the Italian people have mental health problems," Salvini said. Letta had been teaching at the Paris Institute of Political Studies before returning to Italy to stand to lead the PD. "If it was a lapse, I say that we are in government to do serious things and the Ius Soli (law) is not a serious thing," Salvini added. "I remind the distracted Parisian that Italy is the European country that concedes more citizenship requests than any other. "If he talks about Ius Soli it means he wants to bring down this government". (ANSA).
This is the face of the school caretaker who had the gall to sue his former bosses for unfair dismissal after they found out he was molesting boys at the school.

Bernard Browne (62) was this week locked up for nine years for the sexual abuse of three boys from the CBS school on North Richmond Street, in Dublin city centre.

This weekend the Sunday World can reveal that when gardai began investigating Browne for the first time in 1993. At that stage school authorities acted promptly and confronted him.

Browne resigned from the school but the brass-necked child abuser later tried to claim the school had forced him to resign. He even went as far as taking an unfair dismissal case against the school board but he quickly dropped the case when he realised Garda investigators were sitting in on the public hearings.

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In the 1993 cases, the DPP directed no prosecutions but in 2017 gardai received information about another victim from the child abuse charity One-In-Four.

This week a source close to the investigation said that the three victims had been fearful about coming forward.

"Either they thought he was dead or their story wouldn't be believed," our source said.

After finally finding the strength to tell his One-In-Four counsellor about the abuse, one of the victims then went to gardai.

During the investigation that followed detectives spoke to the two other men. Those investigations, which involved painstaking trawling of historical school records, resulted in the caging of Browne on Thursday.

The victims told gardai how Browne used the promise of extra pocket money to lure them into his janitor's shed where he would fondle them for his own sexual kicks. The boys were aged between 11 and 16 and Browne would molest them on a weekly basis.

The twisted paedophile also tricked the terrified victims into going back to his flat on Belvedere Place in Dublin city centre where he would force himself onto them.

The sicko convinced the boys that he was simply trying to make some extra cash by selling his sperm to a sperm bank. He told one victim that he was collecting his sperm to help childless couples who wanted to have kids.

Last October, as he was about to go on trial, Browne pleaded guilty to nine counts of indecently assaulting three boys on dates between 1983 and 1990. The nine counts are samples charges from an indictment of 44 charges.

Browne, formerly of Brighton Road, Foxrock, Dublin, was aged between 25 and 28 when he began molesting the first victim, an 11-year-old boy.

He had told the child he could earn some extra pocket money by helping him sweep and brought him to a shed at the back of the school where he molested him.

This boy told the second victim that Browne needed boys to stimulate him so he could sell his sperm to a donor bank and he would get money for it.

The two boys went to Browne's flat and Browne lay each one down in turn on the floor, stripped them and rubbed himself against them until he climaxed.

The court heard these attacks occurred on a weekly basis.

Browne abused the third victim from 1987 to 1990 when the boy was aged 14 to 17.

As an adult this victim told gardai that he innocently believed Browne's story that he was collecting his sperm to help couples who couldn't have babies.

He said he felt very scared during the abuse and didn't know "what the hell was going on".

Browne threatened this boy not to tell anyone about the abuse or his family would be wiped out.

Judge Elma Sheahan said the assaults caused the victims to turn to alcohol and drug abuse to bury their torment.

She suspended the final year of a ten-year prison term on condition that Browne complete treatment programmes while in custody.
Posted Monday, March 15, 2021 4:36 am

Lynda Wilsons commentary on Feb. 15 about the governors use of executive powers couldnt be more wrong.

The option of emergency powers exists so that the governor can respond quickly to crisis situations, which is what the COVID-19 pandemic is. Washington state has had 341,441 COVID-19 cases as of the writing of this letter; Clark County has had 19,001 cases. According to the Washington Department of Health, 83% of these active cases are in people under the age of 60. More than 5,000 people in Washington have died of COVID-19 in the past year. Clark County has had more than 230 deaths. Gov. Jay Inslee has used these emergency powers responsibly to protect the lives of Washingtonians. The success of his action shows in the lower virus rates that Washington has compared to states without mask mandates. By the way, he has used state funds to provide at least three rounds of financial assistance to impacted businesses.

The people Wilson should really be upset with are the anti-maskers, who have spread the virus further, including Republican state Rep. Vicki Kraft, who also complains about the governor. Kraft has extended the pandemic by attending multiple rallies to encourage people not to wear masks. These acts of selfishness are what is spreading the disease and prolonging the pandemic, thus causing businesses to have to be shut down longer.

As one internet meme points out, would anyone have been OK during the World War II bombing of London if people demanded to keep their lights on and their shades open, knowing that their lights could lead the bombers to their neighborhoods? Well, COVID-19 is like that.
SEATTLE, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A diverse group of business leaders, social justice advocates, environmentalists, labor and philanthropists are joining together to call on the Washington State Legislature to pass the Climate Commitment Act, the state's largest investment in creating a clean economy while generating billions of dollars that will be fairly and equitably invested across the state. The bill is being heard today in the Washington State Senate Ways and Means Committee.

The group includes the Washington Business Alliance, Clean & Prosperous Washington (CaPWA), Washington Build-Back Black Alliance (WBBBA), the Working Group on Seafood and Energy, Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council, SEIU 1199 NW, and multiple environmental groups. Washington business members of the group sent a letter to the Senate Ways and Means Committee this morning urging committee members to put Washington back on a leadership path to addressing global climate change. "Despite some notable progress in addressing climate change and ushering in a clean energy economy, carbon emissions in the state are still growing. To meet the state's climate goals and those of the Paris Climate Accords, more needs to be done."



The letter, went on to say, "This bill aligns the state's climate goals with a regulatory cap on emissions that will ensure that Washington state achieves its 2030 and 2050 carbon reduction targets. The legislation will improve the productivity of Washington's economy by reducing costly energy waste, creating good jobs, improving public health and fostering equitable outcomes while providing a clear signal for business to innovate."

Business supporters signing the letter include Puget Sound Solar, McKinstry, MacDonald Miller Facility Solutions, Vulcan Inc, bp America and business associations like Northwest Energy Efficiency Council (NEEC) and American Institute of Architects (AIA) Washington Council.

MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions Vice President Perry England said, "We have lost a decade or more trying to get to a consensus on climate policy while carbon emissions have increased in Washington State. It is time to make reducing carbon emissions a priority while growing our economy. A cap and invest program will make both happen."

Washington Build-Back Black Alliance's Paula F. Sardinas said, "There can be no significant climate policy unless we have a commitment to cap and reduce emissions. But reducing the carbon footprint is not enough. We must create meaningful involvement giving affected community residents an appropriate opportunity to participate in any proposed public policy that will affect their environment and/or health." Sardinas went on to say they were proud to offer their "strong support" of this legislation which represents a significant commitment to improving the lives of marginalized people and overburdened communities.

Integrated with a transportation funding package, Senate Bill 5126 will also be the state's largest investment in mobility and climate protection, generating billions of dollars of investments into a transition to a low-carbon economy.



The Working Group on Seafood and Energy, a trade association representing seafood producers, suppliers, tribal and nontribal fishing communities, and other people who depend on healthy oceans, noted that "carbon pollution threatens productive fisheries and marine food webs that support more than 42,000 jobs and $1.7 billion in economic activity in the state, according to NOAA."



"Cap and invest is a model that is working and spreading across our country and world," said thought leader and entrepreneur David Giuliani, founder of Washington Business Alliance, inventor of Sonicare, and an early backer of the legislation. "This legislation is urgently needed and will create jobs and drive growth, by capping carbon pollution and investing in low-carbon, high-efficiency solutions to our transportation, energy, and manufacturing needs."

The full Ways and Means Committee letter can be found below and here . Additional information on the bill, supporters and other updates can also be found at this DropBox Link . Media, please contact Lee Keller for interviews at the contact information above.

More About Clean & Prosperous Washington, a project of the Washington Business Alliance

The Washington Business Alliance launched Clean & Prosperous Washington (CaPWA) in support of the Climate Commitment Act legislation. The bill was recently introduced by Governor Inslee and sponsored by Senator Reuven Carlyle (D-Seattle). We are calling for the broad participation of individuals, organizations, and businesses in shaping this legislation, and collecting signatories for a declaration of support for the policy .

Letter transmitted today to Washington State Senate Ways and Means Committee



Honorable Senator Rolfes, Chair

Honorable Senator Frockt, Vice-Chair

Honorable Senator Robinson, Vice-Chair

Honorable Senator Wilson, Ranking Member

Honorable Senator Brown, Assistant Ranking Member

Honorable Senator Honeyford, Assistant Ranking Member

Honorable Senator Schoesler, Assistant Ranking Member

Honorable Committee Members

March 15, 2021

Washington State has achieved some notable progress in addressing climate change and ushering in a clean energy economy, and yet carbon emissions in the state are still growing. To meet the state's climate goals and those of the Paris Climate Accords, more needs to be done.

The Washington State Legislature and the Ways and Means Committee is well positioned to take immediate climate action with PSSB 5126, the Climate Commitment Act. This bill aligns the state's climate goals with a regulatory cap on emissions that will ensure that Washington state achieves its 2030 and 2050 carbon reduction targets. The legislation will improve the productivity of Washington's economy by reducing costly energy waste, creating good jobs, improving public health and fostering equitable outcomes while providing a clear signal for business to innovate.

Integrated with a transportation funding package, PSSB 5126 will be the state's largest investment in mobility and climate protection, generating billions of dollars of investments into a transition to a low-carbon economy.

Recent changes to PSSB 5126 strengthen the act's commitment to advance EJ review and outcomes.

We urge you to pass PSSB 5126 and put Washington back on a leadership path to addressing global climate change.

MacDonald Miller Facility Solutions

bp America

McKinstry

UMC Inc

Pacific Mobility Group

Earth Up

Eco Consulting LLC

Pacific EV Solutions

Puget Sound Solar

Ecotope

The Jia Group

American Institute of Architects (AIA) Washington Council

Northwest Energy Efficiency Council

Pacific North Westy

Sustainable Living Innovations

Appropriate Technology Group

Sphere Solar Energy

Rick Steves Europe

Vulcan, Inc

SOURCE Clean & Prosperous Washington

Related Links

https://www.cleanprosperouswa.com


VietinBank Securities will use the syndicated loan to expand business

The syndicated loan comes from four lenders, namely Union Bank of Taiwan, Taichung Commercial Bank Co., Ltd.  Labuan Branch, Taishin International Bank, and Huanan Commercial Bank.

The negotiations for the loan only began at the end of 2020 and was completed swiftly despite the lingering uncertainties of the pandemic. The $30 million deal has a 12-month tenure with reasonable costs.

The syndicated loan facilities are expected to fund the brokerages future operations and business expansion plan in the fast-growing Vietnamese equity market.

VietinBank Securities is one of the seven oldest securities firms in Vietnam. As of December 2020, the companys charter capital reached VND1.064 trillion ($46.26 million), with total assets of VND4.273 trillion ($185.8 million).

This deal paves the way for VietinBank Securities to boost its activities related to international loan advisory and financing arrangements.
IRELANDS young filmmaker awards celebrates its 25th anniversary this year as the Fresh Film Festival takes place, over the course of a week, online.

The Fresh Film Festival has showcased the work of Irelands talented young filmmakers for the past 25 years. This is their second year having the festival online due to Covid-19 restrictions, and although its not how they wanted to host their anniversary theyve taken it head on.

I dont think anything can replicate that feeling of sitting in a cinema with an audience of 500 plus, but weve developed a huge programme for online and we think itll be an enjoyable week all the same said Jayne Foley, Limerick native and founder of the Fresh Film Festival.

The festival showcases the films of young people from the ages of 7 to 18 years old. The festival has been a stepping stone for many young filmmakers, with previous entrants going on to work for the likes of RTE, BBC and Netflix.

The festival takes place from Monday, March 22 until the end of the week which is Sunday, March 28 via a YouTube livestream.

Presenter and documentary filmmaker Stephen Byrne and comedian and writer Justine Stafford will be hosting this years awards. There will be several workshops and screenings of different films over the course of the week, all delivered online.

Jayne told the Leader that some great pieces of film have been entered and explained what she specifically looks for in a winning film,

What were really interested in is their authentic voice. I also always look for ambition and originality. Sometimes we think weve seen it all and then something new comes along, she continued, however, its great sometimes just to see young people having fun making a film. That can be really joyous.

There are several Limerick contestants this year and Jayne explains that Limerick has slowly but truly developed a culture for film to thrive in.

For a long time Limerick was lacking in support for young filmmakers but that has changed now. There are plenty of groups around Limerick now that foster young filmmakers such as the Limerick Youth Theatre. Hopefully well see many more filmmakers come from Limerick.

Jayne also talked about the effect of the pandemic on young people, For young people, I dont think the pandemic has been good for them, theyve been very isolated. And the films weve seen this year reflect that.

However, Jayne was able to see the bright side of things and said the pandemic has offered them opportunities they wouldnt have had before, Sarah Gavron, the director of Suffragette, is doing an online workshop with the kids. Thats something we couldnt have pulled off before, I dont know how we would have gotten her over from London. The pandemic has made the world smaller in a way.

You can catch Jayne and all the young filmmakers this year from March 22 to March 28 via their YouTube livestream and their website.
The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost.
Lumi, the car rental business of Seera Group, has won the bid to open retail service counters at Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport, Ta'if Regional Airport and Al-Baha Domestic Airport in Saudi Arabia.



These join the current network of 8 airport counters and the total network of 26 branches in the region.



Accelerating the development of some sophisticated technology solutions, Lumi is swiftly becoming one of the top car rental brands offering digital-driven services in the Kingdom. This progression is also part of Seeras omnichannel strategy to create a seamless experience across different channels for the customers.



Lumi is also carrying out major refurbishments at their branches by starting with the Al Olaya branch that is located in the financial district of Riyadh. The branch has been redesigned, with a new fresh look, a new layout, featuring the latest technology offerings, enabling customers to have a hassle-free, quick, and easy booking experience.



Lumi has strengthened its services by creating time saving processes including the digitisation of the entire operations at the airport counters. The Tamm service has also been integrated to speed up the government registration for customers who are looking to rent a vehicle. Lumis digital-first branches will also feature ID scanners and agents onsite for consultation.



At Lumis airport counters, residents and visitors passing through the airports will be able to enjoy quick and easy access to Lumis extensive range of enhanced fleet with digital-driven customer services. Lumi has the youngest rental fleet in the Kingdom, with over 80 per cent of cars under 12 months old. The company had purchased over 4,000 cars in 2020 with a majority of fleet additions coming from Toyota and Hyundai.



Further, as part of Groups larger initiative, Seera Safe, Lumi has launched various safety initiatives, reassuring customers of the highest standards of health and safety followed. Enhanced cleaning procedures include a thorough sanitisation of all vehicles before rental with utmost attention paid to high touch point areas. Temperature checks of staff and visitors have been activated at all the airport counters. Social distancing measures are practised and digital processes and payments reduce physical contact.



Azfar Shakeel, Vice President of Lumi, said: Winning the bid to open airport counters at three major airports in the Kingdom is an important step in the expansion of our network, and reinforces us as the preferred car rental partner. The airport counters will serve international visitors as well as domestic customers seeking convenience, value, and service. Our goal is to sustain our market leadership through innovative services that meet the requirements of our growing base of government clients, corporates, families and individuals.



With changing customer preferences and the business need to offer seamless services, Lumi is also working on enhanced tech-driven offerings for online bookings, to revolutionise the car rental experience.



Lumi is ISO 9001:2015 certified, highlighting its commitment to the highest quality standards. With a fleet of over 13,000 vehicles in the Kingdom and more than 150 corporate clients recorded in over three years in Saudi Arabia, Lumi is further strengthening its credentials as Saudi Arabias top-performing car rental service with new tech-driven services.  TradeArabia News Service


Winter storm closes roads in Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska View Photo

A powerful late winter snowstorm intensified over the central Rocky Mountains on Sunday with heavy snow and wind leading to airport and road closures, power outages and avalanche warnings in parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska.

The National Weather Service in Wyoming called it a historic and crippling winter storm that would cause extremely dangerous to impossible travel conditions through at least early Monday.

Major roads southeast of a line that crosses diagonally from the southwest corner of Wyoming to its northeast corner were closed Sunday, including roads in and out of Cheyenne and Casper.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation suspended plowing operations in the Casper area Sunday due to heavy snow and a lack of visibility, the agency said.

We had several plows drive off the roadway due to limited to zero visibility, the agency said on its Facebook page.

Farther south, a record of over 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow had fallen just outside Cheyenne by noon Sunday, the weather service reported. A SNOTEL site at Windy Peak in the Laramie Range reported 52 inches (1.3 meters) of snow in a 24-hour period ending Sunday morning, the weather service said.

A person who answered the phone at the Loves Travel Stop in Cheyenne, but declined to give his name, said 98 trucks were stranded there. They were taking fuel out a can at a time to fill up generators on the trucks to keep their refrigerators or freezers running, he said.

Interstate 25 was closed north from Fort Collins, Colorado, to its end at Buffalo, Wyoming while Interstate 80 was closed across southern Wyoming and into the Nebraska panhandle, where 19 inches (48 centimeters) of snow were reported just south of Gering, Nebraska.

Nebraskas transportation department asked people across the state to stay home to avoid strong winds and rain on the eastern side of the state and blizzard conditions in the west, the Omaha World-Herald reported. Traffic from Interstate 80 was routed into nearby cities and towns.

Denver Public Schools are taking a snow day on Monday, as will schools in Cheyenne and Casper in Wyoming. Some government offices in those areas also will be closed Monday.

At Denver International Airport, the runways were closed just before noon Sunday due to blowing snow and poor visibilities. Many flights have already been canceled so the runway closures have minimal impacts, airport officials said in social media posts. More than 19 inches (48 centimeters) of snow had fallen at the airport by 11 a.m. Sunday, the weather service said.

The Northern Colorado Regional Airport that serves the Fort Collins and Loveland areas was closed Sunday morning after receiving a foot (30 centimeters) of snow, according to the airports social media accounts.

An avalanche warning was in effect Sunday for the Rocky Mountains west of Fort Collins, Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs where intense snowfall will cause large and destructive avalanches, Colorado Avalanche Center said. The center warned that avalanches could happen in unusual locations and recommended against traveling in the backcountry.

An avalanche blocked Colorado Highway 14 in north-central Colorado on Sunday, the Department of Transportation said.

Nearly 32,000 Xcel Energy customers were without power Sunday in north-central Colorado, while smaller outages were reported in the same area by the Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association

Rocky Mountain Power in Wyoming has reported several outages. At one point overnight, service was interrupted to nearly 2,600 customers in Casper and Glenrock and 2,800 customers in Lander. Just under 1,000 people were without power in the Casper area on Sunday.

The power company expects more service interruptions as the storm continues.

Heavy snow and drifting conditions from wind is expected to make travel and repair work increasingly difficult today, Curt Mansfield, vice president of operations for Rocky Mountain Power said in a statement Sunday.

___

This story has been changed to correct that the spelling of the company name is Xcel Energy, not Excel Energy.

The Associated Press
 Nicholas R. Demperio, 36, 61 Chapman Ave., Auburn, was charged March 15 with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

 John B. Dennis, 32, 57 Orchard St., Auburn, was charged March 15 with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

County

 Misty M. Leonard, 32, 4 1st St., Port Byron, was charged March 12 with second-degree criminal sale of marijuana.

 Jeffrey Paul Murray, 22, 3031 Turnpike Road, Sennett, was charged March 12 with endangering the welfare of a child and third-degree fleeing an officer in a motor vehicle.

State

 Brandon R. Hastings, 33, Martville, was charged March 13 with third-degree menacing, fourth-degree criminal mischief, first-degree criminal contempt and aggravated family offense.

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The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has announced an indictment against the head and associate of a Canada-based company that allegedly supplied custom encrypted phones to international drug traffickers. In just the second case of its kind, CEO Jean-Francois Eap and former distributor Thomas Herdman of Sky Global were charged with conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Warrants have been issued for their arrests.

The RICO law is typically used to combat organized crime and was previously used against another encrypted phone company called Phantom Secure. Motherboard reports that the DoJ's announcement follows a crackdown in Europe that saw local law enforcement obtain and decrypt almost a billion messages sent between Sky Global's customers.

The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury on Friday, alleges that Sky Global installed sophisticated encryption software on devices designed to help drug traffickers to evade police surveillance. The custom phones  which included iPhone, Google Pixel, Blackberry, and Nokia handsets  allowed their users to communicate with each other in a closed network, with Sky Global routing their activity through encrypted servers located in Canada and France.

Sky Global's alleged purpose was to facilitate an international drug trafficking operation that included the import and export of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. The narcotics were distributed in the US and Canada, Australia, Asia and Europe. While the encrypted communications system was also allegedly used to mask money laundering activities that included Bitcoin transactions on Sky Global's website.

In order to hide their illicit enterprise, Sky Global's employees apparently set up shell companies to cloak the proceeds from sales of their encrypted software. In total, some 70,000 of the custom devices are in use worldwide, according to the DoJ.

"The indictment alleges that Sky Global generated hundreds of millions of dollars providing a service that allowed criminal networks around the world to hide their international drug trafficking activity from law enforcement," Acting US Attorney Randy Grossman said in a statement. "This groundbreaking investigation should send a serious message to companies who think they can aid criminals in their unlawful activities."
AUSTIN, Texas -- Using NASA satellite images and machine learning, researchers with The University of Texas at Austin have mapped changes in the landscape of northwestern Belize over a span of four decades, finding significant losses of forest and wetlands, but also successful regrowth of forest in established conservation zones that protect surviving structures of the ancient Maya.

The research serves as a case study for other rapidly developing and tropical regions of the globe, especially in places struggling to balance forest and wetland conservation with agricultural needs and food security.

"Broad-scale global studies show that tropical deforestation and wetland destruction is occurring rapidly, which contributes to climate change in multiple ways such as through greenhouses gas increases," said Timothy Beach, the study's co-author and professor in the Department of Geography and the Environment at UT Austin. "These also lead to more runoff and water pollution in much of the Global South. Belize has served as our long-term environmental research laboratory for this global dilemma."

In a study published in Remote Sensing, the team led by UT Austin graduate student Colin Doyle used satellite images from NASA's Landsat archive to quantify land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes that occurred in Belize's Orange Walk District in 1984-1987, 1999-2001 and 2014-2016. The periods were chosen to correspond with rapid changes in the agricultural system and conservation initiatives.

The Landsat program, which has been recording images of Earth since 1972, is currently on its eighth satellite. To study such broad periods, the authors used images from Landsat 8 and earlier satellites and employed a multitemporal approach, creating composite images from wet and dry seasons over several years for each period. They then trained an algorithm to identify eight distinct land types, including several varieties of forest and wetlands. From this, they generated maps illustrating the LULC for each of the three periods.

During the first period (1984-1987), deforestation was limited to small patches resulting from milpa farming -- a system of rotating crops and allowing previous plots to lie fallow in between use to maximize yields.

Several protected areas were established in the late 1980s and early 1990s. By the second period examined (1999-2001), forests in these protected areas had regrown but losses to wetlands continued, as did the conversion of nonprotected land to agriculture.

The third period mapped (2014-2016) followed a shift to industrial agriculture in the 2000s and showed "alarming" losses to both forest (7.5% loss) and wetlands (28.2% loss) outside of protected areas, said co-author Sheryl Luzzadder-Beach, the founding director of the university's Water Quality & Environmental Hydrology Lab.

Population growth contributed to the increase in land used for agriculture. However, it was a greater factor between the first and second periods, when the population nearly doubled, than between the second and third periods, when population grew more slowly, indicating that changes in farming practices had a greater impact on land use.

The maps also revealed the importance of conservation efforts in maintaining forests. Of the remaining forest in the study area, 76% is estimated to be on protected lands. These habitats are crucial in housing native flora and fauna and also contain structures from the Maya civilization important to the region's cultural heritage.

"These ecosystems provide many services such as aiding in the water cycle and preventing flooding," Doyle said. "The conversion of forest to pastureland and industrial agriculture is also a major contributor to increasing greenhouse gas emissions across the tropics."

###
Miami Beach during spring break in 2017. Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Around 100 people have been arrested in Miami Beach over the weekend, CNN reported.

Two police officers were injured breaking up a crowd of around 200 people on Friday.

A Miami Beach spokeswoman told CNN the pandemic has made it more difficult to handle vacationers.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

More than 100 people have been arrested over the past week in Miami Beach, Florida, as police clamp down on what they described as unruly spring breakers, CNN reported.

A Miami Beach Police spokesman told Insider in an email that between Monday, March 8 to the morning of Saturday, March 13, 119 people were arrest, 42 of which were for felonies.

On Saturday, an additional 30 people were arrested police said. The night prior, two officers were injured and taken to the hospital after a large unruly crowd surrounded officers making an arrest.

Police said in a tweet that they "forced to utilize pepper balls to disperse members of the crowd."

Miami Beach Police did not reply to Insider's email request for comment at the time of publication but told the Associated Press that as of Saturday, the two officers were released from the hospital but are still off-duty as they recover.

WSVN reported that a video surfaced of an officer body-slamming a man as he tried to arrest him on Friday. Miami Beach Police Officer Ernesto Rodriguez told the outlet that the man was inciting a crowd of around 200 people.

Police said 13 firearms were seized.

Miami Beach spokeswoman Veronica Paysse told CNN that drugs were also seized.

Local outlet WPLG reported that officers are working 12-hour shifts. Paysse told CNN that while this conduct is common during spring break, the pandemic has made it difficult to police.

The city still mandates that people wear face coverings in public, but Paysse told CNN the state doesn't allow those who don't follow mask orders to be fined.

"We are dealing with the behavior," Chief of Police Richard Clements told WPLG. "All we want to do is for people who want to come down here to have a good time, enjoy themselves, but obey the rules."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Opposition factions in Armenia's parliament have called for an end to martial law after it was declared following the outbreak of war with Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2020.

During a March 15 session of the parliaments defense committee, the Prosperous Armenia and Bright Armenia factions accused the government of maintaining the measure for political purposes amid the opposition calls for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian to resign over his handling of the war.

A Moscow-brokered cease-fire deal with Azerbaijan took effect on November 10, 2020, ending six weeks of fierce fighting in and around Nagorno-Karabakh.

Under the agreement, a chunk of contested region and all seven districts around it were placed under Azerbaijani administration after almost 30 years of control by Armenians.

Prosperous Armenia lawmaker Arman Abovian said martial law, imposed on September 27, does not correspond to the current situation and is a serious obstacle to political developments.

Abovian pointed out one provision of the law under which the prime minister cannot be impeached as a possible reason Pashinian has not moved to withdraw the measure.

Opposition Complaints

Bright Armenia head Edmon Marukian also complained that the parliamentary opposition cannot start a no-confidence motion during martial law.

In the Yerevan municipality, the assembly of lawmakers cannot start a no-confidence vote against the mayor and so on. Elections that were scheduled in the town of Ijevan and some other communities have been postponed because martial law has not been lifted yet, Marukian said.

Pro-government lawmakers who sit on parliaments Defense Committee said they were in favor of ending martial law but only in due time.

They said that most restrictions regarding freedom of assembly and speech were lifted in December 2020.

If all the grounds for martial law are eliminated, of course, this martial law will be lifted as early as possible, said Armen Khachatrian, a member of the majority My Step faction.

Khachatrian said he expected the government to initiate a bill to lift martial law within the next seven or 10 days.

The committees pro-government head Andranik Kocharian tied the lifting of martial law to the ongoing political discussions surrounding snap parliamentary elections.

The sooner we create harmonious political conditions or reach consensus, the sooner martial law will be lifted, because there will be snap elections, and there can be no elections during the effect of martial law, Kocharian said.

A coalition uniting 16 opposition parties has been holding anti-government demonstrations in Yerevan and other parts of the country in a bid to force Pashinian to hand over power to an interim government.

Pashinian, whose My Step faction dominates parliament, has refused to step down but has hinted at accepting early parliamentary elections under certain conditions.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but the ethnic Armenians who make up most of the region's population reject Azerbaijani rule.

They had been governing their own affairs, with support from Armenia, since Azerbaijan's troops and Azeri civilians were pushed out of the region and seven adjacent districts in a war that ended in a cease-fire in 1994.
Today, the prototypes of the Ukrainian RK-360MTs Neptune mobile anti-ship cruise missile system have been handed over to the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Minister of Defense of Ukraine Andriy Taran welcomed the previously announced transfer of the Neptune prototypes, the press service of the Ministry of Defense reports.

According to the minister, the systems were manufactured under a state contract between the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the State Enterprise Kyiv State Design Bureau Luch.

As noted, the Neptune systems will significantly strengthen the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Azov-Black Sea region. The relevant unit has already been formed in the Ukrainian Navy.

"Thanks to the joint work of the Defense Ministry and domestic enterprises, it was possible to produce a new generation of weapons that will increase the deterrent potential and Ukraine's influence at sea. Our task is to form a single defense system by means of the Neptune systems, missile and patrol boats, corvettes to be able to repel an enemy from the sea," Taran stressed.

As reported, on August 23, 2020, the Armed Forces of Ukraine took into service the 360MTs Neptune missile system. The missile system is capable of destroying cruiser, destroyer, frigate and corvette warships, as well as landing ships and transports which operate both individually and in groups. Missiles can hit targets in difficult weather conditions with active fire and electronic countermeasures.

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After the murder that took place in Gyumri a little while ago, one of the injured who was transferred from the scene of the incident to Gyumri Medical Center with bodily injuries is undergoing surgery, while the other is in satisfactory condition, Gyumri Medical Center reported to Armenian News-NEWS.am, adding that at around 2:30 p.m. two citizens were checked into the medical center with injuries caused by a cutting and piercing tool.

One of the citizens is a 33-year-old woman who, according to preliminary data, was told that she had a bleeding wound on the surface of the right side of her neck.

The other injured citizen is a 28-year-old man who is currently undergoing surgery.

Earlier, shamshyan.com reported that today at around 3:20 p.m. the Shirak Regional Police Department received an alarm according to which there was a body in the yard of an apartment building in Gyumri.

Police officers and investigators found the body of a 37-year-old man. According to the preliminary data reported by the forensic medicine doctor, there are many traces of a stabbing.

A criminal case has been launched under the elements of murder.
Over a year after the first season of "The Witcher" arrived on Netflix, the series will grace the platform again with its new installment.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Paul Bullion - the actor who plays the role of Lambert - gave a massive update regarding the flick.

On his Twitter account, he revealed that he completed filming his parts by posting his set chair.

"It's a wrap on Lambert for S2 @witchernetflix I clutch my wolf medallion & thank production for everything. It's been an honour joining. This team is making something special during a global crisis," he captioned the post.

He also took his time to thank Lauren Hissrich and Sophie Holland who invited him into the fold.

It's a wrap on Lambert for S2 @witchernetflix



I clutch my wolf medallion & thank production for everything.



It's been an honour joining.



This team is making something special during a global crisis



#witcher #Lambert #Team #WitcherNetflix pic.twitter.com/QlopqHwgEq  Paul Bullion (@PaulBullionLive) March 13, 2021

In the end, Bullion proudly said that "The Witcher" is a "show about family, made by a family."

As he dropped the exciting news, here's everything the viewers - old and new -should know about the series.

"The Witcher" Season 2 Release Date

As of the writing, the exact release date of "The Witcher" Season 2 remains unknown. However, Netflix has been hinting that the first episodes of the series will arrive soon - not later than 2021.

Previously, the streaming giant said that the pre-production would start in early 2020, aiming for a 2021 release date.

"The Witcher" showrunner also confirmed the plan through a Reddit AMA, saying: "We don't yet have a target launch date for season 2, past 2021... We don't want to rush the product."

Henry Cavill's recent injury also caused worries among fans, as they thought that it would halt the production once again.

For what it's worth, a source first told The Sun about Cavill's injury. The 37-year-old actor, who plays the lead character Geralt of Rivia in the Netflix series, suffered from a minor leg muscle injury at that time.

"He just suddenly pulled up and was clearly in a lot of pain," the insider added. "It wasn't clear if an object had hit his leg or it was some sort of hamstring or muscle injury."

Fortunately, he recovered immediately and made it on time.

"The Witcher" Season 2 Cast

Apart from Cavill and Bullion, "The Witcher" surely contacted award-winning stars to join the second journey.

Anya Chalotra and Freya Allan are expected to reprise their roles as Yennefer and Ciri, respectively.

The old gang Anna Shaffer (Triss), Joey Batey (Jaskier), Eamon Farren (Cahir), MyAnna Buring (Tissaia), Lars Mikkelson (Stregobor), Terence Maynard (Artorius), Therica Wilson Read (Sabrina), Tom Canton (Filavandrel), Jeremy Crawford (Yarpen Zigrin), Lilly Cooper (Murta), and Royce Pierreson (Istredd) will also be back.

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
Shahid said she spent her first non-instruction day sleeping in. And after rising around noon, she used the time off to catch up on homework. While she hopes to enjoy the next one more by celebrating her upcoming birthday, she might need to scrap those plans if she falls behind.
North Tongu lawmaker, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has raised concerns over the four million cedis allocated for government communication in the 2021 budget.



According to him, such an allocation should be rather made to the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) since their education and public campaigns are more required in the wake of the COVID pandemic.



This business of classifying Government Communication as a Government Flagship Programme and allocating hefty sums (GHC6million in 2020 and GHC4million in 2021) must stop. Note that the Ministry of Information has a separate budget.



Meanwhile, the Goods and Services budget for the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has been drastically cut from GHC7,016,420 in 2020 to GHC4,291,295 in the 2021 budget, Mr Ablakwa wrote in a statement.



He added: One would have thought that during a pandemic where credible public education is a critical requirement to fight vaccine hesitancy and all the conspiracy theories out there, the NCCE budget would rather have been raised substantially and government communicators asked to take a rest. In any case, it is trite knowledge that in periods like these, the general public prefers to listen to non-partisan experts and not government propagandists.



I humbly suggest that government reallocates that GHS4million to the NCCE. Its not late to rethink this. Dont squeeze out additional taxes from the people in these tough times only to fund government propaganda as a flagship programme.







Source: star fm









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
Ashleigh McMullen remembers a lonely pregnancy that ended with learning, after the birth of her four-month-old son, that he would require open-heart surgery.

Ashleigh McMullen remembers a lonely pregnancy that ended with learning, after the birth of her four-month-old son, that he would require open-heart surgery.

The "traumatic" part, she says, was having to go through the prenatal process alone.

Her husband wasnt allowed to attend prenatal appointments, including ultrasounds. It hurt that she wasnt able to share the happier moments of her appointments. That pain became more pronounced during post-natal appointments when she had to go to appointments alone where doctors gave her details about her sons condition.

"It blows my mind, it really does, and it makes me sick," McMullen said. "Because this is probably the hardest thing my husband and I have gone through, and my husbands had to experience this from a car, or from a FaceTime call."

Under current COVID-19 restrictions, maternity patients are allowed one designated visitor during the delivery and afterward. McMullens husband was allowed in the room only when her labour was induced, meaning she was alone when she learned the baby was in the breech position and had to be turned, and she was alone throughout the procedure.

"The dad or the partner is just as important as the mother... so why wouldnt they be allowed in there?" she said.

I dont understand their method of how theyre opening things, so I can go get my nails done, but I cant have my husband with me at an appointment? It doesnt make sense. I feel like theyre maybe opening things that benefit them, in a way.  Ashleigh McMullen

A spokesman for Shared Health said the province would continue to assess visitor guidelines in hospitals.

"As Manitobas COVID-19 activity continues to evolve and public health restrictions are eased, we are regularly assessing the impact these changes may have on health facility protocols, including visitation," he said.

Shayna Plaut, who is eight months pregnant with her second child, was "shocked" when she learned she would have to choose between her partner and her doula to be present while she gives birth.

"So, Im going to deny my partner being able to see the birth of his child? Thats what you want me to do? (Or) you want to deny me the help of a woman who has had the experience of bringing in 30, 40, 50 babies into this world, when I want that support and its going to help me make the birth go better?" Plaut said.

She had a doula during her first birth and said it was a crucial part of the process. She wasnt made aware of the current restriction until she raised the issue with her doctor.

The Shared Health spokesman confirmed that a doula may be part of the labour and delivery process as an "essential care partner" but would not be considered a member of the medical team.

Plaut, who is an instructor of peace and conflict studies, said the restriction raises the question about who is qualified as an essential worker.

She called the work of a doula an aspect of "cultural capital"  an important role for doulas is to advocate for the person giving birth, and some people have societal privileges that make them more capable of advocating for themselves than others. Her own labour lasted 25 hours.

SUPPLIED Shayna Plaut

"Im a native English speaker. I am fairly well-educated. I am an assertive person by nature (and) I dont have a problem looking at a doctor and saying, This is what I want, how are we going to do that, but thats not going to be the case for everybody," she said.

"I also expect to be listened to, thats certainly not the case for everybody. Racism is a real thing, classism is a real thing, language barriers are a real thing."

As the number of COVID-19 cases remains fairly low, Plaut said its likely time to fine-tune the visitation process on a case-by-case basis.

"Were now in a place where we can open up (lounges). We can open up gambling machines," she said. "But you can only have one person thats designated as a support person for when youre giving birth."

McMullen called the provinces reopening strategy "totally absurd."

"I dont understand their method of how theyre opening things, so I can go get my nails done, but I cant have my husband with me at an appointment? It doesnt make sense," she said. "I feel like theyre maybe opening things that benefit them, in a way."

Her next step is to travel to Edmonton, where her son will undergo surgery. Shes been told both she and her husband will be able to see him into surgery, but fears that could change.

"You have a lot on your mind, especially having a baby born with something wrong that we didnt even know about," she said.

"Now I have a million questions in my head it would be a lot easier if you had your spouse there. Youre in pain, youre stressed out, youre full of anxiety and then you dont have anyone there."

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: malakabas_
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Eye care professionals warn that those facing degenerative eye conditions risk vision loss if they dont take care of their eye health during the pandemic. (Lucky Business/Shutterstock)

Why You Shouldnt Neglect Eye Care During the Pandemic

Patients with chronic, sight-threatening eye conditions skip their appointments at the risk of vision loss

Lockdowns and concerns about COVID-19 exposure have caused people of all ages to cancel and delay routine eye appointments, raising red flags among eye care professionals. As the pandemic continues into its second year, can ocular health be neglected any longer?

Our team of optometrists and clinical scientists at the Centre for Ocular Research & Education (CORE) hear the confusion and concerns about peoples eyes during COVID-19. Addressing the most common questionsmany of which we keep up to date at COVIDeyefacts.orgcan help you and your family maintain the best vision while staying safe.

Can I Set Aside My Eye Health?

A survey commissioned by Fight for Sight, a charity in the United Kingdom devoted to eye research, reveals that 1 in 5 adults in the UK is less likely to visit an eye doctor during the pandemic. This is despite finding that one-third of adults have reported deteriorating eyesight since the pandemic began.

Thousands of patients who previously sought regular treatment for chronic, sight-threatening eye conditions are missing vital appointments that help to preserve their vision.

Ophthalmologists report that patients with retinal conditions such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy are skipping hospital appointments for sight-preserving injections, which often leads to devastating consequences such as disease progression and gives rise to significant vision loss.

What Eye Conditions Cannot Wait?

Putting aside COVID-19 concerns, there are seven reasons to urgently call your eye doctor, no matter the age of the patient:

Eye injury

Eye pain

If you notice new floaters or flashes of light

Red eye

A sudden change in vision

Blank or wavy spots

Refills for prescription drops

Delaying care in these situations may result in poor outcomes, including vision loss. Some clinics offer telephone consultations to triage care and discuss options. When in doubt, call.

Infographic summarizing seven reasons to urgently contact your eye doctor. (Alison Ng/CORE, University of Waterloo), Author provided

Have Eye Exams Changed?

As with every aspect of our lives, significant modifications have been made to the way eye care professionals and clinics are operating, putting safety first. You will see spaced appointments and physical distancing, staff and doctors using protective equipment, modifications to some tests, accommodations for ventilation, and morewith the same commitment to patient health.

Eye care professionals have put safety measures in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Heres what to expect at an eye exam during the pandemic. (Alison Ng/CORE, University of Waterloo), Author provided

Do I Really Need to Have an Exam?

When your eye doctor is shining those bright lights into your eyes, they are checking for signs that might point to painless and progressive diseases that may not be apparent.

For example, glaucoma affects the optic nerve, causing gradual irreversible vision loss. Its the leading cause of irreversible blindness globally and more than 80 percent of those affected experience silent vision loss. Often, patients with glaucoma fail to notice any symptoms until 40 percent of nerve damage has occurred. Early detection and timely treatment limit further damage.

An eye doctor examining the eyes of a patient. The eye doctor is wearing personal protective equipment including a face mask, goggles, and gloves. There is a plastic breath shield between the eye doctor and the patient, and the patient is also wearing a face mask. (CORE, University of Waterloo), Author provided

Can I Trust Online Sources for Care Information?

Lets say you wake up with red eyes. Dr. Google will likely tell you that you have conjunctivitis, or pink eyea simple eye infection that disappears without consequences. However, increased eye redness isnt only caused by pink eye. This is referred to as a differential diagnosis or what else could this be?

For example, inflammation of the iris also presents as a red eye. Without timely treatment involving prescription eye drops, this condition progresses to worsening pain, light sensitivity, and blurred vision, and can lead to cataracts, glaucoma, or permanent vision loss. The only way to confirm the cause of an eye problem and get appropriate treatment is to see an eye care professional.

What About Children?

With estimates that half of the worlds population will be myopic (nearsighted) by 2050 and the time that kids spend on screens skyrocketing, the impact on their vision might be around long after this pandemic is over.

A CORE study found almost one-third of Canadian school children aged 11 to 13 were myopic, and 35 percent of myopic children didnt have glasses or contact lenses to help them see better. Some children simply dont know they have an eye problem because they assume that everyone sees the same. The combination of rising rates among children, and fewer people seeing eye care professionals means that children may be one of the larger underserved demographics in terms of eye care.

Is It Safe to Get an Eye Exam?

Every effort is being made to ensure that staff, doctors, and patients are kept safe. Clinic personnel are expected to stay home and isolate if they have symptoms of COVID-19 in the same way that patients are.

In a time of continued uncertainty, one thing remains clear: Your vision is important and you can take steps to keep it that way, even during a pandemic.

Alison Ng is a clinical scientist at the University of Waterloos Centre for Ocular Research & Education, in Canada; Mike Yang is a clinical scientist at Centre for Ocular Research & Education. This article was first published on The Conversation.
Nearly 65 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered across China by Sunday, Li Bin, deputy head of the National Health Commission, told a press conference in Beijing on Monday.

"China has endeavored to steadily increase its vaccinated population," said Li, noting that a total of 15 supervisory groups had been dispatched to provide guidance across the country.

The best way to prevent COVID-19 cases is vaccination, and it is China's current top COVID-19 prevention and control strategy, said Li.

Noting an overall stable COVID-19 situation in China, Li pointed out the potential risks of imported cases and cluster cases in some localities, and called on more people to get vaccinated.

Related systems have been established to coordinate the vaccine supply across the country, as well as a nationwide tracking platform to strictly implement the control measures for the whole vaccine process, according to Li.

Right now, China's vaccine manufacturers are constantly expanding, their production capacity is being continuously released and their output will gradually increase, said Tian Yulong, chief engineer at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

"We have established a flexible mechanism to ensure a balance between the supply and demand of the vaccines," said Tian.

The current supply of materials for vaccine production is also orderly, stable and sufficient, and can meet the needs of large-scale vaccine production at present and for some time to come, he said.

While ensuring domestic needs are met, China will continue to export COVID-19 vaccines and provide vaccine aid to other countries, Tian noted.

China has provided vaccine aid to more than 50 countries and exported vaccines to 27 nations, data from the Foreign Ministry showed at the end of February.

"I believe that China's high-quality and safe vaccines will be welcomed by more countries, and we are willing to make more efforts in this regard," Tian added.

China has taken a series of effective measures to ensure the quality and safety of the COVID-19 vaccines, said Yuan Lin, an official with the National Medical Products Administration.

A relatively comprehensive supervision system, a complete legal system, and a system of quality standards for vaccines have been established, said Yuan.

Each vaccine batch on the market is examined and approved by a state-accredited agency, he said.

"We are also stepping up efforts to continuously improve the quality and efficiency of vaccine examination to match our vaccine production capacity," he added.
Citizens display China's national flag in support of implementing the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" at Tamar Park in Hong Kong, south China, March 6, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

The G7 should stop playing politics, and give up the delusion that they are able to hold back the reform of Hong Kong's electoral system. Their futile meddling is doomed to fail, and if continued, they will have to pay a price.

BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Group of Seven's (G7) statement on China's decision to improve Hong Kong's electoral system goes against facts and exposes the group's hypocritical nature.

To close the loopholes in Hong Kong's electoral system and prevent anti-China disruptors from endangering Hong Kong's stability and security, the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, on Thursday adopted a decision that was passed by an overwhelming majority vote.

In their statement, foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the high representative of the European Union, expressed "concerns" over that decision.

Since Hong Kong's return to the motherland in 1997, how to design and improve the electoral system in Hong Kong has been China's internal affair, in which foreign countries have no right to interfere.

Citizens sign their names during a campaign in support of the decision on improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region by the National People's Congress (NPC) in Hong Kong, south China, March 11, 2021.(Xinhua/Lo Ping Fai)

China has been committed to implementing the principles of "one country, two systems," "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong," and a high degree of autonomy, which has ensured that Hong Kong compatriots enjoy rights and freedoms that were impossible under British colonial rule.

It is widely recognized by the world community that a country should be governed by patriots, a principle that all countries, including the G7 members, followed when designing their political systems.

With China's move to improve Hong Kong's electoral system, those who are unpatriotic and do not love the city will find it a pipe dream for them to enter Hong Kong's bodies of power and other parts of the administrative structure.

However, it does not mean that Hong Kong's political life will not tolerate different views and voices.

Patriots in the opposition camp can still stand for election and be elected in accordance with the law. Hong Kong's Legislative Council will be more broadly representative, and different voices, including criticism of the government, will be heard in the council.

As is known, some G7 countries have played a disgraceful role in Hong Kong for a long period in an attempt to disrupt and contain China's development.

They never stop fanning the flames, meddling in politics, or even gloating over rioters' violence seen in Hong Kong over recent years.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a virtual meeting of the leaders of the Group of Seven at Downing Street in London, Britain, on Feb. 19, 2021. (Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street/Handout via Xinhua)

With external forces indulging anti-China disruptors in the name of "freedom" and "democracy," Hong Kong can barely maintain normal order, not to mention long-term prosperity and stability.

Brimming with absurd rhetoric that is purely imaginary and fabricated to confuse the international community, the G7 once again disregarded China's claim of its stance, and seriously violated the United Nations (UN) Charter and the basic norms of international relations. The announcement seems to serve to pump up their agents in Hong Kong.

Nevertheless, the G7's hypocritical statement cannot change the mainstream consensus of the international community to support the Chinese government in taking effective measures to safeguard Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.

During the ongoing 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council, a Belarusian representative delivered a joint speech on behalf of 70 countries, emphasizing that Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs and should not be interfered in by external forces. More than 20 countries made respective remarks in support of China's position and measures on Hong Kong-related issues.

Aerial photo taken on July 16, 2020 shows the Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)

Foreign interference will never sway China's resolution to implement "one country, two systems" and safeguard Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability. It is the Chinese people, including Hong Kong compatriots, who really care about Hong Kong's destiny and have a say in its development.

The G7 should stop playing politics, and give up the delusion that they are able to hold back the reform of Hong Kong's electoral system. Their futile meddling is doomed to fail, and if continued, they will have to pay a price.
The trade exchanges between the UAE and GCC states amounted to around AED229 billion ($62.3 billion) in 2019, a 4 percent growth on 2018, a senior government official was quoted as saying in a media report.



Younis Haji Al Khouri, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Finance (MoF) noted that cooperation with its GCC partners lies at the heart of UAE's economic priorities, reported Emirates news agency Wam.



He added that the GCC citizens' investments in UAE joint stock companies hit AED41.453 billion in 2019, an 11 percent increase over the previous year, while the real estate transactions conducted by GCC investors amounted to around AED1.294 billion.



Al Khouri explained that the number of GCC citizens owning properties in the UAE increased 10 percent to 48,535 in 2019, as compared to 2018 while the number of business licences awarded to GCC investors totalled 29,352, a growth of 9 percent, and the number of GCC shareholders in joint stock companies grew to 204,032 in 2019.



He pointed out that the GCC citizens working in the Emirati government sector until 2019 number 1,826, a 3 percent growth compared to 2018; while those working in the private sector amounted to 7,332 in 2019, a 16 percent increase on 2018. A total of 9,426 GCC citizens are currently benefitting from pensions in the UAE, while those receiving social insurance benefits reached 5,478, he further added.



Saudi Arabia is the UAEs top trading partner, at a total of AED113.2 billion trade exchange in 2019, followed by Oman, AED48 billion, which accounts for 22 percent of the UAE's total trade exchange with GCC states, he noted, underlining the paramount importance the UAE is attaching to meeting the requirements of GCC economic integration and a Gulf Common Market.


Oleksandr Merezhko, Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, member of the Servant of the People faction, hopes that PACE Chairman Hendrik Dams, during his visit to Moscow on March 14-16, will be able to raise the issues of the occupied Crimea, the Russian military presence in Donbas and the case of aircraft of Malaysian Airlines flight MH-17 shot down by the Russian military.

"Mr. Dams has a wide range of issues that he can raise during negotiations with the Russians: the return of the temporarily occupied Crimea to Ukraine, interaction with the international investigation in the case of the Malaysian MH-17 aircraft shot down by the Russian military, the withdrawal of Russian troops from the east of Ukraine, the release of Ukrainian hostages and political prisoners, including activists of the Crimean Tatar people. Will Mr. Dams take the opportunity to raise these questions with the 'Russian partners'? It will not take long to wait for an answer," Merezhko told Interfax-Ukraine.

He also stressed that these issues are only the Ukrainian component, and besides them "there are still issues concerning Georgia, Moldova, there is also the Navalny case, which directly concerns the authority of Berlin, there is also the Skripals case, on which London's position is known." "Let's not forget the huge block of problematic issues on the protection of human rights in Russia itself and the prospects for this state's implementation of the decisions of the ECHR. That is, we are talking about the visit of a high-ranking PACE representative to the capital of the state - an international terrorist, whose representatives, due to various circumstances, are still at the common table of international negotiations," Merezhko added.

At the same time, the PACE Vice President drew attention to the fact that this visit of Dams to Moscow is fully consistent with the powers of the Chairman of the Parliamentary Assembly. At the same time, according to Merezhko, this visit is being carried out at the invitation of the Russian side, which "uses the desire of the Council of Europe officials to somehow break through the information blockade caused by COVID-19, often to the detriment of the already destroyed authority of the Council of Europe and its Assembly."

"As you know, last fall, the Russians were also persistently drawing Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejcinovic-Buric in Russia, and Hendrik Dams himself, who really wanted to, but could not make a visit to Moscow precisely because of the coronavirus. It is important to note that this time the Ukrainian side, like on the eve of the visit of Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejcinovic-Buric, conveyed to Mr. Dams signals about the reputational risks of a return visit. I am sure that memories of the humiliation of Josep Borrell during his recent visit to Russia are still fresh in the European establishment," the politician added.
PARIS (AP)  The French government announced Monday that it will return a Nazi-looted Gustav Klimt landscape painting to its rightful owners more than 80 years after it was stolen from a Jewish family in Austria in 1938.

The colorful 1905 oil work by the Austrian symbolist painter titled Rosebushes under the Trees has been hanging in Paris Musee dOrsay museum for decades.

French Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin told a Paris news conference that the decision to return a major work from the public collections illustrates our commitment to the duty of justice and reparation vis-a-vis plundered families.

The oil work will be returned to the family of Nora Stiasny, a Holocaust victim who was dispossessed during a forced sale in August 1938.

Bachelot-Narquin said that French authorities hadn't initially identified the painting as being stolen by the Nazis, and its provenance only recently came to light after French government-led investigations on the issue.

It is in recent years that the true origin of the painting has been established, she said, adding that it was the only Gustav Klimt painting owned by France.

'Rosebushes under the Trees' is a testament to the lives that a criminal will has stubbornly sought to eliminate.

Thousands of artworks looted by the Nazis across Europe wound up in French museums after the Allies defeated Nazi Germany in 1945. Though many have been returned, French authorities have stepped up efforts in recent years to find homes for the scores of hanging heirlooms that remain unclaimed.
A man in Kerry has been charged in relation to suspected investment fraud which resulted in the loss of around 125,000.

This comes after Gardai in Tralee received a report in 2018 from three individuals who believed they were subject to investment fraud between 2010 and 2012.

Each person had seen an article in a newspaper which offered an overseas investment opportunity with a guaranteed return within 24 months. However, no money was ever returned to the would-be investors.

An investigation was carried out by the Gardai, and a man in his fifties was arrested this morning. He was detained at Tralee Garda and has since been charged. He is due to appear before Tralee District Court on March 24 at 10.30am.

Following this incident, the Gardai are asking the public to be aware of the rise in investment fraud scams.

In a statement today, they said: Unfortunately such scams are becoming more prevalent, particularly during the pandemic due to increased online traffic and targeting of the general public by criminals using ever increasingly sophisticated means.

The Gardai said that the fraudster uses various investment schemes such as in rare metals, overseas property, and alternative energy schemes such as carbon credits and forestry.

Once the victim is duped into a fraudulent investment, there are many means by which the criminal can steal funds from the victims account  including via remote access to the victims computer, receipt of personal information, bank accounts and photographic identification, they said.

False investments are made on behalf of the victim while the criminal transfers and steals the money.

On a final note, they added that the best way to avoid these schemes is by doing research and being wary of any wild claims.

If it is too good to be true, it probably is, Gardai said. Never ever disclose your bank account passwords or codes.
Norway and China strive to complete free trade agreement negotiations

by Bob Savic

March 15,2021 | Source: China Briefing

Norway and China held a video conference on March 11, 2021, between their chief trade negotiators, with a view to concluding a free trade agreement (FTA) in the near future. The negotiating parties conducted in-depth consultations on trade in goods and services, investment protections, rules of origin, customs procedures and trade facilitation, sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, dispute settlement, and the preamble to the agreement. Both sides stated that the discussions were held on the basis of achieving a common consensus on as wide a range of economic issues as possible.



Both countries also reiterated that their negotiations for a free trade agreement were important in jointly combating the global coronavirus pandemic and restoring growth in a post-pandemic world. In achieving this outcome, they placed importance in supporting free trade and multilateralism, strengthening bilateral economic and trade cooperation, and maintaining the stability of global industrial supply chains. Additionally, Norway expressed its interests in expanding cooperation with China on boosting cross border flows of direct investment, including into key energy sectors such as hydropower and offshore oil and gas development.



The Norwegian government had earlier signed an agreement with China to enable the importation of salmon and other seafood, including fish oil and fish meat, into the countrys growing market for northern European food products, where the yearly increase in seafood consumption, alone, exceeds Norways entire annual production in this sector. This market access accord for Norways seafood products is typically renewed on a two year basis and should enable a more stable platform for Norwegian salmon and fisheries until a more comprehensive FTA is finally concluded.



The increasingly constructive bilateral economic ties, over the last four years, arise after an extended period of frozen diplomatic relations, from 2010 to 2016. This involved no political contact between the two powers following Norways Oslo-based Nobel Committee awarding the Peace Prize to Chinas Liu Xiaobo, in 2010, after Liu was convicted of sedition in attempting to overthrow the Chinese government. The normalizing of economic and political relations, since that time, could be interpreted as sign of how any European countrys ties with China can resume on a more constructive track following several years of frozen normalised relations driven by political differences.



Norway has also been formalizing its economic and trade relations with other major Asian economies through its membership of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) which also includes Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. For instance, at the end of 2018, EFTA had signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with Indonesia. The Southeast Asian state is the largest economy in the 10-member grouping of nations, known as the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), a bloc which is expected to become the fourth largest economic region in the world, by 2030, according to some European governments forecasts, while Indonesia is anticipated to reach that level, as a sole economy, by 2050, according to estimates by international consultancy, PwC.



Under the terms of the agreement, which is expected to be ratified in the near future, Norway will be in a preferential position to obtain access for some of its major exports to Indonesia including marine and fish produce, but also agricultural products such as cheese chocolates and coffee. Other major sectors to benefit from greater market access include industrial products such as machinery, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, in addition to luxury manufactured goods such as watches. CEPA also promises to boost services trade including for telecommunications, financial services and energy.



Significantly, the agreement contains chapters on sustainable development including provisions on environment covering forest resources and managed plantation development, as well as on workers rights.

 1992-2021 Dezan Shira & Associates All Rights Reserved.

Theme(s): Post Harvest Technology and Trade.
Frontline police officers enforcing lockdown rules on protesters are in a no-win situation, a federation leader has claimed, amid criticism of the handling of the Sarah Everard vigil.

National vice chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales Che Donald said officers are damned if they do take action and damned if they dont.

His comments came after the Metropolitan Police was accused of being heavy handed in its treatment of women who gathered in memory of 33-year-old Miss Everard in Clapham on Saturday.

She went missing while walking home in south London on March 3, and her body was found in Kent the following week.

Floral tributes and a candle left at the Bandstand on Clapham Common, London (Steve Parsons/PA)

Mr Donald said: Policing during lockdown is a no-win situation for frontline police officers trying to protect the public, they are damned if they do take action and damned if they dont.

Ultimately, frontline officers have become pawns in a political situation.

There is a need to reiterate the call for clarity around Covid-19 regulations to avoid further confusion over laws and rules when lockdown measures are lifted.

The Governments mixed messages added to the escalation of events on Saturday.

Chairman of the National Police Chiefs Council Martin Hewitt called for greater clarity over how forces are expected to deal with demonstrations during the pandemic.

Currently, there is no definitive answer as to whether a protest is legal in lockdown.

Police forces are expected to look at each demonstration individually, and weigh up the right to protest versus the risk to public health.

Mr Hewitt told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that policing demonstrations and public order is always incredibly challenging.

People walk with banners during a demonstration in Oxford, to protest against coronavirus lockdown restrictions (Steve Parsons/PA)

He said: You are balancing different rights, you are balancing legal regulations, you are balancing health and safety.

They are very difficult decisions for commanders on the ground to make in any set of circumstances.

Where we are at the moment, where we are under Covid regulations, we have got the public health threat of the pandemic, those decisions have been made even harder for commanders.

Mr Hewitt added: These are complex.

We want clarity so commanders on the ground can make those decisions in what are always very challenging circumstances.

Organisers of the vigil Reclaim These Streets had argued that they had the right to hold the event despite a ban on gatherings during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But they claimed that senior officers in the Metropolitan Police refused to engage with them constructively on plans to make the event Covid safe, and so cancelled the vigil.

Despite this, crowds gathered on Clapham Common on Saturday, leading to clashes with police that saw women led away in handcuffs.

A crowd holding placards outside New Scotland Yard in London (Yui Mok/PA)

Additional protests on Sunday near Scotland Yard, Downing Street and in Parliament Square were attended by hundreds of people.

Human rights lawyer Adam Wagner suggested decisions about whether vigils could go ahead were down to Government priorities.

He said: The Government has such power over the lockdown regulations that it can bring in new ones with the swish of a ministers pen.

It could clarify the law tomorrow to ensure the right to protest is protected  its about priorities.

The Duchess of Cambridge was seen at Clapham Common on Saturday paying her respects, but Mr Wagner said it is highly unlikely that she broke the law because she attended alone and was not part of a gathering.

It could also be argued that a socially distanced vigil counts as a reasonable excuse for leaving home under lockdown laws, he said.

The barrister, who works for Doughty Street Chambers, highlighted incidents during the pandemic where allowances have been made in law for particular events to go ahead.

In November, coronavirus regulations included exceptions for outdoor commemorations of unlimited sizes for Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day, he said, adding that the Government also included an exception for grouse shooting in September.

Mr Wagner said: You might assume that the Government concluded such events were not a significant risk and important enough to permit.

And yet they are allowing the police to act as if outdoor socially distanced protests (or vigils) are banned outright.

Its about priorities.
plans to build half a dozen battery cell plants in Europe and expand infrastructure for charging electric vehicles globally, accelerating efforts to overtake and speed up mass adoption of battery-powered cars.

The world's No. 2 carmaker, which is in the midst of a major shift towards battery-powered cars, said on Monday it wants to have six battery cell factories operating in Europe by 2030, which it will build alone or with partners.

"Our transformation will be fast, it will be unprecedented," Chief Executive Herbert Diess told Volkswagen's Power Day, which also featured the CEOs of BP, Enel and Iberdrola in an effort to match some of the buzz of Tesla's Battery Day last September.

"E-mobility has become core business for us," he added.

Volkswagen, whose shares rose as much as 3.8%, did not specifically say how much the plan will cost. It said in December that it planned to spend 35 billion euros ($41.7 billion) on e-mobility as a whole by 2025.

The group had been a laggard on electrification until it admitted in 2015 to cheating on U.S. diesel emissions tests and had to deal with new Chinese quotas for electric vehicles. It now has one of the most ambitious programmes in the industry.

said the European factories will have a joint production capacity of up to 240 gigawatt hours (GWh) a year, adding the first 40 GWh would come from Sweden's Northvolt, with production starting in 2023.

As part of the deal, will raise its 20% stake in Northvolt and also take over the Swedish firm's stake in a planned battery cell venture in the German city of Salzgitter, which will form the second factory from 2025.

This will be followed by a factory in Spain, France or Portugal in 2026 and a site in Poland, Slovakia or the Czech Republic by 2027. Two more plants will be set up by 2030.



While the first two factories are already reflected in Volkswagen's financial planning, the group is currently in "deep discussions" about how the subsequent plants fitted with financial targets, board member Thomas Schmall said.

CHARGED UP

Volkswagen is also working on a major expansion of charging infrastructure, a lack of which is still seen as a big barrier to the mass adoption of battery-powered cars.

Via existing efforts and partnerships with oil major BP as well as top European utilities Enel and Iberdrola, Volkswagen aims to operate about 18,000 public fast-charging points in Europe by 2025.

This represents a five-fold expansion of the existing fast-charging network, Volkswagen said, adding it would invest 400 million euros in the initiative.



In North America, Volkswagen targets 3,500 fast-charging points by the end of 2021 via its Electrify America unit, while in China, the world's largest car market, the group aims for 17,000 by 2025.

In China, where Volkswagen last year acquired 26.5% of battery maker Guoxuan High-tech Co Ltd, the carmaker now aims to sell more than 2 million electric vehicles a year by the end of the decade.

Shifting to design, Volkswagen unveiled plans to have a new unified prismatic battery cell from 2023, which will support cost cuts generated by the higher level of in-house cell production and could impact its current suppliers.

Electric vehicle makers, including Tesla, are using cylindrical battery cells, which resemble flashlight batteries and are relatively inexpensive and easy to manufacture.

Prismatic cells, which resemble a thin hardcover book, are housed in a rectangular metal case and are more expensive. Pouch cells, another alternative, are thinner and lighter, and resemble a flexible metal mailing envelope.

"On average, we will drive down the cost of battery systems to significantly below 100 euros ($119) per kilowatt hour," Schmall said. "This will finally make e-mobility affordable and the dominant drive technology."

The cost of battery cells used for electric vehicles has fallen to an average of $110 per kilowatt hour, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence said
She's been busy filming her new movie Fresh in Vancouver.

And Daisy Edgar-Jones cut a casual figure as she stepped out to do some shopping in the Canadian city on Sunday.

The British actress, 22, kept things low-key as she donned an oversized checked blazer and wide-leg grey trousers for the outing.

Day off attire: Daisy Edgar-Jones cut a casual figure as she stepped out to do some shopping in the Canadian city on Sunday

Daisy paired her comfortable clothing with a black jumper which had white lettering across the front.

She opted for a pair of black trainers, perfect for running errands, and accessorised her look with a brown fringed handbag slung across her toned body.

The actress scraped her brunette locks back into a messy bun and appeared to be makeup-free as she toted her shopping home.

Not much is known about Daisy's upcoming social thriller Fresh, as the studio is currently keeping details about the plot under wraps.

Casual: The actress, 22, kept things low-key as she donned an oversized checked blazer and wide-leg grey trousers for the outing

The new film will be directed by Mimi Cave and is based on Lauryn Kahns script, reports Variety.

Earlier this month, the British actress was spotted shooting passionate kissing scenes with co-star Sebastian Stan, 38, on the streets of Vancouver.

The co-stars were also spotted enjoying a day off together at the start of March, with them going sightseeing before stopping for a glass of wine.

And while their characters enjoy a romance onscreen, The Sun reports that the screen stars have become good friends away from rolling cameras.

Comfy: She tied her brunette locks back into a messy bun and appeared to be makeup-free

A source told the publication: 'Sebastian has told friends that he thinks Daisys a bright spark and set for a massive career in Hollywood. He cant believe shes so young as shes so talented and mature. They get on really well.'

A source close to Daisy, who continues to fly high on the success of her BBC drama Normal People, also told The Sun: 'They're colleagues and mates.'

MailOnline contacted Daisy and Sebastian's representatives at the time.

It comes after Daisy last month split with boyfriend Tom Varey, 29, whom she met in 2018, on the set of their film Pond Life.

A source told Page Six: 'They got on really well during lockdown last year, but they're both young and passionate about following their careers.

Stiff competition: Daisy recently lost out at the Critics' Choice Awards to Anya Taylor-Joy for The Queen's Gambit, who also beat out Cate Blanchett (Mrs. America), Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You), Shira Haas (Unorthodox) and Tessa Thompson (Sylvie's Love)

'Daisy has been inundated with opportunities and feels she has to put them first, Tom's also really dedicated to his acting and wants the best for both of them. They were sad they couldnt make it work, but are still close and theres no hard feelings.'

Daisy shot to fame with her role as Marianne in the coming-of-age drama Normal People, based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Sally Rooney.

She told The Sydney Morning Herald of the show: 'It's been lovely to see that audiences do crave simple stories from time to time, just of love and relationships, and how moved we can be by those types of stories.

'Half the time, I think, "Have I just made this up? Have I fabricated it in my mind?" But then the interactions I've had, when I can, have been so lovely. I'm happy to talk about that book for the rest of my life.'

The British actress recently landed her first Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Awards nominations for the role, but lost out to the Queen's Gambit's Anya Taylor-Joy.
With the tax filing deadline approaching, make sure your company is getting all the assistance available from government programs. For instance, that means checking that you've fully utilized the Employee Retention Credit (ERC), the refundable tax credit designed to make it easier for businesses to keep employees on the payroll.

The credit is getting extended as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, the $1.9 trillion relief package just signed by President Biden. Originally scheduled to end on June 30, ERC will continue through year end, giving business owners access to as much as $33,000 per employee in incentives.

How the credit works, depending on the time frame

First half of 2021:

Eligible employers can claim a refundable credit against the employer share of Social Security tax equal to 70 percent of a full-time employee's qualified wages paid--including certain health plan expenses--from January 1 through June 30, 2021. The maximum ERC amount available is $7,000 per employee per quarter or $14,000 for eligible wages paid in the first half of 2021.

That component is available to companies that experienced a full or partial suspension of operations as a result of government mandates, or those that can show at least a 20 percent reduction in quarterly gross receipts in 2021, compared with the same quarter in 2019.

Second-half of 2021:

The new law allows businesses to claim the refundable credit against the employer share of employment taxes (including Medicare), equal to as much as $7,000 per full-time employee per quarter during the last half of the year. So, including the existing provisions, business owners this year would qualify for up to $28,000 per employee.

The same eligibility rules apply in the last two quarters of 2021: Your company must have experienced a full or partial shut down or at least a 20 percent drop in quarterly gross receipts in 2021.

Full year, 2020:

Employers can also qualify for a look-back to 2020 to access an additional credit per full-time employee. The measure was authorized under the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), which also allowed ERC recipients to apply for a Paycheck Protection Program loan, although employers can't claim the ERC on expenses paid with forgiven PPP funds.

To access the 2020 credit, which spans March 12, 2020 through January 1, 2021, eligible companies must show a more than 50 percent decline in quarterly gross receipts, compared with the same quarter in 2019. The credit is 50 percent of qualified wages paid, up to $10,000 per employee in 2020. The maximum credit available is $5,000 per employee.

How to file for the benefit

PPP recipients can file amended tax returns to claim the ERC for 2020 and/or claim an ERC in their 2021 tax filing. Also, unlike the PPP, which is designed for small businesses, a company's head count doesn't affect eligibility for the credit.

One caveat: The size of a business dictates which wages can be claimed. Large businesses (more than 500 employees) can only claim the ERC for wages paid to employees for the time they are not providing services. Smaller businesses (500 or fewer employees) can claim a credit for all wages paid to employees whether they're actively working or not, according to accounting firm BDO.

The CAA increased the threshold for "large employer" to more than 500 employees, up from more than 100. Note that the 100-employee standard still holds when applying for the 2020 credit.

Companies with fewer than 500 employees may also request advance payment of the credit (subject to certain limits), directly from the Internal Revenue Service.

"It's a potential big windfall for companies in the U.S.," said John Bly, regional managing partner at Aprio, an Atlanta CPA and advisory firm, during a recent webinar hosted by business leverage adviser MultiFunding. "And people are not talking about it enough."

That said, he added, ERC also presents headaches for some business owners--particularly now as they're filing their year-end taxes. Businesses that are eligible for the ERC may also have taken advantage of the PPP and may have already applied for loan forgiveness. Understanding the nuances of these interrelated programs and their reporting requirements is critical and requires time and resources that a business's existing accounting function may not have, he adds.
Kolkata, March 15 : Bengali actor-turned Trinamool Congress leader Debashree Roy reportedly tendered her resignation from the party after being denied a ticket to contest the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections.

Roy was a two-time legislator from South 24-Parganas' Raidighi assembly constituency in 2011 and 2016 respectively. But in 2021, she was denied an MLA ticket by the state's ruling Trinamool Congress, sources said.

According to party insiders, Roy resigned from the Trinamool Congress as she was upset with the party functionaries. She was also not given bigger responsibilities in the organisation in the last few years.

Roy also wrote a letter to the party's state president Subrata Bakshi where she had evinced interest to get dissociated with the party, sources said.
IVYLAND, Pa., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lynn Electronics ("Lynn" or the "Company"), manufacturer of fiber-optic and copper cable assemblies, today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Total Cable Solutions ("TCS"), a manufacturer of industry-leading telecom and data center products.

The acquisition of TCS increases Lynn Electronics' share in the telecom/data center market, strengthens its product portfolio, accelerates product development, and adds a third, 11,500 square foot building to Lynn's facilities, enabling faster delivery and greater capacity. With these bolstered services through the TCS brand and product portfolio, Lynn will further define its footprint in the telecommunications marketplace.

"I am very excited to join forces with Lynn Electronics," said Charles Hoskins, CEO of Total Cable Solutions. "The efficiencies that will be realized from this transaction will allow us to accelerate our already strong development of innovative solutions in the telecom and data center space."

With an unmatched dedication to integrity, quality, and commitment to customers, TCS provides a full range of FTTX and networking solutions at an exceptional value. Servicing major telecom distributors nationally, TCS is known for its technical expertise, innovative product design, and robust product offering.

"Total Cable Solutions' innovative products will prove instrumental in our quest to become the #1 cable solution provider in the marketplace," said Mike Boulanger, CEO of Lynn Electronics. "This acquisition significantly strengthens our telecom product line and greatly enhances our technical expertise to support our customers."

As a subdivision of Lynn Electronics, TCS will continue to serve its clients with the same products and solutions they have trusted for years. TCS will continue to operate as Total Cable Solutions and maintain its full staff to support customers.

About Lynn Electronics

Lynn Electronics, LLC, based in Ivyland, Pennsylvania, is one of the only cable assembly manufacturers in the country with a Corning Gold Certified production line on both coasts. A provider of telecommunication products since 1964, Lynn Electronics manufactures custom fiber optic and copper cable assemblies in addition to offering a full catalog of cabling solution products. To see more about the company and its offerings visit www.lynnelec.com.

About Total Cable Solutions

Founded in 2009, Total Cable Solutions (TCS) started as a small business in Springboro, Ohio and has grown to service many Fortune 500 companies. TCS manufactures a wide selection of Data Center and Telecom cables including IEC power cords, CAT6, pigtails, indoor/outdoor fiber cables, FTTX enclosures, and custom builds to fit unique applications. More information about TCS can be found at www.totalcablesolutions.com.

SOURCE Lynn Electronics

Related Links

https://www.lynnelec.com


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Karl Stefanovic is known for his jovial personality as the veteran host of Channel Nine's Today breakfast show.

And on Friday, the 46-year-old certainly certainly looked in high spirits alongside his wife, Jasmine Yarbrough, while attending a private party.

Karl couldn't seem to wipe the smile off his face as he and his 37-year-old shoe designer wife headed to upscale restaurant Mimi's in Coogee.

Let's get this party started! Today Show host Karl Stefanovic and wife Jasmine [both pictured] headed to a soiree on Friday, nearly five years after his split from ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn

Arriving at the party, Jasmine was seen carrying a cake, while Karl took care of the wine.

The Channel Nine star opted to wear a crisp white shirt, which he wore partially unbuttoned for the trip to the ritzy restaurant.

He finished his outfit with a black blazer and a pair of skintight black jeans, along with a large buckled belt.

Quality time: Karl couldn't seem to wipe the smile off his face as he and his 37-year-old shoe designer wife headed to upscale restaurant Mimi's in Coogee

Meanwhile, Jasmine kept it stylish in a pretty but oversized floral blouse, which she paired with black tights.

She finished her outfit with a pair of oversized sunglasses, a quilted black Chanel bag and a pair of black strappy sandals.

The couple appeared to leave their 10-month-old daughter, Harper, at home.

Party pals: Jasmine was seen carrying a cake, while Karl took care of the wine

It comes as Karl's ex-wife, Cassandra Thorburn, broke her silence on the couple's split in mid-2016, after 21 years of marriage.

The former journalist, 49, told Woman's Day: 'I've got a very robust sense of peace and well-being... There's so much to look forward to, I've never been happier.'

Cassandra shares three children with Karl: sons Jackson, 21, and River, 14, and daughter Ava Willow, 15.

Floral: Jasmine kept it stylish in a pretty but oversized floral blouse, which she paired with black tights

Accessories: She finished her outfit with a pair of oversized sunglasses, a quilted black Chanel bag and a pair of black strappy sandals

Jewellery: Jasmine also wore a gold bracelet and drop pearl earrings which complimented her ensemble perfectly

'I'm grateful for my life and the direction it has taken,' Cassandra told the magazine.

'I've made our new house I bought over a year ago into a warm family home. The next life chapters, personally and professionally, are going to set me up for the next 20 years. I've got a very robust sense of peace and well-being,' she added.

Last year, Cassandra spoke candidly about her love life as a divorced woman.

Suave: The Channel Nine star opted to wear a crisp white shirt which he wore partially unbuttoned for the trip to the ritzy restaurant

Looking smart: Karl finished his outfit by wearing a black blazer and a pair of skintight black jeans along with a large buckled belt

She revealed at the time she had been dating on and off since splitting from Karl, but wasn't interested in a 'committed relationship'.

Cassandra also said she was focused on getting her children through school and her charity work with Taldumande Youth Services.

'I've been in a relationship for 20 more years and the last thing I actually want to do is be in a relationship with someone else again. I actually want to get to know myself,' she said at the time.

Details: It comes as Karl ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn broke her silence on the couple's split in mid-2016, after 21 years of marriage this week

New chapter: The former journalist, 49, told Woman's Day: 'I've got a very robust sense of peace and well-being... There's so much to look forward to, I've never been happier'

Kids: Cassandra shares three children with Karl: sons Jackson, 21, and River, 14, and daughter Ava Willow, 15. Jasmine and Karl share daughter, Harper

Separate ways: Cassandra said: 'I've made our new house I bought over a year ago into a warm family home. The next life chapters, personally and professionally, are going to set me up for the next 20 years

In August 2018, almost two years after her separation from Karl, Cassandra spoke to The Australian Women's Weekly about her life.

'Last year, I declared that Karl really was dead to me, a man I no longer know, but the children still have their father,' she said at the time.

'The flip side of that is I feel like we're dead to his family and almost anyone from our old life. There has been practically no contact. I feel like we've been discarded and disposed of, replaced by a whole new line-up of starters.'

New wife: Karl married his second wife, shoe designer Jasmine Yarbrough, 36, in a lavish ceremony in Mexico in December 2018

Karl married his second wife, Jasmine, in a lavish ceremony in Mexico in December 2018.

The pair met at a boat party in Sydney just five months after his split from Cassandra.

They welcomed their first child together, daughter Harper, on May 1, 2020.
Some Michigan Republicans are hoping to see more fans in the stands when the Detroit Tigers open their regular season at Comerica Park on April 1.

During a press conference in front of Detroits Comerica Park, Monday, March 15, Michigan Republican Party officials and three House Republican lawmakers were critical of the current capacity limits on the number of fans allowed in for games as part of ongoing COVID-19 response measures.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services recently raised limits on stadium and arena capacity, although the current cap of about 1,000 people for Comerica Park is smaller than many other Major League Teams.

Related: Restaurants, casinos, gyms, nursing homes: All the changes Michigan made to COVID-19 restrictions on Tuesday

Michigans COVID-19 case numbers dropped dramatically during January and into February, but Michigan is now averaging 1,636 new COVID-19 cases per day, an average that has doubled in the past three weeks. For three of the past four days, the number of new cases has exceeded 2,000.

The latest surge is occurring against a backdrop of mass vaccinations that health officials are hoping will blunt the impact -- especially in regards to hospitalizations and deaths.

Related: Michigans coronavirus numbers are going up, but will vaccinations blunt the impact?

Rep. TC Clements, R-Temperance, said Monday he grew up near Lakeland, Fla., where the Tigers are currently undergoing spring training, and noted more people will be able to watch the Tigers in Florida during spring training than in Detroit for Opening Day.

And Rep. Matt Maddock, R-Milford, said residents need something to celebrate this spring: Just let us have some fun for once, he said.

Related: Tigers owner Christopher Ilitch talks about fans at Comerica, winning culture for team

In a statement, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spokesperson Bobby Leddy said the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has been in close discussion with the Tigers and the team at Comerica Park in the lead up to Opening Day to find a safe path forward to expand capacity limits at the stadium. He said theyre confident the state is making tremendous strides to get back to normal as quickly as possible.

Theres nothing more exciting than fans rooting for the Tigers at a home game, and we look forward to making that happen very soon, he said.

Tigers owner Christopher Ilitch recently told reporters Comerica Parks attendance capacity is going to be guided by government officials and health experts, noting the team has a good working relationship and dialogue with the administration and public health officials. He expressed optimism that capacity limits would increase as time goes on.

As it relates to attendance capacity, thats going to be guided by government officials and health experts. Im very confident that our team is going to be able to execute the protocols and procedures to safely welcome (fans) to Comerica Park for Opening Day. Were very excited about that, he said at the time.

Weve laid out very clearly all of our capabilities, and weve shared industry information and data thats available from other clubs and other locales...Weve heard from government officials that their key interests are in keeping people safe, which is exactly where they should be focused, he continued.

Watch the press conference in full below:

LIVE FROM COMERICA PARK: Republican Legislators Slam Whitmer for Opening Day Restrictions, Call on Whitmer to Safely Re Open Small Businesses/Economy Posted by Michigan Republican Party on Monday, March 15, 2021

Related coverage:

Monday, March 15, coronavirus data by Michigan county: State now at 5% positivity rate

After year in which nothing was working, Tigers outfielder Nomar Mazara ready to go to work

Tigers plans could be complicated by delay of Triple-A season

Michigan to allow nursing home visitation statewide

Michigan to relax COVID-19 restrictions for restaurants

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The blame game over the states faulty electrical grid is creating a rare public rift between the two top Republicans in state government that could have a major financial impact on some utility companies and their customers.

First, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Friday blasted Gov. Greg Abbotts newest appointee to oversee the states utility system for a lack of competence and questionable integrity.

Then on Monday, Patrick pushed legislation to force Abbott appointee Arthur DAndrea and the state Public Utility Commission he leads to reverse billions of dollars of power overcharges, something both DAndrea and Abbott have said is beyond the PUCs authority.

The Senate has acted, Patrick said after the bill passed that chamber during an expedited three-hour process. We are asking the governor to join us, and I think if he says hell sign this bill, the House will join us.

Abbott signaled Monday he wont back down either, and though he called for the Legislature to address the issue, he says retroactively changing the prices would violate the Texas Constitution.

For most of the past two years, Abbott and Patrick avoided confrontation, instead trying to project unity on most issues, including the pandemic, and legislative priorities such as property tax reforms and changes in public school funding.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

But that unity has eroded since the deadly winter storms that blasted Texas last month, leaving millions without power and broken water pipes despite a decade of warnings that the states power grid was vulnerable amid increasingly common winter storms.

At the core of their public dispute is how to deal with outrageous wholesale electricity bills that some utilities are facing.

Winners and losers

Sky-high emergency prices left in place too long by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas resulted in $16 billion in overcharges for utility companies, according to the agencys independent market monitor, consulting firm Potomac Economics.

Patrick says the error can be reversed retroactively by DAndrea, who as chair of the utility commission has authority over ERCOT.

The market monitor has estimated that no more than $5.1 billion of that total can be reversed because of contracts and other financial arrangements that cant be changed now.

But ERCOT leaders and Abbott say there is a difference of opinion of whether there was an error. ERCOT leader Bill Magness said the prices were kept intentionally high to assure public safety by incentivizing generators to bring more power to the grid to help Texans weather the freeze.

On Monday in Houston, Abbott said the Legislature has to hold hearings and investigate all the constitutional complexities that would be involved in repricing.

Typically, wholesale electricity prices are around $50 per megawatt-hour. But during the storms, the price climbed to $9,000 per megawatt-hour.

While that price was an incentive for more companies to provide electricity for the grid, it also resulted in astronomical prices for utility companies that didnt have their own reserves to rely on and had to pay the highest costs possible. CPS Energy in San Antonio is suing ERCOT for running up $20 billion in charges for 5 days of energy supply due to its lack of oversight, preparedness, and failure to follow its own protocols.

Brazos Electric Power Co-op, the states largest power company, was pushed into bankruptcy because of the costs of buying power that week. That company told the media it made the decision not to pass on those costs to its customers.

Still, not all utility companies were hit hard. Those with sufficient reserve power  including many in the Texas Panhandle, Central Texas and the Rio Grande Valley  were able to produce electricity without having to pay the marked-up prices.

RELATED: Texas can only recover a fraction of $16B power pricing gaffe

DAndrea has said that allowing repricing would merely shift the winners and losers, rather than provide real relief, insisting that retail electric providers would not pass down savings to customers. Patrick did not like that answer.

Abbott sticks with DAndrea

During a Senate committee hearing Thursday, Patrick did something hes done only one other time during his two terms as lieutenant governor: He personally attended the committee hearing and grilled DAndrea himself. It ended with Patrick calling for DAndreas resignation.

In light of the PUC chairs refusal to take any corrective action, despite the fact that he has the authority and the evidence is clear, I am asking Gov. Abbott to intercede on this issue, Patrick said in a press statement late Friday. I am also asking Gov. Abbott to replace Mr. DAndrea on the PUC when he fills the other two vacancies there. Mr. DAndreas position requires both professional competence and honesty and he demonstrated little of either in the hearings yesterday.

Patrick said DAndrea does have the authority to fix pricing during unusual circumstances.

DAndrea has a long history with Abbott. From 2009 to 2015, he served as the assistant solicitor general when Abbott was the Texas attorney general. Then after Abbott became governor, DAndrea became assistant general counsel for Abbott, who first appointed DAndrea to the utility commission in 2017.

Abbott named DAndrea to lead the commission on March 3, after Patrick and other legislators essentially forced Abbotts other appointees on the three-member board to resign.

Senate Bill 2142, which within a few hours went from introduction to passage out of the chamber on a 27-3 vote, would force the utility commission to order repricing of the high-cost wholesale electricity by Saturday. It does not offer details about how the price corrections should be executed.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan said in a statement Monday that there had been conflicting testimony throughout this process about the costs associated with repricing, and there must be additional review on this consequential issue.

The House State Affairs committee will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday for another hearing on the matter.

jeremy.wallace@chron.com

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com
Press Release

Nokia and AWS to enable cloud-based 5G radio solutions

Collaboration to utilize Cloud RAN and Open RAN technology to develop new customer-focused 5G use cases

Nokia working with AWS to extend reach of Cloud RAN and Open RAN technology and accelerate 5G deployments

15 March 2021

Espoo, Finland - Nokia today announced that it has signed an agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to research and enable Cloud RAN (vRAN) and Open RAN technologies to support the development of new customer-focused 5G solutions. The collaboration, which will be conducted at Nokia's facilities, aims to develop innovative proof of concepts (PoC) to explore and enable Cloud RAN and related technologies. Nokia is pursuing a strategy of collaborating with AWS to extend the reach of its Cloud RAN technologies in support of 5G deployments and the development of new use cases.

The initiative will see engineering teams from both companies research how the combination of Nokia's RAN (Radio Access Network), Open RAN, Cloud RAN and edge solutions can operate seamlessly with AWS Outposts. This collaboration will enable communications service providers (CSPs) and enterprises with 5G connectivity to utilize AWS across the topology of the mobile network. Operators will be able to simplify the network virtualization and platform layers for the Core and RAN network functions by leveraging the agility and scalability of cloud. This will also enable enterprises to achieve their desired business outcomes for new 5G use cases developed by AWS ISV Partners.

AWS offers its customers a comprehensive suite of on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs on a pay-as-you-go basis. This collaboration will allow Nokia to leverage AWS services such as Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS), AWS Outposts, AWS Local Zones, and other related services for automating network functionality, or end customer application deployment, scaling, and management.

The collaboration will cover three distinct areas. First, the project will focus on onboarding and validating Nokia's 5G vDU (virtualized distributed unit) on AWS Outposts using Amazon EKS for far edge cloud or on-premises deployments. The second area will examine the implementation of Nokia's 5G vCU (virtualized centralized unit) with AWS Outposts, AWS Local Zones, using Amazon EKS as a cloud native deployment. The third part of the collaboration will build a proof of concept for an end-to-end solution with Nokia's 5G Cloud RAN and 5G standalone Core network running on AWS, where end enterprise users can leverage 5G for use cases such as an industrial application.

As part of this collaboration, Nokia will run AWS EKS Anywhere on the Nokia AirFrame Open Edge server. Nokia AirFrame Open Edge distributes computing capacity into the edge of the network and drives the implementation of Cloud RAN, Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) as well as 5G.

Nokia is accelerating its Open RAN and Cloud RAN leadership by leveraging its advanced equipment portfolio and combining it with the cloud. By collaborating with AWS, Nokia aims to expand the ecosystem of partners and drive end user business outcomes essential for monetizing 5G deployments.

Dr. Alex Jinsung Choi, SVP Strategy & Technology Innovation, DT, said: "Deutsche Telekom is on a journey to transform to a new open, disaggregated, and cloud-native infrastructure with an automated production model. This collaboration which combines Nokia's leadership in 5G Open RAN and Cloud RAN with AWS's cloud platform capabilities and customer centricity can help to accelerate that journey. The expansion of cloud-native network functions and automation to the RAN will enable new agility and use-cases in the 5G era."

Dave Brown, Vice President, Amazon EC2, AWS, said: "This collaboration with Nokia will extend the reach of our industry-leading cloud technology to support our Telco and enterprise customers. We look forward to working closely on this collaboration and offer multiple deployment choices for customers to build 5G Cloud RAN and Open RAN solutions. Our customers will benefit from different options to run 5G RAN using AWS Outposts with either Intel or ARM-based CPU choices, or third-party bare metal servers while using Amazon EKS and EKS Anywhere. This will solve for the challenge of CI/CD, automation, and network orchestration by using a common framework of tools across Core and RAN."

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, commented: "This is a critically important collaboration and the continuation of Nokia's Cloud RAN leadership. At Nokia we are committed to supporting our customers and giving them the flexibility and elasticity they need on the network edge. We are building an ecosystem of public cloud partners that will ultimately support our customers and help them to build compelling 5G use cases."

Resources

Webpage: Nokia Cloud RAN

About Nokia

We create the critical networks and technologies to bring together the world's intelligence, across businesses, cities, supply chains and societies.

With our commitment to innovation and technology leadership, driven by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs, we deliver networks at the limits of science across mobile, infrastructure, cloud, and enabling technologies.

Adhering to the highest standards of integrity and security, we help build the capabilities we need for a more productive, sustainable and inclusive world.

For our latest updates, please visit us online www.nokia.com and follow us on Twitter @nokia.
Grace Ross, six, was founded dead two hours after being reported missing on Friday

A 14-year-old boy has been arrested following the death of a six-year-old girl in New Carlisle, Indiana.

The boy, who was not named by officials because he is a minor, is considered a suspect in the girl's death, WSBT said.

The girl, Grace Ross, was found dead around 8:25pm on Friday, less than two hours after she was reported missing by her family at 6:30pm.

According to the South Bend Tribune, the investigation into Grace's death is open and active and an autopsy was scheduled for Sunday.

A neighbor who has lived near the family for 40 years said everyone is shocked by Grace's death.

'Right at your back door, you just don't anticipate anything like that ever happening in your area,' Kim Huston told WSBT.

'You don't realize in a moment's notice, somebody realizing that their child's gone and then have to hear what had happened at such a young age, it's horrific.

It's not clear what led to Grace's death, but an autopsy was scheduled to take place on Sunday

The six-year-old's body was found in a wooded area near an apartment block in New Carlisle (pictured)

A vigil was held for the young girl in Memorial Park on Sunday with around 50 people gathering in her memory

Grace's aunt Nicole Ross set up a fundraiser on Facebook for funeral expenses, which has raised over $21,000 so far. The fundraiser is aiming for $30,000.

'My darling 6 year old niece Grace Ross passed away yesterday,' the fundraiser stated. 'She is now an angel in heaven.'

A candlelight vigil was held at Memorial Park in New Carlisle on Sunday evening, where friends, family and neighbors gathered in Grace's memory, ABC57 reported.

'Grace was loved by everybody and she was friends with everybody,' Michelle Ross, Grace's mother, said at the vigil, according to the South Bend Tribune.

Grace's grandmother Kelli Howard (pictured) was emotional as she held a picture of her granddaughter and her toy

Family, friends and neighbors offered tributes to Gracie with poignant messages at the vigil

Grace's aunt Nicole Ross (pictured) set up a fundraiser on Facebook for funeral expenses, which has raised over $21,000 so far

'She would go up to a stranger on the street and be like, 'Hi, I'm Grace and I'm six.''

'Her smile even showed on her mask,' said Tara Bush, the principal of the elementary school Grace attended. 'You could tell she was smiling all the time.'

More than 200 people attended the vigil, placing candles, flowers, and stuffed animals in a gazebo and on a park bench.

More than 200 people attended the vigil, placing candles, flowers, and stuffed animals in a gazebo and on a park bench
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A Mapo Customary Court sitting in Ibadan on Monday dissolved a 20-year-old marriage between a transporter, Oluseyi Adegoke, and wife, Bunmi, on grounds of infidelity.

Mr Adegoke, who resides in Bembo-Apata area in Ibadan, in his petition, also accused his wife of being a threat to his life and attempting to inherit his property.

Delivering judgment, the President of the court, Ademola Odunade held that any mother who instigates children against their fathers and vice versa as Ms Bunmi did, will incur the wrath of God.

Mr Odunade consequently dissolved the union so that there might be peace.

He awarded custody of the two children to Mr Adegoke and ordered Bunmi to leave the house immediately.

In his petition, Mr Adegoke accused his wife of introducing her lover as a relative.

I gave my wifes lover respect deserving of an in-law. Little did I know what was going on.

In 2017, a woman in our neighbourhood told me that Bunmi was in a romantic affair with her husband and begged me to warn my wife.

When Bunmi realised that I had discovered her game, she abandoned my home in December 2017 with all my property.

Three months after, she pleaded with me and begged for forgiveness. I took her back because of our two children, he said.

He said that since her return in 2020, he had not been himself.

I had a stroke and lost my means of sustenance while Bunmi refused to show any concern about my wellbeing.

She locked me out of my house, claiming that the house belonged to her. My lord, Bunmi has put me in bondage and she has continuously looted my valuable property for sale, Mr Adegoke said.

In her defence, Ms Bunmi alleged that she introduced Mr Adegoke to someone who put him in charge of income generation for their association.

Adegoke never took care of the children and me. I have been in charge of our childrens school fees. I took care of him when he was critically ill, Ms Bunmi said.

(NAN)
Today

Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. Very hot. High around 105F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 74F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunny skies. High near 105F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
(Newser)  Alexi McCammond has apologized multiple times over years-old tweets that were derogatory to Asians, but the controversy over the newly appointed editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue appears nowhere close to quieting down. A major ad campaign with the magazine is now on pause over the issue, the Daily Beast reports: Ulta Beauty says in a statement that "Diversity and inclusion are core values at Ulta Beautyand always have been. Our current spend with Teen Vogue is paused as we work with [parent company] Conde Nast to evaluate the situation and determine next steps regarding our partnership." And, the Guardian reports, the magazine's former EIC is also speaking out about McCammond.

story continues below

"Her tweets and the sentiments behind them were racist and abhorrent and indefensible, period," Elaine Welteroth said on CBS' The Talk last week. "And I think at a time like this when there is a call for accountability around anti-Asian sentiment and just racist, violent actions against Asian people, we need to speak up." Sources say McCammond is meeting one-on-one with staffers to apologize, and is planning a virtual roundtable with Asian-American staffers. But some staffers have made clear their displeasure with McCammond's selection, and her immediate predecessor, Lindsay Peoples Wagner, did not want McCammond in the role. (More on the controversy here.)
A 19-year-old woman is accused of murder in the shooting death of a man whose body was found inside a crashed car in Harvey on Sunday morning.

Tyria Robinson was jailed on counts of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice in connection with the slaying of Anthony Fefie, 27, officials with the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs and Coroners Offices said Monday.

Deputies found Fefies body inside of a car that had crashed in the 2900 block of Manhattan Boulevard at about 8 a.m. Sunday, said Sheriffs Office Capt. Jason Rivarde. He had died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to coroners chief investigator Mark Bone.

Investigators arrested Robinson, of New Orleans Uptown area, as a suspect within hours after Fefies body was discovered. Rivarde said detectives believed Robinson had shot Fefie while they were inside the car together, though she denied involvement.

Man found dead with gunshot wound in car that crashed in Harvey Sunday morning: JPSO Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office homicide detectives are investigating the death of a man found shot inside a car that crashed on Manhattan B

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Rivarde wouldnt elaborate on where deputies detained her, how they tied her to the case or if they had established a possible motive for the killing.

Robinsons bail had been set at $550,000 by Monday afternoon, jail records show. She would receive mandatory life imprisonment if convicted of murdering Fefie.

Fefie lived about three blocks away from where he was found slain, according to information released by the Coroners Office.
ROHNERT PARK  Two former police officers face extortion charges for allegedly pulling over motorists on a Northern California highway and taking their marijuana and money under threat of arrest, federal prosecutors said.

Brendon Jacy Tatum and Joseph Huffaker were part of a team of officers assigned to seize illegal drugs from drivers on a stretch of U.S. 101 in Sonoma County north of San Francisco, according to a statement Friday from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Stuart Hanlon, Tatums attorney, told the San Francisco Chronicle that his client maintains his innocence and that Tatum has been a well-respected officer for many years. An attorney for Huffaker could not be reached Saturday.

Prosecutors said the two former Rohnert Park police officers threatened to arrest people they pulled over if they didn't hand over their pot and cash. The officers did not report the stops or submit the seized items as evidence, officials said.

But the traffic stops made between 2015 and 2017 were recorded on video by the officers' body cameras, investigators found.

Officials said the two continued to stop motorists even after the drug-seizure program ended when California legalized recreational use of marijuana in 2016.

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Too many children are being taken into care unnecessarily by social workers who should take a kinder approach to families, according to the countrys chief social worker.

Isabelle Trowler, 53, said it was an injustice that some authorities were removing babies who could be safely supported at home.

And, as fears of a rise in child neglect cases had not come to pass after the first lockdown, the pandemic would offer an opportunity to reset the way social work is done.

Isabelle Trowler, 53, (pictured) said it was an injustice that some authorities were removing babies who could be safely supported at home

Mrs Trowler told The Sunday Times: Someone used the example of a social worker going to the family home, and instead of looking in the fridge and saying, Oh my goodness, how terrible you havent got any food, saying, Oh, my goodness, how terrible. How can I help you get some food?

She added that the number of child protection probes ending in no further action  which have tripled in the past decade  showed social workers were intervening when we didnt need to.

It is widely accepted that social work became more risk averse following the death in 2007 of Peter Connelly, known as Baby P, despite repeated contact with social workers in the London borough of Haringey.

But Mrs Trowler, who led a transformation of childrens social care in neighbouring Hackney starting that same year, said: If such a high number of investigations are ending in no further action you have to accept that means we [social workers] are intervening when we didnt need to.

She added that the number of child protection probes ending in no further action  which have tripled in the past decade  showed social workers were intervening when we didnt need to (stock image)

She said social workers must have good evidence and demonstrate clear rationale before removing children.

Too often, she said, social workers were assuming that things are going to go badly wrong, when actually, youve got no idea whether or not they will.

While the pandemic has had catastrophic consequences for a small number of the most vulnerable, Mrs Trowler said social workers must keep a balance between welfare and protection, adding: The children that need protecting are very, very small in number compared with the families that need support.
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Courtesy of the San Francisco Police Department

San Francisco firefighters rescued a man who is believed to have accidentally driven into the bay off the Marina Green park Sunday night, officials said.

Rescue crews responded to the scene just before 8:30 p.m. The driver, a 64-year-old man, was the sole occupant of the vehicle, San Francisco Fire Department spokesman Lt. Jonathan Baxter said.
Millions of Russians celebrate Maslenitsa, or Pancake Week, to mark the end of winter, which the Orthodox Church has accommodated as a week of feasting.

Maslenitsa week began as a pagan ritual and has been absorbed into the Russian Orthodox Chruch.

This year the tower, which was specially built for burning, was named "Vaccination Tower", in reference to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Video Transcript

[NO SPEECH]
Seven has announced an early edition of The Latest to screen tonight at 8:30pm.

This will be a special 30-minute analysis of the ongoing fallout following the allegations made by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and is hosted by Michael Usher and Angela Cox.

It will screen after Declassified: The Royal Scandals, which is at 7.30pm, and will hear from Princess Dianas former bodyguard Ken Wharfe, legendary UK news photographer Arthur Edwards, and London-based Australian author and Royal Family friend Kathy Lette.

This pushes 9-1-1 to a 9pm start with The Rookie at 10pm, similar to recent weeks in any case.

Related
The absurd charge that Donald Trump was racist in naming the cause of the current pandemic the China virus is once more being heard as unprovoked attacks on Asians are being blamed on him. Despite the fact that most of those attacks for which surveillance video is available seem to be the product of African Americans, a group whose support for Trump is among the lowest of all demographic slices of the public.

YouTube screengrab

Burt a friend of mine pointed out that the media are perfectly fine with naming the new variants of the virus  about which we are supposed to panic and keep on masking ourselves indefinitely  for other geographic locations. The Wall Street Journal just discussed the UK variant in an article warming that Europe is seeing a rebound in cases. But, you might object, the UK is predominantly Caucasian, so maybe that is why it is OK to name a variant after it? But apparently not. See this New York Times daily briefing that mentions the South Africa and Brazil variants.

The studies also found evidence that the South Africa and Brazil variants had been circulating in the city. And the British variant continues to gain steam in New York City, making up 6.2 percent of cases, up from 2.7 percent in late January.

So, lets be clear: the idea that naming an illness after the place it first appeared is entirely normal, both historically (I am so old I feared getting the German measles) and currently (South Africa variant). What is abnormal is castigating Trump for racism in following that normal practice, and blaming him for attacks on Asians by people most unlikely to be his supporters.
A Coles supermarket and a Sydney gym have been added to the list of coronavirus exposure sites after they were visited by an infected hotel quarantine security guard.

NSW Health announced on Monday afternoon anyone who went to the Coles at Hurstville station, in Sydney's south, between 7:30am and 7:40am on Saturday, March 13 should monitor for symptoms.

If symptoms appear, a Covid test must be undertaken immediately and an isolation period is required until a negative result is received.

The Coles supermarket at Hurstville station (pictured) in Sydney's south has been listed as a coronavirus exposure site after it was visited by an infected hotel quarantine security guard

The Hurstville Aquatic Leisure Centre (pictured) was on Monday afternoon also added to the list of exposure sites

The same alert applies to anyone who attended the Hurstville Aquatic Leisure Centre in the stadium and gymnasium area on King Georges Road between 4:15pm and 5:30pm on Wednesday, March 10.

NSW Health has also revised details for an alert previously issued for the Coles Hurstville station.

The exposure time for Wednesday, March 10 has now been listed as 9:15pm to 9:46pm.

The latest health alert comes as NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warns there will be more positive Covid-19 cases after the hotel worker tested positive for the highly contagious UK strain.

The 47-year-old man, who works at the Sofitel Wentworth and the Mantra Hotel at Haymarket, returned a positive test late on Saturday night, ending the state's 55-day streak of no local cases.

His four family members have since tested negative and 130 close contacts were asked to self-isolate after working an overnight shift with the man at the Mantra Hotel on Friday.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) has warned there will be more positive Covid-19 cases after a hotel worker tested positive for the highly transmissible UK strain

The man worked at the Mantra Hotel at Haymarket and the Sofitel Wentworth (pictured) housing returned international travellers on March 11 and 12 while infectious

Ms Berejiklian said on Monday it was likely more cases would recorded as the man visited numerous locations.

'Pleasingly to date there is no evidence of widespread transmission, but of course we know how dangerous the various strains of the virus can be so NSW Health is doing everything they can to make sure we stay on top of it,' she said.

Venues visited by the infected worker Pancakes on the rocks at Beverly Hills - Saturday, March 13 from 10.45am to midday. Dae Jang Kum Korean restaurant in Haymarket - Saturday, March 13 from 12.15 to 12.20am 7 Eleven in Capitol Square, Haymarket - Saturday, March 13 from 12.20am to 12.25am Angelo Anestis Aquatic Centre in Bexley - Saturday, March 13 from 9 to 9.30am. A train from Hurstville to the city arriving at 6.30pm on Friday, March 12 and city to Hurstville leaving at 7am Saturday March 13. Hudson's Coffee Shop, Hurstville Private Hospital - Monday, March 8, 8.30am to 9am Tuesday, March 9, 8.30am to 9am Wednesday, March 10, 8.30am to 9am Thursday, March 11, 8.30am to 9am Friday, March 12, 8.30am to 9am Coles, Hurstville Station - Wednesday March 10, 9:15pm to 9:46pm and Saturday, March 13, 7:30am to 7:40am Hurstville Aquatic Leisure Centre (stadium and gymnasium area) - Wednesday, March 10, 4:15pm to 5:30pm Advertisement

The man, who had already received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on March 2 worked while infectious at the Mantra from 7pm on Friday night to 7am on Saturday.

During his shift, the man visited the Dae Jang Kum Korean restaurant in Haymarket, between 12.15am and 12.20am, before going to the nearby 7-Eleven in Capitol Square, on George Street, from 12.20am to 12.25am.

He also caught a train from Hurstville to the city arriving at 6.30pm on March 12 and from the city to Hurstville leaving at 7am the next morning.

People who were at these locations are urged to monitor for symptoms and come forward for testing even with the mildest of symptoms.

'While the source of the new case's infection is still under investigation, genomic sequencing results received last night show a match to the viral strain of a Covid-positive returned traveller who was in the Softitel Wentworth quarantine hotel while infectious,' a NSW Health alert read.

'The genome sequencing results indicate the strain found in the hotel quarantine guest and security guard is the more transmissible B1.1.7 variant of the virus (also known as the UK variant).'

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said it remains unclear how the man contracted the disease despite adhering to all safety protocols.

'Investigations have confirmed this gentleman did work a shift on the same floor, floor 11, in the Sofitel when the international returned traveller was infectious; genomic sequencing indicates they are a match,' she said.

'(But) we did review the CCTV footage and can I just say this gentleman was exemplary in his adherence to the procedures for mask wearing and other protections and precautions.

'So we haven't been able to find an exact source or explanation for how this person became infected.'
General Assignment Reporter

Chris Mays is a general assignment reporter for the Brattleboro Reformer. He has been with New England Newspapers Inc. since 2012.
A vial of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine stored in Movianto in Oss, the Netherlands, Feb. 12, 2021. EPA



Ireland and the Netherlands on Sunday became the latest countries to suspend their rollouts of AstraZeneca jabs over concerns about post-jab blood clots despite the firm insisting there was no risk, as most Italians were bracing for a new round of restrictions.



Vaccinations are a key tool to end the worst of a pandemic that has killed more than 2.6 million people since it emerged in China in late 2019.



So far more than 350 million doses have been doled out across the world, but countries including Denmark, Norway and Bulgaria suspended the rollout of jabs from the Anglo/Swedish pharma giant this week after reports of blood clots developing in patients who had received the shot.



The World Health Organization, Europe's medicines watchdog, governments and experts have stressed that no causal link has been established between the vaccine and blood clotting and insisted that the shot is safe.



An AstraZeneca spokesman said it had found no evidence of increased risk of blood clot conditions after analysing reported cases from more than 17 million doses.



"In fact, the reported numbers of these types of events for COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca are lower than the number that would have occurred naturally in the unvaccinated population," said the spokesman.



AstraZeneca's shot is among the cheapest available and forms a bulk of deliveries to poorer nations under the WHO-backed Covax initiative, which aims to ensure vaccines get to all parts of the globe.



'We must have confidence'



A spokesman for Ireland's health ministry told AFP that the rollout had been "temporarily deferred" after the country's advisory panel recommended a suspension because of concerns raised by Norwegian officials.



The Dutch health ministry similarly said it was suspending the rollout as a precaution.



Norwegian officials said on Saturday the country had reports of people "bleeding under the skin" and "severe cases of blood clots or brain haemorrhages in younger people" who had received the shot.



AstraZeneca became embroiled in a bitter row with European leaders earlier in the year when it announced it would not be able to supply the number of doses it had promised.



Since then, European leaders have bitterly criticised the company and cast doubt on the vaccine's efficacy while at the same time blocking some exports of doses to destinations outside the European Union.



French Prime Minister Jean Castex, however, defended his country's decision to carry on with the AstraZeneca jab saying on Sunday France had found no reason to suspend the rollout.



"At this stage, we must have confidence in this vaccine," he said, highlighting instead the danger of leaving large sections of the population unprotected from Covid.



France is facing a hospital crisis with intensive care beds in the Paris region running out and patients having to be taken to other parts of the country.



'Vulnerable family'



While France is hoping to avoid being plunged back into a national lockdown, neighbouring Italy is set to reimpose restrictions across most of the nation on Monday  a year after it became the first European nation to face a major outbreak.



Schools, restaurants, shops and museums will close with Health Minister Roberto Speranza saying he hoped the measures and vaccination programme would allow restrictions to be relaxed in the second half of spring.



"Each dose of vaccine injected is a step in the direction of the way out of the crisis," he said on Sunday.



Across the world, businesses and families are still counting the cost of the lockdowns and other measures that have left millions without jobs  and forced others to carry on working even if they feel they are lacking protection.



Matt Valentin in the US told AFP his job in a Michigan state cafe became an increasingly anxiety-ridden environment.



"It went from 'get these drinks and orders done as fast as possible' to 'do all of that, and try not to bring a deadly virus home to your vulnerable family,'" the 21-year-old told AFP. (AFP)


AXIX GP Inc, a United States-based Aircraft Manufacturing Company is set to train Ghanaian youth in the manufacturing of next-generation hybrid aircraft.



AXIX GP will assist in the development of a permanent S.T.E.M. based education and professional technician program in Ghana to secure a technologically prepared 21st-century workforce.



The company which intends to establish its branch in Ghana (AXIX GP International Ltd) would be situated in the Greater Accra region.



Chairperson of International Trade Council and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Modern World Logistics Ltd, Mr Solomon Addai who is leading the company to Ghana said the companys strategy would be in line with the government's flagship program One District/One Factory policy.



He said the initiative which has been supported by the Member of Parliament for Anyaa Sowutom Constituency, Dr Adomako Kissi would create employment for the teeming youth in the country.



"AXIX GP will manufacture prospective technologies in multiple municipal districts and constituencies in accordance with One District/One Factory concept to create more jobs for the youth," he added.



The CEO of AXIX GP, Laviere D. Rice for his part said, the company would engage the public to implement a system of establishing and maintaining a S.T.E.M. trained workforce in Ghana and Africa at large. We have a business and products that will create jobs, but we need to ensure that the youth and others have the education and training to compete and sustain employment in the current and future workforce. Preparation is the key, and we need the people of Ghana to understand they have a major responsibility in this as well. A Transfer-of-Technology (ToT) only works when the people buy in 100%. This is about the future, and our (Africa) place in it., states Laviere Rice, AXIX GP, CEO.



He said the company would advocate for and implement 3D/4D additive manufacturing technology and hardware science for any applicable industries such as farming, construction, medicine, and housing among others in Ghana to improve the 21st-century manufacturing technology capabilities of Ghana and Africa at large.



He stressed that AXIX GP would develop leaders and technology experts responsible for delivering high-quality products to the global economy.



"It would also develop a process of sustainable growth of industry jobs via direct and indirect sources," he said.

Mr Rice maintained that the company would improve and maintain the overall Health of the communities in which they operate.



"Absentee gentrification will be our policy, moreover any urban/rural redevelopment we engage in will not displace residents; only improve their community," he added.



He said it would identify alternative approaches to traditional business opportunities; develop concepts that would change the future by leveraging R&D resources, to launch disruptive products in markets and businesses.



AXIX GP International is an additive manufacturing company that deals in the manufacturing of 3D printed, hybrid-powered, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft called the SkyRider.



AXIX GP intends to develop and manufacture SkyRider products such as Multi-purpose Aircraft Transportation Vehicles (MATV), Sport Utility Vehicle Aircraft (SUVA) and Urban Air Mobility products/components, aviation infrastructure, commercial jetliners, defence, space and security systems, spacecraft in Ghana and Africa at large.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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

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Recently, Netflix released the trailer for Thunder Force, a superhero comedy that asks the question: What if the two weird girls from your middle school who smelled like cheese grew up to become the next Avengers? The movie sees Melissa McCarthy trying to reunite with her estranged childhood BFF turned super scientist Octavia Spencer just in time to mess up her experiment and turn the pair into metahumans. As Thunder Force, the dysfunctional duo must face the two of humanity's greatest challenges: the rise of supervillains and having to hang out with someone you knew in high school but have nothing in common with anymore.

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As a buddy comedy, the Thunder Force trailer immediately places a lot of importance on the two heroes' history as out-of-their-depth childhood besties, mentioning it half a dozen times in under three minutes. But there really was no need for all that exposition since the trailer opens with the duo humming along to the latest trope in Hollywood comedies: an enduring love of Seal.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday he wishes former President Donald Trump would use his popularity among Republicans to persuade more of his followers to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

In a round of interviews on the morning news shows, the governments top infectious disease expert lamented polling showing that Trump supporters are more likely to refuse to get vaccinated, saying politics needs to be separated from commonsense, no-brainer public health measures.

Fauci said it would be a game changer for the countrys vaccine efforts if the former president used his incredible influence among Republicans.

If he came out and said, Go and get vaccinated. Its really important for your health, the health of your family and the health of the country, it seems absolutely inevitable that the vast majority of people who are his close followers would listen to him, Fauci told Fox News Sunday.

There was no immediate comment from the former presidents office Sunday.

Trump has urged people to get vaccinated, doing so again two weeks ago at a conservative political gathering in Florida.

But he hasnt been among former presidents and other public officials who have been vaccinated on camera to encourage others to get the shot. It was revealed only recently that he was vaccinated in private at the White House before leaving office in January.

Trump did not appear in a new public service campaign for the COVID-19 vaccine that included former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Polls have shown Republicans joining Black people and other groups in expressing greater skepticism than others about the safety of the vaccine.

Fauci said he doesnt understand the resistance.

What is the problem here? This is a vaccine that is going to be lifesaving for millions of people, he said on NBCs Meet the Press. He added: I mean, I just cant comprehend what the reason for that is when you have a vaccine thats 94-95% effective and it is very safe. I just dont get it.

The number of vaccine doses distributed and administered each day in the U.S. is rising, with more than 2.5 million daily shots in arms on average in the last week.

About 1 in 5 Americans have received at least one dose, with about 1 in 9 fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The coronavirus is blamed for over 530,000 deaths in the United States. Deaths and newly confirmed infections per day have tumbled over the past two months. But cases are running at a still-troubling average of about 55,000 a day.

Fauci repeatedly warned against pulling back on public health measures too early, saying the virus could come surging back, endangering the goal of getting the country closer to normal by early July.

He pointed to Europe as a cautionary tale. Rising virus cases this winter followed rollbacks on restrictions on the continent.

___

Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
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The International Space Station (ISS) has discarded its largest piece of space junk to-date  a 2.9-ton pallet of 48 nickel-hydrogen batteries.

A robotic arm attached to the craft released 265 miles above Earth's surface, which is set to spend the next two to four years in low orbit before burning up harmlessly in the atmosphere.

NASA, however, does not have data about how many fragments might survive re-entry, NASA communications specialist Leah Cheshier told Spaceflight Now.

Dumping the pallet was not the original plan, as it was set to make a return trip aboard the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), but it was left behind last year due to a failed 2018 Soyuz launch that disrupted spacewalk schedules.

The pallet is moving just 4.8 miles per second and is not expected to survive the intense heat when it reaches Earths atmosphere and NASAs ballistic officers indicate no threat.

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The International Space Station (ISS) has discarded its largest piece of space junk to-date  a 2.9-ton pallet of 48 nickel-hydrogen batteries

Cheshier told Spaceflight Now in an email: The External Pallet was the largest objectmass-wiseever jettisoned from the International Space Station at 2.9 tons, more than twice the mass of the Early Ammonia Servicing System tank jettisoned by spacewalker Clay Anderson during the STS-118 mission in 2007.

NASA began replacing the crafts 48 nickel-hydrogen batteries with 24 lithium-ion units in 2016, with the final swap last year.

The greater energy density of lithium-ion technology reduces the number of needed batteries (and launch vehicles), translating into fewer cargo manifest spots required for the batteries, the American space agency shared in a statement.

Lithium-ion batteries were chosen following research proving their success on Earth, as they are designed to withstand intense heat and thermal events.

A robotic arm attached to the craft released 265 miles above Earth's surface, which is set to spend the next two to four years in low orbit before burning up harmlessly in the atmosphere'

NASA began replacing the crafts 48 nickel-hydrogen batteries with 24 lithium-ion units in 2016, with the final swap last year. Lithium-ion batteries were chosen following research proving their success on Earth, as they are designed to withstand intense heat and thermal events

The space station lithium-ion batteries also make use of a radiant barrier shield, first developed for rocket engines, to reduce the likelihood of a thermal event.

In 2016, NASA began sending the upgraded units to the ISS via the HTV cargo spacecraft and 13 different astronauts conducted a total of 14 spacewalks over nearly five years to complete to transfer from nickel-hydrogen units to lithium-ion batteries.

In 2016, NASA began sending the upgraded units to the ISS via the HTV cargo spacecraft and 13 different astronauts conducted a total of 14 spacewalks over nearly five years to complete to transfer from nickel-hydrogen units to lithium-ion batteries

The pallet is moving just 4.8 miles per second and is not expected to survive the intense heat when it reaches Earths atmosphere and NASAs ballistic officers indicate no threat

The ISS crew was set to send the pallet of aged batteries back to Earth aboard the HTV, but a failed Soyuz launch in 2018 disrupted schedules for spacewalks forcing NASA to push the timeline back for when the swap mission would be completed.

And the cargo craft made its last departure before the final upgraded was completed  leaving the pallet on the ISS and forcing NASA to jettison it on their own.

However, the 2.9-ton of garbage has added to the some 34,000 pieces of space junk that is larger than 3.9 inches, along with millions of smaller objects floating around Earth
Farmgate prices for prime sheep have been some of the highest on record since the beginning of 2021 and some 20 percent higher than a year ago.

High prices are an indication of firm demand and weak supply, according to analysis by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS).

In the UK, slaughter data and auction market throughputs indicate a shortage of domestic supply.

January prime sheep slaughter volume was reported by Defra to have been down 18% and auction market throughputs since then continue to be lower than last year.

However, auction markets do report an increase in the proportion of prime sheep sold falling within the SQQ weight range.

Stuart Ashworth, QMS' director of economic services, said some of the reduction in kill may be a consequence of disruption on slaughter lines cause by Covid control measures.

Another contributing factor to recognise is that with a smaller UK lamb crop reported in the June 2020 census, and total slaughtering in the second half of 2020 experiencing little change from 2019, that there will have been a smaller carryover of hoggs into 2021.

Nevertheless, the scale of shortfall in the January kill may suggest a combination of early deliveries during December, when the UK kill was unusually high, and a holding back of stock for the Easter and Ramadan market, he said.

Offsetting the reduced availability of domestic sheepmeat in January and February is a reduction in export activity caused by the dual disruptions of Brexit and Covid.

Brexit associated challenges over the health certification of exports and checks at ports needed since the beginning of January as well as the consequences of Covid control measures on demand in Europe have resulted in reduced export activity.

"French data for example suggests overall consumption of lamb in France in 2020 was 5% lower than in 2021 and there import requirements were lower, Mr Ashworth said.

In comparison, New Zealand report much lower deliveries of sheepmeat into the UK and the EU during January and February.

Two issues are contributing to this, the first is a lower slaughter volume during January and February and the second is the global disruption to container movements and changed shipping schedules caused by Covid-19 management measures," he added.

"This has led to increased shipping costs and delays in deliveries. Indeed, disruption to international trade has contributed to New Zealand farmgate prices trailing year earlier levels."

Ireland has also seen a reduced prime sheep kill since the turn of the year; by late February Irish prime sheep slaughter was cumulatively 6% lower than last year although in recent weeks it has come more in line with last years levels.

However, the recent publication by Ireland of farm census data for December 2020 suggests their carryover of hoggs is little different from last year and so supplies may increase in the next few weeks.

"Nevertheless, the current tightness of supply is contributing to Irish farmgate prices for prime sheep at the end of February some 20% higher than a year earlier, said Mr Ashworth.

Prime sheep farmgate prices are also more than 10 percent higher in Germany and the Netherlands.

France reported a more modest 7% year on year increase while prices are lower than a year ago in Spain and Italy.

These relative price movements and the extra administrative costs of exporting does suggest that at current farm gate prices prime sheepmeat exporting is less attractive than a year ago.

Nevertheless, with Easter fast approaching and Ramadan beginning shortly after these two periods of historically firm consumer demand will continue to underpin prices in the short term, Mr Ashworth said.
Alsace is one of France's finest wine-growing regionsand one of its least understood. (leoks/shutterstock)

The Gorgeous Wines of Alsace

One of Frances finest wine-growing regions, and one of its least understood, is the northern district of Alsace, a hilly region bordering Germany with a populace thats as comfortable speaking German as it is French.

Moreover, the grape varieties of Alsace (almost all of them white) are also found in Germany, with riesling, gewurztraminer, and pinot gris at the top of the list, and pinot blanc, muscat, and sylvaner right behind.

Germany occupied Alsace for nearly 90 years over several decades and wars, but the two wine cultures have different wine styles. Germany generally prefers to balance its naturally high acids with residual sugar, halting fermentations before all the sugars have been converted. Alsace prefers more of the dry approach. But both areas also make stylish off-dry wines.

Alsace has traditionally treated these wines as accompaniments to one of Frances most interesting regional cuisines. To that end, it has historically kept its wines drier.

As wine author Hugh Johnson wrote decades ago in his The World Atlas of Wine, Instead of grape sugar lingering delicately in the wine, the grower likes a dry, firm, clean flavor, fermenting every ounce of the sugar which the long dry summers of Alsace give.

This produced wine with heft, rich on the palate with 13 percent or even 13.5 percent alcohol. It was generally tart enough to cut through all the richness of pressed duck, foie gras, and the like.

Alsace wine always was seen as a learned experience because of its high acidity, but with food, the wines were brilliant.

It has long been the one fine-wine region of France allowed to use the name of the grape variety on the label. Other French fine wine regions use the names of their communes or other geographic identifiers as the wines names.

In terms of style, the dry approach in Alsace began to erode in the 1980s. A few producers started getting high scores from some wine publications for wines that were sweeter. That prompted other Alsace wineries to make some wines with sugar. Between the mid-1990s and about 2005, many Alsace wines were softer than they had been.

Recent vintages have reverted to the more classically dry. As the pendulum swings back toward dryness, the wines more resemble what they were in the 1970s.

Alsace also produces some gorgeous dessert-style wineswhen Mother Nature cooperates. Some of Alsaces best sweeter wines are called vendange tardive, made from late-harvested grapes. They can be gloriously decadent and pricy.

Most dry Alsace whites are priced about $15 to $20 per bottle and carry the name of the grape variety.

At least two dozen producers of wine in Alsace export their products to the United States. Of all the grapes they grow, the classic Alsace white wine is gewurztraminer, a wildly aromatic wine that often has a trace of residual sugar to offset the possibility of astringency.

The house of Trimbach continues to make classically styled dry Alsace whites. Its dry gewurztraminer is tart and crisp. I prefer Trimbachs bone-dry riesling (about $25).

Wine of the Week

2019 Gustave Lorentz Pinot Blanc, Alsace ($16): Elderflowers, peaches, and a hint of dried pineapple in the aroma, and a slight sweetness in the midpalate mark this attractive, medium-weight Alsace white.

(Courtesy of Quintessential Wines)

To find out more about Dan Berger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at Creators.com. Copyright 2021 Creators.com
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New Delhi: A Delhi Court on Monday (March 15, 2021) awarded the death penalty to convict Ariz Khan in the 2008 Batla House encounter case. The court called it a 'rarest of rare case'. The court also imposed a total fine of Rs 11 lakh.

Ariz Khan is convicted for the murder of police inspector Mohan Chand Sharma and other offences in connection with the encounter that took place on September 19, 2008, in Delhi's Jamia Nagar.

"No amount of compensation can alleviate the agony, pain and trauma of family members of the victim, resulting from the crime committing in this case. However, monetary compensation would provide some solace and would apply balm to the wound of family members of the victim," the court said.

The Court said that out of the fine of Rs 11 lakh imposed on Ariz Khan, a sum of Rs 10 lakh be released as compensation to the wife of Mohan Chand Sharma.

"Legal heirs/ dependents of deceased Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma who displayed exemplary courage and valour during the shoot out and laid down his life fighting for the security of society and nation, deserves to be suitably compensated. At the conclusion of the trial victim or dependents of the victim should not be lost sight of. In the emerging trend of criminal jurisprudence, rights and interests of the victim and the family of victim needs to be protected and upheld, " the court observed.

The court said that the Investigating Officer after conducting an inquiry has filed the report in terms of order dated March 8, 2021, and as per the report, the mother of the convict is having agricultural lands in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh. The report further stated that the victim is survived by his wife, two children and parents and said the whole family of the victim suffered mental trauma and mental setback. It also said that the old father and mother of the deceased have gone through a severe mental setback.

It said the education of both children of Sharma suffered adversely because of the incident and that his family is still living under stress.

The court, reportedly, has also made recommendations to the Delhi State Legal Service Authority for awarding adequate and proper compensation to the family members of Sharma.

This is to be noted that the Police had sought the death penalty for Ariz Khan, allegedly associated with the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM), saying it was not just any killing but a murder of a law enforcement officer who was a defender of justice.

According to Police, Khan was present at Batla House along with four others. He had managed to give police the slip during the encounter in which two IM terrorists were killed and as many arrested.

Two suspected terrorists, Atif Ameen and Mohammad Sajid were killed while two other suspects -- Mohammad Saif and Zeeshan were arrested earlier.

The incident took place a week after five serial blasts had hit Delhi on September 13, 2008, in which at least 30 people were killed and over 100 sustained injuries.

Notably, a trial court in 2013 had sentenced the Indian Mujahideen terrorist Shahzad Ahmed to life imprisonment. His appeal against the trial court`s verdict has been pending in the High Court.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Dallas, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the nation takes stock of the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) today disclosed the impact the crisis has had on hunger in North Texas.

Over the past year, food insecurity among North Texans has increased by 25 percent. This reflects a significant rise in those seeking food assistance from the NTFB Feeding Network for the very first time  approximately 40 percent of those served by the organization since the start of the pandemic. These figures reflect the historic increase in hunger across the organizations 13-county service area. Almost 900,000 North Texans now face immediate and sustained food insecurity.

In response, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the NTFB has provided nearly 120 million meals to North Texans  a 45 percent increase over the prior year. The organization has provided over 113 million pounds of food  a 72 percent increase from the prior year  including 600,000 pounds to approximately 25,000 North Texans at a single Mobile Food Pantry event in Dallas Fair Park.

Early into the pandemic, the North Texas Food Bank instituted several immediate and sweeping changes to its operations that allowed the organization to not only sustain its support, but to significantly increase the food assistance it provides.

We flipped our business model virtually overnight, said Trisha Cunningham, CEO, North Texas Food Bank. Our leadership team quickly recognized that we could not operate business as usual in the face of this historic crisis. The staggering level of unemployment and public health requirements meant we needed to reimagine how to feed our hungry neighbors.

The NTFBs changes impacted several areas of operation:

Mobile Food Pantries : Recognizing the need to get food immediately into the hands of North Texans, the food bank ramped up its Mobile Pantry program, bringing large-scale, low-touch, drive-through food assistance directly to under-served communities. Since the start of the pandemic locally, the food bank has conducted more than 375 mobile food pantry distribution events, serving nearly 150,000 families. All told, the program has provided almost 12 million meals to the North Texas community.

: Recognizing the need to get food immediately into the hands of North Texans, the food bank ramped up its Mobile Pantry program, bringing large-scale, low-touch, drive-through food assistance directly to under-served communities. Since the start of the pandemic locally, the food bank has conducted more than 375 mobile food pantry distribution events, serving nearly 150,000 families. All told, the program has provided almost 12 million meals to the North Texas community. Kitted Meals: The food bank significantly increased weekly production of kitted meal boxes to include 25-pound family meal boxes full of shelf-stable items as well as 15-pound assorted produce boxes.

The food bank significantly increased weekly production of kitted meal boxes to include 25-pound family meal boxes full of shelf-stable items as well as 15-pound assorted produce boxes. Volunteers: Social distancing and other public health considerations required a complete re-tooling of the NTFBs volunteer program. Through an innovative partnership with Get Shift Done that engaged out-of-work restaurant workers, and support from the National Guard, among other changes, the food bank was able to ensure that food was safely and efficiently packaged, transported and delivered to those in need.

The NTFB also transformed its 240,000 square foot warehouse into a 24-hour operation to allow staff and volunteers to adhere to social distancing requirement while coordinating food packaging and delivery.

The decisions we made and actions we took last year were transformative, not just for the NTFB, but for the community, said Brad Stewart, COO, North Texas Food Bank. Our innovative changes have made the North Texas Food Bank an even stronger, more efficient and more effective organization in the fight against hunger.

Yet the food banks response to the areas historic need have come at a cost. The NTFB projects that COVID-related costs for the organization will reach more than $67 million since the pandemics onset.

The COVID-19 pandemic is also expected to have a lasting economic impact on North Texas and other communities across the country. The Dallas area is forecasted to recover economically in 2022 (source: LaborIQ), meaning many families will continue to struggle to put food on their table. According to Feeding America, the pandemic reversed the last decade's progress towards ending hunger in the United States. In 2021, an estimated 42 million people, including 13 million children, may face food insecurity.

One year ago, the COVID-19 pandemic completely changed our way of life in North Texas, as it did for millions of people across the globe, said Trisha Cunningham. Thanks to the generosity of our community, the government, and to our dedicated team and Feeding Network partners, weve been able to provide countless families with nutritious meals, and with hope. While we have much to be thankful for, we recognize there is still much to do.

About North Texas Food Bank

The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is a top-ranked nonprofit hunger-relief organization operating a state-of-the-art volunteer and distribution center in Plano, the Perot Family Campus. Last year, the Food Bank worked hard in partnership with member agencies from our Feeding Network to provide access to almost 97 million nutritious meals across a diverse 13-county service area, exceeding our goal by five years to provide access to 92 million annual meals by 2025. But the need for hunger relief is complex and in order to meet the continued need, the NTFB is always working to increase our food distribution efforts and bridge the hunger gap for children, seniors, and families in North Texas.

NTFB is a member of Feeding America, a national hunger-relief organization.

###

Attachments
LONG BEACH, Calif., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A partnership between Turnbridge Equities (Turnbridge) and Waterford Property Company (Waterford), along with Monument Square Investment Group, has acquired City Place Long Beach, a 14-acre, large-scale open-air retail, office, and mixed-used development property in the heart of downtown Long Beach, California.

City Place Long Beach

The partnership first acquired the loan on City Place Long Beach at the end of 2020 and has now reached an agreement to take over ownership of the property. City Place has a storied history in Long Beach, having once been the home of the Long Beach Plaza Mall, an enclosed shopping mall built in 1982. The mall was demolished in 2002 to make way for City Place, an open-air shopping district anchored by several big-box tenants, emblematic of the region's large-scale retail development trends in the early 2000s. With the rise of e-commerce and emerging consumer preference for experiential brick and mortar retail, the new owners see an opportunity to reimagine City Place as a vibrant, mixed-use district.

"We couldn't be more excited for the opportunity to work with the City and community to create a transformative project that everyone will be proud to call their own," said Michael Gazzano, Managing Director of West Coast Investments for Turnbridge Equities. "Downtown Long Beach has excellent fundamentals, and this site offers great scale to go along with exceptional urban characteristics including walkability, access to transit, and great pedestrian experience along The Promenade and side streets. We believe these characteristics stand the test of time and will serve as the cornerstones of City Place for years to come."

Sean Rawson, co-founder of Waterford Property Company and long-time Long Beach resident, understands the opportunity the property presents from a local's perspective. "City Place is the preeminent development opportunity in downtown Long Beach. Our goal is to bring a cohesive vision to the site that provides Long Beach residents with a transformative project and continues the Mayor and City Council's vision for development downtown," Rawson said.

The partnership believes City Place represents an equally intriguing placemaking opportunity, as downtown Long Beach is in the midst of a renaissance with an influx of new ground up and conversion residential and hotel projects underway. "What struck us about Long Beach was the quality of life that's available to residents of this community," adds Gazzano. "The greater downtown is a tapestry of high-character historic neighborhoods like the East Village Arts District and Retro Row on 4th Street, along with the higher-density emerging neighborhoods in central downtown. Long Beach is one of the few coastal markets in Southern California where a walkable historic downtown meets a world-class waterfront, offering an urban experience on par with places like Santa Monica and San Diego at a more reasonable price."

While the downtown Long Beach office market primarily caters to government and port-related businesses, the residential base has significantly deepened in recent years with the development of Douglas Park, a four-million-square-foot corporate office park occupied by a bevy of engineering and technical firms such as Virgin Orbit and Mercedes Benz, and housing thousands of high-wage workers many of whom choose to live and recreate locally.

The partnership plans to start working immediately to stabilize the asset as the country begins to recover from the impacts of the global pandemic, and help existing tenants get back up on their feet, while working with the local community to learn what their needs are and how the property can best respond. "All of the current tenants will remain and have a home at the project," said Rawson. "Many are small businesses, and we want to make sure they survive. It's the right thing to do."

Waterford is one of the most active investors in Long Beach, having acquired and repositioned over 15 multifamily projects in the market since 2015, in addition to spearheading the multi-million-dollar repositioning of Downtown Long Beach's iconic World Trade Center. Turnbridge is a national investment and development firm with a multi-billion-dollar portfolio. The firm is widely known for developing mixed-use projects across the country, such as Music Lane, a prominent 320,000-square-foot development in Austin TX, which includes retail, office, and hospitality.

About Turnbridge Equities

Turnbridge Equities, founded in 2015 by Andrew Joblon, is a privately-held, vertically-integrated real estate investment and development firm with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Miami, and Austin. Turnbridge is an SEC registered investment advisor, Turnbridge RE Fund Management Company I LLC, with assets under management in excess of $1.7 billion. Turnbridge's full-service platform and extensive relationships enable the company to acquire, develop, reposition, and operate real estate and generate value for its investors and partners. Turnbridge and its principals seek to bring high levels of creativity and thought leadership to drive the results of each of its investments. With a track record of implementing successful investment strategies, Turnbridge has capitalized on emerging trends and monetized value in advance of market shifts. Disclaimer: This does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase any interests in any Turnbridge projects.

About Waterford Property Company

Waterford Property Company is a diversified real estate investment and development company with an established track record in the acquisition and development of over $1 billion in multifamily and commercial properties. Its expertise includes entitling large mixed-use projects throughout Southern California as well as the development of a variety of affordable housing projects. It is led by its co-Founders John Drachman and Sean Rawson. For more information, visit https://www.waterfordco.com/

About Monument Square Investment Group

Monument Square Investment Group (MSIG) is a Beverly Hills, CA-based privately held alternative investment management firm exclusively focused on opportunistic U.S. real estate equity. MSIG's focused and thematic investment approach is premised on identifying dislocations, acquiring assets that MSIG believes are undervalued by the capital markets and developing/repositioning assets that provide arbitrage-like risk-return profiles. MSIG leverages its unique investment theses and diverse network of strategic relationships to create joint ventures with best-in-class sponsors, aiming to consistently generate alpha throughout market cycles. MSIG is led by Managing Partner Ben Poirier, along with CFO Paul Valente, COO Matt Doherty and Partner Tyler Steindorf.

Contacts :

Turnbridge Equities:

Tom Nolan, Great Ink Communications

[email protected]

908-392-0333

Waterford:

Jessica Spaulding, The Spaulding Agency

[email protected]

949-233-8575

SOURCE Turnbridge Equities
Photo: (Photo : Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels)

According to a survey of over 6,000 parents, stress, depression, and anxiety have increased since the government implemented national lockout restrictions.

A recent survey conducted by the University of Oxford said parents and caregivers are more stressed and depressed, with symptoms including trouble relaxing, being easily frustrated and irritated, feeling hopeless and fearful, losing joy, and being more irritable, over-reactive, and impatient. This will come as no surprise to those with children.

According to parents who took part in Oxford University's COVID-19 Supporting Parents, Adolescents, and Children in Epidemics (Co-SPACE) research, these feelings surfaced more frequently between November and December.

READ: 4 Ways to Manage Parental Stress for a Healthier Family Life



In the study sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council, parents' stress, anxiety, and depression scores increased from April to June from an average of 9.03 to 9.71 on a scale. According to academics of Oxford University, this 'mirrors' parent records of elevated levels of stress and depression from April to July of last year, accompanied by lower levels of these feelings from July to September.

"These results build on others that indicated that parents were especially vulnerable to distress during lockdown 1," said Cathy Creswell, professor of clinical developmental psychology at the University of Oxford and co-lead of the Co-SPACE report.

Creswell added, "Our findings illustrate the specific pressures experienced by parents during a lockdown, as many feel overburdened by the demands of fulfilling their children's needs during the pandemic, as well as home-schooling and job obligations."

ALSO READ: More TV Time for Kids Means More Stress to Parents, Research Reveals



Households with parents' stress and depression levels rise during the lockdown experts are concerned about.

Based on responses from over six thousand two hundred parents and caregivers up to the end of December 2020, unsurprisingly, highlighted that the parents with the highest levels of stress were families with single parents, low income, children with special educational needs, or younger to mid-high school children.

Creswell said, "We are especially concerned about the stress experienced by low-income households, single-parent families, and parents of children with special educational needs."

According to the study, in the United Kingdom, households with single parents and lower-income families (16,000 p.a.) and those with special education needs and/or neurodevelopmental differences were especially vulnerable to elevated mental health symptoms.

Parents with young children (10 or younger) in the home showed exceptionally high stress during the first lockout, with nearly a third (36%) of them concerned about their children's actions at the time.

READ MORE: Work Depression in Parents and Its Effect on Family Life

The report, according to John Jolly, CEO of the charity Parentkind, "highlights the additional burden and strain that partial school closures put on parents."

He also said that "Given the disruption to family life, lawmakers must consult and listen to parents' concerns on matters that directly affect them and their children's futures.

"This includes school safety and reopening, equitable grade distribution in the absence of tests, and remote learning."

The Oxford researchers keep track of children's and parents' mental health in the ongoing crisis to determine what prevents young people's mental health from worsening.

During the first lockdown, more than a quarter (28%) of parents with older children (11 or older) were concerned about their children's behavior, but nearly half (45%) were worried about their children's future.
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The 2.6 million renovation of Downing Street's new White House-style press briefing room was carried out by a Russian firm with links to state-controlled broadcaster Russia Today, it has emerged.

The construction of the room within No 9 Downing Street began last year when the government announced plans to hold televised briefings.

Earlier this month, it was revealed that the government spent 2.6 million to make the room ready for the briefings, which will be fronted by former journalist Allegra Stratton.

Now, photos have revealed the result of the work including a plush new studio and seating for reporters. In a nod to the White House, a podium is at the head of the room complete with an official Downing Street lectern in front of four Union Jack flags.

However, shortly after the photos were released it emerged the taxpayer-funded renovations were carried out by Russian firm Megahertz.

Megahertz was hired to install microphones, control desks, cameras and computers and is owned by Okno-TV, a Moscow-based company that works closely with state controlled broadcaster Russia Today.

A source told ITV News: 'A Russian-owned firm has been installing all of the communications equipment in Number 10. Questions need to be asked, the company does big installations for a number of organisations - but this is government.'

Ms Stratton, a former journalist, said there were 'absolutely not' any security concerns, adding: 'Clearly, in a contract like that we take all the necessary measures to ensure the highest standards of security.'

However, the Labour Party questioned the contract process for the renovation.

Downing Street's new White-House style media briefing room created with 2.6 million of taxpayer's money has been revealed

In a nod to the White House, a podium is at the head of the room complete with an official Downing Street lectern in front of four Union Jack flags

Earlier this month, it was revealed that the government spent 2.6 million on renovations to make the room ready for the briefings, which will be fronted by fronted by former journalist Allegra Stratton

The revelation came as images of the new briefing room were ridiculed online with some users questioning the liberal use of Tory blue and dubbing it a 'dictator's podium'.

Labour Shadow Chancellor, Rachel Reeves said: 'Given how much money Boris Johnson has thrown at his latest vanity project, we were expecting something a bit more impressive.

'This raises serious questions on who is getting rushed-through government contracts.

'And that's before we even get to why our nurses are getting a pay cut while the government spends millions on a media briefing room.

'The fact the government seems to have simply brushed this off with no further transparency or assurances on how they're spending British taxpayer money is deeply concerning.'

The televised briefings were said to be the brainchild of Boris Johnson's former adviser Lee Cain and are expected to be vehicles for the Conservative government to report on its policies.

They are expected to run in a similar way to White House press briefings with Ms Stratton answering questions on behalf of the Prime Minister and government.

As a politically-appointed special adviser, rather than an impartial civil servant, she will be able to take aim at opponents as well as defend the Government's actions.

Critics slammed the design on social media after the photos were revealed.

One wrote: 'Dictators Podium. Why is it blue. Is it going to be a Trump like party political broadcast room?'

Another said: 'The blue is disturbing here. It subliminally says U.K. state = the Tory party. Whereas until now, elections, the apparatus of state, its laws, traditions, and erm, accountability mechanisms and standards were the framework within which parties operated.'

While a third said: 'Looks a bit cheap doesn't it?'

The new briefing room seems to have been inspired by the White House. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks during the daily press briefing on March 15

Much of the equipment used in the briefing room was installed by a Russian-owned company with links to state broadcaster Russia Today

Firm Megahertz was hired to install microphones, control desks, cameras and computers. Megahertz is owned by Okno-TV, a Moscow-based company that works closely with state controlled broadcaster Russia Today

In response to a Freedom of Information request earlier this month, the Cabinet Office issued a breakdown of the costs of the renovations totalling 2,607,767.67, largely excluding VAT

The televised briefings were said to be the brainchild of Boris Johnson's former adviser Lee Cain and are expected to be vehicles for the Conservative government to report on its policies

They are expected to run in a similar way to White House press briefings with Ms Stratton answering questions on behalf of the Prime Minister and government

In response to a Freedom of Information request earlier this month, the Cabinet Office issued a breakdown of the costs of the renovations totalling 2,607,767.67, largely excluding VAT.

It said the funds had been spent to allow daily broadcasting by news organisations within the Grade-I listed building.

'This will necessarily require one-off capital works, including audio-visual equipment, internet infrastructure, electrical works and lighting,' the response said.

'This spending is in the public interest as the new broadcasting of lobby briefings will increase public accountability and transparency about the work of this Government now and in the future.

'Such spending on maintenance and technical facilities reflects that 9 Downing Street (the Privy Council Office) is a Grade I listed building.'

An advert said the salary for the press secretary role would be based on experience, but reports suggested the taxpayer-funded post would pay around 100,000 a year.

The FoI response, which was delayed by several weeks as officials decided whether the disclosure was in the public interest, included 1,848,695.12 for the 'main works'.

Other costs included 198,023.75 on 'long lead items', and 33,394.63 on broadband equipment.

The launch of the televised briefings had been anticipated as early as the autumn, but in January No 10 said they were being delayed as ministers planned to hold regular press conferences during the lockdown.

Lobby correspondents, the political reporters based in Parliament, currently have daily briefings with the Prime Minister's official spokesman, or his deputy. Both are civil servants.

But under proposals set out in July, an afternoon session will be filmed at 9 Downing Street and will be led by Ms Stratton.
Japan must come up with solutions acceptable to world



A group of U.N. experts has issued a warning to the Japanese government over its controversial plan to dump contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific. "Contaminated water still remaining at the plant poses major environmental and human rights risks and any decision to discharge it into the Pacific Ocean cannot be an acceptable solution," the experts said Thursday in a statement on the website of the Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).



"Ten years after the tragic disaster, thousands of people are still suffering the grave consequences of contamination which continues to affect their physical and mental health, livelihood and quality of life," said the statement prepared by five U.N. special rapporteurs on toxic waste and human rights, and other issues. "We recall that Japan has a continuing duty to prevent safety risks and exposure, especially the exposure of children and other vulnerable groups to radiation." Their perspective on the Fukushima radioactive water is entirely consistent with that pointed out by other nuclear experts so far.



Japan says it will treat contaminated water with the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) before releasing it as the need for discharge has increased with the storage tanks forecast to be full by the summer of 2022. But only 30 percent of the treated water has passed the safety standard, according to the Tokyo Electric Power Company. Tritium, an isotope of hydrogen, cannot be removed from the contaminated water even when it is reprocessed. The presence of highly dangerous radioactive materials such as cesium and strontium also makes purification extremely difficult.





So Japan's release of contaminated water will surely pose a direct threat to people as well as the marine environment. It would be in breach of its obligations as defined under international environmental laws, including the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Japanese government should come up with a viable solution that can be accepted by the international community, keeping in mind that the world is watching  closely and seriously  to see whether the island country will act responsibly.






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Gladys Berejiklian hinted New South Wales has recorded no new locally-transmitted Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, after a hotel quarantine worker became the state's first local infection in 55 days.

The NSW premier admitted health authorities may never determine how the Sofitel Hotel security guard caught the virus.

Genomic testing showed the man, who worked at the Sydney hotel on March 6, had the same highly-contagious UK strain of the virus as a returned traveller at the hotel.

'We have to accept we may never find the link  similar to the Avalon cluster: we still don't know,' Ms Berejiklian told reporters on Tuesday, an hour ahead of the day's figures being revealed.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian hinted the state has recorded no new locally-transmitted Covid-19 cases on Tuesday

Ms Berejiklian admitted health authorities may 'never find the link' between the hotel security guard at the Sofitel hotel in Sydney and how he caught the virus

'What's I'm (feeling) very positive about is that until a few hours before this press conference there had been no cases of community transmission since that time.'

Ms Berejiklian urged other premiers not to introduce border restrictions for NSW in response to the security guard's infection, saying it would be an 'overreaction'.

Health authorities are trying to work out the source of the man's infection, as the infectious traveller did not open his hotel room door nor leave his room while the guard was on shift.

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said authorities had reviewed CCTV footage from the night the guard worked.

The guard - who has already received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine - had no symptoms and had followed the required protocols, Dr Chant said.

She said there was 'not a clear and obvious breach' that explained the infection.

'We haven't been able to find an exact source, an explanation for how this person became infected,' Dr Chant told reporters on Monday.

'We are testing everyone who worked, co-workers who worked with this gentleman to just check there is not someone else who may have been an intermediary that transmitted to this gentleman.'

Quarantine has been extended for those staying on the 11th floor of the hotel, while 167 staff who worked at the Mantra Hotel in Sydney where the man worked an overnight shift on March 12 have also been contacted.

Quarantine has been extended for those staying on the 11th floor of the Sofitel Wentworth

167 staff who worked at the Mantra Hotel in Sydney where the man worked an overnight shift on March 12 have also been contacted by NSW Health

Ms Berejiklian said that while every community transmission caused 'sleepless nights', there was no need for premiers to 'overreact' to the latest case.

She urged state governments across Australia to 'give us a chance to demonstrate our capacity to get on top of this' and show how the vaccine rollout is working.

'There is no evidence of widespread transmission,' Ms Berejiklian told reporters.

'(It) dashes confidence everywhere if people can't rely on borders staying open.

'I'm not suggesting there is no risk, there always is, but ... please assess the risk against the facts, and at the moment there is one case of a guard.'
A number of hand sanitisers sold on online marketplaces contain less alcohol that advertised, a investigation by Which? has found. (Danny Lawson/PA)

A Northern Ireland company has warned that substandard biocidal products that don't comply with the law are being sold as hand sanitisers, with the potential for harm.

PiP Chemicals, based in Newtownards, produces scientifically proven and regulatory compliant sanitising products to industry, and makes sure that all its products meet high certification standards.

Founder Dr Adam Hunniford said that there needs to be stricter controls to keep the public safe.

"At this time we need to be cleaning our hands to help stave off the spread of Covid-19 for the foreseeable future," he said.

"However, if you are not using a sanitiser that is certified and has been through the regulatory processes then it could be causing harm.

"Some appear to contain methanol, which the government's Compendium of Chemical Hazards describes as toxic, including when used on skin."

PiP Chemicals was established nine years ago by Dr Hunniford, applying his experience in chemical formulation and manufacturing to produce a range of chemical products, specialising in biocides and automotive care.

It provides direct to business, not to the end user, and as such has experience in what should and should not be included in products.

"Our products have multiple test certifications, including BS EN 1500 and BS EN 14476," Dr Hunniford said. "We have gone to the trouble to make sure that the biocide contents are of the highest quality.

"If you are using a product that does not have the test certification you need to ask why it does not."

Dr Hunniford said that there are some indicators that some hand sanitisers are not suitable.

"If it smells bad, don't use it -there is a good chance it has been made from some questionable alcohol source," he said.

"If it has a sticky residue after use or leaves you with dry skin then people will be discouraged from using it so it won't do the job it is supposed to.

"Buyers should also be alerted to products claiming to be 'safe', 'natural', 'eco-friendly' or other such claims - these are prohibited by the regulations and indicate a manufacturer which is failing in it's basic regulatory obligations."
I do my best to report stories through the eyes of others. Sometimes, when I'm lucky, I get to see them with my own.

I suppose it's not news at this point that the COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been a confusing, chaotic work in progress.

The one unbendable fact is that federal, state and county governments had a full year with weekends off to come up with a clear and equitable rollout, with logical contingency plans.

In the Super Bowl of crises, it seems, the government is drawing up plays in the dirt.

Here's my experience at the Arvada Fire Protection District Training Center.

INSIGHTS | Heroes of the pandemic are vaguely known Joey Bunch: "The hero, in my book, is the common man, woman and non-binary individual who faced down the plague and panic and fought back with a broom. They are the truck drivers, the GrubHub deliverers, the grocery clerks, the fry cooks and especially the doctors and nurses."

I asked if I was in the line of cars I was supposed to be in. Do you have a confirmation email? the person directing traffic replied. Yes, I said, holding up my phone. Then thats the right line.

The beginning to the end of my year of living nervously was in sight. When the person checking drivers licenses approached my window, I considered giving him a hug.

He saw I was younger than 65 and said it wasn't my turn; I'd have to leave and reschedule. I didnt want to hug him anymore.

I explained Im a journalist, and journalists have been getting vaccinated for weeks, 58 years old with enough comorbidities for a small sickly village. I gave the health department all that information, when it booked he appointment, I told him. He fetched Max, the site manager.

INSIGHTS | The federal stimulus means life and liberty in Colorado Joey Bunch: "In Washington, the people who talk so much about standing for the people need to step up and, as the new president might say, cut the malarkey."

Max appeared to be in his 20s. He wore a ball cap and carried a clipboard. He didnt need to see my confirmation email, he said. It was wrong, he said, without explaining why or whether my case was unusual.

The confirmation says service can be denied at the site, he said. It doesnt.

I asked if there was someone I could appeal this to. Max said he was in charge. Call Jefferson County, he relented when I asked for the third time.

I'm not mad at Max. I pity him. He's dealing with a mishmash of rules, orders, levels, phases, sub-phases with decimal points and, according to Max, mistakes made by his health department coworkers. There's a higher price for that. The next weekend I heard an NPR report about rollout stumbles nationally. An official in Miami said operating sites smoothly is critical to giving the public confidence in the process and encouraging people to get vaccinated.

INSIGHTS | Nature is the social distancing we all need right now Joey Bunch: "It's counterintuitive that were keeping up the barriers between Coloradans and the great outdoors, where wide open spaces can put meaningful distance into social distancing."

Gov. Jared Polis has provided bright lines of clarity that amount to a fuzzy notion.

Restaurant workers were told they would get shots starting March 5. A few days before, Polis said forget that. It's March 21 now. Got it?

It might change a day or two based on exact supply, he said, adding around March 21 we will be expanding to anyone age 50 and up, asterisk implied.

Confusion will not speed vaccinations or inspire confidence that the government can do this efficiently or safely. It's the government that put Max in charge of my health care in a parking lot. Max seems qualified to carry a clipboard, but that's as far as I would go.

I pulled away cursing under and over my breath, terrible, terrible words I'm not practiced at saying.

I was trapped in the line of vehicles that snaked around the fire station to leave when Max and a firefighter came to my window on the other side of the building. I don't know why, except to continue the bickering.

+4 INSIGHTS | Governor orders, 'Wear a damn mask,' but some wont listen Joey Bunch: "My nephew Josh Morgan died last weekend in Alabama. He was a 38-year-old construction worker with an Alabama Crimson Tide tattoo on his arm. He didnt feel well one day and died in his bed at home the next. ... He is just another of the 135,991 coronavirus deaths to you."

The firefighter warned me to drive out slowly and not to hit my fence, or were going to have problems, meaning, well, you figure it out.

I wish I had thought fast enough to ask, Sir, why do you think I'm going to hit your fence?" to hear the answer.

I asked Officer Friendly the more obvious question: Why are you even here?

I dont like the way youre driving, he said. I was in a line of cars creeping forward every few minutes, so that made less sense than hitting his fence.

I report on the government every day. Max and Fire Marshall Bill are not the government.

They are symptoms of the government. Max didn't have what he needed: information, compassion, cooperation or communication skills. They weren't on his clipboard, and the government is clipboard-based.

If you assume they logically line up doses based on the number of appointments that day, it means my dose was left over to toss out or give to someone without an appointment. At least I had an appointment. That's the government.

Who among us doesnt know someone vaccinated out of turn, because they're the friend of a friend? I know four  five, if you count the first gentleman.

I took Maxs advice and called Jefferson County. I was directed to the voicemail of Kelly Conroy, the associate director of clinical services for the health department. I left a message explaining what had happened. She never called back.

A month earlier, she and her boss, Mark Johnson, told 9News the goal was to vaccinate as many people as fast as possible. Conroy said she understood how frustrating it is to wait on this life-saving drug after a year of isolation and worry.

We have so much empathy and compassion, she said on TV.

The government always does.
Class action suits, allowing groups of consumers to sue traders who cause mass harm, will soon be possible in Ireland. The Government is bound by a 2020 EU directive to change the law to allow non-profits, such as consumer organisations, to sue companies - for instance, in the case of a major data breach.

The rules must be in place by 2023.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is putting out a public consultation today to ask for help in designing the rules.

This will be a first in Irish law, as such procedures are not currently in place here, said Robert Troy, the Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation.

This directive is an important development to improve consumers access to justice, contribute to fairer competition, and create a level playing field for businesses operating in the internal market.

Once implemented, when the rights of a large number of consumers are violated by the same business, a qualified entity can launch a representative action on their behalf before a court.

The EU directive, which became law last year, aims to cover a range of sectors, including financial services, travel and tourism, energy, telecommunications and the environment.

It would allow non-profits, such as consumer organisations, to take domestic or cross-border suits against companies that breach EU consumer protection laws.

Those bodies would have to be approved by the Government in advance.

Ultimately, companies could face fines and be forced to pay all legal costs if they are found to have breached EU rules.

Read More

The US and UK have mature class-action systems but Ireland is one of several EU countries where there are no clear rules.

Ryanair is currently facing a potential class action suit in the US as a result of issues with its pilots and an Alabama-based pension fund.

UK law firm SPG law is fighting a case against Ryanair, KLM, and Air France for refusing to issue refunds to customers on foot of pandemic-related flight cancellations.

A record number of people have also joined the law firms class action against British Airways for a 2018 security breach leading to a data leak affecting 380,000 customers.

Lawyers say Ireland could be a natural jurisdiction for future class action lawsuits, now that the UK has officially left the EU.

The Government has some room for manoeuvre in interpreting the EU rules, including the option to allow courts to dismiss a settlement if it judges it to be unfair.

They can also set limits on court or administrative costs, or offer legal aid to consumer organisations or other groups taking the class action suits.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 7.

My department and relevant stakeholders have a significant job of work to do to design the procedural mechanism for collective representative actions required by this directive, said Mr Troy. I therefore urge all interested bodies, not-for-profit organisations, consumers, and businesses to consider the objectives of the directive and to make their views known on how the directive should be implemented in Ireland and what forms the new procedural mechanism might take.
What you need to know about Pa.'s UC system going offline Thursday
Best Pomades for Men

These Pomades Are the Secret to Firm, But Flexible Styles Without All the Flakes

The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

Product photos from retailer sites.

Were about to let you in on some pro grooming advice here, so saddle up if youre ready.

A good hair pomade is your secret style weapon.

To the uninitiated, pomade is a pretty underrated grooming product, but it can help you achieve any iconic hairstyle from slicked-back suave to the perfect bed head. Plus, it can offer some really great hold to help you maintain your look through wind, humidity, and other daily assaults on your locks. It's also a great weapon against frizziness and pesky cowlicks, if you happen to need a little defense in those arenas. But most of all, its just about the easiest way to achieve salon-level style without the hassle (or expense!) of seeing a stylist on the regular.

RELATED: 15 Dry Shampoos That Clean Greasy Hair Fast

So, what is pomade anyway? Well, it can be made from differing ingredients and offer different levels of shine, but theyre all essentially a wax-like substance meant to give your hairstyle a firm, but flexible hold without crunchiness, drying, or flakes. Pomades can often be confused with similar hair products, like waxes, pastes, clays, muds, and putties, but traditionally, hair pomades offer a stronger hold and wont mess around much with texture. That said, there are two main categories of pomade: water-based pomades and oil-based pomades.

Types of Pomade

Water based pomades lend themselves best to softer styles while providing shine and pretty good hold. They distribute lightly and smoothly through your hair, so they're ideal for frizz control, too. Theyre also easier to wash out of hair or reactivate with a bit of moisture to readjust your look throughout the day.

Oil based pomades, on the other hand, are a lot closer to their traditional form. They're creamier-feeling (or even greasy) in your hand, but they go on your hair thicker than water based pomades and often provide a stronger hold. For these reasons, oil based pomades are ideal for guys with very dense or curly hair. These water-resistant pomades can, however, be pretty difficult to wash out in the shower, so just be aware. (And if its giving you some trouble, try shampooing your hair before you add water to get a good lather going. Then you can rinse with hot water and, very likely, repeat.)

But what if youre not sure how to use pomade? No worries, its actually really easy, regardless of the type of pomade you're using. All you have to do is get a dime-sized amount of pomade on your palms, rub it together, and run your hands through your hair when you hop out of the shower in the morning, starting at the back and working your way forward as you go. Some pomades can be applied to dry hair, but in general, damp hair will accept the oils in the pomade more easily, making it more malleable and lend to a higher shine as well. After the pomade is worked through your hair, you can finish styling with your hands or, more traditionally, a comb, especially if youre looking to achieve a classic hairstyle like a pompadour, slickback, ducktail, or a timeless side part. Then, once youre done styling, you can trust that your hair will stay neatly in place and look fresh all day.

In short, your days of putting up with cowlicks and frizzy hair, or of fearing a sudden gust of wind or the style-ruining power of summer humidity are over. Weve rounded up a selection of some of the best pomade for men with all hair types and style needs below. And you can bet that theyll keep your locks locked down, all while offering shine (and sometimes even the added bonus of a nice fragrance) to have you looking and feeling your best.

Best Pomades for Men

Best for Dry Hair

Baxter Of California Clay Pomade

This all-natural, oil-based pomade is formulated with natural ingredients like beeswax and clay, and without artifical stuff like parabens. This makes for an incredibly strong hold, so cowlicks and fly-aways beware. Apply to wet hair to give your 'do a sheen, or apply dry for a matte finish.

Promising review: For someone like me with dry and coarse hair that always seems to have too much volume, this is the best product I have ever used. It locks my hair into a style and keeps it there all day.  Matthew

$23 at Amazon.com

Best for Strong Hold and Low Shine

Imperial Barber Grade Products Classic Pomade

If youre looking for a product that does it all, this water-based pomade is a great option. Its strong enough for any super-slick hairstyles (yes, it will even hold down super-wavy or curly hair), but the low-shine finish will give your hair a laid-back appeal. The formula re-activates with water, so all you need to do to re-up your style is wet your comb and run it through.

Promising review: This is my husband's favorite pomade  I love that it gives him hold without looking cakey or greasy, and it keeps his hair nice all day and smells delicious. I would recommend it to anyone looking for great hold and texture.  Melissa Rogers

$12 at Amazon.com

Best for Dull Hair

American Crew Pomade

American Crews water-based formula is ideal for dudes with dull or dry hair as it adds a natural-looking shine while providing a medium-strength hold on just about all hair types.

Promising review: I have longer hair and a cowlick in the front which is hard to control. This pomade does a great job at holding a style without being crunchy. I have found the best way to put it on is to put a marble size amount in my hand, rub my hands together, and then run my hand quickly underwater to help spread it throughout my hair. There's no flakiness like you can get with gel sometimes.  SnowboardDoug

$15.30 at Amazon.com

Best for On-the-Go

R+Co Dart Pomade Stick

A portable-friendly option, this pomade stick keeps your hairstyle well-groomed by forming a protective barrier that draws out moisture for an adaptively soft and shiny look. Much of the ingredients featured in the product are natural oils  from castor seed oil to jojoba ester  and are loaded with essential nutrients. This means it not only provides a strong hold for thicker hair, but it nourishes healthy hair growth starting from the scalp, too.

Promising review: "This stuff is great. Its easy to use, smells good and keeps your hair down. Works best if you brush it through your hair."  Syd Play Eat

$19 at NiemanMarcus.com

Best for High Shine

Layrite Pomade Supershine Cream

A lot of guys who know men's hair products may be familiar with this brand's Superhold Pomade, but we're shouting out their high-shine formula here. Normally, this type of shine is reserved for oil-based formulas, but this one is actually water-based so you can touch up as needed and clean it out easier at the end of the day. It's great for styling a perfect pompadour, so go ahead and comb it in, pump up your hair, and bam  youll be looking like the next Great Gatsby.

Promising review: This is by far the best pomade I've ever tried. What I love most about it is that the hold is strong enough to keep your style, and it doesn't dry or crisp up. So if you need to run a comb through it mid-day, you can without having to use water or any more product.  Matthew Martino

$18 at Amazon.com

Strongest Hold

Suavecito Pomade Firme Hold

This pomade boasts a firm-hold formula that's ideal for even the most uncontrollable of manes. It combs through damp hair as a wet pomade and then dries hard for an incredibly strong hold and high shine. But, while this water-based formula keeps its hold, it also washes out just as easily as it goes on.

Promising review: This is the best product of its kind in every way, shape, and form. I radiate heat like crazy and I sweat profusely, therefore hair products don't last long in my hair. In my best efforts to find something that would actually work for me, I did countless hours of research to eventually come to the conclusion that this was the one for me  It goes in the hair so easily, it disperses so evenly, it sets at the perfect firmness and texture, and most important of all, it lasts all day!  Sean Mills

$14.99 at Amazon.com

Most Water-Resistant

Patricks M3 Matte Finish Strong Hold Pomade

This oil-based pomade serves up a stylish matte finish and an impressively strong hold that'll last all day, even through your sweat sessions. In fact, it's water resistant up to 1000 feet, so swim on! Its formula is also very nourishing and protecting, packed with palmetto, sage, red clover, and peptides.

$60 at MrPorter.com

Best Value

AXE Clean Cut Look Classic Hair Pomade

If you're wary about applying a pomade to your hair from a company famous for its specifically fragrant deodorants, fear not! This two-pack is not only cost-effective, but it's also a high-quality product offering great hold and a mild finishing shine. It might even make you feel like you've just left a professional stylist (but with a DIY at-home price).

Promising review: Keeps my hair happy and in place, but still soft  not hard like typical hair products. Not as greasy or shiny as typical pomade [either]  My hair feels healthier and my scalp is less dry than with other products. Hands down, the best hair product I've found.  Robert

$13.52 at Amazon.com

Most Lightweight

Smooth Viking Pomade - Medium Hold & Supreme Shine

This versatile water-based pomade can be used wet or dry, and it's pretty universally great for all textures and styles, so you can easily use it to change up your look day-after-day. Its medium hold gets the job done with a lightweight feel, and its high shine will leave you looking perfectly coiffed.

Promising review: I have very fine hair and it's so hard to do anything with it because [of that]. I ordered this based on the reviews about how it won't weigh down or make my hair look greasy. This stuff is great! After I blow dry my hair, I add a small amount (about the size of a nickel) into my hand and then begin to apply it. It gives my hair a nice shine, but more importantly, it gives my hair the fullness and hold that I need."  L. Avila

$11.95 at Amazon.com

Best Scent

Tenax Pomade Strong Oil

Straight out of Italy's longstanding family of Ludovico Martelli brands, this water-based pomade offers strong hold while having the added bonus of washing out easy at the end of the day. Just work it between your palms and apply it to damp or dry hair for a structured, but not stiff look with an all-day hold.

Promising review: "Smells wonderful, goes on easily, and lasts a long time. Compared to Layrite and others, this leaves my hair feeling softer and more manageable after an application. I get great hold without my hair being too still."  e-dolecki

$16 at Amazon.com

Best Matte Finish

Reuzel Extreme Hold Matte Pomade

If youre looking for hair that looks matte and soft, but wont move an inch, then chances are youll find what youre looking for in this pomade. It boasts an impressive hold that isn't likely to go anywhere. That is until you shower, of course, since this water-based formula washes out with ease.

Promising review: "I'm not a fan of shiny hair, but I have thick hair that takes a lot to hold in place, especially on my crown. This [Reuzel pomade] is awesome! It's everything I like as far as ease of use, washing out easily, and not flaking off onto my shoulders, but it has a more masculine scent, and the holding power is incredible for something that is matte finish." Justin C.

$19 at Amazon.com

Best Organic

Mack for Men ShapeShifter Pomade

Beeswax provides this pomade with its foundation, meaning that it's both water-soluble and organic, but don't think that means it can't keep up with the competition when it comes to providing a long-lasting hold. It's also free of chemical compounds and artificial ingredients that plague so many other grooming products, like parabens, DMDM formaldehyde and IPBC preservative.

Promising review: "This stuff holds strong. I only need about a pea-sized pinch with just a bit of water to give my hair an even coat that seems to hold all day. What differentiates this from their HydroClay is primarily that the ShapeShifter has a light shine and differing texture. Im typically not into shine when it comes to hair products, but this shine is still within what Id consider a natural look. Its [also] got a clean, fresh scent thats nice, but not overpowering."  Ty. K

$17 at Amazon.com

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After at least two more demonstrators were brutally shot dead by Myanmars military Junta on Saturday amid the violent crackdown, Myanmars civilian leaders in the hiding vowed to bring a revolution to oust the military members that couped and illegally seized political power in the Southeast Asian country. Addressing the public for the first time, the acting vice president of Myanmars detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyis party NLD said that this was the darkest moment for his country and that civilians must win the uprising.

Sources of Associated Press revealed that the civilian leader from National League for Democracy Mahn Win Khaing Than encouraged Myanmar citizens to not give up the fight. He stated that he would seek to give the people of Myanmar a legal right to defend and protect themselves against the military. Khaing delivered a speech as the military shot one protester in the head point-blank and another in the abdomen in Hlaing Thar Yar Township in Yangon.

Several were left injured from live ammunition at protesting sites after they formed vapor screens and deployed fire extinguishers to smother tear gas that the police initially used to pursue demonstrators. A total of 7 Myanmar civilians were killed by the security forces.

#CRPH announced the appointment of Acting Vice President Mahn Win Khaing this evening. He was reelected in his Karen State constituency in Myawaddy in 2020 elections. Please join me to warmly welcome our Acting VP.  CRPH  pic.twitter.com/OKq9a1SjYl  Nimrod from Burma (@NimrodAndrew) March 9, 2021

Acting Vice President of Myanmar

Mr Speaker of House of Nationalities (Upper House), His Excellency, Mahn Win Khaing Than is our legitimate acting Vice President. pic.twitter.com/Cs0Q180AzR  Dr. Sasa (@DrSasa22222) March 9, 2021

Revolution is the chance', says leader

In a footage that emerged on the governments site, Than lamented loss of lives, saying that "in order to form a federal democracy, which all ethnic brothers who have been suffering various kinds of oppressions from the dictatorship for decades really desired, this revolution is the chance for us to put our efforts together. Adding that the moment of dawn is close, the NLD acting president said, We will never give up to an unjust military.

Further in the video, he said, we will carve our future together with our united power. our mission must be accomplished." He also flashed a three-finger salutation as a symbol of resistance to Myanmar's oppressive military. Earlier yesterday, military Junta opened fire killing four in Mandalay, two in Pyay in south-central Myanmar, and one in Twante, a suburb of Yangon. Some sustained serious lethal wounds from bullet shots, succumbing on their way to the hospitals, many of whom have been under surveillance by security forces.

[Protesters attend a candlelight night rally in Yangon. Credit: AP]

[Anti-coup protesters practice a defense formation with makeshift shields during a demonstration. Credit: AP]

[Anti-coup protesters run away when police security forces try to disperse them with tear gas in Mandalay. Credit: AP]

[Anti-coup protesters shout slogans and demand release of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Credit: AP]

(Image Credit: AP)
AccuWeather meteorologists are urging residents from the southern Plains to the Southeast coast to remain weather aware this week as rounds of flooding rainfall and volatile thunderstorms unfold. The pattern could lead to a multi-day outbreak of severe weather, including tornadoes.

The same storm that brought a historic snowfall to the Rockies and High Plains and severe weather to portions of the southern Plains over the weekend will bring rain and thunderstorms to the Ohio and Tennessee valleys at the start of the week.

Locally severe thunderstorms are forecast to erupt on the leading edge of a puddle of cold air located in the upper levels of the atmosphere in central and northern Missouri Monday afternoon and evening.

Even though these storms may be isolated in nature, they can bring all facets of severe weather ranging from large hail and damaging wind gusts to a couple of tornadoes.

The storms may reach the St. Louis metro area during the evening hours.

The main threat across the Southeast will be areas of downpours that can slow travel and lead to isolated incidents of flash flooding. A few gusty thunderstorms are also possible.

On Tuesday, the storm will stall out over the Southern states, leading to rounds of downpours from Louisiana to the Carolinas throughout the day. Once again, a few storms can become heavy and gusty, and flash flooding will be possible where the heaviest rain persists.

In areas that receive multiple or extended downpours, there can be an AccuWeather Local StormMax of five inches of rainfall from Monday night to Tuesday night.

The next chance for widespread severe weather will arrive across the southern Plains late in the day on Tuesday as the storm that moved over the West on Monday emerges from the Rocky Mountains.

Here, the storm will gain strength and tap into warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. As this sticky environment clashes with cooler air following in the wake of the storm, this will help to spark severe weather across the Southern states from Tuesday night through Thursday.

"Thunderstorms Tuesday evening and Tuesday night could contain multiple hazards. Heavy rain, hail, high winds and tornadoes are all possible," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Mike Doll said.

The storms late Tuesday may erupt just to the east of the hardest-hit areas of West Texas from over the weekend. At least 20 tornadoes were reported in the region during Saturday and Sunday, according to storm reports from the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center.

Mr. Doll emphasized the importance of residents keeping up-to-date on the severe weather situation, given that most of the violent storms are expected to occur after dark.

"Tornadoes at night are especially dangerous because they can strike when people are asleep. Its very important to have a way to get severe weather notifications at all times of the day, but especially at night. The AccuWeather app can help with this," Mr. Doll said.

Wichita, Ks.; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Ok.; and Dallas and Wichita Falls, Tx., are some of the locations where residents should make sure cell phones are fully charged and the volume turned up with severe alerts enabled prior to heading to bed.

Severe weather dangers will spread eastward heading into the middle and latter part of the week.

The same severe weather hazards, including hail, damaging winds and tornadoes, will exist Wednesday and Wednesday night, but farther east into the Mississippi Valley and Southeast, according to Mr. Doll.

"Roads could become flooded due to heavy rain, and hail, high winds and tornadoes could lead to property damage," Mr. Doll said. The flood risk will be greatest in areas of the South that receive repeated downpours early in the week.

Wind gusts could reach an AccuWeather Local StormMax of 80 mph with the storms Tuesday night through Wednesday night, so power outages will also be a big concern.

"It is possible that the period from Wednesday afternoon to Wednesday night brings a significant number of tornadoes and may be the biggest period for tornadoes of the multiple-day severe weather threat," AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz said.
Chip and Joanna Gaines tell Oprah how God communicates with them

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"Fixer Upper" stars Chip and Joanna Gaines were featured on Oprah Winfreys "Super Soul Sunday show last weekend and detailed how God interacts with them individually.

The home renovation experts are gearing up to launch their Magnolia Network in July on Discovery+ and sat down with the media mogul to candidly share about their success and family life.

During the long chat, Oprah, impressed by Joannas ability to hear from God, asked the designer to explain how she hears Gods voice. She inquired whether it was a voice in your head, is it a feeling, is it prayer?

Joanna responded: all three of those things, for sure, along with an overwhelming presence of peace.

"I will say there probably been five pivotal moments in my life where I can say that was God's voice, that was Him, and I felt the sense of peace, almost like that moment where you get chills and you know there's something else, Joanna Gaines explained of the difference between her mind and Gods voice.

That's something that since I was a little girl, I've experienced God in that real way, very relational, she emphasized.

The professing Christian and mom of five told Oprah she stays away from religion because she believes Gods connection with His creation is very relational.

"With the idea of religion, I shy away from that, my relationship with God, it's like no one else's, the 42-year-old explained. God is so creative that I cant impose what my belief. ... He shows up in beautiful unique ways for all of us.

"I'm very realistic. I need to hear it. I'm literal. And so that's how He shows up for me, Gaines noted, pointing out that its very different for her husband.

Chip Gaines, 46, opened up to Oprah about the unique way God speaks to him.

"God shows up for me in very practical real ways. Like I work, that's how I meet with God, he stated. When I sweat, and when I'm lonely, I'm sad, I'm mad about something. I mean, when you chop firewood, or [on] demo day. You don't have to have any talent to be good at demolition. You just want to break stuff.

Chip maintained that those very childlike, very natural, very simple ways are how God speaks to him.

The Waco, TX resident went on to say that despite his faith-filled upbringing, he never considered himself to be well versed in scriptures.

"I'm not a theologian. I don't understand. We both grew up in pretty conservative Christian families, and we were brought up in Church in the very traditional sense. But I didn't love to open the Bible and read the Bible for hours a day, he admitted.

"Then I would go out at my granddad's ranch and I'd get on a horse, or I'd get thrown off of a horse, or I'd go try to wrestle a cow, or I'd go see a cow being born. And I would really feel like I experienced God in those moments.

During the interview, the couple also talked about how they dealt with their success.

"I want to speak on Jo's behalf because she would never say things like this, but she is so incredibly wise, so incredibly grounded  all the things that you just described is who Joanna is," Chip shared on behalf of his wife.

However, he confessed that he had struggled with fame and the limelight after several years of success. They explained why they decided to end the first installment of Fixer Upper, which aired on HGTV from 2013 to 2018.

"That year off, I really think Jo and I were able to hunker down and really kind of try to unpack what it was about fame that seemed so incompatible with my personality," he recalled.

Now in July of 2021, the new series titled Fixer Upper: Welcome Home" will be returning on their very own new cable network, Magnolia.

The network will also air other shows featuring several other hosts, including chef-restaurateur Erin French, Floret Flowers owners Erin and Chris Benzakein and others.
The World Trade Organisation will work to deliver technical assistance, training and quality upgrade to unlock some bottlenecks confronting Nigeria, the director-general, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said.

Mrs Okonjo-Iweala stated this on Monday in Abuja when she visisted Adeniyi Adebayo, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment and Minister of State, Mariam Katagum.

She later met with President Muhammadu Buhari. The former finance minister of Nigeria arrived the country Saturday on a five-day working visit, two weeks after she assumed leadership of the global body.

She described WTO as an economic institution that could work with other financial institutions to support investments and technical assistance to mitigate Nigerias economic challenges.

She said the WTO was created with World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF), adding that these three institutions, by working together, could deliver a lot.

Mrs Okonjo-Iweala also noted that Nigerias share in world trade was 0.33 per cent which showed a small fraction of what Nigeria could do.

Our share in Africas trade is 19 per cent, which is below our share of Africas Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This means we can turn it around, she said.

I like to look at the optimistic side, when I saw this I knew that there was potential for us to do much. And that is the message I want to convey to the country.

This means that we must step up our action on the economy, we must do better and harder in several ways because of our youth who are waiting for jobs.

Nigeria needs to focus on adding value on transitioning. We are an oil and gas-based economy, and that has sustained us and still will. But the world is moving away from fossil fuel, she said.

Mrs Okonjo-Iweala said trade negotiations on agricultural issues were very important for Nigeria adding that the country was active in agriculture and also in the Joint Statement Initiatives, ongoing prolateral negotiations.

According to her, Nigeria is equally involved in E-commerce, services domestic regulations, investment facilitation, micro small and medium enterprises and women in trade.

Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, while stating that Nigeria was 103 out of 167 countries in logistics, advised that it was a potential area Nigeria could invest in to improve its logistics.

She said the country can take advantage of trade within the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The WTO D-G also noted that WTO was being faced with many challenges and also needs its own reforms to deliver results.

She added that the organisation has not delivered a multilateral round of negotiations in quite a number of years and has the unique opportunity of delivering the fishery subsidy negotiations.

Mr Okonjo-Iweala explained that supporting and finishing the fishery subsidy negotiations was important for the sustainability of our oceans.

Speaking on COVID-19, Okonjo-Iweala said the WTO must contribute more to the solutions of vaccines therapeutics and diagnostics, especially to the poor countries.

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On its dispute settlement system that was paralysed, she said it had to discuss with all members including the U.S. on how to make it work again.

She said this was because the rules-based organisation could not continue to make rules if the dispute settlement system did not work.

Our vision for the WTO is to face these challenges. I hope that Nigeria will take a very active supportive role in helping me to deliver on some of the messages, she added.

Earlier, Mr Adebayo intimated Mrs Okonjo-Iweala on some of the ministrys expectations regarding its engagement in ongoing negotiations as it prepared for the WTO Ministerial Conference, scheduled to hold in Geneva in December 2021.

On the ongoing agriculture negotiations, Mr Adebayo said Nigeria was expecting balanced and equitable outcomes that would address the structural causes of insecurity in Net Food Importing Developing Countries (NFIDCs) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

On the fisheries subsidies negotiations, the minister noted that the ministry looked forward to outcomes that would result in reduction of overfishing and unsustainable development of the fishing sector of developing countries.

I also wish to draw your attention to our capacity difficulties which continue to undermine our effective participation in the multilateral trading system.

While we acknowledge with thanks the capacity-building efforts of WTO around training officers on international trade governance, the need for more targeted technical assistance from the WTO cannot be overemphasised, he said.

Mr Adebayo appreciated President Buhari for according priority for Nigerias participation in the D-G WTO selection process and authorising the deployment of political, diplomatic and other resources.

He said this was to ensure Mrs Okonjo-Iwealas emergence from the three rounds of consultation as the candidate with the largest support of members to lead the WTO and your subsequent confirmation as D-G by WTO.

Similarly, Mrs Katagum urged the D-G WTO not to forget the commitment to sustain and enhance the ongoing dialogue and action on women in trade, as a firm believer in the power of trade to lift developing countries, including Nigeria out of poverty.

(NAN)
The states federally qualified community health centers, serving hundreds of thousands of low-income residents, are asking the state for permission to ignore age limits immediately as they administer COVID-19 vaccines, using a new, direct federal supply of doses.

Five executives from the 17 community health center organizations in Connecticut formally asked the state Department of Public Health earlier this month to let them bend the rules.

Their logic: Their patients are among the hardest to reach and least likely to make, and keep, inoculation appointments through the standard online and telephone systems. Why not jab them with vaccinations whenever they walk in the door, regardless of their age?

That makes sense because those patients will need vaccinations sooner or later  and the sooner the better if they live in dense urban housing and work on the front lines, as many of them do.

It makes sense for another reason: As of this month, the Biden Administration has added a direct supply line of vaccines to the federally qualified health centers, known as FQHCs, much like the direct lines to pharmacies. With this weeks shipments, those community health centers in Connecticut will have received about 60,000 first doses through the new program.

And it makes sense for yet another reason: The health centers serve the exact populations that are slow in receiving vaccinations, state data suggests. Their patients are about 75 percent Black and Latinx and they live, largely, in the same 50 Zip codes that Gov. Ned Lamont has targeted for 25 percent of vaccinations in order to achieve some semblance of racial equity.

Dr. Deidre Gifford, the acting public health commissioner, had not given the health center directors an answer as of late Monday. She issued a statement in response to my query: Our FQHCs have been and continue to be excellent partners in our vaccine program. We truly appreciate our collaboration with FQHCs and all of their work to meet our equity targets.

You know that means no, and she went on to say the providers should focus on the age groups, oldest first. She should reconsider.

On Monday, Gov. Ned Lamont pushed up the date when any Connecticut resident can make an appointment from May 3 to April 5. So, in a way, it wont matter after that day but it does matter until then and it matters symbolically.

Because of our unique position providing communities of care especially in the Black and brown communities, said Ken Lalime, CEO of the Community Health Center Association of Connecticut, we believe that this would meet the goals of the state.

Thats what they do in Chicago: in targeted neighborhoods, no restrictions. Its not fair in a narrow way of looking at it, bending the rules, but so what? What does fair even mean in a world where access to medical care is connected to wealth and employment? Bending the rules for target populations works for public health and thats all that matters.

In a Feb. 23 column, I wrote that if we want to end the race gap on vaccinations, the state should end all eligibility rules in cities. Just head into the neighborhoods with doses, forget about making appointments and sticking with age 55, or age 45, or teachers or whatever. End. All. Rules.

And the best way to do that is through the health centers. By no coincidence, as of last week only the community health centers have hit that 25 percent number. The pharmacies lagged, at 14 percent of their vaccinations going to residents of the 50 target Zip codes even though Walgreens and CVS say they are focusing in the cities.

The hospitals and local health departments also lagged, though not as badly as the pharmacies, state reports show.

They should have been dong that from the start, said Amos Smith, CEO of the Community Action Agency of New Haven, an anti-poverty group, who has been outspoken that the system in place is designed to let wealthier, overwhelmingly white people seeking COVID-19 vaccinations take most of the appointments in the urban health centers.

Its not that DPH is sitting on its hands when it comes to equity. The agency set the 25 percent target and its working with the providers.

Still, with the dedicated stream of vaccines heading to the FQHCs, those clinics should be able to serve their populations in a targeted way. We really need to figure out a strategy to ensure equity in the distribution of the vaccines, said Mark Masselli, founder and CEO of Community Health Center Inc., which is based in Middletown and is the only one of the centers thats statewide.

The racial gap between white people and people of color receiving vaccinations appears to be narrowing but the numbers are not clear because the race of some people receiving inoculations isnt recorded.

The community health center movement started in the 1960s as a reaction to then-rising unequal access to care. A federally qualified health center has some key financial advantages through Medicaid, and must be run by a board made up of people in the communities served, among other obligations.

They are the largest source of primary care for the more than 800,000 Connecticut adults and children enrolled in HUSKY Medicaid.

Weve seen examples of aggressive outreach by the community health centers. On Saturday, Fair Haven Community Health Center joined with community activists in an effort to knock on some 5,642 doors to make appointments for neighborhood residents. They needed to stick to the over-55 rule, unfortunately.

On Sunday in Stamford, Community Health Center Inc. joined with local groups there, to vaccinate more than 300 immigrants.

Its all great, but not enough. Even if its just for a few weeks until April 5, the community health centers need to do what they do, unfettered, with all the vaccine supply they need.

If, at the end of the day, they have vaccines left over  then couriers can carry those doses not needed in the cities to the nearby town halls, where wealthier people able to isolate in larger houses can line up at 6 p.m., six feet apart, waiting for a shot at a shot. That seems fair to me.

dhaar@hearstmediact.com
Patna, March 15 : Prominent Kushwaha leader from Bihar -- RLSP's Upendra Kushwaha, whose party merged with Nitish Kumar's JDU, has been rewarded with key post in the Janata Dal United as its national parliamentary board president.

Sources have said that Nitish Kumar created the "national parliamentary board president" post just for Kushwaha, to honour him on his return.

A large number of members and supporters of the former RLSP, were also given primary membership of the JDU on Sunday as the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party merged with the ruling JDU at an event here.

Kushwaha, along with his supporters, were given membership certificates in the presence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The absence of JDU national president R.C.P. Singh from the event was seen as striking.

Kushwaha's body language was positive. While addressing the gathering in Patna, he said that he had contributed during formation of JDU and strengthened it till 2009. Kushwaha separated from JDU in 2009 and formed new party called Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) "Now, I return home again. People asked what terms and conditions I joined JDU. I want to clear them that there is no term and condition between me and JDU. I have only one goal to strengthen secularism and social justice in Bihar. I also want to strengthen the hand of our CM Nitish Kumar," Kushwaha said.

Nitish Kumar was also excited during the event. He appreciated the work of Upendra Kushwaha.

"We have had a series of meetings in the past along with our state president Vashistha Narayan Singh. I am really happy that Upendra Bhai is thinking about strengthening JDU. It has been proven also as a large number of his supporters have taken membership of JDU," Kumar said.

"The merger of RLSP in JDU is not a small development. It has a big meaning in the context of Bihar. We were one unit in the past and we are one today as well. Now, we will work together in the interest of Bihar and India," Kumar said.

JDU lost political ground in the recently concluded Bihar assembly election 2020 and one of the reasons was its depleting popularity including that of Nitish Kumar among backward castes and minority community. The party has faced serious challenges in Seemanchal region.

Kushwaha during the election had an alliance with AIMIM and BSP. Though Kushwaha's party was unable to win a single seat in the election but it's alliance partners especially AIMIM had given a good show and won 5 seats. BSP also managed to bag one seat. Moreover, these parties have cut sizable votes of parties like JDU, RJD and BJP.

Nitish Kumar wants to regain his lost ground through Upendra Kushwaha.

Kushwaha was elected first time in 2004 and his popularity among Kushwaha and Kurmi communities made him an important leader of Bihar. He was also union minister for state in the Narenra Modi government from 2014 to 2017.
Face-to-face experiential learning during Spring Semester 2021 remains optional. Students are not obligated to participate in face-to-face experiential learning even though it is now permitted. For students in mandatory co-op programs, the COVID-19 EEP options are acceptable alternatives and will count toward the co-op requirement. Students can relocate for face-to-face experiential learning; however, this policy is subject to change based on evolving public health status.

Many companies and partners across the globe continue to ask employees to work remotely, thus many students have the opportunity to complete co-op and other experiential learning requirements remotely (without physically being onsite at the employers or partners location). Career Education has opened the UC Remote Work Lab and Learning Center, located on the 3rd floor of University Square, in order to provide students who are working remotely for co-op employers an alternative location to conduct and perform that work. (Students must sign up in advance to use the space and can see the Remote Work Lab and Learning Center web page for more information.)

Additional COVID-19 updates are available on the Career Education website.
VANCOUVER, BC, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - District Metals Corp. (TSXV: DMX) (FRA: DFPP); ("District" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has commenced drilling at its high grade polymetallic Tomtebo Property located in the Bergslagen Mining District in south-central Sweden. This drill program is focused on the historic Tomtebo Mine where detailed geophysical, geochemical, and geological work conducted by the Company has identified significant coincident anomalies, that in combination with historic drill results, have developed high priority targets.

Garrett Ainsworth, CEO of District, commented: "This is an exciting time for the Company and our shareholders as we embark on the first substantial drill program at the Tomtebo Mine in almost half a century. The potential of the Garpenberg Mine did not get unlocked until the 1990's, and now we are applying that knowledge and technology at Tomtebo.

Our geological interpretations from work carried out in late-2020 greatly contributed to firming up our drill targets, and the subsequent implications from these interpretations are very encouraging. A key to this successful outcome has been the involvement of Rodney Allen and Hein Raat, who are both well-known experts in the Bergslagen Mining District. With a better understanding on the controls of polymetallic mineralization and the structural framework at the Tomtebo Mine, we have started our maiden drill program fully armed with knowledge to optimize every meter drilled."

Drilling will follow up, infill, and step out from significant high grade polymetallic mineralization encountered in historical drill holes, and to obtain missing assay data. Borehole electromagnetic surveys (BHEM) will be conducted on all of the holes completed, which is an important modern technology used to detect "off-hole" conductive sulphide mineralization that has never been previously carried out on the Tomtebo Property. The overall objective of this drill program will be to further establish the potential presence of a large polymetallic mineralized system that is presently daylighting at the historic Tomtebo Mine.

A total of 5,000 m of core drilling in 21 holes is planned at the historic Tomtebo Mine with a focus on the Oscarsgruvan, Steffenburgs, Gardsgruvans, and Gamla Gruvans zones (Figure 1). Geological work carried out at the Tomtebo Mine in late-2020 identified the rock types and the hydrothermal alteration patterns that hosts the copper-gold and silver-zinc-lead mineralization. The interpretation of this work has formed the basis upon which priority drill targets were selected.

The generalized drill target strategy for each zone at the Tomtebo Mine comprises:

Oscarsgruvan and Steffenbergs Zones: targeting silver-zinc-lead sulphide mineralization in skarn-altered limestone beds, and veins of remobilized massive sulphide within felsic volcanic rocks. Numerous sections of this stratigraphic horizon have not been drilled. In addition, targeting will focus on the extensions of massive sulphides intersected in the historical drill holes that coincide with conductive and magnetic high anomalies.

targeting silver-zinc-lead sulphide mineralization in skarn-altered limestone beds, and veins of remobilized massive sulphide within felsic volcanic rocks. Numerous sections of this stratigraphic horizon have not been drilled. In addition, targeting will focus on the extensions of massive sulphides intersected in the historical drill holes that coincide with conductive and magnetic high anomalies. Gardsgruvans and Gamla Gruvan Zones: targeting copper-gold vein networks and strong disseminations within and adjacent to zones of strong alteration. This includes the extension of this alteration zone at depth and to the southwest of Gardsgruvans. In addition, Rodbergsgruvan (located south of Gamla Gruvan) is a priority area to drill test with historical mineralized drill intercepts and coincident conductive and magnetic anomalies.

targeting copper-gold vein networks and strong disseminations within and adjacent to zones of strong alteration. This includes the extension of this alteration zone at depth and to the southwest of Gardsgruvans. In addition, Rodbergsgruvan (located south of Gamla Gruvan) is a priority area to drill test with historical mineralized drill intercepts and coincident conductive and magnetic anomalies. Bjorngruvan Zone: targeting historical silver-zinc-lead and copper-gold drill intercepts coincident with conductive and magnetic anomalies that are located adjacent east of Oscarsgruvan. This will also provide important information on the stratigraphy, structure and alteration pattern at the inferred eastern "limb" of the polymetallic system at the Tomtebo Mine.

A comprehensive technical presentation is now available on the Company's website that details the key geological interpretations at the Tomtebo Mine.

Technical Information

All scientific and technical information in this news release has been prepared by, or approved by Garrett Ainsworth, PGeo, President and CEO of the Company. Mr. Ainsworth is a qualified person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Mr. Ainsworth has not verified any of the information regarding any of the properties or projects referred to herein other than the Tomtebo Property. Mineralization on any other properties referred to herein is not necessarily indicative of mineralization on the Tomtebo Property.

The data disclosed in this news release related to drilling results is historical in nature. District has not undertaken any independent investigation of the sampling nor has it independently analyzed the results of the historical exploration work in order to verify the results. District considers these historical drill results relevant as the Company will use this data as a guide to plan future exploration programs. The Company's future exploration work will include verification of the data through drilling.

About District Metals Corp.

District Metals Corp. is led by industry professionals with a track record of success in the mining industry. The Company's mandate is to seek out, explore, and develop prospective mineral properties through a disciplined science-based approach to create shareholder value and benefit other stakeholders.

The advanced exploration stage Tomtebo Property is located in the Bergslagen Mining District of south-central Sweden is the Company's main focus. Tomtebo comprises 5,144 ha, and is situated between the historic Falun Mine and Boliden's Garpenberg Mine that are located 25 km to the northwest and southeast, respectively. Two historic polymetallic mines and numerous polymetallic showings are located on the Tomtebo Property along an approximate 17 km trend that exhibits similar geology, structure, alteration and VMS/SedEx style mineralization as other significant mines within the district. Mineralization that is open at depth and along strike at the historic mines on the Tomtebo Property has not been followed up on, and modern systematic exploration has never been conducted on the Property.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

"Garrett Ainsworth"

President and Chief Executive Officer

(604) 288-4430

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.

Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information.

This news release contains certain statements that may be considered "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. In some cases, but not necessarily in all cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "targets", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "an opportunity exists", "is positioned", "estimates", "intends", "assumes", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate" or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" and other similar expressions. In addition, statements in this news release that not historical facts are forward looking statements including anticipated results of future exploration and the results of additional compilation work.

These statements and other forward-looking information are based on assumptions and estimates that the Company believes are appropriate and reasonable in the circumstances, including, without limitation, assumptions about the reliability of historical data and the accuracy of publicly reported information regarding past and historic mines in the Bergslagen District the Company's ability to raise sufficient capital to fund planned exploration activities, maintain corporate capacity and satisfy the exploration expenditure requirements required by the definitive purchase agreement between the Company and the vendor of the Tomtebo property (the "Definitive Purchase Agreement") by the times specified therein (failing which the Tomtebo Property will be forfeited without any repayment to the Company); and stability in financial and capital markets.

There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results, and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include; the risk that historic data regarding the Tomtebo property is unreliable; the risk that information concerning production and mineralization at current and historic mines within the Bergslagen District proves to be inaccurate; the risk that the Company will be unable to raise sufficient capital to finance planned exploration (including incurring prescribed exploration expenditures required by the Definitive Purchase Agreement, failing which the Tomtebo Property will be forfeited without any repayment of the purchase price); future metal prices, general economic, market or business conditions, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators, including those described under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Company's MD&A for the financial year ended June 30, 2020. The Company does not undertake to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable law. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

SOURCE District Metals Corp.
President Moon Jae-in presides over a meeting with his key aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Yonhap



Speculative land buying scandal pushes down President's support rate



By Jung Da-min



A speculative land purchase scandal involving employees of a state-run housing corporation has dragged down support for President Moon Jae-in and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), becoming a major variable for the April 7 mayoral by-elections in the cities of Seoul and Busan.



Given that real estate is one of the most sensitive issues here with people suffering from high home prices, there are expectations that the effects of the incident may not stop at the by-elections but go beyond them accelerating the Moon administration into a lame-duck presidency.



According to a survey of 2,510 adults conducted by local pollster Realmeter from March 8 to 12, 37.7 percent said they believed Moon was doing a good job, down 2.4 percentage points from the previous week. Those expressing disapproval of the President's job performance continued to outnumber those expressing support, moving up 1.7 percentage points to 57.4 percent.



Realmeter noted that the illegal land speculation using classified inside information by the employees at the Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) may have affected the poll result with more and more people showing a negative sentiment toward the Moon government's housing policies.



Political commentator Choi Young-il said President Moon is not a lame duck at this point with an approval rating hovering above 30 percent and no exodus seen among his supporters, but disapproval of his job performance is growing especially over real estate policies, with more young voters and centrists turning their back on him because of the LH scandal.



"If the ruling party loses in the April 7 by-elections, it is highly likely that the lame duck phenomenon for the Moon government will be accelerated," Choi told The Korea Times.





Park Young-sun, ruling Democratic Party of Korea's Seoul mayoral candidate in the April 7 by-election, speaks during her visit to a local child protection institution in the Songpa District of Seoul, Monday. Yonhap



According to the Realmeter survey, support for the DPK is also decreasing amid the scandal. In the survey, 30.1 percent of respondents supported the ruling party, down 0.9 percentage points from the week before, while 32.4 percent favored the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), up 0.4 percentage points.



The gap in approval ratings between the DPK and the PPP was larger in the Seoul metropolitan area, where the mayoral by-election will be held, with 27.6 percent of respondents from the capital supporting the ruling party, down 2 percentage points from the previous week's poll, compared to 36.4 percent supporting the PPP, up 2.2 percentage points.



Other recent surveys showed that people believe the LH scandal will be a variable in the April 7 by-elections. According to a survey of 1,000 adults conducted by pollster STI from March 12 to 13, 75.4 percent of respondents believed the LH scandal would affect the Seoul mayoral by-election, while 22. 4 percent said it would not.



The survey also showed 61.5 percent believed President Moon should make a public apology for the scandal, while 32.3 percent said this was unnecessary.



Among Seoul mayoral candidates, support for DPK candidate Park Young-sun has been on the decline, while that for both PPP candidate Oh Se-hoon and People's Party candidate Ahn Cheon-soo has been rising.





Oh Se-hoo, the main opposition People Power Party's candidate for the April 7 Seoul mayoral by-election, left, and minor opposition People's Party candidate Ahn Cheon-soo shake hands during a joint policy vision presentation session held at a studio in Yeongdeungpo District in Seoul, Monday. Joint Press Corps
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A ban on girls singing in public imposed by education officials in the Afghan capital last week has been overturned after a social media campaign that included local women uploading videos of themselves belting out their favourite songs.

Schoolgirl choirs are a regular feature of official Afghan events, but when education authorities in Kabul banned the participation of teenagers it prompted an immediate backlash.

The order raised fears that education officials were "Talibanising" the country, heralding a return to when the authoritarian Islamist group barred the participation of women in almost all parts of society outside their own homes.

Late Sunday, the education ministry issued a statement saying the ban "does not reflect the positions or policies of the Ministry".

The announcement followed a furious backlash from social media users using the hashtag "#IAmMySong" to raise awareness.

"In Afghanistan today the Ministry of Education suffocated the voices of our little girls by making it illegal for them to sing," tweeted Shamila Kohestani, former captain of the national women's football team.

"They are quite literally teaching girls that they have no voice. #IAmMySong.'

On Facebook, Tayeb Safa wrote: "I feel the Taliban are making a comeback."

The controversy comes amid fears for a possible Taliban return to power as the US mulls pulling its remaining troops from the country in the coming weeks in accordance with a landmark deal signed with the insurgents last year.

Peace talks between the Taliban and the government have largely stalled in recent months, while a targeted assassination campaign -- including the murders of high-profile Afghan women -- has further rattled the country.

Afghanistan continues to be one of the most oppressive countries for women despite decades of international aid and the fall of the Taliban.

Gains in urban areas, however, have raised hopes that opportunities for women were slowly gaining traction.

mam-ds/fox/jfx
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(Reuters) - Moderna Inc said on Monday it had dosed the first patients in an early-stage study of a new COVID-19 vaccine candidate for its potential evaluation as a booster shot.

The company said its new candidate, mRNA-1283, could potentially be stored in refrigerators instead of freezers, making it easier to distribute, especially in developing countries.

The early-stage study will assess the safety and immunogenicity of mRNA-1283 at three dose levels, and will be given to healthy adults either as a single dose or in two doses 28 days apart, the company said.

Last week, Moderna began dosing the first participants in a study testing its COVID-19 booster vaccine candidates.

(Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla and Vishwadha Chander in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Anil D'Silva)
Clutch Bar was cited for operating beyond capacity  with 60 patrons in a space for 50  and allowing more than six people at a table and spacing tables too close together, according to Chicagos Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection. The bar, located at 316 W. Erie St., was the only establishment cited as part of the Saturday sweep of bars and restaurants, which included 40 full investigations, with an additional 49 businesses observed.
Depending on the Commonwealth Courts decision about a proposed warehouse zoning matter in Swatara Township, it could take up to two years before the situation is settled, according to the townships solicitor.

Commissioners on Feb. 25 voted 3-to-2 to appeal Dauphin County Judge John F. Cherrys decision that reversed the boards unanimous 5-0 vote from a year before that denied Mushroom Hill, LLC, a conditional use permit. The permit is needed to move forward to construct a 1.2 million-square-foot warehouse complex in the township.

The township filed an appeal to Cherrys decision to the Commonwealth Court on Feb. 26, which was the appeal deadline.

The Court has no specific deadline for its decision, said Scott Wyland, the townships solicitor. It can take a year or more for an appeal to be briefed, argued, and decided.

Swatara Township staff did not support approving the conditional use permit, saying there werent enough details in the application to make an informed decision. Commissioners agreed in February 2020, but Cherry said he thought the applicant provided sufficient information based on the townships ordinance.

Many residents dont support the project. Hundreds of them have repeatedly said during sworn testimony and during the most recent Feb. 25 special virtual meeting that the construction of the four warehouses will change the character of the township, which goes against its ordinance. Their input came during several public meetings that took place during a four-month span beginning in October 2019.

The warehouse complex  made up of four separate warehouses  would be built on a portion of 165 acres of green space off Route 322. It would be located near residents property lines and several Central Dauphin School District schools.

Their concerns have been documented.

The Commonwealth Court will hear the appeal by referring only to the written record produced during the township hearings and the briefs and arguments of counsel during the appeal, Wyland said. The transcripts of the testimony of witnesses before the township back during the conditional use hearings is in that record. No one can add to that record during the appeal, however. No witnesses may testify at the Commonwealth Court  arguments will be held, where the judges ask counsel questions about the case and the lawyers make legal arguments concerning their positions about the appeal.

The plans call for one of the four warehouses to be built in a zoning district that allows for warehouses, but the developer must have a conditional use permit to proceed.

As the case moves forward, there are two possible outcomes. If the Commonwealth Court sides with Cherrys decision, then the township would have to take another vote. That vote would be whether the township wants to pursue the final appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

However, if the Commonwealth Court sides with the township, then that will become the final decision. But, if the court doesnt side with the township and the state Supreme Court doesnt take the case, then commissioners lose some power to add conditions and the applicant is granted the conditional use permit.

The township can ask the applicant to agree to conditions, and the applicant can agree, but the township cannot impose conditions if Cherrys decision is affirmed on appeal, Wyland said.

Commissioner Christine Zubeck, who called for the special virtual meeting last month, voted to appeal, along with commissioners Richard Bouder and Jeff Varner. President Tom Connolly and Commissioner Shaela Ellis voted not to appeal.

During the special meeting, Bouder said if the Commonwealth Courts decision is in favor of Cherrys decision that he would not be voting to appeal again. Bouder made the motion in February 2020 to deny the applicants request.

I respect everybodys opinions; I hope you respect mine, Bouder said.

Ellis, who voted no, said she couldnt see a legal pathway forward and that she hopes that it does work with the appeal.

In the end, if the applicant is granted the conditional use permit, they would still need to apply for and receive land development approval to develop the project, Wyland said.

While the developer agreed to a handful of conditions, residents insist that the conditions are already part of the townships ordinance.

At an Oct. 7, 2019, meeting, the developer agreed to a number of nine conditions, including the following:

Allowing the township to retain control of Rupp Hill (designated as Hammer Memorial Walkway) while providing a pedestrian crosswalk with flashing warning signals at the existing crossroad.

Rupp Hill Road designated as an emergency vehicle access and Mushroom Hill LLC is responsible for any repairs needed to make it suitable for such use.

Sidewalks or a walking trail provided around three of the four buildings down to Penhar Drive.

Driveway entrance of Chambers Hill Road restricted to right in and right out only (passenger vehicles only).

Expanded vegetative buffering between the buildings and the homes on Hocker Drive and Plainview Road in addition to what is required by our Zoning Ordinance.

Restrict any further development on the parcel of land at the corner of Chambers Hill Road and Penhar Drive.

Mushroom Hill LLC also agreed to conditions that had not previously been discussed such as:

Comply with buffer yard requirements during the Land Development Phase.

Restrict all truck traffic in the property to the 322 side of the building with passenger vehicles only on the south side (residential side) of the proposed buildings.

Addition of an anti-idling policy incorporated into the plan note, making it enforceable by our codes department.

Submission to the township of the detailed description of on-site activities/operations, types of materials stored, methods of disposal of such materials, general scale and operations including a total number of employees per shift, any environmental impacts likely to be generated, and specific methods to mitigate any negative impacts, and hours of operation prior to any issuance of any Certificate of Occupancy.

Provide gated emergency access from Mushroom Hill Road.

Limit excavation in existing wooded areas to maintain as many existing trees as possible.

Allow temporary access and easement for the township to provide additional trees and buffering (at the townships expense).

Provide a Geotechnical study to the township performed by a licensed Pennsylvania Professional Geologist prior to performing any blasting in order to make the site is suitable.

The application noted the tenant, who has not been identified yet, would employ between 300 to 400 employees, and that the idea is to offer space to companies that specialize in consumer, nondurable products.

Read more from PennLive

Chewy to open 732,000-square-foot warehouse and hire hundreds of employees
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) and the World Green Economy Organisation (WGEO) will be organising the 7th World Green Economy Summit (WGES) from October on 6 to 7 at the Expo 2020 Dubai.

Announcing this, Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, and Chairman of WGES, said this year's summit will be held in conjunction with the Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (Wetex) and Dubai Solar Show from October 5 to 7 at Expo 2020 Dubai.

The 6th WGES in 2019 had attracted several local and global high-profile participation, including heads of states and governments, as well as many international prominent speakers, in addition to official dignitaries and representatives from government organisations, academia, experts and the media.

"Accelerating the shift towards a green economy requires concerted efforts. WGES is a major platform that supports international cooperation in addressing global challenges and promoting sustainable development," remarked Al Tayer.

"The establishment of the Regional Cooperation Centre (RCC) for the Middle East and North Africa, as well as the hosting of Regional Ministerial Conferences by WGEO on a green economy to enhance cooperation between the countries of the world, are testament of successful global efforts towards a sustainable future," he added.

According to him, the summit supports the UAEs efforts to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030, the Emirates Green Agenda 2030, and the Dubai Energy Strategy 2050.

''In the UAE, several key initiatives have accelerated the pace of a green economy. Transformational projects such as building solar power plants, encouraging the use of environmentally-friendly electric vehicles, digitisation, as well as building sustainable, low-carbon urban communities demonstrate the UAEs position as a global hub for a green economy," he added.
What you need to know about Pa.'s UC system going offline Thursday
Police have warned hare coursers that their vehicles could be seized and crushed if they are caught and convicted.

Suffolk Constabulary, in conjunction with rural organisations, has demonstrated the potential consequences for offenders who are caught hare coursing.

The force has warned that strong action against those involved in the illegal activity will be taken, with one potential outcome that any vehicles used could be crushed.

Anyone convicted of the offence can also receive a fine of up to 5,000 by a magistrates court.

Hare coursing, illegal in the UK under the Hunting Act 2004, is a blood-sport where dogs are used to chase, catch and kill hares.

In Suffolk during the period 1 September 2019 to 31 March 2020, there were 139 hare coursing incidents reported, with most occurring on farmland.

Under the banner of Operation Galileo forces from across the UK work together sharing intelligence on hare coursers planning to trespass.

Sgt Brian Calver from the Suffolk Rural Crime and Wildlife Team said hare coursing was a 'huge issue' for farmers and landowners.

"This illegal activity damages property, threatens people's incomes and subjects people to fear and intimidation," he said.

"Many of those are very unpleasant with violent and unscrupulous backgrounds, many of whom have links to organised criminality.

"Significant sums of money can change hands in the form of illegal betting and gambling on the outcome."

The NFU added that the crime of hare coursing was a serious problem, which often left farmers 'isolated, desperate and powerless'.

Reports of hare coursing have been increasing in recent years

The union, along with the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), has called for legislation to be strengthened to help police better tackle the crime.

"As well as the illegal killing of wildlife, coursers damage crops, hedges and gates and they are prepared to use violence and intimidation against farmers," NFU County Adviser Charles Hesketh said.

"Police in Suffolk are taking action and have had a number of success recently in catching offenders, but we want the legislation strengthened.

"This includes amendments to make it easier for the police to seize dogs from coursers and for the courts to impose tougher penalties.

It comes as farmers are being asked to confidentially share evidence of the real prevalence of hare coursing amid fears the crime is significantly underreported.

The Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS) launched the survey in collaboration with the National Rural Crime Network, NFU and the CLA.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Hailed as a cheap, easy to store not-for-profit vaccine, the AstraZeneca shot has suffered a growing number of setbacks.

In the latest, around a dozen countries have suspended its use as a precaution after blood clots suffered by some of those vaccinated.

'Accidentally' great

The British laboratory made headlines in November when it claimed its jab could match the 90 percent effectiveness of the rival and much more expensive Pfizer/BioNTech jab, which has to be kept at extremely low temperatures.

But that success rate was only if half a dose was given for the first shot with a full second dose a month later.

However, it later emerged that these results were obtained by accident when a half dose was given by mistake, raising questions about the robustness of the tests.

On average, trials showed it to be about 60 percent effective, though in real world conditions it has so far performed much better.

Supply shortages

The Anglo-Swedish drug company was accused of bad faith by European leaders in January over massive shortfalls in the delivery of vaccines to EU countries while millions of Britons were getting the shot.

The stand-off prompted the EU to slap export controls on vaccines and send inspectors into a plant in Belgium where the firm said it was having production problems.

Livid that AstraZeneca would only be able to deliver one third of the promised 120 million vaccines in the first quarter, Brussels threatened to trigger an emergency clause in the Brexit deal before quickly backtracking.

Governments' mixed messages

When the EU experts finally approved the shot, health officials in a number of states including France and Germany refused to authorise it for over 65s.

Faced with vaccine shortages, both countries as well as Italy later made it available to some older people with serious health risks.

By then the bloc was facing rising scepticism about the shot, with Angela Merkel forced to praise it with doctors only giving a fifth of doses that had been delivered to Germany.

S.Africa sends back doses

While AstraZeneca and many scientists said the jab had been the victim of unfair coverage, the bad news just kept coming.

South Africa asked to send back one million doses after scientists found it gave "minimal protection" against mild and moderate cases of the country's more contagious virus strain.

Not a charity

The vaccine won plaudits initially for its non-profit stance, but last March Oxford University, which developed it, backed off its pledge to donate the rights to any drugmaker.

AstraZeneca said it would provide doses on a cost basis for as long as the pandemic lasts. But it was later accused of reneging on this when it emerged that it could up the price as early as July.

Blood clot worries

The latest problem emerged last week when a growing number of countries started following Denmark in suspending their campaigns after a reported link with blood clots.

On Friday the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which is the EU's drugs regulator, said severe allergies should be added to its side effects warning.

The director of the Oxford Vaccine Group said on Monday there was no link between the jab and blood clotting.

WHO experts plan to meet on the vaccine on Tuesday, while the EU regulator will do the same on Thursday.

The WHO said on Monday countries should continue using AstraZeneca's vaccine "for the time being", while the EMA said the vaccine benefits still outweigh the risks.

The countries suspending it include some of the world's richest, such as France, Germany and Italy, who are awaiting a further assessment by the EU regulator.

They also include poorer countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
The board chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis was in the midst of planning a community meeting in 2017 when President Donald Trump announced that the United States would officially recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital and move its embassy there.

John Kalishman wanted to do more than just talk about the decision, so he reached out to Keith Alper, the founder and CEO of Geniecast, a St. Louis-based company that arranges for thought leaders, athletes and other well-known public figures to speak remotely at events.

Alper, who belongs to Congregation Bnai Amoona, arranged for David Makovsky, a St. Louis native who is an expert on the Middle East, to address the meeting.

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This board had one of the foremost experts (on Israel) from midnight in London to the 6 p.m. board meeting. They could hear him speak and then ask him questions for maybe 90% off of what he would normally charge because it was occurring via video rather than in person, Alper said.

Thats just one example of an engagement Alper has facilitated. He also had comic actor David Koeckner of The Office do a live sitcom for companies holiday parties last year. It was a half an hour, it was hilariousand it was a way to replace the Christmas party during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. Many people said, This was better than any Christmas party we had. 

But while Alper said Geniecast has grown 150% during the pandemic and moved from 13 employees a year ago to now having 35 people on staff, will a virtual party with a comedian really better than an in-person holiday celebration once people are able to gather again?

Alper disagrees with the notion that experiences with guest speakers are diminished when they are not actually in the room. And he says that despite the fact that he also co-founded and runs Creative Producers Group Agency, a company that produces corporate events around the country,

He started Geniecast in 2016, years before COVID-19 upended society. Alper, 58, said the idea came from a 2011 meeting for business leaders when he arranged for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to speak while under house arrest in London.

Some of our big corporate clients who have spent a lot of money bringing in speakers and authors and experts  between their fees, their airfare  it hit me that not everybody has to be in the room anymore, that we were having the No. 1 guy in the news cycle, that we had him there and could talk back and forth on a screen in front of 4,000 CEOs, said Alper.

Since then, Alper has used 3D augmented reality technology to have Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, speak  as a hologram from his home in Silicon Valley to a conference in Macau, China.

Imagine if you go to a conference and a guy stands up, and its a 3-D hologram. While he is making his presentation, you can raise your hand, and he can see you and say, Whats your question?  Alper explained. He is still there  he is just not really there. Some of this sounds like Star Wars, but its about efficiency and cost.

Once the pandemic subsides, Alper thinks Geniecast will continue to be successful because of the cost savings that his platform provides. He points out that companies can have big speakers address smaller than usual groups, creating more intimacy.

Some people said, I would never shop online. I like to walk to the grocery store. And now you kind of have an omnichannel idea, sometimes I want to walk in the store, and many times I dont, right? he said. I think there is a time and place for everything. Virtual is not going to go away.
Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine was arrested on Monday as he took part in a protest in the capital, according to a post on his Twitter page.

The 39-year-old popstar-turned-presidential contender last week had called on Ugandans to "rise up peacefully and unarmed" against President Yoweri Museveni who won a sixth term in office following disputed elections in January.

"Bobi Wine arrested as he led MPs and other leaders in a peaceful protest against the abduction, torture and murder of his supporters," said the post, written by an account administrator.

Around 15 MPs and activists from Wine's National Unity Platform (NUP) political party, wearing business suits and red ties, took part in the brief protest which was quickly halted by police officers and soldiers.

Bystanders cheered their support for the small group of protesters but did not join the demonstration itself.

Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, was first taken to a police station before being driven in a police vehicle to his home outside Kampala which is "now surrounded by police and the military," his Twitter account said.

Following the January 14 election, Wine was held under effective house arrest for 11 days until a court ordered his release.

Demonstrations against Wine's arrest in November during the campaign for the poll were brutally dispersed and at least 54 people died.

The police pre-emptively declared Wine's latest call for protests illegal and warned "organisers... to desist from participating in any unlawful activities".

Wine was demanding the release of hundreds of his supporters he alleges have been abducted by security forces since the start of the presidential election campaign late last year.

On Thursday Human Rights Watch (HRW) called for an end to what it called "ongoing abductions by suspected state agents and cease the unlawful detention without trial of opposition supporters".

Story continues

Museveni and his ministers have admitted that hundreds of Ugandans are in military detention but say they will either face a military tribunal or be released.

In a television address on Sunday night Museveni referred to people who had been abducted as "children", described their actions as criminal and accused them of attacking government supporters.

"The children who were arrested by the security forces, many of them have been talked to and they have given us a lot of information and we have helped them to go back to their families," he said.

moh/fb/ri
[March 15, 2021] Nationwide and Envestnet | MoneyGuide Join Forces to Help Advisors Incorporate Income Solutions into a Financial Plan

COLUMBUS, Ohio and RICHMOND, Va., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly three in four (72%) investors said the pandemic has negatively impacted their ability to retire, according to Nationwide's sixth annual Advisor Authority Study, powered by the Nationwide Retirement Institute. Now, Nationwide, one of the strongest, diversified, Fortune 100 insurance and financial services companies, and Envestnet | MoneyGuide, the creator of a leading financial planning software, MoneyGuidePro, have announced a new partnership to help. MoneyGuide offers holistic planning tools that allow advisors and financial professionals to bring clarity to the discussion around a client's comprehensive financial plan. This now includes recently added capabilities using analytics to illustrate income distribution, as well as to analyze the client's benefits and tradeoffs of adding an annuity or other retirement income solutions. As part of this partnership, Nationwide wholesalers will have access to MoneyGuide, as well as training resources to help advisors and financial professionals better leverage MoneyGuide's retirement income tools and other holistic planning capabilities within their practiceand better meet the needs of the clients they serve. For advisors and financial professionals, technology is becoming more critical for creating back-end efficiencies, delivering a customized client experience and developing personalized, holistic financial plans. In fact, investors say that personalized advice as part of a holistic financial plan is consistently among the top three reasons they choose to work with an advisor or financial professional, according to Advisor Authority. But these aren't the only factors driving the adoption of technology solutions. "The COVID Pandemic is driving the convergence of two powerful trends: advisors' accelerated adoption of technology and investors' growing need to protect against outliving savings with a guaranteed stream of retirement income," said Craig Hawley, Head of Nationwide's Annuity Distribution. "Our new alliance with MoneyGuide gives advisors and financial professionals the tools they need to demonstrate the value of lifetime income and seamlessly integrate a guaranteed income solution into a client's holistic financial plan." A growing number of investors, including 75% of Millennial investors and 69% of Gen X investors, say they are likely to choose an annuity in the next 12 months to help protect against outliving savings and generate income as part of a holistic financial plan. Currently, a selection of Nationwide's annuities offering a guaranteed income solution are available for illustration on the platform. "Generations of investors have trusted Nationwide to protect their wealth, protect their retirement and better prepare them for the future," said Tony Leal, President of Envestnet | MoneyGuide. "This partnership is a springboard for the advancement of financial wellness, and with these new capabilities, advisors and financial professionals can rely on Envestnet | MoneyGuide and Nationwide to continue providing access to solutions that can help their clients achieve the financial future of their dreams." Nationwid has a team of dedicated resources to help advisors and financial professionals integrate MoneyGuide into their practice and their holistic financial planning process. To learn more, advisors and financial professionals can call their Nationwide wholesaler or contact fintech@nationwide.com.



About Nationwide

Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the United States. Nationwide is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's. An industry leader in driving customer-focused innovation, Nationwide provides a full range of insurance and financial services products including auto, business, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; pet, motorcycle and boat insurance. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com. Follow the firm on Facebook and Twitter. About Envestnet

Envestnet, Inc. (NYSE: ENV) is transforming the way financial advice and wellness are delivered. Our mission is to empower advisors and financial service providers with innovative technology, solutions, and intelligence to make financial wellness a reality for everyone. Over 106,000 advisors and more than 5,100 companies including: 17 of the 20 largest U.S. banks, 47 of the 50 largest wealth management and brokerage firms, over 500 of the largest RIAs and hundreds of FinTech companies, leverage Envestnet technology and services that help drive better outcomes for enterprises, advisors and their clients.

For more information on Envestnet | MoneyGuide, please visit www.moneyguidepro.com and follow us on Twitter at @ENVMoneyGuide. Nationwide and Envestnet are separate and unaffiliated firms. This release should not be construed as a recommendation or endorsement of any particular product, service, or firm. Nothing contained in this release is intended to constitute legal, tax, accounting, securities, or investment advice, nor an opinion regarding the appropriateness of any investment, nor a solicitation of any type. Nationwide, Nationwide is on your side, the Nationwide N and Eagle and Nationwide Retirement Institute are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.  2021 Contact: Meghan Busch

Bliss Integrated Communication

212-840-1661

MBusch@blissintegrated.com Deborah Newman

Nationwide

502-587-3858

newmad4@nationwide.com Dana Taormina

JConnelly for Envestnet

973-647-4626

envestnetpr@jconnelly.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nationwide-and-envestnet--moneyguide-join-forces-to-help-advisors-incorporate-income-solutions-into-a-financial-plan-301246775.html SOURCE Envestnet | MoneyGuide; Nationwide

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CHICO, Calif.  A special part of a memorial for those who died during 9-11 was destroyed by fire, said Chico police officers and firefighters on Sunday morning.

The memorial at Chicos Fire Station 5 at the entrance to Upper Bidwell Park is one of the most beautiful ones outside of New York, said former Chico resident Marie Mitchell. Her brother, Lt. Paul Mitchell with the FDNY, died at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

Mitchell explained that since his body was never recovered, it is very important for her family to have memorials to visit. Chicos memorial is by far her favorite, where she goes for comfort and solace.

Marie Mitchell and her sister presented a special gift to the Chico Fire Station 5 memorial that was framed and on display. It was a framed etching of a famous image that depicted her brother. The etching was made by one of her sisters special needs students. Her sister is a school teacher.

The framed etching was mounted on a fire hose from the World Trade Center. That also was burned during the Sunday morning incident.

Chico police said its not the first vandalism to occur at the memorial site. There have been several, and they said it was heartbreaking.

Chico Fire Captain Corey Broin told Action News Now reporter Amy Lanski that, It is very frustrating.

9-11 didnt mean something to just the fire department. It meant something to the community, he explained.

This is something that was built for the community to come and enjoy and other agencies to come and look at. So its pretty disheartening to see someone come in and vandalize it like this, Broin said.

Chico Fire said Sunday morning someone found the picture, the hose around it, and a flag burned in a small oil

They said they have noticed burn marks inside the memorial before, but this time the etching was also burned.

The 9-11 memorial at Station 5 was built by the Chico Firefighters Association and local businesses. It also features a pentagon of concrete with two granite towers that suspend a piece of steel that once supported the World Trade Center in New York City.

Marie Mitchell lives in Siskiyou County now but said on Sunday that she wants to return to live in Chico, where she has found great solace since her brother died while on duty as one of Americas firefighting heroes.

Chico's police and firefighters want to make sure the memorial is protected from further vandalism. They said if you see any suspicious activity in the area to let them know immediately and they will investigate.
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DENVER  There were more people per capita in Colorado that were killed last year than there have been in 25 years, according to state data.

The state Bureau of Investigation reported this week that 293 criminal homicides occurred in the year the pandemic began in the U.S., up nearly 30% from 2019.

The figure was more than three times what the state reported in 2010.

The states 2020 data translates to roughly five killings per 100,000 residents. The state reported its most killings per capita in the last 35 years in 1986 with seven.

At least 44% of people killed in homicides in 2020 were killed by someone they knew compared to at least 61% in 2019 and at least 51% in 2018.

And while Colorado reported more aggravated assaults in 2020 in a decade, the number of reported sexual assaults fell.

Victims in Colorado reported 5,638 sexual assaults in 2020, the lowest figure published since 2014.

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"Taxpayers will now foot the bill for gender reassignment surgery for active military personnel and veterans, with some treatments costing upward of $200,000 under an executive order signed by President Biden," the Washington Examiner reports.



From the The Washington Examiner:

Tucked inside Biden's Jan. 25 transgender order, "Enabling All Qualified Americans to Serve Their Country in Uniform," is a clause that repeals an Obama-era policy that prohibited federally funded reassignment surgery. This was followed up by memos from both Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough specifically stating that surgery is now an added benefit.



"This revised policy will also ensure all medically-necessary transition related care authorized by law is available to all Service members," Austin wrote.



In a VA email to employees, McDonough echoed: "Perform an assessment of the necessary steps to eliminate the exclusion of 'gender alteration' (gender affirmation surgery) in the medical benefits package."

This together with the military declaring war on Tucker Carlson is destroying the image of America's last public institution that has any popular public support.







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Two rockets were fired at Balad Air Base in Iraq, the Iraqi Security Media Cell confirmed Monday.

The rockets fell outside the base and did not cause "significant losses," the cell said in a tweet.

In a follow-up tweet with photographs, the Iraqis said that a nearby home was damaged in the attack.

                . pic.twitter.com/G29j2oYigV     (@SecMedCell) March 15, 2021

Read Next: State TV: Iran Inaugurates New Underground Missile Facility

Balad primarily houses contractors and employees of private American companies, said Col. Wayne Marotto, spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, but there are no U.S. or coalition troops assigned to Balad right now. Troops sometimes visit Balad for short temporary duty trips, he said, adding that he didn't believe any are currently there.

A string of rocket attacks on Iraqi air bases and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad have heightened tensions in the region and led to a Feb. 25 airstrike on Iranian-backed militias at a border crossing on the Syria-Iraq border.

During that strike -- the first of President Joe Biden's administration -- two F-15E Strike Eagles bombed a facility at Abu Kamal, Syria, that was allegedly used by Iranian-backed militias such as Kaiti'b Hezbollah and Kaiti'b Sayyid al-Shuhada to cross the border.

Afterward, the Pentagon said the strike was intended in part to damage the militia groups and their ability to conduct future attacks. However, less than a week later, a barrage of about 10 rockets was fired at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq, and a civilian U.S. contractor died of a heart attack while taking cover from the attack.

Previously, a Feb. 15 rocket attack in Erbil in northern Iraq killed one civilian contractor and wounded at least eight others, including an American service member. And three rockets were fired at the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, though the attack caused only minor property damage and no injuries.

Balad also came under rocket fire in January 2020, after the U.S. killed Iranian Quds Force leader Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani.

-- Stephen Losey can be reached at stephen.losey@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StephenLosey.

Related: Rocket Attacks Hit Baghdad's Green Zone, Balad Air Base: Iraqi Military
A city-county collaborative focused on reducing domestic violence in Bexar County launched about 10 initiatives in its first year, including a pilot program to identify victims most at risk of being killed, according to a one-year report released Monday.

But it wasnt an easy feat  and theres still much to do, officials said.

Many of the initiatives we planned to work on were impacted by the pandemic, said Jenny Hixon, violence prevention manager at the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. We needed to figure out how to pivot.

Unveiled in July 2019, the Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence brought together judges, prosecutors, policymakers and leaders in the health care, law enforcement and nonprofit fields to address an alarming spike in fatalities.

The year prior, at least 32 people died because of domestic violence in Bexar County, many of them women slain by their intimate partners, such as husbands or boyfriends, according to data collected by the San Antonio Express-News.

Statistics on fatalities differ, depending on the source, because of various ways deaths are tracked and defined.

Accomplishments In its first year, the Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence: Helped develop a media campaign on domestic violence in collaboration with the City of San Antonio. Secured funding from University Health to develop a domestic violence referral line that will be run by the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, or STRAC. Developed a firearm transfer process to ensure that people who are barred by a judge from possessing firearms or ammunition turn over the weapons as required. Established a high-risk pilot program to identify and provide services to victims deemed most at risk of being killed by their partner. Designed a free program to help victims of family violence obtain protective orders. Secured county funding for a position to support the expansion of protective order services. Facilitated the adoption of a domestic violence prevention curriculum in local schools. Helped assess and streamline the process by which protective orders are processed, served and enforced. Developed a way for community partners and stakeholders to quickly share and access data. Hosted 11 events, including virtual town halls, listening sessions and a two-day symposium, to increase public awareness about domestic violence. See More Collapse

On ExpressNews.com: New commission looks to fill gaps in San Antonio's domestic violence response

In its first year, the commission had planned to help develop a protective order program to provide legal services to victims at no charge.

Issued by a judge, a protective order requires an alleged abuser to stay away from the applicant or face criminal charges. Such an order also can be granted in cases of human trafficking, sexual assault and stalking.

The commission also hoped to introduce a media campaign focused on violence prevention, develop a school-based program on dating violence and establish the high-risk team to identify victims most at risk of being killed.

Hixon, a member of the collaborative, said the commission achieved most of its goals in 2020  though not all.

For example, the commission secured funding from University Health to develop a domestic violence referral line managed by the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, or STRAC. However, the phone lines arent up and running yet, as originally planned.

Hixon said it was difficult to launch all the initiatives as originally planned because many commission members were busy.

Everyone was deployed in some ways to address the pandemic, she said. That was a true challenge.

Related: Read the Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence report

Still, the collaborative commission was happy with its progress.

I was really impressed with the collaborative commissions ability to continue to meet, said Patricia Castillo, executive director of the P.E.A.C.E Initiative, a nonprofit advocacy group.

We recognize that this is a long-haul commitment and that its going to take years to accomplish what we want to accomplish, said Castillo, who co-chairs the commissions nonprofit subcommittee.

Hixon said another challenge was balancing long-term changes and immediate needs.

What were trying to do is taking a prevention approach, Hixon said. Its very hard to take that approach while simultaneously addressing the needs of victims and survivors now. You cant make substantive change without doing both.

The one-year report comes nearly two years after City Council members Shirley Gonzales and Manny Pelaez suggested increasing funding and developing a comprehensive plan to address family violence fatalities.

Hixon directed the city effort by talking to dozens of experts, victims, community leaders and service providers. The city unveiled a five-year plan later that year identifying ways to improve services across the whole system.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio unveils five-year domestic violence plan

About the same time, Judge Peter Sakai of the 225th District Court established the collaborative commission. Its work will continue indefinitely, said 150th District Court Judge Monique Diaz, who helps lead the initiative.

Moving forward, the commission has identified several ways to improve its work.

It has suggested including both elected officials and staff members from different organizations on each subcommittee, allowing the staff to help carry out some of the subcommittees day-to-day work.

It also recommended that leaders have transparent conversations about funding to prevent unintentional competition. Late last year, members of the commission clashed over how to spend a pot of money that initially was set aside for the creation of a civil family violence court before eventually coming to a compromise.

Castillo said she has high hopes for the commission, especially as local coronavirus infections continue to decrease.

I hope were able to step out a little bit from our home offices and get back into the community, Castillo said. I think were most effective when we do this work face-to-face. We need to be out in the community letting the community know were here, were listening and were ready to collaborate.

eeaton@express-news.net
The movement stated it had attacked Saudi forces last month, targeting facilities located in the southwestern part of the kingdom in response to operations by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

Yemen's Houthi movement declared that it has launched armed drones to attack Abha Airport as well as the King Khalid Airbase in the southern town of Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia.

"It is part of our legitimate right to respond to the crimes of the aggression and its continuing blockade", a military spokesman for the group Yahya Sarea said on Twitter.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war between government forces led by President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and the Houthis since 2014. The Saudi-led coalition of Arab states supported Hadi in the conflict, and has been conducting operations in the country at his request since March 2015.

(SPUTNIK)
Sue Ellson (pictured) has revealed the best way to answer the difficult but common job interview question 'what are your weaknesses?'

An Australian career expert and LinkedIn specialist has revealed the best way to answer the question 'what are your biggest weaknesses?' in a job interview.

Sue Ellson, from Melbourne, told FEMAIL this is often a 'trick question' and job seekers usually provide a 'reverse positive answer'.

To answer the question well, Sue recommended self-analysing past career experiences and giving examples of how specific skills had been improved.

'People don't mind if you have a weakness, they just need to know that you are willing to adapt, learn and improve over time,' she said.

How should you answer this tough question?

While this question is more difficult to answer than others, Sue said it's important to consider a thorough response.

'I believe you need to look at your career to date and think about what other people have noticed,' she said.

'If you know you have a weakness in a particular area, you can describe it and what you are doing about it.'

For instance, job seekers could express how they were encouraged to attend certain courses and explain the practical skills gained or improved.

Any answer given should also be followed with an example.

Some options for self-improvement could include training, mentoring, peer support and online courses focused on a particular area or specialisation.

While this question regarding weaknesses is more difficult to answer than others, Sue said it's important to consider a thorough response as it will give the employer factors to consider

What should you never say?

Sue said to avoid criticising other people's behaviour when answering this question and focus on your own performance and skills.

'"Soft skills" and emotional intelligence are highly valued across all sectors and your ability to both work on your own or as part of a team either in person or remotely is essential and can lead to career success,' she said.

It would also be wise to choose a weakness that isn't directly related to the job available to increase your chances of being chosen for the position.

'People don't mind if you have a weakness, they just need to know that you are willing to adapt, learn and improve over time,' Sue said

Why is interview practice important?

Sue said recruiters ask these tough questions because it's been asked for many years and 'people know to expect it' so practicing before each interview is essential.

'Interview practice is important because it helps you be less attached to the outcome. Every time you get an interview, you are closer to getting a job and you will learn something new about yourself,' she said.

'Don't beat yourself up about the answer to any individual question because quite often, people make a decision very early on in the interview regardless of how you perform in the rest of the interview.'
Los Angeles, March 15 : Contrary to reports over the weekend, Jennifer Lopez and her fiance Alex Rodriguez are not parting ways after being together for four years.

"We are working through some things," the couple said in a statement to People magazine.

A source close to the couple told the publication that they never "officially broke up".

"They never officially broke up and talked about it but are still together. They hit a rough patch. But were not broken up," the source told the publication, adding that the couple wants to be together.

"She's working in the Dominican Republic and he's in Miami so it's tough seeing each other especially with quarantining and COVID. But they want to try to stay together," the source adds.

A couple of hours later, Lopez even shared a brief snippet of the news by the publication on TikTok.

"Sunday Brunch playlist," she captioned the snipped, as reported by the publication.

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez started dating in 2016, and announced their engagement in 2019, when A-Rod proposed to J.Lo in Bahamas.



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Ambulances are parked outside of Wyckoff Hospital in the Borough of Brooklyn on April 4, 2020 in New York. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)

Updates on CCP Virus: Pandemic Maybe Caused by Bioweapon Research Accident in China: Ex-State Investigator

The virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic could have been the result of a bioweapon leak in China, according to David Asher, former lead COVID-19 investigator at the U.S. State Department.

The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes the disease COVID-19, first surfaced in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. A lab at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, where scientists have conducted extensive research on bat coronaviruses, has long been speculated to be the source of the outbreak, possibly due to an accidental leak.

That theory was declared extremely unlikely by World Health Organization (WHO) expert Peter Ben Embarek on Feb. 8. However, within days, WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus appeared to walk back the statement, saying that all hypotheses remain open and require further study.

We Can Ease Up on the Disinfectant

Associate Professor Hassan Vally discusses the role of surface contact in the transmission of the CCP virus.

Read More We Can Ease Up on the Disinfectant

CDC to Consider New Study on Social Distancing

Infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Sunday that he and officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are aware of the study that shows that three feet of social distancing may indeed be enough to safely reopen schools, adding that officials at the CDC may be issuing new guidance on schools soon.

What the CDC wants to do, is they want to accumulate data and when the data shows that there is an ability to be three feet, they will act accordingly, Fauci said on CNN. Theyre analyzing that and I can assure you within a reasonable period of time, quite reasonable, they will be giving guidelines according to the data that they have, he added.

Grassley Urges DOJ to Probe Obstruction of Justice in COVID-19 Nursing Home Probe

Ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is urging Attorney General Merrick Garland to look into whether any state officials, who are subjected to the Justice Departments CCP virus nursing home probe, had engaged in obstruction of justice.

Grassley, who was joined by five other Republican senators, wrote to Garland on Monday asking him to expand a DOJ inquiry into four states that came under widespread scrutiny for their response last year to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic, which may have resulted in the deaths of thousands of nursing home residents.

US Deaths Fall 22%, Daily Vaccinations Set Record

The United States reported a 22 percent decline in deaths from the CCP virus last week, while vaccinations accelerated to a record 2.4 million shots per day, according to a Reuters analysis of state, county, and CDC data.

As of Sunday, 21 percent of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of a vaccine, up from 18 percent a week ago. About 11 percent have received two doses, up from 9 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The number of new COVID-19 cases being reported each week has dropped for nine straight weeks, falling 10 percent to just under 378,000 in the seven days ending March 14. Deaths linked to the CCP virus dropped below 10,000 last week, the lowest since mid-November.

Arizona Sees No New Deaths From Virus

Arizona health officials are reporting no new CCP virus deaths and 638 more confirmed COVID-19 cases, the disease caused by the CCP virus, in one of the lowest figures in months.

The state Department of Health Services released the latest numbers Monday, bringing the state totals since the pandemic started to 833,381 cases and 16,553 deaths.

Spain Joins Countries Halting AstraZeneca Vaccine

Spain will stop using AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine for at least two weeks, the government said on Monday, joining a growing list of European countries putting the brakes on the shot over concerns about possible side effects.

Earlier on Monday, France, Germany, and Italy joined Denmark, Norway, and several others in halting use of the drug after reports of blood clots in some patients who had received the vaccine.

AstraZeneca Plc on Sunday said it had conducted a review of people vaccinated with its COVID-19 vaccine which has shown no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.

Boston Marathon to Cap Entrants at 20,000

This years Boston Marathon will be limited to 20,000 entrants in a bid to allow greater social distancing throughout the course given the COVID-19 pandemic, race organizers said on Monday.

The number of entrants being allowed for this years race, scheduled to be held on Oct. 11, is 33 percent below the typical number of runners at one of the worlds most prestigious marathons.

US Prison Guards Refusing Vaccine Despite Outbreaks

A Florida correctional officer polled his colleagues earlier this year in a private Facebook group: Will you take the COVID-19 vaccine if offered? The answer from more than half: Hell no. Only 40 of the 475 respondents said yes.

In Massachusetts, more than half the people employed by the Department of Correction declined to be immunized. A statewide survey in California showed that half of all correction employees will wait to be vaccinated. In Rhode Island, prison staff have refused the vaccine at higher rates than the incarcerated, according to medical director Dr. Justin Berk. And in Iowa, early polling among employees showed a little more than half the staff said theyd get vaccinated.

Nearly Half of US Students Back to Five Day a Week, In-person Schooling: Tracker

Nearly one out of two K-12 students in the United States are at schools that have resumed five-day-a-week in-person classes, according to updated figures from a tracking organization.

Up from 46.9 percent a week prior, some 49.1 percent of American primary and secondary students are attending so-called traditional schools, Burbio, the organization, said on Sunday.

At the same time, approximately 20.8 percent of students are attending schools that continue only offering virtual classes, down about three percent, while 30 percent attend hybrid schools, or schools that offer in-person classes but not five days a week.

Thailand Sticks With AstraZeneca Vaccine After Safety Scare

Thailand will resume inoculating people with the AstraZeneca CCP virus vaccine on Tuesday after a brief delay over safety concerns, officials said, with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and cabinet members due to be first in line to get shots.

Thailand was on March 12 the first country outside of Europe to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca shot over blood clotting issues.

Pandemic May Have Been Caused by Bioweapon Research Accident in China: Former State Department Investigator

The CCP virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic could have been the result of a bioweapon leak in China, according to David Asher, former lead COVID-19 investigator at the U.S. State Department.

This might have been a weapons vector gone awry; not deliberately released, but in development and then somehow leaked, Asher said on March 12 during a panel discussion at the Hudson Institute.

Asher added: This has turned out to be the greatest weapon in history. Youve taken out 15 to 20 percent of global GDP. Youve killed millions of people. The Chinese population has been barely affected. Their economies roared back to being number one in the entire G20.

Danish Woman Who Died From Blood Clot After AstraZeneca Shot Had Unusual Symptoms

A 60-year-old Danish woman who died of a blood clot after receiving AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine had highly unusual symptoms, according to the Danish Medicines Agency.

The woman had a low number of blood platelets and clots in small and large vessels, as well as bleeding, it said. A few similar cases were found in Norway and in the European Medicines Agencys (EMA) database of drug side effects, the Danish Medicines Agency said.

Facebook Adding Labels to All Posts About Vaccines

Facebook on Monday said it will add labels to all posts about COVID-19 vaccines, as part of its efforts to help more people get a shot.

Weve already connected over 2 billion people to authoritative COVID-19 information, and today as access to COVID-19 vaccines expands, were going even further and aiming to help bring 50 million people one step closer to getting vaccinated, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement.

Frank Fang, Hassan Vally, Masooma Haq, Janita Kan, Frank Fang, Zachary Stieber, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A meeting of the Tory partys ruling body was called off yesterday amid a grassroots backlash over the use of 60,000 of Conservative funds to pay for a makeover of Boris Johnsons Downing Street flat.

Conservative Party co-chairman Ben Elliot was expected to be challenged over the controversy at a long-planned meeting of the partys board.

But it was called off after party chiefs said there was not enough business to discuss.

It comes amid mounting Tory protests at the way an estimated 60,000 of party funds was secretly used to help the Prime Minister and fiancee Carrie Symonds pay to refurbish their 11 Downing Street apartment.

Tory donor Lord Brownlow (pictured) secretly reimbursed the party six months ago

Tory donor Lord Brownlow secretly reimbursed the party six months ago.

It is alleged the party planned to cover up the matter by claiming the cash came from a newly established Downing Street Trust, with Lord Brownlow, below, made chairman by Mr Johnson.

Mr Elliot, a nephew of the Duchess of Cornwall, was due to be put on the spot over the row  dubbed wallpaper-gate by Downing Street aides  yesterday.

A source close to the board said: The party has had to lay off highly valued officials because of a cash crisis caused by the pandemic and should not be spending what little money we have left on the PMs wallpaper.

Too many decisions are made by a small clique of people in the party. Grassroots members have a right to know how their hard-earned cash is spent.

The total bill for new decor at Mr Johnsons official flat is said to be a six-figure sum. The PM is said to have sought secret financial aid from party donors after complaining privately the cost was out of control and Miss Symonds appeared to have ordered gold wall coverings.

Friends say he is feeling broke after an expensive divorce from ex-wife Marina and supporting at least six children.

It comes amid Tory protests at the way an estimated 60,000 of party funds was secretly used to help the Prime Minister and Carrie Symonds pay to refurb their 11 Downing Street apartment

Mr Johnson is known to have discussed his money troubles with Environment Minister Lord (Zac) Goldsmith, who is close to the PM and Miss Symonds. Lord Goldsmith says he has given money to the party, but not to No 10 directly.

He declined to say if he has given other financial aid, directly or indirectly, to the Tory leader or Miss Symonds since Mr Johnson won power.

The controversy has also put the spotlight on Liverpool-born Lord Brownlow, 57, who has donated more than 3 million to the Tories since 2005, either personally or through his recruitment firm, Huntswood.

A party spokeman said: Party funds are not being used to pay for any refurbishment to the Downing Street estate. All reportable donations to the Conservative Party are correctly declared to the Electoral Commission, published by them and comply fully with the law.

The spokesman declined to say if party cash had been used at any stage to help fund the refurbishment. Lord Brownlow declined to comment.
Hanes Unveils Their Comfort Flex Fit Total Support Pouch

Hanes Wants to Help You Find Your "Ball-ance"

The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

When you hear the word "innovation," you probably think of Silicon Valley or NASA or something fancy and expensive. Chances are, you don't associate innovation with something you wear every day of your life, let alone the underwear you hardly ever think about. Well, my friends, that's about to change.

RELATED: Stop Wearing Underwear and Watch What Happens to Your Body

Hanes, America's premier underwear brand, has just innovated the humble boxer brief, offering what they are calling  with tongue firmly in cheek  "ball-ance."

Their latest technological innovation is the Comfort Flex Fit Total Support Pouch, which is a fancy way of saying they developed an ultra-comfortable mesh pouch to separate and support men's testicles, minimizing chafing and discomfort. In their own words, the pouch offers "less wrestling, more nestling," offering men all-day comfort no matter how they sit or move around.

Here is how Jaye Powell, vice president and general manager of HanesBrands underwear and socks division, put it: Comfort is at the core of the Hanes brand and helping consumers be more confident is our obsession. We set out to redefine what it means for men to be truly comfortable and confident in their underwear and the innovative Comfort Flex Fit Total Support PouchTM boxer briefs are the result. This product will make men rethink their underwear.

Hanes Comfort Flex Fit Total Support Pouch Boxer Briefs

$16.99 for 3 at Amazon.com

Given that a lack of support is one of men's top complaints about their underwear, followed closely by the chaffing that poorly thought out attempts to provide support can provide, we're betting that this new technology from Hanes will be a huge hit.

You can read more about their Total Support Pouch, or just pick up a few pairs for yourself or a friend who needs some more "ball-ance" in their life.

You Might Also Dig:

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The online event Monday was part of Volkswagens effort to position itself as the traditional carmaker making the biggest commitment to emission-free driving  even though it has not yet followed General Motors or Volvo Cars in setting a precise expiration date for internal combustion engines.

Volkswagen is the biggest carmaker in Europe and second biggest in the world after Toyota. The subtext of Mondays presentations by a parade of Volkswagen executives was that the company is deploying its industry and government connections, its financial resources, and its eight decades of manufacturing expertise to keep Tesla from eating its lunch.

Our transformation will be bigger than anything the industry has seen in the past century, Herbert Diess, the chief executive of Volkswagen, said during the two-hour presentation.

The event coincided with the rollout in the United States of the ID.4, an electric S.U.V. that is part of the first generation of Volkswagens designed from the ground up to run on batteries and seen as serious challengers to Teslas dominance in electric cars. The first ID.4s, with a starting price of $40,000 before government rebates, began arriving at American dealers this week.

At least some analysts are starting to believe Volkswagens hype. The Swiss bank UBS issued a report this month that ranked Volkswagen just behind Tesla in electric vehicle technology.
New Delhi: The second part of the Budget session of Parliament commences on Monday (March 15), after a long weekend, as both proceedings for both the Houses were adjourned on Wednesday for four days on account of Maha Shivratri. The opposition-led by the Congress is expected to corner the government over rising fuel prices and ongoing farmers' protest against the three agricultural laws.

According to the Parliament schedule for Monday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar would make a statement in both houses regarding recent developments pertaining to welfare abroad of Indians, NRIs, and PIOs in the COVID situation.

LOK SABHA

Bills to be introduced

-The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021

-The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2021

-The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2021

-The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2021 -The Marine Aids to Navigation Bill, 2021

Bills for consideration and passing

-The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

Live TV

RAJYA SABHA

Bills for consideration and passing

-The National Institutes of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2019
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Santa Barbara home was breached twice by an unwanted visitor in December, TMZ reported.

Nickolas Brooks, 37, was allegedly caught trespassing on the property of the $14m home (10m) located in Montecito, California, law enforcement officials told the tabloid.

The man, who is an Ohio resident, first breached the property on Christmas Eve and he was let off with a warning by the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department. But he was then arrested on 26 December after trespassing on the property again.

In a statement to The Independent, the Santa Barabara Sheriffs Department confirmed the two trespassing incidents and Brooks arrest. He was charged for misdemeanour trespassing and booked at the county jail.

He is no longer in custody, the sheriffs department said.

Read more: Palace appoints outside lawyers to probe Meghans bullying claims

Revelations about the reported trespassing incident come after Prince Harry told Oprah Winfrey about the security concerns he and his family have faced in recent years.

When speaking to Oprah, Prince Harry detailed an especially stressful situation in 2020 after the Daily Mail revealed his family's location in Vancouver, Canada, when they left the United Kingdom.

"Suddenly it dawned on me, 'Hang on, the borders could be closed. ... The world knows where we are. It's not safe, it's not secure, we probably need to get out of here," Prince Harry said, referencing the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

That was why he, Meghan, and their son, Archie, moved into a Los Angeles home provided by film mogul Tyler Perry, who also gave the couple a security team to use while they figured out their situation.

"We didn't have a plan," Meghan told Oprah, adding that the invitation from the close friend "gave us breathing room to try to figure out what we were going to do."

Security concerns mounted for the royal couple prior to them stepping back from duties. Meghan revealed that the couple learning their son would not receive security protection led them to their decision to step back.

"We haven't created this monster machine around us in terms of clickbait and tabloid fodder," Meghan said. "[The institution] allowed that to happen, which means our son needs to be safe."

The couple has received backlash for accepting deals from companies like Netflix and Spotify after they used "privacy" as one reason for stepping back from their royal duties. But Prince Harry defended their latest business ventures and why they've needed the deals in order to afford security, stating those deals were initially "not part of the plan".

"That was suggested by somebody else by the point of where my family literally cut me off financially, and I had to afford security for us," he added.

Money left to Prince Harry in a trust set up by his mother, Princess Diana, also allowed the couple to settle in Santa Barbara after being cut off from Buckingham Palace, he said.

"And look, from my perspective, all I needed was enough money to be able to pay for security to keep my family safe," Prince Harry added.
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New Delhi: World Consumer Rights Day, falling on March 15 every year, is meant for raising global awareness about consumer rights and needs.

What is the importance of World Consumer Rights Day?

World Consumer Rights Day was inspired by President John F Kennedy. Kennedy had sent a special message to the US Congress on 15th March 1962, wherein he had formally addressed the issue of consumer rights. He was the first world leader to do so. The consumer movement, first marked that date in 1983, has since been observed, every year to mobilise action on important issues and campaigns.

India Consumer Protection Act 2020

The newly enacted Consumer Protection Act comes to force on July 20, 2020, replacing more than three decades old Consumer Protection Act, 1986.

The new Consumer Protection Act 2019 seeks to revamp the process of administration and settlement of consumer disputes, with strict penalties, including jail term for adulteration and misleading ads by firms.

The bill, among other things, proposes setting up of a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers as a class. The CCPA would make interventions to prevent consumer detriment arising from unfair trade practices. The agency can also initiate class action, including enforcing recall, refund and return of products.

The Bill also envisages simplified dispute resolution process, has provision for Mediation and e-filing of cases. The Consumer will be able to file cases in the nearest commission under the jurisdiction of which he resides. Consumers can file complaints from anywhere and they do not need to hire lawyer to represent their cases. For mediation, there will be strict timeline fixed in the rules.

On misleading advertisements there is provision for jail term and fine for manufacturers. There is no provision for jail for celebrities but they could be banned for endorsing products if it is found to be misleading. For the first time there will be an exclusive law dealing with Product Liability. A manufacturer or product service provider or product seller will now be responsible to compensate for injury or damage caused by defective product or deficiency in services.

There is also a provision for class action law suit for ensuring that rights of consumers are not infringed upon. The authority will have power to impose a penalty on a manufacturer or an endorser of up to 10 lakh rupees and imprisonment for up to two years for a false or misleading advertisement.

Product liability provision to deter manufacturers and service providers from delivering defective products or deficient services. The Bill also enables regulations to be notified on E-commerce and direct selling with focus on protection of interest of consumers.
by Melani Manel Perera

The construction of 144 housing units received the green light. The project will cost US$ 1.5 million. The initiative will benefit all pilgrims, because faithful of other religions also pray at the Marian shrine. Plans are being vetted to reopen travel links between Jaffna and Chennai after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Colombo (AsiaNews)  In a gesture of goodwill, the Indian government will provide temporary housing units to pilgrims heading to the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu, in the Diocese of Mannar, northern Sri Lanka.

Indias High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay gave the green light to the unprecedented measure last week. The decision was welcomed with feelings of deep joy and gratitude by faithful and devotees, who praise Indian authorities for taking this step.

According to information provided by the Indian High Commission in Colombo, last Thursday New Delhi gave the green light to build 144 intermediate housing units, in the area in front of the church, for pilgrims going to Marian shrine.

High Commissioner Gopal Bagle, Sri Lankan Minister of Tourism Prasanna Ranatunga and the Bishop Emmanuel Fernando of Mannar were present at the official start.

The Tamil community was represented by Selvam Adaikkalanathan, K. Kader Masthan and Kulasingam Dhileeban.

The housing will be funded by India and cost about 300 million rupees (just over US$ 1.5 million).

Pilgrims welcomed the announcement as many visit the Marian shrine two or three times a year. This, they told AsiaNews, is a significant step and a help of great value.

Mr and Mrs Kanishka De Silva, from the Diocese of Chilaw, stress that if accommodation is provided in an appropriate and orderly manner, this will be of great help to pilgrims who will be able to pray with a free and happy mind.

For Ms Selvarani Joseph, of the Archdiocese of Columbus, this will be of great help for all pilgrims because the faithful of other religions also come to Madhu to pray, not just Catholics.

Thus, everyone will be able to stay in a place of peace and with all the necessary comforts, she added. Hopefully, the authorities will keep it clean and in good conditions.

The High Commissioner also announced that more initiatives will be undertaken in the future to strengthen the longstanding friendship and bonds between the two neighbouring nations.

Minister Prasanna Ranatunga added that the Sri Lankan government is preparing to restore direct links between Jaffna and Chennai, suspended due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

India is the largest source market for tourist traffic in Sri Lanka, he explained. However, due to the pandemic, tourists from India have stopped coming.

This has led to the proposal of creating an 'air travel bubble' to revive tourism. We look forward to launching this programme in the near future, the Tourism Minister added.

Madhu, in the north-western Sri Lanka, was directly impacted by the country's civil war and was, for a while, under the control of Tamil Tigers.

Since 1990 the Church has helped house thousands of people until the area near the shrine became a virtual refugee camp.

Despite being a non-military zone, the area was bombed in 2008, forcing the Church to close the shrine and move the statue of Our Lady to a safer place.

The latter returned on 15 August 2010, the feast of the Assumption day and of the historic pilgrimage to Madhu, welcomed by thousands of faithful, including non-Christians.
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As January unfolded Covid cases were climbing off the charts, and we were running out of oxygen, equipment and resources, writes Ameera Sheikh

Nearly a year on, I can still see the face of the 16-year-old girl who approached me in A&E at 6.30am last April.

Her cheeks streaked with tears, she asked for directions to the morgue so that she could see her fathers body.

Up at dawn, on her own, her desperation to see her dads face one last time was palpable, but as gently as I could, I had to explain it wasnt possible. Covid-19 meant his coffin lid would have had to be sealed already.

As this distraught teenager wailed with an almost unbearable grief I think thats when it really hit me: that death was all around me.

We were just a couple of weeks into the first national lockdown by then, and the impact of coronavirus was already abundantly clear.

Im glad I had no idea of what was to come: I would lose friends and colleagues to the virus, zip countless previously healthy people into body bags, see the NHS pushed to breaking point and be gripped by nightmares that wake me to this day, screaming in panic.

Ive worked for the NHS since I was 17, starting out as a healthcare assistant, then completing a degree to become a nurse, assigned for a number of years to A&E in an assortment of London hospitals.

During that time, I saw it all, or I thought I did. The doors of A&E are always busy and even pre-Covid there were never enough nursing hands to go round or enough beds, and it wasnt unusual to see a line of paramedics snaking down the corridor with their patients on trolleys waiting to be seen.

Somehow, we always managed  just. Yet none of us had any idea what lay ahead, even when last January we started to see the first few patients coming into A&E with coughs and shortness of breath that we would later know to be symptoms of Covid.

We knew this was an infectious disease, but we didnt quite know what it was. Even before the first lockdown, we were seeing ever increasing numbers of Covid cases.

Months down the line, its easy to forget how vulnerable hospital staff were, too, because it took many weeks for us all to be given the right PPE. NHS staff in one hospital are seen above caring for a coronavirus patient

From early on, the resuscitation area was constantly full and a bed would only become free when someone died. That sometimes happened in front of me.

There were many other challenges: in those early days, families struggled to understand that once their loved ones had been diagnosed with Covid they had to go home and leave them no matter how ill they were, and time and again we had difficult conversations with friends and relatives who were frightened, distressed, and angry.

I remember one young woman pleading with me to let her be with her mum, and a husband shouting at me because he wanted to hold his wifes hand. It took a while for people to understand this was very infectious, and while I understood their bewilderment, to have people shouting at you when you were working 12-hour shifts to save their loved ones lives was hard.

Its not as if I was unaccustomed to working in difficult places. Ive volunteered in refugee camps and seen almost unimaginable horror. Its something I never thought I would see in a British hospital.

Months down the line, its easy to forget how vulnerable hospital staff were, too, because it took many weeks for us all to be given the right PPE.

Once someone was a confirmed case, any staff were automatically given PPE equipment, but until that point it was a lottery.

We knew this was an infectious disease, but we didnt quite know what it was. Even before the first lockdown, we were seeing ever increasing numbers of Covid cases. A Covid-19 patient in one hospital is seen speaking to loved ones on Zoom

I frequently worked in A&E, screening walk-in patients, and while we were all meant to be fit tested for FFP3 masks  a sealed mask from the bridge of your nose down to the side of your lips and top of your chin that moulds to your face  for two months, I had nothing more than a single-use surgical mask and no screen between me and people I had to greet.

When you live alone, as I do, it was scary. We knew people were dying in their own homes, and I had seen enough fit and young people lose their lives to know that I could not assume that just because I was young and healthy I would be given a free pass.

I have a constant knot of worry in my stomach, although having my first shot of the vaccine in January has made me feel slightly safer.

As summer approached and lockdown eased the cases dropped, although the hospital was still busy, and as the world started to open up I could see the problems being stored up for the future. We all knew there was going to be a second wave.

By September, I had moved from emergency to intensive care, which was dealing with the backlog of major surgery. It was hectic, as new Covid patients were still arriving and we had some long-standing ones who hadnt made it off a ventilator.

It took until the end of the year for the second wave to really hit. I spent New Years Eve doing the night shift, working alongside critically ill Covid patients then arrived home to see a video, sent by a friend, showing a crowd shouting that Covid was a hoax. I could barely believe my eyes.

Things went downhill from there. As January unfolded Covid cases were climbing off the charts, and we were running out of oxygen, equipment and resources.

In ICU the nurse-to-patient ratio is meant to be one on one, but most nurses were looking after anything up to six patients at a time and one friend was looking after nine.

Many Covid patients go into kidney failure, meaning you are not just looking after a ventilator but a dialysis machine in a situation where missing minutes can cost lives.

Some days it was so intense I was on my feet for 14 hours at a time, and with only 30 minutes to eat, and drink a glass of water.

When I wasnt looking after the sick, I was trying to comfort their families, conversations that had to take place over soulless video calls. Everyone was exhausted and overwhelmed.

One day, at the start of my nightshift, another nurse came in to the lift and as we stood at opposite ends I could hear her crying. All I could do was just put my hand on her shoulder and tell her everything would be OK, although those words ring hollow when, like me, you go home dog-tired only to wake after two hours in your bed with nightmares and flashbacks.

Its hard, too, to come away from a shift where a young, healthy person has lost their life to Covid to see people going about their business as if this second lockdown no longer exists. When you see crowds outside coffee shops and picnicking in parks, its impossible not to feel upset and disheartened.

These are emotions I have felt in spades since learning that I was to be offered a pay rise of 1 per cent, an extra 3.50 a week in my pay packet  the equivalent of a meal deal in a local supermarket.

Im not too proud to say I was frustrated to the point of tears. No nurse is doing this job for the money, but we have all done so much in the past year to save this country from this deadly virus.

Weve treated everyone from the poorest to the Prime Minister and every one of us has made huge sacrifices. Reports that the figure may be closer to 1.7 per cent for some nurses didnt make me feel any better. There are already healthcare workers who work a second part-time job to make ends meet. This will make them leave altogether.

To say there isnt enough money is laughable  500 million went on Eat Out to Help Out and over 100 billion into corporate bailouts.

Nine hundred health workers have died, and many hundreds more have been seriously ill.

Others have moved away from their families to be closer to the hospital, while most of us had rotas that were so horrendous we had no energy left.

I know many in the profession who have fallen back on unhealthy coping mechanisms  comfort eating and forgoing exercise.

And this isnt over. Covid is still with us and the pressure on intensive care remains high. People are still dying, leaving grief-stricken loved ones in their wake. Nearly a year on, I still think about that 16-year-old girl every day.

Ameera did not receive any payment for this article

Interview by Kathryn Knight
An elderly woman who was brutally bashed and left bleeding on the steps of a Melbourne church may never fully recover from her horrific injuries.

Penelope Katsavos, 78, was opening Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox church in South Yarra at 6am on Saturday, as she had done for the past 30 years, when she was viciously attacked by 'gutless' thugs.

When she approached the entrance, a male and a female approached her trolley before the man punched her and pushed her to the ground.

As she laid helpless, the man then started kicking her, before the pair fled the scene - leaving her lying on the steps where she was found 30 minutes later by a street cleaner who then called police.

Penelope Katsavos, 78, was opening the church as she had done for 30 years when she was savagely attacked by a man and a woman

The grandmother-of-six suffered a broken wrist, a fractured pelvis and bleeding on the brain in two spots.

Ms Katsavos is now in a stable condition in hospital recovering from her injuries, but there are fears she may never fully recover from the attack.

A photo taken in hospital shows the brave elderly woman flashing a smile as she reads from a bible, her reading glasses shielding a swollen black eye.

The callous attack left her face covered in massive purple bruises, trailing from her right eye down to her chin.

'It saddens me to talk about... to think about the pain that she actually went through,' Ms Katsavos's son Evri told 7NEWS.

'[Its] just real gutless to hit anyone, let alone an elderly person... defenceless.'

The culprits took her trolley but it was later found in a nearby park with nothing stolen.

Ms Katsavos is the full-time carer for her husband Thomas, who has dementia and the attack has meant she may not be able to care for her husband again.

The couple have spent the past three decades volunteering for the church.

The grandmother-of-six flashed a brave smile as she read from a bible in hospital, where she is receiving treatment for her injuries

Ms Katsavos daughter-in-law said she has remained positive throughout the ordeal.

'She is eternally positive, but that's just her nature. But she's very unwell.' She told 3AW.

She said the family was shocked but hoped the attackers would be caught in order to stop another attack.

'We're just shocked  and just devastated for her.'

'We want the people who did this to be found, so firstly they can't do it to anyone else and that they're held accountable for what they've done.' She said.

Her daughter-in-law was optimistic about her recovery.

'She's a really strong woman, so she's very practical about it, she knows that is was a random thing', she said.

Evri said the family was inspired by his mother's strength.

'We know thats shes very strong and she makes us all strong as well,' he said.

She was left on the steps of the Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox church in South Yarra (pictured) before a street cleaner found her and called police

Parishioner Jane Pallot said Ms Katsavos was a 'beautiful' woman and the church community would rally behind her during this difficult time.

'She is a beautiful lady and church is her life, and we will make sure she is looked after.' She told News Corp.

A photo of the victim taken at the church steps shows her looking stunning and defenceless covered in blood.

Ms Katsavos was unable to describe the attackers but did say they were 'young'.

Both are still on the run and Victoria Police said the investigation into the random attack is ongoing.

The man has been described as having a thin build with dark hair, and was wearing dark clothing at the time.

He was last seen heading towards Chapel Street with the trolley.
Ramzi Toubassy / Courtesy of AIG Korea

By Park Jae-hyuk



Ramzi Toubassy, chief executive of AmMetLife Insurance Berhad in Malaysia, has been appointed the new president and CEO of AIG Korea, the local unit of American International Group (AIG) said Monday.



The announcement came after the global insurance giant's Korean subsidiary approved his appointment during an extraordinary shareholders meeting, Feb. 23, and the severance pay given to outgoing CEO Douglas Min during another shareholders meeting on the following day.



According to AIG Korea, Toubassy will join the company April 1, a day after the planned retirement of Min, who joined the company in 2014 and became its CEO in 2018 after working for Swiss Reinsurance, General Reinsurance and Meritz Fire & Marine Insurance.



The new chief executive also has more than 24 years of experience in the insurance industry.



He began his career with AIG in New York, serving in senior leadership roles in the U.S., Lebanon, Hong Kong and Malaysia.



He also worked as the deputy general manager and director of distribution at AIA Korea, before he became the head of AmMetLife, a joint venture between Malaysia's AmBank Group and the U.S.-headquartered MetLife, in 2014. AIA was once an AIG subsidiary, but it was spun off after the group's restructuring during the 2008-09 global financial crisis.



"I am pleased to welcome Ramzi back to AIG in the role of president and CEO of AIG Korea," AIG's Asia-Pacific CEO Steven Barnett said. "We have a proud history in Korea and Ramzi's appointment reinforces the importance of this market to AIG. Ramzi's deep industry expertise, combined with his proven track record of developing strong distribution channels and partnerships, will be great assets as we continue to drive this dynamic and important business forward."



Toubassy said, "As the first international insurer in Korea, AIG is deeply respected in the industry. I am honored to lead the talented team at AIG and look forward to returning to Korea to drive the strategic direction of the business and deliver differentiated value to our partners and customers."


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Protests and demonstrations took place across the US on Saturday to mark one year since three Louisville police officers brutally murdered Breonna Taylor in her apartment in the middle of the night.

Hundreds of people rallied and marched in downtown Louisville and demonstrations and vigils took place in Atlanta, New York City, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Detroit and Grand Rapids to demand justice for Taylor and her family.

People gather in Jefferson Square awaiting word on charges against police officers, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

The Associated Press reported hundreds defied a curfew set by the military in Yangon, Myanmar to gather for a candle-lit rally to mark the anniversary of Taylors death.

Protesters began gathering in Louisville at Jefferson Square Park near the Jefferson County District Court and the Kentucky Court of Justice at noon and placed photos, signs, flowers and candles in a circle in the middle of the park. The crowd was addressed by Taylors mother, Tamika Palmer, before it marched down Broadway chanting Breonnas name.

Reminders of the reasons for the ongoing protests against police violence were revealed throughout the day in Louisville. At first, Louisville Metropolitan Police Department (LMPD) restricted access to the protest area and contained the demonstrators with police squad cars. Later, as the demonstration continued into the evening and headed across Big Four Bridge, LMPD declared the group an unlawful assembly and an announcement was made by officers that the crowd had to disperse or police may dispense chemical agents and arrest those who refused.

There were also crackdowns on protesters by the police in Los Angeles, Seattle and Portland on Saturday night, with numerous demonstrators arrested. According to one Twitter post, two protesters were run over by Los Angeles police cruisers in the Hollywood neighborhood where police officers in riot gear confronted demonstrators near the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The 26-year-old African American EMT and aspiring nurse was shot and killed on March 13, 2020, after plainclothes officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove executed a warrant on her apartment just after midnight by battering down the door. Thinking they were the victims of a break-in, Taylors boyfriend Kenneth Walker fired a warning shot from his legally possessed handgun and struck Mattingly in the leg.

The officers then indiscriminately returned 32 shots into the apartment, six of them that were fired by Cosgrove fatally struck the young woman. Several of the 10 shots fired by Hankison entered an adjacent apartment where a five-year-old child, a pregnant woman and her husband were sleeping.

A coverup of Taylors murder was immediately organized by the LMPD beginning at the scene of the crime. The facts of the shooting were falsified in the police incident report, no search of the apartment was ever conducted and Walker was arrested and charged with attempted murder.

Without the eruption of a mass movement internationally against police violence that followed the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) on Memorial Day 2020, it is likely that Taylors murder would have been swept under the rug by the LMPD and the justice system in the State of Kentucky.

A month after the protests that ensued from MPD officer Derrick Chauvin choking Floyd to deathwhich was captured on smartphone video stream by an eyewitness and watched by more than 1 billion peoplewhat happened to Taylor became widely known and Kentucky state authorities were forced to intervene in response.

Three and a half months after Taylor's killing, on June 23, Hankison was fired by the LMPD for blindly firing through the covered patio door and window of Taylor's apartment. However, the coverup of the murder of Taylor continued on September 23 when Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced that a grand jury decided not to bring any charges against either Cosgrove or Mattingly who were justified in their use of force while charging Hankison with wanton endangerment of Taylors neighbors.

Shortly after Camerons announcement, Cosgrove launched a campaign to raise money for his retirement. The day before being cleared, Mattingly sent an email to more than 1,000 fellow LMPD officers defending the shooting and subsequently sued Walker for battery, assault, and intentional emotional distress.

Significantly, fully aware of the socially and politically explosive nature of the case against the LMPD, the City of Louisville settled a wrongful death lawsuit by Taylors family for $12 million two days before Camerons revelation of the grand jury decision.

Law enforcement and legal authorities made several similar announcements in advance of the one-year anniversary of Taylors shooting. On March 8, Jefferson Circuit Judge Olu Stevens ruled that the charges against Walker have been permanently dismissed. This means that Walker cannot be criminally recharged for shooting Mattingly. Walker is also pursuing immunity from prosecution and damages in a civil lawsuit against the city which, if successful, would mean that Mattinglys suit would be thrown out.

Additionally, the FBI released a statement on Saturday morning saying it remains steadfast in its commitment to bringing this investigation to its appropriate conclusion. Blaming its inability to complete a federal investigation before the year was up on COVID-19, the FBIs Louisville Special Agent Robert Brown claimed it had made significant progress since May and that the team is actively investigating all aspects of her death and working diligently until the investigation is completed.

President Joe Biden submitted his especially meaningless comments via Twitter on Saturday afternoon, posting that Taylors death was a tragedy and that we must press ahead with meaningful police reform in Congress that he is committed to signing into law.

The Democrats and various pseudo-left political organizations continue to attempt to present police violencelike the horrifying murder of Breonna Taylor in her own apartmentas entirely a racial matter when in fact more than a thousand working class and poor people of all ethnicities are killed each year by police across the US.

The struggle against police violencealong with the apparatus of repression that was applied throughout the spring and summer on protesters in the form of rubber bullets, pepper spray, tear gas, baton strikes and beanbag riflesand in defense of democratic rights requires a political movement of the entire working class based on a socialist program.
They had the prestigious honour of announcing the nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards, which are due to take place next month.

And Priyanka Chopra and her husband Nick Jona certainly gave the event their all as they were seen stepping out of a London studio on Monday afternoon.

The duo, aged 38 and 28 respectively, glammed up to the nines to deliver the address over video link, with the former resplendent in a volumunious Greta Constantine gown and the latter sleek in a gold suit.

0scar reveal: Priyanka Chopra and her husband Nick Jona certainly gave the event their all as they were seen stepping out of a London studio on Monday afternoon

Priyanka and Nick announced last week that the would be announcing the noms when they took to Twitter on Wednesday to reveal the news from their home.

The happy couple celebrated with a few drinks in the video, while the Academy confirmed the news on their Twitter.

Fast forward a week and the pair expertly delivered the news that biographical drama Mank led nominations on Monday with 10 nods, including best actor and best film. The Father followed closely behind with seven nominations.

Nick recently returned to the UK from New York and confirmed on social media that they were able to meet after self-isolating and testing for the novel coronavirus.

Wow! The duo, aged 38 and 28 respectively, glammed up to the nines to deliver the address over video link, with the former resplendent in a volumunious Greta Constantine gown and the latter sleek in a gold suit

Sleek! Priyanka and Nick announced last week that the would be announcing the noms when they took to Twitter on Wednesday to reveal the news from their home

Priyanka beamed for the candid snap alongside her mother Madhu, Nick's parents Paul and Denise, and their friend, Cavanaugh James. Nick captioned the Instagram photo: 'After isolating and testing I'm so happy to finally have some family time!'

Following new rules implemented in February, all arrivals have to take three gold-standard PCR coronavirus tests before being allowed to freely move around the UK.

All incomers from 'red list' countries must stay in the rooms for 10 days, costing 1,750 each - with a supplement for people sharing rooms - including food and drink and their testing bill.

Here they are: Fast forward a week and the pair expertly delivered the news

Leading role: Mank led the way with 10 nominations, including Best Leading Actor for Gary Oldman, Best Supporting Actress for Amanda Seyfried and Best Film (Gary and Amanda pictured)

Arrivals from dozens of high-risk countries on the 'red list' have to test negative 72 hours before travelling, and then be screened again twice, on day two and day eight.

Failure to stick to the hotel quarantine will be punishable with a fine of up to 10,000, Mr Hancock said.

Meanwhile, all other travellers also have to show a negative result before coming to the UK, and then face two more tests while isolating at home or in other private accommodation.

The government has not said how much that will cost although typically it is around 120 per test.

Cautious: She wore a plastic shield over her face rather than a cloth mask

The test and release scheme - which allows non-'red list travellers' to leave isolation if they test negative after five days is in place.

However, Mr Hancock suggested even though they are not be subject to quarantine after the five-day test, they are still required to have tests on day two and days eight. That means they could be screened four times in total.

Scotland announced in February it would go even further and require hotel quarantine for all arrivals.

Here they are! Nick recently returned to the UK from New York and confirmed on social media that they were able to meet after self-isolating and testing for the novel coronavirus
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Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick should not be forced to resign over her officers' conduct at the Sarah Everard vigil, the event's organisers said today.

Patsy Stevenson, the flame-haired protester who was seen being pinned on the ground by two policemen in images that went viral, said she was 'terrified' by the officers' behaviour but refused to call Dame Cressida's resignation.

She told Good Morning Britain: 'As someone who stands up for women's rights I think we need to get the message away from ''We are against the police'' and focus on how we need to open a new dialogue to protect women's safety.'

Meanwhile, Anna Birley, from campaign group Reclaim These Streets, said forcing the exit of the first female leader of Britain's biggest police force would do nothing to advance female equality.

'We are a movement of women seeking to support and empower other women, and as one of the most senior women in British policing history, we do not want to add to the pile-on,' she said.

Dame Cressida was fighting for her job today after criticism of how her force policed Saturday's protest, with officers seen handcuffing screaming women who had gathered in Ms Everard's memory.

Boris Johnson backed her during a visit to a bus depot in Coventry, saying when asked if he still had faith in her: "Yes, I do. And what she's asked is ... that we look at what happened on Saturday night.

"The police do have a very, very difficult job. But there's no question that the scenes that we saw were very distressing and so it is right that Tom Winsor, the inspector of constabulary, should do a full report into it.'

Dame Cressida has said the tragedy makes her 'utterly determined' to hold onto her position, while the Mr Johnson's spokesman insisted the Duchess of Cambridge's visit to the bandstand in the day before the protest was not against the law.

Dame Cressida has said her officers were right to break up the event, which saw thousands of people - mainly women - break Covid rules to gather on Clapham Common in south London, near to where Ms Everard, 33, was abducted.

A YouGov poll has found public support for the Met chief, with 47% of Britons saying she should stay on, versus 23% believing she should go. The public is split over whether the vigil should have been allowed to go ahead as organisers had originally requested, with 40% saying it should have been permitted and 43% saying it should not.

Police detain protester Patsy Stevenson on Saturday night amid ugly scenes as they tried to break up the vigil for Sarah Everard

Anna Birley from campaign group Reclaim These Streets, (pictured on GMB today) said forcing the exit of the first female leader of Britain's biggest police force would do nothing to advance female equality

A well-wisher places a tribute to the growing pile from a gap in a police cordon at the bandstand on Clapham Common, south London, on Saturday

Dame Cressida, 60, (seen walking to New Scotland Yard today) has been fighting for her job after widespread criticism of how her force policed Saturday's protest

Dame Cressida - pictured today - has said her officers were right to break up the event, which saw thousands of people - mainly women - break Covid rules to gather on Clapham Common in south London, near to where Ms Everard, 33, was abducted

Dame Cressida has said the tragedy makes her 'utterly determined' to hold onto her job as the force's first female leader, and she spoke to Boris Johnson on the phone yesterday, who alongside Home Secretary Priti Patel are believed to support her. The PM is pictured out jogging with his dog, Dilyn today (left). Pictured right is Sarah Everard

It comes as -

Priti Patel called footage of women being arrested 'upsetting' and said there are 'still questions to answer', as she asked the chief inspector of constabulary, Sir Tom Winsor, to carry out a 'lessons learned' review;

However, Ms Patel, policing minister Kit Malthouse and Boris Johnson have all backed Dame Cressida;

Ms Patel expected to give a statement to the House of Commons on Met's handling of protest this afternoon;

National Police Chiefs' Council chief called for 'clarity' on how officers should handle protests during Covid;

Echoed by Police Federation, which described policing during lockdown as a 'no-win' situation for officers;

Baroness Jenny Jones - Green Party peer who called for a 6pm curfew for all men after Ms Everard's murder - accused of the Met of 'appalling behaviour' and compared them unfavourably to other forces;

YouGov survey of 5,168 adults on Sunday and Monday found a small majority of Britons believed the vigil should not have gone ahead;

Mayor Sadiq Khan is said to be 'unhappy and unsatisfied' with Dame Cressida but stopped short at calling for her resignation;

Met Police launched investigation after woman reported being flashed by man at the vigil  but officers 'told her they were too busy';

Prime Minister today prepared to chair a meeting of the Government's Crime and Justice Taskforce to discuss violence against women;

Police investigating Ms Everard's murder off recycling bins in Sandwich town centre in Kent 35 miles away from where her body was found;

There was mounting fury today over a draconian new anti-protest law that would hand police greater powers to break up events like the vigil;

Meanwhile, campaigners have won their bid for better lighting on Clapham Common after Ms Everard's death.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was 'not satisfied' by Dame Cressida's response but is still believed to support her, while Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and the Women's Equality Party are among those calling for her to go.

Policing minister Kit Malthouse also backed her today, telling BBC Breakfast: 'Cressida Dick is an officer of superlative achievement in her life and she has been close to some incredibly successful investigations. I know that she is very dedicated and committed to this issue of dealing with violence against women and girls.'

The top cop dogged by controversy: Under-fire Cressida Dick has been embroiled in several controversies during her time at Scotland Yard By David Barrett, Home Affairs Correspondent for the Daily Mail. Cressida Dick has been embroiled in a string of controversies during her 38-year career at the Met. In July 2005 she was in overall charge of the operation which saw electrician Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, shot dead on a Tube train in south London. Mr de Menezes, a Brazilian working in the capital, was blasted in the head seven times by police at Stockwell station after being followed by officers from his home nearby. Later inquiries heard he appeared to match the description of suspects whose bombs failed to detonate on the transport system the previous day. Their attempted attack followed the 7/7 atrocity which killed 52 people on Tubes and a bus in London earlier that month. Dame Cressida was cleared of all blame by later inquiries, but Mr de Menezes' family expressed 'serious concerns' when she was appointed Met Commissioner in 2017. The top policewoman, 60, told the Mail in 2018: 'It was an appalling thing  an innocent man killed by police. Me in charge. Awful for the family and I was properly held to account. We learned every lesson that was to be learned. 'My job was to stand up and be counted, tell the truth and carry on. If police officers fell to pieces or resigned when operations didn't go well, it wouldn't send out a good message.' In 2014 Dame Cressida sanctioned the creation of Operation Midland  the Met's investigation into spurious VIP child sex abuse allegations. Innocent men, including the late Lord Brittan and former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, were pursued by the force. The Met's star witness 'Nick' was later revealed to be serial liar Carl Beech. In 2017 Dame Cressida was criticised for her choice of words after she said the victims of the London Bridge terror attack demonstrated London's 'diversity'. The officer added: 'We believe, of course, that that's what makes our city so great. It's a place where the vast majority of time it's incredibly integrated and that diversity gives us strength.' Critics said the remarks were ill-considered. In 2019 the Met under Dame Cressida's leadership was widely criticised for its 'light-touch' policing of Extinction Rebellion protests. The environmental demonstrators were allowed to blockade key areas of the capital for days, including Westminster Bridge and Oxford Circus. Advertisement

Dame Cressida will meet Mr Johnson again today for a meeting to discuss violence against women and girls, how to make the streets safer, and why rape prosecutions remain low.

Today, protester Patsy Stevenson described the moment she was handcuffed by two male officers, telling Good Morning Britain: 'I was terrified. I have never been so scared honestly.

'I think what was scary as well was as soon as I was pinned to the ground, I looked up and there were cameras everywhere. I was like ''oh my God, this is big''.

'I didn't realise they had even pinned me to the ground for a second. It just like happened so fast and then I was on the ground. I was like, I am on the ground, I am very small. I wasn't resisting or anything.'

Ms Stevenson said she went to the vigil to pay her respects to Ms Everard, whose body was found in woodland in Ashford, Kent, last Wednesday - a week after she was allegedly kidnapped while walking home from a friend's flat in Clapham.

She said she went on to the park's bandstand because police officers 'seemed to be sort of aggressively talking to the women' on there.

'We were trying to make sure, you know, video things and make sure there was no manhandling or anything was done,' she said. Then all of a sudden, there were quite a few police on the bandstand.

'Now it was distanced until the police came. On the bandstand there were about 30 police and they pushed us towards the edge of the banister that I was holding on to.'

Asked why she was restrained and arrested, Ms Stevenson said: 'To be honest I still don't know why I was pushed to the ground so forcefully.

'I am quite small and it was two very large male officers who sort of pulled me back very quickly and then I hit the ground. From start to finish it was just a sort of whirlwind, it happened very quickly.

Commenting on reports she is an actress, she added: 'I just wanted to put a candle down. I am not an actress, I study at university.'

Dania Al-Obeid was detained at the bandstand on Clapham Common in south London on Saturday during the vigil in memory of Ms Everard

She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Monday that she was arrested for breaching Covid-19 regulations.

'I understood police on the ground were following orders,' she said.

'When I did get arrested and spoke to them, and when I was handcuffed in the van, they understood our position. They were just following orders.

'I think that's where the frustration was, the bigger picture here was lost. We felt we were silenced and this could have been avoided if there was some understanding and compassion to the trauma that women feel every single day.'

She said of Dame Cressida: 'We want her to meet with us. We were hugely disappointed that she put out a statement yesterday without talking to any of the people who were organising the vigil and had such a difficult experience with police.'

Last night, following further protests outside Scotland Yard and in Parliament Square where police stood back from protesters, Dame Cressida said: 'What happened to Sarah appals me.

'As you know, I'm the first woman commissioner of the Met; perhaps it appals me, in a way, even more because of that. What has happened makes me more determined, not less, to lead my organisation.'

Today, the chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council called for further 'clarity' on how they should handle demonstrations during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Asked about the police response on Saturday, Martin Hewitt told Today that policing demonstrations and public order is always 'incredibly challenging'.

Police probing Sarah Everard's murder seal off recycling bins in Sandwich town centre in Kent 35 miles away from where body was found By Dan Sales for MailOnline Police investigating the murder of Sarah Everard have sealed off recycling bins in a tourist town 35 miles from the woodland where her body was found. Teams of officers massed in Sandwich, Kent, this morning as they continued the search for evidence for their investigation into the killing of the marketing worker, 33. Recycling bins have been taped off by police as they search for evidence in the murder probe The bins are among a huge area cordoned off by investigators in the town this morning. Ms Everard went missing on March 3 as she walked home from a friend's house in Clapham, south London. An onlooker told MailOnline: 'The main car park area is closed and they have closed the whole of the ropewalk area. 'They look like they are going to look in the recycling bins. It's understood police have still have not found Sarah's phone, so the talk here is that the phone is what they are looking for. 'It also looks as though they are preparing to look in the waters around the area. This is some 35 miles away from the woodland where Sarah's remains were found.' Advertisement

He said: 'You are balancing different rights, you are balancing legal regulations, you are balancing health and safety. They are very difficult decisions for commanders on the ground to make in any set of circumstances.

'Where we are at the moment, where we are under Covid regulations, we have got the public health threat of the pandemic, those decisions have been made even harder for commanders.'

He added: 'These are complex. We want clarity so commanders on the ground can make those decisions in what are always very challenging circumstances.'

His comments were echoed by Che Donald of the Police Federation, who said: 'Policing during lockdown is a no-win situation for front line police officers trying to protect the public, they are damned if they do take action and damned if they don't. Ultimately front-line officers have become pawns in a political situation.

'There is a need to reiterate the call for clarity around Covid-19 regulations to avoid further confusion over laws and rules when lockdown measures are lifted. The Government's mixed messages added to the escalation of events on Saturday.'

The Duchess of Cambridge visited the Clapham Common bandstand early on Saturday before crowds had gathered.

Mayor Khan is said to be 'unhappy and unsatisfied' with Dame Cressida account of what happened later in the day, but a source told The Times he has not lost confidence in her.

Victims Commissioner Dame Vera Baird said women had begun to speak about their 'appalling experiences' following Ms Everard's murder.

She said: 'They regard quite clearly the streets as lawless for women when it comes to male behaviour. Men it seems, they tell us, they can do what they want and say what they want, and nobody will take action.

'As we know, it doesn't seem to many people worth it to make a complaint to the police because if someone complains of rape, 98% of the 55,000 people who have complained of rape do not even get a charge.'

Dame Vera added: 'It is absolutely critical the Government takes urgent and sustained action to redress the confidence in the police and criminal justice system - and really, frankly, half the population.'

It came as Baroness Jenny Jones, the Green Party peer who called for a 6pm curfew for all men following Ms Everard's murder, told GMB: 'The Met could learn from other police forces who managed it much better, for example in Nottingham...

'Those were appalling scenes, they were arresting mourners - not protesters... it was the police who decided it would be illegal, they could have decided it was legal and handled it differently.'

Meanwhile, Reclaim These Streets, who had organised Saturday's vigil before being forced to cancel following consultation with Scotland Yard tweeted: 'Misogyny in @metpoliceuk is a deep-rooted, institutional problem. The police need to stop doubling down and issue a full public apology.

'There must be a fully independent investigation into how they policed Saturday's protest. They cannot be allowed to mark their own homework.'

Huge piles of floral tributes and candles placed at the bandstand on Clapham Common today. This was the sight of Saturday's vigil

A sign on Clapham Common today reading 'men are afraid that women will laugh at them, women are afraid that men will kill them'

Dame Cressida has also received the backing of Home Secretary Priti Patel (who is pictured arriving in Whitehall by car today)

Patsy Stevenson, the flame-haired protester who was seen being pinned on the ground by police in images that went viral, said she was 'terrified' by the officers' behaviour but refused to call for the Met chief's resignation and called for the conversation to return to how to protect women from violence

Officer in charge of policing Saturday's vigil is responsible for Scotland Yard's response to disastrous 'VIP child abuse' probe The senior officer in charge of policing Saturday's vigil is also responsible for the Met's response to its disastrous VIP child abuse probe. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist was Gold Commander for the operation in Clapham, meaning he had overall command of the officers on the ground and set its 'overarching strategy'. Mr Twist also leads Operation Larimar, which was set up to implement recommendations made by retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques following the 2.5million inquiry into false claims of a murderous Establishment paedophile ring. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist (pictured) was Gold Commander for the operation in Clapham, meaning he had overall command of the officers on the ground and set its 'overarching strategy' Sir Richard identified 43 mistakes by the Met and made 25 urgent recommendations. The investigation was launched in 2014 following false allegations made by made by fantasist Carl Beech of rape and murder involving Establishment figures. No officer has been held to account for the mistakes, with Steve Rodhouse, who was in overall charge, allowed to take up a 250,000-a-year job with the National Crime Agency. Mr Twist also led a review into Scotland Yard's use of handcuffs after Team GB sprinter Bianca Williams was subjected to a stop-and-search last July. This led to new rules for officers, who must now justify any use of handcuffs. He also leads Scotland Yard's response to the pandemic and has promised harsh punishments for those who do not stick to lockdown rules. In January he said officers had been told to be quicker to issue fines, adding that rule breakers would meet a 'strong response.' Sir Richard and six former home secretaries have all written to Priti Patel calling for a fresh independent inquiry into Operation Midland. Merseyside Police are investigating Scotland Yard's decision not to examine two false complainants, men known as A and B, who gave accounts that backed up Beech's claims. Advertisement

This morning, shadow policing minister Sarah Jones told BBC 4's Today programme: 'I think most people will agree that police have had to make a really difficult call often through Covid and I talk to police all the time as the shadow policing minister, and I have talked about some of these challenges.

'I think there were two things that went wrong. The first was that an agreement wasn't come to in advance with those women who really just wanted to pay their respects

'It wouldn't have been unlawful if an agreement had been reached, that's what the judge said, and it was unfortunate that an agreement wasn't reached.

'Then I think it was wrong the way it was policed on the night, the sensitivity wasn't there.

'I think it speaks now to the issue of the Government trying to rush through legislation that changes the laws again on public processions and assemblies and protests.'

The Prime Minister is today chairing a meeting of the Government's Crime and Justice Taskforce, with Dame Cressida - who has resisted calls to quit over the events - among the attendees.

In ugly scenes on Saturday, officers clashed with crowds gathered on Clapham Common to remember the 33-year-old marketing executive who went missing while walking home from a friend's flat on March 3.

Mr Johnson said last night he was 'deeply concerned' about the footage from the event, some of which showed police officers grabbing women and leading them away in handcuffs.

He added: 'I have spoken with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner who has committed to reviewing how this was handled, and the Home Secretary has also commissioned HM Inspectorate of Constabulary to conduct a lessons learned review into the policing of the event.

'(Today) I will chair a meeting of the Government's Crime and Justice Taskforce to look at what further action we need to take to protect women and ensure our streets are safe.

'The death of Sarah Everard must unite us in determination to drive out violence against women and girls and make every part of the criminal justice system work to protect and defend them.'

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds criticised the Government for responding with 'yet more meetings and another consultation' at a moment when the country is 'demanding action to tackle violence against women and girls'.

London mayor Sadiq Khan said he would be asking the Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Independent Office for Police Conduct to look into the events.

And Martin Hewitt, chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said he would bring together police chiefs on Monday to discuss 'what more we can do to better protect women'.

It comes as landmark legislation comes before the Commons that will give police greater powers to crack down on disruptive protests.

After gathering outside New Scotland Yard yesterday, protesters headed to Parliament Square where they staged a minute-long lie-in protest

Dame Cressida Dick said police acted correctly at Saturday's vigil after a 'really big crowd gathered,' demonstrators were out in London late on Sunday

Police are guarding the entrance to New Scotland Yard as protesters gather around the Met Police headquarters last night

Dame Cressida Dick defends her position and officers' response to Sarah Everard vigil Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida has said she is not considering her position following wide criticism of the policing of a vigil for Sarah Everard on Saturday. She said: 'What happened to Sarah appals me. As you know, I'm the first woman commissioner of the Met, perhaps it appals me, in a way, even more because of that. 'What has happened makes me more determined, not less, to lead my organisation. 'I've listened to what people have been saying in the last week, I know that in the streets all across the UK women don't feel as safe as we would all like women to feel. I am utterly determined.' She added: 'My view is, I'm entirely focused on growing the Met to be even stronger.' 'All the women and men of the Met are outraged at what has happened and they're working as hard as they can to get justice for Sarah. 'In that context, none of us would have wanted to see the scenes we saw at the end of yesterday's events. 'It's worth saying, of course, I fully understand the strength of feeling I think as a woman hearing from people about their experiences in the past and what they feel about what happened to Sarah and what has been going on, I understand why so many people wanted to come and pay their respects and make a statement about this. 'Indeed, if it had been lawful, I'd have been there, I'd have been at a vigil. And six hours of yesterday was really calm and peaceful, very few police officers around, respectful, people laying flowers, not gathering, and a vigil that did not breach the regulations. 'Unfortunately, later on, we had a really big crowd that gathered, lots of speeches and quite rightly, as far as I can see, my team felt this is now an unlawful gathering which poses a considerable risk to people's health according to the regulations.' The commissioner said she was 'very comfortable' with, a review into the events at the vigil, adding that it would be 'good for public confidence'. She added: 'What we do in one event sets precedent for other events. I am really comfortable that we review what happened. 'I don't think anybody who was not in the operation can actually pass a detailed comment on the rightness and wrongness of it. 'This is fiendishly difficult policing but also I'm sure for the people who wanted to express their feelings, that was a difficult situation for them and that's why it needs a cold light of day, sober review - and I think we're all agreed on that.' Dame Cressida, who was appointed in 2017, said the officers were in an 'invidious' position when crowds grew, continuing: 'They then moved to try to explain to people, to engage with people, to get people to disperse from this unlawful gathering and many, many, many people did - unfortunately, a small minority did not.' Asked what she thought when she saw the pictures of the policing at the vigil, she said: 'I wouldn't have wanted to see a vigil in memory of Sarah end with those scenes. 'That's why this morning I said, from what I can tell, I wasn't there, but from what I can tell, my officers - in a very difficult position, as they have been again and again in the last year policing within coronavirus restrictions, having to uphold the law, having to be impartial, having to be fair. 'But of course trying to apply common sense and discretion and if people don't understand the law, trying to help them to understand and engage and speak before we ever turn to any enforcement, but that is why I said we didn't want it to end like that, let's have a review.' She continued: 'I spoke in the day to both the Home Secretary and the mayor, I'm very comfortable with that and I think officers will be as well.' Asked if she felt she owed an apology to her frontline officers, Dame Cressida said: 'I feel for my officers, I feel for them every day.' She added: 'I completely recognise that they are, particularly in this last year, often finding themselves in very very difficult situations, they are policing during a pandemic. Nobody wants a third wave to happen. 'It's only a few weeks since the NHS was on its knees. They have a really difficult job, they have to make fine judgments, they often don't have infinite information or all the time in the world. 'They have to make these really difficult calls and I don't think anybody should be sitting back in an armchair and saying 'well that was done badly' or 'I would have done it differently' without actually understanding what was going through their minds. 'I guarantee that every single officer who was policing last night, like me, would rather we were not in the time of coronavirus. There could be a large, peaceful set of vigils all over the country. 'Most of them would have been at those vigils and I guarantee also that my officers up and down London and beyond, if they weren't working, will have been thinking of Sarah at 9:30pm last night, they will have been lighting their candles or pausing, and it's something we care about very, very deeply.' Advertisement

Labour has said it will vote against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill because it contains 'poorly thought-out measures to impose disproportionate controls on free expression'.

In a video from Saturday's vigil, a woman could be seen being shoved forcefully in the back by two officers after being lifted from her knees.

The woman, who has not yet been identified, then tries to bend down near the officers and is shoved back again. She can be heard shouting that she is trying to retrieve her glasses.

Reclaim These Streets had organised the vigil before being forced to cancel following consultation with the Metropolitan Police, which said it would be in breach of coronavirus rules.

Nimco Ali, who is advising the Government on tackling violence against women and girls, compared the force's behaviour with an abuser.

She told Times Radio: 'It does come from a handbook of abusive men, where the fact that you're constantly blaming the victim for your act of violence. So rather than actually taking accountability, it was more like 'women shouldn't have turned up'.'

The Metropolitan Police said four people were arrested for public order and coronavirus regulation breaches.

Three of them, a man and two women, were arrested on suspicion of breaching the Health Protection Regulation and have been reported for consideration of a fixed-penalty notice.

A fourth person, a woman in her teens, was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and has been released under police investigation.

There were fresh protests on Sunday outside Scotland Yard and at Parliament Square, with police seen standing guard outside Met Police's headquarters, while other officers stood around a statue of Sir Winston Churchill, after it was vandalised during protests last year.

Crowds could be heard yelling 'f*** the police,' branding officers 'scum' and shouting 'protect women, not statues,' during yesterday's protests - which saw them march from Trafalgar Square to New Scotland Yard, before gathering in Parliament Square.

Officers erected barriers around the Met's headquarters and the group of protesters, many holding placards aloft, spilled over onto the road next to the River Thames.

Calls for Dame Cressida to resign were led by Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, while Women's Equality Party co-founder Catherine Mayer said her position was 'untenable'.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the Commissioner should not quit, but condemned the policing on Saturday as 'wrong'. Mr Johnson is understood to have confidence in her.

Dame Cressida said on Sunday: 'What happened to Sarah appals me. As you know, I'm the first woman commissioner of the Met, perhaps it appals me, in a way, even more because of that.

'What has happened makes me more determined, not less, to lead my organisation.

'I've listened to what people have been saying in the last week, I know that in the streets all across the UK women don't feel as safe as we would all like women to feel. I am utterly determined.'

She said that 'all the women and men of the Met are outraged at what has happened and they're working as hard as they can to get justice for Sarah'.

'In that context, none of us would have wanted to see the scenes we saw at the end of yesterday's events.'



Another protest is set to take place in London at around 5pm today, with Patsy Henderson, one of the vigil attendants pictured being restrained by officers on Saturday, confirming she planned to attend.

Cressida Dick added: 'All the women and men of the Met are outraged at what has happened and they're working as hard as they can to get justice for Sarah.

'In that context, none of us would have wanted to see the scenes we saw at the end of yesterday's events.

'It's worth saying, of course, I fully understand the strength of feeling I think as a woman hearing from people about their experiences in the past and what they feel about what happened to Sarah and what has been going on, I understand why so many people wanted to come and pay their respects and make a statement about this.'

Dame Cressida added: 'Indeed, if it had been lawful, I'd have been there, I'd have been at a vigil.

'And six hours of yesterday was really calm and peaceful, very few police officers around, respectful, people laying flowers, not gathering, and a vigil that did not breach the regulations.

'Unfortunately, later on, we had a really big crowd that gathered, lots of speeches and quite rightly, as far as I can see, my team felt this is now an unlawful gathering which poses a considerable risk to people's health according to the regulations.'

The commissioner, who was appointed to the role in 2017, said she welcomes, and is 'very comfortable' with, a review into the events at Saturday's vigil.

She said the officers were in an 'invidious' position when crowds grew, continuing: 'They then moved to try to explain to people, to engage with people, to get people to disperse from this unlawful gathering and many, many, many people did - unfortunately, a small minority did not.'

Masked police officers surrounded a statue of Winston Churchill yesterday, following scenes last year that saw the monument defaced

Priti Patel ordered a full report investigating Met Police's response to the vigil for Sarah Everard at Clapham Common. Protesters remained in London for hours on Sunday

Protesters gathered outside New Scotland Yard criticising Dame Cressida Dick yesterday, but despite her leadership being described as 'untenable,' Met Police's commissioner said she will remain in her post

Campaigners win their battle for better lighting close to where Sarah Everard was last seen alive Campaigners have won their fight to get more lighting on Clapham Common following the tragic death of Sarah Everard. Lambeth Council are also considering adding extra lighting and CCTV at the south London common close to where Ms Everard was last seen alive. The marketing executive, 33, was last seen walking alone toward Tulse Hill, south London, just after 9.30pm on her way home from a friend's house on March 3. Her body was found in a large bag in woodland near Ashford in Kent a week later and Ms Everard was identified by her dental records. Ayesha Alibhai and Safiya Sayani started a bid to get Lambeth Council to maximise lighting at the common to improve safety in the wake of the Sarah Everard case. The pair set up a petition, which received more than 25,000 signatures, calling for the local authority to take action. Today a Lambeth Council spokesperson tweeted: 'Today, we've placed additional lighting on Clapham Common in response to requests from members of the local community. 'Thank you to everyone who shared their concerns with us. We are reviewing whether further action needs to take place, including additional lighting and CCTV.' Advertisement

Asked what she thought when she saw the pictures of the policing at the vigil, she said: 'I wouldn't have wanted to see a vigil in memory of Sarah end with those scenes.

'That's why this morning I said, from what I can tell, I wasn't there, but from what I can tell, my officers - in a very difficult position, as they have been again and again in the last year policing within coronavirus restrictions, having to uphold the law, having to be impartial, having to be fair.

'But of course trying to apply common sense and discretion and if people don't understand the law, trying to help them to understand and engage and speak before we ever turn to any enforcement, but that is why I said we didn't want it to end like that, let's have a review.'

She continued: 'I spoke in the day to both the Home Secretary and the mayor, I'm very comfortable with that and I think officers will be as well.

She added: 'I completely recognise that (officers) are, particularly in this last year, often finding themselves in very very difficult situations, they are policing during a pandemic.

'Nobody wants a third wave to happen.

'It's only a few weeks since the NHS was on its knees.

'They have a really difficult job, they have to make fine judgments, they often don't have infinite information or all the time in the world.

'They have to make these really difficult calls and I don't think anybody should be sitting back in an armchair and saying 'well that was done badly' or 'I would have done it differently' without actually understanding what was going through their minds.

'I guarantee that every single officer who was policing last night, like me, would rather we were not in the time of coronavirus. There could be a large, peaceful set of vigils all over the country.

'Most of them would have been at those vigils and I guarantee also that my officers up and down London and beyond, if they weren't working, will have been thinking of Sarah at 9:30pm last night, they will have been lighting their candles or pausing, and it's something we care about very, very deeply.'

Cressida Dick's position has been described as 'untenable,' by the Women's Equality Party yesterday, while others have said she should 'consider' her leadership of the force. Placards with a 'Socialist Worker' header were displayed during yesterday's protest in London

Police vans were lined up next to thousands of protesters in Westminster yesterday afternoon. Dame Cressida Dick has since spoken with Priti Patel and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, adding that she was 'comfortable,' with the police's response to last night's vigil on Clapham Common

Met Police launch investigation after woman reported being flashed by man at Saturday's Sarah Everard vigil  but officers 'told her they were too busy' By Sophie Tanno for MailOnline The Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation after a woman reported being flashed by a man after Saturday's Sarah Everard vigil. The woman, who gave her name as Georgina, claims she was walking home from the event on Clapham Common in South London when the man exposed himself. According to Georgina, a policewoman initially told her the incident would be looked into before a male officer allegedly told her: 'No, we've had enough tonight with the rioters.' 'He started moving the team into the van,' she told Lambeth Life. 'I was just shocked to be told essentially to go away. 'Even if they said we're not going to go into it but we'll walk you, that would have been something.' Georgina added that the incident made her feel 'unsafe'. 'You shouldn't be scared around the police - you should feel protected. That's not what happened.' She has reported the officer's alleged handling of the situation to the Met and a meeting has been set up. 'We are aware... that she tried to report the incident at the time to officers in the area -this will be looked at,' a Scotland Yard spokesperson said. The 27-year-old added that she had previously been a victim of indecent exposure on Clapham Common when a man had been 'touching himself' while 'passed out'. Advertisement

Cressida Dick was yesterday spotted walking into New Scotland Yard in Westminster at around 2.15pm, along with Deputy Commissioner Sir Steve House.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called on the Commissioner to 'consider' her leadership of the force, adding: 'Cressida Dick has lost the confidence of the millions of women in London and should resign.'

Women's Equality Party co-founder Catherine Mayer said her position was 'untenable'.

Patsy Stevenson, who was pictured being held on the floor by police at the vigil, said she attended the gathering in Clapham Common yesterday in support of women who cannot walk down the street by themselves 'because of the fear of men'.

Ms Stevenson said she would like to 'have a conversation' with Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, telling LBC: 'I would like to sit down with her and have a conversation.

'I think dialogue is very important in this case.'

Ms Stevenson said she would be attending a demonstration in Parliament Square today.

Met Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh disputed the criticism as he said: 'Politicians of all parties should make themselves aware of all the facts before rushing to judgement and making statements.'

Dozens of police officers had moved in to block access to speakers as tensions sparked in the crowd and mourners started chanting 'arrest your own' and 'shame on you', with scenes quickly turning violent.

Defending the force's actions, Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said 'hundreds of people were packed tightly together,' posing a very real risk of transmitting the virus.

She added that officers had repeatedly encouraged those attending to leave, but 'a small minority' of people chanted at police, pushing and throwing objects.

'We accept that the actions of our officers have been questioned,' Ball said. 'We absolutely did not want to be in a position where enforcement action was necessary.

'But we were placed in this position because of the overriding need to protect people's safety.'

Shadow domestic violence minister Jess Phillips said: 'The reality is if Cressida Dick stays or goes (it) doesn't make women in this country more safe, and that's what I want to talk about.'

She said there were 'so many missed opportunities throughout the day for police to work with organisers to create a completely safe vigil so that people could go and have a moment of sorrow and a moment of resistance'.

As protests continued yesterday, home Office minister Victoria Atkins said she took last night's events 'very seriously' but that she wanted to give the commissioner 'a chance to explain' what happened

Women held banners calling to 'end state violence' and 'defund the police' in demonstrations outside London's police headquarters

Ministers under fire over planned new anti-protests law that would allow police to intervene in any protest causing 'serious unease' Ministers were facing mounting fury today over a draconian new anti-protest law that would hand police greater powers to break up events like the Sarah Everard vigil. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill will allow officers to intervene in events that are deemed to have caused 'serious unease, alarm or distress'. The new legislation, introduced in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests that swept the UK last summer, has also been attacked for bringing in jail terms for defacing statues that are on a par with those given to rapists and other sexual offenders. Should the bill become law, defacing monuments will be punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The starting point for rape sentences is currently five years, rising to a life sentence for the most serious. Safeguarding minister Victoria Atkins defended the bill today, insisting that it was designed to target 'very, very disruptive protests'. But critics said that it would still give police forces far stronger powers than they currently possess to break up peaceful gatherings. Labour has said it will vote against the bill when it receives its second reading tomorrow. Shadow domestic violence minister Jess Phillips told Sky News' Ridge on Sunday: 'The Labour party has come up with endless suggestions through the Domestic Abuse Bill, 37 amendments we put down that would make people safer and on Monday we will again be asking the government to look at things like misogyny as a hate crime, street harassment as a crime and increasing the tariffs on rape. 'I am afraid to say that the Bill that is before us on Monday, in the explanatory notes which I read on Monday, there is more mention of statues than there is on women. 'Ten years for doing something to a statue, what about women?' Advertisement

Ms Phillips called for the minimum rape sentence to be increased from five to seven years, and said misogyny should be treated as a hate crime.

The Fire Brigades Union said earlier yesterday that it stands 'in solidarity' with the women who were 'manhandled, pushed to the ground, separated from their friends and arrested by the police last night'.

Condemning Met Police's response, the firefighters' union added: 'These draconian and authoritative actions have no place in a democratic society.

'This was a clear demonstration of the patriarchy's inability to comprehend the reality and scope of male violence against women and girls. Those responsible for the decisions to approach this vigil in such a way should be held accountable.

'Last night demonstrated that allowing the police to lead the response and set the level of restriction to peaceful protest would be a catastrophic mistake.'

Conservative MP for Folkestone & Hythe Damian Collins said: 'Appalling scenes in Clapham last night of aggressive police action at the vigil for Sarah Everard & a justificatory statement from the Met using the language of the abuser to its victims over the years - it's your fault, you made us do it. They need to be held to account for this.'

'I think the main point of this... is that women don't feel safe, and they don't feel safe walking down a street. And that's the bare minimum we should feel the freedom to do, and I think it's appalling that it's gone on for this long.'

Campaign group Reclaim These Streets said: 'We've asked Met Commissioner Cressida Dick to meet us urgently to explain the actions taken by the police last night - before she reports to the Home Secretary.

'The @metpoliceuk must begin to rebuild relations with women who have lost trust and are hurting. #ReclaimTheseStreets'.

Mr Khan said he would be asking HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Independent Office for Police Conduct to look into the events on Saturday night, adding that the scenes at the vigil were 'completely unacceptable', despite having received assurances from Scotland Yard last week that it would be policed 'sensitively'.

'In my view, this was not the case,' he said.

The protesters brought homemade placards to Sunday's demonstrations outside Scotland Yard as hundreds gathered despite police warnings

A gravestone shaped placard and a floral tribute left outside New Scotland Yard in London yesterday, after clashes between police and crowds who gathered on Clapham Common on Saturday night

Statement from Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball following events in Clapham Common 'May I start by extending my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Sarah Everard. Across the Met we are still extremely saddened and shocked by the tragic circumstance of her disappearance and death. 'Earlier tonight, I joined the Commissioner in a candlelit vigil outside New Scotland Yard. I know many thousands of people up and down the nation also held similar vigils in Sarah's name. 'I recognise that the decision by the organisers to cancel the Reclaim These Streets vigil in Clapham Common was deeply unwelcome news. Even so, given the ever present threat of Coronavirus, this was the right decision to make. 'Today, for over six hours hundreds of people came to lay flowers and pay their respects to Sarah in Clapham Common in a safe and lawful way. 'Around 6pm, more people began to gather close to the bandstand within the Common. Some started to make speeches from the bandstand. These speeches then attracted more people to gather closer together. 'At this point, officers on the ground were faced with a very difficult decision. Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting Covid-19. 'Police must act for people's safety, this is the only responsible thing to do. The pandemic is not over and gatherings of people from right across London and beyond, are still not safe. 'Those who gathered were spoken to by officers on a number of occasions and over an extended period of time. We repeatedly encouraged those who were there to comply with the law and leave. Regrettably, a small minority of people began chanting at officers, pushing and throwing items. 'After speaking with officers, the vast majority of people quickly left. Four arrests have been made for public order offences and for breaches of the Health Protection Regulations. 'Part of the reason I am speaking to you tonight is because we accept that the actions of our officers have been questioned. 'We absolutely did not want to be in a position where enforcement action was necessary. But we were placed in this position because of the overriding need to protect people's safety. 'Let me end by saying that across the Met, we review every single event that we police to see if there are lessons that can be learnt. This one will be no different.' Advertisement

Mr Khan said yesterday: 'I asked the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner to come into City Hall today to give me an explanation of yesterday's events and the days leading up to them. I am not satisfied with the explanation they have provided.

'I will now be asking Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to conduct a full independent investigation of events yesterday evening and in previous days. I am also asking the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to investigate the actions of police officers yesterday evening.

'It is vital that these events are not allowed to undermine the powerful calls since Sarah's murder for meaningful action to finally stop men inflicting violence on women.

'It was clear before yesterday that there isn't adequate trust and confidence from women and girls in the police and criminal justice system more widely. Further steps must now be taken to address this.'

Professor Sir Ian Diamond, head of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), was asked about the under-reporting of crimes against women.

He told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One: 'What we have reported over many years through the crime survey that we do jointly with the Home Office is that there is a very large under-reporting both of rape and of assault, which includes penetration.

'Indeed in some of our more recent figures we show that really there are only about a third that are reported to the police, and then very many few of those go to prosecution.

'One of the reasons why we think it's incredibly important to do these crime surveys - because it gives people a chance to have a voice.'

Victims Commissioner Dame Vera Baird QC said yesterday there was no real prospect of police successfully intervening in the crowd in Clapham on Saturday night, describing the circling of the bandstand as 'quasi military'

She said: 'To push people away seems to me to be a dreadful piece of misjudgment.

'Are they really improving the chances of Covid not spreading by putting their knees in the middle of the back of young women, and putting their hands in handcuffs?

'It didn't seem to me to be the right thing to do.'

Reclaim These Streets had organised the vigil before being forced to cancel following consultation with the Metropolitan Police, which said it would be in breach in coronavirus restrictions.





Police officers blocked people from accessing the bandstand as those in the crowd held up candles during Saturday night's vigil

Police clash with mourners at a vigil in Clapham Common, south London, on Saturday after the event was officially cancelled

Fights broke out as people battled against police officers on Saturday evening in Clapham Common

Hundreds of mourners defied social distancing measures to gather at Clapham Common on Saturday night

Crime statistics: How women make up the majority of victims of violence While men have historically made up the majority of victims of homicide, a majority of victims of violence against the person are female. There is also evidence that the first coronavirus lockdown in the spring and summer of 2020 saw an increase in stalking and harassment offences. Here is a snapshot of some of the latest available data for violence against women. - Homicide In the year to March 2020, almost three-quarters of all homicide victims in England and Wales were male (73%) and just over a quarter were female (27%). The number of female victims in 2019/20 was 188, similar to the average of the previous 10 years (189). There was a 20% increase in the number of male victims in 2019/20, from 422 to 506. Homicide data is published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Home Office. The figures for 2019/20 include 39 human trafficking victims found in a lorry in Essex. In the 1960s, the proportion of homicide victims was fairly evenly split between males and females. But since the 1960s the figures have shown different trends. The number of female victims has tended to fluctuate between 180 and 250 a year. By contrast, the number of male victims has increased in recent decades, peaking at an average of around 545 a year between 2000/01 and 2004/05. - Stalking and harassment While most categories of police-recorded crime fell during the first lockdown in 2020, stalking and harassment offences increased. The number rose from 128,127 in January-March to 141,850 in April-June: a jump of 11%. It then rose further to 162,683 in July-September, up 15% on the previous quarter. The ONS said there was a "substantial rise" in the annual figures for stalking offences, up from 23,543 in the year to September 2019 to 64,265 in the year to September 2020. These figures do not provide details of victims by gender. But separate figures from the annual Crime Survey for England and Wales show that in the year to March 2020, 5.4% of women aged 16 to 59 said they had been the victim of stalking at least once, compared with 2.7% of men. A decade earlier, the equivalent figures for the year to March 2010 were 4.8% of women and 3.9% of men. In the survey for the year to March 2020, around one in five women (19.9%) said that since the age of 16 they had been the victim of stalking at least once, with 8.2% saying the stalking had been by a partner and 2.9% by a family member. - Victims of violence In the year to March 2020, 56% of victims of violence against the person offences were female and 44% were male, according to data from 41 forces in England and Wales. The figures for victims of sexual offences were 84% female, 16% male. Separate findings from the Crime Survey for England and Wales show an estimated 2.0% of men were likely to have been victims of violent crime in the year to March 2020 compared with 1.3% of women. Men were more likely to be victims of violent crime for all types of violence, with the exception of domestic violence, where women were more likely to be victims (0.3% of women and 0.1% of men). - Relationship between victims and suspects An analysis of data from 17 police forces in England and Wales for the year to March 2020 shows that nearly half of violent offences against women were committed by an intimate partner (49%) compared with just under a quarter (22%) of violent offences against men. The proportion of violent offences committed by a family relative was similar for both female (21%) and male (23%) victims. An "acquaintance" or "stranger" relationship between a victim and a suspect were more common for men (34% and 21% respectively) compared with women (22% and 8%). Advertisement

After the clashes, organiser Jamie Klingler said the force's handling of events was a sign of the 'systemic ignoring and oppressing of women'.

'I think we were shocked and really, really sad and to see videos of policemen handling women at a vigil about violence against women by men.

'I think it was it was painful and pretty triggering to see,' she said.

'The fact that nobody stepped in and said: ''do you see how this looks?''.

'The fact that Thursday and Friday they wasted our organising time by dragging us to the High Court for our human rights to protest and we were going to have a silent vigil.'

She added: 'I was bringing my tiny dog, and we were absolutely doing it to have a silent, respectful protest for Sarah Everard, and for all the women affected by violence at the hands of men.

'Especially today, it's Mother's Day. It's the week of International Women's Day.

'And instead of allowing and facilitating it like the Lambeth police wanted to - and that police force was so supportive - Scotland Yard quashed us and in doing so silenced us and got the reaction they got last night.'

The Met Police defended its handling of a high-profile protest calling for greater public safety for women, after male officers were seen scuffling with the crowd and physically restraining female demonstrators.

Conservative candidate for London mayor Shaun Bailey said yesterday: 'The scenes at Sarah Everard's vigil in Clapham tonight are horrifying.

'With ultimate responsibility for policing and public safety in London, the Mayor must immediately explain how these events were allowed to unfold.

'If Sadiq Khan wasn't involved in tonight's operational decision making, given the significance of tonight's vigil, he should have made sure he was.

'If he was involved - he has serious questions to answer.'

Fellow London Mayor hopeful Laurence Fox wrote: 'Appalling and heavy handed policing of a vigil to a murdered woman in London. The public cannot maintain trust in a police force that is seen to be applying different set of rules to different protests depending on the political motivation of the protest.'

Streatham MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy tweeted footage of the clashes at Clapham Common. 'This could have been the socially distanced vigil the community needed to remember Sarah and all the women who have lost their lives to violence. We knew what was going to happen if the event was shut down.'

She added: 'I know Lambeth Borough officers made efforts to compromise with the organisers but were overruled from high up.'They'll be left to deal with the fallout of this and the further burden it places on already strained community relationships. Very disappointing from Scotland Yard.'

One video posted online from Saturday showed Metropolitan Police officers grabbing women stood within the bandstand in Clapham Common before leading them away, to screaming and shouting from onlookers.

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey tweeted: 'The MET police have acted terribly and caused great harm and hurt. Millions of women are angry and in grief, Sarah Everard's horrific murder and the millions of acts of assault women face every day are why women created this vigil.'

He added: 'I am an ally. #ReclaimTheseStreets.'

Conservative MP Steve Baker described events in Clapham as 'unspeakable scenes'.

'You need to change lockdown law now @BorisJohnson,' he tweeted.

Mr Baker has been a prominent campaigner from the backbenches for a faster loosening of coronavirus restrictions than planned by the Government.

Conservative MP Caroline Nokes wrote: 'Truly shocked at the scenes from Clapham Common - in this country we police by consent - not by trampling the tributes to a woman who was murdered and dragging other women to the ground.

'Badly misjudged by #metpolice'

Labour MP Harriet Harman wrote: 'Met mishandled vigil plan from the outset. They should have reached agreement. Terrible scenes in Clapham. I don't want to see any of these women in court.'

Another, MP Paula Barker, said: 'These scenes of Police manhandling women who had come to mourn the death of Sarah Everard are deeply disturbing. Serious questions need to be raised.'

And Labour MP David Lammy added: 'Women should have been able to mourn the death of Sarah Everard in peace. The images of male police officers manhandling women at this moment of national trauma are distressing.

'The way this was policed was wrong and lessons must be learned.'

Police attempt to break up a vigil for Ms Everard at the bandstand on Clapham Common. Protesters had wanted to go ahead with the co-operation of the police

Police officers try to grab two protesters on Clapham Common on Saturday night - both of whom were wearing face coverings

One woman held up a sign that read 'we live in fear. Not all survive. Police do not protect us' in Clapham

A sign saying 'STOP KILLING US' is seen among the flowers and candles on Clapham Common on Saturday night

'I am a woman, I am a police officer, I am very proud of being both': Female PC's view of Clapham vigil clashes A female police officer has voiced her opinion after watching violent scenes unfold at the vigil for Sarah Everard. In a Twitter thread which has rake in more than 1,500 likes, the user, PC_Milk, wrote: 'It started with mainly only female officers overlooking a civil vigil. 'When numbers grew and social distancing seized more officers were called. 'When police officers tried to crowd control and remove people from stamping on flowers for Sarah they refused. 'Then it kicked off. 'Then I saw and heard my colleagues being abused. They were called murderers, rapists, a female colleague was told it should have been her. And we were told to arrest each other. This is not ok. #ReclaimTheStreets. 'Then I saw people being arrested and my colleagues being assaulted when trying to transport said prisoner. 'Then I saw our vehicles being vandalised with spray with the word ACAB and a mirror being smashed. 'Then I thought what would Sarah's family think about this? 'Sarah's family and friends have been so gracious under the circumstances. I do not believe they would want this to happen. If it was me I would not want this to happen. Stop think and be civil we are all humans and we all are angry at what happened. We do not need more violence. 'I am a woman. I am a police officer. I am very proud of being both. This week has me exhausted. Physically from the job and mentally by all this. 'We are not at fault for what happened because if we knew we would have done what we could to stop it. 'To finalise this rant, to my colleagues: I am proud of you. You were insulted beyond what we are used to. We stand by our uniform, we're proud to carry this warrant card so we can uphold the great office of Constable. Thank you for being there today hope you are all ok.' Advertisement

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds described the scenes in Clapham as 'deeply distressing'.

'I share the anger there is about the policing of this and lessons need to be learned,' he tweeted. 'People should have been able to mark this moment peacefully and safely. This is a national moment for change.

'Women across the country have shared powerful testimonies of unacceptable abuse and the desperate, long overdue, need for change. We need to find a way for people to show solidarity safely, and in a Covid-safe way.

'At the heart of this we should also keep at the forefront of our minds the anguish that Sarah Everard's family must be going through and prioritise finding ways to support them.'

A Reclaim These Streets event was due to be held tonight at the bandstand on Clapham Common, near where Ms Everard went missing, but organisers yesterday failed to secure a High Court ruling that lockdown - which bans gatherings - should not stop their right to protest.

Despite urging people to conduct a vigil at their doorstep with a candle, hundreds of people arrived at Clapham Common this evening and similar gatherings have been held in Bournemouth, Leeds, Cambridge and Bristol.

Following violence at vigils, Reclaim These Streets said it was 'deeply saddened and angered by the scene of police officers physically manhandling women at a vigil against male violence'.

A spokesman added: 'From the start Reclaim These Streets set out to work closely with the Met to ensure this vigil could go ahead safely, so women could stand together peacefully and safely to remember Sarah Everard and all the women lost to male violence.

'The Metropolitan Police failed to work with us despite the High Court ruling yesterday that a vigil could potentially go ahead lawfully. In doing so they created a risky and unsafe situation. It is their responsibility to protect public order, public health and the right to protest - they failed tonight on all accounts.

'All the time they spent fighting us on a legal claim that the Judge agreed should not have been necessary and was caused by the Metropolitan Police's stance, they could've been working with us to ensure the vigil went ahead in a safe way. The Judge was clear and the Metropolitan Police conceded minutes before the hearing, that there was no blanket ban on protest under the current law. They then had an opportunity - and a responsibility to work with us safely and within the law.

'This week of all weeks the police should have understood that women would need a place to mourn, reflect and show solidarity. Now is the time for the police and the Government to recognise that the criminal justice system is failing women. Tonight, it has failed women again, in the most destructive way. We will keep fighting for women's voices to be heard and to matter.'

The Sarah Everard vigil was intended as a peaceful stand against violence... so how did it end in scenes that shocked the country?

By Emine Sinmaz, Jim Norton and Helena Kelly for the Daily Mail

Some were young women all too conscious it could have been them.

Others were mothers fearful for their daughters' safety.

All wanted to pay tribute to 33-year-old Sarah Everard.

But a vigil for the marketing manager at Clapham Common, south London, on Saturday descended into chaos as police officers tried to enforce Covid rules on the public gathering.

Yesterday shocked women of all ages made clear exactly how they felt about the heavy-handed crackdown as a protest at Parliament Square ran late into the evening and flowers continued to pile up in Clapham.

PEACEFUL VIGIL

On Saturday, hundreds of people gathered peacefully on Clapham Common to pay their respects to Miss Everard, who disappeared as she walked home through the area on March 3.

Organisers Reclaim These Streets had cancelled the event after Scotland Yard rejected their proposals for making it Covid secure. But mourners wearing facemasks defied lockdown restrictions and flooded on to the common throughout the day and into the evening.

Some were young women all too conscious it could have been them. Others were mothers fearful for their daughters' safety. All wanted to pay tribute to 33-year-old Sarah Everard

ROYAL SUPPORT

The Duchess of Cambridge was one of the women who paid a private visit to the makeshift shrine.

She was seen pausing in front of floral tributes before laying two bunches of daffodils. An aide said: 'The duchess wanted to pay her respects to Sarah and her family. She remembers what it felt like to walk around London at night before she got married.'

A MINUTE'S SILENCE

As the sun began to set at 6pm, Clapham Common Labour councillor Joanna Reynolds led a minute's silence. She said: 'We need to make sure our streets are safe for our women and our girls.'

The crowd chanted 'sisters united will never be defeated' and 'whose streets? Our streets.' Women, many in tears, flashed the lights on their phones and lit candles as they vowed 'not to be curfewed'.

Campaigners made speeches on the bandstand, with one woman declaring: 'The police have tried to repress us. This is a sickening response when the man who has been charged with Sarah's murder is a Metropolitan Police officer.'

The Duchess of Cambridge (pictured) was one of the women who paid a private visit to the makeshift shrine. She was seen pausing in front of floral tributes before laying two bunches of daffodils

POLICE MOVE IN

As darkness fell minutes later, officers began moving in towards the bandstand to enforce Covid rules banning public gatherings.

One officer could be heard saying: 'Nobody here is socially distanced, we're in the middle of a pandemic. We're asking people to go home.' It led to a chorus of boos from the crowd and to chants of 'where is Sarah?' and 'shame on you'.

Lily, 27, one of the attendees, said: 'It was a nice, calm, peaceful vigil and they weren't allowing people to speak. And it was from that moment things started to turn.'

VIOLENCE AND CHAOS

Campaigners continued making speeches for another five minutes before more police descended on the bandstand. Angry clashes could be heard as about ten officers tried to ask the mourners to go home.

Dramatic images then showed women being arrested 'all at once'. Katie Bowden, 25, who lives in Clapham, said: 'I don't know what happened but suddenly the officers stormed into the bandstand.

'Nothing had changed  there was lots of chanting but it wasn't particularly aggressive. People were very angry and chanting, 'arrest your own'. It was very upsetting. I really didn't think they'd be that heavy-handed.'

THE DAY AFTER

Yesterday hundreds more women descended on Clapham Common.

They condemned the heavy-handed police response to Saturday's vigil. Schoolgirl Charlotte Grace, 16, from Bromley, south-east London, said she felt unsafe and let down by police. She said: 'It's absolutely disgusting what happened on Saturday night. The police should have laid back and let people mourn.'

Marieke van Eijndhoven, 57, who came to pay her respects with her daughter Helen Dunbar, 23, said: 'It's scary thinking that it could happen to anybody. I have two daughters and I worry so much about them but you have to let them live their lives.'

Anna-Marie Panek, 21, who lives in central London, said she feels 'overwhelmed' by Miss Everard's death. 'Every time I open my phone, there are just pictures of Sarah or of women being restrained,' she added. 'I want to believe that this is an isolated incident but I think there is a fear that it could have been any one of us.'

Jessica Gleadhall, 20, from west London, said the police's conduct on Saturday was 'awful'.

She added: 'Whoever instructed them to start pinning women down really hasn't thought it through.

'What were they hoping to achieve? People need to be held accountable for how they handled that situation.' Last night women wept in silence around the floral shrine at the bandstand. Flowers were also tied to lampposts and trees alongside messages on brightly coloured placards.

A minute of silence was held in which the demonstrators lay on the ground. After dusk fell they lit up the night by holding up their illuminated phones, each casting off a small part of the darkness surrounding them

MORE PROTESTS

Meanwhile, hundreds of people gathered outside New Scotland Yard, the Metropolitan Police's central London headquarters, at 4pm yesterday to protest against being 'brutalised' by officers at the vigil. The group chanted: 'Shame on you' while holding banners saying 'Men  your silence is deafening' and 'Cressida you're a woman too' in reference to Met commissioner Cressida Dick.

Among the demonstrators was Mona Cauwels, a 47-year-old mother, who said: 'I'm here today with my 14-year-old daughter to use my right as a citizen to protest. What happened to Sarah could have happened to my daughter and my heart is broken that few people seem to understand this.' Louisa Herring, 24, a student from Brixton, south London, said: 'We are heartbroken. There's so much emphasis on how women should behave and not enough on men.

'Men need to be educated on how things they perceive to be minuscule can make us feel. As our signs say, 'She did everything right' yet why did this happen?' Hundreds of the protesters then marched towards Parliament Square at 5pm holding banners such as 'Believe all women'.

A minute of silence was held in which the demonstrators lay on the ground.

After dusk fell they lit up the night by holding up their illuminated phones, each casting off a small part of the darkness surrounding them.

Additional reporters: Az Munrallee and Kumail Jaffer
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COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa  On May 26, my husband and I were in Norfolk to pick up a dog. We were to meet the seller at the main entrance to Ta-Ha-Zouka Park. We arrived and I did not think we were at the right entrance. I flagged down a young man and he told me where the right entrance was, and 
CNN's on again-on again war (that's not a typo  it never ends) against Fox News is getting hotter, most likely because CNN is once again seriously trailing Fox News in the ratings. Brian Stelter, his network's leading attack dog, was at it again yesterday on his weekly program CNN Reliable (sic) Sources.

The program led with a full-frontal attack on Fox News's most highly rated show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, and its host, veteran reporter, editor, and television talk show host Tucker Carlson. CNN's online transcript of the program offers this headline:

Tucker Carlson of Fox News Has Taken Trump's Place in the Media Ecosystem



Biran Stelter  Mediaite video screen grab (cropped).

Addressing the diminishing viewing audience live from CNN's studios in New York, Stelter opened the show by saying (transcript via CNN):

All right. Are you ready for it? Here is my conclusion: Tucker Carlson is the new Donald Trump. Tucker has taken Trump's place as a right wing leader, as an outraged generator, as a fire starter and it's all happening on Fox just like Trump's campaign did, which means Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch are ultimately responsible. I mean, think about all of the ways these two men are similar. Every day, Carlson is throwing bombs, making online memes, offending millions of people, also delighting millions of other, tapping into white mail (sic) rage and resentment, stoking distrust of big tech and the media, generally coarsening the discourse, never apologizing for anything and setting the GOP's agenda. Sounds like a recently retired president, right? Even before the 2020 election, there was informed speculation about Carlson as a 2024 candidate. Of course, some of Carlson's detractors say he's just a troll. He's just really good at ticking people off. But isn't that what they said about Trump for years? Yes, Tucker is known to critique Trump and the Republican Party from time to time. This time last year, he was at Mar-a-Lago trying to convince Trump to take COVID more seriously. But Tucker tells the same conspiratorial "us versus them" story that Trump told. The same they're out to get you story that Trump told for years. It is the paranoid style in American politics all over again and Tucker soaks up some of the same social media fury that Trump did. He stokes the same debates that Trump did, and it raises the same predicament that Trump raised five or six years ago, whether and how to cover his claims.

You have to hand it to Tucker Carlson. Such an attack provides more proof  as if any is needed  that he is right over the target of the insane left wing's lies and hypocrisy that get more outrageous every day.

Stelter was joined in his attack by S.E. Cupp, a former Republican who migrated to CNN as a "political commentator" after failing stints at Fox News and Glenn Beck's Blaze TV; "Erik Wemple, a long-time Tucker watcher, media critic for 'The Washington Post'; and April Ryan, the White House correspondent and Washington bureau chief for 'The Grio'; and the one and only David Zurawik, the media critic for 'The Baltimore Sun.'"

All four talking heads continued to dump on Carlson and to expand their focus to include Fox News and its corporate leadership. Stelter led the charge:

What Tucker wants is attention. What Rupert Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch want for him is attention. As this headline put it, Tucker is the post Trump MAGA champion, firmly supplanting Sean Hannity at this point as the number one star on Fox News, with ratings far ahead of anyone else on Fox. And, by the way, other shows re-air comments all days long. Fox News is increasingly the Tucker Carlson channel and the Murdochs recently cut a deal to expand his profile on Fox's streaming service, too. It's ultimately all about the Murdochs and what they want. How they're going to keep the profits flowing by giving the viewers more and more radicalized content led by Tucker Carlson.

CNN is rightly worried about headlines like this one on A.J. Katz's article at TVNewser about the cable news ratings from last Monday. Notice: no mention of CNN:

Monday, March 8 Scoreboard: Fox News Begins Week with Total Day, Prime Time Wins Tucker Carlson drew 578,000 adults 25-54 and nearly 3.4 million total viewers, easily No. 1 on cable news. Rachel Maddow [MSNBC] finished No. 2 in total viewers, while Hannity was No. 2 in the demo.

Last Monday was emblematic of a trend that began several weeks ago. After a precipitous ratings slump following the election  which many conservatives, rushing to judgment, attributed to a perception that Fox News had "gone left"  Fox News in recent weeks has recaptured its formidable ratings lead against CNN and MSNBC that it had held for the previous 18 years.

Last week, Rupert Murdoch, Fox News's founder and the executive chairman and co-chairman of the companies that control Fox News, turned 90. In a virtual speech recently while receiving an award from the Australia Day Foundation, Murdoch said:

For those of us in media, there's a real challenge to confront: a wave of censorship that seeks to silence conversation, to stifle debate, to ultimately stop individuals and societies from realizing their potential. This rigidly enforced conformity, aided and abetted by so-called social media, is a straitjacket on sensibility. Too many people have fought too hard in too many places for freedom of speech to be suppressed by this awful woke orthodoxy.

It was CNN, and Stelter's program in particular, that assisted in promoting the effort that has now reached the halls of Congress to censor and de-platform Fox News from the country's cable, satellite, and streaming television providers.

Rather than take up additional space quoting more from CNN Reliable Sources, interested readers can peruse the program's transcript (which it should be noted is inaccurate and missing sections of what was actually said).

In an unexpected twist later in Stelter's program yesterday, the Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple, a CNN contributor, said this (comments transcribed by author from the video at the link):

I would be remiss if I didn't mention CNN's own huge media story here with Chris Cuomo, the anchor at the 9 o'clock hour who covered Andrew Cuomo and had all of these wonderful love-a-thon interviews with him, more than ten of them. And they suspended the conflict of interest rule with Chris Cuomo for those interviews  yet now they've enforced it again now that Andrew Cuomo is in the midst of an historic scandal in the Albany statehouse. So I think that is a major black eye for CNN. [emphasis added.]

Peter Barry Chowka is a veteran journalist who writes about politics, media, popular culture, and health care for American Thinker and other publications. He also appears in the media, including recently as a contributor to OANN, BBC World News, The Glazov Gang, and Fox News. Peter's website is http://peter.media. His YouTube channel is here. For updates on his work, follow Peter on Twitter at @pchowka.
Students of the east London state school where pupils have received more Oxbridge offers than Eton have said they never had 'limits placed on the goals they want to achieve.'

Brampton Manor, an academy in Newham, announced last week that 55 of its pupils had received conditional offers to study at Oxford and Cambridge, while esteemed private school Eton College secured 48.

Brampton pupils Afril Patel, Daniel Harry and Zoe Abereoje all received offers to Cambridge or Oxford, and appeared on Good Morning Britain today where they praised the 'unwavering support' of their school.

Afril, who has received an offer to study engineering at Cambridge, praised the support and resources she has received from the school, as well as the 'work ethic' of her fellow students.

Brampton Manor, an academy in Newham, announced last week that 55 of its pupils had received conditional offers to study at Oxford and Cambridge

Brampton pupils Afril Patel, Daniel Harry and Zoe Abereoje all received offers to Cambridge or Oxford, and appeared on Good Morning Britain today

'I think as soon as we apply to Brampton we're told we don't have limits on the goals that we want to achieve, she said.

'A lot of students, like me, in our cohort wanted to go to schools like Oxford and Cambridge and because of the unwavering support from Brampton, as well as all the resources we are given and the work ethic of the students ourselves, is the reason we have so many offers like we have.'

Zoe will be studying philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford, and while she has no set plans for the future is thrilled to have bagged a place at one of the county's top universities.

'It does feel really good to be able to study there,' she said. 'I'm so excited.'

Brampton Manor set up its sixth form in 2012 in the hope of getting more disadvantaged students into top institutions

Afril, who has received an offer to study engineering at Cambridge, praised the support and resources she and other students have received from the school

Daniel, who will be studying law at Cambridge, said that the group see beating Eton for the most offers is an 'added plus'

'I think it gives me a lot of opportunities, if I have the opportunity to study, but I'm just grateful to have the offer.'

Daniel Harry, who will be studying law at Cambridge, said that the group see beating Eton for the most offers is an 'added plus', but that they're more concerned with increasing 'state school recognition'.

Eton versus Brampton Manor: How a typical day at 42,500-a-year private school that has taught prime ministers and high-flying state school compares SCHOOL ROUTINE Brampton Manor: Pupils are expected to be in the Sixth Form Centre by 8.10am each morning and in form rooms by 8.15am. The first of five hour-long lessons starts at 8.35am, with a short 20-minute break at 10.35am and 40 minutes for lunch. The school day ends at 2.35pm but afterschool clubs run until 5pm. Eton: Awake at 7.30am for breakfast before Chapel. Students then have three classes (known as schools) before break (known as Chambers). They they have two more lessons before lunch at 1.15pm. After this, sport and activities take place. There are two more lessons before 6.15pm, when they have Quiet Hour working in their rooms until dinner at 7.30pm. Students then divide into their houses for evening prayers at 8.20pm before bed each night at 9.30pm. Four lessons also take place on Saturday. LUNCH MENU Brampton: Lamb korma, hunter's chicken and beef burger Eton: Roast Dingley Dell pork, lamb kleftiko and Jamaican jerk chicken SUBJECTS OFFERED Brampton: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, English Literature, Fine Art, French, Geography, German, History, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physical Education, Physics, Politics, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Spanish Eton: English Literature, Mathematics (Single or with Further Mathematics), Biology, Chemistry, Physics , Ancient History, Latin, Greek, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, History (medieval, early modern or modern), History of Art, Geography, Design, Art , Music, Theology, Theatre Studies, Economics, Government and Politics, Music Technology, Computer Science UNIFORM Brampton: Boys must wear a plain, black, formal, business-like suit, with a black belt and Brampton Manor tie. Girls must also wear a suit, the suit skirt must match the jacket and be knee length. Eton: Black tailcoat and waistcoat, false-collar and pinstriped trousers FEES Brampton: Free Eton: 42,500 a year Advertisement

'I guess the most important thing for us is seeing an increase in state school recognition and an increase in people like us getting offers to the very top universities,' Daniel explained.

'So achieving this particular feat is really great, but we don't see it as the main focus.

'It's more about us working hard and ensuring we are told we can achieve our best from the very beginning and ensuring we are given the resources.'

Brampton Manor set up its sixth form in 2012 in the hope of getting more disadvantaged students into top institutions.

Many of its former pupils have been the first in their family to attend university.

The majority are from ethnic minority backgrounds, in receipt of free school meals (FSMs) or will be the first in their family to attend university.

From 2015 to this year, state school intake has gone up from 62.3 per cent to 70 per cent at Cambridge and 55.6 per cent to 68.7 per cent at Oxford.

Announcing the news, Brampton Manor said on Twitter: 'Delighted to announce that a record 55 students have received conditional offers to study at Oxford and Cambridge universities in autumn 2021. Massive congratulations to our highly motivated, ambitious and capable students.

'Despite the Covid pandemic, a record number of students have shown resilience and determination to secure offers from two of the most prestigious universities in the world.'

Many private schools which traditionally sent high proportions of their students to both universities have been feeling the pinch in recent years.

This is due partly to aggressive efforts of Oxbridge to shed their elitist image and dramatically increase diversity.

Eton was forced to defend its performance. In a letter to disappointed parents, the school's deputy head Tom Hawkins wrote: 'Each year we see very strong Etonian applicants disappointed, and unfortunately there have been more boys in this position this year.

'Whilst the admissions process has some way to run, there are strong results at other leading UK universities,' he added in a letter reported by the Telegraph last month.

Meanwhile, Daniel previously told PA: 'In general, it definitely feels great to finally see that state school students are getting the recognition that they really do deserve.

'I guess it's just the fact that talent from underrepresented backgrounds are finally being recognised. It's finally being seen as a good thing for students of all backgrounds to get into the top universities.'

Daniel has not yet been able to visit the prestigious university. He said: 'It feels like a world apart from where I live currently, being an inner-city kind of child, but at the same time it definitely is something that I would like to experience given the academic and cultural history that Cambridge does have.'
The driver and two passengers of the Dodge suffered serious injuries, but emergency crews realized one of the women who had been in the Dodge had also been shot three times in the stomach. It wasnt clear whether she had been shot before or after the collision and authorities would not provide additional information.
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The Governors Official Program is comprised of a wide range of constitutional and legal duties and ceremonial and community engagements. Each year, the Governor hosts thousands of visitors to Government House to take part in investiture and award ceremonies, Open Days, receptions and meetings, and travels widely throughout Queensland to support the activities of Patron groups. View a chronological record of the Governors daily program below.

On Saturday, Castle Motor Lodge, Bowen, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC attended a breakfast in support of local businesses and industries, and the Governor addressed guests.

Following, at Proserpine, His Excellency undertook a walking tour of Main Street, and called on local business owners.

Following, at Whitsunday Regional Council Chambers, Proserpine, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC received a briefing from Whitsunday Regional Council representatives.

In the afternoon, at Whitsunday Regional Council Chambers, Proserpine, His Excellency received a briefing and tour from Disaster Management representatives.

Following, at Whitsunday Regional Council Chambers, Proserpine, His Excellency hosted a reception in support of the Proserpine community, and addressed guests.

Following, His Excellency returned to Government House following official travel to Ayr, Bowen and Proserpine.
pts20210315026 Forschung/Entwicklung, Medizin/Wellness

BESREMi (Ropeginterferon alfa-2b) deemed safe and efficacious by the US FDA

Wien (pts026/15.03.2021/15:15) - The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued a complete response letter for the drug BESREMi with the active pharmaceutical ingredient Ropeginterferonalfa-2b, in which the FDA confirms the efficacy and safety of the drug. This assessment was based on the clinical development program by the European rare disease company AOP Orphan.

On March 12, 2021, according to PharmaEssentia Corp., the FDA in the United States issued a so-called Complete Response Letter in respect to the submission of BESREMi (Ropeginterferonalfa-2b) for the treatment of polycythaemia vera, a rare form of blood cancer. The Complete Response Letter confirms the safety and efficacy of BESREMi in compliance with FDA regulations. The Complete Response Letter comes almost a year after PharmaEssentia's application to the FDA and is based on a clinical study program by AOP Orphan, which started in Europe in 2010. AOP Orphan congratulates PharmaEssentia on achieving this important milestone.

"Today's FDA confirmation of BESREMi's safety and efficacy, based on AOP Orphan's clinical study program and scientific knowledge, attests to the quality of work at our company." says Dr. Rudolf Widmann, Chief Therapeutics Development Officer and Member of the Board of the Vienna-based company AOP Orphan. This is the first of AOP Orphan's ambitious US registration projects. This achievement speaks not only to the scientific expertise and clinical development know-how of AOP Orphan, but also to the efficacy of the product.

Final approval of BESREMi in the US can take place after successful inspection of the manufacturing facilities of PharmaEssentia by the FDA officials. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they were as of yet unable to travel to Taiwan to inspect the manufacturing facilities, a requirement for any new drug approval by the FDA.

Clinical studies conducted by AOP Orphan

Ropeginterferonalfa-2b is a specifically modified pegylated Interferon alpha 2b invented by PharmaEssentia's CEO KC Lin. In 2009, AOP Orphan in-licensed the exclusive rights for the clinical development and commercialization of Ropeginterferon alfa-2b in polycythaemia vera and other myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) for Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and Middle Eastern markets. Ever since, AOP Orphan has continually invested its hematology and drug development know-how along with considerable funds into development of an injection pen for patients' at-home self-administration. Several clinical studies have been conducted by the company leading to a successful marketing authorization of BESREMi for the treatment of polycythaemia vera: in the EU in February 2019, in Switzerland in 2020, and in Israel in 2021.

Besides achieving high rates of complete hematologic responses including freedom of phlebotomy in 8 out of 10 patients, BESREMi offers the possibility of disease modification and eventually operational cure in a subset of patients. This is exemplified by a decrease of mutant JAK2 allele burden (the disease-causing oncogene) from 37.3% at baseline to 7.3% in patients receiving Ropeginterferon alfa-2b, while an increase from 38.1% to 42.6% in the control group receiving hydroxyurea/best available therapy was observed (p<0.0001).

Polycythaemia vera patients in approximately 20 European countries are already being treated with Ropeginterferonalfa-2b. AOP Orphan is continuously working on increasing access to this life-saving drug for many more patients and continues the clinical development of BESREMi.

About BESREMi

BESREMi is a long-acting, mono-pegylated proline interferon (ATC L03AB15). Its unique pharmacokinetic properties offer a new level of tolerability. BESREMi is designed to be conveniently self-administered subcutaneously with a pen once every two weeks, or monthly after stabilization of hematological parameters. This treatment schedule is expected to lead to overall better safety, tolerability and adherence compared to conventional pegylated interferons. Ropeginterferon alfa-2b was discovered by PharmaEssentia, a long-term partner of AOP Orphan. In 2009, AOP Orphan in-licensed the exclusive rights for clinical development and commercialization of Ropeginterferon alfa-2b in PV and other MPNs for European, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and Middle Eastern markets.

For the EMA Summary of Product Characteristics please visit: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/besremi-epar-product-information_en.pdf

AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals AG (AOP Orphan)is an international pharmaceutical company with its headquarters in Vienna and a focus on rare and special diseases. Over the past 25 years, the company has become an established provider of integrated therapy solutions from its headquarters in Vienna. This development has been made possible by a continually high level of investment in research and development on the one hand and a highly consistent and pragmatic orientation towards the needs of all our stakeholders on the other - especially the patients and their families but also the doctors and care professionals treating them. In the third quarter of 2020, AOP Orphan took over Amomed and SciPharm, two European health care companies, thus continuing its consistent path of growth into a pan-European health care group specializing in special diseases with a complex management.

For more information, please contact:

AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals AG

Wilhelminenstrae 91/IIf, 1160 Vienna

Ms. Nina Roth, MAS

T: +43 676 3131509

E: nina.roth@aoporphan.com

Aussender: AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals Aktiengesellschaft Ansprechpartner: AOP Tel.: +43 503 72 44 24 E-Mail: olena.weissenbacher@aoporphan.com Website: www.aoporphan.at

(Ende)
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Whenever March comes, people across Vietnam turn their hearts to Gac Ma Reef of Truong Sa archipelago, a sacred territorial part of the Fatherland,

to pay tribute to officers and soldiers who heroically fought until their last breath for the countrys maritime sovereignty.

Vietnamese naval soldiers in a training session. Generations of soldiers guarding the Truong Sa archipelago have been performing duties around the clock to safeguard the country's maritime sovereignty and territorial integrity (Photo: VNA)

Whenever March comes, people across Vietnam turn their hearts to Gac Ma Reef of Truong Sa archipelago, a sacred territorial part of the Fatherland, to pay tribute to officers and soldiers who heroically fought until their last breath for the countrys maritime sovereignty.



The March 14, 1988 event, which was associated with Gac Ma, Co Lin, and Len Dao reefs, has become immortal in the struggle for independence and freedom of Vietnam.



In the mainland, a memorial site for the Gac Ma officers and soldiers was inaugurated in July 2017 in Cam Hai Dong commune of central Khanh Hoa provinces Cam Lam district. It is dedicated to the 64 naval officers and soldiers of Vietnam who bravely sacrificed their lives at the dawn of March 14, 1988.



Themed Those who falling on the horizon, the sites highlight is the Immortal Circle symbol commemorating the Gac Ma soldiers.



The area is a place for people to not only pay homage to the heroes but also remind and educate younger generations about the heart-rending event in Vietnams history.

On the countrys sovereign waters, Sinh Ton island houses a pagoda with a stele featuring the names of the 64 persons laying down their lives at sea 33 years ago. Since the beginning of March, a large number of officers, soldiers, residents in Truong Sa township, and fishermen working nearby have come to offer incense and pray to the martyrs.



The pagoda holds a requiem for the heroes in front of the stele every March 14. Apart from this date, Sinh Ton islanders also visit the pagoda on the first and 15th days of each lunar month, as well as traditional festivals to commemorate the martyrs and pray for the countrys peace and development.



The commemoration in March is a demonstration of Vietnamese peoples tradition of expressing gratitude to those falling down for the sake of the countrys maritime sovereignty and territorial integrity. It also illustrates the peoples thousands-of-years unanimity and resolve to safeguard the Fatherland.



Nowadays, the officers and soldiers performing duties on the islands, reefs, and platforms on the countrys territorial waters are following former generations example, staying ready to sacrifice their lives to firmly defend the maritime sovereignty and be trustworthy supports for people at sea. VNA
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By Jackie Fortier and Carla Javier

Starting March 15, Californians who are 16-to-64 years old with disabilities and certain high-risk health conditions can sign up for a free COVID-19 vaccine. Also eligible are public transit workers and those living and working in congregate living spaces, including people experiencing homelessness and those in federal immigrant detention centers.

Vaccine eligibility will also continue to be open to people who already qualified, such as health workers, educators, food workers, certain emergency workers, and people over 65.

It's a lot to keep track of, so we're breaking down what we know so far, and how it will work in Los Angeles.

HOW TO CHECK IF YOU QUALIFY

Here in Los Angeles County, the public health department keeps an ongoing list of who is eligible for a vaccine.



WHAT TO BRING TO YOUR VACCINE APPOINTMENT

You need to bring a photo ID (does not have to be government issued), and proof that you live or work in the county where you are getting vaccinated. A library card, utility bill, lease or work document, among others, will all suffice. You also must wear a mask at all vaccine sites. These requirements apply to everyone.

Depending on how you qualify, you may need to bring additional proof of eligibility. Details are below.

IF YOU QUALIFY DUE TO A HEALTH CONDITION

The California Department of Public Health specifies that people with certain health conditions, "deemed to be at the very highest risk for morbidity and mortality from COVID-19," qualify for vaccine priority on March 15.

Those conditions include:

Cancer, current with weakened immune system



Chronic kidney disease, stage 4 or above



Chronic pulmonary disease, oxygen dependent



Down syndrome



Solid organ transplant, leading to a weakened immune system



Pregnancy



Sickle cell disease



Heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies (but not hypertension)



Severe obesity (Body Mass Index  40 kg/m2)



Type 2 diabetes mellitus with hemoglobin A1c level greater than 7.5%





A COVID-19 infection is likely to result in severe life-threatening illness or death; OR



Acquiring COVID-19 will limit the individual's ability to receive ongoing care or services vital to their well-being and survival; OR



Providing adequate and timely COVID care will be particularly challenging as a result of the individual's disability.





CDPH also says you can qualify for a vaccine "as a result of a developmental or other significant, high-risk disability," and if:

No. CDPH says it won't require people to prove their medical eligibility. Instead, California will use the honor system, which is what some other states have done. If these conditions apply to you and you get an appointment, when you arrive at a vaccination site you'll be asked to sign a statement saying you meet the criteria.

"We're encouraging documentation, but we're not requiring documentation," L.A. County Department of Public Health chief science officer Dr. Paul Simon explained Friday. "And for those that are unable to bring documentation, we will accept an attestation."

The county posted a self-attestation form on its website in English and in Spanish. It does not ask you to disclose your specific medical condition, but does ask you to declare that your condition or disability makes you eligible. If you aren't able to print it, the county said it will also accept handwritten versions of the letter.

COVID-19 Vaccination Information for those with high-risk medical conditions or disabilities. Appointments at County-run locations for this group will open up tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/RFMVIZeiTK  LA Public Health (@lapublichealth) March 14, 2021

If you receive services through a regional center -- nonprofits that help people with disabilities -- you should be getting a personalized letter verifying your eligibility. It may be a good idea to bring that letter with you to the vaccine site as a backup.

Regional centers are also being directed to reach out to their clients online, by phone or in person to provide information on how to make an appointment, where to get vaccinated, and to answer any other questions they might have.

The county lists other types of medical documentation you can provide here.

If you are eligible, you can also ask your medical provider if they're offering the shot. Since they already have your medical history you might not need extra qualifying paperwork.

IF YOU'RE ELIGIBLE BECAUSE OF OTHER LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES

CDPH guidance includes people who live or work in "congregate residential settings," where they are at "high risk" of an outbreak, including places such as:

Incarceration or detention facilities

Homeless shelters

Behavioral health facilities

The state guidance also expands eligibility to include all people experiencing homelessness.

"The exact approach is going to be provider specific," said Dr. Mark Ghaly, California Health and Human Services secretary.

"So each facility, whether a detention facility or a jail, I think the specific plans on how individuals in those facilities will be vaccinated are going to be up to the vaccination partners, whether that's the county, a federal partner, a clinical partner, I think each one has a slightly different story," he said.

L.A. County Public Health is also allowing those who live or work in the following facilities to get vaccinated, too:

Domestic violence shelters

Substance use disorder residential facilities

Developmental disability residential facilities

Residents at nursing homes and long-term care facilities, as well as residents who are 65 years old or older, are already eligible.

 Will I have to bring proof to the vaccine site?

You will have to sign a letter declaring that you are experiencing homelessness, are living in a shelter, or may be going to live in a shelter or other congregate living facility, or, that you are currently living in a "high risk congregate setting." In the latter case, you will also be asked to provide the name of the facility and the address, so make sure you have that information with you.

The county has a template in English and in Spanish you can use for your attestation.

If you cannot print the attestation letter, the county says it will also accept a handwritten version.

If you qualify because you are 65 or older, you'll have to bring some way to prove your age.

IF YOU'RE ELIGIBLE BECAUSE OF YOUR OCCUPATION

The state also added people who work in public transit and as ground crew for commercial airlines to the growing list of eligible workers.

"They are at high risk for occupational exposure, and maintaining continuity of transportation operations is critical," the California Department of Public Health wrote.

Healthcare workers, staff at nursing homes and long-term care facilities, education and childcare workers, those who work in food and agriculture, emergency services workers, people who work in janitorial or custodial services, and those who work in the congregate settings described above -- such as incarceration or detention facilities, homeless shelters, and behavioral health facilities -- are also eligible for vaccines based on their occupation.

L.A. Public Health lists the specific eligible jobs within those industries -- and the exceptions to eligibility -- on its website.

 Will I have to prove my occupation at a vaccine site?

The L.A. County Department of Public Health has a checklist where you can confirm the documentation accepted for each group of workers.

For example, if you work onsite in public transportation or as part of the ground crew for commercial airlines, you can bring a work badge that has your photo, your professional license, or a pay stub bearing your name.

In many cases (though -- again -- you should double check for your industry), the county documentation checklist also gives the option for an attestation letter from your employer, union, or yourself.

If you sign your own attestation letter, you will have to provide your job title, and the name of the place and address where you work.

WILL THERE BE ENOUGH VACCINE FOR EVERYONE WHO IS ELIGIBLE?



Not immediately.

To put all of this in context: L.A. County Public Health estimated that, with the expansions in eligibility, more than five million residents and workers are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.

That far outpaces supply. This week, L.A. County expects to get about 260,000 doses, which is about 60,000 fewer vaccines than it received last week.

The county is setting aside doses for certain groups, though. This week, for example, about 13% of doses are intended for people who have a severe health condition or disability that makes them eligible for a vaccine, 12% are for seniors, 11% are for food and agriculture workers, and 12% are for educators.

About 19% of the county's vaccines this week are for anyone who is eligible.

As of March 12, at least 1.8 million residents had received one shot and almost 900,000 had been fully vaccinated, according to L.A. County Public Health.
AIB customers have been warned about the scam

AIB has warned its customers to be alert as fraudsters target the bank with a text message scam.

The criminals are sending text messages from the same number used by the bank to provide customers with a code to verify purchases.

A similar text scam that hit Bank of Ireland customers last year meant customers lost thousands of euro after inadvertently giving banking information to fraudsters.

Bank of Ireland was eventually forced to compensate the customers after months of controversy.

In both the AIB and Bank of Ireland cases the fraudsters are dropping a text into a genuine thread of text messages from the bank.

The fake text sent to AIB customers, replete with grammatical mistakes, says: A payment instruction was made from your account beneficiary Jacky. Not You?

It asks the customer to review the transaction at a website address, which is a copy of AIBs website designed to capture customers bank codes and PIN numbers.

It comes from the same text number as genuine ones from the bank.

A spokesman for the AIB denied its IT systems have been hacked, but it admitted that fraudsters are sending text messages claiming they are coming from it.

The bank could not say how many customers had been duped by the texts and lost money.

Fraudsters are known to bulk buy text messages and send them randomly to mobile phones.

They dont have prior knowledge that the receivers are customers of a particular bank.

However, they rely on the fact that some people may click on a link and then provide their confidential banking details, a banking source said.

A message on the AIB website says: Fraudsters are targeting customers like you by sending text messages claiming to be AIB and/or other legitimate companies.

These messages request customers to click a link to review or block a fraudulent transaction on their account, or claim the customer is locked out of their account.

You may also be asked to input codes from your Card Reader or divulge a One Time Passcode (OTP), AIB said. These text messages are fraudulent.

Four out of five people were targeted by bank fraudsters last year, according to research published by AIB last month.

Fraud losses on credit and debit cards amounted to 22m, according to industry data compiled by the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland.

Four in five people have either received a text, a call or an email that they believed to be fraudulent, according to the AIB research.

Customers who were over the age of 55 were more likely to be targeted, with 85pc saying that they had received a fraudulent communication last year.

Younger customers are also being hit, with 80pc of people aged 18 to 34 saying they had been targeted by fraudsters.

Last August Bank of Ireland agreed to reimburse customers hit by a cyber fraud that dropped fake texts into genuine interactions between the bank and account holders.

One listener told Joe Duffy on RTEs Liveline he lost 10,825 as a result of the scam.

The bank subsequently launched a fraud awareness campaign featuring TV personality Baz Ashmawy.
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Over the past 40 years, South Carolina has spent $40 million to rid the state of invasive aquatic plants, such as hydrilla, covering more than 206,000 acres.

And those are just for foreign plants in the water.

Invasive species  both plant and animal  of all types cover South Carolina soil, forests and waterways. Some of them are fairly new to the Palmetto State. Others have been around for hundreds of years.

They are all potentially problematic to varying degrees. That's because the introduction of invasive species is one of the top reasons native plants and animals become endangered or threatened. These so-called "invasives" often compete with, prey on and displace native species.

Here are some of the state's top concerns.

Wild hogs

Weighing around 200 pounds, wild hogs released by the Spanish in the 1500s have become one of the most intrusive breeds competing for resources in the Palmetto State today.

Charles Ruth, a big game program coordinator for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, said when Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto roamed the Southeast, he brought a few pigs over with him. Some of the hogs escaped and made a home along the lower Savannah River floodplain.

That was nearly 500 years ago.

To this day, wild hogs are competing with native animals such as deer and wild turkeys for food and basic habitat. DNR estimates as many as 140,000 wild hogs roam South Carolina and have been established in every county in the state.

Theyre typically tied to creek areas or particularly these major river floodplain systems that we have, rather than up on high ground, Ruth said.

From a food standpoint, wild hogs like to eat anything they can get in their mouth and swallow. When they root in search of food, it damages the soil, which can lead to erosion and water quality issues.

Hogs pose an issue for agriculture, too. Ruth said the species impact on the timber industry is a good example. After crews cut timber, they go back and plant tiny pine trees in the area. The hogs have been known to eat the newly planted seedlings.

There are methods to control them but there are so many. There is no closed hunting season for the animals in South Carolina, but hunters must have a license. Night hunting is allowed. People can also trap the hogs at any time without a permit or license.

Licensed deer hunters have taken about 30,000 hogs annually in recent years, the DNR said.

The illegal transport of feral hogs has become a problem in rural South Carolina, and a bill in the S.C. Legislature aims to prevent people from doing so.

Asian longhorned beetle

Asian longhorned beetles have been on the radar in South Carolina since June when they were first detected in the Hollywood area of Charleston County.

The bugs are native to China and Korea and are known to travel to new areas through shipping crates, wood-packing materials and firewood. They burrow inside trees. Once they are large enough, the beetles chew a tunnel out. The holes left behind weaken the wood, which can cause the trees to break and fall apart.

Close to 4,000 infested trees have been identified so far in Charleston County. Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture believe the infestation has likely been present in the area for at least seven years.

The USDA and Clemson University are working to control the situation through the removal of trees. Steve Cole, director of regulatory and public service programs at Clemson, said taking down infested trees is the only way to really control the pests.

There have been more than 400 tree removals in Charleston County, including in the Stono Ferry neighborhood and recently the Stono River County Park in Johns Island.

It could take years to fully control the situation.

Chinese tallow tree

Tallow is one of the most aggressive and widespread invasive weeds in the Southeastern United States. It has been reported primarily in 10 states, including along the South Carolina coast and in North Carolina and Georgia.

The USDA describes tallow as a weed with dark green bark and hairless leaves that could grow as a large shrub or a tree reaching up to 60 feet tall.

There are different opinions about how the Chinese tallow tree got to America. Dr. David Coyle, a forest health and invasive species professor at Clemson University, said experts primarily believe the plant was brought over by Benjamin Franklin just before 1800. He wanted to use it to start a candle industry.

You can extract this tallow oil from the seeds and stuff, Coyle said. And his thought was, you know, back in the day when everyone used candles, he would make this candle industry from the Chinese tallow and get wealthy and all that type of thing.

Tallow is one of the few plants in the fall that makes pretty red foliage, Coyle said. Some beekeepers still value the plant because the pollinators like them. But tallow is so aggressive that it can completely take over and turn marsh areas to scrub lands.

Coyle said there is no real value to the plants as they cant be used for lumber or anything like that. But they essentially take over and push out native plants.

The USDA has proposed issuing permits to release Asian beetles (Bikasha collaris) and moths into environments affected by tallow to help control the situation. The USDAs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said other management options like chemicals and physical and mechanical control only provide temporary solutions.

The USDA doesnt expect the suggested insects to have significant environmental impacts.

Callery pear tree

This tree is native to China and produces some of the first white flowers of the year. These aggressive plants include stems and branches with thorns that can reach up to 3 inches long. They can spread by seed or through roots and quickly take over a roadside, old field, pasture or vacant lot, according to Clemson. The ecological implications of the callery pear invasion are still unknown.

Lauren wilt

This fungus is spread by the redbay ambrosia beetle. Coyle said it affects any species in the plant family Lauraceae, which includes bay trees, sassafras and avocado. Infection is generally lethal to the tree. It is estimated that 300 million to 500 million trees have been killed in the Southeast.

Emerald ash borer

The USDA said the emerald ash borer is responsible for the destruction of tens of millions of ash trees in the United States. The small beetle is found in several Upstate counties. It is widely considered the most impactful forest invasive species of this generation, Coyle said.

Cogongrass

Cogongrass is one of the most concerning weeds in the Palmetto State. It is scattered in about a dozen counties in the state but found mostly in the Lowcountry. The S.C. Forestry Commission said the plant is native to Southeast Asia and is particularly a forest pest.

The plant increases fuel loads, so forest fires or prescribed burns in infested stands can get hotter than the trees can take, the commission said. When the trees die, increased light allows the plant to explode and convert a forest to grassland.

Coyle said nothing eats the weed and it is costly to eradicate.

Water hyacinth

Chris Page, the manager of DNR's aquatic nuisance species program, said water hyacinths have been one of the biggest problems in the state lately as far as aquatic invasive species are concerned.

The floating plant grows more in lakes, but they can get into rivers and streams, too.

"It doubles its biomass every two weeks in the summertime, roughly," Page said. "So you can image big masses floating around."

Page said the water hyacinth is a beautiful plant, but it can be very problematic for all sorts of things.

The plant's growth in the state's coastal counties have blocked water access and use in places including the Goose Creek and Black River reservoirs and the Ashepoo, Cooper and Pee Dee rivers.
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Set to launch in late March, the Connecticut Business newsletter is the newest arm of our expanding coverage of local business across the state.

Each Tuesday our experienced local business journalists will provide expert analysis on retail openings, closings and trends, our states cost of living, downtown development and more.
By Estelle Shirbon

LONDON (Reuters) - Grief and rage over the murder of Londoner Sarah Everard should be channelled into efforts to stop men's violence against women, not into political arguments about police tactics at a vigil, one of the women arrested at the event said on Monday.

Everard, 33, was abducted as she walked home in south London on March 3 and a police officer has been charged with her kidnap and murder, provoking a national debate over how British society deals with male violence against women.

But the political focus shifted onto London's Metropolitan Police after officers tried to disperse a vigil for Everard on Saturday, saying it breached COVID-19 lockdown rules. They scuffled with mourners and dragged women away in handcuffs.

Under intense pressure over the ugly scenes, the head of the force, Cressida Dick, rejected calls for her resignation, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he had full confidence in her.

Patsy Stevenson - who was pictured being pinned to the ground, handcuffed and arrested by male officers in dramatic images that became a lightning rod for anger against the police - said on Monday she was dismayed at the turn of events.

"I accidentally went viral. I didn't want this to happen. This happened like a whirlwind," she said on Sky News.

"I've been thrown into the public eye and the only way I can make this not in vain is to not make it political, not against the police. It's just about the safety of women and we need to talk about it," she said.

An estimated 85,000 women are raped and more than 400,000 sexually assaulted in England and Wales each year, with only a tiny fraction of incidents leading to criminal convictions.

The most recent figures showed the conviction rate per rape allegation recorded by the police was 2.6%, a record low.

SAFETY VS FREEDOM?

Since Everard's disappearance, many women have taken to social media to recount their own experiences of harassment and assault on Britain's streets and to demand change.

Story continues

One of the factors that turned the case into a rallying cry was the fact that police advised women near the spot where Everard went missing to stay at home for their own safety. This enraged many women who said the onus should be on men to change their behaviour, not on women to give up their freedoms.

"Too many of us have walked home from school or work alone, only to hear footsteps uncomfortably close behind us," interior minister Priti Patel told parliament. "Too many of us have clutched our keys in our fists in case we needed to defend ourselves, and that is not OK."

In a sign of the strength and breadth of feeling, the government has received 78,000 new responses to its appeal for evidence on violence against women, which was reopened on Friday in light of the reaction to the Everard case.

"That is completely unprecedented and considerably more than the 18,000 responses received over the entire 10-week period when the survey was previously opened," said Patel.

She said the responses would help to shape a new government strategy on tackling violence against women that she would present later this year.

One of Everard's friends, Helena Edwards, said the case had been "hijacked" by people with an agenda.

"Sarah was a victim of one of the most horrific crimes imaginable. She was extremely unlucky - that is all there is to it," Edwards wrote in a blog, adding that if the suspect was found guilty, she would hold him alone responsible.

(Additional reporting by William James and Alistair Smout; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Washington: Following first-ever Quad virtual summit, Indian Ambassador to the United States Taranjit Singh Sandhu emphasised that the relations between New Delhi and Washington is going "much deeper". Justifying his statement the Indian ambassador added, this was very much reflected in the equation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden in the Fridays virtual meet.

The virtual meet attended by members of Quad, a strategic forum comprising India, Japan, Australia and the United States of America, has firmly set a "democratic diamond" around China.

Following the 90-minute long summit, the leaders of the four countries, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, jointly-penned down, strong worded opinion article in The Washington Post.

"There are a lot of challenges right now which are international in nature like-minded countries need to come together to face them and the quad was one such platform," Sandhu said as per ANI reports.

While reflecting on the cooperation and similar vision of the four democracies, Sandhu added, "The United States is bringing in technology. India has a vaccine production capability, and Japan is financing. And of course, Australia is coming in with logistics--there are three clear areas: health care and vaccine production; the second is IT and the third is climate change."

The virtual Quad summit is also marked as US president Joe Biden's first multilateral leaders meeting since taking office.

Political diplomatic experts stated that the United States move to propose a virtual summit be held of the four Quad leaders was clearly prioritised. The proposal itself came after several rounds of meetings at the Foreign Minister level.

The meet was the first face-to-face interaction between PM Modi and Joe Biden. "Prime Minister Modi, it's great to see you," Biden said while greeting the Indian leader as he welcomed him to speak at the summit. India-US relationship is going much deeper, and this was very much reflected in the equation between Prime Minister Modi and President Biden," said Ambassador Sandhu.

The ambassador also recalled the PM Modi's visit to the US in 2014 and 2016 and said, "The equation between Prime Minister Modi and the then Vice President Biden was extremely good, not only at the lunch he (Biden) hosted in 2014, but also in the 2016 joint session of Congress, where, Vice President Biden had presided."

"Coming back to Quad again, you have to just see the public viewing of the first five minutes, and I think you can see the general atmosphere that was very good amongst all the leaders," the envoy added.

The Quad leaders agreed to conduct another meet before the end of the year. Meanwhile, New Delhi is expected to conduct discussions over intended steps to take forward the Quad initiative, with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visiting India.

"This visit is a reflection of the importance which the United States accords to India, and the origins of our bilateral relationship. Defense Secretary Austin is going to be the first senior Cabinet Minister visiting India and India looking forward to this," Ambassador Sandhu concluded.

Additionally, the Quad countries pledged to work with other countries who share the same goals and ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are administered throughout the region till 2022.

"Now, in this new age of interconnection and opportunity throughout the Indo-Pacific, we are again summoned to act together in support of a region in need," the four leaders of Quad wrote for The Washington Post.

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A health worker prepares a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine to be administered in Fiumicino, near Rome's international airport on Feb. 11, 2021. (Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo)

Danish Woman Who Died From Blood Clot After AstraZeneca Shot Had Unusual Symptoms, Agency Says

COPENHAGENA 60-year-old Danish woman who died of a blood clot after receiving AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine had highly unusual symptoms, according to the Danish Medicines Agency.

The woman had a low number of blood platelets and clots in small and large vessels, as well as bleeding, it said.

A few similar cases were found in Norway and in the European Medicines Agencys (EMA) database of drug side effects, the Danish Medicines Agency said.

It was an unusual course of illness around the death that made the Danish Medicines Agency react, it said in a statement late on March 14.

Norway said on Saturday that three people, all under the age of 50, who had received the AstraZeneca vaccine were being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots, and a low count of blood platelets, which were labeled unusual symptoms by health authorities.

Denmark, Norway, and Iceland said last week they would halt the introduction of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

European vaccination programs have been upset in the last two weeks by reports that recipients of the AstraZeneca inoculation have suffered blood clots.

The EMA has said theres no indication that the events were caused by the vaccination, a view that was echoed by the World Health Organization on Friday.

AstraZeneca Plc said on Sunday a review of safety data of people vaccinated with its COVID-19 vaccine has shown no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.

By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen
Businesses that were ordered to shut down or limit capacity because of the pandemic could receive financial relief under two bills in the state Legislature that would address pending litigation but have riled up county leaders who could be forced to pay out millions.

Both bills provide businesses the chance to apply for property tax reimbursements, although the details vary.

Eric Stafford, a lobbyist for the influential Kansas Chamber of Commerce, said during a hearing Thursday in the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee that the states emergency management law allows people to pursue claims for compensation in court if their property is commandeered or otherwise used by state or local officials. A lawsuit is pending.

The state could be on the hook for a significant amount of money if something isnt resolved, he said. I think these is where these two bills come into play to start the discussion of figuring out what that path forward is not only to help the businesses that were suffering economic impact during the pandemic but also limiting the states liability in a manner that helps control what the costs will be.

Scott Schneider, a lobbyist for restaurant owners, said restaurants have suffered tremendously during the pandemic, with monthly losses at the beginning of the pandemic in the hundreds of millions. He said many restaurants were forced to shut their doors.

I think that the litigants took a step back asking the Legislature to find a solution and if the Legislature doesnt find a solution, then the state and the local governments are fully on notice that the next year that plaintiffs could seek redress through the courts, he said.

Sedgwick County officials, though, are raising alarms about the legislation, The Wichita Eagle reported.

One of the bills would create a certificate of government use for businesses that had to follow public health orders designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Those certificates would entitle the businesses to cash payments and/or tax breaks from state or local government if their business was restricted in any manner.

The bill would also pressure counties and cities to drop mask mandates at the end of April, or face having to pay businesses compensation as long as the requirements stay in effect.

Sedgwick County officials say the bill aims to gut the countys authority to deal with health crises and is designed to punish local governments for acting after the Republican-dominated Legislature stripped Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly of emergency powers and punted public health decisions to the county level.

Its clear from this legislation that theyre blaming the entire pandemic and its effects on businesses on county shutdowns or government shutdowns or state shutdowns, and I just think its unfair, County Counselor Mike Pepoon told county commissioners.

The other bill also would provide aid to businesses that were subjected to public health orders designed to stem the spread of the outbreak. But lobbyists expressed concerns that it targets property owners, and many restaurants lease their space.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics COVID-19 Kansas
First things first, the Leroy of Leroys is William Brownes beloved family Boxador (a cross between a boxer and a Labrador), who died a few months ago.

According to William, Leroy was a king amongst dogs (Leroy  le roi) and quite the gourmand. (Lab and retriever owners will know only too well their propensity to steal food. In my own kitchen, it can sometimes feel as if there is an opportunistic shark circling the table, and we still talk about the time Marley swiped a 30 piece of Crozier Blue off the table from under the nose of a guest who was not paying attention).

Until recently, William worked as the restaurant manager in The Ivy, but he was also a graduate of the 12-week certificate course at Ballymaloe with a hankering to start a food business of his own. With restaurants closed, his plans have accelerated, and rather than the cafe he had been aiming towards, hes started on a modest scale with a dinner kit. He offers this each Friday and Saturday night, for collection from Merrion Cricket Club in Dublin 4, where he has a kitchen. The kits have been up and running since January, with just 30 available each week. They sell out quickly and William has now drafted in another chef so he can increase capacity.
[March 15, 2021] Piedmont Natural Gas seeks to help North Carolina customers offset their carbon footprint through new green energy program

CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- North Carolina residential and small business customers of Piedmont Natural Gas may soon have the opportunity to participate in a new carbon footprint-reducing, green energy program to offset their personal natural gas usage. Piedmont announced today it has filed with the North Carolina Utilities Commission a request to implement this green program. Under the program, Piedmont customers will have the option to purchase "green" blocks for just $3 each per month, which will be added to their monthly bill. These blocks are comprised of the favorable environmental qualities of renewable natural gas (RNG) and carbon offsets. There will be no limit to the number of blocks that can be purchased, although four blocks, for a total of $12, should offset the average household's carbon footprint. RNG is methane that has been captured from the breakdown of organic waste and processed to remove contaminants and meet natural gas pipeline quality standards. Carbon offsets include forestry, land conservation or other nature-based offsets that are beneficial to the environment. "Our residential customers have voiced an interest in ways to manage their carbon footprint," said Sasha Weintraub, senior vice president, natural gas business, at Piedmont Natural Gas. "Our larger customers have more tools to meet many of their sustainability goals, and we would like to offer our residential and small business customers the same opportunity." The green program was designed from specific customer feedback to provide that choice. Weintraub added, "This flexible, affordable option puts our customers in control of reducing their personal natural gas footprint. It also allows them to participate in our own carbon-reduction cmmitment as our business moves toward net-zero methane emissions from our natural gas delivery system by 2030."



In addition to its 2030 net-zero methane reduction target, the company has invested in SustainRNG, a developer of renewable natural gas projects in the agriculture sector. Piedmont is sourcing renewable natural gas for its compressed natural gas stations, with a pilot project already underway in Tennessee. The company also joined ONE Future, a nationwide coalition of natural gas companies working to voluntarily reduce methane emissions in the entire natural gas supply chain. "Offering customers the ability to participate in the green program enables them to partner with us in moving toward an even cleaner energy future," Weintraub said.

If approved by the NCUC, blocks would be available for customers to purchase through the green program no later than the first quarter of 2022. Piedmont Natural Gas

Piedmont Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, is an energy services company whose principal business is the distribution of natural gas to more than 1 million residential, commercial and industrial customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The company also supplies natural gas to power plants. Piedmont is routinely recognized by J.D. Power for excellent customer satisfaction, and has been named by Cogent Reports as one of the most trusted utility brands in the U.S. Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 30,000 people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts through its regulated utilities, and 3,000 megawatts through its nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit. Duke Energy is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves. Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2020 "World's Most Admired Companies" list, and Forbes' 2019 "America's Best Employers" list. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. Media contact: Jason Wheatley

Phone: 877.348.3612

Email: jason.wheatley@duke-energy.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/piedmont-natural-gas-seeks-to-help-north-carolina-customers-offset-their-carbon-footprint-through-new-green-energy-program-301247493.html SOURCE Piedmont Natural Gas

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It feels good to help someone get their life back  better than any thrill Jen Clements can get from playing games on her phone.

She has found COVID-19 vaccine appointments for 233 people as of late last week. Most are very old and lacking online skills. Some face additional barriers such as a lack of transportation, hearing impairment or inability to speak English. Many are essentially strangers to Clements, 46, who is a professor of social work at Shippensburg University.
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Elon Musk told his followers on Friday that there is "some controversy" over whether the second coronavirus vaccination is more dangerous than the first jab. Doctors have unanimously stated that vaccines are healthy and that side effects fade within days.

Musk's tweet came after The Washington Post confirmed that more than 400 of Tesla's employees tested positive for COVID-19, indicating a significantly larger epidemic than previously believed. Despite local authority orders, Musk decided to reopen the factory at the time.

The Tesla CEO has downplayed the threat of the pandemic several times. Musk tweeted that "coronavirus panic is dumb" and estimated that the US would have registered "close to zero new cases by the end of April." Musk has advocated for a strategy that would allow for widespread contamination before vaccines are developed.

Tesla Employees Got COVID-19: What Happened Last Year?

Tesla's Fremont, California plant saw 450 cases of COVID-19 from May to December 2020, after it reopened defying health department orders, new data from legal website PlainSite says.

As coronavirus infections spiked around the region in March, public health authorities in Alameda County, where the Fremont plant is located, prohibited all but "key" businesses from staying open.

Musk, an outspoken opponent of the coronavirus shelter-in-place orders sent last year, threatened to relocate the Fremont factory out of California. The Verge said Tesla filed a lawsuit against Alameda County over the shutdown order on May 9 of last year. But it was dismissed less than two weeks later.

According to the Washington Post, records obtained by PlainSite indicate that Tesla had about a dozen COVID-19 cases in May 2020. The numbers continued to grow through December, with 125 new cases of the virus reported at the factory. Tesla's Fremont plant hires almost 10,000 employees.

Tesla resisted the lockdown decision. But they finally shut the plant down on March 23rd. Tesla, however, restarted production at the Fremont plant a few days later, ignoring the fact that it was in breach of the public health order.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, announced on Twitter that he intended to be on the factory floor with Fremont employees, taunting local authorities to arrest him.

Tesla's proposal to reopen was later accepted, even though it had already been open in violation of the March orders.

ALSO READ: [CORONAVIRUS] Tesla Employees Expose Social Distancing Not Practiced at All As Some Tested Positive Shorty After Plant Reopened





Tesla Employees Got COVID-19: What Did Elon Musk Say?

Despite medical professionals' confirmation that coronavirus vaccinations are safe and guidance to the general population to get all doses of those that need it, Elon Musk sent a tweet casting doubt on facets of them.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk replied to a tweet from a certain Ashlee Vance, who reported that his elderly parents were refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine due to the things they see on Facebook.

For sure wise for elderly or immunocompromised to take the vaccine. Some debate about the second jab though. Quite a few negative reactions to that.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 12, 2021

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said allergic reactions to Pfizer's and Moderna's first and second shots are exceedingly rare in the United States, with only 4.5 reactions per million doses - or 0.00045 percent - occurring.

There were no significant safety issues in studies of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine.

The FDA said most Pfizer vaccines' stronger side effects - such as headache, fever, and nausea - emerged after the second dose.

However, the figures remain low. FDA said 31 percent of people aged 18 to 55 who received the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine had a fever. During the second dose of the Moderna vaccine, 17 percent of those in the same age group experienced a fever.

The vaccine's side effects were expected, and they usually only lasted a day or two. Younger subjects are most likely to experience side effects.

RELATED ARTICLE: Volunteer for Pfizer's Experimental COVID-19 Vaccine Shares Side Effects from Trial





Check out more news and information on COVID-19 on Science Times.
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

A shower or two possible this morning with partly cloudy skies for the afternoon. High 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 47F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
A teacher at Phil Campbell High School is facing charges of having sexual relations with one of his students.

Jerry Jordan Benford, 28, was arrested Sunday and charged with school Employee having sexual contact with student under the age of 19, the Franklin County Sheriffs Office reports.

The sheriffs office said deputies were contacted Sunday about Benford and a 17-year-old student.

Mr Benford was placed on leave by the Franklin County Board of Education during a special called board meeting (Monday) morning," said Franklin Co Schools Superintendente Greg Hamilton. "I cannot comment on personnel issues beyond that."
The possible rehabilitation of a troubled Galveston HUD-subsidized complex is still in doubt after two separate Texas housing agencies met.

Sandpiper Cove, a 192-unit apartment complex, is currently owned by The Millennia Companies, a corporation out of Cleveland, Ohio that owns and/or manages more than 250 properties across 26 states. The ongoing Living Hell investigation by the Houston Chronicle has shown how some Millennia properties, including Sandpiper Cove, have been plagued by problems that tenants have complained about for years.

After Sandpiper Cove failed inspections, HUD forced Millennia to find a new managing company. Millennia is in the process of selling the property to a Texas company called ITEX Group, which hopes to finance a rehabilitation with tax credits and bonds.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Living Hell: As HUD pays private company millions, tenants say complaints of mold, pests go ignored

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs met Wednesday; the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation met Thursday. (Yes, the names are painfully similar. No, its not just you.) Heres what happened and whats coming next.

Wait a minute. What are these tax credits?

A huge problem in the affordable housing world is that many of the properties were built decades ago and need a serious overhaul. (Sandpiper Cove was built in 1969.) The rehabs are complicated and costly, so both states and the federal government offer tax incentives for developers to take on and complete these projects.

What happened at each meeting?

Texas Department of Housing and Community Development approved the motion for tax credits. The Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation has called a special meeting to be held sometime later in March to revisit the issue.

How do the tenants feel?

Depends on the tenant. One group of tenants, represented by public interest firm Lone Star Legal Aid and private firm Daniel & Beshara, P.C., is suing HUD and asking for vouchers to leave the complex. Other tenants spoke at each meeting in favor of the rehabilitation and signed a letter in support.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Mold, sewage and fire hazards: How all levels of government fail public housing in Texas and the US

What were the arguments for rehabilitating the property with tax breaks?

HUD sent a letter to both the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation and the Texas Department of Housing and Community Development in support of issuing rehabilitation bonds. HUD pointed out that although theres litigation, the agency has never lost a similar case. The letter argued that keeping affordable housing supply in Galvestonwhere the already-scant affordable portfolio was severely diminished by Hurricane Ikeis important. The City of Galveston also sent a letter supporting the tax credit application.

Mayes Middleton, the areas state representative, sent a letter in support, as did the president of the Galveston Independent School District, Moody Methodist Church, and the Galveston Economic Development Partnership.

On HoustonChronicle.com: 'We live in hell:' Galveston tenants say they're sick from mold in HUD-funded apartments

What were the arguments against rehabilitating the property with tax breaks?

A group of 10 tenants at Sandpiper Cove wrote a letter to the Texas Department of Housing and Community Development in opposition to tax credits. They argued that tenants had seen multiple companies come in and promise changes and leave with nothing done, and that the building was so damaged it was beyond repair.

Some of us have been here for 10 years, they wrote. Some of us for 40. And, during this time, new owners, new developers and new managers have come and gone, and the conditions have continuously grown worse.

Lone Star Legal Aid, the public interest law firm representing a group of tenants in their suit against HUD, also wrote a letter opposing the tax credits. Lone Star argued that the property is located in a high-poverty, high crime area.

Despite shocking conditions on the property, the application does not even mention the existence of mold, its effects on residents health or these other dangers to human life and health, Lone Star wrote.

What specific plans does ITEX Group have for Sandpiper?

Because a major concern for Sandpiper Cove is flooding, ITEX proposes providing flood insurance for the buildings themselves and the residents property and build a flood wall around the property. In a presentation to tenants, ITEX Group said it would pave sidewalks, update appliances and fix the sewers, among other upgrades.
Of these 16% have no intention of returning. 34.9% want to leave the city for political and social reasons; 38.1% are ready to return if the protection of personal freedoms improves. The security law torpedoes favourable business conditions. Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand are favourite destinations.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - A quarter of graduates under 35 are planning to move abroad for work, with 16% intending to never return to the city; 12.6% are ready to return, but only if they first obtain another nationality.

The data was contained in a survey published yesterday by Youth Ideas, a research centre linked to the main youth organizations of the former British colony. The research was carried out on a sample of 1,135 under 35s: two thirds with an income of 20 thousand Hong Kong dollars and about 15% with a monthly earning of 40 thousand HK dollars.

34.9% of those interviewed said they wanted to leave the city for political and social reasons; 38.1% are willing to return if better protection of personal freedoms is guaranteed. Since mid-2019, when massive democracy demonstrations erupted, city and central authorities have stepped up the crackdown on dissent.

According to research conducted in 2019 by the City Employment Office, by 2027 the city will have a labour deficit of 169,700 units. Other estimates speak of a shortage of 34,600 graduates.

The study's data disprove the statement by Carrie Lams executive that the approval of the draconian security law wanted by Beijing has improved business conditions in the city.

The favourite destinations for those who want to leave the city are Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the Americas. Following the launch of the measure in June, several countries, especially Great Britain and Canada, have taken measures to facilitate the entry of Hong Kong citizens who intend to leave the city.

Since January London has allowed holders of a British foreign national passport to apply to live and work in Great Britain. About 2.9 million Hong Kong residents can benefit, plus 2.3 million dependents. From July to January, 7,000 residents fled the city to move to the United Kingdom. British authorities expect to receive 154,000 applications this year; 322 thousand in the next five years. Beijing and the local executive have called the Johnson administration's move a serious "interference" in the country's internal affairs.
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Despite the World Health Organization (WHO) and European regulators reassuring it is safe and expressing confidence in it, many more countries are suspending the use of Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine adding to a growing concern about the vaccine Nigeria recently received almost four million doses of.

Germany, France and Italy on Monday joined a growing list of countries to temporarily suspend the administration of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines over reports of blood-clotting.

The decision by Germany, the largest country to halt the rollout, followed the detection of seven cases of blood clots in the brain, out of 1.6 million people who have received the vaccine in the country, Health Minister Jens Spahn said in a news conference, according to Washington Post.

On Sunday, the Netherlands joined Ireland in suspending use of the vaccine following further reports of blood clots in people who have received it in Norway and Denmark.

The Dutch health ministry Sunday evening said the move was precautionary as there was no proof yet of a direct link between the vaccine and reports of possible side-effects from Norway and Denmark.

While no cases of side effects were recorded in The Netherlands, the government said it would now wait for an investigation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

We cant allow any doubts about the vaccine, Dutch health minister Hugo de Jonge said, according to a report in the UK Guardian. We have to make sure everything is right, so it is wise to pause for now.

Last Thursday, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Bulgaria suspended the use of the vaccines as a precaution amid reports of blood clotting in some people who have received it, including one death.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how authorities in Austria last Tuesday halted vaccination with a certain batch of AstraZeneca as a precaution while investigating the death of one person and the illness of another after taking the jabs.

Thailand and the Democratic Republic of Congo became the first countries outside of Europe to delay the use of the vaccine over similar concerns.

A pulmonary embolism is an acute lung disease caused by a dislodged blood clot. Currently, there is no evidence of a causal relationship with the vaccination, according to EU regulators but the growing concerns are making more countries to slowdown the rollout of the vaccines.

Nigerias health authorities last Thursday through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) moved quickly to douse growing anxiety around the suspension of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.

While we await the outcome of the investigations, it is important to clearly state that Nigeria did not receive any doses from the batch of vaccines which is at issue, a statement signed by Mohammed Ohitoto, the head of its public relations unit of the NPHCDA said, implying that the vaccines are in batches.

While the agency stated the batch in question as ABV5300, it, however, did not state that of Nigeria.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Overseas voting registration for the May 2022 Philippine national elections is continuing at the Philippine Embassy located in Mahooz. All qualified Filipino citizens residing and working abroad  better known as the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs)  who have not yet registered should visit the embassy as personal appearance is required.

In October last year, the embassy resumed the activity following a five-month suspension due to the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Overseas registration started in December 2019 and will run until September 30, 2021.

The next Philippine general elections  set to take place on May 9, 2022  will select the successor of current President Rodrigo Duterte.

According to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Manila, overseas voters may cast their votes in Philippine embassies, consulates, and other posts for one month, from April 10 to May 9 next year.

Qualified Filipino voters residing and working abroad will choose the next president, vice-president, 12 senators and a party-list representative.

Details or biometrics will be captured and those who want to register must bring along a photocopy of a valid passport. For seafarers, a seamans book is required aside from a copy of the Philippine passport.

Today, there are an estimated 60,000 Filipinos living and working in Bahrain, and they include professional, skilled and semiskilled workers as well as household service workers.

Many of them bring their families here.

The registration is part of the embassys efforts to gradually shift back to normal consular operations while strictly following the required safety precautions and protocols within its premises.

Filipinos in the Kingdom have expressed their gratefulness to the embassy for the resumption of the registration, in which they have the chance to exercise their right and duty to choose the next leaders of the country, particularly the president.

To encourage Filipinos to register, the embassy is utilising its social media accounts by posting infomercials and posters to increase awareness in Bahrain.

Those interested in overseas voting registration should contact the embassy for details on how to proceed. More details can also be found on the embassys official website: https:// manamape.dfa.gov.ph/
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AKRON, Ohio  The Ohio Supreme Court will consider whether Summit County Republican Party Chair Bryan Williams will regain his seat on the Summit County Board of Elections after his reappointment was rejected by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose.

The court announced Monday it will expedite the suit filed Friday by the Summit County Republican Partys Executive Committee, requiring the state to submit its response within five days. The party is asking the court to order that Williams serve a four-year term at the election board through Feb. 28, 2025.

LaRose rejected Williams reappointment and sanctioned the elections board earlier this month in part for the poor handling of the November presidential election and how the board maintained its voter rolls. The problems at the board, LaRose contends, likely led to the disenfranchisement of qualified voters  namely, people convicted of a felony but not incarcerated and eligible to vote  and at least one instance of voter fraud through a dead persons active registration.

Ohio law allows the secretary of state to accept or reject party recommendations for board appointments based on whether the secretary believes that person would be a competent member of that board. If the secretary of state rejects a recommendation, the partys executive committee can apply for a court action to compel the appointment of the recommended person.

The Summit GOPs lawsuit claims that LaRoses decision was an abuse of discretion, since Williams has years of experiencing working for the board and none of the issues raised were directly about him.

Williams is chair of the Summit County Republican Party and vice chair of the Ohio Republican Party State Central Committee. From 2004 to 2010, he was director or deputy director of the Summit County Board of Elections and has been a member of the board since March 2014.

The seven reasons listed in LaRoses March 3 rejection letter to Williams are the same as those listed on the letter to the Summit County Board of Elections about why the board was being placed on administrative oversight by the state. Those reasons include the board not adequately preparing for the Nov. 3, 2020 election, complaints of workplace hostility and a politically charged environment, errors in processing death reports, improperly canceling voter registrations of people convicted of felonies but not incarcerated, failing to ensure bipartisan control of election administration, failing to cross-train employees on election tasks and not training staff on its anti-discrimination or anti-harassment policy.

While the March 3 letter lists seven reasons why LaRose refused to accept the Executive Committees recommendation, none of the reasons relate to any improper conduct by Williams personally during his tenure of the Director and Deputy Director of the Board of Elections or his two term on the board, the lawsuit states.

The party claims that LaRoses motivations were based on improper, political reasons that are unrelated to whether Williams has the qualifications to serve.

In his affidavit, Williams claims that LaRose  a Summit County native  developed a political hostility toward him after he sponsored a fundraiser for a potential Republican opponent in the 2018 primary for secretary of state, and after Williams supported the removal of Matt Borges as chair of the Ohio Republican Party in 2017.

As a long-time resident of Summit County, LaRose became particularly angry with me over the past few years because he has perceived that I have not provided the kind of political support for him that he believes should be provided by the Chair of the Republican Party of his home county, Williams said. It is my opinion, therefore, that LaRoses decision is motivated by a desire to exact political retribution against me for a perceived lack of political support for him in my capacity as Chair of the Summit County Republican Party.

A spokeswoman for LaRose declined to comment on the pending litigation to cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.

This isnt the first time a secretary of state has booted a GOP chair from the Summit County Board of Elections. In 2008, then-Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat, rejected the reappointment of longtime Summit GOP Chairman Alex Arshinkoff to the election board, citing political conflicts and threats to workers.

After Brunners decision, the county party offered up Arshinkoff ally Brian Daley, but Brunner rejected Daley as well. She instead appointed Donald Varian, a Republican suggested to Brunner by a Democratic elections board member.

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled 4-3 in June 2008 that Brunner replace Varian with Daley, as requested in a lawsuit brought by the Summit County Republican Executive Committee.
The Investigation Agency (NIA) Monday arrested three persons as it conducted simultaneous searches at 11 locations in Kerala, Karnataka and Delhi in connection with terror activities of a group propagating the violent ideology of the ISIS terror group, an official said.

An NIA spokesperson said the searches were carried out by the premier anti-terror probe agency with local police units at 11 locations -- eight in Kerala's Kannur, Mallapuram, Kollam and Kasargod districts, two in Bengaluru and one in Delhi.

The case pertains to the terrorist activities of a group led by one Mohammed Ameen of Kerala, the official said.

Three people -- Ameen and his associated Mushab Anuvar and Dr Rahees Rashid -- were arrested after preliminary examination, the NIA official said.

The group has been running various ISIS propaganda channels on different social media platforms such as Telegram, Hoop and Instagram for propagating the violent Jihadi ideology of ISIS, and radicalising and recruiting new members to the module, the NIA official said.

The NIA had registered a case against seven known and other unnamed persons under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the UA (P) Act on March 5, 2021.

The NIA official said the group of radicalised individuals, under the leadership of Ameen and having allegiance to the proscribed terrorist organisation ISIS, had identified certain people in and Karnataka for targeted killing.

(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.)
(@FahadShabbir)

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Mar, 2021 ) :President Dr Arif Alvi and First Lady Samina Alvi Monday got their anti-COVID vaccine here with the former urging the nation to take precautions to make the country sail through third wave of the pandemic.

The president and the first lady arrived the vaccination center at Tarlai after he received the intimation from 1166 registration service where he had registered themselves on February 15, this year.

Talking to media, the president said the elites across the world had been breaking the queue to get vaccinated but in Pakistan, the government had put in place an efficient mechanism for vaccination of the people on their turn.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan also accompanied the president and the first lady.

"I think the vaccine gives further protection but we will have to take precautions of wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing unless the world fully overcomes the pandemic. Allah knows till how long we will have to do this," he said.

Calling the COVID-19 a deadly disease, the president said it affected the elderly more than others and it could only be tackled through precautions.

The president said he found the system very easy and viewed that the mechanism of calling the people proactively had also avoided crowd at the centers, though the government had sufficient stock of the medicine available.

He said the vaccination was never meant to do away with the precautionary measures rather it was just meant to give further protection.

The president recalled that Imran Khan was the only leader who had resisted the call of blanket lockdown by all including experts,but he went for smart lockdown just to avert the hunger-related deaths. The idea was later endorsed globally by many others, he added.

He said the country kept the mosques opened and also observed Eid festivals with precautions, and recognized the sacrifices by the doctors.

"Pakistan's success is that... we fought the first wave, the second one and it is essential to fight the third wave too. The precaution is direly needed. Keep wearing mask. Pakistan will bring it under control," he hoped.
Xinhua Photo

China is eyeing a progressive, flexible and differentiated path to raising the retirement age, a senior expert from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) has revealed. Demographers believe that raising the retirement age is partly intended to deal with China's aging problem - but more importantly, it's a rational and timely decision considering the country's changing demographic structure.

Jin Weigang, president of the Chinese Academy of Labor and Social Security Sciences of the MOHRSS, told the Xinhua News Agency on Saturday that progressive means that implementation will be delayed for several months every year or one month every few months at first. The retirement age won't be raised all at once, according to Jin.

People nearing retirement age will only have to delay retirement for several months, Jin said. He added that young people may have to work a few years longer but will have a long adaptation and transition period.

The most important feature of the reform is allowing people to choose when to retire according to their circumstances and conditions, said Jin. This showcases the flexibility and inclusiveness of the reform.

Song Jian from the Center for Population and Development Studies of Renmin University of China told the Global Times that the plan to raise the retirement age is partly meant to cope with China's aging problem, but more importantly, it is in line with the country's shifting demographic structure.

China's birth and death rates have been falling for many years, so the policy will come in handy and may even bring China another demographic dividend. The retirement age has remained unchanged at 60 for men and 55 for women civil servants and white-collar workers for more than four decades, according to Song.

But she pointed out that implementation of the new policy should be flexible and give individuals enough space to choose, as different groups tend to have different tendencies.

According to Jin, raising the retirement age requires many supporting measures. Song pointed out that pensions are among the concerns.

"As our gray population is growing, it is inevitable that pensions will be inadequate, although delaying the retirement age can ease the gap," according to Song, who suggested that China should introduce more incentives to save for retirement.

Meanwhile, the reform also faces challenges such as promoting employment and entrepreneurship of elder workers through more targeted means, and offering more social security subsidies to those who have difficulty in finding jobs orgetting reemployed, said Jin.
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A century ago, a group of women came together with a very modern idea: Create a club just for women and give them a place to call their own.

It would be called the Woman's Club and they would meet at the Woman's Clubhouse  a building purchased, owned and operated completely by the club.

These were women who were coming into their own. They had fought for and earned the right to vote, and they had created clubs to tackle everything from charitable work to those focused on intellectual enrichment. They also, on occasion, showed their muscle. The Housewives League had successfully led a drive to require bakeries to individually wrap loaves of bread.

The clubhouse would also serve as the gathering spot for a diverse group of other clubs, from the Housewives League to the Music Club of Baton Rouge.

Later this year, the Woman's Club will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a tea for its members and members of the two affiliate clubs, the Music Club and the Downtown Kiwanis Club, which holds weekly meetings in the clubhouse.

It all started on a January day in 1921 when members of 15 local clubs assembled in a meeting called by Virginia Wilkinson Tucker, head of the Housewives League. The Music Club is the last of the original 15 founding clubs that's still a member.

Tucker became the Woman's Club first president and led a committee that settled on buying the old Christian Church building on East Boulevard, now T.J. Jemison Boulevard.

+7 They call it a petit chateau, so this Baton Rouge couple decorated it with a French Noel theme In a normal year, Lance and Margo Bouanchaud Hayes, known for their floral designs and catering, would be at their busiest during the holiday season.

To raise the down payment for the church building, the Housewives League held a consignment sale of $30,000 in World War I surplus material with a club commission of 10%. Operating from a tent on the side yard of City Hall, the women sold the entire lot of merchandise in two weeks, allowing Tucker to brag that "we sold 500 army blankets one afternoon when the temperature was 96 degrees."

On June 11, 1921, the club purchased the building for $9,500 with a $3,500 down payment and a note of $2,000 for each of the next three years.

To pay off the note, the Woman's Club sold memberships, called shares of stock, for $10. It also held fundraisers, including vaudeville shows, children's plays, lunches for service clubs, rummage sales and a Saturday morning story hour.

When the final note was paid, Tucker held a dinner party, where she presented the canceled mortgage and a resolution that read, "I shall never again beg, plead or cajole money from anyone for the mortgage debt of the Clubhouse."

The clubhouse became a hub of social activity with daily meetings of member clubs as well as teas, wedding receptions, sorority parties, coffees and lots of dances.

By the 1930s, the affiliate clubs had outgrown the old church, which was deteriorating. Plans were drawn for a new building and fundraising again began.

The old church was torn down and in its place a new Woman's Clubhouse was constructed. It opened on Aug. 5, 1941, and is still in regular use today.

In a tradition started in 1946 and still ongoing, the Woman's Club met once a month with a guest coffee followed by a program. For many years, the late Helen Barnes chaired the coffee committee because she could do refreshments for less than $15.

+9 Once vacant 94-year-old Spanish-style stucco home in Baton Rouge gets a new life with restoration When Reydaleo "Reyd" Dellafiora bought his Steele Place home four years ago, he thought he was facing a big, big restoration project.

At one point, members of the Woman's Club numbered more than 400. In 1960, some 234 club activities and 112 social gatherings were held at the clubhouse.

In recent years, membership has been dwindling and now stands at about 120.

With the coming of larger hotels and restaurants and the expansion of other private clubs, fewer and fewer organizations used the old downtown facility, which began to experience major problems.

The building needed work, and, over the years, friends of the organization always stepped in to provide help. Attorney and longtime board member Frances Landry and her husband, Jules, often covered major expenses and donated brass chandeliers for the main parlor. Gertrude Wilbert and the Landrys gave the money for three stained-glass windows designed by local artist Adalie Brent for the front of the clubhouse.

The late C.B. "Doc" and Irene Pennington helped pay for new central air conditioning, and the family's foundation, the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation, came to the rescue with a $50,000 donation. The money, matched with major donations from Annie W. Bowman, Susan H. Dawson and the Landrys, paid for a complete renovation of the kitchen and dressing room, new paint on the interior and the addition of handicapped access.

In 2000, the structure was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The turn of the new century brought other changes, too.

The club, organized in the segregated South, began inviting Black woman as members and encouraging Black clubs, churches and families to use to clubhouse.

"Those churches are now some of our biggest clientele," said past club President Alice Pledge Nelson. "Their members love to use the clubhouse for wedding receptions and other social events."
The Joint Forces had to fire back.

The Command of Ukraine's Armed Forces has reported one wounded in action (WIA) amid 13 violations of the latest ceasefire agreement committed by Russia-controlled armed groups in the Donbas warzone on Sunday, March 14.

"In the past day, March 14, thirteen ceasefire violations were recorded in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) zone," the press center of the Ukrainian JFO Command said in a Facebook update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on March 15, 2021.

In particular, the enemy fired proscribed 82mm mortars, heavy machine guns, hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers, and automatic rifles near the village of Pivdenne.

"A member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine received a gunshot wound amid enemy shelling. The defender was promptly provided with first aid and rushed to the hospital," it said.

His condition is satisfactory.

Read alsoLaunching full-out war on Ukraine would be "tragic mistake for Russia"  KravchukAlso, the Russian occupation troops used an anti-tank missile system, grenade launchers of various systems, and rifles near the village of Katerynivka.

Moreover, the enemy fired heavy machine guns toward Ukrainian positions near the village of Luhanske, while automatic and anti-tank grenade launchers were used near the village of Troyitske.

What is more, the Russian Federation's armed formations fired heavy machine guns and rifles near the village of Lebedynske, under-barrel grenade launchers near the town of Avdiyivka and the village of Opytne, hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers and rifles near the village of Pisky, as well as automatic grenade launchers near the village of Hnutove.

The Joint Forces had to fire back, the report 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 Ukrainian military say the situation is under their full control.

Donbas ceasefire: Background

Participants in the Trilateral Contact Group (Ukraine, Russia, and the OSCE) on the peace settlement in Donbas on July 22 agreed on a full and comprehensive ceasefire along the contact line from 00:01 on Monday, July 27, 2020.

On the very first day of the newly-agreed truce, Russia's hybrid military forces mounted three attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. Ukraine has reported more such violations over the latest period.

Reporting by Kanaryan Lyudmila
Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money.

Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
The Hayastan All Armenian Fund is currently undergoing an international audit and it is not over yet. The information that the international audit did not confirm that the fund's report and $8 million were cashed and misappropriated by the authorities is nonsense. Ashot Barseghyan, the public relations manager of the Hayastan All Armenian Fund, told Armenian News-NEWS.am about this.

International Studies specialist Andranik Hovhannisyan had written in his Telegram channel that the aforesaid international audit did not confirm the report of the Armenian government on the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, and which questions the future of this fund. According to him, about $8 million transferred to the fund by the Armenian community of the US were cashed and misappropriated by the representatives of the current regime in Armenia.

During the difficult days of the recent Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war, most of the funds raised by the Hayastan All Armenian FundAMD 52,703,113,395were donated to a separate government treasury account at the request of the government of Armenia and by the decision of the Board of Trustees of the fund, and in order to fun infrastructure, social and healthcare expenditures.

But taking into account the growing public interest in this issue, Armenias President, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Hayastan All Armenian Fund Armen Sarkissian had addressed a letter to the executive director of the fund, Haykak Arshamyan, on November 26, 2020, with a proposal to provide clarifications.

Also, the President had demanded that the Armenian government submit a report on its expenditures made from the amount it was transferred by the Hayastan All Armenian Fund.
Washington, March 15 : Doctors play a very key role in vaccine adoption during a pandemic as a new study has found that people who talk with their physicians are more likely to get the jab.

The findings published in the journal Health Communication are based on evidence collected during the "swine flu," which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in 2009.

Researchers from Washington State University and University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US surveyed patients about the vaccine for the H1N1 virus, also known as the swine flu.

They found that doctor-patient communication helped build trust in physicians, which led to more positive attitudes toward the H1N1 vaccine -- and it was more than just talk; it correlated to people actually getting vaccinated.

The study builds on previous research showing doctors can curb negative attitudes toward vaccinations in general, but this study specifically focuses on that role during a pandemic.

"A vaccine during a pandemic is definitely different from others, like the flu vaccine, which people already know about," said Porismita Borah, Associate Professor in WSU's Murrow College of Communication and lead author on the study.

"During a pandemic, it is a new vaccine for everybody. People may have more hesitancy and may be more worried about side effects. The doctor's office is one of the best sources of information for patients who have questions." The researchers analysed survey responses from more than 19,000 people nationwide on their attitudes toward doctors and their willingness to discuss vaccines with their physician as well as their willingness to get vaccinations - and ultimately whether or not they got the H1N1 vaccine.

They found that the willingness to talk to doctors about the issue correlated with increased trust and receiving the vaccination.

The authors noted that doctors often feel that they cannot ethically tell patients to take a certain vaccine.

Instead they recommend physicians simply act as a resource, helping answer questions so patients can make better informed decisions.

They do not, however, need to wait until patients come to them.

"Doctors could voluntarily reach out to patients, even by email, to let them know what the Covid-19 vaccine means," said Borah.

"They can answer questions like how was the vaccine made? What should patients expect? Why are there two doses? I think there might be many questions people have which can be easily answered by primary care physicians who are usually well trusted by the general public."
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An 11-year-old boy was arrested for firing a gun at officers last week, according to the Houston Police Department.

Officers responded to reports of shots fired around 1 a.m. Friday in the 4300 block of Aledo Street near Bellfort Avenue in south Houston. They saw a shot come from an upstairs window of a home on the block and miss one of the officers, according to police.
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 33 Colleges In Mississippi for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 55 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment.

The 2021 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system which includes student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third party evaluations. Intelligent.com analyzed 55 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 33 making it to the final list. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each school.

To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-colleges-in-mississippi/

2021 Colleges In Mississippi featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

Alcorn State University

Belhaven University

Blue Cliff College

Blue Mountain College

Coahoma Community College

Copiah-Lincoln Community College

Delta State University

East Central Community College

East Mississippi Community College

Hinds Community College

Holmes Community College

Itawamba Community College

Jackson State University

Jones County Junior College

Meridian Community College

Millsaps College

Mississippi College

Mississippi Delta Community College

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

Mississippi State University

Mississippi University for Women

Mississippi Valley State University

Northeast Mississippi Community College

Northwest Mississippi Community College

Pearl River Community College

Rust College

Southeastern Baptist College

Southwest Mississippi Community College

Tougaloo College

University of Mississippi Medical Center

University of Mississippi

University of Southern Mississippi

William Carey University

About Intelligent.com

Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides which include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/.
As lockdown restrictions rule out a traditional St Patricks Day celebration for the second year in a row, communities across Northern Ireland are still finding ways to mark the holiday at home.

One of the many events will be taking place on the slopes of Slemish Mountain in Co Antrim, where legend has it that a young St Patrick once tended to sheep, with a series of specially commissioned performances to be broadcast online.

Normally one of the years best attended events, the alternative arrangements still promise a feast of music, dancing and history from the comfort of your own home.

The festivities can be viewed on Mid and East Antrim Borough Councils website and on their social channels.

The Rector of St Patricks Church in Broughshane will also give a short talk on St Patricks link to the village while Broughshane Community Association will present a video guide to the local attractions to be enjoyed once lockdown ends.

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Peter Johnston, said: While we are unable to host our usual annual St Patricks Day at Slemish and Broughshane, I am delighted to see the exciting online programme of history and culture that has been put together for people to enjoy from home.

In Downpatrick, a new show celebrating Irelands patron saint will debut at the Saint Patricks Centre.

Commissioned to mark the 20th anniversary of the visitor attraction, it will feature Grian Chatten, the Grammy-nominated frontman of Fontaines DC.

I am absolutely delighted to have been asked to read the The Lake Isle of Innisfree by Yeats for The Saint Patrick Show, he said.

St Patricks Island in Skerries  where Im from  and Downpatrick will be finally connected.

Dr Tim Campbell, director of the Saint Patricks Centre said he was delighted with the new show.

This show was put together in lockdown in a Covid-secure environment and we look forward to audiences seeing it here in Downpatrick as part of a Dinner Show for tourists when the restrictions are lifted.

The 35 minute show will also feature two Downpatrick artists, Matthew Campbell of the Shamrock Tensors and soprano Mary McCabe who has just been announced as winner of the New York International Opera competition.

Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern also welcomed that the show was taking place at the Downpatrick venue, one of the cross-community projects resulting from the Good Friday Agreement.

I know there is enormous talent and so much vibrancy put into this show. I hope it is a real success, he said.

Directed by Belinda Murphy of Riverdance, the show will be viewable on St Patricks Day on the centre website and on Facebook.

Although pubs remain closed across the island of Ireland, a virtual Irish pub night organised by Tourism Ireland is to be broadcast around the world.

Its hoped the 90 minute broadcast will bring a taste of Ireland into the homes of people around the world.

The evening will open at Johnnie Foxs pub in the Dublin Mountains, the highest pub in Ireland, with a performance by a drumming ensemble before moving over to the Duke of York pub in Belfast.

Here the Shamrock Tenors, a new Northern-Ireland based five-piece harmony and multi-instrumental group, will combine their traditional Celtic melodies and modern day vocals.

In the Cathedral city of Armagh, a packed six-day schedule of celebrations has been announced.

Beginning on Friday, March 12, the At Home with St Patrick Festival will treat viewers to a thrilling online showcase packed with snakes, shamrocks, history and culture, traditional music and dance.

From the iconic Navan Fort  one of Irelands most iconic archaeological sites  to Armaghs famous orchards, cathedrals, theatres and libraries, the organisers promise few will be untouched by the spirit of a city that St Patrick made his home.

A total of 19 free to events are on offer, including an Irish dance masterclass from Riverdances Jason ONeill, and an exciting dramatisation at Navan Fort of St Patricks early life.
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ATLANTA, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc. (NYSE: IVR) (the "Company") today announced it will hold its 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Due to the public health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to support the health and well-being of the Company's stockholders, employees, and community, the Annual Meeting will be held over the Internet in a virtual meeting format only, with no in-person access.

Stockholders of record of the Company as of the close of business on March 4, 2021 are invited to attend the virtual Annual Meeting, ask questions and vote. The meeting will be hosted at www.meetingcenter.io/292373556. The meeting will begin promptly at 2:00 p.m. ET. The login password is IVR2021. Stockholders will also need a voter control number, which, for a registered stockholder (i.e. shares held through the Company's transfer agent, Computershare), may be found on the proxy card or Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials received from Computershare.

If a stockholder holds shares in "street name" or through an intermediary other than Computershare, such as a bank or broker, he or she must register in advance with Computershare to attend the Annual Meeting. Please refer to the Company's proxy statement, which is expected to be available on March 18, 2021, for instructions and deadlines regarding registration.

About Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc.

Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc. is a real estate investment trust that focuses on financing and managing residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities and mortgage loans. Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc. is externally managed and advised by Invesco Advisers, Inc., a subsidiary of Invesco Ltd., a leading independent global investment management firm. Additional information is available at www.invescomortgagecapital.com.

Investor Relations Contact: Jack Bateman, 404-439-3323

SOURCE Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc.

Related Links

https://www.invescomortgagecapital.com


President Donald Trump speaks about White House press secretary Sarah Sanders during an event on second chance hiring in the East Room of the White House in Washington on June 13, 2019. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

Trump Makes Surprise Appearance at Sanders Campaign Event

Former President Donald Trump made a surprise appearance at an event organized by the campaign of Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the former White House press secretary.

Sanders is running for governor in Arkansas. She was the first candidate to be endorsed by Trump after he departed the White House on Jan. 20.

Great weekend on the campaign trail featuring a surprise appearance at one of my events by President Trump! Sanders wrote on Twitter alongside a photo of herself with Trump.

A Trump adviser told The Epoch Times that the campaign event took place at Trumps exclusive Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on March 12.

Earlier on Sunday, Former Georgia State Rep. Vernon Jones posted a photo of himself with Sanders at a campaign stop, but it is unclear if the event is the same as the one Trump attended.

Trump formally endorsed Sanders on Jan. 25.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is a warrior who will always fight for the people of Arkansas and do what is right, not what is politically correct. Sarah is strong on Borders, tough on Crime, and fully supports the Second Amendment and our great law enforcement officers, the president said in a statement. She loves our Military and Veteransand her home state of Arkansas. Sarah will be a GREAT Governor, and she has my Complete and Total Endorsement!

Sanders served as the White House press secretary from July 2017 to July 2019. Her tenure was marked by a series of viral exchanges with members of the establishment media, boosting her profile among Trump followers.

Sanders has promised that if elected she would work to lower the state income tax, reduce the cost and size of government, and create more good jobs.

I love my state and care about our people. I will champion good schools and good teachers, but also offer more choices to parents of kids in failing schools, Sanders wrote on Twitter on Jan. 29. Every child must have the opportunity of a quality educationand no child should ever be trapped in a life of poverty and despair.

Our goal shouldnt be to take assistance away from the working poor, but to offer the right education and job training opportunities to incentivize work and unleash hope for a better future.

Sanders, 38, the daughter of former Gov. Mike Huckabee, announced her 2022 bid for Arkansas governor on Jan. 25. She raised $1 million in the first four days of her candidacy, including donations from all 75 counties in Arkansas, according to her campaign.
City Editor

Tom Roeder is the Gazette's City Editor. In Colorado Springs since 2003, Tom has covered the military at home and overseas and has cover statehouses in Denver and Olympia, Wash. His main job, though, is being dad to two great kids.
Interview Myanmar Regime Murdering the Hopeful Future of the Country in the Streets: Ex-US Ambassador

Derek Mitchell in 2011 / The Irrawaddy

The Irrawaddy spoke to Derek Mitchell, the US ambassador to Myanmar from 2012-16, on the unfolding crisis in the country. Mitchell also served as the US State Departments first Special Representative and Policy Coordinator for Myanmar, with the rank of ambassador. During his tenure, which coincided with the opening up of the country under military-installed President U Thein Sein, Mitchell became one of the best-known and most popular Western ambassadors to serve in Myanmar. He is now president of the National Democratic Institute.

The Irrawaddy: Did the news of the military coup surprise you? The coup took place almost 10 years after acclaimed reforms in the country. The West and US engaged and lifted sanctions on Myanmar, and there was endless good news in the country. What are your thoughts now?

Derek Mitchell: I dont think anyone who knows Myanmar can ever be completely surprised that the military could do something like this. I was following events leading up to Jan. 31 and was aware of the rumors that the military was frustrated, mobilizing, and might take action. But I will admit I was still stunned when I got word. The pretext was so flimsy for something so profound.

My feelings are overwhelmingly ones of deep sadness and anger over the damage this coup will inflict on Myanmar and its people, and has already inflicted. It is an entirely destructive act. It pulls the country backward to a dark time, and continues wasting its vast talent and potentialfor essentially no reason that can be credibly asserted as in the national interest. Its incredibly tragic.

The Irrawaddy: The military came up with voter fraud allegations against the elected party and government. But now they have bogus charges against the elected government leaders. They have detained many government leaders including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint. And now we witness the crackdown, unlawful arrests and detention of NLD leaders nationwide. There have been protests and a civil disobedience movement (CDM) across the country in spite of the crackdown, raids, arrests and detentions. Diplomats abroad joined the CDM. The regime has no legitimacy. We have seen horrifying footage, live streaming of abuses committed by military.

It seems the level of hatred and anger directed toward the military is extremely high. The military is at war with the people. We saw your tweet last week: The Myanmar military represent brutality, corruption, failure and stupidity in every regard. Their time destroying the country must end. Quite powerful and emotional indeed.

Derek Mitchell: Yeah, I woke up to stories overnight [in the US] of violence against peaceful protesters and got rather emotional. I wrote the tweet in the vague hope that it might be seen by some in the military and wake them up to how what they are doing is being viewed around the world.

The military has been at war with their own people, as you say. They like to say their goal is national unity. Well, they have achieved that: the people are united in opposition to them and this coupfrom every corner, every sector, every part of the country. The military should take heed.

As far as the tweet is concerned, the brutality of the military is indisputable. By corruption I meant not just in the narrow financial sense but in broad terms of corrupting the entire economy, society, politics, and overall dignity of the Myanmar people. They operate outside the law, which corrupts, and I would say impedes, the health and well-being of the entire country.

Failure just honestly describes the legacy of military rule. If the military steps out of its bubble, how can anyone there consider their legacy a success since they have failed at everything they claim to want for Myanmar. They ran a promising country into the ground over five decades of rule, failed to garner support of the people in elections, and have failed over decades to find a way to bring lasting peace. The country has failed to realize its vast potential and be respected around the world.

I suppose the military can try to claim they have successfully held the country together physically. But many other countries have done that without resorting to a continual level of indiscriminate brutality against their own people. The militarys actions have led to greater and greater alienation, mistrust, insecurity, division and pain among Myanmars diverse population, making peace and reconciliation less not more likely over the decades.

And their approach has allowed large neighbors to prey on those divisions for their own benefit, affecting the nations sovereignty, resources and natural environment.

The only thing they have done successfully as far as I can tell is enrich themselvesor at least their leadershipand make Myanmar synonymous with a failed state in the eyes of the world. The Thein Sein governments commitment to democratic reform was one of the few success stories the world had seen from the military, and now that appears to be undermined by the coup.

I will admit I have had moments of regret over using the term stupidity. It is not exactly a diplomatic thing to say! But again what I meant to convey was how pointless and counterproductive the coup was. If the Tatmadaw [Myanmars military] expected they could just turn back the clock without negative consequences for the country, that the Myanmar people would accept quietly subversion of their democratic rights and imprisonment of their leaders after getting a taste of freedom over the past decade, that was a profoundly foolish assumption. If the military expected the international community to accept the coup and accommodate a new status quo quietly, that too was foolish.

They are literally murdering the hopeful future of the country in the streets, those who hold the promise of a truly better Myanmar. Shooting them in the head in cold blood. That is not only indefensible but fundamentally dishonorable, even cowardly. It should be a source of enduring shame. The world is watching, and repulsed. The long-term damage to the country will be profound.

I suspect many within the Tatmadaw, including at senior levels, recognize all this. The question is whether anyone will have the courage to speak up and induce a strategic recalculation towards compromise soon to save the countrys future.

The Irrawaddy: The US has imposed targeted sanctions. People inside the country wanted some form of intervention. Many have said that sanctions wont work. The US also has limited leverage. ASEAN members such as Singapore and Indonesia publicly said that they do not recognize the regime. What is the best way to pressure the regime leaders to return the power to the people? What can the international community, UN and West do to prevent further bloodshed and reverse course?

Derek Mitchell: The international community has limited leverage to induce change, but we can do our part. Countries should not recognize the military-organized national administrationwhat they call the SAC [State Administrative Council]. The coup should not be legitimized. Ideally, countries with a common interest to return the country to democracy should coordinate efforts over a sustained period to impose real costs on the military and their interests. The military cares about their money, families, reputation, weapons and national sovereignty. Ideally, the United Nations can impose an arms embargo, although practically China and Russia will block that. Individual nations with whom the military has done business of course can simply choose to impose an embargo on their own. Targeted sanctions on military personnel, their families and their companies, rooting out overseas military accounts, and embargoes on products of military-run industries can help shut down their money supply. The United States can and should continue to lead coordinated international pressure along these lines.

Ultimately, as much as such pressure may be appropriate, it is unlikely to be sufficient to prevent further bloodshed and reverse course if the military feels it has to resort to its usual brutality in order to win. The key is somehow to change their calculation of what constitutes success, or at least induce an internal conversation on a face-saving course correction. Quiet engagement by someone on the outside trusted by the military could theoretically help. But the military will have to be convinced its current course will not serve its long-term interests. As yet, we dont see any evidence of that.

In the end, Im afraid the military will do what it wants. And even if it decides eventually to return power to the people, it may come in a form that does not constitute true democracy. I wish I could be more optimistic.

The Irrawaddy: Japan is also actively involved in helping to mediate. Many said that Japan as the largest aid donor and one of the key investors in strategic projects in Myanmar has leverage. Do you think the US and its strategic partners in Asia can work to pressure the coup makers?

Derek Mitchell: I do. The United States does not have enough leverage on its own, and shouldnt be the only country to impose a cost on those who executed the coup. Japan has longstanding and deep economic, political and people-to-people ties to Myanmar, and has had a trusted relationship with the military, including the CINC [commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing] personally. I hope the Japanese government will recognize the potential damage to its image in the country, and to its interests broadly, should the coup proceed without Tokyo taking tangible steps to demonstrate its solidarity with the Myanmar peoples wishes for punishment of the military for the coup. Even as it engages, Japanese interlocutors must be prepared to back it up with muscleimplicit or explicit sanctions of some kind. India and Singaporeand ASEANcould do likewise, although all are clearly not eager to do so. The hope is should the US and Japan come to an understanding on a joint approach, that could serve as the foundation for joint coordinated action elsewhere, including through the Quad [US, Japan, Australia, India].

The Irrawaddy: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said all parties in Myanmar should keep calm and exercise restraint, address their differences through dialogue and consultation within the constitutional and legal frameworks, and continue to advance the democratic transition. In the ongoing geopolitical contest between the US and China, the crisis in Myanmar challenges the two countries. In spite of differences, the US and China want to see stability in Myanmar. Is there common ground that would allow both countries to see eye-to-eye and work together on the Myanmar issue? Or is that just wishful thinking?

Derek Mitchell: Theoretically theres potential for cooperation between the United States and China over Myanmar. They should have a common interest that Myanmar be peaceful, developed, and not a source of regional instability. Practically, however, the Chinese see Myanmar as part of their sphere of influence. They seek a privileged position where their interests are considered first and protected above all others. As a result, they view the United States there in zero-sum terms: any advance in US-Myanmar relations they consider as coming at their expense. I witnessed this first-hand as ambassador. It would also be difficult to imagine what common vision the two countries would have to help the Myanmar people resolve the situation even if the will were there. In my experience China has never worked in cooperation with any other nation to assist Myanmar, but sees the country purely as a function of its own narrow self-interest and well-being.

The Irrawaddy: When you were in Myanmar you worked with the government, opposition and also engaged the military leaders including Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, who leads the coup. What was your impression when you encountered those leaders, particularly the commander-in-chief?

Derek Mitchell: When I was there, one major goal was just to get the Commander-in-Chief and Aung San Suu Kyi to meet and build a relationship of trust to enable a healthy and stable democratic transition. That finally happened after the 2015 elections, but unfortunately those meetings didnt go very well. One reason, I think, is that both are very proud, stubborn, strong-willed people who represent proud, stubborn and strong-willed constituencies.

The [commander-in-chief] and I had many extended conversations on various topics related to democracy and military reform. He appeared to listen, but of course rarely gave any hint of flexibility. The atmosphere was different from the more open and reform-oriented conversations I would have with many ministers in Thein Seins government, who were also mostly former senior generals. I never became convinced the commander-in-chief was a reform-minded person, or firmly committed to democracy, at least as normally defined. Its not that he was hostile to democracy necessarily, just had minimal interest in democratic reform or considered it essential to the countrys future or the militarys interests.

To the contrary, he clearly believed strongly in the notion of discipline-flourishing democracy in which democracy was a governance test for the civilians to prove themselves worthy of, not for the military to conform, accommodate or contribute to. He seemed to be a standard product of the military systemconservative, wedded to tradition, resistant to too much change, respectful of chains of commandincluding presidential authoritybut firm in asserting traditional military prerogatives when it came to the peace process and internal security. He was also inflexible in his commitment to the 2008 Constitution as written, and resisted all entreaties, including mine, to consider amendments to further advance reform in the country.

Ultimately, he showed no interest or vision about what democratic reform meant from the militarys perspective except in how it might help protect and professionalize the militarydefined apparently as gaining access to advanced education, training and weapons. Nor did he show any urgency to extract the military from politics, at least on his watch.

The Irrawaddy: You left Myanmar in 2016 in the midst of a transition of power to the elected National League for Democracy government. You were then talking about building trust and common vision and told us to stop focusing on bad scenarios. What is your scenario now? A failed state or the repeat of a military-installed government coming back to power and ruling the nation for decades? Or a peoples victory?

Derek Mitchell: Well, I didnt say people should ignore that bad things might happen, only that they should not focus primarily on how things can go wrong but more on how to make things go right during a critical moment of opportunity in the country.

I hesitate to make any predictions about the future now. As noted, the militarys action has set the country back severely. To govern effectively one must have legitimacy. The military has none in the eyes of Myanmars people. That will hamstring the countrys internal stability and development. Unless the military changes course and reconciles with the people, they threaten to create conditions where high-quality investors will think twice before entering the country, and the best and brightest young people may feel they must go elsewhere to fulfill their potential. The country may not descend into failed state status necessarily, but its a possibility. Either way, the damage to the country will be severe.

The military has shown no indication to date that it worries about any of this, though, so its likely they will try to wait out the civil disobedience movement and street demonstrationsI pray with minimal violenceand then take their time to hold new elections that will leave nothing to chance and further entrench military interests and personnel into the system over the long run. If you have a surplus of guns, money and a willingness to be brutal without care about its effect on the country, it goes without saying you have an enormous advantage to get your way.

That said, Myanmars people are strong, creative and resilientthey have righteousness, justice, numbers and much of the world on their sideso I would never count them out. My biggest hope is that they remain united, that they use this awful moment as a foundation for long-term solidarity and national reconciliation over time. If this moment proves anything, it proves Martin Luther Kings maxim that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. What happens to innocent Kachin, Karen, Rakhine or Rohingya anywhere should matter equally to any Burman or other Myanmar who cares about their own security and well-being. Ultimately, how ethnic nationalities, including ethnic armed groups, respond to this moment will go a long way, I think, to determining the success of the coup.

I do worry about the ability of the civil disobedience movement to transition over time, and keep the people united. I am concerned, for instance, about reports of intimidation of people who may desperately need access to their jobs or cash, and cannot get itthrough the banking system or otherwise. I hope those influential in the movement continue to update their strategy over time to ensure the foundations of the country are safeguarded even as they seek to continue the momentum, integrity and spirit of the movement.

But one thing I have no doubt about is that the people of Myanmar will continue to resist being subjugated. In the end, I hope beyond hope they prevail for the good of the countrys future.

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File photo shows Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaking during the public health debate centred around the CCP virus outbreak, at the House of Commons in London on Nov. 4, 2020. (UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via Reuters)

MPs Cite Serious Concerns Over England Lockdown Exit Clarity

The UK government needs to provide transparent criteria for lifting lockdowns, says a report by a committee of MPs that cites serious concerns about lack of clarity.

For the Government to build public confidence, it is absolutely vital that it is open on how it reaches its decisions and the data underpinning them, MP William Wragg, chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC), said in a statement.

In their report published on Monday, the committee called on the government to learn from past failures in data handling.

The framework for lockdown and tiering decisions has changed repeatedly throughout the pandemic, reads the committee statement.

While the Committee does not object to the inclusion of new factors in decision making, changes in the framework so far have not appeared to reflect new information. This has amounted to a moving of the goalposts, created uncertainty, and must stop.

Last autumn, the government came under fire over one particular chart that was used to justify further lockdownspredicting 4,000 deaths a daydespite drawing on already out-of-date modelling.

Some MPs accused ministers and scientific advisers of trying to frighten the country into lockdown.

In total, 53 Conservative MPs defied the party whips and refused to endorse the lockdown plans with many citing concerns over the presentation of the statistics.

In their report on Monday, MPs said that the Ministerial Code needed bolstering to made it clear that ministers must follow the UK statistics code when presenting data.

They also said that the governments scientific advisers should follow a standard of conduct similar to that required by civil servants.

When SAGE advisers speak publicly about the advice they have given to Government it has the potential to create confusion and undermine trust, the report states. SAGE is made transparent through the official records of discussions and advice published, and it is important that this is not framed or politicised by individual advisers.

The report described Cabinet Minister Michael Goves refusal to testify before the committee for the report as contemptuous of Parliament.

A government spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email, As this report makes clear, the Government has overseen a remarkable effort pulling together data on Covid 19 and made much of this data and analysis available to the public.

The spokesperson said that the government had provided direct public scrutiny via 77 sets of SAGE papers and provided transparent data at over 125 ministerial press conferences alongside scientific experts.

The government also rejects the characterisation of Gove as being contemptuous of Parliament.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has appeared before PACAC three times during the pandemic, and has offered to appear again after recess, the government spokesperson said. Cabinet Office ministers and officials have contributed to nine evidence sessions with the committee in 2020/2021, totalling over 14.5 hours of scrutiny.

We look forward to engaging with the committees recommendations, and will respond fully in due course.
Medcare Women & Children Hospital, a part of the Aster DM Healthcare Group, has signed an agreement with the world-renowned Sheba Medical Centre in Tel Aviv, Israel, which was recently ranked by Newsweek magazines prestigious list of Top Ten Hospitals in the World.

This partnership will facilitate knowledge exchange between both institutions across various specialities, collaboration among doctors to bring the best to UAE and further enhance the quality of care for patients, encourage advanced medical training, upscaling of skills and capabilities at the hospital.

Once the Abraham Accord was signed and ties between UAE and Israel Agreement were established, we started to explore opportunities for association with healthcare providers in Israel. We zeroed in on Sheba, which has been recognised as one the top 10 best hospitals in the world by Newsweek magazine, says Dr Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare. We are excited as this partnership will help to serve as a collaboration model between the two institutions in clinical services and lead to an increase in innovation and research initiatives.

This new collaboration between Medcare Women & Childrens Hospital and Sheba Medical Centre, represents yet another giant step forward in building bridges between our two nations and offering hope without boundaries to anyone who seeks medical care, reveals Prof Yitshak Kreiss, Director General of Sheba Medical Centre.

This ground-breaking partnership will see an exchange of knowledge between Medcare Women & Children Hospital and Sheba Medical Centre that will focus on specialised care for womens health, in the areas of Endometriosis, Minimal Invasive Surgery, Reproductive Endocrinology and Fetal Medicine. This will expose Medcares medical practitioners to cutting-edge research programmes, training and innovative treatments which in turn, will help to advance the clinical care that is offered to patients across these specialties.

Sheba is world renowned for their quality healthcare delivery across the hospitals 159 medical departments with its 2000 bed capacity and 75 laboratories. Its highly qualified doctors have been known to introduce many innovative treatments and cutting-edge research, which has set benchmarks in the medical field. With specialised women and childrens health centres the organisation has been known to find favourable solutions for some of the most complex cases. For example, its Neonatology department has been consistently recognised as the best in the country. Its world-renowned Gynaecologic Oncology Department offers a variety of treatments for gynaecologic cancers and is engaged in research of new cancer treatments. Furthermore, the Reproductive Endocrinology and Fertility Unit provides fertility-sparing procedures and fertility treatments, such as cryopreservation of oocytes and microsurgical tube reconstruction.

Sheba is proud to offer our best doctors in the womens health arena, where we are integrating some of the most advanced technological treatments in the world to Medcares patients. Through this collaboration, we know that we will be able to maintain Medcares dedication to superior healthcare for the people in the UAE region, adds, Yoel Har-Even, Director of Sheba International.

Dr Shamsa Abdullah bin Hammad, Chief Operating Officer of Medcare Women & Children Hospital comments: Dubai has a vision to further develop its healthcare facilities in the city and this partnership between Medcare Women & Children Hospital and Sheba will support this growth and ensure that our patients are continuing to receive superior, world-class treatments. This collaboration will help to increase our doctors exposures to an advanced sharing of resources and exceptional medical breakthroughs in our focused specialties, which in return will contribute to achieving an overall degree of clinical excellence, and allow us to continue on the path to becoming pioneers in the medical industry within the region. -- Tradearabia News Service
An Australian beauty enthusiast has gone viral on TikTok after listing the items she purchased to create her 'breath-taking dream room'.

Laura Bui, 25, from Melbourne, decked the room with luxurious decor including a Hollywood mirror, galaxy projector that covers the entire ceiling and an IKEA cupboard filled with designer items.

'Where I spend 90 per cent of my time,' she captioned one of the videos which has since been viewed more than 3.5 million times.

Scroll down for video

Laura Bui, from Melbourne, (pictured) revealed where she purchased the products to create the 'breath-taking dream room'

The 25-year-old's bedroom is decked in luxurious decor including a Hollywood mirror, galaxy projector that covers the entire ceiling and an IKEA cupboard filled with designer items

The incredible galaxy sky lite projector (left) was purchased for $59.99 from Bliss Lights, while the Billy Oxberg bookcase (right) was bought from IKEA

Laura was prompted to create the video after another TikTok user asked where the separate products were bought from in hope to replicate the style.

The incredible galaxy sky lite projector was purchased for $59.99 from Bliss Lights and the buy is currently on sale for $49.99.

The light shines a universe of moving laser stars against a drifting blue cloud background, and the tilting design can projected onto the ceiling or walls.

The furniture, including the makeup chair, ottoman, couch and bed, was bought from Brosa.

The incredible display case featuring Laura's designer items was purchased from IKEA.

The white Billy Oxberg bookcase with glass doors is priced at $369 and has six in-built shelves.

The lush makeup vanity was purchased from Glamour Makeup Mirrors, but the $549 buy is currently sold out online, while the huge mirror was bought from House of Isabella

The LED strip lights positioned along the room was purchased from Amazon, while the fancy dog bed was bought from Early Settler

The lush makeup vanity was purchased from Glamour Makeup Mirrors, but the $549 buy is currently sold out online.

The makeup table features a glass top with soft closing drawers and is mounted onto a steel chrome stand.

Laura also bought a 'love' light from Kmart and the room LED strip lights were from Amazon.

The end result looked spectacular and would be the ultimate space to unwind after a long day.

Where did Laura purchase the products from? Makeup vanity - glamour makeup mirrors Galaxy protector - Bliss Light sky lite Bookcase / shelving - IKEA Billy Oxberg bookcase Mirror - House of Isabella Furniture - Brosa Love LED light - Kmart Room strip lights - Amazon Advertisement

Laura created the amazing beauty room as she enjoys experimenting with makeup. The end result looked spectacular and would be the ultimate space to unwind after a long day

In previous videos, Laura displayed her incredible makeup collection and admitted to owning thousands of products

In previous videos, Laura displayed her incredible makeup collection and admitted to owning thousands of products.

'I started buying makeup a lot more when I was 19; I am not a makeup artist, but I enjoy experimenting and expanding my collection,' she told FEMAIL.

'Makeup is part of my daily routine and even when I'm not wearing it I'm keeping up on trends or on the hunt for new products or makeup hacks to try out and review.'
Romeo LaMarco is ready to sit diners around the bar again.

The co-owner of Teds Bar & Grill restaurants in Lower Paxton Township, Harrisburg and Annville expressed relief Monday over Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolfs announcement that COVID-19 mitigation orders are being eased across the state.

All we needed is our bar service. That will make a hundred times the difference for us, he said. That is really going to take a lot of pressure off of us.

Effective at midnight on April 4, restaurants can resume bar seating, allow alcohol service without purchase of a meal and once again sell alcohol after 11 p.m. Those establishments that self-certify can raise indoor dining levels to 75% occupancy.

LaMarco said after a year of breaking even and spinning wheels, the relaxed restrictions will help his restaurants return to more profitable levels. Liquor sales, he noted keep restaurants afloat more than food sales.

I think we are over the hump. I think businesses are fed up with it. Its time to move forward it has been a year now. You cant keep it going, he said.

In Hershey, Eric Nyman, owner of The Penn Hotel, called it a step in the right direction: It should be a big help.

Brian Fertenbaugh, co-owner of Cafe Fresco Center City and Level 2 in Harrisburg with his wife Jen Fertenbaugh, echoed a similar sentiment.

This is what weve all waiting for, to be honest with you.

READ MORE:

Fertenbaugh said that clearly the the industry has proven it can keep people safe. Meanwhile, he said the pent up demand is evident by how many diners have expressed excitement about the prospect of having a drink around the bar with friends. The couple plan to reopen Level 2 in a few weeks.

I think people just want to get back to normal and this is a step in the right direction, he added.

Cafe Fresco Center City executive chef Travis Mumma, left, owner Brian Fertenbaugh and manager Sabrina Bermejo pictured on April 14, 2020. File photo by Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

Since March 2020, the hospitality industry has had to follow a roller coaster of guidance designed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Theyve had to cutoff booze sales at 11 p.m., serve alcohol with food and close off bar seating. In December, Wolf implemented a three-week indoor dining ban.

Chuck Moran, executive director of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association, said the association approached the governor last week about easing up on some of the restrictions after what has been a very long year for mom and pop businesses.

Moran noted as neighboring states were relaxing some industry restrictions, Pennsylvanias taverns and licensed restaurants were being put at a competitive disadvantage, particularly those near the state line.

The news comes as neighboring states including New Jersey, Maryland and New York have relaxed restrictions in their states. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced last week restaurants could open at full capacity with certain social distancing measures in place.

With the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines improving, and more Americans receiving their shots, it would make sense to begin efforts to repair the Pennsylvania economy by safely easing some restrictions, Moran said.

Some including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have cautioned about reopening too soon, especially in light of growing concerns about variants.

As the light at the end of the tunnel appears a little brighter today, it is our hope that with continued success from our countrys medical scientists and the rollout of the vaccine, that well be out of this dark place soon, Moran said.

Matt Flinchbaugh, owner of Flinchys in Lower Allen Township, thanked his staff and diners for their support and said he couldnt be more excited with summer around the corner. However, Flinchbaugh said theres no reason the new rules cant be implemented immediately.

We should be open at 100% to tell you the truth, but you know well take what we can get, he said.

Sophia Nelms, owner of Sophias at Walden in Silver Spring Township, also questioned why restaurants have to wait three weeks, although, she is happy to be able to seat more diners for Easter brunch.

I think we have all done our jobs and been conscientious of following [Wolfs] rules and weve all followed them really well. Its unfortunate hes holding us back from opening now, she said.
A memorandum of understanding between the Council of Exporters and Investors under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) was signed at the KCCI Office on March 14.

This was reported by the press service of the Embassy of Ukraine in Kuwait.

The memorandum was signed by Ukraines Ambassador to the State of Kuwait Oleksandr Balanutsa and KCCI Chairman Mohammed Jassem Al-Sager. The memorandum entered into force on the day of signing.

According to the document, the parties will promote the development of bilateral trade and economic relations between Ukraine and Kuwait by establishing direct contacts between enterprises of the two countries, eliminating obstacles to bilateral trade, organizing joint events, exchanging information, participation in international exhibitions, etc.

Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a leading business organization in the country, established in 1959. The KCCI is funded by its members, and consultation with the Chamber is mandatory when drafting economic bills.

The Council of Exporters and Investors under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is a platform on which the Ministry accumulates information on investment and trade opportunities from around the world. The Council facilitates business contacts between Ukrainian exporters and importers abroad.

ish
Plenty of smartphones have already launched in India including the budget king Redmi Note 10 series. While it may seem we might be done for the month, there are plenty of other smartphones launching later this month. If youve been wanting to buy a new smartphone this month, you have a lot to choose from. Companies like Micromax, OnePlus, Vivo, Realme and Samsung are all launching new smartphones in the coming weeks and weve handpicked them for you. Here are all of the top smartphones that are launching in India this month:



1. OnePlus 9 Series

 Youtube_Dave2D

The OnePlus 9 Series is set to launch in India on March 23rd according to social media posts by the company. OnePlus has been teasing its latest flagship device that will be the successor to the OnePlus 8 Series. Teasers suggest that one of the devices will have a quad-camera setup at the back where one of the sensors has been confirmed to be a 50MP IMX766 ultra-wide sensor. The phone will also have a Sony IMX789 primary sensor that has been co-developed with Hasselblad. This could be the first time OnePlus has made huge gains in the camera department and we cant wait to test it out for ourselves. The OnePlus 9 Pro, in particular, is expected to carry forward many of the features from the OnePlus 8 Pro such as Wireless Warp Charging, a 120Hz AMOLED display and 65W wired Warp Charging.



2. Micromax IN 1

 Micromax

Microman IN 1 is yet another smartphone from the Indian company that is going to launch on March 19th. According to leaks via XDA developers, the smartphone is said to be powered by a MediaTek Helio G80 chipset. The phone is going to be a budget offering by the company which will come with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. The phone is also rumoured to have an 8MP selfie shooter, a 48MP primary sensor and a 5,000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging. The phone is expected to cost somewhere around Rs 10,000 and will be available to purchase via Flipkart.



3. Realme 8 and 8 Pro

 Realme

Realme has already confirmed everything we need to know about the upcoming 8 Series. The smartphone is said to have a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display and will be powered by a MediaTek Helio G95 gaming processor and will have a 5,000 mAh battery. The smartphone will also support 65W fast charging although it will only be available for the Pro variant. The phones are also expected to come with a quad-camera setup including a 64MP primary camera. The two phones are expected to launch on March 24th in India.



4. Vivo X60 Series

 Vivo

The Vivo X60 is set to launch in India on March 25th right after the OnePlus 9 and Realme 8 Series launch. The smartphone is already available in other markets which gives us a fair idea about the specifications. The X60+ currently available elsewhere has a 6.56-inch full-HD+ display and is powered by the Snapdragon 888 chipset. However, what comes as a surprise is that the X60 Pro and X60 will be powered by Samsungs Exynos 1080 SoC. The top variant has a 50MP primary sensor and a 32MP front camera. The smartphone will also support 55W fast charging for its 4,200 mAh battery. The X60 Pro and X60 will also support 33W fast charging, however the smartphones will have a slightly larger 4,300 mAh battery.



5. Samsung A72/A52

 Youtube_Moboaesthetics

Samsung is also not sitting idle this month and is looking to launch two new smartphones. The Korean giant is expected to launch the Galaxy A52 and A72 on March 17th, however not much is known about the upcoming devices. The phones are tipped to cost Rs. 26,499 and Rs. 34,999 respectively, however that is yet to be confirmed. The two phones will be successors to the A51 and A71, and are expected to come with a Super AMOLED display and have support for 120Hz refresh rate. The news comes from a recent leak via YouTube where it was claimed that the A52 has a 4,500 mAh battery and is powered by a Snapdragon 750 SoC. The phone is also said to have a 64-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel secondary sensor, a 5-megapixel sensor, and a 2-megapixel sensor. The Galaxy A72 is expected to have a 6.7-inch full-HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-O Display with a 90Hz refresh rate mode. The phone is also said to be powered by a Snapdragon 720G SoC with a very similar camera setup.


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Armenia economic competition protection commission: Experts forecast inflation of butter prices

Armenia citizens' protest against acting health minister is over

Pashinyan visits France, judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku, Jun. 2 digest

Armenian Ambassador, FMO representatives consider opportunities for expansion of cooperation in Armenia

Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Armenia citizens throw polyethylene bags at Health Ministry building, police apprehend protesters

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

Newspaper: What instructions did Armenia acting defense minister get in Moscow?

Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

Armenia 3rd President reacts to photos of bodies of soldiers in freezer: It felt like the blood froze in my veins

Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

Turkey's Erdogan expresses willingness to support Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral cooperation

Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

Wargonzo: Russian MOD is dealing with settlement of conflict in Armenia's Syunik Province on a daily basis

Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

Latest on scandal over improper storage of Armenian soldiers bodies, more on COVID-19, Jun. 1

Armenia Constitutional Court launches case proceedings based on President's application

Armenia acting emergency situations minister says he's concerned about situation in army

Armenia acting education, science, culture and sport minister receives ICRC Delegation

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

Armenia deputy police chief: No real cases of vote-buying reported to date

Armenia human rights activists: Nearly 10 protesters detained during protest in front of government building

Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

Yerevan court rules to conditionally release man who attempted to assassinate ex-presidential candidate

People came to power in Armenia who consistently destroyed army combat-readiness, says ex-President Kocharyan

Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

Armenia 1st President spokesperson: Ter-Petrosyan has nothing to speak with the nation-destroying plague

Armenia acting PM orders internal investigation into case of storage conditions of fallen soldiers bodies, remains

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan gives interview to Russia newspaper

Armenia acting deputy PM on unblocking of roads with Azerbaijan: There will be no troops standing there

Nikkei: Toyota and Honda stop car production in Malaysia

Armenia official on deploying international observers at Azerbaijan border: You will hear reaction on this matter soon

USAID helps UN World Food Programme support displaced people in Armenia

Armenia official: Work of trilateral working group on roads unblocking has stopped after recent incidents

Russias Putin to Armenias Pashinyan: Relations between our countries are developing very successfully
The sculptor behind one of London's Olympic Park landmarks has criticised Britain's racist treatment of Shamima Begum as a 'disgraceful indictment of our national conscience'.

Sir Anish Kapoor, who designed the Orbit sculpture that sits beside the 2012 Games' stadium, suggested that if Ms Begum was a 'white school girl from Wiltshire' then no expense would be spared in bringing her home.

Ms Begum was 15 when she and two other east London schoolgirls travelled to Syria to join the so-called Islamic State group (IS) in February 2015.

The Supreme Court ruled last month that Ms Begum cannot return to the UK to pursue an appeal against the removal of her British citizenship.

Now 21, she has languished in Roj camp in northern Syria for two years, having removed her veil in exchange for sunglasses and a t-shirt.

Sir Anish Kapoor compared Britain to 'Soviet Russia' and described Shamima Begum's treatment as a continuation of '"divide and rule" - the horror that sustained the British Empire for 200 years'

Last night Sir Anish compared Britain to 'Soviet Russia' and described Ms Begum's treatment as a continuation of '"divide and rule" - the horror that sustained the British Empire for 200 years'.

The artist said: 'Let us for one moment imagine that four young white school girls from Wiltshire were enticed to go to Syria and join Isis.

'Would they be seen as terrorists or victims of terrorists?

'We have no doubt that we would be demanding that no expense be spared and not a moment wasted in having them returned to the safety of their homes in England.'

Ms Begum was 15 when she and two other east London schoolgirls travelled to Syria to join the so-called Islamic State group (IS) in February 2015. The Supreme Court ruled last month that Ms Begum cannot return to the UK to pursue an appeal against the removal of her British citizenship

Begum swaps veil for t-shirt and shades in 'rejection of IS group' Shamima Begum was just 15 when she travelled to Syria to become an ISIS bride in 2015. When she was finally discovered in a detention camp in 2019, she had donned the a full-length black gown and covered her hair to meet the expectations of the hardline islamist state. But now, tiring from a two-year legal battle to make it home based out of a camp on the border with Iraq, the 21-year-old has dramatically changed her style. Gone is her gown and head scarf, replaced by a striped T-shirt with her straightened hair on display. Her eyes hidden behind sunglasses. Nora Abdo, Roj camp's manager, said that with Begum, like many other women in the camp, she had noticed a change - they wanted to go home. Forgoing the veil is seen as a genuine sign of giving up support for the Islamic State group. 'A woman who is pro-IS wouldnt take it off to get repatriated,' added Vera Mironova, a research fellow at Harvard University. Advertisement

He said that 'Britain has shamelessly shirked its responsibility' and accused officials of 'deliberately and knowingly removed Shamima's ability to access basic rights anywhere in the world'.

The Supreme Court ruling is a 'disgraceful indictment of our national conscience', he added.

Begum's British citizenship was revoked on national security grounds shortly after she was found, nine months' pregnant, in a Syrian refugee camp in February 2019.

She said she married Dutch convert Yago Riedijk 10 days after arriving in IS territory.

She told The Times in 2019 that her children, a one-year-old girl and a three-month-old boy, had both since died.

Her third child died in the al-Roj camp in March 2019, shortly after he was born.

Sir Anish said: 'Shamima is a British citizen, and it is her right to be tried in the British courts by a jury of her peers for any offence she may have committed.'

Criticising Priti Patel and Sajid Javid, he said that 'at the hands of two home secretaries' who are 'desperate to prove their right wing credentials, (her) birth right has been stolen from her and from the people of this country'.

And Sir Anish, whose Olympic Park sculpture is a famous landmark, said: 'This is "divide and rule", the horror that sustained the British Empire for 200 years.

'Have we regressed to now practising this on home turf?'

He said Begum's radicalisation, as as schoolgirl, was 'an indictment of the lack of care and funding for those of non-white ethnic backgrounds'.

And he said in the statement, co-authored by Tasnime Akunjee, Ms Begum's family's lawyer in the UK: 'Shamima is the tragic scapegoat of a punitive unforgiving government intent on harsh retribution.

Sir Anish Kapoor designed the ArcelorMittal Orbit landmark that sits beside the 2012 Olympic Games' stadium

'What happened to Christian forgiveness? Does it not apply to a woman - and a dark skinned one at that? It seem that different rules apply.'

He added: 'Is it perhaps that some of us are more British than others of us? Shamima is of Bangladeshi descent, does that change her right to British nationality?

'I am tempted to think it does especially in the light of the Supreme Court's judgment.'

Britain 'needs to show compassion and understanding' and 'the fact that Shamima wants to come back to the UK shows that she is willing to face the law here for her past mistakes', Sir Anish wrote.
A boat parade in support of President Donald Trump starts at McCovey Cove by Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Oct. 10, 2020. (Ilene Eng/The Epoch Times)

Sheriff Flying Pro-Trump Flag During Boat Parade Violated Hatch Act, Says US Agency

A sheriff in upstate New York has been warned for allegedly violating federal law after flying a pro-Trump flag on a sheriff boat during a summer parade last year.

Oswego County Sheriff Don Hilton received the warning letter from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC), reported Syracuse.com, which obtained the letter.

An investigation into the flag flying incident was launched by the OSC following a complaint that the sheriffs office flew an altered American flag with former President Donald Trumps image and his campaign slogan Making America Great Again during an event titled the Trump flotilla on Oneida Lake, the network reported.

Because you used an official agency resource to promote a presidential candidate, thus giving the impression that the Oswego County Sheriffs Office endorsed that candidate, OSC determined that you violated the Hatch Acts prohibition against using your official authority to affect an election, the letter, issued by deputy chief of the Hatch Act Unit Erica S. Hamrick, reads.

Please be advised that if you engage in any future prohibited political activity while employed in a Hatch Act-covered position, OSC would consider such activity to be a willful and knowing violation of the law that could result in disciplinary action, Hamrick wrote.

Boaters show their support for President Donald Trump during a parade down the Intracoastal Waterway to just off the shore of President Trumps home at Mar-a-Lago on Sept. 07, 2020 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The Hatch Act prohibits federal officials from taking part in political activity while on duty.

The warning letter issued said Hilton violated the 1939 Hatch Act legislation, but no further action will be taken against the sheriff. The OSC said it has ended the investigation without any disciplinary action.

Several photos that were printed by local newspapers show Hilton with three other uniformed deputies aboard a marine patrol boat from the sheriffs office flying an altered American flag bearing Trumps image and the MAGA phrase.

The August 2020 boat parade was one of many that took place across the United States in support of the former president.

The events also set a new world record over labor day weekend as Americans came together on the water to celebrate, depicting a sea of stars, stripes, and Trump flags on lakes in multiple states nationwide.

Hilton also released a statement at the time of the incident, explaining the maritime patrol was providing security to the boat parade when participants handed the flag to law enforcement officers and personally approved to fly it by boat during the event, Fox News reported.

I did this to show support for the event participants and for our president, who has supported law enforcement at a time when many groups are unjustly vilifying our profession, the sheriff wrote. To do so was my decision only, not my deputies, and I take full and sole responsibility for it.

From NTD News
A Brazilian politician who introduced a bill prohibiting compulsory Covid-19 vaccines has died from coronavirus.

Legislator Silvio Antonio Favero, 54, passed away at a private hospital in the city of Cuiaba, Brazil, on Saturday.

Favero, a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Mato Grosso do Sul for the Social Liberal Party (PSL), had been hospitalised since March 4 and intubated in the hospital's intensive care unit with Covid-19.

Doctors said he had died as a result of complications and infections caused by the virus.

Brazilian politician Silvio Antonio Favero, 54, who introduced a bill prohibiting compulsory Covid-19 vaccines has died from coronavirus

Favero passed away at a private hospital in the city of Cuiaba, Brazil, on Saturday. Pictured: The funeral of the lawmaker

Favero had introduced a bill, which is currently being scrutinised in the Legislative Assembly, against compulsory vaccination for Covid-19.

He argued that the bill would 'guarantee the right of citizens to decide whether or not they want to be vaccinated'. As for minors, Favero believed the choice was their parents' or guardians' to make.

Favero said of the proposed legislation: 'It aims to prevent vaccination from being compulsory since there is currently uncertainty about the efficacy and possible side effects of the vaccines, where they present a risk that is undoubtedly irreparable, since the short, medium and long-term effects of the vaccine are unknown.'

Favero shared the doubts of far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro about the efficacy and safety of Covid-19 vaccines.

Doctors said Favero had died as a result of complications and infections caused by the virus. Pictured: Family and friends surround the vehicle carrying the coffin of Favero

Favero had introduced a bill, which is currently being scrutinised in the Legislative Assembly, against compulsory vaccination for Covid-19

Brazil's vaccine drive has been among the world's slowest after Bolsonaro, who has said he will not take a jab himself, left it up to states to procure their own doses.

The President has also publicly shunned mask wearing, social distancing, and lockdown rules, telling Brazilians last week to 'stop crying' and learn to live with the virus.

Just 8.6million Brazilians, or four per cent of the population, have received a first dose of vaccine, with just 3million getting a second dose.

Brazil is largely relying on China's CoronaVac for its doses, though are also using some Oxford/AstraZeneca jabs.

President Bolsonaro has repeatedly shunned mask-wearing rules, railed against lockdown, and last week told Brazilians to 'stop crying' and get used to living with the virus

Favero's family has thanked well-wishers for their thoughts and prayers during his time in hospital.

He leaves behind his wife, Katia, and their three children, Gabriel, Gustavo and Joao Ricardo. He was buried in the municipality of Lucas do Rio Verde.

Mato Grosso state governor Mauro Mendes, from the centre-right Democrats party, has decreed three days of mourning for Favero's passing.

The governor paid tribute to his colleague, saying: 'Favero left his mark on the history of Mato Grosso, fighting for what he believed to be right.'

Brazil's health system is now on the verge of collapse as deaths and cases soar.

Brazil is currently reporting the highest daily number of Covid deaths of any country in the world, having overtaken the US last week (file image, a burial in Brazil)

The country reported 1,127 Covid-19 deaths and 43,812 new cases of Covid-19, the Health Ministry said on Sunday, ending the moth lethal week since the pandemic began a year ago.

Brazil is fighting a surge in Covid-19 cases driven by a new, more contagious local variant of the virus that has overwhelmed intensive care wards in most large cities.

The week saw 12,818 deaths in Brazil from COVID-19, an average of 1,831 fatalities a day. That was far above the 1,000-death daily rolling averages for January and February and points to the gravity of the resurgence.

Brazil has now registered 11,483,370 cases in all, while the official death toll has risen to 278,229, according to ministry data, in the world's deadliest and most widespread outbreak after the United States.


Huntington, WV (25701)

Today

Cloudy with occasional light rain throughout the day. High 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Astronomers have painted their best picture yet of an RV Tauri variable, a rare type of stellar binary where two stars - one approaching the end of its life - orbit within a sprawling disk of dust.

Their 130-year dataset spans the widest range of light yet collected for one of these systems, from radio to X-rays.

"There are only about 300 known RV Tauri variables in the Milky Way galaxy," said Laura Vega, a recent doctoral recipient at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. "We focused our study on the second brightest, named U Monocerotis, which is now the first of these systems from which X-rays have been detected."

A paper describing the findings, led by Vega, was published in The Astrophysical Journal.

The system, called U Mon for short, lies around 3,600 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros. Its two stars circle each other about every six and a half years on an orbit tipped about 75 degrees from our perspective.

The primary star, an elderly yellow supergiant, has around twice the Sun's mass but has billowed to 100 times the Sun's size. A tug of war between pressure and temperature in its atmosphere causes it to regularly expand and contract, and these pulsations create predictable brightness changes with alternating deep and shallow dips in light - a hallmark of RV Tauri systems. Scientists know less about the companion star, but they think it's of similar mass and much younger than the primary.

The cool disk around both stars is composed of gas and dust ejected by the primary star as it evolved. Using radio observations from the Submillimeter Array on Maunakea, Hawai'i, Vega's team estimated that the disk is around 51 billion miles (82 billion kilometers) across. The binary orbits inside a central gap that the scientists think is comparable to the distance between the two stars at their maximum separation, when they're about 540 million miles (870 million kilometers) apart.

When the stars are farthest from each other, they're roughly aligned with our line of sight. The disk partially obscures the primary and creates another predictable fluctuation in the system's light. Vega and her colleagues think this is when one or both stars interact with the disk's inner edge, siphoning off streams of gas and dust. They suggest that the companion star funnels the gas into its own disk, which heats up and generates an X-ray-emitting outflow of gas. This model could explain X-rays detected in 2016 by the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton satellite.

"The XMM observations make U Mon the first RV Tauri variable detected in X-rays," said Kim Weaver, the XMM U.S. project scientist and an astrophysicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "It's exciting to see ground- and space-based multiwavelength measurements come together to give us new insights into a long-studied system."

In their analysis of U Mon, Vega's team also incorporated 130 years of visible light observations.

The earliest available measurement of the system, collected on Dec. 25, 1888, came from the archives of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO), an international network of amateur and professional astronomers headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. AAVSO provided additional historical measurements ranging from the mid-1940s to the present.

The researchers also used archived images cataloged by the Digital Access to a Sky Century @ Harvard (DASCH), a program at the Harvard College Observatory in Cambridge dedicated to digitizing astronomical images from glass photographic plates made by ground-based telescopes between the 1880s and 1990s.

U Mon's light varies both because the primary star pulsates and because the disk partially obscures it every 6.5 years or so. The combined AAVSO and DASCH data allowed Vega and her colleagues to spot an even longer cycle, where the system's brightness rises and falls about every 60 years. They think a warp or clump in the disk, located about as far from the binary as Neptune is from the Sun, causes this extra variation as it orbits.

Vega completed her analysis of the U Mon system as a NASA Harriett G. Jenkins Predoctoral Fellow, a program funded by the NASA Office of STEM Engagement's Minority University Research and Education Project.

"For her doctoral dissertation, Laura used this historical dataset to detect a characteristic that would otherwise appear only once in an astronomer's career," said co-author Rodolfo Montez Jr., an astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, also in Cambridge. "It's a testament to how our knowledge of the universe builds over time."

Co-author Keivan Stassun, an expert in star formation and Vega's doctoral advisor at Vanderbilt, notes that this evolved system has many features and behaviors in common with newly formed binaries. Both are embedded in disks of gas and dust, pull material from those disks, and produce outflows of gas. And in both cases, the disks can form warps or clumps. In young binaries, those might signal the beginnings of planet formation.

"We still have questions about the feature in U Mon's disk, which may be answered by future radio observations," Stassun said. "But otherwise, many of the same characteristics are there. It's fascinating how closely these two binary life stages mirror each other."

###

By Jeanette Kazmierczak

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.



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[March 15, 2021] dynaCERT Achieves Local and Global Milestones and is Part of Hydrogen Strategy Coalition

dynaCERT Inc. (TSX: DYA) (OTCQX: DYFSF) (FRA: DMJ) ("dynaCERT" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has been invited by the Government of the Province of Ontario, Canada ("Ontario Government") to participate in the Hydrogen Strategy Working Group of the Ontario Government under the guidance of the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Jean-Pierre Colin, Executive Vice President of dynaCERT, and Jim Payne, CEO of dynaCERT, will continue to attend Ontario Government strategy meetings in furthering the Ontario Government's development of a hydrogen strategy. Hydrogen Strategy Working Group The Ontario Government established a new Hydrogen Strategy Working Group to help inform the development of the hydrogen strategy for the Province of Ontario. This working group is intended to build on the input that the Ontario Government received through the public consultation process and Ontario's hydrogen discussion paper. Members of the Hydrogen Strategy Working Group will also provide advice on how to use hydrogen across various sectors and help Ontario compete in the global hydrogen market. The Ontario Government has invited 21 Ontario Hydrogen Economy participants to Hydrogen Strategy Working Group which consists of experts from industry and academia. See: https://www.ontario.ca/page/low-carbon-hydrogen#section-5 Sales in the Global Mining Industry In Q1 2021, dynaCERT has shipped or received confirmed orders of its flagship HG-1 HydraGEN Technology Units as well as its sister HydraGEN HG2 and HG-4C and HydraGEN HG-6C large capacity Units to international mining companies operating in Russia, China, Brazil and Peru through sales to its arms-length dealer H2Tek specializing in the sale of HydraGEN Technology in the mining industry. H2Tek is sponsored internationally by Export Development Corporation, a Crown Corporation of Canada, and dynaCERT's currently sole Asian dealer, Puma HydroCarbons, who operates in China. Diamond Mines, Coal Mines, Copper Mines and Gold Mines are adopting dynaCERT's proprietary HydraGEN Technology globally. The HydraGEN HG-4C and HydraGEN HG-6C large capacity Units will soon be deployed in open pit mining operations on large 50-litre diesel engines that operate in hostile climates such as open pit mines where temperatures deep lower than -40 degrees Celsius and are located in very remote areas of the planet. Growing Sales in the Trucking Industry in North America Q1 2021, dynaCERT has received purchase orders with advanced payment of twenty (20) of the Company's 20 newest 2021 model HG-1 units for the North American continental trucking customers of KarbonKleen which is furthering its successful trials to its trucking and logistics clients. In Q1 2021, dynaCERT has sold and installed our HG-2 units to a midsize Dodge truck and Ford (News - Alert) F-350 delivery truck in Ontario through the Company's dealer H2Tek. City of Woodstock Success dynaCERT has just completed Emission Tests on the City of Woodstock's entire bus and garbage truck fleet to showcase reductions of greenhouse gases and fuel savings with very solid results from its initial previously announced pilt project. The City of Woodstock reduced fuel consumption by a significant factor in its recent Garbage Trucks Trials featuring dynaCERT's HydraGEN "Carbon Emission Reduction Technology".



dynaCERT is also working with several municipalities across Ontario supplying quotes and extensive analyst reports for their fleets showing the potential fuel savings and more importantly the emission reductions and Green House Gas reductions that can be realized with the utilization of HydraGEN "Carbon Emission Reduction Technology". dynaCERT and its Dealer in Negotiations with the World's Largest Transportation Polluters

dynaCERT's Canadian Dealer, Mobile Emissions Testing Inc. ("Mobile Emissions") along with dynaCERT is in negotiations with one of the world's largest transporters of goods which is committed to reducing its Carbon Footprint. As well, Mobile Emissions is assisting the Company with its Ontario Government initiatives and is also focussing on some of Ontario's largest Municipal accounts. Non-Core Electrolyser Research & Development With 17 plus years of Research and Development, scientific knowledge, and design advancements within hydrogen generation, dynaCERT intends to expand and leverage their expertise and knowledge to form the basis for future decades to advance the Company's goal to adapt its HydraGEN Technology to numerous markets, globally. dynaCERT's Hydrogen electrolysers have gone through a series of transformations to meet the market demand. dynaCERT's existing Alkaline Hydrogen electrolysers are best suited for non-pressurized Hydrogen production up to 500 litres per hour and can be stacked for higher Hydrogen demand. Gurjant Singh, dynaCERT's Head of Research and Development stated, "dynaCERT's upcoming products such as the Anion Exchange Membrane and the Cation Exchange Membrane electrolysers will produce pressurized Hydrogen to meet the global demand. Pressurized Hydrogen will significantly cut down the compression cost making it affordable to use in small- and large-scale applications such as off-grid power supply, fuel cells etc. dynaCERT's smart ECU will enable consumers to control Hydrogen production remotely and simplify data management. dynaCERT is committed to achieve and participate in net zero emissions goal by 2050. Exponential growth in Hydrogen production over the past few years by conventional methods have further impacted the environment adversely. In 2019, more than 550 million tons of Carbon Dioxide were released in the atmosphere because of hydrogen production via Methane Reforming Process. At $50 per ton Carbon Credit, there is potential for more than $27 Billion worth of yearly savings. Carbon Credits remain a huge future revenue stream for dynaCERT with our Patent Pending Carbon Capturing Methodology while capturing credits for the Carbon Saved with our Hydrogen Generating electrolysers." Jim Payne, CEO of dynaCERT, stated, "dynaCERT fully supports the Ontario Government initiatives related to the development of its hydrogen strategy. The Hydrogen Strategy Working Group of the Ontario Government is an important step in the process of developing a workable hydrogen strategy. We applaud all the dedicated people involved in this Ontario Government initiative and thank all participants within the government and within the private sector for their commitment to making hydrogen an important part of our collective future." About dynaCERT Inc. dynaCERT Inc. manufactures and distributes Carbon Emission Reduction Technology for use with internal combustion engines. As part of the growing global hydrogen economy, our patented technology creates hydrogen and oxygen on-demand through a unique electrolysis system and supplies these gases through the air intake to enhance combustion, resulting in lower carbon emissions and greater fuel efficiency. Our technology is designed for use with many types and sizes of diesel engines used in on-road vehicles, reefer trailers, off-road construction, power generation, mining and forestry equipment, marine vessels and railroad locomotives. Website: www.dynaCERT.com. READER ADVISORY Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. 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. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance of achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management 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 information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success for new products and technologies; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of products and services; changes in technology and changes in laws and regulations; the uncertainty of the emerging hydrogen economy; including the hydrogen economy moving at a pace not anticipated; our ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships and distribution agreements; and the other risk factors disclosed under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in our expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the release. On Behalf of the Board Murray James Payne, CEO View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005255/en/

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UPDATE: Hope College professor killed in crash was bright light at Hope

OTTAWA COUNTY, MI  Holland police identified Jennifer Hampton, 48, of Holland, as the victim of a fatal crash Sunday, March 14, at Chicago Drive and Waverly Road.

She died at the scene of the 5:30 p.m. crash, police said.

The other driver, a 23-year-old Holland woman, was taken to Holland Hospital. Her name was not released.

Police said early investigation shows that Hampton, driving a 2017 Toyota Prius, was going north on Waverly when a 2008 Hyundai Sonata, headed east on Chicago Drive, went through a red light and struck the drivers side of the victims vehicle.

The drivers were alone in their vehicles. Alcohol is not believed to have been involved.

Police asked anyone with information to call Sgt. Dan Kender at 355-1122 or Holland Department of Public Safety at 355-1100. Emails can be sent to investigators at policetips@cityofholland.com

Read more:

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See 2020-21 enrollment data for every Michigan public school by district and by building

Monday, March 15, coronavirus data by Michigan county: State now at 5% positivity rate
Associated Press

A top Sudanese military official said the government will review an agreement with Russia to establish a navy base in the African country. The remarks about the deal, which dates back to the government of now-deposed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and has not been ratified by the Sudanese parliament, indicate that Khartoum is seeking some changes to the agreement. Sudans Chief of General Staff, Gen. Mohammed Othman al-Hussein told Blue Nile television station late on Tuesday that negotiations are underway with Russian officials to achieve Sudans interests.
Beaumont Transit workers want the City Council to address wages they lost during Februarys winter storm.

The workers say First Transit, which runs the Beaumont transit system, stole three days of wages amid the winter weather event, according to a news release from Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1031.

Union officials say employees were told not to report for work for three days because of impassable roads. With starting pay at $16.19 and hour and top pay at $19.59 an hour, the closure resulted in lost wages between about $388 and $470 for an individual over the three-day period.

Traditionally, employees have been compensated during inclement weathers, the release said. However, First Transit has refused to pay the 45 transit workers who were ordered home through no fault of their own. With hurricane season approaching, union officials say they fear the company is attempting to set a precedent that will in effect result in lower wages across the board.

Related: Beaumont picks new operator for city bus service

First Transit spokesman Jay Brock countered in a statement that pay and benefits are set by the collective bargaining agreement, which was negotiated and agreed upon by the Amalgamated Transit Union 1031.

First Transit values their employees and the important work they do, and as such, their health and safety are our top priority, the company statement said.

Union Vice President Amanda Haynes said the workers currently are in contract negotiations after all parties agreed to keep an expiring contract in place until a new agreement could be worked out.

Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox

She said the company has told them that contract doesnt require employees to be paid in a situation like this one. However, she said, that contract has been in place for several years and drivers were paid for weather-related closures in the past.

(First Transit) asked to show them something in writing that says we get paid, she said. I said, Well, why dont you just look at our payroll? That would show we got paid during closures. That seems like written documentation to me, but they wont look at it.

She said the company also has told the union that the city would have to approve payment to the employees, but the city says the company runs its own operations.

Ideally, Haynes said the City Council at Tuesdays meeting would instruct the city manager to direct First Transit to pay its employees for the lost days.

Related: Beaumont Transit employees on edge after 3 more get COVID-19

Beaumont Mayor Becky Ames reiterated that the city contracts with First Transit to run municipal transit. She said she plans to ask city staff on Tuesday how the city handled pay for employees who couldnt work during the weather-related closure.

Cincinnati-based First Transit took over the citys bus system in early October after Beaumont Municipal Transit declined to renew its contract.

The city holds a contract with the transit operator and subsidizes the program. But the system must be run by a private contractor because of a clash between state and federal laws regarding which government employees can unionize and what action the city can take.

kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/KaitlinBain
MindGeek Canada Managing Director Feras Antoon appears on screen during a sound check as he waits to appear virtually before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics on February 5, 2021 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

More Than 70 Lawmakers Call for Criminal Investigation of MindGeek

OTTAWAMore than 70 parliamentarians from all parties are calling for a full criminal investigation into Pornhubs parent company following testimony from survivors.

The demand, spelled out in a letter Monday to RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki, comes two weeks after a similar request by more than 100 victims of exploitive content they say was posted to websites owned by MindGeek.

The lawmakers cite recent evidence by victims and child-protection organizations alleging the Montreal-based company regularly shared child pornography and sexual assault videos as well as content shot or posted without the consent of subjects.

Even more alarming, we have heard evidence that MindGeek continues to make available material featuring child sexual abuse material and non-consensual acts, as one survivor testified to the ethics committee on Feb. 19, 2021: Thanks to Pornhub, today is day 1,292 that I have been naked on these porn sites, the letter states.

MindGeek has denied all accusations of wrongdoing, saying it is a global leader in preventing distribution of exploitive videos and images.

MindGeek has zero tolerance for non-consensual content, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and any other content that lacks the consent of all parties depicted, the company said in an email this month.

The harrowing stories of the survivors of CSAM and non-consensual imagery shake us to our core.

In December, several major credit card companies suspended payment services to Pornhub, prompting the worlds largest pornography platform to scrub some 10 million videos posted by unverified users.

At least five lawsuits have been filed against the company in the U.S. and Canada over the past year on behalf of survivors of child abuse, sex trafficking and non-consensual image uploads.

The 53 MPs and 20 senators who signed the letter accuse MindGeek of failing to report cases of child pornography to the Canadian Centre for Child Protection and the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children between 2011 and 2020. The company confirmed in an email it officially began reporting to the latter early last year.

The signatories say they were shocked to learn from RCMP deputy commissioner Stephen White at the House of Commons ethics committee last month that the agency had zero outstanding investigations into the company.

Conservative MP Arnold Viersen, who co-chairs the all-party parliamentary group to end human trafficking, says the hoops survivors have to jump through to get illegal content pulled down are egregious, and that existing laws need more rigorous enforcement.

The law is good, its just purely not being enforced, he said Monday in an interview, adding that he is open to expanding the provisions against sexual exploitation.

In December, the House of Commons ethics committee launched a study on how to protect the privacy and reputations of people who appear on pornography websites following an explosive New York Times opinion piece alleging Pornhub distributed child pornography. A report with recommendations to Parliament is expected later this year.

In a March 1 letter, a group of 104 survivors and 525 NGOs in countries ranging from Austria to Zambia applauded the ethics committee for studying the issue.

The coalition went beyond calling on Ottawa to encourage an RCMP investigation, demanding the government to take immediate legislative and regulatory action to protect children from this predatory and unethical corporation.

MindGeek draws 170 million visitors a day, including four million Canadians, and generates $460 million in annual revenue, according to the company. It frequently ranks among the dozen most-visited sites in the world, ahead of Netflix and Zoom.

Though legally headquartered in Luxembourg, the companys main office sits in a squat glass building along a sunken highway in Montreal.

We have on our territory probably the biggest platform, the most successful platform, in porn, and laws apply, Sen. Julie Miville-Dechene, who co-chairs the parliamentary group on human trafficking, said Monday in an interview.

Its pretty appalling that we seem to be nowhere in terms of actions by the police against Pornhub.

MindGeek has pushed back against accusations it allows child sexual abuse material on its sites.

Over the past year, MindGeek has created and implemented comprehensive measures for verification, moderation, and detection that will ensure Pornhub is the safest platform online. Notably, we have taken the unprecedented step of banning content from unverified uploaders, an industry first among tech and social media platforms, MindGeek said in an email earlier this month.

The platform works with dozens of non-profit organizations that aim to flag content and stop online child exploitation. It also says it uses extensive measures to shut out such material, including a vast team of human moderators to manually review each of the 6.8 million videos uploaded annually and remove illegal material, along with automated detection technologies.

By Christopher Reynolds
UN Special Envoy of Secretary-General for Myanmar criticizes bloodshed in the country

United Nations, Mar 15 (UNI) The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener has strongly condemned the killing of people in the country and urged the

international community to stand in solidarity with the people of Myanmar and their democratic aspirations.

She condemns the continuing bloodshed in the country as the military defies international calls, including from the Security Council, for restraint, dialogue and full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, according to the statement issued on Sunday.
By Robert D. Atkinson





Korea has rapidly progressed when it comes to innovation. In the World Intellectual Property Organization's 2020 Global Innovation Index, Korea broke into the top 10 for the first time, ranking first in research and development (R&D) and second for human capital and information and communications technology (ICT).



But in the category of regulatory environment  the degree to which government regulations facilitate instead of hindering companies and entrepreneurs from innovating  Korea ranked a dismal 52nd, behind nations such as Bulgaria, Columbia, Kazakhstan, and Peru. The World Bank finds the same thing, with the regulatory burden in Korea higher than the global median.



In contrast, the top nine nations in innovation, including the United States, Singapore and Switzerland, have an average regulatory rank of just 9  43 slots better than Korea. Moreover, having a good regulatory environment is highly correlated with a key innovation indicator: ICT and organizational business model creation (i.e., the development and spread of new technology-based business models).



Why is this relevant for Korea? After all, it's in the top 10, so it must be doing pretty well. The answer is that the core challenge now for the Korean innovation economy is to fully make the switch from being a "fast follower" (an economy in which firms are not on the global leading edge of innovation, but rapidly copy the leaders) to being a global innovation leader.



Making the switch from a fast follower to global leader is hard for both companies and countries. One reason is that, to be a global leader, the environment must be favorable for experimentation, failure, and what noted innovation economist Joseph Schumpeter termed "creative destruction." In other words, companies and entrepreneurs know that if they come up with a new product, service or business model they will not be unfairly restricted by the government from getting it in front of consumers.



While consumers might like the new thing, incumbent players in the same category  whether big or small  often do not. Not only do they often use their own market power to block a more innovative competitor, but they also rely on government to keep or erect regulations and rules that make it hard for the upstart innovator to succeed  just as incumbent taxi drivers thwarted the emergence of ride-sharing companies like Uber in Korea, even though Uber now operates in over 85 nations.



While disruptive innovation often can topple large firms  for example, as Kodak was toppled by the emergence of digital cameras  it can also disrupt small, less efficient firms. This points to a broader policy challenge in which Korean policy explicitly focuses on protecting small companies, including retailers, from competition. Too many Korean programs, incentives and regulations are designed to protect small companies, even though on average they are much less productive than larger Korean companies.



In some cases, civil society groups push for rules that end up not only hurting innovation and innovators, but also consumers. A case in point is Korea's body of data protection laws, which, notwithstanding recent reforms, limit data innovation that can help consumers and are stricter than rules in the United States that have enabled U.S. companies to lead the world in data innovation.



The end result of overly burdensome and protectionist regulations is less innovation, slower productivity growth, and reduced consumer welfare.



All too often because of these forces policymakers want innovation without real innovation (e.g., disruption). In other words, policymakers are happy to have Samsung develop 6G wireless equipment, or SK the latest semiconductor, or LG a world-leading battery, but when it comes to innovations that might disrupt jobs, communities, and industries, they worry and talk about the precautionary principle and protecting consumers. This approach might have worked when Korea was a rising innovator, but it is now a weight on the shoulders of the nation, keeping it from being at the forefront of innovation.



Maybe this aversion to creative destruction is a natural result of an economy and a society that has outperformed virtually every other economy in the last half century and might want to protect its considerable achievements  for such growth rates truly were remarkable. But unfortunately, given the rise of China as a fast-following peer competitor to Korea, it does not look as if Korea can afford to rest and hope it can get the "creative" without the "destruction."



If Korea wants to set its sights on being number one in the global innovation rankings, it will need to ensure that regulation is designed in ways that favor the future instead of protecting the past. This can entail enacting measures such as "regulatory sandboxes"  frameworks that enable firms to work with regulators to test their innovative products, services, and business models with real consumers in a controlled environment on a trial basis.



But sandboxes are not enough. Regulators should learn from the results of sandboxes to streamline existing regulations. One way to do that would be establishing an Office of Innovation Review whose mission would be to serve as an "innovation advocate" in the national regulatory process. It can involve political and business leaders recognizing the importance of embracing the "innovation principle" (the principle that, unless otherwise shown, new technologies and business models are presumed to be positive) when considering government response to new technologies.



As Steve Jobs once stated, "Innovation is what distinguishes between a leader and a follower." Which does Korea want to be?





Robert D. Atkinson (@RobAtkinsonITIF) is president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the world's leading think tank for science and technology policy.


More than three-quarters of hospital consultants have shown signs of burnout, according to new medical research.

A pilot study on the effect of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic on senior medical staff in Irish hospitals also revealed one quarter had reported either they or colleagues had experienced long-Covid after being infected with the coronavirus.

The survey of 114 senior specialist doctors found the groups average score was almost twice the cut-off level for being classified as suffering from burnout.

The study, conducted by researchers from UCDs School of Medicine and a number of different hospitals, was carried out last month to establish the prevalence of burnout among consultants after almost 12 months of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It found 77pc of consultants screened positive for burnout using an internationally-recognised measurement scale.

Two-thirds were classified as suffering emotional exhaustion, while nearly half assessed themselves as displaying cynicism and detachment.

Read More

Just over two-thirds reported feeling physically exhausted regularly, while half said they had regular feelings of reduced professional ability or accomplishment.

The study also revealed 84pc of consultants felt the pandemic had an adverse effect on their workload with 14pc claiming Covid-19 had a severe impact on it.

Nearly two-thirds said Covid-19 had an adverse effect on their mental health with 11pc categorising its effect on their mental health and well-being as severe.

One-in-four consultants said they or colleagues had experienced prolonged periods of ill health or long-Covid due to the virus.

One of the reports main authors, Anne Doherty, an associate professor of psychiatry at UCDs School of Medicine said consultants had expressed concern about vulnerable patients being disproportionately affected as well as inadequate resources and infrastructure.

Staffing issues and an increased workload were also highlighted by respondents.

Prof Doherty said the findings which showed a majority of consultants were suffering burnout were highly concerning.

The rate of burnout in this population is nearly double that found in a recent, pre-pandemic study of burnout among Irish senior doctors which reported burnout levels of 42pc, she added.
TORONTO, March 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tanzanian Gold Corporation (TSX:TNX) (NYSE American:TRX) (TanGold or the Company) operating through its wholly owned subsidiary in Tanzania (Tanzam2000), and its joint venture partner, The State Mining Company (STAMICO), is pleased to announce Senior Management changes at Buckreef Gold Company Ltd. (Buckreef).



The Company is pleased to announce that Isaac Bisansaba and Gaston Mujwahuzi have been appointed as Co-Acting General Managers for Buckreef, on an alternating basis. Mr. Bisansaba and Mr. Mujwahuzi will be directly responsible for monitoring and improving the mining and processing operations at Buckreef. Mr. Bisansaba has a BS.Geo, Masters in Mining Engineering, Mineral Resources Evaluation, and twenty years of experience in the gold mining industry. Mr. Mujwahuzi has a BS, Mineral Processing Engineering, and over sixteen years of experience in the gold mining industry. Collectively, their experience encompasses all aspects of our gold mining operations, including managing mining, process plant and exploration activities. Their prior experience includes roles with AngloGold Ashanti, Barrick Gold, Teranga Gold, PanAust Limited and various consulting firms. Together, they possess the knowledge and experience the Company requires going forward, as well as strong team leadership capabilities for safe, smooth and ongoing management of on-site operations.

We are pleased to announce Isaac and Gaston as Acting General Managers at Buckreef, and I am delighted that they have enthusiastically accepted their new roles. These new appointments to Buckreefs general management team help support our objectives for continuously improving mining, plant and exploration operations and are vital to our continued success. We also take this opportunity to thank Peter Zizhou for his past services and wish him the very best in all of his future endeavours, Andrew M. Cheatle, Chief Operating Officer, said. Mr. Cheatle is currently in Tanzania overseeing the executive management changes.

The Company is in the process of updating all levels of administration and operations for Buckreef, and a meeting of the Board of Directors of Buckreef is pending to change the Tanzam2000 nominees to the Board to better reflect the new management team at TanGold. The Company, in conjunction with STAMICO, will begin to identify an experienced and suitable candidate for the position of General Manager at Buckreef as per the requirements of the Buckreef joint venture and articles.

Changes to the Board of Directors at Buckreef are necessary in order to fully align the Companys interests in Buckreef with the new vision for the Company being implemented by the new executive management at TanGold. Our action plan requires disciplined coordination at all administrative and operational levels for effective and sustained progress. We are excited for these needed and all-important changes which will update every level of administrative involvement in advancing our stakeholders short term objectives and long term goals. We welcome Isaac and Gaston to the senior management team in Tanzania in working toward the advancement of our collective goals at Buckreef. We also look forward to working with our joint venture partner STAMICO to identify an experienced and qualified person for the position of General Manager, said Stephen Mullowney, Chief Executive Officer.

About Tanzanian Gold Corporation

Tanzanian Gold Corporation along with its joint venture partner, STAMICO is building a significant gold project at Buckreef in Tanzania that is based on an expanded Mineral Resource base and the treatment of its mineable Mineral Reserves in two standalone plants. Measured Mineral Resource now stands at 19.98MT at 1.99g/t gold containing 1,281,161 ounces of gold and Indicated Mineral Resource now stand at 15.89MT at 1.48g/t gold containing 755,119 ounces of gold for a combined tonnage of 35.88MT at 1.77g/t gold containing 2,036,280 ounces of gold. The Buckreef Project also contains an Inferred Mineral Resource of 17.8MT at 1.11g/t gold for contained gold of 635,540 ounces of gold. The Company is actively investigating and assessing multiple exploration targets on its property. Please refer to the Companys Updated Mineral Resources Estimate for Buckreef Gold Project, dated May 15, 2020, for more information.

Tanzanian Gold Corporation is advancing on three value-creation tracks:

Strengthening its balance sheet by expanding near-term production to 15,000 - 20,000 oz. of gold per year from the processing of oxide material from an expanded oxide plant. Advancing the Final Feasibility Study for a stand-alone sulphide treating plant that is substantially larger than previously modelled and targeting significant annual gold production. Continuing with a drilling program to further test the potential of its property, Exploration Targets and Mineral Resource base by: (i) identifying new prospects; (ii) drilling new oxide/sulphide targets; (iii) infill drilling to upgrade Mineral Resources currently in the Inferred category; and (iv) a step-out drilling program in the Northeast Extension.



Andrew M. Cheatle, P.Geo. is the Companys Qualified Person as defined by the NI 43-101 who has verified the data disclosed in this news release and has otherwise reviewed and assumes responsibility for the technical content of this press release.

For further information, please contact Michael Martin, Investor Relations, m.martin@tangoldcorp.com, 860-248-0999, or visit the Company website at www.tangoldcorp.com

The Toronto Stock Exchange and NYSE American have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our SEC filings. You can review and obtain copies of these filings from the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements as defined in the applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as expects, anticipates, believes, hopes, intends, estimated, potential, possible and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions or results will, may, could or should occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect Tanzanian Gold managements expectations or beliefs regarding future events and include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the estimation of mineral reserves and resources, recoveries, subsequent project testing, success and viability of mining operations, the timing and amount of estimated future production, and capital expenditure.

Although TanGold believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance. The actual achievements of TanGold or other future events or conditions may differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors. These risks, uncertainties and factors include general business, legal, economic, competitive, political, regulatory and social uncertainties; actual results of exploration activities and economic evaluations; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; changes in costs; future prices of gold and other minerals; mining method, production profile and mine plan; delays in exploration, development and construction activities; changes in government legislation and regulation; the ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms and in a timely manner or at all; contests over title to properties; employee relations and shortages of skilled personnel and contractors; the speculative nature of, and the risks involved in, the exploration, development and mining business. These risks are set forth under Item 3.D in Tanzanian Golds Form 20-F for the year ended August 31, 2020, as amended, as filed with the SEC.

The information contained in this press release is as of the date of the press release and TanGold assumes not duty to update such information.

Note to U.S. Investors

US investors are advised that the mineral resource and mineral reserve estimated disclosed in this press release have been calculated pursuant to Canadian standards which use terminology consistent with the requirements CRIRSCO reporting standards. For its fiscal year ending August 31, 2021, and thereafter, the Company will follow new SEC regulations which uses a CRIRSCO based templet for mineral resources and mineral reserves, that includes definitions for inferred, indicated, and measured mineral resources.
The 63rd annual Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles on Sunday, and the show was hosted by Trevor Noah. Here are the highlights:

The majority of the prizes were announced Sunday afternoon in a livestreamed event, but the top awards were given during the telecast.

See the complete list of winners below:
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 16:20:39|Editor: huaxia

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Over a year after the COVID-19 outbreak in the Middle East, the pandemic is showing no signs of slowing down despite various control measures. The total number of confirmed cases has recently surpassed 10 million in the region, with some countries experiencing new peaks in infections.

As the region has passed the threshold of the grim record, many Middle East countries face mounting pressures.

In addition to various control measures, countries also pin high hopes on vaccines.

To support the vaccination drives in the region, China has provided vaccines to many Middle East countries, such as Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco and Turkey.

China's vaccine aid and exports came in the face of production shortfalls and distribution disparities across the globe.

On Dec. 30, 2020, the first batch of China's Sinovac vaccine arrived in Turkey. In mid-January, Turkey launched its vaccination campaign after 14 days of testing the Chinese jabs.

So far, over 11.03 million doses of the Chinese vaccine have been administered across Turkey, and more than 7.89 million people have been vaccinated in the country.

For countries still struggling in prolonged wars and deep-rooted conflicts, the pandemic is adding to the suffering of local people.

In Iraq, the COVID-19 curfew was extended last week due to a continued increase in infections.

Meanwhile, Chinese vaccine exports have arrived in Middle Eastern countries such as Morocco, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with China offering vaccine aid to countries including Egypt and Algeria.

Further cooperation is expected between China and the region.

Produced by Xinhua Global Service
[March 15, 2021] Contentsquare Foundation Launches With Mission to Reduce Digital Accessibility Gap

Experience analytics leader Contentsquare announced today the launch of the Contentsquare Foundation - a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting digital accessibility in the areas of education, technology and corporate social responsibility. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005524/en/ In the context of a pandemic that has greatly increased our reliance on digital to navigate day-to-day life, it is unacceptable that the 15% of the population who live with a disability should have reduced or limited access to services we collectively rely on today. In fact, a 2019 study conducted by Nucleus research showed that 70% of all websites are inaccessible to the vision-impaired. In light of this, Contentsquare acquired accessibility software developer AdaptMyWeb (AMW) in October 2020, with the threefold goal of improving accessibility witin the industry, developing tools for its customers to make their own digital properties accessible, and accelerating AMW's efforts to close the accessibility gap by starting a foundation.



The Contentsquare Foundation As part of its mission, the Contentsquare Foundation has already started developing a platform to assist students with reading difficulties, including those with dyslexia and visual impairments. This free solution is designed to help educators, parents and caregivers ensure that all students meet their academic potential and are not slowed down by inaccessible learning materials. The platform will also be available for free to healthcare professionals working with dyslexic patients. A beta version of this platform already has 15,000 users, and 500,000 documents have already been made accessible. By 2022, the Contentsquare Foundation aims to have partnered with 500 schools, trained more than 500 teachers on the platform, and engaged 150,000 students.

The Contentsquare Foundation is also developing partnerships with universities to integrate digital accessibility into the computer science curriculum, to ensure future computing professionals have the knowledge and skills they need to create accessible experiences. It's currently building an online training platform, in partnership with experts in the field of accessibility and inclusive design, that will allow students to take on-demand classes and complete their certification. "Today, 1 billion people in the world live with some type of disability, and yet the majority of websites remain inaccessible. As someone who has navigated the educational system while dyslexic, I have experienced firsthand the frustrations of a system that can feel ableist to anyone living with an impairment," said Marion Ranvier, Director of the Contentsquare Foundation. "We need to close the accessibility gap everywhere - starting with the classroom. There is so much we can achieve with technology and in 2021, there is no reason any student should struggle to read learning materials because of vision impairment." Contentsquare CEO and founder Jonathan Cherki has kickstarted the Contentsquare Foundation with a personal contribution, and the company will provide the foundation with important resources, as it raises funds to deliver on its mission. The Contentsquare Foundation is holding its first virtual event for digital professionals on March 26, in partnership with Microsoft (News - Alert) , on the topics of digital accessibility and inclusive design. About Contentsquare Contentsquare empowers brands to build better digital experiences. Our experience analytics platform tracks and visualizes billions of digital behaviors, delivering intelligent recommendations that everyone can use to grow revenue, increase loyalty and fuel innovation. Founded in Paris in 2012, Contentsquare has since opened offices in London, New York, San Francisco, Munich, Tel Aviv, Tokyo and Singapore. Today, it helps more than 700 enterprises in 26 countries deliver better digital experiences for their customers. Visit contentsquare.com to find out more. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005524/en/

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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.
Disturbed Jessica Camilleri butchered her mother, Rita, in July 2019 and has been jailed for up to 21 years

A suburban house of horrors where a Sydney woman beheaded her mother and stabbed her 100 times in the face and neck has quietly sold after being advertised as 'a rare find.'

Jessica Camilleri, 27, was jailed for up to 21 years last week for decapitating her mum Rita, 57, at the tidy, three bedroom blond brick home in the city's west on July 20, 2019.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal the one-time beheading crime scene sold last June for $680,000 after an advertisement described the property as 'truly superb'.

'This home is inviting from the get go as you stroll through the house you then understand what quality really means,' the description said.

The home was leased shortly afterwards with an almost identical ad boasting about renovations, 'good sized' bedrooms and 'ample' living space, and just a hint of past trouble - a warning that the agent would disclose a 'material fact' about the home upon viewing.

It comes as Jessica Camilleri's lengthy history of violence and creepy behaviour can be revealed. In a judgment condemning her to a possible two decades in prison, Justice Helen Wilson said Jessica had never been convicted of an offence before killing her mother.

The courts had dealt with four previous assault charges between December 2013 and February 2018 under provisions of the Mental Health Act which diverted her from the justice system.

'Inviting from the get go': The tidy three bedroom home in Sydney's greater west sold for $680,000 last June and was advertised as 'truly superb'

Above: the home's interior. Real estate agents are required to disclose if a person was a victim of murder or manslaughter in the past five years, and there's no suggestion this did not occur in this case

Justice Wilson revealed that Jessica's mother had taken her to the police station just one day before the gruesome incident, after the troubled young woman, then 25, dialled a random stranger 30 times in the 'very early hours' of July 19, 2019.

The horror film obsessive - who had autism, an intellectual disability and an 'explosive' personality disorder - only ended her phone bombardment after telling the man that 'she hoped he got cancer and died'.

Calling a random number to abuse a person was something she occasionally did, the Supreme Court was told. Justice Wilson revealed there had been a series of incidents where she had called random persons and threatened to cut off their heads.

One man sometimes experienced more than 100 calls 'per day' from Jessica 'in the 12 months before Anzac Day 2019,' the judgment said.

Further, there had been a spate of incidents between 2012 and 2016 where Jessica had repeatedly pulled strangers' hair - all of them women, the court heard. Justice Wilson said there were victims at a supermarket checkout, in doctors' waiting rooms and while alighting a bus, according to medical and police notes.

One women was holding a baby at the time she was assaulted by Jessica, the court heard.

Jessica had been charged with assault four times between December 2013 to February 2018, Justice Wilson said. But she didn't receive criminal convictions and the judge said it 'seems' she was dealt with under Section 32 of the Mental Health Act.

That section allows a magistrate to make orders requiring an accused person to seek treatment or abide by certain conditions, rather than be sentenced under the criminal justice system.

The victim: Jessica's mother, Rita, suffered more than 100 blows when her daughter, who suffered 'intermittent explosive disorder' and a host of other mental ailments, lashed out

At the police station the day before the brutal killing, an officer explained to Jessica that she couldn't bombard people with abusive calls and cautioned her at her mother's request.

Some time after 9.30pm on July 20, Jessica attacked her mother with seven kitchen knives, inflicting more than 100 blows, the court heard.

Her mother's head was found on the footpath and Jessica herself made a disturbing Triple Zero call to authorities about the incident.

Jessica was found guilty of manslaughter by a jury last year after two forensic psychiatrists told the trial she was suffering from substantial mental impairment.

Camilleri used seven kitchen knives in the attack, four of which broke due to force, before taking her mother's head outside their St Clair home and placing it on a footpath on July 19, 2019

Justice Wilson sentenced the now 27-year-old in the NSW Supreme Court last week.

The judge described the attack as 'one of the most serious instances of manslaughter it is possible for any imagination to conjure.'

Justice Wilson noted Jessica had an 'obsessive' interest in horror films - watching the movies Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Jeepers Creepers 'over and over again'.

The judge said there was 'no question' Jessica understood what she was doing and that it was 'very wrong and criminal'.

However, she accepted that Jessica was substantially impaired by her mental disorders.

Camilleri was jailed for a maximum term of 21 years and seven months, with a non parole period of 16 years and two months.

Her sister yelled out 'thank you' as the sentence was handed down, the Daily Telegraph reported.
BRIDGEPORT  Twice charged with assaulting his wife, including trying to run her over with his car, police said Derek Fisher begged her for a reconciliation.

But when they finally got back together, police said Fisher punched his wife multiple times and then chased her with his car  again.

The 36-year-old Fisher, who works as a shoe salesman in Milford, was charged Monday with second-degree assault, attempted first-degree assault, first-degree unlawful restraint, second-degree reckless endangerment and violating two protective orders.

He has two pending domestic violence cases with the same victim and is clearly a danger to the community, Superior Court Judge Tracy Lee Dayton said during Fishers arraignment Monday afternoon. She ordered him held in lieu of $300,000 bond.

According to police, on Friday, the wife arrived at St. Vincents Medical Center suffering a broken nose and cut and bruises on her face and body.

The woman told officers that Fisher, her husband of three years and the father of their three children, had called her and begged her to get back together with him, police said. They said the victim agreed to meet with Fisher and he had picked her up in his car.

But during the drive, police said Fisher complained that the victim had ruined his life and began punching her. When the woman threatened to jump out of the car, police said Fisher drove up on Interstate 95 at high speed and told her to jump.

Police said Fisher drove off the highway and onto shoulder at which point the woman got out of the car and began running. However, they said, Fisher then began pursuing her with his car.

The victim managed to hide in the rear yard of a home until Fisher drove off, police said.

Fisher is awaiting trial in Bridgeport and New Haven courts on assault charges, according to court records.
In October 2019, shortly before the COVID outbreak, Gates and other powerful individuals began planning how to censor vaccine safety advocates from social media during a table-top simulation of a worldwide pandemic, known as Event 201.

Over the last two weeks, Facebook and other social media sites have deplatformed me and many other critics of regulatory corruption and authoritarian public health policies. So, here is some fodder for those of you who have the eerie sense that the government/industry pandemic response feels like it was planned  even before there was a pandemic.

The attached document shows that a cabal of powerful individuals did indeed begin planning the mass eviction of vaccine skeptics from social media in October 2019, a week or two before COVID began circulating. That month, Microsoft founder Bill Gates organized an exercise of four table-top simulations of a worldwide coronavirus pandemic with other high-ranking Deep State panjandrums. The exercise was referred to as Event 201.

Gates co-conspirators included representatives from the World Bank, the World Economic Forum (Great Reset), Bloomberg/Johns Hopkins University Populations Center, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, various media powerhouses, the Chinese government, a former Central Intelligence Agency/National Security Agency director (there is no such thing as a former CIA officer), vaccine maker Johnson & Johnson, the finance and biosecurity industries and Edelman, the worlds leading corporate PR firm.

At Gates direction, these eminences role-played members of a Pandemic Control Council, wargaming government strategies for controlling the pandemic, the narrative and the population. Needless to say, there was little talk of building immune systems, off-the-shelf remedies or off-patent therapeutic drugs and vitamins, but lots of chatter about promoting uptake of new patentable antiviral drugs and vaccines.

But the participants primarily focused on planning industry-centric, fear-mongering, police-state strategies for managing an imaginary global coronavirus contagion culminating in mass censorship of social media.

Oddly, Gates now claims that the simulation didnt occur. On April 12, 2020, Gates told BBC, Now here we are. We didnt simulate this, we didnt practice, so both the health policies and economic policies, we find ourselves in uncharted territory.

Unfortunately for that whopper, the videos of the event are still available across the internet. They show that Gates and team did indeed simulate health and economic policies. Its hard to swallow that Gates has forgotten.

Gatess Event 201 simulated COVID epidemic caused 65 million deaths at the 18-month endpoint and global economic collapse lasting up to a decade. Compared to the Gates simulation, therefore, the actual COVID-19 crisis is a bit of a dud, having imposed a mere 2.5 million deaths attributed to COVID over the past 13 months.

The deaths attributed to COVID in the real-life situation are highly questionable, and must be seen in the context of a global population of 7.8 billion, with about 59 million deaths expected annually. The predictions of decade-long economic collapse will probably prove more accurate  but only because of the draconian lockdown promoted by Gates.

Gates Event 201 script imagines vast anti-vaccine riots triggered by internet posts. The universal and single-minded presumption among its participants was that such a crisis would prove an opportunity of convenience to promote new vaccines, and tighten controls by a surveillance and censorship state.

Segment four of the script  on manipulation and control of public opinion  is most revealing. It uncannily predicted democracys current crisis:

The participants discussed mechanisms for controlling disinformation and misinformation, by flooding the media with propaganda (good information), imposing penalties for spreading falsehoods and discrediting the anti-vaccination movement.

Jane Halton, of Australias ANZ Bank, one of the authors of Australias oppressive no jab, no pay policy, assured the participants that Gates Foundation is creating algorithms to sift through information on these social media platforms to protect the public from dangerous thoughts and information.

George Gao, the prescient director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control, worries about how to suppress rumors that the virus is laboratory generated: People believe, This is a manmade [and that] some pharmaceutical company made the virus.

Chen Huang, an Apple research scientist, Google scholar and the worlds leading expert on tracking and tracing and facial recognition technology, role-plays the newscaster reporting on government countermeasures. He blames riots on anti-vaccine activists and predicts that Twitter and Facebook will cooperate in identify[ing] and delete[ing] a disturbing number of accounts dedicated to spreading misinformation about the outbreak and to implement internet shutdowns  to quell panic.

Dr. Tara Kirk Sell, a senior scholar at Bloomberg School of Healths Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, worries that pharmaceutical companies are being accused of introducing the virus so they can make money on drugs and vaccines: [We] have seen public faith in their products plummet. She notes with alarm that Unrest, due to false rumors and divisive messaging, is rising and is exacerbating spread of the disease as levels of trust fall and people stop cooperating with response efforts. This is a massive problem, one that threatens governments and trusted institutions.

Sell reminds her fellow collaborators that We know that social media is now the primary way that many people get their news, so interruptions to these platforms could curb the spread of misinformation. There are many ways, Sell advises, for government and industry allies to accomplish this objective: Some governments have taken control of national access to the Internet. Others are censoring websites and social media content and a small number have shut down Internet access completely to prevent the spread of misinformation. Penalties have been put in place for spreading harmful falsehoods, including arrests.

Matthew Harrington, CEO of Edelman Public Relations agrees that social media must fall in line to promote government policy: I also think were at a moment where the social media platforms have to step forward and recognize the moment to assert that theyre a technology platform and not a broadcaster is over. They in fact have to be a participant in broadcasting accurate information and partnering with the scientific and health communities to counterweight, if not flood the zone, of accurate information. Because to try to put the genie back in the bottle of misinformation and disinformation is not possible.

Stephen Redd, the Admiral of the Public Health Service, has the sinister notion that government should mine social media data to identify people with negative beliefs: I think with the social media platforms, theres an opportunity to understand who it is thats susceptible  to misinformation, so I think theres an opportunity to collect data from that communication mechanism.

Adrian Thomas of Johnson & Johnson announces some important news to share from some of our member companies [Pharma]: We are doing clinical trials in new antiretrovirals, and in fact, in vaccines! He recommends a strategy to address the problems to these companies when rumors were actually spreading that their shoddily tested products are causing deaths and so patients are not taking them anymore. He suggests, Maybe were making the mistake of reporting and counting all the fatalities and infections.

Former CIA deputy director, Avril Haines unveiled a strategy to flood the zone with propaganda from trusted sources, including influential community leaders, as well as health workers. He warns about false information that is starting to actually hamper our ability to address the pandemic, then we need to be able to respond quickly to it.

Matthew Harrington (Edelman CEO) observes that the Internet  which once promised the decentralization and democratization of information  now needs to be centralized: I think just to build a little bit on what Avril said, I think as in previous conversations where weve talked about centralization around management of information or public health needs, there needs to be a centralized response around the communications approach that then is cascaded to informed advocates, represented in the NGO communities, the medical professionals, et cetera.

Tom Inglesby (John Hopkins biosecurity expert advisor to the National Institutes of Health, the Pentagon and Homeland Security) agrees that centralized control is needed: You mean centralized international?

Matthew Harrington (Edelman) replies that information access should be: Centralized on an international basis, because I think there needs to be a central repository of data facts and key messages.

Hasti Taghi (Media Advisor) sums up: The anti-vaccine movement was very strong and this is something specifically through social media that has spread. So as we do the research to come up with the right vaccines to help prevent the continuation of this, how do we get the right information out there? How do we communicate the right information to ensure that the public has trust in these vaccines that were creating?

Kevin McAleese, communications officer for Gates-funded agricultural projects, observes that: To me, it is clear countries need to make strong efforts to manage both mis- and disinformation. We know social media companies are working around the clock to combat these disinformation campaigns. The task of identifying every bad actor is immense. This is a huge problem thats going to keep us from ending the pandemic and might even lead to the fall of governments, as we saw in the Arab Spring. If the solution means controlling and reducing access to information, I think its the right choice.

Tom Inglesby, director of Bloombergs Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security concurs, asking if In this case, do you think governments are at the point where they need to require social media companies to operate in a certain way?

Lavan Thiru, Singapores Finance Minister suggests that the government might make examples of dissidents with government or enforcement actions against fake news. Some of us, this new regulations are come in place about how we deal with fake news. Maybe this is a time for us to showcase some cases where we are able to bring forward some bad actors and leave it before the courts to decide whether they have actually spread some fake news.

Read the attached transcript to see how Gates and his government, pharma and intelligence apparatus telegraphed their plans to censor and control the media during the pandemic. In yet another uncanny coincidence, COVID-19 began circulating among global populations within days of Gates meeting.


Half Yearly Report and Accounts

Sydney, Mar 15, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The principal activities of Cobre Limited ( ASX:CBE ) during the financial half-year was the exploration and evaluation of the assets held by Cobre's 100 per cent owned subsidiary Toucan Gold Pty Ltd (Toucan), primarily at the Perrinvale Project, which covers 408km2 of the Panhandle and Illaara Greenstone Belts in Western Australia.The Company also continued to incur exploration expenditure under the Sandiman Farmin Agreement. The Sandiman Tenement is located in the Gascoyne Province, approximately 85km north of the town of Gascoyne Junction in Western Australia and spans across 202km2 on the eastern edge of the Carnarvon Basin.In addition to its exploration focus, during the financial half-year the Company signed a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) for the scrip based acquisition of up to 51% of the UK based, Kalahari Metals Limited (KML). KML is a copper exploration JV company in the highly prospective Kalahari Copper Belt (KCB) in Botswana. The consideration for the acquisition will be the issue of 21,444,582 Cobre shares and is subject to Cobre shareholder approval at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) scheduled for Tuesday 6 April 2021.During the financial half-year, the Company undertook a dual focus of continuing to concentrate on its exploration activities at the Perrinvale Volcanic-Hosted Massive Sulphide (VHMS) Project located in Western Australia and also through the geographic and strategic diversification into Botswana through the proposed acquisition of a controlling interest in KML as stated above.Exploration activities:During the period, the Company provided the following updates in relation to its exploration activities in Western Australia:On 20 July 2020, the Company announced the receipt of initial assay results from the third drilling program at the Schwabe Prospect at Perrinvale. The first Diamond Core (DC) hole at Schwabe, 20PVDD007, intersected 7m of sulphide mineralisation as two sulphide zones separated by 3 metres of internal basalt, generating the following assay intervals:- Sulphide zone: 3.5m@ 3.4% Cu, 0.8% Zn, 0.10% Co, 368 ppm Pb, 1.1 g/t Au, & 16.5 g/t Ag from 48.0m.- Internal Basalt: 3.0m@ 0.03% Cu, 0.02% Zn, 0.00% Co, 7 ppm Pb, 0.01 g/t Au, & 0.1 g/t Ag from 51.5m.- Sulphide zone: 3.5m@ 2.0% Cu, 1.4% Zn, 0.07% Co, 344 ppm Pb, 0.3 g/t Au, & 7.4 g/t Ag from 54.5m.The third DC hole at Schwabe, 20PVDD014, encountered a semi massive to massive mineralised horizon. As noted in the announcement of 20 July 2020, a deeper DC hole at Schwabe was in the process of testing the down dip potential of the mineralisation (via a tail on previous drill hole 20PVRC025) with the aim of the drilling to target the mineralised horizon approximately 200m down dip of the previous DC holes at an expected depth of ~350m.Reverse Circulation (RC) holes were also completed on 'step-out sections' located 80m north and 80m south of previous drilling at Schwabe. These RC holes confirmed strike continuity of the mineralised horizon to the north and south, as defined by interflow sediments and variable amounts of sulphides between the basalt flows. Other RC drilling at Schwabe tested Moving Loop Electromagnetic (MLEM) conductors north, west and south-west of main prospect area.To view the full report, please visit:About Cobre Limited

Cobre Limited (ASX:CBE) is a copper and base-metals explorer with projects in Western Australia and Botswana. The Company recently discovered a new high-grade VMS deposit enriched in Copper, Gold, Zinc and Silver in Western Australia, and is currently exploring approximately 8,100 km2 of tenements within the Kalahari Copper Belt (KCB) in Botswana.
NORTH READING, Mass., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TraceLink Inc., the leading digital network platform company for the life sciences industry, today announced the move of its U.S. corporate headquarters to a new location that will accommodate both the Company's new hybrid working model and rapid employee growth, anticipated over the next 18 months. TraceLink also announced the expansion of its fastest-growing location in Pune, India, doubling the square footage of the original space. Since the beginning of 2020, TraceLink has hired 200 new employees, for a total of 672 employees located across 12 countries.

"Our continued success, driven by the unremitting, critical need for global medicine safety and supply chain agility, puts TraceLink in a unique and exciting position to increase our sustainability, invest further into our employees and accelerate our future growth by expanding our global workforce," said Shabbir Dahod, president and CEO at TraceLink. "By adopting a hybrid working model, we can provide permanent, flexible work options for our employees, and are no longer bound by geographic barriers, providing the ability to unlock new talent and growth opportunities in virtually any part of the world."

To accommodate its growing corporate headquarters in Massachusetts, TraceLink is moving to a new building located at 200 Ballardvale Street in Wilmington, just two miles away from its current location. Owned by development company Griffith Properties, the location will be designed to accommodate TraceLink's new hybrid work model, including dedicated workspaces for onsite and flexible remote employees, with additional space for the Company's anticipated growth.

TraceLink has also doubled the size of its Pune, India location, acquiring additional square footage for more workspaces, meeting rooms and collaborative environments that are better suited to the current working environment. TraceLink employee growth in India has increased by 100 percent over the past 12 months.

TraceLink has six locations around the world, with its corporate headquarters in Massachusetts, and additional offices in Rochester, New York; Uxbridge, England; Mumbai, India; Pune, India; and Singapore.

About TraceLink

TraceLink is the only business network creation platform for building integrated business ecosystems with multienterprise applications. Business networks are the foundation of a digitalization strategy that delivers customer-centric agility and resiliency of the end-to-end supply network leveraging the collective intelligence of an industry. TraceLink's Opus Digital Network Platform enables speed of innovation and implementation with an open partner model for no-code and low-code development of solutions and applications. Learn more at www.tracelink.com

SOURCE TraceLink

Related Links

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Hyderabad, March 15 : Telugu actor Sudheer Babu feasted on 8,000 calories worth ice-cream to celebrate cheat day! In his new Instagram post, Sudheer can be seen walking into an ice-cream parlour and indulging in a big bowl of chocolate ice cream.

"8000+ calories ice cream. This is a 8000 + calories cheat meal that I have hard earned after a rigorous phase Finished the takie part and also the rigidity. I feel I am going to look and feel my best in #SrideviSodaCente," he wrote.

Image Source: IANS News

The gig, as his post mentions, was obviously a stunt to promote his upcoming film "Sri Devi Soda Centre", directed by Karuna Kumar. The film also stars actress Anandhi. Details of the film are still to be revealed.

Last year, Sudhir Babu was seen in the Nani-starrer, "V", which was released globally on OTT. Sudhir had an action avatar as a rugged cop in the film, which received mixed response.

-- Syndicated from IANS
A glance at some of the day's highlights from the Proactive Investors newswire

Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas Ltd (LON:ECO) said the renewal of the Orinduik licence has been signed off by the oil authorities in Guyana.

( ) acquired a royalty interest in revenues generated from three fields in the Central North Sea.

(LON:HZM, TSX: HZM) has adjusted its unaudited financial results for the three and nine-month periods to 30 September 2020 following a review by its auditors after the recent US$9.2mln warrants issue. As a result, the nickel explorer has adopted a new accounting policy adopted regarding the capitalisation of borrowing costs due to the interest charge on the royalty financing arrangement between the company and Orion Mine Finance. The net result is a 2.3mln reduction in losses and subsequent 2.3mln increase in net assets with no cash impact.

announced that 2mln warrants exercisable at 10p and expiring in December 2022 were issued to a group of 13 private investors on January 31, 2021. The oil and gas acquisition and development company also said that 8mln warrants exercisable at 12p and expiring in December 2023 were issued to six investors on February 5, 2021.

(LON: CNR, ) said it agreed to buy a new Semiautogenenuous (SAG) Mill, a key item needed to bring the company's La India gold and silver project into production, for about US$6.5mln in cash and shares.

PLC ( ) has started drilling a third hole (KKME 1-11a) at the Kalahari Key Mineral Exploration Molopo Farms Complex Project in Botswana. KKME 1-11a is expected to go down 450m to the upper side of a conductive body modelled from geophysical survey data.

Zephyr Energy PLC ( ) said it plans to proceed with a near-term drilling of a side track lateral well off the initial well at its project in the Paradox Basin, Utah.

( ) has unveiled a new partnership between its Gfinity Digital Media (GDM) business and Magic Lamp Technologies, the owner of interactive video game map creator MapGenie.

Ferro (LON: FAR), the vanadium mining and processing company with operations based in Southern Kazakhstan, has entered into a subscription agreement for up to US$12.6mln with Vision Blue Resources, a company led and founded by former Xstrata chief executive Sir Mick Davis, and a limited number of co-investors. Sir Mick Davis will join the Ferro Alloys board as chairman following completion of the initial raise.

( ) said it is to receive US government support to develop its XF-73 technology to combat infection associated with open wounds and broken skin.

( ) has completed the disposal of its 28.56% interest in the Ausable Reef gas assets, though not exactly as planned.

PLC ( ) has accelerated its earn-in to the Silver Peak silver project in British Colombia, Canada. The project includes the Eureka-Victoria silver mine, the first Crown-granted mineral property in British Colombia. Power Metal now holds a 30% interest in the project, and is forming a project holding company for it with a view to a separate listing on a recognised exchange.

( ) said the Kiziltepe mine in western Turkey is expected to produce about 19,000 ounces of gold this year, around 90% higher than anticipated in the feasibility plan for this stage.

( ) announced it will be presenting its technology for graphene dispersion in water-based epoxy coatings at the Corrosion 21 Conference & Expo on April 28.

( ) said it has agreed for its chief executive Andrew Day to take a temporary leave of absence from the business for health reasons, effective immediately.

( ) said it expects significant progress in both its food supplement and its cosmetic programmes during 2021.

FastForward Innovations Ltd ( ) hailed a major commercial roll-out for investee company Leap Gamings EuroLeague Instant Legends betting product on a range of websites across six countries.

Induction Healthcare PLC ( ) has unveiled commercial contract wins with Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust and East & North Hertfordshire NHS Trust. Its Induction Booking system will be used to schedule COVID-19 vaccinations and follow-up appointments for the trust's NHS staff.

( ) announced the new contract with John Ball Zoo for BRICKLIVE Supersized will take place from the end of March until September 2021.

( ), the life assurance group, said it will be reporting its results for the year ended December 31, 2020, on March 30, 2021.

Redx Pharma PLC (LON:REDX) said it has appointed Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited to act as Joint Broker to the company alongside WG Partners with immediate effect.

( ), the early-stage biotech investor, announced a share buyback programme worth up to 25mln. Hardman & Co Research has also published a note on the company.
By Damali Mukhaye

The Uganda Business and Technical Examinations Board is today set to conduct the deferred 2020 exams in over 400 technical institutes across the country.

Addressing journalists at their offices in Ntinda this morning, the UBTEB Executive Secretary, Onesmus Oyesigye said students pursuing certificates in various programs were supposed to sit for their exams last year between November and December but due to covid-19, the exercise was postponed.

He said a total of 30,069 students will sit for their examinations from 460 centers across the country.

Oyesigye adds that the board has deployed 2,000 supervisors, 15,000 practical examiners and 443 scouts asking heads of institutions to observe the Standard Operation Procedures put in place by the ministry of health while conducting the exams.


Photo: Richard Zussman

Driftwood Brewery's Fat Tug IPA is B.C.'s best beer.

That's not according to brewers, experts or cicerones, but thousands of Twitter users. CBC reporter and B.C.'s top bracket maker Justin McElroy just spent the last couple of weeks creating a tournament of brews with popular and respected beers from across the province facing off against each other until just one remained.

In the end it was Fat Tug that topped the polls, beating Four Winds's Nectarous in a final that was fairly close, with over 4,400 votes for the two ales.

To long-time craft beer fans it probably comes as no surprise that an IPA took the top spot in B.C. (though the top beers represented a few different styles), or that Driftwood Brewery was in the final; the same goes for Delta's Four Winds Brewing Company.

Both have won the Canadian Brewing Awards Beer of the Year award (Fat Tug in 2011, Nectarous in 2016). Both breweries have a bevy of other beverage awards as well. So yes, this was a heavyweight battle.

Four Winds actually had two other beers finish in the top eight, with Juxtapose (6) and La Maison (8).

Beers from what's become Victoria's brewing district (around Rock Bay) did well. Dark Matter from Hoyne Brewing (which neighbours Driftwood) took third, while Blue Buck (a long-time favourite in pubs around Victoria), finished fourth--it's brewed at Phillips just a short walk from the other two.

Dat Juice from Twin Sails in Port Moody and Dageraad Blonde from Burnaby rounded out the top eight, meaning no beers brewed in the City of Vancouver cracked the quarter-finals. Beers from outside the most populous regions of B.C. didn't do so well, with only Tofino's Kelp Stout making it to the round of 16.
Jon Stuebbe is retired after 20 years as a Kern County Superior Court judge. He was previously dean of California Pacific School of Law. The views expressed here are his own.
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Assembly elections will be held in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu starting on April 6. The southern Indian states of Kerala and Pondicherry (Puducherry) will go to the polls at the same time, while the eastern states of West Bengal and Assam will be held in phases starting on March 27. The Election Commission of India has stated that election results will be announced on May 2.

Palaniswami with Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam in 2018. (Image Credit: Press Information Bureau on behalf of Prime Minister's Office, Government of India under the ID 129388 and CNR 116815.)

These elections take place amid a collapse in the living standards of Indias working population due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and growing war tensions with China. Workers and farmers are entering into struggle against huge job losses and soaring prices for fuel and essential commodities.

The Indian bourgeoisie brought to power Narendra Modis Hindu-supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in 2014 to accelerate the pro-investor agenda of the previous Congress-led government of Manmohan Singh. Singh was one of the architects of deregulation and free-market policies in the 1990s, amid the Stalinist regimes dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The BJP, the Congress and Indias Stalinist and regionalist parties have all pushed to reopen the economy during the pandemic, even as the death toll surged to 158,642 today.

The result of the policies of the BJP and the Congress over the last decades is that India is one of the worlds most unequal societies. The top one percent of Indian society has four times more wealth than the bottom 70 percent. Millions live in poverty, illiteracy and malnutrition.

For over a decade, moreover, the BJP and the Congress have worked to integrate India into Washingtons strategic offensive against China. To this end, the BJP has opened its air and naval bases to US imperialism. In addition, it has developed Indias military-security alliance with Washingtons main Asia-Pacific allies, Japan and Australia. This brings Asia to the brink of war between nuclear-armed states.

Edappadi Palanichamys regionalist All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government in Tamil Nadu is the BJPs ally in the region. It serves the interests of Indian big business and foreign investors in Tamil Nadu, facilitating brutal exploitation of workers by the corporations. It has developed a loose electoral alliance with the BJP and the caste-ist Proletarian Peoples Party (PMK).

The regionalist, Tamil-nationalist Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the main opposition party, is contesting the elections claiming it is running against rampant official corruption. The DMKs claim that it fundamentally opposes AIADMK corruption is all the less plausible in that the AIADMK emerged from a split within the DMK led by film star M. G. Ramachandran in 1972.

The We Tamil Party (Naam Tamilar Katchi - NTK) and other Tamil nationalists work to exploit the lack of a visible progressive alternative to the discredited DMK and AIADMK, or to the Congress and BJP. The NTK seeks to divide the working class by claiming Tamil Nadu must be ruled by ethnically Tamil persons, and inciting hatred against state workers, typically long-time residents of Tamil Nadu, who are not ethnically Tamil.

The Congress, the Stalinist Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), the Indian Union Muslim League and the caste-ist Liberation Panthers of VCK are all set to join the DMK alliance.

The Indian Stalinist parties historically have demanded that workers seek a politically debilitating alliance with the bourgeois Congress party. They support the Congress, claiming they are fighting for secularism against the BJP. By blocking the emergence of a movement opposing the Congress on its left, in the working class, they have allowed parties like the BJP and the NTK in Tamil Nadu to exploit frustration with poverty and unemployment created by Congress policies.

The DMK and AIADMK, which have alternated in power since the Congress lost control of the Tamil Nadu state government in 1967, are virtually indistinguishable for workers. Unable to win votes by campaigning among working people, they hire spin doctors such as the I-PAC (Indian Political Action Committee) or the OMG (One Mind Generation) to market themselves to voters.

Both speak for billionaires running huge media empires, directly tied to imperialist finance capital, and have brutally suppressed strikes and protests against their policies. In 1999, when tea plantation workers in Manjolai in the Tirunelveli district fought for a pay rise, the DMK government arrested 652 workers and imprisoned them in Trichy. Thousands of workers fought the arrest. The DMK government police attacked them and drowned 17 in the Tamiraparani river in the Manjolai labourers massacre.

In 2018, Edappadis AIADMK government opened fire on workers and youth protesting pollution from the Sterlite copper-smelting plant in Thoothukudi, killing 14 in the Thoothukudi Massacre.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the herd immunity policies pursued by the bourgeoisie have vastly intensified class tensions internationally and in India. Tamil Nadu has seen the second-worst economic decline of all Indias states during the pandemic.

Last month, AIADMK Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister O. Panneerselvam presented an interim budget report for the financial year 2021-22. He noted that Tamil Nadu currently has a debt of Rs 4.85 lakh crore (US$74.1 billion), which will rise to Rs 5.70 lakh crore ($87.6 billion) next year. Forty-two thousand crore rupees is being paid as interest on these loans. Further revealing the depth of the financial crisis, the state government is taking new loans to make its interest payments.

Since the BJP took power in 2014 and won re-election in 2019, it has relentlessly attacked the working class, imposing a regressive national tax system, the anti-Muslim Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the abrogation of the special status of the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir, a labour law and a farm law.

The alternative to the herd immunity pursued by the capitalist class internationally, and to the anti-worker agenda of the Indian bourgeoisie, is the emerging movement in the Indian and world working class. There have been several waves of strikes in the United States and Europe in the spring and autumn of 2020 against herd immunity policies. In India, a powerful movement of strikes by civil servants, mass protests against the anti-Muslim CAA, and of farmers protests against the Modi government has unfolded before and during the pandemic.

Tamil Nadu transport workers have gone on strike for demands including a wage hike that has been delayed for three years and to make contract workers permanent. Many of the retired workers are yet to receive their pensions. There has been widespread outrage at the AIADMK government for spending millions of public funds on upcoming state election advertisements to remain in power while refusing wages and pensions to workers it is condemning to poverty.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that the task facing this emerging international movement in the working class is to end the anti-social policies of the capitalist class and take state power around the world in order to wage a scientific fight against the virus. It requires a struggle in the working class to break with the nationalist conceptions promoted by all the bourgeois and Stalinist parties in Tamil Nadu, and the building of a Trotskyist leadership in the working classthe struggle waged across the Indian subcontinent by the Socialist Equality Party of Sri Lanka.
PHILIPSBURG:--- March 8, 2021, marked International Women's Day 2021. This day was celebrated around the world in recognition of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and also brought awareness to areas that need improvement for gender equity and inclusion. This year, International Womens Day was themed Choose To Challenge.

As part of the global celebration, the University of St.Martin (USM), TelEm N.V and the Produce Wealth Revolution (PWR) Agency came together in a collaborative effort to produce Oualichi Politics - a virtual panel discussion highlighting seven (7) of the islands most influential women in the political arena. This virtual panel discussion was moderated by Ife Badejo, founder and Chief Experience Officer of the PWR Agency.

Six (6) speakers were the Honorable Silveria Jacobs (Prime Minister and former Minister of Education), Honorable Melissa Gumbs (MP and co-founder of PFP), Honorable Valerie Demaseau (First Vice President of the Collectivite de Saint-Martin), Gwendolien E. Mossel (Ombudsman of St. Maarten), Lysanne Charles (Candidate for the Dutch Second Chamber national elections, Bij1), and Jorien Wuite (Candidate for the Dutch Second Chamber national elections, D66). Each speaker shared what inspires them and the difference they would like to see in the future of St. Maarten/St. Martin.

Before going to the panel discussion, Member of Parliament, Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams, was awarded the Living Legend Award in recognition for being a trailblazer for other women in politics with her substantial influence in politics. MP Wescot -Williams has been a notable player in politics for more than four (4) decades. Her political career saw her ascent in 1994 to the leadership of the oldest political party on the island, the Democratic Party, following in the footsteps of the legendary late Dr. A. Claude Wathey.

In the former structure of Island Territory, she served in the Island Council for 15 years and for a short period, was also a member of the Netherlands Antillean Parliament. On October 10, 2010, she was appointed the first Prime Minister of the Country St. Maarten. In that capacity, she represented the country in regional bodies and chaired the regional HIV/AIDS program and the regional European Development Programs. MP Sarah Wescot-Williams has also served as President of the Parliament and holds a Masters degree in Public Administration.

In her recipients address, MP Wescot-Williams focused on the need for more dialogue among women in politics and the importance of building bridges to address the needs of society, especially those of women for economic dignity. The member of parliament addressed the current crisis and her choice to challenge not let the pandemic make her oblivious to the many challenges that exist in our society, especially for women. MP shared her optimism that the window of opportunity to leverage this crisis for lasting change is still open, albeit closing, for justice, equality, and peace. All women congratulated MP Wescot-Williams for her award and spoke about what they choose to challenge.

The panel discussion focused on what these women choose to challenge in their roles. PM Jacobs spoke about how she chooses to challenge the status quo including the limits put on women for their gender and negative perspective of civic engagement. MP Gumbs shared how she chooses to also challenge the status quo and bring innovative solutions to the community in her capacity as a parliamentarian and party leader. First VP Damaseau spoke about how she chooses to challenge cross-border governance in a manner that ideally serves the people collectively of this island. Ombudsman Ms. Mossel spoke about she chooses to challenge the glass ceiling, that St. Maarten cannot have an equitable society, and to involve the youth to better understand civics and governance. Drs. Wuite focused on choosing to challenge the inequality in our society especially disenfranchised women and children who are unable to further develop themselves through education including affordable and quality daycare. Ms. Charles shared that she chooses to challenge the limits of society that may divide us as a society, economic differences in healthcare and education, and therefore poverty.

Commentators included Ms. Makhicia Brooks, director of the St. Maarten Development Fund (SMDF), Akilah Meulens from the SAFE organization, and Carla Vlaun from Melee. All of these women asked questions that were answered by the panelists.

Oualichi Politics aired on Facebook Live on the pages of TelEm N.V., USM, and PWR Agency simultaneously on March 8th and the replay is available on those same pages.
Redbreast limited edition marks 30th anniversary of rebirth

Irish whiskey brand Redbreast is marking 30 years since its resurrection by Irish Distillers with a new expression.

Redbreast 10 Years Old is a limited-edition reimagining of a historic expression which salutes the revival of single pot still Irish whiskeys at Midleton Distillery and on the world stage.

The recipe was originally created by W.A Gilbey, a wine and spirit merchant operating in Dublin at the turn of the 20th century that sourced distillate from the Jameson distillery to mature in its sherry casks.

The expression comprises three whiskeys, aged 10 to 15 years, that have been matured in ex-Bourbon oak barrels and Oloroso sherry-seasoned butts. The prominent sherry butt contribution in the whiskey pays homage to the use of fortified wine casks in whiskey bonding across Ireland in the 1960s.

The 10 Years Olds packaging has been designed to enhance the traditional credentials of the Redbreast brand and to appeal to nostalgia around the brand, with a label reminiscent of the white and red seal from the historic Gilbeys 10 Years Old.

Bottled at cask strength of 59.1% ABV, Redbreast 10 Years Old will retail at 100 (90). The expression will be available exclusively via The Birdhouse, Redbreasts online membership platform.

Irish distillers master blender Billy Leighton said: This release rejoices the longstanding history of Redbreast Irish Whiskey and celebrates the distinctive qualities which Redbreast is known for globally.

Blender Dave McCabe said: Redbreast has gone from strength to strength to become the largest selling single pot still Irish whiskey in the world, with a fascinating and rich history of which we are incredibly proud.

"For this limited-edition bottling, we seized the opportunity to praise the iconic sherry influence on the range and pay tribute to the rich history between Spanish and Irish craft. This is a representation of the coming together of tradition, and true craftsmanship, which has been handed down for generations.

16 March 2021 - Bethany Whymark
President focuses on key issues related to livelihoods in talks at two sessions Tashi Dorje, a national legislator from Qinghai province, was excited when talking about his meeting with President Xi Jinping during the just-concluded two sessions in Beijing. When Xi took part in discussions with the province's deputies to the 13th National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, on March 7, Tashi Dorje told Xi about the development of his hometown in the Yushu Tibetan autonomous prefecture, which was hit by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake about 11 years ago. The disaster flattened a town and claimed more than 2,600 lives. "I have been paying attention to Yushu's post-quake recovery all these years," Xi said. He recalled his visit to Yushu after the earthquake in June 2010, when he was vice-president. "I flew directly to Yushu. I went to a village more than 4,000 meters above sea level. The damage there was serious." Tashi Dorje told Xi that great changes have taken place in his hometown. After the earthquake, the people of Yushu quickly rebuilt their homes, and all the rural people in the prefecture have been lifted out of poverty. "Now the streets of Yushu are cleaner, the houses are better and the milk tea is sweeter." Xi asked in detail about people's livelihoods in the prefecture, and said he is confident Yushu will develop even better amid the nation's efforts to strive for high-quality growth. Every year when China holds the annual sessions of the NPC and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the top political advisory body, Xi always joins other legislators and political advisers in discussing issues of national importance, such as poverty alleviation, environmental protection, reform and opening-up, and technological innovation. And during this year's two sessions, he talked more about "people's well-being" and "high-quality development", and urged officials to stick to the people-centered philosophy and enable the results of high-quality growth to meet people's aspirations for a better life. He told the legislators from Qinghai province that high-quality development remains the theme for China's social and economic growth in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period and beyond, and it matters to the overall situation of the country's socialist modernization drive. He further explained that pursuing the high-quality development path calls for upholding the people-centered development philosophy and sticking to innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared growth. It is not only related to economics, but covers all aspects of socioeconomic development. Liu Shijin, deputy director of the Economic Affairs Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, said that with the growing prosperity in recent years, people have more diversified requirements for living a better life. China's pursuit of high-quality development aims to further improve people's living conditions not only in the economic and cultural aspects, but also in terms of their living environment, Liu said. When Xi met legislators from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, environmental conservation was among the main topics of discussion. He has always stressed a "holistic approach" to conserving mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes and grasslands to achieve sustainable growth. This time, he added deserts to the list of priorities. Top-level design and comprehensive measures are needed to protect the ecosystems in mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts, Xi said. Zhou Yizhe, an NPC deputy from Inner Mongolia who works at a tree farm, told Xi that he used to be a logger, but now works as a forest ranger. The tree farm where he works has completely abandoned timber felling, and has shifted its focus to environmental protection. Zhou said that more wild animals are coming to the tree farm now, and research has indicated that the ecosystem in the forests and wetlands has greatly improved. "Your identity shift from a logger to a forest ranger epitomizes our country's transformation in industrial structures," Xi said after hearing Zhou's story. Highlighting the concept of "green GDP", Xi said that maintaining a good environment is of enormous value. He called on Inner Mongolia to continue to fight pollution and improve the environment in both urban and rural areas. As the COVID-19 pandemic still rages globally and China is also facing the risk of the resurgence of the virus, Xi stressed giving priority to safeguarding people's health when he joined discussions with national political advisers from the education, medical and health sectors in a joint group meeting on March 6. Since the outbreak started, Xi has required "putting people first" and "putting people's lives foremost" in the fight against the virus. As China has made strategic achievements in epidemic control, he urged efforts to accelerate the implementation of the Healthy China Initiative, with an emphasis on major diseases and problems that matter to people's health. People's health is the foundation of a civilization's progress and an important indicator of a nation's prosperity, he said. During discussions with legislators and political advisers, Xi underlined the need to make consistent efforts to solve the problems that matter to people's livelihoods, including employment, education, social security, healthcare and housing, and improve the accessibility of public services. Efforts should also be made to advance coordinated development between urban and rural areas and fully carry out the rural vitalization strategy, in order to improve the living conditions of urban and rural residents, he said. Ma Shanxiang, a community worker in Jiangbei district of Chongqing, said he was impressed by Xi's dedication to people's welfare. He knows very well what people are concerned about and what they need, Ma said. Xi attaches a great deal of importance to employment, which is the top concern for people in order to ensure stable livelihoods, said Liu Wenxin, chairman of Wenxin Xinyang Tea Company Ltd in Xinyang, Henan province. During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, his company will continue to help rural development and create more jobs, Liu said.


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COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - A 60-year old Danish woman who died of a blood clot after receiving AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine had "highly unusual" symptoms, according to the Danish Medicines Agency.

The woman had a low number of blood platelets and clots in small and large vessels, as well as bleeding, it said.

A few similar cases were found in Norway and in the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) database of drug side effects, Danish Medicines Agency said.

"It was an unusual course of illness around the death that made the Danish Medicines Agency react," it said in a statement late on Sunday.

Norway said on Saturday that three people, all under the age of 50, who had received the AstraZeneca vaccine were being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets, which were labeled "unusual symptoms" by health authorities.

Denmark, Norway and Iceland said last week they would halt the introduction of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

European vaccination programmes have been upset in the last two weeks by reports that recipients of the AstraZeneca inoculation have suffered blood clots.

The European Medicines Agency has said there is no indication that the events were caused by the vaccination, a view that was echoed by the World Health Organization on Friday.

AstraZeneca Plc said on Sunday a review of safety data of people vaccinated with its COVID-19 vaccine has shown no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; editing by Catherine Evans, Larry King)
NEW YORK, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TransRe announced today that Mike Sapnar, President and Chief Executive Officer has decided to step down from his position to pursue another opportunity. Mr. Sapnar will remain at TransRe through April 30, 2021 to assist with the transition. Ken Brandt, currently TransRe's Co-President of Global Underwriting, will succeed Mr. Sapnar as President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Brandt has been a member of TransRe's senior leadership team since 2006 and will continue to serve on the Company's Board of Directors. In addition, Paul Bonny, who is also Co-President of Global Underwriting, has been named Executive Vice Chairman of TransRe.

"In early 2012, Alleghany had the good fortune to acquire TransRe and over the following nine years, TransRe produced $849 million of underwriting profits and a 97.5% combined ratio despite a multitude of significant catastrophes during this period. This strong record is due in no small part to the enormous contributions from Mike, who is a terrific leader, an industry statesman, and an outstanding manager," said Weston Hicks, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alleghany Corporation. "Mike's leadership over the past decade has left TransRe superbly positioned for success in the years to come and its culture will forever carry the imprint of Mike's 26 years of service, including over nine years as CEO. We thank Mike for everything he has done for TransRe and Alleghany and wish him all the best as he turns the page to start the next chapter of his extraordinary career."

"Ken is an exceptional leader and a proven reinsurance executive with global experience who understands TransRe's one-of-a-kind culture and the needs of our customers and brokers," said Joe Brandon, Chairman of TransRe. "Ken has extensive industry knowledge, deep underwriting expertise, an in-depth understanding of TransRe's operations and has played a critical role in helping establish and execute on TransRe's key strategic initiatives. We are excited to elevate Ken to CEO and everyone at Alleghany looks forward to continuing to work with him and his TransRe colleagues."

"TransRe has built an incredible franchise by delivering best in class solutions for insurers worldwide," said, Mr. Brandt. "Our experienced team brings underwriting discipline, longstanding relationships, local decision making and an unwavering commitment to our customers and brokers. I am proud to have been part of TransRe for the past 15 years and look forward to leading the company as we build on our success."

Mr. Brandt has served as Co-President of Global Underwriting and as President of the Americas, overseeing all of TransRe's U.S, Canada, Bermuda, Latin America and Caribbean teams. Prior to joining TransRe in 2006, Mr. Brandt was with Employers Reinsurance Corporation (subsequently GE Insurance Solutions) where he started as a facultative casualty underwriter in 1993 and subsequently went on to hold a number of significant management positions in the U.S. and Germany before becoming President of the Americas & Asia Pacific Division.

Mr. Bonny joined TransRe in 1982 and has been an integral part of the company for many years. Mr. Brandt said, "I've enjoyed working closely with Paul for years and very much look forward to continuing to do so."

About TransRe

TransRe is the brand name for Transatlantic Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries (including Transatlantic Reinsurance Company). TransRe, wholly owned by Alleghany Corporation (NYSE-Y), is a reinsurance organization headquartered in New York with operations worldwide. Since 1977, TransRe has offered its clients the capacity, expertise and creativity necessary to structure programs across the full spectrum of property and casualty risks. Visit www.transre.com for additional information.

SOURCE Alleghany Corporation; TransRe
The Vietnamese tax watchdog hopes to tax sellers based in foreign countries but operating e-commerce businesses in Vietnam.

Overseas suppliers on e-commerce and digital platforms are subjects to tax in Vietnam.

The Ministry of Finance recently said that the Law on Tax Management No 38/2019/QH14 regulated that e-commerce businesses and digital-based businesses and other services provided by overseas suppliers without an entity in Vietnam must directly or authorise others to implement tax registration, declaration and payment in Vietnam.

The ministry is compiling a circular to provide detailed instructions for this regulation which was recently made public for comments.

Overseas suppliers on e-commerce and digital platforms were new tax subjects that required detailed regulations to collect taxes efficiently, the ministry said.

Under the draft, overseas suppliers were asked to register for online tax transactions via the e-portal of the General Department of Taxation.

Overseas suppliers could register several banking accounts to pay taxes online.

After the first successful tax registration, overseas suppliers would be provided with a username and password to declare and pay taxes on the General Department of Taxations e-portal.

Ten-digit tax codes would be provided for overseas suppliers and authorised agencies.

E-commerce has boomed in Vietnam in recent years, especially in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dang Ngoc Minh, Deputy General Director of the General Department of Taxation, said a number of new tax regulations to take effect this year were expected to contribute to preventing tax avoidance, especially in e-commerce and digital-based businesses.

The Ministry of Industry and Trades report showed about 53 per cent of the population did online shopping made e-commerce to expand at 18 per cent in 2020 to reach a US$11.8 billion market.

E-commerce revenue was estimated to account for 5.5 per cent of the total retail sales of goods and services. VNS

Collection of tax from online business becomes easier More and more Vietnamese individuals with businesses online have declared tax and paid personal income tax.
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San Antonio police say a man was shot attempting to buy a firearm in the parking lot of an apartment complex on the Northeast Side Sunday afternoon.

A witness told officers he had given the victim, an unidentified 19-year-old male, money to purchase a firearm. The victim then met with another person inside a vehicle about 1 p.m. on the 8100 block of Cross Creek.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 06:29:34|Editor: huaxia

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Slovenian President Borut Pahor (L) and Prime Minister Janez Jansa (R) attend a memorial activity in Ljubljana, Slovenia, March 14, 2021. Slovenia commemorated those who have died from COVID-19 with a memorial service at Ljubljana's Zale cemetery on Sunday. The event was held exactly a year after the first person with COVID-19 died in Slovenia. President Borut Pahor expressed condolences to the victims' families, warning that the virus had not been defeated yet. (Photo by Zeljko Stevanic/Xinhua)

LJUBLJANA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Slovenia commemorated those who have died from COVID-19 with a memorial service at Ljubljana's Zale cemetery on Sunday.

The event was held exactly a year after the first person with COVID-19 died in Slovenia. President Borut Pahor expressed condolences to the victims' families, warning that the virus had not been defeated yet.

"A difficult year is behind us. A long, sorrowful and lonely year. Everybody among us has lost someone, everybody has lost something that we have missed," Pahor said, adding that the epidemic had made people aware of the importance of solidarity.

The president stressed that this "special, unusual period" was not over yet, calling for mutual respect, courage and solidarity.

According to the Sledilnik coronavirus data tracker site, there have been 3,934 COVID-19 deaths in the country by Sunday.

Slovenia on Sunday reported 520 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the national tally to 200,375, which is about 10 percent of its population. Enditem
The Oregon Department of Education released new guidelines for the way districts must operate schools during the pandemic, erasing a limit on the number of people students may encounter during the week.

The 100-person limit was one of two agency guidelines district leaders across the state said made reopening high schools nearly impossible.

The other, a requirement that classrooms be laid out to allow for 35 square feet of space per student and teacher, remains intact, although state health leaders said Friday they are considering reducing it to 9.

The revised guidelines come the week after Gov. Kate Brown ordered Oregons public schools to begin offering full or part-time in-person instruction to every student by April 19, starting with elementary schools by March 29.

The Department of Educations revised rules give districts some wiggle room on those dates.

If an elementary school told families it would begin offering in-person instruction by April 5, for example, it would be allowed to retain that timetable provided it spent the previous week training educators to teach in-person. Middle and high schools would be allowed to open for in-person instruction by April 26 under similar exceptions.

Mondays release marks an about-face in the way the Department of Education advises schools on their instructional model.

The agency now requires all schools to offer full on-site or hybrid instruction if their county registers case rates below 200 per 100,000 residents and test positivity of 10% or less. A district may limit in-person instruction to elementary schools if case rates climb as high as 350 per 100,000 residents and test positivity tops 10%.

Above that, the Department of Education says a district may revert to fully virtual learning, but only to mitigate coronavirus infection in a school.

Previously, the agency mandated schools begin reverting to a virtual model at various tiers of case rate and test positivity, making on-site learning a goal of sorts rather than the standard to which districts should default.

Nearly 150,000 public K-12 students attended school in-person for at least two hours the first week of March  nearly three times as many as in December, when Brown scaled back the states role in school reopening decisions.

Over the weekend, Portland Public Schools announced it has reached a tentative agreement with its teachers union to reopen. If union members and the school board approve the deal, elementary schoolers will return on April 1.

Until now, the district has offered in-person learning only to students with acute academic needs. As of the first week of March, Portland Public Schools had nearly 1,300 students getting regular facetime with a teacher.

--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.
Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) and other Representatives-elect arrive at the U.S. Capitol on November 13, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)

Some House Democrats have made clear that they will not engage in bipartisan work with any Republican who has questioned the outcome of the presidential election.

Massachusetts freshman Representative Jake Auchincloss said he was now googling fellow members of Congress from the other side of the aisle before starting any kind of cooperation across party lines. "I kind of throw cold water on the whole thing, if it turns out a GOP member has refused to admit that Joe Biden won the election, he told NBC News.

Those who voted against certifying the election even after the riot on 6 January simply went too far in the eyes of many Democrats. Mr Auchincloss said he doesn't like political litmus tests, but "insurrection against the United States government qualifies," he said.

While many Democratic lawmakers are each drawing their own lines, many of them find themselves unable to work with Republicans they used to craft legislation with because of their record on the election. Some Democrats say that certain GOP opponents no longer share that essential belief in democracy and elections.

Illinois House Democrat Brad Schneider says he needs "an affirmative statement that Joe Biden is the legitimate president of the United States and the 2020 election was an honest and fair election," from any Republican that he may work with.

Mr Schneider said he has ended previous working relationships after the riot on 6 January. Its hard to envision going into an administration with a partner who doesnt acknowledge the legitimacy of that administration or is showing a commitment to the truth, he told NBC News.

Read more: Pro-Trump senator praises Capitol rioters and claims they wouldve been dangerous if BLM protesters

Republicans are also accused of blocking the expeditious passage of bipartisan and noncontroversial bills called suspension bills because Democrats aren't allowing amendments to the legislation.

Story continues

Democratic leader in the House Steny Hoyer told reporters on Tuesday: Suspensions are, frankly, the one item that we have left that we have dealt with on a bipartisan basis.

New Hampshire Democratic Representative Ann McLane Kuster has told her staff to go through the social media posts of Republicans she may work with to make sure that they meet her standards, saying that she'll only work with those who recognise the lawful election of Joe Biden".

She told NBC News: If you dont recognise our democracy at this point in time, then I dont think youre going to be helpful to successful legislation."

Michigan Republican Representative Peter Meijer told WOOD-TV in his home state that he didn't like the way the Covid relief bill was passed, without a single Republican vote.

He said: Were setting the precedent that whoever is in power disregards the filibuster, disregards any consideration of the minority party. And those things that are passed in a radical and sweeping way when one party is in power will just encourage the next party when it comes back into power to operate in the same way. So were seeing those increasing degrees of toxicity and partisan[ship].

The Independent has reached out to the National Republican Congressional Committee for comment.

Read More

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Mika Vanhanen has overseen the planting of 30 million trees across the globe via a network of 10,000 schools he recruited over two decades

It's an environmental policy embraced by heads of state, multinational businesses and even leading climate sceptic Donald Trump: plant more trees to help the planet and slow global warming.

But experts claim some recent mass tree-planting schemes have failed to reduce greenhouse gases when not done properly, and even harmed the environment.

Now a pair of Finnish environmentalists believe they have created a reforestation initiative that will avoid these problems and allow for millions of new trees every year, tracked by a smartphone app.

Former schoolteacher Mika Vanhanen has overseen the planting of 30 million trees across the globe via a network of 10,000 schools, the result of two decades work.

But "some of the trees died because we didn't have the resources to care for them", Vanhanen, founder of tree-planting charity ENO, told AFP in his hometown of Joensuu, eastern Finland.

Last year Turkey's forestry trade union said almost all of the 11 million trees planted during the country's National Forestation Day in 2019 had died after just a few months.

And in Chile, a study found landowners were taking advantage of financial tree-planting incentives by cutting down established, carbon-absorbing forests and replacing them with new ones.

Mika Vanhanen explains that when companies plant a tree, people in the area take a photo that is geo-positioned and get one euro for the community

25-year tree care

So last year Vanhanen teamed up with "environmental technology" expert Pekka Harju-Autti to launch an innovative model for large-scale tree-planting with the emphasis on sustainability.

Their "TreeBuddy" scheme invites businesses and individuals to "buy" one or more trees, for instance as a gift to customers, employees or friends.

But unlike other initiatives, the consumer also pays for the upkeep of the tree for up to 25 years.

"When they plant a tree, locals take a photo which is geo-positioned and get one euro for the community. After one year ... they make a status update of the tree with another photo and they get again one euro, the same after five years and 10 years and so on," Harju-Autti told AFP.

The euro covers upkeep during the year, with care ranging from watering to, in Tibet for example, protecting the trees from yaks and wild horses.

A smartphone app enables users to keep track of their own "virtual forest", but most importantly the maintenance payments incentivise communities to keep their forests alive, Harju-Autti said.

A British study set out 10 'golden rules' of tree-planting to avoid past failures, suggesting that local people need to be at the heart of projects

Millions a year

With each community seeing 7,000 to 10,000 trees planted, the sums add up over time.

"One reason the Amazon is burning is that locals do not always feel they get economic benefits from their forests, so some not-so-wise decisions are made."

So far TreeBuddy has seen 30,000 trees planted in the Philippines, Tibet and India, and has secured investment to scale up to "millions a year" in the near future, across Asia, Africa and the Americas.

Vanhanen and Harju-Autti say that because they already have a relationship with their 10,000 tree-planting communities around the globe, the scheme should also avoid problems such as introducing non-native species or damage to the existing ecosystem.

In January, a British study set out 10 'golden rules' of tree-planting to avoid the failures of some large-scale schemes, including for local people to be at the heart of projects and for the natural regrowth of forest to be prioritised wherever possible.

"We are getting questions from tree-planting organisations all over the world that would like to adopt the TreeBuddy model," Harju-Autti said, adding that he expects the focus to move away from planting towards "giving locals their fair share for efforts to preserve their trees".

Explore further Desert country Jordan aims for green with 10-million tree campaign

 2021 AFP
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 15)  Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque has contracted COVID-19.

He revealed on Monday that he just received his test result a few minutes before holding his noontime briefing in Malacanang. He went on with the activity as scheduled, saying he was isolated in his office.

"Sa report bukas ng DOH, kasama na po ang inyong abang lingkod because as of 11:29 this morning, nakuha ko po ang resulta na positibo po ako para sa COVID-19," he said.

[Translation: In DOH's COVID-19 report tomorrow, I will be part of the cases because as of 11:29 this morning, I got my result indicating that I tested positive for COVID-19.]

Roque said took a swab test on Sunday, March 14 to prepare for an upcoming Cabinet meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte.

He added that he was still negative for the virus on March 10, before going to Dumaguete with Duterte the next day for the inauguration of some development projects in the city.

During the weekly Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases meeting on Monday night, Duterte asked why Roque tested positive for COVID-19.

Roque replied that he did not know why he caught the COVID-19 bug and enumerated several hospitals that he visited last week.

Roque also assured Duterte he will continue to do his noontime press briefings while on isolation.

"Tuloy-tuloy pa rin po ang mga press briefing. Tuloy-tuloy pa rin po lahat pero para 'di po tayo mahawa, naka-isolate po ako," Roque told the President.

[Translation: We will continue with the press briefing, but I am currently isolated so as not to infect others.]

Some photos of him standing alongside Cabinet officials who surrounded Duterte during the ceremony in Dumaguete on March 11 are posted on the Facebook page of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas but Roque maintained that he wore his face mask and kept his distance the whole time.

On Roque's Facebook page, he can also be seen attending an event by the Cooperative Development Authority in Cubao, Quezon City on March 10 and standing next to some local officials and healthcare workers during the vaccination rollout in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.

Roque urged those who were in close contact with him to undergo quarantine. He said he will continue with his duties and will work remotely while in a quarantine facility.

He also expressed his regret for not taking a COVID-19 shot when he was offered one during the first day of the rollout at the Philippine General Hospital on March 1.

Alam niyo po nagsisisi nga ako na hindi ako nagpabakuna nung panahong yun sa PGH. Kung hindi po naubusan at nabakunahan ako sa PGH, siguro po hindi na ako nadapuan ngayon, he said.

[Translation: I regret that I did not get vaccinated at the PGH at the time. If there were more vaccines and I got my jab, I probably would not have contracted the virus.]

The government's task force earlier proposed to prioritize "influencers" like celebrities and public officials including Roque in the vaccination drive, but the interim National Immunization Technical Advisory Group rejected this, insisting that the vaccines should go to medical frontliners.

Roque then urged healthcare workers to get their COVID-19 shots to protect themselves from the virus.
Kennedy Agyapong, the Member of Parliament for Assin Central has added his voice to the growing list of Ghanaians who are complaining that all is not well with the Ghanaian society.



There is a canker in this country and I think we should begin to discuss it. Weve become theorists and we always mount on ancient platitudes. We talk a lot but [we are] not practical, Kennedy Agyapong said on Net 2 TV.



The level of dishonesty is so high. We have the potential to be masters of our own destiny, but [due to] the wickedness and horrible attitude that we have, weve become slaves in our country. Foreigners have taken over the whole country.



Kennedy Agyapong is thus rallying Ghanaians to come on board and help develop the country.



He maintains that with the right attitude, Ghanaians will assume their rightful place in the business community.



Lets build this country because we can build it. The white man is committed to his work. We can take our destiny into our own hands if only we are truthful. Lets be truthful. Religion is impeding the progress in this country. Im not against religion but Im against fake pastors.

Source: ghanaweb.com









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One of the most beautiful rainforests on the Australian east coast is just a quick road trip away from Sydney.

The Minnamurra Rainforest is just two hours drive south in the picturesque Budderoo National Park.

The subtropical and temperate rainforest is home to hundreds of species of Australian wildlife and plants and boasts some of the best walking tracks and waterfalls in the area.

Escape Covid-19 boredom with a quick road trip to one of the most beautiful rainforests on the Australian east coast

The Minnamurra Rainforest is just a two hour drive south of Sydney and located in the Budderoo National Park

The subtropical and temperate rainforest is home to hundreds of species of Australian wildlife and plants and boasts some of the best walking tracks and waterfalls in the area

The Minnamurra Rainforest Loop walk stretches for 1.6km and immerses bushwalkers into the dense and luscious rainforest.

Considered an easy walk, this track is perfect for families with young children and the first 500m is also accessible for wheelchair users.

The slightly more difficult, but no less enjoyable, Falls Walk is also on offer for the more daring outdoor adventurer.

There are plenty of points along the 2.6km walking track to look over the rainforest canopy.

The walk ends at a viewing platform situated at the base of the Upper Falls and provides spellbinding views.

The Kangaroo River also snakes through the national park providing ample choices of waterfalls, watering holes and swimming spots to visit.

Its Minnamurra Rainforest Loop Walk stretches for 1.6 kilometres and immerses bushwalkers into the dense and luscious rainforest

The Instagram-worthy Carrington Falls is considered to be the most beautiful waterfall on the south-coast

The Kangaroo River also snakes through the national park providing ample choices of waterfalls, watering holes and swimming spots to visit

The Instagram-worthy Carrington Falls is considered the most beautiful waterfall on the south coast.

This double-tiered waterfall attracts thousands of tourists a year for its sweeping views of the national park and camera perfect cascade.

The nearby Nellies Glen serves as the perfect backdrop for a family picnic and swimming spot.

The swimming area is 15m wide and even has a naturally-formed rock bench for swimmers to sit on at the base of the waterfall.

Summer is a particularly busy period for this swimming pool so visitors are encouraged to arrive early in the day if they want an uninterrupted swim.

Minnamurra Rainforest boasts family and wheelchair-friendly walking tracks perfect for a day-long getaway
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 81F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
Glenn Close did very well on Monday morning when she was nominated for an Academy Award.

It is her eighth nod in her long and impressive career which includes three Primetime Emmy Awards, three Tony Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards.

The stage trained actress was singled out for her performance in a supporting role in Hillbilly Elegy which came out in 2020. She has yet to win an Oscar but this may be her year.

Scroll down for list of nominations...

Good one: Glenn Close did very well on Monday morning when she was nominated for an Academy Award

Yes it is her: The stage trained actress was singled out for her performance in a supporting role in Hillbilly Elegy which came out in 2020

She will compete with Maria Bakalova ('Borat Subsequent Moviefilm'), Olivia Colman ('The Father'), Amanda Seyfried ('Mank') and Youn Yuh-jung ('Minari').

Her previous nods were for 2019 Nominee Oscar Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role The Wife (2017) and the 2012 nominee Oscar Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Albert Nobbs (2011).

And in 1989 she was a nominee Oscar Best Actress in a Leading Role Dangerous Liaisons (1988), in 1988 she landed a Oscar Best Actress in a Leading Role Fatal Attraction (1987), and in 1985 she stood out in the Oscar Best Actress category Supporting Role for The Natural (1984).

Looking good: Close arrives for the 26th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, January 2020

In 1984 she was a nominee Oscar Best Actress in a Supporting Role The Big Chill (1983), 1983 Nominee Oscar Best Actress in a Supporting Role The World According to Garp (1982).

Close was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, to socialite Elizabeth Mary Hester Bettine (Moore) and William Taliaferro Close.

The thespian majored in theater and anthropology at the College of William & Mary.

Great work: In Fatal Attraction, left, and in The World According To Garp, right

She began her professional career on stage in 1974 with Love for Love and was mostly a New York stage actress until the early 1980s.

Her work included Broadway productions of Barnum in 1980 and The Real Thing in 1983, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.

Her film debut came in The World According to Garp (1982), which was followed by supporting roles in the films The Big Chill (1983) and The Natural (1984).

The star went on to establish herself as a leading lady with roles in Fatal Attraction (1987) and Dangerous Liaisons (1988).

Close has been married three times, and she has a daughter from her relationship with producer John Starke.

Happy to be there: Close speaks during the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards broadcast on February 28, 2021
Praise be to Ascham parents and a private WhatsApp group that has clued us in on the trials and tribulations of modern private school life.

The prestigious Ascham School in Edgecliff. Credit:Nick Moir

The 135-year-old girls school in Sydneys east boasts an old girls list including Macquarie chief executive Shemara Wikramanayake, Federal Court judge Brigitte Markovic and philanthropist Lady Primrose Potter. We assumed that covering the stonking school fees would be the toughest challenge parents face. But no.

Take these concerns about the school socks.

Hi  are anybody elses kids upset with the school socks? Mine are really sensitive to the hard bits at the end of the little toe, one mother put to the thread known as the Ascham Parents Social Chat. At first I thought my eldest was just too fussy, but now [she] is also really upset about them. Its a hassle every morning.
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She was only 12. Her mother had been rung by the school, after a few weeks into the new school year, to find out how Sam was doing, and how best the school could help them during their process of transitioning.

Sams mother was gob-smacked. Sam had only just told her, with no explanation, what name to use, and what pronouns were needed. She was still reeling from the shock.

But the school had known for weeks that Sam was transitioning; that was another shock. She had no idea what was behind Sams decision, and could not see anything in her upbringing that would suggest she had been suffering from gender dysphoria. Sams mother sought outside help.

A few years ago, a teacher at a girls school indicated that a number of girls had been coming out as lesbians. Now that had changed, and girls were wanting to transition instead.

Now there are increasing numbers of children, like Sam, who are seeking to transition. Schools are having to deal with issues of uni-sex toilets, safe changing rooms, how children want to be named, and which pronouns each one prefers. The focus is on acceptance of wherever a child is at, and on easing them through a life-changing situation  at a time when adolescence throws up various issues of identity anyway.

What is happening?

With any societal change, there is a cultural context. What has been issues for a very small number of people; perhaps because their sex was indeterminate at birth, or because of issues when growing up, has now become a mainstream trend. There is more understanding and more acceptance of children struggling with gender issues, and a wider acceptance of adults who are transitioning, or who have transitioned. Hopefully this means there will be less persecution of a group of people who had been in the shadows.

There is an increasing amount of research being carried out on those with gender dysphoria, and well-meaning attempts have been made to offer treatment. Its a very complex field, and certainly needs greater awareness.

What is also clear is that the activism that is promoting mainstream acceptance of transitioning from one gender to another (including surgery and hormone treatment, and puberty-blockers for children) is motivated by an ideology that is not always obvious.

The goal of gender fluidity

Over 20 years ago a paper was presented at a womens conference in Beijing. It promoted a concept of gender fluidity and of ultimately people deciding to choose what gender they wanted to be, and to opt in and out of a particular gender as and when they chose. When I read the paper, I almost laughed, as it seemed so ridiculous. Gender is a given, I thought. That can never happen.

I was wrong. The emphasis on being able to choose has taken hold of our society in such a way, that to deny someone their right to choose, no matter how young, or what the consequences might be (unless it impinges on someone elses right to choose), is held to be paramount. Being able to choose ones gender is part of that ideology.

Impacting adolescence

Because of social media the impact of the peer group has become even stronger. Vulnerable young people can be subject to the influence of their peers day and night. No longer do parents have the same opportunity to control the influences their children are subjected to, as in the days before cell phones. Instead of real role models, followed through young peoples participation in sporting and cultural organisations, the increasing impact of influencers, bloggers, and younger pop idols, is becoming more apparent. (Just recently one of those pop idols celebrated her coming out as transgender.)

All this is happening at a time when hormones are swirling around adolescent bodies; when young people are growing and developing, trying out new skills, learning new things, and in particular, wanting to belong.

What now?

The answers are not obvious. However, some things are clear.

One trans writer is appalled at what is being offered to young people and says that the protection of young people is paramount. Therefore, the countries that have decided to ban treatments that offer surgery or blockers before puberty to children who declare they are transgender, are taking necessary steps to protect them.

One counsellor suggested finding out whether a particular childs desire to transition has emerged as a solution to other issues, or whether it is a result of actual gender dysphoria. Or, as in the case of teenagers sometimes overdosing on drugs, a means of getting attention.

Waiting until a child is through adolescence is also encouraged before any medical or surgical treatment is offered. Most young people resolve their issues of gender dysphoria by the time they have reached adulthood. (One young boy wanted to be a girl when he was 12, but by the time he was 14, he didnt.) This raises issues about following the only path recommended by transgender ideology; ie that of affirmation of transitioning. To affirm, rather than explore the feelings transgender teenagers express, is to deny any opportunity for other therapeutic approaches.

It can be helpful too to find the stories of those who have transitioned, and wished they hadnt, because transitioning didnt resolve their issues.

Fundamentally, and finally  any young person needs support as they navigate adolescence, wherever their particular journeys may take them. Acceptance of each, as a person, regardless of what identity may be expressed, is paramount, because each one is made in the image of God, as we all are. At the same time, in the wider context, we can be researching, challenging and compassionately presenting a different perspective and approach to what is becoming a prevailing ideology, never forgetting that is peoples lives that are at stake.
(Photo : Screenshot From Pxhere Official Website) Huawei Ventures Into Fish Farms and Mining Using Solar Panels and High End Technology After Dabble with Hogs

Just six months after a crushing blow from the United States to Huawei Technologies Co.'s booming smartphone business, the company is now looking towards some less glamorous alternatives in order to offset the company's largest revenue contributor.

It was recently reported that Huawei had decided to go into the pig or hog farming business in China and now, it seems like Huawei is going a step further.

Huawei fish farms and mining

According to the story by Bloomberg, among the newest customers of Huawei are now fish farms located in eastern China that are reportedly twice the size of New York's very own Central Park.

The farm reportedly uses tens of thousands of solar panels that are outfitted along with Huawei's inverters in order to shield the fish from being exposed to excessive sunlight while still generating power.

Located about 370 miles west of the popular coal-rich Shanxi province, cameras deep beneath the earth, as well as wireless sensors, are used to monitor the oxygen levels and even potential machine malfunctions in the deep mine pit that are all supplied by Huawei.

Once one of the largest smartphone makers in the world, the Chinese corporation has now seen quite a long series of US sanctions that are almost completely obliterating its lucrative consumer business.

Ren Zhengfei Huawei founder

With the new administration still putting pressure on Huawei, Ren Zhengfei, the billionaire founder, has now decided that the company will expand its roster of enterprise clients in manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, and some other industries.

Huawei is now also seen as the world's leading supplier of inverters and is now also banking on being able to grow those sales alongside its very own cloud services as well as data analytics solutions to help the massive business with 190,000 employees survive.

Ren also noted that the new initiatives might even offset the company's massive drop in its popular handset business in more or less a year after the debacle with the US government.

This statement, however, was given despite the company declining to give specifics. Its whole consumer unit generated a whopping revenue of $39 billion within the first six months last 2020. That huge jump was reportedly more than half of what the company was worth.

Read Also: Huawei Turns to Pig Farming, Mining as Smartphone Sales are Expected to Dip by Up to 60% This 2021

Huawei hog farming

It had also reportedly managed to attain "marginal growth" in its supposed sales and profit last year.

This was reportedly thanks to the new record 5G base station orders as well as the solid smartphone sales during 2020's first half.

An article by the BBC details the company's decision to now delve into pig farming to mitigate the losses it had sustained due to the complications the company has gained with the US. The company's approach to hog framing is said to make use of modern technology.

Related Article: Amnesty International Links Samsung, Apple, And Sony To Child Labor In Africa

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Urian Buenconsejo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
MARINA DEL REY, Calif., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Brian Brooks, the former acting head of the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), has joined Spring Labs, a leading financial technology firm transforming the exchange of sensitive data, as its first independent director. His appointment to Spring Labs' Board of Directors follows Mr. Brooks' high-impact tenure at the OCC, the national banking regulator that oversees over 1,200 banks, including JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, that collectively represent 70% of the US banking system's assets.

"Spring Labs is transforming financial data exchange in a way that is better for consumers," Brian Brooks said in a statement. "I launched my financial inclusion initiative Project REACH while at the OCC, and I look forward to working with the Spring Labs team to bring the benefits of financial services to more Americans, while reducing cost and increasing security for everyone."

By fundamentally altering the way consumer financial data is stored and shared, Spring Labs technology offers a unique combination of transparency and privacy that strengthens oversight while also unlocking new data sources that can be used to remove barriers that currently keep as many as 55 million Americans from fully utilizing modern financial services--or from being able to access them at all.

"Brian has a remarkable perspective on where the industry is headed, and his experience has given him a unique lens on transformative technologies and how they are being adopted," said Adam Jiwan, co-founder of Spring Labs. "We are thrilled that he shares our vision as we build the secure rails for data exchange."

The Spring Labs' network technology is built on modern cryptography, which allows the visibility of information shared by network participants to be strictly controlled, and a permissioned blockchain, which provides a time-stamped, immutable record and audit trail to all network participants. This combination of data opacity and transaction transparency is a key to resolving the age-old problem of information sharing among competitors, as well as providing regulatory transparency without inhibiting competition.

In addition to financial inclusion, Mr. Brooks sees the Spring Labs platform as key "middleware" that builds upon another legacy of his time at the OCC: integrating digital assets, such as cryptocurrencies, into the traditional financial system to allow the new technology to securely scale within federal regulatory frameworks, including KYC/AML and compliance laws.

Spring Labs has raised over $38m and built an industry-leading partnership with over 50 major financial institutions, including GM Financial, SoFi, and Avant. In December, the company announced the launch of their network among PACE energy loan lenders. The technology has been credited with catching fraud at a rate of 1% of originations, saving an estimated 10% of annual industry revenue.

Spring Labs counts numerous industry veterans as advisors, including Gary Cohn, former President of Goldman, Sachs & Co, Bobby Mehta, former CEO of TransUnion, Nigel Morris, co-founder of Capital One, and Sheila Bair, former Chair of the FDIC.

Prior to his tenure at the OCC, Mr. Brooks was chief legal officer at Coinbase Global and Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Fannie Mae. Before those positions, Mr. Brooks was vice chairman at OneWest Bank and managing partner at global law firm O'Melveny & Myers LLP. Mr. Brooks holds a bachelor's degree from Harvard University in government and a law degree from the University of Chicago.

About Spring Labs

Springcoin Inc, dba Spring Labs, creates and oversees anonymous, decentralized data networks that vastly increase the amount, quality, and security of information available to market participants. Spring Labs leverages sophisticated cryptographic tools and blockchain technology to provide data and metadata integrity guarantees, tamper-evident workflows, and privacy-preserving tokenization that allow for the corroboration of information without the exchange of underlying data. These interlocking technologies help mitigate fraud, improve verification capabilities, and securely provide access to previously unavailable data in the financial services industry. Based in Marina Del Rey, California, Spring Labs was founded in 2017 by Adam Jiwan, John Sun, and Anna Fridman. Spring Labs has approximately 50 employees and has raised over $38m from investors including GreatPoint Ventures, August Capital, GM Ventures, and others. Learn more at www.springlabs.com .

Contact Information

Jason Heller, 5WPR, [email protected]

Daniel Mason, Spring Labs, [email protected]

SOURCE Spring Labs

Related Links

http://www.springlabs.com


Israel is an apartheid state, Israel is a racist state will again be trumpeted to the world on March 14-21, 2021, this years Israel Apartheid Week (IAW).

This IAW, a familiar event since 2004, has been organized by Palestinian groups supposedly to demonstrate against racism, colonialism, and apartheid. But the organization, and its offspring the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS) formed in 2005, are less concerned to protect the rights of Palestinians than, with its overtones of anti-Semitism, to advocate the elimination Israel as a Jewish state. Mike Pompeo, then Secretary of State, declared on November 19, 2020 that the Palestinian-led BDS was anti-Semitic, and that the U.S. would cut support to any group or organizations participating in it. Any objective assessment of the IAW would indicate it is guilty of three Ds: delegitimize Israel, double standards regarding it, demonization. It does not pay equivalent attention to the treatment of abused minorities suffering from racism elsewhere, currently in Myanmar, Iran, China, and Syria.

The apartheid analogy is used not only to refer to Israels policies in the West Bank, but also extended to apply to the treatment of Arab citizens in the state of Israel. The argument is that Israel can be classified as a settler colonial society, akin to the South African apartheid regime. Various assertions are made to support the case: the system of identity cards, the growth of Israeli settlements, the West Bank barrier, Israeli military checkpoints, and disparities of access to land and resources.

First, while admitting disagreements over the Israeli Law of Return, laws relating to security and land, citizenship, and the nation-state Bill of 2018, it is factually inaccurate to sustain the analogy for two reasons: the West Bank and the Gaza strip are not part of sovereign Israel; and the territories are governed by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank led by Mahmoud Abbas, now in the 16th year of his four-year term as president, and by Hamas in Gaza for 14 years. There is no equivalent to the Bantustans, the territories set up as national homelands for black citizens in South Africa.

This misuse of racism or apartheid concerning Israel has been illustrated in the countless conferences and discussions, especially in international organizations since the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379 of November 10, 1975, which by vote of 72 to 35, with 32 abstentions, largely as a result of pressure by the Soviet Union, determined that Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination. That day, as Daniel P. Moynihan then U.S. Ambassador to the UN said, is a day that will live in infamy. The selective morality of the UN was not involved with human rights but with arbitrary political standards dressed up in the guise of human rights.

In a curious fashion this statement was nullified by UNGA Resolution 46/86 of December 17, 1991 by vote of 111 to 25, most Islamic and Soviet states, and 13 abstentions, which did not use the words Zionism or racism but decided to revoke the determination contained in 3379.

That bias has been manifested in the World Conferences against Racism organized by UNESCO to promote the struggle against racism, held in 1978 (Geneva), 1983 (Geneva), 2001 (Durban), 2009 (Durban).

At the 2001 Durban, South Africa meeting, the focus was on the Israeli treatment of Palestinians, with little attention devoted to human rights elsewhere in the world. Because of the bias, the U.S., Canada, and Israel walked out of the conference. At the 2009 conference, president of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described Israel as a totally racist government in the occupied Palestine. Others echoed the assertion that Zionism is racism and that Israel is a colonial state whose laws and institutions are akin to those of apartheid South Africa. The echoes became louder as Israel built a security fence (2003-2004), and set up stricter regulations at checkpoint and border crossings.

It is useful to be reminded of the exact nature of apartheid in South Africa. The white minority was dominant over nonwhite racial groups through many separation laws. Black residents were stripped of citizenship and put into Bantustans. No laws of this kind exist in Israel in which its Declaration of Independence of May 14, 1948 pledges to uphold the full social and political rights of all citizens without distinction of race, creed, or sex.

Israel is a multiracial country. Arabs constitute 1.8 million citizens, 21% of the population, of whom 82% are Muslim, 9% Christian, and 9% Druze. Arab citizens have full civil and political rights, can organize politically, and are free to speak on political subjects. Arabic was an official language until 2018; then with the National State law of 2018 it has special status.

Arab participation and success in politics has increased. In the March 2, 2020 election, the United Arab List got 12.6% of the vote and won 15 seats in the Knesset. Arab women, like all other women, can vote.

Arabs are not only members of parliament: they are also judges -- including one on the Supreme Court -- cabinet ministers, university professors, diplomats, and senior police and army officers.

It is an indication of continuing misunderstanding that in Britain the president of the National Union of Students, a woman named Larissa Kennedy, will speak on March 18, 2021 alongside Palestinian activist Omar Barghouti as part of IAW in a program called united against racism; resisting Israeli apartheid, hosted by the Palestine Solidarity campaign.

Born in London of a family who came from the West Indies, Kennedy described herself as a granddaughter of the Windrush generation,. referring to West Indians who emigrated to the UK during the postwar period. She is a member of the black students campaign NUS, the largest organization of black students in Europe.

Kennedy is the education officer at Warwick University, who seeks to decolonize the curriculum. Her outlook is clear. She has said that Britain does not value black lives and is not treating them the same way (presumably as whites) during the coronavirus pandemic.

Barghouti is the founder and leader of the BDS movement. He is a skilled propagandist who claims to reject anti-Semitism and all forms of racism, and states that BDS has consistently and categorically rejected all forms of discrimination and racism including anti-Semitism. His struggle, he says, has never been against Jews or Israelis as Jews, but against an unjust regime that enslaves our people with occupation, apartheid, and denial of the refugees UN-stipulated rights. He has also said that Israels bestowal of rights and privileges according to ethnic and religious criteria fits the UN-adopted definition of apartheid. Some Israeli methods, Barghouti asserted, of punishment of Palestinian citizens by racist, often sadistic and ever impervious Israeli soldiers are reminiscent of common Nazi practices against the Jews. In view of his statements, one wonders about his education at Tel Aviv University.

Meanwhile, the one-sided UN resolutions on Israel continue. Of the 23 UNGA resolutions in 2020 that criticized individual countries, 17 involved Israel. Perhaps the impact of the Abraham Accords, begun on September 15, 2020 with the establishment by Bahrain and the UAE, followed by others, of formal diplomatic relations with Israel will dispose of the false accusation that Israel is an apartheid state, and end the IAW goal which is denial of the legitimacy of the State of Israel.

Image: Pixabay
Dean Sam H. Noh named 2020 ACM fellow

Sam H. Noh, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Dean of the Graduate School of Artificial Intelligence at UNIST, has been elected as a 2020 fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the world's largest scientific and educational society for computing professionals.

The ACM Fellows program recognizes the top 1% of ACM members for their outstanding accomplishments in computing and information technology and/or outstanding service to ACM and the larger computing community. Fellows are nominated by their peers, with nominations reviewed by a distinguished selection committee.

Among the 95 professionals named to the 2020 cohort, Professor Noh was the only scientist, affiliated with a Korean university. To date, only four scientists that are affiliated with Korean universities, including Professor Noh, have been elected as ACM fellows.

The 95 ACM Fellows selected this year from the world's leading universities, corporations, and research labs have achieved advances in areas including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, computer graphics, computational biology, data science, human-computer interaction, software engineering, theoretical computer science, and virtual reality, the ACM said.

As noted by ACM President Gabriele Kotsis, "The 2020 ACM Fellows have demonstrated excellence across many disciplines of computing. These men and women have made pivotal contributions to technologies that are transforming whole industries, as well as our personal lives." She added, "We fully expect that these new ACM Fellows will continue in the vanguard in their respective fields."

Professor Sam H. Noh is a prominent scientist in system software and data storage technology. Besides being appointed as Editor-in-Chief of the ACM Transaction of Storage (ToS) in 2016, he has been contributing greatly to the academic vitality of the computing field. In 2017, he was honored as a Distinguished Member of the ACM in recognition of his contributions to advancing the field of computing. Professor Noh has also gained international attention in February 2020 when he served as one of two co-chairs for the USENIX '18th USENIX Conference on File and Storage Technologies' (FAST '20).

Professor Noh received the B.S. degree in computer engineering from Seoul National University and the Ph.D. degree in computer science from University of Maryland. He joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UNIST in 2015. Prior to joining UNIST, Professor Noh worked at George Washington University and Hongik University for the last 22 years. He currently serves as the Dean of Graduate School of Artificial Intelligence at UNIST. His research interests include operating system issues pertaining to embedded/computer systems with a focus on the use of new memory technologies, such as flash memory and persistent memory.

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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday told Parliament that India is fully cognizant of the plight of Indian workers and students abroad on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has repatriated 45.82 lakh people from 98 countries under the Vande Bharat Mission till date.

He said re-employment concerns of people working abroad will be addressed by the government and that it is working to improve economic growth and create job opportunities.

The government, he further said, is also in touch with the Gulf countries for facilitating the early return of those who were compelled to quit jobs on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement on 'Recent Developments Pertaining to the Welfare Abroad of Indians, NRIs and PIOs' which was laid in both the Houses of Parliament, the minister said the focus of the government's efforts in the last few months has now shifted to Indians going back to their usual places of work, study and domicile. To that end, air transport bubble arrangements have been concluded with 27 countries so far.

"The government is fully cognizant of the employment concerns that our people abroad have in the context of the COVID pandemic. Especially in the Gulf, there has been tremendous economic and social disruption that has impacted them. We have softened it somewhat but real challenges are there to be addressed. Let me assure the House that we take this as a priority," he said in Lok Sabha.

In Rajya Sabha, he said there is going to be good economic recovery which will result in job opportunities. "In the budget the Finance Minister has presented, it is very clear that there is going to be very strong recovery and high growth will mean good employment prospects...so I think many of their prospects will come out of the economic developments at home," the minister said.

He said that in situations where people will either not go back or will have delays in going back "we started a skills mapping programme especially for workers coming back from the Gulf. They were giving us data so that data is available here which we have then sent out to state governments about what are the skills of people who are returning. To some extent our expectation is that state governments and employers will use the data." He said the government has been active in urging partner governments to look sympathetically at the employment of Indian citizens as they chart their recovery pathway.

In recent months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has engaged with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Oman, while Jaishankar has travelled to the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman to discuss with the governments there the welfare of people. "I have recently hosted the UAE Foreign Minister in India and expect to do so with that of Kuwait very soon," the minister said.

"From our recent interactions, we have reason to expect that partner governments in the Gulf would be helpful in facilitating the early return of many who were compelled to go back because of the pandemic," Jaishankar added.

He said the provision of medical supplies and food items from India as an exceptional gesture to the Gulf during this period clearly had powerful resonance. So did the arrival of health professionals and medical staff, especially the dedicated medical team India sent to Kuwait, he added.

The welfare of students studying abroad has also been of particular concern and embassies across the world have been given instructions to reach out to them, monitor their situation and assist their return, where required, Jaishankar stressed. He said it would be ensured that they do not lose an academic year.

Under air transport bubbles, which are temporary reciprocal arrangements for commercial passenger services until the resumption of regular international flights, the Air India group alone has operated more than 9,500 flights, taking 10.9 lakh passengers abroad so far.

He said the government is ready to extend transport bubbles and "our priority will be Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in the West and Japan, China and Singapore in the East." "During the pandemic, our Prime Minister had declared that the government would take care of both lives and livelihood. This guidance has been the basis for the activities of our diplomacy abroad," Jaishankar said.

With regard to seafarers, he said the government has been working with shipping companies to ensure their well-being and where required, return to India.

"Members would also recall the predicament of two crews who were in particular difficulty outside Chinese ports. Their situation was also eventually resolved through great perseverance. We continue to interact with many governments to devise more friendly SOPs for crew change requirements," Jaishankar noted.

He said serious problems were faced by fishermen who were working out of Iran. Some Gulf nations also witnessed this, perhaps to a lesser degree. The repatriation phase is over and the re-employment one has just started, Jaishankar added.

"I wish to assure...as our quest for normalcy progresses, as the global market place and work place resume activities, as centres of study reopen the doors, we will be there to encourage, facilitate, secure and support," Jaishankar said.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
President Muhammadu Buhari says 0.5 per cent of Nigerias Gross Domestic Product(GDP) will be allocated to research and innovation in order to accelerate development.

Mr Buhari disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while declaring open five-day Technology and Innovation Expo 2021, organised by the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.

The theme of the EXPO is: Science, Technology and Innovation for Economic Recovery and Sustainability Amidst COVID-19 Challenges.

The tech expo is aimed at showcasing research and development results and the products and services of inventive minds in the country.

Represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Mr Buhari said in the past few years, the Federal Government had made considerable improvement in the budgetary allocation to the ministry.

This has helped increase research and innovation with the aim of achieving sustainable development.

We are happy that this has been achieved in line with the decision taken by the African Unions Executive Council in 2006 to establish a target for all member states of 1 per cent of GDP investment in research and development in order to improve innovation, productivity and economic growth.

We are aware that only a few African countries have met this target, but as a result of the challenges of this critical sector of the economy, we will allocate a minimum of 0.5 per cent of our GDP to research and innovation as a way to fast track meaningful development.

In February 2018, I issued Executive Order No. 5 (EO5) by which all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government were directed to engage indigenous professionals in the planning, design and execution of national security projects and maximise in-country capacity in all contracts and transactions with science, engineering and technology components.

President Buhari said that the EO5 was inspired by the recognition of the vital role of science, technology and innovation in national economic development, especially in promoting domestic goods and services.

According to him, it buttresses federal governments strategic intent to harness domestic talents and develop indigenous capacities in science and technology to promote national competitiveness and productivity across all sectors of the economy.

This administration will continue to support the Science, Technology and Innovation Sector by expanding the opportunities open to those working in those fields.

This expo is a practical demonstration of this commitment; today, I urge all the Researchers, Inventors and Innovators who are participating in this Expo to be steadfast as the Government has confidence that your results, products and services will help make Nigeria a truly great nation respected all over the world.

I am confident that through hard work and determination and by effectively harnessing our potential in science, technology and innovation, we will overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and build a nation that meets the aspirations of all our citizens and earns the respect of the world, he said.

Mr Buhari said that the federal government was presently working to bridge the digital divide by increasing access to broadband; the National Broadband Plan which was launched earlier in the year.

The plan is aimed at achieving 90 per cent broadband penetrations by 2025.

The president said the plan would give special attention to the unserved and underserved areas when deploying telecom services.

Earlier, Ogbonnaya Onu, the Minister of Science and Technology, said the event was important and historic.

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He said that the Expo, had over the years, impacted significantly on Nigerias quest to achieve self-sufficiency and self-reliance.

Onu thanked Buhari for his efforts at promoting science and technology in the country.

The highlight of the event was the presentation of prizes to first, second and third positions of 774 Young Nigerian Scientists Presidential Award (774-YONSPA) by the president.

The first post position went to Edeani Godswill representing Enugu State; the second position was bagged by Akinwande Tomisin representing Ondo State, while Etukudo Emmanuel representing FCT took the third position.

Mr Buhari also led ministers, permanent secretaries and leadership of the National Assembly, among others, on a tour of exhibition pavilions.

(NAN)
In response to an ongoing corruption probe focused on the BRPD narcotics division, a group of Black state lawmakers and leaders of the Baton Rouge NAACP are demanding the creation of a panel to review cases involving detectives whose credibility has been challenged, saying someone should be "watching the watchmen."

The Legislative Black Caucus and the NAACP sent a letter Monday to Baton Rouge prosecutors calling for the new panel to oversee the review process, instead of allowing the issues to play out solely within the Baton Rouge criminal justice system.

The letter came as local prosecutors mull whether to drop charges against a Baton Rouge man after BRPD investigators accused narcotics detective Jason Acree of stealing marijuana seized as evidence in the case and giving it to a friend. District Attorney Hillar Moore III said his office is still investigating the exact relationship between Acree and the marijuana, though the officer was arrested last month and his warrant cites that particular case.

Alleged corruption in BRPD narcotics unit includes stolen drugs, illegal searches, planted evidence After a Baton Rouge police officer was accused of purchasing stolen electronics several weeks ago, he sat down and drafted a memo alleging wid

Since Acree was arrested, four of his supervisors  including the narcotics commander  were transferred into uniform patrol, effectively cutting the division in half. The investigation into Acree started with tips from another narcotics officer facing misconduct accusations of his own. Jeremiah Ardoin alleged more widespread corruption after he was arrested in December and issued a misdemeanor summons for buying stolen property.

Ardoin outlined his accusations in a memo sent to BRPD leaders in December. In addition to accusing Acree of stealing drugs and committing other illegal acts, Ardoin claimed narcotics officers routinely stopped and searched Black people without probable cause, planted drugs on suspects and coerced prostitutes into setting up drug dealers. He also alleged supervisors in the division acted to cover up the corruption.

Moore said potentially hundreds more cases could be impacted depending on what the ongoing investigation uncovers.

Half of BRPD's narcotics division was arrested or transferred. What happens to their cases? When Baton Rouge police staked out a suspected drug deal and came away with large amounts of marijuana and three guns, Kelvin Patterson told d

"As a consequence of this blatant and racist systemic malfeasance, countless members of Baton Rouge's Black and brown community are now prohibited from business and occupational licensing, housing, voting, education and other rights, benefits and opportunities due to highly questionable convictions on their records," the letter says. "Accordingly, the NAACP is demanding a formal and thorough review of all cases brought as a result of any investigation or action by the BRPD narcotics division."

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Members of the NAACP and the Legislative Black Caucus said they want to ensure the review process allows input from members of the public and various other stakeholders, including local prosecutors and law enforcement, elected officials, defense attorneys and civil rights advocates.

They also noted that East Baton Rouge prosecutors often work closely with BRPD officers because of the nature of their jobs.

"This fact  coupled with the continuous, historical refusal of the DA to prosecute even the most flagrant misconduct by BRPD officers  leads to the obvious conclusion that there must be community oversight in order to guarantee transparency and accountability for all parties, and to begin to build trust between the people and police," the letter says.

4 high-ranking detectives removed from BRPD narcotics division amid ongoing corruption probe Several of the highest-ranking detectives in the BRPD narcotics division are being reassigned to other positions within the department after t

In response to the letter, Moore said his office is already reviewing cases involving Acree and Ardoin, starting with defendants who are currently in jail awaiting trial. In a statement Monday evening, he called the allegations troubling and said they warrant a thorough investigation. However, Moore said, prosecutors need more information from the police department, including police reports and internal investigative findings, before they can make any substantive decisions.

Those officers and others could end up on what prosecutors call a "Brady list" of cops considered untruthful or otherwise untrustworthy  information that prosecutors would have to disclose to defense attorneys in the future. The scope of ramifications from the corruption probe will largely depend on when the alleged corruption started, Moore said. He noted that most narcotics detectives have a high volume of arrests because of the nature of their job.

Though his statement stopped short of mentioning the proposed panel, Moore pledged transparency from his office: "As we review these allegations, we welcome input and information from our community and will keep the public informed as we move forward."

Baton Rouge police have released few details about the ongoing investigation. The two arrested officers have been placed on administrative leave pending disciplinary decisions. The four supervisors transferred out of narcotics remain on duty in the BRPD uniform patrol division.
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Work is ongoing, and so far the edges of Kasiya have yet to be defined

Just how big could the Kasiya rutile project in Malawi turn out to be?

The answer is: very big, if the preliminary work undertaken by its discoverer, ( ), is anything to go by.

A maiden resource for Kasiya is due in the next quarter, and right off the bat the numbers are expected to run into the hundreds of millions of tonnes.

But Sovereigns managing director Dr Julian Stephens says that that will just be the start.

We believe weve found a new rutile province, he says.

Rutile mineralisation has been defined by drilling over an area of 66 square kilometres and this is expected to keep growing as more drill results are received. We believe it will be one of the biggest, and eventually potentially the biggest, rutile deposit in the world.

Thats quite a claim to make, and hasnt yet been backed up by any hard numbers yet, but two things are worth noting at this stage.

The first is that although the maiden resource is on the way, drilling hasnt stopped. Indeed, it isnt going to stop, says Stephens, until the edges of Kasiya are located. And they havent been yet.

The other is the quality of the samples that have been returned by the drilling. Highlights from the most recent set of drill results include 13 metres at 1.47% rutile, seven metres at 1.28% rutile and 12 metres at 1.24%. Within these intercepts, in turn, are higher grade sections of up to 2% rutile, and these almost always occur directly at surface.

And its not just the grades. Metallurgical work to date has shown word-class results.

Weve done a substantial amount of metallurgical work to make sure we can produce a good specification product, says Stephens.

We produced a premium product at 96% TiO2 with very high recovery rates.

So, so far the stars are all aligning very nicely for Sovereign.

The most recent drilling represented the completion of initial drilling in a core 30square kilometre central area, and allowed Sovereigns official statements to talk boldly of its ambition to delineate a large rutile resource that could support a long-life, large-scale rutile mining operation.

In that sense, its a simple enough story: a high grade, large-scale, shallow resource that on a first pass looks like it could be mined at significant margin. A scoping study due in the third quarter will give further insight on this.

But theres more to it than pure economics.

Stephens is keen to point out the quality of rutile itself, over and above other titanium mineral products like ilmenite. Ilmenite, he says, requires substantial upgrading to make it acceptable to the pigment markets into which both rutile and ilmenite get sold. But as well as adding extra cost that upgrading is hugely carbon-intensive.

A rutile deposit of the potential size and scale that Kasiya offers could deliver structural change in the pigment feedstock market as a whole, to the point where Sovereign becomes a significant player.

But Sovereign wont be the only winner.

Its significant that the government of Malawi, which doesnt play host to too many mining companies, has been highly supportive. Theres an understanding in the corridors of power there that a project like Kasiya is likely to deliver significant potential tax revenue as well as employment and wider economic benefits.

For its part, Sovereign is only too well aware of its ESG responsibilities. In certain areas, indeed, there are a number of small villages on top of the Kasiya deposit. But, says Stephens, thats never likely to become an issue because the overall deposit is so vast, and likely to grow further, so the company can just go around the areas where people live.

We just wont need those tonnes, he says.

Whats more, with a project like this, the after-effects of the mining can be kept to a minimum. The company simply extracts the sands and returns the land to its former state. Theres unlikely to be any toxicity here, as no chemicals are used in the processing  locals will be able to farm on top of previously mined ground, assuming that is they arent off using their newly-earned geological or other technical skills on other projects in the wider region.

Which in turn brings us to Sovereigns second operation in Malawi, the Malingunde graphite project. This has taken something of a backseat, given the breakneck speed with which the company has moved Kasiya forwards, but now that the wheels have been well and set turning towards the scoping study, some attention can be paid to the graphite too.

Were starting to re-invigorate the graphite project, says Stephens.

Weve re-started work and are looking at the completion of the environmental and social impact study.

Some more detailed testwork on the graphite material is also planned in regard to producing spherical graphite products suitable for lithium-ion batteries for the electric sector.

So, all in all, Sovereign Metals looks to be a company on the move. Its primary rutile asset could end up being a world-beater, and its being advanced at an extremely rapid rate. No wonder, then, that the shares are trading at roughly four times the level they were at a year ago. But on this showing, there could be plenty more to come.
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Texas Republican leaders are preparing for another purge of suspected non-citizen voters, vowing to be more careful and avoid the mistakes from two years ago when the state threatened to knock nearly 60,000 legal voters off of election rolls.

It must be done with extreme attention to detail, said state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, of the proposal he filed to launch a new round of voter purges using state drivers license information to flag potential illegal voting.

In 2019, the Texas secretary of state sent a list based on state drivers license data to county election officials showing the names of drivers whom state officials believed might be non-citizens who were voting in Texas. But a further review revealed that tens of thousands of legal citizens were incorrectly included on that list. Then-Secretary of State David Whitley eventually apologized to state lawmakers, saying the lists should have been reviewed more carefully. The Texas Senate ultimately forced Whitley out of office.

Officials in Harris and several other counties refused to send notices that could have knocked voters off the rolls ahead of the 2020 election, and voter rights advocacy groups decried the states efforts, which they said unfairly targeted people who may have been non-citizens when they got a drivers license but had since been naturalized.

Texas latest effort comes as Republican-led legislatures across the country move to limit voting access in the wake of Democratic gains last fall. The Brennan Center for Justice estimates that more than 250 restrictive voting bills have been introduced, prefiled or carried over in 2021 legislative sessions, a more than four-fold increase from a year ago.

Bettencourt said the Legislature is going to set up a better process for the Texas Department of Public Safety and the secretary of state to follow in comparing databases and developing lists of possible non-citizen voters.

They didnt understand the data, Bettencourt said of officials who oversaw the first mass purge attempt.

Bettencourt touted the bill at a press conference in Houston on Monday morning alongside Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and State Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park. Abbott lauded the election measures that his fellow Republicans were pushing, but also used the time in Harris County to resume attacks on election officials in Texass largest county, which saw record turnout after allowing drive-thru voting and taking other steps to make it easier for people to vote.

Abbott suggested they were encouraging voter fraud.

The integrity of elections in 2020 were questioned right here in Harris County with the mail-in ballot application process, Abbott said. The county elections clerk attempted to send unsolicited mail-in ballot applications to millions of voters, many of whom would not be eligible to vote by mail. Election officials should be working to stop potential mail-in ballot fraud, not facilitate it.

More than a dozen election-related bills have been filed in the GOP-controlled Legislature this year. But while Republicans call those measures a way to support election integrity, critics say they represent a form of suppression to make it harder for people  particularly minority voters  to cast ballots in a state that has become increasingly competitive for Republicans over the last six years. Democrat Joe Biden lost by less than 6 percentage points to Republican Donald Trump in Texas last fall, the best showing by a Democratic presidential candidate in the Lone Star State in decades.

Another bill, Senate Bill 7, would bar local election officials from sending out mail ballot applications to voters who have not requested them, as Harris County did in 2020 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. The bill would also ban drive-thru voting, which Harris County put into place to allow people to avoid COVID-19 exposure. And the bill would limit early voting hours and days and bar 24-hour voting centers like those used in Harris County.

Abbott characterized the measures as an effort to reduce voter fraud, even though studies have shown it to be rare. Baseless claims of voter fraud were at the heart of former President Donald Trumps failed effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Our objective is very simple, (and) that is to ensure that every eligible voter gets to vote, Abbott said. Its also to ensure that only eligible votes are the ones that count at the ballot box.

Protesters who gathered outside the press conference werent buying it.

Its an attempt to take away peoples right to vote, said Houston resident Nan Toole, as she stood with a few dozen people outside of an office building along the Energy Corridor where Abbott was holding his press conference.

Shortly after Abbotts briefing, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, a Democrat, weighed in with her own press conference calling the so-called reforms a continuation of the big lie that Trump has pushed that somehow he actually won the 2020 presidential election that results showed he lost by more than 7 million votes.

So many steps that are being taken under the guise of voter fraud that doesnt exist on a massive scale, Hidalgo said. Elected officials should earn their vote through good policy. They shouldnt hope to win by preventing people from voting.

But while Hidalgo and others insist massive voter fraud doesnt exist, the governor said it remains a concern.

What weve seen in the past is that election fraud takes place, Abbott said. Have no doubt that it took place here in the state of Texas.

Even if there are only a few cases, Abbott said, such incidents have a big impact on voters' confidence in the system.

Any voter fraud that takes place sews seeds of distrusts in the election process, said Abbott.

Flagging the issue in Harris County comes as Republicans have watched their fortunes in the states most populous change dramatically in six years. In 2014, Abbott won Harris County by 4 percentage points over Democrat Wendy Davis en route to an easy victory for a first term. But after a massive surge in voter registration and increased turnout, Abbott lost Harris County by 6 percentage points to Democrats Lupe Valdez in 2018. Abbott is up for reelection in 2022.

The shift was even more pronounced for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is from the Houston area. The conservative firebrand won Harris County in 2014 by 3 percentage points, but lost it four years later by 14 percentage points.

That is the same election in which Hidalgo, then 27 years old, rode the 2018 blue wave to a stunning victory over the Republican incumbent, County Judge Ed Emmett.

Jeremy Blackman contributed to this report.

jeremy.wallace@chron.com
More than 20 per cent of Manitobas highly contagious COVID-19 variant cases have no known origin.

More than 20 per cent of Manitobas highly contagious COVID-19 variant cases have no known origin.

The majority of cases involving local variants of concern have spread via close contacts, but nine of the total 41 cases havent been connected to any other case, the province announced Monday.

The increase in highly contagious COVID-19 variants has the provinces top doctor pledging more aggressive contact tracing and case investigations, but no changes to either have been announced.

On Monday, chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin reported 18 additional cases caused by the B.1.1.7 variant (first detected in the U.K.): 17 in Winnipeg and one in the Interlake-Eastern Health Region.

The total number of confirmed cases involving the U.K. variant, and one that originated in South Africa, reached 41.

Twenty-two of those spread via close contacts, nine via travel, and one result is pending. Public health officials havent been able to determine how nine other Manitobans contracted variants of concern, which indicates community spread.

Case investigations for those unknown cases continue, a provincial spokesperson said.

"We are really getting aggressive with our case and contact investigation. We are going to be treating most cases as if they were variants of concern until proven otherwise. Because we really want to do what we can to limit the transmission, while at the same time, you know, trying to loosen other public health measures... that have been in place for so long now," Roussin said.

Nineteen of the 41 variant cases were still active. Manitoba recently began retroactively screening positive test results dating to the beginning of February to look for variants of concern, which are known to be more contagious but not necessarily more deadly.

Roussin said Monday he was not aware of any hospitalizations or deaths in Manitoba due to such variants.

Manitoba tightened self-isolation rules and its definition of close contacts Feb. 22, in an effort to prevent variants from spreading and track down more people who may have been exposed.

Someone can be considered a close contact after 10 minutes in proximity to a positive case (instead of 15 minutes), and close contacts and their household members have to isolate for two weeks. The province confirmed Monday it hasn't made any other changes to its contact tracing or case investigation processes.

Meanwhile, 50 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Manitoba, but no new deaths linked to the pandemic.

Thirty-one cases were in Winnipeg, 16 in Northern Health, and three in Southern Health. No new cases were reported in Interlake-Eastern or Prairie Mountain.

The five-day provincial test-positivity rate was 4.8 per cent (the highest since Feb. 23) and 3.5 per cent in Winnipeg. Just 1,516 COVID-19 tests were performed Sunday at provincial labs.

On Monday, 151 people were in hospital being treated for COVID-19, including 23 in intensive care. Of those, 56 are still considered infectious.

The provinces pandemic death toll stayed at 917.

Outbreaks at Poseidon Care Centre in Winnipeg, Heritage Life in Niverville, and Valleyview in Brandon have concluded.

On Monday, the province announced expanded eligibility criteria for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Individuals who are 77 or older, and First Nations people 57 or older, can now book an appointment to be vaccinated.

Eligibility criteria for select health-care and congregate living employees has also been expanded to include the following:

Workers who may or may not provide direct patient care, working in outpatient health-care settings including clinics, diagnostic imaging, laboratories, patient transport, blood donor centres, surgical centres, elderly day programs and home-based care (no age restrictions).

People working in congregate living facilities (no age restrictions).

Roussin announced he is scheduled to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine Friday.

 with files from Danielle Da Silva

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca
The National Park Service has announced $2,188,052.50 in grants from the American Battlefield Protection Program to protect 225.33 acres at three Civil War and Revolutionary War battlefields.

The grants will be used to acquire portions of Brandywine and Gettysburg battlefields in Pennsylvania and Shepherdstown Battlefield in West Virginia.

The Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant program, administered by the American Battlefield Protection Program, provides up to 50 percent in matching funds to state and local governments to acquire and preserve threatened Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War battlefield lands through fee-simple and permanent, protective interest acquisitions at eligible properties.

Eligible battlefields are listed in the Civil War Sites Advisory Commissions 1993 Report on the Nations Civil War Battlefields and American Battlefield Protection Programs 2007 Report to Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the United States.

In Chadds Ford Township, $1,883,725 will be awarded to add 72.23 acres to the Brandywine Battlefield.

Heres the history:

Late in the afternoon of Sept. 11, 1777, the American Army under General George Washington was desperately trying to form an effective rear-guard against the British Army along the Brandywine River in southeastern Pennsylvania. After enduring over 3 hours of constant attack, most of the American Army was in full retreat as British Grenadiers and troops of the British 4th Brigade attempted to cut off their escape. A counterattack of American cavalry, led by Count Casimir Pulaski, and the stubborn resistance of troops under Major General Nathaniel Greene slowed the British advance until nightfall, allowing Washingtons Army to withdraw and fight another day while the British Army marched toward Philadelphia and, two weeks later, captured the U.S. capital.

Grant funds will be used to acquire and preserve a significant portion of the battlefield where the 4th British Brigade began its attack against Greene.

At the Gettysburg Battlefield in Adams County, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission will use $79,297.50 to buy 1.1 acres.

Heres the history:

At twilight on July 2, 1863, James McKnights Gettysburg farmhouse was lit up by the intense artillery fire of Captain Greenlief Stevens 5th Maine Battery of the Union Army. Firing in support of Brig. General Adelbert Ames division on nearby Cemetery Hill, Stevens guns helped to slow a Confederate attack and allow time for Union reinforcements to arrive. Facing superior numbers, the Confederates were forced to withdraw from the sloping fields of the McKnight Farm.

Grant Funds will be used to protect the McKnight farmhouse and surrounding lands traversed by Union forces in defense of Cemetery Hill during the Battle of Gettysburg.

In West Virginia, the Jefferson County Farmland Protection Board will use $225,030 to preserve 152 acres of the Shepherdstown Battlefield.

Heres the history:

Three days after the battle of Antietam, regular troops under the command of Major Charles Lovell crossed a shallow ford in the Potomac River to determine the whereabouts of the Confederate Army under General Robert E. Lee. The night before, lead elements of this Union force made contact with the Confederate artillery and captured 4 guns before being recalled back across the river. Returning to the ground they had gained only a few hours before on the morning of Sept. 20, 1862, the Union troops were attacked by a larger force of Confederates and forced to withdraw.

Grant funds will be used to increase acreage under preservation easement and maintain open-space and agricultural uses.

For more information, visit the National Park Service website.

Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.
A lawsuit was filed last June 2020 against Google. The details said the tech giant violated privacy and wiretapping laws by continuing to "intercept, track and collect communications" despite people using the private web browser mode "Incognito."

Google is alleged to collect the users' activity and data as they browse through its servers.

With thousands of internet searches run by a second in their search engine, Google Chrome remains one of the strongest internet browsers available. It is also intuitive, creating customized results that best match your specific type of search.

Moreover, it is user-friendly and remains the popular choice since 2010. Lastly, the Google company dominates desktop browser experience and mobile platforms by syncing user identity with their google sign-in accounts.

Google Charged with Complaints, Lawsuits and Privacy Breach

Google, however, is facing a series of complaints and lawsuits. Primarily aimed at their advertising strategy, Google is accused of taking user data and breaching privacy, especially since all this data mining happens without user consent. Google disputed all these claims, emphasizing that every time users open incognito tabs, they are informed through the browser preview that websites might still access and collect information about the user's session browsing activity. Their lawyers quote that "going 'Incognito' does not mean 'invisible.'"

Developers also argued that certain data are prerequisites to ensure the Google platform is running smoothly. Google also said it is not liable to the third-party operations recording user's 'entry' to their websites.

Read Also: Google Pixel 6 vs Pixel 5: What Are the Changes? Design, Specs, and More- An Advanced Review

U.S. Court Makes Decision

However, a federal judge denied Google's request for dismissal of the lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, wrote that "the court concludes that Google did not notify users that Google engages in the alleged data collection while the user is in private browsing mode."

The lawsuit, seeking $5 billion in damages, is charged against Google and its parent company, Alphabet.

For what it's worth, according to Benzinga, Google has recently decided to remove third-party cookies and alternate identifiers to track individuals who browse on the web. These regulatory issues affected not only the core search function but also its advertising business. Google has widely dominated advertising by modifying advertisements based on the users' interests analyzed through their search history.

Google's issues had dated even beyond these last few years. In 2013, the Federal Trade Commission had its suspicions but could not file a complaint due to the lack of evidence. In June 2017, Google was charged with 2.42 billion for violating European Commission competition rules. The following year, the EU filed another fine of $5 billion for exploiting its power in the android platform.

As Google continued to rise in power and money, the Justice Department decided to dig deeper into an investigation of Google's privacy breach and later filed the anti-trust lawsuit against the tech giant.

However, the judge concluded that the lawsuit against Google has substance. These recent events have created new awareness on privacy enforcement and curtailed power against the technology companies such as Google.

Related Article: Google Reveals That Suspicious Apps Can Bypass Anti-Adware Security And Cause Ads To Flood Your Phone
(Reuters) - People in Myanmar protesting the military's seizure of power, which has sparked widespread violence in the country, have a new tool - coup-themed tattoos.

Some are opting to have "Freedom from Fear" or "Spring Revolution" written on their bodies, while others favour drawings of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi's face or the movement's three-finger salute.

These motifs have become increasingly popular since the junta seized power on Feb. 1, tattoo parlours say. More than 80 people have been killed and 2,100 arrested in the crackdown by police and security forces on daily protests across the Southeast Asian nation, an advocacy group says.

"I felt like I lost my future when I heard the news on Feb 1. I feel so much in pain and I don't want to get to forget that pain ever," said a 23-year old woman at a parlour in Yangon, who did not want to be identified.

She said she was getting the message "Freedom from Fear" written on her body so she would never forget that pain and to show younger generations "how we got rid of this system."

Many tattoo artists inked people for free in a show of solidarity in the days after the coup in early February. After reports that some of them were arrested, many parlours are trying to be more discreet even though they continue to offer steep discounts.

"They threatened us with the weapons. But our revolution won't win if we have fear," said the customer in Yangon. "So we must get rid of this kind of fear to prevail in our revolution."

The leaders of the United States and some of its allies vowed on Friday to work together to restore democracy in Myanmar.

(This story refiles to correct typographical error in headline)

(Reporting by Reuters staff; Writing by Masako Iijima and Ana Nicolaci da Costa; Editing by William Mallard)
Hyderabad, March 15 : The Telangana High Court on Monday observed that there is no need for a CBI probe into the murder of lawyer couple.

The court took up hearing of a petition by slain lawyer Gattu Vaman Rao's father Gattu Kishan Rao, seeking a direction to the state government to transfer the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Hima Kohli observed that the court shares the petitioner's pain, but pointed out that it is directly monitoring the probe. It also felt that the investigations were heading in right direction and if the case was entrusted to the CBI, this could lead to further delay.

The Advocate General submitted a report to the court on the status of the investigations. The court was informed that the police recovered the weapons used in the murder.

The court has so far examined 25 witnesses. It also recorded statements of three accused. The court was told that the CCTV footage and the video and pictures taken on mobile phones were sent for forensic analysis.

The court adjourned the hearing to April 7.

Expressing apprehensions that the police may not probe the murder of his son Vaman Rao and daughter-in-law Nagamani in a fair manner, Kishan Rao had filed a writ petition.

The lawyer couple was killed in broad daylight near Manthani on February 17. The case was registered with the Ramagiri police.

In his petition, Kishan Rao stated that Vaman Rao and Nagamani were eliminated by anti-social elements in collusion with the TRS leaders and police officials as the couple was questioning the illegal activities resorted to by Putta Madhukar, the zilla parishad chairman of Peddapalli, and his wife Shailaja, chairperson of Manthani municipality.

The petitioner alleged that Madhukar and his wife developed animosity towards Vaman Rao and Nagamani as their illegal activities were questioned by the advocate couple.

It was also pointed that Nagamani had filed an election petition challenging the election of Madhukar in a lower court in Karimnagar and brought to light the lock-up death of Sheelam Rangiah, who had information regarding the sand and mining mafia in Manthani.

Police have already arrested five accused in the case including a local TRS leader, who was later suspended by the party, and Madhukar's nephew.
When all is said and done, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's complaints about their current predicament, broadcast to the globe via their wedding guest and New Best Friend Oprah Winfrey, come down to money and status.

As far as they are concerned, they have been short-changed on both counts.

That might seem incredible to those who (unlike Ms Winfrey) are not billionaires, but it is 'their truth'.

This all came out in Prince Harry's section of the interview (after he had been released from the chicken coop at the couple's $15 million California estate).

When all is said and done, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's complaints about their current predicament, broadcast to the globe via their wedding guest and New Best Friend Oprah Winfrey, come down to money and status

With an expression of barely contained fury, he told Winfrey that 'my family literally cut me off financially' and that, while the couple were in Canada, 'I then got told at short notice security was going to be removed . . . I never thought that I would have my security removed because I was born into this position.'

Well, yes, the Canadian government did not want to pick up the tab for that; and neither would British taxpayers want, in perpetuity, to fund round-the-clock bodyguards for the self-exiling couple.

As it happens, even the Princess Royal gets security solely when she is performing royal duties  and Anne is the only member of the Royal Family who has been the victim of a kidnapping attempt.

Full-time protection, said to be costing around 500,000 a year, was also withdrawn from the Duke and Duchess of York's daughters in 2011.

Prince Andrew was furious about that because it represented a loss of status, not because he could point to genuine threats to the safety of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

In the world of Hollywood and the West Coast media multi-millionaires (where Harry and Meghan have now made their home and their new careers), anyone who doesn't have bodyguards might as well admit to not having access to a private jet. It means you aren't on the A-list.

Wealthy

It seems Harry believed that his father should pay the costs the state wouldn't, and fund 24-hour-a-day protection for his family. But Harry is already a very wealthy 36-year-old, thanks in large part to the consequences of the divorce agreed between Charles and Diana.

That settled almost 20 million on Diana, a sum which, after her appallingly early death, was inherited in trust by her two young sons in equal proportion.

William and Harry are also believed to be beneficiaries, to the tune of many millions of pounds, of the Queen Elizabeth Trust fund  the legacy of the late Queen Mother.

William and Harry are also believed to be beneficiaries, to the tune of many millions of pounds, of the Queen Elizabeth Trust fund  the legacy of the late Queen Mother

And the Duchess of Sussex is thought to be a wealthy woman in her own right, from her successful career as a star on U.S. television.

The situation was best summed up last week by a former royal protection officer, Simon Morgan, who said: 'Elton John has to pay for his own security, and so do Harry and Meghan.' But the couple themselves clearly assumed that Prince Charles would step in to fund such services once the royal protection squad had fallen away following Harry and Meghan's retreat from official duties.

In his interview last week, Prince Harry also complained that his father had 'stopped taking my calls'. It has been claimed that these calls had all been focused on demands for help with the Duke and Duchess's desired protection.

More money, in other words.

Pestering

It is little wonder that Prince Charles, after a while, could not bear to receive any further calls of this sort, especially as he had, according to an official speaking to the Sunday Times, 'continued to provide Harry and Meghan with financial support after their move to America, while they found their feet'.

There is a ghostly echo here of the way in which demands for money poisoned the relationship between the Duke of Windsor (as Edward VIII became after his abdication) and his brother, King George VI.

Edward had managed to wring an annual allowance of 25,000  equivalent to just over 1.75 million in today's much devalued currency  and a lump sum of 300,000 (about 21 million now) in exchange for the royal residences of Sandringham and Balmoral.

There is a ghostly echo here of the way in which demands for money poisoned the relationship between the Duke of Windsor (pictured above) and his brother, King George VI

But still Edward kept pestering his brother, now the King, for more financial support . . . until, eventually, George told his staff not to put through any more phone calls from the Duke of Windsor.

The historian Andrew Roberts (a doughty defender of the institution of the monarchy, as it happens) wrote about this episode: 'The way in which some very rich people consider themselves to be strapped for cash is an interesting psychological phenomenon, and it is particularly to be found among members of the royal families.'

The consequences of the abdication crisis of 1936 were most unusual, in that they propelled the younger brother into the position of power and the elder brother into that of petitioner. The tradition of the British aristocracy is that the firstborn son gets everything: the title, the estates, and all the income that they generate. Viewers of Downton Abbey will be familiar with this.

So, for example, from the moment of his birth, Prince William was set to inherit the Duchy of Cornwall (its land spans 23 of England's 27 counties)  an estate which now produces about 20 million a year in income.

The difference of status between William and Harry could also be seen, more domestically, by the fact that when he and Meghan lived at Kensington Palace, they occupied the relatively small Nottingham Cottage, while the Cambridges had the much grander Apartment 1A.

And, once William became a father, Prince Harry was no longer even the 'spare' (as in 'the heir and the spare'  the term used in English landed families for two male offspring). The line of succession, through the Cambridges' own children, required no input from him.

This matter of status does seem to bother Prince Harry, despite his view, as told to Oprah Winfrey, that he is glad to have escaped the system which he claims has 'trapped' his father and brother.

The consequences of the abdication crisis of 1936 were most unusual, in that they propelled the younger brother into the position of power and the elder brother into that of petitioner. Pictured: King Edward VIII (left) with the future King George VI (right)

Edward kept pestering his brother, now the King, for more financial support . . . until, eventually, George told his staff not to put through any more phone calls from the Duke of Windsor (King George VI above)

I wrote here last year how I had been told Harry had been a little miffed, during his wedding to Meghan Markle, to see William wearing the 'aiguillette over the right shoulder and chest'  the insignia of a personal aide-de-camp to the monarch. For Harry did not have that rank.

Apparently, he raised this at the highest level, so that within months Harry, too, was appointed a 'personal aide-de-camp' to the Queen.

Actually, in moving towards a self-generated income (Harry and Meghan have signed contracts with the media firms Netflix and Spotify which are set to make them what most would consider a vast fortune), the Duke of Sussex is following the traditional path of younger sons of the aristocracy: he has got an independent job.

Obviously, in earlier centuries, these were less glamorous and, of course, less lucrative occupations: the church and the Army were the main choices.

Impact

Indeed, it is one of the tragedies of Harry's life that he did not remain in the Armed Forces. That world is as far as can be imagined from the PR-led Californian existence that now embraces him.

Incidentally, the Sussexes have taken on a large PR team of their own, which includes the Hollywood firm Sunshine Sachs. They do not come cheap.

And I imagine these PR advisers had been paid to war-game the Oprah Winfrey interview with Meghan and Harry: how to make the maximum impact and how best to sway public opinion behind them.

It must have occurred to Prince Charles (or certainly those who advise the Prince of Wales) that in giving more money to Harry, he might unwittingly be financing those who were, as we now know, preparing the ground for a calculated trashing of the Royal Family in order to boost the value of their own media brand.

No wonder Charles decided to stop signing the cheques.

And what a distasteful spectacle was this globally broadcast complaint about money by multimillionaires, when billions across the planet are facing exceptional financial hardship as a result of Covid-19.

At least the Duke of Windsor didn't do his money-moaning in public.
Trade CS Betty Maina responds to questions from the public on the Kenya-UK trade deal and more.

Parliament may have ratified the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the United Kingdom, but you will recall that there have been murmurs against certain clauses in the deal which your ministry promised to look at after the agreement is in force. What inbuilt mechanisms are there in the agreement to allow for such amendments, especially if one party is unwilling to amend? Albert Kinuthia, Nairobi

The EPA contains a mandatory five-year review clause, amendment and exit clause as well as infant industry safeguards as some of the inbuilt mechanisms that will mitigate any negative effects.

The review clause provides for a comprehensive mandatory review of the entire agreement every five years (Article 141). The amendment clause allows flexibility to seek amendments on any provisions, including tariff liberalisation schedules, when the need arises (Article 142).

The exit clause, Article 139 on Denunciation, provides for flexibility to exit upon giving a one-year written notice.

If there was one thing that came out of the parliamentary debate on the trade deal with the UK, it was the fact that legislators would like to be involved in some way in the journey of negotiating such agreements in the future. Right now, Kenya is involved in negotiations with the US for a similar trade deal. How do you intend to carry MPs along so that the issues that arose with the UK deal are nipped in the bud? Sam J. Wekesa, Berlin

Currently, there are no provisions for the legislators direct involvement in the negotiations. We would, however, propose that the relevant Committees of Parliament to be regularly updated on the ongoing negotiations. We hope to adopt this approach immediately and will soon be arranging a session with MPs to provide updates on the status of the Kenya-US Free Trade Agreement.

What is your ministry doing to nurture the specific industrial potentials of each region in the country in line with Vision 2030? For example, the northern region is lagging behind despite its huge potential in the livestock economy where it can be a market leader beyond Kenya if properly supported. Hassan Malik Mohamed, Garissa County

Implementation of the EPA is the responsibility of both the national and county governments. We have partnered with the Council of Governors and held consultative forums in which we agreed that the priorities identified by the county are the ones to support first. We have also engaged the counties one-on-one. In other cases, our engagement has been at the regional block level. We also have ministry staff in various counties assisting with implementation and capacity building.

It is said that Kenya will start to be considered to be meaningfully in manufacturing when it decides to go into mining and processing of minerals in a big way. Sometime last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced that a team of bright young men and women he assembled at Manyani, Taita Taveta had managed to study the minerals buried in the countrys belly at a lower cost than it would have taken had the government engaged private firms. What should we expect next as far as exploiting these resources is concerned? Githuku Mungai, Nairobi

Once the analysis of the data gathered is concluded, the Ministry of Mining will roll out the strategy of full utilisation of our resources. The value created from mining is contingent upon the quantity of mineral deposits in a country. Adding value to our minerals before exporting them will create jobs. The State Department for Mining has all the details regarding the strategy and policy direction for exploration and exploitation of mineral resources.

County governments have heavily invested in enforcement officers ostensibly to crack down on hawkers in towns. Shouldnt they see opportunities in these hawkers and partner with them for the much-needed local revenue? How can your ministry, intervene in the situation? Komen Moris, Eldoret

The State Department for Trade has the Internal Trade Directorate. This directorate works with the various components of the markets including development partners to make the function of trading occur seamlessly. In deploying the enforcement officers, the counties merely wish to streamline the trade that takes place in many of our urban centres. Hawkers could be itinerant traders and many times they are sedentary. The ministry considers them candidates for our entrepreneurship programmes. The Micro, Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA) was created to cover this sector. Last year we developed the policy for this cadre. MSEA is the lead agency in its implementation.

The trade deals Kenya has signed recently and those still under negotiations have caused jitters within the East African trading bloc and on the continent under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which came into effect in January. Are you concerned that the deals could jeopardise trade with our neighbours and the rest of Africa? Bridgit Mwenda, Kitengela

Not at all. One of the objectives in these negotiations is to secure trading arrangements that strengthen regional integration and are compatible and promote our shared commitment to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The EPA with the UK was to ensure trade continuity following Brexit. It is also to secure a long-term trade agreement that would provide permanent duty-free, quota-free access to the UK.

The full title of the Kenya and UK agreement is The Economic Partnership Agreement between Kenya, a member of the East African Community, of the one part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the other part. Kenya and the UK have assured the EAC member states that they are free to join in the new EPA, in Article 143 which provides for accession for the other EAC Partner States when ready.

The Kenya UK Trade agreement builds on the EAC-EU agreement concluded and initialled in 2014. At their last summit on February 27, 2021, the EAC Heads of State allowed countries who have signed and ratified to proceed to implementation of that agreement.

Moreover, under Article 12(2) of Protocol 1 on the Rules of Origin, the EPA provides for cumulation of materials from other EAC, other African countries as well as the Caribbean and Pacific (former ACP members) for conversion into finished products and exporting to the UK. The EPA provides market certainty that should drive industrialisation and diversification of economies in the region.

Since 2013, counties have been hosting investment conferences and forming trading blocs to attract investors and leverage on their economic potential. What is the ministry doing to regulate this and ensure that counties are not hoodwinked by foreign investors and public funds are not misused to finance activities that contribute nothing to the economy? Dan Murugu, Nakuru

The regional blocs are creations of devolution. One bloc has engaged the ministry and international partners in developing a special economic zone. My ministry hosts the Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest), whose mandate is to promote investments in the country. It has regional offices in Mombasa, Kisumu, and Eldoret .

As counties work to attract investors and development partners, we have a mechanism of supporting them through KenInvest. We also encourage counties to engage the Ministry anytime they need support.

I attended a recent Special Economic Zones Authority webinar and it was shocking that there are just three public zones against nine that are privately owned. In particular to manufacturing, what is the government doing to promote public-private partnerships in this sector to meet the target of 500,000 new jobs every year that the Jubilee administration promised in 2013? Dan Murugu, Nakuru

The Special Economic Zones Act guides the establishment and management of SEZs. It provides for gazettement and licensing of all SEZs, development and operation of public zones, and provision of a one-stop-shop service for investors. The establishment of these zones requires heavy capital outlay. This is where the public-private partnership model comes in.
Kolkata, March 15 : The family members of Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee's sister-in-law Menaka Gambhir appeared before the CBI on Monday to record their statements in the multi-crore coal pilferage scam being investigated by the central probe agency.

Gambhir's father-in-law Pawan Arora and her husband Ankush Arora deposed before the CBI.

Meanwhile, the probe agency has postponed the date for the questioning of Trinamool Congrerss leader and West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee to March 23. Earlier, the agency had summoned the Trinamool leader in connection with the ICore chit fund scam for questioning on March 15 at its Kolkata office.

A CBI source related to the probe told IANS: "Ankush and Pawan deposed before the CBI officers at our office here." He said their statements are being recorded by the agency in connection with the case.

Last month, the CBI had recorded the statement of Rujira Banerjee, the wife of Abhishek Banerjee, and her sister Menaka Gambhir in connection with the case.

Abhishek is the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee.

The CBI had registered a case against the alleged kingpin of the pilferage racket Anup Majhi alias Lala, Eastern Coalfield Ltd General Managers Amit Kumar Dhar and Jayesh Chandra Rai, ECL chief of security Tanmay Das, area security inspector Kunustoria Dhananjay Rai, and SSI and security in-charge Kajora area Debashish Mukherjee in November last year.

On February 26, the CBI searched the premises of a businessman in Kolkata and on February 19, the agency had carried out searches at 13 locations in four districts of West Bengal, including the premises of coal mafia Jaidev Mondal.

On November 28 last year, the CBI had conducted raids at 45 locations in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh in connection with the coal smuggling racket.

The CBI in December 2018 had arrested Suman Chattopadhyay, editor of a leading Bengali daily, in connection with the case. The agency has alleged that the ICore group, which had allegedly raised over Rs 3,000 crore from people offering high returns on investments, had diverted a portion of these funds to other companies.

The agency had taken over the probe into the ICore group scam in 2014, after registering an FIR under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy and cheating.

The case was registered on the basis of the Supreme Court's order in 2014 directing the agency to take over all the cases related to chit fund companies being probed by the state police.

ICore group's directors, Anukul Maity and his wife Kanika, were arrested by the agency last year.

Maity passed away in November last year in hospital after he complained of chest pain when he was lodged in the Jharpada jail in Odisha.

The central agency's actions have turned the heat on poll-bound West Bengal, where the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP are engaged in a bitter war of words.

Polling to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases -- on March 27, April 1, April 6, April 10, April 17, April 22, April 26 and April 29 -- and the results will be declared on May 2.
A teacher in Thanh Hoa was disciplined for drinking beer with students, and a teacher in Binh Thuan fell down the stairs after she was criticized for beating a student. These incidents were among others that caught the public's attention last week.

The teacher has been fined for drinking beer with students

Regulations on professional titles

The circulars released by MInistry of Education and Training (MOET) on teacher appointments and ranking continued to catch the attention of the public. Many people proposed removing the requirement on certificates for fulfilling refresher courses when ranking teachers.

Nguyen Tu Long from the Ministry of Home Affairs said the ministry cannot say whether it will remove the requirement. It is necessary to collect opinions from the people to be covered by the regulation, and MOET needs to show its official view on the issue.

Student scuffle

On March 12, a 6-minute clip was spread on social network, showing female 10th graders fighting each other in a classroom at Phan Dang Luu High School in HCMC.

In Hanoi, a fight occurred among five female students at the Sen Phuong Secondary School. The fight originated from messages on Facebook.

On March 11, the Tan Hoa Ward Police in Dong Nai province, announced it launched an investigation to find the subjects that appeared in a clip showing a male student beaten by a group of students. The victim was a student at Vo Truong Toan Secondary School.

On March 4, two groups of students in Dak Lak were seen fighting each other. Some of them have fled.

Teacher fined for drinking beer

After seeing a clip that showed a group of students drinking beer with their teacher, some parents reported the incident to the police.

The teacher was Nguyen Thi X, a teacher at Ngu Loc Secondary School in Thanh Hoa. The teacher was fined VND7.5 million for her behavior of letting children use alcohol, beer and stimulants.

On March 9, a primary school teacher in Binh Thuan fell from the first floor to the school yard, breaking her arm. Prior to that, she had been denounced for striking a student with a ruler.

In Hanoi, some parents have denounced a teacher of English at the Trung Hien Primary School for using iron ruler to beat students many times.

Young professor admits mistakes in published research work

An entry was posted on open Wikipedia denouncing Prof Phan Thanh Son Nam from the HCMC University of Technology for re-using the same magnetic resonance spectra for many different results in other unrelated articles.

Nam admitted the error, made in the SI (supplemental instruction) of the article, saying this had been a bloody experience for him.

Hanoi announces 4 subjects for high-school entrance exams

Students will have to take four tests in math, literature, foreign languages and history to obtain seats at public high schools. The first three subjects are fixed, while the fourth subject is determined by the local education department every year.

Students are worried as they have only two months to prepare for the exams.

Two sets of textbooks disappear

The news that two sets of textbooks, namely Cung hoc de phat trien nang luc (studying together to promote abilities) and Vi su binh dang va dan chu trong giao duc, wont be available for second graders has surprised parents and teachers.

They said that this could be a big problem for students who studied with these textbooks in first grade and cannot continue to use the textbook in the second grade. However, officials said that this wont matter.

Hue City decides to restore teaching of domestic science

The Thua Thien-Hue provincial authorities have decided that the teaching of household arts will begin at Hai Ba Trung High School before it is applied throughout the province.

High school students in the province will be taught life skills, cultural and historical tradition, and the beauty of Hues culinary culture.

HCMC Education Department Director makes series of proposals

Le Hong Son, director of the department, proposed that the Ministry of Finance amend the circular guiding the estimation, management and use of expenses for training and retraining cadres, civil servants and public employees.

He also proposed releasing a document as a legal basis for teaching two sessions a day under private means, and made proposals related to preschool education.

Phuong Chi

Education dept seeks help from city to resolve classroom shortage The HCM City Department of Education and Training has asked the People's Committee to help schools resolve problems associated with the requirements of the new education programme.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, along with the EU ambassador to Georgia and three ministers have left for Brussels today to attend the sixth meeting of the EU-Georgia Association Council.

The meeting will concern regional, Georgian political and economic issues, as well as the EU-mediated talks between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition on the issues of repeat parliamentary elections.

Garibashvili is scheduled to hold his first meeting with the European Council President Charles Michel who paid a visit to Georgia on March 1 and delegated a mediator in the Georgian ruling party-opposition talks following the visit.

The Georgian delegation which includes Garibashvili, Economic Minister Natia Turnava, Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani and Justice Minister Gocha Lortkipanidze will hold meetings at the European Parliament and NATO on March 17.

The same day Garibashvili will meet with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenger. NATO-Georgia Commission meeting will also take place, Agenda.ge reported.
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What is an additional payment for healthcare services and why is it inevitable in Ukraine?

Valery Zukin, Vice President of the Ukrainian Association of Reproductive Medicine, Member of the Board of the Association of Private Medical Institutions of Ukraine

For a long time, I have been trying to understand the essence of the healthcare reform being carried out in Ukraine. And I often catch myself thinking that I simply do not understand certain things. I still do not understand why patients cannot pay in addition from their own pockets or using voluntary medical insurance (VMI) to reach the real cost of medical service which is clearly higher than the tariffs of the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU).

In all fairness, it would be necessary to mention the positive aspects of the recent and quite radical healthcare reform:

1. The principles of financing public medical institutions have been radically changed.

2. FOR THE FIRST TIME, private medical institutions also receive state funding. This is a breakthrough!

3. Financing of medical institutions depends on the number of medical services provided.

Naturally, there is not a single phenomenon in life which does not have certain disadvantages, even in the presence of some super advantages. Every medal has the reverse side.

What is the reverse side of the healthcare reform?

Unfortunately, as was expected, there is not enough money due to the economic state of Ukraine. However, for complacency, lets admit that no country in the world has a healthcare system which is fully satisfied with its own funding. Money is never too much. This is extremely important for medicine! Money is received only for the disease; therefore, an extremely important area of modern medicine  prevention  has ended up without funding. The following situation arises when it is beneficial for medical institutions to have more sick citizens in Ukraine. What a sad conclusion! Not all diseases are covered. Nobody knows how to treat those diseases which were not included in the NHSU list.

The list of advantages and disadvantages of the healthcare reform can be continued. However, I want to join neither the numerous unconstructive critics nor the smaller group of ardent supporters. Life experience suggests that the truth lies somewhere in between. So where is the golden mean? And if we expand this seemingly understandable term, then where is the golden ratio over which architects, artists and even modern designers have racked their brains for centuries? If you carefully read the article about the golden ratio, you will see that the truth is calculated in a more difficult way than just using the Sharikov principle which is to take everything and divide from the ingenious Bulgakovs Heart of a Dog.

And when I try to explain the essence of additional payments to the quite progressive people I know, I understand that no one understands this problem. Although, from my point of view, it is a key element of the healthcare reform.

Who pays, to whom and for what?

Lets try to draw a schematic of the healthcare system financing

Form of ownership of a medical institution Public Private Payment source The state Option 1 Public ownership + the state pays Option 2 Private ownership + the state pays Citizens Option 3 Public ownership + citizens pay Option 4 Private ownership + citizens pay

All various forms of healthcare financing existing in the world can be ultimately summarized by these 4 options or their combination. In fact, everything is very simple.

Option 1. Public ownership + the state pays is well known to us since Soviet times and does not require any special comments. The state owns the hospitals and equipment and receives funding from the same state for salaries of employees, medicines, utility bills and a bunch of other needs of the medical institution.

Option 4. Private ownership + citizens pay is also well known to us. The investor invests in a building and equipment, creates a medical institution. And then citizens pay for medical services from their pockets or through insurance companies (Voluntary Medical Insurance [VMI] system). At the same time, the medical institution also pays taxes to the state so that there is money to finance Option 1. Lets be frank to each other. Taxes are paid by the citizens since the cost of medical services in private medical institutions also includes a certain tax component.

Option 2 Private ownership + the state pays appeared with the beginning of the healthcare reform. The investor invests in or uses an existing medical institution. But he receives funding from the state for the services provided to citizens. I will repeat once again, this option is one of the greatest achievements of the healthcare reform. I know for sure that medical institutions created specifically for the implementation of this option began to appear. By the way, according to the latest data, these institutions have currently big problems. Services should be provided on a regular basis, but the regularity of the NHSU payments is far from perfect. This is like a death for a medical institution which has an overwhelming number of financial flows from the NHSU contract. Lets hope they will cope with it...

Option 3 Public ownership + citizens pay in Ukraine is absolutely excluded at the legislative level. I will remind Article 49 of the Constitution of Ukraine, as I often come across the fact that the highest-ranked Ukrainian officials do not really remember it.

Article 49. The state and communal health protection institutions shall render medical care free of charge; the existing network of such institutions shall not be reduced. The State shall promote the development of medical institutions under all forms of ownership ...

In order to avoid misunderstandings and prevent any payments in public hospitals, there is even the Decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, which in far 2002 banned any initiatives in this delicate area. Was the problem solved? Of course not. Citizens money in state medicine has become a part of shadow economy. But this is another issue. And the healthcare reform has changed little. The state strictly forbids the state hospitals to take money from citizens but does not notice the size of the shadow sector in the healthcare system.

Co-payment and additional payment  why do we need them?

Any discussion without clear definition of terms is useless. It is obvious. You can argue for hours and then find out that opponents bring different meanings to the same words.

So, co-payment is a fixed payment for certain types of medical services or the provision of medicines. For example, a doctors appointment costs 100 hryvnias. If a patient needs to pay 5 hryvnias, he will ask for help only if he/she really needs it. Obviously, there will be more visits which are completely free of charge than with co-payments. This is a kind of element of restraining medical services due to unregulated needs. I would like to remind you of the basic and forgotten principle of the communist society: To each according to his needs, from each according to his ability. History teaches us that nothing good came of communist principles. However, our not untalented reformers are stubbornly holding to them. Well, the moment will inevitably come when you find out their erroneousness. For the sake of truth, the issue of co-payment for the Ukrainian realities has not become relevant, taking into account the scarcity of the packages provided. Therefore, the issue of co-payment is not yet the most urgent one.

Additional payment is the coverage of the difference between the fixed tariffs and the actual cost of medical services. It exists in all countries of the world, except for Ukraine. Remember the already mentioned Article 49 of the Constitution of Ukraine. The additional payment in the public sector just cannot be legal in Ukraine. Therefore, the place of this additional payment is only in the shadow sector where it successfully thrives.

If the role of co-payment is to restrain the roaring demand for medical services (remember all inclusive in Turkish hotels at the beginning of the tourist boom Russo Turisto in the early 2000s), then the additional payment should bring harmony between the states capabilities and the real cost of medical services. The fact that the NHSU tariffs were calculated on the basis of the states modest capabilities but not the real need raises no doubts in anyone, except for the NHSU leaders themselves. Moreover, they agree with this fact during the not for the recordconversations.

I would prefer not to say the numbers, but my theses look unconvincing without them.

Even a cursory glance at this diagram clearly demonstrates that countries which are more economically developed than Ukraine cannot refuse the participation of their citizens in financing the healthcare system through direct payments (private out-of-pocket) or the VMI system (private insurance). I wonder what the economically unsupported social guarantees are called. Populism, I guess.

To be fair, the issues of co-payments and additional payments have already begun to be discussed by people involved in the healthcare reform.

Thus, Oksana Movchan, one of the NHSU leaders, discusses in her interview the need to implement co-payment, and speaks of the complexity and ambiguity of this decision. The only question is: who and when will decide to cross the Rubicon?

Oleksandr Kvitashvili, the former Minister of Health of Ukraine, discusses the same topic. His reasoning is more specific: When the state pays 10 % of the service cost, the additional payment loses its meaning  citizens will not pay the remaining 90 %. And its hard to argue with him.

The exit is usually in the same place as the entrance

Through simple logical reasoning, we come to the following logical conclusions:

1. We will have to implement co-payment and additional payment for medical services. And the principle its better late than never is more relevant here than ever. There is only one alternative  to make certain of the ineffectiveness of communist principles, namely to each according to his needs .... We well know from recent history how the collapse of the communist idea ends.

2. We will have to start with private medical institutions, since there is no need to amend the Constitution of Ukraine. We just need to change one clause in the NHSU agreement. This is just a paperwork. The main thing is the presence of political will.

3. The public resistance will be minimal. The main thing is explanatory work and the gradual transfer of the shadow sector to the legal one. The people are already accustomed to paying in public hospitals. And if they have to pay officially, it will be perceived positively.

What will the additional payment bring?

The most important possible achievement is the increase in the availability of medical services for patients. And the availability will be greater, if the tariff corresponds to the real cost of medical service. The issue of the real cost of medical service causes long-term discussions incomprehensible to me. After almost 30 years of work in private healthcare system, of which more than 20 years as the Head of quite large medical institutions, the issue of cost calculation has become so trivial for me that I see no problems in it. Direct costs are calculated; profitability is added; and the end result is adjusted by competitor prices. Thats all! If it is necessary to set the price below the cost of production, taking into account the competitor prices, then this service should be declined. The implementation of additional payment does not make fundamental changes. It only provides greater availability, depending on the proposed tariff. Competition is becoming more transparent and will undoubtedly intensify. The patient wins again. And if public hospitals are allowed to play the competitive game, the effect can be simply amazing! Some part of the guaranteed financial flows in the private healthcare system makes investments more attractive. Fund-raising for medicine is another global issue. The impression is that this direction is obviously not a priority for the state. But this is an enormous reserve to improve the entire healthcare system in Ukraine. And the possibility of additional payments is a powerful lever for the inflow of investments in medicine. In the end, it is beneficial for the state to turn from a huge investor into a huge customer of medical services and concentrate its efforts on quality control of medical care. The system of additional payments can have a positive effect on the development of the voluntary medical insurance market, which is extremely poor now and has not yet significantly influenced the development of medical care in Ukraine. The system of additional payments can affect the creation in the private sector of new areas which the state urgently needs, for example, newborn screening for metabolic disorders, screening of pregnant women, early diagnosis of cancer, etc.

Instead of a resume

I am often asked why Leleka Maternity Hospital has not yet concluded an agreement with the NHSU? Here is a screenshot of my chat with a modern and extremely progressive young man.

, ,      ? Could you tell me if Leleka has concluded the agreement with the NHSU?    ! ,    .     . Happy holidays! No. We have not signed the agreement with the NHSU. It is impossible on their terms.  ,       ,  ,     -    . Ugh! A friend of mine wants to give birth at your hospital. She has already arranged everything. But shed like to get a little compensation from the NHSU.

An acquaintance of his asked me later why she cannot get her social guarantees in the place where she sees fit. I could not answer her. She gave birth at Leleka, everything is fine. But her question remained unanswered... Will we soon find the answer?
Washington, March 15 : Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, has said that President Joe Biden's administration inherited "a broken system at the border", amid the recent surge of the number of migrant children detained on the country's southern border.

"What the administration has inherited is a broken system at the border, and they are working to correct that in the children's interest," The Hill news website quoted Pelosi as saying on ABC News on Sunday.

She called the grim situation a "humanitarian challenge to all of us".

Pelosi's statement came a day after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help "safely receive, shelter, and transfer unaccompanied children" detained by authorities while trying to enter the country.

A day earlier, the Biden administration announced the termination of an agreement reached during Donald Trump's presidency that allowed the DHS and Department of Health and Human Services to share information on potential sponsors for migrant children with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Ending the Trump-era policy means that a family member or sponsor looking to reunite with an unaccompanied child in the government's care would not face any immigration enforcement consequences.

Hailing's the DHS' move, Pelosi told ABC News on Sunday: "I'm so pleased that the President, as a temporary measure, has sent FEMA to the border in order to help facilitate the children going from the 72-hour issue into where they are cared for as they are transferred into family homes or homes that are safe for them to be." She called the actions a "transition for what went wrong before to what is right", adding that "there are certain responsibilities that we must honour".

"We have to have a system that accommodates that, and that is what the Biden administration is in the process of doing," Pelosi added.

The New York Times, citing internal government documents, reported last week that the number of unaccompanied migrant children detained along the southern border has tripled in the last two weeks to more than 3,250, of which 1,360 have been detained beyond the mandatory 72-hour limit permitted by US law.

Pressured by reporters at recent news briefings, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has refused to confirm the numbers, saying Biden had been briefed on the situation, and the priority was to quickly transfer the kids from the detention facilities to shelters with better accommodation.

Roberta Jacobson, the administration's coordinator for the southern border, acknowledged that the situation has put the government in a dilemma.

"It is difficult at times to convey both hope in the future and the danger that is now," She told a press briefing last week.
LPTA protest lands in federal court

Vectrus and VS2 LLC are embroiled in a dispute over who the rightful winner is of a $250 million Army logistics contract that has wound its way through a couple rounds of protests and now has landed at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

VS2 originally won the contract to support Fort Benning, Georgia. But Vectrus protested that the Army was wrong to add $20 million to its bid for the work.

The contract was competed essentially as a lowest price, technically acceptable procurement and the extra $20 million took Vectrus from being the lowest price to the highest.

In its bid, Vectrus said it would absorb certain costs and not pass them on to the Army. But the Army didnt believe them and added the extra $20 million.

The Government Accountability Office ruled the Army was wrong to do that. Key parts of the decision are redacted, but GAO said that the Army didnt have a reasonable basis for application of the upward cost adjustment.

GAO told the Army it needed to award the task order to Vectrus.

VS2 filed a protest when the Army did that. But GAO ruled against VS2, saying among other things that they were not in-line for the award because Vectrus now had the lowest price.

Several of VS2s arguments could have been made during GAOs consideration of the Vectrus protest. It was too late to raise them during their own protest, GAO said.

In its own protest, VS2 raised objections to Vectrus past performance. But those weren't raised during the Vectrus protest because VS2 didnt consider itself an interested party.

But GAO disagreed with the VS2 conclusion.

VS2s position ignores the fact that, had it made these arguments (and had we agreed with its position), this would have had the effect of rendering Vectrus ineligible for award, GAO writes. The appropriate time to have raised these arguments was during our consideration of Vectruss original protest.

Now that GAO has rejected VS2s protest, the company has gone to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

The VS2 filing was unsealed today and argues Vectrus said it would absorb the $20 million in costs only after the latter company learned it was going to lose the competition. VS2 argues the Army was correct to add the cost back in.

VS2's filing also calls GAOs decision irrational and an arbitrary and capricious agency action.

VS2 is arguing that GAO never considered the impact of Vectrus decision to absorb the costs on its performance. For the period after GAOs ruling, VS2 says the Army didnt consider it then either.

VS2 also argues that when the Army went along with GAOs decision it was depriving agencies of important evaluation disrection.

The court wants the administrative record of the procurement by March 25. Motions for judgment from VS2, Vectrus and the Army are due May 3. Responses to the motions are due June 14.

A ruling from the court likely wont come until the end of the summer.
There's lots of great news about Covid-19 vaccines and one major catch.

First, the good news:

-- A record-high 2.4 million vaccine doses are going into arms each day, according to the latest seven-day average of daily vaccinations.

-- About 11.5% of the US population is now fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

-- Millions more Americans are now eligible to get a vaccine this week as many states broaden their pools.

-- For the first time, teachers in all 50 states and Washington, DC, are now able to get vaccinated.

Now here's the problem: Some Americans are still reluctant to get vaccinated, even though that's the easiest ticket to herd immunity and a return to normal life.

About 70% to 85% of people must achieve immunity -- either by surviving Covid-19 or receiving a vaccine -- for the population to reach herd immunity. That's the point at which enough people are protected against a disease that it cannot spread through the population.

But while 92% of Democrats either have gotten vaccinated or want to get vaccinated, that number plummets to 50% among Republicans, a CNN poll conducted by SSRS shows.

"What we need to do is find a way to de-link anti-science (beliefs) from the Republican Party," said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

For the US to quash this pandemic as quickly as possible, more Americans need to roll up their sleeves -- especially as more contagious variants and travel increase, health experts say.

"On the one hand, we are getting vaccines out at a record pace, but on the other hand, we have these variants," emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen said.

"We also know surges have occurred after spring break and after holidays before. So what happens now is really up to us."

Despite warnings, air travel reaches record highs

More people traveled by air in the past four days than any other four-day period in this pandemic, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

At least 5.2 million people have flown since Thursday, the TSA said Monday.

And health experts say spring break can be a perfect storm for spreading variants.

The B.1.1.7 strain is spreading rampantly in Florida, Hotez said, and research shows that strain is 59% to 74% more transmissible than the original novel coronavirus.

Yet revelers have packed Florida hot spots, and they could unknowingly bring back the virus to their home states.

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said "too much spring break activity" happened over the weekend.

"We've got a problem with too many people coming here," the mayor said. "We've got a problem with too many people coming here to let loose."

Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements told CNN on Monday spring breakers tend to "congregate closer to one another." Once that happens, social distancing goes out the window, Clements said. This, in turn, exposes officers to Covid-19.

"We passed out almost 7,000 masks this weekend alone trying to get people to recognize the threat of the virus and the potential spread of the virus if they don't take those precautions," Clements said. "We obviously don't want to see anymore in our ranks contract the virus."

And just because spring breakers are outside on a beach doesn't meant they'll be safe.

"They're not going to be (outdoors) all day and all night," Hotez said. "They're going to be in bars and everything else."

Health experts are begging all Americans to wear masks and avoid mistakes from the past that led to devastating surges.

"We have seen footage of people enjoying spring break festivities, maskless. This is all in the context of still 50,000 cases per day," said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"I'm pleading with you for, the sake of our nation's health. These should be warning signs for all of us. Cases climbed last spring, they climbed again in the summer, they will climb now if we stop taking precautions when we get more and more people vaccinated."

With masks on, is 3 feet of distance enough?

The CDC is reviewing new data to see whether physical distancing guidance for schools should be changed from a minimum of 6 feet to a minimum of 3 feet, Walensky said Monday.

"Schools were having a hard time with the 6-foot guidance, and that of course prompted more studies to say, 'Is 6 feet necessary in the context of mask wearing?'" she said.

A study published last week showed "no significant difference" in rates of Covid-19 at Massachusetts public schools that had implemented social distancing rules of more than 3 feet apart compared to those with 6-foot rules.

"Lower physical distancing policies can be adopted in school settings with masking mandates without negatively impacting student or staff safety," the authors concluded.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said, "The CDC is very well aware that data are accumulating making it look more like 3 feet are OK, under certain circumstances."

"I can assure you within a reasonable period of time -- quite reasonable -- they will be giving guidelines according to the data that they have," Fauci told CNN on Sunday. "It won't be very long."

If schools are advised that 3 feet of distance between students (with masks) is sufficient, that could be a game changer, as many schools have not been able to bring more students back to classrooms due to insufficient space.

You asked, we answered: Your top questions about Covid-19 and vaccines

States are expanding who can get vaccines

As vaccine supply and distribution networks expand, states are letting more groups get vaccinated:

Starting Tuesday, "ALL new appointments will be open to ALL Mississippians," Gov. Tate Reeves tweeted. "Get your shot friends - and let's get back to normal!"

(Not literally everyone can get a vaccine. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is authorized for people 16 and older, and the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are authorized for people 18 and older.)

In Alaska, people living or working in the state age 16 or older can get the vaccine. In Georgia, residents 55 and older and people with disabilities and certain medical conditions are now eligible for a vaccine.

Kentuckians 16 and older with any medical or behavioral health condition who the CDC says could be at increased risk of severe Covid-19 illness are now eligible for the vaccine. Health officials said smoking will not be in the covered conditions in the state.

Rhode Island recently expanded vaccinations to those ages 60 to 64, as well as people 16 to 64 with certain underlying health conditions.

In California, those with certain high-risk medical conditions or disabilities are now eligible for a vaccine.

But "the national supply of the vaccine remains limited," state health officials said, "so appointments for the estimated 4.4 million Californians with these conditions or disabilities will not immediately be available to all who are eligible."

How to beat variants before they get out of control

In the race between vaccines and variants, "the best way that we can avoid any threat from variants is do two things," Fauci said.

"Get as many people vaccinated as quickly as we possibly can, and to continue with the public health measures until we get this broad umbrella of protection over society that the level of infection is very low."

That means the US shouldn't be easing restrictions before daily Covid-19 case numbers fall below 10,000 and "maybe even considerably less than that," Fauci said.

The US is not even close to that goal. Over the past week, an average of more than 53,000 new Covid-19 infections were reported each day. And an average of more than 1,350 deaths were reported every day over the past week.

One voice could help quash vaccine hesitancy

Of all the current challenges in this pandemic, one could be greatly alleviated if a former President spoke up, health experts say.

Forty-seven percent of people who supported President Donald Trump in the 2020 election said they would not get a Covid-19 vaccine if it became available to them, a recent poll by NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist found. (Only about 10% of people who supported President Joe Biden said they wouldn't get a vaccine.)

Fauci said on "Fox News Sunday" that if Trump told Republican supporters to get vaccinated, it "would make all the difference in the world."

"He's a very widely popular person among Republicans. If he came out and said, 'Go and get vaccinated, it's really important for your health, the health of your family and the health of the country,' it seems absolutely inevitable that the vast majority of people who are his close followers would listen to him," Fauci said.

Former presidents from both parties publicly received their Covid-19 vaccines to show Americans that they're safe. Trump did not and got his vaccine quietly instead.

And there's even more good reason to get vaccinated. Growing evidence suggests coronavirus vaccines don't just prevent people from getting sick, they can also prevent you from getting infected and passing the virus to others.

"All of the evidence across all the vaccines now is pointing in the direction that these vaccines reduce asymptomatic infection and reduce transmission," Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner and current Pfizer board member, told CBS on Sunday.

"If that's the case, the vaccine creates what we call 'dead-end hosts' -- a lot of dead-end hosts -- meaning people will no longer be able to transmit the infection."
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The European Medicines Agency announced a special meeting Thursday to decide on "further actions" over the AstraZeneca vaccine, but added that the benefits of the jab still outweighed the risks.

After several more countries including France and Germany suspended the vaccine's use over blood clot fears, the EMA said its safety committee would "further review the information" about the shot on Tuesday.

The Amsterdam-based regulator "has called an extraordinary meeting on Thursday 18 March to conclude on the information gathered and any further actions that may need to be taken," it added in a statement.

French President Emmanuel Macron had earlier said he expected the EMA's announcement on the review of AstraZeneca's statement on Tuesday.

The watchdog said it still believed the British-Swedish vaccine was safe to use.

"EMA currently remains of the view that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing COVID-19, with its associated risk of hospitalisation and death, outweigh the risks of side effects," Monday's statement said.

Marco Cavaleri, head of the EMA's vaccines strategy had earlier told the European Parliament's health committee: "We're scrutinising all the data, particularly the fatal cases that have been reported."

But he said the agency "will not see any problem in continuing with the vaccination campaign using this vaccine".

The suspected side effects included blood clots, with some cases involving "unusual features" such as low numbers of plateletsblood cells that aid clotting, the EMA said.

But the EMA said these had occurred in "a very small number of people who received the vaccine.

"Many thousands of people develop blood clots annually in the EU for different reasons," it added.

"The number of thromboembolic events overall in vaccinated people seems not to be higher than that seen in the general population."

The watchdog is working closely with AstraZeneca, experts in blood disorders and other health authorities including Britain "based on its experience with around 11 million administered doses of the vaccine", it said.

The EMA had been working on the issue over the weekend and "rigorous analysis" of the cases would continue in coming days ahead of the special meeting, it added.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
Abeer, 30, stands with her children outside their home in Dayr Hafir, Syria.  UNHCR/Bassam Diab

In a dimly lit room of the tiny apartment in Aleppo where her family now lives, nine-year-old Amal sits on a mattress with a blanket covering a life-altering injury. Eight years ago, aged just 18 months, Amal lost her right leg when a shell struck their home in Hama city and exploded in the bedroom where she slept.

After fleeing the fighting, the family moved multiple times in search of safety before finally settling in Aleppo, Syrias second city and former industrial hub that today still bears many of the scars of the countrys ten-year crisis.

We moved from one house to another, from one area to another, explained Amals mother Samar, 37. The most difficult thing was being displaced time and time again, because every time we moved Amal, her wound would reopen again and bleed. It took seven months for it to heal.

Following months of treatment, Amal is now able to walk to school with the help of a prosthetic leg, and dreams of one day becoming a lawyer. I don't like to sit idle, Amal said. I walk to school alone. I prefer it. It's not hard. I made a bunch of friends at school, from the very first day.

Against a backdrop of damaged buildings and piles of rubble in the impoverished neighbourhood where they live, signs of normal life are gradually returning along with the former residents who fled during the worst of the fighting.

But in spite of the tradesmen reclaiming damaged workshops and the return of rush hour traffic, beneath the surface the devastating impact of the past decade of turmoil can still be felt, and for many such as Amals family the hardship is worse than ever. Years of displacement have depleted any savings they had, leaving them unable to cover rent or medical expenses and relying entirely on aid agencies and handouts.

As much as I try to explain [to you] how difficult the situation is, it's far worse, Samar said. Before the crisis we had our own home, my husband had a job. Now, before we buy anything, we have to think it over a hundred times before we buy it, be it food or clothes or anything else. I never imagined I would find myself in this state.

Over the past decade, millions of Syrians like Amal and her family have been forced to flee their homes in what remains the worlds largest displacement crisis. Over 5.5 million Syrians are living as refugees in neighbouring countries, and 6.7 million are still displaced inside the country, including an estimated 2.5 million children.

Syria is also currently experiencing one of the worst socio-economic downturns since the start of the crisis. In the past year alone, the Syrian pound has lost three quarters of its value while the cost of food and other essential items has rocketed by more than 200 per cent. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has made an already dire situation worse.

The combined effect has been a dramatic reduction in purchasing power and rising levels of debt, leaving millions incapable of putting food on the table and meeting their basic needs. Today, over 13 million Syrians require humanitarian and protection assistance and almost 90 per cent of the population lives in poverty.

Yet despite the mammoth challenges, Syrians continue to find remarkable ways to persevere and try to rebuild their lives. Thousands of formerly displaced people are choosing to return to their towns and villages, often despite widespread destruction to homes, local schools, hospitals and other infrastructure.

"I faced many challenges trying to return home."

Originally from Dayr Hafir, a city 50 kilometres east of Aleppo, 30-year-old mother-of-five Abeer and her family were displaced multiple times. Whilst in displacement, Abeers husband was killed on his way to buy food from a local market. A year later, following an improvement in the security situation in her city, Abeer chose to return.

I faced many challenges trying to return home, Abeer said. I couldn't afford to pay for anyone to bring us home, so we walked from dusk till dawn, bare foot and with no water. I lost my kids in the dead of night, but I was able to find them again.

They arrived back to find their home damaged and looted. With no job or savings, Abeer had to start from scratch. For months they slept on the bare floor of the barren building, eating only the purslane she managed to grow in patches of land near their home. Abeer was forced to leave her young children alone each day while she went out in search of work.

When we first got back, I faced some really difficult circumstances, Abeer explained. We went through periods where we didn't even have cooking oil, or anything. I started working on the land and had to leave my kids home alone. I couldn't afford to buy anything if I didn't leave my kids alone to go and work.

Amal, 9, at home in Aleppo, where her family found safety after being displaced during Syria's 10-year crisis.  UNHCR/Bassam Diab

Amal's mother Samar, 37, sits with her daughter, who lost a leg in an explosion aged 18-months.  UNHCR/Bassam Diab

Abeer and her children returned home to Dayr Hafir to find their home badly damaged and looted.  UNHCR/Bassam Diab

Abeer stands in the mini market she opened with the help of a small business grant funded by UNHCR.  UNHCR/Bassam Diab

With an estimated 12.4 million Syrians currently food insecure, many families are forced to resort to harmful coping strategies including taking children out of school for work or forced marriages. Last year an estimated 2.5 million children in Syria were out of school, with a further 1.6 million at risk of dropping out.

With mounting debts, Abeers fortunes finally changed after she heard about a community centre in her area supported by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, offering small business grants.

After successfully applying for the grant, Abeer was able to open her own mini market and now supports herself and her children with the income she generates.

'The day I received [the grant], my brain couldn't comprehend it. I thought I was in a dream, Abeer said. My life has gone from zero to a hundred. The most important thing is that I don't need to leave my kids alone anymore.

"I pray that my kids will have a beautiful life  better than mine."

Abeer is also receiving support from a psychologist at the community centre to help cope with the loss of her husband and the many challenges she continues to face. Across Syria, years of displacement, exposure to violence, loss of loved ones, lack of jobs and deepening poverty continue to have a severe impact on peoples mental health.

Throughout the past ten years, UNHCR staff have been on the ground in Syria delivering critical assistance to families who have lost everything, including basic items like mattresses and blankets, provision of shelter kits and essential home repairs, psychosocial support and other protection services, and health care and education interventions such as equipment purchases and school rehabilitation.

While Syrian families like Abeers and Amals continue to show incredible resilience after a decade of struggle, the past year has pushed many to breaking point. Continued support from the international and humanitarian community is needed to help Syrians cope with worsening socio-economic conditions.

I pray that my kids will have a beautiful life  better than mine, Abeer said. I want my kids to grow up and be successful, so they won't need to rely on anyone. I don't want them to be humiliated the way I have been.


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Doodnath Maharaj was the general secretary of the Oilfields Workers Trade Union for nearly two decades. This is out of a total of 40 years service.

He was a dedicated and loyal comrade who did his best work away from the limelight. Indeed, he shunned it, embodying a self-effacing personality that was deeply mystifying to many who came to know him.
An immunologist says Ukrainians are now suffering from quarantine fatigue.

Experts have named main causes behind a recent surge in new COVID-19 cases in Ukraine.

"The growth is also seen in many European countries, including in neighboring countries  Poland, the Czech Republic. It was quite expected in Ukraine," Head of the Health Economics Center at Kyiv School of Economics Yuriy Ganychenko said, as reported by the RBC Ukraine news agency.

The main causes are the following:

Seasonal factor;

Spread of the UK strain of the novel coronavirus across the country; and

Neglect of quarantine-related curbs.

According to Borys Donskoy, an immunologist of the Laboratory of Immunology at the State Institution "Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology of NAMS of Ukraine," Ukrainians are suffering from quarantine fatigue and have lost their vigilance.

Read alsoCOVID-19: Almost 6,800 new active cases reported as of March 15"Those who have been diligently observing quarantine measures all the time have now begun to neglect them. They have started visiting more public places and meeting friends. And this has resulted in the current surge in the number of cases. That is, first of all, the groups that have been cautious for a long period of time get infected now," he said.

It is noted the UK strain has also significantly aggravated the situation. Its incubation period has been reduced to 1-3 days.

"Probably, it is not following its usual pattern: this is based on the statistics that we are now observing. In addition, there are new symptoms of this strain. It affects the kidneys, liver, and the central nervous system," said Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on National Health, Medical Assistance and Health Insurance, MP from the ruling Servant of the People Party Mykhailo Radutsky.

Other related news reports

Reporting by UNIAN
India will be self-sufficient in silk production in next two years: Smriti Irani

The Central Silk Board (CSB) under the ministry of textiles and the ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare on Sunday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on a convergence model for implementation of agro-forestry in the silk sector under the ongoing Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) Scheme.

Speaking at the function, union minister for textiles and women and child development, Smriti Zubin Irani said the and Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Parshottam Rupala here today. The MoU was signed by Dr. Alka Bhargava, Additional Secretary, DAC&FW and Shri Rajit Ranjan Okhandiar, Member Secretary (Central Silk Board), Ministry of Textiles.

The MoU aims at incentivising the farmers to take up sericulture-based agroforestry models thereby contributing to `Make in India and Make for the World vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The linkage will add another dimension to agroforestry for faster returns to the growers as well as support the production of the range of silks that India is famous for.

The Central Silk Board (CSB) will act as a catalyst to promote agroforestry in the silk sector. The Buniyaad Reeling Machine for Tussar Silk Yarn were also distributed to some of the beneficiaries on the occasion. The beneficiaries also shared their experiences virtually from across the country.

Speaking on the occasion, union minister for textiles and women and child development, Smriti Zubin Irani said India will be fully `Atmanirbhar (self-sufficient) in silk production in the next two years. She said that raw silk production in the country has increased 35 per cent in the last six years. The minister informed that more than 9 million people have got employment in raw silk production.

Addressing the National level programme on convergence of Agro-Sericulture and eradication of Thigh reeling where the MoU was signed, Irani informed that 8,000 women thigh reelers were identified for providing Buniyaad machines and 5,000 women have already been supported under Silk Samagra Phase I. She said that for remaining 3,000 thigh reelers, fund provision has been made in order to eradicate unhygienic and obsolete Thigh Reeling practice from the country.

The minister further stated that the MoU will help increase agricultural income from 20 to 30 per cent. Referring to the PPE kits, in which India has become the second largest producer in the world, she said India has the capability of creating history in Agro-Technical Textiles also. She said farmers income has almost increased 60 per cent by adopting Agro Technical Textile.

She said that consumption of agriculture based technical textile will increase by involving Krishi Vigyan Kendra in creating awareness about agro-tech and technical textiles, which will lead the way for creation of new products.

The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC & FW) is implementing the Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) since 2016-17 as part of the recommendations of the National Agroforestry Policy 2014. India was the first country to have such a comprehensive policy which was launched at the World Agroforestry Congress held in Delhi in February 2014. At present, the scheme is being implemented in 20 states and 2 UTs.

SMAF encourages farmers to plant multi-purpose trees together with the agriculture crops for climate resilience and additional source of income to the farmers, as well as enhanced feedstock to inter alia wood-based and herbal industry. Hence there is a concerted effort to include medicinal, fruits, fodder, tree borne oil seeds, lac host etc in addition to the longer rotation timber species. The initiative of formalising the collaboration in the sericulture sector is especially targeted for augmentation of sericulture host plants, eg, Mulberry, Asan, Arjuna, Som, Soalu, Kesseru, BadaKesseru, Phanat, etc to be cultivated both as block plantations and border or peripheral plantations on farm lands. Planting sericulture based tree species on farm bunds and rearing silkworms has the potential of creating additional income opportunities to farmers besides their regular source of income from agriculture activities.
Some 147 historical and architectural reference have been approved, some 35 more are under consideration by the Culture Ministry, in particular Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Kropyvnytsky, Lutsk, Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy for European Integration Svitlana Fomenko told Interfax -Ukraine.

By the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine resolution on the approval of the list of historical settlements of Ukraine, some 401 settlements have the status of "historical" cities.

"Not all existing historical and architectural reference plans are relevant to the situation, therefore they need to be revised. For example, Odesa has an approved plan, it defines the boundaries, but the modes of use, heights and building density are not clearly spelled out, in particular, it is possible to construct on facade marks," Fomenko said.

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HOUSTON  Hundreds of immigrant children and teenagers have been detained at a Border Patrol tent facility in packed conditions, with some sleeping on the floor because there arent enough mats, according to nonprofit lawyers who conduct oversight of immigrant detention centers.

The lawyers interviewed more than a dozen children Thursday in Donna, Texas, where the Border Patrol is holding more than 1,000 people. Some of the youths told the lawyers they had been at the facility for a week or longer, despite the agencys three-day limit for detaining children. Many said they havent been allowed to phone their parents or other relatives who may be wondering where they are.

Despite concerns about the coronavirus, the children are kept so closely together that they can touch the person next to them, the lawyers said. Some have to wait five days or more to shower, and there isnt always soap available, just shampoo, according to the lawyers.

President Joe Bidens administration denied the lawyers access to the tent facility. During the administration of former President Donald Trump, attorney visits to Border Patrol stations revealed severe problems, including dozens of children held at one rural station without adequate food, water, or soap.

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It is pretty surprising that the administration talks about the importance of transparency and then wont let the attorneys for children set eyes on where theyre staying, said Leecia Welch of the National Center for Youth Law, one of the lawyers. I find that very disappointing.

Although none of the children reported situations as severe as during the Trump era, Welch said the lawyers werent able to lay eyes on any of it to see for ourselves, so were just piecing together what they said.

A 1997 court settlement known as the Flores agreement sets standards for government detention of immigrant children. Lawyers are entitled under Flores to conduct oversight of child detention. The Justice Department declined to comment Thursday on why the lawyers were denied access. The Biden administration has not responded to several requests from The Associated Press seeking access to the tent.

Government figures show a growing crisis as hundreds of children cross the border daily and are taken into custody. The Border Patrol currently has a record high of more than 3,000 children in detention, according to government data obtained by AP. That figure is rising almost daily.

More children are waiting longer in Border Patrol custody because long-term facilities operated by U.S. Health and Human Services have next to no capacity. Hundreds of children are being apprehended daily at far higher rates than HHS is releasing them to parents or sponsors. HHS currently takes an average of 37 days to release a child.

Biden has stopped the Trump-era practice of expelling immigrant children who cross the border alone, but maintained expulsions of immigrant families and single adults. While his administration has tried to deter immigrants from entering the U.S., many believe they have a better chance now. There have also been growing reports of parents sending their children across the border alone while they remain in Mexico or Central America.

Most Border Patrol stations were designed for short-term detention of adults, with cold, concrete cells with the lights always on. The Donna tent has clear partitions and mats for sleeping, according to images the government has released.

Six children died after being detained by border agents during the Trump administration. One died of the flu at the Border Patrol station in Weslaco, Texas, where minors are currently being held.

HHS has told its contractors to lift capacity restrictions enacted during the pandemic and expedite releases by paying for childrens airfare instead of charging sponsors.

But experts and lawyers who work with children say the government can do more.

While the majority of youths detained by the government are teenagers, both Border Patrol and HHS are detaining very young children who were in some cases separated from adult caretakers.

The Associated Press this week interviewed the mother of one 4-year-old girl from Guatemala who crossed the border March 5 with her aunt. Border authorities expelled the aunt and labeled the girl unaccompanied by a parent, placing her in the Donna tent.

The girls parents live in Maryland. Her mother told the AP that she didnt know their daughters whereabouts until Sunday and didnt speak to her until Monday. According to the mother, the girl was unable to speak in a nearly 20-minute phone call. The AP is not identifying the girl or her mother to protect the childs privacy.

She cried as if something was going on, as if she was scared, the mother said this week. I started crying when I heard her that way. It didnt seem right to me.

The parents asked for their daughter to be released to them directly but on Monday she was sent from South Texas to foster care in Michigan.

When she spoke to her mother Tuesday morning, the girl was no longer crying but still wasnt able to speak.

She didnt say anything, she said. I tried everything I could, but nothing.

Both Homeland Security and HHS initially said they could not directly release the child to her mother. But after the familys lawyers threatened to sue and following inquiries from AP, the government notified the girls mother Wednesday that they would expedite her release.

Amy Maldonado, a lawyer for the family, noted that the governments often cumbersome processes and the inadequate spaces to hold children at the border predate the Biden administration.

I dont hold them accountable for the full history, she said. But this kid could have been released to her mom, and that is on this administration.

___

Associated Press journalist Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report.
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It's hard to think of many upsides to the pandemic. But Oscar voters took advantage of the shutdown to recognize on Monday an historically diverse slate of Academy Award nominees: Some categories showcased a majority of underrepresented filmmakers and performers, and for the first time two women are competing for best director.

With most movie theaters shuttered for the past 12 months, the major studios postponed most of their releases, opening the door to more diverse, independently produced films. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also abandoned one of its cardinal rules, allowing movies that debuted online to compete, benefitting an array of streaming titles with inclusive casts.

The result: Nine actors of color were nominated, an Oscar record.

In the best picture race, there was but one big studio release among the eight nominees, and it features a largely Black cast: "Judas and the Black Messiah." In the best actor category, three of the five picks are non-white, as is the case for supporting actor, too.

In an Oscar first, two women are shortlisted for best director: Chloe Zhao for "Nomadland" (the first non-white woman ever to be nominated) and Emerald Fennell for "Promising Young Woman." Only one woman -- Kathryn Bigelow for 2008's "The Hurt Locker" -- has previously won the directing Oscar.

A total of 70 women received a combined 76 nominations, a record in a single year. Because she also wrote, produced and edited "Nomadland," Zhao collected four nominations -- the most by any woman in a single year.

All of this follows last year's ceremony, when only one non-white performer (Cynthia Erivo of "Harriet") was among the 20 lead and supporting acting nominees.

The Netflix release, "Mank," about the screenwriter behind "Citizen Kane," has the most nominations of any release, with 10.

The streaming service also earned multiple nominations for "The Trial of the Chicago 7" and "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." The latter film was snubbed in the best picture race, which, owing to voting consensus, included eight out of a possible maximum of 10 films.

The best picture nominees are: "Nomadland," "Minari," "The Trial of the Chicago 7," "Promising Young Woman," "Sound of Metal," "Judas and the Black Messiah," "Mank" and "The Father."

Yet even after putting forward a diverse slate of acting nominations, Oscar voters not only snubbed the Black-led release "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," but also "One Night in Miami."

In the supporting actor category, three of the nominees are Black: Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield from "Judas and the Black Messiah," and Leslie Odom, Jr. for "One Night in Miami."

Among the lead actor picks, three of the nominees are non-white: Riz Ahmed for "Sound of Metal," the late Chadwick Boseman in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," and Steven Yeun in "Minari." Yeun is the first Asian performer nominated in the category.

For lead actress, two of the nominees are Black: Viola Davis for "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" and Andra Day for "The United States vs. Billie Holiday." The other nominees are Vanessa Kirby in "Pieces of a Woman," Frances McDormand for "Nomadland" and Carey Mulligan for "Promising Young Woman."

Named for best supporting actor are Maria Bakalova for "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm," Glenn Close for "Hillbilly Elegy," Olivia Colman for "The Father," Amanda Seyfried for "Mank" and Yuh-Jung Youn for "Minari."

Details about the logistics for the April 25 ceremony remain vague, but Academy President David Rubin said the show will be broadcast from both its usual venue, the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, and Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. Maybe rather than take limousines, the nominees can travel by Amtrak -- and hope the trains are running on time.

THE NOMINATIONS

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

RIZ AHMED: "Sound of Metal"



CHADWICK BOSEMAN: "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"



ANTHONY HOPKINS: "The Father:



GARY OLDMAN: "Mank"



STEVEN YEUN: "Minari"





ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE



SACHA BARON COHEN: "The Trial of the Chicago 7"



DANIEL KALUUYA: "Judas and the Black Messiah"



LESLIE ODOM, JR.: "One Night in Miami..."



PAUL RACI: "Sound of Metal"



LAKEITH STANFIELD: "Judas and the Black Messiah"





ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE



VIOLA DAVIS: "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"



ANDRA DAY: "The United States vs. Billie Holiday"



VANESSA KIRBY: "Pieces of a Woman"



FRANCES McDORMAND: "Nomadland"



CAREY MULLIGAN: "Promising Young Woman"





ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE



MARIA BAKALOVA: "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm"



GLENN CLOSE: "Hillbilly Elegy"



OLIVIA COLMAN: "The Father"



AMANDA SEYFRIED: "Mank"



YUH-JUNG YOUN: "Minari"





ANIMATED FEATURE FILM



"ONWARD": Dan Scanlon and Kori Rae



"OVER THE MOON": Glen Keane, Gennie Rim and Peilin Chou



"A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON": Richard Phelan, Will Becher and Paul Kewley



"SOUL": Pete Docter and Dana Murray



"WOLFWALKERS": Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Paul Young and Stephan Roelants





CINEMATOGRAPHY



"JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH": Sean Bobbitt



"MANK": Erik Messerschmidt



"NEWS OF THE WORLD": Dariusz Wolski



"NOMADLAND": Joshua James Richards



"THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7": Phedon Papamichael





COSTUME DESIGN



"EMMA": Alexandra Byrne



"MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM": Ann Roth



"MANK": Trish Summerville



"MULAN": Bina Daigeler



"PINOCCHIO": Massimo Cantini Parrin





DIRECTING



"ANOTHER ROUND": Thomas Vinterberg



"MANK": David Fincher



"MINARI": Lee Isaac Chung



"NOMADLAND": Chloe Zhao



"PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN": Emerald Fennell





DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)



"COLLECTIVE": Alexander Nanau and Bianca Oana



"CRIP CAMP": Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht and Sara Bolder



"THE MOLE AGENT": Maite Alberdi and Marcela Santibanez



"MY OCTOPUS TEACHER": Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster



"TIME": Garrett Bradley, Lauren Domino and Kellen Quinn





DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)



"COLETTE": Anthony Giacchino and Alice Doyard



"A CONCERTO IS A CONVERSATION": Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers



"DO NOT SPLIT": Anders Hammer and Charlotte Cook



"HUNGER WARD": Skye Fitzgerald and Michael Scheuerman



"A LOVE SONG FOR LATASHA": Sophia Nahli Allison and Janice Duncan





FILM EDITING



"THE FATHER": Yorgos Lamprinos



"NOMADLAND": Chloe Zhao



"PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN": Frederic Thoraval



"SOUND OF METAL": Mikkel E. G. Nielsen



"THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7": Alan Baumgarten





INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM



"ANOTHER ROUND": Denmark



"BETTER DAYS": Hong Kong



"COLLECTIVE": Romania



"THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SKIN": Tunisia



"QUO VADIS, AIDA?": Bosnia and Herzegovina





MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING



"EMMA": Marese Langan, Laura Allen and Claudia Stolze



"HILLBILLY ELEGY": Eryn Krueger Mekash, Matthew Mungle and Patricia Dehaney



"MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM": Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson



"MANK": Gigi Williams, Kimberley Spiteri and Colleen LaBaff



"PINOCCHIO": Mark Coulier, Dalia Colli and Francesco Pegoretti





MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)



"DA 5 BLOODS": Terence Blanchard



"MANK": Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross



"MINARI": Emile Mosseri



"NEWS OF THE WORLD": James Newton Howard



"SOUL": Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste





MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)



"FIGHT FOR YOU": from "Judas and the Black Messiah"; Music by H.E.R. and Dernst Emile II; Lyric by H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas



"HEAR MY VOICE": from "The Trial of the Chicago 7"; Music by Daniel Pemberton; Lyric by Daniel Pemberton and Celeste Waite



"HUSAVIK": from "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga"; Music and Lyric by Savan Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus and Rickard Goransson



"IO SI (SEEN)": from "The Life Ahead" (La Vita Davanti a Se); Music by Diane Warren; Lyric by Diane Warren and Laura Pausini



"SPEAK NOW": from "One Night in Miami..."; Music and Lyric by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth





BEST PICTURE



"THE FATHER": David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi and Philippe Carcassonne, Producers



"JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH": Shaka King, Charles D. King and Ryan Coogler, Producers



"MANK": Cean Chaffin, Eric Roth and Douglas Urbanski, Producers



"MINARI": Christina Oh, Producer



"NOMADLAND": Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey and Chloe Zhao, Producers



"PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN": Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell and Josey McNamara, Producers



"SOUND OF METAL": Bert Hamelinck and Sacha Ben Harroche, Producers



"THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7": Marc Platt and Stuart Besser, Producers





PRODUCTION DESIGN



"THE FATHER": Production Design: Peter Francis; Set Decoration: Cathy Featherstone



"MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM": Production Design: Mark Ricker; Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara and Diana Stoughton



"MANK": Production Design: Donald Graham Burt; Set Decoration: Jan Pascale



"NEWS OF THE WORLD": Production Design: David Crank; Set Decoration: Elizabeth Keenan



"TENET": Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Kathy Lucas





SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)



"BURROW": Madeline Sharafian and Michael Capbarat



"GENIUS LOCI": Adrien Merigeau and Amaury Ovise



"IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU": Will McCormack and Michael Govier



"OPERA": Erick Oh



"YES-PEOPLE": Gisli Darri Halldorsson and Arnar Gunnarsson





SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)



"FEELING THROUGH": Doug Roland and Susan Ruzenski



"THE LETTER ROOM": Elvira Lind and Sofia Sondervan



"THE PRESENT": Farah Nabulsi



"TWO DISTANT STRANGERS": Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe



"WHITE EYE": Tomer Shushan and Shira Hochman





SOUND



"GREYHOUND": Warren Shaw, Michael Minkler, Beau Borders and David Wyman



"MANK": Ren Klyce, Jeremy Molod, David Parker, Nathan Nance and Drew Kunin



"NEWS OF THE WORLD": Oliver Tarney, Mike Prestwood Smith, William Miller and John Pritchett



"SOUL": Ren Klyce, Coya Elliott and David Parker



"SOUND OF METAL": Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michelle Couttolenc, Carlos Cortes and Phillip Blad





VISUAL EFFECTS



"LOVE AND MONSTERS": Matt Sloan, Genevieve Camilleri, Matt Everitt and Brian Cox



"THE MIDNIGHT SKY": Matthew Kasmir, Christopher Lawrence, Max Solomon and David Watkins



"MULAN": Sean Faden, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury and Steve Ingram



"THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN": Nick Davis, Greg Fisher, Ben Jones and Santiago Colomo Martinez



"TENET": Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley and Scott Fisher





WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)



"BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM": Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Peter Baynham & Erica Rivinoja & Dan Mazer & Jena Friedman & Lee Kern; Story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Nina Pedrad



"THE FATHER": Screenplay by Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller



"NOMADLAND": Written for the screen by Chloe Zhao



"ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI...": Screenplay by Kemp Powers



"THE WHITE TIGER": Written for the screen by Ramin Bahrani





WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)



"JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH": Screenplay by Will Berson & Shaka King; Story by Will Berson & Shaka King and Kenny Lucas & Keith Lucas



"MINARI": Written by Lee Isaac Chung



"PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN": Written by Emerald Fennell



"SOUND OF METAL": Screenplay by Darius Marder & Abraham Marder; Story by Darius Marder & Derek Cianfrance



"THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7": Written by Aaron Sorkin














British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe appeared on trial on Sunday at Irans Revolutionary Court, charged with propaganda against the system.

Her husband Richard Ratcliffe told the PA news agency that his wife is relieved to have faced her last trial.

Mr Ratcliffe said: I think the judge saying this is the last trial is just a nice feeling  I think it is a bit like youve done an exam, it was horrible, you dont know whether you passed or not, but at least it is done and theres just a relief that comes with that.

And shes done that and shes gone off out for lunch with her mum and her sister which she hasnt been able to do for a long time, he added.

Mr Radcliffe said he expected his wife to be convicted, but did not know what sentence she would receive.

Her lawyer Hojjat Kermani hopes she will be acquitted, telling the Iranian Emtedad website: Her trial was held at branch 15 of the Revolutionary court. Her charge is propaganda against the system.

Meanwhile, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement that the Iranian government has continued to deliberately put her through a cruel and inhumane ordeal, adding that it is unacceptable and unjustifiable that Iran has chosen to continue with this second, wholly arbitrary, case against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Nazanin must be allowed to return to her family in the UK without further delay ... We continue to do all we can to support her, Mr Raab said.

Her local MP Tulip Siddiq wrote on Twitter: No verdict was given but it should be delivered within a week.

Kermani said: The trial was held in a calm atmosphere with the presence of my client ... The legal defence was made and the final defence was taken ... I am very hopeful that she will be acquitted. According to her lawyer, the charge stems from a 2009 incident in which she appeared at a protest in front of the Iranian embassy in London and spoke to a BBC reporter.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe appeared in front of the same judge who conducted her earlier hearings. The Iranian judiciary was not available to comment.

Mr Ratcliffe said the uncertainty of her position is part of the abuse she is suffering, though added she was feeling better than I was expecting but was still guarded, cautious and worried.

I thought there was every chance that they would drag this out over a number of court cases.

Last Sunday, Iran ended Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffes five-year prison sentence and released her from house arrest. The British-Iranian aid worker had been summoned to court again on a separate charge.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested at Tehran airport in April 2016  at the time she was working as a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The aid worker was later convicted of plotting to overthrow the clerical establishment in widely refuted spying allegations.

Mr Ratcliffe told the PA news agency: In the grand scheme of things she will be taken to court and a judge will decide what happens. He might not decide tomorrow, we dont know at this stage whether its a short trial or a long trial, and if its a hefty set of accusations coming or what happened last time.

He added: Theres jeopardy ahead of us in terms of whats about to happen, we dont know if its a big bad thing, a little bad thing or an uncertain thing thats going to be dragged out for quite a while.

The mother-of-one served the majority of her sentence in Tehrans Evin prison but was released into house arrest last March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Last Sunday, Iranian authorities removed her ankle tag but she is still not allowed to leave the country.

Mr Ratcliffe said that the British embassy in Iran had declined to accompany his wife to the trial on Sunday, adding that this was a missed opportunity to protect her and make a profound difference to British Iranians held in the country.

They could have easily accompanied her to court and that signal that were standing alongside her, shes a British citizen and were watching you, its a missed opportunity and its not the first time theyve missed the opportunity to protect her, he said.

In a call with President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday, Boris Johnson, the prime minister, urged Iranian authorities to allow Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe to be allowed to return home to the UK and her family.

According to Iranian media, in the phone call Mr Rouhani make reference to the alleged 400m historical debt which Tehran says Britain owes the Islamic Republic in capital and interest for a 1970s arms deal with the then Shah of Iran.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffes trial comes after a detailed medical assessment found she had been a victim of torture and is suffering from major depression as well as PTSD.

The report from the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) said Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffes condition has been caused by extremely stressful, traumatising experiences in the prisons of Iran and the uncertainty surrounding her immediate future.
The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost.
TWO business leaders are urging John Howell to back a proposed law to help tackle climate change.

Mark Cuddigan, chief executive of baby food manufacturer Ellas Kitchen, of Rotherfield Greys, and Jonathan Hobbs, managing director of Hobbs of Henley, want the Henley MP to support the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill in Parliament.

They have signed an open letter as part of a campaign by the environmental group Greener Henley.

The private members Bill, which introduced to the House of Commons by Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, would enshrine the UKs commitments on climate change under the Paris Agreement into law.

It would ensure the country reduces greenhouse gas emissions to meet its legal obligation to limit global heating to no more than 1.5C, account for our entire carbon footprint in calculating emissions and include measures to actively conserve and protect ecosystems.

The Bill also calls for the establishment of citizens assemblies to give ordinary people a say.

Mr Hobbs said signing the letter made sense because his family business would have to become more environmentally-friendly.

He said: Sustainability and environmental security are going to be at the forefront of what we do because weve got a large fleet of petrol- and diesel-driven boats and realise theyre going to become unacceptable in the near future. We want to improve our contribution to the environment and have ordered five new electric boats for this season, which will mark the beginning of us phasing in electric boats over a number of years.

Well also be looking to upgrade our moorings to take electric boats because theyre taking off among private owners.

Weve only started considering these issues in the past two years or so, which is perhaps later than some businesses, but were very much aware of them now and keen to move with the times.

The car industry has led the way with efforts to reduce emissions because everyone needs a car but I think the marine industry is following suit.

Mr Cuddigan said he had been worried about the environment for at least 20 years but having children had intensified his concerns. He said the family recently had to stop watching a documentary by Sir David Attenborough because his daughters Mimi, 11, and Orla, nine, were distressed by the threat to the planet which it highlighted.

Mr Cuddigan said: We know we need to do something about the emergency. Theres a great quote by Barack Obama that we now have the first generation of leaders who cannot look back and say they werent aware of the problem.

Theres a scientific consensus surrounding this so the only outstanding question is what approach we need to take. Its great that Parliament acknowledged the climate emergency in 2019 but we need a proper plan, nothing wishy-washy.

Like businesses, governments have to be willing to stand up and lead. We have to be brave and take this more seriously otherwise its just pretty but ultimately meaningless words. I spend much of my time trying to persuade other businesses to be more mindful of the environment but only became aware of this Bill quite recently.

It suggests some great ideas like citizens assemblies, which have worked really well in France.

Mr Howell has said he wont vote for the Bill, which almost 100 MPs support to date, because it has imperfections which make it unviable and efforts to launch citizens assemblies in Canada havent yielded results.

He accepts climate change is the all-important issue of the day but says the Government is on track to address it through measures like generating more electricity from renewable sources.

The letter, drawn up in partnership with the CEE Bill Alliance Oxfordshire, which is calling on the countys five Conservative MPs to get behind it, says: We welcome the strides that policymakes have taken over the past decade to support the decarbonisation of the economy.

However, there are key parts of this framework that are still missing and the CEE Bill seeks to address this and to bring the UKs climate policy into line with evolving scientific advice.

Severe climate impacts with 1.5C of warming get significantly worse with 2C. If we do not hold the temperature rise to mitigate against some of the worst impacts, we face irreversible damage to our societies, economies and the natural world.

We ask you to recognise the wide, growing and diverse group of businesses in your constituencies calling on the Government to take leadership.
Yessenia Moreno has worried every day for nearly a year about how she will pay for her rent, the groceries and other bills while her savings diminished and her debts grew.

Moreno, a single mother of five, contracted COVID-19 last year and then lost her job at a Margate restaurant after it closed temporarily due to statewide shutdowns.

The Mexican immigrant does not qualify for unemployment benefits or other safety net programs because she is living in the country illegally.

But Moreno and her children could soon get a lifeline in the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package passed by congressional Democrats and signed into law by President Joe Biden on Thursday. Stimulus checks are expected to be mailed in the coming weeks.

Yessina Moreno walks with her children Sebastian Moreno, 9, from left, Daniel Moreno, 6, Isabel Moreno, 3, and Omar Moreno, 8, outside their home in Atlantic City, N.J. on Thursday, March 11, 2021.

As part of the package, millions of Americans will receive $1,400 payments if they meet certain income thresholds. Moreno, 38, won't qualify for a check as an immigrant without legal status and no Social Security number.

But for the first time since the pandemic started, the law will make her five U.S.-born children eligible to receive the funds.

"It's a light of hope in this dark path that we are living,'' said Moreno, whose children, all citizens, range from 3 years old to 17. "It will help me pay my debts."

The Democrats' plan will also temporarily raise the Child Tax Credit from a maximum of $2,000 to as much as $3,600 per child. That could cut U.S. child poverty nearly in half, according to some estimates.

"These are families that have been really scraping by through food pantries, or maybe help from families, churches, and friends,'' said Julia Gelatt, a senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. "This bill offers them for the first time federal relief, and really a substantial amount depending on how many U.S. citizen children are in the family."

Critics of the plan balk at its price tag and say that it will usher in a permanent expansion of the country's welfare state. The law also includes increases in the Earned Income Tax Credit and Medicaid coverage, both aimed at lower-income Americans.

Story continues

STIMULUS: NJ to get $10.2B from federal stimulus for local governments. See what your town gets

Robert Rector, a senior research fellow with The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, who helped write welfare reform legislation in the 1990s, said the bill is the second largest expansion of welfare in U.S. history. Currently, the country spends about half a trillion dollars annually to provide housing, medical care, and food to low-income families with children, he said.

"This would add another $80 billion dollars on top of that,'' he said. "Technically, it's only for one year, but everyone who is involved in this makes it very clear that they intend this to be a foot in the door for a permanent expansion of welfare."

Who's covered

The American Rescue Plan includes stimulus checks for immigrants with green cards or H-1B and H-2A work visas, as well as those with temporary protections from deportation who have been issued Social Security numbers. Nonresidents, temporary workers and immigrants in the country illegally will not be eligible.

But mixed-status families  those with members of varying citizenship and immigration categories  will be able to collect the $1,400, so long as one member of their household has a Social Security number.

That's a reversal from last spring's coronavirus relief effort, the CARES Act. The $2 trillion package included one-time payments of up to $1,200 for individuals and $500 per child, but it required immigrants to meet certain eligibility criteria and also have a valid Social Security number, leaving the undocumented out.

The Migration Policy Institute estimated that 14.4 million people had incomes low enough to qualify for the CARES Act but were disqualified for lacking Social Security numbers.

That figure included 9.3 million unauthorized immigrants, of whom 940,000 were children. It also included 3.7 million children who were U.S. citizens or legal immigrants but living with unauthorized parents, as well as 1.4 million spouses in the same situation.

In Atlantic City, Moreno was among the millions of immigrants who did not receive a check from the CARES Act or a follow-up stimulus passed in December, even though she met the income limits. The single mother doesn't have a Social Security number, though she has a government-issued Individual Tax Identification Number to file income taxes.

"We need economic relief just like everyone else,'' said Moreno. "You hear in the news that they approved relief and that they approved other types of help, but we have not received anything."

In New Jersey, advocates have been lobbying state lawmakers and Gov. Phil Murphy to help undocumented immigrants who lost jobs during the pandemic.

'It's been the most difficult year': Immigrant women march for state, federal benefits

A bill introduced last year in the state Legislature would set aside $35 million for one-time payments to some undocumented immigrants who file income taxes. But despite support from some Democratic and Republican lawmakers, the legislation has not advanced.

Story continues after gallery

The hang-up is finding the money, said Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle, a Bergen Democrat.

"I'm hoping as we approach budget season, we can try and get this done and resolve the financial price tag,'' she said during a recent Zoom meeting with activists and immigrants.

'Excluded Women'

Some immigrants-rights groups are also urging the state to create a fund to provide $600 weekly payments to undocumented immigrant workers, who are also ineligible for unemployment benefits. On Sunday, more than 100 people gathered in Passaic for a march of "excluded women" to press for more help.

For months, such relief has been held up amid dire predictions of state revenue shortfalls due to the pandemic. The projections have since brightened, especially with Biden's stimulus plan expected to pump $10.2 billion into state and local coffers.

Last month, Murphy proposed a budget that raises spending by 9%. It included money to help undocumented attend college and attain driver's licenses  but no direct relief payments.

Assemblyman Harold Wirths, a Sussex County Republican, said he's opposed to the use of state taxpayer dollars to fund programs for undocumented immigrants and said he wouldn't support the new bills.

People who came to the U.S. illegally shouldn't be rewarded with more benefits, especially with so much need among citizens and legal immigrants, he said.

Carla Cortes of Passaic had worked in quality control for a local warehouse for four years until the business closed temporarily during the pandemic. She later had to quit to care for her children, whose schools switched to remote lessons.

Now, she said, her family depends solely on her husband's $12-an-hour job for a vitamin manufacturer.

Maria Sandoval of Passaic speaks at "Excluded Women March" in Passaic on March 7, 2021.

"I have to leave all the expenses to him and that is not always easy,'' Cortes said at last week's rally in Passaic. "There are many other women who don't have money to pay rent or pay other bills, and like me are unable to go to work because their children are home."

Maria Sandoval, a mother of two, had already seen her hours as a domestic worker drop due to the pandemic. Then in December, she was displaced from her Paterson apartment by to a fire. She's since relocated to the city of Passaic after spending time in a hotel and living with her sister for a few weeks.

Sandoval, who emigrated from Mexico 21 years ago, said she used to work 40 hours a week cleaning homes prior to the pandemic, making about $480. She's now making a little over $200 a week and relying on food stamps and donated food from a nonprofit in Paterson to feed her children, ages 9 and 17. She's already fallen behind on rent.

"The government is not seeing that we are mothers who have children who don't ask if we can afford something, they just ask for food and other things,'' said Sandoval, who also spoke at the Passaic march.

"We are paying taxes," she said. "So they should include us without us even asking."

Moved to tears

Back in Atlantic City, Moreno said she has looked for work with no luck. The demands of having schools shut and children learning from home haven't made it easy to work full time. She's used up her savings and borrowed money from relatives. Her 17-year-old daughter, Jamilli, has been helping with wages from a part-time retail job.

Even so, Moreno said she's fallen two months behind on her $1,550 rent. For the past year, she has depended largely on the generosity of teachers, local churches, and others to put food on the table.

One of the most difficult days came when her 7-year old son Daniel won prizes for his good grades at school. When the teacher asked him during a virtual class session to pick his rewards from a treasure bin, his answer moved Moreno to tears.

"He told the teacher 'I don't want you to give me toys, I want you to give me tortillas and beans,' so the teacher brought us two boxes of food,'' she said. "I told him that he shouldn't have asked, and he said it's better for the teacher to not spend her money on toys, but on the tortillas and beans."

Moreno was 18 when she left Mexico and moved to New Jersey seeking more opportunity. The first few years, she worked at restaurants and a bakery, among other jobs. Her children's father returned to Mexico a few years back after his own father died, and was unable to return. After a while, he decided to make a new life for himself in Mexico, leaving Moreno to raise her kids alone.

She said she's hopeful that when her children return to in-person learning in a few weeks, she'll be able to find work and provide for her family.

"I'm applying to so many jobs. I will work doing anything,'' she said. "All I want is to work and to move my family forward."

Monsy Alvarado is the immigration reporter for NorthJersey.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news about one of the hottest issues in our state and country, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: alvarado@northjersey.com

Twitter: @monsyalvarado

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Biden stimulus plan: Children of undocumented immigrants will get aid
The initial public offer (IPO) of Laxmi Organic Industries - an industrial chemical manufacturer and the largest manufacturer of ethyl acetate in India, as per Frost & Sullivan Report - is set to open for subscription on Monday. The company has fixed the price band for the issue at Rs 129-130 per share. The will close on March 17.

The Rs 600-crore issue comprises a fresh issue of Rs 300 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of shares aggregating up to Rs 300 crore by Yellowstone Trust, the promoter group. The minimum bid lot is 115 equity shares and in multiples of 115 shares thereafter.

The proceeds from the fresh issue will be used for investment in wholly-owned subsidiary, Yellowstone Fine Chemicals Private Limited (YFCPL), for part-financing its capital expenditure requirements, funding capital expenditure requirements for expansion of the companys SI Manufacturing, and funding working capital requirements of the company.

Anchor investors

The company has allocated 1,38,46,153 shares at Rs. 130 per share on March 12, to the anchor investors. 8 Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) that participated in the anchor were Nomura India Equity Fund, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Goldman Sachs, Kuber India (Plutus), Theleme India Master Fund, Malabar India Fund, Ashoka India Opportunities Fund, India Acorn Fund. These investors were allocated 78,45,760 shares for around Rs 102 crore. Malabar India Fund and Ashok India Opportunities Fund have also invested Rs. 55 crore and Rs. 35 crore, respectively in a pre- round in February.

Amongst the domestic investors, SBI Mutual Fund, ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund and Aditya Birla Mutual Fund picked up the largest allocation of 10,76,860 shares (7.78%) for around Rs 14 crore each. The other domestic institutions who were allocated shares include Kotak Mutual Fund, SBI Life Insurance, HDFC Life and DSP Mutual Fund.

Strengths and risks

Laxmi Organic is the leading manufacturer of ethyl acetate with significant market share while also being the only Indian manufacturer of diketene derivatives with a significant market share and one of the largest portfolios of diketene products. These are the company's key positives, according to Angel Broking. Besides, a diversified customer base, and strategically located manufacturing facilities are the other things that work in the company's favour, the brokerage said.

That said, analysts have flagged certain investment concerns, including the continuing impact of the outbreak of the Covid-19 on the company's operations, concentration of a large part of the manufacturing facilities in one geographic, and a foreign client base, which exposes the company to foreign currency exchange risks.

Financial snapshot

For the six months ended September 30, 2020 and the fiscals 2020, 2019 and 2018, Laxmi Organic's consolidated revenue from operations was Rs 813.4 crore, Rs 1,534.1 crore, Rs 1,568.5 crore and Rs 1,393 crore, respectively. Its consolidated earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and ammortisation (Ebitda) for the six months ended September 30, 2020 was Rs 86.3 crore.

Meanwhile, the company's consolidated profit for the period from continuing operations for the six months ended September 30, 2020 was Rs 45.5 crore, and Rs 70.2 crore, Rs 72.3 crore, and Rs 75.6 crore, for the fiscals 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Brokerage view

Angel Broking -- Subscribe

Based on FY2020 earnings, the is priced at a PE of 42x at the upper end of the price band along with a good ROE of 16.4 per cent. The company is the largest manufacturer of ethyl acetate with over 30 per cent market share in the Indian ethyl acetate market and the only manufacturer of diketene derivatives in India with a diversified customer base. Looking at the competitive advantage and strong growth potential we are assigning a SUBSCRIBE recommendation to the issue.

Anand Rathi -- Subscribe

At the upper end of the IPO price band, it is offered at 49.81x its FY20 earnings, with a market cap of Rs 3,428 crores. The company has strong presence in Acetyl Intermediaries & Specialty Intermediates business; further it is establishing Fluorospecialty chemicals business. The company also plans expand and optimise its capacity and product portfolio. Considering the growth prospects - we give this IPO a "Subscribe (Long Term)" rating.
A magnifying glass is seen next to a logo of the Customs and Border Protection, Trade and Cargo Division at John F. Kennedy International Airport's U.S. Postal Service facility in New York on June 24, 2019. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images)

The Shameful Tragedy of Open Borders

Commentary

At present time, the United States southern border is wide open. Unaccompanied alien children, single alien men, and intact alien families are all pouring over en masse.

Anecdotal horror stories abound: On Thursday, for instance, U.S. Customs and Border Protection tweeted: Within 24 hours, Laredo North Station Border Patrol agents apprehended 111 individuals during 3 separate human smuggling attempts involving commercial trailers.

This is a legitimate crisis, notwithstanding self-serving presidential obfuscation to the contrary. And it is a legitimate crisis entirely of the Democratic Partys own making.

As this column has previously noted, CBP data evinced as early as last October that border apprehensions were skyrocketing in anticipation of a possible Joe Biden presidential victory. By the lame-duck period of the Trump presidency, U.S.-bound migrant caravans were already forming in Central Americas troubled Northern Triangle region. But what was at that time a developing issue has now predictably metastasized into the first full-blownand entirely self-inflictedpolitical disaster of the young Biden presidency.

Immigration policy analysts frequently speak of magnetsrhetoric and policies, that is, that tend to incentivize vulnerable or opportunistic migrants to partner up with rapacious cartels and transnational human trafficking rings to illegally enter the United States. The biggest illegal immigration magnets of all are amnesty proposals that would provide illegal aliens presently in the United States with a pathway to permanent legal status or citizenship.

But there are innumerable other magnetsamong them, presidential campaign-era rhetoric promising lax law enforcement and affirmative post-inauguration policies, such as the Biden administrations lamentable nixing of President Donald Trumps highly effective Remain in Mexico policy and his return of the Obama-era catch-and-release practice, wherein aliens at the border are expeditiously processed and released into the nations interior while awaiting their immigration hearings, often never to be heard from again.

The upshot of the illegal immigration magnet is that migrants rationally respond to incentives. This is hardly an earth-shattering revelation; indeed, it is the central tenet of homo economicus, the dismal sciences fictitious conception of the perfectly rational, incentive-driven human that pervades neoclassical economic modeling.

But illegal immigrationlet alone the extraordinarily high volume of illegal immigration now transpiringis not an abstract or academic concept. Yes, policies such as amnesty and catch-and-release are fundamentally unjust, insofar as they deprive U.S. citizens of agency over the most consequential decisions that citizens in a free republic are ever asked to contemplate: who else to admit into the body politic. And the very notion of sovereignty is undermined and rendered unintelligible. But there are also tangible, sweeping harms from widespread illegal immigration affecting all relevant stakeholders. Democrats who wish to downplay those harms for the sake of boosting intersectional street cred with their woke base are doing no one any favors.

The open borders agenda massively empowers and enriches the smuggling rings that the media typically refer to as the drug cartels, but which are better understood as barbarous transnational criminal syndicates that sometimes even sync up with Chinese fentanyl exporters and internationally recognized terrorist outfits, such as Hezbollah. These are some of the most vicious organizations in the Western world and, as even The New York Times reported in 2019, are known for widespread raping and sexual violence committed against female migrants. Ranchers along the often-barren high deserts of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona are imminently endangered by the cartels depredations in their own (literal) backyards.

Blue-collar workers of all races and backgrounds are hurt by an uncontrollable deluge of cheap, low-wage migrants who lack labor market bargaining power for the simple reason that they are not here legally. Pro-immigration enforcement states are perversely penalized in the U.S. Censusat least under the erroneous prevailing practice, which Trump sought to change, of counting both legal and illegal alienswhen they lose congressional representation to sanctuary cityenabling blue states that mollycoddle illegal aliens.

The true tragedy of this shameful ordeal is how eminently foreseeable it all was. Trumps immigration enforcement policies, especially those like Remain in Mexico, were effectual at stanching illegal immigration inflows and restoring order to our porous border. Much as with the Biden administrations kowtowing to the Iranian regime in the foreign policy arena, its reversal of Trump-era actions on immigration enforcement seems less motivated by genuine concern for the common good of the polity and more motivated by a blinkered case of Orange Man Bad.

Such posturing might play well among the blue-checked Twitterati, but the American people pay the price.

Josh Hammer, a constitutional attorney by training, is an opinion editor for Newsweek, a podcast contributor with BlazeTV, of counsel at First Liberty Institute, and a syndicated columnist.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
In an exclusive sting operation conducted by Republic Media Network's newest channel, Republic Bangla, an alleged coal mafia gang member has been caught saying, "After 2011, when the government changed, the illegal coal business moved from them to another mafia. From 2016 onwards, we saw a totally organized mafia operating. This was the time when 'Lala' (Arup Majhi) emerged as the king of coal. But Lala is not the only one, several big politicians are also involved in this. Those who we think are the members of the mafia are actually paid with just Rs. 700 for one ton of coal, but a pad of coal costs Rs 1.5 lakh. Politicians from both the ruling party and opposition are involved in this."

Vipul, one of the kingpins of the Bengal coal scam runs the business for top politicians who collect hundreds of crores rupees every month. Vipul is a middleman working for the TMC Youth Wing Leader Vinay Mishra, who is currently absconding. In a sting operation, when asked that how does he manage the business, Vipul said, "I don't manage it alone, others are there. Bengal police sometimes create problems and file cases under sections 413,417,418 of the IPC, harass us but cannot do anything more."

Another alleged coal mafia kingpin was caught saying, "I deal with all the NPA properties in Sikkim and North Bengal. I am not a journalist but I can still go to the press club and enjoy.

CID Arrests Close Aide Of 'Lala'

On Saturday, Crime Investigation Department (CID) has arrested a close aide of Arup Majhi alias Lala, prime accused in multi-crore-rupee Coal Scam Case, from Andal in West Bengal's Paschim Bardhaman district, said the officials. This was the first arrest made by CID in the case. Randhir Singh, who has been arrested, was working for Lala and also involved in the scam, the officer said. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are also probing the scam, while the state CID has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the scam. The CBI has also issued a look-out notice for Lala. It has also conducted raids at several locations in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh.
Greg Sukiennik has worked at all three Vermont News & Media newspapers and was their managing editor from 2017-19. He previously worked for ESPN.com, for the AP in Boston, and at The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass.
NEW YORK, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bernstein Liebhard, a nationally acclaimed investor rights law firm, reminds investors of the deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in a securities class action lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired the securities of XL Fleet Corp. ("XL Fleet" or the "Company") (NYSE: XL) from October 2, 2020 through March 2, 2021 (the Class Period). The lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.



If you purchased XL Fleet securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit XL Fleet Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Matthew E. Guarnero toll free at (877) 779-1414 or MGuarnero@bernlieb.com

The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose to investors: (i) that XL Fleets salespeople were pressured to inflate their sales pipelines to boost the Companys reported sales and backlog; (ii) that at least 18 of 33 customers that XL featured were inactive and had not placed an order since 2019; (iii) that XLs technology had been materially overstated and offered only 5% to 10% of fleet savings; (iv) that XL lacks the supply chain and engineers to roll out new products on the announced timelines; and (v) that, as a result of the foregoing, defendants positive statements about the Companys business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

On March 3, 2021, Muddy Waters Research (Muddy Waters) published a report entitled: XL Fleet Corp. (NYSE: XL): More SPAC Trash, alleging, among other things, that salespeople were pressured to inflate their sales pipelines materially in order to mislead XLs board and investors and that customer reorder rates are in reality quite low due to poor performance and regulatory issues. Citing interviews with former employees, the report alleged that at least 18 of 33 customers XL featured were inactive. Muddy Waters also claimed that XL has weak technology and that XLs announcement of future class 7-8 upfits seems highly promotional because the task is too technologically complex for XL engineers to deliver on the promised timeline.

On this news, the Companys share price fell $2.09, or 13%, to close at $13.86 per share on March 3, 2021, on unusually heavy trading volume. The share price continued to decline by $2.69, or 19.4%, over two consecutive trading sessions to close at $11.17 per share on March 5, 2021, on unusually heavy trading volume.

If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than May 7, 2021. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your ability to share in any recovery doesnt require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member.

If you purchased XL Fleet securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit https://www.bernlieb.com/cases/xlfleetcorp-xl-shareholder-class-action-lawsuit-fraud-stock-377/apply/ or contact Matthew E. Guarnero toll free at (877) 779-1414 or MGuarnero@bernlieb.com.

Since 1993, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. In addition to representing individual investors, the Firm has been retained by some of the largest public and private pension funds in the country to monitor their assets and pursue litigation on their behalf. As a result of its success litigating hundreds of lawsuits and class actions, the Firm has been named to The National Law Journals Plaintiffs Hot List thirteen times and listed in The Legal 500 for ten consecutive years.

ATTORNEY ADVERTISING.  2021 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. The lawyer responsible for this advertisement in the State of Connecticut is Michael S. Bigin. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

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Bernstein Liebhard LLP

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KHABAROVSK, Russia -- Journalists in Russia's Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk, where demonstrations in support of the region's jailed former governor have been held since July last year, have started so-called "silent broadcasts" to avoid prosecution.

Many journalists in Khabarovsk were detained while covering the protests in recent months, although they say they had all of the documents needed to prove that they were doing their jobs. Some were either fined or jailed for several days for what local courts judged as the "participation in unsanctioned rallies."

Tatyana Khlestunova, a reporter at Prosto Gazeta (Just A Newspaper) who spent several days in jail over her coverage of the rallies, told RFE/RL over the weekend that the silent broadcast entails coverage of rallies without any commentary from reporters.

"The first 'silent broadcast' was conducted by reporter Kristina Gritsayenko of Zanaves Khabarovsk (Curtains Khabarovsk), a YouTube channel, from...the city center on March 12. Such coverage is our symbolic answer to the repressive environment faced by journalists," Khlestunova said, adding that such coverage had an even greater impact on the public.

According to Khlestunova, the last straw that prompted journalists to start silent broadcasts was a decision by a Khabarovsk district court on March 10 to sentence an Orthodox archpriest, Andrei Vinarsky, to 20 days in jail for publicly supporting the protesters. Vinarsky is currently on a hunger strike to protest his incarceration.

Journalist Yekaterina Biyak of the Activatica.or online newspaper told RFE/RL that she fears authorities may start convicting reporters for the "silent broadcasts."

The arrest in July 2020 of Sergei Furgal, who was the governor of the Khabarovsk region at the time, on charges of being involved in alleged murders more than a decade ago sparked large-scale protests in the city

Furgal has denied the charges.
ALTON  A once-beloved restaurant from Jerseyville is now making a new home in Alton.

Andy Alimi, owner of the Hickory Grove Restaurant, plans to make 201 E. Center Drive in Alton his new home. The building was previously the home of Franks Restaurant.

Alimi, who has been a resident of Jerseyville since 2004, said he got the idea from one of his business partners, Ricky Dauty.

He (Ricky) had brought the idea to me and the opportunity to lease this place (Franks) and I took the chance, Alimi said.

Alimi had opened the restaurant in Jerseyville in April 2006. Alimi previously had owned and operated his own restaurant in Indiana and also managed the Deerfield Restaurant in Moline for four years.

I used to work for the Eagles Nest in Bethalto, and I liked the small town feel of this area, he told The Telegraph in 2009.

According to Alimi, the new Hickory Grove restaurant will maintain the same menu items as it had in Jerseyville. The restaurant will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner specials every day.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Alimi said that tables have been spaced out enough for proper social distancing.

I want to keep my restaurant safe for the public, Alimi said.

Alimi said he currently does not have an opening date set in stone, but that he will open when the restaurant was fully staffed.
ARLINGTON, Va., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- National Landing Business Improvement District (BID) has joined forces with the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) to announce a $100,000 relief program called, "Love Local" to address the upending impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This critical localized initiative is designed to provide funding and promotion to help National Landing restaurants and small businesses in need of immediate support.

"Restaurants and small businesses are the backbone of our community in National Landing  and without a doubt they are an essential ingredient to our recovery and future. We are grateful for our partnership with the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) who will help us distribute this critical funding as just one small step towards building back an even stronger National Landing district," said Tracy Sayegh Gabriel, President and Executive Director of the National Landing BID. "It is our hope that through community initiatives like 'Love Local,' we can continue to provide a lifeline to help our local restaurants and small businesses survive, thrive or just simply support their employees."

The "Love Local" program will distribute financial support to all eligible open, brick and mortar small business or restaurant establishments in the National Landing district. Individual funding amounts will be divided equally based on those eligible businesses who sign up to participate through the program's application portal.

"The introduction of this much needed program to help restaurants and small businesses in National Landing is so timely given that relief on every level is needed to help small businesses continue to keep the doors open now and throughout the long road to recovery that is ahead," said Kathy E. Hollinger, President and CEO of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington. "Local stakeholder assistance, such as the Love Local Relief Program, is the core of community support and engagement and is commendable and greatly appreciated."

The funding provided from this program is intended to help small businesses cover pay for restaurant workers or any necessary operator-related expenses for qualified restaurants and businesses. The program application will be open until Sunday, March 28, 2021. National Landing BID and RAMW will formally execute agreements to ensure that processes and the appropriate safeguards are in place prior to providing the funds.

Over the course of the pandemic, both National Landing BID and RAMW have prioritized and recognized the critical importance of our region's restaurants and small businesses. Last spring, National Landing BID executed a small business grant program in partnership with Arlington County, granting relief funds to more than 70 local businesses and earlier this winter both parties supported the opening of a Hook Hall Helps location in National Landing at The Freshman. Hook Hall Helps is an ongoing relief program that provides free meals and supply bags to hospitality industry workers in need.

Together, National Landing BID and RAMW remain committed to driving the economic recovery through the ongoing promotion and support of local small businesses, hospitality and tourism industry. To learn more about this program, visit www.nationallanding.org/lovelocal or to apply, click here.

About National Landing Business Improvement District

The National Landing Business Improvement District (BID) is a public-private partnership established to promote and activate the area's business, retail, restaurant and residential community through placemaking, public art, transportation, economic development, events, marketing and promotion. This dynamic, mixed-use urban center encompasses the vibrant Crystal City, Pentagon City and Potomac Yard-Arlington neighborhoods, and includes more than 26,000 residents, nearly 12 million square feet of office space, approximately 5,900 hotel rooms and over 450 restaurants and shops. Already Virginia's largest walkable downtown, National Landing is in the midst of an exciting transformation driven by billions of dollars in public and private investment that will deliver new and enhanced housing, offices, parks, transportation and infrastructure in the coming years. The National Landing BID is helping to steer this growth in ways that are sustainable and enhance the area's diversity and livability. For more information, visit NationalLanding.org and connect on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW)

The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) is the regional trade association representing restaurants and the foodservice industry in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. Established in 1920, RAMW is an advocate, resource and community for its members. The Association works to promote and sustain the growth and development of the industry while providing its members legislative and regulatory representation, marketing and small business support, programming and events. RAMW strives to serve its members with professionalism and integrity, and provide them the training, education and support they need to grow a successful business.

SOURCE National Landing Business Improvement District
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took a dig at the US government Sunday, saying the United States has not helped with vaccines.

Lopez Obrador thanked India and Russia, which have each sent small amounts of vaccines, and China, whose firms have promised millions of doses.

Lopez Obrador said I hope that soon I will be able to say thanks to the US government, because I am sure they are going to help too, it is just that that haven't done so so far.

has seen almost 195,000 deaths, and almost 2.2 million cases. The country has approved 6 vaccines, and has so administered about 4.34 million shots.

The White House has rebuffed requests from US allies, including Mexico, Canada and the European Union, for vaccine doses produced in the United States, where months of production runs have produced vaccine solely for use in the country.

The US is scheduled to have enough approved vaccine delivered by mid-May to cover every American adult.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
(Natural News) A French schoolgirl has finally fessed up to publicly lying about history and geography teacher Samuel Paty, which resulted in his murder at the hands of an angry and misinformed Muslim.

In case you missed the story, the 13-year-old girl falsely accused Paty of showing a naked image of the prophet Muhammed to his class right after asking all Muslim students to leave the room. The fake incident sparked rage in 18-year-old Abdullakh Anzorov who, 10 days after the false allegations were made, proceeded to behead Paty.

The incident took place at a school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, located to the west of Paris. After the girl lodged the phony allegations, her father, who was also complicit in Patys murder by his actions, created a hate campaign against Paty.

After a public video he posted started to spread online, Paty began receiving death threats from area Muslims. Anzorov was the first to take action, avenging his god Muhammed by committing an act of horrific violence against an innocent person.

The girl eventually confessed that she lied in order to please her father. This suggests that the girl and her father are both Muslims. As it turns out, the girl was not even in Patys class. She was also sick and not even in school on the day she claimed it occurred, according to her lawyer.

She lied because she felt trapped in a spiral because her classmates had asked her to be a spokesperson, lawyer Mbeko Tabula told the AFP news agency.

Muslims seem unable to coexist with anyone else

The schoolgirl had reportedly been suspended from school prior to the incident for failing to show up for class. She told her father, however, that the reason for her suspension had to do with anger towards Paty for showing the alleged pictures, which never occurred, nor do such pictures even exist.

According to the French newspaper Le Parisien, the girl would not have dared to confess to her father the real reasons for her exclusion shortly before the tragedy, which was in fact linked to her bad behaviour, The Independent relayed.

The girl has since been charged with slander, and her father was arrested for complicity in a terrorist killing. Prosecutors argue that there was a direct causal link between the girls fathers hate campaign and Patys murder.

Tabula says the girl should remain protected from all accusations of wrongdoing, and her father pegged with excessive and disproportionate behaviour for his response to what his daughter told him.

According to reports, Anzorov premeditatively tracked down Paty in order to behead him, a typical Muslim punishment for those who blaspheme the prophet Muhammed. Shortly after the attack, Anzorov was shot dead by anti-terrorist police.

After Paty was reported dead, his shocked community came out in support of his life with memorial ceremonies and marches against Muslim extremism. These occurred all across France.

As you may recall from back in 2017, Mohammed Abed, a Muslim professor out of California, told his students that advocating the genocide of white people is morally required to put an end to racism.

One can certainly concoct a hypothetical scenario in which the deliberate annihilation of a groups way of life is a moral and political imperative, Abed wrote in a thesis.

And there may be a case for classifying as genocide campaigns of social deconstruction that are widely considered to be not only excusable but morally required.

Abed took special aim at southern whites, whom he said deserve to have their entire heritage destroyed because the history books claim that the Confederacy was all about racism as opposed to states rights.

For more related news about Muslim jihad, visit Genocide.news.

Sources for this article include:

Unilad.co.uk

NaturalNews.com
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Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has accused the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) of playing politics with its agriculture development loans to states.

Mr Wike said this on Monday in Port Harcourt when the Minister of State for Agriculture, and Rural Development, Mustapha Shehuri, visited him.

The governor said the CBN was being political in the implementation of the agriculture loan.

We are among the states being denied access to loans meant for agriculture development, he said. It is wrong to play politics with certain issues, we should be dispassionate in implementing this kind of programme.

Mr Wike said the CBN ought to partner the state government in the implementation of the loan scheme.

This is a scheme that will enhance food security, create jobs and promote youth empowerment.

In an atmosphere devoid of politics, we should be working together, we need to benefit from this loan, he said.

Earlier, the minister, Mr Shehuri, said he was in the state to inspect ongoing agriculture projects.

He expressed the federal governments readiness to support the state to achieve its potential in agriculture.

We are willing to support farmers in the state to access new technologies, improve varieties and other support materials for improved farming, the minister said.

(NAN)
South Africa: Concerns raised over Housing Development Agency state of affairs

The Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation has instructed the Department of Human Settlements to strengthen its oversight on the Housing Development Agency (HDA) to ensure stability and recovery.

For its part, the committee said it will pay extra attention to the implementation of the agencys audit action plan to improve the declining performance of the agency.

This follows a committee briefing from the agency on its 2019/20 annual report, where the committee noted various areas of concern that require urgent action.

The committee expressed concern on the state of affairs at the HAD and warned that it will eventually impact negatively on the agencys ability to deliver on its mandate.

The committee received a briefing from the agency on its 2019/20 annual report and noted various areas of concern that require urgent action.

Committee chairperson Machwene Semenya said to overcome the underlying contributors to the decline at the agency, the committee will focus its oversight on, will include, procurement and contract management, expenditure management and ensuring stability at leadership level.

Firstly, the committee is concerned by the information that the annual performance and strategic plans of the agency were not approved by the Executive Authority. This is concerning in the context that these set the strategic direction the agency has to take, and without a guiding framework, the agency is destined to fail.

Secondly, the committee is concerned by non-compliance with legislation especially with the supply chain management at the entity. Also concerning was the information that there was a lack of the implementation of consequence management at the agency, Semenya said.

Semenya said that the committee has instructed Human Settlements to ensure that the strategic framework is put in place to ensure direction.

While welcoming the dismissal of two senior officials as consequence management, the committee has also called for further consequences against every official found in the wrong.

Weaknesses in Supply Chain Management processes

The committee also raised concerns on weaknesses in Supply Chain Management processes, saying it finds it unacceptable that procurement happened without a call for at least a minimum number of prescribed written price quotations from prospective suppliers.

The deviation was also approved even though the reasons are not justified, some of the contracts were awarded to suppliers whose tax matters had not been declared by the South African Revenue Services to be in order, and some of the contracts were extended or modified without the approval of a properly delegated official.

The committee expressed its concern over this in the context that non-compliance of this nature was reported last year, according to the committee this shows an evolution of the culture of non-compliance with no intention to reverse it, Semenya said.

Increase in fruitless and wasteful expenditure

Regarding fruitless and wasteful expenditure, the committee said it is concerned by the enormous increase in fruitless and wasteful expenditure from R2 million in 2018/19 financial year to R17 million in 2019/20.

The concerns are worsened by the fact that the expenditure was caused by payments made for work that cannot be shown to have been done or no record indicating its approval to be done. The committee has called on the department to institute recovery processes to recuperate wasted state money, Semenya said.

While the committee noted that the deficiencies in the internal audit capacity within the entity, Semenya said that the committee has recommended that the departments own internal audit Monetary unit sampling (MUS), in the interim, fill the gap to implement this key function, as it is critical to curing the defects within the agency.

The committee has also called for the department to ensure stability at senior management level at the agency, as this guarantees strategic direction and guidance to the entity. At the centre of the committees aim is to ensure that the entity meets its constitutional mandate, Semenya said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-03-15. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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Pope Francis at a Mass in March 2021. Tiziana Fabi/Pool via REUTERS

The Vatican said on Monday that Catholic priests can't bless same-sex unions.

LGBTQ Catholics and advocates told Insider the decree was "deeply saddening."

The Vatican statement said same-sex unions can't be blessed because God "cannot bless sin."

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

LGBTQ Catholics and advocates criticized the Vatican's decree barring blessings for same-sex unions on Monday, saying the statement may drive some further away from the church.

The Vatican's statement, which was approved by Pope Francis and issued on Monday, said that Catholic priests can't bless same-sex unions because God "cannot bless sin."

"The blessing of homosexual unions cannot be considered licit," said the Vatican statement. "There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God's plan for marriage and family."

The decree was released by the church's orthodoxy office in response to a question about same-sex unions.

But members of the Catholic LGBTQ community and theology experts told Insider that the decree is unhelpful to the church's ever-evolving congregation.

"Any time a statement like this comes out, it really severs the relationship with the church for a lot of LGBTQ+ people, but also for our family members and friends who have struggled for so long with the church's rejection of their loved ones," Marianne Duddy-Burke, the executive editor of Dignity USA, an organization focused on LGBTQ rights and the Catholic Church, told Insider.

She called the statement "deeply saddening and hurtful."

Pope Francis was seen in a documentary supporting civil unions. The Vatican said his quotes were out of context

Bernie Schlager, executive director for The Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion, told Insider that Francis has been more positive to the LGBTQ community than any pope before him, but the Vatican has "come down very clearly" to say that same-sex unions are a sin.

Story continues

He added that it would have been "utterly remarkable" if the Vatican voiced approval for same-sex unions.

"The fact of the matter is, Catholic doctrine, as it is set out in the most recent version of the catechism, is very clear on the topic," he said.

Last October, a documentary titled "Francesco" featured a previously unseen interview in which Pope Francis voiced support for same-sex unions.

"What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered," Pope Francis said of same-sex couples.

The Vatican later said the pope's comments were taken out of context.

"More than a year ago, during an interview, Pope Francis answered two different questions at two different times that, in the aforementioned documentary, were edited and published as a single answer without the proper contextualization, which has led to confusion," the Vatican's Secretariat of State said in a letter sent to papal representatives from around the world.

The latest decree issued this week appeared to cement the Vatican's beliefs that same-sex unions will not be blessed within Catholic Church.

The Vatican is at a crossroads when it comes to LGBTQ members

But Fr. Bryan Massingale, a professor of theological and social ethics at Fordham University, told Insider that the decree shows that the Vatican is at a crossroads.

"It wants to welcome gay and lesbian people as individuals, but does not want to extend any form of recognition to same-sex relationships within the Church," he said. "It wants to show a compassionate face to gay and lesbian persons, but in ways that do not entail any change in official sexual beliefs."

He said that the Vatican's decree pleases no one, and is "disappointing, but not surprising."

"My view is that as long as the Church (a) says that gays and lesbians have fundamental human dignity that must be protected in society; and (b) that gays and lesbians must be treated respectfully and compassionately in the Church; and (c) that same-sex relationships have positive elements that are valued and appreciated, then conversations will continue about how to support persons whose relationships make a positive contribution to their lives and in society," Massingale said.

According to a Pew Research survey published in 2020, the majority of Catholics do support same-sex marriage, even if the Vatican has not outwardly supported such unions.

JR Zerkowski, the executive director of the Fortunate Families, a Catholic ministry for LGBTQ families and friends, called LGBTQ members of the Catholic Church "heroic."

"I think it's challenging and downright heroic for LGBTQ Catholics to remain in the church and work for change," he said. "Their faith is some of the most incredible faith that puts my faith to shame."

He warned that the Vatican's latest decree could force people to walk away.

"If they do that and their voices are not heard in the church, their lived reality is not shared with the leaders of the church," he said. "And if this conversation does not go on, and these conversations end, we will be a poorer church. We will be a church that has not listened to the people of God.

Schlager told that in many local parishes, Catholics have welcomed LGBTQ members, but it will be a "long time" before those actions are accepted by the Vatican.

"Catholics will continue to seek out those parishes that are welcoming of people, and there is hope," he said. "We have to take the long view, right? From an institution that's 2,000 years old, pastors, religious leaders, and theologians are paving the way for the change that I believe one day will come. So I'm an optimist."

He said, however, that it could be decades before any change is seen.

"I don't think I'll see it in my lifetime, and I'm 60 years old. I doubt my children will see it. I'm not really convinced my grandchildren will see it," he said.

Read the original article on Insider

This is helping us reach out to our community and learn about how the nurses are here for the community and today learn about the vaccine and administering it in the pandemic, Moschel says. It feels great that were here.

Fellow student Madyson Gilbert says helping out with the vaccination clinic embodies the College of Nursing motto, UC Nurses. We See Leaders.

When am I ever going to be able to say that I worked in a pandemic and was able to give people these vaccines and change their lives and make them safer? Gilbert says. It is so rewarding being able to vaccinate the people in the community and see the excitement and smiles on their faces as they wait in line. I think were setting a good example for people of all ages to come out and get vaccinated to ensure the safety of themselves, their loved ones and others in the community."

UCs Moore says outreach like this with the nursing students helps strengthen the relationship between the College of Nursing and the community it serves.

Its very important that we support our community partners and make sure nursing students understand the role of a public health nurse, Moore says. They learn about it and now they get to experience it one-on-one and hands on. That supports our mission as well.
She always cuts a stylish figure, even with her casual ensembles during lockdown.

And Amber Turner shared a throwback snap in a figure-hugging scarlet dress on Monday as she thought back to a time when she could dress glam to go out.

The TOWIE star, 27, highlighted her ample assets and slender waist in the off-the-shoulder number which boasted a balconette cut and corset boning.

Set pulses racing: Amber Turner shared a throwback snap in a figure-hugging scarlet corset dress on Monday as she thought back to a time when she could dress glam to go out

Sculpted: The TOWIE star, 27, highlighted her ample assets and slender waist in the off-the-shoulder number which boasted a balconette cut and corset boning

The skirt gathered at the waist, forming a thigh-high split and emphasising Amber's hourglass physique.

The blonde beauty styled her silky tresses in loose waves and she enhanced her visage with full coverage make-up.

Adding a touch of glamour, she decorated her decolletage with a classic gold-link necklace.

Amber captioned the Instagram upload: 'Throwback to glam & tanned days, shooting with my faves @envyshoesuk'.

Stunning: Also on Monday, she shared a natural selfie from the comfort of her car, she rocked minimal make-up and her flaxen locks tumbled down in a straight hairstyle

Also on Monday, the TOWIE star shared a natural selfie from the comfort of her car.

She rocked minimal make-up and her flaxen locks tumbled down in a straight hairstyle as she captioned the snap: 'Embracing my natural self.'

The post comes after Amber shocked her fellow TOWIE stars when she claimed she was 'going to be a mother soon' while discussing her relationship with Dan Edgar.

The reality star was preparing Mother's Day bouquets alongside Chloe Meadows and Courtney Green when she made the remark, clarifying that she meant she was getting a dog, in a clip from Sunday's show shared exclusively with MailOnline.

'I am going to be a mother soon!' It comes after Amber shocked her friends when she discussed getting a dog with boyfriend Dan Edgar in a clip from Sunday night's show

After Courtney explained their task, Amber said: 'Okay, well I'm going to make them for myself because I am going to be a mother soon.'

Chloe and Courtney were shocked by the statement, asking Amber 'what' she meant as they looked at her expectantly.

Realising what they were thinking, Amber then said: 'No, when Dan buys me a little baby dog.'

Courtney claimed she 'nearly c***ped herself' as Amber claimed once more that she was 'going to be a dog mum'.

Shock: Amber was making Mother's Day bouquets with Chloe Meadows (pictured) and Courtney Green when she said: 'I am going to be a mother soon'

Drama: After Amber clarified she meant she'd be a 'dog mum' soon, Courtney (pictured) claimed she 'nearly c***ped herself' over the surprise

She then asked: 'Amber, honestly, how many times did you facetime Dan since you've been here?'

Clearly smitten with Dan, Amber admitted: 'I miss him! I'm joking. I feel like now we are living together it has been really nice, yeah all loved up.

'He actually said the other day, "I was a bit nervous but we actually get on so well and it's actually been really nice and I'm really happy." I was like I" told you, I did tell you it was going to be fine."'

Amber recently spoke of her plans to have a baby with her TOWIE beau, confirming she hopes to have a child with the 30-year-old and said their six month break-up in 2018 strengthened the relationship they are in today.

Gushing: Clearly smitten with Dan, Amber admitted: 'I miss him! I'm joking. I feel like now we are living together it has been really nice, yeah all loved up'

Amber told New! Magazine: 'Us breaking up for six months was the best thing thats ever happened, Dan and I are really happy, were living together now.'

Of the future, she said: 'Dan and I are going to buy a place together. We definitely want to have a baby and get married.'

When the couple split in 2018, Amber was left heartbroken to learn the TOWIE star had a fling with Chloe Sims while the two were filming in Thailand.

But Dan didn't pursue a relationship with Chloe and instead rekindled his flame with Amber.
TYSONS, Va., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Omnispace, the company that is redefining mobile communications by building a global hybrid network, today announced the successful demonstration of 5G satellite capability with the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN), along with the Navy and Marine Corps. Omnispace was selected by NSIN in 2020 to pilot its technology in connection with Verizon's new 5G "Living Lab."

This week, Omnispace successfully tested an initial 5G-via-satellite capability in a LinQuest lab demonstration for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. A number of commercial-off-the-shelf 5G devices successfully communicated voice and data services via an emulated 5G radio access network (RAN), to Omnispace's on-orbit satellite, leveraging LinQuest Corporation's lab facility in Northern Virginia.

"Omnispace is honored to have been selected to work with the U.S. Navy and Marines to demonstrate 5G capability from space," said Campbell Marshall, Vice President, Government and International Markets, Omnispace LLC. "The development of standards-based 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN) technology powered by Omnispace's S-band spectrum will allow small tactical 5G devices to communicate directly and seamlessly with 5G-capable satellites and terrestrial networks, giving our warfighters ubiquitous global connectivity and true comms-on-the-move."

"5G will be a critical technology for our military operations in the very near future, and those operations aren't limited to dense urban environments where most 5G infrastructure is being deployed," said Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Newell, Director, SoCal Tech Bridge, Naval X, a driving force behind some of the U.S. Department of Defense's (DoD) 5G initiatives. "Truly global, mobile 5G connectivity in aero, maritime and remote areas will be essential across a broad spectrum of our government and military operations."

Omnispace is continuing the development of a global hybrid 5G communications network based on 3GPP standards, which will the ensure security and interoperability of devices all over the world for a wide array of enterprise and government customers.

The company plans to make its direct-to-satellite 5G NTN connectivity solutions available through its 'one global network,' which will utilize the company's existing 2 GHz priority spectrum rights. Initial elements of the Omnispace network will enter into service in 2022.

About Omnispace

Headquartered in the Washington D.C. area, and founded by veteran telecommunications and satellite industry executives, Omnispace is redefining mobile connectivity for the 21st century. By leveraging 5G technologies, the company is combining the global footprint of a non-geostationary satellite constellation with the mobile networks of the world's leading telecom companies to bring an interoperable "one network" connectivity to users and IoT devices anywhere on the globe.

Learn more at: Omnispace.com and follow on LinkedIn or Twitter @omnispace.

Press Contact:

Marie Knowles

+1-202-422-2589

[email protected]

SOURCE Omnispace

Related Links

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CHURCHES will continue to take different approaches to re-opening as the coronavirus restrictions are eased.

Some have stayed closed during the latest lockdown and experienced a huge demand for online services while others, such as St Marys in Henley, have remained open with strict safety measures in place.

Up to 30 people will be allowed to attend weddings, funerals and baptisms from May 17 as part of the third stage of the Governments roadmap, with no limits from June 21.

Under previous lockdowns, churches were closed and could only be used at certain times for private prayer to reduce the risk of infection.

Rev Jeremy Tayler, rector of St Marys and St Nicholas Church in Remenham, said the spaciousness of both churches had made it possible to operate safely during the third lockdown.

He said: Generally speaking, Ive been quite bold and pushed forward where the guidelines permit.

Weve continued to have services in both churches with social distancing and extra precautions for hygiene, as we have from early on in this pandemic.

Henley, on the whole, is fairly safe and weve got a very big church, so we can do things safely, although the choir has had to stand down.

Because both churches are a good size in relation to the congregation, it has made it quite easy to hold worship safely.

Services are held at 8am and 9.30am on Sunday in Henley and at 11.15am in Remenham. These are then uploaded to YouTube so that people who are shielding can watch.

Worshippers are encouraged to wear a face mask at all times and use hand sanitiser when entering and leaving churches. Anti-bacterial wipes are used to sanitise pews and seats after every use.

Rev Tayler says attendances have been strong and that there has already been interest in booking weddings since Prime Minister Boris Johnsons announcement.

He said: It is enormously variable, but even in normal times our regular Sunday congregation isnt 100.

We usually have quite a lot of weddings at both churches, so there is an awful lot of backlog.

There are couples whove been waiting for a very long time and I have had a great flurry of emails. They are mostly people I already know of and Ive already got bookings for next summer and some for 2023. It is a wonderful part of my work.

Funerals have been going on throughout under rather restricted circumstances and it will be interesting to see if there is a demand for memorial services.

People will have lost family members, particularly during the first wave of the virus, and only had four or five people present. They might want to do something bigger.

The rector hopes to hold two events after the end of the covid restrictions, a thanksgiving celebration and a service of remembrance.

Rev Tayler said: It is important to acknowledge that a lot of people have died, not just from covid.

It has been a very difficult year and there is a lot of loss and grief, so some sort of remembrance service to commend the people weve lost to the care of God would be fitting. It is important to celebrate but also to properly grieve what we have lost.

Holy Trinity Church in Henley has also remained open and can safely accommodate about 80 people on a Sunday.

Rev Sam Brewster, who leads the Trinity at Four services for families, says the hardest part of lockdown has been people unable to interact at church.

He said: A really important part of church is the social side and the relationships you make. Although you can attend, youre not allowed to socialise and thats not really the idea of church. It will be lovely to do more of that as time goes on.

Sacred Heart Church in Henley is holding a mass every Sunday for about 30 people which is live- streamed online.

Fr Paul Fitzpatrick, the parish priest, said he didnt want to rush back to normal.

It will be a very gradual process, he said. We can be open but we are doing one day a week with funerals being the priority.

We will be limited in what we can achieve and we have to realise there is a reason for this and we have to think long term. Not everybody has been vaccinated and we have to keep people safe.

I dont think anything has changed for us in terms of our celebration of Easter, which is a big thing for us. I think we will only be able to have a very limited number of people by then  at best  and nothing like the sort of events weve had in the past.

Ive had lots of couples ringing me up and asking about weddings  people who were supposed to be getting married in February and March have re-booked for July, which is great.

Im going to have a very busy summer, with virtually every week in July booked up with weddings.

In the medium term, it is much more positive because people can begin to talk to venues and make plans.

Fr Fitzpatrick said online services would continue even when the restrictions had been lifted completely.

The churches in the united benefice of Shiplake, Dunsden and Harpsden have remained closed during the current lockdown.

Rev Robert Thewsey, the rector, said he didnt want to take any risks with the virus.

He said: I know others have stayed open but we have much smaller buildings and social distancing is much more of a problem.

A lot of vulnerable people visit our churches, so weve stayed online entirely.

The virus has not been conquered and lots of people, myself included, havent been vaccinated yet.

I know a lot of my parishioners have had their first dose, but that doesnt protect you 100 per cent and you can still be a carrier. We all need to go forward with caution and protect one another.

He added: The online side of things has been very successful and a lot of people have said how they couldnt have managed without it.

They are so grateful for all that weve done and weve broadcast nearly 600 services since the beginning of lockdown.

St Leonards Church in Watlington has also remained closed but the rector Rev Daniel Thompson said it had reached more people through its online services.

He said: We decided to close a bit earlier than anyone else. There was a real sense of anxiety after Christmas and a lot of my congregation are much older. They were concerned, especially with the vaccination around the corner, so they didnt want to risk anything.

Our online stuff has really taken off and now Ive got elderly people who say they will stay online even after we re-open, which is fantastic.

In effect, the church is growing, which is really promising and a year ago we could never have imagined this.

St Marys in Wargrave has also stayed closed but with infection rates coming down, the church may re-open for holy communion on March 21 but with a limited number of worshippers. Online services will continue.

The church has been open for private prayer on Wednesday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm.

Rev John Cook, the vicar, said: It is much easier to have people in bigger churches but our problem is we cant get that many people in.

I would hope we can begin to re-open in the next month. There has been a flurry of wedding bookings for this summer and next year, so we are starting to get back to normal.
The "Stories and Images of Nizami" exhibition opened in Moscow today. Its main goal is to demonstrate the continuous tradition of referring to the works of the great poet, as well as how humanistic ideas and aesthetic images of Nizami were understood and artistically interpreted in the culture of Azerbaijan and other countries in the Middle Ages and the new era. Curator of the exhibition, Russian historian-orientalist, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences Ilya Zaytsev told Vestnik Kavkaza about the exposition and about Nizami's ideas.

- This exhibition has a unique concept - the poet's stories appear on different materials: on tiles, on lacquerware, illustrations in manuscripts... How did you manage to illustrate plots from his poems using different artistic means?

- With this exhibition, we not only wanted to pay tribute to the great poet, who turns 880 this year, but also to show how great literature affects other areas of art - fine, decorative and applied art. And the point here is not only that Nizami left us a grandiose collection, so to speak, of plots and images that became a source of inspiration for many artists, but also in the greatness of those ideas that are embedded in his works. These are ideas that are close to us, this is what people still dream about. It seems to me that this is precisely the guarantee that his poems, his work are still popular and are reflected in the work of artists, composers, in general, all creative people.

It is enough to see what our exhibits represent from a chronological point of view: from the XIII-XIV centuries up to the works of the artists of the XX century, who, naturally, worked in the spirit of the European tradition, nevertheless, Nizami's work was very close to them. Let's say, Ravil Khalilov or [Soviet artist, master of woodcuts and book graphics Sergei] Bigos, whose works are also presented. This is an attempt to trace how the work of the great poet gives rise to new meanings and contributes to the creativity of other people.

Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Moscow Polad Bulbul oglu and Ilya Zaitsev at the opening of the exhibition

- What ideas of Nizami seem to you the most relevant right now?

- The ideas are very simple, close to the heart of every person: the ideas of mercy, justice, reasonable and just order in society, generosity. These are thoughts, images and ideas that are close to all of us. These humanistic ideas, which were probably not new to him, still excite the minds and people are ready to follow them. In fact, a person from the time of Nizami, it seems to me, has not changed at all in this sense.

- How was the exhibition prepared?

- We have been working on it for about a year in the difficult conditions of a pandemic. We wanted to celebrate Nizami's jubilee, remembering how his 800th birthday was celebrated in besieged Leningrad, in the Hermitage, by people dying of hunger. They found the strength to do this in the winter of 1941. Then two anniversaries were celebrated: the 800th anniversary of Nizami and the 500th anniversary of Navoi. It is very important for us. When preparing this exhibition, we outlined the range of those works, which reflected the plots and images of Nizami. Then this idea grew to show a wide palette of his works on a large material, that is, from the XIII-XIV centuries up to the art of the XX century. It is very interesting. I have a painting by Roerich, who very successfully connects these eras - the medieval and the art of the 20th century. It is deliberately stylized as a miniature, despite the fact that it is tempera, and not even a miniature at all. I don't know how we succeeded, but the idea was to show how great literature gives rise to new meaning and new images.

Tamilla Akhmedova and Ilya Zaitsev, Head of the Department of Humanitarian Programs of the Representative Office of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in Russia, at the opening of the exhibition

- Did you cooperate with Azerbaijan in the preparation of the exhibition?

- The Heydar Aliyev Foundation helps us a lot. We very much hope that in May, after the exhibition closes in Moscow, it will go to Baku and continue to delight the audience at the Heydar Aliyev Center.

We work closely with the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. By the way, here are exhibits not only from the State Museum of the East, but also from the Mardjani Foundation, the State Hermitage, Bigos's graphics - from the State Museum of Fine Arts, the Pushkin Museum. There are also practically never exhibited, little-known things that were identified with the works of Nizami quite recently, from the collection of the Museum-Estate "Arkhangelskoye"; a series of miniatures from the collection of the Saratov Art Museum. Radishchev. All of them perfectly complement this gallery of images.
An Italian teacher held up at gunpoint at a popular Dublin tourist attraction has vowed to return to Ireland after one of the muggers was jailed this week.

Silvia Piantoni and her student were terrified when two men, one armed with a highly-realistic imitation firearm, targeted them outside the Guinness Storehouse in October 2019 - but this week she told the Sunday World that they will return to Ireland as soon as possible.

She said the same thing could have happened anywhere but the support she received afterwards in Ireland stood out.

Paul Heaney (37) was jailed for three years and nine months this week after he pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to robbery and attempted robbery at Long's Place on October 21, 2019.

The court hear Heaney, with an address at Michael Mallon House, Dublin 8, had 51 previous convictions.

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His accomplice, Gareth Mallon (39), who was armed with the imitation firearm, is currently serving a four-year sentence for his involvement in the robbery. Silvia, who lives in Bergamo in Italy, could not travel to Ireland for the sentence hearing due to lockdown restrictions but told the Sunday World she was pleased with how it went.

"Unfortunately the situation in Italy is very worrying because of coronavirus. Our area has been particularly hit. We have been constantly informed about the evolution of the trial and we are very satisfied about the sentencing."

She added that she had been inundated with messages of support since the incident occurred.

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"Irish people have shown support and affection towards us. I have received lots of messages of esteem and encouragement in this year. We will come back as soon as possible for a tour of Ireland and we will take our students when the pandemic situation stops."

She said while the incident was terrifying, the way it was dealt with gave her confidence in the Irish justice system.

"It was, but we have really appreciated the reactions of Irish people and the efficiency of the police system. We will come back because we know that Ireland is a safe place. A similar event could happen everywhere but not everywhere we would have received the same support."

On the day of the incident Silvia and her students had visited the Guinness Storehouse.

A student at the back of the group was approached by Mallon who pointed a gun at his legs and said softly "money, money, money". Heaney was unarmed and had a tissue over his face.

The student handed over 60 and the man then pointed the gun at Silvia who screamed. Another teacher came to her aid and the two robbers ran off.

A woman nearby videoed the robbery on her mobile phone. Heaney presented himself to gardai few days later.

At his sentencing hearing this week Judge Elma Sheahan said she did not see a difference between Heaney and his co-accused. She said this was a "joint enterprise" with both playing similar roles.

Judge Sheahan noted the "troubling and challenging upbringing" Heaney experienced in his youth. She accepted he has made efforts to rehabilitate, remain free of illicit substances and reduce his methadone intake.

She sentenced Heaney to four-and-a-half years imprisonment, but suspended the final nine months on strict conditions.

Heaney told gardai he had not been involved in planning the robbery.

Fiona Murphy BL, defending Heaney, said he had expressed remorse and regretted his involvement in the offence. She said he had been on his way to get tablets when he bumped into the other individual involved.

She said he had a difficult early life and had fallen into a cycle of going into custody, doing well, being released and falling 'off the wagon', then reoffending in a life marred by drug use. She said he is clean of drugs at present and anxious to engage with rehabilitation.
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Tiger kidnapper Stefan Saunders is living on jobseekers allowance of more than 200 per week while his wife Tammy is benefiting from the Pandemic Unemployment Payment of 350 per week.

The couple have listed their monthly living expenses as 2,553 per month and say they cant afford a solicitor to fight a case being taken against them by the Criminal Assets Bureau.

Mortgages on two houses, their family home and an investment property, have been taken over by vulture funds as they have failed to keep up the repayments, Justice Alexander Owens heard.

But the High Court said that their application for free legal aid fails to detail how they could ever have legitimately afforded to purchase the properties bought in 2005 and 2006 and spend 120,000 on an extension.

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The pair were told to return details which set out the exceptional circumstances that would convince the court to give them a solicitor courtesy of the taxpayer and that they provide information about what defence they have in the case.

During an application before the High Court today details of their income were discussed as the court heard details how the houses have been identified by the Bureau as the Proceeds of Crime.

Tammy Saunders who is a dressmaker is facing personal insolvency, the court heard, and the investment property in Finglas is set to be sold and the net proceeds will be paid off the mortgage on the family home at Hazelbury Park in Clonee.

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The court also heard details of Tammy Saunders dress making business which netted her less than 30,000 in the last year it was operating before the pandemic. She pays rent of 500 a month for a showroom.

The court heard that for three years she has been in receipt of a further 280 per week in social welfare back to work payments as she established her business before relying on the PUP. She owns a BMW car worth 7,000.

Forty-three-year-old Stefan Saunders told the court that he hasnt worked since he was released from prison but was a plasterer up until the year 2010. He was freed form jail last September and has been in receipt of job seekers allowance ever since.

Saunders is suspected of being the most prolific tiger kidnapper in the country and gardai put huge efforts into nabbing him over the years eventually catching him as he plotted a robbery.

However, after conviction and a jail term against him, the criminal was released from prison early because of good behaviour and his willingness to carry out community work.

Saunders is regarded as a top tier and dangerous criminal who once attended a military training camp and did a course in counter surveillance run by former Soviet soldiers in Eastern Europe.

He is the latest in a line of serious organised career criminals looking for free legal aid against the Bureau. A decision to grant David Waldron state funds in his fight their claims against his stunning Wexford mansion and other assets is awaiting a decision by the Appeals court.

Drug dealer Waldron was once part of Eamon The Don Dunnes crew and is understood to have amassed a fortune supplying drugs but he was granted legal aid in court so he could challenge the Bureaus case against him.

Saunders was once suspected of having amassed a 6 million fortune from a career in organised crime during which he lavished expensive gifts on loved ones and lived it up in the familys 400,000 luxury home at Hazelbury Park in Clonee which is now part of the proceedings against him.

He was released from jail last September along with two notorious associates after pleading guilty to his role in a 2 million bank raid plot.

Despite receiving a seven and a half year sentence for masterminding the raid on a cash delivery to an ATM in County Meath he was released on a jail scheme involving community service.

Saunders was a number on target of the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau when he was nabbed in 2016 during the botched robbery. Together with the Special Crime Task force they put together Operation Woven against him and his gang.

They planned the robbery at the ATM in a disused bank and were awaiting the arrival of the money when gardai swooped after mounting an undercover operation on them.

Gardai at one point searched the cavity walls of his home for funds they believe he had hidden away.

Tammy Saunders was once a director of a number of hair salons along with her husband but in recent years has been making frilly childrens clothing.

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Some chief executive officers are so eager for their employees to get vaccinated against Covid-19 that theyre granting workers time off or cash incentives to get shots.

In the U.S., retailer Lidl is giving its staff $200, while Aldi, Dollar General Corp. and Trader Joes Co. are offering extra hours of pay. Online grocery delivery firm Instacart Inc. is providing a $25 stipend for workers and contractors. Yogurt makers Chobani LLC and Danone SA are offering as much as six hours of paid leave, and the French company says it will cover the cost of inoculation in countries where vaccines arent free.

Other companies are taking a harder line. U.K. handyman empire Pimlico Plumbers Ltd. has said it plans a no jab, no job" policy for new members of its workforce. United Airlines wants to make shots mandatory, drawing concerns from unions.

Many CEOs see themselves as leaders of the fightback against a pandemic thats killed more than 2.6 million people. Theyre standing up against anti-vaccination sentiment thats strong in countries like the U.S., France and Russia, and trying to keep their workers safe. For some, theres also a more pragmatic motivation: Vaccination will facilitate a return to the office after a year of working from home thats strained corporate cultures and spawned a new epidemic of Zoom fatigue.

I think what wed like to do is have carrots and sticks -- we want people to take it; we think its a far better thing," JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO Jamie Dimon said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. The bank wont make vaccination mandatory for the moment due to legal concerns but airlines and hotel companies may attempt to do so, he said.

Legal Hurdles

The legality of companies requiring their clients and workers to get vaccinated varies from country to country. In many U.S. states, an employer can fire workers at will for any legal reason, which could include the refusal to comply with a vaccine mandate.

At the moment, less than 1% of companies in the U.S. require Covid vaccination for all employees, and only 6% say they plan to once shots are readily available, according to a survey of 1,800 in-house lawyers, human-resources workers and executives by employment law firm Littler Mendelson.

In countries where employment protection is stronger, officials are tiptoeing around the issue. The U.K. government has said its up to businesses to determine immunization policies for their workforces but that those insisting on vaccination would be discriminatory.

In practice, its only legal for an employer to mandate inoculation if its considered a reasonable instruction" related to the employees role, which is likely to be in sectors such as healthcare or hospitality, according to an employment law guide published by U.K. law firm Pinsent Masons. For companies that conduct home visits, such as Pimlico Plumbers, having employees vaccinated and posing less of a health threat to customers could also be a selling point.

So as not to be dragged into courtroom disputes, many CEOs are opting for persuasion over enforcement. The effectiveness of their advocacy will be critical to reopening the global economy, including offices where millions of workers toil away amid little direct contact with customers.

Countering Fears

Unilever Plc chief Alan Jope said hes signing weekly letters to the companys 150,000 employees urging them to get vaccinated when possible, and has invited the companys doctor to promote inoculation on twice-monthly virtual town halls, which see about 14,000 workers dial in.

We absolutely dont want anti-vax or vaccine hesitancy to be part of the Unilever culture, and its so helpful for them to hear from someone they trust, who is a medical authority, and we will use that platform to answer peoples questions and to advocate for vaccines," Jope said in an interview.

Budweiser, which is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, decided not to run a commercial during the Super Bowl for the first time in 40 years and instead allocated that spending to the Ad Councils pro-vaccination campaigns. Immunizations will liberate people," CEO Carlos Brito said in an interview.

Some CEOs are leading by example. Nestle SAs Mark Schneider said that if a vaccine were immediately available to him, I would get vaccinated in front of all our people to be a role model."

Its the best possible way to protect yourself and to protect your colleagues, and well be very clear on that, just like we were very clear early on on the masks," he said in an interview. One of the downsides last year was that very good, effective prevention measures such as masks were politicized."

Vaccine or Test

Osem Investments, a Nestle subsidiary in Israel, will bar employees who havent been vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 from the workplace unless they submit a negative virus test every three days. Businesses including Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. and Intel Corp.s Mobileye have also asked workers who are vaccine holdouts to stay home or provide a recent negative test.

Several airlines are taking an equally hard line: Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, has said he wants to make vaccination a requirement for the companys 60,000 workers. The initiative is dividing employees -- the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 141, a union representing fleet and passenger service staff at United, has said its received complaints from workers who dont want to get shots as well as concerns from employees who dont want to come into contact with unvaccinated colleagues.

Striking a persuasive tone on vaccination will become ever more important as executives hasten a return to the office. Employees at jeweler Tiffany & Co. in the U.S. have been instructed to work at least two days from the office from the beginning of March -- whether theyre vaccinated or not.

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said at a conference last month that more of the firms bankers would have been back in the office by now if vaccine distribution had been faster in the first quarter.

Working from home is an aberration that we are going to correct as quickly as possible," he said.

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An undercover operation found that landlords and brokers routinely violate the law by discriminating against prospective tenants using Section 8 vouchers, housing advocates said Monday while announcing a new lawsuit.

One broker told a Housing Rights Initiative advocate posing as a potential tenant that there was not a hope in hell a landlord would accept the subsidized rent voucher. The lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court against 88 landlords and brokers seeks a court order they comply with laws prohibiting discrimination against Section 8 tenants.

In New York, about 82% of people with Section 8 vouchers, which are used to help pay rent in private housing and are accepted by NYCHA, are Black or Hispanic.

Nancy Padilla, who spent roughly 15 years living in shelters while looking for long-term housing, said the vouchers served as a red flag.

Every time a landlord or broker saw my voucher ... their whole facial expression changed immediately. They turned me away even though I was qualified, said Padilla, who spoke at a virtual press conference announcing the suit. Once they saw the voucher, there was a stop sign.

Aaron Carr, executive director of the Housing Rights Initiative, said he launched the probe in response to a litany of complaints.

We deployed investigators who covertly recorded hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of phone calls, Carr said. Our goal here is simple. Its to get real estate companies to abandon their discriminatory housing practices and to follow the damn law.
OTTAWA - More than 70 parliamentarians from all parties are calling for a full criminal investigation into Pornhub's parent company following testimony from survivors.

MindGeek Canada managing director Feras Antoon appears on screen during a sound check as he waits to appear virtually before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics on Friday, Feb. 5, 2021 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - More than 70 parliamentarians from all parties are calling for a full criminal investigation into Pornhub's parent company following testimony from survivors.

The demand, spelled out in a letter Monday to RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki, comes two weeks after a similar request by more than 100 victims of exploitive content they say was posted to websites owned by MindGeek.

The lawmakers cite recent evidence by victims and child-protection organizations alleging the Montreal-based company regularly shared child pornography and sexual assault videos as well as content shot or posted without the consent of subjects.

"Even more alarming, we have heard evidence that MindGeek continues to make available material featuring child sexual abuse material and non-consensual acts, as one survivor testified to the ethics committee on Feb. 19, 2021: 'Thanks to Pornhub, today is day 1,292 that I have been naked on these porn sites,'" the letter states.

MindGeek has denied all accusations of wrongdoing, saying it is a global leader in preventing distribution of exploitive videos and images.

"MindGeek has zero tolerance for non-consensual content, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and any other content that lacks the consent of all parties depicted," the company said in an email this month.

"The harrowing stories of the survivors of CSAM and non-consensual imagery shake us to our core."

In December, several major credit card companies suspended payment services to Pornhub, prompting the world's largest pornography platform to scrub some 10 million videos posted by unverified users.

At least five lawsuits have been filed against the company in the U.S. and Canada over the past year on behalf of survivors of child abuse, sex trafficking and non-consensual image uploads.

The 53 MPs and 20 senators who signed the letter accuse MindGeek of failing to report cases of child pornography to the Canadian Centre for Child Protection and the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children between 2011 and 2020. The company confirmed in an email it "officially began" reporting to the latter early last year.

The signatories say they were "shocked" to learn from RCMP deputy commissioner Stephen White at the House of Commons ethics committee last month that the agency had "zero outstanding investigations" into the company.

Conservative MP Arnold Viersen, who co-chairs the all-party parliamentary group to end human trafficking, says the hoops survivors have to jump through to get illegal content pulled down are "egregious," and that existing laws need more rigorous enforcement.

"The law is good, its just purely not being enforced," he said Monday in an interview, adding that he is open to expanding the provisions against sexual exploitation.

In December, the House of Commons ethics committee launched a study on how to protect the privacy and reputations of people who appear on pornography websites following an explosive New York Times opinion piece alleging Pornhub distributed child pornography. A report with recommendations to Parliament is expected later this year.

In a March 1 letter, a group of 104 survivors and 525 NGOs in countries ranging from Austria to Zambia applauded the ethics committee for studying the issue.

The coalition went beyond calling on Ottawa to encourage an RCMP investigation, demanding the government to take "immediate legislative and regulatory action to protect children from this predatory and unethical corporation."

MindGeek draws 170 million visitors a day, including four million Canadians, and generates $460 million in annual revenue, according to the company. It frequently ranks among the dozen most-visited sites in the world, ahead of Netflix and Zoom.

Though legally headquartered in Luxembourg, the company's main office sits in a squat glass building along a sunken highway in Montreal.

"We have on our territory probably the biggest platform, the most successful platform, in porn, and laws apply," Sen. Julie Miville-Dechene, who co-chairs the parliamentary group on human trafficking, said Monday in an interview.

"Its pretty appalling that we seem to be nowhere in terms of actions by the police against Pornhub."

MindGeek has pushed back against accusations it allows child sexual abuse material on its sites.

"Over the past year, MindGeek has created and implemented comprehensive measures for verification, moderation, and detection that will ensure Pornhub is the safest platform online. Notably, we have taken the unprecedented step of banning content from unverified uploaders, an industry first among tech and social media platforms," MindGeek said in an email earlier this month.

The platform works with dozens of non-profit organizations that aim to flag content and stop online child exploitation. It also says it uses extensive measures to shut out such material, including "a vast team" of human moderators to manually review each of the 6.8 million videos uploaded annually and remove illegal material, along with automated detection technologies.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 15, 2021.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) court on Monday ruled that the arrest and detention of a Venezuelan diplomat, Alex Saab, by Cape Verde was illegal.

It also said the diplomat should be released and be paid $200,000 for unlawful detention.

Mr Saab was arrested by the Cape Verdean authorities in June 2020 for alleged money laundering while on a humanitarian special mission to Iran.

Femi Falana, counsel to Mr Saab, had filed a suit at the ECOWAS court challenging the arbitrary arrest and detention of the Venezuelan diplomat.

He argued that as a diplomat, Mr Saab should have enjoyed diplomatic immunity and should not be subjected to imprisonment and legal proceedings by Cape Verde.

Mr Falana asked the ECOWAS court to order the release of the diplomat, allegedly detained based on a request by the United States Government.

But Cape Verde said the court had no jurisdiction to entertain the suit and that Mr Saabs diplomatic immunity had expired at the time of his arrest.

But while delivering judgement on the matter, Justice Januaria Costa rejected the first and second claims, stating that Mr Saab could not claim diplomatic immunity as his papers had expired at the time of his arrest.

Also, the judge struck out the second claim on the basis that there are international conditions for being a special envoy.

However, on the third count, Ms Costa, whose ruling was interpreted by Justice Amaoko Asante, said Mr Saab was arrested on June 12, 2020, by the Cape Verdean police after being prompted by the United States Interpol.

She said the red alert was dated June 13, 2020 which showed that the arrest was unlawful as there was no warrant at the time of the arrest.

The ECOWAS court ruling

The ECOWAS court judge described Mr Saabs arrest and subsequent detention as illegal and ordered Cape Verde to release him while halting all processes of extradition to the United States.

We found that his arrest was arbitrarily done by the criminal police of Cape Verde and his subsequent detention are all illegal, she added.

Mr Saab was awarded $200, 000 as compensation as against the $500, 000 demanded.

In his reaction, Mr Falana said he was happy with the ruling of the court.

We commend the court for this judgment and we hope that the copies will be made available as soon as possible. We are happy with the judgment, he said.

Mr Saabs status as a diplomat has been brought to question after his arrest in June 2020 at the request of the United States of America for alleged financial crimes.

Recently, Mr Saab was held in the countrys prison against the ECOWAS court order that the diplomat is placed on house arrest until its main hearing on February 5, after three consecutive adjournments.

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During the last hearing, Mr Falana had argued that, when detained, Alex Saab was engaged in a humanitarian special mission to Iran. He had, and continues to have, the status of a Special Envoy of Venezuela.

He therefore, enjoys diplomatic immunity and inviolability. Therefore, not only can he not be subjected to imprisonment and legal proceedings by Cape Verde, such actions also violate customary international law.

On 24 December 2020, Alex Saab was appointed as Alternate Permanent Representative of Venezuela to the African Union. His immunity was thus reinforced, but it also demonstrated that he continues to command the full support of Venezuela as a diplomatic agent. No objections have been raised to Mr Saabs appointment by the African Union, Mr Falana said.

He added, It is not a matter for Cape Verde (or any other country for that matter) to raise issues with whom Venezuela as a sovereign state appoints as its ambassador. Equally it is for Iran to determine if it recognises Mr Saab as a Special Envoy to Iran and not any third party.

Though Cape Verde has released Alex Saab into house arrest, it has only done so to give the impression of having complied with the ECOWAS Court 2 December decision.

The reality is that Cape Verde has only partially grudgingly complied and the conditions of Mr Saabs so-called house arrest are well short of accepted international standards and even below those Cape Verde itself has offered to drug traffickers in the past.

The Counsel to Cape Verde, Henrique Borges, argued that the ECOWAS court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case.

Cape Verde does not recognise the authority of the ECOWAS Court to decide this case as it has not signed and, consequently, not bound by the Additional Protocols of ECOWAS Court, he said.

Mr Borges further claimed at the hearing that they had filed some additional documents (namely legal opinion(s)) but could not remember when they had done so when asked by the court.

Saabs arrest

Mr Saab was arrested on June 12, 2020 during a stopover at Amilcar Cabral International Airport on the Island of Sal by the Cape Verdean government. He was traveling to Venezuela from Iran.

His arrest by the Cape Verdean government was hinged on an international arrest warrant purportedly issued by Interpol at the request of the United States.

The Venezuelan authorities have continued to call for Mr Saabs unconditional release, adding that he had diplomatic immunity at the time he was arrested.

The ECOWAS Court had in its December 20, 2020 ruling ordered the Republic of Cape Verde to place Mr Saab under permanent home detention in good conditions, including access to medical treatment and visits.

The court also ordered that the applicant should not be extradited pending the decision of the court on the substantive suit.
World Fress Freedom winning journalist Jineth Bedoya on Monday accused the Colombian state of torture, rape and kidnapping during a virtual hearing at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

"My life was destroyed, they killed me the morning of May 25" 2000, said Bedoya.

She testified that she was seized by a group of right-wing paramilitaries from outside a prison in the capital Bogota and then tortured and raped for 16 hours before being abandoned on the side of a road.

At the time, Bedoya was investigating an arms trafficking network operating out of the La Modelo prison and claimed the state, including an "influential" police chief, was complicit in her abduction.

The paramilitaries, some of whom have already been convicted for the crimes committed against Bedoya, were right-wing militias that fought left-wing guerrillas during Colombia's bloody 60-year conflict. They were dissolved in 2006.

Bedoya says she has since suffered two decades of "persecution, intimidation and constant threats."

She asked for protection for herself and her mother, as well as for the La Modelo prison to be closed down.

The prison was "the office that connected all the crime in the country at that time," she said, adding that it was a "symbol of impunity."

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights referred the case to the court in 2019, considering that the Colombian state had failed to implement recommendations to investigate Bedoya's case, pay damages and adopt measures to prevent a repeat of such incidents.

The commission said the state knew the risks Bedoya was taking but failed to protect her.

Colombia's representative at the hearing, Camilo Gomez, accused the court's judges of "lacking objectivity" and called for them to be recused.

Both the court and commission are autonomous organs of the Organization of American States.

The court's decisions are definitive and unappealable.

lv-dl/gm/bc/st
Manuel Ruivo Leads Ahead of WPT500 Day 2 on partypoker

March 15 2021 Jason Glatzer

The World Poker Tour has returned to partypoker with the WPT500 festival with 25 numbered events from March 7-25.

Two of the events boast tasty $1 million guarantees for a buy-in of $530 including the WPT #01: WPT 500 on March 7-16 and the WPT #13: WPT500 Knockout on March 15-23.

Manuel Ruivo unseeded Day 1g chip leader Gediminas Uselis to snag the overally chip lead in the WPT #01: WPT 500 after virtually bagging a huge stack of 13,383,142 (191 big blinds) during last night's Day 1h.

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Manuel Ruivo Leads the partypoker WPT500

The WPT500 has already eclipsed its lofty $1 million guarantee with 2,140 entrants coming into action during the first eight opening flights to generate a $1,070,000 prize pool.

The prize pool will continue to grow with a Turbo Day 1 taking place on Monday, March 15 at 5:05 p.m. GMT or three hours just before the start of Day 2 at 8:05 p.m. GMT. The Turbo flight will feature six-minute blind levels instead of the usual 12-minute levels featured on all of the other opening flights. Otherwise, it features the same structure as the other Day 1s with 15 percent of the field advancing to Day 2.

A total of 322 entrants and counting have advanced to Day 2 where the structure will feature longer 16-minute blind levels starting with blinds at 35,000/70,000/8,750a. The day will conclude when the field is whittled down to just a nine-player final table with that set to play out the following day on Tuesday, March 16 at 8:05 p.m. GMT.

Yesterday's Day 1h was the biggest opening thus far in the event with 691 entrants getting into the action. Portugal's Manuel Ruivo, playing at partypoker under a Dutch flag, not only led the 104 survivors after ending the day with 13,383,142 in chips but as we already mentioned in the intro also overtook Day 1g chip leader Gediminas Uselis (11,129,628) for the overall chip lead.

Three other players cracked the overall top ten in chip counts from yesterday's Day 1h including Dylan Rowe (9,309,495), Julien Perouse (9,225,340), and Corentin Ropert (8,734,989).

Also near the top of the leaderboard to start Day 2 were Day 1a chip leader Roman Matveichuk (10,131,678), Pedro Jorge (9,508,747), Day 1d chip leader Richard O'Neill (9,307,700), Day 1f chip leader Thomas Clucas (9,256,645), and Gustavo Mastelotto (9,130,880).

WPT500 Top Ten Leaderboard

Place Player Country Flight Qualified Chips Big Blinds 1 Manuel Soares Ruivo Netherlands Day 1h 13,383,142 191 2 Gediminas Uselis Lithuania Day 1g 11,129,298 159 3 Roman Matveichuk Russia Day 1a 10,131,678 145 4 Pedro Jorge Malta Day 1a 9,508,747 136 5 Dylan Glen Rowe New Zealand Day 1h 9,309,495 133 6 Richard O'Neill Ireland Day 1d 9,307,700 133 7 Thomas Clucas United Kingdom Day 1f 9,256,645 132 8 Julien Perouse Canada Day 1h 9,225,340 132 9 Gustavo Mastelotto Brazil Day 1a 9,130,880 130 10 Corentin Ropert United Kingdom Day 1h 8,734,989 125

Kristen Bicknell Leads the partypoker Ambassadors

Kristen Bicknell

The partypoker Ambassadors got into the WPT500 in full force with Kristen Bicknell thus far performing the best after bagging 4,302,313 in chips into today's Day 2.

Three other partypoker Ambassadors will join Bicknell on Day 2 with shorter stacks including Matthew Staples (2,474,898), Dzmitry Urbanovich (2,271,164), and Patrick Leonard (1,592,924).

The rest of the partypoker Ambassadors will still have one final chance to get into Day 2 during today's final turbo opening flight.

Place Player Country Chips Big Blinds 91 Kristen Bicknell Canada 4,302,313 61 185 Matthew Staples Canada 2,474,898 35 192 Dzmitry Urbanovich Latvia 2,271,164 32 247 Patrick Leonard United Kingdom 1,592,924 23

$1M Gtd WPT500 Knockout Begins Today

While you still have one last chance to get into the WPT500, another $1 million guaranteed event featuring a $530 buy-in is on our doorsteps with the WPT500 Knockout kicking off the first of its eight opening flights at 8:05 p.m. GMT.

Although there is one less opening flight in this event than the ongoing WPT500, the structure is identically the same with the first seven opening flights boasting 12-minute levels and the final opening flighted featuring a faster-paced six-minute blind levels.

A total of 15 percent of each opening flight will advance to Day 2 on Monday, March 22 with the final table scheduled the following day on Tuesday, March 23.

Date Time (GMT) Tournament March 15 8:05 p.m. WPT #13 WPT500 Knockout Day 1A: $1M Gtd March 16 8:05 p.m. WPT #13 WPT500 Knockout Day 1B: $1M Gtd March 17 8:05 p.m. WPT #13 WPT500 Knockout Day 1C: $1M Gtd March 18 8:05 p.m. WPT #13 WPT500 Knockout Day 1D: $1M Gtd March 19 8:05 p.m. WPT #13 WPT500 Knockout Day 1E: $1M Gtd March 20 8:05 p.m. WPT #13 WPT500 Knockout Day 1F: $1M Gtd March 21 8:05 p.m. WPT #13 WPT500 Knockout Day 1G: $1M Gtd March 22 5:05 p.m. WPT #13 WPT500 Knockout Day 1H Turbo: $1M Gtd 8:05 p.m. WPT #13 WPT500 Day 2: $1M Gtd March 23 8:05 p.m. WPT #13 WPT500 Knockout Final Table

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 19:40:11|Editor: huaxia

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Citizens sign their names during a campaign in support of the decision on improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region by the National People's Congress (NPC) in Hong Kong, south China, March 11, 2021. (Xinhua/Lo Ping Fai)

BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday expressed its strong dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to several countries' recent malicious slander of the decision from the National People's Congress (NPC) to improve the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and gross interference in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a press briefing when asked to comment on a joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) and the European Union High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy.

NPC's decision to improve the HKSAR's electoral system is a major measure to uphold and improve the system and institutions of "one country, two systems" and maintain long-term stability in Hong Kong, said Zhao.

"It is entirely constitutional, lawful and justified, and will provide a more solid institutional guarantee for the full implementation of the 'patriots administering Hong Kong' principle, better safeguard the overall and fundamental interests of Hong Kong's society, and promote the steady development of Hong Kong's democratic system and the steady practice of 'one country, two systems'," he said, adding that this is a shared aspiration of all Chinese people, including Hong Kong compatriots.

The spokesperson stressed that Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, that the electoral system of the HKSAR is China's local electoral system, and that its design, development and improvement fall entirely under China's internal affairs.

"China urges relevant parties to face up to the reality that Hong Kong was returned to China 24 years ago, abide by international law and the basic norms governing international relations, and immediately cease interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs," said Zhao.

"China is determined to safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests, and uphold long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong," he added. 
According to Lufthansa, flights by its low-cost Eurowings carrier to Mallorca for Easter and April sold out within hours of going on sale after the German government revised its travel advice on Friday. Travellers returning from Mallorca to Germany will no longer have to quarantine, the island having been classified as low risk on account of a 14-day incidence of new coronavirus cases per 100,000 having dipped below 50.

Eurowings, it is understood, will be adding some 300 more flights for the Easter period. Bookings are said to have risen across the country, with reservations mainly being made for flights from Cologne-Bonn, Hamburg and Stuttgart. German travellers will still need to present a negative PCR test within 72 hours on arrival in Mallorca.

Sunday was the first day that the quarantine-on-return requirement no longer applied. Responding to this, Tui announced last week that it was bringing forward its schedule for flights to Mallorca from March 27 to March 21. In Playa de Palma, one of the principal destinations in Mallorca for German tourists, it is reported that up to 4,000 hotel beds will be available for Easter.
Saudi-based Bahri, a global leader in logistics and transportation, has announced that its business unit, Bahri Chemicals, has signed a long-term time charter agreement with United Arab Chemical Carriers Limited (UACC), an international shipping company headquartered in Dubai.

As part of the deal, nine UACC IMO2 MR (medium range) chemical tankers will join Bahri Chemicals fleet from April onwards, bringing the total number of vessels of the same class that it operates to 31.

On the deal, Bahri CEO Engineer Abdullah Aldubaikhi said: "We are delighted to announce the successful addition of UACCs nine IMO2 MR chemical tankers to our fleet under a long-term time charter agreement. This transaction is a testament to the resilience of Bahri Chemicals business and operations and represents the normal progression of our long-term strategy implementation."

"The addition of the vessels further underscores that we are well on track to achieve our fleet expansion plans and is closely tied to our ongoing newbuilding programme," he stated.

Bahri Chemicals, he stated, has 10 advanced, eco-design, wide-beam IMO2 MR tankers under construction at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea with delivery scheduled for 2022.

"The UACC vessels are known to us as we managed them in the past, and as sister ships with the same specifications and high standards as our chemical fleet, they will strengthen our capabilities to offer premium services to a wide range of clients worldwide," remarked Aldubaikhi.

"With a significantly larger fleet, we are better equipped to capture new and emerging opportunities in the market, delivering superior value to Bahris shareholders," he noted.

Bahri Chemicals currently owns a fleet of 23 chemical tankers, including 22 IMO2 MRs and one IMO2 LR (long range), as well as five product tankers providing maritime transportation to a global customer base across chemicals, clean petroleum products, and vegetable oils industries.-TradeArabia News Service
BEAUFORT  The first big battle of the Revolutionary War between Southern Patriots and British naval forces preserved Fort Sullivan thanks to the strategic use of palmetto tree trunks filled with sand that neutralized the king's cannonballs.

The British had hoped to quell the Colonial uprising by seizing control of major coastal cities, but Col. William Moultries successful command of his 400 fighters resulted in heavy damage to the warships at Charleston Harbors entrance, causing the fleet to retreat.

It would be nearly three years before the British tried again in the South. They were determined to take Charleston but by a less direct path.

That second attempt would succeed but not before an important land battle  the Battle of Beaufort at Port Royal Island  pitted British forces against their old nemesis, Col. Moultrie. This was the first serious land battle of the war in South Carolina and its first American victory.

Recent fieldwork led by Daniel Battle of the S.C. American Revolution Preservation Alliance has enabled the archaeologist to determine the exact site of the fight, prompting the S.C. Battleground Preservation Trust to secure a portion of the property for future historic interpretation and inclusion in its Liberty Trail project.

The old battlefield straddles S.C. Highway 21. The Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort occupies a big chunk of the historic site. The portion on the other side of the highway, which includes a shuttered pillow factory, now is protected by a conservation easement held by the Trust. Beaufort County, which helped purchase the land, controls the deed.

The Navy and the S.C. Conservation Bank, and a grant from the National Park Services American Battlefield Protection Program, provided additional funding for the project, the first to dig deep into the history of this fascinating 1779 confrontation.

Protecting the (Battle of Beaufort) site is an important step toward the goal of securing our states Revolutionary War legacy and making our history available for the public, said Raleigh West, executive director of the Conservation Bank.

Thats the precise mission of the Battleground Preservation Trust.

It needs to be a passive park, with outdoor site interpretation, Executive Director and CEO Douglas Bostick said. But well complement that by tying it into the Liberty Trail app that were working on for entire trail.

The app allows users to access all kinds of information about a variety of Revolutionary War and Civil War battles in the state. Its meant to be a portable, electronic guidebook, replete with histories, biographies, maps and other information.

Its an important battle, Bostick said. We want people to come there and have an appreciation for why it matters.

Why it matters

Lawrence Rowland, professor emeritus of history at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, said the first two years of the Revolutionary War were almost entirely fought in the North. The British, who maintained a large garrison in Florida, expanded their efforts to quell the Colonial uprising in 1778. Their forces moved up the coast, first taking Savannah, then searching for a deep-water port they could control. From there, they would approach Charleston by sea and by land.

Along the way they looted and burned properties and encountered some resistance, but nothing the British couldnt overcome.

Until they came to Port Royal.

British Brig. Gen. Augustine Provost knew that the Kings Highway (today, Savannah Highway) was the most direct route to Charleston, but he and his forces of about 250 men ran up against Moultrie and a militia infantry with an advantage: it possessed more manpower, two 6-pound cannons and one 2-pound cannon with 40 rounds.

A single British howitzer cannon was insufficient against such firepower, and was disabled early in the confrontation. When the smoke cleared, 40 British soldiers were dead or wounded; eight Patriots were killed and 22 wounded.

Rowland said Patriot militia forces typically adhered to a form of guerrilla warfare, relying on surprise and seeking geographical advantage in the woods or on high ground, for example. This was the first time they faced off with British regulars in a set-piece battle. And they won.

The fight only delayed the British, who soon would force their way north and lay siege to Charleston at the end of March 1780. But it's important from a military standpoint, Rowland said. And it surely boosted the morale of the Americans, who gained a small taste of victory.

Among the Patriots were two signers of the Declaration of Independence: Capt. Thomas Heyward Jr. and Capt. Edward Rutledge, both of whom commanded artillery. John Barnwell, who would go on to serve in the state Senate, and eventually get a county named for him, also was there.

Lushington Company, named for Capt. Richard Lushington, was a volunteer infantry corps organized to defend Charleston. It joined the fight near Port Royal, too. The Lushington regiment first was formed in 1738. By the time of the Revolutionary War, it consisted of 80 to 100 men, including a couple dozen Jewish volunteers, according to Dale Rosengarten, director of the Jewish Heritage Collection at the College of Charleston Library, who cited James William Hagys 1992 book This Happy Land: The Jews of Colonial and Antebellum Charleston.

They left Charleston on a Saturday  Jan. 23, 1779  met the British that Wednesday, and quit the battleground on the following Saturday, having suffered some casualties, including the death of Joseph Solomon.

Its thought that about 4 percent of all country militia members in South Carolina were Jewish.

Finding the boundaries

Battle said he began his archaeological work more than three years ago, first identifying the roads used in the late 1700s and referring to the historical record to zero in on a possible location. Before long, he found debris typical of a battlefield of that period: musket shot, canister shot and more.

Then he recruited colleagues to spend a day on the wooded property in search of the battles boundaries, he said.

John Allison, a money manager by day and accomplished amateur archaeologist in his spare time, joined the effort.

We finally decided that U.S. Route 21 was in fact the old road during the Revolutionary War period, he said. Next was to find the area that was once swampland, according to LIDAR scans, that use lasers to reveal hidden details in the landscape. Then the artifacts started to turn up.

All of this scanning and searching helped the archaeologists determine not only the site of the battle but also where the two sides were positioned and where their guns were located.

Artillery really played a big role in that battle, Allison said. We know where people stood (and) what kind of weapons were used.

Battle said he re-created lead-shot explosions from canisters in a successful effort to match materials and refine the teams understanding of the weapons used. A careful examination of the debris field suggests the British and Americans stood about 250 yards apart when the first shots were fired.

Drum Major Jim Capers

Among the Patriot fighters during the Battle of Beaufort were several Black people, including a 36-year-old enslaved man who had labored on a plantation near Bulls Island, then served throughout the American Revolution as a drum major. Jim Capers enlisted in the 4th Regiment of the South Carolina Militia, commanded by Francis Marion, in 1775, and saw action at the battles of Savannah, Port Royal/Beaufort, Camden, Eutaw Springs, and Biggins Church, Rowland said. He was at Yorktown to witness the surrender of Lord Cornwallis.

His role was essential. Drummers conveyed military commands, directed troop movements and issued rhythmic warnings and other signals. They were located in the thick of the action, within earshot of the officers. They had no access to muskets or cannons to defend themselves. Enemy forces were eager to disable them.

Capers was no stranger to injury. At the Battle of Eutaw Springs, he endured saber cuts to his face, a sword strike to his head and the burning pain of a musket ball passing through his body and killing the drummer next to him, according to information provided by the Battleground Preservation Trust.

After the war, Capers returned to Christ Church Parish and found freedom. He moved with his wife to Alabama where he died in 1853 at age 110.

I hope to see a monument to Capers out there, Battle said of the secured historic site. He deserves one.

Too few people appreciate the diversity among Patriots who fought in the American Revolution, he said.

This bridges the gap, Battle said. Im hoping that he will be the diplomat that helps bring people to the table, to feel included.

For all Americans have a stake in this history.
The U.S. Space Force is using virtual reality headsets to launch satellite mission operators into places they've never been before.

The military branch, started under former president Donald Trump, is working with government contractor SAIC on a gamified training platform that allows employees to interact with full-scale digital replicas of national security satellites. The platform lets the armed forces practice responding to missile warning scenarios and collaborate in cyberspace.

They're not exactly rehearsing how to destroy alien spaceships. But if satellite solar panels need to be fixed, they can practice doing that - without having to travel to space to do it. If a spacecraft needs to be repositioned, they can execute that too. If troops need more information about a mission, it's as simple as pressing a button. No space suits or textbooks necessary.

The branch's main purpose is to improve national-security capabilities in space, according to the Pentagon. More directly, Space Force's job is to maintain, protect and expand the U.S. fleet of advanced military satellites.

The contract with SAIC was established to create a virtual replica of space stations, mission control rooms and satellites, which can be difficult or costly to get to. That way, the space agency can streamline operations and train teams on what to expect before being launched on a mission.

"Sometimes you go to these demos, and it's just some nondescript room, but it doesn't really look like your (real world) environment," said John Lynch, program director for SAIC, who manages the firm's contract with the Space and Missile Systems Center. "We wanted the experience (to feel) like you were actually there."

Typically, experiential training requires custom simulators that could cost millions of dollars to build. The contractor worked to bring costs down by developing a cloud-based platform that can be updated over-the-air and deployed on a mass scale.

The outcome is a video game-like experience accessible on Facebook's Oculus Quest headsets.

Essentially, they're in cyberspace with colleagues where they role playas if they were at international space stations and mission control centers.

The simulation experience is pretty straightforward. Space Force troops, which have officially been dubbed "Guardians," can choose from predesigned avatars before being launched into a virtual lobby where they wait for up to seven others to join in.

Instructors or field experts can digitally lead them into the satellite simulation to teleport around the satellite, chat with other troops, pull levers and press buttons as if they were on an actual worksite. They can open the satellite's front to examine its internal mechanics and press information icons for greater context.

Up close, the digitized satellite is detailed, with 3-D solar panels, antennas and visible nuts and bolts. It's modeled after a missile warning spacecraft that's part of the agency's Space Based Infrared System constellation.

Toggles on gaming controllers allow users to pick items up, draw images in midair and use laser pointers to spotlight specific areas on the satellite or elsewhere in the room.

Oculus Quest headsets retail for $299 and are cheaper to buy and send out than immersive alternatives. VR competitors such as the HTC Vive retail for $499 and require high-powered gaming laptops to run. The Oculus Quest is a stand-alone unit, with no cords attached, making it more appealing for exploration scenarios, according to Scott Hungerford, game development specialty manager at SAIC.

The company says it didn't have a deal with Facebook when it bought the headsets last spring.

The satellite training platform is one of the latest projects from SAIC, a $7.1 billion technology support company based in Reston, Va. The Army awarded the firm an $830 million contract in February to provide engineering, software and simulation for the Department of Defense.

The Space Force is the sixth branch of the U.S. military and the first new military service since the Air Force's creation in 1947. The force relies on SAIC to modernize satellite ground systems at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico and Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado.

Moving forward, SAIC plans to bolster the platform with tools such as magnifying glasses so that officers can take a closer look at satellite parts. The contractor is also looking toward augmented reality experiences, where users can train using real-world screens wrapped in virtual environments.




Haiti - News : Zapping...





Law enforcement will defeat the gangs

On Sunday Justice Minister Rockefeller Vincent visited, at Bernard Mevs Hospital, the Police who were almost massacred in Village de Dieu, while these Heroes were PROTECTING and SERVING the population. "Let them restore quickly ! Law enforcement will defeat the gangs."



Russia ready to continue providing necessary assistance to Haitians

"Being invariably committed to the principles of the UN Charter, we are willing to continue rendering needed assistance to the Haitians both bilaterally & under the auspices of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti", indicates the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia



Joseph Jouthe met the members of the CSPN

Sunday evening Joseph Jouthe met the members of the CSPN plus the army to clarify the functioning of the Village de Dieu. "It is an obligation to be aware of what happened and to establish the responsibility of each in a report, while taking all the necessary measures to ensure the safety of the populations," he explains.



Watch or re-watch the creation short film "Twafey"

Tuesday March 16 is an opportunity to see or re-watch the creation short film Twafey at 5:00 p.m. at the French Institute in Haiti. The screening will be followed by a debate with co-director Sephora Monteau & the team from the Office of Human Rights in Haiti (BDHH). Recall that this puppet film depicting the traumas caused by violence was produced with the support of the French Embassy in Haiti as part of the Legal Assistance and Human Rights (ALEDH) program developed by the BDHH thanks to the support from the Swiss Embassy in Haiti and the FOKAL foundation.



The Ambulance Center has 9 years

"9 years of service for the benefit of the population. A precious moment of thanks to the great architect of the universe for his protection. A moment of satisfaction for the many lives saved, of evaluation of his contribution to the healthcare offer in his country and to the construction of an ambulance structure worthy of the name. So let us be proud to have been useful despite the difficulties and/or circumstances of everyday life. Renewed commitment, continuous motivation, personal and collective improvement, desire to move forward, more professionalism and a sense of responsibility : so many good things should guide our current and future actions. May God continue to bless us and accompany us! Ke w la lontan, ke w pa la two lontan Happy birthday !" Message from CAN General Directorate.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















March 15 : Superstar Aamir Khan drops the pretense of social media and issues a statement confirming that he will interact with his fans like old days.

Aamir Khan just took to his social media profile and shared the statement. The actor thanked each and everyone for warm birthday wishes and stated that he will no-longer be available on social media.

The statement read, Hey guys, thank you so much for all the love and warmth on my birthday...My heart is full. In other news, this is going to be my last post on social media. Considering that I am SO active anyway, I have decided to drop the pretence. We will continue to communicate as we did before. In addition, AKP has created its official channel! So future updates on me and my films can be found there. Heres the official handle! @akppl_official. Lots of love, always. a.

Aamir has quit social media to focus more on his work and as always, keep himself dedicated to his art. He joined Instagram and Twitter not so long ago!

Meanwhile on the work front, Aamir Khan just released his special cameo song 'Har Funn Maula' from Koi Jaane Na.

He will soon be seen in Laal Singh Chaddha, helmed by Advait Chandan, the film is an adaptation of the 1994 American film Forrest Gump which itself based on Winston Groom's 1986 novel of the same name.

The film also stars Kareena Kapoor and Mona Singh. It is now slated for cinema release during Christmas 2021.
Chandigarh: To ensure the substantial reach of the COVID-19 vaccine, the health department of Haryana has decided to hold a massive vaccination drive on Monday (March 15).

As per the state government`s statement, the health department has coordinated with the ASHA workers and Aanganwadi workers, other than officers of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Urban Local Bodies (ULB) and Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) for the drive so as to motivate the beneficiaries above 60 years and those with co-morbidities falling within the age group of 45 years to 60 years.

"The main objective of the Department is to ensure maximum reach of the Covi-19 vaccine as it will contain the further spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 virus," said Rajeev Arora, Additional Chief Secretary of Health, Haryana. Elaborating Arora said that Haryana has one ASHA worker and Aanganwadi worker for every 200 households.

"Thus, these ASHA workers and Aanganwadi workers will be moving from door-to-door to motivate the beneficiaries to get the doses of the vaccine administered. Besides this, the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment has several schemes running for the senior citizens and already has a database in this regard. Likewise, the officers of ULB and PRIs have also been asked to mobilize the beneficiaries," he said.

He further added that the department has taken extensive steps to ensure that the Covid-19 Vaccine reaches the people who reside in villages across the state in order to contain the spread of the virus. "Also, the vaccination is even being administered at health sub-centres which are located in the villages across the state so that the vaccine is administered to each and every eligible beneficiary," he added.

On the success of the vaccine rollout, the Haryana government said at present, 5.20 lakh doses (both first and second dose) have been administered to the beneficiaries across the state.

Divulging details of the present status of the ongoing vaccination drive, Mission Director, National Health Mission, Haryana, Prabhjot Singh said that till March 13, the health department has administered the first dose of the vaccine to 1.68 lakh Health Care Workers (HCWs) and 97,410 HCWs have been administered the second dose.

He further said that 83,338 Frontline Workers (FLWs) have been given the first dose." In all, a total of 2.51 lakh HCWs and FLWs have been vaccinated the first dose. From March 1, 2021 vaccination of population above 60 years of age and citizens above 45 years with co-morbidities were started and till March 13, 2021, 1,56,299 beneficiaries have been covered," Singh added.

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He was to be the key to the Raiders defense when they added him on a one-year deal last offseason. Maliek Collins put up big pressure numbers in 2019 with the Cowboys and was expected to bring that interior pressure with him to Las Vegas. That didnt happen. And after his one year, he was not brought back.

Despite his almost non-existent stats in 2020, Collins was scooped up on the first day of the free agent negotiating period, signing a one-year deal with the Texans according to his agent.

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Collins will have a chance to make the same amount as he made in his one season with the Raiders. He made $6.25 million last season and can make up to $6 million for the Texans.

Perhaps the Kansas City Missouri native thinks a trip back to Texas will get him back on track for a long term deal next year. It wouldnt take much to improve on zero sacks, one QB hit, and 15 combined tackles.

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Be honest that scientists don't have all the answers. Tout the number of people who got the vaccines in trials. And don't show pro-vaccine ads with politicians - not even ones with Donald Trump.

That's what a focus group of vaccine-hesitant Trump voters insisted to politicians and pollsters this weekend, as public health leaders rush to win over the tens of millions of Republicans who say they don't plan to get a coronavirus shot. If those voters follow through, it would imperil efforts to achieve the high levels of immunity needed to stopthe virus's spread in the United States, experts fear.

"These people represent 30 million Americans. And without these people, you're not getting herd immunity," said Frank Luntz, the longtime GOP pollster who convened Saturday's focus group over Zoom. The group followed what Luntz characterized as a remarkable arc: By the end of the two-hour-plus session, all 19 participants (one dropped out early) said they were more likely to get vaccinated, and Luntz said he had begun nationwide polling to see which messages resonated with a broader population.

"I think by Wednesday next week, we'll have tested messages that folks can use to help Republicans become more vaccine-confident," said Brian Castrucci, CEO of the Bethesda, Md.-based de Beaumont Foundation, the public health organization that funded the ongoing effort.

The members of Luntz's focus group were identified only by their first name and state, although many participants shared biographical details across the session - which featured GOP politicians and Tom Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, attempting to calm their fears about the vaccines.

Participants were adamant: They all believed the coronavirus threat was real, with many having contracted it themselves or aware of critically ill friends and family, and they didn't want to be condemned as "anti-vaxxers" who opposed all vaccines. Instead, they blamed their hesitation on factors like the unknown long-term effects of new vaccines, even though scientists have stressed their confidence in the products. They also accused politicians and government scientists of repeatedly misleading them this past year - often echoing Trump's charges that Democrats used the virus as an election-year weapon and overhyped its dangers. Severalsaid that recent political appeals to get the shot were only hardening their opposition.

"We want to be educated, not indoctrinated," said a man identified as Adam from New York, who praised the vaccines as a "miracle, albeit suspicious."

A woman identified as Sue from Iowa said she feared political "manipulation" of the vaccines, even though she had been a pharmacist for Merck, one of the drug companies helping to produce a vaccine. "I know their vaccines are good products, I trust them," Sue added. "What I don't trust is the government telling me what I need to do when they haven't led us down the right road."

The focus group's concerns echoed pollsters' findings about Trump voters' significant vaccine hesitancy. A CBS News/YouGov poll released Sunday found that 33% of Republicans said they would not get a shot, and another 20% said they were undecided. In contrast, just 10% of Democrats said they were opposed to getting vaccinated, and another 19% were undecided.

During the Zoom session, Republican politicians including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthyof California, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Rep. Brad Wenstrup of Ohio, chair of the GOP Doctors Caucus, took turns trying to persuade the hesitant voters to get vaccinated. But the lawmakers' pitches largely fell flat, and in some cases, the politically tinged rhetoric seemed to inspire more doubts. For instance, McCarthy said he understood the Trump voters' hesitation because pharmaceutical companies waited until after Trump lost the election to announce their promising vaccine results - a comment that sparked participants to share their own resentments.

"It was political stunts like that that leave doubt in our minds," said a man identified as David from Texas.

But the focus group applauded Frieden - an appointee of President Barack Obama, a detail that went unmentioned- particularly after he rattled off "five facts" about the virus and the vaccines, such as the overwhelming share of doctors who have chosen to get vaccinated. Participants praised the former CDC chief for his apolitical bent and repeatedly cited arguments they said had changed their minds, like the tens of thousands of people who participated in coronavirus vaccine trials last year.

"The single fact that swayed me the most was Dr. Frieden's comment . . . the long-term impacts of covid could be, [or] are worse than the impacts of the vaccine," said a man identified as Peter from Missouri. Peter added that he went from "80%" opposed to the shot to "probably 75%" in favor after the session.

"His first points were, it's been 20 years of research [to develop the vaccine]. It's not just out of the blue," added a man called Chad from Minnesota, who also praised Frieden for acknowledging that the long-term risks of the vaccines aren't yet known. "He's just honest with us and telling us, nothing is 100 percent here, people."

Many other proposed or actual messengers fell flat: The group panned a public service announcement released last week, for instance, featuring former presidents Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. One attendee called the ad "propaganda," and another said the former presidents were "bad actors."

"It actually kind of annoys me," said a voter named Debbie from Georgia.

The group also condemned Anthony Fauci - the government infectious-disease specialist relentlessly attacked by Trump and conservative media for the past year - as a "liar," "flip-flopper" and "opportunistic."

Fauci, whom multiple participants also blamed for Trump's missteps on the virus, told "Fox News Sunday" that Trump should make his own public service announcement. But the focus group of Trump voters didn't warm to that idea, with attendees universally saying that their spouse or doctor would be more influential on their decision than hearing from the former president.

Luntz, who told The Post last week that he didn't "need a focus group to tell me that nothing would have a greater impact than a Donald Trump PSA," said he was surprised that Trump's participation was rejected by peoplehe characterized as die-hard supporters. "Those people are beginning to move on," he theorized. A Fox News pro-vaccine PSA also drew shrugs from the group.

One Republican politician did make a persuasive pitch: former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who relayed his own story of contracting the coronavirus while advising Trump in the White House - and developing a case so serious that it landed him in the intensive care unit for a week. Christie also revealed that two of his family members died from the virus, focusing on the "randomness" of how the coronavirus could seriously affect even healthy people, including Trump's 30-something adviser, Hope Hicks.

"We really shouldn't be all marching in lockstep like lemmings to go and do what the government tells us to do," said the former two-term governor, positioning himself as a political outsider. "They've screwed up too many times for us to do that. But I really do believe the facts that I've learned, and the experiences I've had, should make at least everybody . . . think hard" about getting a vaccination.

Luntz said that he was despondent that politics and public health had become so intermingledin the response to the pandemic.

"It makes me really mad at both administrations because people are going to die," the longtime pollster said, blaming Trump for downplaying the risk of the virus - and Biden for downplaying the Trump administration's work on developing a vaccine.

"You credit Trump for the effort he put in. And then move on," Luntz added. "What harm can be done by saying something nice? Even though we all know Trump wouldn't do it himself."

Public health experts who watched the session said it influenced them to further develop pro-vaccine messages that are hyperlocal, hyper-personal and apolitical.

"I've been thinking the messaging was going to be very different for communities of color, for Democrats, for Republicans," said Natalie Davis, co-founder of United States of Care, a public health advocacy group working on vaccine outreach with organizations like the de Beaumont Foundation and Kaiser Family Foundation. "But it feels like it comes down to the basics that are shared across populations. People want full, accurate information so they can decide if this is the right thing for them and their loved ones."

Reached after the session, Frieden said that he had been prepared for the Trump voters to be suspicious of his guidance but that the often-emotional reactions still caught him off-guard, including that the fear of the vaccines was initially greater than the fear of getting very sick from the virus.

"I didn't realize the depth of feeling that the vaccine has been weaponized and politicized," Frieden said. "That was quite striking to me."

The former CDC chief said he's already planning to emphasize the messages that people found persuasive.

"The vaccines were approved quickly in part because red tape was cut, not corners," he said. "And almost all the doctors who are offered the vaccine get it."
TBILISI  Georgian authorities have launched a national coronavirus vaccine rollout by inoculating medical workers with the shot produced by Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca, rejecting rising concerns over side effects.



Several European countries, including Bulgaria, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Norway, have paused inoculations with the vaccine after reports of serious blood clotting in some recipients.



AstraZeneca and the World Health Organization last week said there was no evidence linking the vaccine with clotting. The European Union's drug regulator has said that European countries can continue using the vaccine even though there were 30 cases of so-called thromboembolic events among 5 million people who had received the jab in Europe.



After being inoculated with the vaccine on March 15, the deputy director of Georgia's national center for disease control, Paata Imnadze, expressed confidence that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and rejected the rumors surrounding it.



Among Georgia's 70,000 healthcare workers, only 2,492 had signed up to be vaccinated as of 11 a.m. local time on March 15.



Georgia received the first batch of 43,200 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines at the end of last week, and it expects batches of the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine by March 22.



The South Caucasus nation of some 3.7 million people has reported more than 268,000 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic and 3,650 related deaths.
A motorcyclist was seriously injured following a serious road traffic collision in Mayo last night.

Gardai are appealing for witnesses to the incident that occurred at Glenisland on Sunday at approximately 7pm.

A male motorcyclist in his twenties was seriously injured when his bike left the road at Glenisland on the R 312 near Castlebar. He was then taken from the scene by ambulance to University Hospital Mayo.

The scene was attended by local Gardai, National Ambulance Service and local Fire Services.

Traffic diversions are currently in place and an examination of the scene will be carried out by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators.

Gardai are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this collision to come forward. In particular, theyre asking any road users with camera footage from along the route at the time to make it available to them.

Anyone with information can contact Gardai at Castlebar Station on (094) 903 8200 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
Rockstar Courtney Love has revealed that she almost died last year after suffering from anemia, a condition in which you lack enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your body's tissues.

In a lengthy Instagram posted Sunday, Love told fans of her extreme health problems that left her 'debilitated, in indescribable pain' last August when she 'almost died in the hospital from anemia'.

The Hole frontwoman, 56, uploaded a brief Boomerang selfie video to her Instagram feed, showing herself in a striped shirt with sunlight streaming in on one side of the frame.

On Sunday evening: Courtney Love more from her personal life, revealing extreme health problems that left her 'debilitated, in indescribable pain' last August when she 'almost died'

In the lengthy caption, the widow of Kurt Cobain explained that shes 'been sad, and extremely sick.

'Debilitated, in indescribable pain and in August at 97 pounds almost died in hospital from anemia (hemoglobin I had none),' she continued.

Love then went on to say that she 'was stigmatized for being an addict for 9 months by many ill-equipped doctors...and quacks,' before finding an 'empathic wise pain management doctor.

'Im so good now,' Courtney added, explaining that CBD oil 'removed ALMOST ALL the physical symptoms' including her pain.

In the lengthy caption: The widow of Kurt Cobain explained that shes 'been sad, and extremely sick... and in August at 97 pounds almost died in hospital from anemia'; seen here last February

Later in the post, Courtney thanked her People Vs. Larry Flynt costar Woody Harrelson for showing her 'the 67 uses of hemp,' before assuring her 1 million followers that she's 'still 100 percent sober by the way.'

Toward the end of the confessional, Courtney wrote, 'Ive been basically bedridden. I thought I was broken for sure this time. But Im ok! So Im just waking and Im frail. Ill be strong again soon!'

Love closed the long caption with a series of hashtags, the first of which perhaps providing a clue as to what made her so ill last year: '#crohnsdisease'.

'Im so good now,' Courtney later added, explaining that CBD oil 'removed ALMOST ALL the physical symptoms' including her pain; seen here more recently on her Instagram

The post comes almost a month after the Doll Parts songstress, who now lives in England, posted a throwback gallery of images from the late '90s when she spent time in Hollywood as an actress, most notably turning in a Golden Globe-nominated performance as Althea Flynt in 1996's The People Vs. Larry Flynt.

In the caption to that post, Courtney revealed that she 'stopped being capable of [acting in Hollywood films] after a bunch of #metoos.'

'No one would believe me, and it wouldnt stop,' she continued.

'So I left, and it left. And Im good with it. Maybe, in my next life Ill be stronger & able to endure it.'

More revelations: The post comes almost a month after the Doll Parts songstress revealed that she 'stopped being capable of [acting in Hollywood films] after a bunch of #metoos'

She also said 'one day I might talk about it' as she delved into her short career in front of the camera, refraining from going into specifics.

Previously, Courtney was quoted in 2005 while on a red carpet event offering advice to young actresses in the industry.

'I'll get libeled if I say it,' she began. 'If Harvey Weinstein invites you to a private party in the Four Seasons [hotel], don't go.'

Harvey co-founded the major studio Miramax with his brother in 1979 and ran it until 2005 when he founded his own, self-titled group, The Weinstein Company.

Gwyneth Paltrow accused Weinstein of assaulting her in a hotel room and is widely credited with helping The New York Times' Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey uncover multiple accusations of sexual abuse and harassment allegations against him, leading to his eventual conviction.

Elsewhere on her social media, Courtney has thanked Gwyneth for her contribution to making that story public, insinuating that she too has stories to the same effect.
Bengaluru, March 15 : Karnataka Labour Minister Shivaram Hebbar on Monday said that vandalism that took place in Wistron Corporation's Narsapur plant in Kolar district last year was due to its own fault as it failed to address the issues of the aggrieved employees.

He added that the riot-hit Apple's contract manufacturer Wistron Corporation has resumed its operations in Kolar after cutting down its contract employee strength from 8,490 to 2,657 from this month.

The minister strongly defended his department asserting that the Wistron had failed to intimate its expansion plans to departments concerned as a result of this the violence went out of its hand.

"Neither the Labour department nor the government is at fault in this case at all," he said in a reply to a written question raised by the Legislative Council member, Govindraju.

According to written questions (Unstarred) tabled in Karnataka Legislative Council here, the minister said that the plant had grossly violated government's stipulated norms, such as going overboard in hiring employees under contract system besides changing its eight-hour shift to 12-hour shift without 'properly intimating' employees and failing to convey them about their change in salary component.

Hebbar further added that Wistron had failed to act in-time despite 'aggrieved employees' repeatedly bringing it to their managers' notice about their salary getting delayed and their attendance marked improperly.

Listing out reasons, Hebbar added that the sudden change in their working shift from eight hour to 12-hour had not translated into a rise in their salaries.

"Their new attendance system failed to function due to some technical snags. This company had failed to address in-time, hence, a section of the employees went on a rampage in the plant premises on December 12, 2020. Apart from this, the company had credited their salaries late on December 11, 2020. Therefore, the employees went berserk," he explained.

He added that Wistron also went on recruiting under a contract system without intimating government departments concerned. "The company which started its operations from September 1, 2020, with 3,000 employees, soon its employee strength reached 9,833 by end of October. The company neither informed nor took prior permission from departments concerned," he claimed.

The minister also added that neither the company nor its aggrieved employees ever bring it to notice of any one departments such as industries, labour, boiler safety, labour welfare, health or to even district administration.

"The plant's Human Resource department should have addressed distressed employees' concerns effectively. Due to their failure and negligence, aggrieved employees went berserk," he added.

The minister asserted that the labour department had taken every step to help aggrieved employees by making the Wistron to clear all dues of employees.

In December last year, a section of the employees of Wistron resorted to violence and damaged the company's property alleging salary disparity, cut in wages and overwork.

Wistron Infocomm Manufacturing (India) Private Limited, Taiwanese contract manufacturer, is one of the third-party makers of iconic iPhone for Apple and assembles select models in India. It also has an assembling plant at Peenya industrial estate in Bengaluru north, rolling out the iPhone SE model in 2017.

The Wistron plant is established on 43 acres at Narasapura industrial area in Kolar, around 60 km from Bengaluru. Wistron was allocated 43 acres at Narasapura from the state government after it proposed to invest around Rs 2,900 crore and with an assurance to provide employment to over 10,000 people.
With her fashionable sunglasses, styled hair and casual clothes, she looks almost unrecognisable.

But this young woman is 21-year-old jihadi bride Shamima Begum, posing in western clothing in a bid to reinvent herself as she fights to return to Britain.

She agreed to be photographed at the weekend after she was tracked down to the Roj camp for IS supporters in north-east Syria.

The former IS child bride from Bethnal Green, east London, is fighting to return to the UK and has stopped wearing a black niqab and headscarves.

Shamima Begum, now sporting fashionable sunglasses and casual clothes, has posed in western clothing as she tried to distance herself from her past as a member of Islamic State

Begum is said to be keeping company with other women at the Syrian camp who have abandoned their headscarfs and Islamic dress

But, while happy to be photographed, Begum would not comment while her lawyers challenge the decision to strip her of her British citizenship.

Last month the UKs Supreme Court ruled on national security grounds that she cannot return to the UK to pursue an appeal against the removal of her citizenship in 2019.

She is now reported to be keeping company with other women at the camp who have abandoned their headscarfs and Islamic dress.

Begum, 21, no longer wears her black niqab or headscarves. She is one of several British women stranded in the Roj camp in Syria, after having their citizenship revoked

Initially, the 21-year-old said she had no regrets about joining IS but later said she had spoken in shock and in fear of retribution

However, her refusal to talk to the media makes it difficult to evaluate to what extent she has rejected her past.

She was 15 when she ran away with two other schoolgirls to Syria to marry a Dutch jihadi in 2015.

When she was tracked down to a detention camp four years later she was pregnant, widowed and had lost two children.

Her third died shortly after birth. Initially, she said she had no regrets about joining IS but later said she had spoken in shock and in fear of retribution.

She is one of several British women stranded in Roj after having their citizenship revoked.

Camp manager Nora Abdo told the Daily Telegraph that, although there were diehards in the camp, there was a trend of rejecting IS ideology.

Shamima Begum was 15 when she ran away with two other schoolgirls to Syria to marry a Dutch jihadi in 2015.

Camp manager Nora Abdo said many in the Roj camp were rejecting IS ideology, saying: 'Some are thinking about the future for their kids'. Pictured: Shamima Begum before she left Britain

Weve noticed the change in their clothing, she said. They want to come home. They say theyre ready to pay... for their crimes. Some are thinking about the future for their kids.

Sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor, who created the Orbit tower for the 2012 London Olympics, and Begums lawyer Tasnime Akunjee have claimed Britains treatment of Begum is racist.

They said that if four young white schoolgirls from Wiltshire were enticed to go to Syria to join IS, Britain would be demanding no expense be spared and not a moment wasted in having them returned to the safety of their homes.
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Lisa has been working toward nursing excellence for years in her role with Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, said Dan Tipton, president and CEO. She brings a high level of expertise to her new role, where shell help lead and shape the journeys for our clients.

Tipton Health Communications  a full-service hospital certification consultancy and strategic communications agency focused on nursing excellence  is proud to welcome Lisa Roman-Fischetti, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, as the companys new Nursing Excellence Client Advocate.

A nurse with nearly 30 years of clinical experience, Lisa most recently served since 2014 as Magnet Program Manager for Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. She was responsible for providing the leadership needed to successfully maintain American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet designation. In that role, Lisa brings with her years of hands-on expertise that will serve her at Tipton.

In her role with Tipton, Lisa will serve as the primary client liaison responsible for guiding hospital nursing teams on their journey toward nursing excellence.

Lisa has been working toward nursing excellence for years in her role with Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, said Dan Tipton, president and CEO. She brings a high level of expertise to her new role, where shell help lead and shape the journeys for our clients.

Before serving as Magnet Program Manager at CHOP, Lisa worked in a similar capacity as Magnet Program/Nursing Quality Director at Fox Chase Cancer Center, located in Northeast Philadelphia. In this leadership role, she successfully guided the organization to its fourth Magnet designation.

Throughout my nursing career, I have had the pleasure of helping several organizations achieve Magnet designation. I look forward to bringing that expertise to Tipton and supporting hospitals and health systems around the country that are working toward nursing excellence, Lisa said.

Lisa earned her bachelors degree in Nursing at Holy Family University and earned the Oncology Certified Nurse credential from the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation. In 2005, she returned to Holy Family University to earn a masters degree in Nursing, Community Health. She became Nurse Executive-Advanced, Board-Certified in 2016.

In addition to her leadership roles, Lisa has played an active role at multiple Magnet conferences, presenting at the podium and through posters. She has also actively participated in several regional and national nursing community consortiums.
A radio host identified lessons everyone can learn from based on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's sudden fall from grace.

In an op-ed article posted at The Stream, Line of Fire Radio Host Dr. Michael Brown listed six lessons any one can learn from the governor's being a celebrity and media favorite last 2020 to a sudden controversy-laden political career in 2021.

Brown explained that he identified the said lessons not to be the governor's "judge or "jury or even accuser" but as a means for everyone to reflect upon one's own self and make the necessary amends for it.

"I write this as someone always seeking to learn from the failings of others with a view to examining my own life. And while we do not yet know how the story will end--as of this writing, he is steadfastly refusing to resign--we can already learn some valuable lessons," Brown said.

The said lessons are: "no one is untouchable," "don't believe your own hype," "take heed lest you fall," "don't leave skeletons in your closet," "God cares about the elderly," and "don't gloat when your enemies fall."

"No one is untouchable. It must have been very heady being Andrew Cuomo in 2020," Brown remarked before putting into light the first of Cuomo's scandals that came out early February, "Despite the high death rates in the nursing homes of New York, he was actually awarded an Emmy for his press conferences on the coronavirus. That is beyond extraordinary."

Brown said Cuomo was so famous a new terminology was coined after him by celebrities themselves: "Cuomosexual." He said the term was given by those who express affection and even "lust after" the powerful bachelor.

He then cited Proverbs 16:18 to emphasize that pride brings destruction to those who become "intoxicated" by their fame:

"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."

In the next three lessons, Brown similarly gave stress on the need for the virtue of humility by pointing out the need to be constantly aware of one's limitations and weaknesses in the face of power--highlighting the political dynasty and the media influence of the Cuomos--to avoid an "ultimate fall" of "dying to criticism" and warned that "carnal security is very fragile in the end." This same virtue actually empowers one to "make things right" with people one has wronged in life.

"We must show genuine contrition. We must honor those we have dishonored and bring healing to those we have hurt," Brown highlighted, "And we must get to the root of the issues in our lives, making a clean break with the past and moving forward in a positive direction."

In the midst of the cancel culture, Brown said that people would always forgive anyone with a "genuine heart of repentance" no matter how grave the fault.

Cuomo, sadly, despite the expose on the nursing home scandal and the sexual harassment cases against him, has brushed it all aside, denied the said allegations, and refused to resign as of date.

Brown, in elaborating the fifth lesson, pointed out the importance of valuing the elderly and on not doing so "would rightfully bring his administration down."

Finally, he warned that rejoicing at the failure or misfortunes of others, especially one's enemies, is never "godly." He said this in reference to Cuomo and the Democrat's gloating over Biden's contested "win" against Trump. The best recourse, he said, is to look to oneself and make oneself better.

"Either we humble ourselves now, make the necessary changes, and do what is right, thereby receiving mercy and grace, or we reap what we sow. I suggest the former. Mercy is always better than justice," he ended.
Nick Egnot-Johnson and his KNOTS Racing crew of Niall Malone, Alastair Gifford and Ollie Gilmour survived a tricky sudden-death final day to win the 2021 Harken Youth International Match Racing Cup.

Going back to the Round Robin stage, the top seeding came down to a battle between the eventual finalists, with Nick Egnot-Johnson and Jordan Stevenson racing off in the final match. As is always the case with these two the race was a tight one, but it was Egnot-Johnson who claimed a narrow victory. Both finished with an eight-one record, but Egnot-Johnson snatched the top spot on countback with that vital final race win.



The quarterfinals were then on, with Mastercard Youth Training Programme skipper Robbie McCutcheon beating Wellingtonian Will Wright three-nil. Nick Egnot-Johnson also won his quarter-final three-nil, taking down Mastercard YTP skipper Max McLachlan. The other two semi-finals were between Jordan Stevenson and Celia Willison, as well as Albert Stanley versus Megan Thomson. Each were tied at one-one, but Stevenson and Stanley both won the third matches to take two-nil leads and extend the matches into the final day.



Unfortunately for our two quarterfinalist female skippers (Willison & Thomson), the wind really didn't come to the party on the final day, forcing the Race Management team to abandon them as a best of three, deeming Stevenson and Stanley winners and therefore semi-finalists.



Egnot-Johnson chose to race against Stanley in the semi-finals, leaving Stevenson and McCutcheon to race off in the other. By 1420 a light breeze finally arrived on the race course, but with time running out, the decision was made to make both the semi-finals and finals sudden death matches, meaning there would be no room for error on the race course and whoever won two races would win this year's title.



McCutcheon had a good first few legs against Stevenson, holding onto a lead into the final stages of the downwind leg. But the experienced Stevenson didn't get flustered, pulling off a great gybe to round McCutcheon and sail past him across the line. The other semi-final was fairly one sided, with Egnot-Johnson managing to find the little bit of wind that was on the course to claim a large win.



The sudden death final was now set, with our two rival RNZYS Performance Programme teams going at it for yet another time. The wind had again died, but after a half-an-hour wait just enough came onto the course for racing to get underway.



Stevenson got away to a brilliant start in the race, leading for the first two legs with what looked like an unassailable margin. However, on the second upwind leg he sailed into a bit of a hole, and Egnot-Johnson hadn't given up, with his KNOTS Racing team finding some decent puff on the right-hand side to sail right back into the race. That little bit of puff was all Egnot-Johnson needed, carrying his speed and sailing in front to lead at the top mark and then all the way down the final leg to finish just ahead of Stevenson by two boat lengths.



This is Egnot-Johnson's second Harken Youth International Match Racing Cup title, and it will also be his last, with the now not-so-young skipper ageing out of the youth scene:



"Coming up against Jordan Stevenson and his Vento Racing team in the final, we're always up against them in the finals and it's a pretty big rivalry. It came down to sudden death and it was a really close race at the very end. We were looking a bit on the rocks at the start to be honest, they had about a half a leg lead on us but the wind really shut down and we were able to sail around the outside which we were pretty relieved about. It's an awesome feeling to win my last ever youth regatta, it's really cool to go out with a bang."



The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron would like to thank all who made this regatta possible, including our sponsors Harken, the great race management team led by Colin Lucas, John Rountree and his expert umpires, and all of the superb youth sailors who took part.


Last Tuesday, Marylands Republican Governor Larry Hogan announced the issuing of an executive order lifting most restrictions put in place a year ago in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The order, which went into effect at 5 p.m. on Friday, is the most far-reaching reversal of social distancing measures in the mid-Atlantic region, which includes Maryland, Delaware, Washington D.C. and Virginia.

The order allows restaurants, bars, retail businesses, gyms and religious establishments to operate at full capacity, and concert halls and arenas at half capacity. The order also lifted quarantine requirements for out of state travel.

Governor Hogan Visits the Regency Stadium Vaccination Site. (Image credit: Flickr/Maryland GovPics)

The official reason given by Hogan was that the state had managed to administer 1 million vaccine doses and has a declining daily case count. When the restrictions were first put in place, there were fewer than 1,000 active cases in Maryland. Since then, nearly 400,000 people have been infected, and almost a thousand people are being infected daily.

While the number of new cases per day has declined sharply from the peak of over 3,200 in mid-January, this trend has stopped with the seven-day moving average hovering around 800 for the past three weeks. Overall, Maryland has had over 390,000 cases, and over 8,000 dead. One million vaccines represents less than a sixth of the states population, far short of what is necessary to prevent the spread of the virus. Hogan also admitted that the available national supply of vaccines will remain flat for at least two more weeks.

The reopening order blindsided county officials who were not consulted before the decision. Montgomery County Council President Tom Hucker (Democrat-District 5) described the order as shocking and reckless, adding that it was a complete slap in the face to local authority. In the fall, Hogan intervened in the populous suburban Washington D.C. district to force private and religious schools to provide in-person learning, contravening his own health advisers rulings.

Aides for Hogan would not say who was consulted before the latest decision. According to the Washington Post, a physician on his reopening task force, made up of doctors and business executives, said through a spokesman that he was not consulted on the decision. Boris Lushniak of the University of Maryland School of Health told the Post, I worry about the dramatic steps taken.  Public health, in general, is warning everybody that its not over. The signal this gives is as if things have already turned the corner.

Business associations were similarly caught off guard. Marshall Weston, head of the states restaurant association, told the Post he was pleasantly surprised by the order, which went beyond the measures for which businesses were lobbying the governor.

Hogans order also revoked local-level restrictions. County leaders are still allowed by law to impose tighter restrictions, but these must be reissued, leading to intense discussions over the past week. Baltimore Citys Democratic Mayor Brandon Scott announced Thursday he will keep restrictions on indoor dining and retail. Montgomery County officials voted on Friday to ease restrictions, but not go as far as Hogans order.

Hogans decision to reopen restaurants and other businesses comes shortly after his demand in January that school buildings reopen by March. Hogan set the deadline for Maryland schools immediately after President Joe Bidens inauguration, taking his political lead from the Democratic presidents demands to have school buildings reopened within a hundred days. Teachers and students throughout Maryland have been back in school since March 1 and have reported deplorable and unsafe conditions.

Underscoring the unscientific rationale, Hogan spokesman Michael Ricci said, Every day in the pandemic, youll find some experts who are for what youre doing, some who are against. Some will say youre going too fast, some will say youre going too slow. To the contrary, a vast majority of the available scientific evidence available has reinforced that shutting down schools, restaurants, and other places where people sit in enclosed spaces has saved thousands of lives.

Experts have warned that reopening schools and now restaurants and bars will lead to an explosion of cases. It has been clear for weeks now that the decline in cases seen nationally since peaking in January is coming to an end, and that new variants will lead to a surge of cases. Just two weeks ago, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has largely tailored its guidelines to the political aims of the capitalist establishment, warned that now is not the time to relax restrictions.

Hogan announced his order while standing next to former CDC director Robert Redfield, who endorsed the plan. Redfield, who during his tenure in the Trump administration regularly suppressed data contradicting the presidents orders, said, The measures that youre putting in place today are all sensible steps to get more of the economy opened in a smart, purposeful way. The parading of such experts in front of cameras to enforce a completely anti-scientific capitalist agenda demonstrates the pro-corporate character of the drive to reopen schools amid the pandemic.

Hogan has often been touted as a sane Republican alternative to the Trump faction of the party. It was even suggested that he might challenge Donald Trump in the 2020 primary election. Hogans insistence that Maryland reopen for business underscores the bipartisan consensus within the capitalist establishment for a herd immunity strategy to allow the virus to spread, which has already killed nearly 550,000 Americans.

This is further demonstrated by local and state officials from the Democratic Party also dropping COVID-19 restrictions. In the same article announcing Hogans new executive order, the Post noted that Democratic state officials have also rolled back restrictions significantly. It cites Connecticuts Democratic governor Ned Lamont, who last week lifted capacity limits on restaurants and most businesses, citing a similar order in neighboring Massachusetts.

Workers in Maryland must take matters into their own hands and unite with their class brothers and sisters throughout the United States and internationally to institute a scientific policy aimed at halting the pandemic. Workers must form their own organizations to fight back against this homicidal policy. Workers interested in joining this fight should contact us today.
Virginia Governor Signs Bill Giving Students Day Off to Attend Protests

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has signed a bill into law that gives students across the state an excused absence when they use it to engage in a civic or political event, such as a protest.

Fairfax County Public Schools, the largest public school system in Virginia, began giving students from 7th-12th grade a day off to protest in January 2020.

House Bill 1940, which was signed by Northam, a Democrat, last Friday, seeks to expand Fairfaxs policy statewide. It directs the Virginia Department of Education to establish guidelines that grant more than 680,000 middle and high school students in over 130 school systems access to one excused absence every year for a protest they may want to attend.

Having them be engaged in the civic process will make us all better citizens and it was great to have young Republicans, young Democrats and teachers coming together to work on this bill, said Democratic state Del. Sam Rasoul, who sponsored the bill.

Republican state Del. Wendell Walker voted against the bill, arguing that students shouldnt engage in politics at the expense of their school time.

How many days are we going to give them out of school? Walker said, reported local ABC affiliate WSET. Young people go to school for a reason. That is to get an education and exposure.

Fairfaxs time-off-for-student-protests policy caused a controversy when it was first proposed in 2019. Critics argue that the policy potentially undermines the primary purpose of school and can be easily abused as an excuse to skip school, while supporters say that the policy helps students become engaged citizens who understand current events and social issues.

Conservatives have expressed concerns that the policy would become yet another opportunity for liberal teachers to advance liberal causes among young students who barely understand the social and political issues being protested. A 2018 Gallup poll suggested that the urge to participate or organize a public demonstration is almost three times higher in Americans who identify as liberals than their conservative counterparts, meaning that a student is more likely to use the day off to attend a protest for a liberal cause than a conservative one.

Fairfax School Board member Ryan McElveen, who came up with the policy, dismissed such concerns. He told The Washington Post last month that the policy doesnt favor of any side of the political aisle.

The fact that its now come together across the political aisle is exactly what I would have hoped for, McElveen said, reported the Post. The point I tried to make a year-plus ago  is that this is not for liberal causes or conservative causesits for all causes.
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Burma Junta Orders Martial Law in 6 Yangon Townships

YANGON, Burma (also known as Myanmar)Burmas ruling junta has declared martial law in six townships in the countrys largest city, as security forces killed dozens of protesters over the weekend in an increasingly lethal crackdown on resistance to last months military coup.

State broadcaster MRTV said Monday that the Yangon townships of North Dagon, South Dagon, Dagon Seikkan, and North Okkalapa have been put under martial law. An initial announcement was made late Sunday saying two other townshipsHlaing Thar Yar and neighboring Shwepyithawere being placed under martial law.

At least 38 people were killed Sunday and dozens were injured in one of the deadliest days of the crackdown on anti-coup protesters, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, or AAPP, an independent group tracking the toll of the violence. Several estimates from other sources gave higher figures.

Anti-coup protesters carry an injured man as riot policemen and soldiers shot with rubber bullets to crackdown a demonstration in Yangon, Burma, on March 14, 2021. (AP Photo)

Complicating efforts to organize new protests as well as media coverage of the crisis, mobile internet service has been cut, though access is still available through fixed broadband connections.

Mobile data service has been used to stream live video coverage of protests, often showing security forces attacking demonstrators. It had been turned off only from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. for several weeks, with no official explanation.

The blockage of internet service forced postponement of a court hearing in the capital, Natpyitaw, for Burmas detained leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who was supposed to take part via a video conference, said her lawyer Khin Maung Zaw. Suu Kyi and President Win Myint were detained during the Feb. 1 military takeover, and have been charged with several criminal offenses that their supporters believe are politically motivated to keep them locked up.

Since the takeover six weeks ago, Burma has been under a nationwide state of emergency, with its civilian leaders ousted and detained, and military leaders in charge of all government. But Sundays announcement was the first use of martial law since the coup and suggested more direct military control of security, instead of local police.

The announcement said that the State Administrative Council acted to enhance security and restore law and order, and that the Yangon regional commander has been entrusted with administrative, judicial and military powers in the area under his command. The orders cover six of Yangons 33 townships, all of which suffered major violence in recent days.

Anti-coup protesters display plate card and shout slogan as they protest against the military coup in Mandalay, Burma, on March 15, 2021. (AP Photo)

Thirty-four of the deaths were in Yangon. Video from Hlaing Thar Yar township showed people running away after gunfire was heard at nighttime. Those fleeing carried one injured person and tried to revive two others, one who seemed to be dead or dying, the footage from independent Democratic Voice of Burma showed.

Hlaing Thar Yar was the location of 22 civilian deaths Sunday, according to the AAPP, which said more than a dozen civilians were wounded and described a large number of junta forces engaged in the township.

Four other deaths were reported in the cities of Bago, Mandalay, and Hpakant, according to the AAPP and local media.

In a new tactic, anti-coup demonstrators used the cover of darkness to hold mass candlelight vigils in various parts of Yangon over the weekend, including some that took place after 8 p.m., when a curfew imposed by authorities starts.

Anti-coup protesters turn on the LED light of their mobile phones during a candlelight night rally in Yangon, Burma, on March 14, 2021. (AP Photo)

The protest movement has been grounded in nonviolent civil disobedience from the start, with marches and general strikes among its main features. But some protesters have advocated stronger, more agile methods of self-defensesuch as holding small rallies that are quick to disband and reunite, devising cover from fire extinguishers, billowing laundry, and burning tires.

The AAPPs tally of Sundays victims raised the number of civilians killed by security forces since the coup to over 100. Confirmation of the number of casualties is nearly impossible due to the security situation and a crackdown on independent media in Burma, but various groups have compiled tallies with similar figures.

The actual death toll is likely higher, as police apparently have seized some bodies, and some victims have had serious gunshot wounds that medical staff at makeshift clinics would be hard-pressed to treat. Many hospitals are occupied by security forces, and as a result are boycotted by medical personnel and shunned by protesters.

Police have also aggressively patrolled residential neighborhoods at night, firing into the air and setting off stun grenades as an intimidation tactic. They have also taken people from their homes in targeted raids with minimal resistance. In at least two known cases, the detainees died in custody within hours of being hauled away.
BISMIL, Turkey  On a recent morning, young couples gathered for the inaugural class of a newly built, government-run marriage school. A woman wearing a black Islamic-style headscarf flips open a laptop as she prepares to lecture the soon-to-be newlyweds on Islamic piety. It is a critical pillar of conjugal life, they are told.

Earning a certificate from the school has become mandatory for anyone planning to marry in Bismil, a nondescript town of 120,000 people surrounded by verdant fields in the predominantly Kurdish province of Diyarbakir in southeast Turkey.

When we applied for our marriage license, we learned that we had to graduate from this school in order to get married, explained Mahsun Bilgin, who is planning to tie the knot with his fiancee in May. I have no idea what they will teach us, he added with a nervous laugh.

We had an imam-officiated wedding, but when we sought to get formally married, registry officials said you either attend the marriage class or we wont do your paperwork, so here we are, volunteered another aspiring groom. Like the rest of the couples approached by Al-Monitor for comment, he declined to identify himself by name and said he was here against his will.

Officials say the aim of the school is to reduce divorce rates and spiraling domestic violence.

Speaking at the inaugural lesson, Bismils state-appointed kaymakam, or district governor, Hamza Turkmen said, We want to raise healthy generations and convey the religious, legal and health dimensions of marriage.

Critics riposte that with its electoral fortunes hinged on Kurdish votes, Turkeys Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) government is seeking to salvage its withering popularity by fanning religious feelings among the Kurds and casting its local opponents as anti-Islamic, just as it is doing nationwide.

State-sponsored boarding schools for Quranic studies for girls  and for children of both sexes between the ages of 4 and 6 when they are more likely to master the Arabic text, for example  are mushrooming across the region. Diyarbakir boasts the third largest number of Quran students in Turkey after Istanbul and Ankara, with 45,999 enrolled in Quranic courses according to an October study.

A marriage school teacher counsels aspiring couples on the importance of religion and mutual respect on Jan. 28 in Bismil. (Photo by Yilmaz Kaya)

Bismil, along with the districts of Silvan and Ergani in Diyarbakir, are soon to get their own girls Quran school. Their construction will be financed by funds allocated to the Diyarbakir Fire Department, the opposition Birgun newspaper revealed in a Feb. 17 scoop.

Through this [policy, the government] wants to serve certain interests, to imprison women at home, to define their roles on the basis of ideology and religion, said Sukran Bulut, a local leader of the opposition pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP). They are telling women, you will be subservient, wash dishes, raise children. ' This is their basic mentality.

Emine Aksahin, a primary school teacher in Erimli village in Diyarbakir, concurs. Religious foundations and fraternities are getting all the support from the government. Children are instructed to go straight to Quran studies after school and little girls encouraged to cover their heads, she told Al-Monitor. Religion is a very powerful force here, and the state is exploiting this to the maximum. Low-income families are the more vulnerable to such pressure, Aksahin added. But its not going work.

Martin van Bruinessen, a Dutch anthropologist and leading authority on the Kurds, agrees that the impact of the growing number of Imam Hatip, or clerical training, schools and Quranic courses is far from clear.

I visited a place just outside Diyarbakir that formally was a [Quranic course] under the [Muftis office], but that in practice was a traditional-style madrasa where students studied classical [Sunni] Shafi'i fiqh [Islamic jurisprudence] books in the old-fashioned style in the afternoon and evening, while in the morning they visited an Imam Hatip school so that they would have a diploma that promised a salary while cultivating a religious habitus that is different from the one prescribed by the [state-run Religious Affairs Directorate] Diyanet," he said in emailed comments to Al-Monitor.

Islamic and Kurdish identities have long been intertwined among Turkeys estimated 16 million Kurds, many of whom adhere to Sunni Shaafi branch mentioned by Bruinessen. As such, in order to draw Kurdish votes, parties across the ideological spectrum  including the nominally leftist and secular HDP  need to appeal to one sentiment or the other and ideally to both.

Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged an armed campaign against the Turkish state since 1984, figured this out in the mid-1990s. He deployed loyalist imams to win over Kurdish villagers even as his men preached Marxist-Leninist ideology, which has since been ditched.

Ocalan, who hails from Halfeti, a conservative district in Urfa, is no stranger to Islam. According to Ismail Arslan, a Kurdish politician and Ocalans classmate and fellow boarder between 1966 and 1968 at the Tapu Kadastro lycee in Ankara, the PKK boss went through a religious phase before delving into philosophy. He was very religious; he would observe Ramadan fasting and perform namaz prayers in the front row. We would pray together, Arslan recalled in a 2012 interview with this author.

Islam, madrasas and Sufi orders helped the survival and continuity of Kurdish identity in the absence of an independent Kurdish state on the one hand and slowed down the emergence of a stronger Kurdish nationalism on the other, observed Serhun Al, an assistant professor at the Izmir University of Economics, in a 2019 essay.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who shot to power in 2002 promising to usher in full-blooded democracy, has navigated this paradox more successfully than any other. His AKP courted religious sentiments. But the party struck a refreshingly agnostic stance on Turkish identity that has been shoved down Kurdish throats for decades.

Riding on the back of the AKPs strong economic performance, the strategy paid off. In the 2007 parliamentary elections, the AKP swept 40% of the vote in Diyarbakir, the Kurds informal capital and a bastion of Kurdish nationalism. In local elections held in 2009, the AKP bagged nine of the metropolitan mayoralties in the 16 Kurdish dominant provinces. That same year, Erdogan became the first leader in Turkish history to authorize direct talks with the outlawed PKK and acknowledge that the state had committed errors in its scorched earth campaign against the militants in the southeast.

The AKPs gains began to unnerve the HDP. But it did not last long. In 2015, Erdogans Kurdish opening slammed shut. Across the border in Syria, the PKKs Syrian wing, with US backing, was establishing an autonomous statelet. Dreams of expanding Kurdish control from northeastern Syria all the way to the Mediterranean Sea were ignited, and the PKK saw the biggest surge in recruitment in years, said Roj Girasun, co-founder of RAWEST, an independent research outfit based in Diyarbakir.

What happened in Syria triggered the survival of the state mentality in Ankara, said Al in a telephone interview with Al-Monitor. Fears that the Syrian Kurds success would reignite separatist feelings amid Turkeys own prompted Erdogan to ditch the peace process amid a growing nationalist backlash.

Erdogan teamed up with Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the far-right Nationalist Movement party who is viscerally opposed to any concessions to the Kurds. A 2-yearlong cease-fire with the PKK collapsed and repression of the HDP and its supporters resumed. The crackdown intensified in the wake of the abortive coup against Erdogan in 2016, as thousands of alleged PKK supporters, including lawmakers, academics and journalists, were put behind bars.

The AKP remains the second most popular party after the HDP in the Kurdish heartlands in part because its other rivals do so poorly. Another reason for its sustained edge is the vast web of patronage networks spun through state tenders and more generally the instinct among some to gravitate toward whoever rules. Mehmet Kurt, a lecturer at Yale University and Marie Curie global fellow at the London School of Economics, calls this a colonized mentality, which leads some Kurds to see benefit in aligning with the powerful of the time.

Yet the AKP is, according to most pollsters, incontestably in decline, above all in the southeast. A December 2020 survey conducted in the four largest Kurdish majority cities by RAWEST found that the AKP would garner 22.7% if elections were to be held today. (It scores around 30% plus nationally according to various other polls.) Eighty-five percent of the respondents were ethnic Kurds and 46% self-identified as Muslims first, Girasun said.

Of course the AKP is losing blood among the Kurds. Look at what happened in Istanbul, said Aksahin, the schoolteacher. She was referring to the 2019 municipal elections that saw the AKP lose control of Istanbul and Ankara for the first time when the HDP backed the oppositions candidates.

Girasun reckons that a further 2.5 million Kurds will be eligible to vote by 2023 when the next parliamentary and presidential elections are due to be held. Erdogan will need to lure as many of them as he can to avoid another Istanbul-style Waterloo.

Islam isnt a free pass for Erdogan. The reason he won Kurdish hearts and minds is because he was sincerely trying to fix the Kurdish problem, observed Al, the Izmir-based academic. Between 2013 and 2015 (when the mutually observed cease-fire between the government and the PKK was in place), there were almost no deaths in the region. It was like heaven, Al reminisced.

However, the mood was already starting to sour as the Islamic State attacked the Kurds in neighboring Iraq and Syria and thousands of jihadis poured in, apparently unhindered, through Turkey. By the fall of 2014, they had encircled Kobani, a Syrian Kurdish town on the Turkish border, and Erdogan seemed pleased. Kobani is about to fall, he declared. Erdogans words unleashed an orgy of violence as Kurds spilled into the streets across the southeast to air their fury. Some 46 people, most of them HDP sympathizers, were killed as demonstrators clashed with police between Oct. 7-12, according to Turkeys Human Rights Association.

The Syrian Kurds' heroic fight against IS had created a deep sense of pride and unforeseen unity among the Kurds. Religious conservatives in the HDP sent out feelers to Huda-Par, the radical religious party set up by members of the now-defunct Hizbullah, an armed Kurdish group that has no relation to its Lebanese namesake. Throughout the 1990s, at the peak of the armys war against the PKK, Hizbullah had, with covert state backing, waged its own blood-drenched fight against the rebels. Following Ocalans capture in 1999, the government decided that Hizbullah had outlived its usefulness. Its leader was killed in a police raid the following year.

Girasun observes, however, that Huda-Par, despite commanding but a fraction of the HDPs popular standing, remains a force on the Kurdish street. It is embraced by Kurds as our Kurdish party, whereas the AKP and others are perceived as guests, he explained.

Mahsun Bilgin is pictured with his fiancee on Jan. 28 at the marriage school launch in Bismil. (Photo by Yilmaz Kaya)

Erdogan swiftly seized on the Kobani riots to ensure that any rapprochement between Huda-Par and the HDP, opposed in any case by secular leftists who prevail in the HDP, never crystallized. The HDP was blamed for the violence, and Yasin Boru, a 16-year-old boy and Huda-Par sympathizer murdered by pro-HDP protesters, became the poster boy of the governments campaign to demonize the HDP.

Before the 2014 Kurdish riots, we saw a platform emerge between the HDP and Huda-Par where their leaders could meet and negotiate. This inter-Kurdish dialogue was threatening to the AKP and the state, said Kurt, who has closely studied Huda-Par and authored a rare and authoritative book on the movement in the English language called Kurdish Hizbullah in Turkey. The upheaval and the murder of Yasin Boru put an end to this positive environment and revived old hostilities, creating opportunities for the government to drive a wedge, Kurt told Al-Monitor in a telephone interview. Erdogan went on to strike a tactical alliance with Huda-Par that had already been germinated by the freeing of thousands of Hizbullah prisoners under various amnesties and other legal tweaks.

In return, the group supported Erdogans referendum on amassing full executive powers in 2017 and backed him in the 2019 presidential polls. Huda-Par is allowed to organize mass Islam-themed rallies, including its annual Prophet Mohammeds Birthday event that attracts hundreds of thousands of people, even as HDP officials continue to be jailed for crimes such as reading out statements in public.

The government is now using the Kobani protests as justification for a slew of court cases against the HDP on the grounds that party leaders instigated and encouraged them. The AKPs main target is former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas. His youthful charisma and cheeky wit helped the party win parliamentary seats for the first time in 2015 at the expense of the AKPs ruling majority, another first. Demirtas has been in prison since October 2016 and faces up to 142 years over thinly supported terror charges, including his alleged role in the Kobani riots.

An unfazed Erdogan continues to argue that he must remain in prison even as the European Court of Human Rights, whose opinions are binding for Turkey, demands his release.

Meanwhile, the government continues to forcibly unseat and lock up HDP mayors over their alleged links to the PKK. It has installed scores of so-called trustees in their place, among them Bismils Korkmaz. They are zealously peddling the AKPs Islamist agenda, but with a Turkish nationalist twist.

The shift is palpable in the systematic removal of all Kurdish-language signposting and the shuttering of womens rights groups, which proliferated under HDP mayors. In Diyarbakir, a womens center run by the HDP municipality, which provided daycare and laundry facilities for the poor, now houses the district Muftis office. Similarly, in Diyarbakirs Kayapinar district, green space and a Kurdish-language kindergarten were seized from the local municipality and handed over in turn to TURGEV, a youth foundation run by Erdogans son Bilal and to the Diyanet.

The tone of the government-penned Friday sermons in mosques glorifying Turkeys military assaults against Kurdish forces in northern Syria offers further clues, none more so than its controversial homily on Afrin, the Kurdish majority enclave in Syria that was occupied by Turkish forces in January 2018. For the believer to engage in armed struggle to protect his faith, his being, his homeland, his survival, his freedom is the highest form of jihad, intoned state-appointed imams as they exalted the sherbet of martyrdom.

All of this is making it harder for Huda-Par to justify its backing for the AKP.

In Hizbullah discourse, nationalism  for which they use the term ulusalcilik, which implies secularism and imitation of [the founder of modern Turkey, Kemal Ataturks] nationalism  is incompatible with a proper Islamic attitude, noted Bruinessen. But Hizbullah at the same time rejects the Erbakan-style, neo-Ottoman nationalism because it tends to look down on the Kurds, he added. Bruinessen was alluding to the late Necmettin Erbakan, Turkeys first Islamist prime minister and the founder of Turkeys broadest Islamist political movement Milli Gorus, or National View, from which Erdogan sprung.

Erdogan and the AKP have carved an Islamist mission for the army  the Diyanet issues calls to battle. This is an insult to Islam; it's alienating people from Islam and the AKP, said Sidki Zilan, a Kurdish lawyer and activist who defended Hizbullah detainees.

For a growing number of Kurds, Erdogan has come to embody twin evils: Erbakans neo-Ottoman paternalism and a cruelly anti-Kurdish state.

Yilmaz Kaya in Bismil contributed to this report.
Palmer High School teacher Courtney Bzymek cleans out her classroom for the end of the school year Wednesday, May 20, 2020, two months after she last taught a lesson in the classroom. Bzymek hadnt seen her students in person since March 13, 2020, when El Paso County schools closed for an early spring break because of the pandemic. She never thought that would be the last time she saw them this school year. Bzymek, like other teachers, never thought the school year would end before she saw her students again. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Pupils and teachers of Universal Basic Education, UBE Primary School in Rama, a village in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna St...

Pupils and teachers of Universal Basic Education, UBE Primary School in Rama, a village in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have been abducted by bandits.

Daily Trust reports that the incident happened while the pupils were entering the school around 9 am on Monday.

Recall that a similar incident on Friday when 39 students from the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation in Afaka, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State were kidnapped by bandits.

The gunmen have since released several videos showing the abducted students being maltreated as they beg the governments to pay the N500m ransom being demanded by the criminals.

Parents of the students had also confirmed that the abductors have reached out and are demanding the sum of N500 million.

Details later
Europa, one of Jupiters large moons, is considered to be the best candidate for habitability because scientists think its sub-surface ocean is in contact with rock, meaning minerals can leach into the ocean and enrich it. Credit: NASA/JPL

The search for life outside of Earth has taken many forms. Mars, our neighbouring world, looks like it was once habitable. Perhaps too Venus, despite its current hellish conditions. But in recent years, scientists' gazes have been drawn elsewhere. What about the moons of Jupiter?

Three of Jupiter's four largest moons are icy, and in 1998 NASA's Galileo spacecraft detected tantalising hints of an ocean beneath one, Europa. Since then, further studies have detected signs of water plumes possibly erupting from this ocean.

The other two large icy moons, Ganymede and Callisto, are also thought to have oceans beneath their surfaces. Now, new questions are being asked: if there is water on these moons, could there be life? And could we look for it?

To help answer that question, the European Space Agency is planning to send a spacecraft to Jupiter in 2022, called the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE). Scheduled for arrival by 2029, it will perform multiple flybys of Europa and Callisto before entering orbit around Ganymede from 2032-2034the first spacecraft to orbit a moon other than Earth's moon. During this time, it will return invaluable data back to Earth.

Before it even gets there, however, scientists are already busy studying these moons for signs of habitability, and preparing for the data that will be returned by the mission.

Trapped

The oceans under these moons are likely large, spanning the entire moons' circumferences and extending tens of kilometres deep. But they are also trapped under tens of kilometres of ice, making studies of them very difficult.

One of our best approaches so far has been to look for the effects of salt in the oceans on their electrical conductivity by studying magnetic fields around the moons. But these studies 'have mostly neglected all the other effects that generate magnetic fields," said Professor Joachim Saur, a planetary scientist from the University of Cologne, Germany, such as thin atmospheres around the moons. "It's very important to disentangle the effects that really come from the ocean."

Prof. Saur is the project coordinator on Exo-Oceans, which is hoping to answer this question. The project is using models and data from NASA's Galileo spacecraft, which orbited in the Jovian system from 1995 to 2003, along with measurements from NASA's Juno spacecraft currently at Jupiter and remote observations from telescopes like Hubble, to examine these oceans.

"Our results will not overturn the idea of an ocean," on Europa and Ganymede said Prof. Saur, although he noted they might question one on Callisto. But it's hoped they could give a better indication on things such as the thickness of the oceans, their salt content, and their distance from the icy sheets above.

All this has important implications for the habitability of the moons. To be able to support life, it's thought the oceans need to be in contact with rock at the bottom in order for life to have a source of 'food," and currently only Europa is thought to meet that condition.

"Europa is one of the best candidates for habitability because the liquid water is in direct contact with the silicate mantle," said Prof. Saur. "So there's a possibility of the leaching out of minerals from the crust into the ocean. And the richer it is in chemical compounds, the better it is for the evolution of life."

But there's only so much that can be done before JUICE arrives. Once it does, its magnetometer instrument will provide useful measurements on the magnetic fields of the moons, giving us vital data on the oceans underneath. "This will allow us to separate all the different effects," said Prof. Saur.

In 2022, ESA will launch a spacecraft called JUICE to explore Jupiters moons, including Europa (left). Credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center), and M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley) and the OPAL team

Radiation

Another important factor regarding the habitability of the moons is how much radiation from Jupiter is hitting them. Jupiter produces a lot of damaging radiation, so much that it can harm spacecraft that get too close.

One way to study this is to observe aurorae on the moons, produced when charged particles from Jupiter hit magnetic fields around them. Europa, for example, has a constant aurora that can be observed in ultraviolet images from Hubble.

"It relates to how the moon is exposed to this radiation because the charged particles from the radiation creates the aurora," said Dr. Lorenz Roth, a planetary astronomer and physicist from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. "So it's kind of a measurement for how much radiation is there."

Dr. Roth worked on the AuroraMHD project, which sought to use some of these auroral observations of Europa and Jupiter's volcanically active moon Io to learn more about them. While the project was hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, it did provide some useful data.

In particular, it helped confirm the existence of water plumes on Europa, and investigated how they interacted with its atmosphere. And it's hoped that this work can be built upon, with JUICE, to further study the habitability of Jupiter's icy moons.

"The question of habitability and life always lingers in the background," said Dr. Roth. "In all aspects, including size, the large Jupiter moons are like planets: they are similar to or bigger than Mercury, one has a magnetic field, they have atmospheres, they have oceans (and so on).

"Europa is more promising (because its) water is very likely directly connected to the rocky material at the sea floor, which allows some reaction to take place."

JUICE will be equipped with its own ultraviolet instrument that could study the aurorae of the moons in more detail, helping scientists work out how Jupiter's radiation might impact their chances of life. "Once JUICE is in orbit, we'll get a lot of information," said Dr. Roth. "It can continuously measure the magnetic fields around the moons."

Potential habitability

By itself, JUICE is not expected to tell us definitively if there is life on Jupiter's moons. But its data, along with NASA's Europa Clipper mission that will arrive in the Jovian system at a similar time to study Europa, could provide useful information on their potential habitability.

In the same way that initial missions to Mars assessed its habitability, before later missionslike NASA's recently-landed Perseverance roverwere sent to look for life, so too might similar research take place for Jupiter's moons.

"While JUICE and the Europa Clipper have not even launched yet, there are already discussions about what could be next," said Prof. Saur, such as landers using drills to go into the ice and sample these oceans. "There is already work going on in parallel on what could be the next steps," he said.

Explore further Swedish space instrument participates in the search for life around Jupiter

More information: Horizon: The EU Research and Innovation magazine
Brittany Higgins has taken a swipe at Scott Morrison during her speech at the March 4 Justice rally, claiming he 'undermined and discredited my loved ones' after she accused a former Liberal staffer of raping her inside Parliament House.

Tens of thousands of women are expected to march across 40 metropolitan areas in Australia from midday on Monday to demand an end to gendered violence, inequality, and misogyny in the workplace.

Ms Higgins claimed in February that she was raped by her colleague in 2019 and, on Monday, took the the stage to address protesters in front of Parliament House in Canberra following a powerful introduction by The Project host Lisa Wilksinson.

When speaking about sexual violence endured by one in five Australian women and her alleged rape, the young woman told the cheering crowd: 'If it can happen in Parliament House, it can happen anywhere.'

Pictured: Brittany Higgins speaking at the March 4 Justice rally in Canberra on Monday afternoon

Pictured: Brittany Higgins hugs channel 10 presenter Lisa Wilkinson at the March 4 Justice rally on Monday

Ms Higgins described the way her friends and colleagues behaved after the alleged rape, claiming they were more concerned with 'what it might mean for them'.

'Suddenly they treated me differently. I wasn't a person who had just gone through a life changing event, I was a political problem,' she said.

Ms Higgins took a shot at Prime Minister Scott Morrison for apologising to her through the media 'while privately the media team actively undermined and discredited my loved ones'.

'I tuned into Question Time to see my former bosses, people that I had dedicated my life to, downplay my lived experience.

'I have read the news updates every day at 5am because I was waking up to new information about my own sexual assault through the media.'

The former Liberal staffer urged Australian women to speak out about sexual violence and discrimination to stop gendered attacks.

Ms Higgins' speech followed a powerful introduction by channel 10 presenter Lisa Wilkinson (pictured)

Pictured: Brittany Higgins addresses the crowd outside Parliament House on March 15

Pictured: Protestors are seen outside Parliament House on March 15 in Canberra at the March 4 Justice rally

'I am cognizant of all the women who continue to live in silence,' she said.

'Who do not have the economic stability or the confidence to share their truth, those who are sadly no longer with us due to the shame and stigma of sexual assault.'

Ms Higgins alluded to allegations against Attorney-General Christian Porter, who has been accused of raping a 16-year-old on a high school debating trip in 1988.

The alleged victim took her own life last year, but Mr Porter has vehemently denied the allegations and has taken defamation action against the ABC for publishing them.

Pictured: Member for Sydney Tanya Plibersek wipes a tear outside Parliament House while listening to the speeches

Pictured, left to right: Leader of the Opposition Anthony Albanese, Senator Penny Wong, Senator Kristina Keneally, and Member for Sydney Tanya Plibersek outside Parliament House at the March 4 Justice rally

Pictured: Queensland minister Shannon Fentiman and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk look on as protestors demonstrate on March 15

Pictured: Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young attends the Women's March 4 Justice in Canberra

Her speech followed a powerful introduction by Channel 10 presenter Lisa Wilkinson, slamming parliamentarians for 'hiding behind steam-cleaned suits' in the wake of the allegations.

'If everything Brittany told us is true, Parliament House appears to the be the easiest place in this country to rape women and get away with it,' she told the crowd.

'None of of were shocked when behind the scenes Brittany was branded a lying cow,' she said, referencing Ms Higgins' then-boss Defence Minister Linda Reynolds who made the slur within earshot of colleagues in her office.

'Brittany feels those forces have done everything they can to take her power away, but Brittany Higgins will not be silenced,' Ms Wilkinson said as the crowd roared.

Pictured: Protesters attend the Women's March 4 Justice outside Parliament House in Canberra on March 15

Pictured: A protester holds up a sign that reads 'enough' at Parliament House on March 15

Pictured: Protestors march on March 15 in Brisbane. Signs called for politicians to 'believe women' when making sexual assault allegations

An estimated 2,500 people gathered at Town hall in Sydney holding signs and demanding an end to violence against women.

'We are marching for justice and we won't stop marching until we get change ... every single woman and ally who is here today will not stop raising our voice,' MC Jaime Evans said.

Protesters then spit in to groups of 500 to keep in line with Covid gathering restrictions while marching towards Parliament House in Sydney, chanting 'justice, now'.

'I'm here today because in every household a woman is affected by violence ... it is the biggest public health issue we are facing,' she said.

'We need to give a voice to the voiceless... and the government needs to listen.'

Pictured: Protesters in Canberra rally in response to the treatment of women in politics following several sexual assault allegations

Pictured: A rally against discrimination and violence against women and justice for victims of sexual assault is held in Melbourne at the Treasury Garden

Pictured: A protestor holds a sign which reads 'enough'at the women's rights rally in Brisbane

Despite the claims against parliamentarians, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, state opposition leader Jodi McKay and the state and federal ministers for women Bronnie Taylor and Marise Payne will not go to the rallies in Canberra or Sydney.

Organiser Janine Hendry believes the leaders decisions to forfeit the demonstration is akin to saying women's right are not important.

'In light of what's happening, not only in Parliament but other major institutions, when our very own representatives don't want to hear our voice, what does that say about how they really think about women?,' she told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'It's saying we don't matter, and they don't want to hear our voices and that's not OK.'

A petition by protesters, which has more than 22,000 signatures, calls for full investigations of gendered violence and for the full list of 55 recommendations by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner report to be implemented.

Pictured: A woman is wrested to the ground and carried off by police during the protests in Melbourne

Pictured: Police patrol Melbourne CBD amid nationwide protests for women's rights

Pictured: Women wearing face masks at the March 4 justice rally in Brisbane on Monday afternoon

Ms Payne told organisers she will receive the petition 'via correspondence' rather than in person.

A spokeswoman for the minister said she was not invited to join the Sydney rally, but that she is is 'always keen' to meet with women and discuss their concerns.

The only female Liberal politician to confirm attendance is Tasmanian MP Bridget Archer, who was asexually abused as a child, will march alongside Australians in Canberra.

'I have pledged to do more to address violence against women,' she said, according to the publication.

'It is time for change  as a parliamentarian I want women to know  I hear you, I see you, I am listening to you.'

NSW Opposition Leader Jodi McKay (left) will not attend the women's rights event in Sydney on Monday

Pictured: A March 4 Justice protester outside Canberra Parliament House on Monday

Pictured: March 4 Justice protesters in Canberra holding signs and campaigning for women's rights

Pictured: Women rallying at the March 4 Justice demonstration on Monday, holding signs that read 'Enough'

Ms Hendry rejected a private meeting with Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday.

'We have already come to the front door, now it's up to the Government to cross the threshold and come to us,' she wrote on Twitter.

'We will not be meeting behind closed doors.'

Mr Morrison also said on Sunday that he would not be attending the events.

'I won't be going out to the march,' Mr Morrison said.

'I will be happy to meet with a delegation from the group that is coming to Canberra.'

He said the issue of violence against women continues to be a high priority of his government.

Pressed on why he won't attend the march, Mr Morrison said: 'I don't have a habit of going to any marches when I come to Canberra because as prime minister when you are in Canberra it's a very busy day.'

Pictured: Women holding placards during the Women's March 4 Justice in Brisbane on Monday March 15

Pictured: Thousands gather during the Women's March 4 Justice in Sydney on Monday March 15

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack is also too busy to attend.

'I've already got commitments that I will meet, and I believe if you make commitments, then you should stick to those,' he told the ABC on Sunday.

KEY DEMANDS OF MARCH 4 JUSTICE ORGANISERS * Investigate gendered violence within parliament * Stand down politicians who perpetrate violence * Implement recommendations of Australian Human Rights Commission's Respect@Work report * Ratify Convention on Eliminating Violence and Harassment in the World of Work * Strengthen Sex Discrimination Act so parliamentarians and judges are held to account for sexual harassment and discrimination * Create code of conduct for federal MPs that includes prevention of gendered violence * Mandate annual gendered violence and sexual harassment training for federal MPs and their staff * Enact federal Gender Equality Act and conduct a national gender equity audit of all parliaments * Lift public funding for gendered violence prevention from one per cent to world's best practice standards of nine to 12 per cent of the federal budget * Ensure all Australian parliaments are gender equal by 2030 Advertisement

'I appreciate that this is an important issue and I understand, part of democracy, that people have their right to march and protest.'

ACTU Secretary Sally McManus will attend the march in Canberra and said the event will be the biggest in Australian history.

'Women are saying 'enough's enough',' Ms McManus told 9 News.

'We've had enough, and these marches, as you can see, are happening right across the country. I think this will be the biggest uprising of women that Australia's seen.'

Michele O'Neil, president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, told the network that movement is needed to protect women.

'In workplaces all over the country, women are being harassed, they're being assaulted, and even in some cases raped,' he said.

'And we know the answers to this. The government knows the answers to this. And they just refuse to act. So we're here, with thousands of other women, to make sure the government can't ignore the call to act.'

Labor leader Anthony Albanese will also be attending the event in Canberra.

'I think the issue of women's rights is one that, absolutely, I'm not surprised that it's being campaigned on, he said.

The rallies are being held to protest the 'unacceptable' treatment of women in the workplace and the community and the right of women to feel safe.

They come as the Morrison Government is under a cloud over the alleged rape of a former Liberal staffer by a colleague and rape allegations dating back to 1988 levelled at a federal minister, which he strongly denies.

'Enough is enough. This is a national reckoning,' Fair Agenda executive director Renee Carr said in a statement.

'Women and girls around the country are completely grief-stricken by the federal government's failure to respond to this crisis, and intervene in the systems that enable gendered violence across our communities.'
A South Carolina city has abruptly axed its longtime fire chief, sparking a wave of backlash from local firefighters who are pressuring city leaders to reverse the decision.

York City Manager Seth Duncan fired Fire Chief Domenic Manera on March 9 for demonstrating "a pattern of dishonesty" and "a lack of good judgment," according to records obtained March 15 through an open-records request.

In particular, Duncan wrote that Manera  York's fire chief since 1994  spread false information during an October 2020 City Council work session, lied about his whereabouts, used city equipment inappropriately, failed to respond to calls and used a city-issued phone for matters that were unrelated to city business.

He has lost my trust and confidence as Chief of York Fire Department, making a permanent and immediate separation, unavoidable, Duncan wrote in a March 9 notice to Manera.

Maneras supporters in the city of 8,400 see it differently. Their posts calling for Manera to be reinstated have been shared scores of times on Facebook, with many commenters reckoning it should be Duncan  not Manera  who is given the boot by City Council.

Supporters called Maneras firing unwarranted, chalking it up to a personal tiff between the fire chief and city manager. Manera had been with the department for 31 years, they noted.

The volunteer fire department in the tiny York County town of McConnells was among those that voiced support for Manera.

We here at MVFD fully support you Chief and cannot thank you for all that youve done to help our organization, the department wrote in a Facebook post with five pictures of Manera.

Efforts to reach some of those supporters for further comment were unsuccessful. Efforts to reach Manera were also unsuccessful.

Phone usage records obtained by The Post and Courier show Manera used his city-issued cellphone far more than any other York official over the past four months. The chief sent and received nearly 6,400 text messages per month and spent an average of 2,400 minutes on the phone each month.

The bulk of those communications, including some 10,000 texts from early December to early February, were between Manera and S.C. Department of Transportation engineer Allison Couick Love, records show. The two officials texted nearly every day during that span, often during business hours. But their texts also stretched beyond normal working hours, often as late as 11 p.m.

Reached by phone March 15, Love said she was not aware whether those texts played into Manera's termination.

"This was professional conversations, so I don't have anything else to say," Love said.

Love is not the York County Council member who shares her first and last name.

York City Council is meeting at 5 p.m. Monday. Manera supporters urged each other to show up en masse to demonstrate their support for the former chief.
The Cave-in-Rock Ferry in southern Illinois crosses the Ohio River into Crittenden County, Kentucky. PHOTO:West Kentucky Star File

Cave-in-Rock Ferry Resumes Service

By West Kentucky Star Staff

CRITTENDEN COUNTY - The Cave-in-Rock Ferry resumed service at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday. The ferry had been closed since March 5, when Ohio River floodwaters covered KY 91 leading to the Kentucky landing.

Floodwaters dropped sufficiently overnight to allow the KYTC Crittenden County Highway Maintenance Crew to remove debris from the roadway and check the roadway for erosion. That work was completed during the early morning hours.


Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Q: When will a COVID-19 vaccine be available for children?

A: With vaccines now being administered to protect against COVID-19, we've made a big step toward slowing down the virus that causes this deadly disease. The first vaccines released are authorized for use in adults and teens who are at least 16 years old.

High-risk groups such as front-line workers and elderly people are first in line to receive the vaccines, with other adults and teens likely to have access later this spring.

Research shows these new vaccines to be remarkably effective and safe. The American Academy of Pediatrics urges older teens and adults to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it is available to them.

Before COVID-19 vaccines become available for younger teens and children, clinical trials need to be completed. This is to ensure the vaccines are safe and effective for these age groups. Children are not little adults; we can't just assume a vaccine will have the same effect on a child as it does on someone older.

While there are current studies that include children as young as 12, it is critical that children of all ages be included in more trials as quickly as possible.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a terrible toll on children's lives. We need more data on vaccines for children so they can be protected from this virus and the pandemic can be controlled. Once this information is available, the AAP will review it and make vaccine recommendations for children and adolescents.

The timing of vaccine availability will depend on the results of the trials of the vaccine in adolescents and children that are planned or under way now. But based on the current pace of research, it may be possible to have a vaccine for at least some age groups of children and adolescents before the 2021-22 school year begins.

Once a vaccine is shown to be safe and effective in children, health authorities, including the CDC and the AAP, will recommend when and how children should receive the vaccine. However, it is a state government decision which vaccines are required for school entry. Those decisions could vary by state.

In the meantime, ensure your children are up to date on their vaccinations against measles, influenza, whooping cough, and any others that your pediatrician recommends. Falling vaccination rates can lead to new outbreaks of dangerous diseases. And that's the last thing anyone needs on top of COVID-19.

I look forward to the day when all children are safely able to spend time with their friends, travel with their families, and enjoy their communities, thanks to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines and other measures that reduce transmission of the virus.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

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| By Alex Likowski

University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, hosted four Baltimore religious leaders  all from different faiths  on his March 11 webinar, Virtual Face to Face with President Bruce Jarrell. Billed as an interfaith conversation, the program explored a critical aspect of life for many in the city that had to adapt  like everything else in our lives  to meet the needs of the faithful.

On March 19 of last year, Gov. Larry Hogan issued a statewide order banning social gatherings of more than 10 people  effectively shuttering churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples all across the Free State. That was a Thursday  giving very little time for faith leaders to come up with a plan for Friday prayers in mosques, Shabbat services Friday evening or Saturday morning in synagogues, and Sunday services in Christian churches.

Many went online and had to overcome some educational hurdles with their congregations. Some organized drive-thru services. One priest in Prince Georges County at the Church of St. Edward the Confessor even organized  what else  drive-thru confessional.

And it was that way all around the world. Pope Francis delivered his Easter homily in an empty St. Peters Basilica. The Archbishop of Canterbury did the same thing from his London apartment. And somehow the Imam of Philadelphias Masjidullah Mosque  with more than a thousand congregants  found a way to hold Friday prayers with 6 feet of social distance. Signs out front read, Take your temperature before going to prayer and If possible try to avoid handshakes and hugs.

But the work of the faithful and their importance to the community is much more than religious services and ceremonies. Faith organizations play a critical role in providing medical and social services, and even food to the neediest in our communities. Over the last year, as the need has soared, so too have efforts to help in our area. Not far from UMB, First Mount Calvary Baptist Church turned its fellowship hall into a food pantry and fed more than 18,000 people between May and October. Volunteers at Govans Presbyterian Church in North Baltimore prepare up to 100 hot meals to distribute outdoors on Sundays. And the Jewish Volunteer Connections Mitzvah Week at the end of December engaged more than 1,500 volunteers to provide for some 4,000 people in the Baltimore area. And there are plenty more wonderful examples like that.

But now, at the end of this difficult year of changes, it looks like things are beginning to change back. On March 5, Hogan announced that capacity limits for restaurants, bars, and yes, churches would be lifted March 12. The Baltimore Sun editorial board called that decision incautious, uncoordinated and unwise, citing the fact that fewer than 10 percent of Marylanders are fully vaccinated at this point.

Joining Jarrell to discuss how churches, mosques, and synagogues managed to thrive over the last year and how they'll balance the spiritual and health concerns of their congregations going forward were four Baltimore City faith leaders:

Rabbi Daniel Burg, MA, Beth Am Synagogue in Reservoir Hill;

Yassine Daoud, MD, a lay leader and preacher in various Baltimore-area Muslim communities;

Rev. Dr. Phyllis Felton, pastor, Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in Druid Heights;

Bishop Bruce A. Lewandowski, CSsR, auxiliary bishop, Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Watch the entire discussion by accessing the link at the top of this page.
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The Health Ministry organized a meeting on Monday with the representatives of COVID hospitals and COVID support ones in Bucharest on increasing the number of ICU beds, medical sources told AGERPRES.

According to the same sources, the meeting is attended by Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu, as well as representatives of the Department for Emergency Situations and the Bucharest Public Health Directorate.

Another meeting with representatives of the county hospitals and of the National Institute of Public Health is to take place on Monday, most likely starting with 11:00, the quoted sources specified.

On Sunday, at the meeting of the National Center for Management and Coordination of Intervention, Prime Minister Florin Citu requested the identification of new hospitals to join the existing ones in the fight against COVID, the increase to 1,600 the real number of ICU beds, the provision of the necessary stocks of medicines and the continuation of vaccination at full speed.

As stated in a post on Facebook, there is currently no "accelerated" increase in SARS-CoV-2 infections in Romania, but as a precaution, preparations are being made for a larger number of cases.
Tanaiste Leo Varadkar shouldnt resign over the leaking of a confidential GP document as he deserves due process like any other citizen, said Minister Simon Harris.

It comes as Garda Headquarters recently upgraded its inquiries into his leaking of the document into a criminal investigation.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has called for the Tanaiste to resign and said he had given a cock and bull story over the leaking of the document.

Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said the Opposition have a job to do but that he does not believe Mr Varadkar should resign, as he deserves due process and the Government has a job to do in running the country.

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Appearing on Virgin Medias The Tonight Show, Mr Harris said: I think it would not be helpful for anyone, particularly those of us in public office, to run an ongoing commentary on an ongoing garda investigation.

The gardai have a job to do, they have received a complaint. They need to be allowed to carry out that investigation without any interference or commentary from politicians like myself.

"We also have to recognise the importance of due process, there are a lot of people who rush to judgment and the right place for these issues to be examined is through the garda investigation, and let us see the outcome of that.

When asked if he thinks the Tanaiste should step aside for the time being, the Higher Education Minister said he believes this would be the opposite of the meaning of due process.

I think that wouldnt be due process. I dont believe (he should step aside).

"Government has a huge body of work to do and we need to get through the Covid pandemic, reopen the country and the Tanaiste is heavily engaged in all of those issues and led our country through the first phase of the pandemic and now plays a leadership role in government again.

Everybody is entitled to due process, you don't give up that right to due process when you run for elected office.

Mr Harris said he does not believe the controversy is distracting from the work of the Government.

"The Opposition has a job to do and I'm sure people expect me to come out here and score political points and Im not interested in doing that, he added.

The Opposition has a job to do and they do their thing. We have a job to do in running the country and we are focused on that.

Gardai are probing the complaint which centres on Mr Varadkars leaking of a copy of the Governments proposed new GP contract with the Irish Medical Organisation to Dr Maitiu O Tuathail, who was then the head of the rival National Association of General Practitioners, in April 2019.

Mr Varadkar has apologised over the affair and has said his legal advice is that he committed no offence and he has offered to meet gardai to provide a full statement.
Russias first vaccine against COVID-19 is likely to gain acceptance in the European Union, as Thomas Mertens, who heads Germanys standing commission on vaccination, has recently hailed the success of the Russian-made Sputnik V, Caspian News reports.

Russian scientists are very experienced in vaccines. Sputnik V is a very clever construct, Mertens told Rheinische Post. As with AstraZeneca, we are talking about a viral vector vaccine, which is based on an adenovirus. But unlike AstraZeneca it uses two different viral vectors for the first and second doses. Thats very clever, because that way you can prevent a possible loss of efficacy that might arise through the immune response against the vectors.

Both vaccines involve two doses, an initial shot and a booster, and features harmless adenoviruses, which are used to carry genetic instructions into the body to stimulate cell to generate antibodies.

Last summer, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the country had registered a coronavirus vaccine, claiming it as the first in the world. Developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, the vaccine was dubbed Sputnik V to honor the first artificial satellite launched into the Earths orbit in 1957.

Russia drew criticism from Western experts when it approved Sputnik V for widespread use after less than two months of human testing. At the same time, the Russian-made jab showed an impressive 92 percent efficacy, according to late-stage trial results published in the prestigious Lancet medical journal. Sputnik V is claimed to be safe and offers complete protection against hospitalization and death.

As of today, Sputnik V has been approved for use in more than 45 countries, despite being initially met with skepticism. In some countries, including Algeria, Argentina, Bolivia, Serbia, Palestine, Paraguay, and Venezuela, the vaccine has been registered under the emergency use authorization procedure without additional clinical trials.

At the same time, it has not yet received approval from the EU regulator.

The Russian jab is currently being assessed by Europes drug regulator, European Medicines Agency (EMA), which will decide whether the vaccine complies with efficacy, safety, and quality standards. Meanwhile, some EU states, including Hungary and Slovakia, have already started using Sputnik V, bypassing regulators permission.

Europe has so far approved four vaccines, including Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Oxford-AstraZeneca. Along with Russias Sputnik, the Amsterdam-based EMA is reviewing two other vaccines  Novavax and CureVac.

Meanwhile, some European countries have temporarily suspended the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine co-invented by Oxford University and British pharmaceutical giant over blood clot fears. Earlier this week, Denmark and Norway have announced their decision to temporarily pause the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca, after a 50-year-old man had died in Italy after developing deep vein thrombosis. Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Latvia also suspended the use of the vaccine.

The EMA reportedly investigates whether the shot could be linked to several reports of blood clots.

"There is currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions, which are not listed as side effects with this vaccine," the Agency said on Thursday. "The vaccine's benefits continue to outweigh its risks and the vaccine can continue to be administered while the investigation of cases of thromboembolic events is ongoing.

A spokesperson at AstraZeneca Company has reportedly said that the drug went through extensive studies in clinical trials, as well as adheres to stringent efficacy and safety standards set by the regulators for the approval of any new medicine.
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Sometimes a role gets opposite reactions from different people. This year thats the case for Glenn Close who is nominated for an Oscar and Razzie. This is the Netflix movie that had audiences and critics torn and her reaction to the nominations.

Glenn Close plays Mamaw in Hillbilly Elegy

RELATED: Why Jane Fonda Felt Wrong About Winning Her First Oscar

The drama shows a Yale law student going home to Ohio after an urgent phone call from family saying his mother is in the hospital. He then revisits his family history going back three generations. The movie is based on a memoir with the same title by J.D. Vance.

Gabriel Basso stars in the movie as J.D. Vance, Amy Adams plays his mother, Bev, and Close played grandmother, Bonnie Mamaw Vance. The movie seems to be a polarizing one with audiences.

It has the score of 25% by critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but has an audience score of 85%. This polarizing reaction has continued into the award season.

Glenn Close was nominated for an Oscar and Razzie

great to hear about good word of mouth for #HillbillyElegy Hope you find it engrossing and emotional as well. The feedback and strong audience ratings on the internet have been gratifying @netflix https://t.co/GRhmmzZJYQ  Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) December 5, 2020

RELATED: 2021 Awards Season Schedule: When Are the Grammy Awards, Oscars, and More?

Close is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. The other actors nominated are Maria Bakalova in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Olivia Colman in The Father, Amanda Seyfried for Mank, and Youn Yuh-jung in Minari.

The movie also got Oscar love by being nominated for makeup and hairstyling. But it also was nominated for multiple Razzies.

Close was nominated for Worst Supporting Actress in this years Golden Raspberry Awards for the same role. The other actors in the category are Lucy Hale in Fantasy Island, Maggie Q in Fantasy Island, Kristen Wiig in Wonder Woman 1984, and Maddie Ziegler in Music.

Close wasnt the only one singaled out. Ron Howard was nominated for Worst Director and the movie is nominated for Worst Screenplay.

Other actors who have been nominated for both awards

Glenn Close attends the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards | Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

RELATED: Minari Star Steven Yeun Speaks on the Fact That He Could Make Oscars History

Close isnt the first actor to get praise and criticism for the same role. Amy Irving was nominated for both awards for her performance in Yentl in 1984. She didnt win either award.

James Coco was also nominated for both awards for his performance in Only When I Laugh. He also didnt win either award.

If history repeats itself, that could mean Close wont win either award. So far shes been nominated for eight Oscars and hasnt won. Her last nomination was in 2019 for The Wife.

Close shared her reaction to both nominations with Today. Im so thrilled because to get a Razzie and an Oscar nomination in the same year, its pretty cool, she said. To still be in the room, to still have my work recognized by my peers, its thrilling to me.
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New Delhi: A Delhi Court on Monday (March 15) will pronounce its decision in the case related to 2008 Batla House encounter. The court will pass judgment in the case of Ariz Khan, one of the accused in the Batla House encounter, who was arrested a decade later in February 2018.

The convicted Ariz Khan, allegedly associated with terror outfit Indian Mujahideen, terrorist, is facing charges of intentionally caused the murder of encounter specialist and Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma.

Earlier, Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav said, it was "duly proved that Ariz Khan and his associates caused the murder of police official and fired gunshot on the police official."

Additional public prosecutor AT Ansari will be representing the Delhi Police and advocate MS Khan is representing the accused Ariz Khan during trial proceedings.

ALSO READ: Here is brief timeline of Batla House encounter 2008 case

As per the police claim, Ariz was present at Batla House, along with four of his acquaintances others, in Delhis Jamia Nagar on September 19, 2008, where the encounter took place. During the encounter, two Indian Mujahideen terrorists were killed, while the other two were arrested after a long chase which lasted for years.

The incident took place a week after five serial blasts occurred in Delhi on 13 September 2008 in which at least 30 people were killed and over 100 injured.

Ariz has been convicted under section 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 333 (voluntarily causes grievous hurt), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant), 302 (murder). He has also been held guilty under 307 (attempt to murder), 174(a) (Non-appearance in response to a proclamation) 34 (criminal intention) of the Indian Penal Code and 27 (using any prohibited weapons) of the Arms Act.
As companies start thinking about a possible return to their pre-coronavirus work spaces, a question arises: Can they require their employees to be vaccinated?

Generally, the law says they can. But all three coronavirus vaccines available in the country are currently under Emergency Use Authorization, which means they have been preliminarily, but not fully, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Final approval, or licensure, of the drugs will come when additional data is available from ongoing clinical trials, according to federal guidelines. But even then, its unclear whether employers will require shots.

According to a survey of more than 1,800 employer representatives across the country, less than 1 percent have mandated coronavirus vaccination so far, and 6 percent said they planned to once the vaccines gain full approval.

Forty-three percent said they had not decided against mandating coronavirus vaccines, while 48 percent said they had already decided they would not require them, survey results show. Nearly two-thirds of respondents expressed concern about the legal liability related to enforcing vaccination. More than half feared pushback, falling morale and perception of infringement on basic civil liberties.

The survey, released last month, was conducted by Littler Mendelson, an international law firm specializing in labor and employment litigation.

The Tampa Bay Times asked three experts specializing in health policy and employment law what this means for employees. All had slightly different answers but agreed that most businesses are unlikely to require coronavirus shots, opting to avoid pushback and legal issues by strongly encouraging them instead.

Robyn Powell, a professor of health law at Stetson University College of Law, said employers are just now beginning to explore their options for mandating vaccines. Thats mostly because vaccine supply has been so limited that shots arent available to most people yet.

Story continues

As more doses are shipped to Florida, however, Powell said companies should have no issues requiring coronavirus vaccination, regardless of emergency use status. Theres no court ruling or law that would keep them from doing so, though without precedent, the issue is up for debate, she said.

I wouldnt say 100 percent either way until (the vaccines have) been fully authorized, she added. Certainly, some ethical and legal concerns could arise, and I could see some challenges being brought.

Still, Powell said she expects to see more mandates as vaccine supply grows, particularly in health care jobs and schools, many of which already require vaccination against other viruses. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration gives employers the right to require the influenza vaccine, for example. Even more could come once the vaccines gain final approval, she said.

Jay Starkman, an employment attorney and CEO of human resources company Engage PEO, has a different outlook. He predicts few employers will opt to require coronavirus vaccines because it could negatively impact morale or be seen as an overreach by management.

Employers hate requiring employees to do things that reach out past the employee-employer relationship, he said. I think there will be more encouragements than there will be mandates.

For example, Starkmans company is offering employees two paid days off for each dose of vaccine they receive, he said. He expects to see other companies implement similar incentives, including bonuses.

But as with any vaccines, employees who have legitimate medical or religious reasons for not wanting a coronavirus shot can file for exemption, as allowed by the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

Jay Wolfson, a professor of public health at the University of South Florida, said its uncommon for employers to require clinical interventions. Its done in some food service and health jobs, where there is higher risk of contracting and spreading virus  and that would likely be the case with coronavirus vaccines, he said.

Wolfson said he doesnt expect many employers to mandate the shots while the vaccines are still under emergency use. But theres really no way to know for sure what is allowed or what companies will do, because there are no guidelines yet.

I have physicians saying, Do I have to give it to my employees? Can we require it?, Wolfson said. And it really depends. ... We have to be patient and recognize that we dont know enough to make formal policies.

  

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The claim: Pelosi caught on hot mic saying Americans are the 'dumbest people on Earth'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has become a frequent target of false claims and fabricated quotes on social media.

One viral Facebook post claims Pelosi was caught on a hot microphone calling Americans dumb.

"Pelosi caught on hot Mike (sic) saying, 'Americans are (the) dumbest people on Earth,'" the post reads.

The text post was shared on March 11 and has over 817 shares and 50 reactions.

Some users have recently shared similar versions of the claim in the form a screenshot that purports to be a news article from the Michigan Today.

The headline reads, "Caught On Hot Mic, Pelosi Says 'Americans Are The Stupidest People On Earth.'" Above the text is an image of the House Speaker with members of the press.

USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook users for comment.

Fact check: AOC, Gillibrand, Pelosi, have spoken about Cuomo allegations

Claim started as satire in 2019

There is no evidence that Pelosi ever said Americans are "the stupidest" or "dumbest" people on Earth. The claim originated on a site that publishes satirical content.

The quote first appeared on Oct. 20, 2019, in an article on the site bustatroll.org, a subsidiary of America's Last Line of Defense, which publishes fictitious stories.

The story is filed under "Pelosi Satire with Chile Sauce and Liquid Cheese, Satire and/or Conservative Fan Fiction" and the author of the article is "Fired Writer."

Get these in your inbox: We're fact-checking the news and sending it to your inbox. Sign up here to start receiving our newsletter.

Bustatroll.org's "About Us" page reads, "Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined.

The disclaimer goes on to state that any similarities between the site's "pure fantasy" and real events, people and places, are "purely coincidental" and should be "considered altered and satirical."

Story continues

Michigan Today isn't involved

Michigan Today, an alumni publication that covers news from the University of Michigan, did not publish any such story on Pelosi, as claimed in some versions of the post. The outlet is an alumni publication that covers news from the University of Michigan.

Editor Deborah Holdship told USA TODAY the Facebook post wasn't authentic.

"Any posts on social will be hashtagged as #MichiganToday (one word, no "the") and would originate at the Michigan News social media accounts or at the University of Michigan central accounts," she said in an ema

USA TODAY has previously debunked posts surrounding Pelosi that originate on satirical sites that are then shared on social media as fact.

Fact check: Claims about Pelosi's in-flight bar tab are unfounded

Our rating: False

The claim that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was caught calling Americans the "dumbest people on Earth" is FALSE, based on our research. The claim originated from a 2019 that explicitly labels itself as satire and there is no record of the House Speaker saying this, or of Michigan Today reporting on it.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Fake Nancy Pelosi quote insulting Americans was satirical
Mia Farrow has accused her former boyfriend Woody Allen of 'weaponizing' her adopted daughter - now Allen's wife - against her.

Farrow, 76, discussed her relationship with Soon-Yi Previn, 50, in Sunday night's final episode of HBO docuseries Allen v Farrow.

Allen and Previn did not participate in the series, but Farrow opened up about her complicated family.

Mia Farrow told her side of the story in the four-part HBO series Allen v Farrow

Soon-Yi Previn was adopted by Mia Farrow (pictured) in 1978 and began dating Allen in 1992

Allen and Soon-Yi, pictured in 2018, married in 1997 and have two adopted children together

Farrow was a mother to seven children before becoming involved with Allen in 1979: her children with ex-husband Andre Previn - twins Matthew and Sascha Previn, Lark Song Previn, Fletcher Previn and Summer 'Daisy' Song Previn, Soon-Yi Previn and Moses Previn.

Soon-Yi and Allen began a relationship in January 1992: he was 56, and she was 21. The pair married in 1997.

'They are all people I loved with all my heart. They are all people that I would've laid down my life for,' Farrow said.

'I love Soon-Yi. It took me six years to throw away the Christmas stocking I knitted for her thinking she would come back, but she didn't.'

Farrow said in a previous episode that inviting Allen into her family was her biggest regret

Allen and Soon-Yi did not participate in the HBO series, and called it a 'hatchet job'

Farrow had seven children with Andre Previn when she began a relationship with Allen

Allen and Farrow with their adopted daughter Dylan Farrow and biological son Ronan Farrow

Farrow accused Allen of turning Soon-Yi and Moses, now 43, against her.

'He's weaponized two of my children that he's turned against me,' she said.

Moses defended Allen in 2014 and claimed Farrow was an abusive mother.

Allen and Farrow had adopted Moses and Dylan, now 35, in December 1991.

In 1992 Dylan accused Allen of sexual abuse, which she said happened when she was seven.

He has always denied her allegations, and was not charged - although a Connecticut prosecutor said there was probable cause for a criminal case.

Dylan Farrow revealed in Sunday's episode that she felt responsible for the divide in her family after coming forward with her allegation.

'None of my older siblings were ever the same,' she said.

'After the whole custody trial, my mom stopped having to go to court all the time and we moved away from the city.

'And it was sort of a grace period where I thought, OK, this is great, I can start over.

'We never talked about Soon-Yi or Woody. But there was a long period of guilt for me.

'I felt like I had caused a rift in my family. I felt if I'd just kept a secret that I could have spared my mom all this grief and my brothers, my sisters and myself.'

Farrow recounted how the family drifting apart caused her to become even more isolated as she internalized her feelings growing up, and noted that 'none of them asked' about how she was clearly pulling away.

The effects of Soon-Yi's relationship with Allen, and of Dylan's allegations, had a devastating impact on the whole family.

'I just remember my family was turned upside down,' said Daisy Previn.

'We were all devastated. It was a sad time. I think most of us just tried to get through with our lives.'

Her brother, Fletcher, added: 'We were a tight family unit and that was much less so the case after this.

'People went into survival mode. It was just a difficult time for everyone.'

Farrow said that it prevented her ever trusting men again.

'I never brought [dates or significant others] home because I didn't want to risk anybody falling for one of my beautiful children or grandchildren,' Farrow said.

'If I couldn't trust Woody after 12 years, I would never take another risk with anybody else,' she added.

'I don't trust myself to know. How would you know? I don't know. So I never brought them home.'

Allen and Soon-Yi are pictured in Venice shortly after their wedding in the city, in 1997

Allen and Soon-Yi in New York City in December 1997, shortly before their wedding

The couple are seen in New York City, where they live, during the pandemic

Earlier in the docuseries, Farrow said inviting Allen into her family was 'the greatest regret of my life.'

'It's my fault,' she said. 'I brought this guy into my family. There's nothing I can do to take that away.'

In February, Allen and Previn criticized the series, calling it a 'hatchet job riddled with falsehoods.'

'These documentarians had no interest in the truth,' a spokesperson for the couple said in a statement provided to Deadline and other outlets.

'Woody and Soon-Yi were approached less than two months ago and given only a matter of days to respond. Of course, they declined to do so.

'As has been known for decades, these allegations are categorically false. Multiple agencies investigated them at the time and found that, whatever Dylan Farrow may have been led to believe, absolutely no abuse had ever taken place.'
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New Delhi, March 15 : India and US have agreed to work closely through common economic and strategic collaboration in various multilateral fora, including the G20.

Broad agreement of on greater collaboration between the two countries on various global fora emerged during talks held virtually on Monday between Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

A tweet by the Finance Ministry said that Sitharaman had a fruitful discussion on global economic outlook with the US Secretary of Treasury.

During the talk, Yellen appreciated India's contribution to the world's vaccine efforts.

Both also exchanged notes on economic issues of mutual interest and looked forward to meeting of India-US Economic and Financial Partnership later this year.

Another tweet by the Ministry said that the FM congratulated the Treasury Secretary on the well thought-out Covid-19 relief through the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, with particular focus on working and middle-class.
Chadwick Boseman has always surprised and delighted us. But it was somehow not a surprise to find out that the actor, who died in August 2020 of colon cancer at just 43, had earned his first Academy Award nomination for "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."

His co-stars already knew he was a rare talent: "From the moment we met, I loved Chadwick Boseman," his "Black Panther" co-star Letitia Wright wrote in British Vogue. "I heard God speak to my heart; that he would be my brother, and that I was to love him as such."

Chadwick Boseman in

But last month, Boseman became another kind of rare actor: He is just one of eight performers total who've ever earned Academy Award nominations posthumously, and only the first Black actor to do so. Now, only two of those posthumous nominations have ever actually led to the Oscar. But we think there's a good chance that Boseman's passionate, complicated jazz trumpeter does have a chance of making him the third, so let's take a look at the club he's now joined, which includes luminaries from Spencer Tracy to Heath Ledger:

Jeanne Eagels was the first actor (and thus far only woman) to be so honored, though she didn't actually get an official "nomination," Variety explains. "The Letter" (1929) featured her as a lonely woman who kills her ex; Eagels died at age 39 shortly after production ended on the movie. In those days, nominations were considered by a private board of judges, and she lost the award to Mary Pickford in "Coquette."

Massimo Troisi in

Over two-and-a-half decades passed before another late actor was nominated; this time, James Dean (who starred in only three films before he died in a car crash in 1955 at age 24) was nominated for "East of Eden" (1955) and the following year for "Giant" (1956). Both roles featured him as the loner who rejected convention, and he first lost to Ernest Borgnine for "Marty" and the following year to Yul Brynner for "The King and I."

Story continues

James Dean in

Spencer Tracy, considered one of Hollywood's greats from the Golden Age, had already been nominated for an Oscar eight times and had two awards when he appeared in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967) as a father whose daughter gets engaged to a Black man (Sidney Poitier). Tracy died of a heart attack, aged 67, days after he finished filming. But he lost the prize when Rod Steiger won for "In the Heat of the Night."

In 1977, a posthumous actor finally won an Academy Award, as Peter Finch earned a best actor award for "Network" (1976) as a news anchor who snaps and tells his live audience, "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore." He died aged 60 two months after the film premiered.

Peter Finch in

Over the next years, posthumous actors became a bit more common as nominees: Ralph Richardson was nominated for supporting actor in "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes," but died before the film opened, aged 80; he lost to Haing S. Ngor in "The Killing Fields." And Massimo Troisi, co-writer and star of "Il Postino" (1995) earned multiple posthumous Oscar nominations (actor and adapted screenplay). He died the day after finishing his role as a postal worker of a heart attack, age 41, but he lost both nominations. Nicolas Cage earned the acting prize that year for "Leaving Las Vegas."

Perhaps best known for a posthumous award in this generation aside from Boseman is Heath Ledger, who starred in "The Dark Knight" (2008) as a truly terrifying Joker. He died of an accidental overdose of prescription medicine at age 28, months after completing the role. Not only that, he won, making him the second-ever posthumous nominee to earn such a prize; his father, sister and mother accepted the supporting actor prize.

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Relatives are still being denied reunions with loved ones as care homes defy new guidance allowing indoor visits.

Campaigners say a cruel lottery has developed as some families experience joyous meetings, while others can only watch through a window.

On Sunday, thousands of relatives were prevented from having the Mothers Day reunions they had longed for.

New Government guidance came into force on March 8 stating all residents should be allowed indoor visits with one nominated friend or relative.

Relatives are still being denied reunions with loved ones as care homes defy new guidance allowing indoor visits. Campaigners say a cruel lottery has developed as some families experience joyous meetings, while others can only watch through a window (file image from November 12, 2020)

But some care home bosses claim the risk from Covid-19 remains too great  despite the fact all residents have now been vaccinated and visitors have to test negative and wear personal protective equipment. Campaigners say blanket bans remain in place, with some homes saying visits cannot resume until April 12 or that all residents must have received their second vaccine dose.

Other care providers mistakenly banned indoor visits after the Government asked an extra 1.7million people in England to shield until the end of March. This included many care home residents. Halcyon care group, which runs 13 homes, last week said indoor visits would not be permitted until at least March 31 after a high percentage of residents were told to shield.

A letter to relatives said the ban was necessary in order to protect the residents and keep them as safe as possible.

However, Halcyon has now said it has reviewed its position after the Department of Health stressed that shielding residents should still have visitors.

Meanwhile, care providers including Barchester Healthcare, one of Britains biggest, did not allow indoor visits in many of its 200 homes last week  denying some the chance to spend their last Mothers Day together. Other heartbroken families are unable to visit due to a perverse and disproportionate rule that forces homes to shut to visitors for 28 days after a single case of Covid-19.

This lengthy isolation period is nearly three times longer than the ten days at home required for the general public if they test positive.

New Government guidance came into force on March 8 stating all residents should be allowed indoor visits with one nominated friend or relative. But some care home bosses claim the risk from Covid-19 remains too great  despite the fact all residents have now been vaccinated and visitors have to test negative and wear personal protective equipment (file image from March 1, 2021)

Caroline Abrahams, of Age UK, said: From what we are seeing these last few days it seems that the happiness of some at being reunited again is mirrored by the despair of others for whom the endless wait goes on and on.

Sadly, at the moment theres a real lottery when it comes to the ability of care home residents to meet a friend or relative in person as the new Government guidance permits.

The so-called 28-day rule is getting in the way of visiting in some care homes and we think its now time it was reviewed. For example, the rule applies whether there are two people or 20 people testing positive in a care home, which seems perverse and disproportionate.

With each passing day of isolation from family and friends, the damaging impact on the morale and happiness of older people inexorably grows.

The Daily Mail is campaigning for an end to cruel visiting bans which were lifted briefly in December only to be reimposed during the third national lockdown.

New guidance allows residents to have indoor visits from a single nominated visitor. Other family members or friends can only visit outdoors or through a screen. Residents are also able to receive additional close contact visits from an essential care giver who helps with support such as feeding or dressing.

Caroline Abrahams (pictured), of Age UK, said: From what we are seeing these last few days it seems that the happiness of some at being reunited again is mirrored by the despair of others for whom the endless wait goes on and on'

Diane Mayhew, of campaign group Rights For Residents, said: Many care homes are refusing to allow the additional support from essential care givers.

Most care homes seem to be giving people the absolute minimum they can get away with and are offering people a 30-minute visit under a blanket policy. We dont think much will change unless the guidance is made mandatory or emergency legislation is introduced so that relatives get the same legal status as carers.

Charities are also calling for the new visiting guidance to be expanded so that more than one person can see residents indoors.

Fiona Carragher, of the Alzheimers Society said: How hard it must be to choose between daughter or son or grandchild  we hope that visits can be extended to wider families as soon as safely possible.

In-person visits must now be the default option for all care homes. The Government has been clear that blanket bans are unacceptable. Nearly a third of people we surveyed who lost a loved one during the pandemic felt that a lack of social contact was a significant factor in their death.

People in care homes do not have much time left. We cannot deny families spending final months and weeks together.

Were concerned by some reports that essential family carers arent being allowed to give the close contact care so vital to the wellbeing of people with dementia.

Helen Wildbore, of the Relatives and Residents Association, said: We have received a flood of calls from distraught families still not able to have visits or facing blanket rules which make visits too distressing for the most vulnerable residents. We hear some homes are refusing to reopen until April 12 or when residents have their second dose of the vaccine. Too many visiting policies apply blanket rules, such as strict 30-minute visits in a dedicated visiting room, without consideration of individual needs.

She added that when relatives have been able to visit they have been disturbed by the significant weight loss, the visible pain and distress or loss of cognition.
Kate Ritchie flew out of Adelaide Airport on Saturday, headed for Sydney.

Before she left, the radio star farewelled her Nova co-star Tim Blackwell, 39, with a hug.

The former Home and Away, 42, star looked chic and in a black and red animal print shirt worn loose on her slim form.

Her way: Kate Ritchie (pictured) flew out of Adelaide Airport on Saturday, headed for Sydney

The actress added a pair of black skinny jeans which beautifully highlighted her trim pins.

She completed the ensemble with a pair of black leather ankle boots, with buckles on the sides.

Kate carried a luxurious Chanel purse with a gold chain strap and skipped the accessories.

Chic: The former Home and Away, 42, star looked chic and in a black and red animal print shirt worn loose on her slim form

Jean genie: The actress added a pair of black skinny jeans which beautifully highlighted her trim pins

Best foot forward: She completed the ensemble with a pair of black leather ankle boots, with buckles on the sides

In the bag: Kate carried a luxurious Chanel purse with a gold chain strap and skipped the accessories

She was loaded up with various items including her phone, boarding pass, and a magazine.

The radio host pulled a small carry-on case across the airport before boarding her flight to Sydney.

Kate kept Covid-safe with a blue surgical mask on her face, which she switched out for a cloth mask with a heart pattern, and appeared to go makeup free.

Safe: Kate kept Covid-safe with a blue surgical mask on her face, which she switched out for a cloth mask with a heart pattern, and appeared to go makeup free

Pal: Kate appeared to be joined by a male friend, the pair waiting side by side at security together

Face forward: Her brunette hair was pulled off her face by a pair of sunglasses that she wore atop her head

Her brunette hair was pulled off her face by a pair of sunglasses that she wore atop her head.

Kate appeared to be joined by a male friend, the pair waiting side by side at security together.

Before leaving, she chatted to Tim by a lift, the pair laughing at a joke while Kate took a call.

Hugs: Before she left, the radio star farewelled her Nova co-star Tim Blackwell, 39, with a hug

Chats: She chatted to Tim by a lift, the pair laughing at a joke while Kate took a call

Cool: Tim opted for a pair of skin-tight skinny jeans, which he wore with a pair of Doc Martins boots

Stuff! Kate was loaded up with various items including her phone, boarding pass, and a magazine. The radio star added a loose grey shirt and carried a large, leather carry bag

Off she goes: The radio host pulled a small carry-on case across the airport before boarding her flight to Sydney

Tim opted for a pair of skin-tight skinny jeans, which he wore with a pair of Doc Martins boots.

The radio star added a loose grey shirt and carried a large, leather carry bag on his shoulder.

Once she left the airport after landing in Sydney, Kate hopped into a waiting car outside.

Phone fan: Kate checked her phone several times in the airport
[March 15, 2021] Aventri's Best-in-Class Technology Helps Informa Markets Lead the Way Back to Live Events

Last month, Informa Markets was one of the first trade-show organizers to produce a live trade event in North America since the pandemic lockdowns began a year ago. In identifying the right technology partner to help support a return to in-person experiences in a post-pandemic era, the Informa (News - Alert) team chose Aventri as their technology partner to ensure seamless, contact-less registration that valued both customer experience and safety. Informa's fashion industry event, MAGIC Pop-Up Orlando, drew eager apparel buyers and brands to the Orange (News - Alert) County Convention Center in Florida, among the first U.S. venues to welcome back trade shows. The limited-capacity, three-day event showcased men's and women's apparel, accessories and footwear. It also showcased best-in-class safety measures driven by both rigorous health protocols as well as disruptive technology to support. "Every decision we make is driven by our community," said Nancy Walsh, President, North America at Informa Markets. "Our platforms play a meaningful role in providing growth and recovery, building relationships and innovating communities, and our customers were eager to return to the show floor. In addition to providing a critical opportunity for recovery after an incredibly challenging year, prioritizing safety was at the foundation of our approach, using Informa's All Secure as our guide, and leveraging best-in-class technology partners like Aventri to create safe and efficient touchpoints." Aventri provided innovative onsite technologies for the pop-up. "We're reimagining trade shows after the global upheavals of 2020," explained Jim Sharpe, CEO, Aventri. "Working with Informa Markets, we created solutions and tactics to deliver a safe event and improve the attendee experience. MAGIC Pop-Up Orlando presents an optimistic roadmap for commercial recovery, as industries begin to rebound. It serves as a bellwether, signaling large in-person events are starting to come back." Following are four of Aventri's notable tech tools and services that Informa Markets employed to create a safe, successful show. 1. Contactles Check-In



The event featured digital badges, available through the mobile event app. Printed badges and lanyards involve many shared surfaces. With badges on phones, attendees gained contactless access to the show floor. The QR code badges also enabled easy, touchless contact information exchange, lead retrieval and tracking. They provided access control options as well to help ensure social distancing.

Printers were available onsite for people who did not have smartphones or felt uncomfortable about using their phones as a digital badge. "For health and safety, providing guests with contactless check-in was a top priority for Informa and Aventri," said Spencer Segura, vice president of operations for Aventri Experiential Solutions, who was onsite throughout the event. "We were pleased that adoption was extremely high, with most attendees opting for digital badges." 2. No Registration Lines Onsite in the registration area, check-in counters were spaced several feet apart. In addition, staffers rolled insta-check-in carts up to attendees and provided speedy credentialing. The small mobile units were self-sufficient, equipped with scanners as well as their own power and Internet connection. In the event of a temporary Wi-Fi outage, check-in would continue, uninterrupted. Digital badges and mobile carts worked together to reduce wait time and congestion, age-old issues at trade shows. Attendees arrived at the venue with digital badges in hand. Once they successfully fulfilled all the event safety requirements, they held their phones up to a QR reader and breezed right in. "Registration was seamless throughout the show," Segura noted. "Even on opening day, we saw no lines." 3. Touch-Free Lead Retrieval At booths, exhibitors had no need to swap business cards. They captured leads using the Aventri Lead Retrieval App. It took just a second to scan a digital badge and collect contact details. Foregoing paper business cards not only provided contactless lead capture. Like digital badges, the Lead Retrieval App cut paper waste for a more sustainable event. Exhibitors could upload contacts directly to their customer relationship management and marketing automation systems. Thanks to the data-capture features of QR code badges, they collected valuable metrics, such as booth traffic and dwell time. Smart companies leverage these insights to customize sales and marketing follow-up. 4. Onsite Services Aventri's Professional Services team worked closely with Informa Markets to ensure everything ran flawlessly, from planning to digital badge distribution, integrations and onsite support. The team provided quick turnaround, with a goal to help retailers get back to business, while maintaining the safety and comfort of all participants. "Technology is often most successful when attendees don't even know it's there," Segura noted. "These solutions stayed in the background to make everything easy. On the show floor, it was business as usual. Buyers met with sellers and placed orders. Everyone agreed it was great to be back." ---------------------- Informa Markets is optimistic that more in-person trade shows will return during the first half of the year. "In industries like fashion, buyers need a tactile experience to get a feel for product quality," Sharpe pointed out. "With global vaccine programs picking up steam, many of our clients are planning on the return of in-person, large-scale events in the near future." For more information about Aventri's safety-focused onsite technology, contact sales@aventri.com. About Aventri Aventri is the global leader in data-driven, end-to-end event and meeting management solutions for virtual, hybrid and in-person events. Their award-winning SaaS (News - Alert) platform, virtual technology and best-in-class service offerings have enabled more than 40,000 event professionals to plan, promote, deliver, measure and optimize over 90,000 events annually. Aventri's fully integrated platform's capabilities include virtual delivery, networking, venue sourcing, registration, marketing, logistics, onsite services, attendee engagement and data analytics. Headquartered in the United States, the company has offices in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia Pacific and has delivered customer events in over 120 countries. Aventri is a portfolio company of private equity firm HGGC. Learn more at aventri.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005322/en/

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The COVID-19 pandemic opened doors to an entirely new business proposition for Satara-based Savita Dishe, who sold brooms at a weekly haat. When the markets shut due to the lockdown, Dishe obviously went out of business. As the lockdown eased a couple of months later, Satara witnessed a high rate of reverse migration. People working in cities such as Mumbai and Pune got back to their villages, and this gave Dishe her new business idea, which was to start a snack business.

Since the pandemic restricted movement, Dishe resorted to technology. She started a WhatsApp group and told people not only in her village but also in adjoining villages that she made the best Mumbai-style vada-pav in the vicinity. She soon had a beeline of patrons. She took orders online and also started billing and receiving payments online. She also sourced her ingredients online. A month later, when she got her license from Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for her kitchen, Dishe became the first woman in her family to run a business of a certain scale.

ALSO READ: How paint major AkzoNobel trains women to become commercial painters

Shamina Singh, President, Mastercard Centre For Inclusive Growth, says that COVID-19 has seen a spurt of women entrepreneurs in rural India like Savita Dishe, who have not just turned into savvy entrepreneurs but have also embraced digital solutions. "Pre-COVID, it was difficult to operate these businesses and scale. Post COVID digitalisation has accelerated. Women in rural India are calling for enabling tools to start their business," she says.

In 2018, Mastercard partnered with Mann Deshi Foundation to set up a Rural Women Chamber of Commerce, aimed to increase services for women-led businesses and strengthen sales networks among women entrepreneurs. It helps them solve issues such as access to best-in-class business practices, limited linkages to markets, constrained access to finance and minimal support to scale.

The chamber has set up chapters in Pune, Chiplun and Satara in Maharashtra which has touched the lives of 10,000 women entrepreneurs. The Mastercard and Mann Deshi Foundation are now setting up a new chapter in Kolhapur and expect to benefit 34,000 women by 2021.

ALSO READ: How Frontier Markets all-woman salesforce enables last mile delivery in rural India

Chetna Sinha, Founder and Chair, Mann Deshi Foundation, echoes Singh's view of women entrepreneurs taking to digital methods of doing business in a big way. "Women are coming to digital platforms not just for financial transaction but also to market their products. For marketing their products digitally, they have to make it attractive too. The chamber of commerce's digital platform helps them to be digitally savvy and teaches them to create their own digital source of money."

Sinha cites the example of a member of the chamber of commerce in Satara, Roopali, who transformed her school uniform business into a mask-manufacturing outfit during the COVID months. "She used the cloth she had bought to make uniforms into masks and her first customer was the Maharashtra police. She trained her staff virtually, bought raw material through virtual platforms and even created visibility for her products digitally. Roopali has, till date, sold a million masks."

More women than men have lost their jobs during the pandemic. Around 17 per cent men lost their jobs, as opposed to 23 per cent women. Singh of Mastercard agrees that women were disproportionately impacted by COVID last year, but she also says that they have been disproportionately innovative during the lockdown. "We made investments in technology upgrades for micro-finance platforms 3-4 years ago. When COVID hit, those partnerships actually yielded benefits. It allowed the likes of Mann Deshi to digitalise and start transacting digitally." Mastercard, says Singh, has made a commitment of Rs 250 crore to help reboot Indian SMEs and enable businesses recover amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

ALSO READ: How COVID-19 helped Panchgani-based Mala's to popularise its jams, ketchups
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ATLANTA, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PrimeRevenue, Inc., the leading provider of technology-enabled working capital solutions, announces its capability to deploy supply chain finance programs in as little as two weeks to support suppliers that may be experiencing a delay in receiving early payments.

The company has taken proactive steps to ensure its technology and services are well equipped for the rapid deployment of a working capital solution. With a diverse network of more than 100 bank and financial institution funding partners, PrimeRevenue has access to approximately $43 billion in liquidity that is ready for immediate use.

"Our immediate priority is to support buyers and suppliers facing disruption of their supply chain finance programs to ensure they have access to cash," said PJ Bain, CEO of PrimeRevenue. "Ethically delivering transparent SCF programs that strengthen supply chains around the world is at the core of what we do at PrimeRevenue. We, along with our global funding partners, are ready to quickly implement reliable, sustainable programs to minimize funding interruptions for companies that rely on early payment the most."

This commitment is backed by time-tested technology and a dedicated team of global specialists at the ready to quickly work through the integration and testing phases of program implementation with little disruption to IT, AP, and Treasury.

Supplier onboarding can be completed in as little as one day. All bank account information and required documentation can be submitted 100% digitally via PrimeRevenue's SCiEnable solution. Dedicated supplier onboarding teams are ready to assist suppliers as necessary to expedite the onboarding process.

"We are dedicating increased technology and people resources to ensure quick and smooth implementations," said Gavin Cicchinelli, COO of PrimeRevenue. "Since joining PrimeRevenue, my main focus has been strengthening our operational excellence with the goal to improve existing client experience, accelerate new program deployment, and support companies in creating resilient supply chains that are insulated from external disruption."

About PrimeRevenue

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Germany and France have become the latest countries to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine following advice from their national regulators to investigate reports of blood clots.

The German Health Ministry said the decision was taken as a precautionary measure, and that the European Medical Agency would decide whether the vaccine will remain approved for use.

French President Emmanuel Macron says France is suspending use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine out of precaution.

This comes following four cases in Norway in which people developed blood clots after receiving their AstraZeneca vaccine.

However, the number of people reporting clots so far do not exceed what would have occurred naturally in the vaccinated population. More than 11m doses have been administered in the UK and it has not reported any higher than normal rate of blood clots.

Similarly, AstraZeneca has said there is no cause for concern with its vaccine and that there were fewer reported thrombosis cases in those who received the shot than in the general population.

This morning, the health ministry told Reuters that they would continue to use the AstraZeneca vaccine.

However, Germany has now joined several other countries, including Ireland, in temporarily suspending its use.
By Arthur I. Cyr





"We must formulate and put forward for other nations a much more positive and constructive picture  than we have put forward in the past." This is from the famous "Long Telegram" sent from Moscow to Washington by diplomat George F. Kennan in early 1946.



This year marks the 75th anniversary of that event. Kennan's advocacy of a "containment" policy toward the Soviet Union had profound impact on the Truman and successor administrations.



The alliance against Nazi Germany, vital to victory in World War II, collapsed soon thereafter. Soviet leaders' efforts to force Britain, France and the United States out of Berlin sparked four decades of Cold War. The Korean War made the conflict global.



The Cold War was essentially rooted in different conceptions of society and relations between nations. The Soviet Communist Party was a passing political machine. More profound is enduring Russian insecurity and fear of invasion.



Kennan was among the most perceptive of the Cold War U.S. policy analysts. He focused on traditional prudent realist diplomacy, including inherently conflicting national interests.



He emphasized that Soviet and U.S. leaders contrast in experiences and outlook. Direct human experience with brutal total war informed Moscow's worldview.



The fundamentally unproductive Soviet system  if restrained  would eventually collapse. Relations with friendly nations were relatively more important.



Kennan headed the policy planning staff of the State Department during the Truman administration, when containment became formally established as the foundation of the U.S. approach to the Soviet Union. He also became a target of isolationists, nationalists and others unhappy with this approach.



John Foster Dulles, who became President Dwight Eisenhower's secretary of state, seemed to take pleasure in snubbing and sidelining Kennan. Eisenhower after his inauguration established working groups to "redefine" U.S. foreign policy. Kennan chaired one.



Kennan's group dominated discussion and analysis. Dulles in effect had to defer to Kennan. Ike, whom Fred Greenstein termed "the hidden-hand president," again provided vital leadership. Containment emerged reconfirmed.



President John Kennedy brought Kennan back into service as ambassador to Yugoslavia. Positioned at the crossroads of Cold War conflict, representing our national interests in a major breakaway East European state, he acquitted himself commendably.



In 1979, Princeton University Press published Kennan's scholarly, challenging book, "The Decline of Bismarck's European Order." After unifying Germany, Otto von Bismarck provided effective diplomatic leadership to continental Europe through managing complex alliances. His departure from office, and the mediocre leadership that followed, set the stage for World War I.



Today the European Union provides a unifying structure, while Germany has reemerged as principal leading nation on the continent. Chancellor Angela Merkel has succeeded in securing greater financial discipline within the EU, especially regarding heavily indebted nations of southern Europe. She also is adept at limiting strong domestic political pressures to abandon the leadership role, which includes underwriting the solvency of nations many Germans view as profligate.



German nationalist sentiments are subdued but still potentially potent. The success of Merkel's balancing act, leading the diverse nations of the EU while reconciling often-intense domestic political factions, is exceptionally impressive.



The EU and NATO alliance provide frameworks for nations to coordinate counter-pressures on Russia, in Ukraine and elsewhere. Within this structure, economic leverage remains key.



In our post-Cold War world, ambitious young women and men seek to emulate Kennan's policy reformation. Instead, we should refine and update his insights.





Arthur I. Cyr(acyr@carthage.edu) is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of "After the Cold War" (NYU and Palgrave Macmillan).




The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost.
New Delhi: India will propose a law banning cryptocurrencies, fining anyone trading in the country or even holding such digital assets, a senior government official told Reuters in a potential blow to millions of investors piling into the red-hot asset class.

The bill, one of the world's strictest policies against cryptocurrencies, would criminalise possession, issuance, mining, trading and transferring crypto-assets, said the official, who has direct knowledge of the plan.

The measure is in line with a January government agenda that called for banning private virtual currencies such as bitcoin while building a framework for an official digital currency. But recent government comments had raised investors hopes that the authorities might go easier on the booming market.

Instead, the bill would give holders of cryptocurrencies up to six months to liquidate, after which penalties will be levied, said the official, who asked not to be named as the contents of the bill are not public.

Officials are confident of getting the bill enacted into law as Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s government holds a comfortable majority in parliament.

If the ban becomes law, India would be the first major economy to make holding cryptocurrency illegal. Even China, which has banned mining and trading, does not penalise possession.

The Finance Ministry did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Bitcoin, the world`s biggest cryptocurrency, hit a record high $60,000 on Saturday, nearly doubling in value this year as its acceptance for payments has increased with support from such high-profile backers as Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk.

In India, despite government threats of a ban, transaction volumes are swelling and 8 million investors now hold 100 billion rupees ($1.4 billion) in crypto-investments, according to industry estimates. No official data is available.

"The money is multiplying rapidly every month and you don't want to be sitting on the sidelines," said Sumnesh Salodkar, a crypto-investor. "Even though people are panicking due to the potential ban, greed is driving these choices."

User registrations and money inflows at local crypto-exchange Bitcoins are up 30-fold from a year ago, said Gaurav Dahake, its chief executive. Unocoin, one of India`s oldest exchanges, added 20,000 users in January and February, despite worries of a ban.

ZebPay "did as much volume per day in February 2021 as we did in all of February 2020," said Vikram Rangala, the exchange`s chief marketing officer.

Top Indian officials have called cryptocurrency a "Ponzi scheme", but Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman this month eased some investor concerns.

"I can only give you this clue that we are not closing our minds, we are looking at ways in which experiments can happen in the digital world and cryptocurrency," she told CNBC-TV18. "There will be a very calibrated position taken."

The senior official told Reuters, however, that the plan is to ban private crypto-assets while promoting blockchain - a secure database technology that is the backbone for virtual currencies but also a system that experts say could revolutionise international transactions.

"We don`t have a problem with technology. There`s no harm in harnessing the technology," said the official, adding the government`s moves would be "calibrated" in the extent of the penalties on those who did not liquidate crypto-assets within the law`s grace period.

A government panel in 2019 recommended jail of up to 10 years on people who mine, generate, hold, sell, transfer, dispose of, issue or deal in cryptocurrencies.

The official declined to say whether the new bill includes jail terms as well as fines, or offer further details but said the discussions were in their final stages.

In March 2020, India`s Supreme Court struck down a 2018 order by the central bank forbidding banks from dealing in cryptocurrencies, prompting investors to pile into the market. The court ordered the government to take a position and draft a law on the matter.

The Reserve Bank of India voiced its concern again last month, citing what it said were risks to financial stability from cryptocurrencies. At the same time, the central bank has been working on launching its own digital currency, a step the government`s bill will also encourage, said the official.

Despite the market euphoria, investors are aware that the boom could be in danger.

"If the ban is official we have to comply," Naimish Sanghvi, who started betting on digital currencies in the last year, told Reuters, referring to existing concerns about a potential ban. "Until then, I`d rather stack up and run with the market than panic and sell."

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Madhya Pradesh govt advises week-long quarantine to passengers from Maharashtra

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pti-Deepika S

Bhopal, Mar 15: In view of a spike in COVID-19 cases, the Madhya Pradesh government has issued new guidelines and said people coming to districts which share border with Maharashtra should be identified and advised a week-long quarantine.

Madhya Pradesh''s eight districts - Chhindwara, Balaghat, Betul, Seoni, Khandwa, Barwani, Khargone and Burhanpur - shared border with Maharashtra.

"Passengers coming to the border districts from Maharashtra should be identified and they should be advised a week-long necessary quarantine. This provision should be publicised widely," as per the guidelines issued by MP''s Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Dr Rajesh Rajora on Sunday evening.

The state government also directed for 50 per cent attendance (maximum 200 people) in closed halls during any programme by following protocols in the districts bordering Maharashtra as well as in the MP capital Bhopal and industrial hub Indore.

Coronavirus jumped from bats to humans with 'very little change', say scientists

The COVID-19 prevention protocols should be widely publicised in districts like Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Ratlam, Gwalior, Balaghat, Seoni, Betul, Chhindwara, Khandwa, Khargone, Barwani, Burhanpur and Ujjain, where a spurt in fresh cases was reported, the order said.

Thermal screening should be compulsorily done of people coming to Madhya Pradesh''s districts which share their border with Maharashtra, it said.

The government directed people to observe social distancing by creating boundary with the help of ropes and drawing circles in front of shops, and to compulsorily wear masks as a precautionary measure.

It also directed district crisis management committees to hold meetings and review the situation to check the spurt in COVID-19 cases.

Madhya Pradesh on Sunday reported 743 fresh cases of coronavirus, raising the infection count to 2,68,594.

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The state has so far reported 3,887 deaths due to COVID-19, as per official figures.

Maharashtra on Sunday recorded this year''s highest one-day spike of 16,620 new COVID-19 cases, pushed the state''s overall caseload to 23,14,413, according to the state health department.
Vatican says Catholic Church can't bless same-sex marriage: God 'cannot bless sin

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The Vatican released a statement Monday announcing that churches have no power to bless same-sex marriage since God cannot bless sin, which clarifies Pope Francis stance on same-sex unions.

The Vaticans Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a formal response to a question about whether Catholic churches have the power to bless same-sex unions. The question comes when plans and proposals for blessings of unions of persons of the same sex are being advanced in some ecclesial contexts.

 It is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage , the Vatican statement reads.

As is the case of the unions between persons of the same sex. The presence in such relationships of positive elements, which are in themselves to be valued and appreciated, cannot justify these relationships and render them legitimate objects of an ecclesial blessing, since the positive elements exist within the context of a union not ordered to the Creators plan.

In a Monday interview with The Christian Post, Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, which claims to be the nations largest Catholic civil rights organization, said the statement was very much welcomed because it removed doubt about the Vaticans position on this topic.

This [decision] finishes it, Donohue said. Theres nothing left to discuss. Its non-negotiable. The Vatican left nothing on the table with these people pushing this agenda. It made it very clear that the Church can bless homosexuals as individuals, but it will never ever bless homosexual unions, never mind gay marriage.

Same-sex marriage cant be considered lawful in the Church because there are no grounds to consider it even remotely analogous to Gods plan for marriage and family, the statement written by Cardinal Luis Ladaria, a Spanish Jesuit, shared.

The Vaticans statement comes after Pope Francis said during a documentary interview last October that he believes civil union laws should be created to legally cover same-sex couples in the civil sphere.

Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it, the pope said.

Donohue said this was an awkwardly-phrased statement by the pope. But while some Catholics have urged Pope Francis to bless gay marriage in the past, the statement released today settles his position on same-sex unions.

Donohue said the statement came from the top doctrinal office of the Catholic Church and would not be released without receiving the Popes blessing.

I was actually struck by the fact that it was so definitive, Donohue said. They really slammed the door shut on this issue. And I think its welcome because some Catholics and non-Catholics say, Well, where is the Church on this issue? It seems to be bending toward their way. And now, I think this will put an end to it. And if people who are Catholic dont like it, well, they are going to have to change their status then.

In its statement, the Vatican said that the unlawful blessing of same-sex unions is not a form of unjust discrimination, but rather a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite and of the very nature of the sacramentals, as the Church understands them.

The Vaticans response said the Christian community and pastors should welcome with respect and sensitivity persons with homosexual inclination and find appropriate ways to proclaim to them the Gospel in its fullness.

But [God] does not and cannot bless sin: he blesses sinful man, so that he may recognize that he is part of his plan of love and allow himself to be changed by him. He in fact takes us as we are, but never leaves us as we are, the statement added.

The Catholic Churchs stance goes beyond gay marriage since it will not bless any union against Gods design of marriage, Donohue concluded.

We can take it a step further, he shared. The Church will never bless cohabitation. This is not just with homosexuals. There are guys and gals who live together outside of marriage, and the Church does not recognize that. This is not strictly about homosexuals, although they are the ones who are pushing for it, obviously. But it would apply to any union that is outside of [licit marriage].
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In this Monday, March 8, 2021 file photo a health worker shows the media how she prepares a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine to be administered to a patient at a vaccination center set up in front of Rome's Termini central station. Nearly a dozen countries including Germany, France and Italy temporarily suspended their use of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine after reports last week that some people in Denmark and Norway who got a dose developed blood clots, even though there's no evidence that the shot was responsible. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File)

A cascading number of European countriesincluding Germany, France, Italy and Spainsuspended use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine Monday over reports of dangerous blood clots in some recipients, though the company and international regulators say there is no evidence the shot is to blame.

AstraZeneca's formula is just one of three vaccines in use on the continent. But the escalating concern is another setback for the European Union's vaccination drive, which has been plagued by shortages and other hurdles and is lagging well behind the campaigns in Britain and the U.S.

The EU's drug regulatory agency called a meeting for Thursday to review experts' findings on the AstraZeneca shot and decide whether action needs to be taken.

The furor comes as much of Europe is tightening restrictions on schools and businesses amid surging cases of COVID-19.

Germany's health minister said the decision to suspend AstraZeneca shots was taken on the advice of the country's vaccine regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, which called for further investigation into seven cases of clots in the brains of people who had been vaccinated.

"Today's decision is a purely precautionary measure," Jens Spahn said.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country will likewise suspend shots until at least Tuesday afternoon. Italy's drug regulator also announced a temporary ban, as did Spain, Portugal and Slovenia.

A box of AstraZeneca vaccine is pictured in a pharmacy in Boulogne Billancourt, outside Paris, Monday, March 15, 2021. Germany, France and Italy on Monday became the latest countries to suspend use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine over reports of dangerous blood clots in some recipients. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Other countries that have taken similar action over the past few days include Denmark, the first to do so, as well as Ireland, Thailand, the Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, Congo and Bulgaria. Canada and Britain are standing by the vaccine for now.

In the coming weeks, AstraZeneca is expected to apply for U.S. authorization of its vaccine. The U.S. now relies on Pfizer's, Moderna's and Johnson & Johnson's vaccines.

AstraZeneca said there have been 37 reports of blood clots out of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the 27-country EU and Britain. The drugmaker said there is no evidence the vaccine carries an increased risk of clots.

In fact, it said the incidence of clots is much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size and is similar to that of other licensed COVID-19 vaccines.

The World Health Organization and the EU's European Medicines Agency have also said that the data does not suggest the vaccine caused the clots and that people should continue to be immunized.

"Many thousands of people develop blood clots annually in the EU for different reasons," the European Medicines Agency said. The incidence in vaccinated people "seems not to be higher than that seen in the general population."

The agency said that while the investigation is going on, "the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing COVID-19, with its associated risk of hospitalization and death, outweigh the risks of side effects."

Jens Spahn, Federal Minister of Health, speaks at a press conference where he informed on the suspension of AstraZeneca's Corona vaccine at a press conference in Berlin, Germany, Monday, March 15, 2021. The German government says it is suspending use of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine over fresh reports of dangerous blood clots in connection with the shot. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)

Blood clots can travel through the body and cause heart attacks, strokes and deadly blockages in the lungs. AstraZeneca reported 15 cases of deep vein thrombosis, or a type of clot that often develops in the legs, and 22 instances of pulmonary embolisms, or clots in the lungs.

The AstraZeneca shot has become a key tool in European countries' efforts to boost their sluggish vaccine rollouts. It is also pillar of a U.N.-backed project known as COVAX that aims to supply COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries. That program continues unaffected by the European suspension.

Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines are also used on the European continent, and J&J's one-shot vaccine has been authorized but not yet delivered.

Dr. Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton in England, said there is no data yet to justify suspending the AstraZeneca vaccine and called the decision "baffling."

"Halting a vaccine rollout during a pandemic has consequences," Head said. "This results in delays in protecting people, and the potential for increased vaccine hesitancy, as a result of people who have seen the headlines and understandably become concerned."

Spahn, the German health minister, said of the decision to stop using the AstraZeneca vaccine: "The most important thing for confidence is transparency." He said both first and second doses would be suspended.

Germany has received slightly over 3 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and about half of those have so far been administered, compared with almost 7 million of the Pfizer shot and about 285,000 from Moderna.

In this Feb. 8, 2021 file photo, signs indicate the direction to follow to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine or the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at the South Ile-de-France Hospital Group in Melun, in the outskirts of Paris. Nearly a dozen countries including Germany, France and Italy temporarily suspended their use of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine after reports last week that some people in Denmark and Norway who got a dose developed blood clots, even though there's no evidence that the shot was responsible. (Thomas Samson/Pool via AP, File)

German authorities have encouraged anyone who feels increasingly ill more than four days after receiving the shotfor example, with persistent headaches or dot-shaped bruisesto seek medical attention.

The head of the Spanish Medicines Agency, Maria Jesus Lamas, said Spain detected its first case of clots on Saturday. She said the ban was "not an easy decision" because it further slows the nation's vaccination campaign, but it was the "most prudent" approach.

Almost 940,000 people in Spain have received the AstraZeneca shot.

Some European countries, meanwhile, have begun reimposing restrictions in a bid to beat back a resurgence in infections, many of them from variants of the original virus.

In Italy, 80% of children nationwide couldn't attend classes after stricter rules in more regions took effect on Monday. In Poland, bolstered restrictions were applied to two more regions, including Warsaw. Paris could go into lockdown in a matter of days because intensive care units are getting swamped with COVID-19 patients.

And calls are growing in Germany to " pull the emergency brake" in regions where cases are rising.

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.
A North Alabama teacher is facing charges over alleged sexual contact with a student.

Jerry Jordan Benford, 28, a science teacher at Phil Campbell High School, was arrested Sunday night. He is charged with being a school employee having sexual contact with a student under the age of 19.

According to the Franklin County Sheriffs Office, Benford was released on bond today.

Franklin County Board of Education Superintendent Greg Hamilton told WHNT Benford was placed on leave during a specially called board meeting Monday morning.
A Presbyterian minister has been praised for her powerful and deeply moving tribute to Sarah Everard after breaking down live on air while reflecting on women's safety.

Rev Cheryl Meban, a Presbyterian Chaplain at Ulster University, was overcome with emotion as she delivered her Thought for the Day on Monday morning's Good Morning Ulster on BBC Radio Ulster.

Rev Meban began by saying that she had spent "a huge chunk of Mother's Day" yesterday trying to find words that would be fit for broadcast.

"Like many people, I am sickened by the murder of Sarah Everard and heartbroken for her devastated family and friends," she said.

The 33-year-old went missing while walking home from a friends flat in south London on March 3, and her body was found on March 10.

Serving police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, has been charged with Ms Everards kidnap and murder.

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Rev Meban began her Thought for the Day segment by addressing the wider issue of violence against women.

"We're not angry about women's safety, we're angry about men violating and threatening women. We're angry because every murder heightens our own fear."

Fighting back tears, she added: "We're angry that we feel nervous of cars that slow down near us, angry that we have to calculate whether we are safe to walk through the local park or go the long way round.

"Now if you think I'm overreacting and silly, maybe it hasn't happened to you. Of course I have learned not to let these things rule me - I'm amazed at myself crying at the moment - but these things still cross my mind, all the time.

"Do men have to think about these things? Probably, if they have been assaulted, but they won't tell because it feels shameful and stupid. Women, we live with this because we're women.

"We are blamed for what we wear. We're blamed for where we go and what we do, Shamed for being afraid and we're shamed for blaming men and I know it's not all men.

"The best men learn to own their feelings. They don't project on to women as their scapegoats. The worst seek dominance, control over anyone they deem inferior, male or female, physically or otherwise."

.@cherylmeban @BBCgmu A very powerful Thought For The Day from Cheryl this morning: and one that everyone should reflect on. Iam almost ashamed to say Iave never fully realised just how many women have to live with such a sense of fear in their everyday lives.  Alex.Kane (@AlexKane221b) March 15, 2021

A crowd gathered at Clapham Common on Saturday night to remember Sarah Everard but scuffles broke out as Metropolitan Police surrounded a bandstand covered in flowers left in tribute.

Male officers could be seen grabbing hold of several women before leading them away in handcuffs, to shouts and screams from onlookers.

Rev Meban added: "I'm haunted by the image of a woman at a protest against violence against women, held on the ground, handcuffed. The image will linger for a long time."

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When asked afterwards by presenter Sarah Brett if she felt the events surrounding Sarah Everard marked a turning point for women like her to speak out, she replied: "No to be honest I feel like this is a news cycle and it will go away and we'll just carry on as ever."

Many also took to Twitter afterwards to praise Rev Meban for speaking out.

Incredibly powerful #ThoughtForTheDay from @cherylmeban on @BBCgmu - thank you for your vulnerability & honesty.



You spoke for me this morning (and many others, I suspect) about something I too often remain silent on, out of both fear & shame.



You tears are shared my many   Lindsay Robinson (@Robinson_Linds) March 15, 2021

If u do one thing today please listen to @cherylmeban thought for the day on @BBCgmu @BBCSounds around 7:25am really powerful and deeply moving - Thanku Cheryl for all that u said and how u said it - vitally important timely words. So much needs to change.  John Wonnacott (@jonwonn) March 15, 2021
Iran on Monday urged Britain not to politicise the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, an Iranian-British woman held in Iran since 2016, who faced new charges in a new trial in Tehran on Sunday.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told journalists at a briefing that her case is a legal matter that should run its course.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe reappeared in a Tehran court on Sunday to face accusations of spreading propaganda after completing her full five-year prison sentence on widely refuted spying charges.

She remains in limbo in Iran awaiting the verdict, unable to fly home to London.

Iranian authorities had introduced the new indictment months ago, but adjourned the trial until Zaghari-Ratcliffe completed her sentence last week.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab denounced the new case against Zaghari-Ratcliffe as wholly arbitrary, adding that she must be allowed to return to her family in the UK without delay.

The latest twist in Zaghari-Ratcliffe's case comes as Britain and Iran negotiate a long-running dispute over a debt of some 400 million pounds ($530 million) owed to Tehran by London.

Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the late Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi paid the sum for Chieftain tanks that were never delivered.

Authorities in London and Tehran deny that Zaghari-Ratcliffes case is linked to the repayment deal for the non-delivery of tanks.

Also during Monday's news conference, Khatibzadeh accused Israel of being behind an attack on an Iranian cargo ship in the Mediterranean Sea last week.

Iran's state TV reported on Friday that an Iranian cargo vessel was targeted on Wednesday in a "terrorist attack".

The report said there were no casualties in the explosion.

It quoted the spokesman for the state shipping line as saying that Wednesday's attack damaged Shahr-e Kord, a commercial vessel traveling to Europe.

An "explosives device" damaged the hull of the ship and set off a small fire that was quickly extinguished.

Earlier this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of attacking an Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf of Oman in February, a mysterious explosion that further spiked security concerns in the region.

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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday asserted that over 45.82 lakh people from around 98 countries have returned to India under the Vande Bharat Mission. This assertion came from Jaishankar while briefing both the house of the Parliament about the welfare of Indian, Non-Residential Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) abroad.

Elaborating on the subject, Jaishankar said, "The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has been deeply committed to the welfare and protection of Indians abroad, but the welfare of the students studying abroad has particularly been the reason of concern for the government amid COVID-19."

Crediting PM Modi for the Vande Bharat Mission, he said, "Under the aegis of the Vande Bharat Mission, a total of 45,82,043 people from 98 countries have returned to India, a vast majority of which have come through flights, though there were some who came by ships and across the land crossing,"

"Kerala received the maximum returnees, followed by Delhi, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu," he added while stating that the maximum number of stranded Indians were from UAE, followed by Saudi Arabia, the USA and Qatar. Expressing gratitude, he said that the largest repatriation exercise in the history of the world would not have been possible without the cooperation of the partner governments.

He also took the opportunity to talk about those people who were stranded in India. Supporting his arguments with figures, he said, "Around 1.1 lakh foreign passport holders have been sent back from India to 120 countries, many of who were NRIs and PIOs."

Jaishankar on Govt's next goal

Jaishankar on Monday informed the Parliament that the focus of the government has now shifted to sending Indians back to their usual places of work, study and domicile through air transport bubbles, which are temporary arrangements for commercial passenger services until the resumption of regular international flights have been concluded.

"Such arrangements have been concluded with 27 nations so far. The Air India group alone has operated more than 9,500 flights, taking 10.9 lakh passengers abroad, of which the largest numbers have been sent to the gulf," he said while highlighting that PM Modi's guidelines to take care of both lives and livelihood has been the basis of the diplomatic activities abroad.

Touching upon other issues, he said, "We have been active in urging our partner governments to look sympathetically at the employment of our citizens as they chart their own recovery pathway." He highlighted that the Gulf has been the focal point of the endeavours.

"Under the directions of PM Modi, I have travelled even during the pandemic to UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman to discuss the welfare of our people with the government," he said.

Talking about the economic and social disruption that impacted the gulf, he said, "We have been in regular touch with most community organisations and get their feedback on both the health situation and economic recovery. We are aware that there are problems of compensation, re-employment and re-skilling that need solutions, and these our today the core of our agenda with our partner governments."

(Inputs from ANI)
Gordon Ramsay has upset the residents of a Scottish town after branding the area a 's***hole' on television.

The 54-year-old chef, who was born in Renfrewshire, referred to the town of Falkirk as a 's***hole' on an episode of his new BBC One quiz Bank Balance.

The Provost of Falkirk is now demanding an apology from the chef over his 'disgraceful, foul-mouthed statement.'

Provost William Buchanan said locals were 'extremely angry and upset', adding: 'How dare you castigate Falkirk in front of millions of people on television?'

Gordon Ramsay called the town a 's***hole' on an episode of his new BBC One quiz Bank Balance

When a contestant referred to Falkirk as one of the 'five cities in Scotland', Ramsay replied: 'I was born in Scotland. Falkirk is not a city. It's a s***hole, I swear to God.' Pictured, Falkirk town centre

The BBC show kicked off at the end of February and sees two teams of contestants answer questions in an attempt to accrue gold bars, which are balanced on a see-saw, in the hope of winning a jackpot 100,000.

When a contestant referred to Falkirk as one of the 'five cities in Scotland', Ramsay replied: 'I was born in Scotland. Falkirk is not a city. It's a s***hole, I swear to God.'

But his comments sparked outrage among locals.

The Provost of Falkirk William Buchanan has now written to Mr Ramsay demanding an apology.

Mr Buchanan made a formal complaint to the BBC and said he wants Gordon Ramsay to apologise on screen for the comment he made about Falkirk.

Mr Buchanan wrote: 'The people of this district, including myself as their Provost, are extremely angry and upset at your disgraceful, foul-mouthed statement on national television...where you slated our wonderful, historic town and called it a s***hole.

'How dare you castigate Falkirk in front of millions of people on television?

'I would ask you to give an apology for this statement which has offended so many people, not just those from the Falkirk area.

Provost William Buchanan said locals were 'extremely angry and upset', adding: 'How dare you castigate Falkirk in front of millions of people on television?'

'I have also contacted the BBC to find out if they are going to be taking any action against you and whether there will be an opportunity for you in a future programme to apologise unreservedly.'

He also reminded the celeb chef about the town's motto, 'Better meddle wi' the de'il than the Bairns o' Falkirk.'

The 72-year-old added: 'I thought his comments were disgraceful. I received a number of calls from people asking what I was going to do about it.

'I contacted the BBC on the first instance looking to get a hold of him and at the weekend I sent a letter to their HQ in Darlington as advised.

'I'm looking for an apology from the BBC and Gordon Ramsay on screen, I understand a lot of shows will be pre-recorded so an apology at the beginning or end of the show is the outcome I'm looking for.

'We live in a democratic society where everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but the way it came across on national television was shocking.

'The residents of Falkirk deserve an apology and it's incumbent for someone to address what was said. If you let remarks like this slide, how far will he go?'

The BBC has been approached for comment.
Agartala, March 15 : After Bangladesh, Tripura, which is the second largest natural rubber producing state in the country after Kerala, has exported it to Nepal, Rubber Board officials said on Monday.

Rubber Board official Arunabha Majumder said a 18 tonne rubber sheet produced in Tripura was imported by a shoe manufacturing company at Biratnagar in Nepal.

"The consignment was flagged off on Saturday and is likely to reach its destination in a week through the Bihar-Nepal border route," said Majumder, who is the General Manager of the Rubber Board promoted marketing company 'Manimalayar Rubbers Pvt. Ltd'.

Many years back Tripura had exported the natural rubber to neighbouring Bangladesh, he added.

Manimalayar Rubbers Pvt. Ltd, which has branch offices in Assam's Guwahati and Tura in Meghalaya, has been extending marketing support to the producers since 1997.

At present, Tripura is cultivating natural rubber in 85,500 hectares and produces 62,000 tonne annually. More than 1.5 lakh families are directly and indirectly associated with rubber cultivation in the north-eastern state.

According to the officials of the Tripura Industries and Commerce department, more than 90 per cent of the total rubber produced is sent outside the state, earning nearly Rs 600 crore annually as the state has no rubber-based industries.

"Transportation of rubber and rubber sheets outside the hilly north-eastern region is a big bottleneck. Ferrying of the natural rubber through Bangladesh or exporting it to the neighbouring country is not possible due to various restrictions imposed by the Bangladesh government.

"The Bangladesh government only allowed transportation of raw rubber (latex) not in the form of sheets through their country or to export. Technically, carrying or export of raw rubber is very difficult," an official of the Industries and Commerce Department told IANS.

Rubber Board officials said the seven north-eastern states cultivating rubber over 1,90,000 hectares annually produced 1,11,700 tonne natural rubber.

According to the Board officials, after Tripura, Assam is cultivating natural rubber in 58,000 hectare area and produces 31,000 tonne rubber annually, followed by Meghalaya with 17,000 hectares and producing 9,500 tonne, Nagaland's 15,000 hectares producing 6,100 tonne and Manipur's 4,200 hectares producing 2,000 tonne.

Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh also cultivate natural rubber in 4,070 hectare and 5,820 hectares and produce 1175 tonne and 880 tonne respectively.

Industry body, Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA), recently announced that it would invest Rs 1,100 crore to undertake rubber plantation over an additional 2,00,000 hectares in north-east India in the next five years.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal while participating in a recent virtual seminar thanked ATMA for agreeing to invest Rs 1,100 crore in this sector.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)
DGAP-Ad-hoc: Grand City Properties S.A. / Key word(s): Share Buyback/Real Estate

Grand City Properties S.A. resolves on share buy-back program with a volume of up to 200 million euro



15-March-2021 / 07:50 CET/CEST

Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.







NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION OR RELEASE, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE DISTRIBUTION OR RELEASE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. OTHER RESTRICTIONS ARE APPLICABLE. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICE AT THE END OF THE AD-HOC RELEASE.

Disclosure of an inside information acc. to Article 17 MAR of the Regulation (EU) No 596/2014



Grand City Properties S.A. resolves on share buy-back program with a volume of up to 200 million euro

Luxembourg, 15 March 2021 - The Board of Directors of Grand City Properties S.A. (the "Company") has resolved today on a share buy-back program. The buy-back program will be implemented by buying back shares on the stock exchange by the Company or a subsidiary of the Company. The volume of the proposed buy-back program will amount to up to 200 million euros and will be limited to a maximum of 10 million shares in the Company. The program shall start on 16 March 2021 and shall be finalized by 31 December 2021 at latest. The acquired shares in the Company may be used in accordance with the authorisation resolved by the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 24 June 2020.

Contact:

Grand City Properties S.A.

1, Avenue du Bois

L-1251 Luxemburg

T: +352 28 77 87 86

E: info@grandcity.lu

www.grandcityproperties.com

Press Contact:

Katrin Petersen

Grand City Properties S.A.

T: +49 (30) 374-381 5218

E: katrin.petersen@grandcity.lu

Disclaimer

This release may not be published, distributed or transmitted in the United States, Canada, Australia or Japan. This release is not directed to or intended for distribution to or use by, any person or entity that is a citizen or resident or located in any locality, state, country or other jurisdiction where such distribution, publication, availability or use would be contrary to law or regulation or which would require any registration or licensing within such jurisdiction.

Neither this release nor its content may be published, dispatched, distributed or disseminated to or within the United States of America, and in each case neither by means of utilization of any postal service nor by any other means or instruments of business communication between single states or foreign trade or any facilities of a national stock exchange of the United States of America. This includes, among others, submission by fax, electronic post, telex, telephone and the internet. Copies of this release or any other documents related to this release may also not be distributed or submitted to or within the United States of America.

This announcement is for informational purposes only and constitutes neither an invitation to sell, nor an offer to purchase, securities. The final terms and further provisions regarding the public tender offer will be disclosed in the offer document. Investors and holders of securities of the Company are strongly recommended to read the offer document and all announcements in connection with the public tender offer as soon as they are published, since they will contain important information.

To the extent any announcements in this document contain forward-looking statements, such statements do not represent facts and are characterized by the words "will", expect", "believe", "estimate", "intend", "aim", "assume" or similar expressions. Such statements express the intentions, opinions or current expectations and assumptions of the Company. Such forward-looking statements are based on current plans, estimates and forecasts, which the Company has made to the best of its knowledge, but which it does not claim to be correct in the future. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and usually cannot be influenced by the Company. These expectations and forward-looking statements can turn out to be incorrect and the actual events or consequences may differ materially from those contained in or expressed by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not assume an obligation to update the forward-looking statements with respect to the actual development of incidents, basic conditions, assumptions or other factors.
Armenia economic competition protection commission: Experts forecast inflation of butter prices

Armenia citizens' protest against acting health minister is over

Pashinyan visits France, judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku, Jun. 2 digest

Armenian Ambassador, FMO representatives consider opportunities for expansion of cooperation in Armenia

Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Armenia citizens throw polyethylene bags at Health Ministry building, police apprehend protesters

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

Newspaper: What instructions did Armenia acting defense minister get in Moscow?

Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

Armenia 3rd President reacts to photos of bodies of soldiers in freezer: It felt like the blood froze in my veins

Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

Turkey's Erdogan expresses willingness to support Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral cooperation

Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

Wargonzo: Russian MOD is dealing with settlement of conflict in Armenia's Syunik Province on a daily basis

Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

Latest on scandal over improper storage of Armenian soldiers bodies, more on COVID-19, Jun. 1

Armenia Constitutional Court launches case proceedings based on President's application

Armenia acting emergency situations minister says he's concerned about situation in army

Armenia acting education, science, culture and sport minister receives ICRC Delegation

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

Armenia deputy police chief: No real cases of vote-buying reported to date

Armenia human rights activists: Nearly 10 protesters detained during protest in front of government building

Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

Yerevan court rules to conditionally release man who attempted to assassinate ex-presidential candidate

People came to power in Armenia who consistently destroyed army combat-readiness, says ex-President Kocharyan

Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

Armenia 1st President spokesperson: Ter-Petrosyan has nothing to speak with the nation-destroying plague

Armenia acting PM orders internal investigation into case of storage conditions of fallen soldiers bodies, remains

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan gives interview to Russia newspaper

Armenia acting deputy PM on unblocking of roads with Azerbaijan: There will be no troops standing there

Nikkei: Toyota and Honda stop car production in Malaysia

Armenia official on deploying international observers at Azerbaijan border: You will hear reaction on this matter soon

USAID helps UN World Food Programme support displaced people in Armenia

Armenia official: Work of trilateral working group on roads unblocking has stopped after recent incidents

Russias Putin to Armenias Pashinyan: Relations between our countries are developing very successfully


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Starting March 15, veterans of any age enrolled in health care at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston can sign up for a vaccine appointment.

The Veterans Affairs medical center is administering vaccines at its North Charleston outpatient clinic at 6450 Rivers Ave. Veterans can call 843-789-6900 to schedule a slot.

The Charleston VA expanded eligibility to its entire patient population five days after announcing only veterans age 50 and older could get vaccinated. The majority of South Carolinians became eligible on March 8 when the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control loosened rules to allow vaccines for anyone 55 and older, people with a wide array of health conditions or disabilities, and essential workers.

Meanwhile, veterans under 50 who belong to the Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia will still need to wait if they want to get a vaccine through the hospital. At the Midlands facility, eligibility is still limited to those 50 and older and patients with high-risk medical conditions.

The Charleston VA medical center has given out first vaccine doses to roughly twice the number of veterans as the Columbia VA medical center, according to federal data. As of March 15, 19,900 patients of the VA center in Charleston had received a first dose, while about 10,600 patients in the Columbia area had started their vaccine series.

Scott Isaacks, CEO of the Charleston VA hospital, said in a statement that reliable shipments  which come from the federal government and don't affect the amount the rest of the state receives  have meant the facility has not had to cancel any vaccine appointments.

Statewide numbers

New cases reported: 310 confirmed, 120 probable.

Total cases in S.C.: 455,088 confirmed, 79,100 probable.

Percent positive: 3.4 percent.

New deaths reported: 0 confirmed, 1 probable.

Total deaths in S.C.: 7,850 confirmed, 1,028 probable.

Percent of ICU beds filled: 67 percent.

How does S.C. rank in vaccines administered per 100,000 people?

Sign up for our new health newsletter The best of health, hospital and science coverage in South Carolina, delivered to your inbox weekly. Email

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42nd as of March 14, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hardest-hit areas

In the total number of newly confirmed cases, Greenville County (68), Richland County (32) and York County (28) saw the highest totals.

What about the tri-county?

Charleston County had 22 new cases on March 15, while Berkeley had eight and Dorchester had four.

Hospitalizations

Of the 590 COVID-19 patients hospitalized as of March 15, 148 were in the ICU and 61 were using ventilators.

What do experts say?

New research from the CDC released March 15 showed 88 percent of vaccine recipients got their second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines on-time in January and February. The rest either missed the second dose entirely or didn't get it on time.

The analysis only looked at patients who had enough time to get both doses within the recommended time period, which is 21 days for the Pfizer vaccine and 28 days for the Moderna vaccine.

"Although the second dose should be administered as close to the recommended interval as possible, it may be administered up to 42 days after the first dose when a delay is unavoidable," CDC researchers wrote in the brief.

The analysis also stated that providers should repurpose missed second doses as first doses in cases where the patient doesn't show up to complete their vaccination.
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Tuesday, 15th March

French HICP (MoM) (Feb) Final

Italian CPI (MoM) (Feb) Final

German ZEW Current Conditions (Mar)

German ZEW Economic Sentiment (Mar)

Eurozone ZEW Economic Sentiment (Mar)

Wednesday, 16th March

Eurozone Core CPI (YoY) (Feb) Final

Eurozone CPI (MoM) (Feb) Final

Eurozone CPI (YoY) (Feb) Final

Thursday, 17th March

Eurozone Wages in euro zone (YoY) (Q4)

Eurozone Trade Balance (Jan)

ECB LTRO

Friday, 18th March

German PPI (MoM) (Feb)

The Majors

It was a mixed end to the week for the European majors on Friday, with a jump in yields pulling the majors into the red.

The CAC40 rose by 0.21% to make it five in a row, while the DAX30 and the EuroStoxx600 ending the day down by 0.46% and by 0.26% respectively.

Economic data from the Eurozone and the U.S failed to support the majors in spite of better-than-expected numbers.

A pickup in U.S Treasury yields through the European session pinned the majors back at the end of the week.

The Stats

It was a relatively quiet day on the economic calendar on Friday. Key stats included inflation figures from Germany and Spain and Eurozone industrial production numbers.

Inflation

In February, German consumer prices rose by 0.7%, which was in line with prelim figures. Consumer prices had risen by 0.8% in the month of January.

The annual rate of inflation picked up from 1.0% to 1.3%, which was also in line with prelim figures.

According to Destatis,

Prices of goods (total) were up 1.0%, year-on-year.

Energy prices rose by 0.3% after having fallen by 2.3% in January.

Rising crude oil prices and a CO2 charge introduced in January contributed to the uptick. Motor fuel prices rose by 2.4%.

Food prices increased by 1.4%, slowing from a 2.2% rise in January.

Excluding energy, the rate of inflation would have been 1.4%.

For Spain, inflation figures were also in line with prelim. Inflation stalled in February, with the harmonized index for consumer prices falling by 0.1%, year-on-year.

Industrial Production

Story continues

Industrial production across the Eurozone rose by 0.8% in January, reversing an upwardly revised 0.1% decline from December.

According to Eurostat,

Production of durable consumer goods rose by 0.8% and non-durable consumer goods by 0.6%.

Energy and capital goods production increased both increased by 0.4%, with the production of intermediate goods rising by 0.3%.

By member state, Luxembourg (+3.8%), Greece and France (+3.4%) and Belgium (+3.1%) recorded the largest increases.

Estonia and Latvia (both -1.5%), Portugal (-1.3%), and Spain (-0.7%) registered the largest declines.

Compared with January 2020, industrial production increased by 0.1%.

From the U.S

Wholesale inflation and consumer sentiment figures were in focus late in the European session.

In February, the core producer price index rose by 0.2%, following a 1.2% increase in January. The producer price index increased by 0.5%, following a 1.3% rise in January.

Consumer sentiment was on the rise in March, according to prelim figures, however.

The Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index rose from 76.8 to 83.0, with the Expectations Index rising from 70.7 to 77.5. Both came in ahead of forecasts.

The Market Movers

For the DAX: It was a mixed day for the auto sector on Friday. Continental rose by 1.15% to buck the trend. BMW and Volkswagen fell by 0.33% and by 0.40%, with Daimler ending the day down by 0.14%.

It was a bullish day for the banks, however. Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank rose by 1.69% and by 1.73% respectively.

From the CAC, it was a bullish day for the banks. BNP Paribas and Soc Gen rose by 1.43% and by 1.78% respectively, with Credit Agricole gaining 1.03%.

It was also a bullish day for the French auto sector. Stellantis NV rose by 1.36%, with Renault ending the day with a modest 0.14% gain.

Air France-KLM and Airbus SE ended the day up by 0.23% and by 0.88% respectively.

On the VIX Index

It was a 4th consecutive day in the red for the VIX on Friday, marking a 5th day in the red from 6 sessions. Following a 2.88% fall on Thursday, the VIX declined by 5.57% to end the day at 20.69.

The NASDAQ fell by 0.59%, while the Dow and the S&P500 rose 0.90% and 0.10% respectively.

The Day Ahead

Its a particularly quiet day ahead on the European economic calendar. There are no material stats from the Eurozone to provide the majors with direction.

The lack of stats will leave the majors in the hands of economic data from China ahead of the European open and yields.

From China, industrial production, fixed asset investments, and retail sales figures will set the tone.

Late in the day, NY Empire State Manufacturing Index figures will draw attention.

Away from the economic calendar, COVID-19 lockdown news will also need considering.

The Futures

In the futures markets, at the time of writing, the Dow Mini was up by 81 points, with the DAX up by 53 points.

For a look at all of todays economic events, check out our economic calendar.

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

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Ambassador of Belarus N.Ovsyanko visits to Ecuador

On March 10-12, 2021, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Republic of Colombia and the Republic of Ecuador concurrently Nikolai Ovsyanko paid a visit to Ecuador.

On March 10th, 2021, Ambassador of Belarus N.Ovsyanko met with Undersecretary of the National Risk and Emergency Management Service of Ecuador Diego Vallejo.

During the negotiations, the technical and educational potential of Belarus in the field of countering emergency situations was presented to the Ecuadorian side. The interlocutors also discussed the modalities of signing a cooperation agreement between the ministries of Emergency Situations of Belarus and Ecuador.

In his turn, D.Vallejo expressed interest in strengthening cooperation between Belarus and Ecuador in all areas of mutual interest.

On March 11th, 2021, the Ambassador of Belarus held a number of meetings with the business circles of the city of Cuenca, representing the agricultural, industrial and educational sectors. Agreements on the development of specific areas of Belarusian-Ecuadorian cooperation were reached.

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Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 81F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
Right now fighting hottie Paige has set the social media world abuzz with her boudoir pix social media promo that shares a peek at her softer side. Similarly we check pop culture, community news and top headlines to offer a well-rounded glimpse at the discourse.



KC Irish Plan Comeback

Kansas City Irish Fest plans to return to Crown Center in 2021 KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City is returning to Crown Center in 2021. The annual event had to downsize to "smaller, Irish-themed, locally-focused community experiences" in 2020 due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. Organizers said they plan to take precautions as directed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local authorities for the event, which is scheduled for Labor Day weekend.

Latest Life Lesson

Kansas City hospitals begin push to vaccinate Missouri teachers KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Vaccinators from Truman Medical Centers and Children's Mercy Hospital say they'll be busy inoculating Missouri teachers for the next six weeks. About 500 Kansas City Public Schools teachers received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the Manual Career Tech Center as some also returned to the classrooms today.

Col. Sanders Not Chicken Amid Fight For More Vaxx

Dr. Lee Norman: Kansas can handle 5 times as much COVID-19 vaccine Kansas' top public health administrator told legislators Monday that the state could distribute five times as many COVID-19 vaccine doses as it is receiving now from the federal government.Dr. Lee Norman, head of the state health department, said the biggest issue facing Kansas in getting people inoculated is the vaccine supply.

Future Farmers Vanish

The Dream Of Owning A Farm Is Out Of Reach In The Midwest Because Of Student Loan Debt Plenty of younger people are eager to build careers in farming, but more land up for grabs won't necessarily make it easier to get started. Access to land and capital are two of the biggest hurdles facing first-generation farmers today, and some say they face an extra barrier to both - student loan debt.

Hottie Self Help Inspires

Ex-UFC beauty Paige VanZant stuns in busty selfie as she hails 'self love' FORMER UFC star Paige VanZant treated fans to a busty Instagram selfie on on Friday, along with an eyebrow raising inspirational quote. The MMA beauty, who has been teasing her next fight, told her 2.8M followers: "Self love is the greatest middle finger of all time" The fighter was dressed in a leopard bikini top.

TKC READER: USA STAYS SILLY WHILST CHINA ASCENDS!!!

Bill Maher Gives China "The Royals" Treatment On 'Real Time,' Calls Americans By Comparison "A Silly People" Bill Maher delivered again Friday night, with a blistering review of America ... a "silly country" he says, especially when compared to China. The 'Real Time' host dissected the American psyche ... a country that is now obsessed with Dr. Suess' books.

El Papa Rebukes LGBT Love

Vatican says it will not bless same-sex unions, calling homosexuality a 'sin' and a 'choice' The Vatican said Monday that the Catholic Church would not bless same-sex unions, in a statement approved by Pope Francis that threatens to widen the chasm between the church and much of the LGBTQ community.

No Break From Plague

CDC chief warns of another Covid surge as Americans travel for spring break The U.S. could still see another coronavirus surge - even as vaccinations against Covid-19 rapidly rise across the nation - as states relax restrictions and more Americans travel for spring break, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned on Monday.

O-Line Rebuild Underway

Chiefs sign offensive lineman Joe Thuney KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- The Kansas City Chiefs have signed a new offensive lineman named Joe Thuney. Thuney has played for the New England Patriots for the last few years. According to an ESPN report, the deal is for five years and worth up to $80 million.

Classic Scam Redux

Old Publishers Clearing House scam revived across Kansas City metro RAYMORE, Mo. - An old scam returns to the Kansas City area with a vengeance. Raytown police say they are taking reports about a Publishers Clearing House phone scam. People are getting phone calls claiming to be from sweepstakes employees. The scammers ask for personal information to confirm they've reached the correct winner and then [...]

Vaxx For Troops Offered

Kansas City VA Opens COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics to Walk-ins The Kansas City VA Medical Center (KCVA) is now offering walk-in COVID-19 vaccinations to enrolled veterans. According to the KCVA Medical Center Director, David Isaacks, the vaccine team has expanded vaccine availability to all veterans and made receiving a vaccination even more convenient.

Kansas City Snow Returns?!?

Joe's Weather Blog: Rockies snowstorm comes east + another snow for us? (MON-3/15) Posted: / Updated: An eventful last few days in the weather world. For us, just general rains in the region, 1-2 worth from Friday through yesterday evening. For areas out west, tremendous snows, over 27 officially in Denver. And for areas in Texas, severe storms and tornadoes.

And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
Jade Goody's widower Jack Tweed has revealed his new girlfriend is not talking to him after he paid tribute to his late wife on their 12th wedding anniversary.

The former club promoter, 33, confirmed to The Sun that he was in a relationship that is 'the most serious' he has had since Jade passed away in 2009.

Their flourishing romance has however hit a speed-bump as he told the publication that his new love interest was less than pleased when he shared a throwback from their wedding day, as she believed he should have given her warning.

Jack explained: 'She's not talking to me at the moment because I put something up on Instagram and she said I should've warned her. I would feel guilty and horrible if I didn't acknowledge the days that are special to me though.'

Pained: Jade Goody's widower Jack Tweed has revealed his new girlfriend is not talking to him after he paid tribute to his late wife on their 12th wedding anniversary

He reflected on how former loves have reacted to his widower status, saying: 'Girls have said in the past: "Well you obviously don't like me and I'm not here to be compared to Jade. So let's just call it a day."

'So, Im just sort of waiting for that to happen with this one, basically. I compare everyone to Jade and its why I cant settle down - they always dump me over it'.

On Sunday, Jack confirmed the news about his new love but admitted he will never forget his wife: 'I know it's stupid to think about 'cause I'm never gonna get what I had with Jade again and I'm never going to find Jade again...

'It's impossible. I have to get out of my head. I hope it goes well, it's early days, but I like her a lot and would like to settle down again.'

Relationship: The former club promoter, 33, confirmed to The Sun that he was in a relationship that is 'the most serious' he has had since Jade passed away in 2009

Jack was 21 when he married Jade in February 2009, just one month before her tragic death from cervical cancer aged 27.

Jack previously dated fellow Big Brother star Chanelle Hayes for three years, but now feels the relationship was a 'big mistake' as he looked at her as 'Jade's replacement'.

Jack said he desperately misses Jade's sons Bobby, 17, and Freddie, 16, who she had with Jeff Brazier and even wishes they were his children.

The former reality star feels he was seen as a 'villain' while Jeff was a 'hero' after Jade's death but said he brought Bobby and Freddie up while he was with her.

Past: Jack was 21 when he married Jade in February 2009, just one month before her tragic death from cervical cancer aged 27

Jade suffered a miscarriage just months before she discovered she had cervical cancer and Jack admitted he often wonders what his life would be like if they had had a child.

Jack said he gave 400,000 of his wedding deal with Jade to Bobby and Freddie to be used for their education and said he still speaks to them, but is not as involved in their lives as he would like.

With the 12th anniversary of Jade's passing coming up, Jack plans to pay tribute to her again.

Honest: Jack said he desperately misses Jade's sons Bobby, 17, and Freddie, 16, who she had with Jeff Brazier and even wishes they were his children (pictured in 2009)

Jack added that he can still remember their wedding day like it was yesterday and his fondest memories are of going on holidays with Jade and her sons.

Jack said he struggles to get Jade's dying moments out of his mind as he was 'by her side' until the end.

Feeling he was portrayed as a villain following her death, Jack insisted he 'never got one penny' from his wife.

He told how Jade tried to buy him a flat so she would know he was alright after she was gone but he refused, telling her agent not to send her the money for it.

Jack said he still keeps a rope necklace Jade had along with her hospital bracelet and pictures.

Opinion: The former reality star feels he was seen as a 'villain' while Jeff (pictured) was a 'hero' after Jade's death but said he brought Bobby and Freddie up while he was with her

Jack struggled to live without Jade, spending 100 a day on cannabis and going to prison after her death.

His mother tried to get him to go to counselling after her passing but Jack refused, saying he didn't know how to deal with grief at such a young age.

He eventually went on anti-depressants which he took for about seven or eight months, adding he is no longer depressed and is now 'getting there'.

Jack works as an electrician, the same job he had before he met Jade, and worked throughout lockdown.

Jack tried to get back in touch with Jade's mother Jackiey Budden last year but failed to get a number for her.

He said he worries about the grandmother, 63, and hopes she's doing alright, saying he may just go and knock on her door soon as she lives near a friend of his.
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A year ago today, Britain rallied together to mourn the death of its then-youngest Covid-19 victim - as Britons saw a glimpse of the devastation to come.

Father-of-two Nick Matthews, 59 - a retired policeman - had died one day earlier in Bristol Royal Infirmary - with his heartbroken wife describing him as her 'life partner and soul mate'.

That same day, the country's Covid death toll had increased by 14 overnight - bringing the total to 35 - with 1,372 cases since the crisis began.

Britons were starting to get a taste of the strict measures to come, with the first nation-wide lockdown not in place until Boris Johnson's stay-at-home order on March 23.

Matt Hancock said the elderly will be told to stay indoors for up to four months to stem the spread of Covid and protect the most vulnerable in society, claiming it 'is not an easy thing for people to sustain'.

There was no timeline on when the measures would be introduced, but it sparked fears about getting essential supplies such as food and medicine to the elderly.

And - in a stark warning about how serious the pandemic was quickly becoming - Mr Hancock also admitted the NHS didn't have enough ventilators for the fight against coronavirus.

But similar concerns were hardly mirrored across the pond, where then-US President Donald Trump - who was frequently blasted for his delayed and flippant responses to early signs of the pandemic - told people to 'relax'.

On March 15 - when the US death toll hit 63 and cases neared 3,500 - Trump told a White House press conference that 'we're going to be so good', adding: 'Relax, we're doing great. It all will pass.'

A timeline on when the Covid-19 crisis would 'pass' for the world was also hinted at on that day - with scientists saying a Covid-19 vaccine would be developed in around a year.

In the ten days leading up to one-year of lockdown, MailOnline has been looking back on those last days of precious freedom.

March 15, 2020: Britain mourns its youngest Covid-19 patient as death toll hits 35

Britain mourned its then-youngest Covid-19 victim, 59-year-old father-of-two Nick Matthews. The country has since beaten the grim record multiple times - including when a healthy 13-day-old baby died of the virus in June.

READ THE ORIGINAL STORY HERE

But back on March 15, it was revealed that retired policeman Matthews - who had underlying health conditions - died in Bristol Royal Infirmary one morning prior, with his heartbroken wife describing him as her 'life partner and soul mate'.

It came as the UK's Covid fatalities increased by 14 overnight - bringing the total death toll to 35.

Britain's coronavirus case total was creeping upwards too, with a further 200 positive tests bringing the total to 1,372.

March 15, 2020: Hancock says elderly will be told to stay home for four months

Matt Hancock used his March 15 appearance on the BBC's Andrew Marr show to confirm that the Government planned to tell the elderly to stay at home for up to four months to stem the spread of Covid and protect the most vulnerable in society

READ THE ORIGINAL STORY HERE

Matt Hancock used his March 15 appearance on the BBC's Andrew Marr show to confirm that the Government planned to tell the elderly to stay at home for up to four months to stem the spread of Covid and protect the most vulnerable in society.

He said 'we don't want to do that too soon because clearly it is not an easy thing for people to do, it is not an easy thing for people to sustain' - but he said he expected the stay-at-home advice to be issued 'certainly in the coming weeks absolutely'.

The admission sparked fears about how the elderly will get essential medicines and food.

And - in a stark warning about how serious the pandemic was quickly becoming - Mr Hancock also admitted the NHS didn't have enough ventilators for the fight against coronavirus.

March 15, 2020: Covid-19 vaccines for Britons are a year away, scientists warn

The UK's hugely-successful vaccine rollout began on December 8 last year - and 25.8 million jabs have been handed out since then.

But this time last year, former-chief scientific adviser Sir Mark Walport said the country is one year away from the sought-after dose - after experts warned such treatments could be slower to reach the UK after Brexit.

READ THE ORIGINAL STORY HERE

Speaking on Sophie Ridge, he said: 'Vaccines are being developed at a very fast rate so there are a number of candidates: large companies, small companies, universities all working.

'The challenge here is to make sure the vaccine is safe and it works, and unfortunately, that takes a period of time to do so realistically.

'It's very unlikely that we are going to have a vaccine for the present round of this epidemic.

'We are talking months, up to a year.'

Sir Mark added it was 'quite likely' that a large percentage of the population would get coronavirus, but many would be mild or sub-clinical.

This time last year, former-chief scientific adviser Sir Mark Walport said the country is one year away from the sought-after vaccine- after experts warned such treatments could be slower to reach the UK after Brexit

March 15, 2020: Trump tells Americans 'Relax, we're doing great' as cases rise

The former-US President's comments throughout the pandemic were blasted by critics. Some said Donald Trump's delayed and flippant responses to the country's rising case numbers contributed the US becoming the worst-hit country in the world. Pictured: The President and Vice President on March 15, 2020

The former-US President's comments throughout the pandemic were blasted by critics.

Some said Donald Trump's delayed and flippant responses to the country's rising case numbers contributed the US becoming the worst-hit country in the world.

READ THE ORIGINAL STORY HERE

On March 15 - when the US death toll hit 63 and cases neared 3,500 - Trump told a White House press conference that 'we're going to be so good', adding: 'Relax, we're doing great. It all will pass.'

He also urged people not to stockpile, adding: 'You don't have to buy so much. Take it easy. Just relax.'

Then-Vice President Mike Pence - who was leading the coronavirus task force - also assured Americans that stores would remain open indefinitely.

He said: 'As the president said, he received a commitment from those grocery executives that stores will stay open throughout the days that lie ahead.

'American families can be confident, your local grocery stores will be open, it's going to be well supplied. And they specifically asked us to encourage Americans just buy your weekly needs in grocery.

'Because the grocery stores will remain open.'

On March 15 - when the US death toll hit 63 and cases neared 3,500 - Trump (pictured) told a White House press conference that 'we're going to be so good', adding: 'Relax, we're doing great. It all will pass'

'You don't have to buy so much. Take it easy. Just relax,' he said during a briefing at the White House on March 15, 2020

He left before other members of the coronavirus task force spoke and without taking any questions from the press

March 15, 2020: Supermarkets crack down on what shoppers can purchase

Britain faced days of desperate panic buying as shoppers - fearing the imminent UK-wide lockdown - stockpiled essential goods.

READ THE ORIGINAL STORY HERE

But supermarkets also began to crack down on what could be purchased after shelves of loo rolls, long-life milk and pasta were stripped bare.

Sainsbury's - which then had a five-product limit on certain items - emailed millions of its customers to urge them not to stockpile and insisted there were enough supplies of food and essential items for 'everyone'.

Tesco - Britain's biggest supermarket - rationed the sale of anti-bacterial products, dried pasta, tinned vegetables, toilet paper and tissues to five packs at a time starting online on the 15th and in stores one day prior.

Waitrose introduced a limit to products - including hand sanitizer - that can be bought online. In Boots, bottles of children's paracetamol Calpol were being sold at only one at a time.

Britain faced days of desperate panic buying as shoppers - fearing the imminent UK-wide lockdown - stockpiled essential goods. Pictured: Two men with trolleys full of goods outside a Costco store in Manchester

Panic-buying customers formed huge queues in an Aldi supermarket in Liverpool last year as they stocked up on goods

March 15, 2020: Concerns for 300,000 zero-hours workers in lockdown

READ THE ORIGINAL STORY HERE

In the days before the furlough scheme was introduced, concerns were raised by the UK's trade union federation on what would happen to 300,000 zero-hours workers should a lockdown begin.

There was no national lockdown in place at the time - with coronavirus self-isolation the only measure put in place to keep sick people with symptoms at home.

Delivery drivers, bar staff, shop workers, and those employed in the hospitality and leisure sectors were feared to feel the hardest hit by the potential lockdown - as working from home was not an option.

Frances O'Grady - General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress - urged the Government to 'protect working people's jobs and livelihoods'.

March 15, 2020: Queen, then-93, attends solo church service in Windsor

The Queen put on a defiant display as she attended Sunday church service alone in Windsor on the day Mr Hancock confirmed the Government would tell the elderly to stay at home for up to four months

The then-93-year-old Monarch - who became a steadfast figure of resilience as the pandemic escalated - opted for a glamorous green ensemble as she was seen in the back of a car leaving All Saints Church after the service

READ THE ORIGINAL STORY HERE

The Queen put on a defiant display as she attended Sunday church service alone in Windsor on the day Mr Hancock confirmed the Government would tell the elderly to stay at home for up to four months.

The then-93-year-old Monarch opted for a glamorous green ensemble as she was seen in the back of a car leaving All Saints Church after the service.

The Queen became a steadfast figure of resilience as the pandemic escalated.

She issued a rallying address to the nation on the challenges lockdown brought in April.

March 15, 2020: Art thieves steal three historic paintings worth 'millions of pounds'

READ THE ORIGINAL STORY HERE

Three historic paintings thought to be worth millions of pounds vanished from an art gallery after an overnight heist, it was revealed on March 15.

Audacious burglars stole the paintings - one of which dates back to 1616 - from an art gallery in St Aldates, Oxford on the Saturday night - with Thames Valley Police issuing an appeal on Sunday.

Thieves broke into the renowned Christ Church Picture Gallery at 11pm on March 14.

Detectives established three paintings were taken, including the irreplaceable A Soldier on Horseback.

Painted by Anthony Van Dyck in 1616, the work is thought to be worth more than 1million.

Anthony Van Dyck's 1616 painting A Soldier on Horseback is thought to be worth more than 1million. It was one of three historic paintings stolen from Christ Church Picture Gallery in Oxford in an overnight heist on March 14

Audacious burglars who stole the paintings, one of which dates back to 1616, from an art gallery in St Aldates, Oxford on the Saturday night - with Thames Valley Police issuing an appeal on Sunday. A Boy Drinking by Annibale Caracci was the oldest painting to be stolen out of the three

March 15, 2020: Viewers get a sneak peak of The Crown season 4 with Emma Corrin

READ THE ORIGINAL STORY HERE

Pictures released on March 15 showed Emma Corrin playing Princess Diana in The Crown - in a sneak peak of the series that wasn't released until November 15.

The actress was spotted in London on the 14th stepping off a Concorde - with British Airways emblazoned across the side of it - waving to onlookers.

The scenes were thought to be a replication of when Princess Diana returned to the UK from Vienna in 1986 - wearing a similar electric blue ensemble.

Pictures released on March 15 showed Emma Corrin playing Princess Diana in The Crown - in a sneak peak of the series that wasn't released until November 15. The actress was spotted in London on Saturday stepping off a Concorde - with British Airways emblazoned across the side of it - waving to onlookers

March 15, 2020: No 10 announces daily press conferences in coronavirus battle

Downing Street confirmed on March 15 that Boris Johnson - or one of his senior ministers - will hold daily press conferences to update the public on the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

It came ahead of the first daily briefing on March 16, when the Prime Minister addressed the media over the pandemic alongside chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance.

The first briefing came after the PM chaired a Cobra committee meeting.

March 15, 2020: And meanwhile, elsewhere in the world...

Pope Francis walks through Rome's deserted streets and delivers blessing above an empty square

Pope Francis defied Italian government advice to stay indoors and walked to church through Rome's deserted streets to pray for the end of coronavirus on March 15, 2020

Pope Francis defied Italian government advice to stay indoors and walked to church through Rome's deserted streets to pray for the end of coronavirus on March 15.

READ THE ORIGINAL STORY HERE

The Catholic leader had earlier delivered a blessing from his balcony window above an eerily empty St Peter's Square - which was closed to worshippers as part of the country's sweeping lockdown.

Francis then left the Vatican to visit two churches in the Italian capital, first praying in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore before strolling down the usually bustling Via del Corso.

He headed to the St Marcello al Corso, which poignantly hosts a crucifix carried in a 1522 procession in Rome when the city was stricken with plague.

Flanked by his security detail, the 83-year-old pope decided to walk through the streets 'as if on a pilgrimage,' Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.

The Catholic leader had earlier delivered a blessing from his balcony window (pictured) above an eerily empty St Peter's Square - which was closed to worshippers as part of the country's sweeping lockdown

Flanked by his security detail, Francis strolls down the usually bustling Via del Corso in Rome 'as if on a pilgrimage,' the Vatican said

British passengers on the Queen Mary 2 are told they need to disembark in Australia during a cruise

READ THE ORIGINAL STORY HERE

A British couple had to leave their 99-day 68,000 cruise on the Queen Mary 2 early amid the coronavirus crisis - even though no-one on board caught the deadly bug.

Dave and his wife Helen, from Bletchley Heath, Kent, departed from Southampton for Australia on the 10th of January.

The journey - to celebrate their 70th birthdays - was cancelled due to coronavirus fears.

They sailed to Fremantle, in Western Australia, where organisers told them they would have to leave the ship immediately and fly home - even though no-one on board was diagnosed with the bug which had then infected more than 150,000 and killed 5,000 worldwide.

Those who are medically unable to fly and have obtained a doctors' note to prove it were able to stay onboard the ship to be sailed home.

A British couple had to leave their 99-day 68,000 cruise on the Queen Mary 2 (pictured) early amid the coronavirus crisis - even though no-one on board caught the deadly bug

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio considers locking down NYC amid soaring Covid cases

READ THE ORIGINAL STORY HERE

Bill de Blasio said he wouldn't ruling out quarantining New York City as cases of coronavirus in the most populous US city skyrocketed.

He said 'every option is on the table in a crisis' adding: 'We've never seen anything like this.'

'It's changing every hour so we're going to constantly make new decisions,' de Blasio said, adding he expected the case tally in the city to rise to 1,000 in the next few days.

De Blasio claimed New York City is far worse off and 'so far behind' because of federal government failures and delays.

'We need the federal government to take over the supply change right now,' he said.

'Right now we have to make sure the places in this country that need more ventilators, surgical masks, they need hand sanitizers, that that is a federalized dynamic where those factories that produce those goods are put on 24/7 shifts.'

Bill de Blasio (pictured) said he wouldn't ruling out quarantining New York City as cases of coronavirus in the most populous US city skyrocketed

... and The Weekend is still at No1 with Blinding Lights

Blinding Lights by The Weekend closed out its second consecutive week at No1 - and would go on to another week at the top spot the week after.

It first reached No1 in early February, but was briefly knocked off by Billie Eilish's No Time To Die, the theme song to the next James Bond movie - which still has not been released because of the pandemic.
An accomplished international operator, Mr. Lebbadi led the medical division for Johnson & Johnson and has successfully scaled several high-growth companies

VANCOUVER, BC, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Mind Cure Health Inc. (CSE: MCUR) (OTCQB: MCURF) (FRA: 6MH) ("MINDCURE" or the "Company") a leader in advanced proprietary technology for psychedelic therapy, is pleased to announce that it has named Tarik Lebbadi as the Company's new Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Lebbadi steps in to assume the role previously held by President & CEO Kelsey Ramsden. He is an accomplished international executive and operator with extensive experience in healthcare and technology, having served in a leadership position at Johnson & Johnson and at several high-growth technology companies. Most recently, he served in a strategic operational capacity at Aurora Cannabis through the industry's legalization.

"I am thrilled to welcome Tarik to MINDCURE today," said Kelsey Ramsden, President & CEO, MINDCURE. "With his diverse and relevant operational experience, he is the right leader to step in and drive our commercial team forward. His specific experience with Johnson & Johnson gives him an understanding of healthcare and the pace at which it operates, and he has significant hands-on experience with high-growth teams as well."

Mr. Lebbadi began his career as a software engineer and has extensive operational experience with technology platforms. "Tarik's specific software and technology experience will also be invaluable, both as an engineer and operator," continued Mrs. Ramsden. "His experience with Johnson & Johnson aligns with MINDCURE's strategy to be an integrated provider, from drug discovery through production and therapeutic support, with iSTRYM. His ability to drive strategy and execution across the board is a rare asset and one we are thrilled to have on our team."

"I could not be more excited to join the MINDCURE team today," said Tarik Lebbadi, COO, MINDCURE. "The company has an impressive vision and strategy in place, and I look forward to providing the commercial direction alongside Mrs. Ramsden. I have operated companies through all growth stages, from start-ups in technology to healthcare, and most recently in the cannabis industry through legalization. I believe that leading MINDCURE successfully will require lessons learned from all three, with our focus on proprietary technology, the importance of trust and science within healthcare, and establishing a culture of efficiency, focus, and compliance through growth and legalization. Perhaps most importantly, I am a passionate advocate of psychedelic medicines and believe in their potential to transform mental health care."

About Tarik Lebbadi:

An accomplished executive within the healthcare and technology sectors, Mr. Lebbadi has over 13 years of international operational experience. He started his career as a software engineer but then moved to the business world to lead the medical division of Johnson & Johnson in Morocco. He later found a passion for scaling and structuring rapidly growing companies, and his most recent experience was in a strategic operational capacity at Aurora Cannabis through the industry's legalization.

He holds a BA in Mathematics and Computer Science from Ripon College and an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain.

About Mind Cure Health (MINDCURE) Inc.

MINDCURE exists as a response to the current mental health crisis and urgent calls for effective treatments. MINDCURE believes in the need to reinvent the mental health care model for patients and practitioners to allow psychedelics to advance into common and accepted care.

MINDCURE is focused on identifying and developing pathways and products that ease suffering, increase productivity, and enhance mental health. MINDCURE is interested in exploring diverse therapeutic areas beyond psychiatry, including digital therapeutics, neuro-supports, and psychedelics, all to improve mental health.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Kelsey Ramsden, President & CEO

Phone: 1-888-593-8995

Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements in this news release may constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws (also known as forward-looking statements). Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, and may cause actual results, performance or achievements or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements or industry results expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information generally can be identified by the use of terms and phrases such as "anticipate", "believe", "could", "estimate", "expect", "feel", "intend", "may", "plan", "predict", "project", "subject to", "will", "would", and similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions. Some of the specific forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to: Mr. Lebbadi driving MINDCURE's commercial team forward; Mr. Lebbadi being the right leader for MINDCURE and his intended impact on MINDCURE; and Mr. Lebbadi helping to further the development and commercialization of iSTRYM.

Forward-looking information is based on a number of key expectations and assumptions made by MINDCURE, including, without limitation: the COVID-19 pandemic impact on the Canadian economy and MINDCURE's business, and the extent and duration of such impact; no change to laws or regulations that negatively affect MINDCURE's business; there will be a demand for MINDCURE's products in the future; no unanticipated expenses or costs arise; MINDCURE will be able to continue to identify products that make them ideal candidates for providing solutions for treating mental health; that the functional mushroom industry will continue to grow; Mr. Lebbadi will help MINDCURE to achieve its goals as expected; and MINDCURE will be able to operate its business as planned. Although the forward-looking information contained in this news release is based upon what MINDCURE believes to be reasonable assumptions, it cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with such information.

Forward-looking information is provided for the purpose of presenting information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking information involves significant risks and uncertainties and should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results as actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking information. Those risks and uncertainties include, among other things, risks related to: the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Canadian economy, MINDCURE's industry and MINDCURE's business, which may negatively impact, and may continue to negatively impact, MINDCURE and may materially adversely affect MINDCURE's investments, results of operations, financial condition, and MINDCURE's ability to obtain additional equity or debt financing, and satisfy its financial obligations; general economic conditions; future growth potential; competition for mental health and wellness investments; Mr. Lebbadi may not help MINDCURE to achieve its goals as expected; Mr. Lebbadi may not help the development and commercialization of iSTRYM; and changes in legislation or regulations. Management believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information contained herein are based upon reasonable assumptions and information currently available; however, management can give no assurance that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking information. Additional information on the risk factors that could affect MINDCURE can be found under "Risk Factors" in MINDCURE's final prospectus which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

The forward-looking information contained herein is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to MINDCURE. The forward-looking information is stated as of the date of this news release and MINDCURE assumes no obligation to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by applicable law.

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release and the CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Mind Cure Health Inc.
Georgia receives first doses of AstraZeneca vaccine

By Veronika Malinboym

On Saturday, March 13, 43,200 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines arrived in Georgia. UNICEF, which supported the Georgian government in procuring the vaccines announced on its Twitter page that the plane carrying the first doses of anti-coronavirus vaccines landed in Tbilisi airport. According to UNICEFs report, the vaccination program in Georgia will start on Monday, March 15, and the first doses will be administered to the priority groups including medical workers:Vaccines will be distributed by the Government to all districts over the weekend and vaccinations are scheduled to start on 15 March. Administration of the vaccines will be based on the priority groups identified by the Government, with medical workers among the priority group. The 43,200 doses will be fully utilized for the first dose. This decision was taken based on the information that the next delivery of 86,400 doses will take place in April and the recommended interval between the injections is 8 to 12 weeks, the UNICEF report reads.On top of that, the report notes that Georgia is about to receive another 129, 600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the coming weeks. Furthermore, the Georgian government has already asked the UNICEF to facilitate its procurement of the Pfizer vaccines:UNICEF, along with other partners such as WHO and GAVI, is delighted to support the Government of Georgia in COVID-19 vaccine procurement." - Amy Clancy.The EU ambassador to Georgia, Carl Hartzel, also congratulated Georgia on the arrival of the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine:Although I am currently in the middle of working intensively with Christian Danielsson on the process of political mediations, I would like to congratulate Georgia on receiving 43,200 doses of vaccine via the COVAX platform. I am also very proud of the fact that the EU and the WHO support the Georgian government using training, advice, and logistics to ensure the fastest and the most effective delivery of the vaccines to those who need it the most, ambassador Hartzel said.Upon the arrival of the first batch of AstraZeneca vaccines, President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili tweeted:This is what 'light at the end of the tunnel looks like. Thank you to our international partners who made this possible. We still have a long road ahead but the world is stronger together and will overcome this crisis through solidarity."


Inspiration for first-time author Pat Backleys novel Daisy came from an unlikely source  a rather dry factual book about British state housing.

Pat, aged 69, lives in Orewa and began writing during last years first Covid-19 lockdown.

My husband of 26 years dumped me and I was on my own during lockdown so I thought why not write a book?

She grew up in a state house in the UK and says a book she was reading about those houses triggered the idea for Daisy  a historical family saga.

I spent two weeks, day and night, writing, she says.

She recently self-published her book, which she says was a minefield. She got through it with the help of The Self Publishing School online, her publishing shepherd in the States, as well as an editor, as she wanted the book to be professional.

Set in Alabama, Harlem and London, it spans almost 100 years from 1887 to 1974. It tells the story of Daisy, born into poverty in London, and a young man in Alabama who comes from a wealthy family.

Pat, whose career includes working in a bank, owning businesses, fundraising for charity, being a home educator and consulting to the construction industry, says she has found her niche with writing.

Her memoirs are already with a publisher in the States, she is working on a sequel to Daisy and contributing to two anthologies  including one called Serendipity, which is a fundraiser for Duffy Books in Schools. Her next three novels are partly written.

A whole new career has opened up, which at my age is so exciting.

WIN this book

Hibiscus Matters and Pat Backley have two signed copies of Daisy to give away. To go in the draw, like Hibiscus Matters on Facebook and message us your name and contact phone number with Daisy Giveaway in the message. Or, write your name, address and daytime phone number on the back of an envelope and post to Daisy Giveaway, Hibiscus Matters, 21 Florence Avenue, Orewa 0931. Entries close Friday, April 9.

Daisy is available at Auckland Libraries, or on Amazon or Book Depository online.
Amitabh Bachchan Calls His Second Eye Surgery A Life Changing Experience; Is Recovering Well

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has revealed that his second eye surgery was successful and he is currently "recovering well". Earlier this month, the 78-year-old actor had opened up about his first eye surgery and shared with fans that the recovery is "slow and difficult." He had also hinted at getting a surgery in the other eye.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amitabh Bachchan (@amitabhbachchan)

Taking to Twitter late Sunday night, Bachchan thanked his doctor Himanshu Mehta and called the surgeries a life changing experience. And the second one has gone well. Recovering now. All good. The marvels of modern medical technology and the dexterity of Dr HM 's hands. Life changing experience. You see now what you were not seeing before, surely a wonderful world, he tweeted.

T 3842 - .. and the 2nd one has gone well .. recovering now ..

all good .. the marvels of modern medical technology and the dexterity of dr HM 's hands .. life changing experience ..

You see now what you were not seeing before .. surely a wonderful world !!  Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) March 14, 2021

The screen icon had previously written about the difficulty in his sight because of the surgery, which made him spend his days doing nothing. In a blog post, Bachchan said now that his second eye was recovering, he could properly see colours, shapes and sizes. "Saviour Dr Himanshu Mehta and his dexterity with the very latest medical machinery to remove the cataracts despite the age related soft tissues of mine. Any delay in these corrections can lead to blindness. So an advice .. get it done before it gets too late. And the recovery for the second one continues. If I am writing this its obviously working .. ain' it," he added.

The actor also thanked his fans for their continued wishes and said he was touched to know that there are people praying for his recovery and well being.
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More than 150 revelers have been arrested over a wild Spring Break weekend as partyers descended on Miami despite Covid warnings from the mayor.

On Friday alone, 120 people on South Beach were seized as guns, drugs and cash were confiscated by police.

After the students partied throughout the day there were violent confrontations with police in the evening as officers had to use pepper balls to dispel the crowds throwing bottles at them.

Hordes of students have been flocking to Miami, Florida, to party on Fort Lauderdale Beach for Spring Break

More than 150 revelers have been arrested over a wild Spring Break weekend as partyers descended on Miami despite Covid warnings

After the students partied throughout the day there were violent confrontations with police in the evening as officers had to use pepper balls to dispel the crowds

Two officers were even injured and were treated in hospital after the unrest near the corner of 8th Street and Ocean Drive

Two officers were even injured and were treated in hospital after the unrest near the corner of 8th Street and Ocean Drive.

Ernesto Rodriguez of Miami Beach Police told Local10: 'The crowd ended up turning on those officers.'

Things quietened down somewhat on Saturday when a total of 30 people were arrested.

Amid the ugly scenes there are also fears that the maskless students gathering together could cause a spike in Florida's Covid cases.

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said: 'We're seeing too much spring break activity.

'We've got a problem with too many people coming here. We've got a problem with too many people coming here to let loose.'

Officers seized crack cocaine, crystal meth, marijuana and cash in a bust on Friday night

Miami Beach cops also seized a number of guns, a balaclava and cartridges as Spring Break led to unrest on the streets

Amid the ugly scenes there are also fears that the maskless students gathering together could cause a spike in Florida's Covid cases

In recent weeks, swathes of students have flocked to packed bars and beaches and Governor Ron DeSantis has urged people to visit the state

Things quietened down somewhat on Saturday when a total of 30 people were arrested

CDC data shows a fifth of all US cases of the more highly contagious and more deadly B.1.1.7 strain first detected in the south of England have come from the Sunshine State.

In total, Florida has recorded 690 cases of the UK strain, dwarfing much of the rest of the US where 44 of all 50 states have recorded fewer than 100 cases.

The next highest state Michigan has 563 followed by Colorado with 267.

The prevalence of the new strain on US soil sparked fears of a fourth wave of the virus, just as the nation was getting back on its feet and states were reopening.

In recent weeks, swathes of students have flocked to packed bars and beaches and Governor Ron DeSantis has urged people to visit the state to get its economy back up and running.

Nearly 70 colleges and universities in the US have changed schedules to eliminate weeklong spring breaks

But Matthew Wellington, public health campaigns director for the nonprofit U.S. Public Interest Research Group, told The Orlando Sentinel: 'Theres definitely a concern that the spring breakers who are traveling to Florida might bring home more than just the souvenir shot glass this year.

'We know this virus thrives on people traveling.'

The CDC said: 'CDC recommends that people not travel at this time, and delay spring break travel until 2022.'

It also warned that people who have received a vaccine should still observe the regulations and not travel.

Nearly 70 colleges and universities in the US have changed schedules to eliminate weeklong spring breaks.

Some schools giving students a week off are encouraging 'staycations' on campus, but many are ignoring the advice.
A businesswoman who caught her millionaire ex in bed with another woman has won a court fight over the 2.5million mansion she barred him from visiting with his new lover.

Dr Chris Rowland, 65, and business executive Sharon Blades, 63, clashed in court over who owns the 'large and elegant country house' which he bought for 1.6million in March 2009 - Tadmarton House, near Banbury.

But Ms Blades was heartbroken a few months later when she discovered he was having an affair and, after he continued to see both women, said she was 'ripped apart' after later finding him in bed with her rival, Emmanuelle Duyck.

Their split led to a battle between the former couple at the High Court in London earlier this year, with Dr Rowland claiming sole ownership of the house even though he put it in both of their names.

But claiming half herself, Ms Blades said Dr Rowland had told her he 'looked forward to growing old with her', claimed her QC, Thomas Roe, and she herself told the court: 'We were going to retire there'.

Dr Chris Rowland, 65, and business executive Sharon Blades (pictured), 63, clashed in court over who owns the 'large and elegant country house' which he bought for 1.6million in March 2009 - Tadmarton House, near Banbury

Judge William Hansen has now ruled that Ms Blades has an equal share of the mansion, leaving her ex to pick up lawyers' bills totalling more than 200,000 for the week-long case.

He said Dr Rowland would 'regret his generosity,' having contributed the entire purchase price for the house but put it in the ex-couple's joint names.

The court heard Dr Rowland and Ms Blades, who works at a senior level in the semiconductor industry, started their relationship in 2006 and decided to buy a country house to use as a weekend and holiday retreat.

They were both charmed by the sprawling Tadmarton House, set among 24 acres in Oxfordshire, and planned to grow elephant grass in the adjoining fields as a sideline.

But in November 2009, Ms Blades found out her lover had taken up with another woman, Ms Duyck, explained her barrister, leaving her wrecked emotionally and marking the beginning of the end for their relationship.

Dr Rowland acknowledged he had carried on seeing both of them for some months and that he was 'not proud of that fact'.

'But I was emotionally attached to both women and each of them wanted me to choose between them, and I had real trouble making that choice,' he told the court.

Judge Hansen, ruling in the dispute, told the court: '[Dr Rowland] continued to see both women for more than a year, but in the early part of 2011, Ms Blades dropped in unexpectedly at his flat and found him in bed with his new partner.

'There was an altercation that resulted in Ms Blades accepting a police caution for assaulting the new partner and Dr Rowland accepting a restraining order preventing contact with either woman for four weeks.'

Dr Rowland claimed that after Ms Blades discovered his affair in 2009 she began barring him from Tadmarton House, said the judge.

But Ms Blades was heartbroken a few months later when she discovered he (pictured) was having an affair and, after he continued to see both women, said she was 'ripped apart' after later finding him in bed with her rival, Emmanuelle Duyck

'He said he was prohibited from going to the property with the new partner.'

There was a brief reconciliation between Dr Rowland and Ms Blades in the summer of 2015 when they spent time at Tadmarton House, but it proved short-lived, said the judge.

And 12 years after buying the dream Cotswold mansion, Dr Rowland took his ex to court, asking Judge Hansen to rule that the house belongs to him alone, and to award him 371,000 in back rent for the time he was excluded from the house.

Ms Blades fought his claim on grounds that the house was in both their names and she always believed she had an equal stake in the property, also highlighting a June 2011 email from her ex which read: 'I've no intention of trying to take it away from you - it's at least as much yours as mine'.'

'I thought we were buying the property together,' she told the court.

However, Dr Rowland said Ms Blades always understood that he effectively owned the home, although both their names were on the deeds and she would have the right to live there for life.

There was, he claimed, a clear understanding that the property was to be held on trust for his daughter, Hanna, so that she would ultimately inherit it.

He claimed that from late 2009 Ms Blades 'vetoed' his use of the property in the company of his new companion, Ms Duyck, and made clear he wasn't welcome in his own home.

On top of his ownership claim he asked for 371,000 in back rent from Ms Blades covering September 2009 to October 2018.

Ms Blades accepted not having contributed to the purchase price but said she had spent lavish amounts on the house in later years, and told the court: 'I gave him emotional support and I helped financially where I could'.

As for claims that she barred Dr Rowland from the property, she explained: 'He was welcome any time'.

But she added: 'I do agree that I said he should not bring Emmanuelle Duyck down.

Pictured: Tadmarton House, near Banbury

'That was for a couple of years but after that I didn't care who he was with.'

After nearly a week in court, Judge Hansen ruled against Dr Rowland on the key issue of ownership, ruling that Tadmarton House is held jointly by him and Ms Blades.

The judge said: 'I have no doubt that he regrets his earlier generosity, but I am satisfied that nothing he did or said at the time to either Ms Blades or (his solicitor) could or would have caused either of them to think that he intended anything other than that which is to be deduced objectively from his conduct - namely an intention that he and Ms Blades would own the property jointly at law and in equity.'

He acknowledged: 'In one sense the outcome is a harsh one for Dr Rowland, who contributed the whole of the purchase price in acquiring a country house to be used as a weekend and holiday retreat by a couple who each had their own properties and who never saw fit to pool their resources.'

But the effect of the joint ownership of property form signed by both had clearly confirmed their intentions to buy as 'joint tenants'.

The judge went on to award Dr Rowland 59,958 in back rent from Ms Blades because she 'effectively' barred her ex and his new partner from the villa between November 2009 and November 2015. Dr Rowland said he stopped seeing Ms Duyck in October 2015, said the judge.

In her evidence Ms Blades 'made it plain from November 2009 that the new partner would not be welcome', said the judge, which in practice made it hard for Dr Rowland to visit his own home.

Back in 2010 Ms Blades had also written to Dr Rowland explaining that: 'I'd rather you sell it and have nothing than have the risk of her going up there'.

'It was ''our'' place and if nothing else I'd like to keep that memory even if I don't physically have it or am able to be there anymore'.

And Judge Hansen said he was 'satisfied' that for a six-year span between 2009 and 2015 Ms Blades 'used the property to the effective or constructive exclusion of Dr Rowland - at least as far as weekend usage is concerned'.

The judge ordered Dr Rowland to pay 90 per cent of Ms Blades' court costs, which her lawyer Simon Lillington estimated at around 180,000, on top of his own.
VANCOUVER, BC, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Capella Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: CMIL) (FRA: N7D2) (the "Company" or "Capella") is pleased to advise that an auger till sampling program is now underway on the Rotjarnen claim block, which lies at the southern end of the Company's Southern Gold Line Project, Sweden. The primary aim of this till sampling program is to provide geochemical vectors towards potential sources for the gold-mineralized boulders identified on surface at Rotjarnen.

Planning is also well advanced for the initiation of early-Spring field activities on the Southern Gold Line, including the undertaking of a high-resolution drone magnetic survey over key target areas and the continuation of low-cost regional reconnaissance Bulk Leach Extractable Gold ("BLEG") sampling over the remainder of this highly prospective, 500 square kilometre property package.

Highlights

An auger till sampling program is now underway on the southernmost Rotjarnen claim at the Southern Gold Line Project, Sweden (Figures 1-3). The Hilti auger drill program has been designed to identify vectors (so-called "glacial dispersion plumes") to potential source regions of the gold-mineralized boulders previously identified on surface at Rotjarnen. Auger drilling is a highly effective, industry-standard exploration tool used in the shallow till-covered terrains of northern Scandinavia.

(Figures 1-3). The Hilti auger drill program has been designed to identify vectors (so-called "glacial dispersion plumes") to potential source regions of the gold-mineralized boulders previously identified on surface at Rotjarnen. Auger drilling is a highly effective, industry-standard exploration tool used in the shallow till-covered terrains of northern Scandinavia. Reconnaissance diamond drilling completed between 2006 and 2011 on an area located approximately 4km NW of the main gold-mineralized boulder field at Rotjarnen was focused on individual magnetic anomalies within a regional flexure zone. Whilst anomalous gold values are reported from some holes (SGU Geological Survey of Sweden project reports), no systematic work has been completed since along strike from these intercepts.

project reports), no systematic work has been completed since along strike from these intercepts. Planning is also well advanced for the initiation of early-Spring field activities on the Southern Gold Line, including the undertaking of a high-resolution drone magnetic survey over key target areas and the continuation of regional reconnaissance BLEG sampling over the remainder of the claim block.

Link to figures: https://capellaminerals.com/site/assets/files/6010/2021_03_15_sgl_update.pdf

Eric Roth, Capella's President and CEO, commented today: "I am very pleased to be reporting the commencement of auger drilling on our Rotjarnen claim at the Southern Gold Line. Previous exploration activities have already resulted in the successful discovery of gold-bearing boulders on surface at Rotjarnen, with the auger drilling now assisting us with the task of vectoring in to potential source areas. Auger drilling is a highly effective exploration tool used in those parts of northern Scandinavia where thin glacial till cover commonly masks prospective gold targets.

With the imminent arrival of Spring we are also well advanced with planning for further fieldwork, including the undertaking of a high resolution drone magnetic survey and the restarting of our low-cost regional BLEG sampling program. I look forward to keeping the market updates as our drill target prioritization activities advance at the Southern Gold Line".

About the Southern Gold Line Project

The Southern Gold Line project is located 100 km WSW of the regional administrative centre of Skelleftea in north-central Sweden, and was acquired from EMX Royalty Corp (TSXV: EMX) (NYSE American: EMX) - together with two high-grade copper projects in Norway, Lkken and Kjli - in a deal announced on August 11, 2020. The project consists of 500 square kilometres (50,000ha) of mineral claims located in the immediate vicinity of Dragon Mining Ltd's Faboliden development project and Svartliden gold mine1. Further to the north of Svartliden lies Agnico Eagle/Barsele Minerals's Barsele gold deposit (0.3Moz Au Indicated Resource and 2Moz Au Inferred Resource; Source - Barsele Minerals Inc. NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate dated February 21, 2019).

The Southern Gold Line exploration concessions cover areas with similar geologic and structural settings to known gold deposits within the broader Gold Line belt, specifically orogenic gold deposits located at or near granitoid-greenstone contacts. Host rocks to the gold mineralization are Paleo-Proterozoic in age. Reconnaissance sampling and mapping programs are underway over the entire claim block, with the initial BLEG samples having been collected across portions of the licenses showing multiple areas with enrichment of gold in stream sediments. Auger drilling in the highly prospective southern Rotjarnen claim - where gold-mineralized boulder trains have been identified on surface - is now underway.

1 References made to nearby mines and analogous deposits provide context for the Southern Gold Line project but are not necessarily indicative that the project hosts similar tonnages or grades of gold mineralization.

Qualified Persons and Disclosure Statement

The technical information in this news release relating to the Southern Gold Line project has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements set out in NI 43-101, and approved by Eric Roth, the Company's President & CEO, a Director, and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. Mr. Roth holds a Ph.D. in Economic Geology from the University of Western Australia, is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) and is a Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists (SEG). Mr. Roth has 30 years of experience in international minerals exploration and mining project evaluation.

On Behalf of the Board of Capella Minerals Ltd.

"Eric Roth"

___________________________

Eric Roth, Ph.D., FAusIMM

President & CEO

About Capella Minerals Ltd

Capella is engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of quality mineral resource properties in favourable jurisdictions with a focus on high-grade gold and copper deposits. The Company's precious metals focus is on the discovery of high-grade gold deposits on its recently acquired Southern Gold Line Project in Sweden, in addition to its active Canadian Joint Ventures with Ethos Gold Corp. at Savant Lake (Ontario) and Yamana Gold Inc. at Domain (Manitoba). The Company also retains a residual interest (subject to an option to purchase agreement with Austral Gold Ltd) in the Sierra Blanca gold-silver epithermal project in Santa Cruz, Argentina.

The Company's copper focus is on the discovery of high-grade massive sulfide (VMS-type) deposits within district-scale land positions around the past-producing Lkken and Kjli copper mines in central Norway. Field activities are ongoing on all projects, with the primary focus being to advance priority targets through the permitting process and onwards to drilling and discovery.

Cautionary Notes and Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Such statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the future results of operations, performance and achievements of Capella, including the timing, completion of and results from the exploration and drill programs described in this release. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that such expectations will prove to be correct. All such forward-looking information is based on certain assumptions and analyses made by Capella in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believes are appropriate in the circumstances. This information, however, is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from this forward-looking information include those described under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in Capella's most recently filed MD&A. Capella does not intend, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or revise the forward-looking information contained in this news release, except as required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

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

SOURCE Capella Minerals Limited

Related Links

www.newdimensionresources.com


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The Government should ban tobacco companies from discounting larger packs of cigarettes, newsagents say.

Vincent Jennings, CEO of the Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association, says tobacco companies have too much control over price-setting, undermining health policy and lowering the tax take.

It really is phenomenally frustrating to see that tobacco companies  even though you might think that they are absolutely hamstrung and handcuffed from doing anything within the laws that are there  are managing to post enormous sales, great profits, based upon just very, very clever usage of the psychological effect of price, said Mr Jennings.

Bigger box brands of more than 20 cigarettes are growing in popularity, Mr Jennings said, as they offer smokers bulk discounts of around 6-7pc.

Of course, the more you have in your pocket the more you consume, he said. A 35-pack of JPS currently retails at 20, a new low price per cigarette.

He wrote to the Departments of Health, Finance and Enterprise last week asking for a ban on packs of more than 20 cigarettes or price controls based on a pro rata price per cigarette.

Read More

The move comes after Imperial Tobacco, which makes the John Player brand, told retailers they would not increase wholesale prices when the VAT rate went back up to 23pc from 21pc this month.

It means retailers selling a single pack will continue to earn a gross margin of 1.36.

We have an unhealthy relationship and reliance on tobacco as one of the profit centres for our stores, said Mr Jennings.

I know of no member of ours who could actually, in the morning, stop selling tobacco and expect the losses that he would forgo transferred into another product.

The Government has set a target of cutting smoking prevalence to less than 5pc of the population by 2025.

The Department of Health says that tax and excise duty accounts for almost 80pc of the price of a 20 pack.

But Mr Jennings said that policy is being undermined by tobacco companies, which are absorbing VAT and excise increases to ensure smokers dont pay more.

Tobacco companies also use price as a promoting tool. They use it in a marketing fashion, Mr Jennings said. Frequently theyll subsume that [tax] increase and not increase the price of a particular brand that theyre interested in.
A makeshift COVID-19 testing site in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, is crowded with people waiting to receive a test, Sunday. Yonhap



By Lee Hyo-jin



Gyeonggi Province's mandatory COVID-19 testing order for foreign workers in the region created "chaos" at overcrowded and understaffed testing centers over the weekend, with the number of visitors exceeding testing capacity.



Amid sporadic infection clusters at companies employing foreign workers in the area, the local government issued an administrative order, March 8, enforcing all foreign workers in the region to get tested for the coronavirus by March 22.



Those who fail to undergo a test during the period could be fined up to 3 million won ($2,600), according to the order, and if an infection occurs among those who have not been tested, the authorities will demand indemnity (payment) for the cost of their treatment and quarantine.



But criticism has mounted among the foreign community on the local government's imposition of a "bureaucratic" measure without considering its lack of testing capacity, as around 85,000 foreign workers are expected to get tested during the two-week period.



Foreign nationals who received a test over the weekend shared their experiences with The Korea Times, on condition of anonymity, on how makeshift testing sites across the province were poorly organized and packed with practically no space for social distancing, putting visitors at risk of potential infection.



A U.S. citizen living in Bucheon said, "I arrived at the testing site at 9 a.m., Saturday, half an hour before it opened, but the area was already packed. I waited in the line for over two hours, during which it seemed that nobody was following social distancing measures."



Another foreign resident pointed out that the center was understaffed. "Only two officials were registering the visitors, causing a big hold-up in the line. I expected that the government would have been aware of the large increase in the number of people going to the testing centers with the mandatory order in place, but apparently there was no preparation for it."



Some said they were unable to have the test despite standing in line for several hours.



Another U.S. citizen who visited a testing site in Siheung, Saturday, said, "I arrived early before the 9 a.m. opening time and waited in line for three hours. But the health officials told me to go home saying that there were too many people."



He expressed concerns that he would have to try again this Saturday, the only day his work schedule allows, but with no guarantee of getting tested. "Now I have to hope that this weekend I can get a test, or else I may be subject to punishment although I've tried my best and followed the rules."



A foreign resident in Ansan said he was unable to get a test even after the weekend, saying, "My colleagues and I visited a testing center Monday morning, but we were turned away. The officials told us that the site can accept only 1,000 visitors per day."



Regarding the issue, the authorities said they acknowledged such problems and were currently working on follow-up measures.



"We have noticed that testing sites have become overly crowded following the testing order, so we are discussing with the health authorities ways to increase testing accessibility for foreign workers," an official at the Foreigner Policy Division at the Gyeonggi provincial government told The Korea Times.



In the case of Hwaseong, the city government decided to add another testing site to the current four, and extend the operating hours from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. to 9 a.m.-9 p.m. It will also increase the number of staff from the previous four to five to 24 to 26.


LONDON  Prime Minister Boris Johnson was meeting with law enforcement officials on Monday after the London police drew widespread criticism for their handling of a vigil on Saturday to mark the killing of a 33-year-old woman.

The fallout comes as a proposed police bill that would grant more powers to control protests in Britain is set to be debated in Parliament this week and faces renewed scrutiny from opposition lawmakers and rights groups.

An investigation has been ordered into the policing of a vigil in South London on Saturday night for Sarah Everard, 33, whose killing touched off a national outcry over misogyny and violence. The vigil had been declared unlawful because of coronavirus restrictions, a move denounced by rights groups, and officers from the Metropolitan Police, the main London force, clashed with some attendees.

Ms. Everard, a marketing executive, disappeared near Clapham Common while walking home from a friends house on the evening of March 3. Her body was identified on Friday and a Metropolitan Police officer has been charged in her killing.
Saturday

 Bradshaw, Mary Lauder. Memorial service, 2 p.m. Saturday at Sager Funeral Home in Beardstown.

 Hall, Kelly Ann (Roderfield). Graveside service, 11 a.m. Saturday at Hickory Grove Cemetery near Wrights. Shields-Bishop Funeral Home in Greenfield is in charge.

 Johnson, Doris Mae. Graveside services, 2 p.m. Saturday at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Havana. Hendricker Funeral Home in Mount Sterling is in charge.

 Sparrow, Virginia. 11 a.m. Saturday at Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home in Jacksonville. Visitation, 10-11 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Face masks and social distancing required.

 Wright, Isaac D. Ike Jr. Memorial service, 1-3 p.m. Saturday at Community Park Center, 1309 S. Main St., Jacksonville.



Monday

 Holder, Clifton Alfred Sambo Jr. Noon Monday at Airsman-Hires Funeral Home in White Hall. Visitation, 10 a.m.-noon Monday at the funeral home.

 Votsmier, Nola Jeanette Janet. Visitation, 4-6 p.m. Monday at Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home in Jacksonville. Weather permitting, the family will meet friends outside under the funeral homes front portico, after which friends will be invited inside to pay their respects and sign the register book. Face masks and social distancing are required.



Wednesday

 Hammon, Charles Jr. Graveside memorial service with military honors, 10 a.m. Wednesday at Memorial Lawn Cemetery in Jacksonville. Airsman-Hires Funeral Home in Roodhouse is in charge.

 Natemeyer, Edna Pie. Memorial service, Wednesday at Oakland Cemetery in Meredosia. Williamson Funeral Home in Jacksonville is in charge.

 Schulz, Jerry Edwin. Noon Wednesday at Niebur Funeral Chapel in Barry. Visitation, 10 a.m.-noon Wednesday at the funeral chapel.



Thursday

 Templin, Martha Ann. Visitation, 4-6 p.m. Thursday at Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home in Jacksonville. Face masks and social distancing required.



Friday

 Daniels, Franklin Delano Frankie. Memorial service, 2 p.m. Friday at Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home in Jacksonville. Burial with military honors will follow at Jacksonville East Cemetery.



Saturday, April 17

 Eyler, Christie D. 2 p.m. Saturday, April 17, at Rushville First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Visitation, 5-7 p.m. Friday, April 16, at Worthington Funeral Home in Rushville.



Saturday, May 8

 Preston, Katheryn I. Kay. Graveside memorial service, 11 a.m. Saturday, May 8, at Diamond Grove Cemetery. Buchanan & Cody Funeral Home in Jacksonville is in charge.
Senator Erin McGreehan, speaking in the Seanad, raised the issue of womens safety and urged the Government to bring in concrete measures to ensure safer streets.

Senator McGreehan commented: This week, like most weeks, we hear horrendous stories about women being raped, sexually assaulted and beaten up.

What is blamed is she should not have been walking down that road or she shouldnt have been out.

The problem is not someone walking home, the problem is not they had too many drinks or the wrong clothes.

"The problem is that our streets are not safe.

For example, to someone who is in a car park alone someone else in that car park is automatically seen as a threat.

"I always take a deep breath and go as fast as I can, get the phone ready to ring while I get to my car.

"This is a normal situation for most women."

The Louth Senator continued: I would really appreciate if we could get a member of the Government to come to the Seanad Chamber to really outline how we are going to make concrete measures.

No more victim blaming - it is not a victim's fault that theyre assaulted, it is the assaulters fault.

We need to ensure we can have safe streets, whether we have more CCTV, more public lighting, proper deterrence and a safer and fairer court system for our victims.
Israir Airlines Ltd. has submitted this week a request to operate commercial flights from Tel Avivs Ben Gurion airport to the sea-side Sharm el-Sheikh resort city in the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula. The company would like to operate two flights a day. So far, no Israeli air flight company offered this route. Israeli tourists wishing to visit Sharm el-Sheikh and its environs could either rent private planes or arrive there by bus or taxi.

Flights from Tel Aviv to Sharm el-Sheikh should take an hour and 10 minutes. The company has not yet decided how much it will charge for the flight, but it did indicate it would also like to operate flights from Haifa.

The companys vice president for marketing and sales, Gil Stav, told Israeli press, "Sharm el-Sheikh could now become an international tourist destination, attracting Israeli consumers. Its a destination that could offer a vacation abroad even now, when the range of international vacation destinations is much shorter (because of the pandemic)."

The issue of vacationing in the Sinai Peninsula came up at the March 9 visit of Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen to Sharm el-Sheikh. Cohen arrived accompanied by a group of businesspeople, including seniors from the Israeli tourism industry. At their different meetings, the Egyptian counterparts exposed the measures taken by the government in the past few months to guarantee the security and health of tourists once the Peninsula reopens. In fact, last February, Egyptian authorities said they have constructed a 36-kilometer (22-mile) concrete barrier around Sharm el-Sheikh resort to protect tourists against any possible terror attack.

The expected opening of a Tel Aviv-Sharm el-Sheikh flight route comes just days after a request submitted by Air Egypt to operate a Tel Aviv-Cairo line. The operation of this air path is part of the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries, but over the years, Egypt was reluctant to invest in it. The national Egyptian air carrier AirEgypt had created at the time a one-airplane company named Air Sinai for that sole purpose. Air Sinai had stopped its flights when the coronavirus started. Jerusalem considers the request of AirEgypt to operate this air path as a diplomatic positive sign.

For the moment, because of coronavirus, Israeli skies are closed and so is the territorial Taba crossing point. On March 11, Israels Interior Ministry opened the Taba crossing for a few hours to enable Israelis to return home. Still, many in Israel hope that by the time the Passover holiday starts, both Taba and Ben Gurion airport would fully open (several international flight routes are expected to resume tomorrow already). They miss Sinai with its beaches and coral reefs, and with Sharm el-Sheikhs luxurious hotels and the silence of the desert.
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BRENTWOOD, Tenn., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CORE  ( Children of Restaurant Employees ), a national non-profit organization that provides financial help to food and beverage employees with children, recently announced new members to its Board of Directors. The organization appointed Gerry Fernandez (Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance), Scott Hempstead (The Boston Beer Company), and Donna Josephson (Corner Bakery Cafe).

"We are delighted to welcome Donna, Gerry, and Scott to our Board of Directors," said Sheila Bennett , Executive Director of CORE. "Their extensive experience and knowledge in the food and beverage space will help guide our organization as we continue to fulfill our mission of supporting food and beverage employees and their families in their times of need. Their leadership will also help us grow CORE and develop strategies to ensure the vitality of the organization."

Gerry Fernandez

Gerry Fernandez is an industry veteran with more than 35 years of experience, including leadership positions with General Mills, The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Hemenway's Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar, and The Capital Grille. Fernandez is the founder and president of the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA), a national non-profit organization that promotes the business benefits of cultural diversity in the food and hospitality industry while helping its members attract, develop, and retain multicultural talent. MFHA has more than 1,000 members and is the only non-profit organization focused on promoting the business case for diversity within the restaurant, foodservice and lodging segments. As President of MFHA, Fernandez has been influential in aiding dozens of companies with their diversity talent management initiatives and has been directly involved in creating programs designed to attract, develop, and retain multicultural talent to the industry.

Fernandez is a trustee of Johnson & Wales University, a member of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank board, and a Life Member of the NAACP. He is also a member of The Women's Chefs' & Restaurateurs Association, the National Council of La Raza, The Women's Foodservice Forum, and the National Association of Black Meeting Planners.

Gerry Fernandez holds a Bachelor of Science in Food Service Management and a degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University. He received an honorary doctorate in Business Administration from Johnson & Wales University in 1999.

Fernandez has a number of accolades, including being named one of Nation's Restaurant News "50 Power Players," recognized by Lodging Magazine as one of the 75 Profiles in Leadership, named a "Rising Star" by Restaurant Hospitality Magazine, and a recipient of the National Job Corps Association's "Alpha Award." He is also an accomplished speaker and has presented nationwide and in Canada, England, Austria, the Caribbean, Mexico, and China.

Scott Hempstead

Scott Hempstead is a seasoned industry professional with more than 24 years of experience, primarily in the beverage space. Hempstead currently serves as Senior Director - Divisional, Trade and Experiential Marketing for The Boston Beer Company. In this capacity, Hempstead leads on and off-premise trade marketing, experiential marketing, and divisional marketing for all Boston Beer Company brands, including Truly Hard Seltzer, Samuel Adams, Dogfish Head, Angry Orchard, Twisted Tea, Coney Island Brewery and Angel City Brewery. The Massachusetts-based company is known for its American craft-brewed beers. Hempstead joined the company in 1998 as an Account Manager and rose through the ranks over his more than 20-years tenure with the organization.

Prior to joining The Boston Beer Company, Hempstead served as a Sales Representative for E & J Gallo Winery.

Donna Josephson

Donna Josephson is a marketing professional with more than 20 years of restaurant marketing experience. She has worked with iconic brands such as Chick-Fil-A, Applebee's, Wendy's, McAlister's Deli, and Fazoli's. Josephson is currently Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer for Corner Bakery Cafe, where she leads all strategy development, brand marketing and strategy, product R&D, menu strategy, and off-premise strategy, supply chain, and distribution management.

Josephson leverages her creativity, drive, and leadership to increase company sales and profits. She is laser-focused on developing high-performance teams and creating cross-functional partnerships to drive results.

In 2011, Donna Josephson was awarded the R. David Thomas Outstanding Management Award for her contributions to operations partnerships and product development. She has served on the Board of Easter Seals North GA, Technomic Operator Advisory Board, and SpenDifference Client Advisory Council.

"In addition to their impressive accomplishments within the industry, each of these new board members brings incredible passion and commitment to serving and supporting others, which is the heart of CORE," added Bennett. "We are looking forward to working with them and exploring new ways to expand our reach."

The three new members are joining the existing Board of Directors: Jeffrey Bartfield (Proximo Spirits), Michael Bekolay (Venue Hospitality Solutions), Colleen Brennan (Rodney Strong Vineyards), Barry Gutin (Guest Counts/Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar), LaMonte Jones (PepsiCo. Foodservice), Sherry King (IMI Agency), Mara Lee (Total Beverage Solution), Ryan Maher (Tito's Handmade Vodka), Larry McGinn (IMI Agency), John Niekrash (Proximo Spirits), Joe Smith (Monin Gourmet Flavorings), and Brian Yost (Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority). The CORE Board of Directors features members from across the country.

For more information about CORE, visit COREgives.org.

About Children of Restaurant Employees (CORE)

CORE: Children of Restaurant Employees, a national 501(c)3, is dedicated to offering hope during a financial crisis to food and beverage service employees with children when either the working parent or child is navigating a medical diagnosis, illness, injury, a death, or loss of home or work due to a natural disaster. Originally founded by food and beverage service industry veterans, CORE has grown into a nationally recognized non-profit that has helped over 1,300 families in 50 states since 2013. For grant qualification, to apply or to refer a family for grant consideration, please visit COREgives.org.

Media Contact:

Victoria Segovia

[email protected]

786-327-8125

SOURCE Children of Restaurant Employees (CORE)

Related Links

http://COREgives.org


Scott Morrison has been heavily criticised for saying that women protesting against inequality and sexual violence in other countries would be 'met with bullets'.

As thousands of women marched in cities around Australia, including just outside Parliament House, Mr Morrison championed the right to free speech and protest - but his choice of words has sparked anger.

'This is a vibrant liberal democracy, Mr Speaker. Not far from here, such marches, even now, are being met with bullets - but not here in this country,' he said in Parliament.

'Not here in this country because of this is a triumph of democracy when we see these things take place.'

Thousands of women marched in cities around Australia on Monday. Pictured: Brisbane

Scott Morrison to marchers today: be glad we didnt shoot you.



Unbelievable.



He just doesnt get it.#qt  Adam Bandt (@AdamBandt) March 15, 2021

Greens leader Adam Bandt slammed the prime minister for the comment.

He tweeted: 'Scott Morrison to marchers today: be glad we didn't shoot you. Unbelievable. He just doesn't get it.'

Liberal Senator Jane Hume said the comment should not be over-interpreted and insisted he was just making the point that Australia supports freedom of speech.

Thousands of women protested in capital cities on Monday as part of the March 4 Justice campaign.

Labor criticised Mr Morrison for not attending the Canberra rally - but he said he invited organisers to meet in his office and they refused.

Senator Hume said she did not think Mr Morrison would be welcomed by women at the march.

Scott Morrison (pictured on Monday) has been heavily criticised for saying that women protesting against inequality and sexual violence in other countries would be 'met with bullets'

Greens leader Adam Bandt (pictured) slammed the prime minister for the comment

The mass protest comes after former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins alleged she was raped in Parliament in 2019 and Attorney-General Christian Porter denied allegations he raped a 16-year-old girl in 1988.

Ms Higgins addressed a crowd in Canberra and took a swipe at the prime minister, accusing his staff of briefing journalists with smears against her boyfriend David Sharaz.

'Privately the media team actively undermined and discredited my loved ones,' she said.

Speaking about sexual violence endured by one in five Australian women, Ms Higgins told the cheering crowd: 'If it can happen in Parliament House, it can happen anywhere.'
March 15 : Kartik Aaryan, who is currently shooting for his forthcoming film Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, welcomed actress Tabu on the sets as she joined the team for the film.

Sharing a selfie on his Twitter handle, the Pati Patni Aur Woh actor shared a selfie in which he captured his co-star Kiara Advani, director Anees Bazmee along with Tabu, as they resume shooting. Sharing the selfie Kartik welcomed Tabu and also revealed that the actress, who can be seen sitting at a distance, refused to come out of the bubble, and also brings her own portable Z++Bio-Bubble to shoot. Welcome back #tabu ji But she refuses to come out of bubble, brings her own portable Z++Bio-Bubble to shoot #BhoolBhulaiyaa2 Ghost @advani_kiara Face with medical mask @BazmeeAnees @MuradKhetani, the Love Aaj Kal actor wrote.

In the picture, while Kartik, Kiara and Anees are seen posing for the selfie, Tabu can be seen inside a bio-bubble.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is a standalone sequel to the original film, which starred Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan and Shiney Ahuja in lead roles. While the 2007 film was helmed by Priyadarshan, Anees Bazmee is directing the upcoming flick.

Earlier it was rumoured that Tabu's refusal to shoot during the pandemic delayed the films shoot schedule. However, the director later clarified and said that it was a rumour as Tabu had not refused to shoot. He also said that the shoot got delayed as the director was not in Mumbai for 10 months during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, while Tabu was last seen in Mira Nair's BBC drama series, A Suitable Boy, where she was featured alongside Ishaan Khatter, Kartik was last seen in Love Aaj Kal along with Sara Ali Khan.

Backed by Bhushan Kumar, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 went on floors in October 2019 in Mumbai. While it was filming in Lucknow in March 2020, shoot was halted due to COVID-19 pandemic. The film is now scheduled to hit the big screens on November 19, 2021.
Prime Minister will hold a virtual summit with his Finnish counterpart Sanna Marin on Tuesday that will provide a "blueprint" for the future expansion of the bilateral partnership, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

In their discussions, the two leaders will cover the entire spectrum of bilateral relationship and will also exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, it said.

"The virtual summit will provide a blueprint for the future expansion and diversification of India- partnership," the MEA said in a statement.

It said India and enjoy warm and friendly relations based on shared values of democracy, freedom and rules-based international order.

"Both countries have very close cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, education, innovation, science and technology as well as research and development," it said.

It said the two sides also have ongoing collaboration in the joint development of a 'Quantum Computer' using artificial intelligence to address societal challenges.

Around 100 Finnish companies are actively operating in India in various sectors such as telecom, elevators, machinery and energy including Renewable Energy, according to the MEA.

Around 30 Indian companies are also active in mainly in the IT, auto-components and hospitality sector, the MEA 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.)
(Alliance News) - Boris Johnson will set out plans to drive investment into domestic industries when he announces the outcome of the government's far-ranging review of foreign and defence policy this week.

The prime minister said Britain's international ambitions must "start at home", as he pledged to use the Integrated Review to ensure the UK is on the cutting edge of innovation and "match fit" for a more competitive world.

Johnson is expected to make the case for more investment in national infrastructure, innovation and skills a with a push for investment in industries including defence, technology and alternative energy.

He is said to want the UK to be stronger and more secure, prosperous and resilient by 2030.

The Integrated Review a covering foreign, defence, security and development policy a has been billed as the most significant overhaul of the UK's strategic posture since the Cold War.

It will include commitments to build ships in Scotland and armoured vehicles in Wales, and contain plans for satellites to be manufactured in Northern Ireland and lithium to be mined in Cornwall.

In November Johnson set out a GBP16.5 billion increase in defence spending over four years, and said the UK will once again become Europe's leading naval power, while the RAF will get new high-tech jets and the military will be modernised.

The plans included the creation of an agency dedicated to artificial intelligence, and a "space command" capable of launching the UK's first rocket by 2022.

Johnson announced over the weekend that there would be a "cyber corridor" across the north of England, where the headquarters of the new National Cyber Force will be based.

The prime minister will make a statement in the House of Commons outlining the review's conclusions on Tuesday.

Ahead of the statement, he said: "The foundation of our foreign policy is who we are as a country: our values, our strengths and a most importantly a our people.

"So I am determined to ensure we have a foreign policy that delivers for those people.

"Our international ambitions must start at home, and through the Integrated Review we will drive investment back into our communities, ensuring the UK is on the cutting-edge of innovation and creating an entire country that is match-fit for a more competitive world."

Johnson is also expected to announce in the review that the number of Foreign Office staff based in East Kilbride will increase by 500.

It is the latest Whitehall department to move more staff out of London as part of the government's "levelling up" agenda.

Former Army Chief General Sir Mike Jackson said his "primary concern" with the review was the "expected reduction in troop numbers to around 73,000".

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, the former chief of general staff said further reducing the number of troops in the British Army risked Britain becoming "strategically insignificant".

General Sir Mike wrote: "Defence officials promise a leaner, more agile Army. Their calculation is that our Special Forces' capabilities, cyber strength and air power a backed up by investments in advanced technologies and innovative weapons systems a are more relevant to countering tomorrow's threats. Perhaps they are right.

"But to dispel the notion fully, the integrated review must clearly articulate Britain's post-Brexit goals and its global role."

While the Integrated Review is expected to mark a shift away from "industrial age" capabilities, like heavy armour, towards the battlefields of the future such as cyber and space, Johnson has been warned that the UK could be outgunned in a war with Russia.

MPs on the Commons Defence Committee said the British Army's ageing tanks and armoured vehicles are likely to find themselves outgunned and overmatched in any conflict with Russian forces.

In a scathing report, the Committee said a series of botched procurement programmes meant the Army had been left with an armoured fighting vehicle fleet facing "mass obsolescence".

It said that whatever the outcome of the review, the Army needs to regain its "credibility" as it currently lacks sufficient armoured capability to make an "effective contribution" to Nato deterrence.

By Harriet Line

source: PA

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Bitcoin Hits $60,000 New Record, First Time to Surge Past The Amount

A digital currency, Bitcoin, spikes to $60,000 (43,100) this month, the first time that the cryptocurrency has reached the said value since its creation in 2009.

Some analysts said that the recent spike in its value was also caused by the huge stimulus package in the United States, which was approved by its government earlier this week.

The coronavirus pandemic has also been said to play its part in Bitcoin's hike in value as more people have been using online transactions for shopping, bill payment, and others.

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Bitcoin's total market value has long been increasing, which has exceeded $1tn last month. The said cryptocurrency had also more than tripled in its value since last year as it was powered by many well-known companies that adopted this digital currency as their payment method.

In February, Elon Musk had announced that his company Tesla, an electric carmaker, had bought $1.5bn worth of Bitcoin and further discussed the possibility that the company would be accepting payment through this cryptocurrency in the future.

Mastercard, a global transaction processor for bank card payment, is also looking into the possibility of accepting certain cryptocurrencies as a form of payment for their customers.

However, amidst its seen continuous success, many critics argue that bitcoin is more of a speculative trading tool and less of a currency that is very open to manipulation to the market, which has no intrinsic value. Unlike physical assets and a company or bond, cryptocurrencies are extremely unpredictable and can crash as fast as they rise.

Bitcoin's track record includes wild price swings and has been falling sharply many times since its creation.

Concerns over its negative impact on the environment are also seen as a disadvantage as huge amounts of energy are needed to create transactions. Bitcoin, as well as other cryptocurrencies, are computer-generated, and part of its value has come from the finite number that can be computed.

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A short film about a Haitian immigrant and a Cajun woman whose only common connection is the French language will premiere this week.

It's something Logan LeBlanc, who cowrote and directed the film, has eagerly been anticipating since winning the $25,000 #CreateLouisiana French Culture Film Grant.

"I'm not nearly as nervous as I thought I would be to share this," LeBlanc said. "I'm actually pretty optimistic. I'm normally pretty hard on myself as a creative or an artist. You think of what you could have done differently. I'm now getting to a place where I can view it objectively, and I'm excited. I don't think that happens very often."

"17 Year Locust" debuts at 10:05 p.m. Thursday on TV5Monde USA, the largest sponsor of the $25,000 #CreateLouisiana grant that funded the project.

The film will also be screened at the New Orleans French Film Festival at the end of the month and streamed virtually from March 23-31 as part of the festival and will be screened at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., on March 20.

The screenings coincide with the annual celebration of International Francophonie Month in March.

"I think the most interesting thing about working on this film was how many people had to come together to get a piece that accurate," said Allison Bohl DeHart, the film's producer. "The film has a Haitian Creole dialect, and it has a Cajun French/standard French conversation. Then it has English. It sounds somewhat simple, but in order to get that accurate for someone who watches this in Paris versus someone in Louisiana, the Cajun French has to be understandable to others who speak different dialects of French."

DeHart, LeBlanc and scriptwriter Trevor Navarre aren't native French speakers and leaned on the language experts at the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana while working on the film.

They also relied on the people portraying the two lead roles  Miami actor Stevenson Jean as Rene and Lafayette actor Becca Begnaud as Odile.

"Me playing Rene was me playing every Haiti immigrant, every immigrant in general," Jean said. "I think '17 Year Locust' is more than a Haitian and a Louisiana story. I think everyone can look at it and see themselves in it. It's really more of a universal story, and me playing him was a way to bring real emotion to the character that people would be able to see themselves in."

The short narrative film is about 20 minutes long and follows Rene, a Haitian immigrant, who moves to a French-speaking city in Louisiana in search of a better life for him and his pregnant wife. When Odile, an elderly Cajun woman in hospice care, demands a French-speaking caregiver, the staffing agency reaches out to Rene, who is the only option they have. After intense conversation, Odile learns from Rene that he intends to abandon his own culture and traditions in exchange for becoming an American. Its only then she feels brave to open up and share her own story of American assimilation and the great cost that came with it.

The film's name is a nod to the cicadas, often confused with locusts, of south Louisiana that spend 13 to 17 years underground before emerging briefly in swarms to shed their exoskeletons and lay eggs then returning to their underground homes. Some won't make it back to safety, however, as predators await them.

"It kind of mirrors Rene, the main character," LeBlanc said. "It's this animal that lives underground for 17 years and has to come up and shed its skin and live this super short life very different from what it knew before. As we were developing Rene as a character, that parallel was drawn, and I couldn't shake it."

Jean immediately connected with Rene.

The actor moved to the United States as a teenager after the 2010 Haiti Earthquake devastated his home. Sunday marked the 11th anniversary of his family's immigration.

"Me playing Rene was me playing my father and my uncle and someone else's father and uncle," Jean said. "It was truly impactful. It was impactful because it's so relevant to what's going on in Haiti right now and here in the U.S. too  the amount of immigrants who are coming to the country or who are stopped from coming to the country."

"17 Year Locust" was filmed in south Louisiana and funded through the fourth annual #CreateLouisiana French Culture Film Grant with support from TV5Monde USA, Deep South Studios, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and Cox Communications. The grant's goal is to champion indigenous filmmaking talent and celebrate the diverse culture of Louisiana.

"This compelling film about a French-speaking immigrant looking to assimilate into an American way of life perfectly reflects our mission to celebrate francophone culture," said Patrice Courtaban, chief operating officer of TV5Monde USA, in a statement. "And we hope it serves as a conversation starter among our viewers regarding this very timely topic.
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Britain today recorded an eight per cent week-on-week rise in Covid cases  even though they are still at levels seen in September before the second wave spiralled out of control.

Department of Health bosses posted another 5,089 positive tests and 64 coronavirus victims. Deaths have fallen by just 1.5 per cent on last Monday's count.

Cases began to creep upwards last week following a massive spike in Covid tests being carried out because of schools finally being allowed to reopen in England. But the test positivity rate  one of the best ways of tracking the size of the outbreak  has continued to fall.

Surveillance studies analysing the size of Britain's second wave also say it is still shrinking amid mounting pressure on Boris Johnson from Tory MPs to speed up his cautious lockdown-easing plans.

And with deaths and hospitalisations continuing to fall and the vaccine roll-out expected to drastically pick up pace in the coming days, No10 will inevitably face even louder calls to ease restrictions sooner.

Separate statistics today showed that more than 100million coronavirus swabs have now been processed by NHS Test and Trace, and that almost 24.5million Britons have had their first dose of a Covid vaccine.

It comes as Boris Johnson today mounted a staunch defence of the AstraZeneca vaccine, insisting that the jabs were 'both safe and effective' after France, Italy and Germany became the latest EU states to pause its use over unproven blood clot fears.

The EU now looks set to embrace Russia's Sputnik V Covid jab even as its leaders shun British-made AstraZeneca vaccines. That is despite European regulators, the World Health Organization and the firm itself insisting the two-dose jab is safe.

Britain's Covid cases have risen eight per cent compared to the same time last week after 5,089 were recorded. It is thought this is linked to mass swabbing in schools, which is picking up more cases. The test positivity rate - a more reliable measure - is still falling in all regions

There were also 64 Covid deaths recorded today, which is down 1.5 per cent on the same time last week

Covid tests have risen recently amid the return of schools, where pupils are being asked to test themselves for the virus twice a week. Although cases have gone up the positivity rate - a more reliable measure of the outbreak - is still falling

Europe is presiding over one of the world's slowest jabs roll-outs which has left people vulnerable to infection, while the UK has masterminded one of the world's fastest, with Covid cases and deaths now falling sharply

Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Iceland have suspended their use of AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine over blood clot fears despite health bodies saying there is no link and cases trending upwards - threatening more lockdowns

BORIS INSISTS OXFORD'S VACCINE IS SAFE AS EU TURNS ITS BACK EN MASSE Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon today mounted a staunch defence of the AstraZeneca vaccine after France, Italy and Germany became the latest EU states to pause its use. The PM insisted the jabs are 'both safe and effective' while the First Minister urged Britons to keep coming forward, pointing to 'significant and growing evidence of the benefits' in terms of saving lives, preventing symptoms and curbing transmission. The EU now looks set to embrace Russia's Sputnik V Covid jab even as its leaders shun British-made AstraZeneca vaccines, with multiple countries halting its use over fears it could cause blood clots. That is despite European regulators, the World Health Organization and the firm itself insisting the two-dose jab is safe. France, Italy and Germany today became the latest countries to bring in a pause this afternoon  following the lead of Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria. Berlin's Health Ministry said the move was a 'precaution', while French President Emmanuel Macron and Italy's medicines agency revealed they would wait for the European Medicines Agency's final decision on the safety of the vaccine tomorrow. Meanwhile, Italy  which has already suspended use of a particular batch of AZ jabs  will begin a new lockdown today, Paris is facing tighter measures as cases overwhelm hospitals, and German ICU doctors say an 'immediate' return to lockdown is necessary. Tory MPs said the chaotic situation underlined the failure of the EU to protect its citizens, and suggested political leaders were attacking the AstraZeneca vaccine as a smokescreen while the UK's roll-out forges ahead. Former Cabinet minister Owen Paterson accused the bloc of running a scare-mongering campaign against the vaccine, saying the EU launched a 'fake news' drive after it had bungling its orders for the jab. On a visit in Coventry, Mr Johnson said the UK had 'one of the toughest and most experienced regulators in the world'. 'They see no reason at all to discontinue the vaccination programme... they believe that they are effective, highly effective in driving down not just hospitalisations but also serious disease and mortality. We continue to be very confident about the programme.' Advertisement

In another day of Covid developments:

The EU turned its back on AstraZeneca's jab over unproven blood clot fears;

Boris Johnson has defended the vaccine as 'safe and effective' - amid growing anger over 'Brexit revenge'

Separate data shows two doses of Pfizer or Oxford vaccine give same protection against Covid as catching and recovering from the disease;

The Prime Minister has reportedly told close aids he 'accepts he made a mistake in delaying first Covid lockdown last spring';

Experts have estimated the delay doubled the death toll during the first wave of the pandemic;

Studies show Covid is the deadliest disease to hit Britain since the Spanish flu arrived in 1918.

Department of Health figures showed 36 local authorities in Britain had an infection rate below 20 cases per 100,000 residents.

They were mostly based in the South West of England, but North Norfolk and a few areas in Wales and Scotland also had next to no cases.

The lowest infection rate in England was in Torridge, Devon, (2.9 per 100,000), followed by South Hams, Devon (4.6 per 100,000) and West Devon (5.4 per 100,000).

On the other hand, the highest infection rate was in the Derbyshire Dales (167.3 per 100,000), followed by Redditch (160.7 per 100,000), Hull (157.8 per 100,000) and Corby (153.7 per 100,000).

Nicola Sturgeon also defended AstraZeneca's vaccine today, urging Britons to keep coming forward. She pointed to 'significant and growing evidence of the benefits' in terms of saving lives, preventing symptoms and curbing transmission.

France, Italy and Germany today became the latest countries to bring in a pause this afternoon  following the lead of Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria.

Berlin's Health Ministry said the move was a 'precaution', while French President Emmanuel Macron and Italy's medicines agency revealed they would wait for the European Medicines Agency's final decision on the safety of the vaccine tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Italy  which has already suspended use of a particular batch of AZ jabs  will begin a new lockdown today, Paris is facing tighter measures as cases overwhelm hospitals, and German ICU doctors say an 'immediate' return to lockdown is necessary.

Covid cases are also rising sharply in countries such as Sweden, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and non-EU member Serbia as experts warn that a third wave has begun.

Tory MPs said the chaotic situation underlined the failure of the EU to protect its citizens, and suggested political leaders were attacking the AstraZeneca vaccine as a smokescreen while the UK's roll-out forges ahead. Former Cabinet minister Owen Paterson accused the bloc of running a scare-mongering campaign against the vaccine, saying the EU launched a 'fake news' drive after it had bungling its orders for the jab.

On a visit in Coventry, Mr Johnson said the UK had 'one of the toughest and most experienced regulators in the world'.

'They see no reason at all to discontinue the vaccination programme... they believe that they are effective, highly effective in driving down not just hospitalisations but also serious disease and mortality. We continue to be very confident about the programme.'

And at her daily briefing this afternoon, Ms Sturgeon said the MRHA watchdog had confirmed 'there is no current evidence of an increase in blood clots being caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine'.

'There is, however, significant and growing evidence of the benefits of vaccination reducing death, illness and we hope now reducing transmission as well,' she said.

'For all these reasons and based on the advice and opinion of the MRHA, I'd continue to urge people to come forward for vaccination including with the AstraZeneca vaccine when you are invited to do so.'

Britain's top scientists also leapt to the defence of the country's staple Covid jab today, saying it was 'reckless' to stop using the vaccine and that the risk of catching the disease  which kills around one in 200 people and is more likely to cause blood clots  was much higher.

European factories are gearing up to produce Russia's coronavirus vaccine as regulators move closer to approving it in the hopes of speeding up the continent's shambolic roll-out.

Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's Direct Investment Fund which bank-rolled the Sputnik V jab, said today it has reached agreements with Italy, Spain, France and Germany to begin making the jab.

Boris Johnson (pictured on a visit to a National Express depot in Coventry today) mounted a staunch defence of the AstraZeneca vaccine after the Netherlands and Ireland became the latest EU states to pause its use

Many EU countries are seeing cases rise again with vaccines still coming too slowly to protect large chunks of the population against sickness and death

SCIENTISTS ANGER OVER SUSPENSION OF ASTRAZENECA JABS One of Britain's leading statisticians today warned countries suspending the use of AstraZeneca's Covid jab could be doing 'more harm than good'. Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, from the University of Cambridge, told BBC Radio 4's World At One: 'I think these pauses, I don't think you can consider these as being cautious. 'They actually could be doing more harm than good. If it means there is a delay in rolling out the vaccine to people who would otherwise have a vaccine, then that will cause harm.' Dr Simon Clarke, a cellular microbiologist at Reading University, said: 'The numbers of people going down with blood clots after vaccination are about what you would expect from the general population and they don't seem any different. 'I do wonder whether there is more to this than is being admitted to at this stage  that would be the only justification for what they're doing because they are putting people at risk from Covid. 'Maybe the proportion of younger people getting those conditions is higher than you would normally expect. I would have thought, if that were the case, any sensible regulator would point it out. 'If they said "we've got an unduly high number of blood clots in younger people", that's a different matter. I think they're probably less likely to get blood clots than older people. 'I would have expected to see any effects in the trial.' Advertisement

Dr Phil Bryan, a safety expert at the UK's medicines regulator (MHRA), said that 'people should still go and get their Covid-19 vaccine when asked to do so'.

'We are closely reviewing reports but given the large number of doses administered, and the frequency at which blood clots can occur naturally, the evidence available does not suggest the vaccine is the cause,' he said.

Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chairman of the UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said there was 'no demonstrable difference' in the number of blood clots between the general population and AstraZeneca recipients.

He told BBC Breakfast: 'We have to remember that there are 3,000 blood clots a month on average in the general population and because we're immunising so many people, we are bound to see blood clots at the same time as the vaccination, and that's not because they are due to the vaccination.

'One ought to also remember that Covid causes blood clots. So, the risks of not having the Covid vaccination far outweigh the risks from the vaccinations.'

It comes after research suggested two doses of either Pfizer or AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine offer the same protection against Covid as getting infected and recovering.

A study of 13,000 health workers in England revealed no-one who received both jabs suffered symptomatic illness in the fortnight after their booster dose.

That's compared to the two per cent of Covid survivors who fell ill with the virus after recovering from an earlier infection. The sample size was too small to say for definite the vaccines gave more protection than previous illness.

Oxford University researchers who carried out the research said the findings applied to the more infectious, and possibly deadlier, Kent variant.

They also found a single dose of either vaccine reduced the number of people with symptomatic illness by 67 per cent after 14 days. This finding highlights that healthcare workers 'should take up second vaccines as soon as these are available', they said.

Dr Katie Jeffery, director of infection prevention and control at Oxford University Hospitals, who was involved in the study, said: 'We are grateful to the thousands of staff who work at OUH's hospitals who have taken part in the testing programme.

'In this case it is significant that two doses of the vaccines offer similar levels of protection to natural immunity, and that we saw no symptomatic infections among those staff who had had two vaccine doses.

'Data from studies such as this are important as they provide information which may feed into national policy.

'It also highlights that healthcare workers and other groups at increased risk of infection should take up second vaccines as soon as these are available.'

Two doses of either the Pfizer or Oxford University vaccines offer the same protection against Covid than getting infected and recovering, research suggests

COVID IS DEADLIEST PANDEMIC TO HIT BRITAIN SINCE SPANISH FLU 85 YEARS AGO Official charts today laid bare the full devastating impact of the coronavirus crisis on the UK. A new Office for National Statistics report assessing the damage done by the pandemic showed Covid-19 caused more deaths in 2020 than other infectious diseases caused in any year for over a century. The last time an infectious disease had a similar toll on the nation was way back in 1918 during the so-called 'Spanish flu' influenza pandemic. The ONS report also sets out the scale of the consequences for the economy, with public sector debt having reached levels last seen in the early 1960s as ministers borrowed billions of pounds to keep the UK afloat. Coronavirus has also taken a sledgehammer to the jobs market, with many industries suffering a bigger fall in vacancies during 2020 than they did in the wake of the 2008 financial crash. However, unlike the 2008 crisis and the resulting economic downturn, average house prices have actually increased throughout the pandemic. The house price boom comes despite the UK economy suffering a 9.9 per cent dip in 2020 - the worst annual performance since the Great Frost devastated Europe in 1709. Advertisement

In other developments it emerged Britain's Covid lockdown came late because the Government's scientific advisers were using out-of-date data, close allies to Mr Johnson have claimed.

As the first anniversary of the March 23 shutdown approaches, senior sources have insisted Mr Johnson would act 'harder, earlier and faster' if he could go back in time, according to the Daily Telegraph.

But they have claimed the PM was let down by his expert SAGE advisers who badly misjudged how quickly the virus was spreading.

Mr Johnson was accused of costing lives and being too slow in his initial Covid response, which saw the country's borders remain wide open despite huge transmission in Europe and a voluntary lockdown which left it up to individuals and employers to decide what precautions to take. About 40,000 people died from the disease in the first wave.

Close allies of Mr Johnson claim the PM was only alerted to the scale of the problem on March 14, when SAGE revealed hospitals were just three weeks away from being overwhelmed.

Until then, they said Mr Johnson had been making decisions based on out-of-date projections provided by Government departments.

This gave the PM just over a week to weigh up the implications of shutting down the entire country and economy before finally issuing the unprecedented stay at home order. Prominent SAGE advisers have claimed this delay doubled the death toll in the first wave.

Mr Johnson has promised to call an inquiry to look into the timing of decisions in the early days of the pandemic, to ensure ministers do not repeat previous mistakes.

A senior source told the Telegraph: 'Ordinarily the impulse, when youre taking decisions that have big financial implications, would be to take time, and even in the autumn it was still a case of trying to balance the economic and the health aspects of lockdown. By the winter there was a view that you had to choose.

'[Mr Johnson] now takes decisions very quickly, and will say "if were going to do this, lets do it properly and quickly".'

The Prime Minister has been heavily criticised for his response during the early days of the pandemic.

The UK's borders remained wide open throughout half-term, despite crises unfolding Europe, which allowed tens of thousands of cases to be imported from Spain and Italy.

On March 3, the PM boasted of shaking hands 'with everybody' at a hospital where there were confirmed Covid patients amid accusations he was not taking the threat of the disease seriously

Mr Johnson also scrapped community testing on March 12 to reserve limited swabbing capacity for the elderly and vulnerable.

And social distancing, avoiding pubs and working from home recommendations were not made compulsory until the March 23 announcement, which left it up to individuals and employers to decide what to do.

One SAGE scientist said the death toll from the first wave could have been halved if lockdown came sooner.

Professor Neil Ferguson - an epidemiologist at Imperial College London whose doomsday predictions played a key role in prompting the first shutdown - has said the decision to delay lockdown by a week doubled the death toll during the first wave.

His prediction of 510,000 deaths in the first wave helped convince ministers to hit the panic button and pull the curtains over society. The top scientist was forced to resign as a Government adviser after breaking lockdown rules to meet his married lover.
Texas businesses and homeowners are scrambling to buy back-up generators following last months Texas Blackout, calculating the benefits will outweigh the costs the next time a polar vortex pays a visit.

One reader complained, though, he couldnt get an appointment until May 6.

Building your own mini-powerplant, if done thoughtfully, is not necessarily a bad idea and could shore up the states electricity grid, save everyone money and fight climate change.

An old-fashioned diesel or gasoline generator roaring behind the house, spewing exhaust, is not the solution. Those units are unreliable, rarely generate enough electricity and run out of fuel quickly.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Texas Blackout left scars on businesses, but other disasters lurk ahead

The real answers are what the industry calls distributed generation and micro-grids. These are generators capable of taking businesses, homes or entire campuses off the grid for daysif not most of the timeand contributing to the grid when it needs a helping hand.

Five years ago, I wrote about a Houston start-up called M-Trigen, which developed a natural gas or propane-fired system capable of providing electricity, air conditioning and heat. The new chairman and CEO, Kevin Robert, told me their updated products could help.

I dont think people realize how much more electricity the world is demanding and where its going to come from, he said. Weve got to pursue every form of energy we can find, and distributed generation and microgrids are part of the solution.

Most Texans rely on power from the grid operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT. The nonprofit offers to buy electricity from generators at higher and higher prices every day until it has enough supply contracts to meet the next days demand.

Most of the year, ERCOT does not have to pay much in the day-ahead market to meet the grids needs. Demand averages about 55,000 megawatts, while operators own more than 70,000 megawatts of capacity.

A few days or weeks every year, though, demand bumps up against supply, and ERCOT starts offering extremely high prices. When demand exceeds supply, or the generation promised the day before fails to materialize, ERCOT must cut power to hundreds, thousands or even millions of Texans.

M-Trigen can reduce risk by customizing an appropriately-sized generator with multiple capabilities. The companys systems can create a micro-grid that remains online if ERCOT throws the switch by relying on the more dependable natural gas pipeline or an onsite propane tank.

Robert said the vast majority of M-Trigens clients remained online during the freeze.

The economics of a micro-grid, though, are complicated. Robert explained it depends not only on the difference in price between grid electricity and natural gas during different times of the year, but also how often the power goes out, what you are protecting and whether the larger grid will buy excess power from distributed generation.

Robert said some clients only want to run their generators when grid prices spike and ERCOT will pay them to take demand off the system. Others operate in places where M-Trigens power from natural gas is cheaper than grid electricity all the time.

Some only want M-Trigen as a back-up system or to provide heat. Robert said his system integrates exceptionally well with solar panels and can be cheaper than buying back-up batteries.

Weve found a lot larger application in the market and many more sectors than I ever thought, he said. Thats because were talking about a world that is electrifying itself, a world that wants to do that in a low carbon way.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: All will pay for the Texas Blackout

Natural gas and propane are fossil fuels and emit carbon, but the emissions are far less than from burning coal or oil. While some environmentalists hope batteries will eventually make fossil fuels obsolete, natural gas remains the primacy back up to wind and solar power for at least a decade.

Robert said his team has achieved very low carbon emissions by switching to a Toyota engine designed for natural gas and running a very lean fuel-air mixture. Hes also found a catalytic converter that eliminates almost all nitrous oxide to meet Californias clean air standards.

M-Trigen manufactures in Houston and is planning a Series A investment round to raise cash and ramp-up production. Its not the only company building natural gas generators or micro-grids, but they have a unique product that points to the future of the grid.

As Texas officials decide how to sort out the financial chaos left by the Texas Blackout and guarantee reliability, we should take stock of new technology that can reduce demand and protect property. We should not move backward and reopen mothballed natural gas and coal-fired generators when there are so many ways to move forward.

Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and policy.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
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Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 15, 2021) - Psyched Wellness Ltd. (CSE: PSYC) (OTCQB: PSYCF) (FSE: 5U9) (the "Company" or "Psyched") a life sciences company focused on the production and distribution of artisanal functional and psychedelic mushrooms, is pleased to announce that Janeen Stodulski has been appointed as a director of the Corporation.

Psyched also announced that Chris Hazelton has resigned as a director of the Corporation. CEO Jeff Stevens commented that, "Chris stayed on as one of the legacy directors from Duncan Park Holdings to ensure a smooth transition as Psyched went public. We appreciate his time and effort and wish him well with his future endeavors."

Ms. Stodulski

A graduate of Brock University, Janeen received her CPA designation in 1999 and her MBA from Queen's University in 2002 and most recently completed her In-Depth taxation with CPA Canada.

Janeen brings more than 30 years in diverse tax, financial, and business consulting experience to the table. She has gained extensive accounting experience through her senior roles in public practice, as a partner at MNP and Client Service Manager at Grant Thornton LLP as well as several board positions and C-suite roles in a variety of companies. Janeen extensive expertise allows her to provide outside the box strategies and solutions in addition to comprehensive accounting services.

Ms. Stodulski has received numerous awards and appointments during her career, including an appointment to the Prime Minister's Task Force on Women Entrepreneurs, Ontario and Chapter Distinguished Service awards with CGA, Royal Bank Women Entrepreneurs finalist and Oakville Community Environmental Award.

"I am thrilled to welcome Janeen to the board and know that her experience and passion for this role will add tremendous value to the team and Psyched shareholders," says Jeff Stevens CEO of the Company.

In connections with Ms. Stodulski joining the board she will be issued 500,000 options subject to board and exchange approvals. In addition to Ms. Stodulski option issuance, 1.5M options will be allocated to various consultants for their efforts.

The Company also wishes to disclose that it has engaged the services of the following groups:

Stockhouse Publishing for a 12-month contract totaling $100K

Proactive Media PRO for a 12-month contract totaling $49K.

For further information, please contact:

Jeffrey Stevens

Chief Executive Officer

Psyched Wellness Ltd.

Tel: 647-400-8494

Email: jstevens@psyched-wellness.com

Website: http://www.psyched-wellness.com

For media relations, please contact:

Anne Graf

KCSA Strategic Communications

agraf@kcsa.com

786-390-2644

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider have reviewed or accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

About Psyched Wellness Ltd.:

Psyched Wellness Ltd. is a Canadian-based health supplements company dedicated to the distribution of mushroom-derived products and associated consumer packaged goods. The Company's objective is to create premium mushroom-derived products that have the potential to become a leading North American brand in the emerging functional food category. The Company is in the process of developing a line of Amanita muscaria-derived water-based extracts, teas and capsules designed to help with three health objectives: promote stress relief, relaxation and assist with restful sleeping.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information and Statements

This press release contains 'forward-looking information' within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on Psyched Wellness Ltd. current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. Forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions that have been made by Psyched at the date of the information and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information, including, without limitation, (i) the accuracy of the Toxicology Assessment, (ii) the safety of Amanita Muscaria consumption and the safety and purity of any extracts thereof, and (iii) the uses and potential benefits of Amanita Muscaria. Given these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, you should not unduly rely on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information contained in this press release is made as of the date hereof, and Psyched is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in Psyched Wellness Ltd. management's discussion and analysis for the six months ended May 31, 2020 and covering the subsequent period up to July 27, 2020 ("MD&A"), dated July 27, 2020, which is available on Psyched Wellness Ltd. profile at www.sedar.com.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state, province, territory or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state, province, territory or jurisdiction.

This news release includes data that has been obtained from third party sources, including the findings from the Toxicology Assessment. The Company believes that the data is accurate and that its estimates and assumptions are reasonable, but there is no assurance as to the accuracy or completeness of this data. Third party sources generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but there is no assurance as to the accuracy or completeness of included information. Although the data is believed to be reliable, the Company has not independently verified any of the data from third party sources referred to in this news release or ascertained the underlying assumptions relied upon by such sources.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/77352
Like many people, restaurateur Suzette Megyeri was scared a year ago at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scared of the unknown. Scared of what would happen to her restaurants. Scared of what the restaurants' 75 employees would face.

Megyeri and her husband, Kevin, operate Bambino's Urban Pizzeria and the Skirted Heifer hamburger restaurant in downtown Colorado Springs, while their son, also named Kevin, owns the Skirted Heifer on the city's northeast side.

On March 16, as a means of stopping the spread of the coronavirus, the state of Colorado ordered all restaurants to temporarily cease dining room service  the lifeblood of any eatery  the next day. The closures lasted just over two months, though restaurants were allowed to continue takeout, curbside and delivery service.

"My mind was just full of chaos," Megyeri said. "Everyone, all of our employees were super scared. We were scared. We didn't know what doing business during a pandemic looked like. We literally took it day by day. And everyday we were just trying to solve a series of dilemmas. It was rough. It was super rough."

"I had the feeling of the unknown. And being super scared."

As a successful restaurant owner for 40 years, Megyeri said she missed the people  the loyal customers who dined daily at their businesses.

"That was the hardest part, is not having customers sit at our tables," she said. "I just remembered putting the chairs up on the tables, going, 'oh my gosh, this is so ugly. How can we make this work better? What are we going to do with all these tables and chairs?' I missed our customers being able to sit in our dining room."

But once the pandemic ends, Megyeri said she hopes to return to a more normal state of business.

For one, that probably means no more masks, which are tricky for restaurant workers to wear on the job.

"I don't work on crew as much as I used to, and I'll be down at the restaurants, we'll all have our masks on, and I'll be fiddling with my mask and just super uncomfortable," Megyeri said. "Our crew, they never complained about it. Ever. They didn't even talk about the masks. It's amazing how resilient people are and how they just get used to things."

And, in a post-pandemic world, Megyeri said she once again hopes to be able to embrace friends and customers.

"The hugging," Megyeri said. "That's been really, really tricky for me. I can't wait until we can get back to the hugs. But I don't know if that's ever going to happen again. I just don't know what this (post-pandemic world) looks like. ... I hope things get back to normal, but I just don't know. I just don't know what this looks like."  Rich Laden

  

As executive director of Manitou Art Center, Natalie Johnson had to quickly make decisions that affected the lives and livelihoods of the nonprofit organizations artists, members, staff and guests when the pandemic began to take root.

I can remember trying to figure out when, why and how to close the MAC in March, she says. There was nothing in my last fifteen years of managing businesses and nonprofits to prepare me for this.

The scariest part? Waiving all rental and membership income for the MAC for three months with no plan to make up for that loss of income. Fortunately, the situation has worked out, says Johnson.

It took several months for the pandemic to become personal and world-changing for Johnson. Around May or June she knew a month-long lockdown wouldnt be the answer, as she watched friends and family members get sick with the virus and knew others who died.

Not being able to see her Illinois-based grandmother on her 99th birthday earlier this year has been one of the hardest losses to overcome: Missing her birthday was more difficult than missing Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family."

But in the wake of losing so much, Johnson, like so many others, has developed new ways to fill her days: meditation, a return to reading philosophy, sewing, taking baths. She's also learned to prioritize her mental and physical health, and has grown accustomed to mask-wearing, which might continue in her daily life when she has a cold or travels on a plane.

Johnson is optimistic people will emerge from the pandemic with a new appreciation for the small things. And she hopes seeing the impact of the virus on marginalized communities and the inequities of our society will stay at the forefront of our minds.

Sure, she's missed things, like a regular outing with friends, but whats maybe more interesting to her than what we missed this past year is what we didnt miss.

Before COVID-19, how many things did we commit to and do without thinking whether we enjoyed them or not? And then COVID-19 hit and gave us a minute to assess and say I didnt miss these things at all.  Jennifer Mulson

  

Postponing the biggest convention held in Colorado Springs and shifting his staff to remote work are most vivid memories from the first days of the COVID-19 pandemic for Tom Zelibor, CEO of the Colorado Springs-based Space Foundation.

Zelibor had to pull the plug on the meeting, which annually brings more than 13,000 people to Colorado Springs, and send the nonprofit's staff of 70 home hours later on March 13, 2020. The event is so critical to Colorado Springs, The Broadmoor built a new exhibition hall to house it.

"What stands out is how quickly our staff mobilized to respond to deliver educational programming to students, teachers and parents. Literally, the first day we were all remote, members of our education team opened their laptops, connected with one another from their homes and started putting together lesson plans, videos and live demonstrations for all ages to keep learning and engagement happening," Zelibor said. "The same happened with our other staff members who proceeded to connect with all of our our symposium attendees, exhibitors and presenters from around the world to address their questions after we postponed the program."

Zelibor said he misses the people that attend the symposium as well as the students and other visitors to the foundation's Discovery Center and its exhibits. The nonprofit moved much of its programming online and on television through a variety of platforms, some of which will continue after the pandemic is history.

"When you bring people from around the world together like we do with the Space Symposium, you feed off of the energy, the back and forth you have with them, as well as the diversity of thought and experiences they bring to the table," Zelibor said. "The same goes for not having the in-person field trips and visits in our Discovery Center. Not having students, teachers and parents in our building and seeing their energy grow as they experience what we offer is another thing we've missed."

Zelibor said the online, virtual and other platforms allow the foundation to "keep information and conversations going year-round, and not just one week out of the year when the symposium occurs."  Wayne Heilman

  

Chef Eric Brenner, owner of Red Gravy, said the moment he realized everything would change was when a news camera crew asked him to come out to the dining room to comment on the pending changes.

As I was interviewing with them, the official word came to us that we had to close our doors and switch to curbside and delivery only. It was strange getting the news live on camera, Brenner said.

Brenner said his restaurant has remained strong through the pandemic, and also engaged more closely with the community. It also embraced new ways of operating that will remain post pandemic, including a more robust carry-out and delivery business, expanded outdoor seating and more space between tables.

I think a number of things have changed in the community that will change the dining scene in a positive way. People have become accustomed to making reservations. This allows the restaurant to provide better service and have more control of the dining room. We expect this to continue and the mad rush at 6:00 then seeing dining rooms completely empty at 8:00 will hopefully be a thing of the past, Brenner said. When we can open up fully, we will likely keep some of the spacing of tables to provide guests with a little extra space between them and the next table. No need to cram every inch of the dining room with a table or seating if guests are willing to dine with us later or enjoy the expanded outdoor seating when spring finally arrives.

When it does, Brenner believes guests will be returning with new perspectives and new appreciation for all the effort that goes into providing fresh, wholesome food in a clean and safe environment, he said.

I think the connection with local and independently owned businesses has profoundly expanded as citizens make conscious decisions to spend their special occasion, business lunch or family dinner where they know the owner, the chef, the staff and understand the commitment we have to providing the very best experience for all of our guests, Brenner said.  Teresa Farney
CANADA has a class system that essentially ignores the needs of the poor. Existing government and not-for-profit institutions have classified, segmented, and distorted assistance into discrete categories.

Opinion

CANADA has a class system that essentially ignores the needs of the poor. Existing government and not-for-profit institutions have classified, segmented, and distorted assistance into discrete categories.

The creation of a menu that classifies and focuses on aspects of poverty, and the specific insecurities that flow from it, skewers the single true problem: poverty. And it avoids addressing poverty at its root.

Approximately 28 per cent of Manitoba families live in poverty. They have little food and housing security. New clothing is a luxury. Government and anti-poverty programs, together with the bureaucracies that run them, obligate the poor to trade their dignity and self-respect for inadequate assistance.

Food banks, shelters, child poverty and other categories, and subcategories, obscure the single problem, which is not having enough income to live a life with respect and dignity. Dividing poverty into discrete components subverts a solution, which is the provision of sufficient funds to those in need. The do-good agencies make choices to provide for basic needs on behalf of the recipients.

If those in need are provided a basic income, we will eradicate poverty as a class. It would also alleviate a substantial component of povertys social, economic, and political stresses.

The facts about Manitobans living in poverty are stunning: Manitoba has the highest rate of child poverty in Canada, at 31.6 per cent 12 per cent above the national rate; approximately 38,600 Manitobans work for minimum wage, and 73,700 earn only 10 per cent above the minimum wage. This means more than 100,000 Manitobans, despite working, are living on or near poverty wages.

On Oct. 15, 2015, a Winnipeg Street Census noted that 1,400 people were homeless. This number does not include people in institutions, including emergency placements by Child and Family Services. While the number of people living in poverty is staggering, the extent of that poverty is distressing. In Winnipeg, more than half of lone-parent families; 26 per cent of single adults and 11 per cent of seniors live in poverty.

The 2017 report on Winnipeg food bank use disclosed that 42,595 people had used such services. In 2017, 85,450 Manitoba children were living in poverty. This number increased to 87,730 in 2018.

Canadian statistics are not much better: one in seven Canadians live below the poverty line  this amounts to about five million of us, with more than one million being children. According to UNICEF, out of 35 developed countries, Canada ranks 24th in child-poverty prevention. And 900,000 Canadians use food banks monthly  more than one-third are children. Approximately one in seven children goes to school hungry  every day.

In addition to food insecurity, more than four million Canadians lack decent, affordable housing. Approximately 30,000 people are on the street nightly, while an additional 50,000 stay with friends or relatives.

So the problems have been identified. The questions, however, remain. How good of a Samaritan should we be to those in need? Do food banks solve food insecurity? Is it sufficient to have an overnight shelter in place of a home? Is clothing from a second-hand store the only answer? And finally, should those in need sacrifice dignity for welfare that is tied to the discretion of a social worker?

The answer to those questions is basic income. Basic income is a set guaranteed income sufficient to meet basic needs and allow people to live with dignity, regardless of work status. It would eliminate poverty as a status or category. Everyone would have the security of regular direct, unqualified income to meet basic needs.

A recent study from the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, an independent and respected arm of the federal government, determined that the gross cost of basic income in Canada would be $76 billion.

This cost decreases when we consider how various existing payouts could be subsumed into a program of basic income. The net cost to the federal government would be $43 billion. The elimination of social welfare allowances would create further savings to the provinces, meaning basic income would actually cost Canada $23 billion.

According to Evelyn Forget, author of Basic Income for Canadians, this is the annual cost of the Canada Child Benefit.

Canada does not need further narrow transfer programs with intrusive conditions and rules; nor does it need to enforce stigmatizing consequences. We can afford to pay all Canadians a basic income, void of conditions.

The country has a program upon which basic income can be modelled: Old Age Security. Government payments are sent to every person of retirement age; we call these payments old-age pensions, not old-age welfare. We can follow this model for each adult citizen. Those who do not need the assistance would return the money, through Canadas current progressive tax system.

Canada can afford basic income, provide dignity and eliminate poverty.

Paul Walsh is a Winnipeg lawyer and a member of Basic Income Manitobas board of directors.
Dostana 2: Janhvi Kapoor, Kartik Aaryan Starrer's Shoot To Resume Mid April In India?

Dostana 2 had been announced quite some time back but the film seems to be getting delayed too. Last year, the shoot of this film helmed by Collin D'Cunha had finally begun, but the pandemic happened and everything took a backseat. It has been long since shoots resumed, but the shoot had not resumed for one reason or the other. But now, finally, it is all set to begin again!

According to a report in ETimes, the team of Dostana 2 will resume the shoot from mid-April. A source close to the production revealed, "The date is most likely April 10. The venue will be announced soon. With Corona still playing havoc in most parts, expect that decision to be taken only closer to the fourth week of March."

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lakshya (@itslakshya)

A large chunk of the film, which would feature Janhvi Kapoor, Kartik Aaryan and debutant actor Lakshya Lalwani, still remains to be shot and therefore this one would be an extensive schedule. Earlier, the makers had planned to shoot the film in the UK but that might not be happening anytime soon. Currently, Kartik is also busy shooting for Bhool Bhulaiyaa2 and today, Tabu rejoined the cast and the shoot of the film begun. We hope that we get to see Dostana 2 by early next year at least.
Seguin, Texas (78155)

Today

Partly cloudy early then heavy thunderstorms this afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 84F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
In accordance with the combat training plan for 2021, the Azerbaijan Army started operational-tactical exercises, according to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

The exercises held under the leadership of the Minister of Defense involve up to 10,000 military personnel, up to 100 tanks and other armored vehicles, up to 200 missiles and artillery systems of various caliber, multiple launch rocket systems, and mortars, up to 30 military aviation assets, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles for various purposes.

In the exercises conducted in a mountain-wooded area with difficult terrain, the main attention considering the combat experience gained during the Patriotic War is focused on controlling troops, bringing them into the state of combat readiness and regrouping, as well as on improving combat coordination and interoperability between the Army Corps, Rocket and Artillery Troops, aviation and Special Forces.

During the exercise, which will last until March 18, the troops will fulfill tasks to fight against terrorist detachments (groups), in particular, illegal armed formations, and to conduct counter-terrorism operations.

Earlier, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova said that the operational-tactical exercises of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan to be held on March 15-18, are of a planned nature and do not pose risks to stability and security in the region

"These exercises are, as I said, of a planned nature, aimed at improving the combat training of troops and not pose risks to stability and security in the region," the diplomat said.
Amid rising COVID-19 cases, Chief Minister on Monday informed that the Madhya Pradesh government has instructed the team to discuss night curfew.

"I have instructed the team to discuss night curfew and other things. Relevant departments will prepare for a meeting which will be held tomorrow. We have issued some instruction and will take few more steps if needed," the Chief Minister told reporters when asked about rising COVID-19 cases.

Chouhan held a meeting with Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday and asked for the supply of more COVID-19 vaccines and help in other health-related issues of the state.

"We need 81 lakh first dose of the vaccine and we have received 18,84,000 against it, so far. The Union Health Minister has promised to provide the remaining shots very soon. Vaccination drive is being conducted in full swing," Chouhan said.

The Chief Minister also requested the Union Minister for help in the infrastructural development of the newly-established medical colleges in the state and also for the hospitals dedicated to the treatment of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy victims.

(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 son of a brave grandmother who was savagely bashed by thugs while opening a church says 'it will take more than a punch in the head to get her down'.

Penelope Katsavos was opening Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox church in Melbourne's South Yarra at 6am on Saturday, as she had done every week for the past 30 years.

As the 78-year-old approached the entrance, a man punched her in the face, pushed her to the ground and started kicking her, before he took her belongings and fled the scene.

On Tuesday morning, her heartbroken son Evri and daughter-in-law Erin said the elderly woman's 'body is hurting' but her 'heart and soul are stronger than ever'.

Penelope Katsavos' face was covered in massive purple bruises, trailing from her right eye down to her chin (pictured left after the attack and right in hospital)

'She is a very religious person and she is strong, and that is what's getting her through this,' the young mum told Sunrise.

'She is praying and she has complete faith that God has a plan for her.'

Mrs Katsavos was left lying on the steps of the church where she was found 30 minutes later by a street cleaner who then called police.

Her face was covered in massive purple bruises, trailing from her right eye down to her chin, and she suffered a broken wrist, a fractured pelvis and bleeding on the brain in two places.

Despite her extensive injuries, her son said her condition improved over the weekend and she can now move around.

'She's got full use of her left and right hands, although one of them is in a plaster, but the doctors and nurses are very happy with her progress,' he said.

'As long as she continues to improve then we'll be happy.'

A photo taken in hospital shows the brave elderly woman flashing a smile as she reads from a bible, her reading glasses shielding a swollen black eye.

Her family said they were more shocked than angry about the vicious attack, which Mrs Katsavos believes was carried out by someone who was 'drug-affected', and pleaded with the attacker to come forward.

Penelope Katsavos, 78, was left lying on the steps of the church (pictured) where she was found 30 minutes later by a street cleaner who then called police

'Turn yourself in,' Mr Katsavos said.

'In time, you will be caught so, you know, do the right thing.'

Mrs Katsavos is the full-time carer for her husband Thomas, who has dementia - prompting fears she may not be able to care for him following the attack.

Evri Katsavos, her son, told 7 News on Monday that he is saddened to 'think about the pain that she actually went through'.

'[Its] just real gutless to hit anyone, let alone an elderly person... defenceless.'



Pictured: Erin and Evri Katsavos. Evri's mother Penelope was bashed by ruthless thugs outside a church on Saturday

The grandmother-of-six flashed a brave smile as she read from a bible in hospital, where she is receiving treatment for her injuries

The culprits took her trolley but it was later found in a nearby park with nothing stolen.

Mrs Katsavos daughter-in-law Erin said she has remained positive throughout the ordeal.

'She is eternally positive, but that's just her nature. But she's very unwell,' she told 3AW.

'We want the people who did this to be found, so firstly they can't do it to anyone else and that they're held accountable for what they've done,' she said.

Mr Katsavos said the family was inspired by his mother's strength.

'We know thats shes very strong and she makes us all strong as well,' he said.

Mrs Katsavos has been opening the Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox church in South Yarra (pictured)every weekend for 30 years

Parishioner Jane Pallot said Mrs Katsavos was a 'beautiful' woman and the church community would rally behind her during this difficult time.

'She is a beautiful lady and church is her life, and we will make sure she is looked after.' She told News Corp.

A photo of the victim taken at the church steps shows her looking stunning and defenceless covered in blood.

Mrs Katsavos was unable to describe the attackers but did say they were 'young'.

Both are still on the run and Victoria Police said the investigation into the random attack is ongoing.

The man has been described as having a thin build with dark hair, and was wearing dark clothing at the time.

He was last seen heading towards Chapel Street with the trolley.
New Delhi: Banking services including cheque clearance across the country got affected on Monday as bankers have gone on a nationwide strike to protest against the proposed privatisation of two state-owned lenders.

However, branches of private sector lenders like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank are open as they are not part of the strike.

Banks will be closed for two-day strike on March 15 (Monday) and March 16 (Tuesday), while the previous two days March 13 was a second saturday while March 14 is a Sunday. Thus, to sum it up, banks will remain closed for four days in a row.

Bankers under the aegis of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine unions, are going on a strike call on March 15 and 16. About 10 lakh bank employees and officers of the banks will participate in the strike.

In the Union Budget presented last month, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the privatisation of two public sector banks (PSBs) as part of the government's disinvestment plan.

According to All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) general secretary CH Venkatachalam, services at branch level; cheque clearance; and government transactions have been affected. Besides, money markets and stock markets are also going to face problems as payments would be impacted, he told news agency PTI.

Members of UFBU include All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA) and Bank Employees Confederation of India (BEFI).

Live TV

#mute

Others are the Indian National Bank Employees Federation (INBEF), Indian National Bank Officers Congress (INBOC), National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW) and National Organisation of Bank Officers (NOBO).
Apple is expected to unveil a new iPad Pro, AirPods and AirTags  its long-rumoured high-tech tag device for tracking everyday items  on March 23.

AirTags are expected to be small, circular devices with an Apple logo in the centre, possibly equipped with Bluetooth connectivity.

Users will be able to find lost items like wallets, keys, luggage or even a stolen bicycle if they have an AirTag attached to them.

The rumoured launch event date is courtesy of a respected China-based leaker with a decent track record who goes by the name of Kang.

Kang () is a 'mysterious but spot-on' China-based source sharing news on social media site Weibo, according to Apple Track, a blog that keeps tabs on Apple rumours 'and the sources that publish them'.

Apple is expected to unveil a new iPad Pro, AirPods and AirTags on March 23. AirTags are Apple's rumoured tracking system for the 'Find My' app. Each will be small, circular and made to be attached to everyday items (pictured here in supposed leak previously published by MacRumors)

'Kang knows exactly what Apple is working on  to the tee,' said Apple Track, which gives him or her a 97.8 per cent 'rumour accuracy'.

Another phone leaker Jon Prosser  who has a 78.2 per cent rating on Apple Track  already claimed March 23 is the date of Apple's unveiling event.

Earlier this month, he tweeted '23'  and added that AirTags, iPad Pro, AirPods are also ready to reveal, as well as a new Apple TV.

March 23 is also the alleged date of a launch event from Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus, for its upcoming OnePlus 9, suggesting the two firms will go head to head.

AirTags

The most exciting product expected to be announced by Apple is arguably AirTags, which are said to have been in development for years.

The small circular tracking tags would help users find any personal item that has an AirTag attached, by using a map on the 'Find My' app.

Find My lets people track the whereabouts of their Apple devices, such as iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and AirPods, in case they get lost  but AirTags will extend this to other everyday, non-electronic items.

If the lost item is in the vicinity, such as around the house somewhere, users would be able to click an option for the AirTag to emit a noise to help them locate it, just like items already supported by the Find My app.

If the lost item with an AirTag attached was further afield  for example, if it were accidentally left in a bar in the next town  users could find it on the map.

If the item was stolen, the owner could potentially find out the address of the person who took it, as long as it still had the AirTag attached.

Rumours that Apple is developing item tracking tags first surfaced in September 2019 when MacRumors released leaked screenshots of a new 'Items' tab in the 'Find My' app.

Rumours that Apple is developing item tracking tags first surfaced in September last year when MacRumors released leaked screenshots of an item-tracking sub menu being developed for the 'Find My' app

The product was reportedly been given the code-name 'B389' during its development but is expected to be sold under the name 'AirTags'

It's believed personal items like keys and wallets that have AirTags attached to them will show up under the 'Items' tab on the app.

In April last year, Apple mistakenly uploaded a support video to YouTube that revealed the existence of AirTags, which was quickly removed.

The video, entitled 'How to erase your iPhone', mentioned AirTags in a shot of Settings for the Find My app.

In April last year, Apple mistakenly uploaded a support video to YouTube that revealed the existence of AirTags, which was quickly removed

AirPods

On March 23, Apple is also expected to reveal its third-generation AirPods  the wireless Bluetooth headphones that come with their own charging case.

The second-gen AirPods, which were unveiled two years ago, start at 159. AirPods Pro, with additional noise cancellation technology and water resistance, cost 249.

According to MacRumors, Apple is working on more affordable 'entry-level' AirPods  albeit with a lack of higher-end features like active noise cancellation.

Apple is already pushing consumers towards AirPods. iPhone 12, released last October, didn't include a pair of standard wired headphones (EarPods) in the box, unlike its predecessors, prompting outrage from some buyers.

The decision not to include wired EarPods in the box of the iPhone 12 should turn consumers towards its 250 AirPods Pro (left) and AirPods (right)

Cheaper AirPods will therefore come as good news for iPhone fans  although consumers can still buy EarPods for an extra 19.

Another leaker, Ming-Chi Kuo, also noted that Apple is expected to release new models of AirPods in 2021, 9to5Mac reported last year.

iPad Pro

Lastly, the new fifth-generation iPad Pro will be available in the same sizes like its predecessor  11-inch and 12.9-inch  according to Japanese site Mac Otakara, citing Chinese supply chain sources.

But the fifth-generation will have a 'significantly improved' processor from the Apple A12Z in the fourth generation, Mac Otakara said.

Other sources cited by MacRumors have also suggested Apple will also release new iPad Pro models with mini-LED displays and faster processors.

MailOnline has contacted Apple for comment regarding the date of its next launch event and what will be revealed.

Apple is expected to livestream the March 23 unveiling event online without an in-person audience, like its recent events, due to the current pandemic

Although the iPhone 13 is not due until the autumn, analysts have already been trading rumours about what it will look like.

In January, it was reported by the Twitter tipster Mauri QHD that Apple has created a prototype iPhone without the black 'notch'.

The rectangular black notch, which has featured on flagship iPhone models since 2017, conceals the phone's front-facing camera components and sensors.
Guwahati, March 16 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Monday that Congress is following "Muhammad Ali Jinnah's path to destroy the country", instead of following Mahatma Gandhi's ideals.

Addressing three election rallies on his maiden poll campaign for BJP candidates in Assam, Chouhan said that the Congress is forgetting Assam's welfare and forging an alliance with the Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) to increase its vote bank.

"The Congress is following the path of Muhammad Ali Jinnah to destroy the country," he said at a rally in Naharkatia, which will go to the polls in the first phase on March 27.

"The Congress has teamed up with Ajmal, who has harmed Assam with infiltration. Congress' electoral 'gathbandhan' (alliance) is a 'thaghbandhan' (cheating alliance). Ajmal runs a perfume business, but he is spreading poison in the society," Chouhan said.

The BJP leader said that the Congress' performance in terms of development of Assam is extremely poor.

"Be it roadsways, health, education or welfare schemes, the Congress has failed in all the sectors. Corruption ended in Assam after the BJP government came to power in 2016, ousting the Congress after 15 years," he said.

The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister also said that the Congress does not want Ghulam Nabi Azad or Anand Sharma, but the party needs Ajmal.

He said that the Congress is playing divide and rule politics, teaming up with Ajmal's party in Assam, the Muslim League in Kerala and the Furfura Sharif in West Bengal in West Bengal.

Terming the previous Congress governments in Assam as most corrupt, the BJP leader alleged that the party had run a 'cash-for-job scheme', which was dismantled by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal with the arrest of many people.

"The Congress governed Assam for over 50 years, but what has it done for the development of Assam? The Congrss only gave rise to corruption, infiltration, violence, terrorism, hunger and unemployment," Chouhan said.

Urging the people to vote for the BJP, Chouhan said that the governments led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sarbananda Sonowal have undertaken a series of mega projects and ambitious schemes for the development and welfare of all sections of the people.

Chouhan also said that the Congress has always used illegal immigrants as its vote bank.

The BJP leader predicted that the grand old party would become history under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Ottogi Founder Ham Young-joon / Korea times file



By Kim Jae-heun



Local food maker Ottogi has earned both the adoration and respect of younger Korean customers for keeping the prices of its products low and also for its ethical corporate standards. But the company now finds itself embroiled in a series of scandals, including allegations of tax evasion and deteriorating food quality.



For the last 10 years, Ottogi has sold dried seaweed products marked as being 100 percent Korean in origin. But it is now alleged that the contents were mixed with ingredients from China.



The Korea Coast Guard (KCG) charged Ottogi's subcontractor in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, of seven illegal acts, including smuggling seaweed and wrongfully marking the origin of its products. The Coast Guard believes the firm sent Korean seaweed to be sold in mainland China, while replacing the volume sold there with Chinese seaweed that was brought back to Korea.



The KCG reportedly discovered that Ottogi's subcontractor purchased about 3,000 tons of Chinese seaweed, valued at an estimated 5 billion won. The Coast Guard will hand over the case to prosecutors.



Ottogi said there are distorted details related to the scandal, but declined to provide further details, since the case is currently under investigation.



"It is not true that our products have been confiscated, and we terminated our contract with the contractor in question in January. We are currently recalling all seaweed products suspected to have been mixed with Chinese ingredients," an Ottogi official said.



Ottogi is also suspected of illegally using land near its worksites in North Chungcheong Province, Paju and Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province, and Ulju in Ulsan Metropolitan City, as well as Goseong in Gangwon Province. The food manufacturer allegedly used forest lands near its facilities as parking lots, which violates the Management of Mountainous Districts Act and the Agricultural Land Act. Authorities in Pyeongtaek took administrative action against Ottogi for alleged violations of the law regarding a factory in operation there.



Last year, Ottogi underwent a special investigation by the National Tax Service for suspected tax evasion. Ottogi Chairman Ham Young-joon and Ottogi CEO Lee Gang-hoon are said to have been targets of the investigation on suspicions of tax evasion, creating a slush fund and giving favorable treatment to one particular company.



At the same time, Ottogi is raising the prices of its popular products, including mayonnaise, porridge, seaweed soup and canned tuna, starting from March. It already increased the price of its instant rice last month by 9 percent.



Ottogi said it was simply lowering the discount it had been applying on the prices of these products, and insisted it was not increasing the price.






Kolkata, March 15 : Violence by pro-democracy protesters against Chinese properties are mounting in Myanmar and security forces are opening indiscriminate fire to check the attacks.

At least 38 protesters were killed on Sunday after two Chinese-financed factories were set on fire and a host of other Chinese properties attacked.

The Facebook page of the Chinese embassy in Myanmar has been bombarded with an unending stream of vitriol blaming the February 1 coup on "Chinese backing and encouragement", specially after a statement by the mission calling for "punishment" of those attacking Chinese properties.

Many posts in Burmese social media even carried threats to "set fire" to an oil and gas pipeline that connects the China-financed port of Kyaukphyu in Myanmar's Rakhine state to China's Yunnan province .

Protesters have been carrying placards saying "Myanmar military coup, Made in China", reflecting huge Burmese anger over Beijing's muted response to the coup that has been severely criticised by the West.

India has avoided direct criticism of the takover but expressed "serious concern" at the Myanmar situation and called for "orderly democratic transition".

Late on Sunday, the Chinese embassy described the situation as "very severe" after pro-democracy protesters set ablaze two Chinese-financed garment factories in Hlaingthaya suburb of Yangon.

"China urges Myanmar to take futher effective measures to stop all acts of violence, punish perpetrators in accordance with law and ensure the safety of life and property of Chinese companies and personnel in Myanmar," the embassy said in a statement.

Myanmar security forces pounced on the protesters setting fire to the factories at Hlaingthaya and opened indiscriminate fire.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) claimed that at least 22 protesters had died in the Hlaingthaya firings.

Burmese mediapersons trying to reach the suburbs after reports of indiscriminate firing were blocked off by security forces who told them that "martial law had been declared" in Hlaingthaya and an adjoining district of Yangon.

But Burmese social media carried at least two videos of dead and injured protesters been carried away by their comrades after the firings.

AAPP officials said at least 16 other protestors had died in indiscriminate firings in several other cities like Mandalay and Bago, making March 14 the bloodiest day in Myanmar since the coup.

One policemen was also killed in Bago, they said.

In both places, properties of Chinese jade buyers and bulk importers were attacked, independent mediapersons said.

AAPP officials closely monitoring the Myanmar situation say at least 126 protesters have been killed so far since the country plunged into chaos over fierce public resistance to the military takeover.

Some 2,250 protesters have been taken into custody and only 300 of them, specially those injured, have been released.

Licenses of four Burmese media groups including the leading multilingual online and TV platform Mizzima have been cancelled as the junta tries to muzzle the press.
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A Covid-19 support fund worth 4 million for Northern Ireland's pig and poultry sectors has today opened for applications.

Pig and poultry producers are able to apply for financial support as part of the government's Covid support measures.

The 4m fund is being made available to farmers who saw their income fall last year due to the impact of the pandemic.

For the pig sector, many producers incurred financial loss when the processing plant they supplied was temporarily closed due to an outbreak within the workforce.

NI Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots said: "This financial support will address the effects of the temporary loss of the lucrative Chinese export market, additional penalties on overweight and overfat pigs, and the price impact of alternative pig marketing arrangements."

For the poultry sector, farmers producing parent stock and hatching eggs for Moy Park Ltd saw falling demand for hatching eggs last year.

"This support will address the financial impact of depleting laying flocks earlier than normal, and the cash flow consequences of longer intercrop periods for both rearing and laying farms, he added.

I am pleased that over 19m has already been paid out by DAERA to farm businesses impacted by the pandemic and this financial support has been helpful in these difficult times.

Responding to the news, the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) said farmers would be 'relieved' at the progress being made to get the funding rolled out.

The union's deputy president William Irvine said: "Our pig producers have been patiently waiting for this update since it was announced earlier in the year, while our poultry producers awaited confirmation of funding.

The support package will help to cover a proportion of the losses incurred by pig producers including the temporary loss of the Chinese export market and overweight deductions for heavy pigs as a result of the closure.

"However, it will not cover the total losses that producers endured."

Eligible farm businesses in the pig and poultry sectors will receive a letter inviting them to apply for the support package, the NI government said.

Producers must complete the application form available on DAERA Online Services from today (15 March) to Wednesday 24 March 2021.
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 15 Colleges In Idaho for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 68 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment.

The 2021 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system which includes student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third party evaluations. Intelligent.com analyzed 68 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 15 making it to the final list. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each school.

To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-colleges-in-idaho/

2021 Colleges In Idaho featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

Boise Bible College

Boise State University

Brigham Young University, Idaho

College of Eastern Idaho

College of Idaho

College of Southern Idaho

College of Western Idaho

Idaho State University

Lewis-Clark State College

Milan Institute

New Saint Andrews College

North Idaho College

Northwest Nazarene University

Stevens-Henager College

University of Idaho

About Intelligent.com

Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides which include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/.
Sergio Flores/The Washington Post via Getty ImagesBY: QUINN OWEN, ABC NEWS

(NEW YORK)  As the number of unaccompanied minors at the southern border keeps growing, legal advocates checking on conditions for migrant children held in U.S. custody report many are afraid, unable to contact family members and have limited access to the outdoors.

"What we saw this time was a lot of very young, very scared children," Leecia Welch, Senior Director of Child Welfare at the National Center for Youth Law, told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Cecelia Vega.

The children, some as young as one-year-old, were held in a large, crowded tent partitioned by clear plastic, the lawyers said. Some have been held for longer than a week, according to the lawyers accounts, awaiting transfer to the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement.

"It just makes it all the more scary for them, because ... these are places that no child should have to be in on their own," Welch said in the interview.

Children said every few days they were allowed into a courtyard for about 20 minutes, but the lawyers said some of them may have gone longer than that without seeing the sun. The lawyers were not permitted to see inside the living quarters for themselves and instead based their accounts on interviews with more than a dozen children.

"We are fully aware of the extraordinary complexity involved with coordination of multiple agencies and a web of statutory requirements but we believe that there are ways to overcome these obstacles and frankly we think it's imperative to do so," Neha Desai, Director of Immigration at the National Center for Youth Law, told ABC's Vega in an interview.

When children attempt to cross the border alone and are apprehended by Border Patrol, they are placed temporarily in Customs and Border Protection custody while they wait for transfer to the U.S. refugee resettlement office, which is responsible for placing children with sponsors.

Two Customs and Border Protection officials, who declined to be named to discuss interagency deliberations, pointed to HHS as the source of the backlog. There are currently some 8,800 minors in HHS care, according to sources with knowledge of the data.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday the current conditions for children are "not acceptable."

"But I think the challenge here is that there are only -- there are not that many options," she added.

At her press briefing, Psaki continued to blame the Trump administration for creating a system she said was "dismantled and unprepared," and urged patience while the Biden administration implements its new approach.

"It's going to take some time," she said.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement on Sunday opened a new facility to assist in processing unaccompanied children before they are transferred to longer-term care.

"This approach will help decrease overcrowding at CBP facilities and ensure children are moved into ORR shelters, where children receive educational, medical, mental health, and recreational services until they can be unified with families or sponsors without undue delay," ORR said in a statement.

Located in Midland, Texas, the "Emergency Intake Site" is a temporary center where minors will be processed before they are transferred to longer-term holding or shelter care and will be serviced in part by the American Red Cross.

"Well have that location filled up pretty soon," one CBP official said, referring to the large number of minors currently in CBP custody and awaiting transfer.

Independent legal monitors tasked with oversight of detained minors reported in court documents on Friday that overcrowding seen at CBP facilities makes detention "unsafe and likely unsanitary."

The filing urged CBP to officially report on the custody numbers and length of time in custody while taking extra measures to reduce the number of detained children.

"Such efforts should be aimed at alleviating the current massive overcrowding at CBP facilities by enhancing and streamlining the process available to achieve the safe and prompt release of all detained minors who are not flight risks or a danger," the lawyers working on behalf of the children wrote.

CBP did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News about the conditions for the children in custody.

ABC News' Ben Gittleson contributed to this report.

Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Udaipur to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of several major projects whose total outlay is estimated to be over Rs 15,000 crore.

Here are the live updates-

#14:21PM

These roads are not only connecting Rajasthan & the nation, they are gateways to progress: PM



#14:18 PM

With a tourist comes economic opportunities for the locals: PM



#14:15 PM

Good roads will help Rajasthan in particular. Tourism will get a big boost due to a strong roads network in the state: PM



#14:12 PM

Better roads will help our farmers immensely. This is one of the reasons why Atal Ji dreamt of a strong roads network across India: PM



#14:10 PM

To take India to newer heights, the role of infrastructure, railways, roads is very important: PM



#14:07 PM

Some projects being inaugurated were pending for years. Our focus is on timely completion. We will complete projects we begin: PM



#14:05PM

I assure all those affected by floods in Rajasthan that the Govt of India is with you in this difficult time: PM

#14:05 PM

The number of projects being inaugurated today is a matter of joy: PM



#14:03 PM

We are standing shoulder to shoulder with the people of Rajasthan who are battling the floods. We have assured all possible support: PM



#13:58 PM

I am delighted to be in this Veer Bhumi. I bow to the brave people of this land: PM



#13:02 PM

PM Modi visits an exhibition on National Highway Projects; Union Minister Nitin Gadkari & Rajasthan CM also present



Rajasthan: PM Modi visits an exhibition in Udaipur on National Highway Projects; Union Minister Nitin Gadkari & Rajasthan CM also present. pic.twitter.com/rBMimvoaEo  ANI (@ANI) August 29, 2017

#12:32 PM

PM Modi arrives in Rajasthan's Udaipur; to inaugurate & lay foundation of key National Highway projects, to address a public meeting shortly

He visited the Pratap Gaurav Kendra which provides information, through various exhibits, about the life, valour and achievements of Maharana Pratap, the famous King of the erstwhile kingdom of Mewar.

Tomorrow I will be visiting Rajasthan, the land of the brave, where I will inaugurate & lay the foundation of key National Highway projects, Modi had tweeted on Monday night.

I will address a public meeting in Udaipur. I will also visit the Pratap Gaurav Kendra and pay my respects to the great Maharana Pratap, he had said in another tweet.

The prime minister inaugurated 11 completed National Highway projects, covering a total length of about 873 km, a Rajasthan government spokesman said in Jaipur. (With PTI Inputs)

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You know that classic, awkward movie moment when a person walks into a party and sees someone sporting their same ensemble? The same happens with furniture when you shop at a generic national chain: Youre bound to share the same dens and kitchens as others on your block when you shop at all the same places.

Instead, check out what Houston furniture artisans are working on and take home something no one else can claim. Weve arranged the listings by each stores signature style.

Rustic, Spanish

True one-of-a-kind rustic furnishings pack a lot of character. Especially when compared to manufactured lookalikes that have been distressed to appear aged. You can place them in a contemporary space for an instant-eclectic look, or nestle them into a Spanish mission-style room, and either way theyll look as though theyve got a story to tell. Thats why we had a lot of fun sifting through these local artisans custom pieces.

El Viejo Mexico Custom Furniture

El Viejo Mexico Custom Furniture

Where: 4114 Belk St, Houston, TX 77087

Phone: 832-875-7641

El Viejo Mexico translates to "the old Mexico," and what's pretty much what you'll find at this local furniture artisan's store. Dining tables, consoles and desks all bring old-world Mexico into your home.

Camerino Carpentry

Camerino Carpentry

Phone: 832-302-5931

Apart from custom items built from scratch, this company also offers refinishing old pieces and installing built-ins. The father-son duo, which includes a pint-sized little boy who's eager to emulate his dad, work directly from their own home garage or onsite at customers' homes.

Rustic Furniture 55

Custom Rustic Furniture 55

Where: 6910 Renwick Dr Ste. E, Houston, TX 77081

Phone: 281-564-7751

Situated in the southwest Houston area, this shop's wares range from Hacienda style to farmhouse, all rooted in rustic design. You might spot their creations at The Original Ninfa's on Navigation or on the stage at a Houston Opera performance.

El Dorado Woodworks

El Dorado Woodworks

Where: 3603 Polk St, Houston, TX 77003

Phone: 713-529-3880

The name implies a rustic focus, which it delivers, but its designs also ranges from Midcentury to Craftsman and everything in between. Its downtown warehouse has seen old heirloom transformations, handcrafted modern items and everything in between since 1993.



Budget-friendly

You thought youd have to spend a fortune to source custom-made furniture in Houston, huh? Thankfully Houstons teeming with talented artists offering reasonably priced items. Some are original from inception to floor room, others are refurbished and updated old goods with a stylish spin. Either way, youre getting a one-of-a-kind furniture piece you wont spot elsewhere. And if all else fails, brush up on your DIY skills and try your hand at some IKEA hacks.

Living Designs Furniture

Living Designs Furniture

Where: 4615 Navigation Blvd, Houston, TX 77011

Phone: 713-921-5098

Most "affordable" retailers don't like to offer prices without a discusion that leads to a quote. Here you know what you're looking at, with custom sofas priced from $900.

Garcia's Custom Furniture

Garcia's Custom Furniture

Phone: 832-633-3409

The beauty of a small-business project: you can contact the builder by phone. That's what some clients rave about when it comes to this builder, accessibility when it comes to price and customer service.

Dan's Custom Woodworking

Dan's Custom Woodworking Inc.

Where: 1322 Nicholson Street, Houston, TX 77008

Phone: 713-861-3659

No job is too small or too large at this Heights outpost. They build everything from windows to driveway gates and more. Sure they also make tables, cabinets and doors, but this company will also carve an ornate pediment to adorn your entrance or an A&M sign to display your school pride.

The Reclaimed Wood Shop

The Reclaimed Wood Shop

Where: 2102 W 34th St, Houston, TX 77018

Phone: 832-206-7300

As the name implies, The Reclaimed Wood Shop centers on bringing new life to old slats, beams and more from barns, factories, churches and even horse tracks. The result: a custom finish with history.

Amish-built furniture

Amish-crafted furniture tends to be pricier than its counterparts because of the cost of goods and the purist techniques most carpenters employ. These custom-furniture makers work by the very definition of handmade with simple tools, including hand planes and pneumatic instruments that run on compressed air instead of electricity. So its not surprising some of their wares come at a premium. But these goods will last a lifetime, so you get your dollars worth.

Amish Home Furnishings

Amish Home Furnishings

Where: 609 Spring Cypress Road (Spring)

Phone: 281-355-0936

The Old Town Spring furnishings shop is coming up on its 30th anniversary: it's built to last, just like its custom furniture. They pride themselves on their strict adherence to Amish-building rules and encourage visits to their showroom so customers can see exactly what theyre getting.

The Amish Company

The Amish Craftsman

Where: 5555 Washington Ave Suite M, Houston, TX 77007

Phone: 713-862-3444

Head to Washington Corridor for a showroom of polished, handcrafted Amish-built furniture. While you're admiring the handmade furniture you can also find the mattresses, rugs and decor to complement your purchases.

E&G Amish Furniture

E&G Amish Furniture Friendswood

Where: 18980 Gulf Freeway (Friendswood); Sugar Land: 3616 Hwy. 6 South

Phone: 281-286-9911 (Friendswood) ; 281-277-0485 (Sugar land)

Ordering here is as simple as 1, 2, 3. Really: choose a design, the wood and the stain. The family owned store opened its first location in Friendswood before expanding to Sugar Land in 2009. The new address is the site of a 22,000-square-foot showroom that promises something for every taste.

E&G Amish Furniture

Contemporary, modern

Sleek curves, clean lines and audacious silhouettes: theyre the makings of modern furniture. Though not many local builders stick to a strict ultra-modern aesthetic, as it can be somewhat niche. Though there are some mod, futuristic finds, many of these local makers combine their portfolio with more traditional items. So, in short, contemporary:

The Joseph Company

The Joseph Company

Where: 2210 Sandman St, Houston, TX 77007

Phone: 713-862-7490

Among the stalwart Houston institutions for custom furniture makers is this 30-year-old shop founded by Brian Joseph. The eponymous store is among the go-to place for homeowners seeking high-end fine custom goods.

Clark Kellogg

Clark Kellogg, Furnituremaker

Where: 2303 Dunlavy

Phone: 713-303-6256

Owner and designer Clark Kellogg makes functional art in Montrose. The builder said he's been at it since 1994, when he and his father took on projects from their home's family garage. By 2003, he'd earned a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts from the University of Virginia.

Quatrine

Quatrine Home

Where: 2040 W Gray St #100, Houston, TX 77019

Phone: 713-521-1915

Its River Oaks Shopping Center might hint at its size. Yes, Quatrine isn't only a Houston company, it also features storefronts in Manhattan Beach, Calif. and Dallas. Owner Gina Quatrine says her inspiration came from her time abroad, when she became a fan of European homes. They're also CertiPUR-US certified, meaning they use sustainable materials that are enviromentally friendly.
By Reuters Staff

LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's Constitutional Court on Monday rejected as unconstitutional a bill approved by parliament earlier this year to allow terminally ill patients to seek assistance from a doctor to end their lives.

The decision came after the country's recently re-elected President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, a conservative, asked the court to evaluate the legislation on the grounds that it appeared to contain "excessively undefined concepts".

Under the bill approved by parliament in January, people aged over 18 would be allowed to request assistance in dying if they were terminally ill and suffering from "lasting" and "unbearable" pain - unless they were deemed not to be mentally fit to make such a decision.

Rebelo de Sousa had previously said he would respect the parliament's vote but he still decided to send it to the Constitutional Court for review.

Judge Pedro Machete told a news conference the law was unconstitutional because some of the clauses posed a threat to the principle of "inviolability of life".

Parliament can now review the legislation again in a bid to address the court's concerns and get Rebelo de Sousa's stamp of approval to legalise the practice.

Portugal, a Catholic-majority country which spent a large part of the 20th century until the 1974 Carnation revolution ruled by a fascist regime, has since implemented many liberal reforms. It legalised abortions in 2007 and allowed same-sex marriage in 2010.
A former Scotland Yard detective has been cleared of running an upmarket prostitution ring with a solicitor's daughter after 50 hearings spanning more than six years.

DC Daniel Williams, 43, was accused of taking a cut from Beatrice Nokes's sex work and bringing the money back to Tooting Police Station to be counted.

Williams had faced charges of misconduct and voyeurism dating back to 2014 but he has finally been cleared on all charges after a legal battle costing the taxpayer millions of pounds.

Nokes, 27, was cleared of inciting prostitution for gain by a jury at Southwark Crown Court in January 2018.

DC Daniel Williams (pictured), 43, was accused of taking a cut from Beatrice Nokes's sex work and bringing the money back to Tooting Police Station to be counted

Her acquittal can finally be reported after Williams was cleared after the Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence.

Williams had been accused of spying on unsuspecting guests at the Mandolay Hotel in Guildford, Surrey, during a 10-month voyeurism spree.

Last week Judge Michael Grieve, QC, ruled Williams had no case to answer to a charge alleging misconduct in public office by controlling prostitution for gain between January and October 2014.

The judge's ruling followed a successful application for abuse of process by Williams.

A CPS spokesman said the allegations of voyeurism relating to three women passed the evidential test, but after consulting the alleged victims it was 'no longer in the public interest to proceed'.

Gillian Jones QC, prosecuting, told Southwark Crown Court: 'It's now no longer in the public interest to continue, the Crown offers no evidence.'

Judge Grieve added: 'This does bring to an end what have been exceptionally long running proceedings in this case, upon which I don't wish to comment on in any way.

Nokes (pictured outside Southwark Crown Court), 27, was cleared of inciting prostitution for gain by a jury at Southwark Crown Court in January 2018

'The case has placed an enormous burden on both sides, for the extremely long amount of work people have been called to do, on both sides.'

Williams appeared relieved and before leaving court told the prosecutor: 'No hard feelings, if there's a movie Ms Jones, you will be played by Cate Blanchett.'

Since 2016 the former cop represented himself at court at up to 50 hearings, due to issues with the Police Federation paying his legal costs and his ineligibility for legal aid.

During earlier proceedings he appeared with an intermediary to assist him after claiming he is autistic and has difficulty taking notes.

Williams said: '90% of the time [proceedings are] lost on me. I can only get accurate notes with the audio tapes.'

The former detective never stood trial but the allegations emerged when Nokes, the daughter of two respected solicitors, stood trial more than three years ago.

It was claimed Nokes, a keen horsewoman, set up a vice ring with Williams while working as a part-time escort.

Williams had faced charges of misconduct and voyeurism dating back to 2014 but he has finally been cleared on all charges after a legal battle costing the taxpayer millions of pounds. Pictured: Beatrice Nokes

Williams was cleared of going into partnership with former UCL chemistry student Nokes while recruiting and pimping out women.

At an earlier hearing it was claimed that when police raided his home in Putney, they found wads of cash hidden in socks up the chimney.

Prosecutor Angela Rafferty QC, had told jurors: 'The prosecution alleges that Beatrice Nokes, acting together with a man called Daniel Williams, was involved in inciting another female to become a prostitute.

'At the time of the investigation into this matter Ms Nokes was working herself as a prostitute and her co-defendant, Mr Williams, was a serving police officer.

'This trial is part of a wider police investigation into Mr Williams, who was attempting to establish a prostitution business, we say.

'Mr Williams, you will see, is not here.

'He faces a separate trial.'

Jurors heard the investigation began in 2014 when DC Williams was working out of Tooting Police Station and Nokes was a chemistry student working as a part-time escort.

The court heard Williams used a website called 'Saafe' which provides advice and support for women working in the escort industry.

Williams sent emails to potential escorts from a 'Lovely Lilly' account, setting up meetings which Nokes would then attend.

Women were handed a 'Cocoon of Reassurance' document running to 38 pages setting out 'common potential pitfalls' with clients, 'risks identified' and 'sexual health'.

Nokes was cleared by the jury of causing or inciting prostitution for gain relating to one of the women after the court heard she had already been operating as a sex worker.

A CPS spokesperson said of the decision to offer no evidence against Williams: 'A recent ruling by the judge in this case determined that there is no case for the defendant to answer on the main allegation he faced.

'After careful consideration we have decided not to challenge this ruling and that it is no longer in the public interest to proceed with a prosecution on the remaining counts.'

Nokes, of Colchester, Essex, denied one count of causing or inciting prostitution for gain and was cleared by the jury after a two month trial in January 2018.

Williams, of Wandsworth, denied two counts of misconduct in public office, possession of criminal property and three counts of voyeurism.

The first misconduct count was stayed after a court ruling and no evidence was offered on the remaining counts.
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Promo Products

ADM Endeavors, Inc.

ADM Endeavors, Inc.

FORT WORTH, TX, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire  ADM Endeavors, Inc. (OTCQB: ADMQ), announced today that our wholly owned subsidiary, Just Right Products, Inc., has begun a new contract with Kaufman County, Texas, a major county near Dallas, for specialty promotional products.



ADMQ currently has more than 20 contracts within Texas, beginning with Tarrant County, population more than 2.1 million, also near Dallas and Fort Worth. We are grateful that Kaufman County, with a population of more than 150,000, has entrusted us to provide important products to them, said Marc Johnson, ADMQ CEO.



It is a testament to the quality goods and services provided by ADM Endeavors to many different government entities that we keep gaining these types of accounts. We are actively pursuing additional government contracts. These contracts are excellent both for ADMQ and for our shareholders, said Mr. Johnson,



ABOUT ADMQ: Since 2010, our wholly owned subsidiary, Just Right Products, Inc., has been consistently profitable, with sales topping $5.1 million in 2020. The Company sells Anything With A Logo on its website, JustRightProducts.com, developing products ranging from unique business cards to coffee cups, T-shirts to boots, with tens of thousands of other unique products from which to select. The Company operates a diverse vertical integrated business in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, consisting of a retail sales division, screen print production, embroidery production, digital production, import wholesale sourcing, and uniforms.

Forward-Looking Statement:



This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements," as defined in the United States PSLRA of 1995, that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and the actual results and future events could differ materially from management's current expectations. The economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors identified in the Company's previous filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements in this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.



Story continues

Contact:

ADM Endeavors, Inc. | www.admendeavors.com

Paul Knopick

pknopick@eandecommunications.com

940.262.3584

Attachment




security forces shot dead six people taking part in pro-democracy demonstrations on Monday, media and witnesses said, and the military junta imposed martial law in districts of the main city Yangon which gave commanders wide powers to crush dissent.

Supporters of detained elected leader took to the streets again despite the killing of dozens of protesters on Sunday in the bloodiest day since a military coup on Feb. 1 ignited mass demonstrations nationwide.

Marches took place on Monday in the second city Mandalay and in the central towns of Myingyan and Aunglan, where police opened fire, witnesses and media reported.

"One girl got shot in the head and a boy got shot in the face," an 18-year-old protester in Myingyan told Reuters by telephone. "I'm now hiding."

The Now media outlet reported three people were killed in Myingyan and two in Aunglan, while a journalist in Mandalay said one person was shot dead there after a big protest had passed off peacefully.

The deaths bring the total toll from the protests to about 140, based on a tally by rights group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and the latest reports.

A junta spokesman did not answer calls requesting comment.

State broadcaster MRTV reported martial law had been imposed in several districts of Yangon, Myanmar's commercial hub and former capital, and Now said it had also been imposed in several parts of Mandalay.

The martial law announcement stated that military commanders in Yangon would take over administration of districts, including the courts, MRTV said.

The courts martial had the authority to hand down the death sentence or long prison terms for a range of offences. These included treason and dissent, obstructing the military or civil service, spreading untrue information, and crimes related to unlawful association.

Arson attacks on Sunday against 32 Chinese-invested factories in an industrial suburb of Yangon prompted China's strongest comments yet on the turmoil gripping its neighbour, where many people see Beijing as supportive of the coup.

China's Global Times newspaper said the factories were "vandalised in vicious attacks" that caused damage worth $37 million and injuries to two Chinese employees. Its embassy urged Myanmar's generals to stop the violence.

"We wish that Myanmar's authorities can take further relevant and effective measures to guarantee the security of the lives and assets of Chinese companies and personnel," foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in Beijing.

He did not mention the deaths of the protesters.

The worst of Sunday's bloodshed took place in the Yangon suburb of Hlaingthaya, where security forces killed at least 42 protesters after the factory attacks, according to a doctor who asked not to be identified.

At least 16 people were killed in other places, AAPP said, as well as one policeman.

In an apparent bid to suppress news of the turmoil, telecoms service providers were ordered to block all mobile data nationwide, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.

Telecom Telenor said in a statement "mobile internet was unavailable".

The army said it took power after its accusations of fraud in a Nov. 8 election won by Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) were rejected by the electoral commission. It has promised to hold a new election, but has not set a date.

The military has ruled Myanmar for most of the years since independence from Britain in 1948, and had cracked down hard on previous uprisings before agreeing to the latest attempt at a transition to democracy, now derailed.

COURT SESSION POSTPONED

Suu Kyi, 75, has been detained since the coup and faces various charges, including illegally importing walkie-talkie radios and infringing coronavirus protocols. Last week, the junta accused her of accepting illegal payments but she has not yet been charged with that.

She was due to face another virtual court hearing on Monday but her lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, told Reuters the session could not go ahead because the internet was down. The next hearing will be on March 24, he said.

Khin Maung Zaw also said authorities had informed him the detained Nobel laureate would only be permitted to be represented by two junior lawyers.

Western countries have called for Suu Kyi's release and condemned the violence and Asian neighbours have offered to help resolve the crisis, but Myanmar has a long record of rejecting outside intervention.

Anti-China sentiment has risen since the coup, fuelled by Beijing's muted criticism of the takeover compared with Western condemnation. But protest leader Thinzar Shunlei Yi said Myanmar people did not hate their Chinese neighbours though their rulers had to understand the outrage felt over their stand.

"Chinese government must stop supporting coup council if they actually care about Sino-Myanmar relations and to protect their businesses," she said on Twitter.

Japan, which has long competed for influence in Myanmar with China, said it was monitoring the situation and considering how to respond in terms of economic cooperation.

Tom Andrews, the United Nations human rights investigator on Myanmar, appealed for U.N. member states to cut the supply of cash and weapons to the military.

The Labour Organization said trade unionists have been arrested and harassed in door-to-door searches while are in hiding. The Trade Union Confederation reported widespread restrictions on workers' rights since the coup.
A judge in Bolivia on Sunday, March 14, ordered former interim president Jeanine Anez be held for four months in preventative detention. This comes after her arrest on charges linked to the 2019 ouster of socialist leader Evo Morales. Anez was detained in her hometown Trinidad and was then flown to the capital, Las Paz. Earlier, she had warned that officials were searching her, terming it abuse and persecution".

Current situation in Bolivia

After a virtual hearing, Judge Regina Santa Cruz backed the prosecutors request that Anez should be held in a womens prison in La Paz. The judge also ordered 4 months of preventative arrest for two of her former ministers. Anez and the two ex-ministers heard the ruling from police cells. They are expected to be transferred to prison.

The arrest of Anez has further increased the situation of political turmoil in South America. According to the reports by AP, former President Carlos Mesa said, This is not justice. They are seeking to decapitate an opposition by creating a false narrative of a coup to distract from a fraud.

Various arrest warrants were issued for more than a dozen other former officials. These included several ex-cabinet ministers, former military leader William Kaliman and the police chief who had urged Morales to resign in November 2019. This was after the country was swept by protests against the country's first Indigenous president. Earlier, two ministers in Anez's government were also arrested. These included former Justice Minister Alvaro Coimbra. He had helped lead the prosecution of Morales' aides. A former defense minister and others also have been accused.

New Justice Minister Ivan Lima said that Anez faces charges related to her actions as an opposition senator and not as a former president. Interior Minister Eduardo del Castillo denied it was an act of persecution. He said that the case arose from a criminal complaint of conspiracy and sedition filed against her in November. This was when she left office. The Americas director of Human Rights Watch, Jose Miguel Vivanco, said that the arrest warrants against Annez and her ministers contain no evidence whatsoever that they have committed the crime of terrorism.
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CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky (pictured) pleaded with Americans to not travel over Spring Break during a press briefing on Monday

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging Americans to stay home to prevent the spread of COVID-19 until more people are vaccinated.

At a press briefing on Monday, CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky warned that the country could see another surge as states relax restrictions and lift mask mandates.

'With the coming warmer weather, I know it's tempting to want to relax and to let our guard down, particularly after a hard winter that sadly saw the highest level of cases and deaths during the pandemic so far,' Walensky said.

However, she noted that coronavirus cases have plateaued at around 54,000 a day and deaths are holding steady at approximately 1,500.

'I'm pleading with you, for the sake of our nation's health,' Walensky said.

'Cases climbed last spring, they climbed again in the summer, they will climb now if we stop taking precautions when we continue to get more and more people vaccinated.'

It comes after more than 150 revelers were arrested a wild Spring Break weekend as party goers descended on Miami despite COVID-19 warnings from the mayor.

Over the past few days, record numbers of people have passed through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints.

On Sunday, the TSA screened 1,327,289 people at airport checkpoints nationwide - the highest number since the start of the pandemic

It was also the 8th of the last 12 days that numbers topped 1 million.

She noted that U.S. coronavirus cases have plateaued at around 54,000 a day and deaths are holding steady at approximately 1,500, making it too soon for restrictions to be relaxed. Pictured: People spend spring break at the beach in Miami Beach, Florida, March 15

Record numbers of people have passed through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, with more than one million over the past four days. Pictured: People walk in Miami Beach during spring break in Miami Beach, Florida, March 15

Walensky said that several countries in Europe have surges of cases in recent weeks and could be a foreshadowing of what is to come in the U.S. Pictured: People spend spring break at the beach in Miami Beach, Florida, March 15

Weekly deaths linked to COVID-19 fell 16% from 13,089 last week to 10,888, which are among the lowest figures seen since Thanksgiving, but have plateaued around 1,500 per day

The U.S. saw an 8.3% decline in new weekly coronavirus cases from 416,351 new infections last week to 381,549 this week with plateaus of around 54,000 per day

Walensky also warned that the UK variant, which has been linked to more than 700 cases in Florida (above) - the most in the country -,will become the dominant strain either later this month or in early April

Walensky said she has seen photos of thousands of people crowding on beaches not wearing masks, drinking and being in close contact with each other.

'We have seen footage enjoying spring break festivities maskless,' she said at the briefing.

'This is all in the context of, still, 50,000 cases per day.'

She added that several countries in Europe have surges of cases in recent weeks and could be a foreshadowing of what is to come in the U.S.

'They simply took their eye off the ball,' Walensky said, referencing countries including France, Germany and Italy.

She also reiterated warnings that the UK variant will become the dominant strain either later this month or in early April. Walensky added that the variant is responsible for 25 percent of cases in Florida and California.

It comes as 120 people in South Beach, a neighborhood in Miami Beach. were seized as guns, drugs and cash were confiscated by police.

After the students partied throughout the day there were violent confrontations with police in the evening as officers had to use pepper balls to dispel the crowds throwing bottles at them.

Hordes of students have been flocking to Miami, Florida, to party on Fort Lauderdale Beach for Spring Break

More than 150 revelers have been arrested over a wild Spring Break weekend as partyers descended on Miami despite Covid warnings

After the students partied throughout the day there were violent confrontations with police in the evening as officers had to use pepper balls to dispel the crowds

Two officers were even injured and were treated in hospital after the unrest near the corner of 8th Street and Ocean Drive

Two officers were even injured and were treated in hospital after the unrest near the corner of 8th Street and Ocean Drive.

Ernesto Rodriguez of Miami Beach Police told Local10: 'The crowd ended up turning on those officers.'

Things quietened down somewhat on Saturday when a total of 30 people were arrested.

Amid the ugly scenes there are also fears that the maskless students gathering together could cause a spike in Florida's Covid cases.

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said: 'We're seeing too much spring break activity.

'We've got a problem with too many people coming here. We've got a problem with too many people coming here to let loose.'

Officers seized crack cocaine, crystal meth, marijuana and cash in a bust on Friday night

Miami Beach cops also seized a number of guns, a balaclava and cartridges as Spring Break led to unrest on the streets

Amid the ugly scenes there are also fears that the maskless students gathering together could cause a spike in Florida's Covid cases

In recent weeks, swathes of students have flocked to packed bars and beaches and Governor Ron DeSantis has urged people to visit the state

Things quietened down somewhat on Saturday when a total of 30 people were arrested

CDC data showed that one-fifth of all U.S. cases of the more highly contagious and more deadly B.1.1.7 strain, first detected in the south of England, have come from the Sunshine State.

In total, Florida has recorded 738 cases of the UK strain, dwarfing much of the rest of the country where 44 of the 50 states have recorded fewer than 100 cases.

Michigan has the second-highest number of cases at 616 followed by California with 343.

The prevalence of the new strain on U.s. soil sparked fears of a fourth wave of the virus, just as the nation was getting back on its feet and states were reopening.

In recent weeks, swathes of students have flocked to packed bars and beaches and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has urged people to visit the state to get its economy back up and running.

Nearly 70 colleges and universities in the US have changed schedules to eliminate weeklong spring breaks

But Matthew Wellington, public health campaigns director for the nonprofit U.S. Public Interest Research Group, told The Orlando Sentinel: 'There's definitely a concern that the spring breakers who are traveling to Florida might bring home more than just the souvenir shot glass this year.

'We know this virus thrives on people traveling.'

Nearly 70 colleges and universities in the US have changed schedules to eliminate weeklong spring breaks.

Some schools giving students one week off are encouraging 'staycations' on campus, but many are ignoring the advice.
ACT-Accelerator, a global coalition formed in April last year to end the coronavirus pandemic with new vaccines, tests and treatments, is facing an acute funding shortage to meet its goals for 2020-21, says the ACT-Accelerator Prioritised Strategy & Budget for 2021.

The original ACT-Accelerator investment case published in September 2020 had outlined a total requirement of US$ 38.1 billion to fully fund its work for 2020-21, but so far could mobilise only US$11 billion, requiring an additional US$ 22.1 billion in 2021 to deliver on its full promise - to deliver over 2 billion doses of vaccines, 900 million tests and up to 100 million of new treatment courses. ACT-Accelerator was formed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), European Commission, France and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other public interest groups.

"The ACT Accelerator has made strong progress. But new viral variants, limited vaccine supply, and underinvestment have resulted in the need to refresh the strategy and budget that chart the roadmap out of the pandemic," says Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO.

The WHO noted that a study commissioned by the International Chamber of Commerce demonstrated that even with strong Covid-19 vaccine coverage in high-income countries, inequitable access to Covid-19 tools elsewhere would cost high-income economies an additional US$ 2.4 trillion in 2021 alone.

Thus far, the US$11 billion committed to ACT-Accelerator came from a coalition of public (87 per cent), private (6 per cent) and multilateral (7 per cent) donors. In February, the US announced US$ 2.5 billion, and said that it will release an additional US$ 1.5 billion for vaccine procurement and delivery through 2021 and 2022. The US leads with 22.8 per cent of the total contribution, followed by Germany - 23.9 per cent, United Kingdom - 10.1 per cent, Canada 6.9 per cent, European Commission - 5.5 per cent and Norway - 4.1 per cent. Mastercard, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Wellcome Trust were among the main donors for ACT-Accelerator.

As of February, the ACT Accelerator established a portfolio of 11 vaccine candidates across four technology platforms investing US$ 1.2 billion in vaccine development and established the 'COVAX' Facility for procurement and equitable distribution of vaccines to 191 countries with 2 billion doses secured through six deals, including with the Serum Institute of India. A total of 28 million doses have been shipped to 33 countries as of March 10, says the document. There is also a possibility of an additional 500 million doses in developing countries, allowing countries to get closer to 30 per cent population coverage. This would require an additional US$ 2 billion on top of the US$ 6.3 billion already contributed by donors.

The ACT-Accelerator's four 'Strategic Priorities for 2021' will be to rapidly scale up the delivery of at least 2 billion doses of vaccines, bolster R&D, evaluations & regulatory pathways to optimise products and address variants, stimulate rapid and effective uptake and use of COVID-19 tests, said the WHO.

Also read: COVID-19 vaccination: At current rate, India will take 12.6 years to vaccinate 70% population

Also read: Novavax vaccine 96% effective against coronavirus; 86% vs British variant
No new COVID-19 cases have been detected in NSW following a Sydney quarantine worker testing positive after visiting several locations across the city.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian also announced NSW has reached its vaccination target, with 37,500 people receiving their first shots in the opening three weeks of the process including 35,000 with the Pfizer vaccine and the balance with AstraZeneca.

On target: NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the state remains on track to vaccinate the population against COVID-19. Credit:Renee Nowytarger

The state was aiming to vaccinate 80,000 people in the next three weeks, including those already vaccinated who are due for their second Pfizer shot and 45,000 who will get their first shot, the Premier said.

To date, 92 per cent of frontline workers who have been invited to receive a vaccine dose have taken up the offer, leaving potentially 8 per cent unvaccinated. Dr Chant said those unvaccinated people have been sent reminders.
Ranchi, March 15 : Jharkhand has set a target to produce 2.4 lakh metric ton of fish in the current Financial Year 2020-21. For achieving this, the state is encouraging farmers to opt for fish farming and earn higher profits.

The Jharkhand government is promoting fish farming and trying to encourage it as a practice among the farmers. In addition to public ponds, fish farming is being practised in privately-owned ponds as well.

With the goal of making Jharkhand a leading producer of fish in the country, the state government has set a target of producing 2.65 lakh metric ton of fish during the Financial Year 2021-22.

"In FY 2020-21, the state government has set a target to produce 2.4 lakh metric ton of fish. As compared to this target, by January this year, more than 1.94 lakh metric ton fish has been produced," said the Animal Husbandry department.

The target of 1,000 crore fish seed production in FY 2020-21 has also been achieved. Additionally, during 2020-21, the state government created a fish rearing pond on 58 acres of land.

In the recently tabled state budget for 2021-22, the government has revised its target in the sector and aims at producing 1,100 crore fish seeds and develop a fish rearing pond utilising 80 acres of land.

With support from the state government, the number of fish farmers and fish producers has risen to 7,390.

Jharkhand also aims to become a leader in fish seed production in the country. To support fish farmers and promote the occupation, the state government has stored 349.24 lakh major carp and 81 lakh grass carp fish seeds along with 1,44,438 fish spawn.

The government is promoting feed-based fisheries to quicken the pace of development for this sector.

During the Financial Year 2021-22, the Central government has promised support with fish seeds and provide boats at subsidised rates.

The Central government is also providing floating fish seed to the fisheries at a subsidy of 50 per cent to help increase the fish production for more profits.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is out of hospital and starting a significant period of rehabilitation.

Andrews is recovering from a broken vertebrae and several cracked ribs after a fall a week ago.

The Alfred Hospital said in a statement that he is making good progress but again warns that he faces a lengthy time in rehabilitation.

James Merlino is acting premier in his absence.

Mr Andrews has responded well without surgery so far, and the work to improve his strength and mobility must now begin, the Alfreds director of trauma services Professor Mark Fitzgerald said.

As the rehabilitation journey gets underway, we will watch closely for any signs of worsening spinal stability or alignment, as well as the development of other complications.

The Alfred said Andrews would do his rehabilitation through its Better@Home service.
In new TN assembly DMK has most MLAs with pending criminal background, crorepatis

Tamil Nadu elections 2021: CPI to contest from six seats

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Chennai, Mar 15: CPI state secretary R Mutharasan reiterated that the CPI agreed to contest from six seats as it was determined to ensure the victory of the DMK-combine.

The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Sunday announced its list of candidates for six seats it is contesting in alliance with the DMK for the Tamil Nadu Assembly election next month.

The CPI has fielded veteran leader Marimuthu for the Thiruthuraipoondi (Reserve) constituency.

Announcing the names of the candidates here, CPI state secretary R Mutharasan said the party has nominated former MLA T Ramachandran, who is Krishnagiri district secretary, to seek re-election from the Thali constituency.

Dhinakaran's party and DMDK ink pact to face Tamil Nadu polls jointly

Former MLA P L Sundaram would contest from Bhavanisagar. Ravi alias M Subramanian, who is Tiruppur district secretary of the party, would seek his electoral fortune from the Tiruppur north constituency while former MLAs M Arumugam and S Gunasekaran would contest from Vaalparai and Sivaganga constituencies, respectively.

Grammys 2021: Beyonce breaks record for most Grammy wins for a female artist | Oneindia News

Speaking to reporters, Mutharasan reiterated that the CPI agreed to contest from six seats as it was determined to ensure the victory of the DMK-combine. It has become vital in this election to keep the communal BJP away from gaining foothold in Tamil Nadu, he said. To a question, he replied that the CPI would soon come out with its election manifesto.
Mexico is struggling to deal with a new wave of migrants expelled from the U.S. while even more come north hoping to cross. Shelters that were empty four months ago are now having to turn many away.

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico  The migrants hopes have been drummed up by human smugglers who promise that President Bidens administration will welcome them.

Instead, the United States is expelling them back to Mexico, where they wait along with tens of thousands of others hoping to cross. The pressure, and desperation, is quickly building among families stuck in Mexico, as shelters and officials struggle to help them.

In the United States, the federal authorities are scrambling to manage a sharp increase in children who are crossing the border on their own and then being held in detention facilities, often longer than permitted by law. And the twinned crises on both sides of the border show no sign of abating.

Near the crossing with El Paso, Texas, a group of mothers and fathers clutching their children were sobbing as they walked back into Mexico from the United States on Saturday. They walked unsteadily, in sneakers too loose after their shoelaces were confiscated and discarded along with all their other personal items when they were detained by the United States Customs and Border Protection.
Mumbai, March 15 : A day after the state crossed the 23 lakh Covid-19 case tally, the Maharashtra government on Monday implemented "strict restrictions of 50 per cent" rather than a total lockdown to control the coronavirus scourge.

Even as trading, business and commercial activities, besides the social milieu, improved a year after the virus entered Maharashtra, the state has gone back to being the worst-hit in the country.

Hotels, restaurants, cinemas, and multiplexes shall be permitted to operate at only 50 per cent capacity, shopping malls will implement stringent Covid protocols, and all social, religious, political and cultural gatherings have been banned.

Similarly, all offices will adhere to the 50 per cent staff norms with Work From Home encouraged, and entries to all places of worship would be strictly regulated, depending on the space available.

Violations of the norms would be punished with the concerned establishments ordered to shut down till the pandemic remains in force as per the Centre's rules.

Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that strong regulations are being imposed for marriages and other social gatherings to curb the virus, besides other measures.

The guest limit for weddings has been capped at 50 and 20 mourners for all funerals, said a notification late this evening.

Last week, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had warned of stringent measures if the people failed to cooperate in the war against the virus.

Tope said that although lockdown may not be an option now, strict actions are, and hence the government has announced tightening of existing measures till March 31.

"Nearly 85 per cent of the cases are asymptomatic and are advised home treatment, and the death rate is low. The government is working on the 3-Ts - Tracking, Testing, Treatment - and the treatment facilities are being ramped up," Tope said.

He said the vaccination has been accelerated in the state with efforts to increase the number of vaccination centres in both government and private hospitals.

While there is no shortage of vaccines, Tope appealed to all people above 60 to get their dose as soon as possible.
You heard it throughout last weeks CUNA GAC  financial well-being for all isnt A thing that credit unions do  its THE thing credit unions do. Its in our DNA, its the charge from Congress to credit unions to promote thrift and create a source of credit for productive and provident purposes.

We know that 67% of Americans are not financially healthy (2020 U.S. Financial Health Pulse)  thats more than two-thirds of people, and the disparities have widened by race and income. This is SO not cool.

This is credit unions work and the Foundations mission, to serve as a catalyst to improve peoples financial lives through credit unions. One of our three pillars of work is specifically focused on igniting credit unions to place employee, member and community financial well-being at the center of their strategy.

We do this in a variety of ways. We have website resources designed to help credit unions either start, continue or enhance their financial well-being journey. We provide an overview of what financial well-being for all really means and why its important, how to measure the financial well-being of those you serve, and how to take action with tangible ideas around products and services that align with your mission and strategy.

The Foundation recently launched a new multi-media project called Side Effects, created by Andy Janning, to explore the financial crisis of cancer hiding in plain sight.

While this may be a hard issue to tackle, especially while still coping with COVID-19, we believe those health and economic challenges mirror the struggles faced by cancer patients and their families everyday. We hope that the lessons our industry has learned during the pandemic may help us show our members that we are on their side in their fight against cancer.

Lastly, we are excited to team up with the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues and the Cornerstone Foundation to host the virtual CU FinHealth21 Conference! Credit union professionals from any level of the organization are invited to join us and leading experts and practioners in the financial health and well-being field April 21-23. Registration and additional information can be found here.

Improving financial well-being for all is not one size fits all. Every credit union is different, every members situation is unique. What one credit union is doing may or may not be right for another credit union to do or try. The point is to start. And the National Credit Union Foundation is here to support you and empower you to get started today.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Beaches in Texas and Florida are seeing crowds during the typical spring break months, according to multiple reports, despite colleges adjusting academic calendars or canceling break entirely to reduce coronavirus risk.

The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions warns against spring break travel, because travel in general increases the potential spread of COVID-19. USA Today reported out-of-state college students gathering on beaches in Florida. More than 100 partiers were arrested in South Beach this weekend, Local10 reports, though its not clear how many of the people at those parties were college-aged or students. In Texas, where the state lifted mask-mandates and restrictions, droves of people are headed to beaches.

Universities and colleges nationwide adjusted academic calendars to reduce any risk from traveling, adding reading days or alternative measures to give students a break. Some universities will allow for a spring break, but finish the year remotely. And for religious universities, there will still be a break to observe Easter.

Heres what some Ohio universities and schools are doing for spring break 2021:

Cleveland State University - CSU moved spring break to January, extending winter break. The switch was intended to prevent any coronavirus spread through travel in March. The university instituted two reading days with no classes on March 10 and April 8.

Case Western Reserve University - CWRU students also will not have a spring break, but will have reading days on March 16 and March 24. The spring semester was also organized to begin on Feb. 1, leaving more time around the holidays and holiday travel. A remote-only three-week session took place in January.

John Carroll University - There was a change in Easter Break for JCU, but theres still a week off. Easter Break will begin March 30 and end on April 7.

Notre Dame College - Notre Dame College will take Easter Break from April 1-5.

Cuyahoga Community College - Tri-C added a two-week remote learning period after winter break and canceled spring break. The spring semester is also ending a week earlier.

Oberlin College - Oberlin is on a three-semester system this year, rotating to allow for in-person academic experiences. See the colleges academic calendar here.

Ohio State University - OSU students will not have a spring break, but instead have two breaks in instruction. One was on Feb. 9, with the next scheduled for March 31.

Kent State University - KSU students will have a spring break from April 12-18, but classes will resume afterward remotely.

University of Akron - UA moved spring break to April 12-18 and after that will move classes to online-only.

Hiram College - Hiram College does not have a spring break and is offering 3-, 8- and 12-week classes for the spring semester.

Walsh University - Walsh split its spring semester into two sessions. Spring break is March 8-12.

Lake Erie College - Lake Erie College does not have a 2021 spring break, but does have a Spring Holiday on April 2, with no classes.
MALTA  For Tom Caulfield, it's only a question of when GlobalFoundries will build a second computer chip factory in Malta, home to its Fab 8 complex.

With Congress and former President Donald Trump having approved a potential $25 billion incentive program to expand domestic chip production last year, Caulfield recently told Reuters that if GlobalFoundries can obtain some of that funding  through what's known as the CHIPS Act, then Fab 8.2 is a go.

Its not a question of if," Caulfield told Reuters for a story earlier this month. "Its just a question of when. And a key element of going forward will be the funding of the CHIPS Act."

Caulfield and other U.S. industry leaders are now turning to President Joe Biden to actually fund the CHIPS Act, which was included as part of the Defense Department spending plan approved under Trump. Although Congress estimated the program to cost $25 billion, the exact funding amount is not spelled out in in the CHIPS bill.

Last month, the Semiconductor Industry Association wrote a letter to Biden asking him to fund the CHIPS Act through his infrastructure or pandemic bill.

Biden signed an executive order last month that suggests that he would like to fund CHIPS with as much as $37 billion, much more than even Congress suggested.

Congress has authorized a bill but they need ... $37 billion to make sure that we have this capacity," Reuters quoted Biden saying last month in a separate story. "Ill push for that as well.

A new chip factory costs between $10 billion and $15 billion to build.

GlobalFoundries is in a unique position because it is the only chip company that makes the U.S. military's most sensitive chips.

GlobalFoundries to make military chips at Fab 8 in Malta

Schumer gets semiconductor industry support into defense bill

Defense Department boosts GlobalFoundries contract by $400M

Caulfield also had more good news for Fab 8, which employs roughly 3,000 people. GlobalFoundries is pouring $1.4 billion into its fabs in Dresden. Germany, Singapore and Malta.

That's about $466 million for each complex, a substantial sum, although Caulfield also said GlobalFoundries, which is backed by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, has pushed up its planned initial public offering to this year or early 2022 as demand for chips, especially from the automotive industry, is surging.

The adoption of technology that would normally have taken a decade happened in one year in 2020 because of COVID-19, Caulfield said in his interview with Reuters.
New Delhi:

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife on Wednesday appeared at Patiala House Court in Disproportionate Assets case.

The court adjourned the matter till October 31st after CBI informed that the Investigation Officer of the case was not present so it cannot hand over the documents. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh had been already granted bail by a special court here in connection with a nearly Rs 10 crore disproportionate assets case.

Special Judge Virender Kumar Goyal had granted the relief to all the accused on a personal bond of Rs one lakh each and one surety of the like amount.

The court, however, had asked them not to leave the country without its prior permission.

Delhi: HP CM Virbhadra Singh and his wife appear at Patiala House Court in Disproportionate Assets case pic.twitter.com/Elp6ZMPu5F  ANI (@ANI) August 30, 2017

Earlier in the day, the CBI had opposed the bail plea of the Chief Minister saying they may influence the witnesses and the ongoing probe in a disproportionate assets case against them.

Also Read: Delhi HC dismisses Virbhadra Singh's plea to quash money laundering case

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TWENTY three new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Limerick this Monday evening.

The 14 day incidence rate in the county and city stands at 139.6 which is below the national average of 148.3

There have been no new deaths reported to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) today. There has been a total of 4,534 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland.

As of midnight, Sunday, March 14, the HPSC has been notified of 575 confirmed cases of Covid-19. There is now a total of 227,316 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.

Of the cases notified today: 232 are in Dublin, 48 in Meath, 41 in Tipperary, 38 in Kildare, 30 in Galway and the remaining 186 cases are spread across 20 other counties.

289 are men / 282 are women;73% are under 45 years of age - the median age is 30 years old.

As of 8am today, 360 Covid-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 85 are in ICU. 25 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

As of March 12, 606,904 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland: 443,092 people have received their first dose; 163,812 people have received their second dose.

Dr Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health said: "While there has been a very understandable focus on the vaccine programme over recent days, we must not lose sight of the danger that Covid-19 continues to pose.

"While, in time, vaccines will have a very significant positive impact on Covid, they will not stop a further wave of disease over the coming weeks. We are seeing this play out across Europe with many countries now experiencing pressure on their hospital and critical care capacities. We must not let this happen here.

He continued: "Together, we have done an extraordinary job of driving down incidence of disease. These efforts are cause for real hope and, if we can return to decreasing indicators of disease, we can continue to protect our loved ones and look forward to much brighter days ahead."

Professor Karina Butler, Chair of National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) said: "All vaccines authorised for use Ireland are proven to be very effective against severe Covid-19 disease. The safety of vaccines is underpinned by the ongoing monitoring that the NIAC, the HPRA and the EMA undertake on a rolling basis.

"We will continue to monitor the situation relating to Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca and if we can be satisfied that these events are coincidental and not caused by this vaccine, we will reassess the situation and our recommendations. The HPRA will keep NIAC fully informed as the EMA investigation progresses and we, in turn, will ensure to keep you updated.

Dr Ray Walley, Member of the National Covid-19 GP Liaison Committee said: "Every medication, including every vaccine, has side effects. Our role as clinicians, is to weigh up the benefits and risks of medications. I want to reassure those who have received a Covid-19 vaccine in this country that there are, and continues to be, enormous benefits in the vaccine programme, based on evidence relating to all the vaccines were using in this country, including Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca.

"Evidence coming to light from other countries, and here in Ireland, indicates benefits for older people and vulnerable people, in terms of reduced hospitalisation and reduced death, particularly in older and frailer people.

"The temporary deferral of use of Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca is necessary in order to give the assurance that were taking notice if there are any safety signals at all, any risks that may be identified during the considerable, ongoing monitoring of vaccination programmes internationally, and I hope people take comfort from this cautious approach."

Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said: "I noted last week that we are also seeing an increase in mobility, and, while some increase is to be expected due to many returning to school, we must continue to be very cautious. Now is not the time to be socialising, its just too risky.

"We must do all we can to continue to suppress this virus and to ensure that as many people as possible get to benefit from vaccination over the coming months. Each of us knows the range of tried and trusted tools at our disposal. If we continue to keep our distance, wash our hands, wear face masks and stay home we will continue to drive down transmission of this disease."

The Covid-19 Dashboard provides up-to-date information on the key indicators of Covid-19 in the community including daily data on Irelands Covid-19 Vaccination Programme.
MOSCOW -- Mikhail Kovyazin, a 48-year-old independent municipal deputy from the city of Kirov, had modest plans when he decided to attend the Municipal Russia conference of independent lawmakers in Moscow on March 13-14.

"I planned to tell them about the situation in the village of Sergeyevo, where the bus wasn't running in the winter because the road is too dangerous," he told RFE/RL. "How together with local residents, acting completely legally, we were able to get the road fixed and restore this connection."

Instead, Kovyazin found himself -- like all of the other nearly 200 people from 56 regions who were in the hall when the event opened -- detained by Moscow police and shuffled off into a police van. He found himself sitting next to prominent opposition leader Ilya Yashin for several hours, getting a firsthand account of the political situation in the Russia of President Vladimir Putin from a close associate of slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.

Like the other conference participants, Kovyazin was written up for allegedly participating in an event organized by an organization deemed "undesirable" and banned in Russia. The organization in question is the London-based Open Russia foundation funded by long-imprisoned former oil tycoon-turned-Putin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

If the administrative charges are confirmed in court, the detainees -- who were all released within about 15 hours of being detained -- face fines from 5,000 to 15,000 rubles ($70 to $210). With all the participants detained, the conference was canceled.

'Harsh And Excessive'

Like many of those who were detained on March 13, Kovyazin connects the police raid with the elections to the State Duma, the lower chamber of Russia's parliament, which must be held by September 19. According to a poll conducted by the independent Levada Center and released on March 11, the ruling United Russia party -- through which Putin's government maintains a near monopoly on political power throughout the country -- was polling at just 27 percent support.

"I believe the reason for such harsh and excessive actions by the authorities is fear," Kovyazin said. "All of this is happening in the run-up to a new election season. The authorities are afraid of change, so they are trying to suppress any manifestation of independence."

Ksenia Fadeyeva, a municipal deputy from Tomsk who was also detained at the conference, agrees, connecting the crackdown directly with United Russia's ratings nosedive. "They understand perfectly how the elections this fall are going to look," she said. "Independent candidates will show up and they will have to be denied registration under a variety of pretexts because, God forbid, they should lose. I think the authorities are very nervous right now."

Kirill Prokorov is an activist from Karelia. In 2018 he lost an election bid for the Petrozavodsk city council, but he was invited to the Moscow forum as a potential future candidate. He told RFE/RL that the police raid may have been intended to send a message to people like him.

"Everything was carefully planned," he said. "They didn't get the event host to cancel it in advance. They waited until the event started, until everyone was there, in order to be able to detain everyone."

"I had the feeling they wanted media coverage," he added, "in order to pressure active and potential candidates so that they would think about their future in this county, so that they would understand that everything is under control."

Andrei Pivovarov, the executive director of the Russian organization Open Russia, which is no longer legally connected with the London-based group with the same name and which was an organizer of the Municipal Russia forum, called the police raid "a demonstrative use of force."

"The purpose was to publicly show their strength," he said. "The is an election year and the authorities' popularity is low. The majority of people at the forum were municipal and regional deputies who are planning to run in the elections."

Police-Van Politics

The purpose of the forum, said Anastasia Burakova, coordinator of the United Democrats group that also was an organizer of the event, was to bring together like-minded people from across the country "so they could build horizontal ties and share ideas and experiences."

In that regard, the police raid may have backfired, Karelia activist Prokorov said. "I did some excellent networking in the police van," he told RFE/RL. "I spoke in depth with deputies from many cities. I learned about how they carried out their election campaigns. I now have contacts with everyone with whom I shared those six hours. My goal was achieved."

Viktor Vishnevetsky, an environmental activist and municipal deputy from Syktyvkar, in the Komi region, had a similar experience. "I planned to speak with other environmental activists at the forum and find out what is happening in their regions," he said. "In the end, that's just what happened, although not in a conference hall but in a police van and later at a police station."

"Now even educational events and exchanges of opinion are illegal," he added. "We can't meet openly anymore, and since there's nothing we can do about that, we will have to change formats. Online is one possibility. More closed and informal meetings could be another."

"Of course, opposition-minded people can't stop exchanging opinions," he added. "We just need to find new ways."

Written by Robert Coalson based on reporting from Moscow by Yelena Vladykina and Gleb Yarovoi of RFE/RL's North.Realities. RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir and Russian services and Current Time also contributed to this report
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 12:23:58|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese capital Beijing was enveloped in yellow dust on Monday morning with a visibility of less than 1 km, as the city's meteorological department issued a yellow warning for sandstorms, the third hazardous level.

In response to the dusty weather, Beijing Daxing International Airport launched a low visibility operation mechanism as the visibility reduced to only 400-800 meters at the airport, affecting a number of flights.

The meteorological department forecast the weather condition to last till 2 p.m. Monday, with visibility expected to gradually improve thereafter.

According to its weather report, the sandstorm blew from north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region due to the effect of cyclones and strong winds. It arrived at the northwestern Hebei Province neighboring Beijing on Sunday night before moving toward Beijing.

The concentration of hazardous airborne particles of PM10 in most areas exceeded 2,000 micrograms per cubic meter on Monday, according to the Beijing Municipal Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center. Besides, a heavy concentration of 3,572 micrograms per cubic meter was observed in Beijing's Haidian District.

The meteorological department of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region issued an orange warning for the sandstorm on Monday, which is only second to red, the most severe level. The strong sandstorm also affected the northeast of Alxa League as well as cities in Ordos and Baotou. Enditem
We know people in our community need a storage and moving option they can rely on, says Caruso, president and CEO at UNITS of Greater New Orleans. When people call us, theyre not calling a national 1-800 number. Theyre calling someone who lives and works in this community.

A leader in the fast-growing moving and portable storage industry, UNITS Moving and Portable Storage, a national franchise brand, is bringing its hyper-local service, high-quality storage containers and competitive pricing to the New Orleans Metro area with the grand opening of its new location in Slidell.

To kick off the grand opening, owners Sam Caruso, Mike Noto and Mike Pisciotta will host a St. Patricks-themed celebration that is true to Louisiana tradition, with Irish and Italian offerings. The grand opening festivities will take place the evening of Thursday, March 18, 2021 from 4:00 to 6:00 at UNITS of Greater New Orleans, located at 109 Production Drive in Slidell, Louisiana.

Slidells annual St. Patricks Day Parade was canceled due to the pandemic, but our kickoff celebration will take its cues, says Noto. Join us for green beer, corned beef and cabbage, popular Italian dishes, and traditional hot dogs and burgers. We owe tremendous thanks to St. Margaret Mary Mens Club for preparing the food and for supporting our local business.

As deeply involved members of their community, Caruso, Pisciotta and Noto are excited to offer a much-needed service to friends and neighbors. UNITS of Greater New Orleans began limited operations late last year and received a record-breaking response.

We know people in our community need a storage and moving option they can rely on, says Caruso, president and CEO at UNITS of Greater New Orleans. When people call us, theyre not calling a national 1-800 number. Theyre calling someone who lives and works in this community. We care about this community. We need local trust to succeed, and we will work hard to earn that trust.

UNITS Moving and Portable Storage offers high-quality constructed containers featuring barn-style doors and all-steel construction. The UNITS container is clean, weather-resistant, spacious and available in 16-ft. lengths. The UNITS Moving and Portable Storage robotic delivery system is the most technologically advanced in the industry, virtually eliminating any shift in contents when lifting containers on and off transport vehicles. The container may be placed in a UNITS Moving and Portable Storage service center or at the customers desired location.

It's important for people to know their belongings are safe and easy to access. We provide a hyper-local service that offers customers the peace of mind they deserve, Pisciotta says.

Whether someone calls UNITS for storage during a home renovation, for a move, or for festival and parade floats and gear, our customers can trust their items are in good hands, he says.

All are welcome to celebrate UNITS of Greater New Orleans Grand Opening! We will enjoy good beer and good food outdoors, in a safe environment, and follow COVID-19 protocols recommended by local government and health officials.

Attendees can learn more about our unmatched moving and storage services at the event, or by visiting us online at UnitsStorage.com and on the UNITS of New Orleans Facebook Page.

ABOUT UNITS Moving and Portable Storage

Established in 2004, UNITS Moving and Portable Storage was founded by Michael McAlhany during the emerging moving and portable storage industry. The company's mission was to provide personal customer service and supply the most innovative and highest quality equipment. Nationwide UNITS Moving and Portable Storage are locally-owned and operated and familiar with the communities they serve. UNITS Moving and Portable Storage offers high-quality constructed containers featuring barn-style doors and all-steel construction. The UNITS Moving and Portable Storage container is clean, weather-resistant, spacious and available in 12-ft and 16-ft. lengths. The UNITS Moving and Portable Storage robotic delivery system is the most technologically advanced in the industry, virtually eliminating any shift in contents when lifting containers on and off transport vehicles. The container may be placed in a UNITS Moving and Portable Storage service center or at the customers desired location, always at ground level for easy access. The national network of UNITS Moving and Portable Storage and Service Centers currently services over 500 cities in North America with additional locations scheduled to open in 2018.
Prime Minister Florin Citu on Monday sent a message on the occasion of the Day of Hungarians Everywhere, emphasizing that March 15 celebrates both this community and the "good coexistence" developed in recent decades, according to AGERPRES.

"March 15 is the Day of Hungarians Everywhere, the most important holiday of the Hungarian community in Romania. We are different in culture and traditions, but these differences do not separate us, we are not adversaries, on the contrary, we must be united in diversity, to become stronger and wiser, to build together, to create values. Understanding differences and appreciating the values of the other contribute to mutual recognition, implicitly to a harmonious coexistence. Today we celebrate the Hungarian community in Romania, but also the good coexistence we have developed in the past decades," said Florin Citu.

The Prime Minister added that it is time to lay the foundations for a common future, for the development of the country.

"It is time to lay the foundations for a common future, to develop this country together. I am firmly convinced that only together will we be able to build the country we want to live in. In the past year, we have all gone through many trials, unprecedented situations. The pandemic has taught us how important it is to have reliable partners, and we will overcome this moment together. Our efforts and sacrifices will lead us to a better future, a better life for all of us. Dear fellow Hungarians, I send you my best thoughts on the occasion of the Day of Hungarians Everywhere. Many happy returns of the day to all Hungarians in Romania!," added Prime Minister Citu.
The medical charity MSF on Monday condemned a "deliberate and generalised" programme of targeting clinics in the conflict-hit Tigray region of Ethiopia.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a military campaign in Tigray last year after blaming the region's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), for attacks on army camps.

Abiy, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, declared victory when federal forces entered the regional capital Mekele in late November, though TPLF leaders remain on the run and fighting continues.

A statement issued Monday by Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, said "treatment structures in the Ethiopian region of Tigray were looted, vandalised and destroyed in a deliberate and generalised manner" according to its observers in the area.

The group said it had visited 106 sites between mid-December and early March, and that around 70 percent had been looted.

Only 13 percent "functioned normally", the statement added.

At the hospital in the town of Adwa, in central Tigray, medical equipment including ultrasound machines "had been deliberately smashed," MSF said.

- Soldiers occupying clinics -

A facility in Semema "was reportedly looted twice by soldiers before being set on fire," while a facility in Sebeya "was hit by rockets, destroying the delivery room," it said.

Residents of the area were forced to rely on less well-equipped and staffed clinics for treatment, and often had to reach them on foot because ambulances had been requisitioned by the armed forces.

One in five of the health facilities MSF visited were occupied by soldiers.

"In certain cases, this occupation was temporary, while in others, it continued during the visit," the group said.

In Abiy Addi, a town in central Tigray, the hospital was occupied in early March by Ethiopian forces to treat their wounded, while in Mugulat to the east, "Eritrean soldiers" used a local clinic as a base, MSF said.

Story continues

Both Addis Ababa and Asmara have denied the presence of Eritrean soldiers in the region, contradicting reports from residents, aid workers and some officials in Tigray's Abiy-appointed interim administation.

MSF director general Oliver Behn urged that clinics in Tigray be repaired and that medical staff be paid and allowed to work in a secure environment.

Abiy's government says life is returning to normal in Tigray, including in the health sector.

In a statement published Sunday night, the country's peace ministry said 75 percent of hospitals in Tigray were "now operational" and that 10 percent were "operating partially."

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Banafshe Law Firm, PC, a California personal injury law firm headquartered in Los Angeles, has announced that they represented a Southern California couple in a motorcycle vs. truck accident case that resulted in a $23,720,966 bench award. It was the first case to involve a live civil trial held in Los Angeles since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Case No. BC68970, Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles  Central District).

Plaintiffs were represented in the case and at trial by Brian Panish, Tom Schultz, John Shaller, Matthew Stumpf, and James Trotter of Panish Shea & Boyle LLP and P. Ryan Banafshe of Banafshe Law Firm, PC. Mr. Rojas suffered catastrophic injuries, including an amputation of his lower leg, following a motorcycle accident involving a utility truck in Studio City on December 5, 2017.

It was a privilege to represent Mr. and Mrs. Rojas and their family and to be part of this great team of attorneys who brought justice for them. Sadly, Mr. Rojas injury will affect him for the remaining years of his life. This award will provide him access to the finances and medical care he needs for him and his family to live the best life they can despite his injury, said plaintiffs attorney P. Ryan Banafshe.

The courts verdict included $18,000,000 in general damages (primarily past and future pain and suffering) and $4,520,996 in economic damages (primarily past and future medical expenses and lost earnings.) Mrs. Rojas received an additional $1.2 million for loss of consortium to compensate her for her damages. In reaching his decision, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stephen Czuleger considered several factors, including the extent of Mr. Rojass injuries, the multiple surgeries his injuries required, his mental trauma and his life expectancy. Mr. Rojas was 40 years old at the time of the accident.

Mr. Banafshe continued, Mr. and Mrs. Rojas placed their trust in us and I am proud that we were able to fulfill all of the promises we made. We are especially thankful to Los Angeles Superior Court Judge J. Stephen Czuleger for his patience and willingness to proceed to trial, and to the court and its staff for taking every precaution necessary so that the Rojas case could safely move forward during this pandemic.

Just prior to the collision, Plaintiff Steeve Rojas was operating his motorcycle southbound in the left turn pocket lane of Coldwater Canyon toward the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon. At the same time, Defendant Kevin Henderson, acting in his capacity as a Hajoca Corporation employee, was at a complete stop facing a stop sign in his companys Dodge Ram utility truck on Valleyheart Drive. Mr. Henderson was waiting for three lanes of southbound traffic to clear so that he could make a left turn onto northbound Coldwater Canyon. Mr. Rojas had the right of way and proceeded straight on Coldwater Canyon through the uncontrolled T-intersection at Valleyheart Drive at which time the Dodge Ram entered Mr. Rojas lane, striking his motorcycle and his right leg. Mr. Rojas was immediately rushed by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Hospital. Despite undergoing multiple surgeries attempting to save his right lower limb, at the recommendation of his orthopedic surgeons at Cedars-Sinai Hospital and Huntington Memorial Hospital, Mr. Rojas underwent a below the knee amputation of his right leg.

Prior to trial, the defendants only admitted partial liability and proposed an award of less than $5 million. The defense also unsuccessfully argued that Mr. Rojas should be 50% responsible despite having the right of way. Ultimately, Judge Czuleger found the defendants 100% liable and awarded nearly $24 million.

About P. Ryan Banafshe

P. Ryan Banafshe founded Banafshe Law Firm, P.C. in 2002 in order to provide client-focused and results-oriented legal services to accident victims and families through the State of California. He focuses his practice on personal injury and wrongful death cases involving motorcycle accidents, car accidents, truck accidents, slip & falls and other traumatic events. This is Mr. Banafshes ninth case resulting in an award of $1 million or greater.
Errors in statements by the Office of the State Controller  first raised more than two years ago  are still present and account for just short of $1 billion that did not gel with financial reports from state agencies, an auditor's report found.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Citing heartburn over hefty possible revenue losses, Gov. Michelle Lujan is asking President Joe Biden to give New Mexico a break when it comes to crafting new federal policies on oil and natural gas leasing and permitting on federal lands.

In a Monday letter, Lujan Grisham praised Biden for taking action to address global climate change but said New Mexico has already taken steps to increase its renewable energy industry and tighten emission and waste standards for the oil and natural gas industries.

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The Democratic governor, who was previously considered for a Cabinet post in Bidens administration, did not directly ask Biden for an exemption or waiver, although her request could have a similar effect.

We ask that our state-level efforts to combat climate change and ensure more responsible oil and gas development be considered and that New Mexico be granted energy transition credit as you chart a path forward on climate change and oil and gas leasing in particular, Lujan Grisham said in her letter.

Just days after taking office in January, Biden issued an executive order to indefinitely pause all new oil and gas leasing on public lands.

The pause on new lease sales, aimed at giving the federal government time to review permitting and leasing procedures, does not affect oil and gas drilling under valid existing leases in New Mexico and other states, according to the U.S. Department of Interior.

In part for that reason, the order is not expected to have a short-term revenue impact in New Mexico, as state energy officials have pointed out more than 6,000 oil drilling permits have been acquired by operators  primarily in southeastern New Mexico   but not yet used.

But an extended moratorium on oil and natural gas leasing could have a significant impact on the states revenue levels, Lujan Grisham said.

Despite recent attempts to diversify New Mexicos economy, the state currently gets more than 40% of its total revenue  or nearly $4 billion annually  from taxes and royalties on the oil and natural gas industries.

And the governor said an analysis conducted by the state Department of Finance and Administration shows New Mexico would lose an estimated $709 million over the next four years if there is a 10% decline in state oil production levels.

Financial losses of that magnitude could have real impacts on our ability to achieve major goals like universal access to early childhood education, Lujan Grisham wrote in her letter.

She also said New Mexico, the nations third-highest oil producing state, would be disproportionately affected by federal policy changes on oil and gas leasing and permitting, saying 55% of the states oil and gas wells and 63% of its total production are on federal lands.

The governors letter was sent one week after top Governors Office staffers and state environment officials had a telephone discussion about the federal order with U.S. Department of Interior staffers.

That came after state Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Secretary Sarah Cottrell Propst said in a February letter that uncertainty caused by the order has already caused oil rigs to leave New Mexico for Texas, where federal land is more sparse.

Meanwhile, a fellow New Mexican could end up playing a key role in shaping the Biden administrations policy on drilling on public lands.

That would be two-term U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland, who was confirmed Monday as U.S. interior secretary after being nominated to the post by Biden in December.

Haaland, a fellow Democrat, has previously said she supports a ban on hydraulic fracturing  or fracking  in oil production and other policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

An Interior Department spokesman declined to comment Monday on the governors letter.
In support of TrueCar's ongoing commitment to the military community, TrueCar pledged to donate $100, up to $11,000, to DAV for every meeting set during NADA. Additionally, four dealerships were picked at random to win a $2,500 donation for a nonprofit organization of their choice. TrueCar is committed to donating $11,000 to DAV and $2,500 four nonprofit organizations, for a total donation of $21,000.

"TrueCar has a shared value with our dealer partners to positively impact the communities in which we do business," said Mike Darrow, CEO & President at TrueCar. "This giveaway is extremely meaningful to our organization, and we are honored to support our dealers and military community through this momentous opportunity with our long-time partner, DAV."

TrueCar Dealership Winners and Nonprofit of Choice

Additionally, Trophy Nissan in Mesquite, Texas plans to match the $2,500 donation from TrueCar to Sharing Life, making a total donation of $5,000 to the Texas based, non-profit organization.

"DAV has found a faithful and committed partner in TrueCar, a company that, time and again, proves its dedication to our nation's heroes," said DAV National Adjutant and CEO Marc Burgess. "This generous donation will help ensure DAV continues to provide the best service to America's veterans by funding programs that directly impact the wellbeing of disabled veterans, their families and survivors."

Cory Remsburg and DAV joined TrueCar on TrueCar's Industry Insider Facebook Live show to announce the winners on Friday, February 12. To watch a recording of the event, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/TrueCarDealers/. For more information on the NADA 2021 giveaway, please visit: https://dealerportal.truecar.com/dealer/nada2021.

About TrueCar

TrueCar is a leading automotive digital marketplace that enables car buyers to connect to our nationwide network of Certified Dealers. We are building the industry's most personalized and efficient car buying experience as we seek to bring more of the purchasing process online. Consumers who visit our marketplace will find a suite of vehicle discovery tools, price ratings, and market context on new and used cars -- all with a clear view of what's a great deal. When they are ready, TrueCar will enable them to connect with a local Certified Dealer who shares in our belief that truth, transparency, and fairness are the foundation of a great car buying experience. As part of our marketplace, TrueCar powers car-buying programs for over 250 leading brands, including AARP, Sam's Club, and American Express. Nearly half of all new-car buyers engage with TrueCar powered sites, where they buy smarter and drive happier. TrueCar is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, with offices in Austin, Texas, and Boston, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit www.truecar.com, and follow us on Facebook or Twitter. TrueCar media line: +1-844-469-8442 (US toll-free) | Email: [email protected]

About DAV (Disabled American Veterans)

DAV empowers veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignity. It is dedicated to a single purpose: keeping our promise to America's veterans. DAV does this by ensuring that veterans and their families can access the full range of benefits available to them, fighting for the interests of America's injured heroes on Capitol Hill, providing employment resources to veterans and their families, and educating the public about the great sacrifices and needs of veterans transitioning back to civilian life. DAV, a nonprofit organization with more than 1 million veteran members, was founded in 1920 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1932. Learn more at www.dav.org.

SOURCE TrueCar, Inc.

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Last week marked 365 days since the WHO declared a pandemic - and if you had told us then, that a year later the news would be completely and wholly concerned with Meghan and Harry and tangents thereof, we would have been thrilled: business as usual!

How could we explain to our year-ago selves that although it's almost literally impossible to think about anything other than Meghan Markle being taught to curtsey by Fergie, the global pandemic is alive and kicking.

But did you know that at least 10 other things happened last week, none of which has to do with Meghan, Harry, or even Princess Michael of Kent?

1 Stepping back from the royal noise and noticing the little things has been really good for me. I've caught mind-blowing details: like the fact that Ryan from The OC is married to The Wife from Homeland.

Ben McKenzie and Morena Baccarin announced the birth of their second child last week, which is how this wild fact came to my attention.

Not since Blink 182's Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian the other month have worlds collided so - though I did have to lie down for a while after the recent news about Des Bishop's whirlwind engagement to 29-year-old reality star Hannah Berner.

2 The uneasiness that has always come with seeing or hearing Mumford & Sons has finally been vindicated - Winston Marshall, the banjo player and lead guitarist, last week tweeted his endorsement of alt-right troll propaganda. He is now taking some time away from the band to think about what he's done ("examine my blindspots"), so who knows where this leaves the Mumfords.

Is this cancel culture? I love it.

3 The halcyon days of one poor eejit's Netflix password fuelling the Netflix binges of entire towns may be coming to an end.

Netflix appears to cracking down on password-sharing, and last week some streaming-spongers found themselves confronted with a message prompting them to make their own damn accounts.

Ex-boyfriends of Ireland, beware.

4 As if this St Patrick's Day wasn't cursed enough, Heinz have created a shamrock-flavoured mayonnaise to mark 2021's feast day.

The limited-run devil's pesto will ruin the days of only 75 people, because that's all they're making.

5 Covid wasn't the only depressing anniversary. Hollywood's worst Chris, Chris Pratt, last week marked the dubious anniversary of 20 years in Hollywood. Choosing between the tall, white, ripped, ineffably Chris-looking Chrises as if they (Evans, Hemsworth, Pine and Pratt) were a box of Celebrations has been a hobby of the internet's for many years, but like many niche pursuits it became very popular in lockdown.

Being crowned The Worst by the public seems to have given Pratt the confidence to come out and really actually be authentically the worst (I'm thinking mostly about his US flag chunky knitwear); it's almost sweet.

6 It's not often that a zeitgeist-distilling photograph comes along, one which seems to contain all our hopes, dreams and fears, one that makes you feel that, for once, you understand the world. Last week, we got our first glimpse at Adam Driver and Lady Gaga in Ridley Scott's film House of Gucci, and here, finally, we may have reached peak Aran jumper: Driver is in a roll-neck, paired with a white ski suit and jaunty half-smile, hand on hip; Gaga is resplendent in white fur and '80s gold. The internet reeled. That we got here - this completely bonkers photograph - from Taylor Swift's cardigan last July is a testament to the dizzying, invigorating speed of cultural progress in a world that feels like it's standing still.

The photograph is a glorious celebration of noses and faces; Gaga doesn't have Kardashian-face and Driver categorically does not look like a Chris. However, the subsequent candid paps of Gaga feeding Driver a sandwich on set felt possibly too far, too perfect.

7 An important reminder last week from Susan Sarandon, whose sexual charisma intensifies by the year, that she's single and you, yes you, whoever you are, could be her type: "I don't care if it's a man or a woman. I mean, I'm open to all age, all colour." However, she does have one important preference: 'Someone who's been vaccinated for Covid'. Perhaps not, then.

8 But the internet isn't all sunshine, bunny rabbits and bisexuals. 'Nature's Cereal' is among one of the saddest TikTok trends in a while, a kind of backlash against feta pasta's foodtok supremacy: it's coconut water poured on top of a bowl of berries and ice, a horrifying pastiche of corn flakes, Shreddies' black mirror. We can never punish ourselves enough.

9 Aran was on her runway last year, but Simone Rocha's viral moment arrived last week, with the launch of her collaboration with H&M. The Irish designer's limited capsule drop inspired a frenzy that can only be described as Garth-Brooksian.

The clothes were gorgeous, obviously, and at this stage of lockdown we're in the kind of place where it feels absolutely fine to stay up all night attempting to secure a pink organza dress we have no reason to own and nowhere to go in, save wandering from room to room at home saying, "I was beautiful once, you know."

There were a lot of disappointed, sleep-deprived women the day after the drop, but even they had secured something valuable and rare these days - the sheer adrenaline of event queuing.

10 Last week in Men! there was uproar when a cartoon rabbit in Space Jam: A New Legacy was not sexy enough. Enough for what, you may well ask, but this unsavoury question is never directly answered by the legions of millennial men who complained about Lola Bunny's lack of discernible boobs.

The character was voluptuous and crop-topped in the 1996 original, and appears to have been deeply formative for angry 30-something men who, incredibly, feel no shame in sharing their displeasure at not being able to get horny over a children's cartoon animal.
Microsoft is not known for its smartphones at all, but last year the company took a brave plunge and rolled out their high-end dual-screen smartphone - the Surface Duo. The Microsoft Surface Duo, besides the signature dual screen, also came with a customised Android experience.

Its been less than a year since the Surface Duo launched and according to reports, Microsoft is getting ready to launch an updated model - the Surface Duo 2.

As per reports, the Surface Duo 2 has been under development since the second half of 2020 and is scheduled to launch by the fall of this year. However, Microsoft might change its plans, that remains to be seen. For the Surface Duo 2, besides bringing in a faster processor, better cameras and 5G support, software is expected to be the primary focus.

Surface Duo reviews had all good things to say about the display, the hinge and the design, but on the software front there were plenty of issues. According to sources, the Surface Duo 2 will be putting special emphasis on fixing the software issues and improving it all, including the camera app.

Additionally, Microsoft is also adding more engineers to the team working on the Surface Duo 2. Reports have it that there are multiple job listings posted by Microsoft and the company is looking to deliver a mobile user experience that brings about the best of Microsoft to the Android ecosystem.

Microsoft has also been directly contributing to the development of Android like with the Obscured Regions API that adds information about regions of the display that has been obscured by other tasks or system UI.

The API will allow the developer to re-flow the experience into the visible regions. For example, a Launcher might animate its bottom drawer to the un-obscured are to allow the user to launch another application, Microsoft said.

Also, the Surface Duo 2 is not the only Surface product Microsoft is working on. The company is also planning to launch the Surface Laptop 4 in April and the Surface Pro 8 in October or November.
Kabul, March 15 : Afghan security forces have killed an Islamic State (IS) operated and arrested another terrorist in Nangarhar, a statement of the provincial government issued on Monday said.

According to the statement, the security forces stormed the terror group's hideout in Dagai area of Mohmandara district on Sunday night killing the operative Mahmoud Jan on the spot, reports Xinhua news agency.

The statement also said Mahmoud Jan who had served as an IS commander in Mohmandara district was also in charge of the conscription for the extremist group in the neighbouring Lalpor district.

In a separate incident, the security forces in a crackdown against insurgents in Nangarhar's provincial capital Jalalabad city captured another IS operative Khan Ghulam on Sunday.

Ghulam who had served as leader for recruitment of youngsters in Pachir Agam district also used women and poor children for conducting subversive activities in the provincial capital Jalalabad, the statement said.

The terror group, which is active in parts of Nangarhar province, is yet to make a comment.
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Turkish prosecutors on Monday issued detention warrants for 36 soldiers for their alleged links to a network believed to be behind a coup attempt in 2016.

The countrys Police launched simultaneous operations in 32 provinces to catch the suspects upon the order of the Chief Public Prosecutors Office in Balikesir, the state-run Anadolu agency said.

Those targeted in the operations were reportedly soldiers on active duty, retired and dismissed military personnel.

According to Anadolu, so far, 24 of the suspects have been detained, while operations are going on to capture the remaining ones.

All of the suspects have alleged connections with the network headed by the U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen.

The Turkish government blames Mr Gulen and his network for masterminding the coup bid in July 2016, in which 250 people were killed.

Since then, Turkey has been pushing for Mr Gulens extradition.

(NAN)
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For fastening, Kirkland relied on CAMO EDGE Clips, engineered with legs that hug the joist paired with the DRIVE tool, for installations up to 5X faster. Weve found the CAMO system of tools and fasteners to be the only way to fasten decks. Our customers love the fastener-free surface and its just a cleaner looking, more beautiful aesthetic" -- Daniel Kirkland, Owner, President, Kirkland Designs, LLC.

Kirkland Designs of Charleston, South Carolina has selected the CAMO deck fastening system for a large replacement deck at the Dockside Condos in Charleston. Daniel Kirkland, owner and president of Kirkland Designs has more than a decade of experience as a deck and porch specialist in the states Lowcountry region.

In operation for a little over two years, Kirkland is committed to growing his business and staying one step ahead of his competition. Spotting an increase in customer interest in hidden fastener deck surfaces, Kirkland asked his supplier, Four Corners Building Supply of Charleston, SC for a solution to adapt to the trend.

When we told our supplier that our customers wanted hidden fasteners, Four Corners set up a demo from CAMO, explained Kirkland. After seeing the CAMO DRIVE tool in action fastening deck boards through the edge with proprietary Collated Edge Screws, Kirkland was sold on its value and the resulting fastener-free surface. The DRIVE tool with the angled Edge guide attachment gave us the ability to stand while fastening to save our crews backs and knees, said Kirkland. The speed and spacing accuracy told us that we could really be on the cutting edge of hidden deck fastening and increase our margins.

Kirkland put CAMO into action for a recent replacement project for Dockside Condos, a complex with high-end amenities only a short walk from the South Carolina Aquarium. Overlooking the Charleston Harbor with spectacular views of the Cooper River, the old deck was subjected to years of splashing water from passing ships, causing irreversible damage. We installed splash guards and replaced the rotting boards with grooved Ipe, more suited to the wet environment.

For fastening, Kirkland relied on CAMO EDGE Clips, engineered with legs that hug the joist for a one-pass installation and a strong, stainless steel gusset that holds boards down. When paired with the DRIVE tool, EDGE Clips can speed up decking installations up to 5X faster than other systems because contractors can line up rows of boards and clips and fasten them all at once.

We also used CAMOs LEVER, a newer innovation that replaces bow wrenchesit aligns and locks six or seven rows of boards at a time, said Kirkland. We didnt have to wrestle with the boards to get them straight. LEVER can straighten any warped board in just one turn, adjusting to single, double or metal joists to lock boards with less effort. Kirklands crew used several LEVERS to align the Ipe boards and the resulting efficiencies brought the project in on schedule and with less strain on his crew.

Weve found the CAMO system of tools and fasteners to be the only way to fasten decks, said Kirkland. Our customers love the fastener-free surface and its just a cleaner looking, more beautiful aesthetic.

To learn more about the CAMO DRIVE, EDGE Clips and LEVER visit http://www.camofasteners.com.

About CAMO

CAMO exists to provide the best deck fastening installation experience for hardworking doers who take pride in their work and value their wallet. Thats you. Whether you install decks for a living, offer to help build them with a buddy, or maybe build just one in your lifetime, CAMO products are engineered to save you time and ensure your work looks and performs as you expect it should. CAMO. The Better Way to Build a Deck. For more information or to locate a dealer, visit camofasteners.com or call 1-800-968-6245. Be sure to "Like" @camofasteners on Facebook and @camodeckfasteners on Instagram. Search CAMO Fasteners on YouTube to find our channel or check us out on Pinterest.
Chennai: Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev who is the founder Isha Foundation has urged Tamil Nadu citizens to speak up about the states negligence towards the ancient vibrant temples.

Sadhguru, in a conversation with Tamil actor Santhanam, encouraged the Tamil people to think about the ancient, vibrant temples which were in a state of neglect, mismanagement owing to being under government control.

Secularism means no religion in government and no government interference in religion, then why do temples have to be administered by Governments, which cant (profitably) run airlines or hotels asked Sadhguru.

Quoting the Tamil Nadu Government HR&CE (Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department) and their submission to court, he said that 11,999 temples have no revenue to perform even one daily puja. He added that, out of 44,121 temples under government control in Tamil Nadu, more than 37,000 were starved for funds and were forced to appoint a single person for priestly and caretaker duties.

34,093 temples are struggling with less than Rs 10,000 as annual income and consequently are grossly neglected.

Sadhguru has also launched a missed-call campaign, urging the Tamil people to dial 83000 83000 to register their support towards the cause of freeing temples. When asked about the intention, he replied that it was foolish to expect a missed call would revive River Cauvery or Free Temples, adding that it was meant to create awareness and awaken responsibility in citizens.

Suggesting that temples be handed back to the community of devotees, Sadhguru said that sincere devotees irrespective of caste and creed could be trained to perform priestly duties in temples. He pointed out that leaving temples to government staff (priests) led to rampant idol thefts and mismanagement.

In terms of the long-term plan, he emphasized that a supervisory body of 20-25 devotees (irrespective of their differences), with retired Supreme Court Judges at the helm could work out a detailed community-driven solution to administer temples, even if the process takes over a decade to fructify.

When questioned about the timing of the campaign (close on the heels of state elections), he said, this was the time for people to convey their expectations to the political parties.

Before the election, every citizen should express (their expectations about) what should be happening in the country. If we dont do that, we are unfit for democracy. Before elections we dont say anything, but, after it happens we protest and cause problems he reasoned.

Actor Santhanam added that he had lent his support to this cause after having seen several temples in the state in a poor condition.

During my travels for film shoots, Ive noticed that only the main temples are maintained fairly well, but thats not the case with smaller ones. In some cases Ive also provided some donations to help the temples, the actor said.

Sadhguru added that government allocating funds to maintain temples was not sufficient, as the situation would return to square one in a matter of a few years.

Earlier this month, Sadhguru wrote to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami as well as Opposition Leader MK Stalin, calling on them to declare their intentions and plans on this issue in their respective parties election manifestos.

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In January, police in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas found 19 charred corpses in two burned-out vehicles. The initial investigation showed they had been shot first, then set aflame. They were migrants, many from Central America, on their way to Texas.

One of them was Marvin Alberto Tomas  Lefty to his friends. He left his family in Guatemala to seek work. He found only death; now, a dozen Mexican police officers (some trained in the United States) have been arrested for their involvement in the massacre.

The fate of Marvin and the others was horrific, but not uncommon. Organized crime involving even the police is an integral part of the worsening immigration crisis. Criminal organizations are involved at every stage of the migration process, from motivating migrant departures for the United States to security along human smuggling routes through Mexico, to the mechanisms for entering the United States undetected.

There are two kinds of criminal groups at work here  transnational gangs and transnational criminal organizations. The brutal violence and unchecked extortion perpetrated by transnational gangs in the Northern Triangle (the nations of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala), targeting both civilian populations and rival gang members, motivate Central Americans to uproot their lives and families in the hope of a better, safer life in America.

Transnational criminal organizations control, regulate, and tax every land port along the southern border. They also control smuggling routes through Mexico and impose a tax, called a piso, on the smugglers and migrants who use them. These groups control the flow of migrant caravans, strategically diverting Border Patrol resources from sectors of the border that are used to smuggle illegal drugs into the United States.

For those who choose to leave the Northern Triangle for a better life in America, the escape from territory controlled by transnational gangs leads them into territory controlled by the transnational criminal organizations.

In most cases, they use coyotes  human smugglers and traffickers who charge them thousands of dollars. Human smugglers range from independent operators and loose networks to subsidiaries of the transnational criminal organizations themselves.

Beyond what migrants pay up front, as the Associated Press reports, many are kidnapped and tortured until they reveal the phone numbers of relatives in the United States and holding them for ransom.

If they cant pay  or if their families cant  theyre killed. As one analyst points out, Its a long trail of extortions, and its a very dangerous journey for all of them.

The groups also sometimes use migrants as drug mules. They will coerce migrants traveling through their territory into carrying large bags, or mochilas, filled with illegal drugs. Not only does this perpetuate the stream of narcotics into the U.S., it also victimizes migrants, making them desperate to unlawfully enter and remain in the U.S.  even if imprisoned on drug charges  for fear of being killed if they are sent home.

The bottom line is that throwing open our borders  as President Biden has effectively done  only serves to empower these transnational criminal enterprises. His immigration policies arent humanitarian; theyre creating more victims.

Our best course of action is to continue bolstering border security and reform existing immigration law in order to de-incentivize illegal crossings. Specifically, larger numbers of Border Patrol officers would prevent these criminal groups from successfully moving illegal drugs across with the distraction of human smuggling groups. Better technology would enable agents to locate tunnels used to move illegal aliens and illegal drugs.

Finally, a concerted effort to improve the criminal justice systems and build the economies in the Northern Triangle countries would likewise provide a disincentive to illegal migration into the U.S.
SAN FRANCISCO, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ucfunnel, a global Smart Media programmatic solution provider, today announced a new partnership with NetRange MMH GmbH ('NetRange'), an ACCESS CO., LTD. company and the leading global provider of white-label certified Smart TV ecosystems, to deliver value-added advertisements on NetRange's portal for Premium Streaming VoD Content.

ucfunnel and NetRange's exclusive industry-leading partnership builds on MediaTek Smart TV turnkey solutions to integrate the advantages of ucfunnel's IAB Tech Lab certified OM SDK into NetRange's portals for Smart TV and MediaTek's hardware design to serve the needs of premium OEMs. The collaboration provides access to NetRange's advertising tool, which includes full backend control (removing the requirement for underlying software to change code), customizable ad placement, and ad targeting based on factors such as device, country, brand and more. The integrated solution benefits both premium content providers and media buy sides, creating a seamless user experience by providing a highly visual digital journey on Smart TVs.

Leveraging ucfunnel's splash ad solution on Connected TV launchers, ucfunnel will showcase NetRange's CTV inventory, attracting global media buy sides to reallocate media spend on high-impact ad formats exclusively available on Smart TV portals. This year alone, over 10 million Smart TVs will ship with ucfunnel's marketing automation solution, reaching more than 100 countries across North, Central, and South America, the Asia-Pacific and MENA regions, and the EU and Africa.

ucX, the ad exchange platform powered and developed by ucfunnel, serves 150 billion impressions monthly. The platform meets the growing needs of both media buyers and trade media across the globe by achieving market penetration on an automated system level, intelligently tailoring campaigns to deliver high-impact ad experiences and boosting campaign relevance and stickiness.

"ucfunnel's Smart Media solution redefines what is possible with Smart TV portals," said Mr. Michimasa Uematsu, Director, CTO & Senior Managing Executive Officer at ACCESS CO., LTD., NetRange's Parent Company. Kenny Wu, Head of Smart Media BU at ucfunnel, applauded the strong partnership with ACCESS CO., LTD. and NetRange. "We are excited to work with NetRange to deliver and leverage brand images on Smart TV portals through marketing automation."

The partnership with ACCESS evolves the monetization strategy of NetRange's portal for Smart TV (powered by MediaTek Smart TV turnkey solutions) by scaling dynamic advertising and increasing interactive user experiences while accessing Premium Streaming VoD Content. Smart TV portals combining Recommendation and e-commerce related services are expected to launch in the coming months, further expanding the reach of ucfunnel's marketing automation solutions.

About ucfunnel

ucfunnel, a global Smart Media programmatic solution provider, helps media and publishers leverage content and generate value by strategically showcasing their inventory across devices, especially in the Smart Media ecosystem. ucfunnel has established end-to-end media marketing solutions for Ad Exchange, SSP, and DMP using IAB Tech Lab certified OM SDK. The total AI solution serves up to 150 billion bid requests monthly by partnering with over 50,000 publishers across the globe, especially in the US, APAC and MENA markets. ucfunnel teams with global buy side partners while also providing 24/7/365 technical and business support to grow with them across devices and ad formats. The variety of offerings includes Web, App, DOOH, IoT, OTT, STB, audio, standard and high impact ad formats. ucfunnel operates across regions at a global scale, optimizing current products and working with partners like ACCESS and NetRange on new product development. For more information, please visit https://www.ucfunnel.com .

About ACCESS

Since 1984, ACCESS CO., LTD. has provided advanced IT solutions centered around mobile and network software technologies to telecom carriers, consumer electronics manufacturers, broadcasting and publishing companies, the automotive industry and energy infrastructure providers around the world. The company develops mobile software solutions that have been installed on over 1.5 billion devices, and network software solutions that have been used by over 300 telecommunication equipment manufacturers. Utilizing its network virtualization technology skills and knowledge, the company is currently focusing on the development and commercialization of IoT and media solutions that combine embedded and cloud technology. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, the company operates subsidiaries and affiliates in Asia, Europe and the United States to support and expand its business globally. Learn more about ACCESS at www.access-company.com.

About NetRange

As one of the pioneers of Smart TV, NetRange is the global provider of white-labeled turnkey Smart TV and OTT ecosystems. NetRange is operating an integrated, full-service solution that includes UI design, payment, billing and customer management, content aggregation, backend services including global CDN, second level support and app development for more than 100 global CE, TV, STB, retailer and operator brands, such as Vodafone, Grundig, Arcelik, TCL, Skyworth, Sharp, Loewe, Changhong, Ikea, MSH, Thomson and HD+. Its fully featured content portfolio includes local and global premium VoDs, linear TV channels via IP, cloud games, live sports, music and lifestyle apps. On its white-labeled Smart TV app store, NetRange makes media content available for TV users in over 100 countries around the world. In 2016 NetRange has launched OS.CAR, the new connected car infotainment platform. Recently, NetRange has released VISNOS, the new client-based Smart TV OS. With VISNOS, NetRange enables a full Smart TV experience on low end / low CPU powered DTV/ATVs without the integration of a browser and significantly reduces BOM costs.

CONTACT:

ucfunnel

Chih-Chi Wang

[email protected]

SOURCE ucfunnel

Related Links

https://www.ucfunnel.com/


ALBANY  The lights flashed red and blue behind him as Daniel Hernandez was driving his truck home from an auto garage.

A Catskill police officer pulled Hernandez over in February 2020, allegedly for having a loud exhaust, according to the immigrant advocacy group Columbia County Sanctuary Movement. Questions from police about his car turned into questions about his immigration status, and when the officer suspected Hernandez was undocumented, he took him to the station in handcuffs, holding him until U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrived to detain him.

Today, Hernandez is in deportation proceedings.

Its not an unusual occurrence. Traffic stops in the Capital Region have often led to local law enforcement officers phoning ICE, and in many cases the undocumented individual ultimately is deported. But some New York State legislators want to put a stop to the practice of local police working with ICE.

In late January, state lawmakers introduced legislation that would bar local law enforcement agencies from collaborating with immigration enforcement. This would include sharing sensitive information with ICE or U.S. Customs and Border Protection; enforcing civil immigration law themselves; entering into 287(g) agreements with ICE; asking an individual about their immigration status, country of origin or nationality; allowing ICE or CBP to access public facilities without a judicial warrant, and more.

ICE has relied on the collusion of state and local law enforcement to terrorize our hard-working immigrant communities of color, Assemblymember Karines Reyes, D-Bronx, said in a press release announcing the proposed legislation. We cannot continue to allow ICE to use our local resources to wrongfully funnel people into their custody, separate families, and deport fellow New Yorkers. We must pass the New York for All Act to keep this predatory federal agency out of our over-policed and racially profiled communities of color.

For some Capital Region law enforcement agencies this legislation, if passed, would cause major shifts to daily operations. For others, it would make little to no difference.

Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple, for example, ended his departments relationship with ICE in 2019 after having held over 300 detainees in his jail the previous summer. Apples relationship with ICE also became contentious, he said, when well over 90 percent of the immigrants were passing their credible-fear interviews after he allowed them access to legal services.

A, I didnt like the way that they were treating people. B, I thought they were buying into the whole get rid of immigrants, they were locking people up, separating families, and everything else, Apple said of ICE. There are certain situations that are grossly taken out of control.

Apple specifically referenced the case of Kinimo Ngoran, a chef at Capital City Rescue Mission in Albany who was detained and ordered deported by ICE following a routine check-in. The Ivory Coast native called Apple following his arrest, and mounting pressure from the community and elected officials led to his ultimate release.

Its the most inhumane thing Ive ever seen from a federal agency, Apple said. " ... I also think ICE made their bed and theyve got a lot of cleaning house to do to get back in good graces. I know in this area I really dont want anything to do with them.

Apple said his department has had a policy in place since he stopped holding detainees for ICE that forbids officers from cooperating with ICE, but left the door open to re-engage with ICE if there would one day be a new administration with better policies in place and theyre treating people humanely.

With mounting pressure from immigrant advocacy groups and state legal groups following Hernandezs arrest, Catskill police ultimately issued an internal policy in April 2020 that would bar officers from delaying the release of individuals in order to coordinate the transfer of custody to ICE based solely upon the individuals immigration status, according to documents obtained by the Times Union.

More recently, the Columbia County Sheriffs Office instated a policy in February with similar restrictions on cooperating with ICE except when legally obligated.

Neither agency publicly announced the policy changes. Catskill police and the Columbia County Sheriffs Office did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The Capital Region law enforcement agency that would likely be most impacted by the New York for All Act is the Rensselaer County Sheriffs Office, which applied for the 287(g) program with ICE in 2017. Rensselaer County is the sole county in New York participating in the program.

The agreement enters the agency in an official partnership with ICE, allowing the county to enforce federal law on a local level. But advocates say it is detrimental to local resources and the safety of immigrant families.

What it does is tend to make people in the immigrant community afraid, and they hide and then they dont call law enforcement when they need help, said Melanie Trimble, Capital Region director of the New York Civil Liberties Union.

The passage of the New for All Act would necessitate the termination of Rensselaer Sheriff Patrick Russos 287(g) agreement with ICE. Russo did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

This is the tidal wave that community organizing has created, and Rensselaer County is the outlier, said Bryan MacCormack, executive director of the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement. The only way theres going to be a systemic solution to this is if legislation is passed, which is what the New York for All Act would be.
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Market Reports on Saudi Arabia Provides the Trending Market Research Report on Chocolate Confectionery in Saudi Arabiaunder Food category. The Chocolate Confectionery Market in Saudi Arabia is projected to exhibit highest growth rate over report offers a collection of superior market research, market analysis, and competitive intelligence and industry reports.

International giants, Mars and Nestle, are expected to maintain their lead in Saudi Arabian chocolate confectionery during 2020, due to their new product launches and strong publicity strategy. Saudi consumers are well known for their love of international brands, especially in chocolate confectionery, and their loyalty to Mars in particular is likely to remain high.

Chocolate Confectionery in Saudi Arabia report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data 2015-2019, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be they new product developments, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts to 2024 illustrate how the market is set to change.

Product coverage: Boxed Assortments, Chocolate Pouches and Bags, Chocolate with Toys, Countlines, Other Chocolate Confectionery, Seasonal Chocolate, Tablets.

Request a free sample copy of Saudi Arabia Chocolate Confectionery Market Report @

http://www.marketreportsonsaudiarabia.com/marketreports/sample/reports/289405

Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data.

Why buy this report?

* Get a detailed picture of the Chocolate Confectionery market;

* Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;

* Understand the competitive environment, the markets major players and leading brands;

* Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.

Table Of Contents

Chocolate Confectionery in Saudi Arabia

KEY DATA FINDINGS

2020 IMPACT

New product development is expected to give large international companies an edge

Smaller portion sizes and organic products are expected to increase in popularity, as consumers become more health conscious

Chocolate confectionery to see strong retail volume growth in 2020, though retail value sales see slower increases as consumers become more price sensitive

RECOVERY AND OPPORTUNITIES

More healthy-eating products are expected to be launched in the forecast period

International brands are likely to continue to dominate, though new brands may start to gain traction

Chocolate confectionery is likely to remain steady into the forecast period, with a revival amongst native consumers maintaining demand

CATEGORY DATA

Table 1 Sales of Chocolate Confectionery by Category: Volume 2015-2020

Table 2 Sales of Chocolate Confectionery by Category: Value 2015-2020

Table 3 Sales of Chocolate Confectionery by Category: % Volume Growth 2015-2020

Table 4 Sales of Chocolate Confectionery by Category: % Value Growth 2015-2020

Table 5 Sales of Chocolate Tablets by Type: % Value 2015-2020

Table 6 NBO Company Shares of Chocolate Confectionery: % Value 2016-2020

Table 7 LBN Brand Shares of Chocolate Confectionery: % Value 2017-2020

Table 8 Distribution of Chocolate Confectionery by Format: % Value 2015-2020

Table 9 Forecast Sales of Chocolate Confectionery by Category: Volume 2020-2025

Table 10 Forecast Sales of Chocolate Confectionery by Category: Value 2020-2025

Table 11 Forecast Sales of Chocolate Confectionery by Category: % Volume Growth 2020-2025

Table 12 Forecast Sales of Chocolate Confectionery by Category: % Value Growth 2020-2025

Browse our full report with Table of Contents:

http://www.marketreportsonsaudiarabia.com/marketreports/chocolate-confectionery-in-saudi-arabia/289405

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Market Reports on Saudi Arabia provides you with an in-depth industry reports focusing on various economic, political and operational risk environment, complemented by detailed sector analysis. We have an exhaustive coverage on variety of industries  ranging from energy and chemicals to transportation, communications, constructions and mining to Food and Beverage and education. Our collection includes over 2000 up-to-date reports all researched, analysed and published by top-notch international research firms.

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(Newser)  "Theres gold up there and the world needs gold," Stephen Swatton, president of international mining company K2 Gold, says of an area of desert terrain next to California's Death Valley National Park. But opponents including the Sierra Club and native tribes say the plan to mine for gold in the Conglomerate Mesa areastill scarred from silver mining 150 years agowould destroy an area rich in wildlife and ancient cultural sites, the Los Angeles Times reports. They warn that K2, which owns mineral claims on almost 15,000 acres of federal land, aims to build a network of service roads and an open-pit mine that would use tons of cyanide a day to extract gold from crushed ore. The company argues that a mine would boost the economy of a region hit hard by the drop in tourism during the pandemic.

story continues below

The Sierra Club says the Conglomerate Mesa area is a "Rosetta Stone" with clues to the evolution of the ancient former coastline, with fossils of species that are found nowhere else. Environmentalists also warn that the project would require the pumping of millions of gallons of water from desert aquifers. The Lone Pine Paiute Shoshone Tribe, meanwhile, says K2's characterization of its exploratory mesa drill sites as having "low archeological sensitivity" is wrong and disrespectful, the Times reports. The dispute comes as Congress debates changes to the 1872 law that allows companies to mine for gold and other "hardrock minerals" on public lands without compensating taxpayers. (Read more mining stories.)
HELSINKI, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TILT Biotherapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing cancer immunotherapeutics, announces that it has achieved the primary endpoint of safety in its phase I trial with the first dose of its dual cytokine armed oncolytic adenovirus, TILT-123, at Herlev hospital in Denmark. No serious adverse events (SAEs) were observed in the trial for TILT-123 as a monotherapy or in combination with tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). The company has received regulatory approval to open a second clinical trial site at CHU Nantes, France, with 15 patients in total to be enrolled across the two sites. The clinical trial will now proceed to the second (of five) dose levels and expects interim data by the end of this year.

The 'TUNINTIL' clinical trial(1) is a phase 1, open-label, dose-escalation study of the company's oncolytic adenovirus coding for Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF alpha) and Interleukin 2 (IL-2) known as TILT-123. Metastatic melanoma patients receive TILT-123 as an initial monotherapy over one month, followed by up to two administrations of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in the second month as well as ongoing consecutive doses of TILT-123.

TILT Biotherapeutics' CEO, Akseli Hemminki, a biotech entrepreneur and cancer clinician who has personally treated almost 300 patients with ten different oncolytic viruses, said, "We are delighted our first-in-human phase 1 trial in metastatic melanoma has successfully met its primary clinical endpoint of safety at the initial dose and is now progressing steadily to the next dose level. I am grateful for the excellent work by the team at Denmark's prestigious National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy and look forward to continuing this and also working with the team in Nantes. Overall, the trial has the potential to increase the efficacy of adoptive T-cell therapy, remove the need for pre- and post-conditioning regimens, and deliver the combined anti-tumor benefits of armed oncolytic viruses and T-cell therapy."

The company has received approval in Denmark to extend this trial for up to two years to demonstrate long term survival benefit. As part of this, the company will be analyzing secondary end points for TILT-123 including response rate, overall survival, progression free survival, and immune response against the tumor, its persistence and shedding.

The heart of TILT's approach revolves around the use of armed oncolytic adenoviruses, using cytokines to boost the patient's immune response to better enable it to find and destroy cancer cells. The TUNINTIL trial's primary objective is to evaluate the safety of TILT-123 and is designed to also deliver insights about the behavior of TILT-123 in humans, such as systemic tumor transduction following intravenous delivery and virus replication in the tumor, as well as immunological responses.

(1) Link to the 'TUNINTIL' clinical trial details: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04217473?term=TILT-123&draw=2&rank=1

Media contacts

TILT Biotherapeutics

CBO Aino Kalervo

[email protected]

Scius Communications

Katja Stout

[email protected]

About TILT Biotherapeutics

TILT Biotherapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing cancer therapeutics based on its proprietary oncolytic adenoviruses armed with molecules including cytokines that can stimulate, or suppress, T cells. The company's patented TILT technology, which can be delivered locally and systemically, modifies the tumor microenvironment and eliminates its ability to suppress immune responses to cancer, thereby enhancing T-cell therapies such as checkpoint inhibitors and CAR T therapies.

TILT's lead asset, TILT-123, is a 5/3 chimeric serotype adenovirus armed with two human cytokines; TNF alpha and IL-2. TILT-123 has demonstrated a 100% response rate in pre-clinical cancer models in vivo, and it is currently in Phase 1 clinical trials.

The Company's pioneering approach has been recognised by industry leaders including Germany's Merck KGaA and the USA's Pfizer, who are collaborating to investigate TILT-123's therapeutic effect in combination with the PD-L1 inhibitor, Avelumab (Bavencio), in clinical trials. In 2019, TILT established an additional partnership with Biotheus, a privately held Chinese company based in Zhuhai, Guangdong, China, for the development and commercialization of TILT's proprietary oncolytic virus TILT-123 in Greater China.

Based in Helsinki, Finland, the company was established in 2013 as a spin-out from the University of Helsinki. It has funding from Lifeline Ventures, angel investors, Business Finland, and the European Innovation Council (EIC).

SOURCE TILT Biotherapeutics
drnadig/iStockBy BENJAMIN SIEGEL, ABC News

(WASHINGTON) -- The House will vote this week to protect undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children and provide legal status to farm workers.



These will be the first immigration reform measures taken up by Congress this year.



The votes could serve as the first barometer of the chances for comprehensive immigration reform in this session of Congress.



A bipartisan agreement has remained elusive to lawmakers and presidents of both parties after nearly a decade of half-starts and broken-down negotiations.



Complicating the debate this week is the migrant crisis unfolding at the U.S.-Mexico border, with the Biden administration grappling with record numbers of unaccompanied children attempting to enter the U.S. The situation has strained the federal governments resources, forcing the administration to deploy the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the region over the weekend.



The American Dream and Promise Act, which Democrats previously passed with seven GOP votes, would provide a path to citizenship for 2.5 million people: the young undocumented migrants known as "Dreamers," and people living in the U.S. with humanitarian legal protections, or temporary protected status.



The second bill, The Farm Workforce Modernization Act, would create a system for more than one million undocumented farm workers to apply for legal status if they have worked at least 180 days in agriculture over two years.



The proposal, the product of bipartisan negotiations in the House, passed with 34 Republican votes two years ago.



In the Senate, Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., have introduced their latest version of the Dream Act to provide a path to citizenship for "Dreamers," though it lacks the support of 60 senators to pave the way for passage.



Some Democrats believe the party should move forward with piecemeal immigration reforms that are more likely to advance through the Senate with Republican support.



Progressives and immigration reform advocates continue to push for a broader package -- and for Democrats to consider passing elements of their proposal through the reconciliation process later this year, which requires only a majority of votes in the Senate, rather than 60, if the provisions are allowed under the Senates strict budget rules.



Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Rep. Deb Haaland, President Biden's nominee for secretary of the Interior, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The Senate confirmed her nomination Monday by a 51-40 vote. (Leigh Vogel / Pool Photo)

On Monday, Rep. Deb Haaland became the first Native American confirmed to serve in the president's Cabinet  a historic moment celebrated by American Indians throughout the country.

In California, which is home to 109 federally recognized tribes and more people of Native ancestry than any other state, expectations are high. Not only will Haaland, a citizen of the Laguna Pueblo, have a seat at the table  she will lead the Interior Department, the branch of the federal government that has more involvement in tribes' affairs than any other.

In the lead-up to the 51-40 Senate confirmation vote, The Times asked tribal leaders about their hopes for Haaland (D-N.M.) and how she might reshape the agency's relationship with Indigenous Americans. Many wished for more land, more help for tribal businesses and a simpler process to petition for federal recognition.

Some are skeptical that she will be able to make lasting changes to a bureaucracy with a long history of mistreating Native people. But for others, this is a moment of unparalleled opportunity.

Kenneth Kahn, chairman of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, looks forward to Rep. Deb Haaland's confirmation as Interior secretary. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Santa Ynez, Santa Barbara County



Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians



Tribal Chairman Kenneth Kahn

"Tribes across the nation, we prayed this day would come. There's a lot of excitement. But there's still skepticism. There's a lot of healing that needs to be done.

I've been a tribal leader for 17, maybe 18 years now, and I know we've had a lot of disappointments throughout the years. Growing up, I remember my grandmother and grandfather talking about the [Bureau of Indian Affairs] and how representatives of the BIA were not listening to us. I was young, but I remember a non-Native came in with a clipboard, talking to my grandparents. I remember vividly the disappointment. I could feel it. They were not listening to us on what our needs were. They were telling us what we needed. It seemed like they came to the reservation with their minds made up.

And that's changed. Those were the days we didn't have a whole lot of economic opportunities. Today our tribe is thriving. We've got a separate economic development arm and a number of different business disciplines. Things certainly have changed quite a bit.

Story continues

I think as the first Native American Interior secretary, the real opportunity here is for healing with Indigenous people across the nation. Having a Native person  not only by blood  but who grew up in her mom's pueblo, learned the ways of the Laguna people, and has the respect and praise of the land, Mother Earth, Father Sun, just the spiritual element. She's our modern-day warrior."

Jamul Indian Village chairwoman Erica M. Pinto poses for photos at the Jamul Indian Village on Wednesday, March 10, 2021 in San Diego, CA. (Eduardo Contreras / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Jamul, San Diego County



Jamul Indian Village



Tribal Chairwoman Erica Pinto

"It's a big deal to me, it's a big deal to my nieces, it's a big deal to us American Indians to see not only an American Indian, but a woman in this position. Shes breaking all these glass ceilings. She's a rocket. She's going up and up and up.

I know Deb Haaland will understand how it is imperative for us to expand. It's always been about land for us. We need more land. All we have is our six acres and my tribal members would like to have a place to come back to and call home. We do have an application in at the moment for a four-acre parcel and another two-acre parcel, which is a cemetery. You would think it would be a no-brainer to put a tribal cemetery in trust, but guess what, it's delayed.

We also need access to broadband internet. Here in San Diego this isn't an issue, but drive 30-45 minutes east and that's when you start to have those issues of consistent Wi-Fi access. Now we do everything via Zoom, including telehealth. It's putting our kids behind. Our elders are isolated. COVID has exposed some weaknesses. Maybe she can help with that.

I feel like she's part of a shift. There's been a change in the way people are thinking. Here in San Diego County, we have 18 federally recognized tribes. Even at the county level, they're being more inclusive of all people, no matter who you are. It feels really good. I know the tribal people are feeling it too. It sets the stage for good discussions, good respectful discussions."

Jeff Grubbe, Tribal Chairman Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians stands at the Andreas Canyon oasis in the Coachella Valley. (Don Bartletti/Los Angeles Times)

Palm Springs, Riverside County



Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians



Tribal Chairman Jeff Grubbe

"She's one of us. Its good to have one of us in a position that represents the administration and the federal government, but also represents us. Shes the bridge. Whatever the issue is that's affecting Indian Country, I know she will be someone we can talk to who will have the Biden administration's ear.

She understands how diverse tribes are. Gaming is important to one, fishing is important to another, and then you have oil. Renewable energy is something she wants to push and we look forward to working with her and seeing what opportunities there are. Tribes are starting to think that not everything should just be gaming  we need to diversify.

The pandemic has changed a lot. We dont know when or if ever people will feel comfortable being in large group settings. We definitely had a drop off in gaming revenues, which we completely understand. And so we need to look at other things we can do revenue-wise and to create jobs. I think renewables are an opportunity.

When you drive into the Coachella Valley, you see all those windmills, hundreds of them. And none of them are on tribal lands as of yet. We're one of the biggest land owners here in the valley, so we do have plenty of opportunities to look at how we could use some of that land for renewable energy. It just makes sense."

Ron Goode, chairman of the North Fork Mono Tribe, stands for a portrait near his home on Wednesday, March 3, 2021 in Clovis, CA. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

North Fork, Madera County



North Fork Mono



Tribal Chairman Ron Goode

"I have reservations. I'm glad a Native person finally made it there. I'll clap, but she's not the first Indian to hold a high position in government, and no changes came out of those either.

You've got to understand where were coming from. The reality is we've got hundreds of years of dealing with a colonial government. Why should we expect anything different than what theyve been doing? We just had the biggest wildfire in the history of California here in the Sierra National Forest. The federal government isn't going to change anything. Pretty soon we'll have the whole forest burned and we won't have to worry about it anymore.

The North Fork Mono are an aboriginal tribe. We're not federally recognized. We applied to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for recognition in 1983 and we've been going through this process ... pretty much half my life. We've turned in like 30-35 boxes of historical information showing who we are and that we exist and we existed from long ago and we're still here. They turned us down a couple of years ago. When they come out here, they call us 'interested parties.' We are not Indians to them.

Without federal recognition, we can't get funding. We're one of the leading environmental groups in the state. We've been doing forest restoration work and cultural burning for 25 years. We can't get funding from anybody.

I'm hoping she's open enough to listen, but itll depend on who shes got around her. Maybe Im getting too gloomy in my older life, I just don't see change coming. We're buried too deep by political tape. Everybody calls it red tape, I call it white tape."

Sara Dutschke, Chairwoman of the Ione Band of Miwok Indians. (for the Times)

Plymouth, Amador County



Ione Band of Miwok Indians



Tribal Chairwoman Sara Dutschke

"It's extremely exciting and promising to see, in my lifetime, a Native person confirmed to a position in the Cabinet. And as a woman, it's even more exciting. I feel like it's an incredibly promising time for Indian Country to have a Native person who understands what it's like to be from a tribal community and understands the issues we're facing, which are incredibly unique and you dont find anywhere else.

I would really like to see a shift back to the focus on trust land acquisition that we saw with the Obama administration. That was incredibly well received in Indian Country. Im a little biased, I'm from a California tribe that has a very small land base. We fought really hard to restore a homeland of about 220 acres in our ancestral territory in Amador County and I'm happy to say that finally happened in March of 2020. It was a long road, that's for sure. It took just shy of 18 years. And that's typical. Right now its open space, but one of the priorities is to develop a gaming facility there to provide much-needed revenue for the tribe.

Outside of the gaming context, it would be really nice to see some emphasis on economic development as well. We have a lot of members that are unemployed as a result of the virus. For us, attention to social services programs would really help us provide for our members while they're unemployed or looking to get new skills. The Cares Act funding was great, but a lot of tribes got hit much harder than anybody anticipated and the effects were way worse than any amount of Cares Act funding they received."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Fulton County employees walk among voting machine transporters being stored at the Fulton County Election Preparation Center, in Atlanta, Ga., on Nov. 4, 2020. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

Georgia Judge Might Unseal Fulton County Absentee Ballots for Fraud Investigation

A judge in Georgia says he might unseal absentee ballots in the states Fulton County so that a government watchdog can investigate voter fraud allegations.

Henry County Superior Court Judge Brian Amero said hes inclined to order the ballots unsealed and reviewed by experts hired by Garland Favorito, an advocate of voting integrity, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Amero, during a hearing on March 15, said that if the ballots are unsealed, there needs to be a plan in order to make sure theyre kept in secret and kept secure.

We want to do this in such a way that dispels rumors and disinformation, and sheds light, Amero said. The devils in the details.

He made the comment after a lawsuit filed in a Fulton County Superior Court contended that fraudulent ballots were cast during the Nov. 3, 2020, election amid other alleged irregularities as workers counted votes at Atlantas State Farm Arena on election night.

Election workers count Fulton County ballots at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, on Nov. 4, 2020. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

The Georgia Secretary of States office, which dismissed such allegations months ago, didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

The judge discussed an order that would prohibit Favoritos group from disclosing their work without permission from the court, adding that he might appoint an official to oversee the analysis. The review of the ballots, according to Amero, could start in April, as reported by the AJC.

I cant sign an order until such time as Im satisfied that the manner and method (of review) proposed by the petitioners is reasonable, the judge said.

Favorito, co-founder of the Voters Organized for Trusted Election Results in Georgia, a conservative group founded in 2006, has blamed both Democrats and Republicans for leveraging election integrity for their own benefit.

In H.R. 1, the Democrats are trying to take control of the country with a bunch of unconstitutional provisions, Favorito said, according to Politico. In Georgia, the Republicans are trying to solidify their power with certain election provisions in the omnibus bills, which dont benefit President Trump, and they dont benefit the people of Georgia, for the most part.

In recent weeks, Republicans at the state and federal level have called for a variety of election reforms while calling on lawmakers to reject Democrats proposals.

Former Vice President Mike Pence targeted Democrats H.R. 1 in a Daily Signal op-ed this month saying that it would increase opportunities for election fraud, trample the First Amendment, further erode confidence in our elections, and forever dilute the votes of legally qualified eligible voters.
The nations leading infectious disease expert has suggested an update to the six-foot social distancing guidelines could mean US schools reopen much faster than previously expected.

Speaking to CNNs State of the Union on Sunday, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, said a new study led by the Beth Deaconess Medical Center in Massachusetts could reshape the way students go back to school by implementing a three-foot social distancing guideline instead of the current six-foot measure.

The researchers said there was no substantial difference in the number of cases of Covid-19 among either students or staff between 251 school districts in Massachusetts following either three- or six-foot social distancing rules.

Those students all observed mask-wearing guidelines and followed other critical safety measures schools have implemented after the novel virus swept through the country last year. By following other measures and maintaining the three-foot guidelines, Dr Fauci said the updated measure would indeed suffice to reopen schools.

He said the CDC was conducting its own studies and added: When the data shows that there is an ability to be three-feet, they will act accordingly.

Its going to be soon, he continued. The CDC is very well aware that data are accumulating making it look more like three feet are OK under certain circumstances.

Dr Fauci noted he didnt want to get ahead of official guidelines but promised there would be updates to the current measures in a quite reasonable period of time, saying: It wont be very long, I promise you.

The leading public health expert has spent recent days urging Americans to get vaccinated against Covid-19, which has killed more than 534,000 people nationwide since the pandemic began last year, according to the latest tracking data.

On Monday, Dr Fauci told reporters not to get so fixated on this elusive number of herd immunity and added: We should just be concerned about getting as many people vaccinated as quickly as we possibly can, because herd immunity is still somewhat of an elusive number.
In new TN assembly DMK has most MLAs with pending criminal background, crorepatis

MK Stalin sworn in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister for first time

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31 of 32 ministers in Tamil Nadu are crorepatis

Kamal Haasan's car 'attacked' during poll campaign in Tamil Nadu: Party leader

India

pti-Deepika S

Kancheepuram, Mar 14: Makkal Needhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan's car was allegedly attacked by a young man late Sunday when the actor-politician was proceeding towards a hotel here after campaigning for the April 6 Assembly polls, a party leader said.

Haasan was not injured in the incident though his vehicle's windscreen was damaged.

MNM leader and retired IPS officer A G Mourya tweeted that his party chief's car windscreen was damaged and the man who "attempted to attack" Haasan was handed over to the police.

Mourya said the party would not be scared by such elements.

His tweet was retweeted by the official Twitter handle of Makkal Needhi Maiam.

Local television channels aired visuals of a young man, said to be the assailant, being taken away by police personnel for allegedly attacking Haasan's car.

Police officials could not be reached immediately for a comment.

The youth, reportedly drunk, was allegedly assaulted by some MNM cadres and members of the public. He was later taken to a hospital by the police.
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Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

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Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

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Republican members of Congress are trooping to the U.S.-Mexico border to put a spotlight on a surge of migrants at the frontier that they say is the result of President Joe Biden's shift from the hardline immigration policies of his predecessor.

Less than two months into Biden's term, both parties are already framing their messages on immigration -- a perennial political flashpoint -- for the 2022 election to decide control of the House and Senate.

"On the border, we see that Biden's policies created a border crisis," House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy said last week as he prepared to lead a dozen other Republicans on a trip Monday to a detention center in El Paso. "President Biden announced that it was his priority to offer citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants. What did he think would happen?"

It was much the same during President Donald Trump's time in office when high-profile Democrats such as New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren used trips to the border to draw attention to the squalid conditions for asylum seekers and people caught crossing the border illegally. It was, they argued, the purposeful result of Trump's harsh policies.

The point and counterpoint of such trips illustrate just how far apart Democrats and Republicans have moved from any consensus on what to do about an immigration system that both sides agree is broken and in need of a fix.

Biden campaigned on a pledge of offering more assistance to those seeking refugee status in the U.S. Republicans say he is embracing an "open borders" approach that includes undoing a Trump administration program that sent thousands of asylum seekers back to Mexico until their immigration court hearings.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said it is "absolutely incorrect" to refer to Biden's policy as open borders, adding that the "vast majority of individuals apprehended or encountered at the border continue to be denied entry and are returned."

Still, the recent surge is striking. On Wednesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that 100,441 people tried to cross the border illegally in February, the first full month of the Biden administration, a 28% increase over January. More than 9,500 unaccompanied children came to the border in February, a 62% jump above January.

The Biden administration announced Saturday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will assist shifting minors from Customs and Border Protection custody to the Department of Health and Human Services, which has longer-term housing facilities and attempts to connect underage migrants with family already in the U.S.

There will be pressure on Congress to act, and it's not clear yet whether both parties can find a middle ground like they did in 2014, during a big migrant influx at U.S.-Mexico border.

Responding to what was then a record number of more than 68,000 apprehensions of unaccompanied minors under President Barack Obama, lawmakers crafted a bipartisan $1.6 billion infusion for the Department of Health and Human Services, geared largely to help humanely detain, house and place unaccompanied children.

Any congressional action to address the surge this time will come the same time Democrats work to push through broad immigration-law changes that will be divisive. Biden has proposed a plan that would provide a pathway to citizenship for roughly 11 million people living illegally in the U.S., would bolster assistance to Central American countries and would ease immigration for people fleeing violence. Republicans declared the bill dead on arrival.

New York Representative John Katko, the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, said Congress should revisit proposals to pair border security with protections for young undocumented immigrants eligible for an Obama-era program known as DACA.

"There's a deal that can be struck," Katko said in an interview Friday with Bloomberg TV. "We should work on that instead."

So far, Democrats in both chambers are struggling to shore up support for a comprehensive approach. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decided to move in a piecemeal way, with the House to vote this week on a measure providing a pathway to citizenship for immigrants with DACA protections. A second bill would provide green cards to farm workers who don't have legal status.

Some Republicans are calling on the administration to take more immediate actions on its own to stem the current increase in border crossings.

"We are still early in the year and not yet in the peak season for migrant travel, thus these numbers are troubling given we are likely to see continued increases in unlawful immigrants and deadly narcotics at our border," Ohio Senator Rob Portman, the top Republican on the Homeland Security Committee said in a statement after DHS released February data. He urged the administration to work with the governments of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to address the challenge.

Pelosi, like many Democrats, laid the blame on Trump.

"I do know that the Biden administration is trying to fix the broken system that was left to them by the Trump administration," Pelosi told reporters Sunday. Biden "will have a system based on doing the best possible job understanding this is a humanitarian crisis."

Representative Veronica Escobar, a Democrat whose district includes most of El Paso, called the current situation "unacceptable."

"But we also I think need to acknowledge that the flow of humanity arriving at our front door never stopped," she said on CNN. "And what we are seeing today is the consequence of four years dismantling every system in place to address this with humanity and compassion."

Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, said he and others are working with the administration to see what it will need from Congress to address the crisis, which could take some time. Key Homeland Security and HHS appointees that would help manage the influx still haven't been approved by the Senate, and officials are still untangling some Trump policies, he said.

"The Trump administration made so many changes to the immigration rules, there are hundreds of them they are going through -- which ones do we keep and which ones don't we," Kaine said. "They're still kind of analyzing it. I don't think you'll see us advancing the proposal before they come to us and say, 'Here's what we need to do.'"

Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, made his own trip to the border Friday, but it was a bipartisan one. He and Representative Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat, visited a detention facility Carrizo Springs, Texas, and met with DHS and HHS officials there before holding a roundtable with local leaders in Laredo.

In advance of the trip, Cornyn highlighted legislation he and Cuellar will reintroduce to address some of the challenges posed by unaccompanied children that cross the border, including allowing kids with a legitimate claim to asylum to get to the head of the line with an immigration judge. The backlog of cases in these courts has reached 1.2 million, he said.

"That would help to relieve some of the pressure," Cornyn said. "But the problem is that all the signals coming from the administration are that there's not going to be any limitation on people's ability to come across the border."

Border communities are being overwhelmed, Cornyn added. "I think it's going to get a lot worse."
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- Proposals to create a national gun registry have long been met with fierce opposition from gun rights advocates. While proponents say a registry would help in tracking guns used in crimes, opponents worry that it would compromise privacy and could be used by the federal government to confiscate firearms. Now, a team of Brown University computer scientists has devised a way of implementing a registry that may allay some of those concerns.

They propose a database that uses advanced encryption to protect privacy. The encryption scheme allows the database to be searched without being decrypted, which means people querying the database see only the records they're looking for and nothing else. Meanwhile, the system places control of data in the hands of county-level officials rather than the federal government, meaning county officials have control over which queries are answered, and can even pull the county's data offline entirely if they're not comfortable with how it's being used.

The proposed system is the work of Seny Kamara, a professor of computer science at Brown, along with co-authors Tarik Moataz, Andrew Park and Lucy Qin. Moataz is a visiting scientist at Brown. Park is a Brown master's student, and Qin is a Ph.D. student in Kamara's lab. They developed the system after Ron Wyden, a U.S. Senator from Oregon, contacted them looking for ideas on how such a database might be constructed.

"The senator's office had this idea for a database where counties are incentivized to participate, but they could pull out at any time," Kamara said. "At the same time, there are obvious privacy concerns. This idea of being able to query and process data without decrypting it is something I have worked on for the last 20 years, so that's why the senator reached out to us. This research was about showing whether it was possible to design something like this."

The study, which was accepted to the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy and will be presented in May, concludes that such a system is not only possible, but quite practical.

The proposed registry would contain the make, model and serial number of all legally owned guns in each participating county, along with a registration number identifying gun owners. The information in each county database would be fully encrypted, and only a designated county official would hold the key to decrypting their own local data.

Each county's encrypted data would be searchable by authorized users elsewhere (authorized users would include law enforcement, county officials or gun sellers). For example, a law enforcement officer might query the system with the serial number of a gun found at a crime scene. Without ever decrypting the data, the system would locate the county database containing that serial number. The officer would then be able to decrypt the relevant record, as long as the country official controlling the data has enabled it to do so.

The search algorithm provides a high level of security because the data is never decrypted during the search process.

"All of the servers that are storing the data and all of the computers that are doing these operations, they're just processing encrypted data and they never actually see anything," Kamara said. "That provides really strong privacy throughout the process because none of the data can ever be seen without the decryption key."

Kamara and his colleagues envision the decryption key as a physical device -- like a thumb drive -- that can be placed in a local computer to authorize transactions.

"If at some point a county decides they don't want to be part of the system anymore, the official just pulls that hardware token out of the laptop and that's it -- nothing works," he said. "The data is encrypted and the key is unavailable, so nothing can happen. For the senator's office, that ability for counties to walk away and basically pull their data offline was really important."

For their study, the researchers created a mock-up of the database with synthetic data and showed that searches were computationally practical, with results returned in a minute or less. The analysis also found that the costs associated with the system would be relatively small. Each county database could be stored for less than $1,000 per year, and the global directory would cost less than $500 per year.

Kamara says that the work so far is a proof-of-concept that would require some additional refinement to be implemented. But as it is, he says, the work shows the value of bringing technical expertise to bear on policy issues.

"I think people imagine this registry and think everything would be public and there would be all kinds of problems associated with that," he said. "But with advanced cryptography, that's not necessarily true. So I think this is an example of how you can have technology folks and policymakers working in concert, and it changes the conversation. It's been a really great collaboration."

###
Prosecutors and Snyders attorneys did not object to the motion granting the brothers immunity for the testimony they will provide at a later date in Snyders retrial on a soliciting bribes charge. The immunity states, in part, that the testimony either brother gives cannot be used in a case against them with a few exceptions, such as perjury, said U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kennelly, with the Northern District of Illinois.
The preliminary inquiry hearing into Soldier F got underway at the Bishop Street courthouse in Derry on Monday.

Soldier F is the only ex-British army paratrooper facing murder charges arising from the killings by members of the Parachute Regiments First Battalion of 13 civilians in the Bogside area of Londonderry on Bloody Sunday on January 30, 1972.

District Judge Ted Magill, who has charge of the preliminary inquiry hearing, ruled that nothing about the hearing in terms of opening statements by either the prosecution or by the defence could be made public. Mr Magill also ruled that none of the testimony given by witnesses to the hearing could be made public.

Soldier F, who is now aged in his 70s and who has been granted anonymity, observed the proceedings remotely via a sightlink. Hes charged with murdering Jim Wray (22) and William McKinney (27), both of whom were shot dead in Glenfada Park during the Bloody Sunday march.

Hes also charged with attempting to murder Joseph Friel, then aged 20, Michael Quinn then aged 17, Joe Mahon then aged 16 and Patrick ODonnell, now deceased, then aged 41. He is additionally charged with attempting to murder persons unknown. Soldier F denies all of the charges.

At the start of the hearing, which was viewed remotely by relatives of some of the Bloody Sunday victims, Mr Magill said because of the current pandemic it was necessary to limit the number of people present in the courtroom for the hearing.

He said anyone observing the proceedings on sightlink is in the same position as if they were in the courtroom and all procedures apply in respect of recording in any way, shape or form.

In relation to media coverage of the hearing, the District Judge said the proceedings cannot be publicised nor can the testimony of witnesses. I realise that means a rather thin news day for the media, but it is not a question of choice, it is a question of law.

The preliminary inquiry hearing, which is due to last up to three weeks, is to enable the District Judge to decide if there is enough evidence for a full trial.

Mr Magill said in relation to Soldier Fs current anonymity, the Anonymity Order granted last year on an interim basis by District Judge Barney McElholm, would continue.

He said on the issue of anonymity, he received just prior to the start of yesterdays proceedings bundles of submissions and authorities which I will have to consider. Until I consider them I cannot say what steps to take now.

That order will continue with the option to revisit such an order and if necessary I will do so. I only received the bundles and submissions on authorities just before I came into court, he added.

The hearing and the media ban on the hearing continue.
[March 15, 2021] ShardSecure Expands Scope of Data Protection with v2.0 Software Release

NEW YORK, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ShardSecure, the world's most innovative provider of data security and privacy with Microshard technology, today announced the release of v2.0. of the ShardSecure Software Appliance. ShardSecure's revolutionary approach to data security uses Microsharding to automatically shred, mix and distribute data to eliminate sensitivity and reduce the attack surface. This latest software update, which includes Amazon S3 API support, integration with Microsoft 365 and structured data support, further extends the protection scope and ease with which ShardSecure can be implemented. "ShardSecure v2.0 brings functionality and compatibility updates that expand the types of data that can be secured with Microsharding as well the applications with which it integrates," said Tom Noonan, ShardSecure's investor and advisor and former CEO and co-founder of Internet Security Systems (acquired by IBM). "Organizations are able to reduce sensitivity and ensure privacy for a far greater percentage of data, both structured and unstructured, without adding implementation and support time. This latest release significantly expands ShardSecure's addressable market." Amazon AWS S3 Compatible API The addition of an AWS S3 Compatible API in ShardSecure v2.0 enables users to reat the ShardSecure cluster like a S3 bucket, to programmatically store and retrieve Microshard data.



Allows secure storage from any application that supports S3 Compatible Object Storage as backend storage

Ensures easy integration with hundreds of applications, accelerating time-to-value and expanding opportunities to secure data with Microshard technology

Deployable on AWS in 15 minutes Microsoft 365 Integration Microsoft Online Documents such as PDFs and email often contain an abundance of sensitive data and are notoriously difficult to secure. With Microsoft 365 integration ShardSecure v2.0 ensures data privacy for this vulnerable dataset in a way that is nondisruptive to enterprise workflows.

Store sensitive Microsoft Office Online documents in secure, private storage locations in cloud and/or on-prem locations

Documents are stored using Microshard technology to eliminate data sensitivity and reduce the impact of data breaches

Supports (OneDrive-like) storage of any file type iSCSI Database Support Over 40% of cloud databases are not encrypted, as is the case for half of all sensitive data stored in the cloud. ShardSecure now supports Microsharding of structured data for cloud and relational databases. iSCSI support enables any technology to target the ShardSecure appliance just like it would target a virtual storage disk via iSCSI, while distributing that Microshard data to multiple cloud or on-premises storage locations

Microshard technology does not slow performance or require extensive key management like encryption for databases

Beyond databases, any other solution that supports iSCSI can now easily integrate with ShardSecure ShardSecure v2.0 also provides automation to AWS and Azure via a new deployment application that brings deployment time down to as little as fifteen minutes. "The expanded protection scope, integration updates and streamlined deployment functionality available in this release enable cybersecurity professionals in industries like technology, financial services and healthcare to ensure data privacy and security for more of their sensitive data than ever before, while further reducing their attack surface and overall compliance burden," said ShardSecure CEO and Co-founder, Bob Lam. About ShardSecure Headquartered in New York City, ShardSecure is the world's most innovative data security company, disrupting the data privacy and security market with Microshard technology  the only solution capable of breaking data into single-digit bytes and distributing across cloud locations without sacrificing performance. Microsharding provides zero data sensitivity for cloud-stored or on-prem data. Led by veteran cybersecurity entrepreneurs and investors, ShardSecure works with some of the world's most successful companies in healthcare, financial services and technology to ensure ultimate data privacy and compliance, while making data migration to the cloud easier and faster than ever. Media Contact: media@shardsecure.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shardsecure-expands-scope-of-data-protection-with-v2-0-software-release-301247357.html SOURCE ShardSecure

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Covid surge testing is being rolled out in two more areas of London after new cases of the South African variant were discovered.

Every adult in the Southwark postcode SE5 and in HA2 and HA3 in Harrow is being encouraged to get a test even if they are not showing symptoms.

There will also be enhanced contact tracing for anyone who provides a positive test for any variant that is 'of concern'.

More than 300 cases of the South African variant have been found in the UK so far, with surge testing already rolled out in a number of London postcodes.

Covid surge testing is being rolled out in two more areas of London after new cases of the South African variant were discovered. Similar surge testing was brought for other parts of London last month. Pictured: A test centre in Ealing

Every adult in the Southwark postcode SE5 and in HA2 and HA3 in Harrow is being encouraged to get a test even if they are not showing symptoms

Testing regimes were also ramped up in Norfolk, Southampton, and Woking in Surrey where the variant was detected in February.

Scientists have expressed concerns that the mutation could be more easily spread and resistant to vaccines.

There is no evidence to suggest it increases the likelihood of serious illness or death.

It comes as the government today recorded another 5,089 Covid cases - an eight per cent rise week-on-week - while deaths dropped 1.5% with 64 victims.

The Department of Health and Social Care said in a statement: 'The increased testing is being introduced in addition to existing extensive testing and, in combination with the public following current lockdown rules and Hands Face Space advice, will help to monitor and suppress the spread of the virus.

There will also be enhanced contact tracing for anyone who provides a positive test for any variant that is 'of concern'. Pictured: Volunteers deliver coronavirus test kits door to door in West Ealing in February

'Positive cases will be sequenced for genomic data to help increase our understanding of COVID-19 variants and their spread within these areas.

'Enhanced contact tracing will be used for individuals testing positive with a variant of concern.

'This is where contact tracers look back over an extended period in order to determine the route of transmission.

'People living within the targeted areas are strongly encouraged to take a COVID-19 test when offered, whether they are showing symptoms or not.

'People with symptoms should book a free test online or by phone so they can get tested at a testing site or have a testing kit sent to them at home.'

Britain's Covid cases have risen eight per cent compared to the same time last week after 5,089 were recorded. It is thought this is linked to mass swabbing in schools, which is picking up more cases. The test positivity rate - a more reliable measure - is still falling in all regions

There were also 64 Covid deaths recorded today, which is down 1.5 per cent on the same time last week

Cases of coronavirus began to creep upwards last week following a massive spike in Covid tests being carried out because of schools finally being allowed to reopen in England.

But the test positivity rate  one of the best ways of tracking the size of the outbreak  has continued to fall.

Surveillance studies analysing the size of Britain's second wave also say it is still shrinking amid mounting pressure on Boris Johnson from Tory MPs to speed up his cautious lockdown-easing plans.

And with deaths and hospitalisations continuing to fall and the vaccine roll-out expected to drastically pick up pace in the coming days, No10 will inevitably face even louder calls to ease restrictions sooner.

Separate statistics today showed that more than 100million coronavirus swabs have now been processed by NHS Test and Trace, and that almost 24.5million Britons have had their first dose of a Covid vaccine.
Tauranga City Council is proposing to include a $45 million upgrade to the Memorial Park Pools in its Long Term Plan.

The pools, which were built in 1955, are one of a number of community centres across the city up for improvements.

Bay Venues interim chief executive officer Justine Brennan says Memorial Pools are a much loved community aquatic facility, but are the oldest within the network of community pools.

Bay Venues is really proud to have played a key role in driving the innovative thinking to support the potential redevelopment of Memorial Pool.

Significant work has been undertaken over the last two years to provide evidence to support the potential redevelopment of the pool and we are excited to see how the project progresses through the long term plan.

During last weeks Tauranga City Council meeting, Community Services general manager Gareth Wallis said there has been an under-investment in community facilities over an extended period of time.

Because of that, many of the citys facilities are worn out or nearing end of life. Yes, we can keep getting the gaffa tape and the glue but inevitably at some point, we have to significantly fix things or do things differently.

He says Memorial Park is seeing increasing higher renewal costs year on year and other facilities across the city are also in need of some TLC.

Three of our community centres in Elizabeth Street, Merivale and Welcome Bay built in 1960, 65 and 77 respectively, are in varying stages of deterioration.

The domain grandstand was built in 1962 and has significant seismic issues.

The central library was built in 1989 and has weather tightness issues, seismic issues, deteriorating glazing, dampness and odour issues, insufficient toilet facilities, and the list goes on.

He says up until recently, there was no co-ordinated plan for the development of community facilities across the city.

Decisions tended to be made on an ad-hoc basis and in isolation.

Gareth says to address the citys extended period of under investment, the current end of life and capacity issues and to prepare for the growth of the city they have developed the Community Facilities Investment Plan.

As well as Memorial Pools getting $45 million, $49 million is planned for a city wide active reserve (west of urban area), $10 million is being planned for an Active reserve in the western corridor, $11.5 million is being set aside for the Western community centre, and $12 million is being set aside for the Western library.

The draft long-term plan will be subject to consultation before it is included in the final long-term plan which will be adopted in July.




A national framework will be created to govern the development of UAEs R&D system with the aim of maximising the translation of its outputs to socio-economic benefits.

The Emirates Scientists Council (ESC) seeks to align R&D activities with national priorities, and enhance their positive impact on science, economy, society, and UNs Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), said Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology and Chairperson of the Emirates Scientists Council (ESC), who chaired the meeting of the council which explored ways to increase the contribution of R&D to economic development in line with the preparations for a new phase of growth within the framework of the countrys plans for the next fifty years, announced by the UAE leadership.

The participants reviewed a series of studies assessing the current status of the research and development (R&D) ecosystem in the UAE. They discussed measures to strengthen the R&D ecosystem in line with national strategies and policies concerned with investing in science, technology, and human capital to spearhead future industries and consolidate the UAEs global leadership in the knowledge economy. The meeting highlighted the importance of scientific inquiry, leveraging advanced sciences to identify innovative solutions to current and future challenges, and supporting the governments efforts to achieve its national and globally-aligned development goals.

Al Amiri praised The Councils outstanding achievements, as well as its role in creating an enabling environment for scientific research, and devising policies and strategies that support sustainable development.

The ESC established the Mohammed bin Rashid Academy of Scientists, the primary body representing the UAEs science community. In addition, it launched the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinguishment, the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Mohammed bin Rashid Award for Investing in Scientific Research. The Council also nominated a group of scientists and researchers for UAEs Golden Visas, which were granted in 2019 and 2020. In cooperation with the Emirates Youth Council, the ESC founded the Youth Science Council that has launched several initiatives targeting young scientists and scientists-to-be, such as the Good Question podcast about science in the UAE.

Members of the Council from the academic sector include Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice President of Khalifa University (KU) and Executive Director of the Higher Education Sector at the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge, Prof Ghaleb Ali Al Hadrami Al Breiki, Acting Vice Chancellor of the United Arab Emirates University, Dr Alawi Alsheikh-Ali, Deputy Director General of the Dubai Health Authority and Provost and Dean of the College of Medicine at the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dr Habiba Al Safar, Director of the KU Center for Biotechnology, Dr Ali Al Zarouni, Executive Vice President  Midstream and Technology Development and Transfer at Emirates Global Aluminum, Prof Sehamuddin Galadari, Senior Vice Provost of Research and Managing Director of the Research Institute at New York University Abu Dhabi and Maryam Al Shamsi, Director of the Space Science Department at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre.-- Tradearabia News Service
Three men who murdered a Brisbane pair by locking them inside a toolbox which was then thrown into a river have been jailed to life behind bars.

Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru's decomposing bodies were found in a large metal box at Scrubby Creek, south of Brisbane, on February 11, 2016.

The pair had been lured to a Kingston apartment complex 18 days earlier, where they were tortured and beaten for hours before being forced into a toolbox at knifepoint.

Stou Daniels, Trent Michael Thrupp and Davy Malu Junior Taiao were each jailed for life when their sentences were handed down at a packed Supreme Court in Brisbane on Monday.

A fourth man, Waylon Ngaketo Cowan Walker, who was found guilty of the pair's manslaughter will serve 12 years behind bars.

Miranda Parkinson (right), the widow of Cory Breton says she can get closure after Stou Daniels, Trent Michael Thrupp and Davy Malu Junior Taiao were jailed for life over his murder. She's pictured outside court last week after the trio were found guilty

Cory Breton's (left) and Iuliana Triscaru's (right) decomposing bodies were found in a large metal box at Scrubby Creek, south of Brisbane, on February 11, 2016

Daniels, Thrupp, and Taiao must serve at least 30 years, while there was no parole date for Walker's 12-year sentence.

Breton and Triscaru were lured to a Kingston unit, tortured, assaulted and bound with tape and zip ties before being put in the toolbox, Crown Prosecutor David Meredith told the jury in his opening address at the the start of the three week trial.

At one point, Ms Triscaru escaped before being recaptured and forced back inside the toolbox.

The victims were heard yelling and kicking at the toolbox when they left the apartment complex.

The box was put onto the back of a ute and dumped in the Scrubby Creek Lagoon, south of Brisbane.

More than two weeks later, on February 11, police divers found the bodies in the box - weighed down by concrete blocks and tyres.

A pathologist earlier ruled the pair died from either asphyxiation or drowning.

'The real horror is that both victims, Cory Breton and Iuliana Triscaru were confined in the toolbox for at least four hours when they must have known they were going to die,' Mr Meredith told the court.

'That is compounded by the fact that they were loaded onto the back of a Hilux in their impending doom.'

The families of Iuliana Triscaru and Cory Breton shed tears and embraced each other outside Brisbane Supreme Court last Thursday

During the trial star witness Lelan Harrington, a friend of Mr Breton, told the jury he saw the pair being attacked with a knife and pole.

A jury deliberated for just two hours last week before finding Daniels, Thrupp, and Taiao guilty of two counts of murder each last Thursday.

Walker was found not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.

The four men each pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder. Daniels, Taiao and Thrupp also pleaded not guilty to two counts of torture.

Justice David Boddice described the murders as 'despicable crimes' - senseless and sadistic as he handed down the sentences on Monday.

'Those individuals endured hours of mental and physical suffering including being locked together in the darkened space of a metal toolbox,' he said.

'Disgracefully, in their final hours, you deprived them of being able to look at each other. Instead, they were placed in that toolbox so that each had to look at the other's feet.

'As a final indignity, cleaning cloths and rubbish were put into plastic bags and placed in the toolbox with them - as if they were in a garbage bin.

'Each victim died in a cold, watery grave.'

He said the 'dreadful' acts of psychological torture were 'unspeakable evil of the worst kind' showing a complete lack of humanity.

Victoria Duga (2nd from left), mother of victim Iuliana Triscaru, Detective Inspector Damien Hansen (centre) and Miranda Parkinson (right), partner of murder victim Cory Breton are seen with with family members outside the Brisbane Supreme Court

They were bound and forced into the toolbox at knife point before it was dumped in the waterway alongside the Logan Motorway

Mr Breton and Ms Triscaru were described by distraught family members as loving and caring people in emotional victim statements.

Ms Triscaru's mother, Victoria Duga's wrote that her daughter's death 'will always haunt me'.

'Words cannot express how much I miss her, I struggle every day,' she said.

'My body is physically aching and my heart is broken  I will never be able to get over this.'

Victim impact statements from Mr Breton's widow Miranda Parkinson, mother-in-law Lois Platt and sister Tamara Breton were also read out in court.

His young daughter, who was three-years-old at the time of Mr Breton's murder still wakes from nightmares crying out for her father.

A drawing from the little girl of three stick figures and the words "I love dad very much' was also shown to the court, the ABC reported.

Ms Parkinson described the last five years as painful.

'We haven't been able to say goodbye properly, to mourn, to go through a grieving process,' she said.

Cory Breton (pictured) was described by his partner and relatives in their victim impact statements read out in court as a devoted family man

Ms Parkinson told reporters after last week's guilty verdict: 'Now we have some sort of closure (and) we can actually mourn in our own way.'

'We would like to thank everyone, the public prosecutors, the detectives and everyone for their help in getting this outcome. Now we can finally start to move on.'

Mr Breton's sister Tamara described him as an amazing family man  he was a great father and loved watching (his daughter) grow,' Ms Breton said.

'Cory was the glue that held our family together and this tragedy has absolutely destroyed it,' her statement read.

'The person I shared my childhood memories is gone  I will have no-one to remind me of them.

'Every day is overshadowed by the fact he is not here to celebrate with us  I have nights I cannot sleep because it all goes over and over in my head.'
A U.S. Army reservist arrested on suspicion of participating in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was known to most of his co-workers as a white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer and grew a "Hitler mustache" while working as a Navy contractor with security clearance, according to federal prosecutors.

Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, of Colts Neck, N.J., is among a growing number of people connected to the military or police who are charged with participating in the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol. The arrests come as law enforcement and military leaders confront the infiltration of their ranks by extremist ideologies. Hale-Cusanelli faces five federal charges, including three counts of crimes on restricted grounds.

Arguing in a Friday filing that Hale-Cusanelli should remain in pretrial detention, the U.S. District Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia released parts of interviews with his co-workers at the Naval Weapons Station Earle. Several of the nearly four dozen Navy service members and contractors told Naval Criminal Investigation Service agents that Hale-Cusanelli was a white supremacist.

One Navy petty officer alleged that Hale-Cusanelli once said, "Hitler should have finished the job," according to the filing.

A Navy seaman told investigators that he heard Hale-Cusanelli say that "babies born with any deformities or disabilities should be shot in the forehead" and that if he were a Nazi, "he would kill all the Jews and eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and he wouldn't need to season them because the salt from their tears would make it flavorful enough," prosecutors disclosed.

Another Navy petty officer said Hale-Cusanelli referred to Black people in profane, dehumanizing terms, according to the document.

Multiple co-workers remembered seeing Hale-Cusanelli's mustache shaved to look like the short mustache Hitler wore, including a supervisor who admonished him for it. Photos on his phone obtained by federal agents showed his hair cut in a way reminiscent of Hitler's hairdo, including selfies taken at work. Other images on his phone portrayed Hitler saving White Americans from the Republican and Democratic parties and contained "statistics" to "bolster his assertions that the 'white race' was superior," according to prosecutors.

The interviews, as well as racist and offensive photos and cartoons found on Hale-Cusanelli's phone, are not legal grounds to halt his release, prosecutors acknowledge. But they said the ideology is a driving force behind his aspiration for a "civil war," making him a danger to the community. He deleted social media accounts and videos from his YouTube channel before his arrest, leading authorities to believe he could obstruct justice, according to the filing.

Hale-Cusanelli's attorney, Jonathan Zucker, said in a filing arguing for his release that it was inaccurate to say that his client is an "avowed white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer." There is no evidence that he is a member of "any white supremacist organizations," the lawyer wrote, and Hale-Cusanelli denied he was a Nazi in an interview with the FBI. Zucker declined to comment on the case.

In arguing for Hale-Cusanelli's release, Zucker also cited a letter written by one of his supervisors, Sgt. John Getz, who said Hale-Cusanelli is not prejudiced, blaming the "media" for calling him a white supremacist. However, in Friday's filing, prosecutors cited comments by Getz that contradicted the letter.

Getz told agents that Hale-Cusanelli would walk up to new people and ask, "You're not Jewish, are you?" with a demeanor that was "joking but not." Getz said he knew Hale-Cusanelli was a Nazi sympathizer and Holocaust denier, according to the document. Getz told authorities that he did not mention that in his letter submitted to the court because he was not personally offended by Hale-Cusanelli, prosecutors wrote.

A fellow contractor told Naval Criminal Investigation Service agents that no one wanted to report Hale-Cusanelli for his conduct because he was "crazy" and people were afraid, according to prosecutors.

Hale-Cusanelli was a sergeant in the Army Reserve, serving in the 174th Infantry Brigade out of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, according to the Army. Legal filings from prosecutors and his attorney indicate that he was discharged after his arrest and barred from the naval station.

Navy Region Mid-Atlantic and Army Reserve did not immediately respond to questions from The Washington Post about Hale-Cusanelli's status.

Army Reserve Strategic Communications previously told The Post: "The Army does not tolerate racism, extremism or hatred in our ranks and is committed to working closely with the FBI as they identify people who participated in the violent attack on the Capitol to determine if the individuals have any connection to the Army."

Hale-Cusanelli came to the FBI's attention on Jan. 12 when an informant told agents that he had boasted about being at the Capitol on Jan. 6, with videos that showed Hale-Cusanelli verbally harassing police officers, according to charging documents. Hale-Cusanelli told the federal informant that he urged others to charge and stole a flagpole that was used by another rioter to attack a member of the Capitol Police, according to the FBI.

In conversations with the informant shared by prosecutors, Hale-Cusanelli said the mob that stormed the Capitol could have overtaken it had the crowd been larger.
Why has the Lankan MPs links to Kasargod come under the ambit of the Indian agencies

ISIS module case: NIA conducts searches in Delhi, Kerala, Karnataka; Three held

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

New Delhi, Mar 15: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Monday arrested three persons as it conducted simultaneous searches at 11 locations in Kerala, Karnataka and Delhi in connection with terror activities of a group propagating the violent ideology of the ISIS terror group, an official said.

An NIA spokesperson said the searches were carried out by the premier anti-terror probe agency with local police units at 11 locations -- eight in Kerala's Kannur, Mallapuram, Kollam and Kasargod districts, two in Bengaluru and one in Delhi.

The case pertains to the terrorist activities of a group led by one Mohammed Ameen of Kerala, the official said. Three people -- Ameen and his associated Mushab Anuvar and Dr Rahees Rashid -- were arrested after preliminary examination, the NIA official said.

BJP meeting: Rajnath Singh urges dialogue between farmers, government

The group has been running various ISIS propaganda channels on different social media platforms such as Telegram, Hoop and Instagram for propagating the violent Jihadi ideology of ISIS, and radicalising and recruiting new members to the module, the NIA official said.

The NIA had registered a case against seven known and other unnamed persons under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the UA (P) Act on March 5, 2021.

The NIA official said the group of radicalised individuals, under the leadership of Ameen and having allegiance to the proscribed terrorist organisation ISIS, had identified certain people in Kerala and Karnataka for targeted killing.

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Story first published: Monday, March 15, 2021, 19:12 [IST]
Murray Man Arrested on Sexual Abuse Charges

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MURRAY - A Murray man was arrested over the weekend on multiple charges related to sexual abuse of a minor.On Saturday the Calloway County Sheriff's Department went to a home on Cambridge Drive. Officers spoke to 61-year-old Harold Mills, and took him into custody on a Marshall County arrest warrant.Mills faces three counts of 3rd degree unlawful transaction with a minor, two counts of 1st degree sexual abuse, and two counts of attempted promotion of a minor in a sexual performance.He was taken to Calloway County Jail.
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 79F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies with periods of rain late. Low 61F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Thomas Hayes left no stone unturned when it came to building his credentials and helping others while he was a student at the University of North Georgia (UNG). Now, the December 2020 graduate with a bachelor's degree in information systems has parlayed those qualities into a prestigious full-ride graduate school scholarship.

Hayes is pursuing a master's degree in cybersecurity and privacy at New Jersey Institute of Technology through the CyberCorps Scholarship for Service program, which covers full tuition, a $34,000 annual stipend, health insurance, and money for professional development and textbooks. Funded by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the scholarship is designed to recruit and train the next generation of information technology professionals, industrial control system security professionals, and security managers to meet the cybersecurity needs of all levels of government.

Dr. Richelle Oakley, associate professor of information systems at UNG, mentored Hayes through the McNair Scholars Program. She recalls him juggling his senior year coursework, studying for and earning the CompTIA Security+ certificate, mentoring high school students, and applying for graduate school.

"Over the time that we worked together with the McNair program, Thomas learned how to maximize his time management skills to effectively engage in multiple tasks at once," Oakley said.

The McNair Program is designed to prepare sophomores, juniors and seniors from all UNG campuses for post-graduate studies through involvement in research and scholarly activities.

Hayes' McNair research focused on mitigating the spread of misinformation on social media by examining whether a list of related articles could change people's likelihood to believe false information. He presented this research at an information systems conference and submitted the paper to a business journal for publication.

He also took part in the 2019 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship at the National Institute for Standards and Technology, where he researched public awareness of cybersecurity careers. During an online National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates through North Dakota State University in summer 2020, he coded software to calculate credibility scores for simulated social media accounts.

Hayes credits a mindset of constant learning for his trajectory.

"I love a challenge, and I'm good at researching how to do different things," Hayes said. "I'm a quick learner, and I'm not afraid to call myself a beginner. I like to be on the cutting edge as much as possible."

Dr. Bryan Dawson, principal investigator for the McNair Scholars Program at UNG, appreciated the way Hayes worked with Upward Bound students and served as a research ambassador for the Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities.

Hayes' acumen for tackling major tasks also impressed Dawson.

"He's very self-motivated and determined. When given a directive, he's very quick to break it down to its basic components," Dawson said. "He makes a plan and timeline, and he is clear in terms of following up and asking for feedback."

A reverse engineering course with Dr. Bryson Payne, professor of computer science and director of UNG's Center for Cyber Operations Education, during Hayes' final undergraduate semester helped prepare him for graduate studies.

"Thomas is a great example of the kind of cyber leader UNG is known for producing, serving as a mentor and tutor to first-generation college students and helping lead our cyber competition teams to win the NSA Codebreaker Challenge for a second year in a row," Payne said.

Hayes has provided the blueprint for others at UNG to follow.

"He served as a role model for our other McNair students. He showed other students this is possible," Dawson said. "I know he's going to succeed. He's really well set-up."
Published: 15 March 2021

General government debt grew by EUR 5.1 billion in the last quarter of 2020

General government EDP debt, i.e. consolidated gross debt at nominal prices amounted to EUR 164.3 billion at the end of the last quarter of 2020 and grew by EUR 5.1 billion during the quarter. Relative to GDP, general government debt stood at 69.2 per cent. Correspondingly, general government debt has grown by EUR 21.4 billion compared with the respective period of the year before. These data derive from Statistics Finland's statistics on general government debt by quarter.

General government debt by quarter

During the last quarter, central government debt grew by EUR 4.7 billion and was EUR 135.9 billion at the end of the quarter. The number of short-term debt instruments with a maturity of under one year grew by EUR 3.2 billion and the stock of long-term bonds by EUR 1.6 billion. The stock of long-term loans went down by EUR 0.2 billion, but the stock of short-term loans remained almost unchanged.

The local government sector's debt remained on level with the previous quarter and stood at EUR 26.2 billion at the end of the last quarter of 2020. The loan stock grew by EUR 0.7 billion but the number of debt instruments fell by EUR 0.7 billion. Social security funds' debt grew by EUR 0.4 billion and totalled EUR 3.6 billion at the end of the quarter. Of them, employment pension schemes' debt grew by EUR 0.4 billion due to cash collateral received in connection with derivative contracts and securities lending. The debt of other social security funds remained unchanged.

General government EDP debt describes general governments debt to other sectors of the national economy and to the rest of the world, and its development is influenced by changes in unconsolidated debt and internal general government debts. Consolidated general government gross debt is derived by deducting debts between units recorded under general government from unconsolidated gross debt. For this reason, general government debt is smaller than the combined debts of its sub-sectors. The debt-to-GDP ratio has been calculated using a seasonally and working day adjusted GDP series at market prices.

The EDP debt of general government differs conceptionally to some extent in the case of central government from the central government debt published by the State Treasury. Central government's EDP debt also includes loans granted to beneficiary counties by the European Financial Stability Facility EFSF, received cash collaterals related to derivative contracts, the capital of the Nuclear Waste Management Fund, debts generated from investments in central government's PPP (public-private partnership) projects, coins that are in circulation, and the deposits of the European Commission. In National Accounts, central government is also a broader concept than the budget and financial economy (http://www.stat.fi/meta/luokitukset/_linkki/julkisyhteisot.html). However, the State Pension Fund is included in social security funds. The valuation principle for both debt concepts is the nominal value, where the effect of currency swaps is taken into account.

Source: General government debt by quarter, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Aaro Hottinen 029 551 3231, Jose Lahtinen 029 551 3776, financial.accounts@stat.fi

Head of Department in charge: Katri Kaaja

Publication in pdf-format (218.1 kB)

Updated 15.3.2021

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): General government debt by quarter [e-publication].

ISSN=1799-8034. 4th quarter 2020. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 2.6.2021].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/jyev/2020/04/jyev_2020_04_2021-03-15_tie_001_en.html
Press Release

15 March 2021

The pandemic has irrevocably changed the food and hospitality sector and, with government restrictions set to be lifted in the not-too-distant future, food safety challenges are at the forefront of the minds of businesses gearing up for the sectors reopening to the public.

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Throughout the three UK lockdowns, it comes as no surprise that the hospitality and food & beverage industries have been hit the hardest.

But, during the last twelve months, almost all industries have seen a rapid change in technology and digital aids and for many this is now the only way to progress and remain both open and relevant within their sector.

In this piece, Ben Gardner, CEO of Navitas Safety, discusses the rise of kitchen technology and the trends that are set to transform and futureproof the industry throughout 2021 and beyond.

Finding the perfect balance

It is safe to say that technology will continue to play a vital role within all industries, and whilst it improves speed, efficiency and reduces human error, it is important to strike the perfect balance between tech-enabled kitchens and a personalised customer experience.

Technology should be used to enhance the role of humans, not replace them entirely. By digitising a few aspects of restaurant and hotel kitchens, such as daily safety checklists, business owners of small premises alone can save more than 10 hours per month by removing paper-based reporting - resting easy in the knowledge that they are compliant with current regulations.

With a digital food safety system in place, hospitality business managers can minimise, if not completely mitigate, the risk of a hygiene breach, which they are able to monitor through a live dashboard.

Digitising essential and time-consuming tasks, such as cleaning checks and temperature recording via automated temperature pods for fridges and freezers, provides staff and business owners with the opportunity to turn their attention to their customers, ensuring that all food safety is taken care of.

Automated temperature monitoring allows appliances to be monitored 24/7, ensuring items are always kept at compliant temperatures. Kitchens are now introducing technologies such as food temperature taking devices, for instance Smart Probes which automatically log data online and can work on a direct alert system that will also ensure staff are quickly notified of any potential issues before they arise.

Reducing the manual aspect of food safety management can quickly allow business owners to focus on providing customers with an unforgettable experience, but for all the right reasons.

The importance of software and technology

Going forwards, having a digital allergen management and tracking system is going to be essential for businesses within the food and beverage sector. This will ensure that the seller can always prove that they have clearly labelled all allergens within the food they produce for direct sale.

If businesses fail to do so, they will be putting themselves and their customers at risk. A digitised system, which maintains a record of all allergen labels printed, will guarantee that businesses are entirely protected.

And, with Natasha's Law coming into force as of October this year, it is more apparent and important than ever before.

The Navitas Digital Food Safety system, for example, keeps a record of the food that has been produced, as well as information such as who printed the label, the allergens that were present within the food and when the label was printed.

You can also cross reference this with the barcode and your POS system for complete traceability. This will provide businesses with total confidence that they have remained compliant with Natasha's Law.

Combatting more than just COVID-19

Technology isn't something to just support and help us navigate our way through the current circumstances, though.

Although kitchen staff are unable to work from home, technology can help support workforce management and staff availability. And, when all other areas of the business run smoothly, this will transcend into the kitchen too.

With the ability to monitor customer trends and forecasts, improve data collection and check stock levels, why would businesses choose not to utilise the power of technology?

Household brands such as Samsung are integrating new technology into their kitchen appliances, so it is now essential that brands and businesses within the food and beverage sector follow suit.

Now, many of Samsung's fridges are somewhat of a family hub. Although integrated with WIFI and the ability to watch TV, they are much more than that.

Utilising SmartThings technology, these fridges allow people to see what is inside their fridge, wherever they may be. Aiding the weekly food shop, such technology also allows homeowners to limit food waste, helping with the all-important sustainability efforts within the UK.

Whilst these are transforming the homes of thousands, they could now be used to benefit and transform restaurant and hotel kitchens too.

COVID-19 may be the pandemic that has taken over the world recently, but there are a number of other crises that will continue beyond the effects of coronavirus. Food waste and, of course, global warming are just two of them.

By introducing technology into kitchens, this will help contribute positively to both of these incredibly important issues, as well as reducing the UK's carbon footprint.

Improving consumer confidence

2021 is the year to go digital and food businesses need to do more with less. Consumers are going to be even more sensitive to food hygiene standards and will choose not to dine with businesses if they feel they are not conforming to the highest levels of safety.

Aiding safety and transparency, remote technologies such as in-app ordering and digitised menus should be continued to help limit the need for human contact and disease transmission.

By going digital, food businesses can focus on the customer experience and let technology innovate, and take care of, many food safety procedures.

With that being said, I believe these steps will continue beyond COVID-19 and the likes of online ordering, allergen tracking, plus the ability to pay online straight from your table, will be here to stay.
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.
SAO PAULO, Brazil, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Minerva Luxembourg S.A. ("Minerva Luxembourg"), which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Minerva S.A. ("Minerva"), announced today the early tender results in connection with HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.'s (the "Offeror") previously announced offer to purchase for cash (the "Tender Offer") any and all of Minerva Luxembourg's outstanding 6.500% Senior Notes due 2026 (the "Notes"). The Notes are guaranteed by Minerva and Athena Foods S.A.

The terms and conditions of the Tender Offer are described in the Offer to Purchase, dated March 1, 2021 (as it may be amended or supplemented, the "Offer to Purchase").

Minerva has been advised that as of 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on March 12, 2021 (such date and time, the "Early Tender Payment Deadline"), U.S.$911,719,000 in aggregate principal amount of the Notes, representing approximately 75.76% of the outstanding Notes, had been validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) pursuant to the Tender Offer. Minerva intends to purchase all Notes validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) at or prior to the Early Tender Payment Deadline on March 15, 2021 (the "Early Settlement Date").

The total consideration payable to Holders for each U.S.$1,000 principal amount of Notes validly tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Payment Deadline and purchased pursuant to the Tender Offer will be U.S.$1,062.80 (the "Total Consideration"). The Total Consideration includes an early tender payment of U.S.$30.00 per U.S.$1,000 principal amount of Notes (the "Early Tender Payment"), plus accrued and unpaid interest up to, but not including the Early Settlement Date, payable only to Holders who validly tender (and do not withdraw) their Notes at or prior to the Early Tender Payment Deadline.

Holders who have not yet tendered their Notes have until 11:59 p.m. (New York City time), on March 26, 2021, unless extended by the Offeror (such time and date, as it may be extended, the "Expiration Time") to tender their Notes pursuant to the Tender Offer. Holders of Notes who validly tender their Notes after the Early Tender Payment Deadline but at or prior to the Expiration Time will not be entitled to receive the Early Tender Payment and will therefore be entitled to receive only the Tender Offer Consideration, as described in the Offer to Purchase, plus accrued and unpaid interest up to, but not including, the Final Settlement Date (as defined in the Offer to Purchase).

Minerva Luxembourg has consented to the Offeror making the Tender Offer described in the Offer to Purchase. Minerva Luxembourg is not making the Tender Offer. It is intended that the Notes purchased by the Offeror pursuant to the Tender Offer at the Early Settlement Date will be exchanged by the Offeror to Minerva Luxembourg for a decrease in the proceeds of an issuance of new notes in an international capital markets offering, the consummation of which is subject to market conditions, to be paid to Minerva Luxembourg by the initial purchasers of such securities. It is intended that the Notes purchased by the Offeror pursuant to the Tender Offer at the Final Settlement Date (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) will be exchanged by the Offeror for cash paid by Minerva Luxembourg or any affiliate thereof.

The obligation of the Offeror to purchase Notes in the Tender Offer is conditioned on the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions described in the Offer to Purchase, including a new financing condition as described in the Offer to Purchase. The Tender Offer is not conditioned upon the tender of any minimum principal amount of Notes. The Offeror has the right, in its sole discretion, to amend or terminate the Tender Offer at any time.

Copies of the Offer to Purchase are available to Holders of Notes from D.F. King & Co., Inc., the tender agent and information agent for the Tender Offer (the "Tender Agent and Information Agent"). Requests for copies of the Offer to Purchase should be directed to the Tender Agent and Information Agent at +1 (800) 714-3311 (toll free), +1 (212) 269-5550 (collect) or [email protected].

Banco BTG Pactual S.A.Cayman Branch ("BTG"), HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. ("HSBC"), Itau BBA USA Securities, Inc. ("Itau"), J.P. Morgan Securities LLC ("J.P. Morgan"), Banco Bradesco BBI S.A. ("Bradesco BBI"), Santander Investment Securities Inc. ("Santander") and XP Investimentos Corretora de Cambio, Titulos e Valores Mobiliarios S.A. ("XP") have been engaged to act as dealer managers in connection with the Tender Offer. Questions regarding the Tender Offer may be directed to BTG at +1 (212) 293-4609, HSBC at +1 (888) HSBC-4LM or +1 (212) 525-5552, Itau at +1 (888) 770-4828, J.P. Morgan at +1 (212) 834-6326, Bradesco BBI at +1 (646) 432-6643, Santander at +1 (855) 404-3636 or +1 (212) 940-1442 or XP at +1 (646) 931-0944.

Each of the Offeror and Minerva Luxembourg, as the case may be, reserves the right, in its sole discretion, not to accept any tenders of Notes for any reason. The Offeror is making the Tender Offer only in those jurisdictions where it is legal to do so.

Neither the Offer to Purchase nor any related documents have been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, nor have any such documents been filed with or reviewed by any federal or state securities commission or regulatory authority of any country. No authority has passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the Offer to Purchase or any related documents, and it is unlawful and may be a criminal offense to make any representation to the contrary.

This announcement is not an offer to purchase, a solicitation of an offer to purchase, a solicitation of Notes or an offer or solicitation to sell any securities. The Tender Offer is being made solely by the Offeror pursuant to the Offer to Purchase. The Tender Offer is not being made to, nor will the Offeror accept tenders of Notes from Holders in any jurisdiction in which the Tender Offer would not be in compliance with the securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdiction.

Minerva S.A.

Media Contact: Edison Ticle Andrade Melo e Souza Filho

Phone: + 55 11 3074 2444

Email: [email protected]

NOTICE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the terms of the Tender Offer. These statements are merely projections and as such are based exclusively on management's expectations for Minerva, the business of Minerva and the proposed transactions discussed herein. These forward-looking statements depend materially on changes in market conditions, government regulations, pressures from competitors and the performance of the industry and the Brazilian economy, among other factors, many of which are outside Minerva's control or ability to predict, that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Minerva disclaims any obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

DISCLAIMER

This press release must be read in conjunction with the Offer to Purchase. This announcement and the Offer to Purchase contain important information which must be read carefully before any decision is made with respect to the Tender Offer. If any holder of Notes is in any doubt as to the action it should take, it is recommended to seek its own legal, tax, accounting and financial advice, including as to any tax consequences, immediately from its stockbroker, bank manager, attorney, accountant or other independent financial or legal adviser. Any individual or company whose Notes are held on its behalf by a broker, dealer, bank, custodian, trust company or other nominee or intermediary must contact such entity if it wishes to participate in the Tender Offer. None of Minerva Luxembourg, Minerva, the dealer managers, the Tender Agent and Information Agent and any person who controls, or is a director, officer, employee or agent of such persons, or any affiliate of such persons, makes any recommendation as to whether holders of Notes should participate in the Tender Offer.

SOURCE Minerva Luxembourg S.A.
So you can imagine how excited I was when I saw that someone in Eastern Russia took on the task of building a replica Razor Crest ship from the Mandalorian Series. I reached out to Ayaal, a 28-year-old from Yakutsk, and I was instantly hooked on his story. He started cosplaying when he was just 11 years old, after watching "A Knight's Tale." That was the moment he made his first knight costume. Ayaal is a graduate of the Mining University in his region, and he is obviously a big Star Wars fan as well. As shocking as it may sound, he has never undertaken a project of this scale, and the idea came to him right after watching the first season of the "Mandalorian" in 2019. If you haven't seen the series yet, you're bound to have a good time watching this space-western with amazing visuals and an exciting yet slightly stretched-out story.When Ayaal wanted to start working on this project, he did not have sufficient funds, so he even went as far as selling his car to make this dream happen. "We, as Star Wars fans, and in particular fans of the Mandalorian series , decided to create the Razor Crest, knowing that no one has done it before. Doing the impossible felt inspiring to us," Ayaal says about his latest creation.The build started in November of last year, and a team comprised of Ayaal and a few of his close friends had to plan everything carefully in order to achieve their goal. They calculated the height at 12.46 feet (3.8 meters), the length at 45.93 feet (14 meters), and the width at 32.8 feet (10 meters). While they could easily find inspiration for the ship's exterior hull, recreating the interior was not going to be as easy."To figure out the inside layout of the ship, I took several screenshots of the episodes," Ayaal recounts. This isn't just a story about someone's love for Star Wars, but also a story of people working together towards a common goal, a story of camaraderie. "My friends worked with me for free, we were so inspired that financial gains were not something we were after." Now I feel like calling up all my buddies and coming up with a crazy project of my own.Finding a hangar to accommodate such a big ship was not going to be easy or cheap. They needed good lighting, a flat floor, and proper heating, as temperatures in that part of the world can easily go below -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 degrees Celsius). And the guys even had to deal with one of the coldest winters in 20 years! It sounds like the Earth-version of Hoth, doesn't it?They used all of their savings to buy fiberwood, wooden blocks, screws, and everything else they would require to build the Razor Crest. The actual build began on the 10th of December, and tasks were distributed among the team members. Iliya would create the Mandalorian 's costume, Vanya would take care of the social media content, Arsen was on the electric part of the ship, Egor was the man in charge of welding, while Ayaal and Kolya would put all of the pieces of the puzzle together.Work on the framework went on for ten days, and the guys still had a lot of things to worry about ahead, even though they were not even considering the idea of building the actual interior of the ship. After going viral on TikTok , fans were pressuring Ayaal and the guys for interior shots, and they realized they would have to make one further step with this project.With all of the funds now depleted, their only chance of finishing the build was taking on donations from their followers, and some sponsors also came onboard very soon. I asked Ayaal what the most difficult part of the project. "Building the engine was the most challenging thing. It had to be very lightweight so that it could be sustained by the framework. So we opted for styrofoam," he replied.Building the ship was just part of the job, as more effort was required to take this thing out of the hangar. A total of 30 people showed up to complete the task, and they worked for four days at temperatures of -22 degrees Fahrenheit (-30 degrees Celsius). "When you're too involved with the process, you don't realize what it is exactly that you're working on. We didn't see our Razor Crest build in its full glory. But it felt epic to see it standing there, we felt like we were a part of the series ourselves," said Ayaal with pride in his voice.It takes some serious determination to be able to take such a crazy idea beyond the living room, and Ayaal mentions that he draws inspiration from the people around him. "My hard-working parents are my main inspiration. And of course, the people that work in the production teams responsible for creating all of the wild costumes and decorations. They are the hidden stars of the film industry."This just goes to show that you don't need a lot of money to bring your dreams to life. You don't need to be born in the most hi-tech region of the world to create something out of nothing. And Ayaal and his team will not stop here. So Star Wars fans get ready because they've got their eyes set out for an X-Wing nextthat's if they can raise the budget to do it properly.So if you happen to be in the neighborhood in Yakutsk, you might stumble upon this ship alongside a little Grogu replica and a Mandalorian Bounty Hunter in disguise. The lesson for today is a simple one: dream big, and whatever it is that makes you happy, do it, and you'll be fine!
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-16 00:32:17|Editor: huaxia

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China-donated medical equipment is seen during a handover ceremony in Yaounde, Cameroon, on March 15, 2021. The Yaounde Central Hospital, one of the largest designated hospitals for COVID-19 treatment in Cameroon, received a batch of medical equipment donated by China to fight against the novel coronavirus. (Xinhua/Qiao Benxiao)

YAOUNDE, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The Yaounde Central Hospital, one of the largest designated hospitals for COVID-19 treatment in Cameroon, received a batch of medical equipment donated by China to fight against the novel coronavirus.

The equipment includes ventilators, oxygenerators, electrocardiographs, among others.

"This donation comes at the right time. We are all together in the fight against COVID-19, a difficult fight for the health personnel. (...) We can only thank the Chinese government," said Hassan Ben Bachir, head of the cooperation division of the Ministry of Public Health, who represented the Cameroonian authority to receive the Chinese donation.

This donation is offered as part of the cooperation mechanism between Chinese and African hospitals, an initiative proposed by China to help Africa in the field of health. A partnership has been forged between the Yaounde Central Hospital and the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University in China.

"This is the start of a collaboration which will be growing", said Pierre Joseph Fouda, director of the Yaounde Central Hospital, "it is a great emotion and a feeling of joy to receive this donation.We will use it wisely." Enditem
Daryl Somers hosted the first seven seasons of Dancing with the Stars.

And now the Australian television great, 69, is set to return for the reboot of the show.

According to TV Blackbox, the veteran TV presenter was spotted on set last week for a promotional shoot at Channel Sevens studios in Eveleigh, Sydney.

He's back! Veteran entertainer Daryl Somers will return to host Channel Seven's reboot of Dancing with the Stars, 14 years after walking away from the show

'The star has also been seen at the International Convention Centre where the series is being filmed,' the TV website claims.

Sources also suggest Sonia Kruger, 55, will also return to the series.

Seven will begin filming the series in March with former winners and runners-up returning for its new 'all stars' format.

The program will run as a three-week event later this year.

She's back? Sources also suggest Sonia Kruger, 55, will also return to the series

Home and Away star Ada Nicodemou has confirmed her return to the dance floor, after winning the show in 2005.

'When they first approached me... I thought that maybe I actually didn't have it in me. I'm 43 now and I thought maybe I was too old,' she said.

'But then I just thought, "You know what? Why not. It's a challenge and that's what life is all about at the end of the day. New challenges."'

Blast from the past: Daryl hosted the first seven seasons of Dancing with the Stars. Pictured here in 2004

The actress will be reunited with her original dance partner Aric Yegudkin.

Ada will also be joined by several contenders from past seasons, including 2007 runner-up Fifi Box, fellow actress Bec Hewitt and convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby.

A former My Kitchen Rules star is also said to be in contract negotiations.
Washington County BOE nixes recommendations on school closures

The Washington County Board of Education votes against the superintendent's recommendations to close Hancock Middle-Senior High and Cascade Elementary schools.
Postal services provider TTPost yesterday shut its branches in Port of Spain and San Fernando after dozens of people rushed to collect senior citizen pension and public assistance grants and would not adhere to physical distancing rules.

Eventually, police were called to disperse the crowds.

Several elderly people at the St Vincent Street branch in Port of Spain complained about not being able to collect their pension cheques because other unruly ones refused to socially distance and abide by the law amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stella Griffith, 68, of Diego Martin, said she was adhering to rules of social distancing, but there were other people who came for their public assistance and disability grants and were refusing to listen.
CASTALIA, Iowa  Two men were arrested early Sunday after reports of violence in northeast Iowa.

Deputies were sent to a disturbance on Merrill Road in Castalia just before 1 am. They were told several people had been assaulted and the attackers had left before the deputies arrived. Two suspects were located a short while later by the Postville Police Department.

The Winneshiek County Sheriffs Office says Leonardo Navarro Espinoza, 35 of Postville, has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, domestic abuse assault causing bodily injury, assault causing bodily injury, and assault. Francisco Esparza-Torres is charged with serious misdemeanor assault causing bodily injury.

Both suspects were taken to the Winneshiek County Jail. This case remains under investigation with more charges pending.
First and foremost, its important to note that after the Bullit special edition, the Blue Oval graces the Old Continent (Brexited or not, Great Britain remains an integral part of Europe) with yet another iconic nameplate for the Mustang series.The Mustang Mach 1 will carry on the good reputation of the performance-calibrated 5.0-liter Coyote V8 engine and also deliver lots of performance enhancements for track-ready capability and on-road driving pleasure.Just to name a few, theres aero improvements, upgraded cooling for extended track sessions, a bespoke suspension with the MagneRide2 shocks and unique springs, as well as the tuned electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) software.Better yet, the Mustang Mach 1 is also the first version of the iconic pony car thats available in Europe with the high-performance Tremec six-speed manual transmission. It even comes with rev-matching technology for seamless down-shifts, and the fastback also has a standard limited-slip differential.With that said, its time for the bad news. The 2021 Mustang Mach 1 that will soon become available in the UK is costlier and less powerful than its U.S.-spec counterpart. Theres just no other way to put it. At home in America , the MSRP starts at $52,270, but the British market model kicks off at 55,185 and 57,185 (with Tremec or the ten-speed auto, respectively).Thats around $76,835 and $79,617, respectively, at the current exchange rates. Of course, we know that moving the steering wheel on the other side isnt exactly cheap (and there are other considerations, naturally). In this context, it's even sadder to also find out the Mach 1's engine has been underrated for the UK market.While in the U.S. specification this version of the Mustang delivers 480 horsepower and 420 lb-ft (569 Nm) of torque, British buyers will have to make do with a tad less under the hood454 hp (460 PS).
Defense attorney Alana De Leon said that Campos had a baby on the way with his girlfriend, that he was due to start work at a warehouse and that his parole officer had been supportive of taking him off parole a year early because of his performance and him starting to turn his life around after being released from the Illinois Department of Corrections.
While the federal minimum wage is $7.25, only a few states actually have that as their own minimum wage. Most other states have set a higher state minimum wage, which is also true in Hawaii.

History of the Minimum Wage

Before we delve into the minimum wage in Hawaii, lets first talk about when the minimum wage was established and why. The federal government established the minimum wage in 1938. The government decided to protect workers in the labor force and to create a minimum standard of living to protect the health and well-being of employees (Cornell Law).

However, over time, the increased cost of living has made the minimum wage less effective at protecting workers. Currently, the federal minimum wage is $7.25; it has not been increased in 10 years. Meanwhile, in that same time frame, the cost of living has increased 20% (CBS News). Some states, such as Hawaii and 28 others, have state minimum wages that are higher than the federal minimum wage.

What Is the Minimum Wage in Hawaii?

The current minimum wage in Hawaii is $10.10 per hour. While that is not among the lowest in the United States (that honor goes to states paying employees just $7.25 an hour), its also not among the highest. Some of the highest minimum wage rates in states like Connecticut, California, and Massachusetts are $13 to $14 per hour.

In addition, while 21 states are planning minimum wage hikes in 2021, Hawaii is not. Their minimum wage will remain $10.10. However, an increase may be coming. Just recently, Hawaii lawmakers have been discussing raising the minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2022.

Cost of Living Has an Impact

Even though the minimum wage in Hawaii is average compared to other states, its cost of living is not. Hawaii has the highest cost of living in the nation with an index of 191.8. The national average index was set at 100. . .[and] the second closest was. . .the District of Columbia at an index of 159 (Dwell Hawaii). Unfortunately, $10.10 per hour wont stretch far in Hawaii, making living on the income from a job that pays minimum wage difficult.

There May Be Hope of a Federal Increase

There may yet be hope of a larger minimum wage increase in the United States. President Biden is currently trying to increase the federal minimum wage to $15. The $15 minimum wage was originally included in Bidens $1.9 trillion stimulus package, but it was removed early to help the package go through. Biden has made it clear he wants a $15 minimum wage, so perhaps sometime during his presidency, it will pass.

Final Thoughts

Hawaiis minimum wage of $10.10 is higher than the federal minimum wage, but in a state with such a high cost of living, living on such a wage can be difficult.

If you want to go to Hawaii, check out these travel apps.

Platforms Fees and Minimum: Best for: Expedia Free sign-up Discounted flights Booking.com Free sign-up Cheap flights E-dreams Free sign-up Online travel agency

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Free Things to Do in Honolulu, Hawaii

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CNN has been strongly criticized by a panelist on the network's own air for anchor Chris Cuomo's fawning interviews with his brother Andrew, which were described as 'a major black eye for this network'.

Erik Wemple, The Washington Post's media critic, appeared on the media review show Reliable Sources on CNN on Sunday morning.

Wemple and several other panelists were discussing coverage of the sexual harassment scandals involving Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York. Seven women have now accused him of inappropriate behavior. He is also facing a separate inquiry into his handling of COVID patients who lived in nursing homes, and a possible cover-up of the death toll.

Erik Wemple appeared on CNN on Sunday to discuss coverage of Andrew Cuomo

Wemple said that the 'elephant in the room' was Chris Cuomo's interviews with his brother

Chris Cuomo produced a giant swab to mock his brother's televised COVID test

Chris Cuomo said last week that he could not cover the growing scandal - although his CNN colleagues have.

Wemple said that the network was operating on a double standard, whereby Cuomo could recuse himself when the story was uncomfortable for his brother, but was allowed to use his show to boost him.

'I would be remiss, Brian, if I didn't mention CNN's own huge media story here with Chris Cuomo,' Wemple said.

He recalled all those 'wonderful love-a-thon interviews'.

'They suspended the conflict-of-interest rule for Chris Cuomo for those interviews, yet all of a sudden they've enforced it again now that Andrew Cuomo is in the midst of an historic scandal in the Albany state house,' Wemple said.

'It is a major black eye for this network.'

Wemple (top right) said the network had 'a major black eye' over the Cuomo interviews

Cuomo was seen on Friday pacing the grounds of the governor's mansion wrapped in a blanket

Wemple has been criticizing CNN's decision to have Chris Cuomo interview his brother for some time.

Last month, he reported that Andrew Cuomo, 63, made more than 10 appearances on his 50-year-old brother's show, Cuomo Prime Time.

Wemple noted with sarcasm: 'The heartwarming moments stick out.'

He recalled how, in May, Chris Cuomo presented a gigantic test swab to joke about the governor's televised coronavirus test.

Andrew Cuomo appeared on Chris Cuomo's show at least 10 times over the summer

CNN explained that they lifted a 2013 rule to allow the two brothers to appear together

They laughed about their parents: At the end of one appearance, Chris Cuomo thanked his brother for coming on the air.

'Mom told me I had to,' replied the governor.

In late June, Chris Cuomo admitted: 'Me having you on the show is an unusual thing. We've never really done it. But this was an unusual time.'

He acknowledged he could not be independent, saying: 'I'm wowed by what you did. And, more importantly, I'm wowed by how you did it.'

He tweeted frequent praise of his brother, calling him 'the Luv Guv'.

Wemple wrote: 'But in 'unusual times,' principles of journalism merit even more rigorous adherence, not an expedient suspension. Those 'unusual times,' after all, include the past few weeks, during which Andrew Cuomo's management of covid-19 all of a sudden doesn't look so wow-worthy.'

He continued: ''Cuomo Prime Time,' after all, brands itself as a locus of chest-beating integrity and righteousness.

'Yet the asymmetrical coverage of his brother  over-the-top praise when the governor is up; silence when he's down  is indistinct from the model that CNN (quite rightly) accused conservative media outlets, including Fox News, of following vis-a-vis the Trump administration.'

CNN told Wemple: 'We felt that Chris speaking with his brother about the challenges of what millions of American families were struggling with was of significant human interest.

'As a result, we made an exception to a rule that we have had in place since 2013 which prevents Chris from interviewing and covering his brother, and that rule remains in place today. CNN has covered the news surrounding Governor Cuomo extensively.'
She's known for baking stunning cakes on Channel 4's Great British Bake Off.

And now Manon LaGreve, 28, has a different type of bun in the oven as she announced her first child with her fiance Luke Bennett on Sunday.

The French baker told Hello! magazine: 'I grew up knowing I wanted to be a mum so I'm very happy and relaxed with being pregnant.'

Happy couple: Manon Lagreve announced she and her fiance Luke Bennett are pregnant with their first child on Sunday (pictured in November)

And Manon revealed she's keen to have a baby baker in the house to help her create culinary showstoppers.

'The baby will be with me in the kitchen from the day it's born,' she said.

'We are so happy to be having a summer baby and the due date is on Luke's birthday - it feels like it's meant to be,' she gushed.

Bun in the oven: Manon revealed on Sunday that she's 'very happy' and 'grew up knowing I wanted to be a mum'

The former Great British Bake Off contestant also explained how much she wants to raise her child to be bilingual.

Manon said: 'That is one of the best gifts we can give them, so we're going to work hard at it,'

'I'd like the baby to be French speaking at home and then use English outside the home,' she explained.

Proud parent: The former Great British Bake Off contestant also told Hello! how much she wants to raise her child to be bilingual

Manon is planning to get married to her fiance Luke next year in her hometown of Louvigne-De-Desert, Brittany, France.

Her boyfriend popped the question last November while the couple were on a romantic trip to Barbados.

The French baker confirmed at the time that her boyfriend had 'dropped to one knee' with a stunning sapphire ring shortly after they arrived at their boutique hotel during the Caribbean holiday.

Manon admitted it had not been a surprise, saying: 'We'd been talking about getting married for a while. It was love at first sight...

'We were boyfriend and girlfriend after two weeks and I moved in with him within four months. When you find the one, you just know.'
NTU Preliminary financial results for 2 months of 2021

In February, Novaturas Group resumed flights from Lithuania and Estonia to Tenerife and Egypt. Group revenue in February amounted to EUR 1.5 million and was 86% lower than the same time last year. During February, the Company served 2.5 thousand customers  81% less than in the corresponding period last year.

"In February we have opened 2021 holiday season with flights to Tenerife. The first flight was resumed on the 5th of February from Lithuania, and a couple of weeks later planes from Estonia also departed to the resorts of Tenerife. From the 13th of February, after almost a year break, we have resumed the scheduled flights to the most popular winter holiday destination - Egypt. Estonian travelers were the first from all the Baltics to land in Egyptian resorts on the 13th of February, and from the 20th of February Lithuanian travelers joined them. We have started with a program of two flights a week from Lithuania and Estonia, and in March, after assessing the demand, we added additional flight chains to Egyptian resorts from Vilnius and Tallinn. From mid-February, holiday destinations program has also been supplemented with holiday offers to the United Arab Emirates. February results are modest compared to the corresponding period last year, but the fact that we have started 2021 holiday season with planned flight programs and not separate flights, and have increase planned activity volumes in March give optimism about the accelerating holiday season, says Audrone Keinyte, Head of Novaturas Group. In March, the Company announced the resumption of flights to another very popular destination - Turkey. The first plane will take off from Vilnius on the 1st of April  the earliest of all the Baltics. Flights from Tallinn are planned to start on the 3d of April, and from Riga  on the 21st of April. Depending on the period the largest number of flights is planned from Lithuania  up to 10 flights per week, four flights are planned from Latvia and five flights per week from Estonia. Winter holiday programs to Egyptian resorts and Tenerife will also continue in April. Flights to other popular summer destinations Greece and Bulgaria are planned to start in May. About Novaturas Group AB Novaturas Group is the largest tour operator in the Baltic States, offering summer and winter package holidays in more than 30 destinations worldwide and more than 100 sightseeing routes. In 2019, the group served more than 293 thousand customers. CFO Tomas Staskunas tomas.staskunas@novaturas.lt, +370 687 10426
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian health experts are sure all COVID-19 vaccines being administered in the country are safe, including those made by AstraZeneca PLC, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Monday.

Germany became the latest in a number of European nations that have stopped using AstraZeneca doses on Monday after reports of recipients falling ill.

"Our health experts ... collect data continuously and they assure us that all the vaccines offered in Canada are safe and effective, including those from AstraZeneca," Trudeau told a televised news conference in Montreal.

"We are obviously watching what is happening with a specific batch in Europe. We can reassure all Canadians that no AstraZeneca doses came from the same batch," he said.

Canada approved the AstraZeneca vaccine last month and has ordered 20 million doses. Ottawa has also secured an additional 2 million doses through an agreement with the Serum Institute of India and expects to get them by mid-May.

Trudeau spoke at an event with Francois Legault, premier of the populous province of Quebec, who said the provincial health ministry felt the AstraZeneca vaccine posed no risks.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Richard Chang)
MUSKEGON, MI -- Since 1981, Whitlows Forerunner Restaurant has been at the forefront of a great Friday Fish Fry in Muskegon, said Jaime Dornbos, daughter of founder Charlie Whitlow.

In fact, their fish is available any day of the week.

But, Fridays during Lent are crazy, she said.

I think its because people think Friday is the only night for a fish fry, Dornbos said in a recent MLive interview. Its funny how people get stuck in their ways.

Whitlows was the Muskegon and Lakeshore area poll winner in our search for Michigans Best Fish Fry. It beat out the 2019 winner, Tootsies in Muskegon, with nearly 25 percent of the vote. Tootsies had 22.22%. (See the full poll results below.)

Dornbos said people come from as far away as Lansing for fish on Fridays, even though its available seven days a week.

Even the grilled steelhead or salmon is available daily, although its the cooks choice to run either one of them as a special on Fridays. They use no seasonings on the steelhead, but add a touch of their own seafood seasoning on the salmon.

Both are pretty popular to those who want an option for seafood that isnt deep fried, Dornbos said.

Dont worry, they do deep fried fish, too.

Along with steelhead and salmon, they offer perch, walleye, smelt, shrimp and more.

The top seller? The Lake Perch, which is available as a three-piece ($9.95) or six-piece dinner ($14.99) with potato choice, along with salad, applesauce, coleslaw or cottage cheese. The walleye is a close second.

They sell anywhere from 100-130 pounds of fish on a busy Friday night, according to Brad Whitlow, the owners son, who manages the kitchen and does the ordering.

Lake Perch at Whitlow's Forerunner Restaurant in Muskegon, Michigan.Courtesy of Whitlow's Forerunner Restaurant

What makes their perch so good?

They use crackers in their flour-based breading, Dornbos said. The exact recipe has a little more to it, but I cant tell you what the other part is. Its a secret, she said.

The breading really sets it apart.

You either really like it or you dont, she said. There is no in between. I prefer our breading to anywhere else. I like the more cracker crumb, and I always ask for mine to be well done so there is a crunch to it.

You also can order the fish without the cracker crumb. People love it just as much, she said.

They also make a homemade tarter sauce, which is popular.

People like it because its more more sweet. No dill.

Along with the three and six-piece dinners, you can get all-you-can eat ($19.99) or you can order a pound of perch ($15.99), which has been very popular during the pandemic dining restrictions.

It was one of the easier things for people to call in to say, We want a pound, pound and a half or two pounds. All they wanted was the fish, she said.

In addition to fish, they have an extensive menu of items such as burgers, fried chicken, pork chops, salads and more, including breakfast every day of the week. Theyre also known for their homemade ranch dressing, which customers buy by the cup. And garlic toast and bar cheese, which is another popular to go item.

But, theyre also known for their buffalo burger, which is the tradition Charlie Whitlow started when he took over ownership.

Dornbos said it was her mom, Marilyn Case, a former English teacher, who came up with the Forerunner name in honor of the buffalo burgers. No one else was doing them.

We even used to do a beer tent and a Buffalo chip flip in the summer time, she said. People threw Buffalo poop for prizes.

Its that fun and family atmosphere that has made Whitlows a staple in the Muskegon community, said Dornbos, who like her brother started working the restaurant at age 13.

We dont go through a lot of employees once they get in here, Dornbos said. You make friendships, and your customers become your family...I wait on the same people almost every day.

That family feeling is a big part of their success, said longtime employee Rhonda Mosley, who in May will celebrate 13 years.

I love the flexible hours and shifts that are perfect for my family, she said. Working for a local family owned business is great. The management and the team of employees are more like a separate little family to me rather than co-workers. Our manager of the waitstaff cares about each of us, as servers, and as a friend.

The Whitlow family at Whitlow's Forerunner Restaurant in Muskegon, Michigan. (L-R): Son Brad Whitlow, mom Marilyn Case, daughter Jaime Dornbos and dad Charlie Whitlow. Whitlow's was the winner of Best Fish Fry in Muskegon and the Lakeshore area.Courtesy of Whitlow's Forerunner Restaurant

Muskegon and Lakeshore area Poll Results

1. Whitlows Forerunner Restaurant, Muskegon - 24.96%

2. Tootsies Diner, Muskegon - 22.22%

3. Knights of Columbus Dan M. Kennedy Council 706, Norton Shores - 18.09%

4. Bob Hi Lanes/ Paddys Pub, Norton Shores - 5.24%

5. Muskegon Eagles #668, Muskegon - 4.09%

Whitlow's Forerunner Restaurant in Muskegon, Michigan was the winner of Best Fish Fry in Muskegon and the Lakeshore area.Courtesy of Whitlow's Forerunner Restaurant

IF YOU GO

Whitlows Forerunner

4610 Airline Road, Muskegon, MI 49444

231-739-6379

Hours: 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday.

More info: On Facebook at facebook.com/Whitlows

If you have questions about our search for Michigans Best Fish Fry or you want to suggest a future search, feel free to email us.

Amy Sherman: asherma2@mlive.com

John Gonzalez: gonzo@mlive.com

Follow our Michigans Best adventures on social media:

@mlivemibest on Twitter

@mlivemibest on Instagram

Facebook at MLiveMIBest.

Join in by using the hashtags #mibest and #BestFishFry for our current search for Michigans Best Fish Fry.

In addition:

Amy Sherman is on Twitter @amyonthetrail, as well as Facebook and Instagram @amyonthetrail.

John Gonzalez is on Twitter @michigangonzo, as well as Facebook and Instagram @MichiganGonzo.

Owners Mike Lietzke and Meredith Larson of the Lewiston Hotel Bar and Grill in Lewiston, Michigan, offer perch every Friday night year round. They were the 2019 Northern Michigan poll winner for Michigan's Best Fish Fry.John Gonzalez

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When workers took down the giant N from the building at the corner of Broadway and Sherbrook Street last week, passing cars honked and pedestrians cheered: the letter stood for Nygard, and the symbolism of its removal clearly resonated with the daily traffic in West Broadway.

When workers took down the giant "N" from the building at the corner of Broadway and Sherbrook Street last week, passing cars honked and pedestrians cheered: the letter stood for Nygard, and the symbolism of its removal clearly resonated with the daily traffic in West Broadway.

"It came down piece by piece," said Brian Labossiere, president of Total Flooring, a local company that recently purchased the shop, formerly a key retail node of clothier Nygard International and a monument to its disgraced owner, Peter Nygard. Where once womens slim jeans were sold, Labossiere will now sell the citys largest selection of stock flooring.

"Its a good thing: were clearing the negativity, and replacing it with something more positive," said Labossiere, who hopes to open his store to the public by the end of March. "His face and his name arent going to be here anymore."

Over the past year, Nygards 50-year-old fashion empire, largely built upon a rags-to-riches story, dedicated clientele, and the owners own self-promotion  his face was plastered on ads, banners, billboards, and his own stores  has crumbled, its swift decline fuelled by Peter Nygard himself.

In February 2020, 10 women filed a class-action lawsuit against the 79-year-old magnate in the U.S. District Court, alleging that hed drugged and raped them, with some of the women saying the assaults occurred when they were younger than 18. A federal raid on Nygard Internationals headquarters in Times Square ensued, and Nygard stepped down from the company. Several more women came forth with allegations of sexual assault, and the company and its subsidiaries were taken into receivership, with properties, including the Broadway store to be sold. Thirteen months later, Nygard is held in custody at the Headingley Correctional Centre after being arrested on a U.S. extradition warrant on charges related to sex-trafficking and racketeering dating back decades. A bail appeal is scheduled at the Manitoba Court of Appeal on March 18.

Flooring samples sit in front of a mural of Nygards Bahamas resort inside the former Nygard International clothing store, soon to be a stock flooring shop. The mural is destined for the dump. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press)

As Nygards legal battles continue, Labossiere  a career tradesman in construction and flooring  is working with a crew to erase the former tenants presence from the 12,000 square-foot Broadway storefront that will soon be Total Floorings headquarters and retail hub. When the five-year-old company took ownership March 5, there was a lot of erasing yet to be done.

"Everything in here was blue," Labossiere says, conducting a brief tour around the property, bought for just under $2.5 million, and pointing out Nygards signature colour scheme. Its mostly been painted over in Total Floorings lime green and bright orange motif.

Essentially every inch of the property, which underwent a costly renovation in the early 2000s, contained some trace of its former owners largesse: a massive interior sign, now covered up, showed Nygards smiling face; a picture of his Bahamian resort  where many of the alleged assaults occurred  hung beside the former tailors area (soon to be Labossieres office); the central receptionists desk is made of marble and estimated to have cost as much as $70,000. Blue lights are embedded in the floor. Eighteen-foot tall synthetic trees are placed throughout the space.

Brian Labossierre, owner of Total Flooring, is looking forward to taking over the former Nygard Fashion outlet at 702 Broadway Ave. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press)

"They spared no expense," Labossiere says, guessing that the custom lighting alone likely cost the former tenant upwards of $200,000, if not much more. A glass relief of Nygards face was lasered into the buildings north wall, and a hammer was used to smash it out.

For Labossiere, getting these renovations and removals done quickly was important, not only because he wanted to open to the public fast, but because he knew the building had become a reminder to many of a painful situation and legacy. "Were giving it our look, and taking his away," he said.

At Nygard properties across the city, a similar resurfacing is occurring. Both the Inkster headquarters and Notre Dame compound recently sold to domestic investors as well, said Kris Mutcher, vice-president with Colliers International, who served as the listing agent on behalf of the properties receiver on the Broadway store.

Labossiere hopes his company can soon start a prosperous future in the neighbourhood. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press)

Mutcher said the Broadway property, which was built in 1911 and has since undergone major upgrades and expansion, was a strong asset, with a recently renovated roof, new HVAC systems, significant interior renovations, and a parking lot. The location, along two busy streets, was also prime.

The former tenants notoriety didnt hurt the propertys value, Mutcher said. "I dont think a purchaser like (Labossiere) thinks people wont come here because it used to be a Nygard store," he said. "Its a great piece of property, very close to downtown."

Labossiere agreed: the property triples his companys footprint compared to its former home, a leased warehouse on Wardlaw Avenue off of Donald Street, and presents an opportunity for Total Flooring to build on the success of 2020, its most productive year yet.

An installation contractor with Total Flooring lays flooring in the old tailor shop in the former Nygard fashion outlet space. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press)

In under two weeks since taking possession, Labossieres employees, whove done most of the interior renovations themselves, have chipped away at the buildings past, and he hopes his company can soon start a prosperous future in the neighbourhood.

"Next week, those racks are going to be completely full of carpet, and the floor will be covered in pallets of flooring," Labossiere said proudly.

As for the giant "N," it will be framed in and covered up by a Total Flooring sign.

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Elizabethtown College exceeded its Make A Deposit, Make A Difference campaign for the second consecutive year by reaching and surpassing its goal of student deposits made during the month of February. The College recently announced it received more than 60 student deposits last month and will match $15,000 of the deposit total with donations toward a local non-profit impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the College's initiative to combat food insecurity among college students.



"Elizabethtown College is a deeply engaged campus community committed to helping others as our College mission guides us to do so," Elizabethtown College President Cecilia M. McCormick, J.D. said. "Our students, faculty, and staff feel a large pull to contribute to the world beyond our campus to make a difference in the lives of others."



As a result of the campaign, Etown will provide a donation to the Communities that Care organization located in Elizabethtown. The donation will help the non-profit's mission to improve the lives of children, youth, and families in the Elizabethtown area through research-based programs and services designed to nurture physical and emotional well-being. A portion of the donation will also go toward the Blue Jay Pantry which offers healthy meal options for students experiencing food insecurity.



Elizabethtown College launched the Make a Deposit, Make a Difference campaign in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The effort aligns with the College's motto Educate for Service, which was adopted in 1915. Educate for Service expresses the College campus community's belief that the pursuit of knowledge is most noble when used to benefit others.



Etown will hold its next Open House event on Saturday, April 17 beginning at 10 a.m. Learn more about becoming a student at Elizabethtown College.



Elizabethtown College, located in historic Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is a private coed institution offering more than 50 health, science, engineering, political science business, communications, fine arts, and education degrees. Discover more: etown.edu.



Contact:

Keri Straub

Executive Director of Marketing & Communications

Elizabethtown College

(717) 725-6907

[email protected]

SOURCE Elizabethtown College

Related Links

http://www.etown.edu


Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A new agreement for Germany's IDT Biologika to help in the production of Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccines would offer Europe greater certainty on the delivery of the jabs, Germany's economy minister said Monday.

The deal, announced by IDT Biologika and Johnson & Johnson's German subsidiary Janssen, will allow the latter's newly approved single-dose vaccine to be filled and bottled on German soil amid fears over restrictions imposed by the United States on the export of domestically produced vaccines.

"Vaccine production in Europe and Germany increases delivery certainty and is a very important signal in the current phase of the pandemic," said Economy Minister Peter Altmaier in a statement welcoming the agreement.

Janssen also said that "this cooperation will make it more possible for us to deliver our Covid-19 vaccine worldwide".

While Johnson & Johnson also produces its vaccine in Europe, doses are subsequently sent to the US for the so called "fill and finish" process of bottling and packaging.

The Defence Production Act in place now in the United States requires that Americans be given priority for domestically produced vaccines, effectively severely restricting exports of vaccines made in the US.

On Friday, German Health Minister Jens Spahn warned that Germany would have to wait until "mid-to-late April" for the Johnson & Johnson jab, which last week became the fourth vaccine to be approved by the EU.

With Berlin citing US export restrictions and production issues as the cause of the delay, Spahn said that Germany and the EU were working on "short-term solutions" to the problem, such as setting up production facilities on German soil.

The IDT Biologika deal appears to be just such a solution, with Johnson & Johnson temporarily taking over capacities otherwise reserved by fellow German pharmaceuticals company Takeda for its dengue fever vaccine candidate.

The capacities at the factory in Dessau, northeast Germany, would be returned to Takeda after three months, said IDT Biologika on Monday.

"I am very grateful to Takeda for their flexibility. The last months have shown clearly that challenges raised by the pandemic can only be met through cooperation and engagement," said IDT Biologika CEO Juergen Betzing.

It remains unclear how many doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be bottled and packaged in Dessau over the course of the three months.

Contacted by AFP, neither Janssen nor IDT Biologika was able to immediately provide a figure for the volume of doses that could be handled over the three months at the Dessau plant.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
ATLANTA, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations and its Georgia chapter (CAIR-Georgia) today renewed a call for far-right extremist Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's expulsion from Congress based on a newly-revealed video showing her making a racist and Islamophobic remark targeting a Muslim woman.

In the video, she shows a Muslim patron wearing an Islamic headscarf, or hijab, outside a local library and states, "I want to show you something. See that right there? Our library is full of that."

Video: CAIR Renews Call for Expulsion of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from Congress

https://youtu.be/uk4SoCPuUk4

SEE FULL VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnlBv1C60vo

WATCH: Marjorie Taylor Greene Complains About Muslims Accessing Public Library

https://hillreporter.com/watch-marjorie-taylor-greene-complains-about-muslims-accessing-public-library-95383

In a statement, CAIR-Georgia Executive Director Abdullah Jaber said:

"Such racist and Islamophobic conduct should not be tolerated by a member of Congress who must represent a diverse population made up of citizens of all faiths and backgrounds. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene's racist, Islamophobic and extremist views render her incapable of fulfilling her role as a member of Congress."

"Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene's comments are not surprising given her documented history of bigotry and extremism. Congress should immediately take the necessary steps to expel her. Her racist and Islamophobic comments have no place in our most important institution of government, which should work to represent a diverse society," said Huzaifa Shahbaz, CAIR's national research and advocacy coordinator.

Earlier this year, CAIR called for her expulsion over violent and threatening remarks she reportedly made online over a multi-year period.

WATCH: Why CAIR Called for Marjorie Taylor Greene's Expulsion From Congress

https://youtu.be/bEjR1Qu9Jgg

SEE: CAIR, CAIR-Georgia Call for Expulsion of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from Congress Over Violent, Threatening Remarks

https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-georgia-calls-for-expulsion-of-rep-marjorie-greene-taylor-from-congress-over-violent-threatening-remarks/

BACKGROUNDER:

A CNN KFile review of hundreds of posts and comments from Taylor's Facebook revealed that she repeatedly expressed support for executing prominent Democratic politicians in 2018 and 2019. Taylor also has a track record of endorsing QAnon conspiracy theories and making anti-Semitic and Islamophobic statements.

In a Facebook post from January 2019, Greene liked a comment that said "a bullet to the head would be quicker" to remove Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Moreover, she liked comments about executing FBI agents, who in her perspective, were part of the "deep state" working against Trump.

The national office of CAIR is calling on all Americans to contact their U.S. House Representative to urge them to support Congressman Jimmy Gomez's announced resolution to expel Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene from the U.S. House of Representatives.

SEE: Marjorie Taylor Greene Indicated Support for Executing Prominent Democrats in 2018 and 2019 Before Running for Congress

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/26/politics/marjorie-taylor-greene-democrats-violence/index.html

House Republican Leaders Condemn GOP Candidate Who Made Racist Videos

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/17/house-republicans-condemn-gop-candidate-racist-videos-325579

In June 2019, CAIR-Georgia strongly condemned the anti-Black, anti-Semitic, and Islamophobic remarks made by then congressional candidate Marjorie Greene and called on her to issue a public apology.

Greene has suggested that Muslims do not belong in government; thinks black people "are held slaves to the Democratic Party"; and called George Soros a Nazi. In reference to the 2018 midterms, she stated that it was part of "an Islamic invasion of our government" and that "anyone that is a Muslim that believes in Sharia law does not belong in our government."

In 2018, Greene also agreed with a Facebook commenter who claimed that 9/11 "was done by our gov[ernment]" and that "none of the school shootings were real or done by the ones who were supposedly arrested for them." She also stated that the Parkland school shooting was actually "a deep state warning to the pocket puppets in the house and senate" and that Sandy Hook was a "STAGGED [sic] SHOOTING."

SEE: CAIR-Georgia Strongly Condemns Anti-Black, Anti-Semitic, Islamophobic Remarks by GOP Candidate Marjorie Greene

https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-georgia-strongly-condemns-anti-black-anti-semitic-islamophobic-remarks-by-gop-candidate-marjorie-greene/

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La mision de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprension del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

CONTACT: CAIR- Georgia Executive Director Abdullah Jaber, 678-631-9697, [email protected]; CAIR-Georgia Legal and Policy Director Murtaza Khwaja, 404-432-8847, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]

SOURCE Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

Related Links

http://www.cair.com


Frackville

Walter Hummel, first vice commander of American Legion Post 398, 40 S. Mahanoy St., has issued an appeal for monetary donations to assist our Legion to once again open for the benefit of all veterans. In his plea, Hummel cited the current state of the economy as well as the COVID-19 pandemic and added, we are asking for your help  Those wishing to help should forward donations to the post at P.O. Box 264, Frackville, PA 17931. Any donation you send will be much appreciated, he said, adding, For God and Country.

McAdoo

All 2021 McAdoo Borough and Schuylkill County real estate taxes, including county per capita taxes, have been mailed. The rebate period is March 1 through April 30. McAdoo tax collection hours have been canceled until further notice. Payment options are printed on all tax bills and a note addressing payment options is also included. If a receipt is required, the complete bill along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope must be included with the customers payment. Hours will be announced when person-to-person collection hours become safe. For more information, call Andrew DeBalko, McAdoo tax collector, at 570-929-1628.

Mount Carmel

Food distribution from the Mount Carmel Area Ministerium Food Pantry, 26 N. Market St., is set for 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 16. Participants must park in front of building and food will be brought outside.

Pottsville

Auditions for the 2021 season of Schuylkill Free Shakespeare will be by appointment only from noon to 1:30 p.m. and 6 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 20, at the Yuengling Mansion, 1440 Mahantongo St. To schedule an appointment, email auditionforsfs@gmail.com.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 16:41:09|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- China plans to build more than 30 new civil transport airports by 2025, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said Monday.

This came amid the country's efforts to promote high-quality development of civil aviation during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period, said CAAC official Zhang Qing at a press conference.

By 2025, the designed capacity of transport airports nationwide is expected to reach two billion passengers, as the country steps up the construction of major civil aviation infrastructure projects, said Zhang.

According to Zhang, the administration will contribute to China's "dual circulation" development pattern by better serving the people's needs for diversified air travel and modernized logistics.

The "dual circulation" development paradigm allows the domestic and overseas markets to reinforce each other, with the domestic market as the mainstay. Enditem
[March 15, 2021] PremFina and Microsoft AI Collaboration Sees 70% Customer Responses Handled Without Humans

LONDON, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PremFina Ltd, the U.K.'s first venture capital backed alternative insurance premium finance company announces its UK collaboration with Microsoft Corp., the world's largest software company by revenue, has resulted in its artificial intelligence (AI) driven chat bot handling 70% of all data-led customer queries with zero delay in response times. PremFina's newest (virtual) staff member 'Fina' visible at www.premfina.com, was developed at the company's research and development (R&D) labs in collaboration with Microsoft. It tapped into Microsoft's Azure cloud platform for a variety of AI libraries and technologies to create an AI-driven chatbot to be first line of response for incoming queries from business customers and consumers. Natural language processing allows PremFina's algorithms to recognise the customer's intent, even if the words are unclear, and then process appropriate follow up actions. "Whether customers ask how, where or if they can make a payment in a variety of ways, Fina will respond and direct them to our payment gateway," said PremFina's CTO Nij Saha. "Fina processes varying expressions of human language and help serve our customers 24x7 through human style interaction." One in five companies that had adopted AI attributed 5% percent of their organizations' enterprise-wide earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) to their use of AI, according to a Nov. 2020 survey by management consultancy firm McKinsey & Co. Many companies have increased their investment in AI in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant acceleration of digitisation across business functions, widening the digital divide between led and technology laggard companies. "This is a textbook case of technology put to use for business efficiency and an improved custome journey," said PremFina's CEO Bundeep Singh Rangar. ""Our newest employee Fina is uber efficient handline 7 out of every 10 incoming chat queries that don't need to be handed over to a human being."



Fina allows for customers to ask questions via simple conversations, using natural language processing technologies to understand the intent behind the questions. It provides responses to customers 24x7 across different regions. Built during a virtual hackathon last year, it is the first of many outcomes via the company's collaboration with Microsoft. "Premfina is recognized as being highly innovative and focused on providing excellent customer experience for insurance companies and intermediaries," said Dennis Vanderlip, Director, Financial Services at Microsoft UK. "Microsoft is excited to be working with PremFina as it brings new solutions to market in this important sector."

PremFina's work with Microsoft is helping it build new innovative products that improve customer experience and lower operating costs. The company's core loan engine platform is another such example. It can scale up to process any increase in loan agreements in real time using Azure, via only a few clicks on a computer. PremFina was also part of the Microsoft UK Ventures 4th Cohort for fintech start-ups in 2016. In Sept. 2018, PremFina's Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) was recognised at the Insurance Times Tech and Innovation Awards where the Company won 'Best Use of Technology for Customer Experience  B2B. In Dec. 2020, PremFina won the gold award for "Excellence in Technology" at The Insurance Times Awards 2020. About PremFina Ltd PremFina Ltd is a UK-based premium finance company that promotes financial inclusion by enabling the payment of insurance premiums via instalments. It supplies insurance brokers with funding lines and enables broker-funded and branded credit agreements via its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and enables affiliate IXL PremFina Ltd. With PremFina, brokers receive higher profit, greater autonomy, and the opportunity to increase the lifetime value of their customers as well as cross-sell and up-sell additional products. PremFina's shareholders include global investors Rakuten Capital, Draper Esprit Plc, Thomvest Ventures, Emery Capital, Rubicon Venture Capital, Talis Capital and the company's founder. SOURCE https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/premfina-wins-gold-for-excellence-in-technology-at-the-insurance-times-awards-895784185.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZOBGCn6XlU https://startups.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/welcoming-microsoft-ventures-4th-cohort/ https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-analytics/our-insights/global-survey-the-state-of-ai-in-2020# PremFina website: https://www.premfina.com Microsoft Azure website: https://azure.microsoft.com For All Press Enquiries: JPR Media Group

Jessica Patterson

Jessica@jprmediagroup.com

www.jprmediagroup.com

+44 (0) 7950 977765 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1373086/PremFina_Logo.jpg



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Access Indiana, a single sign-on portal featuring 34 government services, has seen its users double in three months.Developed through a partnership between the Indiana Office of Technology (IOT) and NIC Indiana, the project represents the vision of Gov. Eric J. Holcomb, who charged IOT to find a way for citizens to access a slew of state government applications.My administration is focused on providing great government service to Hoosiers, and one of the ways were doing that is through Access Indiana, Holcomb told work in progress since early 2019, the portal helped Indiana take the top spot in the Center for Digital Government's* 2019 Government Experience awards . In October 2020, it surpassed 125,000 users, a number that has since tripled.Access Indianas capability has dramatically increased since its initial release in March 2019, when it only offered one government application. It now connects users with 34 services, including a vaccination portal, licensing for hunting and fishing and a job seeker portal.In addition to streamlining user access, Access Indiana makes digital government more secure for citizens, said Graig Lubsen, IOT communications director. Prior to Access Indiana, there was a wide variety of password requirements across government services, with inconsistent levels of complexity. For example, some systems never required password resets or case sensitivity. Passwords for Access Indiana, however, always require an uppercase letter, lowercase letter, special character and number. Additionally, the portal comes with several protections to deflect brute-force attempts to access government systems.Access Indiana has also demonstrably simplified digital government for users. IOT has been monitoring and reporting statistics on ease of usage.Over the life of Access Indiana, were at 0.25 percent of customers contacting support for their login information or account help, and thats something that we really are focused on, Lubsen stated.That extremely low percentage of customer issues aligns with the intentions of the Holcomb administration. Holcomb added that hes proud of the way Access Indiana is transforming Hoosiers experiences.There was once skepticism about the capabilities of Access Indiana, which showed in the initial adoption rate. The portal only had about 20,000 users in July 2020. Lubsen said the tables turned after the launch of the hunting and fishing licensing application with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Usage would increase dramatically, and the system demonstrated its ability to handle extra traffic, clearing up lingering skepticism.Though launched during 2019, Access Indiana was in the works for years prior. According to Lubsen, Holcomb wanted to create a method for customers to interact with state government in a sort of a single doorway. To achieve this, IOT worked with different agencies and completed various studies in order to take both agencies and users needs into account and to ensure the system would be easy to use.Because the goal is to link every state government application to a single portal, the state will continue to add services to Access Indiana, with 13 services currently in transition. IOT is working with various additional agencies, so Access Indiana users can expect to see a professional licensing service and the states library system, INSPIRE, in the future.There is also potential for Access Indiana to integrate with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, a step that would significantly expand how Indiana utilizes data to help citizens. For example, the state could potentially connect those who recently lost a job to health programs they qualify for based on tax data. The ultimate goal, Lubsen said, is to make dealing with the labyrinth of government a thing of the past in Indiana.Government Technology
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(Natural News) The Merseyside Police force of North West England are banding together to eradicate offensive speech that triggers the LGBTQ+ community. The officers have launched an electronic ad campaign that threatens to charge people for civil offenses if they use offensive language.

Four officers posed next to a large sign on the back of a van that says being offensive is an offence. The electronic billboard was hoisted outside an Asda supermarket. The sign features a police badge that is superimposed over an LGBTQ rainbow flag. The sign warns the public that Merseyside Police will not tolerate any hate crime toward the LGBTQ+ community. Anyone in the LGBTQ+ community who feels triggered by someone elses views is encouraged to report their hurt feelings to the police. Come and speak to #TeamBeb, states the text on the sign. The officers pledge to do whatever they can to support the victims of hate speech.

England police use third party reporting centers to monitor for offensive speech

The police department was confronted by multiple citizens who were quick to point out that offensive language does not constitute a civil or criminal offense. The Merseyside Police were forced to release a statement clarifying that being offensive is not, in itself, an offense.

A message on an advan and social media this weekend by the Local Policing Team was incorrect, wrote Superintendent Martin Earl. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

The superintendent did not altogether dismiss the Orwellian idea of policing language and working to advance the LGBTQ agenda. In his statement, Earl went on to say that the departments hate crime unit is well intentioned and draws on a wealth of experience and expertise to provide effective and above all, sensitive and appropriate support for victims. The statement reminded the public that the department is using third party reporting centers to monitor for hate crimes. (Related: CIA rebrands as woke leftists and champions of diversity.)

A new world of thought control awaits

When police are used to patrol peoples thoughts, gestures and speech, the world is instantly enslaved. If the LGBTQ community can use the police to target people who disagree with them; then a Pandoras box of Big Brother thought control is opened wide, beckoning a more Orwellian future.

A man who identifies as a woman, for example, may call the police for assistance if they arent being allowed in the womans restroom. In this brave new world, a store owner could be given a citation. Likewise, a gay man could feel offended by his intolerant straight coworkers and report them to the local Merseyside Police. A lesbian woman may not like the way the Bible judges her sexual orientation and could call the police to report Christian hate crimes.

Offensive language could include any piece of satire, argument, joke or advice that someone doesnt like. A victim of hate crime is often a whiny, controlling person who isnt getting their way. By using the police as their personal belief enforcement, they get to abuse anyone they disagree with, intimidate anyone they dont like, while using force to get what they want out of others. As more law enforcement operations give credence to people who are easily offended, they create an environment where people are afraid to speak their truth, where people are afraid to live out their beliefs. A world run by the easily-offended mob is a world of slavery that punishes beliefs and instills universal thought, language and behavior control.

Image credit: Summit.News

Sources include:

Summit.News

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California Driver Mows Down Several People on Sidewalk Killing 3 Near San Diego City College

Three people were killed and six were hurt on Monday morning when a driver veered off the road and hit nine people near San Diego City College in San Diego, California, said officials.

A 71-year-old yet-to-be-identified driver was heading down B Street in a Volvo station wagon. The driver then veered onto a sidewalk under a bridge, San Diego police Chief David Nisleit told Fox5.

The driver was taken into custody. Five people were rushed to nearby hospitals, officials said.

San Diego Fire-Rescue Chief Colin Stowell told the news outlet that two were listed in critical condition.

SDFD is working a Multi Medical Casualty at 1400 B ST. The call was received on 03/15/2021 at 09:05:53 AM and unit(s) arrived at 09:10:36 AM. Updates at: https://t.co/5yXxzI0Guw #FS21039318  SDFD Newsworthy Incidents (@SDFD_Incidents) March 15, 2021

Nisleit said the driver attempted to help the victims and identified himself as the driver to police, said Nisleit.

The driver was detained on suspicion of driving under the influence or while impaired, according to the report.

In the tunnel, there were tents and belongings inside, officials said. Its not clear if the victims were homeless.

Video footage shot from the scene showed a significant police and first responder presence.

Other details about the incident were not provided.
One year ago, bars and streets were empty as the coronavirus put a hard stop to most planned events for St. Patrick's Day.

While the pandemic continues on, Connecticut has adapted to bring some normalcy back to the holiday. Though bars and other crowded events have taken yet another year off, there is still plenty to do around the state.
(@FahadShabbir)

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said largescale olive cultivation would prove a best investment for Pakistan in terms of earning valuable foreign exchange and ensuring food security

NOWSHERA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Mar, 2021 ) :Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said largescale olive cultivation would prove a best investment for Pakistan in terms of earning valuable foreign exchange and ensuring food security.

Addressing at the launch of countrywide olive cultivation drive starting from Nowshera district, the Prime Minister said the country had immense potential in cultivation of olive trees owing to suitable topography and climate from north to south.

He mentioned that water scarce areas such as Suleiman Mountains near Waziristan, Balochistan's plains and Punjab's diverse terrain offered environment for low-irrigation olive farming.

Prime Minister Imran Khan terming food security a big challenge for the country said the olive fruit produced edible oil of high nutritional value, which could also be used to meet local demands besides its export.

He said Pakistan had more potential than Spain, the leading olive producer in the world, and could explore the possibilities with effective strategy of olive cultivation.

The country, he said, was blessed with 12 climatic zones and diverse landscape and stressed the need to promote planting a variety of crops and fruit.

Imran Khan said olive was also mentioned in the Holy Quran for several times that enhanced relevance and significance of this 'wonder fruit'.

He said olive cultivation project would generate employment opportunities for the locals, both short and long-term, due to long life of the plant.

The Prime Minister said olive cultivation was being carried out under Ten Billion Tsunami Tree project, adding that plantation of other local fruits would also be included in the programme.

He said that Pakistan was among the 10 most vulnerable countries on the verge of receiving high effects of climate change.

He said to save future generations from climate change, plantation was the key step and also to reduce rising pollution levels in big cities of the country.

He mentioned the already launched Miyawaki Japanese technique at several sites in Lahore and Islamabad with an objective to get dense greenery at faster than usual pace.

He asked the head of Forest Department to use the similar plantation method in Peshawar as the city touched alarming levels of pollution.

The Prime Minister lauded the efforts of Governor Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Shah Farman for materializing the Ten Billion Tree Project across the province.

Earlier, Imran Khan planted a sapling of olive at model plantation site of Amangarh in Nowshera, where a cultivation of around 7,200 olive plants will be carried out.

The Prime Minister visited the cultivation area, where he was given a briefing about potential of olive plantation on the occasion. Governor Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Shah Farman, Chief Minister Mehmood Khan, Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak, Minister for Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam and senior officials were present.

According to official details, the expected economic return of four million grafted olive plants after sixth year will be around Rs 10.8 billion annually with a total income of Rs 54 billion after 10 years. The olive oil production on sixth year will be approximately 7.2 million litres with average fruit production per plant at 15 kg.
Last year on March 11, the U.S. officially declared the pandemic had arrived and communities throughout the nation had undergone a transformation due to the fear and uncertainty surrounding COVID-19.

For students, much work had to be done to ensure that their future would not be hindered by the pandemic. With hopes that the situation could be addressed before students returned, education leaders worked to adapt to the changes.

Now they reflect on what was done over the past year to make up for the loss of the traditional school setting and help students push forward with their education.

Late February, TAMIU president Dr. Pablo Arenaz wrote a letter addressed to the students and staff of the university looking back at the anniversary of battling the pandemic. He wrote about the changes and the losses that have impacted the community and how the disease will be measured decades later.

However, he continued with a message of hope and how the battle is turning with the availability of vaccines and the aggressive vaccine plan seen throughout the country. After a drop from the high percentages of hospitalizations in Laredo earlier in 2021, the city sits on a 5.97% rate as of Saturday.

Arenaz warned that despite the positive change, there is not time to be complacent. Despite delivering over 7,000 COVID tests on campus, he encourages the community to continue testing and being responsible. Considering the responsibility, he said TAMIU students have completed over 6,500 service hours during the crisis including the 2,500 volunteer hours during vaccine drives.

Yes, were all exhausted by this constant change to all our lives, but in order for us to return to some semblance of normalcy in the months ahead, we must stay true to our path, Arenaz wrote. Simply put, Dustdevils take care of each other. Please be a part of our recovery: Test, Test and Test Again.

During the Spring 2021 semester, the university had enrolled over 7,700 students. As an approved vaccine center, it has been delivering doses to its over 900 staff members through designated phases.

I suspect normalcy will be redefined as we move towards it. We will maintain our enhanced disinfection, on-campus testing, on-campus face-covering, social distancing and hand-washing protocols, Arenaz said. As an approved Vaccine Center, we will be expanding our distribution of vaccines as we move towards our planned face-to-face return this Fall.

Similar sentiments were shared by Laredo College which has also had a hand in helping the community throughout the year. Officials including president Dr. Ricardo Solis and Dr. Marisela Rodriguez Tijerina, Dr. Fred Solis, David Arreazola and Michael Gonzalez all believe that their initial action of shutting down the college at the start of the pandemic was the right decision.

We are very proud that we were the first college to declare a war on this pandemic and close down the college effectively and the building to secure and safeguard our employees and our students, Solis said.

This was a result of their 2015-16 act of defining their online practices, Tijerina said. She believes that through the years of improvement and adaptation, students and staff were prepared for this moment, unfortunate as it may be.

Furthermore, their response was helped by their prior implementation and improvements to the online infrastructure. According to LC, approximately 9,200 students enrolled in Fall 2020 and 8,900 in Spring 2021. Throughout the past year, Solis said the college worked to ensure that students food insecurities and mental health were addressed in the wake of the pandemic.

The same goes for the colleges 580 full-time employees. Arreazola said it was vital to address their concerns including the need for personal protective equipment and helping those at a higher risk. He added the situation had to be handled with compassion as he and the college care for their employees.

Through the partnership with Gateway Community Health Center, Solis and the college are currently expecting their staff vaccination clinics to be held as early as March 24.

The changes were also implemented in the private schools which not only affected their academics but also their spiritual life.

According to Dr. Guadalupe Perez, Diocese of Laredo School Superintendent, they have grown as a private learning institute and developed multiple plans and skills to ensure the safety and health of students and staff.

One instance was their faith formation activities adapting to a remote platform where students could participate in mass, posadas and prayer sessions safely.

The consciousness of the spread of viruses has been exceptional, Perez said. All school communities have embraced the new normal within our buildings and apply all of the CDC and local health authority directives without exception.

The private schools are made up of five Catholic schools that serve 1,400 students and employ 160 staff members. As of March 12, a majority of students remain working remotely with only four and eight students at their middle and high school, respectively. For the 2020-21 school year, there are 68 students that are expected to graduate.

I want to thank our parents and teachers for having risen to the challenge of continuing the tradition of a quality, faith-based Catholic school education in our community during this most difficult year, Perez said. We know many of our families suffered through financial losses; nonetheless, they continued to make the sacrifice to provide their children with the legacy of a Catholic School education. We are confident their sacrifices will reap benefits in the successful future of their children

At Harmony Public Schools of Laredo, the school shut down in response to the threat of the pandemic. Nicole Romanos, PR and Outreach Coordinator, said through device and meal distributions, a shift to a remote environment for educators, an online counseling system to offer help and more, the schools feel like they accomplished the goal of sticking together with their families.

Like many Americans, we are finding new reasons to be hopeful that our country may someday soon put COVID-19 behind us, Harmony Public Schools CEO Fatih Ay said. New cases are trending down compared to just a few months ago, and the number of vaccinated Americans is growing quickly. That includes, thankfully, many of our team members who were vaccinated during our on-site vaccine distribution clinics across Texas including those in Laredo. However, we as a school community cant yet let our collective guard down quite yet.

That is why at Harmony we will continue to keep all previously established COVID-19 safety protocols including the wearing of masks for team members and in-person learners. We also will continue to closely monitor local COVID-19 developments in each of our communities as well as seek guidance from CDC and local health authorities to determine if any future changes to safety protocols are needed. In the event that changes are necessary, our Harmony community will be immediately notified. We strongly believe that these measures are in the best interest of our students, team members and their families back home.

On Friday, Harmony held its staff vaccination clinic through a partnership with Gateway Community Health Center. The schools employ 198 staff members. There are a total of 1,850 students studying at Harmony schools with 98 expected to graduate this year.

According to Ay, more work is needed as addressing social-emotional, academic and other issues that affected students will take time through the cooperation between staff members and families.

As educators, what comes next may be the most important test any of us will ever see. And much like a year ago today, none of us can truly predict what future may come, Ay said. But at Harmony, were committed to fighting that fight for our students whatever path it may take and whatever resources it may require. So, whether youre a Harmony team member, parent, volunteer or community member, we ask you to again join us in that fight together. Our kids are worth it. Their futures deserve it.

cocampo@lmtonline.com
In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what's on the radar of our editors for the morning of Mar. 15 ...

In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what's on the radar of our editors for the morning of Mar. 15 ...

What we are watching in Canada ...

OTTAWA - Call it the calm before the storm.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is expecting a smaller-than-normal shipment of COVID-19 vaccines this week, with fewer than 445,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech shots scheduled for delivery over the next seven days.

But that trickle will soon turn into a flood.

This will be the last week in which Canada receives less than 1 million vaccine doses over a seven-day period.

Starting next week, Pfizer and BioNTech are expected to start delivering more than a million weekly doses of their shot. And other pharmaceutical companies are expected to make their own promised deliveries in the next few weeks.

Those include the first shots from Johnson & Johnson as well as more doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which are both expected to start rolling in next month.

Inoculations from Moderna are also due to keep arriving in Canada every two weeks.

Public Procurement Minister Anita Anand has said Canada is on track to receive 7 million vaccine doses from the various companies by the end of April, with a total of 36.5 million to be delivered by the end of June and 118 million before Sept. 30.

Also this ...

Sore arm, fatigue, muscle pain and fever are some of the side effects being reported in those receiving COVID-19 vaccines, and experts say that's mostly a good thing.

Vaccines are supposed to trigger an immune response, they say. That's how you know they're working.

"If you have a vaccine that doesn't produce a reaction in people, the resulting immune response is weaker," said Earl Brown, a microbiologist with the University of Ottawa.

Brown says vaccines work by stimulating our immune cells to grow and communicate with each other, giving directions on where to set up for an impending attack by the virus. That results in inflammation, with some of those cells traveling to lymph nodes and causing swelling.

The World Health Organization says side effects to COVID vaccines have been mostly "mild to moderate and short-lasting" and include: fever, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, diarrhea and pain at the injection site.

Data from Health Canada shows 0.085 per cent of doses administered in the country from mid-December to March 5 resulted in an adverse reaction, with 0.009 per cent considered serious. Pain, redness and swelling at the vaccination site were the most common effects.

And this ...

VANCOUVER -The conduct of Canadian police and border officers is expected to face scrutiny in British Columbia Supreme Court this week as hearings resume in the extradition case of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.

Three weeks of arguments in Meng's case are scheduled to begin today, including allegations that her arrest at Vancouver's airport in 2018 was an unlawful abuse of process and that the case doesn't meet the criteria for extradition under international law.

Meng's lawyers are also expected to ask the judge hearing the case to admit evidence that they say would bolster their arguments.

Meng is wanted in the United States on fraud charges that both she and Huawei deny.

She is accused of misrepresenting Huawei's control of another company to HSBC, allegedly putting the bank at risk of violating U.S. sanctions against Iran.

Her lawyers say in court documents that the new evidence challenges the assertion that HSBC suffered a real risk of loan loss due to Meng's alleged actions, and proves that the United States provided an "manifestly unreliable" record of the case to Canadian officials.

ICYMI ...

A number of Canadians were honoured at last night's Grammy Awards.

Montreal-raised DJ Kaytranada, who was born Louis Celestin, picked up best dance recording for his song "10%," featuring Kali Uchis, and best dance or electronic album for "Bubba."

Justin Bieber won best country duo or group performance for "10,000 Hours," a hit single recorded with country pair Dan and Shay.

The Stratford, Ont.-raised musician had expressed displeasure ahead of the Grammys over seeing music from his recent "Changes" album nominated in pop categories when he felt it was in the R&B spirit. He didn't show up at the ceremony, posting on Instagram that he was staying in to watch a movie.

Other Canadian winners included Shawn Everett, who now has six Grammys to his name.

The music engineer, raised in Bragg Creek, Alta., won for Beck's "Hyperspace," in the best engineered album, non-classical category. He shared the award with a team of fellow engineers who worked on the album, but it was Beck who accepted the award on their behalf.

Toronto-born guitarist Jim (Kimo) West won the best new age album Grammy for his Hawaiian slack-key guitar album, "More Guitar Stories."

And a musical adaptation of Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill" won best musical theatre album for the main vocalists and producers involved in the project.

What we are watching in the U.S. ...

WASHINGTON  U.S President Joe Biden, Vice-President Kamala Harris and their spouses are opening a cross-country tour this week to highlight the benefits of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan.

The road show starts today with Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, heading to Las Vegas while first lady Jill Biden visits Burlington, New Jersey.

Biden plans to stop in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday and he has an appearance with Harris in Atlanta on Friday.

Stops at vaccination sites, businesses, schools and more are meant to educate the public about different aspects of the giant American Rescue Plan.

Also this ...

A powerful late winter snowstorm intensified over the central Rocky Mountains with heavy snow and wind leading to airport and road closures, power outages and avalanche warnings in parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska.

The National Weather Service in Wyoming called it a historic and crippling winter storm that would cause extremely dangerous to impossible travel conditions through at least early Monday.

Denver International Airport closed its runways just before noon Sunday and the Wyoming Department of Transportation suspended plowing in the Casper area Sunday after several plows went off the road due to low visibility.

What we are watching in the rest of the world ...

CANBERRA  Australians are rallying in several cities demanding justice for women and calling out dangerous workplace cultures as the government reels from two rape allegations.

Outside Parliament House, the crowd of hundreds was mostly female and most wore black.

Prime Minster Scott Morrison refused to address the crowd, and organizers said they wouldn't meet him behind closed doors.

Morrison stands by his attorney-general, who was accused of raping a girl when he was 17.

Separately, the defence minister has been criticized for failing to adequately support a staffer who alleged she was raped in Parliament House.

Brittany Higgins told the crowd in Canberra that her colleagues treated her not as someone who'd suffered trauma but as "a political problem."

Also this ...

YANGON - Myanmar's ruling junta has declared martial law in parts of the country's largest city as security forces killed more protesters in an increasingly lethal crackdown on resistance to last month's military coup.

At least 38 people were killed Sunday and dozens were injured in one of the deadliest days of the crackdown, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent group tracking the toll of the violence.

Most of those killed  34  were in Yangon.

Since the takeover six weeks ago, Myanmar has been under a nationwide state of emergency, with its civilian leaders ousted and detained and military leaders in charge of all government.

But the announcement on state broadcaster MRTV late Sunday appeared to be the first use of the term martial law since the coup and suggested more direct military control of security, instead of local police.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Mar. 15, 2021
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Restaurants often mark anniversaries for how long they have been in business  20, 25 years usually means milestones, maybe a bottle of Champagne. Its a safe bet to say few will celebrate one year like Vanessa Whiting.

Whiting owns 16 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchens. The one that opened in South Euclid in 2020 will always remain a testament to perseverance and an example of what she strives to do as a businesswoman. For Whiting, its not just about throwing a young kid behind a fryer and telling them to hustle up. Its about building futures.

The Warrensville Road eatery opened on March 23, 2020. It was the initial day of the governors stay-at-home order. Covid, then a nascent virus, was emerging, pushing restaurants, bars and other businesses to the brink of a game of dominoes, with closure after closure. But Whiting dealt with it and led her charges.

Whiting is a steady, easygoing woman, and when you learn how she came to own and operate restaurants its easy to see why she is not flustered by Covid or other challenges. She has built a successful career out of work ethic, a willingness to see others succeed, and overcoming personal tragedy.

Vanessa Whiting remains busy. She owns Popeyes restaurants and is chair of MetroHealth board of trustees.

Starting  and growing - a business

Whiting is from Richmond, Virginia, a soft, barely detectable Southern lilt comes across in her words. She grew up the daughter of educators; her mother was an assistant high school principal, her father a counselor. She attended Duke University for undergraduate and eventually became a lawyer.

She came to Cleveland in 1988, working at Calfee, Halter & Griswold. Her husband, Tony Smith, was a management consultant with degrees in engineering and business.

He always wanted to own his own business, she said. We were young.

The couple, in their 20s then, hadnt had children yet (she has three grown kids now). They opened a Docks Great Fish, a Black-owned franchised restaurant based in Chicago.

Probably took us a year or so, she said. Our parents were very supportive, friends were very supportive. Others thought we were crazy, Youve got this good job, your trajectory is clear, " she heard.

I would leave the firm - this was pre kids  check out of my suit and go make fish sandwiches at Docks.

Through hard work, the brand grew. A client of Whitings then suggested looking at Popeyes.

Its a growing brand, Im doing well, theres plenty of room in the market, so why dont you look at it? he told her.

So Whiting and her husband converted Docks into a Popeyes. And they expanded the brand with a sense of purpose in Greater Cleveland: North Randall, the Buckeye neighborhood, other areas.

We started branching out in the city and the county, she said.

His (Tony) vision was to give everyone an opportunity, particularly those who made mistakes in the past and needed a job. We became known for that. Here you could go from cook to manager. Theres no artificial barriers.

Life was good, their children were moving into college age, and then life twisted into a tragic turn.

Tony died.

We were going swimmingly along, she said before the couple received the news that Tony had colon cancer.

He took care of himself, Whiting said. Six-five, he went to the doctor, ran, ate right.

Whitings Popeyes on Warrensville Road in South Euclid kept its drive-through open during the pandemic.

He had undergone a colonoscopy 18 months before he started having symptoms, but by that point the cancer had quickly materialized. They sent scans to reputable hospitals across the country. In July 2014 he was diagnosed as having stage 4 cancer. On Nov. 29, he was dead. He had turned 53 on Nov. 19.

Of course that was a shock  it was shock to the family, a shock to the community, a shock to the business community, Whiting said. I had my career; he was really the day-to-day operator. I was a board member, I was an attorney for the company. I had a decision to make of what we were going to do.

One thing she did not consider at all was to sell. She would figure things out. The years of being involved, of having a career and working with Tony would steel her well.

The day after the funeral, she received a call from a district manager serving as director of operations when Tony was sick.

Of course the company is reeling, she said. He (Tony) was the founder, he was charismatic. I almost said, Why are you calling me? Then it occurred to me  Oh wait, I am in charge. "

Tony had been in the midst of opening a restaurant in North Olmsted. Work was at a crossroads. Someone had to make decisions, and fast.

Someone spoke to me, she said. It was either Tony or God and said Get up and go. So I did.

She dropped everything and met with a contractor who she didnt know. She was hit with a bit of resistance but took matters in her own hand, smoothed out a rough patch, and assembled a team of her own.

I would get dressed in my Timberland boots and my jeans, and I was my project manager in North Olmsted. I was out there every day, all day. The gentlemen were very respectful. Most of them knew Tony. And then they said, Oh, she knows what shes doing. They were pleasantly surprised. And we got it done.

That particular Popeyes opened six years ago today - March 15, 2015.

That was my first store baby, she said.

Since then I have been running the company. There have been ups and downs. Covid has been very challenging, for all restaurants. Fortunately we have the drive-through.

And while restaurant workers have seen their ranks diminishing during the pandemic Whiting says she is hiring.

You have to break myths, she said. People think of fast food and think of entry-level jobs only. Our managers make between fifty and sixty-thousand dollars. What she has tried to do is carve a career path that opens the door rather than creates a brick wall. So someone can go from cashier, prep worker or cook to a shift manager to assistant manager to general manager.

Its not always a clear path.

You have to break myths, Vanessa Whiting says regarding salaries in her business. People think of fast food and think of entry-level jobs only. She aims to create a path for potential advancement for her employees.

Were doing more than fried chicken

Years ago, one employee was having issues. He had served time and, as Whiting said, Its not always easy to go from prison to hospitality.

Tony went to visit him. He said Hey man, you cannot disrespect my customers. The instinct is to fire him, but Tony found he had issues and problems.

The message was made clear: Show me you want to do this. The worker sought anger-management counseling, and soon went from cook to manager.

We are loyal to him, and hes loyal to us. Those stories are what you celebrate. People say What have you achieved? Yeah, were doing more than fried chicken.

They also are doing it in a lot of places. From E. 260th Street to Macedonia, Carnegie, Clark and other neighborhoods, Whiting has continued leading a company with a large and very diverse footprint.

Were working with young people often times who need a little polish, she said. Its our job to try to get the best out of everyone. Its tough in a perfect world; its even tougher when youre coming to work with a number of issues not of your own making.

Sometimes the lessons are basic  Teaching Please and Thank you is the initial challenge, she said. Other times its working with individuals who need time to deal with daycare and transportation challenges.

The challenges that lay before Whiting included dealing with Covid as the Warrensville Road restaurant was gearing up to open. Her initial reaction: She closed the lobby immediately.

While many people scrambled to deal with coronavirus, Whiting had an edge: She is chair of MetroHealths board of trustees, and is the first African-American person to hold that position.

We had been hearing about Covid and we were briefed on Covid, and we know how serious this disease was, she said. Were learning.

If she shut down the lobby, she was warned from her corporate office: " You know youre going to lose 25 percent of your sales. Well I made a decision  people over profit. I dont regret it.

Slowly she guided the business, dealing with the daily crises brought on by Covid.

You had to pivot, she said. Part of being successful in business is being able to adjust and be able to pivot.

Those traits dont surprise Dr. Akram Boutros, president and chief executive officer of the MetroHealth System. He has known Whiting for about eight years, and has worked with her on a number of diversity and inclusion projects.

Whiting brings insightful questions that are followed by business acumen to see the projects to fruition, he said.

She has this really heathy perspective on both understanding the business side and core reason this organization exists  which is to help those who have less access (to health care) or are disenfranchised in some way.

He added: Shes a pretty special lady. Shes gone through some personal challenges.  Shes done a tremendous job. Shes very, very capable, very smart. Probably the two most important things  shes agile, and shes tenacious. That bodes well for her business.

Vanessa Whiting owns 16 Popeyes in Northeast Ohio.

A one-year anniversary approaches

That agility to pivot in business is exactly what Whiting did in order to open the Warrensville Road restaurant in South Euclid a year ago.

On March 18, 2020, she was walking into Brush High School to make a presentation to students. The kids would learn about business; she would get a chance to promote hiring at her restaurants. She called from her car in the lot.

You cant come in the building, she was told.

Her initial thought was Ive renovated this restaurant, Ive bought this food. Youre realizing youve got some costs, you hired some people.  In my mind we were ready to have a grand opening.

When she and her staff were getting the place ready there was no Covid. She had a Mardi Gras theme in mind to mark the opening. Instead, she closed the lobby. It was tough decision that resulted in bottlenecking the drive-through.

We did take a hit, she said, but people came.

Were not cooking hamburgers that take three minutes, Whiting said, describing her restaurants fare as hot comfort food. We are really frying chicken. Its fresh, its not frozen. We prep it, we marinate it for 12 hours. And were really cooking here. Were not putting it into a holding bin.

The lobby remained closed for much of Covid, but recently opened for takeout. None of her restaurants had an outbreak, she said.

You have to go forward, she said. You are not going to know if its going to work. Thats part of being an entrepreneur. You take calculated risks. Im not complaining. Weve been very fortunate. None of our restaurants closed.

Im proud of what weve done. I think Tony would be proud that weve carried on and evolved.

I am on cleveland.coms life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. If you want to see my stories, heres a directory on cleveland.com. Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk food and drink usually at 8:20 a.m. Thursday morning. And tune in at 8:05 a.m. Fridays for Beer with Bona and Much, Much More with Munch Bishop on 1350-AM The Gambler. Twitter: @mbona30.

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NASA OIG Follow-up to May 2019 Audit of Europa Mission: Congressional Launch Vehicle Mandate, NASA OIG

"NASA's renewed focus on returning humans to the Moon on an accelerated timetable means that an SLS will not be available to launch the Clipper mission to Europa before 2025 at the earliest. Given all of the foregoing factors, we urge Congress to consider removing the requirement that NASA launch the Europa Clipper on an SLS and allow the Agency to decide whether to use an SLS or a commercial vehicle based on cost, schedule, vehicle availability, and impact on science requirements."

"However, because of developmental delays and, more significantly, NASA's plans to use the first three SLS rockets produced for its Artemis lunar program, an SLS will not be available until 2025 at the earliest. Consequently, if completed on its projected schedule, the approximately $3 billion dollar Europa spacecraft (known as "Europa Clipper") will need to be stored for at least 2 years at a cost of $3 to $5 million per month until an SLS becomes available. NASA recently added $250 million in Headquarters-held reserves to the project to address these storage and related personnel costs. Congress could reduce risks to both the Europa mission and Artemis program while potentially saving taxpayers up to $1 billion by providing NASA the flexibility in forthcoming fiscal year (FY) 2020 appropriations legislation to determine the most cost effective and timely vehicle to launch the Europa Clipper mission in 2023 or whenever the satellite is completed."

NASA OIG Audit: Management Of NASA's Europa Mission, NASA OIG, earlier post

"In addition, although Congress directed NASA to use the SLS to launch the Clipper, it is unlikely to be available by the congressionally mandated 2023 date and therefore the Agency continues to maintain spacecraft capabilities to accommodate both the SLS and two commercial launch vehicles, the Delta IV Heavy and Falcon Heavy."
The product will be manufactured at the company's facility at Bengaluru and will be marketed by Strides Pharma Inc. in the US market.

Strides Pharma Science (Strides) on Monday (15 March) announced that its step-down wholly owned subsidiary, Strides Pharma Global, Singapore, has received approval for potassium chloride for oral solution USP, 20 mEq from the United States Food & Drug Administration (USFDA).

The product is bioequivalent and therapeutically equivalent to the reference listed drug (RLD), Potassium Chloride for Oral Solution USP, 20 mEq, of Pharma Research Software Solution.

According to IQVIA MAT January 2021 data, the US market for Potassium Chloride for Oral Solution USP, 20 mEq is approximately $56 million.

The company has 127 cumulative ANDA filings with USFDA of which 100 ANDAs have been approved and 27 are pending approval.

Strides Pharma Science is a global pharmaceutical company. It focuses on "difficult to manufacture" products that are sold in over 100 countries. The company has 127 cumulative ANDA filings with USFDA of which 99 ANDAs have been approved and 28 are pending approval.

On a consolidated basis, the pharma company posted a 61.9% fall in net profit to Rs 35.16 crore on a 13.6% rise in net sales to Rs 832 crore in Q3 FY21 over Q3 FY20.

The scrip shed 0.61% to currently trade at Rs 832.50 on the BSE in a weak market.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
PORTLAND, Ore., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Leaf Lab, the first woman-owned laboratory specializing in cannabis and hemp CBD analytics in the nation, is celebrating their 10-year anniversary. Rowshan Reordan, founder and CEO said, "When I opened Green Leaf Lab in 2011, my goal was to support consumer safety, quality control testing, and the legitimacy of an emerging industry. In the beginning, analytical testing was not part of the cannabis and hemp CBD community's vernacular. Since Green Leaf Lab's inception, I have supported the advancement and legitimization of our industry through accurate testing and education."

A true pioneer, Rowshan dedicated herself to strengthening transparency in the cannabis industry. Green Leaf Lab was the first cannabis and hemp CBD laboratory to receive license and accreditation by a state agency, showing their commitment to consumer safety through quality science.

Rowshan's mission to support consumer safety in the cannabis and hemp CBD industry began when a close friend and patient she grew for was battling HIV. Rowshan saw the lack of access to clean and tested cannabis. Grassroots grown, she opened her first analytical testing laboratory in Portland, Oregon. Rowshan raised awareness of the importance of quality control testing. She then opened a second laboratory in Sacramento, California.

"When I look back at Green Leaf Lab's journey, I am continually uplifted and empowered. The journey to reach our 10-year milestone had its challenges. I faced my own personal and professional hurdles, natural disasters, multiple regulatory changes, and more. I accepted the challenges head-on, and 10 years later, we are celebrating our 10-year anniversary! I am humbled to know that I am creating and evolving something that truly makes a difference in people's lives."

As part of their 10-year anniversary celebration, Green Leaf Lab will be making 10 additional charitable contributions to different local organizations throughout 2021. Green Leaf Lab has a history of philanthropy stemming from Rowshan's commitment to community, with over $25,000 donated so far. Reflecting on 10 years in business, CEO and founder Rowshan Reordan said, "I am thrilled to celebrate our 10-year anniversary during women's history month! It has been an incredible journey. I am extremely optimistic about the future for Green Leaf Lab."

To learn more about Green Leaf lab, please visit www.greenleaflabs.com

CONTACT:

Briana Burke

[email protected]

503-444-0091

SOURCE Green Leaf Lab

Related Links

https://greenleaflab.org/


Provinces continued to expand their COVID-19 vaccine rollouts on Sunday, amid what Canada's chief public health officer described as a recent increase in the number of new cases across the country.

People are shown arriving at a COVID-19 vaccination site in Montreal, Sunday, March 14, 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Provinces continued to expand their COVID-19 vaccine rollouts on Sunday, amid what Canada's chief public health officer described as a recent increase in the number of new cases across the country.

Dr. Theresa Tam said health officials are observing a rise in new infections after several weeks of levelling off. The country reported a seven-day average of 3,052 new cases daily between March 5 and March 11.

In a statement, Tam expressed concern over an increase in cases linked to more contagious virus variants, as well as a higher infection rate in Canadians aged 20 to 39.

"Circulation of COVID-19 in younger, more mobile and socially connected adults can increase the risk of spread into high-risk populations and settings," she wrote.

Despite the rise in cases, Tam said severe outcomes such as hospitalizations and deaths continue to decline.

Her statement adds urgency to the vaccine effort, which is ramping up in several provinces as more doses arrive.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the province's COVID-19 vaccine booking system is ready to start taking appointments for those 80 and older as of Monday morning, following recent pilot projects allowing some pharmacies and family doctors to deliver the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines to people ages 60 to 64.

Saskatchewan also expanded its rollout, announcing that anyone who is 70 or older can book an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday.In Saskatchewan's Northern Administrative District, the cutoff age is 50 and over.

Quebec, which is already vaccinating people ages 70 and up across the province or 65 and up in Montreal, will expand its booking system as of Monday to add some 350 pharmacies to the list of places where people can get shots.

Health Minister Christian Dube noted that the province administered more than 30,000 doses on Saturday, and said Quebec would continue to increase the pace of vaccines.

Unlike many other provinces, Quebec has authorized using the AstraZeneca vaccine for people over 65, despite the national immunization committee warning of a lack of data on efficacy in that age group.

Dube took to his Twitter account to reassure the population that the vaccine is safe, after several European countries temporarily suspended use of AstraZeneca over concerns surrounding blood clots.

"Vaccination is the solution, regardless of which one," Dube said.

Both the World Health Organization and Health Canada's chief medical adviser have said there is no scientific explanation to suggest a link between the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots.

AstraZeneca said a review of 17 million patients who received the shot in Europe and the U.K. shows no elevated risk of blood clotting.

Alberta, meanwhile, has been running out of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which it has been offering to younger people.

Albertans who were born between 1957 and 1961, and First Nations, Metis and Inuit people born between 1972 and 1976, are eligible for the AstraZeneca shots.

That province also recorded its first two cases of a fast-spreading COVID-19 variant first detected in Brazil.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw said both cases are travel-related and in the Calgary zone.

While Tam warned that the average number of new COVID-19 cases was rebounding slightly across the country, that wasn't the case across the board.

There was good news in Atlantic Canada, where Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new cases of COVID-19, while New Brunswick added five cases to its tally and Nova Scotia reported just one.

Manitoba reported 44 new cases and one death, while Saskatchewan reported 98 new cases and two lost lives.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 14, 2021
Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks has joined other Republican lawmakers calling on Dr. Anthony Fauci to use his influence to stop a dangerous new foreign pipeline for COVID-19 along Americas Mexican border.

The March 12 letter from Brooks and other lawmakers also seeks action from the director of the National Institutes for Health saying the Biden administration has resumed the dangerous immigration policy of catch and release along the border.

Hundreds of illegal immigrants have been released at the border on nothing more than a promise to appear at a future hearing, the letter said. The releases are happening with no testing or quarantine measures despite the face that Mexico now has the highest per capita COVID fatality rate in Latin America, the letter said.

I joined 9 of my colleagues in sending a letter to Dr. Fauci & Dr. Collins @NIH, explaining that the Biden border crisis will only get worse if we continue to catch & release illegal aliens that are carrying COVID-19 across our porous southern border. pic.twitter.com/N75rwEl4BI  Mo Brooks (@RepMoBrooks) March 15, 2021

The Biden administration has eased the Trump administrations Remain in Mexico policy that required asylum seekers to stay south of the border while their cases moved through the system. Since then, the number of children and adults at the border seeking entrance has surged.

The letter also asks Fauci if he has visited the border to review health procedures being used there to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The administration still is turning back almost all single adults, who comprise the majority of border-crossers, under a public health order issued by the Trump administration at the start of the pandemic. Most American border states also have mandatory mask orders to lessen the spread of COVID-19, but Texas and Arizona do not. Both have Republican governors.

There are three types of immigrants entering in South Texas, according to border authorities: People who were in Trumps Remain in Mexico program who were waiting for immigration court dates and must test negative, children who are unaccompanied by a parent or guardian who are referred to U.S. Health and Human Services, and migrant parents with young children that the Border Patrol releases quickly. Some cities are getting hundreds of migrant families daily.

Two HHS contractors in Texas who were not authorized to speak to the media told The Associated Press the positivity rates for children are generally 8% or below, which is lower than the current statewide test rate. Children who test positive are isolated until they are clear of the virus.

The infection rates for all arriving immigrants are lower than for Texas as a whole, local officials and nonprofit groups serving those families say.

In the border city of Brownsville, Mayor Trey Mendez said last week that about 6% of immigrants tested positive at the local bus station. In McAllen, Sister Norma Pimentel of the local Catholic Charities chapter said around one family in a group of 100 people typically tests positive and is directed to isolate in a local hotel.

Both Cameron and Hidalgo counties  where Brownsville and McAllen are located  currently have test positivity rates of about 10%.

Dr. Ivan Melendez, the health authority in Hidalgo County, said now about 10 people a day are dying there instead of 50. He criticized Abbott for lifting the mask mandate but said the arrival of migrants is also a concern.

The reality of it is you cannot have an influx of thousands of people in your community during a pandemic, he said.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a longtime border Democrat from Laredo, Texas, criticized the Biden administration for rolling back some Trump-era immigration policies too quickly and opening more holding facilities too slowly.

But Cuellar also criticized people who try to invoke fear about immigrants, particularly children.

If youre afraid of a little kid, a 7-year-old, then I think you fear your own shadow, he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Regionalism and nationalism in Canada  yet another reassessment (Part Two) By Mark Wegierski

The author will look at the role of Toronto in Canadian history. It should be remembered that Toronto has undergone a massive identity shift over the last five decades of Canadian history. In the 1950s and before, the city was considered as so conservative and British-oriented that it was nicknamed Tory Toronto. Indeed, it was snidely said of those times, that on Sunday, you could fire a cannon down Torontos main street and not hit anyone (because everybody was at church)! In the 1960s and later a vast roaring tide of change engulfed and massively transformed the city. Certainly, the city almost from the beginning had the reputation of being a very wealthy centre of commercial power, as one of its other nicknames Hogtown points to. However, it was also sometimes called Toronto the Good. Some years ago, it was also characterized as a New York City run by the Swiss. Ironically, much earlier in Canadas history, during the 1920s and 1930s, there was the opposition between Tory Toronto and the Prairie provinces, where there was the electoral insurgency of the Progressive Party. In 1942, the Conservative Party was renamed Progressive Conservative  in the hopes of attracting many supporters of the former Progressives. However, it was also a highly convenient name in a society that was becoming increasingly liberal-tending. In the post-1960s period, Tory Toronto was annihilated, and the former strongholds of the Western-based Progressive Party (which had in fact existed well within the pre-1960s traditionalist-centrist consensus) mostly became bastions of small-c conservatism. Indeed, it could be argued that since the 1980s, the tide of change has increasingly overwhelmed the city of Toronto and its surrounding suburbs and environs. What is now called the City of Toronto (which is coterminous with what was formerly called Metropolitan Toronto) clearly does not represent the totality of the urban conurbation which has been termed the G.T.A. (Greater Toronto Area)  whose informal boundaries are ever expanding with urban sprawl. Ontario, the most populous province in Canada, is also clearly the wealthiest. Ontario now holds around a third of the seats in the federal Parliament -- with its vast megapolitan node and power-centre for all of Canada, Greater Toronto, with all its endless suburbs and environs. It may be noted that in one of the 1987 Statistics Canada reports, Metropolitan Toronto had an unemployment rate of 3.9% -- while most economists consider a rate of 4% as full employment. During the 1980s, Ontario consistently had unemployment rates at least 2 percentage points below the national average. It may be noted that considerable parts of Ontario itself tend to hate Toronto, and that the Toronto arts cliques also loathe what is called small-town and rural Ontario. The so-called rural Ontario is seen as the main base of the Conservatives both federally and provincially  the core areas where both Stephen Harper and Mike Harris have drawn their support. Indeed, at the height of the conflict between Mike Harris Tories  who were frequently characterized as hard right  and the larger urban centres of Ontario  especially Metropolitan Toronto  there were some tendencies afoot that wanted Metropolitan Toronto to secede from the province of Ontario. It was thought that the interests and needs of Ontario and Metropolitan Toronto were so divergent that only the creation of an eleventh province in Metropolitan Toronto could assuage them. Of course, it is not surprising that some of the most powerful infrastructures of the socialist New Democratic Party (and, to some extent, of the Liberal Party) exist in the municipal bureaucracies of large-urban centres  most especially in the new City of Toronto (formerly Metropolitan Toronto). What is of some interest is that in the elections that brought Mike Harris to power in 1995 and 1999  the so-called suburbs of Toronto  an area characterized as the 905 zone -- tended to vote for Mike Harris. (Because of increasing telephone line congestion, the former 416 area code was split in two  a new 416 area embracing only Metropolitan Toronto, and the entirely new 905 area for all the suburbs, smaller cities, and rural areas beyond Metropolitan Toronto.) This certainly signified a considerable breakthrough by Mike Harris to voters who were frequently visible minorities  as some of the areas in the 905 zone are easily as multicultural as in the 416 zone. (Visible minority is a term officially used in Canada at various levels of government.) Ironically, what weakened Harris the most in the 416 zone was probably powerful cadres of highly motivated and effective WASP opponents in the media, intellectual, and cultural elites  who energized the vote of the various recognized minorities against him. In the 2010 municipal election, other neighbourhood cleavages appeared within the new City of Toronto -- reflecting the former divisions within the old Metropolitan Toronto. What was the former, smaller City of Toronto within Metropolitan Toronto  mostly the downtown areas  voted against the right-leaning Rob Ford  whereas the outlying areas  notably, Etobicoke, North York, and Scarborough, voted for him. Rob Ford won the municipal election. The Toronto arts cliques now directed some of their resentment at the outlying neighbourhoods of the old Metropolitan Toronto.



However, in the 2014 provincial election, virtually the entire GTA elected Liberals  thus giving Premier Wynne a majority of seats in the provincial parliament. In that election, it is somewhat disconcerting to see the territorial imbalance between the Liberal and Tory-held ridings in Ontario  the Liberals elected virtually no one outside the GTA and Ottawa. Now that there is a Progressive Conservative majority government under Doug Ford, there is talk again of Toronto seceding from Ontario. The frequently more progressive nature of large-urban centres is also seen in the nickname of Edmonton  Redmonton. In Alberta, it is usually deployed as a term of criticism. To be continued. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home
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A British businesswoman pocketed millions of taxpayers' cash during the pandemic by brokering deals for PPE on behalf of a Chinese firm, it was claimed today.

Zoe Ley, 47, from Marylebone in London, is believed to have helped Hong Kong firm Worldlink Resource secure two Government contracts worth 258million last spring.

According to a BBC Panorama documentary which airs tonight, Ms Ley acted as a middleman between Worldlink and the Department of Health and Social Care.

The former investment banker, who runs a luxury dog food business, brokered the deals through a separate company called Life Partners, which she set up last May.

One contract for protective gowns, shared with another company, was worth 80m while the other was for 178m worth of goggles.

Details of the deals were only published last week following inquiries from Panorama, despite assurances from No10 that all contracts had been published.

On its website, Worldlink boasts: 'Through our UK representative Life Partners, Worldlink successfully helped the Department of Health and Social Care with sourcing critical supplies of PPE.'

A senior official at the firm said Ms Ley took home '30 per cent of the profits' for acting as a 'bridge' to the UK Government.

Panorama's documentary 'Cashing in on Covid' airs tonight on BBC One at 7.30pm.

Zoe Ley, 47, from Marylebone in London, pocketed millions of taxpayers' cash during the pandemic by brokering deals for PPE on behalf of a Chinese firm, it was claimed today

One contract for protective gowns, shared with another company, was worth 80m while the other was for 178m worth of goggles (file image)

It is not clear how much profit Worldlink made on the combined deals but Ms Ley's lawyers deny her commission was as much as 30 per cent.

The BBC said it was 'unlikely that Ms Ley's share would have been less than a seven-figure sum'.

Company House records show Ms Ley set up Life Partners on May 1 last year, when the UK was still in the midst of the first wave of Covid.

At that time, officials were scrambling to source PPE after mass shortages left frontline workers having to make their own.

A description of the business says it 'specialises in the sale of other particular products'.

Ms Ley's solicitors say it was someone in the Cabinet Office's Covid team who reached out to her to help with PPE, something the Government denies.

The latest revelation will fuel allegations of 'cronyism' over Number 10's handling of Covid contracts.

Last November saw the National Audit Office (NAO), the public spending watchdog, publish a scathing report which criticised the way normal standards of transparency had been set aside.

It found companies recommended by MPs, peers and ministerial offices were given priority amid the initial scramble for PPE supplies.

Last month it was revealed just one in 100 Government Covid-19 contracts worth an eye-watering 17.3billion was awarded by competitive tender - raising more questions about whether the taxpayer has been getting value for money during the pandemic.

Companies with no experience of supplying masks, gloves and aprons won lucrative Government deals in the 'shambolic' scramble for contracts - with critics calling it the 'Wild West'.

The Institute for Government (IfG) said it has found 'little evidence' of competition for deals handed out between March and last July at the height of the scramble for PPE for the NHS.

The IFG said there was clear evidence that when firms battled for a contract it cost the Government less, shaving 2.5 per cent off the deal on average.
In a major development, Delhi's Saket Court has awarded the death penalty to Batla House encounter convict and alleged Indian Mujahideen terrorist Ariz Khan on Monday, for his role in killing Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma and injuring Head Constables Balwant Singh and Rajbir Singh. terming it the 'rarest of rare case' while awarding the death penalty, Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakhs to be given to deceased Inspector Sharma's family. On March 18, Khan was held guilty, thirteen years since the encounter, charged under IPC sections 186 (voluntarily obstructs any public servant), 333 (causes grievous hurt to public servant), 353 (uses criminal force on public servant), 302 (murder), 307 (intention to murder), 174A (non-appearance in court) and 34 of IPC and 27 of arms act (use of contravention).

Batla House encounter: Ariz Khan awarded death penalty

As per reports, Khan had been arrested by Delhi Police's Special Cell in February 2018 from Nepal - a decade after he fled the encounter site in Delhi. In July 2013, a trial court had sentenced Indian Mujahideen terrorist Shahzad Ahmed to life imprisonment in connection with the case. His appeal against the trial courts verdict has been pending in the high court, as per reports.

What is the Batla House encounter?

On 13 September 2008, five serial bomb blasts had rocked the national capital killing 30 and injuring 90, with similar blasts occurring in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Bangalore. Indian Mujahideen had reportedly taken responsibility for the blast, ten minutes after the first bomb blast in Delhi's Ghaffar Market, as per reports. A week later, Delhi police received intelligence from Gujarat police regarding the location of Mujahideen operatives in Delhi, which led to an armed raid at Batla House on 19 September 2008.

As per reports, the Delhi Police Special Cell team reached Delhi's Batla House in Jamia Nagar and surrounded the location. The police planned to send its lead officer Mohan Chand Sharma to extract details of the residents posing as a telecom consultant, as his team would secure the sole entry/exit gate and the back lane of the house, state reports. But, when Sharma approached the flat, bereft of his bullet-proof vest, a 20-minute encounter followed with several rounds being fired from both sides.

In the encounter - two Batla House occupants were killed - Mohammad Sajid and Atif Amin, while Shahzad and Junaid (a.k.a) escaped and Mohammad Saif was arrested. Moreover, Encounter specialist Mohan Chand Sharma was martyred and head constables Balwinder and Rajbir Singh were injured. Police claim that Junaid (Ariz Khan) was present at Batla House, along with four others, but managed to escape.
Under fire: Simon Coveney has been heavily criticised by unionists

Irish Foreign Affairs minister Simon Coveney has described himself as a 'candid friend' of the United Kingdom - but raised fresh questions around whether the British government can be trusted.

He referred to family links - his mother is British and he has an aunt and uncle who are "the most English people I know - and revealed how he loves London more than Paris.

"There isn't an anti-British bone in my body," he said, in an interview with The Times.

Mr Coveney, who has been criticised by unionists, also told the paper he felt that the Brexit debate in the UK had not been 'honest'.

"I have always maintained that when the history books are written Brexit will be seen as an extraordinary mistake for the UK - but maybe Britain will make it work," he added.

Mr Coveney described Northern Ireland as 'fragile'.

He added: "It's 100 years since partition, effectively, Northern Ireland is a unique political construct and it's fragile... that is why Brexit and the issues around Brexit has created such tension and risk in the context of community relations.

"That's why the relationship between the British Government and the Irish Government is so important.

"There isn't an anti-British bone in my body .

"I'm a candid friend of the UK. We need to fix this (the UK-Ireland relationship ) now."

In the same interview, Mr Coveney described as 'perverse nationalism' UK efforts to agree a trade deal with the US.

"Rather than the EU and UK competing for attention in Washington, looking to be the first to do a trade deal, it makes sense for the UK, EU and US and Canada to do one together," he added.

"This idea that Britain can get there first is narrow-minded thinking, frankly.

"It's a perverse nationalism when actually Britain and the EU should work together as partners."

The Cork TD also revealed that the political storm over the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol had raised EU concerns as to whether the UK Government could be trusted by other countries.

"It has reinforced an awful lot of the doubts in Brussels about whether or not this really is a British government we can rely on to be a trusted partner when it comes to implementing what has already been agreed," he said.

Mr Coveney has come under considerable criticism from unionists over what they see as his combative approach to UK-Ireland relations in the post-Brexit era.

They cite his hardline stance on the protocol, which has disrupted trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Earlier this month, Mr Coveney told RTE the EU is negotiating with a partner it "simply cannot trust" after the UK moved to ease some trade restrictions imposed by the Protocol.

He said the timing of the UK's move could not be worse.
The Reserve Bank is working on an Australian version of Bitcoin.

The crytocurrency invented in 2008 is so popular one Bitcoin is now worth $A80,000.

The price of Bitcoin this week surged past the $US60,000 mark for the first time ever, after billionaire Tesla chief Elon Musk revealed he had bought $US1.5billion worth of the digital currency.

He also declared he would be accepting it as payment for his electric cars.

The Reserve Bank is working on an Australian version of Bitcoin. The crytocurrency invented in 2008 is so popular one Bitcoin is now worth $A80,000

With investors increasing turning to an alternative money, Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe said Australia could one day have its own version of a digital currency.

'Another example where technology and data are opening up new possibilities is in the area of digital currencies,' he told the Melbourne Business Analytics Conference on Monday.

'The RBA is conducting research on the technologies and policy implications of a potential wholesale central bank digital currency.'

Dr Lowe said the big banks in future could exchange money via a new digital currency instead of doing transactions in Australian dollars.

'This could use distributed ledger technology to support the settlement of transactions in the inter-bank payment system,' he said.

The Reserve Bank's in-house Innovation Lab is working on a concept.

The price of Bitcoin this week surged past the $US60,000 mark for the first time ever, after billionaire Tesla chief Elon Musk revealed he had bought $US1.5billion worth of the digital currency. He also declared he would be accepting it as payment for his electric cars

'We look forward to sharing more details in due course,' Dr Lowe said.

The Reserve Bank's Bank and the Payments System Board want to design a digital currency for both the public and private sectors.

Bitcoin isn't without its risks with Mr Musk losing his status as the world's richest man following a $US15billion in one day.
LANSING, MI  A remote-piloted boat owned by the Michigan Department of Transportation has been identified as an infrastructure gamechanger for 2021.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) included Sonar EMILY (EMergency Integrated LanYard), a drone boat that MDOT has been using to combat bridge scour, on its list of 13 successful infrastructure solutions across the country.

Scour, the degradation of the streambed around bridge abutments due to water currents, is a leading cause of bridge failure.

MDOT has deployed EMILY units in the field to measure bridge scour and inspect bridges and culverts where access is limited since 2016. Results showed it could be safer, less labor-intensive and, in some cases, less costly than traditional techniques.

Described as a powerful, durable, maneuverable water-jet-powered device, EMILY is about 4.5 feet long, 2 feet wide and a foot tall. It can be equipped with sonar to allow inspectors to take depth measurements and a topside camera to view the underside of bridges.

During the unprecedented flood event that struck Michigan in May 2020, MDOT used EMILY to help perform preliminary inspections of bridges across the area.

Midland, Gladwin, Saginaw, Arenac, and Iosco counties were declared disaster areas after several days of heavy rain and multiple dam failures. At its peak, more than 20 state trunkline and local bridges were impacted by flooding, resulting in immediate closures to protect the motoring public.

More than 10,000 households were evacuated in Midland County over a 24-hour period.

In the days following the disaster, MDOT focused emergency repair efforts on freeways carrying the highest traffic volumes and EMILY played a role in the rapid response, according to MDOT.

'Even while water levels were still on the rise in the flooded areas, we were able to get EMILY in the water to determine if scour was getting worse in some locations,' said MDOT Bay Region Bridge Engineer Paul Schiefer. 'After water levels stabilized, we were able to use the system again to confirm again that there were no scour issues that needed to be addressed before opening a bridge to traffic.'

Some flooded structures were so badly damaged, repairs took nearly a year. Through the flood and the aftermath, EMILY helped cut inspection time - and risk, according to MDOT.

'EMILY is a great asset for MDOT,' Schiefer said. 'During the flood response, it allowed us to monitor bridge conditions without putting a diver in a potentially dangerous situation.'

There are four EMILY units strategically positioned around the state for both extreme high-water events and routine bridge inspections. In addition, MDOT plans to use the technology to take images of bridge substructure below water, viewing the underside of bridges, inspecting hard-to-see culverts, and documenting bridge performance.
The Mexico border wall not getting finished is causing problems for many ranchers right along the wall. They said Biden should finish it to illegal crossing one and for all.

When the Trump administration and its policies were abandoned by the Biden administration, there would be drastic effects. Leaving the wall in gaps would be trouble from the other side of the border.

Flooding migrants flow in droves

Illegal immigration has never been this serious, as the Biden administration's open-border policy made an awful impact. A signing of presidential orders took away the protection of the wall by ending the construction of it. Next, the cattle ranchers of New Mexico are at the mercy of illegals crossing into their land, reported Foxnews.

Sections of the border wall were built along with Russell Johnson's property during President Donald Trump's office, prioritizing the border barrier. When Joe Biden entered the White House and stopped the wall's construction, which left a hole three-quarters-of-a-mile wide open, this gap allows illegal immigrants to walk right through it.

In an interview in Watters' World, he said that it was not a good feeling that his ranch was where the illegal immigration traffic went through. The gap was on the right south of his house, so all the Mexico border traffic is seen with illegals daily. He added that he needed to be armed with a firearm all over his property to be secure.

Also read: Migrants at the US-Mexico Border Wear Shirts Pleading Biden to Allow Entry into US

People like Johnson have lived near the border for generations and never experienced such fear of elements from it. His family has owned the property for 100 years, and it's under threat now.

Border patrol members are too few to cover the wide stretch of the US border and Mexico. This crisis ignored by Biden has made it worse, and migrants are crossing illegally without getting stopped. At this time, the Biden administration denies there is a crisis at the border.

When it comes to catching illegal immigrants, the border patrol made their capture by allowing them to move north. They will be caught by these agents a bit further from this point. While this style of catching illegal immigrants is used, the rancher says these elements in a three-mile stretch terrorize them.

What Biden should be doing

Biden should do, said the rancher when he spoke to Watters, is to finish the wall and its sections. Added that the wall is just a plain wall when completed. He indicated the addition of extra monitoring equipment, light systems, and integrated camera towers. He also mentioned that a complete wall is the first step in securing the border, with everything needed for it.

Many say that Biden made a big mistake of altering border policies that have put him in hot water. According to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, all is well out the border. Biden has yet to answer questions about the border, like his recent visit to a DC business when he ignored the question.

Johnson said stopping the wall at the Mexico border is a mistake that made his family less secure. He is only one of the many who suffers from Biden's Border crisis.

Related article: White House Still Denies Surging Border Crisis

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Rents outside London surged by 8% annually in February, an index has found.

Across Britain but excluding London, the average price of a newly-let property was 8% higher or 68 per month more than in February 2020, according to Hamptons.

The findings marked the strongest increase in rents since Hamptons index started in 2012.

The increase took the average monthly rent outside London to 913, up from 845 in February 2020.

In contrast to other parts of Britain, rents in London dipped by 0.2% annually, to 1,759 on average. The decrease was driven by sharp falls in inner London, Hamptons said.

This year we've seen a sharp decline in the number of rental homes coming onto the market Aneisha Beveridge, Hamptons International

It added that rental growth nationally has been fuelled by a lack of stock, with nearly a fifth fewer homes coming onto the rental market during the coronavirus pandemic compared with the previous 12 months.

London was the only region where there were more homes available to rent in February than a year earlier, the report said.

There is also an urban-rural divide, with 16% more homes available to rent in cities across Britain in February 2021 than a year earlier. In town and country locations there have been respective declines of 28% and 52% over the same period.

The lack of rental homes on the market has meant that so far this year half (50%) of landlords letting a property were able to secure a higher rent than they had previously achieved, Hamptons said. This is the highest proportion since 2016, with an average increase of 60 per month.

In line with weak rental growth London, only 37% of landlords there were able to secure higher rents in 2021, marking the lowest proportion recorded in any region.

By contrast, 62% of landlords in the South West of England were able to achieve higher rents on their properties in 2021.

Aneisha Beveridge, head of research at Hamptons, said: This year weve seen a sharp decline in the number of rental homes coming onto the market. Would-be tenants are now faced with significantly less choice, which in turn is pushing up rents.

And with many landlords having multiple offers on the table, half of investors have been able to increase the rent they charge.

Rental stock levels have also been hit with the onset of the pandemic causing investors to hold back.

Ms Beveridge continued: Over the last five months, and in an effort to beat the original stamp duty deadline of the end of March (the deadline has since been extended), landlord purchases started to rise, which will add to stock levels when these homes complete.

Meanwhile the Government announced a new mortgage guarantee scheme in the Budget which is aimed at helping would-be buyers with small deposits, many of whom are currently renting.

She said both factors mean rental stock levels may have bottomed out.
A series of sabotage incidents on Iranian tanker ships headed to Syria in recent years were carried out by Israel, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

More than a dozen Iranian tankers were hit with sea mines and limpet mines en route to Syria, where they were scheduled to offload fuel to aid the cash-strapped regime in Damascus in violation of US and international sanctions on Syria and Iran.

The sabotage incidents began in 2019, the Journal reported, and have included attacks on weapons cargo. Some of the attacks have reportedly received tacit US support.

The revelation adds new depth to Israels quiet campaign against Iranian interests in Syria. Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in recent years to prevent Iranian projectile weapons from approaching Israel's borders.

The United States has provided intelligence and military support for that airstrike campaign since 2018, Al-Monitor has previously reported.

Israels Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel earlier this month accused Iran of environmental terrorism for a massive oil spill that washed ashore on Israeli beaches. Israels government placed a gag order on reports about the spills origins shortly after the petroleum washed ashore along 90% of Israels coast last month.

The United States accused Iran of staging limpet mine attacks in the Persian Gulf against commercial tanker ships in 2019. The incidents fueled intense tensions between Washington and Tehran, which eventually culminated in tit-for-tat rocket and airstrikes in Iraq and the US killing of Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani.

The commander of US forces in the Middle East, Gen. Kenneth Frank McKenzie, has said US military posturing in the region has deterred Irans further attacks. Yet attacks by Irans proxy militias in the region on international military bases in Iraq and on oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia have continued.

Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of being behind an explosion on a cargo ship owned by an Israeli businessman connected to the countrys intelligence chief.
03/15/2021

Photo (c) izusek - Getty Images Coronavirus (COVID-19) tally as compiled by Johns Hopkins University. (Previous numbers in parentheses.)

Total U.S. confirmed cases: 29,446,321 (29,401,277)

Total U.S. deaths: 534,946 (534,315)

Total global cases: 120,002,856 (119,621,938)

Total global deaths: 2,655,755 (2,649,974)

Consumers return to the skies as vaccinations increase

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reports that the largest number of people in the last 12 months passed through its security checkpoints at U.S. airports on Friday. Officials say they expect travel to continue increasing as more people are vaccinated against the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Individual airlines also are seeing an increase in business. For example, JetBlue said the trend of increased bookings has been on the rise over the last couple of weeks.

Delta joined JetBlue in reporting strong increases in passenger bookings so far this month. In a filing, JetBlue attributed the increase almost entirely to leisure travel.

Dr. Fauci warns states about risky business

Although theres growing optimism that the coronavirus pandemic is mostly behind us, Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Bidens chief adviser on the pandemic, says its too early for a victory lap. Over the weekend, he pointed to sharp increases in cases of the virus in Europe and said the same thing could happen here.

When I hear pulling back completely on public health measures, saying no more masks, no nothing like that, that is risky business, Fauci said during an interview with NBC News.

But another health expert, former U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, says the U.S. may hold an advantage over European countries because the U.S. has been able to vaccinate more of its population.

Some consumers impatient with the stimulus payment rollout

The Treasury Department, using the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), began sending out $1,400 payments to Americans over the weekend, just hours after President Biden signed the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid bill. But it wasnt fast enough to suit some people.

Specifically, customers at Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase complained that the banks informed them that the money would be available in their accounts by Wednesday at the earliest. Scores of customers vented their displeasure on Twitter.

The banks insist that they arent sitting on the funds, a charge some customers made. They point out that the official payment date for the stimulus funds is Wednesday, March 17.

Health data breaches surge during the pandemic

It may just be a coincidence, but data breaches exposing health records surged in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Protenus, a health care compliance analytics company, reports that more than 40 million patient records were breached in 2020.

The researchers said health systems face unprecedented challenges as they tried to get a handle on the varying components and associated effects of COVID-19. They say one result was an increase in breaches of patient data.

The single largest breach reported last year was the result of a ransomware hacking incident. The hackers were able to access the system's donor database and were able to partially remove donor information that included dates of birth, inpatient/outpatient statuses, contact information, and other sensitive patient information. This hacking incident affected 3,320,726 patient records.

Facebook launches campaign to encourage vaccinations

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced that the social media giant is launching a campaign to encourage people to get vaccinated against the COVID-19. He said the global campaign is designed to get shots into the arms of 50 million people.

We've already connected over 2 billion people to authoritative Covid-19 information, Zuckerberg said in a statement. Now that many countries are moving towards vaccinations for all adults, we're working on tools to make it easier for everyone to get vaccinated as well.

Zuckerberg said one tool will show Facebook users when and where they can get vaccinated and provide a link to set up an appointment. The tool will be in the Covid Information Center, which will appear in users news feed.

Around the nation
FTSE 100 started the week on the front foot as traders are increasingly optimistic after the US approved a US$1.9 trillion stimulus package last week. Londons leading index jumped 27 points to 6,788 in early deals.

PLCs ( ) COVID-19 vaccine has been suspended in the Netherlands over concerns about cases of blood clots reported in Norway. The World Health Organisation said last week the jab was not linked to these effects though it was investigating the matter.

The government has announced a 3bn plan to boost bus services across England and to encourage people to use public transport. It includes increasing services, simplifying fares and establishing hundreds of miles of new bus lanes.

Andrew Bailey, the governor of the , is under fire for not disclosing a potential conflict of interest in a scandal involving the Royal Bank of Scotland, which is part of plc ( ). The bank was accused of benefitting from customers financial ruin.

Among the small caps, ( ) unveiled a new partnership with Magic Lamp Technologies, the owner of interactive video game map creator MapGenie. Gfinity will embed MapGenie's interactive video game maps into relevant articles across its network.

Ferro (LON: FAR) has brought in a big-hitter as its new chairman. The junior has entered into a subscription agreement for up to US$12.6mln with Vision Blue Resources, a company led and founded by former Xstrata chief executive Sir Mick Davis, who will take the chair.

( ) is to work with on the AIM-listed groups artificial intelligence (AI) data analytics platform. The pair will target neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease by enhancing IXICO's large-scale data processing capabilities.
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New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning with thunderstorms becoming likely this afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 82F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 66F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
FILE PHOTO: The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna

By Parisa Hafezi

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian authorities have charged French tourist Benjamin Briere, arrested 10 months ago, with espionage and "propaganda against the system", one of his lawyers told Reuters on Monday.

The news comes as the United States and European parties to Iran's 2015 nuclear deal, including France, are trying to restore the pact that was abandoned in 2018 by then-U.S. president Donald Trump.

Trump's successor Joe Biden has offered to join European countries in talks to revive the accord, but Tehran says Washington should first lift sanctions imposed in 2018 by Trump.

"On Sunday (Briere) was charged with two counts of espionage and propaganda against the Islamic Republic," his lawyer Saeid Dehghan said, adding that Briere faced a lengthy jail sentence.

Dehghan said Briere, 35, had been arrested after flying a helicam - a remote-controlled mini helicopter - in the desert near the Turkmenistan-Iran border.

"His last defence statement was taken yesterday. His spying charges are because of taking pictures in forbidden areas," Dehghan said.

"He is in the Vakilabad prison in the city of Mashhad. His health is good and he has access to his lawyers, and also he benefits from consular protection and the French embassy officials have been in regular contact with him."

Iran's judiciary was not available to comment.

A French foreign ministry spokeswoman said Paris was following the situation closely and was in contact with Briere.

The lawyer said Briere has been charged with "propaganda against the system" because of a post on social media, in which he said "the hijab is mandatory" in the Islamic Republic of Iran, but not in other Islamic countries.

'COMPLETELY GROTESQUE'

"We have to wait for the judge to conduct a full investigation in the next few days and announce his verdict," Dehghan said.

Briere's sister Blandine, in tears, described his detention as "completely grotesque".

Story continues

"... we are talking about a drone that he paid just 100 euros for on the internet to take photos of his trip. It's unreal. He says himself he doesn't understand what's happening to him," she told Reuters.

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners in recent years, mostly on espionage charges.

Rights activists have accused Iran of arresting the dual nationals and foreigners to try to win concessions from other countries. Tehran denies holding people for political reasons.

(Additional reporting by John Irish and Ardee Napolitano in Paris; Editing by Kim Coghill, Michael Perry, Catherine Evans and Gareth Jones)
Anyone whos ever set foot in the Land Down Under will tell you that Australias not a cheap country to visit or live in.

We might have a fantastic quality of life (and relevant to the last twelve months, have fared very well when it comes to The Spicy Cough) but it all comes at a price: a high cost of living, insane property market and the so-called Australia Tax making this sunburnt country a very expensive one, too.

But money isnt everything, right? Well, it turns out you can actually put a dollar figure on happiness. Researchers at Purdue University in the United States have come up with a metric called income satiation  basically, the point at which you have enough money to be happy.

Money and business blog Expensivity has gone one step further: using Purdues research as a starting point, theyve come up with what they call a happiness premium for every country in the world using purchasing power ratios sourced from the World Bank and comparing that with local cost of living data.

The result is something many of us have known instinctively for a long time: that Australia is the most expensive country in the world to be happy. Expensivity calculates Australias happiness premium as 135,321 USD (~174,970 AUD)  almost 20 times more than the least expensive country in the world, Suriname. (The global average is $85,000, by the way.)

Technically, Bermuda has a higher happiness premium ($143,933, $8,612 more than Australia) but as a British Overseas Territory and not a sovereign state in its own right, its a slightly trickier comparison. Israel sits at #3, with a happiness premium of $130,457.

Interestingly, its two South American and one African country that makes up the three lowest prices of happiness  Suriname ($6,799), Argentina ($8,778) and Angola ($8,921) respectively.

RELATED: Argentinas Millionaire-Targeting Tax Hike Other Countries Dont Have The Balls To Copy

Regardless of the happiness premium, a consistent theme that emerges in Expensivitys data set is that the happiness premium in any given country tends to be higher than the average income figure  a rather depressing thought, all things considered.

Cities in general also tend to have a higher happiness premium. The United States is the 10th most expensive country ($105,000) but the price of happiness in New York City is $139,183  the most of any city in the world and higher than Australias national premium. The cost of happiness can also vary wildly between cities within a country  for example, New York Citys cost of happiness is nearly 50% more than Houstons ($92,543).

Of course, its very difficult to objectively quantify happiness. Is putting a dollar figure on human satisfaction somewhat reductive? As they say, the best things in life are free Although we wouldnt say no to some extra scratch. Have you seen how expensive cars are in Sydney?

Read Next
COLUMBIA  More than 90 faith leaders from around South Carolina are planning to send a letter to state lawmakers March 16 in opposition to a pair of open carry gun bills, saying the legislation could add to their task of healing communities that have been "shattered by gun violence."

The letter, which was coordinated in part by South Carolina volunteers for the gun safety group Moms Demand Action and shared with The Post and Courier, comes as the state House is expected to debate and vote on one of the bills to allow trained gun owners with a permit to carry their handguns openly in public as soon as this week.

Pastors and ministers at churches across the state, from Disciples United Methodist Church in Greenville to Charity Mission Baptist Church in North Charleston to First Presbyterian Church of Myrtle Beach, wrote in the letter that they "have been at the forefront of the fight against gun violence in South Carolina."

"As faith leaders in our state, we know all too well the devastating consequences of gun violence, as we approach six years since a white supremacist murdered nine Black parishioners at Mother Emanuel AME church in Charleston," the letter says.

Signers also include the Rev. Sharon Risher, whose mother, Ethel Lee Lance, was among the victims of the Emanuel AME shooting.

The "open carry with training" bill is likely to win approval in the Republican-dominated House, where many members have campaigned on promises to expand gun rights.

Majority Leader Gary Simrill, R-Rock Hill, said earlier in the 2021 legislative session that it was a "near certitude" the bill would make it out of the House after becoming a top GOP agenda item.

But the bill already faces opposition from another typically influential group in the Statehouse: law enforcement.

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Charleston Police Chief Luther Reynolds testified against the bill in subcommittee, and State Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel also expressed concerns, saying he believes it could exacerbate gun violence.

The other bill, which would let anyone carry guns openly regardless of whether they have a permit, received its first subcommittee hearing last week. Conservative supporters of that measure, known as "constitutional carry," may seek to push it through over the open carry with training bill.

That proposal drew particular condemnation from the Rev. Henry Gregory, who said it's important for the clergy to speak out because their congregations look to them for consolation in the face of gun violence.

"Certainly, it makes our job even tougher when the Legislature seems to give gun rights out almost recreationally and without responsibility," said Gregory, pastor of New Home AME Zion Church in York.

State Rep. Bobby Cox, the lead sponsor of both gun bills, said he respects the pastor's concerns but noted that 45 other states have some form of open carry laws "with little to no issue." He cited a spike in gun sales over recent years as evidence of "an unprecedented desire for people to exercise their Second Amendment right."

"This is not a Democrat or Republican issue, but a constitutional, personal safety issue," said Cox, R-Greenville.

Whether either bill will make it through the Senate remains unclear. Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, said he personally supports the "open carry with training" bill but is not sure where the rest of the chamber stands and whether it will fit into their busy legislative calendar.
Nokia has sealed new partnerships with worlds biggest cloud providers  Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. In October last year, the Finnish telco giant had announced a move to the cloud, Google Clould, for the companys IT infrastructure.

The move is aimed at bringing their 5G and 4G services to major cloud providers.

This collaboration will help Nokia offer Cloud RAN (Radio Access Network) and Open RAN technology solutions on AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure.

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said: "This is a critically important collaboration and the continuation of Nokias Cloud RAN leadership. At Nokia we are committed to supporting our customers and giving them the flexibility and elasticity they need on the network edge."

"We are building an ecosystem of public cloud partners that will ultimately support our customers and help them to build compelling 5G use cases," he added.

On the Microsoft pact, Nokia said the focus will be on 4G and 5G private network solutions, as well as multi-access edge cloud with Azures Private Edge Zone.

As per the deal, Microsoft will help develop new market-ready 4G and 5G private wireless use cases designed for enterprises. The collaboration will combine Nokias Cloud RAN (vRAN) technologies with Microsoft Azure cloud-based services and developer ecosystem to drive end-user functionality via new business cases.

Yousef Khalidi, Corporate Vice President, Azure for Operators at Microsoft Corp, said: "We believe in the importance of an open and interoperable ecosystem of solutions on the Azure carrier grade platform. Our collaboration with Nokia across multiple potential use cases, based on specific customer demand, will provide operators with choices on how the best adopt cloud technology in concert with their 5G updates to drive new revenue streams, reduce cost and future proof their network investment."

The initiative supports Nokias strategy of partnering with best-in-class public cloud providers to drive end-user business outcomes essential for monetizing 4G/5G deployments, he added.

On the Google deal, Nokia said it is aimed at developing new, cloud-based 5G radio solutions. The two companies will collaborate on joint solutions combining Nokias Radio Access Network (RAN), Open RAN, Cloud RAN (vRAN) and edge cloud technologies, with Googles edge computing platform and applications ecosystem.

The collaboration will lead to the development of solutions and use cases to solve key 5G scenarios for businesses worldwide.

It is aimed at integrating the companys 5G vDU (virtualized distributed unit) and 5G vCU (virtualized centralized unit) with Googles edge computing platform, running on Anthos.

The collaboration is getting deeper with Nokia now offering Open RAN and Cloud RAN solutions on Google Cloud platform.

George Nazi, Global VP, Telco, Media & Entertainment Industry Solutions at Google Cloud, said: In the 5G era, were committed to delivering solutions underpinned by world-class engineering that support our customers requirements and help them to take advantage of 5G.

On the AWS pact, Nokia said it was for research and enable Cloud RAN (vRAN) and Open RAN technologies to support the development of new customer-focused 5G solutions.

The collaboration, which will be conducted at Nokias facilities, aims to develop innovative proof of concepts (PoC) to explore and enable Cloud RAN and related technologies.

Nokia is pursuing a strategy of collaborating with AWS to extend the reach of its Cloud RAN technologies in support of 5G deployments and the development of new use cases.

The initiative will see engineering teams from both companies research how the combination of Nokias RAN (Radio Access Network), Open RAN, Cloud RAN and edge solutions can operate seamlessly with AWS Outposts.

This collaboration will enable communications service providers (CSPs) and enterprises with 5G connectivity to utilize AWS across the topology of the mobile network. Operators will be able to simplify the network virtualization and platform layers for the Core and RAN network functions by leveraging the agility and scalability of cloud, said Nokia in a statement.

Nokia said it was pursuing a strategy of collaborating with AWS to extend the reach of its Cloud RAN technologies in support of 5G deployments and the development of new use cases.

Dave Brown, VP, Amazon EC2, AWS, said: "This collaboration with Nokia will extend the reach of our industry-leading cloud technology to support our Telco and enterprise customers. We look forward to working closely on this collaboration and offer multiple deployment choices for customers to build 5G Cloud RAN and Open RAN solutions."

"Our customers will benefit from different options to run 5G RAN using AWS Outposts with either Intel or ARM-based CPU choices, or third-party bare metal servers while using Amazon EKS and EKS Anywhere. This will solve for the challenge of CI/CD, automation, and network orchestration by using a common framework of tools across Core and RAN," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
People look at smoke believed to be from a factory fire during the security force crack down on anti-coup protesters at Hlaingthaya, Yangon, Burma, on March 14, 2021. (Stringer/Reuters)

At Least 39 Reported Killed in Burma as Chinese Factories Burn

Security forces killed at least 22 anti-coup protesters in the poor, industrial Hlaingthaya suburb of Yangon, Burma (also known as Myanmar), on Sunday after Chinese-financed factories were set ablaze there, an advocacy group said.

A further 16 protesters were killed in other places, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said, as well as one policeman, making it the bloodiest day since the Feb. 1 coup against elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Chinese embassy said many Chinese staff were injured and trapped in arson attacks by unidentified assailants on garment factories in Hlaingthaya. The Chinese regime is viewed as being supportive of the military junta that has taken power.

As plumes of smoke rose from the industrial area, security forces opened fire on protesters in the suburb that is home to migrants from across the country, local media said.

It was horrible. People were shot before my eyes. It will never leave my memory, said one photojournalist on the scene who did not want to be named.

Martial law was imposed in Hlaingthaya and another district of Yangon, Burmas commercial hub and former capital, state media announced.

Army-run Myawadday television said security forces acted after four garment factories and a fertilizer plant were set ablaze and about 2,000 people had stopped fire engines from reaching them.

No group claimed responsibility for burning the factories.

A junta spokesman did not answer calls requesting comment.

People take part in an anti-coup night protest at Hledan junction in Yangon, Burma, on March 14, 2021. (Stringer/Reuters)

Doctor Sasa, a representative of elected lawmakers from the assembly that was ousted by the army, voiced solidarity with the people of Hlaingthaya.

The perpetrators, attackers, enemies of the people of Myanmar, the evil SAC (State Administrative Council) will be held accountable for every drop of blood that shed, he said in a message.

The latest deaths would bring the toll from the protests to 126, the AAPP said. It said more than 2,150 people had been detained by Saturday. More than 300 have since been released.

Anti-Chinese sentiment has risen since the coup that plunged Burma into turmoil, with opponents of the army takeover noting Beijings muted criticism compared to Western condemnation.

Only two factories had been burnt for now, protest leader Ei Thinzar Maung posted on Facebook.

If you want to do business in Myanmar stably, then respect Myanmar people, she said. Fighting Hlaingthaya, we are proud of you!!

The United Nations Special Envoy for Myanmar condemned what she termed the ongoing brutality.

Christine Schraner Burgener said she had personally heard from contacts in Myanmar heartbreaking accounts of killings, mistreatment of demonstrators and torture of prisoners over the weekend.

The repression undermined the prospects for peace and stability, she said, appealing to the international community support the people of Burma and their democratic aspirations.

Britain, Burmas former colonial ruler, said it was appalled by the security forces use of deadly force against innocent people in Hlaingthaya and elsewhere.

We call for an immediate cessation of this violence and for the military regime to hand back power to those democratically elected by the people of Myanmar, British Ambassador Dan Chugg said.

The army said it took power after its accusations of fraud in a Nov. 8 election won by Suu Kyis party were rejected by the electoral commission. It has promised to hold a new election, but has not set a date.

Suu Kyi has been detained since the coup and is due to return to court on Monday. She faces at least four charges, including the illegal use of walkie-talkie radios and infringing coronavirus protocols.

Away from Hlaingthaya, at least 16 deaths were reported elsewhere in Burma, including in the second city of Mandalay and in Bago, where state television MRTV said a police officer had died of a chest wound after a confrontation with protesters.

He is the second policeman reported dead in the protests.

The violence took place a day after Mahn Win Khaing Than, who is on the run along with most senior officials from the Suu Kyis National League for Democracy Party, said the civilian government would give people the legal right to defend themselves. It announced a law to that effect on Sunday.
OLYMPIA  All public schools in Washington will be required to offer students an in-person learning option starting next month, with school districts having to meet an average of at least 30% weekly in-class instruction by April 19.

Gov. Jay Inslee said he will soon sign an emergency proclamation commanding schools to comply.

The proclamation, which he announced Friday, allows for a staggered start, with kindergarten to sixth-grade students being provided an opportunity for hybrid remote and in-person learning by April 5, followed by all other K-12 students by April 19.

That timeline is one week later than Oregons for elementary pupils and identical for middle and high schools.

But Washington students could get a lot more face-to-face learning time. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown laid out no expectation for what proportion of the school week students should be allowed to attend in-person, and several Portland-area districts plan to offer students just five hours a week, or less than 20% of required instruction time.

Portland Public Schools and Beaverton plan to offer elementary students 10 hours of in-person learning a week, which meets Inslees 30% benchmark.

They have indicated they will or are likely to offer significantly fewer hours to middle and high school students, given the complicated logistics of keeping students safe from the virus in large schools where, during normal times, students switch classmates and teachers every 90 minutes or so.

That could change if the Oregon Health Authority makes a change its leaders said Friday they are considering: lessening the required separation between students to three feet, down from six.

In Washington, Inslee and state schools Superintendent Chris Reykdal cited mental health and academic concerns for students over the past year of school closures.

Many, many of our children have not been able to thrive as we wish them to do so without on-site education, Inslee said. For them, were taking action.

He said students will have to be offered no fewer than two days of of on-campus, in-person instruction per week, but students can remain fully remote if their families choose.

In both Washington and Oregon, some public school teachers have resisted returning to the classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic, citing concerns about safety. Portland Public Schools only secured tentative agreement from its teachers union late Sunday night that teachers will likely return to wide-scale in-person instruction next month, starting with preschoolers, kindergartners and first-graders on April 1.

Last week, Seattle authorities delayed the start of in-person classes for some special education students and preschoolers to March 29. Originally, Seattle Public Schools leaders had hoped to resume classroom learning for some students last week. But there has been intense opposition from the Seattle Education Association to summon 700 educators back to buildings ahead of an agreement on expanding in-person instruction.

Seattle Public Schools is the states largest district, with about 50,000 students. Reykdal noted that the school district was among 35 that will not receive federal money that is going to 271 other districts this month because of an inadequate reopening plan submitted earlier this month.

Julie Popper, a spokeswoman with the Washington Education Association, said that the governors announcement assumes that districts have the ability to provide safe teaching and learning.

Some districts are not yet prepared to safely welcome students back to buildings, she said in a statement. Local unions are actively bargaining with districts to ensure the return to buildings is as safe as possible. Shortcutting those safety processes is not in the best interest of our students, staff, or communities.

Inslee noted that his proclamation was legally binding and we have full expectation it will be fulfilled.

Were not here today for threats, he said. Were here for success, consensus building and confidence.

About 40% of the states 1.1 million public school students are receiving some level of in-person instruction, according to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

In Oregon, that figure is closer to 30%. Brown said Friday that 174,000 of the states roughly 600,000 public and private school students got at least a few hours a week of in-person teaching last week.

Under Inslees order, Washington districts will be required to work to exceed the 30% minimum, with a goal of reaching the maximum capacity and maximum frequency of on-campus, in-person instruction as soon as possible, he said.l

The proclamation will also direct the Department of Health and the state Health Care Authority to work on recommendations on how to support the behavioral health needs of children in the coming year.

Reykdal said there has been a jump in absences from middle schoolers and high schoolers over the past year, as well as more poor grades. Data provided by the state education agency shows that in the first term of the 2020-21 school year, 25% of high school students had at least one course in which they didnt earn credit due to a failing grade or an incomplete, up from 18% the previous year.

Academically, students are struggling, Reykdal said.

Earlier this month, educators, school staff and licensed childcare workers of all ages in Washington were added to the current tier of vaccine eligibility following a presidential directive to prioritize vaccinating teachers in order to get them back into the classroom. Oregon was the first state in the nation to put teachesr and other school employees at the head of the line for vaccine and leaders in the Brown administration said Friday that about 99% of school employees have had that opportunity.

This story is reported by the Associated Press from Olympia and by The Oregonian/OregonLive team from Portland.

Thoughts about this article? Email betsyhammond@oregonian.com
New Delhi: Property buyers can look forward to buying property at great prices during the ongoing e-auction of properties by Punjab National Bank (PNB).

Punjab National Bank has also informed via a tweet that the bank is going to auction different types of property. According to the PNB tweet, the auction will be done on Monday (March 15). The bank has informed regarding the same through advertisements in different newspapers as well. The properties offered by PNB e-auction includes all types of properties, housing, residential, commercial, industrial.

You won't want to miss this! Grab the opportunity before it slips away. Get reasonable prices of residential and commercial property through PNB e-Auction being held on 15th March 2021. To know more, visit e-Bikray Portal: https://t.co/N1l10s1hyq pic.twitter.com/Jkw8mXiWta  Punjab National Bank (@pnbindia) March 14, 2021

How to participate for the PNB Mega e-auction of Properties?

The bid for PNB e-auction as the name suggests will be completely online. If you also want to bid in this digital auction, then for this you have to register first through your mobile number and email ID. After that you will have to upload papers for KYC. Once the verification is complete, online challan will be filled, only after which you will be able to bid online.

Usually, those properties whose loans could not be repaid i.e. properties on default, are placed in the auction by banks. Such properties are auctioned from time to time by banks through Indian Banks Auctions Mortgaged Properties Information (IBAPI) portal.

"Indian Banks Auctions Mortgaged Properties Information (IBAPI) portal is an initiative of Indian Banks Association (IBA) under the overarching policy of the Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance to provide a common platform to display details of mortgaged properties to be auctioned online by Banks, starting with Public Sector Banks. Prospective buyers may use this portal to search and view details of properties and participate in the auction process," the Ibapi website reads.

Live TV

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According to the information available on the IBAPI portal, 6,449 residential properties, 1734 commercial properties, 932 industrial properties, 18 agricultural properties, 30 properties over state are available. Auction of these properties has been conducted by 12 banks.
Armenia economic competition protection commission: Experts forecast inflation of butter prices

Armenia citizens' protest against acting health minister is over

Pashinyan visits France, judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku, Jun. 2 digest

Armenian Ambassador, FMO representatives consider opportunities for expansion of cooperation in Armenia

Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Armenia citizens throw polyethylene bags at Health Ministry building, police apprehend protesters

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

Newspaper: What instructions did Armenia acting defense minister get in Moscow?

Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

Armenia 3rd President reacts to photos of bodies of soldiers in freezer: It felt like the blood froze in my veins

Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

Turkey's Erdogan expresses willingness to support Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral cooperation

Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

Wargonzo: Russian MOD is dealing with settlement of conflict in Armenia's Syunik Province on a daily basis

Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

Latest on scandal over improper storage of Armenian soldiers bodies, more on COVID-19, Jun. 1

Armenia Constitutional Court launches case proceedings based on President's application

Armenia acting emergency situations minister says he's concerned about situation in army

Armenia acting education, science, culture and sport minister receives ICRC Delegation

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

Armenia deputy police chief: No real cases of vote-buying reported to date

Armenia human rights activists: Nearly 10 protesters detained during protest in front of government building

Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

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Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

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Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

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Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

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Shi speaks during the recent fourth session of the 13th National People's Congress. She proposed the establishment of a Miao embroidery research and development center in Songtao Miao Autonomous County. [For China Daily]

NPC deputy Shi Liping has spent the last two decades promoting her Miao ethnic community's traditional embroidery.

"With traditional craft, I will make my own contribution to rural revitalization," Shi Liping, wearing the customary clothes of the Miao ethnic group, declared at this year's CCTV Spring Festival Gala on Feb 11, which attracted many people's attention.

The 55-year-old provincial-level inheritor of China's intangible cultural heritage of Miao embroidery, who was awarded a prize for poverty alleviation by the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development last year, says she feels "lucky" to have stood on the stage, showing her clothes as an example of the traditional craft.

Over the years, Shi has continued to develop the craft, and in turn it has helped her and the people in Songtao Miao Autonomous County, Guizhou Province, to stitch together a better life. She was also selected to be a deputy at the fourth session of the 13th National People's Congress.

Born in Songtao, like Miao girls, Shi learned the embroidery skills as a child, being taught by her mother and grandmother. She finds the traditional craft rather appealing since "it reflects the wisdom of Miao women", she says.

Without a written language, Miao women record things in their embroidery. "Embroidery has profound cultural connotations. It records the change of our ethnic group, and reflects our respect for the nature and our ancestors," says Shi.

But when she grew up, she found that, as many young people migrated to work in cities, only leaving the old and young in her hometown, there seemed to be fewer people inheriting and developing the craft. She was worried that one day it might be lost.

To ensure that did not happen, starting in 2000, she spent eight years visiting numerous Miao villages honing her embroidery skills. In 2008, she founded Fanjingshan Miao Culture Tourism Product Development, a company selling Miao embroidery products, such as bags, clothes and decorations, trying to preserve the craft through commercial means.

"I believe business can help the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage. We have progressed so fast, so I want to slow down and comb through the craft to see what we can add to it or let go of," says Shi.

Shi Liping, a deputy at the recent fourth session of the 13th National People's Congress, takes the chance to show the traditional craft of Miao embroidery from Songtao Miao Autonomous County, Guizhou Province, an intangible cultural heritage she has helped to develop. [For China Daily]

In the beginning, when she established the company, Shi knew that the passing down of the traditional craft would require more than just her own efforts, so she recruited locals  such as those with disabilities that excluded them from manual labor, people who had been laid-off and returning migrant workers-and trained them as needleworkers.

Over the years, the company has offered jobs to more than 4,000 women who have been "left behind "by their husbands, who go to big cities seeking better-paid work, and lifted more than 300 households out of poverty.

Yang Guangrong, 45, one of Shi's few men employees, used to live on a subsistence allowance from the government after injuring his leg in an accident. He has seen his life change since becoming a needleworker at Shi's company in 2017.

"I'm thankful to Shi. After finding out about my situation, she encouraged me to learn embroidery. Now I have stable work and can save money every month," says Yang.

According to Tian Yingzhi, another needleworker, "We all feel grateful to Shi as she has offered us a very good opportunity. The company pays us according to the number of embroidered items we make, so the harder we work, the higher our income."

The company's products are sold in 67 countries and regions. Before the outbreak of COVID-19, between 60 and 70 percent of the company's total output was sold overseas.

The pandemic has impacted Shi's business significantly. "Our sales volume reached 60 million yuan ($9.22 million) in 2019, but was less than 200,000 yuan in the first several months of 2020," says Shi.

Facing the situation head-on, Shi shifted the company's focus to the domestic market, and established an online shop selling sachets, pillows and key chains adorned with Miao embroidery, and also sold products via livestream.

"The pandemic brought us unprecedented pressure, and made us consider how to continue and transform. We want to take this opportunity to attract more young people to use our products through online channels," she adds.

During this year's two sessions, the annual gathering of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, held in Beijing, Shi proposed to establish a Miao embroidery research and development center in Songtao to try and engage more young people with the craft, and to cultivate young talent.

After all the hard work over the years, Shi says more young people are now joining the industry compared with 20 years ago.

"Now the majority of staff at my company are young people who were born in the 1980s and 1990s. We need the participation of a greater number of knowledgeable and capable young people in the development of our industry," she says.

(Source: China Daily)
New Delhi, March 15 : In a major action against the Islamic State (IS) modules, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday carried out searches in at least 10 locations across the country, including one in Delhi.

An NIA source related to the probe said the agency sleuths were carrying out searches at over 10 locations and four to five people including some women members have been detained for questioning.

The source further said that the people being questioned are well educated people and the agency was determining if they were radicalised by the IS group to further strengthen their wings in India.

The source, however, refused to reveal the names of the persons being questioned.

The source said the multiple agency sleuths were carrying out searches at 10 locations in Delhi, Karnataka and Kerala.

In Delhi, the searches were being carried out in the Jafrabad area while the anti-terror probe agency team was searching two locations in Bengaluru.

The source further said that the agency sleuths were also carrying out searches in four locations in Kerala's Kochi and Kunoor.

"The people whose premises are being searched can be arrested after their questioning," the source added.

The source, however, refused to share more details about the case.
Nanomedicine is a very powerful tool with the potential to mitigate the burden of disease by providing nanoparticle-based carriers and vaccines. A recent review by a team of interdisciplinary researchers looked at its role in the diagnostics, therapeutics, strategies and future perspectives for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Appearing in the journal Nanomedicine, the review summarized all the exciting advances made using diverse nanomaterials (polymeric, inorganic self-assembling materials and peptide-based) towards COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis and therapy.

COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. A positive-stranded RNA betacoronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the largest group of viruses, the Nidovirales order, Cornidovirineae suborder and Coronaviridae family. The main characteristics of the virus include rapid mutation, altered tissue tropism, cross-species transmission and adaptation to various epidemiological conditions.

To date, the SARS-CoV-2 has infected over 118 million people worldwide and caused over 2.6 million deaths. Due to the viruss high transmissibility and infectivity, extreme mitigation measures, such as the closure of offices, isolation, lockdown measures, and travel restrictions, were adopted worldwide. This brought ordinary activity in many sectors to a grinding halt, with devastating social and economic consequences.

While vaccines are being developed at an unprecedented pace  with some already approved and being rolled out  therapeutic advances that can mitigate severe disease in those the virus infects are still needed.

COVID-19 is a heterogeneous disease, causing multiple clinical manifestations  a huge challenge to the healthcare professionals in diagnosing the cause and treating the patients. Many approaches, strategies and technologies are required to understand the host-pathogen interaction and the disease, optimize best assays, and design effective drugs and therapy.

It is reported that, to date, nanotechnology-based tools have been effective in preclinical studies against a variety of pathogens, including respiratory viruses, herpes virus, human papillomavirus and HIV. In this context, nanotechnology draws immediate focus to aid with the COVID-19.

The nanotechnology-based strategies for COVID-19 disease management include the development of tools for rapid, accurate and sensitive diagnosis, the improvement of contact tracing tools, the production of effective disinfectants, the delivery of mRNA vaccines into human cells and the delivery of antiviral agents into the body.

Nanomaterials are less than one micrometer in size, falling in the nano-regime. This small size is comparable to the size of the virus itself, endowing nanomaterial with effective functional qualities in combating it. The small size also renders a high surface-to-volume ratio, enabling the nanomaterial to be excellent cargo-delivery moieties, improving targeted drug delivery and gene modifications and also enhancing interactions between analyte and sensor (allowing fast and accurate virus detection).

Such nanoparticle-based carriers address concerns such as cargo degradation, no bioavailability or rapid clearance of the delivery of drugs, genes and proteins to the patients body.

Metal nanoparticles such as silver, copper and titanium dioxide are alternatives currently used as chemical disinfectants. The unique physical and chemical properties of the particles in the nano-size range can be amply utilized in devising strategies against COVID-19.

Nanotechnology-based treatments for COVID-19 infections

The reviewers summarized the strategies for the development of novel nano-therapeutic materials for improving the efficacy of COVID-19 treatment. These included fabrication of polymeric nanoparticles with rapid and high mucus penetration features, the development of biodegradable, nontoxic and stable nanoparticles that could be used in the lung with minimum pulmonary toxicity during treatment, surface modification of nanoparticles by conjugation of PEG as a capping agent and targeting moieties to minimize adverse effects of therapy. The researchers have listed the active and effective antiviral nanostructured materials in the review.

Role of nanotechnology in vaccine development

A new generation of vaccines, called nanovaccines, has been developed, using nanoparticles to deliver antigens into the human body. It has been established that nanoparticles can target both adaptive (T cells, B cells) and innate (macrophages, monocytes and neutrophils) immune systems at the cellular level. The nanoparticles can deliver or act as an intrinsic adjuvant, with tunable physical loading of antigens.

The COVID-19 mRNA-based vaccines (made by BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna) are encapsulated in positively charged lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), enabling resistance to RNase-mediated degradation, stable self-assembling particles that can be injected by various routes.

Other propitious vehicles for mRNA delivery are cationic polymer nanoparticles, polyethyleneimine, oil-in-water (O/W) cationic nanoemulsion and PEG-lipid functionalized dendrimer nanoparticles.

Nanomaterial applications in diagnosing COVID-19

Metallic nanoparticles are mostly intended for diagnostic purposes rather than therapy. Based on changes in surface plasmon resonance, selective naked-eye detection of COVID-19 is possible when the AuNPs (gold nanoparticles) capped with antisense oligonucleotides interact with RNA specimens within just 10 mins. This can diagnose and detect the number of positive COVID-19 cases without requiring any advanced instrumental facilities and equipment.

Future strategies by nanotechnology for COVID-19

In discussing the unsolved concerns, the reviewers pointed to the high-mutating RNA viruses that need a rapid solid approach to tackle. Overall, the profound role of nanotechnology and nanoscience is undeniable, but these promising materials could cause severe issues in lung and respiratory systems, the reviewers warned. Successful combination therapies that may involve nano-drug co-delivery systems, however, could be effective alternative options to combat the heterogeneous COVID-19.
CHAPPAQUA, N.Y., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Digitech, a leading provider of EMS billing and technology services, has announced that Krina Merchant has been hired as Corporate Counsel and Amanda Stark has been hired as Risk Manager.

Krina Merchant, Digitech's Corporate Counsel, and Amanda Stark, Digitech's Risk Manager

Ms. Merchant brings with her a background of balancing business goals with legal risk, which allows her to effectively support departments across Digitech. She recently held a role as corporate counsel for a cutting-edge biotechnology company and has significant experience working in heavily regulated industries. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Western Ontario (Canada) and received her Law Degree from The University of Leicester (UK). Subsequently, she earned a Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall School of Law (Canada) and a second Master of Laws from Fordham University. Ms. Merchant is licensed to practice law in the State of New York. She is currently completing training to become a Certified Ambulance Compliance Officer.

Ms. Stark joins Digitech from Page, Wolfberg & Wirth, the nation's leading EMS industry law firm, where she specialized in Medicare compliance. There, she co-authored the Ambulance Compliance Program Toolkit, created and taught the Certified Ambulance Compliance Officer course, and worked with clients across the country to create and improve their compliance programs. Ms. Stark earned her undergraduate degree from Millikin University and her JD from the University of Illinois. She is also certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC). As Risk Manager for Digitech, her responsibilities include reviewing and auditing clients' claims to ensure they are billed in compliance with each payer's rules.

Mark Schiowitz, President and CEO of Digitech, said, "We've always been proud of our impeccable compliance record. As the largest EMS billing firm in the country, we've scaled our legal, compliance, and audit teams so that we can continue to serve ambulance agencies of all sizes. We are honored to bring these experienced professionals on board to lead the most rigorous compliance program in the industry."

About Digitech

Digitech is a leading provider of advanced billing and technology services to the EMS transport industry. Since its founding in 1984, Digitech has refined its software platform to create a cloud-based billing and business intelligence solution that monitors and automates the entire EMS revenue lifecycle. Digitech leverages its proprietary technology to offer fully outsourced services that maximize collections, protect compliance, and deliver results for clients. For more information, visit digitechcomputer.com.

Press Contact: Rachel Wilson, [email protected]

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Krina Merchant and Amanda Stark

Krina Merchant, Digitech's Corporate Counsel, and Amanda Stark, Digitech's Risk Manager

SOURCE Digitech
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 Office of the Representative of Armenia before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has selected and summarized in Armenian 19 ECHR judgments in precedent cases in order to get familiarized with the latest developmentsmainly from 2018 to 2020in ECHR case law, informed the representation of Armenia before the ECHR.

The special interest and importance of the selected judgments is conditioned by similar legal issues in the legal system of Armenia. The summaries of these judgments include examples of other precedents of the ECHR relating to the legal issue raised and analyzed by the ECHR in a particular judgment, as well as the ECHR's general approach to legal issues arising out of the rights infringed or not infringed in the given case.

As a result of close cooperation with the relevant ECHR departments, the Armenian summaries of the aforementioned ECHR judgments are now accessible on the HUDOC case-law database here.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The world's oceans are a vast repository for gases including ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. They absorb these gases from the atmosphere and draw them down to the deep, where they can remain sequestered for centuries and more.

Marine CFCs have long been used as tracers to study ocean currents, but their impact on atmospheric concentrations was assumed to be negligible. Now, MIT researchers have found the oceanic fluxes of at least one type of CFC, known as CFC-11, do in fact affect atmospheric concentrations. In a study appearing today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team reports that the global ocean will reverse its longtime role as a sink for the potent ozone-depleting chemical.

The researchers project that by the year 2075, the oceans will emit more CFC-11 back into the atmosphere than they absorb, emitting detectable amounts of the chemical by 2130. Further, with increasing climate change, this shift will occur 10 years earlier. The emissions of CFC-11 from the ocean will effectively extend the chemical's average residence time, causing it to linger five years longer in the atmosphere than it otherwise would. This may impact future estimations of CFC-11 emissions.

The new results may help scientists and policymakers better pinpoint future sources of the chemical, which is now banned worldwide under the Montreal Protocol.

"By the time you get to the first half of the 22nd century, you'll have enough of a flux coming out of the ocean that it might look like someone is cheating on the Montreal Protocol, but instead, it could just be what's coming out of the ocean," says study co-author Susan Solomon, the Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies in MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. "It's an interesting prediction and hopefully will help future researchers avoid getting confused about what's going on."

Solomon's co-authors include lead author Peidong Wang, Jeffery Scott, John Marshall, Andrew Babbin, Megan Lickley, and Ronald Prinn from MIT; David Thompson of Colorado State University; Timothy DeVries of the University of California at Santa Barbara; and Qing Liang of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

An ocean, oversaturated

CFC-11 is a chlorofluorocarbon that was commonly used to make refrigerants and insulating foams. When emitted to the atmosphere, the chemical sets off a chain reaction that ultimately destroys ozone, the atmospheric layer that protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Since 2010, the production and use of the chemical has been phased out worldwide under the Montreal Protocol, a global treaty that aims to restore and protect the ozone layer.

Since its phaseout, levels of CFC-11 in the atmosphere have been steadily declining, and scientists estimate that the ocean has absorbed about 5 to 10 percent of all manufactured CFC-11 emissions. As concentrations of the chemical continue to fall in the atmosphere, however, it's predicted that CFC-11 will oversaturate in the ocean, pushing it to become a source rather than a sink.

"For some time, human emissions were so large that what was going into the ocean was considered negligible," Solomon says. "Now, as we try to get rid of human emissions, we find we can't completely ignore what the ocean is doing anymore."

A weakening reservoir

In their new paper, the MIT team looked to pinpoint when the ocean would become a source of the chemical, and to what extent the ocean would contribute to CFC-11 concentrations in the atmosphere. They also sought to understand how climate change would impact the ocean's ability to absorb the chemical in the future.

The researchers used a hierarchy of models to simulate the mixing within and between the ocean and atmosphere. They began with a simple model of the atmosphere and the upper and lower layers of the ocean, in both the northern and southern hemispheres. They added into this model anthropogenic emissions of CFC-11 that had previously been reported through the years, then ran the model forward in time, from 1930 to 2300, to observe changes in the chemical's flux between the ocean and the atmosphere.

They then replaced the ocean layers of this simple model with the MIT general circulation model, or MITgcm, a more sophisticated representation of ocean dynamics, and ran similar simulations of CFC-11 over the same time period.

Both models produced atmospheric levels of CFC-11 through the present day that matched with recorded measurements, giving the team confidence in their approach. When they looked at the models' future projections, they observed that the ocean began to emit more of the chemical than it absorbed, beginning around 2075. By 2145, the ocean would emit CFC-11 in amounts that would be detectable by current monitoring standards.

The ocean's uptake in the 20th century and outgassing in the future also affects the chemical's effective residence time in the atmosphere, decreasing it by several years during uptake and increasing it by up to 5 years by the end of 2200.

Climate change will speed up this process. The team used the models to simulate a future with global warming of about 5 degrees Celsius by the year 2100, and found that climate change will advance the ocean's shift to a source by 10 years and produce detectable levels of CFC-11 by 2140.

"Generally, a colder ocean will absorb more CFCs," Wang explains. "When climate change warms the ocean, it becomes a weaker reservoir and will also outgas a little faster."

"Even if there were no climate change, as CFCs decay in the atmosphere, eventually the ocean has too much relative to the atmosphere, and it will come back out," Solomon adds. "Climate change, we think, will make that happen even sooner. But the switch is not dependent on climate change."

Their simulations show that the ocean's shift will occur slightly faster in the Northern Hemisphere, where large-scale ocean circulation patterns are expected to slow down, leaving more gases in the shallow ocean to escape back to the atmosphere. However, knowing the exact drivers of the ocean's reversal will require more detailed models, which the researchers intend to explore.

"Some of the next steps would be to do this with higher-resolution models and focus on patterns of change," says Scott. "For now, we've opened up some great new questions and given an idea of what one might see."

Explore further Sea ice kept oxygen from reaching deep ocean during last ice age

More information: Peidong Wang el al., "On the effects of the ocean on atmospheric CFC-11 lifetimes and emissions," PNAS (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Peidong Wang el al., "On the effects of the ocean on atmospheric CFC-11 lifetimes and emissions,"(2021). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2021528118
The creation of a specialized financial court in Ukraine will allow banks to more effectively regulate non-performing loans and will generally have a positive impact on the investment environment, according to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).

On March 11, the National Bank held a round table meeting with representatives of the banking, legal community and foreign experts on the feasibility of establishing a specialized financial court in Ukraine, the central banks press service reports.

Opening the event, Deputy Governor of the National Bank Yaroslav Matuzka told about the advantages of such a court.

"More than 130,000 lawsuits in Ukraine are disputes related to the financial sector. This is a quarter of all lawsuits. Considering this, we have raised the issue on the creation of a specialized financial court. We believe that the creation of a specialized financial court will be for everyones benefit: creditors, borrowers, depositors and investors. After all, such a court can become an effective mechanism for protecting their rights," Matuzka said.

According to data provided by banks, to date, the amount of debt, which is the subject of litigation with borrowers, reached UAH 144 billion, disputes with depositors - more than UAH 18 billion, investors - UAH 81 million. The total amount of collateral for such lawsuits is about UAH 14 billion, and the amount of deposits - UAH 18 billion.

During the meeting, experts also expressed their views on the establishment and operation of a specialized court in Ukraine, taking into account the experience of foreign countries, discussed current issues in the courts and executive service, which have a negative impact on protecting creditors and investors.

iy
The powerful chairman of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez started to collect signatures on a bipartisan letter urging President Joe Biden to fully and formally recognise the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) this week.

There are a number of reasons to believe that this may be the year that the president of the United States officially recognises what happened to Armenians in 1915 during the final years of the Ottoman Empire as a genocide.

Turkeys Foreign Ministry has treated the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the U.S. Congress or past presidents as the most important diplomatic battle of all time, and for decades, spent significant resources to counter such moves.

Pushes for further recognition for the Armenian Genocide, as well as every other anti-Turkish government step in Western capitals, have gained popularity and traction in recent years due to Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogans and his governments alienating policies in foreign affairs and anti-democratic steps at home.

The Turkish government witnessed a historic and bipartisan defeat last year when both chambers of the U.S. Congress passed resolutions on the Armenian Genocide with overwhelming majority, despite the fact that the House of Representatives were controlled by the Democrats and the Senate by Republicans.

Whatever problems the Turkish government had, as long as Trump was at the White House, there appeared to be nothing that could seriously harm Erdogan's interests in Washington. Trump was stalling sanctions packages, greenlighting Erdogans military interventions, and trying hard to curry other favours such as getting sanction-buster Reza Zarrab released, or the indictment against state-run Halkbank dropped. As Trump lost the elections, all problems resurfaced.

Biden, during his election campaign, made a clear promise to support a resolution recognising the Armenian Genocide. As someone who served as the vice president for eight years, he knows well if he broke his promise, he would face pressure from the Congress, particularly from Senator Menendez.

In more than 55 days since his inauguration and four months since he was announced as the president-elect, Biden hasn't spoken with Erdogan, nor sent any messages. Neither Biden, nor his Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin responded to their Turkish counterparts congratulations. This is not normal in Erdogan's experience.

Erdogan also has no friends left in Washington, D.C. to defend his government's interests. During the previous administration, which coincided with the aftermath of the failed coup attempt of 2016, Erdogan was angry with the U.S. government for a number of reasons and did everything to offend most if not all U.S. institutions. He also bought more and more lobbyists to grease the relations instead of bolstering institutional ties. That tactic worked well with Trump, not so much so far for Biden.

The Trump administrations decision to go ahead and arm the Syrian Kurds in 2017 was also upsetting to Erdogan because Ankara sees them as terrorists. Even today the Turkish government still calls on the U.S. government to stop partnering with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - which include the Syrian Peoples Protection Units (YPG) - to no avail.

Erdogan came out on top in a constitutional referendum in 2017, which then allowed him to become an executive president in the 2018 elections. At the time, the state-of-emergency declared after the coup attempt was still in place, and Erdogan reveled in strongly anti-American rhetoric. The Trump administration tolerated all of Erdogan's military interventions in Syria, which ran on an anti-imperialist and anti-U.S. rhetoric.

Erdogan's government also condemned the United States for not extraditing Fethullah Gulen, the leader of an Islamic movement that once was a close ally to Erdogan.

The Erdogan government's shipments of dozens of boxes of documents for the extradition were clumsy and lacked proof, according to U.S. officials who talked about those files over the years. What is more, Erdogan was already marching on an authoritarian path for years, criminalising all of the opposition as terrorists, losing the image of a coup victim and turning into someone who ruthlessly instrumentalises the post-coup environment to his advantage for a witch-hunt.

Erdogan, in the last four years, used Trump as a bridge to channel ideas about how the relationship between the two countries should be, whether in Syria or about the criminal proceedings against Halkbank. Erdogan, for the most part, was successful in getting the U.S. government to accept his conditions.

Turkey became poorer by a third in the last 7 years, while at the same time launching many new wars.

Turkey under Erdogan has become one of the most repressive places on Earth.

According to ANCA, Menendez said, I hope the President will keep his commitment to recognize the Armenian Genocide, during the confirmation process for Deputy Secretary of State nominee Wendy Sherman last week.

While Erdogan's relationship with the U.S. government and its institutions are at a historic low, there appears no reason at this time for a U.S. President not to break with a Turkish ally like Erdogan over recognising of the Armenian Genocide.
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We are thrilled to welcome Stacey to our team. Through her financial services knowledge and experience, shell bring a fresh perspective working with the local community that will serve her and our customers well. - Scott Hostetler, First United Bank & Trust

Alan Mullendore, Managing Director of Client Relationships and Scott Hostetler, Vice President and Director of Mortgage Services, welcome Stacey Moler as Residential Loan Originator for the Frederick county market.

Stacey has 34 years of mortgage and financial services experience. She began her financial services career as a teller and has held various positions including Assistant Branch Manager, Loan Officer, Business Development Officer, and Director of Client Services. For the last six years, she has held the position of Mortgage Loan Officer until coming to First United. She has also been named as one of three Top Mortgage Producers for the Western Maryland Region for the last five years.

We are thrilled to welcome Stacey to our team. Through her financial services knowledge and experience, shell bring a fresh perspective working with the local community that will serve her and our customers well, commented Scott Hostetler.

Stacey embraces working within the local community especially focusing on non-profit organizations. She is currently a member of the Rotary Club of Frederick and serves as Board Secretary. Stacey also volunteers for Collective Church, Blessings in the Backpack, and is a Catoctin Affair Committee member for the Mental Health Association of Frederick and SHIP.

When Stacey is not working or volunteering, she enjoys spending time on her boat at Raystown Lake, spending time with her family, walking her 5-year old Labrador retriever, Copper and traveling as much as possible.

Stacey resides in Frederick, MD with her husband Kevin Moler. Her office is located at the Riverside Community Office, 1990 Monocacy Boulevard in Frederick and you may contact her by calling 1-301-662-3650.

First United Corporation operates one full-service commercial bank, First United Bank & Trust. The Bank has a network of community offices in Garrett, Allegany, Washington, and Frederick Counties in Maryland, as well as Berkeley, Harrison, Mineral, and Monongalia Counties in West Virginia. First Uniteds website can be located at MyBank.com. As of 12/31/2020, the corporation posted assets of $1.7 billion.
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L.A. County District Attorney George Gascon has launched an ambitious series of reforms he says are designed to combat mass incarceration and systemic racism in the criminal justice system.

For one thing, he wants his staff to review past sentences and try to undo those they determine were overly long, a process that could lead to the release of thousands of incarcerated people.

Reginald Wheeler hopes his will be one of those cases.

A 20-YEAR-OLD'S FATEFUL CHOICE

Wheeler grew up one of 13 kids in what's now known as the Baldwin Village neighborhood of South L.A.

His sister, Tracey Wheeler, remembers him as a protective older brother.

Reginald Wheeler as a boy. (Courtesy of the Wheeler family)

"He did what he needed to do to provide," she said. "He tried to take care of everybody."

Part of that included stealing to get what the family needed. Growing up, Reginald Wheeler was arrested several times for theft of things like food stamps and machine parts. He spent time at the Youth Authority and was a member of the Brim Bloods gang.

In 1983, the city was gearing up to host the 1984 Olympics at the Coliseum, just a few miles from where the Wheelers lived.

Then one day that fall, Wheeler, who was 20 at the time, made a fateful choice.

At around 7 o'clock in the morning on Nov. 15, 1983 -- near the intersection of Coliseum Street and Stevely Avenue in Baldwin Village -- Wheeler and an accomplice approached Mark West as he walked to work. Wheeler forced West to walk about 100 feet into a nearby alley, where they robbed him of his watch and about $14 in cash.

Wheeler was later arrested and put on trial. In 1985, he was convicted and sentenced to prison. Thirty-six years later, he's still there.

"Anybody, even a layman, that reads the facts of my case says, 'He couldn't be in jail all this time for this,'" Wheeler said in a phone call from the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo.

A KIDNAPPING CHARGE BRINGS A LIFE SENTENCE

At first glance, Wheeler's crime seems like a simple robbery. But because he allegedly twisted Mark West's arm behind his back and forced him to walk those 100 feet into that alley -- prosecutors added a charge of aggravated kidnapping.

"It wasn't like the kidnap where you have someone in a trunk tied up in a warehouse," Wheeler said. "This was like moving off the street into a parking stall to be out of view."

But prosecutors saw it otherwise. Because of the aggravated kidnapping charge, Wheeler was sentenced to 8 years to life in prison.

Wheeler probably wouldn't have gotten that long of a sentence if he were tried today, said Marc Debbaudt, a former prosecutor and ex-president of the union that represents L.A.'s deputy district attorneys.

"The judges were different and the sentencing was different," he said.

But Debbaudt said he understands the prosecutors' decision to add the charge of aggravated kidnapping.

"You file what he did," Debbaudt said. "And 100 feet is definitely within [the] definition of kidnapping and taking to a concealed location is definitely within that definition."

'A MINDLESSLY PUNITIVE ATTITUDE'

But several criminal justice reform advocates said Wheeler's sentence is an example of where the criminal justice system went wrong in the '80s and '90s.

"I think when we look at that period, at about the time when Mr. Wheeler got sentenced, you were looking at a time when whatever was driving our prosecutorial policies and our sentencing policies generally had nothing to do with crime control," said Elliott Currie, a professor at UC Irvine's Department of Criminology, Law and Society.

Prosecutors at the time had "a mindlessly punitive attitude," fueled in part by that era's "tough on crime," "war on drugs" rhetoric, he said.

Politicians, legislators and prosecutors all got on the bandwagon, "even if they actually knew that what they were saying made no sense in terms of equal justice," Currie said. "It created situations like Mr. Wheeler's and thousands and thousands of others here in California."

As a result of that approach, "California ranks first in the country in the population that's serving life sentences, including life with parole sentences," said Nazgol Ghandnoosh, a senior research analyst at The Sentencing Project. "But it doesn't just rank first, it sort of blows every other state out of the water."

In 2020, a total of nearly 41,000 people in California were serving sentences of life with parole, life without parole, or "virtual life sentences" of 50 years or more, according to a Sentencing Project study. The next closest state, Texas, had 18,000.

'I FIGURE I'M THE POSTER CHILD'

Wheeler has found an advocate in investigative journalist Don Ray, who happened on the case about 15 years ago and started corresponding with Wheeler.

"It's really sad that people who have committed murder can get off in 10 or 15 years or whatever," Ray said. "But Reggie, who's not wealthy and he's not white, he's among so many people in there -- people of color -- who have just been forgotten."

In 2020, 34% of the people who had served more than 15 years in state prison were Black, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. That's in a state where Black people make up just 6% of the population.

DA Gascon has directed his office to review for possible resentencing the cases of anyone who has served more than 15 years in prison.

Having served well over 30 years, Wheeler believes his case should get a second look.

"I figure I'm the poster child," he said. "I figure my case [is] going to be able to be held up as to why this directive needs to be carried out."

Wheeler would, "on the face of it, qualify as a person who might be nominated for sentence reconsideration," said Michael Romano, who served on Gascon's transition team. He currently heads up Governor Newsom's Committee on Revision of the Penal Code.

But Romano cautions that the process could take a long time, since Gascon is calling for the review of thousands of cases. And it would be up to a judge to make the final call.

Gascon's office said it couldn't comment since it's still putting the new review unit together.

13 DENIALS BY THE PAROLE BOARD OVER THREE DECADES

Wheeler's sentence was indeterminate, meaning he's been eligible for parole for nearly 30 of the years he's spent in prison. But Wheeler's been turned down 13 times over the past three decades, although he acknowledges not having a spotless record.

"I've had write-ups for disciplinary reasons, but no violence," Wheeler said.

Over the years, Wheeler was found to have violated the rules once for having marijuana and once for trying to smuggle drugs into prison. Back in 1988, he stole a radio. He had two violations for being overfamiliar with staff, and two more for having a cell phone.

Parole denials for non-violent rules violations overlook the reality of life in prison, said the Sentencing Project's Ghandnoosh.

"Someone who's been in prison for over 30 years on a sentence that they might have expected to be 10 to 15 years maximum, if they're using drugs, if they are not as polite as the guards would like them to be, if they are using a cell phone to stay connected to family members and loved ones, are any of those things that surprising?" she asked.

In 2019, about one in three people in state prison were granted parole after a hearing, according to the Corrections Department. In 2009, the approval rate was just 16%.

THE PAROLE BOARD IS 'INCLINED...TO DECLINE'

"The parole board is generally inclined toward finding any possible reason to decline someone for parole," said Keith Wattley, executive director of UnCommon Law, a legal services organization.

Wheeler's family and friends met outside a library in Bellflower to discuss his case. Back row (L) Nephew Jabarr Wheeler (R) Childhood friend Edwin Walker Front Row (L) Sister Tracey Wheeler (M) Friend Don Ray (R) Niece Tang Wheeler (Robert Garrova /LAist )

Wattley believes part of the reason parole is declined so often is because many parole board commissioners have backgrounds in law enforcement.

"There's a problem with the lack of ... cultural competency," he said. "You have commissioners who are unable to understand the lives of the people appearing before them."

At Wheeler's most recent parole hearing in 2018, he tried to explain to Presiding Commissioner Peter Labahn why keeping track of him was hard for his mother, who had 13 kids.

According to the transcript, Labahn asked: "Your mom reproduced too much to be able to parent?"

"You see a commissioner who seems to be showing utter disdain for the people in communities most directly impacted by incarceration ... and blaming the victims of systemic oppression and racism for their own condition," Wattley said.

At that 2018 parole hearing, a deputy district attorney pointed to Wheeler's string of rules violations over the years in characterizing his prison record as "abysmal."

The board turned Wheeler down, and scheduled his next parole hearing for 2025, although Wheeler can petition to have it sooner.

The Parole Board did not respond to a request for comment.

'HE'S PAID HIS DEBT TO SOCIETY'

Meanwhile, Wheeler's family continues to call attention to his case.

Last fall, family and friends held a rally in front of the Hall of Justice in downtown L.A.

"We're here to shed some light," said Wheeler's sister, Tracey. "Maybe ruffle a few feathers. We want to get some attention because he deserves it, he's paid his debt to society."

Only two of Wheeler's 12 siblings are still alive, she said. "It's absolutely heartbreaking."

I met with several family members outside a library in Bellflower recently to talk about Wheeler's case.

As we spoke, Tracey Wheeler gripped a manila envelope that contained her latest letter to the DA's office.

She's hoping this time around the family's plea will be heard.

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K2 Insurance Services has acquired a majority stake in privately held premium finance company Columbia Pacific Finance LLC in Missoula, Montana.

Following the acquisition of CPF, President Reghan Brandt will continue to lead the day-to-day premium finance operation of the organization.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

CPF is a premium finance company providing billing solutions with a national footprint. The firm provides billing solutions for insurance agencies, general agents, and insurance companies with agency billed premiums.

K2 Insurance Services is headquartered in San Diego, Calif. It was formed in 2011 and led by CEO Robert Kimmel in partnership with investment firm Lee Equity with the goal of creating a leading underwriting and distribution franchise in the program insurance market. K2 Insurance Services is an insurance services holding company, which owns and controls a diverse set of specialty program administrators.

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After listening to President Joe Bidens lackluster 24-minute speech about the COVID-19 pandemic anniversary, I noticed he took no questions afterwards.

I also didnt hear this: Thank you, Mr. Trump and your administration and all the companies, medical people, and military involved in the vaccine effort.

But, you did hear how Biden took credit.

The Government Accountability Office examined Operation Warp Speed, which is what former President Donald Trump called his rapid vaccine development effort, detailing this miracle.

By last summer, the Trump administration had contracted for 100 million vaccine doses each from Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, plus 500 million doses from three other companies whose vaccines have not won U.S. regulatory approval for emergency use. Trump did this without knowing which company or companies would develop an effective vaccine. He also ordered related supplies, approved COVID-19-related paid sick and family leave tax credits for employers, and required Medicaid and the Childrens Health Insurance Program to cover the cost of vaccinations.

On Dec. 23, when only Pfizer and Moderna had received emergency authorization, the Trump administration immediately ordered another 200 million doses from both companies.

The distribution process thats in place today working with the Defense Department, the National Guard, and pharmacy chains started in the Trump administration.

So, I say Thanks, President Trump!

Jack Scheidell, Turnersville

GOP stirs the divisiveness pot

The intelligence agencies of our government have informed us that foreign governments are using the internet to divide us as a nation. Rather than being part of uniting our nation to fight the efforts of our enemies, many in the Republican Party are further dividing the country.

What was the purpose of U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., saying recently that he did not feel threatened by the people who killed and injured police officers Jan. 6, while storming our Capitol in an effort to overturn the 2020 election result? Why would he add that if the rioters had been Black Lives Matter supporters, he might have feared them?

Johnson is using race to divide us, just like our enemies.

Another Republican, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, attended a convention of white nationalists last month, and spoke about the loss of countrys white demographic core while calling the Jan. 6 insurrection awesome.

At a time when our leaders should be involved in uniting the country, too many in the GOP are praising insurrectionists while supporting extremist racial views. Do any of the statements made by these elected officials have a function or purpose in our government?

While these two members of Congress continue to instigate people who have proven capable of trying to overthrow the government, the Republican Party as a whole is silent about this.

Timothy Curley, Vineland

Van Drews stimulus vote was anti-family

What could be more pro-life and more pro-family than increasing the federal income tax credit for each child, something that was accomplished in the new $1.9 trillion stimulus package?

Yet, my congressman, Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd Dist., voted against this bill.

Its time for him to start leading, not following.

Norman Lenchitz, Pittsgrove Township

Pretty good for a sleepy president

I can only describe Ken Franks recent letter, Americans rolled fuzzy dice by electing Biden, which questioned the presidents mental acuity, as disgusting.

I believe that Joe Biden, in 50 days, has accomplished more than Franks apparent twice-impeached preference did in four years. And, Biden is doing it despite a Republican cult that has refused any semblance of bipartisanship.

Biden, contrary to the letter writers claim, is not in hiding. Hes already started to turn this country around. This is amazing, considering the absolute train wreck of the prior administration. Its nice to have adults back in charge.

Michael Schnackenberg, Newton

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

Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com

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If that bet on GameStop stock doesnt pan out, you might be able try your luck in the Oklahoma Panhandle.

Officials in the Sooner State have placed a $2.1 million bounty on Bigfoot, the mythical North American wood ape, in an attempt to encourage more tourism.

State lawmaker Justin Humphrey recently wrote a bill to establish Bigfoot hunting season, but it did not make it out of committee. However, the proposed bill caught the attention of the producers of a new movie about the mighty Sasquatch as well as a private donor. Those brave enough to try could be in for some truly happy hunting after a $25,000 state-operated fund has become a potential $2.1 million jackpot for whoever can capture a living Bigfoot.

Humphrey has stressed that anyone who takes on the challenge of Sasquatch Quest cant harm the animal or break any state laws in the process. He hopes the state will join in on the fun and draw a map of areas where Bigfoot has been spotted as well as license plates, stickers and other memorabilia, the profits of which could go toward infrastructure and parks.

Were having fun with it, Humphrey told Oklahoma News 4. Its a lot of fun. Im enjoying it. But at the same time, I know a lot of people thought I was crazy. But, I think if people chill out, (they could) see that this could be a serious deal bringing in a lot of money, a lot of tourism.

I hope people get here and ride four-wheelers and do fishing and go to the restaurants and sleep in motels, he said. Come to Oklahoma, have an adventure. Enjoy yourself, tell your friends and come back.


New Delhi:

Aiming to corner BJP government, rebel JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav is convening the opposition's "save composite culture" meet in Indore on Wednesday.

Yadav informed that several senior opposition leaders, including Digvijay Singh and Anand Sharma of the Congress, Sitaram Yechury of the CPI-M and Tariq Anwar of the NCP, are going to attend the meeting.

Violent protests were witnessed in Mandsaur by a section of farmers a few months back and opposition leaders are trying to build a campaign against the saffron party.

The party is ruling the state for the last 14 years.

The state will face the assembly polls by the end of next year along with Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, two other states ruled by the BJP.

Also Read | Rahul Gandhi at 'Sanjhi Virasat Bachao' event: 'PM Modi gave 'Make In India' but most things are 'Made In China'

"I will hold a similar campaign in Gujarat and Rajasthan. I will go to other states too," Sharad Yadav said.

The "save composite culture" meet was organised at the national level on August 17 in which Yadav had made clear his intentions to defy his party chief Nitish Kumar's move to ally with the BJP, claiming that the country's secularism and pluralism was under attack in the NDA government.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi says PM Modi wants 'Swachch Bharat', we want 'Sach Bharat'

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
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Portugal and Spain have joined 18 European countries in suspending the use of the AstraZeneca Covid jab over unproven fears it causes blood clots.

The moves comes despite scientists and the European Medicines Agency dismissing fears over clots, with warnings that the pausing of inoculations was 'reckless' and would have 'consequences'.

Thirteen European countries have now suspended their use of the shots altogether, while another five have black-listed specific batches despite reassurances from the UK, the WHO and the manufacturers that the jab is safe.

In an attempt to stem the tide of countries stopping the roll-out of the jab, the EMA insisted the rate of clots 'in vaccinated people seems not to be higher than that seen in the general population'.

The organisation, which is investigating the link between clots and the jab and will hold emergency meetings to discuss the safety of the jab tomorrow and Thursday, added that its benefits 'outweigh the risks of side effects'.

It last night insisted there was no reason to stop using the Oxford jab. Belgium's health ministry said it would continue using the jab because it was in a race against time to protect its population.

Whitehall sources claimed the suspensions were a 'cynical attempt to discredit' AstraZeneca in the wake of the bloc's row with the Anglo-Swedish drugs firm amid a shambolic rollout.

'I genuinely don't know what they are playing at,' said one insider. 'There is no data to support what they are doing. They just don't seem to be able to get over their disputes with AstraZeneca.

'But it is self-defeating because it is their own citizens who are missing out on a safe and effective vaccine at a time when Covid cases are rising.'

Among the 17million people across Europe who have received the vaccine there have been 37 reports of blood clots, which experts say is well below the expected level.

Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon leapt to the defence of the jab yesterday, saying it is 'safe and effective' and no such side effects have been witnessed in the UK, which has used more doses than anywhere else in the world.

Attempts to quell safety concerns over the jab came after a host of European nations announced they would be pausing their roll-out of the Oxford vaccine.

Portugal and Spain are the latest countries to stop using the jab, following in the footsteps of France, Italy and Germany.

Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Bulgaria are the other European countries to have suspended AstraZeneca's vaccine.

Meanwhile, Austria, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Romania have stopped the use of one batch of the jab.

And outside Europe, Indonesia, Thailand, Venezuela and the Democratic Republic of Congo have all paused or cancelled the start of their AstraZeneca programmes - while Australian MP Matt Canavan said last night that he wants the country to follow.

Italian prosecutors on Monday also launched a manslaughter probe after a music teacher died at the weekend just one day after receiving AstraZeneca's jab. The judiciary in Biella, a city in the north of the nation, opened a preliminary probe into 57-year-old Sandro Tognatti's death to decide whether there is a case to answer.

Germany's health minister said the decision to suspend AstraZeneca shots was taken on the advice of the country's vaccine regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, which called for further investigation into seven cases of clots in the brains of people who had been vaccinated.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country will likewise suspend shots until at least Tuesday afternoon. Italy's drug regulator announced a temporary ban, less than 24 hours after saying the 'alarm' over the vaccine was unjustified. And Spain said it will stop using the vaccine for two weeks while experts review its safety.

News of the bans comes as Europe, the continent hardest hit by the pandemic, passed the 40-million-case mark today.

This is just the latest episode in a long-running saga between the EU and drug-maker AstraZeneca over its vaccine, which has seen the bloc accuse the UK-based firm of nationalism, impose export bans on its jabs, and reopen old wounds with recently-departed Brexit Britain.

Leading experts said it was 'reckless' to stop using the vaccine, that the decisions were 'baffling' and that the risk of catching the disease  which kills around one in 200 people and can cause blood clots  was far higher.

Meanwhile, Italy will begin a new lockdown today, Paris is facing tighter measures as cases overwhelm hospitals, and German ICU doctors say an 'immediate' return to lockdown is necessary.

Covid cases are also rising sharply in countries such as Sweden, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and non-EU member Serbia as experts warn that a third wave has begun.

Figures from AstraZeneca and the European Medicines Agency show the number of blood clot-related conditions from 17million doses dished out in the UK and Europe up to March 13

Europe is presiding over one of the world's slowest jabs roll-outs which has left people vulnerable to infection, while the UK has masterminded one of the world's fastest, with Covid cases and deaths now falling sharply

Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Iceland have suspended their use of AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine over blood clot fears despite health bodies saying there is no link and cases trending upwards - threatening more lockdowns

Boris Johnson (pictured on a visit to a National Express depot in Coventry today) mounted a staunch defence of the AstraZeneca vaccine after the Netherlands and Ireland became the latest EU states to pause its use

Many EU countries are seeing cases rise again with vaccines still coming too slowly to protect large chunks of the population against sickness and death

IRELAND: Ireland has seen infection rates fall (left) from the winter peak but is relying on AstraZeneca doses to fend off a third wave and enable an end to lockdown. Ireland's death rate (right) has also fallen but the government says hospital cases need to fall to 'low levels' before lockdown measures can be significantly eased

The countries around the world that have stopped using the Oxford jab Europe: France Italy Spain Germany Iceland Portugal Ireland Bulgaria Denmark Slovenia Holland Norway Stopped using one batch: Austria Lithuania Latvia Estonia Romania Non-Europe: Indonesia Thailand Venezuela Advertisement

Sir David Spiegelhalter, a professor of statistics at Cambridge University, compared the situation to the discredited claims that the MMR jab could trigger autism.

'There is mistrust in Europe about this specific vaccine, mainly due to grossly misleading statements that have been made about it,' he said. 'These pauses can only increase suspicion and cause more people not to have the vaccine and, God, Europe needs it. In Germany, cases are going up, it's got a higher death rate than the UK at the moment and they've got the AstraZeneca vaccine just sitting in fridges.

'I don't think you can consider these pauses as being cautious, they actually could be doing more harm than good.'

The WHO and the EMA have made assurances that the vaccines are 'excellent and safe', with updated guidance expected to be issued later today.

The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency also insisted that while it was reviewing reports, 'the evidence available does not suggest the vaccine is the cause' of blood clots.

Dr Michael Head, a global health expert from the University of Southampton, said the decisions across Europe to suspend the vaccine 'look baffling'.

He added: 'The data we have suggests that numbers of adverse events related to blood clots are the same (and possibly, in fact lower) in vaccinated groups compared to unvaccinated populations.

'Halting a vaccine rollout during a pandemic has consequences. This results in delays in protecting people, and the potential for increased vaccine hesitancy, as a result of people who have seen the headlines and understandably become concerned.'

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at the University of Reading, said it was 'reckless' to simply stop using the vaccine.

He warned: 'I keep hearing the phrase 'abundance of caution' being used in reference to countries pausing rollout of the Oxford vaccine but is it really caution?'

Tory MPs said the chaotic situation underlined the failure of the EU to protect its citizens, and suggested political leaders were attacking the AstraZeneca vaccine as a smokescreen while the UK's roll-out forges ahead. Former Cabinet minister Owen Paterson accused the bloc of running a scare-mongering campaign against the vaccine, saying the EU launched a 'fake news' drive after it had bungling its orders for the jab.

On a visit in Coventry, Mr Johnson said the UK had 'one of the toughest and most experienced regulators in the world'.

'They see no reason at all to discontinue the vaccination programme... they believe that they are effective, highly effective in driving down not just hospitalisations but also serious disease and mortality. We continue to be very confident about the programme.'

And at her daily briefing this afternoon, Ms Sturgeon said the MRHA watchdog had confirmed 'there is no current evidence of an increase in blood clots being caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine'.

'There is, however, significant and growing evidence of the benefits of vaccination reducing death, illness and we hope now reducing transmission as well,' she said. 'For all these reasons and based on the advice and opinion of the MRHA, I'd continue to urge people to come forward for vaccination including with the AstraZeneca vaccine when you are invited to do so.'

In a statement this evening, the EMA said: 'Several authorities responsible for national vaccine campaigns in EU countries have temporarily paused vaccination with Covid Vaccine AstraZeneca.

'This is a precaution taken in the light of their national situation while EMA investigates a number of events of blood clots in people who had received the vaccine, as previously reported.

'Events involving blood clots, some with unusual features such as low numbers of platelets, have occurred in a very small number of people who received the vaccine.

'Many thousands of people develop blood clots annually in the EU for different reasons. The number of thromboembolic events overall in vaccinated people seems not to be higher than that seen in the general population.

'EMA is working closely with the company, with experts in blood disorders, and with other health authorities including the UK's MHRA based on its experience with around 11million administered doses of the vaccine.

'EMA's investigation has been continuing over the weekend, and rigorous analysis of all the data related to thromboembolic events will be carried out in the coming days.'

It added: 'Experts are looking in great detail at all the available data and clinical circumstances surrounding specific cases to determine whether the vaccine might have contributed or if the event is likely to have been due to other causes.

'EMA's safety committee (PRAC) will further review the information tomorrow (Tuesday) and has called an extraordinary meeting on Thursday 18 March to conclude on the information gathered and any further actions that may need to be taken.

'While its investigation is ongoing, EMA currently remains of the view that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing Covid, with its associated risk of hospitalisation and death, outweigh the risks of side effects.

The EU now looks set to embrace Russia's Sputnik V Covid jab even as its leaders shun British-made AstraZeneca vaccines, with multiple countries halting its use over fears it could cause blood clots.

ITALIAN COURT TO INVESTIGATE DEATH OF MAN AFTER VACCINE Italian prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation into the death of Sandro Tognatti, 57, a music teacher who died on Sunday a day after getting AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine - though officials say there is currently no evidence of a link Italian prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation after a music teacher died at the weekend shortly after receiving AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine. The judiciary in Biella, in northern Italy, today opened a preliminary probe into the death of 57-year-old Sandro Tognatti, whose cause of death remains unknown. They stressed that there is no link to AstraZeneca's vaccine at this stage and the probe is intended to establish whether anyone has a case to answer. Separately, Italy temporarily banned the use of all AstraZeneca vaccines amid fears it causes blood clots, with France and Germany also enacting bans and saying they are waiting for European regulators to give guidance. The European Medicines Agency said last week that there is no reason to halt use of the jab and that 'the benefits outweigh the risks of side effects', but its investigation is continuing and another report is due Thursday. It comes after Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria also suspended the jabs. Austria, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have impounded one batch of vaccines thought to be linked to clots. Advertisement

European factories are gearing up to produce Russia's coronavirus vaccine as regulators move closer to approving it in the hopes of speeding up the continent's shambolic roll-out. Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's Direct Investment Fund which bank-rolled the Sputnik V jab, said today it has reached agreements with Italy, Spain, France and Germany to begin making the jab.

he factories will then be used to supply Sputnik V vaccines to Europe 'once approval is granted by the European Medicines Agency,' Dimitriev said, in what would be a major PR coup for Vladimir Putin.

Europe's health body began a review of the vaccine's safety last week after several countries, led by Hungary, broke ranks with the EU and began using the jab after Brussels' roll-out turned into a shambles.

Meanwhile the UK has brushed off the concerns on the continent, with ministers saying that 'all is well' after the tally of people with a first dose passed 24million.

Dr Phil Bryan, a safety expert at the UK's medicines regulator (MHRA), said that 'people should still go and get their Covid-19 vaccine when asked to do so'.

'We are closely reviewing reports but given the large number of doses administered, and the frequency at which blood clots can occur naturally, the evidence available does not suggest the vaccine is the cause,' he said.

Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chairman of the UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said there was 'no demonstrable difference' in the number of blood clots between the general population and AstraZeneca recipients.

He told BBC Breakfast: 'We have to remember that there are 3,000 blood clots a month on average in the general population and because we're immunising so many people, we are bound to see blood clots at the same time as the vaccination, and that's not because they are due to the vaccination.

'One ought to also remember that Covid causes blood clots. So, the risks of not having the Covid vaccination far outweigh the risks from the vaccinations.'

Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford vaccine group, said there were 'huge risks' from Covid and 'if we have no vaccination and we come out of lockdown in this country, we will expect tens of thousands of more deaths to occur' in 2021.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that there was 'very reassuring evidence that there is no increase in a blood clot phenomenon here in the UK, where most of the doses in Europe been given so far'.

The WHO similarly rejected concerns on Friday, saying there was no reason not to keep using the AstraZeneca shot.

FRANCE: Infections have climbed to their highest levels since a November lockdown (left) despite a weeks-long curfew intended to ward off a third complete shutdown. More than 90,000 people have died and the daily death rate (right) has been persistently above 200 per day since the end of October

GERMANY: Cases are rising again in a trend blamed on the British variant (left), complicating efforts to lift a weeks-long lockdown which has drained public faith in the government's response. Deaths have finally fallen marginally below the peak of the first wave (right) but would be likely to rise again if infections soar back to Christmas levels as scientists fear

ITALY: Tougher restrictions are coming in today to stem a rise in infections (left), almost a year exactly after Italy became the first country to impose a nationwide stay-at-home order. Deaths have ticked up again in the last two weeks (right), with 2,360 fatalities added to the tally in the last seven days compared to 2,086 the previous week

Left: Ireland - whose infection rate is shown in blue, compared to the UK in red - has paused the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in a move which could imperil its plans to exit lockdown. Right: How the UK's infection rate compares to Germany's

Italy and France are now seeing Covid cases start to rise as new and more-infectious variant of the disease begin to spread - while the UK's number of cases drop due to lockdown restrictions and a fast vaccine rollout

Should anyone in Britain who's had the AstraZeneca vaccine be concerned? The UK has used more doses of AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine than anywhere else  approximately 11million  and both officials and scientists say there is no sign that it causes serious health problems. Side effects are normal, and around 53,000 have been officially reported across the UK so far, but the vast majority are mild and short-lived, such as headaches, muscle pains or fever. The 53,000 side effects out of 11million suggest just 0.5 per cent of people get them  one in 200. The frequency of severe side effects is much lower. But not everyone records their mild side effects. British drugs regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which approved the vaccine, insists the jab is safe and says people should continue to take it. Vaccine safety chief Dr Phil Bryan said: 'We are closely reviewing reports but given the large number of doses administered, and the frequency at which blood clots can occur naturally, the evidence available does not suggest the vaccine is the cause. 'People should still go and get their Covid vaccine when asked to do so.' The same message is being put out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the Government on its vaccine rollout. Its deputy chairman Professor Anthony Harnden said on BBC Breakfast: 'Safety is absolutely paramount and we monitor this data very carefully. 'We have to remember that there are 3,000 blood clots a month on average in the general population and because we're immunising so many people, we are bound to see blood clots at the same time as the vaccination, and that's not because they are due to the vaccination. That's because they occur naturally in the population. 'One ought to also remember that Covid causes blood clots. So, the risks of not having the Covid vaccination far outweigh the risks from the vaccinations.' Advertisement

'They're doing more harm than good': Top scientist blasts EU over approach to Oxford jab One of Britain's leading statisticians today warned countries suspending the use of AstraZeneca's Covid jab could be doing 'more harm than good'. Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, from the University of Cambridge, told BBC Radio 4's World At One: 'I think these pauses, I don't think you can consider these as being cautious. 'They actually could be doing more harm than good. 'If it means there is a delay in rolling out the vaccine to people who would otherwise have a vaccine, then that will cause harm.' He backed up AstraZeneca's claim there was no evidence that the Oxford jab increased risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country. 'I've looked at the AstraZeneca reports and they've said that 17 million jabs across the EU and the UK (had been administered) and they've had about 15 cases of deep vein thrombosis and 22 cases of pulmonary embolism reported,' he told the World At One. 'Doing some some sums, deep vein thrombosis happens to one in 1,000 people per year of all ages. 'So, out of those 17million jabs, we would expect at least 17,000 of those people to get a deep vein thrombosis some time in the year. 'So that means that there will have been - and you can pretty well guarantee it - 350 people who have had an AstraZeneca jab then had a deep vein thrombosis in the week following that. 'I think what's surprising is that only 15 have been reported as a possible adverse effect.' Advertisement

Two doses of Pfizer or Oxford vaccine 'give the same protection against Covid as catching and recovering from disease' Two doses of either Pfizer or AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine offer the same protection against the illness as getting infected and recovering, research suggests. A study of 13,000 health workers in England revealed no-one who received both jabs suffered symptomatic illness in the fortnight after their booster dose. That's compared to the two per cent of Covid survivors who fell ill with the virus after recovering from an earlier infection. The sample size was too small to say for definite the vaccines gave more protection than previous illness. Oxford University researchers who carried out the research said the findings applied to the more infectious, and possibly deadlier, Kent variant. They also found a single dose of either vaccine reduced the number of people with symptomatic illness by 67 per cent. This finding highlights that healthcare workers 'should take up second vaccines as soon as these are available', they said. Dr Katie Jeffery, director of infection prevention and control at Oxford University Hospitals, who was involved in the study, said: 'We are grateful to the thousands of staff who work at OUH's hospitals who have taken part in the testing programme. 'In this case it is significant that two doses of the vaccines offer similar levels of protection to natural immunity, and that we saw no symptomatic infections among those staff who had had two vaccine doses. Advertisement

One of Britain's leading statisticians today warned countries suspending the use of AstraZeneca's Covid jab could be doing 'more harm than good'.

Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, from the University of Cambridge, told BBC Radio 4's World At One: 'I think these pauses, I don't think you can consider these as being cautious.

'They actually could be doing more harm than good. If it means there is a delay in rolling out the vaccine to people who would otherwise have a vaccine, then that will cause harm.'

Dr Simon Clarke, a cellular microbiologist at Reading University, said: 'The numbers of people going down with blood clots after vaccination are about what you would expect from the general population and they don't seem any different.

'I do wonder whether there is more to this than is being admitted to at this stage  that would be the only justification for what they're doing because they are putting people at risk from Covid.

'Maybe the proportion of younger people getting those conditions is higher than you would normally expect. I would have thought, if that were the case, any sensible regulator would point it out.

'If they said 'we've got an unduly high number of blood clots in younger people', that's a different matter. I think they're probably less likely to get blood clots than older people.

'I would have expected to see any effects in the trial.'

Tory MP Peter Bone told MailOnline that 'petty internal political arguments' are continuing to blight Europe's jab programme, saying it 'beggars belief' that doses of AstraZeneca are going unused while vaccination rates are low.

'I personally think the [EU] commission is trying to attack what we've done in this country and the vaccine that has been produced on the basis that attack is the best form of defence,' he said.

Last month, countries led by the likes of France and Germany blocked AstraZeneca jabs from being used in over-65s and claimed it wasn't effective, before being forced to reverse their stance after data proved otherwise.

Eurocrats were also involved in a bitter row with the UK-Swedish drug-maker back in January when they effectively accused bosses of playing favourites with Brexit Britain by fulfilling all of its vaccine orders while delaying those meant for the continent.

Europe is presiding over one of the world's slowest vaccine roll-outs having given first jabs to just eight per cent of its population, while the UK has given first jabs to at least 35 per cent.

The shambolic roll-out has left the continent vulnerable to a third wave of Covid infections which are already beginning, with multiple countries forced to tighten lockdowns once again.

Tougher restrictions are coming into force in Italy today, while Paris is having to airlift patients out of overwhelmed hospitals and experts in Germany warn that the British variant could send infections spiralling again by Easter.

Ireland is hoping to vaccinate 80 per cent of adults by the end of June but is relying on around 800,000 AstraZeneca doses being shipped in the spring and summer.

Dublin says that 'ongoing and steady progress on the vaccination programme' is needed before 'any significant easing of measures is contemplated' - meaning a lengthy delay could leave Ireland stuck in lockdown.

The ban in the Netherlands comes as voters deliver their verdict on the country's coronavirus response on the first of three days of balloting in a snap election, weeks after a curfew led to several nights of rioting in major cities.

While Dutch authorities said it was 'wise to press the pause button now as a precaution', a series of top UK officials have rejected fears over the Oxford jab, saying the risks of Covid-19 are greater than those of vaccination.

In Ireland, health officials said there had been a 'small number of reports' of blood clots but none of them as serious as those described in Norway.

Irish authorities had recently been pushing AstraZeneca to speed up its vaccine supplies to the Republic, where 117,500 doses of the jab have been used so far.

A government plan to speed up the roll-out anticipates around 50,000 people per week getting the AstraZeneca shot from April to June.

Ronan Glynn, Ireland's deputy chief medical officer, said he hoped the delay would last only a week - with lockdown exit plans depending on the vaccine drive.

'We have a safety signal and when we get those we have to act and proceed on the basis of a precautionary principle,' he said.

'So hopefully, as this week goes on, we'll get more reassuring data from the EMA and we can recommence the programme.

'It may be nothing, we may be overreacting, and I sincerely hope that in a week's time we are accused of being overcautious.'

Norway said on Saturday that it had received reports of people 'bleeding under the skin' after receiving the shot, warning it could be a sign of low blood platelet counts.

The Nordic country suspended the AstraZeneca jab on Thursday and has since revealed that three more people have been treated in hospital for blood clots or brain haemorrhages soon after their vaccination.

But it said there was no proof of a link between the vaccine and the reported blood clots, which are now being probed by the country's medicines agency.

Dutch authorities blamed Norway's findings in part for their own decision to pause AstraZeneca vaccines, saying they were taking a 'precautionary measure pending further investigation'.

'The crucial question is whether these are complaints after or because of the vaccination,' Dutch health minister Hugo de Jonge said in a statement.

'We still need to be careful, so it is wise to press the pause button now as a precaution.'

No similar cases are currently known in the Netherlands, the ministry said, but it advised people who had received the vaccine to contact their doctor if they develop 'unexpected and/or unknown' symptoms after three days.

Austria has separately suspended the use of one batch of AstraZeneca vaccines after a 49-year-old nurse died of 'severe blood coagulation problems'.

Several others including Estonia, Latvia and Luxembourg have also suspended the use of vaccines from the so-called ABV5300 batch, a shipment of one million doses which was sent to 17 European countries.

Italy's Piedmont region meanwhile banned a separate batch, ABV5811, on Sunday after a teacher died following his vaccination the previous day.

The region had initially suspended all AstraZeneca vaccines until it tracked down the batch in question, which is now being probed by safety experts.

'It is an act of extreme prudence, while we verify whether there is a connection. There have been no critical issues with the administration of vaccines to date,' Luigi Genesio Icardi, head of regional health services, said in a statement.

But EU safety experts found last week that there was 'no indication' of a faulty batch, saying a problem with the Austrian shipment was 'considered unlikely'.

For its part, AstraZeneca says it has found no increased risk of blood clot conditions in its analysis of 17million administered doses.

The company says that the numbers of blood clots 'are lower than the number that would have occurred naturally in the unvaccinated population'.

AstraZeneca has been embroiled in a row with EU leaders since the start of the year when it announced it would not be able to supply the number of doses promised.

Since then, European leaders have bitterly criticised the company and cast doubt on the vaccine's efficacy while at the same time blocking some exports of doses.

Combined with bureaucratic delays and vaccine hesitancy in some countries, the supply chaos has left the EU lagging way behind the UK and US in handing out jabs to its 447million people.

That has left countries such as France and Italy exposed to a third wave with only a fairly small proportion of the population protected against Covid-19 and herd immunity nowhere in sight.

The UK has given first doses to 24.2million people and second doses to 1.6million as of Sunday

What deaths have been linked to the Oxford- AstraZeneca jab - and have they been proven? So far, more than 11 million doses of the Oxford jab have been administered in the UK alone, with countless more distributed worldwide. Out of the millions of vaccines already given, fewer than 50 reported blood-related issues post-vaccine, with no confirmed causal link to the jab. AstraZeneca, the World Health Organization and EU regulators have all rejected the blood clot fears. But even so, Ireland joined Denmark, Norway and Iceland in temporarily halting all AstraZeneca vaccinations following reports of 'serious blood clotting events' in Norway. Norwegian health authorities of Saturday confirmed that three healthcare workers who had the AstraZeneca jab were being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets. All three individuals in hospital in Norway for conditions including blood clots were under the age of 50. The Government were notified on Saturday. Meanwhile, the European Medicines Agency reported one person in Austria was diagnosed with blood clots and died 10 days after vaccination - but it stressed there is 'currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions'. A further patient was admitted to hospital in Austria with pulmonary embolism - a blockage in the arteries in the lungs - after being vaccinated, while one death involving a blood clot was reported in Denmark. A 50-year-old man is also thought to have died in Italy from deep vein thrombosis (DVT), while there has been an unconfirmed report of another death in the country. Italy also followed Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg and Lithuania in banning jabs from one particular batch of one million AstraZeneca vaccines, which was sent to 17 countries, after reports that a 49-year-old nurse died soon after getting one of the jabs. On Saturday, US boxer Marvin Hagler, died aged 66, after he reportedly suffered side effects of the Covid-19 vaccine. What vaccine he received has not been confirmed and the link between his death and a jab has not been proven. Advertisement

Italy is set to begin a new lockdown on Monday as hospitals struggle with a spike in Covid-19 patients.

It comes almost exactly a year after Italy became the world's first country to bring in a nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of the virus.

Schools, restaurants, shops and museums will close across most of Italy on Monday, a year after it became the first European country to face a major outbreak.

Most regions - including those containing Rome and Milan - become high-risk red zones, with all residents told to stay home except for work, health or other essential reasons.

The feared new variants of Covid-19 are thought to be fuelling the rise in infections, which are now at their highest level since early December.

The new Italian government, led by former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi, says it aims to have 80 per cent of the population vaccinated by the end of September.

But until then, Italy's health minister says 'more stringent measures' are needed - in contrast to Britain where restrictions will start easing for the general public in two weeks' time.

Across the border in France, patients were being evacuated from overwhelmed intensive care units in Paris over the weekend and airlifted to less saturated regions of France.

Officials say the Paris region may join much of Italy in imposing a new lockdown as new variants fill up hospitals.

'If we have to lock down, we will do it,' the head of the national health agency, Jerome Salomon, said on BFM television Sunday. 'The situation is complex, tense and is worsening in the Paris region.'

The French government has been relying on curfews for months - along with the long-term closures of restaurants and some other businesses - to try to avoid a costly new lockdown.

But localized outbreaks are raising questions about the government's virus-fighting strategy.

Daily infections have risen to an average of nearly 24,000, the highest level since a November lockdown, and more than 90,000 people have died.

Meanwhile in Germany, Angela Merkel's party took a kicking in regional elections on Sunday as the public loses faith in her government's handling of the crisis.

Merkel's Christian Democrats slumped to historic defeats in two states amid frustration at the long lockdown and a scandal involving lawmakers who allegedly profited from mask procurement.

The party had enjoyed a bounce in the polls during Germany's early success against the pandemic, but it looks to have largely evaporated in recent months.

Merkel is not running for a fifth term in office at September's election but the party's poor performance will re-ignite questions over who should succeed her.

Italy has imposed new lockdown measures starting today, with a majority of the country placed in new 'red zones' where all shops except essential ones shuttered and travel outside the home restricted (pictured, Rome is deserted due to lockdown)

Venice was near-empty on Monday with its famous gondolas idle as new lockdown measures came into force, with only one region of the whole country - Sardinia - remaining lockdown-free

What is the truth about AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine and blood clots? Drug giant claims to have seen 37 events in 17million jabs, which top scientists say is LOWER than would be expected

There is 'no signal' that the Oxford and AstraZeneca Covid vaccine is causing blood clots, scientists have said in response to scaremongering from European officials.

At least five EU countries have stopped using the jab on members of the public after reports of people developing clots after having it in some nations.

But regulators and scientists say there's no proof that the vaccine had anything to do with this or that blood clots are any more likely after having it.

AstraZeneca has reported just 37 blood clot-related events out of 17million people who have been vaccinated so far in the UK and EU. There had been 15 cases of deep vein thrombosis, usually affecting the legs, and 22 pulmonary embolisms in the lungs.

Oxford's Professor Andrew Pollard (left) and the JCVI's Professor Anthony Harnden (right) both said there is no evidence that the vaccine was causing blood clots, but there is evidence it is saving lives

The chief medical officer at the firm said these numbers were actually lower than the 'hundreds' that would normally be expected in an average group that size.

And one scientist said countries ditching the vaccine were 'reckless' because Covid-19 is so dangerous.

Britain has used more doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine than anywhere else in the world  over 11million  and there has been no sign of a rise in blood clots.

NI medical chief has 'safe and effective' AZ vaccine Northern Ireland's chief medical officer said he did not hesitate in having an AstraZeneca vaccine, despite the temporary pause of its rollout in the Irish Republic. Dr Michael McBride received his first jab on Monday as the vaccination programme north of the border opened to those aged 50 and above. The latest phase of the rollout was announced after the Irish Republic joined a number of other European countries in temporarily suspending use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine after reports from Norway of a small number of vaccinated people who had developed serious blood clots. Dr McBride, who received his shot at the Ulster Hospital at Dundonald near Belfast, insisted the vaccine was 'safe and effective'. He said the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) had made clear there was no evidence of a link between the vaccine and reported cases of blood clots. He said there had been no reported concerns of vaccine linkage to clotting in Northern Ireland. 'I didn't need to be called a second time this morning when the opportunity was to get my vaccine,' he said. Advertisement

Professor Anthony Harnden, from the UK's official vaccination committee, said there was proof the vaccine would save lives from Covid but no proof it could lead to blood clots.

He said: 'The risks of not having the Covid vaccination far outweigh the risks from the vaccinations.'

Oxford's Professor Andrew Pollard, who helped develop the vaccine, said 'a lot of stuff happens to people all the time... so, when you put a vaccination campaign on top of that, clearly those blood clots still happen.'

Professor Pollard said there are 3,000 blood clots every month in normal times so it wasn't unusual to see people develop them. And people getting the first Covid vaccines are at higher than average risk of clots because they are older or unhealthy.

What is the blood clot controversy?

Experts in the UK have had to leap to the Oxford jab's defence after countries in Europe said they wouldn't use it while the blood clots were investigated.

Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Bulgaria and the Republic of Ireland have all paused the use of the vaccine because of concerns about blood clots.

Although clots are very common they can be serious and even deadly, potentially triggering strokes, heart attacks or blockages in the lungs.

Fears about the clots were escalated when patients died with clot-related illnesses in Austria, Denmark and Italy.

The European Medicines Agency said it has received 30 reports of people developing blood clots within days of having the vaccine, out of a total five million people.

It is carrying out a review of these cases to see if there is a link to the vaccine. But the numbers suggest that 4,999,970 out of the 5m did not get blood clots.

What does AstraZeneca say about the risk of blood clots?

In the midst of the crisis AstraZeneca put out a statement last night, March 14.

It said it has reported just 37 blood clot-related events out of 17million people who have been vaccinated so far in the UK and EU.

There have been 15 cases of deep vein thrombosis, which usually affects the legs, and 22 pulmonary embolisms, which are blood clots in the lungs.

Chief medical officer at the pharmaceutical firm, Ann Taylor, said: 'Around 17 million people in the EU and UK have now received our vaccine, and the number of cases of blood clots reported in this group is lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected among the general population.

'The nature of the pandemic has led to increased attention in individual cases and we are going beyond the standard practices for safety monitoring of licensed medicines in reporting vaccine events, to ensure public safety.'

The AstraZeneca vaccine is one of the main jabs being used in the UK and scientists say they haven't yet noticed an increase in the number of blood clots developing (stock image)

What do vaccine officials in the UK say about the claims?

The UK has used more doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine than anywhere else  approximately 11million  and officials and scientists insist there is no sign that it causes serious health problems.

Side effects are common, and around 53,000 have been reported across the UK so far, but the vast majority are mild and short-lived, such as headaches, muscle pains or fever.

British drugs regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has insisted the vaccine is safe and said people should continue to take it.

Its vaccine safety chief Dr Phil Bryan said: 'We are closely reviewing reports but given the large number of doses administered, and the frequency at which blood clots can occur naturally, the evidence available does not suggest the vaccine is the cause.

'People should still go and get their Covid-19 vaccine when asked to do so.'

The same message is being put out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the Government on its vaccine rollout.

Its deputy chairman Professor Anthony Harnden said on BBC Breakfast: 'Safety is absolutely paramount and we monitor this data very carefully.

'We have given 11million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to date and there's no demonstrable difference between the blood clots in those that have been vaccinated from those in the general population.

'We have to remember that there are 3,000 blood clots a month on average in the general population and because we're immunising so many people, we are bound to see blood clots at the same time as the vaccination, and that's not because they are due to the vaccination. That's because they occur naturally in the population.

'One ought to also remember that Covid causes blood clots. So, the risks of not having the Covid vaccination far outweigh the risks from the vaccinations.'

What are blood clots and why should we care?

Blood clots are lumps of solid blood that form inside veins and arteries, which they shouldn't do.

The clotting process is normal and vital for the body to heal itself when it gets injured, such as when skin is cut and blood congeals and forms a scab.

But if this happens inside blood vessels it can lead to serious damage to the internal organs. If a clot forms on the wall of a vessel and doesn't move it is less serious than one that moves around the body.

Clots in the arteries are generally more dangerous than clots in the veins because they can get into the brain or the lungs, causing a stroke or a pulmonary embolism, but clots in the veins may travel to the heart and trigger a heart attack.

Blood clots that travel around the body can cause damage in any organ that they lodge in, because they can block the flow of blood and starve it of oxygen.

Symptoms of blood clots include pain, tenderness and swelling. They most commonly develop in the legs and may then move to other bits of the body.

Experts say around 3,000 people develop a blood clot each month in the UK.

Covid-19 is known to cause blood clotting in almost everyone who gets seriously ill with it which suggests that, for many people, even the risk of a clot being caused by a vaccine would be smaller than the risk of catching coronavirus.

What do scientists say about the blood clotting row?

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at the University of Reading, said it was 'reckless' to simply stop using the vaccine.

He said in a tweet: 'I keep hearing the phrase 'abundance of caution' being used in reference to countries pausing rollout of [the Oxford vaccine] but is it really caution?

'Isn't it actually reckless to expose your population to Covid-19 unnecessarily? Data needed or carry on vaccinating.'

And Professor Pollard, who ran the clinical trials of Oxford's vaccine, added on BBC Radio 4: 'A lot of stuff happens to people all the time in normal times and, in the case of blood clots here in the UK, we see about 3,000 cases of blood clots happening every month.

'So, when you then put a vaccination campaign on top of that, clearly those blood clots still happen and you've got to then try and separate out whether  when they occur  they are at all related to the vaccine or not.'

He said it was 'very clearly' shown in MHRA reports that blood clots were not happening any more often than they normally would.

Professor Pollard added: 'It's absolutely critical that we don't have a problem of not vaccinating people and have the balance of a huge risk  a known risk of Covid  against what appears so far from the data that we've got from the regulators  no signal of a problem.'

Professor David Spiegelhalter, a statistician at the University of Cambridge, said in a Guardian column that the links between the jabs and the blood clots could be 'the basic and often creative urge to find patterns even where none exist'.

He said: 'Deep vein thromboses (DVTs) happen to around one person per 1,000 each year, and probably more in the older population being vaccinated.

'Working on the basis of these figures, out of 5 million people getting vaccinated, we would expect significantly more than 5,000 DVTs a year, or at least 100 every week. So it is not at all surprising that there have been 30 reports.'

And Professor Spiegelhalter added: 'So far, these vaccines have shown themselves to be extraordinarily safe.

'In fact, it's perhaps surprising that we haven't heard more stories of adverse effects.'
WATERBURY (AP)  The owners of a now-closed Waterbury juice bar are facing federal charges for allegedly being involved in a sweepstakes scam that preyed on senior citizens.

A federal criminal complaint unsealed last month in Arizona charged Zonia Wright and her husband, Obrian Wright, with conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Zonia Wright opened the Raw Deal Juice Bar in downtown Waterbury in 2017 but the business only saw a trickle of customers despite being touted on Mayor Neil M. OLearys Facebook page in 2019, the Republican-American reported.

FBI agents questioned the couple in September 2019, and the juice bar closed several months later, the newspaper reported.

According to the criminal complaint, the scammers contacted senior citizens around the country and told them theyd won the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes but that they would need to send money to cover state taxes. They were allegedly told they faced legal consequences if they didnt comply.

Victims sent tens of thousands of dollars to addresses controlled by the Wrights and others involved in the scam, according to the complaint. The couple allegedly took in more than $600,000 between 2012 and 2017 from victims and other sources not related to business income or paychecks.

Zonia Wright was arrested in Connecticut last month and was released on bond, according to the newspaper. She had a court appearance scheduled in Arizona for Monday that was postponed until next month, according to the court docket.

Wright told FBI agents she didnt remember cashing the specific money orders she cashed, and her husband denied being involved in the scheme, according to the newspaper. Obrian Wright didnt respond to a message seeking comment left by the newspaper. A message was left with an attorney representing Zonia Wright on Sunday by The Associated Press. The court docket didnt list an attorney for Obrian Wright.
The life sciences company had a comfortable cash position of 5.5mln as of December 31

( ) said it expects significant progress in both its food supplement and its cosmetic programmes during 2021.

The life sciences company had a comfortable cash position of 5.5mln as of December 31 after raising 4.45mln in a placing and open offer in October.

It started the consumer study on AxisBiotix, designed to balance the gut microbiome to address the overproduction of new skin cells often seen in aggressive skin conditions, earlier this year.

The results are expected in May, with a launch of a product anticipated before the end of the year.

The AIM-listed firm is also working with chemicals specialist Croda to include its SkinBiotix technology in cosmetic ingredients.

It also expects to initiate two programmes of work with the University of Manchester and move into its own lab facilities at the Biosphere in Newcastle upon Tyne.

In the six months to December 31, SkinBioTherapeutics  which is at the pre-commercial stage  made a 628,241 loss before tax, from 889,002 the year before.

It spent 205,027 on research and development and 423,214 on operating costs.

The company has made strong progress over the first half of the year, which given the continued impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had across the UK and internationally, has been an outstanding achievement by the team, said chief executive Stuart Ashman in a release.

"Our placing and open offer completed in October 2020 has given us resource to materially explore the use of our technology in other areas and expand our virtual R&D operations into true in-house capability. Coupled with our robust cash control, the company is well-positioned to unlock the commercial potential of our world-class technology."

Shares jumped 10% to 53.15p early on Monday.

--Adds shares--
New halts for the AstraZeneca vaccine

Germany, France and Italy became the latest countries to suspend the Covid-19 vaccine from Oxford-AstraZeneca, citing reports of unusual blood clotting problems among a few people who recently received the shots in Norway. Denmark, Iceland, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia and the Netherlands have also suspended AstraZeneca vaccinations.

Germanys health ministry cited the advice of the national health regulator in its decision to suspend the vaccine, though global health officials have cautioned that millions of people have received it without any problems. So far, there is no evidence of a causal link between clotting and the vaccine, with investigations from the European Medicines Agency and other regulators still underway.

By contrast, Thailand said that it would resume distribution of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha among the first to receive it.

Third wave: Europe is facing a third wave of infections, with Italy imposing strict new restrictions and France considering doing the same. Hungarys prime minister predicted hospitals this week would be at their most overwhelmed since the start of the pandemic. The spread of coronavirus variants and slow vaccination rates are among the likely factors.
Denton, TX (76205)

Today

Thunderstorms this morning, then partly cloudy during the afternoon hours. High 77F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Ferro-Alloy Resources Ltd's ( ) Nick Bridgen talks to Proactive London's Katie Pilbeam about entering into a subscription agreement for up to US$12.6mln with Vision Blue Resources.

This firm is led and founded by former Xstrata chief executive Sir Mick Davis who will now join the Ferro Alloys board as chairman following completion of the initial raise.

The proceeds will be used to complete the expansion and completion of the bankable feasibility study for the Ferro Alloys large-scale, low-cost Balasausqandiq vanadium project.
Central Vista project: Prime minister, vice presidents residences likely to be ready by 2022

President of Inter-Parliamentary Union Duarte Pacheco observes Rajya Sabha proceedings

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Mar 15: The president of the International parliamentary body IPU on Monday observed proceedings of Rajya Sabha. Duarte Pacheco, will address Indian MPs on March 16 in the Central Hall of parliament.The president of the Geneva-headquartered Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) is on India visit from March 14-20 on the invitation of Parliament of India.

Pacheco will call on Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla during his visit, the LS Secretariat said in a statement.

Pacheco will also attend the felicitation ceremony and address the members under the auspices of the Indian Parliamentary Group (IPG) in Central Hall of Parliament House, it said.

Later in the day, he will have an interaction with the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs. He will also visit Goa and Agra during his stay in India.

IPU is one of the oldest and largest international Parliamentary bodies consisting of more than 179 Members.

IPU espouses for the cause of promoting democracy across the world and take up issues of international importance.

Grammys 2021: Beyonce breaks record for most Grammy wins for a female artist | Oneindia News

Since its independence, India has been an active Member of Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU).
A fun new book applies a revealing Law & Order analysis to the multi-billion-dollar, knock-down-drag-out reorganization of Caesar's Palace. In The Caesars Palace Coup, Financial Times editor, Sujeet Indap, and Fitch news team leader, Max Frumes, open with a detailed examination of the personalities and transactions that preceded the Caesars bankruptcy case, leading to the second (and, for me, more interesting) part of the book, tracking step-by-step the harrowing negotiations, court proceedings, and examiner report that led to the ultimate reorganization.

There is so much to like in this book. Its primary strength is its Law & Order backstory, peeling back the onion of every major player, revealing how they got to where they were in their careers in big business management, high finance, or law, and revealing their thoughts and motivations as the deals and legal maneuvers played out. Four years of painstaking personal interviews have paid off handsomely in this fascinating account of the inner workings of big money and big law reorganization practice. On a personal note, I was treated to a bit of nostalgia, as the book opens with and later features Jim Millstein, an absolute gem of a person who taught me about EBITDA when my path fortunately crossed with his at Cleary Gottlieb in New York City in the late 1990s. It also features the Chicago bankruptcy court in my backyard, which seldom hosts such mega cases as Caesars', and the story in the second half of this book reveals part of the reason why. Cameo appearances include some of my favorite academics, such as Nancy Rapoport, as fee examiner, and Slipster, Adam Levitin, as defender of the Trust Indenture Act. On that latter point, the book alludes to (but does not particularly carefully explain) the key role of the Marblegate rulings on the TIA, which is described in a bit more depth in a vintage Credit Slips post. Again, the book's most valuable contribution is a behind-the-scenes look at the motivations and machinations behind a salient instance of collateral stripping, adding to the literature on this (disturbing) trend.

For would-be, currently-are, or has-been (like me) business managers, investment bankers, hedge fund managers, and reorganization lawyers, this book is a fascinating under-the-hood analysis of every stage of a financial business restructuring (not much about the operational side). For anyone interested in the thoughts and motivations of the Masters of the Universe who control so much of our world and its most famous companies, this book offers a brutally honest peek at how the sausage is made. It's not always pretty, but it is both entertaining and enlightening.
Attorney-General Christian Porter will delegate key parts of his job to others when he returns from leave on March 31 under a plan to keep his cabinet position while he wages a defamation battle against the ABC.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has backed the plan to retain Mr Porter in his cabinet ministry and structure the portfolio so another minister could oversee the courts.

Attorney-General Christian Porter will return to work on March 31. Credit:Trevor Collens

The government plan is to stand by Mr Porter and challenge the ABC to meet Mr Porters lawyers call to argue the truth of allegations that he raped a woman in January 1988, forcing the claims to go to a civil trial before a judge.

Mr Porter launched the defamation action on Monday against the ABC and its reporter, Louise Milligan, claiming they damaged his reputation and should present any evidence they believe would justify their action.
President Joe Biden speaks about his administration's COVID-19 response, in the State Dining Room at the White House on March 2, 2021. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

How States Should Push Back Against the Biden Administration

Commentary

The Biden administration began overreaching on its first day. It has this in common with every Democratic presidency and congressional majority in recent history. Give them the slimmest of electoral victories, and its pedal to the metal.

Republican state officials are talking about responding as they did during the Clinton and Obama administrations: by using state power to push back.

The correct term for state push-back against the feds is interposition. James Madison first applied that word to state constitutional checks on federal power. Interposition is built into our constitutional system.

Ive been advising state officials on interposition for nearly 30 years. In 2016, I examined the topic in a Heartland Institute issue paper (pdf). This essay summarizes some of the papers conclusions and adds further observations.

The methods of interposition range from very weak to the strongest possible constitutional approach. Several methods overlap, and state officials can use any or all of them. But some forms dont always work and some backfire.

Educational Methods

One educational device is a state legislative resolution condemning some aspect of federal overreach. During the Clinton years, several state legislatures adopted 10th Amendment Resolutions. The first of these, passed in Colorado in 1994, included the following language:

Be It Resolved  That the State of Colorado hereby claims sovereignty, under the 10th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the United States Constitution. That this Resolution shall serve as Notice and Demand that the federal government, as our agent, is hereby instructed, effective immediately, to cease and desist, any and all mandates that are beyond the scope of its Constitutionally authorized powers.

This Notice and Demand was toothless, and federal officials ignored it.

Sometimes even state officials ignore a legislative resolution. In 2011, the Montana legislature unanimously adopted a resolution opposing the Real ID program. Montanas executive branch continued with the program, and the legislature eventually backed down.

I believe the time for passing mere resolutions is long past. Whatever educational value inheres in them also inheres in more efficacious measures.

Lobbying Congress

State legislative resolutions memorializing Congress on federalism issues are one form of lobbying, but Congress figuratively consigns them to the circular file.

In 1995, Michigan Gov. John Engler made it more personal. He camped out in congressional lobbies promoting a bill curbing federal mandates. He had some success. However, that was 26 years ago, when Congress was controlled by a new GOP majority eager to scale down federal excess.

I dont consider state lobbying efforts to be worth much today, except perhaps in moderating bad legislation thats going to pass anyway.

Judicial Challenges

States have sued the feds repeatedly in recent years. States most significant victory probably was persuading a 72 Supreme Court majority to strike down Obamacares mandate that all states expand their Medicaid programs.

A carefully considered judicial challenge is often worth the time and expense. But victories are rare and often narrow in scope.

Litigation can be very slow. The Supreme Court upheld the remainder of Obamacare only because it was supported by a tax designed to force citizens to buy government-approved health insurance. Yet Congress repealed that tax four years ago, and by the Supreme Courts logic, Obamacare should have collapsed. But litigation continues, and the feds continue to force Obamacare on usdriving up costs, spreading arteriosclerosis throughout the medical system, and depriving states and families of health care freedom.

Coordination Among States

Interstate coordination is old, tried, and true: The first convention of American colonies was held in 1677 and the most recent convention of states met in 2017. There have been about 40 in all.

The basic procedure is that a state calls a convention to consider a common problem, other states agree to attend, and the state delegations meet to consider the issue and propose a solution.

Since the 1960s, conspiracy theorists have attacked interstate conventions on specious, often ridiculous, grounds. For example, in 199495, Nebraska Gov. Ben Nelson, a Democrat, and Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, a Republican, proposed an informal conference of the states to explore common responses to federal mandates. Conspiracy fans claimed the proposed conference could become a constitutional convention that might stage a coup d etat! As absurd as their claim was, it gave lukewarm lawmakers in many states an excuse to avoid participating.

Fortunately, in these days of teleconferencing, in-person consultations usually are no longer necessary (except for constitutional amendment purposes; see below). In addition, several national organizations of state officials regularly meet to facilitate communication. These groups include the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Constitutional Amendment

By 1787, the convention of states device had proved so successful that the Founders inserted it into the Constitution as a way to formally present constitutional amendments to the states for ratification. The convention device enabled a super-majority of states to amend the Constitution without federal approval. It was a central check and balance in the federal system, much like the presidents vetobut more important.

Against all the Founders expectations, the mechanism has never been used. This, of course, is a major reason the federal government is now dysfunctional and overgrown. Yet the procedure is still available, and a majority of state legislatures (but not the necessary two-thirds) have approved convention resolutions.

Noncooperation

As I mentioned in a previous essay, the Supreme Courts noncommandeering doctrine holds that the federal government generally may not order state governments to do things. States can refuse to cooperate with a federal program or enforce an unconstitutional federal law. This doesnt prevent the federal government itself from administering its program or enforcing its law.

However, if a state accepts federal funding for a program, the central government can require a state to comply with the programs conditions. For example, Congress may not order a state to raise its minimum age for drinking alcohol to 21, but it has accomplished the same thing by conditioning federal highway funds on a 21-year-old state drinking age.

I have long recommended that states reject federal grants that 1. infringe too much on the statefederal balance or 2. create destructive incentives or do other damage.

Heres an ironic story about state noncooperation: During the Clinton and Obama years, conservative legislators often proposed noncooperation with unconstitutional federal programs. Left-wing politicians and media regularly accused them of being extremists and nullifiers.

But more recently, leftist-controlled state and local governments have stopped cooperating with a clearly constitutional federal programimmigration control. Suddenly noncooperation was no longer extreme, but humane.

Lawmakers considering noncooperation must take state executive branch attitudes into account. In 1995, Montana lawmakers adopted an anti-mandate statute, which required regular executive review of federal mandates, assessment of their impact on the state, and recommendations for mitigation. The executive branch largely ignored it.

Nullification

Nullification has at least three meanings.

First: The traditional and most precise meaning is this: enacting a state law or state convention ordinance that declares a federal measure void within state boundaries.

Theres no constitutional merit to this form of nullification. Despite occasional assertions to the contrary, James Madison didnt consider this a legitimate form of interposition. (Neither its proposer, Thomas Jefferson, nor its chief promoter, John C. Calhoun, were accurate constitutional scholars.)

Traditional nullification is too clumsy to address multiple federal actions, and attempts to employ it usually evaporate quickly. Moreover, the word nullification is infected with political poison. Fairly or unfairly, its associated in the public mind with the antebellum positions of Southern slaveholders.

Second: Speakers sometimes employ nullification to mean interposition of all types. I strongly discourage this usage, both for its imprecision and because of the words historical baggage.

Third: The word is used imprecisely to refer to state actions that go beyond noncooperation to affirmative operations in defiance of federal law. The best-known recent example is state legalization of marijuana.

Properly speaking, a state cannot legalize marijuana. Whatever the state does, the substance remains illegal by a federal law sustained by the Supreme Court. (I disagree with the courts decision, but its not my opinion that counts.)

True, under the noncommandeering doctrine, states may repeal their own anti-pot statutes. Thats a legitimate form of noncooperation. But many states have gone beyond repeal. They have adopted statutes erecting or authorizing extensive cannabis distribution and regulatory networks. They even finance state operations from sales.

Technically, those states are involved in a criminal conspiracy. They have gotten away with it because marijuana legalization is a favorite cause of the left. Whether conservative states could do the same in other areas is an open question.

As a licensed lawyer, I cant recommend flouting federal law. But some states might decide to do so. For example, a state might defy Obamacare by legalizing and affirmatively supporting free-market health care options that Obamacare purportedly prohibits.

Each state must decide for itself on its preferred methods of interposition. To counter media hostility, officials must remind their constituencies regularly that interposition is an integral check-and-balance built into our constitutional system.

Robert G. Natelson, a retired constitutional law professor, is a senior fellow in constitutional jurisprudence at the Independence Institute in Denver. He is also on the ALEC board of scholars, and has long advised state lawmakers on federalism issues. He is the author of The Original Constitution: What It Actually Said and Meant (3rd ed. 2014).

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Many Chinese people are familiar with the city of Zunyi in southwest China's Guizhou Province as this is where a landmark meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee was held in January 1935.

Regarded as a crucial turning point of the Long March, the Zunyi Meeting led to the success of the Chinese revolution, and has forever been imprinted on the soul of the city.

History

Traces of human habitat and reproduction in Zunyi date back 206,000 to 240,000 years  the Paleolithic Age  as fossils of human teeth were discovered in the city's Tongzi County.

Culture

The rise of the Red Culture has shaped Zunyi in recent years. Pictures, films and cultural relics have recorded the footprints of the Red Army.

Transport

The flights between Beijing Daxing International Airport and Xinzhou Airport are operated by Hebei Airlines on a daily basis.

Top attraction

Located in the old town of Zunyi, the Red Army Street is a top "red tourism" site. It lies in the traditional commercial and cultural center of the city, displaying blocks with local design and highlighting unique cultural attributes.

Food

Unique and delicious Suiyang noodles originate from Yangchuan Town of Suiyang County in Zunyi. The traditional local dish is listed as part of the province's intangible cultural heritage.

Hollow from inside, the noodles are made using a special technique passed down from generation to generation.

Zunyi's chili peppers are also famous, an essential part of the local residents' daily meals.
On 15 March 2021, the World Customs Organization (WCO) announced the formal commencement of its West Africa Security Project, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office. It forms part of a German Government initiative, aimed at facilitating support for partner States with a focus on security sector reform.

This Project marks the first formal cooperation between German Customs and the WCO in relation to Border Security matters. In the initial phase of the Project the beneficiary countries will include Cote dIvoire, Togo and Ghana. The aim is to build on and sustain the recent WCO-funded security activities and assistance in the region, delivered under the WCOs Security Project for West and Central Africa. Through this Project, the WCO has provided a range of detection equipment, nCEN training and other training relating to improvised explosive device (IED) detection and border security preparedness.

I have noticed a gradual shift in priority in the West and Central Africa (WCA) region from focusing purely on revenue collection towards embracing the border security aspect, based on my regular meetings with Directors General in the region, stated Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, WCO Secretary General. He underscored that without efficient security controls at borders, administrations will not be able to collect revenue or facilitate legitimate trade. In advancing towards the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, the West Africa Security Project will assist Customs administrations in securing supply chains and protecting them from terrorists or violent insurgents.

Secretary General Mikuriya further added that in 2015, following the adoption of its Punta Cana Resolution which acknowledges the role to be played by Customs in the security field, the WCO developed and made available to its Members a range of security-related training materials and guidance, and hosted, in 2019, the Africa Security Conference in order to hear the views of Customs administrations in Africa on global security issues, and further address them.

It gives me great pleasure to launch this initiative, which marks the first project in the West Africa region entered into by the German Customs Administration, noted Mrs. Hercher, President of the German Central Customs Authority. She added that through this initiative, the German Customs Administration was embarking on a new path. I am therefore delighted to have the WCO as a committed project partner by our side, as its project experience and contacts in this region will add a great deal of value to this initiative.

Mrs. Hercher went on to say that the project will also benefit from the WCOs international Customs standards. In addition to this important cooperation with the WCO, I wish to highlight the broader cooperation potential that can be opened up through this initiative and express my support for the modernization strategies of Customs administrations in the West Africa region.

The Project will complement the counter-terrorism Action Plans or policy statements for the region developed by the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The principal aim is to improve Customs security- and trade-related procedures so that the supply chain of goods into and across the region can be controlled effectively, thereby restricting access to IED precursor chemicals and components, as well as small arms and light weapons (SALW), whilst also identifying illicit trade in goods and cash which may be used to finance terrorism in these countries.

The Project will initially focus on a diagnostic phase during which the situation in the major ports, airports and land borders serving the region in Cote dIvoire, Togo, and Ghana will be assessed in order to establish how enhanced revenue- and security-related Customs procedures can be implemented in those facilities. This phase will also look at how, through the enhanced use of nCEN and other intelligence tools, higher-risk shipments of IED precursor chemicals and components, as well as SALW and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) components, can be profiled effectively.

Furthermore, the data collected during this initial phase will be used to strike the right balance between the awareness-raising, training and operational activities to be provided under the Project over the following years. This will be communicated to Directors General from the WCA region, via both an implementation report and a high-level engagement event to be held later this year, which will assess the challenges to be addressed and discuss the need for further action.

To find out more about the West Africa Security Project or the WCO Security Programme, please contact: WestAfricaSecurityProject@wcoomd.org.
By Guy Faulconbridge

CAMBRIDGE, England (Reuters) - Regular booster vaccines against the novel coronavirus will be needed because of mutations that make it more transmissible and better able to evade human immunity, the head of Britain's effort to sequence the virus's genomes told Reuters.

The novel coronavirus, which has killed 2.65 million people globally since it emerged in China in late 2019, mutates around once every two weeks, slower than influenza or HIV, but enough to require tweaks to vaccines.

Sharon Peacock, who heads COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) which has sequenced nearly half of all the novel coronavirus genomes so far mapped globally, said international cooperation was needed in the "cat and mouse" battle with the virus.

"We have to appreciate that we were always going to have to have booster doses; immunity to coronavirus doesn't last forever," Peacock told Reuters at the non-profit Wellcome Sanger Institute's 55-acre campus outside Cambridge.

"We already are tweaking the vaccines to deal with what the virus is doing in terms of evolution - so there are variants arising that have a combination of increased transmissibility and an ability to partially evade our immune response," she said.

Peacock said she was confident regular booster shots - such as for influenza - would be needed to deal with future variants but that the speed of vaccine innovation meant those shots could be developed at pace and rolled out to the population.

COG-UK was set up by Peacock, a professor at Cambridge, exactly a year ago with the help of the British's government's chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, as the virus spread across the globe to Britain.

The consortium of public health and academic institutions is now the world's deepest pool of knowledge about the virus's genetics: At sites across Britain, it has sequenced 349,205 genomes of the virus out of a global effort of around 778,000 genomes.

Story continues

On the intellectual frontline at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, hundreds of scientists - many with PhDs, many working on a voluntary basis and some listening to heavy metal or electronic beats - work seven days a week to map the virus's growing family tree for patterns of concern.

Wellcome Sanger Institute has sequenced over half of the UK total sequenced genomes of the virus after processing 19 million samples from PCR tests in a year. COG-UK is sequencing around 30,000 genomes per week - more than the UK used to do in a year.

MUTATION LEADERBOARD

Three main coronavirus variants - which were first identified in Britain (known as B.1.1.7), Brazil (known as P1)and South Africa (known as B.1.351) - are under particular scrutiny.

Peacock said she was most worried about B.1.351.

"It is more transmissible, but it also has a change in a gene mutation, which we refer to as E484K, which is associated with reduced immunity - so our immunity is reduced against that virus," Peacock said.

With 120 million cases of COVID-19 around the world, it is getting hard to keep track of all the alphabet soup of variants, so Peacock's teams are thinking in terms of "constellations of mutations".

"So a constellation of mutations would be like a leaderboard if you like - which mutations in the genome that we're particularly concerned about, the E484K is must be one of the top of the leaderboard," she said.

"So we're developing our thinking around that leaderboard to think, regardless of the background and lineage, about what mutations or constellation of mutations are going to be important biologically and different combinations that may have slightly different biological effects."

Peacock, though, warned of humility in the face of a virus that has brought so much death and economic destruction.

"One of the things that the virus has taught me is that I can be wrong quite regularly - I have to be quite humble in the face of a virus that we know very little about still," she said.

"There may be a variant out there that we haven't even discovered yet."

There will, though, be future pandemics.

"I think its inevitable that we will have another virus emerge that is of concern. What I hope is that having learned what we have in this global pandemic, that we will be better prepared to detect it and contain it."

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Kate Holton and Philippa Fletcher)
Princeton Woman Arrested on Meth, Other Charges

By West Kentucky Star Staff

EDDYVILLE - A Caldwell County woman was arrested Friday on methamphetamine and other charges.

The Lyon County Sheriff's Office said deputies were dispatched to Thrush Lane in the Old Eddyville area regarding a suspicious person complaint. Upon arrival they encountered 44-year-old Johnny Bean of St. Charles and 48-year-old Emily M. Tucker of Princeton. Both Bean and Tucker were detained initially.

Deputies said Tucker tried to crush an item in her hand and discard it on the ground. A cigarette package container with suspected methamphetamine residue was reportedly found in her hand. Tucker was arrested and charged with tampering with physical evidence and possession of methamphetamine.

Additional items of evidence were seized from Bean. Deputies said Bean had just been released from the hospital hours earlier and did not appear to be well. He also complained of chest pains.

Lyon County EMS was summoned to evaluate Bean and determined he needed to be transported back to the hospital for further medical attention. Charges are pending against Bean upon his release from the hospital.
Joe Biden is planning to propose the first substantial federal tax hike since 1993 for Americans to help pay for his long-term economic program after he signed the largest stimulus package in U.S. history with a price tag of $1.9 trillion.

Four people familiar with discussion told Bloomberg that Biden is expected to propose a series of tax increases, including repealing parts of Donald Trump's 2017 tax law that resulted in most Americans seeing more in their paychecks, to help fund the latest proposal.

Trump's tax cuts led to most Americans receiving more take home pay and resulted in an average increase of $90 in tax returns from 2017 to 2018.

With the former president's income tax cuts, Americans immediately saw somewhere between a 0.4 per cent and 2.9 per cent increase in their paychecks after taxes.

Now the White House is preparing to roll out another sweeping plan to tackle infrastructure and the economic crisis, which some say could fall somewhere between the $2-$4 trillion mark.

Among Biden's ideal proposals in the tax hike is raising the corporate tax rate by 7 per cent from 21 per cent to 28 per cent.

He also plans to raise the income tax on those earning more than $400,000 and implement a higher capital-gains tax rate for individuals earning at least $1 million per year to help fund his next spending package.

Also on the docket to get Americans to pay for the plan is scaling back tax preferences for businesses and expanding the reach of the estate tax.

President Joe Biden is preparing to announce the largest federal tax hike since 1993 to help fund his next long-term economic plan tackling infrastructure, climate and education  a package that could reach somewhere between $2-$4 trillion

Among Biden's ideal proposals in the tax hike is raising the income tax on those earning more than $400,000 and implementing a higher capital-gains tax rate for individuals earning at least $1 million

Biden also plans to kick off his cross-country tour this week promoting and seeking to bolster enthusiasm for the coronavirus relief package, where the White House will also ensure he receives credit for benefits included in the bill.

First lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and first gentlemen Doug Emhoff will also hit the road this week to promote the sweeping legislation.

Next on the president's docket is getting another pricey funding bill through Congress that addresses infrastructure, climate and education.

Republicans are more than likely to pounce on the plan, painting Democrats as the Party of higher taxes.

The tax hike could also blow any chances of lawmakers reaching a bipartisan deal on infrastructure  something Democratic Senator Joe Manchin says is unacceptable and that he will likely block.

With a narrow majority in the House and a 50-50 split in the Senate, Democrats much craft the proposal in a way that gains support from nearly every lawmaker in their caucus.

White House officials are now facing a conundrum on how much of the bill should be paid for with tax hikes and what parts should be financed with even more federal borrowing.

The Monday Bloomberg report details that the sources say Biden's plan would propose making changes to ensure the U.S. tax code is more progressive, another hard sell for a super-tight Democratic majority to pass.

Biden's Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday that the administration has yet to decide if it will move forward with a wealth tax.

'That's something that we haven't decided yet and can look at,' Yellen told ABC's 'This Week' host George Stephanopoulos during a Sunday interview when asked about the wealth tax.

Biden returned to the White House Sunday afternoon as he prepares to deliver remarks on implementing the American Rescue Plan Monday

Biden is also kicking off a cross-country tour promoting the $1.9 trillion COVID relief plan

She instead noted the other proposals the president is pursuing, saying: 'Those are alternatives that addressthat are similar in their impact to a wealth tax.'

A group of far-left lawmakers, including Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, recently proposed an 'ultra-millionaire tax' that would create a 2 per cent annual tax on the net worth of households and trusts falling between $50 million and $1 billion.

In the meantime before a new package is proposed, Biden is hitting the road this week for his 'Help is Here' tour to promote the American Rescue Plan. First, he will deliver remarks at the White House Monday afternoon on implementing the sweeping package.

Other than the first and second couple, members of Biden's cabinet will also back up promoting the massive spending plan.

The White House insists the tour is about educating the public on what's included in the legislation, which Biden signed Thursday, rather than a full court press on getting the president credit for the benefits.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jen O'Malley Dillon outlined in a memo to senior staff, obtained by ABC News last week, that outreach efforts during the tour will focus on '10 key aspects of the bill,' like helping veterans and small businesses, severely dropping child poverty numbers and bolstering rural health care.

'We'll be putting surrogates and senior administration officials on local TV in markets around America,' O'Malley Dillion wrote in the memo. 'We'll mobilize our coalition of over 400 supportive mayors and governors  Democrats and Republicans alike  to talk about what the plan means for them and their communities. We'll continue to engage organized labor, the business community, and other groups, to reinforce why the Rescue Plan is vital in getting Americans back to work.'

Meanwhile, the $1,400 stimulus checks could start hitting Americans' bank accounts this week.

Biden could announce during his address Monday afternoon that Gene Sperling will oversee implementation of the nearly $2 trillion plan, people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.

The longtime Democratic economic policy expert and former director of the National Economic Council during the Bill Clinton and Barack Obama administration is being tapped to spearhead the president's first major win.
Two men have been charged with assaulting Brian D. Sicknick, the U.S. Capitol police officer originally from New Jersey who died following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, federal authorities announced Monday.

Julian Elie Khater, 32, of Pennsylvania, and George Pierre Tanios, 39, of West Virginia were arrested Sunday and are expected to appear in federal court Monday. They were not charged in Sicknicks death.

Khater and Tanios are also from New Jersey and grew up together, the FBI says in court papers.

Khater was arrested when he stepped off a plane at Newark Liberty Airport, officials said. Tanios was apprehended at his West Virginia home.

Sicknick, 42, who grew up in South River, died the day after the attack after collapsing the night before. Hed been in physical contact with rioters during the attack, authorities have said. He was a 12-year Capitol officer.

The FBI alleges in a criminal complaint that Khater and Tanios were working together Jan. 6. Specifically, Khater pulled a can of bear spray from Tanios backpack and sprayed police officers twice near a metal bike rack. The assault hit Sicknick and two other officers directly, incapacitating them for 20 minutes.

The FBI says they have video of Khater saying to Tanios, Give me that bear s---.

Tanios replies, Hold on, hold on, not yet, not yet its still early.

Khater then says, They just fu----- sprayed me.

He then unleashes the chemical, sweeping his arm side to side while the officers were about 5 to 8 feet away, the FBI says.

One officer later reported that the facefull of spray caused her lasting injuries under her eyes, including scabbing that remained for weeks. the FBI said.

From left, Julian Khater and George Tanios, who are charged with assaulting U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick during the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021. (File and FBI photos)

Khater is recently from State College, Pennsylvania, the FBI says, though his LinkedIn page identifies himself as previously operating a Frutta Bowls store there which he co-owned, and now living in Somerset, New Jersey - and looking for new and exciting opportunities.

Tanios operates Sandwich U. in Morgantown, West Virginia, and wore a sweatshirt on Jan. 6 in Washington that has the Sandwich U. logo, the FBI says. Previous news stories describe the shop as a sister location to R U Hungry in New Brunswick, where Tanios attended high school, according to his LinkedIn page.

Both were identified to the FBI by people they worked with or knew through their professions, the FBI alleges.

Khater and Tanios are charged with nine crimes connected to the Jan. 6 attack, including assaulting Sicknick and two other police officers with a deadly weapon.

This photo from the FBI allegedly shows Julian Khater, 32, (left with blue hat) and George Tanios, 39 (facing Khater with red hat) at the U.S. Capitol on Jan, 6, 2021.

The exact cause of Sicknicks death remains unclear. He collapsed at his police division office later on Jan. 6 and died in a hospital the next night.

Earlier this month, news organizations that had reported Sicknick died after being struck with a fire extinguisher backed away from those reports as law enforcement sources told several outlets that they suspected Sicknick possibly died from exposure to a chemical irritant, like bear spray. Officers at the Capitol on Jan. 6 reported rioters sprayed them with the substance.

A Washington, D.C. medical examiners report on Sicknick has not been made public. In late February, the office said they still awaited toxicology tests.

Before he served Congress as an officer, Sicknick served in the military, as a member of the New Jersey Air National Guards 108th Security Forces Squadron. He was deployed twice overseas.

He was laid to rest after being honored in the Capitol rotunda Feb. 3 during a solemn ceremony in which his fellow officers and members of Congress paid their respects and passed by his remains, next to an American flag.

Sicknick was living in Springfield, a northern Virginia suburb of the nations capital, when he died, and had a girlfriend of 11 years, Sandra Garza. He rescued dachshunds in his spare time and had two of his own, Sparky and Pebbles. He loved the New Jersey Devils.

In this Feb. 2, 2021, file photo a placard is displayed with an image of the late U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick on it as people wait for an urn with his cremated remains to be carried into the U.S. Capitol to lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington.Brendan Smialowski/Pool via AP, File

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Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com
Banking operations were severely



hit in on Monday as officers and employees of public sector lenders went on a strike to protest against the proposed privatisation of two state-owned

The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine unions, had given a nationwide strike call for March 15 and 16, and claimed that about 10 lakh employees and officers of the lenders will participate in the ceasework.

"We have got a tremendous response. Our strike call has also been supported by the National Confederation of Officers Association, farmers, CITU and AITUC," All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC) joint general secretary Sanjoy Das said.

There are around 6,000 branches of public, private and foreign in West Bengal, he said.

"Most of the bank branches in the state are closed due to the strike. ATMs are not functioning except those located at hospitals, railway stations and airports," Das said.

However, branches of private sector lenders like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank are open as they are not part of the strike.

Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had in the budget announced the privatisation of two public sector (PSBs) as part of the government's disinvestment plan.

The government has merged 14 in the last four years.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 15)  The 740-billion Bulacan airport project of San Miguel Corp. received a solid backing from local government officials and residents.

During a public hearing conducted by the Environment Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Bulakan Mayor Vergel Meneses said he hopes construction works on the massive gateway will soon be at full throttle.

"Ang proyekto po ay sinusuportahan ko, ng Sangguniang Bayan at Bayan ng Bulakan. Amin pong ninanais na masimulan na ang proyekto sa lalong madaling panahon, dahil batid naming ang maraming oportunidad na bubuksan nito sa aming bayan," Meneses was quoted as saying in a statement on Monday.

[Translation: The project is supported by me, by the Sangguniang Bayan and Bulakan Municipality. We want the project to start as soon as possible, because we know the many opportunities that it will open up in our town.]

In January, SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon Ang said initial works have started for the construction of the massive New Manila International Airport or NMIA.

The Bulacan airport is envisioned to decongest the country's main gateway Ninoy Aquino International Airport, as this is designed to accommodate up to 100 million flyers annually. The NMIA will be constructed with four runways, eight taxiways, and three passenger terminals.

The opening of the multibillion-peso air hub is being eyed by 2025.

READ: SMC: 740-B Bulacan airport up and running by 2025

Once operational, Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando said the province is "poised to become a global destination for tourism."

The Bulakan town council issued a formal decision to support the undertaking in October last year. Meneses said the LGU took into careful consideration the economic development, job opportunities, and new businesses that the airport project will bring.

SMC has been providing livelihood and training projects to the residents of Taliptip and Bambang, including mangrove planting and mangrove crab production, fish and meat processing, and entrepreneurship.

Just last January, SMC launched a community reseller program as part of its livelihood support for former Taliptip residents, where they could sell Purefoods and Magnolia products.

READ: SMC launches community reseller program for former Taliptip residents

SMC also teamed up with the Technical Education Skills Development Authority to provide complete training in different courses for 58 former Taliptip coastal residents.

Even before the group could start its construction, residents of Taliptip were already relocated to new and safer homes.

READ: Settlers in future Bulacan airport site relocate to new, safer houses
Patna, March 15 : An eatery vendor was stabbed to death in Bihar's Bettiah city in West Champaran district, an official said on Monday.

The deceased, Sukhdev Sharma, sustained multiple stab wounds on his face and was found dead inside the premises of his eatery.

Mukul Parimal Pandey, SDPO of Bettiah Sadar confirmed the incident. He said: "Prima facie, it looks as if Sharma was asleep when the attacker killed him." Sharma ran an eatery in Barvat Sena village under Muffasil police station in Bettiah.

Vikas Sharma, the deceased's son, said: "He used to sleep inside the shop to prevent theft and open the shop in the morning hours. Today, I was informed by the owner of the adjoining shop that my father has not opened the shop. When I reached there, I found his body lying on the floor in a pool of blood." "My father was running the shop for the last nine months. He was a carpenter in Jammu and Kashmir but returned home during the lockdown, necessitated by Covid-19," said Vikas.
Senior adviser to the president Jared Kushner walks on the south lawn of the White House to board Marine One on Dec. 23, 2020. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Jared Kushner Breaks Silence Since Leaving White House

Former senior White House adviser Jared Kushner has made his first public remarks since departing the White House earlier this year, penning an op-ed about the opportunity for peace in the Middle East.

In the opinion article, titled Opportunity Beckons in the Mideast published in The Wall Street Journal on March 14, Kushner argues that the Biden administration would be mistaken not to build on the successes of the Trump administration in the region.

Eliminating the ISIS caliphate and bringing about six peace agreementsbetween Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco, and Kosovo, plus uniting the Gulf Cooperation Councilhas changed the paradigm, Kushner wrote.

Kushner was one of four Trump administration officials nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in February for their roles in negotiating four normalization deals between Israel and Arab nations.

Kushner, who is the husband of Ivanka Trump, a daughter of former President Donald Trump, highlighted the Trump administrations 2017 state visit to Saudi Arabia. In a speech in Riyadh during that trip, Trump rallied the Arab world against what he argued was a common adversary, radical Islamic extremism and the Iranian regime, the ideologys biggest sponsor.

As the custodian of the two holiest sites in Islam, Saudi Arabia has made significant progress in combating extremism, which has greatly reduced Americas risk of attack and created the environment for todays new partnerships, Kushner wrote. In Mr. Trumps final deal before leaving office, he brokered the end of the diplomatic conflict between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, restoring an important alliance to counter Iran.

Kushner hasnt made any formal public appearances or remarks since departing the White House on Jan. 20. Ivanka Trump made some headlines a week earlier after she was sighted delivering food boxes in Apopka, Florida, as part of the Trump administrations Farmers to Families food box program.

The former president made his first public appearance since leaving office two weeks ago on Feb. 28, when he delivered a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Florida.

Kushner notably praised the Biden administrations handling of Iran, arguing that President Joe Bidens existing relationship with the nations leadership was an advantage that Trump didnt have.

While many were troubled by the Biden teams opening offer to work with Europe and rejoin the Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, I saw it as a smart diplomatic move, Kushner wrote. The Biden administration called Irans bluff. It revealed to the Europeans that the JCPOA is dead and only a new framework can bring stability for the future. When Iran asked for a reward merely for initiating negotiations, President Biden did the right thing and refused.

Kushner, who led Trumps efforts for peace in the Middle East, said the Biden administration would do well to take a patient approach with Iran because the nation is in a tight financial squeeze due to the sanctions imposed by Trump.

Iran is feigning strength, but its economic situation is dire and it has no ability to sustain conflict or survive indefinitely under current sanctions, Kushner wrote. America should be patient and insist that any deal include real nuclear inspections and an end to Irans funding of foreign militias.

He said the Biden administration stands to make progress by following the roadmap of the previous administration, pointing out that the Arab world is already starting to thrive since nations are no longer boycotting Israel. He noted that Oman, Qatar, and Mauritania are on the brink of joining the Abraham Accords.

These relationships should be pursued aggressivelyevery deal is a blow to those who prefer chaos, Kushner wrote.

The former White House adviser underlined that the most important relationship that has seen improvement is the one between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The relations could be normalized if the Biden administration leads, Kushner wrote.

The table is set, he wrote in conclusion. If it is smart, the Biden administration will seize this historic opportunity to unleash the Middle Easts potential, keep America safe, and help the region turn the page on a generation of conflict and instability. It is time to begin a new chapter of partnership, prosperity and peace.
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San Francisco, 15 March 2021: The Report Pulse Oximeter Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (Fingertip, Handheld), By End-use (Hospitals & Other Healthcare Facilities, Homecare), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028

The global pulse oximeter market size is expected to reach USD 3.4 billion by 2028, based on a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.4% from 2021 to 2028. Technological advancements in products, growing healthcare costs, and readmission, and increasing adoption of pulse oximetry devices are expected to boost market growth during the forecast period. Market players are introducing devices that are more efficient and support telehealth approaches. For instance, in February 2017, the company received a CE mark for Rad-97 Pulse CO-Oximeter used to monitor blood pressure at set intervals. It is also capable of transferring the data to a remotely connected device.

There are various other types of oximeters such as wrist-worn oximeters, bedside, or desktop oximeters, and mobile phone pulse oximeters, the latest addition. These oximetry devices are equipped with a sensor that is compatible with the software installed in a users mobile phone, which analyzes data to display information. For instance, iHealth Labs, a subsidiary of a China-based company, Andon Health, offers such products. In October 2013, the company received FDA approval for its wireless pulse oximetry device.

Access Research Report of Pulse Oximeter Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/pulse-oximeter-market

Pulse Oximeter Market Report Highlight

The fingertip pulse oximetry devices are being used by customers to self-monitor symptoms of COVID-19 contributing to segment growth since the onset of the pandemic

In handheld pulse oximetry devices, the probe, which is very delicate and prone to damage, can be replaced, unlike in fingertip oximeters, and is expected to be in high demand due to the advantage of reduced risk of COVID-19 transmission

There is an upward trend in the use of the medical device in homecare settings as it enables tracking and storing of patient's oxygen level readings, which reduces the need for hospital readmissions

North America held the largest share in the market in 2020 due to factors such as availability of funds for R&D. The sales for fingertip pulse oximetry devices soared in January 2020 and March 2020 in the U.S. post the country-wide spread of the novel coronavirus and release of the WHO guidelines citing the oximeter as an essential device for monitoring blood oxygen during self-management

In Asia Pacific, the demand for medical devices has increased from hospitals for monitoring critically ill COVID-19 patients. As the spread of the novel coronavirus has progressed significantly, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India has notified all healthcare facilities to make necessary arrangements for devices used in diagnostics, treatment, and management of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

The industry is also witnessing mergers, acquisitions, and licensing agreements. For instance, in December 2016, Nihon Kohden announced an absorption-type merger of 11 wholly-owned consolidated subsidiaries to improve management and efficiency of operations

List of Key Players of Pulse Oximeters Market

Medtronic (Covidien)

Carefusion Corp.

GE Healthcare

Philips Healthcare

Masimo

CAS Medical Systems, Inc.

Opto Circuits India Ltd.

Nonin Medical, Inc.

Smiths Medical

Welch Allyn

Spacelabs Healthcare

Meditech Equipment Co.

Nihon Kohden Corporation

Access Press Release of Pulse Oximeter Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-pulse-oximeters-market
There was a trifecta of winning COVID-related news this month as positivity rates continued to fall, pandemic restrictions were loosened and vaccine availability increased enough to stand up the first series of mass evacuation sites statewide  including one in St. Tammany.

More than 1,100 residents were inoculated by an Ochsner medical team during a busy eight hours at the Castine Center in Mandeville on March 10, where one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccines  only just delivered to Louisiana  were administered to eligible residents with appointments.

While the COVID vaccine supply remains limited, Dr. Courtney N. Phillips, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, said the state did finally have enough on hand to begin coordinating mass evacuation sites. But she stressed that these events are but one piece of the vaccine rollout.

"To ensure everyone has access to the vaccines, including our underserved communities, we know we need a mix of options  hospitals, pharmacies, clinics and targeted community events, she said, and all will continue.

It is a mix of venues that will surely be needed because, in more good news, Gov. John Bel Edwards has also now expanded vaccination eligibility to include, among other categories, all residents at least 16 years of age who are diagnosed with serious, specified health conditions.

Despite the welcome reduction in COVID infection numbers, St. Tammany Health System infectious disease expert Dr. Mike Hill joined Edwards and Phillips in warning that it is crucial for everyone to continue exercising caution.

I think everybody has to be encouraged by the way infection rates are trending here in St. Tammany Parish and across the state, Hill said, but its important to remember were not out of the woods yet. If we want to avoid another surge, we all have to remain vigilant and take care of one another. That means continuing to practice social distancing and good hand hygiene, wearing that mask and getting your vaccine when its your turn.
Barack Obama never seemed enamored of the work that went along with being president. It wasn't that he couldn't do it; it was that he didn't want to do it. By contrast, the much older Donald Trump was a whirlwind workaholic. Joe Biden is a different creature entirely: he is not a dynamo like Trump, nor a slacker like Obama. One gets the impression, instead, that he is incapable of putting in a full day of work. The best evidence yet comes from his schedule for this week.

Steve Herman, a White House reporter, posted on Twitter what Joe Biden's schedule is over the next five days. On Monday, he will deliver remarks; on Tuesday, he will travel to Pennsylvania; on Wednesday, he will have a telephone meeting with the president of Ireland; and on Friday, he will travel to Georgia. In case you are thinking I skipped over Thursday, I did not. He has nothing on his calendar for Thursday (hat tip: The Gateway Pundit):

If reporters were to ask about this relaxing schedule (not that they ever would), one can be assured that the White House would insist that Biden is very busy taking care of business for America. You see, the president is traveling to highlight to people across America how the $1.9-trillion spending binge that the Democrat-run Congress passed, and that Biden signed, will benefit ordinary Americans.

In truth, there is minimal benefit to ordinary Americans. Those who have run the numbers have pointed out that, while many (but not all) Americans will get payments of $1,400, the price tag will be $5,000 for each American. A few people have to be wondering where the $3,600 difference is going. The answer is that the money is going to Democrat party boondoggles.

The part of the bill that most irritates me is that it is being used to bail out blue states and cities that threw away their economies last year or allowed rioting to destroy their infrastructure. The only way people will change bad behaviors is if they suffer the consequences.

It was insanely reckless and shortsighted for blue states to engage in lockdowns. Likewise, it was just insane for leftist cities to give carte blanche to the Black Lives Matter rioters. Had the residents of those cities and states had to face the economic consequences of their decisions, they might have walked back from their over-the-top leftism. Instead, fiscally responsible and law-abiding red-staters are bailing out the profligate and foolish leftists.

Other people are figuring this out. That may explain why the White House thinks Biden should go on a marketing campaign in the coming week to explain to people why every one of them (and their children) should be saddled with between $3,600 and $5,000 of debt that will not benefit them.

And again, what's really ridiculous about this sales campaign the president and his stand-in, Kamala Harris, are conducting is that that seems to be the most that Biden is capable of doing. Even when you drill down into the daily details not available on the weekly calendar, Biden is barely moving. Take a look at his detailed schedule for Monday:

Thinking about it, perhaps it's not all bad that Biden seems to be a sluggish president. Considering the fact that his executive orders have been intended to erase all evidence that Donald Trump ever occupied the White House and that they are without exception damaging to America's well-being, it's getting to be obvious that the less Biden does, the better.

Image: Joe Biden. YouTube screen grab.
The Netherlands joined a fast-increasing list of nations on Sunday, suspending the use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine following reports of unprecedented possible side effects from the dose. According to the Dutch government, the novel coronavirus vaccine will not be used until March 29 as a precaution.

Netherlands 7th Country to Halt Dissemination of AstraZeneca Vaccine

Along with the nation's halt of the use of the coronavirus vaccine, investigators probe into cases of blood clots among inoculated people. According to Dutch health minister Hugo de Jonge, the halt would last at least two weeks, as the Netherlands awaits further guidance from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), Europe's regulator.

The Dutch government announced on Sunday that on the basis of new information, the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board (CBG) has recommended as a precautionary measure and pending further probing to pause the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine. New information also emerged on blood clots, reported Business Today.

Biden Directs Vaccination for Adults To Start by May 1

The directive follows a similar decision by Ireland earlier in the day. It is based on reports from Norway and Denmark of probable severe side effects, the government stated. According to health authorities, three health workers in Norway who had recently been administered the vaccine were hospitalized for blood clots, bleeding, and a low count of blood platelets, reported Channel News Asia.

The declaration will lead to delays in disseminating shots in the country. It had pre-ordered 12 million shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

According to the World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency, there is no indication of an association between the vaccine and reports of blood clots. Experts stated cases of clotting in vaccinated people are lower than the number seen in the general population, reported BBC.

COVID-19 Vaccine Death: Austria Suspends AstraZeneca

Health authorities had scheduled an estimated 290,000 AstraZeneca jabs in the coming two weeks. No such cases as in Norway had been detected yet in the Netherlands, according to the Dutch Health ministry. It added that there was no evidence yet of a connection between the vaccine and the reports from Norway and Denmark.

The suspension followed the Dutch vaccine regulator, the Medicines Evaluation Board (MEB), adivising the Netherlands to pause the dissemination of the doses due to possible side effects reported. Thailand, Iceland, Ireland, and Bulgaria have also halted distribution of AstraZeneca's shot.

The Norwegian Medicines Agency on Saturday stated more cases of blood clotting had been discovered in adults who were administered the AstraZeneca vaccine doses. According to Austria, it was probing into the death of an inoculated woman from multiple thromboses.



Canada Vaccine Committee Against Administering AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine to 65 and Above



The Dutch government remarked that it would now wait for a probing by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). According to Dutch Health minister Hugo de Jonge, they cannot allow doubts regarding the vaccine. He added they have to ensure everything is right, so it is the right decision to pause as of the moment. According to AstraZeneca on Sunday, a review of safety information of vaccinated individuals with its COVID-19 vaccine has displayed no proof of an increased risk of blood clots.

First Single-Dose Vaccine Should Be Available for Administering on Tuesday

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This picture shows vials of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and a figurine taken in a studio Paris on March 11. AFP-Yonhap



A growing list of countries have suspended AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shots amid fears over blood clots and other possible side effects, despite the company and the World Health Organization insisting there is no risk.



Denmark was the first country on March 11 to say it will suspend use of the AstraZeneca vaccine as a precautionary measure over fears of blood clots in vaccinated people. Iceland and Norway follow the same day, temporarily suspending use of all their supply of the vaccine citing similar concerns.



AstraZeneca, an Anglo-Swedish company which developed the vaccine with Oxford University, defends the safety of its product.



Bulgaria suspends the use of the vaccine on March 12 as it investigates the death of a woman with several underlying conditions who received the jab in the past week. An initial probe suggested the woman died from heart failure and an autopsy found no link with the vaccination.



Thailand abruptly delays the start of its rollout of the vaccine the same day, joined by the Democratic Republic of Congo.



On Saturday Norwegian health officials report three more cases of blood clots or brain haemorrhages in younger people who received the jab, but say they cannot yet say they were vaccine-related.



The next day Ireland and the Netherlands join the list of countries temporarily deferring the use of the vaccine.



Austria announces on March 8 that it has stopped administering a batch of the vaccine following the death of a 49-year-old nurse from "severe bleeding disorders" days after receiving it.



Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Luxembourg also suspend the use of doses from the same batch, which has been delivered to 17 countries and included one million vaccines.



Italy's medicines regulator on March 11 also bans the use of a batch as a precaution, triggering a similar decision from Romania. And on March 14 Italy's northern Piedmont region suspends use of the vaccine after the death of a teacher who had received it the day before. (AFP)


The Murray Darling Basin faces a dramatically drier future, with data indicating inflows to some major rivers will halve by 2060, as experts warn authorities are failing to keep pace with climate change.

Reports released over the past two months by state governments and the Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) found the expected sharp decline in water flows would damage the environment, threaten large irrigation districts and shrink scores of rural economies across the nations food bowl.

River managers have been accused of failing to adapt to the latest climate change science, which foreshadows a vastly drier future for the Murray Darling Basin. Credit:Janie Barrett

But Environmental Defenders Office water law specialist Emma Carmody said river authorities, including the Commonwealths MDBA, were failing to use the best available climate change information.

There is a legal requirement that the sustainable diversion limit [the overall volume of water available for extraction] is based on the best available science  including the best available information on climate change, Dr Carmody said.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

In a State of the City address focused heavily on Albuquerques relative stability in the face of COVID-19, Mayor Tim Keller said he believes the city has the foundation needed for a strong recovery.

Keller used the address  his third since assuming office in late 2017  to stress a point he has made repeatedly in recent months: Albuquerque has weathered the pandemic better than many communities because of efforts such as virus containment, sustaining services and offering help to families and businesses.

Kellers speech, which was prerecorded at locations around the city and broadcast Sunday on KOAT-TV, covered much of the same ground as his regular COVID-19 briefings. He and senior-level city administrators touted the citys child care programming, as well as the consistent effort to feed seniors and find foster homes for shelter animals despite the tumult of the pandemic.

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This crisis revealed the cracks in the system all across our country, he said. Here in Albuquerque, it also revealed our strengths.

Keller and his leadership team highlighted the financial aid the city received during the pandemic and the financial aid it distributed. The city, which received $150 million in federal coronavirus relief money last spring, deployed $10 million for a small-business grant program and created other programs specifically for restaurants, microbusinesses and nonprofits. It also offered direct aid to low-income households and immigrants who did not qualify for any other relief.

As he has done several times in recent months, Keller displayed a graphic showing that Albuquerque has fared better than other regional cities, including El Paso, Phoenix and Oklahoma City, on COVID-19-specific metrics, such as virus cases per capita and test positivity rate.

We are demonstrating every day that this city is special and that we are uniquely a healthier place to be right now, he said. And its not going unnoticed; now people are moving here, and our kids who have moved away are now boomeranging back home.

Keller, who will soon launch his reelection campaign, also reiterated his reasons for optimism in 2021 and beyond.

That includes expected progress toward the citys long-awaited Gateway Center, which will provide emergency shelter and services to the growing number of people who are homeless. Keller has for years made it a priority to create the centralized 24/7 shelter, but the project hit a roadblock a year ago when the University of New Mexico said the city could not build on its property. The city secured a different location: the former Lovelace hospital on Gibson, which it is buying for $15 million.

It offers a good location, versatility and is home to facilities that will help meet peoples specific needs, he said.

Although a recent city progress report said Albuquerque ranks last among six peer cities on key economic indicators, Keller said in his speech that the city is becoming a center for the film and space industries.

He cited Netflixs expansion project at Mesa del Sol, which the city is supporting with $7 million in grants and in-kind infrastructure, and the possible Orion development. The aerospace company is exploring a major campus near the Albuquerque International Sunport that representatives have said could mean up to 1,000 jobs, and Keller in his speech said the company has just secured local manufacturing space to start building out its team here. He said more details will be forthcoming. The new space is about 200,000 square feet, according to Kellers office.

Keller also addressed public safety, largely regarded as the citys No. 1 challenge.

He highlighted both the citys effort to continue hiring more police officers and its planned Community Safety Department, which is still being formed. The new department is expected to absorb some 911 calls  such as those related to behavioral health or abandoned cars  that police and firefighters normally would field.

Although Keller did not specifically mention the citys rising violent crime rate, he said gun violence remains stubbornly high. He said Albuquerque is not immune from big-city challenges and needs a multifaceted public safety approach.

Its not about pretending one person or one mayor or one chief can solve all our problems in the short term, said Keller, who recently appointed Harold Medina as police chief after asking former Chief Mike Geier to resign last year. As much as politicians like to pretend there are easy answers, this takes so much more. Making our city safer in lasting ways requires resolve and dedication for a long road.
New Delhi:

Chinas state run media published an article in Global Times which appreciated how Hinduism has been a major reason in preventing spread of radical Islam in India.

"Why does it seem that Muslims in India have remained largely apart from the radicalization that has happened to Muslim groups in other parts of the world?" the article raises the question, citing the Islamist unrest in other parts of Asia: "Indian Muslims seldom have extreme organizations compared with groups in many other Asian countries.

In the southern part of the Philippines, extremists backed by Islamic State have turned their occupied cities into horrible places. In southern Thailand, terror attacks staged by Muslim extremists take place almost every week."

The article attributes the absence of radical Islam in India to Hinduism. It says India breaks the 'arc of Islam' in Asia: "In Asia as a whole, Islam forms an arc that includes the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, southern Thailand, southern Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Central Asian countries. There are tensions at various degrees at junctions in this arc where it encounters other religions and ethnicity, but a dent exists in the Indian portion of this arc."

It is to be emphasised that PM Modi is scheduled to visit China for BRICS Summit in the first week of September and Chinas appreciation of Hinduism can be seen in the context of appeasing India after Doklam conflict.

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Consider U.S. farmers happy. They are exporting record volumes of products to China. Shipments of soybeans, corn and pork are bringing smiles back to the American heartland.
AstraZeneca has insisted its coronavirus vaccine is safe, after concern around blood clots prompted Ireland to become the latest European country to suspend use of the jabs.

A review of available safety data in more than 17 million people who have been vaccinated across the UK and EU has shown no evidence of an increased risk, the pharmaceutical giant said.

People across the UK are still being urged to get their vaccine.

The number of cases of blood clots reported is lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected among the general population, AstraZenecas chief medical officer Ann Taylor said.

The statement came after Irish Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said on Sunday that use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab was being temporarily suspended as a precautionary step.

The decision followed reports of serious clotting in adults in Norway which left four people in hospital.

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Several other European countries have temporarily suspended use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jabs.

The UKs medicines regulator said available evidence does not suggest the vaccine is the cause of the blood clots.

(PA Graphics)

Dr Phil Bryan, vaccines safety lead at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, said: We are aware of the action in Ireland.

We are closely reviewing reports but given the large number of doses administered, and the frequency at which blood clots can occur naturally, the evidence available does not suggest the vaccine is the cause.

People should still go and get their Covid-19 vaccine when asked to do so.

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AstraZeneca said its review had found no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country.

Dr Taylor said: Around 17 million people in the EU and UK have now received our vaccine, and the number of cases of blood clots reported in this group is lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected among the general population.

The nature of the pandemic has led to increased attention in individual cases and we are going beyond the standard practices for safety monitoring of licensed medicines in reporting vaccine events, to ensure public safety.

Mr Donnelly said: The decision to temporarily suspend use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine was based on new information from Norway that emerged late last night.

This is a precautionary step.
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The UHP comprises undergraduate students in the top 7% of the University of Cincinnati and offers an engaging environment in which students are inspired to experience more and learn more. Students are provided with exceptional learning opportunities through which they can take full advantage of their college experience and develop academically, professionally and personally.

The UC experience of these academically talented and motivated students is enriched through honors seminars and experiences, which provide students with opportunities for experiential, interdisciplinary, reflective and integrative learning.

UHP students are challenged through honors seminars and experiential learning projects that focus on:
(Alliance News) - ActiveOps PLC, which uses software to simplify workforce management, on Monday announced plans for an initial public offering on London's junior AIM market later in March.

ActiveOps provides a software platforms aimed at either simplifying operations and increasing productivity, or monitoring employee productivity and providing performance insights.

As at 31 December 2020, ActiveOps had approximately 80 enterprise customers, predominantly in the banking and insurance sectors and 163 employees, serving its global customer base from offices in the UK, Ireland, USA, Australia, India and South Africa.

Chief Executive Richard Jeffery has held the position since 2005, before which he was a partner at Organisation Consulting Partnership LLP.

Investec Bank will act as broker and nomad.

By Greg Roxburgh; gregroxburgh@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
An ice cream maker in Ocean County faces more than $237,000 in fines after federal officials say employees suffered amputation injuries twice in two years while working on the same machine.

Fieldbrook Foods Corporation in Lakewood, which employs about 200 people, violated safety standards for preventing accidental machine startup, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Monday.

A maintenance mechanic lost two fingers while repairing the machine in September 2020. A sanitation worker lost one finger and fractured another when his fingers got caught as he tried fix the same jammed machine in 2018, OSHA said.

The company willfully failed to shut down and isolate energy to the machine during repair work, OSHA said in a statement, adding that it has proposed $237,176 in penalties.

Fieldbrook Foods knew that machines must be completely disabled before workers perform service and maintenance, said OSHA Area Director Paula Dixon-Roderick.

Instead of addressing the cited amputation hazards which led to two serious injuries, the company continues to expose its workers to dangerous machinery, Dixon-Roderick said.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and penalties to comply or request a hearing to contest the findings, OSHA said.

Fieldbrook Foods is a subsidiary of Wells Enterprises Inc. and produces frozen desserts under the brands Blue Bunny, Blue Ribbon, Original Bomb Pop and others.

Wells Enterprises is the largest privately held, family-owned ice cream manufacturer in the United States, producing more than 150 million gallons of ice cream per year, OSHA said.

The company on Tuesday emailed NJ Advance Media the following statement:

Wells Enterprises acquired Fieldbrook Foods Corporation in 2019. Wells Enterprises considers workplace safety an utmost priority, and we cooperated fully with OSHAs investigation conducted at the Lakewood manufacturing facility in September 2020. Wells disputes OSHAs findings and intends to contest the citation to attempt to set the record straight. Wells is committed to keeping employees safe while at work, and we continuously monitor our safety policies and procedures for the benefit of all our employees.

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.
A few months ago, researchers across the world echoed the same idea: Russia's Spuntik V coronavirus vaccine can't be allowed on the market until it undergoes proper testing. But suddenly it turned out that "Sputnik" has somehow made its way to certain places in Europe, even without proper certification. Now the Russian vaccine of dubious quality has become a new major hybrid weapon for Vladimir Putin.

Over the past months, international experts have been indignant with the fact that Russia deployed its Sputnik V vaccine into the drug market without proper testing. However, the Kremlin has done everything possible to advance its jabs to Europe. TSN.Tyzhden believes Russia has been successfully exploiting it  not as an actual vaccine but as an infowar weapon.

"Some say Sputnik V is a good thing. But Putin doesn't want to use it as a medicine for the Russian people, he offers it to the world as another hybrid weapon to implement the principle of 'divide and rule'," said Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte.

Officially, the European Union is not negotiating the supply of Russian vaccines. They move along a standard path  verifying its efficacy. But this doesn't stop the Kremlin from taking unusual steps. Citizens of San Marino, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova, several Balkan countries and Latin America are already being offered to get vaccinated with Sputnik. As TSN.Tyzhden learned, the Czechs and Austrians are negotiating supplies with Moscow.

"We are negotiating with suppliers from Russia. It's no secret. We are convinced that everything that helps at this stage is good, and it is not a matter of geopolitics," Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said recently.

But the Kremlin's efforts prove otherwise. In Slovakia, an agreement to supply two million doses of Russian vaccine has sparked a government crisis. The decision to buy Sputnik was made by the prime minister almost covertly  neither the president nor the coalition partners, apparently, were aware of the move.

"It was the right step to buy a Russian vaccine that can be trusted. And we will allow anyone willing to be vaccinated with it. We will receive a million vaccines within the next two months, and another million  in May and June," said Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovic.

At the same time, Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok openly branded Sputnik a tool in Russia's hybrid war. Eventually, Slovak Health Minister Marek Krajci resigned. "In this situation, it would be useless to put forward arguments, and it would be wrong. That's why I decided to step down," he explained.

But one thing is striking deals with a certain government, while another is to make Europeans get those Sputnik shots. The Kremlin has taken its usual path, deploying its hybrid infowar troops.

According to official U.S. and OSCE data, Moscow is discrediting Western vaccines by promoting its own. At least four online outlets, reporting in various languages, have been spotted to be part of Russian's misinformation campaign claiming the "deadly dangers" of Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca. Instead of those vaccines, the reports offer a supposedly super-efficient Sputnik. The Kremlin is testing a similar strategy on all continents.

The World Health Organization has to dispel fake news that's being circulated, claiming that Western vaccines reportedly lead to lethal cases, including from thrombosis. And Russians don't seem to care that not one death has been officially confirmed to be a result of vaccination.

In a hybrid war on vaccines, it will be difficult to stop Moscow in its steps as long as it receives active backing from a number of governments, such as Italy's. According to TSN Tyzhden, a pharmaceutical plant in Lombardy has reportedly agreed to produce 10 million doses of Sputnik. They even let a Russian propaganda TV crew to shoot a report, thus launching a new manipulation spin. However, they already admit: they don't know yet, where they are going to supply the Russian vaccine.

"Russians are trying to break into the EU window after they were kicked out from there through the front door. The contract signed by the Russians for the production of Sputnik in Italy will be launched no earlier than July, perhaps even later. That is, at a time when any issues with the shortage of Western vaccines will have been resolved. So in this case it's only a question of propaganda and political maneuvers, instead of anti-virus cooperation," the journalist, the expert on the Italian-Russian relations Anna Zafesova has told TSN.

The Kremlin is taking such steps even though less than five percent of population has been vaccinated in Russia itself... That is, while failing to provide shots for their own citizens, they almost forcibly impose their vaccine onto other countries.

The EU is still wondering why Russia has been offering, theoretically, millions of doses while there's not enough progress in vaccinating their own population, and this is a question Russia must answer, that's according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

However, Moscow doesnt intend to, just as they aren't going to provide all data on their vaccine. However, Kremlin is keen on exploiting the issue of mass shortage of vaccines worldwide and fears of foreign politicians to lose their public support due to lockdowns. But, despite this all, even the Kremlin's ardent ally,Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was the first among European politicians to order imports of the Russian "Sputnik", didn't dare to get the shot for himself, opting for the Chinese Sinopharm, which, incidentally, has not yet been officially approved in the European Union.

Mariana Zinkovska

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After teasers realme today confirmed the launch of realme 8 and realme 8 Pro smartphones in India on March 24th. The company already confirmed that the realme 8 Pro will come with a 108MP Samsung HM2 1/1.52 primary sensor with support for 9-in-1 pixel binning, ISOCELL Plus, and Smart-ISO. It also said that it will be the worlds first to bring Starry Time-lapse Video and tilt-shift time-lapse video on its smartphone.

The realme 8 will come with 64MP quad rear cameras, confirmed the company, and added that the realme 8 series has been crafted with excellence, bringing trendsetting features in vividly immersive display, powerful performance, and fast charging capabilities. The realme 8 Pro will use AG-Crystal process for the back, will be 8.1mm thick and weigh 176 gram, making this slimmer and lighter than the earlier realme Pro model smartphones.

Realme India head Madhav Sheth recently posted an image of the box of the realme 8 that confirms a 6.4-inch AMOLED screen, Helio G95 SoC and a 5,000 mAh battery with 30W charging. It is said to come in 4GB + 64GB and 6GB + 128GB versions.

The realme 8 Pro is said to come with an AMOLED display, 6GB / 8GB RAM with 128GB storage, and a 4500mAh battery with 65W fast charging. Recent benchmark leak revealed that it will be powered by Snapdragon 720G SoC an and run Android 11.

From today, March 15th till 22nd, the company will hold Infinity sale that will let you pre-order the phone before launch to get the Buds Air Neo at Rs. 1499 (50% off) and is also running capture infinity contest on Flipkart.

The realme 8 series launch is scheduled for Wednesday, March 24 at 7:30 P.M. IST (3:00 PM CET in Europe).
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BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - China is scheduled to release a raft of data on Monday, headlining a busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. On tap are February figures for house prices, fixed asset investment, industrial production, retail sales and unemployment. In January, house prices were up 3.9 percent on year, while FAI rose 2.9 percent, industrial output gained 7.3 percent, retail sales added 4.6 percent and the jobless rate was 5.2 percent. Japan will provide January figures for core machine orders and its tertiary industry index. Machine orders are tipped to fall 5.5 percent on month and 0.2 percent on year after gaining 5.2 percent on month and 11.8 percent on year in December. The tertiary industry index was down 0.4 percent on month in December. New Zealand will see February results for the Performance of Service Index from BusinessNZ; in January, the index score was 47.9. Singapore will release Q4 data for unemployment with forecasts suggesting a jobless rate of 3.2 percent - down from 3.6 percent in the previous three months. Indonesia will provide February figures for imports, exports and trade balance. Imports are predicted to climb 12.6 percent on year after sliding 6.49 percent in January. Exports are called higher by an annual 8.73 percent after jumping 12.24 percent in the previous month. The trade surplus is pegged at $2.21 billion, up from $1.96 billion a month earlier. Thailand will see January unemployment data; in December, the jobless rate was 1.5 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
New Delhi, March 15: The all-women group art show "Naari Tu Narayani", currently on at the Art Life Gallery is a fitting tribute to womanhood. Highlighting the contributions, achievements and feelings of women, the eight artists bring alive through their acrylic paint on canvas works, makes the viewer ponder.

There participating artists are Anjali Mittal, Anjana Birla, Arun Prabha, Anita Goyal, Neelam Sachan, Sarojini Dutta, Shankari Kundu and Shikha Ojha.

Organised to celebrate the International Women's Day (March 8), the 24 acrylic paint on canvas artworks are on view till March 16. Elaborating on the theme, the show's curator Priti Bajaj, observes, "Women are the creators and nurturers and all the women artists have portrayed this in their works. Whether it is the flowers by Mittal or the women power that Birla has portrayed or women earning the livelihood by Prabha, all artists have focused on the various aspects of women's life." Constituting half the population of the world, the share of women in all aspects of society is crucial. That is what Prabha's puts across in her paintings. The finely drawn "Fish Seller" showing women selling the catch not only brings out the beauty of the figures but also of the background of palm trees. This is true for the "Lady Farmer" also wherein one sees three women, with bundles on their head returning from a day's of hard labour. The accompanying child and the small bundle being carried by one woman, gives an authentic touch! Prabha equates anything that women do "is like a prayer for our family and the world". Bajaj remarking that, "women pitch in every form to support their family and folks," asserts that this needs to be acknowledged and appreciated.

Bringing out varied dimensions of womanhood are the works by the self-taught Dutta. Her black and white "Mother and Child" radiating maternal love, shows a mother with happiness brimming in her eyes as she safely holds her child in her arms. The sun rays in the background and the floral and petal patterns around the mater, make it an enchanting sight! "Mother is the epitome of love and womanhood. The child with the mother is the ultimate expression of love in the life of a woman," observes Dutta. Her "Bride" and "Waiting Women" put across the other roles donned by women. The former is exquisitely drawn with her face partly veiled and covering one eye. In the other work a homemaker while finishing her chore eagerly waits for her loved ones to return. Commenting on these works, Bajaj says, "a woman can have many dimensions to her personality and yet she is considered weak as compared to men. Time we revisited our societal notions." Sachan's "Female Literacy" is a woman immersed in reading in a verdant surrounding while her "Dancing Mood" depicts a woman with wings of angel performing with gay abandon. While both are well made, it is her "Melancholy" which stands out. The well- drawn female features and the curly hair, all portray beauty yet shows a certain despondency. "Sadness is reflected in the eyes. More so with women, who are more emotional than men. Hair is an important part of a woman's face and any woman with dishevelled hair cannot pretend to be happy. It is one of the giveaways of her mental makeup," avers Bajaj.

Mittal and Kundu use flowers and trees to bring out womanhood. The former's "Flower 1, 2 and 3" through a riot of bright colours show different flowers. "Flowers are colourful, beautiful, soothing and bear seeds of progressive regeneration. Don't you think women share the qualities with flowers?" observes Bajaj. Sharing her perspective, Mittal says "If we do not get the right atmosphere, we are likely to fade away." Sharing her view Kundu, a senior artist, whose "Desire" and "Tears of Hope" are part of the show adds, "Women are like trees and that's what I have shown in my paintings. They need care and love else they are likely to shrivel." Giving the viewers food for thought, Birla's "Lata Mangeshkar" and "Mother Teresa" provide women to role models to be motivated by. Both are life-like and portray the familiar smile of the two legendary public personalities. Bajaj feels that women have to look up to other women for inspiration and says "men usually can't inspire women, reason being the different circumstances under which both the genders operate." Ojha's works "Shubh-2", "Shisha-1" and "Nisha" use beautifully etched tribal women as the subject. A gold -medallist from Lucknow University in Fine Arts, she says, "these tribal women are unaware of gender bias and have tasted equality in life and tribe." Unfortunately, this slowly declined making the need for gender parity a must in all spheres of life.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/
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Inspired by Cafe Spice's Culinary Director, Chef Hari Nayak's childhood memories and recent visits to India, Naan Toasties emulate one of his all-time favorites - an Indian grilled cheese sandwich known as a "Mumbai Toastie." Naan Toasties are ready to enjoy in a matter of minutes and are available at all Whole Foods Markets North Atlantic locations, Fresh Thyme and Gelson's Markets. The three varieties include:

Chutney Chicken Naan Toastie: Juicy pieces of chicken are smothered in a tangy cilantro-mint chutney, then nestled between two hearty pieces of Naan, and topped with a layer of cheddar jack cheese.

Cauli Tikka Naan Toastie: Cauliflower is roasted with tandoori spices, tossed with a tangy tikka masala sauce, topped with cheddar jack cheese, and cushioned between two perfectly grilled crusty Naan slices.

Chicken Tikka Naan Toastie: Creamy chicken and the zest of the tikka masala are complemented by oozy melted cheddar jack cheese, all held together by crispy, crusty slices of Naan.

"Our mission has always been to provide easy access to authentic, high-quality global cuisine. When the current health crisis began changing our social norms, the Cafe Spice team worked tirelessly to come up with a product that stood by our mission," said Sameer Malhotra, CEO and Co-Founder of Cafe Spice. "Whether quickly heating up lunch while working from home or grabbing a snack as you run out the door, Naan Toasties pack the tradition of Indian street food in a ready-to-eat sandwich."

Cafe Spice is a leader in ready-to-eat global cuisines including Indian, Thai and Mexican meals. Hand crafted in a USDA Kitchen in New York's Hudson Valley, Cafe Spice products are made with clean ingredients and humanely raised meats, free of antibiotics.

Naan Toasties are the latest offering in a strong line-up of award-winning entrees, small bites, and sandwiches. Available in 8 oz. servings, each Naan Toastie is prepared fresh and found at retailers in the deli and prepared foods section for $5.99- $7.99. For more information on Cafe Spice and their full line of adventurous, global cuisines, visit CafeSpice.com.

About Cafe Spice

Pioneering restaurateur Sushil Malhotra and his son Sameer Malhotra had a vision in 2003: Let the bold flavors and tempting aromas of global cuisine power authentic, ready-to-heat-and-eat food for the soul. This commitment to fresh, clean and delicious meals is the essence of Cafe Spice, whose story spans decades from the Malhotras' native India to New York City. Cafe Spice's heat-and-eat delicacies set the standard by blending homage to rich culinary history with new, modern tastes featuring the highest-quality natural and fine-dining ingredients. Every bite is satisfying and exotic, and Cafe Spice features gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options. Meals are easily accessible across the United States, because no matter where you are, there's always room for a little adventure. Learn more at CafeSpice.com.

SOURCE Cafe Spice

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WASHINGTON, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As a result of the efforts of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), in coordination with the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, a Florida business owner was sentenced to 36 months' probation and ordered to pay over $140,000 for his role in a scheme to defraud EXIM.

On or about April 28, 2016, Romel Ramon Duran-Martinez (Duran), 59, owner of Miami-based Deoca Manufacturing Co. (Deoca), falsely certified that the buyer in an EXIM-insured transaction failed to make payment on a sale to Deoca. At the time, Duran was aware that his business (Deoca) had already received payment in full from the foreign buyer. Duran's actions caused EXIM's Enhanced Assignee (a Miami-based commercial lender) to file a fraudulent claim against Deoca's EXIM insurance policy after the default, improperly releasing Duran and Deoca from its obligation to repay the Enhanced Assignee. EXIM paid $142,472 for the fraudulent claim although Deoca had received full payment for the transaction. To conceal this fraud, Duran directed individuals to lie and otherwise deal with EXIM in bad faith, which delayed the discovery of the fraud.

On February 16, 2021, after pleading guilty to one count of grand theft in the second degree for the fraud he perpetrated against EXIM, Duran was sentenced to 36 months of supervised probation by the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida. Because Duran previously paid approximately $39,000.00 to EXIM in administrative repayments prior to the Court's ruling, the Court further ordered Duran to pay $110,970.66 in restitution to EXIM, $29,029.34 for investigative costs, as well as a $603 Special Assessment Fee.

This case was prosecuted by the Economic Crimes Division of the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office. The case was investigated by EXIM OIG in Washington, D.C.

EXIM is the official export credit agency of the United States and assists in financing the export of U.S. goods and services to international markets.

EXIM OIG is an independent office within EXIM. The OIG receives and investigates complaints and information concerning violations of law, rules or regulations, fraud against EXIM, mismanagement, waste of funds, and abuse of authority connected with EXIM's programs and operations. Additional information about the OIG can be found at www.exim.gov/oig. Complaints and reports of waste, fraud, and abuse related to EXIM programs and operations can be reported to the OIG Hotline at 888-OIG-EXIM (888-644-3946) or via email at [email protected].

SOURCE Export-Import Bank of the United States, Office of Inspector General
BIG RAPIDS, MI  Ferris State University President David L. Eisler will retire in June 2022, completing a 47-year career in higher education, the university announced Monday, March 15.

Working at Ferris State University is a privilege, and it has been my honor to serve as president, Eisler said in a statement. This is a great university, with a unique and special mission, one that truly changes lives.

Eisler became the universitys 18th president in 2003. He is Ferris longest serving president after the universitys founder, Woodbridge N. Ferris, who served for 44 years.

President Eislers remarkable tenure has encapsulated many successes and challenges for higher education, and his vision and commitment to Ferris State University have been unwavering, said Amna Seibold, chair of the universitys Board of Trustees, in a statement noting the university is stronger and greater today because of his hard work and dedication.

My fellow board members and the university community appreciate his strong leadership and advocacy for higher education, and will join me in offering Dr. Eisler our deepest gratitude for his service to Ferris.

The search for the next president will begin in the coming months, Seibold said.

During Eislers tenure, he oversaw a 5% increase in Ferris student retention rate from 2003 to 2019. Four-year graduation rates also rose, going from 27% for the class of 2004 to 38% in 2020.

Eisler expanded the universitys partnerships with 22 community colleges across the state and spearheaded 15 major building projects that totaled $400 million, according to the news release.

The building projects included acquiring and renovating the old Federal Building in Grand Rapids, where FSUs Kendall College of Art and Design offers classes, building the Michigan College of Optometry, the University Center, a new residence hall, and the $29.5 million Center for Virtual Learning, slated to begin construction in May.

Related: Ferris State University to break ground on $29.5M Center for Virtual Learning this spring

Eisler led the universitys philanthropic efforts to grow the Ferris Foundations endowment from $18 million to $100 million. He and his wife Patsy created a $700,000 scholarship endowment for youth in foster care.

The university also recently announced a program that offers free tuition to students with high financial needs.

Eisler is currently the chair for the Midwestern High Education Compact and sits on the boards of eight education or community organizations, including the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the Grand Rapids Symphony and Michigan United Way.

While I may be retiring, I will always be a Bulldog, Eislers statement said.

More on MLive:

Theyve delivered thousands of babies, but now these 2 Jackson doctors are retiring

Michigans coronavirus numbers are going up, but will vaccinations blunt the impact?

See 2020-21 enrollment data for every Michigan public school by district and by building
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-16 00:55:02|Editor: huaxia

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Ip Lau Suk-yee, chairwoman of Hong Kong's New People's Party, receives an interview at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in south China's Hong Kong, March 15, 2021. TO GO WITH "Representatives from Hong Kong society offer advice about improving electoral system". (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

HONG KONG, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Representatives from various sectors of Hong Kong on Monday gave their advice about improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) at separate symposiums held by the central authorities' departments.

Many participants proposed to cancel the District Council's seats in the Election Committee, entrust the committee with the function of electing a relatively large share of Legislative Council (LegCo) members, and increase the number of subsectors of the committee for balanced participation.

For three days starting Monday, the Legislative Affairs Commission of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR would solicit opinion and advice in Hong Kong through various forms including symposiums and interviews about implementing the decision by the NPC on improving the electoral system of the HKSAR.

Three meetings were held on Monday morning, with each attended by 15 representatives from Hong Kong.

Lo Wai-kwok, chairman of the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong, said the NPC's decision is imperative and timely.

As the social chaos in Hong Kong in recent years have caused great damage to the economy and people's livelihood, undermined "one country, two systems," and endangered national security, it is critical and urgent to improve the electoral system before the upcoming elections of the Election Committee, the LegCo and the chief executive in Hong Kong, he said.

Ng Chau-pei, president of Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, suggested that the District Council's seats in the Election Committee should be removed and the District Council should no longer participate in the election of the chief executive or the LegCo. The District Council's seats in the LegCo should be removed, too, he said.

Given the deteriorating working environment in the LegCo in recent years, entrusting the Election Committee with the function of electing a relatively large share of LegCo members will improve Hong Kong's democracy and enable Hong Kong to focus on developing the economy and improving people's livelihood, which is conducive to Hong Kong's long-term development, Starry Lee Wai-king, LegCo House Committee chair, said.

Ip Lau Suk-yee, chairwoman of Hong Kong's New People's Party, said the current LegCo still lacks full representation of Hong Kong's high-end financial industry and some key science and technological industries, and she hoped that the future Election Committee will make up the shortfall.

Efforts should also be made to increase the size of the Election Committee and optimize its subsectors and their rights so that the principle of balanced participation and Hong Kong's overall interests can be ensured, Ng Chau-pei said.

Ng said the share of the labor sector should be expanded as there are around 3.8 million workers in Hong Kong.

Wong Kam-leung, chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, suggested measures to create favorable conditions for patriotic education through improving the electoral system, so that Hong Kong's education sector can be pushed back on the right track. Enditem
Seoul, March 15 : South Korean health authorities said on Monday that the country aims to administer the first jab of Covid-19 vaccines to 12 million people by the end of June.

The country launched its mass vaccination campaign on February 26, administering the first shot of vaccines to a total of 588,958 people, mostly patients aged 65 or lower at nursing homes and medical staff treating Covid-19 patients, Xinhua news agency reported.

The first-phase was set to be completed by the end of March, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

The second-phase, slated to last from the fourth week of March to June, will involve six major groups, including patients and employees at nursing facilities aged 65 or higher, and virus-vulnerable facilities for the elderly, the disabled and the homeless.

Among the general public, those aged 65 or older will get inoculated during the first half.

Vaccine recipients on the list will include a part of teachers and healthcare personnel in pre-schools, daycare centres and primary schools; patients with chronic kidney failure and chronic severe respiratory disease; and socially required personnel and health, medical staff such as flight attendants, police, firefighters, soldiers and staff in hospitals and pharmacies.

The third-phase administration is scheduled to begin in July, mostly focusing on the general public.

South Korea aimed to get 70 per cent of its population vaccinated by September, and to form a herd immunity no later than November.
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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The death has occurred of Dickie Doherty

Castleroe West, Maganey, Kildare



Predeceased by his sister Janette, brother Paddy. Deeply regretted by his loving mother Anna, father Sean, brother John, sisters-in-law, brother-in-law,nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, relatives and a large circle of friends.



May Dickie Rest in Peace

Funeral Arrangements Later

The death has occurred of Jeffrey (Henry) Robinson

Kilrainey House, Kilrainy, Broadford, Kildare



Peacefully at home. Predeceased by his parents Jeff and Maureen. Forever loved and sadly missed by his loving sisters Fay, Colleen and Regina, brothers in law, nephews, nieces, grandnephews, grandnieces, extended family and friends.

May Jeffrey Rest in Peace.

Due to the current Covid-19 restrictions there will be a family funeral on Monday at 12 o'clock in St Brigid's Church, Clocherinkoe, followed by burial in Kilrainy Cemetery. Condolences can be left on this page using the link below. You can take part in Jeffrey's Funeral Mass via the following link:

https://youtu.be/ALCPZN-oP3M

The family would like to thank you for your support at this difficult time.

The death has occurred of John (The Tyre Man) Sullivan

Loughbollard, Clane, Kildare / Kilcrohane, Cork



Sullivan, John (The Tyre Man), Loughbollard, Clane, Co. Kildare and late of Kilcrohane, West Cork, March 12th 2021, peacefully at St. Brigid's Hospice, The Curragh, deeply regretted by his loving partner Joyce, sons Michael, Fergus, Finbarr, Kevin and Kieran, exwife Elizabeth, daughters in law, grandchildren Ronan, Leanne and Emily, brothers, sisters, brothers in law, sisters in law, nieces, nephews, relatives, neighbours and friends.

Rest In Peace

Due to current government guidelines, a private family funeral will take place for John. Those would have liked to attend the funeral, but due to the current restrictions cannot, please leave a personal message for the family in the condolence section below. John's funeral Mass can be viewed on Tuesday morning at 10.30am by clicking on the following link https://www.claneparish.com

John will be leaving Reilly's Funeral Home, Woods House, Clane on Tuesday morning at 10.15am to arrive at Clane Parish Church for 10.30am funeral Mass, followed by burial in Mainham Cemetery. The funeral Cortege will also be passing through Loughbollard Estate en route to Mainham Cemetery for those that would like to line the route in a socially distanced manner.

Oliver Reilly Funeral Directors accept no responsibility for any live webcam interuptions or issues.

Family flowers only, please. Donations, if desired, to https://friendsofstbrigidshospice.ie/donate-now/

The death has occurred of Marcella Kearney (nee Farrell)

Killina, Carbury, Kildare



Peacefully, at home, surrounded by her loving family. Wife of the late Dick and the mother of the late Declan. Sadly missed by her loving son Paul, daughter in law Rosemary, grandchildren Chloe, Jenna, Abbi and Sean, brothers and sisters in law, nieces, nephews, relatives, neighbours and her many friends.

May Marcella Rest In Peace

In line with Government advice regarding public gatherings, a private family funeral will take place. 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.

Removal on Sunday to arrive at the Church of the Holy Trinity, Derrinturn for Requiem mass at 1.30pm. Burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery.

Marcella's funeral Mass will be live-streamed on the Carbury Parish website at the following link: https://www.carburyparish.ie/our-parish/webcam-derrinturn/

The death has occurred of Jerry O'Neill

Rathfarnham, Dublin / Athy, Kildare



Peacefully while in the loving care of the staff at the Marlay Nursing Home. Sadly missed by his-much-loved and loving wife Mary and his children Michael, Geraldine, Siobhan, Dermot, Sheila and Jerry, daughters-in-law, sons-in-law, his thirteen cherished grandchildren, sisters-in-law Brighid and Catherine, brother-in-law Bartley, and Bartleys wife Mary, many nieces and nephews in Galway and Switzerland and extended family everywhere. Predeceased by his brother, John and parents Jerry and Margerie. He will also be missed by his many colleagues and former patients from his years working as a psychiatrist with the HSE as well as his many friends, including those in the National Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire and the wider sailing community.

May he Rest in Peace.

A private family funeral is taking place at this time due to Government restrictions. For those who wish to follow the Mass online please go to this link https://www.marleygrangeparish.ie/our-parish/webcam/ at 11:30am on Tuesday, 16th of March. Messages of sympathy may be left for Jerrys family in the section below marked Condolences

The death has occurred of Declan Peter Slattery

Drimnagh, Dublin / Naas, Kildare



Slattery, Declan Peter, on March 8th 2021, Alicante and formerly Drimnagh and Naas. Peacefully, following a short illness in the loving care of his heartbroken family, beloved wife Marie and devoted sons Conor, Declan and Emmet. Predeceased by his brothers Frank and Barry. Very sadly missed by his sisters Barbara and Grace and brothers Adrian and Finian, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews and so many friends at home and abroad.

A Memorial Service will take place in Spain and also in Ireland at a later date.

Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dilis
Nicola Sturgeon has admitted she was aware of concerns about her partys chief whip at Westminster before a formal complaint of sexual harassment was made against him.

Patrick Grady, the MP for Glasgow North, has been accused of groping two male researchers at an SNP Christmas party in 2016.

Reports at the weekend suggested the First Minister of Scotland was told about the allegations by her predecessor Alex Salmond in the same meeting in which he first disclosed details of a sexual harassment investigation against himself.

Speaking at the Scottish Governments televised coronavirus briefing, Ms Sturgeon said of Mr Grady: "I would have had an awareness previously of a concern, but not a formal complaint.

She added: "Im not going to say more than that because due process requires that an investigation is allowed to take its course."

Read more:

The Daily Record newspaper reported that the staff member involved in the allegation also claims a complaint he made to Mr Grady, in his role as chief whip, about allegedly being sexually harassed by a female SNP MP was ignored.

He told the Scottish newspaper: "I went to work the next morning and the very first thing I did was walk to Patricks office and I told him about the situation. He acknowledged that and said, okay and that was the last I ever heard of it."

An SNP spokesman previously confirmed a complaint had been made but said the party would not comment further while an investigation was underway.
DALLAS, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Comerica and the Comerica Charitable Foundation announced today a commitment to invest approximately $16 million in 2021 to support small businesses and communities impacted by COVID. This support is in addition to the $11 million in 2020 that was directed toward small business relief and nonprofits providing essential needs, such as food and supplies  as a result of the pandemic  in Comerica's footprint of Texas, Michigan, California, Arizona and Florida.

"As our communities persevere through the ongoing pandemic, we remain focused on supporting and partnering with organizations serving those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19," said Curt Farmer, Chairman and CEO, Comerica Incorporated and Comerica Bank. "The pandemic has created unparalleled hardships for our communities, and we aim to help alleviate many of the challenges they face."

Of the $16 million, $12 million will be directed to Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to meet the needs of small and micro businesses in low- to moderate-income communities adversely impacted by the pandemic. And, $4 million will be directed to a range of nonprofit organizations, including several that target women, young girls and seniors, as well as those that focus on addressing food insecurities and access to health care.

Coupled with investments, Comerica colleagues will continue to provide their time and expertise through partnerships with local community-based organizations, school districts and nonprofits, including support of Comerica $ense programs, Small Business Bootcamps, EMPOWER Series, National Business League's Black Capital Access Program, Young Entrepreneurz Solutions (YES) for middle and high school students, and the launch of a National Youth Chamber.

"Since the start of the pandemic, we have worked to identify the needs in our local communities and determine where we can make the greatest impact," said Irvin Ashford, Jr., Chief Community Officer, Comerica. "The challenges created by the pandemic will not be resolved overnight, that is why it is important for us to provide both financial and human capital to lend a hand and show that together we can continue to move forward."

2020 Impact

Comerica's impact on local communities in 2020 was also felt through the more than 110 Small Business Bootcamps hosted across its markets, assisting 1,250 small businesses. More than 35,000 low- to moderate-income individuals took part in financial education sessions and in 2021 it looks to increase its reach.

In late 2020, Comerica also moved $10 million in deposits to Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), as well as established mutual mentoring relationships with these institutions. MDIs assist minority and underserved communities and foster economic viability in their communities. Specifically, Comerica allocated $2.5 million to each selected MDI, including First Independence Bank in Detroit, Mich.; Broadway Federal Bank in Los Angeles, Calif.; Unity National Bank in Houston, Texas; and Commercial Bank of California in Irvine, Calif.

To further support small business recovery, Comerica launched the RISE! (Resources, Ideas, Support and Engagement) COVID-19 Relief Program to help businesses in Michigan recover and thrive amid the pandemic. In 2020, Comerica helped more than 140 small business customers and provided over $250,000 in marketing support. Small businesses had opportunity to leverage Comerica's network of resources to promote their businesses to new clients through digital ads, radio ads during Detroit Tigers broadcasts and placement in the Comerica Business Customer Directory. Comerica small business customers in Michigan can continue to access the support available through the RISE! COVID-19 Relief Program in 2021 by visiting www.comerica.com/RISE.

About Comerica

Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) is a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth Management. Comerica focuses on relationships, and helping people and businesses be successful. In addition to Texas, Comerica Bank locations can be found in Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan, with select businesses operating in several other states, as well as in Canada and Mexico. Comerica reported total assets of $88 billion at Dec. 31, 2020.

About the Comerica Charitable Foundation

The Comerica Charitable Foundation, established in 1997 as a 501(c)(3) organization funded by Comerica Incorporated, supports nonprofit organizations in Comerica's footprint markets of Texas, Michigan, California, Arizona and Florida through grants. The mission of the Foundation is to partner with the communities Comerica serves through investments in education, economic and community development, and human services for those in need.

SOURCE Comerica Bank

Related Links

http://www.comerica.com


The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost.
TAKUMI, the Limerick-based precision engineering firm, has announced 60 new jobs as it foresees a recovery from Covid in mid-2021.

The company set up by Gerry Reynolds in 1998 has also announced a new management structure as it prepares for a positive and sustainable return to growth having weathered the 2020 Covid storm.

Revenues dropped significantly during 2020 due to "supply chain turbulence and disruption caused by the Covid-19 crisis". However, the company foresees recovery from mid-2021, a doubling of revenues and the creation of an additional 60 new jobs over the next four years at its facility. Focus is now on rebuilding and securing resources to meet the needs of an ever-growing customer base. The company already employs 80 people at its facility in the Raheen Industrial Estate.

Donal Galligan will take on the role of CEO, assimilating many of the responsibilities previously held by Takumi founder Mr Reynolds, who will take on a more strategic business development and stakeholder management role. Mr Galligan has been with the business for over 20 years having joined as a graduate in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering from LIT.

Commenting on the changes, Mr Reynolds, said: "The last year has been a particularly difficult one for our staff and their families, our customers and our business. But, thanks to government supports and an amazing job from our team, we have weathered the storm and are now able to prepare to rebuild for the future. I am confident about our targets to double our revenues to 20m and add 60 new jobs in the next four years."

He continued: "I can think of no one better than Donal to whom to pass the reins of the daily management of Takumi. I also welcome John Moran and Gene Leonard to our advisory board. Gene has already been a trusted advisor for some years, and Johns experience and particularly his advocacy on behalf of Irish SMEs during the Covid period made him a natural choice to support our company. These strategic changes to Takumis management structure coupled with the new positions will align the company well for future growth and success.

Mr Galligan said honoured to be asked by Mr Reynolds and the board to take over the running of Takumi and lead its next phase of growth.

"Already, we have agreed that the company will continue its ongoing investment in plant and equipment to facilitate competition on the worldwide market. Even throughout 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, over 1 million was invested in new machinery to ensure we compete by utilising the latest technologies.

"Over the years over 10 million has been invested in plant and equipment and Takumi has grown our team to 80 employees to become one of the largest indigenous companies in its sector. I look forward to continuing to work with my existing colleagues," said Mr Galligan.

Takumi has also announced the creation of a newly formed advisory board. Mr Reynolds will lead the advisory board and Takumi welcomes Mr Moran and Mr Leonard as the other members. Mr Moran has a long association with Mr Reynolds dating back to U12 hurling in Mungret. Mr Leonard, of LBS business systems, has acted as a management consultant for the business for some years. Takumi board directors and management look forward to regular engagements and receipt of advice on the strategic direction of the business into the future from this advisory board.

Already this year, the business in addition to appointing Mr Galligan as CEO, has added several new positions and made important strategic changes to its organisation and management structure.

The inception of a dedicated business development and sales team is one of the cornerstones of the companys strategic growth plan. Shane O'Neill takes on the role of new product introduction manager. Shane has previously operated as production manager and has been with Takumi for 15 years having joined as a graduate engineer from UL. The successful introduction and onboarding of new business will be critical to the ongoing expansion.

Colm Diggins, who has over 21 years experience, will move into the role of technical sales, concentrating on the onboarding of new business particularly for the newly acquired 5 axis waterjet.

In the past 12 months Fiona Murphy has joined Takumi, co-ordinating the sales and marketing activities in the business including a rebranding of the business, which will be unveiled in the near future.

Takumis multi-lingual dedicated customer account management team has grown as the company places high value on customer service. The headcount in this department has doubled with the addition of two new account managers - Eugene McGovern has joined the company as medical device business account manager and recent UL graduate John Sheahan is managing accounts in the aerospace sector of the business.

A Chinese speaking graduate will also join the team to enhance communications with existing customers based in China. Takumi looks forward to future opportunities for growth through the development of these customer relationships.

Quality and innovation continue to set the standard and Takumi are proud to see their people develop from within. LIT graduate Maeve Guilfoyle takes up the mantle as quality manager from Steve Christopher, who moves to role of Regulatory affairs manager to lead Takumi's acquisition of further regulatory approvals in near future. The quality department expands with an additional graduate, quality engineer, Andrew McMahon.

Mike ONeill, current maintenance & facilities manager, takes on the additional responsibility for R&D, innovation and new technologies.

Across other areas of the business Cian OBrien, a recent graduate of UL, has joined in a supply chain & procurement role. LIT graduates Shane Reddy and Joanna Wieczorek join in the role of a manufacturing engineer and CNC operator and setter respectively.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Leonard said: "I was honoured to be invited to join the advisory board of Takumi Precision. I am very proud to be associated with the company and look forward to an exciting future for both the company and the Takumi team."

Mr Moran said: "I am delighted and honoured to have been asked by Gerry to travel the next chapter of Takumis growth with him, Junko, Donal and the team. I have been so impressed by how Gerry has created a leading-edge engineering company right here in the heart of Mungret-Raheen, where we both grew up.

"I now look forward to helping Takumi diversify its customer base into continental Europe and establishing new strategic partnerships. It will be tough to double revenues so as to be able to hire another 60 people but from what I see the team is well up to the challenge."
New Delhi: As the country is still in turmoil, pm Narendra Modi will attend the Golden Jubilee celebrations to be held on the occasion of Bangladesh's Independence Day. He will be on a two-day visit to Bangladesh on March 26 and 27. He will also go to the Hindu temples built there and worship. Preparations have been intensified for Prime Minister Modi's function. Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momin reported prime Minister Modi's visit to Bangladesh on Saturday.

The Golden Jubilee program is going to be held on the occasion of Bangladesh's 50 Independence Day. Prime Minister Modi will attend the function as well as the birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The president of Maldives and Nepal will also attend the function from March 17 to 27. In addition, pm of Bhutan and Sri Lanka will also be present.

According to the report, Prime Minister Modi will visit Dhaka on March 26. He will also visit Hindu temples located at Orkandi in Satkhira and Gopalganj on March 27. He will go there and worship. Will also attend a function. Every message of Prime Minister Modi from Bangladesh soil would also directly reach West Bengal, where 30 seats are to be voted for the first phase on March 27. In Assam also, 47 seats are to be polled in the first phase on the same day. That is why Prime Minister Modi's visit to Bangladesh is also being linked to the Bengal elections.

Also Read:

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Myanmar : 38 people killed , martial law to imposed
If Jana Sena councillor supports the ruling party, then YSRC number will reach 14 and the latters candidate will win the chairperson post.  DC file photo

KADAPA: Politics is on an overdrive following declaration of results for Mydukur municipality in Kadapa district.

While Telugu Desam won 12 of total 24 civic body seats, its ally Jana Sena emerged victorious from one ward. Ruling YSR Congress won 11 seats.

The hairline majority has led to TDP and YSR holding their councillors in separate camps. Opposition TD camp, however, suffered a jolt after the Jana Sena winner Vadanapalli Babu went missing after collecting his winning certificate from the 19th Ward on Sunday.

With his vote becoming crucial for the election of municipal chairperson, there is large-scale speculation about his whereabouts. But none knows where he is at the moment.

While this is so, Mahaboob Bee, who has been elected from the 6th Ward, left the TDP camp on Sunday evening, reportedly after being permitted to do so by the party leadership.

However, Mydukur Telugu Desam Party in-charge Putta Sudhakar Yadav went on to allege that police had taken her away from their camp. Following this, her son complained to police that his mother is missing ever since she got elected as councillor. Police then tracked Mahaboob Bee and handed her over to her family. Since then, she is reported to be at the home of a senior ruling YSR Congress leader.

With this development, the number of elected members belonging to TD has reached 11, the same as YSRC. Under the circumstances, if Mahaboob Bee is not present during the chairmanship election on March 18 and the JS winner too remains missing, the number of members of both YSRC and TD will be 11. Then, ruling partys Kadapa MP Y. S. Avinash Reddy and Mydukur MLA Shettypalli Raghuramireddy can cast their ex-officio votes and YSRC can take over the chairmanship with a two-vote lead.

It is learnt, the ruling party leaders are making efforts to attract additional TDP councillors to their side. It remains to be seen to what extent Telugu Desam is able to keep its flock together.

If Jana Sena councillor supports the ruling party, then YSRC number will reach 14 and the latters candidate will win the chairperson post. Even if Vadanapalli Babu supports TD, the opposition party will have only 12 members as Mahaboob Bee is still missing. Yet, if she too, along with Jana Sena candidate supports Telugu Desam, the opposition partys tally will be 13, equivalent to that of YSRC, inclusive of the latters two ex-officio votes. The municipal chairperson will then be elected with a toss.

However, it appears the ruling party will not let the situation slip away from it. It has announced that Machanur Chandra is their candidate for the chairpersons post.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 15)  The Philippine National Police once again defended its chief, PGen Debold Sinas, for his alleged failure to follow quarantine protocols when he traveled to Oriental Mindoro last Friday, the same day he found out that he tested positive for COVID-19.

PNP Officer-in-Charge PLtGen Guillermo Eleazar explained Sinas underwent RT-PCR test on March 9 as a requirement for his travel to Mindoro. Since he tested negative, he proceeded with his scheduled trip.

But before leaving Manila for Mindoro on Friday, he underwent another swab test as a requirement for a separate trip to Palawan. Sinas was supposed to personally oversee the security set-up for the plebiscite there last Saturday.

"Alam niyo kasi yung pagpunta ni chief sa Mindoro nakaplano na 'yun. That is why two days before that, March 9, nagpa-swab test na siya and negative yun. So, in effect for 48 hours okay siya na pumunta siya na pumunta doon," Eleazar said during a press briefing in Camp Crame on Monday.

[Translation: The chief's trip to Mindoro was planned. That is why two days before that, on March 9, he got a swab test and it was negative. So, in effect for 48 hours, he was cleared to go there.]

On the afternoon of March 11, while attending to his activities in Camp Navarro in Calapan City, Sinas was informed that he tested positive for the coronavirus, which is why he immediately returned to Camp Crame in Quezon City where he subjected himself for quarantine.

Based on the PNP's contact tracing, Sinas had direct contact with 98 individuals, mostly police officers. Of which, 10 were high risk contacts.

"Based on our query at ating discussion with the regional director, inaaccount naman niya at mostly most of them are mga PNP personnel... itong 98 inoobserbahan at kung kinakailangan iti-test natin," Eleazar said.

[Translation: Based on our query and discussion with the regional director, he took account and most of them are PNP personnel... they are observing the 98 and they will be tested if necessary.]

Protocol violations?

The local government of Oriental Mindoro earlier said Sinas did not pass through their screening process since he landed in the province via chopper. The screening area for visitors is at the Calapan Port.

The PNP said Sinas complied with the requirements of the province by submitting a health declaration form prior to his arrival.

But based on rules, the Health Department said a person who underwent swab testing should be isolated pending the release of the result.

"In those times we are waiting for the test or already na-swab ka na o hinihinay mo ang resulta, hindi ibig sabihin na wala ka, na hindi ka infectious. I think it's very important for everyone to know and remember that. Kailangan natin maging very, very responsible," said Dr. Beverly Lorraine Ho, director of the Health Department's Disease Prevention and Control Bureau.

[Translation: In those times we are waiting for the result, or if you've been swabbed and waiting for the result, it does not mean you are not infectious. I think it's very important for everyone to know and remember that. We have to be very, very responsible.]

"Well of course, meron tayong policies and protocols. But I believe 'yung mga policy at protocol naman, meron din tayong tinatawag na, maiintindihan natin ang basic intent. Otherwise, kung hindi nga, hindi nga siya makakapunta sa iba niyang lakad dahil hihintayin niya muna ang result na isa," Eleazar said.

[Translation: Well, of course we have policies and protocols. But I believe those policies and protocols have what we call, we can understand basic intent. Otherwise, he would not be able to attend to his other responsibilities because he is waiting for one result ]

Sinas is not new to quarantine protocol violation issues. In May last year, he celebrated his birthday with a mananita while the whole of Luzon was under a strict Enhanced Community Quarantine where mass gatherings were prohibited.

Biden Border Crisis: Republicans Knock New Policies at Southern Border

President Joe Bidens immigration policies have led to the surge in migrants traveling to the United States and illegally crossing the border, members of Congress charged on Monday.

Standing in El Paso, Texas, near the U.S.-Mexico border, House Republicans denounced the policy changes, relaying the overcrowded conditions they saw firsthand in a holding facility and the dismay from border agents who are being overwhelmed.

This is a human heartbreak. The sad part about all of this is it didnt have to happen, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters, calling the situation the Biden border crisis.

Biden should travel to the border and talk to agents while grappling with what his policies have spawned, McCarthy added.

Biden rolled back a number of policies enacted by former President Donald Trump, including a program that kept asylum seekers outside the country while their claims were weighed, and the construction of a barrier to help prevent people from crossing en masse.

In February, illegal crossings rose above 100,000, according to official data, with another 26,000 people evading capture, according to provisional Customs and Border Protection figures reviewed by former Texas Department of Public Safety captain Jaeson Jones.

Bidens administration recently sent a team to the border to tour facilities and review the situation on the ground, but as of March 12 the team had not briefed the president, the White House indicated. Administration officials have repeatedly declined to describe the situation as a crisis, though some have said the new policies may have led to the surge.

McCarthy said the president should admit what hes done and if he wont, Republicans will press for congressional action. Before flying to the border, McCarthy reached out to Biden in a letter but the president did not respond, he said.

Illegal immigrants from Central America take refuge in a makeshift U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing center under the Anzalduas International Bridge after crossing the Rio Grande river into the United States from Mexico in Granjeno, Texas, on March 12, 2021. (Adrees Latif/Reuters)

Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.) speaks to reporters during a congressional border delegation visit to El Paso, Texas, on March 15, 2021. (Justin Hamel/AFP via Getty Images)

Republicans alleged cartels are taking advantage of the lax border policies by ferrying unaccompanied minors and other immigrants to the border. Democrats say the influx is caused by pent-up demand that built because of Trumps restrictions.

Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.), the House Homeland Security Committee ranking member and a former federal prosecutor, pointed out that crossing the border is illegal. He said lawmakers saw gaps in the border wall that would not have been there if construction wasnt halted soon after Biden took office. He also said there are individuals on the terrorist watchlist being apprehended by border agents.

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) implored Biden to speak to Republican lawmakers about the surge.

Let us in. We can fix this thing. Its beyond a crisis at the border. Its a threat to our Republic. And you, Mr. president, have a responsibility to listen to the citizens that we serve, he said.

Back in Washington, White House press secretary Jen Psaki claimed that the Biden administration has a handle on the border situation.

We recognize this is a big problem. The last administration left us a dismantled and unworkable system, she told reporters during a briefing. Like any other problem, we are going to do everything we can to solve it. Our focus here is on solutions.

Among the recent actions are sending the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the border to help provide care for unaccompanied minors, embedding health officials with border agents, and rescinding a memorandum of understanding between the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services, which we believe will encourage families and sponsors to come forward without fear of additional immigration enforcement, Psaki added. We are continuing to evaluate what additional steps can be taken to address the situation at the border.
Whenever we look for a reference to bibliographic sources on leadership, we get the same titles as always.

The classic books, for example: How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie; The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey; o The 21 Irrefutable Laws on Leadership, by John Maxwell.

And on the other hand the contemporary classics like: The leaders eat at the end, by Simon Sinek or Tribus , by Seth Godin.

But don't get me wrong, all of these books are extraordinary and should definitely be on your reading list this year in case you haven't read them.

However, there are other books that did not receive as much publicity, were not lucky enough to have a major publishing house, or simply did not have to live in the age of the internet boom. That does not mean that they are not good, in fact, there are some that to my taste are better than some of the more popular titles.

For this reason I bring you a list of 5 leadership books that you probably had not heard. Perhaps some of them are no longer for sale or are not easy to find, but if they ever fall into your hands you should read them.

1. The ABCs of Leadership by John Maxwell . This small but concise book is still readily available in bookstores, yet it is generally overshadowed by the rest of its author's more renowned titles.

Maxwell has written and published more than 30 books among which he has some very successful bestsellers, among them: The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, Sometimes you want to and sometimes you learn, Everyone communicates but few connect, etc.

Although this book does not stand out among the most important titles of Maxwell, it is a compact but very rich in content paperback. Only 125 pages are enough for Maxwell to accurately explain the essential qualities of a leader.

2. Larry Hammons Teen & Youth Leadership. This book is only available used and you will hardly find it in bookstores. It is a small but practical and concise book. With only 100 pages Hammons manages to convey the way of exercising our leadership much better than any course or short video.

This is an excellent book for anyone who is starting or wants to take leadership foundations and although its title is focused on young people, anyone can read and immediately get tons of benefit from it.

3. The Warrior Ethos by Steven Pressfield . Pressfield has also been a very prolific author in recent years. He writes from fiction and non-fiction books, among which are The War of Art .

For the same reason some of his books have gone into the background, such is the case of The Warrior Ethos, which we could translate as the Warrior Code.

This book brings small stories of ancient Greek, Macedonian, Spartan and Roman warriors whose code allowed them to fight for ideals much greater than themselves, ideals that every leader must embrace such as honor, magnanimity, empathy, inspiration, etc.

4. The Samurai Leader by Bill Diffenderffer . Definitely one of my favorite titles. In this book he introduces us to the Zen philosophy of the Samurai and gives us a unique vision of how these ancient warriors faced complex situations that are now brought to the business world.

Here you can find values forgotten in the West but that are essential for any modern leader.

Honor, courage, loyalty and compassion are some of the principles that were part of the Samurai code. Diffenderffer lived much of his life in Eastern countries and was CEO of large multinational companies.

His experience and passion for oriental culture and business led him to write this excellent compendium of lessons that we will hardly see in other similar books.

5. The MOXIE Leader by John Baldoni . This book is still available in most bookstores, however I decided to put it on this list because in my opinion it has not received the amount of attention it deserves.

The MOXIE Leader should be considered one of the contemporary classics of leadership. A book that describes the modern leader who corresponds to the new generations.

Its title refers to the acronym moxie, talking about how to have an open body M, O pportunities find, develop your X Factor, I nnovar and E mprender.

Finally, I invite you to continue nurturing your leadership by also reading more articles like this one on Entrepreneur.com or visiting my blog Lideremprendedor.com .

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
With their online payments processing company Stripe now valued at close to $100bn (84bn), Patrick and John Collison have become beacons for a new generation of young Irish entrepreneurs.

When Patrick Collison won the BT Young Scientist competition in 2005 at the age of 16, it was the beginning of a trajectory that would, within the space of 15 years, catapult the two brothers to the higher echelons of the global tech scene.

But the billionaire duo have retained a strong sense of their Irish identity and a commitment to their homeland.

Stripe has just announced it will create at least 1,000 jobs in Ireland over the next five years, adding to the 300 it already has at its Dublin engineering hub. That hub is also its international headquarters.

Read More

Recently, the brothers helped to design and launch a new software engineering programme at University of Limerick. Stripe will provide residencies or paid work placements for students.

Theres also a softer side to Irelands richest tech entrepreneurs.

Last November as RTEs Late Late Toy Show was inundated with charity donations from viewers, causing technical difficulties, Stripe almost immediately increased the processing capacity to the show, eventually seeing it raise about 5m. Patrick and John personally donated 100,000 to the appeal.

The brothers have created, as Irish Independent technology editor Adrian Weckler pointed out this morning, the most valuable private company ever in Silicon Valley.

Its no mean feat given the type of competition there is in the United States for the kind of funding that can rapidly scale viable start-ups.

But within the space of a decade, Stripe has also become one of the most valuable companies in the entire United States.

The valuation placed on it following its fresh $600m funding round puts it on a par with well-known stock market-listed tech giants such as Snap and Zoom.

And Stripes valuation is bigger than the market capitalisations of other US stock market icons such as General Motors, retailer Target, and ConocoPhillips.

But the brothers route to success is one marked by determination and perseverance.

They went to primary school at the gaelscoil in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, and later attended Castletroy College secondary school in Limerick.

Their mother Lily (62) and father Denis (66) at one point ran the Sail Inn hotel and restaurant at Lough Derg in Dromineer, Co Tipperary.

Lily has a natural science degree in microbiology from Trinity College and a Masters from UCD.

She did a brief stint lecturing at the Sligo Institute of Technology between 1985 and 1987, and had previously worked for Abbott Laboratories in the town. She was the managing director of her firm, SQT Training, between 1989 and 2013.

Their father, an electrical engineer, also had an entrepreneurial spark.

Entrepreneur is a long, fancy French word, but it didn't seem like something you aspire to, Patrick Collison told Bloomberg in 2017. It seemed normal, because whatever your parents do seems normal.

Their younger brother, Tommy, was diagnosed in 1995 at the age of one with spastic diplegia, also known as bilateral cerebral palsy. It set their mother on a path to understanding the condition that eventually saw her write a book to help others caring for those diagnosed with it.

Tommy works at the Lambda School in San Francisco, an online computer science and job training programme, where he is head of communications strategy and business development.

Patrick, meanwhile, enrolled at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2006. John followed a couple of years later, taking up a place at Harvard. They developed apps for Apples iPhone in their spare time.

And when Patrick was still just 18 and John was 16, they founded a firm called Shuppa, which was a play on the Irish word for shop, siopa. It was designed to manage Ebay auctions.

But they couldnt attract enough funding for the venture  rumour has it that Enterprise Ireland even turned them down.

So they upped sticks to Silicon Valley and renamed the business Auctomatic. They sold it in 2008 for $5m. The following year, they dropped out of college and started working on their idea for Stripe.

In 2011, it launched, with Patrick as chief executive and John as president.

Fast forward 10 years, and the brothers now sit atop a tech goliath.

They have the advantage of coming to California without being tainted and polluted by what's in the water supply and air of Silicon Valley, Mike Moritz, a partner at Sequoia Capital and Stripe investor, told Bloomberg a few years ago.

They're more humble and well-rounded, he said. There's such an improbability to their story  that these brothers from a little village would come to build what could well be one of the most important companies on the internet.

And yet, they have.

Stripe is still, as far as the Collisons are concerned, at an early stage in its development.

We're still quite early in Stripes journey, John Collison told the Irish Independent last November. And when I say that, you might roll your eyes, given that we've been at this for 10 years. But were still growing at quite a fast rate and still investing very heavily in future growth.

The payback for Ireland from Stripes success might be just beginning.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. When asked Sunday in an interview with CBS Face the Nation about New York City having the highest coronavirus (COVID-19) death rate in the country, Mayor Bill de Blasio placed the blame on Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

I was one of the first in America to shut schools, and one of the first in America to shut down bars and restaurants, de Blasio said. And I called for shelter in place; I was one of the first but unfortunately, my state government wouldnt agree to it.

A spokesperson for Cuomo did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.

The citys first case of the virus was detected March 1, 2020, followed two weeks later by the shut-down of schools, restaurants and gyms. By contrast, in San Francisco, the mayor called for citywide shutdowns in February before any reported infections in that city.

De Blasio also accused the governor of deliberately covering up the scale of nursing home deaths caused by the virus to protect his political image.

Everything was about his public image, everything was about his political future it was not about what people needed, de Blasio said.

VACCINE ROLLOUT

When asked about the pace at which vaccines are being distributed in the countrys most densely populated city, de Blasio said vaccines could be delved out at a faster pace if the state would allocate more shots to centers within the five boroughs.

In New York City today, we could be doing over half a million vaccinations a week if we had more supply, de Blasio said.

Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan asked: Is the Biden administration not giving you enough?

Replied De Blasio: I think the Biden administration is doing an amazing job...part of our problem is the state of New York. We dont get our fare share of vaccines for this city.
[March 15, 2021] Banner University Health Plans Reduces Hospital & Emergency Department Utilization Using Pyx Health's Platform to Address Loneliness

TUCSON, Ariz., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A white paper reveals that Banner University Health Plans' use of a novel interactive platform-plus-support center with members after discharge from emergency room or inpatient care resulted in a substantial reduction in subsequent inpatient costs and emergency department use. Analyzing the experiences of 1,170 members aged 18-103 years and comparing that data with a control group that did not access the digital platform, BUHP realized savings of $847 per member per month over a six-month period on this group of high-cost members. The white paper was authored by Thomas M. Ball, MD, MPH, and Sandra Stein, MD, BUHP's former and current chief medical officers. Dr. Ball's research has been funded by NIH and he has authored multiple peer-reviewed journal publications, including healthcare economic analyses. Dr. Stein is board-certified in child, adolescent and adult psychiatry, and they have both partnered to integrate behavioral and physical health programs to better manage health plan-covered lives. BUHP, which covers more than 200,000 Medicaid, Dual Eligible Medicare, and Long-Term Care lives in Arizona, engaged health technology company Pyx Health to address members' behavioral health needs and overcome social barriers to care. Analysis of plan utilization patterns and medical expenses had clearly demonstrated the independent impacts of general mental health conditions  such as anxiety and depression  and serious mental illness on increased medical expenditures, including hospital admissions and emergency department use. Consistent with national trends, a small percent of BUHP high-utilizing members accounted for a disproportionately high percentage of medical spend, and presence of behavioral health co-morbid conditions was a significant cost driver. "Multiple chronic conditions are associated with increased medical expenditure, but it is the associated behavioral health co-morbidities, stressors and social barriers to care that drive avoidable unnecessary utilization," Drs. Ball and Stein write. BUHP selected Pyx Health as a partner to address specific barriers to successfully anaging the needs of their Medicaid members:



1) Low engagement rates, as when members are contacted about specific conditions, such as diabetes, they often want to discuss basic needs (known as social determinants of health, or SDOH), such as transportation, food, housing or family stressors; 2) Failure of traditional outreach methods, such as letters or phone, in order to provide 24/7 engagement and support for members when they are available and motivated for change; and,

3) Continuing engagement of members in order to impact not only short-term utilization, but also alter longer-term avoidable utilization. The Pyx Health platform overcame all three obstacles, decreasing inpatient costs by 51 percent, and emergency department use by 41 percent. The authors note, "Since we had implemented multiple interventions focused on emergency department utilization in the past with negligible impact, we were particularly surprised by the degree of cost savings resulting from on-going lower emergency department use. We believe the long length of engagement with Pyxir [Pyx Health's digital 'friend'] by members (median=66 days) along with access to on-going support as needed, explains these successful results." The Pyx Health option proved particularly appealing to members. Forty percent of those who were offered the service following a crisis enrolled in the Pyx Health program  a rate that was much higher than BUHP's experience with traditional methods. Members who scored as lonely on the UCLA-3 screen used the platform differently than those who did not score as lonely. The former were much more likely to engage with Pyxir between midnight and 5 a.m., whereas members who were not lonely were much more likely to use the platform from 5-7 p.m. Cost-effective access to the Pyxir technology 24/7 was deemed as critical to success. Furthermore, members who scored as lonely most frequently reported moods of "worry", "in pain" or "sad", all of which would be expected to lead to avoidable emergency department use. "The high degree of interaction with Pyxir outside normal business hours [makes it] clear that 24/7 accessibility is critical and most cost-effectively provided through the use of the Pyxir chatbot," the authors note. Further, "it is plausible that the success of this program is partially explained by Pyxir engagement of members suffering from combinations of loneliness, isolation, behavioral disorders, emotional distress and/or sleep disturbance." The Pyx Health digital solution reduces loneliness and social isolation by connecting with at-risk individuals outside of the traditional care setting. Providing critical and timely interventions and addressing social determinants of health, Pyx Health cares for health plan members when they are most vulnerable, especially after a transition of care or a healthcare event. Pyx Health founder and CEO Cindy Jordan observed, "The white paper proves that by addressing loneliness, health plans improve their members' health outcomes. Still, the U.S. is far behind countries in Europe and elsewhere that have recognized loneliness and social isolation as chronic conditions that should be treated as such. The U.S. medical system will benefit greatly from a physically and mentally healthier population, with attendant health care cost reduction, obtained by treating loneliness and social isolation." About Pyx Health Pyx Health offers the first loneliness and social isolation technology focused on helping the most vulnerable populations. Combining a digital platform with a Compassionate Support Center and timely human interventions, Pyx Health provides patients and healthcare providers an innovative, scalable solution that effectively addresses the nation's critical loneliness epidemic. Pyx Health is improving lives and lowering Medicaid and Medicare inpatient costs for health plans and their members by 46 percent. Founded by Cindy Jordan, Pyx Health is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. More information is available at https://www.pyxhealth.com. Contact: Matt Russell

Russell Public Communications

(520) 232-9840

mrussell@russellpublic.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/banner-university-health-plans-reduces-hospital--emergency-department-utilization-using-pyx-healths-platform-to-address-loneliness-301247497.html SOURCE Pyx Health

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Lufthansa is reporting an increase in bookings for the upcoming Easter travel season and has responded to the surge in demand by almost doubling the number of offered flights.



For the last two weeks, up to 80 percent more bookings were received for Mallorca, 20 percent more bookings for the Canary Islands, as well as 50 percent for Mexico. The lifting of travel restrictions to Mallorca by the Federal Government of Germany will further strengthen this trend.



In total, Lufthansa will be offering around 1,200 European flights from March to April. That is around 200 percent more connections from Munich and around 50 percent more from Frankfurt compared with the current week.



Destinations in Spain are particularly in demand. That is why the airline is flying to almost every Canary Island for the first time. Capacities from Munich to Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura will even be doubled for Easter, and from Frankfurt, capacities to Gran Canaria and Tenerife will be increased by 50 percent.



Mallorca is currently in particularly high demand among vacationers. Lufthansa has responded by significantly increasing the number of flights to Mallorca: instead of two weekly flights from Munich, there will now be up to eleven weekly connections, and from Frankfurt, instead of six weekly flights, there will now be up to 20 weekly connections during the Easter travel season.



In addition, Eurowings is currently successively expanding its frequencies to Mallorca: The airline is planning up to 325 weekly flights from 24 airports in Germany and the UK to Palma de Mallorca.



In addition, in Spain, the cities of Valencia and Malaga are usually heavily booked by all sun-seekers over Easter.



In the case of overseas flights, Cancun in Mexico and San Jose in Costa Rica from Frankfurt are particularly in demand. Cancun can now be reached daily, San Jose five times a week.  TradeArabia News Service
New Delhi, March 15 : A 41-year-old man allegedly shot himself after being accused of rape by a woman in south west Delhi, police said on Monday.

The man identified as Deepak Sangwan, a resident of Goyla Khurd in Dwarka, was under treatment in a hospital after he allegedly shot himself in the head on Friday evening. Later, he succumbed to his injuries.

Police have also recovered one pistol along with two live and one empty cartridge from the spot.

According to the police, Sangwan also left a suicide note where he had blamed the woman and her father for his extreme step. He also alleged that he had helped the woman with Rs 2 lakh cash in lieu of a cheque of the same amount signed by her.

Later, it turned out to be a bounced cheque case and Sangwan approached the court. After receiving summons, the woman and her father allegedly threatened to implicate him in a false case.

"Sangwan also alleged that the woman had filed a false rape case against him at the Sagarpur police station," said Santosh Kumar Meena, DCP Dwarka.

A further probe is on.
InComm Payments, through its affiliate, InComm Financial Services, Inc., has maintained a presence in Columbus for more than 15 years. Totaling 30,000 square feet across two floors, the facility will house 165 employees. Its operations will service the company's prepaid card portfolios and other financial technology (FinTech) products and services, including managing reconciliation and settlement, customer inquiries, compliance, and fraud prevention.

"This new office reflects our longstanding presence in Columbus and will further support the company's operations in the growing FinTech industry," said Bob Skiba, Executive Vice President, Regulatory and Government Affairs at InComm Payments. "We're also appreciative of the ability to collaborate with the GDEcD, which has consistently supported our operations in the state of Georgia."

Congressman Sanford Bishop, who represents Georgia's 2nd Congressional District, visited the new facility and discussed InComm Payments' developments and impact on the local industry. Tommy Marshall, Executive Director at the Georgia Fintech Academy of the University System of Georgia, also joined to discuss FinTech initiatives in Georgia.



"The FinTech industry is a critical part of Georgia and the 2nd District, providing countless jobs and supporting the global economy. As companies such as InComm Payments develop and grow, so too will the importance of this industry," said Congressman Bishop.

A longtime employer in the Columbus area, InComm Payments has traditionally welcomed former military personnel. InComm Payments is able to not only evaluate talent, but also provide career services to men and women transitioning into civilian life. The company will also look to establish partnerships with local schools and universities.



Recent opportunities for involvement in the community and beyond have been led by Go Studio, InComm Payments' emerging technology incubator, which is currently welcoming entries for its Innovation Jam, a virtual hackathon seeking innovative technology-based solutions that can empower older adults to more safely and easily age in place. Entry to Go Studio's Innovation Jam is free and open to a range of students and professionals, with entrants competing for $10,000 in prizes.

For more information on InComm Payments, visit http://www.incommpayments.com.

About InComm Payments

InComm Payments is a global leader in innovative payments technology. Leveraging dynamic technology and proven expertise, InComm Payments delivers enhanced end-to-end payment platforms and emerging financial technology solutions that help businesses grow across a wide range of industries including retail, healthcare, tolling & transit, incentives, mobile payments and financial services. By enabling omnichannel connections to an ever-expanding consumer base in an increasingly digital ecosystem, InComm Payments creates seamless and valuable commerce experiences across the globe. With more than 25 years of experience, over 500,000 points of distribution, 386 global patents and a presence in more than 30 countries, InComm Payments leads the payments industry from its headquarters in Atlanta, Ga. Learn more at www.InCommPayments.com.

Media Contacts:

InComm Payments



Anthony Popiel

Dalton Agency

404-876-1309

[email protected]

Nilce Piccinini

Sr. Communications Manager

InComm Payments

404-935-0377

[email protected]



SOURCE InComm Payments

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The Italian government ha stightened restrictions across most of the country from March 15, after it recorded it recorded a big surge in Covid cases and deaths

Coronavirus restrictions were reimposed across much of Italy on Monday, while Ireland and the Netherlands became the latest countries to suspend AstraZeneca's Covid-19 shots over blood clot fears despite the firm and the WHO insisting there is no risk.

AstraZeneca is one of just a handful of coronavirus vaccines being rolled out globallyand as one of the cheapest on the market is crucial to ensuring poorer countries have access to the jab.

Despite immunisation programmes gathering pace, surges in infections remain a threat, and Italian authorities reimposed restrictions on three quarters of the country until April 6 to suppress an outbreak fuelled by a Covid-19 variant first detected in Britain.

The streets of central Rome were quiet Monday morning as the new restrictions took hold, which were sure to further bruise businesses already battered by a year of anti-virus measures.

"I didn't expect it. We live from day to day," said barista Ana Cedeno as she prepared coffees for a few passersby.

"We have lost a lot of money, because our customers have no money."

Schools, restaurants, shops and museums were closed from Monday, including in Rome and Milan, with residents told to stay home except for work, health or other essential reasons.

EU tourism plunges

And while France was hoping to avoid another national lockdown, it was facing a hospital crisis with intensive care beds in the Paris region running out.

Factfile on the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine against Covid-19.

Meanwhile, intensive care doctors in Germany issued an urgent appeal for new restrictions to avoid a third wave as the British variant took hold in the country.

The coronavirus has killed more than 2.6 million people around the world, with much of humanity going through varying levels of Covid-19 restrictions.

It has sparked a global recession not seen in decades, with the hospitality sector especially badly hammered.

New data on Monday showed that tourism in the EUmeasured in nights spent in visitor accommodationplunged by 52 percent last year compared to 2019, an unprecedented drop.

In some parts of the EU, however, there were signs of things easing up.

Nurseries, primary schools, salons and bookstores reopened on Monday in Portugal as it embarked on the first phase of peeling back anti-virus measures.

Authorities in Italy are hoping that strict restrictions and the ongoing vaccination programme will allow a late-spring relaxation of curbs

But the prime minister warned that reopenings must happen gradually.

"We cannot take risks and lose everything," Antonio Costa said on Twitter.

AstraZeneca worries

As countries battle virus surges, health authorities in Italy and France have backed the Covid-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, as several countries suspended use of the shot over fears it causes side effects such as blood clots.

Ireland and the Netherlands stopped giving out the shot on Sunday, joining Denmark, Norway and Bulgaria.

But the World Health Organization, Europe's medicines watchdog, AstraZeneca and experts have stressed that the jab is safe and that there is no evidence linking it to the clots.

The AstraZeneca shot forms the bulk of doses being sent to poorer countries under the WHO-backed Covax scheme, which aims to ensure vaccines reach all parts of the world.

Ireland and the Netherlands stopped giving out the AstraZeneca shot on Sunday, joining Denmark, Norway and Bulgaria

More than 350 million doses of the vaccine have been administered globally, but the majority have so far been given in richer countries, with Israel, the United States and Britain leading the pack.

The United States, the world's worst-hit nation, has ramped up its vaccine campaign in recent days, after President Joe Biden promised a return to some form of normal by Independence day on July 4.

The US gave more than two million shots a day on average last week, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control.

'It's hard for the poor'

The top US pandemic adviser Anthony Fauci said authorities were considering cutting social distancing rules to three feet (one metre), from the widely accepted six-foot global guideline.

Distancing requirements are a core issue in discussions around the world on reopening schools, with many claiming the six-foot requirement makes it difficult to resume classes without adding portable classrooms or shortening the school day.

Dutch anti-riot police officers react during a demonstration against the government and anti-covid measures at the Malieveld in The Hague on March 14

Top pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci says US authorities are considering cutting social distancing rules to three feet (one metre), from the widely accepted six-foot global guideline

Many teachers' unions have also insisted on six-foot distancing.

Remote learning through the internet has been one option, but it has proved difficult to implement in less wealthy nations where many families do not have internet access or devices such as computers, smartphones and tablets.

"The rich have everything they need," said Maria Fe Morallos, a grade 10 student in the Philippines who cannot afford a smartphone.

"It's hard for the poor because we don't have a gadget or the money to buy it."

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
Hundreds of tourists have been filmed dancing on a boat in Bali before setting off for a holiday on the Gili Islands.

Revellers were seen swaying and gyrating their hips next to each other in pre-Covid pandemic party mode on a boat in the harbour at Karangasem, on the Indonesian island's south-east, in an Instagram post on Friday.

The party-goers were on the way to the Gili Islands near Lombok ahead of Nyepi Day - a new year celebration also known as a 'day of silence' where locals stay at home and do not drive, work or use electricity.

Despite the traditionally quiet public holiday, travellers in the social media video clapped and cheered as shirtless men danced around a group of jumping tourists atop the vessel.

Tourists dancing together on a boat bound for the Gili Islands, Indonesia, on March 12 (above)

'The atmosphere at Padang Bai Harbor, Karangasem,' the caption read.

'Hundreds of foreigners were seen crossing to the Gili islands, Lombok ahead of Nyepi Day.'

Tourists who wearing face masks watched the commotion in disgust from another boat.

Bali - which relies on millions of Australian holidaymakers each year to keep its economy afloat - has been closed to most international tourists since March 2020.

Indonesian officials said they will temporarily deny visa applications from the UK, Australia, Italy and Denmark, an estimated 10,000 Australians remained in Indonesia during the pandemic.

Travellers clapped and cheered as shirtless men danced around a group of jumping tourists atop the vessel (pictured)

Travellers cannot enter Bali, but the island is still home to thousands of expats and stranded tourists

The figure comprised about 7,000 expatriates and 3,000 tourists.

Locals flocked to the comments section to slam the travellers for being careless.

'It turns out that not all foreigners are smart. Covidiots,' one Indonesian user said.

'The ignorance,' another wrote.

While Indonesia reported 4,714 new cases on Sunday, Bali did not record any new cases.

The party-goers were on the way to the picturesque Gili Islands (pictured) near Lombok ahead of Nyepi Day

Island officials are now asking the Indonesian government to explore the possibility of 'travel corridors' with certain countries.

These could include opening up travel with low-risk countries that have successfully administered mass vaccination programs such as China.

Travellers would need to be vaccinated and return a negative Covid-19 result before arriving in Bali.

The Indonesian government predicted $14billion was lost from tourism in 2020.

Foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia slumped 89.22 percent year-on-year to 164,970 in August 2020. Meanwhile, Bali arrivals plunged 100 percent to just 12.

Pre-Covid, more than a million Australians travelled to Indonesia each year and made up more than a quarter of Bali tourists.
Vietnam's National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (L), Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and other government officials show up at an NA meeting in Hanoi, October 21, 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thang.

Vietnam's new president and prime minister are expected to take their oath of office on April 2 and 5 after being elected by the National Assembly.

Addressing the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Monday, Nguyen Hanh Phuc, its general secretary, said the election would occur during the upcoming session of the 14th National Assembly scheduled to last 12 days from March 24.

According to schedule, the NA, Vietnam's parliament, would cast its secret ballot to dismiss incumbent National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan on March 30. A day later, the new legislature leader would be sworn in following the election.

On April 1, the NA would cast a secret ballot to allow incumbent State President Nguyen Phu Trong to step down. The committee would then submit the list of nominees for election to the NA.

On April 2, the new head of state will take the oath of office.

The same day, the NA would hold a secret ballot to allow incumbent Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to vacate his position. The newly-elected president would then submit the list of nominees for prime minister to the parliamentary body.

The new PM is expected to be sworn in on April 5.

The president is the country's top representative in both internal and external affairs and commander-in-chief of the military. Vietnam is led by four "pillars" comprising its Party chief, president, prime minister and NA chair.

The 13th Communist Party Central Committee last January reelected Trong, 77, for a third term as Vietnam's Party General Secretary.

At the upcoming session, parliament members would dismiss and elect some other key appointments in the state apparatus, including vice president, chief justice of the Supreme People's Court, head of the Supreme People's Procuracy, some vice chairmen of the National Assembly, members of the NA Standing Committee, secretary general of the National Assembly and deputy prime ministers and other members of the government.
Standardized testing began Monday in school districts across Alabama.

The federal requirement to test all students, first demanded under No Child Left Behind in 2001, is still in place.

While state Superintendent Eric Mackey says he plans to ask federal officials to waive the high federal bar set for the number of students who must be tested, the state must still assess at least some students this year in reading, math and science. Last year, all testing was canceled after schools were closed in March to mitigate the spread of coronavirus.

We really believe that [federal officials] will lower the participation rate, Mackey said, but its not going to zero.

Most districts are making accommodations for the roughly 20% of Alabama school children who are still learning virtually, keeping remote-only students separate from those doing in-person learning.

Heres what you need to know about this years standardized testing:

School officials want all students to take the test.

These tests are important, school officials say, to know what students have and havent learned in the past year.

In districts with large numbers of students learning remotely, like Birmingham City Schools, officials hope parents will bring their children in to take the test.

We just need to know where they are, what have they learned and where are the gaps, Kecia Chapman, Birminghams director of testing, told AL.com. And what we need to tackle.

We understand that some parents still want to be sure their children are not in the general population [with other in-person students], Chapman said. Every building is setting aside a separate wing or a separate room like the library for our virtual students.

Birmingham school officials also are using Wednesdays, already designated as virtual learning days, to bring remote learning students in for testing.

State testing is right around the corner! At DMS, we will be taking the ACAP at the start of April. All students, both... Posted by Deshler Middle School on Thursday, March 11, 2021

Some school districts are setting separate schedules to test remote and in-person students.

Chapman said school officials are following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and have extra masks and other personal protective equipment to keep students safe.

Test results will be used to target resources and close learning gaps.

Since state testing became federal law 20 years ago, the pressure for schools to do well has been high.

This is the first time in 21 years that we will actually be able to use state assessment for the purpose for which it was designed, Mackey said. To make adjustments in teaching and instruction.

It just delights my soul that we can have a year of assessment that really gets it right, Mackey added. The problem of course is that were doing this assessment in a pandemic.

Knowing where learning gaps are is important, Mackey said, so the state can allocate resources to help students who have fallen behind. Schools have already received millions, and expect to use millions more, of federal CARES money, to address pandemic needs and get students back on track.

Students are taking a brand-new test, called the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program, or ACAP.

The ACAP test, which covers math, English language arts and science, was created in 2018 and 2019 to align to Alabamas course of study.

Students in second through eighth grades are tested in English language arts and math. Students in fourth, sixth and eighth grades also are tested in science.

The test is fully online, with paper tests only offered to students who have a specific, documented need.

There is no take-from-home version, so all students, even those learning remotely, have to come to school to take it.

The test was scheduled to be given for the first time in spring 2020, but the pandemic forced all schools closed and federal test requirements were waived; no tests were given.

School officials can incentivize, but not force, students to take the ACAP.

While federal law dictates what percentage of students  95% in previous years and an as-yet-undetermined percentage this year  take state tests, the responsibility to incentivize students to actually take the test rests with local school officials, Mackey said.

School officials could see consequences for not testing enough students, Mackey said.

Were still working through what the consequences will be, Mackey said. I have every intention there will be consequences for schools that dont meet those targets.

For parents still on the fence about whether to take their students in for testing, Mackey said: For the sake of your children and the sake of the future of our state, take this opportunity and lets get a really good academic baseline in a year where the punitive end of accountability is gone, and lets just see where kids are.

And be honest with ourselves about where we are and where we need to go.

Schools have a six-week window in which to complete student testing.

School officials have a six-week window, from March 15 through April 30, to offer the test.

Were going to use every bit of that time, Chapman said.

Testing started Monday morning for Birmingham students. The wide window allows schools to bring in smaller groups of students at a time, she said, making it easier to plan for social distancing and technology use.

Other districts are planning to take the test at a different time, sometime before the window closes.
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Starting in the 2021-22 school year, incoming ninth graders will have the opportunity to attend the United South High School Early College Academy, and applications open Monday.

According to the district, the deadline for applications will be April 16 followed by a blind lottery date on April 29. Parents interested in signing their child up are required to watch the parent orientation video and accept the terms to complete the application process.

Applications will be posted through the UISD website. UISD also advised that the opportunity is only available for incoming ninth graders, not current ninth grade students.

The Early College Academy will allow students to earn their high school diploma and an Associates of Arts during their four years in high school at no additional cost to parents. UISD will select 100 students through a blind open lottery, and the winners have to commit to the academy by May.

The lottery is planned to be broadcast through a Facebook Live in April.

Once committed, those 100 students will begin their classes in Summer during Summer Bridge activities.

Adriana Ramirez, USHS Principal, said they are fortunate for the opportunity of having the academy starting this year.

The Laredo College and UISD early college partnership focuses on five core principles. They are:

Equal opportunity for all students

Creating and sustaining an Early College Academy accountable for student success

Developing an academic program to earn students two years of college credit

Student engagement in comprehensive support system and development of academic, social and behavioral skills for college

Creating and advocating for policies advancing the early college movement

Dr. Fred Solis, LC Vice President of Student Success and Enrollment, said the approximate monetary value of the 60 credit hours students earn without having to pay as part of the academy is roughly $8,000 in tuition and fees. With UISD also covering supplies and textbooks, Solis said that will save students and parents almost $900.

After completing all forms and paperwork and a being accepted, ninth graders can expect to start their college career with LCs beginning Spanish, intro to computing and intro to theater during their first year in high school. Moving forward, students will be enrolled in more classes that are on par with an average first few semesters in college.

One question by parents was how the student GPA would factor into their application. Solis said that once they are accepted, their college GPA will be permanently recorded but will differ from their high school GPA. Moving forward, students will need to maintain their college GPA, preferably also their high school GPA, as it may affect financial aid opportunities and their college transcript.

Attendance is important as students must attend at least 90% of days of class. Those who attend less than that will be referred to an attendance review committee to review the case and understand the circumstances of the absentee. Students will have district transportation to the school for their classes from across UISD.

Ramirez reminded families that students will still be able to participate in extracurricular activities, but their success will be their responsibility as they will be juggling a more challenging curriculum and any additional activities they join.

To earn the college credit, students will need to receive a grade between 60 to 100. Also, anything below a 70 will require the students to retake the course for their high school credit.

With a grade between zero to 59, the student will have to retake the course and will not receive college credit, and they will also be ineligible to enroll in any other early college academy dual credit course offered by UISD.

Solis said the standards and rigors will be higher as part of the academy. Both LC and UISD advise students interested to fully commit to the program and their academics once a part of their Early College Academy of choice.

They are challenged from the very beginning to make that transition from what would typically be just a high school setting now into a college setting as well, he said.

cocampo@lmtonline.com
Citizens sign their names during a campaign in support of the decision on improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region by the National People's Congress (NPC) in Hong Kong, south China, March 11, 2021. (Xinhua/Lo Ping Fai)

HONG KONG, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong should make best use of its strength to consolidate its status as an international legal hub, and foster the development of Hong Kong as well as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a senior official of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said on Sunday.

The Outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035 emphasises the need to maintain Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability, which again demonstrates the central authorities' staunch support and care towards Hong Kong, Secretary for Justice of the HKSAR government Teresa Cheng wrote in an online article.

The 14th Five-Year Plan provides a blueprint for the nation's social and economic development, while at the same time sets the scene for the future development of Hong Kong, she noted.

"Hong Kong, on the premise of 'one country, two systems' and under the principle of pursuing mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, has a unique role to play under the 14th Five-Year Plan," Cheng wrote.

She believed that the outline reiterates the need to maintain Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability, which requires the resolute, full and faithful implementation of the policy of "one country, two systems" under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy in strict accordance with the laws of Hong Kong, as well as to safeguard the constitutional order of Hong Kong as established by the Constitution and the Basic Law of the HKSAR.

The Department of Justice of the HKSAR encourages the Hong Kong legal sector to make best of the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme introduced by the HKSAR government to support young local practitioners who aspire to work in the mainland cities, she said.

Since the enactment of the national security law in Hong Kong, order and stability in Hong Kong has been restored. Hong Kong is ready to capitalise on its unique position under the "one country, two systems", thereby leveraging Hong Kong's advantages in order to meet the nation's needs and to create greater synergy, Cheng noted.

Cheng said she will continue to work with her fellow colleagues of the Department of Justice to utilise Hong Kong's advantages in legal and dispute resolution services in order to strengthen Hong Kong's enviable status as an international legal hub, as well as to make the best use of the opportunity brought forth by the 14th five-year plan for national economic and social development, thereby contributing to the prosperity of the country.
ITASCA, Ill., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Fellowes, a leader in commercial air purification, is pleased to announce their AeraMax Pro air purifiers have shown a 99.99% airborne reduction of a coronavirus surrogate within 60-minutes of operation. For months, the CDC, ASHRAE, and 'healthy building' scientific advocates have recommended portable air cleaners using HEPA filtration for protection against SARS-Cov-2. Fellowes AeraMax Pro purifiers have a four-stage TRUE HEPA filtration system. Yet, the company voluntarily put their air purifiers to the test against two of the most health-threatening airborne-transmitted contaminants seen in recent timescoronavirus and the H1N1 virus.

Fellowes AeraMax AM2 (PRNewsfoto/Fellowes Brands)

"We understand our clients are seeking the best solution to accomplish their short-term goals of fighting the coronavirus and their longer-term vision to provide their employees and patrons cleaner air," shared John Fellowes, fourth-generation CEO of Fellowes Brands, a family-owned company providing trusted workplace solutions for over one hundred years. "Our investment in these tests was to ensure we can offer our clients the reassurance that Fellowes AeraMax Pro air purifiers are indeed effective in removing forms of coronavirus from indoor air."

Fellowes AeraMax air purifiers demonstrated effective in reducing the aerosolized airborne concentration of Human Coronavirus 229E in a test chamber, reaching 99.99% airborne reduction within one hour of operation. The coronavirus 229E was used as a surrogate to Sars-CoV-2 by the testing lab, Shanghai WEIPU Chemical Technology Service Company. It is not yet possible or ethically responsible to aerosolize Sars-CoV-2 for airborne testing in the current climate.

The Fellowes AeraMax Pro air purifiers have also been proven to remove 99.9% of the H1N1 virus within 35 minutes of operation, as certified by Airmid Health Group Limited in Dublin, Ireland.

"These latest test results on the Fellowes AeraMax Pro air purifiers provided by an independent third-party accredited (ISO/IEC 17025) laboratory are significant. I continue to be impressed with the findings on the efficacy of this technology/device by Fellowes," says Dr. Rajiv Sahay, Director of Environmental Diagnostics Laboratory at Pure Air Control Services based in Clearwater, Florida. "Typically, single-strand RNA envelope viruses (e.g. common cold coronavirus 229E, etc.) are used as a surrogate for SARS-CoV-2 to study the antiviral effect of a specific device."

For over a decade Fellowes AeraMax air purifiers has been a leading choice for localized air purification. Fellowes is the only solution that combines True HEPA filtration with EnviroSmart and PureView Technologies. EnviroSmart utilizes multiple sensors to monitor contaminants and room occupancy continuously and adjusts automatically to provide maximum protectionon demand. PureView makes the invisible, visible with real-time screen updates on air quality and machine performance. This immediate feedback instills peace of mind for room occupants.

"Our company is proud to be of service to many businesses', schools', professional arenas and stadiums', and the fragile healthcare population's reopening stories," says John Fellowes. "While we've been providing health and wellness solutions to workplaces for years, our air purification business is among our most meaningful commitments to workplace health ever in our history."

For more information about Fellowes commercial line of AeraMax Pro air purifiers, visit aeramaxpro.com.

About Fellowes Brands

Celebrating its 103rd year under the private ownership and executive leadership of the Fellowes family, Fellowes Brands is a global leader of broad-based business solutions that help professionals be their best and feel their best. Headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, USA, Fellowes Brands operates from 26 locations across the globe. For more information, please visit fellowesbrands.com.

For Inquiries, Contact:

Malinda Weaver, Senior Manager, Global Branding

Ph: 630.671.8559

[email protected]

SOURCE Fellowes Brands
: WUYUE123 (WUYUE123), : USANews

 : cdc

: BBS  (Sun Mar 14 20:34:53 2021, )



A U.S. ban on travelers arriving from the EU on March 13 came too late to

prevent widespread community transmission in New York City, according to a

report Thursday from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CDC researchers analyzed the genetic code of virus samples collected from

three dozen infected New Yorkers in early March, and found that most of

those early cases of the coronavirus could be traced back to Europe. It also

confirms what many researchers have already said: That widespread community

transmission was well under way in New York City by the time mitigation

--

 :WWW  mitbbs.com [FROM: 107.]


Disaster preparedness is key, 10 years on from Japan quake and tsunami: UN

March 15,2021 | Source: UN News

The UN chief urged countries to make sure they invest the funds necessary to prevent and manage disasters, in a solemn message of remembrance on Wednesday for the 18,400 people who died or are unaccounted for, due to the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan exactly ten years ago.



Known officially as the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, Antonio Guterres expressed his condolences, to those who continue to grieve the loss of loved ones.





And I think of those who remain displaced, unable to return to their homes because of safety concerns surrounding the destroyed Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, added the Secretary-General.



He welcomed the findings of a UN report published on Tuesday, from the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), which concluded that no adverse health affects among residents of Fukushima had been found that could be directly attributed to radiation exposure.



Mr. Guterres noted that Japan was leading the world when it comes to disaster prevention saying the country has invested heavily in building back safer in the past decade.



He described the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, adopted six years ago, as a global blueprint for a safer world, and argued that to prevent and manage disasters more effectively, countries need to plan, invest, give early warnings and provide education on what to do."



The whole notion of prevention and preparedness for a tsunami has never been so important, said Mami Mizutori, UN Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction and head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), on Wednesday.



In comments to mark the 10th anniversary, Ms. Mizutori told journalists in Geneva that the disaster had taught harsh lessons about how to manage disaster risk.



The devastating surge on the northeastern coast of the island of Honshu, led to the Fukushima nuclear disaster.



In the last century, tsunamis have claimed more than a quarter of a million lives, killing on average, around 4,600 per event, over the course of 58 recorded instances, according to UN figures.



But Ms. Mizutori warned that disasters that are becoming much more rampant are all those related to climate emergency. And the number of climate emergency disasters have doubled during the past 20 years compared to the previous 20 years.



UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) is embarking on the very important developments in the tsunami warnings systems under a new campaign of the United Nations, said Dr. Vladimir Ryabinin, Executive Secretary of the IOC-UNESCO.



Recently, the IOC carried out a tsunami-preparedness exercise with the countries bordering the northeast Atlantic, the Mediterranean and adjacent seas, to assess tsunami preparedness and coordination between communities and authorities. A similar exercise is planned for 12 March in the Caribbean.



We hope very much that by the end of this decade 2030 we will have all tsunami- prone communities; tsunami-ready communities, Dr. Ryabinin said. They will know what is to be done, they will be equipped with the means to escape from tsunami and when (a) tsunami strikes, they will evacuate and save their lives.



It was equally important for people to understand the role of science; to be ocean literate, climate literate and disaster risk reduction literate, the IOC spokesperson maintained.



Highlighting the importance of education in ocean science in achieving progress in this area, Dr. Ryabinin added that every facet of sustainable development, poverty, food, energy, climate and many other sustainable development goals, really if you think deeply, depend on ocean science.

 United Nations

Theme(s): Others.
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Priti Patel spoke movingly of the violence and fear faced by women in Britain today in the wake of Sarah Everard's murder - but urged people not to take part on mass protests during the Covid crisis.

The Home Secretary faced Commons today amid fury over the Metropolitan Police's handling of a vigil for the 33-year-old on Saturday.

Ms Patel told MPs that the scenes of officers manhandling women from the scene on Clapham Common in South London had been 'upsetting', and the murder had 'rightly ignited anger' about male violence.

But she also defended the police's efforts during the pandemic and highlighted the death toll from coronavirus as she urged the public to stay off the streets in large groups.

Her comments came after Boris Johnson said he has full confidence in Met chief Cressida Dick as she faces a huge backlash for defending the police operation on Saturday night.

Called to Westminster to answer an Urgent Question about the Ms Patel told MPs: 'Over the past year during the coronavirus pandemic, the police have been faced with an unenviable and immediately difficult task. It is one for the most part that they have approached with skill and professionalism, helping to enforce regulations as determined by Parliament with one crucial objective in mind, to save lives.

'This House approved those changes by 524 votes to 16 on January 6 this year. Sadly, as of Sunday March 14, more than 125,500 lives have been lost to this horrible virus.

'It is for that reason that I continue to urge everyone for as long as these regulations are in place not to participate in large gatherings or attend protests.

'The right to protest is the cornerstone of our democracy, but the Government's duty remains to prevent more lives being lost during this pandemic.'

Striking a more personal tone, she also said women and girls must feel safe whilst walking on the street.

'Accounts shared online in the wake of Sarah's disappearance are so powerful because every single one of us can relate to them,' she said.

'Too many of us have walked home from school or work alone only to hear footsteps uncomfortably close behind us. Too many of us have pretended to be on the phone to a friend to scare someone off.

'Too many of us have clutched our keys in our fist in case we need to defend ourselves and that is not OK.

'Women and girls must feel safe whilst walking our streets, that is why we have continued to take action.'

The Home Secretary faced Commons today amid fury over the Metropolitan Police's handling of a vigil for the 33-year-old on Saturday.

Boris Johnson, pictured on a visit to the National Express depot in Coventry today, said he has full confidence in Met chief Cressida Dick

People continued to visit the bandstand on Clapham Common, London, today to look at the floral tributes and candles

Protesters remained outside New Scotland Yard after hours of protesting in London yesterday, with officers forming a protective ring outside Met Police's headquarters

Officers are guarding a statue of Winston Churchill as demonstrators continue their protest in Parliament Square yesterday evening while Met Police commissioner Cressida Dick earlier announced she would not be stepping down from her role

A Home Office spokesperson said there were 'still questions to be answered,' after reading a report into Met Police's response to last night's vigil in Clapham. Pictured: Protesters on Parliament Square last night

Justifying last night's police response, Dame Cressida Dick said: 'We're still in a pandemic, unlawful gatherings are unlawful gatherings'. Thousands protested across London yesterday

Her Labour shadow Nick Thomas-Symonds accused the Government of 'failing to address violence against women and girls'.

He told MPs: 'And whilst the event was a vigil not a protest, the scenes from Clapham should be a red warning light to the Government that ministers should not be rushing through laws cracking down on protest.

'The truth is this Government is failing to address violence against women and girls and ministers even want to curtail their right to protest about it. It is a chronic failure from this Government and meetings and reopening surveys alone are nowhere near enough.

'And meetings that we understand the Women and Equalities Minister won't even be attending this evening.'

The Prime Minister described events at the vigil as 'very distressing' and when asked if he had full confidence in Dame Cressida, he replied: 'Yes, I do. And what she's asked is  that we look at what happened on Saturday night.

'The police do have a very, very difficult job. But there's no question that the scenes that we saw were very distressing and so it is right that Tom Winsor, the inspector of constabulary, should do a full report into it.

'I think people have got to have confidence in the police and Tom's going to look at that.'

Earlier, Policing Minister Kit Malthouse had also said the images from the event on Clapham Common at the weekend were 'distressing', but dismissed calls for the 'superlative' Scotland Yard commissioner to quit.

He said officers were in a 'very, very difficult position' during the pandemic - with gatherings restricted by law to avoid spreading coronavirus.

The support came as the PM prepares to chair a meeting of the Crime and Justice Taskforce later to discuss how to keep Britain's streets safe, after women across the country shared their stories of being harassed following the death of 33-year-old Sarah Everard.

The Met commissioner is expected to attend the meeting along with Director of Public Prosecutions Max Hill, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Justice Secretary Robert Buckland.

Mr Johnson said the marketing executive's death must 'unite us in determination, to drive out violence against women and girls'.

Dame Cressida has said Ms Everard's fate makes her 'utterly determined' to hold onto her job as the force's first female leader.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who has a say in Ms Dick's future, said he was 'not satisfied' by her response.

Ms Patel is expected to give a statement to the House of Commons this afternoon on the dramatic events.

After gathering outside New Scotland Yard, the protesters headed to Parliament Square where they staged a minute-long lie-in protest

As protesters continue yesterday(pictured) Cressida Dick said: 'six hours of yesterday was really calm and peaceful, very few police officers around, respectful, people laying flowers, not gathering, and a vigil that did not breach the regulations' (pictured: a police officer speaking to a woman in Parliament Square yesterday)

Protesters branded police 'scum' during protests yesterday, after Cressida Dick defended the reaction of officers in Clapham last night, saying 'officers have to take action if people are putting themselves massively at risk

Officer in charge of policing Saturday's vigil is responsible for Scotland Yard's response to disastrous 'VIP child abuse' probe The senior officer in charge of policing Saturday's vigil is also responsible for the Met's response to its disastrous VIP child abuse probe. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist was Gold Commander for the operation in Clapham, meaning he had overall command of the officers on the ground and set its 'overarching strategy'. Mr Twist also leads Operation Larimar, which was set up to implement recommendations made by retired High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques following the 2.5million inquiry into false claims of a murderous Establishment paedophile ring. Sir Richard identified 43 mistakes by the Met and made 25 urgent recommendations. The investigation was launched in 2014 following false allegations made by made by fantasist Carl Beech of rape and murder involving Establishment figures. No officer has been held to account for the mistakes, with Steve Rodhouse, who was in overall charge, allowed to take up a 250,000-a-year job with the National Crime Agency. Mr Twist also led a review into Scotland Yard's use of handcuffs after Team GB sprinter Bianca Williams was subjected to a stop-and-search last July. This led to new rules for officers, who must now justify any use of handcuffs. He also leads Scotland Yard's response to the pandemic and has promised harsh punishments for those who do not stick to lockdown rules. In January he said officers had been told to be quicker to issue fines, adding that rule breakers would meet a 'strong response.' Sir Richard and six former home secretaries have all written to Priti Patel calling for a fresh independent inquiry into Operation Midland. Merseyside Police are investigating Scotland Yard's decision not to examine two false complainants, men known as A and B, who gave accounts that backed up Beech's claims. Advertisement

Asked in a round of interviews this morning if he backed calls for Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick to resign, Mr Malthouse told Sky News: 'I don't, and I do recognise that police are in an incredibly difficult position.

'Throughout this pandemic, we have asked them to do a job that they have never done before and to stand between the public, if you like, and this terrible virus, in a way that none of us are used to, and certainly they aren't as well.

'So that very, very difficult position that they are in needs to be reflected in our contemplation of this. In the vast majority of cases, the police and the public have managed this situation extremely well between them.

'This particular circumstance, where emotion was running naturally extremely high, everybody incredibly distressed about what had happened, and indeed the police themselves devastated about the implications of this case.

'In these circumstances, it's very important that we get to the detail of what's happened and that's what will emerge over the next couple of weeks.'

Mr Malthouse told BBC Breakfast: 'Cressida Dick is an officer of superlative achievement in her life and she has been close to some incredibly successful investigations.

'I know that she is very dedicated and committed to this issue of dealing with violence against women and girls in as assertive a way as we possibly can.'

An opinion poll has indicated public support for Dame Cressida following the events at Clapham Common.

The YouGov poll found 47 per cent said the Scotland Yard chief should not resign while 23 per cent said she should go.

The survey suggested the British public is split over whether the vigil should have been allowed to go ahead as organisers had originally requested, with 40 per cent saying it should have been permitted and 43 per cent saying it should not.

YouGov surveyed 5,168 adults on yesterday and this morning.

One of the organisers of a vigil to commemorate the life of Sarah Everard said she does not want Ms Dick to resign, despite a storm of criticism over the force's handling of the event.

Anna Birley from the group Reclaim These Streets told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'We are a movement of women seeking to support and empower other women, and as one of the most senior women in British policing history, we do not want to add to the pile-on.'

Demonstrators gathered in Parliament Square and outside New Scotland Yard yesterday following Saturday's event, which saw around 1,500 people attend, despite warnings that it was unlawful.

Police were seen standing guard outside Met Police's headquarters, while other officers stood around a statue of Sir Winston Churchill, after it was vandalised during protests last year.

Crowds could be heard yelling 'f*** the police,' branding officers 'scum' and shouting 'protect women, not statues,' during yesterday's protests - which saw them march from Trafalgar Square to New Scotland Yard, before gathering in Parliament Square.

Ahead of the meeting, he said: 'Like everyone who saw it I was deeply concerned about the footage from Clapham Common on Saturday night.

Boris Johnson (pictured this morning) has said Sarah Everard's death must 'unite us in determination, to drive out violence against women and girls

'I have spoken with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner who has committed to reviewing how this was handled and the Home Secretary has also commissioned HM Inspectorate of Constabulary to conduct a lessons learned review into the policing of the event.

'Tomorrow I will chair a meeting of the Government's Crime and Justice Taskforce to look at what further action we need to take to protect women and ensure our streets are safe.

'The death of Sarah Everard must unite us in determination to drive out violence against women and girls and make every part of the criminal justice system work to protect and defend them.'

Ms Patel, who has ordered a full review into the Met's handling of Saturday's vigil, said: 'Everyone should be free to walk our streets without fear of harassment, abuse or violence.

'The Home Office survey on tackling violence against women and girls has received an unprecedented 53,000 responses since it reopened on Friday and I'd urge everyone to give us their views.'

Sarah Everard's aunt gave her support to the crowd at the vigil, telling The Sun: 'It's not right that women don't feel safe on the street. All they were doing was showing support for Sarah and other women victims of appalling crime. I hope Sarah's death can bring about some positive change.'

The commissioner, who has held her post since 2017, defended her leadership, saying: 'We're still in a pandemic, unlawful gatherings are unlawful gatherings, officers have to take action if people are putting themselves massively at risk.'

Asked if she was considering resigning, she said: 'No, I'm not.'

Another protest is set to take place in London at around 5pm today, with Patsy Henderson, one of the vigil attendants pictured being restrained by officers on Saturday, confirming she planned to attend.

Cressida Dick added: 'All the women and men of the Met are outraged at what has happened and they're working as hard as they can to get justice for Sarah.

'In that context, none of us would have wanted to see the scenes we saw at the end of yesterday's events.

'It's worth saying, of course, I fully understand the strength of feeling I think as a woman hearing from people about their experiences in the past and what they feel about what happened to Sarah and what has been going on, I understand why so many people wanted to come and pay their respects and make a statement about this.

'Indeed, if it had been lawful, I'd have been there, I'd have been at a vigil. And six hours of yesterday was really calm and peaceful, very few police officers around, respectful, people laying flowers, not gathering, and a vigil that did not breach the regulations.

'Unfortunately, later on, we had a really big crowd that gathered, lots of speeches and quite rightly, as far as I can see, my team felt this is now an unlawful gathering which poses a considerable risk to people's health according to the regulations.'

Earlier yesterday Priti Patel ordered a full report into the police's response to last night's vigil in Clapham Common.

A crowd of around 1,500 people had gathered at Clapham Common in south London to remember the 33-year-old marketing executive, but scuffles broke out as police surrounded a bandstand covered in flowers left in tribute.

Home Office minister Victoria Atkins said she took the events 'very seriously' but that she wanted to give the commissioner 'a chance to explain' what happened.

A Home Office spokesperson said: 'The Home Secretary has read the report provided by the Metropolitan Police and feels there are still questions to be answered.

'In the interests of ensuring public confidence in the police, earlier this afternoon the Home Secretary asked Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary to conduct a lessons learned review into the policing of the event at Clapham Common.'

The commissioner, who was appointed to the role in 2017, said she welcomes, and is 'very comfortable' with, a review into the events at Saturday's vigil.

Dame Cressida Dick said police acted correctly at Saturday's vigil after a 'really big crowd gathered,' demonstrators were out in London late on Sunday

Police are guarding the entrance to New Scotland Yard as protesters gather around the Met Police headquarters last night

Masked police officers surrounded a statue of Winston Churchill yesterday, following scenes last year that saw the monument defaced

Priti Patel ordered a full report investigating Met Police's response to the vigil for Sarah Everard at Clapham Common. Protesters remained in London for hours on Sunday

Protesters gathered outside New Scotland Yard criticising Dame Cressida Dick yesterday, but despite her leadership being described as 'untenable,' Met Police's commissioner said she will remain in her post

She said the officers were in an 'invidious' position when crowds grew, continuing: 'They then moved to try to explain to people, to engage with people, to get people to disperse from this unlawful gathering and many, many, many people did - unfortunately, a small minority did not.'

Asked what she thought when she saw the pictures of the policing at the vigil, she said: 'I wouldn't have wanted to see a vigil in memory of Sarah end with those scenes.

'That's why this morning I said, from what I can tell, I wasn't there, but from what I can tell, my officers - in a very difficult position, as they have been again and again in the last year policing within coronavirus restrictions, having to uphold the law, having to be impartial, having to be fair.

'But of course trying to apply common sense and discretion and if people don't understand the law, trying to help them to understand and engage and speak before we ever turn to any enforcement, but that is why I said we didn't want it to end like that, let's have a review.'

She continued: 'I spoke in the day to both the Home Secretary and the mayor, I'm very comfortable with that and I think officers will be as well.

She added: 'I completely recognise that (officers) are, particularly in this last year, often finding themselves in very very difficult situations, they are policing during a pandemic.

'Nobody wants a third wave to happen.

'It's only a few weeks since the NHS was on its knees.

'They have a really difficult job, they have to make fine judgments, they often don't have infinite information or all the time in the world.

'They have to make these really difficult calls and I don't think anybody should be sitting back in an armchair and saying 'well that was done badly' or 'I would have done it differently' without actually understanding what was going through their minds.

'I guarantee that every single officer who was policing last night, like me, would rather we were not in the time of coronavirus. There could be a large, peaceful set of vigils all over the country.

'Most of them would have been at those vigils and I guarantee also that my officers up and down London and beyond, if they weren't working, will have been thinking of Sarah at 9:30pm last night, they will have been lighting their candles or pausing, and it's something we care about very, very deeply.'

Cressida Dick was yesterday spotted walking into New Scotland Yard in Westminster at around 2.15pm, along with Deputy Commissioner Sir Steve House.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called on the Commissioner to 'consider' her leadership of the force, adding: 'Cressida Dick has lost the confidence of the millions of women in London and should resign.'

Women's Equality Party co-founder Catherine Mayer said her position was 'untenable'.

Patsy Stevenson, who was pictured being held on the floor by police at the vigil, said she attended the gathering in Clapham Common yesterday in support of women who cannot walk down the street by themselves 'because of the fear of men'.

Ms Stevenson said she would like to 'have a conversation' with Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, telling LBC: 'I would like to sit down with her and have a conversation.

'I think dialogue is very important in this case.'

Ms Stevenson said she would be attending a demonstration in Parliament Square today.

Dame Cressida Dick defended the police response to last night's vigil on Clapham Common, saying yesterday: 'We're still in a pandemic, unlawful gatherings are unlawful gatherings.' Police are watching a crowd of demonstrators in Parliament Square

Patsy Stevenson, who was pictured being held on the floor by police at the vigil, said she was arrested 'for standing there, I wasn't doing anything'. Ms Stevenson has said she intends to protest at another demonstration today

Cressida Dick's position has been described as 'untenable,' by the Women's Equality Party yesterday, while others have said she should 'consider' her leadership of the force. Placards with a 'Socialist Worker' header were displayed during yesterday's protest in London

Police vans were lined up next to thousands of protesters in Westminster yesterday afternoon. Dame Cressida Dick has since spoken with Priti Patel and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, adding that she was 'comfortable,' with the police's response to last night's vigil on Clapham Common

Protesters lay on the ground at Parliament Square as part of their demonstration yesterday. Asked what she thought when she saw the pictures of the policing at the vigil, Cressida Dick said: 'I wouldn't have wanted to see a vigil in memory of Sarah end with those scenes

Under-fire Cressida Dick has been embroiled in several controversies during her time at Scotland Yard Cressida Dick has been embroiled in a string of controversies during her 38-year career at the Met. In July 2005 she was in overall charge of the operation which saw electrician Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, shot dead on a Tube train in south London. Mr de Menezes, a Brazilian working in the capital, was blasted in the head seven times by police at Stockwell station after being followed by officers from his home nearby. Later inquiries heard he appeared to match the description of suspects whose bombs failed to detonate on the transport system the previous day. Their attempted attack followed the 7/7 atrocity which killed 52 people on Tubes and a bus in London earlier that month. Dame Cressida was cleared of all blame by later inquiries, but Mr de Menezes' family expressed 'serious concerns' when she was appointed Met Commissioner in 2017. The top policewoman, 60, told the Mail in 2018: 'It was an appalling thing  an innocent man killed by police. Me in charge. Awful for the family and I was properly held to account. We learned every lesson that was to be learned. 'My job was to stand up and be counted, tell the truth and carry on. If police officers fell to pieces or resigned when operations didn't go well, it wouldn't send out a good message.' In 2014 Dame Cressida sanctioned the creation of Operation Midland  the Met's investigation into spurious VIP child sex abuse allegations. Innocent men, including the late Lord Brittan and former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, were pursued by the force. The Met's star witness 'Nick' was later revealed to be serial liar Carl Beech. In 2017 Dame Cressida was criticised for her choice of words after she said the victims of the London Bridge terror attack demonstrated London's 'diversity'. The officer added: 'We believe, of course, that that's what makes our city so great. It's a place where the vast majority of time it's incredibly integrated and that diversity gives us strength.' Critics said the remarks were ill-considered. In 2019 the Met under Dame Cressida's leadership was widely criticised for its 'light-touch' policing of Extinction Rebellion protests. The environmental demonstrators were allowed to blockade key areas of the capital for days, including Westminster Bridge and Oxford Circus. Advertisement

Met Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh disputed the criticism as he said: 'Politicians of all parties should make themselves aware of all the facts before rushing to judgement and making statements.'

Dozens of police officers had moved in to block access to speakers as tensions sparked in the crowd and mourners started chanting 'arrest your own' and 'shame on you', with scenes quickly turning violent.

Defending the force's actions, Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said 'hundreds of people were packed tightly together,' posing a very real risk of transmitting the virus.

She added that officers had repeatedly encouraged those attending to leave, but 'a small minority' of people chanted at police, pushing and throwing objects.

'We accept that the actions of our officers have been questioned,' Ball said. 'We absolutely did not want to be in a position where enforcement action was necessary.

'But we were placed in this position because of the overriding need to protect people's safety.'

Shadow domestic violence minister Jess Phillips said: 'The reality is if Cressida Dick stays or goes (it) doesn't make women in this country more safe, and that's what I want to talk about.'

She said there were 'so many missed opportunities throughout the day for police to work with organisers to create a completely safe vigil so that people could go and have a moment of sorrow and a moment of resistance'.

Ms Phillips called for the minimum rape sentence to be increased from five to seven years, and said misogyny should be treated as a hate crime.

The Fire Brigades Union said earlier yesterday that it stands 'in solidarity' with the women who were 'manhandled, pushed to the ground, separated from their friends and arrested by the police last night'.

Condemning Met Police's response, the firefighters' union added: 'These draconian and authoritative actions have no place in a democratic society.

'This was a clear demonstration of the patriarchy's inability to comprehend the reality and scope of male violence against women and girls. Those responsible for the decisions to approach this vigil in such a way should be held accountable.

'Last night demonstrated that allowing the police to lead the response and set the level of restriction to peaceful protest would be a catastrophic mistake.'

Conservative MP for Folkestone & Hythe Damian Collins said: 'Appalling scenes in Clapham last night of aggressive police action at the vigil for Sarah Everard & a justificatory statement from the Met using the language of the abuser to its victims over the years - it's your fault, you made us do it. They need to be held to account for this.'

'I think the main point of this... is that women don't feel safe, and they don't feel safe walking down a street. And that's the bare minimum we should feel the freedom to do, and I think it's appalling that it's gone on for this long.'

Campaign group Reclaim These Streets said: 'We've asked Met Commissioner Cressida Dick to meet us urgently to explain the actions taken by the police last night - before she reports to the Home Secretary.

'The @metpoliceuk must begin to rebuild relations with women who have lost trust and are hurting. #ReclaimTheseStreets'.

Mr Khan said he would be asking HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Independent Office for Police Conduct to look into the events on Saturday night, adding that the scenes at the vigil were 'completely unacceptable', despite having received assurances from Scotland Yard last week that it would be policed 'sensitively'.

'In my view, this was not the case,' he said.

As protests continued yesterday, home Office minister Victoria Atkins said she took last night's events 'very seriously' but that she wanted to give the commissioner 'a chance to explain' what happened

Women held banners calling to 'end state violence' and 'defund the police' in demonstrations outside London's police headquarters

The protesters chanted against police at New Scotland Yard before marching to Parliament Square where they staged a lie-in

The demonstrators held aloft their fists and chanted slogans such as 'f*** the police' and 'f*** Priti Patel'

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick arrives at New Scotland Yard in London, the day after clashes between police and crowds who gathered on Clapham Common on Saturday night

Jess Phillips on the BBC1 current affairs programme, The Andrew Marr Show, where she called for better funding and resources for education to prevent violence against women

A woman was arrested by a police officer in Clapham Common this evening as police tried to break it up

Mr Khan said: 'I asked the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner to come into City Hall today to give me an explanation of yesterday's events and the days leading up to them.

'I am not satisfied with the explanation they have provided.

'I will now be asking Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to conduct a full independent investigation of events yesterday evening and in previous days.

'I am also asking the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to investigate the actions of police officers yesterday evening.

'It is vital that these events are not allowed to undermine the powerful calls since Sarah's murder for meaningful action to finally stop men inflicting violence on women.

'It was clear before yesterday that there isn't adequate trust and confidence from women and girls in the police and criminal justice system more widely.

'Further steps must now be taken to address this.'

Jess Phillips has said more needs to be done to bring charges in domestic abuse and rape cases, telling The Andrew Marr Show: 'I don't think that the police over the past few years have done enough to increase charging in domestic abuse, have done enough to increase charging in rape. Both are reducing.'

Also asked about whether Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick should resign, she said: 'This is not the day for me to say whether she should go and give a headline to Cressida Dick when Sarah Everard is the name that should ring out.'

Addressing the police's management of the vigil in south London, Ms Phillips said: 'There were a million ways that that could have been organised but the police put their foot down before they put their boot in and at every stage they made the wrong call.'

Andrew Marr suggested that individual police forces have had to make their own decisions about policy due to unclear coronavirus legislation.

She said: 'I think that the police have had a terrible job throughout this process of being able to properly understand, and let's face it, they don't have the resources after years of being dwindled away to actually properly deal with some of the things that they might be being asked to do.

'But the reality is within the legislation that has been nodded through, there was room for, yesterday, a peaceful vigil to take place and they missed the opportunity.'

The protesters brought homemade placards to Sunday's demonstrations outside Scotland Yard as hundreds gathered despite police warnings

A gravestone shaped placard and a floral tribute left outside New Scotland Yard in London yesterday, after clashes between police and crowds who gathered on Clapham Common on Saturday night

Statement from Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball following events in Clapham Common 'May I start by extending my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Sarah Everard. Across the Met we are still extremely saddened and shocked by the tragic circumstance of her disappearance and death. 'Earlier tonight, I joined the Commissioner in a candlelit vigil outside New Scotland Yard. I know many thousands of people up and down the nation also held similar vigils in Sarah's name. 'I recognise that the decision by the organisers to cancel the Reclaim These Streets vigil in Clapham Common was deeply unwelcome news. Even so, given the ever present threat of Coronavirus, this was the right decision to make. 'Today, for over six hours hundreds of people came to lay flowers and pay their respects to Sarah in Clapham Common in a safe and lawful way. 'Around 6pm, more people began to gather close to the bandstand within the Common. Some started to make speeches from the bandstand. These speeches then attracted more people to gather closer together. 'At this point, officers on the ground were faced with a very difficult decision. Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting Covid-19. 'Police must act for people's safety, this is the only responsible thing to do. The pandemic is not over and gatherings of people from right across London and beyond, are still not safe. 'Those who gathered were spoken to by officers on a number of occasions and over an extended period of time. We repeatedly encouraged those who were there to comply with the law and leave. Regrettably, a small minority of people began chanting at officers, pushing and throwing items. 'After speaking with officers, the vast majority of people quickly left. Four arrests have been made for public order offences and for breaches of the Health Protection Regulations. 'Part of the reason I am speaking to you tonight is because we accept that the actions of our officers have been questioned. 'We absolutely did not want to be in a position where enforcement action was necessary. But we were placed in this position because of the overriding need to protect people's safety. 'Let me end by saying that across the Met, we review every single event that we police to see if there are lessons that can be learnt. This one will be no different.' Advertisement

Professor Sir Ian Diamond, head of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), was asked about the under-reporting of crimes against women.

He told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One: 'What we have reported over many years through the crime survey that we do jointly with the Home Office is that there is a very large under-reporting both of rape and of assault, which includes penetration.

'Indeed in some of our more recent figures we show that really there are only about a third that are reported to the police, and then very many few of those go to prosecution.

'One of the reasons why we think it's incredibly important to do these crime surveys - because it gives people a chance to have a voice.'

Victims Commissioner Dame Vera Baird QC said there was no real prospect of police successfully intervening in the crowd in Clapham on Saturday night, describing the circling of the bandstand as 'quasi military'

She said: 'To push people away seems to me to be a dreadful piece of misjudgment.

'Are they really improving the chances of Covid not spreading by putting their knees in the middle of the back of young women, and putting their hands in handcuffs?

'It didn't seem to me to be the right thing to do.'

Reclaim These Streets had organised the vigil before being forced to cancel following consultation with the Metropolitan Police, which said it would be in breach in coronavirus restrictions.

After the clashes, organiser Jamie Klingler said the force's handling of events was a sign of the 'systemic ignoring and oppressing of women'.

'I think we were shocked and really, really sad and to see videos of policemen handling women at a vigil about violence against women by men. I think it was it was painful and pretty triggering to see,' she said.

'The fact that nobody stepped in and said: ''do you see how this looks?''.

'The fact that Thursday and Friday they wasted our organising time by dragging us to the High Court for our human rights to protest and we were going to have a silent vigil.'

She added: 'I was bringing my tiny dog, and we were absolutely doing it to have a silent, respectful protest for Sarah Everard, and for all the women affected by violence at the hands of men.

'Especially today, it's Mother's Day. It's the week of International Women's Day.

'And instead of allowing and facilitating it like the Lambeth police wanted to - and that police force was so supportive - Scotland Yard quashed us and in doing so silenced us and got the reaction they got last night.'

The Met Police defended its handling of a high-profile protest calling for greater public safety for women, after male officers were seen scuffling with the crowd and physically restraining female demonstrators.

Well-wishers react as they gather at floral tributes to honour murder victim Sarah Everard at the bandstand on Clapham Common in south London on March 14

Dame Cressida Dick defends her position and officers' response to Sarah Everard vigil Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida has said she is not considering her position following wide criticism of the policing of a vigil for Sarah Everard on Saturday. She said: 'What happened to Sarah appalls me. As you know, I'm the first woman commissioner of the Met, perhaps it appalls me, in a way, even more because of that. 'What has happened makes me more determined, not less, to lead my organisation. 'I've listened to what people have been saying in the last week, I know that in the streets all across the UK women don't feel as safe as we would all like women to feel. I am utterly determined.' She added: 'My view is, I'm entirely focused on growing the Met to be even stronger.' 'All the women and men of the Met are outraged at what has happened and they're working as hard as they can to get justice for Sarah. 'In that context, none of us would have wanted to see the scenes we saw at the end of yesterday's events. 'It's worth saying, of course, I fully understand the strength of feeling I think as a woman hearing from people about their experiences in the past and what they feel about what happened to Sarah and what has been going on, I understand why so many people wanted to come and pay their respects and make a statement about this. 'Indeed, if it had been lawful, I'd have been there, I'd have been at a vigil. And six hours of yesterday was really calm and peaceful, very few police officers around, respectful, people laying flowers, not gathering, and a vigil that did not breach the regulations. 'Unfortunately, later on, we had a really big crowd that gathered, lots of speeches and quite rightly, as far as I can see, my team felt this is now an unlawful gathering which poses a considerable risk to people's health according to the regulations.' The commissioner said she was 'very comfortable' with, a review into the events at the vigil, adding that it would be 'good for public confidence'. She added: 'What we do in one event sets precedent for other events. I am really comfortable that we review what happened. 'I don't think anybody who was not in the operation can actually pass a detailed comment on the rightness and wrongness of it. 'This is fiendishly difficult policing but also I'm sure for the people who wanted to express their feelings, that was a difficult situation for them and that's why it needs a cold light of day, sober review - and I think we're all agreed on that.' Dame Cressida, who was appointed in 2017, said the officers were in an 'invidious' position when crowds grew, continuing: 'They then moved to try to explain to people, to engage with people, to get people to disperse from this unlawful gathering and many, many, many people did - unfortunately, a small minority did not.' Asked what she thought when she saw the pictures of the policing at the vigil, she said: 'I wouldn't have wanted to see a vigil in memory of Sarah end with those scenes. 'That's why this morning I said, from what I can tell, I wasn't there, but from what I can tell, my officers - in a very difficult position, as they have been again and again in the last year policing within coronavirus restrictions, having to uphold the law, having to be impartial, having to be fair. 'But of course trying to apply common sense and discretion and if people don't understand the law, trying to help them to understand and engage and speak before we ever turn to any enforcement, but that is why I said we didn't want it to end like that, let's have a review.' She continued: 'I spoke in the day to both the Home Secretary and the mayor, I'm very comfortable with that and I think officers will be as well.' Asked if she felt she owed an apology to her frontline officers, Dame Cressida said: 'I feel for my officers, I feel for them every day.' She added: 'I completely recognise that they are, particularly in this last year, often finding themselves in very very difficult situations, they are policing during a pandemic. Nobody wants a third wave to happen. 'It's only a few weeks since the NHS was on its knees. They have a really difficult job, they have to make fine judgments, they often don't have infinite information or all the time in the world. 'They have to make these really difficult calls and I don't think anybody should be sitting back in an armchair and saying 'well that was done badly' or 'I would have done it differently' without actually understanding what was going through their minds. 'I guarantee that every single officer who was policing last night, like me, would rather we were not in the time of coronavirus. There could be a large, peaceful set of vigils all over the country. 'Most of them would have been at those vigils and I guarantee also that my officers up and down London and beyond, if they weren't working, will have been thinking of Sarah at 9:30pm last night, they will have been lighting their candles or pausing, and it's something we care about very, very deeply.' Advertisement

In the early hours of Sunday, Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said police were put into a position 'where enforcement action was necessary'. She said: 'Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting Covid-19.

'Police must act for people's safety, this is the only responsible thing to do. The pandemic is not over and gatherings of people from right across London and beyond, are still not safe.

'Those who gathered were spoken to by officers on a number of occasions and over an extended period of time. We repeatedly encouraged those who were there to comply with the law and leave. Regrettably, a small minority of people began chanting at officers, pushing and throwing items.'

The force said it will conduct an inquiry into what happened and 'accepts the actions of our officers have been questioned' but added officers wanted to 'act to ensure public safety'.

Elisabeth Chapple, leader of the Met's South West Command Unit for Kingston, Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth, said: 'To all the public, communities, partners, critical friends, police officers, staff and volunteers of South West London, I know and understand that this morning we are in a difficult place. We will work hard, with you, to re-build trust and hope there are many better days to come.'

Hundreds of mourners, estimated at around 1,500, defied lockdown rules to gather to lay tributes at the bandstand in Clapham Common - near where Miss Everard was last seen alive before her disappearance.

Footage posted to social media this evening showed a tussle between Met Police officers and some of the crowd as some shouted 'you are scum' following the brief clash. One woman screamed 'you're supposed to protect us'.

Politicians from across all three main political parties condemned the scenes - which are expected to throw a spotlight on Commissioner Dick's handling of the force.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, Liberal Democrats' Sir Ed and Conservative MP Steve Baker were among parliamentarians to condemn the heavy-handed approach, as Mr Baker called events in Clapham 'unspeakable scenes'.

Earlier on Saturday, mourners broke down in tears as they paid their respects to the 33-year-old marketing manager who disappeared on her way home from visiting a friend on March 3.

It comes after Scotland Yard confirmed human remains found in Kent belonged to Ms Everard. On Saturday, serving police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, was remanded in custody after appearing in Westminster Magistrates' court charged with kidnap and murder.

The court heard Miss Everard's body was found inside a builder's bag and identified through the use of dental records.

During the impromptu vigil, an unnamed anti-lockdown protester had to be escorted away by police officers after he stood on the bandstand to rant about not being able to see his friends. He was met with a chorus of shouts as one woman screamed 'this isn't about you' and another added 'this woman has died'.

As scenes turned violent after sunset, politicians joined forces to condemn the Met Police's approach. Liberal Democrats deputy leader Daisy Cooper tweeted that the scenes in Clapham were 'disgusting and completely avoidable'.

The Home Secretary Ms Patel tweeted: 'Some of the footage circulating online from the vigil in Clapham is upsetting. I have asked the Metropolitan Police for a full report on what happened. My thoughts remain with Sarah's family and friends at this terrible time.'

London Mayor Mr Khan tweeted: 'The scenes from Clapham Common are unacceptable. The police have a responsibility to enforce Covid laws but from images I've seen it's clear the response was at times neither appropriate nor proportionate. I'm contact with the Commissioner & urgently seeking an explanation.'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: 'The scenes in Clapham this evening are deeply disturbing. Women came together to mourn Sarah Everard - they should have been able to do so peacefully. I share their anger and upset at how this has been handled. This was not the way to police this protest.'

Earlier in the day he tweeted: 'Tonight I will light a candle for Sarah Everard. The whole country's thoughts are with Sarah's friends and family at this awful time.

'Violence against women and girls is still far too common. I will do everything I can to help make our streets safe and to end this injustice.'

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn shared a picture of candles on his windowsill, tweeting: 'Women must be safe on our streets. Solidarity with Sarah. Women must be safe to walk peacefully everywhere.'

'The Met Police must answer for their actions at Clapham Common this evening,' he added.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has called for Dame Cressida to 'consider' her leadership of the force.

In a letter to the Commissioner, he wrote: 'The scenes this evening of the policing of the Clapham Common vigil in memory of Sarah Everard are utterly disgraceful and shame the Metropolitan Police.

'The vigil this evening was a peaceful one brought together in the most horrific of circumstances.

'Across the country, countless women have told their own painful stories of harassment and abuse. Your officers should have been standing in solidarity with those on Clapham Common tonight not being ordered to disrupt this display of grief and peaceful protest.

'This was a complete abject tactical and moral failure on the part of the Police.

'We therefore call on you to consider your leadership of the service and whether you can continue to have the confidence of the millions of women in London that you have a duty to safeguard and protect.'

A sign saying 'STOP KILLING US' is seen among the flowers and candles on Clapham Common on Saturday night

People gather at a memorial site in Clapham Common Bandstand, following the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard, in London, March 13

Tense scenes on Clapham Common, south London on Saturday after hundreds of women gathered to pay tribute to Miss Everard

Police detain a woman as people gather at a memorial site in Clapham Common bandstand on Saturday night

Police officers kept watch from the bandstand in Clapham Common on Saturday night as clashes continued

Hundreds of mourners defied social distancing measures to gather at Clapham Common on Saturday night

Conservative candidate for London mayor Shaun Bailey said: 'The scenes at Sarah Everard's vigil in Clapham tonight are horrifying.

'With ultimate responsibility for policing and public safety in London, the Mayor must immediately explain how these events were allowed to unfold.

'If Sadiq Khan wasn't involved in tonight's operational decision making, given the significance of tonight's vigil, he should have made sure he was.

'If he was involved - he has serious questions to answer.'

Fellow London Mayor hopeful Laurence Fox wrote: 'Appalling and heavy handed policing of a vigil to a murdered woman in London. The public cannot maintain trust in a police force that is seen to be applying different set of rules to different protests depending on the political motivation of the protest.'

Streatham MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy tweeted footage of the clashes at Clapham Common. 'This could have been the socially distanced vigil the community needed to remember Sarah and all the women who have lost their lives to violence. We knew what was going to happen if the event was shut down.'

She added: 'I know Lambeth Borough officers made efforts to compromise with the organisers but were overruled from high up.'They'll be left to deal with the fallout of this and the further burden it places on already strained community relationships. Very disappointing from Scotland Yard.'

Police clash with mourners at a vigil in Clapham Common, south London, on Saturday after the event was officially cancelled

Fights broke out as people battled against police officers on Saturday evening in Clapham Common

Police officers blocked people from accessing the bandstand as those in the crowd held up candles

Police attempt to break up a vigil for Ms Everard at the bandstand on Clapham Common

The bandstand was surrounded by flowers laid three-foot deep as people gathered for a vigil

'I am a woman, I am a police officer, I am very proud of being both': Female PC's view of Clapham vigil clashes A female police officer has voiced her opinion after watching violent scenes unfold at the vigil for Sarah Everard. In a Twitter thread which has rake in more than 1,500 likes, the user, PC_Milk, wrote: 'It started with mainly only female officers overlooking a civil vigil. 'When numbers grew and social distancing seized more officers were called. 'When police officers tried to crowd control and remove people from stamping on flowers for Sarah they refused. 'Then it kicked off. 'Then I saw and heard my colleagues being abused. They were called murderers, rapists, a female colleague was told it should have been her. And we were told to arrest each other. This is not ok. #ReclaimTheStreets. 'Then I saw people being arrested and my colleagues being assaulted when trying to transport said prisoner. 'Then I saw our vehicles being vandalised with spray with the word ACAB and a mirror being smashed. 'Then I thought what would Sarah's family think about this? 'Sarah's family and friends have been so gracious under the circumstances. I do not believe they would want this to happen. If it was me I would not want this to happen. Stop think and be civil we are all humans and we all are angry at what happened. We do not need more violence. 'I am a woman. I am a police officer. I am very proud of being both. This week has me exhausted. Physically from the job and mentally by all this. 'We are not at fault for what happened because if we knew we would have done what we could to stop it. 'To finalise this rant, to my colleagues: I am proud of you. You were insulted beyond what we are used to. We stand by our uniform, we're proud to carry this warrant card so we can uphold the great office of Constable. Thank you for being there today hope you are all ok.' Advertisement

One video posted online showed Metropolitan Police officers grabbing women stood within the bandstand in Clapham Common before leading them away, to screaming and shouting from onlookers.

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey tweeted: 'The MET police have acted terribly and caused great harm and hurt. Millions of women are angry and in grief, Sarah Everard's horrific murder and the millions of acts of assault women face every day are why women created this vigil.'

He added: 'I am an ally. #ReclaimTheseStreets.'

Conservative MP Steve Baker described events in Clapham as 'unspeakable scenes'.

'You need to change lockdown law now @BorisJohnson,' he tweeted.

Mr Baker has been a prominent campaigner from the backbenches for a faster loosening of coronavirus restrictions than planned by the Government.

Conservative MP Caroline Nokes wrote: 'Truly shocked at the scenes from Clapham Common - in this country we police by consent - not by trampling the tributes to a woman who was murdered and dragging other women to the ground. Badly misjudged by #metpolice'

Labour MP Harriet Harman wrote: 'Met mishandled vigil plan from the outset. They should have reached agreement. Terrible scenes in Clapham. I don't want to see any of these women in court.'

Another, MP Paula Barker, said: 'These scenes of Police manhandling women who had come to mourn the death of Sarah Everard are deeply disturbing. Serious questions need to be raised.'

And Labour MP David Lammy added: 'Women should have been able to mourn the death of Sarah Everard in peace. The images of male police officers manhandling women at this moment of national trauma are distressing. The way this was policed was wrong and lessons must be learned.'

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds described the scenes in Clapham as 'deeply distressing'.

'I share the anger there is about the policing of this and lessons need to be learned,' he tweeted. 'People should have been able to mark this moment peacefully and safely. This is a national moment for change.

'Women across the country have shared powerful testimonies of unacceptable abuse and the desperate, long overdue, need for change. We need to find a way for people to show solidarity safely, and in a Covid-safe way.

'At the heart of this we should also keep at the forefront of our minds the anguish that Sarah Everard's family must be going through and prioritise finding ways to support them.'

A Reclaim These Streets event was due to be held tonight at the bandstand on Clapham Common, near where Ms Everard went missing, but organisers yesterday failed to secure a High Court ruling that lockdown - which bans gatherings - should not stop their right to protest.

Despite urging people to conduct a vigil at their doorstep with a candle, hundreds of people arrived at Clapham Common this evening and similar gatherings have been held in Bournemouth, Leeds, Cambridge and Bristol.

Following violence at vigils, Reclaim These Streets said it was 'deeply saddened and angered by the scene of police officers physically manhandling women at a vigil against male violence'.

A spokesman added: 'From the start Reclaim These Streets set out to work closely with the Met to ensure this vigil could go ahead safely, so women could stand together peacefully and safely to remember Sarah Everard and all the women lost to male violence.

'The Metropolitan Police failed to work with us despite the High Court ruling yesterday that a vigil could potentially go ahead lawfully. In doing so they created a risky and unsafe situation. It is their responsibility to protect public order, public health and the right to protest - they failed tonight on all accounts.

'All the time they spent fighting us on a legal claim that the Judge agreed should not have been necessary and was caused by the Metropolitan Police's stance, they could've been working with us to ensure the vigil went ahead in a safe way. The Judge was clear and the Metropolitan Police conceded minutes before the hearing, that there was no blanket ban on protest under the current law. They then had an opportunity - and a responsibility to work with us safely and within the law.

'This week of all weeks the police should have understood that women would need a place to mourn, reflect and show solidarity. Now is the time for the police and the Government to recognise that the criminal justice system is failing women. Tonight, it has failed women again, in the most destructive way. We will keep fighting for women's voices to be heard and to matter.'

The vigil was planned for Saturday in memory of marketing executive Sarah Everard, who disappeared while walking home to Brixton on March 3

A well-wisher places a tribute on the growing pile from a gap in a police cordon at the band-stand

One woman held up a sign that read 'we live in fear. Not all survive. Police do not protect us' in Clapham
Press Release

March 15, 2021 Villanueva hails Senate ratification of Labor Education bill The Senate ratified on Monday afternoon the bicameral conference committee report on the labor education bill, a measure that seeks to improve education and awareness on labor laws, according to Senator Joel Villanueva. Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee, described the development as a "golden opportunity" for both employers and workers to achieve harmony in the workplace and create a culture of compliance. "Today, we give our nation a golden opportunity: to attain a situation where labor rights are highly respected, where workplace harmony is the rule and not the exemption, and where our workers can lead a fulfilled life. We made the right decision of where this change must begin - in our schools, right inside our classrooms," Villanueva said in a statement. "For we always believe that change begins in education; that good ends can only be attained when we take away ignorance and teach dignity, respect, responsibility and workplace values," he added. Villanueva said the bicameral conference committee adopted the Senate version on the integration of labor education in higher education curriculum, particularly into the general education curriculum. It likewise empowers the Commission on Higher Education to develop the program "will be included in the Policies, Standards and Guidelines (PSGs) adopted and promulgated by the Commission." The bicameral conference committee also agreed to integrate labor education into the technical and vocational education curriculum, according to Villanueva. For TVIs offering nondegree certificate and diploma courses ranging from one to three years, labor education should be integrated as an elective course. On the other hand, short-term courses ranging from one month to one year, are encouraged to integrate labor education in its modules. "We are one step closer to an empowered workforce, one where both employer and employee are informed of their respective rights and obligations under the law," Villanueva said. "Sa ganito pong paraan, mababawasan natin ang mang-aabuso at maaabuso, dahil alam ng isa't isa ang karapatan at obligasyon nila bilang employer at manggagawa."
Every person, no matter what gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, school background, or cultural heritage, has the right to be shown respect at all times by everyone associated with our college, he said. Anything you do with, or to a fellow person, whether inside or outside of the school, must have their direct consent. It is not good enough for you to assume or pretend that you have someones permission and consent. If you think this is too hard or you disagree with my position, then you are simply enrolled at the wrong school. Scotch teaching and learning director Cara Fugill said Scotch went to great lengths to address any issues of sexism and discrimination. Ms Fugill said teaching boys about sexism and racism was embedded into the curriculum and noted examples where texts were chosen deliberately to challenge the boys thinking and allow them to reassess their values.

We face a significant societal problem that requires a collaborative approach and a commitment to change PLC principal Cate Begbie Christ Church principal Alan Jones said culture, language and learning went hand-in-hand and while schools had a number of roles to play, adults in the lives of adolescents needed to be part of the solution. Young people learn by watching - they look for cues on how to behave in situations in which they are inexperienced, he said. Education needs to be a tiered approach - there is no silver bullet. Mr Jones said consent was already part of the curriculum with boys engaged from pre-kindergarten to year 12 in conversations about respect and values, and all aspects of health and wellbeing in an age appropriate manner. In response to recent media reports, he invited principals from St Hildas, Presbyterian Ladies College, Methodist Ladies College, Iona Presentation College and Scotch to Christ Church to discuss how they could work together.

The first meeting last week was about what they could collectively do to educate young people about consent and respect and agree on a single message to ensure clarity and consistency about behaviours and expectations. Presbyterian Ladies College principal Cate Begbie addressed the challenge in a recent newsletter expressing how seriously she took her responsibility in educating students about protective behaviours, including sexual consent. We face a significant societal problem that requires a collaborative approach and a commitment to change, she wrote. We can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate womens achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world. From challenge comes change, so lets all choose to challenge. In his address to parents on March 9 after International Womens Day, Wesley headmaster Ross Barron said the more than 3000 courageous and confronting testimonials on Ms Contos petition were painful to read.

The light that has been shone on the issues of consent facing our young people reinforces the importance of both instilling protective behaviour, self-worth and self-dignity, in all of our students from a young age, as well as developing a strong moral compass that values every other individual, it read. Loading It is up to all of us  as parents, guardians, teachers, students  to work together, to lead by example, to not ignore or accept the unacceptable, to have the tough conversations, and to promote healthy and respectful relationships, including respect for yourself. WA Education Department policy requires principals to implement protective behaviours education across all phases of schooling. Education department executive director statewide services Martin Clery said the health and physical education curriculum in WA public schools already included content relating to consent in a range of contexts.
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Mamata government drove away automobile company from Bengal: Nitin Gadkari

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

Egra, Mar 15: Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday claimed that the West Bengal government did not cooperate with the Centre over the proposed port at Tajpur, besides driving away an automobile company from the state.

Addressing an election rally at Egra in the Purba Medinipur district, the senior BJP leader said the parties that ruled the state failed to meet the aspirations of the people, and to eradicate poverty and unemployment.

"As the transport minister, I had taken the initiative to bring a big automobile firm to Nandigram but the Trinamool Congress government drove the company away," Gadkari said. He said that during his as tenure as the shipping minister, he had taken the initiative to build the port at Tajpur in the district.

Amarnath Yatra likely to attract heavy rush: CRPF

"Had the port been functional now, thousands of youths would have got employment. But we did not receive any cooperation from the West Bengal government," Gadkari alleged.

The minister said that the Centre has also allocated Rs 33,000 crore to the state as a part of the Sagarmala project, meant for modernisation of the ports, improving connectivity and creating port-led industrial development.

Gadkari said that the people of West Bengal have given chances to Congress, CPI(M) and TMC to govern the state but all of them failed. "Now, people of the state have decided to usher in change and bring BJP to power. I am sure that BJP will form the next government in West Bengal," he said.

The state will develop under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as with BJP in power here, the government at the state and the Centre will be the same, Gadkari said.

Grammys 2021: Beyonce breaks record for most Grammy wins for a female artist | Oneindia News

"The TMC government has to be removed. I urge the people of Egra to press the button in favour of the BJP in such a way that the current, which will flow, will raise Mamata Banerjee from her seat by three inches," the minister said.
Families of COVID-19 victims who passed away in New York nursing homes gather in front of Cobble Hill Heath Center in Brooklyn, New York, to demand State Governor Andrew Cuomo apologize for his response to clusters in nursing homes during pandemic on Oct. 18, 2020. (Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo)

NY State Senators Call for Investigation Into Cuomo Admin Over Group Home Tragedy

New York state senators have written a letter to the chairman of the Investigations and Government Operations Committee asking to start an investigation into a controversial order that likely accelerated CCP virus outbreaks in group homes.

The letter was written by Republican State Sen. Anthony Palumbo, a member of the Investigations and Government Operations Committee, according to the Washington Examiner.

Members of the Mental Health and Disabilities Committees co-signed the letter directed at the chairman, Democrat State Sen. James Skoufis.

Individuals residing in OPWDD group homes were three times more likely to contract COVID-19 and three times more likely to die from it compared to the general population of New York, reads the senators letter.

A report also asserts that group homes received inadequate COVID-19 guidance from OPWDD, leading to logistical challenges and almost certainly allowing COVD positive residents and staff to return to group homes, Palumbo wrote.

To date, OPWDD has resisted calls for greater transparency regarding the release of data related to group homes, he added.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at a press conference in New York City on July 6, 2020. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

The news outlet also reported that Mike Martucci, a member of the Mental Health and Disabilities Committee, blasted Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Governor Cuomo has created a culture of corruption, secrecy, and abuse, said Martucci.

Its time for the Legislature to step up and hold him accountable for all of his misdeeds, but in particular his order that exposed our developmentally and intellectually disabled citizens to this deadly virus.

A disclosure of data last month revealed that nearly 15,000 nursing home residents in New York died of the CCP virus after people recovering from the infection were released into nursing homes at the beginning of the pandemic, a number a lot higher than the 8,500 figure previously made known.

Prior to the release of the full nursing home data, the Cuomo Administration released misleading statistics regarding the number of deaths in nursing homes. We must come together as New Yorkers and demand that OPWDD be transparent about their conduct during the COVID-19 pandemic, Palumbo said.

One of Cuomos top aides reportedly apologized to Democratic legislators for holding back data on the CCP virus deaths in the nursing homes in order to dodge federal prosecution.

The acknowledgment of the reported cover-up was made by Melissa DeRosa, Secretary to the Governor on Feb. 11, during a video conference with Democrat leaders, according to a recording obtained by The New York Post.

Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa listens as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks to reporters during a news conference, in New York, on Sept. 14, 2018. (Mary Altaffer/AP Photo)

Correction: The article incorrectly stated that the investigation was into nursing home deaths, not group homes. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
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IF you have absolutely no urgent or emergency need to be outdoors today, then remain at home.

Should you take a chance and decide to tempt fate, then it may most likely result in you being stopped and questioned by police officers and members of the Defence Force, or even find yourself charged and taken before a court.
Samantha Hart's Blind Pony Book Cover, Designed by Nick Egan I began to sense that she had a much bigger story to tell one that would make a great movie itself.

Hollywood executive and author Samantha Hart's debut book and memoir, "Blind Pony: As True A Story As I Can Tell" (Wild Bill), reveals Hart's journey from a runaway teen to a successful Hollywood executive. The book is available worldwide on March 15, 2021, and can be ordered on Amazon or samanthahart.net.

Los Angeles' legendary Book Soup, Bookseller to the Great and Infamous, hosts the virtual book signing for "Blind Pony" on March 19th at 6 pm PT, where author Melissa Maerz will interview Hart.

Maerz says, "A few years ago, I reached out to Samantha to ask if I could interview her for my book, 'Alright Alright Alright: The Oral History of Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused.' I knew she had created the iconic smiley face poster for the movie, and I wanted to talk to her about the way the film was marketed."

She adds, "But once we started talking about Samantha's background, and how she went from running away from home as a teenager to building a successful career in Hollywood, I began to sense that she had a much bigger story to tell one that would make a great movie itself. I'm very excited to talk to her about her memoir, 'Blind Pony.'"

This event is a dream come true for Samantha Hart, who mentions Book Soup in the book. When she first arrived in LA in the 70s, she lived in a cellar apartment two doors down (off Sunset and Holloway Drive) and spent a lot of time at the bookseller.

Hart says, "It's a full-circle moment for me as I used to hang out there at the original tiny store, and the Book Soup owner, Glenn Goldman, let me read books all day because I had no money to buy them and no ID to get a library card."

Hart adds, "I hope that if there is just one girl out there who feels alone and scared about her situation when she hears my story, she'll realize that there's always hope."

"Blind Pony: As True A Story As I Can Tell" is available for pre-order at samanthahart.net. Visit the Book Soup Website for free registration to the Book Signing event.

"Blind Pony" Synopsis

Samantha grew up on a farm in rural Pennsylvania that was no childhood ideal but rather a surreal, twisted nightmare. After years of enduring a life of abuse, at the age of 14, she ran away searching for her father, a character she only knew as "Wild Bill"only to discover he's not the hero she dreamt he'd be. Her instinctual knack for surviving independently as a young runaway takes the reader on an unbelievable journey into the mind of a vulnerable, resilient, and quick-witted teen-who finds herself in situations that range from mordantly funny to sometimes perilous adventures. Arriving in Los Angeles at the peak of LA's decadence, where money, drugs, and good times flowed, she floats through a strange new world of champagne-soaked parties, high-stakes backgammon tournaments, and a whirlwind of international escapades as she travels across Europe. "Blind Pony" is a raucous recountinga coming-of-age narrative of healing and hope, intersecting themes of recovery, redemption, and forgiveness. Hart's defiance to play the victim, but rather define life on her terms, will inspire anyone who reads her words.

About Samantha Hart

Samantha Hart's career has spanned music, film, and advertising, earning her a reputation as an award-winning Creative Director. Early in her career, Hart worked with top artists at Geffen, including Cher, Aerosmith, Nirvana, and Guns' N Roses, to name a few. Segueing to the role as Creative Director in the film industry, her creative marketing campaigns brought prominence and Academy Awards to films such as "Fargo," "Dead Man Walking," and "Boys Don't Cry," while earning cult status for independent features, "Four Weddings and A Funeral," "Priscilla Queen of the Desert," and "Dazed and Confused," which is enjoying a resurgence in popularity from the book, Alright, Alright, Alright, which details Hart's campaign for the Richard Linklater film that is synonymous with the indie due to its iconic stoned happy face and irreverent copy. Hart built a multi-million dollar company with her partner in the advertising industry, Foundation, with over forty employees and offices in Chicago and Los Angeles, which earned distinction as an early disrupter of the traditional production and post-production models by combining the two under one roof. Hart owns and operates a creative advertising boutique, Wild Bill, where she continues to produce branded content and advertising materials with her partner, director/editor, James Lipetzky. Hart says, "I've been in indie records, indie film, and indie advertising. Now, I love this indie book world." In the works are an untitled novel and a coffee table book, The Artist's Muse, which is a collection of drawings, prose and short stories.

Website: https://www.samanthahart.net

Book Video Trailer: https://youtu.be/_vIPHYURb8U

Book Video  The Author's Journey: https://youtu.be/nHBXDxHMang

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealsamhart

Twitter: https://twitter.com/samanthahart

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samantha.hart.39

ISBN: 1649700938

Page Count: 359 pages

Price: $26.95 (hard cover); $14.99 (paperback); $2.99 (Kindle)

Publication Date: March 15, 2021
RTHK: Netherlands puts AstraZeneca jab on ice

Dutch health officials said they had suspended the use of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine on Sunday for two weeks after "possible side effects" were reported in Denmark and Norway.

"Based on new information, the Dutch Medicines Authority has advised, as a precautionary measure and pending further investigation, to suspend the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine," the Health Ministry said in a statement.

"The crucial question is whether these are complaints after or because of the vaccination. There should be no doubt about the vaccines," Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said in the statement.

"We still need to be careful, so it is wise to press the pause button now as a precaution."

Countries including Norway and Denmark have already suspended their rollouts of the AstraZeneca vaccine because of concerns about blood clots.

No similar cases are currently known in the Netherlands, the ministry said, but it advised people who had received the vaccine to contact their doctor if they develop "unexpected and/or unknown" symptoms after three days.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday that there was "no reason not to use" the vaccine developed by Swedish-British laboratory AstraZeneca and Oxford University. AstraZeneca says its vaccine is safe. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2021-03-15. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
An American flag hangs in a classroom as students work on laptops in Newlon Elementary School in Denver in August.
(Alliance News) - The European Medicines Agency said it would hold an "extraordinary meeting' on Thursday on the AstraZeneca PLC vaccine after key countries suspended its use over blood clot fears, adding that the benefits of using the jab still outweighed the risks.

The EMA said in a statement that it would "further review the information" on the jab Tuesday, and had "called an extraordinary meeting on Thursday.... to conclude on the information gathered and any further actions that may need to be taken."

source: AFP

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Pain is a solid motivator for change. Without some pain or unease, we may never change much at all.

When there is no pain in our life, we simply go with the flow of our habits  good or bad. It is the usually unexpected upset of pain that causes us to pause, to consider  and in the light of such reflection, to make necessary, even crucial change.

Your mother is dying

A few years back I sat at my mothers deathbed. Thankfully she recovered, but as I sat grieving over what I was told was inevitable, I experienced considerable existential anxiety.

My mother lived a sedentary life: little exercise, a strong sweet tooth, and a lifetime spend putting others before herself. The consequences of which were now brutally apparent.

I realised that if I didnt start taking better care of myself, this was my likely future: incapacitated in hospital with a body wearing out early. More importantly, I realised my children would end up sitting where I was, suffering in the face of impending loss.

This awareness was a moment of deeply motivating pain for me.

Since then, Ive lost some weight and become more active  sufficiently so to make my doctor less anxious about the way my health checks were trending. I dont always make the right nutrition choices (especially when Im tired or stressed), but I can honestly say that Im healthier in my 50s than I was in my 30s and 40s.

The pain of rock bottom

Ive also seen the impact of pain as a motivator in those who come to our Salvation Army church with backgrounds in addiction.

Not one of these people, when having their first few alcoholic drinks, thought this would lead to relationship problems, job losses, poor health, violence, abuse, or even imprisonment.

The same is true for those who sought the ecstasy and escape of drug use. No one presented them with a list of long-term consequences and invited informed consent. This was also a case of going with the flow of what eventually became a habit, and then a soul-destroying prison.

The pain of rock bottom brought motivation for change. When there was no denying the brutal consequences of addiction, they reached out for help. For some, this included reaching out to God, because when life becomes too chaotic to go it alone, the strength of God is truly a saving grace.

Ive listened to some of these men and women as theyve described the huge price paid for what started innocently enough: parties with school mates, drinks with the lads after work. A little something to make social situations less awkward. Respite from feelings that are hard for any of us to cope with: embarrassment, disappointment, frustration, loss.

Most wish they could turn back time and tell their younger selves to choose another way. Perhaps to sit a little longer with their social anxiety or painful feelings to find a less destructive way forward, rather than anesthetising the opportunity for learning, change and growth.

Blessed are those who mourn

Our Sunday sermon series this year is a journey through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5 - 7). At the moment, my husband and I are taking turns preaching on the Beatitudes.

A couple of weeks ago, my husband looked at Jesuss words: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted, noting Bible teacher John Stotts suggestion that it is not the sorrow of bereavement to which Christ refers, but the sorrow of repentance.

Mourning over negative aspects of our life is undeniably uncomfortable. In such times, my instinct is still to reach for my drugs of choice  chocolate, takeaway food, sugary drinks  just as some of my recovering friends are tempted to seek refuge in alcohol, cannabis, methamphetamine. Anything to keep painful feelings at bay.

But we have an alternative. We can allow our mourning to turn us to repentance, a change in our lifes direction. This can help shift us from the discomfort of self-pity and even self-loathing, to the comfort of self-discovery and growth.

Few people voluntarily run towards pain. None of us enjoy the experience of mourning. And yet, if we can lean into these most human of experiences, we are granted the grace of repentance  the fresh beginning that comes from what we might simply describe as wising up.


remaining of

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Russia has vaccinated 3.5 million people with both shots of its Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19, head of Russias RDIF sovereign wealth fund Kirill Dmitriev said on Monday.

Dmitriev said in a statement that no other European country had administered both shots to that number of people, Reuters reported.

RDIF markets Russias Sputnik V vaccine globally.
GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images

Here's some news that may disappoint Bay Area residents hoping to book a tropical vacation when the pandemic subsides: Alaska Airlines is cutting its direct flights between Oakland International Airport and Hawaii.

The airline said in a statement Monday it "made the difficult decision" to discontinue service between the East Bay and four Hawaiian Island markets: Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii Island (Kona), beginning May 21.
An alleged knifeman accused of murdering a mother-of-two and trying to kill a second woman just a day later will stand trial at the Old Bailey this autumn.

Shadika Patel, 40, was stabbed repeatedly in the street shortly after 12.45am in Altmore Avenue, East Ham, east London, on March 19.

James Sinclair, 29, is charged with her murder and with attempted murder in relation to a second woman, Beverly Barzey, on March 20.

Shadika Patel (pictured), 40, was stabbed repeatedly in the street shortly after 12.45am in Altmore Avenue, East Ham, east London, on March 19

James Sinclair, 29, is charged with her murder and with attempted murder in relation to a second woman, Beverly Barzey, on March 20. Pictured: Old Bailey

Ms Patel is understood to have been out shopping when she was followed and attacked.

Sinclair, of Tower Hamlets, is charged with murder and attempted murder.

He is due to next appear at the Old Bailey to enter a plea on May 14.

A provisional trial date has been fixed for August 31.
High-quality aged care requires more federal funding for more workers, a delegation will tell MPs in Canberra on Tuesday.

Aged care workers and nurses want federal MPs to realise more money is needed to guarantee there's enough skilled staff to care for the elderly.

A delegation from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation and United Workers Union will be at Parliament House on Tuesday to urge the Morrison government to mandate staff ratios in the May budget.

Aged care workers and nurses want federal MPs to realise more money is needed to guarantee there's enough skilled staff to care for the elderly (stock image)

'Reform can't wait. More delays mean more suffering for older Australians,' ANMF federal secretary Annie Butler said.

'We're calling on the prime minister to guarantee that residents receive the safe, dignified care they deserve, by introducing mandated staffing levels and skill mixes in nursing homes as a matter of urgency.'

UWU aged care director Carolyn Smith said workers have had enough with delays, buck-passing and report after report.

'Politicians need to understand the cost of doing nothing, or doing too little, is paid by older Australians who do not get the care or safety they desperately need,' she said.

The final report of the aged care royal commission identified unacceptably low levels of staffing as the key contributor to substandard care across the system.

'There are many ingredients that enable the provision of high quality and safe aged care, but it cannot be achieved without the sector having enough staff with the skills and time to care,' the report found.

The delegation will seek meetings with Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Health Minister Greg Hunt, Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, Labor, the Greens and key crossbenchers.

NRL star sparks outrage with 'sexist' comments about 'pulling women' after his team's 32-18 victory  as he is issued a formal warning from the club
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(Photo : Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) The new Google logo is displayed at the Google headquarters on September 2, 2015 in Mountain View, California. (Photo : Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo/Getty Images) A woman searches at the Google website

Google will be forced to face the $5 billion lawsuit accusing them of tracking users while browsing in incognito mode after a federal judge denied the search giant's motion for dismissal.

The class-action lawsuit claimed that the internet search company illegally invaded the privacy of millions of users by collecting their data while in Chrome's incognito mode.

According to a report from Bloomberg, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh ruled that Alphabet Inc.'s Google "did not notify users" of the "alleged data collection while the user is in private browsing mode." The decision gave plaintiffs enough ground to push through with the case.

'Brown V. Google'

In June 2020, three plaintiffs filed a complaint in a federal court in San Jose, California, alleging that Google gathers data about what people view online and where they browse through Google Ad Manager, Google Analytics, and other applications and website plug-ins.

Reuters previously reported that the complaint claimed the data collected allowed the California-based company to learn about users' private information. These sensitive data include users' friends, hobbies, shopping habits, and favorite foods, as well as the "most intimate and potentially embarrassing things" they search for through incognito mode.

Read Also: Google Gets Class-Action Lawsuit By Children Regarding Privacy Concerns And Negligence

Motion For Dismissal

Google denied the accusation thrown against them and asked for dismissal after arguing that the plaintiffs consented to its privacy policy where the company explicitly disclosed their data collection practices, Business Insider reported.

Lawyers representing the company clarified that the term "Incognito" is not meant to be taken as "invisible," which meant that the user's activity during that session remains visible to websites they visit and any third-party analytics.

Multiple Antitrust Lawsuits

Along with dozens of states, the Department of Justice had slapped multiple lawsuits against Google in the past.

In the first case, which was filed in October 2020, the Justice Department alleged that the company had employed anti-competitive tactics to protect their monopoly and prevent other search engines from gaining a foothold.

The complaint detailed the lengths Google had done, such as using exclusive deals with device makers and browsers to make them the default search engine.

Meanwhile, a coalition of over 30 states, led by the attorney generals of Nebraska and Colorado, filed another complaint alleging that Google had used its general search monopoly to discriminate against "vertical" search businesses such as Yelp and Kayak.

Another group of states, led by Texas, filed their own lawsuit that accuses Google of controlling over 90% of the digital advertising supply chain that creates an obvious conflict of interest.

The company downplayed the accusations, noting that there is nothing particularly problematic about the practice. In a blog post by Google's SVP of Global Affairs Kent Walker, he mentioned that the lawsuit by the Department of Justice "is deeply flawed."

He added that the complaints "would do nothing to help consumers," but would rather encourage competitors to offer lower-quality alternatives, making it harder for users to experience the search services they want.

Related Article: Google Gets 3rd Antitrust Lawsuit from 38 Attorney Generals for Allegedly 'Manipulating Searches'

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Lee Mercado

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
As state lawmakers in Austin wrap up the latest legislative session, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday threatened to withhold their pay by vetoing a line item in the states budget because a Democratic walkout killed his priority elections bill. No pay for those who abandon their responsibilities, Abbott tweeted. Should the governor veto Legislature funding?

You voted:
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 21:36:27|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The newly-selected executive authority of Libya on Monday was sworn in before the House of Representatives (parliament) in the eastern city of Tubruk, Libyan National TV reported.

The new executive authority, which consists of the Presidency Council and the Government of National Unity, took the oath during an official session of the parliament.

In a speech during the session, Aguila Saleh, speaker of the House of Representatives, urged the new executive authority to spare no effort to achieve national reconciliation, work to improve the country's economy, and prepare for the elections to be held later this year.

The UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) recently selected a new executive authority for the North African country, which was welcomed by all the Libyan parties.

Moahmmed Menfi was appointed as President of the Presidency Council along with new Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.

Dbeibah's government was granted confidence by the House of Representatives on March 10.

The new government's main task is to hold general elections on Dec. 24 as agreed by the LPDF. Enditem
Employers have varying views on vaccinations in the workplace, but a majority of business leaders in Southeast Michigan have decided to encourage  but not mandate  their workers get the shot, a new business survey indicates.

The Detroit Regional Chamber surveyed 163 business executives and leaders in the area about how theyre approaching vaccines. Nearly 81% said the vaccine will be important for their company to return to normal business operations.

As production and distribution have accelerated, businesses are seeking clarity and guidance on how to navigate vaccinations in the workplace, the chamber said in a news release.

Only 6% of employers surveyed planned on mandating their workers get vaccinated, while nearly 67% said theyll encourage but not require their workers to get the shot. The rest said they wont address vaccines with employees or dont have a plan yet.

Theres been a debate about the legality and ethics of vaccine mandates  although the consensus is, its too soon to do so.

So far, fewer than 13% of Michigan adults have gotten both shots, as demand outstrips supply. All adults wont be eligible for vaccines in Michigan until April 5.

The survey also asked how businesses will accommodate employees who dont get vaccinated.

We will not mandate masks or social distancing once the vaccine is available to all individuals, one business leader answered in the anonymous survey. It is not a democratic society when you mandate behaviors because people will not take care of themselves, especially when the means an opportunity are afforded to them.

Another said masks and other precautions wont be required at their workplace because the pandemic is a joke.

Others said theyll continue to mandate masks, social distancing and other safety measures.

The survey also asked when employers expect to bring people back to in-person work. About 68% havent identified a date  with many waiting on the state to peel back its order that bans most office work before setting a date.

Many leaders said their employees have already returned to work, but others arent planning to bring people back until summer or fall, per the survey results.

The survey was conducted from Jan. 22 to March 1, hitting a variety of sectors like automotive, health care, restaurants and communications. More than 30% of respondents have 15 or fewer employees, while 25% have more than 500 employees.

Other survey questions

Heres a look at how business leaders answered other vaccine questions.

Will your company provide paid-time off for workers to get their vaccines?

Strongly agree: 29.5%

Agree: 19.6%

Neutral: 30.1%

Disagree: 10.4%

Strongly disagree: 10.4%

Will your company have an education program to encourage employees to be vaccinated?

Strongly agree: 30.7%

Agree: 30.7%

Neutral: 21.5%

Disagree: 11.7%

Strongly disagree: 5.5%

Will vaccine rates among your employees impact your decision on returning to in-person work?

Yes: 30.7%

No: 39.9%

Unsure/dont know: 29.5%

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 11:27:16|Editor: huaxia

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WELLINGTON, March 15 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand reported seven cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation on Monday, with no new cases in the community.

The new imported cases came from the Netherlands, India and Pakistan, with the other three cases' travel itineraries pending, according to the Ministry of Health.

One previously reported case has now recovered. The total number of active cases in New Zealand is 93, and the total number of confirmed cases is 2,074, said a ministry statement. Enditem
People across northern China awoke to fierce winds and orange-tinted skies Monday as some of the most severe and widespread dust storms for years disrupted transport and sent air pollution soaring.

Weather officials in a string of cities including the capital, Beijing, warned of reduced visibility through Tuesday morning as air quality monitors surged to their maximum possible readings.

The haze was caused by cold air and high winds in Chinas arid west and other areas kicking up dust and blowing it across the country, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said.

Dust storms are uncommon but not unheard of in Beijing, especially in the spring. Mondays storm followed several days of heavy air pollution in the city of 21 million people.

The NMC issued (link in Chinese) 24-hour dust storm warnings effective 8 a.m. Monday for Beijing as well as parts of Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi and Hebei provinces and the Inner Mongolia and Ningxia Hui autonomous regions.

The agency urged people in the affected areas to close doors and windows, wear masks and veils to stop the dust from damaging eyes and lungs, avoid nonessential driving, secure unstable or temporary construction and cover precision machinery.

Beijings environmental monitoring center said the dust originated in southern Mongolia, which borders China. The Mongolian government said six people had died and a further 81 were missing as of 9 a.m. Monday. There have been no reports of deaths or injuries caused by the sandstorm in China.

Elevated dust levels were first detected in northern Beijing on Sunday morning, the monitoring center said. Schools and workplaces remained open as usual Monday. Daxing International Airport took safety precautions for reduced visibility, disrupting a number of flights, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

By 9 a.m. Monday, air quality readings had far exceeded levels deemed safe for human health.

Average concentrations of airborne PM10, fine particles that can be inhaled into the lungs, neared 10,000 micrograms per cubic meter, 200 times the one-day maximum average recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Readings of PM2.5, ultrafine particles that can enter the bloodstream, were around 30 times WHO guidelines.

Videos uploaded to Chinese social media Monday morning showed Beijing landmarks swaddled in rust-hued smog. Drivers switched on headlights and slowed vehicles to a crawl as visibility plummeted.

The picture was similar in other cities. More than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) west of Beijing, residents of Ningxias capital of Yinchuan uploaded videos of the haze-choked city and claimed they could see no more than 500 meters in any direction.

Some internet users poked fun at the weather, joking that the storms provided a readymade sepia-colored filter for their social media photos and comparing the skies with eerie scenes from the Blade Runner sci-fi movie franchise.

Peng Yingdeng, a researcher at a national center for studying urban pollution control, said Monday that loose, dry soils in Inner Mongolia and Ningxia, combined with above-average air temperatures, caused winds to kick up dust and disperse it widely.

Although dust storms are natural phenomena, human activity like open-pit mining and deforestation can contribute to their frequency and severity, he said.

Schools and workplaces in Beijing remained open as usual. Peng said dust storms were a less serious health threat than extreme smog events as larger airborne particles interfered less with breathing and blood circulation.

However, international organizations including the WHO say both PM 10 and PM 2.5 are linked to increased mortality and heightened risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

Dust storms are becoming less frequent in Beijing. According to CMS statistics, the city witnessed an average of 4.3 sandy days per year between 2008 and 2017, compared with nearly 70 per year in the 1950s.

Beijings bleak skies followed a run of recent bad air days. Average daily PM2.5 readings have hovered above 150 micrograms per cubic meter for more than a week, according to the World Air Quality Project, a website that records global air quality data in real time. The WHO recommends a maximum one-day average of 25 micrograms per cubic meter.

Officials have sought to clamp down on polluting businesses. Last week, senior staff at four iron and steel mills in Tangshan  a city in Hebei, the province surrounding Beijing  were detained for allowing the companies to break emissions restrictions, the environment ministry said in a Sunday statement (link in Chinese).

Beijings air quality has improved in recent years after the government ordered polluting industries out of the capital and enforced stricter emissions controls in the wake of the 2013 airpocalypse smog event that resulted in the closure of airports, schools and major roads.

While that episode lingered for more than a week, the NMC forecasts that the current dust storms will gradually shift southward through Tuesday and dissipate amid a blast of northeasterly wind and rain Wednesday and Thursday.

Liang Xiaojian contributed reporting.

Contact reporter Matthew Walsh (matthewwalsh@caixin.com) and editor Joshua Dummer (joshuadummer@caixin.com)

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The Soyuz MS-17 crew ship that carried the Expedition 64 crew to the International Space Station on Oct. 14, 2020, is pictured Oct. 18, 2020, docked to the Rassvet module. The orbital complex was above the Atlantic Ocean in between the island nation of Cape Verde and the African nation of Mauritania. Credit: NASA

Three residents of the International Space Station will take a spin around their orbital neighborhood in the Soyuz MS-17 on Friday, March 19, relocating the spacecraft to prepare for the arrival of the next set of crew members. Live coverage on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency's website will begin at 12:15 p.m. EDT.

Expedition 64 Flight Engineer Kate Rubins of NASA and Commander Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, both of the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos, will undock from the Earth-facing port of the station's Rassvet module at 12:38 p.m. and dock again at the space-facing Poisk docking port at 1:07 p.m.

The relocation will free up the Rassvet port for the docking of another Soyuz vehicle, designated Soyuz MS-18, which will carry three Expedition 65 crew members to the station next month. NASA's Mark Vande Hei and Roscosmos' Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov are scheduled to launch to the station Friday, April 9, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

This will be the 15th overall Soyuz port relocation and the first since August 2019.

Rubins, Ryzhikov, and Kud-Sverchkov will return to Earth April 17 in the Soyuz MS-17 that carried them to the space station in October 2020.

Explore further Image: Expedition 49 launch to the International Space Station
The glamorous wife of a Sydney-based builder who is the co-accused mastermind of a $15million fraud scheme has made her return to social media for the first time since his arrest.

Charbel and Elie Douna, 33, were arrested on February 17 in police raids across the Illawarra region, south of Sydney.

The directors of Albion Park's LuxLiving have been accused of falsifying documents to get a $14.7million loan to build properties on a 92-home estate.

Their wives Sara and Emily Douna have amassed a combined following of over 110,000 Instagram users by flaunting their extravagant lifestyles.

Emily re-emerged on the platform on Monday posting an image with her husband Elie with the caption 'All because two people fell in love'.

Emily Douna (pictured with husband Elie) returned to Instagram on Monday for the first time since her husband's arrest

Sara and Emily (pictured) Douna have amassed a combined following of over 110,000 Instagram users by flaunting their extravagant lifestyles

Charbel (left) and Elie (right) Douna, 33, were charged over an alleged multimillion-dollar fraud scheme

Sara and Emily regularly post photos of lavish European holidays, weekend stays at The Langham, first class plane tickets, upscale dining and designer clothes.

But now the pair have resorted to offloading their designer duds on online marketplace Depop.

Elie's wife-of-four-years Emily listed a pair of Valentino stud heels for $300, a Camilla dress for $399, and $450 Sophia Webster sandals.

The mother-of-three is also selling heavily discounted accessories, including $25 Carolina Lemke sunglasses that retail for $150, and a $300 Gucci headband with an RRP of $500.

Sara, who shares four young children with Charbel, is trying to offload 16 designer items, including Valentino flats and a Dolce & Gabbana outfit.

Neither women have been accused of any involvement in their husbands' alleged crimes.

Daily Mail Australia are not suggesting either Sara or Emily are involved.

Detective Chief Inspector Glen Broadhead said the allegedly illegitimate contacts were 'put in names of people who have not purchased land or had no intention to purchase land'.

'We believe the specific reason for those [allegedly] false contracts was to support the loan application to ensure the business appeared to have sufficient funds to move forward with the loan application,' he told the Daily Telegraph.

Sara (pictured), who shares four young children with Charbel, is trying to offload 16 designer items, including Valentino flats and a Dolce & Gabbana outfit

Elie's wife-of-four-years Emily listed a pair of Valentino stud heels for $300, a Camilla dress for $399, and $450 Sophia Webster sandals

The twins were each charged with 19 counts of publish etc false/misleading information to obtain advantage. Pictured: Pictured: One of the brothers with police

Emily and Elie (pictured) have three young children together

Police also allege their real estate friend Ben Feltham, from Right Choice Real Estate in Albion Park, published the false sale contracts.

The 35-year-old turned himself into police at Lake Illawarra Police Station last month.

During searches of the brothers' homes in Calderwood and Wongawilli, detectives seized financial documents, poker machines, electronic devices and firearms for forensic examination.

One of the guns was seized after Sara posted it to Instagram in 2019.

In the video, Charbel can be seen firing the gun into a large balloon as part of a gender announcement for his then-pregnant wife.

When hit with a bullet, the balloon exploded in pink dust.

'It's just reckless,' Inspector Broadhead said.

Detectives seized financial documents, poker machines (right), electronic devices and firearms (left) for forensic examination

The twins were each charged with 19 counts of publishing false and misleading information to obtain advantage, dishonestly obtaining a financial advance by deception and participating in a criminal group to contribute to criminal activity.

Feltham was charged with nine counts of publishing false or misleading information to obtain advantage and participating in a criminal group to contribute criminal activity.

Police allege he used his position as a real estate agent to publish false contracts of sale

Inquiries are continuing and further charges are expected to be laid.

All three men were granted conditional bail to appear in Port Kembla Local Court on April 14.
Cleaning sensation Lynsey Crombie has detailed her harrowing experience after learning her first husband was a child sex offender - revealing six out of eight women she met during this time said they'd be staying with their paedophile partners.

Lynsey, 41, better known as the Queen of Clean who boasts 225,000 Instagram followers, was left shocked by the mothers' admissions when attending a child protection course with other women whose partners were paedophiles.

It came after the British TV and social media star's first husband, and father to her twins, was arrested and charged with paedophilia, which led to her becoming a compulsive cleaner as a way of coping with the trauma.

Speaking on the podcast Life, Interrupted, hosted by Simon Thomas, Lynsey recalled the alarming moment other mothers confessed they would be staying with their criminal lovers.

In comparison, Lynsey has previously said she doesn't know what happened to her ex-husband following his arrest - having only heard from him once, in a letter from Durham Prison.

Cleaning sensation Lynsey Crombie (pictured) has detailed her harrowing experience after learning her first husband was a child sex offender

'Child protection were straight on me instantly,' she recalled, following her first husband's arrest. 'I had to go on a course with other women in a similar situation at a woman's centre.

'There were eight ladies and they said you need to go on this course, you need to learn about how to protect your children.

'So I remember going on the course and there were eight of us in the room and we all had to sit in a circle and tell everybody what's going on. It was awful. I was the youngest in this room, it was just the worst thing ever.

'And out of the eight people - this still surprises me to this day - six of them stayed with their partners and wanted to work with them.

'These men have done worse things and I remember just being totally shocked and I didn't want to be in that room with those sorts of people,' she added.

Lynsey - who first came to fame throwing hoarders junk into skips on Channel 4s Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners - enjoys regular appearances on ITVs This Morning and has two books to her name, as well as a third to be released later this month.

Lynsey (pictured), 41, better known as the Queen of Clean who boasts 225,000 Instagram followers, was left shocked by the mothers' admissions when attending a child protection course with other women whose partners were paedophiles

But her passion for cleanliness started after a horrific time in her life - when, 18 years ago, she discovered that her new husband was a paedophile.

The trauma sent her into premature labour with the twins she was carrying and overnight, she became a single mother with two babies in a special-care unit.

Lynsey, who was 25 at the time, had known her first husband, who she wont name and was seven years older, for just over a year. They'd met while living in Kingston, Surrey.

'When I look back, he was quite secretive. He was quite aggressive, he used to shout at me a lot. I remember neighbours saying to me that they'd heard us arguing and it was because he wasn't very nice to me', admitted Lynsey.

'But I think I was very much taken in by him. I used to suddenly just wake up in the middle of the night, two or three in the morning, and he wasn't in bed.

While Lynsey (pictured) has now made a career out of her passion for cleaning, the influencer admitted that her obsession with housework was 'not normal behaviour' following her ordeal

'I used to go into the office and he used to always pull the plug out of the wall where the computer was. So rather than just closing the laptop down or letting me see the screen, he'd actually pull the plug out of the wall.

'And it's only when I look back - and I spotted this three or four times in the relationship - I think what was he doing on the computer to actually physically pull it out of the wall?'

Recalling her first husband's arrest, Lynsey said: 'I remember saying to [the police officers], what's going on? They said to me, we're not allowed to tell you - this is so vivid in my mind.

'He didn't say, I kept saying to him, what have you done? They took him, put him in the car and they said to me someone will be in touch with you later. They refused to tell me what he had actually done.

'After theyd gone, I remember calling his mother, they lived in the next village along. And her words were oh no, he's done it again and she put the phone down on me.

'I was 28 weeks pregnant. I remember saying I can't have his children, what do I do? I just didn't know what to do,' she added.

While Lynsey has now made a career out of her passion for cleaning, the influencer admitted that her obsession with housework was 'not normal behaviour' following her ordeal.

Lynsey said: 'It was a complete and utter obsession with me. It was a constant need to clean. I constantly had a mop or a broom or something in my hand, and I think it was just like I was washing away the dirt, washing away the pain.

'That's that's how I looked at it. It was uncontrollable, it was completely out of control. The smell of bleach...the headaches I used to get. It was totally out of control, it was not normal behaviour.'

Lynsey, who is now married to second husband Rob, with whom she has a son with, is releasing a new book, 15-Minute Clean, designed to highlight not only the benefits of cleaning but its therapeutic and enjoyable aspects.


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GEORGETOWN  Jonathan Angner has been attending Georgetown City Council meetings with his wife for years, and said he continues to see a pattern of issues being discussed, but never solved.

If elected on April 13 to the vacant city council seat previously held by Rudolph Bradley, Angner, the Republican nominee, said he hopes to use his background in business and economics to solve the citys decades-old issues, such as economic development and think shrink, and put it on a path of growth.

(My wife and I) both have servant hearts, weve been able to grow and expand our business and it's kind of on cruise control right now, Angner said. Were very community driven.

This is Angner's political debut, though he owns two local businesses, Omni Services and AHSC. His business mindset and background sets him apart from other council members, Angner said, and his Democrat opponent, Ronald McInnis.

Citing rising taxes and expenses in areas such as utilities and roads, Angner said he wants to find creative ways to push down the forces that are causing these rising costs.

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If we are not (finding creative ways), then were either oblivious to it, were ignoring it or were not qualified to have these conversations, Angner said.

Phillip Brady, a family and business friend of Jonathans and owner of RE/MAX Coast and Country in Georgetown, said he thinks a business-oriented voice is missing from council, and agreed that Angners election would be a good way to fill that spot. Brady also appreciates that Angner understands there is more to Georgetown than just the historical district and west side, and that Angner wants to give attention to communities like Merryville and Willowbank that Brady said are rarely discussed among council.

I dont know that anyone on council has the experience of working with a budget, and I think theres some attention to detail that is being missed that Jonathan would add value to, Brady said.

While Angner understands he may make decisions on council that wont please everyone, he believes he is qualified to make them and therefore can bring a certain level of confidence and trust to the council and his community. He also hopes to be proactive in bringing and keeping development, businesses and bright, young minds in the community.

That is how I built my business  I was out there to the point where I know some of my customers said I finally had to call you back because youd come to my office so many times, Angner said. Im not saying I was selling the best widget, but I was the most determined widget salesman out there.
Maserati continues with its impressive line of supercar productions this year.

Pairing quality with quantity, Maserati recently performed tests on the new MC20 in South Africa's hot weather. The car prototype was featured wearing camouflage colors. The test results from Carbuzz said that the supercar coped running at high speeds. A Facebook post even showed an image captured of the car under maintenance.

Maserati MC20 spotted in Upington doing some hot weather testing. Where do we get those stickers? #askingforafriend... Posted by Zero2Turbo on Friday, March 5, 2021

Maserati MC20 is a two-seater mid-engine car with butterfly doors made to debut in May 2020, but it was delayed to 2021 due to the pandemic. The Italian brand continues to be a harbinger of new era style, passion, and performance. The car also features an all-carbon tub and rear-wheel drive, and it has been spotted with two colors of camouflage and hot yellow.

Maserati MC20 Testing Runs in the Cold Weather

Now, over the week, Maserati took on the snow-covered roads in Valtellina Valley and Ghiacciodromo Livigno, an Ice Driving School in Italy. The Maserati MC20 tests include the engine's cold starting, evaluating the elastic component's low-temperature performance.

It also tested the the car's handling on cold and low-grip asphalt surfaces. Maserati also conducted tests of the braking system, suspensions, and battery in the cold. The car produced fantastic results, as seen in their video preview.

Neither hot nor cold extreme conditions have stopped the Maserati MC20 from dominating the tracks. Maserati lives up to its reputation, ensuring that the MC20 climate control system works well against the harshest of environments. This car's durability is tested to the limits, born from a racing concept but designed for series production.

Read Also: 2017 Maserati Models To Feature Android Auto

Maserati MC20 Engine and Specs

Compared to the previous generation Maserati MC12, MC20 has a more compact design and resembles junior supercars closely. It features a new 463kW V6 engine, made by Maserati, with an acceleration time of 0 to 100 km/h in only 2.9 seconds.

The Maserati MC20 has an engine that is unique from most supercars in today's market. It uses F1 Tech with a 3 .0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 that creates 621 bhp 538 lb-ft (730 Nm) of torque and could hit at 8000 rpm.

Maserati MC20 also uses cutting-edge technology with its pre-chamber combustion with dual injection systems. It gives the drivers a high-powered engine for heavy load and a secondary option of the traditional ignition start when working at lower speeds.

MC20's V6 has an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, sending power to the rear wheels with limited-slip differentials. Carscoops said fans can look forward to Maserati developing all-electric versions of the MC20. The engine only needs 2.8 seconds to hit 62mph (100 km/h), max out at 193 mph (310km/h), and travel 201 miles (323 km) on a single charge.

Maserati hopes this car will mark its return to the motorsports industry. Maserati MC20 is the first of its kind to enter the circuit market. It brings new technology and amazing performance that dominates the circuit and the harshest weather conditions. The Maserati series has a lot to offer for the incoming series they hinted at coming in the later years.

Related Article: Maserati To Launch EV Car In 2020
Boris Johnson has made the admission to close allies, it has been suggested

Britain's first coronavirus lockdown came late because the Government's scientific advisers were using out-of-date data, close allies of Boris Johnson have claimed.

As the first anniversary of the March 23 shutdown approaches, senior sources have insisted Mr Johnson would act 'harder, earlier and faster' if he could go back in time, according to the Daily Telegraph.

But they have claimed the PM was let down by his expert SAGE advisers who badly misjudged how quickly the virus was spreading.

Mr Johnson was accused of costing lives and being too slow in his initial Covid response, which saw the country's borders remain wide open despite huge transmission in Europe and a voluntary lockdown which left it up to individuals and employers to decide what precautions to take. About 40,000 people died from the disease in the first wave.

Close allies of Mr Johnson claim the PM was only alerted to the scale of the problem on March 14, when SAGE revealed hospitals were just three weeks away from being overwhelmed.

Until then, they said Mr Johnson had been making decisions based on out-of-date projections provided by Government departments.

This gave the PM just over a week to weigh up the implications of shutting down the entire country and economy before finally issuing the unprecedented stay at home order. Prominent SAGE advisers have claimed this delay doubled the death toll in the first wave.

Mr Johnson has promised to call an inquiry to look into the timing of decisions in the early days of the pandemic, to ensure ministers do not repeat previous mistakes.

Britain's latest Covid wave is continuing to shrink as a further 52 people died after testing positive for Covid-19 today - down 37 per cent on last week

And today's case total has dropped too, with a further 4,618 people testing positive. The figure marks an 11 per cent drop on the 5,177 positive tests recorded on this day last week

With a total of 125,000 Covid victims so far, Britain has suffered the highest Covid death toll in Europe, and fifth highest in the world.

A senior source told the Telegraph: 'Ordinarily the impulse, when youre taking decisions that have big financial implications, would be to take time, and even in the autumn it was still a case of trying to balance the economic and the health aspects of lockdown. By the winter there was a view that you had to choose.

'[Mr Johnson] now takes decisions very quickly, and will say "if were going to do this, lets do it properly and quickly".'

Professor Neil Ferguson says the delay before the first lockdown doubled the death toll during the first wave

Mr Johnson has been heavily criticised for his handling of the original Covid response.

The UK's borders remained wide open throughout half-term, despite crises unfolding Europe, which allowed tens of thousands of cases to be imported from Spain and Italy.

On March 3, the PM boasted of shaking hands 'with everybody' at a hospital where there were confirmed Covid patients amid accusations he was not taking the threat of the disease seriously

Mr Johnson also scrapped community testing on March 12 to reserve limited swabbing capacity for the elderly and vulnerable.

And social distancing, avoiding pubs and working from home recommendations were not made compulsory until the March 23 announcement, which left it up to individuals and employers to decide what to do.

One SAGE scientist said the death toll from the first wave could have been halved if lockdown came sooner.

Imperial College London epidemiologist Professor Neil Ferguson - who played a key role in convincing ministers to impose the first shutdown earning him the nickname 'Professor Lockdown' - retrospectively came up with the estimate by modelling the spread of Covid during the first wave from March to July.

They then adjusted it to predict how many deaths would have occurred if society had been forced to bolt its doors and Britons ordered home a week earlier.

His doomsday prediction of 510,000 deaths in the first wave helped convince ministers to hit the panic button and pull the curtains over society. The top scientist was forced to resign as a Government adviser after breaking lockdown rules to meet his married lover.

Britain was notably slower to impose a shutdown than its European neighbours - which were already suffering devastating losses from the virus.

In France all non-essential public areas including restaurants, shops and cafes were shuttered before March 14.

While in Spain, residents were banned from leaving their homes except for work or to buy groceries.

But scientists have also pointed out the decision to discharge potentially infected patients from hospitals to care homes left many vulnerable people in harms way.
EDWARDSVILLE  An Alton man was charged with residential burglary Friday.

Jordin A. Reynolds, 20, was charged March 12 with residential burglary, a Class 1 felony.

The case was presented by the Alton Police Department.

According to court documents, on March 11 Reynolds allegedly entered a home in the 700 block of Henry Street to commit theft.

Bail was set at $100,000.

Other felony charges filed March 12 by the Madison County States Attorneys Office include:

 Jeremy D. Williams, 27, of Edwardsville, was charged with domestic battery (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Edwardsville Police Department. According to court documents, on March 7 Williams allegedly struck a family or household member in the face. It was noted that he had been convicted of domestic battery out of Madison County in 2019. Bail was set at $15,000.

 Dennis W. Hopper, 48, of Caseyville, was charged with forgery. The case was presented by the Madison County Sheriffs Department. On Feb. 1 Hopper allegedly tried to pass a bad check for $1,400 at the ZX Gas Station. Bail was set at $15,000.

 Billie J. Cottle, 38, of Granite City, was charged with forgery, a Class 3 felony. The case was presented by the Alton Police Department. On March 11 Cottle allegedly had attempted to give an altered check for $250 to another person. On March 11 Cottle had been charged with multiple counts of forgery out of Granite City, and on March 9 had been charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance. Bail in the latest case was set at $15,000.

 Samantha J. Stoops, 25, of Hartford, was charged with retail theft under $300 (second subsequent offense), a class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Wood River Police Department. On March 11 Stoops allegedly took merchandise worth less than $300 from the Wood River Walmart, 610 Wesley Drive. Bail was set at $15,000.

 James J. Wille, 37, of St. Jacob, was charged with retail theft under $300 (second subsequent offense), a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Wood River Police Department. On March 2 Wille allegedly took miscellaneous merchandise valued at less than $300 from the Wood River Walmart, 610 Wesley Drive. It was noted he had a prior conviction for burglary out of Madison County in 2017. Bail was set at $15,000.

 Jordan A. Scaggs, 26, of Cottage Hills, was charged with criminal damage to property, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Alton Police Department. On March 11 Scaggs allegedly caused more than $500 damage to a 2006 Toyota Scion. Bail was set at $15,000.

 Robert L. Shanks, 38, of Wood River, was charged with driving while license revoked, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Wood River Police Department. On March 9 Shanks allegedly was found to be driving a motor vehicle along West Beach in Wood River, with a revoked license due to a 2009 DUI conviction and multiple driving while revoked convictions. Bail was set at $15,000.
A 75-year-old Asian man died on Thursday after police in California say he was assaulted and robbed by a man with a history of victimizing older Asian Americans.

Pak Ho was taking a walk in his Oakland neighborhood on Tuesday morning when he was approached by 26-year-old Teaunte Bailey, who tried to rob him, according to the Alameda County District Attorneys Office. Bailey is accused of shoving Ho, causing him to hit his head on the pavement and suffer a traumatic head injury and brain damage.

Ho died two days after the attack, officials said.

Bailey was arrested and charged with several felonies, including murder, according to the Oakland Police Department.

Police say they learned through their investigation that Bailey has a history of victimizing elderly Asian people.

He is accused of breaking into a senior living residence on Feb. 19, shoving a 72-year-old and robbing the man of his phone and other items, according to the district attorneys office. Officials did not say whether the victim is Asian.

An uptick in crime in Oaklands Chinatown against Asian Americans has led Alameda County District Attorney Nancy OMalley to launch a special unit to investigate.

Im at a loss for words, Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said of Hos death in a message posted on Facebook. Our elders should be protected not the victim of a deadly assault. I am thankful that our officers were able to quickly respond and arrest Mr. Bailey. The Oakland Police Department will relentlessly pursue those that violate the most vulnerable members in our community.

Bailey was arraigned on Friday and was ordered to be held without bail, according to NBC Bay Area.
Stormont departments have spent more than 4.5m on empty buildings - some of which have been vacant for decades - in the last five years, it can be revealed.

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Figures compiled by the Belfast Telegraph show that more than 1.25m in rates and in excess of 3.3m in maintenance across the nine government departments has been spent on such sites.

Only one department - the Department for the Economy - owns no vacant properties.

The situation has led to calls for a review into all government-owned vacant property to assess what is needed and what is not.

While several properties owned by the various departments are in differing stages of regeneration or sale, many have been lying dormant for years with no sign of being used in the near future.

The Department for Communities had the highest expenditure of all departments, with a total spend of almost 2m across more than 100 properties. This is comprised of 89,000 in rates and 1,888,117 in maintenance.

Second-highest in spending was the Department of Education, spending more than 1.5m on some 57 empty properties since the 2016/17 financial year. Of this, 787,000 went towards rates, while 713,000 was spent on maintenance.

The Department of Health, which spent some 388,000 on 10 buildings and plots of land - including 133,000 in rates and 38,314 in maintenance - came in third.

Next was Infrastructure, racking up a bill of 285,000 over the same period for almost 20 properties. A total of 104,000 went towards rates and maintenance cost 181,000.

The Department of Justice paid for the upkeep of five vacant buildings. Some 16,000 went towards rates and 144,000 was spent on maintenance.

Coming in with a bill of 130,000 across a dozen properties, including 43,000 in rates and 87,000 in maintenance, was the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

The department with the second lowest spend on vacant properties was Finance, which spent a total of 107,166 on six sites since 2016/17.

Finally, the Executive Office spent a total of 84,896 on 16 properties. This includes 11,482 in rates that were paid in error over four years and 73,414 in maintenance.

SDLP MLA Colin McGrath, who tabled a series of Assembly questions regarding the vacant buildings, said the situation needs to be reviewed to ensure taxpayer money is not being wasted.

"Based on these figures the absolute minimum we need to be looking at is an assessment by the Department of Finance that is going to look at all vacant government property and assess - 'is this needed, can it be disposed of?' - because if we're forking out more than 4.5m it's just ridiculous," he told the Belfast Telegraph.

"Now, some of it is circular money, because, for instance, the Department of Education may have a vacant property and they're paying rates. Well, the money comes from the Department of Finance, on to Education, who pay rates back to Finance and then they recoup it. So some of the money stays in government circles.

"But, there is bound to be an admin cost that goes with facilitating that circular motion. At the very least as well, I would expect an assessment regarding if they actually generate bills? Do they post bills? Do they go through their finance department and then the bills are sent back to the Department of Finance? After all, it's their own money."

He said the DoF should be able to put a system in place where rates bills issued to government buildings have a special coding so, in effect, the bills don't actually have to be sent, "otherwise it's just going round in circles and costing more money".

"Maintenance is a bigger issue, because you are maintaining building that you are not using. We need an urgent assessment done as to whether or not these buildings are required," he said.
"Joe's appointment represents another elevation and investment in our DE&I efforts," said Loree. "Our purpose, For Those Who Make The World, reinforces our commitment to inclusivity for all people. More broadly, diversity, equity and inclusion are cornerstones of our culture. Joe's strong leadership and expertise in building a diverse and inclusive culture will help accelerate our progress in achieving true equality."

Prior to assuming the role of Chief Diversity Officer, Simms was Vice President, Human Resources for the company's $10B Global Tools & Storage business. He oversaw HR responsibility for all commercial regions, business units and functions, in addition to centralized HR activities such as diversity and inclusion, talent acquisition and development. Simms currently serves as co-chair of the company's African Ancestry Network and contributed to the company's 10 Commitments to Racial Equity and Social Justice.

Simms began his career at Stanley Black & Decker in 2013 as Vice President, Human Resources for U.S. Sales & Marketing. Before joining the company, Simms worked in a variety of human resource leadership roles at PepsiCo, including Senior Director, Human Resources for Pepsi Beverage Company's (PBC) Mid-Atlantic Region. He joined PBC in 1995 and held a number of roles with increasing leadership responsibilities during his 17-year tenure at PepsiCo.

Simms graduated from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. After completing his undergraduate work, Simms received a Master of Arts degree in Labor & Industrial Relations from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Stanley Black & Decker has taken a number of steps to advance its diversity and inclusion efforts, supporting nine employee resource groups (including a Women's Network), joining the Paradigm for Parity Coalition to address the gender gap in corporate leadership and signing on to the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion. The company has also participated in the Business Roundtable Diversity & Inclusion Index, where the largest U.S.-based employers are committed to building a more inclusive environment. In addition, the company's CEO, Jim Loree was among a group of prominent CEOs to sign on to the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion.

For more information about Stanley Black & Decker's gender equality efforts, visit https://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com/equality-for-everyone.

About Stanley Black & Decker

Stanley Black & Decker is a purpose-driven, $14.5 billion revenue industrial organization. Stanley Black & Decker has 53,000 employees in more than 60 countries and operates the world's largest tools and storage business, the world's second-largest commercial electronic security services company, a leading engineered fastening business as well as Oil & Gas and Infrastructure businesses. The company's iconic brands include BLACK+DECKER, Bostitch, CRAFTSMAN, DEWALT, FACOM, IRWIN, LENOX, Porter Cable and STANLEY. Stanley Black & Decker is a company for the makers and innovators, the craftsmen and the caregivers, and those doing the hard work to make the world a better place. Learn more at www.stanleyblackanddecker.com.

SOURCE Stanley Black & Decker

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Spanish Artist Sculpts Mind-Bending Soft Stone That Seems to Fold, Wrinkle, and Squeeze

A sculptor with a bent for optical illusion has devised an incredible way to soften rockor so it would seem to those who behold his work.

Appearing to defy the laws of physics, Spanish artist Jose Manuel Castro Lopez carves hunks of quartz and granitesome small, some massiveinto fluid, undulating forms: folded like fabric; squeezed like soft sofa cushions; pressed; compacted; drawn; wrinkled; twisted; or pinched.

Some of his works are finely polished to mimic a bead of water on stone; others are skillfully aged to defy the senses still further.

Lopez, an incredibly prolific artist, takes each stones natural shape and texture into consideration before arriving at a final design. His works range from delicate pieces that fit in the palm of a hand to monumental works which appear to weigh several tons. I adapt to its essence, Lopez, 61, explained to My Modern Met. I take advantage of its qualities and I try to get the best out of it.

Here are a few of Lopezs mind-bending stone works:

The artist removes all traces of the sculptors hand with textures and oxides. Yet, sympathetic to the rocks natural form, Lopez always preserves a portion of untouched texture in every sculpture. This juxtaposition makes the rock look as though it has changed its form naturally and spontaneously.

His ideas also come to him spontaneously.

I am a trained stonemason and the fact of the hardness of the stone confronted me, he explained, according to Daily Mail. This thought may have caused the idea of softening the stones, even in an unconscious way, to leap into my brain.

But having an idea is fine, the difficulty then is to develop it.

Some of Lopezs sculptures employ the ruse of wrinkles and creases. Others defy our sense of texture in cheeky ways: appearing to slice through or even smear solid stone. He occasionally carves wood in a similar fashion. Some more intricate pieces incorporate metal rings or stitches, seeming to manipulate the material in mind-bending ways.

My relationship with the stone is not only physical but also magical, Lopez told My Modern Met. They manifest, they obey me, we understand each other.

Lopez studied sculpture at Escola de Canteiros in northwestern Spain from 1980 to 1985. Now living in the Galician city of A Coruna, the artist shares his logic-defying work on Facebook and Instagram.

Here are more sculptural works by Lopez:

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As the different variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus continue to spread, particularly those originating in the United Kingdom, Brazil, and South Africa, reported cases of the coronavirus have again begun to rise.

Since February 20, the number of daily new cases worldwide has increased steadily, from 361,000 cases then, to more than 422,000 cases now, up 17 percent. The increase is being driven in countries across the world. Currently there are more than 22,000 new cases each day in India (an 80 percent increase), just under 25,000 in France (a 24 percent increase), and 22,000 in Italy (an 83 percent increase). The main driver of the new wave is Brazil, where there are at least 66,000 new cases each day (a 36 percent increase) and climbing.

Workers load empty coffins that had contained the remains of COVID-19 victims on a flatbed, to be destroyed by a company specializing in organic waste, at La Recoleta cemetery, in Santiago, Chile. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix, File)

The total number of cases worldwide has now exceeded 120 million, with more than 2,660,000 dead.

Numerous other countries have also seen steady, and in some cases sharp, increases in their case counts, including Chile, the Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Germany, Iran, Paraguay, Poland and the Philippines. And in the United States, where the decline in cases has largely plateaued, there is still an average of more than 55,000 new reported cases each day.

There is every indication that this new wave, if allowed to continue, will be the worst yet. The previous wave was spurred on by relatively limited school and workplace reopenings, driving the number of new cases each day from just under 300,000 at the beginning of October to 745,000 at the beginning of January. Globally, more than 900,000 people died during that three-month period.

The social misery produced by such a state of affairs is staggering. Bloomberg recently reported that 30 million people in Africa were plunged into extreme poverty by the pandemic in 2020, living on less than $1.90 a day, and an estimated 39 million people will be made equally destitute in 2021. The United Nations reports that poverty in Latin America rose in 2020 by 22 million people. The number of new poor in East Asia and the Pacific increased by at least 38 million.

Globally, the World Bank estimates that between 119 to 124 million people so far have been impoverished by the coronavirus pandemic.

After the Second World War, the world has experienced mass trauma, because the Second World War affected many, many lives. And now, even with this COVID pandemic, with bigger magnitude, more lives have been affected, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news conference Friday. Almost the whole world is affected, each and every individual on the surface of the world actually has been affected.

Now, with case numbers higher than they were at the beginning of the last surge, the Biden administration is spearheading an even more complete return to in-person schooling and work. Countries in Europe, South America, Asia and elsewhere are following suit, effectively inducing an even greater expansion of the pandemic. The ongoing reopenings in the United States and around the world are setting the stage for even greater heights of mass death.

The excuse being force-fed to the American and world public is that this is safe because the vaccine rollout is continuing apace.

The truth is quite the opposite. Even in the US, which has one of the highest vaccination rates, only about 10 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, meaning that the majority of the population is still susceptible to the deadly virus.

Moreover, the rollout itself is characterized by many examples of vaccine nationalism and vaccine hoarding, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The Biden administration has openly admitted hoarding doses of the vaccine, including about 10 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, for which the FDA has yet to give emergency authorization. AstraZeneca itself asked to transfer those doses to Europe, where it can be used. The idea was rejected out of hand, with Bidens COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients proclaiming Friday, Were rightly focused on getting Americans vaccinated as soon as possible.

In other words, Biden has fully embraced the America First policy of ex-President Trumps Operation Warp Speed.

Vaccine nationalism has also emerged sharply in Europe. Last week, Italy blocked the export of 250,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Australia. Tensions between the UK and European Union continued as European Council President Charles Michel accused London of imposing an export ban on COVID-19 vaccines.

As a result, while more than 350 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been administered internationally, three-quarters of those have been given in just 10 countries, including more than 100 million in the United States alone. In contrast, less than five percent of the population in South America has received even a single dose. In Africa, where the total number of deaths just passed 100,000, less than half of one percent of the population has been vaccinated.

This uneven distribution itself has the potential to drive the pandemic. As Dr. Tedros recently noted, The inequitable distribution of vaccines remains the biggest threat to ending the pandemic and driving a global recovery, because the longer the virus circulates, the higher the chances that variants will emerge that make vaccines less effective.

In other words, there is nothing right, much less at all rational, about hoarding millions of life-saving vaccines in the middle of a pandemic. Every dose that is not used is a lost opportunity for an infection to be stopped, another life saved. It is also more opportunity for the virus to mutate, increasing the chances of a variant emerging completely immune to the vaccines, retriggering the entire pandemic. Dr. Tedros rightly condemned this when he noted, This is putting lives at risk around the world.

Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, made similar comments in a recent piece entitled, COVID-19 Variants and the Peril of Vaccine Inequity. In it, he writes:

Neither the United States nor any other global power can defeat a pandemic by thinking in national terms. COVID-19 vaccines are now a central component of the United States national security and defense. But unlike other spheres of defense, this one involves protectingnot fightingforeigners. As the poet John Donne noted centuries ago, No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. Never has that been truer than during the current worldwide plague. If the bell continues to toll, it will be tolling for us all.

As has been demonstrated over the past year, however, appeals to the ruling class fall on deaf ears. Neither the Trump nor Biden administrations, or their counterparts internationally, are capable, much less interested, in sharing the vaccine. Stockpiles are viewed as strategic assets to be wielded against geopolitical rivals, not medicine to save lives.

As David North writes in his essay, Capitalism vs. socialism: The pandemic and the global class struggle:

The capitalist program promotes a policy of vaccination nationalism, restricting and opposing equitable distribution of vaccines throughout the world. The socialist program, recognizing that the coronavirus can be eradicated only through a scientifically directed international strategy, calls for a globally coordinated inoculation program.

There can be no national solution to the pandemic. The social system bound up with the existence of nation-states, capitalism, must end and be replaced with a socialist society based on the democratic and scientific planning of the worlds resources, where human lives are placed above private profit.

CLEVELAND, Ohio  The nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards were announced Monday and the list of Oscar contenders comes with Cleveland ties.

One of this years most-nominated films, Judas and the Black Messiah, was shot in Cleveland in 2019. The film tells the story of Fred Hampton, played by Daniel Kaluuya, the chairman of the Black Panther Party who was assassinated in 1969. Lakeith Stanfield plays FBI informant William ONeal who ultimately betrayed Hampton and the Black Panthers.

Judas and the Black Messiah is nominated for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Original Song. In addition, both Stanfield and Kaluuya are nominated for Best Supporting Actor, with the latter being the odds on favorite to win the category.

Another Cleveland tie-in comes in the Best Original Score category. Trent Reznor, the founder of Nine Inch Nails (a band formed in Cleveland in the late 1980s), is nominated twice alongside collaborator Atticus Ross in the Best Original Score category.

The duos score for David Finchers Mank and Soul (done with Jon Batiste) are both nominated, while Soul has dominated most of the precursor awards including last months Golden Globes. Reznor and Ross previously won for Best Original Score for 2010s The Social Network, directed by Fincher.

Check out the full list of Academy Award nominees, below:

Best Picture

The Father

Judas and the Black Messiah

Mank

Minari

Nomadland

Promising Young Woman

Sound of Metal

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Directing

Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round

David Fincher, Mank

Lee Isaac Chung, Minari

Chloe Zhao, Nomadland

Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Viola Davis, Ma Raineys Black Bottom

Andra Day, United States vs. Billie Holiday

Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman

Frances McDormand, Nomadland

Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal

Chadwick Boseman, Ma Raineys Black Bottom

Anthony Hopkins, The Father

Gary Oldman, Mank

Steven Yeun, Minari

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy

Olivia Colman, The Father

Amanda Seyfried, Mank

Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah

Leslie Odom, Jr., One Night in Miami...

Paul Raci, Sound of Metal

LaKeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah

Best Original Screenplay

Judas and the Black Messiah

Minari

Promising Young Woman

Sound of Metal

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Adapted Screenplay

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

The Father

Nomadland

One Night in Miami

The White Tiger

Best Cinematography

Judas and the Black Messiah

Mank

News of the World

Nomadland

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Film Editing

The Father

Nomadland

Promising Young Woman

Sound of Metal

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Animated Feature Film

Onward

Over the Moon

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

Soul

Wolfwalkers

Best Animated Short Film

Burrow

Genius Loci

If Anything Happens I Love You

Opera

Yes-People

Best Live-Action Short Film

Feeling Through

The Letter Room

The Present

Two Distant Strangers

White Eye

Best International Feature Film

Another Round

Better Days

Collective

The Man Who Sold His Skin

Quo Vadis, Aida?

Best Documentary Feature

Collective

Crip Camp

The Mole Agent

My Octopus Teacher

Time

Best Documentary Short Subject

Colette

A Concerto Is a Conversation

Do Not Split

Hunger Ward

A Love Song for Latasha

Best Original Score

Da 5 Bloods

Mank

Minari

News of the World

Soul

Best Original Song

Fight For You, Judas and the Black Messiah

Hear My Voice, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Husavik, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Io Si (Seen), The Life Ahead

Speak Now, One Night in Miami

Best Sound

Greyhound

Mank

News of the World

Soul

Sound of Metal

Best Costume Design

Emma

Ma Raineys Black Bottom

Mank

Mulan

Pinocchio

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Emma

Hillbilly Elegy

Ma Raineys Black Bottom

Mank

Pinocchio

Best Production Design

The Father

Ma Raineys Black Bottom

Mank

News of the World

Tenet

Best Visual Effects

Love and Monsters

The Midnight Sky

Mulan

The One and Only Ivan

Tenet
First Lady Jill Biden declared in New Jersey on Monday the nation is beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel after a year of battling the coronavirus pandemic.

The first lady toured Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington to learn about the COVID-19 mitigation plans used in the school and to promote the massive $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus law the president signed into law last week.

Today Im here to tell you, with the American Rescue Plan, help is here, she said to applause.

The first lady also touted other aspects of the relief plan that will help people throughout the state and the country, including $1,400 stimulus checks for many Americans, support for small businesses and aid to local governments that would avoid layoffs to plug holes in budgets.

What I want you to know is this, Biden said. We are going to get people back to work, we are going to lift up the families who are struggling to get by and were going to be stronger than ever. That is what the American Rescue Plan is all about, help today so that we can build back better tomorrow.

Gov. Phil Murphy, who introduced the first lady to small crowd of teachers and elected officials who gathered outside of the school to hear from Biden, called it a real, real treat to have her in the state.

Dr. Biden, I am proud that New Jersey is doing our part to meet the presidents goal of seeing our children back in school for in-person instruction, said Murphy, a fellow Democra. The governor has long argued during the pandemic that he prefers in-person instruction throughout the state when possible.

New Jersey is expected to receive about $2.5 billion out of the $130 billion in the relief package meant to help K-12 schools get back to in-person learning, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez said, acknowledgedly at the event its been a really really tough year for New Jersey parents and students.

We are so fortunate having an accomplished and passionate educator as first lady, Menendez, D-N.J., added.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

The governor was at the airport in Burlington to greet the first lady with a double high five after she landed around 11:15 a.m., according to pool reports. They traveled separately to the school where they arrived shortly after noon. Biden was greeted with a small crowd that clapped as she entered the school.

Hello, nice to see all of you. Im a teacher too but I teach English. Tomorrow I will be doing the exact same thing with my students, she told two students during a tour of a classroom.

Biden is an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College.

She spoke for about 10 minutes after she toured the school for about 45 minutes.

To make sure our schools here in New Jersey have the resources they need to get kids back to in-person school is really critical, said U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11th Dist., whose four children are all doing virtual learning at the moment.

She also highlighted how not only does this help us get kids back in school but just really take care of families today, and make sure that the pandemic doesnt punish them for the next several decades, Sherrill said.

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

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com.
The coronavirus has changed the way we live, limiting travel, closing schools and businesses, forcing us to stay home to stay safe.

But the coronavirus could not stop the workings of government.

As taxpaying citizens, we still demand and expect police and fire protection from our local units of government. We still expect the roads to be plowed and repaired. We still expect the water to flow from the tap when we turn it on.

Our local governments are necessary. The things they are designed to do for us are essential.

In March 2020, when shutdowns became the norm, the problem became how to continue to let governments do their job under the restriction placed on all Michiganians under the state of emergency and state of disaster, both declared by the governor.

How do you hold a public meeting when gatherings are prohibited? How do you operate a public government without allowing the public in?

Executive Order 2020-15 was enacted on April 1, 2020 which allows local units of government to hold their public meetings electronically. They are restricted to following some guidelines. It has since been turned into law as of the end of last year.

PA 254 would allow for remote, virtual meeting under certain circumstances through Dec. 31, 2021.

In addition to being allowed to meet, deliberate and vote on necessary and essential items on their agendas, any local unit of government can hold a meeting via Zoom or other easily accessible form of electronic video conference. They can also hold a meeting via teleconference. They can do either as long as they provide easy access by computer or phone to any constituent wanting to participate.

Governments have to provide information to their constituents on when the meeting is to be held, what is on the agenda, why it is critical to be debated and decided and how anyone can connect and participate.

Questions or comments from those watching or listening have to be acknowledged and answered by the electeds. All discussion or deliberation by those we elected must be held live and on camera. All votes at these e-meetings are to be taken via roll call.

In some ways, this system works well. Boards and committees still hold their meetings. Citizens can participate electronically from the safety of their homes. Government services continue to be provided to those of us that pay for those services.

In other ways, this permission to hold electronic meetings exposed flaws in many areas.

Many local governments proved themselves incapable of adequately hosting a simple Zoom meeting. They either did not have the horsepower in their IT department  if they have an IT department at all  or the ability to quickly adapt to the new meeting rules and guidelines allowed by the governor.

Many were unable to provide the mandated openness to share discussion with those watching.

Some placed limits on the number of guests who were allowed to join their electronic meeting. Some eliminated visitors through an all-to-ambitious pre-screening process.

And the absence of reliable internet service in many areas of our state stood out clearly.

As a citizen, if you cant operate a computer, if you cant accept a Zoom meeting invitation, if you dont have internet service, you cannot participate in these newly approved electronic government meetings.

In Michigans Upper Peninsula, citizens are driving 40 miles to find internet service so they can attend a court-ordered electronic Zoom hearing.

The workings of government in the public light is a must. Not a maybe, a sometimes or even a whenever possible.

Our government belongs to the people. The people who pay their taxes, who elect local officials to represent them at all levels of government  from school boards all the way to those we send to Washington.

The coronavirus has challenged us all. It has made us rethink the way we live and conduct our lives. It has forced us to do things differently.

But it cannot be allowed to take from us the ability to participate in the workings of our governmental bodies. From school boards through city commissions, the people who are elected must operate in the open, face to face with and in front of those that elect them.

Dirk Milliman, publisher/editor of Three Rivers Commercial News, is the Public Policy Committee Chairman of the Michigan Press Association.
Otto Waterlander, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Naftogaz Group, Naftogaz Group Chief Transformation Officer

Monopolies are bad for consumers. They eliminate competition, may and often will abuse their dominant market position and stop innovation. In addition, it prevents customers from making choices. Especially if such monopoly is in the business of essential supplies  like natural gas. Moreover, solving the problem of the monopoly is crucial for Ukraine this year, given worlds economic recovery and strong possibility of the return of high market prices of the gas.

So, addressing the topic of monopolies is important as it concerns the price in your heating bill (and how can we solve the problem by fighting the abuse of the real monopolies)

There exists an important misconception in Ukraine concerning monopoly on gas market and its influence on your heating bills and the State budget. Numerous media outlets, experts, even some politicians (let alone populists) call your State-owned Naftogaz a "monopolist" and request to break-up or liquidate the company. Would that work in your interest? I believe definitely not. What is more, it leaves the real monopoly of RGK in retail-supply of gas with harmful effects in place.

Let me explain why existing misconceptions are wrong and harmful.

Myth one: Naftogaz as monopolist on the wholesale market

Allegations of the monopoly position of the state-owned Naftogaz are common, even analysts of some gas companies reiterate that in public communication.

The reality is opposite. People confuse large with monopoly.

Today, anyone can buy gas from Naftogaz or any of the other 50 traders in the Ukrainian market. With a lot of effort and investments, the Ukrainian market is integrated in the European market. The physical volume of European market is 450 bcm, and the Ukrainian market about 30 bcm market. With so many parties and Ukrainian market volume some 6-7% only, every buyer has significant choice to purchase from domestic producers, imports, or taken from storage. Naftogaz supplies about half the Ukrainian volume and has some 3% market share in Europe. This is relevant as the pricing is made now in the European context. Everyone will continuously make the choice what is the best available price for today, tomorrow and in future. The European market allows to purchase gas at different moments in time: for delivery the next day, the next month or even the full year ahead. All the Ukrainian regional Gazzbut companies are able to buy gas from Naftogaz, and some already do so. Naftogaz does not discriminate on prices or contract terms between parties. Also, Naftogaz own retail company purchases gas at market prices levels and conditions.

Naftogaz supported the development of an open and competitive market for years and now the whole country benefits from it. During the winter, Ukraines market prices were actually lower than in Europe. And just to make make sure, that our price is fair, Naftogaz has committed to sell 15% of our gas on the energy exchange every year.

Of course, all retail-supply companies need to adjust to this competitive market and not everyone is happy. You have to pay if you want to purchase gas from Naftogaz. The Gazzbut network, mentioned earlier, enjoyed regulated prices for the households till last year, and Naftogaz was obliged to supply. But now, we only need to supply if you can demonstrate you can pay. As a result, Gazzbut still owes 13 bln. UAH to Naftogaz. And this is the money that we wish to collect as it belong to every Ukrainian.

Myth two Naftogaz as monopolist on the retail market

Unlike business companies and Gazzbut retailers, households till recently had no choice of the price and supplier. The price was regulated by the state and each region has a single supplier. In 70% of the cases this was Gazzbut, founded by the gas network provider. And since the price was regulated and Naftogaz was obliged to supply through these companies, they enjoyed a monopoly situation. Households paid for the gas. Why did they not pay for it to Naftogaz?

This was actual abuse of monopoly, and its monopoly power still influences people. Government of Ukraine understands the problem, and despite huge pressure bravely abolished regulated price last summer fro the benefit of competition.

The results were impressive: 30 retailers started to fight for the attention of the customers, proposing the best price and terms. Our newly created retail company proposed price 30% less than the Gazzbut network  setting the benchmark of what the real market prize is. Till the end of 2020, some 600 000 households changed its supplier according to the regulator data. Its a lot in such short time! It is clear: customers want free choice and want to exercise their customer power!

And the real monopoly  Gazzbut network, responsible for 70% of the clients, decided to compete unfair. National regulator and consumer rights NGOs were overwhelmed with the appeals from the customers: local gas network providers were preventing consumers to shift to cheaper providers. Their arsenal  hiding of the EIC code, forceful outage, even threats. These actions are the best evidence, that gas network providers (RGK) and gas supply companies (Gazzbut) were not separated properly.

We shall expect that this new experience since August 2020 will be taken into consideration in the next Annual Implementation Report by Energy Community Secretariat. Importantly, the latest report fully acknowledges Naftogaz unbundling success.

Only when we can celebrate, that Ukrainian households can change suppliers without any restrictions, will we have proof of effective local distribution unbundling.

According to European and Ukrainian legislation network owner cannot be anyhow connected with the supplier. They have different interests. For example, network owner is interested in the quality measuring and open database, open for any company.

But still not in Ukraine. Network operators were actually forcing people to stay with their old suppliers, that they founded. And we do know the price. According to the calculations regional gazzbut companies received 7 bln. UAH extra from Ukrainian households. We simply compared market price and price, they set for the customers.

And make no mistake  regional Gazzbut companies were able to buy from Naftogaz or any other company on the wholesale market  see myth one.

Whats the solution?

It is obvious that no government will tolerate such an abuse of the market and rights of the customer. Emergency measures were taken in February, when temporary price cap was imposed. More to come.

Antimonopoly committee opened investigation on the Gazzbut companies, for the abuse of monopoly position to raise prices. Its not the first case, A case against RGK network (DSOs) companies is opened some time ago (2019) in Antimonopoly committee, and we just sent additional information that should help regulator to find out that this group is actually one single entity and that their concentration was made without AMCU consent

National regulator issued the decree obliging all the retailers to set a yearly tariff - a market solution, aimed to shelter customers from the price volatility and offered by Naftogaz last year already.

We also informed Energy Community on this situation European partners should have clear understanding of the Ukraines reality

And the next much needed step  creation of the of the datahub (just like E-health system) with the customer information secured, but opened for every gas supplier, that has the agreement with the customer.

Unlike existing datahub 104.ua opened only for  selected companies (subject of investigation of Antimonopoly committee as well) and clearly, not secured for the users, that are NOT in control of their data. We believe that the datahub, as required by Ukraines IMF commitments, will help guarantee that households are in hold of their own data and can easily transfer it to suppliers of their own choice.

With the joint efforts of government, regulators and businesses we can create retail market, that protects consumer, not pickpockets in the interest of private intermediaries.
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This year's Academy Awards are officially the most diverse yet with a record-breaking number of actors of color being nominated and two female directors receiving nods for the first time.

Biographical drama Mank led nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards on Monday with 10 nods, including best actor and best film. The Father followed closely behind with seven nominations.

Nine of the 20 acting nominees this year are actors of color and it is the first time in history that the best actor category isn't majority white.

Nominations in the Best Actor in a Leading Role category include Steven Yeun (Minari) who is the first Asian American to receive a nod; Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom) who received a posthumous nomination; and Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) who is the first Muslim actor to be given a nod in the category.

It is also the first time two female directors have ever been nominated in the best director category, with Chloe Zhao (Nomadland) and Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) both receiving nods. Only five women have ever been nominated in the category before.

Zhao is also the first woman of color to ever be nominated for best director. She also got nominations for the film's adapted screenplay, editing and as a producer in the best picture category.

The 2021 Academy Awards are officially the most diverse yet with a record-breaking number of actors of color being nominated, including Viola Davis (center) for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Chadwick Boseman (left) for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Leading role: Mank led the way with 10 nominations, including Best Leading Actor for Gary Oldman, Best Supporting Actress for Amanda Seyfried and Best Film (Gary and Amanda pictured)

The nine people of color nominated in acting categories include Best Actor in a Leading Role nominees Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal), Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom) and Steven Yeun (Minari), Best Actress in a Supporting Role nominee Youn Yuh-jung (Minari), Best Actress in a Leading Role nominees Viola Davis (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom) and Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday) and Best Actor in a Supporting Role nominees Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah), Leslie Odom, Jr. (One Night in Miami) and Lakeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah).

The last record for non-white actors being nominated was back in 2017 when seven actors of color were nominated, including Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Ruth Negga and Octavia Spencer.

Viola Davis, who won for her performance in 2016's Fences, landed her fourth Oscar nomination, making her the most nominated black actress ever.

It follows a push from the Academy to diversify its membership following the #OscarsSoWhite race row back in 2015 and 2016 when only white actors were nominated.

Last year's Oscars also prompted outrage after only one non-white actor, British star Cynthia Erivo, was nominated for her role as anti-slavery icon Harriet Tubman in Harriet.

The voting body has vastly expanded in the past year with more than 800 new members. New inclusion and representation rules, which were first announced last year, for the best picture category have not yet come into effect.

Late and great: Chadwick Boseman received a posthumous nod in the Best Actor in a Leading Role category for his role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Nominations in the Best Actor in a Leading Role category include Steven Yeun (Minari) who is the first Asian American to receive a nod; and Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) who is the first Muslim actor to be given a nod in the category

2021 vs 2020: OSCARS DIVERSIFY Actors of color 2021: Chadwick Boseman Riz Ahmed Steven Yeun Youn Yuh-jung Viola Davis Andra Day Daniel Kaluuya Leslie Odom, Jr. Lakeith Stanfield 2020: Cynthia Erivo Best director 2021: FEMALE Chloe Zhao (Nomadland) Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) MALE Lee Isaac Chung (Minari) David Fincher (Mank) Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round) 2020: MALE Bong Joon-ho (Parasite) Sam Mendes (1917) Todd Phillips (Joker) Martin Scorsese (The Irishman) Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)

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Following on from Mank and The Father in numbers were Nomadland, Sound Of Metal, Minari, Judas And The Black Messiah and Trial Of The Chicago Seven, which were all named in six categories.

Promising Young Woman and Ma Rainey received five nominations and Borat came in with two.

After receiving BAFTA nods earlier this month, late star Chadwick Boseman received a Best Actor in a Leading Role nomination for his role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, alongside Riz Ahmed for Sound of Metal, Anthony Hopkins for The Father, Gary Oldman for Mank and Steven Yeun for Minari.

Anthony became the oldest Best Actor nominee at 83.

The Best Actress list includes: Viola Davis for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Andra Day for The United States vs Billie Holiday, Vanessa Kirby for Pieces of a Woman, Frances McDormand for Nomadland and Carey Mulligan for Promising Young Woman.

Opening up the nominations was Actress in a Supporting Role with Maria Bakalova for Borat, Glenn Close forHillbilly Elegy, Olivia Colman for the Father, Amanda Seyfried, for the 93rd Academy Awards which were announced by actress Priyanka Chopra and musician husband Nick Jonas in a livestream.

The Actor In a Supporting Role nods went to Sacha Baron Cohen, Daniel Kaluuya, Leslie Odom Jr and Paul Raci. Adapted Screenplay nominees include Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, The Father, Nomadland, One Night In Miami and The White Tiger.

Best Adapted Screenplay nods went to Judas And The Black Messiah, Minari, Promising Young Woman, Sound Of Metal, while Best International Feature Film gongs are going for Another Round, Better Days, Collective, The Man Who Sold His Skin, Quo Vadis Aida.

Best Film Editing went to The Father, Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal and The Trial of the Chicago 7, while Best Production Design includes The Father, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Mank, News of the World and Tenet.

After a pandemic year that shuttered most movie theaters, the best-picture nominees had hardly any box office to speak of. The Oscars won't just lack blockbusters, it's going forward with many movies that have barely played on the big screen at all. That leaves streaming services set to dominate Hollywood's biggest and most sought-after awards.

Netflix, as expected, led the pack with 35 nominations. The service is still gunning for its first best-picture winner, and this year has two shots in Mank and The Trial of the Chicago 7 - a movie Paramount Pictures sold off during the pandemic. Netflix led last year, too, with 24 nominations, but came away with just two wins.

Other streamers were in the mix. Amazon, in particular, was well represented with Sound of Metal, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm and One Night in Miami.

This year marks the first time two female directors have ever been nominated in the best director category. Director Chloe Zhao (right on the set of Nomadland with actress Frances McDormand) is also the first woman of color to ever be nominated for best director

The second female director nominated this year is Emerald Fennell for Promising Young Woman. She is pictured on the right on set with actress Carey Mulligan

Best Actor in a Supporting Role nominees include Leslie Odom, Jr. (left) for One Night in Miami and Lakeith Stanfield (far right) and Daniel Kaluuya (right) for their roles in Judas and the Black Messiah

The nominations were announced from London by presenters Nick Jonas and wife Priyanka Chopra Jonas.

The Academy Awards would typically have happened by now but this year were postponed by two months due to the pandemic.

They will instead be telecast April 25.

The film academy confirmed on Monday that the show will be held at both its usual home in the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and the city's railway hub, Union Station.

The 93rd Academy Awards will be 'an Oscars like none other, while prioritizing the public health and safety of all those who will participate,' a spokesperson said.

No further new details were offered on the ceremony, which caps Hollywood's lengthy award season.

The film academy and ABC will hope that the nominees can drum up more excitement than they have elsewhere. Interest in little golden statuettes has nosedived during the pandemic. Ratings for a largely virtual Golden Globes plunged to 6.9 million viewers - a 64 percent drop from 2020 - last month.

Though on Sunday the Grammys managed to break through the Zoom trap that has bedeviled other awards shows.

With the notable exception of fueling streaming subscriber growth, the pandemic has been punishing for the movie industry. Production slowed to a crawl, blockbusters were postponed or detoured to streaming and thousands have been laid off or furloughed.

But the outlook for Hollywood has recently brightened as coronavirus cases have slid and vaccines have ramped up. Movie theaters are reopening in the U.S.'s two largest markets, New York and Los Angeles. And several larger movies  including the Walt Disney Co.'s Black Widow (May 7)  are scheduled for May and beyond.

Starring roles: Olivia Colman joined her The Father co-star Anthony Hopkins in receiving the nod

Happy days: Borat Subsequent Movie Film: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan has been recognized

93RD ACADEMY AWARDS WINNERS Best Picture The Father Judas and the Black Messiah Mank Minari Nomadland - WINNER Promising Young Woman Sound of Metal The Trial of the Chicago 7 Golden: Frances McDormand, Chloe Zhao, Mollye Asher and Dan Janvey (seen left to right) as Nomadland won Best Picture Best Actress in a Leading Role Viola Davis  Ma Raineys Black Bottom Andra Day  The United States vs Billie Holiday Vanessa Kirby  Pieces of a Woman Frances McDormand  Nomadland - WINNER Carey Mulligan  Promising Young Woman Best Actress in a Supporting Role Maria Bakalova  Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Glenn Close  Hillbilly Elegy Olivia Colman  The Father Amanda Seyfried  Mank Youn Yuh-jung  Minari - WINNER Sweet: Youn Yuh-jung won Best Supporting Actress for Minari Best Music (Original Score) Da 5 Bloods Mank Minari News of the World Soul - WINNER Best Animated Short Film Burrow Genius Loci If Anything Happens I Love You - WINNER Opera Yes-People Best Live Action Short Film Feeling Through The Letter Room The Present Two Distant Strangers - WINNER White Eye Best International Feature Film Another Round - WINNER Better Days Collective The Man Who Sold His Skin Quo Vadis, Aida? Talented: Thomas Vinterberg accepted Best International Film for Another Round Best Sound Greyhound Mank News of the World Soul Sound of Metal - WINNER Best Cinematography Judas and the Black Messiah Mank - WINNER News of the World Nomadland The Trial of the Chicago 7 Best Music (Original Song) H.E.R. - Fight for You  Judas and the Black Messiah - WINNER Hear My Voice  The Trial of the Chicago 7 Husavik  Eurovision Song Contest Io Si (Seen)  The Life Ahead Speak Now  One Night in Miami... H.E.R. won Best Original Song for Judas and the Black Messiah's Fight for You Best Director Thomas Vinterberg  Another Round David Fincher  Mank Lee Isaac Chung  Minari Chloe Zhao  Nomadland - WINNER Emerald Fennell  Promising Young Woman Trailblazer: Chloe Zhao is the first woman of color to win Best Director Best Actor in a Leading Role Riz Ahmed  Sound of Metal Anthony Hopkins  The Father - WINNER Chadwick Boseman  Ma Raineys Black Bottom Gary Oldman  Mank Steven Yeun  Minari Best Actor in a Supporting Role Sacha Baron Cohen  The Trial of the Chicago 7 Daniel Kaluuya - Judas and the Black Messiah - WINNER Leslie Odom, Jr.  One Night in Miami Paul Raci  Sound of Metal Lakeith Stanfield  Judas and the Black Messiah Best Animated Feature Film Onward Over the Moon A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon Soul - WINNER Wolfwalkers Dynamic: Dana Murray (L) and Pete Docter won Best Animated Feature for Soul Best Costume Design Emma Ma Raineys Black Bottom - WINNER Mank Mulan Pinnochio Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) Borat Subsequent Moviefilm The Father - WINNER Nomadland One Night in Miami The White Tiger Best Writing (Original Screenplay) Emerald Fennell - Promising Young Woman - WINNER Shaka King and Will Berson - Judas and the Black Messiah Lee Isaac Chung - Minari Darius Marder and Abraham Marder - Sound of Metal Aaron Sorkin - The Trial of the Chicago 7 Blooming lovely: Emerald Fennell won Best Original Screenplay for Promising Young Woman Best Documentary Feature Collective Crip Camp The Mole Agent My Octopus Teacher - WINNER Time Best Documentary Short Subject Colette - WINNER A Concerto Is a Conversation Do Not Split Hunger Ward A Love Song for Latasha Best Film Editing The Father Nomadland Promising Young Woman Sound of Metal - WINNER The Trial of the Chicago 7 Best Production Design The Father Ma Raineys Black Bottom Mank - WINNER News of the World Tenet Best Visual Effects Love and Monsters The Midnight Sky Mulan The One and Only Ivan Tenet - WINNER Best Makeup and Hairstyling Emma Hillbilly Elegy Ma Raineys Black Bottom - WINNER Mank Pinocchio Advertisement

Up next! Promising Young Woman received five nods

Contagion director Steven Soderbergh will produce this year's Oscars ceremony.

The board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who organize the annual ceremony, met via Zoom on Monday to discuss the date the 93rd Oscars will take place on.

'For over a century, movies have played an important role in comforting, inspiring, and entertaining us during the darkest of times,' began a statement from Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson.

'They certainly have this year. Our hope, in extending the eligibility period and our Awards date, is to provide the flexibility filmmakers need to finish and release their films without being penalized for something beyond anyone's control.'

'This coming Oscars and the opening of our new museum will mark an historic moment, gathering movie fans around the world to unite through cinema.'

The rules have also changed. A feature film must have been released between January 1, 2020, and February 28, 2021.

December 1, 2020 was the deadline for the 'specialty categories' such as animated feature film.

January 15, 2021 became the new deadline for 'general entry categories,' such as best picture.

The Academy also decided the annual Governors Awards gala has been postponed to a later unspecified date.

And the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will now open in April 2021 to line up with the Oscars rather than December 2020.

She's up! Amanda Seyfried is up for Mank

The Oscars were previously delayed on three occasions, due to flooding in Los Angeles in 1938, following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968 and again in 1981, following an assassination attempt on the life of President Ronald Reagan.

In 1934, the Oscars had a 17-month eligibility window, which ran from 1 August 1932 until 31 December 1933 so thereafter the eligibility period would be a full calendar year.

This follows news that the Academy Awards are setting up a special task force 'to develop and implement new representation and inclusion standards' for Oscars eligibility by July 31, 2020.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Friday that there will be now be a fixed number of 10 best picture nominees beginning with the 94th Academy Awards in 2022.

The organization is also planning to implement new eligibility requirements with an eye toward diversity in collaboration with the Producers Guild of America that will be finalized by the end of July.

The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite was created by activist April Reign back in January 2015 to call out the awards ceremony for their lack of diversity, as that year, only two people of color were nominated in major categories.

Since then, the Academy has sought to double the number of women and people of color among its membership. The Academy is now said to have 26 women and 12 people of color on its 54-person board of governors - a first for the organization - which includes director Ava Duvernay.

The most recent changes will not impact the 93rd Academy Awards set to be held in Los Angeles on Feb. 28, 2021, because it is already deep into the eligibility calendar.

The film academy has shifted the number of best picture nominees several times in its history.

In 2009, it was expanded from five to 10, which many thought at the time was in response to the lack of a nomination for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight.

In 2011, the field was allowed to fluctuate from five to 10, which led to some years having more than others.

Last year there were nine. In the Academy's early years, anywhere from eight to 12 films could be nominated for best picture.

The organization that puts on the Oscars is also committing to a new phase of diversity and inclusion initiatives, which it calls Academy Aperture 2025. The first phase, which ended this year, was in response to the #OscarsSoWhite criticisms.

Academy President David Rubin said that the organization had surpassed the goal to double the number of women and diverse members by 2020.
UPDATE: Father says it makes no sense not charging adult in teens Russian roulette death at Burton home

UPDATE: Second Michigan teen arraigned on manslaughter charge in Russian roulette death of friend

BURTON MI -- One of the three teens charged with manslaughter after his friend was killed during an apparent game of Russian roulette at a Genesee County has been arraigned in connection with the incident.

Denver Duffin, 19, was arraigned Friday, March 12 in Genesee County District Court on a single count of involuntary manslaughter, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Two additional teens who are now 17 years old, have not yet been arraigned on the same charge. One of those two suspects is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday, March 16 as an adult.

The youngest of the trio is charged as a juvenile as he was 16 when the fatal shooting occurred. He is awaiting a March 25 juvenile preliminary hearing, Genesee County Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor John Potbury told MLive-The Flint Journal Monday afternoon.

The charges stem from the Oct. 24, 2020 death of 17-year-old Zander A. Smith. Smith was at the home of one of the adult defendants in the 1400 block of South Packard Avenue.

Related: Michigan teens charged in Russian roulette death of friend

Smith suffered one gunshot wound to his head. Police arrived to find him unresponsive. He was taken to Hurley Medical Center in Flint where staff pronounced him deceased.

The delay between when the shooting occurred and charges being issued was due to a lengthy investigation, Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton previously said.

The warrant submitted to Leytons office was originally rejected and sent back for more information.

There was some social media chatter about it recently that got my attention, said Leyton. I inquired about that and one of my assistants and I worked with Burton police to get additional information that led to these charges.

The revolver Smith used belonged to the teen whose house he was at, Leyton said. Two adults were also in the house, but not in the bedroom where the shooting occurred, he said.

Leyton added the teens were smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol prior to the shooting.

We know that the victim had the revolver, put a single bullet in the cylinder, and spun it, Leyton said. Based upon the information we received, its pretty clear he was playing Russian roulette and none of the other three made any attempt to stop him. Thats where I have a problem and I think they should have intervened. Its grossly negligent that they did not, and thats how we got to the manslaughter charge.

Duffin was issued a $75,000 cash/surety bond. He is scheduled for a March 25 probable cause conference in front of Genesee District Judge David Guinn.

Read more on MLive:

Burton police investigate teens death in Russian roulette game

Motorcyclist in critical condition after collision with truck in Flint

Young siblings find bag of cash stolen in bank robbery, turn it in

Former Genesee Township police chief sues township claiming discrimination, forced resignation

Lawsuit by Lapeer County teen alleges rape by priest in 2010, claims coverup by Archdiocese of Detroit
Sico, a leading regional asset manager, broker, market maker and investment bank based in Bahrain, announced today (March 15) that it has completed the transaction to acquire a majority stake amounting to 72.7% in the Saudi-based Muscat Capital, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank Muscat after obtaining all relevant approvals.

Sico, which is licensed as a wholesale bank by the CBB, said the acquisition took place by way of a share swap valued at BD5.5 million ($14.4 million), with 38.5 million of Sicos treasury shares swapped for a majority stake amounting to 4.36 million shares out of Muscat Capitals 6 million total outstanding shares.

As a result of the transaction, Sico now owns 72.7% of Muscat Capital while Bank Muscat owns a 9% stake in the Bahraini whole sale bank.

On the successful takeover, Sico Chairman Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Khalifa said: "We are extremely pleased to complete this landmark acquisition of Muscat Capital which is a major step in our regional expansion and growth strategy."

"This acquisition also provides Sico with a direct presence in the regions largest capital market, Saudi Arabia, which is a major milestone in cementing SICOs position as a leading regional investment bank," he noted.

"We look forward to our new partnership with Bank Muscat and would like to welcome them as SICOs newest shareholder as we work together to uncover new growth opportunities in the regional markets," he added.

CEO Najla Al Shirawi said Muscat Capital, a full-fledged capital markets service provider with multiple licenses including asset management, investment banking, and brokerage, will provide Sico with an ideal platform to further leverage and offer its proven capabilities to a wider client base in the regions largest capital market.

She revealed that Muscat Capital will be rebranded as Sico Capital after obtaining the required approvals and will give Sico a strong competitive advantage as a regional market player.

"We look forward to further enhancing the entitys established platform in Bahrain and build on its track record professional team and Sico is excited to explore new opportunities both in Oman and the wider region with its new shareholder, Bank Muscat," she added.

Al Shirawi also lauded Sico's legal advisors Abdulaziz Alajlan & Partners and Baker & McKenzie Limited for their contribution in the smooth transaction.

Bank Muscat is a leading financial institution based in the Sultanate of Oman and operating under a banking license issued by the Central Bank of Oman. Its subsidiary, Muscat Capital, is a full-service capital market institution established in 2009 operating in Saudi Arabia and licensed by the Saudi Arabian Capital Market Authority.

Genesis' sales increased significantly in January and February after the launch of new models last year.

Hyundais luxury brand sold some 18,818 cars already in the first two months, led by the G80 with 8,364 and accounted for more than 16 percent of the parent company's sales, compared to only about seven to 10 percent until 2019.


A parliamentary inquiry into extremism will scrutinise Facebook and Twitters role in allowing far-right groups to promote their activities online and recruit new members.

National security experts are calling on the Australian and United States governments to regulate tech giants so that they ban more harmful content and change their algorithms promoting extremist material.

Alleged members of a far-right extremist group seen at Halls Gap and the Grampians.

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has launched an inquiry into extremist movements and radicalism in Australia and will begin hearings in the coming weeks.

Tech giants will be asked to front the inquiry, which was referred to the PJCIS by Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton in December after a long-running campaign by Labor.
A mental-health call line that has helped thousands of Manitobans get through the pandemic is in danger of closing unless new funding can be found.

A mental-health call line that has helped thousands of Manitobans get through the pandemic is in danger of closing unless new funding can be found.

Since March 17, 2020, more than 11,000 people have called the Seneca Warm Line operated 24 hours a day by Sara Riel Inc., an organization supported by the Catholic Health Association of Manitoba.

Funding provided by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, the federal government and the United Way runs out March 31.

"It has been really important during the pandemic," said Sara Riel executive director Tara Brousseau Snider.

"There was nowhere else for many people to turn to, especially at night. It was a lifesaver for a lot of people who were feeling anxious, lonely and isolated."

Prior to the pandemic, the Warm Line operated four hours a day, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. About 125 calls were received a month.

"As the pandemic took hold, we saw a large increase in the number of calls," said Brousseau Snider, explaining why the hours were expanded.

Now 16 part-time staff work at Warm Line answer more than 900 calls a month. All are trained in suicide and crisis prevention, cultural awareness and sensitivity, and in dealing with trauma and addiction.

Additionally, they have "lived experience with mental-health issues or substance abuse, and can relate to the callers," Brousseau Snider said.

"They offer support, a listening ear, understanding and reassurance. They provide a human connection."

Concerns raised by callers include worries about loss of employment, finances, family struggles and more. "There is a wide range of concerns," she said.

Sara Riel also created a special call line for employers who were feeling the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"They felt the stress of having to lay off employees, the loss of finances, worrying about their staff," she said. "The pandemic has been hard for them. For many, their staff are like family to them."

Staff at Warm Line also are tired, she added, noting they are checked on regularly to make sure everyone is OK.

In addition, Sara Riel conducted a survey of personal care home staff last year, and found they were experiencing a lot of mental stress.

In response, a program was created to help with coping skills  something applicable to anyone on the front lines of responding to the pandemic, Brousseau Snider said.

"In addition to dealing with trauma, grief, and all the dreadful things they had to deal with on a regular basis, they also had worries about their own families."

As for the future, even though the end of the pandemic seems in sight, many people are still burned out and facing serious mental-health challenges.

"It will take a long time for the impacts of the pandemic to pass," she said.

Do you appreciate the extensive faith coverage by the Free Press? Become a supporter of the Religion in the News project! Your contribution of $10, $25 or more can help us keep offering trusted coverage of faith in Manitoba. Become a supporter Click here to learn more about the project.

The Warm Line needs about $113,000 a year to operate.

"We will have to figure out something. This is too important to close down. We cant let it go. Too many people need it right now," Brousseau Snider said.

Founded in 1977 by the Grey Nuns, Sara Riel Inc. is rooted in the Roman Catholic Church, Brousseau Snider said, adding its service "grows out of our Catholic compassion for the vulnerable."

People needing help can call the Warm Line at 204-942-9276.

Those who want to donate can do so by visiting sararielinc.com or calling 204-237-9263.

faith@freepress.mb.ca
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ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Police in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, have dispersed a peaceful picket by several protesters demanding release of their relatives "illegally" held in China, the first time law enforcement has intervened since the daily rallies started more than a month ago.

Protester Baibolat Kunbolat told RFE/RL that when police started forcibly pushing the picketers out of the site on March 15, one of the protesters, an elderly woman, felt unwell and an ambulance was called.

Kunbolat said that after the health scare for the woman, the participants decided not to resist police and left the site.

No reason was given by the police for their intervention after weeks of allowing the protests.

Dozens of ethnic Kazakhs from China have picketed the Chinese Consulate in Almaty since early February, saying their relatives, many of whom were naturalized Kazakh citizens or permanent residents of Kazakhstan, are being held in penitentiaries, including so-called reeducation camps, in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang.

The Kazakh Foreign Ministry said on March 15 that the Chinese ambassador to Kazakhstan, Zhang Xiao, stated in a conversation with a Kazakh Foreign Ministry official that "all ethnic Kazakhs held in Xinjiang are serving prison terms for violating Chinese laws."

Earlier, on March 12, the ministry's spokesman, Mukhtar Karibai, told journalists that Kazakh officials had "asked China for help solving issues" raised by the picketers violating "sanitary regulations to prevent the spread of the coronavirus."

Karibai's statement came one day after the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan posted an interview on Facebook with Sairagul Sauytbay, an ethnic Kazakh from Xinjiang, who was one of the first individuals to speak publicly about "reeducation camps" for Xinjiang's indigenous, mostly Muslim ethnic groups.

Sauytbay, who fled China in April 2018 and is currently living in Sweden, repeated his claim that thousands of ethnic Kazakhs, Uyghurs, and other Muslims in Xinjiang were undergoing "political indoctrination" at a network of "reeducation camps," facing "torture and humiliation" there.

U.S. Embassy officials met last week with other ethnic Kazakhs who fled Xinjiang and are currently in Kazakhstan to discuss their ordeals in China.

The U.S. State Department has said that as many as 2 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and members of Xinjiang's other indigenous, mostly Muslim, ethnic groups have been taken to detention centers.

China denies that the facilities are internment camps.

Kazakhs are the second-largest Turkic-speaking indigenous community in Xinjiang after Uyghurs. The region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz, Tajiks, and Hui, also known as Dungans.

Han, China's largest ethnicity, is the second-largest community in Xinjiang.
Press Release

March 15, 2021 Senate ratifies measure lowering minimum height limits for cops, firefighters, jail guards, correction officers THE Senate on Monday ratified the Bicameral Conference Committee Report on the proposed measure lowering the minimum height limits for applicants of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), and Bureau of Corrections (BuCor). The report, a reconciled version of Senate Bill No. 1563 authored and principally sponsored by Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa and House Bill No. 8261, seeks to amend Republic Act No. 9263, Republic Act No. 10575, and Republic Act No. 6975, as amended. "I would like to inform the Body that the Senate version of the bill was adopted as the working draft. The version agreed upon by the Bicameral Conference Committee remains true to the objective of the bill passed in this chamber," Dela Rosa said in his motion for ratification. The reconciled bill provides that the minimum height limit for males to be appointed as officers or members of the PNP, BFP, BJMP and BuCor shall be 1.57 meters or 5 feet 2 inches and 1.52 meters or 5 feet for females. Currently, in order to be appointed as uniformed personnel of the PNP, BFP, BJMP and BuCor, a male person must be at least 5 feet 4 inches, and a female person must be at least 5 feet 2 inches. "Gaya po ng aking naunang deklarasyon, hindi po natin binababa ang standard na kailangan para makapagsilbi bilang pulis, firefighter, jail at correction officers. Ninanais po natin mabigyan ng pagkakataon makapagsilbi ang mga hindi nabiyayaan ng katangkaran," Dela Rosa said. The former PNP Chief said the reconciled bill adopted the retention of the automatic waiver for members of the cultural minorities and Indigenous Peoples, as provided for in the Senate version. It also adopted the higher chamber's provision lowering the height requirement for PNPA cadets. "We retained the uniform height requirement for the PNP applicants including PNPA Cadets as stated in the Senate version of the bill," Dela Rosa said. "This Chamber (Senate) can be a vehicle to limit or prohibit many things. But today, we have chosen to become a key in opening the gates of public service. We welcome those who may be less in height but possess the biggest of hearts for the service of the country," Dela Rosa stressed, adding that height and physical characteristics do not measure the courage and dedication of a person.
There's an urban core debate over finances underway that has been tragically overlooked by mainstream news and hidden behind paywalls.

Fact is, MSM is happy to post and re-post patronizing affirmative-action coverage or even support BLM but offering a real perspective on the politics of the urban core merits serious consideration that most outlets STILL aren't willing to offer at this late date. There are exceptions to this rule given that Dave Helling has actually penned thoughtful coverage of the Central City Economic Development (CCED) Sales Tax District and debate regarding proprieties for 1/8th sales tax.

Right now the funds remain at a standstill and that has sparked vicious arguing at City Hall and among 3rd District power players

Accordingly . . .

COUNCILMAN BRANDON ELLINGTON AND EAST SIDE LEADERS ARE NOW IN ENGAGED IN A WAR OF WORDS REGARDING RHETORIC OVER CCED ACCOUNTABILITY!!!

Follow Councilman Ellington via social media for his perspective on this tax issue and a great many other community issues . . .

However, today our most KICK-ASS READERS contend that a recent editorial from a community newspaper has sent shock waves through the urban core . . .

Here are the basics . . . We'll start with the ominous editorial title . . .

The Call: Words Are Powerful Be Careful How You Used Them



Here's the overview of the recent controversy . . .



"Mayor Quinton Lucas introduced an ordinance directing the City Manager to work with the Central City Economic Development Board (CCED) to hire an administrator that would manage the CCED program. The Board previously adopted a resolution declaring that they needed a dedicated administrator that would work solely on CCED effort to ensure timely review of applicants and the execution of contracts."



"Third district at-large City Councilperson Brandon Ellington debated vehemently against that plan and voted against the ordinance, which passed 12 to 1. His comments appear to be based purely on unsubstantiated allegations and false claims . . ."

Pick up the latest issue of The Call for a comprehensive rundown of the tax debate, sadly, they don't post most of their content online.



Still here's the EPIC money line and conclusion of the powerful screed . . .



"Terms like "slush fund" "nothing has been developed" and "can't talk about where the money is at" and associating it with Black people, since the tax is targeted for projects in the Black community, makes the entire tax and its intentions suspect with no proof whatsoever. Furthermore, the CCED board has no control over any checkbooks or any aspect of the program outside of making recommendations to the city council which is the ultimate authority."



"The ironic part is that several weeks ago Councilman Ellington was boasting about the Troost Midtown project on public radio. That same afternoon the project was shut down by OSHA/Brownfields and the developer hasn't paid employees in weeks. There has been no mention of that project by any member of the Council."

OUCH.

To be fair to Councilman Ellington, we believe that fighting for sales tax accountability should always be encouraged.

However, our readers are correct . . . No matter how readers might feel about this issue, the editorial is important in that the newspaper not only opposes a rising star 3rd district leader but also demands more attention for how taxpayer cash is spent in the urban core.



Again, this issue is critical because we're talking about cash funded by taxpayers throughout KCMO. Let's not forget that even before BLM protest and election cycle rhetoric, this tax earned OVERWHELMING CITYWIDE SUPPORT . . . Voters in Kansas City want to see the effort succeed and it won't if most local media keep politely ignoring relevant debate that demands public examination beyond slogans.

Developing . . .


Half of New Yorkers say Andrew Cuomo should not resign amid increasing calls from top state officials to step down amid sexual harassment claims.

A new poll from Siena College Research Institute released on Monday found 50 per cent think he shouldn't resign compared to 35 per cent who think he should. More than a third of voters, 35 per cent, believe he committed sexual harassment while 24 per cent believe he had not.

The poll was conducted in the second week of March, before some of the latest allegations came to light and New York senators Chuck Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand joined calls for his removal in recent days.

Voters appear to be able to compartmentalise how they feel about Cuomo, Siena spokesperson Steve Greenberg said in a statement to Politico. While their views on him generally  favourability, job performance, re-elect  took a significant hit this month, voters views on Cuomos handling of the pandemic remain largely positive, except for his handling of nursing home death data.

Read more:

The White House also appears willing to maintain a working relationship with Mr Cuomo, with press secretary Jen Psaki saying on Monday that Joe Biden will continue to work with the governor amid the "troubling" allegations.

Asked if the president was comfortable with Mr Cuomo leading the White House pandemic calls as chair of the National Governors Association, Ms Psaki said it's up to the Biden administration whether Mr Cuomo continues in the role.

New Yorks Covid vaccine czar Larry Schwartz has reportedly asked county officials to affirm their loyalty for the beleaguered governor during the sexual harassment investigation.

"It would be up to the NGA (National Governor's Association) to determine if they were to make a change on that front, it's also up to the legislature and others in New York to determine if he still has the confidence of the people in the state," Ms Psaki said.

According to the latest poll, Mr Cuomo has the confidence of 57 per cent of New Yorkers surveyed who are satisfied with the way he has handled the allegations, compared to 32 per cent who say they are not satisfied

Despite the vote of confidence, the governor's overall approval has fallen from its highs during the pandemic. Only 43 per cent view him favourably compared to 45 per cent who view him unfavourably.

Mr Cuomo has repeatedly denied any allegations of wrongdoing and has apologised for any comments that made women feel uncomfortable. He is cooperating with investigations by the state's attorney general Letitia James.

At a press conference last week, Mr Cuomo rejected calls to resign and said Democratic colleagues demanding he step down were "reckless" and that New Yorkers know the difference between the truth and "bowing to cancel culture".

"The people of New York should not have confidence in a politician who takes a position without knowing any facts or substance. That, my friends, is politics at its worst, he said.
Hoping to boost lagging vaccination rates in the regions more rural corners, Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers said Monday they will receive 2,000 doses of Modernas COVID-19 vaccine and immediately set up two clinics this week to administer them.

Within just a few hours, both clinics were completely booked.

The doses amount to the highest weekly allocation to date for the health system, which serves Wayne, Pike and southern Susquehanna counties as well as the Carbondale region, the group said in a statement. Wayne Memorial Hospital in Honesdale received 500 doses.

Vaccine clinics are scheduled Wednesday at the Pike County Training Center, 135 Pike County Boulevard, Hawley, and Friday at the old location for Rusty Palmer, 105 Old Time Drive, Honesdale.

The larger allocation of doses received this week comes as a direct response to repeated requests by the health system, the Pike County commissioners and state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, Lehman Twp., for more vaccine, according to a news release.

Previously, the health system typically received 1,000 doses or less a week, said Lisa Champeau, a Wayne Memorial Hospital spokeswoman.

It was time to increase those supplies, she said. And Im glad the state helped us.

As of Monday, the state Department of Healths vaccination dashboard showed that nearly a fifth of Wayne Countys population had received one or both of the required doses. In Pike County, it was about 13%. In Susquehanna County, it was 15%.

In the more populous Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, 27% and 22% of their respective populations have received one or both shots. In Lackawanna County, 17% of its estimated population is fully vaccinated, the highest in the region. Only 6% of Pike Countys population has received both shots, the regions lowest.

Meanwhile, the rate that new people are becoming infected in the seven-county region continues to trend downward. The state Department of Health reported Monday another 80 new cases in Northeast Pennsylvania and two more deaths.

A seven-day moving average of new cases in the region is about a third of what it was during the height of the winter peak in December and January, and is also lower than the springtime peak last year.

Since March of last year, 59,458 Northeast Pennsylvania residents tested positive for COVID-19 and 1,664 have died.

In local counties:

Lackawanna added 14 cases for 14,555 total, of which 2,237 were probable. One death raised the total to 428.

Luzerne added 26 cases for 25,713 total, of which 1,898 were probable. One death raised the total to 747.

Monroe added 20 cases for 10,346, of which 278 were probable. The death toll remained at 278.

Pike added 11 cases for 2,753, of which 243 were probable. The death toll remained at 48.

Susquehanna added three cases for 1,775 total, of which 206 were probable. The death toll remained at 48.

Wayne added three cases for 3,182 total, of which 279 were probable. The death toll remained at 68.

Wyoming added three cases for 1,214 total, of which 198 were probable. The death toll remained at 42.
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Michigan reported two-day totals of 3,143 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and nine new deaths for Sunday and Monday, March 14-15.

The latest update brought the states seven-day average to 1,795 cases per day, which is the highest average in more than six weeks, going back to Jan. 25. Its averaging 16 deaths per day, which is down from 25 per day two weeks ago.

Since last March, Michigan has reported 610,580 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 15,783 cases that resulted in death. The state has also reported 63,336 probable cases and 996 probable deaths, in which a physician and/or antigen test ruled it COVID-19 but no confirmatory PCR test was done.

Of the more than 25,000 COVID-19 tests processed Sunday, about 7% came back positive. It was the highest one-day rate since Jan. 25, and marked the fourth consecutive day above 5%.

Of Michigans 83 counties, 68 reported new cases Monday, led by Wayne with 628, Macomb with 383 and Oakland with 370. Other top reporters included Kent (158), Ingham (149), Genesee (138), and St. Clair (112).

(The above chart shows Michigans 7-day rolling average of new confirmed coronavirus cases. You can put your cursor over a bar to see the number. You also can click on the option just below the headline to see the actual number of new cases reported by day.)

Six counties reported at least one new death, led by Wayne with three deaths and Grand Traverse County with two. Kent, Livingston, Calhoun and Jackson counties each added a death to their total.

(The above chart shows Michigans 7-day rolling average of deaths involving confirmed coronavirus cases. You can put your cursor over a bar to see the number. You also can click on the option just below the headline to see the actual number of new deaths reported by day.)

Hospitalizations for coronavirus infections continue to increase.

On Monday, there were 1,095 patients hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19, including 278 in the ICU. Thats up from Friday, when there were 981 such patients with 249 in the ICU.

Meanwhile, Michigan had administered more than 2.9 million doses of vaccine to 1,882,405 residents as of Thursday, March 11. Daily vaccinations continue to increase, with health officials pointing to the states allotment as the largest roadblock to getting more shots in arms per day.

Case reporting

First is a chart showing new cases reported to the state each day for the past 30 days. This is based on when a confirmed coronavirus test is reported to the state, which means the patient first became sick days before.

You can call up a chart for any county, and you can put your cursor over a bar to see the date and number of cases.

In a few instances, a county reported a negative number (decline) in daily new cases, following a retroactive reclassification by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. In those instances, we subtracted cases from the prior date and put 0 in the reported date.

The next chart below shows new cases for the past 30 days based on onset of symptoms. In this chart, numbers for the most recent days are incomplete because of the lag time between people getting sick and getting a confirmed coronavirus test result, which can take up to a week or more.

You can call up a chart for any county, and you can put your cursor over a bar to see the date and number of cases.

For more statewide data, visit MLives coronavirus data page, here.

To find a testing site near you, check out the states online test finder, here, send an email to COVID19@michigan.gov, or call 888-535-6136 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Read more on MLive:

Monday, March 15, coronavirus data by Michigan county: State now at 5% positivity rate

Michigans coronavirus numbers are going up, but will vaccinations blunt the impact?

Michigan considers whether company vaccination rates should trigger office reopenings

Telemedicine likely to change how we receive health care post-pandemic
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Last year at this time, New Orleans event and festival cancellations fell like a line of dominos. This year, with Covid vaccination rates rising, there are some in-person festivals as well as virtual events. St. Bernard Parishs Louisiana Crawfish Festival will be the first local festival running close to normal, but with limited capacity and some physical distancing precautions. A few festivals have decided to postpone till the fall or hold off until 2022. Heres a rundown of some of the bigger annual spring and early summer events.

St. Patricks Day

Major St. Patricks Day parades, such as the annual parades in the Irish Channel and on Metairie Road, have been canceled. Some parade organizers have not ruled out holding an event later in the year.

French Film Festival

Film festivals have been finding creative ways to move forward since last fall, using a mix of outdoor viewings and online availability. Case in point: The New Orleans Film Society presents more than 20 movies in the French Film Festival from March 23-31. All films screen at the Broadside outdoor theater and also are available to stream online. Theres a schedule and information at the film society's website.

The Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival

The Tennessee Williams festival will be a virtual event, split into a first weekend (March 19-21) focused on workshops and a second weekend (March 24-28) with a range of regular offerings. There are live and vintage recorded interviews, readings, music events and author panels. The lineup includes actor Alan Cumming, Ladee Hubbard, Hedwig and the Angry Inch creator John Cameron Mitchell, humorist Mo Rocca, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, John Patrick Shanley, Dreamlander Mink Stole and many more. Visit the festival website for information.

Crescent City Classic

The 2021 event is a virtual 10K, in which participants will choose their own course (or treadmill) to run on the race dates of April 1 to 5 and report their results. Visit the race website for information.

+5 Food trippin': Get out of town for po-boys, boudin balls and pie Youre probably itching to get out of town after a year of this pandemic  and youre dying to try some new food. Its been easy to fall into 

NOLA Crawfish Festival

Chris Shaggy Daviss NOLA Crawfish King normally presents this music and boiled crawfish event around Jazz Fest time. This spring, it features boiled crawfish and a lineup of Ivan Neville and Friends, Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Good Enough for Good Times and Angelica Jelly Josesph over two nights at the Broadside on April 10-11. Information and links to tickets are at the event Facebook page.

Festing in Place

After Jazz Fest was initially postponed last year, WWOZ 90.7 FM created Festing in Place, for which it broadcast past festival sets during what would have been festival hours. It returns with a second year of memorable sets, interviews and online links to festival food and craft vendors. Festing in Place is April 22-25 and April 29-May 2. Visit the radio station website for information.

Festival International de Louisiane

Lafayette, Louisianas annual festival of music and culture from Louisiana and francophone nations usually competes with Jazz Fest dates. This years festival is virtual, and the music shows run April 23-25. Visit the festival website for information.

Louisiana Crawfish Festival

The festival features live music, boiled crawfish, amusement rides and more April 29-May 2 at the Frederick J. Sigur Civic Center in Chalmette. Admission to festival grounds will be limited. Visit the festival website for information.

Art in Bloom

The New Orleans Museum of Arts annual event featuring floral displays inspired by art from the museum collection will be May 5-9. Patrons can view the expo in person and virtually. Tickets are at the museum website.

Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo

The music festival usually happens at Bayou St. John on the third weekend in May. Organizers are working on live outdoor concerts to fall on the same basic dates, but at alternate venues. Check festival website for updates.

Hogs for the Cause

The barbecue festival and fundraiser moves to Belle Chasse for a two-day event on June 4-5, with a music lineup including Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Old Crow Medicine Show and more. Tickets are available at the event website.

+9 Take a weekend getaway to historic Abita Springs as we ride out the pandemic. It's tradition. On the Northshore, down a road shaded by oak trees sits the town of Abita Springs, a place whose fresh water not only courses through the town

NOWFE

The New Orleans Wine & Food Experience is holding several of its most popular events in a festival taking place June 9-13. Events include the Vinola tasting of high end-wines, two grand tastings of wines with food from local restaurants and an event highlighting rose wines from around the world. Find tickets at the festival website.

ESSENCE Festival of Culture

The ESSENCE Festival of Culture will be a two-weekend virtual event featuring music and more. Programming is scheduled on June 25-27 and July 2-4, and there will be some content available to New Orleans-area residents only. A talent lineup has not been announced, but check ESSENCE's event webpage for updates.

Running of the NOLA Bulls

The annual event hasnt released details, but it has scheduled a July 10 event, Covid restrictions permitting.

Postponed

BUKU Music + Art Project is canceled, but a modified event is scheduled for Oct. 22-23

French Quarter Festival is rescheduled to Sept. 30-Oct. 3

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is rescheduled to Oct. 8-17

Tales of the Cocktail will hold a virtual event Sept. 20-23.

See you in 2022

Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival

Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival

New Orleans Oyster Festival

Spring fever: Tips for making the most of spring while keeping it Covid safe Its been a long, hard year under the global COVID-19 pandemic. As of press time, 28,844 New Orleanians have contracted the virus, and weve l
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 79F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies with periods of rain late. Low 61F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  New York State announced Monday it is canceling the August 2021 administration of Regents exams for high school students, as part of efforts to allow exemptions of its graduation requirements amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The state Board of Regents acted on a series of emergency regulations to allow exemptions to diploma requirements for high school students associated with the June and August Regents exam administrations.

With the coronavirus crisis still affecting New York and varied levels of in-person instruction among students, the Board of Regents and the New York State Education Department (NYSED) announced Monday the amendments they made to provide essential flexibility to students, families, and educators.

The Department continues to engage with USDE [U.S. Department of Education] in regard to finding the best path forward in offering state assessments for the children of New York, said Commissioner Betty A. Rosa. In order to inform these discussions, we are engaging with stakeholders across the state to gain insight on the local approaches to student assessment. The regulatory amendments advanced today provide fairness for our students; however we remain hopeful that USDE will provide the necessary waivers to allow our educators to remain engaged in the important work of fostering a safe and healthy learning environment for each child in New York state.

Those actions include canceling the August administration of Regents exams.

The amendments come after New York State requested a waiver from the federal government to forgo state assessments at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

However, the Biden administration announced last month that states must administer standardized exams this year, as part of a plan to see the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on student success. Schools wont be held accountable for the results, and states could also give shorter, remote, or delayed versions of the tests.

The state is still waiting to learn if the U.S. Department of Education will grant the waiver request.

If the U.S. Department of Education grants the waiver request, the states elementary and middle school assessments, and all June and August Regents exams will be canceled.

If New York does not receive the waiver, the state will only administer four Regents exams required under the federal government during the June administration, which are the English language arts, Algebra 1, Earth Science and Living Environment exams. Additionally, only session 1 of the grades 3-8 assessments in math and English language arts will be required, instead of two sessions  and only the written component of the grades 4 and 8 science tests will be held; the performance tests wont be administered.

*** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK ***

As we continue to see a global pandemic impact our schools and students in every corner of the state, the Board and I are determined to complete this school year in a manner that protects the health and safety of all of New Yorks children, said Chancellor Lester W. Young Jr. While we were disappointed by the USDE decision not to grant blanket waivers for state assessments, we are confident that the regulatory amendments acted on today and other assessment-related actions by the Department provide for the flexibility necessary to meet federal requirements while ensuring the well-being of those in our school buildings.

The state also announced an amendment that allows students to be eligible for an exemption to the Regents exam if they meet one of the following criteria:

The student is currently enrolled in a course of study culminating in a Regents Examination and by the end of the 2021 school year, or the 2021 summer session, will have earned credit in such course of study;

The student was previously enrolled in the course culminating in the applicable Regents Examination, has achieved course credit, and has not yet passed the associated required Regents Examination but was intending to take the test in June 2021 or August 2021 to achieve a passing score; or

The student is in grade 7 or 8, is enrolled in a course of study culminating in taking a Regents Examination and has met the standards assessed in the provided coursework.

Last year, the state canceled its Regents exams and modified the requirements that students must meet in order to earn a high school diploma, credentials, and endorsements. Those modifications applied to all students enrolled in grades 7-12 during the 2019-2020 school year who were intending to participate in one or more of the June Regents exams.

Exempt from the tests completely, those students arent required to re-take the exams at a later date to receive credit for their high school diploma or to graduate. They only needed to pass the class they were currently enrolled in at the time that would have culminated with the June exam.

School Zone: A new newsletter with the updates you need as our schools try to get back to normal. Enter your email address here and hit "subscribe" to receive this weekly newsletter:



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Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur told Lok Sabha on Monday that the government has exceeded the disinvestment target thrice since 2014-15. While the milestone was missed in two fiscals during this period, coronavirus played spoilsport with government's stake sale efforts during financial year 2020-21.

As on March 9, 2021, Centre has received Rs 21,303 crore from disinvestment, which amounts to 67 per cent of the revised estimate for FY21, Thakur further added. He also mentioned that disinvestment target had to be revised to Rs 32,000 crore from the budget estimate of Rs 2.1 lakh crore.

"Disinvestment receipts exceeded the target during 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19, while falling short in 2014-15 and 2019-20," Thakur said in his answer.

Government earned Rs 24,349 crore from disinvestment in 2014-15, against revised estimate (RE) of Rs 26,353 crore, but missed the target in 2015-16 at Rs 23,997 crore against RE of Rs 25,314 crore. In 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19, Centre earned Rs 46,247 crore against RE of Rs 45,500 crore, Rs 1,00,057 crore against RE of Rs 1,00,000 crore, and Rs 84,972 crore against RE of Rs 80,000 crore, respectively.

ALSO READ: Lack of clarity on debt, assets complicates Air India sale

It once again missed the disinvestment target in 2019-20, raking in Rs 50,299 crore against the revised estimate of Rs 65,000 crore. In FY21, till March 9, 2021, the government has managed to clock in stake sale receipts to the tune of Rs 21,303 crore as opposed to revised estimate of Rs 32,000 crore.

"Disinvestment of GOI equity in CPSEs depends largely on market sentiment, investor interest, and market valuation of CPSE stocks. Over a period of time, the scope of minority stake sale has declined and strategic disinvestment and privatisation would be the primary mode for disinvestment receipts," clarified Thakur as the reason behind multiple missed disinvestment targets.

In response another part of the question, Thakur blamed uncertainty and disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic for turning down the ambitious budget estimate for disinvestment receipt from Rs 2.1 lakh crore to revised estimate of Rs 32,000 crore.

ALSO READ: Centre kicks off privatisation drive; NITI Aayog submits list of 12 PSUs

"The volatile market conditions arising due to COVID-19 adversely impacted government's plans for disinvestment. The COVID-19 pandemic and contraction in manufacturing and services post lockdown coupled with uncertainty in financial markets, posed significant challenges before the disinvestment efforts of the government, and delayed transactions both for minority stake sale and strategic disinvestment during large part of FY 2020-21. With the recovery of the stock market subsequently, the disinvestment transactions are coming back on track," he said.

Data presented by Thakur also showed that disinvestment receipts as a proportion of the budget estimates increased during 2014-15 to 2018-19, before declining in 2019-20 reflecting lack of adequate market interest in CPSE stocks.

"Disinvestment is an ongoing process and actual transactions are carried out from time to time depending upon market sentiments and investors interest. The indicative disinvestment targets are fixed every year considering the expected market valuation of the CPSE, investor interest, administrative feasibility and overall economic conditions," the union minister said on steps taken by the Centre to rationalise disinvestment targets considering realistic scenarios and job requirements.

ALSO READ: Air India privatisation: Centre to invite financial bids by March-end
App developers have seen a boom in business due to the coronavirus pandemic, Apple has revealed.

The tech giant, valued at more than two trillion dollars, says 2020 saw a 22 per cent boost in earnings compared to 2019 for developers. Apple did not give exact figures for either year.

As a result, more than 330,000 Britons are, at least in part, now employed with money from the App Store. This figure is up 10 per cent year-on-year, Apple claims.

The figures released this morning by the Cupertino-based firm come one week after it was announced the App Store will be investigated in the UK by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and in Australia by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

The probes will independently look into concerns Apple abuses its position to squash competition.

They join a hefty stack of lawsuits and investigations which Apple is currently battling, all citing a breach of antitrust regulations or anti-competition practices.

Scroll down for video

Apple says 2020 saw a 22% boost in earnings compared to 2019 for developers. The figures released this morning by the Cupertino-based firm come one week after it was announced the App Store will be investigated in the UK by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and in Australia by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)

The UK is the biggest contributor to the Apple ecosystem of apps in Europe, Apple says, with its 330,000 professionals trumping France and Germany's 250,000 apiece.

Across the entire continent, there are now seven per cent more jobs propped up by the App Store, totalling 1.7 million people.

'In a year like no other, the UK has remained a vibrant and innovative hub for entrepreneurs and app developers,' said Christopher Moser, senior director of the App Store.

'More people in the UK than ever before are working as part of the iOS app ecosystem, creating exciting apps enjoyed by people all over the world.'

One of the apps to flourish was Busuu, a language learning tool which capitalised on the early-2020 optimism as people plunged into lockdown vowed to be productive.

While some turned to baking banana bread and Joe Wicks inspired workouts, others downloaded Busuu and tried to learn Italian.

This demand and revenue led to huge expansion with 70 new hires. The London-based company hopes to grow its workforce another 50 per cent in 2021.

'As more people around the world turned to language learning during lockdown, we saw huge growth here at Busuu  it's been fantastic to see more people join our community to learn together,' said Bernhard Niesner, CEO of Busuu.

'Throughout our growth journey, the App Store team has been incredibly supportive, and it's been a real pleasure working with them.'

Hutch Games is another success story. The company makes free-to-play games like the F1 Manager, Top Drives, and Rebel Racing and now employs 117 people.

Thirty-one of these employees were taken on over the last year.

'We've had an amazing few years which has allowed us to grow and take more risks. We saw our figures double during lockdown, so it's helpful that we can get our games out there so easily via the App Store,' said Shaun Rutland, CEO of Hutch Games.

The UK is the biggest contributor to the Apple ecosystem of apps in Europe, Apple says, with its 330,000 professionals trumping France and Germany, each with 250,000

However, while the App Store is no doubt a bountiful tool for app developers, it is also highly controversial and facing vociferous criticism, now more than ever.

A public feud between Apple and Fortnite creators Epic Games raged for much of last year, focusing around Apple's monopoly of in-app payments.

In August, Epic became so frustrated with Apple's hefty commission of 30 per cent that it brought in a direct-payment scheme, cutting Apple out of any financial gain.

Apple responded by mercilessly booting Fortnite off the App Store for breaking the rules laid out in its terms and conditions.

Epic retaliated by filing a civil lawsuit against Apple, alleging the iPhone manufacturer was in violation of antitrust laws and abusing its position.

Epic also revealed Apple threatened to terminate its ability to support the Unreal Engine platform which Epic uses to make games, effectively cutting off Epic's way of making new games for iOS or Mac.

On August 25 a US federal judge granted Epic Games a temporary restraining order against Apple which preserved its access to the Unreal Engine.

However, the decision stopped short of getting Fortnite back on iOS. It is still not available on the App Store.

Now, Apple is embroiled in various antitrust claims around the world.

All are pushing for the same thing - a fairer way of doing business and the ability to keep more of the money that customers pay for their product without the seemingly omnipotent broker taking a huge slice of the pie for itself.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee says getting all young people online should be a global priority Tim Berners-Lee, 65, the inventor of the World Wide Web, has called the internet a 'basic right' and says getting all young people online should be a global priority. In an open letter to mark the 32nd birthday of the World Wide Web  a tool Mr Berners-Lee built in 1989 while at CERN to navigate the burgeoning internet  he says the internet is to the 21st century what electricity was to the 20th century. He urged leaders to fund schemes to make sure 'everyone, everywhere is within reach of a meaningful internet connection' because 'things need to change'. The letter also took aim at 'Big Tech', saying companies must 'respect the rights' of young people and they should be held to account by tougher laws. In a separate interview, Mr Berners-Lee added he is optimistic that change is coming, believing the tech giants that dominate the internet are a 'fad'. Advertisement

The investigation from the CMA is the latest in a long list of antitrust actions against Apple, including an EU investigation which has been rumbling on since June 2020. Results of this investigation are expected shortly.

At the time, Apple was unimpressed. Its statement in response read: 'It's disappointing the European Commission is advancing baseless complaints from a handful of companies who simply want a free ride, and don't want to play by the same rules as everyone else.'

However, it seems more and more companies do, in fact, want to play by the same rules  just not the current laws.

The main issue is that the rules the developers want to abide by are increasingly diverging from Apple's policies, which have proved to be highly-profitable since the App Store's creation in 2008.

Spotify, a formidable firm in its own right, has also become disgruntled with Apple's conduct, saying the US company is unfairly restricting iOS users to its own platform, Apple Music, and forcing iOS users away from rivals.

A similar situation sprung up with Google in 2018 when the EU ruled Android phones were unfairly forced to come pre-installed with the Google Search and Google Chrome apps.

Google was fined $5billion in 2018 by the EU, and a new lawsuit, this time in its native US, has sprung up recently over similar concerns.

Last week, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced another new probe into both Apple and Google over the same issue.

Tech giants are being faced with a moment of reckoning over their practices, with bosses called before the US Senate to justify their practices after a report published in October found Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google do employ anti-competitive, monopoly-style tactics.

The 450-page report was the summation of a 16-month investigation which put forward a slew of changes to federal law to bring the Silicon Valley giants into line.
Let the sales push begin.

President Joe Biden, Vice President and their spouses are opening an ambitious, cross-country tour this week to highlight the benefits of his USD 1.9 trillion plan to defeat the coronavirus and boost the

The road show dubbed the Help is Here tour by the White House begins Monday with Harris heading to a COVID-19 vaccination site and a culinary academy in Las Vegas, and first lady Jill Biden touring a New Jersey elementary school.

The president will have more to say about the plan Monday at the White House, and he plans to visit a small business in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday. He and Harris are slated to appear together in Atlanta on Friday.

Harris will meet with small-business owners in Denver on Tuesday. Wednesday sees Jill Biden in Concord, New Hampshire, and Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The stops at vaccination sites, businesses, schools and more are meant to educate the public about different aspects of the giant American Rescue Plan and how it will help people get to the other side of the pandemic.

Biden has said President Barack Obama's administration, in which Biden was vice president, failed to adequately educate the public about the benefits of its economic recovery plan. He said he wants to do a better sales job this time around on the details of his first big legislative victory.

One of the plan's key features is direct payments of USD 1,400 for a single taxpayer, or USD 2,800 for a married couple filing their taxes jointly, plus 1,400 per dependent for a total of USD 5,600 for a married couple with two children. The payments phase out for those with higher incomes.

An extension of federal unemployment benefits will continue through Sept 6 at USD 300 a week. There's USD 350 billion for state, local and tribal governments, USD 130 billion for K-12 schools and about USD 50 billion to expand COVID-19 testing, among other measures.

Restaurants and bars that were forced to close or limit service will take advantage of a new multibillion-dollar grant program, and the plan also has tens of billions of dollars to help people who have fallen behind on their rent and mortgage payments.

The bill cleared Congress without any backing from Republicans, despite polling that found broad public support for the plan. Republicans argued the bill was too expensive. Democrats provided the votes and Biden signed it into law last week.

The Help is Here tour is taking Harris on her first domestic trip as vice president. She'll be accompanied by her husband, the nation's first second gentleman, who plans to break off for separate events in Las Vegas on Monday and New Mexico on Wednesday.

Since taking office, Harris has presided over swearing-in ceremonies for members of Biden's Cabinet. She has stood with the president at his speeches, delivered remarks of her own, spoken by telephone with assorted world leaders and made appearances in the Washington area, including at funeral services for Washington power broker Vernon Jordan.

Harris also cast three tie-breaking votes in the 50-50 Senate in her role as president of the Senate.

(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.)
Matt and Chris Drake are twin brothers who make up electronic music duo MC4D.

And, no, you cant have one of their custom-made, sick-glow headbands. (Believe me, I asked.) Theyre part of the groups brand identity, but they did tell me theyve thought of selling some as merch.

The brothers grew up in Darien, where they took piano lessons throughout their childhood. Their interest in electronic dance music began in high school, when they realized they could put their technical skills toward producing EDM-style tracks.

They continued to practice music production in college. Both graduated in 2020, Matt from Duke University and Chris from Dartmouth College. Over the next few years, they reached out to artists like Wrabel, Frank Walker, Waterparks and Anna Clendening, and produced official remixes of their work on Spotify.

Now, theyre focusing on releasing original music, with several songs set to come out this year.

Their latest music video, Will You Love Me, took them to the top of the Empire State Building, along with collaborating artist Charlie Miller.

Hearst Connecticut Media chatted with the Drakes via email to talk about the video and what their plans look like for the future.

Want to watch the Will You Love Me music video? Click here.

Sarajane Sullivan: Not many people are brave enough to work with family. What is it like going through this creative process with your brother?

MC4D: Thats a question we get a lot, and I think working together helps us to get the most out of each other. Were pretty brutally honest with each other when it comes to sending ideas back and forth and developing a song. It helps us to really focus our ideas and allows our strongest ones to come to fruition.

SS: How did Will You Love Me come to be?

MC4D: We were put into contact with Charlie Miller through another artist we were working with. Charlie sent over the vocal topline for Will You Love Me. We were instantly hooked on the idea and began producing the track around Charlies topline. We had the whole thing finished within about a day, which is pretty fast for us, but the whole song just came naturally around Charlies amazing vocals.

SS: What were the most fun and most challenging aspects of filming this music video?

MC4D: The whole rooftop scene was incredible - with the Empire State Building glowing behind us and all of Manhattan spread out in a 360 panorama, it couldnt have been a better spot to shoot the video. Wed also never met Charlie in person before and it was a blast hanging out with him - we had an instant chemistry that we think was evident in the video.

The most difficult aspect was probably the wind on the top of the building. It was a pretty cold and windy day, and the lights we had set up kept getting blown over by the wind. So we had to make sure to move quickly and get the shots we needed once the lighting rig was exactly the way we wanted it. Need to give a shout out here to the INCREDIBLE guys at Global Extreme for their amazing work on the video - from the shoot planning and set design, to their insane drone flying skills, to their post-production work those guys are pros at what they do. Theyre also 2016 Darien High School grads like us, and its great to be able to work with them and grow our respective brands together.

SS: Who are some musicians you look up to? What kind of music do you listen to on the regular?

MC4D: From a production side, we really respect and look up to artists like Porter Robinson, Tritonal and Madeon - theyre all artists who built their own unique sound, and as a dance artist theres nothing more you can strive to accomplish than that.

Although we produce dance music, we listen to a lot of different genres of music, particularly indie & alternative groups. Lately weve been listening to a lot of ARIZONA, Nightly, Empire of the Sun, flor and Parade of Lights. We love how all of these groups incorporate electronic elements into their music but are still able to keep an organic sound - it just produces good vibes that you never get tired of listening to.

SS: What are your goals for the future?

MC4D: We have a lot of goals for ourselves, whether thats getting a certain number of plays on a song or playing certain festivals and venues, but at the end of the day I think our biggest goal is to grow a dedicated fan base. If you can create a sound that people are attracted to and genuinely cannot wait for your next release, then youve made it. At that point youll always have the ability to release music and tour and know that you will have a fan base backing you in all your endeavors, which is really how you create longevity in your career.

Find MC4D on Spotify , Apple Music , Amazon Music , Pandora , YouTube and TikTok .

sarajane.sullivan@hearstmediact.com, @bysarajane on Twitter
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Youve probably heard the name, Marilyn Manson. After all, the celebrity has long been one of the most controversial entertainers in America. Known for music, videos, and concerts with violent and sexually explicit content as well as a vampire-like physical appearance, Manson is an artist known for shock value. But before he was shocking listeners and concertgoers across the globe as Marilyn Manson, he lived a far more pedestrian life.

Marilyn Manson | Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

What is Marilyn Mansons real name?

Happy Halloween. Photo by Travis Shinn pic.twitter.com/2IOYMOrwtA  Marilyn Manson (@marilynmanson) November 1, 2020

Born in Canton, Ohio, in 1969, to a religious family, Brian Hugh Warner attended Heritage Christian School for most of his young life. After transferring to Glen Oak High School, he attended Broward Community College in Florida to study journalism. He noted that he pursued this degree in part because his father told him not to in an interview with The Guardian. Manson also shared his fathers PTSD symptoms from his time serving in the Vietnam War, which had significantly shaped Mansons outlook on violence, which would later be reflected in his lyrics.

Taking his name from both actor Marilyn Monroe and cult leader Charles Manson, Warner formed his first band, Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids in 1989. The band soon drew the attention of Trent Reznor, frontman for Nine Inch Nails. Reznor produced their debut album in 1994, and they slowly began to develop an audience. Their first big hit came in 1995 with a cover of a Eurhythmics hit. Their second album, Antichrist Superstar, gained further attention. And Manson gained a reputation for being the most outrageous of the so-called shock rockers with over-the-top on-stage antics.

Antichrist Superstar was the first in a trilogy of albums that gained widespread notoriety as its supporting tour was heavily protested by Christian conservative groups. During the mid-90s, Manson also found himself targeted by Congress, as critics and lawmakers denounced Manson in the wake of a fans suicide. Nonetheless, the album and its follow-ups were hits, earring platinum certifications. Hes since released an additional seven albums, all of which have enjoyed commercial success and made waves.

Manson outside of music

RELATED: Did Marilyn Manson Really Kill a Chicken at One of His Concerts?

Manson is not only a musician. Hes appeared in multiple films, such as 1997s Lost Highway and 1999s Jawbreaker. Among other scripted television guest spots, Manson has appeared on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Riverdale, as well as had a recurring role for a season on the hit FX show Sons of Anarchy. And hes appeared numerous times on Celebrity Deathmatch.

The musician has also long practiced watercolor painting. He held a show in 2002 of his paintings, and several followed in the early 2000s. Based mainly on his work, he developed an art movement called Celebritarian Corporation, which also became the name of a gallery he purchased. His slogan for the movement is We will sell our shadow to those who stand within it.

Beyond these pursuits, Manson has appeared as a character in several video games, including Celebrity Deathmatch. He also has contributed numerous songs to various videogames. A longtime fan of absinthe, Manson developed his own brand, Mansinthe, in the late 2000s, which has gained some critical praise.

Controversy on and off the stage

The ants have come indoors. pic.twitter.com/r3xxd5f3xg  Marilyn Manson (@marilynmanson) September 2, 2020

Manson gained his provocative reputation in part because of his on-stage antics, which have included cutting himself on-stage, parading around in fake breasts, and lyrics that praise Satan. But his on-stage provocations are no act, as hes been involved in head-shaking activities in his personal life as well. Mansons autobiography is filled with tales of his wild life, such as the time when he smoked human bones. His personal relationships have also been tumultuous.

Hes had relationships with several well-known actors and celebrities, including Rose McGowan, Evan Rachel-Wood, and Dita Von Teese, to whom he was briefly married. Manson stands accused of abuse of multiple women with whom he has been romantically linked, including Evan Rachel Wood. Wood has accused him of abusing her since she was a teenager, and nearly a dozen other women have made similar accusations.

As a result, Manson has found himself dropped from his recording label, talent agency, and manager while the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department investigates these claims. Manson maintains his innocence, noting in a statement that his relationships were consensual and that his art has made him a magnet for controversy. Guilty or innocent, the man known as Marilyn Manson is a far cry from the Christian school student Brian Hugh Warner.
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Researchers have found that out of the more than 300 COVID-19 machine learning models described in scientific papers in 2020, none of them is suitable for detecting or diagnosing COVID-19 from standard medical imaging, due to biases, methodological flaws, lack of reproducibility, and 'Frankenstein datasets.'

The team of researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, carried out a systematic review of scientific manuscripts - published between 1 January and 3 October 2020 - describing machine learning models that claimed to be able to diagnose or prognosticate for COVID-19 from chest radiographs (CXR) and computed tomography (CT) images. Some of these papers had undergone the process of peer-review, while the majority had not.

Their search identified 2,212 studies, of which 415 were included after initial screening and, after quality screening, 62 studies were included in the systematic review. None of the 62 models was of potential clinical use, which is a major weakness, given the urgency with which validated COVID-19 models are needed. The results are reported in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence.

Machine learning is a promising and potentially powerful technique for detection and prognosis of disease. Machine learning methods, including where imaging and other data streams are combined with large electronic health databases, could enable a personalised approach to medicine through improved diagnosis and prediction of individual responses to therapies.

"However, any machine learning algorithm is only as good as the data it's trained on," said first author Dr Michael Roberts from Cambridge's Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. "Especially for a brand-new disease like COVID-19, it's vital that the training data is as diverse as possible because, as we've seen throughout this pandemic, there are many different factors that affect what the disease looks like and how it behaves."

"The international machine learning community went to enormous efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic using machine learning," said joint senior author Dr James Rudd, from Cambridge's Department of Medicine. "These early studies show promise, but they suffer from a high prevalence of deficiencies in methodology and reporting, with none of the literature we reviewed reaching the threshold of robustness and reproducibility essential to support use in clinical practice."

Many of the studies were hampered by issues with poor quality data, poor application of machine learning methodology, poor reproducibility, and biases in study design. For example, several training datasets used images from children for their 'non-COVID-19' data and images from adults for their COVID-19 data. "However, since children are far less likely to get COVID-19 than adults, all the machine learning model could usefully do was to tell the difference between children and adults, since including images from children made the model highly biased," said Roberts.

Many of the machine learning models were trained on sample datasets that were too small to be effective. "In the early days of the pandemic, there was such a hunger for information, and some publications were no doubt rushed," said Rudd. "But if you're basing your model on data from a single hospital, it might not work on data from a hospital in the next town over: the data needs to be diverse and ideally international, or else you're setting your machine learning model up to fail when it's tested more widely."

In many cases, the studies did not specify where their data had come from, or the models were trained and tested on the same data, or they were based on publicly available 'Frankenstein datasets' that had evolved and merged over time, making it impossible to reproduce the initial results.

Another widespread flaw in many of the studies was a lack of involvement from radiologists and clinicians. "Whether you're using machine learning to predict the weather or how a disease might progress, it's so important to make sure that different specialists are working together and speaking the same language, so the right problems can be focused on," said Roberts.

Despite the flaws they found in the COVID-19 models, the researchers say that with some key modifications, machine learning can be a powerful tool in combatting the pandemic. For example, they caution against naive use of public datasets, which can lead to significant risks of bias. In addition, datasets should be diverse and of appropriate size to make the model useful for different demographic group and independent external datasets should be curated.

In addition to higher quality datasets, manuscripts with sufficient documentation to be reproducible and external validation are required to increase the likelihood of models being taken forward and integrated into future clinical trials to establish independent technical and clinical validation as well as cost-effectiveness.

###
Some Republicans are closing ranks to defend Tucker Carlson after a wave of senior military leaders rebuked the Fox News host for comments claiming that maternity uniforms for women and updated hair regulations are "a mockery of the U.S. military."

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Sunday penned a letter to the Pentagon, slamming the military for "being mobilized against the speech of American citizens or in the service of left wing political causes."

"This kind of behavior, while perhaps typical in a military-controlled third world country, is completely unacceptable in the United States of America," Cruz wrote to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Read Next: Navy Still Considering Bringing Back US 1st Fleet

Cruz, who often gets heavily involved with inflammatory culture issues, requested a meeting with the commandant of the Marine Corps after an official service Twitter account -- II MEF Information Group -- tweeted an image of a female Marine conducting physical training and wrote, "What it looks like in today's armed forces @Tucker Carlson. Get right before you get left, boomer."

In another tweet responding to someone criticizing the Marines, the II MEF Group responded, "Come back when you've served and been pregnant."

Both tweets were deleted, and the account issued an apology.

Cruz doesn't serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee and has virtually no role in military oversight or any background in the armed forces himself. While it is common for multiple co-signers to endorse communications from lawmakers to high-profile officials, Cruz's letter had no clear support from the Republican Party, with no other senators signing it with him.

But on Monday, Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, suggested that female troops serving is a virtue signaling crusade from the Defense Department, despite the fact that women have served in all American conflicts.

"Tucker Carlson is right! The U.S. military does not exist to serve as a social experiment for the far left. It exists to defend us from our enemies, not to be used as a political weapon for enemies of the Biden administration," Jackson, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, tweeted.

The term "social experiment" has long been a phrase used by critics of cultural progress in the military, including the integration of Black service members and repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

A spokesperson for Jackson's office said the congressman was highlighting concerns over DoD officials calling out a civilian and didn't mean to come across as attacking women.

"Congressman Jackson believes that identity politics, virtue signaling, and Twitter drama waged by U.S. military officials with official resources are a distraction from that mission, and that the Biden administration's decision to weaponize the nonpartisan DoD for this purpose is wildly inappropriate," the spokesperson said.

A Pentagon inspector general report earlier this month found that while Jackson served as the White House's top physician during the Trump administration as a Navy rear admiral, he sexually harassed colleagues, "bullied" subordinates and abused alcohol and Ambien on the job. His alleged behavior tanked his nomination to be President Donald Trump's Department of Veterans Affairs secretary in 2018.

Last week, Carlson complained, "Pregnant women are going to fight our wars. While China's military becomes more masculine as it has assembled the world's largest navy, our military needs to become -- as Joe Biden says -- more feminine."

Carlson, who has no background in military service, made the comments the day after President Joe Biden announced the nomination of two female generals for promotion to four-star commands. Their promotions were delayed in the previous administration over fears that any nominations other than white men would trigger an objection from Trump, according to reporting from The New York Times.

Biden said the military is executing "relatively straightforward work" to make it a better environment for women, including "designing body armor that fits women properly, tailoring combat uniforms for women, creating maternity flight suits [and] updating requirements for their hairstyles."

However, the move to recruit and retain women is not new to Biden's administration. The Air Force started to look at maternity flight suits to better fit pregnant women during the Trump administration. Updated Army hair regulations were also finalized during the Trump administration, and the quest for better fitting body armor for women has been ongoing for years.

The president has no direct role in managing military uniforms or grooming regulations.

Carlson's comments came during a critical time as the services try to address a pervasive sexual harassment and assault problem within the ranks and senior leaders have been lambasted for ignoring the concerns of female troops.

Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston, the Army's top enlisted leader said, "[Women] lead our most lethal units with character. They will dominate any future battlefield we're called to fight on. Tucker Carlson's words are divisive, don't reflect our values."

In a video he tweeted, Master Gunnery Sgt. Scott Stalker, the top enlisted leader at U.S. Space Command, blasted "drama TV," urging troops to "get back to work" and "remember that those opinions were made by an individual who has never served a day in his life."

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a former National Guard pilot who lost both legs after her helicopter was downed, also slammed Carlson after his disparaging comments.

"F--- Tucker Carlson," Duckworth tweeted Thursday. "While he was practicing his two-step, America's female warriors were hunting down Al Qaeda and proving the strength of America's women."

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: Tucker Carlson Couldn't 'Be More Wrong': Troops Fire Back at Fox News Host's Claims of a Feminized Military
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Two doses of either Pfizer or AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine offer the same protection against the illness as getting infected and recovering, research suggests.

A study of 13,000 health workers in England revealed no-one who received both jabs suffered symptomatic illness in the fortnight after their booster dose.

That's compared to the two per cent of Covid survivors who fell ill with the virus after recovering from an earlier infection. The sample size was too small to say for definite the vaccines gave more protection than previous illness.

Oxford University researchers who carried out the research said the findings applied to the more infectious, and possibly deadlier, Kent variant.

They also found a single dose of either vaccine reduced the number of people with symptomatic illness by 67 per cent after 14 days. This finding highlights that healthcare workers 'should take up second vaccines as soon as these are available', they said.

Dr Katie Jeffery, director of infection prevention and control at Oxford University Hospitals, who was involved in the study, said: 'We are grateful to the thousands of staff who work at OUH's hospitals who have taken part in the testing programme.

'In this case it is significant that two doses of the vaccines offer similar levels of protection to natural immunity, and that we saw no symptomatic infections among those staff who had had two vaccine doses.

Two doses of either the Pfizer or Oxford University vaccines offer the same protection against Covid than getting infected and recovering, research suggests

A study of 13,000 health workers in England found nobody who received both injections suffered symptomatic illness in the fortnight after their second jab. That's compared to the 2 per cent of Covid survivors who fell ill with the virus after recovering from an earlier infection

'Data from studies such as this are important as they provide information which may feed into national policy.

'It also highlights that healthcare workers and other groups at increased risk of infection should take up second vaccines as soon as these are available.'

Hospitals can remove health workers from high-risk wards if they refuse the Covid vaccine Hospitals in England will be able to redeploy staff who refuse to get their Covid vaccine under new plans drawn up by NHS bosses. An internal document said local leaders can move workers to wards where they have a smaller chance of catching or passing Covid to patients. This may include taking them off cancer or dementia wards, for example, where patients are extremely vulnerable to the virus. If staff are already on low-risk wards then they should be put through the latest infection control training and provided personal protective equipment (PPE) and a tight-fitting mask, the document said. The new guidance, seen by the Health Service Journal (HSJ), said: 'In addition to the above, if the risk to the member of staff, their colleagues or patients is still very significant, they could be moved into a less exposure-prone setting as an option. 'These sensitive conversations may require input from local trade union representatives and HR.' Uptake of the Covid jabs has been better than expected among health workers in the UK  more than nine in 10 frontline NHS staff have had at least one dose so far. Frontline health staff were included in the top four priority groups for the vaccine because, even though they are not more likely to catch or die from Covid, there is always a risk they will pass the disease onto ill and frail patients. Advertisement

The study looked at NHS staff at Oxford University Hospitals who had been regularly tested from last March until the end of February 2020.

Some 8,285 have received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine (1,407 of them two doses), and 2,738 the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab (49 of them receiving both doses).

A total of 1,273 staff who had previously been infected and had Covid antibodies but were not vaccinated were also recruited.

The study found that previously-infected patients enjoyed 98 per cent protection against symptomatic Covid, while two doses of the vaccines gave 100 per cent protection.

Prior infection stopped 85 per cent of people from testing positive on a PCR, while the figure for both vaccine doses was 90 per cent. A single injection prevented 64 per cent from testing positive.

PCR tests are ultra-sensitive and can pick up on tiny fragments of virus even if a person is not infectious.

The researchers said the amount of virus detected by the tests suggested vaccinated or previously-infected people were 'unlikely' to transmit it to others.

The study, which has not been peer-reviewed, is published on the MedRxiv pre-print server.

It was carried out jointly by researchers and clinicians from OUH and a number of University of Oxford departments, including the Nuffield Department of Medicine and the Big Data Institute, with support from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.

It comes as hospitals in England were given the green light to redeploy staff who refuse to get their Covid vaccine under new plans drawn up by NHS bosses.

An internal document said local leaders can move workers to wards where they have a smaller chance of catching or passing Covid to patients.

This may include taking them off cancer or dementia wards, for example, where patients are extremely vulnerable to the virus.

If staff are already on low-risk wards then they should be put through the latest infection control training and provided personal protective equipment (PPE) and a tight-fitting mask, the document said.

The new guidance, seen by the Health Service Journal (HSJ), said: 'In addition to the above, if the risk to the member of staff, their colleagues or patients is still very significant, they could be moved into a less exposure-prone setting as an option.

'These sensitive conversations may require input from local trade union representatives and HR.'

Uptake of the Covid jabs has been better than expected among health workers in the UK  more than nine in 10 frontline NHS staff have had at least one dose so far.

Frontline health staff were included in the top four priority groups for the vaccine because, even though they are not more likely to catch or die from Covid, there is always a risk they will pass the disease onto ill and frail patients.
The Minister of the Interior, Lucian Bode, was heard on Monday, as a witness, at the Bucharest Court of Appeal (CAB), in the "Hidroelectrica" case, in which Elena Udrea is being tried for influence peddling and money laundering and Dan Andronic is accused of perjury, according to AGERPRES.

Bode explained that he was called to testify before the court about the contracts concluded by Hidroelectrica in 2012, when he was minister of economy.

Asked by journalists if there was pressure at any time for certain companies to benefit from preferential tariffs from Hidroelectrica, Bode said: "No. I have pursued the interest of the Romanian state and the results of the negotiations at the end of my term are proof of my statement."

In this case, Elena Udrea is accused by National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) of accepting the promise made through intermediaries by the businessman Bogdan Buzaianu, in 2011, to receive the sum of 5 million dollars in order to exert her influence on the decision-makers within the Ministry of Economy and Hidroelectrica, in order to maintain, in the conditions already negotiated, the contracts that the businessman's company had concluded with the energy producing company.

In the case of Dan Andronic, DNA claims that, when he was heard as a witness, he made false statements about the essential aspects of the case.

Elena Udrea has been recently sentenced to eight years in prison in another case, but the decision is not final.
Londons Metropolitan Police attacked a peaceful vigil held on Clapham Common Saturday, making four arrests and brutally assaulting women who attended.

The protest was held amid widespread anger following the murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard.

Earlier on Saturday, just prior to the vigil, Met police officer Wayne Couzens appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court after being charged with Everard's kidnap and murder. She went missing when walking home to Brixton from Clapham in south London at around 9.30pm on March 3. The court was told that Everard's body was found inside a builder's bag in woods in Kent and identified by her dental records.

Couzens is a firearms officer from the elite Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command. He was arrested on March 9. Anger grew as it emerged that police did not progress an investigation into two alleged flashing incidents against staff at a McDonald's restaurant in south London on February 28, three days before Everard was attacked.

Police move on to the bandstand and surround it during the operation (Credit: Sarah Huck-Twitter)

The vigil went ahead despite moves by the police, backed by the High Court, to ban a vigil set to take place later Saturday night organised by a newly founded group, Reclaim These Streets. This was banned on the pretext that it was not compliant with COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings.

On Friday, Reclaim These Streets brought an urgent legal action at the High Court seeking a ruling that a ban on outdoor gatherings under coronavirus regulations be subject to the right to protest. The group wanted what they described as a policy by the Met of prohibiting all protests, irrespective of the specific circumstances ruled unlawful. These requests were refused by Justice Holgate, who said it would not be appropriate to make such a declaration. It was up to the organisers and police to discuss the application of the regulations and the (rights to freedom of expression and assembly) in relation to the event.

As the vigil began in the early evening, a speaker attempted to address the mainly female audience, the vast majority of whom were wearing masks. A report in the Guardian explained, As she spoke, police began pushing their way on to the bandstand, some of them trampling the tributes [of flowers and candles laid in Everards memory] and tried to push the speakers aside.

A wall of police sealed off the bandstand area and instructed the crowd to disperse, or face arrest. They then began to violently attack and manhandle those in attendance. One woman was held down face down on the bandstand by two officers, handcuffed, arrested, thrown in a police van and told to give her name and address. If she did, she would only get a fine, the police threatened. Others were shoved to the floor and punched by police.

As an arrested woman was led away, the crowd chanted at police Shame on you, 'Let them go' and Arrest your own. Those arrested were accused of public order offences and of breaching coronavirus rules.

The vigil was one of a number that went ahead Saturday including in Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Edinburgh and Cardiff. On Sunday, thousands of people protested Saturdays attack at the Mets HQ in Scotland Yard, London before moving to Parliament Square in Westminster.

The polices determination to prevent the vigil and protests against Everards murder was highlighted by the fact that the clampdown took place just one hour after Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge and the wife of Prince William, the heir to the throne, made an unannounced visit to Clapham Common to lay daffodils in Everards memory. A statement from her residence, Kensington Palace, said that Middleton remembers what it was like to walk around London at night before she was married and wanted to pay her respects to the family and to Sarah. Middletons visit was naturally afforded mass publicity.

The indiscriminate attacks on the vigil prompted widespread condemnation of the police and deep embarrassment in ruling circles. Calls were made for the resignation of Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, including by Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey.

Conservative Home Secretary Priti Patel, who has built her career on a never-ending law and order agenda, felt obliged to tweet, Some of the footage circulating online from the vigil in Clapham is upsetting. I have asked the Metropolitan Police for a full report on what happened.

The fact is that the police felt able to react with such brutality because they have been given the green right by the Tory government to do as they want, with a specific remit to clampdown on protests and demonstrations.

The police were handed extraordinary powers in the Coronavirus Act 2020 and can restrict or prohibit events and gatherings in England and Wales during the pandemic in any place, vehicle, train, vessel or aircraft. The Act was renewed last September by parliament and has increasingly been used to intimidate and ban protests. According to the Network for Police Monitoring (NETPOL), there have been at least nine instances of police using Covid regulations against demonstrators.

Last week, Greater Manchester Police broke up a small protest by National Health Service workers and their supporters in St Peters Square, Manchester, citing COVID-19 legislation. The organiser, Karen Reissmann, a mental health worker and a member of the Unison trade unions National Executive Committee, was fined 10,000.

Whatever temporary recalibrations may be made by the government and police in response to Saturdays events, the direction of travel towards authoritarian rule will continue with dire implications for democratic rights won over centuries.

Today the government is introducing in Parliament the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. The Bill is aimed at effectively criminalising even peaceful protest. It follows a review of policing protests demanded by Patel following last years demonstrations by the environmental group, Extinction Rebellion, and those in opposition to police killings provoked by the murder of George Floyd.

A review commissioned by Patel, to inform the new police Bill, by Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) calls for the expansion of stop and search powers for police, as supposedly vital to counter protests deemed disruptive, and the need to develop covert intelligence gathering methods. The HMICFRS report, 'An inspection of how effectively the police deal with protests,' wants static protests to face the same conditions that marches must already adhere to. These include organisers providing advance notice of their plans, enabling police to ban them with the consent of the home secretary.

The Bill allows the home secretary to create laws that define serious disruption to communities and organisations, which police can then rely on to impose draconian conditions. It states that it will Strengthen police powers to tackle non violent protests that have a significant disruptive effect on the public or on access to Parliament. It allows police to determine whether a demonstration can take place at all and, if so, to impose start and finish times. Maximum noise levels can be imposed on static protests for the first time, as a pretext for a ban.

Left-wing and anti-capitalist sentiment and protests are specifically targeted for repression. The HMICFRS report creates the new category of an aggravated activity which is designated as activity that seeks to bring about political or social change but does so in a way that involves unlawful behaviour or criminality, has a negative impact upon community tensions, or causes an adverse economic impact to businesses.

High-level aggravated activism is described as activity using tactics to bring about social or political change involving criminality that has a significant impact on UK communities, or where the ideology driving the activity would result in harm to a significant proportion of the population.
Jung Chul-woo, assistant commissioner for the collection, legal affairs and PR bureau at the National Tax Service (NTS), gives a briefing at the agency's headquarters in Sejong, Monday. Courtesy of NTS



By Lee Kyung-min



The National Tax Service (NTS) said Monday that it has seized about 36.6 billion won ($32.2 million) in cash and accounts receivables from 2,416 tax dodgers who held cryptocurrency assets, the first time for any law enforcement authority to forcibly claim a virtual currency.



The amount was taken from individual accounts managed by crypto exchanges, after a district court granted a provisional attachment order for the NTS, enabled by the clarified status of virtual currencies as assets following a Supreme Court ruling and revision of a related law governing digital currency transactions. Previously, cryptocurrency was not recognized as an asset and thus made it harder for government authorities to take necessary measures to seize it as is done with other assets.



The agency said the 2,416 people deliberately evaded taxes on business income and capital gains made following real estate transactions. Also included were inheritance and gift tax evasion. Most of them managed to evade the tax authorities' scrutiny because digital currencies were not identified by running a check on individual financial accounts over the past few years.



For example, a man whose identity is being withheld failed to pay 1.2 billion won in capital gains tax after selling a property in Gyeonggi Province for 4.8 billion won.



He delayed paying tax saying he had no money on hand, but the NTS was able to seize 1.2 billion won he held in bitcoin, a virtual currency, in January, after his account information was made available.



In another example, a doctor, who runs a hospital in Seoul's southern Gangnam District, failed to pay 2.7 billion won in tax on hospital income. The NTS determined he held 3.9 billion won in digital currency. The man elected to pay the outstanding taxes in cash in order to regain his crypto assets.



Many with tax debts but who possess digital currency are electing to pay debts in cash judging that the value of their cryptocurrency assets will soar further. "Some of the tax dodgers did not sell their cryptocurrency to finance payments, expecting that holding them will be much more beneficial," an NTS official said.



The agency said that discussions are ongoing for those who have yet to pay taxes with their payment schedule to be finalized by March 25.



The NTS said people who report suspected tax dodgers to the NTS via nts.go.kr or the NTS Hotline (126) will be rewarded up to 2 billion won.



The agency said those who attempt to evade tax while holding cryptocurrencies will no longer be able to hide the digital asset, since the revised related law will require crypto exchanges to file a report regularly on the user information including the number of coins in their accounts.



Meanwhile, the unit price of bitcoin exceeded 70 million won for the first time, Sunday. According to cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb, one bitcoin had been traded for 70,594,000 won after surpassing 70 million won at 5:13 a.m. Bitcoin's price had stayed below 20 million won for the past three years, but spiked around the end of 2020 and is now on a steep rise.




MONTREAL - A Montreal-area electric vehicle maker says the $100-million investment from Ottawa and Quebec announced Monday for a battery pack assembly plant will help make its fleet less expensive.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attend a news conference in Montreal, on Monday, March 15, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

MONTREAL - A Montreal-area electric vehicle maker says the $100-million investment from Ottawa and Quebec announced Monday for a battery pack assembly plant will help make its fleet less expensive.

Lion Electric said the plant, which it plans to build near its headquarters in St-Jerome, Que., north of Montreal, will create 135 jobs once completed in 2023.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who made the announcement alongside Quebec Premier Francois Legault, said it's a priority for his government to support the manufacturing sector and projects that will accelerate the electrification of the country's transport systems.

"People are aware that the recovery is going to be extremely important and the kind of jobs and investments that Lion Electric represents, the kind of future that we're going to be building by making investments together, is extremely exciting," Trudeau said at Montreal's downtown convention centre.

Lion Electric makes electric school busses and trucks, particularly for use in cities. Its customers include Amazon and CN. It announced plans to go public on the New York Stock Exchange Nov. 30, through a merger with Northern Genesis Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company.

President and founder Marc Bedard told reporters that without the government assistance, the new plant would probably have been built in the United States. The company, he said, currently buys its battery cells and modules from other providers, and he said they represent 40 per cent of the cost of an electric vehicle.

"It's enormous," Bedard said of the cost.

With the new factory, the company will be able to design and build its own battery modules, he said, which will allow the company to control the shape of batteries, optimize them for different conditions and buy battery cells from any supplier.

"It will change a lot of things. First of all, the cost of the batteries will be a lot cheaper," he said, adding that the factory will allow Lion Electric to lower its prices and make electric vehicles more accessible. Lion Electric currently employs 465 people in its vehicle manufacturing facility.

Quebec and Ottawa will each provide $50 million, while Lion Electric will put $85 million into the project.

The funding from Quebec will come in the form of a loan, Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon told the news conference. Up to $15 million will be forgiven in five years if the company meets certain conditions, while the rest will have to be repaid over 15 years, he added.

Fitzgibbon said the commitments include maintaining a certain number of jobs in St-Jerome for 15 years. It's those "commitments that justify the $15 million," Fitzgibbon said.

Up to 100 per cent of the federal portion could be forgiven if certain conditions are met, federal Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said.

Legault said the announcement is good news for Quebec's economy and its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"We have the large majority of our energy coming from electricity, we don't produce oil in Quebec, so every time we switch from oil to electricity, we win, not only for the environment but economically," Legault said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 15, 2021.

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

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Getting online car insurance quotes will help drivers understand their risk profile and get better rates, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

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Consumer bureau bans LGBT lending discrimination following Biden executive order; FRC responds

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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is the latest federal agency to announce its plans to enforce discrimination protections for LGBT individuals, citing a 2020 Supreme Court ruling that a leading conservative organization warns could have future implications for people of faith.

Last week's interpretive rule asserts that the Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits banks or lenders from prohibiting credit or lending services based solely on LGBT status or gender identification.

In issuing this interpretive rule, were making it clear that lenders cannot discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity, acting CFPB Director David Uejio said in a statement. The CFPB will ensure that consumers are protected against such discrimination and provided equal opportunities in credit.

CFPBs Tuesday statement cites the U.S. Supreme Courts 2020 decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, the ruling that determined Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned sex-based discrimination, also applies to sexual orientation and gender identity.

But critics of the move argue that the Supreme Courts ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County botched the interpretation of federal civil rights law.

In an email statement provided to Christian Post, Travis Weber, vice president for policy and government affairs at the Christian conservative activist organization Family Research Council, said the agencys action further shows how the Biden administration seeks to over-apply the June 2020 Supreme Court ruling.

This is just the latest episode of federal bureaucrat activist lawyers and policymakers looking to make hay over the Supreme Courts ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, which botched the statutory interpretation of Title VII last year, Weber said. Despite the fact that Bostock dealt only with employment law, no doubt Biden administration activists will try to apply it wherever they wish.

The court's 6-3 decision in Bostock, which ultimately consolidated three cases involving the firings of LGBT and trans-identified employees, found that Title VII (which prohibits employment discrimination) also extends nondiscrimination protections to sexual orientation and transgender status.

After President Joe Biden issued the Preventing and Combatting Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation executive order in January, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced it would enforce the Fair Housing Act based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Weber said this executive order will have implications for people of faith and faith-based organizations that uphold biblical views on gender, marriage and sexuality. He said it is likely the beginning of similar actions from the Biden administration.

President Bidens executive order on Bostock issued shortly after he took office only added fuel to the fire for actions like the CFPBs, which are the natural consequence of activist bureaucrats who think their job is to make the law instead of follow the law, Weber wrote. As FRC noted at the time, Bidens order will likely have significant, negative ramifications for people of faith. We can likely expect much more of this from the Biden administration over the next four years.

Conservatives argue that interpretations of federal discrimination law to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity skirt congressional authority because those terms are not included in discrimination laws passed by Congress. During the Obama administration, efforts were made to interpret laws that ban sex discrimination to also include gender identity and sexual orientation.

In its statement, CFPB stated that it looks forward to working with Congress on the Equality Act. This act, which passed the House, would codify protections against gender identity and sexual orientation discrimination in federal law.

Ryan Weyandt, founder and CEO of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance, praised CFPBs recent announcement.

Our community, until now, has been too easily subjected to personal hate and historical bias allowed by both the Fair Housing Act and fair lending guidelines, Weyandt said, according to Housing Wire.

As a former mortgage banker and professional for nearly a decade, this is a welcome change of pace. Our community holds over $1T in purchase power, according to the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Why anyone would want to block that potential is mind-boggling.

This interpretive rule means a creditor can't reject an application based on the applicant's masculinity, femininity, sexual orientation or any form of gender or sexual status.

Before the 2020 Bostock decision, at least 20 states and Washington, D.C. already prohibited discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation in some housing-related credit transactions, according to the CFPB.

The CFPB is a federal agency that helps consumer finance markets operate by fairly and effectively enforcing rules to empower consumers to have control over their economic lives, according to its website.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 10:52:20|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia reported on Sunday 1,413 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, taking the national count to 175,467, said the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, 10 new fatalities were reported across the country, pushing the nationwide death toll to 2,550, said the ministry.

With 1,669 more recoveries registered, the total number of recoveries came to 143,710, it said.

Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation, is one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic in Africa, after South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.

The Ethiopian government recently started a campaign to encourage face mask wearing in public as part of COVID-19 precautionary measures so as to contain the spread of the virus.

The east African nation has so far conducted 2,227,729 COVID-19 tests, including 5,895 new tests in the past 24 hours, said the ministry. Enditem
Police body camera footage obtained by CNN affiliate KTRK shows a Grants Pass woman being arrested at a Galveston, Texas, bank after she refused to wear a mask or leave.

The arrest occurred Thursday, the day after an order by Gov. Greg Abbott rolled back some of the state's Covid-19 restrictions, including the state's mask mandate. Private businesses, however, are still allowed to require masks at their discretion.

The footage shows a police officer entering the Bank of America branch in Galveston and telling the woman the bank can refuse service to her if she won't put on a mask. She insists she doesn't have to and the officer tells her she will be arrested for "intruding on the premises" if she refuses to cooperate or leave the bank. Eventually, the officer handcuffs her and removes her from the bank.

Terry White, 65, told KTRK that she entered the bank without a mask and was asked by an employee if she had one. White replied, "No thank you, I don't need one," and she was offered a mask by the employee.

When White refused the mask, she said she was asked to leave.

"I said no, I just want to close my account and then I'll leave," she told KTRK. "(The employee) goes, 'Well, if you're not going to leave, then I'm going to call the cops.' I said, 'Well, do what you have to do.'"

Galveston Mayor Craig Brown told CNN the woman was arrested on trespassing charges -- "not on not wearing a mask."

According to KTRK, police said White was charged with criminal trespass and resisting arrest.

CNN has reached out to White but has not heard back. Neither the Galveston Police Department nor Bank of America have responded to requests for comment.

What the footage shows

The body camera footage shows a Galveston police officer entering the bank and confronting the woman on Thursday, telling her, "Ma'am, if they ask you to leave, you have to leave."

The woman tells the officer she's trying to take her money out. The officer responds by telling her to which the officer says she still has to "abide by the rules."

"Business have the right to refuse service, even if you're not wearing a mask. That's their choice," the officer says.

"What are you going to do," she asks, "arrest me?"

"Yes, for intruding on the premises," the officer says. He tells the woman to step outside.

The woman insists she's in a public place ("This is a private business," the officer says) and accuses the officer of "taking away people's human rights."

A brief struggle follows as the woman appears to initially resist while the officer starts to handcuff her. Soon she's on the floor of the bank, saying to other people inside the bank, all of whom appear to be wearing masks, "Police brutality, people."

"No," they say. "No, it's not."

The officer takes the woman out of the bank. She says she thinks the officer broke her foot, and the officer calls for emergency medical services. He places her in the back of a patrol car before the footage ends.

Reopening is a 'delicate balance,' mayor says

In an interview Friday, White told KTRK she traveled to Galveston in her recreational vehicle and was aware of the governor's order lifting the mask mandate. KTRK reported that White was glad to have stood her ground and that she is "very opposed" to masks, saying at one point, "I won't wear that diaper on my face."

The order lifting the mask mandate has reignited the debate over face coverings in the state. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Austin city leaders this week after they tried to maintain local mask requirements. On Friday, a judge denied the state's request for a temporary restraining order against the local mandate and pushed the injunction hearing back until March 26.

"Many of the businesses and restaurants and shopping areas here on the island are enforcing still, or requesting, that all their clients and customers wear masks," said Galveston Mayor Brown. "This particular incident was a lady that refused to do that, the bank had said that's their policy."

"It's a delicate balance," he added, to maintain safety while places open up. "That's why we still encourage everyone on our island to maintain social distancing and wear their mask."
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Michelle Obama has said 'it wasn't a complete surprise' to hear Meghan Markle's allegations of racism within the Royal Family, and expressed her hope that the family could reconcile.

Obama, 57, weighed in on the furious fallout from Oprah Winfrey's March 7 interview in a discussion with Jenna Bush Hager on NBC, to air on Tuesday morning.

'Race isn't a new construct in this world, for people of color,' said Obama. 'So it wasn't a complete surprise to, sort of, hear her feelings.'

Prince William last week hit back against claims his family are racist. His firm rebuttal comes after Buckingham Palace issued a statement on Tuesday on behalf of the Queen expressing how the issues they raised, particularly that of race, were very concerning.

But the statement also made clear the Queen and senior royals were also keen to stand their ground, adding: While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.

And the owner of MailOnline and the Daily Mail has complained to CBS for doctoring headlines and taking them out of context during the Oprah interview, watched by tens of millions of people around the globe.

Michelle Obama said in an interview, airing Tuesday, that racism allegations did not shock her

Jenna Bush Hager also asked the former First Lady for her thoughts on life in the public eye

The Obamas lunched with the Queen and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle in 2016

Michelle Obama and Prince Harry attend a Wounded Warriors basketball game in October 2015

Obama said that she hoped the family rift could be healed.

'The thing I hope for, and I think about: this first and foremost is a family, and I pray for forgiveness and healing for them,' she said.

'So they can use this as a teachable moment for us all.'

She told Hager that public service was 'a bright, sharp, hot spotlight,' that most people did not fully understand.

'The thing I always keep in mind is that none of it is about us, in public service,' she said.

'It's about the people that we serve.'

The former First Lady formed a close friendship with Prince Harry during her husband Barack Obama's presidency, as well as a relationship with Meghan in recent years.

Meghan, 39, and Harry, 36, made several extraordinary and damaging allegations about the royal family during their primetime interview, including claims that an unnamed member of the monarchy had been worried about how dark their son Archie's skin tone might be before he was born.

And while Obama did not openly offer her support to one side or the other, in an interview with Access Hollywood - to promote her new Netflix show - she seemed to side with Meghan and Harry when she urged the couple to 'forgive' the royal family in the wake of the bombshell interview.

Advice: Michelle Obama, 57, has urged Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to 'forgive' and 'resolve' their differences with the royal family following their bombshell interview

Tell-all: Meghan, 39, and Harry, 36, made several extraordinary and damaging allegations about the royal family during their primetime interview with Oprah Winfrey

The Obamas first met the Queen in 2009 during the former president's first year in office.

They were introduced to Prince William and Kate Middleton when they returned to Buckingham Palace in 2011, and they had one last visit to the U.K. in 2016.

Prince Harry has been friends with the Obamas for years, bonding over humanitarian and military issues, as well as his inspirational Invictus Games for injured military personnel and veterans. They even took part in a video skit with the Queen to publicize it.

Meghan is believed to be friends with Michelle Obama and had secretly attended a talk the author gave in London in 2018.

Hopes: Mrs. Obama said she prays that there will be 'love and resolve at some point in time,' insisting that 'there's nothing more important than family'

Friends: Mrs. Obama struck up a friendship with Harry during her husband's presidency and later forged a bond with Meghan, whom she's praised for her charity work

A year later, the Duchess of Sussex interviewed her for her collaboration with British Vogue, writing about how the former First Lady had become such a globally respected public figure.'

In September 2019, the same month the issue was published, she praised Meghan for her charity work, calling her an inspiration.

In September 2019, Mrs. Obama praised Meghan for her charity work on Instagram, calling her an inspiration

In an Instagram post, the former First Lady penned a touching tribute to the Duchess of Sussex and commended her work during the 10-day royal tour of Africa.

Alongside a photograph of the royal attending a reception for Young People at the Residence of the British High Commissioner in Cape Town, Obama wrote: 'Thank you to my friend, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex, a thoughtful leader who is breaking the mold and making our world better for it.

'Whether meeting with our leaders or helping girls around the world seek the education they deserve, she is an inspiration to so many.'

Obama's comments on the extraordinary fallout from Meghan and Harry's interview come days after Hillary Clinton criticized the royals for failing to support a 'young woman who was just trying to live her life.'

Michelle Obama is pictured with Prince Harry at Kensington Palace in June 2015

History: During the trip, they had dinner with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, as well as Prince Harry

The former Secretary of State made the comments during a live event with the Washington Post last Monday, one day after the Sussexes' tell-all was first broadcast.

'I found it so heart-rending to watch,' Clinton said, adding that she had met the pair before, as well as Harry's mother, the late Princess Diana.

Clinton then said it was 'heartbreaking' to watch the 'incredibly accomplished' Meghan 'not be fully embraced' by both the 'permanent bureaucracy that surrounds the royal family' and the UK press.

The former presidential hopeful said she too is no stranger to facing off with the British press, adding: 'Ive had my time in the box with the British tabloids, as anybody who is in the public eye has had, and their cruelty in going after Meghan was just outrageous.

'The fact she did not get more support, that the reaction was, you know, "Lets just paper it over and pretend it didnt happen or it will go away, just keep your head down" well, this young woman was not going to keep her head down.

Not holding back: Hillary Clinton slammed the royals for failing to support a 'young woman who was just trying to live her life' last week during an event with the Washington Post

Memories: Then-President Bill Clinton and his wife were joined by their daughter Chelsea when they met with Queen Elizabeth in 2000

'You know, this is 2021 and she wanted to live her life, she wanted to be fully engaged and she had every right to hope for that,' Clinton added.

In addition to allegations of racism, Meghan said she felt 'silenced' during her time as a senior royal and received little support when she was struggling with her mental health.

She also claimed that Kate Middleton had made her cry ahead of her 2018 royal wedding, contrary to media reports that it was the other way around.

The day after the interview, Winfrey revealed on CBS This Morning that Harry refused to say who made the comment about Archie's skin color, but he had insisted it wasn't the Queen or Prince Philip, who is in hospital following heart surgery.

'The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,' Buckingham Palace said in a statement that was released on behalf of the Queen.

'The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.

'Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be loved family members.'

'She's no good. I said that and now everybody's seeing it': What Trump said privately about Meghan after her Oprah interview - but refused to go public for fear of 'being canceled like Piers Morgan'

Donald Trump hasn't spoken publicly about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell interview with Oprah because he doesn't want to be 'canceled' like Piers Morgan, his former aide claims.

Trump's former senior adviser Jason Miller lifted the lid on his feelings about the Sussexes' interview during an appearance on Steve Bannon's podcast on Wednesday.

Miller said Trump told him he could 'make a little news' by sharing his reaction to the interview - but he ultimately decided it wasn't a good idea.

'When I was talking to the president this morning ... he's like: "Yeah, [Meghan's] no good. I said that and now everybody's seeing it.

'"But you realize if you say anything negative about Meghan Markle you get canceled. Look at Piers [Morgan],"' Miller recalled.

Donald Trump (left on Sunday) hasn't spoken publicly about Harry and Meghan's bombshell interview with Oprah because he doesn't want to be 'canceled', his former aide claims

Trump reportedly said he didn't want to be 'canceled' like Piers Morgan (pictured), who left his anchor post at Good Morning Britain last week amid criticism over his forceful comments about the interview with Meghan and Harry

Morgan left his anchor post at Good Morning Britain last week amid criticism over his controversial comments about the interview.

The polarizing host said he 'didn't believe a word' of what Meghan said about experiencing racism within the Royal Family and feeling suicidal when she was pregnant with son Archie.

Trump has spoken out against Meghan in the past, including when he famously called her 'nasty' in 2019.

Miller, who worked as Trump's chief spokesman during his 2016 campaign and as his senior adviser in the 2020 campaign, said Trump told him: 'I'm on Team Piers. Piers is the best, he's the greatest, and they went and tried to cancel him simply because he criticized Meghan Markle. This is just the latest chapter of woke culture.'

Morgan resigned from GMB a day after he stormed off set during an on-air row with colleague Alex Beresford, who criticized him for 'continuing to trash' the Duchess of Sussex.

There were more than 41,000 complaints received by Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, including one from Meghan herself following the clash.

The duchess is said to have raised concerns with ITV about the effect Morgan's comments may have on the issue of mental health generally and those attempting to deal with their own problems.

But Morgan later repeated his condemnation of her interview the following day when he told reporters outside his West London home: 'If I have to fall on my sword for expressing an honestly held opinion about Meghan Markle and that diatribe of bilge that she came out with in that interview, so be it.'

Morgan (left) resigned from Good Morning Britain a day after he stormed off set during an on-air row with colleague Alex Beresford (right), who criticized him for 'continuing to trash' the Duchess of Sussex

Morgan had said he 'didn't believe a word' of what Meghan said about experiencing racism within the Royal Family and feeling suicidal when she was pregnant with son Archie

Soon after he announced his resignation and tweeted his thanks to the GMB team, praising them for their 'hard work and dedication' that led to them beating their main breakfast TV rival.

In the wake of his departure at least three petitions calling for Morgan to be reinstated on GMB garnered more than 240,000 signatures.

Morgan ruled out a return to the show but called the petitions a 'pleasant surprise' in an Instagram statement on Saturday.

'I won't be going back, but thanks to everyone who has signed these petitions. Normally, people start petitions to have me fired or deported, so this is a pleasant surprise,' he wrote.

'Those of you that know me well enough know that, despite my many faults, I'm always willing to stand my ground for the things that I think matter most.

'My fervent opposition to the Iraq War led to my demise from the Daily Mirror. My outspoken views on the insanity of American gun laws led to the end of my time at CNN.

'And now I've lost my job at Good Morning Britain because I chose not to apologise for disbelieving Meghan Markle's claims in her interview with Oprah Winfrey.'

He added: 'I thus became the latest ''victim'' of the cancel culture that is permeating our country, every minute, of every hour, of everyday. Though of course, I consider myself to be neither a victim, nor actually cancelled.

'However, I do believe the defence of free speech and the right to express honestly held opinions, is the most important issue of my career, and the most important issue in British society.'

Sources at ITV have said that Morgan 'will continue to make programmes for the channel', according to iNews.

This is likely to include his popular celebrity interview program, Life Stories, which has been on air since 2009.

Trump and the Sussexes have a history of trading barbs.

The then-president weighed in on Harry and Meghan's decision to leave the Royal Family in January 2020 and expressed condolences for Queen Elizabeth II.

'I think it's sad. I do. I think it's sad. [The Queen's] a great woman,' Trump told Fox News.

'She's never made a mistake if you look. I mean, she's had like a flawless time.'

In a statement, Morgan thanked supporters and declared he was 'willing to stand my ground'

Asked by host Laura Ingraham if Harry should 'come back to the family', Trump said: 'Well, I think, you know, I don't want to get into the whole thing. But I find it, I just have such respect for the Queen. I don't think this should be happening to her.'

Trump hit out at Meghan again last fall after she and Harry made the unprecedented decision to comment on the upcoming US election, interpreted by many as an endorsement of now President Joe Biden.

'I'm not a fan of hers,' Trump said of Meghan.

'I would say this - and she has probably has heard that - I wish a lot of luck to Harry because he's going to need it.'

Meghan and Harry broke with Royal convention when they released a video message making thinly-veiled digs at Trump.

In the video, which came in a Time 100 video to go with the publication of the 2020 list of the most influential people, Harry urged Americans to 'reject hate speech' while Meghan called it the 'most important election of our lifetime'.

'As we approach this November, it's vital that we reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity,' said Harry  in a line many observers regarded as a swipe at Trump.

'When the bad outweighs the good, for many, whether we realize it or not, it erodes our ability to have compassion and our ability to put ourself in someone else's shoes. Because when one person buys into negativity online, the effects are felt exponentially. It's time to not only reflect, but act,' he said.

Meghan, who was born in California, encouraged viewers to vote telling them it was the 'most important' election.

'We're six weeks out from the election, and today is Voter Registration Day,' she said.

'Every four years, we're told the same thing, 'This is the most important election of our lifetime.

'But this one is. When we vote, our values are put into action, and our voices are heard.'
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Axis Bank has entered into definitive agreements with Fettle Tone LLP and the other partners of Fettle Tone LLP on 13 March 2021 in connection with Axis Bank's proposed acquisition of 9.90% of the aggregate partnership interest of Fettle Tone LLP pursuant to a contribution of Rs 90.8 crore by Axis Bank in Fettle Tone LLP's partnership capital.

Fettle Tone LLP is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) set up by True North Fund VI LLP under the IRDAI (Investment by Private Equity Funds in Indian Insurance Companies) Guidelines, 2017.

Fettle Tone LLP is currently a promoter of Max Bupa Health Insurance Company (MBHI) and holds ~55.6% of the total share capital of MBHI.

MBHI is a standalone health insurance company registered with the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India.

This transaction strengthens Axis Bank's position in the insurance sector, pursuant to its investment in Fettle Tone LLP.

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PASADENA, Calif., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The East West Bank Foundation is committed to supporting diversity and anti-discrimination efforts. To help stem the rash of violence against AAPIs, the East West Bank Foundation is contributing to nonprofit organizations which are on the frontlines responding to the hate.

The East West Bank Foundation is supported through East West Bank, one of the top 25 largest banks in the U.S, and the largest minority depository institution in the nation. Founded in Los Angeles Chinatown in 1973, East West Bank was created with a mission to serve the banking and financial needs of Asian Americans and other underserved communities.

The recent rash of violence and hate crimes is tragic and particularly alarming as the victims are from the communities that East West Bank serves. "When our customers, co-workers, family, friends, and innocent members of our community are being attacked and are the victims of hate, we must stand together and support each other," stated Dominic Ng, Chairman and CEO of East West Bank.

"East West Bank has a long-standing history and commitment to the AAPI community, and they are a great corporate citizen. Their willingness to provide assistance and stand with us is a testament to their leadership and that of their CEO Dominic Ng," said California Assemblymember Evan Low, Vice Chair of the California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.

Violent incidents are occurring throughout the country, and the AAPI community needs resources to stem the rising tide of hate. According to an analysis released by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, anti-Asian hate crimes increased by nearly 150 percent last year. The unprecedented scale of these incidents is so dramatic, President Biden recently condemned the violence against AAPIs in his first national primetime address, stating that "at this very moment, so many of them, our fellow Americans, are on the front lines of this pandemic trying to save lives and still  still are forced to live in fear for their lives just walking down streets in America. It's wrong, it's un-American, and it must stop."

The East West Bank Foundation will provide financial contributions to organizations leading the fight to stop the hate and advance the civil and human rights of AAPIs throughout America, including: Stop AAPI Hate; Asian Americans Advancing Justice; Asian Pacific American Leadership Foundation; Asian Pacific Community Fund; OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates chapters in California, New York, Texas, and Georgia; and Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment, among others. Promoting diversity and fighting discrimination have been a focus of giving by the East West Bank Foundation since its founding, and these contributions are a continuation of that focus.

Stop AAPI Hate was founded in March of 2020 to track and respond to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, and child bullying against AAPIs in the United States. "Violence against AAPIs is an ugly stain on America and unfortunately is part of our country's history. We are outraged by the sheer number of incidents across our country, and East West Bank's generous support goes a long way to support our grassroots efforts," said Vincent Pan, Co-Executive Director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, a founding organization of Stop AAPI Hate.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ) has created the Stand Against Hatred platform to empower AAPIs to share their stories and "document hate" to educate, inform and motivate action. "East West Bank's contribution is consistent with the bank's history and involvement in the community. Their support will enable us to expand our reach throughout America to help address the hatred and institutional racism that plague every community," said Connie Chung Joe, CEO, and Stewart Kwoh, President Emeritus, of AAAJ-Los Angeles.

Leadership is important in setting the proper tone for the nation. When leaders embrace diversity and inclusion, it makes for a better America. The Asian Pacific American Leadership Foundation was founded in 2004 to foster leadership and civic engagement among AAPIs. "Until we have leaders that look like us across America, we will always be second-class citizens in our own home. Our elected leaders have the power to enact policies, create new anti-discrimination laws and help enforce our laws. We applaud East West Bank for their corporate leadership  they are a model for other companies to follow," said James Lau, Executive Director of the Asian Pacific American Leadership Foundation.

To combat hate and make America more just, corporate and community leaders must work with government on solutions. California Assemblymember Rob Bonta recently introduced Assembly Bill 886, which seeks to fund community-based organizations that provide culturally competent mental health services for victims of hate violence. Assemblymember Bonta said "all leaders have a role in creating a safer and more just world. This announcement by East West Bank and CEO Dominic Ng is great news, and I hope more can follow in their example."

Contact: Janie Beaman

626-768-6261

[email protected]

SOURCE East West Bank Foundation
Meghan Markle was recently accused of bullying her staff and creating a toxic work environment when she was front lining as the Duchess of Sussex with Prince Harry in Britain. Meghan Markle has now demanded legal evidence against the Buckingham Palace probe.

Meghan Markle accused of bullying her staff

According to Fox News, the allegations against Meghan were made after her interview with Oprah Winfrey. In Meghan Markle's Oprah interview, she revealed that the royal family is racist and also shared some other controversial points regarding them. Post her interview, she has been the target point of Buckingham Palace. Earlier in March, the palace had confirmed that they will be conducting an inquiry after a leaked email which was written by a staff member was published by the Times that read, the Duchess had driven away two personal assistants during her stay in the Kensington palace and had undermined the self-confidence of a third staff member. She has also been accused of bringing the staff members to tears and creating a toxic environment to work in. A UK Media report shared on Sunday, March 14 said that Buckingham Palace is handing over the inquiry to external investigators rather than conducting an in-house inquiry against the allegations.

Meghan Markle demands evidence

The UK Media report added that post the news of the investigation came to light, Meghan has asked to see all the documents, emails and texts that are related to the bullying allegations against her which were started by the Queen. The former American actor wants to know precisely who has accused her of being a bully. Both sides have been lawyering up and the former legal aides of Harry and Meghan have agreed to help the royal couple with the probe.

Meghan Markle's Oprah interview

The Oprah interview marked the first time the Duke and the Duchess spoke for the first time together post their royal exit which was recently confirmed. In the interview, the couple revealed their reason behind their decision to step away from their royal duties which they had declared in January 2020. In the interview, Meghan talked about there being a lack of mental health support from the family members and how some family members made racist remarks against the colour of her skin and raised concerns over the colour of their mixed-race son Archie.

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Authorities have imposed martial law on Hlaingthaya. Army-run Myawadday television said security forces acted after four garment factories and a fertilizer plant were set ablaze and about 2,000 people had stopped fire engines from reaching them, Reuters said. Plumes of black smoke rose over the area, with some reports saying two of the factories were burned. A junta spokesman did not answer calls requesting comment.

According to the Reuters news agency, quoting the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) advocacy group, security forces shot protesters in Yangon's Hlaingthaya suburb, which is home to Chinese-owned factories. China is seen and supportive of the Myanmar junta.

Security forces on Sunday killed at least 39 people, 22 of them in a suburb of Yangon, the country's main city, reports out of Myanmar say, in what would be the bloodiest day of protests against the junta that seized power in a Feb. 1 coup.

Sixteen more protesters were killed in other cities and townships, the AAPP said, as well as one policeman. The previous deadliest day was March 3, when 38 deaths were reported across Myanmar.

Protests are entering their seventh week after the military detained de facto leader Aung Sung Suu Kyi and took power. Since then, security forces have killed 126 people, the AAPP said, and detained more than 2,150 as of Saturday, with more than 300 released so far.

Christine Schraner Burgener, the UN special envoy of the secretary-general on Myanmar, Sunday strongly condemned the continuing bloodshed. "The international community, including regional actors, must come together in solidarity with the people of Myanmar and their democratic aspirations," she said in a statement.

In Insein township recently, protesters laid candles and sang songs to honor those killed. They also chanted to call for the release of Suu Kyi and arrested leaders from her National League for Democracy party.

On Saturday, the acting head of the country's parallel civilian government, who was appointed by deposed legislators after the military coup, promised a "revolution" to oust the junta.

Mahn Win Khaing, who is in hiding along with most other top NLD officials, addressed the public for the first time, announcing on Facebook that the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, or CRPH, plans to establish a federal democracy. It was formed by elected members of the ousted parliament on Feb. 5. He told supporters the CRPH would try to "legislate the required laws so that the people have the right to defend themselves." He added, "This revolution is the chance we can put our efforts together."

The military government did not immediately respond to Mahn Win Khaing's remarks, but it has declared the CRPH illegal. The junta has called the CRPH a terrorist organization and said anyone involved with it could face treason charges, which are punishable by death.

Amid the continued protests and violence, the United Nations' human rights investigator on Myanmar has called for the international community to take a united stand against the military junta. "It is heartbreaking to bear witness to the terror and lawlessness by those who have illegally grabbed power in Myanmar," which is also known as Burma, Thomas Andrews told the UN Human Rights Council Friday. He added that the international community "must strip away the junta's sense of impunity."



A Myanmar official told the council that authorities in the country were using "utmost restraint" toward the protesters. Andrews called that claim "absurd."

Military officials have claimed widespread fraud in last November's general election, which the NLD won in a landslide, as justification for the takeover. The fraud allegations have been denied by Myanmar's electoral commission.
Since 1919, women have gained the right to vote, flown around the world, and run for president. Today, Stacker celebrates just some of the trailblazing women who broke barriers over the past 100 years.
The United States overtook Saudi Arabia as India's second biggest oil supplier last month, as refiners boosted cheaper U.S. crude purchases to record levels and to offset supply cuts from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+), data from trade sources showed.

India's imports from the world's top producer rose 48% to a record 545,300 barrels per day (bpd) in February from the prior month, accounting for 14% of India's overall imports last month, the data obtained by Reuters showed.

In contrast, February imports from Saudi Arabia fell by 42% from the previous month to a decade-low of 445,200 bpd, the data showed. Saudi Arabia, which has consistently been one of India's top two suppliers, slipped to No. 4 for the first time since at least January 2006.

Country-wise oil import data for before 2006 is not available with Reuters.

Iraq continued to be the top oil seller to India despite a 23% decline in purchases to a five-month low of 867,500 bpd, the data showed.
Vimeo Inc. is immune to a lawsuit by a church whose account it deleted for promoting gay conversion, the federal appeals court in New York ruled, amid a battle over online speech.

Church United and its president and founder, James Domen, claimed that the video-hosting platform had illegally discriminated against them over religion and sexual orientation. The court on Thursday upheld a ruling that dismissed their lawsuit, invoking Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a crucial factor in the development of the internet that provides a broad shield from liability for Vimeo and other tech companies, including Twitter Inc. and Facebook Inc.

While lively debate over how to regulate online platforms continues, Section 230 remains the governing statute, Circuit Judge Rosemary Pooler wrote on behalf of a three-judge panel of the court.

Vimeo is free to restrict access to material that, in good faith, it finds objectionable, she wrote.

Lawyers for Church United didnt immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the ruling.

Free or Dangerous Speech?

Church United created its Vimeo account in October 2016 to upload videos promoting it, including those addressing sexual orientation as it relates to religion, Pooler wrote. In November 2018 Vimeo told the church to remove videos advocating sexual orientation change or risk losing its account. The church said Vimeo targeted five of the 89 videos it had uploaded, including on Domen and other former homosexuals.

Vimeo deleted the account the following month, saying the company does not allow videos that harass, incite hatred, or include discriminatory or defamatory speech.

Section 230 of the 1996 law has been the subject of intense criticism from both the right and the left. Former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies have argued that it gives internet companies a free pass to discriminate against conservatives. Progressives have faulted it for letting the platforms make money while avoiding curbs on hate speech and conspiracy theories like the ones that fueled the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Among the platforms at the heart of the debate is the conservative social media app Parler, which has sued Amazon.com Inc. over access to its servers. Amazon has asserted protections under Section 230. Parler also was blocked from returning to Apple Inc.s App Store recently after it was removed in the wake of the insurrection.

The case is Domen v. Vimeo Inc., 20-00616, Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (Manhattan).

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

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The new look promotes their 'tailored approach and wide-ranging technical expertise as a sell-side advisor'

A KINGSCLERE-based mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisor has rebranded for 2021.

UK corporate finance specialist BCMS has launched the new brand as the sell-side advisor looks to better reflect its range of services for business owners.

It is the first rebrand the company has undertaken since 2012 and was undertaken as the business looks to position its tailored approach and wide-ranging technical expertise as a sell-side advisor, according to chief executive Jonathan Dunn.

He added: We hope this new, fresh brand better reflects where BCMS is as a business in 2021.

We are extremely proud of our heritage as an advisor, with hundreds of successful transactions across 30-plus years.

This new brand is an opportunity for us to position our wide-ranging expertise as a sell-side advisor and demonstrate our truly bespoke approach.

In the past, BCMS has been viewed by some industry commentators as a SME-specialist, focused on trade and retirement sales.

In reality we have long delivered a range of transaction types, generating enduring positive outcomes for businesses across a range of industries.

Our approach is tailored to each and every client, and we work in partnership with our clients to achieve their goals.

We like to think BCMS is an advisor with a difference. We have an incredibly talented team at BCMS.

Our range of successful deals in 2020/21  including the sale of SaaS specialist DPS Software  and our pipeline for the coming months is testament to the fact that even in challenging times, BCMS is well positioned to deliver the very best results for our clients.

First established in 1989, BCMS has completed transactions across a range of sectors and deal structures, from full company sales to strategic trade acquirers in the UK and overseas, to growth capital transactions and/or cash-out deals with private equity investors.

The rebranding is spearheaded by a new website, www.bcms.com, which includes resources for business owners considering their succession and exit options.

This includes a fully searchable, cross-referenced list of the advisors track record, which catalogues BCMSs completed transactions in key sectors including IT services, software, healthcare and food, and offers insights into deal rationale and buyer strategy.

In addition, the website features detailed case study videos, featuring entrepreneurs who have experienced the transaction process first hand.

Interviewees are drawn from across the BCMS Fellows Group  a unique network of around 200 former BCMS clients, who stay close to BCMS post transaction and offer guidance and advice to other entrepreneurs considering their succession plans or exit strategies.

Mr Dunn also said that the past 12 months have been the most challenging on record for the business.

However, the M&A world has not just gone on pause, and it is certainly true that some sectors have thrived during 2020/21, with demand for some of our clients products and services increasing significantly, he said.

I can confirm that we have some landmark transactions currently at the late negotiation stages, in sectors including cutting-edge manufacturing, online technology and professional services, which we hope to announce shortly.

Transactions are still happening, and great businesses are still highly desirable, but there are obvious challenges to getting the best outcomes in the current climate.

We are talking to clients  and prospective clients  on a daily basis, and many are asking us how the pandemic is affecting buyers and investors, and their appetite to invest.

Our answer is clear  the key to successful deal-making over the coming period will be about making the business case to buy  demonstrating performance, business resilience and generating confidence in your future prospects amongst buyers.

And for that, preparing extensively for the M&A process is now more important than ever.

BCMS chief executive Jonathan Dunn
STORY LINK GBP/EUR Forecast: Pound to Euro Exchange Rate Pushes Higher Over Decreasing Coronavirus Figures

Pound Sterling (GBP) Exchange Rate Pushes Higher over Positive Coronavirus Statistics

We have given 11 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to date and there's no demonstrable difference between the blood clots in those that have been vaccinated from those in the general population.

One ought to also remember that Covid causes blood clots. So, the risks of not having the Covid vaccination far outweigh the risks from the vaccinations.

Euro (EUR) Exchange Rate Struggles to Make Significant Gains

We cant allow any doubts about the vaccine We have to make sure everything is right, so it is wise to pause for now.

More than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union and UK with their vaccine has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country.

GBP/EUR Exchange Rate Forecast: German ZEW Economic Sentiment in Focus

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The Pound Euro exchange rate is pushing higher during this mornings session as the UK continues to record a decrease in the number of Covid-19 cases and fatalities.At the time of writing Pound Euro exchange rate is currently trading at around 1.1682 as more Eurozone countries suspend use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.The Pound is heading higher this morning as positive coronavirus statistics from the UK continue to drive Sterling movement.According to Public Health England, on Sunday the 14th March 4,618 new cases of coronavirus and 52 deaths within 28 days of a positive test were reported across the UK.It comes as many other countries across the globe worry over the AstraZeneca vaccine causing blood clots, people in the UK however are being urged to take the vaccine as Professor Anthony Harden deputy chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation downplayed the concerns saying:The Euro has struggled to make any gains this morning as coronavirus vaccine worries and the resurgence of coronavirus cases in some Eurozone countries drag the single currency down against the Pound.It comes as the Netherlands has now joined Norway, Denmark and Bulgaria in suspending the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine over fears it causes blood clots.Hugo de Jonge, Dutch Health Minister said:AstraZeneca hit back at the claims on Sunday after a review on data commenting that:The Eurozone also remains on the back foot as its vaccine rollout remains delayed and slow, and with an increase in Eurozone countries suspending vaccines all together it doesnt seem like the bloc will catch up any time soon.For Euro investors, the focus tomorrow is the release of the ZEW economic sentiment index for March from Germany.The index is expected to show an increase in economic sentiment for the Eurozones largest economy, with the German economy hoping to get back on track in the coming months which could add much needed support to EUR exchange rates.In absence of any notable data, the Pounds movement will continue to be driven by any further coronavirus developments, with a decrease in cases and increase in vaccine doses reported adding support to GBP.

International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements.

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Hyderabad: Covid-19 cases have more than doubled in the past week in Telangana indicating that the disease that crippled the state and the country over the past year, could well be on a path of resurgence in Telangana.

The week between March 7 and March 13 also saw 12 Covid-19 patients dying from the disease in the state. As on March 13, Telanganas total Covid-19 cases stood at 3,01,161, and deaths from Covid-19 at 1,653, according to the state health department.

In what is fast becoming a matter of concern in the state with a large section of the population throwing all Covid-19 cautions to the winds, the daily cases that stood at 111 on March 7, more than doubled to 228 on March 13. The daily cases in Hyderabad city and the rest of the GHMC limits on March 7 which were 27, rose to 46 on March 13.

A similar rise in Covid-19 cases have been reported over the week from Ranga Reddy, and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts that envelop Hyderabad district. In Ranga Reddy against 10 cases on March 7, the number stood at 17 on March 13, while in Medchal-Malkajgiri, the numbers stood at 9 and 15, respectively.

As many as 28 of the 33 districts in Telangana reported more cases on March 13 than they did on March 7, according to the data in the Covid-19 bulletins issued every day by the health department.

With the rising cases, the number of active Covid-19 cases in Telangana too is on the increase. While a week ago, the active cases were 1,807, on Saturday, the health department said that this number rose to 1,993. Also rising, though by small numbers, were the number of patients occupying beds in intensive care units of both government and private hospitals in Telangana. Similar small increase in patients on oxygen beds has been reported by the health department.

According to the Covid-19 bulletins over the past week, on March 7, 110 ICU beds in government, and 242 ICU beds in private hospitals were occupied, which increased to 112 and 255 on March 13. For the same dates, 172 oxygen beds in government hospitals, and 359 in the private sector were occupied by patients, which rose to 190 and 400 on March 13.
Pippa Middleton and husband James Matthews have welcomed their second child together.

The Duchess of Cambridge's younger sister gave birth to a daughter, Grace Elizabeth Jane Matthews at 4.22am this morning. The baby weighed 6lbs 7oz.

'Mother and baby are doing well,' a source told Hello! 'She's perfect, everyone is overjoyed at such a happy arrival.'

Pippa, 37, and hedge fund billionaire James, 45, who married in 2017 and live in a 17 million home in London, are also parents to two-year-old son, Arthur.

Grace's middle names are a nod to her grandmothers, Carole Elizabeth Middleton and Jane Matthews, while Elizabeth might also be a subtle acknowledgement of the family's royal ties.

Pippa Middleton and husband James Matthews have welcomed their second child together. Pictured, Pippa Middleton on a stroll around London on Friday. Her baby was born today

Pippa, 37, and James, 45, are already parents to two-year-old son Arthur. Pictured, Pippa and Arthur head out on their scooters last week

It comes just two weeks after proud Carole Middleton confirmed her daughter was pregnant for a second time in an interview with Good Housekeeping magazine.

'I hope to see more of my family than I could last year, including, of course, my new grandchild,' she revealed.

Pippa was last seen on Friday when she headed out for a stroll in London. She dressed down for the outing in a pair of jeans and khaki jacket that skimmed over her blooming baby bump.

Rumours of Pippa's pregnancy first swirled shortly before Christmas when Page Six reported the couple were expecting another baby.

A source close to the Middleton family told Page Six in December Kate's sister was expecting, saying: 'Pippa and James are thrilled, it's fantastic news amid a difficult year. The entire family is delighted.'

Pippa has never commented on her pregnancy and prefers to keep a low public profile.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will no doubt be delighted at the arrival of their baby niece, which comes at an exceedingly difficult time for the Royal Family in the wake of the fallout of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell Oprah interview.

Yesterday the couple shared a heartfelt Mother's Day post revealing cards made by Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two, for their late 'Granny Diana'.

Pippa Middleton and husband James Matthews at their wedding in May 2017

As well as the Cambridge children, Grace has two cousins on her father's side of the family: Theodore Frederick Michael, two, and Gigi Margaux Matthews, five months, the children of Made In Chelsea's Spencer Matthews and his Irish model wife Vogue Williams.

Kate and Pippa's brother James Middleton, 33, is engaged to Alizee Thevenet.

Pippa and James enjoy a close relationship with both families.

The Middletons enjoy holidays with the Matthews clan at the family's exclusive Eden Rock St Barts resort, proving just how well they all get on.

Pippa and James also raise their children with the support of their parents, with Carole telling Good Housekeeping that she is a hands-on grandmother.

'I want to run down the hills, climb the trees, and go through the tunnel at the playground,' she said. 'As long as I am able to, that's what I'll be doing. I cook with them, I muck around dancing, we go on bike rides.'

Pippa Middleton was last seen in London on Friday (above) days before giving birth

Grace is cousins to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's children, Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, who is almost two

She said she would hope to pass down a love of the countryside and hoped she could help them 'really see the value of being able to appreciate nature and be active outdoors.'

Describing herself as 'very family-orientated', Carole said she has always 'tried hard to be a listening grandmother and mother-in-law' to Prince William, 38, and Pippa's husband James Matthews.

Pippa and James tied the knot in 2017 at St Mark's Church in Englefield, the estate of former Conservative MP Richard Benyon.

In 2018, Pippa welcomed baby Arthur in the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital, the same place where sister Kate gave birth to all three of her children.

The socialite and columnist documented how she stayed active during her first pregnancy for Waitrose Weekend magazine revealing that little Arthur follows in the active family's footsteps.

Pippa and James are close to both families. Pictured, the couple (front) with Carole and Michael Middleton (left) and James Middleton and his fiancee Alizee at the wedding of Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston at St George's Chapel, Windsor, in May 2019

'Now that Arthur is 11 months old and more mobile, I have been trying to come up with different activities to do with him,' she wrote in September 2019.

'I needed to find something more than just park walks in the pram. Our local baby gym has been a saving grace.

'It's a big space full of fun, soft objects, playmats, stairs, balls, swings, mini trampolines and more to stimulate and physically engage babies and toddlers.'

While Michael Middleton, 71, was born into well-off family, Carole grew up in a council house in Southall, west London.

The pair founded hugely successful business Party Pieces in 1987 from their garden shed.

They moved into their home in Berkshire in 1993, where they raised their three children Kate, Pippa and James.

Due to their thriving business were able to send Pippa and Kate to the prestigious Marlborough College.
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Posted Monday, March 15, 2021 4:37 am

After reading the censure of Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler by the Clark County Republican Party for her vote to impeach Donald Trump, I would like to state my support of her action. Although I lean toward Democratic Party principles, I admire the fact that after experiencing the riot at the capitol, she could clearly see the way former president Trump inflamed the crowd, and then did not send the help that was needed during the attack, which resulted in five peoples deaths.

Because of her support for impeachment, the local Republican Party precinct committee officer Carolyn Crain was quoted as saying, she violated my trust, and it broke my heart. The CCRP will withhold any future political funding and support of all resources to Herrera Beutler.

I am of the opinion that the CCRP are the ones that should be censured for their support of a president who has lied continually, and sought to achieve complete control of our government. Statistician Glenn Kessler wrote:

The president keeps going long after the facts are clear, in what appears to be a deliberate effort to replace the truth with his own, far more favorable, version of it. He is not merely making gaffes or misstating things, he is purposely injecting false information into the national conversation.

President Trump's insistence on repeating falsehoods to further his political agenda include: many claims during the 2016 presidential campaign, financing for the border wall, the size of his inaugural crowd, 2016 election results claiming 3 to 5 million illegal votes cast for Hilary Clinton, Spygate conspiracy theory, the strength of the economy, his winning the 2020 election and many more.

How can the CCRP support and endorse such a person? His interpretation of article two of the United States Constitution is I have the right to do whatever I want as president. This statement shows his disregard for the separation of powers that is the foundation of our government. The president and our other political leaders are supposed to be the kind of people that our children and ourselves look up to. There is nothing in the CCRPs or ex-president Trumps behavior that meets these standards.

I am urging Herrera Beutler to abandon the radicals of the local Republican Party, and join another party that would accept her upholding of the rejection of the illegal and immoral actions that are the trademark of ex-president Trumps devotees.

For a healthy society to flourish, the truth must be told, and if it is not, then there can be no trust left amongst us.
Police in Tennessee have released body camera and dashboard camera footage capturing the moment an officer was wounded and a woman was killed in a shootout that broke out during a traffic stop.

Metro Nashville Police Officer Josh Baker pulled over a vehicle at 9.30am on Friday because the owner was wanted on six outstanding drug warrants, police spokesman Don Aaron told news outlets.

Nika Holbert, 31, was driving the black Chevrolet Camaro, but its true owner was convicted felon Demond Buchanan, 42.

It's unclear at this time how Holbert knew Buchanan.

Metro Nashville Police officer Josh Baker pulled over this black Chevy Camaro because it belonged to a felon wanted on outstanding drug warrants

Nika Holbert, 31, was driving the car but was not its registered owner

Baker searched Holbert's purse, found a powdery substance in a small bag and proceeded to try to arrest her

After Holbert tried to flee, Baker deployed a Taser against the woman

Footage released by the police shows Baker looking through Holbert's purse and finding a powdery substance in a small bag.

The Camaro belonged to Demond Buchanan, 42, who was wnated on six outstanding drug warrants

Baker then attempts to arrest Holbert but she shows resistance and flees, yelling, 'Don't put me in handcuffs! I haven't done anything wrong!'

Holbert jumps back in the driver's seat as Baker pulls out his Taser and deploys it against her.

The officer grabs the woman by the hand and tries to pull her out of the car, but with her other hand she grabs a handgun.

'Ma'am, put the gun down!' Baker yells at the woman as she opens fire on him.

The officer returns fire and collapses as the black Camaro pulls out of the parking lot and speeds away.

Holbert pulled out a semi-automatic pistol and shot at Baker, who returned fire

Baker collapsed to the ground with a gunshot wound to his torso

The 14-year veteran scrambled to his knees and radioed in 'shots fired'

Baker was able to radio in 'shots fired' and let dispatch know that he has been hit by a round that had gone beneath his bulletproof vest.

Holbert threw away her semi-automatic pistol in the parking lot and made it to an intersection a block away before losing control and crashing on the side of the road.

She suffered a gunshot wound in the fracas and was pronounced dead at Skyline Medical Center, police said.

Baker was hit in the torso and underwent surgery Friday afternoon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Aaron said. The 14-year veteran was in stable condition, police said and in good spirits as of Saturday.

Holbert threw away her gun and pulled out of the parking lot, leaving the wounded officer behind

The Camaro crashed a block away from the scene of the shootout

Baker (left) was taken to a hospital to be treated for his serious injury. Holbert (right) was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound hours later

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the fatal officer-involved shooting and will share its findings with the District Attorney General.

Chief Drake said that upon reviewing the bodycam and dashcam video recordings, he felt that Baker acted in accordance with department policy.

'He appeared to do everything he could to try to deescalate the situation, including the use of Taser, including trying not to use his firearm,' Drake told WKRN.

Holbert's adoptive mother, Lisa Holbert-Gooch, told The Tennessean the 31-year-old was wrong for pulling a gun but she is disturbed by the actions of the officer who shot her daughter dead.
Labours pledge to put No 10s planned 1 per cent pay rise for nurses at the heart of its local election campaign could mean that one well-heeled ministers nonchalant dismissal of the nurses case will come back to haunt the Government.

There are many people in this country who look upon professional jobs in the NHS with some envy, Health Minister Lord Bethell said last week.

Nurses are well paid for the job. They have a secure job and they have other benefits.

Is Bethell, a hereditary peer, the right man to talk about nurses pay? He lives with his venture capitalist wife Melissa Wong in a four-storey house in Notting Hill, which cost 6.3 million in 2011, but has since doubled in value. Whats more, they have a swish holiday home in Majorca.

There are many people in this country who look upon professional jobs in the NHS with some envy, Health Minister Lord Bethell said last week

Bethells wife earned millions at blue-chip investment firm Bain Capital, where she was MD until 2017.

She has also worked for Goldman Sachs, the bank once famously described by Rolling Stone magazine as a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.

Lady B also has a clutch of directorships with companies including Tesco and Diageo.

Newly qualified nurses, meanwhile, earn just 24,907 a year. Boris Johnson is said to be considering a one-off bonus for nurses to supplement the offer on the table, but it would have to be pretty hefty to stop NHS angels from looking upon the Bethells with some envy.

As the fallout continues from the devastating Oprah Winfrey interview, journalist Ivo Dawnay tweets: Meghan thinks shes got it bad. Try marrying into the Johnsons  the ego just melts. Ouch! Dawnay is married to Rachel Johnson, the younger sister of Boris.

How to needle an MP

Tory MP Nigel Evans, the Deputy Speaker, was at Blackburn Cathedral for his Covid vaccine when he discovered Transport minister Andrew Stephenson was a volunteer administering the jab.

Ive heard of MPs stabbing each other in the back, said Evans. But never in the arm!

Gyles Brandreth recounts in The Oldie how a friend went into a shop to buy flowers for Mothers Day. The woman at the counter told him they did not sell flowers, saying: We are a circumcision clinic.

When his friend protested that there were flowers in the window, the woman replied: What do you expect us to put in the window?

Britains first Muslim Cabinet minister Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, who sometimes wore a shalwar kameez (traditional Pakistani costume) to meetings at No 10, has recounted one of her worst wardrobe moments.

I was about to take part in a House Of Lords debate, she told Susannah Constantines My Wardrobe Malfunction podcast. I was rushing and I really needed to go to the washroom, so I went to the washroom and rushed back out again.

But I left my dress tucked into the back of my tights and walked into the House and a colleague had to say: I think your dress . . .

Layla Moran must have missed the memo about checking your bookshelves to ensure there is nothing that can be used to hold you up to ridicule.

A Zoom interview last week revealed that the Lib Dem foreign affairs spokeswoman has a copy of The Victory Lab, a book by the U.S. journalist Sasha Issenberg, subtitled: The Secret Science Of Winning Campaigns.

Clearly the Lib Dems havent read it.

Layla Moran must have missed the memo about checking your bookshelves to ensure there is nothing that can be used to hold you up to ridicule

Whips, chips and Gove's gossip

So how does the late Tory MP Sir Henry Chips Channon  whose riotous diaries reveal a Nazi-admiring friend to the royals with a voracious sexual appetite for men and women  compare with modern MPs?

So how does the late Tory MP Sir Henry Chips Channon  whose riotous diaries reveal a Nazi-admiring friend to the royals with a voracious sexual appetite for men and women  compare with modern MPs?

Michael Gove, in virtual conversation with Simon Heffer who edited the diaries, said: I was one of the most spectacularly incompetent Chief Whips any government has ever had. But as Chief Whip you realise people in politics take more risks and by their very nature have more colourful lifestyles. Moving to London can lead to all sorts of temptation Chips Channon style.

Asked if he was referring to any specific MPs, Gove said: Time for the next question.
Vanderpump Rules alum Lala Kent is currently in labor with her and fiance Randall Emmett's first child together on Sunday.

As the parents-to-be await the imminent arrival of their baby girl, the 49-year-old producer shared a snap of Kent hooked up to IVs in a hospital bed.

'And so it begins,' Emmett captioned the intimate snap, which showed the reality star with a boxed organic fruit juice by her side.

Vanderpump Rules alum Lala Kent is currently in labor with her first child with fiance Randall Emmett on Sunday

The Give Them Lala ... with Randall podcast host, 31, sported a light grey hospital gown over her baby bump as she chatted with a nurse.

In the shot, she was turned away from Emmett, but her sleek and straight blonde hair could be seen falling just past her shoulders.

Emmett also shares two children London, 11, and seven-year-old Rylee with his ex-wife Ambyr Childers.

Late last month, she opened up to her 1.5 million Instagram followers about some of the scary complications with her pregnancy.

As the parents-to-be await the imminent arrival of their baby girl, the 49-year-old producer shared a snap of Kent hooked up to IVs in a hospital bed; seen in 2019

Kent said she experienced bleeding and placenta problems early in her pregnancy.

'At six weeks, I started bleeding,' the blonde beauty wrote. 'I went to the emergency room, already knowing what they could tell me. They took me into a room for an ultrasound and I laid there quietly.  For the first time, I heard the pitter patter of my baby's heartbeat. 'Your baby is still there.'

The star, who announced her pregnancy in September, became nervous.

Hard times: Late last month, she opened up to her 1.5 million Instagram followers about some of the complications with her pregnancy

'For the next three weeks, I would continue to randomly bleed and each time, I would call my OB and be beside myself. Although bleeding during pregnancy isn't normal, it is common. My bleeding was the result of a clot. I was put on bed rest until it was gone,' Kent added.

When she was 20 weeks along her doctors told her they were 'concerned.'

They were worried about how the baby would grow and wanted to keep an eye on the pregnancy.

Scary: 'At six weeks, I started bleeding,' the blonde beauty wrote on Instagram. 'I went to the emergency room, already knowing what they could tell me. They took me into a room for an ultrasound and I laid there quietly.  For the first time, I heard the pitter patter of my baby's heartbeat. 'Your baby is still there''

'The next appointment, there was growth  not much, but some,' she shared. 'After a few weeks, my doctors concluded that this was a placenta problem, not a kid problem. Although we never want any problem, this was a relief.'

At that point, her placenta was measuring more mature.

She ended with: 'I am going to appointments two days a week. They continue to monitor her heartbeat and her growth. When they notice her growth start to slow is when they will make the call to take her out. This could be anywhere from 35 to 37 weeks. In one to three weeks, I could be delivering my angel and all I keep praying for is she comes out healthy. That is all I think about every day, all day.'

Candid: Kent shared a snap of her eight-month pregnant belly while nude in the bath

A few weeks ago, Kent also shared a snap of her eight-month pregnant belly while nude in the bath.

The star wrote: 'Did anyone else hit the 'I'm over it' phase with 6 weeks left? I'm so blessed to get to experience this but y'all my back and ribs are doooone. A flame thrower has also taken residence in my chest.'

She added: 'My following is 96%. So here is my 8 month pregnant bod.

Lots of love: Kent and Emmett became engaged in 2018, after he popped the question during a romantic trip to Cabo San Lucas

Blended family: Emmett also shares two children London, 11, and seven-year-old Rylee with his ex-wife Ambyr Childers

Lala had one of the captions over her private parts with her hand covering her breast; her baby bump was on full display.

Fellow Vanderpump Rules star Scheana Shay is also pregnant with her first child - she is expecting a baby girl in April as well.

Former VR castmate Stassi Schroeder welcomed her first child - daughter Hartford in early January.
The Metropolitan Police has been criticised for its handling of a vigil on Saturday for Sarah Everard. (PA)

The commissioner of the Metropolitan Police is under increasing pressure to resign over her forces handling of a vigil in memory of Sarah Everard.

Dame Cressida Dick has dismissed calls for her to quit, despite footage showing officers clashing with crowds in Clapham on Saturday evening.

Hundreds of people gathered at the bandstand in Clapham Common, south London, to pay tribute to marketing executive Ms Everard, 33, who went missing while walking home from a friends house on 3 March.

Her remains were found in woodland in Kent and Met Police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, has been charged with her kidnap and murder.

Dame Cressida said what happened to Ms Everard made her more determined, not less to lead the organisation, and welcomed home secretary Priti Patels request for an independent investigation into the events.

The Met Police commissioner said on Sunday: What happened to Sarah appalls me. As you know, Im the first woman commissioner of the Met, perhaps it appalls me, in a way, even more because of that.

What has happened makes me more determined, not less, to lead my organisation.

Ive listened to what people have been saying in the last week, I know that in the streets all across the UK women dont feel as safe as we would all like women to feel. I am utterly determined.

Boris Johnson said he was deeply concerned about the footage from the event, some of which showed police officers grabbing women and leading them away in handcuffs, but he is understood to have confidence in Dame Cressida.

The vigil had initially been organised by Reclaim These Streets before it was cancelled following consultation with the Metropolitan Police, which said it would be in breach of coronavirus laws.

Four people were arrested for public order and coronavirus regulation breaches, the force said.

Calls for Dame Cressida to resign were led by Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, while Womens Equality Party co-founder Catherine Mayer said her position was untenable.

Story continues

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said she should not quit, but condemned the policing on Saturday as wrong.

On Monday, one of the vigils organisers said she did not want Dame Cressida to step down.

Anna Birley from Reclaim These Streets told ITVs Good Morning Britain: We are a movement of women seeking to support and empower other women, and as one of the most senior women in British policing history, we do not want to add to the pile-on.

Read more: Cressida Dick under pressure to explain police actions at Sarah Everard vigil

Watch: Met Police chief defies calls to quit over Sarah Everard vigil
Volkswagen logo. Photo: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Battery supplier Northvolt and Volkswagen Group (VWAGY) have signed a $14bn (10bn) supply deal for premium batteries for cars in Europe.

The evolving partnership between the companies, which began in 2019, will mean the expansion of Northvolt's gigafactory in Sweden. The growth will support a combined order worth more than $14bn over the next 10 years, the companies said.

"Volkswagen is a key investor, customer and partner on the journey ahead and we will continue to work hard with the goal of providing them with the greenest battery on the planet as they rapidly expand their fleet of electric vehicles," said Peter Carlsson, co-founder and CEO, Northvolt.

The company said that by consolidating cell production to the Northvolt Ett gigafactory, the partners will "achieve further economies of scale, thereby securing the best possible cost and enabling the lowest environmental footprint in the world for cell production."

READ MORE: UK car insurance claims fall sharply due to COVID-19 lockdowns

As Volkswagen plans to scale up its own battery manufacturing in Europe, Northvolt will sell its share in the joint venture Northvolt Zwei in Salzgitter to Volkswagen. Volkswagen will at the same time increase its ownership in Northvolt.

Volkswagen will continue to deepen the collaboration and partnership with Northvolt. They are one of our key battery suppliers as we make the transition to electric mobility  and there is potential to expand this partnership even further, said Thomas Schmall, chairman of the board of management of Volkswagen Group Components.

The deal is the latest in a range of moves in the car market looking to a net-zero carbon future. Tesla (TSLA) has also made significant moves towards establishing a gigafactory in Germany to supply its own range.

Tesla says its first electric vehicles from its factory in Germany will roll off production lines from July 2021.

Musk also said in September that Tesla was developing a radically cheaper new electric car battery, but it would not be ready for about three years.

WATCH: What is inflation and why is it important?
By Yingzhi Yang and Tony Munroe

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese search giant Baidu Inc said on Monday that its artificial intelligence chip unit Kunlun recently completed a round of fundraising, which according to one source with direct knowledge of the matter values the business at about $2 billion.

The fundraising, which comes as the company pushes forward with AI chip design and manufacturing ambitions, was led by Chinese private equity firm CITIC Private Equity Funds Management (CPE), the source said. Other investors include IDG Capital, Legend Capital and an industry fund Oriza Hua, the person added.

"Kunlun chip business has recently completed a round of financing. We will release more information in due course," Baidu said in a statement sent to Reuters on Monday, declining to comment on the investors, fundraising amount or valuation.

CPE, IDG, Legend Capital and Oriza Hua's parent Suzhou Oriza Holdings didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. The source declined to be named as the information is not public.

Kunlun chips are currently used mostly by Baidu on smart electric vehicles and cloud computing.

Baidu is considering commercializing its AI chip design capabilities, with the aim of making the Kunlun unit a standalone company, according to the source.

Baidu also operates another chip unit called Honghu.

Last week, Nasdaq-listed Baidu began raising a targeted $3 billion as part of its plan for a secondary listing in Hong Kong.

(Reporting by Yingzhi Yang and Tony Munroe; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
Refugees from the Central Africa Republic have just collected NFIs at a UNHCR distribution center in Yakoma, northern DRC, and are walking back to the homes of the Congolese families hosting them.  UNHCR/Helene Caux

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has today launched a US$164 million appeal to provide life-saving assistance and protection to nearly 1.5 million uprooted Central Africans, including 210,000 who fled a new bout of violence related to the December 2020 presidential elections. With no end in sight to the violence fueling the displacement crisis, nearly one third of the Central African Republic (CAR)s population of 4.7 million have been forced to flee.

Since the new crisis erupted, some 100,000 people have been displaced inside CAR, while neighbouring Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo have received 111,000 new arrivals. Refugees continue to cross every day.

Many new arrivals are reporting grave human rights abuses inside CAR. Our colleagues in Gore, Chad, are caring for a 26-year-old refugee mother who was beaten and raped by a rebel with her six-month-old baby at her side after fleeing her home in Maroukounde. She is now pregnant as a result of the assault and is receiving medical and psychosocial support from our teams.

To enable UNHCRs targeted and timely protection and assistance to the displaced Central Africans and their hosts, and to ensure our support to governments and other partners, we require urgent financial contributions. Unless funding is swiftly made available, we will be forced to reduce or halt vital assistance, even as the needs are rising.

The appeal includes:

US$35.2 million to address the ongoing protection crisis and to help us support the most vulnerable children and families, to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, and for monitoring, registration, and documentation.

US$13.7 million to supply shelter and essential relief to the displaced living in dire conditions inside CAR and in neighbouring countries, and who now depend on the generosity of local host communities.

US$27.8 million for health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, needed to prevent the spread of disease. These needs are compounded by the looming threat of COVID-19.

Despite our limited resources, we have scaled up border and protection monitoring to proactively identify and address the most pressing needs of displaced Central Africans. We are registering and supporting survivors of sexual violence and mitigating the risk of further gender-based violence.

We are also working to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 infections by building and equipping quarantine centres and areas for treatment and isolation, as well as by testing, distributing masks, raising awareness on COVID-19 prevention and social distancing, and by improving water, sanitation and health resources.

Funds for UNHCRs humanitarian response to support displaced Central Africans are already critically low and under severe pressure due to the rising needs of both refugees and the host communities. We are urgently appealing to the international community to mobilize resources to protect and assist the displaced Central Africans and their hosts.

More information on the CAR crisis and UNHCR Appeal: https://reporting.unhcr.org/node/30262

For more information on this topic, please contact:
The women at the Belgian nonprofit Femma decided quickly how to spend their new free time. One took up Spanish classes. Another studied flamenco dance. A senior manager revived her interest in art crafts.

Four years ago, the feminist advocacy organization polled its 60,000 female members on their biggest frustrations. The results were remarkably consistent, regardless of age: The women wanted more free time. Between work and their disproportionate share of the household and child-care responsibilities, the women reported having little time for themselves.

So as a one-year experiment starting in January, Femma implemented a 30-hour workweek for its approximately 60-person staff, which effectively means most take their Fridays off. The employees are being closely followed through December by Free University of Brussels researchers, who are studying the impact of more leisure time on both the women and their children.

"Our colleagues are very happy with this new situation; they're experiencing a lot more freedom," said Eva Brumagne, the director of the Belgian nonprofit, who has started a book club focused on modern literature. "They have a much more balanced life, new hobbies and are spending more time with their children. People are saying their lives have slowed down."

Femma's experiment comes as part of a new push across much of Europe to reduce working hours, including through a four-day workweek. For much of this decade, the idea of a four-day week has been primarily championed by industry executives in certain business niches - like those in software development or sales - as a way to boost employee morale and hourly productivity.

But over the past several years, particularly in Europe, trade unions, leftist organizations and some academics have increasingly called for a far broader, economy-wide transition to the four-day week as a way to give workers a larger share of the benefits of growth.

Typically, critics of capitalism have called for redistributing the wealth it produces through higher taxes, government programs and a higher minimum wage. At least in theory, cutting working hours is another method of addressing the same problem - the unequal results of economic growth - but by reallocating time to workers, rather than money.

"For the first time since the start of last century, there's real energy behind a politics of reducing working time," said Peter Gowan, a policy associate at the Democracy Collaborative, a left-leaning think tank.

Americans work more hours annually than any of their Western peers, according to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development data compiled for a forthcoming paper by the People's Policy Project, a left-wing think tank, about strategies to reduce working hours.

Reducing American working hours to levels in Norway and Denmark would amount to giving U.S. workers more than an additional two months of vacation every year, the think tank found in a separate report last year. In 2016, the average U.S. worker spent about 1,700 hours on the job, while in Denmark and Norway they spent about 1,400 hours - about an 18 percent difference. In Sweden and Finland, the number is closer to 1,600 hours worked annually.

In Europe, signs abound of interest in continuing to cut working hours. The four-day week has won backing from some of the biggest unions in Ireland and Britain, while plans to dramatically cut working hours have been embraced by large unions in Germany, the Netherlands and France.

In Britain, Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party has commissioned a study on cutting working time to see if it should be incorporated into its party platform amid a push to do so by Momentum, a youth left-wing group. The Bank of England's chief economist said earlier this month that the country is on track for a four-day week by 2050, according to the Telegraph.

But so far, the idea has failed to gain significant attention from the American left or labor movement. Jon Steinman, who worked at the Office of Congressional Ethics, said he is starting an advocacy group in the United States to push a four-day week, although the organization is still in its infancy.

The Democratic Socialists of America and the Justice Democrats, two left-wing groups that have pushed Democrats left, have not backed the idea yet. None of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have embraced the idea, despite similarly ambitious proposals for a federal jobs guarantee or a universal basic income.

Critics warn the push for a four-day week could backfire with unintended consequences for workers, including by cutting their pay through shorter hours. Some businesses that have adopted a four-day week have reported struggling to keep up, although others say doing so has bolstered overall productivity. Treehouse, a tech HR firm, implemented a four-day week before failing to keep up with the competition forced it to go back to a five-day week in 2016. Business groups have warned that mandating a shorter workweek would weaken industry, while hurting employment by increasing the cost of labor.

Workers may also face higher, not lower, levels of stress if the shorter workweek means they have to accomplish the same amount in a shorter amount of time, according to Allard Dembe, a retired Ohio State University public health professor who authored an op-ed arguing against the four-day week.

Xiaoxi Yao, a researcher at the Mayo Clinic who worked with Dembe, also said the four-day week could have serious negative health ramifications if it results in workdays lasting longer than eight hours.

"I think this may work for some people," Yao said. "But when you try to work 10 or 12 hours per day, you increase your risk of injuries. When you work long hours, you're more likely to get chronic diseases."

But some advocates say the push to reduce working hours could be accomplished gradually, without the negative impacts. Governments could introduce a tax incentive to encourage companies to reduce working hours, or launch pilots in which some public employees work for four days at equivalent levels of pay, said Aidan Harper, a researcher at the New Economics Foundation spearheading the "4 Day Week Campaign" in Britain.

Changing norms among prominent private firms may eventually lead to a broader transition to a four-day week, according to Harper, much as Henry Ford helped popularize the 40-hour week in the 1920s. In the U.K., productivity has more than doubled among workers while working hours have barely reduced, according to Harper.

"It's not just we'd mandate, 'Everybody has Friday off,' and tomorrow we would all move to a four-day week," Harper said. "It's obviously a gradual process - we want a gradual, steady, managed transition for all workers. We need to see that the gains from the economy can be shared not just in resources and money, but also in time."
Taoiseach Micheal Martin was alerted late on Saturday night about the latest setback for Irelands vaccination programme.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly didnt know until he was called early on Sunday morning by acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn.

But there is a level of political understanding that this is a clinically-led decision  and therefore there is not the anger in Government seen last year when Nphet was seen to be treading a little unwarily on political toes.

Norway only issued its alert about an apparent coincidence between the AstraZeneca vaccine and a small number of unusual blood clots late on Saturday night.

It was after 11pm when the Taoiseach was told that the National Immunisation Advisory Committee, had recommended to Dr Glynn that there should be a temporary deferment of the administration of the AstraZeneca jab.

Read More

He was told it was being advised as a precaution, following new information from the Norwegian Medicines Agency, and that some other European nations were about to take similar steps.

The Taoiseach approved the move, and spoke to the Health Minister on Sunday morning, before there was a further round of talks between both senior members of Government with Dr Glynn and other health officials.

The Government will clearly take the clinical advice on board while the European Medicines Agency continues to review the situation, a Government spokesman said.

Safety is obviously the number one priority in the vaccination programme.

Some Government officials and advisers commented ruefully yesterday on the development, with one saying: A little bit more notice would have been helpful.

But none saw it as bouncing the Government into any political decision, as in the case of a row last year about levels of lockdown in response to rising Covid-19 numbers.

These are not political decisions, said one.

The Government has little choice but to be guided by best medical advice.

"We could hardly ignore it  we would catch hell, said another. But it is obviously one more frustration in a long frustrating line. And it always seems to do with AstraZeneca.

However, People Before Profit spokesman on health Gino Kenny TD said: This has added to the shockingly poor delivery by the company of the vaccine.

I am calling on the Government to outline a clear plan for vaccine rollout in the event that the AstraZeneca vaccine is not approved, or in the event that the company continue to fail to meet their delivery targets and promises for Ireland.

It is incumbent on the Government to plan for all eventualities.

Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys said: We are being cautious. Were pressing the pause button until we investigate further. The European Medicines Agency are at looking at the facts here.

There have been four particular cases in Norway, and we want to make sure that they don't relate to the vaccine.

"Theres no connection as we speak  that link has not been established, but we're just being careful.

I think that's the wise thing to do, because people want to be sure that the vaccine theyre getting is safe. It should be OK, but nevertheless, its better to be on the safe side.

The vaccine programme will continue for the over-70s because they don't receive the Astra Zeneca vaccine.
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Former Congress spokesperson and actress Khushboo Sundar joined the BJP in the presence of BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra at the partys headquarters in New Delhi on Oct 12, 2020. (IANS photo)
Katko and the delegation visited facilities and the border near El Paso, where the Syracuse-area congressman once lived and worked as a federal prosecutor. While working along the border, he prosecuted drug cartel cases.

In his view, the situation at the border is worsening by the day and he thinks that cartels will exploit the weaknesses at the border to funnel more drugs into the country.

There are also concerns about individuals on terror watch lists entering the country through the southern border. Katko said they were told people from Iran and Yemen were stopped at the border attempting to enter the U.S.

The delegation visited a $48 million detention center that was built last year. There are tens of thousands of dollars being spent to feed and clothe migrants. The facility is already over capacity, he said.

"All of this money is being taken away from things we're doing here in the country that could benefit our citizens," Katko said at a press conference.


The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the finances of local families last year and so far this year, with many working parents experiencing layoffs and furloughs. The Brazoria County, Texas family law attorneys of Terry & Roberts share their advice on how parents who cannot afford child support payments due to the economic fallout resulting from the pandemic should handle their predicament.

Contact a Texas Child Support Lawyer

When a parent has a change in financial circumstances that leaves them unable to afford to pay child support, the first step they should take is to contact an experienced family law attorney. Whether they can make only partial payments or cannot afford any payments at all, a child support lawyer will advise them of their options and help them take the necessary steps to remain on the right side of the law.

Child Support Obligations

Because child support payments are considered a court-ordered obligation, the Child Support Division of the Office of the Attorney General cannot grant payment relief. While the novel coronavirus has impacted nearly every aspect of life in the United States, it has not created an exemption from child support obligations, as children still require financial support.

Make Use of Federal Stimulus Checks

Federal stimulus checks from the United States government were issued to address these types of circumstances. The amount received by each American adult or household depends on their unique circumstances; and, those who do not meet the specific exceptions put in place by Congress can spend their stimulus checks in any way they choose, including on child support payments. Even with restrictions, stimulus funds may automatically be applied to outstanding debt.

Per federal law, stimulus funds will be seized for any individual owing more than $150 in public assistance care or more than $500 in non-public assistance child support care. In other words, if you are in arrears with your child support payments, your federal stimulus check will be intercepted to cover the amount owed. With another round of stimulus checks being considered by Congress, parents who are behind on child support should be aware of this possibility.

The experienced family law attorneys at Terry & Roberts understand the devastation COVID-19 has caused for Texas families. Parents who cannot make child support payments or who have questions about their ability to continue paying will receive compassionate treatment from this Brazoria County firm.

About Terry & Roberts

Terry & Roberts is a family law firm that serves Brazoria County, Texas. Attorneys Lenette M. Terry, William J. Terry, and T.J. Roberts are deeply committed to advocating for the rights of their clients, offering them skilled representation in and out of court. Contact Terry & Roberts by calling the firm at 979-849-4387, visiting their website at https://terryandrobertslaw.com, or making an appointment to see them at 203 East Cedar, Angleton, TX 77515.
The Kilkenny-based animation studio, Cartoon Saloon, has been nominated for an Academy Award for 'Wolfwalkers'.

The film stars Prosperous girl Eva Whittaker as the voice of Mebh Og MacTire, a young member of a tribe rumored to have the ability to turn into wolves by night. The young actress is a sixth-class pupil in Scoil an Linbh Iosa in Prosperous. Eva, a student of Vicky Barry Performing Arts auditioned for the part over three years ago when casting agent Louise Kiely visited one of Vicky's classes as part of their nationwide search for the voice of Mebh.

Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland has congratulated Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, and the Kilkenny animation studio. The critically acclaimed animated feature film is nominated for Best Animated Feature at the ceremony, which will take place on Sunday, April 25.

Thank you to @TheAcademy members for #WolfWalkers nomination in the Animated Feature Film category. Congratulations to @tommmoore & @rossstewart.art, the whole team involved in the production & our coproduction partners Melusine/Studio 352. https://t.co/mOZWgo7VSD  Cartoon Saloon (@CartoonSaloon) March 15, 2021

Our warmest congratulations to directors Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, screenwriter Will Collins, and all at Cartoon Saloon on their Academy Award nomination today," said Desiree Finnegan, Chief Executive, Fis Eireann/Screen Ireland.

"Wolfwalkers is a triumph of creative collaboration and Irish storytelling, and we are exceptionally proud to have supported the film. The consistent and continued success of Cartoon Saloons work is testament to Irelands thriving animation industry, and indicative of the creative talent working tirelessly to produce powerfully engaging stories for audiences, both at home and around the world.
A TikToker advised people to stop peeing just in case, and now people are wondering if its good advice

Sabrina Baxter is a physical therapy student (wholl officially be a physical therapist in May 2021) and a self-professed lover of pelvic health. On TikTok, Baxter explained why you should only pee when you really have to go in a video thats since gone viral. But does her claim have any merit?

Why you should stop peeing just in case, according to Baxter

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When youre about to leave the house and youre like, I dont have to pee but I may have to pee so Im gonna go pee  if you do this often, your bladder is never filling up properly, Baxter said. Its not filling to full capacity. Youre peeing when its halfway full. So you may have the urge to pee more frequently because its only filling halfway. [] Youre essentially sensitizing your body to work at lower volumes than needed.

Baxters video received over 1.2 million views. However, many people were unsure about her advice.

So my bladder is the same as my phone battery, someone commented.

Makes sense but I will not be doing this, another wrote.

I always hold it til I cant anymore, a third user said.

Is it true that peeing too frequently just in case will mess up your bladder?

BuzzFeed news consulted Heather Jeffcoat, a doctor of physical therapy, and it turns out Baxter is a great student  because she was totally right.

One of the first things we learn in pelvic health physical therapy education is to educate our patients to not urinate just in case,' Jeffcoat told BuzzFeed.

According to Dr. Fei Zang, PT, a pelvic floor therapist, habitually peeing just in case trains the stretch receptors located in your bladder walls to signal to your brain that you need to urinate when your bladder isnt actually full. The more you empty your bladder when it isnt full, the more frequent these urges become.

Jeffcoat added that the behavior could cause urinary leakage.

Story continues

When the neurologic connection between the bladder and the pelvic floor becomes dysfunctional, instead of the pelvic floor contracting to maintain continence, they relax and the bladder contracts in a setting where it is not appropriate to do so, and urinary leakage may result, she said.

She recommended peeing around every two to three hours. A great way to see if your bladder is healthy is if you can sleep six hours straight without it waking you up. Jeffcoat also said hovering over the toilet can cause issues for cisgender women since it prevents the pelvic floor muscle from fully relaxing.

Before a long car ride, before bed or after sex is okay! The problem is that peeing just in case regularly is what trains your bladder and your nervous system over time. So, dont be afraid to go just in case, but be aware that you dont want it to become a habit, Jeffcoat said.

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The post Should you pee just in case before you leave the house? Maybe not appeared first on In The Know.
Prof Karina Butler, chair of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee, said a decision is expected this week from the EMA. Photo: Colin Keegan/Collins

The Government is hoping for an early decision giving the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine the all clear to allow it to roll out a planned 818,000 doses of the jab which are crucial to exiting lockdown.

The decision to suspend use of the vaccine here this week as a precaution while European regulators investigate reports of blood clots associated with the jab is the latest set back.

Around 30,000 healthcare workers and people at very high from Covid-19 will lose out as their planned inoculations for the week ahead are put on hold.

Ireland is pinning its hopes on more than 800,000 doses of AstraZeneca arriving here from April to June as part of the ramping up of vaccinations to clear the way for lifting restrictions this summer.

The alert was raised after four people suffered unusual blood clotting events in Norway after getting the inoculation but there is no evidence the jab caused the illnesses.

Around 117,000 people have been given the vaccine here, mostly healthcare workers and some people with underlying illnesses.

The Health Products Regulatory Authority, which polices medicines here, said it received a small number of reports associated with blood clots following vaccination with the AstraZeneca jab but none like those described in Norway.

Prof Karina Butler of the National Immunisation Advisory Committee said a decision from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on the safety of the vaccine is due later this week.

She said: This is a precautionary move. We will continue to monitor the situation and if we can be satisfied these events are coincidental and not caused by this vaccine we will reassess the situation.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said: Of course it will be very disappointing for people not to get their jab this week and I recognise that and regret it.

I hope they will be comforted by the fact the clinical advice is erring on the side of caution while this issue is investigated. Id be glad to know that this is clinically-led.

Read More

Senior lecturer at University College Cork's School of Biochemistry and Cell Biology Dr Anne Moore said the deicsion to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine here comes out of an abundance of caution".

Dr Moore also said that blood colts are "incredibly rare.

Speaking on Morning Ireland today she said, "It should be said it is an incredibly rare event, and theres no proof at the moment that it has any linking with the vaccine, but out of an abundance of caution, Niac and the Irish Health Authorities have also agreed to pause the vaccination.

"Its really important to say we dont know yet, but the best thing to do is pause out of the interest in safety for everybody.

"If there is some link, and again thats a big if, it may be due to when you use a vaccine you are kind of inducing an immune response.

"It does take time and effort by people in the health authorities and regulators to see if there is an emerging link

And that takes time for people to review.

"If you think there may be a risk, it is prudent to pause the vaccination process.

"The EMA is saying it could take a week. And in the meantime, AstraZeneca has gone through all its records and re-reviewed them again and said theres no link between them.

"It is a fairly fast process."

GPs were issued with advice yesterday and told to tell patients who received the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine to seek medical help if they feel unwell more than three days after getting the jab.

Three health workers in Norway who had recently received the AstraZeneca vaccine are being treated in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and a low count of blood platelets.

Authorities in Denmark, Norway and Iceland have suspended the use of the vaccine over clotting issues, while Austria stopped using a batch of AstraZeneca shots last week as a death from coagulation disorders was investigated.

The EMA, in a preliminary report, said there was no indication that the events were caused by the vaccination but it is to carry out further investigations and deliver findings later this week.

As of March 10, 30 cases of blood clotting events were reported to the EMAs database out of close to five million people in the EU getting the vaccine.

In a statement last night, AstraZeneca said the "available evidence does not confirm that the vaccine is the cause of the blood clotting.

"So far across the EU and UK, there have been 15 events of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) and 22 events of pulmonary embolism reported among those given the vaccine, based on the number of cases the company has received as of March 8.

"This is much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size and is similar across other licensed Covid-19 vaccines.

The cancellation of appointments this week will come as a disappointment to people with underlying illnesses at serious risk if they catch Covid-19.

Philip Watt of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland called for clearer communication from the HSE around the vaccination of around 1,000 people with CF.

A spokesman for the HSE said the suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine will not affect the roll-out of the vaccine to the over-70s who are getting the Pifzer and Moderna jabs.

There are around 160,000 people at very high risk but up to last Wednesday only 627 of them had been vaccinated, although the target for last week was 10,000.

It comes amid growing concerns around another rise in Covid-19 cases which could delay the extent of reopening next month. Some 384 new cases were reported yesterday.
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Re: Brand Renault's new logo unveiled Quote: gkveda Originally Posted by Secondly, curious to know, what was the reason for changing the logo? Hope it is not based on some vaastu or numerology expert suggestion.



Quote: TrackDay Originally Posted by Video



Note: Highly recommend this



All that being said, Renault's new logo is for me the best balance so far. Instantly recognisable yet different enough. I think they fulfilled their brief very well. The lines in particular are a nice call back to the older Renault logos that make a brief appearance in the video above. Haha, I hardly think the French of all people would let superstitious hogwash cloud a decision like this given how ingrained it is in their culture to not let religion pervade public spaces, etc.It was refreshing to see a company admit that they're simply going in for the flat design that's current de jour. Essentially if you look everywhere, including the phones many of you use, the 3D effects - or skeuomorphism , has seen it's day. Think the original iPhone interface and the big change they did with the iPhone 5, ushering in the flat logos we're familiar with now. I've said it in other threads but most of these auto OEMs are listed and have shareholder pressure to be seen moving with the times. As the industry embraces digital platforms, it was only a matter of time the logos had to adapt as well. Think about it, if your phone app drawer has a host of modern flat design logos, an old school skeuomorphic car logo for an app will stick out like a sore thumb. Et voila, you have the justification for the design teams to explore this.Note: Highly recommend this article on the motives behind this design movement for those wanting to get some background.All that being said, Renault's new logo is for me the best balance so far. Instantly recognisable yet different enough. I think they fulfilled their brief very well. The lines in particular are a nice call back to the older Renault logos that make a brief appearance in the video above.
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U.S. Army soldiers returning to the U.S. from Afghanistan in December 2020. Photo: Getty Images

In February 2020, the Trump administration signed a deal with the Taliban, which secured a withdrawal from Afghanistan by May 2021, after almost 20 years of continuous U.S. military presence. A little over a year later, the Biden administration is still determining whether or not to stick to the agreement, which would require a full withdrawal of 2,500 troops deployed there over the next seven weeks.

But that number, provided by the Department of Defense, isnt quite the full tally: On Sunday, the New York Times reported that 1,000 more troops are in Afghanistan than stated in the official count. The service members, considered off the books according to one senior U.S. official, include Joint Special Operations Command units, working under both the CIA and the Pentagon, as well as some temporary and transitioning military units.

As the Times reports, this practice of strategic undercounting is a common and convenient way for the executive branch to avoid public oversight in the long and entangled conflicts of the U.S. after September 11: From Syria to Yemen to Mali, the United States often details military troops to the CIA or other agencies, declares that information classified and refuses to publicly acknowledge their presence. When asked by the paper about the additional 1,000 troops, a Pentagon spokesman replied with a bureaucratic denial: Thanks to this scattering around of forces on paper, officially we are still at 2,500.

The real number also makes Bidens decision to stick with the full removal more complicated, as the Defense Department would need to withdraw close to a third more troops if May 1 remains the hard deadline. According to experts who spoke with the Times, it would be close to impossible to get the remaining U.S. forces and around 7,000 NATO and allied troops out in the next month and a half, although U.S. officials claim the option is still on the table. According to Trumps deal, the U.S. must remove all military forces, including non-diplomatic civilian personnel, private security contractors, trainers, advisors, and supporting services personnel in exchange for the Taliban renouncing commitments to al-Qaeda and beginning peace talks with the Afghani government. Last Friday, the Afghani government agreed to attend a peace conference in Turkey, with the Taliban, in April, which was proposed by U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken.

Since Trump made the agreement in February 2020, the U.S. has withdrawn around 9,500 troops, to the dismay of military leaders who have claimed since 2016 that 8,400 to 8,600 troops are needed to support Afghan forces and engage in counterterrorism. Last month, a congressionally required report known as the Afghan Study Group determined that 4,500 troops could be enough to secure U.S. interests under current conditions and at an acceptable level of risk.

Meanwhile, after the cost of $2 trillion in taxpayer money and the lives of over 2,300 American troops and over 2,800 American contractors, Afghanistans long civil war still rages. On Friday, a Taliban car bombing in the western city of Herat killed seven, and earlier in the week, the insurgents captured a district center in the northern province of Faryab. The Afghani government repeatedly requested U.S. military aid during the attack, but it was not granted.
Several trustees at the Museum of Modern Art in New York have reportedly asked billionaire financier Leon Black to step down as chairman over his ties to sex predator Jeffrey Epstein.

Numerous trustees have approached Black, who in January resigned from the investment fund he co-founded, about stepping down at MoMA when his term as chairman ends on July 1, the New York Post reported.

However, if Black left the 50-member board altogether, the museum's access to his priceless art collection could be jeopardized.

Black owns a version of Edvard Munch's The Scream, for which he payed $120 million, as well as the Raphael drawing Head of a Young Apostle, which Black bought for a record $47.9 million.

Several trustees at the MoMA in New York have reportedly asked billionaire financier Leon Black (above) to step down as chairman over his ties to sex predator Jeffrey Epstein

A law firm's investigation revealed that Black paid the Epstein (above) $148 million in advisory fees after his 2008 arrest in Florida for soliciting a minor for prostitution

It comes after a law firm's investigation revealed that Black paid the Epstein $148 million in advisory fees after his 2008 arrest in Florida for soliciting a minor for prostitution.

Black paid $120M for this version of The Scream, an 1895 pastel on cardboard

The probe did not uncover evidence that Black participated in Epstein's deviant schemes, which included trafficking dozens of girls as young as 14 for sex, but the connection drew criticism of MoMA for allowing him to continue as chairman.

Prominent artists including Ai Weiwei and photographer Nan Goldin have said that they will refuse to allow MoMA to show their work if Black continues on as chairman.

'I would feel ashamed to be associated with the MoMA if it takes a firm position in keeping someone who has been confirmed to have hurt basic values or has worked against truth and fairness,' Ai told the New York Times. 'If so, I hope they won't include any of my works in their collection.'

In January, Apollo Global Management, the fund Black co-founded, announced that he would step down after an internal investigation.

Apollo said it found no evidence that Black was guilty of any wrongdoings in his past relationship with Epstein, who died behind bars in 2019 in what was ruled a suicide.

'The findings of the report are consistent with statements made by Mr Black and Apollo regarding the prior relationship,' the company said.

The probe, which was conducted by law firm Dechert, 'found no evidence that Mr Black was involved in any way with Mr Epstein's criminal activities at any time'.

Prominent artists including Ai Weiwei and photographer Nan Goldin have said that they will refuse to allow MoMA to show their work if Black continues on as chairman

However, the investigation did find that Black paid Epstein $148 million in advisory fees and donated $10 million to Epstein's charity, though it was previously reported that Black transferred between $50 million and $75 million to Epstein for 'professional services'.

Black accounted for 85 percent of the fees paid to Epstein at his Southern Trust Company following his 2008 conviction through his arrest in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges.

The findings were revealed Thursday just months after Black requested the company's Conflicts Committee to 'retain outside counsel to conduct an independent and thorough review'.

The committee retained Dechert, which found that 'Apollo never retained Epstein for any services and Epstein never invested in any Apollo-managed funds'.

Black accounted for 85 percent of the fees paid to Epstein at his Southern Trust Company following his 2008 conviction

In addition to that finding, Dechert said that 'Epstein regularly advised Mr Black on trust and estate planning, tax issues, philanthropic endeavors, and the operation of his Family Office' and that 'all fees paid to Mr Epstein by Mr Black or his Family Office were for bona fide tax, estate planning and other related services, and the amounts were intended to be proportional to the value provided by Mr Epstein'.

Last year, Black denied allegations that Epstein blackmailed him for millions of dollars over the last decade, saying such claims were 'categorically untrue'.

Several investors in Apollo's funds expressed concerns as much of the payments to Epstein came after his 2008 conviction for procuring an underage girl for prostitution and of soliciting a prostitute.

'Let me be clear, there has never been an allegation by anyone that I engaged in any wrongdoing, because I did not,' said Black.

'Any suggestion of blackmail, or any other connection to Epstein's reprehensible conduct, is categorically untrue.'
NAPLES, Fla., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Residents and team members from the new, Active Independent Living community at Discovery Village At Naples have long been eager to showcase the new-construction community's rich amenities and stylish, resort atmosphere with guests and the public, and on Saturday, March 6, they got their chance. That afternoon, a strong stable of seniors, visitors and invited guests were on hand for the flagship community's highly anticipated Commemoration and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony.

Community and corporate leaders gathered with 80+ seniors and guests to celebrate the grand opening of Discovery Village At Naples' new, Active Independent Living community on March 6.

The event received a robust turnout, with more than 80 in attendance enjoying tropical drinks and freshly-prepared appetizers by Chef Thomas Finer and his professional culinary team. There were also games and prizes, plus private and small-group guided tours.

For many, it was an exciting (and long-awaited) first look at the state-of-the-art community's plentiful indoor and outdoor amenities, designer apartment homes, integrated technologies, and distinctive lifestyle, which allows superior flexibility and personalization to better suit the demands of today's more active, independent seniors. For those with strong, early ties to the community, however, the occasion stood for a whole, lot more.

"This community represents the realization of a vision many years in the making," said Executive Director Anthony Alongi. "And while the pandemic for some time took away our ability to celebrate and freely share this achievement with the local community, this event provided that forum, one that we hope will be the first of many opportunities for seniors and families to meet and meaningfully connect in and around our community."

Discovery Village At Naples is the new, flagship community by owner-operator Discovery Senior Living, whose national, multi-brand community portfolio currently consists of more than 70 communities in 15 states.

About Discovery Senior Living

Discovery Senior Living is a family of companies that includes Discovery Management Group, Morada Senior Living, Discovery Development Group, Discovery Design Concepts, Discovery Marketing Group, and Discovery At Home, a Medicare-certified home healthcare company. With almost three decades of experience, the award-winning management group has been developing, building, marketing, and operating upscale senior-living communities across the United States. By leveraging its innovative "Experiential Living" philosophy across a growing portfolio of almost 12,000 existing homes or homes under development, Discovery Senior Living is a recognized industry leader for lifestyle customization and, today, ranks among the 10 largest U.S. senior living operators and providers.

Media Inquiries :

Christine Rockhold, Regional Marketing Manager

[email protected] | 239.301.5334

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Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Commemorates Grand Opening of the All-New Discovery Village At Naples

Community and corporate leaders gathered with 80+ seniors and guests to celebrate the grand opening of Discovery Village At Naples' new, Active Independent Living community on March 6.

SOURCE Discovery Senior Living
California governor launches campaign against likely recall View Photo

LOS ANGELES (AP)  California Gov. Gavin Newsom established a political committee Monday to begin raising money to defend his seat in a potential recall election, the strongest acknowledgment to date that he expects to be on the ballot this year.

The Democrats new fundraising arm could soon send a powerful message to his possible rivals: Under state rules, Newsom alone is allowed to raise money in unlimited amounts, while other candidates must adhere to contribution limits.

The formation of the committee  called Stop the Republican Recall  came alongside a flood of messaging from Newsom and other prominent Democrats calling the campaign a Republican power grab driven by supporters of former President Donald Trump and extremist groups.

Newsom argued Monday that white supremacist and right-wing militia groups including the Proud Boys and the Three Percenters, are behind the effort. Democrats have cited Los Angeles Times reporting showing that one backer is involved with the Three Percenters and others have ties to the Proud Boys.

Were just concerned about violence moving into the future as we move farther and farther away from the January insurrection and we put down our guard. We must remain vigilant about these groups and how serious they are, Newsom said Monday night on MSNBC. All you need is about a quarter of the people who supported Trump to just sign a petition and it appears theyve done that.

Organizers of the recall say they have collected over 2 million petition signatures to place the election on the ballot  about 1.5 million are needed for it to qualify, though hundreds of thousands must still be validated by election officials. They said 38% of petition signatures have come from independents and Democrats, but people are not required to list their party affiliation on the form.

Orrin Heatlie, a retired county sheriffs sergeant who filed the recall petition, said Newsom is engaging in a smear campaign about the recall organizers because he cant defend his record.

This recall is driven by the people of California. It encompasses the entire political spectrum, he said, all the way from the far liberal left to the alt-right.

Newsoms committee launched with an advertisement attacking the recall as a partisan effort. Democrats including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker lent their names to the effort.

Defeating the recall will be one of the most important priorities for Democrats this year, Booker said in a statement.

Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis said Democrats must reject the efforts of the Republican party to sow discord in our state and their longshot attempt to slip a Republican governor into the bluest state in the country.

Newsom for months sidestepped questions about the recall but has more recently started to ramp up his political operation and strategy. Hes been traveling the state holding events to highlight coronavirus vaccinations, while a string of supporters have started staging online news conferences in an attempt to turn public favor his way.

In a Friday interview with San Franciscos KQED news radio station, Newsom depicted the effort as a challenge to his administrations progressive policies and not a reaction to his leadership during the pandemic that has claimed over 55,000 lives in California.

Its about immigration. Its about our health care policies. Its about our criminal justice reform. Its about the diversity of the state. Its about our clean air, clean water programs, meeting our environmental strategies, he said.

Newsom received high praise for his aggressive approach to the coronavirus last spring, when he issued the nations first statewide stay-at-home order.

But in more recent months, he has faced growing public frustration over health orders that shuttered schools and businesses and a massive unemployment benefits fraud scandal. He also took a public drubbing for attending a birthday party with friends and lobbyists at the exclusive French Laundry restaurant, while telling residents to stay home for safety.

Responding to Newsoms campaign, the California Republican Party pointed to a slew of issues beyond the coronavirus.

The highest poverty rate in the nation, the largest number of homeless, some of the highest gas prices, unemployment checks going to death row inmates, and up to $31 billion in unemployment fraud, the party tweeted at Newsom. The recall is gaining momentum because of your failed leadership.

Two Republicans have announced their candidacies: Kevin Faulconer, the former Republican mayor of San Diego, and Republican businessman John Cox, who Newsom easily defeated in 2018.

Another name being discussed in GOP circles is former President Donald Trumps then-acting director of national intelligence, Richard Grenell, who has not responded to requests for comment on a possible candidacy.

Its not uncommon in California for residents to seek recalls, but they rarely get on the ballot  and even fewer succeed.

___

Ronayne reported from Sacramento, Calif.

___

Associated Press writer Juliet Williams in San Francisco also contributed to this story.

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD AND KATHLEEN RONAYNE

AP Political Writer
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc cut the ribbon to inaugurate the Cua Hoi Bridge connecting the north-central Vietnamese provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh on Sunday.

Construction began on the Cua Hoi Bridge spanning the Lam River and connecting Cua Lo Town in Nghe An with Nghi Xuan District in Ha Tinh on February 12, 2019, at a cost of VND950 billion (US$41.24 million), including VND450 billion ($19.54 million) worth of government bonds and VND500 billion ($21.71 million) from the two provinces' budgets.

The project has a total length of more than 5.2km, with the 1.7km main bridge of 18.5m wide and the auxiliary road of 16m wide.

The main span of the bridge is built with a balanced cantilever structure.

After nearly three years of construction, the Cua Hoi Bridge was put into temporary operation for over a month since February 6, allowing the circulation of rudimentary vehicles, motorcycles, scooters, cars under 15 seats, and trucks under 1.5 metric tons.

Vehicles travel on the Cua Hoi Bridge connecting Nghe An and Ha Tinh Provinces after its inauguration ceremony, March 14, 2021. Photo: Doan Hoa / Tuoi Tre

Now totally completed, the newly-built bridge has officially opened to traffic following its inauguration ceremony attended by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Sunday morning.

It is the third bridge spanning the Lam River and connecting Nghe An and Ha Tinh after the Ben Thuy 1 and Ben Thuy 2 Bridges.

Speaking at Sundays inauguration event, Nghe An chairman Nguyen Duc Trung said that people on both banks of the Lam River had desired such a bridge for generations.

The Cua Hoi Bridge project, once put to use, will contribute to improving the traffic system between the two banks of the Lam River, reducing the number of vehicles traveling on National Highway 1, and gradually completing the infrastructure system in the north-central region, Trung said.

According to Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The, who also attended Sunday's ceremony, the ministry will launch research for the construction of more bridges crossing the Lam River to create development breakthroughs in the region.

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RRR: Alia Bhatts first look as Sita out on her birthday

India

pti-Deepika S

Mumbai, Mar 15: Filmmaker SS Rajamouli on Monday unveiled the first look of Alia Bhatt from his upcoming period action drama "RRR" on the occasion of the actor''s birthday.

"RRR" is billed as a fictional tale based on the lives of two freedom fighters in early 20th century -- Alluri Sitarama Raju and Kumram Bheem.

In the first look as Sita, Bhatt paints a sombre mood as she is pictured lost in a thought.

"Strong-willed and resolvent Sita''s wait for Ramaraju will be legendary! Presenting @aliaa08 as #Sita to you all," the 47-year-old director captioned the picture.

Bhatt, who turned 28 on Monday, also shared the picture on Twitter with a heart emoji.

Amitabh Bachchan undergoes second eye surgery

"RRR" will be the actor''s second theatrical release of the year after Sanjay Leela Bhansali''s drama "Gangubai Kathiawadi".

Grammys 2021: Beyonce breaks record for most Grammy wins for a female artist | Oneindia News

The film, which marks Rajamouli''s return to the big screen after the mammoth success of his two-part "Baahubali" series, will open theatrically on October 13.

"RRR" stars N T Rama Rao Jr and Ram Charan in the lead roles and also features actor Ajay Devgn in a pivotal part.
Scotland's under-fire First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today admitted that she was aware of 'a concern' about SNP chief whip Patrick Grady before a formal sexual harassment complaint was made about him.

The Glasgow North MP, 41, stood aside as chief whip in Westminster last week following claims he groped two male researchers at an SNP Christmas party in 2016.

Further claims have also emerged concerning allegations that Mr Grady 'inappropriately' touched an SNP staff member, then aged 19, in a London pub.

Reports suggested that former First Minster Alex Salmond had warned Ms Sturgeon about allegations against Mr Grady on April 2, 2018 - when he disclosed details of the sexual harassment investigation into himself.

In a 'bombshell confession' at the Scottish Government's coronavirus briefing today, the SNP leader revealed a formal complaint had been received but refused to elaborate on how long she has known about the allegations.

Asked when and where she first learned of the claims against Mr Grady, Ms Sturgeon said: 'I would have had an awareness previously of a concern, but not a formal complaint. I'm not going to say more than that because due process requires that an investigation is allowed to take its course.'

The disclosure has fuelled claims senior figures within the SNP 'protected' the Glasgow North MP from being investigated, and comes as the party struggles to shake off the effects of a public battle with Mr Salmond over its botched handling of allegations against the former First Minister.

Scottish Conservative MSP Annie Wells called the revelation a 'bombshell confession' that raises 'further serious concerns about Nicola Sturgeon's morals and her judgment'. 'She admits knowing of concerns about this senior SNP MP yet did nothing about it,' Ms Wells said.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed she was aware of concerns about SNP chief whip Patrick Grady before a formal sexual harassment complaint was made about him

Reports last weekend suggested that former First Minster Alex Salmond warned Ms Sturgeon about sexual harassment allegations against Mr Grady three years ago. It is claimed Mr Salmond briefed Ms Sturgeon at the same April 2, 2018 meeting that he first disclosed details of the sexual harassment investigation into himself

The hardcore Remainer who said ex-Speaker John Bercow should have Parliament room named in his honour Patrick Grady moves in the shadowy world of the whips who keep order among a party's MPs. The 41-year-old is best known for suggesting that ex-Speaker John Bercow, who was accused of having pro-Remain sympathies, should have a room in Parliament names after him for his efforts to avert Brexit. He led calls in September 2019 for the creation of a 'Bercow Room' at Parliament - after the outgoing Speaker twisted Commons rules to help a rebellion against Brexit. They suggested it would be a fitting tribute to to mark his 'reforming' legacy, having championed backbenchers in holding the government to account. However, he was also been deeply embroiled in controversy over his expenses, temper and handling of Brexit. He was accused of repeatedly bending procedures to ensure that Remainers could derail the government's policy, taking control of Commons business to pass legislation effectively ruling out No Deal. In a gushing tribute to Mr Bercow in the Commons, Mr Grady said: 'You have been a reforming Speaker... and much of the restoration and renewal will be about securing the legacy of some of those reforms in terms of making this place much more family friendly and much more accessible. 'Perhaps in the tradition of the rooms in Portcullis House, there will in the restored and renewed Parliament be a Bercow Room in which people can reflect on that legacy.' Patrick Grady was born in Edinburgh and raised in Inverness, but has lived in Glasgow since moving there as a student. He joined the SNP as a 17-year-old in 1997 and was elected as MP for Glasgow North in 2015. Prior to that he was national secretary of the party for four tears. He has been a spokesman for international development and was appointed chief whip in 2017. Advertisement

'Not only did she keep a lid on it, but she actively campaigned for Patrick Grady and then reappointed him to the post of chief whip.

'Every passing day brings new headlines of SNP sleaze. They're rotten to the core and voters are beginning to see it.

'This latest revelation fuels the perception that some SNP politicians enjoy the protection of Sturgeon and her husband, Peter Murrell, the party's chief executive.

'If she thinks she can fob people off with the excuse that there was no formal complaint, she is mistaken. That just does not wash in today's world.

'A blind eye was turned, and we need to know exactly what Sturgeon and Murrell knew and when.'

Letters obtained by the Herald newspaper detail concerns about Mr Grady's behaviour at the SNP Christmas party on December 15, 2016 at the Phoenix Artist Club in London's West End.

It is alleged Mr Grady groped two male researchers at the cabaret establishment.

It is reported that letters of complaint were passed to the SNP's compliance unit in 2017 and 2018, saying 'staff are scared to come forward because he is protected by the party'.

Separately, Mr Grady has been accused of sexually harassing a then 19-year-old man in The Water Poet pub in Spitalfields in East London.

The Daily Record reported that the complainant in the Water Poet case had originally decided not to report it.

But after a third party raised it in 2017 he was called into a meeting with the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford and Mr Grady, and 'ambushed' into accepting an apology. It is understood the party denies this claim.

The Daily Record reported that the staff member involved in the allegation also claims a complaint he made about being sexually harassed by a female SNP MP in the Commons' Strangers Bar in 2020 was ignored by Mr Grady.

He is reported as saying: 'I went to work the next morning and the very first thing I did was walk to Patrick's office and I told him about the situation. He acknowledged that and said, 'okay' and that was the last I ever heard of it.'

An SNP spokesman previously confirmed a complaint had been made but said the party would not comment further while the investigation was carried out.

In his closing speech to the Scottish Conservatives' virtual spring conference today, party leader Douglas Ross claimed the SNP's 'latent ugliness' was now evident in the form of sleaze, scandals and secrecy.

The country was suffering under a 'rotten, festering SNP Government' which now wanted a wildcat referendum that could encourage 'disorder and anarchy', the Moray MP said.

He even read out a 'roll call of shame' of MSPs, MPs and party officials involved in sexual scandals and the Salmond affair.

'The SNP have become the very thing they sought to destroy. They are the morally bankrupt Scottish Labour party they once rebelled against,' Mr Ross said.

'They are knee-deep in the same sort of scandals that saw Labour lose votes in every Scottish Parliament election since 1999.'

Scottish Conservative MSP for Glasgow, Annie Wells previously said: 'The SNP's chief whip faces serious allegations, and it now appears these are finally being taken seriously by the party.

'But Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP chief executive Peter Murrell and other senior figures including former Westminster leader Angus Robertson also have serious questions to answer.'

The party is also facing allegations that it 'protected' the Glasgow North MP (pictured in 2015) after allegations about his conduct at a number of events in London in 2016.

A Panelbase poll for the Sunday Times gave a 51-49 per cent split, and suggested just a third believe Nicola Sturgeon has been entirely honest about in the spat with Alex Salmond

The row comes at an already difficult time for Ms Sturgeon's party, with two polls finding Scots would reject independence in a referendum.

A majority said they backed the union in separate surveys after a long run of results suggesting separatists would win a new vote north of the border.

Savanta Comres research for Scotland on Sunday gave a 52-48 per cent margin for 'no', excluding those who said they were not sure.

Meanwhile, a Panelbase poll for the Sunday Times gave a 51-49 per cent split, and suggested just a third believe she has been entirely honest about in the spat with Mr Salmond.

Capitalising on the findings, Mr Ross today told his party that the SNP's plans would be 'nothing short of total recklessness, throwing livelihoods into deeper and longer uncertainty', potentially including a 'a wildcat referendum and a Catalan-style constitutional clash with the UK Government'.

'We in the Scottish Conservatives will play no part in an illegal vote. It would encourage disorder, anarchy, chaos. And yet it is now SNP policy,' he added.

The polls will cause fresh panic in the SNP, and are a boost for the unionist cause after growing alarm about Ms Sturgeon's drive to break up the UK.
Monday, March 15, 2021

How are leading philanthropists becoming the changemakers we need?



Back in April of 2019, a World Economic Forum article started with the sentence, This is a difficult time for philanthropy. It went on to detail all the many ways the worlds problems from climate change to shifting demographics required collective action and how philanthropy needed to change to keep up and stay relevant.

Now were in a different world. As our civil society safety nets strain under the weight of a struggling economy and the needs of so many; as the pandemic magnifies inequities in health care, education, access to green space, technology, safe work environments, and more; as the cry for equality and justice rings in the street, this call to change has only gotten louder and more urgent.

With more problems comes more potential for philanthropists to make long-overdue changes. In fact, lots of change is already happening. How are leading philanthropists becoming the changemakers we need? Here are six ways:

1. They know why they exist. The Elton John AIDS Foundation believes AIDS can be beaten. It knows its purpose. It asked and answered, Why do we exist? As a result of this clarity, the U.S.-and U.K.-based foundation has successfully raised more than $450 million over the past 25 years to challenge discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS, prevent infections, provide treatment and services, and motivate governments to end AIDS around the world. During the pandemic, with this clarity, the foundation created a new COVID-19 Emergency Fund to protect the people we have always sought to serve, those people who become extra vulnerable because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you ask why? to understand your purpose and ask why? to question assumptions, youll transform your giving. Youll attain clarity, inspire others to join you, and turbocharge your impact velocity.

2. They know when and how to act. For example, if your strategy is to empower ordinary citizens in India to understand the legal system and stand up for their rights, as journalist, philanthropist, and Giving Pledge signatory Rohini Nilekanis is, you know that developing an online portal that provides reliable information about Indias laws using simple language is an excellent use of funds. Other things a philanthropist could fund, like building schools and increasing access to health care, are not. While important, they dont help you advance your strategy.

Strategy is framework for making decisions congruent with your goals. In a world where disruption and volatility are the status quo, strategy must be flexible and sentient. Philanthropists should formulate strategy quickly, begin using it immediately for as long as conditions warrant, and then make changes rapidly as conditions change. If this crisis had taught us anything, its the futility of spending one year to create a three-year strategic plan.

3. They are agile. We dont need to look into a crystal ball to respond with agility. But it does help to determine whats likely to happen and what we can do now to prepare ourselves to act quickly. Agility is proactiveyou search for new opportunities and potential threats, so that you can take advantage or navigate around them. Having a year like 2020 makes everyones imagination a little sharper about what kind of change is possible in a short amount of time and how to be better prepared.

You dont need to know specifics of the changes-to-come to build in agility. If you expect the organizations you fund to achieve specific outcomes, ensure that they have adequate resources. If you recognize your grantees must be nimble and adapt to rapidly changing conditions, offer flexible funding and get out of their way.

4. They adapt. Unlike agility, being adaptive is reactive and means you are consistently able to change yourself to accommodate and maximize the benefits of change (whether its happening around or within). Examples of this include adapting how you give and how you operate, like adjusting your sick-leave policy in response to the pandemic or relaxing grantmaking rules that are too rigid when everyone is suddenly working from home.

Other ways to be adaptive include looking under your own hood to identify what is not working, and quickly shedding it so that you can double down your resources on whats most impactful. Also, continuously scan your community to identify emerging trends, and then adapt your grantmaking strategies accordingly.

5. They innovate. As a philanthropist, you want to fund innovative leaders, innovative programs, and innovative ideas. But too often, the onus for innovation falls on other people, especially grantees. And while thats all well and good, its not enough. You can and should regularly generate your own innovative ideas. One of my favorite thinkers on innovation is Alan Weiss, coauthor of The Innovation Formula (with Michael Robert). I appreciate and use Weiss and Roberts definition of innovation simply as applied creativity. To generate a new way of working, you cant just be creative. You also need to apply that creativity in useful ways.

An example? In California, private philanthropy, regional nonprofits and the state came together to assist immigrants during COVID-19. By combining resources from the $75 million Disaster Relief Fund with the privately funded $5.5 million California Immigrant Resilience Fund, the effort supports families of people who are undocumented. How to get the money to the people? Thats where the regional nonprofits come in who already serve undocumented communities.

6. They learn and improve. Philanthropists (whether a couple, a giving circle, or a corporate giving program) need to intentionally learn from their experience and make course corrections along the way. Its part and parcel of being agile, adaptive, and innovative. Learning isnt hard to do, but it must be intentional, documented, discussed within your team, and it must lead to decision making. It cant merely exist inside your head.

What does this look like in practice? One of my clients asks themselves, What will make or break this grant? when deciding whether to recommend a significant grant to their board. They are clear on the risks involved and what needs to happen to make the grant successful. They document the answer in the staff summary of the grant. Six to nine months later, like clockwork, they revisit the grant during program team meetings to assess progress on that risk and identify ways to help ensure success. That is intentional learning.

Even with so many good examples of effective philanthropists, theres still a lot of room to grow. All kinds of norms and previously drawn lines and boundaries are changing. New alliances and partnerships are forming. Are you in the thick of it, on the fringes or in the nosebleed section?

The sector needs us now, continually changing and becoming the best version of ourselves, working cohesively to create the kind of representative, just, equitable, powerful and resilient civil society possible.

This article was originally written for and published in Forbes.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 10:31:00|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

TRIPOLI, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Libyan security authorities on Sunday handed over to a reception center 47 illegal African migrants detained in the country's southeastern district of Kufra.

These migrants had been held in a secret prison at a farm, said the Kufra Security Directorate, adding that all the migrants, including 46 Sudanese and one Ethiopian, were handed over to a reception center later.

Libya is a preferred point of departure for many illegal migrants, mostly Africans, wanting to cross the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe, since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.

Thousands of illegal migrants have been rescued and returned to Libya so far this year, and detained inside overcrowded reception centers, despite repeated international calls to close those centers. Enditem




Press Release  Paris, March 15th, 2021

New governance at Danone

Emmanuel Faber steps down as Chairman and CEO

Gilles Schnepp appointed non-executive Chairman

The Board of Danone today announces key governance changes.

First, the Board has decided that Emmanuel Faber will step down as Chairman and CEO. As a consequence, it has appointed Gilles Schnepp as Chairman of the Board with immediate effect. Second, the Board has decided to appoint Veronique Penchienati-Bosetta, currently Chief Executive Officer International, and Shane Grant, currently Chief Executive Officer North America, to jointly lead the business while the search for a new CEO is underway. Veronique Penchienati-Bosetta (CEO) and Shane Grant (deputy CEO) will work together, with a focused attention on operational execution and delivery.

The immediate priority of the new Chairman, together with the Board, will be to lead the transition, including the search for a new CEO. Danone has appointed an international search agency to support the process. Gilles Schnepp and the Governance Committee will oversee the search to ensure that a world leading CEO is found. In his overall mission, Gilles Schnepp will be supported by the Executive VP Chairmans Office, Laurent Sacchi, the Chief Financial Officer, Juergen Esser and the full Executive Committee.

The Board believes in the necessity of combining high economic performance and the respect of Danones unique model of a purpose-driven company, built on the strength of its brands and enabled by the outstanding quality of its teams.



Gilles Schnepp, Chairman of Danone, said:

I am honoured to be appointed as Chairman of the Board of Danone at this important time for the company. I have tremendous regard for Danones history and its contribution to society through its world leading healthy food and beverages, and commitment to sustainability. The priority of the Board is now to transition towards an improved governance. This means accelerating the process to recruit a new CEO, while Veronique and Shane continue to lead the business during this period. I look forward to working with the Board to support them in their interim roles, and the wider management team as they accelerate our efforts to create value for all our stakeholders.

Story continues

The Board and I want to thank Emmanuel for his leadership and significant contributions to Danone since 1997, and since 2014 as CEO and then Chairman & CEO. His vision and commitment to One Planet. One Health are ahead of the industry and have ensured that Danone is a world leader on sustainability. He leaves Danone with a strong platform from which to accelerate and grow. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Danone employees around the world that continue to work to grow and build the business for all consumers, customers and stakeholders.

Biographies

Gilles Schnepp

Upon graduating from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC) in 1981, Gilles Schnepp started his career in 1983 at Merrill Lynch France where he became Vice-President. He then joined Legrand in 1989, holding various positions before being appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2000. He was appointed to the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors in 2001 and Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 2004. Between 2006 and 2018 he has been Legrand Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Gilles Schnepp has been Chairman of the Board between 2018 and 2020. Since 2020, he has been an operating advisor of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.

He is today also a member of the boards of Legrand, Saint-Gobain and Sanofi.

Veronique Penchienati-Bosetta

Veronique Penchienati-Bosetta joined Danone in 2001 in marketing and General Manager roles before being appointed as Executive Vice President of Growth & Innovation for Danone in 2017, and as a member of the Danone Executive Committee in 2018. Veronique led Danones Growth & Innovation in e-commerce, leading to a doubling of sales from 2017 to 2020, and oversaw a 40% increase in innovation-led initiatives. Veronique became Executive Vice President of Specialized Nutrition in 2019, before being appointed Chief Executive Officer International in November 2020. Prior to Danone, Veronique worked in global health and beauty companies including Proctor & Gamble, in executive marketing positions.

Shane Grant

Shane Grant was previously Executive Vice President and CEO of Danone North America. Before joining Danone, Shane spent almost 20 years with The Coca-Cola Company, where he held various leadership roles in marketing, commercial and general management, including SVP Glaceau and President, Coca-Cola Canada. Shane was appointed President of the Still beverages business unit for Coca-Cola North America in January 2019, before joining Danone in May 2020.

o o O o o

About Danone ( www.danone.com )

Danone is a leading multi-local food and beverage company building on health-focused and fast-growing categories in 3 businesses: Essential Dairy & Plant-Based products, Waters and Specialized Nutrition. With its One Planet. One Health frame of action, which considers the health of people and the planet as intimately interconnected, Danone aims to inspire healthier and more sustainable eating and drinking practices. To accelerate this food revolution and create superior, sustainable, profitable value for all its stakeholders, Danone has defined nine 2030 Goals, and paved the way as the first listed company to adopt the Entreprise a Mission status in France. With a purpose to bring health through food to as many people as possible, and corresponding social, societal and environmental objectives set out in its articles of association, Danone commits to operating in an efficient, responsible and inclusive manner, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. By 2025, Danone aims to become one of the first multinational companies to obtain B Corp certification. With more than 100,000 employees, and products sold in over 120 markets, Danone generated 23.6 billion in sales in 2020. Danones portfolio includes leading international brands (Actimel, Activia, Alpro, Aptamil, Danette, Danio, Danonino, evian, Nutricia, Nutrilon, Volvic, among others) as well as strong local and regional brands (including AQUA, Bledina, Bonafont, Cow & Gate, Horizon Organic, Mizone, Oikos, Prostokvashino, Silk, Vega). Listed on Euronext Paris and present on the OTCQX market via an ADR (American Depositary Receipt) program, Danone is a component stock of leading sustainability indexes including the ones managed by Vigeo Eiris and Sustainalytics, as well as the Ethibel Sustainability Index, the MSCI ESG Indexes, the FTSE4Good Index Series, Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, and the Access to Nutrition Index.

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On March 23, Lifetime Television will air "Romeo Killer: The Chris Porco Story," a made-for-TV movie based on the arrest and conviction of Christopher Porco, the University of Rochester student who took an ax to his parents while they slept in their Delmar home in November 2004.

Porco's father, Peter, died. His mother, Joan, was left disfigured. Porco is serving out his sentence of 50 years to life at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora.

Brendan Lyons, the lead Times Union reporter covering the case, and arts writer Amy Biancolli, a former film critic for Hearst Newspapers, had a chance to watch the movie early. They shared their reactions in an extended email conversation, excerpted below.

Amy Biancolli: First, regarding the "Romeo" aspect: The movie seemed way more interested in the Porco-as-irresistible-hottie angle than anything else. The actor who plays Christopher Porco, Matt Barr, looks like Ryan Gosling with a dash of Gary Busey. He's all floppy blond hair and oily mannerisms.

I thought the whole thing was pretty much what you'd expect it to be: a cheesy, made-for-TV movie about handsome young ax murderer. But did we need the money shots of a shirtless Chris parading his bod for the babes?

The emphasis on his romantic exploits (one with the daughter of a detective played by Eric McCormack) made him creepy in a bad-boyfriend sort of way, but he didn't come across as a chilling sociopath, either.

BRENDAN LYONS: They take three detectives and morph them into one character. The real-life lead detective, Chris Bowdish, did not have a daughter who knew Porco. Another detective, Tony Arduini (he died of a brain aneurism in May 2006 right before the trial began), had two daughters who knew Chris. The oldest, Courtney, knew him from the swim team and they once had a friendship. The younger daughter, Chelsea, received electronic messages from Chris on the day of the murder but there's no information she had a romantic relationship with Chris, as portrayed in the movie. She also was not asked by Chris to "steal evidence" from the police station. Movie Chris asks her to steal a laptop  recovered by the police in San Diego  that he'd stolen from his parents in a prior staged burglary and then sold on eBay.

In fact, that computer was never at the police station; it was put into evidence at the district attorney's office. Another thing that jumped out is that the movie portrays Chris talking with his mom in the hospital. Never happened. She was in a coma, couldn't talk for months and had to go through multiple surgeries and speech therapy before she could speak. In addition, the Joan Porco character's injuries are not as severe as they are in real life. Joan Porco lost an eye and her face was more severely disfigured than what's portrayed.

Also, he parked on a city street nearby and did jog back to his dorm that morning. But the witness who had been in an ROTC class with Porco never flirted with him. She testified it was unusual seeing him shuffling along with a backpack because she'd never seen him out running.

AB: The script goes overboard emphasizing his romantic triumphs over the nitty-gritty of the actual trial. Aspects were fictionalized to the point of reducing the story's believability and drama. Like those private moments between Christopher and his comatose mother. The most peculiar thing about them is the way they draw out his sentimental feelings for his mother  kissing her hand, telling her she has to get better. What we should really be feeling is revulsion at this kid, or at least perplexity. But none of that comes through. There's no coldness in him. We're supposed to believe this guy took an ax to his mother's head?

BL: I saw Chris and his mother together numerous times during court proceedings and the trial. There was little show of affection. In fact, when she held his arm walking into court on many occasions, it always appeared strained and awkward.

The movie does highlight some of the facts that were key in the prosecution's case: They note the toll collectors who saw his distinctive yellow Jeep on the Thruway; the smashed home alarm first deactivated by someone who knew the pass code; and the campus security cameras that captured his Jeep leaving campus the night of the murder. But the timeline of how that information was uncovered is jumbled, condensed and makes it appear one small-town cop discovered it all on his own. The State Police had a large role in connecting the prior staged burglaries at the Porco home to their suspect.

AB: That yellow Jeep was one aspect that actually worked  narratively speaking, anyway. It made possible what hadn't yet seemed possible, this notion that Chris Porco might have been guilty of the crimes he'd been accused of. But in that sense it also underscored, again, the lack of menace in his characterization. He's just a boring pretty face.

What'd you think of Michael Hogan's turn as Terry Kindlon?

BL: Hogan was not as colorful as the real Terry Kindlon. The script also eliminates Terry's wife and co-counsel, Laurie Shanks, who was a big part of the defense team and delivered the summation. Another thing that struck me as far from truth is the dynamic at the courthouse scenes. Porco never emerged from any proceeding to applause, as he did at the bail hearing in the movie. Joan Porco was not in the courtroom for the verdict, nor was the veterinarian. A couple young ladies who supported Porco were there. No one expected the verdict that quick, and Joan Porco stayed behind at the hotel in Goshen. There was no call-to-order by the judge and as the verdict was read the courtroom was deathly quiet. I remember hearing the handcuffs click onto Porco's wrists after the judge revoked his bail, and the two young ladies in the courtroom sobbed at hearing that sound.

AB: What you've just described  that deathly quiet, the click of the cuffs, the sobs  is so much more dramatic than what the movie portrays. I was more moved by your description than the schmaltzy scene dished out by "Romeo Killer." And I wasn't a big fan of all the fake-o postmortem "interviews" with various characters, Chris Porco included. "I love girls," he says: Is that some kind of keen insight? The imagined scenes in flashback showing Chris arguing with his parents were pro forma, too  like that scene where he reassures his mom by saying, "I'm never gonna hurt you again" (cue the flutes and oboes!).

On the other hand, it was startling to see the murders and their aftermath dramatized in full, gory detail. But the movie fails to connect the dots between that blood-soaked devastation and the smarmy, boring himbo who makes the ladies melt. There's just nothing scary about him. Icky and narcissistic, yes. Psychopathic, no.

BL: By most accounts he was an introverted nerd who wedged his way in with some of the popular kids. He was clean-cut and had enough good looks to fit in, but never the heartthrob. The movie did touch on the fact Chris used stolen booty to buy drinks for his college buddies but failed to note that on one occasion he did so with a credit card stolen from one of them. He also was suspected of stealing laptops from his college "friends."

AB: I think -that is far more interesting than what made it into the movie. Another thing: The movie didn't touch on the change of venue. The portrayal of Delmar (and the region in general) was pretty bland and vague, though I suppose it had to be  considering it was shot in Vancouver.

BL: The film goes out of its way to drive home that "small-town" feel. They get little facts wrong along the way. For instance, it was a state court officer dispatched to the house who found Peter Porco's body, not a town cop. Another issue not revealed is that pretrial publicity was a huge factor. Terry Kindlon was infuriated by the relentless coverage, notably in the Times Union, that revealed critical developments in the investigation during that first year. It forced the change of venue to Orange County.

Side note: There are numerous fictional scenes in the movie. Kindlon and Porco never sat down with the prosecutor and lead detective to discuss the strength of the case. In fact, Mike McDermott said he never spoke to Porco. He only saw him twice outside a courtroom  at the wake of Peter Porco and in an Italian restaurant in Middletown on the night of the summations. That chance encounter must have fueled the fictional scene in which Porco confronts the lead detective and buys him a drink in a bar. But that never happened.

AB: I wondered where the idea for that "buy-you-a-drink-pal" scene came from. Once again, it seemed forced and cliche  just another way for this charming party boy to exercise his wiles. Yet again, it seemed to me that the entire gist of the movie had more to do with this conception of a "hottie Chris Porco" than the really fascinating and tragic aspects of the case. Just sticking to the facts would have made a better film  and a more interesting lead character. It takes a lot to make an ax murderer a dull boy, but the folks behind "Romeo Killer" have gone and done it.
An airman who spent 16 days as a fugitive after he assaulted police and fled a Texas base last spring was found guilty at a court-martial and sentenced to 30 months confinement earlier this month.

Airman 1st Class Erland Injerd, 38, was convicted of desertion, resisting apprehension, assault of a superior noncommissioned officer, failure to obey an order or regulation, carrying a concealed weapon, assault upon law enforcement and two counts of disorderly conduct, Air Force officials said.

He was given a dishonorable discharge and reduced in rank to airman basic during the March 6 court-martial at Dyess Air Force Base.

Injerd went on the run after he scuffled with three Air Force officials outside his on-base home April 22, then fled through the house, scaled a base perimeter fence and evaded a police search in the neighboring woods.

Several law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations worked to find Injerd. He was arrested May 7 about 200 miles from the base at a Dallas apartment, and was transported to a county jail in Taylor County outside Dyess, records showed.

A criminal complaint the FBI filed in federal court said the altercation outside his house began when Senior Master Sgt. Klexton Jett, Master Sgt. Derek L. Krahn and Security Forces officer John Breed visited to order him to surrender his firearms after he sent a threatening email to his chain of command.

Injerd began cursing at the men and refused to comply before Breed ordered him to turn around and put his hands behind his back, the complaint said. He resisted, punching the patrolman in the face, and when the two other men tried to restrain him, they all wound up on the ground.

"Injerd intentionally poked his finger in Officer Breeds right eye and struck SMSgt. Jett in the knee," knowing that Jett had recently had knee surgery, the complaint alleged.

When his wife opened the front door to the house, Injerd fled inside and then out through a basement window. Officials warned in the hours afterward that he may have armed himself before escaping over the base fence and disappearing in a wooded area of Abilene.

The base heightened security while he was on the lam, "just in case" he posed a threat, officials said at the time.
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Vietnamese firm selected as prime contractor for Bien Hoa Airbase dioxin remediation project

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has for the first time awarded a prime construction contract to a local Vietnamese contractor for its Dioxin Remediation at Bien Hoa Airbase Area project.



Though Vietnamese companies have been involved in USAID dioxin remediation work in both the Da Nang Airport remediation and Bien Hoa Airbase remediation projects, until now they have been subcontractors of US firms.



Through this contract, several on and off-base areas with high levels of dioxin contamination will be environmentally remediated, including areas of high traffic posing greater exposure risks. The contractor will also construct a long-term storage facility for excavated soil, as well as an access road and fencing.





According to USAID, the decision is expected to build the capacity of a Vietnamese construction contractor to lead implementation of state-of-the-art environmental remediation work, furthering the country on its journey to self-reliance.









US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel J. Kritenbrink and Vietnam's Vice Minister of National Defense Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh hear a briefing on the progress of the Dioxin Remediation at Bien Hoa Airbase Area project. (Photo: USAID Vietnam)

In January, the Ministry of National Defense, US Mission to Vietnam and Vietnams Air Defence Air Force Command (ADAFC) celebrated initial dioxin remediation results in the Bien Hoa Airbase area, highlighting the US and Vietnams commitment toward resolving war legacies.



Over the past year, 1,134 cubic meters of dioxin contaminated sediment have been removed from a lake in a Bien Hoa City public park. In the coming weeks, after restoration of grass and trees in the park, USAID and ADAFC will hand back the land to Bien Hoa City, the USAID said.



This result is the first milestone achieved through the US Governments 300-million-USD commitment to restoring the airbase and surrounding areas, which will take 10 years to complete. USAID and ADAFC also signed an additional land handover agreement which will focus on the removal of contaminated sediment over the next two years on the airbase.



The US Government, through USAID and Government of Vietnam partners, including the National Action Center for Chemical and Environmental Treatment (NACCET), also launched a project to provide support for persons with disabilities in eight priority provinces.



USAID has committed 65 million USD towards this project over the next five years to ensure that persons with disabilities can fully participate in society while improving their overall quality of life. Additionally, the US Government, through USAID, signed a letter of intent with the Office of the Standing Board for the National Steering Committee on Overcoming the Post-war Unexploded Ordnance and Toxic Chemical Consequences in Vietnam to guide future cooperation and collaboration on joint war legacy communications.



Data from the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin (VAVA) shows that about 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to AO/Dioxin. Many of the victims have died, while millions of their descendants are living with deformities and diseases as a direct result of the chemicals effects.
This article will be updated with the latest San Antonio news about the coronavirus vaccine and other need-to-know information about the pandemic.

Thursday May 27

Ease the sting of your COVID-19 vaccine shot  with help from WellMed and Beethoven Mannerchor. The "Shot and a Beer at Beethoven" promotion will give a free beer to non-vaccinated, drinking-age adults who receive their vaccination at Beethoven Mannerchor on Friday, June 4.

WellMed's vaccination station, which will administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, will be on-site from 4 to 7 p.m. Yes, that means you'll just be showing up early for First Friday.

Though walk-ins are welcome, interested adults are encouraged to register online for the vaccine and asked to show a photo ID.

Tuesday May 25

Beginning Tuesday, San Antonians who get vaccinated at any scheduled clinics will receive a complimentary one-day ticket to Six Flags Fiesta Texas. You can check eligible clinics and dates here.

In case you missed it, San Antonio has passed the mark for one million vaccinations. In Monday's COVID-19 update, the City of San Antonio announced that 1,008,521 residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine. About 784,115 locals are fully vaccinated.

Friday May 21

Family Service is partnering with Walmart to host three COVID-19 vaccination events in May and June, aiming to bring needed access to the West and South sides of San Antonio.

Those who want to get vaccinated can get the Pfizer COVID-19 shot for free. Resources like gas cards, food boxes, and hygiene items will be provided to those who get the dose as well.

The clinics will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the following dates at the following locations:

May 22 Family Services Neighborhood Place, 3014 Rivas St., San Antonio, TX 78228 May 22 South San ISD, 2707 W. Gerald Ave., San Antonio, TX 78211 June 5 Harlandale ISD, 4040 Apollo St., San Antonio, TX 78214

Follow up appointments for the two-dose shot are scheduled on June 12 and June 26.

Thursday May 20

WellMed and the City of San Antonio are partnering to bring a Fiesta themed drive-thru vaccination event to the city on Saturday, May 22.

From 9 a.m. to 12 p.m at the Plaza Building at 2600 SW Military Dr., the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine will be available to those lined up.At the clinic will be El Rey Feo and other Fiesta royalty. Those who get their shot can take home a free Fiesta medal.

The clinic is open to those 18 and older with no registration required. Those getting vaccinated must present an ID such as a drivers license, state ID or passport is required. Vaccinations are free and WellMed does not collect insurance information or bill insurance.

Friday May 14

The City of San Antonio announced Friday that mask-wearing and social distancing will be optional for vaccinated government employees starting Monday, May 17.

City departments will resume normal work days with signs that states that unvaccinated people are required to wear masks and that those feeling ill should stay or go home. City facilities will operate at 100 percent occupancy.

Thursday May 13

Sul Ross Middle School on the northeast side will host a COVID-19 vaccine clinic for children over 12 on Saturday, May 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents can register at http://book.novelhealth.ai/nursing. Vaccines are also available for walk-ups, but only residents who have registered are guaranteed a vaccine.

Saturday May 1

The Bexar County Sheriffs Office announced Saturday that inmates at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center will now be offered the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in partnership with University Health System and Carvajal Pharmacy. Carvajal Pharmacy will be administering the first of two vaccines to nearly 200 inmates. Nursing staff at the jail will also offer new arrestees the option to receive the vaccine starting Saturday.

Tuesday April 27

H-E-B announced Tuesday that they will begin to offer walk-in vaccines at all store pharmacies for two hours each day. Those without appointments can visit their H-E-B from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for their shot. All other times are still by appointment only.

Thursday April 22

WellMed will schedule all new appointments for the two-shot Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for the Elvira Cisneros Senior Community Activity Center, 517 SW Military, starting next week. New appointments will no longer be available for the other WellMed-run community vaccination clinic at the Alicia Trevino Lopez Senior One-Stop Center, 8353 Culebra Road. People who received their first shot of Moderna at the Lopez Center will be able to take their second-dose appointments there through May 21.

Meanwhile, CommuniCare Health Centers is partnering with the Alamo Colleges' Eastside Education & Training Center to provide free vaccines. The entities will host a vaccination drive-thru clinic at 4551 Dietrich Road on Wednesday, May 5 from 9 a.m. to noon. Interested individuals will need to fill out a pre-registration form in order to be secure an appointment time and date. You can find out more information by calling (210) 485-0848 or emailing DST-EETC@alamo.edu.

Baptist Health System is offering the Pfizer vaccine at clinics scheduled at its hospital campuses through May 12. Available appointments for first dose of the vaccination can be viewed at this link: https://www.baptisthealthsystem.com/our-response-to-covid-19/covid-19-vaccine-registration

Wednesday April 21



UT Health is now offering walk-ins for people 16 and older. Those wanting a vaccine can go to the School of Nursing Hurd Auditorium at 7703 Floyd Curl Drive between 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. No appointment is necessary.



Monday April 19



Holy Cross High School will host a COVID-19 vaccine drive on Tuesday, April 20. The walk-up or drive-up event will start at 11 a.m. at 426 N. San Felipe Ave. Anyone 16 and up are welcome to attend and receive a free Pfizer vaccine. Those ages 16-18 must have a parent or guardian with them. No appointment is necessary.

Monday April 19

University Health opened 15,000 new appointments for no-cost COVID-19 vaccinations at its hub location at Wonderland of the Americas, at 4522 Fredericksburg Rd. The appointments are available for this week beginning Monday. Appointments can be scheduled at WeCanDoItSA.com or a: universityhealthsystem.com. Wonderland of the Americas COVID-19 Vaccination Center is open for walk-ins on the lower level Monday  Friday from 8 a.m.  7 p.m. St. Philips College COVID-19 Vaccination Center is open for walk-ins 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday  Friday.

Friday April 16

The Alamodome is now accepting walk-in appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine for people 16 years and older. The walk-ins can stop by from 2 to 5 p.m. starting Friday. No appointment is necessary.

Wednesday April 14

WellMed has opened online registration for two clinics in San Antonio that will be offering the Moderna vaccine next week, according to a press release.

The release says they are booking 9,000 appointments for those who need to receive their first dose shots to schedule on April 19-23. The shots will be distributed to patients at the Elvira Cisneros Senior Community Activity Center and the Alicia Trevino Lopez Senior One-Stop Center.

Anyone 18 or older can sign up using the online registration link for the Cisneros Center or the registration link for the Lopez Center.

The City of San Antonio has also launched a COVID-19 vaccine waiting list to help residents obtain an appointment. Residents who would like to sign-up for this waitlist can register online in English at sanantonio.gov/waitlist and in Spanish at sanantonio.gov/listadeespera. Residents may also call 311 and select option 8 or 210-207-6000 to speak with an operator to assist them. The hotline hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.

Tuesday April 13

WellMed plans to offer anyone signed up to receive a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine through its clinic their first dose of Moderna instead after news that the Food and Drug Administration and the Center for Disease Control recommended pausing the vaccine while serious side effects are investigated.

Metro Health, UT Health, and University Health  other local providers of the J&J vaccine  have also paused administering it. According to a press release 45,800 doses of J&J vaccines have been allocated to Bexar County since March 8th, 2021.

READ MORE: FDA recommends pausing Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for investigation into clots

Monday April 12

All ages are now allowed to sign up for the vaccine at the Elvira Cisneros Senior Community Activity Center, 517 SW Military. WellMed is now taking online appointments for more than 4,000 first doses of the two-shot Moderna vaccine, to be administered Monday-Friday at the Cisneros Center. Anyone 18 and older can sign up. Go to https://signup.com/go/TYKxGUs Appointments also are available by calling the toll-free vaccination hotline at 833-968-1745. The hotline also is taking appointments for a community vaccination clinic at Alicia Trevino Lopez Senior One-Stop Center, 8353 Culebra Road. The phone line is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.

Wednesday April 7

University Health has opened another COVID-19 vaccine hub at St. Philips College and they are allowing walk-in appointments for all ages from 3 to 5 p.m. each afternoon. The St. Philip's College COVID-19 Vaccination Center is located at 1801 Martin Luther King Drive in the St. Philips College Library and open from 8 a.m.  5 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Tuesday April 6

Starting Tuesday, April 6, people ages 75 or older may drive through the Alamodome vaccine site to receive a dose without an appointment, city officials announced at Monday's COVID-19 briefing. Health officials said 517,067 people have received their first dose, and 312,544 people in Bexar County are fully vaccinated.

VIA will also continue offering complimentary transportation for anyone traveling to or from a city- or county-sponsored vaccination site, according to a press release.

More than 1,900 passengers have taken advantage of this free service since it began in January, the release notes.

In order to receive the free ride, passengers must present their appointment registration in print, electronically on their cell phones, or show their COVID-19 shot record.

Tuesday, April 2

Gonzaba Medical group said to call 210-905-4276 to make an appointment for one of it's 2,000 Pfizer vaccine slots. Appointments will be made from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 5, April 6 and April 7. The shots will be given at the Gonzaba Event Center at 933 Pleasanton Road.

University Health is also scheduling multiple vaccinations through its web site: WeCanDoItSA.com

Monday, March 29



Starting today, March 29, Texas will open COVID-19 vaccinations to all adults, according to a statement by the Texas Department of State and Health Services.

This move makes Texas the first large state to open up vaccine eligibility for all adults, according to a report by the San Antonio Express-News.

Thursday, March 25

Texas MedClinic will provide 2,500 Moderna COVID-19 vaccines through Metro Health starting March 25 through March 31 at four clinic locations, according to a press release from Texas MedClinic.

The four Texas MedClinics are located on Broadway, Culebra, Southwest Military and Eisenhauer. Individuals must check-in online to receive an appointment.

The vaccines are free and no cost to the patient.

Wednesday, March 24

The Alamodome will open 30,000 first dose Pfizer vaccine appointments starting tomorrow, March 25 at 7 p.m., according to a press release from the City of San Antonio.

The appointments will be available from April 6 - May 1 and are scheduled through the Metro Health COVID-19 vaccine registration website.

Those without internet access can book their appointments by phone through the Customer Service COVID Hotline by dialing 311.

Tuesday, March 23

Texas will open COVID-19 vaccinations to all adults beginning on March 29, according to a statement by the Texas Department of State and Health Services.

"We are closing in on 10 million doses administered in Texas and we want to keep up the momentum as the vaccine supply increases," said Imelda Garcia, DSHS associate commissioner for laboratory and infectious disease services and the chair of the Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel.

DSHS is directing vaccine providers to still prioritize and accommodate people 80 and older, according to their Twitter.

Friday, March 19



Have a vaccine appointment next month at the Alamodome? It may be rescheduled. San Antonio Metro Health announced that the Alamodome will be rescheduling all vaccine appointments from on April 2 to April 5. Patients will still have the same times.



Monday, March 15



Starting today, all Texans, 50 and over, are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Last week, Texas Health and Human Services made the announcement of activating Phase 1C of the vaccine distribution. This phase includes people 50 to 64 years of age.

Thursday, March 11

CVS Health announced Thursday they will begin administering the COVID-19 vaccine in Texas on Sunday, March 14, according to a press release.

CVS says they will administer the vaccines to eligible populations at 74 more COVID-19 vaccine sites.

Were proud to play a part in increasing access to the vaccine to as many people as possible to enable reopening efforts in the communities we serve, said Neela Montgomery, President of CVS Pharmacy and Executive Vice President, CVS Health.

Individuals can book their appointments on Saturday, March 13 as the stores begin to receive the vaccines.

To register, individuals can go to CVS.com, the CVS Pharmacy app or call the CVS Customer Service line at (800) 746-7287.

Walk-ins will not be accepted without an appointment.

Wednesday, March 10

Starting March 15, all Texans above the age of 50 will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a release from Texas Health and Human Services. "More than 93 percent of the Texas fatalities directly caused by the coronavirus have been in people 50 and older, with those ages 50 to 64 accounting for 20 percent of all fatalities," the release states.

Tuesday, March 9



Target stores are partnering with CVS Pharmacy to offer COVID-19 vaccines to over 600 stores nationwide, according to a release.



The retailer says they will administer the vaccine through state and federal guidelines.



Target will also make fitting rooms available to CVS at select stores to host appointments, their release states. To see participating locations visit CVS.com





Monday, March 8



There will be 40,000 vaccine appointments at the Alamodome available throughout the next four weeks, with 10,000 allotted per week. Those appointments for the first-dose Pfizer vaccine will start today at 6 p.m.



Residents can register on the Metro Health COVID-19 vaccine registration website.

For residents who don't have access to the Internet they can call 311, option 8 to help with registration.

Sunday, March 7

The appointment hotline for two of WellMed's community vaccination clinics is closed today for maintenance, according to a release.

WellMed's COVID-19 vaccine hotline will reopen on Monday, March 8 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily until all the vaccine supply is finished.

Currently, there is still 4,600 slots available, according to the release.

The vaccines are given at the Elvira Cisneros Senior Community Center and the Alicia Trevino Lopez One-Stop Center vaccination site.The hotline number is 833-968-17845.

Thursday, March 4

WellMed's COVID-19 vaccine hotline will reopen on Friday, March 5 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. where they will be taking first-dose appointments only for the 9,000 new doses of the Moderna vaccine, according to a release. The hotline will be open everyday until all slots are filled. The hotline number is 833-968-17845 and is the only way to get an appointment. The vaccines are given at the Elvira Cisneros Senior Community Center and the Alicia Trevino Lopez One-Stop Center vaccination site.

Wednesday, March 3

WellMed's COVID-19 vaccine hotline has shutdown because all appointment slots at the Elvira Cisneros Senior Community Activity Center and the Alicia Trevino Lopez Senior are full, according to a release. The hotline should be restored by Friday after 9,000 more COVID-19 vaccine shots are delivered. The hotline number is 833-968-17845. WellMed continues to require people to wear masks in its facilities.

Monday, March 1

The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District latest batch of vaccines  10,000 first dose vaccines  were filled.

All of the appointments were taken within minutes, according to Laura Mayes, city spokeswoman.

Due to limited quantity, vaccine registration is temporarily unavailable, read a message on the citys vaccine website. The link to register will become available when more vaccines are received.

Thursday, February 25

Governor Greg Abbott announced a newly launched "Save our Seniors" initiative that will deploy more than 1,100 National Guardsmen to assist Texas communities in vaccinating homebound seniors, according to a press release.

The initiative will launch on Monday, March 1, sending up to 8,000 vaccines through organizations such as Meals On Wheels and nursing homes to help identify homebound seniors in its first week.

Wednesday, February 24

Text updates: The City of San Antonio announced Wednesday that they've partnered with some of the Bexar County vaccine distribution sites to create a vaccine availability text alert system to keep the community informed about the release of more COVID-19 vaccines.

Individuals who decide to opt-in, can text VACCINE to 55000 or in Spanish VACUNA to 55000 starting Wednesday. By signing up they will receive a text notifying them which locations have available appointments.

Tuesday, February 23

WellMed: The reservation hotline reopened at 8 a.m. Wednesday to schedule 30,000 first-time COVID-19 vaccine doses. Operators will be staffing the hotline, 833-968-1745, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily until slots are filled. This number must be called to get an appointment.

The appointments will be scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 25, through Saturday, Feb. 27, and Monday, March 1, through Friday, March 5, at the Elvira Cisneros Senior Community Activity Center and Alicia Trevino Lopez Senior One-Stop Center.

In addition, appointments that were canceled last week because of bad weather have been rescheduled for the same day, time and place this week. Visit the website or WellMeds Facebook page for the latest information.

Thursday, February 18:

University Health: Due to the continued freezing temperatures expected tomorrow morning and the timing of the vaccine's arrival, the University Health COVID-19 Vaccine site at Wonderland of the Americas will be closed on Friday, Feb. 19. Those with appointments to get the vaccine on Friday will automatically be rescheduled.

 All Monday, Feb. 15 appointments have been rescheduled for Saturday, Feb. 20 at the same time.*

 Those who missed their appointment on Tuesday, Feb. 16, who did not come the next day, should come on Saturday, Feb. 20, anytime between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

 Those who missed their appointment on Wednesday, Feb. 17, may come on Saturday, Feb. 20, Monday, Feb. 22 or Tuesday, Feb. 23, anytime between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

 All Thursday, Feb. 18 appointments are rescheduled for Monday, Feb. 22 at the same time. *

 All Friday, Feb. 19 appointments are rescheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 23 at the same time.*



*Coming at the appointed time will help reduce lines. However, if people are not able to come at that time, they will not be turned away as long as they come to Wonderland on their new scheduled day.

Alamodome: Second dose vaccine appointments at the Alamodome will begin at noon on Friday, Feb. 19. Due to road conditions, anyone with second dose appointments scheduled for Friday will be vaccinated from noon to 6:30 p.m. Appointments for different days will not be accepted.

Those with appointments for Tuesday have been rescheduled for Saturday and, Wednesdays appointments have been moved to Sunday and Thursday's appointments were moved to Monday, Feb. 22.



Wednesday, February 17:

Alamodome: Appointments for Thursday will be rescheduled to Monday, Feb. 22 at the same time.

University Health: Citing vaccine delivery delays and road conditions, appointments for Feb. 18 will be rescheduled for Monday, if the vaccines are delivered. Patients with appointments for Friday should check University Health social media or WeCanDoITSA.com for availability before visiting.

Tuesday, February 16:

WellMed to reschedules again: WellMed-run facilities are expected to re-open on Feb. 22. Patients who were scheduled to receive their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine are asked to return to their assigned location on the same day of the week next week to get their shot. For example, if patients were originally scheduled to receive their vaccine on Wednesday, they will get their second dose on Wednesday, Feb. 24. The WellMed-run clinics administer the Moderna vaccine. The CDC says the second dose can be administered up to 42 days after the first inoculation to remain effective.

University Health: Appointments will proceed as scheduled with a noon start time unless Wonderland Mall loses power. Missed your Tuesday appointment? University Health says you can visit Wednesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Monday, February 15:

WellMed reschedules: Both WellMed vaccination clinics in San Antonio will be closed again on Tuesday, Feb. 16 due to severe winter weather conditions and out of concern for the safety of patients and staff. Patients with appointments to receive second-dose vaccinations will be contacted and re-scheduled for an appointment later this week, per a press release.

Alamodome reschedules: Appointments for Monday and Tuesday of this week at the Alamo will be rescheduled for Friday and Saturday at the same times as freezing on Monday temperatures mean road conditions are poor. Tuesday weather is also forecast to have low temperatures in the single digits and teens, per the National Weather Service. Metro Health states individuals who are scheduled for the dates will receive further communication through the email address or phone number provided with their registration.

Tuesday, February 9:

More vaccine access: Walmart and Sams Club announced Tuesday that they have started making vaccines available at their Texas pharmacies. As of now, their only distribution site in San Antonio is at the Walmart Supercenter at 5555 De Zavala Road. Appointments must be made through walmart.com and samsclub.com.

WellMed Hotline reopen: San Antonio Senior Centers are once again taking reservations for COVID-19 vaccinations. Call the WellMed hotline at 833-968-1745 to start making appointments as soon as Wednesday Feb. 10. The hotline will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. until all appointments are booked.



Tuesday February 3:

WellMed Hotline booked: As of Wednesday, Feb. 3, all available doses of the COVID-19 vaccine being offered at San Antonio senior centers have been spoken for and scheduled, according to a post on WellMed Medical Management's Facebook page.

Monday February 2:

COVID-19 vaccine appointments rescheduled: The Texas State Health Department have delayed the shipment of COVID-19 vaccines that were supposed to supply those with appointments receiving the second doses.

The appointments scheduled at the Alamodome on Feb. 2 and Feb. 4 have been rescheduled to Feb. 16 and 18 at the same times.

Friday January 29:



Reservation hotline for COVID-19 vaccine resumes Saturday: You can once again make an appointment for both WellMed community vaccination clinics starting Jan. 30 at 8 a.m. Appointments will begin Feb. 1. To make an appointment call 833-968-1745. You must schedule an appointment to receive the vaccine.



The vaccinations will be held at the following clinics:



Elvira Cisneros Senior Community Activity Center

517 SW Military Drive

San Antonio, TX 78221



Alicia Trevino Lopez Senior One-Stop Center

8353 Culebra Road

San Antonio, TX 78251





Tuesday January 26:

Johnson & Johnson gives hope to Texas: Gov. Greg Abbott said in a press conference Tuesday that the approval of Johnson & Johnson's one dose COVID-19 vaccine will speed vaccinations in the state. But it's unclear when approval of the vaccine would take place. The company hoped to have clinical data available by the end of this month, according to CNN.



Monday January 25:



Search for COVID-19 vaccine sites through Google Maps: Looking for vaccine sites? Pretty soon you will just need to open up Google Maps. According to Google, searches for vaccines near me have increased five times since the beginning of the year. To make sure they're providing locally relevant answers, COVID-19 vaccination locations will be available in Google Search and Maps, the tech giant announced.



The initial rollout will include a limited number of states, including Texas.



The vaccine location will include details like whether an appointment or referral is required, if access is limited to specific groups, or if it has a drive-through.

Friday, January 22:

H-E-B COVID-19 Tracking Site: Wondering which H-E-B pharmacy locations will have the COVID-19 vaccine? There is now a new website that will tell you. H-E-B launched a website dedicated to COVID-19 vaccine distribution information. You can visit the website at https://vaccine.heb.com/

Take Your Second Dose in S.A.: Metro Health has an update for anyone needing information on how to take the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Metro Health staff will call you or you can call 311 and choose option 8. Residents can also email COVID19@sanantonio.gov.
BJP meeting: Rajnath Singh urges dialogue between farmers, government

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

Lucknow, Mar 15: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday urged dialogue between the protesting farmers and the Centre while addressing a meeting of BJP office bearers, during which he also invoked the border clashes with China and the construction of the Ram temple.

Making an appeal to farmers upset over the new agri-marketing laws, the senior BJP leader said any problem can be resolved through talks. "The BJP resolve is to double the farmers' income, and in no case the MSP will end," he said, referring to the apprehension among farmers camping at Delhi's borders for months now.

"We are all from farmers' families and we are ready for amendments and solutions, whatever is needed in the interest of agriculture," Singh said at the inaugural meeting of the Uttar Pradesh BJP executive committee. He highlighted the role of grassroots workers in the Bharatiya Janata Party and said this was the only party which has not seen a split so far.

Nirmala Sitharaman introduces Bill in Rajya Sabha to allow 74 pc FDI in insurance sector

"This is not a crowd of workers aiming to gain power but a lively party which has a political vision," he said. He referred to the recently begun construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, after the historic verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute.

"People used to say that whenever elections come, BJP leaders speak about construction of the Ram temple," he said, referring to the foundation laying ceremony last year.

"It is a coincidence that when the structure fell in Ayodhya, there was a BJP government in UP, and Kalyan Singh was the chief minister," Singh said, alluding to the demolition of the Babri mosque.

"And when the foundation stone for construction of the Ram temple was laid, there was a BJP government in UP, and Yogi ji was the chief minister," he added. On the face-off with China in Ladakh last year, the minister said, "Our Army jawans displayed courage and valour with patience. We don't wish to attack anyone but will not tolerate the grabbing of our land."

He said no power on earth can stop India from becoming a global superpower. Singh claimed that in the 2022 UP Assembly elections the BJP will get more seats than its 2017 tally.

Terrorism, insurgency on decline in Assam, state on path of progress: Rajnath Singh

Addressing party workers, he said they cannot complain of any injustice to them by the party, though there can be "delays" Giving his own example, Singh said he did not make any demands from the party and just kept working.

"We are lucky that we got an opportunity to become BJP worker," he added. "Credibility is the biggest capital in politics," he said, pointing at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Be it the abrogation of Article 370, triple talaq or bhoomi pujan for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, there has been no doubt over our credibility. We do not indulge in politics of caste or religion, but that of humanity," he said.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, March 15, 2021, 18:39 [IST]
Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health Ashish Jha held a virtual briefing with reporters March 11 morning, to caution against re-opening schools and economies too soon amid the threat of a new more virulent mutant variant. The Indian American health expert predicted that by mid-April, all high-risk individuals who want to be vaccinated will have had at least their first shot. (Wikipedia.org photo)
Rajasthan: BJP demands Ashok Gehlot's resignation over phone tapping allegations

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

Jaipur, Mar 15: The BJP on Monday demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on moral grounds after his government replied to a question in the state Assembly that it taps phones in the interest of public safety and order.

Though the reply did not say it tapped phones of Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhwat and supporters of former deputy CM Sachin Pilot after a rebellion in the Congress last year, the BJP linked it with the episode and demanded a CBI probe into it. The Congress has denied the allegations with its chief whip in the state Assembly Mahesh Joshi saying they did not tap phone of any MLA or MP.

The reactions came after the state government replied to a question asked by BJP MLA Kalicharan in the state Assembly last year. In the session called on August 14 by the Gehlot government for a floor test after the rebellion by Pilot and 18 other Congress MLAs, Kalicharan had asked, "Is it true that phone tapping cases have come up in the last days? If yes, under which law and by whose orders?"

What about the agony of families of BJP workers killed in TMC rule: Amit Shah to Mamata

In its reply given recently, the Home Department stated that telephones are intercepted in the interest of public safety and order. "The telephones are intercepted under the provision of Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, and Section 419 (A) of the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules, 2007, and Section 69 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 - after approval by a competent officer," according to the reply.

The department further states, "Interception cases are reviewed by the chief secretary. All cases up to the month of November 2020 have been reviewed." Neither the MLA asked details about any particular person whose phone was tapped nor did the government gave any specific information about it. However on Monday, the BJP attacked the government over the issue and demanded Gehlot's resignation, accusing him of misleading the public.

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhwat in a series of tweets accused the Congress of using government machinery to contain rebellion inside the party by tapping phones. BJP's Rajasthan chief Satish Poonia demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter.

West Bengal elections 2021: Suvendu seeks rejection of Mamata Banerjee's nomination

"This is what the BJP had said in July last year - 'Emergency is going on in Rajasthan'. The Gehlot government denied it at the time, and is now accepting that the phones were tapped. This is a violation of privacy, the murder of democracy," Shekhawat tweeted.

The state government had rejected allegations of phone tapping. CM Gehlot had categorically stated in the last session of the Assembly that no illegal tapping of phones of any MLA or MP was done in the state.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, March 15, 2021, 22:10 [IST]
Glita/Sat

The Glitra/Sat claims are located in Pershing County, western Nevada, in the Seven Troughs Range of the Farrell Mining District, which hosts numerous historical and modernday mineral occurrences and deposits (Figure 1). The properties are 45 kilometers northwest of Lovelock, a fully serviced town on Interstate 80, and are accessible via paved and wellmaintained gravel and dirt roads. Both the Glitra and Sat property have seen historical smallscale mining and modernday exploration, most recently in the 1980's and early 1990's, when trenching and limited shallow RC drilling was undertaken. A number of known gold showings with attractive epithermal-style alteration and veining occur on the property. They are commonly associated with felsic dikes and lie along a mineralized trend that links the historical Seven Troughs mining area immediately south (Timberline Resources), with the Wildcat property (Waterton Global Resource Management) immediately north. At Sat, an extensive and high-tenor gold-in-soil geochemical anomaly lies along a sub-parallel trend. It was outlined by previous operators and is similarly associated with epithermal-style alteration and local veining. The total area encompassed by the Glitra and Sat properties equals roughly 1130 acres.

B&C Springs/Mildred

The B&C Springs property and the nearby Mildred claims and historic Mildred mine are located in the southern Paradise Range in west-central Nevada within the Fairplay Mining District, which is readily accessible from nearby Hawthorne or Tonopah via highways and well-maintained gravel roads and off-road trails (Figure 1). Exploration at B&C Springs was previously focused on skarn and vein occurrences hosting molybdenum, copper, and silver, which were interpreted to be genetically associated with Triassic-Jurassic intrusions such as the nearby Buzzard Peak stock. B&C Springs hosts a historical but non-43-101 compliant molybdenum-copper resource of approximately 100 million tons at a grade of 0.048% molybdenum and 0.07% copper that lies at depth (Tribe 2007). Historical workings are ubiquitous across the property, and on the contiguous Mildred property, precious metals mineralization within the host sedimentary rocks is associated with calc-silicate horizons, fault zones and dikes of probable Tertiary age, and the possibility that a secondary epithermal event has overprinted an earlier porphyry/skarn mineralizing event will be evaluated. The area encompassed by the B&C Springs-Mildred properties total approximately 1450 acres.

Betty East

The Betty East property is located in west-central Nevada, approximately 40 miles north of the town of Tonopah, in Nye County. The claims, which cover 403 acres, lie at the southern end of the Manhattan Mining District, immediately north of Liberty Gold's Baxter Springs project and less than 20km south of the world class Round Mountain mine (2020 gold equivalent production of 324,277 ounces, proven and probable reserves as of December 31, 2020 of 2.245M oz Au, and >15 million ounces of total production1). Work on the Betty East property by Nevada Goldfields in the 1990's outlined a north-northwest trending gold-mineralized zone on the core claims that coincides with a number of historical pits, shallow shafts, and aditsthis trend will be the initial focus for the Betty East exploration program. The property is readily accessible from Tonopah via state highway 376 and a network of well-maintained gravel roads.



1. https://kinrossworld.kinross.com/en/location/round-mountain/ (Mineralization hosted on adjacent and/or nearby properties is not necessarily representative of mineralization hosted on the Company's properties.)

Summary of Terms (US dollars)

Under the terms of the agreement Sierra will make the following cash and share payments and work commitments to Primus.

Glitra/Sat

Term Cash Payments Work Commitments Share Payments At closing $40,000 (paid) n/a

1st Anniversary $40,000



2nd Anniversary $50,000 $75,000 100,000 shares 3rd Anniversary $50,000 $150,000 100,000 shares 4th Anniversary $50,000 $225,000 100,000 shares 5th Anniversary $50,000 $350,000 100,000 shares 6th Anniversary $395,000



Totals $675,000 $800,000 400,000 shares

B&C Springs/Mildred

Term Cash Payments Work Commitments Share Payments At closing $15,000 (paid) n/a

1st Anniversary $20,000



2nd Anniversary $30,000 $75,000 100,000 shares 3rd Anniversary $40,000 $150,000 100,000 shares 4th Anniversary $50,000 $225,000 100,000 shares 5th Anniversary $50,000 $350,000 100,000 shares 6th Anniversary $295,000



Totals $500,000 $800,000 400,000 shares

Betty East

Term Cash Payments Work Commitments Share Payments At closing $20,000 (paid) n/a

1st Anniversary $25,000



2nd Anniversary $30,000 $75,000 100,000 shares 3rd Anniversary $50,000 $150,000 100,000 shares 4th Anniversary $50,000 $225,000 100,000 shares 5th Anniversary $50,000 $300,000 100,000 shares 6th Anniversary $275,000



Totals $500,000 $750,000 400,000 shares

NSR

Under the terms of the agreement, Primus will receive a 2.0% Net Smelter Return ("NSR") with buydown provisions as follows:

Betty East; one-half of the NSR representing 1% purchasable for $1.5 million

Mildred/B&C Springs; one-half of the NSR representing 1% purchasable for $2 million

Glitra/Sat; one-half of the NSR representing 1% purchasable for $2 million

Next Steps

Starting in April 2021, Sierra plans to commence Phase I of its proposed systematic work program on the properties, likely beginning at the Glitra/Sat project. The initial exploration work will begin with geological mapping, prospecting, and soil geochemistry (initially using a portable XRF), and will be succeeded by an airborne magnetic survey and ground geophysics (Induced Polarization). The objective of the work will be to delineate drill targets, with a plan to do follow-up with first-pass RC drilling as soon as permits have been received.

Upon Completion of Phase I exploration at Glitra/Sat, the geological team will proceed to the B&C Springs or Betty East properties to begin exploration of a similar fashion.

Technical data pertaining to this new release was reviewed and approved by Charles J. "Charlie" Greig, MSc., P.Geo., a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Sonny Janda"

___________________

Sonny Janda, Director

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 release.

This news release includes certain statements that constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law, including without limitation, statements that address the timing and content of certain agreements and development. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions. While such estimates and assumptions are considered reasonable by the management of the Company, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive and regulatory uncertainties and risks, including the ability of the Company to raise the funds necessary to fund its projects and, accordingly, may not occur as described herein or at all. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include Covid-19 restrictions, market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, the timing and receipt of government and regulatory approvals, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. Readers are referred to the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators for information on these and other risk factors, available at www.sedar.com. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and, accordingly are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty of such statements. The forward- looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation."

SOURCE Sierra Growth Corp.
Advertisement

Weekly totals of coronavirus cases and deaths in the United States are continuing to slowly decline, but experts worry that plateauing figures, and the emergence of variants, could undo the progress the country has made.

Over the last seven days, the nation has reported 381,549 new infections, marking the fourth day in a row weekly cases have been below 400,000.

It also represents a 8.3 percent decline in the weekly totals, dropping from 416,351 last week, according to a DailyMail.com analysis of Johns Hopkins data.

Meanwhile, weekly deaths linked to COVID-19 are at their lowest since Thanksgiving.

Over the last week, 10,888 fatalities were reported, a decline of 16 percent from the 13,089 deaths recorded the prior week.

On Sunday, the U.S. recorded 52,642 new infections and 1,701 deaths, as seven-day rolling averages plateau at around 54,000, and 1,555, respectively.

With daily infections holding steady and highly contagious coronavirus variants now identified in every single U.S. state, public health officials worry a surge could be around the corner before enough people are vaccinated.

However, Florida has the most cases of the UK variant but has not implemented a statewide mask mandates or restrictions on businesses, and is seeing the same case rates as states that are more locked down such as California.

Additionally, death rates have not risen in the Sunshine State despite reporting more infections linked to the variant.

Weekly deaths linked to COVID-19 fell 16% from 13,089 last week to 10,888, which are among the lowest figures seen since Thanksgiving

The U.S. saw an 8.3% decline in new weekly coronavirus cases from 416,351 new infections last week to 381,549 this week

On Sunday, the U.S. recorded 52,642 new cases and 1,701 fatalities, with seven-day rolling averages hitting a plateau of 54,000 cases and 1,500 deaths, respectively

Experts fear the country could see another surge in cases now that coronavirus variants have been identified in every state

'Based on our previous experience in this country and in other countries, when you see a plateau it predicts another surge,' infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist Dr Celine Gounder told CNN on Sunday.

'And we have these new variants that are also very much potentially fueling a more severe surge.'

There are currently 4,868 cases of variants in the U.S., including those that have been imported from abroad and those homegrown in the county, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The federal health agency says the actual figure is likely much higher because the number publicly reported is only the number identified via genome sequencing.

The UK variant, known as B.1.1.7, is the most widespread, with 4,690 confirmed cases across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Florida has the most cases of variants, with more than 700, which could be a problem for the state, which is a popular spring break destination.

Thousands have been seen crowding on beaches not wearing masks, drinking and being in close contact with each other.

Although case rates have not skyrocketed in Florida, experts are worried this will lead to rapid spread in other pasts of the U.S. and undo all the hard-earned progress the country has made over the last few months.

'It's the perfect storm,' Dr Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told CNN earlier this month.

'You've got the B.1.1.7 variant accelerating in Florida. You've got all these 20-year-old kids. None of them are going to have masks. They're all going to be drinking.

'They're having pretty close, intimate contact. And then, after that's all done, they're going to go back to their home states and spread the B.1.1.7 variant.'

Florida is the state with the most cases of B.1.1.7 at more than 700 (above) and experts fear as many college students head to the Sunshine State for spring break, they could spread the variant to others

Meanwhile, record numbers have passed through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints.

On Sunday, 1,344,128 were screened at airports across the country. It marks the fourth day in a row figures have surpassed one million.

It is also the sixth-highest number of people who have passed through checkpoints since coronavirus was declared a pandemic by the WHO one year ago.

'The best way that we can avoid any threat from variants is do two things,' Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, told CNN on Sunday.

'Get as many people vaccinated as quickly as we possibly can and to continue with the public health measures until we get this broad umbrella of protection over society that the level of infection is very low.'

Meanwhile the mass vaccination campaign continues to pick up speed in the U.S.

As of Monday morning, more than 69.7 million people - 21 percent of the population - have received at least one vaccine dose and 37.4 million - 11.3 percent - are fully vaccinated.

More than two million people are being vaccinated on average every day. On Saturday, a record 4.5 million people received shots in arms.

More than 69.7 million people - 21% of the population - have received at least one vaccine dose and 37.4 million - 11.3% - are fully vaccinated

More than two million people are being vaccinated on average every day, and a record 4.5 million people received shots in arms on Saturday (pictured)

Former FDA Commissioner Dr Scott Gottlieb said on Sunday (pictured) that vaccines could lead to 'dead-end hosts' who are no longer be able to transmit the infection

Former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr Scott Gottlieb these numbers are promising.

'I think overall, the trajectory for the nation continues to look good,' he told CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday.

He also discussed recent data that has shown some COVID-19 vaccines, such as Pfizer's, block nearly all asymptomatic infections.

'All of the evidence across all the vaccines now is pointing in the direction that these vaccines reduce asymptomatic infection and reduce transmission,' Gottlieb said.

'And if that's the case, the vaccine creates what we call dead-end hosts, a lot of dead-end hosts, meaning people will no longer be able to transmit the infection.

'And just like you get exponential spread on the way up in an epidemic, if you can get a whole bunch of immunity in people where they can no longer spread the infection, that has a compounding effect on reducing the scope of the epidemic.'
By Tim McLaughlin

BOSTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress is investigating a multibillion-dollar subsidy for chemically treated coal that is meant to reduce smokestack pollution after evidence emerged that power plants using the fuel produced more smog not less.

The outcome of the probe could play a big role in whether lawmakers vote to renew the subsidy, on track to expire at the end of this year.

The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, is examining the refined coal tax credit program which generates at least $1 billion a year for U.S. corporations, according to GAO analysts that contacted Reuters requesting information.

Three U.S. Democratic senators called for the investigation after a Reuters Special Report series in December 2018 revealed that many power plants burning the fuel, which supporters call "clean coal", pumped out more pollution than previously.

To read the stories click here https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-coal-pollution-specialreport/special-report-u-s-clean-coal-program-fails-to-deliver-on-smog-cuts-idUSKBN1O2171.

An independent nonprofit Resources for the Future later confirmed the Reuters report, concluding that power plants using refined coal were not cutting mercury, nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide pollution to levels required by the tax credit program.

In 2019, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sherrod Brown of Ohio made a formal request for the GAO to investigate the program.

Over the past decade, a who's who of American companies have reaped at least several billion dollars in benefits from investing in refined coal operations.

Just last year, some 150 million tons of refined coal was burned in the United States, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Producers get a tax credit of $7.30 for each ton burned.

Beneficiaries include global insurance brokerage Arthur J. Gallagher & Co, Detroit utility DTE Energy Co, Boston-based Fidelity Investments, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, JPMorgan Chase & Co Inc, pharmaceutical giant Mylan NV and Waste Management Inc, according to disclosures reviewed by Reuters.

The Internal Revenue Service, which oversees the tax credit program, allows the companies to qualify by testing relatively small amounts of refined coal in a laboratory once a year, in lieu of real-world emissions measurements at power plants, the Reuters Special Report found.

The tax credit is due to expire at the end of this year, but Congress could vote to extend it.

Doug Howell, the chief financial officer of Arthur J. Gallagher, is holding out hope that they will.

"I always think there's a chance," Howell said during a Jan. 28th conference call with analysts and investors. "We hope that there are some proposed legislative changes that would - that possibly could make the extension happen."

His company has stockpiled about $1.5 billion in tax credits from investing in refined coal activities. Of that amount, about $1 billion remain to be used in future years to offset federal tax liabilities, according to the company's financial reports.

(Reporting By Tim McLaughlin; editing by Richard Valdmanis and David Gregorio)
MOSCOW  The Russian opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny greeted his supporters via Instagram on Monday from the prison where he is likely to spend the next two years, referring to his new confines as our friendly concentration camp.

Mr. Navalny, whose whereabouts had been unknown for days, said in a message posted on his Instagram page that he had been transferred to Penal Colony No. 2 in the Vladimir Region east of Moscow. Mr. Navalny had passed the message along to his lawyers, who were able to visit him at the penal colony earlier in the day for the first time.

It was the prison, known for harsh conditions even by Russian standards, where Russian media reported Mr. Navalny had been sent two weeks ago. But it later emerged that Mr. Navalny was dispatched from the Moscow jail where he had been held since January to a different detention center first.
U.S. President Joe Biden stops to talk to the media after stepping off Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on March 14, 2021. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Biden Declines to Say Whether Cuomo Should Resign, Will Wait for Probe Results

President Joe Biden said on March 14 that he wants to see the results of an investigation into the multiple allegations of sexual misconduct facing New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo when asked if the Democratic governor should resign.

I think the investigation is underway, and we should see what it brings us, Biden told reporters at the White House. His statement represents his first comments on the matter.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivers his State of the State address at the state Capitol in Albany, N.Y., on Jan. 11, 2021. (Hans Pennink/AP Photo)

Cuomo is facing calls from Democrats to resign as seven women have come forward to accuse the governor of inappropriate sexual conduct. New York Attorney General Letitia James is currently probing the allegations against Cuomo.

Meanwhile, Cuomo has remained resolute about not stepping down, blaming cancel culture for the pressure.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in a statement late March 12 urged Cuomo to resign, arguing that the governor has lost the confidence of his governing partners and the people of New York amid the controversy.

Confronting and overcoming the COVID crisis requires sure and steady leadership. We commend the brave actions of the individuals who have come forward with serious allegations of abuse and misconduct. Due to the multiple, credible sexual harassment and misconduct allegations, it is clear that Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners and the people of New York. Governor Cuomo should resign, the two lawmakers said in a statement.

Other congressional lawmakers who have called for his resignation include Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

Similarly, more than 55 Democratic state legislators signed a letter on March 11 calling for Cuomos resignation, and State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said that its Judiciary Committee has been authorized to initiate an impeachment investigation into the allegations. The probe will run parallel to Jamess review.

Bidens comments echo recent remarks made by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who called the accusations credible and serious, but stopped short of calling for Cuomos resignation.

The governor should look inside his heart, he loves New York, to see if he can govern effectively, Pelosi said on ABCs This Week.

In response to the pressure, Cuomo described himself as a political outsider, while urging the public to wait for the investigation to conclude.

The governor said that its politicians who dont know a single fact but yet form a conclusion and an opinion who are calling on him to resign, describing such prospects as reckless and dangerous.

Let the review proceed, Im not going to resign, I was not elected by the politicians, I was elected by the people, he said.

I am not part of the political club, and you know what? I am proud of it, he added. I have been in the public eye my entire life. My entire life I have been under public scrutiny, since I was 23 years old and ran my fathers campaign. New Yorkers know me. Wait for the facts.

Cuomo is also the subject of multiple investigations regarding the states high number of nursing home deaths. Critics say an order from Cuomo led to the higher number of COVID-19 deaths, but administration officials have defended their decisions, claiming that workers in the facilities were the primary cause of the virus spread.

Mimi Nguyen-Ly and Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
NORTHAMPTON  Northampton Rehabilitation and Nursing Center on 737 Bridge Road, will be sold at auction next month, giving city planners hope that something will be done on a prime property left vacant since 2011.

I hope something happens, said Wayne Feiden, the citys director of planning and sustainability. Its a great site for housing.

The auction is online running April 5-7 with an opening bid of $800,000, according to auctioneers Ten-X.

Northampton, like everyplace since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, is in a housing crunch with demand far housing outstripping supply.

The 6.2-acre nursing home property is on Bridge Road but walking distance from Northamptons busy King Street commercial strip, he said. This makes it a good spot for dense housing. Its already zoned in the citys classification for fairly dense housing, and more units could be proposed for the site with a zoning change thats already been contemplated.

So I think we would need a proposal, he said.

Whether new owners would demolish or rehab the rehab, a structure built 50 years ago in 1971, depends on condition, the presence or absence of mold and on rising costs for lumber and other construction materials.

Owners Bais Pinchos, a New Jersey-based nonprofit, took ownership following a $2.95 million mortgage foreclosure in 2012, according to records on hand at the Hampshire County Registry of deeds.

Bais Pinchos and its leader, Samuel Pinter of New York. held the 2012 foreclosure auction after purchasing the facilitys debt and was the sole bidder. That auction gave Pinters group sole title to the property for $2.9 million.

The property could also sell prior to the auction, said Spencer ODonnell, an associate vice president at listing agent Colliers International. He said if that doesnt happen and it goes to auction, the property will sell if an undisclosed reserve price is met.

Weve had a tremendous amount of interest, he said.

That interest is coming from developers and from operators of rehab facilities or nursing homes or memory care centers.

Back in 2012, Pinter told the city he was already working with a buyer.

Monday, Feiden said the city has heard from a number of prospective buyers over the years, but the transactions were never completed.

The Northampton Rehabilitation and Nursing Center closed in 2011. At the time it had 106 residents and 178 employees. At the time, the facility owed $80,000 in fees to the state and was unable to attract enough residents to remain profitable.

Under different ownership in 1984,a judge ordered the home to pay its employees $360,000 in back wages.

The state Department of Mental Health threatened to terminate its Medicare provider agreement in 1997 after a report detailed the abuse of four female residents by a male resident. In 1999, a virus killed six pediatric patients. The home owed the city more than $700,000 in taxes and was on the verge of bankruptcy when Northampton Health Care Associates bought it in 2006 for $3.1 million.

Northampton Health Care Associates invested $2 million in renovations and increased both the staff and the patient population. They also hired Landmark Health Solutions, one of the prime nursing home consultants in Massachusetts, to manage the facility.

In 2019, after the closure, Northampton police reported that thieves had broken in to strip pipe from the building.

The building is described as 74,000 square feet with 84 rooms and more than 100 bathrooms as well as a commercial kitchen and a few kitchenettes.

Photos of the interior included with the auction announcement show office furniture still in place with paperwork still in the mailbox slots. Rooms still have pillows on the beds.

Elsewhere, the also-shuttered Sweet Brook skilled nursing facility in Williamstown will be sold at a foreclosure auction March 31, according to auctioneers Aaron Posnik in West Springfield.

Sweet Brook was added to the federal governments list of the worst-performing facilities in the country back in 2019 before closing.

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Fireworks explode above the Mount Rushmore National Monument during an Independence Day event attended by President Donald Trump in Keystone, S.D., on July 3, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden Administration Denies Request to Hold July 4 Fireworks at Mount Rushmore

President Joe Bidens administration has rejected an attempt to hold fireworks at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in July to celebrate Independence Day.

Herbert Frost, a regional director for the National Park Service, cited the COVID-19 pandemic in making his decision.

As the nation continues to respond to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, planning an event of this size and magnitude that draws people from across the country raises very serious concerns about the ability to adhere to Center for Disease Control guidance which currently recommends that large gatherings be avoided, particularly those in which physical social distancing cannot be maintained between people who live in different households, Frost told South Dakota Tourism Secretary Jim Hagen in a March 11 letter obtained by The Epoch Times.

With an event this size it would be difficult, if not impossible, to comply with social distancing protocols if they continue to be in place in early July. Also, as we saw last year, most participants were not wearing face coverings, which are now required in all national parks where physical distancing cannot be maintained.

The service is still evaluating the health impact of the 2020 fireworks event, which saw then-President Donald Trump join, though state officials have said the event didnt lead to a spike in CCP virus cases.

In addition, the parks many tribal partners expressly oppose fireworks at the Memorial, Frost said. These factors, compiled with the COVID-19 pandemic, do not allow a safe and responsible fireworks display to be held at this site.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump pay their respects as they listen to the National Anthem during the Independence Day events at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in Keystone, S.D., on July 3, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

The decision stoked pushback from South Dakota officials.

Lets be clear, this decision is political, not evidence-based. President Biden just said himself that Americans can safely gather by July 4whats changed in a day? Last year millions watched the celebration in awe, and its a shame the administration is denying Americans that opportunity this year, Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said in a joint statement.

Biden told America last week in a speech that if people continue adhering to mitigation strategies, theres a good chance you, your families, and friends will be able to get together in your backyard or in your neighborhood and have a cookout and a barbeque and celebrate Independence Day.

After this long hard year, that will make this Independence Day something truly special, where we not only mark our independence as a nation, but we begin to mark our independence from this virus, he said.

Ian Fury, communications director for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, told The Epoch Times via email that the governor is going to do everything in her ability to ensure that we can celebrate Americas birthday with fireworks at Mount Rushmore.
A young man with an amputated leg taught a valuable lesson to an elderly woman who questioned his disability in a McDonald's car park.

Paniora Nukunuku was parking at the fast food restaurant in Lakemba in Sydney's south-west when the woman asked him if the disability parking permit on his dashboard actually belonged to him.

The handicapped man, who is in his 20s, shared footage online of him confronting the woman in the McDonald's and telling her his need to use the pass was none of her business.

'I have a disability pass because I have a fake leg - it makes sense,' the man told viewers on TikTok while he sat in his car moments after the woman approached him.

A young man with an amputated leg has hit out at an elderly woman who questioned his disability

'Please tell me why this old lady thought it would be a great idea to knock on my window and ask me if this [the pass] is mine or not.

'It's not your business  you're not the disability police. Even if someone doesn't look old or look disabled enough you shut your mouth.'

He said doing so would stop people from looking 'stupid' if they challenge someone over their disability - only for that person to emerge from the car with a leg missing.

He even showed social media users his fake leg to prove his disability.

The handicapped man - sharing his experience under the username @pnuk - then filmed himself walking into the restaurant and reprimanded the elderly woman over her behaviour.

The woman (pictured) asked him if the disability parking permit on his dashboard actually belonged to him

'Did you not approach me because I wasn't disabled enough?' he told her in front of staff and customers, while hiding her face.

'I'm asking you because I desperately need it - there have been times [ people use disability passes that don't belong to them],' she responded.

'I have a right to.'

'No you don't have a right to,' the man responded.

'There is a reason we have the card its so this doesn't happen, so you don't assume that someone isn't disabled enough  don't ever do that again.'

The spat divided opinion on social media, with some siding with the handicapped man's right not to have his disability questioned.

'The f**king 'I have a right to' with the superior inflection she added to it,' one person said.

'She has not authority to do that. I have a disability that's unseen. Should I have to explain my medical condition to strangers because to want to act like the disability police,' another added.

The spat divided opinion on social media, with some siding with the handicapped man's right not to have his disability questioned

Others though thought the handicapped TikTok user was in the wrong and shouldn't have angrily confronted the elderly woman.

'Aaaannnd loses all credibility by browbeating an old lady on TikTok,' one said.

Mr Nukunuku told Daily Mail Australia his reaction was justified because the elderly woman 'blindsided' him.

'This is the reason why many young Australians refuse to accept their permits out of fear this will be their reality,' he said.

'What is the purpose of going through medical and government examination processes to be issued a permit then having to prove again to non disabled strangers who dont believe me because i dont look "disabled enough".'
3 1 of 3 Screenshot from Reddit Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Twitter screenshot Show More Show Less 3 of 3





Images of red hate speech littering Noodle Tree's storefront are circulating online following owner Mike Nguyen's appearance on CNN's Newsroom With Poppy Harlow and Jim Sciutto on Wednesday morning denouncing Gov. Greg Abbott's newest orders that open the state and nix the mask mandate,.

The images, shared across Reddit by user sbully1 used hate speech and derogatory terms.
The debate over renaming 37 streets, parks and public places in New Orleans that currently honor Confederates and segregationists is expected to start in earnest in the coming months.

Members of the New Orleans City Council said Friday that they plan to take up the issue when they are once-again able to hold in person meetings, which will allow for more public participation than the virtual hearings now in place due to the coronavirus pandemic. The current hope is that an ebb in infections and increasing vaccination rates will allow for in-person meetings later this spring, with the renaming issue expected to be brought to the floor in May or June.

"I don't feel comfortable doing this until we're back in chambers," said Councilmember Joe Giarrusso, who represents Lakeview and other areas in the western-most portion of the city. "This is an issue that touches neighborhoods and the city and so its important for people to be able to participate in the process if they want to."

The council kicked off its massive street-renaming effort last summer after the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis sparked nationwide protests against police violence and racism.

The City Council Street Renaming Commission, made up of residents that councilmembers appointed to study the issue, came out with their final recommendations last month and published its final report earlier this week. Those recommendations include rededicate Lee Circle as Egalite Circle and rename Robert E. Lee Boulevard for Allen Toussaint.

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But council members will have the final say about what street names will be changed and which new dedications will be made.

The expectation is that council members and their staffs will spend the months between now and when the issue is formally taken up reaching out to neighborhood groups and gauging their take on the new names, said Andrew Sullivan, chief of staff to Councilmember Kristin Gisleson Palmer. Palmer's office has taken the lead on managing the renaming process.

"Absolutely we are going to have this public input and we have worked as had as we can within the confines of the pandemic to broadcast our meetings, but all of us, I think, are excited to engage with the public in a face-to-face manner so the fact that were getting there is exciting stuff and only going to make this a better process," Sullivan said.

Even once the council takes up the issue, there's still a lengthy process ahead. It's expected that council members will take the lead on the decisions about streets in their districts and forward their choices to the City Planning Commission for review. Only after those hearings will the specific changes make their way back to the council, which has the option of overriding the Planning Commission.

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- One year into the pandemic, the National Restaurant Association is celebrating the significant accomplishments that, in the face of enormous loss, supported the industry and built a foundation for rebuilding in 2021. The accomplishments of the last year have been both large and small, providing access to a myriad of resources that restaurants of all types have used to survive and on which they can continue to rely for recovery.

"Restaurants are the backdrop of the most defining moments in our lives, and in the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has stolen that from us," said Tom Bene, President & CEO of the National Restaurant Association and CEO of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. "While local restaurants in every community fought to survive, the National Restaurant Association, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, and our state restaurant association partners have been by their side. We have focused on their needs, and our ongoing commitment has helped to secure major wins that created a variety of options for every restaurant."

The Association and its state restaurant association partners united the industry to be the voice of every restaurant in addressing their many needs at all levels of government. Together, they developed and distributed training and operating guidance, communicated safety efforts to customers, and supported industry workers during the hardest days of the pandemic.

The Association's top accomplishments include:

Conceiving the $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund

The Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) is based on the Senate version of the RESTAURANTS Act and the original plan posed by the Association in March 2020. This fund will help the hardest hit small and medium-sized restaurants kickstart their recovery. The Association is committed to preparing all eligible restaurant owners to successfully apply for RRF grants.

Securing access to $72+ billion in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans

At a time when restaurants were most in need of capital, the Association secured expanded access to forgivable loans on two occasions and worked with Congress to refine the program to meet the specific needs of restaurants.

Designing free COVID-19 ServSafe training modules

The safety experts at ServSafe immediately stepped in to create much needed COVID-19 training. The free courses have been accessed more than 1.3 million times.

Establishing a $21.5 million Restaurant Employee Relief Fund

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation partnered with celebrity chef Guy Fieri to establish the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund (RERF), which provided grants to more than 43,000 restaurant workers.

Creating the first COVID-19 operating guidance for all restaurants

ServSafe stepped up to provide restaurants of all sizes with pandemic operating best practices. The Guidance continues to be updated as new science-based information becomes available.

Ordering up cocktails to-go

The Association and the state restaurant associations worked to secure this lifeline in 32 states and D.C.  the most significant change to alcohol laws since Prohibition  and in many states, that work has already made the change permanent.

Increased consumer confidence in on-premises dining with a national TV campaign

The Association created its first consumer ad campaign welcoming diners back to their favorite local restaurants, highlighting the health and safety practices operators and employees.

Educating with the ServSafe Dining Commitment

Consumers nationwide can look for the ServSafe Dining Commitment logo to know that the restaurant is committed to the program's health and safety best practices and adhering to operating guidance.

Saving restaurants $15.7B with PPP deductibility

Restaurant operators who used their PPP loans to pay qualified expenses didn't have to worry about surprise federal tax bills because the Association got this loophole fixed.

Expanding ERTC to support employment

Employee Retention Tax Credits (ERTC) are key tax benefits used by many restaurants. Because of a change pursued by the Association, restaurants can now receive up to $19,000 per eligible employee in ERTC across 2020 and 2021.

"We've lost 110,000 restaurants nationwide to the pandemic so far, but the combined efforts of the innovative and hard-working restaurant owners and employees in every community, along with these many accomplishments, may have kept our losses from being far greater," said Bene. "While we don't expect the industry to fully recover this year, the Association and our state restaurant association partners will continue to aggressively pursue the necessary resources to rebuild the industry. Restaurants are an essential part of all our lives, and in the coming year we look forward to welcoming friends and families back to our tables."

The latest information about how restaurants are rebuilding is updated regularly on restaurant.org.

About the National Restaurant Association

Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 1 million restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of 15.6 million employees. We represent the industry in Washington, D.C., and advocate on its behalf. We sponsor the industry's largest trade show (National Restaurant Association Show); leading food safety training and certification program (ServSafe); unique career-building high school program (the NRAEF's ProStart). For more information, visit Restaurant.org and find us on Twitter @WeRRestaurants, Facebook and YouTube.

SOURCE National Restaurant Association
Under cover of darkness, the soldiers rolled up outside a school building on the outskirts of Myanmars main city, Yangon. It was 1.30am. The military began searching the Suu Vocational College, in the north-west suburb of Shwe Pyi Thar. They moved swiftly from room to room.

They had come to arrest Zaw Myat Lynn, a prominent community organiser and teacher. He was an activist with the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of Aung San Suu Kyi. In November, the NLD won a landslide election victory. It was in power until last month, when the military abruptly ended civilian rule.

Zaw Myat Lynn had been at the forefront of local anti-coup protests. He shared graphic videos of soldiers beating and shooting peaceful demonstrators. On Facebook he spoke out in fearless terms against Myanmars ruling junta. Its armed enforcers were terrorists and dogs, he wrote, adding people should fight the army even if it costs our lives.

Related: Myanmar: acting civilian leader says 'we must win' as five more protesters die

In his haunting final post, Zaw Myat Lynn live-streamed a pro-democracy rally close to the school. Locals sought to defend themselves from night-time arrest by putting up barricades and making defences out of sandbags. We must prepare to protect our people, he said, adding that an unknown number of troops had taken up positions nearby.

The defences didnt work. The soldiers discovered him in the school compound, where he lived with his wife Phyu Phyu Win. They dragged him away. Zaw Myat Lynn was 46. He taught Japanese at the college; the couple had two children and a 10-year-old granddaughter. He was loaded into a truck and driven off. It was early morning, Monday 8 March.

Twenty-four hours later, his wife was instructed to visit a military hospital in Mingarlardon township, in north Yangon, according to Maung Saungkha, a family friend. There, she was told to identify a body. It was her husband. Officials said she had to cremate his remains as soon as she took delivery of the corpse.

Story continues

They gave her an official postmortem report. It claimed Zaw Myat Lynn had fallen nine metres (30ft) on to a sharp metal fence while trying to escape from custody. This explained his injuries. It was only after collecting his remains two days later that she discovered another explanation. The horrific nature of his injuries supports allegations that Zaw Myat Lynn had been savagely tortured.

Photographs of his body seen by the Guardian give clues to his horrifying final hours. It appears that boiling water or a chemical solution had been poured into his mouth. The tongue was melted, his teeth missing. Facial skin was peeling off. The body had been wrapped up to conceal further traumatic injuries.

These included a stab wound to the abdomen seemingly made by a cross-sectional knife. The wound appears to have been inflicted while he was still alive, and may have been the cause of death. Severe bruising can be seen on the sides of his body, which had been cut open and stitched up.

All participants in the civil disobedience movement are aware they are in danger. Lynn knew the risks, one fellow activist, connected to Myanmars underground national legislative committee, the CRPH, said. A lot of young people go out to protest and never come back. We dont know if they are arrested or dead.

The activist added: Lynn was targeted because he was high-profile. The militarys aim is to teach the rest of us a lesson, to say, this is how you will end up. The strategy wont work. We are cleverer. We have a lot of social media and ways of reaching the world that we didnt have before.

Protesters hold hands to keep watch during a night-time demonstration against the military coup in Yangon Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Zaw Myat Lynn was the second senior NLD aide to perish as the result of alleged torture, according to Ba Myo Thein, an MP in the now-dissolved upper house. Days earlier, Khin Maung Latt, 58, a local NLD chairman in Yangon, also died in detention. A party leader said pictures showed he had a wound on the back of his head and bruises on his back.

Since the 1 February coup, the military has shot dead more than 80 people, and arrested over 2,100, amid demonstrations across the country and a general strike. Last week, it accused Aung San Suu Kyi of taking bribes worth $1.3m (934,000) in cash and gold. Her lawyer has dismissed the charges as a joke. But they carry a long prison sentence and represent an escalation of the regimes attempts to silence her.

According to witnesses, the police had carried out previous operations at Zaw Myat Lynns township, which is separated from central Yangon by the Hlaing River. On 21 February, officers opened fire on unarmed protesters. As a police vehicle entered into the street, we tried to stop them. Police suddenly shot a man in the head and then drove away, said Myint Myat Thu who saw the shooting.

Zaw Myat Lynn had met Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under arrest since the coup, and worked for her humanitarian foundation. In the months leading up to the coup he had helped the fight against Covid in Myanmar. He was well respected and well known in the civil disobedience movement, a fellow activist, who declined to be named, said.

During the 8 March raid at Zaw Myat Lynns institute, three students and three local residents were arrested. Computers, vehicles, phones and money at the school were confiscated, according to Ko Min Wai, a teacher volunteer. The school has offered free training courses on computers, language and mechanics to young people in Shwe Pyi Thar.

Photos from the funeral show Zaw Myat Lynns wife crying over an open coffin, surrounded by mourners. It is not possible, Ko Min Wai said. I cant bear this. How could they do this to an unarmed civilian? Even I was in tears after I heard of this shocking death.
AWD

Last month, we saw what happens when a C7 Z06 with a cold air intake mod takes on a stock 911.2 Turbo S. The Porsche absolutely demolished its American rival , despite being down on both power and peak torquewe estimated that Vette to have a little over 650 hp, maybe even close to 700 hp.So why did it lose? Well, its because the 911 has better traction () and a better gearbox, and it is manufactured specifically to take off like a bat out of hell, both from a roll as well as a standstill. Things are a little bit different this time, and we reckon Corvette fans will be very pleased with the result.This C7 Z06 also boasts a cold air intake mod , but its got American Racing headers too. This setup should result in more than 700 hp, as a total, giving the Corvette a much-needed boost (pun intended) at the very high end of the rev spectrum. Wed also be very interested to see some peak torque figures, but none have been made available by the uploader.As a reminder, when stock, the Vettes 6.2-liter supercharged LT4 V8 engine produces 650 hp (659 PS) and 650 lb-ft (881 Nm) of torque.As for the Porsche, since its a 991.2 model, its got more power than the original 991 variant. The latters twin-turbocharged 3.9-liter flat-six engine is good for 552 hp (560 PS) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque (553 lb-ft with overboost). The 991.2 Turbo S, however, puts down 572 hp (580 PS).In this clip, the two supercars raced twice, both times from a roll. While the first race was impressive, the second one should definitely put a big smile on your face.
I got to play Hamilton County's biggest idiot game again yesterday and it didn't disappoint. Six cars in front of me in two out of three lanes all idling and blowing exhaust for no good reason except to pay their $9 test fee to the county coffers. When my turn finally came the inspector checked my gas cap and then just stood there doing nothing. I finally asked him what was the problem and he said his boss had to do a gas cap bypass or something to that effect. I asked what was wrong with my gas cap and he said nothing, I just have to bypass it. So you didn't check my gas cap? And then I discovered at my next stop he had failed to close the gas cap door. Well, thanks so much. Here's your $9.

I have been a vocal opponent of this scheme for years. It's been three years now since our legislature voted to do away with it. Why are we still being subjected to this nonsense? One of Roy's recent columns mentioned that the EPA had approved it and it's now back at the state level? Can anyone confirm that? The info on the county website is from last June.

I have a classic car that despite being 42 years old and driven less than a thousand miles a year is still subject to this so called test. I renewed last year during the COVID shutdown but if my car won't pass this year I will simple drive on an expired tag.

It's long past time for this idiocy to end. If it's the money just me charge me an additional $9. I would gladly pay it and not have to deal with this nonsense any longer.

Dennis Wooden

* * *

If you fail emissions in a 42 year old car, you don't have to just drive with an expired tag; there is another option.

Cars that are more than 25 years old, may be registered as "Antique Autos." Once registered as an "Antique Auto," the car does not have to go through emissions testing. Another benefit to this registration is a permanent tag that does not have to be renewed every year.

Taylor M. Harvey

* * *

Mr. Harvey, your advice to get an "Antique Car Tag" for Mr. Wooden is good but incomplete. You should also state that with this tag there are restrictions on when you can legally use this vehicle once an Antique Tag has been obtained. Restrictions include that there are no modifications to the original drive train and they can only be driven on weekends unless you are taking it to a show or for repairs or testing the repairs that have been made.

These tags are not meant to be a way to get around having your emissions tested.

I have a 43 year old car that currently has one on it. It is an excellent way of still being able to enjoy it without having to worry about the draconian Hamilton county emission laws that simply refuse to go away.

Greg Perryman
Battle North is developing the Bateman Gold Project to become the next gold producer in the renowned Red Lake Gold District in Ontario, Canada and controls the second-largest exploration ground in the district

Evolution Mining operates five wholly-owned mines  Cowal in New South Wales, Mt Carlton and Mt Rawdon in Queensland, Mungari in Western Australia, and Red Lake in Ontario, Canada

( ) ( ) announced that it has signed a definitive arrangement agreement for Australian firm Evolution Mining Limited ( ) to acquire all of its issued and outstanding shares at a price of C$2.65 per common share in cash for a total consideration of approximately C$343 million.

The consideration represents a 46% premium over the closing price of Battle North common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange on March 12, 2021, and a 54% premium based on the volume-weighted average price (VWAP) of the common shares over the last 20 trading days.

Battle North is developing the Bateman Gold Project to become the next gold producer in the renowned Red Lake Gold District in Ontario, Canada and controls the second-largest exploration ground in the district. Battle North also owns a large gold exploration land package on the Long Canyon gold trend near the Nevada-Utah border in the United States.

In a statement, George Ogilvie, Battle North's president, chief executive officer, and director, commented: "The all-cash offer is at a significant premium to market and reflects the extraordinary efforts of the Battle North team to create value at the Bateman Gold Project and ultimately deliver an outstanding outcome for Battle North's shareholders.

"We believe that there are unique and undeniable merits to combining the Red Lake assets of Battle North and Evolution and this Transaction reduces development and execution risk. Evolution is a highly regarded mining company with a demonstrated ability to successfully operate internationally. The Battle North team looks forward to working with Evolution to close the Transaction and smoothly transition operations to the new team."

Evolution Mining is a leading, growth-focused Australian gold miner. The company operates five wholly-owned mines  Cowal in New South Wales, Mt Carlton and Mt Rawdon in Queensland, Mungari in Western Australia, and Red Lake in Ontario, Canada. In addition, Evolution holds an economic interest in the Ernest Henry copper-gold mine in Queensland. Full-year 2021 group gold production is forecast to be between 670,000 -730,000 ounces at an All-in Sustaining Cost (AISC) of A$1,240  A$1,300 per ounce.

Jake Klein, executive chairman of Evolution said: "Both Evolution and Battle North started the negotiation with a clear alignment that a consolidation of the properties would create value that would not be available if they were developed and operated separately. George and his team have done a very good job at progressing the Bateman Gold Project to this point and recognise that this is an ideal window to consolidate the properties ahead of the construction of the Bateman mine which is now in its early stages."

Klein added: "This acquisition provides Evolution with an opportunity to expand our footprint in the region and create value by leveraging the infrastructure of the two operations. The additional processing capacity from the new Bateman mill will also accelerate our ability to achieve our objective of producing in excess of 300,000 ounces of gold per annum from Red Lake.

"In the 12 months that we have been operating at Red Lake we have demonstrated that we are a committed steward of the region. This expansion of our footprint will provide us with an opportunity to build on our track record as a safe and sustainable operator for the long term benefit of a broad range of stakeholders including the local workforce, regional communities and our Wabauskang and Lac Seul First Nation Partners."

The transaction will be subject to the approval of 66.666% of the votes cast by Battle North shareholders at the annual and special meeting of shareholders and a simple majority of the votes cast by Battle North shareholders, excluding certain persons required to be excluded in accordance with Multilateral Instrument 61-101 of the Canadian Securities Administrators. The shareholder meeting is currently expected to be held in May 2021.

All the directors and officers of Battle North (representing approximately 0.60% of the currently outstanding Battle North common shares) have entered into voting support agreements with Evolution to vote their shares in favour of the transaction. The deal has the full endorsement of Evolution's board of directors and will be funded from Evolution's current cash balance and available credit facilities. No vote will be required by Evolution shareholders.

Battle North has granted Evolution a right to match any superior proposal and will pay a termination fee of C$14.8 million to Evolution if the definitive agreement is terminated in certain events, including if Battle North recommends or approves an acquisition proposal or enters into an agreement with respect to a superior proposal. Battle North has also agreed to make an expense reimbursement payment to Evolution of C$2.0 million if the definitive agreement is terminated as a result of the Battle North shareholders not approving the transaction at the shareholder meeting.

Subject to the conditions being met, the transaction is expected to close in the second calendar quarter of 2021.

The board of directors of Battle North, upon the unanimous recommendation of the independent directors and in consultation with its financial and legal advisors, has unanimously determined that the Evolution transaction is in the best interests of the company and fair to Battle North shareholders and is recommending that Battle North shareholders vote in favour at the shareholder meeting.

and Cormark Securities have also each provided a fairness opinion to the board of directors of Battle North concluding that, as of the date of the opinions and based upon and subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications set out in such opinions, the consideration to be received by Battle North shareholders under the arrangement is fair, from a financial point of view, to Battle North shareholders.

Contact the author at jon.hopkins@proactiveinvestors.com
DETROIT - The worlds major automakers have made something abundantly clear: They believe electric vehicles will dominate their industry in the years ahead.

A 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV, is displayed with 2020 models at Bill Crispin Chevrolet Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Saline, Mich. Opinion polls show that most Americans would consider an EV if it cost less, there were more charging stations along freeways, and if automakers offered a bigger variety of models. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

DETROIT - The worlds major automakers have made something abundantly clear: They believe electric vehicles will dominate their industry in the years ahead.

Yet for that to happen, theyll need to sell the idea to people like Steve Bock.

When Bock recently replaced his family's 2013 Honda Pilot SUV, he considered  and then dismissed  the idea of buying an electric vehicle. An EV with enough room to carry his two dogs would cost too much, he decided. And hed worry about driving long distances with too few charging stations.

I would consider it if the prices would come down, Bock said, though leaving open the possibility of buying an electric vehicle next time.

Instead, Bock, of suburban Raleigh, North Carolina, settled on a Subaru Outback. Like nearly every other vehicle sold in the United States, it runs on gasoline.

Opinion polls show that a substantial majority of Americans are aligned with Bock. An EV might be on their shopping list if it cost less, if more charging stations existed and if a wider variety of models were available. In other words, the time isnt right.

It adds up to a significant risk for the largest automakers. With governments across the globe intensifying efforts to reverse climate change, the automakers are staking their futures on the notion that consumers will soon be ready to buy vehicles that run not on the internal combustion engines that have powered cars and trucks for more than a century but on electricity stored in a battery pack.

General Motors, Ford and Volkswagen plan to spend a combined $77 billion developing global electric vehicles over the next five years, with models from pickup trucks to small SUVs. GM has gone so far as to announce a goal of ending gasoline- and diesel-fueled passenger vehicles entirely by 2035  and to become carbon-neutral by 2040.

For the automakers, the risk is as hazardous as it is simple: What if American consumers reject electric vehicles for many years to come?

Companies would have no choice but to discount them and hope, in the meantime, that their profits from gas vehicles would still cover their costs  at least until large proportions of buyers gravitated toward EVs.

If they don't, the financial blow could be heavy. For now, EVs make up less than 2% of U.S. new-vehicle sales and about 3% worldwide.

Its still a sector that doesnt have a mass appeal to the entire population, said Jeff Schuster, president of global vehicle forecasting for LMC Automotive, a consulting firm. It could be a financial drain if consumers do not buy at the same level."

Yet in contrast to the United States, sales of EVs have taken off in Europe and China, largely because of much more far-reaching pollution regulations and government incentives. Those tighter environmental regulations are forcing the industry to sell more electric vehicles.

In Europe, carmakers unveiled a slew of new electric models ahead of lower EU limits on average emissions of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas blamed for climate change, that took full effect at the start of this year. Government-backed incentives can cut the cost to near that of an internal combustion vehicle.

The result: Nearly 730,000 battery vehicles were sold in Europe in 2020  more than 300,000 of them in the final three months of the year. The market share of electric vehicles  battery-only and plug-in hybrids  jumped from 3% to 10.5%. By December, their share had reached nearly one in four.

Among the new owners is Kerstin Griese of Essen, Germany, who bought a battery-powered Peugeot 208 after having driven electric cars in the motor pool at work. Griese found that they supplied the acceleration necessary to merge safely onto the highway for her 40 kilometre (25 mile) commute to the public works department in the town of Solingen.

I said to myself, when they cost around 30,000 euros ($36,263) and have more than 300 kilometres of range, and when the incentives are set high, then Im there. And that happened last year.

After a government subsidy of 6,000 euros and the carmakers 3,000 euro share, her new car will cost around 24,000 euros ($29,000). The car can use fast-charging stations along highways, where she can recharge in a half hour when she takes longer trips, such as shopping excursions to the neighbouring Netherlands, about 65 kilometres (40 miles) away.

I found that very appealing, she said.

In China, which accounts for about 40% of global EV sales, purchases have accelerated because of limits on the number of internal combustion cars that can be registered in six major cities, said Arndt Ellinghorst, an analyst at the research firm Sanford C. Bernstein.

Automakers, including startups Lucid, Bollinger, Rivian and Workhorse, plan to introduce 22 new EV models in the U.S. this year after having rolled out six last year, according to LMC.

Tighter regulations  and, perhaps with it, higher sales of EVs  might be coming to the United States, too, if the Biden administration succeeds in its promotion of electric vehicles as part of a broad plan to fight climate change.

Still, it could prove an uphill battle. Only 260,000 fully electric vehicles were sold last year in the United States. That's out of a total new-vehicle market of 14.6 million. In fact, Americans are still spurning cars, in general, in favour of less-fuel-efficient trucks and SUVs.

Two polls late last year offered a glimpse of Americans' appetite for electric vehicles. One, by Consumer Reports, showed that only 4% of adults with a drivers license planned to acquire an EV the next time they buy a vehicle. An additional 27% said they would consider one. About 40% express some interest  but not for their next purchase. About 29% dont want an EV at all.

Likewise, when J.D. Power surveyed people who intend to buy or lease a new vehicle in the next 18 months, only about 20% said they were likely to buy an EV. Roughly 21% were unlikely. The rest were undecided.

For every new-vehicle shopper seriously considering (battery electric vehicles), there's another at the opposite end of the spectrum, said Stewart Stropp, senior director of automotive retail at J.D. Power.

For one thing, Stropp said, most buyers are unfamiliar with electric vehicles and haven't ridden in one. Those who have, though, are roughly three times as likely to consider them, he said. People want as many chargers as gas stations, Stropp said, but don't seem to realize that most charging can be done at home.

The task of breaking down the American public's hesitance to invest in a fully electric vehicle could prove problematic. And the automakers clearly recognize it. Last year, General Motors planned a major public campaign featuring test drives and engineers to answer customer questions at events around the country. The viral pandemic, though, forced it to scrap the plan.

GM is making experts available virtually this summer as it starts selling a Chevrolet Bolt small electric SUV for just under $34,000, its first electric entry into the most popular segment of the U.S. market. But Tony Johnson, marketing director for Chevy electric vehicles, acknowledges that there's no substitute for putting seats in seats.

Johnson notes optimistically that surveys done for GM show that the number of people who would consider an EV is far higher than it was five years ago. GM is keeping the price of the revamped Bolt hatchback to under $32,000, he said, and is offering free home charging stations.

Schuster foresees U.S. sales rising this year to 359,000, taking off in 2022 and reaching over 1 million the next year. By 2030, LMC predicts U.S. sales of over 4 million EVs. Yet even that would represent only one-quarter of the overall market.

Still, encouraging signs emerged in February, when EV sales rose 55% from a year ago to 18,969, according to Edmunds.com. Helping boost sales, Schuster said, was the variety of models, plus added incentives and the expectation of stricter pollution limits from the Biden administration. Biden favours expanding a tax credit for buying EVs and has pledged to help build 500,000 more charging stations and increase fuel economy requirements.

Currently, a $7,500 federal tax credit is phased out after an automaker hits 200,000 EV sales. GM and Tesla have both exceeded that level, and Nissan is close. A bill from Democrats would raise the cap to 600,000. Such a move would clearly help Tesla, the world leader in EV sales, which is facing increased competition as other automakers try to catch up.

The market will tip toward EVs, Schuster predicts, when all these forces line up.

There are more choices, competitive pressure," he said. "A new generation of technology will drive prices down. We're getting there.

McHugh reported from Frankfurt, Germany.
RTHK: More European states suspend AstraZeneca shots

Germany, France and Italy said on Monday they would hit pause on AstraZeneca Covid-19 shots after several countries reported possible serious side-effects, throwing Europe's already struggling vaccination campaign into disarray.

Denmark and Norway stopped giving the shot last week after reporting isolated cases of bleeding, blood clots and a low platelet count. Iceland and Bulgaria followed suit and Ireland and the Netherlands announced suspensions on Sunday.

The moves by some of Europe's largest and most populous countries will deepen concerns about the slow rollout of vaccines in the region, which has been plagued by shortages due to problems producing vaccines, including AstraZeneca's.

Germany warned last week it was facing a third wave of infections, Italy is intensifying lockdowns and hospitals in the Paris region are close to being overloaded.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn said that although the risk of blood clots was low, it could not be ruled out.

"This is a professional decision, not a political one," Spahn said adding he was following a recommendation of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, Germany's vaccine regulator.

France said it was suspending the vaccine's use pending an assessment by the EU medicine regulator due on Tuesday. Italy said its halt was a "precautionary and temporary measure" pending the regulator's ruling.

Austria and Spain have stopped using particular batches and prosecutors in the northern Italian region of Piedmont earlier seized 393,600 doses following the death of a man hours after he was vaccinated.

The World Health Organisation appealed to countries not to suspend vaccinations against a disease that has caused more than 2.7 million deaths worldwide.

The United Kingdom said it had no concerns, while Poland said it thought the benefits outweighed any risks.

The EMA has said that as of March 10, a total of 30 cases of blood clotting had been reported among close to 5 million people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca shot in the European Economic Area, which links 30 European countries.

Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at the University of Southampton, said the decisions by France, Germany and others looked baffling.

"The data we have suggests that numbers of adverse events related to blood clots are the same (and possibly, in fact lower) in vaccinated groups compared to unvaccinated populations," he said, adding that halting a vaccination programme had consequences.

Hong Kong has ordered 7.5 million AstraZeneca shots, which are expected to start arriving later this year. (Reuters/RTHK)

This story has been published on: 2021-03-15. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
An award-winning Hong Kong protest documentary, Inside the Red Brick Wall has been pulled out from a local cinema before it could be shown to a ticket-buying public. Pro-Beijing forces in the city have alleged that the film may violate the June 2020 National Security Law.

Golden Scene Cinema announced on its Instagram Stories page on Monday that screenings of Inside the Red Brick Wall later that day and others scheduled for March 21 will be canceled. The cinema apologized for the inconvenience caused, asked for movie-goers understanding and offered refunds.

More from Variety

Notification of the cancellations came the same day as the beginning of the four-day Hong Kong FilMart. The rights market is the largest of its kind in Asia and is a showcase for Hong Kong as hub for regional commerce in film and TV content. It is being held entirely online this year, due to COVID-19s impact on regional travel.

Inside the Red Brick Wall was part of a screening series of winners of the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards staged at Golden Scene Cinema, a recently-opened outlet operated by homegrown film company Golden Scene. It was to have been the first time the film had a commercial screening.

The documentary feature, shot by a collective of anonymous filmmakers, chronicles the 13-day standoff between the police and protesters at the Polytechnic University in November 2019 that were part of city-wide protests sparked by a now-withdrawn extradition bill.

Red Brick Wall was named as best film by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society in January. There were overnight queues this weekend to buy tickets.

But the film also came under fire from pro-Beijing newspaper Wen Wei Po. It said that a public screening of the film would incite hatred of Chinas central government, the Hong Kong government and the police, which may violate the National Security Law.

Story continues

Wen Wei Po also accused the film of violating the Film Censorship Ordinance and called for it to be banned. Previously, Red Brick had been classified as a Category III film, meaning that it could only be shown to those aged 18 or above, due to its coarse language and detailed depiction of violence.

In response to the overwhelming attention on the screening [of Red Brick], the cinema said that it has decided to pull the screenings to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding.

Beijing injected the National Security Law into Hong Kongs mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law, in response to the citys political turmoil of 2019 and 2020. The law bans activities related to secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign influences to endanger national security.

Eight months after the laws introduction, more than 100 people have been arrested for committing acts or engaging in activities that endangered national security. These include most pro-democracy legislators.

At last weeks so-called Two Sessions of Chinas parliament, Beijing also announced strict new procedures for elections in the city, including patriotism as requirement for public office. While China said that it was improving the system in Hong Kong, several countries have condemned the move as an assault on democracy. The U.K. now considers Beijing to be in a state of ongoing non-compliance with the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the British foreign ministry said in a statement over the weekend.

The Joint Declaration is an internationally registered treaty between the two countries that stipulated how the former British colony should be governed over a period of 50 years after the 1997 handover to China.

Variety has reached out to the cinema and the films distributor for comment.

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The Canadian statistician at the centre of last years Leaving Cert calculated grades coding errors attributes the delay in spotting the main mistake to a race against the clock while dealing with constantly shifting data.

Dr Fernando Cartwright, CEO of Polymetrika International, said the project was forced by the timing of events, such as the CAO deadline to release the results before all the verifications and final modelling were complete.

Dr Cartwright, a recognised international expert in educational testing, wrote the computer code for the calculated grades that replaced last years June exams.

He said far from being a fiasco, as characterised in the media, the process was close to a masterclass in how to conduct such a project.

Dr Cartwright also stressed the very positive nature of his collaboration with the Department of Education, but would have appreciated a more enthusiastic defence of his work from Minister Norma Foley when, as he saw it, reporting on the errors got out of hand.

This is the first time Dr Cartwright has commented on the events and he made his views known in a statement to the Irish Independent.

The errors controversy erupted three weeks after the release of about 400,000 calculated grades to more than 61,000 students.

It was Dr Cartwright himself who discovered the most significant mistake, at the end of September, as part of his ongoing work. It involved one line out of 50,000 lines of code, where the wrong Junior Cert results were used.

It meant 6,100 students received at least one lower grade than they should have, and 485 late college offers had to be made.

Dr Cartwright said: The timing of the discovery was unfortunate, driven by circumstances beyond the scope of the project, but there is no chance that I would not have detected it in the course of completing my work.

He said the work was constrained by the combination of short timelines and multiple changes in the data being tested, particularly during August and September.

Exploring alternatives and detecting and resolving errors are the essence of any scientific process; I evaluated hundreds of statistical models that explored different assumptions and treatments of the data and dozens of these were evaluated at different levels by the department as possible solutions.

Commenting on his silence last autumn, Dr Cartwright said it was very frustrating to see the pile-on in the Irish media and remain silent, but most of the discourse seemed intended to provoke a wedge between myself and the department where one did not exist.

Read More

He said he was constrained by pending legal challenges and a concern that a public response could have contributed to a narrative where I may have appeared to be deflecting blame onto the department, which would have been inappropriate.

Dr Cartwright believes the reporting got out of hand, at which point he certainly would have appreciated a more enthusiastic defence of our work and myself from the minister.

I empathise that a new minister in a new minority government in the middle of both the pandemic and Brexit crises might want to be judicious in her messaging, but it was extremely disheartening to see such a misrepresentation of work and myself as an individual and independent contractor go largely uncorrected.

Dr Cartwright also addressed concerns that such a large scale and unprecedented task was given to his small company.

He said Polymetrika was small, intentionally so, but the quality of our work is second to none in the field of assessment.

They preferred to work on interesting projects with social or methodological significance rather than fixating on sales management and marketing, which account for most staffing of larger firms.

They had worked on large-scale assessment programmes in over 25 countries and had developed software used for statistical analysis and reporting for a variety of projects. We typically work within substantially shorter timelines and with greater efficiency than are possible with larger firms.

He confirmed that he was the only Polymetrika person working on this project, which was agreed upon at the onset of the project with the department to allow me to focus on methodological development rather than supervision.

Expressing his pride in the outcome, he referred to similar undertakings across the UK, stating: Not only did we release the results on time, we did so with almost three fewer working months than the other projects and ahead of our original schedule.

Ultimately, ours was the only calculated grades project that succeeded in accomplishing its objectives.

It also withstood the additional scrutiny brought by the public outcry around the errors and the concurrent legal challenges to the process, he said

Dr Cartwright said the project had laid a solid foundation of quality and transparency for Leaving Cert accredited grades 2021.

It is now established and acceptable in Ireland for secondary leaving accreditation to use sources of data that are not solely derived from in-person examinations. This was not true a year ago.
PARADISE, Calif. - A non-profit organization that helps rebuild homes in disaster zones is getting its start on the Ridge, after delays caused by the pandemic.

"The pandemic has created the disaster within the disaster," said CEO and Hope City founder Kevin Cox. He explained that because they are a volunteer organization they were not allowed to bring volunteers into the field.

Cox said they help with all parts of recovery after a disaster, but one thing they really love to do is help build homes for people who were not insured.

Despite the pandemic, his organization has been working in five counties in California and has built seven homes that house 2-3 people per each.

"We are really looking forward to the vaccinations getting out there so volunteers can return into the field," Cox explained.

"We project in June we will see a slew of volunteers again," he added.

We are getting booked up pretty solid for the year, but in the meanwhile, we are going to start with a small group," he continued.

Homeowner Frank Vergara says he is most excited about the new porch he will be getting on his brand new home.

"It is quite a blessing to have them help out because this was a family residence that was bought for my brother who passed away before he was even able to move into it," Vergary said.

"It is really a Godsend that I am going to be able to rebuild and hold on to the property for the family and everything," he continued.

Vergara said he is really grateful that an organization like Hope City can help him out because, he said, "I would not have the financing to do it on my own."

Cox says they are excited to see more hope restored back up in Paradise. Most of the Town of Paradise was destroyed during the Camp Fire that started the morning of Nov. 8, 2018.

Cox says it takes about 58 working days to finish one home. He wanted to thank Adventist Health Partners for providing a place where the volunteers can stay while they are rebuilding homes on the Ridge.
An alarmingly high number of corrections officers at prisons around the US are refusing to receive coronavirus vaccines despite sky-high infection rates among staff and inmates, a new report shows.

When an officer at a prison in Florida polled 475 colleagues earlier this year about whether they would receive the vaccine, more than half said: 'Hell no' and only 40 said yes.

In Massachusetts, more than half the people employed by the Department of Correction declined to be immunized. A statewide survey in California showed that half of all correction employees will wait to be vaccinated. In Rhode Island, prison staff have refused the vaccine at higher rates than the incarcerated, according to medical director Dr Justin Berk. And in Iowa, early polling among employees showed a little more than half the staff said they'd get vaccinated.

The trends have caused some public health experts to worry about the prospect of controlling the pandemic both inside and outside of prisons, where infection rates are more than three times higher than in the general public.

The Marshall Project and The Associated Press spoke with correctional officers and union leaders nationwide, as well as with public health experts and doctors working inside prisons, to understand why officers are declining to be vaccinated.

The investigation found that many officers are doubtful about the safety of the vaccines, while others have come to believe in conspiracy theories that they are being used for something beyond just bringing the pandemic to its knees.

Kareen Troitino stands outside the Federal Corrections Institution in Miami on Friday. Troitino, a local correction's officer union president, said that fewer than half of the facility's 240 employees have been fully vaccinated as of March 11. Many of the workers who refused had expressed concerns about the vaccine's efficacy and side effects, Troitino said

In December and January, at least 37 prison systems began to offer vaccines to their employees, particularly front-line correctional officers and those who work in health care.

More than 106,000 prison employees in 29 systems, including the Federal Bureau of Prisons, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to data compiled by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press since December. And some states are not tracking employees who get vaccinated in a community setting such as a clinic or pharmacy.

Still, some correctional officers are refusing the vaccine because they fear both short- and long-term side effects of the immunizations. Others have embraced conspiracy theories about the vaccine.

Distrust of the prison administration and its handling of the virus has also discouraged officers from being immunized. In some instances, correctional officers said they would rather be fired than be vaccinated.

The resistance to the vaccine is not unique to correctional officers. Health care workers, caretakers in nursing homes and police officers - who have witnessed the worst effects of the pandemic - have declined to be vaccinated at unexpectedly high rates.

The refusal of prison workers to take the vaccine threatens to undermine efforts to control the pandemic both inside and outside of prisons, according to public health experts.

Inmate Christian Millett of Worcester gets the first of two COVID-19 coronavirus shots at the Worcester County Jail and House of Corrections in Massachusetts in January

Prisons are coronavirus hot spots, so when staff move between the prisons and their home communities after work, they create a pathway for the virus to spread.

Prison staff helped accelerate outbreaks by refusing to wear masks, downplaying people's symptoms, and haphazardly enforcing social distancing and hygiene protocols in confined, poorly ventilated spaces ripe for viral spread.

More than 388,000 incarcerated people and 105,000 staff members have contracted the coronavirus over the last year.

In states like Michigan, Kansas and Arizona, that's meant one in three staff members have been infected. In Maine, the state with the lowest infection rate, one in 20 staff members tested positive for COVID-19. Nationwide, those infections proved fatal for 2,474 prisoners and at least 193 staff members.

'People who work in prisons are an essential part of the equation that will lead to reduced disease and less chance of renewed explosive COVID-19 outbreaks in the future,' said Brie Williams, a correctional health expert at the University of California, San Francisco, or UCSF.

At FCI Miami, a federal prison in Florida, fewer than half the facility's 240 employees had been fully vaccinated as of March 11, according to Kareen Troitino, the local corrections officer union president. Many of the workers who refused had expressed concerns about the vaccine's efficacy and side effects, Troitino said.

In January, Troitino and FCI Miami warden Sylvester Jenkins sent an email to employees saying that 'in an act of solidarity,' they had agreed to get vaccinated and encouraged staff to do the same.

'Even though we recognize and respect that this motion is not mandatory; nevertheless, with the intent of promoting staff safety, we encourage all staff to join us,' the January 27 email said.

Only 25 employees signed up. FCI Miami has had two major coronavirus outbreaks, Troitino said: last July, when more than 400 prisoners out of 852 were suspected of having the disease, and in December, when about 100 people were affected at the facility's minimum-security camp.

Because so many correctional officers and prisoners haven't been vaccinated, there are fears that could happen again. 'Everybody is on edge,' Troitino said. Though he's gotten the shot, he's worried about another outbreak and the impact on already stretched staffing at the prison.

The pandemic has strained prisons already struggling with low staffing rates and subpar health care. Low vaccination rates among officers could push prisons to their breaking point.

At the height of the outbreak behind bars, several states had to call in the National Guard to temporarily run the facilities because so many staff members had called out sick or refused to work.

At FCI Miami, officers are constantly shuttling sick and elderly prisoners to the hospital, Troitino said. As a result, a skeleton crew of staff is left to operate the prison. Unvaccinated staff only compound the problem as they run the risk of getting sick when outbreaks crop up in the prisons.

'A lot of employees get scared when they find out, "Oh, we had an outbreak in a unit, 150 inmates have COVID,"' Troitino said. 'Everybody calls in sick.'

Part of the resistance to the vaccine is widespread misinformation among correctional staff, said Brian Dawe, a former correctional officer and national director of One Voice United, a policy and advocacy group for officers.

A majority of people in law enforcement lean right, Dawe said. 'They get a lot of their information from the right-wing media outlets,' he said. 'A lot of them believe you don't have to wear masks. That it's like the flu.'

National polls have shown that Republicans without college degrees are the most resistant to the vaccine.

At FCI Miami, a federal prison in Florida, fewer than half the facility's 240 employees had been fully vaccinated as of March 11, according to Kareen Troitino (pictured), the local corrections officer union president

Several correctional officers in Florida, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they are not permitted to talk to the press, said many of their colleagues believe that the vaccine could give them the virus.

Some have latched onto debunked conspiracy theories circulating on social media, the officers said, believing the vaccine contains tracking devices produced by former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, who has donated to coronavirus treatment research. (The vaccine does not contain tracking devices.) Others believe the vaccine was hastily produced without enough time to understand the long-term side effects.

'I wouldn't care if I worked in a dorm with every inmate having COVID, I still wouldn't get (vaccinated),' said a correctional sergeant who has worked for the Florida Department of Corrections for more than a decade.

'If I'm wearing a mask, gloves, washing my hands and being careful - I'd still feel better working like that than putting the vaccine in my body.'

Officer attitudes about the vaccine are so widespread that researchers at UCSF have created a frequently asked questions flyer for the incarcerated that includes: 'I heard the guards/officers ... at my facility are refusing to get the vaccine. If they aren't getting it, why should I?'

The researchers encourage the incarcerated to learn as much as they can about the vaccine and to make their own decision 'regardless of what other people are doing'.

Public health experts have urged states to prioritize vaccinations in prisons and jails but cautioned against prioritizing staff over prisoners. Though numbers aren't available from many states, at least 15 began vaccinating staff before the incarcerated, The Marshall Project and Associated Press found.

'We know they have anti-vax ideations and attitudes,' said Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, who leads the COVID Prison Project, which tracks correction officials responses to the pandemic. 'We have said again and again, we shouldn't have this two-tier system.'

But guards' refusal to be vaccinated has been a blessing for some incarcerated people. The vaccines have a short shelf life after being thawed out, so officials have offered the leftover vaccines to prisoners instead of letting them go to waste.

Julia Ann Poff is incarcerated at FMC Carswell, a federal prison in Texas for women with special medical and mental health needs, for sending bombs to state and federal officials. She said she received her first shot in mid-December, after several officers declined.

'I consider myself very blessed to have received it,' she wrote, using the prison's email system. 'I have lupus and a recent diagnosis of heart disease, so there was no way I could afford to let myself get (sick).'

Misinformation and conspiracy theories aside, some officers in federal prisons say they are refusing the vaccine because they do not trust the prison administration.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has come under fire by employees and the incarcerated for its response to the coronavirus. Among the criticisms: a lack of masks and soap in the pandemic's early days, broken thermometers at one facility and sick prisoners who say they were bunched together without social distancing.

At FCI Mendota, a medium-security federal prison near Fresno, California, officials closed off the main employee entrance in January, funneled the employees through a visiting room turned vaccination clinic and forced them to decide on the spot whether to get vaccinated.

Employees weren't allowed to proceed to their posts without either getting vaccinated or signing a form declaring they refused the vaccine.

Aaron McGlothin, a local corrections officers' union president, said he refused the vaccine citing medical issues, adding that he doesn't trust prison officials' motives.

In this file photo from last July, a correctional officer closes the main gate at San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, California. Prison guards are refusing coronavirus vaccines at alarming rates - causing some public health experts to worry about the prospect of controlling the pandemic both inside and outside of prison

Employers cannot mandate that staff get vaccinated. So correctional officers' refusal puts incarcerated people at risk as they have no way of protecting themselves from unmasked and unvaccinated officers.

By December, one in five incarcerated people had contracted the coronavirus, according to data compiled by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press.

Correctional officers can bring the virus home from work and infect family members, too. In extreme cases, those family members themselves become seriously ill or even die.

At least five family members of correctional employees have died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to the online memorial Mourning Our Losses, which tracks COVID-19 deaths among those who live and work in prisons and jails. In one instance, a Florida correctional officer and his wife died in side-by-side intensive care rooms on the same day.

For some officers, these life and death experiences are a wake-up call. At FCI Miami, where Troitino leads the local officers' union, several employees contracted the virus or were hospitalized for COVID-19 after officials encouraged them to get vaccinated in late January but they refused. Some of those employees have expressed a change of heart about the vaccine.

'They have called me begging to have the vaccine reserved for them upon their return,' Troitino said. 'A few faced life and death and are totally devastated by their experience.'
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FARMINGTON  Downtown Farmington will lose one of its more prominent businesses later this spring as Wells Fargo officials have announced they plan on closing their branch on East Broadway Avenue.

Franchesca Pancham, a communications adviser for Wells Fargo New Mexico, said the companys main Farmington branch at 100 E. Broadway Ave. will close at noon on Wednesday, June 2. She described the move as a consolidation in an email to The Daily Times.

This is not an easy decision or one that we take lightly, she wrote. We continually evaluate our branch network, and make adjustments based on changing customer needs, market factors and economic trends. This process leads to both expansions and consolidations. While the branch continues to be important in serving our customers needs, were finding that customers increasingly use digital tools for transactions such as bank deposits. As a result more transactions are happening outside the branch.

More: New Mexico officials say states handling of COVID-19 saved lives

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It was unclear how many employees would be affected by the move, as Wells Fargo does not disclose staffing numbers at specific locations for security reasons. Nor was it clear whether those employees would be laid off or absorbed by the companys other branches in Farmington.

At this time we are reviewing staffing needs and will determine what impact this consolidation may have on employees at the Farmington Main Branch, Pancham said.

She said Wells Fargo employs 911 people across the state.

Warren Unsicker, the citys economic development director, said the news was unexpected. A nearly $12 million project to renovate the downtown district and replace much of its infrastructure recently was completed, and city officials have expressed hope that the changes will revitalize the area.

I hadnt heard that was coming, Unsicker said. It is unfortunate, and obviously, we dont know what went into their thinking and reasoning.  But we are thankful that right now there is an interest in downtown.

More: Clancys owners hoping to reopen April 1, just over four months after electrical fire

He said the city looks forward to partnering with a business owner or developer for the location who shares the citys vision of what downtown can become.

Pancham said Wells Fargo will place the property on the market. The building in which the branch is located is one of downtowns larger structures, and the branch includes a drive-thru operation across Broadway Avenue.

Unsicker said he considers the property to be one of downtowns more desirable locations.

I think it will be, he said. Its pretty central to downtown. Were trying to develop housing and office space thats not smack on Main Street.

Unsicker reiterated his disappointment at the news and said he hopes for the best for the bank employees who will be affected by the closure. But he said he believes the building has the potential for a variety of purposes, and he looks forward to discussing those possibilities with interested parties.

The closure means customers who have been using the downtown branch will have to conduct their business at Wells Fargos other San Juan County locations, the closest of which is a branch at 501 E. 20th St. The bank also operates one more Farmington location, one in Bloomfield, one in Kirtland and two in Shiprock, according to its website.

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Wells Fargo closing downtown Farmington branch on June 2

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In recognition of Sunshine Week, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on Monday highlighted a number of transparency initiatives implemented or planned by her office.

Sunshine Week, March 14-20 this year, is an annual tradition launched in 2005 by the News Leaders Association to promote open government across the country and highlight the importance of access to public information.

Benson in a Monday press conference touted the random and publicly visible selection of the Michigan Independent Redistricting Commission last year; the public posting of 177,000 voter registrations a month before they were set to be cancelled to allow time for voters to notify clerks if they were listed by mistake; and the completion of more election audits than ever before.

Benson also announced that an updated campaign finance tracking system on the Secretary of States website will be launched this year.

In 2015, The Center for Public Integrity ranked Michigan 50th among all states in government transparency. Benson called the ranking disgraceful and advocated for a worst to first agenda.

She called for expanding the Freedom of Information Act so it applies to the governor and the state Legislature, requiring personal financial disclosures from elected officials and more frequent campaign disclosure than the current quarterly requirement.

Related: What to know as Michigan lawmakers debate subjecting themselves, governors office to public records laws

Last week, the House Oversight Committee teed up a 10-bill package that would subject the governor, lieutenant governor and their staff to the states Freedom of Information Act and establish a separate Legislative Open Records Act or LORA. Those bills could come up for votes on the House floor as soon as this week.

A similar package is scheduled to be taken up in the Senate Oversight Committee Tuesday.

Benson said the bills showed promise, but echoed concerns express by the governors office around the LORA bill, calling it a special and watered down version of FOIA.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmers administration has voiced concerns with the lack of an independent mechanism to compel the production of a legislative record under LORA and the broad exemption that would allow lawmakers in either party to deny a record simply by distributing it to their caucus.

Sen. Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield, sponsored the senate bill with Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan. Both have been working on the issue together since they served in the House. Last session, the Michigan House voted through similar legislation unanimously. The package was not taken up in the Senate.

In an interview with MLive, Moss emphasized that appeal of public records denials by the Legislature would be decided by a third party -- the Legislative Council, which which Benson takes issue.

Moss said he understands the concern on oversight and said the bills are a floor, not a ceiling, and hes open to ideas on how to improve the legislation.

We cant let the perfect be the enemy of the good with progress, he said.

Read more on MLive:

Progressive group to launch ballot initiative for FOIA reform in Michigan

Whitmer curbs use of controversial separation agreements in executive directive

Whitmer said separation agreements like Robert Gordons are used often. In state government, theyre not.

New ad from pro-GOP nonprofit hits Whitmer on transparency, hush money

Michigan Legislature had its own series of confidential staff separation agreements
COMPANIES

Cyber firm IronNet finds buyer to take it public

IronNet Cybersecurity, a company founded and led by retired Army Gen. Keith Alexander, has agreed to be taken public through a merger with blank check company LGL Systems Acquisition Corp.

McLean, Virginia-based IronNet will list on the New York Stock Exchange and trade under the ticker symbol IRNT upon the deals completion, which is anticipated in the third quarter.

The new company expects to receive approximately $267 million in net proceeds from the transaction and is seeking a $1.2 billion overall valuation, IronNet said Monday.

IronNet was started in 2014 by Alexander, the former director of the National Security Agency and head of U.S. Cyber Command. The company focuses on cybersecurity solutions for defense and other customers.

Existing IronNet investors Bridgewater Associates, ForgePoint Capital and Kleiner Perkins will continue to back the company through a $125 million private investment in a public equity transaction known as a PIPE, which will let them buy the publicly-traded stock at a price below the current value per share.

They will be joined by new institutional investors in Emles Advisors, Weiss Asset Management and The Phoenix Insurance Company.

Led by chairman and CEO Marc Gabelli, LGL is a special purpose acquisition company that has looked for businesses to merge with and take public in the aerospace, defense and communications industries. It raised $172.5 million in a November 2019 initial public offering.

Other notable names in LGLs leadership team include two founders of the former L3 Technologies in John Mega and Bob LaPenta, plus the latters son Robert that co-founded Boundary Group.

LGL is the latest blank check company to find a company with some government market footing and make a deal to take it public. Space has been an area of hot interest from SPACs and other investors with several transactions announced in the past 12 months, including two on March 1.

Barclays, BTIG, Jefferies Needham & Company are acting as placement agents and capital markets advisers to LGL. Cooley LLP is acting as legal counsel to IronNet. Paul Hastings LLP is acting as legal counsel to LGL. Sidley Austin LLP is acting as legal counsel to the placement agents.
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A forest growers' spokesman warns that Ireland's 11% land coverage with trees will fall to 10%.

"At this rate, instead of increasing our national tree cover from 11% to 17%, which is our aim, we will end up with less than we have now, about 10%," says Simon White, chairman of the Limerick Tipperary Woodland Growers, which works with the Forest Owners Co-Operative Society (FOCS) and other grower groups and stakeholders to lobby for the forest industry.

We are now 21,500 hectares short of the 32,000 hectares, at 8,000 hectares per year, that should have been planted," says Mr White, who used to have milking cows on his 200-acre farm at Askeaton, Co Limerick, but moved into forestry 30 years ago.

He says that aside from the countrys climate action targets being missed because of the Irish forestry slowdown due to a licensing logjam, there are very real concerns among forest owners regarding tree pests that could come in on imported timber.

We have a lot of pathogens coming in and, of course, there is also a beetle that threatens the health of our spruce trees. Our industry is based on our conifers, he added.

All the conifers are at massive risk if this beetle comes in.

The beetle lives under the bark, so any lumber coming in from abroad is a risk, if it has bark on it, and so much is coming in from all over the world at this stage that the risk is enormous.

There is also a pine blight in Ireland, which is a disease that came in.

He says, We should be planting 8,000 hectares per year, and we need 5,000ha per year just to keep the 11% of our land that is forested in Ireland. 11%, and when you compare that to 30% of Europe covered in trees, 28% in the UK, we are down the bottom of the list.

The one area that will make a massive difference to Irelands climate action is by having more trees to sequester carbon, providing more habitats, filtering pollution, and producing oxygen.

We planted 3,500 hectares in 2019, last year it was 2,500 hectares, and this year, nothing has been planted at all so far.

Trees sequester carbon, and when trees are cut down and used in the construction industry, it means they sequester carbon in homes.

Farmers need to realise that the only way they are going to balance carbon emissions is to plant more trees, they are under real pressure with that.

This is the last chance for Ireland, we need political will more than ever to get out of this crisis.

Somebody is going to have to take the bull by the horns and sort this out.

Mr White says Project Woodland, the Department of Agricultures renamed and revamped approach to its forestry work, may not be enough to alleviate the difficulties the Irish forestry industry finds itself in.

We are in an unprecedented crisis in forestry. Involved in this crisis are the issues of ash dieback, the unacceptable importation of huge quantities of lumber which pose an incredible pest risk to our growing forests, and a myriad of forestry schemes, designed in the last century, that are no longer fit for purpose and are causing private landowners to decide against planting trees, said Mr White.

Why?

Because the terms and conditions are so unattractive. Project Woodland ignores these immediate problems. Both the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee, and Jo OHara [the consultant whose recent report on forestry licensing is reflected in the Project Woodland approach], have alluded to the need to address these issues, and yet, both ministers have done absolutely nothing to sort out these problems.

They have been made aware of the issues by so many different stakeholders, and time is running out.

We now call upon the Taoiseach to lead and direct his ministers to address this crisis, before it deepens.
By Ritah Kemigisa

Political analysts are optimistic that President Museveni may soon yield to the numerous calls for a national dialogue.

Writer and African Affairs Commentator Joseph Ochieno believes that President Museveni has the power to convene a successful dialogue.

This comes at a time of heightened tension in the country marred by abductions and arrests of Ugandans.

Ochieno now says the head of state remains the one responsible to sit down with the opposition and negotiate a way forward given the current situation.

He says it is not too late for Museveni to mend fences and agree with the opposition to sit on a round table to discuss the future of this country.
Lucknow, March 15 : One of the biggest programmes of mass marriages will be held in Lucknow on March 18 when 3,500 daughters belonging to the poor families are married.

The Yogi Adityanath government has, so far, facilitated marriage of more than one and a half lakh daughters in the state.

According to the government spokesman, Chief Minister Yogi will be personally present to bless the couples at the event that is being organised by Uttar Pradesh Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board.

Poor families from Lucknow, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Hardoi and Barabanki districts have been registered for this matrimonial programme.

Under this scheme, the government provides financial assistance of Rs 55,000 to those who perform marriages at their homes, Rs 61,000 for the 'divyang' and Rs 75,000 for the marriage of girls who register for the event.

The state government will spend Rs 2.10 crore on the March 18 event.

Additional Labour Commissioner, B.K. Rai, said that the chief minister's scheme is directly benefiting the poorer sections of the state.
Lawyers are preparing a string of class actions against Victorian hospitals over the systemic and widespread underpayment of junior doctors.

The early-career medics they represent say they are pressured to work huge amounts of overtime, then accused of being incompetent if they try to claim it.

Junior doctor Dr Karla Villafana-Soto was told by a past employer that any future claims of overtime would not be paid. Credit:Wayne Taylor

It has been estimated junior doctors routinely work around 16 hours of overtime a week, most of it unpaid. Exhausted and stressed, about 60 per cent of trainees then admitted to making a clinical error due to the excessive workload, according to one survey.

Most junior doctors choose not to record their unscheduled overtime, fearful it will negatively affect their career, but others who have tried to claim unpaid hours have had their timesheets altered after they submitted them, said Dr Roderick McRae.
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He's in Sydney filming fantasy-romance movie Three Thousand Years of Longing.

But Idris Elba took a well-deserved break on Sunday when he decided to surprise fans on stage at a Lime Cordiale gig at the Enmore Theatre in Newtown.

The actor, 48, sent fans into a frenzy as he sang Unnecessary Things with the Aussie duo, before performing a rap he'd written to accompany a new, unreleased track.

Surprise! British actor Idris Elba (centre) jumped on stage with Lime Cordiale for a surprise rap performance at Sydney's Enmore Theatre on Sunday night

'Do you know what a shoey is?' the band joked as Idris arrived on stage, referring to the bizarre Australian ritual of drinking a beer out of a shoe.

Lime Cordiale consists of brothers Oli and Louis Leimbach, who formed the band in 2009 in their home city of Sydney.

Music promoter Michael Chugg said Idris and the band had recently been in the studio, where they wrote and recorded several tracks together.

'He is absolutely in love with their music,' Mr Chugg told The Daily Telegraph.

Hilarious: 'Do you know what a shoey is?' the band joked as Idris arrived on stage, referring to the bizarre Australian ritual of drinking a beer out of a shoe

Collaboration: Music promoter Michael Chugg said Idris and the band had recently been in the studio, where they wrote and recorded several tracks together

Idris is in Sydney filming Three Thousand Years of Longing alongside Scottish actress Tilda Swinton.

The film, which is being directed by George Miller of Mad Max: Fury Road fame, follows a scholar (Swinton) who encounters a genie (Elba) who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom.

Their conversation in a hotel room in Istanbul leads to consequences neither would have expected.

Fans posed with the Luther actor after the concert at the Enmore Theatre in Newtown

In addition to this project, there are rumours Idris could be starring in the new Marvel film Thor: Love and Thunder, starring Chris Hemsworth.

His character Heimdall was last seen in Avengers: Infinity War, where he was disposed of by Thanos.

However, he could potentially reprise his role in a flashback or dream sequence.
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives spent nearly $500,000 to allow it to do more of what government does a lot: hold meetings.

That money was used to renovate two old courtrooms that had been sitting vacant for over a decade and transform them into large meeting rooms to accommodate more than two dozen House committees.
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Joan Phillips, a certified nursing assistant in a Florida nursing home, loved her job but dreaded the danger of going to work in the pandemic. When vaccines became available in December, she jumped at the chance to get one.

Months later, it appears that danger has faded. After the rollout of covid vaccines, the number of new covid cases among nursing home staff members fell 83%  from 28,802 for the week ending Dec. 20 to 4,764 for the week ending Feb. 14, data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shows.

New covid-19 infections among nursing home residents fell even more steeply, by 89%, in that period, compared with 58% in the general public, CMS and Johns Hopkins University data shows.

These numbers suggest that "the vaccine appears to be having a dramatic effect on reducing cases, which is extremely encouraging," said Beth Martino, spokesperson for the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, an industry group.

"It's a big relief for me," said Phillips, who works at the North Beach Rehabilitation Center outside Miami. Now, she said, she's urging hesitant co-workers and anyone else who can to "go out and take the vaccination."

After a brutal year in which the pandemic killed half a million Americans, despite unprecedented measures to curb its spread  including mask-wearing, physical distancing, school closures and economic shutdowns  the vaccines are giving hope that an end is in sight.

Noting that more than 3 million doses of vaccine have been doled out in nursing homes, CMS issued new guidelines Wednesday allowing indoor visits in the facilities, even among unvaccinated residents and visitors, under most circumstances.

National figures on health care worker infections in other settings are hard to come by, but some statewide trends look promising. In California and Arkansas, health care worker covid cases have dropped faster than for the general public since December, and in Virginia the number of hospital staffers out of work for covid-related reasons has fallen dramatically.

Research in other countries suggests that vaccines have led to big drops in infection. A study of publicly funded hospitals in England indicated that a first dose was 72% effective at preventing covid among workers after 21 days and 86% effective seven days after the second shot. At Sheba Medical Center  Israel's largest hospital, with over 9,600 workers  170 staff members tested positive from Dec. 19, the first day the vaccine was offered, through Jan. 24. Of those who tested positive, only three had already received both doses of the vaccine, according to The Lancet.

Lost on the Frontline, a yearlong data and reporting project by KHN and The Guardian, is investigating over 3,500 covid deaths of U.S. health care workers. The monthly number has been declining since December, but deaths often lag weeks or months behind infections.

Along with other health care workers, nursing home staffers and residents were first in line to get vaccines in December because elderly people in congregate settings are among the most vulnerable to infection: More than 125,000 residents have died of covid, CMS data shows, while over 550,000 nursing home staff members have tested positive and more than 1,600 have died.

Yet the vaccination rate among staffers is far lower than that of residents. When the first clinics ran from mid-December to mid-January, a median of 78% of nursing home residents took a dose, while the median for staff was only 38%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Now several nursing home associations say the rate of staff vaccination has been climbing, based on informal surveys.

While vaccines are "contributing to the observed declines in COVID-19 cases in nursing homes, other factors, like effective infection prevention and control programs/practices," are also at play, CDC spokesperson Jade Fulce said.

Vaccine uptake by nursing home residents has been "very promising," said Dr. Morgan Katz, a specialist in infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University who is advising covid responses in nursing homes. "I do think this is a huge contributing factor" to the drop in staff cases.

"When the immune system is activated more quickly" due to vaccination, "the virus is not able to multiply in your body and your respiratory tract," Katz said. So, having even one or two vaccinated people in a building can slow transmission.

Another factor, Katz said, is that "many nursing homes have already experienced large outbreaks  so there are probably a significant proportion of residents and staff who are already immune." Also, covid rates have fallen nationally after a spike from holiday travel and gatherings in November and December, so staff members have less exposure in their communities.

But "even though we're seeing a really wonderful turn in the number of cases," she said, "we need to remember that as long as the staff is 50 or 30% vaccinated, they remain vulnerable, and they're also putting incredibly vulnerable long-term care residents at risk."

Vaccination efforts are racing against time as new covid variants circulate and some states dramatically relax covid restrictions, making it easier for the virus to spread.

During the second week in February, 2,850 nursing homes still reported at least one new covid-positive test result for a staff member, CMS data shows.

When this happens, residents suffer, said Lori Smetanka, executive director of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care. She said she's hearing of cases in which one positive covid test result sends a facility into lockdown, preventing families from visiting their loved ones.

'They're afraid'

The New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park endured a major outbreak last year in which over 100 workers contracted covid and over 60 residents and a certified nurse assistant, Monemise Romelus, died. Shirley Lewis, a union president representing CNAs and other workers, said it was traumatizing. Still, only about half of workers there have taken the vaccine, Lewis said, and one is out sick with covid.

"A lot of my members are not too excited about taking this vaccine because they're afraid," Lewis said.

Some workers want to wait a little longer to see how safe the vaccine is, she said. Others tell her they don't trust the vaccines because they were developed so quickly, she said.

Other staffers "feel like it's an experimental drug," Lewis said, "because as you know, Blacks, Latinos, other groups have been used for experiments" like the Tuskegee syphilis study, she said. She said her members are mostly Black or Hispanic.

Certified nursing assistants, who make up the bulk of long-term care workers, have historically been less likely to get flu vaccines than other health care workers, noted Jasmine Travers, an assistant professor of nursing at New York University who studies vaccine hesitancy. Nursing homes typically don't have nurse educators, who address worker concerns about vaccines in hospitals, she said, and CNAs also face structural barriers such as limited internet access. Nursing homes tend to be hierarchies commonly led by white staffers, while about 50% of CNAs, at the bottom of the power structure, are Black or Hispanic, and carry mistrust and different attitudes toward vaccination, she added.

With the covid vaccine, some are afraid they'll have to take sick time to miss work and don't want to burden their co-workers, who are already short-staffed, Travers said.

Vaccine hesitancy is higher among 30- to 49-year-olds, rural residents, and Black and Hispanic adults, according to KFF. Hispanic adults are less likely than white adults to say they will "definitely" get the covid vaccine, as are Black adults who work in a health care setting. Black adults have been disproportionately burdened by the pandemic and left behind in the vaccination rollout because of barriers stemming from structural racism.

Deliberate misinformation

Low vaccine uptake among long-term care workers has been a concern nationally  so much so that LeadingAge, a national group representing not-for-profit long-term care facilities, held a virtual town hall about vaccine safety this month with the Black Coalition Against COVID-19.

The event, which drew over 45,000 viewers, was geared toward Black long-term care workers.

Dr. Reed Tuckson, co-founder of the Black Coalition Against COVID-19, said viewers raised concerns about fertility, pregnancy and contraindications. He said the event also had "a lot of provocateurs" who insisted, "It's all a myth. It's all a lie."

His group plans to hold more public informational sessions aimed at Black audiences.

"There is no question that the three vaccines that we now have available to us are extraordinarily safe and tremendously effective," said Tuckson, a former public health commissioner in Washington, D.C.

The nursing home industry has set a goal of having 75% of staff members vaccinated nationwide by the end of June.

A vaccine mandate?

Most nursing homes have not mandated vaccinations, industry officials say, for fear of losing staff members. Because the vaccines were authorized on an emergency basis, liability is also a concern.

Juniper Communities, which runs 22 long-term care facilities in four states and employs almost 1,300 people, had 30 workers leave the job after it mandated vaccines, according to Dr. Lynne Katzmann, president and CEO.

"At the end of the day, if you can make a choice to promote well-being and prevent illness, that's the choice we want to make," she said.

Greenbrier Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Arkansas made the vaccine mandatory, but because of medical exemptions it hasn't led to 100% vaccination.

However, Greenbrier has seen a significant drop in covid infections since vaccinations began. In late November and early December, over 60% of staff members tested positive, according to Regina Jones, Greenbrier's director of nursing. After the staff started receiving the vaccine in late December, four workers who had already received a dose tested positive but were asymptomatic.

Hesitancy doesn't mean refusal

Tuckson said he's seeing a "dramatic decrease" in vaccine hesitancy based on surveys of Black audiences. He has heard "a hunger for scientifically valid information delivered to them by trusted sources," he said. "It's not as if their opinions are locked in stone."

Staff participation rates are rising with each round of vaccines, said Martino, the nursing home industry spokesperson.

At the Los Angeles Jewish Home, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Noah Marco said his staff has done "everything we could to counterbalance the nonsense out there on social media that has contributed to vaccine hesitancy," including producing videos and a weekly newsletter.

"The vaccine may have some unknown side effects," he recalled telling workers, "but we know the virus kills."

About 80% of his staff of 1,600  which includes workers in nursing homes and other settings  are vaccinated, he said, along with 99% of residents. No nursing home residents have contracted covid since Jan. 13, he said.

In southwestern Ohio, Kenn Daily runs two Ayden Healthcare nursing homes. About half his staff and 85% of residents got vaccinated by mid-February, he said, and they haven't had a case of covid since. Still, he said, vaccine resistance persists among younger staffers who read misinformation online.

"Facebook is the bane of my existence," Daily said. Workers tell him they worry that "they're going to microchip me," or that the vaccine will change their DNA.

Now that time has passed since the initial rollout, Daily said, "I'm hoping to put a little pressure on my staff to step up and get vaccinated." His message: "It's working, guys. It's working very well."

KHN data editor Elizabeth Lucas contributed to this report.
A video grab shows English and Foreign Language students being forcibly detained outside the campus by the Osmania University police in Hyderabad on Sunday.  DC Image

HYDERABAD: Fourteen students of English Foreign Language University (EFLU) were briefly taken into preventive custody by the Osmania University police Sunday evening when they were on a hunger strike near the campus entrance seeking its reopening.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, a student said that they were on a 24-hour hunger strike with a demand to open the campus and the library. The demand was based on a survey conducted by EFLU students with a total of 845 respondents, in which 522 had said they were in urgent need of hostel accommodation.

"As per the administration's request, the students had submitted a detailed proposal seeking that students should be allowed to return to the campus considering that only 50 per cent of the students can be called back as per the UGC guidelines. Even after we submitted our proposal on February 18, the administration did not want to meet us and gave no follow-ups on the proposal, said a representative of the EFLU students' action committee.

Moreover, they released a circular about 'in-person classes' on February 18. We never demanded the resumption of in-person classes in the first place. We are only seeking hostel and other facilities which students need," the representative said.

On Sunday, around 5:30 pm, a team from Osmania University police, including women constables, arrived at the university gates and picked up the students for detention.

"They were blocking the road with their dharna and we had to detain them as their protest was affecting the election bandobast. We detained 14 students under preventive custody," said OU police inspector L. Ramesh Naik. They were all released after some time.
The recent Policy Options article Canadas Responsibility in the Nagorno-Karabakh Crisis calls these occupied territories the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (or Artsakh) and describes the latest war as resulting from the aggression of Azerbaijan and Turkey. The authors allude extensively to the Responsibility to Protect principle and accuse Canadian politicians and the government of failing to recognize the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in the face of atrocities. As Anar Jahangirli, coordinator of the Cultural Center of Azerbaijani Canadians, writes, the article is misleading for several reasons.

Until Sept. 27, 2020, most Canadians had probably never heard of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. That was the day when the Azerbaijani army advanced into the vast territory recognized by the international community as Azerbaijan, responding to attacks by Armenia. For almost three decades, Armenia has kept almost one-fifth of Azerbaijans territories (including former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region and seven adjacent districts) under occupation as a result of the war in 1991-94. During Armenias ethnic cleansing of the area in the 1990s, almost 700,000 Indigenous Azerbaijani of Karabakh were forcibly removed from their homes, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (page 8 here). Neither the Azerbaijani people nor the world accepted that occupation as legal.

What is the context?

The latest war, unfortunate and dreadful as it was, did not come at Azerbaijans behest. For 26 years since the cease-fire agreement in 1994, Azerbaijan has engaged in peace talks in earnest to achieve the withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories. On the other hand, Armenia seemed to be lengthening these talks to buy time to implement its true intention: to annex Azerbaijans sovereign territories (Nagorno-Karabakh and seven districts). To mask that intention, Armenia formed an illegal entity in the occupied territories and kept presenting the issue to the world as a struggle for self-determination of more than 100,000 Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The authors call Azerbaijans counter-offensive to liberate its own territories under Armenias occupation an aggression. But international legal norms as defined in the UN Charter and the UN Security Council resolutions from 1993 (822, 853, 874, 884) reaffirm Azerbaijans territorial integrity, explicitly referring to the Nagorny-Karabakh region of the Azerbaijan Republic. The latest war and all military operations were conducted strictly within the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan.

The authors allege that Turkey directly participated in the war. But no Turkish military personnel took part in military operations; Turkey offered only political and moral support to Azerbaijan. Just as Canada is a member of NATO, Azerbaijan, as an independent country, is free to choose its allies and buy weapons from any country, including Turkey, to defend itself.

The authors also falsely claim that the agreement on Nov. 9, 2020, to stop the war was signed by Armenia on behalf of Artsakh. The first clause of the agreement is very clear on who is signing the document: The Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, hereinafter referred to as the Parties, and there is no reference to the term Artsakh anywhere in that document.

What triggered the latest turn of events?

A) The statement of Armenias defence minister in March 2019 that Armenia will prepare to pursue a new war for new territories is one of the primary triggers for the turn of events. The skirmishes that broke out on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia in July 2020 were a harbinger for Azerbaijan of what could come later.

B) The statement of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in August 2019, that Artsakh (the Armenian word for Karabakh) is Armenia, and thats it, indicated to Azerbaijan that Armenia would never accept returning the seven adjacent districts around the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region of Azerbaijan.

As a result, Azerbaijans perception of a potential threat was immensely affected by prominent leaders statements. The counterattack to overtake the occupied territories in September 2020 was nothing more than a logical corollary of Armenias actions.

Was it possible to avoid the war?

Indeed, it was. We could have avoided the war if we agreed to concede the seven districts, including Shusha, to Azerbaijan, Pashinyan said on Nov. 16, 2020. To be clear, returning seven districts was something the entire international community and the mediators in the peace talks have been working to convince Armenia to do all these years. Therefore, responsibility for the latest war lies fully with Armenia.

Is the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) principle relevant in this case?

Azerbaijans military counterattacks in the latest war did not target Armenian civilians, Azerbaijans president, Ilham Aliyev, has said. In the first weeks of the war, Azerbaijans military operation was almost exclusively in territories where no civilians were living.

R2P is a political commitment by the international community, including Canada, to prevent crimes such as genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. Paragraph 139 of the outcome document of the UN World Summit in 2005 is very clear on the responsibility of the individual states and the international community, which can act only through the Security Council, as per the UN Charter, including under Chapter VII.

A country like Canada acting unilaterally to recognize an entity formed illegally in another sovereign nations occupied territories has nothing to do with R2P. Even in the most extreme scenarios of the horrendous crimes that the R2P aspires to prevent, countries do not act alone. According to the latest reports, 100 Azerbaijani and 60 Armenian civilians were killed in the hostilities. It is worth noting that all 100 Azerbaijani civilians were killed outside the conflict zone and all 60 Armenian civilians within it. The authors argued that the Armenian civilian loss of life is to be counted as a mass atrocity and that the international community must act swiftly to fill the protection void. What about the Azerbaijani civilians killed 40-60 kilometres outside the conflict zone while sleeping in their beds?

If ever there were a horrendous crime committed in the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia that would warrant triggering the R2P, it would be the massacre of 613 Azerbaijani civilians by Armenian armed forces on Feb. 26, 1992, in the town of Khojaly, Karabakh. The list of those killed includes children, women, and seniors.

Conclusion

Now that the war is over, I can understand the frustration of Armenians living in Canada and around the world. What they thought belonged to them is lost, and that hurts. But no country in the world shared the view that Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding seven regions were Armenias to lose. All these years, instead of preparing its population for peace and compromise, Armenian leaders instilled in them an unrealistic dream. The former advisor to Armenias president, Jirair Libaridian, talked at length recently about this miscarriage of leadership.

In light of all this, it is unfathomable to accuse Canada of failing Armenia by not interfering in a conflict of Armenias making. Canada is not a global underwriter to absorb the risks of countries that fail to comply with international laws norms and principles.

The cities, villages and neighbourhoods left behind by 700,000 displaced Indigenous Azerbaijani residents of Karabakh in the early 1990s are now piles of rocks, skeletons of infrastructure, desecrated religious sites and crumbling graves. Vast tracts of land laden with mines stand between them and their longing to return to the places of their ancestors. Azerbaijan is facing a huge task to clear that area of mines. That is where Canada can play a role.

Today, it is time to work together to bring prosperity to both Armenia and Azerbaijan by improving the economy, opening-up transportation links and trade, and promoting people-to-people contact. In Azerbaijan, as President Aliyev has declared many times, Armenians of Karabakh will be embraced as equal citizens, just like any other citizen in the multi-ethnic country. Working toward this goal is realistic and will ensure lasting peace between the two nations. Continuing to lobby world parliaments to embark upon an ill-considered path of recognition of non-existent state entities is doomed to failure.
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Egyptian and French naval forces held joint military training in the Red Sea, Egypt's armed forces said in a statement on Sunday.

The Egyptian frigate al-Fateh and the combat group accompanying the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle participated in the exercise, according to the statement.

During the training, the forces implemented many joint combat activities, including forming close and remote guard of formations.

The forces also conducted joint night sailing, which demonstrated the ability of the joint marine units to deter various threats, the statement said, adding that the drills effectively contribute to preserving maritime security and stability in the region.

Egypt regularly holds joint military exercises with other countries to boost military collaboration and exchange military expertise.
New Delhi, March 15 : Considering the sharp hike in prices of petrol and diesel, Union Minister of State for Finance, Anurag Thakur, on Monday suggested the states to think about reducing taxes on petroleum products.

In reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Thakur said the Central government is ready to consider the idea of reducing tax on petrol and diesel, but all the states should also consider the matter.

"The state governments should reduce taxes on petrol. We (the Centre) will also try to reduce tax on petrol. Both the Centre and the states need to think about it (reducing taxes on petrol)," the minister said.

Thakur said the government is ready to discuss the issue to bring petroleum products under the ambit of Goods and Services Tax (GST). He said the Centre levies excise duty on petrol and diesel, while the states levy VAT.

The minister said the price of crude oil was around $19 per barrel in March last year, and currently it is around $65 per barrel.

Asked why the government is not bringing petroleum products under GST as promised by the then Finance Minister late Arun Jaitley, Thakur said no state has so far given a proposal for the same.

"If any state feels that petroleum products should be brought under GST, the Centre has no objection in discussing the matter," the minister said.
No public strategy is defined, but a list of Moscows

military and paramilitary activity in the region is revealing.

February this year was marked by a heightened Russian naval activity in the Indian Ocean. Russian naval task groups drawn from the Baltic and Black Sea fleets took part in two international naval exercises  one with Iran and another as part of Pakistan-led multilateral exercise AMAN 21. Russias military presence in the region will soon include a permanent naval replenishment facility as it seeks to promote itself as an alternative source of influence to other global powers, such as the United States and China.

Moscow has not publicly defined an Indian Ocean regional strategy, but an analysis of major doctrinal documents provides some clues about its thinking. Neither Russias 2013 Foreign Policy Concept document nor its 2015 National Security Strategy mention the Indian Ocean as a whole, but instead focus on specific regions in and around the region, such as South Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Perhaps the best indication of a regional strategy can be found in the 2015 Maritime Doctrine, which identifies the Indian Ocean as one of six regional priority areas in the maritime domain (along with the Atlantic, Artic, Pacific, Caspian and Antarctic). The document lists the following objectives: Strengthening relations with India; the intensification of Russias commercial and other maritime activities in the area; and enforcing maritime security through a forward naval presence and good relations with regional states. In this, Russias growing involvement in the region appears driven by an overall objective of securing a long-term niche presence in a strategically important and lucrative part of the world.

Joint exercises of Russias Northern and Black Sea fleets in 2020 (Kremlin.ru)

Historically Moscow has pursued a clearly defined strategy in South Asia which has focused on maintaining a privileged strategic partnership with India, close ties with Sri Lanka and, more recently, deepening strategic ties with Pakistan (although this is increasingly a cause of friction with India). Russias long-term strategic engagement with the Indian Ocean region beyond South Asia now involves three main vectors:

Geopolitical: expanding influence by building partners, engaging through networks with geographic links to the Indian Ocean, and contesting the role of other major players such as the United States and China.

Military-strategic: combating asymmetric security threats including assistance to regional partners in countering organised crime, piracy, regional terrorism and internal militant opposition, strengthening regional defence ties and power projection.

Economic: enhancing economic interests in the Indian Ocean itself and in Africa.

Russias economic interests in the Indian Ocean range from exploitation of sea-based resources such as fishing to supporting its national resources sector (mining, oil and gas, and nuclear industry). Moscow is keen to secure a niche presence across the region, including comprehensive economic engagement with old Soviet clients (such as India, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Seychelles and Sudan) and new partners (for example, Pakistan, South Africa).

In 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to double trade with African nations to over US$40 billion per annum by 2025 as part of broadening Russias global economic engagement. Moscow is writing off outstanding obligations of the former recipients of Soviet/post-Soviet aid in exchange for trading concessions, privileged access rights and security concessions.

Moscows growing economic interests in Africa also enhances its interests in sea lines of communication, including along the east and west coasts of Africa, which are now seen as important areas (zones).

A list of Russian military and paramilitary activity in the western Indian Ocean region is revealing. The activity has included:

Counter-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden/Horn of Africa (since 2009)

Special maritime operations in the Gulf of Aden/Arabian Sea, such as extensive hydrographic survey operations and intelligence gathering

Naval exercise MOSI with China and South Africa off the Cape of Good Hope (2019)

Naval exercise Maritime Security Belt in the Gulf of Oman with China and Iran (2019) and with Iran (2021)

Regular port calls in countries such as Madagascar, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan

Aerial forward operations (Tu-160 Blackjack bomber task group) in South Africa (2019)

Since 2017, Russia has also entered into bilateral defence or naval agreements with several states in the region, including with Egypt, Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique and Sudan. Several countries (Madagascar, Mozambique and Sudan) have granted port access rights to the Russian Navy, while other (Egypt, Central African Republic, Madagascar, Mozambique and Sudan) have allowed the Russian Air Force to use their airspace.

According to one report, Russia has sought to establish military bases in Egypt, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Madagascar and Mozambique. Moscow also reached a 25-year deal to build a new naval replenishment facility in Sudan in November last year.

Russia has no plans or means to act as a principal strategic counterweight to the United States or China, but rather promotes itself as an alternative centre of influence.

In building relationships in Africa, Moscow seeks to capitalise on the powerful Soviet heritage, including Soviet support for many Indian Ocean nations in their anti-colonial struggles.

In addition, as part of Moscows grey zone or hybrid warfare campaign in Africa, Russian private military contractors have been deployed to several African countries, including Madagascar, Mozambique and Sudan, where activities have included training of local forces, protecting Russian businesses, assisting in Russian defence equipment transfers and participating in combat operations. Some believe that the Russian government will increase its reliance on contractors as proxies in Africa and elsewhere, if relations with the United States deteriorate further.

Russia has no plans or means to act as a principal strategic counterweight to the United States or China, but rather promotes itself as an alternative centre of influence. As during the Cold War, Russian forward naval presence in the Indian Ocean would aim to track US naval operations in the area. With respect to China, Moscow will softly compete with Beijing, while actively pushing its agenda via the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation formats. Finally, the Indian Ocean also offers a link to the other area of growing importance for Moscow, the Antarctic.

Although possibly less visible than the United States or China, Russia has returned as a factor in the Indian Oceans geopolitical and strategic affairs as a power to be reckoned with.

Alexey D. Muraviev, PhD, is Associate Professor of National Security and Strategic Studies at Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia. He is the founder and Director of the Strategic Flashlight forum on national security and strategy at Curtin. He was also a non-residential fellow at Sea Power Centre Australia, Royal Australian Navy, and inaugural scholar-in residence, Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

This article is part of a two-year project being undertaken by the Australian National Universitys National Security College on the Indian Ocean, with the support of the Australian Department of Defence.

This article appeared originally at Lowy Institute's the interpreter.
Incorporated in 1993, Kalyan Jewellers India, with nearly 6 per cent share in organised market designs, manufactures and sells a wide range of gold, studded and other jewellery products across various price points ranging from jewellery for special occasions to daily-wear jewellery. Almost three-fourths of its revenues were from sale of gold jewellery, 23 per cent from studded jewellery and 2 per cent from other jewellery in fiscal year 2020. It enjoys a pan-India presence with 107 showrooms located across 21 states and union territories in India, and also has international presence with 30 showrooms located in Middle East as on December 31, 2020. Around 78 per cent of revenues were derived from India operations while 22 per cent from the Middle East. "The Indian jewellery industry is expected to continue to witness a shift in demand in favour of organised jewellery companies, which are likely to continue to gain market share from the unorganised market. The company's strong brand, scalable business model, effective operational processes and proven track record of profitable expansion, all position it to capitalise on this market opportunity," highlights an ICICI Securities IPO note.

Strong management: The company is led by a management team with extensive experience in the jewellery and retail industries and with a proven track record of performance. Founded by the chairman, managing director and promoter T.S. Kalyanaraman, they are led by their whole-time directors and promoters, T.K. Seetharam and T.K. Ramesh, who have been involved in their business since the company's inception and oversee the development of business strategy. It has a strong brand value with backing of angel investor like Warburg Pincus and pan-India presence.

Hyperlocal Jeweller: One of the key competitive strengths is its ability to operate as a hyperlocal jewellery company. They aim to cater to their customers' unique preferences, which often vary significantly by geography and micro market, through their local market expertise and region-specific marketing strategy and advertising campaigns. "It is in large part due to some of these strategies, as well as their ability to operate as a hyperlocal jewellery company, that has enabled them to become one of the few pan-India jewellery companies," said a Kotak Securities note.

Financial performance: The company has witnessed an improvement in gross margins from 16 per cent in FY18 to 18 per cent in 9MFY21 owing to enhanced share of studded ratio. The company intends to continue to increase its focus on studded jewellery going forward as these products have widened the consumer base and also has a higher gross margin profile than its gold jewellery. It has launched a number of sub-brands around studded jewellery, and revenue from sales of studded jewellery has increased from 20.65 per cent in FY18 to 23.36 per cent in FY20. However, it has faced headwinds in the past couple of years; in FY19, revenues were impacted owing to severe floods in south India (approximately 60 per cent of revenues) while revenue in FY20 was adversely impacted in Q4 owing to Covid-led lockdowns.

Current debt-equity ratio is 2.1, but post the public offer it is expected to reduce led by fresh issue, better internal accruals supported by new revenue generation and expansions to be funded by IPO proceeds.

Valuations: According to a Geojit Research report in the last few years the company has "aggressively expanded" and the revenue and profitability will pick-up led by high contribution from new stores." At the upper price band of Rs 87, the pricing is on the higher side, but on a long-term basis, Kalyan Jewellers is available at 1 year forward estimated P/E of 25x (on FY23E basis). Though, rich valuation versus peers may bear on short-term performance.

Also Read: Kalyan Jewellers' Rs 1,175 crore IPO offer to open on March 16; price band fixed at Rs 86-87 per share

Also read: Upcoming IPOs in March 2021 in India: Kalyan Jewellers, Easy Trip Planners, MTAR Tech and more
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El Salvador outlaws abortion completely, even in circumstances of rape or incest, with penalties ranging from two to 50 years. The abortion ban is so broadly enforced that even women who suffer miscarriages and stillbirths can be prosecuted for murder.

Now an international court will decide for the first time whether these laws violate the human rights of Salvadoran women.

On March 10 and 11, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights  a regional tribunal of the Organization of American States created to adjudicate alleged human rights violations in member countries  heard arguments in Manuela and Family v. El Salvador, regarding a 33-year-old mother of two who suffered a stillbirth following a fall at her home in rural El Salvador in 2008.

Manuela  whose real name is not used to protect her familys identity  was rushed to the hospital after losing consciousness and hemorrhaging.

Though she said she was unaware of her pregnancy, hospital personnel accused Manuela of intentionally inducing an abortion and called the police. She was handcuffed to her hospital bed, interrogated by both physicians and police, and charged with aggravated homicide. In 2008, Manuela was convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Later that year, lawyers for her family started the legal process that eventually ended up in the courtroom this month. The claim: that criminal prosecution of a stillbirth is a human rights violation.

Dangerous laws

El Salvador is one of three countries in Central America and 24 worldwide with a total abortion ban. Obtaining an abortion is a crime, and obstetric emergencies resulting in miscarriage or stillbirth are regularly charged as aggravated homicide.

Medical professionals involved in performing an abortion may face six to 12 years in prison and can be barred from practicing medicine. Family members who support a woman in getting an abortion can be punished with two to five years imprisonment.

Research from across Latin America and the world shows that abortion bans do not stop women from terminating unwanted or life-threatening pregnancies. Rather, they cause women to seek illegal, possibly dangerous abortions, and can lead hospitals to deny patients lifesaving reproductive health care.

Story continues

Between 2000 and 2017, Latin American countries that prohibit abortion under all circumstances recorded a combined average of 151 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, compared with about 68 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births across other countries.

Such laws also lead women to be prosecuted for both reproductive decisions and health emergencies.

Hundreds of Salvadoran women have been charged with abortion or aggravated homicide in the past 25 years. Under the 1997 penal code, the crime of abortion carries a prison sentence of two to eight years; aggravated homicide, 30 to 50 years.

Woman in a purple T-shirt sits on a swing, smiling with arms crossed

A few years ago, we examined two such cases in El Salvador: the prosecutions of Evelyn Hernandez and Diana, both charged with aggravated homicide on the basis of apparent stillbirths. Our expert analysis, conducted at the request of the Clooney Foundation for Justice, found extensive human rights violations in both cases, including discrimination on the basis of gender, violations of the right to health and improperly shifting the burden of proof to the defendant women.

El Salvador guarantees all these rights in binding international treaties. We found that authorities violated them in prosecuting both Hernandez and Diana.

Rights violations

Based on these findings, we filed a friend of the court brief in Manuelas case, which is strikingly similar to the cases we studied. We advised the Inter-American Court to order El Salvador to vacate the judgment against Manuela and to reform its criminal law to comply with the American Convention on Human Rights.

At the March 10 hearing in Manuela and Family v. El Salvador, held virtually because of COVID-19, Manuelas attorneys asserted that their clients prosecution violated numerous rights protected under Salvadoran and international law.

Prosecution for a stillbirth constituted gender-based discrimination, denied Manuela her right to health and violated the right to a life of dignity and integrity, her lawyers argued. The government also denied her the right to due process of law, the right to protection from inhumane treatment and the right to privacy, the attorneys asserted.

If the courts seven judges rule in Manuelas favor, they can order El Salvador to vacate her wrongful conviction and reform its penal code.

That could mean decriminalizing abortion, at least in extenuating circumstances such as rape or incest, as several Latin American countries have done in recent years. Reform could also aim to stop the stream of wrongful convictions for aggravated homicide against woman who suffer an obstetric emergency.

The courts ruling is likely to be handed down in the coming months.

Women stand in a row in a plaza holding letters that spell out 'aborto legal'

Power of the court

While the Inter-American Court has limited power to enforce its judgments, El Salvador is legally obligated to comply with its rulings and has done so in the past, including obeying orders tackling its punitive reproductive health laws.

In 2013, the court ordered El Salvador to preserve the life and health of Beatriz, a woman who suffered from lupus and kidney disease and sought an abortion because she was pregnant with a nonviable fetus.

The Salvadoran Supreme Court had rejected Beatrizs request to terminate her pregnancy to save her own life. But when the Inter-American Court disagreed, ruling that Beatrizs right to life required the state to act, El Salvador complied. On June 3, 2013, Beatriz got a lifesaving cesarean.

El Salvadors current president, Nayib Bukele, stated in a 2018 presidential debate that he is in favor of legalizing abortion when pregnancy threatens the life of the mother and said he was completely against criminalizing women who have miscarriages.

If a poor woman has a miscarriage, shes immediately suspected of having had an abortion, he said. We cant assume guilt when what a woman needs is immediate assistance.

[Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletter to understand the world. Sign up today.]

His administration has done nothing to prevent convictions for miscarriages or ease the abortion ban, despite pressure from feminists and human rights groups. But Bukele is unlikely to snub an Inter-American Court ruling.

Whatever the judgment in Manuelas case, it will come too late for the plaintiff and her family: Manuela died of cancer in prison in 2010. If her conviction is vacated, as requested, it would be justice done posthumously.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Juliet S. Sorensen, Northwestern University; Alexandra Tarzikhan, Northwestern University, and Meredith Heim, Northwestern University.

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The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 16:35:31|Editor: huaxia

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More than 1,000 China-Europe freight trains have traveled through the Alataw Pass, a major land port in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region this year.

The Alataw Pass, which borders Kazakhstan, bested other railway ports in 2020 with a total of 5,027 freight trains passing through, surging 41.8 percent over 2019.

A China-Europe freight train service was launched on the Alataw Pass in 2011. At present, 22 lines run through the pass, reaching 13 countries including Germany and Poland.

The imported goods carried by the trains include automobiles and parts, and timber and cotton yarn, while exported goods include home appliances and daily necessities.
YEREVAN, MARCH 15, ARMENPRESS. The Armed Forces of Armenia are controlling the border situation, Deputy Minister of Defense Arman Sargsyan told reporters in light of the upcoming Azeri-Turkish military exercises near the eastern border of Armenia.

Now the Defense Ministry and the Armed Forces are controlling the situation and the steps of creating panic and doubting the armys combat readiness dont whatsoever contribute to strengthening the armys combat readiness, Sargsyan said.

Azerbaijan and Turkey will hold joint military exercises March 15-17.

The Armenian military is also expected to hold drills, from March 16th to 20th.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
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China's chief architect for the lunar exploration programme on Sunday hinted that Chinese astronauts will stay on the moon for a longer duration of time in the next mission to the lunar surface. China is currently working on establishing a lunar research station on the moon, while it has already signed a pact with Russia to deploy an international lunar research station on the moon, however, the details over the timeline of these scheduled events are yet to be disclosed, news agencies reported.

Chang'e 5 first lunar program in 44 years to collect rock samples from Moon

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This was a successful attempt by China in 44 years since 1976 when the Soviet Union's Luna 24 mission first brought moon rocks to Earth. Now, Chinese craft designers have been working on the manufacturing front, as the country reportedly lacks a powerful booster technology compared to the US, which will give its aircraft the initial thrust for liftoff. However, Weiren said that the establishment of a research station on the lunar surface will further China's plans for manned landings, yet again.

'Will be a long-term stay on the moon, and not a short-term stop'

The chief Chinese designer for space exploration said "Compared to American astronauts who could only stay for tens of hours after landing on the moon, Chinese astronauts will stay on the moon for a longer period of time." He added that it will be a long-term stay and not a short-term stop this time. The lunar mission that China is planning this time is intended at collecting samples of the rocks and materials from the South pole of the moon. Later, subsequent missions will follow involving the detailed study of resources in the South pole, while key technologies required for construction of the research station are also to be tested, Weiren told news agencies.
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India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

New Delhi, Mar 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to interact with chief ministers on the COVID-19 situation and the ongoing vaccination drive on Wednesday.

According to reports, the Prime Minister will hold a video conference to discuss the issues with chief ministers.

PM Modi had his last interaction with chief ministers in January, before the vaccination roll-out. He had announced that the Centre will bear the expenses of vaccinating nearly three crore healthcare and frontline workers in the first round and suggested that public representatives, a reference to politicians, should not be part of this initial exercise.

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Story first published: Monday, March 15, 2021, 21:39 [IST]
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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has advised against payment of ransom to kidnappers in Nigeria, as he urged government to declare a state of emergency in the education sector.

Mr Abubakar gave the advice in his reaction to the kidnap of some school pupils in Kaduna State reported on Monday.

It is a short term solution that will cause much long term destruction. We must, as a nation, impose law and order now, or we will bequeath lawlessness and disorder to the next generation, he said.

Mr Abubakar also urged the federal government to declare an emergency in the education sector.

With the latest Kaduna school abduction, I repeat my call for the FG to declare a state of emergency in the education sector and to post 24-hour armed guards at every school in the affected and neighbouring states. No expense must be spared to keep our schools safe.

With 13.5 million children, Nigeria is already the world headquarters for out-of-school kids. This can only make things worse. It behooves on us as a nation to act decisively and excise this cancer of school abductions from our polity with clinically precise policies, he wrote on Twitter.

The Kaduna State Government, on Monday, said some pupils and teachers were kidnapped in a primary school in Rema in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of the state.

The states commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said the incident occurred at an LEA Primary School in the area but the number of those missing is yet to be ascertained.

This is the second mass kidnap in the state in a week and the fifth mass abduction of school children in Northern Nigeria within four months.

Hundreds of students had been kidnapped in Kankara college, Kastina State; Government Science College in Kagara, Niger State and Government Girls Secondary School in Jangebe, Zamfara State.
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Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

Wargonzo: Russian MOD is dealing with settlement of conflict in Armenia's Syunik Province on a daily basis

Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

Latest on scandal over improper storage of Armenian soldiers bodies, more on COVID-19, Jun. 1

Armenia Constitutional Court launches case proceedings based on President's application

Armenia acting emergency situations minister says he's concerned about situation in army

Armenia acting education, science, culture and sport minister receives ICRC Delegation

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

Armenia deputy police chief: No real cases of vote-buying reported to date

Armenia human rights activists: Nearly 10 protesters detained during protest in front of government building

Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

Yerevan court rules to conditionally release man who attempted to assassinate ex-presidential candidate

People came to power in Armenia who consistently destroyed army combat-readiness, says ex-President Kocharyan

Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

Armenia 1st President spokesperson: Ter-Petrosyan has nothing to speak with the nation-destroying plague

Armenia acting PM orders internal investigation into case of storage conditions of fallen soldiers bodies, remains

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan gives interview to Russia newspaper

Armenia acting deputy PM on unblocking of roads with Azerbaijan: There will be no troops standing there

Nikkei: Toyota and Honda stop car production in Malaysia

Armenia official on deploying international observers at Azerbaijan border: You will hear reaction on this matter soon

USAID helps UN World Food Programme support displaced people in Armenia

Armenia official: Work of trilateral working group on roads unblocking has stopped after recent incidents

Russias Putin to Armenias Pashinyan: Relations between our countries are developing very successfully
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Investment company which targeted majority interests in high-quality, cash-flowing US cannabis assets and brands

Has adopted the strategy of seeking to maximize and realize upon the value of its assets

Experienced management team

What Nabis Holdings does:

( ) ( ), formerly Innovative Properties Inc, is a Canadian investment company focused across multiple industries, including real property and the US and international cannabis sector.

The Toronto-based company derives its name from the term Na bis, which means repeat performance or encore. It focused on investing across all verticals of the cannabis sector, looking at opportunities with strategic revenue generation and growth potential. The company's investment strategy is to focus on EBITDA positive, vertically-integrated cannabis operators with large addressable markets.

In January this year, Nabis revealed that its directors had considered strategic alternatives available to the company in the light of its size, its financial position, market conditions, and other relevant considerations.

As a result of these considerations, the company said it has adopted the strategy of seeking to maximize and realize upon the value of its assets, where possible, in order to put itself in the position to discharge its remaining liabilities and to create tangible value for its shareholders.

While it intends to evaluate opportunities in this regard, Nabis said here can be no assurance that it will enter into any transaction or series of transactions that will accomplish these goals.

How is it doing:

Following the January 2021 news that it had adopted the strategy of seeking to maximize and realise value, in late February, Nabis Holdings announced that its Arizona subsidiary Nabis AZ had entered into a definitive agreement with Verano Arizona, a subsidiary of Verano Holdings Corp, for transfer of the management and governance of Perpetual Healthcare Inc (PHI), which operates the Emerald Dispensary in Phoenix, Arizona to Verano Arizona.

In consideration of the transaction, which essentially involves the sale of all of Nabis right, title, and interest in the Emerald Dispensary, Nabis AZ will receive US$11.25 million in cash, US$11.25 million in Class A subordinate voting shares of Verano (priced at the ten-day volume-weighted average price of the shares), and a contingent consideration of up to US$6.125 million subject to the performance of the shares in the ten-day period immediately following the signing of the agreement.

The deal is expected to close late in the first quarter of 2021 and is subject to certain consents on the part of Nabis senior unsecured noteholders and certain regulatory approvals.

In the boardroom, on January 29, 2021, the company confirmed the appointment of Bruce Langstaff as its executive chairman. Langstaff is an investment industry veteran who has held senior roles at TD Securities, Newcrest Capital, Bunting Warburg, and .

On the financial side, Nabis Holdings recently reported that it has completed a plan to recapitalize its previously outstanding C$35 million principal amount of 8% unsecured convertible debentures and all other prior debts of the company.

This has resulted in Nabis issuing a total of 3.7 million new common shares in the capital of the company and a total principal amount of C$23 million new 5.3% senior unsecured notes due in 2023 to former creditors of the company in full and final satisfaction of all claims of Nabis' creditors.

The company noted that it currently has 3.7 million issued and outstanding new common shares, all of which are held by former creditors of the company.

Inflection points:

Further realizations of asset values

New corporate strategy

Contact Sean at sean@proactiveinvestors.com
Kale is versatile, nutrient-dense, and can be eaten raw or cooked in several ways.(Yuliya Gontar/Shuttersock)

The 7 Most Super Superfoods

Add these nutrient-dense, calorie-light foods to your diet for extra energy and disease protection

Despite their delineation as super, not all superfoods are created equal. What makes a food super in the first place? While not a regulated or certifiable nutritional claim (yet), food experts define superfoods as having a nutrient density that outweighs caloric intake. Think of a zero-calorie cup of green tea thats loaded with catechins and other potent antioxidants.

Mealtime is a perfect opportunity to indulge in superfoods, be they fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, beans, or grains. Need a little help? Check out our top superfoods picks.

It tops quite a few lists for good reason. This dark, leafy green vegetable is an excellent choice for any meal. Its a great source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, amino acids, and antioxidants. Plus, its very affordable and versatile.

Hemp

The hemp seed has risen to popularity in the last several years as a super source of vegan protein and omega fatty acids as well as fiber, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and potent antioxidants. Use it in a number of ways: atop cereals (hot or cold), salads, soups, or desserts, or straight out of the bag.

Coconut Oil

After debunking myths that coconuts saturated fats were unhealthy, the creamy spread has become a superfood darling. It provides healthy omega-6 fatty acids including the rare lauric acid. Its versatility and ability to withstand high heat make it an excellent choice for any healthy food meal preparation. Choose fair trade options and youre supporting a changing global economy focused on empowerment and environmental balance in undeveloped parts of the planet.

Flax or Chia Seeds

Maca

This Peruvian superfood was prized as a warrior food with a history of providing energy for soldiers before battle. Not only is maca energizing, but its also balancing, too. This is especially helpful for individuals with hormonal issues. Its rich in protein, minerals, and vitamins, making it an excellent supplement or addition to smoothies and shakes.

Almonds

As Dr. Joseph Mercola writes, almonds are rich in phytochemicals, which promote heart and vascular health. Theyre a great source of nutrients like vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorous, fiber, and protein. Just make sure theyre raw and organic.

Chocolate

Yeah, I thought youd like this one. But its not on this list for a smile; its here for good reason. Pure, dark chocolate is loaded with vital nutrients including the important mineral magnesium. Raw cacao contains more than 1, 200 unique compounds, many of which are powerful free-radical fighting, immune-boosting antioxidants. Of course, it matters what type of chocolate you eat. Dont try to justify that bag of M&Msthose barely count as food. Stick with the really dark stuff70 percent or higheror try including raw cacao beans in your diet. Mix them into cereal, baked goods, and trail mixes, or add them to smoothies or shakes. Theyre even delicious straight out of the bag!

Jill Ettinger is a freelance journalist and marketing specialist primarily focused on the organic and natural industries. This article was first published on NaturallySavvy.com
Gardai are investigating after a man in his 40s died during a workplace incident in Wexford this morning.

It is understood that the fatal incident happened in an agri-business in the Caim area of Enniscorthy just before 10am.

The Health and Safety Authority has been notified and is investigating.

"Gardai are investigating a fatal workplace incident that occurred at a grain store premises in the Caim area of Enniscorthy at approximately 9:50am, An Garda Siochana said in a statement.

"A man, aged in his 40s, has been pronounced dead. The Health and Safety Authority have been notified. Investigations are ongoing.

No further details are available at this time while [the] scene is being attended.

The Health and Safety Authority said in a statement: The Authority is aware of, and is investigating this incident.

More to follow
Covid-19: Non-essential shops in Mumbai can now operate 7 am to 2 pm on alternate days, says BMC

One held in Mumbai for killing cows

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Mumbai, Mar 15: A 38 year-old man was arrested on Sunday from suburban Bandra on the charge of slaughtering cows, police said.

Two other accused are wanted in the case, they said.

"Based on reliable information, an animal rights activist and police officials conducted a raid at Gareeb Nagar locality in Bandra East. While five cows were found alive there, four others were slaughtered," a police official said.

'Havan' of cow dung cake can keep house sanitised for 12 hours: MP minister Usha Thakur

The accused, identified as Nadeem Qureshi, was arrested, while two others- Rafique Qureshi and Chand- fled from the spot, he said.

Grammys 2021: Beyonce breaks record for most Grammy wins for a female artist | Oneindia News

They were booked under IPC sections, including 429 (mischief by killing or maiming cattle), 34 (common intention) and others, he said, adding that investigation into the case is on.
Today

Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. Very hot. High around 105F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 74F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunny skies. High near 105F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
The Department of Finance has maintained six vacant properties in recent years, including the Cookstown Social Security Office and the Downpatrick Social Security Office, which have both been empty since 2018. They have cost 31,000 and 6,188 to maintain since their closures, respectively.

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It also owns two residential villas on the Stormont estate, empty since 2012 and 2017, which have cost a total of 26,400 to maintain. The Groundsman's House at Ballymena County Hall (761 in maintenance) and Courier HQ on the Stormont estate (4,914 in maintenance) have also been empty since 2018 and 2017.

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A DoF spokesperson said: "The Department of Finance proactively manages the buildings within the Civil Service Office Estate to ensure the level of vacancy and associated costs are minimised.

"Of those buildings listed, the sale of Downpatrick SSO has been agreed and Cookstown SSO is being prepared for sale. Courier HQ, Stormont Estate is soon to be occupied. The Groundsman's House, Ballymena County Hall is a private dwelling located on the grounds of the site. Villas 1 and 2 are listed properties which have statutory requirements to be maintained to certain standards."

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Department for Communities

The Department for Communities has more than 200 vacant properties, many residential, and lands on its books. Other sites include the Grosvenor Barracks in Enniskillen, which has been empty for more than five years and costs 12,344 to maintain. It also owns the former PSNI station in Downpatrick, also vacant for more than five years and costing 53,000 in maintenance.

Amenity lands owned by DfC in the Poleglass area of Belfast have cost more than 950,000 in maintenance over five years.

DfC also owns Galliagh Linear Park in Derry, a former railway track in Coalisland, and the 11-acre former military barracks on the Fort George site, also in Derry. All three have been vacant for more than five years.

A DfC spokesperson said: "The sites listed are at various stages in the regeneration process."

Department of Education

The Education Authority owns several old schools which have been vacant for decades, including the Causeway School in Bushmills, Co Antrim, which has been empty for 58 years and Tullybane Primary School in Clougmills which has been shut for 52 years.

Some 16 other sites remain in the hands of the EA more than a decade since they closed their doors. These include the former Dromore Central Primary School, which has been closed for 14 years and cost more than 34,000 to maintain over the last five years.

Other high spends in the last five years include 108,000 on the upkeep of land at the site of the old Orangefield High School in Belfast and 63,000 on Ebrington Primary School in Londonderry, shut three years ago.

Department of Health

One of Stormont's largest departments, the Department of Health owns nine sites that are empty, including the Gransha Hospital site in Derry, which was subject to a one-off maintenance cost of 140k following an arson attack in 2020. Over the last five years it has cost a total of 214,203 to maintain. All properties and lands held by DoH are either in the process of disposal, are not surplus, or there are plans in place for future development.

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"In such circumstances, the department has a legal obligation to pay rates and also to ensure vacant buildings are safe and secure," a spokesperson said.

"Maintenance is also required to prevent the buildings falling into a state of disrepair. The Department considers this expenditure to be a prudent use of taxpayers' money."

Department of Justice

The Department of Justice maintains and pays rates on five properties, including four former courthouses in Banbridge (vacant since 2016), Old Town Hall in Belfast (vacant since 2014), Bangor and Larne, which have both been empty since 2013. Rates have only be paid on Larne Courthouse, however, coming in at 16,802 since its closure. Old Town Hall Courthouse has cost more than 63,000 in maintenance since its closure.

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A DoJ spokesperson said: "Expenditure on property rates and maintenance is not discretionary, even when buildings are vacant. The expenditure described relates primarily to maintenance or in conjunction with the responsibilities set out by the Protocol for the Care of the Historic Government Estate."

The Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

DAERA owns 11 vacant sites, including farms and some parks.

These include two large parks in Hillsborough, vacant since 2013, and Lindesay Hall on the grounds of Loughrey College in Cookstown, empty since 2017. Lindesay Hall and associated buildings have cost almost 60,000 to maintain.

It also owns the historic Manor House in Loughgall. It has been shut since 2018 and maintenance fees since its closure have amounted to almost 30,000.

The Executive Office

Formerly the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, TEO owns the Ebrington site in Derry, a 29 acre former military heritage site on the Foyle riverfront. The Ebrington buildings, with one exception, have been vacant since 2003 when they were gifted to TEO.

Listed and vacant buildings on the Ebrington site are exempt from rates.

However rates of more than 11,000 were paid in error from 2016/17 to 2019/20. A refund of these monies has been requested from the Land and Property Service.

TEO also owns the old Regional Government HQ in Ballymena, a cold war nuclear bunker which has been empty since 1995. Maintenance on the site has cost more than 73,000 in the last five years.

A spokesperson for TEO said: "The expenditure for 2017/18 and 2018/19 reflect higher costs due to maintenance and repairs caused by flood damage."

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Infrastructure

Stormont's Department for Infrastructure owns 19 vacant properties, most notably the Crumlin Road Gaol Site, which has been empty since 1996 and has cost more than 80,000 to maintain over the past five years.

It also owns properties and land at the former military barracks at the St Lucia site in Omagh, which has been empty since 2007 and cost 88,000 to maintain in the past five years.

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DfI said the ongoing programme of restoration and repair will safeguard these buildings in line with the department's statutory duties to maintain the fabric of the historic buildings.

"The department has a dedicated Property Centre which is responsible for land management and processing the disposal of all DfI surplus land. An Annual Property Audit is carried out by Roads to justify the retention of land and property and ensure surplus land is identified and disposed of as quickly as possible," they added.
The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill is now legislation, signaling the start of the third round of stimulus checks. The IRS is now preparing to send out the first round of the latest fees. "Direct deposits could start turning up in people's bank accounts as early as this weekend," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday.

More than one stimulus check in Biden's COVID-19 bill

However, unlike the first and second checks, the $1,400 direct payment has even stricter wage caps, which changes the eligibility rules and excludes millions of higher earners. On the other hand, the next two payments include a continuation of monthly $300 federal payments to unemployed people through September and an extension of the child tax credit, which will give lower-income households periodic payments.

The proposed federal minimum wage increase was one direct payment scheme that did not make it into the enacted legislation; however, proponents pledge to reintroduce the wage hike later. The COVID-19 bill further increases support for the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine.

This weekend, tens of millions of Americans will get the $1,400 stimulus check. Any citizen who applied for the first two payments may not qualify for the third due to revised eligibility requirements.

A hard wage limit, meant to keep higher-earners out of the stimulus check, would be followed by a rule shift on the use of dependents in the stimulus check formula. The IRS has until December 31 to complete the stimulus checks, according to the new legislation.

Adult dependents and children, and families with mixed citizenship are included in this third round of payments. Here's how the third payment holds up to the first two in 2020, as per CNET via MSN:

Under the current law, federal unemployment benefits will be extended until September 6 at the cost of $300 per week. For families making less than $150,000 a year, the package would also reduce the tax burden on unemployment benefits.

The new COVID-19 bill would ensure that the weekly $300 federal unemployment benefits, which were due to expire on March 14, are renewed without a funding void. The new bill increases the amount of the child tax credit, which now encourages families to collect up to $2,000 for children under 17.

The package makes the credit available to lower-income households who would otherwise be without it. Families will demand up to $3,600 a year for children under the age of 6 and $3,000 per year for children aged 6-17.

Trump Aids Biden's Stimulus Bill, Leaves a Massive Cash Pile

Why most families will get more stimulus check in the 3rd round

Unlike the first two, the third stimulus payment is not limited to children under 17. Eligible households will receive a payment depending on any of their eligible dependents listed on their tax return, including older people such as college students, disabled adults, parents, and grandparents.

For the most part, the payment per person would be higher than what they got in previous deals. The average family would receive $1,400 per person, including all dependents, claimed on their tax return. A single person with no dependents will typically receive $1,400, while a family of four, married couple with two dependents will receive $5,600, as per SILIVE.

Stimulus Check: Biden's COVID Relief Bill Might be the Last

What if your stimulus check was deposited in a wrong bank account

Few people have reported having the incorrect bank account number on the IRS website while checking their payment status, and while this is concerning, it does not suggest the money has been lost.

If the deposit details are wrong or the account has been closed, the bank will refund the money to the IRS, then mail the funds by checking the address on file with the IRS. The IRS also states that you cannot change your bank records already on file with the IRS for your first or second Economic Impact Payment, and that "don't contact the IRS, the phone assisters won't be able to change your bank details, either," according to the website.

If your address is wrongly specified, the IRS advises that the only way to fix it is to file your 2020 tax return using your current address if you haven't already done so. The most efficient method is to register it online. If the invoice cannot be delivered for whatever reason, the IRS claims it will be returned to you, and you will have to have it reissued.

Set up a direct deposit with the "Get My Payment" tool to have the stimulus payment reissued. Your payment status will be changed to "Need More Information" until the payment is returned to the IRS. After that, you'll have the option of receiving a direct deposit to a bank account, a prepaid debit card, or another financial service with a routing and account number, Newsweek reported.

Third Stimulus Check: Why Do You Need to Track It?

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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said he requested a meeting with the head of the U.S. Marine Corps after one of its units tweeted statements insulting Tucker Carlson, along with unusually bellicose comments about the Fox News host.

Under Biden, the military is launching political attacks to intimidate Tucker Carlson & other civilians who criticize their policy decisions, Cruz wrote on Twitter, saying he requested a meeting with the commandant of the Marines. Officials in uniform are being used for the campaign. Ive demanded a meeting with the Commandant of the USMC to put a stop to it.

Over the weekend, a U.S. Marine Corps units Twitter accountthe II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Groupstated it messed up in its comments when responding to Carlson after the Fox host said the military should be focused more on adversaries like China rather than social issues.

We are human and we messed up. What was intended as a tweet in support of our female Marines and sisters serving in uniform was clearly not aligned with our standard practices or an appropriate representation of the Marine Corps. We will do better and serve the people, the Marines unit added.

However, Cruz made note of several seemingly unusual statements from the military, including one from the Space Force Commands senior enlisted leader, Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Scott Stalker, who said in a video that Carlsons opinion is based on zero days of service in the armed forces. Stalker appeared to be wearing his uniform. Army Sgt. Major Michael Grinston also criticized the Fox host, while Defense Department spokesman John Kirby, a retired rear admiral and former CNN analyst, wrote a statement saying, Press Secretary Smites Fox Host That Dissed Diversity in U.S. Military.

Cruz, in a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, wrote that he is deeply troubled by how the Pentagon has [mobilized] systematic, public attacks against television host Tucker Carlson that in substance, tone, and political resonance are inexplicably inappropriate.

Instead of allowing the debate to take its course in public among American citizens and their elected leaders, Cruz wrote, military officials over the last week have repeatedly launched attacks on Carlson, including through official DOD platforms and accounts while in uniform.

Cruz then stated that this spectacle risks politicizing the military after several centuries of efforts to keep military officials out of domestic affairs and undermines civil-military relations by having the military take a side in a contentious cultural dispute. Such behavior, he added, is more akin to what occurs in a Third World country rather than the United States.

Last week, Carlson said on his popular nightly program that the Pentagon had effectively declare[d] war on a domestic news operation.

How do sex changes in the military make this country safer? Thats not a trick question. Its not another volley in the culture war. Its the only question that mattersliterally, the only question that matters. But no one bothered to ask it, probably because no one can remember why the U.S. military exists, Carlson said, making note of the militarys increasing focus on identity politics.

From The Epoch Times
LONDON, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon UK, a unit of Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX), will deliver 12 Condor Mk3 next-generation Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar systems to NAV CANADA with an option to purchase additional radar systems as part of a 15-year contract. The first radar system will be shipped in March 2021 and installed by NAV CANADA in April.

"We have been supplying radar systems to NAV CANADA since 1959, and MSSRs since the 1980s," said John Gallagher, managing director, Weapons & Sensors, Raytheon UK. "The more advanced Condor Mk3 was designed and developed by Raytheon UK engineers in Harlow, Essex, England, and will be manufactured at our facility in Glenrothes, Scotland, helping to sustain 70 jobs in Harlow and 20 jobs in Glenrothes over the next 15 years."

Condor Mk3 MSSR is an innovative, new, low-cost, high-probability detection radar which brings together native state-of-the-art surveillance technologies to provide cutting-edge, reliable, secondary radar system hardware to air traffic operators around the world.

Additional features have been included in the system such as automatic adaptive power control, fully configurable software, a high-duty cycle transmitter and built-in ADS-B, all in a much smaller footprint.

"NAV CANADA has a long history of working with Raytheon and looks forward to the next chapter in our ongoing relationship," said Warren Gosselin, director CNS Solutions, NAV CANADA. "The previous generation of Raytheon radars have been a stable backbone of our operation, and we expect the latest generation to continue that robust service."

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 2,000 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 subsidiary of the Raytheon Technologies organisation 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

Alicia Tetlow

+44 (0)1279 407600

alicia.tetlow@raytheon.co.uk

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1456206/Raytheon.jpg
SEOUL, March 15th, 2021  Chips&Media, a leading video IP provider implementing the video processing algorithms, will be introducing video codec IPs at the Semiconductor360 Live 2021. The Semiconductor360 Live 2021 is the first international virtual event by semiconductor360.com, which will take place on March 16th, 2021, from 9:00 to 18:30 in Israel time and welcomes anyone to register at no cost. It is the first time for Chips&Media to join the semiconductor360 event and meet customers across Israeli and European markets specifically. The event is scheduled to host dozens of professional lectures and presentations, live Q&A sessions, virtual exhibition booths, demo rooms, job fairs, and virtual networking tables among the leading semiconductor industries.

"We are excited to participate at the virtual event held by the Semiconductor360," said Scott Woo, a marketing team leader at Chips&Media. "We look forward to leveraging our high-performance and quality, low power consumption, and cost-efficient silicon IPs to support our customers to expedite the SoC design cycle."

Chips&Media is presenting during the professional presentation in the IP core Tracks on "A high-performance and optimized video IP" to demonstrate the product overall and inviting visitors to Chips&Media's virtual booth.

A glance at Chips&Medias HW IPs:

Video Codec IP cores: 8K multi-standard video IPs 4K multi-standard video IPs 2K and still-picture video IPs

Super-resolution upscaling HW IPs Deep learning-based IP, capable of processing 8K@60fps

Image Signal Processing HW IPs

About Chips&Media, Inc.

Chips&Media is a leading HW IP provider specializing in extensive video IPs, deep learning-based computer vision, computational photography, and image signal processing since 2003. Chips&Media's IPs are acclaimed for low power usage, high-performance, small-size, cost-efficient, reliability with countless market references.

Learn more about Chips&Media by visiting www.chipsnmedia.com






The worlds top oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, wasnt just thinking about the global oil market when it rolled over its extra production cut into April and had the members of the OPEC+ alliance keep their total output basically flat next month, with small increases for Russia and Kazakhstan. The Saudis, as well as other crude oil producers in the Middle East, were probably thinking of their budgets and current accounts as well, which need high oil prices to recover from the massive deficits and low oil revenues from last year, when the sudden oil demand and oil price collapse impacted their economies more than non-oil exporters during the pandemic.

While aiming to further tighten the oil market, the OPEC+ group and its leading OPEC members in the Arab Gulf are also plugging some of the shortfalls from 2020, with Brent oil prices nearing the $70 a barrel mark.

Higher oil prices are lowering the need for massive borrowing of the governments in the oil producers part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Last year, bond issues in the Middle East hit a record high of over $100 billion. Governments rushed to raise taxes and cut spending after the March 2020 collapse in oil prices. But these measures were insufficient to contain the damage, so producers incurred more debt to cover government spending, even if that spending was reduced compared to previous years.

Related: Oil Bulls Beware: This Optimism Is Unjustified



If oil prices remain around their current levels over the next three years, GCC oil producers would dramatically cut their need to borrow money on the debt markets, Goldman Sachs economist Farouk Soussa says in a new report, as carried by Bloomberg.

Oil averaging $65 per barrel over the next three years, all else being equal, would cut the borrowing needs to just $10 billion, compared to $270 billion, according to Goldmans Soussa.

The current price of oil nearing $70 is good news for Saudi Arabia and basically every oil-producing nation in the world, as it would boost oil revenues that were decimated last year. Saudi Arabia, for example, was expected to see a $27.5-billion decline in oil revenues in 2020, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman himself said in November, admitting that the oil income was not enough to cover the Kingdoms salaries bill.

Its not a total surprise, then, that the Saudis were pushing forand obtainedan extension of the current OPEC+ cuts into April, or at least until clear signs of oil demand recovery emerge.

An overtightened market would support higher oil prices, at least for a few months, until high oil prices potentially start to erode what OPEC+ still sees as a fragile global demand recovery, or until U.S. shale, especially privately held operators, become too tempted to pass on the opportunity to boost their oil production and revenues.

Related: Another Investment Bank Is Betting On $100 Oil



Signs have already started to emerge in Indiathe worlds third-largest oil importerthat high oil prices are slowing down the demand recovery after the crude price rally sent prices at the pump to record highs in recent weeks.

Moreover, while higher oil prices are a boon to Middle East producers government revenues, they could once again become the excuse for many producers in the Gulf to overspend again and not undertake deep structural reforms to really reduce the dependence of their economies on oil revenues.

Despite the Saudi Vision 2030 and continuous pledges for diversification from other oil producers in the Middle East, economies are still very much reliant on oil and the volatile nature of oil prices. The supply management policies of OPEC+, led by OPECs de facto leader Saudi Arabia, have sent oil prices rallying since the start of 2021, with budgets benefiting from the price spike. Yet, complacency with short-term oil revenue gains is setting the stage for more economic pain in the Middle East when oil prices enter the next bust cycle.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
A San Antonio ramen noodle restaurant was vandalized early Sunday after the owner spoke out during an interview on CNN against Gov. Greg Abbotts rollback of the mask requirement in Texas.

After Wednesdays interview, Mike Nguyen, owner of Noodle Tree, was prepared for hateful comments on social media. But on Sunday, a maintenance crew discovered something worse: Vandals had spray-painted ethnic slurs and a death threat on the windows of his shop and on a bench of his Northwest Side restaurant.

Police will be combing through security footage as they continue investigating the crime.

Im still a little shocked that this would actually happen, Nguyen said Sunday. When I got here, thats when it actually sunk in.

Nguyen, who is half Vietnamese and half French, moved to San Antonio five years ago and started with a food truck, which eventually turned into the brick-and-mortar restaurant on UTSA Boulevard two years ago. The chef had spoken with the network several times during the pandemic and had made headlines last spring when he refused to open his restaurants dining room, despite the governor allowing for more reopenings.

Nguyen, who is battling lymphoma, had said money was not worth losing lives over. Hed recently lost his grandmother to COVID-19 and said he wouldnt put any of his employees or customers at risk.

THE DOCKET: True crime, legal buzz, courtroom news and more. Delivered to your inbox.

Last week, Nguyen said he was initially hesitant to denounce the governors decision to reopen the state on national television, fearing the backlash that might follow. But the chef decided otherwise: Hes among multiple San Antonio business owners who have said lifting the mask mandate hurts businesses by forcing them to bear the burden of enforcing rules.

Across the nation, workers at businesses ranging from grocery stores to retail shops have been attacked by customers when they refused to follow mask mandates.

I will say that the governor doesnt have us Texans interest at play at this point. I think its more of a personal interest, Nguyen said Wednesday on CNN. I think the decision to drop the mask mandate is selfish and cowardly, and theres no reason to do it.

Anti-Asian hate crime has soared in the U.S. over the last year. A preliminary analysis of police data in 16 of Americas largest cities showed that hate crimes against Asian Americans soared by 149 percent in 2020, according to the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.

While overall hate crime dropped 7 percent overall, the center found that anti-Asian hate crime first spiked in March and April last year amid a rise in COVID cases and negative stereotyping of Asians relating to the pandemic.

President Joe Biden condemned the attacks in a recent national address, saying: Its wrong, its un-American, and it must stop. His statements came after he signed a memorandum in January condemning racism, xenophobia and intolerance against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, saying that harmful rhetoric during the pandemic has put their lives and businesses at risk.

Myra Dumapias, lead community organizer with Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Justice San Antonio, said the vandalism at Noodle Tree is not the first anti-Asian hate incident thats happened in San Antonio recently. In one case last year, an airplane flew over the city with a banner telling people to use a discriminatory name for the virus.

She said incidents like this minimize who Asians are to a disease, to something that is inhuman or something not to be respected.

When something happens like this, we have to speak up, she said. This is the time to get together and say you cant do that to our community as a whole.

After photos of the hate crime in San Antonio spread around social media, Nguyen received an outpouring of support from community members. Mayor Ron Nirenberg called him, saying he would do whatever he could to find and prosecute the culprit. Mayoral candidate Greg Brockhouse, meanwhile, pledged $1,000 to cover meals for patrons.

About a dozen people showed up to help clean the graffiti  including Nguyens first customer, who, while waiting for her order, offered to take a rag and help wipe down the windows. And by the end of the day, so many customers showed up to buy food that he was close to running out by Sunday evening.

They did such a great job, it looks like nothing was ever there, Nguyen said.
New Delhi, March 15 : Actress Geetika Vidya Ohlyan, who shot to fame with her title role in the cop drama "Soni", co-stars with Jagjeet Sandhu, who made waves as Chaku in "Paatal Lok", in the tech-thriller series "Escaype Live". The film is directed by Siddharth Kumar Tewary.

"Collaborating with Siddharth (Kumar Tewary) is a newfound thrill. His compassion towards the local people, the characters in these stories, and above all, his unwavering focus on nuances of every character's journey, invokes respect and love at the same time. His passion towards the aesthetic excellence of Escaype Live is infectious. I am loving this abundance of opportunities to experience, learn and create," Geetika tells IANS.

"Escaype Live" follows the lives of five regular Indians desperately trying to make something of their mundane lives. The online platform of social media seems to be the route to "escaping" the mediocrity.

"When I read the character brief, it sounded interesting, and I wanted to make sure I got the part. I sent in my audition and things just fell into place. Once I was on board the project, I was told that someone else was cast for the role but when Siddharth Sir saw my audition, he felt like I made the perfect Nandu. This for me, was a huge compliment. I'm working with Siddharth Sir for the first time and it's been a great experience. He allows an actor to find their own expression and is very supportive of the artistic process that goes into breathing life into a character," adds Jagjeet.

The show follows different stories that take place across all different towns and cities.

"Our show pans various story tracks set in different parts of the country. For this very reason, we wanted to keep every story, it's cast and it's setting to be completely authentic and culturally relevant. After our first schedule which is very urban and edgy, we are amidst a month-long schedule in Jaisalmer with a completely different vibe. Actors are crucial to that vibe as they create characters and bring what you've written to life. So it's great to work with such diverse, talented and passionate people like Geetika and Jagjeet," says Siddharth.

The first showing schedule has been wrapped up in Umargam, and the unit is currently shooting in Jaisalmer, after which the show will be shot extensively across Delhi, Varanasi, Bangalore and Mumbai.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- SAIC Motor PV and Aulton, a Shanghai-based EV transport solution provider, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on March 11 to carry out strategic collaboration on operation of battery swapping services.



Roewe Ei5 fast-battery-swap version; photo credit: Aulton



At the signing ceremony, both parties celebrated the launch of the battery swappable Roewe Ei5. According to a local report, the new version of the Roewe Ei5 is equipped with a 52.5kWh battery pack, which can be charged to 80% of its capacity in 30 minutes using quick-charging mode, and can also be swapped in only 20 seconds at Aulton's battery swapping stations.

At the same time, 100 Roewe Ei5s supporting fast battery swap were handed over to Dazhong Transportation and Shanghai Jiangnan Tourism Service Co., Ltd for taxi and ride-hailing services.

Yang Guoping, chairman of Dazhong Transportation said the battery swapping model is recognized by taxi companies and drivers thanks to its ability to increase vehicle transport capacity and save time for energy supply. The cumulative number of battery-swap taxis is expected to exceed 3,000 units in Shanghai by the end of 2021.

According to a staff member at Aulton, the company's latest-generation battery-swap stations enable multiple models under different brands to switch their batteries in 20 seconds, with an entire battery-swap service completed in only 1 minute. The stations have so far been put into operation in 20 cities across China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangzhou and Kunming.

This year, Aulton plans to establish 40 new battery swapping stations in Shanghai, with the total number reaching 50, said Yang Ye, senior vice president of Aulton.
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Nigerian stocks tapered further on Monday as the benchmark index shed 0.22 per cent, with the most capitalised bank in Africas biggest economy GTB accounting the most for the slide ahead of its earnings release due on Tuesday.

Dangote Sugar and Zenith also drove the loss.

The consumer goods index eased 1.52 per cent to 531.64 points as the shares of beer-makers Nigerian Breweries, AB InBev-backed International Breweries and Guinness took a bashing from investors worsening sentiment, complicating recovery process for a sector that, until Monday, had been down by 5.84 per cent so far this year.

Market breadth emerged negative as 18 losers were recorded compared to 17 gainers.

Dipping by 84.16 points, the all-share index closed at 38,561.84 points, while market capitalisation dropped to N20.176 trillion.

Year to date, the index is down by 4.24 per cent.

TOP FIVE GAINERS

Wapic led gainers, growing by 10 per cent to close at N0.55. NNFM gained 9.73 per cent to close at N6.20. Smart Products Nigeria rose by 8.33 per cent to N0.26. NEM leapt to N2.19, notching up 7.88 per cent in the process. Berger completed the top 5, climbing up by 7.44 per cent to N6.50.

TOP FIVE LOSERS

Regal Insurance topped the losers table, declining by 9.09 per cent to close at N0.30. Livestock shrank by 9.50 per cent to end the day at N1.83. Nigerian Breweries tumbled to N47, losing 5.34 per cent. Lasaco dipped to N1.24, recording 4.62 per cent loss. Jaiz Bank closed at N0.62, going down by 4.62 per cent.

TOP FIVE TRADES

In all, 184.528 million shares worth N2.518 billion were traded in 3,527 deals as liquidity dropped by 37 per cent.

FBN Holdings was the most preferred stock with 31.144 million units of its stocks worth N225.975 million traded in 185 deals. 22 million units of Notore shares priced at N1.375 billion exchanged hands in 4 transactions.

Fidelity Bank had 15.282 million shares valued at N35.308 million traded in 140 deals.

Sovereign Trust Insurance traded 10.787 million shares estimated at N2.418 million in 16 transactions. Transcorp traded 8.681 million shares valued at N7.108 million in 85 deals.
National Unity Day: PM Modi pays tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the Statue of Unity

PM Modi slams Opposition, says Pulwama admission exposed real faces of those who politicised attack

FIR lodged as Rs 5.24 crore of Statue of Unity's ticket sale siphoned off

PM Modi flags off eight trains facilitating seamless rail connectivity to Statue of Unity

Gujarat: Statue of Unity crosses 50 lakh visitors-mark

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Ahmedabad, Mar 15: In a major milestone, the ''Statue of Unity'' at Kevadia in Gujarat''s Narmada district has crossed the mark of 50 lakh visitors since its inauguration in 2018, a state government official said on Monday.

The statue has emerged as an international tourist destination, offering multiple attractions for all age groups, Gujarat''s Additional Chief Secretary (Forest and Environment) Rajiv Gupta said in a tweet.

The 182-metre tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, billed as the world''s tallest and built on the Sadhu Bet islet near the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Kevadia, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modion October 31, 2018.

Since then,visitors from across the country and abroad have flocked the tourist spot and several other attractions that have been added there.

"#StatueofUnity crosses five million visitors mark !!! Built under visionary leadership of Hon.@PMOIndiait has emerged as an international tourist destination, offering multiple attractions for all age groups. @narendramodi @tourismgoi@souindia," Gupta tweeted.

To improve rail and air connectivity to Kevadia, the government recently added eight new trains from different parts of the country and a seaplane service from Ahmedabad.

The flow of visitors to the tourist spot was affected after the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, but picked up rapidly since it was reopened for the public on October 17 last year after remaining closed for over seven months.

During his address on January18 this year after flagging off eight trains to Kevadia from across India, Prime Minister Modi said more tourists visit the Statue of Unity in Gujarat than the Statue of Liberty in the US.

Grammys 2021: Beyonce breaks record for most Grammy wins for a female artist | Oneindia News

He had said that with increased connectivity, over a lakh people will visit Kevadia daily, as per a survey.

On Patel''s birth anniversary last year, Modi had also launched a seaplane service between the Statue of Unity and the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad, further improving connectivity to the tourist attraction in Kevadia.
Police and protesters clashed as major West Coast cities triggered a violent protest on Breonna Taylor's death anniversary.

Taylor was killed during a police raid in Louisville, Kentucky, when two plainclothes police were delivering a search warrant in Taylor's residence.

The police forced their entry into Taylor's apartment, while she was in bed with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, a few minutes after midnights.

Some of the West Coast cities that participated in the protests were Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle, according to a Fox News report.

READ MORE: Breonna Taylor's Boyfriend Said He's a 'Million Percent Sure' Cops Didn't Identify Themselves

West Coast Cities

Los Angeles police said they arrested 10 people, while four people were injured, including three officers, according to a My News LA report.

Police Chief Michel Moore said nine businesses were vandalized, while smoke grenades and other projectiles were thrown at police.

Among those arrested in Los Angeles were Jesssica Woodward, 27; Edward Malcolm, 17; Christopher Stefanic, 36; John Brown, 19; Avery Anglin, 22; Eric Smith, 24; Mario Rappa, 27; Erik Gersovitz, 30; Brian Lightfoot, 24; and Benson Williams, 27. They were all released Sunday.

Out of the 10 people arrested, five were arrested on suspicion with a deadly weapon on a police officer, according to Moore.

The LAPD said that the protesters were dressed in black, handling pepper spray, smoke grenades, metal batons, brass knuckles, gas masks, improvised shields, and bullet-resistant vests.

Meanwhile, some protesters accused the police that they were deliberately hit by police squad cars with batons.

"LAPD just ran over two protesters at the Hollywood Breonna Taylor march," one activist captioned the video.

However, the LAPD did not immediately respond to comment on the said accusations.

Meanwhile, Seattle Police nabbed 13 people who protested to mark the first death anniversary of Taylor.

In Portland, 13 people were also arrested in demonstration. Police had also "kettled" about 100 demonstrators before allowing those to leave one by one, according to reports.

New messages were seen spray-painted outside the courthouse on Saturday night and into Sunday morning. The messages include, "Police are murderers."

Breonna Taylor Case

Brett Hankinson was charged, but not with Taylor's case. He was charged with "wanton endangerment" for firing into a neighbor's apartment, while the two other officers have not been charged, according to a BBC report.

Lawyer from the Taylor family, Ben Crump, said that it was outrageous and offensive that there had been no charged brought in direct relation to the killing.

Taylor's family sued the Kentucky city for the death in May. They had reached a $12 million settlement.

Other officers involved in the killing of Taylor were Jonathan Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, who were both fired.

Hankinson was fired from the police force after investigators found that he blindly fired 10 rounds during the raid. Meanwhile, Mattingly and Cosgrove were reassigned to administrative duties.

The three police officers raided Taylor's apartment, believing that her ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover, was involved in a drug case and was using her apartment to hide narcotics.

However, no drugs were found in Taylor's apartment.

No case was filed against neither Hatkinson nor Mattingly and Cosgrove in relation to Taylor's death.

READ NEXT: Breonna Taylor Grand Jury Audio Reveals Police Knocked Before Forcing Entry

WATCH: Breonna Taylor's family marks one year anniversary of her death - from CBC News
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 37 Colleges In Oregon for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 165 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment.

The 2021 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system which includes student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third party evaluations. Intelligent.com analyzed 165 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 37 making it to the final list. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each school.

To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-colleges-in-oregon/

2021 Colleges In Oregon featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

Blue Mountain Community College

Central Oregon Community College

Chemeketa Community College

Clackamas Community College

Clatsop Community College

Columbia Gorge Community College

Corban University

Eastern Oregon University

George Fox University

Klamath Community College

Lane Community College

Lewis and Clark

Linfield College

Linn-Benton Community College

Mt. Hood Community College

Multnomah University

New Hope Christian College

Bushnell University

Oregon Health and Science University

Oregon Institute of Technology

Oregon State University

Pacific Northwest College of Art

Pacific University

Portland Community College

Portland State University

Reed College

Rogue Community College

Southern Oregon University

Southwestern Oregon Community College

Tillamook Bay Community College

Umpqua Community College

University of Oregon

University of Portland

University of Western States

Warner Pacific University

Western Oregon University

Willamette University

About Intelligent.com

Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides which include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/.
Congressman August Pfluger said the Biden Administration is making a mess of the migrant crisis at the border.

The San Angelo Republican, who also represents Midland and Odessa, cited an email from Gov. Greg Abbotts Office that indicates as many as 1,000 unaccompanied minors could be headed to Midland County. The report, he said, references an email sent to the Governors Office from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Pfluger is in El Paso on Sunday, ahead of a visit to the border with other Congressional delegation members, including House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, on Monday.

The city of Midland stated Sunday that the migrants will be brought to Midland County but not within city limits. Emails to County Judge Terry Johnson and Midland Mayor Patrick Payton were not returned. Sheriff David Criner in an email referred all questions to Health and Human Services.

RELATED: Abbott: Feds said migrants will be held in Midland

Pfluger said the email stated that HHS could open the emergency intake site in a self-contained facility in Midland County as early as Sunday (March 14).

Pfluger said the announcement of migrant relocation came out of the blue and is an example of the mess that is the way the executive branch is handling the border.

If you ran a business like this, you would run it into the ground on the first day, Pfluger told the Reporter-Telegram. There is a degree of denial about what is happening.

Pfluger talked about reports he is receiving from friends and constituents inside District 11 about migrants making their way across the region. He mentioned more than 20 migrants apprehended near Junction, fire damage to property of a friends ranch house and migrants being transported to cities like San Angelo and Midland.

He said that migrants have made the trek to the border, hopeful of a better life, and that drug cartel members and others are taking advantage of those dreams. He said reports indicate assaults of those inside migrant packs during their travels to the border and show the burden the crisis has put on law enforcement and border patrol in the U.S.

(Migrants) have been given false hope by new administration that our borders are now open, said Pfluger, who added traffickers are operating without fear of criminal prosecution. The whole situation is terrible. We are mounting as much pressure as we can against the administration.
This article was first published on NerdWallet.com.

The rollout of COVID vaccines offers rich opportunities for scammers: Theres not yet enough supply for everyone who wants a shot. Eligibility rules and sign-up procedures vary by location and change frequently. Everyone is tired of pandemic restrictions and desperate to hear  and believe  that they can get that coveted jab sooner.

It can be hard to know if a call, text or email is the result of signing up for a waitlist or because a scammer sees you as a potential target.

Its confusing, so know the warning signs

People are confused for a reason:

Something that seemed unlikely  scheduling a vaccine through Eventbrite  was legitimate in some Florida counties but a scam in others.

After consumers were warned not to post photos of vaccine cards on social media, some people in Cook County, Illinois, got texts asking them to send back a photo of their vaccine card or risk having their second vaccine canceled. That was legitimate.

Consumers had been told that no one was going to come door to door with vaccines, but now that happens in some places.

There have been copycat websites, almost identical to the real ones, collecting information and charging fees.

Despite all that, there are a few key signals a vaccine offer is not legit, Federal Trade Commission spokesperson Colleen Tressler says. Among them:

Requesting money to sign you up for an appointment or get you earlier access.

Asking for credit card or bank account information.

Offering to send a vaccine directly to your home.

Offering access to a vaccine through an unconventional source, such as a dating website.

Scammers may be after your money or your identification information. Your birthdate, address, and insurance or Medicare number can be extremely valuable to an identity thief. Be aware that scammers are endlessly creative and resourceful. As news evolves and consumers get wise to scams, they switch to new tactics.

Amy Nofziger, director of victim support for the AARP Fraud Watch Network, believes the next big source of misinformation about vaccines is likely to be social media. Younger people, who have largely remained ineligible for the vaccine, tend to congregate and exchange information there.

How to stay safe when seeking a vaccine

The days of a vaccine appointment feeling like winning the lottery are numbered; more venues and appointments will open up as supplies increase.

Nofziger advises keeping up with phases of eligibility in your area through trusted sources, such as your doctors office, health department, hospital or pharmacy. If, after refreshing a trusted site numerous times, you finally get a calendar with appointments, youre almost certainly safe. Feel free to type in the information requested.

Be careful about responding to incoming messages. Scammers can manipulate caller ID to make it look like the call is coming from a health department or drugstore. Similarly, emails and texts that seem to come from, say, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services, can appear to be genuine. Its risky to respond to unsolicited contacts and especially to open a link in a text or email  those may contain malware.

If you receive a notification from your state, local drugstore or some other place you've registered, its wise to verify it before responding. Look up the email address or phone number on the official site and initiate contact yourself. In most cases, a call or email should be giving you information rather than requesting it, Tressler says.

At the vaccine site, you'll be asked for identification and perhaps insurance information, but vaccines are administered regardless of insurance coverage. Some states also have forms that request Social Security numbers. Those aren't needed for vaccines, and you shouldn't be denied a vaccine for leaving that part blank. If you're challenged about leaving it blank, you can politely ask why the number is needed and how it will be protected.

But keep worries about possible scams and identity theft in perspective, Nofziger says. Its important to get the vaccine. If you are a victim of identity theft, I can help you. But if you get COVID and pass away, I cant.

Bev O'Shea writes for NerdWallet. Email: boshea@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @BeverlyOShea.

The article Scam Alert: Find a COVID Vaccine, but Avoid Criminals originally appeared on NerdWallet.
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.
Armenia economic competition protection commission: Experts forecast inflation of butter prices

Armenia citizens' protest against acting health minister is over

Pashinyan visits France, judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku, Jun. 2 digest

Armenian Ambassador, FMO representatives consider opportunities for expansion of cooperation in Armenia

Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Armenia citizens throw polyethylene bags at Health Ministry building, police apprehend protesters

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

Newspaper: What instructions did Armenia acting defense minister get in Moscow?

Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

Armenia 3rd President reacts to photos of bodies of soldiers in freezer: It felt like the blood froze in my veins

Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

Turkey's Erdogan expresses willingness to support Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral cooperation

Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

Wargonzo: Russian MOD is dealing with settlement of conflict in Armenia's Syunik Province on a daily basis

Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

Latest on scandal over improper storage of Armenian soldiers bodies, more on COVID-19, Jun. 1

Armenia Constitutional Court launches case proceedings based on President's application

Armenia acting emergency situations minister says he's concerned about situation in army

Armenia acting education, science, culture and sport minister receives ICRC Delegation

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

Armenia deputy police chief: No real cases of vote-buying reported to date

Armenia human rights activists: Nearly 10 protesters detained during protest in front of government building

Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

Yerevan court rules to conditionally release man who attempted to assassinate ex-presidential candidate

People came to power in Armenia who consistently destroyed army combat-readiness, says ex-President Kocharyan

Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

Armenia 1st President spokesperson: Ter-Petrosyan has nothing to speak with the nation-destroying plague

Armenia acting PM orders internal investigation into case of storage conditions of fallen soldiers bodies, remains

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan gives interview to Russia newspaper

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A Jersey City man has died after he crashed his motorcycle on Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City.

Tyrone Gamble, 31, was traveling north on Kennedy Boulevard at 12:15 p.m. on March 10 when he crossed over into the southbound lanes near Boyd Avenue and then slammed into a utility pole, the crash report said.

Gamble was rushed to the Jersey City Medical Center in serious condition while Jersey City police and members of the Hudson County Prosecutors Offices Regional Crash Unit investigated at the scene. He died at 1:30 p.m. on March 11.

The fatal crash as the fourth in Hudson County this year and the third in Jersey City.
Former Mayor Sam Adams plan to revive Portland leans on community groups and public involvement to accomplish what City Hall hasnt been able to do on its own.

With the vaccines, people are going to be able to begin to safely go about their lives in normal ways, Adams said following a meeting with small business leaders Thursday, and theyll have the ability to roll up their sleeves and pitch in and help bring the city back to full life and better than before.

Adams has leaned on his ties with the business community since returning to City Hall last month to help current Mayor Ted Wheeler implement his second-term agenda. He and Wheeler believe public-private partnerships will be key as the city recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

On Thursday, Adams asked business leaders to help the city launch five collaborative groups to address issues the Mayors office sees as central to reviving Portland.

The five groups, which Adams calls action tables, will focus on promoting public safety and addressing issues around homelessness, cleaning up trash across the city, helping businesses reopen and recover, making the city a hub for community events when its safe to gather and restoring Portlands reputation. Wheeler formally announced the groups Friday.

Several of the citys action tables have been meeting for weeks, but Adams said the city plans to unveil a website this week where members of the community can sign up to get involved or stay apprised of each ones progress.

Among the challenges that the groups will tackle is the rise in vandalism that has frustrated small businesses. While the vandalism has been most acute in downtown and along the path of protests, there has been a spike in property damage citywide since the start of the pandemic.

Adams told business leaders that the city has faced a major challenge in addressing that vandalism due to limited court cases proceeding during the pandemic. He said too many repeat vandals were being cited and released, rather than booked into jail, something he said the city has been working with the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office to change. Adams also praised recent comments from Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt reiterating his commitment to prosecute property crimes.

Those conversations havent yet trickled down to the streets, where business owners continue to navigate a wave of window smashing.

Businesses and buildings also have been damaged during several recent protests. On Sunday, work crews reinstalled a security fence and concrete dividers outside the federal courthouse in downtown Portland three days after it had been removed because people continued to break windows and spray paint graffiti on the building.

Repeat vandals are a particular problem, according to Adams.

They get arrested, but during the COVID restrictions, some have received violations from the police on site and let go, he said. Some have been booked, but most have just been given violations and a court date to appear, but the courts arent open for this type of crime. ... Hopefully, when the courts open up then well be able to start processing the significant backlog of property crime arrests.

Adams addressed those efforts during meetings Thursday with Bricks Need Mortar, a group that advocates for small businesses, and the Rose City Downtown Collective, a coalition of nearly 300 business leaders advocating for downtown Portland.

Following the meeting, the Rose City Downtown Collective unveiled its own action plan. The organization said it wants property crimes prosecuted, homelessness addressed in a compassionate way, cleaner streets, support for peaceful protests and financial support for reopening businesses. The organization said downtown needs particular help.

For his part, Adams said the action tables could make proposals directly to the city council and might seek a share of Portlands coronavirus funds from Congress latest aid package. He is also soliciting private donations to get certain initiatives off the ground.

That private fundraising will, in part, support more research into the reputational damage that Portland suffered last summer when it drew national media attention around nightly protests where demonstrators and local and federal law enforcement officials clashed.

We could clean the city up, we could get businesses open and shiny and revamped, we could have the best events downtown, but if we dont ascertain what the last year has done to our brand, our reputation then I think there will still be a hangover, Adams said. We need to address that.

Last week, Wheeler told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he will seek to expand multiple sanitation programs in this years city budget, including increased trash collection in and around homeless camps, ramping up graffiti abatement and restoring neighborhood cleanup events that were cut during the pandemic.

Adams is seeking private donations to fund clean-up initiatives over the next three years and will call on community members to volunteer to clean up trash, including in areas along freeways.

The city has never looked worse, Adams told small business owners Thursday. Its never been dirtier. Its never been more graffitied. Its awful.

The focus of the five action tables pitched by Adams mirrors a similar five-point plan that Wheeler floated last August in response to concerns from downtown business owners, many of whom faulted the city for tolerating vandalism and lawlessness amid nightly protests last summer and failing to keep streets clean and safe.

Business leaders continued to raise alarm about the state of downtown, though, even after Wheeler introduced his plan. That prompted the mayor to rush to put together a meeting with the Portland Business Alliance and 70 other business and civic leaders at the end of August where he pledged to act quickly to revive downtown and help businesses.

Yet business owners have continued to raise many of the same concerns over the last six months.

Adams said Thursday that the citys recovery has to go hand-in-hand with the recovery from the pandemic. He said the vaccine rollout puts the city in a better position to now start taking meaningful steps to revive Portland.

Im not making excuses for anybody, Adams said. But I encourage everyone to realize the opportunity that we have in front of us. Now is the time to ask people to step forward. Everywhere I go in Portland, people are ready, but they dont want their time wasted. They want to plug into something that they think has a good chance of going somewhere and thats what were trying to provide.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com | @jamiebgoldberg
Absa Group Ltd., one of Africas largest financial services providers, today reported a 51% decline in normalised headline earnings to R8 billion after impairments nearly trebled to R20.6 billion amid the economic downturn that was precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.



Earnings and returns improved materially in the second half of the year as lockdown restrictions eased, particularly in South Africa, which accounts for more than 80% of the groups earnings. Group headline earnings fell 82% in the first half of 2020 compared with the first half of 2019. Headline earnings in the second half of last year were 19% lower than in the second half of 2019.



As COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were implemented across countries last year, Absa moved swiftly to adopt remote-working, implement payment relief measures for clients, and to launch initiatives to support the communities we serve, while ensuring operational and financial resilience.



Absa responded decisively to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic downturn. We supported our staff, customers and communities through a difficult period and produced a resilient financial performance in a very challenging operating environment, said Daniel Mminele, Absa Group Chief Executive. We also successfully completed our separation from Barclays and reviewed our strategy to ensure that it continues to be relevant in the context of rapid changes in the operating environment.



COVID-19 pandemic response



Colleague safety and wellbeing was the immediate priority, following which substantial customer and community support initiatives were implemented.



We believe we offered the most comprehensive relief programme in the South African banking sector, providing approximately R9.8 billion in cash-flow relief to 613 000 retail and business banking customers, said Mminele. In addition, Absa waived various transaction fees and provided insurance premium relief, while temporarily extending credit cover to include a wider definition of loss of income events.



Absa subsidiaries in countries outside of South Africa extended COVID-19 payment relief to more than 60,000 retail and business banking customers.



Approximately R54.4 billion in payment relief was extended to corporate and investment banking clients during the year under review. This included interest and/or capital moratoriums, covenant concessions and extensions of maturity dates on expiring facilities.

Absa also mobilised its citizenship programme to support communities across presence markets. Absa and its employees directed R83 million towards COVID-19 response initiatives across the continent.



Financial performance



While credit impairments had a substantial negative impact on earnings, Absa Groups 2020 financial results indicated positive underlying trends, including a 2% increase in income and strong growth in pre-prevision profit. (Pre-provision profit is profit before setting aside funds for impairments.)



Net interest income growth of 5% stands out, considering large policy rate cuts that reduced Absas net interest income in South Africa. However, Absas structural hedge released R2.6 billion to the profit and loss statement to partially offset this.



Operating expenses remained well-managed, declining 2%.



Combining resilient revenue growth with lower costs produced positive operating JAWS  a measure of efficiency  of 3%, improving cost-to-income ratio noticeably to 56%.



I was really pleased with our 7% rise in pre-provision profit as this is an important indicator of positive underlying performance. I believe that we have appropriately prioritised balance sheet strength balanced against selective targeted growth during these uncertain times, said Jason Quinn, Absa Group Financial Director.



Pre-provision profit growth was evident across Absa Groups three business units.



Retail and Business Banking South Africa (RBB SA)



While RBB SAs earnings declined 55%, strong pre-provision profit growth of 6% largely cushioned the business against an increase in impairments.



In a challenging and uncertain period, RBB SA actively supported customers through relief measures including financial advice, proactive customer and community outreach programmes and the provision of comprehensive payment relief.



Many customers signed up for the payment relief programme as a precaution, and by December, the outstanding exposure of loans deferred had reduced significantly as customers resumed payments. A combination of these support programmes, strong equity in mortgages and elevated savings rates, along with a resilient balance sheet, place the business on firm footing as it navigates the next phase of its strategy journey.



At the same time, RBB SA continues to invest, particularly in digital to improve operating efficiencies and the overall customer experience. This is illustrated by a 23% increase in digitally active customers to 1.9 million, largely driven by the mobile app. The app has been consistently the highest-ranking in the market.



Underpinning RBB SAs performance has been the deliberate decisions taken in 2018 when its transformation journey commenced.



Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB)



CIBs headline earnings declined by 17% as impairments increased six-fold. Pre-provision profit increased by 22%, supported by income growth of 14%, with all core operating business units delivering solid revenue growth.



CIBs completion of separation from Barclays, which involved 44 projects, was a significant milestone, freeing up management time and facilitating the introduction of newer systems.



CIB successfully integrated the custody and trustee business (Absa Investor Services) which was acquired from Societe Generale. The US office became operational with all regulatory approvals and licenses secured.





Absa Regional Operations (ARO)



ARO earnings declined 56% or 65% in constant currency. Pre-provision profit grew 3% as ARO continued to benefit from its well-diversified portfolio, both by activity and geography.



Completing its separation from Barclays was a significant event for ARO, most of which Absa acquired from Barclays in 2013. It included the largest single data and systems migration in Africa, as customers in nine countries were switched to a new, enhanced online banking system. It also involved a major rebranding of branches and corporate offices, ATMs, point-of-sale terminals, and over 1.2 million customer cards.



Strategy



Absa undertook an in-depth review of the group strategy in 2020, two years after the launch of the 2018 growth strategy, to evaluate execution progress, and to assess relevance given the changes in the operating environment.



The review process concluded that, while our strategic choices from the 2018 strategy remain relevant, the world in which we seek to achieve them has changed, said Mminele. As a consequence, some shifts and accelerations are required to drive the modernisation our business, not only to maintain relevance but to thrive and advance as a business.



Absas refreshed strategy addresses the implications of the evolving operating environment, and will accelerate the growth of the business, as the Group continues to execute and consolidate elements of the 2018 strategy that have been showing traction. Absa will refine its go-to-market approach and execute with agility and speed, keeping the customer at the heart of everything we do.



Strategic shifts are required to ensure that Absa delivers deeper shared value to a broad range of stakeholders, strengthening the Groups position as a purpose-led organisation. Absa will become even more customer-centric in meeting the specific needs of clients, embrace digital-first distribution channels to match customers changing behavioural patterns, and diversify market reach to match customers points of presence.



Areas targeted for acceleration include:



 Developing and nurturing a more entrepreneurial culture

 Creating more competitive digital, data, technology and innovation capabilities

 Leveraging strategic partnerships to create market leading capabilities



To deliver against our refreshed strategy, Absa will invest in strategic capabilities including leadership, a more modernised technology architecture that powers digital transformation and in creating an execution model that promotes faster innovation.



The Group has delivered respectable progress over the last two-and-half years against the strategy journey that was adopted in 2018, and we have seen good traction in some parts of the business. Our refreshed strategy enables us to become more precise in expressing how we want to embed customer-centricity at the heart of our business, how we will evolve our digital maturity, and what it means to be purpose-led, said Mminele.



Outlook



There remains substantial uncertainty regarding the global economic recovery, which depends on the roll-out of effective vaccines and additional policy support. However, Absa expects an improved macro-economic backdrop in 2021, which should support financial performance.



Absa forecasts 3.1% growth in South Africa during 2021 and expects GDP to only recover to 2019 levels by 2024. Absa expects the economy in ARO presence countries to rebound in 2021, with GDP-weighted growth of 4.5%.



While there is some way to go before economies stabilise, the roll-out of vaccines globally hold the promise of greater stability and we look forward to playing our role in the recovery and re-setting for the future, said Mminele.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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

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John Prine, the late American folk legend who was among his generation's most influential songwriters, won two posthumous Grammys on Sunday after dying of coronavirus complications.

Prine -- who died at the age of 73 last April, as the first wave of Covid-19 was sweeping much of the United States -- won for his final tune "I Remember Everything," for Best Roots Performance and Best Roots Song.

The artist dubbed the "Mark Twain of American songwriting" last year received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy.

"We love and miss you, Dad," said one of his sons via video chat as his family accepted the awards.

Also celebrated with two posthumous Grammys was Chick Corea, the American jazz composer whose visionary fusion work stretched the traditional boundaries of musical genres.

Corea -- who died in February of a rare form of cancer -- won for Best Improvised Jazz Solo and Best Jazz Instrumental Album.

"He always said, 'Go for it'," said Gayle Corea, the pianist's wife, who accepted the awards on his behalf.

"Don't ever say you cannot do it," she said, when asked in the virtual press room about Corea's legacy.

"He's with me -- he's on my shoulder right here. He's with us in spirit."

Other artists who earned posthumous nominations included rappers Pop Smoke and Nipsey Hussle, and folk icon Leonard Cohen.

mdo/sst
Mumbai Police on Monday suspended assistant police inspector Sachin Waze following his arrest by the NIA in connection with its probe into the recovery of explosives from a car near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's residence here, an official said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police S Chaitanya told reporters that "API Sachin Waze has been placed under suspension by an order of Additional Commissioner of Police Special Branch".

The Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Waze on late Saturday night in connection with its probe into the recovery of a Scorpio containing 20 gelatin sticks near Ambani's house 'Antilia' in south Mumbai on February 25.

Waze (49), credited with eliminating 63 alleged criminals in 'encounters', is also facing heat in the murder case of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran, who was in possession of the Scorpio. Hiran was found dead in a creek in Thane district on March 5.

A Mumbai court on Sunday remanded Waze in the NIA's custody till March 25.

Waze was arrested under IPC sections 286 (negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance) 465 (forgery), 473 (making or possessing counterfeit seal with intent to commit forgery), 506(2) (criminal intimidation), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and relevant provisions of the Explosive Substances Act, a police official earlier said.

In its remand plea, the NIA submitted statements of witnesses to show Waze's involvement in the case.

Waze, a 1990-batch officer of the state cadre, was earlier also suspended in 2004 over his role in the custodial death of a 2002 Ghatkopar blast suspect Khwaja Yunus and was reinstated last year.

(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 34-year-old man charged with breaking into College Hill apartments on March 5 in Easton and attempted indecent assault is a person of interest in a May 2020 sex assault in Bethlehem, Northampton County District Attorney Terry Houck confirmed Monday morning.

Clement Swaby, of the 600 block of Hayes Street in Bethlehem, is being held in lieu of $300,000 bail after his arrest on Saturday in the Easton case, the second of two break-ins in that block within two weeks that involved a man armed with a knife. No one is charged in the Feb. 22 incident.

Bethlehem police continue to investigate a May 18, 2020, sex assault hat was reported just after 5 a.m. on Hillside Avenue in an off-campus residence near Lehigh University. Swaby has not been charged in the Bethlehem case.

That attacker was described as in his early 20s, about 6 feet tall with a medium build and short hair, city and university police said. He was wearing a brown hooded Lehigh sweatshirt with white lettering and a medical-style mask, authorities said.

Court papers show Swaby is 6 feet tall, weighs 180 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes.

All other aspects of that case remain under investigation, Houck said.

Police at the time were interested in a small SUV that left Hillside Avenue about 5:40 a.m.

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

Tony Rhodin can be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14)  The independent research group monitoring the pandemic in the country has an updated COVID-19 projection with grimmer figures.

Prof. Guido David of the OCTA Research said on Sunday that new cases nationwide may jump to 8,000 in a day by month-end if the highly transmissible virus is not contained. This may shoot up to around 17,000 to 18,000 by mid-April, he added.

This new forecast is higher than the groups earlier estimate of 6,000 new cases by end-March, which was released just last week. It also came a day after the country listed an additional 5,000 infections, the steepest rise in nearly seven months.

Authorities, including the Department of Health officials, have attributed the spike in numbers to the publics reported dwindling compliance with health protocols. OCTA also earlier said the presence of new and more transmissible variants may be partly to blame for the fast-rising figures, noting the original strain does not spread this quickly, assuming health protocols are followed.

RELATED: DOH reports COVID-19 variant unique to PH, first case of Brazil variant

The National Capital Region continues to account for the bulk of the new patients, according to David. He also said the region could record as many as 5,000 to 6,000 daily in two weeks.

Tapos by April, pwede tayong umabot ng 14,000 sa Metro Manila, isang araw lang yun. Ganon kasi kabilis tumaas yun eh, yung bilang ng kaso, he said.

[Translation: Then, by April, we may reach 14,000 cases in Metro Manila in just one day. Thats how fast the number of cases can rise.]

It is thus not unlikely for healthcare workers to call for another "timeout" if hospitals are once again overwhelmed, David said. In August last year, the medical community asked the government to reimpose stricter quarantine rules for two weeks in Metro Manila and nearby provinces to help ease the strain on the healthcare system, as the nation reached its peak in cases.

David noted the latest projection is based on the virus current reproduction number in the country, which is now at 1.95. This means nearly two people have been infected by a single COVID-19 patient.

Meanwhile, the DOH said they acknowledge the forecast, but stressed that as with all other projections, these are based on assumptions.

Ultimately, we want to instill the idea that whatever the status of our pandemic situation, it is not permanent, it is reversible, it said. Weve reversed the peak before, we can do it again."

The department reiterated that compliance with the minimum health standards is key in bringing down the numbers and in preventing further mutations of the virus. Among others, this means the proper wearing of face masks (with both nose and mouth covered), observing social distancing (staying at least a meter apart from others when outdoors and an even greater distance when indoors), and ensuring proper ventilation in public and indoor spaces.

In a bid to reverse the upward trend, Metro Manila mayors have decided to impose uniform curfew hours, which will be from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m, for two weeks beginning March 15. Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr. also said the local chief executives will meet more regularly in the next two weeks to discuss COVID-19 developments and protocols.

CNN Philippines Correspondent Paolo Barcelon contributed to this report.
NASA Hubble Space Telescope Credit: NASA

The Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instrument on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope was brought back online on Saturday, March 13th at approximately 7:00 p.m. EST. The instrument was shut down as part of the normal observatory safe mode activities that occurred on Sunday, March 7, in response to a software error on the main flight computer. After starting its recovery on Thursday, March 11, WFC3 suspended the process due to a slightly lower-than-normal voltage reading for a power supply, which triggered an internal instrument safeguard.

Analysis showed that voltage levels in WFC3 power supplies have slowly decreased over time as their electronics aged. The electronics experience colder temperatures when the hardware is turned off in safe mode. This factor coupled with the power the instrument components draw as they are turned back on contributed to the small voltage fluctuation that suspended WFC3 recovery operations. Further detailed analysis indicated that it would be safe to slightly reduce the low voltage limit to avoid a future suspend, and it would be safe to recover the instrument to its science state.

The instrument has now been safely recovered. Standard calibration of the instrument and other pre-observation activities will be conducted this week. WFC3 observations will then be included in the science timeline so that the instrument can once again collect data and continue expanding our understanding of the universe.

Mar. 12, 2021NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Resumes Science Operations

The Hubble Space Telescope returned to science operations on Thursday, March 11 at 8:00 p.m. EST. Wide Field Camera 3 remains suspended while the team investigates a low voltage issue that prevented it from returning to operations. The telescope has completed its first observation since returning to science mode, using the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph instrument to map gas flows in active galactic nuclei.

Mar. 11, 2021NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Set to Resume Science Operations

NASA is working to return the Hubble Space Telescope to science operations after resolving a problem with a safeguard aboard. Hubble entered safe mode on Sunday, March 7, shortly after 4 a.m. EST, following detection of a software error within the spacecraft's main computer.

The spacecraft has been moved out of safe mode into a pre-science state with the plan of returning to normal operations by Thursday night.

Safe mode puts the telescope into a stable configuration until solutions can be implemented from the ground to correct a problem and return the mission to normal operations. There are varying versions of safe mode depending on the problem encountered.

The mission operations team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center identified the software error in an enhancement recently uploaded to the spacecraft to help compensate for fluctuations from one of its gyroscopes. These devices are used to help Hubble turn and lock on to new targets by measuring the speed at which the spacecraft is turning. They determined that the enhancement did not have permission to write to a specific location in computer memory, which caused an issue with the main flight computer and subsequently caused the spacecraft to enter a safe mode.

The team will update the software enhancement so the fix can be uploaded to the spacecraft in the future. In the meantime, the enhancement will be prohibited from being used.

In entering safe mode on Sunday, however, the team discovered that the aperture door located at the top of the telescope failed to automatically close. This door is a safeguard designed to keep the Sun's damaging light and heat out of the telescope's interior, protecting its sensitive instruments and their surroundings. It serves as a safety net if Hubble accidently points in the direction of the Sun due to an error or hardware problem. In more than 30 years Hubble has been in orbit, the aperture door has never closed because of the detection of such bright objects.

The team has looked at spacecraft engineering data, run various tests, and verified that the door did indeed remain open despite the commands and power being sent to close it. Additional attempts to move the door by sending commands from the ground to its primary motor also failed to make the door move. However, the same commands sent from the ground to its backup motor did indicate movement, and that motor is now set as the primary motor. The team is looking at options to further reduce any associated risk.

During the process of moving the spacecraft into its pre-science state, the Wide Field Camera 3 instrument experienced an unexpected error, suspending it from returning to operations. The team is currently reviewing that issue and possible solutions.

All other instruments have been recovered with no issues. Hubble will be returned to science operations Thursday night, with no Wide Field Camera 3 observations scheduled until the team resolves that issue.

Hubble's instruments are expected to produce groundbreaking science for years to come.

Explore further NASA's hobbled Hubble telescope is near normal again
Photo: The Canadian Press Pope Francis

The Vatican decreed Monday that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions since God cannot bless sin.

The Vaticans orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response Monday to a question about whether Catholic clergy can bless gay unions.

The answer, contained in a two-page explanation published in seven languages and approved by Pope Francis, was negative.

The decree distinguished between the churchs welcoming and blessing of gay people, which it upheld, but not their unions since any such sacramental recognition could be confused with marriage.

The Vatican holds that gay people must be treated with dignity and respect, but that gay sex is intrinsically disordered. Catholic teaching holds that marriage, a lifelong union between a man and woman, is part of Gods plan and is intended for the sake of creating new life.

Since gay unions are not intended to be part of that plan, they cannot be blessed by the church, the document said.

The presence in such relationships of positive elements, which are in themselves to be valued and appreciated, cannot justify these relationships and render them legitimate objects of an ecclesial blessing, since the positive elements exist within the context of a union not ordered to the Creators plan, the response said.

God does not and cannot bless sin: He blesses sinful man, so that he may recognize that he is part of his plan of love and allow himself to be changed by him, it said.

Francis has endorsed providing gay couples with legal protections in same-sex unions, but that is in reference to the civil sphere, not within the church. Those comments were made during an interview with a Mexican broadcaster, Televisa, in 2019, but were cut by the Vatican until they appeared in a documentary last year.

While the documentary fudged the context, Francis was referring to the position he took when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires and the country's lawmakers were considering approving gay marriage, which he and the Catholic Church opposed. Then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio instead supported providing legal protections for gay people in stable unions through a so-called law of civil cohabitation."

Francis told Televisa: Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God." Speaking of families with gay children, he said: You cant kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.

In the new document and an accompanying unsigned article, the Vatican said questions had been raised about whether the church should bless same-sex unions in a sacramental way in recent years, and after Francis had insisted on the need to better welcome and accompany gay people in the church.

In the article, the Vatican stressed the fundamental and decisive distinction between gay individuals and gay unions, noting that the negative judgment on the blessing of unions of persons of the same sex does not imply a judgment on persons.
Associated Press

A top Sudanese military official said the government will review an agreement with Russia to establish a navy base in the African country. The remarks about the deal, which dates back to the government of now-deposed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and has not been ratified by the Sudanese parliament, indicate that Khartoum is seeking some changes to the agreement. Sudans Chief of General Staff, Gen. Mohammed Othman al-Hussein told Blue Nile television station late on Tuesday that negotiations are underway with Russian officials to achieve Sudans interests.
New Delhi:

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has sent commercial banks a second list of at least 26 defaulters to be referred to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for which insolvency proceedings should be initiated, three bankers aware of the development said.

In a letter, the central bank said these accounts should first be resolved through any of RBIs schemes before 13 December, failing which cases should be filed against these companies under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) at the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) before 31 December. NCLT is the arbitration authority for cases filed under the IBC.

These are accounts where 60 per cent of the outstanding amount was classified as non-performing on the books of banks as of 30 June, RBI added in its letter, the bankers cited above said on condition of anonymity.

The defaulters list comprises companies primarily in the power, telecommunication, steel and infrastructure sectors, according to the bankers, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Mint hasnt seen a copy of the letter.

Videocon Industries Ltd and Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL) are the two large companies among the list of 26 defaulters, accounting for over Rs1 trillion of debt, two of the bankers said. Multiple phone calls to Venugopal Dhoot, chairman and managing director of Videocon, remained unanswered.

We have no comment to offer as JALs resolution plan was approved on 22 June by JLF (joint lenders forum), said Manoj Gaur, chairman, Jaypee Group.

Mint isnt naming the remaining 24 defaulters because it couldnt confirm the names from at least two bankers and couldnt reach out to them.

On 19 August, a leading economic daily reported that RBI had identified 40 large defaulters as the next lot of firms where banks will push for early debt resolution.

Along with the 12 cases where bankruptcy proceedings have already started, these would account for 60-65% of the bad loans clogging the banking system, the report added. Gross bad loans of banks rose 24 per cent year-on-year to Rs7.79 trillion at the end of June.

In June, RBI identified 12 accounts accounting for 25 per cent of gross bad loans in the system for immediate bankruptcy proceedings. Except for Era Infra Engineering Ltd, the other 11 cases have been admitted by NCLT.

At that time, the central bank had said that lenders should finalize a resolution plan within six months for their top 500 stressed accounts. If they failed to find a resolution through other means, then they should move the NCLT for bankruptcy, RBI said.

If this list is true, it creates an incentive for both lenders and borrowers to restructure accounts outside of the bankruptcy code and avoid the disruptions that a bankruptcy filing can sometimes cause, said Ashwin Bishnoi, partner, Khaitan and Co.

Of course, as lenders and borrowers compare their options, they would like to know the difference between the bankruptcy code and other RBI restructuring regimes in terms of asset provisioning for banks. RBI clarity on this comparison would be helpful, Bishnoi added.

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Tim Paynter

Tim Paynter, who was VP-communications at Northrop Grumman, is now VP-external communications at BAE Systems electronics/defense contractor.

After a ten-year stint as chief journalist for the US Navy, Paytner joined Northrop Grumman in 2005 and exited in 2008 for a senior manager-corporate communications post at EAD North America, which is now Airbus Group.

He returned to Northrop Grumman in 2012 as director of communications and was upped to VP in 2017, to succeed the retiring Randy Belote.

More than 30K of UK-based BAEs 86K employees are based in the US. Paytner is stationed in its Falls Church, VA outpost.

Caitlin Hayden, a former Edelman executive VP, is BAEs senior VP-communications.

BAE also has appointed Shelly ONeill Stoneman, senior VP-government relations, effective April 17.

Stoneman, who served as special assistant to three defense secretaries during the Obama administration, currently is VP-executive brand and international government relations.

In that role, Stoneman is BAEs primary liaison to the Pentagon, State Dept., White House and intelligence community.
Indianapolis, IN (46208)

Today

Periods of rain. High 66F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Low near 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Newly vaccinated Massachusetts residents were treated to a mini concert over the weekend when famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma brought out his instrument after getting his second coronavirus shot.

A masked-up Ma took a seat along the wall of the observation area Saturday at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield and played for about 15 minutes to applause from the other attendees.

The renowned musician, who lives part-time in the area, said he wanted to give something back, The Berkshire Eagle quoted Richard Hall of the Berkshire COVID-19 Vaccine Collaborative as saying.

The quick concert came exactly one year after Ma started posting recordings of himself using the hashtag #SongsOfComfort on social media in an effort to ease anxiety throughout the early days of the pandemic.

I wanted to find a way to continue to share some of the music that gives me comfort, the cellist wrote on Twitter on March 13, 2020.

Since then, Ma has also played surprise pop-up concerts and live-streamed virtual concerts for essential workers and first-responders.

Massachusetts state Rep. William Pignatelli responded to a video posted on social media of the surprise show and praised Ma for bringing people hope and optimism through his beautiful music.
Purba Medinipur: Launching a scathing attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari on Monday called former "a liar".

Addressing a public meeting in Tamluk, Adhikari said, "Mamata Banerjee submitted her nomination from Nandigram. I objected against it today. There are six cases that she has not mentioned in her nomination paper. In 2018, five cases were filed in Assam, but she did not mention them. Another case is pending with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). She did not mention that too. Her foundation is based on lies, she is a liar."

Meanwhile, the BJP delegation visited the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Kolkata on Monday demanding the cancellation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nomination from Nandigram.

"We demanded the Election Commission to cancel the chief minister's nomination as she has six cases against her but her affidavit does not mention them. Earlier, the returning officer overlooked our request," said BJP leader Shishir Bajoria.

Nandigram will witness the most high-profile contest of West Bengal elections with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee taking on her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari, who had joined BJP in December last year. Adhikari had earlier said that BJP will defeat Banerjee by over 50,000 votes from Nandigram. Elections to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

Live TV
There seems to be no end to the political violence before the upcoming West Bengal polls. Now the BJP has claimed that they were attacked by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers on Sunday night at Domjur in Howrah. The BJP-TMC battle is not new in West Bengal and with the upcoming Bengal assembly polls, the incidents of violence have also been increasing, with the latest development being the Chief Minister herself alleging she was attacked at Nandigram.

BJP alleges that they were attending a get-together when the TMC workers unleashed their attack. The BJP also alleges that during the attack at least 8-10 of the party's workers were injured. They said that a group of TMC workers suddenly came and attacked them using bamboo-sticks.

It is probably fair to say now that violence in Bengal spikes during elections in the state. It had been witnessed in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as even the capital Kolkata wasn't spared. Now, with the polls quickly approaching, the BJP party president, as well as the Trinamool chief and state CM, have alleged attack. It is believed that the EC's decision to hold elections in 8 phases is in order to enable tighter vigilance of poll-bound areas.

In fact, the Election Commission had written to the Ministry of Home Affairs a while back about the need for paramilitary forces in conducting state elections and to make them available during that time.

Attack on West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

The West Bengal Chief Minister alleged attack by a group of 5 to 6 men in Nandigram as she went there to file her nomination for the poll battle to the constituency. The TMC had gone a step further to allege that the attack on Mamata Banerjee was a well-planned act, however, the detailed report presented to the Election Commission refuted this claim. The report stated the injury to Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's leg in Nandigram was accidental.

The BJP has been alleging for well over two years that over a hundred of its party cadre have been killed by 'TMC goons' in Bengal, with JP Nadda and Amit Shah together aiming to meet over 120 of their families before the polls begin. Furthermore, odd occurrences, such as explosions too large to be firecrackers and the discovery of crude bombs is alarmingly frequent in the state.
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Armenia economic competition protection commission: Experts forecast inflation of butter prices

Armenia citizens' protest against acting health minister is over

Pashinyan visits France, judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku, Jun. 2 digest

Armenian Ambassador, FMO representatives consider opportunities for expansion of cooperation in Armenia

Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Armenia citizens throw polyethylene bags at Health Ministry building, police apprehend protesters

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

Newspaper: What instructions did Armenia acting defense minister get in Moscow?

Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

Armenia 3rd President reacts to photos of bodies of soldiers in freezer: It felt like the blood froze in my veins

Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

Turkey's Erdogan expresses willingness to support Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral cooperation

Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

Wargonzo: Russian MOD is dealing with settlement of conflict in Armenia's Syunik Province on a daily basis

Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

Latest on scandal over improper storage of Armenian soldiers bodies, more on COVID-19, Jun. 1

Armenia Constitutional Court launches case proceedings based on President's application

Armenia acting emergency situations minister says he's concerned about situation in army

Armenia acting education, science, culture and sport minister receives ICRC Delegation

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

Armenia deputy police chief: No real cases of vote-buying reported to date

Armenia human rights activists: Nearly 10 protesters detained during protest in front of government building

Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

Yerevan court rules to conditionally release man who attempted to assassinate ex-presidential candidate

People came to power in Armenia who consistently destroyed army combat-readiness, says ex-President Kocharyan

Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

Armenia 1st President spokesperson: Ter-Petrosyan has nothing to speak with the nation-destroying plague

Armenia acting PM orders internal investigation into case of storage conditions of fallen soldiers bodies, remains

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan gives interview to Russia newspaper

Armenia acting deputy PM on unblocking of roads with Azerbaijan: There will be no troops standing there

Nikkei: Toyota and Honda stop car production in Malaysia

Armenia official on deploying international observers at Azerbaijan border: You will hear reaction on this matter soon

USAID helps UN World Food Programme support displaced people in Armenia

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Russias Putin to Armenias Pashinyan: Relations between our countries are developing very successfully
A Southern University nursing student who had been missing for nearly two weeks before his body was pulled Thursday from Lake Pontchartrain had been fatally shot, the Orleans Parish Coroners Office has confirmed.

Marquise Jones death is being investigated as a homicide, coroners spokesman Jason Melancon said Monday, confirming remarks that the 21-year-old victims mother had made three days earlier.

Jones family last saw him alive the night of Feb. 26, when he dropped food off at his mothers home in Slidell. According to Erica Jones, her sons friends said he went to a house party that day in the 2600 block of Onzaga Street near the Fairgrounds in New Orleans and left about 11:30 p.m.

Mother of Southern University student found in lake says he was slain: 'He would've shined' The death of the Southern University nursing student who went missing for nearly two weeks and was found dead in Lake Pontchartrain on Thursda

A week later, on March 5, police found Marquise Jones car parked in front of an abandoned apartment complex in New Orleans East. Investigators acknowledged then that they feared Jones disappearance had resulted from foul play.

That fear was confirmed Thursday afternoon, when a crabber on Lake Pontchartrain near Bonnabel Boulevard in Metairie saw Jones body floating in the water and called the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office. Deputies recovered the body but then turned over the investigation to the New Orleans Police Department after realizing Jones had actually been discovered in waters within the citys limits.

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The results of an autopsy later showed Jones had died as a result of at least one gunshot wound, Melancon said. A New Orleans Police Department spokesman on Monday said the agency's homicide investigations division had taken over Jones' case after it was initially assigned to the 3rd District, which includes the area where the body was recovered.

Erica Jones has said her son had aspired to become a nurse since he was in high school because he wanted to help people. He was on the deans list at Southern in Baton Rouge and always made sure to spend time with his five siblings, especially his 13-year-old brother, Camron, their mother said.

I want people to know that this was a very good person who they took, Erica Jones said. If they wouldve given him a chance, he wouldve shined. But they didnt give him a chance.

The nursing school at Southern in Baton Rouge was scheduled to host a candlelight memorial in honor of Marquise Jones starting at 6:30 p.m. Monday.

Police havent named any suspects or discussed a possible motive in Jones slaying. Anyone with information may call Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111. Tipsters do not have to give their names or testify and could be eligible for a cash reward.
Mayfield Man Charged With February Walmart Robbery

By West Kentucky Star Staff

Police searched the area but did not locate the suspect.



st degree robbery.

MAYFIELD - A Mayfield man has been charged with robbing the Mayfield Walmart last month.The Mayfield Police Department said officers responded to Walmart on Feb. 22 where store personnel told officers that an unidentified man brandished a knife while fleeing the store with stolen merchandise.On Saturday, 53-year-old Kenneth Beauchamp was arrested without incident. Beauchamp was lodged in the Graves County Jail on a charge of fir
Protestors attend a rally for the Uyghur community at Parliament House on March 15, 2021 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

Australian Uyghur Groups Call On the Government to Help Stop CCP Genocide

Australian Uyghurs have rallied in front of the federal parliament in Canberra on Monday, calling for the Australian government to recognize what Beijing is doing in the Xinjiang region as a genocide.

If they dont listen now, a whole community, the whole Uyghur nation, is going to disappear, Ramila Chanisheff, president of the Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Womens Association, told AAP.

This is the 21st century. How does genocide occur in the 21st century?

Protestors attend a rally for the Uyghur community at Parliament House on March 15, 2021, in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

Chanisheff has not seen her cousins for 10 years. She said everyone who came to the rally have families or friends who disappeared in Xinjiang.

Theres over 380 concentration camps in the region. Over 500,000 children have been taken away from parents into state-run orphanages to be raised as Chinese, she said.

Chanisheff also said that estimates that one million Uyghurs were being held illegally in the Xinjiang region as CCP propaganda. She noted that according to the satellite imagery and independent researchers, the number of detention centres indicates the true number of Uyghurs killed is much higher.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne has called the systematic torture and abuse of women in Xinjiang deeply disturbing, saying that Australia had been consistent in raising significant concerns with the human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne speaks to the press. (Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP via Getty Images)

So far, the Australian government has voiced concern over the matter regarding the arbitrary detention, restrictions of religious belief, surveillance, and forced labour in bilateral discussions with Beijing and at the United Nations. However, it has yet to declare whats happening in the Xinjiang region as a genocide.

Independent Senator Rex Patrick, who has proposed a bill to ban the products made by forced Uyghur labour, also spoke at the rally.

It is the mass repression of a group of people on a mass scale, an unprecedented scale, Patrick said.

The Australian parliament needs to stand up and call out exactly what is going on. I want Australia to join in with other countries such as the United States, Canada, the Dutch, the UK, who are standing pretty strong.

According to a new report (pdf) released by Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy, an American thinktank, what the CCP did in the Xinjiang region has violated every provision in the United Nations 1948 Genocide Convention.

AAP contributed to this report
I saw signs of resilience and normalcy for the first time. Students are going to schools and universities. New businesses and factories are opening. The streets are full of cars that are assembled in the city of Idlib. New restaurants are opening. I had dinner in a restaurant called Disney in Idlib. Children were playing in the attached playground. The restaurant had vintage cars on display. It was so different from my last visit a year ago, which was during a bombing campaign that targeted hospitals and schools and led to the displacement of 1.2 million people.
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BANGKOK (Reuters) - A mass trial began in Thailand on Monday for activists accused of sedition and insulting the powerful monarchy at a major protest last year, one of a series of mass demonstrations against the country's military-backed establishment.

The 22 demonstrators deny charges of committing sedition and a litany of other offences, which includes lese majeste in section 112 of the Thai criminal code, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison for each count.

"They can lock me up but they cannot lock up the truth," protest leader Parit "Penguin" Chiwarak shouted as he arrived in a prison truck, defiantly flashing the three-finger "Hunger Games" salute synonymous with the youth movement.

"The truth is always the truth whether in prison, under torture or awaiting execution, the truth is the truth," said Parit, 22, who is among seven defendants held in pre-trial detention accused of sedition and insulting King Maha Vajiralongkorn during two protests in September.

Parit later announced he would go on hunger strike until he and his friends were granted bail.

How long the trial will last is not known and the judge adjourned proceedings until March 29, defence lawyer Krisadang Nutcharat told Reuters.

The court could not be reached for comment but during earlier indictment processes it has denied multiple bail requests for the seven on the grounds that could re-offend by holding more protests.

Thailand's youth movement has posed the biggest challenge so far to prime minister and former coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha, who they say engineered a process that would preserve the political status quo and keep him in power after a 2019 election. Prayuth has rejected that.

Protesters also broke a traditional taboo by demanding reform of the monarchy, saying the constitution drafted by the military after the 2014 coup gives the king too much power.

(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Martin Petty)
Great things are done when men and mountains meet; This is not done by jostling in the streets. William Blake

Im drawn to wilderness. The siren call is strong. Today I find that to actually get to the edge of wilderness takes an appreciable amount of time that gets harder with each call. It turns out that getting there is well worth the drive or the flight, but actually going the distance is the first real challenge.

The www. tells us that only 5% of the entire USA is protected as wilderness and just over half of that is in Alaska. (I once tried to hitchhike to Alaska but for some unexplained reason I turned south in Oregon, probably due to dense fog, and wound up in Tijuana.)

That leaves 2.7% of the contiguous US with so called unmolested wilderness. Tennessees share of that remaining 2.7% is somewhere shy of approximately 95,000 acres and most of it is in fairly close to striking distance from here. Tennessee is the countries 36th largest state covering an area of 27 million acres. If this data from the www. is accurate (it may be full of fake news) that means .35% of our state is protected as wilderness.

I also ran across the fact that 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of a Walmart and in 2021 that translates to 4,756 Walmart boxes. Dollar General stores are in 46 states with 17,000 boxes and the data tells us that this corporation has more stores than McDonalds and Starbucks combined.

That little depressing factoid got me to thinking about somewhere between 14,000 and 12,000 years ago when the first folks supposedly decided to walk to North America in search of better food and a warmer weather. All of the Americas were wilderness. Untouched, untamed and these intrepid adventurers were a long, very long way from hot coffee.

The first Americans were hunter-gatherers that anthropologists label as Clovis people, named for a site in New Mexico where the characteristic large stone spear points were first recognized. Hundreds of Clovis sites are known, blanketing all 48 of the lower US states and south into Mexico. Anthropologists also tell us that they have unquestioned evidence of human presence appearing soon after in Amazonia and Patagonia.

I find it somewhat phenomenal that academics have deduced that Clovis descendants could reach Patagonia, lying 8,000 miles south of the US-Canada border in less than 1,000 years. However, they say that translates into an average expansion of only 8 miles per year, a trivial feat for a hunter-gatherer band likely to cover that distance even in a single day of foraging.

A couple of years ago I witnessed a demonstration of logging from the pre-chainsaw era where two loggers with four mules and a wagon attempted to load five mature pine logs for a trip to a sawmill. This was accomplished on flat ground and it still took them almost 4 hours to get the mules to handle all of the heavy lifting. I stood there stunned and humbled trying to translate what I was seeing and applying it to the evaporation of all but .35% of the 27 million acres of our once virgin forest covered state.

River bottom flatland deforestation must have relatively easy compared to the big timbered steep mountains. But, when steam, narrow gauge rail lines and big money were added to the equation, it apparently didnt take long until there was precious little old growth left in our neck of the woods.

If youve ever fished the Slickrock or been into the Joyce Kilmer forest youve been fortunate to see some of the remaining .35%

Theres something in wilderness, women and guns the run attractive parallel paths for me.

Inexplicable as it may be, its got to be the way they appear, smell, feel and handle. Theres danger, intrigue, power, mystery and a sense of satisfaction when done correctly. Sometimes survival can be questionable at times, but they are all well worth the effort when challenged.

The last time I shared some wilderness with Grizzlies wasnt all that romantic but all the danger, mystery, intrigue and power was suddenly in maximum abundance. The steam faintly rising from a large pile of scat and the paw prints the size of a volleyball instantly put us all on high alert. While checking for my can of bear spray and the wind direction and rapidly calculating the time it would take to bleed to death after I shot the bear with my bow, I found myself wondering how this would have all played out 12,000 years ago. Flint tipped spear versus cave bear. No cell service, no helicopter, no blood clot bandage, all wilderness as far as the eye could see before either you or the bear couldnt see any longer.

Maybe thats it, maybe its the challenge of the wilderness that stirs the hunter-gatherer gene. Im not sure Im up to spearing a saber toothed cat for my next meal; but neither do I relish getting any closer than I already am to a box called Walmart.

So where are we after 12,000 years? The big trees are for all intent and purpose are now relegated to Central Park status. We have box stores to replace farms and forests. That begs another question; how long will it take folks in New Mexico, Kansas and Nebraska to be within 20 miles of a Dollar General?

I think its time to fish for brook trout. Its the .35% wilderness calling.
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WTVA) - Residents in Lowndes County must wear face coverings when inside county-owned buildings.

The Board of Supervisors voted on the county-wide mandate Monday morning.

Before Monday morning's meeting, Lowndes County had no mask mandate separate from the governors.

Gov. Tate Reeves lifted all statewide restrictions on March 3. However, cities, businesses and individual counties could still retain any local restrictions if necessary.

District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks said the mandate is in place to encourage the public to continue wearing masks.

However, there isn't a penalty if they choose not to wear masks.

The county's mask mandate will remain in effect until the end of April.

According to the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), more than 16,000 vaccinations have been administered in Lowndes County as of Monday, March 15.

Open this link to view MSDH's latest vaccination report. Select "Vaccination Report for Mississippi."
You are here: China

China allocated 931.6 billion yuan (about 143.7 billion U.S. dollars) for advancing the balanced development of compulsory education during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) period, the country's finance ministry said.

The country distributed a total of 587.7 billion yuan under the urban and rural compulsory educational expenditure assurance mechanism over the past five years.

In 2020, about 154 million students receiving compulsory education were exempt from tuition fees and other charges at school, while 25 million students from poor families were offered living subsidies.

From 2016 to 2020, a total of 163.9 billion yuan was allocated to improve conditions of schools in poor areas including on education informatization.

During the period, another 103 billion yuan was distributed to pilot districts as incentives amid the country's efforts to improve the nutritional status of children in poor areas.
A city worker gives instructions to migrants at a bus station in Brownsville, Texas before travelling to meet relatives or sponsors on March 2, 2021. (Sergio Flores/AFP via Getty Images)

If We Care About Kids, US Immigration Policy Is Not Humanitarian

Commentary

Your loyal columnist is not in the habit of saying, I told you so, but may I remind readers about a column I wrote a few weeks ago in which I warned that the United States was in for a bumpy immigration ride ahead.

Massive human caravans from Honduras are already headed this way, I wrote the first of February following President Joe Bidens 100-day ban on deportations. Some predict throngs of Central American migrants will follow. It was a no-brainer: If you announce to the world that your southernmost door is wide open, people will come in.

Humanitarian, you say? Nope. Lets look at the record numbers of underaged, unaccompanied kids who are making the dangerous trek to the United States. In January, more than 5,700 kids presented themselves at the U.S. border. In February, almost 15,000 youngsters traveled at great peril in just the first two months of 2021.

Parents think about that. Would you allow your child to travel a route from, say, San Salvador to El Paso, Texas alone? Google Maps estimates the 2,000-mile walk would take 28 days. Where would your child sleep? How would they eat? Where would they relieve themselves? How would they resist sexual advances?

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott asked the Border Patrol, What percentage of these youngsters were coming over with the assistance of drug cartels and the answer was 100 percent, he said. These kids are basically trafficked here by the drug cartels. One can only guess what these young people will do to survive here and exactly how they will pay back the cartels.

So, thats just the situation with migrant kids. Overall, at least 178,000 migrants were processed from Mexico into the United States in January and February. That doesnt count the 8,000 refugees Abbott told Fox News were apprehended the first week of March, nor those illegals who slipped into the country undetected. Also, some 71,000 Central Americans who had been waiting for entry via the recently dismantled Remain in Mexico amnesty program have now been welcomed into the United States.

Bottom line: U.S. taxpayers are suddenly supporting nearly 260,000 newcomers, some of whom were released after testing positive for COVID-19.

I worry most about the young people. Have we adults, consumed with surviving this last dreadful year, forgotten to worry about the future of our children? American youth has suffered through a depressing and sometimes suicidal pandemic year, isolated by teachers who ignore science and keep classrooms closed. And Central American children have experienced all sorts of hell in their home countries and then endured a dangerous and exhausting journey north to the U.S. border. What is to become of this younger generation?

We pride ourselves on being a humane society, but sending indigent parents in faraway lands a message that if you send your child on the journey to the United States, everything will be OK is not humane. A policy that lures desperate people to travel thousands of miles over dangerous territory and face potentially violent cartel coyotes is not compassionate. Refugee tales of rape, extortion, hunger, and death are well reported.

The political and media outrage machines like to focus on futile and divisive sidebar topics surrounding immigration. They spend time comparing past and present presidential decisions to house migrants in cages versus containers. They argue about whether todays massive influx should be labeled a mere challenge, as the Biden administration calls it, or a full blown crisis, as a similar situation during the Trump administration was called by TV talking heads.

Hey, I have an idea. Instead of breathless but meaningless media coverage and imperious executive orders from the White House automatically undoing past immigration policy, how about we have a full and frank debate in this country about this ever-worsening migrant situation? Citizens surely want to know why immigration laws already on the books are ignored and why sanctuary cities are allowed to exist.

Naturally, a debate about national security issues like this should take place on Capitol Hill, but dont hold your breath. This president has decided a fully open southern border is the way to go. And if you dont like it, you can lump it. Is that OK with you?

Diane Dimond is an author and investigative journalist. Her latest book is Thinking Outside the Crime and Justice Box.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
By Thursday, April 9, 2020, ten days after Nigeria entered a partial lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officers of the Nigeria police, army, correctional service and others had extra-judicially killed 13 people while enforcing the curfew  the virus had only claimed six lives by then. By May 4, when the government eased the lockdown, about 20 persons had been killed in similar circumstances. For three months, investigative journalist, Kemi Busari, followed the trails of these arbitrary killings which have left many families devastated, with no hope of justice. This is the last part of the series.

When not in school, Usman Abdulkadir would either go for Arabic lessons, play with other children in his fathers compound or engage in this third activity, one many of his family members were not aware of.

Usman was only a boy that was industrious, said his father, Abdulkadir Sulaiman. I did not know (he engages in this third activity) until after the incident. He was there, only helping people to put animals in the car. You buy a goat, he helps you put it, at least you give him N5. That way, he thought he could do something for himself.

On April 20, 2020, a time most of Jigawa State was on lockdown, 10-year-old Usman had left home to engage in menial labour at Sankara market located in Ringim Local Government Area. The market, covering a small expanse, opens every Monday and thrives around the evening. Although there was a lockdown in force, residents of Sankara had trooped out to stock up groceries.

The assault on Sankara market is similar to that which happened in Trikania Kaduna. The police had first approached the traders to tell them to clear off the market but only a few did. On a return, the officers unleashed terror.

Residents said they heard gunshots, then everyone scampered for safety. Some moments later, Usman was found lying unconscious in the market, blood oozing out of his skull. He had been hit.

Kamal Abdulrasaq, an older friend, was the first person to reach Usman.

I was already running but when I heard gunshots, I came back and saw the boy lying there; I took him up, Kamal told this reporter. I even thought he was not the one, then I realised it was him, Usman. We took him, ran towards there (pointing in a direction) boarded a bike, and rushed him to the hospital.

Kamal said he witnessed Usman being hit by a tear gas shell fired by the police officers; other residents said it was a bullet.

Usman was quickly taken to the Sankara Primary Health Centre, some 500 metres away. By this time, none of his family members was yet aware of the tragedy. Abdulkadir was enjoying the evening breeze when the news filtered in.

I witnessed the pour (influx) of sympathisers crying that Usman was shot in the market by the police. I quickly rushed out to find where he was, he was at the primary health centre in Sankara here. I went down there, I met another crowd of people. When I entered the hospital, I saw him on their bed screaming in pain. I saw the shot (wound) under his ear.

Usman was given first-aid treatment at the Sankara Primary Health Centre and thereafter transferred to Ringim General Hospital for further treatment.

Two days later, noticing that his health condition was not improving, medical personnel at Ringim General Hospital advised that he be taken to Rasheed Sekoni Specialist Hospital in Dutse, the state capital.

The family heeded. He was, same day, referred to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano where he was to undergo surgery on his skull.

The family arranged for the transfer with high hopes that Usman would get better care. Barely 24 hours after, on Thursday, April 23, Usman breathed his last.

Who, what killed Usman?

Shortly after Usman was taken to Sankara Primary Health Centre, residents of the community trooped out to protest what they believed was a case of extra-judicial killing of an innocent boy by a police officer. They heard reverberation of gunshots; one of the shots must have hit Usman, they believe. But the police have a contrary narrative.

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The then Public Relations Officer (PRO) Jigawa Police Command, Audu Jinjiri, said the police went to the market to enforce a shut-down order imposed on markets in the state but were resisted by locals who pelted them with stones.

The boy was hit by one of the stones peddled (thrown) by the angry locals, he said, denying that a police officer shot Usman.

Many months after, Usmans family members and residents are still surprised that the police would not take responsibility for the killing.

The majority of them believed that Usman was hit by a police officer, one they recognise physically and by name.

The bullet scratched the place (skull) brushed him and went outI went and confirmed. That was not a stone, said Abdulkadir.

Abdulkadir added that a stone, as claimed by the police, would not make a passage through the skull as did the bullet that hit Usman.

Seeking some answers, PREMIUM TIMES traced the medical officer who first attended to Usman at the primary health centre. Salisu Musa said he only administered first aid on Usman but could not ascertain if it was or was not a bullet wound.

I just gave him a first aid treatment and referred him to Ringim General Hospital for further management, he said. I dont know whether its a gunshot or stone.

Since it was only a primary health centre, where such complicated cases rarely surface, the centre lacked facilities for the treatment and kept no such record.

We then made a request, backed by the family, for Usmans medical record at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. The hospital was yet to issue the information as of the time of publishing this.

Tear gas shell, bullet or stone? The puzzle of what or who killed Usman still hangs in the balance.

No justice

For several months, Abdulkadir turned down this newspapers attempt to have him talk about the incident. Ive left everything to God, he would say. He made his reasons known when he finally agreed to an interview.

I virtually did nothing because I know the kind of society we are living in, he said adding that the denial by the police is enough pointer to what he would face if he sought justice.

Usmans sister, Summaya, a 400-level law student of Bayero University Kano, does not entirely believe in the efficacy of the system but still wants justice.

At that time I tried to take legal actions, to go to court and seek justice. Only one thing is that at that time, there were lockdown and corona(virus) issues so I couldnt do anything but always Im thinking of what to do, she said.

Summaya wants the police to take responsibility, identify the erring officer and charge him to court. Should the police fail, she is open to initiating litigation by herself or collaborate with any concerned party.

Cover-up or pseudo investigation?

Two days after Usmans death, the police released a statement where it promised an investigation, particularly into the allegation that shots fired by officers killed the 10-year-old.

Mr Jinjiri then said all the officers who participated in the lockdown enforcement at Sankara market were under investigation.

The command has no intention to cover any of its personnel found violating rules of engagement and the outcome of the investigation would be known publicly soon, Mr Jinjiri said.

About one year after, however, the police are yet to publish the outcome of their investigation. The current Jigawa police spokesperson, Aminudeen Zubair, said he only assumed office in January 2021 and has no details of the incident.

When PREMIUM TIMES reached Mr Jinjiri, he asked that all enquiries be directed to the state command as he no longer has the mandate to speak for the police.

Police denials notwithstanding, the blemish on the officers that stormed Sankara market that day and on the police as an institution will remain until conscious efforts are made to bring closure to the killing.

It was definite that it was the police but in their usual way, theyll never accept that they did anything. Coronavirus did not kill as many people as the police did or security operatives did in Nigeria, Abdulkadir said.

Blood on uniforms

Nigerians continue to air their views on the high-handedness and impunity of the nations security forces. This investigation is another pointer to these concerns.

Of the 18 cases tracked, including that of Onyedikachi Agbatuwa, although it occurred after the lockdown, none of the victims has gotten justice.

The best records were perhaps dismissals of personnel which only happened in Abia and Rivers.

For others, such as the officers who killed five in Kaduna, the warders who opened fire on inmates in Kaduna Correctional Centre, the drunk officer who killed a 22-year-old and inflicted on another life injury in Anambra, justice is yet to be served.

There is also the NSCDC officer who killed a breadwinner, the unknown assailant of a teenager in Ebonyi, the soldier who chased and killed a father of one in Delta and police officer whose actions led to the killing of a 10-year-old brilliant schoolboy. For now, in these cases, it is either denial, zero or slow attempt at justice or a complete cover-up.

Apart from the NSCDC officer who has now been dismissed, all others involved in the cases mentioned above are still in active service feeding off the sweat of Nigerians who pay taxes.

The lethargy of the police cannot be overlooked. In all of the cases, the police promised an investigation. Further, they promised to make the investigation public.

One year down the line, none of such investigations nor their results was made public.

These inadequacies by the police snowballed into the famous #EndSARS protest which rocked the country in October 2020.

Addressing protesters, President Muhammadu Buhari assured that the excesses of the police would be checked and that the fundamental rights of all citizens are (would be) protected.

But it was only a matter of time after Mr Buharis weak assurances, the police has killed again.
AUSTIN, Texas, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DroneSense, the Austin-based developers of the DroneSense Public Safety Drone Platform, has been awarded an agreement with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to improve situational awareness by centralizing and integrating massive data sets, and creating the ideal environment for multiple agencies to collaborate and work together effectively to face any public safety crisis. DPS awarded DroneSense the contract with options to renew for multiple years.

DroneSense

Built for pilots, operators, and administrators to communicate easily and effectively with one another and share mission-critical information, DroneSense allows for seamless communication and collaboration while supporting a wide variety of drones, tablets, and sensors. The hardware agnostic platform means agencies can utilize DroneSense while using preferred hardware combinations from manufacturers including DJI, Parrot, and Autel.

DroneSense provides an unmatched level of situational awareness, allowing operators and teams to coordinate operations from anywhere. Centralizing, standardizing, and securing massive amounts of raw data across multiple agencies makes processing and parsing through the information much faster, allowing teams to make timely, informed decisions to safely complete the mission.

Texas DPS is one of the country's premier Public Safety agencies with a broad range of mission requirements including law enforcement, counterterrorism, disaster response and search and rescue. Their drone program started in 2017 and includes over 100 sUAS units today and growing. In addition, they offer drone operation training at their Florence, TX facility where they train agencies from across the state and country in real-world situations including night operations, SAR and clearing facilities.

"We're excited to expand our relationship with the Texas Department of Public Safety, and look forward to sharing what we're able to offer other public safety agencies like law enforcement, fire, and emergency management," said Chris Eyhorn, CEO of DroneSense. "The scale of the DPS drone program gives us great insight into features and capabilities to enhance our solution and better serve other Public Safety agencies. Our goal is to provide the most complete set of information in a way that provides drone teams and supporting agencies the information needed to effectively respond to any emergency scenario."

About DroneSense

Based in Austin, TX, DroneSense offers a comprehensive solution that empowers organizations to build, manage, and scale unmanned aircraft programs. DroneSense has built a mission-critical software platform that enables users to leverage the full capabilities of drones in all operations. Drones powered by the DroneSense platform provide decision quality data that expands situational awareness and acts as a force multiplier, ultimately leading to more lives saved. To learn more about DroneSense, please visit www.DroneSense.com.

Media Contact:

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Former Moscow judge receives 4.5 years behind bars for $7,000 graft

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

13:49 15/03/2021

MOSCOW, March 15 (RAPSI)  A court in Mytishchi, a town in the Moscow Region, has sentenced a former judge of Moscows Kuzminsky District Court Ruslan Yakubayev to 4.6 years in high-security penal colony for receiving a bribe worth 500,000 rubles ($7,000) from a criminal case defendant, the press service of the Prosecutor Generals Office reports.

Additionally, he has been prohibited from holding state service posts related to performing duties of a representative of authority for 4 years.

According to the court and investigators, in March 2019, Yakubayev received 500,000 rubles from an accused in a case over illegal trafficking in drugs as a bribe for taking decision on dismissal of an investigators motion for the defendants detention.




Northern Irelands Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride has paid tribute to retired obstetrician and gynaecologist Professor Jim Dornan, saying that he leaves a "lasting legacy" behind.

Professor Dornan, the father of actor Jamie Dornan, passed away aged 73 after having suffered Covid-19. He had previously been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

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Dr McBride said: I was very saddened and shocked to hear this news. My deepest condolences go to his family and many friends.

Professor Dornan made an immense contribution to obstetrics and fetomaternal medicine. He held a number of significant and important leadership roles in the health service both in Northern Ireland and nationally.

I trust his family will take some comfort from the lasting legacy he leaves behind, and the esteem in which he was held by so many people at home and abroad.

Posting on social media on Monday morning, Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI wrote: "Incredibly sad news to share this morning as we learnt of the passing of Professor Jim Dornan.

"Jim was a passionate patron, advocate and long time friend to all at Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI.

"A champion for many local charities and causes in NI, Jim always gave his time and advice freely with big smile and plenty of fun.

"He leaves a lasting legacy to the charity sector, the medical sector and to his family, friends and colleagues.

"We extend our deepest sympathies to Jim's family and friends at this very sad time. RIP Jim."

Very sad news this morning of the passing of Prof Jim Dornan. A man very well respected throughout the community and across the medical profession. My thoughts are with his family at this very sad time.  Michelle OaNeill (@moneillsf) March 15, 2021

So shocked to learn of death Professor Jim Dornan.



Devastating news. We were working together on a cross border health project and he was full of great ideas and determined to make positive change.



Thoughts are with his family and friends RIP Jim. Rest easy big man.  Deirdre Heenan (@deirdreheenan) March 15, 2021

Very sad news this morning on the passing of Professor Jim Dornan, a passionate patron, advocate and friend to all at @LAL_NI. Jim was champion for so many small charities and causes in NI and that legacy will live on.

Condolences to family and friends at this sad time https://t.co/KBFN1TXCGX  Leukaemia&LymphomaNI (@LAL_NI) March 15, 2021

The FAile team is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Professor Jim Dornan, & we send our condolences to his family.



Jim participated in a number of FAile an Phobail debates & discussions over recent years, & his contribution was greatly valued.



Ar dheis DA go raibh a anam pic.twitter.com/iVmldeXgGE  FAile an Phobail (@FeileBelfast) March 15, 2021

North Antrim MP Ian Paisley said: "It is with great sadness that I learnt this morning of the passing of world renowned professor Jim Dornan. I wish to express to his wife Samina and his children Jamie, Liesa, and Jessica my profound sadness.

"Jim was a wonderful man, he was engaged in political lobbying and promotion of many medical and non medical issues. Above all he loved Northern Ireland and was so proud of this place.

"His ambition, expressed often to me, was to see Northern Ireland and its people flourish and be the best. No obstacle was ever insurmountable for him and he was a great source of encouragement.

"I will miss our many chats and text messages and his ability to challenge and encourage change."

Expand Close Jim Dornan with actor son Jamie / Facebook

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Whatsapp Jim Dornan with actor son Jamie

SDLP health spokesperson, Cara Hunter, paid tribute to Professor Dornan's tremendous life and legacy.

The East Derry MLA said: Professor Dornan was a world renowned obstetrician and gynaecologist and his research and work has contributed to improving lives across Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is a better place to live, thanks to the work of Jim Dornan. May he rest in peace.

During his distinguished medical career, Professor Dornan was a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist with the Belfast trust from 1986 to 2012, professor of Foetal Medicine at Queen's University Belfast from 1995 to 2012 and senior vice-president of the Royal College of Gynaecologists from 2004 to 2006.

He was also chair of Health and Life Sciences at Ulster University and head of department with Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain.

His first wife Lorna Dornan had stage four pancreatic cancer and died in July 1998.

He later remarried top gynaecologist Samina Dornan.

Expand Close Actor Jamie Dornan with his sister Jessica Dornan Lynas and father Dr Jim Dornan at the launch of NIPanC in August 2018. PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Actor Jamie Dornan with his sister Jessica Dornan Lynas and father Dr Jim Dornan at the launch of NIPanC in August 2018.

The renowned surgeon and his Hollywood actor son Jamie later backed a new group, NI PanC, set up in Belfast to support families battling pancreatic cancer.

It is with great sadness that NIPANC has heard of the death of Professor Jim Dornan, who died in the UAE on 15 March.



Jim, who was the President of NIPANC, the Northern Ireland pancreatic cancer charity, lived a life of public service. pic.twitter.com/mkdk2Blwn3  NIPANC (@NIPANC_) March 15, 2021

Having once considered acting as a career, the father-of-three recently appeared in the third series of the ITV drama Marcella, which stars Anna Friel and was shot in Belfast.

He had previous experience of playing a policeman, having appeared in The Fall, in which son Jamie played a serial killer, after Allan Cubitt, the writer and producer of the series, came up with the idea.
Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh, Energy Minister, has unveiled Governments plans to make the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) one of the premium refineries in the West Africa sub-region.



Dr Prempeh indicated that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo led government would offer support to TOR in the form of a strategic partnership with the aim of making the refinery operate at its fullest potentials.



Dr Prempeh stated during his first familiarization visit and interaction with staff and management of the refinery at Tema.



TOR, established in 1963 is Ghanas only refinery, which refines crude oil into various petroleum products including Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), gasoline (petrol), kerosene, gas oil (diesel), aviation turban kerosene, and premix among others.



Dr Prempeh emphasized that TOR would not be disintegrated or go through divestiture under the current government as it remained a very important asset on the list of the Energy Ministry.



He noted that to achieve its aims, workers and management of TOR must work together in unity to turn the fortunes of the refinery around.



He assured the workers that the Ministry would ensure that regulations by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) did not adversely affect the refinery but rather assisted it to achieve its set goals and objectives.



Mr Francis A. T. Boateng, TOR Managing Director, expressed gratitude to the Minister for choosing the refinery as the first institution to visit after assumption of office as the sector minister.



He described it as an honour and privilege as it emphasized the Ministers commitment to help bring TOR back to life, a promise he gave during his vetting.



Mr Boateng said the completion and commission of the second furnace of the refinery which exploded in January 2017 would return TOR to its original capacity of 45,000 barrels per stream day which will double its revenue generation potential.



He thanked the Minister for the immeasurable role he played when he was a minister-designate when he ensured that funds were made available to TOR for the purpose of completion and commissioning the furnace to replace the exploded one.

Source: GNA









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A concerned parent says his two children were left terrified after an incident at Kaimai School.

Students were put into lockdown after a trespasser acting erratically made his way onto school grounds.

Parents were alerted of the incident by text and email on the morning of Tuesday, March 9.

In a letter addressed to parents and whanau, Kaimai School principal Justin Bertrand stated a man, unknown to staff, entered the reception area. The statement read that it became immediately clear the male in question was unwell in a number of ways.

The trespasser informed staff at the school that he had slept rough in Tauriko the previous night and was walking across the Kaimai Range to attend an appointment in Hamilton in April.

Whilst the school assessed the risk as low-moderate, they decided to take no chances and placed pupils into lockdown in their classrooms.

They remained in lockdown until 11.40am.

We had a man walk off the highway and into our school, confirms Justin.

He was mentally unstable and needed a place to rest.

He had plans to walk to Hamilton, which obviously wasn't a good idea. We called the police and locked all the classrooms as a precaution until he was collected.

A father of two pupils at the school, who wished to remain anonymous, says he was alerted to the issue by text at about midday on Tuesday.

Hes complimentary of the schools response to the incident.

The school did the right thing, he says.

The safety of the children is of paramount importance.

The staff were as worried for the children, as they were for this gentleman. There was some deep concern for his well-being.

He says his two children, aged 11 and nine, were deeply affected by the incident.

They both got through the rest of the day but when they got home, they had a big breakdown and a cry. They were really shook up by it. Being in lockdown for nearly three hours without knowing what is going on, is going to spook any child.

My eldest was an hour late going to school the following morning. He refused to get ready for school, he refused to pack his lunch. I couldnt get through to him.

My wife managed to sit down with him after I took my youngest in to school. She talked to him for a while and it transpired he was really scared to go to school.

Police have confirmed they were alerted to the presence of the intruder shortly after 9am on Tuesday.

They state there was no indication of any threat or safety concern to anybody other than the person in question. The school was asked to contact police again if the situation changed.

However, the schools principal has confirmed police were not immediately informed the school had placed the students into lockdown.

Around 11am the school called back and notified police the school had been in lockdown for two hours and asked when police were likely to attend, says a police spokesperson.

Shortly after this, police were on scene and speaking with the man, who was later given a ride to another address by police.

The incident lasted for about two hours and forty minutes.

The concerned parent believes the fact police were unaware of the lockdown situation is a moot point.

You would hope that if a phonecall went in from a school, whether they had gone into lockdown or not, the police would want to attend pretty sharpish to ensure public safety was being maintained rather than being reactionary.

If I had a fire in my kitchen and rang the fire brigade and said my kitchen is on fire Ill try and put it out with water and they said sweet, ring us back if the house burns down. Surely it is the same principle?

Its ambulance at the bottom of the cliff stuff.

The schools principal has confirmed that the man in question, of whom the staff at Kaimai School also had serious concerns regarding his well-being, is said to be back in Tauranga.

The parent in question is also happy to hear that the unwelcome visitor to school grounds is back in Tauranga and off the road.

However, he remains disappointed with the police response.

Thankfully nothing happened. I know the police are woefully underesourced in this city and I have no ill-feeling toward them.

Thankfully we dont live in America where this sort of thing happens. But a three hour response time? Anything could have happened.
Mumbai, March 15 : Actor Ayushmann Khurrana and his wife Tahira Kashyap are celebrating 20 years of togetherness. Expressing her love for hubby Ayushmann on Monday, Tahira shared a collage video on Instagram of their photographs over the years.

Tahira expressed that she is "hopelessly in love" with Ayushmann.

She wrote: "Haters will say it's so cheesy! Well I have been there too, but it's amazing to be on this side of the spectrum... such a sucker for love I am hopelessly in love with you @ayushmannk #happyanniversary #oganniversary #20years."

Reacting to Tahira's post, Ayushmann shared on his Instagram Story: "It started during our board exams of class 12. Ummm", with a red heart emoji.

The actor is currently shooting in Assam for Anubhav Sinha's upcoming film "Anek". Ayushmann also informed on his Instagram Story that they have just completed shooting in Shillong for the film.

"Anek" is slated to release on September 17.

-- Syndicated from IANS
After a slew of publicity at the expense of Britain's queen, Meghan Markle, the Hollywood actress now the so-called duchess of Sussex, has decided she wants to be U.S. president, according to a Daily Mail report.

Meghan Markle will use the furore over her interview with Oprah to launch a political career which could take her all the way to the White House, if rumours circulating around Westminster last week turn out to be accurate. One senior Labour figure  a veteran of Tony Blair's Downing Street administration with strong links to Washington  claimed to The Mail on Sunday that Ms Markle, 39, was networking among senior Democrats with a view to building a campaign and fundraising teams for a tilt at the US Presidency. Last night, a source close to the Duchess of Sussex declined to comment, but the couple have made little secret of their political beliefs.

This, on first thought, would be over Kamala Harris's dead body, given that she's the one tolerating Old Joe until the time comes. But as house husband Harry says, "What Meghan wants, Meghan gets."

Who knows what the heck this ambitious bounder has in mind?

The important thing to know is that she's consorting and meeting with top Democratic political leaders, given that the lady of leisure in her Montecito mansion has lots of time on her hands.

One such meeting we know of is with California's embattled Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Another possible may be with Team Obama.

After all, didn't both the Obamas and the Sussexes both get buku-bucks Netflix deals? Neither pair has any experience in film, but both somehow got the millions anyway. There doesn't seem to be anyone else who got those deals. What's more, Netflix as a company is larded up with Obama former officials.

And didn't Meghan Markle glowingly "interview" Michelle Obama in a 2019 guest-editing session for limousine-liberal Vogue? Seems the two like each other and share the same leftist wokester values and, given the gushiness, may have been working as a team.

It sure seems so, given that Harper's Bazaar reports that Michelle was feating Meghan as "my friend" and a "thoughtful leader." Here's the gushing from Harper's Bazaar:

When Michelle Obama hops on Instagram to give you a shoutout from the other side of the globe, you know you're doing something right. Today, the former first lady took to the app to praise Duchess Meghan, whom she called "my friend," for the work she's doing during her royal tour of southern Africa. Meghan and Harry's trip abroad isn't just about the meet and greets and photo ops; it's also about recognizing and raising awareness about organizations doing inspiring work in the area. Last night, for example, the duke and duchess attended a reception for youth leaders, which included Obama Foundation Leaders based in Africa, who are notable rising change-makers in their communities.

The gushing wasn't just confined to Michelle and Meghan. Harry and Obama figured in this, too. Here's Vanity Fair with its own round of gushing, from 2017:

2017's favorite bromance goes to Barack Obama and Prince Harry. They laughed it up at the Invictus Games in Toronto and filmed a charming interview that aired on BBC Radio 4's Today program. But while it seems like a given for the Obamas to be invited to Prince Harry's upcoming wedding to Meghan Markle in May, according to reports they may end up getting snubbed to avoid an outright diplomatic crisis.

Take a look at that picture.

They wanted the Obamas at their wedding, but apparently the British prime minister at the time (or who knows, maybe the queen?) stopped it.

Bottom line: The Obamas and the Markles go way back, according to past fawning stories, all of them from the fashion press.

The political analysts over at the Conservative Tree House / Last Refuge seem to think the timing of the interview in which Meghan charged the entire royal family with racism, sounded like Classic Obama political hardball, which is to whip up racial divisions ahead of the trial of Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin, now that riotous public sentiment against cops has died down. Sundance writes:

Media stories often contain the fingerprints of motive, a slight truth hidden in a background of obfuscation, and you can find the leftist activity if you know what to look for. The buried lede in the story is this short segment: [] "One senior Labour figure  a veteran of Tony Blair's Downing Street administration with strong links to Washington  claimed to The Mail on Sunday that Ms Markle, 39, was networking among senior Democrats" (read more) There it is: "networking among senior Democrats." That's the data point to focus on. That's the part of the story that tells us exactly what was going on in that Oprah interview; and it is exactly what we suspected it was HERE and HERE. Of course she was "networking" with "senior Democrats", specifically she was networking with Obama's Chicago crew; and that leads to Oprah, Obama's biggest narrative engineer. The Markle interview was purposefully orchestrated, racism claims intentionally injected, recorded, and then timed to be released/broadcast the day before the trial against Derek Chauvin while the George Floyd protestors were activated. This is how the Obama crew operate. This is how the leftists work. None of this is accidental and that statement by the "senior Labour figure" is 100% correct. except for the cover story to hide the motive.

It's well argued, and it could be true.

But Meghan's interview also served as a guided missile aimed at the British monarchy, which also is worth noting. Recall Obama's weird fascination with the British rulers, and their amazing failure to impress? Remember Obama's hideous gift of tapes of his own speeches delivered to the queen? Remember Michelle Obama touching the queen like she was her pal? Remember Michelle Obama's train-wreck of an argyle outfit? Remember how the Obamas not so secretly hankered for that wedding invitation to Prince William's and Duchess Catherine's 2011 wedding and didn't get it?

And most important, remember some of what was written at the time, that Obama held a deep-seated grudge from his father's colonialist experience against Britain in general, which explained why he was always undercutting our ally? Dinesh D'Souza explored this topic in his 2010 book, The Roots of Obama's Rage.

There's no reason to think the royal family wasn't a target, every bit as active as Meghan's presidential ambitions.

Who the heck would vote for her is another matter, but in this age of electoral fraud, apparently, winning isn't important. Being part of the Obama political machine is, as Joe and Kamala can explain. Whatever may be going on with Meghan's political ambitions, we can see she's acting as Joe Biden does to the Obama machine  she's apparently a willing tool.

Image: Genevieve via Wikimedia Commons (cropped), CC BY 2.0.
Cicada researchers at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati have launched Cicada Safari, a citizen science app for tracking and mapping the major emergence of 17-year cicadas in May.

Brood X, the largest of the 17-year cicada broods, is expected to emerge beginning in early May across most of Pennsylvania and 14 other eastern and Midwestern states.

This is the big one, a generational event, said Gene Kritsky, dean of Behavioral and Natural Sciences at Mount St. Joseph University. He has studied, tracked and written about cicadas throughout his academic career.

For people who have been around awhile, they will remember what it was like 17 years ago or even farther back to when they were kids and theyll know what to expect, he said. For those who werent alive 17 years ago or who were too young at the time and cant remember, they are in for quite an experience.

Kritsky worked with the Center for IT Engagement at Mount St. Joseph University to create the Cicada Safari app, which allows users to search, photograph, video and help map the cicadas.

Input from citizen scientists across the Brood X range will contribute to research by determining the distribution of the brood of the emerging cicadas. That information will enable scientists to assess the status of Brood X.

As strange as it may sound, but periodical cicada broods can go extinct, Kritsky said. Brood XI, which emerged in large numbers just two centuries ago, was deemed extinct in 1954.

Cicada Safari will be true citizen science, he explained. People can use their phones with our app to track, photograph and help us map the cicadas to verify where they are emerging.

An issue with citizen science projects is the difficulty to verify new observations. The photographs submitted to our map are like voucher specimens permitting us to verify the observations making the maps more useful for future research.

To join Cicada Safari and help map the 2021 emergence, download the free app from the Apple app store or Google play. When a cicada is spotted, use the app to photograph or video the insects and submit the images for inclusion on MSJs 2020 cicada map.

Kritsky and the university also have launched the CicadaSafari.org website, which offers cicada facts, history, facts, maps, activities and more.

Here are some cicada facts from the CicadaSafari.org website:

Cicadas emerge after the soil temperature exceeds 64 degrees, which is usually in mid-May.

Only male cicadas sing through sound-producing structures called tymbals on either side of the abdomen under the wings.

Cicadas do not eat solid food but do drink fluids to avoid dehydration.

Cicadas do not sting or bite, and do not carry diseases.

Periodical cicada years are beneficial to the ecology of the region. Their egg-laying in trees is a natural pruning that results in increased numbers of flowers and fruits in the succeeding years. Their emergence from the ground turns over large amounts of soil, and after they die their decaying bodies contribute a massive amount of nutrients to the soil.

Periodical cicadas are often incorrectly called locusts. Locusts are grasshoppers and cicadas are more closely related to aphids than grasshoppers.

Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.
This is an opinion column.

Alabama doesnt work like other states on a lot of things, but especially when it comes to public records.

Last year, my colleague Amy Yurkanin had a question: How much was the University of Alabama at Birmingham paying a private company to recruit students from foreign countries?

Her question led to a public information request to the university. She would like to see the contract, she said.

Only UAB didnt want to show it to her. At least not all of it.

After Yurkanin pushed some more, she got back a redacted version with those big black boxes over the type, like something youd get from the CIA. The most important information  how much a public institution was paying a private company  was still secret.

A lot of times, this would be the dead end. Alabama law says all the states citizens are entitled to inspect public records and take copies upon request, but the law is weak. It doesnt set deadlines for when state and local governments must respond. It allows government agencies to charge ridiculously high and often prohibitively expensive fees for copies and research costs. And it doesnt penalize public officials who flatly refuse to obey the law.

Often, the only recourse is to sue, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars, as it did one company in 2019. When Central Alabama Radiation Oncology fought a public board all the way to the Alabama Supreme Court to get, among other documents, minutes of its meetings, it won the fight and got the docs  after spending $70,000 in legal fees.

Last year, a national ranking of states by open records compliance put Alabama where it often finds itself  dead last.

Not only are some public officials too lazy to look for records, but theyll use that as an excuse.

When environmental activist Daniel Tait asked the City of Troy for records regarding a local gas utility, the city told him Alabama law didnt require them to look for the records he requested. Thats right. A city attorney argued that state law doesnt actually require public officials to look for records.

Its easy for government officials here to say no. The law be damned.

But with Yurkanins request to UAB, she lucked into something different. She didnt have Alabama law on her side, but she did have Florida law on her side.

As it turned out, the University of South Florida had contracted with the same company to do the same kind of work, so Yurkanin filed a public information request in the sunshine state. With it, she drew an interesting side-by-side comparison of Floridas law and Alabamas.

The Florida request gave her the documents she asked for in six days.

Six days.

This is how an open records law works in a state where the open records law works. No fussing by bureaucrats. No broad redactions that make the whole task pointless. Just a request and a prompt reply.

This is how the law should work in Alabama.

(After I wrote about Amys accidental compare-and-contrast, UAB relented and gave her the unredacted records. Sometimes public embarrassment works, too.)

For the last two years, state Sen. Cam Ward has proposed a top-to-bottom rewrite of Alabamas open records law, and both years his bill died in committee. Lobbyists from county commissions, municipalities and school boards have fought the bill, arguing that a law largely copied and pasted from other states would be too burdensome for Alabama.

Last year, Ward left the Senate to become director of pardons of paroles, because in Alabama its easier to give prisoners their freedom than it is to free public records. When he left, I worried hed taken any hope of a real open records law with him.

But as it turns out, the bill isnt dead.

State Sen. Arthur Orr has now taken up the cause where Ward left off.

Orr, a Republican from Decatur, is no slouch in the Alabama Senate hierarchy. As chairman of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee, he wields substantial influence in the Legislature. Before taking on this crusade, Orr sponsored legislation to put the state checkbooks online for all to see. Orr says he hears a lot of the same bellyaching then as now, but not since that law passed.

No one has complained that its too expensive or to hard, he said.

He says he took on this cause because its the right thing to do.

The bill would do the simple things that work in other states. It sets deadlines and caps fees. But most importantly it would create an affordable appeals process through a state public records ombudsman.

I fear that some organizations dont want the bill to pass at all, Orr said when I spoke with him this week. They like the way things work today. They dont want to meet in the middle.

Orr said that wont deter him and he intends to bring the bill back up in committee on Wednesday.

Public records are not a media privilege any more than they are the private property of public officials. Public records belong to you. And you, your neighbor, you nosy uncle  anybody  should be able to see them. Because public records are the best  sometimes, the only  tool the public has to hold government accountable.

And a public officials attitude on this subject is telling.

So good for Orr.

But its time for the rest of the Alabama Legislature to get with the program and return to the public whats rightfully ours.

Kyle Whitmire is the state political columnist for the Alabama Media Group.

You can follow his work on his Facebook page, The War on Dumb. And on Twitter. And on Instagram.

Correction: A previous version of this column said Orr chairs the Senate General Fund Committee. He now chairs the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee.

More columns by Kyle Whitmire

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By Garba Muhammad

KADUNA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Gunmen on motorbikes stormed a primary school in the northwestern Nigerian state of Kaduna and kidnapped three teachers but no children, a state official said on Monday after the fifth school abduction in three months.

It was the first attack on an elementary school in a wave of such attacks in which more than 700 people have been abducted since December.

Samuel Aruwan, Kaduna state's commissioner for internal security, said in a press briefing that Rema Primary School, in the Birnin Gwari Local Government Area, was attacked at around 8:50am (0750 GMT) on Monday.

He said children fled as gunmen, referred to locally as bandits, entered the compound shortly after pupils arrived.

"This led to two pupils going missing. We are happy to inform you that the two missing pupils have been found," Aruwan said. "We can also confirm that no single pupil was kidnapped from the school.

"The government can confirm that three teachers... have been kidnapped."

Nigeria's kidnapping scourge began with the seizure of 270 girls from a school in the northeastern town of Chibok by the Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram in 2014. Around 100 of the schoolgirls have never been found.

Armed criminal gangs in Nigeria's widely lawless north have since carried out many copycat attacks seeking ransom.

The presidency said late in February that President Muhammadu Buhari had urged state governments to "review their policy of rewarding bandits with money and vehicles, warning that the policy might boomerang disastrously".

Attempts by the military and police to tackle the gangs have had little success, while many worry that state authorities are making the situation worse by letting kidnappers go unpunished, paying them off or providing incentives.

Nigeria's federal government has said it will "take out" abductors after criticising local deals to free victims.

Story continues

A presidency spokesman said he did not have the details of Monday's kidnapping.

Armed men attempted to kidnap more students in Kaduna state overnight on Sunday, as 39 others from an earlier attack in the state remain missing.

The rampant banditry has become a political problem for Buhari, a retired general and former military ruler who has faced mounting criticism over the rise in violent crime, and replaced his long-standing military chiefs earlier this year.

Buhari held talks with security officials and regional elders last week about Nigeria's multiple security challenges. Afterwards, national security adviser Babagana Monguno said the government would take a tough stance against criminal gangs.

(Reporting by Garba Muhammad and Tife Owolabi in Yenagoa,; Writing by Chijioke Ohuocha,; Editing by Alexis Akwagyiram and Ed Osmond)
ANDERSON, Calif.  Police arrested an Oregon fugitive for shoplifting from a Walmart in Anderson over the weekend.

Authorities reported a white male adult with long hair had attempted to steal items from the Walmart and headed southbound on Rhonda Road in a car.

The suspect vehicle was located by police in Cottonwood on Rhonda Road and Matthew Drive.

Authorities said the suspect gave officers a fake name, identifying himself as Jeffery Rockwell. A records check revealed no prior contacts with that name and no state ID or drivers licensed issued in that name in all fifty states. Police said the suspect told officers that he didn't have any ID's or a Social Security number because his family was Amish.

When the suspect was questioned further, police said he became argumentative. He was then arrested for the attempted theft and booked into the Shasta County Jail so that he could be finger-printed to provide his true identity.

On March 14, officers learned that the suspect's true name is Jeffery Kenton, age 59, of Oregon. Kenton had an outstanding warrant for violating his parole in Oregon and for a felony pursuit out of Medford, according to APD. His criminal history included a charge of first-degree manslaughter and arson.

Kenton is currently at the Shasta County Jail awaiting extradition back to Oregon.
After their 1945 victory over Nazi Germany, Allied forces shifted their focus on forcing to Japan to surrender.

That effort culminated in the first and so far only use of nuclear weapons, which killed more than 200,000 civilians when they were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

But the world may never have witnessed the horror of the atomic bomb if the US had pressed ahead with a far more bizarre plan: to drop bats fitted with incendiary devices onto Japanese cities.

The idea was dreamed up by amateur inventor and dentist Lytle Adams, who happened to know Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of the then US President Franklin.

It would have seen thousands of the nocturnal creatures fitted with bombs and dropped over Japan during the day, safe in the knowledge they would seek out the dark loft spaces of homes which were mostly made from wood and paper.

Their timed explosives would then explode, starting thousands of fires which, it was hoped, would cause enough damage to force Japan to surrender.

The idea, eventually named Project X-Ray, was successfully tested on a mock Japanese city in the desert in California.

With that fake city destroyed as intended, the plan only failed to be used on Japan because the programme to develop the nuclear weapon had reached its successful conclusion by the summer of 1945.

Explaining the idea on Dan Snow's History Hit podcast, military historian Vince Houghton said: 'In hindsight this may have worked and it may have been something that would have potentially caused less Japanese deaths than the atomic bombs did.'

The world may never have witnessed the horror of the atomic bomb if the US had pressed ahead with a far more bizarre plan: to drop bats fitted with incendiary devices onto Japanese cities. Pictured: The cannister which the bats would have been dropped into Japan in, before leaving in mid-air

It would have seen thousands of the nocturnal creatures fitted with bombs and dropped over Japan during the day, safe in the knowledge they would seek out the dark loft spaces of homes which were mostly made from wood and paper. Pictured: File photo

Mr Houghton, who is the curator of the International Spy Museum, explained that the idea was dreamt up by dental surgeon Lytle Adams, who knew Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of the then US President Franklin Roosevelt.

Adams had the idea after the devastating Japanese attack on Peral Harbour in 1941 while he was driving from New Mexico  where there are millions of bats - to his home in Pennsylvania.

On discovering that bats could carry multiple times their own body weight, Adams believed they could be used to launch a devastating attack on Japan.

Mr Houghton said: 'Japan was made up of wooden and paper houses and buildings and put that together with an incendiary device and you could create a huge conflagration.

'Well what do bats do? Well if you drop a bat in the middle of the day time they're going to do everything they can to find a dark, warm place where they can hang out until it becomes night time.

'Well what is that in a city? What is that in a town? It's an attic, its an easement, it's a nook and cranny inside somebody's house.

'Well if you attach bomb to bat, and bat will naturally go find the attic of somebody's house and the incendiary goes off, you can burn Japan to the ground.'

The idea was dreamed up by amateur inventor and dentist Lytle Adams, who happened to know Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of the then US President Franklin

The dentist, who Mr Houghton described as a 'tinkering inventor' wrote to Mrs Roosevelt to tell her of the idea.

She spoke to her husband, who then ordered William 'Wild Billl' Donovan, the head of secretive wartime intelligence agency the Office of Strategic Services, to look into the project.

Scientists then built a 'full-scale' mock Japanese city in the Mojave Desert in California and 'rounded up a bunch of bats', Mr Houghton said.

The experts made the bats go into hibernation by putting them in refrigerated trucks.

They then fitted them with timed containers filled with the recently invented explosive napalm and packed them into cylinders which would open in mid-air.

The bat plan, officially named Project X-Ray, was never used because the US programme to develop the nuclear weapon, named the Manhattan Project, reached its successful conclusion in the summer of 1945. The bomb Little Boy was dropped on the city of Hiroshima on August 6. Pictured: The devastation caused by the bomb in Hiroshima

Three days later, on August 9, the second bomb - named Fat Man - was dropped on Nagasaki. Pictured: The horrendous aftermath

'So they put them inside that cylinder with the idea that they would drop them, the bats would wake up halfway down and they would fly out of the cylinder and then would do their actual mission,' Mr Houghton said.

However, the scientists initially miscalculated how long it would take the bats to wake up and so the creatures did not leave the cylinder before it hit the ground and many died.

The next time, Mr Houghton said they waited too long and so when the scientists went to load them into the cylinders, they were 'wide awake' and 'flew out in every single direction'.

When the plan was tested in New Mexico, the bats successfully burned a mock Japanese city to the ground. However, some of them flew to the nearby Carlsbad US Army Airfield Auxiliary Air Base and burned down buildings there too

'The good news is that half the bats flew straight to the mock-up Japanese city, went to the eaves and attics of that mock-up Japanese city, exploded and burned the Japanese city to the ground,' Mr Houghton said.

Unfortunately, many of the bats flew to the nearby working Carlsbad US Army Airfield Auxiliary Air Base in New Mexico nearby and burned down buildings there too.

Despite the mishap, the officials in charge of the operation were 'ecstatic' and believed it was the 'perfect opportunity' to win the war, Mr Houghton said.

However, the timing of the results of the project  in the summer of 1945  meant that it clashed with the results of the successful programme to develop nuclear weapons and so was never put into practice.

The theory to drop bats fitted with bombs rested partly on the notion that most Japanese buildings were at that time made from wood. Pictured: A Japanese family outside their wooden home after the conclusion of the Second World War

Mr Houghton said: 'This was in the beginning of the summer of 1945 when the chief of naval operations had been thinking of a whole other naval project that had been taking place in New Mexico that was about to work very very well.

'So timing was the issue with project X-Ray. If they had figured out how to do this six months earlier, it is altogether possible that we would have actually used this against the Japanese.

'But it just so happens that when the Navy went to get full funding to collect a million bats to do this in an operational sense, was exactly the time that we were testing the first atomic bomb in New Mexico.

'So the US government was like we can win this war without your bat problem. We can end this war with a couple bombs without having to round up a million bats.'
Panel Tabulates What Impeachment Petitioners Owe

By The Associated Press

FRANKFORT - A Kentucky legislative panel is presenting bills charging thousands of dollars in costs to the people who unsuccessfully tried to remove the governor, attorney general and a lawmaker from office.Media outlets report the House Impeachment Committee on Friday sent letters charging the petitioners more than $62,000 collectively.Petitioners against Gov. Andy Beshear will be asked to pay $42,444.Petitioners against Attorney General Daniel Cameron will face a $7,597 bill.Petitioners against state Rep. Robert Goforth will face a bill of $12,457.The petitioners will have the ability to object.Some of the petitioners have signaled that they will object to the bills.
Getting help to victims of domestic violence and supports in place is more crucial now than it ever has been.

There can be nothing more frightening than being in a domestic abusive relationship and being afraid to leave or feeling that there is no one to help.

Unfortunately, there still seems to be a sure its none of my business attitude in the public domain. The key message all State and voluntary stakeholders are asking is to report your concerns as this may be the first chance to help a victim escape the situation, and that if you are a victim of domestic abuse to report it.

Anne Clarke works with the Offaly Domestic Violence Support Service (ODVSS).

2020 has been a challenging year for domestic violence support services, we have seen a 50% increase in victims/survivors looking for help and support. Covid has placed a microscope under, what already was an existing pandemic in Ireland. Domestic abuse cuts across all sectors of the community it does not discriminate.

Covid is the perfect storm for the perpetrator as their main goal is to isolate the victim from supports, many now in 24/7 lockdown with their abuser, no respite, no support network, no way out. Our message is that we are #StillHere if you need support and you are not alone.

If you are experiencing domestic violence or abuse call our helpline on 0579351886 or 0860419154, if its not safe to talk send us a text. Always be safe with reaching out.

The ODVSS report that in 2020 they saw 180 new clients compared to 117 in 2017. Individual clients to the service amounted to 240, in 2019 it was 185.

They saw client contact make the biggest jump from 869 in 2019 to 1720 in 2020 it was 1720. Client contacts represent the number of times they engage with a victim. The Offaly service says court orders rose in 2019 from 98 to 160 in 2020. In 2020 the Offaly service recorded over 2061 calls on the helpline, thats an additional 600 more calls on 2019.

Similarly, Laois Domestic Abuse Service saw increases in demand for services from March 2020 330 clients engaged with, 102 referrals to court, LDAS received 1069 phone calls (from clients and client-related), and LDAS made 2278 phone calls (from clients and client-related). MORE BELOW TABLE

Coercive control, financial abuse, emotional abuse, and physical abuse were the emerging trends along with child to parent violence and elder abuse. The poverty and lack of resources were worrying.

There is no emergency accommodation for victims of domestic abuse in either Laois or Offaly and many times victims had no choice but to remain in the home.

The Rent Supplement that is now screened by domestic violence services has helped those who have been able to find private rented accommodation along with the Airbnb safe fund for accommodation which has been in operation since July 2020.

Other initiatives in the community like Boots and Total Health pharmacies providing a safe space for a victim to call or seek help and advice added to the response during Covid.

Laois Domestic Abuse Service is involved in the MEND Programme and saw a lot of new referrals to this program over the last year , while the perpetrator is completing the MEND Program they offer Partner Support to the women so a weekly check in is provided to ensure the Woman's Safety. They offer this service for Laois and Offaly.

MEN's Aid and ODVSS support male victims so male victims in Laois can avail of this service also. LDAS would refer men to ODVSS for support and advice.

MEND [Men Ending Domestic Violence] is a programme for men, who have been violent or abusive within their intimate partner relationships. The primary aim of the programme is the safety and well-being of women and children. MEND deliver the National Choices Programme to support men to end their violent or abusive behaviour and become non-violent and respectful within their intimate partner relationships.

The Programme involves one-to-one assessment and pre-group sessions followed by 25 group sessions. MEND also provides an integrated Partner Support Service for the partners or ex-partners or the men on the programme. Help is available and can be found from the MEND programmes in Waterford, Wexford, South Tipperary and Carlow/Kilkenny, Laois/Offaly and Kildare.

To find out more you can contact the Confidential Phone Line on 051-878866 (available Mon-Fri 9am-5pm).

MORE BELOW TABLE

RECENT CHANGES

Recently there have been changes to the legislation with the introduction of the Domestic Violence Aft 2018 and the

Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 Cocos Law. These further enhance the protection for victims of domestic abuse.

The new Domestic Violence Act 2018 introduced the offence of Coercive Control which has been defined as a person commits an offence where he or she knowingly and persistently engages in behaviour that is controlling or coercive, has a serious effect on a relevant person, and a reasonable person would consider likely to have a serious effect on a relevant person.

Coercive control occurs when a current or ex-partner knowingly and persistently engages in behaviour that is controlling or intimidating and is having a serious effect on a person. The victim may fear that violence will be used against them, or they may be suffering serious alarm or distress that has a substantial impact on their day-to-day activities.

The victim of coercive control may have their freedom of movement reduced. Every aspect of their life may be controlled by their current or ex-partner, including access to their personal finances and the freedom to see family and friends.

Coercive control is the collection of small, seemingly minor incidents or details that in isolation are not a criminal offence, but when viewed together display a web of abuse that is insidiously and forcibly eroding at a persons quality of life.

The new act also introduced an Emergency Baring order. It is always advisable to seek advice from family law solicitors, the domestic abuse services (Laois Domestic Abuse Services Offaly Domestic Violence Support Service or Mensaid or An Garda Siochana.

The recent commencement of Divisional Protective Services Units in Garda Divisions including Laois Offaly will deliver a consistent and professional approach to the investigation of specialised crime types, including sexual crime, child abuse and domestic abuse.

An Garda Siochana can provide support and information to victims of coercive control. If a victim wishes to make a formal complaint, we can investigate. To assist us in investigating coercive control and preparing a strong case, we will need to gather evidence such as a diary the victim has been keeping, text messages and emails that highlight the abuse, and accounts from family and friends.

Please refer to Facebook pages for Laois Domestic Abuse Service and ODVSS for updates and raise awareness regarding Domestic Violence in your local area.
Residents receive mandatory COVID-19 test by health worker in an area under lockdown on Robinson Road at night in the mid-levels neighborhood in Hong Kong, China, on March 13, 2021. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

Hong Kong Orders Compulsory COVID-19 Testing After Gym Cluster Hits Financial Community

HONG KONGSome law firms and banks in Hong Kong face compulsory COVID-19 testing as most of the 47 news cases recorded on Saturday were linked to a gym used by the financial and expatriate community.

The citys government said 35 of the new cases were related to the outbreak at Ursus Fitness, a gym in the citys Sai Ying Pun district. The health department told a briefing that so far 99 cases have been confirmed as related to the center, which is popular with expatriate lawyers, bankers, and hedge fund executives.

The government published a compulsory testing notice on Friday covering 80 residential premises and workplaces, many in central financial and business district.

Many of the 29 workplaces affected are leading law firms and financial institutions, including Shearman & Sterling, Allen & Overy, Herbert Smith Freehills, HSBC, Credit Suisse, BNP Paribas, and BNY Mellon.

The compulsory testing notice is published on premises where one or more cases were found, requiring people who have stayed in those location for more than two hours in the past two weeks to undergo a nucleic acid test.

The fourth wave was never over, (because) the case number havent been down to zero; now Im worried it may rebound quickly, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, of the citys health department, told a briefing.

Saturdays confirmed infections were down from 60 on Friday. Before the gym outbreak, daily cases in Hong Kong had fallen to low double digit and single digit levels.

Gym users are now required to wear masks during their workout while fitness center staff must get a COVID-19 test every 14 days, the government said on Friday.

Hong Kong has recorded around 11,200 total COVID-19 cases, far lower than other developed cities. The city of 7.5 million people launched its vaccination program in February, with 162,100 people receiving their first shot so far.

By Clare Jim
Waterbury Police / Contributed Photo

WATERBURY  A man wanted in connection with an August 2020 homicide was recently arrested in Florida and extradited to the city to face charges, police said.

Jonathan Poventud, 32, was charged Friday with murder in connection with the death of Marcus Darby, police said. Poventud also faces charges of first-degree reckless endangerment, illegal discharge of a firearm, criminal use of weapon, carrying a pistol without a permit, illegal sale or transfer of a pistol or revolver and criminal possession of a pistol or revolver.
(SCREENSHOT: Golden Village Jurong Point/Google Maps)

SINGAPORE  A 20-year-old man who trespassed into cinemas without paying for tickets would watch multiple movies in different cinema halls before leaving midway to avoid being caught by staff members.

However, Joseph Wong Wei Jun's trespassing ways eventually caught the eye of staff members who tried to restrain him, but who ended up getting hurt when Wong made his escape.

On Monday (15 March), the court called for reports to assess Wong's suitability for a mandatory treatment order, probation, and a day reporting order after the unemployed man pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal trespassing into Golden Village cinemas and one count of voluntarily causing hurt to a staff member. Five counts of a similar nature will be taken into consideration for his sentencing.

Wong suffers from several psychiatric issues, which he told District Judge May Mesenas arose from a rough childhood.

In the afternoon of 16 October last year, Wong entered Golden Village's premises in Junction 8 in Bishan without paying for a ticket. He watched two to four movies and left midway through each movie to avoid the staff members who would stand at the entrance of each cinema hall at the end of each movie.

At around 8.15pm, he was spotted by a staff member exiting the cinema. The staff recalled Wong previously entering the cinema without a valid ticket. He approached Wong to ask for a ticket. Wong refused to produce one. Wong claimed he left the ticket in the last row of Hall 2.

When the staff member told Wong that he would bring him to see the manager, Wong fled, but the staff managed to catch up with him in the hallway.

The staff tried to restrain Wong but the latter scratched him a few times on his face and hands before security guards intervened and the police were called. The staff member suffered superficial lacerations to his hand and face.

Earlier this year, on 11 February, another staff member of Golden Village at Jurong Point noticed Wong in a cinema hall and ushered him to use the exit point. However, Wong insisted on leaving through the entrance as he wanted to use the toilet.

Story continues

The staff member recalled that she had not seen Wong entering with a valid ticket and also recognised him from previous incidents where he had not bought a ticket.

She grabbed Wong by the hand to the manager's office to detain him, and led him to the ticketing counter for assistance. However, Wong broke free from her grip and scratched her left wrist in the process. He then fled.

CCTV footage captured Wong entering the back door at level one, which was linked to the staircase leading up to the cinema hall's unattended exit, at 1.22pm.

The police were then alerted to the case, with the complainant stating that it was the third time they had reported Wong to the police.

Wants to reconcile with parents

The prosecution, represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Shamini Joseph, asked the court to call for a mandatory treatment order suitability report, based on an Institute of Mental Health report produced during investigations into Wong's offences.

The IMH psychiatrist found that Wong had some disorders. Wong also had a history with IMH, even though he eventually defaulted on appointments, the DPP noted.

Addressing the court through a videolink, Wong apologised for his actions and said that he had reflected on his actions while he was in remand.

He told the court that his parents had subjected him to "physical" and "verbal" abuse since he was a child, resulting in him being diagnosed with anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and suicidal thoughts. After completing his O' levels, he decided to leave home at the age of 17 instead of remaining with his abusive parents, he said.

He then rented a room on meagre savings and the stress pushed him towards "things he was not supposed to do" as a coping mechanism.

He asked for chance to return to IMH for treatment and promised to fully comply with his medication until he is recovered.

He also asked for a chance to see a psychologist and counsellor so that he can reconcile with his parents.

Wong will return to court on 5 April for his next hearing.

Criminal trespass carries a jail term of up to three months, or a fine of up to $1,500, or both. Voluntarily causing hurt carries a jail term of up to three years, or a maximum fine of $5,000, or both.

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Scotland Yard have defended their actions saying officers were 'faced with a very difficult decision'

Chaotic footage has captured the moment a police officer confronted furious mourners at a vigil for murdered Sarah Everard, demanding they leave the 'unlawful gathering'.

The scenes of violent clashes on Clapham Common last night have provoked anger across the country, with thousands demanding Met Police chief Cressida Dick resign over the force's crackdown on the event.

Four people were arrested at the south London vigil attended by over 1,000 mourners wanting to pay their respects to the 33-year-old marketing executive who disappeared nearby on March 3.

Amid the chaotic scenes, a police liaison officer, dressed in blue, is seen warning attendees to leave.

'This is no longer a vigil, it is an unlawful gathering,' he can be heard saying as one girl screams How dare you! in reply.

Another officer can be heard urging people to leave, saying the vigil is not allowed 'under coronavirus regulations, which you can be arrested for'.

The scenes of violent clashes on Clapham Common last night have provoked anger across the country, with thousands demanding Met Police chief Cressida Dick resign over the force's crackdown on the event

People clash with police during a gathering at the memorial to murdered Sarah Everard in Clapham Common last night

But the orders sparked a furious reaction, with officers and mourners breaking into scuffles before some women are grabbed and led away.

One women, angered by the police, retorts 'But its a human right (to protest), who are you meant to be protecting?'

With night having fallen an hour before, the lines of police in hi-vis jackets are filmed pushing against people protesting attempts to end the vigil centred around the Common's bandstand.

Images show Patsy Stevenson, one of the four arrested, being held on the floor by two male officers as scraps continue around her.

Amid the chaotic scenes, a police liaison officer, dressed in blue, is seen warning attendees to leave, saying: 'This is no longer a vigil, it is an unlawful gathering'

Hundreds of people held up the torches on their phones in memory of Ms Everard

Ms Steveson, who was fined 200, claims she was 'just standing there' and does not know why she was detained.

The decision to arrest four attendees and forcibly remove people from the bandstand has been roundly criticised as 'heavy handed'.

In a statement released earlier today, Scotland Yard pushed back at criticism, saying officers had been 'faced with a very difficult decision' on how to handle the vigil.

Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said: 'Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting Covid-19.

'Those who gathered were spoken to by officers on a number of occasions and over an extended period of time. We repeatedly encouraged those who were there to comply with the law and leave.

Images show Patsy Stevenson, one of the four arrested, being held on the floor by two male officers as scraps continue around her

'Regrettably, a small minority of people began chanting at officers, pushing and throwing items.

'After speaking with officers, the vast majority of people quickly left. Four arrests have been made for public order offences and for breaches of the Health Protection Regulations.

'Part of the reason I am speaking to you tonight is because we accept that the actions of our officers have been questioned.

'We absolutely did not want to be in a position where enforcement action was necessary. But we were placed in this position because of the overriding need to protect people's safety.'
Donald Trump made a surprise stop at campaign event for former press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders as she runs for Arkansas governor.

Sanders, whose father Mike Huckabee served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007, had announced her campaign in January.

'Great weekend on the campaign trail featuring a surprise appearance at one of my events by President Trump!' she tweeted Sunday night with a photo of her and Trump.

It was not immediately clear where and when the fundraising event was held and who else attended.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, right, posted a picture, above, with Donald Trump who made a surprise appearance at her campaign event

Sanders replaced Sean Spicer as press secretary in 2017 and served in the role until 2019

Sanders is pictured with Vernon Jones, an ex-Democrat who has become a vocal Trump supporter, during a campaign event after his endorsement. She thanked him for his endorsement on Instagram

On Sunday, Sanders also posted a photo with former Georgia state representative Vernon Jones, an ex-Democrat who has become a vocal Trump supporter.

'Let me be clear about who will be the next Governor of Arkansas, @SarahHuckabee! She's smart, educated, knowledgeable, and experienced,' he tweeted on Sunday, declaring his endorsement for Sanders.

'But most of all, she cares about you, me, and she loves our country! Join me in supporting Sarah for Arkansas Governor.'

Sanders thanked Jones for his endorsement in a post to her Instagram stories.

Jones' endorsement may prove controversial for the former press secretary, as the Georgia lawmaker addressed crowds before the deadly storming of the United States Capitol on January 6.

'They don't know they have awakened a sleeping giant,' said Jones, according to WGCL-TV.

'I'm officially joining the Republican party!'

Jones is pictured speaking to crowds at the fundraiser, left, while a child holds a campaign sticker for Sanders, right

Jones is pictured speaking with a child during a campaign event for Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Earlier this year, Sanders received a glowing endorsement from Trump - her former boss

After the riot, Jones tweeted: 'To the peaceful Patriots who came to our nation's capital today, we cannot drown out our message with violence. We are not ANTIFA or a lawless mob. We are Americans who believe in the rule law and follow the principles of our constitution.'

Earlier this year, Sanders received a glowing endorsement from Trump - who touted that she is 'strong on borders, tough on crime and fully supports the second amendment and our great law enforcement officers.'

'She loves our military and veterans  and her home state of Arkansas. She will be a GREAT Governor and she has my complete and total endorsement,' Trump said in the statement.

Sanders, who replaced Sean Spicer as press secretary in 2017 and served in the role until 2019, thanked the her former boss for the endorsement.

'Thank you President Trump for your endorsement and for always believing in me. As governor I will defend our freedom and lead with heart,' she tweeted after the endorsement,' she tweeted in January.
More Americans are realizing that Texas is the future. With its vast land area, thriving cities, ample resources and cosmopolitan diversity, the Lone Star State is attracting inflows of population from all over the country, and the news media seems to recognize the states importance. But if its going to fulfill its promise, Texas will have to make some changes.

Its status as the state that embodies Americas future is most clearly seen when compared to California. For decades, the Golden State outgrew the Lone Star State, but in recent years the gap has begun to narrow:

Dysfunctional California politics have made housing unaffordable, causing people to flee to Texas sprawling, comparatively cheap suburbia and low tax rates. But if Texas is going to provide housing, jobs, and a high quality of life to those new arrivals  and thus ensure the boom continues  its going to have to improve its energy infrastructure, technology policy, universities and urbanism.

The states most obvious shortcomings were demonstrated in the recent winter storm, which left millions of Texans without heat or electricity during a rare streak of below-freezing temperatures that killed at least 58. After seeing power plants of every type fail, Texans were treated to the shameful spectacle of their governor and one of their senators attempting to blame the power outage on wind power and progressive energy policy. In fact, it was Texas failure to winterize power plants and natural gas infrastructure, as well as its insistence on being cut off from the rest of the countrys power grid, that left its citizens with their teeth chattering in lightless houses.

Trying to turn energy into a culture war wont do anything to help the average Texan  itll simply limit the states ability to take advantage of the renewable energy technologies that are becoming cheaper by the day. Instead, Texas should embrace the pragmatism of the late businessman T. Boone Pickens, who switched from an oil baron to a champion of wind power when the cost started to make sense.

Diversifying Texas energy mix will also help expand its economy. Though Texas is much less oil-dependent than in the 1970s, Houston is still primarily a petroleum industry cluster, and therefore vulnerable to the end of the fossil-fuel age. Fortunately, after a long drought of investment, technology companies are taking a renewed interest in Texas, led by Elon Musks companies SpaceX and Tesla Inc. and by some old-line companies like Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. and Oracle Corp. But Texas still has a huge uphill battle to fight in order to lure software jobs away from the West Coast:

Its startup ecosystem could also use a boost:

Texas can make a start on turning this around by banning noncompete agreements. Noncompete contracts seem like a pro-business policy because each individual company would love to keep its workers away from competitors. But that ends up hurting the whole tech industry ecosystem, because talent and ideas are prevented from flowing between companies.

Texas also needs to upgrade its university system. Currently, the state has two big flagship public schools  the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University  as well as some decently ranked private schools like Rice University and Southern Methodist University. But its schools lag well behind Californias in the rankings, and there just arent enough of them. (I say this even though my father is a professor at A& M.)

Universities are key for regional economic development. The biggest way they boost college towns is by conducting research that pulls skilled workers in from elsewhere, which in turn draws in corporate investment. Meanwhile, even if undergraduates move away after graduation, many will stay in the same state, adding to the pool of human capital that attracts businesses to an area. Upgrading both its flagship schools and its second-tier schools might cost a lot of money, but it would allow Texas to attract more of the technology industry investment it needs.

Given all that, when people move to Texas, theyll need a place to live. The great tragedy of California is that its cities and towns limited housing supply until rents went through the roof and people were forced out. Now Texas is showing some ominous signs of making the same mistake. A 2018 report by the Manhattan Institute, a think tank, found that land use restrictions are driving up housing costs in Texas big cities. Austin is now one of the countrys pricier metropolises, while the cost of living in Houston and Dallas has been rising to a worrying degree, as well.

To avoid a California-like housing dystopia, Texas needs to liberalize land use regulations to allow greater density. This would fit with the states reputation as a small-government, pro-development place. But it also needs to build some public transit to accommodate the higher density, which would require taxes that might make some Texans balk.

In fact, all of these changes will be difficult and will upset some category of people  taxpayers, the oil industry, NIMBY homeowners and so on. In the past, Texas has often been the kind of place that put growth first. If its going to snatch Californias mantle to become the most important state in the union, its going to have to step on some toes.
Lucknow, March 15 : Ankita, the estranged daughter-in-law of Bharatiya Janata Party MP Kaushal Kishore attempted suicide, in the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.

Ankita has been admitted to the Civil hospital in Lucknow where her condition is said to be stable.

According to reports, before slitting her wrists, Ankita posted two videos on social media in which she said that she was ending her life.

In the video, Ankita said that 'her husband Ayush, MP Kaushal Kishore, her MLA mother-in-law Jai Devi and Ayush's brother were responsible for her death. She said that Ayush had betrayed her'.

Ankita is seen crying in the video and making serious allegations against the MP's son and her husband Ayush. She said that she was hoping that her husband would come to her but he did not.

Sources said that Ankita, late on Sunday night, went to the house of the BJP MP and slit her wrist.

She was rushed to the civil hospital immediately. Female policemen have been deployed for the safety and surveillance at the hospital.

It may be recalled that Ayush had a love marriage with Ankita last year. The family members were not happy with his marriage. Ayush was living in a rented house in Lucknow's Mandiaon mohalla with his wife.

On March 3, Ayush suffered gunshot injuries and the police, after investigation, said that he had staged the attack on him.

Ayush went missing from the hospital and appeared before the Mandiaon police on Sunday to record his statement.

Kaushal Kishore is an MP from the Mohanlalganj Lok Sabha seat.
Afghan security force members inspect the site of a bomb blast in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, March 14, 2021. At least three civilians were killed and 12 others wounded in two separate explosions in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday, local police said. (Photo by Rahmatullah Alizadah/Xinhua)

KABUL, March 14 (Xinhua) -- At least three civilians were killed and 12 others wounded in two separate explosions in the Afghan capital Kabul, local police said.

One blast occurred when an improvised bomb hit a minibus in Police District (PD) 3 and the other explosion, a similar one, took place in the neighboring PD 6, in western part of the city, Kabul police spokesman Ferdaus Faramarz told Xinhua.

The death toll was likely to rise as some of the wounded were in critical condition.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far.
HOUSTON  During the final days of the 2019 legislative session, Texas House lawmakers rejected a bill that would have prevented cities, counties and school districts from hiring outside lobbyists to advocate for them in Austin.

As soon as the measure failed, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick promised it would become law next session. Hard-line conservatives view the lobbying ban as a priority this year and have filed companion bills in both chambers to codify it.

Texas Republicans have not extended the same level of scrutiny to the states in-house lobbying activity in Washington, D.C., which operates within Gov. Greg Abbotts office and was scheduled last year for its periodic review by the Sunset Advisory Commission, the state office that reviews programs and most other agencies and recommends whether they should continue operating.

Last August, the commission of eight Republicans and two Democrats postponed its review of Texas Office of State-Federal Relations until 2022, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.

The office serves as an intermediary between the state and federal government, lobbying Congress, the White House and federal agencies on state priorities. Like cities and counties, the office pays for those efforts using taxpayer dollars, though federal records show it has not hired outside lobbyists since 2007.

I see absolutely no difference between the state of Texas having a state-federal relations office, which  I havent heard the governor denounce that, said state Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, the only Democrat in the Senate who voted for the lobbying ban last session. Its the same model that theyre trying to prevent at the local level. So, I guess they get the prize for hypocrisy on that one.

Agencies up for sunset review automatically are abolished following a yearlong wind-down period unless the Legislature passes a bill keeping them alive. The decision to push back the sunset deadline for Texas federal lobbying office has raised the eyebrows of local officials, who argue the lobbyists they hire serve virtually the same function in Austin as the Office of State-Federal Relations in Washington.

A spokeswoman for Abbott did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Though the governors office does not define the Office of State-Federal Relations role as lobbying, in a September 2019 report to the Sunset Advisory Commission, officials from Abbotts office said the agency serves as the states advocate in Washington, D.C. The report also said the function of the state-federal relations office is best explained via the agencys response during and in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, which included working with agencies to accelerate recovery for Texas and providing proper direction in the push to appropriate federal disaster recovery dollars.

Thats what lobbying is, said veteran Austin lobbyist Bill Miller. You educate and ask for things. Thats precisely what that office does, and if theyre not doing that, then theyre not doing their job.

City and county leaders argue their lobbyists are especially needed as Republican leaders have intensified their efforts in recent years to rein in local governments through property tax caps and numerous laws overriding local ordinances. Republicans say the lobbying ban would ensure residents tax dollars no longer fund lobbyists who advocate against measures such as lower property tax caps, which they say goes against the interest of the taxpayer. And they note the law would not prevent cities and counties from hiring in-house government relations employees who are not required to register as lobbyists.

Local governments and the state of Texas both devote minuscule portions of their budgets to lobbying. San Antonio is spending $450,000 on lobbyists at the state Legislature this year  and another $690,000 for federal lobbying through 2022. For comparison, the citys general fund budget for fiscal year 2021  which pays for services such as policing, fire protection, streets and parks  is about $1.3 billion.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg called the need for city-backed lobbyists at the Legislature a matter of self-defense  and pointed to skyrocketing energy prices during the recent winter storm and how the Electric Reliability Council of Texas handled the statewide electrical grid as perfect examples of situations where advocates can help local residents.

We need people who are single-mindedly working for our ratepayers in the state Capitol to fight on our behalf as lawmakers consider ERCOT changes and other energy reforms, Nirenberg said in a statement.

Lawmakers approved a $985,000 budget for the Office of State-Federal Relations this year, about 0.001 percent of the states $61.4 billion spending plan for general purpose revenue.

In a December meeting of the Senate State Affairs Committee, state Sen. Bob Hall, an Edgewood Republican who authored the Senate version of the anti-lobbying bill this session, defended the states lobbying office.

Our dealing with the federal government is to make sure were protecting our people from the federal government as part of our basic responsibility, Hall said. And were making sure that were protecting the people from local governments as our basic responsibility, because it was the state governments that were initially assigned that responsibility when they were elected by the people.

State Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, told Hall he wanted to ensure lawmakers were being absolutely precise in explaining why something that weve asked the counties or other geopolitical subdivisions to do, were doing for a different reason with a different office.

So, thats why I wanted to make sure that were not being  whats the word Im looking for  were not being inaccurate in how were treating our own level of government, Birdwell said.

The sunset commission voted in August to delay its review of the Office of State-Federal Relations, along with the governors Economic Development and Tourism Office, because both have been inundated by the states response to the pandemic, and conducting sunset reviews on either would be a disservice to the public, state Rep. John Cyrier, a Lockhart Republican who chairs the sunset commission, said at the August meeting.

The Office of State-Federal Relations has been around since 1965, operating out of the public eye for most of its existence. The office began hiring outside lobbyists in 2003 under then-Gov. Rick Perry, who received bipartisan criticism for bringing in lobbying groups linked to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and fundraising scandals involving former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

Perry, a Republican, defended the use of taxpayer-funded lobbyists at the time, arguing they helped the state draw in more than $1 billion in federal funding through Medicaid and for highways, ship channel dredging and other earmarks. By hiring outside lobbyists, Perrys office estimated the state shaved about 15 percent off the cost of hiring in-house employees.

jasper.scherer@chron.com

Staff Writer Joshua Fechter contributed to this report.
LOS ANGELES, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TikTok has transformed the way we cook at home, teaching everyone that they can whip up a tasty dish in under 60 seconds. As viral food recipes continue to dominate the "For You Page", TRUFF announces The #HowITRUFFContest, a TikTok competition encouraging foodies to create the next viral recipe using any product from the brand's line of hot sauce, pasta sauce or mayonnaise. TRUFF will award the Grand Prize Winner $10,000 and also match the donation with a contribution to Whole Foods Market's Whole Planet Foundation, helping to alleviate poverty.

"The feta pasta, quesadilla hack, and miniature pancake cereal are all examples of powerful digital trends that have not only heavily influenced the way we cook, but also launched certain content creators into stardom," says Nick Guillen, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of TRUFF. "As a digitally native brand focused on engaging and supporting our social media communities, we wanted to take the virality of these food trends one step further. With the #HowITRUFFContest, TikTokers can showcase their creative recipes, gain recognition for their creations and potentially win a grand prize of $10,000."

TRUFF was recently awarded "Best Brand Born Out of Social Media" for AdWeek's Challenger Brand Awards. Originally founded through a popular Instagram blog called @sauce, TRUFF propelled into social media virality due to its distinctive flavor profile, pristine bottle and Truffle Inspired cap. Today the brand boasts the largest following of any hot sauce on TikTok and Instagram. The #HowITRUFFContest is an extension of TRUFF's successful digital content series "This Is How I TRUFF" which features notable chefs and media personalities showcasing how they use the brand's truffle-infused products.

Now through April 15, home cooks 13 years of age and older have a chance to show off their creations by entering the digital competition. Simply submit unique recipe videos utilizing any TRUFF product. Each video must include the #HowITRUFFContest hashtag and official contest music, "HowITRUFFContest Official Sound". On April 20 TRUFF will then select five semifinalists, whose videos will be posted on TRUFF's TikTok, @sauce, for the public to vote. The video that receives the most likes will win $10,000. The winner will be announced on the @sauce TikTok page May 1. TRUFF's line of products are available at TRUFF.com, Amazon.com and at Whole Foods Market nationwide. Contest participants can receive a discount on TRUFF.com with use of code "HOWITRUFF" for 15% off site-wide.

For more information on TRUFF, please visit TRUFF.com. Additional details and rules for #HowITRUFFContest entry can be found at TRUFF.com/Contest.

*Ends 4/14/21. Must be a legal US resident of the 50 US or DC and 13 or older to enter. Subject to Ofcial Rules available at TRUFF.com/Contest. Void where prohibited.

PR Contact: Michelle Gabe

[email protected]

304.952.1840

ABOUT TRUFF

Made with an ultra-unique blend of real black truffles and red chili peppers, TRUFF's line of luxury pantry staples are designed to elevate the dining experience. Originally founded through a popular food and lifestyle Instagram blog called @sauce, TRUFF immediately propelled into social media virality with the release of its hot sauce in 2017. The brand quickly became the fastest growing company in the hot sauce space due to its distinctive flavor profile, pristine bottle, Truffle Inspired cap, and of course the coveted

Instagram account @sauce that makes tagging a no-brainer. Taking inspiration from the flagship black truffle experience, TRUFF recently expanded its family of products to include other popular favorites like TRUFF Pasta Sauce and TRUFF Mayonnaise.

TRUFF has been featured on the TODAY Show, Good Morning America, Food Network, The Rachael Ray Show, Food & Wine and on Oprah's "Favorite Things" list two years in a row. TRUFF is also the #1 best- selling hot sauce on Amazon and at Whole Foods Market. You can find TRUFF's variety of sauces in stores nationwide and around the world in the UK, Australia, Kuwait and South Korea.

TRUFF is made in Southern California and is Gluten-Free and non-GMO. Visit www.TRUFF.com for more information and recipes.

ABOUT WHOLE PLANET FOUNDATION

Founded in 2005, Whole Planet Foundation is a Whole Foods Market foundation that funds poverty alleviation worldwide where the company sources products.

The nonprofit's mission is to empower the world's poorest people with microcredit and the chance to create or expand a home-based business and lift themselves and their families out of poverty. As of December 2020, Whole Planet Foundation is alleviating poverty through microfinance partners in the United States and 76 other countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. To date, the nonprofit has disbursed $91 million dollars through microlending partners worldwide, funding 4.8 million microloans and over 25 million opportunities for a better life for microentrepreneurs and their family members.

SOURCE TRUFF
Kerrville, TX (78028)

Today

Cloudy this morning. Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 79F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms. Low around 65F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
The Vatican decreed today that the Catholic Church cannot give its blessing to same-sex unions because God 'cannot bless sin'.

Pope Francis signed off the two-page ruling which was published in seven languages by the Vatican's orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

It called on Catholic clergy to treat gay people with 'respect and sensitivity' but ruled that blessing their unions would 'approve and encourage a choice and a way of life that cannot be recognised as objectively ordered to the revealed plans of God'.

Francis last year caused controversy among Catholics by giving his backing to civil unions, but has never come out in favour of religious unions.

Pope Francis, pictured giving his blessing to worshippers in St Peter's Square on Sunday, has signed off a ruling saying the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions

The verdict was published on Monday by the Vatican's orthodoxy office, the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, and approved by Pope Francis

How previous Popes have approached same-sex civil unions John Paul II Pope John Paul II (October 1978 to April 2005) Pope John Paul II spoke out repeatedly against same-sex marriage during his tenure, calling it an attack on the fabric of society. He approved the 2003 document which said Catholic lawmakers had a 'moral duty' to vote against the legal recognition of same-sex unions. 'Attacks on marriage and the family, from an ideological and legal aspect, are becoming stronger and more radical every day,' he said in 2004. 'Anyone who destroys this fundamental fabric causes a profound injury to society and provokes often irreparable damage.' He also criticised a gay pride parade through Rome in 2000 as an 'offence to Christian values' and reaffirmed that the Church considered homosexuality 'objectively disordered'. Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI (April 2005 to February 2013) Benedict made the battle against secularism a central part of his papacy and called gay marriage a threat to 'human dignity and the future of humanity itself'. 'A century ago, anyone would have thought it absurd to talk about homosexual marriage,' Benedict once said in an interview. As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict had led the Vatican's orthodoxy office when it issued the 2003 paper condemning same-sex unions. As Pope, in a 2007 speech in Rome, he criticised efforts to give same-sex unions 'inappropriate legal recognition', saying they destabilised the 'legitimate family'. On another occasion, Benedict said humanity needed to 'listen to the language of creation' to understand the intended roles of man and woman. Advertisement

Monday's decree reiterated the Church's position that marriage between man and a woman is part of God's plan and is intended for the sake of creating new life.

It acknowledged that the wish to bless same-sex unions is 'not infrequently motivated by a sincere desire to welcome and accompany homosexual persons'.

But since their unions are not intended as part of God's plan, they cannot validly be blessed by the church, the document said.

'The presence in such relationships of positive elements, which are in themselves to be valued and appreciated, cannot justify these relationships and render them legitimate objects of an ecclesial blessing, since the positive elements exist within the context of a union not ordered to the Creator's plan,' the Vatican's ruling said.

God 'does not and cannot bless sin: He blesses sinful man, so that he may recognise that he is part of his plan of love and allow himself to be changed by him,' it said.

The document argued that the ruling is 'not intended to be a form of unjust discrimination, but rather a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite and of the very nature of the sacramentals, as the Church understands them'.

The Vatican said Francis was 'informed and gave his assent' to the ruling, which gave a verdict of 'negative' to the question of whether such unions could be blessed.

Francis has always opposed gay marriage, but his 2019 comments that 'what we have to create is a civil union law' caused a sensation in the Catholic world.

The remarks emerged last year in a documentary in which he also said: 'Homosexual people have the right to be in a family... they are children of God'.

The Vatican played down Francis's remarks at the time, saying they were taken out of context and referred to his position while he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

But it did not confirm or deny reports that it had ordered the sensitive remarks to be cut from the Mexican TV interview in which they were initially made in 2019.

Francis's words were hailed by admirers at the time as a 'major step forward in the church's support for LGBT people'.

However, there was also a chorus of anger from conservative Catholics who said they 'clearly contradict what has been the long-standing teaching of the church'.

Catholic teaching holds that gay people should be treated with respect but that homosexual acts are 'intrinsically disordered'.

A 2003 document from the Vatican's doctrine office - bearing the stamp of Francis's two immediate predecessors - said legal approval would mean the 'approval of deviant behaviour'.

'The Church teaches that respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behaviour or to legal recognition of homosexual unions,' it said.

Clergymen laugh as Pope Francis attends the San Damaso courtyard, Vatican City, last year

Francis has frequently said that gay people should be accepted in their parishes and urged parents not to reject their children.

On his first foreign trip as pope, to Brazil in 2013, he said of gay people trying to live a Christian life: 'Who am I to judge?'.

Since then, he has ministered to gay people and transgender prostitutes, and welcomed people in same-sex partnerships into his inner circle.

In 2014, the Vatican denied reports that Francis had endorsed civil unions, and he took a more conservative tone in a book called On Heaven And Earth.

'Every person needs a male father and a female mother that can help them shape their identity,' he said in criticism of adoption by gay couples.

He added that laws which equated same-sex relationships to marriages would be 'an anthropological regression'.

Francis has always voiced opposition to gay marriage, saying that marriage should only be between a man and woman.

'Marriage is a historic word,' he told French sociologist Dominique Wolton in a 2017 book of interviews. 'Always among human beings, and not only in the Church, it has been between a man and a woman. You can't just change that like that.'
During a killing spree in Greene County 150 years ago, a mob of Klansmen on horses murdered a Black political leader and a white politician.

Seven months later, in October 1870, a massacre at a Black political rally in downtown Eutaw left dozens wounded and four dead. Blacks feared for their safety and stayed home during that Novembers elections. Alabamas brief flirtation with the promises of Reconstruction ended.

The horrifying history received national attention last month in an Atlantic Magazine story entitled, A Riot in Eutaw, as part of Inheritance, a project about American history and Black life. Its the type of history that is hidden in Eutaw, where there are no notable historical markers or museums dedicated to a painful moment in history. But its an example of a harrowing tale that is getting more of a reckoning in Alabama and elsewhere in the Deep South.

With the prospects of adding a four-lane U.S. 43 corridor moving forward, there is some belief that opportunity awaits to awaken stories long forgotten.

I think there is a way in which a transportation official can imagine more of an obligation to bring traffic, or at least information about the past to the road they are building, said John Giggie, director of the Summersell Center for the Study of the South at the University of Alabama. Places like Eutaw and Demopolis have a rich history in the civil rights era and are not told right because access to them is off the beaten path. I see no reason why these roads cant be built with the ambition of, can we enliven the historical past?

The Alabama Department of Transportation could play a role as the project moves forward. ALDOT, according to spokesman Tony Harris, would entertain discussions regarding wayfinding signs to historic sites, though he added there are some guidelines on what can be signed for, but its not uncommon to do that.

Federal designation

The timing of the massive public infrastructure project comes as the South has seen a surge in post-Civil War Jim Crow-era tourism. Research completed in 2016, showed that 68% of Black travelers would like to learn more about Black history and culture while traveling.

In Montgomery, the birthplace of the civil rights movement, the national lynching museum is drew large crowds before the COVID-19 pandemic and international acclaim since its opening three years ago.

In Mobile, city officials are hopeful that the 2019 discovery of the slave ship Clotilda will lure visitors to the Africatown community where plans are underway for a new museum, welcome center, and water tours. Birmingham is home to the National Civil Rights Institute, and Selma has seen a rise in tourists.

In the Black Belt region, Tina Jones is looking for guidance from federal lawmakers as they covet a designation from the National Parks Service for the Black Belt region to become Alabamas second federally designated heritage area. The only Alabama heritage site recognized by the National Parks Service is in the Tennessee River basin and encompasses Muscle Shoals and Florence. There are about 50 of them in the U.S.

Federal legislation, backed by U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, could be adopted later this year that designates 19 counties in the Black Belt as a national heritage area. Proponents say the effort would be utilized as a marketing and branding tool for bolstering tourism.

Jones, president for the board of directors with the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation and the Alabama Black Belt Heritage Area, said the advantage of the designation would be in a branding opportunity linked to the Parks Service. She said the region would benefit on additional expertise and assistance from the federal agency that comes along with the designation.

We dont have an official designation yet, but for the last 10 years weve acted like a heritage area in trying to piece these things together, said Jones.

The designation would also provide a boost for the small communities in the Black Belt with histories that are often undersold compared to Selma and Montgomery. She said interpretative signage and audio tours are prevalent in some communities and are somewhat non-existent in others. She said Selma has 76 sites linked to the tours, Wilcox County has 104, Sumter County has 50 and Monroeville has about 40.

We would want to increase those things in the Black Belt and especially along Highway 43, said Jones. We would work to connect with the local communities and to think about what they would want to highlight.

In Linden, that could include highlighting Lewis Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church where Mayor Gwendolyn Rogers said Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. held a rally in the early 60s. Linden is also the hometown to civil rights icon, Ralph Abernathy, a close King associate and co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. George P. Austin Junior High School, according to the mayor, was once an all-Black dormitory where students would stay during the week and attend school before returning on weekends to their families and farm.

Rogers, herself, created a bit of history last September when she became the first Black person ever elected mayor in Linden. The city has a population of less than 1,800, with 51% white residents and 46.7% Black, according to the last Census count over a decade ago.

We are working hard to build up our city to where people will want to go through here and see some attractions in town, said Rogers. I remember my mother and father telling me the stories, those historical aspects. Dr. King did come here and speak. Its definitely a potential.

Hidden history

But that history also includes raw brutality, which could prove difficult to unfurl. The Eutaw massacre is among those moments that could provide a spotlight on how Alabamas foray with Reconstruction unraveled amid racial terrorism and the emergence of the Jim Crow South.

Bertis English, a professor of history at Alabama State University in Montgomery, said there are opportunities for national, state, and local politicians to shed light on past injustices throughout Alabama.

Roadside markers are good, said English. Roadway names are great. How many officials wish to pursue either one of those two possibilities is the question.

Challenges still exist in getting that history told. English said there was considerable opposition in the efforts by Bryan Stevenson in pursuing the lynching museum in Montgomery after his associates revealed their plans. Only when the full reflection of tourism dollars was projected, did words from some mouths change. Even then, whether minds followed suit was questionable.

English said the Alabama Historic Memorial Preservation Act, enacted in 2017, typifies the depths to which certain Alabamians are willing to sink to keep visible as many physical remnants of white-dominate, not simply white-led, South.

Demopolis was the center of national attention in 2016 after its Confederate solider monument was damaged by a police cruiser. The damaged solider was removed after the incident, and the city opted to replace it with an obelisk inscribed to the memories of dead Confederate soldiers. The statue, located near U.S. 43, was originally erected in 1910. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com).

Despite the law, Alabama ranked No. 3 in the nation last year in removal of a dozen Confederate monuments. One of the monuments that remains received national attention in 2016, in Demopolis, after a police cruiser slammed into it and destroyed the Confederate soldier statue that long stood atop it. City officials, following extensive debate on the future of the structure, determined to replace the soldier statue with an obelisk inscribed to memorialize dead Confederate soldiers.

Giggie, the professor at the University of Alabama, said the challenge for state and local officials is whether they are interested in investing into truth-telling about its past.

This is a hidden history, said Giggie. Part of (the reason its hidden) is because the physical infrastructure of travel in the 21st century doesnt always take you there. Thats one step in creating that history, and when you get there, you need more stories and museums.

Long overdue

Wayne Flynt, an Alabama historian and professor emeritus at Auburn University, said the prospects of cultural tourism could provide a boost for one of the poorest regions in the state.

Though he is not a fan of transportation projects in general, Flynt said a widened U.S. 43 could open up a region that makes it more accessible to tourism and economic development.

It is long overdue, said Flynt. Since the end of the Civil War, (the Black Belt region) has been in decline as Blacks moved away and economic opportunity slowly declined. Now they are the poorest places in America, mainly supporting outside-owned timber plantations. Health and education abound. Yet, the prospects of cultural tourism are enormous as are the indigenous crafts such as pottery making and gospel music, and other crafts on display at Black Belt Treasures in Camden, a gem of a tow but not easy to access or learn about.

Flynt said the Black Belt region needs a north-south highway in the western part of Alabama that connects Memphis to Mobile, and a highway that moves west from Montgomery to Jackson, Mississippi.

It is a beautiful drive with wonderful vistas, history and culture and could be a huge shot in the arm to the poorest part of Alabama, he said.
The independent Russian investigative newspaper Novaya gazeta says it believes the entrance to the building in Moscow that houses its offices has been targeted in a "chemical attack."

The periodical, which shares the premises with several other companies, said on March 15 that there was a strong chemical odor in the building detected by all employees and visitors to the newspaper's offices.

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Officials and teams from the Emergency Situations Ministry, Interior Ministry, and the Federal Security Service are at the site and working to find the source of the smell, the newspaper said. So far, there has been no official confirmation of any chemical substance in the building.

Novaya gazeta's staff members say that the odor is very similar to one that was present when the home and car of correspondent Yulia Latynina was sprinkled with an unknown chemical in 2017.

That same year, the newspaper received a letter with an unknown white powder inside, which later was shown to be harmless.

In October 2018, unknown people brought three cages with sheep wearing vests with the inscription PRESS on them. Several days before that, unknown individuals threw a funeral wreath in front of the publications building with notes threatening Denis Korotkov, a correspondent for the newspaper. Days later, a sheep's head was found near the office with a note threatening all reporters at Novaya gazeta.

Six of the publication's journalists, including well-known reporters Yury Shchekochikhin, Anna Politkovskaya, and Anastasia Baburova, have been killed since 2001.
The Grammy awards, like the recent Golden Globes, gave us a welcome chance to see stars dress up again after a year of pandemic stay-at-home attire.

Musics biggest night is usually a wild card when it comes to the red carpet -- with looks ranging from revealing to strange. But on Sunday, the virtual event featured music notables staying close to classic looks, nothing too crazy for the most part.

Beyonce made an entrance  arriving just in time to accept the award for best rap performance with fellow Houstonian Megan Thee Stallion  in a custom black leather mini dress by Schiaparelli Haute Couture. She accessorized with massive gold earrings, Jimmy Choo platforms and black gloves topped with gold fingernails. It was the perfect Grammys outfit.

Megan Thee Stallion channeled a Hollywood starlet, albeit with ultra long nails, in a red-orange, strapless Dolce & Gabbana gown with long train and thigh- high slit. She was presented the best new artist Grammy award by Houston's Lizzo, who wore a pale pink Balmain dress with an high-low ruffle hem.

Going against the classic trend was Doja Cat. who went for a daring look in a Roberto Cavalli gown with a plunging neckline and chartreuse feather skirt. Noah Cyrus chose a white column gown with a voluminous cape by Schiaparelli, a fave designer of Lady Gaga. And Phoebe Bridgers arrived in her signature glammed-up goth look with a white sequinned skeleton suit by Thom Browne.

But thats as wild as it got.

Dua Lipa wore an elegant, sheer butterfly Verace gown. Taylor Swift looked like an ode to spring in a long-sleeve mini dress by Oscar de la Renta embellished with multi-colored flowers, which social media dubbed cottagecore.

H.E.R. channeled a bo-ho vibe with a burgundy velvet tunic and pants embellished with crystals from Dundas Fall 2021 Collection. Another great pantsuit look was worn by Ingrid Andress, who looked stunning in white Amani Prive with a crystal chain bodice.

Louis Vuitton made a big showing at the Grammys with looks worn by BTS, Chloe x Halle and Cynthia Erivo in a gorgeous sequinned gown that rivaled the one Regina King wore for the Golden Globes.

Wearing Gucci were host Trevor Noah in a classic black wool-mohair tux, Harry Styles in a mint-green faux fur boa and black leather suit and Billie Eilish in a Gucci rose-pink floral shirt with sequin tiger, with matching pants and mask. She changed into another Gucci look  sea-green floor shirt and matching pants  for her performance. Finneas and Anderson .Paak also wore Gucci.

The Haim sisters  Alana, Danielle and Este wore coordinating powder-blue looks by Prada.

Debi Nova opted for a pink strapless mini dress with cascading train by Georges Chakra, while Jhene Aiko went big  in a glamorous Monsoori gown with yards and yards of pink tulle.
A number of arrests have been made at the Port of Liverpool following attempts by people to enter the UK illegally.

New images show the shocking conditions some were living in inside trailers as they attempt to make it into the country.

One local businessman took the images and said he strongly believes this is the result of criminal gangs using his vehicles to illegally traffic people through the Port of Liverpool and into the UK.

Arrests have been made after migrants attempted to gain entry to the UK via the Port of Liverpool. Images shared by a transport boss show the conditions migrants were travelling in

The stark images show items left by those living in the trailer, which had just made the long journey back from Santander in northern Spain.

Empty cans and bottles as well as sleeping bags have been left behind by those who had made the journey in the back of the trailers.

The trailer belongs to Liverpool based firm Coyne Transport, and director Michael Coyne said these scenes have become very regular.

He said: 'We have been doing this new route to Santander since just before Christmas, and this is happening nearly every time we go.

Empty cans and bottles have been left behind by those travelling illegally in lorry trailers

'We have spoken to our partners in Spain who say that the situation there is worsening.

'It appears to be an organised crime group trafficking these people to Liverpool and Dublin.

'We are a small operator and we are seeing this regularly, so you would imagine its an even bigger issue for the bigger operators coming through the port.'

Mr Coyne said he does not feel his company have been supported by the Port of Liverpool and other agencies after raising the issue.

But when enquiries were made, the Port of Liverpool Police said they had made a number of arrests in relation to attempts to enter the country illegally.

Coyne Transport boss Michael Coyne says he believes criminal gangs are behind the crossings

A spokesperson for The Port of Liverpool Police said: 'We can confirm that recent arrests have been made within the ISPS (International Ship and Port Facility Security Code) secure zone following the attempts of individuals to enter the UK illegally through the Port of Liverpool.

'They were subsequently detained by Port Police and taken into custody where they are now in the hands of Border Force Security.

'For operational and ongoing security reasons no further information relating to specific vessels, line operators or networks will be made available as this is a direct matter for UK Border Force.'
According to the majority of studies taken, the average man and woman spend north of 2 hours per day on their familys personal couch. Thats over 700 hours a year sitting on the same piece of furniture, totaling 1/12 of a persons life! Hey, we definitely arent here to judge, only to recommend that with such a significant amount of downtime being spent on your homes sofa, you do everything within your power to make sure its as comfortable as can be.

At the same time, overpaying for subpar quality is never fun, and navigating the endless inventory of major online retailers such as IKEA and Wayfair can be a daunting chore. After doing some significant research on behalf of Houstonians, our goal is to make sure you get the best sofas imaginable while still being able to boast about an easy shopping experience and great final price.

The Best Sofas from Wayfair

From traditional couches to sectionals and sofa beds, youre sure to find something that suits your Houston home perfectly when browsing all of the best sofas from Wayfair. Your eyes will quickly tell you whats stylish, but while you cant actually sit on the couch, relying on products with an abundance of reviews is an ideal way to determine how comfortable the sofa will be.

Wayfair Couches with the Most Positive User Reviews

Ravi Velvet 84" Square Arm Sofa - wayfair.com 989.90 Shop Now

The Wide Square Arm Sofa from Wayfair holds the distinction of having over 4,000 reviews and carrying an average rating of 4.7 out of 5. Additionally, youll be hard-pressed to not find a color that compliments your decor perfectly since this fabric sofa is stocked in 10 different colors. Modern yet timeless, you really cant go wrong considering the sale price is under a thousand.

84" Wide Genuine Leather Square Arm Sofa - wayfair.com 1499.00 Shop Now

Leather couches scream luxury, and when that sofa material is genuine leather, the finished room will dazzle the eye for design gurus to an even greater extent. Another of the best details about Wayfair is how their images feed shoppers exciting ideas for how to accessorize sofas with throw blankets and colorful pillows, which are all for sale on Wayfair as well.

Seeing as how Wayfair has over 28,000 different sofas for sale, from standard and curved couches to Chesterfield sofas and modular designs, its difficult to pinpoint the exact couches that are the most stylish for your unique tastes. The good news is this is part of the fun! Wayfair is extremely user-friendly on any mobile device, and after narrowing down your preferred color and design, you can choose the one that matches the style of your Houston home.

Are Wayfair Sofas Good Quality? Things to Know Before Buying

The most important thing to know about Wayfair before buying is thatdespite shipping being free on your initial purchaseyou will be charged shipping costs when returning an item you dont like. However, you do have 30 days to make the return and missing parts are shipped out immediately without additional costs. There is no blanket assurance we can give on the quality of all Wayfair pieces, but checking out customer reviews on each piece will give you great insight. Receiving the item at your front door will always be the moment of truth for personally judging its quality, but if youve researched the legitimate reviews, this shouldnt be an issue.

The Best Sofas from IKEA

If youre a newbie to the world of IKEA, youll quickly realize their products all carry names that sound like Game of Thrones characters, but thats okay! Toss any xenophobia to the side and embrace how the best sofas from IKEA usually carry some of the best prices anywhere for furniture, whether in Houston or elsewhere in Texas.

IKEA Couches with the Most Positive User Reviews

FRIHETEN Sleeper sofa - Skiftebo dark gray - ikea.com 499.00 Shop Now

EKTORP Sofa - Lofallet beige - ikea.com 399.00 Shop Now

In line with the theme of product names that are difficult for Americans to pronounce, FRIHETEN is a popular sleeper sofa available in a host of different colors. Likewise, EKTORP is a standard yet timeless couch at a budget-friendly price, made with easily removable cushion covers so spills and stains can be easily cleaned. These two couches hold a solid number of reviews, each with a positive aggregate score.

As a whole, IKEA couches tend to be far more on the modern side than rival retail outlets. However, with sofas usually being the centerpiece of a room, IKEA styles still tend to be versatile within the overall vibe people are looking to achieve. Plus, with closer to 150 couches available, you will be able to peruse their inventory quickly before reaching a decision.

Are IKEA Sofas Good Quality? Things to Know Before Buying

Before buying a sofa from IKEA, its important to realize they are a bit of a love-it-or-hate-it brand. Many customers have sworn by IKEAs affordable price point for decades and mention nothing but good experiences. Yet due to select product recalls, many other customers complain about poor quality and difficult assembly. Once again, this is why you should rely on individual reviews when ordering online!

Consensus: The Best Place to Buy a Sofa Online

While we know this is a copout, choosing between Wayfair and IKEA is a little bit like the age-old debate Beatles or Rolling Stones despite both being brilliant. What we do know is that each retailer has their strengths and weaknesses. Using important criteria that online shoppers find most helpful, weve named the top pros of each.

Site with the Best Images & Descriptions for Couches: Wayfair

IKEA shouldnt be too offended by losing the image and description battlethey still have the best Swedish meatballs, plus lingonberry jam thats to die for! IKEA does include plenty of helpful photos for their products, making this less of a knock against IKEA and more of a shout-out to Wayfairs comprehensive sets of pictures, fleshed-out product descriptions, and individual vendor overview pages. If you want to practically visualize any item without actually touching it, Wayfair is the king of that department.

Site with the Best Filters for Quickly Searching: IKEA

Lets be honest about what minimalists the Scandinavians are when it comes to design. That minimalism carries over into their user experience as well, also aided by a lower but more selective inventory. An optional sidebar filter lets shoppers customize every search, from the number of seats needed to the exact shape of the desired product. Another massive perk of IKEA is how Houston does have a prime location right on I-10, making pickup and returns incredibly simple while Wayfair remains solely online.

Relax on Your Comfortable New Sofa

With proper maintenance, the average sofa can easily last up to 15 years, and if youve followed our guide, youll hopefully get as much wear, tear, and all-around comfort from your new sofa as possible. Just remember to keep those feet off the couch.

Beyond Ikea and Wayfair

Other Direct-to-Consumer Sofa Brands Worth Checking Out

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) furniture brands are growing in popularity due to a business model that eliminates the middleman or retailer, thus passing lower prices directly to the consumer. While you may be able to visit an Ikea store and try before you buy, you wont have that luxury with DTCs like Wayfair. Just in case you arent sold on finding the best sofas at Ikea or Wayfair, here are a few of the most widely and highly-rated DTC brands you may want to check out, too.

Joybird | 4.8 stars | 10.7k reviews

Joybird

If youre a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright and mid-century design, you may love Joybird. Each handcrafted piece of furniture is made from the finest raw materials, at fair prices, then customized to each customers specifications. Try their furniture in your home for 90 days in your home and if you dont love it, send it back. But, shippings on you.

Burrow | 4.7 stars | 1.8k reviews

Burrow

Burrow specializes in modular furniture  sofas, armchairs, loveseats, sleepers, and more. Customization reigns supreme at Burrow, allowing customers to select their choice of fabric, leg styles and arm heights. Here you can find smart furniture with built-in features like USB chargers, making Burrows couches and loveseats perfect for todays tech-savvy homes.

The Inside | 4.4 stars | 14.7k reviews

The Inside

The Inside makes every piece of their trendy furnishings from scratch. Your made-to-order pieces are delivered within a matter of weeks, not months. This is a great option if you want full customization and a large selection of fabrics, colors and patterns.

Hearst Newspapers participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.
Ukraine can offer Afghanistan its experience in the restoration of infrastructure and increase the supply of Ukrainian agricultural products.

Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva made a corresponding statement at the meeting with Advisor to the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Kabir Khan Isakhel on March 13, the press service of the Presidents Office informs.

The Deputy Head of the Office of the President noted the opportunities to increase the supply of Ukrainian agricultural products to Afghanistan which can contribute to food security. He also expressed the intention of the Ukrainian side to participate in the implementation of infrastructure projects in Afghanistan using the existing experience, the statement reads.

According to Zhovkva, Ukraine has the necessary knowledge about Afghanistan and relevant experience and is ready to participate in the reconstruction and modernization of railways, highways and energy facilities.

As noted, the parties discussed a wide range of issues on the bilateral agenda, including the strengthening of trade, economic and military-technical cooperation. The successful holding of the second meeting of the Ukraine-Afghanistan Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation and the achievement of a number of agreements on deepening economic cooperation between the two countries were praised.

The officials also discussed the political and security situation in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the efforts of the Afghan authorities to promote intra-Afghan dialogue.

Ukraine is closely monitoring the positive changes in Afghanistan. We share the Afghan party's commitment to deepening bilateral relations. The time has come to intensify political dialogue and organize further bilateral contacts at the highest level. We are serious about developing our trade and economic cooperation, restoring bilateral trade, Ihor Zhovkva stressed.

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New Delhi, March 15 : Six criminals, including two out on parole, have been arrested in connection with a string of robberies, police said on Monday.

Nine cases of robbery, snatching and theft have been solved with the arrest of the accused from Wazirabad area of north Delhi.

The accused used to commit robberies and snatching while on stolen motorcycles or scooties, and carried weapons to deal with any resistance by the victim. They were planning to target collection agents and owners of jewellery shops.

"As most of the criminals were out of parole, they were trying to make maximum money before their surrender, to use for advocate's fee and other expenses," DCP, North Delhi, Anto Alphonse, said.

The accused have been identified as Javed (23), Hashim (25), Gaurav (29), Lokesh (21), Monu (23), and Owais Ansari (30).

Hashim and Javed confessed that they had committed about 40 robberies and snatchings at different places of Delhi-NCR area. It was also revealed that Hashim has purchased the recovered arms and ammunitions from Owais of UP's Meerut.

"Javed had to surrender in jail on March 18 and so the gang was in a hurry to execute their plans of robbery and snatching," the DCP said.

Two of the accused robbed a man in Sangam Vihar on March 3 as he was talking on his mobile while heading home. When he reached the Pushta Road, Hashim and Lokesh, on a scooty, brandished a pistol and knife and sought to robe his phone. When he resisted, one fired in the air and also assaulted him.

Police said that Javed is involved in a 2018 murder case of Burari and had come into contact with Hashim in Tihar Jail. After being released on parole in June 2020, he started committing robberies and snatchings to arrange his legal fees and other expenses. Hashim, who also was released on parole in June 2020, is involved in six cases of robbery, kidnapping and under the Arms Act.
March 15, 2021 - After arthroscopic surgery on the meniscus of the knee, patients using telemedicine for postoperative follow-up are just as satisfied with their care as those making in-person visits, reports a study in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio in partnership with Wolters Kluwer.

"Patient satisfaction with overall care is equivalent between telemedicine and office-based follow-up after an arthroscopic meniscal surgical procedure in the immediate postoperative period," according to the randomized trial report by Christina P. Herrero, MD, and colleagues of NYU Langone Health, New York , and colleagues.

Telemedicine is 'a reasonable alternative' for postoperative visits

The study included 122 patients who underwent arthroscopic surgery of the meniscus - sometimes called the "shock absorber" of the knee. About 88 percent of patients underwent removal of the meniscus (meniscectomy), and the rest underwent meniscal repair procedures. Arthroscopic meniscal surgery is one of the most common orthopaedic surgical procedures.

Patients were randomly assigned to either office-based or telemedicine follow-up, scheduled for 5 to 14 days postoperatively. During both types of follow-up visits, the surgeon talked to the patient about the surgical findings, the patient's pain, and the postoperative recovery period and performed a physical examination that included range-of-motion testing.

Of course, surgeons could not feel or touch the knee during telemedicine follow-ups - but they were still able to perform a visual assessment of wound healing, drainage, and swelling. Telemedicine follow-ups were performed using the patient's home computer or mobile device via a telemedicine program that was compliant with privacy rules.

In patient surveys, overall satisfaction ratings were almost identical between groups. Average patient satisfaction scores (on a 0-to-10 scale) were 9.77 with office-based follow-up and 9.79 for telemedicine follow-up. In both groups, only about 20 percent of patients said they would have preferred the other type of visit. Pain scores also showed similar improvement between groups: from about 5 (out of 10) on the day of the surgery to 3 at the follow-up visit.

Both groups had low complication rates. Two patients in each group had pain and swelling, raising concern about a possible blood clot-related complication (venous thromboembolism, or VTE). All four patients were sent for same-day Doppler ultrasound scans, which found no evidence of VTE. "All potential complications were identified, and there were no subsequent or missed complications identified on subsequent chart review," Dr. Herrero and colleagues write.

Telemedicine is a promising approach to delivering "direct, long-range care" to patients with many different conditions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telemedicine in routine medical care has greatly accelerated; the researchers began their study well before the start of the pandemic.

Although studies have reported a wide range of benefits from telemedicine visits, there are mixed data regarding satisfaction with telemedicine visits among patients undergoing common orthopaedic procedures. The new study is the first to directly compare telemedicine with standard office-based follow-up after orthopaedic surgery.

"Telemedicine may be a reasonable alternative to office-based follow-up after knee arthroscopy," Dr. Herrero and coauthors conclude. "[Our] study only evaluated the first postoperative visit, but future studies may benefit from expanding the use of telemedicine to longer-term follow-ups or to additional surgical procedures."

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Click here to read "Patient Satisfaction Is Equivalent Using Telemedicine Versus Office-Based Follow-up After Arthroscopic Meniscal Surgery."

DOI: 10.2106/JBJS.20.01413

About The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery

The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (JBJS) has been the most valued source of information for orthopaedic surgeons and researchers for over 125 years and is the gold standard in peer-reviewed scientific information in the field. A core journal and essential reading for general as well as specialist orthopaedic surgeons worldwide, The Journal publishes evidence-based research to enhance the quality of care for orthopaedic patients. Standards of excellence and high quality are maintained in everything we do, from the science of the content published to the customer service we provide. JBJS is an independent, non-profit journal.

About Wolters Kluwer

Wolters Kluwer (WKL) is a global leader in professional information, software solutions, and services for the clinicians, nurses, accountants, lawyers, and tax, finance, audit, risk, compliance, and regulatory sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with advanced technology and services.

Wolters Kluwer reported 2019 annual revenues of 4.6 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands.

Wolters Kluwer provides trusted clinical technology and evidence-based solutions that engage clinicians, patients, researchers and students with advanced clinical decision support, learning and research and clinical intelligence. For more information about our solutions, visit https:/ / www. wolterskluwer. com/ en/ health and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @WKHealth.
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While there were no nominations for acting, News of the World did pick up four Oscar nominations.

The New Mexico-filmed production snagged a nom for best cinematography, best sound, best original score and production design.

Cast and crew would embark on a 53-day odyssey across the forests and mountains surrounding Santa Fe in October 2019.

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News of the World is based Jiles novel and is set five years after the end of the Civil War.

It follows Capt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd, played by Tom Hanks, who is a widower and veteran of three wars as he moves from town to town as a nonfiction storyteller.

He shares the news of presidents and queens, glorious feuds, catastrophes and adventures from the far reaches of the globe.

David Crank helped recreate the towns within a 30-mile radius from Santa Fe.

The production was shot entirely on location in and around Santa Fe.

For 53 shooting days, cast and crew touched down at multiple locations, spanning two storied movie ranches, the first Native American-owned film studio, two cultural heritage sites, miles of the breathtaking terrain, and the streets of downtown Santa Fe.

Heres a breakdown of where News of the World filmed:

BONANZA CREEK RANCH

Bonanza Creek Ranch, just outside Santa Fe, has sprawling grounds, a 24-building town and five interior sets, surrounded by an unobstructed 360-degree vista.

With just four weeks to prepare the location, the challenge was to take one seasoned movie ranch and carve it into four distinct towns fighting their way back from the Civil War.

Bonanza had a lot of character to begin with, says David Crank, production designer. So the job was to edit what existed  squashing down the color palette, removing trim and any unnecessary pieces  and making everything feel as real as possible.

Separating the ranch into quadrants, Crank identified distinct characteristics that could serve as visual hallmarks for each town, as well as common pieces that could be reused. Piece-by-piece, Wichita Falls, Red River Station, Dallas and Cranfills Gap began to emerge.

COCHITI PUEBLO

Thirty-five miles from Santa Fe, the team touched down at Cochiti Pueblo, a pristine natural landscape cut through by the Rio Grande. The region proved a versatile stand-in for roads leading to Red River Station and the Red River banks, as well as the Shallow Valley. It is one of the most wooded places the team members found in New Mexico, and they went back several times, as it had so much of what they needed.

SAN CRISTOBAL RANCH

An hours drive south from Santa Fe revealed true wilderness. Off the grid, ringed by the Cerrillos Hills, and the Ortiz, Sangre de Cristo and Jemez mountain chains  81,000 acres deep, and roamed by deer, elk, mountain lions and bears  the San Cristobal Ranch sits on the Galisteo Basin, where archaeological discoveries dating back thousands of years ago were unearthed.

Paul Greengrass was drawn to locations that had gigantic, epic vistas in the background; thats everywhere at San Cristobal, Crank says. The scale is immense, and its a harder and much more open landscape than any of the other ranches where we filmed. But there was also extraordinary diversity; the terrain goes from wide-open trails to gentle rolling hills and towering cliffs to more enclosed spaces.

EAVES RANCH AS DURAND AND ERATH COUNTY

At Eaves Ranch, the filmmakers found everything they needed to bring the dark side of the West to life. A workhorse of a Western town since Hollywood moved in to shoot The Cheyenne Social Club in 1969, Eaves Ranch has grown to house more than three dozen buildings, including a main square and a church.

EL RANCHO DE LAS GOLONDRINAS

The rustic El Rancho de las Golondrinas became the shooting location for Johannas destination: the farm of her aunt and uncle, Anna and Wilhelm.

A living history museum just south of Santa Fe, El Rancho de las Golondrinas is on 200 acres of rural farmland. It is punctuated by colonial homes that stretch back to the early 18th century, along with reconstructions of structures from across New Mexico  one of which became the Leonberger compound.

We found a log cabin in this wooded valley that had once been a schoolhouse, Crank says. It had a rather rough field across from it and an adobe structure nearby, everything we needed to create the more established, yet hardscrabble farm.

SANTA FE AS SAN ANTONIO

Pieces of downtown Santa Fe were transformed into Kidds hometown, San Antonio  which came to life the Camel Rock Casino backlot, where the market was staged; and two restored centuries-old residences downtown.

The filmmakers created Kidds San Antonio residence at a 200-year-old home that features Spanish-Pueblo Revival-style adobe architecture, known as El Zaguan. Its adjacent section of Canyon Road was transformed into the dirt-covered side street where we see Kidds approach.

Another key location was the downtown law office of Kidds attorney, Mr. Branholme. This was captured at the 1890-era Delgado House, which, like El Zaguan, had been donated to the Historic Santa Fe Foundation to ensure its preservation.

The final location on the schedule was an old school on the outskirts of Santa Fe, which was transformed into the grounds of San Antonios famed San Fernando Cathedral.
Photo: (Photo : Getty Images: Handout / Handout)

According to a recent interview, a Royal Family member raised questions about their unborn son's potential skin tone, citing that as a reason baby Archie wasn't given a Royal title.

Prince William maintained that the royal family is not racist but admitted that he hadn't spoken to his brother since Meghan Markle and Prince Harry gave Oprah Winfrey the bombshell interview. In the interview, Sussex's outcry that a family member had expressed concern about their child's skin tone revealed details about a schism within the typically tight-lipped institution.

READ: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry To Expect a Second Baby! A New Addition To The Royal Family

On Thursday, March 4, Prince William and his wife Catherine were at a school in School 21 in Stratford, east London. After a national lockdown, the school just reopened, and they were launching a mental health initiative that Catherine had started in primary schools three years earlier.

As they were about to leave, a reporter asked them if the royal family was racist; Prince William responded, with the duchess by her side, "very much not a racist family." William's comments were among the first remarks from a senior member of the royal family.

When asked by a reporter, "Sir, have you spoken to your brother since the interview?" he said: "I haven't spoken to him yet, but I will do." He briefly paused to answer the question.

It's unusual, though, for a senior royal to talk openly about such personal issues during a public engagement, as William did. Since William allegedly urged Harry to "slow down" and not jump into things with the ex-Suits star, the brothers' relationship has been strained, according to reports.

ALSO READ: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Release Inspirational Podcast



Here is the response of the other members of Britain's royal family.

After her grandson and his wife gave an explosive interview to Oprah Winfrey charging bigotry and rejection by the monarchy, Queen Elizabeth II issued a statement saying, "the whole family was saddened to learn the full extent of how difficult the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan."

The Queen made a startling admission when she said," the issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning." In the United Kingdom, the term "concerning" has a different meaning than in the United States. It means "worrying." That is to say that the Queen was not going to ignore this.

However, the Queen hinted that the royal family did not wholly back the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's account of how they were handled or what was said.

"While some recollections can vary, they are taken very seriously by the family and will be addressed privately," her majesty said.

READ MORE: Royal Couple, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Will No Longer Use Social Media Due to Cyberbullying

"Harry, Meghan, and Archie will always be much-loved family members," the Queen concluded. She repeated a refrain she has used many times since the couple moved from Frogmore Cottage at Windsor Castle to their new life in a seaside mansion in sunny Southern California.

Meanwhile, Prince Charles, Harry's father, made his first public appearance since the interview at a north London church, stopping by a pop-up vaccine clinic.

The heir to the throne joked with those having their coronavirus jabs, yet, when a reporter asked the royal what he felt about the interview... he did not respond and was ushered out of the building.

However, on the video of the incident posted on social media, a man behind him blocked the view. He carried on walking, so it's not sure if Prince Charles said anything at all.
OSLO, Norway, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Norwegian Energy Company ASA ("Noreco" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that it has appointed John Hulme as Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective today.

Mr Hulme brings 30 years of global experience in the oil and gas industry. He was most recently Country Manager for Sapura Energy E&P business in Malaysia, which delivered strong growth following the acquisition of Newfield Malaysia in 2014. Prior to this Mr Hulme was Country Manager for Newfield Malaysia and Operations and Development Manager for the Asia region, with multiple offshore producing and development assets primarily in Malaysia and China. The Newfield Asia businesses also demonstrated significant offshore growth in the region while maintaining a strong HSE record with industry leading cost control.

Mr Hulme has previously held senior leadership and technical roles with Santos Ltd, Anadarko Petroleum and ExxonMobil. He holds a MSc in Petroleum Engineering from Colorado School of Mines.

"It's great to have John joining the Noreco executive leadership team in the critical role of Chief Operating Officer. John brings extensive experience from the global oil and gas sector, and proven excellence in operational leadership of international E&P companies. I am confident that he will contribute significantly to taking Noreco's operational performance to the next level as well as ensuring the successful execution of the Tyra Redevelopment project", said David B. Cook, Chief Executive Officer.

"This is an exciting time to be joining Noreco with its solid operating base and strong pipeline of development projects, including Tyra. The company has a very exciting growth platform. I look forward to working in Denmark with the Noreco team, DUC partners and all stakeholders going forward", said John Hulme, Chief Operating Officer.

Contact:

Cathrine Torgersen, EVP Investor Relations & Communication

Phone: +47 915 28 501

Email: ct@noreco.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/noreco/r/appointment-of-new-chief-operating-officer,c3306422

SOURCE NORECO
The claim: The Biden administration has created an immigration crisis on our border. They refuse to call it a crisis, though apprehension numbers are worse than the crisis Biden/Obama/Pelosi acknowledged in 2014!  Kayleigh McEnany, former press secretary to Donald Trumps White House.

McEnany, now an on-air commentator for Fox News, slammed President Joe Biden on March 8 for the influx of migrants at the U.S. border with Mexico, likening the situation to a surge Biden and other top Democrats described in dire terms years ago.

PolitiFact rating: Mostly True. Border officials recorded more cases of someone caught trying to cross the border illegally in January and February than they did during the peak months in 2014.

Discussion

McEnany made the claim on Facebook and Twitter, and again on a Fox broadcast.

She referred to apprehensions, which Customs and Border Patrol defines as the physical control or temporary detainment of a person who is not lawfully in the U.S. which may or may not result in an arrest.

But her comparison across years is a little tricky, because during the coronavirus pandemic, not all encounters between Border Patrol and migrants have been recorded as apprehensions.

About PolitiFact PolitiFact is a fact-checking project to help you sort out fact from fiction in politics. Truth-O-Meter ratings are determined by a panel of three editors. The burden of proof is on the speaker, and PolitiFact rates statements based on the information known at the time the statement is made. See More Collapse

Back in 2014, apprehensions meant anyone who was taken into custody by Border Patrol when they tried to cross the border illegally between ports of entry, said Jessica Bolter, an associate policy analyst with the Migration Policy Institute. Today, its a little bit more complex.

ALARMS AT TEXAS BORDER: Border Patrol reports 28% rise in migrant crossings

In March 2020, President Donald Trump invoked Title 42, a section of federal law, to allow border officials to quickly expel migrants seeking admission into the U.S. on the grounds that their entry into the country and immigration system could contribute to the spread of COVID-19.

As a result of the order, migrants caught crossing the border illegally can now face one of two fates, Bolter said. They can be apprehended and put into immigration removal proceedings, or they can be immediately expelled, in which case they wouldnt begin immigration proceedings.

The Border Patrol in January 2021 recorded 75,312 encounters at the southern border between ports of entry. In February, it recorded 96,974 such encounters, according to the most recent CBP data available.

By comparison, CBP recorded 60,683 total apprehensions in May of 2014, that years peak.

We should note that only 12,781 of the encounters in January 2021 and 26,791 of the encounters in February 2021 were apprehensions made under CBPs immigration authority. The rest were Title 42 expulsions. That means, generally, that Border Patrol processed unauthorized border crossings at a much faster pace in 2021 than they could have in 2014.

It also means that not all the migrants caught trying to unlawfully cross the border now are being held in the country as they move through the immigration system.

Regardless, experts PolitiFact spoke to said it was fair to lump apprehensions and Title 42 together for the sake of comparison, as McEnany did in her post.

When you look at them together, thats the total number of times someone was caught trying to cross the border illegally between ports of entry, Bolter said, noting that what is logged today as a Title 42 expulsion would have registered as an apprehension in 2014.

Border security metrics can be complex and terminology is not always used in the same way we would officially use it, added Matthew Dyman, a CBP spokesperson.

Evan Vucci, STF / Associated Press

A Fox News spokesperson pointed to CBP data and examples showing Biden, President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi using the word crisis in 2014.

That year, the border saw an influx of unaccompanied children and families that was broadly acknowledged as a crisis, Bolter said.

That was kind of the first time that the U.S. government had to deal with these mass arrivals of families and children, and they had to deal with that with an infrastructure that was really set up to carry out enforcement against single adults, Bolter said. They were pretty unprepared.

Speaking in Guatemala in June of 2014 about migrants apprehended at the U.S. border who were claiming credible fear, Biden said the U.S. was working quickly to process their cases in light of the humanitarian crisis caused by the number of crossings.

The Biden administration has not characterized things that way this time. Bidens Homeland Security secretary said the border situation amounted to a challenge, not a crisis.

Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, which supports low levels of immigration, said the current situation is more worrisome than 2014.

Its worse because there are more people attempting to enter illegally, and its worse because it is happening during a pandemic, Vaughan said.
Former Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky poses for a pictured after an interview with Reuters in central London

By Alexander Marrow

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian police detained around 200 people, including several prominent opposition figures, at a meeting of independent and opposition politicians in Moscow on Saturday, the interior ministry said.

The detentions come amid a crackdown on anti-Kremlin sentiment, following the arrest and imprisonment of opposition politician Alexei Navalny who returned to Russia in January after recovering from a nerve agent poisoning in Siberia.

The Moscow forum, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, was a gathering of municipal deputies from all over the country, Andrei Pivovarov, the event's organiser and executive director of Open Russia, a British-based group founded by exiled former oil tycoon and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, told radio station Echo Moskvy.

As the forum got underway, police entered the building and began detaining attendees and taking them to police vans waiting outside, video footage from TV Rain and Russian news agencies showed.

The Moscow branch of Russia's interior ministry said around 200 people had been detained and that an investigation was underway.

Police said those detained were not following the appropriate anti-coronavirus health measures even though footage showed most of them wearing masks. They said some of those attending the forum had links to an "undesirable organisation".

"A significant portion of participants lacked personal protective equipment," the police said. "Members of an organisation whose activities are considered undesirable on Russian territory were among the participants."

OVD-Info, which monitors the detention of political protesters and activists, put the number of detainees at more than 170.

"The finale of the short forum was very symbolic: deputies in police vans and masked police twisting people's arms," one detainee, opposition politician Ilya Yashin, wrote on Facebook.

"But no one promised us freedom on a silver platter. Russia will still be free."

Story continues

Vladimir Kara-Murza, vice-president of the Free Russia Foundation, a Washington-based non-profit organisation, shared a picture from the inside of a police van after he was detained.

TV Rain said Yevgeny Roizman, the former mayor of Yekaterinburg, and Moscow city councillor Yulia Galyamina were also detained.

Open Russia is one of more than 30 groups that Moscow has labelled as undesirable and banned under a law adopted in 2015.

(Editing by Ros Russell)
Minerco completes purchase of WLCCO Inc and increases psilocybin production capacity

Oakland, California--(Newsfile Corp. - March 14, 2021) - Minerco (OTC Pink: MINE) announced today that they have acquired WLCCO Inc, a white label CBD company that generates approximately $2.5 million in annual revenue. This strategic purchase includes crucial equipment, increasing microdosed psilocybin tablet production capacity by 1 million units daily. In markets where psilocybin is not legal, Minerco will manufacture unleaded medical mushrooms including Chaga and Lion Mane as legal alternatives.

Minerco leadership announced the company's four critical goals at the Sankofa Shareholder and Vision Summit held on January 24, 2021:

Retire Debt

Acquire the equipment necessary to manufacture 1 million micro dots daily

Launch anticipated blockchain token SHRU

Acquire a U.S. location to maximize operations both domestically and globally

On February 16, 2021, the company announced a full settlement of debt to EROP capital. As of March 1, 2021, the company successfully launched their Blockchain token SHRU and payment application SHRUCOIN Pay. With the acquisition of WLCCO, Minerco leadership can now say that they have achieved three out of the four goals laid at the Summit with the acquisition of WLCCO.

The company is optimistic about these business developments. In light of this, Minerco CEO Julius Jenge released the following statement:

"Increasing the company's microdosed psilocybin tablet production capacity was a crucial goal to prepare the company for success as legal markets expand in the United States. We are fully prepared for the bright future of this newly legal industry and feel confident in the firm's ability to meet growing demand."

About Minerco Inc.

Minerco, Inc. The Magic Mushroom Company (OTC Pink: MINE) is the pioneering company specializing in the research, production, and distribution of psilocybin mushroom products ("Magic Mushrooms'). The Blockchain token SHRU can be used for purchases relating to psilocybin and cannabis. SHRU can be purchased at www.shrucoin.com. Consumers can also utilize the SHRUCOIN Pay app by visiting www.shrucoinpay.com . To learn more about Minerco, Inc. visit them at www.minercoinc.com. To research Minerco, Inc's. stock histogram chart please visit OTC Markets at www.otcmarkets.com and search under the ticker MINE.

Follow us on twitter

@minercoinc

Investor relations

miners@minercoinc.com

About WLCCO

White Label CBD Co (WLCCO Inc) is a seed to shelf full-service private label manufacturer of industrial hemp CBD products with over 10 years industry experience and produced in a cGMP facility. Their trusted source of raw products out of Lexington, KY extracts over 20,000 pounds daily using safe CO 2 for solvent-free extraction.

MINERCO, INC. INC FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains statements that the Company believes to be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than historical facts, including, without limitation, statements regarding the investment offerings and the terms thereof, are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, words such as we "expect", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "should", or the negative thereof or similar terminology are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, such statements. Investors should not place undue reliance upon forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, 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/77160
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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.
Australians over the age of 50 will be able to get the vaccine against Covid-19 from June, the federal government has finally revealed.

The 678,000 Australians included in the phase 1a rollout of the vaccine would have received their second dose by June.

From March 22, the rollout for the 6.1 million Australians under the phase 1b will begin receiving their vaccine.

This phase includes people over the age of 70, those with underlying medical conditions, other front line workers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders under the age of 55, as well as critical and high risk workers.

WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson receives the vaccine at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, Perth, Sunday, March 7

Scott Morrison (left) watches a simulation of Covid-19 vaccine process where Sarah Fletcher (2nd from left) is taken through the procedure of receiving the vaccin

The first week will see 300,000 doses administered, 400,000 the following week before increasing to 500,000 each week until April 12.

As of Monday, NSW has administered 37,500 doses of the vaccine, Victoria 31,808 doses, 18,705 in Queensland and 18,391 in Western Australia.

In South Australia, 7,124 doses have been administered, with 3,667 in Tasmania, 3,636 in the ACT and 3,519 in the Northern Territory.

The Morrison Government enlisted thousands of GPs to administer the jabs across the country.

The program is run by the federal and state governments, targeting frontline health and hotel quarantine workers as well as aged and disability care residents and staff.

Registered Nurse Zoe Park (left) reacts after being administered the first Pfizer coronavirus vaccination in Queensland by clinical nurse consultant Kellie Kenway

Scott Morrison joins Aged care resident Jane Malysiak (left) as she receives her second Covid-19 vaccination during a visit to Castle Hill Medical Centre in Sydney, Sunday, March 14

The plan will see up to four million Australians vaccinated by April 26 as GPs help administer doses.

Mr Morrison clarified confusion around his government's vaccination deadline, saying he hoped all Australians would get one dose by October.

He said the move from four weeks to 12 weeks between recommended doses had blown out the promised timeline.

He defended the sluggish speed of the early-stage rollout blaming the international supply blockages for the delay.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 15) As the Philippines marks one year since the declaration of community quarantine measures, the countrys top health official admitted there are more lessons to be learned and always room for improvement in the COVID-19 pandemic response.

There is always room for improvement, this is a new phenomenon, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III told CNN Philippines The Source.

So theres a lot more to learn and we cannot be claiming as if we know so much about this because this can be very treacherous, this virus, he added. We just have to prepare and we have learned a lot of our lessons.

The government first imposed COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in Metro Manila from midnight of March 15 until April 14 last year, with the capital region declared under quarantine.

The measure, however, was expanded to the whole of Luzon which was then placed under the enhanced community quarantine starting March 16. The capital region and other areas of the country have been under varying forms of community quarantine since then.

The Enhanced Community Quarantine restricted citizens movement, transportation services, and several business operations. This strict lockdown status was seen to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which, to date, has infected over 600,000 people in the country.

Duque: Gov't should be open to criticisms

Earlier, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque rated the countrys pandemic response as excellent  a pronouncement slammed by netizens and some lawmakers and officials alike.

Duque, for his part, said the government would have to be open to criticisms, saying that these comments can help in the countrys battle against the health crisis.

Its not meant to be personal, but I think the objective is really to help government improve its pandemic response, the DOH chief pointed out.

The country for the past week has been recording over 3,000 and 4,000 new cases daily a development government officials, including Duque, labeled as alarming. The nationwide tally of new cases on Saturday also reached 5,000, the first time it hit that mark since August of last year.

RELATED: DOH chief not closing doors on stricter quarantine status amid alarming COVID-19 case surge

Duque meanwhile expressed his gratitude to local government units as well as healthcare workers for their essential roles amid the pandemic.

We continue to acknowledge, recognize their heroism which is beyond compare, he said.
The Fauquier Times is honored to serve as your community companion. To say thank you, we are excited to offer 4 weeks FREE Digital & Print access to all subscribers new and returning alike.

We are dedicated to continuing providing reliable, high quality journalism. This is possible with the trust and support of our subscribers in the community we are proud to serve.
YEREVAN.  For the Bright Armenia Party (BAP), the snap parliamentary elections must be completed by June 1. Edmon Marukyan, chairman of the opposition BAP and head of its parliamentary faction, on Monday told this to reporters in the National Assembly.

"It means that the process of dissolving the parliament must start within the next ten days. If the parliament is dissolved now, we will gladly go to that process; if not, then that topic is closed, we move on to the next topics. The date is important because the crisis is so deep that it must be resolved quickly. The date for the earliest election may be in May so that it ends on June 1. If it does not happen in the next ten days, I cannot say what will happen. The time will come, we will talk again," Marukyan noted.

He stated that his parliamentary faction was still getting familiarized with the draft Electoral Code. "We are ready to run in the elections with the old [Electoral Code], too, but we do not have a final decision on which [Electoral] Code is right," Marukyan added.

Asked when the current martial law should be lifted in Armenia, Marukyan said the martial law was a detail that should be lifted during election processes. "If we agree on all issues within eight days, it is clear that martial law must be lifted," he added.

As per Edmon Marukyan, President Armen Sarkissian believes that snap parliamentary elections should be held to resolve the internal political situation.

According to Marukyan, virtually all political forces in the country are already preparing for early elections. "There may be an opportunity for a consensus between the parliamentary forces, but the consensus must be sought outside [the parliament]. We do our best to reach that consensus. A public debate is taking place before our eyes. I am not the one conducting the dialogue on that part. I believe it is the government that has the opportunity to make concessions," Marukyan added.

According to Edmon Marukyan, the bill on reducing the funding for the Human Rights Defender and his staff is an encroachment on this institution.

Also, the leader of the BAP countered a reporter's question as to whether it is possible for them to take power in Armenia. "We [the BAP] are going for taking power. We are not running [in the expected snap parliamentary elections] to have a faction in the parliament; we [already] have a faction in the parliament."
[March 15, 2021] University of Phoenix Is Collaborating With El Camino College to Help Students Affordably Earn Degree

El Camino College graduates can more easily transfer their credits towards a bachelor's degree from University of Phoenix, thanks to a new agreement between the two institutions. The 3+1 transfer program will allow students to save on the cost of their education by spending three years completing general course requirements at the community college. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005257/en/ The new agreement includes Bachelor of Science degrees in Business, Health Management, Information Technology and Nursing. "El Camino College is pleased to align with University of Phoenix to help provide our students an opportunity to earn a degree they may never have thought was possible," said El Camino College President Dena P. Maloney. "Both institutions share a commitment to offering students the best path for their educational journey as well as a continued focus on preparing students for employment." Studets can transfer up to 87 credits towards a bachelor's degree. If all 87 credits are transferred, students will only need to complete 33 credits to graduate. University of Phoenix offers undergraduate students one course at a time at five-week increments with new courses starting monthly.



"This new agreement with El Camino College is very exciting because it opens up opportunities for students to earn degrees in many popular industries such as nursing, IT, and healthcare," said University of Phoenix Provost John Woods. "Our goal is to help students focus energies by helping them get started on the right track." Eligible students will need to complete 11 classes to finish their bachelor's degree and can graduate in as little as 14 months, when transferring 87 credits to University of Phoenix. Additionally, the University will waive all fees and tuition for the first course and provides a special Associate Degree Transfer tuition rate for all remaining courses, which is a savings of $144 per course.

For more information visit: www.phoenix.edu/ccstudent About University of Phoenix University of Phoenix is continually innovating to help working adults enhance their careers in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant courses and interactive learning help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. We serve a diverse student population, offering degree programs at select locations across the U.S. as well as online. For more information, visit phoenix.edu. About El Camino College El Camino College (ECC) is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) as a two-year college that has educated the brightest minds of the South Bay since 1947. With more than 34,000 students taught by nearly 1,000 award-winning instructors, ECC offers approximately 2,500 classes in 200 programs, and awarded nearly 4,000 degrees in 2019. For more information visit www.elcamino.edu. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005257/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
"HBCU White House debuts on WHPR-TV in Detroit, on Tuesday March 23, 2021 at 4pm EST. New episodes streaming twice-a-week online at HBCUwhitehouse.com. HBCU White House is a forward-thinking talk series designed to add layers of diversity to credible stories that are expected to drive conversation throughout urban communities across America, and spotlight businesses targeting people of color, along with women and other minorities.

New talk show HBCU White House debuts on WHPR-TV in Detroit, on Tuesday March 23, 2021 at 4pm EST. The original television program focuses on political news and business information, breaking down headlines and stories through an HBCU-centric lens. The election of Kamala Harris as Vice President of the United States of America boosted the national profile of historically black colleges and universities (or HBCUs), and HBCU White House will celebrate diverse aspirational narratives that further advance the achievements of HBCU alumni, supporters and friends. Airing on Tuesdays and Thursdays of each week throughout the Detroit metro area, new episodes will also stream twice-a-week online at https://hbcuwhitehouse.com/.

HBCU White House is a forward-thinking talk series designed to add layers of diversity to credible stories that are expected to drive conversation throughout urban communities across America, and spotlight businesses targeting people of color, along with women and other minorities.

Detroit has always been a leader in the fight for racial justice and the advancement of people of color, and we are excited to welcome HBCU White House to the WHPR-TV Detroit Live Family, says RJ Watkins, CEO of WHPR-TV. Our vision is to educate, entertain and inspire, in partnership with our community. The new show is aimed at a national audience, and we look forward to people across the country becoming familiar with one of the only independently owned Black television and radio networks in America.

HBCU White House is hosted by Alvin Woods  a public relations and advertising professional, and founder of The Media Model, a brand strategy and small business consultation firm in New York City. Woods is a two-time graduate of Southern University and A&M College, the flagship of the nations only historically Black college system.

I am humbled to be a part of a purposeful concept developed by HBCU graduates and supporters, for all people, that will celebrate the diverse minority experience in America, says Woods, who also serves as an executive producer of the new television and online media platform. People of color, women and minorities from underprivileged communities are the backbone of the American experiment. The Covid-19 pandemic ripped off a band-aid that exposed the chronic wounds of our so-called united states, and we are in need of healing content that amplifies our contributions to politics, business, entrepreneurship and community development.

Segments of the show include: a political tracker following the Biden-Harris administration; historically black collegiate news and developments; virtual round table think-tank discussions on relevant topics featuring specialists and experts; exclusive reports that spotlight hip-hop cultures influence on business and the eradication of social injustice and racial inequality; updates on relevant news in U.S. cities with large populations of HBCU alumni and people of color; and interviews with minority entrepreneurs and celebrities.

HBCU White House will also advocate for HBCU enrollment and retention through its STEMM UP Business initiative. High school seniors that have made a commitment to attend a historically black college or university, and college students currently enrolled at an HBCU with over 12 completed credits will be eligible for a scholarship through the program set to launch during the summer of 2021.

Its a privilege to curate a new talk show that revels in the achievements of people of color, says Telicia Ponder-King, executive producer of HBCU White House. As descendants of people that were owned by other people, changing the narrative to empower our advancements as lead decision-makers in this country is imperative. HBCU White House will empower, engage and unite minorities to move as a collective with intent to continue elevating our trajectory in a country built on our sacrifices.

To submit news alerts from your HBCU or local community, and to inquire about commercials or partnership opportunities with the new TV and online platform, send an email to HBCU White House at correspondence@hbcuwhitehouse.com. Website: https://hbcuwhitehouse.com/. YouTube: @HBCUwhitehouse; Facebook: @HBCUwhitehouse; Twitter: @HBCUwhitehouse.

###

About HBCU WHITE HOUSE:

HBCU White House is an American political news and business information television program, and online series, that breaks down topical headlines and stories through a refreshingly urban, HBCU-centric lens. The national profile of Historically Black College and Universities (or HBCUs) was boosted with the election of Kamala Harris as Vice President of The United States, and HBCU White House will celebrate diverse aspirational narratives that further advance the achievements of HBCU alumni, supporters and friends.

HBCU White House is executive produced by Telicia Ponder-King of Grey Cache Media and Alvin Woods of The Media Model.

Website: https://hbcuwhitehouse.com/.

YouTube: @HBCUwhitehouse; Facebook: @HBCUwhitehouse; Twitter: @HBCUwhitehouse.

WHPR-TV Detroit Live is an independently Black-owned television and radio network serving the Detroit metro area and Highland Park, Michigan communities on broadcast/cable. WHPR-TV offers live programming on Comcast Cable Detroit Channel 90 and 91.
Kundali Bhagya Actor Manit Joura Tests Positive For COVID-19, Reveals He Has 'Sore Throat, Heavy Head And Slight Fever'

COVID-19 pandemic is far from being over. Just when people thought that the virus is dying down and it would slowly go away with the emergence of the vaccine, it is coming back, even if not with its full force. The celebrities seem to be affected, with the number of cases soaring up in Mumbai. Last week, many celebs admitted to having tested positive for the virus. Now, yet another TV celeb has been affected and it is none other than Kundali Bhagya actor Manit Joura.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Manit Joura (@manitjoura)

Manit has tested positive for the virus and has confirmed the news himself. Talking to ETimes, he said, I got myself tested for COVID-19 and received the report around 12.30 pm. I woke up with a heavy head and slight fever. However, I didnt think too much about it. I realised that something was amiss when my head started spinning after a while. I dialled my doctor, who suggested I get tested for COVID-19 and quarantine myself. Unfortunately, the test came back positive. I dont have any major symptoms except for a sore throat, heavy head and slight fever.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Manit Joura (@manitjoura)

He has been following the norms and has quarantined himself at home. He added, My first call went to the production team to inform them that I have tested positive. While I was more worried about the show, wondering how they would manage the track without me, they were more concerned about my health. The team has been very supportive. They told me to take care of myself and not worry about anything else.

Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin stars Neil Bhatt and Aishwarya Sharma, along with a crew member of the show have also recently tested positive for the virus. We hope that they get well soon!
SKB Little Folks Preschool

News Summary

Shree Kant Bhushan (SKB) Little Folks preschool, Kanpur won multiple awards at the prestigious 18th World Education Summit 2021 held virtually on Saturday. While the Director & Founder, Radhika Bhushan won the lifetime achievement award for her outstanding contribution in the field of early childhood education and care (ECCE), SKB Little Folks Preschool won in the category of Innovative Preschool Enterprise.
The University of Cincinnati is required by federal law to comply with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) and the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA). In accordance with these acts, each year UC prepares an Annual Security and Fire Report. This report contains campus crime and fire statistics for the previous three years on all UC campuses, as well as descriptions of:

UC Public Safety services;

Fire Policies;

Safety Equipment;

University Safety Programs.

This report is released annually on or before Oct. 1. It is available to all prospective applicants by accessing the PDF document below or by calling the Department of Public Safety at 513-556-4900 to request a printed copy. The most recent report is posted below.


LIVONIA, Mich., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Trinity Health, one of the nation's largest multi-institutional Catholic healthcare delivery systems, launched It Starts Here, a COVID-19 vaccine education initiative focused on communities of color.

The $1.6M radio and social media influencer campaign features Black and Brown influencers with large followings in 14 underserved communities across the country to educate, raises awareness, and promotes the availability of the vaccine.

"Vaccinating our communities against COVID-19 will be one of the greatest achievements in modern public health," said Michael Slubowski, president and CEO of Trinity Health. "We will only be successful if we ensure that all members of our communities feel confident and prepared once the vaccine is available to them. Our mission with this campaign is to dispel myths and rumors by leaning on the science and facts of the vaccines' safety and effectiveness."

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 related deaths are highest among those in the Hispanic or Latino and Black communities in the United States. Recognizing a long history of mistrust in the health community from those of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, this campaign centers around an intentional, targeted approach to address vaccine hesitancy.

"Education is a crucial component of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic and key to increasing public trust in these vaccines," said Julie Washington, SVP, chief marketing, communications and experience officer at Trinity Health. "We can take the reins in this pandemic, but that starts with each of us doing our part by choosing to be vaccinated."

It Starts Here is the latest initiative in a set of multi-faceted efforts from Trinity Health to reduce vaccine hesitancy including social media campaigns, colleague/community surveys and virtual town halls.

"To date, we've vaccinated nearly 543,000 people in our communities across the United States," said Daniel Roth, M.D., executive vice president and chief clinical officer at Trinity Health. "While this is a remarkable feat, we will continue to measure our success by how we move the needle for those in underserved populations."

About Trinity Health

Trinity Health is one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the nation, serving diverse communities that include more than 30 million people across 22 states. Trinity Health includes 92 hospitals, as well as 113 continuing care locations. Based in Livonia, Michigan, and with annual operating revenues of $18.8 billion, the organization returns $1.3 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs. Trinity Health employs 123,000 colleagues, including 6,800 employed physicians and clinicians. For more information, visit www.trinity-health.org. You can also follow Trinity Health on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.

Contact: Samantha Garbutt

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My chopper suffered glitch, but wont call it a conspiracy: Amit Shah's dig at Mamata

India

oi-Deepika S

Kolkata, Mar 15: Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday took a dig at Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee during a rally in Bengal and said there was a glitch in his helicopter but he won't call it a "conspiracy".

"I am a little late today because of some glitch in my helicopter but I won't call it a conspiracy," said Shah said hinting at the Nandigram incident.

Addressing a rally at Ranibandh in the Bankura district, Shah promised that if the BJP is voted to power in West Bengal, it will implement the seventh pay commission for the state government employees.

"Didi (Banerjee), when you got hurt in your leg, you felt pain. I wish you a speedy recovery. But, what about the pain of the mothers of 130 BJP activists who were killed by TMC goons. Did you ever try to feel their pain?" he said.

"You never felt the pain of these people. They will give you a befitting reply while casting their votes in the assembly polls," he added.

Shah said that if the BJP is voted to power in the state, it will ensure that the rights of the tribals are secured.

"TMC seeks cut money even for a tribal certificate. We will ensure the land rights of the tribals. The special focus will be on education, health and drinking water for the tribals in the area. We will also mention it in our manifesto," he said.

Amit Shahs chopper develops technical snag ahead of Bengal rally

"People voted TMC for 'Ma Mati Manush' sarkar, expected political violence to end, but opposite happened. Violence and corruption increased, tribals had to pay 100 for a certificate. Bring BJP govt, no tribal will have to pay for certificate," said Shah.

"Under Stand Up India Scheme, the forthcoming West Bengal government will allocate Rs 100 crores to help the tribal community become atmanirbhar," the minister added.

Grammys 2021: Beyonce breaks record for most Grammy wins for a female artist | Oneindia News

Bankura district, in the western part of the state, has a significant tribal population, crucial to any party''s electoral success.

Elections to 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.
As it has recovered from the COVID-19, central Chinas Hubei province has arranged more than 40 scenic spots where tourists can enjoy cherry blossoms, ten floral sightseeing tourist routes, and more than 200 artistic performances to thank people around the country, especially medical workers, for their selfless dedication and generous assistance during the COVID-19 fight.

Hubeis capital city, Wuhan, recently launched cherry blossom viewing activities, including cherry blossom festival and light show, to welcome tourists from across the country.

He Qiaoying, a nurse of Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), was touched by the thoughtful arrangements Wuhan University has made for medical workers to appreciate cherry blossoms when visiting the university on March 9.

Besides a dedicated long red carpeted passage and a signature wall, Wuhan University has also arranged for medical workers creative commemorative badge and one-to-one tour guide service, which shows its appreciation and respect for medical workers.

I was moved to tears several times in February last year when medical teams from various parts of the country came to help Wuhan. How I wish all of them could return to Wuhan this year and see what the city looks like now with these gorgeous cherry blossoms, He said emotionally.

During the recently-concluded annual session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Chinas top political advisory body, Huang Luqi, a national political advisor and TCM expert recalled his unforgettable experience of leading the first batch of national TCM team to aid Wuhan on the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year of 2020.

Our medical workers have taken on the virus bravely by putting themselves in harms way, and built the Huoshenshan Hospital, the Leishenshan Hospital, and the Fangcang shelter hospitals, which have played important roles in saving the critical situation, said Huang, who is also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Today, the city which was once hit hard by the COVID-19 has fully recovered from the pandemic. Over the past year, the Chinese government paid special attention to Wuhan and provided great support for the city in its social and economic recovery and development.

Thanks to the efforts, state-owned enterprises directly under the central government flocked to Wuhan for investment. Eventually, the city made its way back to the list of the top ten cities in China in terms of annual regional gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020 despite the decline in its regional GDP in the first quarter of last year.

As a matter of fact, Wuhan has emerged even stronger from the disaster and enjoyed increased growth momentum since the beginning of this year.

Not long ago, the city kick-started 215 major projects with a combined investment of 330.54 billion yuan (about $50.94 billion).

According to the citys report on the work of the government in 2021, Wuhan will strive to increase its regional GDP by 10 percent this year. Such an ambitious economic growth target reflects the citys determination and confidence.

Last year, Hubei province made a total of over 42,000 Thank You Cards for medical workers dispatched to the province to assist it in the fight against the COVID-19. With the card, these medical workers are granted the right to visit any of the Grade-A tourist attractions of the province for free for as many times as they want during their whole lifetime.

So far, more than 2,500 medical workers with the card have returned to the province for sightseeing.

Last March, Wuhan University promised in an open letter that it would offer medical workers who have fought against the COVID-19 in Hubei province as well as their family a green channel for cherry blossom sightseeing tours of the university to thank them for tiding Hubei over the crisis.

The university also plans exclusive cherry blossom sightseeing tours around its campus for medical workers on March 13 and 14, when medical workers are the only visitors allowed to enter the campus to enjoy cherry blossoms.
The Ministry of Education and Training has announced that there will be only three sets of textbooks for second graders, including two published by the Vietnam Education Publishing House.

Two sets of textbooks Cung hoc de phat trien nang luc (study together to develop abilities) and Vi su binh dang va dan chu trong giao duc (for equality and democracy in education) wont be available for second graders, limiting textbook choices for students.

The Ministry of Education and Training has announced that there will be only three sets of textbooks for second graders, including two published by the Vietnam Education Publishing House (Ket noi tri thuc voi cuoc song, or Connecting knowledge with life; and Chan troi sang tao, or Creative horizon), and one set of the HCM City University of Education Publishing House and the Hanoi University of Education Publishing House (Canh Dieu, or Kite).

The representative of the Vietnam Education Publshing House admitted that the publishing house will have only two sets of textbooks for second and subsequent grades.

Ket noi tri thuc va cuoc song has been combined from Ket noi tri thuc va cuoc song and Cung hoc de pha trien nang luc, while Chan troi sang tao has been created on the basis of Chan troi sang tao and Vi su binh dang va dan chu trong giao duc.

In principle, when compiling textbooks, authors not only design lessons for every class, or every learning subject, but do this with comprehensive view. The ways of integrating issues will be different for different sets of textbooks.

Meanwhile, Phan Doan Thoai, chief editor of the math textbook of Cung hoc de phat trien nang luc, said the compilation viewpoints of the two sets of textbooks are very different. Besides, there is not enough time to unify the textbooks in the true sense of the word.

I think it is difficult to merge two sets of textbooks, because each follows a specific philosophy and structure, he said.

Though textbooks must be designed to reflect the common spirit of the curriculum, each group of authors will follow its own viewpoint about the teaching process, he said.

Thoai went on to say that with the textbook merger, the schools which chose Cung hoc de phat trien nang luc for first graders will be affected.

In principle, when compiling textbooks, authors not only design lessons for every class, or every learning subject, but do this with comprehensive view. The ways of integrating issues will be different for different sets of textbooks.

Also according to Thoai, after the unification, the major subjects, including Vietnamese language, Math, Nature and Society, are mostly from Ket noi tri thuc va cuoc song. Only Experience Activities and Physical Education are from Cung hoc de phat trien nang luc.

Prior to that, after finishing Cung hoc de phat trien nang luc for first graders, the company was ready to compile the textbooks for second and sixth graders. Authors were selected very carefully and trained to compile textbooks in accordance with the new spirit.

The drafts of the textbooks for second and sixth graders were completed and received an internal examination. The textbooks were praised but could not come out finally.

Some teachers who are using Cung hoc de phat trien nang luc and Vi su binh dang va dan chu trong giao duc have expressed their concern about the disappearance of the two textbooks.

A teacher in Lang Son said she was trained well last year to teach with Cung hoc de phat trien nang luc. Now, she and other teachers will have to get familiar with another textbook.

Will we have to be trained once again? How will second graders receive knowledge if the knowledge in textbooks is not in succession? she said.

In reply, Nguyen Quoc Anh, deputy director of the Ha Tinh Education and Training Department, affirmed that the merger of textbooks wont affect teaching and learning in the next academic year.

Publishing houses will closely cooperate with the education department to train teachers in the content and teaching method, Anh said.



Agreeing with Anh, Tran Thi Ngoc Diem, director of An Giang Education and Training Department, believes that this wont be a problem.

All textbooks have content following the general education program and have the same targets. Therefore, there wont be problem if some changes are made, she said.

Tran Thi Kim Hanh, deputy headmaster of Hung Vuong Primary School in Da Nang, also affirmed that the disappearance of some sets of textbooks wont affect the teaching and learning activities.

Explaining her view, Hanh said the textbook compilation has strictly observed the procedure and is built on the new general education program which sets specific goals for every subject and grade.

Ngan Anh - Mai Ngoc

Textbook changes  a test of education reform Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha noted before the National Assembly that the content of Canh Dieu (Kite), the textbook for first graders, is not appropriate".
Cover of the bilingual childrens book Enchantee! / Pleased to meet you! (Brunelle & Tondino, 2017), used in the research. Credit: University of Ottawa

Do children learning French as a second language see benefits from reading bilingual French-English children's books?

A study recently published in the journal Language and Literacy found that bilingual books, which are not often used in French immersion classrooms, are seen by students as an effective tool for second language learning.

To find out more on this topic, we spoke with the co-author of the paper, Joel Thibeault, Assistant Professor of French education at uOttawa's Faculty of Education.

What is the topic of your research?

My research focuses on the educational value of bilingual children's books in the teaching of French as a second language. To highlight this value, I zeroed in on elementary students in French immersion and asked them whether they perceived the utility and inutility of this medium. In other words, I asked them how the interaction of French and English within the same book could help them learn how to read.

What was your research method?

Ian A. Matheson, Professor at Queen's University and co-author on this paper, and I wanted the students taking part in the study to have the opportunity to interact with and be exposed to bilingual books before sharing their perceptions. This is why we asked them to read aloud passages from two different bilingual books before we interviewed them.

In the first one, the same text appears in French and English. In the second one, passages in French are not identical to those in English. This meant the reader had to have some knowledge of both languages to completely understand the book's content.

After each read-aloud session, we conducted one-on-one interviews that allowed us to describe how our participants perceived the utility of each book.

Data collection took place in the spring of 2019. We interviewed French immersion students in Grades 3 and 4, in Saskatchewan, which is an interesting setting because it is Anglo-dominant. This means that school is often the only space where students are exposed to French.

What are your study's main conclusions?

Our participants were able to identify more advantages than disadvantages when it comes to reading bilingual books. They notably pointed out that bilingual books could help them learn French vocabulary.

Some students also noted that having French in the book could help them develop knowledge related to English vocabulary.

Moreover, the students were able to suggest ways to integrate this bilingual literature in immersion classes. For example, some mentioned that it could be used for collaborative reading tasks, when two students have different proficiency levels in French and English. They felt this process could enable a co-construction of meaning where everyone could make use of their knowledge of the languages interacting in the book.

Could your results help change teaching practices?

Yes, because in immersion, we often opt for monolingual teaching practices; French is the only language allowed. However, we increasingly acknowledge that second language learning relies on the languages that students already know. With that in mind, it could be quite useful to get learners to use their full linguistic repertoire when they learn a second language.

This study is coherent with this perspective as it explores the positive perceptions that students have regarding bilingual children's books. Thus, it helps to highlight the utility of this novel teaching tool and recognizes the value of the diversified linguistic repertoire that students in immersion have.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

One might think that when reading a bilingual book, students would tend to only read the passages in the language they know best. However, our data does not support this idea. While they were reading, students equally focused on French and English. One-on-one interviews also confirmed students fully recognize the advantages related to having two languages in interaction within the same book.

Of course, it is possible that participants did not want to admit to the researcher that they would only focus on the language they know best if they had read the book by themselvesthis is what we call in research 'social desirability.' However, for now, there is nothing in our study, as well as in those carried out by other researchers before us, that would allow us to state that young bilingual readers would tend to mainly read the passages in the language they know best.

It would be interesting to conduct further research in different reading environments (in class, at the library, at home, etc.). This could add to the work we have begun by documenting with greater precision how students engage with bilingual books.

Explore further Bilingual children equally adept at telling stories in either language

More information: Joel Thibeault et al, How do Elementary Students Perceive the Utility of Dual-Language Children's Books? An Exploratory Study in French Immersion, Language and Literacy (2021). Joel Thibeault et al, How do Elementary Students Perceive the Utility of Dual-Language Children's Books? An Exploratory Study in French Immersion,(2021). DOI: 10.20360/langandlit29518
On Tuesday, March 16, at 11.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "Electoral Sentiments, Ukrainians' Attitude to Political Events on Agenda" based on the results of a representative survey conducted by the CATI method (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) from March 11 to March 14, 2021, with 3,025 respondents interviewed. Participants include analyst, sociologist of the Kyiv Institute of Sociological and Marketing Research Olha Chyzhevska, social psychologist, director of the Kyiv Institute of Sociological and Marketing Research Andriy Diahil (8/5a Reitarska Street). The press conference will be available on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot. More info by phone: (096) 344 9267, (063) 374 9233.
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Ram Setu: Akshay Kumar To Launch Shooting Schedule In Ayodhya Soon; Will Play An Archaeologist

Bollywoods Khiladi Akshay Kumar has been extremely busy ever since the lockdown lifted. May it be ad shoots or back to back filming of much awaited projects such as Bell Bottom, Atrangi Re, Bachchan Pandey and Prithviraj-- the actor has not had a minute to himself. Well, currently he is in Maldives with his family, taking a much deserved break. However, latest reports suggest that Akshay will dive right back into work this week to kick off the launch of his next film, Ram Setu.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar)

According to a report shared by Hindustan Times, Akshay will fly to Ayodhya on 18th March for the mahurat shot of the film. It was producer Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedis idea to start the Ram Setu journey from Lord Rams birth place. Talking about Akshays character, director Abhishek Sharma revealed, Akshay sir plays an archaeologist and his look and character is inspired by several Indian and international professional archaeologists who work in the field. In terms of both look and character, Akshay sirs fans are in for a totally new avatar of his.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nushrratt Bharuccha (@nushrrattbharuccha)

Other than Akshay, the much awaited film also stars two leading ladies, the gorgeous and talented Jacqueline Fernandez and Nushrratt Bharuccha. While the two will be playing strong, independent women with well-etched roles, their looks have been kept under wraps for now. The report further reveals that 80% of the film will be shot in Mumbai, spread across several schedules in the coming months.
After its release in 2017, the fans, expecting a final chapter to Snyders earlier films Man of Steel (2013) and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), began campaigning for the studio to #ReleaseTheSnyderCut, the original planned edit of the film. Then two final pieces of the jigsaw fell into place: the COVID-19 pandemic, which gave new value to a film that could be recut from existing footage, and the launch of the studios content-hungry streamer, HBO Max. Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) in a scene from Zack Snyders Justice League. Credit:Warner Bros The movement also won the support of cast members, including Momoa and Fisher, cinematographer Wagner, and other high-profile Hollywood figures, such as director Kevin Smith and comic book writer and television producer Robert Kirkman. In an effort to prove to the studio how serious they were, the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement also bought two billboards over New Yorks Times Square. Is this a new world where the fans decide what movies [a studio gets to] make? ask Snyder. Im not saying its not that but I dont know that that is the end game here, except that I do think streaming services, and having a platform like HBO Max, really does give an option to an otherwise impossible release scenario.

The new cut did involve reshoots, which were challenged by the fact COVID-19 travel restrictions essentially stranded everyone where they were. Miller, for example, was in London shooting the third Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them chapter, so that films crew actually shot Millers new scenes with Snyder directing the action via Zoom. Smaller scenes that were cut from the original film, but will have immense appeal to DC Comics fans  such as those featuring Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello), Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), S.T.A.R. Labs scientist Ryan Choi (Ryan Zheng), Aquaman comics character Nuidis Vulko (Willem Dafoe) and The Flashs Iris West (Kiersey Clemons)  have been reinstated. Another new sequence features the iconic Batman villain the Joker (Jared Leto), who had previously appeared in David Ayer 2016 film Suicide Squad but never shared the DCEU screen with Batman. Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) and Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) in Zack Snyders Justice League. Credit:Warner Bros Whatever you want to call it, the DECU, the DC Universe, Batman exists in that world and Joker exists in that world, and theyve never met and it seemed cathartic and important to have those guys who defined each other in such a giant way come into conflict and us to get a little scene with the two of them, Snyder says.

The film in its new four-hour format is a cut that I finished right away, right when we got back [and] was the first version of the movie that I completed, Snyder says. So its the freshest and most optimistic. I love these actors and I love this material. So I put my head down and soldiered on as best I can. Which of the two films  Whedons 2017 cinema release or the new Snyder Cut  prevails in canon is, to some extent, a decision the fans will have to make, says Snyder. But the prevailing wind is leaning to the latter. Momoa has said publicly he considers his Aquaman to be the Snyder version of the character, and Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins has said her film is in sync, canonically, with the Snyder Cut. I hope that in the end, I will convince you that my idea was right to begin with,and then [the studio] should have just let me do it that way from the start, Snyder says. Thats gotten me in trouble, I admit. But I think in the end, look, were here. And thats the good news. Zack Snyders Justice League will stream on Binge and Foxtel on Demand from March 18 at 6pm.

The Weird and the Wonderful: A Canon Guide to the Justice League and the DC Pantheon Superfriends (1973-1985) An animated TV series featuring Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman and Robin, plus a whos who of DC Comics favourites: The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman and, later, original heroes such as Black Vulcan, Apache Chief, and Samurai. It also tapped DCs best villains, including Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Cheetah and Sinestro. The animated Superfriends: (back) Robin and Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Apache Chief, Green Lantern, Samurai and Hawkman, and (front) The Flash, Superman and Black Vulcan. Credit:Warner Bros Television The New Original Wonder Woman (1975) Wonder Woman goes live-action with actress Lynda Carter, who was so beloved by fans the character was not successfully recast until Gadot took the role decades later. The first season is the strongest, notable for sequences set in the Amazon home, Paradise Island, and the inclusion of Dianas sister, Drusilla, aka Wonder Girl. Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980) Christopher Reeves portrayal of Superman is hard to top, as is Margot Kidders Lois Lane. The two films were shot consecutively but director Richard Donner was replaced by Richard Lester midway through. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut was released on DVD in 2006.

Helen Slater as Supergirl. Credit:Warner Bros Supergirl (1984) This films villain, the witch Selena (Faye Dunaway), who captures a Kryptonian relic known as the Omegahedron, is more campy than genuinely menacing. But it is memorable because Helen Slater was perfectly cast and, for the first time, we saw Kryptons extra-dimensional criminal dumping ground, the Phantom Zone. Batman (1989) Tim Burtons first Batman feature film was magnificently gothic, with a majestic score from composer Danny Elfman the equal of Edvard Grieg or Hector Berlioz. It rendered Batman (Michael Keaton) every bit as dark and haunting as he was in the comic books and featured Jack Nicholson in an unrivalled turn as the Joker. Batman Begins (2005) Christopher Nolan brilliantly rebooted the film series with Christian Bale as Batman and Michael Caine as his loyal manservant Alfred, returning to the events of Detective Comics #27, and the tragic death of Bruce Waynes parents. Christian Bale as Batman. Credit:Warner Bros
Why has the Lankan MPs links to Kasargod come under the ambit of the Indian agencies

Four including lady arrested by NIA in ISIS related raids

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 15: The National Investigation Agency carried out raids in 7 locations at Delhi, Kerala and Karnataka in connection with an Islamic State related case.

The raids pertain bona new case registered by the agency around 48 hours back. The NIA has under its scanner 6. To 7 persons. They were being monitored for nefarious activities by the intelligence, sources tell OneIndia.

The source also added that 5 persons were apprehended by the NIA and further investigation is one.

The arrested include four men and one lady. Sources say that 7 more persons are under the scanner.

The NIA officials learnt that these individuals were in touch with some Pakistan based elements through the social media. They were being persuaded to carry out attacks locally. Further they had also received training online, the source cited above also said.

In Delhi, raids were carried out at the Jafrabad area. In Bengaluru, NIA sleuths carried out searches at two locations, while in Kerala, raids were carried out at Kochi.
Courtesy Foltz familyBy IVAN PEREIRA, ABC News

(BOWLING GREEN, Ohio) -- Friends, family and classmates of Stone Foltz, the Bowling Green State University sophomore who died last week following an alleged hazing incident, gathered on campus Sunday to pay tribute to the late student.



The memorial service took place at the Doyt L. Perry Stadium, and featured remarks from school President Rodney Rogers as well as Foltz's friends, the school announced. COVID-19 procedures were in place, including mask wearing and social distancing, according to the university.



On March 7, Foltz, a sophomore in the university's College of Business, died after being hospitalized for three days following an "alleged hazing activity involving alcohol consumption" at an off-campus Pi Kappa Alpha event, the university said in a statement.



Foltz's organs were donated, according to a family attorney.



"Sunday's memorial was a testament to who Stone was as a person, student and friend and also to the impact this tragedy has had on BGSU. Stone was kind, selfless, resilient and full of life," Rogers said in a statement. "His life will not just be defined by who he was or how he made others feel, but by the positive actions that come from this tragedy, and that starts with each one of us."



The university placed the Delta Beta Chapter of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity on interim suspension and suspended all new-member intake processes, the school said in a statement on March 9.



The school added it suspended on- and off-campus Greek life social events and "announced plans to work with third parties to conduct a comprehensive review of all student organizations and activities for more accountability and transparency."



The university said it is working with law enforcement in their investigation into Foltz's death.



In a statement to ABC News last week, the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity said they were "horrified and outraged" by the incident, and would "pursue permanent suspension of Delta Beta Chapter as well as expulsion of all chapter members from the International Fraternity."



Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
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MYRTLE BEACH  The feeling of nostalgia will surround the former Myrtle Square Malls parking lot starting on March 18 with nearly 3,000 vintage cars and trucks expected for the 32nd annual Pee Dee Street Rodders Run To The Sun car show.

The three-day event, billed as the largest independent car and truck show on the East Coast, returns after last years event was canceled when COVID-19 restrictions were implemented by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster.

In 2019, more than 3,300 cars and trucks participated, with the club raising $100,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Childrens Miracle Network at McLeod Childrens Hospital, the Horry County Sheriffs Departments benevolent fund and the Grand Strand Miracle League.

One of the event organizers, David Rodgers, said that almost $2 million in total has been raised for charity since the beginning.

The Pee Dee Street Rodders club was born from a small group of people from the Pee Dee area and their love for classic automobiles, according to Rodgers.

32 years ago, we went to Myrtle Square Mall and asked about having a little car show to raise some money to donate to charity, Rodgers said. I think we had 84 cars that first year and made a few hundred dollars donations to a few charities.

But its grown substantially over the years. Its all for charity though. We dont make a penny from it, except for expenses.

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Rodgers said that it takes a year to plan for each event and while they are sad that they had to cancel last year, they knew that it was the right decision in terms of health.

In fact, they were already in Myrtle Beach last year preparing when the announcement from Gov. McMaster came out less than a week from the show.

We have people coming from 23 states, and sometimes Canada, he said. People were already there and vendors; it was a nightmare.

It hurt us and our charities. They depended upon us for their funding, and we didnt have any money.

On Feb. 26, Gov. McMaster declared that events no longer need state approval to make sure they are complying with safety protocols, but Rogers said they will encourage all participants and attendees to wear masks and practice social distancing. They fully intend to take advantage of the 50-acre space.

Parking will be available at Broadway at the Beach with shuttle buses running every 15 minutes, with loops to and from the car show. Admission is free.
March 15 : If ever a list has to be made out of all the biggest entertainers in Bigg Boss House ever, Arshi Khan's name will surely top the list. She entertained the masses so much in season 11 of Bigg Boss which made her a household name. The actress spoke to Newshelpline about her upcoming film, her resemblance to Silk Smitha in the film and much more.

Talking about the film, she said, "It is a woman oriented film which is based on a real story. Its about a village girl who faces torture after she gets married."

Adding further she said, "The film demanded me in a different role. People have always seen me smiling and laughing but for this film I have worked really hard to express different emotions. People will see me crying in the film."

Recently, she shared some stills from the film on her social media and her look was being compared to Silk Smitha and Vidya Balan . Sharing her reaction on that, she said, "No this film is not at all like Dirty Picture. Its a simple village girl look. I will be seen wearing traditional village dress

Talking about Vidya Balan, she said, "I am a big fan of Vidya Balan. I wait for her to share pictures on her social media account and I am the first one to like them. She is a great actress and I cannot be compared to her at all."

Music Videos are in trend these days, when asked if she will also be a part of the same, she said, "Whatever everyone is doing, why should I do the same? I don't believe in following the trend. I will do something unique of my own."

Arshi Khan will be seen in film Trahimam which is based on real life incidents. It will be released in theatres in the first week of May.
We obviously walk a thin line when we get right around that freezing mark ... to get an accurate forecast at that temperature with precision can be kind of challenging ... but we seem pretty confident that the precipitation thats falling will be some form of snow or sleet, he said.
COMPANIES

Leonardo DRS sets its IPO size & specs

Arlington, Virginia-headquartered defense electronics company Leonardo DRS has set the terms for its pending initial public offering, according to amended regulatory documents and a company statement filed Friday.

DRS Italian parent company Leonardo will offer public investors a 22 percent stake in the subsidiary, which could increase to 25.3 percent of the IPOs underwriters exercise their option in full to purchase additional shares if investor demand outstrips the initial supply.

Approximately 31.9 million shares will be available at a price range of between $20.00 and $22.00 each, which would then raise equity of $638 million-to-$701.8 million. The midpoint of the share price range implies a nearly $3 billion market value Leonardo DRS would command.

Leonardo DRS, which fully unveiled its plans for an IPO in late February, also intends to give its underwriters a 30-day option to purchase an additional 4.785 million shares that then would be available on the market.

If all those shares got purchased, that would fetch $105.3 million in additional equity and raise the total amount raised to $807.1 million.

The listing is anticipated to complete by the end of March, when Leonardo DRS stock would begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol DRS.

This essentially means Leonardo DRS takes the spot that stands to be vacated by fellow defense technology firm Cubic Corp. when it comes to publicly-traded contractors. Cubic is selling itself to private equity firm Veritas Capital and the PE arm of activist hedge fund Elliott Management.

Leonardo the parent company will take in all proceeds from the offering and use them to pay down debt, while Leonardo DRS says it will keep future profits for growth and does not have near-term plans to pay a dividend on its stock.

CACI International is another example of a publicly-traded government contractor that does not pay dividends, rather using its earnings to invest for growth and the occasional stock repurchase.

Leonardo acquired then-publicly traded DRS in 2008 through a deal valued at $5.2 billion including debt and is retaining its effective control of the subsidiary to maintain a presence in a U.S. defense market that for the most part avoided the coronavirus pandemics worst economic impacts.

The subsidiary plans to enter a new proxy agreement with the Defense Department to continue the work on and pursuit of classified business.

Leonardo DRS posted approximately $2.8 billion in revenue last year with $268 million in adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), which translates to a 9.6 percent adjusted EBITDA margin.

Those numbers show year-on-year growth of 2.4 percent on the top line and 14.5 percent on the bottom line, plus an increase of 1 percentage point on the margin front.

Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Securities and J.P. Morgan are lead book-running managers. Barclays, Citigroup, Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley are book-running managers. IMI-Intesa Sanpaolo, MUFG and UniCredit Capital Markets are co book-running managers. Mediobanca is acting as financial adviser to Leonardo.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has moved the challenging the Bombay High Court order granting bail to actress Rhea Chakraborty, arrested over drugs-related charges in actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case.

A bench of Chief Justice Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian will hear the plea on March 18.

On October 7, last year the Bombay High Court had granted bail to the actress and directed her to deposit a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh.

It had however rejected the bail plea her brother Showik Chakraborty, who is also an accused in the case, and an alleged drug peddler Abdel Basit Parihar.

Rhea, her brother and the other accused were arrested in September last year by the NCB in connection with its probe into the drugs angle related to the case of Rajput's death.

While granting bail to Rhea Chakraborty and two others, the high court had directed them to deposit their passports with the NCB and not to leave the country without permission of the special NDPS court.

It had asked Rhea to deposit a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and directed her to visit the NCB office at 11 am on the first day of every month for next six months.

All those who have been granted bail, including Rhea, will also have to seek permission of the NCB's investigating officer to go out of Mumbai, the court had said.

Rajput, 34, was found hanging at his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14 last year.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Arctic walrus has been spotted on the Atlantic coast of Ireland, the first time one of the animals to been seen in the country since 2004.

The enormous animal was captured on video as it floundered on the rocks of Valentia Island, County Kerry, yesterday.

Exactly how the cow-sized beast arrived in Ireland remains unknown but observers say the two-metre long animal looked visibly exhausted.

It is possible the animal, which is thought to be a young adult, fell asleep on an iceberg that drifted south across the Atlantic from Greenland, one expert believes.

The animal was captured on video as it floundered on the rocks of Valentia Island, County Kerry, yesterday

What are Arctic walruses? Adult walruses can weigh up to 1,900 kg (4,000 lbs). The vast animals are longer than 2 metres (6.5ft) and can reach 3.6m (12 ft) long. They are a vulnerable species and have long tusks which they use to find food, often scallops. Tusks are often used in fights between the animals. Both the males and female have tusks. They are related to sea lions and seals, but are far more vast. They are find in the wild in the northern parts of the world, specifically around the North Pole, northern Russia and Greenland. Advertisement

Dr Peter Richardson, head of ocean recovery at the Marine Conservation Society, told MailOnline: 'It's very unusual for one of these walruses to be this far south.

'It's a long way from home but it seems like a fit, fat, young walrus which may be capable of making it home.

'They are known to travel vast distances but it's so unusual [for one to be this far south] that it's hard to say how it will be.'

He added that there are plenty of molluscs for the walrus to feed on in the area it was spotted and it is possible the walrus is in the water, out of sight, but still in the vicinity.

'People should report it to Irish Whale and Dolphin Group if they see it and not approach the animal as they are not the most friendly,' Dr Richardson adds.

'They can be quite hard to spot in the water but it could still be around. It is well worth people keeping an eye out still.'

Individuals of this species normally live around the North Pole, northern Russia and Greenland. The nearest population is in the waters of Greenland and Svalbard.

Tom Arnbom, a senior advisor to WWF on the Arctic, told the BBC he may have ventured outside his normal home to look for new breeding grounds.

He explained: ''Often it is adolescent animals that venture on long trips to find new areas to breed.

'Sooner or later they have to come to the shallows, i.e. less than 100-200 metres depth, to feed on mussels or clams. They eat up to several thousand clams a day.

'It is lost while it is far from any friends, but I am not afraid that it will die

The Irish Whale and Dolphin group (IWDG) estimates the walrus to be a young adult but it is not possible to determine the gender as both males and females have tusks.

Its tusks are only around 12 inches long, and a fully grown adult's tusks can reach up to 40 inches long.

The IWDG wrote on social media that this was only the third validated sighting of a walrus in Ireland since 1999.

It said: 'The National Biodiversity Data Centre has 11 walrus records but the Natural History Museum suggest this number may be as high as 20 going back over several centuries. Either way, walrus sightings here are extremely rare.

'Previous walrus sightings validated by IWDG are from April 3, 1999, near Old Head, Clew Bay, Co Mayo, and October 5, 2004, from Mulranny, also in Clew Bay.

'In mid-February, a walrus was photographed off the Danish coast and comparisons of images leave open the possibility that they may be the same individual.

'We would ask members of the public fortunate enough to see it to observe this wayward traveller from a safe distance and to give it the space it requires.'

The walrus was spotted by Alan Houlihan and his five-year-old daughter Muireann (pictured). Mr Houlihan captured footage of the animal on his phone

It was spotted by Alan Houlihan and his five-year-old daughter Muireann. Mr Houlihan captured footage of the animal on his phone.

Other video was shared online and the animal's presence was reported to the authorities.

Mr Houlihan told RTE Radio One's Morning Ireland that he and his daughter were adventuring down by the beach when Muireann spotted something in the water.

Video was shared online which was taken by local woman Ashley Quigley and the animal was also reported to the authorities. Exactly how the animal arrived in Ireland remains unknown but experts say the two-metre long, cow-sized beast looked visibly exhausted

Mr Houlihan told RTE Radio One's Morning Ireland that he and his daughter were adventuring down by the beach when Muireann spotted something in the water

'I thought it was a seal at first and we went down to the water to investigate and I took out the phone and started recording,' he said.

'Next thing it was a walrus! And he breached out of the water and gave us a little show on the rocks  Muireann thought he was just having fun. It was just amazing.

'At first I didn't [know it was a walrus] but within seconds I knew it was a walrus. It's just the sheer size of it, it's the size of a cow or a bull. I hadn't seen anything like it before, in Ireland anyway.'

An Arctic walrus has been spotted on the Atlantic coast of Ireland, the first time one of the animals has been seen in the country since 2004

Kevin Flannery, director of Dingle Oceanworld, told the Irish Independent: 'He's from the Arctic. I'd say what happened is he fell asleep on an iceberg and drifted off and then he was gone too far, out into the mid-Atlantic or somewhere like that down off Greenland possibly.'

Mr Flannery said the best thing for the walrus was rest and peace to regain energy ahead of a return north to his native land, a trip of hundreds of miles.

Mr Houlihan said he returned to the area later in the day but the walrus had disappeared.

Speaking on RTE he said he hoped the walrus was off eating scallops and recuperating.

And Muireann has suggested two possible names for the walrus  Isabelle if it's a girl, and Cian if it's a boy.

'She went home last night and she was drawing pictures of walruses. It was so adorable,' added Mr Houlihan.

'We are in lockdown so the kids have gone back to school today for the first time, so it made things a bit easier for them to go back in today with a news story.'
Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has claimed that diplomatic channels between Ankara and Cairo have reopened and that negotiations to re-establish normal relations are underway. The statement comes as Turkey faces isolation in the Arab world that strained for years over Islamist politics and regional conflicts. However, the relationship between Turkey and Egypt is complicated as both sides have taken opposite stances on various geo-political issues. Several local and Arab media outlets have reported Egyptian foreign ministry officials as saying that Cairo has no intention of re-starting diplomatic relations with Ankara and that reports of a resumption of talks are false. But Turkish foreign minister claims that high-level talks between the two countries have already started and negotiations to re-start diplomatic relations.

'Lack of trust is normal'

Cavusoglu, while talking to Turkish state news agency Anadolu, said that Turkey and Egypt have started talking on intelligence and foreign ministry level, adding lack of trust is normal and that neither side put forward preconditions. Cavusoglu has made President Recep Tayyip Erdogans intentions clear that Turkey wants to re-establish normal ties with Egypt, which experts believe is to better its position in the Arab world.

Relations between Turkey and Egypt soured in 2013 after Erdogan criticised and condemned the military coup in Cairo that saw the ousting of former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi. Erdogan was against the coup because Morsi was a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and the new Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was being backed by Saudi Arabia, a country Ankara doesnt enjoy cordial relations with. The ties between Turkey and Egypt became worse in the following years as both countries withdrew their respective ambassadors and started taking opposite stances on issues impacting the region.

(Image Credit: AP)
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When historian K. Stephen Prince was first staying in New Orleans to research his new book, The Ballad of Robert Charles, he visited the site where Charles was shot after days of rioting in July 1900. Police and a heavily armed mob fired what must have been thousands of bullets into a house on South Saratoga Street, where Charles had been hiding, Prince says. The house is gone, and the empty lot sits across from Central City BBQ.

Its really remarkable to know that there were thousands of people in that square 120 years ago, Prince says. If you had a metal detector, you might still find bullets.

Though his name is largely forgotten, Charles was a notorious figure for decades after that tumultuous week in 1900. A series of events started late one night when three police officers approached Charles, who was sitting on a stoop in what is now Central City. Charles and one officer got in a scuffle, drew pistols and wounded each other. Charles fled to his apartment a few blocks away, and when officers arrived there, he killed two of them with a Winchester rifle. He escaped again, and while police spent three days searching for him, white mobs took to the streets across the city, killing at least six Black people and savagely beating many more.

Eventually police, along with a large mob of deputized citizens and throngs of New Orleanians, converged at the house on Saratoga Street. They riddled the house with bullets, and Charles shot and killed two more police officers and three other people. Police set the house on fire to try to force Charles out of the building.

The violent events made national news. Robert Charles is mentioned in most major history books in pages about violence and intimidation of Black people in the Jim Crow South.

Locally, Charles was better remembered among Black New Orleanians, and some of the evidence is in the citys music. The title of Princes book is inspired by a 1938 interview with Jelly Roll Morton by folklorist Alan Lomax. Morton tells some of the story, and claims he forgot a song about Charles.

But many jazz musicians knew the story.

I found 12 of them who talk at length about the RC story, Prince says. This is decades later. Sidney Bechet talks about it in his biography. In the same volume Alan Lomax published the Jelly Roll interview, he did an interview with Big Eye Louis Nelson, who tells the story. Danny Barker talks about it, even though he wasnt alive in 1900.

In his book, Prince explores what he calls the silence of Robert Charles.

Prince notes that William Ivy Hair published an excellent book about Charles in 1976 called Carnival of Fury: Robert Charles and the New Orleans Race Riot of 1900, in which he traced Charles life back to his native Mississippi. Prince thought he would dig into more about Charles life, expecting to uncover more about his perspective, and also look at events in light of more recent re-evaluations of policing, violence, white supremacy and the carceral state in the Jim Crow South. But Charles left behind almost no words.

Charles had been a day laborer, and lived in predominantly Black areas of town, in what is now Central City and Uptown. He started selling literature about the Back-to-Africa movement and the notion of Black people immigrating to Liberia. And while that literature was found in his apartment, its not known if he left any of his own thoughts written down.

I can see what he read, and I can see what he did, and then theres that gap in the middle, Prince says. How do we unpack the sense that he made of the newspapers that he sold and that he clearly read? He was a political actor. He had a proto-Black nationalist worldview. That didnt necessarily cause him to draw his gun on July 23, 1900.

To learn more about Charles world, Prince mapped his life in New Orleans and examined the context of the city. With horrible roads, sewage problems and mosquitos (a road near Charles home was referred to as Mosquito Curve), the city doesnt seem that different. Prince also combed the citys multiple daily papers from 1900 and current archives. Picking through the information is not easy, given the explosive events and filters of how race was discussed in 1900 and since. Prince pulls back the curtain on that kind of historical investigation as he lets readers in on his approach.

He also probes why this event appears to have been consciously forgotten. Other contemporaneous events, like massacres in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Wilmington, North Carolina, also receded in history. But other events didnt.

The absence of white commemoration of the events is conspicuous compared to the 1874 White League coup  the Battle of Liberty Place  and the 1891 lynching of 11 Italians, Prince says. Those events are discussed and commemorated and kept alive, at least among white New Orleanians.

Prince explores how Charles was and wasnt silenced.

The interesting thing about Charles and New Orleans in 1900 is that somebody fights back, Prince says. It is not just white-on-Black violence. It is violence across the color line. Its not easy, and its not comfortable. And thats why I think its so important. It forces us to think critically about whose side were on and what we believe.

The Ballad of Robert Charles was published March 1 by UNC Press.
MOSCOW - A member of the family of a Syrina citizen who was tortured, killed and maimed by six individuals in June 2017, in the governorate of Homs, in Syria, filed a legal case in Moscow, seeking justice against alleged members of the Russian group Wagner.



The case was facilitated by the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Russian rights group Memorial.



The lawyers of SCM, FIDH and Memorial, Ilya Novikov and Petr Zaikin, represent the brother of the victim, Mohamad A, according to a statement released by the associations, a copy of which was viewed by ANSA.



It is the first attempt made by the family of a Syrian victim to hold Russian suspects accountable for serious crimes allegedly committed in Syria. The legal case requires the start of judicial proceedings based on a murder that was committed with extreme cruelty, with the aim of establishing who was responsible for this and other crimes, including war crimes.



Ilya Novikov, one of the lawyers representing the victim's family member, explained: "Russian law provides for the State to be obliged to investigate crimes committed by Russian citizens abroad. The investigative committee has so far not started any investigation on the crime in question, although all the necessary information was officially communicated to Russian authorities over a year ago".



"The case presented by the newspaper Novaya Gazeta a year ago was ignored", said Alexander Cherkasov, president of the Memorial Human Rights Center. "This has forced us, human rights defenders, to address Russian investigative authorities. In effect, this is a repetition of what happened 20 years ago, when forced disappearances, torture and extrajudicial executions committed during the armed conflict in North Caucasus were not investigated. Today, we see another ring in this chain of impunity".
Rose Omango is the CEO of LIRO Enterprise and the Program Operations Director at Oasis for the Vulnerable Group.

She holds a Master of Arts in Project Planning and Management and a Bachelor of Business and Management (Marketing Option) from Egerton University.

Rose shared her career progression with Nation.

******************************

I joined LIRO Enterprise in 2019 after being spotted serving women with a passion. I have also served in various leadership positions in Financial Institutions, Education as well as in Community Development Organisations.

The institutions include the Coca Cola Depot, IntraGlobal College, Zetech College now Zetech University, Horizon College, Data Centre Training Institute, Carlile College, Kisii University, Barclays Bank Ltd (now Absa Bank) and Habitat for Humanity Kenya.

I officially left employment in 2019 September. Out of my work experience, I have special emphasis on training on Entrepreneurship, Microfinance, Leadership, Customer Care and Empowerment/Self-Reliance.

I am a mother of two Joy and Jeremy. I love travelling, networking and above all my passion is Women and Girl Child Empowerment and Community Service, making a difference in someones life. I was born and brought up in a village called Itumbe in Kisii County.

I attended Nyaguku Primary School and later joined called Bishop Mugendi (Nyakegogi) Secondary School. My late dad was an accountant by profession but left employment early to pursue business. Growing up, my mother ran a small informal business. I was a bright child and teachers really loved me for that.

Family background

I considered our family poor since it was hard to access some of the necessities especially after dad passed on and I really to break the poverty cycle.

I knew the only way out was through education and so I worked hard in class as I prayed to God to help me and indeed I performed very well and got direct admission to the University. I started my career as a Coca-Cola depot manager in my rural town, this was because I really wanted to secure a job with Kisii Bottlers in the Sales and Marketing department.

This did not happen and so I left for Nairobi City where I did search for any job that came my way just to survive before I could focus on what I really wanted. I landed a sales job at a Mr. Kamaus Mobile phone shop. Mr. Kamau had a chain of shop and I managed to work in 3 of his shops two at Tom Mboya and one in Luthuli Avenue. I am forever indebted to Mr. Kamau and his wife Mary for giving me, a stranger, a job.

After a while, I moved to part-time tutoring in various colleges. During this period I got to meet a very intelligent yet down to earth lady called Magdalene Thiriku. She tried to give me job satisfaction by creating an enabling environment for me.

She could allow me market the college and training to corporate and individual clients as well as carry out the trainings. She even gave me an opportunity for mentorship program in schools like Ngara girls which made me realize my passion in mentoring teens. Magdalene could create a position for me and for that I could work really hard to perform well.

Career growth

At some point, she gave me advance payment when I had just begun working to support my commuting. I also met a Mr. Mutinda who not only tagged me along whenever he spotted an opportunity but also advised me all the time.

Later on, I moved to the banking industry where I worked as a Customer Advisor Direct Sales for two years. I later joined Habitat for Humanity as a Field Officer and rose to a position of Regional Coordinator serving in various projects ranging from Housing Microfinance to Vulnerable Group Housing to WASH and Community Development and Support including Advocacy and Volunteer Engagement.

At Habitat I met a Mr. Julius Coredo who influenced my Project Management skills through delegation of duties and guidance. During my stay at Habitat for Humanity Kenya, I became a nomad.

For the nine years I worked in the organisation, I worked in several Counties including Kisii, Nyamira, Bungoma, Busia, Baringo, Kericho, Nakuru, Tharaka Nithi, Embu, Meru and Laikipia. This made me traverse the country and spot opportunities.

At some point I had to start a side hustle, LIRO Enterprise, since I have always loved business. From selling cereals, making and selling liquid soap, designing and selling petticoats etc and training on business plan preparation, carrying out feasibility studies, proposal development and financial literacy to SMEs and Individuals.

Side hustle

The side hustle became my main hustle when my contract was terminated due to funding issues in 2019. I have employed three people in the business and my aspiration was to have a Micro Finance Institution to cater for the huge population that has no access to funding.

Since I love philanthropy I started a non-Governmental Organization with like-minded individuals and have been funding it since. I seek partner in order to support more people.

I am diversifying into Courier business in the near future.

My aim is to make peoples lives easier by providing timely delivery services as well as create job opportunities, in the end, I want to live a happy life. I hate being broke!

To the youth out there, dont lose hope, utilize your potential to make money. Follow your passion. Each job is a stepping stone, work smart, learn lessons and move on.
Indigenous elders have locked down access to one of Australia's more popular tourist destinations after louts vandalised and even defecated on land held sacred by Aboriginal people.

Traditional custodians of Cape York, in Far North Queensland, have banned travellers from visiting Australia's most northern point.

Disrespectful visitors in recent years have covered cliffs in graffiti, littered, defecated and even used unregistered guns in the area.

Disrespectful visitors in recent years have graffitied cliffs, littered, defecated and used unregistered guns in the area

Traditional custodians of Cape York, in Far North Queensland, have banned travellers from visiting Australia's most northern point (pictured, camping in the area)

Elders have also called for public toilet upgrades after some tourists used nearby scrub due to a lack of facilities.

The boom gate has now been brought down on popular areas of the northern peninsula region, the Cairns Post reports.

Gudang/Yadhaykenu Aboriginal Corporation chairman Michael Solomon consulted custodians of the land before closing Captain Billy's Landing, Pajinka (the Tip), Ussher Point and Somerset to tourists due to 'disrespect to tradition landowners'.

'They make their own tracks and drive down the beach, they come with quad bikes and pig dogs,' he said, adding that tourists had turned the Tip into a 'rubbish tip'.

Gudang/Yadhaykenu Aboriginal Corporation chairman Michael Solomon (pictured) said tourists don't recognise the traditional landowners

'We have had enough and I am concerned. We have been here for a long time but cannot go forward, people just don't recognise the traditional landowners.'

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Minister Craig Crawford compared tourists' disrespect of the land to people breaking the law to climb Uluru.

'We do need to respect that they are the traditional owners of that land and it gives them certain rights. I probably do agree with them, they probably do need some upgrades, no one should be defecating in the scrub,' he said.

Mr Crawford said traditional owners have exercised their land rights under federal native title law, which allows them to possess and occupy an area.

Signs have been set up at the Jardine River ferry crossing, and tourists will no longer be allowed past the Croc Tent on Pajinka Road.
(ANSA) - ROME, MAR 15 - Italian drugs agency AIFA suspended the use of the jab across the country on Monday as a precautionary measure pending a ruling from the European Medicines Agency, in line with several other countries.

Meanwhile, Carabinieri NAS health police started seizing doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from a batch that officials in the northern region of Piedmont suspended the use of on Sunday.

Piedmont banned the use of that batch as a precautionary measure following the death of a clarinet teacher after he had the vaccine.

Prosecutors in Biella have opened a manslaughter probe in the death of the teacher, Sandro Tognatti, and seized batches of jab shots nationwide.

Several countries have suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine or of specific batches of it in relation to fears about blood clots and other possible side effects.

Last week Italian medicines agency AIFA suspended another batch following reports of a sailor and a policeman dying in Sicily after taking the vaccine.

They were followed by another officer in Sicily and a school janitor and teacher in Campania, making six such deaths in all in Italy.

AIFA stressed that the suspension was a precautionary measure and that a causal link between the "severe adverse events" and the vaccinations had not been established.

Health Minister Roberto Sperenza has said the COVID-19 vaccines being used in Italy are safe and the World Health Organization has defended the AstraZeneca jab.

France, Germany, Thailand, Norway, Iceland, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia have stopped giving the jab, developed with Oxford University, over blood-clot concerns, while Austria has joined Italy in stopping certain batches.

EMA is expected to rule Tuesday on the safety of the jab.

(ANSA).


SERIOUS concerns with Housing Minister Darragh OBriens big plan for affordable housing have been formally raised by the Central Bank in a letter to TDs and senators.

The Central Bank is warning that the proposal for a shared equity scheme could actually lead to an increase in house prices and may not increase construction rates.

The Irish Independent previously reported on private concerns within the Central Bank relating to the shared equity element of the proposed Affordable Housing Bill. However the decision to go public with concerns is a further blow to Mr OBriens plans.

It has joined many other bodies in sounding an alarm that the plan could raise house prices. They include think-tank the ESRI and one of the property groups which lobbied the Government for the scheme.





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Despite being asked for its views on the Bill as a whole, in the letter the regulator focuses solely on the shared equity scheme and not on other parts of the Bill, because it says the scheme has the most direct connection to the mortgage market.

Central Bank Director of Financial Stability Vasileios Madouros writes that the scheme could result in upward pressure on house prices if the housing supply is halted, resulting in higher levels of demand for homes.

Warnings are sounded about borrower protection in availing of the scheme and ensuring that they understand the new and relatively more complex differences to current mortgages available, especially interest and equity repayments.

Mr Madouros also warns that there is a need for further consideration and clarification in regard to how borrowers will be able to switch their mortgages if they avail of the shared equity.

He writes that the scheme itself will likely not contribute to the actual building of houses.

The proposed scheme  in isolation  is likely to have a limited impact on the ultimate supply-side problem in the Irish housing market, he says.

The regulator urges measures which would contribute to the supply side of the market, including some of those included within the Affordable Housing Bill.

It adds that some of the plans within the Bill are longer-term and urges for a targeted scheme that would aid buyers in purchasing homes.

The Bank ends its letter on a warning note, saying that those who are considering detailed parameters of the shared equity scheme should be mindful of the potential implications of increased demand for house purchases in a supply-constrained market.

The letter was written to the Oireachtas Housing Committee in response to a request for views on Mr OBriens Affordable Housing Bill.

The committee has concluded its pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill and will now move to compile a report.

Sinn Fein housing spokesperson Eoin O Broin has reiterated its calls for the Housing Minister to scrap the scheme and allow the rest of the Bill to proceed.

Other parts of the Bill, such as cost-rental housing, have been largely welcomed.

In their first full public commentary on the Governments shared equity loan scheme, the Central Bank have outlined a series of potential risks for families, banks and the housing system arising from the proposal, Mr O Broin said.

It is also clear from the Central Banks submission that many of the key details of the scheme have not yet been defined, making any assessment of the scale of risk impossible at this point.

He said that it would be irresponsible for the minister to proceed with the scheme.

In light of this, it would be irresponsible for Government to proceed with the scheme at this point. Minister for Housing Darragh OBrien should remove the pro-developer shared equity loan scheme from the Affordable Housing Bill and allow the Oireachtas to proceed with the affordable cost rental scheme and local authority-led affordable purchase scheme, Mr O Broin added.

Mr OBrien has previously maintained that the scheme will not push up house prices, saying that regional caps and strict controls will ensure this does not happen.

GENEVA (AP)  Swiss authorities on Monday confirmed a police raid at the home of a Swiss software engineer who took credit for helping to break into a U.S. security-camera company's online networks, part of what the activist hacker cited as an effort to raise awareness about the dangers of mass surveillance.

The Federal Office of Justice said regional police in central Lucerne, acting on a legal assistance request from U.S. authorities, on Friday carried out a house search involving hacker Tillie Kottmann.

The hacker said online that electronics devices were seized during the raid. The Swiss office declined to specify the location or comment further, deferring all questions to "the relevant U.S. authority."

The FBI said in a statement Friday it was aware of the law enforcement activity conducted in Switzerland but had no further comment.

Kottmann had identified as a member of a group of hacktivists" who say they were able to view live camera feeds and peer into hospitals, schools, factories, jails and corporate offices for much of Monday and Tuesday last week after gaining access to the systems of California startup Verkada. They said the action was aimed at raising awareness about mass surveillance.

Verkada later locked them out by disabling all internal administrator accounts that the hackers had accessed using valid credentials found online. The company alerted law enforcement and its customers.

Kottmann, who uses they/them pronouns, said on the social media site Mastodon last week that the raid wasnt specifically about the Verkada hack but was tied to an earlier FBI investigation. Kottmann has previously attracted attention for leaking hacked material to expose security flaws, including from U.S. chipmaker Intel last year.

Its common for professional cybersecurity researchers to probe online systems for security flaws, though hacktivists often take that a step further by publicly exposing security risks or leaked materials to effect social change.

Story continues

Kottmann didn't immediately return requests for comment.

Verkada, based in San Mateo, California, has pitched its cloud-based surveillance service as part of the next generation of workplace security. Its software detects when people are in the cameras view, and a Person History feature enables customers to recognize and track individual faces and other attributes, such as clothing color and likely gender. Not all customers use the facial recognition feature.

-

O'Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island.
In an attempt to gather data on the effects of long-term isolation without any notion of time on the human brain, 15 volunteers will spend 40 days in a cave in Ariege, in the south of France.

In what is being described as a world first, eight men and seven women will be spending 40 days isolated in a large cave, without phones, watches or any type of device that could help them tell time. The project is called Deep Time and its the brain child of Franco-Swiss explorer Christian Clot, who himself is one of the participants. He along with the 40 other volunteers will started their timeless life experiment today, and will be spending the next 40 days isolated in a large cave in the Pyrenees mountains. They are all equipped with sensors allowing a dozen scientists to follow them from the surface.

Photo: M_Carted/Pixabay

This experiment is a world first, said Professor Etienne Koechlin, director of the Cognitive and Computational Neurosciences Laboratory at the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris. Until now, all missions of this type focused on the study of the physiological rhythms of the body, but never on the impact of this type of temporal rupture on the cognitive and emotional functions of the human being.

Completely deprived of natural light, and the use of ubiquitous gadgets like phones or watches, the 15 volunteers will need to adapt to the constant 12-degree Celsius temperature and 95% humidity of the cave, generate their own electricity using a pedal boat system, and draw the water they need from 45 meters deep.

Losing time is the greatest disorientation there is, and it is this aspect that the Deep Time mission wants to better understand, the Deep Time official website reads. During certain events, our perception of time is altered : it seems to pass very slowly or very quickly, unrelated to the reality of each passing second. What happens then? How to find the sense of time? What are the connections between cognitive and biological time, between the brain and genetic cells? What is the relationship between perceived time and normative time, that of our watches? How does our brain see time?

In an attempt to answer some of these questions, scientists will allegedly be monitoring the 15 participant from the surface, collecting data transmitted by a number of sensors.

Christian Clot, the founder of Human Adaptation Institute, the non-profit behind the Dream Time experiment, was inspired to stage this mission by the Covid-19 pandemic and the way it impacted our lives. We were forced to spend long periods of time in isolation, despite having no idea of how this would affect our lives in the short or long-term.

Arnaud Burel, a 29-year-old biologist and one of the volunteers participating in Deep Time, said that he agreed to participate out of a desire to taste this timeless life, which is impossible outside with our computers and mobile phones that constantly remind us of our appointments and obligations. Burel agreed that spending 40 days in a cave with 14 strangers wasnt going to be easy, adding that communication will be key.

To organize Deep Time, the Human Adaptation Institute collected 1.2 million in both public and private funding. The 15 participants will receive no compensation, but they do gave 1.5 tons of supplies at their disposal in the cave, to ensure that they can survive without outside intervention.

Deep Time has been getting a lot of attention in France, but not exclusively for the right reasons. Christian Clot has come under fire for calling himself a researcher without having scientific training.

The Deep Time mission began on March 14, and is scheduled to last until April 22rd, if everything goes according to plan. For more information on the project, check out the official website of the project.
Sergeant-at-Arms Says Some of Capitol Fence to Come Down

Acting House of Representatives Sergeant-at-Arms Timothy Blodgett says parts of the razor-wire-topped fence erected around the U.S. Capitol complex following the Jan. 6 incursion will come down soon.

Blodgett on March 15 said that parts of the fence that are manned by about 2,500 National Guard troops and backed by dozens of heavy military vehicles will be revised or taken down completely. The Guard contingent also will begin to return to their home bases in coming weeks.

Working with their federal, state and local intelligence partners, the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) has informed the Sergeant at Arms (SAA) that there does not exist a known, credible threat against Congress or the Capitol Complex that warrants the temporary security fencing, Blodgett told members of Congress, in a memo obtained by The Epoch Times.

In light of this information, the USCP, in conjunction with the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) will begin making alterations to the temporary fencing around the Capitol complex. The USCP will continue to monitor the threat posture, should a change occur, plans will be reevaluated, Blodgett said.

Blodgett said the new positioning will move the fence closer to the Capitol building and will provide access to the avenues and some of the sidewalks. The AOC will also remove the razor wire on the inner perimeter fence.

Bike racks will be put in place around each of the three House office buildings, but the inner perimeter fencing around Capitol Square will remain in place.

During the later portion of the week of March 22nd, the AOC and USCP will begin removing the outer perimeter fencing and opening Independence Avenue and Constitution Avenue for traffic, he said.

The decision to begin taking down the fence and reducing the military presence drew praise from Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), who has been especially vocal in calling on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to take down the fence, send the Guard home, and reopen the Capitol complex to the public.

For everyone who wants to reopen the Peoples House, this is a step in the right direction, Budd said in a March 15 statement. I continue to believe that permanent fencing around the Capitol itself should also be removed and our National Guard troops should be sent home to their families.

I will continue to monitor this situation until Americans can once again come to our nations capital and be free to witness the wonder that is the seat of our representative government.

Budd and 40 House Republican colleagues told Pelosi in a Feb. 5 letter that the U.S. Capitol is a symbol of freedom both at home and abroad. It is a place where Americans from all walks of life can visit, learn about, and witness U.S. history. Sadly, because of the fortress-like security in place, this is no longer the case.

American citizens who wish to visit are not allowed to because only authorized personnel and the military are permitted. The people who call Capitol Hill home live day in and out with fences, military trucks, and military personnel in their backyards, on their way to work, to school, or the grocery store. Enough is enough.

Of course, we all understood that some increase in security was necessary after the tragic events of January 6, but now there is no valid reason to continue the same level of security measures. It is appalling that Communist China allows their citizens more freedom to visit historical sites like Tiananmen Square than currently exists for Americans who want to visit the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Blodgett said the USCP and National Guard will continue to maintain a presence and an increased security posture. Based on the current threat posture, it is anticipated that the National Guard will begin to reduce its posture at the Capitol in the coming weeks. Again, the USCP will continue to monitor the threat posture, should a change occur, plans will be reevaluated.

Contact Mark Tapscott at Mark.Tapscott@epochtimes.nyc
A sorority at Indiana University Bloomington has been ordered to suspend all activities pending an investigation into hazing claims involving a sex-and-drugs game called 'blow or blow.'

Langdan Willoughby, a former member of Kappa Kappa Gamma's Delta Chapter, claimed that during a pledge event last year, she and the other young women were ordered by lingerie-clad sorority sisters wielding wooden paddles to choose between performing oral sex on men, or snorting cocaine, before being told it was all a joke.

Willoughby, 19, shared her account of the incident with Indiana Daily Student last week, which prompted the university to place Kappa Kappa Gamma's oldest chapter on cease and desist, suspending all of its operations.

Indiana University Bloomington student Langdan Willoughby, 19, claims that she and other pledges were hazed by Kappa Kappa Gamma's Delta Chapter last year

The university has suspended Kappa Kappa Gamma's operations pending an investigation into the hazing claims

'Delta Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma at Indiana University is one of our longest-standing chapters, yet we will not stand by while instances of violence or the threat of violence are perpetuated among our membership,' the sorority's national organization said in a statement. 'The health and safety of our members are always our top priority.'

Willoughby recounted for IU Bloomington's student newspaper how in February 2020, she and some four dozen other pledges were led into the dark basement at Kappa Kappa Gamma house at 1018 East Third Street, where senior sorority sisters dressed in lingerie ordered them to stand facing the wall in silence.

According to Willoughby, one of the sisters struck her on her backside with a paddle while running around the cellar and laughing.

The sisters then passed around rubber bands to put their hair up, and told the pledges that members of a local fraternity were on their way to take part in a game of 'blow or blow,' where the women would have to choose between performing oral sex on the men, or snorting cocaine, according to Willoughby.

'Get on your knees! The boys are coming,' she recalled one of the senior sisters yelling at the pledges.

Willoughby alleged that senior sisters dressed in lingerie led 50 pledges into a dark basement at the sorority house and said they would have to either perform oral sex, or do cocaine, only to say later it was a joke

Willoughby told the student paper she tried to find an exit, or call for help, by the sisters had confiscated the pledges' phones.

A short time later, the senior sisters told the pledges they were 'just kidding.' In the end, the pledges did not have to consume drugs, or perform any sex acts that night.

Two unnamed women who were also there that night corroborated details of Willoughby's account of what happened on Kappa Kappa Gamma's Big Little Night, which is an annual event when pledges are paired with their mentors.

One of them recalled a senior sister telling them the 'blow or blow' game was their punishment for being 'the worst pledge class ever.'

Willoughby said she was deeply disturbed by what happened and left the sorority last summer, citing the alleged hazing incident as well as instances of racism, which she said she experienced as one of the only black women in the Kappa Kappa Gamma house.

Willoughby said she later left the sorority over the hazing and instances of racism

Additional sources speaking on a condition of anonymity told the student newspaper about similar incidents that took place at the sorority in years past, including one woman who recounted how in 2017, pledges were ordered to strip naked and run into the woods.

It was not until one of the pledges burst into tears that the Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters revealed that it was just a prank poking fun at hazing at other sororities, according to the report.

A 2019 pledge class member recounted how they were ordered to stand facing the wall in the dark basement for 15 minutes, while a woman screamed and berated them in front of drunk senior sisters wearing lingerie and high heels.

Willoughby said she decided to come forward in order to raise awareness of hazing at sororities.

IU spokesman Chuck Carney urged students to report claims of wrongdoing to the university so they can be investigated.

The student paper's unnamed sources said that they had been intimated by Kappa Kappa Gamma members to keep quiet about the pledge rituals.
The two-day nationwide strike called by the United Forum of Bank Union in protest against privatisation of the government began on Monday.

The leader of a major union claimed total success impacting the clearance of two crore cheques/instruments worth about Rs 16,500 crore.

"On an average, about 2 crore cheques/instruments worth about Rs 16,500 crore are held up for clearance. Government treasury operations and all normal banking transactions have been affected," C.H. Venkatachalam, General Secretary, All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) said.

According to him, about 10 lakh bank employees struck work signalling their negation of the government's decision to privatise its

The Central government has decided to privatise two public sector in addition to IDBI Bank, and the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) had given the strike call in protest.

"As per reports reaching us from various states, banking operations have been affected and paralysed in all centres," Venkatachalam said.

"Most of the Branches could not be opened. Clearing of cheques could happen since branches are not accepting cheques for clearance as branches are closed," he said.

He said the strike would continue on Tuesday to save the banks from being taken over by private vested interests.

"The strike to save the savings of our people. The strike is to ensure more loans to priority and weaker sections," Venkatachalam added.

He said the banks are making operational profits and they are showing net loss owing to provisions because the corporate borrowers defaults.

He said during 2019-20 the operating profits of government banks were Rs 1,74,336 crore, provision for doubtful debts Rs 2,00,352 crore and the net loss stood at Rs 26,016 crore.

The UFBU, an umbrella body of nine unions in the banking sector, had given the strike call.

--IANS

vj/dpb

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has revealed he has a 'freshly shaven head' in a message from a prison colony in Russia which he likened to a 'concentration camp'.

Surfacing for the first time since he was moved to the penal colony 60 miles from Moscow, Navalny described hellish conditions at the camp where he claims he is woken every hour at night by guards assigned to prevent his escape.

In the message posted on his Instagram account on Monday, he says he is being held in a heightened-security part of the camp and claims that inmates are even banned from swearing - adding that the rule is 'strictly enforced'.

The post confirms that Navalny is being held at the feared Penal Colony No 2 in the town of Pokrov, a facility known for its strict conditions.

'I think someone upstairs read Orwell's 1984 and said, yeah, cool, let's do this,' said Navalny, who faces two-and-a-half years at the camp in a sentence which triggered massive protests across Russia.

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has revealed he has a 'freshly shaven head' in a message from a prison colony in Russia which he today likened to a 'concentration camp'

Barbed wire sits on top of a fence at the penal colony in Pokrov, Russia, where Navalny is believed to have been taken

Navalny said in the Instagram post that he had not yet seen any violence but 'easily believed' stories of beatings based on the 'tense posture' of other prisoners.

'Video cameras are everywhere, everyone is watched and at the slightest violation they make a report,' he said.

Navalny is only able to communicate with the outside world via his lawyers, but it was unclear who had posted the message on Instagram today.

It was accompanied by a picture of Navalny sat on a sofa with his hair cropped close to his head.

In a tongue-in-cheek reference to his shaved head, he said: 'Three things never cease to amaze me. The starry sky above us, the categorical imperative within us and the amazing feeling when you run your palm over your freshly shaven head.'

He went on: 'I have to admit that the Russian prison system was able to surprise me. I had no idea that it was possible to arrange a real concentration camp 100km from Moscow.

'That's what I call my new home - our friendly concentration camp.

'Swearing and slang words are prohibited. And this prohibition is strictly enforced. Can you imagine a prison where they don't swear? A terrible thing.

'But if you treat everything with humour, then you can live. So, overall, I'm doing well.'

Navalny's imprisonment sparked protests (such as this one in St Petersburg last month) and condemnation by Western powers

Describing the alleged hourly inspections, he said: 'At night, every hour I wake up from the fact that a man [is] standing next to my bed.

'He gets me on camera and says: "Two hours and thirty minutes, convict Navalny",' Navalny recalled, adding that he was designated as 'prone to escape'.

'And again I calmly fall asleep with the thought that there are people who remember me and will never lose. Great, isn't it?'.

Navalny was handed a two-and-a-half year prison term last month for flouting parole conditions in a sentence widely condemned by Western powers.

It sparked a wave of anti-Kremlin protests which in turn have led to a police crackdown that has further angered foreign diplomats.

Navalny had returned to Russia in January five months after surviving a nerve agent attack on board a plane in Siberia which he accuses the Kremlin of orchestrating.

A German military lab found Navalny had been poisoned with the Soviet-era toxin Novichok, the same one used to target a double agent in Salisbury in 2018.

But the Kremlin has played down the findings and rejected claims of Russian involvement, accusing Navalny of being in league with the CIA.

It also denied Navalny's claim that he had duped a Russian FSB security service agent into confessing details of the alleged plot.

Alexei Navalny was imprisoned after returning to Russia earlier this year

The prison sentence stems from a 2014 conviction for embezzlement which he says was based on trumped-up charges, leading to a jail term that was initially suspended.

But it was converted into real jail time after Navalny turned to Russia, with a court ignoring his protests that he could hardly have checked in with parole officers while in a coma in Berlin.

His exact whereabouts had been unclear after he was moved from a jail near Moscow and his lawyers said they did not know where he was being taken.

But it is now confirmed that he is being held in the Pokrov camp, which is among the most notorious facilities in Russia's network of more than 600 labour colonies.

Russian news agencies quoted Navalny's lawyer Olga Mikhailova as confirming that he was at the colony, saying that she had been able to visit him there.

Activist Konstantin Kotov, who spent nearly two years at the colony for violating protest rules, has previously described an environment in which inmates are not treated 'like people'.

Last month a court also convicted Navalny of defamation for calling a World War II veteran a 'traitor' for appearing in a pro-Kremlin video.

He was ordered to pay a fine of 850,000 rubles ($11,500). His defence team is planning to appeal.
SC asks govt to bring law to regulate content on OTT platforms

The Supreme Court has asked the central government to come up with a legislation to regulate content on social media and OTT (Over-The-Top) platforms instead of issuing guidelines that cannot be enforced.

The court held that the so-called regulations framed by the government last month are only guidelines and are not enough to make social media and OTT platforms accountable for the content they carried.

The SC had asked the centre to submit regulations governing content on OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon etc that operate from outside the country. The SC direction followed petitions filed against Amazon for vulgar display of Hindu religion and its icons in its serial.

In February, the centre announce the framing of rules to make social media and OTT platforms accountable for the content they carried. The rules, finalised after elaborate consultations with the public and stakeholders as well as the ministries of electronics and information technology and information and broadcasting, however, were intended only to bring about a harmonious, soft-touch oversight mechanism in relation to social media platform as well as digital media and OTT platforms etc.

These rules for OTT platforms don't allow pre-screening or punitive action, nor can these be strictly implemented.

The Supreme Court held that the union government's 5 February notification on IT intermediary rules and other guidelines to regulate social media and OTT platforms lack "teeth" as there is no provision for pre-screening of content or prosecute violators.

The apex court has asked the centre to consider framing laws to regulate content on OTT platforms and submit a copy of the draft legislation for its consideration after 2 weeks.

Appearing for the centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured the court that fresh legislation for OTT platforms is under consideration.

While the court observed that uncontrolled viewing of content on OTT platforms was an issue, Amazon Prime's counsel, senior lawyer Mukul Rohatgi objected to the court's observation on porn being shown on the platform. "I can show you 10 thousand movies on OTT platforms, there is no porn. Great movies are shown," Rohatgi submitted.

Yesterday, the top court stressed the need for pre-screening of content on OTT platforms due to the presence of pornographic material.

At the same time, the SC said there should not be any arrest of Amazon Prime Head Aparna Purohit in connection with the criminal cases filed against the web series "Tandav". However, she has been asked to cooperate in the investigation being carried out in multiple states.

On 27 January, the Supreme Court had refused to quash multiple FIRs against makers and actors of the web series. While the top court had asked states to reply to the request by actors to the various FIRs, they were asked to move respective high courts and trial courts to secure bail in individual cases.
SALT LAKE CITY, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This month Northwest Registered Agent will launch Law on Call, the first entirely nonlawyer-owned law firm in the United States. Licensed in Utah, Law on Call will increase Utahns' access to justice by offering legal services at traditionally impossible speeds and prices. Clients will pay only $9 a month to receive unlimited phone access to licensed lawyers who can offer legal advice. Legal work, if needed, will be available starting at just $100 an hourno retainer necessary. With Law on Call, clients will receive a high-level product for a fraction of the traditional cost, in a sliver of the usual time frame.

Northwest Registered Agent

In the traditional legal services world, potential clients have to jump through numerous hoops before they even speak to a lawyer and get their first question answered. Ultimately, many businesses and individuals in the US forego hiring a lawyer because it requires too much work and too much money. This shift in process and priority puts Law on Call at the forefront of a new era in the legal industryone that's more efficient, less expensive, and geared toward clients' real-world needs.

Law on Call is able to operate because of a unanimous August 2020 Utah Supreme Court decision that resulted in the Utah Regulatory Legal Sandbox. This two-year pilot program, overseen by the Office of Legal Services Innovation, allows approved applicants to rethink this country's legal practices. The overarching goalof both the Sandbox and Law on Callis to make legal services available to a wider swath of the population.

"The United States justice system is hard to get access to," says Drake Forester, chief legal strategy officer for Northwest Registered Agent. "By changing the traditional playbook, we're trying to shake some sense into an antiquated system."

The pressure on lawyers to increase billable hours is often what drives up legal costs for clients, so Law on Call has done away with this system. Instead, clients get instant access to licensed lawyers who can offer legal advice in the areas of business law, end of life planning, contracts, employment, housing and real estate, and clients have the option to hire those lawyers to do legal work at steeply discounted rates. If additional attorneys step in to help, that help will never come at an additional charge like it might at a traditional firm.

Innovations like the Utah Legal Sandbox are likely to become available in more states over time, and Law on Call looks forward to joining those initiatives and increasing legal access even further.

About Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest Registered Agent specializes in providing registered agent and corporate filing services to customers in all 50 states. With 350 employees nationwide, Northwest takes pride in its commitment to Privacy by Default, which ensures that client data is never soldever. At Northwest, support and privacy are at the heart of everything. That's doing business the right way.

About Law on Call

Law on Call is reinventing the traditional approach to the legal industry in the United States. As the first nonlawyer-owned law firm in the country, Law on Call has removed the stress of billable hours so that its lawyers can focus on client satisfaction and quality of work. Law on Call is able to operate thanks to the Utah Legal Sandbox.

Media Contact

Drake Forester, Chief Legal Strategy Officer

Northwest Registered Agent LLC

(509) 381-3777

[email protected]

SOURCE Law on Call
Michigans emergency rules banning office work  except when remote work isnt feasible  will likely be extended six months to October, state leaders say.

But a new workgroup of state, business and health officials is meeting to sort out how Michigan can phase in its return to offices.

Vaccination rates will likely play a larger role than COVID-19 rates when it comes to deciding how and when to reopen offices to all workers, said Sean Egan, director of Michigan COVID-19 workplace safety.

I think what employers really need to focus on is how theyre going to manage vaccinations, Egan said. Im trying to picture how we manage workplaces that have only 40%, 50%, 60% vaccination rates or lower  because we know that vaccination is our ticket out of the pandemic.

Rules likely wont vary based on the square footage of the office, Egan said. But leaders are thinking long and hard on whether the vaccination rate of a company should play a role in when or how the office can reopen.

Leaders are watching for federal guidance on the question, Egan said.

In a survey of Detroit-area business leaders, nearly 42% were unsure how many of their workers were interested in being vaccinated. About 45% said more than half of their employees have indicated they want the shot, while 13% said less than half of their employees have shown interest in the shot.

The workgroup will also better define the word feasibly, since the rule requires office workers to work from home when work can feasibly be done remotely.

Since the emergency rules went into place in October, no employer has been cited or fined by the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration for allowing people to work from the office, Egan said.

There have been 275 COVID-19 outbreaks tied to offices in the past six months, which is the sixth-most among all settings.

The Return-to-Office Workgroup plans to meet weekly for six weeks and put out its recommendations to state leaders throughout the process. The first meeting is Thursday, March 18, the state said in a news release.

State law allows MIOSHA to extend its emergency rules once more for up to six months. The current rules expire April 14. The rules can be modified at any point, Egan said.

Heres the list of people in the workgroup:

Kate Birdsall, president, MSU Union of Nontenure-Track Faculty, AFT

Tim Carroll, safety specialist, Office of State Employer

Susan Corbin, director, LEO

Sean Egan, COVID-19 workplace safety director, LEO

Rachel Eubanks, state treasurer, Dept. of Treasury

Tina Fuller, president, Communication Workers of America, Local 4009

Kory Groetsch, environmental public health director, MDHHS

Elizabeth Hertel, director, MDHHS

Harry Kemp, senior VP, general counsel and corporate secretary, Lear Corporation

Dr. Pranav Kothari, chief of healthcare strategy, Rock Family of Companies

Lois Murray, president, AFSCME, Local 2172

Hannah Naltner, chief of staff, Steelcase

Mayor Andy Schor, City of Lansing

Ryan Sebolt, director of government affairs, Michigan AFL-CIO

Mike Turnquist, senior deputy director, state facilities administration, DTMB

Ryan Weiss, counsel, U.S. operations, regulatory and North America, Dow Chemical Company

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For blue-collar workers, its fear. For white-collar workers, its isolation. COVID-19 changed work for everybody.
Athens, March 15 : A convicted Greek terrorist has ended his two-month hunger strike which he had started over his transfer to another prison, his lawyer and a local hospital announced.

Dimitris Koufodinas, 62, who is serving 11 life sentences as the main hitman in many murders committed by the now-defunct terrorist group "November 17" (17 N), had been hospitalised in the public General Hospital of Lamia since February 16, reports Xinhua news agency.

He was on hunger strike since January 8 demanding his transfer to Korydallos prison in a Piraeus port suburb.

As of Sunday, following the patient's request, he is gradually fed, while being treated in the intensive care unit and his condition remains serious, an e-mailed statement from the hospital said.

Koufodinas' hunger strike had opened a heated debate in Greece.

His lawyers claimed he was denied his rights.

But courts have dismissed many requests submitted by his lawyers lately.

The government repeatedly stated that he demanded preferential treatment and would not give in any blackmails.

"November 17" had been active in Greece since 1975.

Koufodinas was identified as the group's main hitman during the trial that followed his arrest and the dismantling of the group in 2002.

He was convicted in 2003, along with a dozen other group members, for their roles in more than 100 attacks carried out between 1975 and 2000 that killed 23 Greek, US, British and Turkish nationals.
A member of medical staff shows the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine at the vaccinodrome set up in the Velodrome stadium in Marseille, France, on on March 15, 2021. (Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images)

Nearly 400,000 AstraZeneca Vaccine Doses Seized in Italy After Teachers Death

Italian prosecutors said on March 15 they seized a batch of nearly 400,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine after a man died hours after receiving the shot.

Piedmonts regional government told Reuters it suspended the use of AstraZeneca batch ABV5811 after a 57-year-old man identified as Sandro Tognatti fell ill and died. The cause of death and other circumstances surrounding his death are not clear.

It is therefore important to ensure that continued administration of the drug throughout the country does not lead to further consequences [harmful or fatal]  until we are completely sure that [Tognattis] death cannot be attributed to the above-mentioned inoculation, prosecutor Teresa Angela Camelio said in a statement to news outlets.

Tognatti, a music teacher, was administered the vaccine on the afternoon of March 13, his wife told news outlets, according to Reuters. She said he developed a high temperature and fell ill. He died shortly after an ambulance was called for him on March 14.

In a statement to The Epoch Times, AstraZeneca said that the safety of all is our first priority.

We are working with national health authorities and European officials and look forward to their assessment later this week. Around 17 million people in the EU and UK have now received our vaccine, and the number of cases of blood clots reported in this group is lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected among the general population, it read.

Authorities in Sicily, Italy, also seized batches last week of the vaccine after two men reportedly fell ill after getting the shot.

The UK firm and Oxford, which helped develop the vaccine, stated that theres no connection between the vaccine and reports of severe blood clotting.

But France, Italy, Spain, and Germany halted the vaccines usage on March 15 due to precautions following the reports of adverse effects among recipients.

Denmarks health agency said that a 60-year-old woman who died after receiving the shot suffered from a blood clot. The unnamed woman had highly unusual symptoms, according to the Danish Medicines Agency.

The agency reported that the woman had a low number of blood platelets and clots in small and large vessels, as well as bleeding.

It was an unusual course of illness around the death that made the Danish Medicines Agency react, it said in a statement on March 14, as reported by AFP.

AstraZeneca said on March 15 that it had conducted a review of more than 17 million people who were vaccinated in the EU and UK, saying it showed no evidence of a higher risk of blood clots.

The EUs European Medicines Agency (EMA) said last week that its investigating around 30 reported cases of blood clotting, adding that the vaccines benefits currently still outweigh risks.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the EMA was expected to create a recommendation about the vaccine on March 16 and also announced the suspension of usage in the country.

The decision has been made  to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine as a precaution, hoping that we can resume its use quickly if the judgment of the EMA allows it, he said on March 15.
Fort Polk, LA (71446)

Today

Considerable cloudiness. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 85F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
Position: Deirdre Hargey will challenge Mr Swann at the next Executive meeting

Sinn Fein is set to challenge the Health Minister this week to commission abortion health services for women in Northern Ireland.

Individual health trusts have set up temporary early medical abortion pathways but Northern Ireland-wide services have not yet been commissioned by the Department of Health. Minister Robin Swann has argued that, as a controversial issue, it is for the Executive to agree to set up the services.

The DUP is opposed to abortion and has proposed a new law to prevent them being carried out in cases of non-fatal disabilities.

South Belfast MLA Deirdre Hargey said: "The Minister for Health, Robin Swann, supported by the DUP, has failed to commission modern and compassionate healthcare services for women while the DUP attempt to unpick and roll back the legislation that provides for these services," she said.

Ms Hargey said she would challenge Mr Swann at this week's Executive meeting "to commission the services he is responsible for so no other woman is forced to travel needlessly to England to access services they are entitled to access here".

Northern Ireland's previously restrictive laws were changed by MPs at Westminster in 2019 at a time when Stormont had collapsed.

The laws allow abortion in all circumstances up to 12 weeks.

Terminations are permitted up to 24 weeks when there is a risk to the woman's physical or mental health.

There is no time limit in cases of fatal foetal abnormality or when there has been a diagnosis of a serious physical or mental impairment that would cause a serious disability.

Abortions post 24 weeks in those circumstances are extremely rare.

On Saturday, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis tweeted: "I would welcome a renewed focus on the NI Executive securing the abortion services that women and girls are legally and morally entitled to.

"We should all take our obligations on this issue incredibly seriously - it is a human right to be able to access quality healthcare."

The Department of Health said: "It has been the Health Minister's stated position that this is a matter for the Executive as a whole to consider."
Theres been not a peep, nor quack or croak.

But very soon, wood frogs, defrosted from their winter shutdowns, will head to vernal pools and start a quacking quarreling-duck racket. Then peepers will emerge, singing loudly in full chorus.

For humans who follow amphibians, its one of the first sounds of spring.

I have not heard them yet, said Ann Taylor, executive director of Reddings New Pond Farm nature center. But Ive been purposefully leaving my window open to listen for them.

I would suggest there are wood frogs already out, said Billy Michael od Bethel, who annually tracks emerging frogs and salamanders.

Michael said he has yet to check out the vernal pools in Huntington State Park, which overlaps the Bethel-Newtown border.

They could be in a pool up there, he said. I wouldnt doubt it.

Throughout the state and the country, people are doing the same thing, joining the citizen science project Frog Watch USA - the amphibian equivalent of the Christmas Bird Count.

Run by the national Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Frog Watch gives volunteers basic training on frog and toad identifications, based on the sounds they make. The volunteers then go to a local pond, marsh, or vernal pool, listen throughout the spring and summer, and send in their findings.

Three organizations in western Connecticut  the Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven, the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport and the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk  are sponsoring Frog Watch.

The Maritime Aquarium will hold its final Frog Watch virtual training session from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on March 25. For more information go www.maritimeaquarium.org/citizen-science

Bridget Cervero, manager of the aquariums citizen science programs, said there are about 100 volunteers in the program so far.

About 25 are returning volunteers, which is really great, she said.

The Norwalk River Watershed Association and the Woodcock Nature Center in Ridgefield and Wilton are collaborating on vernal pool activities this year, including virtual workshops, creating Frog and Toad Abode kits and a sold-out vernal pool walk on March 20 - World Frog Day.

We want people to see vernal pools, said Sarah Breznan, Woodcocks director of education

Along with the pleasure of tramping around the edges of moist terrain listening for high-pitched peepers in spring or the bullfrogs mid-summer basso croak, the project serves to monitor the American amphibians increasing peril.

The U.S. Geological Survey has reported that amphibian species are declining in every region of America at a rate of almost 4 percent a year. Some species may disappear in the U.S. by 2040, the survey says.

Connecticut has 11 species of frog and toads. One, the eastern spadefoot toad is a state endangered species while another, the northern leopard frog, is a species of special concern.

Michael Ravesi, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said frogs are important to the states ecosystem as both predators are prey.

Frogs eat insects, Ravesi said. In turn theyre eaten by owls, foxes, raccoons and coyotes.

Just about anything that can get its mouth around a frog will eat them, Ravesi said.

In vernal pools, frog eggs feed insects, opossums, skunks and turtles. When the eggs hatch into tadpoles, the tadpoles eat vegetation and bacteria, Breznan said. In turn, a variety of predators dig into tadpoles at the vernal pool smorgasbord.

Bigger frogs eat smaller frogs, she said.

Frogs are also important as indicator species. They have permeable skin and can absorb anything flowing into an ecosystems water supply. If frogs are in trouble, somethings wrong.

It can be weed killer or detergent, anything, said Breznan, of Woodcock Nature Center

The DEEPs Ravesi said theres now evidence that the drugs humans take work their way into water systems  either because people flush pills down the toilet, or excrete medication in their wastes. That may be harming frogs as well.

Just releasing it from our own bodies has implications for frogs, he said.

Another factor is human destruction of amphibian habitat. Climate change may add to amphibians decline.

Wood frogs and peepers are forest dwelling frogs who only head to vernal pools  small pools filled by spring rain and melting snow  to mate.

If the climate warms too quickly in the spring, Ravesi said, those pools may dry up too quickly, interfering with the progression of egg-to-tadpole-to-frogs.

So listen, while you still have the chance.

Wood frogs and peepers, Ravesi said. They kind of herald spring.

Contact Robert Miller at earthmattersrgm@gmail.com
State-owned (BOB) on Monday cut its benchmark lending rate by 10 basis points to 6.75 per cent.

The lenders home now start at 6.75 per cent and for cars at seven per cent after the revision in the Baroda Repo Linked Lending Rate (BRLLR). it said in a statement.

Mortgage start at 7.95 per cent and education start at 6.75 per cent.

BOB stock was trading 1.23 per cent up at Rs 78.3 per share on BSE.

The reduction in BRLLR makes loans more affordable for the customers, said Harshadkumar T. Solanki, the banks general manager for Mortgages and Other Retail Assets.





BOBs retail credit rose by 13.8 per cent to Rs 1,16,046 crore in 12 months to December 2020 (Q3Fy21) from Rs 1,01,995 crore in December 2019 (Q3Fy20). The total advances grew by 6.3 per cent to Rs 7,45,420 crore in December 2020 from Rs 7,01,267 crore in December 2019.

Its net interest income was up 8.65 per cent from Rs 7,132 crore in quarter ended December 2019 to Rs 7,749 crore in quarter ended December 2020. Its net interest margin (NIM) for domestic business showed improvement at 3.07 per cent in Q3Fy21 as against 2.88 per cent in Q3Fy20.
Two Men Arrested for Assaulting Capitol Police Officer Sicknick, Who Died After Jan. 6 Breach

Authorities on March 15 confirmed that two suspects have been arrested and charged with assaulting Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died after the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

Sicknick died of natural causes, Francisco J. Diaz, chief medical examiner for Washington, said on April 19.

Julian Elie Khater, 32, of State College, Pennsylvania, and George Pierre Tanios, 39, of Morgantown, West Virginia, were taken into custody on March 14 in connection with the incident, the Department of Justice said in a statement.

They were charged with conspiring to injure officers and assaulting federal officers, among other charges, during the Jan. 6 incident, the DOJ said. Khater was arrested after he got off an airplane at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, while Tanios was arrested at his West Virginia home.

The two were charged with one count each of conspiracy to injure an officer, three counts of assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, one count of civil disorder, one count of obstructing or impeding an official proceeding, and one count of physical violence on restricted grounds while carrying a dangerous weapon and resulting in significant bodily injury, among several other charges, according to officials.

Khater and Tanios were allegedly observed in video footage on Jan. 6 working together to try to assault law enforcement officers with an unknown chemical substance, before spraying the officers in the eyes and face, according to the DOJ release.

Sicknick and two other officers were all standing within a few feet of Khater, each reacted to being sprayed in the face with the substance, the DOJ said. The officers retreated, bringing their hands to their faces and rushing to find water to wash out their eyes.

Officials also said that video footage was obtained that allegedly shows Khater asking Tanios to give me that bear [expletive], likely referring to bear spraya chemical irritant similar to pepper spray.

Tanios then replied, Hold on, hold on, not yet, not yet  its still early, officials said.

Members of the National Guard on the east front of the U.S. Capitol Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 2, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Khater is then seen getting a canister from Tanioss backpack and then aiming the can at officers while spraying, according to the DOJ, citing video footage.

Court records also revealed that authorities searched Tanioss West Virginia property over the past weekend.

Tanioss sister, Maria Butros, told the Washington Post on March 15 that her brother was arrested for something he didnt do. He didnt do it. He would never do that.

The Capitol Police stated after the breach that Sicknick was injured while physically engaging with protesters and collapsed after returning to his office. Then-U.S. Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen said in a statement that the officer died of the injuries he suffered defending the U.S. Capitol. Neither mentioned bear spray.

On March 2, FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers that the agency cannot disclose the cause of death of Sicknick. When pressed further by a senator about whether the FBI had determined his cause of death, Wray said at the time, I didnt say that, and repeated that the FBI cant disclose the cause of death.

So far, more than 300 people have been charged in connection to the Jan. 6 breach. Prosecutors last week said in court that 100 more people are expected to be charged.

Its not clear whether Khater or Tanios have attorneys.

Editors Note: This article has been updated with new information about Sicknicks cause of death.
The up to 200 m long, 15 m wide and 2 m deep sorted stone strips on the southern Sanetti Plateau (ca. 3,900 m a.s.l.) were probably formed during the last glacial period under much cooler conditions and can best be explained by a natural sorting of the stones in the course of the cyclic freezing and thawing of the ground. Credit: Heinz Veit

As the driver of global atmospheric and ocean circulation, the tropics play a central role in understanding past and future climate change. Both global climate simulations and worldwide ocean temperature reconstructions indicate that the cooling in the tropics during the last cold period, which began about 115,000 years ago, was much weaker than in the temperate zone and the polar regions. The extent to which this general statement also applies to the tropical high mountains of Eastern Africa and elsewhere is, however, doubted on the basis of palaeoclimatic, geological and ecological studies at high elevations.

A research team led by Alexander Groos, Heinz Veit (both from the Institute of Geography) and Naki Akcar (Institute of Geological Sciences) at the University of Bern, in collaboration with colleagues from ETH Zurich, the University of Marburg and the University of Ankara, used the Ethiopian Highlands as a test site to investigate the extent and impact of regional cooling on tropical mountains during the last glacial period. The results have been published in the scientific journals Science Advances and Earth Surface Dynamics.

Formation of plateau and valley glaciers

"The Ethiopian Highlands are currently not covered by ice, despite its elevation of over 4,000 meters," explains Groos, who studied the glacial, climatic and landscape history of the Bale and Arsi Mountains in the southern highlands as part of his dissertation. "Moraines and other land forms, however, attest to the fact that these mountains were glaciated during the last cold period," he continues.

Moraine boulders in the Bale and Arsi Mountains were mapped and sampled in the field and later dated using the chlorine isotope 36Cl to accurately determine the extent and timing of past glaciations. The researchers were in for a surprise: "Our results show that glaciers in the southern Ethiopian Highlands reached their maximum extent between 40,000 and 30,000 years ago," says Groos, "several thousand years earlier than in other mountainous regions in Eastern Africa and worldwide." In total, the glaciers in the southern highlands covered an area of more than 350 km during their maximum. In addition to the cooling of at least 4 to 6 degrees C, the extensive volcanic plateaus above 4,000 m favored the development of glaciation in this magnitude.

The researchers gained important insights by comparing the specially reconstructed glacier fluctuations in the Ethiopian Highlands with those of the highest East African mountains and climate archives from the Great African Rift Valley. "The cross-comparisons show that the tropical mountains in Eastern Africa have experienced a more pronounced cooling than the surrounding lowlands," Groos concludes. "Furthermore, the results suggest a nonuniform response by East African glaciers and ice caps to climate changes during the last cold period, which can be attributed to regional differences in precipitation distribution and mountain relief, among other factors," he continues.

Satellite image of the up to 200 m long, 15 m wide and 2 m deep sorted stone stripes on the southern Sanetti Plateau (ca. 3,900 m.a.s.l.). The stone stripes were probably formed during the last glacial period under much cooler conditions and can best be explained by a natural sorting of the stones in the course of the cyclic freezing and thawing of the ground. Credit: Alexander R. Groos / Digital Globe Foundation

The enigma of the stone stripes

During their fieldwork on the central Sanetti Plateau in the Bale Mountains, the researchers also came across gigantic stone stripes (up to 1,000 m long, 15 m wide and 2 m deep) outside the area of the former ice cap. "The existence of these stone stripes on a tropical plateau surprised us, as so-called periglacial landforms of this magnitude were previously only known from the temperate zone and polar regions and are associated with ground temperatures around freezing point," Groos said. However, the average ground temperature on the Sanetti Plateau is currently about 11 degrees C.

Sampling of an erratic boulder on a terminal moraine in the Arsi Mountains, indicating the extent of valley glaciers during the last glacial period. The rock sample was then processed at the University of Bern and dated at ETH Zurich to timing of the glacial stages. Credit: Serdar Yesilyurt

The large boulders and basalt columns that make up the stone stripes originally came from heavily eroded rock formations and volcanic plugs. As things stand, the researchers assume that the stone stripes were formed during the last glacial period through natural sorting of the previously chaotically distributed rocks in the course of the periodic freezing and thawing of the ground near the former ice cap. However, locally this would have required a drop in the mean ground temperature of at least 11 degrees C and in the mean air temperature of at least 7 degrees C. Whether this unprecedented cooling is a regional phenomenon or exemplary for the cooling of tropical high mountains during the last glacial period must be shown by future studies from other tropical mountain regions.

Explore further Research confirms timing of tropical glacier melt at the end of the last ice age

More information: Alexander R. Groos et al. Nonuniform Late Pleistocene glacier fluctuations in tropical Eastern Africa, Science Advances (2021). Journal information: Science Advances Alexander R. Groos et al. Nonuniform Late Pleistocene glacier fluctuations in tropical Eastern Africa,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb6826
Lashing out at the BJP for pulling up Sonia Gandhi on Batla House Encounter verdict, Congress veteran Rashid Alvi on Monday, questioned as to why BJP was taking credit for the court verdict. Slamming Union Minister Prakash Javadekar's demand of an apology from Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, he said that Javadekar must seek Gandhi's apology instead. After thirteen years, alleged Indian Mujahideen terrorist Ariz Khan was awarded the death penalty in the Batla House encounter for his role in killing Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma and injuring Head Constables Balwant Singh and Rajbir Singh.

Congress: 'Why is BJP taking credit?'

"BJP just wants to take credit. They should not do so. Before seeking apology from Sonia Gandhi, Javadekar must say sorry to her, as she did not say anything against the nation. While people like Pragya Thakur are in Parliament, they give statements on curbing terrorism, which they have no right to do," said Alvi. Javadekar had tweeted that the verdict 'exposed the terrorist sympathisers and doubters lobby in the country', while seeking an apology from Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal.

What is the Batla House encounter?

On 13 September 2008, five serial bomb blasts had rocked the national capital killing 30 and injuring 90, with similar blasts occurring in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Bangalore. Indian Mujahideen had reportedly taken responsibility for the blast, ten minutes after the first bomb blast in Delhi's Ghaffar Market, as per reports. A week later, Delhi police received intelligence from Gujarat police regarding the location of Mujahideen operatives in Delhi, which led to an armed raid at Batla House on 19 September 2008.

As per reports, the Delhi Police Special Cell team reached Delhi's Batla House in Jamia Nagar and surrounded the location. The police planned to send its lead officer Mohan Chand Sharma to extract details of the residents posing as a telecom consultant, as his team would secure the sole entry/exit gate and the back lane of the house, state reports. But, when Sharma approached the flat, bereft of his bullet-proof vest, a 20-minute encounter followed with several rounds being fired from both sides.

In the encounter - two Batla House occupants were killed - Mohammad Sajid and Atif Amin, while Shahzad and Junaid (a.k.a) Ariz Khan escaped and Mohammad Saif was arrested. Moreover, Encounter specialist Mohan Chand Sharma was martyred and head constables Balwinder and Rajbir Singh were injured. Police claim that Junaid (Ariz Khan) was present at Batla House, along with four others, but managed to escape. While Ariz Khan was arrested by Delhi Police's Special Cell in February 2018 from Nepal, Shahzad Ahmed was sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court.
On Saturday, Feb. 13, a virtual community of supporters logged on for the fifth annual Feathers and Fedoras fundraiser in support of Disability Network of Mid-Michigan (DNMM). The event, hosted virtually due to COVID-19 concerns by honorary chairs Shauna and Paul Barbeau, featured a 45-minute presentation on DNMM services, a virtual live and silent auction, and a virtual casino.

Proceeds from the event benefited DNMM programs that assist young people with disabilities in building the necessary skills to live independently, individuals in rural areas in gaining access to disability resources, and people living in nursing homes in gaining knowledge and support to move back to their communities where they can live self-determined lives.
Around 2,000 bank employees drawn from 400 branches in erstwhile Karimnagar district participated in a rally.  DC Image

KARIMNAGAR: Zonal secretary of All India Bank Officers Consideration Association (AIBOCA), T. Raj Kumar on Monday demanded the Union Government to withdraw the decision to privatize public sector banks.

In response to the two-day strike call given by the United Forum of Bank Union (UFBU) beginning on Monday, around 2,000 bank employees drawn from 400 branches in erstwhile Karimnagar district participated. All transactions came to a halt posing problems to customers, who had tuned up at their respective banks.

Representatives of several trade unions along with leaders of various political parties extended their support to the strike.

In Karimnagar city, around 200 employees took out a peaceful rally from the Union Bank bus station branch to Geetha Bhavan chowrastha holding placards and raising anti-Centre slogans.

Raj Kumar alleged that even though several public sector banks were providing better services, the Union Government intentionally trying to privatise them by adopting anti-labour policies in the name of banking reforms.

Privatisation of banks will not assure safety of the deposits and employment opportunities would nose-dive, he said. The government must withdraw the decision keeping in mind the best interests of the people and around 10 lakh bank employees, he said.

AIBOCA members V. Damodar, Ch. Nikhil, Vamshi Krishna, Hari Krishna, Venkatesh, Sai Kumar, Tirupathi, Rakesh, Abhishek and Bhimla were present along with others.
Texas Republicans aren't going to let drive-thru voting go anytime soon, it seems.

Several legislators have filed bills targeting drive-thru voting during this legislative session.

ELECTION BILL WATCH: A bill filed in the Texas legislature is targeting Harris County's overnight voting

The heftiest of the GOP's "election security" bills, Senate Bill 7, bars tents, parking garages, parking lots or any "similar facility designed primarily for motor vehicles" for votingvenues many Harris County residents used to vote from their cars during the 2020 presidential, state and local elections.

The bill also completely bans voting from cars unless the voter is "physically unable to enter the polling place" and only allows the voter and someone assisting the voter in the car. The assistant must also sign forms confirming the voter is unable to enter the polling place and explaining his or her relationship with the voter, why assistance was necessary, and what specific assistance was provided to the voter.

Harris County implemented drive-thru voting during the 2020 election to expand voter participation during the coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of residents were able to vote from their cars.

Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle

Republicans filed a lawsuit with the Texas Supreme Court during the election, alleging that votes cast in cars were illegal and seeking to throw out more than 127,000 drive-thru ballots. A federal judge eventually rejected the challenge and the ballots were counted.

Sen. Bryan Hughes introduced the 27-page SB 7, which includes several new voting restrictions and penalties. But drive-thru voting isn't the only thing targeted.

The bill restricts voting hours to between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., requires each polling location to have the same number of voting machines, allows prosecution of those who may have attempted to register to vote without being eligible in Texas, restricts mail-in voting to those unable to enter a polling place without assistance and requires a doctor's note confirming a voter's disability to receive a mail-in ballot application.

Texas has long had some of the most restrictive voting laws in the country, with no online registration system or same-day registration and voting option. Former President Donald Trump, supported by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Rep. Louie Gohmert and Sen. Ted Cruz, widely publicized false and unsupported claims that the 2020 presidential election had been "stolen."

DISASTER CASUAL?: Gov. Greg Abbott's winter storm fashion can't compare to my 'fits

The resultant doubt sown among voters has emboldened Texas Republicans to file more restrictive election laws, even though Paxton's office found only 16 cases of false addresses on registration forms, the Houston Chronicle's Taylor Goldenstein previously reported.

Hughes told NBC News he wasn't sure whether the presidential race had been stolen. He filed Senate Bill 7 on March 11.

"This was already in process, but then the 2020 election was so in the national spotlight, and so many people have questions, so many people have concerns," Hughes said according to NBC News' Jane C. Timm. "I would say that has raised the profile of the issue."

Hughes said he hopes bills like SB 7 will show the election process is "fair" and encourage more Texans to vote. However, Texas saw its highest voter turnout in 30 years during the 2020 election.
Some residents have been found to abuse the citizen empowerment land dispensation and in the process compromise the food security potential of the eastern corridor.

Batswana may optimally utilise land they possess by introducing other economic empowering activities on up to 50 percent of their agricultural land. This was introduced by President Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisi in 2018 to empower citizens with the most precious commodity that they have- land. But, sadly some Batswana are subdividing their land into small plots while others sub divide their fields (masimo) into the minimum requirement of 1ha portions and transfer them with the intention of benefiting more from the said fields especially where Land Boards have provision for in-kind compensation.

At the rate at which such sales are taking place, it is evidently clear that in future Land Boards will not manage to acquire land for equitable distribution to Batswana. This turn of events also threatens the food security as it reduces the already scarce productive agricultural land that exists in the country. The eastern part of the country boasts the most fertile agricultural land. The Revised Development Control Code allows Integrated Agricultural Farming ancillary use provision of up to 50 percent of the total area of the land parcel.

It says that supporting agricultural developments and, or activities up to 50 percent considered as ancillary to agricultural land use, do not constitute change of land use. Ancillary developments of up to 50 percent of Agricultural Land would be considered mixed use and would require change of land use.

The policy states that the development control code and other related instruments have been amended to allow changes and no piece of agricultural land shall be subdivided without the permission of the planning authority. Non-Agriculture related developments of up to 50 percent should be allowed as mixed use. Minimum lot size allowed for Intensive Agricultural/National Agricultural Production Zone is 4ha, while minimum lot size for Extensive Agricultural Zone/Ordinary ploughing fields (masimo) is 1ha. This was pronounced by instrument No147 of 2019.

Speaking in an exclusive interview, the ministerial management team composed of all Departmental Directors and led by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation services, Bonolo Khumotaka, shared their views, experiences, concerns and specific amendments regarding the subject matter. What is clear is that the subdivisions and changes of land use to non-agricultural uses by some residents pose several challenges which could leave many poor in the long term, and cause mushrooming of unplanned settlements and villages.

Although the guidelines state that the plot holders or masimo owners should take the responsibility of the cost of infrastructure and other services in accordance with the management team, there is no commitment of such and the problem will still go back to government as it is that population who are also taxpayers who will demand infrastructure and services in future. The Director at the Department of Town and Country Planning, Eunice Mmono said it is important to bear in mind that the land in question is Tribal Land - ploughing fields (masimo) which were allocated on customary grant for subsistence purposes.

It should be borne in mind that fertile agricultural land resides on the eastern corridor of Botswana and that production on that land is important to feed the urban populace which also concentrates on the same belt. Mmono explained that the overall goal of the Revised Botswana Land Policy of 2019 is to protect and promote land rights of all land holders and promote sustainable human settlements. She said it is clear that the sub division and subsequent disposal of land are clearly at variance with the overall goal of the Land policy.

Batswana are increasingly dispossessing themselves of their land rights for short term gains. They temporarily empower themselves financially which has proved not to be sustainable and government needs to protect these rights.

She fears that the haphazard and indiscriminate mushrooming of settlements will grow without the requisite comprehensive planning and provision of infrastructure services. She said in as much as the guidelines suggest that landowners should provide for services, lessons learnt from areas such as Gaborone North are examples of such.

These will eventually come back to demand that government should provide such services, as the occupants being Batswana and tax payers will rightfully deserve such eventuality. What puts government in an awkward position is that in some cases transfers are done by the Sub-land boards which do not have jurisdiction. Botswana Guardian has learnt that the current legal position is that any sub-divisions attempted pursuant to these permissions can be rejected by Surveyor General and Registrar of Deeds.

Mmono explained that it is clear that the planning of Tribal Land and changes thereto is the exclusive domain of the main Land Board. In the present case, change of land use permissions was granted by the sub-land board. She said in that case such permissions are not lawful as the sub land board lacked jurisdiction. The Sub Land Board must be instructed to inform the public that it lacked jurisdiction and therefore the permissions granted are invalid. The Land Board can apply to court to declare any certificates issued thereto as unlawful and invalid.
A drug addict who partially stripped his victim at scissors-point and cut his hair in a humiliating attack has been jailed for five years.

Myles Connors (24) was jailed on Monday for carrying out the false imprisonment and assault of Edward Babos in April 2020 as well as a robbery in November 2018.

Connors and another man stripped-search Mr Babos in his friend's home because they thought he had a bag of gear on him, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

Connors then cut Mr Babos's hair with the scissors and forced him into Mr Babos's car to bring him to an ATM to get any money he had.

Connors, of Bearna Park, Sandyford in Dublin pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and false imprisonment of Mr Babos at Ballyogan Road, Carrickmines on April 27, 2020.

He also pleaded guilty to one count of robbing a phone and cash at Kilcross estate in Sandyford on November 12, 2018.

In that offence, the court heard Connors and two other men surrounded the victim as he walked along the road with a friend.

Connors, described in court as the ringleader, pointed a knife at the young man's stomach before making him reset his iPhone. The trio made off with the phone and 150 in cash.

One other man is still before the courts in relation to that case.

Connors has 17 previous convictions for road traffic offences, trespassing, theft, criminal damage and failure to appear in court.

Sentencing Connors on Monday, Judge Pauline Codd said the attack on Mr Babos involved particularly humiliating tactics including partially stripping him and forcibly cutting his hair.

She noted the assault took place over an hour and involved Mr Babos being forced into his own car, which was then driven at dangerous speeds throughout the neighbourhood.

A threat to jam the scissors in his eyes was particularly serious, the judge said.

She noted Connors didn't use much cleverness in terms of how he carried out the attack and did not try to hide his identity. The judge said he instead relied on threats and intimidation. He is a bully, she said.

In relation to the robbery, Judge Codd noted the victim was a young man who had a knife pointed at his stomach.

She handed down a four year sentence for the false imprisonment and assault of Mr Babos and a three year sentence for the robbery and ordered that they run consecutively. She suspended the final two years on a number of conditions.

She backdated the sentence to when he first went into custody in May 2020.

Additional evidence

Detective Sergeant Seamus Ryan told Elva Duffy BL, prosecuting, that Mr Babos was at a friend's home at around 5pm, when Connors and another man, whom Mr Babos knew from his teenage years, walked in.

Connors then picked up a pair of scissors from the kitchen counter and asked the victim's friend to leave before both men began to punch Mr Babos, the court heard.

Myles came over and hit me. He picked up a pair of scissors and started threatening me. He gave me a good belt like, a few punches to the face. He started cutting my hair - he got the hair and put it in a plastic bag, Mr Babos later told gardai.

The court heard that both men had been taking cocaine.

They went on to ask Mr Babos to go to the ATM with his bank card and get any money he had. He said he didnt have any but they said to take them in his car.

They thought I had a bag of gear on me  they were telling me to pull down my trousers to see if I had a bag on me, Mr Babos said.

He was partially stripped before being dragging outside the house by Connors, who was still holding the pair of scissors.

I was getting a lot of kicks in the back as well, he told gardai. Detective Ryan confirmed that the victim's friend saw Connors and the other man moving Mr Babos into the car.

I was in the passenger seat. Myles was driving. He reversed out onto the road and almost crashed into another car, Mr Babos told gardai.

The driver continued as far as the second roundabout in Carrickmines, where he drove onto a curb, damaging one of the wheels.

Detective Ryan confirmed that the car had to be written off as a result of the damage that was done to it.

Mr Babos managed to jump from the passenger seat to the driver seat while both Connors and his co-accused were outside the car.

They shouted: If you go to the guards, we will kill you, as he drove away and they fled the area.

Dean Kelly SC, defending, told Judge Pauline Codd that both of these men were in the middle of a drug-fuelled binge, which makes it worse and more terrifying.

He said no effort was made to conceal identities and that the behaviour displayed was wild, unplanned and without reason.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The coronavirus pandemic forced changes, including the release of people from jail accused of low-level offenses. That led to Cuyahoga County accomplishing some degree of bail reform. But advocates say that more needs to be done on that front.

Were discussing the topic on This Week in the CLE.

Listen online here.

Editor Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with columnist Leila Atassi and politics editor Jane Kahoun.

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:

After years of work and debate, have we accidentally accomplished bail reform, to stop penalizing people for being poor?

Cleveland is getting more stimulus money than any other Ohio city, and Cuyahoga County is getting the second most of any Ohio county. So how much are they getting, and what can they do with it?

Weve talked about Kevin Kelley, Dennis Kucinich and Justin Bibb. Whos the latest likely candidate in the race to replace Frank Jackson as Cleveland mayor this year?

Mike DeWine came to Cleveland Sunday to talk about the mass vaccination center opening at the Wolstein Center Wednesday. What details did he offer?

After a year where most people spent more time than ever before at home, are we likely to see more suffering from agoraphobia as the pandemic winds down and people venture out?

Is Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine passing the buck on the massive unemployment fraud that has victimized so many in Ohio? What did he ask for in his letter to President Joe Biden?

Want more? You can find all our past episodes here.

We have an Apple podcasts channel exclusively for this podcast. Subscribe here.

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And on PlayerFM, we are here.


Receives $1.62 million R&D Tax Incentive Refund

Melbourne, Mar 15, 2021 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Bluechiip Limited ( ASX:BCT ), a leader in the development of sample tracking technology for harsh environments, today announced that it has received $1.62M Research and Development Tax Incentive Refund from the Australian Tax Office for the financial year ended 30 June 2020.Andrew McLellan, Bluechiip Limited's Managing Director, welcomed the refund and said it would provide a significant cash injection for the Company, on top of Bluechiip's reported cash balance as at 31 December 2020 of $5.61M."The $1.62M is significantly more than the $1.23M we received for the financial year ended 2019 and is above our expectations of $1.50M, which we reported as a provision in our 30 June 2020 accounts," he said.He said the refund was in line with Bluechiip's increased R&D activity during the 2019/20 financial year, which focused on improving its core chip technology's scale and efficiency."We now have the capability to manufacture 5-10 million Bluechiip chips per year in multiple formats for different market needs. We are well positioned to supply at scale as we continue to progress our negotiations with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and bring our own line of Bluechiip Enabled consumables to the global bio-preservation market."About Bluechiip Ltd

Bluechiip Ltd (ASX:BCT) understands that every sample - stem cells, blood, eggs, sperm and other biospecimens - is critical, so our objective is to manage each one with optimal quality in the most efficient way. Bluechiip's advanced management solution is the only one that provides sample temperature with ID in cryogenic environments to. Most importantly, this delivers confidence in every sample.

Bluechiip's unique patented technology is a MEMS-based wireless tracking solution that contains no electronics. It represents a generational change from current tracking methods such as labels (hand-written and pre-printed), barcodes (linear and 2D), and Radio Frequency Identification. Bluechiip tags are either embedded or manufactured into storage products such as vials or bags. Each product can be easily identified, and critical information such as sample temperature, is detected by readers and stored in the Bluechiip software. In addition to functioning in extreme temperatures, the Bluechiip(R) Advanced Sample management solution can survive autoclaving, gamma irradiation sterilization, humidification, centrifuging, cryogenic storage and frosting.

Bluechiip's technology has applications in healthcare, including in cryogenic storage facilities (biobanks and biorepositories), pathology, clinical trials and forensics. Other key markets include cold-chain logistics/supply chain, security/defence, industrial/manufacturing and aerospace/aviation.

Bluechiip: Delivering confidence in every sample.
A main battle tank attached to a brigade under the PLA 71st Group Army passes over a shallow trench while rumbling on the muddy road during a coordinated driving skills training exercise on March 1, 2021. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Lin Min)

BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Central Military Commission has released a set of revised regulations regarding the work of the Communist Party of China disciplinary inspection commissions in the armed forces, which will take effect on April 1.

The implementation of the regulations will be of great significance to the reform of the military discipline inspection and supervision system, and the efforts to improve Party conduct, build Party integrity, and combat corruption within the armed forces, a statement on the issue of the regulations said Sunday.

The document gives priority to the Party's political building, while focusing on strengthening self-supervision of discipline inspection commissions to ensure their power is exercised in accordance with Party regulations and the law, the statement added.
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Ethiopia has earned 610 million U.S. dollars from Chinese built industrial parks, the Ethiopia Industrial Park Development Corporation (EIPDC) disclosed on Sunday.





Behailu Kebede, Marketing and Communications Department Chief at EIPDC, said the 610 million U.S. dollars export revenue was earned from 13 Chinese built industrial parks.





Kebede further said the 13 industrial parks have created job opportunities for more than 89,000 Ethiopians, reported state media outlet Ethiopia Broadcasting Corporation (EBC).





"The textiles and other export related products produced by industrial parks have garnered good reviews by European and North American customers," Kebede said.





Ethiopia currently has 13 operational industrial parks, with several more under-construction expected to be commissioned during the current Ethiopian Fiscal Year 2020/2021.





In recent years, Ethiopia has embarked on industrial parks' construction and commissioning activities, as part of a broad economic strategy to make the country a light manufacturing hub in Africa by 2025.





The Ethiopian government has attached great importance to cooperation with Chinese firms in various fields.





These include the construction of industrial parks along with giant Chinese firms investing in various industrial hubs, the majority of which were built with Chinese expertise and finance.




World Economic Forum: More vaccines can be expected from India, says PM Modi at Davos Agenda Summit

Quad summit went very well, says US President Biden

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Washington, Mar 15: US President Joe Biden has said that the first virtual summit of the Quad leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, went very well and everyone seemed to like it a great deal.

Known as the "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue," the Quad grouping comprises the US, India, Australia and Japan. The representatives for the four-member nations have met periodically since its establishment in 2007.

Biden on Friday opened the first Quad Leaders' Summit held virtually and attended by Prime Minister Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

"It (Quad summit) went very well. Everyone seemed to like it a great deal," Biden told reporters on Sunday in his first reaction on last week's Quad summit involving leaders from Australia, India and Japan.

In his address to Quad leaders on Friday, Biden had said that it was going to be a vital arena for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. He also described Quad as a new mechanism to enhance cooperation and raise mutual ambition as they address accelerating climate change.

"We know our commitments...Our region is governed by international law, committed to all the universal values and free from coercion but I am optimistic about our prospect," he said, in an apparent reference to China which is flexing its muscles in the region.

"The Quad is going to be a vital arena of cooperation in the Indo Pacific and I look forward to working closely with all of you in the coming years," Biden told Quad leaders.

The four countries plan to establish a series of working groups that will focus on climate change; critical and emerging technologies, including working to set technology standards and norms and jointly developing some of the critical technologies of the future, officials said.

In a joint op-ed in The Washington Post on Saturday, the four leaders asserted that all countries should be able to make their own political choices, free from coercion.

"To strengthen our quest for a region that is open and free, we have agreed to partner to address the challenges presented by new technologies and collaborate to set the norms and standards that govern the innovations of the future," they wrote.

The Quad summit, among other things, finalised a landmark initiative under which huge investments will be made in India to create additional production capacities to roll out a billion coronavirus vaccine doses by 2022 for exports to the Indo-Pacific region, seen as a significant step to counter China''s expanding vaccine diplomacy.

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"We will combine our scientific ingenuity, financing, formidable productive capacity and long history of global-health partnership to surge the supply of life-saving vaccines, in close collaboration with multilateral organisations including the WHO and Covax Facility," they wrote.

Emphasising that the Quad nations'' foundations of democracy and a commitment to engagement unite them, the four leaders concluded saying, "We know we can provide for the safety and prosperity of our people at home by confronting global crises together, with purpose? and resolve."

"We summon from tragedy the strength and resilience to unify and overcome. And we recommit ourselves, once again, to an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, secure and prosperous," they said.

The evolving situation in the Indo-Pacific region in the wake of China''s increasing military muscle-flexing has become a major talking point among leading global powers. The US has been favouring making Quad a security architecture to check China''s growing assertiveness.

China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. Beijing has also made substantial progress in militarising its man-made islands in the past few years.

Beijing claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea. But Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims. In the East China Sea, China has territorial disputes with Japan.

Both maritime areas in the South and East China seas are rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources and are also vital to global trade.

In November 2017, India, Japan, the US and Australia gave shape to the long-pending proposal of setting up the Quad to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence.

The four leaders are scheduled to meet in person later this year.
The family, prominent in the Sephardic world, has a well-documented history, thanks to various members who have traced its 12,000 descendants.

According to the family, the Corcoses left the Middle East sometime before the 13th century, the first recorded date of their presence in Spain, where they learned many new dishes that became part of the Sephardic canon. Ms. Tapieros direct line fled to Fez, Morocco, during the Inquisition, while others in the family spread as far and wide to the Netherlands; Livorno, Italy; Gibraltar and Curacao, among other places.

Along the way and across generations, they, like so many other families, passed down recipes, which changed slightly over time as the family spread. Among the dishes was that saffron fish, a dish typical of Moroccan Jewish cuisine, often served at Passover and on the Sabbath.

The dish began as a simpler preparation, as a whole fish with onions and a little lemon, and maybe saffron, a spice that arrived in southern Spain with the Moors in the eighth century. (Many cooks substitute ground turmeric for the more expensive saffron.) The peppers and tomatoes, an addition from the Americas, later came to embellish and deepen the dishs flavors.

The cookbook author Danielle Renov is from another branch of the Moroccan Corcoses from Fez. Her book, Peas, Love & Carrots (Mesorah Publications, 2020), includes many recipes from her grandmother Marcelle Corcos, including a take on saffron fish using fish fillets, and lots of peppers, hot and sweet, along with a side of garlic mayonnaise.

YEREVAN, MARCH 15, ARMENPRESS. German Minister of State for Europe at the Federal Foreign Office Michael Roth has called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to cooperate with the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) in full transparency over the matters relating to the prisoners of war and missing persons.

Armenia and Azerbaijan need to cooperate with ICRC in full transparency, on prisoners of war and missing persons. Lasting peace and reconciliation require a political solution under the auspices of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs! the German Minister of State said on Twitter.

He also noted that the fighting in Nagorno Karabakh has ended, but wounds are still open.
The global organic feed market size is estimated to be valued at USD 6.8 billion in 2019 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% from 2019 to reach a value of USD 10.1 billion by 2025. The increasing instances of animal product contamination due to pesticides and insecticides, rising demand for organic food products, growing organic livestock farming, and adaption of organic farming practices by farmers due to the increasing health concerns among consumers are some of the key factors that are projected to drive the growth of the global organic feed market. Developing countries in Asia Pacific and South American regions are projected to create lucrative growth opportunities for organic feed manufacturers in the coming years.

By type, the cereal & grains segment is projected to dominate the organic feed market during the forecast period.

The cereals & grains segment is estimated to account for the largest share, on the basis of type, in the organic feed market in 2019. Cereals and grains include wheat, corn, and barley. The high growth in the Asia Pacific region is attributed to the increasing awareness about the benefits of feeding organic cereals and grains to livestock, to maintain their nutrient requirements and enhance their growth, and fulfill the rising demand for organic food. High availability of cereals and grain crops in Europe and Asia Pacific due to the increasing organic farmland practices in most of the countries in the region is also one of the key factors driving the growth of the segment.

Download PDF Brochure:

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=158519224

By livestock, the poultry segment is projected to dominate the organic feed market during the forecast period.

The poultry segment, on the basis of livestock, is estimated to account for the largest share in the organic feed market in 2019. The poultry industry is the largest and also the fastest-growing sector that witnesses high organic production. Poultry meat is consumed across regions, and unlike beef and swine, it does not have any religious constraints. The increasing concerns about animal health and the rising awareness pertaining to the benefits of organic feed feedstuffs have contributed to the growth of this market. Due to the increase in organic poultry production and the rise in demand for organic meat, the meat producers are focusing on investing in organic rearing of livestock to produce meat, dairy, and other by-products from animals.

North America is projected to be the largest market during the forecast period.

North America is projected to be a key revenue generator for organic feed manufacturers due to the increased demand in the US. North America witnesses various key players operating in the organic feed market. These include Cargill (US), SunOpta (Canada), and Purina Animal Nutrition LLC (US). The demand for organic feed products remains high in the poultry segment in the region. The US is among the largest producers and consumers of corn, wheat, and soybean at a global level. These ingredients are majorly used in the feed industry, as they increase their nutrient quotient. Due to the rising consumer preferences for natural ingredients, the demand for these ingredients is projected to increase in the coming years.

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https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=158519224

In Canada, some of the small scale players are focusing on offering organic feed for poultry, swine, and ruminants. In Mexico, the demand for organic poultry products, such as eggs and poultry meat, is projected to create lucrative opportunities for organic feed manufacturers. Milk is also projected to increase the demand for organic feed products among ruminant livestock, as consumers opt for organic dairy products in the region. Thus, North America is projected to offer high growth prospects for organic feed manufacturers in the coming years.

This report includes a study of marketing and development strategies, along with the product portfolios of leading companies, in the organic feed market. It consists of the profiles of leading companies, such as Cargill (US), BernAqua (Belgium), Country Heritage Feeds (Australia), ForFarmers (Netherlands), SunOpta (Canada), Ranch-Way Feeds (US), Aller Aqua (Denmark), Purina Animal Nutrition LLC (US), Scratch and Peck Feeds (US), Cargill (US), K-Much Feed Industry Co., Ltd (Thailand), The Organic Feed Company (UK), B&W Feeds (UK), Feeddex Compaies (US), Country Junction feed (US), Green Mountian Feeds (US), Unique Organic (US), Kreamer Feed (US), Yorktown Organics, LLC (US), and Hi Peak Feeds (UK).
Offering national resources and personal service, backed by a stellar reputation, PrideStaff is poised to become the gold standard for staffing and employment in the greater Huntsville area.

PrideStaff, a national, franchised staffing organization, is pleased to announce the opening of a new staffing and employment agency in Huntsville, AL. The new office will offer a full range of staffing and employment services in a variety of professional and light industrial disciplines for employers and job seekers in Madison County, as well as parts of Jackson, Limestone and Morgan counties.

"I'm thrilled to open the third PrideStaff office in Alabama, bringing our brand and solutions to individuals and businesses in the northern portion of the state," said Mark Mayer, Owner/Strategic-Partner of the Huntsville office. "Offering national resources and personal service, backed by a stellar reputation, PrideStaff is poised to become the gold standard for staffing and employment in the greater Huntsville area.

"The opportunity to match individuals looking for jobs with employers who need their talents is extremely fulfilling  especially in our current economy," continued Mayer. "I'm eager to create mutually beneficial employment connections that strengthen our community by making clients and candidates even more successful."

As a national staffing services organization, PrideStaff provides outstanding service and results by removing the guesswork from staffing. The Huntsville office uses this approach to recruit superior light industrial and professional candidates for employers in their market.

The success of PrideStaff's approach is evident, as they consistently rank among the highest .1% of staffing firms in the industry. According to ClearlyRated, a business intelligence firm specializing in the staffing industry, PrideStaff earned a client Net Promoter Score (NPS) as high as or higher than other well-known brands such as Amazon and Netflix. NPS is computed by subtracting a firms detractors from its promoters.

Net Promoter, Net Promoter System, Net Promoter Score, NPS and the NPS-related emoticons are registered trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc., Fred Reichheld and Satmetrix Systems, Inc.

About PrideStaff

PrideStaff was founded in the 1970s as 100% company-owned units and began staffing franchising in 1995. They operate over 80 offices in North America to serve over 5,000 clients and are headquartered in Fresno, CA. With over 40 years in the staffing business, PrideStaff offers the resources and expertise of a national firm with the spirit, dedication and personal service of smaller, entrepreneurial firms. PrideStaff is the only nationwide, commercial staffing firm in the U.S. and Canada with over $100 million in annual revenue to earn ClearlyRateds prestigious Best of Staffing Diamond Award eight years in a row highlighting exceptional client and talent service quality.

For more information on our services or for staffing franchise information, visit our website.
Opinion: If science must be mandatory, at least make it fun
This collaboration is poised to help community financial institutions (Community FIs) recapture the 76% of bills paid outside of banking channels.

Blip Labs, Inc. (Blip), a fintech provider unlocking new opportunities through intelligent bill pay, today announced it will join the Movencorp (Moven) collaborative network of technology companies whose platforms represent the latest in digital banking experience solutions. This collaboration is poised to help community financial institutions (Community FIs) recapture the 76% of bills paid outside of banking channels. Blips intelligent bill pay elevates Community FIs as they face digital competition and seek innovative ways to engage current customers and attract new ones. Moven is a leading technology provider of intelligent banking solutions designed to improve consumer financial wellness. The companies will work together to provide Community FIs with proactive ways for customers to manage cash flow, lower their bills, and find new products and services that improve their everyday and financial lives.

Blips plug-and-play intelligent bill pay API and white label front-end experience offer a straightforward way for Community FIs to retain and convert customers, said Movens Chief Revenue Officer Bryan Clagett. Bryan continued to say, Moven is positioning itself to help Community FIs acquire new customers through frictionless experiences, and Blips technology is a natural fit with our mission.

Michael Bank, Co-Founder of Blip, said, Traditional bill pay systems are antiquated, and the effects of COVID-19 have accelerated the need to rethink existing retroactive, manual, and fragmented traditional bill pay by providing an intelligent proactive, automated, and consolidated digital system.

Seth Fenster, Co-Founder of Blip, added, Blip addresses the needs of the 9,000 Community FIs in the United States that have been operating for thousands of years, but lack innovative technology partners focused on their needs.

About Moven

Moven has been a leader in providing innovative technology solutions to financial institutions for over a decade. Partners have relied on Movens patented data-driven Financial Wellness platform to deliver real-time insights into their customers, resulting in reduced attrition, increased engagement, and revenue enhancement opportunities. Offering three unique delivery options, Moven is well positioned to support customized models exclusive to the needs of individual financial institutions. To learn more, visit moven.com.

About Blip

Blip is a Philadelphia based fintech company elevating bill pays IQ. Blip provides an innovative way for Community FIs to engage with their current customers and acquire new ones by reimagining bill pays role in the digital banking experience. For more information, visit http://www.tryblip.com.

Related Links:

https://www.tryblip.com/

https://twitter.com/BlipLabs

https://www.instagram.com/blip_labs/

https://www.facebook.com/BlipLabs

SOURCE Blip Labs, Inc.
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Find a path that you are passionate about. ... HR is a challenging career, but it is very rewarding because you know that you have helped someone.

The business world has long debated the effect of gender diversity. Does diversity make a company more productive? Some researchers argue that gender diversity leads to more innovative thinking and signals that a company is competently run.

In 2019 Harvard Business Review (HBR) research, that is exactly what was found, in a study of 1,069 leading firms across 24 industries, where gender diversity is an important widespread cultural belief. In other words, beliefs in gender diversity creates a self-fulfilling cycle. Organizations that view gender diversity as important capture benefits from it.1

ARCH Cutting Tools is a company that is fully committed to a gender-diverse culture that is endorsed and promoted throughout the organization; and it relies on team members like Leann Gurley, Segment HR Director-CT/Leave Management on its leadership team to support and drive its strategy and growth.

Gurley has been with the company for six years, originally joining the organization as HR Manager  Hi-Vol Products, a division that ARCH sold in 2018. She moved to her current role following that sale.

Her HR career began somewhat unconventionally.

I was more focused on the accounting side of business, she recalls. I worked for a smaller company processing payroll and taxes, which led me to a payroll/HR role.

She seized that opportunity to expand her HR knowledge in support of her new career turn. Gurley attended Henry Ford Community College, and has continued her HR education through training including, Employment Law, EEO Safety, OSHA Compliance, and other related disciplines. She also is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

While she encountered challenges as a woman in management, and in manufacturing overall, she says that conditions have gotten better throughout the years as her career has developed.

She attributes her success, to a great extent, to teamwork.

The team I work with is amazing, Gurley says. I believe that you can be more successful as a team instead of focusing on just yourself. That allows team members to build trust. Creativity thrives when people work together; and sharing any workload makes you feel less stressed. You inspire one another.

Challenges  Industry Overall, and COVID-19

Manufacturing presents unique HR challenges, and the COVID-19 pandemic has added a new  even more difficult  dimension to those HR challenges.

Today, we are challenged with finding unique positions in our shops. We are focusing on recruiting high school students and educating them about opportunities in manufacturing, she said. We have successful stories of students getting good jobs directly out of high school and climbing the ladder within our organization. Sharing these stories, we hope to inspire young people to want to explore the manufacturing career path.

The pandemic made 2020 a challenging year and some challenges continue into 2021, according to Gurley.

At the beginning, most days were spent helping the various business units with how to handle the situations that came up due to COVID-19. Unfortunately, we did not have a play book to reference; but we put together a plan quickly and shared with it our employees.

Philosophy, Advice

Gurleys personal philosophy that guides her approach to dealing with people is straightforward. Deal with each situation that comes up, do not ignore it because it will not go away. Stay calm, and listen do not judge, she says.

Offering advice to women considering their career decision, Gurley has this to say, Find a path that you are passionate about. Lets be honest  we are at work more than home, so you should focus on finding something that you love doing. HR is a challenging career, but it is very rewarding because you know that you have helped someone.

1 HBR, February 2019  Research: When Gender Diversity Makes Firms More Productive (hbr.org)

About ARCH Cutting Tools

ARCH Cutting Tools is the recognized world leader in high-performance solid round and indexable cutting tools. With manufacturing facilities located throughout the United States, the companys engineering and machining facilities are dedicated to the betterment of precision machined parts, products, tools, and related supply chain processes. ARCH Cutting Tools combines the expertise of leading American manufacturing professionals and expanding technologies to serve the medical, aerospace and defense, and industrial markets.
The discussion on a New Ireland is often dominated by the question of how to best accommodate and respect different political and cultural identities on this island. However, the conversation is increasingly turning to our common economic interests.

That conversation has its modern roots in the early 1990s when civic and business leaders such as Sir George Quigley argued that regardless of how Ireland was governed, it made sense for such a small island to operate as a single economic unit.

All-Ireland trade subsequently flourished as a result of the EU single market and the cross-border institutions established by the Good Friday Agreement. Although this was to the mutual benefit of both parts of the island, economic performance diverged north and south. Average living standards soared in the south, while the north was tied to Britain's economic model and its problems of low productivity and low growth.

In this context unionism could not credibly argue that being part of Britain's economic model delivered a high growth rate. The best it could muster was that the fiscal deficit, which is created by the north's dependency on Britain's economic framework, would be unaffordable for the south.

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A more rational response would be to improve the north's performance through an all-Ireland economic framework. This scenario was modelled by the eminent Professor Kurt Huebner. He showed that the growth unleashed by reunification would very quickly eliminate the fiscal deficit, creating substantial net gains for both parts of the island and particularly for the north.

The discussion has taken a further turn following the British Government's decision to leave the EU, the largest market in the world. The DUP used its leverage with Theresa May's government to resist a 'soft' Brexit which would have avoided hard borders right across the islands. Given the unacceptability of a border on the island of Ireland, the only alternative was a border in the Irish Sea.

The protocol is only starting to come into effect and many businesses are already reorientating their supply chains from Britain to Ireland and Europe.

As Britain further diverges from EU regulations it will become increasingly sensible for the north to return to full membership of the EU through a united Ireland. The English nationalism which drove Brexit is also heightening the British Government's economic focus on England, reinforcing the north's peripheral status.

For example EU funding previously provided to the north is being controlled by Whitehall and diverted to northern counties in England.

The economic logic of reunification is increasingly apparent. Many people who previously wouldn't have even contemplated voting for a united Ireland are now giving it serious consideration.

This is a positive development. The conversation started by Sir George Quigley 30 years ago is on course to bring us to a more prosperous society, in which the people of this island manage our own economy in our own interests.

Conor Murphy is a Sinn Fein MLA and Stormont Finance Minister
St Marys College Dundalk have been boosted by the news they will receive some new computer supplies courtesy of IT company Vesta.

Vesta are a market leader in digital security, particularly in the area of secure payments in the global telecom sector and have their European headquarters based in Dundalk and their kind donation is part of their outreach project 'Business in the Community'.

The donations include 37 new laptops, two printers, 17 monitors, 19 keyboards and 16 wired mice among over 90 IT items acquired which will greatly improve the learning environment currently available at the school.

The Marist college has seen 6th years back for the past 2 weeks and with fifth year students returning today they are slowly getting back to normal.

This will greatly enhance learning and teaching in the college and enrich the exposure of our students in the world of information and technology stated a spokesperson for the school.

We plan to use the lenovo desktops as study and research resources for students in our college library, as well as to develop a third computer room, to support the work of LCA students.
The family of an elderly woman who was brutally bashed on the steps of a Melbourne church have one message for her gutless attacker.

Penelope Katsavos, 78, was opening Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox church at 6am on Saturday, as she had done for the past 30 years, when she was viciously attacked by 'gutless' thugs.

When she approached the entrance of the church in the city's inner southeast, a male and a female approached her before the man punched her and pushed her to the ground.

As she laid helpless, the man then started kicking her, before the pair fled the scene - leaving her lying on the steps where she was found 30 minutes later by a street cleaner who called police.

The callous attack left her face covered in massive purple bruises, trailing from her right eye down to her chin.

Ms Katsavos's son Evri told 7NEWS the attack was 'defenceless'.

Penelope Katsavos, 78, was opening the church as she had done for 30 years when she was savagely attacked by a man and a woman

The grandmother-of-six suffered a broken wrist, a fractured pelvis and bleeding on the brain in two spots.

Ms Katsavos was in a stable condition in hospital recovering from her injuries, but there were fears she may never fully recover.

A photo taken in hospital showed the brave woman flashing a smile as she read the bible, her reading glasses shielding a swollen black eye.

'It saddens me to talk about... to think about the pain that she actually went through,' Ms Katsavos' son Evri said.

'[Its] just real gutless to hit anyone, let alone an elderly person... defenceless.'



The culprits took her trolley but it was later found in a nearby park with nothing stolen.

Ms Katsavos is the full-time carer for her husband Thomas, who has dementia and the attack meant she may not be able to care for him in the future.

The couple have spent the past three decades volunteering for the church.

The grandmother-of-six flashed a brave smile as she read from a bible in hospital, where she is receiving treatment for her injuries

Ms Katsavos daughter-in-law said she has remained positive throughout the ordeal.

'She is eternally positive, but that's just her nature. But she's very unwell.' She told 3AW.

She said the family was shocked but hoped the attackers would be caught in order to stop another attack.

'We're just shocked  and just devastated for her.'

'We want the people who did this to be found, so firstly they can't do it to anyone else and that they're held accountable for what they've done.' She said.

Her daughter-in-law was optimistic about her recovery.

'She's a really strong woman, so she's very practical about it, she knows that is was a random thing', she said.

Evri said the family was inspired by his mother's strength.

'We know thats shes very strong and she makes us all strong as well,' he said.

She was left on the steps of the Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox church in South Yarra (pictured) before a street cleaner found her and called police

Parishioner Jane Pallot said the church community would rally behind her.

'She is a beautiful lady and church is her life, and we will make sure she is looked after.' She told News Corp.

A photo of the victim taken at the church steps shows her looking stunned and defenceless, covered in blood.

Ms Katsavos was unable to describe the attackers but did say they were 'young'.

Both are still on the run and Victoria Police said the investigation into the random attack is ongoing.

The man has been described as having a thin build with dark hair, and was wearing dark clothing at the time.

He was last seen heading towards Chapel Street with the trolley.
Bluepoint Technologies has launched a digital transformation in 2021 At Bluepoint Technologies, our vision has always been to be considered as one of the most trusted names in the data infrastructure industry. This mission statement fuels our constant drive to reach new standards of capability, safety, compliance, and sustainability.

Founded in 2008, Bluepoint Technologies has grown to become a trusted provider of data cabling project consultancy design and installation to an international portfolio of customers across more than 60 countries. With a global reach, the company has appointed a new marketing team to align the brands digital footprint with its industry capability.

Kathryn Aves, Managing Director at Bluepoint Technologies said: At Bluepoint, our vision has always been to be considered as one of the most trusted names in the data infrastructure industry. This mission statement fuels our constant drive to reach new standards of capability, safety, compliance, and sustainability.

In 2021, Bluepoint Technologies is making a significant investment in the way we demonstrate our capability, to ensure that what our customers see reflects our achievements and our commitment to best practice, which we continually strive to make the best in the industry.

Bluepoint Technologies new website is only the first phase in the companys digital and marketing strategy, which will see the structured cabling specialist reach out across medias to deliver thought leadership and highlight the companys many achievements, from delivering ground-breaking projects to championing industry training standards.

Kathryn continues, In 2019, we became the first UK installer to complete a fully sustainable data cabling installation within a UK data centre, a project which fits perfectly with our commitment to placing sustainability at the centre of everything we do.

We believe we are leading the way in driving best practice in data infrastructure and decided it was time our website reflected the industry-leading, forward-thinking business that is Bluepoint Technologies. Were delighted to now be able to say that it does!

Visit http://www.bluepointtechnologies.co.uk or contact Bluepoint Technologies on +44 (0) 844 335 0618.

About Bluepoint Technologies:

Founded in 2008, Bluepoint Technologies Ltd. is a leading data infrastructure specialist, delivering data cabling design, consultancy and installation projects in over 60 countries worldwide.

The Bluepoint Technologies team holds some of the highest industry-specific qualifications, and vast experience in all areas of data cabling, allowing the Colchester-based organisation to deliver international excellence in structured cabling, network consultancy, design and auditing, data centre design and build, IT infrastructure, and CCTV and audio visual projects.

Bluepoint is dedicated to driving best practice and sustainability and was the first UK installer to complete a sustainable cabling installation in a UK Data Centre.




Haiti - Ultimatum : The education sector under threat of another strike





On Saturday March 13, the Union of Employees of the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (Syndicat des employes du Ministere de lEducation Nationale et de la Formation Professionnelle - SEMENFP) issued an ultimatum to the Government to issue the debit cards promised to employees of the Ministry of Education by March 29, 2021. The strikers also demand respect for the principle of "equal pay for equal work" and denounce the fact that employees of departmental services with the same status and the same qualifications receive a lower salary than their colleagues in the capital.



Although the union recognizes that the process of issuing debit cards is underway, Marie-Antoinette Medor, spokesperson for the union deplores a delay of more than three months "They treat us like poor parents".



The union threatens to go on strike on March 29 if their demands are not met We will be at our posts, but we will not work until the debit cards are delivered, assured the unionist warning the government that a new work stoppage, added to the socio-political crisis and the health crisis, would jeopardize the development of education at all levels...



Already in February, teachers' unions joined the call for a strike by other structures against insecurity to protest that insecurity violates the rights of students.



"In various parts of the country, children have been forced to stay at home. It is an attack on education rights. We are awaiting the response from society to force the government authorities to assume their responsibility in the education of young people ," declared Magalie Georges, trade unionist and career teacher, also Secretary General of the National Confederation of Educators of Haiti (CNEH ).



S/ HaitiLibre


















Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) (Takeda) today announced a mutual agreement with IDT Biologika GmbH (IDT), a contract development and manufacturing organization, to utilize capacity at IDT previously reserved for Takedas dengue vaccine candidate (TAK-003) to manufacture the single-shot COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. At the end of a three-month period, the capacity will be returned to Takeda to resume critical manufacturing for the planned launch of its dengue vaccine, subject to regulatory approvals.

We are pleased to work with IDT to support Janssens efforts to make its COVID-19 vaccine available and accessible to as much of the world as possible, said Rajeev Venkayya, President, Global Vaccine Business Unit at Takeda. We also recognize the massive unmet need for a dengue vaccine and will work closely with IDT to mitigate the impact on the supply of TAK-003.

I am grateful to our longstanding customer Takeda for their flexibility, allowing us to help provide much-needed COVID-19 vaccines to the world, said Jurgen Betzing, IDT Biologikas CEO. It has become abundantly clear over the past months that the challenges posed by the pandemic can only be solved by cooperation and commitment. I believe this short-term arrangement between three industry organizations demonstrates our sectors willingness and ability to contribute to creatively solving this crisis. With our production for Janssen and AstraZeneca plus the development of our own COVID-19 vaccine in cooperation with the German Center for Vaccine Research, DZIF, our company can make a major contribution to the fight against COVID-19.

With this agreement, Takeda is now supporting global access to three different COVID-19 vaccines. Takeda previously announced its commitment to providing rapid and sustained access to COVID-19 vaccines in Japan through partnerships with Novavax and Moderna. Takeda will receive a manufacturing technology transfer from Novavax and will be responsible for the development and commercialization based on manufacturing capacity of over 250 million doses. The company will also import and distribute 50 million doses of Moderna's mRNA COVID-19 vaccine as part of a joint partnership with Moderna and the Government of Japans Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare (MHLW).

Takeda is well positioned to meet its commitments to support the public health needs associated with both COVID-19 and dengue. Takeda is working with regulatory authorities and recommending bodies, as appropriate, to bring its dengue vaccine candidate to people who can potentially benefit from it and are living in or traveling to communities burdened by the threat of dengue. More than half the worlds population is at risk of dengue, with that number expected to increase over the next several decades due to population growth, globalization and urbanization.

About Takedas COVID-19 Efforts

Takeda is taking a comprehensive approach to treat and prevent COVID-19 today, and future pandemics through multiple activities and partnerships including, but not limited to:

Hyperimmune globulin: Takeda co-founded the CoVIg-19 Plasma Alliance and joined forces with other leading plasma companies to develop and manufacture a hyperimmune globulin medicine which is currently being evaluated in a global clinical trial. The Alliance is also participating in The Fight Is In Us coalition and related convalescent plasma donation campaign.

Takeda co-founded the CoVIg-19 Plasma Alliance and joined forces with other leading plasma companies to develop and manufacture a hyperimmune globulin medicine which is currently being evaluated in a global clinical trial. The Alliance is also participating in The Fight Is In Us coalition and related convalescent plasma donation campaign. Additional therapeutics: The company is assessing existing Takeda products for activity against the COVID-19 virus, and co-founded the COVID R&D Alliance. In addition, Takeda has joined the IMI Care Alliance and the Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) partnership.

The company is assessing existing Takeda products for activity against the COVID-19 virus, and co-founded the COVID R&D Alliance. In addition, Takeda has joined the IMI Care Alliance and the Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) partnership. Vaccines: Takeda has partnered with the Government of Japan, Novavax and Moderna, to help accelerate the availability of a COVID-19 vaccine. We are leveraging our extensive and well-established global manufacturing and supply capabilities and building upon our existing influenza pandemic preparedness efforts in Japan. Takeda supports our partners and alliances in a shared goal to rapidly discover, develop and deliver effective treatments and vaccines for COVID-19 and ensure preparedness for future pandemics.

Takedas Commitment to Vaccines

Vaccines prevent 2 to 3 million deaths each year and have transformed global public health. For the past 70 years, Takeda has supplied vaccines to protect the health of people in Japan. Today, Takedas global vaccine business is applying innovation to tackle some of the worlds most challenging infectious diseases, such as dengue, COVID-19, Zika and norovirus. Takedas team brings an outstanding track record and a wealth of knowledge in vaccine development, manufacturing and global access to advance a pipeline of vaccines to address some of the worlds most pressing public health needs. For more information, visit www.TakedaVaccines.com.

About Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE: 4502/NYSE: TAK) is a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan, committed to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments, guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Takeda focuses its R&D efforts on four therapeutic areas: Oncology, Rare Genetic and Hematology, Neuroscience, and Gastroenterology (GI). We also make targeted R&D investments in Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines. We are focusing on developing highly innovative medicines that contribute to making a difference in peoples lives by advancing the frontier of new treatment options and leveraging our enhanced collaborative R&D engine and capabilities to create a robust, modality-diverse pipeline. Our employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients and to working with our partners in health care in approximately 80 countries. For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com.

Important Notice

For the purposes of this notice, press release means this document, any oral presentation, any question and answer session and any written or oral material discussed or distributed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) regarding this release. This press release (including any oral briefing and any question-and-answer in connection with it) is not intended to, and does not constitute, represent or form part of any offer, invitation or solicitation of any offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, subscribe for, exchange, sell or otherwise dispose of, any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction. No shares or other securities are being offered to the public by means of this press release. No offering of securities shall be made in the United States except pursuant to registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom. This press release is being given (together with any further information which may be provided to the recipient) on the condition that it is for use by the recipient for information purposes only (and not for the evaluation of any investment, acquisition, disposal or any other transaction). Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of applicable securities laws.

The companies in which Takeda directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this press release, Takeda is sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Takeda and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words we, us and our are also used to refer to subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These expressions are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release and any materials distributed in connection with this press release may contain forward-looking statements, beliefs or opinions regarding Takedas future business, future position and results of operations, including estimates, forecasts, targets and plans for Takeda. Without limitation, forward-looking statements often include words such as targets, plans, believes, hopes, continues, expects, aims, intends, ensures, will, may, should, would, could anticipates, estimates, projects or similar expressions or the negative thereof. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements: the economic circumstances surrounding Takedas global business, including general economic conditions in Japan and the United States; competitive pressures and developments; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; challenges inherent in new product development, including uncertainty of clinical success and decisions of regulatory authorities and the timing thereof; uncertainty of commercial success for new and existing products; manufacturing difficulties or delays; fluctuations in interest and currency exchange rates; claims or concerns regarding the safety or efficacy of marketed products or product candidates; the impact of health crises, like the novel coronavirus pandemic, on Takeda and its customers and suppliers, including foreign governments in countries in which Takeda operates, or on other facets of its business; the timing and impact of post-merger integration efforts with acquired companies; the ability to divest assets that are not core to Takedas operations and the timing of any such divestment(s); and other factors identified in Takedas most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and Takedas other reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, available on Takedas website at: https://www.takeda.com/investors/ reports/sec-filings/ or at www.sec.gov. Takeda does not undertake to update any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or any other forward-looking statements it may make, except as required by law or stock exchange rule. Past performance is not an indicator of future results and the results or statements of Takeda in this press release may not be indicative of, and are not an estimate, forecast, guarantee or projection of Takedas future results.

Medical information

This press release contains information about products that may not be available in all countries, or may be available under different trademarks, for different indications, in different dosages, or in different strengths. Nothing contained herein should be considered a solicitation, promotion or advertisement for any prescription drugs including the ones under development.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005194/en/
A devastated family are seeking answers after a grandmother's leg rotted to the bone while she was living at an aged care centre.

Norma Palmer, 89, was found in a pool of her own body fluids at Regis Birkdale, an aged care facility south of Brisbane, by a visiting enrolled nurse in July 2020.

The health worker observed Ms Palmer's sepsis leg injury and her red and bloodied back, which had been burned from lying in urine.

Ms Palmer was rushed to hospital after the enrolled nurse, from Care Pact, immediately called for urgent treatment.

The grandma died three days later at Princess Alexandra Hospital.

Norma Palmer, 89, was found in a pool of her own body fluids at Regis Birkdale, an aged care facility south of Brisbane, by a visiting enrolled nurse in July 2020

The photo of Ms Palmer's leg showed her red, yellow and wound, which exposed the ankle bone

Coroner Don Buchanan ruled the death was a health care related death reportable under the Coroner's Act.

Regis Birkdale and the GP overseeing Ms Palmer's treatment for her wounds were ordered to conduct a clinical review of their practices.

The findings are with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission

Ms Palmer's family took pictures of the grandma's back and her badly damaged leg before the death, Albert & Logan News reported.

The photo of Ms Palmer's leg showed her red, yellow and wound, which exposed the ankle bone.

'The failure to appropriately manage the lower limb ulcer has contributed to the death of Mrs Palmer,' the report said.

The report said the GP did not adhere to 'the basic cares' including good nutrition, controlling diabetes and using compression garments.

'The care provided by the residential aged care facility to Mrs Palmer was consistent with GP advice and wound care management plans, but with inadequate escalation of concerns in May to July,' the report said.

Norma Palmer's leg rotted to the bone while she was living at an aged care centre. Ms Palmer is pictured with her daughter

Pictured: Ms Palmer's red and bloodied back, which had been burned from lying in urine

'It would seem the staff were concerned but this was only ever escalated to the GP, and as a result, no one became involved in Mrs Palmer's care until July 15 (three days before she died), at the time of the Care Pact review.'

Granddaughter Alana Hewett said Ms Palmer was 'basically left to rot down to the bone' without pain relief.

Ms Hewett said there were Covid restrictions that limited the number of people able to visit Ms Palmer but when she went to see her grandma, her leg was covered by blankets and in bandages.

The granddaughter said Ms Palmer was 'very sharp' and not one to complain.

The GP was referred to Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency but action has not yet been taken.

Ms Palmer's granddaughter said the 89-year-old was 'very sharp' and not one to complain

In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Regis said they cannot provide information about individual residents, families and employees - but they are committed to work with the commission to solve the case.

'Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with the family,' the statement read.

'This case remains open with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission within the complex resolution team.

'We are committed to working with the family and Commission to resolve this case and understand any actions for improvement.

'In line with Regis' ongoing commitment to open disclosure and quality improvement, we will transparently and openly share the investigation process and outcome with the Commission and the family.'
On Jan. 15, 2020, April Bailey was taking out the trash at her residence in Nashua, New Hampshire. More than a year later, she still hasnt been seen.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations Boston Division is now joining the Nashua Police Department to ask from the publics help in her suspicious disappearance, a statement said.

We are still relentlessly investigating the circumstances surrounding Aprils disappearance, and any information, no matter how seemingly insignificant, may be important to finding her, said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division. We thank those who have already provided information and we urge other members of our community to come forward so we can bring April home to her family.

The 36-year-old mother of three reportedly has ties to Boston.

Bailey was the third person to disappear over the past year in the New Hampshire neighborhood, the Union Leader reported.

Shes my mom. She would never not talk to me if I ever reached out, she would answer in a heartbeat, her son, Isiah Bugg, told Boston25 News.

Bailey is described as a white female, approximately 53 tall, 130 pounds, with long black hair, and blue eyes, the statement said. She also has a butterfly tattoo on her right shoulder and a tattoo of the word Damien on her right ankle.

Those with information are encouraged to call 857-386-2000 or submit tips at tips.fbi.gov.
A pastor from Florida is grieving the loss of his two daughters and three grandchildren who perished in a car crash on Thursday night.

Anthony Oliver, a pastor at Taft Missionary Baptist Church in Orlando, Florida has suffered an immeasurable loss. His two daughters and three grandchildren were the victims of a tragic car crash that occurred on Thursday night in Orange County, Florida.

According to FOX 35 Orlando, the crash that resulted in fatalities of five individuals occurred at about 8 p.m. at night at the intersection of Clarcona Ocoee Road and Gaymar Drive in Orlando.

The victims of the tragic car crash were Pastor Oliver's two daughters, aged 30 and 25, and his grandchildren, two girls aged 4 and 5, and a 5 month-old boy.

"Last night was the last time my grandbabies talked to me and told me, 'Pop Pop, I love you.' I won't hear that no more," Pastor Oliver told Click Orlando. "Any parent would rather their kids bury them than them burying their kids and now I've got to bury five. Love on them while they're here, because when they're gone that's it."

Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) spokesperson Lt. Kim Montes said, "This is one of the most horrific scenes we have had in quite some time." She went on to explain that the tragic car crash involved Pastor Oliver's wife, Shawn Jones Oliver, who was driving the Hyundai that carried their daughters and grandchildren.

The Hyundai was driving westbound on Clarcona Ocoee Road and intended to make a left turn into Gaymar Drive, but was hit by an eastbound Suburban SUV. According to the FHP, the SUV impacted the side of the Hyundai, causing both vehicles to overturn and the Hyundai's to be ripped in half, ejecting five of the six individuals it carried. All five were pronounced dead at the scene.

The Suburban SUV's driver, a 28 year-old Apopka man, survived the tragic car crash with minor injuries. Pastor Oliver's wife, the driver of the Hyundai, also survived but remains unaware that her children and grandchildren have perished in the accident.

Pastor Oliver expressed his grief at not being able to do anything to keep his family safe.

"Just imagining that final impact and what my kids were going through and what my grandchildren were saying and I couldn't be there to protect them," Pastor Oliver said.

Taft Missionary Baptist Church community took to Facebook to extend its condolences and pray for Pastor Oliver's family. The announcement wrote, "Our family has suffered a great loss as Pastor's 2 Daughters and 3 grandchildren were taken from this earth in a tragic car accident Thursday evening. Although we grieve we also love. In Jesus' name!"

Those who want to support Pastor Anthony Oliver and his wife through this time of need are encouraged to donate to a GoFundMe campaign meant to raise funds to help them.

The FHP said it is committed to investigating the Clarcona Ocoee Road and Gaymar Drive intersection, which has seen two fatal accidents in the span of three months. In January, a 35 year-old woman perished in a tragic car accident when she tried to make the same left-hand turn from Clarcona Ocoee Road. Lt. Montes said that they will investigate the sight visuals of the drivers trying to maneuver this route to determine what is needed to prevent such tragic circumstances in the future.
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WASHINGTON  It took President Joe Biden all of six weeks to spark a slew of fights with Texas Republicans over oil, immigration, guns and more.

Even as the president this week touted major early victories for his administration  including accelerating COVID vaccinations and a $1.9 trillion stimulus  new battles are brewing on several fronts as Biden took executive action or threw his support behind legislation aimed at expanding voting rights, bolstering unions and restricting gun purchases.

Meanwhile, Texas Republicans including Gov. Greg Abbott headed to the border to pin a migration surge there on the presidents new approach to immigration.

It sure feels like President Biden is targeting Texas, said U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, a Republican from The Woodlands who pointed to Bidens moves to end the Keystone XL pipeline and pause drilling on federal lands.

Biden is out of control, Attorney General Ken Paxton tweeted earlier this week as he railed against a Biden order on voting access.

HOW TO CASH IN: Everything you need to know about the stimulus child tax credit

Paxton has already stopped one White House policy with a lawsuit filed two days after Bidens inauguration. The state sued over Bidens order halting certain deportations for 100 days, which a judge blocked in an early victory for the state. But Paxton has threatened to challenge other Biden priorities, including a Democratic bill that would essentially establish a national election code.

Turning up the heat on a Democratic president early isnt a new playbook for Republicans  and its one that has worked well for the party before. The GOP openly obstructed many of the priorities of former President Barrack Obama, starting as he took office in 2009.

Then they won control of took the House in the midterms the next year.

Democrats took the same approach with President Donald Trump in 2017 and saw the same results in 2018.

Keeping this in the forefront with the base supporters is a good strategy  look at what the presidents doing, making Biden the bad guy and bringing up how everything he is doing is so counter to Texas values, said Renee Cross, senior director at the University of Houstons Hobby School of Public Affairs. Thats going to play extremely well with the Republican base.

Cross said its especially important for Republicans as Biden has racked up some big victories early in his term. The president this week declared all Americans will be eligible for COVID vaccines by May and signed the stimulus package set to boost incomes of many Texans, which polling shows is widely supported, even by many GOP voters.

You dont want your opposition to seem to be winning at everything, Cross said.

LIVING HELL: A failure of government oversight produced a housing system across the U.S. that hurts the people who need it the most

Republicans say the stimulus, which Democrats passed without a single GOP vote, is a sign of how little Biden and his allies in Congress care about working across the aisle, even as Biden has stressed he wants to unify the nation.

I know the national narrative for Americans is that were all taller, smarter and better looking since Joe Biden became president, but the truth is, this is the most partisan White House that Ive seen, Brady said. I dont know why they went their own way, but I dont think its going to get any better.

Texas Democrats, meanwhile, have united behind most of Bidens priorities, even as some moderates in the Texas delegation have balked at Bidens moves on oil and immigration. His Texas allies are working to frame Bidens early days as focused on fighting for the working class, pointing to aid for the 3.9 million Texans living in poverty included in the stimulus.

This administration did not give up, did not give in, U.S. Rep. Al Green of Houston said as he voted for the stimulus this week. This administration has become now a symbol of hope and help for working class people.

Trouble on the border

The border has been at the center of Texas Republicans earliest and most sustained battle with the Biden administration so far. Paxtons successful lawsuit challenged one of Bidens first immigration actions. Republicans have blamed his administrations shift from the restrictive policies of the Trump White House for creating a migrant surge there now  though the surge began late in Trumps term.

Border Patrol this week reported more than 100,000 encounters with migrants crossing into the U.S. from Mexico in February, a 28-percent jump from the month before.

The Biden administration has said its focus is establishing an orderly and humane way of handling the surge of immigrants, largely Central Americans fleeing violence, poverty and political upheaval. But newly minted immigration officials in Bidens cabinet say theyre having to build that system from the ground up after the Trump administration didnt just neglect our immigration system, they intentionally made it worse.

At least three Texas Republicans  Abbott, U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Houston and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn  made high-profile trips to the border to highlight what they say is the first major crisis of the Biden administration. Democrats representing Texas border communities have joined them in warning of a looming crisis as theyve urged the administration to take stronger action.

Texans held press conferences in D.C. and went on conservative news shows to blame the presidents policies as House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy said he would take a trip to the border himself on Monday.

The reason theyre coming now is the reason they came when Barack Obama was president, which is because theyve been promised amnesty, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said on Sean Hannitys Fox News program. Joe Biden is telling them, If the kids come, they can stay.

Order on transgender students

Biden on Monday signed an order making it the policy of his administration to protect students from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

It was a step in part toward undoing Trump administration policies on Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education, and returning to Obama-era efforts to protect transgender students by allowing them to use the bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding to their gender identities.

Paxtons response was almost immediate. He called it the most insidious of all Bidens orders so far in a letter to the president, in which he threatened: If you take any further measure  I will stop you.

The exchange made it clear that Texas will again sue to stop federal rules on this matter from taking effect, as it did in the Obama years.

Voting rights fights

Paxton has been fighting the Biden presidency since even before his inauguration. Paxton led a failed lawsuit to overturn election results in four battleground states as Texas Republicans supported Trumps baseless claims that the election was stolen from him.

Texas Republicans have used similar unproven claims of widespread fraud to justify making the states voting laws among the nations most restrictive. Now Biden and Democrats in Congress have those restrictions in their sights.

The House last week passed a voting rights bill that would ban voter ID laws, institute automatic and same-day voter registration and would expand mail-in and early voting options. And it would take redistricting out of the hands of the states lawmakers just as theyre gearing up to redraw political boundaries.

The president this week also signed an executive order aimed at making it easier for Americans to vote, which the White House described it as an initial step to protect the right to vote  and it was a relatively small one. It directed federal agencies to work harder to register voters and said the Biden administration would look for ways to make it easier for federal employees and those in federal custody to vote.

Paxton, on the other hand, said it showed Bidens intent to steamroll state-run elections. Hes already threatened to sue if Biden ever gets a chance to sign the voting bill into law.

Guns and unions

Biden has also thrown his support behind bills the Democratic House passed this week that would expand background checks on gun purchases and undermine so-called right-to-work laws in states like Texas that weaken unions.

Texas Republicans opposed both measures, and the state is likely to sue if either becomes law.

Texas GOP Chairman Allen West this week was fundraising off the gun bills, which would require background checks for all gun buyers. The bill would also close the so-called Charleston loophole that gives the FBI only three days to conduct a background check by extending that window to 10 days.

It is crucial that we secure Texas as a Second Amendment safe haven NOW  especially with the Biden administration preparing to wage war on our responsible gun owners like you and me, West wrote in an email to supporters.

Biden, meanwhile, has been vocal about his support for unions  and has acknowledged they helped him win the presidency, saying in a recent White House meeting with labor leaders that these are the folks that brung me to the dance.

Hes backing a Democratic bill aimed at bolstering unions by strengthening federal labor laws and making it easier for employees to organize. The bill would allow bargaining agreements to require all employees pay union dues, something Republican lawmakers in Texas have banned in an effort to weaken unions.

Youre seeing these very extreme policies, said Brady, pointing to the unions bill. These arent the priorities for the country right now, in my view.

ben.wermund@chron.com
Following President Joe Bidens primetime address on Thursday, everyone in America could be forgiven for circling a new date on their calendar.
RESTON, Va., March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Resonate, the leading provider of A.I.-driven consumer data and analytics, has unveiled its Privacy-Preserving Insights Solution, a comprehensive cookieless consumer intelligence solution designed to enable organizations to maintain a deep understanding of consumers amid a shifting privacy-first landscape. This solution comes well in advance of Googles 2022 planned deprecation of third-party cookies in Chrome, a shift that will render many of the industrys legacy data and analytics solutions useless.

Deep insight that honors individual consumer privacy has always been a priority for Resonate, and our platform development efforts have long acknowledged that third-party cookies would eventually become obsolete, said Bryan Gernert, Chief Executive Officer of Resonate. For some, new regulations and Googles move to a cookieless environment will represent an existential threat to their business. Thankfully, the nature of our pre-existing methodology puts us in a commanding market position and our customers will continue to leverage our powerful proprietary data sets for their insights initiatives, as they always have.

At the heart of Resonates Privacy-Preserving Insights Solution sits the Resonate Ignite platform, the companys continuously updated, AI-powered consumer insights platform, which houses more than 14,000 attributes and audiences scaled to more than 200 million American consumers. This rich dataset is powered by Resonates National Consumer Study (NCS), the largest independent U.S. consumer research study designed to understand the drivers behind consumer decision-making.

The NCS, along with the companys Custom Research Solutions, Flash and Spark Studies, Data Enrichment and Data Append capabilities will remain unaffected by the death of third-party cookies, giving Resonate a massive advantage over other industry data providers with exclusively cookie-based data.

In addition, Resonates Connected Profiles will continue to provide a scaled understanding of individual consumers to support insight, analytics, activation and measurement use cases in a cookieless, privacy-compliant manner. As a part of Resonates Privacy-Preserving Insights Solution, the companys data delivery productslike Activation and Data Appendwill deliver even greater value through Resonates proposed cohort and universal identifier capabilities.

By leveraging our proprietary dataset, industry-leading universal identifiers, and our cutting-edge ML/AI infrastructure, Resonate will make a seamless transition to the cookie-free world, said Tom Craig, Chief Technology Officer of Resonate. Resonate is driving forward with simulations and experiments in preparation for the arrival of Google's proposed APIs, and we are well prepared to accommodate whatever specific guidance is delivered.

After spending 2020 by actively working with industry partnerscollaborating, deliberating, and simulatingResonate has a clear plan of action. While the industry awaits some critical output from the Google Chrome team, Resonate is already actively:



Partnering with multiple universal identity providers to ensure the greatest reach and coverage

Aligning essential components of the solution, including privacy-friendly identities, behavioral and contextual data and survey panel partners to prepare for a smooth transition

Developing deep-learning experiments and running simulations to validate efficacy and direction

Preparing to develop against Google APIs once available

Designing playbooks for forward-compatible product design and implementation

Participating in industry discussions and validating emerging proposals

Learn more about Resonates Privacy-Preserving Insights Solution here .

About Resonate

Resonate is a pioneer in A.I.-driven consumer data and intelligence, delivering deep, dynamic insights, cross-channel engagement and analysis in a single, simple-to-use SaaS platform. Resonate has deep consumer insights and contextually relevant data across more than 14,000 attributes, including values, motivations and other psychographics, describing more than 200 million U.S. consumers. Hundreds of companies have used Resonate to reveal and engage The Human Element, a 360-degree understanding of the individuals in their target audience that extends beyond traditional demographics, psychographics and behavioral data to uncover why consumers choose, buy or support certain brands, products or causes. Empowered with unparalleled insights, leading brands, agencies and organizations use Resonate to identify, engage and analyze these audiences, driving growth and increasing customer lifetime value.

Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Resonate is privately held and backed by Argentum Capital Partners, Revolution Growth, Greycroft Partners and iNovia Capital. For more information, please visit www.resonate.com .

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A photo of a wanted man has sent social media users into hysterics over his unique neck tattoo.

West Australian Police posted a photo of the man to Facebook on Saturday in an appeal for information on his whereabouts.

Shane William Searles, 29, is wanted by police for information regarding a stolen car, but it was his large neck tattoo spelling 'Ruthless' that got the public's attention.

The man's mugshot has received hundreds of comments from amused Facebook users, many saying that he must have broken up with a girl named Ruth.

The mugshot of wanted man Shane William Searles, 29, (pictured) has caught the attention of social media users after Western Australian Police appealed to the public for information

'He was OK until she left and he became Ruth less,' one comment read.

'Keep ya chin up pal, Ruth will be yours again in no time flat,' another encouraged.

'Guys! He's lost his Ruth. Stop being so mean #findruth,' another said.

West Australian Police have warned the public not to approach Shane Searles and believe he may be armed.

The man is wanted for his alleged connection to the theft of a white BMW sedan with the registration 'JEALOUZ'.

The vehicle was stolen in Perth suburb Joondanna on Friday afternoon.

Police are seeking the whereabouts of Mr Searles for information that could assist Mirrabooka detectives with their investigation.

Social media users joked the wanted man had lost a woman named Ruth, leaving him ruth-less

Shane Searles is wanted for information regarding the theft of a white BMW sedan that was stolen from Perth suburb Joondanna on March 12

It is believed a firearm was discharged during the incident, with a spokesperson from West Australian police confirming the gun was fired in a garage.

Shane Searles is described as having fair skin with a ruddy complexion, 175 centimetres tall, of medium build with brown hair and brown eyes.

The man has several tattoos, including the large 'Ruthless' lettering on his neck.

The police spokesperson said Shanes Searles was still outstanding and had not made contact with police.

They said only one man is wanted by police for information regarding the circumstances of the theft of the vehicle and use of the firearm.


Screen Time & Calendar Software Developer - Test Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino) , California , United States Software and Services Summary

Posted: Mar 12, 2021 Weekly Hours: 40 Role Number: 200228623 The Enterprise & Education Technologies team is looking for a passionate Software Quality Engineer to contribute to current and future releases of iOS and macOS. Our team is responsible for developing automation and qualifying Screen Time & Calendar on iOS and macOS. We work in a fast-moving dynamic environment that fosters creativity and collaboration with the developers to deliver innovative features and products. Key Qualifications BS in Computer Science or 3+ years of industry experience

Proficient understanding of iOS, macOS and Unix

Experience developing test tools in Python, Swift and JavaScript. Knowledge of C or C++ is beneficial

Understanding of networking, problem isolation, documenting test plans or test matrices, and SQA testing methodologies

Experience with user interface software components and demonstrated knowledge of user-facing issues

Ability to analyze and regress software issues

Excellent team collaboration and communication skills

You will join a hands-on development team that fosters creativity and generates novel solutions to deliver engineering excellence.

We partner with a variety of cross and multi-functional team members from a diverse array of groups across the company

Are you deeply accountable for your work? Your passion for product ownership and track record of product development will prove critical to your success on our team.

You will prioritize tasks with rapid development cycles, remain flexible and calm in the face of uncertainty to deliver excellent results for time-critical issues.

Be ready to make something great when you come here. Dynamic, inspiring people and innovative, industry-defining technologies are the norm at Apple. The people who work here have reinvented and defined entire industries with our products and services. The same passion for innovation also applies to our business practices - strengthening our commitment to leave the world better than we found it. You should join the Enterprise & Education Technologies Team if you want to help deliver the next amazing Apple product.

You have excellent judgment and integrity with the ability to make timely and sound decisions

Excellent writing and interpersonal skills

Ability to stay focused and prioritize a heavy workload while achieving exceptional quality

You are upbeat, adaptable, and results oriented with a positive attitude

You bring passion and dedication to your job and are committed to our vision and supporting the developer community Description This position requires an independent and organized individual with a technical background qualifying software. The candidate should be a self-motivated individual who works well independently and with a team. General responsibilities include writing test plans, developing automation scripts, executing manual and automated tests, configuring test suites that represent real world scenarios, assisting developers with problem isolation, working with cross-functional teams, and communicating technical issues. - Develop test plan and document test cases for new features - Develop automation tests for new and existing features - Execute existing manual and automation test suites - Provide reliable estimates of planned testing work and track progress regularly against estimates for scheduling purposes - Prioritize testing to account for schedule and risk - Screen incoming bugs for team components - Make suggestions to improve testing procedures and strategies - Bring industry knowledge to improve the functionality and user experience of our products Education & Experience Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or equivalent experience


Mumbai, March 15 : Normal banking operations were virtually paralysed as over 50,000 bank employees in around 10,000 branches in Maharashtra struck work for two days, starting from Monday, union leaders said here.

"We have joined the million-plus bank officers and employees spread in over 100,000 branches of 12 public sector, 12 private sector, 6 foreign, 56 rural and other banks across the country," United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) Convenor Devidas Tuljapurkar said.

He said all the employees and officers, from the Class IV staffers to top executives, are protesting against the Centre's announcement in the Union Budget on privatization of the IDBI and two public sector banks, and related issues.

Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions the employees could not organize demonstrations, rallies or sit-ins as in the past, said Maharashtra State Bank Employees Federation President Nandu Chavan.

However, the bankers moved around in small groups wearing masks at major locations, railway stations, markets, public places and outside bank premises distributing pamphlets to create awareness and solicit peoples' support for their cause.

"Since the strike was total, business worth Rs 30-lakh-crore came to a grinding halt as cash and cheque clearing functions could not take place. Moreover, by noon many ATMs ran out of cash," Chavan told IANS.

The bank unions will meet again tomorrow to chalk out plans to launch an indefinite agitation if the government does not concede their demands, warned Chavan.

The nationwide strike call was given by UFBU -- the apex body of nine major unions -- AIBEA, NCBE, AIBOC, AIBOA, INBOC, INBEF, NOBW, NOBO and BEFI, spread across the country's banking industry.

Though many cooperative banks did not join the strike, their banking operations were also hit, while customers joined the striking employees in some towns and villages, he added.
Anti-Racism Virtual Summit Spring 2021

In collaboration with the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), SWHELPER, a digital publication for social work and helping professionals, will host a three-day Anti-Racism Virtual Summit on March 16th - 18th in celebration of World Social Work Day and our National Social Work Month.

The Summit will be able to provide field placement hours for students, but it is also open to the public and media outlets. Attendees can watch live or view sessions on their schedule until April 30th. We are excited to announce attendees will hear from the spring summit's keynotes (amongst other notable speakers):

Darla Coffey, PHD, MSW: President and CEO of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) with an extensive background in social work practice in the areas of mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence.

Tim Wise: one of the most prominent anti-racist writers and educators in the United States (author of nine books on the subject, he has spent the past 25 years speaking across the country and is a New York Times and MSNBC contributor).

Anjanette Young, LCSW: the founder and owner of Cafe Social Work, she was also the victim of a wrongful police house raid in 2019. Anjanette also has many years experience in the Chicago area working in mental health interventions, crisis management, and clinical screening and assessment.

As the only black and woman owned digital publication in this space, Darla Coffey at CSWE has been instrumental in helping my publication get access to spaces where I had no relationships as well as provided support in relationship building when white validation was needed. Deona Hooper, MSW Founder and Editor-in-chief of SWHELPER.

I will offer a session in the summit in which I will begin by reflecting on the imperative of being a well-informed and committed ally, one that is committed to transformation and not just performing allyship - Darla Spence Coffey, CEO and President Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

For more details and registration, please visit - https://globalsocialwelfaresummit.com/

SWHELPER is a minority and woman owned digital media publication. We provide news, information, and resources to social workers and helping professionals as well as provide information to help individuals and families navigate the systems we implement.
Angela Merkel's party slumped to historic defeats in two state elections on Sunday as German voters lose faith in her government's handling of the pandemic.

Merkel's CDU won barely a quarter of the vote in Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Wuerttemberg in a pair of dismal results described as a 'wake-up call' six months before Germany goes to the polls in a September general election.

The CDU's results, their worst in each state since World War II, come amid public frustration at a long lockdown and the slow pace of a vaccine roll-out hampered by EU supply chaos and public reluctance to take the AstraZeneca shot.

They will also re-ignite the question of who should lead the conservative bloc into September's election, when Merkel plans to step down after 16 years in power.

Angela Merkel, pictured, saw her party slump to its worst results since World War II in two state elections on Sunday as voters lose faith in her government's handling of the pandemic

Infections are rising rapidly again despite a long lockdown which has sapped public confidence in Merkel's government

Results of Sunday's regional elections Baden-Wuerttemberg Greens: 32.6% (+2.3 since 2016) Christian Democrats (CDU): 24.1% (-2.9) Social Democrats: 11.0% (-1.7) Free Democrats: 10.5% (+2.2) Alternative for Germany: 9.7% (-5.4) The Left: 3.6% (+0.7) Rhineland-Palatinate Social Democrats: 35.7% (-0.5 since 2016) Christian Democrats (CDU): 27.7% (-4.1) Greens: 9.3% (+4.0) Alternative for Germany: 8.3% (-4.3) Free Democrats: 5.5% (-0.7) Free Voters: 5.4% (+3.2) The Left: 2.5% (-0.3) Advertisement

Merkel's CDU, or Christian Democrats, had enjoyed a bounce in the polls during the early months of the pandemic after Germany escaped the first wave relatively lightly.

But its ratings have slumped again during a long winter lockdown that has failed to prevent a third wave of infections blamed on the British variant of Covid-19.

Merkel has come under fire for letting Brussels take the lead in a vaccine roll-out which is moving at a far slower pace than in Britain or the United States.

The EU's supply problems have been compounded by public doubts about the AstraZeneca shot, with many Germans preferring to wait for the Pfizer-BioNTech shot which was co-developed by a German firm.

And the CDU has been further dragged down by a scandal involving lawmakers who allegedly profited from mask-procurement deals early in the pandemic.

Sunday's polls were always an uphill battle for the CDU against two popular state premiers, one from the Social Democrats (SPD) and one from the Greens.

But the results were still a painful rebuke in two former CDU strongholds which have both slipped from the party's grasp.

The party won just 27.7 per cent of the vote in Rhineland-Palatinate and 24.1 per cent in Baden-Wuerttemberg.

It could now find itself excluded from both states' regional governments, although it may end up as a junior coalition partner in Baden-Wuerttemberg.

Sunday's results 'are a wake-up call for the entire CDU,' senior party member Norbert Roettgen told German media.

'Time is pressing, but there is still time to take concrete measures,' he added.

Roettgen called for a focus on vaccination and testing strategy, a thorough investigation into the profiteering scandal and a clear agenda on other issues.

The Green party celebrates its victory in Baden-Wuerttemberg where it won a record share of the vote and could boot the CDU out of the ruling regional coalition

The main beneficiaries of Sunday's elections were the Greens, who won the election in Baden-Wuerttemberg and now have a choice of coalition partners in the state.

The result was seen as a personal triumph for incumbent Green premier Winfried Kretschmann, a popular 72-year-old who ran on the slogan: 'You know me'.

But it also gives the environmentalist party new confidence for September's election campaign in which it could surpass the SPD as Germany's second-largest party.

The SPD took some comfort from its victory in Rhineland-Palatinate, where it is set to renew its three-way coalition with the Greens and the pro-business FDP.

It highlights the possibility that the same so-called 'traffic light' coalition could be replicated at a national level after September's election.

The SPD's candidate for chancellor, finance minister Olaf Scholz, said the results showed that 'forming a government is possible without the CDU'.

Social Democratic politician Malu Dreyer (left) was re-elected as the premier of Rhineland-Palatinate where the CDU also suffered historically dismal results

The CDU and its Bavarian sister party, who together have dominated German politics since 1949, still have to decide who will lead them into the September 26 election.

Merkel, who has led Germany since 2005 and whose safe-hands approach has long been credited with keeping the CDU in power, is not seeking a fifth term.

The party elected Merkel ally Armin Laschet as its new leader in January, but his victory was not the final word on who will seek the chancellorship in September.

Sunday's results were seen as a discouraging sign for Laschet, with Bavarian premier Markus Soeder hovering in the wings as a possible alternative candidate.

Laschet has said that he and Soeder plan to make a decision in April or May on who will seek the top job.

One party that did not benefit on Sunday was the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has opposed virus restrictions and is in a court standoff over whether it can be put under surveillance as a 'suspected case' of right-wing extremism.

The party lost about a third of its support compared with 2016, taking 9.7 per cent of the vote in Baden-Wuerttemberg and 8.3 per cent in Rhineland-Palatinate.
On gun control and birth control: The danger of legislating misplaced ideology and stunning ignorance By Charlotte B. Cerminaro

If a large nationwide sample of people could be polled and those who self-identify as "Pro Gun Control" were asked why, specifically, they want further restrictions placed on law-abiding owners and buyers, we would get thousands of different answers. Their bias is based on leftist "sound-byte rhetoric", on false statistics and not facts. When students and teachers at a large, public university were asked why they wanted a total ban on assault rifles, not one of them could even describe an assault rifle, let alone why they wanted them banned. They couldn't cite one firearm fact or crime statistic. In a recent experiment, a group of actors who all claimed to be "anti-gun" activists did a casting call in front of a camera. They read lines that were actually facts and figures on national and global crime, specifically gun crimes. The statistics from the CDC and WHO were surprising and as the facts began to spill out, the actors' shocked reactions reflected the complete ignorance of so many militant idealists lately, with no sense of responsibility or knowledge of the facts in their strongly-held, dogmatic beliefs. The glaringly simple and stark evidence--ignored by politicians and activists--bears a cautionary tale: The vast majority of gun violence worldwide occurs in "gun free" zones. In Switzerland there is virtually no gun legislation at all. About a third of its citizens have firearms, yet each year their gun violence statistics are pretty much the same: 0%. In the US, according to the CDC the number of murders committed with knives is five times the number from guns. Between 1993-2003, there was a 56% increase in gun ownership and a 50% drop in gun violence. The US is ranked first place, globally, for gun ownership and ranks 28th place for gun violence. If we look at worldwide trends in mass violence, especially countries where there are draconian laws and gun bans like China, the perspective is alarming. Since 2010 the number of deadly attacks on Chinese schoolchildren has continued to climb. In the year 2020 there were two separate incidents, (attackers wielding items like hammers, cleavers and knives) one in which seven people were killed, including teachers, administrators and students, seven others severely injured. Over this past decade, knife wielding attackers have done unthinkable damage in Chinese elementary schools without using one firearm, sometimes killing and injuring three dozen adults and children in one 15 minute attack. The topic of birth control, or rather abortion as a means of birth control, has a number of strange parallels to gun control. The first is ignorance, mostly but not exclusively of its proponents. The second is increasingly complex legislation as a futile and misplaced attempt to "protect" people. What is ultimately a moral and medical issue has become, like almost everything else, political. There are many very effective means of birth control and, that being said, abortion should not be considered first-line contraception.If, instead of drag queen day and pole dancing, practical and comprehensive biology was taught in public schools, females (and their mates) would have a working knowledge of their body functions and reactions. Protection from unwanted pregnancy and STIs would be automatic, natural behavior. They wouldn't have to rely on the government or Planned Parenthood before they're even ready to start their own families. In the days when teenage girls were told, "Nice girls don't want that!" such was the shame and fear, the lies that led to back-room abortions in the first place. This kind of superstitious, backward-thinking denial is what modern science has worked hard to dispel; the deep, muddy waters of government legislation is a new threat, branching out and reaching into areas considered sacrosanct. Since old testament times the understanding of various life cycles, from the lower creatures to humans, was quite sophisticated. Monthly cycles of fertility and desire were carefully tracked and followed, to either achieve or avoid conception. We now know that there is a biological, hormonal basis for this which benefits reproductive health and overall wellbeing. For some women who find that synthetic hormones used for birth control have problematic side effects, there are non-invasive ways to avoid conception and keep track of fertility. Around 5 or 6 days before ovulating, the blood levels of a potent steroid, Estradiol, start rising quickly. The elevated hormones (around 300% higher) during this week cause interest in sexual activity to increase and corresponds to a peak in fertility. Knowing this, couples can abstain for a week, but many prefer to engage in "safe" sexual activity that cannot cause conception. A small spike in body temperature precedes the follicle burst, which is usually accompanied by Mittelschmertz (ovulation pain). Within ~24 hrs, the fertile window is closed. The physical signs are quite recognizable and simple to follow. Taking a pill every day is simple and highly effective as well--occasional side effects notwithstanding. For birth control, preventive options are easier and safer than elective abortion. Before every major geopolitical revolution and subsequent war in the past century, the same pattern of draconian laws and tighter restrictions played out. It was always, ostensibly, for the "safety" and "protection" of the citizens, while ignoring or closing down all debate and any other reasonable alternatives. Without showing any benefit to the general public and its citizens, laws are now enacted without a vote, recourse or exception. Such totalitarianism, whether beneficial or not, is the defining feature of a "non-Republic" state and leadership. The overarching responsibility of government is to protect certain rights. Repeated in the Bill of Rights are the phrases, shall make no law, prohibiting the free exercise thereof, and these rights shall not be infringed. According to Constitutional and Biblical law, our rights are granted by our Creator, not by any government or other human institution. They are a birthright, a sacred responsibility that is unique to, and inseparable from, our nature and place in this world. Knowledge of this responsibility is a guard against ignorance and a protection for our posterity. Charlotte B. Cerminaro is a Juilliard-trained classical musician who, in addition to being a studio and orchestral musician, enjoys writing and has a degree in Molecular Biology.  2021 Home
Now that we need them, theres no freaking help, he said.

Research from Eliza Forsythe, an economist at the University of Illinois, found that from June until Feb. 17, only 41 percent of unemployed workers had access to benefits. Some of the rest were unaware of their eligibility or couldnt navigate the thicket of rules in their states. Others simply werent eligible. Asian workers, Black workers and those with less education were disproportionately represented among the nonrecipients.

The gaps and delays in the system had consequences.

The impact of that is folks having to move out of their apartments because they have this money thats supposed to be coming but they just havent received it, said Rebecca Dixon, executive director of the National Employment Law Project, a worker advocacy group. Others kept their homes because of eviction bans, but had their utilities shut off, Ms. Dixon added, or turned to food banks to avoid going hungry  measures of food insecurity surged in the pandemic.

Still, the federal government did far more for unemployed workers than in any previous recession. Congress expanded the safety net to cover millions of workers  freelancers, part-time workers, the self-employed  who are left out in normal times. At the peak last summer, the state and federal unemployment systems were paying $5 billion a day in benefits  money that helped workers avoid evictions and hunger and that flowed through the economy, preventing an even worse outcome.

The record of other federal responses is similarly mixed. The Paycheck Protection Program helped hundreds of thousands of small businesses but was plagued by administrative hiccups and, at least according to some estimates, saved relatively few jobs. Direct checks to households similarly helped keep families afloat, but sent billions of dollars to households that were already financially stable, while failing to reach some of those who needed the help the most  in some cases because they had not filed tax returns or did not have bank accounts.

Beyond the successes and failures of specific programs, any evaluation of the broader economy needs to start with a question: Compared with what?

Relative to a world without Covid-19, the economy remains deeply troubled. The United States had 9.5 million fewer jobs in February than a year earlier, a hole deeper than in the worst of the last recession. Gross domestic product fell 3.5 percent in 2020, making it among the worst years on record.

Relative to the rosy predictions early in the pandemic  when economists hoped a brief shutdown would let the country beat the virus, then get quickly back to work  the downturn has been long and damaging. But those hopes were dashed not by a failure of economic policy but by the virus itself, and the failure to contain it.
A Facebook research has revealed that a small group of users is responsible for driving conversations that raise doubts over vaccines, according to The Washington Post.

According to the report, Facebook research discovered 10 out of 638 population segments contributed to 50% of content related to vaccine hesitancy. Just 111 users accounted for half of all vaccine-hesitant content in the segment with the highest vaccine hesitancy.

The research also discovered an overlap between communities that have raised doubts over the vaccines and those, who have an affiliation with the conspiracy theory group QAnon.

Public health experts have made it clear that tackling vaccine hesitancy is a top priority in the COVID response, which is why weve launched a global campaign that has already connected 2 billion people to reliable information from health experts and remove false claims about COVID and vaccines, Facebook spokeswoman Dani Lever said. This ongoing work will help to inform our efforts.

The Facebook research is likely to help the social networking company build new or improve existing policies to address misinformation related to the Covid-19. The company has already taken several measures to prevent misinformation. Just last month, Facebook expanded its efforts to take down false claims related to Covid-19. The expanded efforts also cover misinformation on Covid-19 vaccines and vaccines in general during the pandemic.

Some of the false claims, Facebook said, it will remove are Covid-19 is man-made or manufactured, vaccines are not effective at preventing the disease they are meant to protect against, and its safer to get the disease than to get the disease. The complete list is available here.

The Washington Post report points out that Facebook will have to consider multiple things if it plans to further police such content. For instance, it will have to distinguish between content that expresses concerns and misinformation.

Vaccine conversations are nuanced, so content cant always be clearly divided into helpful and harmful, Kang-Xing Jin, Facebooks head of health, had written in an op-ed last week in the San Francisco Chronicle. Its hard to draw the line on posts that contain peoples personal experiences with vaccines.
District Metals (CVE: DMX) CEO Garrett Ainsworth joined Steve Darling from Proactive to share details that the company has now begun their maiden drill program at the historic Tomtebo Mine in Sweden.

Ainsworth telling Proactive this drill program will be 5000 metres and will look to explore high-priority targets, which he explains.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP)  The New Hampshire Supreme Court was split 2-2 Friday over a womans nearly nine-year battle to challenge her firing from the state Department of Health and Human Services over breastfeeding, meaning a lower courts decision to dismiss her case stands.

When the court heard the case in January 2020, it lacked a fifth member after its chief justice stepped down the previous summer. Former Attorney General Gordon MacDonald was sworn in as chief justice last week, well over a year after the case was argued.

I wasnt expecting a tie, said Kate Frederick, who has since worked on legislation in New Hampshire strengthening breastfeeding rights. She added, Its telling women and families, `New Hampshire, we dont even acknowledge you, we dont even care about your issues, were not going to decide this.'

Last year, a lawyer for Frederick argued before the state Supreme Court that she was wrongfully discharged from her job in 2012.

Frederick had worked as a child support officer in the departments office in Conway and was fired that September over, she said, whether, when and where she could breastfeed her newborn son, Devon, now 8.

The department said Frederick was terminated after she failed to return to work after exhausting her leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Frederick, who now lives in Strafford, Vermont, filed a wrongful discharge lawsuit against the department in 2014 in federal court. Her case was dismissed in 2017 after a judge ruled that the department was immune from the lawsuit.

Frederick refiled her lawsuit in the New Hampshire Superior Court in 2018, and the department challenged it again. A judge initially ruled that the case should go forward. The state moved for reconsideration. A judge ended up dismissing the lawsuit, saying it was barred by a three-year statute of limitations.

The attorney generals office also argued that as a state employee protected by a collective bargaining agreement, Frederick would not have the ability to bring such a claim. It said she was limited in her remedies to asking her union to file grievances and to bringing a charge of unfair labor practices before the state Public Employee Relations Board.

In this case, the court is evenly divided, the state Supreme Court wrote in its ruling Friday. Two members of the court agree that the plaintiffs claim should be dismissed; two members of the court would reverse the trial courts dismissal and remand for further proceedings.

In such a situation, the court follows the practice established by the U.S. Supreme Court that the judgment of the court below therefore stands in full force, the decision said.

Fredericks lawyer, Benjamin King, said in a statement, No avenue exists for further appeal. Disappointingly, a jury will never determine whether the State Department of Health and Human Services acted illegally when it fired Kate for insisting on the right to breastfeed her infant during the workday, because her infant depended on breastfeeding for his nutrition.

Frederick is a student at the Vermont Law School, where she worked on a policy advancing breastfeeding rights on campus. In New Hampshire, she founded the New Hampshire Breastfeeding Rights Coalition, worked on several bills and testified at legislative hearings this year on the protection of breastfeeding from discriminatory employee practices. She has authored a guide for legislators on pregnancy and lactation rights in the workplace.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
ROME, MAR 15 - A judge in the Tuscan city of Arezzo on Monday shelved the case against a 60-year-old tyre dealer who killed an alleged robber in November 2018. Fredy Pacini shot dead Vitalie Tonjoc Mircea, a 29-year-old from Moldova, after he entered his dealership at Monte San Savino, near Arezzo, with other men with the apparent intention of holding it up. "It's the end of a nightmare," said Pacini via his lawyer, Alessandra Cheli. The preliminary hearings judge said Pacini "acted in panic" and was not liable under the new self-defence law brought in by the nationalist League party two years ago, similar to US 'stand your ground' laws. (ANSA).
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Recap: Remember the cryptocurrency lawsuit launched against Nvidia? The company was accused of reporting $1 billion in crypto revenue as gaming revenue, an alleged act of "misleading" financial reporting designed to fool investors. Earlier this month, team green won the case.

The suit dates back to 2017, though the amended complaint was filed in 2020. It essentially claimed that throughout 2017 and 2018, 60 to 70 percent of Nvidia's sales in China were reported as gaming revenue when it really came from miners. It's claimed that the company under-reported these cryptocurrency-mining revenues by around $1.13 billion.

Crypto saw its first surge in 2017, with Bitcoin reaching a then-record $20,000 in December. Demand from miners led to a graphics card shortage and hugely inflated prices, something we're currently familiar with.

"In early 2017, Nvidia faced an unusual problem: its flagship product was flying off the shelves. Under normal circumstances, such a trend would be cheered," the suit read.

"But the enormous sales growth owed not to an increase in demand from gamers (Nvidia's traditional consumer), but rather to bands of online prospectors who were buying up the processors by the thousands and deploying them in massive datacenters to solve complex mathematical problems in pursuit of digital tokens."

The suit claimed Nvidia knew the bubble was about to burst on that crypto craze, so it decided to conceal much of the cryptomining sales. It's alleged that the company insisted its dedicated mining cards were being sold to miners, and the booming gaming graphics card sales were coming from gamers. In reality, both miners and some gaming fans were buying up gaming GPUs.

Investors claim that by reporting mining revenue as gaming sales, it appeared that Nvidia's GeForce products were doing well and wouldn't be affected by a crypto crash.

As reported by PC Gamer, the case ended earlier this month when U.S. District Court Judge Haywood Gilliam of the Northern District of California dismissed it, as per Nvidia's request, due to lack of evidence. The company didn't warn investors of an expected decline in sales when Bitcoin crashed until the first quarter of 2018, though it seems they were the only ones who never saw this coming; an 8% fall in Nvidia's share price in August 2017, more than a year before the crypto crash, was blamed on fears of the bubble bursting.

When crypto prices did fall off a cliff, Nvidia's shares fell 19 percent in November 2018, losing almost half their value a month later.

As most people know, Nvidia's RTX 3060 has an Ethereum mining limiter, and it's believed that future cards such as the RTX 3080 Ti will also come with this feature. It's the company's attempt to get more cards into gamers' hands, though the chip shortages and scalpers are causing just as many problems.
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The state and local governments in Massachusetts stand to receive $8.1 billion in the stimulus and spending bill that President Biden signed into law on Thursday.
Ombudsmen from across Russia to discuss resocialization of convicts



11:24 15/03/2021

MOSCOW, March 15 (RAPSI)  Ombudsmen from 85 Russias regions will meet in Krasnoyarsk in May to discuss the problem of resocialization of convicts, RAPSI has been told in the press service of the Federal Commissioner for Human Rights Tatiana Moskalkova.

The main goal of the May Coordination Council of Regional Ombudsmen is to draft recommendations and proposals on the improvement of legislation and compliance practices concerning the matter, according to the statement.

A lot of people need help after release from custody. The most vital problems include in particular housing, restoration of lost documents, legal and psychological assistance, the Ombudsmans Office said.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Beijing, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Mar, 2021 ) :Beijing said it was "very concerned" for the safety of its citizens in Myanmar on Monday, after several Chinese factories were attacked amid a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Yangon.

China "is very concerned about the impact on the safety of Chinese institutions and personnel", said foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, urging Myanmar to take actions to "resolutely avoid a recurrence of such incidents".
Chennai, March 15 : The small and medium industries in Tamil Nadu have been affected by the two-day strike called by the banking trade unions leading to the suspension of banking operations.

ATMs across the state have also dried up as banks were not working on Saturday and Sunday owing to holidays and with the two day bank strike commencing on Monday, the money in the ATMs has not been replenished.

Around 60,000 bank employees of 160 branches of government owned banks are on a two-day strike in protest against the privatisation of two more banks by the Central government.

C.H. Venkatachalam of the All India Bank Employees Federation (AIBEF) while speaking to IANS said, "Around 5,150 crore transaction will be affected in two days of bank strike in Chennai alone." The majority of the small and medium industries have been hit by the bank strike with these industries relying only on cash transactions. There are around 1500 small and medium industries in Ekkaduthangal in Chennai and the staff of these factories are usually paid in cash.

T.V. Hariharan from Chennai District Small Scale Industries Association, while speaking to IANS said, "The owners of most of these small and medium industries are educated only up to 8th or 10th standard and they have to depend on others for online transactions and hence they are still continuing with cash and cheque transactions." These SMEs were not able to pay the weekly wages as the banks were closed from Saturday.

M. Sahasaranamam, owner of Speon factories, a unit at Ambattur industrial estate specializing in proximity sensors, told IANS," I have more than fifty five workers and have good orders even during the Covid pandemic. However, I am worried as my employees are not able to make their weekly payments owing to the banks closure." The bank employees association leaders said that the strike is against the Central government announcing privatization of two more nationalized banks and that if these banks are routinely converted to the private sector, social commitment of these banks will be gone for ever.

Venkatachalam while speaking to IANS said, "The privatization of the nationalized banks will affect the social commitment of these banks and hence we are forced to go on strike. People will understand the necessity of this strike."
In the sports world, navigating COVID-19 amounts to an exercise in risk vs. reward.

Selection Sunday put that calculation to the test, and Louisville and Duke found their line. It's the NIT.

Several teams opt out of Texas NIT

After being snubbed for the NCAA tournament, the Cardinals declined their inevitable NIT invitation before it arrived. The school announced shortly after the NCAA tournament field was announced that it will not play in the NIT, where it would have landed a likely No. 1 seed.

Duke, which wasn't in the conversation for an NCAA at-large bid, will also turned down the nIT after failing to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1995.

St. John's, Seton Hall and Xavier all agreed. Thanks, but no thanks to traveling to Texas during a pandemic for a tournament with minimal stakes attached.

NIT bracket revealed

None of the teams that opted out were listed when the NIT announced its bracket Sunday evening.

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Louisville, Colorado State, St. Louis and Ole Miss were the first four teams out of the NCAA tournament. They will be selected as replacement NCAA tournament teams in that order if COVID-19 forces teams from the field to opt out by Tuesday. Only Louisville declined an NIT bid.

The rewards of the NIT simply aren't enough for some programs to carry on with increased COVID-19 risk. (Robert Willett/The News & Observer via AP)

NIT will look different this year

The tournament that normally whittles down a bracket of 32 teams to crown a champion at New York's Madison Square Garden will cut it its field in half and move to North Texas, where 16 teams will compete in the Dallas suburbs of Frisco and Denton.

Sunday's decisions to not attend demonstrate the calculations teams and programs have continually assessed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since sports restarted, athletes, teams and leagues have analyzed the risks and largely decided that the collective rewards of competing outweigh the inevitable exposures to the coronavirus  as long as there are stakes attached, financial or otherwise.

The rewards of the NIT clearly aren't enough for some programs to take the risk of playing in a state that's dropped mask mandates and opened everything up as the pandemic rages on.

More NCAA tournament on Yahoo Sports:
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The year-long decline in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations leveled out somewhat in the last week, but remained at or near the lowest levels since mid-October, reports from the Ohio Department of Health show.

Ohio reported an average of 1,516 cases a day over the last week through Monday, edging down from an average 1,550 the previous week. However, Mondays hospital patient count stood at 914, up from 830 a week ago.

These reports come as vaccinations stepped up sharply, increasing the chances of more declines in case and hospital numbers in the coming weeks.

To date, the coronavirus has claimed at least 17,871 Ohio lives, hospitalized 51,654 and infected at least 990,340 Ohioans, the health department reported.

Heres a closer look at the latest trends.

The decline in reported coronavirus cases in Ohio slowed in the last week.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

Hospitalizations

Hospitalizations had been on the decline in Ohio for weeks after the rapid spike in the fall to a record 5,308 on Dec. 15, and remain low despite the increase in the last week.

Mondays patient count of 914 compares with 830 a week ago, 1,636 a month ago on Feb. 15 and 3,793 two months ago on Jan. 15, according to daily surveys by the Ohio Hospital Association.

Among Mondays patients were 228 in intensive care units, down from 244 a week ago and down from 474 a month ago. The record for ICU patients of 1,318 was set on Dec. 15.

About 35% of the states hospital beds were vacant Monday, as well as 35% of the ICU beds - little change over recent weeks.

Coronavirus hospitalizations in Ohio are up slightly over the 2021 low on March 7.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

Vaccines

The state reported starting vaccines for 393,144 people last week, up from 309,434, 236,727 and 143,544 the previous three weeks.

The 2,390,412 vaccinations started through reporting on Monday means about 1-in-4 of Ohios 9.1 million adults have been vaccinated to date, or 26%.

These are estimates in part because the Ohio data for vaccines includes some people from other states such as those who work in Ohio - at least 55,420 so far - yet some Ohioans may have received vaccinations in other states.

The counties with the most vaccines started are Cuyahoga (242,936) and Franklin (236,760).

The state of reported 393,144 were newly vaccinated in the last week, marking an increase for the third week in a row.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

Cases

Ohio reported 10,615 cases in the last week, an average of 1,516 a day. This is down from averages of 1,550, 1,928, 2,016, 2,732, 3,295, 4,346 and 5,370 the last several weeks, and down from close to 6,700 a day at the end of December.

On Sunday, the state reported 893 new cases. That was just the second time new cases fell under 1,000 since Oct. 4. The other time was on Sunday, March 7, when 735 cases were reported.

The counties with the most cases are Ohios three largest counties - Franklin (114,458 cases), Cuyahoga (98,473) and Hamilton (74,704). Case rates per 100 residents, hospitalizations and deaths for every county in Ohio can be found in the chart at the bottom of this story.

The last two Sundays, March 7 and March 14, were the first two days Ohio has reported fewer than 1,000 new coronavirus cases since mid-fall.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

Deaths

The state has now reported 17,871 deaths caused by the coronavirus, though the total likely is an undercount by hundreds, if not thousands.

The Ohio Department of Health announced on March 2 that it was dropping efforts to track deaths in a timely manner, saying the change would delay death reporting by up to six months in some cases. The health department is now awaiting details from the federal Centers for Disease Controls for all deaths, and updates are now being made just twice a week.

Illustrating how far the paperwork now lags, the state is not yet reporting any deaths that occurred after March 8, and has reported only 50 deaths for March, in comparison to 981 in February, 3,417 in January and 5,428 in December.

The counties with the most deaths are Cuyahoga (1,920), Franklin (1,276) and Hamilton (1,087).

Among the dead are at least 6,790 patients of nursing homes and other long-term facilities statewide, according to the the states last update on Wednesday. This was down from 7,462 two weeks earlier, as the state removed hundreds of deaths in changing the way fatalities are reported. Most of these will be added back later once the paperwork is processed by the CDC.

At least 5,428 Ohioans died because of coronavirus in December. More recent trends are unclear because of delays in reporting by the Ohio Department of Health.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

Demographics

Three-in-four of the deaths have been to people age 70 and older, breaking down this way: under age 20 (4), in their 20s (22), in their 30s (90), in their 40s (237), in their 50s (873), in their 60s (2,525), in their 70s (4,775) and at least 80 years old (9,345).

Those age 80 and up have accounted for 52% of the known coronavirus deaths, in comparison to 44% of all known Ohio deaths in 2018. Those in their 70s have accounted for 27% of the coronavirus deaths, in comparison to 21% of all Ohio deaths in 2018 ahead of the virus.

But for hospitalizations, the cases are more spread out age-wise: under age 20 (1,224), in their 20s (1,990), in their 30s (2,621), in their 40s (4,006), in their 50s (7,321), in their 60s (11,090), in their 70s (12,288) and at least 80 years old (11,102).

For the deaths in which race was reported, 86% of the people are white, and 12% are Black. For total cases, 75% are white and 13% Black.

Ohios overall population is 82% white and 13% Black. But among Ohioans at least 70 years old - the age group accounting for three-quarters of the deaths - Ohio is 89% white and 9% Black.

Most coronavirus deaths in Ohio have been to people age 70 and older, more than in pre-COVID times.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

Case milestones and testing

The first three cases were confirmed on March 9. The total topped 100,000 on Aug. 9, 250,000 on Nov. 8, 500,000 on Dec. 8, and 750,000 on Thursday, Jan. 7.

Among the cases reported to date are 146,264 listed as probable, those cases included by a wider variety of tests or identified through non-testing evidence. This total is up from 142,509 last week.

The state reported 10,508,152 tests to date, including 225,399, about unchanged from 226,151 the previous week.

The chart below is based on the most recent case data from the Ohio Department of Health. Cleveland.com calculated the cases per 100 rates based on 2019 census population estimates.

Rich Exner, data analysis editor for cleveland.com, writes about numbers on a variety of topics. Follow on Twitter @RichExner. See other data-related stories at cleveland.com/datacentral.

County Cases Hosp. Deaths Cases

per

100 Adams 2,196 123 42 7.9 Allen 10,868 757 217 10.6 Ashland 3,902 255 84 7.3 Ashtabula 6,060 326 156 6.2 Athens 4,711 167 50 7.2 Auglaize 4,578 273 84 10.0 Belmont 5,110 246 144 7.6 Brown 3,780 56 52 8.7 Butler 36,226 1,107 540 9.5 Carroll 1,836 133 45 6.8 Champaign 2,973 145 49 7.6 Clark 12,546 462 266 9.4 Clermont 18,728 775 210 9.1 Clinton 3,483 154 55 8.3 Columbiana 8,253 467 214 8.1 Coshocton 2,474 195 56 6.8 Crawford 3,670 280 98 8.8 Cuyahoga 98,473 6,007 1,920 8.0 Darke 5,076 300 116 9.9 Defiance 3,792 266 93 10.0 Delaware 16,850 265 124 8.1 Erie 7,042 588 150 9.5 Fairfield 14,812 656 190 9.4 Fayette 2,716 221 43 9.5 Franklin 114,458 3,557 1,276 8.7 Fulton 3,869 207 63 9.2 Gallia 2,254 135 39 7.5 Geauga 6,199 343 143 6.6 Greene 13,762 676 225 8.1 Guernsey 2,921 234 47 7.5 Hamilton 74,704 2,694 1,087 9.1 Hancock 6,096 418 121 8.0 Hardin 2,507 139 60 8.0 Harrison 1,015 78 34 6.7 Henry 2,508 167 62 9.3 Highland 3,324 178 51 7.7 Hocking 1,981 137 54 7.0 Holmes 2,466 229 99 5.6 Huron 4,945 324 109 8.5 Jackson 2,937 176 47 9.1 Jefferson 4,887 222 138 7.5 Knox 4,101 307 107 6.6 Lake 18,809 716 338 8.2 Lawrence 5,324 393 86 9.0 Licking 15,272 338 195 8.6 Logan 3,609 174 73 7.9 Lorain 22,504 1,261 439 7.3 Lucas 36,422 2,125 738 8.5 Madison 3,995 152 55 8.9 Mahoning 19,777 932 561 8.6 Marion 8,081 378 130 12.4 Medina 13,818 658 239 7.7 Meigs 1,362 67 34 5.9 Mercer 4,609 391 82 11.2 Miami 10,130 519 199 9.5 Monroe 1,197 100 38 8.8 Montgomery 47,863 4,228 941 9.0 Morgan 1,029 58 20 7.1 Morrow 2,638 133 38 7.5 Muskingum 8,332 593 119 9.7 Noble 1,299 91 36 9.0 Ottawa 3,290 222 73 8.1 Paulding 1,634 139 35 8.8 Perry 2,751 180 49 7.6 Pickaway 8,162 281 112 14.0 Pike 2,201 156 28 7.9 Portage 11,332 649 184 7.0 Preble 3,564 249 89 8.7 Putnam 4,026 259 95 11.9 Richland 10,493 576 195 8.7 Ross 6,238 481 135 8.1 Sandusky 4,850 329 115 8.3 Scioto 6,090 442 91 8.1 Seneca 4,807 307 114 8.7 Shelby 4,438 146 81 9.1 Stark 29,933 1,706 839 8.1 Summit 41,459 3,633 860 7.7 Trumbull 14,617 1,060 432 7.4 Tuscarawas 8,158 623 235 8.9 Union 5,237 184 43 8.9 Van Wert 2,318 79 57 8.2 Vinton 772 74 13 5.9 Warren 22,849 652 281 9.7 Washington 4,831 193 97 8.1 Wayne 8,050 386 203 7.0 Williams 3,057 153 69 8.3 Wood 11,865 584 174 9.1 Wyandot 2,159 147 50 9.9 Statewide 990,340 51,642 17,870 8.5

Some mobile users may have to use this link instead to view the county-by-county chart above.

Previous stories

How close is your ZIP code to reaching the goal of 50 coronavirus cases per 100,000, set by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine?

See coronavirus cases by day for each Ohio county, including per capita and cases in last seven days

A year of COVID-19 in Ohio, told through the numbers

How to claim your unemployment tax break under new stimulus; other coronavirus-related tax matters - Thats Rich!

Heres whats in the latest COVID-19 relief bill, including $5,600 in stimulus payments for a family of 4 - Thats Rich!

Ohios coronavirus case rate dips closer to Gov. DeWines goal for lifting restrictions; 66 counties now on red alert
This story has been updated.

After weeks of petitions from teachers, Mobile County Public School System Superintendent Chresal Threadgill announced Friday he will recommend a one-time $1,200 payment for full-time school employees.

Because we as a district have practiced patience and have made tough decisions that have set our district on a positive financial footing for the first time in memory, I am able to tell you today that patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet, Threadgill wrote in a memo to staff.

Teachers began a petition in February for a raise or bonus, citing their work under difficult COVID-19 circumstances.

Thousands of teachers in the state received holiday bonuses varying from $300 to $1,000, but teachers in Madison and Mobile counties were left out, with local county officials citing uncertain budget conditions.

Threadgill said that the districts finances have been in flux and the additional time allowed officials to assess how much they could truly afford to allocate.

Had the board and I dashed into doing this because other districts were doing it at the time, that would have only resulted in only a bare minimum bonus for some employees, he said. We know without any doubt that all employees deserve more.

In December, schools spokeswoman Rena Philips told AL.com that a one-time $1,000 payment to as many as 7,400 employees in the district could cost as much as $7.5 million.

Most districts appeared to rely on local tax dollars to fund the one-time payments, which have also been characterized as stipends or extraordinary compensation.

Mobile has not yet listed the matter on any upcoming meeting agenda.
TARZANA, Calif., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- A generous, dedicated and civically-engaged family that made its fortune in Southern California are continuing a long tradition of philanthropy with a record $50 million gift to Providence Tarzana Foundation , a transformational donation that will support the expansion and renovation of Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center.

B-roll and photos available via this link.

The new, five-story patient tower will be named the Friese Family Patient Tower to honor Donald and Andrea Friese, their children and grandchildren. The donation marks the largest ever to a Providence hospital in California and is among the largest across the 52-hospital health system.

"This is a truly historic day in Southern California," said Erik G. Wexler, President, Operations and Strategy, Providence - South. "Don's and Andrea's generous gift will be instrumental in bringing to life the vision of Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center."

Thomas M. Priselac, President and CEO of Cedars-Sinai, said he is excited to continue the collaboration with Providence for the benefit of the region.

"This transformative gift from the Friese family will enable Providence Southern California and Cedars-Sinai to further our collective mission of bringing the highest quality care to residents of the San Fernando Valley," Priselac said.

Tarzana Reimagined is the single largest not-for-profit health care construction project in the history of the San Fernando Valley. The product of a synergetic partnership between Providence and Cedars-Sinai, this state-of-the-art modernization and expansion will transform the current Tarzana hospital into a world-class medical campus when complete in 2023.

"As Valley residents with close connections to this hospital, Don and I are happy to contribute to the visionary Tarzana Reimagined campaign," Andrea Friese said. "This project is so important to our family and to generations of families across the Valley and beyond."

In addition to an expansion of its Emergency Department and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, the project will include 13 hybrid operating suites to expand surgical capacity.

"The San Fernando Valley has been our home for decades," Don Friese said. "We've raised our family and built our business in Southern California. We want to give back to the community that has given us so much. We can't think of a better way to express our gratitude than to help bring world-class health care close to home."

"Don and Andrea Friese are giving the most precious gift of all to their local community," said Matthew Rinnert, chief philanthropy officer, Providence Tarzana Foundation. "The gift of health and wellbeing."

After serving three years in the U.S. Army, Donald Friese moved to Los Angeles with just $125 in his pocket as he set off to find a job. He was hired in 1961 as a warehouseman at C.R. Laurence Co., a small glass products manufacturer and distributor. Mr. Friese climbed the ladder to its highest rung, building the company from $250,000 in annual revenues to over $500 million and creating the leading architectural hardware, equipment, tools and supplies company in the glass and glazing industry in the process.

In 2015, as chief executive officer and sole shareholder, he sold C.R. Laurence and shared his lifetime of profits with his employees. He and his family give generously to the community through their Friese Foundation , assisting organizations such as the Salvation Army, and are committed to supporting child welfare, health care, veterans, animal rescue, education, entrepreneurship and much, much more.

"Philanthropy has never been more important and impactful to healthcare organizations than it is today in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Kenya Beckmann, chief philanthropy officer, Providence Southern California. "The Frieses' gift will inspire so many in the years ahead."

About Tarzana Foundation

For over a decade, Providence Tarzana Foundation has been dedicated to the philanthropic support of Tarzana Medical Center through the development of charitable contributions and community engagement. The Foundation is the sole philanthropic entity raising funds for the Tarzana Reimagined project, an expansion of Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center.

About Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center

Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center has served the growing San Fernando Valley community since 1973. Our 249-bed hospital is known as a leading source for quality care, providing emergency care and performing advanced surgical procedures to improve our patients' health. The medical center has been recognized as a Healthgrades 100 Best Hospitals Award for two years in a row and is a recipient of the Distinguished Hospital Award Clinical Excellence for four years in a row. Designated as a Pediatric Medical Center, Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana is certified to treat critically ill children transported by the 911 emergency medical services system.

SOURCE Providence Tarzana Foundation

Related Links

https://tarzanafoundation.org/


A senior employee for a Dublin based multinational consulting and accountancy firm has been arrested by fraud squad detectives in relation to an alleged fraud of over 1m.

The 34-year-old employee is being questioned by fraud squad detectives at Terenure Garda Station after he was arrested at his home in Lucan, west Dublin, this morning.

Senior sources say that the man is being questioned over allegations that he stole over 1.1m from the company that he works for over a two year period.

His investigation follows a complaint made by the Dublin based company to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) in December.

It is suspected that the suspect had been overclaiming expenses and altering documents to support these false claims over a two year period.

The foreign national is suspected of using the stolen funds to buy a property and is also suspected of sending money abroad.

This morning GNECB detectives searched a solicitors office as part of the investigation into the purchase of the property in Lucan but the solicitor is not suspected of any wrongdoing.

A sum of 30,000 was also frozen in an account linked to the arrested man.

This was an internal fraud that was uncovered by the company itself in the first instance. No clients of the company have been effected by this, a senior source said.

The company employs over 2,000 people in Ireland and tens of thousands across the world.

Gardai said in a statement this afternoon: Gardai attached to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) have today, Monday 15th March 2021, arrested a male, aged in his 30s, following allegations of theft at an accountancy firm. The arrest was made as part of an investigation following a complaint made by the accountancy firm relating to false claims for expenses by an employee, in excess of 1,000,000. A number of searches were conducted by GNECB since January 2021 following receipt of the complaint.

"A substantial amount of money was frozen in two bank accounts in Ireland and a separate jurisdiction respectively, as part of this investigation.

The man was arrested today and he is currently detained in Terenure Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.
The second executives legal counsel filed a preliminary complaint on Friday with the state attorney generals offices public integrity bureau about a possible ethics violation by the governors office, according to an official with direct knowledge of the complaint.

Mr. Schwartz, a former top aide to the governor who returned as an unpaid adviser, has been in charge of vaccination planning, a position that puts him in frequent contact with local officials.

But the two county executives said the calls had to do with politics, not vaccine. A third county official said that Mr. Schwartz had called to gauge the officials opinion of Mr. Cuomos political situation, but that the issue of vaccination had not come up.

Several county executives, both Republican and Democratic, said they did not receive similar calls.

The response

Local officials in recent months have quietly raised worries that the Cuomo administration may have viewed its control over vaccine as a means to reward or punish local officials.

Mr. Schwartz said in a statement on Sunday that he had never mixed Covid-response policy with political considerations, noting that distribution and the administration of vaccines in New York State is based on a clear formula.

All decisions regarding vaccines are done based on public health considerations, not politics, Mr. Schwartz said.

Beth Garvey, the acting counsel to the governor, praised Mr. Schwartz. Any suggestion that he acted in any way unethically or in any way other than in the best interest of the New Yorkers that he selflessly served, she said, is patently false.
San Francisco, March 15 : A Facebook internal study has found that a small group of users is actually sowing major doubts about the Covid-19 vaccines, discouraging people from taking the vital jab.

The findings showed that just 10 out of the 638 population segments contained 50 per cent of all vaccine hesitancy content on the platform.

In the population segment with the most vaccine hesitancy, just 111 users contributed half of all vaccine hesitant content, according to a report in The Washington Post.

The Facebook study has also found a QAnon connection behind the campaign to malign the use of coronavirus vaccines and spreading "vaccine hesitancy".

QAnon is a far-right conspiracy theory group in the US.

The research is a large-scale attempt to understand the spread of ideas that contribute to vaccine hesitancy, "or the act of delaying or refusing a vaccination despite its availability, on social media -- a primary source of health information for millions of people," the report said on Sunday.

"While Facebook has banned outright false and misleading statements about coronavirus vaccines since December, a huge realm of expression about vaccines sits in a gray area," it added.

Facebook spokesperson Dani Lever said that the social network has partnered with more than 60 global health experts to allay the Covid-19 vaccine fears.

"Public health experts have made it clear that tackling vaccine hesitancy is a top priority in the Covid response, which is why we've launched a global campaign that has already connected 2 billion people to reliable information from health experts and remove false claims about COVID and vaccines," Lever was quoted as saying.

Facebook has stepped up its fight against the misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines, and now removes false claims about these vaccines that have been debunked by public health experts on its platform as well as Instagram.

As part of their effort to reduce the spread of "vaccine hoaxes" on its platform, Facebook and its photo-messaging app Instagram said recently not to allow advertisements that include misinformation about vaccines.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
A First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged against Instagram influencer Hitesha Chandrani based on the complaint from Zomato delivery executive Kamraj, who she had alleged of assaulting her. In the case filed with Bengaluru's Electronic City Police Station, she has been charged with Sections 355 (assault), 504 (insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code.

"I don't want to make it more complicated, let the truth win. If not, I will fight it legally. I have a mother with co-morbid conditions, my father died 15 years back, I am the only breadwinner for my family. I am working in Zomato for the past 26 months with 4.7 ratings. As of now, the company has blocked my ID until this case completes and assured of taking it back once the matter resolves," Kamaraj told news agency ANI.

Karnataka: FIR filed against Hitesha Chandrani, who had accused Zomato delivery boy Kamaraj of attacking her, at Bengaluru's Electronic City Police Station under Section 355 (assault), 504 (insult) & 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC; FIR registered on Kamaraj's complaint a ANI (@ANI) March 15, 2021

On March 10, Chandrani in a viral video had alleged that a Zomato delivery boy punched her in the face after an argument over the delayed food delivery. After the video of Bangalore-based Instagram influencer went viral, the Zomato delivery boy named Kamaraj was arrested on the charges of assaulting a woman on March 10. He was later granted conditional bail the next day.

Kamaraj in a statement refuted the allegation made by the influencer in the viral video. Kamaraj alleged that Hitesha was acting rude and hit him with a slipper. Kamaraj noted that he was only defending himself by pushing her hands away. "She had a ring on her finger and this hit her nose. You can see the ring in the video she has posted on social media," Kamaraj added.

ALSO READ: 'If he is innocent, penalise the woman': Parineeti Chopra on Zomato delivery boy case

ALSO READ: Zomato delivery agent refutes Bengaluru woman's allegations; Netizens react

ALSO READ: Zomato covers delivery boy's earnings, offers legal support

ALSO READ: 'Abused me, threw slippers, hit herself': Zomato delivery boy refutes Bengaluru woman's allegations

ALSO READ: Delivery boy who assaulted Instagram influencer in Bengaluru arrested; Zomato apologises
The 24th Meeting of the Revised Kyoto Convention Management Committee (RKC/MC) was held from 1 to 5 March 2021. Over 130 Participants joined the virtual Meeting via the KUDO platform.

The Meeting was mainly devoted to Step 2 under the four-step framework of the comprehensive review of the RKC. The four-step framework is an approach comprising submission of proposals and development of recommendations as Step 1; assessment of developed recommendations against the RKC, its Guidelines and other existing WCO instruments and tools as Step 2; consideration of developed recommendations against agreed criteria for possible amendment to the RKC as Step 3, and development of amendment proposals in line with Article 6 and 15 of the RKC as Step 4. The four step framework was agreed by the RKC/MC during its 22nd Meeting.

The Secretariat provided an update and the first draft of the Step 2 assessment undertaken so far with the support of interested Contracting parties and Observers. Most of the discussed concepts were related to COVID-19 such as relief consignment, e-payment, postal procedures, passengers, use of IT and technology, etc. The RKC/MC has conducted a very painstaking task and consequently decided which recommended proposals should be dealt with in the RKC, its guidelines, any other existing WCO instruments and tools or under a new instrument or tool.

In his opening remarks, the Director of the Compliance and Facilitation Directorate, Mr. Pranab Kumar Das, expressed his satisfaction with the increase in the number of Contracting Parties from 124 to 127 since the last meeting held in December 2020. He warmly welcomed Liberia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as new RKC Contracting parties.

Over the very productive five day meeting, the RKC/MC discussed how to progress the work in an inclusive manner taking into account the contribution of Observers in the review of the Convention. The RKC/MC also discussed pre-recorded presentations by the above-mentioned new Contracting parties on their accession procedures.

The next RKC/MC will be 7-11 June 2021.
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MILFORD - The city tax rate would decrease for the sixth year in a row if the Finance Boards budget proposal of $222 million were approved by the Board of Alderman.

The Finance Boards recent unanimous budget recommendation would result in a tax rate of 27.67 mills, a decrease from last years rate of 27.68 mills. The city side of the proposed budget is $122.2 million, with $99.7 million allocated toward education. The citys grand list of taxable property increased by $92.9 million to $6,751,219,520 over the Oct. 1, 2019 total.

The aldermen will meet with city department heads and grant-based agencies before voting to adopt the budget in mid-May.

Board of Finance Chairman Brian Lema took board members Scott Moulton Ray Arnold, Lauren Ranges and Ben Gettinger through the 100-plus page proposal.

The Board of Finance did a great job making some adjustments on the budget they received. Its sets up for another responsible year of budgeting, Mayor Ben Blake said. If the Board of Aldermen adopts the recommendation it will be the sixth year in a row that Milford residents and businesses have seen a tax cut. I think it has never happened anywhere, at least in the state of Connecticut.

Moulton asked whether COVID-related money expected from the state could help reduce the budget but after discussion it was decided restrictions on use of funds made it practical to move the proposal forward.

Blake said: We dont get a lot of our revenue from state grants, about 4 percent. When I first (2012) began doing budgets about 15 percent of our revenue came from the state so it is less of a factor now. But it is still important.

What we predict and plugged in are last years numbers so the state will hold us harmless, he said. Im hopeful that will come into play because revenues at the state level are pretty high. We dont know the exact budget that the legislature will ultimately adopt but the governors budgets holds us harmless from last year, no more no less.

Blake said he believes Milford is on a good path, pointing to 467 new businesses coming into the city in 2020.

Weve had another huge growth in our grand list. Those businesses decided to make their home in Milford at a time when we were in a pandemic, Blake said.

Restaurants took the biggest economic hit, but Blake said he is hopeful.

Overall, a lot of businesses had to adjust and be creative. There was a lot of pain for business owners and they had to work double-time to make it work. There are some restaurants that temporarily closed that are opening, he said. 7 Seas, a Milford institution going back over 50 years, I know they are opening after being closed for several months. I suspect there are other restaurants and businesses that had to go on pause.

Blake reported that the Finance Board added a deputy health director, with a salary of $81,165, and contributions to the pension fund. The Police Department request of $15,219,793 was reduced in the mayors proposal to $13.9 million . Line items for two safety dispatchers were eliminated. A computer request of $96,000 was lowered to $42,000. Police cruisers for $296,000 and a dash cam video camera $252,931 were also eliminated.

Lema thanked Joe Fitzpatrick, who has stepped down from the board, for his years of service, and welcomed Gettinger to the board.

william.bloxsom@hearstmediact.com Twitter: @blox354
By Colin Packham

CANBERRA (Reuters) - Thousands of protesters are expected to descend on Australia's capital on Monday when the country's parliament resumes as part of nationwide demonstrations, intensifying pressure on Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Spurred by rape allegations against Attorney-General Christian Porter and a former employee of Morrison's Liberal party, 43 protests are planned across the country on Monday to demand equality and justice for women.

Porter denies the allegation, which surfaced recently, of the alleged 1988 rape.

A March4Justice rally is expected to gather several thousand people outside parliament in Canberra, the largest of the demonstrations that organisers predict will have about 85,000 people nationwide.

The protests will fuel pressure on Morrison, who will be without two members of his cabinet when parliament resumes on Monday.

"People who aren't interested in politics are engaged and angry and numbers are growing," said Haydon Manning, a political science professor at Flinders University in South Australia. "Morrison can not afford for the issue to continue, he simply has to change the agenda."

Seeking to placate rising anger, Morrison said on Sunday he would meet with a delegation, although he would not attend the protest.

The allegations involving people in Morrison's government are expected to dominate proceedings over the next two weeks, with Morrison also facing a depleted front bench.

Porter and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds - who has been criticised for falling to report the alleged rape by an unidentified former staff member - are both on sick leave.

(Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by William Mallard)
On Sunday, At least 38 people were killed Sunday and dozens were injured in one of the deadliest days of the crackdown, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent group tracking the toll of the violence. Due to that, Myanmar's ruling junta has declared martial law in parts of the country's largest city as security forces killed more protesters in an increasingly lethal crackdown on resistance to last month's military coup.

For your information let us share that most of those killed were 34 in Yangon, where two townships, Hlaing Thar Yar and neighboring Shwepyitha were being placed under martial law. Video from Hlaing Thar Yar township showed people running away after gunfire was heard. Those fleeing carried one injured person and tried to revive two others, one who seemed to be dead or dying, the footage from independent Democratic Voice of Burma showed. Hlaing Thar Yar was the location of 22 civilian deaths Sunday, according to the aid group, which said more than a dozen civilians were wounded and described a large number of junta forces engaged in the township.

However, here it is to be noted that since the takeover six weeks ago, Myanmar has been under a nationwide state of emergency, with its civilian leaders ousted and detained and military leaders in charge of all government. Here it is to be noted that the announcement said the State Administrative Council acted to enhance security and restore law and order and said the Yangon regional commander has been entrusted with administrative, judicial and military powers in the area under his command.

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By Maureen Schlangen

In late February, University Libraries Dean Kathleen Webb announced the installation of new dry-erase boards in 12 study rooms in Roesch Library, thanks to a Student Government Association grant and matching funds from the University Libraries Deans Fund for Excellence.

Daniel Hennessey, a sophomore SGA senator and mechanical engineering major from St. Louis, proposed the improvements in early 2020 after a student approached him with the idea.

About midway through my first semester, a friend had come up to me and asked if there was any way I could work with SGA to add more whiteboards to the study rooms in the library, as those are go-to areas for students working together in groups, Hennessey said in February from his engineering co-op at GE Appliances in Louisville, Kentucky. I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to work closely with Dean Webb throughout the planning phases of the project, which helped to make the process very easy. I was also very fortunate that Dean Webb offered to match the contribution of SGA for the project.

The boards cost about $330 each including installation, Webb said. With SGAs grant of $2,000 and an additional $2,000 from Webb, the project resulted in not just new boards, but also some extra markers.

Spaces with erasable marker boards are in high demand in the Libraries. On any given morning, theyre routinely filled with content from the night before, from computer logic and calculus to brainstorms and molecular models.

I personally use the whiteboards when working on group projects with others, said Hennessey, a mechanical engineering major with a concentration in aerospace engineering. I have found them to be especially beneficial when working on problems in my engineering classes with others as the whiteboards give us a lot of space to collaborate.

Students, staff and faculty can reserve the study rooms online.

 Maureen Schlangen is an e-scholarship and communications manager in the University Libraries. Photo above: UD sophomore Daniel Hennessey (contributed photo) with an inset photo of a well-used whiteboard in Roesch Library the morning of March 10 (photo by health and life sciences librarian Jason Wardell).
The company has lodged EL applications the Liguria and Emilia Romagna regions which contain multiple high-grade copper mines that produced a significant portion of Italys copper and manganese up to the early 1970s.

( ) has expanded its exploration pipeline into two of the most commercially significant copper mining districts in Italy with the lodgement of applications for two exploration licences (ELs).

The company has applied for the Monte Bianco EL (8,200 hectares) in the Liguria region of the Northern Apennines and the Corchia EL (3,500 hectares) in the Emilia Romagna region.

Mineralisation at both projects is hosted in copper-rich VMS systems mined up to the early 1970s with historical production grades of 7% copper at the Libiola mine and 3-5% copper at the Corchia mine.

The Monte Bianco EL also contains the old Gambetesa mine which was, at the time, the largest manganese mine in Europe and operated from 1939 to 1971, with mined grades of 28-30% manganese to produce around 50,000 tonnes of manganese metal per annum.

In addition, the ELs are close to existing infrastructure (roads, centres of population, water and power) and within easy logistical reach of the hub port of Genoa.

Building complementary metals portfolio

It is expected that the Monte Bianco and Corchia licences will become important projects in Altas pipeline of Italian opportunities, with the Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide (VMS) systems consisting largely of chalcopyrite with associated oxidised copper species, sphalerite, cobalt and gold  a suite of metals aligned to the companys strategy of becoming an Italian focused base and battery metals explorer and producer.

Alta Zinc managing director Geraint Harris said: Since drilling started at Pian Bracca our Italian team have been very focused on exploration at Gorno which has delivered excellent results.

Over the last 12 months, we have also considered ways in which to leverage our position in Italy to build an accretive and complementary metals portfolio.

We are very excited by our application for these two new base metals projects that offer strong growth potential and to take advantage of the growing EV metal deficit in Europe.

These projects are very complementary, however, do not take our focus from Gorno and will add significant value for our shareholders.

The EL application areas and the location of the old mines.

Next steps

In advance of the granting of the ELs, Alta will now undertake desktop reviews of the extensive historical records which will provide the basis for an initial low-cost surface sampling, geophysics and remote hyperspectral sensing exploration program.

None of the mines or the ELs have been subjected to modern exploration prior to closure, and the company intends to initially target near-mine extensions before extending to step-out prospects.

Harris said: Both ELs have excellent potential to extend the known deposits laterally and at depth, and our plan is to commence an initial low-impact and efficient program of geophysics and surface sampling once granted.
Frankfurt: The editor-in-chief of Bild, Europes largest newspaper and an influential force in German politics and society, has taken a leave of absence while a law firm conducts an investigation into accusations made against him, the publications owner said.

Julian Reichelt, the editor, denies accusations of misconduct, Axel Springer, Bilds publisher, said in a statement. Springer said it had no clear evidence of misconduct but had hired the law firm Freshfields to investigate the accusations. It did not specify what they were.

Bild is Germanys biggest newspaper.

The accusations were first reported by the magazine Spiegel, which cited half a dozen female employees who had worked for the newspaper and complained of coercion by Reichelt. Spiegel did not name the female employees. The magazine said the women accused Reichelt of abusing his position of authority and creating a hostile work environment but did not provide further details.

To make sure that the investigation process can be seen through to the end undisturbed and the editorial team can work without further burdens, Springer said, Reichelt has asked the Axel Springer board to release him from his functions until the accusations have been clarified.
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Canberra, March 15 : Thousands of Australian women gathered across the country on Monday to protest against misogyny in the federal Parliament.

Protesters participated in more than 40 rallies, calling for an end to "sexism, misogyny, dangerous workplace cultures and lack of equality" in politics and the community at large as part of the 'March4Justice', reports Xinhua news agency.

The movement, which organisers described as "the biggest uprising of women that Australia's seen," was established after former government adviser Brittany Higgins went public with allegations that she was raped in the Parliament House in 2019, and Attorney-General Christian Porter was accused of an earlier rape.

Addressing the rally in Canberra, Higgins said she was speaking out for the victims of sexual assault who could not.

"One out of every five women in Australia will be sexually assaulted or raped in their lifetime. If you are a woman of colour, the statistics are even higher.

"I was raped inside Parliament House by a colleague and for so long it felt like the people around me did not care about what happened because of what it might mean for them.

"They were my social network, colleagues, and my family. As suddenly they treated me differently. I was not a person who had just gone through a lot of changes, I was a political problem," she said.

Earlier on Monday, Janine Hendry, an organiser of the event, turned down an invitation from Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Marise Payne to meet behind closed doors.

"We have already come to the front door. Now it's up to the government to cross the threshold and come to us. We will not be meeting behind closed doors," she said.

Morrison said on Sunday that he could not accept an open invite to all federal politicians to attend the Canberra event because he was busy.
PHILIPSBURG:--- A petition sent to the United Nations requesting two of its bodies to investigate "systemic discrimination, and racism perpetrated against the people of St. Maarten" has been met with loud rhetoric and threats from three opposition members of Parliament and Dutch Parliamentarians, respectively. On Sunday, Faction Leader for the United People's Party (UPP) in Parliament Grisha Heyliger-Marten said: "The sudden outbursts of threats and rhetoric by some politicians suggest that we should just shut up and accept anything, including abuse, for money. Money which can't reach the people yet since 2017."

The Petition, submitted on March 9th, 2021 by Parliaments legal counsel The Choharis Law Group, PLLC in Washington D.C., requests the UN to investigate several violations of international laws by means of fact-finding missions. The charges include the violation of St. Maartens UN-mandated right to a full measure of self-government based on absolute equality (with the Netherlands) and systemic racism perpetrated by the Dutch Government towards the Dutch citizens of the Caribbean.

The petition stems from a motion presented by MP Heyliger-Marten (United People's Party) and subsequently passed by Parliament on November 5th, 2020 with 12 votes in favor and 3 against. In the fifth resolution of that motion, Parliament resolves to retain legal counsel to assist the Parliament and Government of Sint Maarten with ending the violations of Sint Maarten's UN-mandated right to a full measure of self-government and completing the decolonization of Sint Maarten and the other islands of the former Netherlands Antilles.

MP Heyliger-Marten anticipated the Petition's objection by the three local MPs, she said, "They forget that in accordance with Article 44, their role as Members of Parliament is to represent the general interest of the entire populace of Sint Maarten."

The idea that local politicians would rather grandstand to avoid upsetting "The Dutch" is a textbook reaction of a victim of abuse. "Unfortunately, most abused victims blame themselves and have a hard time putting an end to the abuse. We are not suggesting that we don't want the relationship. We are merely saying it needs fixing. What's good for you has to be good for my people too.

In a press release issued Sunday, MP Heyliger-Marten said: "I am very surprised by the strong reaction coming from Holland, considering the Dutch Governments well-documented recent history of systemic racism, gross incompetence, and wide-spread corruption.

In 2007 the MP stated, Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) Mark Rutte was convicted by a Dutch court for inciting racism in his policies as a State Secretary.

After that, between 2013 and 2015, the UN issued reports urging the Dutch State to combat systemic racism, based on the Blackface or "Zwarte Piet saga".

A report by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance ECRI published on June 4 2019, said, "The hate crime and anti-discrimination legislation in Holland do not provide for sufficiently dissuasive sanctions. The scope of applying the General Equal Treatment Act AWGB is too narrow, and the authorities are not placed under an explicit duty to promote equality and prevent discrimination."

The report also states that "the mainstream political discourse and media reporting continue to be strongly influenced by a xenophobic, fear-fueling rhetoric and politicians have openly expressed racist beliefs of biological superiority."

Last December, the Dutch coalition Government fell based on the results of a Parliamentary investigation exposing years of covered up systemic racism, corruption, and government incompetence regarding child allowances. Yet, these same people believe that they can run the justice system and prison on Sint Maarten."

She added: "Just this month, the Dutch Bar Association Novas report concluded that 7 of the 14 party manifestos conflict with the Dutch constitution related to immigration and refugees involving openly discriminating against certain groups of people or denying people access to an independent judiciary. According to the report, Dutch political party VVD wants to adapt or pull out of the United Nations refugee treaty, and the VVDs coalition partner CDA of State Secretary Knops would be breaking the law by canceling refugee permits for people deemed to be radicalized.

"These are just some of the many examples. So, looking at all these developments in the Netherlands in the 21st century alone, the Dutch Government doesn't need a petition from Sint Maarten to point out the racism-based lawlessness that they perpetrate against their own citizens including us here in the Caribbean. The petition merely confirms these facts and requests the UN to call Holland to order, Heyliger-Marten said.

The claim that this Petition will "offend the Dutch", causing them to stop providing aid, was refuted by Heyliger-Marten. She said, "The only way to stop a bully is to confront them and further stated that If they stop the funding, especially considering the harsh conditions they set for us to get it, and threatened us to withhold support from us if we did not give our autonomy, that will be equal to pleading guilty to the charges in the Petition."

The motion and petition dont suggest that we don't want a relationship with the Netherlands. On the contrary, both documents point out that the relationship needs fixing based on the international laws that the Netherlands themselves signed on to and always say to uphold. What's good for Dutch citizens has to be good for the people of Sint Maarten too.

"I have always supported our Prime Ministers with her negotiations. But I have always made it clear that these agreements must not be in violation of any laws be they on a local-, Kingdom-, or international level. The Petition is in line with this standpoint," said Heyliger-Marten.

Heyliger-Marten concluded by saying that the abuse and unequal treatment of Caribbean Dutch

citizens by the Dutch Government needs to end once and for all. It is unfortunate that a

petition was needed for the UN to once again weigh in on the Dutch Governments policies

she stated. But if thats what it takes to protect the rights of the citizens of Sint Maarten, we as

Parliament has the right and obligation to follow that route.
said on Monday that no "exclusive cliques" should be formed as it accused some countries of trying to "drive a wedge" among regional nations citing the " threat" and asserted that they will "end up nowhere".

Quad countries involving the US, India, Australia and Japan held their first virtual summit on Friday during which President Joe Biden told leaders of the coalition that a "free and open" Indo-Pacific is essential to their countries and vowed that his country was committed to working with its partners and allies in the region to achieve stability.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the virtual summit alongside Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

"Relevant countries should abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological bias, do not form exclusive cliques and act in a way conducive to solidarity, unity, regional peace and stability," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing here.

He was answering a question about the first Leaders' Summit of the Quad countries and the reported remarks by US National Secretary Advisor Jake Sullivan that the four leaders discussed the challenge posed by and said all four believed the democracies could help compete with autocracy.

"For some time, some countries have been exaggerating the so-called China threat'. China challenges to drive a wedge among regional countries to sow discord between their relations with China, Zhao said.

"What they have done is against the trend of times which is peace, development and win-win cooperation and runs counter to the common aspirations of people in the region, he said.

"They will gain no support and will end up nowhere," he said.

"The state-to-state exchanges and cooperation should be conducive for improving mutual understanding and trust among the countries and should not be targeted against and undermine the interests of third parties," 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.)
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Six Flags will welcome an array of adorable babies and introduce a new species  the rare African bongo  when it opens its Wild Safari Drive-Thru Adventure for the 2021 season this month.

The Six Flags Wild Safari Drive-Thru Adventure in Jackson, N.J., will open on March 20 and begin daily operation on March 27.

Guests will be able to see the new rare bongo species, including an adorable calf next month, as well as other adorable babies like four giraffe calves and two Siberian tiger cubs.

An adorable bongo calf -- part of the Six Flags Wild Safari Drive-Thru Adventure in Jackson, N.J. -- is shown here. The African bongo is a critically endangered species. (Courtesy/Six Flags)

The bongo is the worlds third-largest antelope, native to the continent of Africa. These striking, reddish-brown herbivores have unique white-and-black face markings, body stripes, and long, spiraled horns to aid with camouflage in their natural habitat.

They are mainly nocturnal, and occasionally the bongo will exhibit crepuscular behaviors  making them most active at dusk and dawn.

Since the bongos wild population is estimated at fewer than 150 due to hunting and habitat loss, the species is considered critically endangered.

The safari takes guests on self-guided journey through 1,200 exotic animals from six continents. From the safety and privacy of their own vehicle, guests will slowly wind through 11 simulated natural habitats -- seeing animals like giraffes, elephants, rhinos, lions, tigers, bears and baboons.

The bongo is primarily nocturnal. (Courtesy/Six Flags)

While most animals roam freely in the safari, predators are safely kept behind fences. All animals, Six Flags added, are clearly visible from car windows.

Later this spring, the Six Flags animal care team looks forward to welcoming an array of adorable babies, including: eland, dama gazelle, and ankoli cattle calves in the Wilde Plains; wildebeest calves in the Serengeti Grasslands; kangaroo joeys in Didgeridoo Pass; bison calves in The Americas; zebra foals and Asian water buffalo calf in Afrikka; nilgai calves in Tigris Asiana, and playful baboons in Baboon Village.

The drive is about five miles and takes about one hour to complete.

The safari operated as a self-drive-through experience from 1974 through 2012, before offering guided truck tours beginning in 2013.

TICKETS AND RESERVATIONS REQUIRED

To prevent overcrowding, advance tickets and reservations are required for the drive-through experience using Six Flags online reservation system, which will incorporate safety procedures for both guests and team members.

The reservation system will be activated to allow members, season pass holders and single-day ticket holders to make reservations at sixflags.com/reserve. Guests will not be able to buy tickets at the gate, and guests without advance reservations will not be allowed to enter.

A baby kangaroo named Pippa is shown here. The Six Flags Wild Safari will open to vistiors this month. (Courtesy/Six Flags)

Pricing for the safari experience is $24.99 per person for general admission; children 2 years old and younger are free. Admission to the safari is free for members and season pass holders, but reservations are still required.

A list of safety requirements is available on the parks website at www.sixflags.com/greatadventure. Protocols include: keeping all windows, doors, and convertible tops closed; not feeding or touching the animals; no smoking, littering, or stopping; cars, SUVs and consumer pickup trucks with empty beds only -- no buses, campers, RVs, commercial vehicles or trucks larger than a consumer pickup truck; maximum speed of 5 miles per hour; maintaining safe distance between other cars and animals.

Pets are not permitted inside vehicles.

All vehicles will be inspected prior to entering the safari. Rules will be enforced throughout the journey by park staff, and anyone who violates the rules will be ejected from the park without a refund and possibly prosecuted.

As a safety precaution, all Six Flags employees are temperature-checked and health-screened each day, and they are required to wear a mask and gloves where appropriate. Restrooms are located at the entrance/exit only, and light snacks are available for purchase. Six Flags encourages guests to plan accordingly for restroom breaks, gasoline and food.

As a safety precaution, all Six Flags employees are temperature-checked and health-screened each day, and they are required to wear a mask and gloves where appropriate. (Courtesy/Six Flags)

SIX FLAGS OPENING DATES

Six Flags Great Adventure will open for the season on Saturday, March 27. Park reservations will launch at noon on Tuesday, March 16.

The park will shatter three world records when it debuts its coaster of legendary proportions this summer  the tallest, fastest and longest single-rail coaster, the Jersey Devil Coaster.

The coaster will tower 13 stories and reach speeds up to 58 miles per hour as riders soar through the dark and foreboding woods along 3,000 feet of track. Its inspired by infamous New Jersey folklore, and will feature five intense elements, including three dramatic inversions.

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor will open for the 2021 season on Saturday, May 15. Reservations for the waterpark will launch Tuesday, May 4, at noon.

This tropically-themed oasis will offer cool refreshment for the entire family with more than 20 high-speed thrill slides, a half-mile lazy river, two massive pools, and two interactive kids areas.

Reservations are required to for the Wild Safari. An Asian water buffalo named Benjamin Button is shown here. (Courtesy/Six Flags)

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[March 15, 2021] MKU Ltd. delivers next generation, high performance body armour to Military Police Sao Paulo, Brazil

KANPUR, India, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global defense and homeland security company - MKU Limited based in India and Germany - became the first company outside Brazil to provide ballistic vests to the elite Military Police Sao Paulo. Military Police Sao Paulo had initiated a tender for 14,500 ballistic vests based on the latest NIJ 0101.06 standard of the National Institute of Justice, USA. The specifications of the tender for the ballistic vests were highly focused on overall end-user experience with special emphasis on comfort, lighter weight & flexibility. This global tender attracted many international companies and was highly contested, but the tender was awarded to the proposal submitted by MKU Ltd. Known for its expertise in providing advanced ballistic solutions using proprietary design and patented technologies, MKU has over 3 decades of experience coupled with state-of-the-art infrastructure and manufacturing processes. These high-performance vests, with Level IIIA protection were custom designed by MKU to ensure enhanced ballistic protection at lower weights, comfort, mobility, and ease of use. They are made using special antibacterial fabrics, which ensures comfort, even over prolonged use. MKU delivered the vests in oer 21 different sizes as per the customer request.



The vests are NIJ certified and were thoroughly tested for performance, during the tender process and after they were delivered. Mr. Neeraj Gupta, Managing Director, said, "We are proud to be associated with the elite Military Police Sao Paulo and are confident that these vests not only offer the best protection, but are extremely light-weight and very comfortable to wear. MKU is dedicated to provide its customers with the confidence they require while reducing the hassles. We look forward to working closely with Military Police Sao Paulo in the future and providing them with best in class products."

MKU- Increasing Capability. Reducing Risks. MKU is a leading manufacturer of electro-optic devices, personal and platform armor solutions for military and homeland security forces with a customer base in over 100 countries. Operating out of India and Germany, MKU has provided protection to over 2 million soldiers and 2000+ platforms across 230 forces till date. Over the years MKU has developed several patented products that increase the capability and reduce risk for soldiers in the line of duty. Check out more at www.mku.com Media Contact:

Arjun Trivedi (Manager Marketing)

+91-7705001703

arjun.trivedi@mku.com Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1455156/MKU_Sao_Paulo.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1455155/MKU_Logo.jpg

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As a technical and trade platform of the nonwovens industry, both ANEX and SINCE has formed an industry value chain covering from nonwovens raw materials, nonwovens production machinery & accessories, nonwovens roll goods, testing and inspection machinery to converted goods. The related industries covering from hygiene, medical, filtration, fabrics & apparels, home furnishings & upholstery, wiping, automotive etc.

At present, 80% of booths have been booked.

CONCURRENT EVENTS

Global Nonwovens Industry Summit

In 2021, Global Nonwovens Summit (GNS), launched by Asia Nonwoven Fabrics Association (ANFA), EDANA, INDA will also land on the exhibition site. At that time, industry leaders will give speeches at the seminar and talk about the latest market trends, advanced technology and innovative applications of nonwoven materials.

Exhibitor Technical Presentation

Exhibitor Technical Presentation, the concurrent activity, will invite more industry experts and well-known exhibitors to participate and share the latest industry technology and information.

Business Matchmaking

Business Matchmaking is aimed at providing new business opportunities. ANEX2020+SINCE2021 will establish an efficient trade platform for exhibitors and buyers with high precision matchmaking.

Click the link now and book your booth: https://en.since-expo.com/ExhibitorApplication/

For more exhibit inquiries

Susanna Zhang

E: [email protected]

T: +86-21 6157 3924

About ANFA

Asia Nonwoven Fabrics Association (ANFA) is the only international trade association, which represents the nonwovens industry in Asia both in name and substances, to contribute to healthy growth of nonwovens-related industries in Asia. ANFA has more than 300 members companies, presenting the primary companies of global or Asian nonwovens industry from Japan, mainland China, Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, etc. countries and areas. Since the establishment, ANFA has made a great contribution to the sound growth of the nonwovens industry all over the Asia region. Besides, representing Asia, ANFA keeps a close linkage with INDA in North America and EDANA in Europe.

About CNTA

China Nonwovens Technical Association (CNTA) devoted to:

Technical innovation and R&D in nonwovens, filtration

Import and export of nonwovens (roll goods, converted products), filter media, and related raw materials, machine parts, equipments, chemical, instruments etc.

Consulting of investment, cooperation, trade, etc. for foreign companies.

Organizing international S&T exchange, conference and exhibition etc.

Promoting trade, cooperation, between Chinese companies and foreign partners.

About Informa Markets

Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. Our portfolio is comprised of more than 550 international B2B events and brands in markets including Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Infrastructure, Construction & Real Estate, Fashion & Apparel, Hospitality, Food & Beverage, and Health & Nutrition, among others. We provide

Customers and partners around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, specialist digital content and actionable data solutions. As the world's leading exhibitions organizer, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com.

SOURCE ANEX-SINCE 2021
Foreign Ministry in HK hits back at G7 criticism

The office of the commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong on Saturday hit back at the G7 statement on the SAR's electoral overhaul, which it said was the work of "very few Western countries".



The Group of Seven nations, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, have said the National People's Congress (NPC) decision to change Hong Kong's election systems shows that China is determined to eliminate dissenting voices and opinions in Hong Kong.



They called on the authorities to stop oppressing people who promote democratic values.



The Foreign Ministry's Hong Kong office said the remarks were unwarranted and made under the pretext of democracy and freedom, warning that any interference into Hong Kong's affairs is "doomed to be futile."



"The key issue is not whether democracy and freedoms should be upheld, but about a battle against those trying to grab power and commit subversion and infiltration," a spokesman said in a statement.



"Their latest statements and reports distorted the truth and applied double standards in a bid to endorse anti-China troublemakers in Hong Kong. But it only lays bare their ulterior motive to wish Hong Kong ill and use Hong Kong as a pawn to hold back China's development at large."



The spokesman claimed the community had voiced "broad support" for the NPC decision, demonstrating that the electoral changes represent the people's will and an unstoppable historical trend.



Beijing has proposed giving new powers to the election committee so it will not only select the SAR's chief executive, but nominate and pick lawmakers as well. The legislature will be expanded from 70 members to 90, and "a large share" of it will be selected by the election committee.



The British Foreign Secretary, Dominc Raab, on Saturday evening renewed criticism of Beijing, saying it was now in "ongoing non-compliance" with the Joint Declaration on the SAR's future.



In a statement, Raab said Beijings decision to impose radical changes to restrict participation in Hong Kongs electoral system constitutes a further clear breach of the legally binding joint declaration.



He called it part of a pattern designed to harass and stifle all voices critical of Chinas policies, adding the UK will continue to stand up for the people of Hong Kong.



______________________________

Last updated: 2021-03-13 HKT 19:11
"Concern about vaccination at destinations would indicate that even if Canada is mostly vaccinated by fall, demand for travel will still not fully recover," said Richard Vanderlubbe, President of tripcentral.ca
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Purpose Acquisition Companies or SPACs are rapidly gaining traction on As shell companies floated typically by celebrities to acquire other companies, they offer start-ups a convenient way to list on the stock markets.

But, as the edit points out, allowing these opaque entities to operate in India is an exercise fraught with risk, given the market regulators limited monitoring capabilities. Instead, a more transparent and easier process to allow start-ups to list would probably work better in India. Read it here

Other views examine the urgent need to end the loan moratorium, the future shocks embedded in the National Stock Exchanges IT systems, a look at the gainers and losers of past technological revolutions and the implication of the Quads vaccine project

When will the moratorium on end? If it continues banks, wary of borrowers opportunism and distorted credit discipline, may not come forward to lend, writes Tamal Bandyopadhyay. Read it here

The outage at the National Stock Exchange was a disaster waiting to happen and many more are likely. Debashis Basu shows how the reality of interoperability with the Bombay Stock Exchange varies widely from the soothing official version. Read it here

The IT revolution has raised the spectre of citizens privacy, but as Ajit Balakrishnan points out, technological revolutions in the past have largely benefited society even as some segments suffered. Read it here

The vaccine cooperation project that emerged from the first virtual meeting of the four leaders under the Biden administration offers clear signals that the four-nation grouping is moving beyond the narrow security partnership as a means of challenging Chinas regional hegemony. Read it here
MANISTEE  The Manistee County Democratic Party will hold a membership meeting this week with guest speaker Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on March 18 via Zoom; the link can be found at www.manisteecountydemocrats.us/ .

A former criminal prosecutor and civil rights attorney, Nessel was sworn in as Michigans 54th Attorney General on Jan. 1, 2019. The attorney general's responsibilities include safeguarding the public from violent criminals, helping victims of crime, leading the fight against human trafficking and opioid abuse, preserving Michigan's spectacular natural resources, protecting consumers and addressing illegal business practices.

As the states chief law enforcement officer, Nessel launched Michigans Elder Abuse Task Force, Auto Insurance Fraud Unit and Payroll Fraud Enforcement Unit. She has continued the departments criminal investigations into the Flint Water Crisis and sexual abuse in the Catholic church.
By Philip Blenkinsop

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union launched legal action against Britain on Monday for unilaterally changing trading arrangements for Northern Ireland that Brussels says breach the Brexit divorce deal agreed with London last year.

The bloc has sent a letter of formal notice to kick-start an "infringement procedure", which could lead to fines being imposed by the EU's top court, although that could be at least a year off, leaving time for a solution to be found.

Britain's withdrawal agreement with the EU leaves the British-ruled province of Northern Ireland in the EU single market for goods and so requires checks on goods arriving there from other parts of the United Kingdom.

Some of those checks are meant to start when a grace period expires at the end of March. The plans have already disrupted some supplies reaching supermarkets in Northern Ireland.

Britain says it intends to extend the grace period unilaterally until Oct. 1, a decision the EU letter demands it reverses.

Britain said it has not violated the agreement and that it would reply to the EU's legal action "in due course".

The United States called on both sides to preserve the Good Friday accord protecting peace in Northern Ireland, with the White House urging them to "prioritize pragmatic solutions".

Maros Sefcovic, the top EU official in charge of UK relations, has also sent a separate letter to British counterpart David Frost, seeking talks in good faith to resolve the issue this month.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday the extension was simply a technical decision aimed at being fair. The protocol, he said, should guarantee trade between Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as across Northern Ireland's land border with Ireland.

"That's all we're trying to sort out with some temporary and technical measures which we think are very sensible, but obviously we'll look forward to our discussions with our EU friends and see where we get to," he said.

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels, Alistair Smout, Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton in London, Jeff Mason in Washington; Editing by Gabriela Baczynska, Peter Graff and Alexander Smith)
A killer has been found dead just four weeks after his brother, who was convicted of the same murder, took his own life.

Ian Weir (35) will be buried on Tuesday after his lifeless body was discovered last Tuesday. His younger brother Jason Weir (34) died from suicide in Magilligan Prison on February 9.

The siblings and their millionaire farmer father Jimmy Seales (60) were convicted of the 2012 shotgun murder of Philip Strickland in Comber, Co Down.

Because Ian gave evidence against his dad in court, he was given a reduced sentence of life with a minimum four-year tariff.

He was freed from prison in 2019 and had been staying at the Thompson House probation hostel in north Belfast.

His younger brother Jason, who died last month, was sentenced to life with a minimum nine-and-a-half year term. He was due for release later this year.

Their father Jimmy Seales was caged for life with a minimum 14-year tariff. He will not be freed until at least 2026.

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Sources at Maghaberry Prison, where the wealthy farmer is being held, described his devastation at the news of Ian's death.

"Losing two sons in the space of four weeks is heartbreaking," said a source. "Jimmy divides opinion in Maghaberry, but even inmates who would not be friendly with him have been offering their condolences.

"Your heart goes out to the poor mother of Ian and Jason Weir and the rest of the family."

Sources said Ian had been struggling to deal with the suicide of his younger brother Jason last month.

"They were very close. They were more like twins than brothers because there was only a year between them," a pal told Sunday Life.

Ian will be buried at a private service in Newtownards on Tuesday, with only family and close friends invited because of coronavirus restrictions.

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He had a fractious relationship with his dad Jimmy Seales, who he accused in court of offering him 500,000 to take the rap for the Strickland murder.

In statements to police, he admitted handling the shotgun used in the killing, which has never been recovered.

Ian further confessed to washing clothing after the murder and "disabling his own vehicle" in order to assist alibis.

On the third day of being questioned by detectives, he told of how he wanted to get something off his chest.

According to statements in court made by his lawyer, "Ian named his father, Jimmy Seales, as committing the murder, shooting Strickland dead".

"Ian is completely terrified of his father who has exerted a controlling influence over him for many years and who bullied him," added the lawyer.

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Philip Strickland was killed by shotgun blasts to the face and legs after being abducted by Ian and Jason Weir at their dad Jimmy Seales' yard.

Despite being convicted of being the gunman, Seales continues to deny involvement and insists he was framed.

He also denies offering his sons 500,000 each to take the blame for the murder.

Seales had blamed Strickland for being involved in a gang assault on him at the end of 2011 that left him with broken bones protruding through his arms.

He said he was targeted after ordering drug dealers to remove a cannabis factory from one of his barns. After battering Seales, his attackers urinated on him as he lay helpless.

Strickland's family have always denied he was involved in both incidents, which detectives believe gave Seales motive for murder.

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TWO young boys kicked off a fundraising drive for their little sister today to help her get life-changing surgery in the United States.

Alex (11) and Jamie Clare (10) did a 5km run around their neighbourhood in the Littlepace and Ongar area in west Dublin to raise money for their sister Sienna (3) who has Diplegia Cerebral Palsy.

Gardai were on hand to ensure they crossed the road safely and escorted them home where they were met by family and neighbours.

Siennas parents, Lesley Anne and Ciaran, are fundraising in order to pay for the Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) surgery which is only performed in the US.

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Lesley Anne said her son Jamie also has cerebral palsy and has been training with his brother Alex for weeks to run the 5k.

They got out and they ran 5k and they fundraised 2,000 just in the little estate we live in."

Their teachers were there at the house cheering them on and all the neighbours and everything, she said.

Lesley said the gardai in the community played a huge role in the fundraiser.

I rang Blanchardstown garda station and I said this is what were doing and the guards said we would only be delighted to help, we love doing stuff like this. "

The guards came down and they were so lovely to the kids and they escorted them step-by-step to the 5k and even came with us to the finishing line, she said.

The family have also set up a GoFundMe page for Sienna with a goal of 120,000 which they hope to reach by September.

Writing on the GoFundMe page, Siennas parents said: We have decided to take Sienna to St Louis in America for life changing SDR surgery.

Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) is an operation used to reduce spasticity (muscle stiffness)in some children with cerebral palsy.

SDR is a surgical procedure performed on these spinal nerve fibres to reduce levels of spasticity in the legs.

The family said that the procedure is currently not available in Ireland and America is the best place to go in order to give Sienna the best opportunity to walk in the future.

The amount of Irish families who have done this is unbelievable."

So many Irish families have gone and done exactly what Im doing and the success rate is amazing, she said.

Lesley said its been an extremely challenging year for her family.

Im a mother of five, Im a hairdresser. I dont work anymore because Im a carer. My husband is in the fire brigade, its been an absolute disaster of a year for our family, she added.
Boris Johnson will announce today that Britain is significantly increasing its nuclear arsenal amid a threat of terrorist 'dirty bombs'.

He will signal a shift to a 'more robust position on security and deterrence' which will see troops deployed overseas 'more often and for longer periods'.

The Prime Minister is also expected to use the publication of the Integrated Review of security, defence, and foreign policy to restate his commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of Britain's income on aid.

Boris Johnson will set out a 'more robust position on security and deterrence' that could see troops sent overseas more regularly, and for longer periods of time

The 100-page review, which was leaked last night, will set out the Government's view of Britain's place in the world after Brexit.

It declares: 'We will move from defending the status quo within the post-Cold War international system to dynamically shaping the post-Covid order.'

There will be a 24billion rise in spending on defence as the UK moves into the 'new frontiers' of space and cyber-warfare. Key points in the review are:

Britain is to lift the maximum number of Trident nuclear warheads it can stockpile by more than 40 per cent, from 180 to 260;

The terrorist threat to the UK, including Islamist and Northern Ireland-linked extremists, remains 'all too real';

There is a 'realistic possibility' that terror groups could launch a successful attack involving chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons by 2030;

The UK should pursue a 'positive trade and investment relationship' with China while protecting national security;

Britain's bases in Kenya, Oman, Singapore, Cyprus, Gibraltar and Germany will be revamped so troops can respond more quickly to threats.

The review also paves the way for cuts to conventional forces, with the RAF set to lose 24 Typhoon jets and its 14 Super Hercules transport planes.

The Navy is said to be facing the loss of two submarine-hunting frigates, HMS Montrose and HMS Monmouth, as well as its 13 minehunters, which are due to be replaced by drones.

And Army commanders are expected to have to say goodbye to 10,000 personnel, four infantry battalions, 77 tanks and 760 Warrior fighting vehicles.

The review is expected to signal a post-Brexit 'tilt' toward the Indo-Pacific region.

The HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group will be deployed to the Indo-Pacific region as sources say ministers believe it is becoming the 'geopolitical centre of the world'

Sources said ministers believed the region was increasingly becoming the 'geopolitical centre of the world'.

This shift will be underlined by the deployment of the HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group to the region on its maiden operational mission this year.

The papers lay out a pledge to protect Gibraltar and the Falklands.

Defence debt 'could wipe out 16billion boost for budget' Billions of pounds promised for military equipment could be lost in a 'funding black hole'. The warning by MPs comes as Boris Johnson launches a long-awaited review of security, defence and foreign policy. The Prime Minister has pledged 16.5billion for cyber warfare, artificial intelligence, unmanned aircraft and 'directed-energy' weapons. But the Commons public accounts committee said much of this money will be needed to pay for kit already ordered by the Ministry of Defence. It estimates top brass have run up debts of up to 17.4billion on aircraft, ships and weapons. Meg Hillier, the Labour chairman of the committee, said this could mean the 16.5billion is 'swallowed whole'. The MoD said it had 'secured a substantial settlement over four years in order to restore financial sustainability'. Advertisement

Armed Forces will 'deter and challenge incursions in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters' and 'maintain a permanent presence in the Falkland Islands, Ascension Island and the British Indian Ocean Territory', the documents say.

The decision to commit to reinstating Britain's controversial foreign aid target comes just months after it was cut.

Criticised for waste, it was reduced to 0.5 per cent in Rishi Sunak's spending review last year.

The Daily Mail revealed at the weekend that ministers were backtracking on a commitment to change the law, which currently requires 0.7 per cent to be spent.

Instead, they are considering relying on a loophole which allows for a lower level of spending when finances are tight.

The reduction in the target will save about 4billion, making the budget 10billion.

Mr Johnson's decision to publicly recommit to the target today suggests the cut is likely to be very short term.

The Integrated Review, entitled Global Britain in a Competitive Age, will also include the construction of a White House-style situation room based in the Cabinet Office and a new Counter-Terrorism Operations Centre to improve the authorities' ability to respond to incidents.

In the Commons today Mr Johnson is expected to say the UK needs to use 'all the tools at our disposal' to ensure a world where democracies can still flourish at a time when some countries are seeking to undermine the open and liberal international order.

He will tell MPs: 'I am profoundly optimistic about the UK's place in the world.'

The Navy is said to be facing the loss of two submarine-hunting frigates, HMS Montrose and HMS Monmouth, as well as its 13 minehunters, which are due to be replaced by drones

However, military chiefs have made clear the investment in new technologies will mean cuts to 'industrial age' capabilities.

This has alarmed some MPs, including Tobias Ellwood, Conservative chairman of the defence committee.

He told the Commons yesterday that the country was about to witness a 'shocking reduction' in its conventional hard power in favour of new 'niche capabilities'.
Northern Irelands Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride has paid tribute to retired obstetrician and gynaecologist Professor Jim Dornan, saying that he leaves a "lasting legacy" behind.

Professor Dornan, the father of actor Jamie Dornan, passed away aged 73 after having suffered Covid-19. He had previously been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

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Dr McBride said: I was very saddened and shocked to hear this news. My deepest condolences go to his family and many friends.

Professor Dornan made an immense contribution to obstetrics and fetomaternal medicine. He held a number of significant and important leadership roles in the health service both in Northern Ireland and nationally.

I trust his family will take some comfort from the lasting legacy he leaves behind, and the esteem in which he was held by so many people at home and abroad.

Posting on social media on Monday morning, Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI wrote: "Incredibly sad news to share this morning as we learnt of the passing of Professor Jim Dornan.

"Jim was a passionate patron, advocate and long time friend to all at Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI.

"A champion for many local charities and causes in NI, Jim always gave his time and advice freely with big smile and plenty of fun.

"He leaves a lasting legacy to the charity sector, the medical sector and to his family, friends and colleagues.

"We extend our deepest sympathies to Jim's family and friends at this very sad time. RIP Jim."

Very sad news this morning of the passing of Prof Jim Dornan. A man very well respected throughout the community and across the medical profession. My thoughts are with his family at this very sad time.  Michelle OaNeill (@moneillsf) March 15, 2021

So shocked to learn of death Professor Jim Dornan.



Devastating news. We were working together on a cross border health project and he was full of great ideas and determined to make positive change.



Thoughts are with his family and friends RIP Jim. Rest easy big man.  Deirdre Heenan (@deirdreheenan) March 15, 2021

Very sad news this morning on the passing of Professor Jim Dornan, a passionate patron, advocate and friend to all at @LAL_NI. Jim was champion for so many small charities and causes in NI and that legacy will live on.

Condolences to family and friends at this sad time https://t.co/KBFN1TXCGX  Leukaemia&LymphomaNI (@LAL_NI) March 15, 2021

The FAile team is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Professor Jim Dornan, & we send our condolences to his family.



Jim participated in a number of FAile an Phobail debates & discussions over recent years, & his contribution was greatly valued.



Ar dheis DA go raibh a anam pic.twitter.com/iVmldeXgGE  FAile an Phobail (@FeileBelfast) March 15, 2021

North Antrim MP Ian Paisley said: "It is with great sadness that I learnt this morning of the passing of world renowned professor Jim Dornan. I wish to express to his wife Samina and his children Jamie, Liesa, and Jessica my profound sadness.

"Jim was a wonderful man, he was engaged in political lobbying and promotion of many medical and non medical issues. Above all he loved Northern Ireland and was so proud of this place.

"His ambition, expressed often to me, was to see Northern Ireland and its people flourish and be the best. No obstacle was ever insurmountable for him and he was a great source of encouragement.

"I will miss our many chats and text messages and his ability to challenge and encourage change."

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SDLP health spokesperson, Cara Hunter, paid tribute to Professor Dornan's tremendous life and legacy.

The East Derry MLA said: Professor Dornan was a world renowned obstetrician and gynaecologist and his research and work has contributed to improving lives across Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is a better place to live, thanks to the work of Jim Dornan. May he rest in peace.

During his distinguished medical career, Professor Dornan was a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist with the Belfast trust from 1986 to 2012, professor of Foetal Medicine at Queen's University Belfast from 1995 to 2012 and senior vice-president of the Royal College of Gynaecologists from 2004 to 2006.

He was also chair of Health and Life Sciences at Ulster University and head of department with Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain.

His first wife Lorna Dornan had stage four pancreatic cancer and died in July 1998.

He later remarried top gynaecologist Samina Dornan.

Expand Close Actor Jamie Dornan with his sister Jessica Dornan Lynas and father Dr Jim Dornan at the launch of NIPanC in August 2018. PA / Facebook

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The renowned surgeon and his Hollywood actor son Jamie later backed a new group, NI PanC, set up in Belfast to support families battling pancreatic cancer.

It is with great sadness that NIPANC has heard of the death of Professor Jim Dornan, who died in the UAE on 15 March.



Jim, who was the President of NIPANC, the Northern Ireland pancreatic cancer charity, lived a life of public service. pic.twitter.com/mkdk2Blwn3  NIPANC (@NIPANC_) March 15, 2021

Having once considered acting as a career, the father-of-three recently appeared in the third series of the ITV drama Marcella, which stars Anna Friel and was shot in Belfast.

He had previous experience of playing a policeman, having appeared in The Fall, in which son Jamie played a serial killer, after Allan Cubitt, the writer and producer of the series, came up with the idea.
NEW HAVEN, Conn., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. (NYSE: BHVN), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company with a marketed drug for the acute treatment of migraine and a portfolio of innovative, latestage product candidates targeting neurological diseases, including rare disorders, today announced that it has commenced an underwritten public offering of $200 million of its common shares. All of the common shares to be sold in the offering will be offered by Biohaven. In addition, Biohaven expects to grant the underwriter a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional $30 million of common shares at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The offering is subject to market and other conditions, and there can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed, or the actual size or terms of the offering.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is acting as the book-running manager of the offering.

The offering is being made only by means of a prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, copies of which, when available, may be obtained from the offices of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282, telephone: 1866-471-2526, facsimile: 212-902-9316 or by emailing [email protected].

The shares will be issued pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3. Before investing in the offering, interested parties should read the prospectus and related prospectus supplement for this offering, the documents incorporated by reference therein and the other documents Biohaven has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the applicable securities laws of such state or jurisdiction.

Contact

Dr. Vlad Coric

Chief Executive Officer

Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.

Phone: (203) 404-0410

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.

Related Links

http://biohavenpharma.com


Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner confirmed Monday that Police Chief Art Acevedo is leaving for Miami, Fla., a decision the mayor said caught him by surprise.

I hate to see him leave the city of Houston, Turner said. But I also realize this is an excellent, extraordinary opportunity for him at a time when he is one of the nations leading voices in law enforcement.

Acevedo informed Turner of his decision Sunday at around 5 p.m., Turner said, acknowledging he had received no prior hint about his police chiefs departure. Acevedo never formally applied to be Miamis top cop and was not on anyones radar there other than just a few people at City Hall, the Miami Herald reported Monday.

Turner said Acevedo will stay in Houston for a few more weeks. He said he would announce a new chief by the end of the week, though it was not clear if that appointment would be an interim or permanent replacement.

NEW JOB: Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo leaving to helm Miami PD

The mayor declined to say whether he would look to hire Acevedos successor from within the department or elsewhere. He downplayed the significance of the chiefs departure, while praising his tenure in Houston.

"No one person is indispensable, Turner said. It is about the organization and the institution that you put together. ...I would like to believe that we are building a city that even if one person leaves, or two or three, this institution, this cruise ship, will continue to move forward."

Acevedos replacement will inherit a department of more than 5,000 officers, which Turner has pledged to grow even amid calls from activists to divert funding to other city departments in the wake of George Floyds death in Minnesota last year. The mayor has said he plans to funds six police cadet classes next fiscal year, instead of the usual five, which he said he necessary to fight an ongoing crime wave in Houston.

Last year, Turner convened a task force to recommend reforms to the police department and said he supported almost all of the recommendations laid out by the group in October. He defended the slow progress of implementing the reforms, such as bolstering the citys Independent Police Oversight Board and tightening disciplinary rules for officers, pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent winter storm.

Many of those things are being implemented as we speak, Turner said. My timetable doesn't mean you don't have winter storms. ...Nature has its own timetables."

Turner will have full control over picking Acevedos replacement, though the new chief must be confirmed by city council. Council members in Houston are typically loath to go against the mayor, who exerts an unusual amount of power compared to mayors in most other cities.

WHIRLWIND: Houston's top cop sets whirlwind pace during first six months

Still, members were already beginning to offer their advice on the selection Monday. District G Councilmember Greg Travis publicly floated the idea of promoting one of the current executive chiefs, Troy Finner or Matt Slinkard. Acevedo seemed to suggest them as well, saying in his farewell note to officers that they are ready to lead.

Vice Mayor Pro Tem Martha Castex-Tatum, who represents District K in southwest Houston, said she would like the city to hire a Black chief.

There are qualified African American women that could lead the citys police force, Castex-Tatum. There are some studies out there that say cities that have African American chiefs have fewer police involved shootings. So I would definitely like to explore the opportunity for an African American police chief, and specifically an African American woman.

At-Large Councilmember Letitia Plummer, who pushed most aggressively for police reform during last years budget debate, said reform should be top of mind in selecting a new chief. She said it needs to be someone who is open minded and will help implement the recommendations from a task force Turner appointed last year.

Whoever that person is, as soon as I hear the name, Im making a phone call, Plummer said. That task force worked hard on getting that done, and they delivered an impeccable document. I dont believe that document needs to sit on the shelf.

The councilmember said she did not have anyone in mind that fits the bill.

Every time someone exits, in my opinion, it's an opportunity. Its an opportunity to make a really great choice, Plummer said. Its a choice now. We have clean slate. So lets choose someone that understands the systemic issues that were dealing with when it comes to policing. Lets find a chief that can be a partner in making (reform) happen.

District F Councilmember Tiffany Thomas said she thinks the mayor is aware of that need. She said she would like to see someone promoted from within the department who understands its challenges and gaps.

I think hes very sensitive to that and will make the very best recommendation to present before council, Thomas said.

At a Miami press conference announcing Acevedos appointment, Mayor Francis X Suarez called Acevedo the best chief in America and predicted that Acevedo would make the Miami department the best on the planet, which we already feel that it is.

st.john.smith@chron.com

jasper.scherer@chron.com

dylan.mcguinness@chron.com
It turns out that massive computer hackssuch as the ones recently launched by the Russians against SolarWinds and the Chinese against Microsoftwill be harder to fix and easier for attackers to replicate in the future.

The problem, as analysts have since determined, is that the hacks were mounted from servers based in the United States. This explains why the U.S. government didnt notice the intrusions. (FireEye, one of the private cybersecurity firms targeted in the SolarWinds hack, detected them.) The National Security Agency, which monitors cybertraffic as well as any entity on earth, is legally barred from engaging in domestic surveillance. The Department of Homeland Security, which is supposed to track threats from within, has never been up to the task, lacking the money, manpower, or technology.

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So the Biden administration is looking for a new, more effective, but still legal approach. The good news is that a decade ago, in a little-known episode of Barack Obamas presidency, two Cabinet secretaries came up with a possible solutionbut it was sabotaged by one of their underlings. Bidens team might take a second look at the plan; the times, and the threats, have changed since then. This time, it might take hold.

The idea was hatched in July 2010. Cyberattacks against civilian infrastructure were growing in frequency and scope. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates understood the dilemma: Only the NSA could deal with these attacks, but it lacked the legal authority; the DHS had the mandate to deal with these attacks, but it lacked the ability.

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Gates called a meeting with Janet Napolitano, the secretary of homeland security. They came up with a way out of the thicket. She would appoint a second deputy director of the NSA (Gates would formally appoint the official, but it would be her pick). In the event of a threat to the nations critical infrastructure, this new deputy could draw on the NSAs technical resources while invoking the DHSs legal authority. The two Cabinet secretaries drafted a memorandum of understanding, which included firewalls to protect privacy and civil liberties. On July 27, they took the idea to Obama, who had no objections. Obama passed it to his national security adviser, Thomas Donilon, who sent it to an interagency panel of the National Security Council. Everything seemed set. Gates and Napolitano moved on to the many other issues on their plate.

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Over the next few months, the arrangement blew apart.

Before she moved on, Napolitano selected her candidate for the new NSA deputy directora two-star admiral named Michael Brown, who was her deputy assistant secretary for cybersecurity. Brown seemed ideal for the job. Hed studied cryptology at the Naval Academy, worked on signal intelligence teams at the NSA and the Pentagon, and, in the two years hed been working at DHS, expanded the departments cyber staff from 28 people to nearly 400 and turned its emergency response team into a vaguely functional organization.

But, in part because of his background, Brown ran into obstacles at every step. Napolitanos deputy, Jane Holl Lutea lawyer, former assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping at the United Nations, and an Army veteran in signals intelligencewas deeply suspicious of the NSA and resisted any policy that might turn the internet into, as she put it, a war zone. She was joined in her resistance by the White House cybersecurity adviser, Howard Schmidt, who winced at those who described cyberspace as a domain, in the same sense that Air Force and Navy officers describe the skies and the ocean as domains for military operations. Browns rank as a naval officer, his background in cryptology, and his experience with the NSA suggested (quite plausibly) that the joint endeavor would be far from an equal partnershipthat the NSA would run the show.

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The deputy secretaries in the National Security Councils interagency group were also a bit peeved that this deal had gone down without their consultation. In the end, they approved Brown as cybersecurity coordinator, but wouldnt let him be a deputy director of the NSA; they wouldnt give him the legal authority to do the job that Gates and Napolitano had envisioned.

All this time, staff meetings between NSA and DHS seethed with tension. The Gates-Napolitano memo called for each agency to send 10 analysts to the others headquarters, as a sort of cultural exchange program. Early on, the NSA sent its 10, but DHS was slow to reciprocate. Part of the problem was resources. About 25,000 people worked at NSA; sparing 10 of them was no sacrifice. But DHS had only a few hundred cyber specialists; rather than transferring any, Lute decided to hire 10 extra people, a process that involved juggling the budget, processing security clearancesin short, lots of time. Well before all 10 were cleared, the arrangement sputtered and ground to a halt.

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Meanwhile, on Oct. 31, 2010, U.S. Cyber Command was officially chartered, raising its flag at the Fort Meade headquarters of the NSA. The NSAs director, by charter a four-star general or admiral, would become the commander of Cyber Command as well. In the rubble of the Gates-Napolitano plan, the military took total control of the governments cyber realmwhile the civilian sector remained as ill-protected as ever.

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Who knows whether the Gates-Napolitano plan would have worked out, even with a more sincere effort to enforce it? The deputies had a point that the NSA would have dominated the partnership, which would have sparked legal and bureaucratic conflicts. (Way back in 1984, the first presidential directive on cybersecurity, signed by Ronald Reagan, called for the NSA to set security standards for all computers in the U.S., private, corporate, and governmental. Congress overruled the measure as a violation of the agencys charter, and rightly so.)

Still, a decade on, there might be a greater tolerance, possibly an eagerness, to work out some sort of compromise. Lutes and Schmidts abhorrence of turning the internet into a war zone or a domain of military operations seems quaint today; the object of their shudders is now a realitycyberattacks are interfering with the engines of socioeconomic lifeand the task is now to deal with it.




President Moon Jae-in is scheduled to receive an AstraZeneca vaccine shot next week in preparation for participation in a Group of Seven (G-7) summit to be held in Britain, Cheong Wa Dae announced Monday, as health authorities here have decided to extend the use of the COVID-19 vaccine to the elderly.







In accordance with a related procedure drawn up by Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Moon and first lady Kim Jung-sook plan to take the vaccine in public on March 23, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok.







He stopped short of revealing the venue, citing presidential security protocol.







The KDCA, which is in charge of South Korea's state vaccination program, is giving priority to Moon, 68, and Kim, 67, as they require "essential" foreign travel for the diplomatic event. Britain has invited Moon to the multilateral session.







Some officials who will accompany Moon on the upcoming trip will also take the vaccine.







The AstraZeneca vaccine will be available for those aged 65 and older in South Korea starting on March 23, Kang said.







The president has decided to roll up his sleeves first partly in a bid to ease public concerns about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, he added. (Yonhap)


In the years since, Husong has settled in American Canyon, volunteered with the nonprofit care-package drive Operation: With Love from Home, begun a dog training business and counseled other veterans dealing with PTSDs aftereffects. But the chance to wipe away the traces of his past arrest, he said in January, will be the ultimate vindication of his efforts to better himself and lend his support to others.

When youre a felon, getting housing is hard, getting jobs is hard, the stigma is insane, he said while also expressing hopes to use his newfound freedoms to eventually travel abroad, possibly for overseas aid work. It made me feel different and less than the entire time; oh my God, it was huge. Now a whole world has opened to me; Im going to make everybody proud, like Ive tried for the last eight years.

Ive been invited to duck hunting clubs with other veterans, which I couldnt go to because of the firearm charges. Now Ill go  for the eating and hanging out part and sitting by the fire. Im 55 and I dont worry about a lot of things I used to, but Im gone in 30 years, my daughters wont have a felon for a father. I know that it sounds trite, but its important to me. I even look forward to jury duty, which no one else does; I can hold my little bald head high.
Two Local ISDs Lift Mask Requirements Two area school districts announced last week that they are lifting mask requirements in their districts after Governor Greg Abbott's recent order lifting the mask mandate in the state.



Hubbard Independent School District's Board of Trustees met Wednesday, March 10, and voted to stop requiring masks, saying that the decision to wear a mask or not will be left to parents and students.



The district also announced that it will increase occupancy at all events from 50% to 100%.



Abbott Independent School District announced Thursday, March 11, that it is lifting its mask mandate with some exceptions.



A statement from the school said that students will be required to wear masks in some classrooms due to health and safety concerns, and they must be worn in the front office area.



Close contact tracing and quarantine rules are still in effect, the district said.



The Texas Education Agency left the decision on masks up to individual districts after the governor lifted the statewide mandate.



Several other area schools have announced that they will keep mask requirements in place for the time being to assess any increase in cases after spring break activities and to allow teachers time to get vaccinated.


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New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - March 14, 2021) - Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of IMARA, Inc. ("IMARA" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: IMRA). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether IMARA 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 or around March 11, 2020, Imara conducted its initial public offering ("IPO"), selling 4,700,000 shares of common stock priced at $16.00 per share. On March 5, 2021, Imara reported its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2020, which included a net loss of $49.2 million, compared to a net loss of $23.5 million for the prior year. On this news, Imara's stock price fell $2.34 per share, or 19.01%, to close at $9.97 per share on March 5, 2021. Since the IPO, Imara's stock price has closed as low as $9.54 per share, representing a decline of over 40% from the offering price.

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

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

rswilloughby@pomlaw.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/77176

When Chinas leader, Xi Jinping, met with Communist Party delegates from Inner Mongolia last week, he urged them not to relent in the fight to improve the environment.

We must adhere to the concept that clear waters and green mountains are as good as mountains of gold and silver, he said.

On Monday, large parts of China experienced just how bad the environment can still be.

The largest and strongest dust storm in a decade swept across northern China, grounding hundreds of flights, closing schools in some cities and casting a ghastly shroud over tens of millions of people  from Xinjiang in the far west across to the Bohai Sea, according to Chinas meteorological service.
A more recent publication of this set of statistics is available. Latest publication: Index of turnover in industry 2021, April

Published: 15 March 2021

Turnover in industry nearly on level with the year before in January

According to Statistics Finland, working day adjusted turnover in industry (TOL BCD) increased in January by 0.1 per cent year-on-year. Among the main industries, turnover grew most in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, which was 18.9 per cent up on one year ago. Turnover declined most in the chemical industry, by 5.5 per cent from one year earlier. Seasonally adjusted turnover in industry (TOL BCD) grew by 1.9 per cent in January compared with December.

Annual change in working day adjusted turnover in manufacturing (BCD), % (TOL 2008)

After electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, turnover grew next most in the textile, clothing and leather industry, by 7.6 per cent from one year ago. There was also growth in the electronic and electrical industry, by 7.2 per cent, and in mining and quarrying, by 5.6 per cent. In addition to the chemical industry, turnover decreased in the metal industry by 5.1 per cent, in the food industry by 2.0 per cent, and in the forest industry by 1.2 per cent.

Annual change in working day adjusted turnover in manufacturing by industry, January 2021, % (TOL 2008)

Export turnover decreased most in the food industry in January

Export turnover went down in January most in the food industry, by 6.6 per cent from one year back. Export turnover in the metal industry was 5.4 per cent lower and in the forest industry 0.8 per cent lower than one year ago. Export turnover grew most strongly in mining and quarrying, by 35.3 per cent from one year previously. Growth was also recorded in the textile, clothing and leather industry, by 8.6 per cent, and in the electronic and electrical industry, by 5.9 per cent from one year earlier. Export turnover in the chemical industry was 0.5 per cent higher than one year previously.

Annual change in working day adjusted export turnover and domestic turnover in manufacturing by industry, January 2021, % (TOL 2008)

Domestic turnover decreased in January in nearly all main industries. Growth was seen only in the domestic turnover of the textile, clothing and leather industry, which was 7.0 per cent higher than one year earlier. Domestic turnover decreased strongest in January in the chemical industry, by 14.4 per cent, and in mining and quarrying, by 13.6 per cent from one year ago. Domestic turnover decreased by 7.2 per cent in the metal industry and by 3.2 per cent in the forest industry. Domestic turnover in the food industry was 1.6 per cent lower and in the electrical and electronics industry 1.0 per cent lower than one year earlier.

Trend series of turnover, export turnover and domestic turnover in manufacturing (BC), 1/2007 to 1/2021, % (TOL 2008)

The index of turnover in industry describes enterprises whose main industry is manufacturing. The calculation of the indices is based on the Tax Administrations self-assessed tax data which are supplemented with data obtained with Statistics Finlands sales inquiry. The monthly turnovers of manufacturing enterprises can vary considerably, especially in the metal industries. The variation is mainly due to invoicing practices. The final invoice for major machinery deliveries and projects may be recorded in the sales of one month, even if the delivery had required the work of several months or years.

The factors caused by the variation in the number of weekdays are taken into account in adjustment for working days. This means taking into consideration the lengths of months, different weekdays and holidays. In addition, seasonal variation is eliminated from seasonally adjusted series, on account of which it makes sense to compare observations of two successive months as well.

The data for the latest month are preliminary and are released at a delay of around six weeks. The data may become significantly revised particularly on more detailed industry levels in coming months. Revisions to the data may be particularly significant on the more accurate industry levels of export turnover and domestic turnover.

Source: Index of turnover in industry 2021, January, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Maija Sappinen 029 551 3348, Heli Suonio 029 551 2481, myynti.teollisuus@stat.fi

Head of Department in charge: Katri Kaaja

Publication in pdf-format (340.4 kB)

Updated 15.3.2021

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Index of turnover in industry [e-publication].

ISSN=1798-596X. January 2021. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 2.6.2021].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tlv/2021/01/tlv_2021_01_2021-03-15_tie_001_en.html
Edmon Marukian, of the Bright Armenia party, was one of the political leaders who met with President Armen Sarkissian on Saturday to discuss ways of ending the ongoing political crisis triggered by an Armenian defeat in last years war against Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh, including the possibility of holding snap parliamentary elections.

The same day Sarkissian discussed the same agenda with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and leader of the pro-Pashinian parliamentary majority My Step alliance Lilit Makunts.

Under Armenias constitution, the parliament can be dissolved and fresh elections can be appointed only if the prime minister resigns and lawmakers twice fail to elect a new head of government within two weeks.

While Pashinian enjoys a comfortable majority in parliament and practically does not need any assurances on the part of the opposition to resign and pave the way for early general elections, he and his political team believe that having a memorandum of understanding signed with Bright Armenia and the other opposition faction, Prosperous Armenia, will exclude any risks of upheavals in the country.

At a news briefing in parliament today Marukian said that the timeframe of holding snap elections is important to Bright Armenia.

While before I was considering the [governments] offer [to have a memorandum of understanding] to be an excuse for not holding snap elections, now I see the political will to hold snap elections, so we agree to it, Marukian said. But the timeframe of holding snap elections is important to us. We will not object to it if elections are held by June 1. After that, we cannot guarantee that there will be no nominations in the parliament.

The Bright Armenia partys leader explained that the current crisis needs the speediest resolution and procedurally the earliest snap elections can be held is within May.

Earlier, Prosperous Armenia party leader Gagik Tsarukian, who is expected to hold a meeting with Pashinian soon, also called for the prime ministers resignation and snap elections. According to media reports, Prosperous Armenia also wants early elections to be held in May or June.

Tsarukian effectively declined the presidents invitation for talks on March 13 after setting certain conditions regarding its agenda. The Homeland Salvation Movement that has been holding street protests to demand Pashinians resignation and of which Tsarukians party is a member, did not engage in the talks either.

The movement comprising over a dozen political parties and groups continues to insist that Pashinian must step down and an interim government led by its leader Vazgen Manukian be formed before snap parliamentary elections can be held in at least a years time.

It is not clear at this stage whether Pashinian and his My Step alliance approve of the idea of holding snap elections by June. In an interview with RFE/RLs Armenian Service on Sunday, Ruben Rubinian, a senior My Step lawmaker, however, voiced a hope that they will be able to achieve consensus with the opposition regarding the holding of snap elections.
DUBLIN, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Amazon 2021: Dominating The All-Delivery Economy, Advertising and Streaming, the FBA Roll Up" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Due to the various lockdowns 2020 was arguably the first real online Christmas, which has meant a great final quarter for Amazon, closing out a real stand out year for the company. The research team believe that Amazon marketplace's GMV has grown by at least 50% from US$200bn in 2019 to around US$300bn in 2020.

That said, some other retailers have also reported record figures and in many ways the logistical advantage (FBA, Prime Air, Fulfillment centre network) Amazon has built up over the competition over years has (almost unbelievably) been somewhat reduced, as competing retailers have invested heavily into their own digitalisation (Walmart, Kroger etc) and logistics efforts and/or services such as Instacart have proliferated and are easily available on a plug and play basis. One should mention the runaway success of Shopify in enabling independents and major retailers alike to go online in this context too.

While Amazon's logistics network was simply overwhelmed in Q1/2 2020 with the spike in extra demand, a situation which has stabilised now, there is another reason, why the research team thinks the competitive moat of FBA has been somewhat eroded. This is due to the rise of click & collect, which has become such a major trend in the USA.

For Walmart click & collect (or drive up) has taken 50% of all online orders - and possibly all of US online grocery has developed like this, as it is the cheapest option for both retailers and shoppers, due to the last mile deliveries cost falling away. During the pandemic click & collect also enabled shoppers to avoid going into crowded shops.

Amazon lacks the same physical presence as its bricks and mortar competitors (Walmart, Target for example), but has started to address this with the acquisition of the Whole Foods business, the locker roll out, its click & collect partnerships (with Kohls' for example) and of course its Go and Fresh stores.

Another prediction the publisher is making is that Amazon advertising is set for massively successful 2020 and 2021. Estimates are pegged at an annual US$20bn run rate for the business unit. And looking ahead, there might be another nascent market in audio ads (coupled with Alexa) that could grow massively in years to come.

Advertising on the Amazon platform will be driven by the sheer endless number of SKUs on the website and the problem to gain visibility for brands and sellers as a necessary prerequisite for sales conversion. In this sense Amazon follows down the path of the Alibaba model, where the Chinese platform makes most of its money from advertising rather than the listing fees. End user experience on Amazon has suffered for some time now, with the search function being overwhelmed by the sheer mass of Asins and advertising making the problem even worse.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary

2. Latest Key Developments

April: Amazon increases capacity for surging online grocery

April: Coronavirus unmasks Amazon's stumbles at Whole Foods

April: Amazon turns of recommendations temporarily

May: Amazon faces scrutiny as operations return to normal

May: Amazon invests in self driving cars

May: Amazon acquires Zoox for over $1.2bn

June: Amazon private label sellers suffering during the pandemic

June: Chinese Sellers on Amazon losing ground

June: Vogue x Amazon Fashion . is not rescuing fashion

June: EU commission starts investigation

June: UK Ultra fast fresh

June: Amazon is rolling out Dash shopping carts

June: Amazon FBA Brexit plans - EFN and Pan-European FBA ends for UK

July: Amazon FBA a weak point?

August: Amazon logistics with 10bn orders

August: Amazon to use JC Penney/Sears as local DCs?

August: Amazon Deliveroo tie up gets the all clear

August: Federal Trade Commission investigation

August: Amazon to introduce Go technology to Whole Foods

August: Amazon unveils first Amazon Fresh grocery store

August: Amazon and Tegut roll out Prime Now groceries in DE

September: Whole Foods to offer pickup from all of its stores

September: Amazon high end streaming

October: Amazon grocery store deals for Prime Day

October: Amazon Prime day 2020 - another new record

October: Amazon's R rate and coronavirus cases

October: Amazon buys into Spartan Nash

October: Amazon begins hiring for four new Amazon Fresh stores

October: EU accuses Amazon of breaching antitrust rules

November: Amazon launches Key In-Garage Grocery Delivery service

November: The Amazon room

November: Amazon launches online pharmacy

December: Is Amazon becoming the biggest global employer?

December: Amazon's advertising business booms in pandemic

January: Amazon investing over $5 billion in small business success

in small business success January: Amazon's Covid Christmas

3. Strategy: The Structure of the 3P Marketplace

Amazon MP structure, the "gold rush era" is over

Number of Amazon sellers contributing % of volume

Seller X, Razor, Heroes, Upper90

The platform risk: Amazon's algorithm changes

Thrasio Reaches $1B Valuation, Sets New US Speed Record for Unicorns

Valuation, Sets New US Speed Record for Unicorns Thrasio - compliance check and processes

Thrasio's product categories strategy

Thrasio paying out $100m to sellers

to sellers Thrasio enters Germany

Perch raises $123.5M to grow its stable of D2C brands on Amazon

4. Analysis - How Sustainable is the FBA Roll Up Strategy?

What drives the current frenzy

But there are major risks

At least Amazon will stand by, instead of consolidating the MP

5. Outlook

6. Sources

Companies Mentioned

Amazon

Deliveroo

JC Penney

Kohls

Kroger

Perch

Sears

Spartan Nash

Target

Tegut

Thrasio

Walmart

Whole Foods

Zoox

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qx59ha

Media Contact:



Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


(Natural News) American and European researchers suggest that people who chase likes on social media share similar thinking patterns with lab rats seeking food.

In their study, which is set to be published in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers found that looking for affirmation online is very much like reward learning, a type of reinforcement learning commonly observed in lab mice conditioned to perform certain actions with food as a reinforcer.

The psychology behind social media addiction

The intense popularity of social media is often attributed to a psychological need for social rewards, but the link between the two lacked empirical evidence. To that end, the researchers used computational models to analyze more than one million posts from over 4,000 social media users to see whether social rewards influence social media use.

The models showed that people tend to post more frequently when they receive many likes and less frequently when they get fewer likes. The researchers arrived at a similar finding after creating an Instagram-like platform where participants could post memes and like each others posts. Those who received more likes tended to post more often on average.

This likes-driven behavior matches reward learning, according to the researchers, where the promise of a reward drives and reinforces certain behaviors. (Related: Is social media making you depressed? Science concludes yes.)

Psychologists had several times over demonstrated reward learning in lab rats using the Skinner box, a conditioning chamber commonly used to objectively record animal behavior. A lab animal is placed in the chamber and gets rewarded with treats when it performs a certain action, such as pressing a lever.

Bjorn Lindstrom, a professor of psychology at the University of Amsterdam and one of the study researchers, said about the importance of their study: Our findings can help lead to a better understanding of why social media dominates so many peoples daily lives and can also provide leads for ways of tackling excessive online behavior.

Tips to minimize social media use

Around four billion people spent multiple hours every day on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter last year. The use of these online platforms can become compulsive, leading to what some experts call social media addiction.

The Addiction Center defines social media addiction as being overly concerned about social media, driven by an uncontrollable urge to log on to or use social media, and devoting so much time and effort to social media that it impairs other important life areas.

Some experts estimate that up to 10 percent of Americans have social media addiction. However, that figure may be higher because social media use is hard to track. (Related: Is social media addiction a new type of psychiatric condition?.)

Check out the following tips to combat social media addiction:

Turn off notifications. Its easier to concentrate on your daily tasks if your phone is dead silent. Notifications are a constant reminder that something is happening online and you might feel like youre missing out. Set a timer. Limit the amount of time you spend on social media by setting a timer. Choose a time limit depending on the severity of your addiction. Get a new hobby. A hobby will keep your mind and hands preoccupied when youre craving to go online. Communicate in person or via calls. Instead of using social media to keep talking to your family and friends, shoot them a text, give them a call or give them a visit. This will minimize the need to get online. Make it a treat. Look at social media as a treat by allowing yourself screen time only when youve done something productive. This might change the way you think about social media. Delete unused apps. Taking off social media apps you rarely use will remove notifications and the temptation to scroll mindlessly. Go cold turkey. If things are getting worse, it might be time to stop using social media completely. Decide how long its going to be and inform your friends how long youll be away and where they can reach you.

Left unchecked, social media use can breed bad behaviors that further reinforce the itch to go online. Take a break from social media using the tips listed here for a healthy lifestyle.

Learn more about how social media addiction affects health at Addiction.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

AddictionCenter.com

CalState.edu

PsyArXiv.com

UPI.com

Bustle.com
Upcoming political events in the Bay Area. Events take place online unless otherwise noted:

FRIDAY

Commission on Status of Women: The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women NGO Forum holds several days of events and discussions on empowering women and girls and eliminating bias against women, through March 24. More information and agenda are here; registration is here.

SATURDAY

Amazon protests: A rally to support the unionization effort by Amazon workers in Alabama will be held at 10 a.m. at the site of a proposed Amazon facility, 900 Seventh St., San Francisco. More information is here. At 1 p.m., a car caravan in support of the unionization effort will start at the Lake Merritt BART station parking lot, Eighth and Oak streets, Oakland. More information is here.

SUNDAY

Stopping anti-Asian American hate: An event against anti-Asian racism and discrimination, aimed at amplifying calls for a more peaceful, just society. Hosted by Sit Walk Listen. 11 a.m., Civic Center Plaza, San Francisco. More information is here.

MONDAY

Rep. Ro Khanna: Fremont Democrat holds a town hall meeting. Submit a question in advance here; join meeting here.

TUESDAY

Vaccinations in California: The coronavirus vaccine and its implications for post-pandemic life. Participants include state Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris; Los Angeles Times staff writer Melody Gutierrez; Sandra Hernandez, president and CEO of the California Health Care Foundation; and Assembly Member Jim Wood, D-Healdsburg, chair of the Assembly Health Committee. Hosted by the Public Policy Institute of California. 10 a.m. More information is here.

Reproductive rights disinformation: Training on right-wing disinformation on reproductive rights and how to respond to it. Hosted by NARAL and Indivisible. 5 p.m. More information is here.

Race in America: Michael Eric Dyson, professor of African American and diaspora studies at Vanderbilt University, and KPFA-FMs Sabrina Jacobs discuss Dysons new book, Long Time Coming: Reckoning With Race in America. Hosted by KPFA and Marcus Books. 7 p.m. More information is here.

WEDNESDAY

Willie Brown: Former San Francisco mayor and state Assembly speaker gives annual Commonwealth Club lecture. 6 p.m. More information is here.

THURSDAY

Women and the pandemic economy: A discussion on the struggles Californias women face in balancing work, family and health during the pandemic. Participants include Lourdes Castro Ramirez, head of the state Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency; Assembly Member Sabrina Cervantes, D-Corona (Riverside County); Pat Fong Kushida, president and CEO of the California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce; Queena Sook Kim, senior editor at KQED-FM; and Nicole Rice, former senior policy director for government affairs at the California Manufacturers and Technology Association. Hosted by the Public Policy Institute of California. 11 a.m. More information is here.

Earned income tax credit: An explainer on who is eligible for Californias expanded earned income tax credit, with Democratic state Sen. Bob Wieckowski of Fremont and Democratic Assembly Members Bill Quirk of Hayward and Alex Lee of San Jose. Hosted by Golden State Opportunity. 3 p.m. More information is here.

Gun politics: Matthew Lacombe, assistant professor of political science at Columbia University, discusses his book Firepower: How the NRA Turned Gun Owners into a Political Force. Hosted by the Commonwealth Club. 3 p.m. More information is here.

MARCH 30

Climate displacement: Representatives of Earth Refuge, the International Refugee Assistance Project and Climate Refugees discuss climate-induced displacement in the U.S. and globally and what can be done to deal with it. Hosted by Earth Refuge and the Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law. 10 a.m. More information is here.

Cult politics: Stephen Hassan, a mental health professional and author of The Cult of Trump: A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control, discusses cult-like behavior i politics. Sponsored by the Commonwealth Club. Noon. More information is here.

APRIL 6

Sen. Alex Padilla: A conversation with California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla, hosted by the Public Policy Institute of California. 11 a.m. More information is here.

To list an event, please email Chronicle politics editor Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com
LPA Leadership Team The Firm Award represents the years of dedication and commitment of everyone in the firm to work together to design projects that work better for people," says CEO Wendy Rogers.

The American Institute of Architects California has named LPA Design Studios the recipient of the 2021 Firm Award, the organizations highest annual honor for an architectural firm.

The Firm Award, which is typically presented to one firm a year, recognizes studios that have consistently produced distinguished architecture for a period of at least 10 years. Candidates are reviewed on their firm culture, influence on the community and role in the design industry.

An integrated design firm with six studios in California and Texas, LPA was cited for its industry-leading work on building performance; its transformative designs for education, commercial and civic projects; and the firms unique culture. As an integrated, multi-discipline firm with architects, engineers, landscape architects and interiors designers working together, LPA operates fundamentally differently than most architecture firms.

Throughout its history, LPA has taken a leadership role in promoting energy efficiency and sustainability, setting several national benchmarks. For consecutive years, LPA has been the largest firm in the country to meet the AIA 2030 Commitment target for energy reduction in projects.

They were tackling environmental issues before climate action was even a term, one juror commented. To call them strong in the sustainability category would be an understatement.

`The Firm Award is the latest in a series of accolades for LPA, including a 2020 national COTE Top Ten Plus, the most prestigious industry honor for sustainable design, for the Environmental Nature Center and Preschool in Newport Beach, California. Last year the firm also was recognized with an Award of Excellence from the AIAs Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE), the industrys top education award, for the expansion of the Tarbut VTorah Community Day School, a private K-12 school in Irvine, California.

The work this firm performs inspires me on a daily basis, says CEO Wendy Rogers, who took over the chief executive role in 2017 after 30 years with the firm, starting as an intern. The Firm Award represents the years of dedication and commitment of everyone in the firm to work together to design projects that work better for people.

LPA was founded in 1965, but the firm started a new era with new ownership and new leadership in 1997. Since then, the firm has earned 266 national, state and local AIA design awards and created a model for a collaborative design studio focused on a research-driven design process and the larger role of an architect in working with communities to create better performing buildings.

Weve created a firm that breaks down the barriers between disciplines, drawing upon the expertise of the different teams to find the best answers for our clients, says LPA president Dan Heinfeld, who joined the firm in 1976. The results illustrate that a better process produces better results.

The firms success also reflects a culture that emphasizes diversity, education and promoting young talent. The modern LPA is an inclusive firm that supports the growth of young talent. Forty-six percent of the staff are women; 41 percent are racially or ethnically diverse. Fifty percent of the staff have been at LPA for more than 10 years; many more than 25 years.

At every level weve eliminated the traditional hierarchy to encourage collaboration and the flow of ideas. Rogers says. Every voice is heard. The focus is always on the we not the me.

The AIA California jury noted that the firm walks the walk in terms of creating a collaborative culture.

It is obvious this firm invests in its employees by the growth opportunities they provide, one juror noted. To also invest so much into education and research in general is commendable. Its not just about the brick and mortar for this firm, no matter how large they become.

The AIA California is the largest AIA state organization in the country with more than 11,000 members representing 5,000 firms. Since 1984, 39 firms have been honored with the Firm Award. The Board of Directors, the governing body with representatives of all 22 chapters in the state, votes and ratifies those selected for the Firm Award.

About

Founded in 1965, LPA specializes in creating innovative environments that work better, do more with less and improve peoples lives. An integrated design firm with six locations in California and Texas, LPAs team includes more than 400 in-house architects, master planners, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects and research analysts, working across a wide array of sectors. For more information, visit lpadesignstudios.com.
Grab bars are the most affordable precautions you can take against potentially deadly slip-and-fall accidents around your home, Childs said. You are never too young to use one.

Responding to the growing demand for comprehensive grab bar installation services, Same Day Grab Bars (https://samedaygrabbars.com) is expanding its service area to Indian River County, Florida.

Same Day Grab Bars has established itself as the premier provider of simple, elegant safety grab bars in Brevard County, owner Michael Childs said. After receiving numerous installation requests from our friends in Indian River County, we decided to scale our comprehensive, one-call services to accommodate them.

Childs said that while most of his clients are older Floridians seeking the confidence and empowerment that bathroom grab bars bring, more and more younger people and families are asking Same Day Grab Bars to install the stylish, ADA-compliant products around their bath, shower and toilet areas.

Grab bars are the most affordable precautions you can take against potentially deadly slip-and-fall accidents around your home, Childs said. You are never too young to use one.

He said the move into Indian River County fills a need for a critical service that other contractors dismiss. Because grab bars are affordable and installation can be completed in a couple of hours, many handymen, contractors and plumbers are unwilling to prioritize these projects.

They dont want to go to the trouble of stocking inventory, providing estimates and doing the work for what for them is a side business, Childs said. That delays the process, makes the homeowner wait for installation and cuts into their profits. At Same Day Grab Bars, grab bars are all we do. We are efficient, with a wide selection in stock. We do the whole job  no-obligation safety evaluation and estimate, custom fitting, model selection and professional installation  in a single day. With Same Day Grab Bars, one call stops the fall.

Same Day Grab Bars offers not only horizontally and vertically mounted bars in a variety of standard lengths but also custom designs and shapes to match any bathroom decor and architecture. Customers can choose from straight, curved, sweeping, bowed and angled models and add options such as a toilet paper holder, towel rack, soap dish or shampoo shelf for added safety and convenience. Available finishes include polished and brushed stainless steel, nickel, chrome and brass as well as classical bronze and contemporary black, white, almond and bisque powder coating. They are durable as well as attractive. Many include lifetime warranties for parts and labor.

ABOUT SAME DAY GRAB BARS

Michael Childs founded Same Day Grab Bars so Treasure Coast and Space Coast residents can have these life-saving devices installed without delay. Before the company opened shop, homeowners were forced to wait weeks for appointments and pay too much for installation. They often were required to purchase the grab bars in advance from big box stores or online with no expert advice or consultation. Same Day Grab Bars makes the whole process fast, convenient and affordable so customers can have the additional safety grab bars provide. Appointments can be made online or by calling (321) 392-3000 or (800) 215-7560.
WASHINGTON (AP)  U.S. officials have arrested and charged two men with assaulting U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick with bear spray during the Jan. 6 riot, but they do not know yet whether it caused the officer's death.

George Tanios, 39, of Morgantown, West Virginia, and Julian Khater, 32, of Pennsylvania, were arrested Sunday. They were expected to appear in federal court Monday.

The idea that Sicknick died after being sprayed by a chemical irritant has emerged in recent weeks as a new theory in the case.

Investigators initially believed that Sicknick was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, based on statements collected early in the investigation, according to two people familiar with the case. But as theyve collected more evidence, the theory of the case has evolved and investigators now believe Sicknick may have ingested a chemical substance  possibly bear spray  that may have contributed to his death, officials have said.

Khater is the man in a video obtained by the FBI that showed him spraying Sicknick and others with bear spray, according to court papers. The act hasnt been directly tied to Sicknicks death.

Give me that bear (expletive), Khater said to Tanios on the video, according to court papers. Sicknick and other officers were standing guard near metal bike racks, the papers say.

Khater then says, they just (expletive) sprayed me," as he's seen holding a white can with a black top that prosecutors said appears to be a can of chemical spray."

Sicknick died after defending the Capitol against the mob that stormed the building as Congress was voting to certify Joe Bidens electoral win over Donald Trump. It came after Trump urged supporters on the National Mall to fight like hell to overturn his defeat.

The circumstances surrounding Sicknicks death remain unclear, and a final cause of death has not been determined. Capitol Police have said he died after he was injured while physically engaging with protesters and the agencys acting chief said officials consider it a line-of-duty death.

Sicknick collapsed later on and died at a hospital on Jan. 7. The Justice Department opened a federal murder investigation into his death, but prosecutors are still evaluating what specific charges could be brought in the case, the people said.

The medical examiners report on Sicknicks death is incomplete. Capitol Police say they were awaiting toxicology results.

The FBI has already released about 250 photos of people being sought for assaulting federal law enforcement officers during the riot. Some have already been arrested, and the Justice Department said about 300 people have been charged with federal offenses related to the riot.

___

Associated Press writer Colleen Long contributed to this report.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-16 00:47:43|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing global shipping containers shortage is affecting the flow of Chinese supplies to Kenya's manufacturers, an industry lobby leader said Monday.

Mucai Kunyiha, chairman of Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), told Xinhua in Nairobi that local industries are dependent on China for both raw material and intermediate inputs.

"Manufacturers are currently experiencing delays in receiving supplies from China. As a result our profits margins and cost of production will be affected this year," Kunyiha said.

The industry lobby leader revealed that between March and December 2020, industries were not affected by the slowdown in Chinese imports because their sales were also reduced.

He noted that the Kenyan economy has reopened and manufacturers are going back to full capacity hence the need for uninterrupted Chinese imports. Manufacturers remain optimistic that the crisis will be resolved in the next six months in order to normalize Sino-Kenya trade.

The delays have led to rising shipping costs for all inputs from China. Industries across all sectors have been affected by the slowdown in shipping from China.

"China is the hub for all manufacturing around the world and our industries are also affected by rising shipping costs," Kunyiha added.

KAM said that in the past decade Kenyan industries have shifted their source of supplies from the traditional markets of Europe and North America to China because it has emerged as the most cost effective country for inputs. Enditem
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The Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, has explained why his administration would never pay salary to some people who claimed to be civil servants in the state.

Mr Uzodinma, while briefing reporters, on Monday in Owerri, on the activities marking his first anniversary in office, said the state government has paid genuine workers, and that those complaining of non-payment of salary are either ghost workers or fraudsters.

This government has paid every genuine worker; those complaining of non-payment are either ghost workers or fraudsters.

I am challenging anybody who has not received his or her salary to come to Government House with his employment details and we will pay him or her immediately, he said.

Governor Uzodinma said a monumental fraud has been discovered in the state government payroll.

He said the era where permanent secretaries were chosen merely by appointment was over. Now, directors in the state civil service must go through promotion examinations and interview processes before being appointed as permanent secretaries to ensure that only competent people were appointed, he said.

He also promised to revive all abandoned state-owned industries to enhance the states economy.

The governor said to this end, he has commissioned a consulting firm to identify such industries and recommend ways of rejuvenating them.

The governor touted good governance in Imo State as one of the achievements of his administration in the past one year, and assured he would not renege on his campaign promises.

He pledged to protect lives and property in the state.

Governor Uzodinma condemned the recent killing of two siblings in Ihite-Uboma Local Government Area which led to the burning of a police divisional office in the area by a mob.

The governor, who promised to ensure the victims get justice, warned against the destruction of social infrastructure whenever there was a crisis.

(NAN)
The Taliban says it will attend a high-level Afghan peace conference to be hosted by Russia on March 18.

The 10-member delegation will be led by Mullah Baradar, the group's deputy leader and chief negotiator at U.S.-brokered talks in Qatar, Taliban spokesman Muhammad Naeem said in a statement on March 15.

The Afghan government has already confirmed its participation.

Invitations were extended to the Afghan government, political leaders, the Taliban, and representatives from the United States, China, and Pakistan. It was unclear whether the United States would attend.

The Moscow conference comes as the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is stepping up efforts to accelerate the Afghan peace process ahead of a May 1 deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from Afghanistan.

That deadline is part of a deal between the Taliban and the previous U.S. administration of President Donald Trump.

However, Biden's administration has been reviewing the deal amid continued Taliban attacks in Afghanistan.

The Biden administration has proposed a senior-level meeting between the Taliban and Afghan politicians in Turkey in April, suggesting there should be heavy involvement by representatives of the United Nations.

The Afghan government has said it would take part in that conference. But the Taliban has not yet confirmed whether it would attend.

The U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad met in Kabul with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on March 15.

A spokesman for Ghani said Khalilzad had updated the Afghan president on his recent diplomatic trips to Pakistan and to Qatar, where peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan government representatives began in September 2020.

The talks in Doha have stalled in recent months, with no tangible progress.

Meanwhile, Taliban attacks and other militant violence has been increasing in Afghanistan.

Afghan police say a bomb targeting a minibus in Kabul wounded at least 15 civilians on March 15 -- the latest in a surge of attacks in Kabul.

Ferdaws Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, said the attack was in the Dahan-e-Bagh area of Kabul.

Faramarz said a nearby taxi also was damaged by the explosion and that the casualty count could rise.

The attack comes a day after bomb attacks on cars in the western part of Kabul killed three people and wounded 12, Faramarz said.

He said the first attack targeted a van and another vehicle was targeted in a different district. All the casualties were civilians, he said.

With reporting by Reuters and dpa
gettyimagesbank



By Kang Seung-woo



The United States is expected to work with two of its key allies to improve thorny ties during its senior officials' trip to Asia, according to diplomatic observers, Monday.



U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin began their first overseas trip, Monday, with their first stop in Japan. They are scheduled to arrive in Seoul, Wednesday, for a two-day visit.



Ahead of them embarking on the overseas trip, the first by senior members of the Joe Biden administration, the U.S. State Department issued a statement stressing its trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan, raising speculation that Washington may do something to normalize bilateral ties between Seoul and Tokyo, which are engaged in ongoing disputes over historical issues and grievances.



Relations between the neighboring countries have slumped to their worst level in years, sparked by Japan's imposition of export controls on three key materials critical for South Korea's semiconductor and display industries, in apparent retaliation to a 2018 ruling by the South Korean Supreme Court ordering Japanese companies to compensate surviving South Korean victims of wartime forced labor.



"No relationship is more important than that between Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK). The United States continues to promote expanded U.S.-Japan-ROK cooperation to tackle COVID-19 and combat climate change, as well as reinvigorate trilateral cooperation on a broad range of global issues, including the denuclearization of North Korea," the State Department said. The ROK refers to the official name of South Korea.



"A robust and effective trilateral relationship between and among the United States, the ROK, and Japan is critical for our joint security and interests in defending freedom and democracy, upholding human rights, championing women's empowerment, combating climate change, promoting regional and global peace, security, and the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific and across the globe."



"In its move to contain China and resolve North Korea's nuclear issue, the U.S. believes that three-way cooperation with South Korea and Japan is imperative," said Shin Beom-chul, the director of the Center for Diplomacy and Security at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy.



Kim Yeoul-soo, chief of the Security Strategy Office at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs, said the Biden administration will follow in the footsteps of the Barack Obama administration, in which Biden served as the vice president for eight years.



"Former President Obama thought that amid the South Korea-Japan feud, it could not resolve any problems involving China and North Korea, so the U.S. government urged the two countries to mend fences with each other, resulting in the comfort women deal in 2015 although both sides were not fully satisfied," Kim said.



In December 2015, the two countries "unexpectedly" signed an agreement to end the decades-long dispute over the issue of the sexual enslavement of Korean women by Japan from 1932 to the end of World War II, after which the South Korean government faced a fierce backlash from victims and the public demanding renegotiations.



"At the time, Blinken was the deputy secretary of state and he is expected to pick up where he left off," Kim added.





U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington, D.C., Feb. 26. Blinken, along with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, will visit Korea on Wednesday. AP-Yonhap
Published: 15 March 2021

Exports at a lower level than in 2019 despite recovery at the end of the year

During 2020, exports were constantly below the previous year's level and the last quarter of the year was no exception to this. However, differing from the previous quarters of 2020, exports of goods and services improved in the past quarter. However, even in previous years the level of exports has been at its highest in the last quarter of each year, but it is exceptional for exports of services to grow even higher than imports of services in the past quarter. Imports also grew somewhat from the previous quarters of 2020, but less than exports. These data derive from Statistics Finland's statistics on international trade in goods and services, which are part of balance of payments .

Figure 1. Imports and exports of services quarterly

In the last quarter of 2020, exports of services were valued at EUR 7.3 billion, or EUR 0.3 billion higher than the value of imports of services. This is not typical because imports of services have always been higher than exports in recent years. The growth in service exports was mainly due to exports of telecommunication, computer and information services (TCI), which grew by EUR 0.6 billion compared with the last quarter of 2019. However, this growth was smaller than the decrease in exports of travel and transport services, so in all, the value of service exports fell by EUR 0.8 billion or 10 per cent compared with the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Service imports fell in turn by as much as 20 per cent.

In turn, goods were exported from Finland to the value of EUR 16.7 billion and imported to the value of EUR 14.4 billion. The partial recovery of exports of goods in the last quarter of 2020 was influenced by delivery of a seagoing vessel to the value of just under EUR one billion, although there was a similar delivery of a seagoing vessel in the last quarter of 2019 as well. The value of exports of goods was three per cent lower than in the last quarter of 2019, while imports of goods fell by eight per cent.

International trade in travel and transport services still low

Especially after the first quarter of 2020, the figures for travel exports and imports have been clearly lower than in 2019. In the past quarter, only EUR 0.1 billion in income was received from travel exports, that is, travel to Finland, while one year earlier the income was EUR 0.8 billion. Travel imports, i.e. travel from Finland abroad, went down even more than travel exports, as their value was still EUR 1.3 billion in the last quarter of the year before. In the last quarter of 2020, the value of travel imports also diminished to around EUR 0.1 billion like travel exports.

In addition to travel, exports of transport services also declined clearly in the previous quarter compared with one year earlier. At that time, the value of exports of transport services had still been EUR 1.1 billion, but in the past quarter it was EUR 0.5 billion. In imports of transport services, the corresponding figures were EUR 1.5 billion and EUR 1.1 billion, that is, their value also fell, even though less than transport exports.

Thus, the combined value of exports of travel and transport services decreased in total by EUR 1.2 billion from the last quarter of the year 2019, while the value of all service exports fell by good EUR 0.8 billion. In fact, the weak development in service exports can largely be explained by the fall in income from transport and travel services, which is due to the pandemic caused by the coronavirus.

Figure 2. Exports of services by service item

Growth in exports of TCI services compensates for losses of travel and transport exports to some extent

The only item of service exports that grew significantly in the last quarter of 2020 was exports of TCI services, which grew by around one-fifth relative to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. In the past quarter, income from TCI exports amounted to EUR 3.6 billion, which was also considerably more than in the previous quarters of 2020. However, TCI exports were also then the largest of the items of Finland's service exports. Other business services were exported second most in the past quarter but only EUR 1.6 billion, or over one half less than TCI exports. Other business services include R&D services, consulting services, technical and trade-related services, for example. Exports of other business services fell by a total of around EUR 0.1 billion from one year ago. Exports of other items either fell less than that or were roughly on level with the year before.

While TCI services are now and have previously been the biggest service item in service exports, the most significant item in imports has been other business services. In the last quarter of 2019, these services were imported to the value of EUR 3.2 billion and one year later, the value was EUR 0.3 billion lower. On the other hand, there was slight growth in service imports in the imports of financial intermediation and insurance services and TCI services, as well as in charges collected for the use of intellectual property. In imports, too, the biggest decreases concerned travel and transport services, whose combined contraction explained as much as 88 per cent of the whole decline of service imports.

Exports to the United States grew exceptionally much

The biggest change in exports of goods and services in the last quarter of 2020 was the exceptional growth in exports to the United States. In relation to the last quarter of 2019, exports there grew by as much as EUR 1.7 billion. The value of exports to the United States in the previous quarter, EUR 4.1 billion, was also clearly higher than in the previous quarters of 2020. Although exports to the United States are still not on the same scale as Finland's exports to Europe, the value of which stood at EUR 14.8 billion in the last quarter of 2020, the United States has at least temporarily overtaken Sweden in the size order of export countries. Thus, exports of goods and services to Sweden amounted to EUR 2.9 billion in the past quarter, which is EUR 0.1 billion less than in the last quarter of 2019. Then clearly more goods and services were exported from Finland to Sweden than to the United States.

Compared to the previous year, the value of exports to Europe decreased by EUR 2.2 billion and exports to EU Member States fell by a total of EUR 1.8 billion. The magnitude of the contraction is however influenced by the exceptionally high level of exports of goods to Italy in the last quarter of 2019. In addition to Sweden, exports to Germany and the Netherlands also fell by around EUR 0.1 billion. Exports to Russia and Great Britain in turn decreased by close on EUR 0.2 billion for both countries.

Figure 3. Exports of goods and services in balance of payments terms by area

Exports to Asia also declined clearly by around EUR 0.7 billion from the year before, of which China accounted for EUR 0.1 billion. By contrast, imports from China grew, though moderately, by close on EUR 0.1 billion. In addition to exports, trade between European countries and Finland also declined clearly for imports, by EUR 2.2 billion. Here, especially imports from Russia decreased significantly, as in the past quarter those imports fell by as much as EUR 0.8 billion relative to the level of EUR 2.2 billion in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. While exports to the United States replaced the decrease in exports to other countries, nothing similar took place for imports. Imports from the United States went down by EUR 0.3 billion.

Statistics on international trade

Data on international trade have become considerably revised for 2019. As the most significant change, service exports decreased in the revision by EUR 1.1 billion and service imports by EUR 0.7 billion. Revisions were also made to factoryless production, which can be seen as changes in the country division. Further information from the press release of 26 February 2021.

The statistics on international trade in goods and services are part of balance of payments . The statistics comprise breakdowns of goods and services on a more detailed level. The guidelines and recommendations of the Balance of Payments Manual (BPM6) applied to balance of payments are consistent with the European System of Accounts (ESA 2010). National Accounts are published on quarterly and annual levels . Finnish Customs publishes data on goods trade across borders. Goods trade published by Finnish Customs is used as source data for the statistics on international trade in goods and services. Removals and additions caused by the definitions described in the quality description are made there to achieve goods trade in balance of payments terms.

Finnish Customs statistical service, tilastot@tulli.fi, +358 29 552 335.

Source: International trade in goods and services 2018, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Kasperi Lavikainen 029 551 3674, Risto Sippola 029 551 3383, Marianna Mukkulainen 029 551 3405, globalisaatio.tilastot@stat.fi

Head of Department in charge: Katri Kaaja

Publication in pdf-format (278.7 kB)

Updated 15.3.2021

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): International trade in goods and services [e-publication].

ISSN=2343-4244. 4th quarter 2020. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 2.6.2021].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tpulk/2020/04/tpulk_2020_04_2021-03-15_tie_001_en.html
Panaji, March 15 : A Goa opposition MLA, a former cabinet minister, has dared Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to make him a CM for 10 days to put an end to rave parties in the coastal state.

Rave parties are back in the buzz in Goa, especially after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Saturday, busted a beachside rave outside a popular beach shack and seized a variety of drugs, arresting five persons, including a Swiss national in the process, for possession of drugs.

Days after the raid, Goa Forward MLA Vinod Palienkar from Siolim assembly constituency, home to beach villages like Anjuna, Vagator, Chapora, which are popular rave party hubs, has now said that Sawant did not have the political will to crack down on rave parties which are fuelled by drug trade.

"The police know everything. Rave parties have been going on relentlessly in Goa especially in my constituency. The Chief Minister lacks the political will to crack down on them, because the drug trade is linked to his political party," Palienkar, a former Fisheries Minister, said.

"Make me a CM for 10 days, see how I will put an end to all this. Locals as well as foreigners are involved. If need be, I will form a team of 40 to 50 people and start it myself (shutting down raves)," Palienkar further said.

Rave parties have been the norm in North Goa's coastal belt, since the heyday of the hippies in the 1960s. Once casual affairs often organised at whim by beach village congregations of hippies, rave parties are now an organised business, with handbills, social media, advertising blitzes preceding such events.

The common use of drugs, by rave party revellers and loud thumping music which stretches through the night has however caused consternation among a section of residents of beach villages like Anjuna, Chapora, Vagator, Morjim, Arambol, etc.

While recurring complaints about rave parties have been reported to the police, the lack of action on the part of the uniformed executive, has often resulted in social tension in parts of coastal Goa.

Last week's bust of a rave party by the Narcotics Control Bureau team organised by a popular beach shack near Anjuna beach, has however brought the issue back in the limelight.

"The NCB raid has exposed the duplicity of the Goa Police, which has failed to crack down on rave parties which are being regularly held," Palienkar added.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, however, said that he has given a free hand to the Anti-Narcotics Cell of the Goa Police to crack down on drug trade.

"I have given a free hand to the narcotics cell. We want Goa to be drug-free. I want to arrest those linked to drugs, as Home Minister," Sawant said.

Responding specifically to a query related to rave parties, the Chief Minister said: "Action will be taken against all illegalities".
Peng Bo, the deputy director of Chinas secret state police, in a photo released by CCTV. Bo has been dismissed and is now under investigation in Beijing, the Chinese regime announced. (Illustration/The Epoch Times)

Top China Gestapo Officer Dismissed, Placed Under Investigation

Peng Bo, the deputy director of Chinas Gestapo-like secret state police, has been dismissed from his role and is under investigation, the Chinese regime announced on March 13.

Peng, 62, has become the first high-ranking Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official, known as tigers, to be ensnared in party politics since the March 11 conclusion of the regimes most important annual political conference: its Two Sessions meeting.

Following the announcement, all Chinese media quickly removed Pengs official resume and photosan unusual move.

This is so extraordinary. Even Zhou Yongkang and Bo Xilai havent been treated in this way, Epoch Times China analyst Heng He said during a podcast on March 13.

Zhou and Bo are among the most senior CCP officials to have been sacked by the party.

Suspected of Seriously Violating Discipline

The CCPs anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), announced on March 13 that Peng was suspected of seriously violating discipline and laws, and is under investigation and inspection. Thats a standard sentence used by the CCDI to sack most officials.

The announcement described Pengs title as deputy director of the Central Leading Group on Preventing and Dealing with Cults, a Gestapo-like security agency under both the CCP Central Committee and the State Council.

This is the first public information about Pengs connection to the agency.

Falun Gong practitioners hold a banner condemning the 610 Office in a protest opposite the Chinese Embassy in Washington, on April 21, 2004. (Minghui.org)

The group, known as the 610 Office, was established on June 10, 1999, and is dedicated to implementing the persecution and eradication of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice that teaches the values of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.

As a secret office, the 610 Office doesnt have an official website; its difficult for the public to know who works for the office from public information.

Before his placement at the 610 Office, Peng was deputy director of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), Chinas internet regulator, censor, monitor, and control agent.

The CACs website cache shows Pengs official resume.

Previously, Peng worked at Beijing Youth Daily, which is operated by the Beijing city government; the financial newspaper China Industrial and Commercial Times, owned by the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce; the China Youth Press, a subsidiary of the Communist Youth League Central Committee; and the propaganda bureau of the CCP Central Committee.

He was CAC deputy director from September 2012 to August 2015, and then was the leader of propaganda at the CCPs Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission (PLAC) until September 2018.

The Cyberspace Administration of China removes Peng Bos official resume from its official website in Beijing, on March 13, 2021. (Screenshot/CAC web cache)

Beijing News, a media outlet operated by the Beijing city government, reported on March 13 that the CCPs central committee might have begun investigating Peng as early as the summer of 2016.

The political acumen and discernment of some officials [at the 610 Office] arent good. They should strengthen their capabilities to predict and cope with major sensitive events, the report said, citing a 2016 internal document of the CCPs central committee. [The committee] has received the clues that reflected some officials disqualifications, and handed them over to CCDI and the Central Organization Department for further investigation.

The Central Organization Department is CCPs agent to appoint or dismiss officials, according to Chinese leader Xi Jinpings order.

Overseas Chinese websites have noted that Peng is loyal to retired Politburo Standing Committee member Liu Yunshan and retired PLAC head Meng Jianzhu, both of whom were members of the rival Jiang Zemin faction that is competing with Xi for power. Pengs investigation is being seen by analysts as the latest action in Xis anti-corruption campaign that has focused on his political opponents.

Fallen Tigers

The Shanghai city government-operated Jiefang Daily reported on March 14 that the CCP has sacked several tigers from the 610 Office in recent years.

From the CCPs announcements, former directors Zhou Yongkang, Li Dongsheng, Zhang Yue, Sun Lijun, Xu Yongyue, and Zhou Benshun were sacked from the 610 Office. Among them, Zhou Yongkanga former 610 Office leader, PLAC head, and member of the Politburo Standing Committeewas sentenced to life in prison for abuse of power and corruption in June 2015.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said the government understands the concerns of people who are employed in companies in the Middle-East and appealed to the Gulf nations from the house floor to facilitate the early return of those who were compelled to come back to India due to COVID-19.



He said "Just as the government led the way for an economic recovery at home, untiring efforts are being made to renew the livelihoods of Indians abroad," the minister said in a statement in Lok Sabha. He mentioned that the few restrictions on air travel are a mandatory measure to contain the spread of coronavirus, however, he urged the Gulf countries to empathise with those Indians who are employed in Gulf.

Just as the Government has led the way for an economic recovery at home, we are also similarly untiring in our efforts to help renew livelihoods of our people abroad. The air travel arrangements are a necessary enabling measure: EAM S Jaishankar in Rajya Sabha pic.twitter.com/Gaah4rqua4  ANI (@ANI) March 15, 2021

'Sympathetically look at Indians employed in Gulf nations': EAM

"The air travel arrangements are a necessary enabling measure, but beyond that, we have been active in urging our partner governments to look sympathetically at the employment of our citizens as they chart their own recovery pathway," PTI quoted Jaishankar as saying. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has engaged in talks with the leaders of countries in the Middle East including UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.



Jaishankar then recalled that he has also interacted with the leaders and representatives of UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar to accelerate the matters pertaining to the welfare of Indians in their respective countries. He further said that the Indian government has maintained constant communication with the foreign ministers of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia which employs maximum Indians.

Bill passed by Kuwait in 2020 to reduce ex-pats in the country

For instance, Kuwait houses at least 800,000 Indians, of which 300,000 are employed there as drivers, chefs, and caretakers. There are other sectors also where Indians are employed and considering the rise in the number of Indian workers, Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah last year had said that it has caused a "big imbalance" in the country's work atmosphere. Kuwait had also passed a bill to cut down on the ex-pats, aiming to reduce the percentage of 70% Indians living in Kuwait to 30 percent.


Blue Lagoon in Oludeniz, Mugla, Turkey (Getty)

While the date we can travel overseas is pencilled in for 17 May (this should be confirmed on 12 April), Turkey has announced its ready and willing to welcome British travellers with open arms - no vaccine certificate needed.

Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the minister of culture and tourism in Turkey, said: We are looking forward to welcoming British tourists with open arms, as we did safely last summer. We have world-class border processes in place for ensuring travel will be low-risk throughout Turkey.

We are working with the British authorities to ensure these necessary processes are world-class and as up-to-date as possible. We will not require vaccination passports from international travellers when entering the country.

Watch: China launches world's first vaccine passport scheme

Read more: 5 alternative staycation destinations in England - and where to stay

Despite vaccine certificates not being required, Turkish authorities assure that they are working to make a holiday abroad as safe as possible, announcing a priority vaccination program for employees at hotels and other tourist-heavy facilities across the country.

After 15 April, we will look at the number of cases again, we will re-evaluate the situation and then decide if we will continue to require negative PCR test results from British citizens entering the country, Ersoy added.

I expect there will be no such requirement from British visitors as the UK Government is rapidly, and impressively, rolling out the vaccination program for the whole nation and a significant portion of the population will be vaccinated by early summer.

Greece (pictured) has said it will welcome vaccinated British travellers from May (Getty)

Ersoy emphasised that Turkey will continue to invest in its Safe Tourism Certification Program that it launched in 2020. This sees all hotels certified under the scheme providing 25 testing facilities for visitors who need to be tested before returning to their home nation.

Tourists visiting Turkey will also be offered an insurance package for 12 that covers Covid 19-related treatment, like medication and emergency care cost should guests fall ill during the trip.

Story continues

Read more: 10 small Greek islands to visit this year

The Covid-19 Accommodation Support Insurance also guarantees to cover any extra accommodation expenses that may be necessary during the trip, following the issuance of a medical report requiring them to be kept under supervision in a hotel, the tourism board said in a statement.

Ersoy adds that with the vaccination programs being carried out in the UK and Turkey (the latter has seen 10 million of its 82 million residents vaccinated so far), he is confident that this summer season will be even safer than last year.

Read more: These are the countries most likely to open for Brits this summer

Other countries keen to welcome British travellers in this summer include Greece, Spain and Cyprus - but these will require proof of vaccine.

Watch: Why Britons will get an extra bank holiday in 2022
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The Mecklenburg District Attorneys Office dismissed all domestic violence-related charges filed against Sonic Automotive CEO David Bruton Smith on Friday.

Smith, 46, was arrested in October 2020 and charged with assault on a female, assault by strangulation, false imprisonment and interference with emergency communication.

The Mecklenburg County District Attorneys Office dismissed the charges filed against Sonic Automotive CEO.

Assistant District Attorney Kristen Northrup wrote in the dismissal that the victim had been consulted and that there was insufficient evidence to prove each offense beyond a reasonable doubt in a trial.

The outcome confirms Mr. Smiths belief in the justice system, and he is obviously pleased that the charges have been dismissed, Smiths attorney George Laughrun said in a statement on Monday.

According to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police report, officers responded to a domestic violence call around 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 5 at Smiths south Charlotte home on Carmel Park Drive. The victim, a 22-year-old woman not related to Smith, had said she was assaulted and held against her will, according to the report. The arrest warrant also states that the victim had redness around her neck and scratch marks.

The Charlotte Observer generally does not name victims of alleged domestic violence.

According to a company spokesman, Smith told Sonic Automotives board of directors in October that he is innocent and expects to be exonerated. The spokesman also said the company remains steadfast in its support of our CEO.

Sonic Automotive is a Fortune 500 company and bills itself as one of the biggest auto retailers in the United States.

David Smith took over as CEO of Sonic in 2018 after his brother Scott stepped down. Their father, Bruton Smith, founded the company and Speedway Motorsports LLC, which owns several NASCAR racetracks, including Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord.

Sonic Automotive told the Observer last year it was expanding a retail hub on Independence Boulevard known as EchoPark, which offers used cars.
Two people died, and 13 people were injured in a Chicago shooting early Sunday, according to authorities. Reports said the victims were attending a party of a towing company in Chicago's Park Manor neighborhood when the gunshots were fired before dawn Sunday.

The Associated Press reported that seven of the injured victims were brought to hospitals in critical conditions, while others were brought to hospitals by their acquaintances or went on their own.

READ NEXT: Mother Accused of Shooting, Killing Two Daughters at Home

Chicago Shooting Victims

The initial record showed that there were only 10 people hurt in the shooting. But police later raised the number of victims to 12 and then 15 with two deaths. Police further noted that those shots were between 20 and 44 years old.

One of the victims, who died, was a woman who was shot in the head and discovered by authorities outside the building. A man was also found dead inside a back room.

The Cook County medical examiner's office identified them as Rayneesha Dotson, 30; and Lionel Darling, 39. Both of them were pronounced dead at 4:55 a.m. at the scene.

Unfortunately, authorities have yet to make any arrests as of Sunday afternoon. But they were able to recover four guns at the scene.

"Detectives are really just getting started," said Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown, adding that they still have not figured out the celebration associated with the "pop-up party."

Brown further noted that they were still trying to follow-up on leads to determine the possible motive. But a police report said the shooting might have been gang-related.

Chicago Police Shooting

Meanwhile, a Chicago police officer was shot in the face at a police department's parking lot in the city's 6th District on Sunday afternoon, Fox News reported.

Brown confirmed the shooting in a series of tweets, adding that the sergeant sustained a small wound to the chin. He further noted that the sergeant was brought to a local hospital in "good condition."

"I'm visiting the sergeant at the hospital, who is recovering in good spirits," Brown tweeted.

Brown also said that their officers show a high resiliency level and place themselves in danger every day, whether they are simply standing in their own parking lot or responding to a call. No arrest has been made yet as detectives continue to investigate the shooting incident.

Brown noted that the sergeant was the 13th Chicago Police Department (CPD) officer to be shot this year, noting that in 2020, 79 police officers were shot.

Chicago Crime Rate

ABC7 reported that more than 700 homicides and 4,000 shootings were recorded in Chicago last year. CPD also reported that there was an uptick with a record of nearly 300 percent of violence against their officers. Authorities blamed many of those killings on rival gangs' disputes.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot urged Chicago's residents to support the city's investigation on the Sunday shooting that victimized 15 people so that justice can be served "for the mothers who will never hear their child's voice again, and the children who will grow up without a parent."

READ MORE: Dallas Man Kills Girlfriend, Her Mother And Films Them Before Shooting Self in Gruesome Video

WATCH: At Least 15 People Shot, 2 Killed in Mass Shooting on South Side - From WGN News
CVS said Monday it wont be releasing the addresses of pharmacies giving out the vaccine because it does not want to overwhelm those locations with people seeking a dose without making an appointment.
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Manhattan Active Omni solution allows leading ANZ retailer to navigate COVID-19 ecommerce surge and deliver 12-month projected savings goal on day one

SYDNEY, March 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Manhattan Associates Inc. (NASDAQ: MANH) today announced that the leading Australasian retailer, Super Retail Group, parent company of Rebel, Super Cheap Auto, BCF and Macpac, has successfully gone live with Manhattan's Distributed Order Management solution, part of the Manhattan Active Omni solution suite.

Female runner tying her shoes preparing for a run

Super Retail Group's previous online order fulfilment system allocated orders based on proximity to customers without considering the true cost to fulfil. As a result, more than 20% of home delivery orders were shipped interstate at a higher cost, despite the company having the items in stock in the state. Additionally, more than 15% of home delivery orders were split into multiple packages, which also increased fulfilment costs.

As part of its omni-retailing strategy, Super Retail Group migrated to the cloud-based Manhattan Active Omni solution. Using Manhattan's solution, the Group is now competitively positioned to fully configure its online order fulfilment to meet a much more exacting customer promise around time from 'click to consumer'.

"As a result of various pandemic mitigation measures, online sales of home fitness and outdoor leisure exploded in Australia in 2020, resulting in Super Retail Group increasing ecommerce sales by 87 percent to $237 million in the second half of 2020. In an effort to meet this surge in online orders and meet our customer promise around delivery, we fast-tracked the roll-out of Manhattan Associates' omnichannel solution in a remote, socially distanced manner. The resulting solution achieved significant fulfilment savings per order, from day one of operation," explained Brian Townshend, Super Retail Group's general manager of omni-retail.

"When COVID-19 fully hit and many businesses were consolidating projects, we actually sped up the deployment of Manhattan Active Omni and it now offers us a single window of visibility and availability of stock across our entire supply chain network" added Townshend.

Story continues

"The Manhattan solution is highly adaptable and responsive. Even implementing it virtually and operating throughout the challenges of COVID-19, the new system has been able to accommodate major order and fulfilment routing changes within minutes. With the new system, we were able to change our fulfilment logic and immediately reduce fulfilment costs  even achieving our 12-month goal on day one, which is a remarkable result," finished Townshend.

"We would like to congratulate Super Retail Group on the great work and results they have achieved during a challenging 2020. We know at this particular time, just how important it is for this leading Australasian retailer to be able to get the best local and international brands to its customers as quickly as possible, whether it's via delivery or click & collect," added Raghav Sibal, Managing Director of Australia and New Zealand for Manhattan Associates.

"To roll-out Manhattan Active Omni virtually during COVID-19 and then immediately see these excellent results is testament to not only the power of our cloud solution, but also the expertise of our team, as well as the strong partnership between the two companies," ended Sibal.

ENDS

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About Super Retail Group

Super Retail Group is one of Australasia's Top 10 retailers and is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. Its story began in the 1970's with the founding and development of a number of individual family owned businesses. Each shared a similar DNA of being uniquely Australian, challenging the status quo and building a community of customers by helping people live their passions.

They brought this family of like-minded businesses together to form the Super Retail Group, and have continued that legacy of supporting customers and their passions. Super Retail Group goes above and beyond to deliver what its customers need. It is this commitment that has seen Super Retail Group grow into the leader in retailing of auto, sport and outdoor leisure products in Australia and New Zealand.

Proudly headquartered in Brisbane, its network extends to over 670 retail stores and more than 12,000 team members across Australia, New Zealand and China. Today, Super Retail Group has grown to one of Australasia's largest retailers, housing iconic brands including BCF Boating Camping Fishing, Macpac, Rebel and Supercheap Auto, with an annualised turnover in excess of $2.5 billion.

https://www.superretailgroup.com.au/

About Manhattan Associates

Manhattan Associates makes commerce-ready supply chains that bring all points of commerce together so you're ready to sell and ready to execute. Across the store, through your network or from your fulfilment centre, we design, build and deliver market-leading solutions that support both top-line growth and bottom-line profitability. By converging front-end sales with back-end supply chain execution, our software, platform technology and unmatched experience help our customers get commerce readyand ready to reap the rewards of the omni-channel marketplace. For more information, please visit http://www.manh.com/en-au.

SOURCE Manhattan Associates
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Environmentalists sometimes use the terms "preservation" and "conservation" interchangeably without specifying what they say or why they use one over the other. Here's a short rundown of the differences between the terms "preservation" and "conservation," as well as any explanations why people choose one to the other.

Both preservation and restoration are environmental protection processes, but they take different approaches. Preservation aims to safeguard the ecosystem from the negative impacts of human action.

Related Article: Mammal Extinction Capital of the World: 5 of Australia's Critically Endangered Mammal Species

Conservation

Conservation is a term used to describe efforts to make humans' interaction with the ecosystem more secure while also consuming natural resources. Conservationists are usually in favor of policies that reduce human utilization of natural resources, but only where they are useful to humanity. They will likely favor a program that granted tax breaks to homeowners who built solar panels, but not one that prevented the building of roads in national parks. Conservation may also refer to the decisions people make on a daily basis to reduce their consumption, such as taking shorter showers or installing solar panels.

The majority of conservationists believe that there is intrinsic meaning in human life and well-being, but not in the natural world remaining as it is. Conservation projects help humans continue to survive and thrive by ensuring that services are kept out of the ecosystem at a reasonable pace. Check out Henry David Thoreau's work if you want to learn more about conservation.

Preservation

The term "preservation" usually refers to the setting aside of areas of land that are either human-free, free of visible signs of human influence such as roads or fire pits, or whose only human occupants are indigenous people. Preservationists, including conservationists, would certainly favor a policy that provided tax breaks to homeowners who built solar panels. Still, they would probably support a policy that prohibited the building of roads in national parks.

On the other hand, Preservationists often regard wild nature as valuable in and of itself, rather than only where it can aid humans. Some defend this on moral or philosophical grounds, whilst others believe that nature is more majestic when we leave it alone and that when we regulate it tightly, we avoid living in peace with it. Check out the works of John Muir or Bill McKibben if you want to learn more about restoration.

Difference, Similarity, and Importance

The terms "preservation" and "conservation" are often used interchangeably, but they refer to two distinct definitions. Conservation is the conscientious use of natural resources to protect the ecosystem. The ecosystem is protected by preservation from dangerous human activity. To avoid deforestation, for example, conserving a forest usually entails using sustainable forestry methods. Setting aside a section or even the entire forest from human construction will be called protection.

Conservation and preservation are closely related and may appear to be synonymous. Both words imply a security level, but the manner in which the protection is carried out is the main distinction. Conservation refers to preserving natural resources, while preservation refers to the preservation of structures, artifacts, and environments. Simply put, restoration is concerned with the proper use of nature, while preservation is concerned with the protection of nature from use.

Two rival factions arose during the early twentieth-century environmental movement: conservationists and preservationists. Conservationists wanted to limit human use, while preservationists wanted to abolish it entirely.

ALSO READ: Search for the "Elusive" Tasmanian Tiger: Why People Are Still on the Hunt for Extinct Species

For more environmental news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
For the past two years, Denzel Asante, a first-year student of Mpraeso Secondary School, who resides in Darkuman-Accra, has been battling a head tumor but thanks to Vodafones Healthline support initiative, he can look forward to a brighter life.



Narrating his story, Denzel indicated that the incident happened during his Junior High School time at New Star Junior High School when a teacher smashed his head severally with a cane for failure to answer a question correctly in class.



He indicated however that before the incident between him and the teacher, he was feeling a slight headache which got serious afterwards and he was permitted to go home for medication, which became the beginning of the discovery that he has developed a head tumor that has burst.



According to the mother, he was given some pain killers (paracetamol) when he returned home from school on that fateful day with the head issue but the headache continued for days and he was sent to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for treatment but after weeks of treatment the right eye swelled and so her mother was asked to make payment for a scan.



Due to financial challenges, Denzels mother, who was already unable to purchase prescribed drugs on time, took a longer time to finance the scan and when results came, it showed that a tumor had developed, subsequently burst and clotted in the head.



Denzel was admitted at the Korle-Bu and the medication required for his treatment cost GH700 per day which became difficult for the family to handle. It came to a point where they needed to perform surgery on the boy or would develop one of two additional health complications; either mental issues or infection in the head.



Despite the surgery, which was supported by family and friends, an infection of the skull bone has developed as a result of the complications that occurred during the delay in identifying the tumor.



Denzels mother indicated that she was watching television in a friends room when the Vodafone Healthline programme was telecasted and she decided to also give it a try by sending her documents to their office and thankfully they came to the rescue of brilliant Denzel who was then in school but puts on helmet to class always.



Denzel, his mother and grandmother expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Vodafone Ghana Limited for their kind gesture in supporting to rescue him at the right time as the family was incapable of raising the amount required for the surgery and other medications required.



In the 11th episode of 9th season, Dr Akosua Twum Barima, Resident Periodontology at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) educated the public on bad breath or halitosis. She explained that the condition can be classified into physiological or pathological, adding that the physiological one is related to the food that one eats like the garlic, onions, fish egg among others.



Then we have the pathological ones, those ones are caused by diseases that are either from the mouth or any other organ of the body; mostly ear, nose, throat, liver and upper respiratory system. The whole concept of halitosis is because we have a lot of bacteria in our mouth and some of these bacteria produces by-products that contain Sulphur content responsible for the bad breath, she said.



She advised the public to adhere to regular brushing of teeth to clear food particles that settle in between the teeth. She added that the tongue is very much involved in the cause of halitosis and therefore individuals should also give more attention to brushing the tongue thoroughly as it harbours most of these bacteria at its back.



Individuals should endeavor to give themselves assessment by using a spoon to scrub the back of their tongue and smell the spoon after five seconds to know if they have bad breath or cover the mouth with the hand and breath into it and smell the air coming out to know if it has a smell, she concluded.





Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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

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Ontario Premier Doug Ford watches a health-care worker prepare a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a UHN vaccine clinic in Toronto, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. Ontario's hotly anticipated COVID-19 vaccine booking system launches at 8 a.m. today for those aged 80 and up. But Premier Doug Ford is urging those who don't yet qualify for a shot to keep off the website so that it doesn't crash. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Thiruvananthapuram, March 15 : The Congress in Kerala is still searching for a "strong" candidate to be fielded against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who on Monday filed his nomination papers from his home turf at Dharmadom in Kannur district.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front was pinning for G. Devarajan - a top national leader of the Forward Bloc, but on Monday, the news surfaced his party has decided not to field him as the CPI-M is its ally at the national level and hence it would be inappropriate for him to take on Vijayan.

UDF convenor M.M. Hassan said the Congress will soon announce the new candidate to take on Vijayan.

Asserting that the party would field an effective candidate in Dharmadom, state Congress President Mullapally Ramachandran on Monday said no one believed him when he said they will have a very strong candidate at Nemom - the sole seat held by BJP in the state - and this is what has been done.

The Congress has fielded its Lok Sabha member K. Muraleedharan, the son of former Chief Minister K. Karunakaran from Nemom.

"Like in Nemom, we will place a very strong candidate at Dharmadom also," Ramachandran said.

Even though the outcome at Dharmadom is a foregone conclusion, the Congress aim in fielding a strong personality is with the intention of tying down Vijayan to his constituency during the campaign period.

Vijayan won the seat with a margin of 37,905 votes in the 2016 polls.

The BJP has fielded one of its top leaders - former state President C.K. Padmanabhan against Vijayan.
" " Anthony Quinn punches a sailor in a scene from the 1965 film 'A High Wind In Jamaica.' Sailors have a reputation for swearing but is this justified? 20th Century-Fox/Getty Images

There's good reason to believe that sailors have always slung salty language on the high seas. At least that was the impression of the Puritan preacher Cotton Mather, who wrote in a 1699 sermon, "It has been an Observation, older than the Dayes of Plato, That the Sea is a School of Vice... Is not the Sin of profane Swearing and Cursing, become too notorious among our Sailors?" Even the adjective "salty," meaning crude language, originated in the late 1800s as a reference to the "colorful" culture and vocabulary of sailors.

So, what was it exactly about nautical life that turned good Christian boys into foul-mouthed seamen and popularized the notion of "swearing like a sailor"?

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A Perilous Brotherhood

From the late 17th through the 19th century, there was arguably no profession more dangerous and technically demanding as being a crewmember on a large sailing vessel, says Marc Nucup, public historian at The Mariners' Museum and Park in Newport News, Virginia. Every aspect of sailing required coordinated teamwork and a "weak link" on the crew could cause grave injury or death. Winning the trust and respect of your crewmates was essential, which meant convincing them you were part of the insular brotherhood of sailors.

" " Keenan Wynn talks with six sailors in 1953's 'All The Brothers Were Valiant.' Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images

"Because this was such a technical skill where the risk of dying or being injured was always present, you were either a sailor or you weren't a sailor," says Nucup, "Speaking like a sailor was a big mark of showing you belonged to that group."

Part of speaking like a sailor was being conversant in all of the specialized shipboard jargon  from scuppers to scuttlebutts  which itself could sound like a foreign language. But proficiency with foul language (at least according to 18th-century standards) was also a sure sign that you were an experienced and trusted hand.

"Swearing like a sailor was one identifiable way of making sure you were part of the group," says Nucup. "Just as there were songs and shanties that all sailors knew, stories they liked to tell, and the way that they dressed in contrast to the civilians on shore."

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'Damn' Was a Serious Swear Word

To modern ears, the word "damn" barely registers as bad language, but in the highly religious culture of 18th- and 19th-century America, "damn" packed a serious punch. As historian Paul Gilje explained his excellent book, "To Swear Like a Sailor: Maritime Culture in America 1750-1850," misusing the word "damn" could violate two different Christian taboos: 1) taking the Lord's name in vain (as in "God damn you!") or 2) putting yourself on the same level as God by damning everything from bad wind to a drunken captain.

Most sailors were raised in religious homes and fully understood that throwing around the word "damn" was sinful business, but that was also part of the appeal. Winning acceptance into the sailors' brotherhood often meant actively rejecting the mores of mainstream society, at least while onboard the ship. In his book, Gilje quotes a repentant sailor in a New York prayer meeting:

"I profaned the name of God without any remorse of conscience... I have often called on God to damn my body and my soul, yards and sails, rigging and blocks, everything below and aloft, the ship and my shipmates."

If "damn" was bad enough, then what was considered a truly vile example of "swearing like a sailor"?

There are frustratingly few mentions of specific swear words in ship's logbooks and sailors' journals from the era, but Gilje found one fellow on a whaling ship in 1849 who described his captain as using "the worst and most profane language I have ever heard from mortal lips." If you're expecting "F-bombs" and other R-rated cussing, you might be surprised that one of the foulest insults a 19th-century sailor could utter was to call another man a "damn son of a bitch."

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What Did You Say About My Momma?

In his book, Gilje found multiple accounts of men aboard a ship nearly killing each other over being called the phrase. Captains whipped and beat men for less, and mutinies were plotted over such seemingly tame words. But as Gilje explains, there was nothing tame in those days about calling someone's mother a "bitch."

" " Two sailors check out Ann Miller in a scene from the 1949 film 'On The Town', 1949. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images

In "A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue" published in 1785, the author defines "bitch" as a "she dog or dogress" and also "the most offensive appellation that can be given to an English woman, even more provoking than that of whore." A prostitute had sex with men for money, but a "bitch," according to the 18th-century dictionary, was a "woman whose animal sexual instincts compelled her to take on any and every available male."

To call a woman a "bitch" in the 18th and 19th century was to deem her less than human and literally bestial. And to call a man a "son of a bitch" was an unforgivable offense considering the pedestals upon which young sailors placed their angel mothers.

"There's a certain sentimentalism, especially among the younger men," says Nucup. "Some may have had sweethearts or wives on shore, but almost all of them had a mother at home and insulting your mother was a big deal."

In fact, "son of a bitch" might have been the most potent "fighting words" in the English language, both on and off the water. To drive his point home, Gilje references the Boston Massacre, the infamous incident in which British soldiers fired on a crowd of rioting civilians in Boston in 1770, killing five American colonists in the lead-up to the Revolutionary War.

As the angry Bostonians first clashed with the British soldiers, one boy pointed to a soldier and cried out, "This is the son of a bitch that knocked me down." That would have almost certainly made the soldier's blood boil. But the insults and taunts didn't stop there. According to another account, someone else in the crowd dared the British to shoot using some of the most profane language they could muster: "Damn you, you rascals; fire. You dare not, fire. Fire and be damned."

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'Cursing with Gusto'

Gilje says that over time sailors took more and more pride in their salty reputation, and while insults like "son of a bitch" became widespread among 19th-century Americans of all professions, sailors "embraced cursing with a distinct gusto" and elevated it into an "art form." The ability to swear freely was romanticized as one of the liberties of life at sea and "swearing like a sailor" came to represent a certain kind of manly maritime lifestyle.

Do modern sailors still deserve the reputation as prolific and creative cussers? We reached out to Dave Winkler, a retired Navy Reserve commander and now a historian with the Naval Historical Foundation, who relayed a story about a crewmate who practically jumped overboard when the new skipper handed down a "no swearing" order. That said, wrote Winkler in an email, "I would not say that sailors have a special ownership over swarthy language. I suspect it's pervasive throughout industrial environments. Then there are Marine Corps drill instructors!"

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Now That's Cool To "spin a yarn" is sailor-speak for telling a story and references the nautical practice of twisting fibers together to form a thick rope. The metaphor "fit the way sailors told their stories," writes Gilje, "offering little bits and pieces of information that tied together and formed a larger narrative."
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Photo taken on June 29, 2020 shows a billboard about the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in Central area in Hong Kong, south China. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

HONG KONG, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The National People's Congress (NPC) last week passed the Decision on Improving the Electoral System of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), in another step toward restoring peace and stability in Hong Kong, and boosting its development.

However, certain Western "preachers" have again voiced their opposition in the name of "democracy."

According to reports from some Western media, certain U.S. and European politicians have jumped up to say that such reform could "generate negative consequences" or "reduce democratic representation."

Such claims, disregarding the actual situation in Hong Kong, have revealed double standards and the nefarious intentions behind them.

The principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" and the improvement of the electoral system of the HKSAR are in line with basic political ethics and international formalities, which have also been adopted by Western countries in their own domestic practices.

Globally speaking, it is not uncommon for countries to take measures and ask their public officials to serve their countries with loyalty and respect for their constitutions.

The United States is particularly strict in this respect. Senators and House representatives must swear to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States." A violation could lead to disqualification. The country also has legislation targeting foreign interference in elections.

"In the United States, candidates for elections at all levels are trying to polish their images as more patriotic and more capable to lead the country toward prosperity. Why would they not allow Hong Kong election candidates to love their own country?" asked Andrew Fung Wai-kwong, a commentator in Hong Kong.

As for the improvement of the electoral system of the HKSAR, which some countries claimed was a "violation of democracy," accusations are also unfounded.

It is common practice in countries with unitary governments that regional electoral systems are determined by the central government. For instance, in France, the regional electoral system was determined by the National Assembly.

In China, the NPC is the highest organ of state power and the national legislature. It is written in the Constitution that the NPC can make decisions for the establishment of special administrative regions and their systems.

The NPC has the power and responsibility to improve the electoral system in Hong Kong.

The central government has hosted seminars and forums to hear public opinions from Hong Kong, and such consulting forms will continue in the future to ensure different voices are heard in the HKSAR. Is that intended to "defy the clear will of the people of Hong Kong and to deny their voice in their own government and governance"?

As Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, has pointed out, the change to the electoral system doesn't rule out the chance for people from opposition groups to become candidates and be elected, and the Legislative Council of Hong Kong will represent even broader views of the people in the region.

Behind the double standards of certain Western politicians are their intentions to prevent Hong Kong from being administered by patriots, take advantage of the loopholes in its current electoral system, help their anti-China agents enter the administration body, and make Hong Kong a pawn to contain China.

People in Hong Kong are increasingly aware of those intentions.

According to a survey conducted by the think-tank Bauhinia Institute, more than 80 percent of local people recognize the necessity of upholding the "patriots administering Hong Kong" principle, while nearly 70 percent support the central authorities in improving Hong Kong's electoral system and closing institutional loopholes.

At the 46th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Belarus delivered a joint speech on behalf of 71 countries, emphasizing that Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs and should not be interfered with by external forces.

Looking into the future, Hong Kong will only become a better place with an improved electoral system. The democratic process will be advanced. Western "preachers" are doomed to be disappointed.
As we mark a year of life under lockdown, Americans are reflecting on COVID-19s devastating toll: a year of loss, closures and anxiety. But if you know where to look, it has also been a year of innovation, ingenuity and resiliency. In the Bay Area and across the country, nonprofits and community organizations have stepped up as never before, plugging the holes in our lives created by the pandemic. Now, with the end in sight, its time to ensure they too are able to weather the storm and reemerge stronger than ever in a world after COVID-19.

The nonprofit sector was far from immune to the pandemics devastating economic effects. Organizations were hit hard, losing the ability to generate earned revenue; unable to host annual fundraising events; and starved of government funding as states and municipalities turned their attention to more pressing matters. As a result, nonprofits revenues took a nosedive, forcing massive staff layoffs and deep cuts to programs and services.

Despite all this, the nonprofit sector shined during the pandemic, filling gaps in social services, education, community connections and culture. In the Bay Area, for example, the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco, San Francisco YMCA, San Francisco Parks and Recreation and other neighborhood youth centers suddenly found themselves providing not just after-school programs, but essential support for vulnerable families. These organizations, in partnership with the citys Community Hub Initiative have helped provide food, essential childcare, academic and social-emotional care for students from low-income neighborhoods throughout the crisis.

And to combat the acute social isolation that came from the closures and social distance requirements, community organizations have stepped up to provide a sense of togetherness and solidarity  if only from afar. Jewish Family and Childrens Services and Meals on Wheels delivered thousands of meals daily to elderly and homebound adults across the Bay Area who are struggling with loneliness and food insecurity. Other food banks increased their capacity, catering to immediate and soaring demand while also radically adjusting their models by shifting to outdoor dining spaces serving free meals, drive-through food pantries, contactless deliveries and more. Glide and St. Anthonys expanded services to distribute hygiene supplies and provide COVID testing and other supportive services.

Nonprofit leadership has proved itself especially nimble throughout the pandemic. Necessity is the mother of invention, and leaders have found themselves making difficult decisions in the face of grave uncertainty, taking leaps they otherwise never might have. For example, the San Francisco Symphony recognized early that the future of audience engagement and development required a serious investment in digital infrastructure, so it launched a new at-home streaming service, SFSymphony+. Other major arts institutions, like the Asian Art Museum, de Young, ACT and the SF Opera, also dove into digital content while expanding their education programs by connecting out-of-work artists and musicians with students online. These innovations, though necessitated by the pandemic, are likely to outlive it.

None of these services and programs would have been possible without the philanthropic communitys willingness to extend its generosity, stepping up giving to unprecedented levels throughout the pandemic. Unlike most economic downturns, which usually cause sharp declines in philanthropic giving, the pandemic created a collective sense of social responsibility and pushed donors to think more flexibly about giving. Philanthropies locally and across the country developed and contributed to pooled giving funds, lifted gift restrictions, and fulfilled pledges at higher rates than in previous years, according to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy and Candid.

Even as restrictions are lifted and we begin to return to a greater sense of normalcy, nonprofits will be in recovery mode for years to come. Demand for services will remain high; hiring back laid-off staff and reinstating programs that have been cut will take time. Funders should think long-term about pandemic response and recovery, identify the nonprofits reaching communities most affected by this years events, and commit significant resources to ensure nonprofits can take the time needed to rebuild. Sustained philanthropic investment will be essential, otherwise COVID-19 risks becoming a black hole that some of our most vital community organizations cant crawl out of.

We are all ready for a post-pandemic life, when we can send our kids safely back to school, enjoy the arts and culture scene again, and return to participating fully in our communities. But we cant forget the nonprofits that served the Bay Area community in its hour of need. They were there for us; now we must commit to being there for them, too.

Danielle Foreman is director of programs for the San Francisco-based Koret Foundation.
The PSNI has confirmed that reports involving shots and a viable device left near Enniskillen police station were "nothing untoward", following a police operation.

The police confirmed inquiries were ongoing following reports of an anonymous call by dissident republicans.

Chief Inspector Robert McGowan said: "A thorough search and proactive policing operation was carried out, with nothing untoward found in the Shore Path area, and no reports of any shots fired at the police station," he said.

"Inquiries are ongoing, and police would advise the local community to be vigilant if they see anything suspicious in the area.

"We would appeal to anybody with any information to assist with our inquiries and get in touch by 101 and quoting reference number 1012 of 15/03/21.

"A report can also be submitted at www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/ or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111."

The First Minister Arlene Foster, who represents the Fermanagh & South Tyrone constituency, had condemned reports of the incident on Monday afternoon.

"Even if this latest claim turns out to be a hoax it raises concern and causes disruption within Enniskillen," she said.

"It is clear however that there remains those within our community who offer nothing other than violence and the threat of violence in order to advance their warped agenda.

"This comes only a few days after reports of a device left in the Newtownbutler area. There must be a united response from across our community to say clearly that those responsible have nothing to offer."
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MUMBAI, India  The second wave of Covid-19 in India is here. The country of more than one billion people already has 11.3 million cases and more than 158,000 deaths. After a low weekly average of less than 11,000 cases per day in the second week of February, the cases have risen to a weekly average of more than 18,000 cases per day. On Friday, India reported more than 23,000 new cases.

This lends greater urgency to Indias vaccination drive, which aimed to inoculate 300 million people for Covid-19 between mid-January and August.

When the vaccine rollout started on Jan. 16, I was pretty certain it would go smoothly. And why not? India is a global pharmaceutical powerhouse, with proven capacity to meet high production volumes, and by mid-January it was already manufacturing more than three million vaccines a day. The country has a long history of successfully running immunization programs across daunting, difficult geographies and inoculating hundreds of millions of people against polio, measles, tuberculosis and other diseases.

To get a sense of the effectiveness and the scale of Indias immunization programs, consider this: Amid the pandemic, on Jan. 30, India carried out its annual polio immunization campaign, inoculating over 110 million children in three days. Around 700,000 vaccination booths were staffed with 1.2 million health workers  many of them Accredited Social Health Activists, or ASHA workers, who for $50 per month check on mothers and children at bus terminals and bazaars to ensure the immunization program is a success.
World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma gave a surprise concert at the Berkshire Community College during an observation period after receiving his second dose of COVID-19 vaccine over the weekend. The 65-year-old musician was waiting at the vaccination site for his 15-minute observation period on Saturday when he decided to give something back, Richard Hall of the Berkshire COVID-19 Vaccine Collaborative told The Berkshire Eagle.

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Ma started playing for the staff at the vaccination center and people waiting for their observation period. Hall described the impromptu performance as a "very special" concert to end the clinic day. State Rep. William Smitty Pignatelli praised Ma for bringing hope and optimism through his beautiful music. The 18-time Grammy award winner serenaded everyone at the center with Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria" and the prelude to Bach's "Cello Suite No. 1" during his surprise mini-concert, CBS News reported. Many people were moved to tears," Jonah Sykes, associate director of marketing and communications at Berkshire Community College, said. It was an exceptional moment at the end of a long day of giving shots." March 13, the day when Ma received his second shot, was the first anniversary of #SongsOfComfort, an effort he launched on Twitter where he posts a series of live recordings to bring comfort to those stuck during the quarantine period.

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In these days of anxiety, I wanted to find a way to continue to share some of the music that gives me comfort, Ma wrote in his tweet last year. The first of my #SongsOfComfort: Dvorak  'Going Home'." Feature Image via Berkshire Community College (left), Joi Ito (right; (CC BY 2.0))

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Two additional people injected with a COVID-19 vaccine developed by British-Swedish company AstraZeneca have experienced severe reactions, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Health.

COVID-19 vaccination in Vietnam began on Monday last week, and by 4:00 pm on Sunday 11,605 people in 12 provinces and cities had received their first jab of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Among 1,400 people vaccinated on Sunday, two exhibited severe reactions.

The first case suffered dizziness, restlessness, and irritability within 30 minutes after injection.

The second case was diagnosed with grade-III anaphylaxis with initial signs of fever, tremors accompanied by cramping, and hand numbness eight hours after vaccination.

Both cases were noted and handled promptly according to regulations. They are now in stable health.

They are also the most severe cases of anaphylaxis recorded in Vietnam since the COVID-19 vaccinations beginning.

Previously, 12 recipients, or 0.7 percent, of 5,300 vaccinated people suffered severe reactions including narrow pulse pressure, swelling at the injection site, difficulty breathing, and hives, according to Preventive Medicine Department vice-director Nguyen Minh Hang.

Despite that, Vietnamese medical authorities have affirmed that the post-coronavirus vaccination reaction rates are normal and equivalent to other vaccines already in circulation in the country.

COVID-19 inoculation in Vietnam will go ahead in the northern provinces of Quang Ninh and Dien Bien and the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap this week.

Vietnam will have over 5.6 million more AstraZeneca vaccine shots in March and April.

The country expects to obtain 150 million doses this year, with 60 million already secured from AstraZeneca and the COVAX scheme co-led by the World Health Organization.

The Southeast Asian country received its first COVID-19 vaccine shipment on February 24  a batch of 117,600 doses of COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford.

Vietnam recorded no new cases of COVID-19 on Monday morning.

The national patient tally stood at 2,554 infections, with 2,086 recoveries and 35 virus-related deaths, according to the Ministry of Healths data.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Recently, a Missouri House Rep. For Kansas City took a bold stand against trending hateration targeting Asian-Americans.



Don't get it twisted, for the most part we ABSOLUTELY AGREE with Rep. Weber calling out a Republican politico doing bad stand up on the job and ranting about international politics whilst using the lame "China virus" tag. The vast majority of Missouri GOP denizens need to stop playing mini-Trump and focus on fixing garbage Missouri highways or start worrying about the ongoing opioid crisis devastating rural Missouri.

Rising levels of anti-Asian sentiment are, in fact, an American problem that needs to be addressed.



A few examples . . .



NBC News: (Prez) Biden says hate crimes against Asian Americans are 'un-American' and that they 'must stop'

Dos Mundos: Jorge Ramos - Why Has There Been a Spike of Anti-Asian Hate?

Insider: Marvel's first Asian superhero says anti-Asian racism won't be solved by 'an opulent rom-com or Marvel superhero'

Only those ignorant of history will overlook the Democratic Party's troubled past when it comes to persecution of Asian-Americans.



Last week, about 48 hours after Rep. Weber offered her bold defense of Asian-American dignity, a dude was killed on Kansas City streets and became a recent victim of a 2021 homicide surge that's tragically keeping pace with last year's historic number.

The victim was initially identified as a woman.

Later KCPD offered a correction and noted that it was an Asian male, only 18 years-old who was killed by way of gunfire in a car parked near 116th Terrace and Troost.



Whilst words are powerful and can hurt, we contend that rampant gunfire in KCMO is still more dangerous than politically incorrect rhetoric.

After the murder of the Asian teen there was no followup, comment or acknowledgment from the Kansas City Missouri House Rep regarding a rare murder that killed a member of the local Asian community.

Moreover, neither local nor national media want to address growing threats to Asian people in the urban core where language barriers and rampant poverty pretty much make everyone a target.

Sadly, media coverage of the spike in attacks targeting Asian-Americans is exceptionally convoluted.

For instance, try and translate this quote from renowned author Michael Eric Dyson:

Violence against Asian Americans and why 'hate crime' should be used carefully  "Dyson said the Black community, like others, hasn't been untouched by the Trump administration's incendiary rhetoric. And just as the Asian American community isn't immune to perpetuating anti-Blackness, the Black community can be vulnerable to absorbing the anti-Asian discourse."

Here's another recent, equally vague headline and confusing reporting from CNN . . .

The history of attacks against Asian Americans is complicated. Addressing it will be, too

At least this link is a bit more direct and offers an upbeat spin:

Advocates Discourage Anti-Black Sentiment Amid Violence Against Asians

In the final analysis . . .

We share these links, quotes and questions merely to note that scoring political points and standing up to nasty rhetoric is important but still so much easier than confronting the ongoing slaughter on Kansas City streets that's quickly crossing demographic lines whilst our elected leadership is engaged in constant culture war and divisive identity politics.



Developing . . .


New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tied Gov. Andrew Cuomo's alleged cover-up of nursing home deaths to campaign contributions, saying on Sunday that hospitals, health systems and other donors were the reason the governor hid the numbers.

The mayor also continued to take aim at Cuomo amid a growing sexual harassment scandal, accusing him of being 'in the way' when it comes to saving lives during the fight against the coronavirus and again calling for him to resign.

De Blasio has been at the forefront of the crowd calling for Cuomo's resignation in recent weeks, seemingly unafraid of battling a now-weakened frequent adversary.

De Blasio appeared on CBS' Face the Nation, where he was asked about the possibility of Cuomo resigning in the face of controversy.

'I think he'll try to hold out,' De Blasio said to host Margaret Brennan. 'I think he is used to getting things his way and it's been almost an imperial governorship.

'But I gotta tell you, the folks in this state and political leadership don't believe in him anymore. He doesn't have any credibility.'

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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tells @margbrennan embattled NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo is "literally in the way of us saving lives" by refusing to resign amid harassment allegations. @NYCMayor adds Cuomo will "try to hold out" and is "used to getting things his way." pic.twitter.com/T1R9Po9JUT  Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) March 14, 2021

On Sunday, Bill de Blasio appeared on Face the Nation, where he teared into Andrew Cuomo

The New York governor (left) is dogged by two major scandals that threaten his administration

This weekend, Cuomo was seen walking outside his mansion wearing a blanket

That notion is supported by the increasing number of people who have called on Cuomo to resign, which now includes both New York senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

'I think an impeachment proceeding will begin,' de Blasio continued. 'And I think he will be impeached and perhaps right before that hell decide to resign. That's probably the most likely outcome right now.

'He should resign right now because he's holding up our effort to fight COVID. He's literally in the way of us saving lives right now.'

For months, Cuomo required nursing homes to take back recovered COVID-19 patients, which may have increased virus-related deaths at nursing homes.

According to the New York Times, aides of Cuomo did rewrite a health department report at one point to hide the true number of nursing home deaths.

'I don't have a doubt in my mind,' de Blasio said when asked if nursing home deaths were intentionally covered up.

De Blasio took it one step further, tying the alleged cover-up to 'campaign contributions.'

'The nursing home industry, the big hospital systems, they gave him millions and millions of dollars, and he went easy on them and he tried to cover up for everyone, not just him but his donors,' de Blasio said.

The two have been at odds in the past, particularly in regards to the coronavirus response

Just last week, de Blasio said that Cuomo couldn't continue to be governor of New York

Meanwhile, accusing Cuomo of being 'in the way' of the COVID-19 effort is in stark comparison to a year ago, when Cuomo was seen as a leading voice in the coronavirus fight.

His press conferences became a beacon of hope for many as New York City became the spring epicenter of the pandemic.

Cuomo even wrote a book detailing his leadership during the early months of the coronavirus fight - a move panned by some people as he collected a seven-figure advance from publishers Crown.

But his reputation for his COVID-19 response took a hit after allegations that his administration hid the amount of people in the state who died from COVID-19.

In one scandal, Cuomo is accused of covering up nursing home deaths (protest pictured)

In another scandal, Cuomo is facing allegations of sexual harassment (protest pictured)

Cuomo has also been accused of either inappropriate behavior or sexual harassment by seven different women, leading Attorney General Letitia James to open an investigation.

Just last week, de Blasio said Cuomo can 'no longer serve as governor' after another allegation emerged.

The two have been at odds in the past, particularly in regard to the coronavirus response of the city.

More employees have also alleged that the governor's office is an unprofessional and toxic work environment.

Cuomo has refused to resign, but now faces an impeachment investigation from the State Assembly.

One person who hasn't called for Cuomo's resignation is President Joe Biden.

'I think the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings us,' Biden responded when asked about Cuomo on Sunday, according to CNN.
A man was allegedly beaten to death in Jharkhand after being suspected of stealing the battery and wheel of a motorcycle. It happened in the village of Sirka in Jharkhand. He was allegedly tied to an electricity pole.

Locals said he stole the wheel and battery of a motorcycle. His name is Mubarak Kham. He was from Maheshpur. On the day it took place, Khan went to Sirka.

According to locals, Khan was caught red-handed. When they saw him, they allegedly tied him to an electricity pole and beat him up.

iStock

When police reached the spot Khan was no more. Then the body was taken to the police station, as per Hindustan Times. Ranchis superintendent of police (rural) Naushad Alam said it was sent for post-mortem and a probe is underway.

His elder brother Tabarak Khan lodged a complaint against 19 named persons plus 15-25 unknown persons. Some people have been detained.

"Will somebody come on a bike to steal the wheel and battery of another bike in a neighbouring village? Why would he take risk of being caught by opening the wheel and battery in somebodys house? Had he been a thief, he would have rather stolen the bike as it was unlocked," said Alam.

KUTV

It is believed he may have been lynched due to an internal dispute.


Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is seen during a press conference at the White House in Washington on Jan. 21, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Fauci Fears Another COVID-19 Surge, Says Trump Should Tell Supporters to Get Vaccinated

The United States could see another surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths if public health measures are pulled back prematurely, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday, while also calling for former President Donald Trump to encourage his supporters to get a vaccine against the virus that causes the disease.

The country has seen a major decrease in cases and other metrics in the last several months but the number of daily cases has plateaued around 60,000 a day.

Were very pleased by the sharp decline that youve shown, said Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a top adviser to President Joe Biden. But when you see a plateauing at a level of anywhere between 50 and 65,000 cases a day, that is absolutely no time to declare victory because we know from previous surges that weve had over the year that when you see that leveling off at a high level, theres always a risk of a surge back up.

The doctor pointed to the surge seen in some European countries and alleged the pattern in Europe often precedes that in the United States by several weeks.

They had a diminution of cases, they plateaued, and they pulled back on public health measures. You see the pictures in the paper and on TV. They have opened the restaurants. They have opened some of the bars. The younger people particularly stopped wearing masks, and then, all of a sudden, you have a surge that went right back up. And thats where we are right now. We can avoid that. We can avoid that if we continue to vaccinate people, get more and more protection without all of a sudden pulling back on public health measures, Fauci said.

We will do that. We will gradually be able to pull them back. And if things go as we planned, just as the president said, by the time we get into the early summer, the Fourth of July weekend, we really will have a considerable degree of normality.

The Biden administration has ramped up COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration and nearly 70 million Americans have received at least one dose as of March 14. Biden has projected people having the ability to gather with family and friends for July 4th if the current pace of vaccinations continue.

But Biden, Fauci, and other administration officials have urged Americans to refrain from engaging in many everyday activities, even if theyve been vaccinated. For instance, people are being told to keep wearing masks and social distancing when out in public.

A health worker loads syringes with the vaccine on the first day of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine being made available to residents at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 11, 2021. (Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo)

One of the concerns driving the advice is the variants of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19, cropping up, and theres a possibility more variants emerge, Fauci said on Sunday. Viruses dont mutate unless they replicate. And replication means its spreading around in the community. If you can blunt that, you will be blunting the evolution of mutants, he said. Another worry is a major production glitch among companies producing vaccines, he added.

A potential impediment to reaching herd immunity is a large number of Americans refusing to get vaccinated, according to some health officials. In a recent poll, 47 percent of respondents who identified as Trump supporters said they did not want to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Fauci said having Trump tell supporters to get vaccinated would really be a gamechanger.

Hes such a strongly popular person, I cant imagine that if he comes out, that they would not get vaccinated. It would be very helpful for the effort for that to happen. Im very surprised by the number of Republicans who say they wont get vaccinated. I dont understand where thats coming from. This is not a political issue, it is a public health issue, he said.

Trumps political action committee didnt respond to a request for comment.

Trump told supporters at the Conservative Political Action Conference last month to go get your shot while talking about the vaccine, as he noted that it was under his administration that they were developed. He and First Lady Melania Trump received vaccines in January, a source told The Epoch Times.

People who say they wont get a vaccine have cited concerns about side effects caused by vaccines, post-vaccination deaths, and the shifting advice from public health figures such as Fauci, who was speaking on Sunday during appearances on Fox News Sunday, CNNs State of the Union, and NBCs Meet the Press.

The doctor has been criticized for acknowledging he misled Americans on whether to wear masks because there was a lack of supply early in the pandemic. He has also changed his mind on what level of vaccinations are required for herd immunity and on whether people could travel while the virus spread.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), noting that lockdowns of the type urged by Fauci led to widespread unemployment and a range of other negative effects, said during a recent appearance on Fox News that Fauci reminded him of a bad weatherman.

When I was talking with [Florida] Gov. Ron DeSantis, he lamented that the problems that the CDC and Fauci have had really erode the trust that exists between the people and any public health officials, he said.

Think about it, any relationship that youre in, if someone is constantly changing the rules, you trust them less. And you see Fauci and the CDC time and again moving the goalposts and the American people are fed up with it. Dr. Fauci sort of reminds me of every bad weathermanfrequently wrong, but never in doubt.
Prof. Dr. Anna Schenk, Junior Professor for Colloidal Systems at the University of Bayreuth, receives one of this year's Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prizes. The award worth  20,000, is the most important prize for young scientists in Germany. A jury appointed by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) selected the Bayreuth physical chemist from 150 proposals submitted. A total of 10 researchers will be honoured with a Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize this year. The award ceremony is planned for 4 May 2021 as a virtual event.

The Bayreuth prize winner's research focuses on bio-inspired crystallisation control. In this promising branch of research at the interface of physical chemistry, biology, and material sciences, the aim is to learn from nature in the design of complex materials tailored to specific technological applications. The key here is to understand the underlying mechanisms of mineral deposition and self-organisation. For example, inorganic crystal structures are used in numerous organisms to build hard tissues  for instance, in vertebrate bones, mussel shells, and snail shells. These crystal structures are often amazingly well adapted to their respective functions. The key factor here is their architecture. They consist of tiny mineral crystals, whose arrangement is determined by soft biomolecules.

"We are seeking to adopt the often very sophisticated construction principles of nature in order to then transfer them to artificial systems. Thereby we want to be able to specifically control the structures and functions of new materials, such as catalysts for water splitting, in the laboratory," says Jun.-Prof. Dr Schenk. With this goal, her working group studies physical and chemical processes of self-organisation all the way from the smallest nanoscale units to microscopically visible structures and larger components. "Linking these different length scales is an exciting challenge that is becoming increasingly important both in basic research and in innovative developments towards functional materials," says Schenk.

With her research work, the Bayreuth junior professor is involved in the Keylab "Mesoscale Characterization: Scattering Techniques" of the Bavarian Polymer Institute (BPI) and in the DFG Collaborative Research Centre 840 "From Particulate Nanosystems to Mesotechnology" at the University of Bayreuth, among other projects.

Science Minister Bernd Sibler acknowledges the high relevance of the Bayreuth prize winner's research work: "Junior Professor Dr Schenks research is truly pioneering work. Her unique combination of different concepts from various scientific disciplines stands to contribute to answering specific problems with regard to the Energiewende (nuclear and fossil fuel phase-out). Dr. Schenk's work is thus a prime example of visionary research at the very highest level in connection with one of the central issues for the future of our society. Having such a prize winner in the Free State of Bavaria naturally makes me very proud as Minister of Science! We are doing everything we can to offer excellent research conditions here with, among other things, our billion-dollar Hightech Agenda Bavaria innovation offensive."
With both Pt Fortin hospitals now converted to Covid-19-only facilities and no 24-hour accident and emergency service, Kay Arjoon was yesterday forced to deliver her nephew while parked on the Otaheite roadside.

Arjoon, 37, her nine-month-pregnant sister-in-law, Christene, 34, and brother Ricardo, had driven from Cap-de-Ville in Point Fortin in an attempt to reach the San Fernando General Hospital before delivery.
[March 15, 2021] Trust the Leader in Online School: Utah Virtual Academy Now Accepting Enrollments for 2021-2022 School Year

After an academic year like no other, Utah Virtual Academy (UTVA), an accredited online public charter school, is welcoming students to enroll for the 2021-2022 school year. "There's no doubt that this past year has delivered many changes," said UTVA Head of School Meghan Merideth. "What hasn't changed is our commitment to provide families across the state with a dedicated online solution that supports all students achieve growth and success." UTVA students take a full course load across the core subjects of English/language arts, math, science, history, world languages, art, and music. Advanced Placement courses and concurrent college enrollment courses are also available to eligible high school students. While working toward their high school diplomas, UTVA students can participate in Stride Career Prep. This program allows them to explore in-demand career paths in the following Utah-aligned Career and TechnicalEducation (CTE) pathways: Programming and Software Development, Hospitality and Tourism, Food Science & Nutrition, Marketing, Business Information Management, Business Administration, Agricultural Production Systems, Animal & Veterinary Science. Students gain essential workplace and career skills, including interview preparation, team collaboration, and effective communication to set themselves on a path to continued learning and career success after earning their high school diploma.



Students also have a choice to enroll at UTVA full-time or remain in their local high school or homeschool setting by enrolling in individual courses through the Statewide Online Education Program (SOEP). Part-time students may enroll in up to six full-year online courses from UTVA's course catalog. UTVA fosters a sense of community though virtual clubs and organizations which allow students to explore shared interests and develop leadership skills in an online setting.

To learn more about UTVA and enrollment, visit utva.k12.com or follow UTVA on Facebook. About Utah Virtual Academy Utah Virtual Academy (UTVA) is an accredited online public charter school that serves Utah students in kindergarten through 12th grade. As part of the Utah public school system UTVA is tuition-free and gives parents and families the choice to access the curriculum provided by K12, a Stride company (NYSE: LRN). Stride offers learners of all ages a more effective way to learn and build their skills for the future. UTVA also offers individual course options for high school students enrolled in their resident district programs, an approved charter school, private school or home school as part of the Statewide Online Education Program (SOEP). For more information about UTVA, please utva.k12.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005001/en/

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[March 15, 2021] U.S. Air Force's Agile Combat Employment demonstration leverages Persistent Systems MANET technology

NEW YORK, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Persistent Systems, LLC ("Persistent") announced today that its Wave Relay mobile ad hoc networking (MANET) technology successfully supported the U.S. Air Force's demonstration of its Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept. ACE seeks to counter the threat near-peer powers like China and Russia pose to American force projection by shifting from large, established air bases to smaller, rapidly deployable, temporary airstrips manned by skeleton crews. "Normally, you would have hundreds of people on a large Air Force base to support a squadron of fighter jets," said Todd Grant, Persistent's Director of Business Development for the Air Force and C4ISR. "With ACE, you get the same capability from a smaller, harder-to-target footprint that moves." To accomplish this, the U.S. Air Force requires a highly versatile and mobile command-and-control network that can tie together the core elements a combat wing required to plan missions, maintain jets, put them in the air, and defend the airstrip. An additional goal is to minimize the cost by leveraging existing Air Force assets, such as legacy radios, computer servers, and satellite terminals. "That's what we have shown with our Wave Relay MANET during this recent demonstration," said Adrien Robenhymer, Persistent's VP for Business Development for Air Force, Intelligence Community, and Department of Energy Programs. "We connected geograhically dispersed units at different military bases, providing users with direct communication, situational awareness, full motion video, and audio."



The demonstration proved that the Air Force has the networking capability to support expeditionary air bases in an A2AD environment while saving hundreds of millions of dollars. Persistent also demonstrated automated PACE (Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency) communications via satellite, internet, and 5G cellular, as well as by local area network for conditions when a beyond-line-of-sight capability is not available.

"In a world where technologies increasingly depend upon Cloud Computing availability, Persistent's Base Defense and Missile Field Solutions can operate completely standalone when the Cloud is not available, enabling operation in a 'CloudNONE' scenario," said Robenhymer. But the implications of the ACE demonstration are even greater than that. "The interoperability lessons that were learned here flow into the Advanced Battle Management System, the Air Force's multi-billion-dollar effort to connect computers, sensors and shooters at machine-speed, in keeping with the U.S. Department of Defense's vision of Joint All Domain Command and Control," he said. The next step, Persistent officials say, is to take the real-life capabilities shown with ACE and merge them with future Advanced Battle Management System work. About Persistent Systems, LLC Headquartered in New York City since 2007, Persistent Systems, LLC is a global communications technology company that develops and manufactures a patented and secure Mobile Ad hoc Networking (MANET) system: Wave Relay. Wave Relay transmits and receives data, video, voice and other applications under the most difficult conditions. Their suite of products is utilized in Commercial, Military, Government, Industrial, Agriculture, Robotics, and Unmanned Systems markets. Please visit http://www.persistentsystems.com to learn more. Follow Persistent Systems on Twitter to get updates on the latest developments @pswaverelay. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-air-forces-agile-combat-employment-demonstration-leverages-persistent-systems-manet-technology-301246848.html SOURCE Persistent Systems, LLC

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(Alliance News) - The director of the Oxford Vaccine Group on Monday said there was no link between the jab it developed with Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca PLC and blood clotting, after several countries suspended its use.

Andrew Pollard said there was "very reassuring evidence that there is no increase in a blood clot phenomenon here in the UK, where most of the doses in Europe been given so far".

"It's absolutely critical that we don't have a problem of not vaccinating people and have the balance of a huge risk, a known risk of Covid, against what appears so far from the data that we've got from the regulators a no signal of a problem," he told BBC Radio.

Ireland and the Netherlands on Sunday became the latest countries to suspend their use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine out of precaution.A

Denmark, Norway and Iceland have also paused their rollout of the jab.

AstraZeneca said on Sunday there was no evidence of increased blood clots from the jab after outcomes from 17 million doses were analysed.

The pharmaceutical company said the 15 incidences of deep vein thrombosis and 22 events of pulmonary embolism reported among those given the vaccine was "much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population".

"The nature of the pandemic has led to increased attention in individual cases and we are going beyond the standard practices for safety monitoring of licensed medicines in reporting vaccine events, to ensure public safety," chief medical officer Ann Taylor said.

"In terms of quality, there are also no confirmed issues related to any batch of our vaccine used across Europe, or the rest of the world."

The World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency have both said there is no evidence the use of the jab should be suspended.

Ireland said it had "temporarily deferred" use of the vaccine on the advice of its advisory panel following the move by Norway.

The Dutch health ministry also said it was suspending the rollout as a precaution.

Shares in AstraZeneca were flat at 6,950.00 pence on Monday in London.

source: AFP

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Oman has blocked the American audio app Clubhouse. The reason given was that it did not have the right permit.

According to Reuters, the Omani Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has said that the application was blocked due to a lack of proper authorisation. However, some activists have described the move as a further erosion of freedom of expression in Oman.

Launched in early 2020, Clubhouse describes itself as a new type of social network based on voice  where people around the world come together to talk, listen and learn from each other in real time.

The app got some free publicity just over a month ago when Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev held a surprise discussion on the platform.

The app has reportedly been popular in Arab countries where there tends to be tight control on media. However, there are no opportunities to use it in China; access to Clubhouse in China was blocked last month.

Some reports suggest the platform has had problems enforcing its rules against racism, hate speech, abuse and false information. Clubhouse has said it is investing in tools to detect and prevent abuse as well as features for users, who can set rules for their rooms, to moderate conversations.

Its not yet clear whether Oman will lift what is effectively a ban. However, what is clear is that some countries are unsure how to respond to the still-developing forms of self-expression introduced by social media, although there are already numerous examples of state intervention.
Former naval officer Stan Carby was just 65 when he was sent to the hospital for rehabilitation following a series of mini-strokes.

A large man, his weight ruled out being looked after at home and he was admitted to Daedalus ward at lunchtime on 26 April 1999.

His daughter Debbie Mackay, 54, a secretary from Gosport, said: 'Generally his health was okay and he wasn't in any pain and he was on nothing stronger than aspirin.

'He was there for rehab so we hoped they'd be able to get him back on his feet but the following day they told us he had taken a turn for the worse.'

She said the family was devastated when they found him lying clammy and unresponsive on the ward.

They lifted him up to help him breathe and found a tube in his back - later identified as a morphine syringe driver.

The doctors told the family they were letting 'nature take its course' and he died 24 hours after he was admitted for rehab.

Mrs Mackay said: 'It can't be right for a man who was admitted to a hospital for rehab to die the following day. We knew something wasn't right from the start. It has been a constant battle to have our concerns taken seriously.'

His widow, Rita Carby, fought tirelessly along with her daughter Cindy Grant, 44, and Debbie Mckay, 54, for justice but sadly she died in 2007 and will never see the results of the inquiry.

His daughter Cindy Grant, 44 , a cook, said: 'It's really upsetting my mum hasn't been here to see this day but we are convinced the people who were responsible for this will be held to account.

'I heard she was abroad but I didn't expect she would have been here to face the music. We had a feeling she would be out of the country. Let's hope she gets to hear what has happened today.

She said: 'We are hoping criminal charges should be brought against not just those in charge but those who administered the drugs as well.'

Debbie McKay said: 'It has been a long, long road to get to this point and it was a mixture of relief and emotion to hear what the Bishop said.'

Arthur 'Brian' Cunningham only went in to hospital over his bedsores

Arthur 'Brian' Cunningham, 79, who suffered from Parkinson's Disease was admitted to Gosport War Memorial Hospital on 21 September 1998 suffering from bed sores.

A combination of medical problems meant he could be cantankerous.

On his first night Mr Cunningham, who was also known as Arthur, became agitated so staff at the hospital gave him diamorphine to help quieten him down.

The next day his step-son, Charles Farthing, was told by nurses the drugs had been prescribed so he would remain calm.

However diamorphine was then increased four-fold over the following days and he died five days after being admitted,

Mr Farthing said that when he heard his step-father had been admitted her travelled to Gosport to visit him.

He said: 'At that point a man, maybe a porter or cleaner, said to me: 'That's the death ward,' which seemed stupid because Brian was nowhere near death, but I didn't think too much of it.'

He said his step-father was attached to a syringe driver for regular morphine and midazolam  a strong sedative  and was unconscious.

He said: 'He out of this world and I thought straight away they must be killing him, because my mum had been given a syringe driver just before she died of cancer in 1989.'

He said he demanded the driver be removed by Dr Barton refused and he died just five days after being admitted.

Mr Farthing said: 'I'd like to see some action. Barton was utterly reckless in her prescribing, utterly reckless. She gave the nurses free licence to deal with these patients as they wished.'

His wife Anne said: 'These people did not deserve to be put down like a dog, because that is what happened. These people lived their lives only for someone at the end to decide to play God and put an end to them.'

Elsie Devine

Elsie Devine, 88, been admitted to the small community hospital when her daughter Ann, with whom Elsie lived, had to go to London.

She initially kept busy and wrote to family and friends but died a month later after suffering what her family say was a kidney infection.

Relatives say she was 'given enough drugs to lay out a six-foot violent man'.

In a formal complaint to doctors' watchdog the General Medical Council, her daughter Ann said: 'On November 18 1999, my mother was administered with a 25mcg fentanyl patch that was only licensed that year to be used for 'chronic intractable pain due to cancer'.'

Fentanyl is a powerful painkiller which is up to 100 times more potent than morphine.

The following morning, the complaint continues, 'she was then injected with 50mg of chlorpromazine [a sedative used to treat paranoia and agitation], double the dose for a normal adult and far higher than what should be used on the frail elderly.

'Fifty-five minutes later, our mum was started on a syringe driver with 40mg of midazolam, another strong sedative, pumping directly into her body. A further 40mg of diamorphine [a painkiller] was added, which is four times the recommended dose.'

Gladys Richards died in hospital in 1998

Gladys Richards was admitted to Gosport War Memorial Hospital in August 1998 for rehabilitation after a hip operation.

But her family became extremely concerned that very strong painkiller and sedative doses were being given to their mother even though she wasn't in pain.

Mrs Richards died in the hospital days later, aged 91. Daughter Gillian Mackenzie then became one of the first to raise concerns about the 'care' patients were receiving at the hospital.

Mrs Mackenzie, now 85, said: 'She wasn't in any pain at all but they tried to give her diamorphine while we were there.

'I think they wanted to keep her heavily sedated so they didn't have to look after her. It was less work for the nurses.'

She said she was told by nurse manager Philip Beed: 'I am going to make her life easier by giving her a shot of diamorphine.' But she added: 'I said 'No you will not. You are not going to give my mother diamorphine'.'

However Mrs Richards was later sedated and given pain killers on a continuous basis and died five days later.

Jean Stevens had entered Gosport War Memorial Hospital for rehab after a stroke at the age of 73.

She was 'bright as a button' when she entered the now notorious Daedalus Ward in 1999. Yet she was quickly put on a cocktail of painkillers and sedatives and within two days was dead.

Her husband Ernest has been waiting for the truth about her death for nearly twenty years.

The Second World War veteran, now 92, said: 'We had been planning a party for when she came home.

'But the next day I went in and she was just laid out. I asked a nurse what the matter with her was and she just said: 'I can't really tell you'.

'They had put her on a [drugs] pump straight away and she only opened her eyes once after that, just before she died. I truly believe my wife had quite a lot of time to go before she was put on those drugs.'

Robert Wilson begged his son to help him

Robert Wilson, 74, went into hospital for rehabilitation after a fractured shoulder. But he soon became concerned over the amount of drugs he was being given.

He begged his son Iain for help a day after being admitted with a broken arm, saying doctors were killing him.

His son told an inquest in 2009: 'I said, 'no they are not dad, they are trying to do their best for you'. The following day he was in a coma.'

His son said he nearly got ejected from the hospital when he questioned his father's treatment, but now wishes he had done more to get him out.
As the country marks the one-year milestone since the first Covid-19 national restrictions were introduced; Tesco Ireland looks back on a year like no other.

Whilst the pandemic has affected all industries, the impact on grocery retail has been extraordinary. In the last 12 months, over 13,000 Tesco colleagues have worked tirelessly to serve customers and communities across Ireland.

Since March, Tesco has worked hard to maintain a safe shopping environment for colleagues and customers:

391 individual hand sanitiser units were installed with over 130,000 litres of hand sanitiser used to date, which is enough to fill 817 bathtubs.

Over 10,000 units of handsanitiser were supplied by The Shed Distillery, at a time when a global shortage of the product was in place.

Pat Rigney, Founder and Managing Director of The Shed Distillery said: The Shed Distillery team who distil Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin were very proud to reconfigure our production to make emergency hand and surface sanitiser for Tesco Ireland when the global shortage was at crisis point. It was inspirational to witness so large an organisation mobilise at lightning speed with ours, and to move at such extraordinary pace.

"The team worked through the night, to fill thousands of spray bottles and dispatch them urgently to protect the safety of customers and staff in their 151 stores across Ireland. It was a powerful display of Tescos enormous commitment and dedication to suppressing the virus and prioritising the safety of customers and staff without compromising their essential grocery service.

"Moments like these, where staff at all levels pull together to fulfil a fundamental need, strengthens your faith in humanity. We at the home of Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin were delighted to have been part of such a remarkable collaboration.

Throughout the course of the year, Tesco reinforced its commitment to supporting local suppliers by:

- Shortening payment terms of over 200 suppliers, which has now been extended to February 2022

- Renewing its partnership with Country Crest under a 62.5million contract for the supply of potatoes, onions and sweet potatoes

- Increased its range of Irish artisan, farmhouse cheese to over 70 products in support for the Irish-made cheese sector

Kari Daniels, CEO, Tesco Ireland said: The year that has been has necessitated significant change at Tesco, both how our customers shop and how our colleagues serve.

"We prioritised safety of our stores above all, protected availability to ensure customers could get what they needed and supported those who couldnt come to store with home deliveries as well as helping those most in need in our communities.

"I want to acknowledge and thank our 13,000 colleagues across Ireland for their dedication, hard work and support of each other whilst helping our customers and communities with great pride, showcasing first-hand that every little help makes a big difference.

Tesco also supported the Governments Community Call Initiative since it began. Volunteers are provided with priority access to the store and with free multi-shop trolley bags to aid with their shopping.

While the pandemic was changing the way customers could shop, Tesco recognised that charities and good causes were confronted with a greater demand for services while their fundraising campaigns were curtailed or paused indefinitely.

- In the last year, over 1 million has been donated to community groups nationwide through the Tesco Community Fund;

- 150,000 was donated and shared between three national charities at the height of the pandemic  Alone, Age Action and Family Carers Ireland;

- In August, 170,000 was raised in one week to help support the little heroes in CHI at Temple Street, Tescos charity partner;

- Almost 500,000 worth of food was donated in addition to the regular donations to FoodCloud.

As well as this, Tesco introduced dedicated shopping times for the over-65s, family carers and vulnerable people, and priority access for healthcare workers, care workers and emergency services personnel. Both of these initiatives remain in place today, one year on.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 15)  President Rodrigo Duterte has not made any comment yet on the recent killing of nine activists in Southern Tagalog because he is waiting for the results of the investigation, the Palace said Monday.

You cannot comment on something not knowing what actually transpired, said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on the chief executives lack of reaction on the issue.

RELATED: Malacanang to Robredo: Prove 'massacre' claim behind Calabarzon deaths

Over a week has passed since the Philippine National Police reported the deaths in separate operations cracking down on activists in provinces in the Calabarzon region. The Palace had assured an investigation is underway after the incident.

During Mondays briefing, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said they have already assessed that the killings fall under the Administrative Order (AO) 35 committee, an inter-agency panel tasked to investigate extrajudicial killings and other politically motivated violence.

Last week, I have already created the necessary special investigating teams to be led by DOJ prosecutors and to be supported by investigators from our law enforcement agencies, no, para masimulan na kaagad ang investigation [so that the investigation can be started immediately], said Guevarra, also assuring they are on their way to conducting the probe.

The European Union earlier welcomed the states move to investigate the activists demise, but also reminded the Philippines of its prior commitment to hold liable perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses.

RELATED: After Calabarzon killings, Roque asks EU: Give PH chance to prosecute, punish violators of domestic laws
Cochairman of the European Solidarity faction Petro Poroshenko calls on the country's leadership to convene an urgent meeting of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) to develop a plan to overcome the spread of coronavirus disease.

"I have a request [to Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov]: to appeal to the President of the country to urgently convene a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council with the participation of the leaders of parliamentary factions and groups. Ukraine now needs to unite all efforts to protect people ... This meeting should offer a direct and specific way out, in particular, we want to offer our anti-COVID plan," Poroshenko said during a conciliation council in the Verkhovna Rada on Monday.
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Photos via Instagram

The day after rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol in January, a Fresno, California, man took to his podcast to cheer some of the days scenes.

I do get a little giddy inside when I see those people [politicians] hiding behind walls and scared and running in their bunkers because thats what needs to happen, a man who went by the moniker Sheepdog said on a Jan. 7 podcast. They need to be afraid.

That man appears to be a police officer who was placed on temporary leave from the Fresno Police Department on Monday after he was accused of attending a protest alongside members of the Proud Boys, a far-right paramilitary group. In podcasts, first reported by the Fresno Bee, Officer Rick Fitzgerald identifies himself as a former Proud Boy. But although the man in question marched alongside members of the group at an anti-LGBT demonstration, he now describes himself as leader of a different Fresno-based, far-right group.

It was under the moniker Sheepdog that the police officer seems to have used blogs and podcasts to advocate for fights with anti-fascistsand to push conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election. The brewing scandal suggests that, months after the Capitol riots exposed current and former cops as violent extremists, plenty of officers remain associated with some of the same right-wing groups that stormed the Capitol.

FBI Informant Panic Is Ruining Friendships All Over the Far Right

The allegations came to light on Sunday, after California activists tweeted footage of a man they said was Fitzgerald attending a protest in Fresnos Tower District. The protest was initially spearheaded by LGBT activists, who object to the sale of a theater to a church they say holds anti-LGBT views, the Bee reported. But a second contingent of far-right demonstrators showed up to counter-protest.

Footage obtained by The Daily Beast shows a tense protest, with someone shouting for fucking f****ts to get out of the Tower District.

Story continues

[Warning: language]

Among the right-wing crowd were members of the Proud Boys, and members of the Fresno-based Sons of '76. Fitzgerald appears to have been a member of the former group and the leader of the latter group; a man resembling him was filmed wearing the groups insignia, as well as a shirt and hat with his nickname Sheepdog.

Do you know something we should about the far-right? Email Kelly.Weill@TheDailyBeast.com or securely at kellyweill@protonmail.com from a non-work device.

Fitzgerald did not return The Daily Beasts requests for comment. But the man who goes by Sheepdog has previously admitted on video to being a Proud Boy.

After being in the Proud Boys, I dont disparage them and what they do, he said in a video tweeted by a California activist. But I just felt my mission wanted to beI wanted to be doing something more proactive in the community.

Elsewhere, he has been photographed at a Stop The Steal rally while wearing the Proud Boys uniform: a black and yellow Fred Perry polo and a yellow kilt. He wore a tactical vest with Sheepdog on the front.

The tattoos in the pictures and videos, including a resist tattoo on his arm, match images of tattoos that were visible while Officer Fitzgerald wore his Fresno PD uniform. And although state law prevents California officials from naming Fitzgerald in regard to his current administrative leave, local officials described the allegations of Proud Boy membership as troubling.

Although at this point these are merely allegations, and the matter will be fully investigated, it is important to maintain the integrity and legitimacy of our police department, Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama said in a Sunday night statement. Any allegations of actions unbecoming of a police officer or the affiliation with any alleged criminal or hate group will always be investigated and addressed. Fair and impartial policing are extremely important in our society. There is no place in our police ranks for any biased, racists, or anti-Semitic views.

The Fresno Police Officers Association issued a similar statement on Monday, warning against premature speculation but also recognizing that racism, discrimination, and criminal conduct among our ranks is absolutely intolerable.

The Proud Boys are currently under scrutiny for some members prominent role in the Capitol attack. Members of the group frequently promote racist and sexist views and glorify violence against the left. It is unclear when the officer in question claims to have departed the group, although he appeared in the Proud Boys uniform at a Nov. 21 rally.

But even after he left the Proud Boys, the man who goes by Sheepdog promoted similar talking points as the self-described sitting president of the Fresno chapter of the Sons of 76.

A post on the groups website appeared to encourage violence against anti-fascists (whom he referred to as Tifa).

In it, he cited an article that basically eluded [alluded] to the Proud Boys this weekend beating the hell out of Tifa. Now don't get me wrong, I have no problem with anyone slapping these kids around and have dealt with them on my own terms. But when I see an article like this, I think, 'ok, and what?' PB beat up Tifa so that next week they can return and do it again? No ground gained, no ground lost [...] In spite of all this, my intent is not to say we should not fight. In fact, quite the opposite.

In a podcast the day after the Capitol attack, Sheepdog blasted rioters for fighting with police and making their movement look bad. That said, he noted, he enjoyed watching politicians fear being attacked. He also promoted some of the conspiracy theories that fueled that riot.

This Far-Right Network Is Using the Pandemic for a Recruiting Road Trip

72 million people are under the impression that the election was stolen, and 72 million people are probably right, he said. We all know theres no way in Hell that 81 million people voted for Sleepy Joe. That just did not happen. Im sorry.

Now-deleted posts on the Sons of '76s Parler account include hashtags like #wewillnotobey. The account also shows the man identified as Fitzgerald speaking into the camera while wearing a Sheepdog hat, and showing the same tattoos visible in pictures of him in police uniform.

On his own now-deleted Instagram, Fitzgerald reportedly posted a picture of himself holding a gun and wearing a Punisher mask with the caption shit is a lot easier when you can kill people. He also posed with a group holding the Sons of '76s flag with the caption Sons of '76 got together with some people from Hanford 1776 and council woman Kalish Morrow.

In fact, Fitzgerald was named as one of eight officers involved in the shooting death of a college student in 2010. The young man was reportedly holding a gun, which had prompted a 911 call from his housemates. He was not accused of firing at the officers.

Although the citys then-police chief said he was concerned about the death, in which officers fired 63 rounds at the young man, none of the officers appear to have been disciplined.

The shooting took place in the Tower District, the same neighborhood where Sundays LGBT protest was held.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Im confident my leadership will be supported by my party and I dont think the spill motion will get up, said Mr OBrien, who has been in the job for little more than two years. Mr Battins camp, who spent Monday in a war room of their own after weeks of covert planning, are confident of success and believe they have 11 confirmed votes against Mr OBriens nine. Sixteen votes  a majority of the 31 Liberal MPs  are required for victory. Former opposition leader Matthew Guy, pictured conceding defeat in the 2018 election, has been touted as a contender. Credit:Chris Hopkins Mr Battin criticised the current leadership when pitching to colleagues. He said Mr OBrien had walked away from fights on tax reform, health and education. Mr Battin is not running on a leadership ticket with a deputy. He told MPs he would create new portfolios that better reflected the issues facing voters and promote energetic MPs to the frontbench.

If you never have a fight, no one will ever talk to you, one MP quoted Mr Battin as saying. The tight margins mean the votes of about five backers of Mr Guy  including Beverley MacArthur, James Newbury, Tim Smith and Craig Ondarchie  will probably decide whether Mr OBrien loses the top job. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Members of this group, who have been the main agitators against Mr OBrien, were kept in the dark about the fresh plan to oust their leader, with some members learning of the news via Twitter. A senior Liberal said Mr Guys backers could vote for a spill motion to succeed at a party room showdown beginning at 8.45am, meaning the leadership would be declared vacant but then vote for Mr OBrien in the head-to-head contest against Mr Battin.

This strategy would wound Mr OBriens authority and in effect be a vote of no confidence in his leadership. But it would also act as a repudiation of Mr Battin and keep a weakened Mr OBrien in the chair, laying the foundations for a future challenge by Mr Guy, who has consistently denied he wants to return to the leadership. Loading There is a small chance Mr Guy will decide to run if a spill motion is successful, or that another MP puts their hand up. One state MP, who predicted the spill motion would fail, said: This is being driven by people whose ambition exceeds their ability. They are going to fail. Another senior Liberal said: The hillbillies are trying to take over the joint.

Another MP said if the Guy camp did not back the push, they would be seen as hypocritical having worked to destabilise Mr OBrien for months. Another source familiar with the numbers within the party room said Mr Battin would not be successful. They said leadership challengers often fail in their first attempt, and they believed the process would weaken Mr OBriens leadership and open him up to a challenge from Mr Guy closer to the election. The partys senior MPs, including Mr Battin, met for a shadow cabinet meeting late on Monday morning. After the meeting, Mr Battin began phoning his colleagues to inform them of his run. Mr Battins key supporters include Ryan Smith, Richard Riordan and Roma Britnell. The group believes it has a wider cross-section of internal support than backers of Mr Guy. Those in Mr OBriens camp include deputy leader Cindy McLeish, Bernie Finn, Gordon Rich-Phillips, Gary Blackwood, Kim Wells and David Morris.

Mr OBriens backers are generally longer-serving MPs from the faction of the party aligned to state president Robert Clark, while his opponents tend to be aligned with federal MPs, including Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Housing Minister Michael Sukkar, who oppose Mr Clark. Mr Battin is expected by his supporters to be more popular among suburban and multicultural voters than Mr OBrien, who colleagues believe has not communicated effectively with these groups. Mr Battin, a 45-year-old father of two who gained prominence campaigning against the Andrews governments reforms to the Country Fire Authority, is one of the partys only MPs who represents an outer-suburban seat  Gembrook  which he won from Labor in 2010. He was a police officer between 2001-2007 before becoming a Bakers Delight franchisee until 2010 when he entered parliament. He was a parliamentary secretary for the environment in the Napthine government. An Andrews government source said Mr Battin had a common-man earthiness that would contrast positively against Mr Andrews style.

One senior Liberal source said: Hes not got the best policy mind but he speaks well, hes got passion about him and he appeals to the suburbs where the political centre lies. Loading Mr OBrien took over the party at one of its lowest points after the 2018 election thumping. He has faced internal criticism for his approach during the pandemic, through which he has struggled to take advantage of the prolonged lockdown caused by COVID-19 seeping from quarantine hotels. An Ipsos poll published by The Age in October showed 15 per cent of Victorians surveyed approved of the Opposition Leaders performance during the pandemic. Mr Andrews had a 52 per cent approval rating. Some Victorian Liberals have been worried that the result of the election in Western Australia  where a Labor premier who hogged the limelight during the pandemic reduced the Liberal Party to two seats  could foreshadow a similar drubbing at the next election.
A car involved in a deadly accident sits at the scene Monday, March 15, 2021, in San Diego. AP Photo/Gregory Bull

Three people were killed and six others were injured Monday when a car drove into pedestrians in San Diego.

The incident occurred just after 9 a.m. near the campus of the San Diego City College.

Police said the driver, a 71-year-old man, was cooperating and had been arrested for possibly driving while impaired.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Three people were killed and six others were injured Monday morning when a car drove into a group of pedestrians near the San Diego City College in San Diego, California.

The incident occurred around 9 a.m. local time at the 1400 block of B Street in Downtown San Diego, authorities said. While initial reports suggested the driver fled the scene after striking the pedestrians, police said at a news conference Monday the driver did not flee the scene.

Three people were dead when emergency personnel arrived, San Diego police and fire officials said, two others had critical injuries, and four others also sustained injuries, bringing the total number of casualties to nine.

San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit said at the Monday morning news conference the driver had exited his vehicle. Witnesses told first responders the driver appeared to be attempting to provide aid to the injured people, Nisleit said. According to San Diego Fire-Rescue, a total of 62 first responders responded to the incident.

San Diego Fire Department Cheif Colin Stowell called the incident "a very tragic emergency and incident."

The driver of the "Volvo station wagon" involved was a 71-year-old man who "self-identified" himself as the driver of the car, Nisleit said. Nisleit did not release the suspect's name but said he was in custody suspected of driving while impaired.

Nisleit said police had received a call about a possible impaired driver nearby the scene not long before the incident. The vehicle description made by the 911 caller matched the description of the vehicle involved in the incident, he said.

Story continues

According to the San Diego NBC News affiliate KNSD, the area where the incident occurred is a tunnel that leads to the college campus. According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, people who are homeless typically gather in the area, lining the sidewalk with tents. The area was blocked from the public following the incident, according to the report.

Nisleit said the area would be blocked off to traffic for the majority of the day Monday.

Read the original article on Insider
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The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has said his choice of Abdulrasheed Bawa as the chairperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was based on his competence.

Mr Malami, who is also Minister of Justice, said four names, including that of Mr Bawa, were submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari, for consideration on who to head the EFCC.

The Senate, on February 24, confirmed the appointment of Mr Bawa, who was nominated by the President on February 15, as the substantive chairman of the EFCC.

Mr Bawa, 40, a pioneer EFCC cadet officer from Course One of 2005, rose through the ranks to head the Ibadan, Port Harcourt, and Lagos zonal offices of the commission at various times.

However, since Mr Bawa was appointed the fifth substantive EFCC chair, there have been mixed reactions from different quarters due to his relationship with the AGF, who has been alleged to have played a significant role in the removal of the former suspended acting EFCC chairman.

Both Messrs Malami and Bawa are from Kebbi State but hail from different local government areas.

But in an interview with DailyTrust newspaper, Monday, the minister said despite the comments made on his selection of Mr Bawa, none of them challenged his capacity to deliver as head of the countrys leading anti-corruption agency.

He also denied being related to Mr Bawa.

I am happy that most of the comments made are not on his capacity, Intelligence, competence and associated ability to deliver. His capacity to deliver was never questioned across the nation.

The question is whether justice has been served, whether public interest has been served having the chairman appointed with a particular regard to his capacity and ability to deliver.

My answer is yes. He has the capacity, ability and institutional history of the institution to do justice by way of bringing about added value, he said.

Mr Malami said having headed three operational divisions of the commission, Mr Bawas credentials made him to be selected among the names forwarded to the president.

Speaking further, Mr Malami noted that Mr Bawa has held various authorities, inclusive of serving in various divisions as the head of operations, including Port Harcourt, Lagos and Ibadan, which are adjudged to be the high point.
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EQS Group-Ad-hoc: Polyphor AG / Key word(s): AGMEGM

Polyphor publishes invitation to Annual General Meeting 2021



15-March-2021 / 07:30 CET/CEST

Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 KR

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Allschwil, Switzerland, March 15, 2021

Polyphor publishes invitation to Annual General Meeting 2021

- Pre-AGM information call on March 22, 2021 at 2PM CET

- AGM to be held April 6, 2021

- Shareholders not physically present, in accordance with COVID-19 ordinances

Polyphor AG (SIX: POLN) a research driven clinical stage, Swiss biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering and developing best-in-class molecules in oncology and antimicrobial resistance today published the invitation to its Annual General Meeting on April 6, 2021.

As a precautionary and prudent measure, the Board of Directors has decided to conduct the Annual General Meeting 2021 without the physical presence of shareholders, in accordance with Article 8 of the Federal Act on the Statutory Principles for Federal Council Ordinances on Combating the COVID-19 Epidemic (COVID-19 Act) and Article 27 of Ordinance 3 on Measures to Combat the Coronavirus (COVID-19) (COVID-19 Ordinance 3).

The company will be seeking to maximize the number of shareholders executing their voting rights and will host a pre-AGM information call on March 22, 2021 at 2PM CET. Investors are invited to submit questions in advance by email to IR@polyphor.com.

To access the information call, please use the following details:

Switzerland: +41 44 580 65 22

Germany: +49 69 201744 220

France: +33 170 709 502

Italy: +39 02 36 00 66 63

United Kingdom: +44 203 009 2470

United States: +1 877 423 0830

Event Title: Annual General Meeting 2021 - Information Conference Call

Confirmation code: 43763282#

The presentation will also be available via webcast:

https://www.webcast-eqs.com/polyphor20210322

After the call, the presentation will be available via the above link.

The full AGM invitation can be found on our website:

www.polyphor.com/investor-relations/corporate -governance/

For further information please contact:

For Investors:

Hernan Levett



Chief Financial Officer



Polyphor Ltd.



+41 61 567 16 00



IR@polyphor.com Mary-Ann Chang



LifeSci Advisors



Tel: +44 7483 284 853



mchang@lifesciadvisors.com

For Media:

Bernhard Schmid

LifeSci Advisors

+41 44 447 12 21

bschmid@lifesciadvisors.com

About Polyphor

Polyphor is a research driven clinical-stage, Swiss biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering and developing best-in-class molecules in oncology and antimicrobial resistance leveraging the company's leading macrocyclic peptide technology platform. Polyphor is advancing balixafortide (POL6326) in a Phase III trial in combination with eribulin in patients with advanced breast cancer and exploring its potential in other cancer indications. In addition, it has discovered and is developing the Outer Membrane Protein Targeting Antibiotics (OMPTA). OMPTA are potentially the first new class of antibiotics in clinical development in the last 50 years against Gram-negative bacteria. The company's lead OMPTA program is an inhaled formulation of murepavadin for the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in patients with cystic fibrosis. Polyphor is based in Allschwil near Basel and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: POLN). For more information, please visit www.polyphor.com.

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current assumptions and forecasts of the Polyphor management. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the forward-looking statements made here and the actual development, in particular Polyphor's results, financial situation, and performance. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only of the date of this communication. Polyphor disclaims any intention or obligation to update and revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
New Delhi, March 15 : Repatriation of more than 45 lakh people from various countries during the Covid-19 lockdown highlights the success of diplomacy of the current government, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told Parliament on Monday.

Noting that seafarers are also a category that require special attention, the Minister also said that crew change rules pose a challenge but even the issue with crew on the Chinese ports have been successfully resolved.

Jaishankar was speaking on the recent developments pertaining to the welfare of Indians abroad, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) during the pandemic.

The Minister said more than 45 lakh persons returned through the Vande Bharat flights run on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's direction. The Central government started the Vande Bharat Mission on May 7 to bring back stranded Indians due to coronavirus pandemic from foreign countries.

Quoting data, Jaishankar said that Kerala received the highest number of returnees who were staying in various foreign countries during the lockdown, or they were stuck due to the emergency restrictions across the world, including India, to avoid the spread of the pandemic.

In the process, the Minister said the government expended Rs 33.5 crore from the Indian Community welfare fund.

"This largest repatriation would not have been possible without partner governments...This highlighted the success of diplomacy of the current government," Jaishankar said.

He further said that India has confirmed agreements for air bubbles with 27 nations so far, as people and students are returning back.

The government is also urging partner governments to look at the employment of our citizens sympathetically, the Minister said.

Under the Prime Minister's directions, Jaishankar mentioned how India pushed its effort of providing food items and medicines in the Gulf region while interacting with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman.

"Restoring employment has been the core of our agenda. Welfare of students is high on our priority," the Minister added.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
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After crowds gathered in Miami Beach in Florida over the weekend, the incident resulted in the injury of two police officers and 100 arrested spring breakers.

Spring Breakers Arrested in Miami Beach

Miami Beach Police posted on their Twitter account that they have arrested 30 individuals on Saturday night, following the unruly crowds on Friday night that resulted in two officers of the Miami Beach Police being sent to the hospital with injuries. In another tweet, the police department mentioned that the incident on Friday night involved a large crowd that was disorderly and surrounding officers.

According to CNN, The Miami Beach police officers are working on 12-hour shifts. In their tweet, the police department mentioned that they used pepper balls in dispersing other individuals aside from the arrested spring breakers.

Moreover, Veronica Paysse, the city of Miami Beach spokeswoman stated on Sunday that on the approximately 100 arrested spring breakers, they were able to seize not only weapons but also drugs. Paysse also shared that the Spring break issues are typical for each year's crowds, but during a pandemic and with Covid-19 protocols imposed, it made the task policing twice as hard, Business Insider reported.

The city of Miami Beach spokeswoman also shared that the state of Florida does not allow local jurisdictions to fine individuals for violating mask orders, and the city can only offer free masks in hoping that its people will wear them as part of safety measures against coronavirus. The state of Florida is a popular spring break destination, and on a yearly basis, its beaches have been packed.

In addition, Dan Gelber, the Miami Beach Mayor shared on Saturday morning that they saw too much spring break activity. Gelber also added that they saw too much spring break activity. He also admitted that they got a problem with too many people coming in their city, and another problem with too many individuals to let loose, New York Daily News reported.

Aside from his concerns over the arrested spring breakers, the mayor also added that it is a very challenging task to do.

Tesla Makes Secret Mega-Battery To Plug in Texas Grid

'A little crazy'

In the northern portion of the state, in Clearwater Beach in Pinellas County, numerous beachgoers were trying to factor in the pandemic. Jamin Stuhr, who is a visitor from the state of Iowa shared that he understood how individuals could forget regarding the pandemic but in the case of his and his friends, they are trying to remind themselves always.

The visitor from the state of Iowa also added that it is just important to keep everyone safe especially that people are now more prone on getting it and getting really sick from it. He also added that their groups were wearing masks while roaming on the streets of the city and they are staying with their own group.

Meanwhile, a local resident, Tanya Landry, shared that she was setting up her chair in order to keep social distancing on the beach and to avoid crowds. She also added during the start of the anticipated event in their area, they are staying away from bars and crowds as most of the people do not have their masks on just like in the case of those arrested spring breakers.



Nancy Pelosi Points Blame on Trump for Border Crisis

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Jhargram: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday (March 15) addressed a public gathering in West Bengal. He said that West Bengal was once India's leader and now the state is entangled in "goondaraj".

"Bengal was at one time India's leader. It was the hub of education, freedom fighters, religious leadership and more. The same Bengal is entangled in goondaraj," said Shah during the virtual rally.

He further said that the TMC government has taken Bengal to new lows in the last 10 years. "Corruption, political violence, polarisation, Hindus and SC/STs had to go to courts for celebrating their festivals - this is the sort of situation they have brought to the state, ruining development in the state," Shah said.

After forming the government in West Bengal, he said: "When BJP comes to power, we will build the Pandit Raghunath Murmu Tribal University, in Jhargram for improving opportunities for tribal students."

"We will be providing 50 per cent financial assistance to students from tribal communities scoring above 70 per cent, in the class 12 exam, for higher education," he said.

"Under the Stand Up India Scheme, the forthcoming West Bengal govt will allocate Rs 100 crores to help the tribal community become Atmanirbhar," the Home Minister added.

Shah was scheduled to address public meetings in Jhargram in West Bengal but unfortunately, his helicopter got damaged and he was unable to visit Jhargram.

"I was going to come here for campaigning. Unfortunately, my helicopter was damaged and I couldn't come to see you. West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh our in charge Kailash Vijayvargiya are also present with me," said Shah while addressing the rally.

Elections to 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

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Nancy Pelosi pointed fingers at former President Donald Trump, as the House Speaker emphasized that he is to blame for the ongoing crisis at the border, in an appearance in ABC News' 'This Week' on Sunday.

Nancy Pelosi stated that the current situation is a humanitarian challenge to all of them. The House Speaker also pointed out that what the administration inherited is a broken system at the border, and they are working hard to correct it.

According to Fox News, the announcement made by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is the latest correction done by the Biden administration. The correction includes a government-wide effort in housing migrant children with the support coming from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as the numbers are rising.

In addition, the speaker also confirmed that there are close to 600 up to 700 additional migrant children currently moving in the direction of the southern border, which triggered the directive of the president in sending FEMA. Based on Biden's order, FEMA will be facilitating the transfer of kids from border care facilities and into safe homes.

Also, Nancy Pelosi mentioned again that it is a transition from what was wrong before to what is right. She also added that Biden's administration is attempting to uphold the United States Refugee Resettlement Program's standards by putting in place a system that accommodates and respects it while ridding the nation of what the administration considers the cruel approach of the former president.

Meanwhile, in recent weeks, the number of unaccompanied children and family units in custody has tripled, and there were more than 100,000 migrant encounters in February alone. The sudden rise came after Biden's inauguration and his first executive order halting the southern border wall's construction.

Stimulus Checks Start Arriving in Bank Accounts

On the other hand, last week, former President Donald Trump confounded President Biden's handling of the border crisis. Trump stated that the U.S. is being destroyed by the latest surge of illegal migrants at the border.

In his statement released on Tuesday, Trump emphasized that under his watch, and because of his border policy, the U.S.-Mexico border was in great shape and stronger, safer, and more secure than the situation with previous administrations. He also added that the border wall construction would have easily been completed if not for Democrats who are stalling the project, New York Post reported.

The former president also wrote in his statement that his administration had ended catch-and-release, crippled vicious smugglers, shut down asylum fraud, human traffickers, and drug dealers. Trump also shared that the Wall, despite the delays made by Democrats, would have easily been finished by now and working magnificently.

The former president also concluded that the United States is being destroyed at the Southern border. Trump also added that it is a terrible thing to see for him, especially if they can do something about it, Space Coast Daily reported.

House Democrats Charged for Trying to Steal GOP Seat

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By Prossy Kisakye

The chairperson of Uganda Women Parliamentary Association (UWOPA) also the Budaka woman Member of Parliament, Kamugo Pamela Nasiyo, is preparing a private members bill on protection of Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Program (UWEP).

This followed a cabinet decision to merge all the nine wealth Funds and also move UWEP from gender ministry to finance.

The programme which started in 2015, to address the challenges women face in undertaking economically viable enterprises, accessing affordable credit, technical knowledge, skills for business development and access to market has so far over 170,000 beneficiaries.

However the governments decision to merge it with other wealth funds like emyooga, youth livelihood fund among others has been protested by UWOPA and National Womens Council.

Kamugo says if the government doesnt drop the decision, she will present a private members bill to parliament to protect the fund from what she called mafias.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 16)  Health Secretary Francisco Duque III cited increased mobility and the re-opening of the "large part" of the economy in the rise of COVID-19 infections in the country.

Duque told President Rodrigo Duterte that due to these two factors, transmission and contact rates gone up resulting to the increase in COVID-19 cases.

"Number one, increased mobility because we loosened quarantine restrictions. Second, we opened a large part of the economy, and because of this mobility increased, the transmission rate increased, and the contact rate increased," Duque said during the weekly Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases meeting on Monday.

The Health Secretary added it has yet to be determined if the infectious COVID-19 variant from United Kingdom, detected in some parts of Metro Manila and Cordillera Administrative Region, also contributed to the spike of infections.

Duque explained that only 4% of the 4,160 genome sequencing samples they recently studied are cases from the UK variant or B.1.1.7. The largest share remains on the Hong Kong lineage variant with 24% or detected in 1,002 samples.

The South Africa or B1.351 variant, the new P.3 variant first discovered in the Philippines, and two other variants accounted for 2% each of the total cases. The Brazil or P.1 variant was found in only one sample, Duque said.

The country saw a rise in COVID-19 cases which led to a two-week curfew in Metro Manila that started on Monday night.

Some 5,404 new cases were recorded in the country on Monday, as its cumulative count reached 626,893 a year after Metro Manila was placed on lockdown. The latest DOH report showed 53,479 or 8.5% of the total tally are active cases. Some 12,837 persons have died and 560,577 patients have so far recovered from COVID-19.

OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David projected that COVID-19 cases nationwide may reach 8,000 daily by the end of the month and up to 18,000 daily by April, warning the pandemic is progressing much faster now despite being one-year into the nationwide lockdown.
Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle has legally demanded evidence against the probe after being accused of creating a toxic work environment at Buckingham Palace. The news of Markle, allegedly reducing staffers to tears, came after her controversial interview where she revealed some controversial points about the royal family with American TV host Oprah Winfrey. After the interview, the palace brought in an independent law firm to investigate the allegations against the Duchess, as per ANI.

Markle demands Evidence

On the contrary, Duchess of Sussex has demanded evidence to know precisely who is calling her a bully. According to the reports, the Duchess wants to see all documents, emails, and text messages related to the bullying probe which began against her by the Queen. Meanwhile, both sides of the bullying row appear to be lawyering up.

According to the probe Markle has been accused of creating a toxic work environment and allegedly reducing staffers to tears when she lived at Kensington Palace after marrying Prince Harry in May 2018. Earlier, Buckingham Palace said it was dispatching its own examination concerning the Duchess; however, it seems that the palace is now keen on encouraging in any event of an independent probe.

Buckingham Palace Hires External Law Firm

British Royal Family has hired an external law firm to probe into the bullying allegations against The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. According to sources of the UK's Sunday Times, the third party investigators will handle the bullying case by gathering accounts of the witnesses and royal aides testimonies to verify the accusations made against Meghan. The probe, unlike the private one that the Buckingham Palace plans to launch in case of racism allegations made by Markle, will be official and public, the network reported.

Markle's Racism Allegations

Meghan revealed that members of the British royal family expressed concern to her husband Prince Harry about the potential skin colour of the couple's first child, Archie. She said that her son Archie was denied a royal title and royal protection and that there were 'concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he is born'. In the sit-down interview, she said that the palace decreed that Archie would not have any title, a move she says was 'different from the protocol'.

Meghan and Harry officially stepped down from their roles as senior royals last year. Since last summer, Meghan and Harry have been living with Archie in their new home in Southern California, not far from Oprah's, near Santa Barbara.

(With ANI Inputs)
MIAMI BEACH, Fla.  Police in Miami Beach kicked off what was expected to be a busy spring break weekend by shooting pepper balls in order to disperse a crowd that had gathered around officers who were making an arrest.

The Miami Beach Police Department tweeted Friday night that two officers were injured and had to be taken to a hospital. They were released early Saturday but remained off-duty because of their injuries, the police department said in an emailed statement.

James Harrison, 19, of Brooklyn, New York, was arrested on charges of battery on a police officer, resisting an officer with violence, inciting a riot and disorderly conduct. Harrison shouted obscenities at police officers when they tried to break up a crowd of more than 200 people that was blocking traffic, smoking cannabis and carrying around open containers, according to a police report released Saturday.

Harrison then pushed an officer and the crowd surrounded officers who were outnumbered at the intersection in the heart of Miami Beach's famous nightclub and restaurant district, the police report said.

An officer fired pepper balls due to the large, aggressive, unruly crowd and the immediate posing threats to officer safety," the police report said. Another officer deployed pepper spray, the report said.

Miami Beach mayor: Florida spring breakers 'have forgotten that there's a pandemic'

An officer body-slammed Harrison after the 19-year-old grabbed the front collar of the officer's police vest collar as the officer was trying to place the suspect in handcuffs, authorities said. The move was an attempt to release Harrison's grip, the report said.

Once on the ground, Harrison started kicking and bracing his body to avoid being put in handcuffs, and an officer hit Harrison in the chest while another officer kneed him in the shoulder, the report said.

'Its only going to get more crazy': Spring break crowds a concern during critical moment in COVID-19 fight

Story continues

It should be noted that defendant Harrison's actions made the crowd extremely aggressive towards officers, posing a clear threat to their safety, due to the large number of unruly subjects present," the police report said.

Harrison was taken to jail. It couldn't be determined through online court records Saturday if Harrison had an attorney.

South Beach resident Kevin Green told the Miami Herald that the confrontation began after a crowd of at least 200 people gathered at an intersection to party.

People were just having fun in that general area, Green said. It looked like people were doing Snapchat videos.

Green said he then heard the pops of pepper balls being fired. He took cover behind a police vehicle as the crowd scattered.

I heard a pop, Green said. A bunch of people started running.

Spring break or bust: Millions board flights as pandemic enters second year

Pandemic or not, it's spring break in Florida

Floridas beaches and bars are already seeing the first throngs of college students on break, crowding beaches and bars  and worrying public health experts around the country who see the weeks of partying as a potential cause of another spike in coronavirus cases.

The primary concern, experts say, is that partying is occurring at a crucial moment in the fight against the coronavirus: More vaccines are being administered each day, yet more cases of variants  which are highly transmissible  are being reported. Making matters worse, they say, is that students will be taking their break as more states relax restrictions they had in place, such as mask mandates.

Overall, daily COVID-19 case numbers in Florida have declined significantly from a peak in early January, but highly contagious coronavirus mutations are mushrooming across the state, especially in south Florida, as spring break bears down on the state.

Health officials have discovered more infectious COVID-19 variants in 753 people statewide as of Friday, Palm Beach County health director Dr. Alina Alonso said Saturday, nearly double the 379 logged as of Feb. 14. The variant count includes 738 of the mutation found in the United Kingdom, 13 of the Brazilian strain and two of the South African variant.

Despite the risk of the virus and contagious variants, travel numbers have had a spring break bump around the U.S.

Passengers packed planes during the Thanksgiving and year-end holiday rushes despite advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to avoid travel and are now doing so in greater numbers for spring break.

The Transportation Security Administration said it screened 1,357,111 passengers on Friday, on top of 1,284,271 on Thursday as travelers headed out.

Friday's numbers were the highest since the Sunday after New Year's when 1,327,289 passengers were screened. The totals fell below 90,000 in April 2020 in the early days of the pandemic and didn't top 1 million again until October.

This story was updated to reflect that a Miami Beach Police Department report states one police officer deployed pepper balls and one officer used pepper spray.

Contributing: Associated Press; Dawn Gilbertson and Christal Hayes, USA TODAY; Chris Persaud, Palm Beach Post

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Weather: Storm that dumped 4 feet of snow in Rockies heads to the Midwest, thunderstorms forecast in South

This article originally appeared on USATNetwork: Police shoot pepper balls at Miami Beach crowd as spring break starts
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called international alliances "force multipliers" for Washington adding that working with allies is "critical" to push back against China's aggression.

Blinken and Austin writing in The Washington Post on Sunday said that they wanted "to lay out why alliances are vital to our national security and how they deliver for the American people."

Citing China's example, the two secretaries said that some countries are seeking to challenge the international order and slammed Beijing for being "all too willing to use coercion to get its way."

"Not all countries share this vision. Some seek to challenge the international order -- that is, the rules, values and institutions that reduce conflict and make cooperation possible among nations. As countries in the region and beyond know, China, in particular, is all too willing to use coercion to get its way. Here again, we see how working with our allies is critical," the Secretaries of State and Defense wrote.

The two secretaries said that the US along with its allies would hold China accountable for its gross human rights violations in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

"Our combined power makes us stronger when we must push back against China's aggression and threats. Together, we will hold China accountable when it abuses human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet, systematically erodes autonomy in Hong Kong, undercuts democracy in Taiwan or asserts maritime claims in the South China Sea that violate international law. If we don't act decisively and lead, Beijing will," they wrote.

"That will be our message in Asia this week and throughout the world in the weeks and months ahead," they concluded.

China has been rebuked globally for cracking down on Uyghur Muslims by sending them to mass detention camps, interfering in their religious activities and sending members of the community to undergo some form of forcible re-education or indoctrination.

Beijing, on the other hand, has vehemently denied that it is engaged in human rights abuses against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang while reports from journalists, NGOs and former detainees have surfaced, highlighting the Chinese Communist Party's brutal crackdown on the ethnic community.

Meanwhile, China imposed the draconian National Security Law in Hong Kong in July, last year, which criminalises secession, subversion, and collusion with foreign forces and carries with it strict prison terms. Since its implementation, several pro-democracy lawmakers have been arrested.

The two secretaries further wrote, "From his first day on the job, President Biden has emphasized America's reengagement with the world, because it's critical for us to meet the global challenges of our time. The United States is now making a big push to revitalize our ties with friends and partners -- both in one-to-one relationships and in multilateral institutions -- and to recommit to our shared goals, values and responsibilities."

The article comes as the first overseas Cabinet-level visits are scheduled for this week to Japan and South Korea.

"Our alliances are what our military calls "force multipliers." We're able to achieve far more with them than we could without them. No country on Earth has a network of alliances and partnerships like ours. It would be a huge strategic error to neglect these relationships," Blinken and Austin wrote.

"It's not only our one-to-one ties that are valuable. We're also focused on revitalizing the relationships between and among our allies. As the president has said, the world is at an inflection point. A fundamental debate is underway about the future -- and whether democracy or autocracy offers the best path forward. It's up to us and other democracies to come together and show the world that we can deliver -- for our people and for each other," they added.

The two secretaries in their opinion article further wrote that the alliances with Japan and South Korea contribute to the US's and the world's "security and prosperity," including when it comes to determining the best response to threats from North Korea, global security issues, climate change, cybersecurity and health security.

"As President Biden has said, the United States will lead with diplomacy, because it's the most effective way to meet the challenges we face today, few of which can be solved by us acting alone," Blinken and Austin stated.

"At the same time, we will maintain the world's most powerful armed forces, because that's a core source of our national -- and collective -- strength. And we will work hard to renew our alliances and ensure they're fit for purpose to address the threats and opportunities of our time," they said.

Austin will be visiting three nations - India, Japan and South Korea in the Indo-Pacific region to discuss the strengthening of existing partnerships and alliances there, read the US Department of Defense release.

In both Japan and Korea, the Secretary of Defence will be accompanied by Blinken during meetings with government officials.

-ANI

Also Read: US reentering Iran nuclear deal would make Middle East 'less secure': Mike Pompeo
File photo of Duma residents carrying an injured man after an airstrike on 2 February 2015

Pope Francis renews his appeal for an end to Syrias decade-long civil war, as the people of the Middle Eastern nation struggle to survive.

By Devin Watkins & Nathan Morley

On 15 March 2011, unrest among the people of Syria boiled over. Protests against the Baathist government of President Bashar al-Assad escalated into an armed conflict following a violent suppression of demonstrations.

Now, 10 years later, Pope Francis is once again lifting his voice to lament the war and its many devastating effects on Syrians.

Popes renewed appeal

The Syrian civil war, he said after the Angelus prayer on Sunday, has caused one of the worst humanitarian disasters of our times.

An untold number of dead and wounded, millions of refugees, thousands missing, destruction, violence of all kinds and immense suffering for the entire population, especially the most vulnerable, such as children, women and the elderly, said the Pope.

In response, Pope Francis renewed his heartfelt appeal for all parties to the conflict to show signs of goodwill, so that a glimmer of hope may open up for the exhausted population.

He also called on the international community to provide decisive and renewed commitment to rebuilding the nation, so that once the weapons have been laid down, the social fabric can be mended and reconstruction and economic recovery can begin.

Let us all pray to the Lord that the great suffering in our beloved and tormented Syria may not be forgotten, and that our solidarity might revive hope.

And he led the faithful in the recitation of the Hail Mary.

How has the war affected Syrians?

Since the conflict erupted a decade ago, Syria has witnessed unprecedented devastation and displacement.

As it stands, more than 5 million Syrians have fled the country and 6 million remain internally displaced. Furthermore, with more than 13 million people in need of assistance, the conflict has caused untold suffering for Syrian men, women and children.

In such conditions, there is an enormous need for humanitarian aid.

More than 13.4 million people in the country need some sort of relief, according to the United Nations.

At the same time, the UN says that delivering that aid is a dangerous, sometimes deadly, business: on average, at least two aid workers and eight medical personnel have been killed in Syria every month for the past decade.

Suffering in the northwest

The situation in Syrias northwest, where millions of children remain displaced, is particularly alarming, with many families having fled violence multiple times, some as many as seven times, in search of safety.

They are living in tents, shelters, and wrecked or derelict buildings.

Children in despair

Elsewhere, after a decade of war, 9 in 10 children still inside the country are in need of help.

The UN Childrens Fund, UNICEF, says families have been pushed to the brink of despair. To make matters worse, the Syrian economy is also in tatters.

The price of the average food basket increased by more than 230 percent in the last year, and more than half a million children under five suffer from stunting, as a result of chronic malnutrition.
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The Kaduna State Government, on Monday, said some pupils and teachers have been kidnapped in a primary school in Rema in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of the state.

The states commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said the incident occurred at an LEA Primary School in the area.

The Kaduna State Government is currently obtaining details on the actual number of pupils and teachers reported to have been kidnapped and will issue a comprehensive statement as soon as possible, he said.

This is the second mass kidnap in the state in a week.

About 39 students and staff members were confirmed kidnapped at the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization, Afaka, Igabi Local Government Area of the state, Thursday night.

While the state government on Friday claimed 180 persons were rescued during the attack, it said 39 students were unaccounted for.

Mr Aruwan restated the efforts of the security agencies in securing the release of those in captivity.

Also, about 307 students of Government Science Secondary school in Ikara, Ikara local government area of the state, were rescued from bandits who attempted to kidnap them on Saturday night.

According to Mr Aruwan, the military and police are still on the trail of the armed bandits.

It should be noted that the kidnap in Rema is the fifth mass abduction of school children in Northern Nigeria within four months.

Hundreds of students had been kidnapped in Kankara college, Kastina state; Government Science College in Kagara, Niger State and Government Girls Secondary School in Jangebe, Zamfara State.
https://flv1.gmw.cn/soby/sobey/20210315/1615780514234_High.mp4

Last month, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government launched three projects aimed at encouraging young people to seek opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam said the GBA will provide Hong Kong with infinite opportunities, and the government encourages various sectors, in particular young people, to participate in the GBA development.

The projects include a 130-million-Hong Kong dollar (16.76 million U.S. dollars) scheme expected to fund 230 startups and provide incubation services to over 4,000 young entrepreneurs.

Qianhai in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province has established a Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub in Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone, which pilots Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation in the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

During an interview with Mr. Lo Jyunlai, a HK young entrepreneur now working in the Greater Bay Area, he said that he decided to move from Hong Kong last year to work in Qianhai's Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub. "I like the concept here, to support Hong Kong's young entrepreneurs in pursuit of the Chinese Dream, to amplify Hong Kong's advantages in the development of the GBA," he mentioned.

According to the draft outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for national economic and social development and the long-range objectives through the year 2035, China will promote the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in an active and prudent manner.

[ Editor: WXY]
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QCI is currently focusing on moving faster towards improving standards and making testing capacity cheaper for the MSMEs sector in India.

Health and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing & Medical Devices Committee, PHDCCI in association with Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilisers, Govt of India recently organised the fourth series of Self Sufficiency in Medical Technology on Optimum Regulations, Quality Standards, Controls for MedTech on March 12, 2021.

The webinar was graced with the presence of Dr N Subramanian, Chair, Health Committee, PHDCCI & Director, Medical Services, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Dr Sameer Gupta, Co-Chair, Health Committee, PHDCCI & Dr Harvinder Popli, Director, Delhi Pharmaceutical Science & Research University.

The session was moderated by Vivek Seigell, Assistant Secretary-General, PHDCCI. Anil Zainulbhai, Chairperson, Quality Council of India said QCI looks forward to collaborating and working together with CDSCO and BIS for further standardisation for the MedTech industry. He further mentioned QCI is currently focusing on moving faster towards improving standards and making testing capacity cheaper for the MSMEs sector in India.

Dr Subramanian said that defects or disturbances in the functions of medical devices may expose patients to serious risks which is particularly true for devices that transfer energy or pharmaceuticals to patients; hence the safety standards must be high for all medical devices and the devices shall be safe, reliable and well suited for their intended purposes.

Dr Gupta said that the emphasis should be on quality and ease of getting regulatory approvals. He mentioned that MedTech has shown very tremendous growth in the last few years and urged that all safety standards must be very high for all medical devices as it deals with patient life.

Sumit Kumar, Scientist-C- Medical Equipment & Hospital Planning Department, Bureau of Indian Standards mentioned that BIS is in close association with other standards developing organisations to make one nation one standard.

Manish Airan, AVP- Quality & Regulatory, Transasia Bio-medicals Limited said that better co-ordination and co-operation is expected among all the three bodies, CDSCO, BIS and QCI. This will help to reduce redundancy, ease the adherence and the effective implementation of regulations to all the medical device manufacturers. He further mentioned that public procurement agencies including GEM, need to be educated on the Indian standards so that the need of CE and US FDA to be eliminated.

Dr Rajiv Chhibber, Vice President, External Affairs, Sahajanand Medical Technologies Pvt Ltd, said, The need is to be looking at harmonising Indian standards and international standards for ease of doing business, focus on developing domestic prowess in key areas like laboratory infrastructure, innovation, R&D and manufacturing. Dr Popli in her closing remarks mentioned that the state government should also set up a funding scheme to support the industry.
The Servant of the People political party has expelled from its membership MP Oleksandr Dubinsky for violating the charter and disobeying the party's governing bodies, the order of the party chairman Oleksandr Korniyenko reads.

The document says that on March 13, 2021, by order of the party chairman, on March 14, 2021, a meeting (conference) of Kyiv regional organization of Servant of the People was convened to resolve issues of re-election of the governing bodies of this organization. At this meeting, MP Andriy Motovylovets was elected new head of Kyiv regional organization of the Servant of the People party.

At the same time, on March 14, Dubinsky published a video message, from which it became known that an event was held on the initiative of the MP on the same day, where a decision was made to re-elect the chairman and elect members of the political council of Kyiv regional organization.

The party stressed that consideration of the issue of electing the chairman of the structural formation of the Servant of the People party is impossible without prior approval by the party chairman and approval by the heads of the political council and the National Council of Communities - in accordance with the charter of the political force.

The Servant of the People said that by such actions Dubinsky grossly violated the requirements of the Party Charter. In addition, Dubinsky's actions to hold a conference in gross violation of the requirements of the charter discredit the Servant of the People party, which is unacceptable due to the provisions of the charter.

The document also informs Dubinsky that he can appeal this decision at the next party congress.

As reported, on January 11, Washington included 11 individuals and organizations in the sanctions list for Ukraine. Seven citizens of Ukraine fell under the sanctions, in particular, MP, member of the Servant of the People faction Oleksandr Dubinsky, and four organizations based, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, in Ukraine. These measures were introduced against them because Washington claims that they interfered in the U.S. electoral process.

According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, these individuals are associated with Ukrainian MP Andriy Derkach, against whom the United States imposed sanctions in September 2020 "for trying to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election." The Department of the Treasury calls Derkach himself "agent of the Russian intelligence services" in the press release.

At a meeting of the Servant of the People faction on January 25, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky invited Dubinsky to leave the faction, but he refused.

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov, at a plenary session on February 2, officially announced the exclusion of MP Oleksandr Dubinsky from the Servant of the People faction, according to the faction's decision of February 1, 2021.
Gov. Andrew Cuomos star has fallen.

The governor, who just last year stepped into the national spotlight for his handling of the COVID-19 crisis, is facing two major scandals: his administrations reported cover-up of nursing home resident deaths caused by the coronavirus and a growing number of sexual harassment allegations being levied against him.

While Cuomo will undoubtedly see his stature diminished by the controversies, even if he hangs on to complete his term and run for reelection, another statewide elected official will see her star rise: state Attorney General Letitia James. Although she had responsibility dropped in her lap for investigating both issues, technically at the governors request, James has already demonstrated independence by taking on the governor with a stinging report on nursing homes. Now, its possible James could follow Cuomo's path to becoming New York's top executive: a high-profile look into the governor's alleged misdeeds.

On Jan. 28, James published a report indicating that the number of nursing home deaths disclosed by the state may have undercounted by as much as 50%. Her findings ultimately led to the revelation that the Cuomo administration had delayed releasing information about the actual death toll out of fear of politically motivated punishment from the Trump administration.

In terms of contenders to be governor of the state, attorney general is the best position you can have.  Robert Spitzer, a political science professor at SUNY Cortland

In the wake of the nursing home scandal, James began overseeing an investigation into the sexual harassment allegations made against Cuomo, after the governor decided to cede control over the probe. He drew sharp criticism of his initial efforts to delegate authority to an ally, former U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones, instead of James. He also attempted to refer the investigation to both James and his appointee, Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, another bid for control that James rejected. On March 8, James announced she would be appointing Joon Kim, a former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Anne Clark, an employment discrimination lawyer, to lead the investigation.

While James has given no indication of any future ambitions for higher office, her recent investigations are reminiscent of her predecessors, Cuomo included, who used the attorney generals office as a gubernatorial springboard. In February, James even joked that AG stands for aspiring governor during a press event  a joke well known to New York politicos. However, she also said that her office is not focusing on the politics but focusing on the law," during this time. James office declined to comment for this story.

Political experts familiar with Albany politics also view the office as the go-to role for aspiring governors and say shes in a position to make a name for herself. She's in a launchpad job, early innings, she would usually be expected to gather more experience before she was a competitive (contender) for governor, Gerald Benjamin, a retired political science professor at SUNY New Paltz told City & State. But it's not only the job she's in  she's the direct player in the situation. So (her probe) does have a chance to build her a reputation.

However, those who have worked with James in the past say she isnt positioning herself to run for governor, but just doing her job. It just so happens that the job has become one that places its incumbent at the center of the states biggest controversies. I think it's very interesting that there's this expectation that Tish is just like the rest of (the former attorney generals), that Tish is just going to use this as some sort of path to something else, Assembly Member Catalina Cruz, who has worked in the state attorney generals office under Cuomo and has worked closely with James, told City & State.

I think people need to focus on the fact that we elected an extremely qualified attorney who just happens to be a Black woman, Cruz continued. If she were a white man no one would be ... thinking about what her ambitions are and what theyre not.

The shifting role of the AGs office

The state attorney generals office wasnt always known for taking on high-profile cases, but since former Gov. Eliot Spitzer held the office between 1999 and 2007, taking on major power players has become expected of whoever serves in the role. New Yorks constitution says little about what is expected of the role. Its power is mostly defined through state statutes. The governor can also imbue the attorney general with more power, as Cuomo did with former state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. In 2016, Cuomo signed an executive order to give the attorney general prosecutorial power to investigate police misconduct. It was mainly through close examination of statutes that Spitzer was able to reshape the role of the attorney general. He used the Martin Act, a statute from 1921, which gives the attorney general the ability to prosecute financial crimes, to go after Wall Street. He identified some statutes about regulating economic activity and exploited  exploited sounds bad  but he used those powers fully to take on financial interests on Wall Street and became nationally recognized for that, Benjamin said.

During Spitzers two terms serving as attorney general, he became known as the Sheriff of Wall Street, who made a name for himself by aggressively investigating the states financial and securities industries. In 2002, Spitzer discovered conflicts of interest involving stock analysts at Merrill Lynch, which led to his office charging the wealth management company a fine of $100 million. It also led to 10 of the biggest securities firms in the country collectively paying $1.4 billion in settlements over a conflict of interest case that was also launched by Spitzer.

By 2004, Spitzer had become such a hero to liberals nationwide that Martin Peretz, then the editor-in-chief of The New Republic, suggested that then-U.S. Sen. John Kerry should choose Spitzer as his running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket.

This investigation, whatever it finds, will be only one part of the record that would be the basis of her rationale for election.  Robert J. Bellafiore, a former senior aide to Gov. George Pataki

Following his second term as attorney general, Spitzer launched a successful campaign for governor and was elected to the office in 2006. However, halfway through his first term, he became embroiled in a scandal of his own, which led to his speedy resignation under threat of impeachment in 2008.

Who was state attorney general under Spitzer? You guessed it: future Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Prior to Spitzers resignation, Cuomo launched a high-profile and forceful investigation into Spitzers offices use of state police for political purposes, in what was known as Troopergate. As a result of Cuomos investigation, four of Spitzers aides were charged with ethics violations. Cuomo then launched a successful campaign for governor in 2010 and has remained in office since then.

Schneiderman, who helmed the office from 2011 to 2018, until allegations of physical and sexual abuse of ex-girlfriends forced him to resign, had also built a strong reputation with the Democratic base. Schneiderman grew to prominence for suing Trump University, which led to further legal inquiries into Donald Trumps business dealings after he was elected president. Schneiderman also put pressure on President Barack Obamas administration to deal with Wall Street more forcefully following the financial crisis of 2008.

Had Schneiderman not been accused of violence, he would have been the odds-on favorite to succeed Cuomo. Within just a couple of decades, the attorney generals office has become the place to be if your goal is to rule the state.

Is James following in her predecessors footsteps?

James and Cuomo ran on a ticket together, after the governor endorsed the then-New York City public advocate for attorney general in 2018. While James nursing home report shocked some who were surprised to see her act as an adversary toward her former political ally, Cuomo is hardly the only powerful person or entity that she has positioned herself against throughout her relatively short time in the office. Since James was elected in 2018, her office has led investigations and filed suits against Amazon, Facebook, the National Rifle Association, the New York City Police Department and the Trump family.

If Cuomo is impeached, resigns or doesnt run for reelection, James would be well positioned to run for his office next year, especially if she is perceived as having demonstrated independence from him. In terms of contenders to be governor of the state, attorney general is the best position you can have. At least in this modern era, Robert Spitzer (no relation to the former governor), a political science professor at SUNY Cortland, told City & State.

As the first Black woman to win statewide office, James journey to attorney general, however, has been much different than that of her predecessors. James overcame racial and gender barriers in winning statewide elected office, a descendant of Southern sharecroppers and graduate of a HBCU (historically black college or university), Luke Perry, a professor of government at Utica College, told City & State in an email.

Some political analysts argue that the attorney-general-to-governor pipeline is a bad trend in New York politics, worrying that being a prosecutor isnt the only, or even necessarily best, experience to train someone to do what the governor does: negotiate the budget with the Legislature, oversee bureaucratic agencies such as the Department of Transportation and grant the occasional commutation.

Please keep in mind that this investigation, whatever it finds, will be only one part of the record that would be the basis of her rationale for election, Robert Bellafiore, a former Associated Press Capitol reporter and senior aide to former Gov. George Pataki, told City & State in an email. New Yorkers already had one governor whose sole claim to fame was investigative chops and look how he turned out. To be a serious candidate for the highest office in this state, one should be able to demonstrate capacity to address a huge range of policy areas integral to New Yorks future.

James could still benefit from the investigation, even if Cuomo somehow manages to hang on and run for reelection in 2022, and she chooses not to challenge him. The attorney generals enhanced stature could help her win a seat in the Senate for example  which is what Jacob Javits did  or she could land a job in a Democratic administration.

James is carefully navigating the current probe, but its unclear if shell face sexist criticism as it plays out. For instance, New York Republicans, including state party Chair Nick Langworthy and Rep. Tom Reed, have attacked Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul for not having publicly discussed whether she had known about Cuomos alleged behavior before it was reported. (Neither man lodged any criticism against former Vice President Mike Pence over allegations of sexual assault by President Donald Trump from 26 women.) Throughout her career, James has avoided the confrontational approach of some men in similar positions, such as Cuomo and Spitzer.If she were to act like them and be that aggressive, then shed be a bitch right? Lupe Todd-Medina, a political consultant and friend to James, told Politico. So shes not doing that and shes soft? Shes damned if she do and shes damned if she dont. But what I will say: Shes always been driven, and I havent seen much difference from her (since becoming attorney general).

Cruz believes that James sole objective in overseeing the investigation into Cuomos allegations derives from her own interest in seeking the truth and providing it to the people who elected her to office. I routinely say Tish can do this job and sit and think about the fact that shes actually said, Whether he stays in office or not, Im still going to go get to the bottom of this, Im going to continue my investigation and get to the bottom of this, she said. She's not saying, If he steps down, this is going away. Shes saying, The people deserve the truth and Im going to find this for them.

James has also stated many times that it is not her goal to replicate the models set forth by past attorneys general or dedicate her office to pursuing cases that are likely to gain statewide or national attention for her own personal advancement. First and foremost, Im a public servant. Less a politician, more of a public servant, James told City & State in a 2019 interview. I am an attorney. And I work with a talented pool of attorneys and nonattorneys and were here to administer the law, and to protect the interest of New York state, a sovereign state. And so has the office changed? Has the direction changed? I would say no. Were continuing to uphold the law and continuing to serve as the peoples lawyer.
ASHGABAT -- Residents of the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, say municipal authorities have intensified a cruel campaign to cull stray dogs and cats -- and carelessly kill family pets in the process -- ahead of a new national holiday for a storied Central Asian breed of dog.

President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov recently declared the last Sunday of April Alabai Dog Day in honor of the breed dubbed "wolf crushers" for their ferocity.

A variety of the more internationally known breed known as Central Asian shepherd dogs, breeders consider the hulking alabais quiet, hard-working, and fearless in the face of large predators.

Although they say the recent animal-culling operation primarily targeted strays, residents complained to RFE/RL that municipal workers are also taking away pet dogs and cats unlucky enough to be outside during the sweeps.

They say that in districts far from downtown Ashgabat, maintenance workers -- some in uniforms, some in plainclothes -- often raid high-rise residential buildings looking for dogs and cats.

Residents say the carcasses of animals destroyed by such squads are being dumped in city landfills.

They note that an upscale area around Nurmuhammed Andalib Street that has been thoroughly cleared of strays in recent weeks lies on the route to work taken by the president's son, Serdar Berdymukhammadov, who is also head of the International Alabai Association.

There is speculation that the younger Berdymukhammedov is being groomed to succeed his 63-year-old father atop the highly secretive former Soviet republic's authoritarian regime.

In February, Serdar was appointed a deputy prime minister and head of the Supreme Control Chamber, which has its headquarters in the nearby Makhtumquli Square. He also became a member of the State Security Council.

Turkmen officials consistently decline to respond to inquiries from RFE/RL and other independent media.

The International Alabai Association is overseeing next month's celebrations. Events will include a canine beauty pageant and agility contests amid complaints that the money would be better spent on improving citizens' lives.

A majority of the country's 6 million or so people live in poverty.

The American Kennel Club describes Central Asian shepherd dogs as possibly "the oldest known group of dogs in existence today" but "unlike most breeds today, they are not man-made or created by any specific person or country."

Such descriptions have not prevented Berdymukhammadov's administration from asserting the unique place of alabais in their official national narrative.

Targeting Pets

Speaking on condition of anonymity, Ashgabat residents told RFE/RL that municipal workers had even bribed local teenagers "to toss poisoned food," such as bread or sausages, to cats and dogs to kill the animals.

One Ashgabat resident alleged that the dog hunters intentionally target pets. "They leave poisoned sausages and fish in the areas where people walk their dogs, or they shove the poisoned food under the doors of pet owners' homes," he told RFE/RL.

Turkmenistan has long been criticized for its ruthless methods of targeting stray animals in Ashgabat and other cities.

Multiple eyewitnesses describe dog-hunting squads attacking animals with metal rods during street raids before tossing their bodies into pickup trucks for disposal.

Some of the culling takes place in front of startled residents, including children, eyewitnesses say. In a notorious incident in 2019, Ashgabat workers allegedly beat a dog and her puppies to death inside a kindergarten as a group of horrified children looked on.

Eyewitnesses and activists have shared photos and videos of what they say are dog-hunting squads' beating and culling of animals.

Amid tough economic times in Turkmenistan and the region, there are also reports that an increasing number of pets are being abandoned because owners say they can't afford to feed them.

State media portray President Berdymukhammedov as an avid animal lover who is often shown with alabais or riding the renowned Turkmen horses known as Akhal Teke.

Berdymukhammedov has devoted a book to alabais, which are officially listed as among the Central Asian country's national heritage.

In 2017, a widely circulated video showed the Turkmen president dangling an alabai puppy in the air as he presented it to visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last year, a 6-meter-tall golden statue of an alabai was unveiled in Ashgabat. The government also opened a special alabai dog shelter in Akhal Province in September 2019.

Last month, the Turkmen government introduced new decorations -- Distinguished Dog-Breeder and People's Dog-Breeder -- to honor those who have made significant contributions to the alabai-breeding industry, state media reported.

It also unveiled a Brave Alabai of the Year award, the reports said.

State media say sketches of the proposed medals were sent to President Berdymukhammedov for approval.

Written by Farangis Najibullah with reporting by RFE/RL Turkmen Service correspondents in Ashgabat
In the evening of March 12, at a meeting of the regional commission of the State Commission on Manmade Disaster, Emergency Response, it was decided to put under quarantine the tourist complex Bukovel and restrict entry to the territory of Polianytsia territorial community, which only local residents or people who work there can freely move through, the local newspaper Halka reports.

"It was decided to terminate the activities of the Bukovel resort. Tourists will not be able to visit it. If you are a tourist, then you must understand that you are not going to Bukovel - you are going to the red quarantine zone, a high-risk zone. We are making such a forced decision, and probably not the last. After all, the red zone, in which we live, is growing, and we do not see a trend towards its decrease," Head of Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration Andriy Boichuk said.

The new rules will take effect from 24:00 on March 13.

"As of today, 51 administrative protocols have been drawn up in Bukovel tourist complex: for lift operators, ski equipment rental points. Additional checkpoints will be introduced on the territory of Polianytska territorial community. Only local residents or those who have a place of work in this settlement will be able to move freely, subject to quarantine requirements," Head of the Main Department of the National Police in Ivano-Frankivsk region Volodymyr Holubosh said.
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Spain's Ministry of Health has urgently convened a meeting with the autonomous regions this Monday (15 March) to address issues surrounding the vaccination plan against Covid-19.

Although the only item on the agenda that the ministry has sent to the regions does not specify which aspect of the vaccination plan with will be specifically addressed, it is expected to be the AstraZeneca vaccine, after several more European countries have temporarily suspended using the formula after blood clots were discovered in some patients who had received a dose of the vaccine.

In Spain, Catalonia, Castilla y Leon, the Canary Islands, the Valencian Community, Asturias and Andalucia have already made a decision to temporarily suspend the use of some doses as have France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Norway, Iceland, Thailand, Ireland and the Italian region of Piedmont.

Currently, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is studying the reported blood clot cases, although it has pointed out that, at the moment, there is no evidence that vaccination has caused these conditions which are not listed as side effects of this vaccine,

Similarly, last Friday the World Health Organization (WHO) said that "there is no reason not to use" the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19. There are people who die every day, so it is normal that there are people who have been vaccinated and die. The reports available so far do not establish a direct relationship with thrombi since this percentage has also been observed among the general population, said the WHO Deputy Director General for Access to Medicines and Health Products, Mariangela Simao.
To all the Trump haters who call in and blame all American deaths on him, read page C4 in the Sunday, Feb. 28, Republican Herald. I know all the deaths in France are Trumps fault as well, but read it anyway and see what your simple minds can get out of it.

Auburn



I agree with the other callers. The City of Pottsville needs to open up the bidding on cable TV and allow companies like Service Electric or any other provider to bid on the contract. Comcast has held us hostage for far too long with their high rates. Open it up. You did it with the garbage pickup and the city saved money. Do it with cable TV.

Pottsville



Ann Coulters defense of Proud Boys was illogical. If two dozen Proud Boys could protect her against thousands of violent antifa protesters, why were they so ineffective against the MAGA mob that stormed the Capitol? I am not saying she wasnt afraid of what happened in Berkeley but we all saw what happened in Washington. Where were your Proud Boys on Jan. 6, Ann?

Mahanoy City



I have tried every day this week, three different places, and I still have not been able to get an appointment for a vaccine. What is going on with that?

Pottsville



All Americans should be concerned that the Democratic Party wants the commander in chief to give us his access to the nuclear codes. Thanks for voting a man with diminishing cognitive abilities. Sleep well, America.

New Boston



How about putting some pictures in the paper of the potholes in the Cressona Mall by Burger King and by Giant and by the auto parts store? You can lose your tires in those they are so big and deep. A lot of people use that parking lot and dont need to pay for these repairs.

Lake Wynonah



Hey, Noonan, talk about Nazis. Didnt Hitler spend most of his time in a bunker or was that Joe Biden? Oh, it was both of them.

Frackville



That was a great speech that Donald J. Trump gave at CPAC. Sleepy Joe doesnt know what he is doing. He is for the illegals, not for the American people.

Girardville



Is there something wrong with this president that he is going to give away more money to college students? If they are grown up enough to go to college, they are grown up enough to pay their own bills. Dont strap it on me and my grandchildren to pay for somebody else.

Ashland



Thank you, William Wagner, for the excellent article showing the similarities between the Democrats and the Nazis and calling out Tom Noonan for the classless name caller that he is.

Minersville



People like Greg Maresca are the reason the Equality Act is needed so much. He should try quoting people who think it is a good thing. No wonder why so many crimes are committed against LGBTQ people.

Schuylkill Haven



This is to all you Biden lovers. I hope you are happy with what he is doing to this country. Immigration. Canceling the pipeline and now this Equality Act. I hope you read it and see what is in it.

Pottsville
Holly Hubert

Amherst

K-12 Cybersecurity Resource Center

Victor Central School District

Rochester

Kyle Cavalieri

Buffalo

Avalon Cyber

FBI

Department of Homeland Security

Long Island

North Shore Hebrew Academy

FBI

Buffalo Public Schools

Buffalo Public Schools

GreyCastle Security

Elena Cala

FBI

(TNS)  Buffalo Public Schools leaders were taken by surprise by the ransomware attack on the district's network Friday. But they shouldn't have been.Cybercriminals are particularly fond of targeting government agencies and school districts, which are generally less likely to devote the financial resources necessary to guard against attacks, according to cybersecurity experts."It's very common for schools to be targeted," said, founder of-based GlobalSecurityIQ.According to the, nearly 350 cyberattacks on school districts or educational agencies were publicly reported in 2019, three times more incidents than the year before. But that figure has been rising over the past year.Close to home, thenearwas down for a week early last month due to a ransomware attack.Not only are school districts less likely to hire cybersecurity experts or invest in the outside services needed to prevent ransomware and other cybersecurity attacks, experts said, but school districts have become even more vulnerable because they've had to fast-track new remote learning models due to the coronavirus pandemic."They were trying to do the best they could to keep things moving, but obviously if you move too quick, you're going to leave vulnerabilities that people can take advantage of," said, president of the-based, which has offices in multiple states.He referenced information from theandstating that more than half of reported ransomware attacks on state and local governments and schools in August and September involved schools, which keep valuable, confidential information and are less likely to have top-level cybersecurity."They're kind of low-hanging fruit," he said.And ransomware is only one type of cybersecurity threat.Cavalieri, whose company has worked with roughly half a dozen schools and districts to address cybersecurity incidents over the past year, said he worked with aschool that had its website defaced. Not only was the main website altered, but the criminal hackers also managed to access Zoom meetings for classes, change school grades, and send emails to parents and students.That school,, had anti-Semitic slurs and Nazi images posted on its website, followed later by Zoom class break-ins. It subsequently made national news in December."It was terrible," said Cavalieri, whose company has been cooperating with theto investigate the attack.For schools and districts he's dealt with, he said, getting schools back online has ranged from days to weeks.Experts say that the length of time it will take for theto get back online depends on the district's backup measures and advance planning."It depends on their level of preparedness," Hubert said.Cavalieri said theare likely in the process of working withto figure out not only how the attacker got into the network to take it over, but also whether there are any other back-door mechanisms left by the bad actor that are sitting dormant, waiting to be opened if the main hole in the system gets plugged."These types of things just take time," he said.The pressure to get the school district network up and running is immense since many students are still working remotely, and the district has been preparing to bring more grades back into the classroom starting Monday."The District is working with technology industry experts and law enforcement authorities to resolve the ransomware attack we experienced on Friday morning. We are continuing to work throughout the weekend to protect and recover our information systems. We will let you know by Sunday afternoon whether we will be returning to school on Monday," said district spokeswomanin an email Saturday.The district is also likely to be faced with the decision of whether to pay any ransom demand. Law enforcement representatives discourage payment to criminals, even though payment is sometimes the fastest and cheapest way to quickly bring back a down system and even though it rewards the criminal."I really don't ever advocate paying unless they really, really have to," said Hubert, a formeragent who specialized in cybercrime. "Trying to roll back and leverage your backups is really your best course of action."Some organizations and businesses, however, feel that because of their circumstances, they need to pay to keep operating and may negotiate with the hackers to lower the ransom demand, Cavalieri said. The criminals then provide the unlock codes to encourage future victims to pay up.Ultimately, however, cyberattack prevention needs to be a priority, particularly for school districts and other public agencies that tend to shortchange this type of work. It's not enough to have a good information technology staff, Hubert said. Cybersecurity is its own specialty, similar to physicians in the medical field, who are not equipped to deal with every type of illness or surgery."When law enforcement leaves and computer systems go back online, what back doors could have been left behind?" Hubert said. "Really, your job is just beginning."
Operation Homefront recognizes eight military children in annual awards program All of our nominees deserve special recognition as they and their families not only overcame the challenges inherent in military life, but did so while dealing with the devastating and disruptive impacts of a global pandemic. Brig. Gen. (ret.) John I. Pray Jr., President & CEO, Operation Homefront

Operation Homefront, the national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families, today announced the eight recipients of the esteemed 2021 Military Child of the Year Award, the nations premier recognition of the outstanding achievements of our military children.

Now in its 13th year, the Military Child of the Year Award reflects the positive impact that these impressive young people have made on their military families, their schools, and their communities. Operation Homefront will recognize the recipients with a special extended virtual celebration beginning on April 8 followed by 10 days to recognize each awardee via its digital channels. Each awardee will receive a $10,000 grant, a laptop computer, and more.

We are excited to honor these eight exceptional young people for their extraordinary individual accomplishments and for the strength and resiliency they demonstrated as representatives of the larger community of approximately two million amazing military kids, said Brig. Gen. (ret.) John I. Pray Jr., President and CEO of Operation Homefront. All of our nominees this year deserve special recognition as they and their families not only overcame the many challenges inherent in military life, but they did so while dealing with the devastating and disruptive impacts of a global pandemic...a tribute to the strength of our military families.

The seven branch recipients  Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard, and for the first time this year, Space Force  will represent the armed forces branch in which a parent either serves or has served. Selection was based on scholarship, volunteerism, leadership, extracurricular involvement, and other criteria, all accomplished during a pandemic, while schools were closed and the world went virtual. Each awardee was selected by a panel of independent volunteer judges with deep roots in the military community. The eighth award is the Military Child of the Year Award for Innovation, presented by global technology and consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. This award goes to a military child who has designed a bold and creative solution to address a local, regional, or global challenge. The Military Child of the Year Award for Innovation recipient will work virtually with a team of employees from Booz Allen Hamilton who will provide project support.

The 2021 Military Child of the Year Award recipients are as follows:



Army: Caleb Pipes, 18, Kailua, HI

Marine Corps: Eleanor David, 17, Falls Church, VA

Navy: Dasia Bandy, 18, Chesapeake, VA

Air Force: Nyah Gray, 17, Buda, TX

Coast Guard: Liam Cooper, 18, Port Jefferson, NY

National Guard: Elise Puliafico, 18, West Bridgewater, MA

Space Force: Joshua Wouden, 13, Colorado Springs, CO

Innovation (Air Force): Emma Remley, 17, Papillion, NE

Pratt & Whitney is the presenting sponsor of our virtual celebration. Additional sponsors include Booz Allen Hamilton, Procter & Gamble, University of Cincinnati Online, actor and writer David Hoffman, Carnival Cruise Line, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc., Johns Hopkins US Family Health Plan, and PNC Foundation. Military Times is the media sponsor. More information about the Military Child of the Year Award is available at http://www.militarychildoftheyear.org.

About Operation Homefront: Founded in 2002, Operation Homefront is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families so that they can thrive  not simply struggle to get by  in the communities they have worked so hard to protect. Recognized for superior performance by leading independent charity oversight groups, over 90 percent of Operation Homefront expenditures go directly to programs that support tens of thousands of military families each year. Operation Homefront provides critical financial assistance, transitional and permanent housing and family support services to prevent short-term needs from turning into chronic, long-term struggles. Thanks to the generosity of our donors and the support from thousands of volunteers, Operation Homefront proudly serves Americas military families. For more information, visit OperationHomefront.org.
LARGO, Fla., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on the 2020 success of itSprays (a Benesprays brand) in the ecommerce market and with independent retailers, we are excited to announce our new partnership with Brett Bakken & the Marshall Group USA. This collaboration will expand the itSpray brand into key strategic retail partnerships in 2021. The Marshall Group USA has a long history of success with growth brands, making this a strong partnership for both companies.

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itSpray vitamin spray solutions include BOOSTit for immune support, CHARGEit for sustained energy, and DREAMit for healthier sleep. When you use itSpray products, you are just a few sprays away from feeling your best all day and night.

Consumers continue to choose and benefit from itSpray for a variety of reasons.

Our sublingual sprays are 9x more effective than pills and gummies. The effectiveness of these solutions comes from the delivery method. Unlike pills, itSpray does not contain any binders or fillers for the body to digest. Our proprietary blend of vitamins and minerals enter the bloodstream under the tongue, allowing your body to absorb 85-95% of nutrients in under 30 seconds.

itSpray solutions are easy to customize for your individual lifestyle needs. Each bottle contains 25+ doses and each dose is up to 7 sprays, allowing each consumer to customize their dose.

Convenience is also key & with a 1oz per bottle, itSpray fits easily into your purse or pocket. TSA compliant means no more big bottles or pill boxes when you travel.

About The Marshall Group USA

Led by Brett Bakken, Marshall Group offers a full service, turn-key sales approach into the largest retailers, government and .com arenas. By bringing unique features to the broker world, such as partnering with social media & marketing groups, they specialize in growing businesses and established brands alike.

About itSpray

Founded in 2018 by Kimberly Stiele, a mother of two and a tenured CPG executive, the company's mission is to provide cutting edge alternatives for better health that outperform traditional pills, powders, and gummies. Each of itSpray's formulas are made from the highest quality ingredients with no fillers or binders, they are gluten free, vegan, Non-GMO, and sugar free. All products are available for purchase at www.itspray.com.

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The Italian Medicines Agency responsible for regulation of pharmaceutical activity in Italy, AIFA, has announced the immediate suspension of AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine. The decision, valid for the whole Italian territory, came as a precautionary and temporary measure, "in line with what has been decided by other European countries".

The administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been suspended, in whole or in part, and always as a temporary and precautionary measure, even in other countries in Europe and beyond.

To date, these are Germany and France (which communicated the decision on Monday, March 15), Denmark, Norway, Bulgaria, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Indonesia.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  California Gov. Gavin Newsom established a political committee Monday to begin raising money to defend his seat in a potential recall election, the strongest acknowledgment to date that he expects to be on the ballot this year.

The Democrats new fundraising arm could soon send a powerful message to his possible rivals: Under state rules, Newsom alone is allowed to raise money in unlimited amounts, while other candidates must adhere to contribution limits.

The formation of the committee  called Stop the Republican Recall"  came alongside a flood of messaging from Newsom and other prominent Democrats calling the campaign a Republican power grab driven by supporters of former President Donald Trump and extremist groups.

Newsom argued Monday that white supremacist and right-wing militia groups including the Proud Boys and the Three Percenters, are behind the effort. Democrats have cited Los Angeles Times reporting showing that one backer is involved with the Three Percenters and others have ties to the Proud Boys.

Were just concerned about violence moving into the future as we move farther and farther away from the January insurrection and we put down our guard. We must remain vigilant about these groups and how serious they are," Newsom said Monday night on MSNBC. All you need is about a quarter of the people who supported Trump to just sign a petition and it appears theyve done that.

Organizers of the recall say they have collected over 2 million petition signatures to place the election on the ballot  about 1.5 million are needed for it to qualify, though hundreds of thousands must still be validated by election officials. They said 38% of petition signatures have come from independents and Democrats, but people are not required to list their party affiliation on the form.

Orrin Heatlie, a retired county sheriff's sergeant who filed the recall petition, said Newsom is engaging in a smear campaign" about the recall organizers because he can't defend his record.

Story continues

This recall is driven by the people of California. It encompasses the entire political spectrum," he said, all the way from the far liberal left to the alt-right."

Newsom's committee launched with an advertisement attacking the recall as a partisan effort. Democrats including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker lent their names to the effort.

Defeating the recall will be one of the most important priorities for Democrats this year, Booker said in a statement.

Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis said Democrats must reject the efforts of the Republican party to sow discord in our state and their longshot attempt to slip a Republican governor into the bluest state in the country."

Newsom for months sidestepped questions about the recall but has more recently started to ramp up his political operation and strategy. Hes been traveling the state holding events to highlight coronavirus vaccinations, while a string of supporters have started staging online news conferences in an attempt to turn public favor his way.

In a Friday interview with San Francisco's KQED news radio station, Newsom depicted the effort as a challenge to his administrations progressive policies and not a reaction to his leadership during the pandemic that has claimed over 55,000 lives in California.

Its about immigration. Its about our health care policies. Its about our criminal justice reform. Its about the diversity of the state. Its about our clean air, clean water programs, meeting our environmental strategies, he said.

Newsom received high praise for his aggressive approach to the coronavirus last spring, when he issued the nations first statewide stay-at-home order.

But in more recent months, he has faced growing public frustration over health orders that shuttered schools and businesses and a massive unemployment benefits fraud scandal. He also took a public drubbing for attending a birthday party with friends and lobbyists at the exclusive French Laundry restaurant, while telling residents to stay home for safety.

Responding to Newsoms campaign, the California Republican Party pointed to a slew of issues beyond the coronavirus.

The highest poverty rate in the nation, the largest number of homeless, some of the highest gas prices, unemployment checks going to death row inmates, and up to $31 billion in unemployment fraud, the party tweeted at Newsom. The recall is gaining momentum because of your failed leadership.

Two Republicans have announced their candidacies: Kevin Faulconer, the former Republican mayor of San Diego, and Republican businessman John Cox, who Newsom easily defeated in 2018.

Another name being discussed in GOP circles is former President Donald Trumps then-acting director of national intelligence, Richard Grenell, who has not responded to requests for comment on a possible candidacy.

Its not uncommon in California for residents to seek recalls, but they rarely get on the ballot  and even fewer succeed.

___

Ronayne reported from Sacramento, Calif.

___

Associated Press writer Juliet Williams in San Francisco also contributed to this story.
Ola Jordan has revealed it's been a 'difficult and sad time', following the death of her husband James' father.

The former Strictly Come Dancing star, who welcomed her 'miracle' daughter, 12 months, in February 2020 after a lengthy IVF battle, said she's been a 'shoulder to cry on' for her husband after his dad's passing.

On Saturday James revealed the sad news on Instagram that his father Allan had passed away after battling a brain tumour, noting that his dad 'became an angel at 8:05am.'

Tough: Ola Jordan has revealed it's been a 'difficult and sad time' marking her first Mother's Day with her baby daughter Ella, following the death of her husband James' father on Saturday

Speaking to The Sun on her first Mother's Day with her daughter, Ola reflected on a year that's been both challenging and miraculous for herself and James following the birth of their baby girl.

The dancer said she's tried to maintain a positive outlook despite learning James' father had been diagnosed with a brain tumour.

She said: 'Seeing a really healthy man deteriorate so much in a year has been shocking.

Heartbreaking: The former Strictly Come Dancing star, said she's been a 'shoulder to cry on' for her husband after he announced his dad's passing over the weekend

'It's been very emotional, but I've just got to be strong for him because I have a baby to look after.

'All I can do is be a shoulder to cry on right now. It's a very difficult and sad time.'

James revealed that his beloved dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer back in July, following four months of health woes and trips to the hospital.

The dancer shared the heartbreaking news on social media, as he appealed to his followers for help in finding a specialist surgeon for his dad.

So sad: On Saturday James revealed the sad news on Instagram that his father Allan had passed away after battling a brain tumour, noting that his dad 'became an angel at 8:05am'

Since then the dancer has spoken candidly about his father's deteriorating health, and being unable to visit him in hospital due to Covid restrictions, and broke down in tears on Loose Women last month while discussing Allan's terminal prognosis.

Hours before his father's death, James shared just how much he meant to him in a post that simply read: 'I love you dad' alongside a red heart emoji.

Over the weekend James then took to Instagram to share the tragic news of his father's passing, writing: 'My dad became an angel at 8:05am. I will forever miss him. He will always be my hero. RIP Daddy.'

Due to the Covid lockdown Ola's parents are yet to meet their granddaughter Ella, and have only seen the tot via. Facetime from their native Poland.

Difficult: Speaking after her first Mother's Day with her daughter, Ola said: 'It's been very emotional, but I've just got to be strong for him because I have a baby to look after'

Tough time: James revealed that his beloved dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer back in July, following four months of health woes and trips to the hospital

The dancer said she hopes this is the only Mother's Day she'll spent without her mum Janina, and revealed her father breaks down in tears when he sees little Ella on their video calls.

Ola and James welcomed their little girl after a lengthy IVF battle, and the dancer said despite the struggles she's glad she waited until she was older to start a family.

Despite the challenges faced by many couples during lockdown, Ola added that her marriage to James is stronger than ever thanks to their sense of humour, though their lives as new parents had meant finding time for date nights has been hard.

The dancer also said she hasn't felt any pressure to slim down in the year since giving birth to her daughter, and is now content with her post-pregnancy figure.
Offer for sale (OFS) to divest governments shareholding in Tata Communications, which was earlier state-owned VSNL, will open Tuesday for institutional investors. The government will sell its 10 per cent stake, with an option to sell an additional 6.12 per cent stake.

The floor price has been set at Rs 1,161, and the sale of 16.12 per cent stake could fetch the government around Rs 5,334 crore.

The offer would open for retail investors on Wednesday. The government holds 26.12 per cent stake in the company.

On Friday, had said that "As an initial step, the government will sell up to 4,59,46,885 equity shares forming 16.12% equity shareholding of the company through an OFS through the stock exchange mechanism. Immediately after the OFS, the government shall sell the remaining equity shares held by it in the company to Panatone. Panatone Finvest is an investment arm of Tata Sons. The price at which the stake would be sold to Panatone would be decided based on the price and number of shares sold in the OFS.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-16 04:22:54|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, March 15 (Xinhua) -- China's permanent representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, on Monday notified UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of China's intention to donate 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to UN peacekeepers, with priority to be given to peacekeepers working in Africa, said the Chinese mission.

This is a further step to make Chinese vaccines a global public good, and a demonstration of China's firm and continuous support to the United Nations and multilateralism, said the Chinese mission in a press release.

As one of the champions of the safety and security issue under the "Action for Peacekeeping" initiative of the UN secretary-general, China attaches great importance to the safety and security of peacekeepers, and supports early COVID-19 vaccination for UN peacekeepers to protect their health and help them better perform their duties. The Chinese government will work closely with the UN Secretariat to make vaccines donated by China available to the UN peacekeepers at an early date, it said.

The fight against COVID-19 is the most pressing task facing the world today. Vaccines are the most powerful weapon to win the battle. China attaches great importance to the equitable distribution of vaccines, especially the accessibility and affordability in developing countries. China will continue to work in solidarity with countries around the world to make unremitting efforts to win the final victory of the global fight against the pandemic, it said.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced China's decision to donate vaccines to UN peacekeepers at a Security Council meeting on COVID-19 vaccines on Feb. 17. Enditem


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DUBLIN, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Specialty Chemicals Market Research Report: By Type - Global Industry Analysis and Growth Forecast to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The market generated $639,935.8 million in 2019, and it is expected to value $980,423.7 million by 2030.

Driving forces such as the widening application base of specialty chemicals, escalating need for an improved crop quality, and rapid industrialization will accelerate the specialty chemicals market growth at a CAGR of 5.5% during the forecast period (2020-2030).

The demand for these chemicals will be driven by the growing automobile, textile, and food and beverage industries, especially in developing countries.



Specialty chemicals are used as additives to generate the desired effect in substances and end products. These chemicals have diverse features and are compatible with other chemicals. Owing to these properties, they find wide application in various end-use industries. For example, the automobile sector uses specialty chemicals as fuel additives to improve the properties of the fuel. Similarly, methyl oleate, a specialty chemical, is used as an active pharmaceutical ingredient in a variety of creams and lotions.



One of the key factors fueling the specialty chemicals market is the robust industrialization and urbanization in the emerging economies of China, Brazil, and India. Owing to the rapid urbanization, there has been a substantial rise in the living standard of the people of these countries. This has, in turn, fueled the consumption of cosmetics, packaged food items, and pharmaceuticals. Moreover, the expansion of the automobile sector in China and India, as a result of people's rising disposable income, is facilitating the market growth.



The type segment of the specialty chemicals market is categorized into lubricant & oilfield chemicals, agrochemicals, adhesives & sealants, construction chemicals, surfactants, polymer additives, cleaning chemicals, specialty coatings, food additives, electronic chemicals, paper & textile chemicals, and plastic additives. Among these, the lubricant & oilfield chemicals category will display the fastest growth in the forecast period due to the increase in the production of shale gas. Moreover, an increase in construction and automotive production activities will support the growth of this category in the coming years.



Geographically, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) specialty chemicals market is expected to hold the largest share during the forecast period. This can be attributed to the soaring demand for these chemicals in the electrical & electronics, pharmaceutical, automotive, agriculture, and personal care & cosmetics industries of India and China. Moreover, the rapid expansion of the construction sector, extensive research and development (R&D) by key market players, increasing installation of water treatment systems, and escalating demand for plastics and adhesives from the packaging sector will fuel the market growth in the coming years.



The presence of numerous players, such as Evonik Industries AG, BASF SE, China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation, Dow Inc., Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Akzo Nobel N.V., Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Huntsman Corporation, and Clariant International Limited, gives a fragmented character to the specialty chemicals market.

These players are expanding the capacity of their manufacturing facilities to gain a competitive edge. For instance, in December 2019, BASF SE announced its plans to expand its facility in Jiangmen, Guangdong Province, China, and invest in its coating business in Asia.



Thus, the growth of the end-use industries in developing countries and a wide application base of specialty chemicals will propel the market advance in the coming years.



Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1. Research Background



Chapter 2. Research Methodology



Chapter 3. Executive Summary

3.1 Voice of Industry Experts



Chapter 4. Introduction

4.1 Definition of Market Segments

4.1.1 By Type

4.1.1.1 Agrochemicals

4.1.1.2 Construction chemicals

4.1.1.3 Specialty coatings

4.1.1.4 Surfactants

4.1.1.5 Food additives

4.1.1.6 Polymer additives

4.1.1.7 Electronic chemicals

4.1.1.8 Cleaning chemicals

4.1.1.9 Plastic additives

4.1.1.10 Paper & textile chemicals

4.1.1.11 Adhesives & sealants

4.1.1.12 Lubricant & oilfield chemicals

4.1.1.13 Others

4.2 Value Chain Analysis

4.3 Market Dynamics

4.3.1 Trends

4.3.1.1 Shifting of production base to APAC

4.3.2 Drivers

4.3.2.1 Diversified applications of specialty chemicals

4.3.2.2 Demand stimulus from emerging economies

4.3.2.3 Impact analysis of drivers on market forecast

4.3.3 Restraints

4.3.3.1 Governmental and environmental regulations

4.3.3.2 Impact analysis of restraints on market forecast

4.3.4 Opportunities

4.3.4.1 Development of bio-based specialty chemicals

4.4 Impact of COVID-19

4.5 Porter's Five Forces Analysis



Chapter 5. Global Market Size and Forecast

5.1 By Type

5.2 By Region



Chapter 6. North America Market Size and Forecast



Chapter 7. Europe Market Size and Forecast



Chapter 8. APAC Market Size and Forecast



Chapter 9. LATAM Market Size and Forecast



Chapter 10. MEA Market Size and Forecast



Chapter 11. Major Markets: Segment Analysis



Chapter 12. Competitive Landscape

12.1 Market Share Analysis of Key Players

12.2 Competitive Benchmarking of Key Players

12.3 List of Other Players

12.4 Strategic Developments of Key Players



Chapter 13. Company Profiles

Ashland Global Holdings Inc.

Evonik Industries AG

Akzo Nobel N.V.

Eastman Chemical Company

LOTTE Fine Chemical Co. Ltd.

Mitsui Chemicals Inc.

Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation

BASF SE

Clariant International Ltd.

Huntsman Corporation

Dow Inc.

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation

Sadara Chemical Company

Thebe Unico

AECI Ltd.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/lo4khg

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

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Boris Johnson has unveiled plans to place plain-clothed police officers in nightclubs, while also spending 45million on improving street lights and CCTV coverage to better protect women after thousands took to the streets demanding action to protect women from predators.

Demonstrators marched through the streets of London for the second night on Monday, with crowds gathering in Parliament Square and outside New Scotland Yard, before briefly blocking traffic on Westminster Bridge.

Yesterday Boris Johnson chaired a meeting of the Criminal Justice Taskforce, amid a huge campaign to end violence against women and girls in the wake of Sarah Everard's death.

The PM said last night: 'The horrific case of Sarah Everard has unleashed a wave of feeling about women not feeling safe at night.

'Ultimately, we must drive out violence against women and girls and make every part of the criminal justice system work to better protect and defend them.'

The Government's announcement last night saw 25million added to the Safer Streets Fund, which provides neighbourhood measures such as better lighting and CCTV, bringing the total budget up to 45million.

It also said there would be a 'commitment' with officials to ensure potential target areas such as parks and alleyways and routes from bars, restaurants and nightclubs, are properly policed, with officers 'focused on preventing sexual violence'.

It also plans to work with local constabularies to deploy uniformed and plain clothes officers around nightclubs and bars to ensure women are safe, while also increasing patrols as people leave at closing time. It follows a successful scheme dubbed 'Project Vigilant,' which was used by Thames Valley Police.

The PM's comments came ahead of a vote on Tuesday for the The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which could allow officers to intervene in events that are deemed to have caused 'serious unease, alarm or distress'.

It has been criticised for plans to raise the maximum sentence for vandalising statues up to 10 years.

Last night the Government said the bill would provide tougher sentences serious violence and sexual assaults, while improving protection for victims and creating news offences, such as non-fatal strangulation.

Around 30 police officers stood behind metal fences as demonstrators staged a sit-down protest outside New Scotland Yard

Crowds chanted 'black lives matter' outside the Houses of Parliament earlier today, as protestors raised various issues during the demonstration

Police have been criticised at the protests in London, however, one woman who was seen being restrained at the vigil in Clapham Common Saturday said: 'We need to get the message away from ''We are against the police'''

The Government's announcements comes after protesters marched for hours through Westminster and Soho on Monday, forcing police to guard the entrance to New Scotland Yard for the second night running.

Protestors then marched out of the square and staged a sit down protest on Westminster Bridge holding up the traffic while screaming obscenities against the Conservative Party, Boris Johnson, Priti Patel and police.

Police looked on helplessly as protestors swarmed across the bridge, demonstrators remained on the bridge for around 10 minutes before moving on. Shortly after, crowds briefly sat in the road, chanting: 'If you won't give us justice, we won't give you peace.'

The crowd moved on to New Scotland Yard, where around 30 officers were stood behind metal barriers raised to protect the entrance to Met Police's headquarters.

Demonstrators chanted 'shame on you,' while pointing at uniformed officers, before moving on to protest outside the entrance to House of Commons, where they began shouting: 'Black lives matter.'

After marching through Soho and back through Leicester Square, police have been seen directing protesters back towards Parliament Square. Officers were seen detaining several people during the protest, including one in Downing Street and another near Trafalgar Square.

The focus of the protest has also shifted to opposition against anti-protest laws set out in the The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which could allow officers to intervene in events that are deemed to have caused 'serious unease, alarm or distress'. The bill is set to be discussed on Tuesday.

Many in the crowd waved Extinction Rebellion flags while others held up placards criticising the police, capitalism, Brexit and an assortment of other global issues.

Police vans have been based on various London streets to monitor protests as they marched through London tonight. Officers have started to direct demonstrators back towards Parliament Square

Demonstrators say the right to protest 'protects women,' ahead of a controversial bill that will be debated by MPs tonight

Crowds gathered on Westminster Bridge, before sitting in the middle road and eventually moving on to New Scotland Yard

Traffic was brought to a halt on Westminster Bridge this evening as demonstrators marched across the Thames, halting to raise placards and chant

Another march through London is expected to take place on Thursday evening, after hundreds of police officers monitored demonstrations tonight and over the weekend

Women have been sharing their experiences of harassment in the wake of the death of Sarah Everard, 33, who vanished while walking home through Clapham on March 3

Crowds grew to around 800 in Parliament Square this evening, before moving on to Westminster Bridge, where they remained for around 10 minutes

Despite the protest being in breach of Covid guidelines, most protesters wore masks to protect themselves in the crowd

Protesters pointed at officers as they chanted 'shame on you,' outside New Scotland Yard today, before sitting down in the road

Scores of protestors laid flowers below a banner laid out in the square which declared: We need to be seen and heard.'

A police helicopter hoovered overhead to monitor the vigil, which passed off peacefully. The vigil was organised by Sisters Uncut, the organisation that led Saturday nights event.

Attendants at today's protests have criticised Met Police's handling of Saturday's vigil, with scenes of police grappling with protestors described as 'concerning,' by Boris Johnson last night.

Crowds also gathered outside Cardiff Bay police station in Wales earlier today, blocking traffic.

As Priti Patel urges people to stay at home instead of protesting, one woman seen pinned to the ground at Saturday's vigil said she wanted demonstrators to 'get the message away from ''We are against the police,"'.

The crowd gathered today chanted: Sisters United, will never be defeated.'

One of the organisers of the vigil, speaking through a megaphone accused the Metropolitan Police of unleashing state violence on women on Saturday night.

As police officers looked on, the crowd roared and clapped as organisers called for stronger action to combat sexual crimes against women and accused the police force of misogyny.

Labour MP Zarah Sultana was among the speakers when protesters were gathered in Parliament Square, over the weekend she tweeted: 'I was always going to vote against the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill. Amongst much else, it attacks the right to protest.

'But because women held a defiant vigil at Clapham Common yesterday, Labour will now vote against it too. Dont underestimate the power of protest.'

Patsy Stevenson, the flame-haired protester who was seen being pinned on the ground by two policemen in images that went viral on Saturday night, said earlier today that she was 'terrified' by the officers' behaviour, but refused to call Dame Cressida's resignation.

She told Good Morning Britain: 'As someone who stands up for women's rights I think we need to get the message away from ''We are against the police'' and focus on how we need to open a new dialogue to protect women's safety.'

While the protest was set up following the death of Sarah Everard, demonstrators have raised issues with the Conservative Party, while also shouting 'black lives matter,' and calling for Metropolitan Police to be defunded

Officers have been monitoring protestors as they march through Central London tonight, the protest has passed through Westminster, Soho and Leicester Square

Campaigners chanted 'kill the bill,' as signs called for the end of violence against women. Demonstrators raised a banner outside New Scotland Yard this evening

Various placards have been raised at the protest raising awareness of violence against women and girls, as groups lined up across the road to block traffic on Westminster Bridge

Around 800 men and women are attending today's protest, following similar scenes across London over the weekend

Tonight's demonstration saw protesters move from Parliament Square to Westminster Bridge, to New Scotland Yard and later towards Soho

Demonstrations on Monday night followed similar scenes over the weekend, with another protest in London set for Thursday

Patsy Stevenson, a protester who was seen being pinned on the ground by two policemen in images that went viral on Saturday night, said earlier today that she was 'terrified' by the officers' behaviour

While crowds gathered in London, demonstrators in Wales blocked the road outside Cardiff Bay police station earlier today

Protesters in Wales wore masks and gathered in solidarity with other marches calling for an end to violence against women

Demonstrations have grown since a vigil for Sarah Everard saw women restrained by police as they paid their respects to the 33-year-old. Wayne Couzens, a 48-year-old Met Police officer, has been charged over her murder

Protesters gathered in Parliament Square at around 5pm on Monday, marching over Westminster Bridge, before crossing it again as they headed to New Scotland Yard

Hours after Priti Patel encouraged people not to protest during the Covid-19 crisis, crowds could be heard chanting obscenities against the Conservative Party, Boris Johnson, Ms Patel and police officers

Protesters have cried 'abolish the police' while outside New Scotland Yard, while others said constabularies need to be defunded, similar cries were made during demonstrations last year

Labour has vowed to vote against the The Police, Crime , Sentencing and Courts Bill, which is being debated in Parliament

As around 100 police officers looked on, the crowd roared and clapped as organisers called for stronger action to combat sexual crimes against women and accused the police force of misogyny'

Protestors have been chanting 'kill the bill,' at today's demonstration, in opposition to the The Police, Crime , Sentencing and Courts Bill, which will be discussed on Tuesday

Around 800 protestors have gathered in Parliament Square this afternoon, it follows gatherings and marches outside New Scotland Yard yesterday, in opposition of violence against women

Labour MP Zarah Sultana was in attendance at today's protest and was among the campaigners to speak in Parliament Square

Earlier today Priti Patel spoke movingly of the violence and fear faced by women in Britain today in the wake of Sarah Everard's murder - but urged people not to take part on mass protests during the Covid crisis.

Meanwhile, Anna Birley, from campaign group Reclaim These Streets, said forcing the exit of the first female leader of Britain's biggest police force would do nothing to advance female equality.

'We are a movement of women seeking to support and empower other women, and as one of the most senior women in British policing history, we do not want to add to the pile-on,' she said.

Britons have been left divided over public gatherings and Scotland Yard's handling of the Sarah Everard vigil, according to a snap poll today.

Organisers Reclaim These Streets had cancelled the event after Scotland Yard rejected their proposals for making it Covid secure, and a High Court judge refused to intervene in a legal battle launched by the organisers.

A YouGov poll in the wake of the shocking scenes has found that the public is split over whether the vigil should have been allowed to go ahead.

Some 40 per cent of Britons argue the event should have been permitted, while 43 per cent said it should not have continued.

And there was a clear gender divide, with 42 per cent of women backing the vigil, compared to just 38 per cent of men.

For the second night in a row, police officers stood guard outside New Scotland Yard tonight, amid protests in London

Speakers at today's protest in Parliament Square slammed Metropolitan Police for its handling of Saturday's vigil, accusing the force of 'misogyny'

One of the organisers of the vigil, speaking through a megaphone accused the Metropolitan Police of unleashing state violence on women at a vigil for Sarah Everard on Saturday night. Pictured: Protestors are in London again today

Police officers at monitoring the protest in Parliament Square today, after demonstrations last night saw officers guard the entrance to New Scotland Yard and protect a statue of Winston Churchill

One of the organisers of the vigil, speaking through a megaphone accused the Metropolitan Police of unleashing state violence on women on Saturday night

Earlier today Priti Patel spoke movingly of the violence and fear faced by women in Britain today in the wake of Sarah Everard's murder - but urged people not to take part on mass protests during the Covid crisis

The mood of the protest has shifted to show opposition against the The Police, Crime , Sentencing and Courts Bill which could allow officers to intervene in events that are deemed to have caused 'serious unease, alarm or distress'

Campaign group Reclaim These Street said Cressida Dick should not be forced to quit her role as Met Police commissioner. Pictured: Women have laid flowers at today's demonstration in Parliament Square, in memory of Sarah Everard, while others have raised placards

Britons have been left divided over public gatherings and Scotland Yard's handling of the Sarah Everard vigil, according to a snap poll today. Protestors have gathered in Parliament Square for a third day of demonstrations today

Today's protests come following the death of Sarah Everard, 33, who vanished while walking home in Clapham on March 3. Some 40 per cent of Britons have said a vigil for Sarah on Saturday should have been permitted, while 43 per cent said it should not

Mourners wearing facemasks went to the common throughout the day, including the Duchess of Cambridge who paid a private visit to the makeshift shrine.

But a vigil on Saturday night in Ms Everard's memory descended into violence, culminating in police officers pinning protestors to the ground in images that appalled the nation.

Speaking on Sunday, Boris Johnson said of the police's response: 'Like everyone who saw it I was deeply concerned about the footage from Clapham Common on Saturday night.

'I have spoken with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner who has committed to reviewing how this was handled and the Home Secretary has also commissioned HM Inspectorate of Constabulary to conduct a lessons learned review into the policing of the event.

The Home Secretary faced the Commons today amid fury over the Metropolitan Police's handling of the vigil.

Ms Patel told MPs that the scenes of officers manhandling women from the scene on Clapham Common in South London had been 'upsetting', and the murder had 'rightly ignited anger' about male violence.

But she also defended the police's efforts during the pandemic and highlighted the death toll from coronavirus as she urged the public to stay off the streets in large groups.

Her comments came after Boris Johnson said he has full confidence in Met chief Cressida Dick as she faces a huge backlash for defending the police operation on Saturday night.

Called to Westminster to answer an Urgent Question about the Ms Patel told MPs: 'Over the past year during the coronavirus pandemic, the police have been faced with an unenviable and immediately difficult task. It is one for the most part that they have approached with skill and professionalism, helping to enforce regulations as determined by Parliament with one crucial objective in mind, to save lives.

'This House approved those changes by 524 votes to 16 on January 6 this year. Sadly, as of Sunday March 14, more than 125,500 lives have been lost to this horrible virus.

Ms Patel told MPs that the scenes of officers manhandling women from the scene on Clapham Common in South London had been 'upsetting', and the murder had 'rightly ignited anger' about male violence. But she also defended the police's efforts

Around 200 protestors have gathered in Parliament Square this evening, with police remaining a discreet distance away at this stage

The Home Office has ordered a full report into Met Police's handling of Saturday's vigil, but Boris Johnson has said he has full confidence in commissioner Cressida Dick

'Accounts shared online in the wake of Sarah's disappearance are so powerful because every single one of us can relate to them,' Priti Patel said earlier today, however, protestors have been critical of the Home Secretary, and the Government as a whole

'It is for that reason that I continue to urge everyone for as long as these regulations are in place not to participate in large gatherings or attend protests.

'The right to protest is the cornerstone of our democracy, but the Government's duty remains to prevent more lives being lost during this pandemic.'

Striking a more personal tone, she also said women and girls must feel safe whilst walking on the street.

'Accounts shared online in the wake of Sarah's disappearance are so powerful because every single one of us can relate to them,' she said.

'Too many of us have walked home from school or work alone only to hear footsteps uncomfortably close behind us. Too many of us have pretended to be on the phone to a friend to scare someone off.

'Too many of us have clutched our keys in our fist in case we need to defend ourselves and that is not OK.

'Women and girls must feel safe whilst walking our streets, that is why we have continued to take action.'

Serving Met Police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, has been charged with the murder and kidnap of Sarah Everard.
Biden admin. asks Supreme Court to drop cases challenging ban on Title X funding of abortion clinics

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The Biden administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to dismiss litigation over a rule that prohibits federal Title X family planning funds from going to clinics and organizations that provide or promote abortion as a method of family planning.

Acting Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar submitted a short brief to the high court last Friday requesting that the cases filed against the rule be dismissed since both sides have agreed to end the litigation and bear their own costs.

In 2019, the Trump administration issued a final rule barring Title X funds from going to entities that provide or promote abortion for family planning, prompting multiple lawsuits in response. The rule essential barred Title X funding from going to clinics where abortion is provided.

Representatives of the American Medical Association and multiple states, who had filed suits against the 2019 rule, also filed a short brief requesting dismissal.

The decision to end the litigation came in response to a memorandum issued by President Joe Biden in January stating the intention of rolling back the 2019 rule.

The January memo asked the Department of Health and Human Services to review restrictions on funding for abortion providers and other entities that promote abortion.

Biden concluded that the Title X rule put "undue restrictions" on the use of federal funds and put "womens health at risk by making it harder for women to receive complete medical information."

"The [law] specifies that Title X funds may not be used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning, but places no further abortion-related restrictions on recipients of Title X funds," reads the Biden memo.

Earlier this month, 19 states filed a joint motion to ask the Supreme Court to stop the Biden administration from scrapping the Title X rule, also known as the Protect Life Rule.

To be sure, some States provide such funding. And many advocates would like to see more public funding. But the broader national consensus against funding elective abortion remains, stated the joint motion.

Title X reflects this consensus. Since its 1970 enactment, the law has funded non-abortion family planning. All the while, it has banned the use of Title X funds in programs where abortion is a method of family planning.

The short briefs filed by Prelogar and the plaintiffs argued that the 19 states were not parties to these cases, and so their joint motion does not prevent the parties from stipulating to dismissal.

The Trump-era Title X rule drew strong opposition from Planned Parenthood, which led to the nations largest abortion provider exiting the Title X family planning program.

The Title X program was enacted during the Nixon administration and grants hundreds of millions of dollars each year to health clinics across the nation to provide contraceptives, cancer screenings, STD testing and other health care services to low-income patients.

Before its exit from the program, Planned Parenthood was the largest provider of Title X care in the country.

Last September, an appeals court upheld a ruling that blocked the Trump administration from enforcing the Title X rule. In February 2020, the Ninth Circuit upheld the Title X rule in a 7-4 decision.

Last month, the Supreme Court announced that it would hear litigation on the matter and consolidated three cases.

Leading pro-life advocate Marjorie Dannenfelser was confident that the nation's high court, with a conservative majority, would rule that future administrations have the right to "disentangle Title X taxpayer funding from the abortion industry."
KB Ballentine with her poem "March" was the winner of the February writing contest by the Chattanooga Writers' Guild. The theme was "Hope," and the judge was Finn Bille.

There were seven entries.

Edge of the Echo is scheduled to launch Ms. Ballentines seventh collection in the Spring of 2021 with Iris Press. Her earlier books can be found on Blue Light Press, Middle Creek Publishing and Celtic Cat Publishing. She is published in Crab Orchard Review, Haight-Ashbury Literary Journal, and other fine presses. Her work also appears in anthologies, including In Plein Air (2017) and Carrying the Branch: Poets in Search of Peace (2017).

March's contest theme is "Endurance." The judge will be John C. Mannone, assisted by Ann Thornfield-Long and Mark Anderson. John C. Mannone has poems in the North Dakota Quarterly, Le Menteur, Blue Fifth Review, Poetry South, Baltimore Review, New England Journal of Medicine, and others. His poetry won the Dwarf Stars Award (2020) and Impressions of Appalachia Creative Arts Contest (2020). He was also the recipient of the Carol Oen Memorial Fiction Prize (2020) and the Joy Margrave Award (2015, 2017) for creative nonfiction. He was awarded a Jean Ritchie Fellowship (2017) in Appalachian literature and served as the celebrity judge for the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (2018). His latest collection, Flux Lines, is forthcoming from Linnets Wings Press (2021). He edits poetry for Abyss & Apex and other journals. A former CWG president and retired physics professor, he lives between Knoxville and Chattanooga.

Full contest rules and how to submit are here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/144cvXGdUTz_kmVY-B_EvmsQ61AurqjFYRZAs8QkEe84/edit?usp=sharing
Come April 1, 2021, there will be changes for bank account holders as the cheque books and passbooks of seven banks will become invalid. These banks are those whose mergers with other banks took effect from April 1, 2019, and April 1, 2020, and their names are Dena Bank, Vijaya Bank, Corporation Bank, Andhra Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, United Bank and Allahabad Bank.

If a customer has an account in any of these 7 banks, then quickly check for a new cheque book and IFSC code.

Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank have merged with Bank of Baroda on April 1, 2019. From April 1, only cheque books and passbooks of Bank of Baroda will run in them.

Oriental Bank of Commerce and United Bank of India have merged with Punjab National Bank (PNB). Punjab National Bank has announced that the cheque books of the two banks merged in it will be valid only till March 31, 2021.

Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank account holders can now know their new IFSC codes online on the official website of the banks. For this, a customer will have to go to the official website www.unionbankofindia.co.in . After this, you have to click on amalgamation center here. After this, you will be able to know the update IFSC code. You can call the bank's customer care number 1800-208-2244 or 1800-425-1515 or 1800-425-3555. Or you can get information through SMS. For this, you have to send the message to 9223008486 by typing IFSC <OLD IFSC>.

However, the merger period of Syndicate Bank's cheque book has been kept till June 30, 2021, after the merger with Canara Bank. Apart from this, Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank have been merged with United Bank of India. The government has merged Allahabad Bank with Indian Bank.

The new rules will be applicable from April 1 and due to the merger, the account number, IFSC code, MICR code, branch address will also be changed.
A Florida correctional officer polled his colleagues earlier this year in a private Facebook group: Will you take the COVID-19 vaccine if offered?

The answer from more than half: Hell no. Only 40 of the 475 respondents said yes.

In Massachusetts, more than half the people employed by the Department of Correction declined to be immunized. A statewide survey in California showed that half of all correction employees will wait to be vaccinated. In Rhode Island, prison staff have refused the vaccine at higher rates than the incarcerated, according to medical director Dr. Justin Berk. And in Iowa, early polling among employees showed a little more than half the staff said theyd get vaccinated.

As states have begun COVID-19 inoculations at prisons across the country, corrections employees are refusing vaccines at alarming rates, causing some public health experts to worry about the prospect of controlling the pandemic both inside and outside. Infection rates in prisons are more than three times as high as in the general public. Prison staff helped accelerate outbreaks by refusing to wear masks, downplaying peoples symptoms, and haphazardly enforcing social distancing and hygiene protocols in confined, poorly ventilated spaces ripe for viral spread.

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This story is a collaboration between The Associated Press and The Marshall Project exploring the state of the prison system in the coronavirus pandemic. Nicole Lewis, Beth Schwartzapfel and Tom Meagher reported for The Marshall Project.

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The Marshall Project and The Associated Press spoke with correctional officers and union leaders nationwide, as well as with public health experts and doctors working inside prisons, to understand why officers are declining to be vaccinated, despite being at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Many employees spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared they would lose their jobs if they spoke out.

In December and January, at least 37 prison systems began to offer vaccines to their employees, particularly front-line correctional officers and those who work in health care. More than 106,000 prison employees in 29 systems, including the Federal Bureau of Prisons, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to data compiled by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press since December. And some states are not tracking employees who get vaccinated in a community setting such as a clinic or pharmacy.

Still, some correctional officers are refusing the vaccine because they fear both short- and long-term side effects of the immunizations. Others have embraced conspiracy theories about the vaccine. Distrust of the prison administration and its handling of the virus has also discouraged officers from being immunized. In some instances, correctional officers said they would rather be fired than be vaccinated.

The resistance to the vaccine is not unique to correctional officers. Health care workers, caretakers in nursing homes and police officers  who have witnessed the worst effects of the pandemic  have declined to be vaccinated at unexpectedly high rates.

The refusal of prison workers to take the vaccine threatens to undermine efforts to control the pandemic both inside and outside of prisons, according to public health experts. Prisons are coronavirus hot spots, so when staff move between the prisons and their home communities after work, they create a pathway for the virus to spread. More than 388,000 incarcerated people and 105,000 staff members have contracted the coronavirus over the last year. In states like Michigan, Kansas and Arizona, thats meant 1 in 3 staff members have been infected. In Maine, the state with the lowest infection rate, 1 in 20 staff members tested positive for COVID-19. Nationwide, those infections proved fatal for 2,474 prisoners and at least 193 staff members.

People who work in prisons are an essential part of the equation that will lead to reduced disease and less chance of renewed explosive COVID-19 outbreaks in the future, said Brie Williams, a correctional health expert at the University of California, San Francisco, or UCSF.

At FCI Miami, a federal prison in Florida, fewer than half the facilitys 240 employees had been fully vaccinated as of March 11, according to Kareen Troitino, the local corrections officer union president. Many of the workers who refused had expressed concerns about the vaccines efficacy and side effects, Troitino said.

In January, Troitino and FCI Miami warden Sylvester Jenkins sent an email to employees saying that in an act of solidarity, they had agreed to get vaccinated and encouraged staff to do the same. Even though we recognize and respect that this motion is not mandatory; nevertheless, with the intent of promoting staff safety, we encourage all staff to join us, the Jan. 27 email said.

Only 25 employees signed up. FCI Miami has had two major coronavirus outbreaks, Troitino said: last July, when more than 400 prisoners out of 852 were suspected of having the disease, and in December, when about 100 people were affected at the facilitys minimum-security camp.

Because so many correctional officers and prisoners havent been vaccinated, there are fears that could happen again. Everybody is on edge, Troitino said. Though hes gotten the shot, hes worried about another outbreak and the impact on already stretched staffing at the prison.

The pandemic has strained prisons already struggling with low staffing rates and subpar health care. Low vaccination rates among officers could push prisons to their breaking point. At the height of the outbreak behind bars, several states had to call in the National Guard to temporarily run the facilities because so many staff members had called out sick or refused to work.

At FCI Miami, officers are constantly shuttling sick and elderly prisoners to the hospital, Troitino said. As a result, a skeleton crew of staff is left to operate the prison. Unvaccinated staff only compound the problem as they run the risk of getting sick when outbreaks crop up in the prisons.

A lot of employees get scared when they find out, Oh, we had an outbreak in a unit, 150 inmates have COVID, Troitino said. Everybody calls in sick.

Part of the resistance to the vaccine is widespread misinformation among correctional staff, said Brian Dawe, a former correctional officer and national director of One Voice United, a policy and advocacy group for officers. A majority of people in law enforcement lean right, Dawe said. They get a lot of their information from the right-wing media outlets, he said. A lot of them believe you dont have to wear masks. That its like the flu. National polls have shown that Republicans without college degrees are the most resistant to the vaccine.

Several correctional officers in Florida, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they are not permitted to talk to the press, said many of their colleagues believe that the vaccine could give them the virus. Some have latched onto debunked conspiracy theories circulating on social media, the officers said, believing the vaccine contains tracking devices produced by former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, who has donated to coronavirus treatment research. (The vaccine does not contain tracking devices.) Others believe the vaccine was hastily produced without enough time to understand the long-term side effects.

I wouldnt care if I worked in a dorm with every inmate having COVID, I still wouldnt get (vaccinated), said a correctional sergeant who has worked for the Florida Department of Corrections for more than a decade. If Im wearing a mask, gloves, washing my hands and being careful  Id still feel better working like that than putting the vaccine in my body.

Officer attitudes about the vaccine are so widespread that researchers at UCSF have created a frequently asked questions flyer for the incarcerated that includes: I heard the guards/officers  at my facility are refusing to get the vaccine. If they arent getting it, why should I? The researchers encourage the incarcerated to learn as much as they can about the vaccine and to make their own decision regardless of what other people are doing.

Public health experts have urged states to prioritize vaccinations in prisons and jails but cautioned against prioritizing staff over prisoners. Though numbers arent available from many states, at least 15 began vaccinating staff before the incarcerated, The Marshall Project and Associated Press found. We know they have anti-vax ideations and attitudes, said Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, who leads the COVID Prison Project, which tracks correction officials responses to the pandemic. We have said again and again, we shouldnt have this two-tier system.

But guards refusal to be vaccinated has been a blessing for some incarcerated people. The vaccines have a short shelf life after being thawed out, so officials have offered the leftover vaccines to prisoners instead of letting them go to waste. Julia Ann Poff is incarcerated at FMC Carswell, a federal prison in Texas for women with special medical and mental health needs, for sending bombs to state and federal officials. She said she received her first shot in mid-December, after several officers declined.

I consider myself very blessed to have received it, she wrote, using the prisons email system. I have lupus and a recent diagnosis of heart disease, so there was no way I could afford to let myself get (sick).

Misinformation and conspiracy theories aside, some officers in federal prisons say they are refusing the vaccine because they do not trust the prison administration. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has come under fire by employees and the incarcerated for its response to the coronavirus. Among the criticisms: a lack of masks and soap in the pandemics early days, broken thermometers at one facility and sick prisoners who say they were bunched together without social distancing.

At FCI Mendota, a medium-security federal prison near Fresno, California, officials closed off the main employee entrance in January, funneled the employees through a visiting room turned vaccination clinic and forced them to decide on the spot whether to get vaccinated. Employees werent allowed to proceed to their posts without either getting vaccinated or signing a form declaring they refused the vaccine.

Aaron McGlothin, a local corrections officers union president, said he refused the vaccine citing medical issues, adding that he doesnt trust prison officials motives.

Employers cannot mandate that staff get vaccinated. So correctional officers refusal puts incarcerated people at risk as they have no way of protecting themselves from unmasked and unvaccinated officers. By December, 1 in 5 incarcerated people had contracted the coronavirus, according to data compiled by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press.

Correctional officers can bring the virus home from work and infect family members, too. In extreme cases, those family members themselves become seriously ill or even die. At least five family members of correctional employees have died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to the online memorial Mourning Our Losses, which tracks COVID-19 deaths among those who live and work in prisons and jails. In one instance, a Florida correctional officer and his wife died in side-by-side intensive care rooms on the same day.

For some officers, these life and death experiences are a wake-up call. At FCI Miami, where Troitino leads the local officers union, several employees contracted the virus or were hospitalized for COVID-19 after officials encouraged them to get vaccinated in late January but they refused. Some of those employees have expressed a change of heart about the vaccine.

They have called me begging to have the vaccine reserved for them upon their return, Troitino said. A few faced life and death and are totally devastated by their experience.
Alice Springs locals have made a desperate call for help with what they believe is an overwhelming increase in youth crime.

Residents called for more action to tackle the fighting, looting, aggravated assault that is sweeping the streets.

Several distressing videos shared on social media in recent months showed all-in brawls on the city's streets and damage to property and businesses.

A shocking preview for Monday night on Channel Nine's A Current Affair shows police swarming on youths fighting in the street.

Police officers are seen holding a man to the ground in A Current Affair's preview

Local baker Daren Clark told the program the door to his shop had to be replaced 12 times.

Indigenous youth worker Barbara Shaw claimed it was 'not just a black and white issue' and youths of all colours were involved.

The footage shows teenagers being arrested and tackled to the ground.

Some teenagers are also thrown into the back of police cars, as two groups fight against each other.

In the background, a bystander could be heard yelling to be left alone before police arrest someone.

'You're under arrest for aggravated assault,' the officer says.

Last month, NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker said at least 75 per cent of crimes are linked to re-offenders.

'The Viper advice that I have, localised for Alice Springs, is that about 75 per cent of the offences, they believe, are linked to recidivist offenders,' he told the NT News.

'So we do have a high level of comfort that we know who they are.

'Alice Springs is obviously a place that we continue to focus (on) and provide resources to ensure that we're improving the amenity around the town.'
Labor expressed disbelief that Mr Morrison had not known of Ms Higgins rape allegation sooner than February 15, when the claim was revealed in the media. Labor also rebuked Mr Morrison for not reading the statement of a woman who accused Attorney-General Christian Porter of raping her in 1988, a claim he strongly denies. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Mr Morrison countered by citing public reports about sexual harassment and assault within Labor ranks, saying people in Parliament were living in glass houses and should not throw stones. Mr Albanese urged women among Labors ranks of staffers to come forward with their stories after news.com.au reported advisers were sharing anonymous allegations of sexual harassment and abuse in a private Facebook group. Labors national executive adopted a new policy two weeks ago for how party members should report and respond to allegations of harassment, bullying and assault.

Loading Its hard to look into anonymous suggestions. That is the truth. If people have ideas about doing that, I would be certainly open to hearing them, Mr Albanese said. But he wouldnt say whether he would require any MPs to step aside. I am not aware of any claims that have been put forward against any members of the caucus, he said. Senior Labor MP Tony Burke said if there were serious claims made against frontbenchers, they should step aside. Shadow minister Catherine King said where allegations were substantiated, there should be serious consequences for MPs involved. First-term Labor MP Anika Wells said her party had to be unafraid to examine ourselves.

Ill be the first person to pick up the phone to police if that means cleaning up this building and that is, I see, part of my legacy and duty to all the women that got me here and all the women who want to still come. Alicia Payne and Kate Thwaites, both former staffers who are now Labor MPs, said there had to be better structures to support staff with real consequences for bad behaviour, such as the sanctions being considered in Victoria that include potential expulsion from Parliament. Labor MPs Anika Wells, Kate Thwaites and Alicia Payne returned to Parliament from maternity leave and paid homage to a photo from 1943 of Dorothy Tangey and Dame Enid Lyons entering the front door of Old Parliament House. Credit:National Film and Sound Archive, Alex Ellinghausen Without consequences, were unlikely to get change because a lot of this is about power so there has to be checks on the power, Ms Thwaites said. While Mr Morrison did not attend Canberras March 4 Justice protest, more than a dozen Coalition MPs did, including frontbenchers Jane Hume, Melissa Price, Zed Seselja and Luke Howarth. About three-quarters of the Labor caucus joined the rally along with many of their staff.

Minister for Women Marise Payne said she and Mr Morrison dont normally attend marches but were very willing to engage on the issues. Both the Prime Minister and I offered the opportunity to meet with the organisers of todays protest on a number of occasions in a number of contexts, and those offers were very politely declined  thats a matter for them, Senator Payne told the ABCs 7.30 program. Liberal Celia Hammond told Parliament ahead of the protest the need for cultural change in society, in politics and in the criminal justice system was clear. Coalition politicians Sarah Henderson, Angie Bell, Jane Hume, Luke Howarth, Michelle Landry, Zed Seselja, Bridget McKenzie, Dr Anne Webster and Gerard Rennick at the Womens March 4 Justice in Canberra. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen We must refuse to accept that just because it has always been this way it should continue that way, she said. Personally, I refuse to accept that an acceptable response to all of this is to suck it up, toughen up, move on.

Loading She urged all sides of politics to listen, to put aside their own biases and engage in a truly genuine non-partisan process, not one that is carried out via a polemical tit-for-tat or the vile anonymous sewer that inhabits vast portions of social media. Liberal colleague Katie Allen, the member for Higgins, said the government had to act on the call for change. To start with, she wants to see more money put towards implementing the Respect@Work recommendations. The warm winds of change for women are now howling through the corridors of power and it is not a moment too soon, she said. Liberal member for Reid Fiona Martin said Australia stood at a critical point in its history.
A spike in the circulation of counterfeit bank notes has led to a police warning to be on the lookout for the fake bills which can be easily spotted.

Police have reported a surge in fake notes, particularly in Tasmania.

A total of 21,474 counterfeit notes were detected by the Reserve Bank of Australia last year, with a value of more than $1.6million.

Many of the counterfeit $50 and $100 notes in circulation have Chinese writing on them, police said.

The counterfeit notes identified were all printed with Chinese writing on them (pictured, the blue symbols on the left of the note)

Businesses often accept the counterfeit notes at time of payment and only notice later that they were fake.

'If anyone has a bank note in their possession and they are concerned about the authenticity, they should contact police immediately,' police said in a statement.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has extensive information about counterfeit notes and how to identify if your note is real.

The counterfeit notes found in north west Tasmania had Chinese writing printed on them, similar to these notes

The above image shows how realistic a counterfeit note can be (top) when compared to a real bank note (bottom)

In 2016 the Reserve Bank of Australia began releasing new bank notes with upgraded security features to reduce the capacity of counterfeiters to make copies.

Since the inception of the new bank notes the counterfeiting rate per million has more than halved.

In 2014/15 the estimated counterfeiting rate was around 30 parts per million in 2019/20 it was down to 13 parts per million.

Australia's level of counterfeiting is low by international standards, according to the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Anyone who has information regarding the production or purchasing of counterfeit notes is asked to contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000.

Counterfeit note information It is an offence to knowingly possess counterfeit banknotes If you come in contact with a note you suspect to be counterfeit you should take the following steps: 1. Handle the suspect banknote as little as possible and store it in an envelope. 2. Note any relevant information, such as how it came into your possession. 3. Report the matter immediately to State or Federal police. Ways to check if a note is real by looking at the clear strip in the note: Tilt the note to see the birds wings move and change colour, and the number change direction Tilt to see a rolling colour effect on the hologram above the note's value The Reserve Bank of Australia has the extensive list of security features for each note here: https://www.banknotes.rba.gov.au/counterfeit-detection/list-of-security-features/ Source: The Reserve Bank of Australia - https://www.banknotes.rba.gov.au/ Advertisement
With a new year, Nokia is looking to make some major changes. The company has finally decided to change its odd naming scheme for its smartphones, giving its next device the Nokia G10 name. Today, new details of the device have been leaked online.

Specifically, some tech specs for the phone were posted by Nokiapoweruser. The Nokia G10 is expected to be an entry-level 4G smartphone, which will be available in blue or purple colours. It will have two variants with 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage, or 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage. The phone is also expected to pack a 4000mAh battery.

Besides that, this phone should run on Android 11 out of the box. In terms of features, the phone will have a 6.38-inch HD+ display (720p), a quad-camera setup at the back, and a Google Assistant button. Allegedly, the phone will retail for 139 Euros (~RM683) for the European market. But we already know that the phone will also launch here, as it was certified by SIRIM Malaysia.

To be honest, a name like Nokia G10 definitely sounds better than Nokia 8.5 or something like that. But what do you think, is the name change enough to give the brand a boost? Share your thoughts below and stay tuned to TechNave for more news like this.
Allegheny Financial Group Announces Good Neighbor Awards Recipients

Allegheny Financial Group, a financial planning and investment management firm, announced today the recipients of its Seventh Annual Good Neighbor Awards. The seven award recipients include: Girls on the Run programs at Shaler Area Elementary Schools, HEARTH, North Hills Art Center, North Hills Food Bank, Northgate School District, North Hills Community Outreach, and Shaler North Hills Library.

Allegheny Financial Group co-founder and partner, James J. Browne, CFP, stated, "We commend our North Hills neighbors for the outstanding work they do to support, educate, and improve our community especially during these difficult times."

To learn more about these organizations' missions and community efforts, or to make a donation, visit:

Girls on the Run of Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC at www.gotrmagee.org, HEARTH at www.hearth-bp.org, North Hills Art Center at www.northhillsartcenter.com, North Hills Food Bank at www.northhillsfoodbank.org, Northgate School District at www.northgate.k12.pa.us, North Hills Community Outreach at www.nhco.org, and Shaler North Hills Library at www.shalerlibrary.org.







About Allegheny Financial Group

Established in 1976 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Allegheny Financial Group, LTD is an SEC (News - Alert) -registered investment advisory firm that assists clients in every aspect of their financial life, including financial planning, portfolio management, market analysis, risk management, and business and estate planning. The firm's broker-dealer division, Allegheny Investments, LTD, was founded in 1977, and together the firms have an excess of $5 billion in assets under advisement. For more information, go to www.alleghenyfinancial.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005121/en/
New Delhi [India], March 15 (ANI/India PR Distribution): Aavas Financiers Limited, one of India's leading affordable housing finance company, is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2021.

Aavas Financiers Limited was incorporated on 23rd February 2011 in the Pink City, Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Since then, the company has evolved from a simple insight and vision, which was to empower and upgrade the lives of the middle and lower-middle-class sections of the Indian population in semi-urban & rural area and help fulfil their dream of owning a home.

Since the beginning, Aavas Financiers (Formerly Au Housing Finance) made a core commitment to bridge the gap between the demand for housing finance and its availability by making housing finance accessible to the unserved and underserved market in the rural and semi-urban parts in India.

Aavas continually endeavoured to stand true to its commitment. The testament of this is the smiles and better lives of over 1.2 lac families that have been served by Aavas. Today, Aavas has its footprint in 11 states- Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi and boasts of 6000+ employees and serves predominantly self-employed people.

Their product portfolio acts as a one-stop solution for all type of housing finance like Home Purchase, Construction- linked Loan, Loans for renovations and improvements, loans against property and also loans for medium and small enterprises (MSME).

Speaking on the occasion, Sushil Kumar Agarwal, Founder, CEO & MD of Aavas Financiers shared, "This milestone is not only a moment of pride but also a moment to show our gratitude. We began with a customer-focused value system coupled with great determination, and we are here today because of the faith and support bestowed on us by our customers, employees and partners.".

Adding to this, Ghanshyam Rawat, Co-Founder and Chief Financial Officer said, "From the humble beginnings 10 years ago to 265+ branches that bear the 'Aavas' name, and many more achievements like the IPO launched along the way. We are grateful and honoured to have been of service and being able to uphold our promise of enriching the lives of our customers. Having not just indigenous partners but also Multilat / DFI like IFC, ADB and CDC on our side go to show that we have done right by the trust shown in us".

This story is provided by India PR Distribution. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/India PR Distribution)

DISCLAIMER

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A giant walrus the size of a dairy bull has landed on the rocks in Valentia Island in a rare sighting of the Arctic species in Ireland.

Local man Alan Houlihan and his five-year-old daughter Muireann spotted the flippered marine mammal breaching out of the water as they walked along Glanleam Beach on the Kerry island yesterday morning.

Marine biologist Kevin Flannery believes the arctic creature could have fallen asleep on an iceberg before being carried across the Atlantic ocean to Kerry.

Islander Alan Houlihan said his young daughter, Muireann, was the first to spot the giant creature on their stroll.

Muireann is the David Attenborough of Valentia Island.

Hes huge, hes about the size of a bull or a cow.

Myself and my daughter were out walking on the beach down near the lighthouse, he said, He breached out of the water onto the rocks and gave us a bit of a show.

I thought it was a seal at first and then we saw the tusks. He kind of jumped up on the rocks. He was massive. He was about the size of a bull or a cow, pretty similar in size, hes big, big.

He was right beside us, less than 50 metres away from us. He went off again for a while and he came back and went back to the rocks.

Its brilliant.

He was sitting on the rock now kind of posing, at one stage there he threw up a fin and it looked like he was giving us all the birdie.

Read More Investigation underway after 'sickening' vandalism in Cork graveyard

The director of Dingle Oceanworld, Kevin Flannery, said it is an amazing sight.

Its incredible.

This is the first confirmed sighting of a walrus. Its a one-off as far as Im concerned.

I havent seen it before, maybe others might have thought they saw one before but this is a definite confirmation of one.

The leading marine biologist has his own theory on how he ended up in Kerry.

Hes from the arctic. Id say what happened is he fell asleep on an iceberg and drifted off and then he was gone too far, out into the mid-Atlantic or somewhere like that down off Greenland possibly.

He would be pretty tired and pretty hungry at this stage.

That is usually what happens to them is that they fall asleep on an iceberg and then get carried off from the arctic.

Marine biologist Kevin Flannery believes the arctic creature could have fallen asleep on an iceberg before being carried across the Atlantic ocean to Kerry. Picture: Alan Houlihan  Eye Focus LTD

He urged the public to give the Walrus some peace to recuperate from his mammoth journey.

Hes on the rocks asleep. Im asking for people to leave along and leave him rest and rest and rest until he goes back.

Ive seen pictures of him sent to me by Seanie Murphy, the ex (coxswain) of the lifeboat, and Ive confirmed he is a walrus, not a seal with a toothache.

Alan Houlihan, who grew up on the island, said the walrus was shivering on the rocks before he left him yesterday.

I dont know if he is well. Mr Flannery said his tusks are used for digging out clams on the ground.

Hopefully hell get a few scallops around Valentia.

But at this point, he wants to rest. Hes come from the North Pole, possibly off Greenland.

He could also be island-hopping and went to Iceland and on to Shetland but thats unlikely. Id say he came in out of the Atlantic. Its thousands of miles away.

If he regains his strength hopefully hell make his way back up.
Polling and public officials are increasingly sounding the alarm about one group of Americans that remains stubbornly resistant to the idea of receiving a coronavirus vaccine: Republicans.

The big picture: Vaccine enthusiasm has increased over the last few months, but a giant partisan gap remains.

Driving the news: Nearly half of Republican men  49%  say they won't choose to be vaccinated if a vaccine is available to them, according to a recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist survey.

Among those who said they supported Trump in 2020, 47% said they wouldn't choose to be vaccinated.

In contrast, 6% of Democratic men and 10% of Biden supporters said they wouldn't get the shot.

25% of Black respondents, 28% of white respondents and 37% of Latino respondents said the same.

What they're saying: NIAID Director Anthony Fauci yesterday told "Fox News Sunday" that "it would make all the difference in the world" if former President Trump urged his supporters to take the coronavirus vaccine, Axios' Orion Rummler reports.

"I'm very surprised that the high percentage of Republicans say they don't want to get vaccinated," Fauci said. "I don't understand where that's coming from. This is not a political issue. This is a public health issue."

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said on Friday that the state is seeing vaccine hesitancy among white Republicans, and said partnerships between pharmacies and churches or civic clubs will be important, CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports.

The bottom line: Who the vaccine holdouts are doesn't change the math of getting to herd immunity. But it does strongly determine who the most effective vaccine messengers will be.

"We recognize, as a Democratic administration with a Democratic President, that we may not be the most effective messenger to communicate with hardcore supporters of the former President," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday.

Go deeper: 25% of House not vaccinated as some members refuse to get shot
Restaurant owners and workers in Brussels are calling for an end to the coronavirus lockdown as their industry continues to suffer.

Rallying in front of the Atomium monument on Monday, they banged pots and pans while letting off flares.

Restaurateur Alfio Morina and his colleagues attended the protest dressed up like prisoners and demanded the reopening of restaurants.

"We've been in prison for a year now. That's why we are dressed up like this. We are calling out this injustice today," said Morina.

Night club owners are also suffering financially because they have to close at 10:00 pm, just when business normally starts.

The slow speed of the vaccine rollout is wearing down business owners who are eager to reopen.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
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Boko Haram militants have terrorized northeastern Nigeria for more than a decade, driving what the United Nations says are more than two million people from their homes. VOAs Haruna Shehu visited with internally displaced people in Borno state as authorities prepare to resettle them closer to home.
While awaiting PEPR assessment Havilah will evaluate mining contractor and financing options and undertake front end engineering design studies for the gold processing plant.

( ) (FRA:FWL) has lodged the final permitting document required for the West Kalkaroo open pit starter gold mine in South Australia to go ahead.

The Program for Environment Protection and Rehabilitation (PEPR) document has been lodged with the South Australian Department for Energy and Mining (DEM) for assessment and approval.

This is a comprehensive document that describes how the company would monitor, minimise and mitigate any impacts of the proposed West Kalkaroo mining operation on the natural environment and local population.

Rehabilitation measures

The PEPR also describes the rehabilitation measures that would be implemented upon closure of the mining operation such that any long-term impacts on the local environment are minimised.

Havilahs technical director Dr Chris Giles said completion of the Kalkaroo PEPR document was the culmination of many months of dedicated effort by Havilahs staff and consultants.

Approval of this key milestone document by the DEM would give the final permitting go-ahead for the West Kalkaroo open pit gold mine, given Havilah has already secured necessary mining tenements and the surrounding pastoral lease on which the Kalkaroo deposit is located, he said.

Detail of West Kalkaroo site layout and possible future open pit expansion plans.

Subject to there being no major revisions required, DEM guidance indicates a minimum three to four months assessment and approval period for a PEPR.

During this period Havilah will continue to work on finalising the project financial model and FEED studies for the gold processing plant, including final process flow sheet design and equipment selection.

Main tasks ahead

Giles added: The main tasks ahead of us are finalising processing plant and mining studies and securing the West Kalkaroo project development funding.

Indicative timeline for West Kalkaroo project activities as indicated in the PEPR document.

The PEPR covers the proposed West Kalkaroo gold open pit that is at the very western (and upper) part of the Main Kalkaroo copper-gold deposit.

Starter project

Havilah proposes to operate the West Kalkaroo gold mine as a starter project and funding catalyst for the much larger Kalkaroo Copper-Gold Project.

West Kalkaroo mining operation is initially proposed to produce 80,000-90,000 ounces of gold and 5,000 tonnes of native copper (near pure copper metal) over a three-to-four-year period, but mining may be continued in the eastern extensions of the oxide zone.

Free-dig material

The West Kalkaroo gold ore is a soft, clayey material that is free-dig with no blasting required and needs only light crushing and scrubbing to liberate the free gold particles.

Gold and some native copper would be recovered in a gravity circuit, followed by carbon-in-pulp cyanide leaching for the remainder of the finer gold.

The mining at West Kalkaroo would remove much of the soft free-dig overburden, which should make the main Kalkaroo Copper-Gold project a potentially more attractive investment proposition.

In the last 12 months, the company's share price has risen steadily from 6.1 cents to 22.5 cents today after hitting a new three-year high of 25 cents in late January 2021.
In an airy, sunny gymnasium on Saturday afternoon, under basketball hoops and banners, in front of people freshly pricked and waiting for minutes to pass, Yo-Yo Ma played a little Bach.

The world-renowned cellist had gone to the vaccination clinic at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, Mass., for his second coronavirus vaccine dose, according to clinic organizers. After getting his shot, he took a seat along a padded blue wall of the gym, near others waiting out their 15-minute post-vaccination observation time, and surprised them with a performance.

YO-YO MA PLAYS HOUSTON: The greatest cellist in the world played at this Houston gala

Leslie Drager, the lead clinical manager for the vaccination site, said that when Ma started to play, the whole place went quiet.

"It was so weird how peaceful the whole building became, just having a little bit of music in the background," said Drager, who is the lead public health nurse for Berkshire Public Health Alliance.

She said the vaccination site has nine stations of nurses administering doses. On Saturday, 1,102 shots were administered - all second doses. Ma arrived toward the end of the day.

"People are talking and moving, there are lots of volunteers, and everybody just went quiet and went to watch and listen," Drager said.

When Ma got his first dose, he came and went mostly unnoticed, she said. This time, he arrived with his cello.

Hilary Bashara, a nurse administering vaccinations at the clinic, said she administered both of Ma's doses.

The first time, Bashara said, she noticed Ma as he took in his surroundings.

MEG THEE WINS: Megan Thee Stallion wins besst new artist Grammy

"Most people, they are busy, they're sort of anxious and waiting - he was different," she said. "I just watched his face, and he was looking about the room and his face generated such warmth, it felt like he was smiling under his mask. When he got up to where I was, he was like, 'Thank you so much for being here.' "

Then she saw his name.

When he arrived Saturday, Bashara got to administer his dose again. Afterward, he asked whether it was OK to play, and Ma picked a spot in the observation area.

Videos of Saturday's informal performance show Ma masked and seated along a wall. Vaccine recipients are scattered and seated nearby as he played the prelude to Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major. In another clip, he is seen performing "Ave Maria."

"It just brought that whole room together," Bashara said. "It was so healing."

When he stopped, the group applauded, and Ma stood and placed his hand on his chest.

"The Berkshires are loaded with the arts, and the arts couldn't do what they normally do out here all summer," Drager said. "Maybe this is the beginning of what we're going to see this summer. It's just - we're all looking forward to the future, to get out and get our lives back."

Exactly one year before his performance at the clinic, Ma shared a video of himself playing Antonin Dvorak's "Going Home." It had been two days since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic. Major performing and visual arts institutions had already begun to shutter.

"In these days of anxiety, I wanted to find a way to continue to share some of the music that gives me comfort," Ma tweeted March 13, 2020.

Last summer, in an interview with The Washington Post hosted on Instagram Live, he described the way music can fill some of the void left by decreased human connection during the pandemic.

"Our skin is our largest organ, and how much we respond to touch - during covid, that has been taken away from us. You can't touch, you can't hug, you can't shake hands. But what music does, its sound moves air molecules. So when air floats across your skin and touches the hairs of your skin, that's touch," Ma said then. "That's the closest thing to actually someone touching you. ... It's as if you were miniaturized and you're in the middle of a lake. But that lake is a bowl, and you're in that bowl and that vessel is holding you. That's what music can do."
(Alliance News) - The European Commission took legal steps against the UK on Monday for allegedly breaking Brexit deal rules by dragging its feet on implementing customs system changes in Northern Ireland.

The EU executive branch announced it had sent two letters to London: One triggers the first step of infringement proceedings under EU law, and the other is a complaint to London about violations of the withdrawal agreement.

The first step could ultimately see London taken to the EU high court, though this process could take months or more.

"The UK must stop acting unilaterally, and stop violating the rules it has signed up to," an EU official said on condition of anonymity.

Brussels accuses London of extending the transition phase of a key protocol for food deliveries to Northern Ireland from the agreed end-of-March expiry date until October without consulting the EU.

As part of the Brexit deal, British-administered Northern Ireland has remained aligned with EU customs rules, so as to avoid setting up a politically sensitive hard border withA EU state the Republic of Ireland.

This creates a goods border between Northern Ireland and other parts of the UK where imports must be controlled, causing a major headache for the British food and logistics industries.

According to commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic, these arrangements "preserve peace and stability" at the Irish border while also protecting the integrity of the EU single market.

"The EU and the UK agreed the Protocol together. We are also bound to implement it together," Sefcovic said in a written statement.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson always played down the severity of issues that checking goods would cause.

But two months after Britain left the EU single market and customs union, many companies are facing difficulties.

Voices from Britain's logistics and food industries have warned of losses to profits over the time-consuming and sometimes expensive paperwork needed to export animal products since Britain left the single market on January 1.

Northern Ireland faced food shortages, while Scottish fishermen described the new necessary red tape as "unworkable."

When unveiling the extension earlier this month, Britain's Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told lawmakers Northern Irish citizens would have faced more empty food shelves if the government had not intervened.

He added the move was not an attempt to undermine the protocol, or a prelude to a bid to ditch it entirely.

Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, which is staunchly pro-British and supported Brexit, is also determined to scrap the Northern Ireland Protocol. It has the country "suffering real economic and societal difficulties," according to DUP leader and Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster.

Politicians in Ireland and Johnson have meanwhile stated this is not an option.

A slim majority of the British people voted for Brexit in a 2016 referendum, when Johnson co-led the official Vote Leave campaign. In Northern Ireland, however, a decisive majority backed "remain."

Decades of conflict in Northern Ireland pitched those who identify as British against those identify as Irish. The Republic of Ireland cast off centuries of British rule in the 1920s, but at the cost of the island being partitioned.

A civil war in Northern Ireland came to an end with the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, but Brexit has stoked tensions by raising again questions largely silenced when both sides were equal members of the EU about whether to stay aligned with the EU and the Republic Ireland, or keep close ties to Britain.

By Ella Joyner and Isobel Frodsham, dpa

source: dpa

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Press Release

March 15, 2021 Statement of Senator Risa Hontiveros on the 11 Chinese tourists barred from entering the Philippines I welcome the swift action undertaken by the Bureau of Immigration against the 11 Chinese tourists who misrepresented their purpose of traveling to the country. I am glad our series of investigations on the "pastillas scam" has jolted the BI to take their roles as guardians of our borders more seriously. While the widespread corruption has made us more skeptical of the agency's credibility, instances like this tell me that all is not lost. Nonetheless, I remain vigilant. There are continued reports of officials in the bureau who are allegedly still in cahoots with Chinese nationals who illegally want to enter the country. Some BI officers may continue to be an accomplice to the 'mutated' pastillas scam, in which each Chinese national pays P550,000 in bribe money, as NBI's recent entrapment operation was inside the office of a BI official. We will investigate this new pastillas scam further. We will also clamp down on BI officials who allegedly lead the outbound trafficking of our own women. We have discovered new disturbing information, which we will reveal in the forthcoming Senate hearing of the Committee of Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality. As I've said time and again, I will not stop until we see the masterminds, the big fish of the pastillas scam behind bars. I will not stop until we are able to protect our women and children from all forms of abuse and exploitation.
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New Delhi, March 15 : A few months after the Khalistani movement reached the Red Fort in Delhi during the farmers protest on January 26, the Central government has decided to engage retired police officers who dealt with the Punjab militancy in the 1980s.

Further, the Punjab Police has also decided to recruit specialised de-radicalisation counsellors in the backdrop of radicalisation of youth for pro-Khalistan activities through social media.

"The government has stated that pro-Khalistani group, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has intensified its efforts to meddle into the ongoing farmers' protest and incites farmer," said a government source.

The militancy in Punjab had abated in the 1990s. But Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has now revived its covert plan of encouraging a separatist movement among the Sikhs for an independent state to be called Khalistan.

"During the protests by farmers, the ISI is trying to rekindle the dormant feeling of anger of Operation Blue Star of June 1984 and the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi in the aftermath of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination," the source said.

Farmers launched their protest against the Centre and its three new agriculture laws on November 26 last year, when thousands of them -- mainly from Punjab and Haryana -- marched towards the national capital demanding a complete repeal of the legislations, as part of a "Dilli Chalo" campaign.

The three laws opposed by farmers are the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020, and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020.

Sensing a window of opportunity, the ISI is making efforts to revive the Khalistani movement in India.

Without any base in Punjab, Khalistani separatists in countries such as Canada, the UK, Germany and the US are making attempts to radicalise youngsters in the state through social media platforms and fake news.

The ISI has activated the fringe groups for carrying out a systematic radicalisation programme.

Fringe groups such as Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), SFJ and the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) are getting support from the ISI and sympathisers in Canada, the UK, Germany and the US.

(Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in)
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A MAJOR investigation is underway after hundreds of drug-soaked paper tablets were discovered in a legal package sent to an inmate in Mountjoy Prison.

The drugs, 210 paper tabs of Thienotriazolodiazepam, were concealed inside photographs of inmate Eoin Connollys deceased mother, which accompanied legal documentation.

The package arrived at the prison on January 4 of this year.

Sources say the paper tabs, which have a similar effect to Valium, are estimated to have a street value of 1,000 but would be worth multiples of this sum in the prison environment.

Its understood the photographs of Connollys mother, who died last September, were accompanied with a cover-note advising prison authorities of this fact and a request that they be given to him.

Connolly, from Portlaoise, is currently serving a six-and-a-half year sentence for transporting over 500,000 of cocaine.

During his trial last year, gardai rejected the 34-year-olds claims he had been acting under duress after he was threatened over a drugs debt.

Connolly pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply at Outer Ring Road, Clondalkin on March 16, 2019.

He has 27 previous convictions.

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Gardai told the court that Connollys arrest came after officers, acting on confidential information, stopped his vehicle. On checking the boot, gardai found boxes and a bag containing 8.1 kgs of cocaine. The total value of the drugs was 580,210.

Sources told the Sunday World the package addressed to Connolly arrived at the prison on January 4.

In the package, there was a number of photographs of Connollys mother.

There was also a cover note stating she had passed away and a request that he be given the photos, a source told the Sunday World. The photographs were in an external envelope while a second envelope inside contained the legal documents.

On examination, the photographs were discovered to have false backs and when these were peeled away, 210 paper tablets were discovered.

The tablets were analysed and came back as containing Thienotriazolodiazepam. The guards put a street value of 1,000 on the tabs but they could be worth four or five times that inside.

The Irish Prison Service has confirmed it is investigating the find and that the matter has been referred to gardai for criminal investigation.

There is no suggestion anyone at the firm would have been aware of the presence of the drugs, with investigations likely to focus on identifying the person who requested that the photographs be sent to the prison.

The IPS is investigating the discovery of contraband in a package sent by post to Mountjoy Prison in early January, an IPS spokesperson said.

Prison staff are vigilant to the possibility of drugs coming in through the post as other more traditional routes are closed off due to Covid-19.

Sources say the discovery also led to an alert being issued to Operational Support Group security teams in prisons across the country, advising them of the fact a legal package had been compromised in an attempt to smuggle drugs into an Irish prison.

This development came after the Irish Prison Service had already moved to block the transit of drugs into Irish jails via regular post.

Over the past year, new detection machines introduced by the IPS have discovered drugs such as fentanyl being smuggled into prisons after being sprayed onto letters, newspapers and other items sent through the post.

The volume of drugs found on post, parcels and prisoner clothing sent in using the postal system had increased due to the suspension of visits to jails due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to sources, one A4 page sprayed with fentanyl can fetch in the region of 1,000 inside a prison.

One incident where letters sprayed with fentanyl were seized occurred in the Midlands Prison ,where the drug was discovered on a childs drawings sent to an inmate.

In response to the emergence of the issue, measures were introduced by the IPS where inmates now receive photocopies of incoming letters.

The originals are kept in a folder until the inmates release date.

However, the same steps cannot be taken with legal letters as they are privileged  meaning the contents cannot be viewed by anyone but the inmate for whom the letter is intended.

Sources say all legal correspondence is now being subjected to an external swab and analysis by the detection machines.

Furthermore, only documentation from an inmates appointed solicitor or barrister is allowed in. Documentation from any other legal representative is held up until its origin can be verified.

Sources say the ruse to smuggle drugs into Mountjoy in the package addressed to Eoin Connolly shows the level of ingenuity inmates are resorting to in the wake of the main drug routes to Irelands prisons being shut down over the last 12 months.

One of these routes was through visits from family members.

But such visits have been either severely limited, or stopped entirely, depending on restriction levels associated with Covid-19.

In November of last year, an intelligence-led search operation on a kitchen delivery truck to Mountjoy Prison revealed 30 mobile phones and an assortment of drugs, including two kilos of cocaine.

Although Garda estimates put the value of the drugs alone at 145,000, sources say the value inside would likely be multiples of this figure.

In the wake of the discovery of the shipment, which had been concealed in boxes of sugar, orders were issued to prisons across the country that all delivery trucks are to be subject to intensive searches on arrival.

Contacted this week, the legal practice the package is understood to have originated from declined to comment.
Miamis beautiful beaches and tropical climate are its biggest asset, attracting thousands of tourists and potential residents each year.

But with climate change pushing sea levels and temperatures up, along with more menacing tropical storms, South Floridas coastlines are under threat.

While communities are pouring millions into beach restoration projects or seawall restoration efforts, one group of professors at the University of Miami is using its knowledge about coral reefs, coastal engineering, architecture, and communications to come up with a more sustainable solution.

After testing in the SUSTAIN facility (the largest wave and wind tank simulator in the United States, housed at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science) showed promising results, an interdisciplinary team of professors and their studentsall part of a project funded by the University Laboratory for Integrative Science (U-LINK)are planning to deploy artificial reef structures off the shores of Miami Beach to see if these help moderate wave energy. If they work, these artificial reef structures, which will also be populated by live nursery-grown corals, could be a viable solution to mitigate wave impacts and reduce erosion and coastal flooding along South Floridas coastline.

The team includes professors Diego Lirman and Andrew Baker from the Marine Biology and Ecology Department; Brian Haus, chair of the Ocean Sciences Department at the Rosenstiel School; Landolf Rhode-Barbarigos, professor from the College of Engineering; Sonia Chao, professor from the School of Architecture; and Jyotika Ramaprasad, professor from the School of Communication.

The video about the project, created by Ramaprasad and her students, explains the work this team is doing to protect Miami-Dade Countys precious shoreline in a way that may also spawn a resurgence of marine life along the artificial reefs. The group is currently waiting on permits from the county and the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection before installing some of these artificial reefs in collaboration with the City of Miami Beach, which is a key partner in the project.
Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Elon Musk has been sued by a shareholder who accused him of violating his 2018 settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over his Twitter use.

According to a complaint unsealed late Thursday in Delaware Chancery Court, which also names the electric car companys board as defendants, Musks erratic tweets and the failure of Tesla directors to ensure he complied with the SEC settlement have exposed shareholders to billions of dollars of losses.

The complaint highlighted several Musk posts on social media platform Twitter, including his assessment last May 1 that Teslas stock price was too high, prompting a more than $13 billion tumble in Teslas market value.

Settlement with Teslas Musk Reflects SEC Strategy of Targeting Individual Executives Advisor Drops Opposition to Tesla Director After Change in D&O Insurance Tesla Pays CEO Musk Nearly $1M for Controversial D&O Insurance Arrangement

Chase Gharrity, the plaintiff, said Musks actions and the directors inaction have caused substantial financial harm, and that they should pay damages to Palo Alto, California-based Tesla for breaching their fiduciary duties.

The lawsuit was filed even though Teslas share price has soared nearly fivefold since Musks too high tweet, giving Tesla a valuation well above $600 billion, and the SEC has not publicly accused Musk of recent violations.

It could pressure the SEC into taking some sort of recourse, said Charles Elson, a University of Delaware professor and corporate governance specialist.

Tesla did not immediately respond on Friday to requests for comment. Gharritys lawyers, Musks lawyers in the SEC case, and the SEC did not immediately respond to similar requests.

The SEC settlement followed Musks August 2018 tweet that he had funding secured to possibly take Tesla private in a $72 billion transaction. In reality, Musk was not close.

Musk and Tesla each paid $20 million in civil fines, and Tesla lawyers agreed to vet some of Musks tweets in advance.

The settlement was later amended to clarify when pre-approvals were required, prompted by a unvetted tweet by Musk about Teslas vehicle production forecast.

Last April, a San Francisco federal judge said Tesla and Musk must face a lawsuit claiming Musks going-private tweet defrauded shareholders. That case remains pending.

The case is Gharrity v Musk et al, Delaware Chancery Court, No. 2021-0199.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York, Hyunjoo Jin in San Francisco, and Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Rosalba OBrien)

Top Photo: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission building in Washington, DC. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

Topics Lawsuits Tesla
Another of Meghan Markle's former Suits colleagues has leapt to her defense in a gushing Instagram post, praising the 'kind, humble' Duchess while hitting out at the 'ruthless' media's 'negative attacks' on her.

Canadian director and photographer Derek Ursacki, who is based in Toronto, paid tribute to the 39-year-old earlier this week in the wake of her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, recalling the five years that they spent working together on the set of Suits - during which he served as an assistant director.

Joining a long line of Meghan's friends who have spoken out on her behalf in recent weeks, Ursacki shared several candid behind-the-scenes snaps from set, while writing: 'I spent 5 years working with Meghan on Suits as an assistant director dealing mostly with cast.

'She was always a pleasure to work with and was always kind with a huge heart, easy going, humble even after the fame of the show and her popularity skyrocketed, so full of life, so giving, supportive and funny.'

Defense: A former assistant director on Suits has shared a gushing tribute to Meghan Markle in the wake of her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey last weekend

Speaking out: Derek Ursacki worked with Meghan, 39, for five years on the set of Suits, and he shared a glowing recollection of their time together, calling her 'kind' and 'humble'

Ursacki, who is not known to be close friends with Meghan, went on to say that it 'broke his heart' to see the Duchess of Sussex opening up to Oprah, 67, about her struggle with suicidal thoughts and her battle with mental health issues.

In her interview with Oprah, Meghan said she had been suicidal while in the royal family but claimed she received no help after speaking about her suffering.

The Sussexes also alleged that a fellow unnamed royal had been worried about how dark their son Archie's skin tone might be before he was born.

Meghan's claim that someone in the monarchy raised concerns about Archie being 'too brown' was the most damaging allegation to come out of the broadcast, and caused untold damage to the Windsors' reputation around the world.

The Duke of Cambridge was the first royal to personally respond to the allegation during his first royal engagement since the Oprah interview, as he also revealed that he has not spoken to his brother since it came out but 'will do'.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement issued on Tuesday that the issues raised, especially over race, were 'concerning' and would be addressed by the Queen and her family privately.

Although Ursacki did not reference any of the other allegations made during the interview, he echoed the couple's attacks on the media in his post, branding the press 'ruthless' while slamming the 'negative' coverage of Meghan and claiming that she has had to 'live under constant attack'.

Candid: The director and photographer also shared several behind-the-scenes snaps of himself with Meghan, as well as an image of the duo with co-star Patrick Adams

Upset: In his Instagram post, Ursacki accused the 'ruthless' media of 'attacking' Meghan, and he said his 'heart broke' when he watched her discussing her mental health issues with Oprah

'The media has been so ruthless towards her with so many negative stories attacking her without really knowing what she is truly going through,' he wrote.

'Until you walk a mile in someones shoes nobody should judge or make negative comments about anyone and nobody should have to live under constant attack and fear for their safety.'

Ursacki concluded his post with another gushing tribute to Meghan, writing: 'In my heart of hearts I know Meg has not changed and is the still the sweet person I worked with for those 5 years. I wish her my very best and thank her for the many great memories I am fortunate and blessed to have had.'

The director accompanied the post with several behind-the-scenes images from his time on set, including a candid snap of himself and Meghan, who appeared to be dressed as her character Rachel Zane.

Another image showed the then-assistant director chatting to the former actress on set, while a third snap captured him walking alongside Meghan and her on-screen love interest Patrick Adams - who himself spoke out in defense of the Duchess ten days ago, when he launched an extraordinary attack on the royal family.

In a furious Twitter rant, the Canadian actor, who is now based in Los Angeles, accused the palace of 'tormenting' the Duchess of Sussex while describing the monarchy as 'toxic, archaic, and shameless'.

Patrick, 39, who was born in Toronto, fired off an extraordinarily vicious rant against the royals on March 5 - three days before her interview with Oprah aired - insisting that his 'powerful' and 'kind' friend has been the subject of underhanded behavior on the part of the monarchy after reports were published that Meghan had 'bullied' several former staff members at Kensington Palace.

Team Meghan: Ursacki is the latest in a long line of friends and former colleagues to speak out in defense of the Duchess, including her on-screen love interest Patrick

Furious: On March 5, Canadian actor Patrick launched an extraordinary attack on the royal family while defending Meghan against claims she had bullied staff at Kensington Palace

Close pals: Meghan's close friend, actress Janina Gavankar, also hit out at the palace last week, while revealing that the Sussexes have 'emails and texts' to back up their royal allegations

Echoing the sentiments shared in Ursacki's post, Patrick used several glowing adjectives to describe 'kind, joyful and supportive' Meghan, before detailing the struggle he says she faced when joining the 'archaic and toxic' royal family.

'She fell in love, moved to a new country, became a household name across the entire globe and began the difficult work of trying to find her place in a family dynamic that can at best be described as complicated and at worst, seemingly archaic and toxic,' he wrote in the eight-tweet rant.

It has since been reported that Buckingham Palace has 'brought in an external legal firm' to carry out an investigation into the claims that Meghan bullied royal staff.

In an unprecedented move that will no doubt increase tensions between the Sussexes and the royals even further, palace staff have decided a third party should take the reins of the investigation, rather than the in-house inquiry first announced, according to The Sunday Times.

And in another escalation of the standoff between the two parties, The Mail on Sunday revealed this weekend that Meghan has written to the palace demanding to see documents, emails or text messages relating to the bullying complaint against her.

In the days after the bullying allegations were brought to light in The Times, and in the wake of Harry and Meghan's explosive interview with Oprah, the two sides have been engaged in a furious war of words - which several of the Duchess' high-profile friends have launched themselves into.

Last week, Oprah's best friend Gayle King - who attended Meghan's New York baby shower in 2019 - doubled down on claims that the Duchess has 'plenty of receipts' to back up allegations made during the primetime sit-down.

Her comment came just hours after Meghan's close friend, actress Janina Gavankar claimed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have 'plenty of emails and texts' to support the extraordinary and damaging accusations they made against the royal family.
Extending losses for second consecutive session, Indian benchmark indices ended lower on Monday, as rising bond yield and COVID-19 cases continued to spook market sentiments. The BSE Sensex ended 397 points or 0.78 per cent lower at 50,395, and the NSE Nifty settled at 14929.5, down by 101.45 points or by 0.67 per cent. Among the individual stocks, Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Auto, Larsen & Toubro, Asian Paints, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories were among top losers, falling between 1.5-3 per cent. On the other hand, Mahindra & Mahindra, Power Grid Corporation, IndusInd Bank, HCL Technologies and State Bank of India were among notable gainers.

Here's a look at top five losers on BSE and NSE today:

Bajaj Finserv

Shares of Bajaj Finserv was the top loser on BSE and NSE today as investors resorted to profit booking after strong rally in recent past. The stock closed 2.68 per cent lower at Rs 9,683.15 after opening higher at Rs 10,193. During the day's trade, the stock declined as much as 4.07 per cent to hit intraday low of Rs 9,544.30.

Bajaj Auto

Bajaj Auto share price ended lower for the second straight session. The stock of auto major ended 2.21 per cent lower at Rs 3,664.50. During the day's trade, Bajaj Auto share price dropped as much as 3.34 per cent to hit an intraday low of Rs 3,622. The market cap of the company dropped to Rs 1,06,038.54 crore.

Bajaj Finance

This Bajaj Group stock was also among top losers on domestic bourses today. Bajaj Finance shares ended quoting at Rs 5,438.70, down 2.09 on the BSE. The stock hit intraday high and low of Rs 5,584.95 and Rs 5,350.

Larsen & Toubro

Shares of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) ended 1.99 per cent lower at Rs 1484.15 apiece on BSE on Monday. The market cap of the stock declined to Rs 2,08,439 crore.

Asian Paints

Asian Paints share price ended lower at Rs 2,355.95, down 1.92 per cent, on the BSE on Monday. The stock hit intraday high and low of Rs 2,425.90 and Rs 2,343.85.

Also read: Stock Market Highlights: Sensex ends 397 pts lower; Nifty below 15k; capital goods, bank, pharma stocks drag

Also read: Stocks in news: YES Bank, Axis Bank, MTAR Tech, Tata Communications, SBI cards, Dilip Buildcon, Bajaj Finance

Also Read: Top losers on 12 March: 5 shares fall up to 3.5%; Reliance, Sun Pharma, ICICI Bank, Maruti, Bajaj Auto
-- Inspired by China's prominent achievements amid the pandemic and heartened by the country's new development blueprint, observers worldwide believe China's resolution to achieve modernization through high-quality development will definitely promote world prosperity.

-- China has avoided the "trap" of a dilemma between safeguarding health and beefing up the economy, and its strategy "has resulted in overcoming the health crisis inside China and at the same time protecting its economy."

-- China has always put the people first during its development, increasing their benefits, ensuring that the people are their own masters and supporting development in an all-round way.

by Xinhua writer Dong Yue

BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- In the past few days, China's annual "two sessions" have attracted much global attention, with the international community watching closely where the world's second largest economy is heading and what impetus it will generate for global development.

Inspired by China's prominent achievements amid the pandemic and heartened by the country's new development blueprint, observers worldwide believe China's resolution to achieve modernization through high-quality development will definitely promote world prosperity.

ACHIEVEMENTS AMID PANDEMIC

During the annual sessions of the country's top legislature and political advisory body, China reviewed its achievements and experience in coordinating epidemic control and economic development, which observers believe will inject confidence into the global fight against the deadly pathogen.

The country became the only major economy that registered positive growth last year, with its gross domestic product (GDP) increasing by 2.3 percent year on year to cross the 100-trillion-yuan (about 15.40 trillion U.S. dollars) threshold, while its imports and exports of goods expanded 1.9 percent.

People work at a workshop of Harbin Dongan Automotive Engine Manufacturing Co., Ltd. in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 25, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

In 2020, all of China's nearly 100 million impoverished rural residents living below the current poverty line cast off poverty after eight years' efforts.

China has demonstrated its ability to cope with unexpected challenges facing the world, said Andrei Vinogradov, head of the Center for Political Studies and Forecasting at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies under the Russian Academy of Sciences.

"China's victory in eradicating absolute poverty is a major achievement ... This experience is of global importance," Vinogradov said.

Women of the Miao ethnic group make clothes at a workshop in Huawu Village in Bijie City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Feb. 3, 2021. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

China has avoided the "trap" of a dilemma between safeguarding health and beefing up the economy, and its strategy "has resulted in overcoming the health crisis inside China and at the same time protecting its economy," said Pelagia Karpathiotaki, a Beijing-based researcher at China's University of International Business and Economics.

Praising the Chinese people's dynamism in fighting the pandemic, Bernard Dewit, chairman of Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, said "this can be a model for the rest of the world, because despite being severely hit by the pandemic, they could overcome it and even go further with growth, with improving the situation of its population."

China has displayed the "generosity spirit" of international cooperation in its global anti-virus efforts, said Munir Akram, president of the UN Economic and Social Council.

HIGH-QUALITY DEVELOPMENT

During the "two sessions," China set its goals for 2021 and adopted the country's development blueprint for the next five to 15 years, which, with an emphasis on high-quality development, are expected to bring fresh opportunities to the pandemic-battered world.

China aims to expand its GDP by over 6 percent year on year in 2021, with more efforts on reform, innovation and high-quality development, according to the government work report.

The growth target shows "the determination and confidence of the Chinese government to promote sustained economic recovery to the world, and China will continue to boost the world economy," said Tursunali Kuziev, a professor at Uzbek University of Journalism and Mass Communications.

In the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period and beyond, high-quality development will remain the theme for China's economic and social development, and it concerns the overall situation of the country's socialist modernization drive.

Customers visit a duty-free shop in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, Jan. 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)

At the same time, the country will implement opening-up policies in a wider scope and broader areas and at a deeper level, and better participate in international economic cooperation.

The goals for 2021 and the blueprint for economic and social development over the next five years "are impressive," said Jeffrey Sachs, an economics professor at Columbia University and a senior UN advisor.

"They aim for sustainable development, based on reduced pollution, resource efficiency, scientific and technological advance, expanded education, and improved quality of life," Sachs said.

Visitors learn about an automatic aircraft on display at an exhibition during the "China 5G + Industrial Internet Conference" in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Nov. 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

According to the blueprint for its development in the next five to 15 years, China will accelerate forging a new development paradigm of "dual circulation," in which domestic and overseas markets reinforce each other with the domestic market as the mainstay.

"'Dual circulation' puts a parallel emphasis both on domestic and international circulation. A high-level opening-up certainly serves this end, brings win-win outcomes both for Chinese and multinational companies," said Jochen Goller, chief of BMW Group Region China.

PEOPLE-CENTERED APPROACH

For observers, the annual "two sessions" provide them with an opportunity to decode China's enormous successes and better understand its democracy.

China has always put the people first during its development, increasing their benefits, ensuring that the people are their own masters and supporting development in an all-round way.

From the massive poverty alleviation campaign and the handling of the pandemic, to the development blueprint and goals that aim to meet people's aspiration for a better life, China has shown that its modernization involves not only a remarkable increase in economic production capacity, but also comprehensive targets to improve people's well-being.

Nurses administer COVID-19 vaccines to drivers and conductors of the Shenzhen Bus Group Co., Ltd. at the health service center of the Xiameilin community in Futian District, Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Jan. 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

China's poverty alleviation campaign is "the work of a nation committed to its people," according to Stephen Perry, chairman of Britain's 48 Group Club.

Describing China's response to the pandemic as "first class," Perry said no other country could get thousands of doctors and nurses to Hubei, once the hardest-hit province in China, within days.

"As soon as the Chinese government knew about the severity of this epidemic, they moved the priority to saving lives," Perry said.

Meanwhile, the agendas of the "two sessions" have demonstrated that China's democracy features an extensive collection of public suggestions, thorough discussions and a gradual formation of consensuses.

Sourabh Gupta, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Institute for China-America Studies, said that the "two sessions" present a window on how China efficiently builds consensuses for its development strategies and goals.

"I think the consensus-building process is just as hard, but it's more efficiently conducted in China," Gupta said.

"You have so many delegates from the provinces and from local levels at the 'two sessions' showing ... how broad and wide that consensus is," Gupta said.

[ Editor: WXL ]
In a wide-ranging interview aired on Sunday, Harry and Meghan described painful discussions about the colour of their sons skin, losing royal protection and the intense pressures that led the Duchess of Sussex to contemplate suicide.

The interview with Oprah Winfrey was the couples first since they stepped down from royal duties and the two-hour special included numerous revelations.

Harry told Winfrey that he felt trapped by royal life and was surprised that he was cut off financially and lost his security last year. He also said he felt his family did not support Meghan, who acknowledged her naiveties about royal life before marrying Harry, as she endured media attacks and false stories.

Meghan, who is biracial, described that when she was first pregnant with son Archie, there were concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when hes born. The statement led Winfrey to ask What? incredulously and sit in silence for a moment.



Winfrey on Monday sought to clarify that neither the queen nor her husband Philip were part of that conversation about Archies skin.



Harry would not reveal who had raised the concerns, Winfrey told CBS on Monday, but he wanted to make sure that I knew and if I had an opportunity to share it that it was not his grandmother nor his grandfather that were a part of those conversations.



Nonetheless, the implications were on Monday only beginning to be felt in the UK. Emily Nash, royal editor at Hello! magazine, said the revelations had left her and many other viewers shell-shocked.



I dont see how the palace can ignore these allegations, theyre incredibly serious, she said. You have the racism allegations. Then you also have the claim that Megan was not supported, and she sought help even from the HR team within the household and was told that she couldnt seek help.



Anti-monarchy group Republic said the interview gave a clearer picture of life in the royal family.



Whether for the sake of Britain or for the sake of the younger royals this rotten institution needs to go, Graham Smith of the group said. Some people will say well you would say that, but this interview has only served to highlight what a lot of people have known for years: The monarchy is rotten to the core and does not reflect British values.

In a rare positive moment in the interview, Harry and Meghan revealed their second would be a girl. The interview opened with Winfrey gushing over Meghans pregnancy and lamenting that Covid-19 protocols kept them from hugging.



The interview aired Sunday night in the United States, a full day before it will air in Britain. The revelations arent over: Winfrey teased additional bits of the interview would be shown on Monday morning on CBS.



In response to a question from Winfrey, Harry said he wouldnt have left royal life if he hadnt married Meghan, but that it was their relationship that revealed the strictures of royal life.



I wouldnt have been able to, because I myself was trapped, Harry said. I didnt see a way out.

I was trapped, but I didnt know I was trapped, Harry said, before adding, My father and my brother, they are trapped.



Harry acknowledged that he does not have a close relationship presently with his brother William, who is heir to the throne after their father, Prince Charles.



The prince disputed rumours that he intentionally blindsided his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, with his decision to split. He suspects the rumours came from the institution.



Ive never blindsided my grandmother, he said. I have too much respect for her.

Meghan, too, was complimentary toward the queen, despite saying at one point she realised some in the palace were willing to lie to protect other members of the family.

The queen has always been wonderful to me, Meghan said.

Winfrey at various points in the interview ran through headlines about Meghan and at one point asked about the mental health impact. Meghan responded that she experienced suicidal thoughts and had sought help through the palaces human resources department, but was told there was nothing they could do.

Meghan said she grew concerned about her son not having a royal title because it meant he wouldnt be provided security.

Meghan said digesting everything while pregnant was very hard. More than the prince title, she was the most concerned about her sons safety and protection.

He needs to be safe, a teary-eyed Meghan recalled. Were not saying dont make him a prince or princess, whatever its going to be. But if youre saying the title is going to affect their protection, we havent created this monster machine around us in terms of click bait and tabloid fodder. Youve allowed that to happen, which means our son needs to be safe.

Meghan said it was hard for her to understand why there were concerns within the royal family about her sons skin colour. She said it was hard for her to compartmentalise those conversations.

The queens former press secretary denied there was racism in the royal family and politicians called for an investigation into the duchess of Sussexs claims.

I dont think theres a strand of racism within the royal household at all, Charles Anson told the BBC on Monday. I think its much more, not even in the main print and broadcast media, I think such racism that exists tends to be most active on social media and individuals.

Sundays interview special opened with Meghan describing how naive she was about the ground rules of royal life before she married her husband, Harry, nearly three years ago.

I didnt fully understand what the job was, she said. She also noted that she did not know how to curtsy before meeting Queen Elizabeth for the first time, and didnt realise it would be necessary.



I will say I went into it naively because I didnt grow up knowing much about the royal family, Meghan said. It wasnt something that was part of conversation at home. It wasnt something that we followed.

Meghan said she and Harry were aligned during their courtship because of their cause-driven work. But she did not fully comprehend the pressure of being linked to the prestigious royal family.

Its easy to have an image of it that is so far from reality, she said. And thats what was really tricky over those past few years, is when the perception and the reality are two very different things. And youre being judged on the perception, but youre living the reality of it. Theres a complete misalignment and theres no way to explain that to people.



Meghan also said that the Duchess of Cambridge made her cry ahead of her wedding.

Reports circulated ahead of the Sussexes nuptials that Meghan left Kate in tears at Princess Charlottes bridesmaid dress fitting. But Meghan told Winfrey the reverse happened.

Meghan said she was not sharing the information to be disparaging, but added it was really important for people to understand the truth.

Shes a good person, the duchess added.

Meghan said Kate was upset about some things and she owned it and apologised and sent flowers.

At the top of the interview, Winfrey ran through several key points: that the production was following strict Covid-19 protocols, no topic was off limits and that Meghan and Harry were not being paid for the special.



Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan on their wedding day. File photo: AFP

Royal interviews that arent tied to a specific topic are rare, and prior televised sessions have often proved problematic. Prince Andrews 2019 BBC interview

about his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein led to his own departure from royal duties after he failed to show empathy for Epsteins victims.

Harry and Meghans departure from royal duties began in March 2020 over what they described as the intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media toward the duchess.

In Britain, the interview is seen as poorly timed. It will air while Harrys 99-year-old grandfather Prince Philip remains hospitalised in London

after undergoing a heart procedure.

It is unclear what public reaction, if any, the queen and other royal family members will have to Sundays interview. The UKs Sunday Times newspaper, citing an anonymous source, reported that the queen would not watch it.

On Wednesday, the palace said it was launching a human resources investigation after a London newspaper reported that a former aide had accused Meghan of bullying staff in 2018.

A spokesman for the duchess said she was saddened by the latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself.

Meghan wears US$4,700 Armani dress for Oprah Winfrey interview

Meghan, who is pregnant with the couples second child, wore an empire-style black dress with embroidery. Harry wore a light grey suit and white dress shirt, minus a tie.

As Meghan Markle, the actor starred in the TV legal drama Suits. She married Harry at Windsor Castle in May 2018 and became Duchess of Sussex. Their son, Archie, was born a year later.

Harry and Meghans departure from royal life was supposed to be reviewed after a year. On February 19, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the couple would not return to royal duties and Harry would relinquish his honorary military titles  a decision that made formal, and final, the couples split from the royal family.
Manitobas decision to further ease pandemic restrictions comes amid troubling signs emerging in the spread of COVID-19 in Manitoba.

Manitobas decision to further ease pandemic restrictions comes amid troubling signs emerging in the spread of COVID-19 in Manitoba.

Last week, 13 new cases of highly contagious variants were announced, bringing the provinces variant total to 23  three of which couldnt be linked to travel or another known case.

Several possible public exposures of COVID-19 were also reported in high-risk settings, including at two churches and two Winnipeg restaurants.

On Friday, the province recorded 104 new cases of the virus  its first triple-digit daily total in weeks.

But Manitoba public health officials continue to loosen pandemic restrictions. On Saturday, public health orders were changed to allow six people from different households to dine at the same restaurant table, as long as its outdoors. At churches, worshippers are allowed to remove their masks while seated with household members, as long as they are distanced from others and dont sing.

All of which has two Winnipeg public health experts worried the provincial governments easing of those restrictions will lead to a rise in infections that could trigger another lockdown.

Dr. Anand Kumar, an infectious disease expert and intensive care specialist, is predicting Manitoba will be forced to implement another lockdown in eight to 10 weeks owing to rising case totals.

"I think (the easing of restrictions) is a gamble and I think the province may be wrong, quite frankly. Were going to have to see what happens over the next few weeks," Kumar said.

"Based on the numbers that are being publicly reported, Ive told my friends I very much expect well be seeing another round of tight restrictions by early-to-mid May. I think well be getting into those kinds of numbers again that are worrisome."

One silver lining, Kumar said, is Manitoba has already vaccinated many of its most vulnerable citizens, including residents in personal care homes. That should blunt the number of deaths, he added, should case counts rise again.

The province administered 2,631 immunizations Friday and another 2,637 Saturday, but Manitobas COVID-19 vaccine task force has said it expects to scale up immunizations to 20,000 doses a day by April.

The province is banking on the pace of vaccinations outstripping rising case totals, according to Kumar, who said he would prefer a more cautious approach as seen in New Zealand and Australia, which took a "zero-COVID approach."

"If you get the numbers down low enough, you can basically contact trace the cases and control it that way, without necessarily having to do widespread shutdowns. But, obviously, the government has decided in their wisdom that theyre going with this other approach," Kumar said.

"Unfortunately, experience around the world showed us that when you use an approach where youre focused on not overloading health-care capacity, the problem is that you have repeated shutdowns. You have repeated waves and waves where you open and then another wave comes and you have to close."

Cynthia Carr, a Winnipeg epidemiologist and founder of EPI Research, echoed many of Kumars concerns.

While another lockdown is by no means inevitable, Carr said she would also prefer a more cautious approach to reopening the economy than what the province is pursuing. She advocates for a "wait-and-see" approach over next month before loosening restrictions.

Thats because there are some trends in Manitobas COVID-19 data she finds worrisome. From early January to early February, Carr said there was a "nice downward trend" in the data; since then, however, there has been a "levelling off" followed by a "slight rise."

Carr said it will be critical for public health authorities to closely monitor any concerning trends and act quickly to tighten restrictions if need be. In the meantime, its important for Manitobans to remain vigilant, she said.

"Its really important for people to understand that even though the restrictions may ease, that doesnt mean you need to participate in everything. You still need to be very consistent with wearing a well-fitting face mask," Carr said.

"All of those layers, we cant get rid of yet. Our layers of protection with distancing, with vigilance about your own health, with masks, with hand hygiene, and of course, when its your turn to get vaccinated, get vaccinated."

Both Kumar and Carr are worried about the presence of COVID-19 variants of concern in Manitoba. So far, 23 variant cases have been detected in the province, but Carr points to the experience of Ontario as a sign of how quickly things could spiral out of control here.

"In only a month, those variants of concern, or mutations detected, went from seven per cent of cases to over 40 per cent of cases in Ontario Once that takes over, with its increased transmissibility, we could see exponential spread again," Carr said.

On top of predicting another lockdown eight to 10 weeks from now, Kumar said hes also concerned about a potential surge of variant cases in the fall, particularly if there is not a modified vaccination campaign during the summer.

"I think its very likely (variants of concern) are, in fact, spreading in the community, and were liable to see significant issues related to that," Kumar said.

"I know everybody thinks and hopes that were at the beginning of the end, but Im not convinced of that."

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rk_thorpe
General Motors has made five additions to its roster of outside lobbying firms that will work on topics including electric vehicles.

Why it matters: Big companies are positioning themselves to influence policy and legislation as Democrats wield expanded power, but Republicans also hold lots of sway in the narrowly divided Congress.

Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free

Driving the news: Newly public filings under the Lobbying Disclosure Act show these firms began working for GM last month on a wide array of matters.

Of note: Ricchetti Inc.'s head Jeff Ricchetti is the brother of White House counselor Steve Ricchetti, a closer adviser to President Biden.

What they're saying: Asked about the suite of new hirings, GM spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan tells Axios:

"We evaluate our consultants on an annual basis to ensure we are well positioned to advocate for policies that support our customers, dealers and employees, help strengthen our manufacturing presence in the United States and advance our vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion."

The big picture: There's frequent churn in various companies' outside lobbying rosters, especially during power transitions, so we'll be watching automakers and other interests. E&E News noted this month that "A bevy of clean energy companies has registered to lobby the federal government in recent months."

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Online payments firm Stripe is to add at least 1,000 jobs in Dublin over the next five years, after a new fundraising round of $600m (431m) brought its valuation to $95bn (68bn).

The online payments firm, founded by Limericks Collison brothers, is now the most valuable ever private technology company in Silicon Valley.

The Irish Governments Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, managed by the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) invested 42m (36m) as part of the fundraising.

It also makes both Patrick and John Collison Irelands wealthiest entrepreneurs, with individual paper fortunes that could now be valued at around $10bn (7.2bn).

Stripe employs over 300 people in its Dublin engineering hub at present, which also serves as the international headquarters of the business.

Were investing a ton more in Europe this year, particularly in Ireland, said John Collison, president and co-founder of Stripe.

Ireland is now a leading tech capital of Europe, with great talent and companies emerging all the time, were keen to help cement that position.

The company says that Dublin is Stripes fastest-growing international office and is home to a broad range of teams.

Stripe processes payments in 42 countries, counting clients such as Deliveroo, N26, Intercom and Donedeal among its thousands of customers.

It now counts more than 50 companies that process more than $1bn annually as customers.

Enterprise revenue is now both Stripes largest and its fastest growing segment, the company said, more than doubling year over year.

I welcome this announcement by Stripe and the NTMA through the Ireland Strategic Investment Funds investment in its fundraising round, said the Republics Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe.

This signals exciting new plans for Ireland, for job creation and for the future growth of so many more companies. Through the NTMA we are investing in a way that delivers a brighter economic future for our country, and that means brighter days ahead for our people.

The company says that it will double down on its Dublin headquarters in 2021 to serve the surge in demand coming from across the region.

Europe is home to many of the worlds most exciting and dynamic tech companies, and also to century-old brands intelligently adapting to the internet economy, said Eileen OMara, head of EMEA revenue and growth. Around 14% of commerce takes place online today, despite the global economy accelerating its shift to online in 2020.

Stripe says that its mission is to grow the GDP of the internet, making it easy for ambitious companies everywhere to grow their business.

The company says that it will continue to build its global payments and treasury network this year, expanding its software and services.

Stripe will also soon be available to more businesses in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Thailand and the UAE.
It is no accident that Joe Biden has not given a State of the Union address or had a press conference since his inauguration. He is simply not mentally capable of doing either. I predict that Kamala Harris will become president of the United States before the end of the year, pursuant to the 25th Amendment. The amendment was ratified by the states in 1967. A review of its provisions is in order.

Amendment XXV

Section 1.

In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.

Comment: Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution states: "In Case of the Removal of the President from office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected."

What is "inability," and who determines what it is? What is "disability," and who determines what it is? When the vice president succeeds the president, does the vice president become the president, or is he only the vice president acting as president (on a temporary basis)?

In 1841, President William Henry Harrison died in office and was succeeded by Vice President John Tyler. Tyler asserted that he had become the president and was not the vice president acting as the president. This established a precedent that was followed when subsequent vice presidents succeeded presidents who died in office (Taylor, Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, Harding, Roosevelt, and Kennedy).

The problem that the Tyler precedent caused is that it was generally believed that the vice president could not step in on a temporary basis to act as president because once he stepped in, he had become the president. This would not be acceptable if the president was only suffering a temporary inability or disability.

This amendment section clearly indicates that the vice president becomes President.

Section 2.

Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

Comment: The Constitution provides no mechanism for replacing a V.P. vacancy. This amendment section solves the problem. The section was first used when Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned (while under indictment). President Nixon nominated Congressman Gerald Ford as replacement V.P., and Congress approved the nomination. It was used a second time when President Ford nominated Nelson Rockefeller to be his V.P.

Section 3.

Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.

Comment: This amendment section handles the issue of a temporary transfer of power to the vice president, which had previously been a legal gray area because of the Tyler precedent. It was used in 1985 when President Reagan was in surgery following the assassination attempt and by President George W. Bush in 2002 when he was in surgery.

Section 4.

Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President. Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.

Comment: This section, which has never been used, deals with the case where the president is unable to discharge his constitutional duties and is either unable or unwilling to surrender his power to the V.P.

Everyone hopes President Biden will step down gracefully and simply resign the presidency. But what if he doesn't? A hypothetical may help explain what could happen.

Communist China has sought the return of Taiwan to the mainland's control since 1948. In the last 15 years, mainland China has had a vast naval build-up that presents a major threat to the U.S Pacific Fleet. China has observed that President Biden has signs of dementia. It is also aware of the provisions of Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, and the cumbersome process of transferring power from the president to the vice president in the event of disability. The leaders of China conclude that a swift attack on Taiwan would cause chaos in the Biden White House command structure that would not be resolved for several days. By the time the U.S. responded militarily, China would have an insurmountable advantage in the invasion that could not be undone with conventional weapons. China also concludes that the U.S. will not use nuclear weapons to defend Taiwan.

On July 23, 2021, the 100-year anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, China launches a massive invasion of Taiwan. As news is related to President Biden, he is overwhelmed and shuts down mentally. An order is signed by President Biden authorizing the U.S. Pacific Fleet to respond to the threat. However, the military chain of command wants to meet with the president to verify that he has signed the order and that he Is mentally competent. Members of the Joint Chiefs meet with the president and determine that he is not mentally competent and refuse to obey the order.

On July 24, Kamala Harris calls an emergency Cabinet meeting to invoke the provisions of Section 4 of the 25th Amendment and to remove the president from office. A majority of the Cabinet declares that it will not decide until it sees medical proof of disability. President Biden refuses to consent to a medical exam.

July 26, at another emergency Cabinet meeting, affidavits and witnesses are presented demonstrating President Biden's inability to govern. The majority of Cabinet members vote in favor of removing President Biden, and a written declaration is submitted to both houses of Congress. Upon delivery, Kamala Harris becomes acting president. Two hours later, President Biden delivers a written declaration to both houses of Congress that he has no inability to govern and resumes being president.

July 27, V.P. Harris and a majority of the Cabinet submit a second written declaration to both houses of Congress that again states that President Biden is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Upon delivery, V.P. Harris again becomes acting president. Congress must schedule the trial within 21 days of July 27. A trial is scheduled for August 16.

July 28, Acting President Harris gives an order to the Pacific Fleet to provide logistical support to the Taiwanese military. The military responds that it will take at least five days for a carrier group to arrive in the area, which will be too late to offer assistance to the Taiwanese.

August 3, Taiwan announces its unconditional surrender to China, and major hostilities cease.

August 16, over two-thirds of both the Senate and the House vote that President Biden is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and V.P. Harris shall continue as acting president.

Image via Pixy.
Web 1.0 powered this killer and should inspire us not to get too chummy with strangers online despite the social media urge to "connect" with the world.



Take a look . . .



For true crime fans, it's hard to keep track of all the heinous American serial killers of the second half of the 20th century & beyond. From Dahmer to Gacy, there's no shortage of killers coming from the land of the free, and it seems as though one killer's story is more twisted than the next.
Ganja worth over Rs 13 lakh was seized in Maharashtra's Nagpur from a car that was being driven by a man, who lost his job as a dance teacher in a Hyderbad-based school due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, police said on Sunday. The man, Shivshankar Yallaya Isampalli (27), a resident of Kukatpalli in Hyderabad, told the police that he was driving the car for livelihood as he was unemployed, but had no knowledge that there was drug in the vehicle, they said.

"Beltarodi police had received a tip-off that ganja is being smuggled in a car, following which a nakabandi was put in place on Wardha Road and the car was stopped at 9 am on Sunday," a police official said. "During the vehicle checking, police recovered 91 kg of ganja stuffed in four plastic sacks. Shivshankar was detained and ganja worth Rs 13.73 lakh, the car, Rs 1,200 cash and a mobile phone were seized," he said.

The car was going to Delhi from Hyderbad, he added. "During the interrogation, Shivshankar told the police that he used to work as a dance teacher in a Hyderabad school, but lost his job due to the coronavirus lockdown last year. Another teacher from the school promised to pay him Rs 10,000 for driving the car to Delhi and he agreed for the task as he was unemployed," the official said.

The accused, who has been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance (NDPS) Act, told the investigators that he was unaware of what he was transporting in the car, although the police do not believe his version, he added. Police are collecting information about the teacher, who had asked him to drive the car to Delhi. "A team will leave for Hyderabad to arrest the teacher who had given the car to Shivshankar," the official said, adding that there could be a large network of smugglers in the case.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Among the many incendiary charges the Duke of Sussex made in his drive-by shooting of the royal family this week, one struck me as especially wounding for his father.

Prince Harry told Oprah: My father and brother, they are trapped, they dont get to leave. For the family they very much have this mentality of: This is just how it is, this is how it is meant to be, you cant change it, weve all been through it.

He then graciously added, as if to mitigate this corrosive bombshell, and I have great sympathy for that.

Asked if he would have left the Firm if he hadnt married the Duchess, the Duke replied: No, I wouldnt have been able to, because I myself was trapped as well. I didnt see a way out. I was trapped but I didnt know I was trapped.

The implication of this, of course, is that the Prince of Wales has never developed the mentality to question his destiny, accepting life in the gilded cage of the British monarchy in exchange for the throne. I know this not to be true. Prince Charles has always been acutely aware he was in a straitjacket  in a life he had to lead even though, given his character and personality, it was not one he would have chosen himself.

As I listened to Prince Harry, my thoughts immediately shifted back 30 years to a tiny crofters cottage on Berneray, a magical island in the southern Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. I spent a week on this gale-lashed land, buttressed against the Atlantic, with Prince Charles.

I was making a documentary for ITV about the Princes deep affection for the Gaels and their culture on this romantic, remote island, home to just 145 people. For a week, the Prince lived in the home of crofter Donald Splash MacKillop and his wife Gloria, ate potatoes he dug out of the ground himself and slept in a spartan attic on a hard-sprung bed he shared with the familys black cat, loving the simplicity.

Far away from the panoply of palace life, Charles spoke candidly about his views of royalty, kingship and life ahead as he saw it.

Youre lucky, Selina, you dont have your life mapped out for you for as far as you can see, for every minute, for every hour, for every day, for every year, he said. Let me tell you, there are many times I feel totally trapped.

I lack a great deal of confidence, so it is quite a struggle, he continued. I could quite happily decide to lead a much quieter existence and make speeches which were purely replete with platitudes but I dont think that is going to get anybody anywhere.

When I asked him about his feeling that he was trapped" he described a pressure to meet both the privilege and responsibilities of his birth.

I have a very well-developed conscience, I suppose, which is always needling me. I look around and I see so many people in far less fortunate positions than I am and I feel: Here I am in this position. What can I do to the best of my ability to improve their lot?

When Charles delivered this mea culpa he wasnt much older than Harry is now, and while it may not be fashionable  the Queens mantra, never explain, never complain, has underpinned the success of her reign  I felt then and still do that his decency shone through.

How refreshing it would have been to hear Harry speak with such a direct sense of public duty in his interview with Oprah, instead of intoning Los Angeles truth speak.

In baring his soul to Oprah, the undisputed queen of showbusiness and the protection of her court, Harry has surrendered the sovereignty of the House of Windsor to the House of Hollywood, and swapped his gilded cage for the gated communities of California, where armed guards patrol celebrity homes. What struck many British viewers as most hypocritical, while he and Meghan played the grieving victims, was not just their display of narcissism before an audience riven by the pandemic but that they seek to make their fortune out of their association with the royal family, with lucrative Netflix and Spotify deals, while rubbishing it at the same time.

Note that though they threw Prince Charles under the bus, they took great care to eulogise their gold-plated association with the Queen.

There can be no doubt that Charles is deeply hurt and must recognise the damage to public perception of him as our future king. And, like many of us, he will be wondering: what happened to the Harry we used to love?

The roots of Harrys divorce from his family were forged many years ago  he has had to endure the toxic fairy tale of Diana and Charles, the revelations of Squidgygate, Camillagate and Hewittgate and the rumours about his true paternity  but clearly Meghan is the catalyst for the change.

There is no doubt the trauma of his parents toxic relationship, witnessed by the two boys in all its fury, and his mothers tragic end is a wound that for Harry perhaps can never be healed. The blame for her death, he holds firm, lies with the media and continues to fuel the anger in him.

Whatever the future, it cannot be doubted that Charles loves his two boys, equally.

And in some way Harry is right to say his father is trapped  but it is an emotional trap that cages Charles now, faced with the eventual loss of his own father, still in hospital, and the wounds of his youngest son. ( Telegraph Media Group Ltd 2021)
Lets talk about the press and big tech. Specifically, the implications of Australias ground-breaking media laws forcing tech giants to pay news outlets for content.

Lets start with this: Legislation is complicated. Sometimes laws can have good intent, but poor implementation (or vice versa). It is especially complicated when there is no precedent, which essentially forces lawmakers to take calculated risks and hope it doesnt go awry before they have a chance to make corrections based on data.

Overall, I would say that Australia is forging forward on the right path, and Canada is promising to follow their lead. The fact that Facebook and Google resisted the proposed changes with such force  by initially refusing to display any content that they are now obligated to pay for  is proof of this.

The conversation around big tech is quite played out, but at this point its worth reiterating that the services provided by these companies are very much a double-edged sword. There is tremendous value to the everyday support that such services provide, but they come with a cost. The cost of privacy, reliance, and the lurking threat those things entail.

What this legislation does, on the surface, is distribute some funds (and subsequently, power Ill circle back to that later) away from these tech giants. Hard to argue with that. Digging deeper, theres a more important conversation. Where will these funds go?

This, in my opinion, is the focal point of this issue. Beyond the headline  Facebook must pay news outlets for content  is a much deeper issue.

In todays fast-paced world, headline-skimming is pretty much a necessity to even try and keep up. And Im not saying this with judgement, I am very much a participant in this practice. However, this story does touch on a deeply concerning and wildly under-rated issue that our society has been facing for the last two decades. We need to talk about it and be aware of it

All this to say: as easy as it is to read the headline and think yeah thats good while proceeding to scroll along, I urge people to invest thought beyond just the idea. Implementation of said idea is just, if not more, important.

At this point, the only thing that has really been established is that tech giants must pay. Good start, but who are they paying? The news world is an incredibly diverse industry in terms of have and have nots. News media operates on every level from multi-billion-dollar enterprises right down to barely-scraping-by freelance reporters. Regardless of financial resources, news and quality reporting is the lifeblood of healthy democracy. This is why freedom of press is included in the First Amendment, the Canadian Charter of Freedoms, and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights: its fucking important.

Before proceeding, lets touch on another issue real quick.

Local news outlets have been suffering and shrinking by for a long time now. Once-booming  and seemingly recession-proof  local news providers have been dwindling away for the past two decades as the domination of online news has risen. Unable to adapt fast enough, local outlets have been dwindling away and hanging on for dear life like the last leaves of autumn.

There are serious consequences associated with the fallout of menial, everyday, local reporting. But thats not news. This is a topic that has been covered and discussed for a long time now. There are fantastic segments done by major payers about this exact topic. One of my personal favourites, John Oliver, does a better job covering this than I ever could. If you have no already familiarized yourself with the implications that come with the death of local news, I strongly urge you to do so.

The John Oliver segment linked above covers many of the nuances associated with this issue. One of the most important points that I want to highlight is the fact that lack of reporting on every level  including small-scale stories such as city council meetings  is breeding a free-for-all playground for corrupt politicians and administrators.

Furthermore, the decline of local reporting seems to be correlated with increased partisanship and division. The damaging effects of this do not need to be explained at this point. You can read more about this here.

Bringing this back to the issue at hand: Big tech and news paying for content.

As I said before, news can be independent, local, or on a multi-billion-dollar scale (and everything between). It is imperative that we demand that this legislation is built out to compensate the little guys who are doing the unsexy (but incredibly important) job of reporting on a local level.

Large media corporations (and their owners) are already worth billions of dollars and, frankly, have their own issues with power abuse and bias, just like the tech giants. Additionally, they rely on local reporters to generate accurate and reputable stories that they will inevitably exploit to their benefit.

The question of who financially benefits from this policy is of the utmost importance. We have been scratching our heads for years now trying to figure out a way to support a dying segment of an industry that is a pillar of our democracy. This is our answer.

If the end result of this endeavour is simply tech giant billionaires transferring funds to media billionaires, it serves no purpose. All that will have been accomplished is wasting taxpayer dollars creating legislation that has no meaningful affect on the everyday Canadian (or Australian).

The idea is great, but the implementation is far, far more important.

Canadian Heritage Minister, Steven Guilbeault, is currently working on a similar bill to move forward with charging tech giants for content. He estimates that is will be presented sometime this spring.

Pay close attention, hosers. This is a golden opportunity to correct a longstanding issue with serious consequences that we are already experiencing. News media giants will be doing their best to monopolize and control any monetization that the proposed legislation will generate.

Above all else, we  the Canadian people  need to demand that this legislation is a bottom up approach.

Ally Turner
More than 1.4 million Americans who got a first coronavirus vaccine dose are either late getting their second dose or have completely missed it, a new report finds.

On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the results of the first federal study to look at how many are people are completing the series.

They found that nearly nine out of 10 people who receive either the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna vaccine get both doses.

However, more than one million patients did not complete the series but still had time to do so and 420,000 people missed getting their final dose within the recommended time frame.

In a new CDC report, more than 10.9 million people, or 88%, got their second dose within the 42-day recommended time frame. Nearly 9% are late but still have time to get their final shot and about 3% never received the second shot

Completion rates ranged as low as 72.3% in Utah to as high as 95.8% in West Virginia, which has been leading the U.S. in the vaccine race. Pictured: Sean Alexander Bailey (right) gets a COVID-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination site in Lynchburg, Virginia, March 2021

Those who receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are asked to come back in 21 days and those who get the Moderna vaccine in 28 days.

In late January, the updated its guidance and said it was to space out the first and second doses by up to 42 days.

This was meant to help Americans who had barriers or restrictions that prevented them from getting to a second appointment sooner.

For the report, the CDC looked at nearly 12.5 million people who were vaccinated between December 14, 2020 and February 14, 2021.

During that period, the one-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 immunization had not been authorized yet for emergency use yet.

Of the total number of patients, 88 percent, or 10.9 million million, had completed the two-dose regimen.

Additionally, 8.6 percent, about one million people did not receive their second dose but were still within the 42 days allowed by the CDC.

Meanwhile, 3.4 percent, roughly 420,000 people had missed the final dose and were outside of the 42-day window.

Among demographic groups, American Indian/Alaska Native people were most likely to miss or not get their second dose at 16.1 percent.

Despite these numbers, the researchers say the results are mostly positive.

More than 69.7 million people - 21% of the population - have received at least one vaccine dose and 37.4 million - 11.3% - are fully vaccinated

More than two million people are being vaccinated on average every day with a record 4.5 million people receiving shots in arms on Saturday

'This is good news,' co-author Dr Robin Toblin, of the CDC's COVID-19 Response Team, told the Associated Press.

'We think these findings are really encouraging. The fact that most people are completing the two-dose series to be fully vaccinated shows the system's working.'

CDC researchers also gave a breakdown of completion rates by states.

Results showed it ranges from as low 72.3 percent in Utah to as high as 95.8 percent in West Virginia, which has been leading the vaccine race.

There may be different reasons for state differences, including winter weather that could have delayed vaccine deliveries and caused the cancellation of vaccination clinics, Toblin said.

As of Monday afternoon, more than 69.7 million people - 21 percent of the population - have received at least one vaccine dose and 37.4 million - 11.3 percent - are fully vaccinated.

More than two million people are being vaccinated on average every day. On Saturday, a record 4.5 million people received shots in arms.
Stripe is to add at least 1,000 jobs in Dublin over the next five years, after a new fundraising round of $600m (502m) brought its valuation to $95bn (79.4bn).

The Irish governments Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, managed by the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) invested 42m ($50m) as part of the fundraising.

The online payments firm founded by Limericks Collison brothers is now the most valuable ever private technology company in Silicon Valley.

It also makes both Patrick and John Collison Irelands wealthiest entrepreneurs, with individual paper fortunes that could now be valued at around $10bn.

Stripe employs over 300 people in its Dublin engineering hub at present, which also serves as the international headquarters of the business.

"We're investing a ton more in Europe this year, particularly in Ireland said John Collison, President and co-founder of Stripe. Ireland is now a leading tech capital of Europe, with great talent and companies emerging all the time, were keen to help cement that position.

The company says that Dublin is Stripes fastest-growing international office and is home to a broad range of teams.

Stripe processes payments in 42 countries, counting clients such as Deliveroo, N26, Intercom and Donedeal among its thousands of customers.

It now also counts more than 50 companies that process more than $1 billion annually as customers. Enterprise revenue is now both Stripes largest and its fastest growing segment, the company said, more than doubling year over year.

Stripe's latest funding round makes the company almost twice as valuable as Twitter ($54bn) and Spotify ($53bn) and half again as valuable as Dell ($67bn).

I welcome this announcement by Stripe and the NTMA through the Ireland Strategic Investment Funds investment in its fundraising round, said Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe. This signals exciting new plans for Ireland, for job creation and for the future growth of so many more companies. Through the NTMA we are investing in a way that delivers a brighter economic future for our country, and that means brighter days ahead for our people.

The company says that it will double down on its Dublin headquarters in 2021 to serve the surge in demand coming from across the region.

Europe is home to many of the worlds most exciting and dynamic tech companies, and also to century-old brands intelligently adapting to the internet economy, said Eileen OMara, head of EMEA revenue and growth.

Around 14pc of commerce takes place online today, despite the global economy accelerating its shift to online in 2020. Stripe says that its mission is to grow the GDP of the internet, making it easy for ambitious companies everywhere to grow their business.

The company says that it will continue to build its global payments and treasury network this year, expanding its software and services. Stripe will also soon be available to more businesses in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Thailand and the UAE.

Were investing in building the infrastructure that will power internet commerce in 2030 and beyond, said Dhivya Suryadevara, Stripes chief financial officer. The pandemic taught us many things about society, including how much can be achievedand paid foronline, but the internet still isnt the engine for global economic progress that it could be. Were laser focused on accelerating the growth of ambitious businesses. The opportunity ahead is much larger for Stripe than it was when the company was started 10 years ago.

Stripe users in Ireland include organisations such as the Jack and Jill Childrens Foundation, Barretstown, Flipdish and the GAA.

Stripe is an accelerator of global economic growth and a leader in sustainable finance," said Conor O'Kelly, CEO of NTMA. "We are convinced that, despite making great progress over the last 10 years, most of Stripes success is yet to come. Were delighted to back Irelands and Europes most prominent success story, and, in doing so, to help millions of other ambitious companies become more competitive in the global economy.




A navy veteran who murdered his wife and hid her body in a freezer for two years before dumping her in the San Diego Bay has been sentenced this week to 16 years to life in prison.

Matthew Sullivan maintains he did not kill Elizabeth Sullivan, 32, whom prosecutors said he stabbed at their home in Liberty Station in October 2014.

But last year, a San Diego Superior Court jury found the 36-year-old guilty of second-degree murder, and he was sentenced in a San Diego courtroom with Superior Court Judge Albert Harutunian III handing down the sentence on Friday.

'The jury verdict and the evidence at trial made it clear that Matthew Sullivan brutally murdered his wife, methodically cleaned up the messy murder site, and then hid the body for years,' Harutunian said.

'He almost got away with it, but his final attempt to hide the body at the bottom of the bay failed.'

Matthew Sullivan (left) maintains he did not kill Elizabeth Sullivan, 32 (right), whom prosecutors said he stabbed at their home in Liberty Station in October 2014. He has been sentenced to 16 years to life by a San Diego court

The mother of two daughters mysteriously went missing in October 2014 from the family's San Diego home.

Prosecutor Jill Lindberg told jurors during the opening statements of the trial that Sullivan may have stabbed his wife five times after learning she was having an affair.

He then hid her body in the freezer until he had to remove it because he was moving to the east coast, Lindberg said, and he needed to dispose of it.

But in 2016, her decomposing body was found in the San Diego bay around half a mile from the family's home, and investigators later found blood under her bedroom carpet and a knife hidden in the attic.

When Sullivan was arrested in 2018 he was living in Delaware.

Prosecutor Jill Lindberg told jurors during the opening statements of the trial that Sullivan (right) may have stabbed his wife (left) five times after learning she was having an affair

Lindberg repeated in court on Friday that Sullivan had 'murdered his wife in their home as their children were in the other room.'

'He made her look like the person who had abandoned her family, when that was not the case and he knew it,' Lindberg said. She added Sullivan had allowed his two daughters to 'twist in the wind and wonder what had happened to' Elizabeth.

Sullivan served eight years in the U.S. Navy before he was honourably discharged in 2016 with the rank of petty officer. He was deployed overseas, including in the Middle East.

During the sentencing hearing, the veteran said that he felt he would not have been found guilty if he had better defence witnesses to testify for him.

'I firmly believe their testimony would have changed the verdict in this trial,' he said.

But Lindberg replied: 'There is clearly no remorse on the defendant's part. He thinks he could have gotten a different verdict.'

The mother of two daughters mysteriously went missing in October 2014 from the family's San Diego home. Pictured: The Sullivan's with one of their daughters and pregnant Elizabeth

Sullivan was not the one to report his wife missing, rather it was one of her friends to make the report.

Detectives would later learn that Sullivan had bought carpet cleaner the day after she disappeared.

Forensic tests found Elizabeth Sullivans blood soaked into the wooden floor in her bedroom and the carpeting. The knife found in the attic also had traces of blood.

Sullivans attorney explained the blood in the carpet was a result of Elizabeth self-harming, and that she was also likely the one who hid the knife to hide it.

After around 10 days of trial and roughly a day and half of deliberation, the jury reached their verdict last March, clearing Sullivan of first-degree murder, but finding him guilty of second-degree murder.
Some deregistered political parties ordered to be relisted by the Court of Appeal have exposed the use of fake court records by the Independent National Electoral Commissions (INEC) in pursuing its appeal at the Supreme Court.

The fake court records surfaced in the appeal filed by INEC at the Supreme Court to challenge the August 10, 2020 judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, ordering the relisting of 23 political parties earlier deregistered by the electoral body.

The rules require an intending appellant to file a notice of appeal and compile the records of the lower court and have them transmitted to the higher court within three months of the delivery of the judgment to be challenged.

INEC had filed a notice of appeal against the August 10, 2020 judgment of the Court of Appeal, but the records it claimed to have compiled and transmitted to the Supreme Court to set the stage for the hearing of its case by the apex court, have been exposed by the respondents to be fraudulent.

PREMIUM TIMES spoke with lawyers involved in the case and obtained relevant correspondences and court documents showing how the curiosity of the political parties led them into discovering that the records of appeal transmitted by INEC were fake as they were signed by an impostor pretending to be an official of the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

From the court documents seen by this newspaper, INEC, which admitted that an impostor truly signed its transmitted records, is now scrambling to be granted an extension of time to compile and transmit fresh records from the Court of Appeal to the apex court.

Background

On February 6, 2020, INEC deregistered 74 political parties, reducing the number of registered parties in the country to 18.

The INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, said the decision was based on the poor performance of the deregistered parties in the 2019 general elections.

Mr Yakubu said by their dismal performances in the elections, the 74 affected parties had not satisfied the requirements of constitutional provisions to remain registered political parties.

Some of the affected parties approached the courts to challenge the commissions interpretation of Section 225 of the Nigerian Constitution.

But the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD) and 30 other political parties, acting on information about INECs plan to deregister political parties, had filed their suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/444/19 at the Federal High Court in Abuja months before the electoral body announced the deregistration in February 2020.

The judge, Anwuli Chikere, in her judgment on June 12, 2020, dismissed their suit and affirmed the powers of INEC.

However, following the appeal by 23 of the political parties, the Federal High Courts judgment was upturned by a five-member panel of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, led by Monica Dongban-Mensem on August 10, 2020.

In the judgment, the Court of Appeal said illegally deregistered the political parties without following due process by denying them the opportunity to defend themselves, before announcing their deregistration.

The Court of Appeal also criticised the INEC for going ahead to deregister the 22 political parties while their suit filed in 2019 to stop the plan to deregister them was pending in court.

It ruled that the electoral body showed utmost contempt and disregard for the due process of law and the court when it proceeded to deregister the appellants during the pendency of their suit.

INEC, in its reaction, said the ruling contradicted an earlier one by the same Court of Appeal and that because of the contradiction, it will not obey the ruling but will wait for the Supreme Court to decide on the matter.

But a PREMIUM TIMES review of the two court judgments showed that the rulings are not contradictory. While the court, in both instances, upheld INECs power to deregister parties, in the case by the 31 political parties, it ruled that due process was not followed.

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Fake official signs INECs documents

Not pleased with the appeal courts ruling, the electoral body filed a notice of appeal in the Supreme Court, challenging the verdict.

But curious about the records transmitted by INEC in pursuing the appeal, the law firm of the legal icon, Afe Babalola, which is defending one of the respondents, the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD), had written to the Court of Appeal authorities on December 10, 2020, alleging that an impostor of the court official signed the records purportedly transmitted by the electoral body.

The Court of Appeal, in a letter dated December 21, 2020, confirmed that Hassan Binta, who signed the record of appeal transmitted by INEC, was not known to the court.

The record of appeal and the supplementary record of appeal were not compiled and transmitted by the registry of this court.

The Registrar in the person of Hassan Binta, who is said to have signed the record of Appeal and the Supplementary record is not a staff of this court, the Head, Litigation Department of the Court of Appeal, Sehriffat Adebayo, stated in the December 21, 2020, reply to the letter by Mr Babalolas law firm.

Following the Court of Appeals confirmation, the law firm, through one of its lawyers, Funmilayo Longe, sent a letter dated January 14, 2021, to the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, expressing shock about the development and demanding an investigation.

A copy of the letter, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, was entitled Request For Clarification On The Transmission of Records of Appeal.

It reads, in part, To our chagrin, the Court of Appeal vide their letter December 21, 2020 informed us that even though the notice of appeal was filed in the registry of the Court of Appeal, the record of appeal was not compiled and transmitted by the lower courts registry and the registrar in the person of Hassan Binta, who signed the records of appeal is not a staff (member) of the Court of Appeal. (A copy of the aforementioned letter written by the Court of Appeal is herewith attached).

In the light of the above facts, we hereby request that investigation be carried out regarding the transmission of records in this appeal.

How the controversy started

Kehinde Ogunwumiju, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in Mr Babalolas law firm, when contacted by PREMIUM TIMES, said the procedural breach in the transmission of INECs records of appeal was what led to their enquiry at the Court of Appeal.

He said, There is a procedure for transmitting a record from the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court. They call it the settlement of records.

If an appellant is dissatisfied with a judgement at the appeal court, after filing his notice of appeal and applying for transmission of the records of appeal to the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal would invite all the parties and their various legal representatives so they can reach an agreement on what documents would form part of the documents to be sent to the Supreme Court for hearing. But this procedure was never followed.

This was why we were concerned, and we wrote to the Court of Appeal to say we were never aware they were going to transmit any records to the Supreme Court. And the Court of Appeal wrote back to us that the record of appeal was signed by a fictitious person.

INEC admits breaches, seeks fresh opportunity

INEC has admitted that a court officials impostor signed its record of appeal but failed to offer any explanation about how it happened.

The electoral body is now scrambling to be allowed to compile a fresh record of appeal.

It filed application an application before the Supreme Court on January 25, 2021, seeking leave and an extension of time to compile and transmit the fresh records.

The commission, in an affidavit filed in support of the application, stated that it sought to compile and transmit fresh record after it was only informed of the fraud in the previous records by Mr Babalolas law firm.

Hearing dates

Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES, John Agim, lead counsel for the 13th respondent, the Peoples Coalition Party, (PCP), told PREMIUM TIMES that the Supreme had once slated the INECs application for hearing but could not proceed because the adverse parties were not served.

He added that although the Supreme Court fixed October 28, 2021, for the hearing of the substantive appeal, he could not confirm if INECs application for extension of time had been granted the court.

He said, The Supreme Court can grant and hear the application for leave in chambers, it doesnt necessarily need to be done in the open court.

As we speak, I havent been served any proper notice to show the leave has been granted for them to transmit records. But I am aware that the substantive appeal has been fixed for October 28, 2021, for hearing.

Mr Ogunwumiju, who told our correspondent that his law firms petitions to the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal were done to force the lawyers to INEC to do the proper thing, told our reporter that INECs application for extension of time had not been granted.

Asked if the probe requested in his law firms petition to the Supreme Court was carried out, he said perhaps a fact-finding could have been done to fish out those behind the scam.

When PREMIUM TIMES asked for the comment of INECs lawyer, Emeka Ozoani, whose phone number appeared on the court documents filed by the electoral body, he said, I am not the lead counsel, so I cannot respond.
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The construction of Ho Chi Minh Citys metro line No. 2 is expected to begin in 2022, according to a report prepared by the municipal administration.

The projects site clearance process has reached 74 percent of completion, the Ho Chi Minh City Peoples Committee stated in the report submitted to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

A total of 462 out of 603 households have agreed to hand over their land and relocate to other places, the administration continued, adding that site clearance will be finished over the next months.

The Management Authority for Urban Railways, developer of the project, is completing necessary procedures to begin the bidding process within 2021.

After competent contractors are selected, the metro line project is expected to be implemented in mid-2022.

The project is still facing several issues in the re-evaluation of loan conditions, such as a loan extension from German state-owned development bank KfW, and signing of an appendix in the consulting contract.

The municipal administration is seeking assistance from the Ministry of Planning and Investment in solving these problems to make sure the project is carried out as planned.

Metro route No. 2, named Ben Thanh-Tham Luong, stretches 11.2 kilometers and runs through District 1, District 3, District 10, District 12, Tan Binh District, and Tan Phu District.

It includes a 9.2-kilometer underground section and two-kilometer elevated section, with investment capital estimated at over VND47.8 trillion (US$2 billion).

The construction of an office building and ancillary works at the Tham Luong depot in District 12 has been completed. This building will act as the operation center of the metro line in the future.

The developer is completing necessary procedures to seek contractors for the remaining construction packages, including tunnels, terminals, viaducts, and electromechanical and electrical systems among others.

The project is slated for completion in 2026.

Meanwhile, the citys metro line No. 1 has entered the final phases of construction and is expected to be put into commercial operation in 2022.

The metro route, which runs from Ben Thanh Market in District 1 to Suoi Tien Theme Park in District 9, is 19.7km long, including 2.6km of underground railways and 17.1km of elevated railways.

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YANGON, Myanmar  Myanmars ruling junta has declared martial law in parts of the countrys largest city as security forces killed more protesters in an increasingly lethal crackdown on resistance to last months military coup.

At least 38 people were killed Sunday and dozens were injured in one of the deadliest days of the crackdown, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent group tracking the toll of the violence.

Most of those killed  34  were in Yangon, where two townships, Hlaing Thar Yar and neighboring Shwepyitha were being placed under martial law.

Video from Hlaing Thar Yar township showed people running away after gunfire was heard. Those fleeing carried one injured person and tried to revive two others, one who seemed to be dead or dying, the footage from independent Democratic Voice of Burma showed.

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Hlaing Thar Yar was the location of 22 civilian deaths Sunday, according to the aid group, which said more than a dozen civilians were wounded and described a large number of junta forces engaged in the township.

Since the takeover six weeks ago, Myanmar has been under a nationwide state of emergency, with its civilian leaders ousted and detained and military leaders in charge of all government. But the announcement on state broadcaster MRTV late Sunday appeared to be the first use of the term martial law since the coup and suggested more direct military control of security, instead of local police.

The announcement said the State Administrative Council acted to enhance security and restore law and order and said the Yangon regional commander has been entrusted with administrative, judicial and military powers in the area under his command.

Four other deaths were reported in Bago, Mandalay, and the northern city of Hpakant in Kachin state, according to the aid group and local media.

In Yangon, video posted on social media showed crowds of people, some wearing hard hats and gas masks, running down a street amid sounds of gunfire. The demonstrators quickly sprayed vapor from fire extinguishers as they retreated  a tactic widely used to smother tear gas and create a vapor screen that makes it harder for police to pursue or shoot demonstrators.

There were also reports of injuries from live rounds and rubber bullets in other parts of Yangon, including Insein district, where billows of black smoke could be seen after security forces reportedly set roadblocks on fire.

In a new tactic, anti-coup demonstrators used the cover of darkness to hold mass candlelight vigils Saturday and Sunday nights in a Yangon commercial area that was usually the scene of their daytime protests. After-dark rallies were also held in Mandalay and elsewhere.

The protest movement has been grounded in non-violent civil disobedience from the start, with marches and general strikes among its main features. But some protesters have advocated stronger, more agile methods of self-defense  such as holding small rallies that are quick to disband and reunite, and devising cover from fire extinguishers and billowing laundry.

On Saturday, the civilian leader of Myanmars government in hiding vowed to continue supporting a revolution to oust the military leaders who seized power in the Feb. 1 coup. Mahn Win Khaing Than, who was named the acting vice president by Myanmars ousted lawmakers and is a member of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyis political party, addressed the public for the first time since the coup.

This is the darkest moment of the nation and the moment that the dawn is close, he said in a video posted on the shadow governments website and social media.

In order to form a federal democracy, which all ethnic brothers who have been suffering various kinds of oppressions from the dictatorship for decades really desired, this revolution is the chance for us to put our efforts together, he said.

He added: We will never give up to an unjust military, but we will carve our future together with our united power. Our mission must be accomplished.

At the end of the message, he flashed the three-finger salute that has become a symbol of resistance to the military rulers.

The aid groups tally of Sundays victims appeared to raise beyond 100 the number of civilians killed by security forces since the coup. Confirmation is nearly impossible in the country due to the security situation and a crackdown on independent media, but various groups have carefully compiled tallies with similar figures.

The actual death toll is likely higher, as police apparently seized some bodies, and some victims have had serious gunshot wounds that medical staff at makeshift clinics would be hard-pressed to treat. Many hospitals are occupied by security forces, and as a result are boycotted by medical personnel and shunned by protesters.

Police have also aggressively patrolled residential neighborhoods at night, firing into the air and setting off stun grenades as an intimidation tactic. They have also taken people from their homes in targeted raids with minimal resistance. In at least two known cases, the detainees died in custody within hours of being hauled away.
Seasoned pastor Michael Youssef warned against "woke" pastors who are abandoning biblical truths and bowing to moral relativism. He said that they are "deadly as far as the Gospel of Christ is concerned."

The 72-year-old pastor of the Church of The Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia told The Christian Post his disappointment seeing the mainline Episcopal denomination gradually shying away from its biblical foundation and crumbling to the cultural pressures of the LGBTQ community. This was in reference to his denomination's vote for the clergy to perform same-sex marriage about five years ago.

Youssef also added that in the past years, he has seen how the "woke" culture has slowly crept into the consciousness of evangelical churches.

"Those same battles that I fought in the mainline denominations are now invading the evangelical churches," said Youssef to The Christian Post. "It's the same arguments, the same lingo, and the same words repeating themselves with such precision I am deeply, deeply concerned."

The Egyptian-American pastor expressed grief over many church leaders taking the bait of the "woke" culture because it's "popular" and appeals to the flesh" or to avoid rejection by the society's dominant culture.

"I've always believed, as goes the pulpit, so goes the pew. As goes the pew, so goes the culture," Youssef pointed out.

As a pastor, Youssef said that he puts the full blame on Christian leaders on how far the churches in America have strayed from God's truth.

"...because we want to be liked, loved, and followed on social media by millions of people. Pastors are the culprits. We need to be about Jesus, not about being liked, because that is deadly as far as the Gospel of Jesus Christ is concerned," he said.

Youssef also noted in his interview with CP his burden for the young pastors and ministry leaders.

"Young pastors must realize that this is a deception. It's very subtle and very clever, but it's a deception nonetheless," he said. "And that is the burden that God laid on my heart to such a point I just couldn't sleep. I had to address it. I believe people are in a state of confusion and need a clear word from Scripture."

As for the church in general, the "Hope for This Present Crisis" author counseled believers to be "encouraged and motivated to stand up and not to be afraid."

"We must take charge," he said. "Christians have abandoned so many areas of society, from media and the classroom. Instead of withdrawing, we need to go and invade these areas and take them for Christ and not be afraid. We are on the right side. We have read the last chapter, and it says we will win."

In another part of the interview, Youssef stressed the reality of spiritual battle and urged Christians to not put down their guards.

"Children must know that there is a Satan and he hates God, he hates God's children, and he's conspiring against them every minute of every day. Therefore, they have to galvanize themselves with the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, in order to fight."

Having seen firsthand the severe persecution of Christians from Islamic extremists in Egypt, Youssef knows well the gravity of his warning and challenge to stay spiritually sober. His experience growing up in Egypt, he said, has "continually trained" him "for how to stand up for the faith and not be deceived."

"I knew that, though they might offer me jobs, money, prestigious scholarships to convert to Islam, I had to stand strong," he said. "So I grew up with it. And what I'm trying to do is say to the next generation, 'Expect to be aliens and sojourners. This is not our home. Jesus places us here to be a light to this dark world, not to be part of the darkness.'"
I am so excited to provide the superior, compassionate and high-quality dental care that patients deserve when they visit us in Pearl, Ms., says Dr. Antoinette Liles

Dr. Antoinette Liles is proud to announce the opening of her new family dental practice, located at 190 Riverwind E. Drive, Suite 201 in Pearl, MS. Following the practice motto of, Where Art Meets Science, the practice provides the highest level of advanced oral care for beautiful, healthy smiles, using cutting-edge technology. The full menu of services at the practice range from general dentistry and restorative dental services to emergency care and sedation options. Adding to the excitement of the practice opening, Dr. Antoinette Liles and the new practice was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Networks newest docu-series Belle Collective. Dr. Liles is one of the five principal cast members on the show. The Belle Collective series spotlighted and followed the personal and professional lives of Dr. Liles as she went through the journey of building and designing the facility.

From the moment patients walk through the dental practices doors, they will feel welcome and at home, receiving personalized treatment plans and patient-centric care. Dental insurance is accepted, and payment options are available to meet all types of budget needs. In addition to seeing patients at the clinic location, the practice will also be providing dental care to underserved populations, college campuses and healthcare facilities in Mississippi, with a goal to give prospective patients a stable dental home.

"I am so excited to provide the superior, compassionate and high-quality dental care that patients deserve when they visit us in Pearl, Ms., says Dr. Antoinette Liles

Patients can make an appointment by calling 601-882-5600. For more information, please visit http://www.AntoinetteLilesDMD.com.

More about Dr. Antoinette Liles:

Antoinette Liles, DMD, earned her dental degree from The University of Mississippi Medical Centers School of Dentistry. She is an active member of the American Dental Association, Mississippi Association of Women Dentists and American Association of Women Dentists. Dr. Liles attends several continuing education courses annually to ensure the best up-to-date services for her patients. She is committed to providing exceptional care and has the knowledge and expertise to help patients reach their dental health goals. Dr. Antoinette Liles and the entire team in Pearl, Ms. strive to build long-lasting relationships with patients and their families. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please visit http://www.AntoinetteLilesDMD.com.
Ukraine will issue an international certificate of vaccination, acting within the framework of international law, Deputy Minister of Health, Chief State Sanitary Doctor Viktor Liashko told the Telegram channel Coronavirus Info.

According to the message, if a country requires an international certificate of vaccination against coronavirus (COVID-19) disease when crossing the border, Ukrainians will receive such a free certificate in two clicks.

"But it is not worth implementing and demanding a certificate of vaccination against COVID-19 now. I fully share the opinion of WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge who publicly warns the European Commission against plans to introduce documents on vaccination against COVID-19," Liashko said.
How Nepal became a playground for Islamic terrorists like the Indian Mujahideen

Mukesh Ambani security scare: Indian Mujahideen terrorist to be questioned in Tihar

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 15: Officers from the Special Cell of the Delhi Police will visit Tihar jail today to question Indian Mujahideen terrorist Tehseen Akhtar in connection with the Mukesh Ambani security scare case.

On Saturday, the police had questioned Akhtar for several hours. However his answers were evasive and he tried to mislead the police.

Last week following a search operation by the Tihar jail authorities, a mobile phone was found at the barrack of Akhtar alias Monu.

The police suspect that the mobile was used to create a Telegram channel of the outfit Jaish-ul Hind.

Batla House encounter: IM terrorist Ariz Khans sentencing today

The outfit, it may be recalled had claimed responsibility for parking an SUV with gelatine sticks and a threat note outside the home of Mukesh Ambani.

Following the information provided by the Special Cell, the Tihar jail authorities seized a mobile phone from the jail where certain terror convicts are lodged. It is suspected that the phone was used to operate Telegram channels used recently fro claiming responsibility for terror acts and threats. Further probe and forensic analysis will be done after the mobile is received from the jail authorities, DCP (special cell) Pramod Kushwaha said.

Sources in the Delhi Police tell OneIndia that the mobile was in use for around 3 months. Several prisoners including Tehseen was using the mobile. A private cyber firm was asked to track the location of the phone on which the Telegram channel was created.

Tehseen was a key player in the Indian Mujahideen and had masterminded a series of attacks in India. His name had first cropped during the Varanasi blasts in which 20 people died. A resident of Samastipur in Bihar, he was just 16 when he carried out his first terror operation in Varanasi.

Ambani bomb threat case: NIA arrests Sachin Vaze

Akthar was also involved in the Mumbai bombings of 2011 and the 2013 Dilsukhnagar attack. The chase to nab him was a tough one. He would also flee to Samastipur following an attack and his close links in the political circles would help him get away.

Grammys 2021: Beyonce breaks record for most Grammy wins for a female artist | Oneindia News

Akthar was finally banned in 2014 near the India-Nepal border in the Ani Tankhi area of Naxalbari. He was travelling to Nepal to collect money to be used for an operation in Rajasthan.

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Story first published: Monday, March 15, 2021, 12:37 [IST]
According to information published by March 15, 2021, frigates HMS Lancaster and Westminster, tanker RFA Tiderace and vessels from all three Baltic states  Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia  have joined forces for a concerted demonstration of Britains commitment to the security and stability of the region.

According to information published by March 15, 2021, frigates HMS Lancaster and Westminster, tanker RFA Tiderace and vessels from all three Baltic states  Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia  have joined forces for a concerted demonstration of Britains commitment to the security and stability of the region.

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HMS Lancaster sails in the Baltic in close company with Lithuania's LNS Jotvingus and Latvian Ship LVNS Jelgava (Picture source: Wikipedia)

The deployment is another test of elements of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force  a partnership of nine northern European nations committed to working together on operations as varied as warfighting through to humanitarian assistance and defence engagement.

The Royal Navy ships have been joined by Estonian minelayer Wambola, Latvian patrol vessel Jelgava, and from Lithuania minelayer Jotvingis and patrol ship Selis, plus aircraft from the Swedish Air Force, with the focus on maritime security and freedom of navigation in the Baltic.

His ships conducted a series of combined manoeuvres to test collective seamanship and get used to working together as a united task group, all played out in unrelenting sub-zero temperatures.

The HMS Lancaster is a Duke-class Type 23 frigate in service with the British Royal Navy that was launched in May 1990. She underwent a life extension refit (LIFEX) at HMNB Devonport from 2017 to 2019 which included fitting the Artisan 3D radar, Sea Ceptor anti-air missiles, and strengthening the backbone of the ship.

The HMS Lancaster frigate is armed with 32-cell GWS.26 VLS canisters able to launch Sea Ceptor air defense missiles, two quad Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers two twins 12.75 in (324 mm) Sting Ray torpedo tubes, one BAE 4.5-inch Mk 8 naval gun, two 30 mm DS30M Mk2 guns, or, two 30 mm DS30B automatic cannons, two Miniguns, General-purpose 7.62mm machine gun and now .50 heavy machine guns.
This subsidiary will engage in the business of manufacturing, sale and export of consumer care products.

Dabur India announced that Herbodynamic India has been incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of the company, in India.

The company's board in its meeting held on 29 January 2021 had approved incorporation of a wholly owned subsidiary in India for engaging in the business of manufacturing, sale and export of consumer care products.

On the technical front, the stock's RSI (relative strength index) stood at 53.534. The RSI oscillates between zero and 100. Traditionally, the RSI is considered overbought when above 70 and oversold when below 30.

The stock was trading between its 50-day moving average (DMA) placed at 526.54 and its 200-day moving average (DMA) placed at 503.56.

On a consolidated basis, the company reported a 23.72% jump in net profit to Rs 492.02 crore on a 16% rise in revenue from operations to Rs 2,728.84 crore in Q3 FY21 over Q3 FY20.

Shares of Dabur India rose 0.33% to Rs 524.70 on BSE. Dabur India operates in various product categories, such as hair care, oral care, healthcare, skin care, home care and foods. Its business units include consumer care business, foods business and international business.

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NAIROBI, Kenya  American Special Forces soldiers began training Mozambican troops this week as part of an effort to repel a spreading insurgency in northeastern Mozambique that American officials say is linked to the Islamic State. The insurgency, near some of the worlds biggest gas reserves, has killed at least 2,000 civilians and displaced another 670,000.

The American program is modest in size and scope: a dozen Army Green Berets are to train Mozambican marines for the next two months. But it signals the entry of the United States military into a counterinsurgency effort that has been aided so far mainly by South African mercenaries, who have faced accusations of human rights abuses.

The war in Mozambique is part of an alarming expansion of insurgencies believed to have ties to the Islamic State in several parts of Africa. In the past year, militants have captured swaths of territory in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, including a port on the Indian Ocean, and beheaded hundreds of civilians, according to human rights groups.

I dont think anyone saw this coming, Col. Richard Schmidt, the deputy commander of U.S. Special Operations Forces in Africa, said in a telephone interview from Maputo, Mozambiques capital. For this to crop up so quickly is concerning.


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Postal services provider TTPost yesterday shut its branches in Port of Spain and San Fernando after dozens of people rushed to collect senior citizen pension and public assistance grants and would not adhere to physical distancing rules.

Eventually, police were called to disperse the crowds.

Several elderly people at the St Vincent Street branch in Port of Spain complained about not being able to collect their pension cheques because other unruly ones refused to socially distance and abide by the law amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stella Griffith, 68, of Diego Martin, said she was adhering to rules of social distancing, but there were other people who came for their public assistance and disability grants and were refusing to listen.
TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TAK) said that a subgroup analysis from phase 3 clinical trial supported efficacy of the investigational drug TAK-620 or maribavir over conventional therapies in transplant recipients with cytomegalovirus infection. The company stated that more than three times as many transplant recipients with confirmed genotypic resistant Confirmed Resistant Cytomegalovirus or CMV infection at baseline treated with maribavir achieved confirmed CMV viremia clearance at Study Week 8 compared to those treated with conventional antiviral therapies. Findings from the overall trial population showed the study met its primary endpoint, demonstrating that maribavir was superior to conventional antiviral therapies in CMV viremia clearance at Study Week 8. Specifically, 55.7% of transplant recipients with refractory, with or without resistance, CMV infection/disease treated with maribavir achieved confirmed CMV viremia clearance as compared to 23.9% of those on conventional antiviral therapies. Transplant recipients receiving maribavir exhibited lower incidence of treatment-related toxicities common with conventional antiviral therapies. Takeda said it continues to investigate maribavir for the first-line treatment of CMV in Hematopoietic cell transplant recipients in an ongoing phase 3 clinical trial. 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.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was pleased to kick off a massive week by securing an important Premier League win against high-flying West Ham. Having impressively triumphed at runaway leaders Manchester City in their last top-flight outing, an own goal by Craig Dawson settled Sunday's Old Trafford encounter between the Champions League qualification hopefuls.

Video Transcript

OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER: It's been a big week for us. The last few league games, big games near the top of the league, and we're starting to build some momentum in the league. Of course, now we opened the gap further to West Ham, so-- which was important for us.

You know, we want to improve on last season. We wanted to get to a final. We want to move up the table. So this week was always going to be massive. The reaction after the disappointment of the goal-- late equalizer that Milan scored was really good, because you never know how that can affect you.

And I thought it looked like everyone wanted to show what they want-- what they could do in the first 15, 20 minutes. Maybe a little bit too eager, lacked a bit of composure. Attitude was spot on, though. And then when we got the composure, we built more and more pressure and momentum.
An adrenaline junkie with military experience in Iraq has been arrested over the assassination of a notorious bikie leader who was shot dead by a sniper.

Former Rebels bikie boss Nick Martin, 51, was shot in the back at the Outlaw Nitro Challenge drag racing event at the Perth Motorplex, Kwinana Beach at 8.30pm on Saturday, December 12.

He died at the scene in front of horrified families and children including his own wife and step-daughter.

Police raided a home in Waikiki and bushland in Warnbro, in Perth's southern suburbs, on Monday before taking the man into custody.

Nick Martin (pictured) was shot in the back at the Perth Motorplex on December 12 in front of horrified families who were trying to watch the nitro cars high-octane drag racing

Police pictured raiding a house in Warnbro over the sniper shooting of bikie Nick Martin

He is currently being questioned by police. It is unclear whether charges have yet been made.

Forensics teams and detectives swarmed the home in Shoalhaven Place, in Waikiki, on Monday, seizing several items including a motorbike and a boat parked out the front.

The arrested man who owns the property has been described as an 'adrenaline junkie' who was involved in the military in the Middle East, 7News reported.

Neighbours said the man and his girlfriend were 'model neighbours' who always looked out for the community.

Other investigators were seen scouring bushland surrounding the salt water flats in nearby Safety Bay Road, later loading evidence bags into vehicles.

Another two homes in the area were also raided by police on Monday as part of the investigation.

The arrest comes three months after Martin's death and following a cash reward offer for information.

A man (pictured) who has been described as an 'adrenaline junkie' with 'military experience in Iraq' is being questioned over the suspected murder

Forensics teams and detectives swarmed a home in Shoalhaven Place, in Waikiki, on Monday

Police seized a boat from the Shoalhaven Place property on Monday

A bike was also towed away from the property by police as part of the investigation

WA Police had not recently revealed any new leads since the public execution despite several arrests and raids immediately following the shooting.

Police posted a $1 million reward for information but remained tight-lipped as to whether they had yet identified any suspects in the gangland killing.

They had reportedly been investigating a spot on the racecourse where the sniper may have laid in wait for Martin.

A photograph taken on the opposite side of the racing lanes from where Martin was sitting with his family, on the edge of a grandstand, shows a clear line of sight to the target.

After being hit, Martin told his wife Amanda: 'babe, I've been shot', as she tried to give him CPR while he died in her arms.

Another man, convicted drug dealer Ricky Chapman, was injured in the shooting at the Kwinana raceway, south of Perth.

Police said the same bullet that killed Martin had passed through to hurt Chapman - and a bullet fragment was recovered from his arm.

The chaos at the racetrack on December 12 in Perth after Martin was executed is pictured

One of the possible shooter locations previously identified at the Perth Motorplex. A long shot would indicate a sniper, experts say

Queensland University of Technology associate professor of criminology Mark Lauchs, an expert on outlaw motorcycle gangs said if the shot was taken from a distance then it was likely by a professional sniper as bikies don't typically have great marksmanship skills.

'If it's from a long way away, I would assume it's not bikie related as that's not how bikies do things,' he previously told Daily Mail Australia.

'It may be associated with things other than a bikie war.'

Professor Lauchs said a deliberate execution of this type would be more likely to do with organised crime than an inter-club bikie war or an internal club dispute.

Martin (pictured) died in the arms of his wife Amanda as she tried to give him CPR. His last words were: 'babe, I've been shot'

WA Police had reportedly been trying to work out whether the sniper shot the bikie from an area close to bushland on the edge of the motor complex.

It is thought that surveillance cameras at the complex might yield some clues to the public killing that shocked the nation, with a toilet block 20 metres from where Martin was sitting thought to be the most valuable.

Media speculation has offered up many possible theories such as that a fly-in foreign professional might have been used for the hit, or that the killer may have used a spotter close to Nick Martin to keep him informed of his target's movements.

Mr Lauchs told Daily Mail Australia that bikies were more direct, preferring brute force and open violence such as drive-by shootings and bashings to settle inter-club bikie war or internal club disputes.

He said a deliberate execution of this type would be more likely to do with organised crime.

Rebels bikie Nick Martin was riden in to Pinnaroo Cemetery in a coffin covered in pictures of $100 bills (pictured) at his extravagant bikie funeral on December 23

Pictured: Rebels bikies embrace at the funeral of Nick Martin in Perth on December 23

A $1 million reward was offered for information leading to the arrest of the shooter who killed Nick Martin, 51, (pictured with wife Amanda)

Big outlaw motorcycle clubs often had individuals within them involved with organised crime even when the club itself was not an organised criminal group, he said.

Hundreds of mourners gathered on December 23 to farewell the former Rebels president at his Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park funeral - the majority turning up in patched Rebels colours.

Martin's coffin was covered in pictures of $100 bills and Bob Dylan's All Along the Watchtower played as bikies took turns to walk up and touch it as it was brought in under a marquee for the service.

The public execution sparked fears of an bikie war, and WA Police launched Taskforce Ravello to find the killer.

Bikie compounds and properties were raided across Perth in December but no leads have been made public.

The public were shocked by the brazen execution which happened right in front of families. Pictured: the scene on the night of the shooting

A five-year-old child also suffered a minor injury in the shooting.

WA Police Assistant Commissioner Brad Royce said in December there had been a 'fantastic response' to a Crime Stoppers appeal for information about the murder with anonymity guaranteed.

Crowds meanwhile returned to the popular Perth Motorplex last month for the first time since the public shooting that shocked the nation.

More than 150 teams participated in the 2021 Nitro Slam including Nitro Funny Cars and Burning Dragsters, bringing high-octane excitement back to Kwinana Beach.

Security was tight with entrants randomly scanned with metal detectors.

Police and security guards patrolled the crowds but no violence was reported.
German radio hams request online exams

Germany's Amateur Radio Round Table (RTA) has asked communications regulator BNetzA to introduce online exams. While UK and USA have had online exams for almost a year they aren't yet widely available elsewhere



A translation of the DARC post reads:



"Due to the ongoing corona pandemic, which will probably last longer, there is an 'urgent need for online tests'. More and more members are getting in touch who have already learned over a long period of time but have still not been able to take an exam. With these words, the amateur radio round table turns to the Federal Network Agency with a current letter.





The American amateur radio association ARRL and other associations have offered the opportunity to take an online exam for a long time. At the moment there is even a trend that there are many German radio amateurs who are now taking the American exam online in Germany instead.







Right now there are also many universities that hold exams online. Why should it not be allowed for amateur radio exams,  the RTA continues in its current document. "We shouldn't let the chance go by and offer the possibility of an online amateur radio test in Germany as soon as possible," the RTA says in conclusion

Source DARC https://darc.de/
South Africa: Suspects nabbed for young Limpopo couple's murder

Three suspects have been arrested in connection with the brutal killing of a young couple on 06 October 2020 at Ga-Rapitsi village in Bolobedu outside Tzaneen, in Limpopo.

The couple, Lucia Malapane, 18, and Nius Malatjie, 21, were found dead at their house at Ga-Rapitsi village, Itireleng Section by their neighbour, who was said to be the employer of one of the deceased.

The businessman, 47, had apparently gone to the house to find out why his employee did not report for work that morning when he made the gruesome discovery.

On arrival, police found the deceased with gruesome injuries and the couples 12-month-old baby sitting next to the bodies.

The intense police investigations into the killings continued until the three suspects were arrested at the weekend. The suspects were found in possession of some items belonging to the deceased.

The suspects, aged between 34 and 47, are expected to appear before Bolobedu Magistrate's Court on Monday and are facing charges of house breaking with intent to commit two counts of murder, rape and robbery.

The motive for the brutal murders will be determined by the on-going police investigations.

The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba, has welcomed the arrest of three suspects during an intelligence-driven operation conducted by members of the Provincial Investigating Team and other units.

The murders sparked widespread violent protests by community members in the area, after they at first accused the said businessman of being responsible for the brutal murder of the young couple.

The angry mob from this village went on the rampage, torching the businessmans shop and one motor vehicle. The mob proceeded to his house, burnt it and in the process, killed some livestock.

The suspects fled the scene and no arrests were made so far. - SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-03-15. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Some Chinese companies cooperate with Crimea on market principles, based on historical ties and practical needs, and such commercial activities should not be politicized, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian has said.

"China's position on the Crimea issue is consistent. We hope relevant sides can properly address the issue through dialogue and consultation. Some Chinese companies, based on historically-established ties and practical needs, conduct exchanges and cooperation with Crimea on the basis of market principles. Such commercial activities should not be politicized," he said at a press conference, the content of which was published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Thus, the spokesperson commented on the visit of the Chinese delegation to Crimea and the statement of Ukrainian MP from the Opposition Platform - For Life faction Vadym Rabinovych that this is "China's retaliatory move in connection with Ukraine's position on Motor Sich."

As reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, by decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), on January 29 imposed sanctions on Chinese citizen Wang Jing and related Beijing Xinwei Technology Group Co., Ltd; Beijing Skyrizon Aviation Industry Investment Co., Ltd (both are based in Beijing); Skyrizon Aircraft Holdings Limited (British Virgin Islands) and Hong Kong Skyrizon Holdings Limited (Hong Kong), which in recent years have been trying to implement the rights of PJSC Motor Sich shareholders, who are placed on the sanctions list of Ukraine.

According to the decision of the NSDC and Zelensky decree No. 29 dated January 28, 2021, the sanctions imposed for three years provide, in particular, the blocking of assets, restriction of trade operations, partial or complete cessation of the transit of resources, flights and transportation across the territory of Ukraine. Other restrictions include preventing the withdrawal of capital from Ukraine, a complete ban on transactions with securities of which they are issuers, and a ban on the purchase of enterprises in Ukraine. The list of sanctions also includes a ban on increasing the size of the charter capital of business entities in which sub-sanctioned persons own 10% or more, and cancellation of official visits, meetings, negotiations on the conclusion of contracts or agreements.
Mumbai, March 15 : Mumbai Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze -- arrested in connection with the case pertaining to an abandoned SUV near the home of industrialist Mukesh Ambani -- was suspended from service for the second time in about 17 years, official sources said here on Monday.

The suspension order was issued by the Mumbai Police headquarters, a day after Vaze was sent to the custody of National Investigation Agency (NIA) till March 25.

He is under probe by the NIA and the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) for allegedly planting 20 gelatin sticks in the SUV which was found outside Antilia building on February 25, followed by the death of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiren on March 5.

An officer of the 1990-batch of the Maharashtra Police cadre, Vaze, 49, had earlier been suspended for his role in the custodial death of Khawaja Yunus, a suspect in the 2002 Ghatkopar bomb blast case.

However, he was reinstated in the police force last year and assigned to the Crime Branch and later served with the elite Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) which handles high-profile and sensitive cases.

An official said that the second suspension -- considered unprecedented for any policemen in the city -- is part of a 'routine procedure' in such cases.

During his suspension period, the former 'encounter specialist' with 69 criminals or gangsters gunned down, briefly flirted with politics in the Shiv Sena, worked for a private television channel and did other jobs.

A couple of days ago (March 13), he had created a sensation by a WhatsApp status update in which he hinted at ending his life as he was being implicated in the case.

"3rd March 2004. Fellow officers from the CID arrested me in a false case. That arrest inconclusive till date. Sensing history is going to repeat," said Vaze on his status.

"My fellow officers are on to falsely trap me. There's a slight difference in the scenario. Then probably I had 17 years of hope, patience, life and service too," Vaze said.

The apparently disturbed Vaze said: "I think the time to say goodbye to the world is coming closer." Shortly after the case was taken over by the NIA last week, Vaze was transferred out of the CIU to a side-posting.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Specializes in developing cell-based technologies and manages stem-cell banks and clinical laboratories

Creates proprietary diagnostic and therapeutic products leveraging regenerative medicine and exosome technology

Also helping in the fight against coronavirus (COVID-19)

What Avalon GloboCare does:

( ) specializes in developing cell-based technologies but is also involved in the management of stem-cell banks and clinical laboratories and the fight against coronavirus (COVID-19).

Via its two platforms, Avalon Cell and Avalon Rehab, the company develops proprietary diagnostic and therapeutic products leveraging regenerative medicine and exosome technology. It markets proprietary exosome isolation systems and related products to hospitals.

In laymans terms, exosomes are akin to powerful messengers (tiny, membrane-bound vesicles) released by cells into biofluids like plasma/serum, urine, and saliva.

Avalon says exosomes, which carry cellular proteins and genetic material, can help fight the progression of certain cancers and act as biomarkers to detect tumors through liquid biopsy tests.

The Freehold, New Jersey-based company has also developed proprietary cancer immunotherapy called CAR-T, short for chimeric antigen receptor therapy. CAR-T involves genetically modifying T-cells, specifically manufactured for each individual patient, to activate the bodys immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells.

Avalons lead CAR-T therapy is AVA-001, which is designed to treat relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. And the company has developed a number of skincare and wound-healing products that use clinical-grade tissue-specific exosomes as additives.

How is it doing:

In March 2021, Avalon announced that it will work with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Hillman Cancer Center to advance the firms RNA based candidates and relapsed/refractory B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment, AVA-001, which targets tumor antigens on cancer cells. Avalon CEO David Jin has described the collaboration as a milestone in the clinical development and production of AVA-011 and other RNA-based FLASH-CAR candidates ahead of the start of the firms first-in-human clinical trials.

Avalon and the UPMC Cancer Center will co-develop and deploy Avalons new Point-of-Care (POC) Modular Autonomous Processing System (PMAPsys) onsite. This is a proprietary lab platform intended to provide POC process development, optimization, validation and manufacturing of clinical-grade products for cell and gene therapies at Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facilities.

Earlier in March, Avalon also reported that it is expanding its co-development research program with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), involving the use of CRISPR-based genome editing and QTY protein design technology to potentially treat and prevent cancer metastasis  the spreading of cancer cells from the initial tumor site to surrounding tissues and organs. Their work has already generated a prototype device to soak up the excess chemokines and cytokines produced in the body that lead to the potentially fatal cytokine storm, which can occur in patients with COVID-19, and in cancer patients being treated with CAR T-cell therapy.

Avalon also had a busy spell in the final quarter of 2020. In October, the company forged a strategic collaboration for the global distribution of COVID-19 point-of-care antibody rapid test devices. It noted that the Assure/FaStep COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Device is the first serology (antibody) POC test for COVID-19 using fingerstick blood samples approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the test device as well as for the Assure/EcoStep COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Device. Under the agreement, Adial has granted Avalon non-exclusive, sub-distribution rights worldwide for both tests. As a result of the FDA's EUA, fingerstick blood samples can now be utilized with the FaStep COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Device for the test in POC settings, including doctors' offices, hospitals, or other locations where there is a healthcare professional.

In the December 2020 issue of Nature Biopharma Dealmakers, Avalons Jin, highlighted the bio-developer's ongoing scientific and clinical developments including a first-in-human trial of a mucosal, intranasal vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 that is planned for early 2021.

In September, Avalon had announced the launch of its new allogeneic mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) therapeutic platform as a potential therapy for COVID-19. The company said it believes that its MSC platform could offer a unique approach to treat the potentially fatal acute respiratory distress syndrome, multi-system inflammatory syndrome and cytokine storm-related to severe cases of COVID-19.

In addition to being a potential therapy for COVID-19, the company said the platform would also be developed to treat bone marrow transplant-related complications of acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD).

In the December Nature Biopharma Dealmakers issue, Dr Jin also described the companys innovative, MSC therapy candidate, CB-MSC-1, which possess unique anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities, as well as AVA-001, Avalons third-generation CAR T cell therapy that has shown robust activity in patients in a Phase 1 trial.

At the start of October, Avalon said it had expanded the Phase 1 clinical trial of AVA-001, to include enrollment of patients with relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma. AVA-001 is a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell (a type of white blood cell) therapy and allogeneic mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC, or connective tissue) therapy, which is designed to improve the bodys capacity to kill cancer cells. Earlier in the year, Avalon had successfully completed a first-in-human trial of the drug, and found that nine out of 10 patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia achieved complete remission within one month.

Avalon also has a partnership with the Institute for Synthetic Bioarchitectures at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) in Vienna, Austria. The collaboration melds BOKUs S-layer nanotechnology with Avalons expertise in biomanufacturing, cell therapy engineering, and clinical development. Avalon will leverage the pioneering work of Professor Uwe B. Sleytr, who is a top expert on applied surface layer (S-layer) technology, and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Nanobiotechnology at BOKU.

Professor Sleytr is also a member of Avalons Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board. Avalon and BOKU are establishing a research facility, the Christian Doppler Laboratory, on the BOKU campus. In connection with the new facility, Avalon and BOKU have signed a pact to jointly apply for a matching research grant from the Christian Doppler Laboratory Foundation.

Inflection points:

News of first-in-human trial of a mucosal, intranasal vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 planned for 2021

More details on Assure/FaStep COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Device

Results from Phase 1 clinical trial of relapsed/refractory B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia treatment, AVA-001

What the boss says:

In the statement announcing the collaboration with the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Avalon CEO Dr David Jin said: "We are excited about our partnership on the new point-of-care Modular Autonomous Processing System with UPMC, which we believe will help accelerate the path to bringing our own and third-party cell therapies to market. We are working diligently to fast-track development and commercialization of our cellular immune-oncology therapeutic products, while providing the highest quality and safety standards for our patients."

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive
Amaravati: Andhra Pradeshs ruling party YSRCP has swept the municipal elections which had taken place for 12 municipal corporations and 75 municipalities on Wednesday (March 10).

The YSRCP bagged 73 municipalities across 11 municipal corporations, except Eluru, who's counting was put on hold by the High Court. Four municipalities became unanimous at the nomination level in favour of the YSRCP so the election was not conducted.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won in Tadipatri and Mydukur municipalities with narrow margins while all other parties like BJP, JSP, CPI and CPM could bag only single-digit wards all over the state.

Across 671 wards in 12 municipal corporations, 425 were won by the YSRCP and 91 went to them unanimously, the TDP secured 80, JSP secured 7, CPM 2, CPI 1 and BJP secured 1. Counting was not held for 47 wards of Eluru corporation, election not held for 1 ward in Tirupati corporation.

In 75 municipalities, 1,259 wards out of the total 2,123 were bagged by the YSRCP, including 481 unanimous, 272 went to the TDP including 6 unanimous, JSP secured 23, BJP secured 7 (including 1 unanimous), INC secured 2, CPI 2, and other 1.

Independent candidates bagged 66, including 2 unanimous. Polling was not held for one ward in Addanki Nagar panchayat as all candidates withdrew nominations.

Live TV
The United States remains the world leader in the sale of weapons and military equipment, while Saudi Arabia occupies first place in the purchase of weapons, DW noted referring to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's (SIPRI) report on Monday.

Overall, the volume of international arms trade between 2016 and 2020 remained unchanged compared to the previous five years: a significant increase in shipments by three of the five largest arms exporters - the United States, France, and Germany - was largely offset by declines in Russian and Chinese exports of weapons.

Arms sales have not grown in 10 years

For the first time since 2001-2005, sales of major weapons did not increase between 2011-2015 and 2016-20. Nonetheless, the scale of the arms trade remains close to its highest level since the end of the Cold War.

The US is the world leader in arms sales

The United States continues to be the world's largest arms exporter, accounting for more than a third of the world's total. At the same time, the share of American exports in the world arms trade during this period increased from 32 to 37 percent. Over the past five years, the United States has sold arms and military equipment to 96 countries, far more than other arms suppliers.

Almost half of the arms shipments from the United States (47%) are in the Middle East, the main buyer (24%) is Saudi Arabia. US arms exports grew 15 percent between 2011 and 2020, further widening the gap between the US and the second-largest arms exporter, Russia.

Russian arms sales fell

Russian arms exports, which accounted for 20 percent of all global sales in 2016-2020, fell by 18 percent over this period - which is comparable to the period from 2011 to 2015. Nearly 90 percent of this reduction is attributable to the 53 percent drop in Russian arms sales to India over the past five years.

Germany and France are increasing the volume of arms exports

The third-largest arms seller in the world is France, which increased sales of major weapons by 44 percent in 2016-2020 and provided 8.2 percent of the global arms market. Paris has major supply deals with India, Egypt, and Qatar, which account for 59 percent of French arms exports.

Germany remains the fourth largest arms supplier in the world. Over the past 10 years, the country has increased its arms exports by 21 percent, accounting for 5.5 percent of the global arms trade. Germany's main clients include South Korea, Algeria, and Egypt.

China closes the five largest arms exporters in the world. Its sales have declined by 7.8 percent over the past five years and accounted for 5.2 percent of world trade in military equipment. The main buyers of Chinese weapons were Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Algeria.

The main importers of weapons are the countries of the Middle East

Most of the weapons are exported to the Middle East. The share of imports of major weapons in the region over the past five years has grown by 25 percent compared to the previous same period. This was a reflection of regional strategic competition among several states in the Gulf region.

The world's largest arms importer, Saudi Arabia, increased its arms purchases by 61 percent and Qatar by 361 percent. Arms imports by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are down 37 percent, but several contracts for the supply of large weapons, including the 2020 agreement to buy 50 US F-35 fighter-bombers, suggest that the country will increase imports. weapons in large quantities.

Egypt has increased its arms purchases over the past 10 years by 136 percent. A country that rivals Turkey in the development of hydrocarbon resources in the eastern Mediterranean, has invested heavily in strengthening the navy.

Turkish arms imports fell 59 percent between 2011 and 2020. This was largely influenced by the refusal of the United States in 2019 to sell F-35 fighter-bombers to Ankara after Turkey bought anti-aircraft missile systems from Russia. To reduce its dependence on imports, Turkey is also increasing its domestic production of major weapons.
Foreign diplomats attend the fourth session of the 13th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 5, 2021. [Photo by Wang Jing/China Daily]

I always look forward to Premier Li Keqiangs Government Work Report because it provides a detailed snapshot of what China has achieved in the past year and projects where China, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, Premier Li and the Communist Party of China, is headed. Although this has been no ordinary year, yet China performed admirably.The year 2020 was the polar opposite of normal, especially given that initially coronavirus cases were reported in Wuhan, but later testing established that coronavirus cases were seen months earlier in Europe.

While every government report is densely packed with information, this years report is especially important because of the unique confluence of events. First, it follows China's successful battle against, and recovery from, COVID-19. Second, it's been a year of remarkable milestones. Third, it marks the end of Chinas 13th Five Year Plan (2016-2020) and the beginning of the 14th Five Year Plan (2021-2025).

Premier Li at the beginning of his nearly hour-long remarks said what, in my opinion, was the biggest understatement of his tenure: "Last year was an extraordinary year in the history of the People's Republic of China." Indeed, it was and as I fully believe he correctly prophesized that China's achievements "will be remembered in history". These include taming the coronavirus, achieving the goal of completely eliminating extreme poverty, while at the same time entering the ranks of global innovation leadership.

Here in Austria, under repeated lockdowns from one year ago, I look with profound admiration and even jealousy of the near-normalness of China. Even when merely going outside to grocery shop in Vienna, we always worry about contracting the virus, especially one of its more potent mutations. Austria, and most of Europe, is many months, cases and deaths away from achieving the return to normalcy that China has had. For example, using worldometers.info data, Austria with a population of 9,000,000 is 36th in the world in number of cases: more than 475,000 and still rising fast. China, by comparison, with more than 150 times the Austrian population is 86th globally with less than 90,000 cases, sporadically rising in small drips and drabs, overwhelmingly from imported cases.

In terms of enhancing Chinese society, eliminating poverty, especially in the countryside, had been China's continuous seemingly impossible dream. That was until now. During the 13th Five-Year Plan, 55,750,000 people were lifted out of poverty. In fact, more than 10,000,000 people on average were lifted out of poverty each year since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012; during that time 98,990,000 escaped from extreme poverty and all of the remaining 832 impoverished counties and 128,000 villages have thrown off the povertys debilitating yoke. But as President Xi said recently "shaking off poverty is not the finish line, but the starting point of a new life and new endeavor." And so Premier Li told us that "the period covered by the 14th Five-Year Plan will be the first five years in which we embark on a new journey to build China into a modern socialist country in all respects." This includes both urban and rural rejuvenation.

The parts of Premier Li's report that resonated with me the most were when he talked about how much progress has been made in the area of technological advancement during the past five years, and how much more is planned for the future, starting with the blueprint of the 14th Five-Year Plan. To me, in the 21st century, whichever country advances most in this area is poised to be the master of a universe that will extend far beyond our good earth. As the Premier said: "Much was accomplished toward making China a country of innovators, with major advances in manned spaceflight, lunar exploration, deep-sea engineering, supercomputing, quantum information, and other areas." The work, however, will continue and grow.

Premier Li's views have been corroborated by the UN's World Intellectual Property Organization. Its most recent report released last week said that China leads the world in patent filings for the second year in a row and with increased velocity compared against number two the US. Moreover, WIPO's recent "World Property indicators 2020" shows that China has established itself as a top-level global innovator, leading all other countries in the three types of intellectual property filings: patents, trademarks and industrial designs for the first time. China also has developed 17 of the top global science and technology innovation clusters with Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou and Beijing in second and fourth rankings, respectively.

But just as China won't rest from further improvements in people's lives after the elimination of extreme poverty, neither will it dally in technical innovation after already becoming a tier-one global leader. As Premier Li reported, since development holds the key for addressing all the issues China faces, it must invest accordingly in the 14th Five-Year Plan and so will increase R&D spending by more than 7 percent annually, a greater percentage than during its predecessor.

As the rest of the world is still devoting its prime energy to fighting-off COVID-19, China maintains its vigilance, but has set its sights on 2025, 2035, 2049 and beyond.

The author is a senior fellow at Beijing-based Center for China and Globalization.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.

[ Editor: SRQ ]
As Andrea Widburg chronicles today, the top levels of the military have been purged during the Obama years, and as a result have gone overboard in attacking Tucker Carlson on Twitter for his remarks criticizing prioritizing flight suits for pregnant women and other obsessions over feminizing the military. She presciently wrote:

By Sunday, people were beginning to realize that the commanding officer in charge of the social media accounts should have stepped in and disciplined these people.

At the time she wrote this, the following dispatch was not available. Zachary Stieber of the Epoch Times:

A U.S. Marine Corps unit's Twitter account says it "messed up" in its comments while responding to Fox News host Tucker Carlson as part of a debate over his commentary about social justice initiatives in the U.S. Armed Forces. The official account for the II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group used a pejorative on social media in responding to Carlson's recent statements on how the military should be focused more on adversaries and less on culture issues. The Marines shared a picture of a female soldier carrying a male one and tagged Carlson, writing that the photo showed "what it looks like in today's armed forces." "Get right before you get left, boomer," the account said, using a word widely considered a pejorative term. After intense pushback for using an official military account to slam a private citizen, the Marines unit wrote in tweets: "We are human and we messed up. What was intended as a tweet in support of our female Marines and sisters serving in uniform was clearly not aligned with our standard practices or an appropriate representation of the Marine Corps. We will do better and serve the people. "We can do better and we will collectively take a knee, review our procedures and get back in the fight. Our focus is to train, fight and win and we have a hard time doing that without your support."

It's a start, but not adequate. For one thing, despite writing, "We are human" there is no human being's name attached to the apology. It is entirely impersonal. Who was it, at what level, that approved the slur?

Even more importantly, since when does the U.S. military mobilize a formidable group of commissioned and non-commissioned senior staff to attack a journalist who is legitimately offering criticism? Streiff of RedState provides an answer:

The amateurish attacks on Carlson were only stunning because never before has there been a coordinated campaign issued out of the Secretary of Defense's office targeting a member of the media, by name, over an opinion expressed by them. Never. In fact, there has never been such a shameful episode directed against a specific member of the media for divulging secret information or false reporting. The men and women in the Armed Forces know there is a double standard, they know about the campaign of wokeness being carried out. Carlson not taking it all that seriously is going to resonate with a rank-and-file that is becoming culturally detached from the senior officer ranks. That is not a good thing. In fact, it is a dangerous state of affairs only exceeded by the way that same leadership is failing in its primary duty of winning wars.

Purging a nation's military of leaders based on political considerations has the potential to be disastrous. Stalin purged his generals based on his perceptions of their political loyalty to him, and many historians blame that for Hitler's ability to penetrate so deeply into the Soviet Union when he abrogated the Hitler-Stalin pact. The USSR suffered horrendous casualties  in the millions  as a result of the Germans' deep penetration. A military led by politically reliable people who replaced those who won their leadership posts by competence is a recipe for disaster.

The days in which Americans could assume that no military conflict would threaten our peaceful lives are over. China is aggressively building up its military capabilities, and has population 45 times bigger than our own, as well as an economy that is generating vast resources for the government to invest in the military. It openly targets the United States as the hegemon it wishes to displace.

We cannot afford a politically correct military.

Photo credit: Twitter video screen grab.
Residents of Nenohwe Village in Zimbabwe have reportedly been left in shock after a woman was caught at her friends house breastfeeding a giant snake.



The Manica Post reported that Gogo Nenohwe was spotted by a 12-year-old girl as she breastfed the snake while uttering names of fellow villagers whom she wanted her pet to deal with.



Following the allegation, the two elderly friends Gogo Savie Nenohwe and Gogo Ethel Sithole have been arraigned before a Chief Mutambara court on charges of witchcraft. The key witness narrated the incident in court on Saturday March 13.



She said; I saw Gogo Nenohwe breastfeeding a very big snake which had a red cloth and beads tied around it. After breastfeeding it, she took out a plate of food and fed the snake. I did not see what food she was feeding it, but I heard her muttering names of fellow villagers and telling the snake to deal with them."



It was alleged that after the young girl reported the incident to Gogo Sithole and realized that she was not taking any action, she told other villagers.



The village head, Molline Nenohwe who was subsequently notified of the incident then took the issue to Chief Mutambara. The two women were then summoned to the traditional leaders court.



When Gogo Sithole was asked if she took any action after the minor brought the matter to her attention, she said she could not travel to the chiefs court to make a report. She said;



I did not have money to bring the matter to your court. I also did not confront Nenohwe because I knew that once I confronted her, I would need to bring the matter before the chiefs court, yet I couldnt do that at that moment."



Gogo Sitholes niece, Maria also disclosed that she used to share a room with the snake. Maria said;



I used to sleep in the room where Gogo Nenohwe was seen breastfeeding the snake. The snake stays in that room. I stopped using the room because of that and begged my aunt to move me to another room. Sometimes the snake comes out to bask in the sun."



Other villagers in Nenohwe Village also said they have come across a giant snake that has a red cloth tied around it. There are now efforts to capture the snake and bring it to the traditional ruler's court.



Gogo Nenohwe remained tight-lipped during the hearing and refused to entertain the media after the court session.









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India: Christians attacked, beaten at prayer meeting by radical Hindu mob wielding weapons

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A mob of about 70 people carrying weapons attacked a group of Christians who were praying at a believers home in Indias eastern state of Chhattisgarh this week, burning Bibles and vandalizing furniture, according to a report, which said at least six Christians sustained serious injuries.

The Christians were attending a prayer meeting at the house of a fellow believer in Surguda village in the states Bastar District on Monday night when some of the men in the mob surrounded the property and the others entered the house to attack, according to the U.K.-based group, Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

The men, believed to be Hindu nationalists, verbally abused and physically assaulted the Christians, burning Bibles, furniture, bicycles and a motorcycle, CSW reported Thursday, adding that at least six Christians had to be admitted to the hospital due to severe injuries.

This brutal attack on a prayer meeting is yet another example of the rise in crimes against religious minorities in several Indian states, CSWs Chief Executive Scot Bower said. When private prayer gatherings are seen as soft targets for mob violence it is evident that states are failing to uphold an individuals right to manifest their faith, which is a central aspect of freedom of religion or belief and protected by the Indian constitution.

Christians in Chhattisgarh state, the majority of whom are from tribal or indigenous people groups, have witnessed a rise in attacks since last September.

The persecution is taking place amid radical Hindu groups campaign to stop the countrys tribal people from converting to Christianity. These groups have been demanding that the government ban those who convert from receiving education and employment opportunities.

Most tribals do not identify as Hindus; they have diverse religious practices and many worship nature. However, the governments Census deems them to be Hindu. Radical nationalist groups, which have been working in tribal-majority areas to compete with Christian workers, have influenced some groups among the tribal population.

In three separate attacks in Chhattisgarhs Kondagaon district in September, tribal villagers vandalized 16 houses belonging to Christians from the same tribe and attacked at least one tribal Christian woman, forcing all male family members to flee into jungles for safety at the time.

The Christian men were able to return to their homes days later after the Bilaspur High Court passed an order in a Public Interest Litigation filed by 12 Christians to seek security for the displaced Christians.

Chhattisgarh is one of the states where an anti-conversion law is in force. These laws, which presume that Christians use money or other fraudulent means to convert Hindus, have been in place for decades in some states, but no Christian has been convicted of forcibly converting anyone to Christianity. These laws, however, allow Hindu nationalist groups to make false charges against Christians and launch attacks on them under the pretext of the alleged forced conversion.

Since the current ruling party took power in 2014, incidents against Christians have increased, and Hindu radicals often attack Christians with little to no consequences, noted Open Doors World Watch List last year, which ranked India as the 10th worst country for Christians.

The view of the Hindu nationalists is that to be Indian is to be Hindu, so any other faith  including Christianity  is viewed as non-Indian. Also, converts to Christianity from Hindu backgrounds or tribal religions are often extremely persecuted by their family members and communities, Open Doors said at the time.
HONG KONG, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CNOOC Limited (the "Company", SEHK: 00883,NYSE: CEO, TSX: CNU) today announced that Caofeidian 6-4 oilfield has commenced production.

Caofeidian 6-4 oilfield is located in the Midwest of Bohai, with average water depth of about 20 meters. In addition to fully utilizing the existing processing facilities of Nanpu 35-2 oilfield and Qinhuangdao 32-6 oilfield, the project has built a new central platform. A total of 42 development wells are planned, including 30 production wells, 12 water injection wells and water source wells. The project is expected to reach its peak production of approximately 15,000 barrels of crude oil per day in 2023.

Guided by the vision of green development, Caofeidian 6-4 oilfield will actively promote green and low-carbon production. After putting into production, the project will achieve zero discharge of production and living sewage into the sea. With the introduction of onshore power engineering, it is estimated that about 16,000 tons of standard coal will be saved, and about 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide will be reduced annually.

CNOOC Limited holds a 100% interest in Caofeidian 6-4 oilfield and acts as the operator.

Notes to Editors:

More information about the Company is available at http://www.cnoocltd.com .

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding expected future events, business prospectus or financial results. The words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "objective", "ongoing", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", "plans", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by the Company in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors the Company believes are appropriate under the circumstances. However, whether actual results and developments will meet the expectations and predictions of the Company depends on a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause the actual results, performance and financial condition to differ materially from the Company's expectations, including but not limited to those associated with fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas prices, macro-political and economic factors, changes in the tax and fiscal regimes of the host countries in which we operate, the highly competitive nature of the oil and natural gas industry, the exploration and development activities, mergers, acquisitions and divestments activities, environmental responsibility and compliance requirements, foreign operations and cyber system attacks. For a description of these and other risks and uncertainties, please see the documents the Company files from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 20-F filed in April of the latest fiscal year.

Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. The Company cannot assure that the results or developments anticipated will be realised or, even if substantially realised, that they will have the expected effect on the Company, its business or operations.

For further enquiries, please contact:

Ms. Jing Liu

Manager, Media & Public Relations

CNOOC Limited

Tel: +86-10-8452-3404

Fax: +86-10-8452-1441

E-mail: [email protected]

Bunny Lee

Porda Havas International Finance Communications Group

Tel: +852 3150 6707

Fax: +852 3150 6728

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE CNOOC Limited

Related Links

http://www.cnoocltd.com


Mississippi will become the second state to open Covid-19 vaccinations to all of its adult residents, following a call from President Biden for all states to do so by May 1.

Alaska opened its vaccination doors last week to anybody 16 or older who lives or works in the state. The change in Mississippi takes effect Tuesday.

Get your shots, friends, Gov. Tate Reeves announced on Twitter. And lets get back to normal!

The pace of vaccinations in the United States has steadily increased as production has ramped up, from well under one million shots per day on Jan. 20, when Mr. Biden took office, to about 2.4 million doses per day on average, according to a New York Times database.

Mr. Bidens team has made key decisions that quickened the manufacturing and distribution of vaccines, but now the country faces the challenge of getting all those shots into arms. Mass vaccination sites across the country are opening up or increasing their capacity, in part to respond to the influx of doses from the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
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Airbnb has announced its top 21 most wish-listed homes by Britons for 2021  and they're all in the UK.

Yes, Britons have gone staycation-crazy, which isn't surprising given the circumstances. And it's rural retreats that dominate.

In the ranking, made up of the homes that have been most frequently saved on Airbnb, a luxury 'pigsty' in Winchester has cleaned up, stealing the top spot from last year's exotic Greek cave.

An Airbnb spokesperson said: 'With so many of us set to staycation in the UK this year, it's more opportunity than ever before for Britons to capitalise on increased demand and turn their homes into income engines.

'The pandemic has prompted a fundamental shift in travel and a realignment of what's most important to us as human beings. As we prepare to be able to travel once again, where previously, our most wish-listed homes have been dominated by far-flung and exotic destinations, this year it's all about the rural retreats to explore on domestic shores.'

Scroll down to see pictures of all 21 of the most wish-listed Airbnbs, presented in reverse order. So the further you scroll, the dreamier the abodes become

21. 'The Weekender', Bude, Cornwall

One guest described this one-bedroom abode for two as the most beautiful small space they'd ever stayed in. Host Sara says on the listing: 'My clever husband built this little beauty last year and it evolved into something unique. With our skills and experience in various design projects we have created something we feel is very special.' It costs 85 a night

20. Lynbrook Cabin, New Forest, Hampshire

This enticing cabin for two has a large bed, a kitchenette and a hot tub with LED lights. Reviewer Samuel said: 'A perfect cabin for couples wanting a break from the city. Anna and Rob are truly lovely hosts.' It costs 97 a night

19. Farm Barn, Warwickshire

The listing for this gem for two says: 'This stunning little barn [is] set on a working farm nestled in a newly planted vineyard. You can walk the vines on an evening stroll and see the magnificent sunsets.' Sold. It costs 150 a night

18. Hillside Hideaway, Dorset

This 'unique and romantic' hideaway for two offers 'epic' views of Lyme Bay and Charmouth, including from the double shower. Plus the chance to stargaze from a freestanding bath, read under an old oak tree and curl up in front of a woodburner. Reviewer Nasreen said the cottage is 'adorable'. It costs 169 a night

17. Romantic Field Barn, Grindon, Staffordshire

'A romantic field barn with a chic contemporary twist,' says the listing. It adds: 'Situated in a stunning private setting 1,000ft above sea level and overlooking the Manifold Valley, Little Barn offers peace and tranquillity along with modern amenities.' This one-bedroom barn for two costs 100 a night

16. The Orchid Suite Barn, Mayfield, East Sussex

Movies buffs will love this rental for two, because it comes with a 10ft cinema screen (above) and a film server offering over 6,000 films. It costs 137 a night

15. Loveday Cottage, Staveley-in-Cartmel, Cumbria

Over to reviewer Tommy for a summation of this cottage for two: 'A lovely cosy gem. [A] roaring log fire to sit beside and [in a] gorgeously crafted cottage. Everything has been thought of. Minute touches really add up to make an unforgettable trip. A stellar bathroom along with a breathtaking bedroom make this a must return.' It costs 208 a night

14. Toad Hall Luxury Lodge, Norfolk

This luxury lodge for six costs 217 a night and comes with 'incredible views across open unspoilt countryside', a hot tub, under-floor heating and is just 15 minutes' drive from Kings Lynn station

13. The Buzzardry Woodland Treehouse, East Sussex

The listing states in no uncertain terms that this Airbnb for four will win guests over. 'This stunning structure will not disappoint,' it says, 'from the luxurious copper bathtub with exquisite views over woodland grounds to the extravagant beamed ceilings that protrude through the building, this magnificent treehouse offers unparalleled style and luxury.' It costs 356 a night

12. The Lodge, Heathfield, East Sussex

This lodge for two, it's claimed, will give you a sense of an Alpine stay. It's set in the grounds of a 17th-century farmhouse and affords guests 'far-reaching views to the South Downs and coast'. It costs 105 a night

11. Scandinavian Cabin, Cumbria

It's billed as a Scandinavian barbecue cabin - but many will see something of Hagrid's hut in it. The piece de resistance is undoubtedly the barbecue pit in the centre of the cosy one-room abode. It accommodates two guests and costs 75 a night

10. Airship 001, Billingshurst

This unique aluminium pod for three is nestled in private woodland overlooking a dew pond and the valley below - sci-fi meets Middle-earth. It costs 130 a night

9. Sunset Beach Cabin, Cumbria

This double-bedroomed abode for four is billed as a 'unique rough-luxe beach shack' with a snug interior. It costs 161 a night

8. The Old Bakery, Surrey

This barn for two is set in the heart of the beautiful South Downs National Park and accommodates two in 60 square metres (645 sq ft) of space. Reviewer Jay said his stay was 'superb'. It costs 89 a night

7. Unique Glamping Hut, Sutton, Cambridgeshire

In at No7 is this amazing converted 1945 boat, originally called the Anthony Stevenson, nestled within a private forest. An adjacent building houses the kitchen. It accommodates two in a double bed or two singles and costs 150 a night

6. Undercover Woodland Treehouse, West Sussex

Discover your inner Robin Hood/Maid Marian at this incredible treehouse for two hidden away up an oak tree in 50 acres of private woods. No camping kit necessary - there's even a hot shower (outside). It costs 84 a night

5. Traditional Log Cabin, Kent

It's really hotting up now as we get to the top five. And in at No5 is this log cabin set on a working livestock farm. The listing says: 'The beautiful woodland surrounding the cabin means that every season is special here and offers an ever-changing view, from the vibrant autumnal colours right through to the start of spring, bringing an abundance of bluebells through the woods and summer here definitely has the wow factor.' It costs 104 a night and sleeps two

4. The Pond and Stars Cabin, Abergele, Wales

At No4 is this 'quirky cabin' that the listing states is a 'slice of paradise' that's 'perfect for couples wanting a romantic getaway'. It sleeps two, costs 110 a night and you'll need to bring wellies, apparently

3. Twmbarlwm Luxury Retreat, Gwent, Wales

Stay here and 'rest assured, you won't be disturbed by neighbours', says the listing. This holiday cabin in the hills costs 129 a night and sleeps four

2. The Willow, Pembrokeshire

The listing invites you to stay at 'the ultimate in luxury glamping', a cabin with a full kitchen, two smart TVs, a hot tub, Wi-Fi and 'amazing views'. It sleeps four and costs 140 a night

1. The Pigsty, Winchester
HERNDON, Va., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nacha, the organization that governs the ACH Network, issued a statement to provide facts on when economic impact payments via Direct Deposit were instructed to be made available to eligible Americans:

The IRS announced that the settlement date for the initial wave of tens of millions of economic impact payments by Direct Deposit will be Wednesday, March 17. This is the date on which the IRS will provide the funds to the banks and credit unions to further make available to recipients. The Nacha Rules require the banks and credit unions to make the funds available to the account holders by 9:00 a.m. local time on the settlement date; again, in this case, March 17.

The ACH Network is capable of clearing and settling payments, and making funds available as soon as the same day on which Direct Deposits are sent. The Nacha Rules allow for ACH credits, such as Direct Deposits, to use an "effective date" of either one or two banking days in the future, or, since 2016, a "same day" effective date. It is up to the senderin this case the IRSto decide when it wants the money to be made available. The IRS chose the date of March 17, which is the date on which the IRS intends for settlement to occur.

Regardless of when payment files were sent and received, settlement of the funds for the payments will occur at 8:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, March 17, exactly as instructed by the IRS. This is literally the moment in time when the money will be transferred from the government to banks' and credit unions' settlement accounts at the Federal Reserve. There is no mystery where the money is from the time the first payment file was transmitted on Friday, March 12 to when all recipients will have access to the money on Wednesdayit is still with the government.

About Nacha

Nacha governs the thriving ACH Network, the payment system that drives safe, smart, and fast Direct Deposits and Direct Payments with the capability to reach all U.S. bank and credit union accounts. Nearly 27 billion ACH payments were made in 2020, valued at close to $62 trillion. Through problem-solving and consensus-building among diverse payment industry stakeholders, Nacha advances innovation and interoperability in the payments system. Nacha develops rules and standards, provides industry solutions, and delivers education, accreditation, and advisory services. Learn more at Nacha.org.

Contact: Victoria Day

Nacha

703-561-3925

[email protected]

SOURCE Nacha

Related Links

http://www.nacha.org


Our recent report Global and China Automotive Seating Industry Report, 2020-2021 highlights the following: development history of automotive seating, industry pattern, market size, supplier relationships, CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electrified) and cooperation dynamics of major automotive seat manufacturers, and ten trends for automotive seating industry in an upsurge of CASE.

New York, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global and China Automotive Seating Industry Report, 2020-2021" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p04275463/?utm_source=GNW





Automotive seat is the interior component that occupants contact for the longest time during the ride. Since the worlds first automobile came into being in 1885, automotive seat has evolved for over a century from a simple component into a practical tool offering comfort and safety.



Global automotive seating market is dominated by American, European and Japanese brands.



In 2019, North American, Japanese and European seat manufacturers commanded around 50%, 14% and 11% of the global market, separately. Chinas automotive seating market is grabbed by foreign companies such as Adient and Lear and their affiliates and Toyota Boshoku, or foreign-funded joint ventures, which together sweep more than 60%.



Ten trends for automotive seating industry amid CASE



Under the development trend of CASE, the tide of software-defined cars is unstoppable. However, software cannot define everything about vehicles. Traditional auto parts manufacturers still have many core technologies, which cannot be replaced by emerging auto-making forces, such as automotive settings. Seat manufacturers have also made a lot of intelligent improvements to seats according to the development needs of intelligent connected vehicles. We summarized the ten development trends for automotive seating industry amid CASE boom.



Trend 1: Multi-scenario Application

In future, autonomous vehicle cockpit will be a mobile space for office, living and entertainment, so seat needs to transform for different application scenarios. An example is the next-generation reconfigurable seating concept Magna showcased at CES 2019. Users can reconfigure seats via their smartphone APP, with reconfigurable modes including vehicle sharing, long journey, and autonomous shared mobility.



Trend 2: Integration with ADAS



In future, automotive seat that plays a crucial role in vehicle safety will integrate with ADAS to deliver more driving assistance capabilities. Examples include InfoSeat, an automotive seating system TACHI-S and Clarion co-developed and launched in 2019: when the vehicle travels too close to the front vehicle or the driver is drowsy, the vibration device installed in the seat will send a vibrative warning to occupants.



Trend 3: Intelligent Control

At present, CASE is reshaping the automotive industry. Facing the disruption in automotive industry, seat manufacturers race to double down on intelligence deployment by way of such as cooperation and independent development. Future intelligent seats can not only provide comfortable experience but learn to know what passengers want with AI technology and adjust and control themselves without any active operation. For instance, the fusion of sensors and seats makes seat control mode change from conventional button to intelligent control methods, e.g., APP, gesture control and intention perception.



Trend 4: Intelligent Monitoring

In future, automotive seat will also act as a health manager that can monitor heart and breath rates. Examples include HiRain Technologies intelligent automotive seating system with the ability to intelligently monitor health, heart and breath rates, and temperature.



Trend 5: Personalization

As well as function intelligence, personalized design holds a trend for automotive seat, helping users to create a more private interior space. In the case of gender-targeted design, ambient lamps are used to build exclusive private sound areas.



Trend 6: Modularization



Automotive modular platform that helps automakers reduce cost, development time, vehicle weight and fuel consumption will be well-welcomed. For example, Broses complete seat modular structure allows for higher uniformity of motors in size for quick response to different customers needs forany drive for basic capabilities such as adjusting length, height, seat tilt and backrest tilt, serving as an efficient supplement in comfort and safety.



Trend 7: Application of Intelligent Surface



As intelligent cockpit booms, decorative, functional intelligent automotive surface attracts ever more attention from industry players. Examples include BWM Vision iNext, a concept car fully demonstrating which direction intelligent automotive surface will head in. iNext allows users to operate the infotainment system by interacting with and tracking symbols on seat or side panel woven fabrics with their fingers, which replaces traditional buttons and touch screen control capability.



Trend 8: Replacement Cover Seat

The growing awareness of hygiene and disinfection in car comes with popularity of car sharing and current pandemic. The emergence of replacement cover seat will be an efficient way to reduce the spread of viruses and bacteria and better protect the health of occupants.



An example is the replacement cover seat co-developed by TACHI-S and SEIREN Co., Ltd. Users can replace seat covers as they like in any time. For car sharing, corporate LOGO or QR code can be printed on the cover of the seat in support of offering commercial services from information spreading and price planning to pre-order and online settlement.



Trends 9: Lightweight



Seats make up 6% of vehicle curb weight, and 5% of total vehicle cost, the second highest share among all components. Lightweight seats are an effective solution to vehicle energy conservation and emission reduction. Reducing the weight of seats lies in use of lightweight seat frames or complete seats.



Trends 10: Zero Gravity



Statistics shows that in autopilot mode, the comfortable recumbent mode (zero gravity) gives users the greatest pleasure. A zero gravity seat is a boon for them to feel less tired during the journey. For example, in June 2020 Yanfeng Automotive Interiors introduced XiM21, a self-developed intelligent cockpit featuring a zero gravity seat that affords a large angle tilt, integrates with massage function and lets passengers relax their body and mind with fragrance from the hidden air outlet.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p04275463/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




Parents with young children  trapped at home without child care or viable schools  win big in President Bidens $1.9 trillion relief package, signed into law last week. It goes way beyond stimulus, promising to spark the vitality of Americas families. Yet only for a single year.

Families with youngsters under 6 years of age will enjoy up to $3,600 in child tax credits, raised from $2,000 yearly. Low-income parents earning too little to pay income taxes will receive a cash refund from the IRS for the first time.

Working parents gain another $4,000 to defray the cost of child care for each toddler or preschooler, also made refundable for low-wage workers, under Mr. Bidens bold policy revolution. He sharply boosts the take-home pay of poor families  by 20% on average  while easing child care expenses faced by middle class parents. The tandem benefits will momentarily slice by one-third the count of American children raised in poverty.

The president awards $3.8 billion to Californias child care homes and preschools, after being shuttered and hemorrhaging teachers for most of the past year. This will boost Gov. Gavin Newsoms effort to expand pre-K to all 4-year-olds in the next five years.

We expected our grandfatherly president to doddle down a middle road. Bidens stimulus plan instead offers the most progressive boost in aid to families since the Great Society. He dodges unguided entitlements, even borrowing policy devices from moderate Republicans.

But heres the rub: This welcome policy jolt will supercharge California families for just one year. Biden offers a massive experiment, asking whether government can elevate the well-being of poor households and dissipate the economic stress facing middling parents. The ruling party and progressives at large will suffer a huge setback if Biden fails.

Democrats have long dreamed of setting an income floor for the poor, going back to Sen. George McGoverns ill-fated proposal in 1972 to send $1,000 to every family. Biden will largely achieve this aim, buoying 83 million children nationwide. Its an idea lent credence from sharp gains in childrens growth and parents well-being, resulting from small-scale trials in Stockton and elsewhere.

The pandemic revealed the nations brittle patchwork of child care providers, often failing to ensure the safe and affordable care options that parents desperately seek. Biden aims to visit this breach, yet only for a short stay. The stimulus bill offers a Cinderella-like bargain, when families newfound economic security disappears as the clock strikes midnight a year from now.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris hit the road this week, trumpeting their pro-family initiative. They must also quickly engage the Congress to broaden political support. Start with Senate Republicans, who seek to simplify the dizzying maze of government programs, including prenatal care, paid family leave, public preschools, myriad tax benefits.

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, would consolidate existing federal efforts into an annual cash payment of $4,200 to every family with children under 18, similar to household supports commonly legislated in Europe. Romney would spend little new money, but he would streamline how parents backstop their economic well-being.

Biden already borrows from an earlier Republican playbook, when moderates thrived in the GOP, relying on tax credits and portable vouchers to offset the costs of raising children. He avoids funding huge institutions or restricting child care options for parents, from individual caregivers to pre-K centers.

Making the tandem tax benefits refundable mimics the Earned Income Tax Credit, signed into law by Republican Gerald Ford in 1975, which reduces income taxes for 24 million working-poor families.

Biden can win congressional allies by dodging the call for universal entitlements, such as free preschool for all young families  no matter how rich or poor  the favored pitch of Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New Yorks mayor, Bill de Blasio. My own research details how pre-K expansion in the Big Apple has inadvertently tilted higher quality programs toward White and Asian-heritage families, as facilities and stronger teachers become regressively distributed.

Biden opts to award tax benefits to poor families  those placed most in harms way by the pandemic  while lowering taxes for middle-class families raising young children. Significant gains in family incomes reduce stress and conflict in poor households, lifting the early learning of young children. Its a preventive policy that reduces downstream health and welfare costs to government.

The White House must commission independent scholars to detect how this policy revolution touches the daily lives and well-being of Americas families. Does rising income truly enrich home environs for young children? Can tax credits alone ensure that parents find reliable, high-quality child care?

Hopefully, this unprecedented policy experiment will work. But sound research could muffle the partisan rancor thats sure to erupt when Biden returns to the Congress, seeking to make permanent his remarkable effort to lift all families.

Bruce Fuller, professor of education policy at UC Berkeley, is publishing When Schools Work later this year (Johns Hopkins).
(Newser)  AstraZeneca is defending its COVID vaccine after more countries suspended its use over health concerns. The company said Sunday night that its own review of more than 17 million inoculations found no increased risk of blood clots, reports Reuters. Major health agencies including the World Health Organization and European Medicines Agency agree that AstraZeneca shots are safe and urge countries to continue administering them, notes CNBC. The vaccine is not yet approved for use in the US, though it's in use throughout Europe, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere. Over the weekend, the Netherlands and Ireland joined the list of nations that have at least partially suspended use. Others are Italy, Austria, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Latvia, per NPR. Thailand, on the other hand, had paused shots but plans to resume them this week.

story continues below

A careful review of all available safety data of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union and UK with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country, the company said in a statement. The company found 15 events of deep vein thrombosis and 22 events of pulmonary embolism, figures it says are not out of line for a sample size of 17 million. Dutch and Irish officials paused shots as a precautionary step after Norway's Medicines Agency reported that three health workers were being treated for clotting issues after receiving the vaccine, per CNBC. (In the US, spring-breakers are causing some concern in Florida.)
Over the past day, March 14, the armed formations of the Russian Federation violated the ceasefire in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) area in Donbas 13 times, wounding a Ukrainian soldier.

In the area of responsibility of the operational and tactical group North, the occupiers fired 82mm mortars, heavy machine guns, hand-held grenade launchers and small arms near Pivdenne (40km north-east of Donetsk). As a result, one Ukrainian soldier sustained a gunshot wound, the press center of the JFO Headquarters informs.

Near Katerynivka (64km west of Luhansk), Russian-occupation forces opened fire from an anti-tank missile system, grenade launchers of various systems and small arms.

Outside Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk), the enemy shelled Ukrainian positions, using heavy machine guns; in the area of Troitske (69km west of Luhansk)  heavy machine guns, grenade machine guns and tripod-mounted man-portable antitank guns.

In the area of responsibility of the operational and tactical group East, the armed formations of the Russian Federation opened fire from heavy machine guns and small arms near Lebedynske (16km east of Mariupol); under-barrel grenade launchers  outside Opytne (12km north-west of Donetsk) and Avdiivka (17km north of Donetsk); hand-held antitank grenade launchers and small arms  in the area of Pisky (11km north-west of Donetsk); grenade machine guns  near Hnutove (20km north-east of Mariupol).

Today, March 15, the situation in the JFO area remains controlled by Ukrainian troops. No ceasefire violations have been recorded.

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The Nigerian stock market posted gains last Monday and Wednesday while the remaining sessions ended in loss, with the development and other market trends and corporate actions shaping Premium Times Stocks to Watch.

We have put together number of stocks you should look out for this week on the premise of how the market fared last week and some fundamental factors.

Premium Times Stocks to Watch collates equities with a potential for good return on investment.

An investor may randomly assemble a range of stocks for investment purposes. But we have done ours by adopting rigorous analytical approaches to save you that hassle.

This is not a buy, sell or hold recommendation. You may have to involve your financial advisor before taking investment decisions.

ARDOVA PLC

Ardova tops our list by virtue of its declaration of N0.19 per share dividend for financial year 2020. Investors willing to benefit from the largesse have to own the companys shares by March 25 while payment is slated for April 13.

Ardovas Earnings Per Share (EPS) is N1.42 while its Price to Earnings (PE) ratio is 10.48.

The companys board has put forward a dividend payout of N1.50 per share for shareholders endorsement at the forthcoming annual general meeting.

LASACO ASSURANCE PLC

Lasaco features on our list based on its impressive 2020 earnings report that saw gross premium jump 17.1 per cent to N10.938 billion and profit after tax by 147.1 per cent to N780.161 million.

The underwriters EPS is N0.43, while its PE ratio is 3.05.

ACCESS BANK PLC

Access Bank makes our list for currently trading well below its intrinsic value. It trades at N7.80 per share, has a Price-to-Earnings (PE) ratio of 2.53 and Earnings-Per-Share (EPS) of N3.08.

Investors will be looking to the earnings release of the lender on Friday which, if positive, could drive the share price of the stock higher thereafter.

MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC

Mutual Benefits appears on our list on the basis of trading lower than its real value. It is quoted at N0.39 per share, has a PE ratio of 1 and an EPS of N0.39.

COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PLC

Courteville features on our list on account of trading at its lowest price in the last 52 weeks. It currently trades at N0.20 per share, has an EPS of N0.05 and a PE ratio of 4.43.
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.
An Apple event may be coming, and speculations are already pointing to the arrival of the AirPods 3 which would be the latest wireless Bluetooth earphones from the company.

However, Apple has confused its fans and leakers after it released the "Jump" advertisement that showcases and promotes the AirPods Pro released in 2019.

The popular and most valuable technology company in the world, Apple, is known for being not that big on advertisements, aside from its event releases and teasers that fall on conventions or the Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC). However, for some unknown reasons, it has released an ad for the AirPods Pro, a fairly old Bluetooth earphone.

The video shows a person running around and doing highly-energetic moves while listening to his earphones, which is Apple's AirPods Pro and playing the song called "Fallin' Apart" by Young Franco. What is more puzzling with this release is Apple's YouTube channel header having the AirPods Pro as its featured image, as if it is a new device.

Read Also: iPhone 13 Way Behind Samsung and Asus? 1TB Storage Only Coming Now!

Apple AirPods Pro Promoted Despite AirPods 3 Release Rumors

According to 9 to 5 Mac, the new advertisement from Apple comes at a time when the rumors of the release of the AirPods 3 are at an all-time high, particularly as speculations believe that a March event would bring it. Additionally, the speculated release of the AirPods 3 is expected to take place in the coming week, which would also be the first Apple event of the year.

As per tradition and expectations, Apple is known to have a Spring Event around these time, particularly every March, to start the year and showcase Apple devices that would be up for grabs. Last year, it was the iPad Pro 2020 which debuted in March, bringing the new breed of iPad with the square edge design and a camera that resembles the iPhone 11's.

The advertisement video from Apple highlights the AirPods Pro's Noise-Cancelling features, which shows that the man enjoying his music as he switches from the Spatial Audio to the more isolated feature. Nobody knows what Apple is up to, especially as it promotes an almost 2-year-old technology with a full-length advertisement.

Apple Rumors for March 2021 Event

According to Pickr's report, Apple is planning a March 2021 event, and it is as expected by the public as there are several points in the year where the Cupertino giant holds an event and showcases new technology. Samsung may be the first to release this year with the Samsung Galaxy S21, but Apple is still waiting for an entire year to debut its new tech to the public.

This means that the iPad Pro 2020 would see an update for this year, as it already completed its period where Apple is speculated to release a new model or version of the device. On the other hand, one of the most awaited techs from Apple is the AirPods 3, which has been released two years ago, since March 2019.

Related Article: Apple Car Is Happening--Tech Giant's Potential Value Could Increase to $3 Trillion!
This is the dramatic moment a worker pulls his colleague to safety with seconds to spare as an out-of-control lorry smashes through the kiosk he had been sitting inside.

CCTV footage captured the near-death moment at an icy truck yard in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday.

In the video the truck can be seen gathering speed as it rolls backwards after suffering a brake failure.

A quick-thinking worker rushes into the path of the vehicle, swinging open the door of a wooden kiosk where another worker is sat unaware.

The two men then make a frantic dash from the path of the lorry and are able to get to safety.

Within seconds the cargo lorry flattens the small structure where the man had been sitting.

Social media users praised the selfless worker for his life saving actions, with one writing: 'His co-worker owes him a pint for that lol.'

CCTV footage captured the near-death moment at a truck yard in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday. Here a colleague is seen running towards the shack to save his co-worker

With seconds to spare the two men make a dash for it and narrowly miss being crushed by the truck

The lorry flattens the small structure where the man had been sitting

Whilst another commented: 'Man definitely got a [pay] raise'.

Others questioned why the truck's safety brakes didn't kick in, writing: 'ALL 12 air brakes failed ? I think the driver didn't set the park brakes.'

Another replied: 'Exactly, air brakes are designed to engage when they fail. Unless this monster has hydraulic brakes.'
" " The book believed to be world's oldest mulitpage book contains six bound sheets of 24-carat gold, with illustrations of a mermaid, horse-rider, harp and soldiers. Ivorrusev/CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia

At Bulgaria's National Museum of History, there lives a book comprising six pages of beaten 24-carat gold covered with Etruscan script, one of the few writing systems scholars have yet to decipher. It features illustrations of a horse-rider, a mermaid, a harp and soldiers [source: BBC News].

According to reports, the book, exhibited in 2003, was estimated at about 2,500 years old. It was found along the Strouma River in southwestern Bulgaria in an old tomb, and was donated to the museum by the finder, who remained anonymous. Its age and authenticity were confirmed by two independent scientists, whose names also remain unknown.

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This book is often cited as the world's oldest book because it is the oldest book containing several pages that we know about. There are older pages around but not bound together in a book. But the case isn't closed.

The question of what is the oldest book in the world will likely never be answered. First, there's the question of what exactly is a book. Books are slippery artifacts. Think of your favorite novel. It has a physical presence, a specific shape and form that fits on a shelf and requires dusting.

It also has a nonphysical form  the story itself, what it means to you and the memories and enjoyment it conjures. So is the book a mere physical presence, or is the content more important than the shape? Or do they both play a role? Take it a step further and ask what if your favorite book wasn't printed but handwritten, would it still be a book? What about if you read it on an electronic device?

If printing defined what a book was, then the oldest book would be the Gutenberg Bible, printed in about 1450. Of course, that was printed with moveable type. Chinese cultures were printing pages of booklike structures using carved wood plates and simple presses hundreds of years before Gutenberg.

Now take the Egyptian pharaohs. Their scribes were creating songs and prayers to them close to 3,000 years ago, but these were on papyrus scrolls, which could be considered a book, albeit with only one very long page.

"These are questions scholars are still wrestling with," said Laurent Ferri, curator of rare books and manuscripts at Cornell University whom we interviewed in 2010. "For me, a book would be defined by having a binding and supporting a world view."

By this definition, the collection of clay tablets maintained by Cornell  also the largest collection in the world  wouldn't be considered the world's oldest books. They aren't bound, and most are legal proceedings or financial accountings and do not espouse a worldview.

With his own definition in mind, Ferri said his bet on the oldest books in the world would be Homer's "Iliad," and the "Epic of Gilgamesh." Indeed, the British Museum's version of the Gilgamesh tale, written on clay tablets, dates to about the seventh century B.C.E. However, the tablets aren't bound, so they're technically not a book, but they do come close, especially in the sense they propose a certain view of the world. But we don't really know when the stories started or how they evolved.

"This is another situation to consider," Ferri said. "These (two stories) are the product of a very long oral tradition. We know roughly when the text was fixed, but the stories pre-existed the physical book."

And so the questions turn. Some people think the Bible was written shortly after the world was created, making it the oldest book. Yet biblical scholars know the books that make up the Bible were written over many centuries and that many of the stories included in it were set down centuries after the events they recorded happened.

Bringing religion, or worldviews, into the question begets more twists and turns. The I Ching, the foundation book for Taoist philosophy, was allegedly written by Lao-Tze more than 2,000 years ago. Pharaonic texts exist with a similar vintage. There are likely other more obscure religions that claim to have a toehold in centuries further in the past and that their more recent printings are merely modern manifestations of ancient texts.

For Ferri, the quest for the world's oldest book is just that  a quest.

"If you find the oldest book you find the oldest truth, the oldest revelation," he said. "This is a revelation of original things; this is what humans always look for. So, we ask the questions again and again, 'What is the oldest?"

So, the question of what is the world's oldest book will likely never be answered conclusively, and this may not be a bad thing. The simple asking of the question seems to lead to insight, whether from an archaeological perspective or a philosophical perspective. And it addresses the ultimate point of books (whether they're on clay tablets or online), summed up by Ferri: "We wouldn't be human without books."

Originally Published: Mar 23, 2010
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blamed the Trump administration for the influx of unaccompanied migrant children on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Pelosi's comment comes following the announcement of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be aiding in the transfer of the migrant children showing up at the southern border.

USA Today reported that thousands of migrant children are being held in the United States facilities' as they wait for the processing by the DHS and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The DHS should normally process and transfer unaccompanied migrant children to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within three days to be with their parents living in the U.S. or suitable sponsors until their immigration cases could be resolved. But since this is not the current scenario, more children are being held longer at the facilities of border patrol.

It can be recalled that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known by her initials AOC, earlier criticized the Biden administration for reopening a facility in Texas to detain migrant children.

RELATED ARTICLE: Biden Administration Reopens Texas Detention Center for Foreign Children at Border

Pelosi and Migrant Children

The Biden administration has reversed several immigration policies of the former administration, including the policy directing extra funds in constructing the border wall, CNBC reported.

Despite criticisms on the surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border due to President Joe Biden's open border policies, the administration argued that there is no crisis at the border yet.

"I think there is a challenge at the border that we are managing," said Mayorkas, adding that they have resources that they could utilize in controlling what happens on the border.

Pelosi noted that the influx of children on the U.S. border is an issue that the Biden administration inherited from the broken system the Trump administration has established. Pelosi added that the current administration is expediting their resources to correct those issues in the children's interest.

"This is a humanitarian challenge to all of us," Pelosi said on ABC News' "This Week" on Sunday.

The Guardian reported that some 9,547 unaccompanied migrant children were taken into the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody last month.

"These people were leaving because of the drought," Pelosi said, adding that the immigrants could not farm and only seek other ways to survive. Pelosi also mentioned that some of the immigrants were gravely affected by climate change.

After her interview with the ABC News, Pelosi then admitted to reporters that "this is a humanitarian crisis," a label that the administration has avoided using.

The stability of the Central American countries and the current administration's promise of a more humane approach to immigration are the factors why more children and even illegal or undocumented immigrants are seeking asylum in the U.S.

Unaccompanied Migrant Children and FEMA

As new arrivals are increasing on the border, the Biden administration has tasked FEMA to provide logistics and help control the situation on the U.S. border. Pelosi noted that the officers or agents from FEMA would assist the children and take them into custody within 72 hours.

"I am so pleased that the President, as a temporary measure, has sent FEMA to the border to help facilitate the children," Pelosi said. She was also pleased that the children would be brought to a safe place and would cater to their needs as they would be transferred to "family homes or homes that are safe for them to be."

As Pelosi commented that the influx of unaccompanied migrant children on the border was brought by the system formed by the previous administration, Republicans, on the other hand, said the Democrats are weak when it comes to immigration issues.

READ MORE: Biden Administration Eyes Army Base to House Migrant Children

WATCH: Record Number Of Unaccompanied Migrant Children Held in Border Patrol Custody - From NBC News
SHANGHAI, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sherwin-Williams, a global industry leader in the development of technologically advanced paint and coatings for some 155 years, today rolled out its latest Asia Pacific marketing strategy for industrial wood coatings business. The ambitious plan highlights a series of eco-friendly innovations that provide consumers with green and gracious living experience.

As its first endeavors for Asia Pacific in 2021, Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings announced two major eco-innovation initiatives in China: First, an Odor Evaluation Center which is the first of its kind in both Sherwin-Williams as well as the industry; Second, a brand-new Low Odor Series that consists of eight wood coatings products.

"Environmental safety and customer health have always been our top priorities. These considerations are even more important to our industrial wood coatings as they are being applied to a variety of household products. Nowadays, consumers are mindful of preserving healthy living because of the prolonged pandemic. Therefore, our commitment in putting eco-innovation into action resonates well with market climate as well as consumers' expectations in this region," said Henry Wu, Asia Vice President & General Manager, Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings.

Henry Wu, Asia Vice President & General Manager of Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings

Industry's First Odor Evaluation Center

In mid-March, Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings launched an Odor Evaluation Center which is located in its Sherwin-Williams South China Technology Center (SCTC) in Shunde of Guangdong Province, China. This is the first of its kind for both the Company and the industry.

Sherwin-Williams Odor Evaluation Center

Equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment and a team of consummate experts, this center focuses on the evaluation, testing and analysis of the odor of paints. It consists of five functional departments such as a sensory area, laboratory and information processing center. Its team of 18 professionals (including four PhDs of related disciplines) could quickly produce evaluation report on the odor of a paint product in a scientific and holistic fashion.

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According to research studies, it takes only 0.2 seconds for human beings to generate perception based on smelling of an odor. More than 66% of consumers determine whether a piece of furniture is eco-friendly solely by its odor. The significance of this center is to help Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings improve the extrinsic attributes of coating products' eco-friendliness, making them "to be smelled" by potential customers. Ultimately this could help manufacturers sell more products and bring more gracious experiences to end users, creating an "all win" scenario.

Low Odor Series Poised to be Trendsetter

Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings also launched its highly anticipated Low Odor Series, which could be regarded as a testament of the remarkable achievements of its Huarun Paint brand for the past three decades.

Low Odor Pro Series

The Low Odor Pro Series boosts a Grade One rating for its odor (dry film) and are certified by the China Environmental Labelling Program (CELP). Pioneering a "double insurance" design for comprehensive environmental protection, this series offers eight product lines in either white or transparent color that could meet the needs of different wood coatings applications. Having passed the rigorous test of the Odor Evaluation Center, the Low Odor Series is a showpiece of the R&D strength of Sherwin-Williams. Its cutting-edge products are designed to bring a refreshing and healthy lifestyle to end-users.

The Evaluation Center and Low Odor Series are two significant and complementary initiatives of Sherwin-Williams green endeavors. They convey a clear and loud message to consumers: wood products with eco-friendly coatings that have passed rigorous odor evaluation are now at their fingertips.

Wu announced these two new initiatives at the 30th anniversary celebration of Huarun brand. "Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings has a winning formula - Global solutions, locally delivered. As an integral part of our Industrial Wood Coatings family, Huarun has put this motto into practice with remarkable success in the past three decades. As we are now firing on all cylinders to drive success with eco-innovation, Huarun would make even more contributions in this process," he said.

Sherwin-William Industrial Wood Coatings is going to participate in the 36th Shenzhen International Furniture Exhibition that will take place from March 17 to 21. At its pavilion, Sherwin-Williams will exhibit the Low Odor series plus its other eco-friendly offerings. It will also announce the study results of new color trends of paint and coatings. The Odor Evaluation Center will also set up a dedicated odor sensory corner there.

About Sherwin-Williams

Founded by Henry Sherwin and Edward Williams in 1866, today The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE: SHW) is a global leader in the development, distribution, and sale of paint, coatings and related products. We have more than 60,000 employees and businesses in over 120 countries, serving professional, industrial, commercial and retail customers.

Entering Asia in 1930 and regionally headquartered in Shanghai, The Sherwin-Williams Company today runs businesses in most of the Asian countries, employing over 3,500 employees and operating 10 production sites across the region. In Asia, we supply coating solutions with famous brands such as Sherwin-Williams, Valspar, Huarun Paint, Aquaspar, Valde, AWXP, Ultra7000, Fluropon, WeatherXL and many more for the construction, consumer, industrial, packaging and transportation markets, etc.

About Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings

The Industrial Wood Coatings division of Sherwin-Williams is committed to providing excellent, individually tailored services to our customers. We are a leader in product finishes, with our products marketed under such well-known brands as Sherwin-Williams, Huarun Paint, Sayerlack and Inchem. With both products and support, we are focused on providing manufacturers with complete and customized finishing solutions. Our customers include a full range of industrial wood finishing segments, including wood furniture, windows, cabinetry, millwork, flooring and other specialty applications.

SOURCE Sherwin-Williams
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Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 47 Colleges In Ohio for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 188 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each institution is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment.

The 2021 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system which includes student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third party evaluations. Intelligent.com analyzed 188 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 47 making it to the final list. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each school.

To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-colleges-in-ohio/

2021 Top Colleges In Ohio featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

Ashland University

Baldwin Wallace University

Bluffton University

Bowling Green State University

Capital University

Case Western Reserve University

Cedarville University

Cleveland Institute Of Art

Cleveland Institute Of Music

Cleveland State University

College of Wooster

Columbus College Of Art And Design

Defiance College

Denison University

Franciscan University Of Steubenville

Franklin University

Hiram College

John Carroll University

Kenyon College

Kettering College

Malone University

Marietta College

Mercy College, Ohio

Miami University

Mount Carmel College Of Nursing

Mount Saint Joseph University

Mount Vernon Nazarene University

Muskingum University

Oberlin College and Conservatory

Ohio Dominican University

Ohio Northern University

Ohio State University

Ohio University

Ohio Wesleyan University

Otterbein University

Tiffin University

Union Institute & University

University of Akron

University of Cincinnati

University of Dayton

University of Findlay

University of Mount Union

University of Toledo

Ursuline College

Wittenberg University

Xavier University

Youngstown State University

About Intelligent.com

Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides which include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/.
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New Delhi, March 15 : Against the backdrop of various PILs seeking vaccination of judges and lawyers, the Centre on Monday made it clear before the Supreme Court that it can't prioritise vaccination on the basis of trade and profession.

In an affidavit, the government said as it is taking proactive measures based upon a rational and justifiable policy in connection with vaccination of people, depending upon their vulnerability to disease, nature of work, age and co-morbid health situation.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said it may not be desirable to create a separate class consisting of lawyers and others below 45 years of age and discriminating against persons engaged in other trades, professions or businesses.

"It may not be in the larger interest of the nation that the government starts sub-classification, either based upon the profession, trade, business or any other ground, at least at this juncture," it said in the affidavit.

A national expert group on vaccine administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) was set up on August 7, 2020 and the government said that it has prioritised healthcare and frontline workers and others, including those aged 60 years and above and those aged between 45 and 59 with 20 co-morbidities, for vaccination.

The response from the government on a PIL by Arvind Singh against exclusion of legal fraternity from the priority category of population for administration of Covid-19 vaccine.

"Since January 16 till March 6, a total of 2.1 crore doses have been administered to prioritised beneficiaries over a period of 50 days," the government said, noting that the US, the UK, Spain and Israel have undertaken vaccination for 3.2 crore, 76 lakh, 25.6 lakh and 55.4 lakh people, respectively.

Recently, the Delhi High Court had criticised the government for tightly controlling the use of vaccines manufactured by Bharat Biotech and the Serum Institute of India and had also queried export of the vaccine. It had sought details on the inventory of unused stock and production capacity of the vaccine manufacturers.

On Monday, the two vaccine manufacturers, represented by senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Harish Salve, asked the apex court to transfer a pending matter to distribution of vaccine from the Delhi High Court to itself. The top court will hear, on March 18, the pending application manufacturers along with the PIL filed by Singh.

The government said once an epidemic takes form of a pandemic, its management has to be done keeping the entire globe as a unit, and it is not possible to take state or country specific approach.

On the aspect of export of vaccine, the government said: "Low/middle income countries as well as nations with limited access to pharmaceutical technologies are at debilitating disadvantages in dealing with the pandemic. To this end, government of India has allowed only limited export of vaccines while according highest priority to domestic needs."
This is an opportunity for Jesuits to begin a very serious process of truth and reconciliation, said the Rev. Timothy P. Kesicki, president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Our shameful history of Jesuit slaveholding in the United States has been taken off the dusty shelf, and it can never be put back.

The money raised by the Jesuits will flow into a new foundation established in partnership with a group of descendants, who pressed for negotiations with the Jesuits after learning from a series of articles in The New York Times that their ancestors had been sold in 1838. The order relied on slave labor and slave sales for more than a century to sustain the clergy and to help finance the construction and the day-to-day operations of churches and schools, including the nations first Catholic institution of higher learning, the college now known as Georgetown University.

Father Kesicki said his order had already deposited $15 million into a trust established to support the foundation, whose governing board will include representatives from other institutions with roots in slavery. The Jesuits have also hired a national fund-raising firm with a goal of raising the rest within the next three to five years, he said.

The pledge falls short of the $1 billion that descendant leaders had called on the Jesuits to raise. Father Kesicki and Joseph M. Stewart, the acting president of the newly created foundation, the Descendants Truth & Reconciliation Foundation, said that remained a long-term goal as the organization moves to support institutions and initiatives focused on racial healing.

We now have a pathway forward that has not been traveled before, said Mr. Stewart, a retired corporate executive whose ancestors were sold in 1838 to help save Georgetown from financial ruin.
(Newser)  Gunmen have kidnapped 39 students from a college in northwestern Nigeria. The Thursday attack on the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization in Kaduna state came just weeks after a similar incident in which 317 girls were abducted from a boarding school in the countrys Zamfara state, the AP reports. In a statement, per CNN, a government official said that soldiers engaged the armed bandits and successfully rescued 180 citizens: 42 female students, eight staff, and 130 male students. About 30 students, a mix of males and females, are yet to be accounted for. Some students, however, dispute that version of events, with one telling CNN that the kidnappers were long gone before any soldiers arrives.

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The bandits were already gone when the soldiers came to rescue us, he said. They evacuated us to their barracks. I was very confused and afraid. Video showing some of the kidnapped students reportedly emerged Saturday. In it, per Yahoo News, one student says the captors want $1.3 million in ransom. If anybody comes to rescue them without the money they are going to kill us, a male student says, according to the site. An unspecified number for students injured in the attack, but not kidnapped, were receiving medical care, per the AP. And an official said that security forces are conducting an operation to track the missing students. (Read more Nigeria stories.)
The annual meetings of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), commonly known as the "two sessions," is China's most important annual political event. However, this year's meetings marked a significant turning point not only for China but globally. This was determined by the simultaneous coming together of two processes.



First, 2020 was a year in which China both overcame COVID-19 and achieved economic recovery in a way not managed by any other major country  in addition to achieving its goal of eliminating absolute poverty domestically.

Second, this year's "two sessions" laid out goals for both the next 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and China's long-term development up to 2035. These mark a new phase in China's development as the country will enter the ranks of "high-income" economies by international standards. This is therefore an historic transformation not only for China but for the world.

As the first country to feel COVID-19's impact, China had less time and less knowledge than any other nation to face this deadly threat. However, its unprecedented control measures successfully capped new cases, and the number of domestic new infections on the Chinese mainland dropped to essentially zero after six weeks.

As noted by Martin Wolf, the chief economics commentator of the Financial Times, China's successful actions meant that there never really was an "all China" COVID outbreak  there was a severe outbreak in Hubei, with only a limited number of cases in other regions of China.

Countries which then most successfully combated the COVID-19, such as New Zealand and Vietnam, did so essentially by copying China's responses, which was entirely to their credit.

Economic recovery

China's rapid overcoming of COVID-19 in turn prepared the ground for its second achievement in 2020  economic recovery.

Obviously, due to the pandemic, in the first quarter of 2020 China's economy suffered a severe blow as GDP growth contracted by 6.8% from a year ago. However, due to rapid overcoming of COVID-19, economic recovery had already begun by the second quarter of the year. By the end of 2020, China had experienced 2.3% annual growth for 2020 as a whole, and was the only major economy to experience positive annual growth.

The result of these trends was that the IMF has estimated that in 2020-2021, 60% of world economic growth will take place in China. In the entire period to 2025, 32% of world economic growth will take place in China.

Poverty alleviation and new target

China's other huge achievement of 2020 was the elimination of absolute poverty. According to the World Bank's international standards, China has lifted more than 853 million people out of poverty since 1981, or 75% of all those lifted out of poverty globally.

Looking to the future, China unusually announced that it would be putting forward not one but two medium/long term projects to the NPC. First, the new 14th Five-Year Plan covering 2021-2025, and second, a longer-term project covering the period to 2035. These are evidently interconnected.

By its own national criteria, China achieved the level of "moderate prosperity" in 2020. In terms of the World Bank's international standards, China will pass the threshold from its present international rank of an "upper middle income" to a "high income" economy in 2022-23. To give an indication of the scale of this achievement, the population of existing high-income economies by World Bank standards is 16% of humanity  China is 18%.

The needs of high-income societies are obviously much more complex than those of underdeveloped ones. In underdeveloped societies, the dominant issue is how to satisfy basic needs  food, shelter, basic health care and education. In a high-income society, much more complex educational, medical, environmental, cultural and other needs become increasingly important.

The success of the previous five-year plans means that the 14th Five-Year Plan and the longer-term program to 2035 has a new center of gravity of beginning China's development as a high-income society by international standards. But increasing incomes and more complex needs of the Chinese people will transform and enormously expand numerous global markets and human experiences associated with high living standards as well as enormously enriching the lives of the Chinese people themselves.

Climate change

In addition to transitioning to a high-income economy, a further decisive future task affecting not only China but all humanity was marked by the "two sessions" this year.

In September 2020, China pledged two key goals regarding humanity's common struggle against climate change  a peak in its carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and net zero carbon emissions by 2060. These commitments were widely welcomed globally as a "game-changer" on the international struggle against catastrophic climate change, and will now necessarily be embodied in China's economic strategy.

John Ross, Senior Fellow, Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China, is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/johnross.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
With COVID-19 cases down, camping picks up in South Dakota

South Dakota parks are seeing camping reservations fill up. That includes at recreation areas in Aberdeen and Watetown.
Persian Gulf water to give new life to central Iranian plateau

03/15/21

By Mehdi Garshasbi, Tehran Times

The national plan for transferring water from the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman to seven provinces situated in the semi-arid central plateau will be completed by 2025, aiming to save underground water resources while flourishing industries and agriculture in the region.

Some 1,200,000 billion rials (about $285 billion at the official exchange rate of 42,00 rials) will be invested in the plan, creating jobs for around 70,000 people.

Many water-intensive industries, including steel, mining, and petrochemicals have been established in central and eastern provinces which are struggling with water shortage.

This issue has been also one of the main reasons for people to leave villages for cities. So, such projects can help sustain industries and agriculture and reverse the trend of migration.

Four routes

It is projected to supply water through four lines. The first line, extending 820 kilometers will transfer water from the Persian Gulf to the provinces of Hormozgan, Kerman, and Yazd. Some 16,000 persons will be employed to implement the project.

The second line, extending 1,550 kilometers, will supply water from the Persian Gulf to the provinces of Kerman, South Khorasan, and Khorasan Razavi. Some 30,000 persons will be employed to implement the project.

The third line, extending 910 kilometers, will supply water to the provinces of Yazd and Isfahan. Some 14,000 persons will be employed to implement the project. And the fourth line, extending 820 kilometers, will transfer water from the Sea of Oman to the province of Sistan-Baluchestan. Some 10,000 persons will be employed to implement the project.

Benefits and harms

A number of countries have made attempts to transfer water and have achieved benefits. However, redistribution of water resources is inevitably involved in changes in the ecological environment and endangering nature.

Changes are divided into two negative and positive impacts, including water supply in water-deficient areas, facilitating the water cycle, improving meteorological conditions in the recipient basins, mitigating ecological water shortage, repairing the damaged ecological system, and preserving the endangered wild fauna and flora.

The negative impacts include salinization and acidification of the donor basins, damage to the ecological environment of the donor basins, and both sides of the conveying channel system, an increase of water consumption in the recipient basins, and spread of diseases, etc.

Pros and cons

Some experts believe that these projects entailing economic and environmental burden are no solution to droughts, and demanded the water transfer projects to be dismissed due to the irreparable damages to the environment namely deforestation, wildlife habitat destruction, biodiversity degradation, improper land change use, and contaminated seawater.





Mehdi Zare, a seismic expert, says human intervention which speeds up climate change, is one of the major threats to today's human life and even the future. One of the threats is that transferring water to dry areas increases the population burden in those areas while imposing unsustainable development where there is no suitable climate for such a concentration.

He went on to note that a mix of rapid population growth, disproportionate population distribution, inefficient agricultural methods, mismanagement, and thirst for development are the main reasons behind water shortages.

This is while, some other experts, including the Department of Environment (DOE) chief Issa Kalantari, support water transfer projects, arguing that to provide the amount of water needed for drinking purposes and industries, there is no choice but to use seawater, the incredible and abundant resources, now and in the future.
Former Bolivian interim President Jeanine Anez was arrested on Saturday after the country's Attorney General's Office issued arrest warrants the previous day against Anez and five ministers from her former cabinet.

Government Minister Carlos Eduardo del Castillo del Carpio confirmed Anez's arrest. At least two of the former ministers have also been detained, according to state channel Bolivia TV.

CNN has not been able to access the basis for the charges through the prosecutor's office, but Anez published on her Twitter account images of what she says are the six pages of the arrest warrant, which lists charges of "terrorism," "conspiracy" and "sedition."

In a series of tweets, Anez said, "In an act of abuse and political persecution the MAS [Movement Towards Socialism] government has ordered my arrest." She added: "It is accusing me of having participated in a coup that never happened. My prayers for Bolivia and for all Bolivians."
Defamation laws entrench the powerful and diminish democracy Australias defamation laws take the wind out of our democracy (Christian Porter launches defamation action against the ABC, smh.com.au, March 15). The lawsuit filed by the Attorney-General against the ABC and an individual journalist may very well prove to be justified under our archaic and stifling laws. He is undoubtedly acting within the law and has skilled and knowledgeable counsel following the laws of this country. The problem is neither with the A-G nor his counsel; the problem lies with the laws. That our laws entertain this claim should be a clarion call for meaningful and long-overdue legal reform. Democracy needs room to breathe and criticism of public figures should be open and not limited to what someone can prove in a court of law through admissible evidence. For a starter, the current defence of proving truth is inadequate; instead, require that the public figure prove that the allegation is false. Public figures have so much power, including unlimited access to the media, that the people need some breathing room and journalism must be cut some slack. Otherwise, defamation laws may further entrench the powerful and disenfranchise victims. - Harry Melkonian, Vaucluse Many women and indeed men around Australia would be prepared to give the ABC a financial helping hand as it prepares to defend this action. Women of all ages are extremely grateful that the ABC continues to have the courage to expose and cover allegations of sexist, misogynist and gendered-violent behaviours that previously have been too hidden away in workplaces, public arenas and domestic settings. Those in the federal government who would hope to see the ABC brought to its knees over this latest action might need to think again. - Sue Dyer, Downer (ACT) As Christian Porter has recovered from his sick leave enough to sue the ABC, I am sure we will see an immediate and welcome return to his front bench duties. - Paul Stevens, North Epping Until Porter stood at that microphone and said that he was the cabinet member mentioned in that letter, I had no idea who it was alleged to be. If he had not spoken, I would still not know. - Warren Holland, Thornleigh

Headline here Right-on Julia Banks (Morrison cant turn his back on this, March 15) and Katherine Curchin (Dont lock up daughters, educate sons, March 15). Lets start by dumping that dreadful excuse trotted out by many parents that boys will be boys. It covers many actions and attitudes such as impulsivity, thoughtlessness, bullying actual and verbal, and reinforces a gendered fault line of behaviour that encourages an erroneous male entitlement. All-encompassing respectful humanism should be the default position when bringing up boys. - Helen Lewin, Tumbi Umbi Note to male politicians and other powerful men: when being interviewed, stop referring to women of substance with first names only: Julia for a former PM and Kate for the Sex Discrimination Commissioner. It is demeaning and disrespectful. - Julia Paul, Katoomba Unlikely anti-super bedfellows Australian Super chair Don Russell is right to draw a parallel between the agitating Liberal backbenchers such as Tim Wilson and Andrew Bragg with some leading lights of the Labor left 30 years ago. (Coalition push against super rise puzzling, March 15).

I was a young reporter for The Australian Financial Review at that time and have a clear recollection of many discussions (in the John Curtin pub in Melbourne) with the scourge of the building industry, Norm Gallagher of the tough Builders Labourers Federation. Gallagher, an avowed Maoist, was firmly opposed to the superannuation guarantee concept. With booming echoes with the current Wilson/Bragg line  Norm said workers wanted the money in their pocket now, not salted away for their retirement. Bruvver, he opinied, its the governments job to look after the pension. Mercifully, Norm was eventually persuaded by cooler union heads, including the ACTU secretary Bill Kelty, to support the campaign. Wages rose throughout the following decade, as did the share going to company profits, and super was established. It has led to this country enjoying one of the top world-class retirement income systems. This has been reinforced every time Ive addressed an international conference of pension funds (as the former chair of Media Super). Leave it alone to flourish, Tim and Andrew. - Gerard Noonan, Balmain A befuddled Don Russell is not a good look for our superannuation sector. Like Greg Combet, Mr Russell is an ex-political operative who appears to have lost sight of the super funds principal role. In place of the laser focus required to maximise returns for members, a dreamy delusion of grandeur has the superannuation sector presuming a role in the drafting of policy. - Mitch Geddes, Palm Beach Wild destruction

It was distressing reading of further environmental damage to Burnt Bridge Creek by more motorway extensions (Residents worry about impact of middle harbour tunnels, March 15). Enough damage was done years ago with the construction of the Spit Bridge feeder through the valley. As children in the 1950s and 60s living on the edge of the bush on the hill at Manly Vale, the valley at the end of our street was a Peter Pan wonderland with waterfalls, swimming holes, massive sand dunes and thick bush. Now a lot of it is a brown drain and about to get worse. Thank God, I no longer live there to witness the further desecration of wilderness in the guise of progress. - Jim Rogers, Byron Bay Marine tragedy I was a member of the Batemans Marine Park Advisory Committee for two terms and saw at first hand the state governments complete disregard for the marine environment (Fishing and green groups on park alert, March 15). They ignore science and have bled resources from the system. Community consultation is a cynical exercise in manipulation and they are progressively winding back environmental protection. The only minister who has ever spoken in favour of marine conservation is Matt Kean but, unfortunately, his words have not been followed by any action. The governments politically driven review of coastal waters has staggered on for 10 years with no conclusion. If and when this process ever reaches an end point, all we can realistically expect is further weakening of protection for the ocean. The tragedy is that in an area such as the South Coast there is broad community support for effective conservation but the government and local member Andrew Constance choose to listen to just a few self-interested voices. - Bill Barker, Potato Point This is yet further confirmation of the current NSW governments agenda to reduce protections to these important marine areas to shore up support from the recreational fishing lobby as we head into another election cycle. - Deborah Stevenson, Moruya Heads Battles of McKay

When Bob Carr won the NSW state election in 1995, he said that the hardest thing for opposition leaders is to get air time. This problem seems to have been insurmountable for Jodi McKay who has been startlingly absent in the media. Its not as if there is nothing to oppose with so many policies this government is on the nose about. - Mary Billing, Allambie Heights The Labor Party almost completely wiped out the Liberal and National parties in the Western Australian election. Despite this, the Herald somehow managed to come up with a negative story about Labor for the front page (Poll puts state Labor on track for wipeout, March 15) and the election story scraped onto page 12. Surely a landslide election result is more newsworthy than a poll about an election to be held in two years time? - Simon Squires, Hornsby Alexandra Smiths piece (McKay must overcome stark barriers, March 15) leaves the reader with the novel metaphor of turning around a sinking ship. When a ship sinks, does it really matter which way it is pointing? - David Wilson, Lane Cove Rebellion v reform While this apparently sole defence of Parnell Palme McGuinness may sound patriarchal, I found her article to be spot on (Letters, March 15). Militant Boomer feminism during my time at university bypassed reform for rebellion. Call it brave or extreme, it nevertheless confused and ultimately alienated many like me who supported the need for societal change. - Peter Farmer, Northbridge

As a feminist Boomer, I found Palme McGuinness article particularly insightful in explaining the current condition of women and in no way read it as blaming feminists. I can only explain the reaction to a depressing and sadly common inability to distinguish between analysis and simple advocacy. - Gabi Duigu, Cammeray A pragmatic thief How refreshing to read about the Opal thief who at least applied his ill-gotten gains to paying off his home loan, instead of the monotony of criminal goons who buy Ferraris, speed boats and designer handbags (Tap on, rip off: $300,000 theft from Opal machines, March 15). Though he may be about to find out equity in realty is easily recoverable. Howard Charles, Glebe Mundeys ferry

How appropriate it would be to name one of the iconic Sydney ferries yet to be saved by community outrage (Letters, March 13) the Jack Mundey! Jenni Brackenreg, Bathurst Gender equity In 1987, we applied to a major bank for a home loan. My wife was a teacher while I was working contract to contract in IT. It was an uncertain business. The loans officer looked at our figures and said, well, one of you has a steady income, Im going to approve the loan. So we got our 1948-owner-built, bare-bones, fibro house. We lived in it, enjoyed it, paid it off. I sometimes wonder how much we would have missed out on in life if that loans officer had been a man. Ken Rolph, Blacktown Gender bias

At my very first job interview out of university, as a newly married woman, I was asked when are you going to have children? I didnt get the job (Letters, March 15). Boomer feminists have brought a stop to this line of questioning, thank goodness. Margaret Grove, Abbotsford Gender neutral One significant outcome of the results of the 2021 Western Australia state election is that the Liberal Party in WA will have achieved some modicum of gender neutrality. Its parliamentary branch will be comprised of one person identifying as male and one as female. Now to work on other diverse representation in the party. Suresh Rajan, Morley (WA) The digital view Online comment from the story that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday on smh.com.au

Brittany Higgins addresses Parliament House crowd as thousands of women rally across Australia for gender equality

From blah: Morrison sticking to government policy of keeping the concerns of women behind closed doors.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 20:36:31|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on Jan. 20, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

As the world's sole superpower, the United States should not focus on leveraging its economic and military resources to form exclusive clubs in the region, or force regional members to either pick side with Washington or Beijing.

by Xinhua writer Chen Chen

BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- As Washington is gearing up to reassert its presence in Asia-Pacific, it should set an example to play a constructive role in maintaining peace and stability, and fostering prosperity of the region.

The United States has been quite active in diplomacy with Asia-Pacific countries these days: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin are heading for Japan and South Korea, while the Pentagon chief will also visit India later this week.

Prior to the current U.S. administration's first cabinet-level foreign trip to Asia-Pacific, U.S. President Joe Biden has held a virtual summit with leaders of the Quad -- a loose group of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. These back-to-back moves are clearly indicating the region's strategic significance in Washington's Asia-Pacific strategy.

A prosperous and stable Asia-Pacific is in the fundamental interests of all members in the region. Thus its peace and development need to be jointly safeguarded by all relevant parties, particularly such major countries as China and the United States.

Photo taken on Dec. 14, 2020 shows the U.S. Capitol building in the rain in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

While the Biden administration is drawing up its Asia-Pacific playbook, Washington needs to appreciate that development is what the region most aspires for at this utterly challenging moment, instead of another round of geopolitical confrontation.

Economically dynamic though as a whole, the Asia-Pacific region is still facing a fleet of conundrums such as an accelerating climate change for island countries, chronical poverty and underdevelopment in Southeast Asia, as well as lingering security concerns in Northeast Asia.

Extensive development deficits are one of the most notable and urgent problems. The Asian Development Bank estimated in 2017 that for Asia alone, 26 trillion U.S. dollars are needed in infrastructure investment until 2030. In the meantime, the number of people living in poverty in East Asia and the Pacific would go up by as many as 38 million in 2020 alone due to the COVID-19 shock, the World Bank has estimated.

To address the imbalances and inequalities in regional development, every country needs to roll up sleeves. While China has made major progress in eliminating extreme poverty, it has also been energetic in bolstering common development by enhancing regional connectivity through the Belt and Road Initiative. China is also a staunch champion of free and open trade in the region.

Ahead of his visit to Asia, Austin claimed that his country intends to boost military cooperation with American allies and foster "credible deterrence" against China.

The United States needs to realize that its allies in Asia-Pacific are also China's partners and friends. As the world's sole superpower, it should not focus on leveraging its economic and military resources to form exclusive clubs in the region, or force regional members to either pick side with Washington or Beijing. Such a divisive attempt goes against the collective wish of many regional countries.

For that end, Washington needs to view Beijing as a partner for cooperation, not a threat that needs to be deterred. It should also work with the rest of the region to tackle their most pressing common challenges such as the ravaging pandemic, rising sea levels, and lackluster economic recovery.

The Pacific Ocean is vast enough to accommodate China, the United States, and others. Any drive to turn this shared homeland into a battleground to jockey for self-interests will be counterproductive, if not calamitous. 
Thank you for reading!

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SYRACUSE, N.Y.  Landlords in Onondaga County are reporting unpaid rent of at least $26 million since the coronavirus pandemic destroyed the national economy a year ago, according to a new survey detailed by county leaders.

Officials conducted a short survey of 11,802 landlords in the county. Of them, 1,154 responded, which is about 10%. Landlords were mailed an invitation to take the survey.

Those landlords who responded reported a combined $26 million on 9,094 apartment units  an average of about $2,900 owed per tenant. Tenants owe seven months rent on average.

The amount of unpaid rent is likely much higher than $26 million, given the low response rate.

County officials are trying to figure out how best to spend more than $20 million in federal rent relief, which is one reason they conducted the survey.

Many renters lost income due to the pandemic, making them unable to pay their landlords. Federal and state eviction moratoriums have prohibited landlords from evicting tenants for nonpayment for about year.

At the beginning of the pandemic, the federal CARES act contained about $4 million in rent relief for Onondaga County and Syracuse to help landlords pay their mortgages and renters pay their rent.

So far, however, only about $300,000 of it has been spent, given to landlords on behalf of 136 households, according to county spokesman Justin Sayles.

County officials have blamed what they said are difficult restrictions placed on release of the money by Housing and Urban Development. Tenants could only receive rent relief when they had a scheduled eviction court date, a spokesman said. For much of the year, landlord-tenant court was closed due to the virus.

Some of the CARES Act rent relief money has also gone to tenants who the county is helping relocate, a spokesman said. Also, the city has been able to spend some of the rent relief money by relocating tenants whose properties have been deemed unfit, said Michael Collins, the citys director of Neighborhood and Business Development.

County Executive Ryan McMahon on Thursday said he was optimistic the county wouldnt face the same hurdles in getting money out the door with two new rounds of rent relief money: $13 million in rent relief aid in February and $10 million in the newly enacted American Rescue Plan.

The new rounds of money will have fewer restrictions, McMahon said. He pointed to the fact that the new money comes from the Treasury Department, not HUD. He anticipates the rent relief will begin being spent at the end of March.

It will probably be gone in short order, he said.

Before then, county officials are devising a plan to make the process fair, he said. Theyll impose a per-unit cap on how much money a landlord can receive, for example, he said. That plan could be released this week sometime, he said.

As rent relief has been slow out the door, tensions have risen between landlords and their tenants, according to housing advocates and law enforcement. Locally, there has been a rash of so-called self-help evictions, where a landlord forces a tenant out by shutting off heat or water or changing a lock. At least two landlords have faced misdemeanor charges since the pandemic began for doing so.

Contact reporter Patrick Lohmann at (315)766-6670 or PLohmann@Syracuse.com.
[March 15, 2021] Nokia and Orange strike global 5G network optimization deal

Press Release Nokia and Orange strike global 5G network optimization deal Nokia Self-Organizing Networks (SON) to boost automation and support 5G optimization across Orange affiliates

The deal allows Orange affiliate operators to optimize their mobile networks irrespective of which RAN vendor they run on with the help of Nokia SON technology 15 March 2021 Espoo, Finland  Nokia today announced it will expand its Self-Organizing Networks (SON) technology across 5G networks operated by one of the worlds leading telecommunications carriers, Orange. The deal will cover all of Oranges markets, starting with France and Spain. Nokia continues to offer widespread support for 2G, 3G and 4G spanning more than one million Orange radio cells in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Nokia SON operates on top of any vendors radio technology, enabling Orange to optimize its live commercial networks regardless of who built them. As a key tool in the Nokia network management and optimization portfolio, SON offers Orange the power to automate radio network configuration and optimization processes, as well as improve network performance and efficiency to support the increasing demands of 5G. Nokia SON lets Orange automate operations to realize the full potential of their existing 2G, 3G and 4G networks while also supporting the progressive deployment of 5G. Providing a centralized SON platform, it automates operations across multiple technologies, eliminating complexities from the muli-vendor and multi-layered networks naturally found across global operators. The extreme automation and artificial intelligence framework built into Nokia SON helps Orange affiliates provide better network quality with greater reliability and speed to their customers.



The deal is the latest example of Nokias continued investment, capability and focus on developing technology that supports the practicality of 5G network upgrades. Utilizing Nokia SONs software development kit (SDK), Orange has been creating and sharing custom solutions to manage their unique network environments. Arnaud Vamparys, Senior VP Radio Networks and 5G at Orange, said: As a long-term partner, Nokia was a natural choice to help us automate our mobile networks in different geographies. The complexity of radio optimization is growing with 5G beamforming and Nokias flexible, automated and multi-vendor platform enables us to maintain our exemplary network quality and customer satisfaction in the 5G era.

Mark Atkinson, Head of RAN at Nokia, said: 5G deployments and rollouts look much simpler on paper than they do in the real world. We appreciate and understand that our CSP customers have a technology stack that spans multiple vendors, which can lead to inefficiencies and complexity. Working with Orange and its global affiliates to optimize and simplify their multi-vendor networks is a challenge we relish and are proud to be part of. Resources Webpage: Nokia Self-Organizing Networks (SON) About Nokia We create the critical networks and technologies to bring together the worlds intelligence, across businesses, cities, supply chains and societies. With our commitment to innovation and technology leadership, driven by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs, we deliver networks at the limits of science across mobile, infrastructure, cloud, and enabling technologies. Adhering to the highest standards of integrity and security, we help build the capabilities we need for a more productive, sustainable and inclusive world. For our latest updates, please visit us online www.nokia.com and follow us on Twitter @nokia. Media Inquiries Communications Phone: +358 10 448 4900 E-mail: press.services@nokia.com



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French General Writes, NATO 2030 Is a Runaway Train That Must Be Stopped Before It Is Too Late!

PARIS, March 14 , 2021 (EIRNS)In name of the Cercle de Reflexion Interarmees, an independent think tank of former senior French military officials, French Gen. Gregoire Diamantidis (ret.) wrote a powerful open letter to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg blasting NATOs latest prospective study NATO 2030 as a threat to world peace and an additional step towards a world government, doing away with the last bits of the national sovereignty of nations.

The full text of the open letter was posted on March 11 on the website of the French economic monthly Capital.

On Feb. 18, NATO published its latest prospective study called NATO 2030 indicating its missions for the next ten years. From the outset, writes General Diamantidis, it appears that NATOs entire orientation is based on the paradigm of a dual threat, one from Russia, presented as being active today, and the other from China, a potential threat to come.

Two major ideas emerge from this study. The first is the enlistment of Europeans against Chinas global domination, in exchange for American protection of Europe against the Russian threat. The second is the circumvention of the consensus rule [in NATOs command], in several ways: operations in coalitions of the willing; implementation of decisions that no longer require consensus; and above all the delegation of authority to SACEUR (Supreme Allied Commander Europe, an American general officer) on the grounds of efficiency and speeding up decision making.

For the French military, NATO 2030 project clearly reveals a monument of tranquil bad faith, of quiet disinformation and of instrumentalization of this Russian threat, a threat patiently created and then maintained, so as to bring to heel the European allies behind the United States, in the perspective of an forthcoming battle with China for world hegemony.

The open letter then examines in great detail how NATO did everything to transform the image of Russia into that of the nasty Russian Bear of today.

 NATO enlargement up to Russian borders contrary to the assurances given in 1991;  Bombing Serbia for 78 days without any UN mandate;  Rejection by NATO, in 2008, of the European Security Pact proposed by Russia to settle unresolved conflicts in Eastern Europe (Transnistria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia);  Western decision to back the Euromaidan, a real coup detat that led to the elimination of the legally elected Ukrainian President.... We know what happened next, with the secessions of Crimea and Donbas.  Transformation of the Ballistic Missile Defense system into a global ballistic missile defense architecture in Europe (BMDE) ... turned against Russia and not protecting it. NATO neglected to specify that in reality these launchers (MK41) of ABM missiles could just as easily be used to fire Tomahawk offensive missiles.

As a result, the potential threat thus created to Russias second strike capability, the basis of its nuclear deterrent, pushed Russia to suspend all cooperation within the NRC (NATO-Russia Council) at the end of 2013, thus even before the 2014 Crimea affair, an action then used by NATO to justifya posteriorithe BMDE protection of Europe in the face of the new Russian threat!

So yes, Mr. Secretary General, at the end of these 20 years of sustained efforts on the part of NATO to recreate the Russian enemy, which is indispensable for the survival of an organization that is theoretically purely defensive, yes, Russia has finally stiffened, and sought in the East the cooperation that the West refused it. The effort to drive a wedge between Russia and Europe, patiently carried out over the years by your predecessors and by yourself under the constant authority of the United States, is today well under way, since Russia, at last, once again the Russian threat, justifies the most provocative exercises, such as Defender 2020, postponed to 2021, increasingly close to its borders, as well as the most insane new concepts of mini-nuclear use in the European theater under the authority of the American ally, which alone holds the key. But no, Mr. Secretary General, today, and despite all your efforts, Russia with its military budget of 70 billion (barely double that of France), does not constitute a threat to NATO with its 1 trillion, 250 billion of which is for all the European countries in the Alliance! But that is not your concern, because what is being aimed at through this new NATO 2030 concept is a much larger project: to involve the Atlantic Alliance in the struggle for world hegemony that is taking place between China and the United States. The actual threat is that of terrorism. The study does devote a section to this, but without ever abandoning the word terrorism, nor characterizing its sources, its motives, its ideological and political foundations.

The problem is, writes General Diamantidis, that terrorism is even supported ideologically by Erdogans Turkey, a member of NATO, as well as by Saudi Arabia, a staunch ally of the United States.

NATO, initially a defensive alliance, is being transformed into an offensive alliance against an enemy that does not exist for Europe, (even if we are not fooled by Chinas territorial ambitions, the impact of its economic power and the totalitarian character of its regime)....

The NATO 2030 policy document calls for a massive increase of its powers and that of its secretary general, above member states and allies whose capacity to shape NATOs policies would become close to zero.

Therefore, the French general concluded, NATO tends today to become a danger for Europe.

For, not content with having denied Europe the opportunity of a truly sustainable peace desired by all, including Russia, NATO, driven by the sole concern for its survival, and the justification by its expansion, has only provoked a vast rearmament on both sides of Russias borders, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, endangering peace in this Europe, which it now considers only as its future battlefield.

And now, he tells Stoltenberg, you

would like to justify the military tool of this alliance in the future by transforming it into an inescapable political instrument for the management of large-scale international coalitions for the benefit of a true global governance, even going so far as to override the decisions of the UN and crushing national sovereignties!

So no, Mr. Secretary General! We must stop this runaway train before it is too late! As for France, in line with the principles enunciated more than half a century ago by General de Gaulle, it cannot, without serious failure, lend itself to this adventurous agreement of American tutelage over Europe.

General Diamantidis, 75 years old, was a fighter pilot, an Air Force general, and former mayor of Ledignan in southern France. Following his military career he served as a diplomat in the OSCE, participating in the disarmament of NATO and the Warsaw Pact, as well as the former Yugoslavia.
Bank Unions are observing a nationwide strike on March 15, 16 against government's policy of privatising public sector banks (PSBs). The bank unions that come under the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) are demanding a rollback of the Centre's divestment plan aimed at garnering Rs 1.75 lakh crore for the exchequer. Besides this, the protesting unions have also raised their voice against the merger of public sector banks and 'retrograde banking reforms'.

The unions had called the strike after the conciliation meeting with the Union Finance Ministry on March 4, 9 and failed. Bank unions have been asking the government to take back the privatisation and merger plans, which are likely to cause job losses. FM Sitharaman said during her budget speech, "Other than IDBI Bank, we propose to take up privatisation of two public sector banks and one general insurance company in the year 2021-22. This would require legislative amendments and I propose to introduce the amendments in this session itself."

The government is expected to amend the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1970 and the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1980 to aid in privatisation of government-owned banks. These two acts resulted in the nationalisation of banks in two phases. Amendments to these acts might be introduced either in the Monsoon session or later during this year.

Government has consolidated 10 public banks into four. The United Bank of India and Oriental Bank of Commerce was merged with Punjab National Bank while Syndicate Bank was merged with Canara Bank. Allahabad Bank was amalgamated into Indian Bank while Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank were merged with Union Bank of India. Bank of Baroda absorbed Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with itself in 2019 in a first three-way merger.

In April 2017, State Bank of India (SBI) subsumed five of its associate banks-State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, State Bank of Mysore, State Bank of Travancore and State Bank of Hyderabad and also Bharatiya Mahila Bank.

Services like deposit and withdrawal at branches, cheque clearances and loan approvals have been impacted due to this strike. ATMs are, however, functional. Services have remained unaffected at private banks like HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and IndusInd Bank.

Besides bank unions, all unions in four General Insurance Companies will go on strike on March 17, all unions in LIC will be on strike on March 18 and unions of four insurance companies have called for strike against the privatisation of public companies.

With agency inputs; by Mehak Agarwal

Also read: Bank stocks under stress; SBI, Indian Bank, Bank of India, PNB, J&K Bank fall up to 5%

Also read: Bank strike today: ATM services, cheque clearance, other services to be hit
DUBLIN, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Asia Pacific Construction Industry Databook Series - Market Size & Forecast (2016 - 2025) by Value and Volume (Area and Units) across 40+ Market Segments in Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Institutional and Infrastructure Construction - Q1 2021 Update" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The growth of the construction industry in Asia Pacific was impacted in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. Despite the crisis, the long term growth story remains intact. In APAC, the construction industry in Vietnam has been the best performing one. Despite the coronavirus outbreak, the sector continued to grow strongly in 2020. In China, the construction output is expected to record a sharp bounce back in 2021. Moreover, China is on its way to becoming the largest construction industry over the next decade.



Though growth in residential construction remained subdued in 2020, the sector is expected to grow from 2021. Across developing markets in the region there is a strong government focus on affordable housing. For instance, the Indian government recently announced the Affordable Rental Housing Scheme (AHRC) scheme to provide affordable rental accommodation to migrant workers. This along with the Maha Awas Yojana - a new rural housing project - launched by Maharashtra Chief Minister, is expected to drive the growth of the residential construction sector in India.



Similarly, to increase homeownership in Malaysia, the government announced several incentives in budget 2021. For instance, the Malaysian government announced the full stamp duty exemption for first time home buyers in the country until 2025. This waiver of stamp duty will benefit several Malaysians who are looking to own a house in the country. Additionally, the government has also extended the stamp duty exemption for buyers of abandoned housing projects in the country. The discount on stamp duty will push new developers to take on half-completed projects and potentially accelerate the completion of abandoned housing projects. Therefore, driving the growth of the residential construction sector in the country.



Most of the governments in APAC are focusing on infrastructure development to help economic recovery. In China for instance, over the next fifteen years, the Chinese state railway operator also plans to double the size of its high-speed railway network. Thus, supporting the growth of its infrastructure construction sector.



Also, growth of the infrastructure construction sector in Japan will be predominantly driven by the expansion of the railway network in Japan. The construction activities of US$19 billion Chuo Shinkansen Maglev Rail Line is already underway, with Phase I construction from Nagoya to Tokyo expected to be operational in 2027. Construction activities of Hokuriku Shinkansen from Kanazawa to Tsuruga have also started in Japan. Moreover, the extension of Hokkaido Shinkansen from Shin-Hakodate-Kokuto to Sapporo is also underway. Both of these lines are expected to be operational by 2022 to 2030 respectively. Therefore, it will keep supporting the growth of the infrastructure market in the country in 2021.



Similarly, in Australia, around US$14 billion will be invested in hard infrastructure projects including road and rail projects (US$7.5 billion), road safety upgrades (US$2 billion), and upgrading local roads and footpaths (US$1 billion). Moreover, the government is also offering funding for accelerating the implementation of the 5G network in the country. Such investments are expected to positively impact the overall construction industry in APAC.



This report provides data and trend analyses on the Asian construction industry, with over 100 KPIs. This is a data-centric report and it provides trend analyses with over 1,500+ charts and 1,200+ tables. It details market size & forecast, emerging trends, market opportunities, and investment risks in over 40 segments in residential, commercial, industrial, institutional, and infrastructure construction sectors.



It provides a comprehensive understanding of construction industry sectors in both value and volume (both by activity and units) terms. The report focuses on combining industry dynamics with macro-economic scenario and changing consumer behavior to offer a 360-degree view of the opportunities and risks.



Each country report covers the following:

Market Data and Insights: This report provides market size and forecast across 40+ construction segments for a period of 10 years from 2016-2025.

Residential Building Construction Coverage

Residential Green Building Construction Coverage

Commercial Building Construction Coverage

Commercial Green Building Construction Coverage

Institutional Building Construction Coverage

Institutional Green Building Construction Coverage

Infrastructure Construction Sectors

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/pctz08

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A man in his 20s has been arrested today in relation to an invoice redirect fraud and money laundering scheme.

Gardai from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau arrested the man earlier following a search in the Naas area of Co. Kildare.

The man is currently detained at Irishtown Garda station under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007.

Read More

The arrest was made in relation to Operation SKEIN, an ongoing investigation into international BEC/Invoice re-direct fraud being committed from Ireland and the laundering of the proceeds through accounts here.

It's the 15th arrest made as part of the operation.

Investigations into the matter remain ongoing.
Kenya and Somalia will be before the International Court of Justice in The Hague this Monday for ten days. At stake is the delimitation of their maritime border, while important natural resources are found in the sea.

For Somalia, its maritime border with Kenya follows the line of the land border, running southeast into the ocean. For Kenya, on the other hand, its border with Somalia follows a horizontal latitude from west to east. In the triangle between the two routes, there are 100,000 km of maritime territory and at least three underwater blocks containing oil and gas, as well as very rich fish stocks. It is therefore a major economic issue for both countries.

The legal battle has been going on for almost seven years. It was initiated by Somalia: on August 28, 2014, it filed what is called a proceeding against Kenya at the International Court of Justice in The Hague over a maritime delimitation dispute in the Indian Ocean.

All sorts of procedural steps have followed. But as of this Monday afternoon, the lawyers of each country will finally be able to plead, in turn: first Somalia, then Kenya. Then each country will have the opportunity to respond to the others objections. The Courts decision  without appeal  will be rendered later.
By Ling Xi

The ROK Foreign Ministry announced on March 10 that Seoul and Washington had concluded their 9th round of defense cost-sharing negotiations and agreed on the 11th Special Measures Agreement (SMA), according to which the ROK will bear 13.9% increase from the previous year on the defense expenses of stationed American troops in 2021, a new high both in terms of aggregate and growth rate.

The ROK previously refused America's demand for it to bear a much larger proportion of the defense expenses, which led to a cool-off in bilateral relations. After the new round of negotiations, although the proportion borne by the ROK side was reduced a little, it was still higher than the cap it set before, triggering extensive dissatisfaction within the country. Experts said Seoul has agreed to the cost-sharing arrangement as an overture to Washington to mend their ties.

ROK wants to cement the alliance with the US by agreeing to SMA.

According to the latest agreement, the ROK will pay KRW1.18 trillion (about US$1.04 billion) of defense expenses for American troops stationed in the country in 2021, a 13.9% increase from the previous year, including 7.4% increase related to ROK's own defense and 6.5% increase related to the labor cost of Korean personnel for American troops.

The new SMA provides that starting from 2021, remuneration for Korean employees in the military base of American troops will account for 87% of ROK's cost sharing from the previous 75%, which means the ROK government is paying salary for its own nationals rather than paying the US, said Liu Tiancong, deputy director of the Center of Korean Peninsula Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

He added that "the Biden administration shows an obvious intention of strengthening the relationship with ROK during the negotiations, which pleases the ROK side."

Liu Ming, a researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, also held that the Biden administration wishes to reflect its considerations for allies as well as ROK's stance to take responsibility for the alliance in the 11th SMA. Since Seoul has no choice but to rely on America's security guarantee in order to resolve the DPRK-ROK issue, it willingly accepted the gradually rising proportion of its cost-sharing after Washington made some goodwill gestures.

Expensive deal criticized at home

After the new deal was reached, Eun-bo Chung, Ambassador of Korea-US Defense Cost Sharing, called it reasonable and fair, which was not bought by the Korean public or critics.

A group of ROK residents recently protested near the Blue House against the SMA, condemning it as the most humiliating agreement in history, reported JoongAng Ilbo. Yonhap News Agency also reported that political groups in ROK had called on the government to refuse to approve the new agreement and to re-negotiate with the US.

ROK will bear 51% of the defense expenses in 2021, already higher than the proportion borne by the US and set to rise further to 59% in 2025, reported JoongAng Ilbo, adding that the American troops will not be stationed in ROK on American money, but on money paid by Korean taxpayers.

Others analyzed that the latest SMA will pave the way for the US to ask ROK to buy more American weapons and equipment. According to sources, the Biden team, continuing what its predecessor did, is making a "to-buy list of weapons" for Seoul.

ROK paying for American troops outside the Korean peninsula triggers worries at home

According to Liu Ming, America's implementation of its regional strategy in the Indo-Pacific region is pillared by the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, commonly known as the Quad, with Japan, India and Australia and the US-Japan-ROK alliance. In the alliance, Japan is America's security anchor in the Asia Pacific, while the ROK-US alliance is viewed as of lesser importance in Washington's Asian Pacific policy. Restrained by its relation with DPRK, it's hard for ROK to cooperate with and assist the US outside the peninsula.

However, Washington might have figured out another way to put its allies to work. Yonhap News Agency reported that the negotiations on the 11th SMA didn't mention anything about expenses needed for ROK-stationed American troops to carry out missions outside of the region. As the US is reinforcing its Indo-Pacific strategy and increasing the strategic flexibility of its troops, it's highly likely that American troops stationed in ROK will be assigned to perform missions outside the peninsula, and Uncle Sam may very well include such expenses in the defense expenses to be shared by ROK.

Although Seoul doesn't want to antagonize major countries in the Asia-Pacific region while catering to America's strategic policy, the expenses it pays will mostly likely be used to target those countries directly, which has drawn criticisms in ROK, said Liu Ming.

According to Liu Tiancong, the ROK government doesn't want to pick side between the US and Asian Pacific countries. What decision it will made will hinge on the Blue House's strategic vision and political wisdom.

Editor's note: This article is originally published on southcn.com, 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.
Leading payment solutions provider, Netcash, has partnered with e-commerce platform, Ecwid E-Commerce, to launch Netcash Shop.

Powered by Ecwid E-Commerce, Netcash Shop allows merchants to create an e-commerce shop and start selling their products online within a matter of minutes.

Tight integration with Netcash Payment Gateway makes it simple for merchants to accept a wide range of payments options.

With no setup charges and low transaction fees, Netcash Shop is one of the most powerful and cost-effective e-commerce platforms for small and medium businesses.

The launch of this new offering gives smaller South African companies a new e-commerce platform and shopping cart option that costs around half as much as the other popular solutions.

For companies that already have a website, a Netcash Shop shopping cart or shop can easily be added to a site built on a content management system like WordPress, Wix or Joomla.

Those that dont have a site can create an Instant Site, no coding required, or add their Netcash Shop to their social media platforms.

Once a business sets up its Netcash Shop, it can easily promote and sell its products on Google, Facebook, Instagram, email and other platforms.

Business owners can manage their shop on-the-go with the Netcash Shop mobile app for iOS and Android. The close partnership between Ecwid E-Commerce and Netcash also means that clients will be able to access local first-line support for the software driving their online shop.

The fully integrated Netcash Payment Gateway allows merchants to offer clients multiple payment options when checking out.

On the heels of the banner year for e-commerce, there has never been a more critical time for SMEs to sell online, says Scott Varner, Vice President of Business Development at Ecwid E-Commerce.

Were excited to announce our partnership with Netcash and the opportunity it represents for local merchants to access a whole range of powerful, easy-to-use e-commerce solutions to help their businesses grow and thrive.

Adds Charles Pittaway, managing director at Netcash: We are launching Netcash Shop with the goal of making it easy for small merchants to launch an online shop, complete with integration into a payments gateway and logistics partners.

Ecwid E-Commerce was the perfect partner for this venture with a robust, yet easy-to-use platform that powers hundreds of thousands of online shops in 175 countries.

The launch of Netcash Shop is just the beginning of our drive to make e-commerce more accessible to small and medium business in South Africa, with a single platform that covers all the basics.

Over the months to come, we aim to build an e-commerce ecosystem that offers a wide range of tools and solutions that empower our merchants to do more online.
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.
Oman has banned the audio-chat phone application Clubhouse. The popular mobile app, which features unfiltered and relatively unregulated conversations, recently came into wide use throughout the Middle East.

The sultanates telecommunications authorities confirmed they cut off access to the popular mobile app, The Associated Press reported on Monday.

Clubhouse is an audio-only smartphone application where users can join and speak in rooms with anyone else using the app. Anyone can start a room and then name other moderators to it, and the moderators of a room regulate who can speak and when. Clubhouse says it temporarily records conversations in case an incident is reported. Users cannot record the conversations through the app, nor can they find the rooms once the discussions are finished. These features make Clubhouse a less regulated social media platform than its Silicon Valley competitors.

At present, Clubhouse is invitation-only and also only available for iPhones.

Omans telecommunications regulator told The Associated Press that the state has forbidden the app because it was operating without the proper license. It us unclear whether the the ban is permanent. Omani users had trouble accessing Clubhouse in recent days and used virtual private networks to do so.

Clubhouse is used throughout the Middle East. In Turkey, its conversations on politics are popular among young people. This month, a Turkish diplomat fielded questions for hours in a room about Turkeys policies in the Arab world, touching on the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Kurdish-led autonomous region in neighboring northeast Syria.

Clubhouse is also popular in Iraq and there are many conversations in Iraqi Arabic rather than the formal Arabic used on television in Iraq and other countries. Palestinians, Syrians and others are also well represented.

Other countries in the region may follow Omans lead in curbing access. The Iraqi Parliament debated banning Clubhouse last month, the Kurdish news outlet in Iraq Rudaw reported.
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Li Yihua and his wife, Zhao Liwei, have been engaged in the chili industry in Kailu county, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, for nearly 20 years.

As an entrepreneur, Li mainly imports chili seeds from the Republic of Korea and exports fresh chilies to the country. With the advent of the peak chili export season, tonnes of chilies have been kept neatly piled up in their yard.

"Business is good. We export more than 4,000 tons of fresh chilies a year and earn more than 200 yuan ($31) per ton," says Zhao.

"I can speak Korean fluently, which helps me a lot in dealing with clients," says Li, who is an ethnic Korean in China.

Kailu county has a history of growing chilies spanning more than 30 years. "The advantages of abundant sunlight and a significant temperature difference between day and night make the county highly suitable for chili cultivation," says Yu Xiaoxiang, a local agronomist.

Currently, Kailu has around 40,000 hectares dedicated to chili cultivation, about one-third of the county's arable land. Each year, 30 of its major chili farming cooperatives export more than 15,000 metric tons of chilies to over 10 countries in Europe and Asia.

To better develop the chili industry, in 2013, Kailu spent 200 million yuan on the construction of the largest chili trading center in North China. A total of 21 cold storage units were built across the county, capable of storing 100,000 tons of fresh chilies for offseason sales.

Meanwhile, to extend the industrial chain and make more money from the chilies, Kailu has set up 15 enterprises to process chilies into various products like chili sauce, chili powder, and ingredients used in lipsticks and medicines.

Annually, the 15 enterprises can process 140,000 tons of chilies, with a sales volume exceeding 2 billion yuan.

High value-added products rely on good quality chilies. In recent years, Kailu has been striving to strengthen technical training among chili growers.

As well as door-to-door visits, agronomist Yu Xiaoxiang and his colleagues also record videos covering various topics like methods for nurturing seedlings, fertilization and pest control, and post them on short-video platforms.

"Such online training is more convenient, as chili growers have easy access to the information," says Yu. "Over the years, the chili industry has greatly increased the income of the locals. The chili has truly spiced up their lives."

A rural resident removes weeds in a chili field in Kailu county, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, in July. Growing chili is a pillar of the local agricultural industry and has helped to improve people's income.
The phrase like a girl is something that shocked me when I was called out for it, he said. I did not mean to say you kick like a girl or you run like a girl in a way that offended women, it was more to tease my mates. But it was when someone spoke to me about that phrase that I realised it is incredibly offensive to women. Even the phrase grow a pair of balls or that was ballsy, is saying to women that in order to be brave you must be a man. Joshua said awareness about this topic would help get rid of disrespectful behaviour directed at women. Today is not about pointing fingers or telling everyone off for this type of behaviour, it is about identifying that this behaviour and language does exist, and it has been widely accepted or laughed off, he said. He said his generation had grown up in a world where this type of language had been accepted, having heard it from brothers, friends and people they looked up to.

Loading I am not going to stand here and act as though I have not been a part of this behaviour, he said. I have been in situations where women have been spoken of in a way that makes them out to be lesser than men, or objects, and I did not stop this behaviour. I did not say a word. I accepted it, as though it was okay to speak about women in this way. Joshua said the first step in making genuine progress was to accept there was a problem.

We have the ability as a school, as role models to the junior and middle school, and as young men, to make incredible change in this area, he said. If we recognise and take responsibility for our actions and behaviours, and understand the disrespect that exists towards women, then we are on our way to getting rid of the sexist and abusive attitudes that exist. Old Scotch Collegians president Michael Silbert, who graduated in 1979, said it was clear even the most senior leaders in our community sometimes got these things seriously wrong. It is equally clear that we are in a moment when civil society is demanding that we examine ourselves and that we make changes, he said. Mr Silbert said it was vitally important to recognise and check toxic behaviour, and respect and consent were both essential signposts on the long road of this conversation.
Prime Minister will interact with chief ministers on the Covid-19 situation and the ongoing vaccination drive on Wednesday as the Centre looks to ramp up the inoculation exercise amid a rise in infection in some states.

Official sources said Modi will hold a video conference to discuss the issues with chief ministers, an exercise which he has been holding regularly since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Modis last interaction with chief ministers was in January before the vaccination roll-out. He had announced that the Centre will bear the expenses of vaccinating nearly three crore healthcare and frontline workers in the first round and suggested that public representatives, a reference to politicians, should not be part of this initial exercise.

The drive has now moved on to next round to cover people over 60 years of age, and those aged above 45 years and having comorbidities.

ALSO READ: Hotels, malls face tighter curbs in Maharashtra amid spike in Covid cases

India recorded 26,291 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, its highest single-day spike in 85 days, taking the country's infection tally to 1,13,85,339, according to Union health ministry data.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday said negligence towards Covid appropriate behaviour is the main reason behind rising cases, adding that few states account for more than 80 per cent of the cases. He stressed that appropriate behaviour like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing should be followed despite the availability of vaccine against the disease.

Talking about the health facilities provided at Parliament House Annexe medical centre round the year, Vardhan said services of specialists from various specialties are available along with the provision for laboratory investigations, X-ray and ultrasound facilities.

Centre opposes separate class of judges, lawyers for giving vaccine on priority



The Centre told the Supreme Court on Monday that it may not be desirable to create a separate class of judges, lawyers and court staff below the age of 45 for administering the Covid-19 vaccine on priority basis.

It said the vaccine, which is already being produced beyond the manpower and infrastructural capacity, is also being exported in view of the global pandemic.

A bench of Chief Justice Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian said that it would consider the plea, seeking inclusion of judges, judicial staff and lawyers in the priority category for the Covid-19 vaccine, on March 18.
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Courtesy of Carlos Santana Coffee CompanyLast year, Carlos Santana launched his own coffee company that sells various roasts and blends, with a portion of the money from sales going to the Milagro Foundation, the charity he co-founded that helps young people in impoverished communities around the world.

Carlos tells ABC Audio that he's "very grateful and honored" that Icon Global Coffee Company, which partnered with him to help him launch his own brand, "would trust their company to align with our name, becauseit feels good that people trust your impeccable integrity."

He adds, "That creates velocity, traction, and we're able to be of service to Milagro Foundation and to many children all over the world."

Santana notes that coffee has been part of his life since he was a child in Mexico and, later, in San Francisco.

As the legendary guitarist notes, "It's always something that ignites your body to have more energy tonot only get through the day, but to get to accomplish what you need to accomplish."

The Carlos Santana Coffee Company offers six varieties of coffee, each named after a Santana song, album or tour. Carlos tells ABC Audio that his own favorite is the "Smooth Blend," which is a medium roast.

"There's something about Smooth that is not overbearing, [not] too strong or too light," he says. "It's just enough to ignite stimulation for you not to be jittery or edgy or anything like that, but awakened."



Santana's coffees currently can be purchased at CarlosSantanaCoffeeCo.com. You also can join the company's Coffee Club, which offers subscriptions where you will be sent orders on a regular basis. Meanwhile, a rep for Carlos tells ABC Audio that plans are in the works make the coffee available at retail outlets.

By Matt Friedlander

Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Edison, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/15/2021 -- Stay up-to-date and exploit latest trends of Corporate Online Language Learning Market with latest edition released by AMA.

Corporate Online Language Learning Market Comprehensive Study is an expert and top to bottom investigation on the momentum condition of the worldwide Corporate Online Language Learning industry with an attention on the Global market. The report gives key insights available status of the Corporate Online Language Learning producers and is an important wellspring of direction and course for organizations and people keen on the business. By and large, the report gives an inside and out understanding of 2020-2025 worldwide Corporate Online Language Learning Market covering extremely significant parameters.



Key Players in This Report Include,

Pearson (United States),Rosetta Stone (United States),Lingoda (Berlin),Busuu Ltd (Spain),Berlitz Corporation (United States),Fluency Corp (United States),Blackboard (United States),Cactus Worldwide Ltd. (United Kingdom),Fluenz Inc (United States)



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Brief Summary of Corporate Online Language Learning:

The global corporate online language learning market is expected to grow at a sluggish pace during the forecast period, according to the AMA study. The growing concern of organisations for the improvement of business communication skills of the employees, increasing adoption of corporate training services, and the increasing smartphone & internet penetration across the world are expected to be some of the major factors aiding into the growth for the market. However, the market is expected to witness a slight decline in the growth during the next few year but it is again expected to rise with a healthy pace after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.



Market Trends:

- Increasing Implementation of Artificial Intelligence in Online Language Learning Platform



Market Drivers:

- Growing Concerns of Organisations for Improvement of Business Communication Skills of the Employees

- Increasing Adoption from Corporate Training Providers

- Increasing Smartphone & Internet Penetration Across the World



Market Restraints:

- Availability of Open Source Platforms



The Global Corporate Online Language Learning Market segments and Market Data Break Down are illuminated below:

by Type (Solutions, Services), Enterprise SIze (SMEs, Large Enterprises), Platform (Windows, IOS, Android), Industry Verticals (BFSI, IT & Telecom, Retail & E-commerce, Manufacturing, Government & Defense, Energy & Utilities, Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Transportation & Logistics, Others), Deployment (On-Premise, Cloud-based)



This research report represents a 360-degree overview of the competitive landscape of the Global Corporate Online Language Learning Market. Furthermore, it offers massive data relating to recent trends, technological, advancements, tools, and methodologies. The research report analyzes the Global Corporate Online Language Learning Market in a detailed and concise manner for better insights into the businesses.



Regions Covered in the Corporate Online Language Learning Market:

- The Middle East and Africa (South Africa, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, Egypt, etc.)

- North America (United States, Mexico & Canada)

- South America (Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, etc.)

- Europe (Turkey, Spain, Turkey, Netherlands Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Russia UK, Italy, France, etc.)

- Asia-Pacific (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines, Korea, Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Australia).



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The research study has taken the help of graphical presentation techniques such as infographics, charts, tables, and pictures. It provides guidelines for both established players and new entrants in the Global Corporate Online Language Learning Market.



The detailed elaboration of the Global Corporate Online Language Learning Market has been provided by applying industry analysis techniques such as SWOT and Porter's five-technique. Collectively, this research report offers a reliable evaluation of the global market to present the overall framework of businesses.



Attractions of the Corporate Online Language Learning Market Report:

- The report provides granular level information about the market size, regional market share, historic market (2014-2018) and forecast (2019-2025)

- The report covers in-detail insights about the competitor's overview, company share analysis, key market developments, and their key strategies

- The report outlines drivers, restraints, unmet needs, and trends that are currently affecting the market

- The report tracks recent innovations, key developments and start-up's details that are actively working in the market

- The report provides plethora of information about market entry strategies, regulatory framework and reimbursement scenario



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Key Points Covered in the Table of Content:

Chapter 1 to explain Introduction, market review, market risk and opportunities, market driving force, product scope of Corporate Online Language Learning Market;

Chapter 2 to inspect the leading manufacturers (Cost Structure, Raw Material) with sales Analysis, revenue Analysis, and price Analysis of Corporate Online Language Learning Market;

Chapter 3 to show the focused circumstance among the best producers, with deals, income, and Corporate Online Language Learning market share 2020;

Chapter 4 to display the regional analysis of Global Corporate Online Language Learning Market with revenue and sales of an industry, from 2020 to 2022;

Chapter 5, 6, 7 to analyze the key countries (United States, China, Europe, Japan, Korea & Taiwan), with sales, revenue and market share in key regions;

Chapter 8 and 9 to exhibit International and Regional Marketing Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis, Trade Type Analysis;

Chapter 10 and 11 to analyze the market by product type and application/end users (industry sales, share, and growth rate) from 2020 to 2026

Chapter 12 to show Corporate Online Language Learning Market forecast by regions, forecast by type and forecast by application with revenue and sales, from 2020 to 2025;

Chapter 13, 14 & 15 to specify Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source of Corporate Online Language Learning market buyers, merchants, dealers, sales channel.



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Corporate Online Language Learning Market research provides answers to the following key questions:

? What is the expected growth rate of the Corporate Online Language Learning Market?

? What will be the Corporate Online Language Learning Market size for the forecast period, 2020  2026?

? What are the main driving forces responsible for changing the Corporate Online Language Learning Market trajectory?

? Who are the big suppliers that dominate the Corporate Online Language Learning Market across different regions? Which are their wins to stay ahead in the competition?

? What are the Corporate Online Language Learning Market trends business owners can rely upon in the coming years?

? What are the threats and challenges expected to restrict the progress of the Corporate Online Language Learning Market across different countries?



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Photo: The Canadian Press

The worlds major automakers have made something abundantly clear: They believe electric vehicles will dominate their industry in the years ahead.

Yet for that to happen, theyll need to sell the idea to people like Steve Bock.

When Bock recently replaced his family's 2013 Honda Pilot SUV, he considered  and then dismissed  the idea of buying an electric vehicle. An EV with enough room to carry his two dogs would cost too much, he decided. And hed worry about driving long distances with too few charging stations.

I would consider it if the prices would come down, Bock said, though leaving open the possibility of buying an electric vehicle next time.

Instead, Bock, of suburban Raleigh, North Carolina, settled on a Subaru Outback. Like nearly every other vehicle sold in the United States, it runs on gasoline.

Opinion polls show that a substantial majority of Americans are aligned with Bock. An EV might be on their shopping list if it cost less, if more charging stations existed and if a wider variety of models were available. In other words, the time isnt right.

It all adds up to a significant risk for the largest automakers. Most of them are staking their futures on the notion that consumers will soon be ready to buy vehicles that run not on the internal combustion engines that have powered cars and trucks for more than a century but on electricity stored in a battery pack.

General Motors, Ford and Volkswagen plan to spend a combined $77 billion developing global electric vehicles over the next five years, with models from pickup trucks to small SUVs. GM has gone so far as to announce a goal of ending gasoline- and diesel-fueled passenger vehicles entirely by 2035  and to become carbon-neutral by 2040.

For the automakers, the risk is as hazardous as it is simple: What if American consumers reject electric vehicles for many years to come?

Companies would have no choice but to discount them and hope, in the meantime, that their profits from gas vehicles would still cover their costs  at least until large proportions of buyers gravitated toward EVs.

If they don't, the financial blow could be heavy. For now, EVs make up less than 2% of U.S. new-vehicle sales and about 3% worldwide.

Its still a sector that doesnt have a mass appeal to the entire population, said Jeff Schuster, president of global vehicle forecasting for LMC Automotive, a consulting firm. It could be a financial drain if consumers do not buy at the same level."

Yet in contrast to the United States, sales of EVs have taken off in Europe and China, largely because of much more far-reaching pollution regulations and government incentives. Those tighter environmental regulations are forcing the industry to sell more electric vehicles.

In Europe, carmakers unveiled a slew of new electric models ahead of lower EU limits on average emissions of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas blamed for climate change, that took full effect at the start of this year. Government-backed incentives can cut the cost to near that of an internal combustion vehicle.

The result: Nearly 730,000 battery vehicles were sold in Europe in 2020  more than 300,000 of them in the final three months of the year. The market share of EVs jumped from 3% to 10%.

Among the new owners is Kerstin Griese of Essen, Germany, who bought a battery-powered Peugeot 208 after having driven electric cars in the motor pool at work. Griese found that they supplied the acceleration necessary to merge safely onto the highway for her 40 kilometre (25 mile) commute to the public works department in the town of Solingen.

I said to myself, when they cost around 30,000 euros ($36,263) and have more than 300 kilometres of range, and when the incentives are set high, then Im there. And that happened last year.
The country has entered into another election season with West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry getting ready to hit the polling booths. The polls are crucial for Congress, the BJP and the Left, as the results could have an impact on their future prospects. DHs Shemin Joy spoke to CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on the political situation in the country.

What is the significance of these elections? What impact will these elections have?

The entire world is now recognising that Indian Parliamentary democracy is being reduced into an "electoral autocracy". Using victories in elections is a way of legitimising the disruption of democracy by the BJP. So stopping the BJP from winning elections is an important element in the overall battle in defending secular democracy in India. That is the importance of these elections.

Read | India now an electoral autocracy: Sitaram Yechury

In all these states, the BJP should not be allowed to form the government. Apart from all other reasons, the question of saving democracy is of paramount importance. Our objective to ensure the defeat of the BJP in all these Assembly elections.

You have already mentioned that saving democracy is one of the main themes of these elections? What are the other major issues?

People's livelihood issues, the misery that has been heaped on the people by the BJP government in the past one year, the handling of Covid-19 pandemic, lockdown, economic recession, the loot of national assets, large-scale privatisation, curtailment of liberty, abrogation of labour laws, farmers' protest and price rise are among the main issues. There are authoritarian attacks on democratic rights and civil liberties. There is a 76% increase in UAPA cases. It is a whole package of the destruction of the existing Constitutional democracy. The economic recession began much before Covid-19. The BJPs whole effort is to convert the secular democratic country into their version of a rabidly intolerant, theocratic, fascistic Hindutva Rashtra. In the process, people's daily life is becoming more and more miserable. So the immediate issues are people's livelihood issues.

These elections are very crucial for the Left as well as the CPI(M). The lone state where the Left is in power, Kerala, is going to polls. What are the prospects of the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala? Are you confident of the Left returning to power bucking the trend of change in government every five years?

We are poised to buck the four-decade-long trend. One of the biggest indicators is the LDF sweeping the local body polls in December last year. That reflects the people's mood, appreciation or the positive assessment of the work done by the LDF during the course of the last five years. Apart from the Covid-19 pandemic, the last five years also saw the state, unfortunately, witnessing a number of natural disasters. On all these occasions, the state government's prompt response and the role it played earned a lot of support from the people. People feel that this is a government that is working in the interests of the people.

Also Read | Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF to remain in power in Kerala, no progress for BJP, shows opinion poll

Another factor is in comparison to what the Opposition is doing. The Congress is in disarray. The Congress, which says it is taking an anti-BJP plank, is playing in tandem with the BJP on the Sabarimala temple issue and gold smuggling case among others. They are actually going with the BJP while claiming to be anti-BJP. All these factors put together, LDF is confident of retaining power.

But the CPI(M) are embroiled in controversies and allegations, including the gold smuggling case, Sprinkler, Life Mission case etc, in the past one year. How do you respond?

This is the constant theme, a trademark of the BJP. Anywhere, in any state where elections are due and where the incumbent government has to be discredited, they are using central agencies like the CBI, ED etc and that is what we are seeing now. So this game of the BJP also suffers from a total lack of credibility. As far as the gold smuggling case is concerned, everybody knows that the entire issue of smuggling is under the Centre.

Also Read | Congress terms as 'shocking' revelations against Kerala CM by smuggling accused; CPI(M) questions Centre's intentions

Why is it that after the BJP came to power that such gold smuggling cases are happening and why in Thiruvananthapuram? Where is the lapse? These are the questions people are asking. So, the BJP wants to use it as a pretext to target the LDF.

So you are confident that people will not fall for such allegations?

Absolutely. People are seeing this all over the country how the CBI and the ED are being used to target political opponents, to organise defections coupled with money power. Now there is a new 'trishul' -- the CBI, ED and money power. They use all these to intimidate the Opposition.

In Kerala, we have witnessed several protests by the cadre against the candidates chosen by the CPI(M). These are unprecedented in a cadre party like CPI(M). Does it mean CPI(M) is weakening organisationally?

It is natural that there is resentment when changes are made. We dropped some important ministers and leaders because fielding them is against the core principle of not giving more than two terms to a person. This is the principle the whole country is aware of. One example is my case itself where I did not get a third term in Rajya Sabha. We are a party that has certain values and principles which we seek to implement.

Also Read | Kerala Assembly Election: CM, 6 CPI(M) ministers in fray; FM Thomas Isaac denied poll ticket

Second, this is that we should also understand the reality of India. Seventy per cent of India's population is below 40 years and if you want to be a people's party, that generation must be re-elected in the government. You will find the age composition of the CPI(M) to be the lowest among all the major parties. We are accepting that reality. So changes will happen and when it happens, there will be some resentment, some disquiet. As far as people who are not contesting now, there is no discontentment among them. This is not a big organisational problem.

It is not just the cadre but the general public are also surprised at the omission of leaders like Finance Minister Thomas Isaac etc. So what prompted the CPI(M) to take such a decision?

The general public has a certain appreciation of the work done by them. So they expect that they will be continuing. The point is, in our party, there is no lack of talent or capability. One must also understand this kind of process is also important for the democratic process so that vested interests don't develop. No other parties follow this principle.

Some other parties in Kerala are also now implementing such practices like dropping leaders who contest frequently. What is your take?

The Left presence in Kerala has impacted the character of the other political parties. The character of a party in Kerala will be very different from its character elsewhere in the country. The culture of politics in Kerala has put all of them on a different, better footing.

You have said that Congress in Kerala is working in tandem with the BJP. At the same time, CPI(M) has electoral understanding in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Assam. Does this create confusion among voters that you work with Congress outside but is fighting them in Kerala?

Not at all. This is not the first time that this sort of thing is happening. In the last over 30 years, we have been fighting Congress in Bengal, Tripura and Kerala among other states. Look at 2004, 61 Left candidates were elected to the Lok Sabha out of which 57 defeated the Congress nominees. But then we supported the Manmohan Singh government. What is the interest for the country and the people? Today's interest is to not allow the BJP to win. What is the best way not to allow the BJP to win? That we will be different in different states. In Tamil Nadu, we are going with the DMK. In West Bengal, the Left Front is spearheading the fight along with other parties. In Assam, the Congress-AIDUF is the main plank in which other parties have joined. In Kerala, the LDF is the main coalition to defeat the BJP. Congress is acting in tandem with the BJP in Kerala. That is something they have to answer.

In Bengal, there is an allegation that the Left is weakening the fight against the BJP and actually helping them by opposing the Trinamool Congress. It is said that the Left is creating trouble for Opposition unity. How do you respond?

It is completely wrong. Why did the BJP gain in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections? The main reason was that the votes against the Trinamool went entirely to the saffron party. In 2019, Congress and the Left were fighting separately. Last time, the voters who are by and large secular did not have a secular option that can defeat the Trinamool and so voted for the BJP. With the Congress and Indian Secular Front entering into an electoral understanding with the Left, this combine is now emerging as a credible alternative to muster in the anti-incumbency votes of the Trinamool, which is by and large secular vote. So if the Congress, Trinamool Congress and others get together in the name of fighting the BJP, it is the surest recipe for the BJP to win. Because all the discontent against the Trinamool will then go to BJP. So are we helping the BJP or defeating them? This argument is based on the premise that politics is based on arithmetic.

Are you saying it will be a three-cornered contest in West Bengal?

Yes, it will be a three-cornered fight to the disadvantage of the BJP.

How sure are you about the Left improving its prospects in Bengal?

We will improve. It also could be a hung assembly. In case of a hung assembly, I am for sure you cannot rule out the possibility of the Trinamool Congress joining hands with the BJP given its track record in the past. It has gone with the BJP on a number of occasions, including after Godhra communal violence and the present Chief Minister becoming a Cabinet Minister in A B Vajpayee government. Given that track record, we dont know what will happen. So, this whole thing of fighting the BJP that the Trinamool is doing, in the context of a hung assembly, how that will happen, given their track record? I wont rule that out.

In case of a hung assembly, will the Left and the Congress support Trinamool Congress? Is that an option?

If the Trinamool Congress wanted to control the elements that were attacking the Left and Congress cadres, it would have done in the past. The Trinamool is much more comfortable with the BJP. They have been, in the past. They are the ones who brought the BJP into Bengal, in the alliance. They served under the BJP Prime Ministers.

So, are you saying that you are confident of your electoral prospects in Bengal compared to the 2016 and 2019 polls?

Yes, definitely.

As we head for another set of elections, the imprint of Congress is reducing nationally. How important are these elections for Congress?

It is very important. See Kerala now. A very senior leader like PC Chacko quitting and all these rampant things like infighting and groupism etc. For Congress, in order to regain its pan-Indian image, it has to perform very well in these elections. That is important for it. But how well it will do it or not is their internal matter, that they will have to decide. But it is definitely an important election for them.

Post May 2, what are you expecting, politically?

A better India. Because of the results of BJP losing, and therefore, a better India.
Education is a huge part of New Yorks budget, accounting for around a quarter of the states expenditures in normal years. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the state has used an influx of federal dollars to supplant a portion of its aid to local school districts. Last March, the CARES Act allocated $1.2 billion toward education, and the December stimulus bill included nearly $4 billion. But the March package offset nearly one-to-one reductions in the states own aid  with total education spending remaining flat  and approximately half of the December assistance supplanted education spending in the executive budget proposal for the coming fiscal year.

Though the remainder of the December aid does represent a supplemental investment of approximately $2 billion, advocates claim that the federal assistance was not intended to replace the states own education spending.

The federal package did not include any aid for state and local governments, so even though schools were getting a boost, there was no money for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to use just to close the state budget gap, said Jasmine Gripper, executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education.

Critics of the states management of the federal aid argue that the additional funding was needed to keep schools running during the pandemic. Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, told City & State the federal aid was needed for personal protective equipment, ventilation upgrades and nightly cleaning, in addition to the costs associated with remote learning.

Whenever we fight for aid, we hate when anything gets supplanted, he said.

A spokesperson for Cuomo did not respond to a request for comment on the states use of the federal aid.

New York is currently facing a projected budget deficit of $60 billion over the next four years. The $2 billion supplemental portion of the December aid is slated to drive a 7.1% increase in total education spending in the proposed 2021-2022 budget  versus a typical annual increase of around 3% to 4%  which raises the possibility of a fiscal cliff once emergency assistance from Washington dries up.

In his executive budget for the coming year, Cuomo proposed two recurring actions that would result in aggregate reductions in education spending. The so-called Local District Funding Adjustment would reduce school aid by about $1.3 billion annually, and the Services Aid consolidation  which combines 11 expense-based aid categories into one  would yield around $700 million in recurring savings.

Under the proposed Local District Funding Adjustment, school districts that receive more funding from the state through the School Tax Relief, or STAR, program  which per capita tend to be wealthier districts  would see the steepest reduction in aid. Nevertheless, education equity advocates argue that the state has been underfunding public schools since the 2007 enactment of the Foundation Aid formula, following the landmark 2006 Campaign for Fiscal Equity ruling that found that New York was underfunding schools.

Cuomo is choosing to balance the budget on the backs of Black, brown and low-income students by reducing the states commitment to education instead of what he should be doing, which is asking the ultrarich and New Yorks billionaires to pay a little bit more, Gripper said.

Both recurring reductions would have a significant impact on New York City, which operates the nations largest public school system. The Department of Education is the largest agency in the citys budget, and a substantial portion of its funding comes from state aid. Given the particularly hard toll the pandemic has taken on New Yorks business districts and retail sector, coupled with the explosion of remote work, it may take a while for property taxes  which constitute the citys largest tax revenue stream  to rebound.

The city is going to be facing this multiyear revenue hit on the property tax, which it has not had during prior recessions, and so its ability to fill in if state aid is lower  which is what they have usually done with their own resources  is going to be more constrained, said Ana Champeny, director of city studies at the Citizens Budget Commission, a nonpartisan fiscal monitor.

As a fiscal crisis looms in New York, the Biden administration just finalized another round of stimulus funding. The bill includes $130 billion in education aid for schools to reopen.

With students having to make up for learning loss and, in some cases, suffering from emotional trauma, Mulgrew said the city would need the additional federal aid.

Smaller class sizes definitely are going to have to be in place, and how do we start to help children who have been greatly harmed because of the pandemic? he said. It wasnt fair, and the teachers are ready for that challenge, but you cant tell us to take on this challenge with our hands tied behind our backs.
Nominations for the 2021 Academy Awards are in. Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas announced the nominees live in the early hours of March 15, 2021. With more than a month before the award show airs on April 25, 2021, theres plenty of time to watch all eight films nominated for Best Picture.

The Father

Oscar statue | Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images

RELATED: 2021 Award Season: When Are the SAG Awards?

Based on a play of the same name, The Father follows Anthony Hopkins as a man who refuses any help from his daughter. While he tries to make sense of whats happening, he questions his family, his own mind, and whats real and imagined.

Hopkins stars in the drama alongside The Crown alum, Olivia Colman. Both actors are up for individual awards for their performances. Hopkins is nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role while Colman is nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

The Father is nominated for four additional Oscars, according to the official Oscars website, including Best Picture, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The Father isnt streaming on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video. The film hit theaters on Feb. 26, 2021, and will be available through premium video on demand starting March 26, 2021.

Judas and the Black Messiah

Daniel Kaluuya portrays Fred Hampton, the chairman of the Black Panther Party, in Judas and the Black Messiah. Directed by Shaka King, the film chronicles Hamptons assassination and FBI informant, William ONeal (LaKeith Stanfield), infiltrating the Black Panther Party. The cast also includes Martin Sheen, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, and Jesse Plemons.

Judas and the Black Messiah is up for five Academy Awards besides Best Picture. Kaluuya and Stanfield are both nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The films also nominated for Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Song for Fight For You.

Stream Judas and the Black Messiah on HBO Max or watch it in theaters.

Mank

RELATED: Mank Movie Review: The Citizen Kane of Citizen Kane Biopics

David Finchers Mank follows Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) in 1930s Hollywood as he wraps up filming on Citizen Kane. Filmed in black-and-white, Oldmans Mank co-stars include Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, Arliss Howard, Tom Pelphrey, Sam Troughton, Ferdinand Kingsley, Tuppence Middleton, Tom Burke, and Charles Dance.

Mank isnt just up for Best Picture. The film landed nine other Oscar nominations: Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Original Score, Best Costume Design, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Oldman), Best Director (Fincher), Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Seyfried).

Mank is a Netflix original which means its available to watch for free with a subscription to the streaming service.

Minari

RELATED: Minari Sundance Review: A Poignant Portrait of an Immigrant Family Pursuing the American Dream

A Korean family moves to Arkansas to start a farm in Minari. The movie follows the struggles of the entire family  grandma, parents, and children  as they embark on a new life. Steven Yeun and Han Ye-Ri play parents, Jacob and Monica, to their young son, David (Alan S. Kim). They live in a mobile home with Davids grandmother, Soonja (Yuh-jung Youn).

Like many of the other Best Picture nominees, Minari isnt just nominated for one Academy Award. The film landed nominations in these five additional categories: Best Director (Lee Isaac Chung), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Youn), Best Original Score, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Yeun).

Minari isnt available for free on any streamers. Rent it on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu, and more for anywhere from $18  $20.

Nomadland

Based on the book by Jessica Bruder, Nomadland follows Fern (Frances McDormand) as she travels across the American West after losing everything in the Great Recession.

Nomadland is up for five Academy Awards besides Best Picture. Chloe Zhao is up for Best Director after winning the same category at the 2021 Golden Globe Awards. McDormand is nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role. The films also been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography,

Watch Nomadland on Hulu or see it in select theaters.

Promising Young Woman

Remember Emerald Fennell as the future Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall on The Crown? Shes behind the camera in Promising Young Woman as writer and director. The films about Cassie (Carey Mulligan), a woman who seeks vengeance when shes not leading a totally different life.

Promising Young Woman is nominated for four Oscars in addition to Best Picture. Fennell is nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director. Mulligan is nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance. The films also nominated for Best Film Editing.

Promising Young Woman isnt streaming for free. Rent it on Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, or Google Play.

Sound of Metal

Riz Ahmed is Ruben, a heavy-metal drummer who loses his hearing, in Sound of Metal. Ahmed stars in the Amazon Original movie alongside Olivia Cooke (Lou), Paul Raci (Joe), and more.

Sound of Metal is up for five Academy Awards besides Best Picture: Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Raci), Best Sound, Best Film Editing, and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Ahmed).

As an Amazon Original, Sound of Metal is streaming on Amazon Prime Video for free with a subscription.

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7 is based on the true story of seven men who were charged with crimes by the federal government following protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

The ensemble cast includes Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sacha Baron Cohen, Daniel Flaherty, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, John Carroll Lynch, Eddie Redmayne, Noah Robbins, Mark Rylance, Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong, and Ben Shenkman.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 received five Oscar nominations in addition to Best Picture: Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Sacha Baron Cohen), Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Song (Hear My Voice).

A Netflix original film, The Trial of the Chicago 7 is available to watch on the streamer.

The Academy Awards are set to air live on ABC at 8 p.m. EST on April 25, 2021.
FARMINGTON, Conn., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Otis Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: OTIS) President & CEO Judy Marks and Executive Vice President of Operations Todd Glance will speak about the company's environmental, social and governance (ESG) program on a conference call, moderated by Jeff Sprague of Vertical Research Partners, on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. EDT. The company will discuss its ESG strategy, progress and long-term objectives.

The call will be broadcast live and a corresponding presentation will be available on www.otis.com. To join by phone, dial +1-877-735-3703 and an operator will place you on hold until the conference begins. Please allow 15 minutes before the scheduled start time to connect to the teleconference.

About Otis

Otis is the world's leading elevator and escalator manufacturing, installation and service company. We move 2 billion people a day and maintain more than 2 million customer units worldwide, the industry's largest Service portfolio. Headquartered in Connecticut, USA, Otis is 69,000 people strong, including 40,000 field professionals, all committed to meeting the diverse needs of our customers and passengers in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. For more information, visit www.otis.com and follow us on LinkedIn , Instagram , Facebook and Twitter @OtisElevatorCo.

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A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
In the intensifying clash between Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick over whether to reverse billions of dollars in power overcharges racked up by Texas utilities during last months freeze, Patrick  the leader of the Senate  on Monday pushed through a bill that would force regulators to do so by the end of the week.

The Senate has acted, Patrick said after the bill passed that chamber during an expedited three-hour process. We are asking the governor to join us, and I think if he says hell sign this bill, the House will join us.

Both Abbott and Patrick had highlighted price correction as a priority this legislative session. But in recent days Abbott has warned that following through could violate the Texas Constitution. Meanwhile, Patrick is hitting the throttle.

Patrick and a majority of senators have said the prices can and should be retroactively brought down right away by an Abbott appointee on the Public Utility Commission who has so far declined to do so.

Abbott has largely backed his appointee, Arthur DAndrea, chair of the utility commission, who has said he does not think his agency has the authority to retroactively reprice the energy bought and sold during the disaster, and has expressed concerns that doing so would prompt expensive lawsuits for the state.

ABBOTT V PATRICK: Electric grid failures fuel new divide between Gov. Abbott and Lt. Gov. Patrick

Senate Bill 2142, which within a few hours went from introduction to passage out of the chamber on a 27-3 vote, seeks to force DAndrea to reprice the power despite his objections. It states that the utility commission has all necessary authority to reprice and gives the regulating agency until March 20 to do so. It does not offer detail about how the price corrections should be executed.

I think its been well-developed that those (pricing) errors resulted in inaccurate and excessive charges, said Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, the bills author. The bill recounts what we already believe to be true.

DAndrea, who is the only remaining member of the utility commissions three-member board after the others resigned in the wake of the crisis, declined to comment on SB 2142 on Monday.

When it comes to any pending legislation, out of deference to the Legislature and its ongoing process, the chairman's commentary will be limited to his statements in legislative hearings, our open meetings and associated memoranda, spokesman Andrew Barlow said in an email.

DAndrea has said that allowing repricing would merely shift the winners and losers, rather than provide real relief, insisting that retail electric providers would not pass down savings to customers.

As it stands, retail electric providers and distributors who had to pay the high prices are financially hurting.

The states largest electric power cooperative, for example, Brazos Electric Power Cooperative filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this month. San Antonios CPS Energy is out $1 billion and on Friday sued ERCOT for leaving the price cap in place too long.

Meanwhile, generators that were prepared for the storm with weatherized equipment or that made money by reselling power through the grid would be punished.

On Monday in Houston, Abbott raised major constitutional questions about whether Texas can retroactively change prices at all.

There is a constitutional provision that is in the Texas Bill of Rights Section 16 where you cannot do things retroactively, Abbott said.

He stressed that the Legislature has to hold hearings and investigate all of the constitutional complexities that would be involved.

Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, who was one of three no-votes on SB 2142, cited the same Constitutional concern as Abbott.

Patrick disputed that in a press conference hours later.

Talking to our attorneys and the smart people behind me, we do not believe that is an issue, Patrick said, referring to senators standing behind him. If it was an issue, it should have been brought up earlier when Abbott made the legislation a priority.

In a statement Monday, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan said there had been conflicting testimony throughout this process about the costs associated with repricing, and there must be additional review on this consequential issue.

BACKGROUND: Texas electric grid failures fuel new divide between Gov. Abbott and Lt. Gov. Patrick

An independent marked monitor has faulted the Electric Reliability Council of Texas for leaving sky-high emergency power prices in effect for 32 hours on Feb. 18 and Feb. 19, as the states crisis had already started to subside. The monitor has said that ERCOTs mistake led to overcharges of $16 billion for those two days.

Last week, the monitor firm estimated that no more than $5.1 billion of that total can be reversed because of contracts and other financial arrangements that cant be changed now.

As an alternative, Hancock pointed to a number of bills that he filed that would allow gas utilities, electric cooperatives and other utilities to use bonds to cover their debts.

These bills are among a number of clearly constitutional options to remedy the market imbalance caused by extended emergency pricing without breaking contract obligations or engaging in the precarious politics of government repricing, which may ultimately disincentivize the investment Texas needs for real electric reliability, Hancock said.

Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, said he opposed the bill because he was concerned about interfering with the free market.

In my experience as a legislator, every time the government overreaches into the marketplace, Texans lose, Creighton said. I dont want to set a dangerous precedent that Texas is willing to force repricing or manipulate settled contracts  which will open the door to higher prices because of government overreach.

Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, was the third dissenting vote on SB 2142.

The upper and lower chambers have taken differing approaches to price correction. The Senate has acted more swiftly after 28 of its 31 members urged the utility in a letter last week to take the action, while the House has approached the possible fix with less enthusiasm.

The House State Affairs committee will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday for another hearing on the matter.

Jeremy Wallace contributed to this report.

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will set up the embassies of Ukraine abroad with a residence in Kyiv and diplomatic missions in 1+2 format, i.e., an ambassador and two diplomats.

From now on, we will be able to establish Ukrainian embassies abroad with a residence in Kyiv. That is, an embassy is physically located in Ukraine and ensures the presence of our state in a foreign country remotely. In the totally online era, such an institution can perform almost all the same functions as physically located in a host country," Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said, revealing the details of the Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 99 / 2021 on foreign diplomatic missions, the Ministrys press service informs.

As the minister noted, the format of remote diplomatic presence successfully functions in many foreign countries, including the European Union members, and now Ukraine is beginning to implement this best practice as a supplement to traditional formats of diplomatic presence.

In addition, the minister touched upon the new "1+2" format (ambassador and two diplomats) of Ukrainian embassies abroad which is now being implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Diplomatic service is in many ways similar to military service. Its future lies in compact, mobile units that are able to perform tasks quickly and efficiently. So, we developed a new format. The 1+2 embassies will become just such compact diplomatic teams, in particular in countries and regions where Ukraine has not been represented yet, the minister explained.

Kuleba reminded that he set five priorities to all heads of foreign diplomatic missions: to strengthen Ukraines security, increase trade and investment, help Ukrainians abroad, increase Ukraines soft power abroad and expand freedom of travel for Ukrainians.

Innovations allow us to expand the geography of Ukraine's presence in the world with significant savings of taxpayers' money. More presence means more opportunities for the Ukrainian state, Ukrainian business and citizens, the minister concluded.

As reported, President Zelensky approved the Regulations on Foreign Diplomatic Missions of Ukraine, which define their status, tasks and functions.

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Nigeria's Kelechi Iheanacho scored his first Premier League hat-trick at the weekend as he took his Leicester City goal tally to five from three matches.

"I'm delighted for Kelechi," said Leicester coach Brendan Rodgers. "I see improvement in him and, day by day, he trains so hard."

It was also the first time the 24-year-old, who joined the Foxes in 2017 from Manchester City, netted in three consecutive league matches.

Here, AFP Sport rounds up the performances of African stars in the major European leagues:

ENGLAND

KELECHI IHEANACHO (Leicester)

His hat-trick inspired a 5-0 thrashing of bottom club Sheffield United. Iheanacho opened the scoring with a close-range finish in the 39th minute and netted again after 69 minutes from another Jamie Vardy assist. He wrapped up his treble with a long-range rocket in the 78th minute.

PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG (Arsenal)

The Gabon forward was sensationally dropped ahead of a 2-1 win over north London rivals Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta left his captain on the bench as an unused substitute after he reportedly turned up late for a pre-match team meeting.

SPAIN

ALLAN NYOM (Getafe)

Cameroon defender Nyom was sent off for a nasty tackle on Atletico Madrid's Renan Lodi. Despite the former West Brom and Watford right-back's 70th-minute dismissal, Getafe held on for a goalless draw with the league leaders to move five points clear of the relegation zone.

YOUSSEF EN-NESYRI (Sevilla)

The Morocco star scored a brilliant first-half winner in the Seville derby against Real Betis to move his team six points clear in fourth place in La Liga. The 23-year-old's 20th goal of the season came in the 27th minute, controlling Jesus Navas' long pass before rounding Betis goalkeeper Joel Robles and sliding in from the tightest of angles.

ITALY

MUSA BARROW (Bologna)

Gambia's Barrow paved the way for 12th-placed Bologna's 3-1 win over Sampdoria, nodding in the first goal after 27 minutes to score his sixth goal of this Serie A campaign. The 22-year-old Atalanta loanee also went on a blistering run through midfield to set up Mattias Svanberg for the second goal.

Story continues

HAMED TRAORE (Sassuolo)

Ivorian Traore scored the winner nine minutes from time in a 3-2 success over Europa league rivals Hellas Verona. Traore pounced on a poor clearance two minutes after Verona had equalised to seal victory with his third league goal this season.

SIMY (Crotone)

Nigeria's Simy continued his fine form with a second consecutive brace, but Crotone fell 3-2 at Lazio. The 28-year-old got the first after half and hour and added another from a penalty five minutes after the break.

FRANCE

MOSES SIMON (Nantes)

Nigeria's Simon gave Nantes a famous 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain in an eventful match which could help keep his team in the French top flight next season. The 25-year-old tapped home Randal Kolo's square pass in the 71st minute.

TINO KADEWERE (Lyon)

The 25-year-old's last-gasp strike for Lyon in a disappointing 1-1 draw at Reims turned out to be a pretty important goal following defeat for PSG and the goalless draw between Ligue 1 leaders Lille and Monaco. The Zimbabwe forward headed home a Memphis Depay cross in the second minute off added time to bag his 10th goal of the season and snatch a draw for his team, who are level on points with PSG and just three behind Lille.

GERMANY

EDMOND TAPSOBA (Bayer Leverkusen)

The Burkina Faso defender failed to stop Japan's Ritsu Doan from scoring the opening goal as Bayer Leverkusen slumped to a shock 2-1 home defeat to struggling Arminia Bielefeld. Doan beat Tapsoba to a Christian Gebauer cross to give Bielefeld a first-half lead.

KASIM ADAMS (Hoffenheim)

The Ghana defender scored an own-goal in his side's 2-0 defeat to local rivals Stuttgart. Adams turned Silas Wamangituka's cross into his own net early in the first half to put Hoffenheim on their way to a first league defeat in over a month.

SILAS WAMANGITUKA (Stuttgart)

The Democratic Republic of Congo winger was involved in both goals as his side extended their unbeaten run to five games with a 2-0 win over Hoffenheim. After setting up Adams' own-goal in the first half, Wamangituka grabbed his fourth assist of the season when he squared the ball to Sasa Kalajdzic.

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The 23-year K-pop legendary group Shinhwa member Dongwan denied disbandment rumors following an online dispute with their leader, Eric.

On March 15, Kim Dongwan of the long-lived Shinhwa directly denied rumors of disbandment during the live broadcast for Naver NOW's "Reply CINE."

This is after his online conflict with Eric, who called him out for alleged neglect of duties as a Shinhwa member.

Dongwan Affirmed Fans Shinhwa Will Not Disband

During the broadcast, fans and netizens are posting comments about possible disbandment as an aftermath of the conflict.

In response, Kim Eung soo said, "6 members who have lived in different environments have been together for 23 years, so why can't there be any trouble?"Kim Dongwan also agreed and said, "Disbanding is nonsense."

He added, "I will endure it more persistently even if I get angry because of those people who say such things. I can accept the appropriate noise, but all six of us are trying to listen and endure it in moderation," proving that small fights among them would not break them apart that easily.

Shinhwa Eric Called Out Dongwan Publicly through Instagram for Neglecting His Duties as a Member

Meanwhile, the "beef" between the members sparked when Eric tagged Kim Dongwan's account on his Instagram and publicly filed a complaint on March 14.

He accused a member who had a good reputation for being friendly to fans, although he damaged group communication and schedule, implying that he worked harder as a solo artist than being in the group.

Eric then confronted Dongwan, "Let's talk about it if you're willing to solve the problem. There's no way to contact him, so I'll tag him and tell Andy (co-member)."

The leader continued complaining that Dongwan hasn't been in touch with him in their group chat for six years, and he wasn't able to talk to him due to he doesn't have Dongwan's phone number.

In response, Kim Dongwan also said on his Instagram, "I am sorry to Shinhwa Changjo (fandom) who were very surprised. If I meet the Shinhwa member tomorrow, I will have a good conversation. It would be important for us to talk to each other first because it's internal. If I had accepted the contact from the production team that I've been preparing since last year, if I had communicated with them freely, neither Shinhwa nor Shinhwa Changjo would have experienced this. I feel sorry for that," he said.

To appease Eric, he also left a comment on his Instagram saying, "I talked to Andy on the phone around 6 o'clock, let's meet tomorrow and talk about it. I guess it hasn't been delivered yet, so I'll go to Seoul, so let's talk."

On this day, Dongwan posted on his Instagram account a photo in a restaurant, with a caption, "We are talking with the members."

Related Article: These 4 Korean Idols Have Broken Unlikely World Records

For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Eunice Dawson
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DENVER  A Colorado man accused of disrupting an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Denver by refusing to wear a mask and then standing up and urinating in the cabin faces a federal charge of interfering with a flight crew and attendants that carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison and a possible $250,000 fine.

The FBI arrested 24-year-old Landon Grier of Canon City after the flight landed March 9, according to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Denver.

The affidavit by FBI Special Agent Martin Daniell III, who interviewed Grier and crew members, says Grier appeared to be trying to sleep but swatted at an attendant when she asked him repeatedly to put on his mask, as required by the Federal Aviation Administration.

A passenger later summoned attendants because Grier was urinating in his seat area, Daniell wrote.

The agent said Grier told him he had several beers and a couple of shots before boarding the flight, fell asleep on the plane and awoke to being yelled at by the flight attendants who told him he was peeing.

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He stated he had no recollection of hitting the flight attendant and didnt know if he was peeing, Daniell said.

Grier made an initial court appearance on Thursday. A federal public defender was appointed to represent him. He was released on $10,000 bond pending his next court appearance set for March 26.

Public defenders do not comment on pending cases, and a call to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Denver for comment wasnt immediately returned late Friday.

In a statement, Alaska Airlines said: We will not tolerate any disturbance onboard our aircraft or at any of the airports we serve.
Back in January, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) released a blacklist of 9 companies that they claimed to be under the control of the Chinese Military, among which Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Xiaomi was included. After contesting the decision last month, a U.S. federal judge has now temporarily blocked the DoD from enforcing the consequences of the decision.

A consequence of being on the U.S. DoD blacklist is that any American investor who owns any shares or stakes in the company will be forced to sell/divest them. They would also be prevented from owning any interest in the company in the future.

In February, Xiaomi filed a complaint against the decision, calling it unlawful and unconstitutional and argued that they were not controlled by the Chinese military.

After reviewing the decision, a federal judge has decided to block the DoD from enforcing these consequences, stating that, defendants have not made the case that the national security interests at stake here are compelling.

In response to the judges decision, Xiaomi released a statement:

The Company reiterates that it is a publicly traded and independently operated and managed corporation that offers consumer electronics products solely for civilian use. The Company believes that the decisions of designating it as a CCMC are arbitrary and capricious, and the judge agrees. The Company will continue to request that the court permanently remove the designation.

To read the complete statement, click here.
10 Percent of Illegal Immigrants Test Positive for CCP Virus Before Release: Rep. McCarthy

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told reporters at a press briefing from the southern border on March 15 that doctors at the U.S.Mexico border in Texas told him that 10 percent of illegal immigrants are testing positive for the CCP virus before being released into surrounding communities.

When I talk to the doctor to see when theyre being tested for COVID, when they get out, more than 10 percent are testing positive, McCarthy said. Well, theyre being stored together. In a time when the president will keep our country closed, when maybe we have hope for a Fourth of July, to get together just with our family, how much spread of COVID is he creating every single day by his policies along this border?

Trey Mendez, mayor of Brownsville, Texas, told reporters in a Zoom call on March 15 that 7.3 percent of illegal immigrants arriving in his city have tested positive for the CCP virus, also known as the novel coronavirus.

In addition, the Republican leader criticized the Biden administrations immigration policies, particularly the reversal of Trump-era policies through executive orders.

This is where [Biden] should talk to the border agents, and let them know that this is beyond a crisis, McCarthy said. He can continue to deny it, but the only way to solve it is to first admit what he has done, and if he will not reverse action, its going to take congressional action to do it.

McCarthy said he sent a letter to President Joe Biden in hopes of meeting with him to discuss the crisis at the southern border, and specifically about the message his administration is sending migrants.

Opponents of Bidens relaxed immigration policies say theyre fueling the surge of migrants at the border. In February, illegal crossings rose above 100,000, according to official data, with another 26,000 evading capture, according to provisional Customs and Border Protection figures reviewed by former Texas Department of Public Safety captain Jaeson Jones.

The Biden administration recently acknowledged, albeit reluctantly, that theres a crisis at the border.

When pressed by reporters about why illegal immigrants arent required to have negative test results to enter the country like those who enter legally, White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended the administrations policies and said more could be done with testing and quarantining them if the governor of Texas would authorize it.

Governor Abbott has referred to whats happening at the border as  an open borders policy. That is absolutely incorrect, Psaki said on March 11 during a White House press briefing.

The borders not open. The vast majority of individuals apprehended or encountered at the border continue to be denied entry and are returned.

The other piece is, as the question about the testing of migrants at the border, or testing of migrants as theyre coming across, and we have DHS, and FEMA has stepped in and worked with local mayors, NGOs, and public health officials in Texas to implement a system to provide COVID-19 testing, and as needed, isolation and quarantine for families released from border patrol facilities.

Their proposal and agreement would cover 100 percent of the expense of the testing isolation and quarantine, but Governor Abbott has decided to reject that.

Renae Eze, Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts press secretary, implied there were strings attached to the federal funding that Psaki referred to.

The Biden Administration continues to pressure Texas to assist them in aiding their illegal immigration program, Eze said in a statement. We are focused on doing our jobprotecting Texans.

Abbott, a Republican, said in a statement: Border security is strictly a federal responsibility. The federal government alone has the responsibility to test, screen, and quarantine illegal immigrants crossing our border who may have COVID.

Instead of doing their job, the Biden administration suggested it did not have the sufficient resources and, remarkably, asked Texas to assist them in aiding their illegal immigration program. Texas refused.

He said in a CNBC interview on March 11, The Biden administration has been releasing immigrants in south Texas that have been exposing Texans to COVID.

According to a Just the News/Rasmussen poll released on March 15, 90 percent of Americans think illegal immigrants should be tested for the CCP virus before being released into the country.

Tom Ozimek and Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
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The Most Rev. James Golka, a self-described collaborator who says he follows the examples Jesus set and the direction of the Holy Spirit to gu
Patna, March 15 : The Bihar police produced Anant Kumar Singh, RJD MLA from Mokama, in a Patna civil court on Monday.

Anant Singh is currently lodged in Beur jail in Patna in connection with the illegal possession of an AK 47 assault rifle.

Around 100 police personnel including three SP rank officers, many DSPs and inspectors were present in the Patna lower court to provide foolproof security to Anant Singh.

His supporters however alleged that the Bihar police was conspiring against him.

"Our leader has a threat to his life and Bihar police are conspiring against him. He is ill and underwent treatment for 5 days in Patna AIIMS. He was taken on a stretcher to the court. They put the stretcher on the floor during the court hearing. There are many options like video conferencing to present him in court," said Bantu Singh, the right hand man of Anant Singh, who was recently appointed as spokesperson of the RJD.

Anant Singh was arrested for the illegal possession of an AK 47 rifle on August 17, 2019. Besides the AK 47, a huge cache of ammunition was also recovered during the raid at his ancestral house in Patna. He is booked under the Arms Act.
New Delhi:

As many as eight boats and around 40 fishermen have been rescued and brought to safety in a search and rescue operations by Indian Coast Guard after they were stuck in the turbulent sea off Gujarat coast on Wednesday.

Four ICG ships and ALH helicopters were on the job, locating and rescuing boats and fishermen, after receiving distress calls from the fishermen in the morning.

The inclement prevailing weather and turbulent sea state has lead to several fishing boats going aground and capsizing necessitating immediate rescue.

The search is still on for the rest of the fishermen, who are reported missing.

8 fishing boats and around 40 fishermen rescued by ICG off Gujarat coast, brought to safety with search and rescue mission still going on. pic.twitter.com/MlTpXBi4IA  ANI (@ANI) August 30, 2017

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A practical joke with special rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, French deputy Jacques Maire, which the Russian "prankers" played allegedly on behalf of PACE Vice President, member of the Servant of the People faction Oleksandr Merezhko, will have consequences for the Russian side, Merezhko is convinced.

"Another 'masterpiece' of Russian jokers, which testifies to the fact that the Russian side got stuck in their jokes at the stage of the early 2000s. I think that my French colleague behaved very dignified during the conversation. By the way, Mr. Jacques Maire and I drank coffee and talked back in January, right after the phone call that he allegedly received from me. We are members of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights. Knowing a little the psychology of the French, I am sure that this idea will hurt the Russian side, which for ten years has lost the ability to think the situation at least several moves ahead," Merezhko said in a comment to the Interfax-Ukraine information agency.

In his opinion, this joke has a clearly defined purpose - probing the chances of launching the so-called "new complimentary procedure" in relation to the Russian Federation. Merezhko explained that it is about the prospects of the Russian side to meet with much more acute and systemic challenges on the platform of the Council of Europe than those that took place in the period of 2014-2019, when the Russian delegation was deprived of the right to vote in PACE and was forced to leave the indicated forum.

"This prospect makes Russians nervous and even hysterical. It is difficult to find other assessments of the ongoing Russian ultimatums about readiness to leave the Council of Europe," the parliamentarian said.

At the same time, Merezhko stressed that he, as PACE vice-chairman, and all members of the Ukrainian delegation, together with partners in the Baltic +, are doing everything possible to ensure that "the degree of attention to the representatives of the Russian side in PACE remains at a high level."

On March 11, Russian prankers Alexei Stolyarov (Lexus) and Vladimir Kuznetsov (Vovan) published on their YouTube channel a recording of a prank with the PACE special rapporteur Jacques Maire on the case of Russian blogger Alexei Navalny. The prankers called Maire on behalf of Merezhko regarding the alleged poisoning of the blogger. Judging by the video released to the public, the conversation took place during the PACE session at the end of January.
Massachusetts public health officials on Sunday reported that 1,508 more residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and another 30 have died from the virus.

Since the pandemic hit the U.S. about a year ago, at least 568,616 Bay State residents have tested positive for the coronavirus and 16,311 have died, according to the state Department of Public Health.

DPH officials estimate there are at least 26,459 active cases in Massachusetts as of Sunday.

The latest case totals are based on 90,244 new molecular tests. The states seven-day average rate of positive tests is 1.67%, which remained steady this past week after dropping following a winter peak. The rate reached a low of 0.8% in September.

Currently, 636 residents are hospitalized with COVID-19, including 169 in intensive care and 95 who are intubated. Like the daily new case counts, hospitalizations have declined for weeks.

So far, a total of 2,522,847 vaccine doses have gone out across Massachusetts. At least 908,553 residents are fully vaccinated as of Sunday, according to a daily vaccination report from DPH.

The state recently launched a website to help streamline vaccine access. Anyone who lives or works in the state can use the site to pre-register to get the vaccine, whether or not they are currently eligible.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of President Joe Bidens top pandemic advisors and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday that case counts are still too high across the country to declare a victory, even if trends are in the right direction a year after the pandemic began.

Fauci expressed concern that if states entirely eliminate protections and restrictions including social distancing and mask-wearing too soon, cases could surge again.

We absolutely need to avoid the urge to say, Oh, everything is going great, Fauci told NBC News Meet the Press on Sunday, even if declines in new cases have been steep.

Almost 30 million Americans have tested positive for COVID-19 and nearly 535,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. But NBC News reported the seven-day average of new cases is about 57,000, the lowest since October.

Following downward trends and increases in vaccinations, Massachusetts public health officials have loosened restrictions and plan to further ease requirements in restaurants, businesses and stadiums this month. Education officials are calling on elementary students to be back in the classroom on April 5.

Here are the total COVID cases by county:

Barnstable County: 10,696

Berkshire County: 4,978

Bristol County: 57,177

Dukes County: 880

Essex County: 85,861

Franklin County: 2,059

Hampden County: 43,411

Hampshire County: 7,835

Middlesex County: 115,697

Nantucket County: 1,218

Norfolk County: 47,273

Plymouth County: 41,702

Suffolk County: 80,886

Worcester County: 67,559

Related Content:
Hospitality-related businesses in Carbon County will share $726,949 in COVID-19 relief funding from the state, according to Rep. Doyle Heffley, R-122, Lower Towamensing Twp.

Applications are now being accepted from businesses in the local hospitality industry in need of a financial helping hand as they recover from the devastating economic impact of the pandemic and the resulting government shutdowns, Heffley said. Eligible business owners are encouraged to apply for these grants as soon as possible, as the demand will likely outstrip the available funding.

Applications are currently being accepting by the Carbon Chamber and Economic Development Corporation. More information, along with the application, are available on the CCEDC website, www.carboncoun tychamber.org. Grant awards will be made in increments of $5,000, up to a maximum amount of $50,000, to cover eligible expenses.

The money is being made available through Act 1 of 2021, a recently signed law that created the COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program, which allocates $145 million in funding assistance to hospitality-related businesses across Pennsylvania that have been adversely affected by the pandemic.

 staff report
By Allison Brace '22

A key component of the Vietnam Legacies Project explores the University of Dayton in a wartime setting, showcasing protests, personal stories and the greater effects of the war on campus. An initiative of the UD Human Rights Center, the project includes a virtual exhibit launched during the 2020 fall semester, as well as a two-day online symposium in October that addressed the impact of the war in the U.S. and attracted more than 40 panelists and attendees.

The project was made possible by Vietnam veteran and University alumnus John (Jack) Meagher 63, who generously committed $100,000 to the Human Rights Center (HRC) to fund a major research project and symposium on the topic, "Transitional Justice, Advocacy, and the U.S.-Vietnam War." Meaghers gift also funded a postdoctoral scholar to research war legacies and promote advocacy related to the war.

Jack came to the center through University Advancement and we discussed how his interests in the Vietnam War could marry with the center's interest in focusing on advocacy around peace and human rights issues, said Shelley Inglis, HRC executive director and research professor of human rights and law.

Meagher earned his bachelors degree in history from the University while participating in the ROTC program. He graduated from UD as a commissioned Army officer, and earned his law degree from the University of Cincinnati before being stationed in Germany and then Vietnam.

My purpose in initiating this project was to remind people of the facts of the war and ask whether the United States should consider the need and importance of making amends to the Vietnamese people, Meagher said. I am grateful that the Human Rights Center was willing and able to accept the challenge of exploring these topics.

The virtual exhibit showcases the impact of the war on campus through letters, photographs and oral histories. It highlights on-campus protests, peace studies, student movements for racial and gender equality, iconic speakers, the role of the University of Dayton Research Institute and the requirement for male students to participate in ROTC programming during that period.

Originally planned as an in-person exhibit, Exploring the Legacy of the Vietnam War at the University of Dayton became a web-based display because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Paul Morrow joined the HRC staff in fall 2019 as the John Meagher Fellow, a postdoctoral scholar intended to research war legacies and promote advocacy related to the U.S.-Vietnam War.

My academic work focuses on problems of justice in post-war societies, specifically Europe post-World War II, Rwanda after the 1994 genocide and others, said Morrow, who holds a doctorate in philosophy from Vanderbilt University. Frequently, transitional justice processes focus on transformations within a single country, for example those that have experienced civil war and need reconstruction and reconciliation. However, this lens can also be applied to American society after the Vietnam War.

Morrow spearheaded the research project with help from several students, including history majors Katie Schreyer 22 and Jackson Prieto 22, who came to the project from their class, Intro to the Historian's Craft. Political science and human rights studies double major Bridget Graham 22 also assisted with the project by developing the exhibits website.

I think that the Vietnam Legacies Project can positively impact campus because it can help UD students know what life on campus was like 50 years ago and how students back then thought about and acted on the issues of their time, Schreyer said. There are a lot of parallels between the social dilemmas we're facing now and the ones that people contended with in the 1960s and 1970s, and I think it's important for people to know the origin of these problems in order to change them moving forward.

The climate strikes and gun violence demonstrations held during the 2019-2020 school year as well as last summers protests for racial justice are just a few of the social dilemmas that have spurred renewed advocacy within the community. Schreyer plans to continue to draw these correlations through ongoing research on the topic.

I continue to conduct interviews with former UD students and professors who want to share their experiences living during the Vietnam War, Schreyer said.

The students sifted through archival documents, news stories and photos from the UD Special Collections Library to understand the campus climate in the late 1960s and early 1970s. However, this research was halted in March 2020 when students left campus because of the coronavirus pandemic. The students persisted and were able to conduct virtual interviews with alumni and faculty from the era.

We got a lot of alumni input and personal stories which we were able to capture in our shift to an online exhibit instead of having a real exhibit, Inglis said. A lot of the stories we got from the alumni were really important because those alumni were trailblazers in making changes at UD which we still have the legacy of today.

The Vietnam Legacies Symposium, Oct. 22-23, included panelists who spoke on topics such as unexploded ordnance, the health effects of Agent Orange on American and Vietnamese soldiers and civilians, and U.S. veterans' activism and memorialization.

The Vietnam War is one that divided our country and caused destruction to the land of Vietnam and its people, Meagher said. There have been millions of unexploded bombs and landmines left behind on the land both injuring and killing thousands of Vietnamese people over the last 50-plus years. Since the war, many Vietnamese children have continually been born with birth defects directly connected to the exposure effects of Agent Orange left behind by the war.

The Vietnam War and its aftermath continue to stir strong opinions. Alumna HaQuyen Pham 07 said the website, and the project as a whole, should trace impacts from past to present-day and include Vietnamese-American perspectives, as well as other voices traditionally missing from the narrative, including Laotian, Cambodian and Hmong people who were affected by the war, thousands of whom settled in the U.S.

Theres certainly a link to the greater Dayton community, said Pham, who holds a bachelors degree in French and journalism and a masters in communication from the University. Vietnamese refugees settled in Dayton and started grocery stores, restaurants, churches, temples and community organizations that contributed to the local economy and the cultural fabric.

Phams parents started a Dayton-area Vietnamese restaurant in 1990. She also noted that Dayton has a significant Vietnamese-Catholic community that rented space for many years at Holy Trinity Church before establishing a downtown parish in 2001 at the historic Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

The Vietnam Legacies Project advances the Human Right Centers mission of nonviolence education, advocacy, change and social justice, striving for change while chartering the frontiers for research and advocacy both at the University and in the community.

The Vietnam Legacies Project corresponds to the multidimensional mission of the Human Rights Center, Inglis said. It incorporates a focus on research for and about advocacy for peace, justice and reconciliation from the Vietnam era, a historical period which has legacies that profoundly shape our political and social realities today.

For more information, visit the Human Rights Center website.

Image, top of page: John (Jack) Meagher.
The government of southwestern Yunnan province is tracking 15 wild Asian elephants round-the-clock as the herd moves northward. The elephants, which started their journey from the southernmost prefecture in the province on April 16, were 10 kilometers away from the provincial capital Kunming on Tuesday. The local government has been tracking and escorting the animals to keep them away from residents. The elephants have damaged 561 square meters of cropland, according to media reports

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The gold standard for transporting human organs has been the same for decades: an Igloo cooler.

Once a recipient has been identified, the organ is surgically removed from the donors body in an operating room and placed in a Ziploc bag with preservation solution. Its put in two more plastic bags and placed on a bed of ice in a mini ice chest, much like youd ice down a six-pack for a short trip.

And then you run like the devil, said Leon Bunegin, a retired anesthesiology university professor in San Antonio.

The clock is ticking as medical staff rushes the cooler to the transplant site, trying to get there before the procured organ deteriorates to a point where it is rendered useless.

The time limit is essentially four hours, Bunegin said. After four hours, the major functions of the heart start to decline rapidly  after six hours the organ becomes non-transplantable.

And that would be a terrible waste considering that 17 people die every day in the U.S. waiting for an organ transplant.

Bunegin has worked on this problem for the past 40 years in his academic lab and may have found the solution. Hes invented a new medical device called VP.S Encore that can keep a heart viable a lot longer than the ice chest method by pumping the organ with oxygen.

As chief scientific officer for Vascular Perfusion Solutions, a biotech company based in a tiny private lab in the South Texas Medical Center, Bunegin leads a team of scientists, engineers and medical experts, including some of his former students.

The team is testing his device, which is about the same size as the six-pack cooler but uses considerably advanced technology.

The company has begun the process of getting clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to use Bunegins invention for human heart preservation and transport.

Preliminary findings show a pig heart can be kept viable as long as a day using the patent-pending perfusion technology that he designed.

From an experimental standpoint, weve been able to keep the heart alive for 24 hours, Bunegin said.

A human heart could be kept viable for at least eight hours, twice as long as the current system.

Other organs could potentially be kept longer using his device, perhaps even several days.

The self-contained, single-use device uses oxygen to preserve vascularized tissue and is in a carry-on case designed to fit inside the overhead compartment of a commercial airliner.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio's University Hospital part of study to improve transplants

Led by CEO Tom DeBrooke and President Mark Muller, VPS has already raised about $5 million in equity funding from unnamed investors, according to federal Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

The company also has secured big names for its scientific advisory council, including pediatric transplant surgeon Dr. Francisco G. Cigarroa, past president of UT Health San Antonio; and retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Byron C. Hepburn, who previously ran the San Antonio Military Health System.

Back in 2009, Bunegin started a company with DeBrooke called Paragonix Technologies. His technology is behind the medical device makers cardiac transport system SherpaPak, which is already on the market. They continue to own a portion of Paragonix.

Bunegin also invented the ULiSSES, an early version of his current perfusion device, and VPS has an exclusive license to market the technology.

The company was awarded a $1 million U.S. Department of Defense grant to study whether the device could keep limbs severed on the battlefield viable until they can be surgically reattached at a hospital.

VPS has also filed a series of patents on its own VP.S Encore technology, which is more efficient and easier to manufacture than ULiSSES.

A long day

On this Sunday morning, a still viable pig heart arrived in the standard blue and white Playmate cooler.

Rafael Veraza, director of translational research at VPS, carried the organ inside the lab and started to prepare it for what would be a very long day of scientific observation, testing and analysis.

Veraza trimmed away some extra tissue left behind during surgery that had taken place about two hours earlier.

To prove the device works, the team needs to mimic the real-life human procurement process as best as possible, so the company works with area veterinary surgeons to get pig hearts, which are close enough to a human heart in anatomy and function that they are often used for medical training.

VPS must gather more research data before the device can undergo pre-clinical testing in a government-regulated lab, still using pig hearts. Later, if all goes well, the FDA will clear the device for clinical testing using donated human hearts.

On this day, everyone in the scene was focused on keeping the non-beating pig heart alive. Its not every day the team has the opportunity to work on a live heart.

Engineering Director Israel Jessop carefully installed a thin tube called a cannula into one of the hearts valves, which allows the device to deliver a cold oxygenated solution that keeps tissue from degrading.

Jessops brows stayed furrowed as he handled troubleshooting the delicate process.

The plump pink heart floated in a solution in a clear jar, kept in a hyperthermic state for the next eight hours. Tiny sensors placed inside sent real-time data to a nearby laptop.

Clinical Director Michelle Watt, a registered nurse, made sure times and measurements were documented on a big white board in the room and kept everyone on schedule.

DeBrooke marveled at the heart while trying to stay out of the way. He leaned in to snap a few photos on his cellphone.

Senior Scientist Kristina Andrijauskaite took tiny samples from the heart and put them in a machine typically used in hospitals to measure glucose, sodium and calcium levels.

She keyed in 007 to identify the heart for lab records. Later, the team dubbed the heart James.

The teams previous subject, Chester, was sitting in a glass jar on a nearby counter.

Andrijauskaite said she would freeze most of the samples taken with plans to study them during the week looking for genetic markers that indicate damage.

Our eventual goal is to silence those genes so that theres less of a chance of rejection (after transplant), she said.

Before this job, she studied cancer and the bodys response to chronic stress. She was also part of a team at UT Health San Antonio that sent live zebrafish embryos via rocket to space.

Later in the evening, Research Engineer Riley Lopez helped conduct an experiment using an instrument called a Langendorff  a glass contraption with multiple tubes located in another part of the lab.

Theres only a few labs in the country that have a system this big for pigs, Veraza said.

After eight hours, the team took the heart out of Bunegins device and simulated what would happen during a transplant by bringing the hearts temperature from around 4 degrees to 37 degrees.

They continued working with the pig heart until nearly midnight.

FDA approval

Its a long road to FDA approval, but the process is designed to ensure that medical devices marketed to the public are safe.

On Feb. 8, the FDA designated the VP.S Encore as a breakthrough device. This federal program allows manufacturers to communicate with FDA experts during the pre-market review phase of devices intended to treat or diagnose life-threatening or debilitating disease or conditions.

U.S. government officials report that more than 107,000 people are currently on the national transplant waiting list as of February with the vast majority in need of a kidney, but others needing a liver, heart or lungs.

Within the past six months, nearly 1 in 5 available hearts were declined primarily because a donor and recipient were too far away from each other, said Clarissa Thompson, a spokeswoman with San Antonio-based nonprofit Texas Organ Sharing Alliance.

The alliance is one of 57 federally-designated organ procurement organizations in the U.S. responsible for recovering organs from deceased donors for transplantation.

Under a new partnership, the alliance will provide human hearts to VPS once its ready for that level of testing. Thompson said these are hearts donated for research that arent viable for transplantation.

If a device like the one VPS created makes it to market, itll be a gamechanger for the organ donation industry.

Organs would not only be able to get to patients in need who live farther away, Thompson said, but they could arrive in better condition, leading to fewer rejections.

This could mean more lives saved and possibly a shorter wait time (for those on the list), she said.

laura.garcia@express-news.net
PRAGUE, Czech Republic  Two parties in Slovakias ruling coalition called on the populist prime minister to resign to open the way for a reconstruction of the government amid a political crisis triggered by a secret deal to buy Russia's coronavirus vaccine.

Richard Sulik, the head of the Freedom and Solidarity party and a deputy prime minister, said Prime Minister Igor Matovics resignation is a necessary step for the four-party coalition to survive.

If he doesn't resign, we're ready to leave the government, Sulik, who is also the economy minister, said. He gave Matovic a March 23 deadline to step down.

Sulik's party was joined on Monday by the For People party, another coalition party, in demands that Matovic resign.

Sulik and Matovic had clashed repeatedly over how to tackle the pandemic, but the current crisis is the most serious the one-year-old coalition has faced.

Sulik said Matovic's resignation would create space for a more constructive and effective co-operation in the coalition. He also said he would be willing to offer his own resignation to give the coalition a fresh start.

There was no immediate response from Matovic to the demands.

The crisis erupted when a secret deal came to light two weeks ago involving Slovakia's agreement to acquire Russias Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. The deal was orchestrated by Matovic despite disagreement among his coalition partners.

Matovic has defended the deal to buy 2 million Sputnik V vaccines, saying it will speed up the country's vaccination program.

Among those who opposed it was Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok, who was nominated to the post by Suliks party. He argued that the vaccine was a tool in Russias hybrid war against the West. Korcok said the purchase cast doubts on his countrys clear pro-Western orientation.

Another coalition partner, For People, was also angry, arguing that any vaccine needs approval from the EUs drug regulator, which has not happened with Sputnik V.

Story continues

For People leader Veronika Remisova said that Sulik should resign together with Matovic as a way out of the crisis.

Their conflicts effectively slowed down the governments work, said Remisova, who is the deputy prime minister for investments and informatization.

If Matovic refuses to resign and the Freedom and Solidarity and For People leave the government, the remaining two parties would lose their majority in Parliament.

Health Minister Marek Krajci, representing Matovics Ordinary People party, already resigned last week. His resignation was also demanded by the two coalition partners.

Sulik also said he believed that Matovics handling of the coronavirus pandemic has been chaotic, making Slovakia one of the hardest-hit countries in the European Union.

Slovakia, the nation of 5.4 million, has recorded almost 338,000 cases of COVID-19 and 8,605 deaths.

The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths has risen over the past two weeks from 1.79 deaths per 100,000 people on Feb. 28 to 1.81 deaths per 100,000 people on March 14, according to Johns Hopkins University. That is the second highest death rate in the world.

Populist Matovic struck a deal a year ago to govern with the pro-business Freedom and Solidarity party, the conservative For People, and We Are Family, a populist right-wing group that was allied with Frances far-right National Rally party.

___

Follow all of APs pandemic coverage at:

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

Karel Janicek, The Associated Press
Unpatched Exchange Servers hit with ransomware

Microsoft Exchange Servers that have not been upgraded with the latest security patches are getting hit with "DearCry" ransomware, Microsoft warned.

We have detected and are now blocking a new family of ransomware being used after an initial compromise of unpatched on-premises Exchange Servers. Microsoft protects against this threat known as Ransom:Win32/DoejoCrypt.A, and also as DearCry, Microsoft Security Intelligence tweeted March 11.

This new threat takes advantage of web shells or backdoors installed by the Hafnium group that exploit four zero-day Exchange Server flaws. A webshell is a script that can be uploaded to a compromised Microsoft Exchange Server to enable remote administration of the machine, according to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The attack was initially thought to be designed for widespread government and industry espionage campaigns, but now attackers are now using those web shells to install ransomware.

The new development was first detected and reported by security researcher Michael Gillespie after he noticed a sudden swarm of submissions to his ID-Ransomware website, according to a Threatpost article. After analyzing the reports, Gillespie realized the attacks were hitting Exchange servers.

The DearCry ransomware uses AES-256 and RSA-2048 to encrypt victim files and changes file headers to include the string DEARCRY! A ransomware note and a hash are displayed on the victims desktop, along with an email address the victim is asked to contact, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 global threat intelligence team wrote. All logical drives on the Windows operating system, except for CD-ROM drives, are enumerated on the victims system so that the ransomware can begin to encrypt files using an RSA public key, they said.

Security firm Kryptos Logic tweeted it has detected nearly 7,000 exposed web shells on compromised Exchange servers that can be seeded with ransomware.

The attacks are human operated, meaning the ransomware is manually installed, one-by-one, on each vulnerable server, Kryptos Logic security researcher Marcus Hutchins told Ars Technica. Not all of the nearly 7,000 servers have been hit by DearCry, he added.

Taking advantage of previously installed web shells can be a faster and more efficient means to deploy malware on unpatched servers than exploiting the specific Exchange flaws, John Hultquist, a vice president at security firm Mandiant, told Ars.

The speed with which the vulnerabilities were converted to ransomware was remarkable, Allan Liska with Recorded Future told Redmondmag.

"What this shows is the acceleration of the development of the ransomware actors and their maturity," he said. "If you go back to ZeroLogin, which was released in August, we didn't see ransomware actors exploiting that until October, which was a two-month gap. Here there was a nine-day gap. It shows how quickly they're growing and maturing in terms of being able to take advantage of exploits."

Even after the Exchange Servers are patched, attackers can take advantage of the web shells that were installed while the servers were still vulnerable. Organizations must scrub their systems to remove of all web shells.
[March 15, 2021] Investor Group Files Definitive Proxy Statement for Director Nominations at Kohl's and Sends Letters to Shareholders

Macellum Advisors GP, LLC (together with its affiliates, "Macellum"), Ancora Holdings, Inc. (together with its affiliates, "Ancora"), Legion Partners Asset Management, LLC (together with its affiliates, "Legion Partners"), and 4010 Capital, LLC (together with its affiliates, "4010 Capital" and, together with Macellum, Ancora and Legion Partners, the "Investor Group") today announced that it has filed its definitive proxy statement for its slate of nominees for the Board of Directors (the "Board") of Kohl's Corporation (NYSE: KSS) ("Kohl's" or the "Company"). The Investor Group is deemed to beneficially own, in the aggregate, 14,950,605 shares of the Company's common stock, including 3,481,600 shares underlying call options currently exercisable, constituting approximately 9.5% of the Company's outstanding common stock. The proxy statement can be found here:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001640326/000092189521000735/defc14a09050035_03152021.htm The Investor Group also sent a letter to all Kohl's shareholders highlighting the following: The chronic underperformance of Kohl's stock price compared to its peers and relevant indices over a one-year, three-year, five-year and ten-year period;

compared to its peers and relevant indices over a one-year, three-year, five-year and ten-year period; The need for a truly new strategy and the addition of our five highly qualified directors in order to prevent investors from experiencing the same disappointing outcomes they have for decades at Kohl's;

in order to prevent investors from experiencing the same disappointing outcomes they have for decades at Kohl's; Why the Board should be held accountable for what we believe are deeply flawed executive compensation practices;

The significant potential for value creation that we see at Kohl's with the benefit of a refreshed Board;

that we see at Kohl's with the benefit of a Th superior relevant skillsets of our nominees compared to the five long-tenured incumbent Kohl's directors.



https://createvalueatkohls.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Letter-to-KSS-Shareholders-03152021.pdf and additional information can be found at

https://createvalueatkohls.com/. We encourage all shareholder to vote the WHITE Proxy Card today in order to support our nominees and to help Kohl's reach its full potential.

About Macellum Macellum Advisors GP, LLC, together with its affiliates (collectively, "Macellum") have substantial experience investing in consumer and retail companies and assisting such companies in improving their long-term financial and stock price performance. Macellum's historical investments include: Collective Brands, GIII Apparel Group, Hot Topic, Charming Shoppes and Warnaco, among other companies. Macellum prefers to constructively engage with management to improve its governance and performance for the benefit of all stockholders, as we did with Perry Ellis. However, when management is entrenched, Macellum has run successful proxy contests to effectuate meaningful change, including at The Children's Place Inc., Christopher & Banks Corporation, Citi Trends, Inc. Bed Bath and Beyond Inc. and most recently at Big Lots, Inc. About Ancora Ancora Holdings, Inc. is an employee owned, Cleveland, Ohio based holding company which wholly owns four separate and distinct SEC (News - Alert) Registered Investment Advisers and a broker dealer. Ancora Advisors LLC specializes in customized portfolio management for individual investors, high net worth investors, investment companies (mutual funds), and institutions such as pension/profit sharing plans, corporations, charitable & "Not-for Profit" organizations, and unions. Ancora Family Wealth Advisors, LLC is a leading, regional investment and wealth advisor managing assets on behalf families and high net-worth individuals. Ancora Alternatives LLC specializes in pooled investments (hedge funds/investment limited partnerships). Ancora Retirement Plan Advisors, Inc. specializes in providing non-discretionary investment guidance for small and midsize employer sponsored retirement plans. Inverness Securities, LLC is a FINRA registered Broker Dealer. About Legion Partners Legion Partners is a value-oriented investment manager based in Los Angeles, with a satellite office in Sacramento, CA (News - Alert) . Legion Partners seeks to invest in high-quality businesses that are temporarily trading at a discount, utilizing deep fundamental research and long-term shareholder engagement. Legion Partners manages a concentrated portfolio of North American small-cap equities on behalf of some of the world's largest institutional and HNW investors. About 4010 Capital 4010 Capital is a value-oriented investment manager with substantial experience investing in the consumer discretionary sector. 4010 Capital employs comprehensive fundamental analysis to invest in companies which it believes are trading at a discount to intrinsic value and have a pathway to improving operating performance. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005805/en/

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A doctor wearing protective equipment is seen unloading a patient outside St Thomas' Hospital, in London on April 7, 2020. (Peter Summers/Getty Images)

CCP Virus Caused More UK Deaths Than Any Infectious Disease in a Century: Report

The CCP virus pandemic in the UK has caused more deaths in a year than any other infectious disease for more than a century, according to official data.

The report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) was published almost exactly one year after the government announced the first restrictions as the first wave of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) virus began to spread.

More than 140,000 people have now died in the UK with COVID-19 mentioned as the underlying cause or a contributory cause on their death certificates, the ONS report states.

This includes more than 73,500 people in England and Wales whose deaths were due to COVID-19where it was the underlying causeregistered in 2020.

The report stated that this means COVID-19 was the underlying cause of more deaths in 2020 than any other infectious and parasitic diseases had caused in any year since 1918.

The report comes as deaths dropped to their lowest daily toll for five months.

The ONS report also includes information on working patterns and shows a sharp decline in work last year in many sectors.

According to the report: Accommodation and food services industries, which included people furloughed from closed pubs, hotels and restaurants, recorded a 54 percent fall in average weekly hours worked in April to June 2020, with 13.0 hours per worker on average compared with 28.4 in the same three months of 2019. Other industries saw less significant falls.

Job vacancies in nearly all sectors plummeted over the year, although they show signs of recovery.

The report, titled Coronavirus: a year like no other, also picks out another anomaly: house prices and the economy. Normally, house prices and the economy rise and fall somewhat in lockstep. Last year, as the pandemic hit, house prices rose, while the economy sank.

CCP virus infection rates in the UK have been falling since they peaked around the start of January, according to official statistics.

The latest infection survey, published last week by the ONS, shows that around 1 in 270 people in England had the virus in the first week of March.

The decline in infections has been slowing in the last couple of weeks, according to that particular study. However, a more up-to-the-minute surveythe ZOE Symptom Surveysuggests that rates have been falling again for around two weeks after almost leveling off at the end of February.

The ZOE survey tracks infections by using real-time data recorded by participants on their smartphones and has typically foreshadowed the results of swab test surveys that follow a week or so later.

The drop in new cases continues with only 5089 a day positive, and with over a million PCR and LFD tests per day performed around 2000 may even be false positives. Now with vaccine effectiveness kicking in, these are one of lowest levels in europe and low admissions and deaths pic.twitter.com/Ll4pTVTKUA  Tim Spector (@timspector) March 13, 2021

The drop in new cases continues with only 5089 a day positive, and with over a million PCR and LFD [lateral flow device] tests per day performed around 2000 may even be false positives, Tim Spector, who runs the survey, wrote on Twitter on March 13.

Now with vaccine effectiveness kicking in, these are one of lowest levels in Europe and low admissions and deaths.
Long wait for state finals coming to an end for area track athletes
A giant walrus the size of a dairy bull has landed on the rocks in Valentia Island in what is believed to be the first-ever sighting of the North Pole species in Ireland.

Local man Alan Houlihan and his five-year-old daughter Muireann spotted it breaching out of the water as they walked along Glanleam Beach on the Kerry island this morning.

Marine biologist Kevin Flannery believes the Arctic creature could have fallen asleep on an iceberg before being carried across the Atlantic ocean to Kerry.

Mr Houlihan said Muireann was the first to spot the giant creature on their stroll.

Muireann is the David Attenborough of Valentia Island.

Hes huge, hes about the size of a bull or a cow.

Myself and my daughter were out walking on the beach down near the lighthouse, he said. He breached out of the water onto the rocks and gave us a bit of a show.

Read More

I thought it was a seal at first and then we saw the tusks. He kind of jumped up on the rocks. He was massive. He was about the size of a bull or a cow, pretty similar in size, hes big, big.

He was right beside us, less than 50 metres away from us. He went off again for a while and he came back and went back to the rocks.

He was sitting on the rock now kind of posing, at one stage there he threw up a fin and it looked like he was giving us all the birdie.

The director of Dingle Oceanworld, Kevin Flannery, said it is an amazing sight.

Its incredible. This is the first confirmed sighting of a walrus. Its a one-off as far as Im concerned.

I havent seen it before, maybe others might have thought they saw one before but this is a definite confirmation of one.

The leading marine biologist has his own theory on how he ended up in Kerry.

Hes from the Arctic. Id say what happened is he fell asleep on an iceberg and drifted off and then he was gone too far, out into the mid-Atlantic or somewhere like that down off Greenland possibly.

He would be pretty tired and pretty hungry at this stage.

That is usually what happens to them is that they fall asleep on an iceberg and then get carried off from the Arctic.

He urged the public to give the walrus some peace to recuperate from his mammoth journey.

Hes on the rocks asleep. Im asking for people to leave him rest until he goes back.

Ive seen pictures of him sent to me by Seanie Murphy, the ex (coxswain) of the lifeboat, and Ive confirmed he is a walrus, not a seal with a toothache.

Mr Houlihan, who grew up on the island, said the walrus was shivering on the rocks before he left him yesterday.

I dont know if he is well.

Mr Flannery said the walruss tusks are used for digging out clams on the ground.

Hopefully hell get a few scallops around Valentia.

But at this point, he wants to rest. Hes come from the North Pole, possibly off Greenland.

He could also be island-hopping and went to Iceland and on to Shetland but thats unlikely. Id say he came in out of the Atlantic. Its thousands of miles away.

If he regains his strength hopefully hell make his way back up.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott fears Democrats could use 'cocaine to buy votes' if an election overhaul bill passed along party lines in the U.S. House were to become law.

While appearing on Fox News, Abbott said the bill would 'institutionalize voter fraud in the United States of America.'

Abbott was responding to the passage of H.R.1, which made it through the House of Representatives with only Democratic support on March 3.

The bill has not been introduced in the Senate yet, which is split evenly along Republicans and caucusing Democrats, with Vice President Kamala Harris holding a tiebreaking vote.

Abbott relayed a story from his time as attorney general of Texas that involved what he said was the buying of votes.

Scroll down for video

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appeared on Fox News on Sunday morning, where he claimed an election reform bill would allow the use of 'cocaine to buy votes'

'It was Barack Obama himself who knew about the dangers of ballot harvesting in the state of Texas,' Abbott said.

'Because under his administration, he sent his U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas as well as the FBI to south Texas to arrest and to prosecute people who were involved in ballot harvesting that were using cocaine to buy votes through the ballot harvesting process in the state of Texas.

Ballot harvesting is when a third-party is allowed to drop off a mail-in ballot on behalf of another individual.

Abbott didn't relay any additional details of the alleged harvesting.

'It is a way to commit voter fraud and it cannot be allowed,' he said

Maria Bartiromo, who was interviewing Abbott, called the story 'absolutely extraordinary.'

Abbott said H.R.1 would 'institutionalize voter fraud in the United States of America'

H.R.1 includes several voting rights efforts that have largely been rejected by Republican politicians, including the expansion of mail-in balloting.

It would also make Election Day a federal holiday across the United States.

Mail-in voting was a central target of Donald Trump's accusations of voting fraud during the 2020 presidential election, despite a lack of evidence tying fraud to mail-in voting, which was expanded due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Abbott claimed Barack Obama was aware of ballot harvesting in Texas during his presidency

A poll by Data For Progress shows that 67 percent of Americans are in favor of passing H.R.1.

That includes 77 percent Democratic support and 56 percent Republican support.

Biden has already signed an executive order to expand access to voter registration, improve ballot tracking for those overseas, and make certain provisions for jailed voters and citizens with disabilities.

According to Fox News, Biden said he will sign H.R.1 if it makes it past the Senate.

Abbott's reference to cocaine related to his argument against 'open border policies' supported by President Joe Biden.

H.R.1, which has passed the House of Representatives but hasn't been introduced in the Senate, would reform voting laws in the US, including the expansion of mail-in balloting

'The Border Patrol officers told me that the Biden administration and policies, they are enriching, they are empowering the drug cartels in Mexico who make money off of the people that they assist in smuggling into the state of Texas,' Abbott said during the interview.

Abbott has launched Operation Lone Star, which puts National Guard troops and Texas Department of Public Safety officers on the border to prevent further migrant smuggling.

Abbott also accused the Biden administration of failing to disclose the number of migrants at the border who have tested positive for COVID-19.

'We expect that data and we expect the Biden administration to step up and assist the state of Texas in being able to respond to that imported challenge, imported only because of the change in policies by the Biden administration,' Abbott stated.
As more than a year has passed since the coronavirus pandemic was declared, leading evangelical aid organization World Vision partnered with tens of thousands of faith leaders and communities worldwide to reach 59 million people through relief and virus prevention efforts.

Not long after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, World Vision, an interdenominational aid organization that operates in nearly 100 countries, launched the largest global response in its 70-year history.

Erica Van Deren, a senior program manager on World Visions emergency response team, told The Christian Post that as the world was shutting down, World Vision kept working since that is the purpose God has bestowed on the organization and its staff.

COVID-19 has been our largest both domestic response and international response that weve ever organized as an organization, Van Deren said in an interview. Its been a remarkable amount of work and really just a wonderful opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this really, really challenging time.

Source:The Christian Post
Kids taking turns sleeping on floor as overcrowding impacts Texas migrant shelter: lawyer

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As unaccompanied minors and families seeking asylum continue to pour over the United States southern border with Mexico at a rapid rate, many of the children in one Texas shelter are sleeping on the floor due to a lack of space.

Neha Desai, a lawyer who represents illegal immigrant youth, spoke with CBS News about the crisis last week. Desai spoke with children detained at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection holding facility in Donna, Texas.

As of March 2, she said the Donna facility held more than 1,800 people, more than seven times its coronavirus-era capacity of 250.

Some of the boys said that conditions were so overcrowded that they had to take turns sleeping on the floor, Desai reported. They all said they wanted to shower more and they couldnt.

Additionally, Desai remarked that the children lamented to her that they never saw the sun.

One of them shared that he could only see the sun when he showered because you can see the sun through the window, the lawyer told the news outlet.

The crowded conditions at border detention facilities come as the U.S.-Mexico border experiences a surge in illegal border crossings.

Amid the concerns of overcrowding at holding shelters, a memo obtained by The Associated Press Monday states that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will temporarily house thousands of young migrant teenage boys at a Dallas convention center.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the number of encounters at the southwest border between law enforcement and illegal immigrants rose from 78,442 in January to 100,441 in February.

The number of encounters in February 2021 is nearly three times the number in February 2020 (36,687).

The border surge comes less than two months after President Joe Biden took office.

Biden has worked to undo most of former President Donald Trumps immigration policies, which were aimed at stemming the flow of illegal immigrants entering the U.S.

In early 2019, the Trump administration invoked the Migrant Protection Protocols, forcing those seeking asylum to wait in Mexico, independent journalist Sharyl Attkisson explained on a recent episode of her weekly newsmagazine series Full Measure.

As the coronavirus pandemic began to engulf the U.S. in March 2020, she said Trump enacted Title 42, an emergency health order that let border officials immediately turn back illegal immigrants.

She added that after both the Migrant Protection Protocols and Title 42 had been implemented, 90% of illegal immigrants caught at the southwest border [in May 2020] were being expelled, and the number intercepted dropped from about a million in 2019 to roughly half that in 2020.

Since taking office, the Biden administration has worked to reverse those policies, leading to illegal border crossers getting released inside U.S. border communities, Attkisson explained.

While Biden has yet to visit the southern border since the latest surge in border crossings began, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., led a delegation of congressional Republicans to visit the region Monday.

On March 5, McCarthy wrote a letter to Biden expressing concern about how his administration is handling the crisis.

Citing a prediction that 117,000 unaccompanied alien children (UAC) will be crossing the border this year, McCarthy warned that such drastic increases in apprehensions will, and no doubt already have, put a strain on the capacity of the U.S. Border Patrol and the Health and Human Services officials tasked with caring for unaccompanied alien children.

The House Minority Leader quoted Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, who recently said that We are not saying dont come, we are saying dont come now.

To be clear, there is never a right time to enter the country illegally and violate the laws of the United States, McCarthy said. Signaling otherwise is reckless and will make the situation worse.

We must acknowledge the border crisis, develop a plan, and in no uncertain terms, strongly discourage individuals from Mexico and Central America from ever making the dangerous journey to our southern border, McCarthy wrote.

While the surge in border crossings comes in the context of a new administration, it also comes as the U.S. and the world continue to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

As the Donna facility and others like it continue detaining migrants in numbers far exceeding their capacities, border crossers are testing positive for coronavirus at a higher rate than the American public as a whole.

Migrant families tested in Brownsville, Texas, have a 12% positivity rate, compared to a 3.5% positivity rate among the general U.S. public, according to The Washington Times.

A pastor who runs a shelter for migrant families in Harlingen, Texas claimed that 25% of one group of migrants who arrived at the shelter tested positive for coronavirus. The other group was not tested.

In addition to facing expected criticism from congressional Republicans, local officials and even some Democrats have also criticized the Biden administrations immigration policies.

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who represents a border district in Congress, spoke of three messages that those seeking to enter the U.S. hear in an interview with CNN last Thursday.

Identifying the message from the White House as dont come now, come later, Cuellar contended that two other messages heard by would-be border crossers are far more attractive and encourage them to make the dangerous journey to the U.S.-Mexico border.

One message comes from their family and friends, who tell them, Hey, Pedro, ya pasamos. Were able to come. Come over right now.

The other message comes from criminal organizations, which say, Hey, I can get you across. Pay me a little bit of money.

Speaking to The Houston Chronicle, Cuellar warned that we are weeks, maybe even days from a crisis on the southern border, adding that inaction is simply not an option.

Earlier this month, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced his intention to deploy the states National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border to address the crisis. Abbott slammed the president for advancing policies that refuse to secure the border and invite illegal immigration.

Texas supports legal immigration but will not be an accomplice to the open border policies that cause, rather than prevent, a humanitarian crisis in our state and endanger the lives of Texans. We will surge the resources and law enforcement personnel needed to confront this crisis, he continued.

Del Rio, Texas Mayor Bruno Lozano urged the Biden administration to halt policies that would lead to the release of immigrants awaiting court dates into Del Rio and the surrounding areas in a video last month.
GATINEAU, QC, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Sheri Meyerhoffer, the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE), announced today that her office is open to receive complaints of possible human rights abuses arising from the operations abroad of Canadian companies in mining, oil and gas, and garment sectors.

A new, easy-to-use online form is the foundation of the CORE's complaint process. Anyone with internet access can now lodge a complaint. Additional methods to file a complaint are available through email, voice mail or by mail.

Ms. Meyerhoffer and her team will work to resolve human rights disputes as early as possible, including through mediation. The CORE is required to issue public reports on their findings and is empowered to make remedial recommendations to the Minister of International Trade.

As a human rights Ombud, the CORE brings independence, impartiality and transparency to its work. The CORE is committed to accessible dispute resolution processes where everyone  regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, language, age, disability or any combination of characteristics  can participate, exercise their rights, and be heard.

Please visit the CORE website at https://core-ombuds.canada.ca for more information.

Quotes

"This is a crucial step forward in our mission to help promote and protect human rights and Canada's reputation in the world. Our new online portal is an easy way for people and communities abroad to raise issues and concerns. CORE is the first office of its kind anywhere. Canadians should take pride in this  and in our country's ongoing commitment to human rights."

- Sheri Meyerhoffer, Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise

"We know that Canadians expect our businesses to uphold the highest standards of responsible business conduct, both at home and abroad. The first office of its kind in the world, the CORE is mandated both to help Canadian companies meet those standards, and to offer accessible, effective dispute resolution. With the launch of its complaint-intake system, the CORE has established a foundational mechanism that will advance Canada's responsible business conduct work for years to come. We will continue to support the CORE as they deliver on their important mandate."

- The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade

Quick facts

CORE is the first Ombud's office in the world with a focused mandate on holding companies accountable for their actions in operations abroad.

CORE is an independent, non-partisan body. We operate at arm's length from Global Affairs Canada and report directly to the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade.

Established in 2019, CORE helps protect human rights by ensuring that Canadian companies abroad in the mining, oil and gas, and garment sectors uphold their rights obligations and reflect Canadian values.

CORE adheres to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

Sheri Meyerhoffer was appointed Canada's first Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise on April 8, 2019 , by the Honourable Jim Carr, Minister of International Trade and Diversification. Ms. Meyerhoffer brings 17 years of experience as a lawyer in the oil and gas industry along with 13 years of experience in international governance, rule of law and human rights.

was appointed first Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise on , by the Honourable Jim Carr, Minister of International Trade and Diversification. Ms. Meyerhoffer brings 17 years of experience as a lawyer in the oil and gas industry along with 13 years of experience in international governance, rule of law and human rights. CORE is the first Ombud's office in the world with a focused mandate to help Canadian companies meet high standards of responsible business conduct, and to hold them accountable for their actions in operations abroad.

Related product

CORE complaints portal backgrounder

SOURCE CORE
Washington County BOE nixes recommendations on school closures

The Washington County Board of Education votes against the superintendent's recommendations to close Hancock Middle-Senior High and Cascade Elementary schools.
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Mr Tzaikos has launched an email campaign calling on headmaster Dean DellOro, who has been at the helm since 2017, to take action on consent education and rape culture at the school. Loading Mr Tzaikos said he and other Hale graduates were due to meet with the headmaster via Zoom next week to discuss their demands in an effort to stamp out toxic masculinity, rape culture and slut-shaming. We need to stop waiting around for women to fix this problem, its a male issue, its about men having a horrible, misogynistic culture and raping women and creating this culture in which that is OK, he said. Ive been drawn to this sense of responsibility by these allegations and also this conversation about men in powerful positions taking advantage of women. Im not going to wait, and us men should not wait for permission before we hold ourselves accountable and our institutions accountable.

Mr Tzaikos campaign claims the recent allegations surrounding Mr Porter, which the Attorney General vehemently denied at a press conference early in March, added to instances of alleged assault committed by men in positions of power across Australia. He said revelations about scores of sexual assaults by students in Sydneys private schools further highlighted elite secondary schools were central to the issue and from my experiences, boys at Hale School have contributed to this. Chanel Contos. Credit:Liliana Zaharia The campaign backs a petition launched in February by former Sydney schoolgirl Chanel Contos, 23, calling for Australian schools to teach students about sexual consent at an earlier age. The petition has received more than 33,000 signatures. Thousands of women responded with disturbing stories, many detailing sexual assaults, including several students from WA schools.

A former student at one of Perths prestigious all-girls schools wrote she believed she was drugged and raped by a friend from an all-boys school while at a party in 2011. I remember waking up, essentially unconscious with him on top of me, the testimony read. I woke up, because my mum had come to pick me up after I hadnt answered my phone. She took me home, pulling me out of the room. The next morning asking what had happened  I had to ask her what the boy had looked like. I had no recollection. I couldnt recount if wed had sex, except for the fact I was experiencing pain. She took me to a womens health clinic to talk to a psych and get examined. It was confirmed I had been penetrated. Another graduate from another elite all-girls school in WA recalled a similar situation in which she was at a party as a 19-year-old and was raped by a friends older brother.

I got really drunk and went to go and sleep in one of the spare rooms and he followed me in there, she wrote. Loading I remember sitting on the bed and he kissed me and said see, its not that f---ing hard is it? I remember seeing a bowl of about 20 condoms on the bedside table. He then left the room and I fell asleep. When I woke up he was on top of me penetrating me ... in the morning the bowl of condoms was empty and I was in agony. For one WA girls school graduate, the biggest failing in terms of sexual education was around what to do if something ever happened to her.

I was never taught that the shame and stigma around the assault would encourage me to stay quiet by choice. I didnt speak up about it until years later at university, and I regret that to this day, she wrote. Mr Tzaikos has called for reforms to sex education, a zero-tolerance policy to jokes that set the foundation for rape culture, and for the school to collaborate with sex education organisations. The call to action is for men to share stories with each other and share stories with their institutions, whether its the ones they went to high school at or whether its the ones theyre in now, of how this toxic culture reproduces itself, he said. A Hale spokeswoman said Mr DellOro had constructive conversations with three graduates who contacted him via email. Mr DellOro provided a statement which said the school taught students about respectful relationships and sexual consent as part of its health education curriculum in which the developing respectful relationships programmes with two girls schools were run.
Nigerian Army soldiers are seen driving on a military vehicle in Ngamdu, Nigeria, on Nov. 3, 2020. (Audu Marte/AFP via Getty Images)

Islamic Terrorists Kill About 30 Soldiers in Northeast Nigeria in Four Days

MAIDUGURIIslamic terrorists have killed about 30 government soldiers in a series of clashes in northeast Nigeria since Wednesday, military and civilian militia sources said on Sunday.

Security across Nigeria has been deteriorating in recent months, including in the northeast.

Four attacks claimed the lives of at least 27 soldiers and 10 members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), including a unit head, the sources told Reuters.

CJTF are local groups of armed men who protect the areas where they live, mainly against Islamist insurgents. They are not members of the military but often fight alongside soldiers.

Neither Army nor defense headquarters spokesmen took calls or responded to messages requesting comment.

Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the regional affiliate of the ISIS terrorist group, claimed credit for a Friday attack in Monguno, via its Amaq news agency on Saturday.

ISWAP said it had killed 33 soldiers and captured one. Two military sources and one CJTF fighter said the attack, which took place between Monguno and Kukawa, had killed between 11 and 15 soldiers, with several still missing. Four CJTF fighters were also killed.

Soldiers also killed eight terrorists in fighting in Gamdu on Wednesday, the sources said.

A more than decade-long insurgency in northeast Nigeria waged by the Boko Haram terrorist group and later ISWAP has displaced about 2 million people and killed more than 30,000.

In Kaduna state in northwest Nigeria, armed men attempted to kidnap more students, a state government official said, as 39 others from an earlier attack remain missing. Four school kidnappings since December have provoked nationwide outrage.
New Delhi:

The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s next Mars mission known as InSight which is ready for 2018 liftoff which will be focusing on examining the deep interior of Mars, the agency announced on Monday.



The long form of InSight's name is Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to reports, the mission is expected to launch after May 8, 2018, from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, with a Mars landing scheduled after October 2018.

However, the Information that will be gathered by mission will boost understanding of how all rocky planets formed, including Earth.

"Because the interior of Mars has churned much less than Earth's in the past three billion years, Mars likely preserves evidence about rocky planets' infancy better than our home planet does," Bruce Banerdt, InSight principal investigator of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of NASA, said in a statement.

NASA's InSight is the first mission which is responsible to investigate the deep interior of Mars and is part of a legacy of robotic exploration for sending humans to Mars in the 2030s.

The mission will place a stationary lander near Mars' equator. With two solar panels that unfold like paper fans, the lander spans about 6 metres, according to NASA.

Within weeks after the landing, InSight will use a robotic arm to place its two main instruments directly and permanently onto the Martian ground, an unprecedented set of activities on Mars.

The mission was originally scheduled to launch in March 2016, but NASA suspended launch preparations in December.

Within weeks after the landing, InSight will use a robotic arm to place its two main instruments directly and permanently onto the Martian ground, an unprecedented set of activities on Mars.

The mission was originally scheduled to launch in March 2016, but NASA suspended launch preparations in December due to a vacuum leak in the lander's prime science instrument.

A redesigned vacuum vessel for the instrument has been built and tested, then combined with the instrument's other components and tested again.

The instrument redesign and two-year delay add $153.8 million to its previous budget of $675 million.

Lockheed Martin Space Systems is assembling and testing the InSight spacecraft in a clean room facility near Denver, Colorado. The Mars lander's science payload also is on track for next year's launch.

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Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) revealed what it said was a new underground missile base capable of conducting electronic warfare in support of the countrys navy, state-run television reported.

The subterranean missile city houses both ballistic and cruise missiles that will support Irans navy, IRGC commander Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami was quoted as saying.

The head of the IRGCs naval forces, Rear Adm. Alireza Tangsiri, said the projectiles had enter[ed] the operational section of the IRGC navy, according to Irans Fars News Agency.

Although the IRGC did not state the location of the site, commanders emphasis on the bases support role for Irans navy suggests it is the latest addition to fortifications along the countrys southern coast.

Iran revealed in January what it said was another underground missile base near the Gulf amid ongoing tensions with the United States and Israel.

We believe that our enemies do not accept the power of logic, but rely on the logic of power, Salami said at the time. Therefore, we have no option but to strengthen the defensive and offensive deterrent power for preventing the imposition of their hegemonic will and plots.

Iran has expanded its ballistic and cruise missile capabilities in recent years as a deterrent and power-projection tool, seeking leverage in international diplomacy by advertising its capability to strike regional countries friendly to the United States.

The United States has accused Iran of passing weapons technology to proxy militias in the region, including to Yemens Houthis and Shia militias in Iraq and Syria.

With the support of Saudi Arabia and Israel, the previous US administration of former President Donald Trump abandoned the 2015 international nuclear deal with Tehran over its activities in the region. The United States then enacted a campaign of sanctions on Iran to pressure its leaders to cut support for regional militias.

Tensions in the Persian Gulf soared after the Trump administration began sanctioning Tehran and authorized covert support for Israeli airstrikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria.

The Wall Street Journal also reported last week that Israel, with US support, has been behind a series of sabotage bombings of Iranian fuel shipments to Syria. Such shipments contravene US and international sanctions.

In 2019, the US publicly accused Iran of sabotaging two oil tankers in the Gulf and launching a massive cruise missile and drone attack on major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. UN inspectors later reported the latter attack was carried out with Iranian weapons.

Despite the Trump administrations so-called maximum pressure campaign, Iran continued its regional activities and ramped up uranium enrichment in an apparent bid to pressure the United States to return to the deal and relieve sanctions.

Biden administration officials have labeled the previous administrations approach a failure and have sought to return to the 2015 nuclear deal while pushing for a negotiated end to Yemens civil war. So far, neither initiative has shown significant progress.

On Friday, the new US envoy assigned to lead diplomatic efforts to end Yemens crisis, Timothy Lenderking, blamed Yemens Houthis for rejecting a US cease-fire proposal for the conflict.

The US military has continued to fly nuclear-capable B-52 bombers across the region in an ominous signal to Tehran. The show of force is part of an initiative led by the commander of US forces in the Middle East, Gen. Kenneth Frank McKenzie.

More than once, McKenzie has said he aims to deter Iran and its regional proxy forces from launching attacks in the region.

Yet it is not clear the tactic is working. Saudi Arabia has been hit with a slew of missile attacks in recent weeks, some claimed by Yemens Houthis, who receive training and weapons from the IRGC, US officials say.

Last week, Riyadh resumed bombing Yemens Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, for the first time since Biden took office and vowed to push for an end to Yemens civil war.

Rocket attacks on Iraq military bases used by US-led coalition troops have also continued, despite a US airstrike on a Kataib Hezbollah outpost in eastern Syria last month, which the Pentagon hoped would deter future barrages.
One of the four groups, Color of Change, is the largest online racial justice organization in the United States.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, better known as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, have announced that their non-profit organization, The Archewell Foundation, will support several charities this year.

Mind, a British mental health charity that publicly supported Markle after she revealed her struggles with depression and suicidal ideation in her interview with Oprah Winfrey last Sunday, is one of the four groups that will receive financial support.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, better known as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, have announced that their non-profit organization, The Archewell Foundation, will support several charities this year. (Photo by Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese via Getty Images)

Additionally, Archewell will support Color of Change, the largest online racial justice organization in the United States, which advocates for criminal justice reform, voting freedom and economic justice. It was founded in 2005 in response to Hurricane Katrina to amplify the political voice of African Americans.

The PressPad Charitable Foundation and URL Media in the U.S. are the two remaining beneficiaries. Both are social enterprises that support aspiring journalists.

Read More: NC school apologizes for Civil War assignment that used 4th graders racist tweets

PressPad released a statement about the partnership with Archewell on its Twitter page: We are delighted to announce that we have just registered a sister charity, The PressPad Charitable Foundation, and are thrilled that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their Archewell Foundation will be among our first donors.

Were excited by such positive action after difficult yet important moments of reckoning for the UK media, their statement continued. Were proud to say our values of action, compassion & community align with the #archewellfoundation. Thanks  to everyone who spoke their truth. It takes us all.

Read More: The Talk goes on short hiatus amid Sharon Osbourne review

URL Media is a multi-platform network of high-performing Black and Brown media organizations created to uplift, respect and love the communities it serves, according to its website.

Story continues

The Archewell Foundation says it aims to unleash the power of compassion to drive systemic cultural change. It notes that the work is accomplished through the Archewell Foundation, Archewell Audio and Archewell Productions. The latter is the name of the production company which will release a documentary about mental health this year, in conjunction with Winfreys OWN Productions.

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The post Meghan, Harrys Archewell Foundation to support racial justice groups appeared first on TheGrio.
Monday, March 15, 2021

We previously blogged about Bill Boxley's investigation in Dallas of people listed in Clay Shaw's address book. He believed he found evidence that linked Clay Shaw to the Gehlen intelligence apparatus.

Here's another look at Clay Shaw's address book, this time by Bill Turner, who also wrote for Ramparts Magazine.

What on earth do you do with such a memo? For instance, William Spratling was killed in an auto accident - but "Thayer Waldo says he was more liberal than anything." Of course, Turner was looking for arch-conservatives because Garrison was convinced that Shaw was not a liberal.
NEW BRITAIN  New Britains mayor will be running for her current position again, but she wont be making a bid for governor in the 2022 race, according to a Sunday announcement.

There is no question that the State of Connecticut could benefit from new ideas and a fresh perspective  but, a successful gubernatorial campaign means making it a full time job, and I have to be honest with myself and with the public about my priorities and what is most important to me at this time, a statement from Mayor Erin Stewart posted to Facebook Sunday read.

In the statement, Stewart  who wrote shed been considering the possibility of a gubernatorial run for the past year  outlined what those priorities were: her family and leading New Britain.

Last summer, my husband and I were blessed with a beautiful baby girl and we, like many people, have struggled with our new reality as working parents  balancing our work duties with our new family obligations, she wrote. As we are learning, that is no easy task. It is our hope that our family may continue to grow, God-willing, which will only make this balancing act more difficult.

She also wrote about her sworn duty to the city, coming off a year that had both a global pandemic and economic shutdown unlike anything seen before.

Though weve taken steps to mitigate many of the negative impacts and have placed New Britain in a prime position for a fast and fierce recovery, there has never been a more critical time to have an experienced Mayor steering the ship, she wrote.

Stewart  who made a bid for governor in 2018 before deciding to run for lieutenant governor instead  didnt leave out the possibility of a run for a different office in the future.
We are doomed, I think, if Americans come to believe that ours is an ignoble country, and has been since its founding. I dont think any nation has ever thrived when it (or its ruling class) lost faith to that degree.

Yet, we have started teaching students that America is, and always has been, ignoble. Has any nation ever done this? I dont think so. Those ruling classes that lost faith in their country did so on their own, not because they were educated that way.

Leftists have sought to subvert faith in their country through the way American History is taught. Now, they want to do it through the teaching of Action Civics.

The key components of Action Civics are (1) the enlistment of students in protest activity on behalf of leftist causes and (2) indoctrination in critical race theory. The first component gets most of the attention from critics, and understandably so. However, the second component is more subversive, for the reason stated at the beginning of this post.

Congressional Democrats (and a few Republicans) are fully on board with the imposition of Action Civics. In fact, they are attempting, in effect, to mandate it via the misleadingly named Civics Secures Democracy Act that was introduced in Congress last week.

Stanley Kurtz, who has done the best reporting on Action Civics, provides the details in an article called The Greatest Education Battle of Our Lifetimes. This, says Stanley, is the battle that will be waged around the proposed Civics legislation.

Stanley calls this new legislation a backdoor effort to impose a de facto national curriculum in the politically charged subject areas of history and civics. How does it attempt this?

Above all, it appropriates $1 billion for federal grants to support K-12 curriculum development, teacher training, and research on the K-12 teaching of history and civics. Sounds good, if expensive, until you look at the fine print. Priority for grants is decided according to two basic criteria. First of all, priority goes to grants that support evidence-based practices. The bill goes on to list these supposedly evidence-based practices, which are essentially the menu of troubling teaching techniques favored by the movement for Action Civics (Bill Page 5, Line 16-Page 6, Line 5). . . . They include: 1) directing teachers to discuss current social and political controversies in class; 2) out-of-class political protests and lobbying (nearly always for leftist causes) for course credit (in the bill, called projects and experiential learning) and 3) internships with (invariably leftist) lobbying and advocacy organizations for course credit (in the bill, called service learning). Programs in media literacy are also marked as a priority. These programs ostensibly warn students away from dangerous conspiracy theories. In practice, however, they discourage students from looking at conservative sources and hold up mainstream media fact-checkers (largely left-biased) as sources of ultimate authority. Essentially, media literacy programs favored by advocates of the new civics inculcate the Democratic Partys position on fake news. The upshot is that the lions share of this billion-dollar jackpot will support mandatory leftist protest, lobbying, and indoctrination, while supporters of traditional civics and history will be frozen out.

(Emphasis added)

But thats not all:

The second criterion for priority applies to grants that improve knowledge and engagement among traditionally underserved students, as well as grants that promise to close gaps in knowledge and achievement among students of different income levels, racial and ethnic groups, and native languages. This gives the inside lane to Critical Race Theory, while largely disqualifying those who believe that American history and civics can unify if presented in a broadly similar manner to students of all incomes, races, and ethnicities. That may sound too strong. Keep in mind, however, that the main public justification for the controversial, Critical Race Theory-based Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards just approved in Illinois was that they would be more likely to attract minority teachers and more likely to appeal to minority students, thereby closing achievement gaps. Yet those standards force teachers to call America systemically racist, affirm the fluidity of gender, mitigate their Euro-centrism and whiteness, and substitute activism for achievement when grading students. Finding creative ways to present traditional civics to minorities is one thing. Teaching radical activism is quite another. Yet the movement for Critical Race Theory in education essentially presents itself as fulfilling both priority criteria for grants listed in this bill: experiential advocacy projects designed to appeal to minority students. We are talking about Black Lives Matter protests outside of police stations for course credit. And the grants will be disbursed by President Bidens Education Department, sure to be staffed by left-leaning bureaucrats who believe  as does the president  that our country is systemically racist. Put together the priority criteria and a Democrat-controlled Department of Education and you will see a tremendous number of grants going to Critical Race Theory-based political advocacy programs, all under the label of civics. Critical Race Theory, of course, is antithetical to the classically liberal principles upon which our constitutional republic rests. Teaching it is actually a form of anti-civics. Yet that is what hundreds of millions of dollars disbursed by the Civics Secures Democracy Act is going to be used for.

(Emphasis added)

Plenty of Americans still believe in the fundamental goodness of their country and the greatness of its history. They will not take the imposition of Action Civics lying down.

As a result, Stanley predicts that the culture war will merge[] with K-12 education-policy disputes to a degree never before seen. The outcome of that war will go a long way towards determining whether America is doomed.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-16 00:58:15|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Monday stressed efforts to promote the regulated, healthy and sustainable development of the platform economy and incorporate the peaking of carbon emissions and carbon neutrality into the overall layout of building an ecological civilization.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks at the ninth meeting of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs. He is also head of the committee.

The development of China's platform economy is now at a critical stage and more should be done to improve the weak links, create an environment for innovation, resolve prominent problems, and promote its regulated, healthy and sustainable development, Xi noted.

To peak carbon emissions and achieve carbon neutrality is an extensive and profound systemic reform for the economy and society, and should be incorporated into the overall layout of building an ecological civilization, Xi said.

He called for a spirit of perseverance in achieving the goals of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.

Other Chinese leaders Li Keqiang, Wang Huning and Han Zheng attended the meeting.

Attendees were briefed on measures for the healthy development of the platform economy, as well as strategies and major measures to bring the carbon emissions to a peak and achieve carbon neutrality.

To build the national competitive strengths, China will establish and improve the platform economy governance system, giving equal importance to development and regulation, amid efforts to boost fair competition, fight monopoly and prevent the disorderly expansion of capital, the meeting said.

It stressed the role of industrial Internet platforms in transforming traditional businesses and boosting advanced manufacturing.

China will build a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system, control the total use of fossil fuels and take action to shift to alternative energy sources, the meeting said.

The country will deepen the reform of its power system, build a power network based on new energy, reduce pollution and carbon emissions in key industries and promote green manufacturing in the industrial sector, it said.

The meeting also called for efforts to push forward major breakthroughs in green and low-carbon technologies and accelerate the promotion and application of such technologies for reducing pollution and carbon emissions.

It has underscored improvements in policies on fiscal taxation, prices, finance, land and government procurement that are conducive to green and low-carbon development.

It is necessary to advocate a green and low-carbon lifestyle, give full play to the ecological environment, including forests, wetlands and grasslands, in increasing carbon sinks, and strengthen international cooperation on addressing climate change, the meeting said.

Peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality is a tough battle, the meeting underscored, adding that it is also a major test for the party's capabilities in governing the country. Enditem
Immigration advocates on Monday will rally at Moffett Field in Mountain View, a former Navy base where federal authorities are considering temporarily housing unaccompanied children who recently crossed the southwest border.

Officials with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services  the umbrella agency that oversees government-funded shelters for unaccompanied children are assessing vacant property at Moffett to see if its facilities could be used as temporary shelters amid an influx of children and families crossing the border, NASA officials told The Chronicle last week. NASA manages the federal property.

The news frustrated community organizers across the Bay Area, who criticized the Biden administrations continued use of detention camps for migrant children, despite the presidents promises to create humane immigration policies.

During his election campaign, President Biden vowed to undo many of the restrictive immigation policies that came to define the previous administration. He acted swiftly during his first few days in office, safeguarding programs like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, lifting the travel ban on green-card holders and halting construction of the border wall.

Advocates are now calling on the administration to end the detention of migrant children as border crossings surge.

We were astounded when the news broke to learn that a possible childrens detention center is going to be established at Moffett Field, here in our backyard of Mountain View, said Maricela Gutierrez, executive director of the advocacy organization SIREN in San Jose, which is hosting Mondays demonstration at 3 p.m. on Moffett Boulevard.

Learning about the atrocities and unsanitary conditions, the mental health trauma that children have faced throughout their experiences in detention centers and what the research has shown, its not a healthy place for children. What were calling for is not for more expansion of detention centers and holding facilities but for the government to really look into how we can fix the system thats causing such a backlog of children, Gutierrez continued.

The number of children and families seeking to cross the border increased by more than 100% between January and February, the Associated Press reported. The number of children crossing on their own jumped 60% to more than 9,400, forcing the government to look for places to shelter them temporarily.

Moffett Field is managed by NASA. The federal property includes the 1,111-acre Moffett Federal Airfield, NASAs 573-acre Ames Research Center and the 256-acre NASA Research Park. The research park is largely made up of former military facilities, where external commercial and academic tenants are housed, as well as other federal organizations, said Darryl Waller, a spokesperson for the Ames Research Center.

The primary facilities of interest to HHS are a dorm-style building (typically used as housing for NASA student interns) in the NASA Research Park and a few surrounding buildings that could serve as supporting facilities, Waller said in an email Sunday.

The site was closed as a military base in July 1994, NASA officials said.

Health and Human Services did not respond to requests for comment Sunday.

Tatiana Sanchez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @tatianaysanchez.
National Investigating Agency (NIA) carried out raids across 10 locations in Delhi, Karnataka, and Kerala on Monday, March 15 against a group of people said to be linked to the Islamic State (IS).

The searches conducted pertained to a new case registered by the probe agency 48 hours ago. A group of 6-7 individuals were being monitored by intelligence agencies over some time.

This led to the case being filed. Sources told India Today that five people have been apprehended in the ongoing raids by NIA.

Sources added that Pakistan is directly targeting persuadable Muslim youth via social media, recruiting them, rousing them to plan local attacks, and training them online.

Also Read: NIA arrests Mumbai cop Sachin Vaze in Ambani house bomb scare case
Dr. Anthony Fauci said things "will be much more liberal" by the Fourth of July if US cases drop. Fauci is shown at the White House in Washington, DC, on January 21, 2021.
A further 16 deaths of Covid-19 patients have been reported by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet). This brings to 4,534 the total number of deaths in the pandemic.

Nphet also reported 543 confirmed cases of the disease, bringing to 226,358 the total number of cases in the Republic.

Of the deaths notified this evening, three of these occurred in March, 12 in February, and one in January.

The median age of those who died was 88 years and the age range was 59-96 years.

This afternoon, 340 Covid-19 patients were hospitalised, of whom 85 were in ICU. An additional 15 hospitalisations occurred in the previous 24 hours.

By March 10, 570,391 doses of coronavirus vaccines had been administered, comprising 409,662 first doses and 160,729 second doses.

Earlier, the chief executive of the HSE said that the supply of vaccines "will improve".

Paul Reid tweeted that 600,000 of the most vulnerable people "have been protected and prioritised."

Mr Reid added: The oldest, in nursing homes and community, now at less risk. Our healthcare workers can look after our sickest, feeling safer. The right approach for now.

Of course, I do correct. Should be clearer. 600,000 vaccinations completed in total.  Paul Reid (@paulreiddublin) March 13, 2021

The 14-day incidence of the disease now stands at 155.3 cases per 100,000 people nationally. Longford has the highest county incidence, followed by Offaly.

Of the new cases, 235 are in Dublin, 50 in Kildare, 39 in Donegal, 31 in Meath and 28 in Galway with the remaining 160 cases spread across 20 other counties.

Of the cases notified today, 269 are male and 271 are female. 73% are under 45 years of age, and the median age is 29 years old.

Dr Gabriel Scally said earlier today that there is still "plenty of the virus circulating" in the country, and that Irish people "can't take for granted that it's going to be a smooth downward path".

The public health expert said Ireland "can't afford not to take precautions and get it under control."

Dr Gabriel Scally said earlier today that there is still "plenty of the virus circulating" in the country and Irish people "can't take for granted that it's going to be a smooth downward path". Picture: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

Speaking on RTE Radio 1's Saturday with Katie Hannon, Dr Scally said: I think the other thing to remember is, it was a heck of a peak that was reached in January and February.

It was avoidable but decisions were made and we had the huge spike of cases and weve to get down from a very high peak and that is difficult because it takes time and commitment and observance of difficult rules.

"I can understand a lot of the frustration about that but its got to be got down.

Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Mental Health and Older people has said Ireland is still on track to have all over 70s vaccinated by mid-May with the supplies they have received to date, despite disruption from AstraZeneca.

Mary Butler told RTEs Saturday with Katie Hannon programme the vaccine rollout programme has to adapt as quickly as possible, almost daily, to the various challenges to supply.

Ms Butler said even though the over-80s are the priority again this week, it was still in line with the Governments prioritisation schedule, adding that 99% of those over 85 have been vaccinated, except for some who are housebound.

Paul Reid tweeted that 600,000 of the most vulnerable people "have been protected and prioritised."

A leading immunologist has urged people not to let their guard down, as Ireland is still in the thick of its fight against Covid-19.

Professor Luke ONeill told RTEs Brendan OConnor programme he had concern over the slight upward trend in daily figures, at a time when not as many vaccine doses have been administered as the country would like.

Ireland has been in lockdown for weeks.

NPHET has warned about the increase in people moving around compared to the first lockdown last April.
Calvary Baptist Academy senior Elaiyna Schwartzkopf, of Midland, finished as state runner-up on March 11 in the 2021 Michigan Poetry Out Loud competition sponsored by Michigan Humanities and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.

Schwartzkopf will receive a $600 scholarship, and a $700 stipend will go to her school, Calvary Baptist Academy.

Madison Ganzak, a senior at Roosevelt High School in Wyandotte, was the state champion. She will compete in the national finals in May.

Twenty students representing their high schools and non-profit organizations participated in the Poetry Out Loud state finals, which were

streamed via Zoom. Contestants recited works they memorized from an anthology of more than 1,100 classic and contemporary poems.

The competition, presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, is part of a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition.

CBA principal and drama teacher David Warren said that Schwartzkopf has always shown talent for performing.

"Elaiyna's always been dramatic and has always been involved in dance and music and fine arts. So she was one of those students that was excited to be involved in anything to do with interpretation."

In fact, Schwartzkopf took first place as a sophomore in the fine arts festival in both the Michigan Association of Christian Schools and the American Association of Christian Schools in oral interpretive poetry.

She won the Poetry Out Loud contest for her own school as both a junior and a senior.

"We've ben in Poetry Out Loud as a school for over a decade. But this is the first student we've had that placed in the top four (at the state level)," Warren said.

Schwartzkopf will be studying communications at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids starting next year, and Warren said she'll be pursuing as many of the performing arts as she can during her studies there.
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We read to know we are not alone, wrote William Nicholson in the play Shadowlands. Books bestow a special gift: seeing our pain, joy, and desire in anothers story.

In a year of prolonged uncertainty and isolation, take the time to celebrate a loved oneyour mother, father, or the graduate in your lifeby giving a book and offering the opportunity for connection.

For you, dear one, that you might know you are not alone.

Gift Books

Praying Through Every Emotion

Linda Evans Shepherd

Topically arranged so you can go directly to your particular need, Praying through Every Emotion offers nearly seventy scripture-based prayers to help you change your perspective, heal your emotional wounds, and find yourself unburdened from cares and concerns.

101 Ways to be Less Stressed

Dr. Caroline Leaf

Dr. Caroline Leaf reveals 101 simple and scientific ways to reduce stress in order to boost your mind, mood, and mental health. With these straightforward strategies for mental self-care, you can change the way you thinkand change your life.

Gods Promises for Graduates

Jack Countryman

A favorite keepsake, the Gods Promises for Graduates line of books is packed with inspiring, bite-sized Scriptures on topics new grads face, like perseverance, integrity, and friendships. Available in a variety of colors and biblical translations. Look for Gods Promises for Graduates everywhere books are sold.

Devotional

Take Heart

The (In)courage Community

In this 100-day devotional, the (in)courage community comes alongside you when your heart is grieving, your faith is shaking, or you're having one of those mundane hard days. You won't find tidy bows or trite quick fixes, just arrows pointing you straight to Jesus.

Inspirational

Crush Your Career

Dee Ann Turner

In a competitive job market, you need concrete, field-tested advice to help you ace the interview, land the job, and launch a career you love. Let Chick-fil-As first female officer give you the insider tips you need to do just that.

Stronger Every Day

Janell Rardon

With inspiring Scriptures, quotes, prayers, personal stories, and case studies, Janell Rardon sets you on the path of emotional health so that you can be stronger than everevery day.

This I Know

Clay Anderson

Join a family on an unforgettable road trip, as they witness the wonder of Gods world in this beautiful childrens book. The creation reveals its Creator, and confirms what the Bible tells us: Jesus loves me, this I know. Written in joyful rhyme with a Bible verse hidden on each page.

Twentysomething Handbook

Nora Bradbury-Haehl

Send your new college graduate into the world fully equipped to handle life's challenges. Nora Bradbury-Haehl's essential go-to guide offers guidance for the practical aspects of lifework, food, money, a roof overheadwhile at the same time addressing the hunger for meaning, connection, and purpose. This is a must read for all Twentysomethings.

General Non-Fiction

The Next Right Thing

Emily P. Freeman

Whether you're in the midst of a major life transition or are weary of the low-grade anxiety that daily life can bring, Emily P. Freeman can help you clear the decision-making chaos, quiet the fear of choosing wrong, and find the courage to finally decide without regret or second-guessing.

Welcome to Adulting

Jonathan JP Pokluda

Adulting is hard. But sometimes we make it harder than it has to be. Combining entertaining stories from his own experience, insights from the Bible, and compelling evidence from research, Jonathan JP Pokluda lays out a roadmap for how to navigate your life as an adult.

Outdated

Jonathan JP Pokluda

Ready to date in a way that actually works? With plenty of true stories about relationships healed and love found, this practical book explains Gods purposes for singleness, dating, and marriage and covers why you should date, who you should date, and how you should date.

Can You Still Trust God

Charles Stanley

When painful trials, unmet needs, or lost dreams assail, do you wonder if God can still be trusted? What do you do when facing a challenge that seems insurmountable? Do you believe God can be trusted? In Can You Still Trust God?, Charles Stanley reveals three essential beliefs for trusting God through whatever youre going through and how to make it through to the other side.

Limitless

Mallory Weggemann

As a Paralympic gold-medalist and world champion swimmer, Mallory's commitment to excellence is rooted in her resolve to redefine limitations with grit & grace. Limitless proves that we have the capacity to face down whatever challenges and labels confront usand to do so on our own terms.

Well-Watered Woman

Gretchen Saffles

Discover the bottomless, refreshing Well of Gods Wordand experience a fullness and peace beyond your circumstances. Using Scripture and her own personal story of surrender, Gretchen offers spiritually hungry women tangible tools to not only know Jesus more but to live a life that thoroughly enjoys him, seeks him, and follows him into freedom.

Inspired

Rachel Held Evans

What do people mean when they say the Bible is inspired? Undaunted by the Bible's most difficult passages, Evans wrestles through Scripture's mysteries and discovers that it is not a static work but a living, captivating book that equips us to join God's loving and redemptive work in the world.

No Longer Strangers: Finding Belonging in a World of Alienation

Gregory Coles

Ever felt like you don't fit in, even within the church community? Greg Coles has felt the same way. In this relatable and winsome memoir, you'll find that even when you feel permanently out of place, true belonging can be found in Jesus. When we give up on belonging in order to follow him, we'll find ourselves belonging anyway.

Posting Peace: Why Social Media Divides Us and What We Can Do About It

Douglas S. Bursch

Why is everyone so angry online? Pastor and former radio host Douglas Bursch provides a spiritual examination of why social media divides us and how Christians can address polarization through a ministry of peacemaking. Unpacking how technology radically changes our communication, Bursch offers practical examples of how to handle online conflict in redemptive ways.

The Preacher As Sermon: How Who You Are Shapes What They Hear

Steve Norman

As preachers, we spend hours in thoughtful study, observation, and reflection, in hopes of causing significant life change in our hearers. So it's easy to forget that we're meant to first be impacted by the message ourselves  that our preaching would be the natural overflow of our own spiritual transformation. Explore 10 specific roles we take on throughout the preaching process that help you cultivate a life that preaches.

The Bob Goff Collection

Live in Grace, Walk in Love

Bob Goff

Built on Bob Goffs trademark storytelling and unique way of helping us to see things in a new way, this 365-day devotional provides inspiring, unexpected, humble teachings on grace and love that will prepare you for the day ahead. This beautiful hardcover book also makes a great gift.

Dream Big

Bob Goff

Bob Goff is on a mission to help people capture the version of their lives they dreamed about before fear started calling the shots. In his revelatory yet utterly practical book, Bob takes readers on a life-proven journey to discover their dreams and turn them into reality.

Everybody Always

Bob Goff

Bob Goff takes readers on a life-altering journey into the secret of living without fear, care, constraint, or worry. Whether losing his shoes while skydiving solo or befriending a Ugandan witch doctor, Bob Goff steps into life with a no-limits embrace of others that is infectious yet extraordinarily ordinary .

Love Does

Bob Goff

Bob Goff believes a simple concept can shift your entire world. In Love Does, Goff challenges readers to stop focusing on having the right answers and to simply do love. Not the kind of love that stops at thoughts and feelings, but love that takes action.

Specialty Bible

Spirit-Filled Life Bible

With over 2 million copies sold, the Spirit-Filled Life Bible continues to equip Gods people to live in his kingdom, exercise gifts of the spirit, and lay hold of Gods promises. This best-selling Bible draws on the expertise of an expanded team of respected, spirit-led scholars, led by Pastor Jack Hayford, founding pastor of The Church on the Way and chancellor of The Kings University.

John MacArthur Study Bible

Drawing on more than 50 years of dedicated pastoral and scholarly work, Dr. John MacArthurs verse-by-verse study notes, book introductions, and articles display an unparalleled commitment to interpretive precisionwith the goal of making God known through His Word. Over 2 million readers around the world have had their understanding of Gods Word expanded by The MacArthur Study Bible. Now Available in NKJV, NASB, and ESV.

Charles Stanley Life Principles Bible

The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, with over a million sold, is designed to lead believers into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. The updated second edition is the best way to experience this bestselling classicwith a completely new design featuring our easy-to-read Comfort Print typeface, 100 specially designed maps and charts, over 43,000 cross references and now available in NKJV, KJV, NIV and NASB.

Abide Bible & Abide Bible Journals

Do you yearn for intimate communion with God? The Abide Bible is designed to help you experience just that by slowing down and developing Scripture-engagement habits. The Abide Bible Journals are a great resource for individuals or small groups to abide in Gods truth one book at a time.



Premier Bibles

Combining lasting craftsmanship with the Word of God, these beautiful Bibles are crafted with European Bible paper, premium materials, elegant design, and printed with the exclusive Comfort Print typeface making it a heirloom-quality Bible that will last for years to come.

Open Bible

The Open Bible is the ultimate reference Bible drawing out the connections of Scripture with a time-tested robust reference system trusted and used by millions. Now offered in the NIV, you can deepen your knowledge and love of God with the most accessible and comprehensive Bible to date.

Love God Greatly

To love God is to know him, and the Bible is the best way to learn who he is. Using the proven SOAP Bible study frameworkScripture, Observation, Application, and Prayerthe Love God Greatly Bible helps you dig deeper into Scripture in an accessible and impactful way. Walk through each book with reading plans, encouraging articles, key verses, and thoughtful prompts. Plus, stay connected to and inspired by the global family of faith with over 60 personal testimonies from women around the world whose lives and communities have been transformed through their response to the God who loves them.

NIV Verse Mapping Bible

More than simply reading a verse or Scripture passage, verse mapping means using Bible study tools to research what youve just read in the Bibleto learn more about what God is saying to you and how you can apply his Word to your life today. In the NIV Verse Mapping Bible, author Kristy Cambron shows you how to compare Bible translations, pick out meaningful words, and delve into the true meaning of each verse using starter verse maps and prompts.

NIV Quest Study Bible, Personal Size

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NIV Halleys Study Bible

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NIV Psalms & Proverbs

This special edition of the Psalms and Proverbs is a beautiful and engaging compilation of these beloved books of the Bible, laid out in a classic, timeless design to highlight the beauty of biblical poetry. Using the accurate, readable, and clear New International Version (NIV), each book is set in the exclusive Zondervan NIV Comfort Print typeface for a smooth and enjoyable reading experience.

NIV Busy Moms Bible

The NIV Busy Moms Bible is a compact, go-anywhere Comfort Print Bible that gives you inspirational reading during the course of your day. Designed for moms on-the-go, it helps you stay connected with Godand gives you a moment to reflect on yourself. Devotional thoughts are written specifically for you, the busy mom, and cover topics from your kids to your marriage to your identity in Christ.

NIV Student Bible

The NIV Student Bible is specifically designed to help readers understand and navigate the Bible text with tools like the Subject Guide, Highlights and Insights, and 3-Track reading plan. In the Guided Tour, author Philip Yancey takes readers on a journey through the Bible, highlighting important passages that show how the Bible is connected from Genesis all the way to Revelation.

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Introduce your child to the good news of Jesus Christ with Bibles specifically made for little ones! Available in NKJV, KJV, & ICB translations, these beautifully designed Bibles are created with age-appropriate tools to help early readers interact with Scripture.





Womans Study Bible

The Womans Study Bible is the best-selling, full-color Bible written for women by women. With contributions from over 80 women from a wide variety of ethnic, denominational, and occupational backgrounds. The Womans Study Bible poignantly reveals the Word of God to women, inviting them to receive Gods truth for balance, hope, and transformation.

The Message Deluxe Gift Bible

Mothers Day, Graduation, Fathers Day. Important opportunities to bless someone with a memorable gift of Gods Word. The Message Deluxe Gift Bible is a beautiful reading Bible now available in regular and large print. Choose your favorite cover for your loved one or a new believer.

NIV Life Application Study Bible

Study the stories and teachings of the Bible with verse-by-verse commentary. Gain wisdom from people in the Bible by exploring their accomplishments and learning from their mistakes. Survey the big picture of each book through overviews, vital statistics, outlines, and timelines, and grasp difficult concepts using in-text maps, charts, and diagrams.

NIV Outdoorsman Bible

With a field-ready Lost Camo cover, the NIV Outdoorsman Bible conveniently lays flat when open. This frees your hands to stay on your gear without losing your place in a favorite Bible passage. The outdoor-themed articles inspire spiritual reflection and give you something meaningful to discuss when its time to regroup with your hunting party back at camp.

Max Lucado Encouraging Word

We are all living in challenging times, discouragement is everywhere. The Lucado Encouraging Word Bible strengthens believers along their journey with the Lord. His warm, conversational style in the marginal notes, short articles, and study tools meet you where you are, providing encouragement and insight. The Encouraging Word Bible will speak to you with Maxs gentle yet powerful tone.

Journaling Bible

NIV Journal the Word Bible for Women

The NIV Journal the Word Bible for Women guides you through Gods precious Word with reflections and thought-provoking questions placed beside Scripture. Explore Gods Word for you and express your heart in the wide margins of this journaling Bible with room for responses, journaling, and artistic expression.

NKJV Bible Journals

The NKJV Bible Journalshandy journaling paperbacks ideal for personal or group studyare available in 45 volumes spanning Genesis to Revelation. Each journal includes individual book introductions and a single-column Scripture layout with a full page of light journaling lines opposite each page of Scripture.
by Ngoc Lan

Nuns run a clinic where everyone is treated for free. Caritas and many parishes help disabled people, children of AIDS patients, and others in need. In Khanh Hoa province, southern Vietnam, the Churchs charity work shows its different faces. Its commitment is appreciated by local authorities, especially during the ongoing pandemic.

Ho Chi Minh City (AsiaNews)  During the current pandemic, the Diocese of Nha Trang in southern Vietnam is increasing its outreach towards people in need, especially the poor, regardless of their religion.

Parish branches of Caritas are leading the way in providing services in local communities. in areas where medical services are inadequate, the Catholic charity has become involved after years of talks with local authorities.

This is the case in one village, Vo Cang, on the outskirts of the city of Nha Trang, where Caritas opened a medical clinic on 20 October 2018 in Binh Cang parish, near the convent of the Sisters of the Pure Heart of Our Lady, a diocesan congregation that has trained doctors, nurses and pharmacists to serve patients.

The clinic is called Mau Tam, that is, the "heart of the Mother", a reference to Our Lady who brings comfort to all those who suffer.

It is a small medical facility, close to everyone, with the active collaboration of lay staff, both Catholic and non-Catholic. Every day more than 120 patients receive free medical care.

In remote areas, home to some 36 ethnic minorities, many parishes organise special trips for seniors and the sick, whatever their religious affiliation, taken to this clinic and other centres for medical treatment, including examinations.

Local authorities are very proud to have this clinic in their district. Since its opening, more than 7,000 people have used its services.

In Nha Trang, the diocesan Caritas and local parishes provide food to hundreds of poor families or families with disabled members. Each received 10 kilos of rice per month.

The diocesan Caritas has also provided scholarships for 85 children from families with parents suffering from AIDS and supports three houses for the poor in Cam Tam, a municipality in Cam Lan district.

Thanks to some benefactors who donated items still in good condition, special shops were organised for the poor in which items like bicycles, mopeds and TVs were sold for a token price.

At present, most congregations in Khanh Hoa province are engaged in charity and social works. For example, the Sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross have opened three social centres to care for 250 orphaned, street and disabled children.

The Daughters of Charity of St Vincent run soup kitchens for the poor. The Congregation of the Pure Heart of Our Lady have classes to teach hundreds of poor children. The Sao Mai Social Room takes care of the education of disabled children and helps women with AIDS.

Phu Nhen parish has built the ei An house in the town of Cam Ranh to care for 40 orphans, while et Set parish helps the poor repair their homes. Most other parishes in the diocese have established scholarships to help poor children of all religions.

Provincial authorities in Khanh Hoa have expressed appreciation for the activities of the Diocese of Nha Trang, noting that many lay people and faithful participate in socio-economic and cultural activities, contributing to the development of the Church but also of local communities.
SALT LAKE CITY, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAGE Studios has ranked at #160 for its first ranking in Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500, the world's first, best, and most comprehensive franchise ranking. Placement in the Franchise 500 is a highly sought-after honor in the franchise industry, making it one of the company's most competitive rankings ever. Recognized as an invaluable resource for potential franchisees, Franchise 500 ranks IMAGE Studios as #160 for its outstanding performance in areas including unit growth, financial strength & stability, and brand power. This is the first year that IMAGE has been ranked and recognized, leapfrogging other franchises into this spot.

"2020 was a challenging year for everyone, but it was also a year of unusual opportunity," says Jason Feifer, Entrepreneur editor-in-chief. "Franchises were able to be nimble and innovative, serving the needs of franchisees and customers in ways that will resonate for many years to come. We believe that, when we eventually look back on this time, we'll see it as a moment when many brands defined themselves for the future."

IMAGE Studios is a nationwide franchise brand with a real estate model that is revolutionizing the future of the salon industry. Founder and CEO, Jason Olsen, commented, "We aren't the typical real estate investment - our business model produces a Return on Investment (ROI) different from typical commercial real estate. We are a franchise driven by creativity, freedom, and success, for both our franchisees and the health, beauty, and wellness entrepreneurs who build their businesses with IMAGE." IMAGE Studios provided entrepreneur opportunities to new business owners in 2020 - with the overwhelming majority being businesses owned by women and minorities.

IMAGE Studios has locations in California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Utah, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Nevada, and Oregon.

To view IMAGE Studios in the full ranking, visit www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500.

SOURCE Image Studios

Related Links

http://www.imagestudios360.com


COLUMBUS, OhioOhio Republican lawmakers are again looking to hamstring local governments ability to pass pro-environmental ordinances -- this time, by cutting off potential attempts by communities to rein in the use of fossil fuels.

Twin bills introduced in the Ohio House and Senate would, if passed, prevent local governments from limiting residents use of natural gas. A third bill, introduced in the House, would prevent local bans on oil or gas pipelines, as well as restrictions on the use of any fossil fuel for electricity generation.

Environmental activists in Ohio and other states who feel stymied by GOP-dominated state legislatures have increasingly turned to local governments to pass a wish-list of initiatives that promote green energy and cut carbon emissions.

Republican lawmakers, who oppose such efforts for both ideological and practical reasons, have increasingly focused on heading them off. Last fall, Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill imposing a one-year moratorium on local bans of plastic bags.

The bills to block limits on natural gas use, House Bill 201 and Senate Bill 127, will ensure residents have access to a reliable source of heat in the winter, said state Rep. Jason Stephens, a Lawrence County Republican who introduced the House version.

Stephens said while he hasnt heard of any Ohio cities restricting natural gas use, dozens of cities on the East and West Coasts have voted to ban natural-gas hookups for new buildings to reduce emissions that cause global warming.

Bills similar to Stephens prohibiting such bans have already been passed in Arizona, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Louisiana.

Stephens, who chairs the Ohio House Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said people he talked to from the natural gas industry indicated this was a big concern for them.

Given Ohios significant natural gas reserves, Stephens said, It only makes sense to me that if we have that abundant source of energy, that we make sure that we are allowed to use it and we dont restrain folks who want access to it.

The legislation prohibiting local bans on fossil fuels for power generation, House Bill 192, was introduced by Republican state Rep. Al Cutrona of Mahoning County.

Cutrona said hes concerned restricting fossil fuels for electricity will lead to higher power bills and more stress on cities. We all recognize that as we shift into the 21st century that therell be changes that occur, he said. But some of these things arent realistic to the timeframes that many of these places are doing.

So far, no Ohio cities have passed ordinances directly banning the use of fossil fuels for electricity. But several cities, including Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Lakewood, are working on initiatives to eventually obtain 100% of their power from clean-energy sources.

While those efforts would, when implemented, effectively serve as a ban on electricity from fossil fuels, Cutrona said he wasnt sure whether his bill would overturn those clean-energy initiatives. Id have to see a little bit more how that would play out, he said.

When asked why communities shouldnt be allowed to decide such issues for themselves, Cutrona said he is working to do whats best for his district and the state of Ohio. Theres always that balance (between local and state control) that needs to be in place, he said.

Neil Waggoner, campaign representative for the Sierra Clubs Beyond Coal Campaign, said theres a growing electrification movement that seeks to pass local bans on natural gas and other fossil fuels. That fight has pitted major environmental groups and climate-conscious local officials against utilities, the oil and gas industry, and conservative lawmakers.

While the battleground for the electrification movement is, for now, mostly on the East and West coasts, Waggoner said fossil-fuel interests are seeking to head off efforts in other states, such as Ohio, with the help of sympathetic state lawmakers.

The natural gas industry in Ohio is being a little more ham-fisted about it now, Waggoner said. You know, because they can.

Stephens and Cutrona each said they came up with their respective bills on their own and were not approached about the bills by any outside groups. Cutrona said he didnt know about Stephens natural-gas bill until Stephens sent a letter asking other lawmakers to co-sponsor his legislation.

I guess great minds think alike, Cutrona said.

Read more Ohio politics and government stories:

Ohio coronavirus cases, hospitalizations level off; updates, trends with vaccinations mapped by county

Former state representative Dave Greenspan hired as MetroHealth lobbyist

Ohio coronavirus cases hit 990,000 mark: Monday update

In court filings, Census Bureau officials say Ohio lawsuit seeking on-time data asks the impossible

Chief Justice Maureen OConnor names panel to consider suspending indicted Cleveland Councilman Ken Johnson
Washington  Rep. John Katko warned Monday that some migrants arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border in the last week are threats to national security who are listed on a federal terrorist watch list.

Katko said he learned about the problem while talking with border patrol agents Monday during a fact-finding trip with about a dozen House Republicans to the border near El Paso, Texas.

Katko, R-Camillus, said more than 100 migrants were caught crossing the border illegally Sunday night as part of an ongoing surge that has been building over the past month.

Theyre getting very bold now, Katko told syracuse.com in a phone interview before leaving El Paso.

He said individuals from countries outside of Central America are trying to exploit a situation in which border patrol agents have been overwhelmed by the surge of migrants crossing the border.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officials reported making 100,441 arrests and detentions in February, up 28% from the previous month and 173% from last year.

Among those mixed in with those fleeing Central America were people on the terror watch list from Iran, Yemen, and Sri Lanka, according to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

McCarthy, R-Calif., spoke at a news conference Monday with Katko after their group met with border patrol agents and toured a new, $48 million processing facility for migrants in El Paso.

When I walked through the facility, there were more Haitians than any other people I saw, McCarthy said.

Katko said he did not have any more information about how federal authorities have handled those on the terrorist watch list, or whether they were being held with other migrants.

Reporters were not allowed on the tour of the processing center, built to hold 1,040 people.

Katko said the center reached its capacity today, holding unaccompanied minors and a few families.

Katko, the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, said he spoke with some of the children and families through a translator.

He said the children appeared healthy and were held by age group in large rooms with mattresses on the floors.

One of the things that was shocking to me is they dont test any of them for the coronavirus, Katko said.

About half of border patrol agents have not received the Covid-19 vaccine, putting agents at risk of catching and spreading the virus, Katko said.

Katko and other House Republicans on the trip blamed President Joe Biden for the surge in migrants after Biden rolled back some of former president Donald Turmps border policies.

Biden stopped construction on Trumps border wall, leaving unnecessary gaps that are now being exploited by smugglers, Katko said.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas led Biden administration officials on a tour of the border Saturday.

The Biden administration has said the recent surge is a result of demand that built up during Trumps presidency and worsening economic conditions in Central America.

After McCarthy spoke at the news conference Monday, the Democratic congresswoman who represents El Paso accused him of stoking fear of immigrants and using the Latino community as a prop.

Rep. Veronica Escobar also said she has met with border patrol agents and received no reports of people on the terrorist watch list crossing the border.

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
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Last December, the Parliament of Catalonia unanimously approved the incorporation into its legislation of second-order violence against those who give their support to victims of violence against women. A recent study compiles testimonies of victims, and analyses this form of intimidation

To tackle violence against women, it is essential for victims to have the support of those surrounding them and to prevent them from being isolated. But what happens if the people around them are not protected? The work of Jose Ramon Flecha Garcia, founder of the Community of Research on Excellence for All (CREA), and various academic teams, has led to the approval in the Catalan parliament of the first legislation on the Second Order of Sexual Harassment (SOSH).

The following point has been included in Law 17/2020 of 22 December: Second-Order Violence. It consists of physical or psychological violence, reprisals, humiliation, and persecution against persons who support victims of violence against women. It includes acts that impede the prevention, detection, care, and recovery of women in situations of violence against women.

"There was unanimity in parliament. The legal protection that this law offers to supporters is already having a social and political impact in Catalonia. A growing number of institutions and organisations are reflecting on how to include this protection in their protocols. Attacks on those who support victims, which until now were against ethics, are now also against the law," says Flecha Garcia, who has analysed this form of violence in an article published in the journal Violence Against Women, to SINC.

For the scientist, victims can only become survivors if they find support "and this support is only given, with honourable and heroic exceptions, with legislation and institutional actions taken against the cruel reprisals suffered by those who support them. Without such legislation, the law that rules is the code of silence, which is the main ally of the harassers, as it guarantees the isolation of the victims," he adds.

"In Catalonia, both the associative movement and researchers committed to overcoming gender-based violence have been working together for some time. In the framework of the first research on gender-based violence in Spanish universities, some cases of second-order violence were already identified," as Patricia Melgar Alacantud, professor and researcher at the University of Girona and member of the CREA Women's Group, has told SINC.

This work, published in 2016 and co-led by Melgar Alacantud, gathered very significant data in this area, such as the fact that 91% of cases of aggression in Spanish universities are not reported.

"I have no doubt that soon other autonomous communities, as well as other countries, will also include this type of violence in their laws. Ramon Flecha's article will play an important role. His courageous work rigorously analyses this reality that we all know and leaves those who frequently perpetuate silence regarding gender-based violence, isolate the victims or sow terror through their reprisals in a difficult position. I say courageous because researching gender violence, daring to make its existence visible in certain contexts, has a personal and professional cost", the researcher reports.

The legal consequences of this step forward in Catalonia will mean that the protection of victims, as well as all the resources to which direct victims of gender-based violence are entitled, will now also be available to victims of second-order violence. This refers, for example, to accompaniment, psychological or legal assistance.

The testimony of those who have suffered it In her study, Flecha Garcia relies on the stories of six people - four women and two men - who have suffered second-degree sexual harassment in Spain. "Their stories allow us to define the characteristics of this type of violence and provide key elements for learning how to combat it," she explains.

A secondary school teacher, a primary school teacher, a researcher, a man whose sister was abused by a family friend, a woman who is an active member of a political party and an employee of a non-profit organisation became victims of SOSH because they showed their support for the victims.

All of them suffered psychological violence, personal reprisals and in some cases reprisals on the job. In addition, in one case there was physical violence. Marina (not her real name) tells of how the man who sexually abused the girl tried to physically assault her after one of the cases of sexual abuse she reported.

The research shows that stalkers commit second-order sexual harassment through humiliation, threats and lies aimed at tarnishing the personal and professional reputation of victims and undermining their credibility.

Fear of reprisals

In Flecha Garcia's research, the six people who shared their testimonies gave their consent to participate, subject to preserving their anonymity and not providing any information that could identify them. In all cases, the experience of second-order sexual harassment lasted for at least one year. Data collection focused on analysing the characteristics of this type of violence, identifying the particularities of each context and the social interactions surrounding these experiences. "Unfortunately, fear was also present in these interviews," Flecha continues.

"Reprisals are so cruel that if we leave it to individual heroism alone, the majority will continue to look the other way in specific cases and there will continue to be very few individual persons who support the victims," Flecha Garcia stresses.

Flecha recounts cases of families where the father abuses his daughter, but she does not receive the expected support because "mere internal denunciation within the family provokes a great deal of rejection." He also points out that in the university itself, members of the equality commissions, after having supported the victims, "have been expelled from these commissions and are so afraid that they do not want this to be talked about"; and recalls one of the most famous cases in Spain, that of a professor at the University of Barcelona who was investigated for sexual harassment complaints from 14 people, which was sent to the public prosecutor's office when the statute of limitations had already expired.

Violence in plain sight

For Melgar Alacantud, the fact that these realities began to be made visible in the media and social networks "began to create a breeding ground, but at the same time it constituted an uncomfortable reality in the face of which you either become an accomplice or join in the efforts to transform," she stresses. This second option brought together some researchers, lawyers, social movements, and policy-makers who placed importance on basing changes to the law on evidence.

In other areas, such as in some schools in Spain and other countries, clubs of 'valientes violencia 0' ('0 violence brave persons') have arisen. These groups act as a shield for potential victims so that they do not become victims. "These successful actions must be extended to the whole of society by passing appropriate legislation," argues Flecha.

The University of Girona researcher also points out that it is important to differentiate between the results of research such as Flecha's and what will later be implemented by law. "I have high hopes for this advance, but I also had them for the protocols against harassment when they began to be extended and, in some cases, left much to be desired," she says.

It is still too early to know how the implementation of the law will define the protection of these people, but what experts are aware of is that protecting them will promote support for those who suffer directly from gender-based violence.

###
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Radial, a bpost group company, the leader in omnichannel commerce technology and operations, today announced the appointment of Laura Ritchey as Chief Operating Officer, reporting to Ilias Simpson, Chief Executive Officer. In her new role, Ritchey will draw on executive, retail experience to reinforce Radial's commitment to client success.

Ritchey comes to the role with more than 20 years of experience, including 13 years in supply chain management, delivering revenue growth and profitability through operational excellence. Prior to joining Radial, Ritchey held leadership positions at L Brands, FullBeauty, and Centric Brands. Her experience spans various retailers, bringing a specialized insight to operational challenges. Ritchey will be instrumental in the continued strategic partnerships Radial aims to provide their brands and retailers. Additionally, in her role as COO, Ritchey will oversee Radial's core lines of business comprised of fulfillment services, customer care, omnichannel technology and transportation. She will be critical to driving enhanced collaboration, process and innovation for continuity across all Radial service lines, strengthening our mission to create more value for our clients through the power of our people.

"We are thrilled to welcome Laura Ritchey to the Executive Leadership Team," said Ilias Simpson, CEO, Radial. "Laura is a strategic, high-energy, hands-on leader with an enthusiasm for management. We are excited for her to join our team, her client centric approach to challenging and dynamic business conditions and experience in retail allows her to truly step into the shoes of our clients and understand how we can shift strategies and implement change as well as strengthen our partnerships further."

The decision by Radial speaks to the company's commitment to deliver on client success. The organization specifically sought out a leader who could understand the specialized insights of the retail industry and further develop existing client operations.

"Radial has always been committed in their mission to client centricity," said Laura Ritchey, COO Radial. "This is a new era in the retail industry. We are squarely up against navigating the new normal where ecommerce is absolutely essential and consumer expectations around the experience of omni-commerce have changed drastically. I am thrilled to be joining at such an exciting time, as we aim to build our partnerships and help brands and retailers continue to meet evolving consumer needs."

Ritchey holds an MBA degree, Juris Doctor, and Bachelor of Arts from the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio and is a member of the Ohio Bar and Certified Public Accountant.

About Radial

Radial, Inc., a bpost group company, is the leader in omnichannel commerce technology and operations. Premier brands around the world confidently partner with Radial to deliver their brand promises, anticipate and respond to industry disruption, and compete in a rapidly evolving market. Radial's innovative solutions connect retailers and customers through advanced omnichannel technologies; intelligent payments and fraud protection; efficient fulfillment, supply chain services; and insightful customer care services  especially where high-value customer experiences are critical. We are flexible, scalable, and focused on our clients' business objectives. Learn how we deliver today's retail for you at radial.com and follow us on Twitter @radialcorp .

Press Contact for Radial:

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New Delhi, March 15 : A central team will review the medical care and public health arrangements at the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar starting April 1, the Union Health Ministry informed on Monday.

The team comprises officials from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and will be led by its Director Surjit Kumar Singh, the ministry said.

As informed by the Centre, the team will focus on the status of the implementation of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the Kumbh Mela issued by the Health Ministry with regard to the preventive measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 during the event.

The central team will also review the implementation of its field level recommendations given to the state during its last visit a month ago.

"A high-level central team led by Surjit Kumar Singh and comprising senior officials of the NCDC has been deployed to Haridwar to review medical care and public health arrangements for the Kumbh Mela," the ministry said.

This year, the Kumbh Mela will be held for a shorter span as compared to previous years due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation. As per the Uttarakhand government ruling, the event will be held for 30 days, from April 1 to April 30. The last Kumbh Mela was held in Haridwar in 2010 between January 14 and April 28.
Class action suits, allowing groups of consumers to sue traders who cause mass harm, will soon be possible in Ireland. The Government is bound by a 2020 EU directive to change the law to allow non-profits, such as consumer organisations, to sue companies - for instance, in the case of a major data breach.

The rules must be in place by 2023.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is putting out a public consultation today to ask for help in designing the rules.

This will be a first in Irish law, as such procedures are not currently in place here, said Robert Troy, the Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation.

This directive is an important development to improve consumers access to justice, contribute to fairer competition, and create a level playing field for businesses operating in the internal market.

Once implemented, when the rights of a large number of consumers are violated by the same business, a qualified entity can launch a representative action on their behalf before a court.

The EU directive, which became law last year, aims to cover a range of sectors, including financial services, travel and tourism, energy, telecommunications and the environment.

It would allow non-profits, such as consumer organisations, to take domestic or cross-border suits against companies that breach EU consumer protection laws.

Those bodies would have to be approved by the Government in advance.

Ultimately, companies could face fines and be forced to pay all legal costs if they are found to have breached EU rules.

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The US and UK have mature class-action systems but Ireland is one of several EU countries where there are no clear rules.

Ryanair is currently facing a potential class action suit in the US as a result of issues with its pilots and an Alabama-based pension fund.

UK law firm SPG law is fighting a case against Ryanair, KLM, and Air France for refusing to issue refunds to customers on foot of pandemic-related flight cancellations.

A record number of people have also joined the law firms class action against British Airways for a 2018 security breach leading to a data leak affecting 380,000 customers.

Lawyers say Ireland could be a natural jurisdiction for future class action lawsuits, now that the UK has officially left the EU.

The Government has some room for manoeuvre in interpreting the EU rules, including the option to allow courts to dismiss a settlement if it judges it to be unfair.

They can also set limits on court or administrative costs, or offer legal aid to consumer organisations or other groups taking the class action suits.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 7.

My department and relevant stakeholders have a significant job of work to do to design the procedural mechanism for collective representative actions required by this directive, said Mr Troy. I therefore urge all interested bodies, not-for-profit organisations, consumers, and businesses to consider the objectives of the directive and to make their views known on how the directive should be implemented in Ireland and what forms the new procedural mechanism might take.
Australian officials insist the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and the rollout will continue after 14 countries suspended the jab over unproven fears it causes blood clots.

Chief medical officer Paul Kelly has said the vaccine is safe and effective after 30 blood clots were seen following five million jabs in Europe.

The European Medicines Agency has said the rate of clots 'in vaccinated people seems not to be higher than that seen in the general population'.

One UK government source told the Daily Mail the ban is part of a 'cynical' attempt to discredit AstraZeneca after it failed to deliver contracted doses to European countries in January, prompting export controls.

'I don't know what they are playing at. There is no data to support what they are doing,' the insider said.

French President Emmanual Macron previously said the jab was 'quasi-ineffective' in over 65s, an unfounded claim that was rejected by regulators, the UK government, and AstraZeneca.

Nations that have paused using the AstraZeneca vaccine include France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Austria, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Romania have suspended the latest batch of the jab. If the clots are linked to a specific batch then this would not affect Australia.

Nationals Senator Matt Canavan has insisted the government should stop the rollout temporarily.

'Given we are in a country that does not face an imminent risk of coronavirus spread, surely the prudent approach here is to suspend our rollout and just take heed of the evidence that will emerge in the coming months,' he said.

But Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said this would be an over-reaction.

Australia is heavily dependent on the AstraZeneca vaccine for its rollout. With imports proving hard to secure, it's the only jab the country can make onshore with production at the CSL factory in Melbourne.

Some 50million doses have been ordered, enough to vaccinate the whole population with two doses.

Professor Kelly said there was no evidence that the AstraZeneca vaccine caused blood clots.

'The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is effective, it is safe, and it's a high-quality vaccine,' he said.

He said more than 11 million people had been vaccinated in the UK without evidence of an increase in blood clots.

The professor added that while it was important to carefully monitor any unusual events, these incidents could not necessarily be blamed on vaccines.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian receives the AstraZeneca vaccine at St George Hospital in Kogarah, Sydney, earlier this month

Professor Kelly spoke to British and European medicine regulators on Sunday night.

Because of Australia's close working relationship with European counterparts, the Therapeutic Goods Administration was always one of the first to be notified about possible problems with coronavirus vaccines.

'As noted by the European Medicines Agency, the action taken by several European countries is a precautionary measure so that a full investigation can be rapidly conducted,' he said.

'Vaccination programs with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine are continuing in other countries.'

World Health Organisation spokeswoman Dr Margaret Harris said findings in relation to the AstraZeneca vaccine would be released as soon as they were available, but a causal relationship to blood clots 'has not been shown'.

'The panel had taken the position that the jab should continue to be administered, while an investigation of cases of these thrombo-embolic events is ongoing,' she said.

Federal and state health authorities are pressing ahead with the national immunisation program.

More than 164,000 people have now been vaccinated, including about 40,000 aged care residents across 437 facilities.

'Those numbers are growing every single day,' Health Minister Greg Hunt told parliament.

Health Minister Greg Hunt is hopeful CSL will soon be able to manufacture one million doses of the vaccine each week.

Queensland and NSW recorded no additional coronavirus cases on Monday, after each state announced a single case over the weekend.

The countries around the world that have stopped using the Oxford jab Europe: France Italy Spain Germany Iceland Portugal Ireland Bulgaria Denmark Slovenia Holland Norway Stopped one batch: Austria Lithuania Latvia Estonia Romania Non-Europe: Indonesia Thailand Advertisement

Mr Hunt said Commonwealth officers were working with both jurisdictions to help contain the spread of coronavirus.

The European Medicines Agency, which is investigating the link between clots and the jab and will hold emergency meetings to discuss the safety of the jab on Tuesday and Thursday, said its benefits 'outweigh the risks of side effects'.

UK PM Boris Johnson and Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also lept to the defence of the jab on Monday, saying it is 'safe and effective' and no such side effects have been witnessed in the UK, which has used more doses than anywhere else in the world.

Attempts to quell safety concerns over the jab came after Spain, France, Italy and Germany became the latest countries to suspend the use of the vaccine  following the lead of Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria.

Their controversial moves appear to be knee-jerk reactions to the EMA's investigation of 30 blood clots seen after 5million jabs  a figure the agency on Monday admitted was 'very small'. It is the equivalent of around one blood clot for every 167,000 doses administered. AstraZeneca says the risk is even lower.

Italian prosecutors on Monday also launched a manslaughter probe after a music teacher died at the weekend just one day after receiving AstraZeneca's jab. The judiciary in Biella, a city in the north of the nation, opened a preliminary probe into 57-year-old Sandro Tognatti's death to decide whether there is a case to answer.

Germany's health minister said the decision to suspend AstraZeneca shots was taken on the advice of the country's vaccine regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, which called for further investigation into seven cases of clots in the brains of people who had been vaccinated.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country will likewise suspend shots until at least Tuesday afternoon. Italy's drug regulator announced a temporary ban, less than 24 hours after saying the 'alarm' over the vaccine was unjustified.

And Spain said it will stop using the vaccine for two weeks while experts review its safety.

News of the bans comes as Europe, the continent hardest hit by the pandemic, passed the 40-million-case mark on Monday.

This is just the latest episode in a long-running saga between the EU and drug-maker AstraZeneca over its vaccine, which has seen the bloc accuse the UK-based firm of nationalism, impose export bans on its jabs, and reopen old wounds with recently-departed Brexit Britain.

Leading experts said it was 'reckless' to stop using the vaccine, that the decisions were 'baffling' and that the risk of catching the disease  which kills around one in 200 people and can cause blood clots  was far higher.
William "Bill" Edward Rowe, M.D. passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his family, on March 12, 2021. He was 90.

Bill was a kind and gentle spirit. His life was never about himself. As a doctor, he was known for his attentiveness and warm bedside manner, treating each patient as he would a member of his own family. During his practiceand later, in retirementhe made hospital rounds simply to check in on friends. He never forgot a birthday, put everyone around him at ease, and was grateful for each moment spent with the people he loved. Those who knew Bill often said he was the epitome of a Southern Gentleman.

Born on February 7, 1931, in Georgetown, S.C., Bill was the oldest of nine children. At the age of 10, he knew he wanted to be a doctor and serve others, but paying for college and medical school was a difficult proposition.

As a high school student, young Billy Rowe got to know Gov. James F. Byrnes, who had served as Secretary of State under President Truman and as a Supreme Court Justice. Gov. Byrnes and his wifeMom and Popwere unable to have children, so they started a scholarship foundation for aspiring young people who had lost a parent. Bill was not eligible for a scholarship because his parents were living, but Gov. Byrnes liked Bill, so he reached out to his good friend, Bernard Baruch. Mr. Baruch was a wealthy financier who had served as an advisor to six U.S. Presidents and grew up near Georgetown. After meeting Bill, Mr. Baruch gave a modest amount to Gov. Byrnes to help pay for Bills college and medical school through the foundation. Bill became a member of the first class of Byrnes Scholars in 1949, and he was the oldest Byrnes Scholar at the time of his death.

Bill attended the University of South Carolina, was in the Navy ROTC and served as a senate page in the SC State House. After graduating, he served as a communications officer aboard the USS Lake Champlain during the Korean War. He continued to serve in the Naval Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve for many years. The Navy was dear to him, and he was always seen with a Navy pin on his sport coat.

During his time in the Navy, he met a beautiful young lady in Norfolk, Va., named Virginia Dare Massey. After a six-month courtship, the two married in Charlottesville on Sept. 18, 1954, and have been happily married for more than 66 years. Bill loved Virginia just as much today as the day he met her. He couldnt have been the man he was without her love and support.

Once the Korean War ended in 1955, Bill attended the Medical College of South Carolina in Charleston and earned his Doctor of Medicine in 1959. At that time, he came to Chattanooga for his internship and surgical residency at Erlanger Hospital. In 1963, he went to the Lahey Clinic in Boston for his fellowship.

In 1964, Bill returned to Chattanooga with his wife and children and entered private practice. During the 1990s, he joined University Surgical Associates (USA) and worked with them until 2005, when he retired from surgery at the age of 74. But his passion for medicine and serving others remained until his death. For several years, he was a Clinical Instructor at USAs Clinic for the Uninsured. Dr. Steve Dreskin kindly offered him a position with Tennessee Valley Pain Management in 2008, and he worked with them until his death. He was very fond of Dr. Dreskin and his staff for giving him the opportunity to continue working in the profession he loved.

He served the following organizations: Erlanger Hospital (Teaching Staff), AMA, TMA (Legislative Committee), Southern Medical Association, Southeastern Surgical Association, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Board of Trustees of East Ridge Hospital (Chairman of the Board), East Ridge Hospital (Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery), Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society (President, Secretary, Treasurer, Chairman of the Legislative Committee, Foundation Board), Memorial Hospital (Credentialing Committee) and the Medical University of South Carolina (Board of Visitors). He was instrumental along with East Ridge City Manager Gene Drakeford and Dr. Dick Royal in getting the East Ridge Hospital built in the 1970s and served as the hospitals first chief of staff. Over his career, he trained many physicians through his affiliation with the UT College of Medicine.

Most dear to him was the Byrnes Foundation where he served on the board since 1989, as Treasurer and President. He wanted to give so many the educational opportunity that Bernard Baruch and Mom and Pop Byrnes had given to him. To date, the Byrnes Foundation has awarded nearly 2,000 scholarships.

Dr. and Mrs. Rowe have been members of First Baptist Church since 1960, where he was a member of the Waters Class.

He was preceded in death by his son, Ted, parents, Andrew and Mildred Rowe, brothers, Donnie and Harold, sisters, Ethel, Dot and Catherine, and son-in-law, Ken Royal.

He is survived by his wife, Virginia Rowe; daughter, Ebbie (George) Cruddas of Jacksonville, N.C.; son Chris (Barbaranelle) Rowe of Chattanooga; three brothers, David (Lucille) and Ricky (Roberta) of Georgetown, S.C. and Dennis (Lorraine)of Murrells Inlet, S.C.; five grandchildren: Austin Royal, Bill Rowe, Clayton Andrew Rowe, Elizabeth Rowe and Caroline Rowe; and great-granddaughter, Carter Royal.

The family would like to give special thanks to physicians Mark Heinsohn and Bill Warren for their care over the years, to George Culver and the team at Hospice of Chattanooga, and to Earline Hudgins, along with Sandra Banks and Tonia Hudgins, for their excellent, loving care of our entire family. They were gifts from God, and we are forever in their debt.

The funeral service will be held at 2:30 p.m. on March 19, at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. All friends are welcome to attend. All CDC Covid-19 mandates will be observed including wearing of masks and social distancing. For those unable to attend the service please join us on Facebook live at https://www.fb.com/ChattanoogaNorthChapel or go to the funeral website www.chattanooganorthchapel.com and click on the livestream link.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the James F. Byrnes Foundation, Post Office Box 6781, Columbia, SC 29260-6781 https://www.byrnesscholars.org/ or First Baptist Church, 401 Gateway Ave., Chattanooga, TN 37402.

Arrangements are under the care of the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory and Florist, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson.

Please share your thoughts and memories at www.chattanooganorthchapel.com
Today over 3,000 student workers at Columbia University in New York City are going on strike after more than two years of unsuccessful negotiations with the administration over the colleges first graduate student labor contract.

The struggle comes more than four years after student workers voted to unionize, forming the Graduate Workers of Columbia-United Auto Workers (GWC-UAW). It comes on the heels of a graduate student worker strike just last year, organized against the universitys inadequate response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

View of Columbia University (credit: Subhamoy Pal, Creative Commons)

The graduate worker strike action coincides with a tuition strike at Columbia by more than 1,100 undergraduate and graduate students demanding decreased tuition costs and increased financial aid. It is also taking place as 1,200 graduate student workers at New York University (NYU) are threatening to strike over the same deteriorating working conditions and benefits. The outbreak of these struggles reflects a broader resurgence of the class struggle, including the recent six-day strike by 1,400 produce workers at the Hunts Point Market in the Bronx.

Columbia research and teaching assistants covered under the GWC-UAW are demanding living wages, expanded health benefits, job protections, and fee and tuition waivers. The graduate students are also fighting for a contract without a no strike clause, which the university administration has rejected in over 65 bargaining sessions, stonewalling negotiations.

The strike has widespread support among the student workers, with an authorization vote passing last year by a 96 percent majority.

Columbia Provost and Political Science and History Professor Ira Katznelson, formerly a political strategist for the UAW, issued a statement last week contemptuously denouncing the upcoming work stoppage as both regrettable and unnecessary.

Attempting to guilt struggling graduate workers out of striking and pit them against the university community, Katznelson said a strike would be a significant burden that our campus would be compelled to bear  during one of the most stressful times in the history of students, staff, and faculty at Columbia.

While admitting that teaching assistants have been remarkably effective, sometimes heroic for the thousands of students who have been grappling with non-traditional education, Katznelson called for these university heroes to embrace mutual realism when it comes to bargaining, which no single round can produce optimal results. In regard to higher wage compensation, the provost bluntly stated that there are lines we are unable to cross.

Columbia has made clear its intentions to retaliate against striking student workers by docking their pay and financial aid stipends during the duration of the strike, which is set to go on indefinitely until a bargaining contract is agreed upon. The university has created an on-line daily work-reporting system to identify all workers on strike. The administration has even sent an email to the student body asking students to report striking workers to their academic departments.

The undergraduate students responded by setting up a hardship fund for striking workers on March 10, which has already surpassed $39,000 in donations and shows an outpouring of support for student workers trying to make ends meet. However, part of the reason this hardship fund is needed in the first place is due to the United Auto Workers measly strike pay cap of only $275 per week, while the national union sits on a strike fund of close to $800 million.

In response to the administrative pressure, the union is lowering its demands. According to the GWC-UAWs own bargaining updates, on Fridays bargaining sessionthree days before the strike deadlinethe union dropped the minimum salary for 12-month Ph.D. worker appointments from $45,850 to $43,596 and dropped the minimum hourly rate for graduate workers from $35/hour to $28/hour and from $26/hour to $22/hour for undergraduate workers. Meanwhile, the university has been steadfast on settling on a minimum hourly rate of $16/hour for student workers, only $1 above New York Citys minimum wage.

According to glassdoor.com, the base salary for research assistants at Columbia is $36,000 and $26,000 for teaching assistants. These poverty level wages are all the more devastating for workers living in one of the most expensive cities in the world. In addition, the cost of tuition for a Masters student at Columbia is over $51,000, which does not include housing, food and books.

The administration has repeatedly pointed to financial strains on the university due to the pandemic in order to justify its actions. This is a blatant lie. Columbia has major ties to Wall Street and an endowment of over $11 billion. It would be more accurate to say that the university is using the crisis to make students and workers pay for their losses through higher forms of exploitation.

The situation at Columbia University must be seen in the broader context of a wholesale attack on, and restructuring of, higher education. Utilizing the pandemic crisis, universities and colleges are forcing through long sought after budget cuts and lower wages.

In fact, last month, the Department of Labor reported that colleges and universities across the country cut a total of 650,000 jobs in the past year, equal to a 13 percent total work force reduction. These cuts include 2,800 adjunct professor layoffs at the City University of New York (CUNY) system last summer.

In the face of these attacks, graduate workers are taking a courageous stand by striking for better working and living conditions for themselves and for the rights of students and workers more broadly.

However, it is critical for all students and workers engaged in this struggle to understand that the immense economic, social and political crisis they face cannot be resolved on isolated campuses. Rather, their fight requires a strategy that is oriented toward the broadest layers of the working class. Such a struggle must be conducted in complete independence from the Democratic Party and trade unions like the UAW which have proven bitterly hostile to the interests of workers.

The UAW functions as a mid-sized corporation whose primary business is providing and policing a low-cost workforce for General Motors, Ford and Fiat-Chrysler. This fact has been well documented throughout the years-long exposure of a massive corruption scandal engulfing the entire union leadership.

Its history of representing graduate students has been no different than its history with autoworkers.

In 2018, UAW leadership negotiated a secret deal with the Columbia University administration, unbeknownst to the members of the GWC, to block any GWC strike actionthe most powerful tool at workers disposaluntil April 6, 2020. It is noteworthy that Columbia is again seeking a no strike clause for the current contract in negotiation.

In 2020, graduate student strikes at Harvard and UC Santa Cruz were forcefully shut down by the UAW in complete capitulation to the universities, without winning demands of the striking students, while a three-day grad worker sickout at NYU in May, protesting the universitys negligent and callous response to the coronavirus pandemic, was condemned by the UAW.

Now, as Columbia students are prepared to take a stand, the UAW is conceding on all the main demandsdemands that clearly have wide support among student workers.

No progressive struggle can be waged within the framework of the UAW and the AFL-CIO trade union apparatus, which has done everything it can to suppress opposition among workers to the homicidal policy of the ruling class in response to the pandemic.

The formation of independent rank-and-file organizations involving the broadest layers of workers, students, and young people fighting to defend the right to free high quality education, decent jobs and living wages, and full health care is urgently needed. Emerging student and worker struggles on campuses and workplaces, including at Columbia, must link up and call for their widest expansion nationally and internationally.

The issues affecting graduate students at Columbia University are the same issues facing millions of workers and young people across the country, and, in fact, throughout the world. To wage a successful struggle requires the intervention and unification of all workers in opposition to a social and economic order which breeds inequality, unemployment, fascism, and war: capitalism. Turn out to the working class, and take up the fight for socialism!

The Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee in New York is taking up this initiative, and all student workers at Columbia are encouraged to attend our next meeting on Wednesday, March 17, at 7:00 p.m. EST by registering here.

The International Youth and Students for Social Equality in New York and New Jersey urges all those who agree with this perspective to contact us and get involved in this critical fight.
Ahead of the next year's Assembly polls in Punjab, (SAD) president on Sunday formally blew the poll bugle and announced his candidature from the Jalalabad seat.

Addressing a massive rally at the Anaj Mandi here, the SAD president said, "Today, I am announcing the first candidate of (SAD) for the 2022 will contest from Jalalabad."

Badal also attacked Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for "presiding over four years of brazen misrule", and challenged him to tell one thing he had done for the people of the state in the last four years and said, "You will have to answer for your failings. People will not remain quiet any longer".

"You have given me so much love since the first time I came to represent you in 2009. I have tried my best to return this love and delivered on all the promises made to you be it constructing cement streets in all villages, upgrading schools, opening a Girls College, constructing a Rs 50 crore hospital and a Rs 25 crore stadium. I have a strong bond with the people of Jalalabad and will maintain it for my lifetime"," Badal said at 'Punjab Mangda Jawab' rally in Jalalabad.

He said the chief minister was least interested in the development of the state. "He has been to Punjab for a few times in the last four years and visited his office only eleven times".

The SAD president announced that once elected to power, the party would halve power tariff charges for domestic consumers.

He said the SAD government would also repeal the three agricultural laws besides establishing an MSP (Minimum support price) for vegetables, fruits and milk.

"We will also ensure payment of commission to 'arhatiyas' on behalf of the Punjab government if the Centre discontinues the same besides ensuring cement streets, piped drinking water and concrete drains in all 12,000 villages in the state," he added, the press release reads.

The assembly in Punjab is scheduled to be held next year.

(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 defends removal of Ryan Anderson's trans-critical book; author refutes reasoning

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Online retailer Amazon has defended its decision to remove prominent conservative scholar Ryan Andersons book critiquing the transgender movement. However, its reasoning has been refuted by the author.

Last Thursday, Amazon Vice President for Public Policy Brian Huseman sent a response letter to Republican lawmakers in the U.S. Senate who questioned why the company was no longer selling Andersons 2018 book, When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment.

Huseman sought to justify the decision by stating that Amazon doesnt sell books that frame the LGBTQ+ identity as a mental illness.

But the author clarified in a statement published by the Daily Signal that his book does no such thing.

Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, Mike Braun of Indiana and Josh Hawley of Missouri had asked Amazon to explain why Andersons book was pulled out of the platform.

"We reserve the right not to sell certain content. All retailers make decisions about what selection they choose to offer, as do we, Huseman added in the letter.

The book borrows its title from the 1989 romantic comedy film When Harry Met Sally.

Nowhere have I ever said or framed LGBTQ+ identity as a mental illness, Anderson, formerly a scholar at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation who now serves as president of the Ethics & Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., said.

Andersons book explores the meaning of human embodiment and public policy considerations related to transgender issues.

Even the pages to purchase used copies have been removed. It is no longer possible to purchase the Kindle or Audible versions of the book on the website.

In an email to The Christian Post last month, Anderson said that the book was criticized twice on the New York Times editorial page when released three years ago.

He said The Washington Post also ran a hit piece on the book and subsequently rewrote the article to fix all the errors.

Its obvious the critics hadnt read the book, Anderson said. People who have actually read my book discovered that it was a thoughtful and accessible presentation of the state of the scientific, medical, philosophical and legal debates. Yes, it advances an argument from a certain viewpoint. No, it didnt get any facts wrong, and it didnt engage in any name-calling.

Part of the Amazon.com guidelines includes a section on offensive content.

We dont sell certain content including content that we determine is hate speech, promotes the abuse or sexual exploitation of children, contains pornography, glorifies rape or pedophilia, advocates terrorism, or other material we deem inappropriate or offensive, the section reads.

A 2018 book written in response to Anderson's book is titled Let Harry Become Sally: Responding to the Anti-Transgender Moment. That book is still available for purchase on the site.

In their Feb. 24 letter, the Republican lawmakers argued that "[t]he internet is at its best when it is an open marketplace of ideas that brings people together to share, learn from one another, and engage in a range of commercial activities."

"Many Americans have come to rely on online retail more than ever before to meet their basic needs, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic," they argued. "In its decision to remove Mr. Andersons book from its platforms, Amazon has openly signaled to conservative Americans that their views are not welcome on its platforms."

Last June, the tech giant banned the Christian conservative activist group Family Research Council from its AmazonSmile program on recommendations from the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The program allows customers to choose a charity to receive proceeds from their purchases. The SPLC frequently labels conservative and Christian organizations as hate groups.

The Scottsdale, Arizona-based Christian legal firm Alliance Defending Freedom, which has won several Supreme Court cases in recent years, was also banned in 2018 after SPLC labeled it as a hate group due to its biblical views on sexuality.

In 2017, Amazon also banned D. James Kennedy Ministries from participating in the AmazonSmile program after being labeled a hate group by the SPLC.

Robert Netzly, CEO of Inspire Investing, expressed concerns in an op-ed for The Christian Post that Amazon wasnt living up to its commitment to viewpoint diversity. He specifically called out Amazons board for recommending that shareholders vote against a resolution on viewpoint diversity.
Fianna Fail TD for Longford Westmeath, Joe Flaherty has raised concerns about the inclusion of local pharmacists and pharmacy staff in the vaccine rollout.

The Longford TD stated that he understands there is an issue with the rollout of vaccines for pharmacy staff in the four counties of Longford, Westmeath, Laois and Offaly.

Deputy Flaherty commented, It seems that pharmacists and pharmacy staff in many other health regions are now vaccinated, or the process is almost complete, but yet only a handful of those in the sector have been called locally.

Pharmacists were in Schedule 2A of the rollout and staff in Schedule 2D and the Longford TD has been in touch with pharmacists across the region over the past 48 hours, adding that the sector locally is being overlooked during a respiratory crisis.

Deputy Flaherty continued: Local pharmacists and staff would have registered with the HSE for the vaccine as advised on February 9. These are an important bank of healthcare workers who have remained open and continue to deal with the general public in a non-regulated environment with unscheduled visits from members of the public who are unwell.

He added: They have done this for the past year and are often consulting with very sick and vulnerable patients. They stepped up to the plate when required. They administered the flu vaccine before Christmas and have delivered medication to nursing homes, the homes of the elderly and palliative patients.

The Longford TD said he is aware that the Irish Pharmaceutical Union have concerns about the delay in the rollout locally and he has called on the Minister for Health and Midlands HSE to address the matter without delay.
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The rollout of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine has been suspended in the Republic of Ireland following a recommendation by Irish health officials after reports of blood-clotting incidents elsewhere in Europe.

Serious blood-clotting events have been recorded after inoculations in Norway, where the AstraZeneca vaccine programme has been paused. Denmark and Iceland have also suspended the rollout pending an investigation.

In an email to The Independent, a spokesperson for the Irish Department of Health said administration of the AstraZeneca jab had been temporarily deferred as of Sunday morning.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is already investigating a number of reports of thromboembolic (blood-clotting) events following vaccination with Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca, the spokesperson added. Further information is expected from the EMA in the next few days, which will include a review of these additional events.

Irelands Health Service Executive (HSE) also confirmed it would not be further administering the AstraZeneca vaccine until advised to do so. Other vaccinations are unaffected.

Follow live: Covid updates from the UK and around the world

The decision came after Irelands National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) said the rollout should be paused.

Irelands deputy chief medical officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, said: This recommendation has been made following a report from the Norwegian Medicines Agency of four new reports of serious blood-clotting events in adults after vaccination with Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca.

It has not been concluded that there is any link between Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca and these cases.

However, acting on the precautionary principle, and pending receipt of further information, the National Immunisation Advisory Committee has recommended the temporary deferral of the Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca vaccination programme in Ireland.

A vaccinator in Dublin prepares a dose of the AstraZeneca jab (Reuters)

Professor Karina Butler, chair of the NIAC, called it a precautionary move and said Irish health authorities would continue to monitor the situation and if we can be satisfied that these events are coincidental and not caused by this vaccine we will reassess the situation.

She added: This vaccine is proven to be very effective against severe Covid-19 disease, which is associated with a risk of clotting events. We have taken this step out of an abundance of caution.

The UKs Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it was aware of the action in Ireland.

We are closely reviewing reports but, given the large number of doses administered and the frequency at which blood clots can occur naturally, the evidence available does not suggest the vaccine is the cause, the body added.

Dr Phil Bryan, its vaccines safety lead, said people "should still go and get their Covid-19 vaccine when asked to do so".

Meanwhile, Irelands Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) said it had received a small number of reports associated with blood clots following vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

They were not as serious as those described in Norway and the number involved was extremely low.

A spokesperson for AstraZeneca said: An analysis of our safety data that covers reported cases from more than 17 million doses of vaccine administered has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia with Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca.

In fact, the reported numbers of these types of events for Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca are not greater than the number that would have occurred naturally in the unvaccinated population.

In clinical trials, no trends or patterns were observed with regard to pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, or events possibly related to thrombocytopenia.

A careful review of all available safety data including these events is ongoing and AstraZeneca is committed to sharing information without delay.

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The recommendation comes after Irish authorities had been pressing the pharmaceutical firm to speed up its supplies to the Republic. More than 117,000 AstraZeneca doses have been administered so far in Ireland.

The EMA reported that one person in Austria was diagnosed with blood clots and died 10 days after vaccination, but it stressed there is currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions.

Italy has followed Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg and Lithuania in banning jabs from one particular batch of 1 million AstraZeneca vaccines, which was sent to 17 countries, after reports of a death.

Later on Sunday, the Netherlands also suspended its AstraZeneca rollout. The Dutch government said in a statement the vaccine will not be used until at least 29 March and it was reported that health authorities would be forced to cancel more than 40,000 appointments.

Another person was admitted to hospital in Austria with pulmonary embolism (blockage in arteries in the lungs) after being vaccinated, while one death involving a blood clot was reported in Denmark.

A 50-year-old man is also thought to have died in Italy from deep vein thrombosis (DVT), while there has been an unconfirmed report of another death in Italy.

Commenting on the decision to pause the AstraZeneca rollout in Denmark and Norway, Stephen Evans, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said earlier this week that it was a super-cautious approach based on some isolated reports in Europe.

He added: Since we know with great certainty that the vaccine prevents Covid-19 with its attendant disease, and we are almost totally uncertain that the vaccine can have caused this problem, the risk and benefit balance is still very much in favour of the vaccine in my view.

Additional reporting by PA
Larry Schwartz, a longtime aide to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the administrations current vaccine czar, has been calling Democrats to gauge their loyalty, The Washington Post reports.

The aide worked as a secretary for Mr Cuomo from 2011 to 2015. Then last year amid the coronavirus pandemic, he volunteered to rejoin the administration to assist with Covid-19 vaccine distribution for the state.

Now Mr Schwartz has filled the role of being a political operative for the Democratic governor at a time when hes embroiled in scandal.

An unnamed Democratic local executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Washington Post, reported to the states attorney general office about a potential ethics violation on Friday after he received a phone call from Mr Schwartz.

The phone call reportedly involved Mr Schwartz asking the official if they planned to publicly support Mr Cuomo, stressing the importance of the states ongoing investigation. But it left the executive concerned if their response could impact their areas vaccine supply.

Read more: What are the chances Andrew Cuomo will leave office?

At best, it was inappropriate, the executive was quoted as saying. At worst, it was clearly over the ethical line.

When asked by The Washington Post, Mr Schwartz said he did have phone calls with several people but did not mention vaccines.

I did nothing wrong, Mr Schwartz said in an email to the publication. I have always conducted myself in a manner commensurate to a high ethical standard.

I did have conversations with a number of County Executives from across the State to ascertain if they were maintaining their public position that there is an ongoing investigation by the State Attorney General and that we should wait for the findings of that investigation before drawing any conclusions, he continued, adding that no one he spoke to appeared uncomfortable by the conversation.

Any suggestion that [Schwartz] acted in any way unethically or in any way other than in the best interest of the New Yorkers that he selflessly served is patently false, Beth Garvey, Mr Cuomos active counsel, said in a statement.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, has launched an independent investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against Mr Cuomo that were raised by seven women.

The governor said he would cooperate fully with any investigation, but has denied that he acted inappropriately against the women.

Besides facing sexual misconduct allegations, several women have levied accusations that the governor created a toxic work environment that included bullying and racism.

The number of New York Democrats calling for Mr Cuomo to resign has grown in recent days as he faces more accusations, with Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand speaking out against the governor on Friday. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jerry Nadler have also called for Mr Cuomos resignation.

Mr Cuomo has declined to resign, stating that the attorney generals investigation should be allowed to proceed.
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The Government could hold a snap border poll while there is still a unionist majority and they are likely to win, the leader of the SDLP has suggested.

Colum Eastwood said that while he expects a vote within the next 10 years, nationalists and republicans need to be careful it does not happen before they are ready.

"There is a possibility that the British Government would call a referendum early to support unionism because they think that unionists have the numbers right now," the Foyle MP said in an interview with the Business Post.

The SDLP is currently in the process of setting up a 'New Ireland Commission' to plan for a united Ireland.

One aspect of its work will be talking to unionists about their concerns.

Mr Eastwood added: "We have to be very clear that it'll be a united Ireland and a new Ireland that will celebrate and very much involve the British tradition, and the Good Friday Agreement will remain and all the protections within in.

"I think Stormont will be there, so that's the challenge that it can't be done overnight."

He added, however, that nationalists could not be expected to delay seeking a referendum, just because of sensitivity to unionist or loyalist concerns.

Meanwhile, a member of Queen's University School of Law has said that the British government needs to be more transparent over the evidence needed to call a referendum.

Professor Colin Harvey is also calling for the UK to collaborate with Dublin in ensuring voters are adequately prepared.

He said he wanted to avoid a repeat of the "mess" surrounding the Brexit poll, "so that when people vote they know what they are voting for".

He said: "There are some people on the island saying that the criteria have arguably been met electorally.

"The level of constitutional turbulence in the UK with what is going on in Scotland means we want to be prepared on this island for whatever eventualities emerge.

"That involves the British government being more transparent and both the British and Irish governments engaging well in advance and doing any preparation and planning before these votes take place."

Professor Harvey, who is predicting a referendum on unity within the next decade, wrote to Northern Ireland Secretary of State Brandon Lewis recently.

Mr Lewis' department wrote back: "The Government is firmly committed to its obligations in this regard, including the circumstances set out in the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement that require the Secretary of State to hold a referendum on the constitutional status of Northern Ireland should a majority of those voting express a wish that Northern Ireland should cease to be part of the United Kingdom.

"The Government, and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, continue to monitor the full range of evidence on this issue.

"We engage with the Irish government on a regular basis regarding a range of important matters that have an all island of Ireland dimension."

The Northern Ireland Office added there is no clear evidence to suggest that the conditions for a referendum have been met at this time.

It said the Government has always stressed the importance of the union and Northern Ireland's place within it.
Organizers have canceled a public screening of a documentary about a Hong Kong university that was besieged by riot police as students fired petrol bombs and other projectiles from behind makeshift barricades in November 2019, amid a city-wide crackdown on criticism of the authorities under a draconian national security law.



The Hong Kong Film Critics Society announced it would cancel a screening of "Inside the Red Brick Wall," which had been scheduled to show at the Golden Scene movie theater on Monday evening.



The move came after the Wen Wei Po, a newspaper backed by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), ran a number of articles criticizing the plan as being in breach of the national security law.



"The movie incites resistance against the police and the Hong Kong government and spreads hatred for our country," the paper said in one article.



The Hong Kong Film Critics Society, which had added a second screening owing to strong public demand for tickets, said it had taken the decision because of the attention the film had attracted.



The 88-minute documentary, produced in 2020 by a group of anonymous Hong Kong filmmakers, won the best editing award from the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), Europe's largest documentary film festival. The Hong Kong Film Critics Society had also bestowed its annual grand prize on the film.



The title refers to the red brick walls of Hong Kong's Polytechnic University (Poly U), where some 1,300 people were arrested during the clashes. Some 300 people were sent to different hospitals to receive treatment during the siege of Poly U, for injuries related to water cannon blast, tear gas, and rubber bullets,



Rights groups hit out at the Hong Kong police for 'fanning the flames' of violence as desperate protesters were trapped for several days inside the campus, while hundreds more waged pitched battles with riot police in Kowloon.



The U.S.-based group Human Rights in China condemned police action in and around Poly U, "trapping students, journalists, and first aiders, and reportedly handcuffing the latter group."



Small groups of protesters continued to make desperate bids for freedom throughout the siege, many of them only to end up being arrested and beaten bloody by police.



Police deployed tear gas, water cannon, and rubber bullets against a crowd trying to push through towards Poly U from Jordan district, with hundreds forming human chains to pass bricks, umbrellas, and other supplies to front-line fighters.

No choice for voters



The decision came as a Chinese official said there would be no possibility of appeal against an election committee charged by the CCP with approving candidates in future "elections" to the city's legislature.



Political commentator and pollster Chung Kim-wah said changes to the electoral system announced earlier this month by Beijing mean that elections will no longer offer any choice to voters anyway.



"Even if they were to allow you to appeal or review [the election committee's decision], it still has to be approved by them after that, so the process could go on forever," Chung said.



"So the whole debate about judicial review is pointless; there is a screening mechanism that is out of the control of the people of Hong Kong, so these will be fake elections," he said.

'The saddest thing'



Alexander Huang, associate professor at Taiwan's Tamkang University, said witnessing the decline of Hong Kong's promised freedoms under Chinese rule in recent years had been "the saddest thing."



"Actually, this will destroy an entire generation of young students, and the collective trauma they experienced will stay with them for the rest of their lives," Huang told a symposium in Taiwan.



"I don't think that the flames will be entirely extinguished, however. Maybe there'll be short-term setbacks, but that's not how history tends to happen," he said.



Their comments came amid calls for British judges to be withdrawn from serving on Hong Kongs Court of Final Appeal, following the changes to the electoral system and the ongoing prosecution of 47 opposition politicians for "subversion."



U.K. Supreme Court president Lord Reed told The Times that a decision would be made soon following a review begun in November 2020.



The National Security Law for Hong Kong bans a vaguely defined and all-encompassing slew of words and actions including many seen during last year's pro-democracy protests and anti-extradition movement.



The law targets anyone in the world committing actions within its scope, regardless of whether they live in Hong Kong or are its permanent residents. Contacts with overseas politicians are banned, as is any public speech designed to make people think ill of the authorities.



Anyone suspected of "crimes" under the law can be issued with a travel ban, with their passport confiscated and their assets frozen.



Under the implementation rules, warrantless searches of people's homes may be authorized by a police officer carrying the rank of assistant commissioner, while "less intrusive" covert surveillance of suspects under the law can be authorized by a directorate-level police officer.



Reported by Man Hoi Yan, Fong Tak Ho and Chan Yun Nam for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Hwang Chun-mei for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Priti Patel has been accused of launching an assault on Britains democratic traditions with a crackdown on protests that would make it a crime to cause serious annoyance or inconvenience by taking part in a demonstration.

Amid an atmosphere charged by the police use of force at a vigil for murder victim Sarah Everard on Saturday, the home secretary came under fire in the House of Commons over proposed legislation which Labour say would allow someone convicted of vandalising a statue to be sentenced to a longer jail term than a rapist.

Among MPs raising concerns was ex-prime minister and former home secretary Theresa May, who said that freedom of speech was an important right in our democracy and warned of potential unintended consequences from provisions in Ms Patels Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

As MPs began a two-day debate on the controversial legislation, hundreds of protesters thronged Parliament Square outside demanding freedom of speech and better protection for women.

The shadow home secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds, told MPs that the scenes from Clapham Common should be a red warning signal of the dangers of draconian measures in the bill. Read more:

A member of Sisters Uncut, a feminist direct action group involved in the Clapham vigil, said: The police are institutionally violent against women. Handing them more powers will increase violence against women. This bill must be stopped.

And race equality and criminal justice organisations wrote to Boris Johnson warning the prime minister that the legislation will further entrench discrimination against black and minority ethnic (Bame) communities.

In a letter to Ms Patel co-ordinated by Liberty and Friends of the Earth, 245 charities, community groups and campaign organisations, ranging from Amnesty International to the Ramblers and the RSPB warned that the draconian legislation represents an attack on some of the most fundamental rights of citizens, in particular those from marginalised communities.

But a string of Conservative MPs said Labour would show themselves to be soft on crime if they vote on Tuesday against the 300-page document, which was published only six days ago and contains a vast array of unrelated measures, including provisions to double maximum punishments for assaults on emergency workers and to end the release of serious sexual offenders after serving half of their sentence.

Ms Patel told the Commons that the right to protest peacefully was a cornerstone of democracy and one this government will always defend.

But she said recent years had seen a significant change in protest tactics which required police to be given powers to take a more proactive approach.

Citing Extinction Rebellion protesters blocking ambulances on emergency calls and gluing themselves to rush-hour trains, she told MPs: There is a balance to be struck between the rights of the protester and the rights of individuals to go about their daily lives.

Mr Thomas-Symonds told the Commons that deep and profound lessons need to be learnt from the distressing scenes at Clapham, where women taking part in the vigil in the face of appeals to stay home due to the coronavirus pandemic were forced to the ground by police officers and handcuffed.

The scenes from Saturday should be a red warning signal to this House that rushing through ill-judged, ill-thought out restrictions on the right to protest would be a profound mistake that would have long-lasting consequences and do great damage to our democracy, he warned.

The right to protest is one of our proudest democratic traditions. That this government seeks to attack it is to its great shame.

Our existing laws on protest strike a careful balance between legitimate rights and the need to keep order. What our laws on protest do not do, and should never do, is seek to shield those in power from public criticism and public protest.

Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common Show all 36 1 /36 Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186305309.jpg Un simpatizante coloca flores en un quiosco de musica AFP via Getty Images Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186292098.jpg Una mujer llora en un sitio conmemorativo en Clapham Common Bandstand Reuters Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186297338.jpg La gente llora en un sitio conmemorativo Reuters Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186299118.jpg La gente llora en un sitio conmemorativo Reuters Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186302751.jpg Un grupo de mujeres se abrazan frente a los tributos a Sarah Everard Getty Images Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186303231.jpg Se deja una fotografia de Sarah Everard con tributos a ella en el quiosco de musica en Clapham Common Getty Images Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186305195.jpg Una mujer reacciona en un sitio conmemorativo Reuters Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186307192.jpg Piedras con firmas se encuentran en un sitio conmemorativo en el Clapham Common Bandstand Reuters Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186311759.jpg Dos mujeres se abrazan ante los tributos de Sarah Everard Getty Images Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186315635.jpg La gente deja tributos florales PA Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186322276.jpg La gente se reune en un sitio conmemorativo en Clapham Common Bandstand Reuters Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186334262.jpg La gente se reune para poner flores y presentar sus respetos. Getty Images Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186334451.jpg Se ve un mensaje entre las flores en Clapham Common Getty Images Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186291798.jpg La gente llora en un sitio conmemorativo en Clapham Common Bandstand Reuters Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186342176.jpg Una mujer deja un homenaje floral AP Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186344092.jpg Una mujer reacciona en un sitio conmemorativo Reuters Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186344449.jpg La gente se reune en un sitio conmemorativo en Clapham Common Bandstand Reuters Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186345399.jpg Miembros del publico rodean tributos a Sarah Everard en el quiosco de musica en Clapham Common Getty Images Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186349712.jpg Los simpatizantes se dirigen hacia un puesto de musica AFP via Getty Images Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186353394.jpg La gente se reune en un sitio conmemorativo. Reuters Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186351236.jpg La gente se reune en un sitio conmemorativo. Reuters Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186359621.jpg Las mujeres se reunen en el puesto de la banda. PA Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186359529.jpg La gente se reune en el puesto de la banda PA Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186359442.jpg Una mujer reacciona mientras mira tributos Getty Images Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186362689.jpg La gente se reune para poner flores y presentar sus respetos. Getty Images Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186359732.jpg La gente se reune en el puesto de la banda PA Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186368043.jpg La gente se reune en un sitio conmemorativo. Reuters Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186365919.jpg La gente se reune en el puesto de la banda AP Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186364658.jpg Una mujer sostiene un cartel en un sitio conmemorativo Reuters Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186364859.jpg La gente se reune AP Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186370260.jpg La gente de la multitud enciende las antorchas de sus telefonos PA Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186370602.jpg Una mujer sostiene un cartel. PA Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186375934.jpg Los simpatizantes gritan consignas mientras se reunen AFP via Getty Images Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186375494.jpg Una mujer es arrestada Getty Images Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186376659.jpg Los agentes de policia forman un cordon AFP via Getty Images Homenajes a Sarah Everard en la vigilia de Clapham Common PRI186377083.jpg La policia detiene a una mujer Reuters

He highlighted provisions which would allow police to impose conditions on protests if they generate noise that might result in serious disruption to people or organisations in the vicinity.

And he blasted provisions allowing a maximum 10-year sentence for damaging a statue  twice the jail term received by some rapists.

No government should ever send out a signal that the safety of a statue carries greater importance in our laws than the safety of women, he said.

Human rights groups have raised concerns that the laws wording could allow the home secretary to greatly extend police powers to shut down protests, but allowing her to use secondary legislation to define the kind of serious disruption to the life of the community or serious disruption to the activities of an organisation which would constitute a breach.

The current version of the bill would also allow police to restrict static assemblies and vigils, rather than just moving demonstrations, as well as protests carried out by one person in a public place.

And protestors could be arrested and prosecuted if they breach restrictions which they knew or ought to have known were in place, a significant hardening of the current threshold which states a crime is committed if they knowingly fail to comply.

This would allow prosecution of individuals who had not heard that conditions were imposed by police, even though officers frequently announce such measures by shouting them over megaphones at noisy demonstrations.

Ms May said the law had to be proportionate she said and warned that some of the definitions in tne Bill, including of noise and nuisance, looked quite wide.

She also warned Ms Patel against giving more powers to the home secretary saying future home secretaries may not be so reasonable.

I would urge the government to consider carefully the need to walk a fine line between the popular and populist, our freedoms depend on it, said the former PM.

Yvette Cooper, the Labour MP and chair of the Home Affairs Committee, denounced many of the reforms targeted at protests, urging the government to think again and saying these powers are too broad.

Libertys interim director Gracie Bradley said the bill would hand police the power to decide when and how people can protest, criminalise the way of life of gypsy and traveller communities and create new stop and search powers that will exacerbate discrimination against people of colour.

Protest isnt a gift from the state  its our fundamental right and under human rights law, states have an obligation to facilitate protest not suppress it, she said.

Yet this is what this bill seeks to achieve. Not content with all but banning protest during the pandemic, the government is now using this public health crisis as cover to make emergency measures permanent. Its new policing bill is an all-out assault on basic civil liberties.

The cross-party parliamentary joint committee on human rights announced an inquiry into the legislation, voicing concern that a number of its provisions may interfere with rights to liberty, free expression and free assembly guaranteed by the Human Rights Act.
Scientists and officials in the UK have leapt to the defence of the country's staple Covid vaccine as nations across Europe have stopped using the jab.

Health officials in France, Italy, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria have suspended the use of the British-made vaccine because of fears people are developing blood clots after getting it.

The European Medicines Agency opened an investigation after 30 reports of people being diagnosed with clots after the jab.

But the 30  taken from a group of five million people  suggest only one in every 167,000 people developed the condition. And AstraZeneca's own data from 17million vaccinations suggested it was more like one in 500,000, and the firm's chief medical officer said rates were actually lower than in the general population.

Experts said it was 'reckless' to stop using the vaccine and that the risk of catching Covid-19  which kills around one in 200 people and is significantly more likely to cause blood clots  was much higher.

The ages of people affected by the clots are not known but a Norwegian health official, suggesting that the effects had been in under-50s, said they were 'extremely rare' and 'it has not been established that these problems are due to the vaccine'.

Here, MailOnline answers your questions about the blood clot controversy:

The AstraZeneca vaccine is one of the main jabs being used in the UK and scientists say they haven't yet noticed an increase in the number of blood clots developing (stock image)

Oxford's Professor Andrew Pollard (left) and the JCVI's Professor Anthony Harnden (right) both said there is no evidence that the vaccine was causing blood clots, but there is evidence it is saving lives

Should anyone in Britain whos had the AstraZeneca vaccine be concerned?

The UK has used more doses of AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine than anywhere else  approximately 11million  and both officials and scientists say there is no sign that it causes serious health problems.

Side effects are normal, and around 53,000 have been officially reported across the UK so far, but the vast majority are mild and short-lived, such as headaches, muscle pains or fever.

The 53,000 side effects out of 11million suggest just 0.5 per cent of people get them  one in 200. The frequency of severe side effects is much lower. But not everyone records their mild side effects.

British drugs regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which approved the vaccine, insists the jab is safe and says people should continue to take it.

Vaccine safety chief Dr Phil Bryan said: 'We are closely reviewing reports but given the large number of doses administered, and the frequency at which blood clots can occur naturally, the evidence available does not suggest the vaccine is the cause.

'People should still go and get their Covid vaccine when asked to do so.'

The same message is being put out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the Government on its vaccine rollout.

Its deputy chairman Professor Anthony Harnden said on BBC Breakfast: 'Safety is absolutely paramount and we monitor this data very carefully.

'We have to remember that there are 3,000 blood clots a month on average in the general population and because we're immunising so many people, we are bound to see blood clots at the same time as the vaccination, and that's not because they are due to the vaccination. That's because they occur naturally in the population.

'One ought to also remember that Covid causes blood clots. So, the risks of not having the Covid vaccination far outweigh the risks from the vaccinations.'

If safety issues did emerge in Britain, would appointments for second doses be cancelled?

People in the UK won't be given a vaccine that officials and scientists don't think is safe and the roll-out of AstraZeneca's jab would immediately be stopped if it turned out to be dangerous.

The threshold for stopping using the vaccine isn't clear  but most people who have had one dose would already have substantial protection against Covid.

A study found the jab offered 76 per cent protection against developing symptoms of the disease after one dose, and that protection lasted for at least 12 weeks. This suggests the vaccine is good enough to use with a single dose if the second one had to be abandoned.

It is not known how long the immunity from a single dose would last, but someone would likely be able to have a different vaccine months later if it started to wear off.

Health officials have yet to prove it is safe to mix-and-match vaccines when doses are given close together, meaning people must currently receive two doses of the same jab, but trials of this are being done and could mean that the brand or type of jab won't matter in future.

AstraZeneca's vaccine was only approved for use in Britain at the start of January, so second doses don't have to be dished out yet because of the UK's 12-week gap.

The gap was controversial in the first place because data had not showed that it was effective when doses were taken so far apart.

But evidence has since emerged to show the UK's gamble  which allowed the country to vaccinate millions of people  paid off and the protection actually gets stronger with a wider spacing between shots.

COUNTRIES SUSPEND SPECIFIC VACCINE BATCHES AMID CLOTTING SCARE The decision by some countries to halt the vaccine came after a nurse in Austria, 49, died from a clot on Monday shortly after receiving the vaccine amid reports of similar cases across Europe, despite millions of doses being administered safely. Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Luxembourg have also suspended the use of the same specific batch of vaccines given to the nurse, ABV5300, which was sent to 17 European countries and consisted of one million jabs. Denmark, Norway and Iceland on Thursday went further, suspending the total use of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine. Italy's medicine regulator banned a different batch of the jabs, ABV2856, after non-commissioned naval officer Stefano Paterno, 43, died of a cardiac arrest 24 hours after receiving a dose in Sicily, where a second man also died after receiving the jab. Regulators in the UK, which has used more doses of the vaccine than anywhere else, insist there is no reason to believe the Europeans' deaths are linked to the vaccine. They say it was coincidence that those people had recently had the jab. Advertisement

What is the blood clot controversy?

France, Italy and Germany today became the latest countries to pause the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine, following the lead of Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria.

The decisions came in the wake of an announcement that the European Medicines Agency was launching an investigation after it received 30 reports of people developing blood clots within days of having the vaccine, out of a total five million people.

This was equal to around 0.0006 per cent of people or one in 167,000.

But the numbers suggest that 4,999,970 out of the 5m did not get blood clots  over 99.99 per cent.

The ages of the people developing the clots isn't known, but Norwegian officials said they saw three cases in people under the age of 50.

Although clots are very common they can be serious and even deadly, potentially triggering strokes, heart attacks or blockages in the lungs.

Fears about the clots were escalated when patients died with clot-related illnesses in Austria, Denmark and Italy.

A 49-year-old nurse in Austria died with a clot last Monday, shortly after receiving the vaccine.

Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Luxembourg have suspended the use of the same specific batch of vaccines given to the nurse, ABV5300, which was sent to 17 European countries and consisted of one million jabs.

Italy's medicine regulator banned a different batch of the jabs, ABV2856, after non-commissioned naval officer Stefano Paterno, 43, died of a cardiac arrest 24 hours after receiving a dose in Sicily, where a second man also died after receiving the jab.

Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at the University of Reading, said the uproar seemed to be out of proportion unless regulators know more than they are letting on.

He told MailOnline: 'The numbers of people going down with blood clots after vaccination are about what you would expect from the general population; they don't seem any different.

'I do wonder whether there is more to this than is being admitted to at this stage  that would be the only justification for what they're doing, because they are putting people at risk from Covid.

'Maybe the proportion of younger people getting those conditions is higher than you would normally expect. I would have thought, if that were the case, any sensible regulator would point it out.

'If they said "we've got an unduly high number of blood clots in younger people", that's a different matter. I think they're probably less likely to get blood clots than older people...

'I would have expected to see any effects in the trial but we don't know what the age distribution was between 18 and 55.

'It's impossible to comment specifically on the safety of it for people in their 20s, for example, because to make a direct comparison we want to know for sure how many people aged 18 to 30 have taken the vaccine and were alright.

'You're going to be less confident about side effects in those age groups. Regulators will know that because they get access to more detailed information.'

What does AstraZeneca say about the risk of blood clots?

In the midst of the crisis AstraZeneca put out a statement last night, March 14.

It said it has reported just 37 blood clot-related events out of 17million people who have been vaccinated so far in the UK and EU.

There have been 15 cases of deep vein thrombosis, which usually affects the legs, and 22 pulmonary embolisms, which are blood clots in the lungs.

Chief medical officer at the pharmaceutical firm, Ann Taylor, said: 'Around 17million people in the EU and UK have now received our vaccine, and the number of cases of blood clots reported in this group is lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected among the general population.

'The nature of the pandemic has led to increased attention in individual cases and we are going beyond the standard practices for safety monitoring of licensed medicines in reporting vaccine events, to ensure public safety.'

What are blood clots and why should we care?

Blood clots are lumps of solid blood that form inside veins and arteries, which they shouldn't do.

The clotting process is normal and vital for the body to heal itself when it gets injured, such as when skin is cut and blood congeals and forms a scab.

But if this happens inside blood vessels it can lead to serious damage to the internal organs. If a clot forms on the wall of a vessel and doesn't move it is less serious than one that moves around the body.

Clots in the arteries are generally more dangerous than clots in the veins because they can get into the brain or the lungs, causing a stroke or a pulmonary embolism, but clots in the veins may travel to the heart and trigger a heart attack.

Blood clots that travel around the body can cause damage in any organ that they lodge in, because they can block the flow of blood and starve it of oxygen.

Symptoms of blood clots include pain, tenderness and swelling. They most commonly develop in the legs and may then move to other bits of the body.

Experts say around 3,000 people develop a blood clot each month in the UK.

Covid-19 is known to cause blood clotting in almost everyone who gets seriously ill with it which suggests that, for many people, even the risk of a clot being caused by a vaccine would be smaller than the risk of catching coronavirus.

The EU is facing vaccine chaos after AstraZeneca announced a fresh shortfall in planned shipments as five European countries claim others are signing 'secret contracts' to make sure they get extra jabs

What do scientists say about the blood clotting row?

Dr Clarke said it was 'reckless' to simply stop using the vaccine.

He said in a tweet: 'I keep hearing the phrase "abundance of caution" being used in reference to countries pausing rollout of [the Oxford vaccine] but is it really caution?

'Isn't it actually reckless to expose your population to Covid unnecessarily? Data needed or carry on vaccinating.'

And Professor Pollard, who ran the clinical trials of Oxford's vaccine, added on BBC Radio 4: 'A lot of stuff happens to people all the time in normal times and, in the case of blood clots here in the UK, we see about 3,000 cases of blood clots happening every month.

'So, when you then put a vaccination campaign on top of that, clearly those blood clots still happen and you've got to then try and separate out whether  when they occur  they are at all related to the vaccine or not.'

He said it was 'very clearly' shown in MHRA reports that blood clots were not happening any more often than they normally would.

Professor Pollard added: 'It's absolutely critical that we don't have a problem of not vaccinating people and have the balance of a huge risk  a known risk of Covid  against what appears so far from the data that we've got from the regulators  no signal of a problem.'

Professor David Spiegelhalter, a statistician at the University of Cambridge, said in a Guardian column that the links between the jabs and the blood clots could be 'the basic and often creative urge to find patterns even where none exist'.

He said: 'Deep vein thromboses (DVTs) happen to around one person per 1,000 each year, and probably more in the older population being vaccinated.

'Working on the basis of these figures, out of 5million people getting vaccinated, we would expect significantly more than 5,000 DVTs a year, or at least 100 every week. So it is not at all surprising that there have been 30 reports.'

And Professor Spiegelhalter added: 'So far, these vaccines have shown themselves to be extraordinarily safe.

'In fact, its perhaps surprising that we havent heard more stories of adverse effects.'
Droughts in Europe during the summer are more severe now than at any time in the past two millennia, a new study reveals.

Researchers studied 'chemical fingerprints'  carbon and oxygen isotopes  in European oak trees to reconstruct summer climate over the last 2,110 years.

They found that drought conditions suddenly intensified in 2015 beyond anything in the past two thousand years, likely due to climate change.

Europe experienced severe summer heat waves and drought spells in 2003, 2015 and 2018, which affected agricultural sectors and the wine and forestry industries.

Europe's recent summer droughts have had 'devastating ecological and economic consequences'  and are set to worsen as the global climate continues to warm.

Pictured, landscape of dry earth ground and viaduct, extreme drought in Entrepenas reservoir, in Guadalajara, Castilla, Spain. Recent summer droughts in Europe are far more severe than anything in the past 2,100 years, according to the new study

ISOTOPES IN TREE RINGS Tree rings hold great potential for reconstructing past climates. Stable isotopes of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen within the wood of trees record changes in the isotope composition of the source materials used by the tree during wood formation. Suitable trees are widespread, and by piecing together the records from living, dead and subfossil wood it is possible to produce 'long and continuous chronologies'. Scientists avoid cutting trees down to access tree rings by collecting a sample with an instrument called an increment borer. The borer extracts a thin strip of wood that goes all the way to the centre of the tree. Source: Isotopes in Palaeoenvironmental Research/NASA Advertisement

The research has been conducted by an international team, led by experts from the University of Cambridge, who think studying trees can provide more accurate results than 'limited' computer modelling simulations.

'We're all aware of the cluster of exceptionally hot and dry summers we've had over the past few years,' said study author Professor Ulf Buntgen from the University of Cambridge's Department of Geography.

'But we needed precise reconstructions of historical conditions to see how these recent extremes compare to previous years.

'Our results show that what we have experienced over the past five summers is extraordinary for central Europe, in terms of how dry it has been consecutively.'

Most studies attempting to reconstruct past climates are restricted to temperature  but this team analysed stable isotopes in tree rings.

Chemical characteristics of the rings inside a tree can reveal what the weather conditions were like during each year of that tree's life.

For the study, Buntgen and his colleagues from the Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland studied more than 27,000 measurements of carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios from 147 living and dead European oak trees.

The trees, from the genus Quercus, covered a period of 2,110 years, ranging from 75 BC to 2018.

The samples came from archaeological remains, subfossil materials, historical constructions and living trees from what is now the Czech Republic and parts of south-eastern Bavaria.

Example of a polished cross-section of an oak from the Czech Republic. Researchers studied 'chemical fingerprints'  carbon and oxygen isotopes  in 147 living and dead European oak trees to reconstruct summer climate over the last 2,110 years

'Generally, our understanding is worse the further back we go back in time, as datasets looking at past drought conditions are rare,' said Buntgen.

'However, insights before medieval times are particularly vital, because they enable us to get a more complete picture of past drought variations, which were essential for the functioning and productivity of ecosystems and societies.'

For each ring in each tree, researchers extracted and analysed carbon and oxygen isotopes independently.

Carbon values depend on the photosynthetic activity, which is influenced by the amount of sunlight present, while oxygen values are affected by the source water.

Fossil fuel emissions since the industrial era have also affected the isotopic composition of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Together, carbon and oxygen isotopic values closely correlate with the conditions of the growing season, the researchers say.

'These tree-ring stable isotopes give us a far more accurate archive to reconstruct hydroclimate conditions in temperate areas, where conventional tree-ring studies often fail,' said co-author Professor Jan Esper from the University of Mainz, Germany.

Typically, trees are aged by measuring their girth  specifically the rings that develop over time that increase that girth.

Graph shows when 147 living, historical, archaeological and subfossil oaks (green bars). The photographs at the bottom show examples of archaeological remains, subfossil materials, historical constructions and living oaks, and the grey shading on the right refers to the industrial period during which human-made fossil fuel emissions affect the isotopic composition of carbon dioxide (CO2)

But trees involved in this study had already been aged. Looking at the isotopes within them revealed more about the climate at the time they were alive.

Over the 2,110-year period, the tree-ring isotope data showed there were very wet summers, such as AD 200, 720 and 1100, and very dry summers, such as AD 40, 590, 950 and 1510.

Despite these 'out of the ordinary years', the results show that for the past two millennia, Europe has been slowly getting drier.

The samples from between 2015 and 2018, however, revealed that drought conditions in recent summers have far exceeded anything in the 2,110 years.

'We've seen a sharp drop following centuries of a slow, significant decline, which is particularly alarming for agriculture and forestry,' said co-author Professor Mirek Trnka from the CzechGlobe Research Centre in Brno, Czech Republic.

The magnified inset shows the anatomical structure of large earlywood vessels and homogeneous latewood fibres

'Unprecedented forest dieback across much of central Europe corroborates our results.'

The researchers say that the recent cluster of abnormally dry summers is most likely the result of human-caused climate warming, and the associated changes in the position of the jet stream.

The jet stream is a band of strong winds between five and seven miles above the Earth blowing from the west to the east.

Atmospheric circulation over Europe and the position of the jet stream represent the dominant drivers of historical drought occurrence in the region, the team say.

A further increase in the frequency and severity of heat waves under projected global warming will likely result in a multitude of harmful direct and indirect impacts on human health', they warn.

Professor Buntgen also pointed out that climate change does not necessarily mean it will get drier everywhere.

'Some places may get wetter or colder, but extreme conditions will become more frequent, which could be devastating for agriculture, ecosystems and societies as a whole,' he said.

The results have been published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
CawthWatch: Slate lampoons freshman class of 'notorious national bozos'

The latest installment of CawthWatch, a compilation of Cawthornia.

Slate features freshman class of 'Nation's notorious bozos'

If you want my guns ...

If you want my guns, you'll have to come get them, U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn warned on the House floor as he defended Second Amendment rights.

"Mr. Speaker, if we lose the 2nd Amendment, then the 1st will fall," Cawthorn said. "I want to remind my colleagues of a simple fact that too often seems to just be swept under the rug by the left. Americans have a RIGHT to obtain firearms for lawful purposes. Ill say it louder so that those on the left sleeping in the back of the room hear it as well: Americans have a right to obtain firearms.

"This is my right. And Mr. Speaker, its your right as well. But let me be clear to everyone in this chamber. You will not take this right away. Its easy to be sucked into the D.C. bubble, but I am here to tell you that outside this bubble, in real America, when we say, come and take it We damn well mean it.

"This bill would unconstitutionally place the burden of proof for firearms transfers on American citizens instead of placing the burden firmly where it belongs, on the shoulders of the government.

"But let us be clear, the left is not here today to debate this bill, nor are they here legislate in the best interest of the American people, they are here to shove it down our throats. My colleagues and I on the right have been called here to defend one of our most sacred rights. Because you Mr. Speaker think that the Constitution is just another piece of paper to tear down the middle and toss aside.

"I speak for millions of Americans, I speak for the 700,000 plus Americans in my district, when I say,'If you think that this bastardization of the Constitution will be met with silence, then you know nothing of the America I know.' You want my guns, I know it  we all know it. Well Mr. Speaker, you can come and take them."

This is the latest installment of CawthWatch, a regular feature of the Lightning. Here is the introductory installment:

When it comes to national political coverage, Madison Cawthorn is the gift that keeps on giving.

We've elected a representative who seems to be worthy of two superlatives. He is in fact the youngest member of Congress and one might argue that over the past three months has been the most covered in the press, on line and on cable television.

Today we debut CawthWatch, a service of HendersonvilleLightning.com to keep readers updated on the dozens soon to be hundreds of stories, profiles, Tweets (some not all), newsletter updates (from the congressman) and the rest of the flotsam and jetsam in the over-wrought current of Cawthornia. Why CawthWatch? Because we like anagrams.

Let me be clear: CawthWatch is not original reporting of the Hendersonville Lightning. We take no credit nor blame for the stories that we discover  or, as often, are discovered by others and brought to our attention. As far as I can tell, the rate of Madison Cawthorn stories or startling and interesting Tweetstorms is running better than one a week  more than the Lightning with limited resources can try to match. The closer it happens to where we're sitting, the more we care about it. Cawthorn himself  whether he would admit it or not  has become already a creature of Washington and a magnet for coverage by a press corps always eager to raise the profile of the fringiest members of the House and Senate on the left and right extremes.

Have you seen this???!!! is the tenor of many email alerts we get about the various profiles, revelations or what Cawthorn supporters might regard as hit pieces. They cut both ways. I had two readers beg me for a week to "run the story" about Rep. Cawthorn carrying pizza to a parking garage where National Guard soldiers deployed to protect the U.S. Capitol were bivouacked. Although Rep. Cawthorn tweeted a photo about it, there was no news release from his communications office, no coverage to link to.

The dozens of stories on Cawthorn's personal history  from his home-schooled high years here in Henderson County to the life-altering crash that became a pivot-point in his biography to his decisive wins in last year's primary and the general election  typify the derivative nature of Washington coverage in the digital age. Back when newspapers had librarians who cut out stories from that day's paper, stuffed them in envelopes and filed them in the morgue, we called these stories "clip jobs."

Two in-depth stories on Cawthorn published in the past week  one by Buzzfeed and the other by the Washington Post  are clip jobs for the digital age. The World, a conservative magazine and website based in Asheville, was the first as far as I can tell to publish a story about Cawthorn's unwanted sexual advances as a 17- or 18-year-old. Tom Fiedler, part of a herd of top-notch semi-retired reporters that is doing some strong work in the new Asheville Watchdog, followed The World with an in-depth story on Cawthorn's time at Patrick Henry College, providing more detail than anyone before him and reporting on a petition signed by Patrick Henry alumni calling Cawthorn a predator and opposing his election to Congress.

Both the Buzzfeed and Washington Post stories drew heavily on these two earlier stories but broke new ground as well. Decide for yourself.

To update CawthWatch as often as warranted, we'll try to spot Cawthorn stories or retrieve them from our in-box and pass them along.

FoxNews on Cawthorn at CPAC: The U.S. is "walking down a road very near socialism. They are trying to turn this country into a Communist ash heap. It is not enough take on the status quo and say, Ill just patiently wait for my time. ... This new generation of young conservatives, we do not want a seat at the table to talk about, react to what Democrats do, we want to run the whole damn table."

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cawthorn-cpac-dems-want-buy-vote-u-s-communist-ash-heap

Cawthorn prays with a fellow wheelchair-bound attendee at CPAC. "I had a very emotional moment, praying with my young conservative brother," he said. "I dont want to ever forget that the people I work for are men and women just like myself."

https://redstate.com/jenniferoo/2021/02/26/cpac-2021-the-authenticity-of-madison-cawthorn-n333535

Video highlights of Cawthorn's speech at CPAC (1 minute, 35 seconds), included as a link in Cawthorn's monthly newsletter on Thursday:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=248573580094358

Buzzfeed story on accusations of unwanted sexual advances by Cawthorn when he was a student at Patrick Henry University in Virginia:

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/addybaird/madison-cawthorn-sexual-misconduct-allegations-patrick?origin=web-hf

Washington Post story, "How falsehoods helped propel career of a new pro-Trump star of the far right.":

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/02/27/making-madison-cawthorn-how-falsehoods-helped-propel-career-new-pro-trump-star-far-right/?arc404=true

N.C. Republicans who censured are Burr silent on Cawthorn, accused ot sexual harassment and lying about his background (Washington Post):

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/cawthorn-trump-burr-republicans/2021/03/03/c34c5f88-7c3a-11eb-b0fc-83144c02d676_story.html?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F3053ff6%2F604110ac9d2fda4c88fbf8f2%2F5ffcdc0b9bbc0f7465dcc4c4%2F8%2F70%2F604110ac9d2fda4c88fbf8f2

Although not a mix of positive and negative coverage like CawthWatch, IndyWeek in the Triangle tells its readers "All The Reasons Why N.C. Congressman Madison Cawthorn Is The Worst":

https://indyweek.com/news/northcarolina/all-the-reasons-why-n-c-congressman-madison-cawthorn-is-the-/

CNN: "Who is Madison Cawthorn really." In a sure sign that the refrain of Cawthorn lied about the car crash, has a thin work record, wasn't a particularly devoted student, made unwanted sexual advances, lied about having been admitted to the Naval Academy, is neverthless successful as a Trump mini-me and self-styled Washington "outsider" has run its course, CNN editor at large Chris Cillizza interviews longtime political reporter John Boyle of the Asheville Citizen-Times about Cawthorn. In which Boyle coins a right-on one-sentence description of the 11th Congressional District. Check it out here:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/04/politics/madison-cawthorn-north-carolina-republicans/index.html

For more  and no doubt there will be more  come back to CawthWatch frequently.

* * * * *

Send CawthWatch fodder to Lightning editor billmoss@hendersonvillelightning.com.
Burma Another 15 Protesters Slain as Myanmar Military Junta Continues Nationwide Crackdown

People carry a protester who was injured during the police shooting against the anti-regime protest in Yangon's Hlaing Thar Yar on Monday.

Fifteen more protesters were shot dead and several people were injured Monday during the continuing deadly crackdown by Myanmars military regime against anti-regime protests across the country.

In the 43 days since the coup, a total of 183 protest-related deaths have been recorded as of Monday evening.

On the bloodiest day since the Feb. 1 coup, the regimes security forces killed at least 73 anti-regime protesters Sunday. The regime continues to attack protesters in several cities including Mandalay, Myingyan, Hlaing Tharyar, Aunglan, Bago, Gyobingauk, Monywa and Aungban in Shan State.

On Monday afternoon, at least three people were shot dead and several people were wounded during the attacks by police and soldiers against anti-regime protests in Yangons Hlaing Thar Yar Township where about 37 lost their lives Sunday. The total Sunday death toll nationally was 73.

Three protesters, including a female, were shot dead during a police assault on an anti-regime demonstration at Mandalay Regions Myingyan on Monday. Several people were injured.

Meanwhile, another two were shot dead during an anti-regime protest in the countrys second biggest city, Mandalay.

Seven more anti-regime protesters were killed by security forces at Magwe Regions Aunglan township, Bago Regions Gyobingauk, Bago, Sagaing Regions Monywa and Mandalay Regions Thabeikkyin on Monday.

Amid the intensified deadly crackdowns, hundreds of thousands of people across Myanmar have taken to the streets daily to protest the military regime.

People across the major cities in Myanmar have also taken to the streets to take part the night-time protests daily from about 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

You may also like these stories:

China Faces Backlash for Demanding Tougher Action on Myanmars Protesters

Myanmar Military Detains More Than 2,100 Since Coup

Ousted Myanmar Leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyis Court Hearing Delayed
Washington County BOE nixes recommendations on school closures

The Washington County Board of Education votes against the superintendent's recommendations to close Hancock Middle-Senior High and Cascade Elementary schools.
[March 15, 2021] Tauriga Sciences Inc. Completely Free of Convertible Debt



The Company Has Fully Repaid and Retired Its Final Outstanding Convertible Debenture NEW YORK, NY, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- Tauriga Sciences, Inc. (OTCQB: TAUG) (Tauriga or the Company), a revenue generating, diversified life sciences company, with a proprietary line of CBD & CBG infused Supplement chewing gums (Flavors: Pomegranate, Blood Orange, Peach-Lemon, Pear Bellini, Mint, Black Currant), additional product offerings, as well as an ongoing Pharmaceutical Development initiative, today announced that it is completely free of convertible debt. The final outstanding convertible debenture (the Debenture), $210,000 Face Value, was issued by the Company during December 2020. At that time, this Debenture enabled the Company to resume its Pharmaceutical development efforts. Taurigas CEO Seth M. Shaw commented, Our management team takes great pride in this achievement as it symbolizes both fundamental progress as well as perseverance. Especially with todays date being the 2-year anniversary of the commercial launch of Tauri-Gum product line. Over that period, the Company has stayed true to its long-term vision and has built a world-class product line, a valuable brand, a diversified suite of offerings, an exciting pharmaceutical development initiative, and a strong corporate balance sheet. The Company is focused on building shareholder value over the short, intermediate, and long terms. ABOUT TAURIGA SCIENCES INC. Tauriga Sciences, Inc. (TAUG) is a revenue generating, diversified life sciences company, engaged in several major business activities and initiatives. The company manufactures and distributes several proprietary retail products and product lines, mainly focused on the Cannabidiol (CBD) and Cannabigerol (CBG) Edibles market segment. The main product line, branded as Tauri-Gum, consists of a proprietary supplement chewing gum that is Kosher certified, Halal certified, and Vegan Formulated (CBD Infused Tauri-Gum Flavors: Mint Blood Orange, Pomegranate), (CBG Infused Tauri-Gum Flavors: Peach-Lemon, Black Currant) & (Vitamin C + Zinc Immune Booster Flavor: Pear Bellini). The Companys commercialization strategy consists of a broad array of retail customers, distributors, and a fast-growing E-Commerce business segment (E-Commerce website: www.taurigum.com). Please visit our corporate website, for additional information, as well as inquiries, at http://www.tauriga.com



Complementary to the Companys retail business, is its ongoing Pharmaceutical Development initiative. This relates to the development of a proposed Pharmaceutical grade version of Tauri-Gum, for nausea regulation (specifically designed for the following indication: Patients Subjected to Ongoing Chemotherapy Treatment). On March 18, 2020, the Company announced that it had filed a provisional U.S. patent application covering its pharmaceutical grade version of Tauri-Gum. The Patent, filed with the U.S.P.T.O. is Titled MEDICATED CBD COMPOSITIONS, METHODS OF MANUFACTURING, AND METHODS OF TREATMENT. On December 18, 2020 the Company disclosed that it had entered into a Master Services Agreement with CSTI to lead the Company's clinical development efforts. The Company is headquartered in Wappingers Falls, New York. In addition, the Company operates two full time E-Commerce fulfillment centers: one located in Montgomery, Texas and the other in Brooklyn, New York.

DISCLAIMER -- Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 which represent managements beliefs and assumptions concerning future events. These forward-looking statements are often indicated by using words such as may, will, expects, anticipates, believes, hopes, believes, or plans, and may include statements regarding corporate objectives as well as the attainment of certain corporate goals and milestones. Forward-looking statements are based on present circumstances and on managements present beliefs with respect to events that have not occurred, that may not occur, or that may occur with different consequences or timing than those now assumed or anticipated. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in forward looking statements due to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, such as are not guarantees of general economic and business conditions, the ability to successfully develop and market products, consumer and business consumption habits, the ability to consummate successful acquisition and licensing transactions, fluctuations in exchange rates, and other factors over which Tauriga has little or no control. Many of these risks and uncertainties are discussed in greater detail in the Risk Factors section of Taurigas Form 10-K and other periodic filings made from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release, and Tauriga assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Contact: Tauriga Sciences, Inc. 4 Nancy Court, Suite 4 Wappingers Falls, NY 12590 Chief Executive Officer Mr. Seth M. Shaw Email: sshaw@tauriga.com cell # (917) 796 9926 Company Instagram: @taurigum Personal Instagram: @sethsms47 Twitter: @SethMShaw Corp. Website: www.tauriga.com E-Commerce Website: www.taurigum.com



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Washington: American rapper and record producer Kanye West won his first gospel Grammy, for his `Jesus Is King` album. It was his first honour from the Recording Academy in eight years, and his 22nd career Grammy. According to Variety, though just for a moment, but it has made him the most awarded hip-hop performer in Grammy history. West and Jay-Z, both went into the 2021 Grammys with 21 wins each.

However, West`s record might be short-lived, because Jay-Z stands a very good chance of almost immediately tying and then surpassing him. Jay-Z is nominated for four awards this year, which includes his tracks `Black Parade` and `Savage (Remix)`. Presenter Jhene Aiko accepted the award on his behalf, as West did not join in the online acceptance speeches during the Grammy pre-telecast "premiere ceremony."West was last nominated as recently as two years ago when he was up for a Grammy for the best producer (non-classical).

But he hadn`t won since 2013, when `No Church in the Wild` won best rap/sung collaboration and `N--- in Paris` scored for the best rap song. As per Variety, he has been celebrated at other awards ceremonies for his recent transition into gospel work. At the Billboard Music Awards, he, the album, and its songs won for Top Gospel Artist, Top Christian Album, Top Gospel Album and Top Gospel Song.

The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards were delayed owing to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The annual show shifted from its original January 31 broadcast to March 14. The ceremony honours musical artists, compositions and albums across 84 categories. Comedian and talk show host Trevor Noah is hosting this year`s Grammys.

It marks Noah`s first time hosting the award ceremony. Though usually held at the Staples Center, this year`s festivities will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Keeping in mind the pandemic, the event is said to be cut down to size and will have mainly a home viewing audience. The artists will be seen performing as The Recording Academy announced its list of performers. However, they will be seen performing at multiple stages as opposed to one stage at a designated spot.

The nominations for music`s biggest night were announced on November 24, 2020. The legendary Beyonce topped the list of having the most nominations this year -- amassing nine nominations in the process. Queen Bey nabbed nominations for record of the year, song of the year and best R&B performance for her hit single `Black Parade` along with a slew of other nominations. Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and Roddy Ricch all followed up with six nominations.

Former Alabama Shakes vocalist Brittany Howard earned five nominations -- while Justin Bieber, DaBaby, Phoebe Bridgers, Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, John Beasley and David Frost follow up with four. Since the pandemic, a number of awards shows have been postponed and later revamped due to COVID-19 restrictions. (ANI)
The owner of a Point Pleasant Beach motel is fighting plans by the borough to acquire his property through eminent domain and turn it into a parking lot.

Borough Council plans to introduce an ordinance Tuesday night to negotiate acquisition of the Amethyst Beach Motel, located a few blocks from the communitys beach and boardwalk. The 1 1/2-acre property sits at the corner of Arnold and Baltimore avenues next to a large municipal parking lot.

It includes the 40-room motel  which has been in the Fernicola family since 1962 and has been a motel since 1948  as well as a separate house that the family rents out and motel parking.

Owner John Fernicola questioned the mayor and councils motives for the action, citing a March 4 news article by The Coast Star in which Councilman Bob Santanello referenced the number of police calls at the motel in the last year and Mayor Paul Kanitra said other components and side effects associated with the property are well-known by the police and residents in this town.

Fernicola feels the borough is punishing him for police calls to the property in the last year. The motel has had few problems over the years, Fernicola insisted, and called last year an anomaly.

While the motel normally takes in winter guests, including contractors and other locals, trouble began last year when Fernicola said he had to go to Florida for treatment of health issues. He left managers running the motel and found a mess when he returned during the early days of the pandemic.

When I got back in March, I found the hotel full of their friends and a lot of interesting people that I wouldnt have approved, he said.

When he tried to evict a bunch of what he termed bad characters for causing problems and not paying rent, he was told the governors eviction moratorium prevented him from ejecting roughly 30 lodgers occupying 15 rooms. At least two lodgers filed lawsuits last year alleging they were illegally locked out of the motel.

The motel was cited for violating the governors moratorium on evictions and legal battles continue over a few tenants.

Borough Police Chief Joseph Michigan said the motel has always had issues, though calls last year were through the roof, he said.

Ive been a police officer here for 25 years. In the off-season, theres definitely a different clientele staying there thats caused a lot of problems for the police department, Michigan said. That hotel has always been in the off-season a haven for problems.

Calls have included domestic disturbances, fights and drug-related issues, but its not the only local motel with these kinds of challenges, the chief added. While Fernicola said he cooperates with police, the chief said he cooperates when its in his best interest, Ill just leave it at that.

Fernicola challenged suggestions that the property is a nuisance and said he is seeking records on all police calls to his motel for the last five years. We know over the last two months theres only been four or five police calls, he said, and this typical volume is all that will be found when looking over the last several years.

Fernicola responded that all hotels in the borough have issues. He questioned the public need for taking his property.

We dont use eminent domain to punish people  They dont need a parking lot. Thats an excuse, he said. The last thing anybody in that town wants is more day-trippers and more parking.

Because of the legal issues involved, Mayor Kanitra said he could not discuss the topic, but provided a lengthy statement in which he described a meeting Fernicola requested nearly a year ago during which he offered to sell the property to the borough and had even proactively sketched out the number of parking spaces it could accommodate for us.

He seemed to be fine at that time with more parking even though now he is trying to use that narrative negatively in the media.

For more than five months, the borough tried to complete an appraisal of the property, Kanitra said.

Mr. Fernicola began stalling and dragging out the process. Eventually, we as a Council came to the unanimous conclusion that it was in the best public interest to acquire the property one way or another. The property is contiguous to the other public parking lots for the beach and boardwalk where we constantly have congestion. Because of the severely deteriorated shape of the building, we believe demolition will be a simple and cost-effective process and completed quickly.

Fernicola said that meeting was originally planned for a discussion of his proposal for a new boutique hotel on the site, but the conversation turned when borough officials raised the idea of buying the property.

We presented ourselves in an open, free negotiation of ideas, he said. One was building this new, beautiful hotel. The other was, if you dont want me to build it, are you interested in just acquiring the land?

He has been working on plans for the new hotel for the last four years, Fernicola said, adding that a zoning change that would have allowed that project to move forward was never finalized by the borough.

As for the claim that he dragged out discussions with the borough last year, Fernicola said he was being treated for his medical issues at the time and wasnt available.

He plans to fight the boroughs efforts.

The Fernicola family has launched an online petition seeking support for their effort and had gained more than 630 signatures as of Monday afternoon. The borough council meeting is slated for 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday via Zoom.

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ALBANY 

Authorities are investigating an assault at a Walmart on Washington Avenue Extension Friday night that left a University at Albany student with a concussion and facial injuries after three people stole his cell phone.

While the police are treating the assault as a robbery, a surrogate for the family believes the attack was racially motivated.

It just seems odd that only the Asian American was targeted, said Russell Stephen, a family friend speaking on behalf of the family.

The unidentified 18-year-old victim was with two classmates, both of whom are white, buying dorm supplies when he was punched several times by an assailant who stole his cell phone.

A 17-year-old later was stopped on Lexington Avenue around 10:30 p.m. Friday in possession of the phone and was arrested and charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, police said.

Police are searching for the two additional suspects.

Stephen believes the student may have been targeted because of his race. While Stephen said he believes the robbery was a bias crime, he acknowledged his assertion was primarily based on the attackers singling out the Asian American student and not his white classmates. He added the victims' family is unsure if the student was attacked because of his race.

"There's been a rash of assaults because of the pandemic, said Stephen, who has known the family since the victim was in first grade, and has served as a tutor. Hes like a little brother to me, Stephen said.

The assault comes amid an increase in violence against those of Asian descent during the coronavirus pandemic.

The family declined comment through Stephen, who said hes researching their legal options.

Albany police are treating the incident as a robbery investigation.

"We have nothing to indicate that it was motivated by the victims race, said Officer Steve Smith, an Albany Police Department spokesman.
Syrians are marking 10 years since peaceful protests against President Bashar Assads government erupted in March 2011, touching off a popular uprising that quickly turned into a full-blown civil war.

Despite a decade of fighting and a broken country, Mr Assad remains firmly in power.

Syria is economically devastated and divided into three parts.

An al-Qaida-linked group dominates the northwestern Idlib province, with Turkey-backed rebels controlling stretches along the Turkish border.

US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces hold around a quarter of the country in the northeast while Mr Assad controls the rest.

The conflict has killed around half a million people and displaced half of Syrias pre-war population of 23 million, including more than five million who are refugees, mostly in neighbouring countries.

Expand Close People fill plastic containers with water in Damascus (Hassan Ammar/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp People fill plastic containers with water in Damascus (Hassan Ammar/AP)

Here is a timeline of key events in Syrias war:

 March 2011: Protests erupt in the city of Daraa over the detention of a group of boys accused of painting anti-government graffiti on their school walls.

On March 15, a rally is held in Damascus Old City.

On March 18, security forces fire at a protest in Daraa, killing four people in what activists say were the first deaths of the uprising.

Demonstrations spread, as does the crackdown.

 April 2011: Security forces raid a sit-in in Syrias third-largest city, Homs, where thousands tried to recreate the mood of Cairos Tahrir Square, the epicentre of protests against Egyptian autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

 July 18 2012: A bombing at the Syrian national security building in Damascus during a high-level government crisis meeting kills four top officials, including Mr Assads brother-in-law and the defence minister.

 July 2012: Fighting spreads to Aleppo, Syrias largest city and commercial capital.

 August 20 2012: President Barack Obama says the use of chemical weapons would be a red line that would change his calculus on intervening in the civil war.

 March 19 2013: Syrias government and opposition trade accusations over a gas attack that killed 26 people, including more than a dozen soldiers, in the northern town of Khan al-Assal.

A UN investigation later finds sarin nerve gas was used, but does not identify a culprit.

Expand Close Then US President Barack Obama (right) said the use of chemical weapons would be a red line (Dominic Lipinski/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Then US President Barack Obama (right) said the use of chemical weapons would be a red line (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

 May 2013: Lebanons militant Hezbollah group officially joins the Syrian conflict on Mr Assads side by attacking and later capturing the border town of Qusair.

 August 21 2013: A chemical attack in Damascus eastern Ghouta suburbs kills hundreds.

The US and others blame Syrian government forces.

Mr Obama threatens punitive strikes but later backs down.

 September 27 2013: The UN Security Council orders Syria to account for and destroy its chemical weapons stockpile, following a surprise deal between Washington and Moscow that averts US strikes.

 October 14 2013: Syria becomes a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention, prohibiting it from producing, stockpiling or using chemical weapons.



 June 23 2014: The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons says it has removed the last of the Syrian governments chemical weapons.

Syrian opposition officials maintain government stocks were not fully accounted for, and that it retained supplies.

 June 30 2014: The Islamic State group declares its so-called caliphate in areas it controls in Iraq and Syria.

The refugee crisis accelerates.

Expand Close Displaced Syrian children play hopscotch outside their tent at a refugee camp in Bar Elias, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon (Hussein Malla/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Displaced Syrian children play hopscotch outside their tent at a refugee camp in Bar Elias, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon (Hussein Malla/AP)

 September 23 2014: The US launches airstrikes on IS targets in Syria.



 March 28 2015: Syrias northwestern city of Idlib falls to Islamic militants led by al Qaidas affiliate known as the Nusra Front.

 May 6 2015: Mr Assad acknowledges serious setbacks for his military.

 September 2 2015: The body of three-year-old Alan Kurdi is found on a Turkish beach, drawing attention to the plight of Syrian refugees taking desperate risks to reach the safety of Europe.

 September 30 2015: Russia begins launching air strikes in Syria in support of Assads forces.

 August 2016: Turkish forces cross into northern Syria, capturing areas along the border from the Islamic State group.

 December 2016: Syrian insurgents pull out of rebel-held eastern neighbourhoods of the northern city of Aleppo after a Russia-backed government offensive.

 April 4 2017: At least 58 die in what doctors say may have been a nerve gas attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib.

Witnesses say either Russian or Syrian Sukhoi jets carried out the attack.

Moscow and Damascus deny responsibility.

Expand Close President Vladimir Putin addresses the troops at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria in 2017 (Mikhail Klimentyev/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp President Vladimir Putin addresses the troops at the Hemeimeem air base in Syria in 2017 (Mikhail Klimentyev/AP)

 April 6 2017: The US fires a barrage of cruise missiles into Syria in retaliation for the Khan Sheikhoun attack, the first direct American assault on the Syrian government.

 May 2017: Rebels withdraw from the last neighbourhood they controlled in Homs, once dubbed the capital of the revolution.

 January 20 2018: Turkey begins a major military operation against Syrian Kurdish fighters in northern enclave of Afrin.

 April 2018: Syrian government forces capture eastern Ghouta, taking control of all Damascus suburbs and securing Mr Assads seat of power.

 April 14 2018: The US, Britain and France launch military strikes in Syria to punish Assad for an April 7 purported chemical weapons attack that activists say killed over 40 people in the Damascus suburb of Douma.



 October 10 2019: Turkey begins a ground offensive against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria after US troops pulled back from the area.

 March 5 2020: The presidents of Russia and Turkey say they have reached agreement on a ceasefire in northwestern Syria, where escalating fighting had threatened to put their forces into direct conflict.

The truce also stopped a Russian-backed government offensive on Idlib, the last rebel stronghold.

Expand Close Syrian government forces reinforcements arrive near the city of Ras al-Ayn, in the north of Syria (AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Syrian government forces reinforcements arrive near the city of Ras al-Ayn, in the north of Syria (AP)

 June 17 2020: New sanctions known as the US Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, targeting those who lend support to Syrian military efforts in the war, go into effect.
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The heartbroken mother of a young man from Belfast who died after he was punched on Tyrella Beach has spoken about the familys devastating loss.

Darren ONeill was just 22 when he died in the Royal Victoria Hospital in June 2019.

Earlier this month his attacker  west Belfast man Joseph Dorrian  was handed a three-year sentence after being convicted by a jury of Darrens manslaughter.

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Speaking from her Turf Lodge home, Darrens grieving mother Ann-Marie Devine said her sons death has devastated her family. She also criticised the length of the sentence imposed on his killer.

Ann-Marie also wanted to clarify some elements of the trial that were reported in the media which she states were not correct.

Darren, Joseph Dorrian (23) and two young women travelled from Belfast to Newcastle on June 29, 2019 to enjoy a day at the beach.

After Darren took Josephs car and drove it recklessly in the car park, the two men argued  and while witness accounts of the incident varied, what is clear is that Joseph struck out and dealt a blow that killed Darren.

Reacting to the three-year sentence, Ann-Marie said: We are totally disgusted with it and I would have liked the sentence to be longer.

Is Darrens life worth just 18 months? Because thats what hell serve. I dont think the sentence is long enough and I think its an insult to Darren and his family.

Judges are bound by sentencing guidelines and must take into account mitigating circumstances as well as aggravating factors.

During the trial, it was suggested that the young mechanic was acting in an aggressive manner at the beach.

But Ann-Marie said: My Darren is not, was not, aggressive. Our Darren, well, if he saw a row he would walk away. He wasnt aggressive, he was really affectionate.

She also rejected claims in court that her son and Joseph were best friends.

She said: They lived in the same street, yes. They knew each other, yes. They went to the beach together that day, yes - but they were not best friends.

Maybe in Joes head they were closer than they were, but they were associates. I didnt even know my Darren was with Joe that day.

Darrens best friends were the ones who called at the wake and who came to his funeral and who acted as guard of honour.

Ann-Marie said her son was a young man in the prime of his life who lived for his family and who loved fixing things. She also revealed that due to his love of motorsports and rallying, Darren had friends from across Ireland who came to Belfast for this funeral.

Recalling the tragic events of Thursday June 27, 2019, Ann-Marie said: I called Darrens phone at 7.32pm.

I called him that night like I did every night. Im always torturing my kids with phone calls to make sure theyre all safe. I still do.

He didnt answer and I know now that he was already technically dead. The police came to my door at five past ten that Thursday night and told me that I needed to get to the Royal because Darren had been attacked. The police said we needed to get to the hospital ASAP.

We went straight to the hospital and when we got there we saw Darren lying in recuss. The staff told us they were doing everything they could, they had him on a life support.

They told us that from the ambulance getting Darren at Tyrella beach there had been no change in his condition. They did two final tests on the Saturday to see if there was any brain activity, then they took the decision to turn his life support off.

The grieving mother said she never got to say goodbye to Darren, who was the eldest of her six children. Darrens death was the second tragedy to rock the family, as his little sister Lauren passed away when she was just four.

Saying her son was stolen from us, Ann-Marie said life will never be the same.

She added: We stayed at his side the whole time he was in hospital.

We all miss him so much. Every night I go into his bedroom and turn the light on, and it stays on until the morning. His room has been left the way it was and it will stay like that.

I still put a dinner plate out for him, then I have to catch myself on and put the plate away.

Ann-Marie said her four children  Nikita, Danielle, Lee and Kyle  keep her going. She said: It has broken our hearts, totally broken our hearts. Such a big part of our family is now missing, but we are strong and we have each other.

She said she found the trial process to be difficult and stressful and felt her family  as the loved ones of a victim of crime  could have been offered more support.

When the trial was going on I couldnt sleep or eat and it was just on my mind all the time. I felt sometimes like it was our family on trial.

I was also shocked at some of the things that were said in court about Darrens last moments. It was really upsetting. We shouldnt be hearing things like that for the first time in court.

Ann-Marie has also called for an inquest into her sons death as she believes there were unexplained injuries on his body.

She said: I am a mummy. Im Darrens mummy and I want to know the extent of every single injury my son had.

On the same day Joseph Dorrian was sent to jail  Friday March 5  Darrens family travelled to Tyrella Beach to release balloons at the spot in the car park where he was felled and never regained consciousness.

Darrens four siblings now cherish a special message from Disneys Lilo and Stitch  Ohaha  which means family and family means no-one gets left behind or forgotten.

And as Ann-Maria said, neither Lauren nor Darren will ever be forgotten.




Johann Chuckaree is the epitome of the modern Indo-Trinidadian.

The 31-year-old is a proud descendant of East Indian indentured labourers. Prays to Jesus Christ. And plays the pan.

The Woodbrook-born musician exuded equal passion for all three during a virtual sitting with the Kitcharee on Thursday night.
Social commerce is an experiment. It is an attempt by social media platforms to monetise their existing audience even further and bring the window shopping experience to e-commerce. But as we Indians know all too well, converting window shoppers to buyers is a tough task and this trend hasnt quite caught on. The problem is complex, but several innovative companies are trying to solve the challenges and create a seamless end to end social commerce experience.

Adgullys latest #TwitterChat series was a discussion around the topic Is Social Media the next Shoppers Stop, which was joined by spokespersons from agencies, start-ups and brands who are involved in the business of selling online.

Anjali Malthankar, National Strategy Director, Tonic Worldwide

Ankur Arora, Co-Founder, ShopG

Bharat Sethi, Founder, Rage Coffee

Madhur Acharya, Head of Marketing, WOW Skin Science

Sujay Kar, Group Director and Lead  Commerce, VMLYR, SEA and India

Meghna Krishna, Chief Revenue Officer, Toch

The experiment on social commerce began more than a decade ago by Facebook in 2007. By 2014, it introduced the Buy button so that users could purchase products directly and launched Shoppable Ads in 2015. In 2018, it launched the Facebook Marketplace, which enabled commerce via the platform. But it wasnt until Instagram Shopping was launched in 2020 that truly enabled a social commerce experience.

Social helps drive impulse that was missing from e-commerce, said Tochs Meghna Krishna. Instagram reported that 70% of users turn to it for product discovery. This impulse is driven via community advocacy, confirmation of choice and peer engagement, she added.

VMLY&Rs Sujoy Kar said, Social has been driving shopping traffic for years, but major transition happened with Instagram Shopping tags, where users could see and select products within the platform, and with Facebook Marketplace, where SMEs listed products for sale for local shopper communities.

Resellers and micro entrepreneurs leveraged social commerce to influence those within their social network and buy online, noted Ankur Arora, founder of social ecommerce platform, ShopG. He further said, Internet users based in Tier 2 and 3 cities prefer assisted buying from someone they trust, like a local shop owner. Enabled by lowest ever data tariffs, these customers spend two to three hours a day on social platforms.

Social commerce is handholding this audience through digital and e-commerce, said Tonic Worldwides Anjali Malthankar.

Innovation in Social Commerce

Companies like Dunzo, Swiggy (Genie), PhonePe, and Meesho have been able to bridge the two ends of the ecosystem swiftly with their innovative strategies, pointed out Madhur Acharya. These companies are solving problems like logistics, payments, inventory and connecting sellers and buyers.

According to Krishna, A dynamic eco-system must exist to support social commerce. The inventory management has to be real-time and delivery networks expanded to meet the impulse that social commerce demands.

Even Facebook, which experts agreed was a leader in this space, had to partner with Shopify, WooCommerce and Big Commerce to launch Instagram Shops. The content needs to be friendly, transaction seamless and emphasis on users to Buy Now, remarked Kar.

All social media platforms have been doing great with collaborations. Shoppable video is where things seem to heading. Apart from this, mini-games, interactive challenges and group buying deals are interesting ways to experience commerce on social media, observed Malthakar.

While Krishna felt that video content is difficult to manage, he also added that with new-age AI based technologies coming into edit and making videos interactive, video shopping will definitely see a big growth in the near future.

Market for Social Commerce

As ShopGs Arora noted earlier, social commerce has the potential to unlock consumers in Tier 2 and 3 markets, where trust is an absolute factor when it comes to buying. He explained, While shopping online, these users have low average order values (less than Rs 250), given their limited household income in the range of 20-25K per month. This makes it impossible for e-commerce 1.0 players (like Amazon, Flipkart) to serve them, given high customer acquisition cost and supply chain cost.

Madhur Acharya pointed out, Social commerce is distinct from e-commerce, because it is a medium to educate the customers or make him/her aware of a particular product, whereas e-commerce or a market place is a platform where the consumer is already informed about the buying decision.

According to Malthankar, the key difference between social commerce and e-commerce destinations is discovery versus intent and window shopping versus planned purchase.

Social as marketplace helps acquiring highly informed users, especially in categories that see higher user involvement across education, aspiration, and loyalty funnels, added Kar.

Brands take the leap

Continuing further, Kar said, Categories that see a higher user involvement are keen to be part of the social commerce trend. This includes fashion, beauty, personal care, home care, home decor, food, and consumer electronics brands. Incidentally these are also the same categories that are driving millions of views for influencers.

It is all about brands building product storytelling using visuals, influencers, connected content and loyal consumer tribes. Brands which focus on a range of choices, he added.

Madhur Acharya and Anjali Malthankar observed that brands like boAt, Plum Goodness, H&M and Burberry have all taken the leap to social commerce. Visual formats like video and image definitely get more engagement and hence, play an important part in the strategy.

Future of Online Shopping

ShopGs Arora said, There are a few Flipkarts of social commerce in the making. As per a Bain and Company report, Indias social commerce sector will be double the size of the current e-commerce market within 10 years. Social commerce is worth $2 billion gross merchandise value (GMV) market today and will hit $60 billion by 2030.

Adding further, he said, Globally, social commerce models in countries like China, with similar demographics as India, have demonstrated significant success in the household needs category for Tier 2 and 3 users. In China, social commerce is already a $250 billion market, which is nearly 12% of retail.

The pandemic has contributed to this growth story, according to Madhur Acharya, who said, The consumption hours of a user on social media platforms has significantly increased due to the pandemic. Brands leveraged this to get more exposure hence making social media a necessary platform to touch base.

Social commerce will only rise as better ecosystems forms around it. Customer-to-customer selling will continue to grow, predicted Krishna. Social will emerge as a key shopping medium as other touch points are nearing a saturation point with respect to conversion, concluded Kar.
Sharon Osbourne has long been the beloved, straight-shooting counterpart to Ozzy Osbourne's craziness. That all ended last week when Osbourne dared to say people have the right to different opinions and should be allowed to express those opinions without being canceled. For this heresy, Osbourne is about to be canceled.

It began when Piers Morgan said he did not believe Meghan Markel's claims that the Royal Family ignored her suicidal feelings and were racist toward her son. After a fight with his co-hosts on Good Morning Britain, Morgan stormed off the set. He then doubled down on his statement. Good Morning Britain tried to force him to apologize, but he quit instead.

As an aside, Meghan Markel, who is making noises about running for president, made a formal complaint to Ofcom, the British government's office of communications. Think about that: a woman who, God forbid she wins, will swear to protect the Constitution, and who is now one of the most wealthy and famous people in the world, complained to the government because someone hurt her feelings. But I digress...

For those who don't know, Osbourne is part of a CBS show called The Talk. One of her co-hosts, Sheryl Underwood, is black. She contends that the only reason Morgan could have challenged Meghan's self-centered, narcissistic, whiny narrative is that Meghan is vaguely black.

Underwood didn't use those terms. Instead, she conceded that Morgan had not said anything racist. The problem, she said, was "the implication and the reaction to it to not want to address that, because she is a black woman, and to try and dismiss it or to make it seem less and it is. That's what makes it racist."

Let me translate: if you ever challenge a black person's statements, you are a racist.

Osbourne had the peculiarly old-fashioned notion that this is not the way it's supposed to work. "I know he has a right to say what he feels on the interview, as we have a right to say and everybody has a right to say what they feel with freedom of speech."

This was consistent with Osbourne's earlier tweet, stating, "@piersmorgan I am with you. I stand by you. People forget that you're paid for your opinion and that you're just speaking your truth."

I dislike the phrase "your truth," which is a dishonest way to elevate opinion into an unchallengeable factual statement. Still, Osbourne stumbled upon using it the correct way in her message to Morgan because, as she said, he is paid for his opinion, and he gave it.

For those who espouse classic liberal ideas, Osbourne's take on the matter is entirely consistent with the notion of free speech in a free society. Up until a short time ago, it was considered a laudable and correct approach to speech. Scarily, the same people who have way too much control over speech have entirely abandoned this notion.

As is the case with all celebrities who violate the new woke shibboleths, other than Morgan himself, Osbourne later apologized for daring to defend her friend:

Osbourne need not have bothered. There was blood in the water. CBS, which seemingly has come under the total control of hard-leftist despots, has canceled two upcoming shows so it can probe Osbourne's debate with Underwood.

Not coincidentally, it just emerged for the first time that Osbourne had called a former costar, Holly Robinson Peete, "too ghetto" for the show. This has the sound of a statement intended to add an air of verisimilitude to an otherwise unconvincing narrative. Osbourne denied the claim, and she has contemporaneous evidence to support her denial.

I find all the details boring, but you can read them here if you are interested. What's important is that we are in the midst of a sustained, powerful attack on one of the most important freedoms underlying human liberty, and that is the freedom of speech. If you are white and you are not woke  with woke meaning willing to abandon all concepts of human liberty and equality  you will be silenced.

There is an old saying: use it or lose it. When it comes to speech, we had better use it now to defend our rights to have it, or we will lose it forever. Even if you are not white or you think you are woke, you should still defend free speech. As Pastor Martin Niemoller famously discovered, if you are silent when the rights of others are under assault, the totalitarians will still come for you, and there will be no one left to speak for you.

Image: Sharon Osbourne. YouTube screen grab.
In 2017, Joe Peoples was the outsider in the Westwego mayoral election, taking on not just the incumbent but also a former City Council member of 35 years. The former volunteer firefighter and automobile mechanic knocked out the councilman, Ted Munch, in the primary then defeated Mayor Johnny Shaddinger in the runoff.

Four years later, Peoples, 59, is the incumbent, but otherwise it's deja vu all over again. His challenger, Robert Billiot, has been a fixture in Westwego politics since 1977, having just finished 12 years in the Louisiana House of Representatives after 18 years as Westwego's mayor and a dozen years as a councilman. Both are Republicans.

Billiot said he's running because residents all around town have told him they want him to be mayor again.

No matter where I would go, people would just request it, said Billiot, term-limited in the House. Theyd say, Wed really love to have you as mayor.

Peoples says Westwego residents deserve better.

"Hes got 43 years in politics - and Ive supported him when hes run - but hes basically a career politician now," Peoples said. He really ought to get on and enjoy his life and get out of politics."

Distilled down to time-honored political cliches, the race pits Billiot's "knowing how to get things done" against People's "running government like a business" for the March 20 election. Also on the ballot are races for police chief and four council seats.

Peoples said Westwego under his stewardship went from being essentially broke to having a $3.1 million surplus on an annual budget of about $20 million. He said there have been $2 million in sewer upgrades and $1.4 million in street repairs.

City Hall, he said, has torn down 20 blighted houses during his tenure, a product of overhauling the code enforcement office so enforcement "is not a matter of who you are anymore."

Peoples said he fired or reassigned two administration superintendents and an electrician who "just rode around in a truck every day" and did little else. He said the changes saved $250,000. He also saved $82,000 a year on insurance payments for vehicles that didn't exist, equipment "broken down, laying in the weeds" and drainage pumps that sat underwater.

"This is all in-house stuff that nobody bothered to pay attention to, he said.

He also found eight homes illegally hooked up to the city's water system and therefore not paying for garbage collection and mosquito control, either. He reviews the purchases made on municipal fuel cards every week and changed the administration's purchasing system to where everything is approved by Peoples or his assistant, all the way down to the toilet paper for the senior center.

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Westwego government, he said, was historically plagued by lax management. "You basically had a free ticket to do anything you want, and I put an end to all that stuff.

Peoples gives Billiot credit for his time in office, saying the $1.4 million in street repairs were funded with money Billiot helped secure.

"If youve been in office for 43 years, youre bound to have done some good things here and there, he said. "But I dont give him the credit that he can run the city better than I can."

Peoples said his goals for the next four years are to secure $12 million to repair water lines, which he said are antiquated and in drastic need of an overhaul.

Billiot, 67, rejects any association with the recent spate of what Peoples considers bad local governance. He said he's been in Baton Rouge bringing in state money for Westwego and advocating for the city and its leaders for the past 12 years. He said that's millions of dollars toward public buildings, streets, drainage, fire protection and recreation projects, including the farmers and fisheries market and the Westwego performing arts center.

Being mayor, Billiot said, "is more than just sitting there saying youre going to balance the budget. Youve got no choice but to do those things. If you want quality-of-life projects, youve got to work with your senators and representatives."

Because of the influence in Baton Rouge of former Sen. John Alario, R-Westwego, and himself, Billiot said, the challenge for Westwego has often been local leadership and execution rather than funding. And it's those relationships and that knowledge, earned from working at all levels of government, that Billiot said he can bring to the job.

Billiot said he'd continue to push forward on a long-planned project to build a $7.4 million public wharf at the end of a canal at Lapalco Boulevard and Victory Drive, and to devote much of his energy to ensuring that Westwego's senior citizens have activities not just in the city but across the New Orleans area. He supports holding general public hearings to give residents a voice without being limited to monthly council meetings.

He also said he'd keep the city's revenue and spending an open book "so everyone sees whats going on.

He said a major focus if elected would be to work with Jefferson Parish government, the Jefferson Economic Development Commission and other economic agencies to try to bring industry back to Westwego.

"I'm not going to criticize," Billiot said of his opponent. "Im going to say that I know by far I can do a better job."
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National Guard soldiers stand guard behind a security fence near the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 4, 2021. (Jim Urquhart/Reuters)

National Guard Identifies Soldier Who Died While Stationed at US Capitol

The National Guard member who died while stationed in Washington as part of a mission to protect the U.S. Capitol has been identified as 26-year-old Specialist Justin Grennell.

Grennell, a member of the New York Army National Guard, was pronounced dead in his hotel room by medical personnel on Thursday after he was found unresponsive by his roommate, according to a statement. His death is currently being investigated by the Washington D.C. Metro Police.

New York Army National Guard Spec. Justin Grennell. (NY Army National Guard)

The 26-year-old was one of the 540 New York National Guard soldiers who were surged to the nations capital in January following the breach of the U.S. Capitol. Grenell joined the national guard in 2014 and has received multiple military awards for his service.

All of us in the New York National Guard are deeply saddened by the death of this young Soldier. When our State and Nation called, he stepped forward and enlisted. Following the attack on our nations Capital on January 6th, he selflessly deployed to Washington, D.C. Our thoughts are with his family in this most trying time, Major General Ray Shields, the Adjutant General of New York, said in the statement.

This comes weeks after reports that National Guard members were fed poor quality food while stationed in Washington, causing some soldiers to become sick.

Some lawmakers have expressed concern over the well-being of military personnel, including Rep. Jack Bergman (R-Mich.).

Bergman wrote to Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, in early March demanding answers over the concern that soldiers were being served undercooked and contaminated food.

This was an issue of concern to me, and one that I brought up while visiting the troops last week. My understanding at the time of my visit was that this issue had been remedied. However, since that day, we have received multiple new reports of soldiers being served raw chicken and other food containing metal shavings. This is unacceptable and an embarrassment to the D.C. leadership accountable for this mission, Bergman wrote.

Having commanded Marine Forces Reserve during, and following, Hurricane Katrina, I fully understand that the breadth and scope of a mission this size can pose some unique circumstances and logistical issues. Yet, this is no excuse for the continued poor treatment of our National Guard, who deserve to be fed meals that are safe to consume, he added.

Earlier this week, the Pentagon announced that about 2,300 National Guard troops will stay in Washington at the U.S. Capitol through to May 23.

This decision was made after a thorough review of the request and after close consideration of its potential impact on readiness, Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.

The extension was made after Capitol Police Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman, who made the formal request, told the House Legislative Branch Subcommittee in her prepared testimony (pdf) that the level of existential threats to the U.S. Capitol and the surrounding area are increasing, citing Jan. 6, when the Capitol building was breached as congressional proceedings were underway to certify the results of the 2020 presidential.

Some members of Congress have criticized the decision to keep the National Guard members in Washington, arguing that they were no longer necessary. Other lawmakers have raised concerns about the conditions the soldiers have been enduring while on duty. At one point in January, the National Guard members were seen sleeping or resting in cold parking garages without adequate heating. That order has since been remedied.

National Guard members were deployed after the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, and more than 20,000 were on hand during the Jan. 20 inauguration of President Joe Biden. Officials also set up a nonscalable fence topped with razor wire around the Capitol facility.

Mimi Nguyen-Ly and Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
Can Switzerland, as planned, cut its CO 2 emissions to zero by 2050? In a study, researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have investigated what measures would be necessary to achieve this reduction and how much it might cost per person.

In August 2019, the Swiss Federal Council decided on an ambitious target to limit climate change: From the year 2050 onward Switzerland should, on balance, discharge no further greenhouse gas emissions. With this commitment, Switzerland meets the internationally agreed goal of limiting global warming to a maximum of 1.5 C compared to the pre-industrial era.

Now a study by the Paul Scherrer Institute, conducted within the Joint Activity "Scenarios and Modelling" of the eight Swiss Competence Centres for Energy Research (SCCER), probes what options for achieving this goal exist in the energy sector.

"The goal of achieving net zero CO 2 emissions by 2050 requires drastic transformations in the provision and consumption of energy in nearly all areas," concludes Tom Kober, head of the PSI Energy Economics Group and one of the study's main authors.

In their analyses, the researchers considered energy-related CO 2 emissions as well as CO 2 emissions from industrial processes. Today these emissions represent around 80% of the entire Swiss greenhouse gas inventory. Not included in the study's calculations are emissions from international aviation, agriculture - with the exception of emissions from fuel combustion - land use, changes in land use, and forestry, as well as waste - except for emissions from waste incineration. Also, emissions in other countries that are associated with consumption of goods in Switzerland were not a subject of the study.

Electricity from photovoltaics must at least double every decade

The central conclusions of the study are: Between now and 2050, the installed capacity of photovoltaic systems must at least double every decade. With 26 terawatt hours of production envisioned in 2050, photovoltaic systems will be the second largest generation technology group behind hydropower (approx. 38 terawatt hours in 2050). Furthermore, power plants with cogeneration of heat and power, as well as wind power plants, hydrogen fuel cells, and electricity imports, all contribute to meeting the demand for electricity. In the main scenario for achieving the net zero emissions target, overall electricity generation from power plants and storage facilities in Switzerland will increase by around one-fifth, to 83 terawatt hours in 2050. The study assumes that Swiss nuclear power plants will be decommissioned by 2045. The private car fleet would have to be largely based on electric motors by 2050, meaning that by 2030 every third new car registered would have to be fully electric. In addition, the use of heat pumps in service and living areas would have to be significantly accelerated, so that by 2050 they could cover almost three-quarters of the demand for heating and hot water. At the same time, it would be necessary to achieve significant energy savings through accelerated renovation of residential buildings.

If Switzerland wants to achieve the net zero emissions target, a significant increase in electricity consumption must be expected. Thus in 2050, electricity consumption might be around 20 terawatt hours above today's level. A fundamental driver of this growth is the use of electricity to power cars, buses, and trucks, either directly in battery-electric vehicles or indirectly through hydrogen or so-called e-fuels - that is, synthetic fuels, which are produced by means of electricity from hydrogen and CO 2 . In the stationary sectors, the proliferation of installed heat pumps will increase consumption of electricity. If the necessary efficiency gains in heating and hot water supply are achieved, however, these could compensate for the increased electricity consumption. The study results show that stationary sectors could achieve an almost constant level of electricity consumption.

Besides electrical energy, other forms of energy will play a role. For example, long-distance and freight transport as well as energy-intensive industry offer prospects for new hydrogen applications. To produce such low or zero emission hydrogen requires a substantial amount of sustainably generated electricity would be necessary - 9 terawatt hours in 2050.

It probably won't work without CO 2 capture

"If Switzerland wants to achieve the zero emissions target by 2050, then in the future CO 2 emissions will have to be reduced every year by an average of one to one and a half million tonnes compared to the previous year," says Evangelos Panos, lead author of the study. "We saw changes in CO 2 emissions of this magnitude between 1950 and 1980 - albeit in the opposite direction - back then they increased massively." Though it has limitations, CO 2 capture was shown to be necessary to implement the emissions reduction cost-effectively. In some subsectors, it might even be possible to reach a negative balance in terms of CO 2 emissions. This would be the case, for example, if biomass is used as an energy source and the CO 2 produced during energy generation is not emitted, but rather is captured and stored underground. In the event that this should not be possible in Switzerland - for example due to rejection by the population or because of limited sites for CO 2 storage - cross-national transport of captured CO 2 and storage in other countries could offer aa alternative. In their study the researchers assume, for the year 2050, a total of almost 9 million tonnes of CO 2 would be captured in Switzerland.

"More than two-thirds of the emission reductions required for the net zero emissions target can be achieved with technologies that are already commercially available or are in the demonstration phase," Panos explains. The decarbonised energy system of the future is achievable but would require carbon-free energy sources, for example appropriately generated electricity, biofuels and e-fuels, access to the corresponding transport and distribution infrastructures, and the possibility of importing clean fuels and electricity.

Costs are hard to estimate

With regard to costs, the energy system researchers are cautious. "The costs are very difficult to estimate, because an enormous number of components play a role," Kober says. In the net zero main scenario assumed in the study, the average discounted additional costs of the climate protection scenario compared to the reference scenario with moderate climate protection (40% CO 2 reduction in 2050 compared to 1990) in Switzerland would amount to around 330 CHF per person per year (basis 2010) for the period up to 2050. Looking at all of the scenarios examined, one can see a range of average costs between 200 and 860 CHF2010 per person per year, which ultimately reflects different developments in energy technologies, resource availability, and market integration, in the acceptance of technologies, and in preferences regarding supply security. The trend in costs shows, above all, a long-term increase, so comparatively high costs can also be expected after 2050.

The study is based on calculations made with the Swiss TIMES Energy System Model (STEM) of PSI, which maps the entire energy system of Switzerland including the various interactions between technologies and sectors. STEM combines a long-term time horizon with high intra-year temporal resolution and calculates, for various future framework assumptions, the cost-minimal configurations of the energy system and the attainment of different energy and climate policy goals. The model was significantly further developed as part of this research project, especially with regard to the options for realising net zero CO 2 emissions scenarios. The model is used to calculate scenarios, not to make predictions, but rather give insights into the diverse interactions in the energy system and thus to make a contribution to decision-making support in politics, industry, and society. Specifically, three main scenarios were examined in this study: A reference scenario, a net zero CO 2 emissions reduction scenario, and a scenario that assumes the goals of the Swiss Energy Strategy 2050 without explicitly specifying a CO 2 reduction target. In addition, seven different variants of the main scenarios were analysed, such as one variant with high technological innovation potential and another variant oriented towards reducing dependence on energy imports.

###

In addition to PSI, the following institutions are involved in the SCCER Joint Activity "Scenarios and Modelling" collaborative framework: Empa, EPFL, ETH Zurich, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, the University of Basel, the University of Geneva, and WSL. The study was financed by Innosuisse - the Swiss Innovation Agency.

Text: Paul Scherrer Institute/Sebastian Jutzi

Contact

Dr. Tom Kober

Head of the Energy Economics Group

Laboratory for Energy Systems Analysis

Paul Scherrer Institute, Forschungsstrasse 111, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland

Telephone: +41 56 310 26 31; e-mail: tom.kober@psi.ch [German, English]

Original publication:

Panos, E.; Kober, T.; Ramachandran, K.; Hirschberg, S. (2021): Long-Term Energy Transformation Pathways - Integrated Scenario Analysis with the Swiss TIMES Energy systems Model; Report of the Joint Activity Scenarios and Modelling of the Swiss Competence Centers for Energy Research. Download pdf version:
The First Minister Arlene Foster has accused the European Union of acting "selfishly", following the European Commissions' decision to formally launch legal action against the UK Government on Monday.

The European Union has accused the UK of breaching international law for a second time, as it formally launched legal action as a result of the UK unilaterally extending the post-Brexit grace periods on trade in Northern Ireland.

The DUP leader accused the European Union on Monday afternoon of "foolishly and selfishly" protecting its own trading bloc.

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"Brussels failure to recognise the damage the Protocol is causing to Northern Ireland has been further demonstrated by this step towards litigation," she said.

"Rather than showing concern for stability in Northern Ireland or respect for the principle of consent, Brussels is foolishly and selfishly focused on protecting its own bloc.

"Not one single unionist party in the Northern Ireland Assembly supports this flawed Protocol, therefore Brussels claim to be protecting peace continues to ring hollow.

"The Governments recent decisions were appropriate. The extended grace periods have been good news however, they are not a permanent solution. That is the message we delivered to the Prime Minister last Friday. Regardless of the reaction in Brussels, the Prime Minister must deliver the unfettered flow of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Earlier this month the UK government changed how the Protocol is being implemented without reaching EU agreement on the decision. The result was that further checks on on food, parcels and pets were delayed

It also moved unilaterally to ease the trade in horticultural products across from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson defended the extensions as very sensible, while a Government spokesman insisted the moves had been lawful and that any legal action was unwarranted.

In response, the EU Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic accused the Government of a breach of trust and said its actions had once again set the UK on a path of a deliberate breach of its international law obligations.

In a tweet on Monday, Mr Sefcovic wrote: "We agreed the Irish-Northern Irish Protocol together, as the only way to protect Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement. Bound to implement it together. Unilateral action undermines trust.

[The EU] are committed to making the Protocol work for all. I invite the UK to return to the collaborative track."
A woman wearing a face mask walks past the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, March 11, 2021.(Xinhua/Liu Jie)

U.S. President Joe Biden wants gender equality to be front and center of his new administration's policies.

WASHINGTON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden has created a White House council to push for more women's rights, while overseeing the government's commitment to gender equity and equality.

The Gender Policy Council will work with all cabinet secretaries and submit an annual report to the president to measure progress on prioritizing gender equality across the government.

It is a reformed version of the White House Council on Women and Girls set up under former President Barack Obama and later disbanded by Donald Trump's administration.

U.S. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris (L, Front) is sworn in as the 49th Vice President of the United States in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 20, 2021, becoming the first female and woman of color to hold the nation's second-highest office. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Biden has said that he wants gender equality to be front and center of his new administration's policies.

"Too often, they have done so while being denied the freedom, full participation, and equal opportunity all women are due," said Biden in a statement when he issued an executive order establishing the council on the International Women's Day, which falls on March 8.

"There is so much work to do to address the systemic barriers that have held women and girls back here in the United States and globally. Because the truth is-those barriers have stood for far too long," said Jennifer Klein and Julissa Reynoso, co-chairs of the Gender Policy Council, in a message posted on the White House webpage on Friday.

"We'll work closely with the Office on Violence Against Women at the Department of Justice to end gender-based violence against women, girls, and LGBTQ+ people," read the message.

File photo of Janet Yellen, who was sworn in on January 26, 2021 as the 78th Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Department, becoming the first woman to hold the position. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

Clay Ramsay, a researcher at the center for international and security studies at the University of Maryland, noted that the first Gender Policy Council was within former President Bill Clinton's White House. However, it was less institutionalized and never received permanent standing.

"This version of the council has a budget and a small staff and will be harder to get rid of after Biden," Ramsay told Xinhua.

The purpose is to have gender questions always be on the checklist when the White House is working to formulate a policy.

"Women need not be an afterthought who get considered after a new policy's effects on women become evident," Ramsay said.

Official portrait of U.S. Democratic House lawmaker Marcia Fudge, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 10, 2021 as the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), one of the woman members in President Joe Biden's cabinet. (Source: fudge.house.gov)

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua Biden wants to make sure women have opportunities for advancement, adding that the president is putting major financial resources toward the issue.

"By putting the force of the federal government behind this effort, the president will ensure that others take this seriously," West said.

Biden has a laundry list of items of his agenda, which includes fighting against gender-based violence, decreasing maternal mortality and tacking on an amendment for equal rights to the U.S. Constitution.

As a part of his COVID-19 stimulus, the president has also discussed a number of proposals for women, which include a minimum wage hike, child care subsidies and paid family leave.

Latest data showed the COVID-19 pandemic has hit women the hardest -- 2.5 million women left the workforce in 2020 compared with 1.8 million men. The U.S. Department of Labor's February jobs report found Black and Hispanic women showed the greatest declines in labor force participation.
Provident said it is setting up a scheme of arrangement to ring-fence CCD complaints

PLC ( ) is facing a regulatory inquiry into its doorstep credit business after complaints from customers surged during lockdown.

UK regulator, the FCA, is looking into the practices at Providents consumer credit (CCD) division between February 2020 and 2021, the company said in a statement today.

itself started an operational review of its CCD business, which comprises the Satsuma and Provident brands, in December after the volume of complaints jumped by 200% in the second half of 2020, which resulted in a cash charge of 25mln or a ten-fold increase on the previous year.

To deal with the complaints and the escalating cost, Provident said it is setting up a scheme of arrangement to ring-fence CCD complaints and protect the rest of the company.

This scheme will cover potential redress claims up until 17 December 2020 said Provident, adding it had been in dialogue with the FCA over the move.

added it will fund legitimate scheme claims with 50mln and will cover further Scheme related costs estimated at approximately 15mln.

If the scheme is not approved, the company said it will likely place its CCD arm into administration. At the end of December, CCD customer receivables stood at 139mln and had reduced further to 118m at the end of February

pointed out that the appointment of investigators does not mean that the FCA has determined that rule breaches or any other contraventions have occurred.

Elsewhere, the statement said trading had been better than expected in the final quarter of 2020 and that underlying profits for the year would be slightly ahead of management expectations.

Hobson's Choice

Claimants have to approve the scheme, which would see them receive around a tenth of any compensation entitlement.

Broker Shore Capital it as Hobson's Choice for both sides: "The alternative, in our view, would be to put the CCD business into insolvency which would likely result in claimants getting nothing and losses to the group being potentially even greater.

"As such, we think the Scheme of Arrangement may be seen as the lesser of two evils.

"A court hearing is scheduled for 22 April 2021 for the Scheme to be approved in principal by a judge and it will then require a majority of claimants to ratify it at a further hearing, which we expect to occur in summer.

"While the FCA seems unlikely to give its blessing for the Scheme, we understand this is not a pre-requisite for the Scheme to go ahead. The Scheme relates to historical lending up to 17 December 2020."

Shares in Provident fell 25% to 196p.

--Amends title, adds comment, share price --
The first barge of logs from Kangaroo Island is scheduled to depart Kingscote for Port Adelaide this week for a South Korean customer.

The company is also exploring orders for logs for Japan and India.

( ) has lodged the response document to the third round of public consultation offered by the South Australian Government, for the proposed KI Seaport at Smith Bay.

There were 82 submissions received, including four by state and Commonwealth government departments and one by Kangaroo Island Council.

Of the remaining submissions, the largest group of 45 were out of scope and the second largest group of 21 commented on road network issues while seven commented on marine and pest management.

With the exception of issues specific to one section of North Coast Road, the majority of issues raised in the third consultation round were previously raised in the first and second rounds.

These were addressed in the response document submitted by KPT to the government in March 2020.

Issues raised about North Coast Road were acknowledged in the second addendum and KPT is confident it has provided sufficient evidence of agreement with the Department of Infrastructure and Transport to enable the Minister of Planning to approve the proposed development at Smith Bay.

Logs for Korean customer

The company last month dispatched its first order of logs from Kangaroo Island via the SeaLink ferry at Penneshaw to a customer on mainland South Australia.

The first barge is scheduled to depart Kingscote for Port Adelaide this week with logs for a South Korean customer.

In the coming weeks, the company plans to dispatch several loads to prospective customers on mainland South Australia, and through its marketing agents, is exploring orders for Japan and India.

Only viable long-term option

KPT managing director Keith Lamb said: It has been over a year since the fires occurred on Kangaroo Island and while the company awaits governments decision for our proposed seaport at Smith Bay, we are activating our contingency plan for marketing logs from the fire-affected plantations.

We maintain our long-held belief that it is not in the interests of the community to see log trucks transiting through the two premier tourist towns of Kangaroo Island, while the potential development at Smith Bay remains unfulfilled.

Developing a modern, efficient, well-designed and well-managed port at Smith Bay remains the only viable long-term option, given the volume of timber to be exported.
(Natural News) Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he does not plan to get vaccinated against the Wuhan coronavirus. He said during a September 2020 podcast interview that he does not need a vaccine as he and his family are not at risk. The 49-year-old SpaceX founder also slammed large-scale lockdowns as a grave mistake. Musk remarked that the pandemic had diminished his faith in humanity due to peoples irrational responses toward it.

Musk revealed his refusal to get the Wuhan coronavirus vaccine during a Sept. 28 interview on the New York Times Sway podcast. He gave a short answer to podcast host Kara Swisher when she asked the Tesla head if he would get the COVID-19 jab. No, Im not at risk for [COVID-19]. Nor are my kids.

The podcast host pointed out the contradiction between Musks efforts to benefit mankind  such as eco-friendly electric vehicles and spacecraft  and his view of the pandemic. He remarked that everybody dies and added that the pandemic has reduced his faith in humanity. It has diminished my faith in humanity, the whole thing  [because of] the irrationality of people in general, Musk said.

Nevertheless, Musks diminished faith in humanity has not distracted him from his endeavors. The Tesla and SpaceX founder said he is not focusing too much on the pandemic. Instead, he has put all his efforts into doing what he can to improve humanity. I really am just trying to do the most amount of good with the time that I have on this Earth. And  I [have] got to do this without my head exploding and [me] going too crazy, Musk commented.

The technology bigwig hailing from South Africa mentioned his work with Harvard Universitys epidemiology team and German firm CureVac when asked about his recent endeavors. He told Swisher that Tesla also spent quite a lot of time with the Harvard epidemiology team doing antibody studies.

Musk also took a swipe at Microsoft founder Bill Gates during the podcast, telling Swisher that Tesla made the machines CureVac uses to produce vaccines. He remarked: [Bill] Gates said something about me not doing [anything to help the world during the pandemic.] Hey knucklehead, we actually make the vaccines for CureVac, the company youre invested in.

The Tesla CEO dubbed lockdown orders as grave mistakes

Musk also expressed disdain toward lockdown orders put in place in various states, calling them a grave mistake. The Tesla CEO commented: This is a hot button issue where rationality takes a back seat. In the grand scheme of things, what we have is something with a very low mortality rate and high contagion. The right thing to do would have been to quarantine people with a very high COVID-19 risk until the storm passes instead of locking down the whole country, he added. (Related: WHO reverses course, again: Lockdowns as primary response to COVID-19 now said to be damaging.)

Furthermore, Musk defended his move to keep Tesla factories open amid the pandemic. He noted that he has been going to work as usual  with SpaceX already sending astronauts to space and back. Swisher asked what his employees who feel at risk would think about reporting for work. Musk told her that these employees should stay home. If they have a legitimate reason to be at risk, then they should stay at home, he elaborated.

Swisher pressed further by asking him to step into the shoes of his employees intimidated by the fact that they need to work despite the threat of COVID-19. Musk refused to further comment on the matter, telling the podcast host to move on because he did not want to get into a debate about the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Musk told Swisher that he experienced some difficulty keeping his Tesla factory in California open. Back in May 2020, the electric vehicle manufacturer sued Alameda County for keeping its Fremont facility closed. The facility employing 10,000 workers resumed operations in the same month after being closed since March 23  openly flouting the countys lockdown mandate.

According to Teslas lawsuit, the shutdown order put in place by the county violated an earlier order by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The governors prior mandate allowed businesses in 16 crucial infrastructure industries, including transportation, to continue operations. Tesla later dropped the suit against Alameda County on May 20 without any prejudice, The Verge reported. (Related: Elon Musk moves to Texas after friction with California lawmakers over coronavirus lockdowns.)

The Tesla CEO said during the podcast with Swisher: [Apart] for several weeks where we were shut down by the state, and then [by] the overzealous Alameda County,  weve been making cars this entire time and its been great.

Visit ElonMuskWatch.com to read more news about the Tesla and SpaceX founder.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NYTimes.com

SCMP.com

BusinessInsider.com

TheVerge.com
The international press have already said so, but Jan Lammers is also full of praise for the impression made by Red Bull Racing during the winter tests in Bahrain. He even expects Red Bull's strongest year next season.

Impressive

In conversation with Motorsport.com, Lammers talked about his impressions of Red Bull following the winter tests. "It looks very impressive," says the Zandvoorter. "We haven't seen everything from Mercedes yet, so it's difficult to assess the current situation exactly. But at Red Bull, they themselves are in any case very satisfied with everything they have done."

Lammers even thinks Red Bull could end up fighting Mercedes for the world title this year. "I do think this is going to be Red Bull's strongest year," Lammers said.

The arrival of Perez

Lammers thinks the arrival of Perez will contribute to this. "I expect a year where in terms of stability it will be similar to the good years with Max and Daniel Ricciardo. I think Perez will be a kind of resting point. They will be pretty close in the races in terms of performance."

Mutual rivalry

Whether Perez can really make things difficult for Verstappen remains to be seen, but even then Lammers sees no problems for Red Bull. "The Verstappens are super-fanatics, but they are also real motorsporters. They are the first ones who will have respect for the fact if Perez is just doing well." Indeed, that rivalry is also good for Verstappen. "Absolutely. Max is never afraid of competition. I think in that respect it could be Red Bull's best year for Max."
What they said about the Midland migrant situation.

The Biden administrations lack of communication, coordination and notification of their plans to place unaccompanied migrant children in Midland without consent of state and local government officials is completely unacceptable, and I am demanding immediate answers from both HHS and the Biden Administration.

Our border is in crisis. President Bidens rhetoric and policies are undeniably incentivizing illegal mass migration. His refusal to acknowledge and properly respond to the crisis is overwhelming border states like Texas and putting the interior of the U.S. at even more risk of human trafficking as well as drug cartel and gang-related crimes.

President Biden must immediately reverse his rhetoric and damaging policies and work together with Republicans to reinstate strong border security measures. I am on my way to El Paso today to meet with Border Patrol and get an on-the-ground update of the situation and learn exactly what they need to secure our border.

--Congressman August Pfluger, R-San Angelo

If theyre going to be working with us, the governor of the state of Texas has to know exactly what theyre doing. How many people are theyre bringing in here? Where are those people going? Where are they going after that? What type of COVID protocols are they using? What are they going to do to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 concerning all the people they are bringing into the state of Texas?  There are so many questions that are completely unanswered by Biden administration and the danger that they are putting onto the backs of our fellow Texans.

--Texas Gov. Greg Abbott

The Biden administration has completely blindsided the state of Texas. It is dumping migrants at the feet of state and local officials, including in Midland, without proper information and resources. This is dangerous, especially as migrants are testing positive for COVID at up to (seven times) the rate of the U.S. population. President Biden must reverse his open-borders policies that have created this crisis and put the health and safety of the American people first.

--Jessica Skaggs, spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz

This Saturday, the Governor, myself, and local Midland officials were blindsided by the Biden Administration and told that 700 juvenile immigrants would be placed in Midland County at a vacant oil and gas man camp.

This decision by the Biden Administration was sprung on Midland County literally overnight. Buses began arriving late Sunday evening. What I have been told is this issue was shopped around other Texas cities. But at no point was there a discussion between the Biden Administration and local Midland officials. It was a one-sided decision and for that I am furious.

We have been working day and night to obtain the answers from the Biden Administration and be assured that Midland residents are kept safe.

I will be continuing to seek answers, ask the tough questions, and inform my constituents as more information becomes available.

--Texas Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo on his Facebook page

The Biden Administration is doing the best it can to pick up after Trumps failures. The Trump Administration left a backlog of migrants for nearly a year now and that is when the influx of migrants began. However, the real failure at the border is the fact that Republicans would much rather vilify immigrants than own up to the fact that they are not getting aid to the people who need it. More than 45,000 Texans have died needlessly because of the failed Republican response to this pandemic. That is a fact we cannot be distracted from and Texas voters will not forget it.

--Texas Democratic Chair Gilberto Hinojosa

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The fraudster known as the Fake Heiress, Anna Sorokin, who was jailed for swindling banks, hotels and members of New York high society out of $275,000 (198,699), has insisted that she's 'absolutely not' a conwoman.

Sorokin, a Russian born German who moved to the US in 2013, now 30, was charged with grand larceny after she conned the New York elite for several years, pretending to be a rich heiress called Anna Delvey.

She was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison for her crimes in 2019, but was released early for good behaviour on February 11 and now temporarily lives at the NoMad luxury hotel in New York.

Speaking to Tatler, she claimed she is 'absolutely not' a conwoman, adding: 'I got famous for a financial crime. I was charged with six grand larcenies, and got convicted of four.

'It was the prosecutors' job to make me look bad, but in the end, they got upset for how famous I got over it.'

Fake heiress Anna Sorokin, 30, who was jailed for swindling banks, hotels and members of New York high society out of $275,000, has insisted that she's 'absolutely not' a conwoman. Pictured, Sorokin at her sentencing at Manhattan State Supreme Court in May 2019

Living the high life: During her spree, Sorokin, 30, also known as Anna Delvey, lived in luxury New York hotel rooms that she couldn't afford, promised a friend an all-expenses trip to Morocco and then left her with the $62,000 bill, and peddled bogus bank statements in her quest for a $22 million loan for a private arts club. Pictured, Sorokin in an Instagram snap

While deportation to Germany is currently on pause while she appeals her conviction, Anna says her 9pm curfew as a parolee is 'ridiculous.'

She explained: 'It is ridiculous to me, because I'm not a threat to society anymore. The banks are closed anyways. I don't see what they're scared of.'

It comes just weeks after the fraudster told how she takes being branded a 'sociopath' as a compliment.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Sorokin, who refused to say whether she was ashamed of her crimes, said she was not a 'penny pincher' and that people who call her a 'sociopath' would refer to tech moguls Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk in the same words.

'I actually see it as a compliment because they see Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk and Steve Jobs as sociopaths, so if they mean it in that way, Ill take it,' she said.

Sorokin was arrested on six charges of grand larceny in 2017 for scamming New York acquaintances and hotels. According to the Manhattan District Attorney's office, her theft totals around $275,000 (198,699).

Anna Sorokin said her 9pm curfew is 'ridiculous' to her - adding that she's 'not a threat to society anymore.' Pictured, during her trial in May 2019

Now fresh out of prison, the fraudster went back to enjoying a life of luxury shopping sprees and lined up interviews with international press

In total, Sorokin spent 21 months in Rikers Island in New York - the prison which has housed other criminals such as Harvey Weinstein, and 20 months at Albion Correctional Facility, a prison for women in upstate New York.

She said being in prison was an intellectual challenge where she had to figure out how she could get guards to get her things without being able to offer anything in exchange.

Extracts from Anna Delvey Diaries On the impact of Covid on prison food 'It will forever stay in my memory how, due to some interruption in the food supply chain, they took the liberty of replacing vegan French dressing with a regular blue cheese one. Like having to settle for non-organic mixed greens and broccoli wasn't punishment enough... 'I survived the hours of uncertainty when they floated the possibility that cocoa butter may never be getting delivered to our commissary again. It wouldn't be fair to people with shea butter allergy/aversion, pretty much the only alternative available. 'In fact, it would almost amount to discrimination, and we all know what happens to those who violate local inclusion and diversity guidelines. They are never to be seen again. So, cocoa butter is back in the game.' On how she passes the time Revealing how she spent her time, Sorokin says she watched self-help and suicide prevention videos provided by the prison, does nine yoga classes a week and 'finally read Euclid's Geometry, Ulysses and Nietzsche's Thoughts Out of Season'. She continues: 'I made my own nut mylks, grew my herb garden, and tested every organic produce supplier that would deliver here. 'And if I'm not a better person now than I used to be couple months ago, I definitely am a thinner, and an inch and a half taller one. Can someone google and let me know if it's permanent or will I have to continue to stretch for two hours every day to maintain?' On watching self-help videos 'For over twenty minutes, Eric is talking about the importance of taking re-entry to society seriously, while Joshua is explaining how he chose to move on and forgive himself for committing a murder in first degree and advises everyone to follow his lead. Basically the usual aspirational/motivational stuff. 'My personal favorite is the 'Do It (or Don't)' episode. It's not always this easy, but it's often this easy. 'I skip 'You've got a choice' and 'It's all in the family,' since incest is not a topic I wish to explore further. Finally, I find something that resonates with me'Getting Past Addiction,' which reminds me of that time I went to rehab and beat my sugar addiction. Sugar is hundred times more addictive than cocaine and is number one cause of craving more sugar, which leads to premature aging and death. I am a survivor.' Advertisement

She also said she witnessed more drugs at Rikers than on the New York party circuit.

Before her arrest, Sorokin convinced City National Bank to loan her $100,000 (722, 54) and forged bank documents to obtain another loan of 22 million to fund the Anna Delvey Foundation, a private arts members club she hoped to open.

She said the project snowballed and that the only way to stop her was to put her in prison.

Her lawyers are currently paying her hotel bills with money she received after striking a deal with the streaming platform Netflix for $320,000 (231,213) - most of which is being used to repay her bank loans, fines and legal fees.

Sorokin told the Times she enjoyed being in control, and was now looking for a bigger purpose to focus on.

She added she disliked being referred to as a fake heiress, and that it was not what she had set out to do when she started her streak of fraud.

'I never felt like I came through pretending to be this heiress. There are so many rich people in New York, so who gives a f***? No one cares,' she said, adding she'd never be able to impress with money in New York.

She referred to her crimes as cutting corners and shortcuts, but said she never expected to end up in jail for them.

While she admitted she had apologised to her parents for causing them stress, she said she felt that fraud seemed like a good idea at the time she conned hotels and friends - adding that all she can do now is face the music.

It was reported Sorokin used the prison phone to go on a shopping spree before getting out of jail, splashing on Celine sunglasses, a $720 (520) Balenciaga hoodie and Alexander McQueen and Nike sneakers.

She said she still had some money from her Netflix deal and other projects she was working on that had not been publicized.

In her first interview since being released, she added prison was a 'pointless' 'waste of time', called the prosecution against her an 'insult to her intelligence' and boasted that guards treated her like a 'celebrity'.

On Twitter, she joked that the only job she would consider is creative director of Goldman Sachs.

And within hours of her release, she asked for $720million (520million) from Fortress Investment Group. She also said 'going to trial is the new sex tape'.

Sorokin duped friends, hotels and even banks into giving her money between 2016 and 2017.

She pretended to be the daughter of a mysterious oil baron in Europe and lived an exorbitantly expensive lifestyle in Manhattan without ever actually paying for it.

It came crashing down in 2017 after she took a friend, a Vanity Fair photo editor, to Marrakesh with her, racked up thousands in charges at hotels and then gave the photo editor the $62,000 bill (44,797), promising to pay her back.

Confirming she is writing a book Sorokin told Insider: 'It's going to be my take on the criminal justice system and my jail experience. My point is basically going to be like the pointlessness of the whole thing.

'They just wasted everyone's time and money.'

After cameras were seen following her around Manhattan last month, Sorokin said of 'Anna Delvey TV': 'I'm just kind of filming everything I'm doing right now and I'm going to see what to do with it later.'

Explaining why she would still be using her fake name of Delvey, Sorokin added: 'Why shouldn't I? I'm a movement by myself.'

Sorokin had also asked fans on social media to tune in to a 'live' video where she promised a no-holds-barred Q&A but then disappointed them by only filming herself in the bathtub and not answering any questions.

How long Sorokin will be able to stay in the country remains a mystery. She is a German citizen and has no legal status in the US but has never been deported. ICE did not immediately respond to inquiries about her status on Monday morning.

From alarming health impacts and stratospheric stress levels to intrusion on their family life, the impact of administering Covid-19 has been immense on state health officers.

Brett Sutton of Victoria and Jeannette Young of Queensland have become household names through the pandemic, and have told a public healthcare podcast just how much of an impact it has had on their personal and family lives.

'Having signed off on Victoria's 111-day lockdown to curb its deadly second wave, Professor Sutton concedes public health calls he has made throughout the pandemic still weigh heavily on him.

Having signed off on Victoria's 111-day lockdown to curb its deadly second wave, Professor Sutton concedes public health calls he has made throughout the pandemic still weigh heavily on him

This picture of young a Professor Sutton emerged during the coronavirus pandemic as the chief health officer gained a following of fans

'You get torn apart over this stuff, I continue to,' he said in a new episode of the Taking Care podcast released on Tuesday.

'There is no path of least resistance. There are decisions to be made that will affect thousands upon thousands of people and cause harms.

'You were just trying to find the least worst pathway possible.'

Working 16-hour-plus days, Prof Sutton leaned on the support of his family, friends and colleagues, meditated and spoke to a psychologist to try and compartmentalise.

'There was a kind of grief in being with my family but not with my family psychologically,' he said.

'Putting my kids to bed but my mind being elsewhere. I felt awful as a father.

Brett Sutton arrives at a press conference with Premier Daniel Andrews for one of their daily coronavirus updates

HOW BRETT SUTTON'S FAMILY COPED DURING THE PANDEMIC 'It's very hard to talk about without getting emotional because they really are the rock and the hardest bits were in seeing them struggle through various things,' Brett Sutton told the Taking Care podcast. 'There were media representatives who knocked on my front door late into the evening to ask me a question with my daughter answering the door in her pyjamas. 'That just made me unbelievably angry and people say ''you get paid a lot, you're a public figure, you signed up for this''. None of that matters in any sense whatever when you feel that your family's wellbeing is threatened. 'So that was tough but thankfully we don't have a TV. Neither my wife nor I are on Facebook so that kind of took out half of the commentary that impacted on us. 'And we got to look at the funny bits if you like of my life with the celebrity merchandise and you know funny stuff on TikTok and Twitter that kind of made light of pretty dark days. 'We focused on the stuff we need to focus on and distracted ourselves from some of that broader stuff.' Advertisement

'I felt like I was with my children, but I was absent for weeks and weeks on end.'

A student of Buddhism for decades, Prof Sutton was unable to contain his rage when his pyjama-clad daughter answered the door to find media members late one night.

'That just made me unbelievably angry,' he said.

'People say you get paid a lot, you're a public figure, you signed up for this. None of that matters, in any sense whatsoever, when you feel that your family's wellbeing is threatened.'

Fronting press conferences on a daily basis, Prof Sutton and other Australian health officials have been elevated to celebrities in some circles.

As the subject of TikTok videos, Facebook fan clubs and merchandise including T-shirts and doona covers, Prof Sutton has learned to deal with the scrutiny and recognition that comes with being in the public eye

As the subject of TikTok videos, Facebook fan clubs and merchandise including T-shirts and doona covers, Prof Sutton has learned to deal with the scrutiny and recognition that comes with being in the public eye.

'I'm stopped in the street now for selfies and all kinds of reasons,' he said.

'I was at Bunnings a couple of months ago and the guy said 'you look a lot like that ...' and I just nodded and said 'I am that guy, I'm that annoying guy on TV that you see every night'.

'That's how I introduce myself now.'

Online retailer Red Bubble is selling an entire homewares range emblazoned with Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton's face.

Prof Sutton's wife Kate Sutton (pictured) is the founding co-director of the all-female NGO the Humanitarian Advisory Group

Fans can buy bedspreads, tapestries, socks, stickers, tote bags, pillows, mugs, face masks, coasters and iPhone cases with Prof Sutton's portrait.

'Victoria's Chief Health Officer, number one #covidcrush for many Victorians, Prof. Brett Sutton,' the items' description reads.

Prof Sutton's wife Kate Sutton is the founding co-director of the all-female NGO the Humanitarian Advisory Group.

In 2016, she spoke candidly to AFR about how the couple balance their intensive work schedules with parenting.

'It would not be possible for either of us to do our jobs, not just me but also him, unless we're flexible enough to support the other,' she said.

'I still get really cross if I'm away for two weeks and people say ''That's amazing Brett took time off to look after the kids, you're so lucky to have a husband who would do that''.

Brett Sutton is seen away from his busy work schedule at a picnic in November last year

'They bring round meals for him. When Brett goes away, there's no congratulations on my two weeks managing without him.'

The couple, who met in Afghanistan, have three children together.

Prof Sutton was at the centre of heated online debate in November, after he was pictured at a picnic without a mask on.

At the time, the Department of Health and Human Services website stated that 'you can take your face mask off when eating or drinking'.

Dr Young has been through her own trials, as the target of alleged death threats along with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk amid a wave of criticism over the state's border closure.

Unlike Prof Sutton who came to his role in 2019, she managed Queensland's response to the 2009 swine flu pandemic and already wore psychological scars.

Dr Young has been through her own trials, as the target of alleged death threats along with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk amid a wave of criticism over the state's border closure

'It nearly killed me, literally. I lost so much weight,' said Dr Young, Australia's longest-serving active chief health officer.

'At the start of this pandemic, I realised very early on this was going to be much, much, much worse.'

With her microbiologist husband deciding to retire early in order to offer more support, and all their kids now grown up, Dr Young has fared much better.

'Just to have a meal on the table when I get home at night is so important ... 10 years ago I didn't have that,' she said.

'This time around I get fed, I get looked after and I have someone to debrief with,' Dr Yound told the podcast, which is published by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 16)  The Skyway Stage 3 will remain open to motorists, San Miguel Corporation President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon Ang clarified on Tuesday.

"Skyway 3 will remain open," he said in a statement.

The Skyway O&M Corporation on Monday announced that the Skyway Stage 3 was to be closed indefinitely starting Tuesday afternoon. SMC, which funded the 18-kilometer infrastructure project, said the closure comes after the Toll Regulatory Board issued the directive to complete the construction of all ramps. The government agency, however, denied ordering its closure. It was not immediately clear why there were conflicting statements.

Ang later explained that TRB insisted that Skyway 3 cannot start full operations and collect toll until all ramps are completed, but he said the supplemental toll operation agreement states that SMC can start collecting at 95% completion, which the project has already exceeded.

To avert the losses incurred due to the delayed start of toll collection, SMC said closing the Skyway 3 from motorists would have helped in the faster completion of the ramps.

"We are now 97% complete. We need sufficient funds for the toll roads daily maintenance, proper long-term upkeep, and to keep it safe and efficient for the motoring public. As Skyway 3s losses have been mounting because TRB keeps delaying the start of toll collection, the quickest way for our infrastructure unit to speed up 100% completion of the ramps would have been to close Skyway 3," he said.

The initial announcement will not push through after Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade pledged to act upon SMC's concerns with urgency, Ang said.

The Skyway Stage 3, which connects the North Luzon Expressway to the elevated highway above the South Luzon Expressway, has waived collecting toll fees since it opened on Jan. 15. while waiting for the toll board to set rates.
Course delivery assures we meet student learning outcomes while attending to the health and safety of our faculty and students and will accommodate physical distancing and low classroom density recommendations. Because physical distancing may not easily be achieved in traditional classroom settings, academic units must determine if learning outcomes could be met in an online format or if the learning outcomes genuinely require access to facilities that otherwise cannot be replicated or simulated in such a way as to ensure expected student learning within the course or discipline.

Thus, on-campus courses will include online, hybrid, HyFlex and face-to-face modalities. This approach is designed to provide the appropriate range of high-quality courses delivered in the modalities to meet diverse student needs and afford ongoing progress to academic goals and graduation.

Academic units have prepared to teach the majority of courses online. As student data suggests undergraduate students prefer synchronous courses (those with a designated meeting time), units indicate this will be the primary online modality. Asynchronous formats are also among our offerings especially for programs designed to serve working adults, part-time students, or students residing in other time zones. Some programs will place thoughtful, high-quality, hybrid/HyFlex courses strategically throughout the curriculum. The intent is to offer students seeking face-to-face academic experiences opportunities for engagement.

When learning outcomes can only be achieved with face-to-face instruction, these components will be delivered appropriately.

Faculty should continue to work with their unit heads for teaching load assignments.

UC defines course delivery (modality) and other campus experiences in the following ways.
Homebound older adults often face a sense of loneliness few could imagine.

Caretakers have long sought ways to heal the pain of isolated aging adults and lower their risk of suicide. The COVID-19 pandemic has only intensified the challenge.

A Virginia Tech researcher will pursue life-saving solutions with a $1.3 million federal grant.

Matthew Fullen, an assistant professor of counselor education in the School of Education, co-launched a research project to develop and evaluate an innovative training program. Suicide prevention among older adults represents the top goal of the phone-based training.

Fullen leads the project alongside Georgia State University colleagues Laura Shannonhouse and Mary Chase Mize. The training program under development is titled Belonging and Empathy, With Intentional Targeting Helping, or BE WITH.

Powered by funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Administration for Community Living, the researchers plan to study the effectiveness of the training for nutrition service volunteers working with older adults in six metro Atlanta counties.

Ultimately, the researchers hope the National Council on Aging will add the training to its registry of programs.

Fullen said the research team previously received federal funds to study the benefits of training home-delivered meals volunteers in suicide prevention skills through the ASIST program, a suicide intervention training program. The new project and grant builds from this initial research.

"Once the pandemic hit, several of these volunteers described how they so wanted to help their home-delivered meals clients, but didn't know what to do," said Fullen. "We began outlining a phone-based program that would equip these volunteers with opportunities to connect with older adults who have difficulty leaving home."

Participants in programs such as Meals on Wheels have long viewed the services as more than a meal delivery, said Fullen. "This project will foster more intentional social connections between these volunteers and homebound older adults at a time when relationships are sorely needed."

The researchers plan to develop the training and pilot it with a small group of ASIST-trained volunteers before replicating the full program to demonstrate its viability across the country. Lessons from the team's initial research will guide the program development process, Fullen said.

"We learned from the previous project that these volunteers are eager to develop a more dynamic set of responsibilities within the aging network. Many of them view meal delivery as a means to connect with older people in their communities, and they feel dissatisfied when their role is relegated to quickly dropping off a meal and then driving away," he said.

"Our hope with the current project is to show that equipping volunteers with a broad range of skills -- from suicide intervention to addressing social isolation and loneliness -- provides the volunteers with a greater sense of role satisfaction. We also hope the project will contribute to addressing the spectrum of concerns that some older adults face in their communities."

Fullen, who joined the School of Education in 2017, has worked with older adults since 2005. He said the pandemic has illuminated growing evidence of the harmful effects of social isolation and loneliness for many older adults in the United States. He offered tips for how members of the general public can help.

"Taking the time to connect with older friends and family members is especially important, and allowing people to express their disappointment, frustration, or sense of loneliness can go a long way," said Fullen. "Two major risk factors for suicide are perceiving oneself to be a burden and feeling like you don't belong. Reminding others that we love them and value their role in our lives has always been important, but that is true all the more during the pandemic."

The project launched last fall and will continue through 2023.

"Dr. Fullen and his colleagues are helping all of us better understand the importance of experiential, community-engaged learning and applied research across the lifespan," said Kristin Gehsmann, director of the School of Education. "Their efforts will not only impact the lives of participants, but the lessons learned from this research will help the next generation of counselor educators prepare clinicians and educators to better meet the needs of older adults."

Fullen said he's honored to serve in a project with the potential for a deep societal impact.

"Community-engaged scholarship is a core facet of fulfilling the Virginia Tech motto of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve)," said Fullen. "Opportunities like this grant are part of my calling to support those who are vulnerable and equip those who are willing to lend a helping hand. Participating in a project like this, in which so many people are coming together to do good, is quite a privilege."

###
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Sonys XMs have been our top wireless headphones since 2018 for good reason. They boast powerful active noise cancellation (ANC), a snug over-ear fit and generous battery life that has only improved with each generation. The latest M4s arrived with even more impressive features, but the biggest downside was the $350 price tag. Fortunately, a number of online retailers have the headphones on sale right now for $278  the best price we've seen since Black Friday.

Buy WH-1000XM4 bundle at Adorama - $278

Of the deals, Adorama's has a slight edge as it's bundled in a 20,800mAh Morphie battery pack, which packs two USB-A ports for multiple device charging, with the black XM4s. While Best Buy and Amazon are offering the headphones in all three colors, including blue and silver.

Buy WH-1000XM4 at Amazon - $278 Buy WH-1000XM4 at Best Buy - $278

Buy WH-1000XM4 at B&H - $278

Though the M3s were already impressive, the M4s offer solid improvements in all the major departments. Design-wise, Sony swapped plastic for matte coating to give the M4s a premium look. The headphones also provide a better fit thanks to a slimmed down headband, with a tweaked curve, and redesigned earpads that help to relieve some of the pressure that sealed-in ANC models create.

In terms of sound quality, they use a new Bluetooth system on chip and algorithm to cut out background noise across the frequency curve. And though there are plenty of customization presets for audiophiles, they also just sound great out of the box. With the M4s, Sony also fixed a notable omission by adding the ability to seamlessly connect to two devices at once via the smartphone app.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 15, 2021) - Pantera Silver Corp. (TSXV: PNTR) ("Pantera", "the Company") is pleased to announce that field personnel have mobilized to its Nuevo Taxco Silver Project (the "Property") in Guerrero state, Mexico. Nuevo Taxco Silver Project is ~1,100 hectares located approximately 125 km southwest of Mexico City near the municipality of Taxco - the historical silver capital of Mexico.

Property Highlights:

Twenty-one (21) high-grade veins mapped and sampled within a 135 hectare area of the property. All have substantial width and range from 150-350 meters in length, open along strike and depth.

Over 395 samples to date ranging from 100g/tonne to over 1,000 g/t Silver including; three (3) samples (1,430, 1,230, 1,100 g/t), one hundred and nineteen (119) grading over 100 g/t Silver including eighteen (18) samples between 500-900 g/t Silver and ninety-two (92) between 100-499 g/t Silver.

Initial ~1,600 meter drill program (total planned 4,500) on priority targets within 21 vein target area.

The entire ~1,100 hectare property is considered substantively unexplored offering additional upside exploration potential.

An aggressive exploration program is planned to further determine the extent of the mineralized silver veins discovered in bedrock during an exploration program completed by Impact Silver Corp. in 2013. Work by Impact at the Property mapped significant silver mineralization hosted in twenty-one (21) silver bearing veins within a ~135 hectare exploration area: many of these veins were sampled by Impact and returned compelling silver results. The principal target area focussed on the identified veins that were discovered to display significant widths, and that were individually traced over 150 to 350 meters in length. All of the veins discovered by Impact remain open along strike and to depth, and the Company intends to identify additional veins and vein extensions and to comprehensively map potential hosts of further mineralization.

This initial exploration program will include:

Satellite remote sensing vein, alteration and structural mapping program;

Continuation of targeted grid sampling which will be merged with existing data to extend the coverage over the exploration area;

Selective channel sampling and trenching, and opportunistic sampling of local historical adits (where open and safe to enter);

Focussed field mapping of veins, alteration and structure to further prioritise targeting, and to confirm historical target rankings by Impact; and,

Commencement of an initial drill program of 1,600 meters (total 4,500) focused on priority targets identified within the twenty-one (21) silver bearing veins mapped to date.

The Company is also considering the application of IP geophysics to assist with targeting and target ranking. A permit application for exploration drilling is being prepared for filing with SEMERNAT, the Mexican national environmental authority, to allow for the drilling of some 20 identified initial drill targets. The Company anticipates permitting for up to 4,500 meters of exploration drilling. The initial drilling program will be approximately 1,600 meters on the initial top priority targets. As work progresses, this exploration program is subject to change without notice.

FIGURE 6 - Nuevo Taxco Silver Project Detailed Map of significant Veins, April 9, 2018 (Visit http://www.panterasilver.com for details)



To view an enhanced version of Figure 6, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5998/77331_5e514533a46f6b58_001full.jpg

Jose A. Olmedo, is a "qualified person" within the meaning of the NI 43-101, and is responsible for the technical information disclosed in this news release.

In addition, Pantera announces it has arranged a non-brokered private placement at a price of CAD$0.12 per unit ("Unit") for proceeds up to CAD$180,000.00 (the "Private Placement"). Each Unit will consist of one Pantera Share and one Pantera Share purchase warrant at a price of $0.20, exercisable for a period of two years from issuance (the "Warrants"). Pantera intends to use the net proceeds from the Private Placement for general corporate purposes and working capital. All securities distributed pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months from the date of issuance. Closing of the Private Placement and the Transaction are subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including approval from the TSXV.

About Pantera Silver Corp.

Pantera Silver Corp. is a mineral exploration company committed to enhancing shareholder value by advancing a diverse portfolio of mineral projects through collaborative partnerships and highly experienced technical teams. Pantera will continue to seek out and secure high-quality, unencumbered projects through research, staking and strategic acquisitions. Throughout the exploration process, our mission is to help maintain prosperous communities by exploring for and discovering resource opportunities that build lasting relationships through honest and respectful business and environmental practices. For more information visit http://panterasilver.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Jay Roberge"

CEO/Chairman

Pantera Silver Corp.

roberge@tehama.com / +1.778.895.0247

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.

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual financial results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the estimated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements and the forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Pantera Silver Corp disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for release publication, distribution or dissemination directly, or indirectly, in whole or in part, in or into the United States.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/77331
Longford / Westmeath Fianna Fail TD and Minister for Trade Promotion, Robert Troy, will participate in a number of online trade events this coming week as part of the Governments St Patricks Day Programme.

Speaking ahead of the virtual St Patricks Day events, Minister Troy said, St Patricks Day is normally marked by people coming together to celebrate our heritage across the globe. Although a different occasion this year, for obvious reasons, the celebration continues. This year the Irish Government is celebrating the positive impact of both international companies investing in Ireland and Irish companies are making across the world with over 55 virtual events across the St Patricks day period.

I am proud of how the resilience of Irish businesses and the tireless efforts of our trade agencies  Enterprise Ireland and the IDA, working closely with my Department  have seen the Irish economy grow by 3% in 2020, the only positive growth rate in the EU. 2020 also saw record level of exports  over 160 billion. As an island nation and due to our relatively small size we have always had a strong international orientation and export focus. This is more important now than ever before as Ireland faces up to the challenges of Covid, the post-Brexit environment & globalisation.

Belgium

On Monday, March 15, Minister Troy will participate in a Belgium-Ireland trade webinar. Belgium is a significant trading partner for Ireland with total exports of goods to Belgium in 2020 totalling 17.8 billion while Belgian exports to Ireland totalled 2.4 billion. The webinar will focus on building on the already strong bilateral trade relationship between both countries and will discuss issues such as supply chain management and logistics.

UK

Minister Troy will also participate in a roundtable event involving senior UK business executives which will discuss the challenges associated with the COVID pandemic, Irelands ambitious post-pandemic plans and the benefits of investing in Ireland.

Minister Troy said: Maintaining our strong trade links with our closest neighbours and the eurozone is a priority. As the vaccination programme ramps up and as infection rates come down, recovery in 2021 is expected to gather speed as the economy reopens. And while we are aware of the challenges ahead of us, this week is an important moment for us as a country to look at the opportunities of strong international trade relations  both economically and socially. As Minister with responsibility for Trade Promotion I want to reiterate the need focus on 2021 as the year we expand our global footprint, encourage continued international investment to Irish shores and support Irish businesses that are currently trading to expand and scale-up and new businesses to trade internationally.

Nordics

The Minister will also address the Nordics Sustainability in a Digital World: From 5G and Datacentres to Wind Power event taking place on St Patricks Day itself. The Nordic region includes Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland and, combined, forms the 11th largest economy in the world. The region delivered close to 870m in exports in 2019 from over 450 Irish companies. The webinar will highlight Irish innovations with a green and sustainable focus.

Minister Troy said: Climate action is an area of capital importance to Ireland and the current Programme for Government places climate action at the heart of the political agenda to rapidly transition Ireland to a low-carbon economy. Sustainability is an area where Ireland can learn a lot from our Nordics neighbours and there is also a wide range of opportunities emerging from the climate transition where we can collaborate and find mutual benefits.

Asia- Pacific

On Tuesday, March 16 Minister Troy will take part in an online meeting with a panel of Senior Australian Executives from across a range of sectors including financial services, technology and healthcare. The panel advises and assists Enterprise Ireland companies entering and scaling the Australian market. The value of Irelands trade with Australia in 2019 was 7.1 billion, with services trade accounting for most of this at 6.2 billion (5.1 billion in services exports from Ireland and 1.1 billion in services imports from Australia).

And on Thursday, March 18, Minister Troy will also take part in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) regions St Patricks Day virtual webinar event. It is an opportunity for Irish companies and individuals engaged in the region to connect, share experiences, and to identify opportunities to grow trade and investment between Ireland and Indonesia. Irish exports to the region totalled 350m for 2019.

Minister Troy said, Despite the past year, Irish companies are still performing strongly on global markets and remain resilient despite the challenges they face. The St Patricks Day trade missions play a critical role in supporting our indigenous companies to gain worldwide recognition and achieve even greater levels of export success. The Asia-Pacific region remains the fastest growing in the world and strengthening our trade links with the region presents some excellent opportunities for to grow our footprint in the region.
With COVID-19 cases down, camping picks up in South Dakota

South Dakota parks are seeing camping reservations fill up. That includes at recreation areas in Aberdeen and Watetown.
ROME, MAR 15 - Lazio Governor Nicola Zingaretti on Monday hailed an Italian court's move to eject former Trump aide Steve Bannon's would-be nationalists' think tank from an abbey south of Rome. The Council of State, Italy's highest administrative court, upheld a regional motion to evict Bannon's Dignitatis Humanae Institute from the medieval Trisulti Abbey near Frosinone. "Out with Steve Bannon and the nationalists from the charterhouse," said Zingaretti, former leader of the centre-left Democratic Party. He said "we will work with (Culture) Minister (Dario) Franceschini to restore to citizens this marvelous place, which we want to turn into one of the symbols of the Italian renaissance". Leftwing Italian Left (SI) leader Nicola Fratoianni said "the Council of State has decided, and the followers of Bannon must leave the splendid abbey of Trisulti, which won't become the school of homegrown nationalists, who will at most be able to go to some Trump resort". (ANSA).
HARRISBURG, Pa., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency today announces the creation of a $500 grant that can be applied to homebuyers' down payment and closing costs when they are buying a home. This new grant is available for loans locked on or after March 15.

"This is our second announcement in March about a new purchase assistance program we've created to help homebuyers," said PHFA Executive Director and CEO Robin Wiessmann. "Down payment and closing costs are the biggest hurdle many homebuyers face when they purchase a home, and this $500 grant program will help address that challenge."

PHFA home loans and purchase assistance programs are made available through a network of approved lenders located statewide. These lenders work with homebuyers to find a PHFA loan program that best suits their needs. After their loan closes, it is sold to PHFA, which services it for the life of the loan. A list of participating lenders is available at: https://www.phfa.org/homebuyers/participatinglenders.aspx.

Borrowers who are eligible may receive this grant under PHFA's Preferred home loan program. They must comply with the HFA Preferred program requirements to be eligible for the grant. Maximum financing is not required to receive the grant. It does not require repayment, and it currently is available year-round. This new grant will be offered indefinitely, and its availability can change in the future. Borrowers may also combine a pre-purchase counseling credit of $300 with this offer.

The HFA Preferred program is a conventional loan product that provides funding for eligible homebuyers to purchase or refinance a home up to 97% of the purchase price or appraised value, whichever is less, with a maximum combined loan-to-value of 105%. Grant funds may also be used with other PHFA homebuyer programs, including the Keystone Advantage Assistance Loan and the HomeStyle Renovation and Mortgage Credit Certificate programs.

Homebuyers are encouraged to learn more by reviewing the information about PHFA's purchase assistance programs available on the agency's website at: https://www.phfa.org/homebuyers/. They can also call the agency's Customer Solutions Center weekdays from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. at 1-855-U-Are-Home (827-3466) to talk with a customer service representative. The phone call is toll-free.

About PHFA

The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency works to provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for older adults, low- and moderate-income families, and people with special housing needs. Through its carefully managed mortgage programs and investments in multifamily housing developments, PHFA also promotes economic development across the state. Since its creation by the legislature in 1972, it has generated more than $15.1 billion of funding for more than 181,660 single-family home mortgage loans, helped fund the construction of 138,000 rental units, distributed more than $121 million to support local housing initiatives, and saved the homes of nearly 50,400 families from foreclosure. PHFA programs and operations are funded primarily by the sale of securities and from fees paid by program users, not by public tax dollars. The agency is governed by a 14-member board.

Contact:

Scott Elliott

717-649-6522 (cell)

[email protected]

SOURCE Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency

Related Links

www.phfa.org


Politics can be brutal. But rarely has this been as obvious as during West Australian Labor Premier Mark McGowans decimation of the Liberal and National parties at the polls last weekend. Mr McGowan shattered political records, delivering his party an expected 52 of 59 seats, reducing the Liberals to a likely three seats and the Nationals four.

In a further humiliation, the Liberals, once a dominant force in the west, will be compelled to hand over the role of opposition leader to the head of the Nationals, Mia Davies, after failing to garner enough seats.

Mark McGowan faces little opposition after the weekends election. Credit:Hamish Hastie

While there is some talk of the two opposition parties  who once shared power  coming together again, even as a joint force they would fail to reach double digits in the lower house. And with Labor also predicted to form a majority in the upper house, it all but crushes any opposition Mr McGowan will face for the next four years.

To have such overwhelming electoral support is an enviable position for any government, but when it translates into such a lopsided parliament, it raises concerns for democracy. Checks and balances on the use of power are written into every democratic constitution for good reason. Unfettered control over the legislative process has rarely been a recipe for longevity in power or good governance.
There was no reason to celebrate on Rachel Van Lears anniversary. The same day a global pandemic was declared, she developed symptoms of Covid-19. A year later, shes still waiting for them to disappear. And for experts to come up with some answers.

The Texas woman is one of thousands of self-described long-haulers, patients with symptoms that linger or develop out of the blue months after they first became infected with coronavirus. Hers first arrived March 11, 2020.

The condition affects an uncertain number of survivors in a baffling variety of ways.

Were faced with a mystery, said Dr. Francis Collins, chief of the National Institutes of Health.

Is it a condition unique to Covid-19, or just a variation of the syndrome that can occur after other infections? How many people are affected, and how long does it last? Is it a new form of chronic fatigue syndrome  a condition with similar symptoms?

Or could some symptoms be unrelated to their Covid-19 but a physical reaction to the upheaval of this past pandemic year  the lockdowns, quarantines, isolation, job losses, racial unrest, political turmoil, not to mention overwhelming illness and deaths?

These are the questions facing scientists as they search for disease markers, treatments and cures. With $1 billion from Congress, Collins agency is designing and soliciting studies that aim to follow at least 20,000 people whove had Covid-19.

'Weve never really been faced with a post-infectious condition of this magnitude so this is unprecedented,' Collins said Monday. We dont have time to waste.'

With nearly 30 million U.S. cases of Covid-19 and 119 million worldwide, the impact could be staggering, even if only a small fraction of patients develop long-term problems.

Fatigue, shortness of breath, insomnia, trouble thinking clearly and depression are among the many reported symptoms. Organ damage, including lung scarring and heart inflammation, have also been seen. Pinpointing whether these symptom are directly linked to the virus or perhaps to some preexisting condition is among scientists tasks.

'Is it just a very delayed recovery or is it something even more alarming and something that becomes the new normal?' Collins said.

There are a few working theories for what might be causing persistent symptoms. One is that the virus remains in the body at undetectable levels yet still causes tissue or organ damage. Or it overstimulates the immune system, keeping it from returning to a normal state. A third theory: Symptoms linger or arise anew when the virus attacks blood vessels, causing minute, undetectable blood clots that can wreak havoc throughout the body.

Some scientists think each of these may occur in different people.

Dr. Steven Deeks, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, said researchers first need to create a widely accepted definition of the syndrome. Estimates are all over the map because no one is defining it in the same way,' he said.

Deeks is leading one study, collecting blood and saliva samples from volunteers who will be followed for up to two years.

Some people develop long-term problems even when their initial infections were silent. Deeks said some evidence suggests that those who initially get sicker from a coronavirus infection might be more prone to persistent symptoms, and women seem to develop them more than men, but those observations need to be confirmed, Deeks said.

Van Lear says she was in great shape when she got sick. At 35, the suburban Austin woman had no other health issues and was a busy mother of three who often worked out. First came a chest cold, then a high fever. A flu test came back negative, so her doctor tested for Covid-19. Soon after she developed blinding headaches, debilitating fatigue and nausea so severe that she needed emergency room treatment.

'I was very scared because no one could tell me what was going to happen to me,' Van Lear said.

Over the next several months, symptoms would come and go: burning lungs, a rapid heartbeat, dizzy spells, hand tremors and hair loss. While most have disappeared, she still deals with an occasional racing heartbeat. Heart monitoring, bloodwork and other tests have all been normal.

Fatigue, fever, and no taste or smell were Karla Jefferies first symptoms after testing positive last March. Then came brain fog, insomnia, a nagging smell of something burning that only recently disappeared, and intermittent ringing in her ears. Now she cant hear out of her left ear.

Doctors cant find anything to explain it, and she bristles when some doctors dismiss her symptoms.

'I understand that Covid is something that were all going through together but dont brush me off,' said Jefferies, 64, a retired state worker in Detroit.

As an African American woman with diabetes and high blood pressure, she was at high risk for a bad outcome and knows shes lucky her initial illness wasnt more serious. But her persistent symptoms and home confinement got her down and depression set in.

Political and racial unrest that dominated the news didnt help, and church services  often her salvation  were suspended. She knows all that could have contributed to her ill health and says listening to music  R&B, jazz and a little country  has helped her cope.

Still, Jefferies wants to know what role the virus has played.

Im a year in, and to still from time to time have lingering effects, I just dont understand that,' Jefferies said.

Jefferies and Van Lear are members of Survivor Corps, one of several online support groups created during the pandemic and that have amassed thousands of members. Some are enrolling in studies to help speed the science.

Dr. Michael Sneller is leading one study at the NIH. So far, 200 have enrolled; they include survivors and a healthy comparison group.

They are being given a series of physical and mental tests once or twice a year for three years. Other tests are seeking signs of ongoing inflammation, abnormal antibodies and blood vessel damage.

Sneller said hes found no serious heart or lung tissue damage so far. He notes that many viruses can cause mild heart inflammation, even some cold viruses. Many people recover but in severe cases the condition can lead to heart failure.

Fatigue is the most common symptom in the coronavirus group, and so far researchers have found no medical explanation for it. Insomnia is common, too  in both groups. Sneller says thats not surprising.

The whole pandemic and lockdown affected all of us, he said. Theres a lot of anxiety in the control group too.'

Many have symptoms similar to chronic disease syndrome; and to a condition involving fatigue and thinking difficulties that can develop after treatment for Lyme disease, a bacterial infection spread by certain ticks.

Researchers are hopeful that studies of long-term Covid-19 may yield answers to what causes those conditions, too.
Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert, said yesterday he hopes former President Donald Trump will push his supporters to get the Covid-19 vaccine, and emphasised that pandemic-related restrictions should not be lifted prematurely.

In a PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll released last week, about half of US men wh o identified themselves as Republicans said they had no plans to get the vaccine.

Asked whether Mr Trump should speak to his supporters directly, given those poll numbers, Dr Fauci said on the Fox News Sunday programme: I think it would make all the difference in the world.

Mr Trump, Dr Fauci said, is such a strongly popular person... it would be very helpful for the effort for that to happen.

Mr Trump told attendees at a conservative conference last month to get vaccinated  saying, everybody, go get your shot  the first time he had encouraged people to do so.

Read More

Dr Fauci said on NBCs Meet the Press programme: How such a large proportion of a certain group of people would not want to get vaccinated merely because of political considerations... it makes absolutely no sense.

The other living former US presidents  Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter  are set to appear in two public service announcements for the coronavirus vaccine alongside their wives, without Mr Trump.

President Joe Biden and other political leaders received their shots publicly to encourage Americans to get vaccinated.

Mr Trump was vaccinated privately in the White House in January, The New York Times has reported.

Getting the vaccine is no brainer, Dr Fauci told Meet the Press, as he listed some of the diseases that vaccines had wiped out, such as small pox. What is the problem here?
Videoconference of the Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Belarus P.Vziatkin with the UN Under-Secretary General  Director General of the UN Office at Nairobi

On March 15th, 2021, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Republic of Kenya, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Belarus to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) Pavel Vziatkin met with Under-Secretary General  Director-General of the UN Office at Nairobi Zeinab Bangura.

During the conversation, the Ambassador of Belarus emphasized the important role of the UN program in the protection of natural resources and sustainable development. The Belarusian diplomat focused the attention of the Director General on the projects being implemented in Belarus for the active introduction of green technologies, and also noted a significant success, achieved by our country, in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Director General Z.Bangura welcomed the beginning of the work of the Ambassador of Belarus as Permanent Representative of the Republic of Belarus to UNEP and UN-Habitat and expressed her readiness to provide the necessary assistance in the implementation of joint plans of the Belarusian side and UN bodies at Nairobi.

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Myanmars ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi is to appear in court on Monday, after one of the countrys bloodiest days since the February 1 coup.

At least 38 protesters were killed on Sunday as security forces cracked down on anti-coup protesters, taking the total death toll to more than 120, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) monitoring group.

Protesters demanding the release of Suu Kyi and the restoration of democracy have taken to the streets across Myanmar every day for around six weeks despite the juntas increasingly forceful attempts to quell the dissent.

Sunday  the joint deadliest day of unrest along with March 3  saw violent clashes between security forces and protesters and the torching of several Chinese-owned factories in a textile-producing district of Yangon, as many protesters believe Beijing to be supportive of the coup.

State-run television confirmed on Monday that a police officer was shot dead in the city of Bago during a protest.

The Yangon court hearing for Suu Kyi  who spent more than 15 years in house arrest under previous military rule  is expected to start by video link around 10 am (0330 GMT), her lawyer Khin Maung Zaw told AFP.

The Nobel laureate faces at least four charges: possessing unlicensed walkie-talkies, violating coronavirus restrictions, breaching telecommunications laws and intent to cause public unrest.

Military authorities have also accused her of accepting illegal payments of $600,000 in cash as well as a large quantity of gold  allegations her lawyer says are groundless.

The ruling junta has showed its teeth and taken its mask off they are showing their true self, Khin Maung Zaw said of Sundays violence.

Khin Maung Zaw has complained he has not been allowed to meet Suu Kyi, who has been in custody since the coup, though he said the 75-year-old appeared in good health at her last court appearance, by video link, on March 1.

Chinese factories attacked

The international community is growing ever more alarmed at the bloodshed, but so far the generals have shown no signs of heeding calls for restraint.

The UNs top rights expert on Myanmar Tom Andrews tweeted that he was heartbroken/outraged at Sundays events.

Junta leaders dont belong in power, they belong behind bars, he wrote. Their supply of cash & weapons must be cut now. I appeal to UN member states to heed my call to act.

On Sunday night state media announced that Yangons massive Hlaing Tharyar township and the neighbouring Shwepyitha township were being put under martial law.

The move came after protesters and security forces clashed violently and five factories  several of them Chinese-owned  in Hlaing Tharyar, a garment-producing district, were razed.

Security forces opened fire on demonstrators wielding sticks and knives, and using cut-out trash cans as shields.

Beijings embassy in Myanmar issued a statement condemning the actions of destroyers and urging police to guarantee the security of Chinese businesses.

The declaration of martial law means anyone arrested in the two townships faces trial by military tribunal rather than civilian courts, with sentences ranging from three years hard labour to execution.

The UN envoy for Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener strongly condemned Sundays bloodshed, while the former colonial power Britain said it was appalled by the use of force against innocent people.

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Last week Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on rights in Myanmar, said there was growing evidence that the junta was engaging in crimes against humanity  including murder, forced disappearances and torture.

The human rights campaign group Amnesty International has also accused the military of using battlefield weapons on unarmed protestors and carrying out premeditated killings.

(AFP)

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Washington: US President Joe Biden on Sunday (March 14) said that the Quad virtual summit, which was attended by the leaders of India, Japan, US and Australia, went very well.

US president Biden and leaders from the other three countries pledged in the first virtual summit on Friday to work to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region and to cooperate on maritime, cyber and economic security, issues vital to the four democracies in the face of challenges from China.

"It went very well. Everybody (Quad countries) seemed to like it a great deal," Joe Biden said while addressing the media on his return to the White House.

Meanwhile, following the virtual summit of the top leaders of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), Prime Minister Narendra Modi, United States president Joe Biden, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison and Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga jointly-authored opinion article for The Washington Post.

Now, in this new age of interconnection and opportunity throughout the Indo-Pacific, we are again summoned to act together in support of a region in need," the leaders wrote in the Op-ed.

Additionally, India will be part of France-led naval exercises "La Perouse" that will take place in the Bay of Bengal in early April. With the Indian Navy's addition, all Quad member countries - US, Japan, and Australia will be part of France initiated joint naval exercise.

Live TV
FALLS CHURCH, Va.  A former Old Dominion University student who joined up with white supremacists in a swatting conspiracy that targeted a Black church, his own university and a Cabinet officer, among others, was sentenced to nearly three years in prison Monday.

The 33-month sentence for John William Kirby Kelley, 20, of Vienna, Virginia, essentially splits the difference between the five-year term sought by prosecutors and the 14-month sentence of time served requested by his lawyers.

Kelley pleaded guilty to hosting an internet chatroom in which he and others called in fake bomb threats and attacks on more than 100 different targets, many of which were targeted because of racial or religious animus.

The First Reformed Church in Schenectady, which was one of the targets, was chosen in 2018 at least in part because the North Church Street church has a live-streaming web camera that allowed the co-conspirators in the prank call to watch the police response, according to an earlier criminal complaint filed by the FBI.

Rev. Bill Levering at the time said the church might have been targeted for its progressive views and its support of the LGBTQ community.

Among those also involved in the conspiracy that targeted groups nationwide was a founder of Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi hate group. That individual, John C. Denton of Montgomery, Texas, has also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

Kelley was 17 and living at home in northern Virginia when he started the Graveyard chatroom. The chatroom soon became a haven for hateful rhetoric by white supremacists, who delighted in the chaos caused by their swatting calls.

Among the other targets was Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria and the home of then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who also lives in Alexandria. The group also targeted the Dar El-Eman Islamic Center in Arlington, Texas.

Kelley also had his own school, Old Dominion University, targeted twice, prompting closures and a police response. University police contacted Kelley about the calls, but prosecutors said it was the subsequent call targeting Nielsen that led police to the conspiracy members.

Even though Kelley regularly used racist language and admitted that the swatting conspiracy chose some targets because of race or religion, he denied that he's a racist and argued that he naively acquiesced to the hateful language prevalent in the internet channel he created.

At his sentencing hearing in U.S. Distinct Court in Alexandria, he apologized for his conduct and requested leniency. He said the time he has spent in jail has been difficult for him, noting hardships like a lack of access to the jail's barber shop.

The racial language that has been expressed by me and my co-conspirators, along with the swatting attacks, do not represent my values and beliefs, he told the judge. Furthermore, I was personally disgusted by the direction that the chat room took after my departure. I made it a personal mission to improve and separate myself from bad influences such as these.

His lawyer, Cadence Mertz, objected to Kelley's crimes being classified as a hate crime, which resulted in a higher sentencing guideline. She said there was no proof that Kelley personally targeted anyone because of racial animus.

He has made crystal clear that these views that he expressed, which are hateful and vile, are not who he is, Mertz said.

Judge Liam O'Grady ruled, though, that the hate crime designation is appropriate and said that his conduct and his association with known white supremacists demonstrates how far out you were and how aligned you were with this group.

But he credited Kelley for his youth, his renunciation of racism and mental health deficits in giving him a 33-month sentence that was lower than guideline range of 51 to 60 months.
Two men were arrested and charged on Monday for allegedly using bear spray on U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, the Washington Post reports.

Why it matters: Sicknick died from injuries he sustained while responding to the attack by pro-Trump rioters. Authorities have not determined whether the spray assault was the cause of Sicknick's death.

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The suspects arrested include Julian Elie Khater, 32, and George Pierre Tanios, 39.

The two individuals racked up nine charges total, including assaulting a second USCP officer and a D.C. Metropolitan Police officer.

The big picture: Sicknick lay in honor at the Capitol last month and has remained a focus of investigations into what went wrong during the insurrection.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at Sicknick's funeral: "Our promise to Brians family is that we will never forget his sacrifice. We must be vigilant as what President Lincoln referred to as the harsh artillery of time. "

"We will never forget. With your permission, may we be worthy to carry Brian in our hearts. We will never forget."

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Industry body CII has suggested putting in place safe harbours for independent directors, calling for proceedings against them to be initiated only when there is prima facie evidence of their involvement in a matter.

The government recently concluded the exercise of decriminalising the Companies Act, 2013. In this connection, CII has submitted a Paper to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs highlighting matters with respect to framework for settlement of offences; liability of independent directors; vicarious liability, etc.

The chamber said it is necessary to expressly exempt independent directors from vicarious criminal liability since they are not involved in the day-to-day running of the company. A non-obstante clause may be incorporated in the Act to exclude independent directors from any vicarious criminal liability for offences committed by the company, it said.

As a general principle, given the onerous responsibilities and liabilities on directors, including independent directors and company secretaries, penalties ought to be limited to fines instead of imprisonment, suggested the chamber. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in the paper on decriminalisation argued that establishing safe harbours will go a long way towards addressing concerns of talented individuals wishing to join company boards as independent directors.

"Liability of an independent director under the Companies Act may be limited to the extent of such contraventions / defaults, which are committed by the company with the knowledge or consent of the said independent director," CII said. In relation to corporate social responsibility (CSR), the penalty that be imposed for non-compliance should not exceed the unspent CSR amount, it suggested.

The chamber highlighted the need to create legal and procedural safeguards relating to personal liability of independent directors, and initiation of prosecution itself should be an exception rather than the rule, to keep risk and rewards of being an independent director proportionate.

The whole idea of decriminalizing civil duties is essential to conserve faith in the institution of independent directors, it said. While there are several case laws that set out legal principles on interpreting vicarious liability under various statutes, initiation of proceedings itself can involve significant personal hardship and costs for the concerned individuals, it argued.

"While wrong doers must be prosecuted, there need to be procedural guidelines/safeguards across laws to restrict and minimize proceedings against individuals who are not actually and demonstrably in charge of the management," it said.

Also read: JSW Steel to close BPSL deal for Rs 19,350 cr by March 25
Larry W. Smith

At least three people were killed Monday morning when a 71-year-old man who was allegedly driving under the influence plowed into a homeless encampment on a sidewalk near San Diego City College.

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said the driver, who was identified Monday evening as Craig Voss, hit a total of nine people in a tunnel underneath the downtown college at around 9 a.m. local time. Three individuals were pronounced dead on the scene, while the other six were transported to a local hospital, SDFD Chief Colin Stowell said Monday. At least two victims are currently in critical condition.

Voss, a San Diego resident, was arrested and charged with three counts of manslaughter, five counts of causing great bodily injury while committing a felony, and one count of driving under the influence of drugs.

Stowell said that Voss, who was driving a Volvo station wagon, surrendered to authorities after a very tragic emergency and incident that impacts all of us.

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The way he was driving down the sidewalk, it was like he didnt take his foot off the gas until he got to the other side of the street, Ronnie Williams, who witnessed the incident, told KGTV. Im like whoa! Is this guy ever gonna stop?

Officers arrived at the tunnel shortly before detaining the driver. Authorities say at least five dozen firefighters were sent to the scene to help the injured pedestrians.

The tunnel is reportedly popular among homeless people who take shelter in tents on the sidewalks.

San Diego Police Department Chief David Nisleit said police had received a call minutes before the deadly crash about the same Volvo. He did not provide details about the call, saying its part of the ongoing investigation into the crash.

Authorities are also looking at video surveillance footage of the Volvo moments before the crash. Nisleit said it appears as though the car was traveling westbound when the driver lost control and began to veer to the right.

The car then went completely up onto the sidewalk [and] struck the multiple pedestrians before Voss was able to get back on the road and stop, Nisleit said. After the crash, the driver appeared to walk over to the victims and try to help them, according to witnesses and police.

Story continues

To those families [of those who] have passed, my deepest condolences, Nisleit said.

Another witness, Michael Luke, told KGTV that the driver stayed near the scene and looked upset by the accident. I saw the wagon move over and things just started popping up .. and the dragging ... Horrific, he added.

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Irish premier Micheal Martin has warned that the UKs decision to extend post-Brexit grace periods exacerbates uncertainty and instability.

Mr Martin said the unilateral action on the Brexit divorce agreement corrodes trust.

As tensions continue to escalate, the European Commission on Monday formally took legal action against the UK over the alleged breach of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Mr Martin said the Withdrawal Agreement contains mechanisms designed to deal with issues that arise.

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He made the comments during an online address to the Brookings Institution in Washington, for a series of virtual events in the lead-up to St Patricks Day on Wednesday.

Mr Martin said: The decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union created a whole new category of challenges that we have had to deal with in recent years.

Our shared membership of the EU had helped to create the context in which the Good Friday Agreement was secured. Changing that context removed an important prop.

We worked hard to minimise and to mitigate its worst impacts, not least the risk of the return of a hard border to the island of Ireland.

In this, we had strong backing from our partners in the EU, but also, critically, from our friends in the US. As a result, the Withdrawal Agreement between the EU and the UK includes a special protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland to address the unique circumstances of the island.

The protocol is specifically designed to protect the Good Friday Agreement, and the achievements of the peace process. Crucially, it avoids a hard border on the island of Ireland.

It is the only agreed and viable means available to do so.

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The Fianna Fail leader said the protocol also protects the all-island economy and Irelands place in the single market.

He said it helps minimise and mitigate the worst impacts of Brexit, but warned it cannot completely remove them.

The UK has decided to leave not only the EU, but also its single market and customs union, and that means increased trade friction, Mr Martin added.

What we are now seeing  the increased need for checks and controls; the form-filling and bureaucracy  is a direct consequence of that choice.

Where we can find pragmatic ways to minimise that friction, within the framework of the protocol, the EU is ready to do so.

I do not for a moment dismiss genuinely held difficulties and concerns, and I will support EU engagement with the UK to find agreed ways forward, where we can.

In fact, the Withdrawal Agreement contains within it mechanisms specifically designed to deal with issues that arise  a Joint Committee and specialised committees.

That is where teething problems should be worked through, so that we can find common solutions.

Unilateral action to disapply or not to implement aspects of the protocol does nothing but corrode trust, the only basis on which sustainable long-term solutions can be found.

It exacerbates uncertainty and instability, two things Northern Ireland can well do without.

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Irelands Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said the decision by the European Commission to take legal action was not a welcome development, but the approach of the UK Government had left no alternative.

Unilaterally changing how Protocol is implemented is breach of agreement, Mr Coveney tweeted.

We need to get back to UK/EU cooperation, working with business in NI and focused on solving problems together.


After wrapping up Bachchan Pandey, actor Akshay Kumar is all set to start shooting for his next, Ram Setu. The actor, along with director Abhishek Sharma and creative producer Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi, will fly to Ayodhya on March 18 to give the mahurat shot of the film from Ram Janmabhoomi.

While Kumar is away for a family vacation in the Maldives and will dive back to work as soon as gets back, the films director tells that the shoot is spread across multiple schedules over the next few months and 80 percent of the film will be shot in Mumbai.



Abhishek Sharma also reveals that the actor will be seen in a new avatar. Akshay sir plays an archaeologist and his look and character is inspired by several Indian and international professional archaeologists who work in the field. In terms of both look and character, Akshay sirs fans are in for a totally new avatar of his, said the director.

When it comes to the leading ladies  Jacqueline Fernandez and Nushrratt Bharuccha, the director shares, They both play strong, independent women with well-etched out parts. We are keeping their looks under wraps for now! Interestingly, it was Dwivedi who came up with the idea of starting the Ram Setu journey in Ayodhya. What better way to embark upon the journey of Ram Setu than to kick-off at the very birth place of Lord Ram, he exclaims.





Going on to explain the thought behind picking the location, Dwivedi says, Having visited Ayodhya several times myself, I suggested to Akshay and the team that we should launch the production schedule with blessings from the holy temple of Lord Ram. We are scheduled to hold our mahurat shot in Ayodhya and commence our filming on an auspicious note.





For Sharma, the journey of Ram Setu started back in 2007 when he first read newspaper coverage about a court case related to a project to build a shipping canal in the shallow straits between India and Sri Lanka and the issues that the project was facing.





He elaborates, I found this to be an opportunity to explore the truth behind an Indian legend and was amazed at the magnitude of the subject. Its like I was being presented with the possibility to bring forward a true story that would connect generations of Indians to a part of our heritage that was not getting the attention it deserved.



He shares that he locked the screenplay during the lockdown last year. I pitched the first draft of the screenplay to Akshay sir and he immediately came on-board, he adds. When it comes to the research process of the film, Sharma expresses gratitude towards Dwivedi for guiding the team in the right direction.

He has helped us immensely by providing access and perspective to history and religion as well as building a team of researchers with backgrounds in archaeology, history, religion and science, in equal measure.

Akshay had announced the film on Diwali last year by releasing posters on his social media. Now with everything planned, the makers are busy ensuring all the safety protocols are in place for a smooth shooting experience. Speaking about the project, Akshay Kumar says, Ram Setu is a bridge between generations past, present and future.
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(Alliance News) - The director of the Oxford Vaccine Group on Monday said there was no link between the jab it developed with Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca PLC and blood clotting, after several countries suspended its use.

Andrew Pollard said there was "very reassuring evidence that there is no increase in a blood clot phenomenon here in the UK, where most of the doses in Europe been given so far".

"It's absolutely critical that we don't have a problem of not vaccinating people and have the balance of a huge risk, a known risk of Covid, against what appears so far from the data that we've got from the regulators a no signal of a problem," he told BBC Radio.

Ireland and the Netherlands on Sunday became the latest countries to suspend their use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine out of precaution.A

Denmark, Norway and Iceland have also paused their rollout of the jab.

AstraZeneca said on Sunday there was no evidence of increased blood clots from the jab after outcomes from 17 million doses were analysed.

The pharmaceutical company said the 15 incidences of deep vein thrombosis and 22 events of pulmonary embolism reported among those given the vaccine was "much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population".

"The nature of the pandemic has led to increased attention in individual cases and we are going beyond the standard practices for safety monitoring of licensed medicines in reporting vaccine events, to ensure public safety," chief medical officer Ann Taylor said.

"In terms of quality, there are also no confirmed issues related to any batch of our vaccine used across Europe, or the rest of the world."

The World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency have both said there is no evidence the use of the jab should be suspended.

Ireland said it had "temporarily deferred" use of the vaccine on the advice of its advisory panel following the move by Norway.

The Dutch health ministry also said it was suspending the rollout as a precaution.

Shares in AstraZeneca were flat at 6,950.00 pence on Monday in London.

source: AFP

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Kerrville, TX (78028)

Today

Cloudy this morning. Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 79F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms. Low around 65F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.
Catrina Mugglin MD, MSc, Department of Infectious Diseases, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital Credit: C. Muggli

Research team Inselspital and University of Bern found an above average weight gain associated with increase blood lipids after switching HIV-therapy from TDF to TAF. Additional individual counseling will be necessary to avoid harm after therapy switch.

In Switzerland about 17,000 people are living with an HIV infection, worldwide there are about 38 million. Today, the disease can be treated so successfully that a normal life can be ensured to a great extent. However, weight increases are often observed at the beginning of HIV therapy due to adaptations of the metabolism, which are part of a successful therapy. Therefore, body weight control plays an important role in HIV therapy. It is important, for example, to avoid metabolic problems that can lead to heart attacks or diabetes over the long term.

Tenofovir is the drug used as part of the standard HIV therapies. The previously, widely used TDF-based therapy (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, TDF) has been associated with renal side effects and bone loss. It was therefore steadily replaced with a new variant, TAF-based therapy (tenofovir alafenamide), which was associated with fewer side effects. The study presented here explores evidence of excessive weight gain after switching from TDF to TAF.

TAF leads to disproportionate weight gain

The key finding of the study shows that individuals who switched to TAF therapy gained significantly more weight (1.7 kg) than individuals who remained on TDF therapy (0.7 kg) during the observed 18 months. This effect was seen in all subgroups of the study and independent of previous medication. In the group with a normal BMI, 13.8% became overweight or obese with TAF, compared with 8.4% receiving TDF. At the same time, a negative development of lipid metabolism was noted, with an overall increase in blood lipid levels. Lead author Bernard Surial notes: "The result was very consistent. Cardiovascular complications are a leading cause of illness and death in people with HIV. Accordingly, the metabolic changes found are of great significance."

Extensive study

The multicenter cohort study included 4375 participants of the Swiss HIV Cohort Study who had been treated with a TDF-based therapy for at least 6 months prior to the start of the study. Swiss university hospitals, other hospitals and private practices were involved. The central research question focused on the problem of determining the change in weight and fat levels induced by switching from TDF to TAF.

The study also addressed the question of whether diabetes would be diagnosed more often with TAF. However, no clear answer could be found here, as the time period of 18 months for the study was probably too short.

The study was carried out as part of a larger project examining the different aspects of switching from TDF to TAF. The research group has already reported on the development of renal function after switching from TDF to TAF (Changes in Renal Function After Switching From TDF to TAF in HIV-Infected Individuals: A Prospective Cohort Study).

What do these results mean for practice?

TAF is now part of the most commonly used HIV therapies with very good efficacy and tolerability. The study now shows that increased attention needs to be paid to the problem of weight gain when switching to TAF. Instead of an unconditional, automatic switch from TDF to TAF, the advantages of better renal tolerance and avoidance of bone loss must be balanced against the disadvantages of weight gain and increased blood lipid levels in the future. Individual counseling can be used to develop optimal patient-specific solutions.

Impact on patient care, guidelines and upcoming studies

Research into the long-term effects of HIV therapies on body weight and blood lipid metabolism is a high priority in HIV medicine. Prof. Andri Rauch, head of the study, therefore notes: "With its large number of participants, the significant result of our study for patient care helps both in the individual counseling of people with HIV and in the optimization of the international HIV guidelines. In future, more in-depth studies, it will be necessary to investigate the exact mechanisms of the metabolic changes and especially their effects (heart attacks, diabetes, etc.). Needless to say, the search also continues for new drugs that can ensure successful HIV therapy without negative effects in the long term."

Explore further Type 2 diabetes: New evidence underlines the role of obesity in late complications

Provided by Inselspital, Bern University Hospital
HONG KONG, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Senior officials of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR) government on Sunday expressed their firm support for a decision by the National People's Congress on improving the electoral system of the HKSAR.

The National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, on Thursday adopted, by an overwhelming majority vote, the decision on improving the electoral system of the HKSAR.

Chief Secretary for Administration of the HKSAR government Matthew Cheung said in a blog article that with the precondition of loving the country and loving Hong Kong, everyone has the right for political participation in accordance with the law.

The NPC's decision is an urgent move to ensure the steady and sustained implementation of "one country, two systems" and a pragmatic measure to promote the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong, he said.

Cheung said the NPC's decision will plug the loopholes in Hong Kong's electoral system, ensure full implementation of the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" and the central authorities' overall jurisdiction over Hong Hong, and safeguard the political stability of the HKSAR.

Noting that the long-term peace, stability and prosperity are the aspirations of Hong Kong residents, Cheung said the combination of the national security law in Hong Kong, the NPC's decision on improving the electoral system in the HKSAR and the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for national socio-economic development and the long-range objectives through 2035, will ensure the long-term development, prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.

Also in a blog article, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR government Paul Chan said the NPC's decision on improving the electoral system in the HKSAR and the national security law in Hong Kong will help Hong Kong restore political stability and social security, come out of its political mire and focus on development.

Implementing the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" aims to plug the loopholes in Hong Kong's electoral system, and prevent anti-China disruptors or the proxies of foreign interests from entering the administration structure of Hong Kong and damaging the security and interests of the country and Hong Kong, Chan noted.

It also aims to ensure those administering Hong Kong could fully and faithfully implement the principle of "one country, two systems" and the steady implementation of "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" and a high degree of autonomy, he said.

The NPC's decision will improve the administration efficiency of the HKSAR government, Chan added.
Peshawar, March 15 : A class seven student died under mysterious circumstances in police custody in Pakistan's Peshawar city, triggering a protest outside the station, the media reported on Monday.

In response, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan suspended the entire staff of the Gharbi police station, where the boy died on Sunday, and ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident, Dawn news reported.

According to a statement issued by Chief City Police Officer Abbas Ihsan's office, the student was arrested on Sunday after a heated argument with a shopkeeper and a pointing weapon at him.

The police registered an FIR against him and later he committed suicide inside the lockup, the statement added.

But refuting the suicide claim, the boy's father died in the lockup due to police torture.

On Sunday night, a large number of people and relatives of the victim staged a protest demonstration outside the Gharbi police station and chanted slogans against the police highhandedness and misuse of power.

This is the second such incident in Peshawar in recent days, Dawn news said.

A few days ago, two policemen were arrested for killing a male student after the latter did not stop on their signalling.

In 2019, four incidents of custodial deaths had occurred in police lockups.
It's a surprisingly balmy afternoon in mid-March when Magazine+ is welcomed into Vanessa Creaven's baby bubble via telephone.

The Spotlight Oral Care co-founder is nursing her five-week-old daughter, Grace, from her Galway home as she talks motherhood, maternity leave and the importance of putting on a daily wash.

"I adored her from the minute I looked at her," says the 30-year-old businesswoman. "I was totally smitten.

"It's like love you never experienced before, it's a contentment I never felt before. I feel like I have had her forever, I can't believe how big she is getting."

As one half of the seismically successful Spotlight brand, Vanessa and her sister, Lisa, have rolled out a line of teeth-whitening and oral care products that have taken over the market both at home and abroad.

Now stocked in over 4,000 stores across the US, the dentists have had little respite in the few short years that have seen their business balloon internationally, but the pandemic has afforded Vanessa the opportunity to slow down in ways she never expected.

Expand Close New mum Vanessa at home with baby Grace. / Facebook

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Whatsapp New mum Vanessa at home with baby Grace.

"This time last year I was looking for apartments in New York and now here I am in Galway with two dogs and a baby and I couldn't be happier," she laughs.

"Life really can change so much in one year. We were launching in the States and the plan was for me be over there 60pc of the time.

"I was flying over and back to the States every second week - how mad does that sound now? Even the thought of going to Dublin would give me anxiety now, let alone New York."

Having tied the knot with her husband Barry in a fairytale wedding in Marbella in 2018, the couple were ready to start a family.

"It was a really organic time and I was at home loads," continues Vanessa. "It was definitely the right time for us to try for a baby. We have been able to cocoon and just chill out and relax for the year."

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Whatsapp Vanessa with sister and business partner Lisa.

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Naturally when it came to parenting advice, there was only one go-to for the first-time mum: "Lisa has three gorgeous girls, who are aged five, three, and two. She is my expert.

"I really took it in my stride. I didn't watch One Born Every Minute, but I think if I started to watch it while I was pregnant I would think to myself, 'is it too late to turn back?'

"I remember asking Lisa, 'what is your one top parenting tip?' And she said, 'do you know what, I have one thing to tell you - put one load of washing on a day. It's amazing and it will be really helpful'.

"And I said, 'Oh my god, Lisa, I thought you were going to come out with something deep and really philosophical'. To be fair, it's quite a helpful tip."

Parenting advice aside, Vanessa is simply relishing every moment with her baby girl.

"I look at her and I just think, 'I hope nothing bad ever happens to you and nobody touches a single hair on your head'. I am going to cocoon her, she will live with us forever," she laughs.

"I hope she enjoys life and has fun. I hope she is kind, I hope she is determined in her own beliefs, that's what I hope for her."

Rocking baby Grace in her arms in the comfort of her idyllic nursery, Vanessa has settled into the simplicity of lockdown living with surprising ease.

"It is a very plain life I lead. I am not going here, there and everywhere.

"I walk my dogs, I am on a call and I feed my baby - it's not too glamorous, 90pc of life is the mundane, everyday and I love that."

Despite going back to basics, Vanessa does admit she was slightly apprehensive about becoming a mum.

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Whatsapp Vanessa on her wedding day with Barry in 2018.

"Before I had Grace I saw the hardships of motherhood on social media, which is so important, but I remember I had this overwhelming apprehension and thought process of 'will I be able to do it?'

"I think it's important to see both - the negatives and positives. I think motherhood and new babyhood is a very contentious issue.

"You don't want to show too much positive or negatives because people have strong beliefs. Even with breastfeeding, I have never breastfed anything so I said I will try it and see. If I struggled I would have just bottle fed. Fed is best.

"Sometimes it can be too hard living up to all these standards," she adds. "I will also say that with Grace being five weeks, I am a five-week-old mum, so I know nothing.

"If someone asks me, 'what is your best advice?' I'd say I have no advice, come back to me in five years. Ask Lisa, she has three of them!"

One thing Vanessa can advise on, however, are the barriers to women in business.

"You can have kids and grow and run a business," she insists. "It doesn't have to be one or the other. We have a lot of working mums on our team and on calls there are babies and children crying. Sometimes women can feel shame, but it is life - as women we shouldn't be penalised for that.

"Responsibility for childcare seems to fall a little more on women so we are aware of that and we support our staff accordingly.

"I often get asked, 'have you not taken maternity leave?' But I have and I haven't.

"I haven't taken traditional maternity leave. I have stepped back but I am still on calls. Lockdown gives you the opportunity to do a bit of both.

"Before the pandemic it would have been hard because of the travel. Now if Grace has slept well the night before I can jump on a call. I really listen to my body."

And for her first Mother's Day?

"I will be spending it with Barry and Grace and my two dogs, Alfie and Lola," she beams, "and I will be perfectly content."

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[March 15, 2021] Global Medical REIT Inc. Commences Common Stock Public Offering

Global Medical REIT Inc. (NYSE:GMRE) (the "Company") today commenced an underwritten public offering (the "Offering") of 7,500,000 shares of its common stock, par value $0.001 per share, subject to market and other conditions. The Company expects to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase an additional 1,125,000 shares of common stock being offered in the Offering. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering to repay a portion of the outstanding indebtedness under its credit facility, to fund acquisitions and for other general corporate purposes. J.P. Morgan, Baird and BMO Capital Markets are serving as the joint book-running managers for the Offering. KeyBanc Capital Markets is serving as the passive book-runner for the Offering. The Offering is being made pursuant to the Company's shelf registration statement, which was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (" SEC (News - Alert) ") on June 17, 2020. Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus may be obtained, when available, from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or by contacting: J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Attention: Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, telephone: 1-866-803-9204; Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, Attention: Syndicate Department, 777 East Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202, telephone: (800) 792-2473; BMO Capital Markets Corp., Attentio: Equity Syndicate Department, 3 Times Square, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10036, telephone: 800-414-3627; or KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., 127 Public Square, 4th Floor, Cleveland, OH 44114, Attention: Equity Syndicate, telephone: 800-859-1783.



This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of these shares or any other securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any state. There can be no assurance as to whether or when the Offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the Offering. About Global Medical REIT Inc.

Global Medical REIT Inc. is a net-lease medical office REIT that acquires purpose-built specialized healthcare facilities and leases those facilities to strong healthcare systems and physician groups with leading market share. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements that are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, pursuant to 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. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time those statements are made and/or Company management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, not all of which are known to the Company and many of which are beyond the Company's control, which could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the success of the Offering, the use of proceeds of the Offering, and the satisfaction of all conditions to, and the timely closing of, the Offering. These risks and uncertainties are described in greater detail in the Company's filings with the SEC, including, without limitation, the Company's annual and periodic reports and other documents filed with the SEC. Unless legally required, the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements after the date of this release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005776/en/

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If completed, the proposed business combination would form the preeminent independent wealth management business in Canada and provide superior value for RF Capital minority shareholders and Richardson Wealth Investment Advisors

TORONTO, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. (TSX: CF) ("Canaccord Genuity" or the "Company") announced today that on March 9, 2021 it submitted a letter to the board of directors of RF Capital Group Inc. (TSX: RCG) ("RF Capital") in which Canaccord Genuity proposed to purchase 100% of the outstanding shares of RF Capital for $2.30 per share (the "Proposal") for cash or Canaccord Genuity common shares. The Proposal represented a 31% premium to the closing price of RF Capital common shares on March 12, 2021 and a 30% premium to the volume-weighted average price for the 20 trading days ended on that date. The proposed price of $2.30 per common share is supported by the formal valuation commissioned by the special committee of RF Capital's board of directors in connection with the recently completed transaction (the "RGMP Transaction") between RF Capital and Richardson GMP Limited ("Richardson Wealth"). The rationale behind the Proposal is simple  on a combined basis, RF Capital and Canaccord Genuity would become the preeminent independent wealth business in Canada.

Unfortunately, RF Capital's board of directors dismissed the Proposal on March 10, 2021 without reason. As a result, RF Capital shareholders, including its Investment Advisors ("IA"s) who, as a group, represent a significant shareholding, were not provided an opportunity to consider an offer at an attractive valuation. Representatives of Richardson Financial Group Limited (the "Richardson family"), which owns approximately 44% of the outstanding common shares of RF Capital, rejected an invitation to discuss the Proposal.

"We are resolute in our belief that our Proposal would provide superior value for RF Capital shareholders and that Richardson Wealth Investment Advisors would benefit from the scale, stability, and growth potential that Canaccord Genuity provides," said Dan Daviau, President & CEO of Canaccord Genuity. "The opportunity to bring together two of Canada's leading independent wealth management businesses presents compelling synergies and economic benefits not only for our own business and shareholders, but also for RF Capital shareholders, Richardson Wealth's Investment Advisors and their clients."

We are disappointed that we have been unable to engage with RF Capital's board of directors and the Richardson family in a meaningful and productive way in connection with our Proposal, despite numerous attempts to engage in constructive dialogue since last September. We feel strongly that RF Capital shareholders and Richardson Wealth Investment Advisors (including those with RF Capital shares subject to a multi-year escrow) should have an opportunity to consider the Proposal.

We believe the Proposal presents an opportunity to form the preeminent independent wealth management business in Canada, and a compelling opportunity for RF Capital's shareholders to participate in the ongoing success of Canaccord Genuity's existing platform and on a combined basis with the addition of Richardson Wealth.

Benefits of the Proposal

As two of the largest and longest-standing independent wealth management businesses in Canada , Canaccord Genuity and Richardson Wealth on a combined basis, with their strong complement of IAs and their shared commitment to their clients, would be well-positioned to serve the complex needs of Canada's most successful entrepreneurs, other ultra/high-net worth investors as well as a diverse population of private clients.

, Canaccord Genuity and Richardson Wealth on a combined basis, with their strong complement of IAs and their shared commitment to their clients, would be well-positioned to serve the complex needs of most successful entrepreneurs, other ultra/high-net worth investors as well as a diverse population of private clients. Canaccord Genuity has a proven track record of creating substantial value in the wealth management segment and, over the past ten years has invested more than $350 million in acquisitions, recruiting, and technology to support the growth of its wealth management businesses in Canada , the UK & Crown Dependencies and Australia . The combined business would benefit from this investment in value creation.

in acquisitions, recruiting, and technology to support the growth of its wealth management businesses in , the UK & Crown Dependencies and . The combined business would benefit from this investment in value creation. Canaccord Genuity is entrusted with $88 billion in client assets globally (as at February 28, 2021 ), up from $32 billion in 2015. Excluding significant items, our aggregate global wealth management businesses earned pre-tax net income of $90 million 1 for the nine-month period ended December 31, 2020 . The combined business would benefit from our global platform and experience operating across multiple regions.

in client assets globally (as at ), up from in 2015. Excluding significant items, our aggregate global wealth management businesses earned pre-tax net income of for the nine-month period ended . The combined business would benefit from our global platform and experience operating across multiple regions. With the benefit of more than six consecutive years of substantial growth in revenue and profitability, Canaccord Genuity has made significant investments to advance the support infrastructure, technology and product offering to keep pace with the changing industry landscape, while striving to exceed Investment Advisor and client expectations. Investment Advisors and clients of the combined business would also benefit from our infrastructure and technology investments and product offering, such as a state-of-the-art unified account management platform, powered by Envestnet.

Investment Advisors in Canada are increasingly choosing Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management as their platform to pursue the most productive years of their career. We have effectively doubled our client assets in Canada over a three-year period, having successfully recruited over 45 IA teams, collectively managing more than $11 billion in client assets. Among them, we have welcomed 14 IAs from Richardson Wealth who collectively manage over $3 billion in client assets. We believe such growth would continue or could even accelerate based on the strong complement of Investment Advisors of the combined business.

are increasingly choosing Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management as their platform to pursue the most productive years of their career. We have effectively doubled our client assets in over a three-year period, having successfully recruited over 45 IA teams, collectively managing more than in client assets. Among them, we have welcomed 14 IAs from Richardson Wealth who collectively manage over in client assets. We believe such growth would continue or could even accelerate based on the strong complement of Investment Advisors of the combined business. Investment Advisors who have joined Canaccord Genuity have been able to grow their practices by leveraging the modern technology, expanded product offering, and opportunities provided by our capital markets business, which is a leading equities underwriter in Canada . We believe that as part of a combined business, former Richardson Wealth Investment Advisors would have an opportunity to grow their practice in a similar fashion.

. We believe that as part of a combined business, former Richardson Wealth Investment Advisors would have an opportunity to grow their practice in a similar fashion. Although RF Capital has underperformed in terms of its financial record, the proposed business combination would result in significant cost savings, as well as revenue opportunities for the combined business, which we expect will be accretive to Canaccord Genuity earnings per share.

The expanded wealth management platform in Canada would provide Canaccord Genuity's shareholders with an added benefit which complements their exposure to a diverse geographic and business mix, with growing contributions from a stable and growing international wealth management business, and significant upside during periods where our capital markets businesses are positioned to deliver outsized returns. The value of Canaccord Genuity common shares has increased by 139% over the past 12 months.

RF Capital's Refusal to Engage Denies Shareholders and Investment Advisors the Chance to Decide Their Own Future

RF Capital has underperformed as a public company, with a current market capitalization of approximately $275 million and a float of approximately $80 million .

and a float of approximately . Over a five-year period, the market price of RF Capital common shares has declined by 62%, whereas the price of Canaccord Genuity common shares has increased by 135% over the same period.

Over a five-year period, Canaccord Genuity has seen its average assets under administration ("AUA") per IA team in Canada grow by 215%, whereas Richardson Wealth advisors have achieved substantially lower growth of 37%. This difference in growth rates reflects our unwavering commitment to investing in the growth of our wealth management business.

grow by 215%, whereas Richardson Wealth advisors have achieved substantially lower growth of 37%. This difference in growth rates reflects our unwavering commitment to investing in the growth of our wealth management business. Richardson Wealth Investment Advisors sold their Richardson Wealth shares for consideration with a headline value of $2.42 per share, but with RF Capital common shares trading below $2.00 since the RGMP Transaction closed in October 2020 , we believe that it is unlikely that they will be able to realize that value in any reasonable time frame.

per share, but with RF Capital common shares trading below since the RGMP Transaction closed in , we believe that it is unlikely that they will be able to realize that value in any reasonable time frame. The refusal by the RF Capital board to engage in discussions about the Proposal prevents Richardson Wealth Investment Advisors from an opportunity to participate in a transaction which would have provided the potential to create significant value for their shares accumulated over many years of service and, with a multi-year escrow, their ability to realize value is restricted and limited.

The full text of the letter sent to RF Capital on March 9, 2021 is as follows:

Attention: Mr. Donald A. Wright, Chair of Special Committee

Dear Mr. Wright,

On behalf of Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. ("Canaccord Genuity" or "our"), I write to propose a transaction whereby Canaccord Genuity would acquire 100% of the outstanding common shares of RF Capital Group Inc. ("RFG" or "you" or "the Company"), to form the preeminent independent wealth business in Canada.

Proposed offer for RFG common shares

We propose to pay $2.30 per RFG share, which represents a 31.4% premium to the closing price of RFG stock on March 8, 2021, and a 29.4% premium to the volume weighted average price for the 20 trading days ending on that date. This value is supported by the formal valuation commissioned by the Special Committee of RFG's Board of Directors in connection with the recently completed RGMP transaction, which resulted in a valuation range of $2.00 - $2.55 per RFG share. We are flexible in the form of consideration that we would offer, and would be prepared to use either all cash or Canaccord Genuity shares, or a combination thereof. This would give RFG shareholders the opportunity to participate in the ongoing success of the combined business, and the option to obtain immediate liquidity if preferred.

Canaccord Genuity's objective is to acquire 100% of RFG. However, given the reluctance to engage in discussions following our previous approaches, we recognize that Richardson Financial Group Ltd. ("Richardson"), who we understand currently owns approximately 44% of the outstanding RFG shares, may not be inclined to sell its interest. Therefore, we would be prepared to offer to acquire any number of shares representing over 50% of the total RFG shares outstanding.

We would expect that the RFG board would permit holders of shares that are currently subject to escrow provisions to accept our proposal, with the understanding that a portion of the consideration they receive would be subject to equivalent escrow provisions.

Proposed exchange of RFG preferred shares

As part of our offer, we also propose to exchange RFG's outstanding preferred shares into equivalent preferred shares of Canaccord Genuity. This will give the holders of your preferred shares, a significant portion of whom are your employees, investment advisors, and clients, the opportunity to realize the value inherent in our offer.

Highly accretive combination, substantial value creation and track record for growth

We are confident that the highly accretive combination of RFG's Richardson Wealth business with our existing wealth management platform, which will form the preeminent independent wealth business in Canada with over $60 billion in AUA, will result in substantial value creation for the shareholders of both RFG and Canaccord Genuity. We are excited about the opportunity that this transaction affords both RFG shareholders and Canaccord Genuity, as we complement our growing group of large wealth managers, with the excellent pedigree and talent of Richardson Wealth advisors. Over the past 3 years, the 14 Richardson Wealth advisor teams, representing over $3 billion in assets as of February 28, 2021, who have joined Canaccord Genuity have experienced a highly successful transition and, with the greater scale, market presence and synergy resulting from this transaction, we are confident that the combined team of advisors will benefit significantly as they grow their practices on a stable platform with a strong, supportive and entrepreneurial independent culture that, most importantly, allows them [to] better serve the needs of their clients.

We note from your financial results released on March 5 that RFG continues to lose money and, as a stand alone company, does not seem to provide the optimal opportunity for your shareholders and advisors. Canaccord Genuity, on the other hand, has experienced record revenue growth and achieved record client asset levels in our wealth management business. We also recently announced on February 3 a highly accretive transaction involving our UK wealth management business. In short, we have ample resources to complete the acquisition of RFG and to invest in the growth of the combined [business].

Next steps

It is our strong preference to arrive at a transaction supported by the board of directors of the Company. To that end we would propose entering into a non-disclosure agreement that would permit us to conduct a limited confirmatory due diligence review of the Company, which we are confident could be completed in less than 14 days, following which we would seek to enter into appropriate definitive agreements regarding an agreed transaction. However, if we are unable to negotiate promptly an appropriate non-disclosure agreement (for certainty, one that does not include standstill or non-solicitation provisions), we are prepared to proceed unilaterally with an offer directly to your shareholders.

Our Board of Directors is fully supportive of this initiative and has authorized and approved the submission of this letter. To date, other than attempting to contact representatives of Richardson, we have not had discussions with RFG's major shareholders regarding our proposal but, in the event that the RFG board elects not to engage with us, we reserve the right to do so.

This letter does not represent or create any legally binding or enforceable obligations. No obligations will be imposed on either party unless and until a definitive agreement is signed by both Canaccord Genuity and RFG.

We are prepared to move quickly and look forward to discussing this opportunity further. We urge a timely response and encourage you to give this request a favorable consideration. As you can appreciate, time is of the essence. Accordingly, we request that you respond to us by 5:00 P.M. EST on March 12, failing which this letter shall be null and void

Yours truly,

Dan Daviau

President & Chief Executive Officer

Canaccord Genuity Group Inc.

This press release does not constitute an offer to buy or an invitation to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy or invitation to sell, any securities of RF Capital or Canaccord Genuity.

ABOUT CANACCORD GENUITY GROUP INC.

Through its principal subsidiaries, Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. (the "Company") is a leading independent, full-service financial services firm, with operations in two principal segments of the securities industry: wealth management and capital markets. Since its establishment in 1950, the Company has been driven by an unwavering commitment to building lasting client relationships. We achieve this by generating value for our individual, institutional and corporate clients through comprehensive investment solutions, brokerage services and investment banking services. The Company has wealth management offices located in Canada, the UK, Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man and Australia. The Company's international capital markets division operates in North America, UK & Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East.

Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. is publicly traded under the symbol CF on the TSX.

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

This press release may contain "forward-looking information" as defined under applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). These statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's expectations, beliefs, plans, estimates, intentions and similar statements concerning anticipated future events, results, circumstances, performance or expectations that are not historical facts, including the Proposal, the business and economic conditions and Canaccord Genuity Group's growth, results of operations, performance and business prospects and opportunities. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential", "continue", "target", "intend", "could" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and a number of factors could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. In evaluating these statements, readers should specifically consider various factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. These factors include, but are not limited `to, market and general economic conditions, the nature of the financial services industry and the risks and uncertainties discussed from time to time in the Company's interim condensed and annual consolidated financial statements, its annual report and its annual information form ("AIF") filed on www.sedar.com as well as the factors discussed in the sections entitled "Risk Management" and "Risk Factors" in the AIF, which include market, liquidity, credit, operational, legal and regulatory risks. Material factors or assumptions that were used by the Company to develop the forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to, those set out in the Fiscal 2020 Outlook section in the annual MD&A and those discussed from time to time in the Company's interim condensed and annual consolidated financial statements, its annual report and the AIF filed on www.sedar.com. The preceding list is not exhaustive of all possible risk factors that may influence actual results. Readers are cautioned that the preceding list of material factors or assumptions is not exhaustive. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes are reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Except as may be required by applicable law, the Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims, any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, further developments or otherwise.

Client assets include Assets under administration (AUA) and assets under management (AUM) which are non-IFRS measures that are common to the wealth management business. Client assets reflect the market value of securities and funds managed and administered by the Company from which the Company earns commissions and fees. This measure includes funds held in client accounts as well as the aggregate market value of long and short security positions. The Company's method of calculating AUA and may differ from the methods used by other companies and therefore may not be comparable to other companies. Management uses these measures to assess operational performance of the Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management business segment. The value of AUA and AUM will change with changes in market values and foreign exchange rates.



























1 Items excluding significant items are non-IFRS measures. Refer to non-IFRS measures in our annual MD&A for fiscal 2020 and our quarterly MD&A for the nine months ended December 31, 2020.

SOURCE Canaccord Genuity Group Inc.

Related Links

http://www.cgf.com


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FALLS CHURCH, Va.  A former Old Dominion University student who joined up with white supremacists in a swatting conspiracy that targeted a Black church, his own university and a Cabinet officer, among others, was sentenced to nearly three years in prison Monday.

The 33-month sentence for John William Kirby Kelley, 20, of Vienna, Virginia, essentially splits the difference between the five-year term sought by prosecutors and the 14-month sentence of time served requested by his lawyers.

Kelley pleaded guilty to hosting an internet chatroom in which he and others called in fake bomb threats and attacks on more than 100 different targets, many of which were targeted because of racial or religious animus.

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Among those in the conspiracy was a founder of Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi hate group. That individual, John C. Denton of Montgomery, Texas, has also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

Kelley was 17 and living at home in northern Virginia when he started the Graveyard chatroom. The chatroom soon became a haven for hateful rhetoric by white supremacists, who delighted in the chaos caused by their swatting calls.

Among the targets was Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria and the home of then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who also lives in Alexandria. The group also targeted the Dar El-Eman Islamic Center in Arlington, Texas, and a Black church in Schenectady, New York, the First Reformed Church.

Kelley also had his own school, Old Dominion University, targeted twice, prompting closures and a police response. University police contacted Kelley about the calls, but prosecutors said it was the subsequent call targeting Nielsen that led police to the conspiracy members.

Even though Kelley regularly used racist language and admitted that the swatting conspiracy chose some targets because of race or religion, he denied that hes a racist and argued that he naively acquiesced to the hateful language prevalent in the internet channel he created.

At his sentencing hearing in U.S. Distinct Court in Alexandria, he apologized for his conduct and requested leniency. He said the time he has spent in jail has been difficult for him, noting hardships like a lack of access to the jails barber shop.

The racial language that has been expressed by me and my co-conspirators, along with the swatting attacks, do not represent my values and beliefs, he told the judge. Furthermore, I was personally disgusted by the direction that the chat room took after my departure. I made it a personal mission to improve and separate myself from bad influences such as these.

His lawyer, Cadence Mertz, objected to Kelleys crimes being classified as a hate crime, which resulted in a higher sentencing guideline. She said there was no proof that Kelley personally targeted anyone because of racial animus.

He has made crystal clear that these views that he expressed, which are hateful and vile, are not who he is, Mertz said.

Judge Liam OGrady ruled, though, that the hate crime designation is appropriate and said that his conduct and his association with known white supremacists demonstrates how far out you were and how aligned you were with this group.

But he credited Kelley for his youth, his renunciation of racism and mental health deficits in giving him a 33-month sentence that was lower than guideline range of 51 to 60 months.

Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Raj Parekh, whose office prosecuted the case, said in a statement, Swatting attacks are serious crimes that disrupt the operations of local emergency agencies, take first responders away from real emergencies, and place victims  in grave danger. EDVA will continue to bring to justice those who threaten public safety with these menacing hoaxes, especially when those threats are motivated by racial or religious animus.
A senior U.S. official said there had been efforts to reach out to North Korea "through several channels starting in mid-February, including in New York," but so far, "we have not received any response from Pyongyang."

North Korea has failed to respond to behind-the-scenes overtures from the new U.S. government of President Joe Biden, Reuters reported Sunday.

There had been no dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang for more than a year "despite multiple attempts" by the U.S. to engage, he added.

Contacts broke down fast after former U.S. president Donald Trump walked out of a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2019.

Commenting on the Biden administration's policy review on March 12, Sung Kim, the acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said, "Our commitment to seeking a compete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula or [North Korea] has not changed."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visit Japan and South Korea this week.
New Delhi, Mar. March 15 : The government has dropped its plan to split gas transportation utility GAIL into two by unbundling its marketing and gas transportation operations.

In a written reply to a question on Gail bifurcation on Monday, Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that no such proposal was under consideration at present.

He said that GAIL is executing projects related to expansion of gas infrastructure in the country involving setting up pipeline, LNG terminals, City Gas Distribution & Compressed Natural Gas retail network in the country.

To address the issue of conflict of interest where GAIL acts as both seller and carrier of gas, it was earlier proposed that the gas transporter would separate out accounts of gas transportation and marketing operations while giving outside parties wider access to its vast pipeline network. The bifurcation proposal involved hiving off GAIL's pipeline business into a separate entity.

Later another proposal involving putting pipeline operations of GAIL under an independent subsidiary was also considered. But both the proposals has been put in the backburner now.

Pradhan informed the house that GAIL has taken a number of steps to enhance its profitability. A company-wide cost optimization drive has been initiated to bring down the cost and improve operational efficiency during this uncertain business environment. Besides, digitization and process optimization drive has been started in the company to reduce response time and cost.

GAIL currently has the monopoly both in terms of marketing and transportation of gas. This creates conflict of interest and affects discovery of competitive gas pricing. One of the reasons for unbundling was that some industry players alleged that GAIL was not giving them access to its 11,000-kilometer pipeline network to transport their gas. But government is now setting up an independent gas transport system operator that will facilitate and coordinate of booking of common carrier capacity in all natural gas pipelines on a non-discriminatory, open-access basis.
In late February, Vestnik Kavkaza visited liberated territories of Azerbaijan where the work on recovery of the devastated region is going on. Our reporters visited Aghdam, Fizuli, Jabrayil, Zangilan, and the Iranian and Armenian border and recorded scales of destruction committed by the occupation forces of the Armenian army in Azerbaijani cities.

The fourth and fifth stops of the photo return to liberated lands were Khodaafarin Bridge and the city of Zangilan, Azerbaijans borders. Ancient Khodaafarin Bridge has a symbolic importance. It connects two sides of the boundary river of Aras and Azerbaijanis living on both of its sides  in Azerbaijan and Iran. After its liberation on October 18th, 2020, deoccupation of the Azerbaijani-Iranian border was predetermined. Today its one of key memorial places of the second Karabakh war.

The city of Zangilan is situated in 10 km from the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. It was liberated two days after the Azerbaijani army came to Khodaafarin Bridge, on October 20th. It set off deoccupation of the border with Armenia and opened the road to Lachin, the last artery road connecting the occupation forces and Yerevan. Today the city and nearby villages are ruined. However, Azerbaijans authorities are working hard on its recovery and implementing projects of Smart Village and Smart City in Zangilan District.
Actor Khushbu Sundar has now secured a place in BJP's first list of candidates for the Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections. Khushbu had grabbed headlines when she had quit the Congress party last year, writing a letter to party chief Sonia Gandhi for the same. With this latest development, the actor-politician will now be contesting from Chennai's Thousand Lights constituency against Dr Ezhilan from DMK.

Khushbu Sundar took to her Twitter handle to inform her followers about the same and express her happiness. She thanked BJP for giving her the opportunity to contest from the Thousand Lights constituency in the upcoming Tamil Nadu elections. She also stated that she promises to work hard and win the same. Her tweet read as, "I thank @BJP4India from the bottom of my heart for giving me the opportunity to contest from #thousandlights in the upcoming #TamilNaduElections2021 Promise to work hard and win." Take a look at the tweet shared by the actor.

Talking about Khushbu Sundar's resignation letter as she quit Congress, the actor had mentioned in the same that she felt suppressed and pushed by the people who had no connection with ground reality. The Chinna Thambi actor had further added in the letter that a few who are seated at a higher level in the party, have no connectivity with ground reality or public recognition. The actor had mentioned that these people wanted to dictate terms and a few party members like her who instead wanted to work sincerely, were suppressed and pushed in the process.

Also Read: Khushbu Sundar Quits Congress To Join BJP, Sends Resignation Letter To Sonia Gandhi

For the unversed, Khushbu Sundar was a member of the DMK party before she moved to Congress. This will be the actor's first stint as contesting for an election. Recently, the Michael Madana Kama Rajan actor also got vaccinated for COVID-19. She had shared the same in her social media account, wherein she mentioned that she has received her vaccination at the Apollo Hospital in Chennai. Sharing the same, Khushbu stated that she did it because she cares for her family and everyone else whom she meets on a daily basis. The actor also stated another reason for her to take the vaccine to be that she is asthmatic with severe sinusitis.

Also Read: Tamil Nadu Child Marriage Case: Khushbu Sundar Requests Smriti Irani & WCD Ministry's Attention
Kyiv's regional cell of Servant of People elects new leader instead of Dubinsky, who may be expelled from the party

Members of Kyiv regional organization of the political party Servant of the People have elected MP Andriy Motovylovets as chairman instead of Oleksandr Dubinsky.

The members of the party organization made the corresponding decision at an extraordinary conference on Sunday, according to the party's website. "At the conference, the members of the organization decided to re-elect the head. By the majority of votes, Andriy Motovylovets became the new chairman of Kyiv party cell," the message says.

At the same time, members of the organization believe that Dubinsky, who previously headed Kyiv regional organization of the Servant of the People, cannot be a member of the national council of communities, which was created during the extraordinary congress of the party on March 13. Also, in connection with actions that can be interpreted as non-recognition of the party's charter and failure by a party member to fulfill its statutory duties, the issue of expelling Dubinsky from party members is being considered.

As reported, members of the Servant of the People party raised the issue of Dubinsky's continued tenure as head of Kyiv regional organization and appealed to the chairman of the political force with an initiative to convene an extraordinary conference on personnel issues.
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Sanaa, March 15 : Yemen's army backed by the Saudi-led coalition forces has begun a large-scale offensive in Abs district, Hajjah province, against the Houthi rebels.

The offensive comes after years of a political and military stalemate during the six years of deadly civil war, Xinhua news agency reported.

Houthi fighters responded with heavy gunfire and artillery shelling from sandy hills and green farms, showing fierce resistance.

Abs is a few miles away north of the strategic Red Sea province of Hodeidah, which is also under Houthi control.

The civil war erupted in late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthis seized control of much of the country's north and forced the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, displaced nearly 4 million, and pushed the country to the brink of famine.

Losing Abs would be a major blow to the Houthi rebels.

"The enemy (Houthi) was preparing to attack the army's positions in the area, but the soldiers were on the lookout," Taha al-Omari, commander of the 105th Brigade of the Fifth Military Region, told Xinhua on Sunday.

"Today, the Fifth Military Region, with its all units, carried out a large offensive, recapturing more than 10 villages in Abs and cutting off roads and backup lines of the enemy between this southern frontline and the northern and western frontlines of Abs, as well as cutting off the road linking Mustaba district with Bani Hassan area in Abs to isolate the enemy," he said.

The villagers have fled the area following military tensions weeks ago to the internally displaced camps in several other areas under government control.

The offensive in Hajjah province coincided with another army's large offensive in the central-western province of Taiz, as the army advanced there too, retaking large areas from the Houthis, according to local media reports.

The move came after the Houthi group last month announced a wide offensive to seize control of the central oil-rich province of Marib, the last northern stronghold of the government.

The UN has called on the Houthi group to stop its offensive on Marib as the province hosts more than 2 million internally displaced people.

Dozens of fighters from both sides have been killed since then, according to local media.

The US special envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking met with the delegation of the Houthi group in Muscat last month, presenting them with a comprehensive plan for a nationwide cease-fire and an end to the Yemeni civil war.

However, the Houthis has rejected the proposal in a statement, calling it "an empty one that represented the Saudi vision".
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Scotland would still be stuck in the 'vice-like grip' of Covid if it had followed SNP advice on vaccine rollout, according to Alister Jack

Scotland would still be stuck in the 'vice-like grip' of Covid if it had followed SNP advice on vaccine rollout, according to Alister Jack.

The Scottish Secretary yesterday hailed the UK Government's vaccination programme  which has seen more than 1.8million people receive a jab north of the Border.

He described the rollout as the 'envy of the world', with officials believing all adults should have received their first dose of the vaccine by the end of July.

And Mr Jack hit out at the SNP insisting that Nicola Sturgeon and her party must ditch their 'chilling' obsession with independence and instead focus on rebuilding the country following the pandemic.

The Dumfries and Galloway MP was speaking on the second day of the virtual Scottish Conservative Party conference, only two weeks before the Holyrood election short campaign kicks off.

He used the platform to hail the Westminster Government's vaccine rollout programme, which ministers believe will reach within days the major milestone of vaccinating 25million people.

Mr Jack said: 'Had we followed the SNP's advice on vaccines and waited for the flat-footed EU, we would still be in the vice-like grip of the pandemic instead of confidently looking forward to better days.

'There can be no more eloquent expression of the success of the Union than this brilliant UK-wide approach.'

Mr Jack added that the vaccination programme had been a 'truly astonishing achievement' and on a 'scale that dwarfs anything since the war'.

He also used his speech to launch an attack Miss Sturgeon's party.

Mr Jack hit out at the SNP insisting that Nicola Sturgeon and her party must ditch their 'chilling' obsession with independence and instead focus on rebuilding the country following the pandemic

Dubbing SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford a 'champagne separatist', he hit out at his comments there could be a second Scottish independence referendum towards the end of this year.

Mr Jack said: 'It is chilling that with the monumental task of recuperating from a pandemic still ahead, supposedly serious politicians can spend even a moment contemplating the reckless folly of another referendum.'

Mr Jack also defended a controversial scheme which will see Westminster spend cash directly in devolved policy areas in Scotland. He said this would ensure the funding is 'not left to moulder in the coffers of Bute House'.

The Scottish Secretary hailed the 4.8billion Levelling Up scheme as 'true devolution'.

He said it allowed politicians in London to put 'the power and the money local communities crave directly into their hands'.

The SNP has accused the Conservatives at Westminster of a 'naked power grab', saying the administration there is trying to 'bypass the devolved governments and dictate spending over devolved areas'.

The Scottish Secretary said much of the work being done by the UK Government was possible only due to Brexit.

He said 'not everything has been smooth' but 'an undertaking on this scale was always going to have snags'.
A former Jefferson County sheriffs deputy has been indicted on more than two dozen child porn charges.

Phillip Humphries, a 56-year-old Trussville man  was initially arrested in 2019 on one count of possession of obscene matter. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall on Monday announced a grand jury on Feb. 23 indicted Humphries on a total of 25 counts  the one from 2019 and 24 new charges. The images are believed to have all been found at the same time.

Humphries, who was hired by the sheriffs office in 1989, turned in his resignation two years ago after learning of the investigation. His bond on the 2019 charge was $15,000 and he has been out of jail since then.

Marshal said Humphries bond is now set at $375,000.

Scott Boudreaux, Humphries attorney, has filed a motion asking the court to reinstate Humphries initial bond. The defendant is wheelchair bound and has recently gone through multiple amputations,' Boudreaux wrote in court records. He is tethered to oxygen is about to be readmitted to the hospital. He is a former law enforcement officer and is not a flight risk.

If convicted, Humphries faces a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000 for each of the 25 counts, which are Class C felonies.
News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.
Beijing was shrouded in thick brown dust on Monday as a result of heavy winds blowing in from the Gobi desert and parts of northwestern China, in what the weather bureau has called the biggest sandstorm in a decade.





The China Meteorological Administration announced a yellow alert on Monday morning, saying sandstorms had spread from Inner Mongolia into the provinces of Gansu, Shanxi and Hebei, which surrounds Beijing.

Neighbouring Mongolia was also hit by heavy sandstorms, with at least 341 people reported missing, according to Chinas state news agency Xinhua.

Flights have been grounded out of Hohhot, capital of Chinas Inner Mongolia.

Around a fifth of the incoming and outbound flights at Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing Daxing International Airport have also been cancelled as of noon local time (0400 GMT), more than usual during the sandstorm season, according to aviation data provider Variflight.

Beijings official air quality index reached a maximum of 500 on Monday morning, with floating particles known as PM10 rising beyond 8,000 micrograms per cubic metre in some districts, according to the citys pollution monitoring centre.

The World Health Organization recommends average daily PM 10 concentrations of no more than 50 micrograms.

The sandstorms were expected to shift south towards the Yangtze River delta and should clear by Wednesday or Thursday, the environment ministry said.

Beijing faces regular sandstorms in March and April due to its proximity to the massive Gobi desert as well as deforestation and soil erosion throughout northern China.




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Today

Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. Very hot. High around 105F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph.

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 74F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunny skies. High near 105F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph.
DRDO successfully flight-tests solid fuel ducted ramjet technology for air-to-air missiles

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) today successfully carried out a flight demonstration based on Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) technology from the Integrated Test Range Chandipur off the coast of Odisha at around 1030 hrs.

DRDO said all the subsystems, including the booster motor and nozzle-less motor, performed as expected. During the test, many new technologies were proven, including Solid Fuel based Ducted Ramjet technology, it added.

The successful demonstration of Solid Fuel based Ducted Ramjet technology will enable DRDO to develop long range air-to-air missiles. At present, such technology is available only with a handful of countries in the world.

During the test, air launch scenario was simulated using a booster motor. Subsequently, the nozzle-less booster accelerated it to the required Mach number for Ramjet operation.

The performance of the missile was monitored using data captured by electro optical, radar and telemetry instruments deployed by ITR and confirmed successful demonstration of the mission objectives. The launch was monitored by senior scientists of various DRDO labs, including Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL), Research Centre Imarat (RCI) and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL).

Defence minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO scientists, Indian Air Force and the industry on the successful flight test of SFDR.

Secretary Department of Defence R&D and chairman DRDO G Satheesh Reddy also congratulated the team involved in the successful flight test.
By Karu F. Daniels

The fourth season of the Netflixs hit drama The Crown took the show into yet another decade, but the creators dont expect the story to keep going until the Megxit of 2020.

Fans of Netflixs The Crown shouldnt expect to see any of the current-day drama regarding the British monarchy on the popular series.

Although the most recent season of the landmark historical drama is revisiting the Prince Charles and Princess Diana era, producers have no plans to feature any of the modern-day controversy surrounding Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

Season six is set to be the final season of The Crown, ending somewhere in the early 2000s. The Crown creator Peter Morgan has specifically said that the young royals romance is simply too recent to reflect on with any clarity in the show, so if they were to be covered onscreen, they would have to wait for the show to be revived in another decade or so.

I just think you get so much more interesting (with time), he told The Hollywood Reporter. Meghan and Harry are in the middle of their journey, and I dont know what their journey is or how it will end. One wishes some happiness, but Im much more comfortable writing about things that happened at least 20 years ago.

More than 17 million people in America watched Oprah Winfreys exclusive sitdown with the couple formerly known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The controversial two-hour interviews bombshells, including Markles admission of suicidal thoughts and the revelation of racist acts inside and outside the palace, has rocked the royal dynasty. Seems like perfect fodder for a sudsy streaming series.

But according to Morgan, the timing to feature the embattled Duke and Duchess doesnt quite fit into the current scope of The Crown. He feels the same way about the scandal surrounding Prince Andrew and his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

That is enough time and enough distance to really understand something, to understand its role, to understand its position, to understand its relevance, the show-runner explained. Often things that appear absolutely wildly important today are instantly forgotten, and other things have a habit of sticking around and proving to be historically very relevant and long-lasting.

I dont know where in the scheme of things Prince Andrew or indeed Meghan Markle or Harry will ever appear, Morgan continued. We wont know, and you need time to stop something from being journalistic. And so I dont want to write about them because to write about them would instantly make it journalistic, and there are plenty of journalists already writing about them. In his head, he said he had a 20-year rule.

You need to also allow for the opportunity for metaphor, Morgan continued. Once something has a metaphorical possibility, it can then become interesting. Its quite possible, for example, to tell the story of Harry and Meghan through analogy and metaphor, if thats what you want to do. Because thereve been so many examples in the past, whether its Wallis Simpson or Edward VII, or whether its Diana and Prince Charles. There have been plenty of opportunities in the past where there have been marital complications. Thereve been wives that have been married into the Royal family that have felt unwelcome and that they dont fit in. So there are plenty of stories to tell without telling the story of Harry and Meghan. The final two seasons of The Crown are expected to cover the royals up to the early aughts. Season four started in 1979 and ended around 1990. There are two more seasons to go before the series concludes.

 Copyright dpa
A recently published letter states that religious persecution amid COVID is a reminder for people to vote wisely.

In her letter to Crow River Media, Anna Enright Hutchinson inferred that the crackdown on in-house church gatherings ordered by several state governors were "motivated by more than a simple desire to control the virus."

"They are varying degrees of religious persecution, which are dangerous, un-American, and a reminder to vote carefully," she wrote.

Hutchinson noted that in February, the Supreme Court ruled that churches in California are to be allowed to resume their indoor services. Adherence to the safety guidelines and protocols were expected. Nonetheless, Gov. Gavin Newsom had gone far with his orders.

"Church leaders were pleading with Newsom for months, demonstrating their willingness to follow masking and sanitizing guidelines, but Newsom would not compromise. In comparison, he had allowed for the opening of establishments such as dry cleaners, hotels and nail salons with modifications," said Hutchinson.

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch agreed that the California governor's "treatment of churches is clearly unconstitutional."

"We appear to have a state playing favorites during a pandemic," opined Justice Neil Gorsuch. He, however, clarified that this observation is not a "downplaying (of) the suffering many have experienced in this pandemic."

Gorsuch argues that the protection of the "free exercise of religion" is on top of the Constitution's Bill of Rights. This even supersedes the freedom of speech and the press.

"Government closure of a house of worship, an essential element in the free exercise of many religions, should never occur in the U.S., even in times of 'crisis,'" he said.

"Furthermore, the heavy restrictions on churches are discriminatory," the Court Justice continued noting the preferential treatment of other establishments over churches using COVID as an excuse. The state has not provided a substantial evidence proving that the re-opening of houses of worship poses "a greater health risk than others."

"If Hollywood may host a studio audience or film a singing competition while not a single soul may enter California's churches, synagogues, and mosques, something has gone seriously awry," said Gorsuch to Bloomberg Law.

It's worth noting that strip clubs were allowed to operate while churches in California were forced to close, with heavy fines and punishment imposed on those who were caught "violating" COVID-19 restrictions.

But California isn't the only state where churches are experiencing discriminatory repressions. In November, the Supreme Court had to intervene against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's similar orders on churches.

"The restrictions at issue here, by effectively barring many from attending religious services, strike at the very heart of the First Amendment's guarantee of religious liberty," said the court's decision per NPR news report. "Even in a pandemic, the constitution cannot be put away and forgotten," they added.

In May, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz approved the 50% capacity for many businesses but limited churches to 10 people. He only amended his order after receiving a "legally persuasive letter" from Archbishop Bernard Hebda.

"We do not take this step lightly. We sought all along to engage you and your administration in a proactive way, and continue to be willing to do so," the Archbishop respectfully wrote.

According to MPR News, the Catholic bishops said it "defies reason" to allow malls to reopen while continuing to prohibit more than 10 people from gathering in a cathedral that can seat thousands.

Back to Hutchinson's letter, she said that all these steps taken by these governors are "more than coincidences," thus, her reminder for Americans to vote carefully.

Facebook has announced that it's launching a tool that will show "when and where you can get vaccinated" for COVID-19, and provide a link to help you make an appointment. The new feature will show in its COVID-19 Information Center and is arriving when the US and other countries are starting to vaccinate adults. The aim is "to help bring 50 million people a step closer to getting COVID-19 vaccines," according to a post from CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

To create the tool, Facebook partnered with Boston Children's Hospital, which runs the VaccineFinder.org website. That tool  available in the COVID-19 Information Center starting today  will provide the hours of operation, contact info and links to make a vaccination appointment. It will be supported in 71 different languages, and Facebook plans to expand it to other countries once vaccines are more widely available.

Facebook also revealed that it will bring the COVID-19 Information Center to Instagram and "show it prominently there too." As with the Facebook portal, the tool will display the latest virus information from local governments and the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the Instagram Blog. You'll also see new stickers on Instagram Stories, "so people can inspire others to get vaccinated when it becomes available to them," Facebook said.

First, we're launching a tool that shows you when and where you can get vaccinated, and gives you a link to make an appointment. This will be in the Covid Information Center, which we'll show people right in their News Feed. We've already seen people use Facebook to find vaccination appointments, so this should enable millions more people to do the same.

Facebook is also working with medical authorities on WhatsApp chatbots in an effort to help people register for vaccines. "More than 3 billion messages related to Covid have already been sent by governments, nonprofits and international organizations to citizens through official WhatsApp chatbots, so this update will help with the vaccination effort as well," Zuckerberg wrote.

Finally, Facebook revealed plans to make vaccination trends, like intent to get vaccinated and reasons for hesitancy, available to public officials "to inform equitable vaccine rollout." It's also launching data and insights on vaccine attitudes on its COVID-19 map and dashboard, available on Facebook's "Data for Good" dashboard. Meanwhile, journalists, aid organizations and public officials will be able to track how vaccine information is spread on social media via CrowdTangle's COVID-19 Live Displays.

USA Today noted that about 21 percent of people in the US have received at least one COVID-19 shot, and 11 percent are fully vaccinated.US President Joe Biden recently unveiled an ambitious plan to inoculate the rest of the US population in time for the July 4th Independence Day celebrations. Some of Facebook's new tools and the vaccination appointment links could help in that regard, particularly for folks who get the majority of their information from the site.
A busy period for pan-African operator MTN Group  and its ongoing plan to sell assets, pay down debt and invest in expansion  looks set to continue.

Bloomberg reports that MTN plans to separate its fibre and fintech units as part of its plans to unlock value.

According to the news agency, MTN CEO Ralph Mupita said recently that the leading African operator is seeking strategic partners and investors for the businesses.

Its probably not surprising that the company sees value in the staggering 85,000 kilometres of fibre it owns across the continent, especially at a time of fast internet take-up across Africa. And of course, fintech-related business, notably mobile payment services, is expanding rapidly. MTNs fintech business is eight percent of group revenue, growing, according to the CEO, to some 20 percent in the next three to four years.

Among recent revenue-boosting deals, tower asset sales have already delivered some good returns, as has the sale of a stake in e-commerce group Jumia Technologies AG. A sale-and-leaseback deal on MTNs South African towers may be next.

Further positive news for MTN recently came from Nigeria with last weeks announcement that MTN Nigeria has acquired an additional 10MHz spectrum in the 800MHz band from Intercellular Nigeria Limited after approval from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

As local press points out, the additional spectrum may play a part in the group's expansion of 4G LTE services across the country  and its not the only spectrum bonus the company has enjoyed lately. In 2019, the NCC approved the transfer of CDMA operator Visafone's 800MHz spectrum to MTN Nigeria, a potential boost for network reach in rural areas.

Muktikot was known as Dumkot until the mid-1990s, but the Maoist insurgents renamed it to signify their dream of liberation. But, this change has not translated into the real life of the villagers.

People here are struggling with problems like hunger, malnutrition, unemployment, high child mortality rate, child marriage and much more.

There is not any alternative to reach there but to walk for three days from Martadi, the district headquarters of Bajura. In Muktikot, Swamikartik Khapar rural municipality-1, there are about 400 families.

According to the Human Development Report, 2015 and the 2011 census, 64.1 per cent of the entire population of Bajura is below the poverty line. The 2015 report of Poor Households Support Coordination Board Secretariat (PHSCBS) has placed 71.1 per cent of the people of Bajura in the category of the poor. All three reports call Bajura the poorest district in Nepal.

Accordingly, this rural municipality within Bajura is the poorest local unit. The report of the PHSCBS has shown that 75 per cent of the population of this village is below the poverty line.

Extreme poverty and hunger

Muktikot, an old Dalit settlement on the hill, has very little arable land. Moreover, this village is affected by drought almost every year. Even in the year when no drought occurs, the harvested crops only last for some months only, says Aaujani BK.

Muktikot village is always in a food crisis. The villagers here struggle to make the ends meet. Neither is there any employment nor any production.

Its been hard to survive from hunger this year, says Bal Bahadur BK, Due to the drought, the seedlings have not been able to germinate.

According to Bal Bahadur, there are only four government employees in the entire village: one is the Nepal Police constable, one is a Nepal Army staffer and the other two are non-gazetted technical staff. Except for these four families having a regular source of income, most of the other villagers are starving.

He further expresses, Youth of the village who have gone to India in search of jobs have not been able to get it citing the Covid-19 pandemic. And, here in the village, we are in such a situation that we are having to live on one meal per day.

Aaujani adds, My husband also has not been able to find a job in India.

Malnutrition leading to high mortality rate

Most of the mothers above the age of 32 have given birth to up to seven children in this village.

Ashok Singh, the executive director of the Food First Information and Action Network (FIAN Nepal), a non-governmental organisation that recently conducted a study on food crisis and malnutrition in Muktikot, says 95 per cent of the villagers are in extreme food crisis and malnutrition. Out of them, mainly pregnant women and children were suffering from malnutrition. Also, the child mortality rate is also very high in this village.

Janak and Relli BK could not save their four children. As of now, their fifth child, Bikas, is just two months old and is surviving on milk powder as the mothers milk is not sufficient. Due to that, he has been suffering from malnutrition and is in critical health condition.

As per Singh, not only Bikas, more than 30 children in the village are currently suffering from malnutrition. Last year, six children died due to malnutrition. Ludi BK, who lost her one-year-old son to malnutrition, says, As I could not have enough food (rice), milk did not come, due to which, I lost my child.

According to Bal Bahadur, a neighbour of Ludi, most mothers in the village are malnourished. Stating that the government has ignored the dire situation, he says, Treatment is a distant thing. No one has even come to check the status here.

Most of the mothers above the age of 32 have given birth to up to seven children in this village. At the age of 32, Janasara has already become pregnant 12 times. She now has eight children.

Even the villagers are unaware of the knowledge of family planning. Due to the tough geography, not only the health workers but also the health information also does not reach this village. The health condition of the mothers who have given birth to many children is very poor. Mainly, there has been the problem of uterine prolapse, but they have not received any treatments.

High early marriage rate

The health condition of the mothers who have given birth to many children is very poor.

Malnutrition, unemployment, poverty, high child mortality are not the only problems the people of Muktikot are suffering. Prakash Bam, the principal of Raghumata Secondary School near Muktikot, says most of the students get married before reaching the fifth grade and leave for India. Only Shobha BK, 18, of Muktikot reached 10th grade.

But, my parents got me married because they didnt have the money for my further study, Shobha, who is five-month pregnant currently, expresses, All my friends are married and most of them also have children.

According to Bal Bahadur BK, 30 couples all below the marriageable age got married in the last year. In our village, there are no unmarried people who are the age of 20 and above.
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Six members of the European Union have expressed concern over how the EU is distributing Covid-19 vaccines after AstraZeneca once again lowered its delivery targets.

Austria, Latvia, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovenia have complained to the European Commission about the disproportionate distribution of vaccines in the EU countries.

It was initially agreed that vaccines procured by the EU would be distributed in proportion to the country's population. But some countries have introduced flexibility to the system so that they can get more of a specific vaccine, depending on price and terms of service. The European Commission responded to the letter, stating that vaccine distribution is a transparent process.

According to media reports, Bulgaria, for example, preferred to receive fewer vaccinations from Pfizer and BioNTech. As a result, other EU countries were able to purchase surplus vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech.

According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Bulgaria and the other signatory countries that signed the letter are among the EU that received the least amount of vaccines.

They are concerned that some EU countries will be able to achieve herd immunity in a few weeks, while others will lag far behind.

Their complaint follows news that AstraZeneca will not meet its targets in the coming months. The Swedish-British pharmaceutical firm has confirmed that it will ship 30 million doses to the EU by the end of the first quarter and another 70 million doses in the second quarter.
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More New Yorkers believe that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has committed sexual harassment than not, but half of those surveyed say that he should not immediately resign, according to a Siena College poll released on Monday.

Slightly more than a third of voters, 35 percent, said they believed the governor had committed sexual harassment, while 24 percent believed he had not, according to the poll, which was conducted in the second week of March. The responses were largely the same among men and women, with a plurality of voters undecided: 41 percent said they were unsure if Mr. Cuomo was guilty of sexual harassment.

Multiple women, including current and former aides, have accused Mr. Cuomo in the past few weeks of a range of inappropriate behavior, including sexual harassment and groping.

The governor has repeatedly denied ever touching anyone inappropriately, and has apologized for comments he said may have made women feel uncomfortable. He has also said he will cooperate with an investigation into the claims that is being overseen by the state attorney general, Letitia James.
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Press Release

Nokia partners with Microsoft on cloud solutions for enterprise

Nokia to integrate its Cloud RAN technology with Microsoft Azure

Nokia partnering with best-in-class cloud providers to leverage its Cloud RAN leadership and drive end-user 5G deployments.

15 March 2021

Espoo, Finland - Nokia today announced an agreement with Microsoft to develop new market-ready 4G and 5G private wireless use cases designed for enterprises. The collaboration will combine Nokia's Cloud RAN (vRAN) technologies with Microsoft Azure cloud-based services and developer ecosystem to drive end-user functionality via new business cases. The initiative supports Nokia's strategy of partnering with best-in-class public cloud providers to drive end-user business outcomes essential for monetizing 4G/5G deployments.

The project, which will run in three stages, will see Nokia combine its mobile network solutions including Cloud RAN, Open RAN, Radio Access Controller (RIC) and multi-access edge cloud (MEC) with the Azure Private Edge Zone. Azure Private Edge Zone enables data processing close to the end user, addressing ultra-low latency, high throughout 5G-based applications such as real-time robotics, mixed reality or immersive gaming. The initiative aims to achieve a better performance and end user experiences for third-party app developers via the Azure ecosystem when exposed to the network.

Nokia will also integrate its 5G RAN with Azure 4G/5G core to demonstrate interworking to support enterprise use cases required by Microsoft's customers. Nokia's LTE/5G RAN in enterprise premises provides high-performing and reliable connectivity to 5G enterprise use cases from the Azure 5G core and application ecosystem. Additionally, Microsoft and Nokia will explore further opportunities to incorporate Nokia Airframe Open Edge server as part of its telco edge strategy. Nokia AirFrame Open Edge server distributes computing capacity into the edge of the network and drives the implementation of Cloud RAN, Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) as well as 5G.

The project highlights Nokia's strategy of partnering with public cloud providers. By leveraging its Open RAN and Cloud RAN leadership and combining it with best-in-class public cloud partners, Nokia is expanding its ecosystem of partners and driving end user business outcomes essential for monetizing 5G deployments. Both parties plan to explore additional areas in the future such as network slicing.

Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, commented: "We are enthusiastic to work closely with Microsoft on this project that will harness Azure with our 5G radio network technology. Open collaboration is key to the development of new and innovative high-value 5G use cases that will equip our customers with the tools they need for digital transformation. This is part of Nokia's continued commitment to leading an open mobile future, making it simple for our customers to take advantage of the 5G world helping to drive it forward."

Yousef Khalidi, Corporate Vice President, Azure for Operators at Microsoft Corp. added: "Microsoft believes in the importance of an open and interoperable ecosystem of solutions on the Azure carrier grade platform. Our collaboration with Nokia across multiple potential use cases, based on specific customer demand, will provide operators with choices on how the best adopt cloud technology in concert with their 5G updates to drive new revenue streams, reduce cost and future proof their network investment."

Resources

Webpage: Nokia Cloud RAN

About Nokia

We create the critical networks and technologies to bring together the world's intelligence, across businesses, cities, supply chains and societies.

With our commitment to innovation and technology leadership, driven by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs, we deliver networks at the limits of science across mobile, infrastructure, cloud, and enabling technologies.

Adhering to the highest standards of integrity and security, we help build the capabilities we need for a more productive, sustainable and inclusive world.

For our latest updates, please visit us online www.nokia.com and follow us on Twitter @nokia.
The proposal of the city of Chattanooga and Hamilton County may potentially steal the enjoyment of trout fishing at Lake Junior during the TWRA annual stocking (trout for breakfast - yummy), and depreciate the homes of hard-working property owners directly adjacent to the property.



Is the city and county asleep? - no public hearing to discuss potential noise? Last time I checked, it is our money being spent, so tell the people what the potential noise level will be.

Why is it that the public learns of the deal after it is on an agenda. Why is the public the last to know, always?

Heck, city and county, tell the people the truth, and that aint gonna cost anyone a dime. If my concerns are invalid, I welcome correction.

The news account states,

The City Council on March 23 is to consider a resolution for the city to pay TVA up to $100,000 for administrative costs of TVA transferring the property to the city and county.

The resolution refers to "the pending acquisition" of the property. The articles says "the current police firing range is on Moccasin Bend. The Chattanooga Police Department and the Sheriff's Department have long sought an alternate site instead of using the historic property. The National Park Service wants to incorporate the current firing range property into its National Archaeological Park.

At one time there were plans to build a new enclosed police firing range on 11th Street near the former Farmers Market, but that proposal fell through.

That is the information the public has.

Well yall, the firing range at Moccasin Bend is so offensive to people there has been a push to relocate the firing range for decades. I get that, outdoor municipal firing ranges are highly problematic for noise.

As typical, the existing city and county range had environmental testing performed and was identified as a source of lead in soil. I know, duh. But that is not the publics primary complaint, the noise described as, Saving Private Ryan, shooting day and night is offensive, but is typical of municipal shooting facilities.

The city and countys proposal for an indoor facility was considered and met with elected failure of logic for the long-term considerations, and was axed at County Commission level. This is the same group that axed a private outdoor shooting range. I look forward to hearing their position on placing a day and night municipal outdoor shooting range across from Lake Junior and adjacent to all these private residential properties. Understand, municipal firing ranges produce noise quite different from a private citizen facility, night and day nonstop.

Where in Hamilton County can an outdoor firing range be located to shoot high-powered weapons without damaging private citizens or public parks? I can think of none. Hamilton County would have been wise to fund the indoor municipal firing range.

Now, here sits these home and property owners, and users of Lake Junior fixing to potentially relinquish their peaceful possession of land to a government making bad decisions, if what I am reading is true. I have read that the Humane Society has a building in close proximity as well. I hope that is not the case.

I cannot fathom that TVA would knowingly facilitate a municipal firing range, municipal is a key word, this close to residential property. Oh wait I can, they would put a transmission tower on your lawn.

There should be public hearings, since significant public investment is involved that could potentially and adversely impact economically challenged residential property. My hometown has a long history of placing all kinds of infrastructure in less affluent neighborhoods. I think that is also a factor of choosing this property, they wont complain as loud.

A close examination of the current property use agreement for the existing Moccasin Bend firing range includes the language of, if not when that the city discontinues the firing range, the firing range ownership would be conveyed to the Park Service. This move of the firing range is an optional nicety.

In fact, the TVA property was proposed for many years ago by a political elite. Moving the existing firing range is optional, not legally required. If challenged, it can be shown that the move of the firing range is a political wish, and not a required move of the city. At the same time, everyone wants the city and county to have a new facility.

Why pick the lower income property owners to devalue with an adjacent municipal firing range? Often times, the right thing to do is not the most cost-effective approach. Not all solutions are cost effective, so build the indoor range.

In this case, the indoor municipal firing range needs to be funded in the best interest of 1) the political elites that want the existing range moved, 2) the adjacent property owners of the proposed new firing range location, 3) the users of Lake Junior and possible the Humane Society, if they are impacted.

City and county, please dont say you cannot afford an indoor firing range, after millions of our dollars were gifted to VW and many others. Give the police what they need, and abate proposed harm to adjoining land and property owners.

Signed, with concern of community,

April Eidson

* * *

Thank you, April, once again, for so eloquently expressing your concerns and well-founded arguments. I hope you dont mind but I shared your opinion piece with Ken Smith our district 3 representative.

I 100 percent agree with you that an indoor range will be the only resolution where citizens are not impacted by the excessive noise of an outdoor firing range and that goes for any location throughout the city and county. Relocating the outdoor range from one location to another is no different than fixing a drainage problem in one community only to flood the adjoining community.



Chris Morgan
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh OBrien TD, today announced 30.4 million in funding for five regeneration projects in the Mid-East investment region of Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.

The projects are being funded under Call 2 of the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF). The URDF part-funds projects aimed at enhancing urban areas to make them more attractive places in which to live, work, visit and invest. The three local authorities, which will deliver these multi-annual projects, will receive this funding.

The projects for which URDF support have been approved are:

Celbridge to Hazelhatch Link Road (Kildare County Council)  10.23 million

Naas Town Renewal Masterplan (Kildare County Council)  3.49 million

Maynooth Town Centre Renewal  Strengthening the Grid (Kildare County Council)  1.90 million

Flowerhill and Abbeylands Regeneration (Meath County Council)  7.66 million

Bray Harbour Area Integrated Regeneration (Wicklow County Council)  7.14 million



The Department will now contact the local authorities on the next steps regarding funding. Todays announcement brings the total approved URDF funding for this investment region to date to 59.72 million. Details of the remaining provisional funding allocations for Call 2 URDF projects in other Project Ireland 2040 investment regions, not already announced, will be announced later this week.

All selected projects support the National Planning Frameworks national strategic outcome of compact growth, a particular focus of the second call for URDF proposals. The URDF aims to facilitate a greater proportion of residential and commercial development, supported by infrastructure, services and amenities, within the existing built-up areas of larger urban settlements.

Announcing the provisional allocations this morning, Minister OBrien said: This funding will support projects in Kildare, Meath and Wicklow that will enhance quality of life for many people. The projects are all about making these areas even more attractive places in which to live, work, visit and invest.

Kildare will see significant funding through this announcement, with 10 million investment for the Celbridge to Hazelhatch Link Road. This will help Celbridge to develop in a way that utilises public transport infrastructure, including through increased connectivity between Celbridge Town and Hazelhatch train stations. Today's URDF funding will also spur on town centre renewals in Maynooth and Naas.

The Flowerhill and Abbeylands Regeneration project in Navan is an exciting project. The projects mix of improvement works and the proposed park and community facility can be a catalyst for much-needed development.

The Bray Harbour project exemplifies the role the URDF plays in funding works that can release sites for future development, all with the aim of regenerating an area with so much potential. Overall, I believe this funding can be a catalyst for regeneration, development and growth. It will also provide much-needed economic stimulus and job creation in Kildare, Meath and Wicklow as our economy emerges from the depths of the pandemic.

Compact growth was the focus of this round of URDF funding. The projects the Government is funding are geared towards sustainable growth of our urban settlements, supported by jobs, houses, services and amenities, as envisaged by the National Planning Framework. As well as compact growth, the fund supports our other national planning aims. In that sense the URDF is a unique approach to Government funding. Whilst many Government-funded programmes are for specific types of projects, the URDF funds a diverse set of integrated projects with integrated aims. I look forward to working with Kildare, Meath and Wicklow County Councils to progress these important projects.

He concluded: I understand there will be some disappointment in terms of projects which were unsuccessful. My Department will engage with and work with local authorities and provide feedback in respect of unsuccessful proposals.

The projects were chosen after a rigorous assessment process, overseen by a project advisory board consisting of Government departments, State agencies and national and international experts in areas such as building, architecture and planning. In total, the department received 76 project proposals. Each local authority submitted at least one application. Todays announcement honours the Programme for Government commitment to continue the URDF.

Celbridge to Hazelhatch Link Road  10.24 million

This project provides essential infrastructure to support compact consolidated development in Celbridge by realising the full potential of zoned lands south and east of the River Liffey. It will facilitate the delivery of social infrastructure in close proximity to the town centre, public transport services, schools, community facilities and employment hubs. It will also support wider strategic impacts on the public realm and the expansion and development potential of the town centre.

This project is the follow-on capital element to the successful URDF Call 1-funded project, which provided technical support for the comprehensive and integrated advancement of the Celbridge to Hazelhatch Link Road, a project identified for its positive wider impacts to its adjoining settlement surrounds.

The project switches the focus of social infrastructure development from the north to the south side of Celbridge to capitalise on the extent of public transport infrastructure there, with a particular focus on social infrastructure in the vicinity of Hazelhatch train station, while promoting the concepts of liveable compactness.

The project will also support national sustainable mobility principles by enhancing connectivity between Celbridge Town and Hazelhatch train station. It will provide high-quality walking and cycling linkages from residential areas to employment areas and public transport services, thereby increasing permeability and sustainable mobility within the area more generally.

Works to this project will include:

Phases 3-7 of the Celbridge to Hazelhatch Link Road Scheme.

Delivery of a second bridge over the River Liffey to access Key Development Areas.



Naas Town Renewal Masterplan  3.5 million

The project will support the preparation of a Naas Town Renewal Masterplan for the historic core of Naas. The aim is to initiate the transformative regeneration of the town centre through a plan-led, evidence-based, urban design and economic focused approach.

The works to be supported include:

Naas Town Renewal  preparation of a master plan

Background Assessments - Feasibility Study for The Castle Quarter, and a conservation management plan and archaeological survey for St. Davids Castle and grounds

Site assembly of key sites within the town centre

Transportation Interventions  progression of these works to planning and detailed design stage



Maynooth Town Centre Renewal  Strengthening the Grid  1.91 million

This project will support the preparation of a Master Plan. The plan will be informed by an urban design analysis and extensive stakeholder and public consultation. It will aim to maximise the development potential for the urban block structure and prepare key town renewal projects so as to increase town centre living.

Works under this Call 2 project include:

 Maynooth Town Centre Renewal  Strengthening the Grid  Preparation of Masterplan

 District Heating Exploration Project  to determine the potential for a district heating scheme serving the commercial and residential community

 Development of key town renewal projects  these will be identified in the Master Plan

 Harbourfield Park - the development to detail design and tender stage

URDF funding for Kildare:

The 15.64 million in approved funding is in addition to 5.53 million in approved funding for the Call 1 project, Letterkenny 2040.

Total URDF funding approved to date: 21.17 million
A Korean American is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in a by-election.

Sery Kim is the Republican candidate for a U.S. congressional seat in Texas's 6th congressional district.

The by-election will be held on May 1 to fill a seat vacated by Republican Rep. Ron Wright, who died last month from complications of coronavirus.
More than three-quarters (78%) of the 805 registered voters surveyed by Siena said they heard either "a great deal" or "some" of the reporting about the sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo. But a plurality of those voters (41%) said they either don't know or have no opinion on whether the governor committed sexual harassment. Thirty-five percent said he has, while 24% said he hasn't.

Democratic voters are split, with 29% saying he has committed sexual harassment and 28% saying he hasn't. But 43% of Democrats say they either don't know or have no opinion.

While 50% of voters are OK with Cuomo remaining as governor, a majority of those surveyed prefer another candidate for governor in 2022. According to the poll, 52% said they would prefer someone else, while 34% said they would reelect Cuomo for a fourth term.

According to the Siena poll, it's the lowest percentage of voters who've said they would reelect Cuomo since the college began asking the question in its November 2020 poll. In its poll released in February, 46% of voters said they would vote to reelect Cuomo.

Cuomo's favorability has also taken a hit, with 43% of voters have a positive view of the governor. It's a significant drop for Cuomo, whose favorability soared during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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Press Release

March 15, 2021 Villanueva: Lowering optional retirement age for gov't workers won't result in staffing shortage Adjusting the optional retirement age for government workers would open up opportunities for the next generation of civil servants and allow retirees to enjoy the next phase of their lives, according to Senator Joel Villanueva. Villanueva asked resource persons at Thursday's hearing of the Senate civil service committee on the likelihood of staffing shortage should several bills seeking to lower the optional retirement age are passed into law. "It's good to note that proposals to lower the optional retirement age will not result in staffing shortage," Villanueva said after Civil Service Commissioner Aileen Lizada explained that there was a high demand for government workers. Lizada shared that on one instance, there were about 200 applicants for a single vacancy they opened recently, which showed that there were a lot of people looking for jobs. On the other hand, Villanueva sought from representatives of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) the reasons often cited by government workers on why they remained in service until they reach the mandatory retirement age of 65. Replying to the lawmaker's query, GSIS representatives stated that workers stay until the mandatory retirement age because they need to meet the 15-year service requirement to be eligible for a state pension; they need the income to cover their basic needs and pay off debt, and they still desire to work. Villanueva reiterated that it was the duty of the government to design social security programs for its elderly population such as those in the civil service. Given the requirements of tenure before being able to be eligible to state pension and their day-to-day needs, Villanueva pointed out that "we really must study further on how to make optional retirement a reliable option for them." Villanueva filed Senate Bill No. 715 which seeks to lower the optional retirement age for teachers from 60 to 55 years. He cited a study that showed Filipino teachers retire at age 65 while their counterparts in most ASEAN countries retire at age 60. "Bigyan din naman po natin ng pagkakataon ang ating mga guro na ma-enjoy ang kanilang retirement while they are still healthy, agile, and strong," Villanueva said.
Colorado Springs, CO (80903)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 72F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. Low 49F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 15) Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Monday maintained the COVID-19 variant first discovered in the country is not yet a "variant of concern," noting that more data is needed regarding its transmissibility and effects on current vaccines.

Speaking to CNN Philippines, Duque refused to label the P.3 variant  first reported by the agency over the weekend  as the "Philippine variant" just yet.

"It's not (a Philippine variant)  you call it a P.3," Duque told The Source. "So far, it's not yet a variant of concern."

"Hindi malinaw kung mas mabilis ba itong kumalat or ito ba ay mas malala 'yung virulence, and hindi rin malinaw pa kung nakakaapekto rin ba ito sa effectiveness ng mga bakuna," he added.

[Translation: It is not yet clear whether this spreads faster or is more virulent, and it's also not clear if this affects the effectiveness of vaccines.]

The DOH on Saturday confirmed a new coronavirus variant called P.3 has been traced to the country, with the Philippine Genome Center detecting 85 cases "with unique set of mutations."

At the time, the DOH also avoided calling it "Philippine variant," adding that the practice of using country names to refer to variants should stop because it causes discrimination.

In a separate media forum the same day, Dr. Beverly Ho, Health Promotions bureau director, explained that the variant may be more transmissible and may likewise cause changes in the body's immune response to vaccines.

"They have been linked to possible increased transmissibility and immune escape in some studies," she said.

Aside from the P.3, the Philippines has also recorded cases of variants first discovered in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil.

Duque acknowledged that the presence of these new variants may have contributed to the continuous rise in nationwide COVID-19 infections, but stressed that the recent spike was brought by a "combination" of factors including quarantine fatigue, breach of protocols, and increased mobility.
Rijeka, Croatia , March 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Zorovic Maritime Services, a company based in Croatia that provides crew management, recruitment, and training services for the maritime industry, has launched updated services.

More information on the launch can be found by visiting https://www.zorovic.hr/en

The update combines a range of services including crew management and training for shipowners and seafarers in the maritime industry worldwide. These services are provided by a team of experienced account managers and personnel officers, based on each clients company profile, management systems, and business needs.

Clients have access to a full-service crew management program. The company is able to employ individual maritime staff or provide staffing solutions for a full ship, as well as finding suitable employees for the off-shore oil and gas industry.

As well as recruitment services, clients can also avail of rotation management, payroll administration, state document and visa organization, medical documentation and medical assistance, English language, and competence evaluation testing. The company can also handle union negotiations and crew claim adjustments, and arrange crew travel.

A spokesperson for the company explains that they have a good relationship with local nautical schools and colleges and are able to use these contacts to provide clients with recently graduated cadets who are looking for a long-term maritime career.

Seafarers training services are also included as part of the launch. The company provides over 40 STCW and other industry-recognized educational programs, that are provided at designated in-house training facilities, and can offer customized training programs that are tailored to each clients needs.

The training options include safety and security, environmental, human resource, LNG and Passenger Ships, tankers, and more. Clients and seafarers can keep up to date with the latest courses by subscribing to the companys newsletter. More information can be found by visiting https://www.zorovic.hr/en/newsletter

Shipowners and individuals who wish to book any of the companys crew management or training services are encouraged to get in touch with the company via the contact tab on their website.

Zorovic Maritime Services is a family-owned company based in Rijeka, Croatia, that provides crew management services to the maritime industry. They are committed to finding and training responsible and dedicated maritime personnel and have experienced steady growth since 2005. The company has been awarded for contributing to the development of the maritime economy in Croatia for 2017.

For more information on Zorovic Maritime Services and the launch of their updated services visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/zorovic-maritime-services-ltd- and the URLs above

Contact Info:

Name: Mario Zorovic

Email: Send Email

Organization: Zorovic Ltd

Address: 2 Trpimirova ulica, Rijeka, Primorsko-goranska zupanija 51000, Croatia

Website: https://www.zorovic.hr/
BBC crime drama Bloodlands reached a nail-biting conclusion last night, with two more characters killed off and the identity of mysterious serial killer 'Goliath' finally revealed.

However dozens of viewers said the fast-paced series finale left them with 'more questions than answers', with one claiming she needed a 'whole PowerPoint presentation' to explain what was going on.

The four-part drama, executive produced by Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio, stars James Nesbitt as DCI Tom Brannick, a detective investigating a kidnapping with links to 'Goliath' who last struck in County Down 23 years ago, just before the Good Friday Agreement was signed.

Scroll down for video

Nail-biting finale: The four-part Northern Ireland series star James Nesbitt as DCI Tom Brannick, a detective investigating a kidnapping with links to a mysterious serial killer dubbed 'Goliath' who last struck 23 years ago, just before the Good Friday Agreement was signed

Baffling: Dozens of viewers said the fast-paced series finale left them with 'more questions than answers', with one claiming she needed a 'whole PowerPoint presentation' to understand

Among Goliath's suspected victims was Brannick's wife Emma, an intelligence agent investigating terrorism.

Viewers were introduced to Brannick as a concerned husband and father - to a grown up daughter, Izzy (Lola Petticrew) - determined to uncover what happened to his wife, whom he believed had gone undercover and disappeared.

However it quickly became clear that all was not as it seemed. It transpired Emma was having an affair with Protestant paramilitary godfather David Corry, who was shot dead by Goliath on an island in Strangford Lough, County Down.

Goliath was also behind the murders of IRA quartermaster Joe Harkin and IRA arm-dealing priest Father Simon Quinlan.

When Corry's brother Adam revealed the affair to Brannick in the second episode, the detective did not hesitate in shooting him dead.

At the start of last night's episode, Brannick's boss DCS Jackie Twomey (Lorcan Cranitch), was being treated as the prime suspect in the Goliath case.

Observant: DS Niamh McGovern (Charlene McKenna), pictured, grew suspicious of Brannick's reaction to the inconclusive interview and began to suspect he had framed Twomey

Secrets revealed: Brannick was eventually exposed as Goliath by Dr Tori Matthews (Lisa Dwan), pictured, the illegitimate daughter of Goliath murder victim Quinlan and Izzy's university tutor

What's to come? The series ended with Brannick cuddling his daughter Izzy on the sofa

In a scene reminiscent of Line of Duty, which begins this Sunday on BBC1, Heather Pentland (Susan Lynch) grilled Twomey but ultimately there was not enough evidence to tie him to the murders.

DS Niamh McGovern (Charlene McKenna) grew suspicious of Brannick's reaction to the inconclusive interview and began to suspect he had framed Twomey.

By speaking in Irish Gaelic - a detail which was widely praised by viewers - she was able to communicate her suspicions to Twomey in secret.

At the same time McGovern was uncovering Brannick's connections to the Goliath murders, he was ambushed by the henchmen of kidnap victim Pat Keenan (Peter Ballance), who still wanted revenge.

Brannick was eventually exposed as Goliath by Dr Tori Matthews (Lisa Dwan), the illegitimate daughter of Goliath murder victim Quinlan and Izzy's university tutor.

Using Izzy as a lure, Matthews convinced Brannick to come to her holiday cottage in the mountains, where he finally revealed what had happened more than two decades ago.

Bloodlands is coming back for series two The BBC announced yesterday Bloodlands will return for a second season. Bloodlands launched with an average of 8.2 million viewers, making it the biggest new BBC drama launch since last June. In Northern Ireland, the premiere episode had a 52 percent consolidated audience share (live and time-shifted viewing), making it the highest BBC drama to launch locally on record. Advertisement

Brannick explained how in early 1998, in the build-up to the Good Friday Agreement, he had received a phonecall from David Corry, who claimed to be holding Emma after discovering she had infiltrated his loyalist terror operation.

Brannick claimed he was told he had to 'do certain things' if he wanted to see his wife again. This involved killing Harkin and Quinlan on the island in the lough, where they were awaiting a delivery of a weapons shipment.

After shooting the two men dead, Brannick waited for Corry. He was shocked when Corry arrived with his lover Emma, and shot Corry dead.

But he couldn't kill his own wife and told her to 'disappear'.

An emotional Brannick sobbed as he confessed his crimes to Matthews and sent her to retrieve the gun he had used to murder Quinlan, Harkin and the Corry brothers, saying he simply wanted to tell his daughter himself before turning himself in.

However when Matthews arrived at the lough island in search of the gun, she was ambushed by Keenan, who had been tipped off by Brannick as to where he could find the woman who had kidnapped him.

Keenan shot Matthews dead, using the 'Goliath' gun. Brannick arrived to shoot Keenan dead.

Mercurio fans joked AC12 - the team from his other drama, Line of Duty - could solve the case

When the police arrived, having tracked Brannick's mobile phone, they found the detective with a gun in hand, standing over two bodies.

He claimed he had killed Keenan, who must be Goliath, because he was armed and dangerous.

The episode concluded with Petland and Twomey debriefing Brannick, who said he was convinced Keenan had been Goliath.

BBC announced yesterday the show will return for a second series, which viewers and critics speculate will centre around the return of Brannick's wife.

However the fast-paced series finale has left some viewers reeling, with one joking they needed a 'Power Point' to understand what had happened.

Others pointed out confusing plot points, such as why Brannick would have been so eager to investigate the Goliath murders if he knew he was behind them all along.
Im proud to be honored for my work as a student leader. I hope it can help put me in the position to affect more positive change in the military, academia, and in my local community. - Robert Nicholson

Trident University International (Trident) Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) student Robert Nicholson received the 2021 BEYA STEM Peer Reviewed Academia Award for Student Leadership - Graduate Level, at the HBCU Engineering Dean's recognition event of the 35th BEYA STEM Global Competitiveness Conference on February 13, 2021.

The BEYA Peer Reviewed Academia Award for Student Leadership recognizes a graduate student with creative verve, an accomplished academic record, inspiring grades, and a proven desire to help others to succeed.

Im proud to be honored for my work as a student leader, states Nicholson. I hope it can help put me in the position to affect more positive change in the military, academia, and in my local community. Thank you to my colleagues, friends, and especially my family for inspiring me to lead every day.

As a leader and mentor, Nicholson has embraced the core values of learning as the journey, excellence as the goal, and service as the measure of life, including as a current member of the U.S. Armed Forces, in academia, and in his personal life. In his free time, he mentors and motivates fellow students by running a Facebook group for Trident doctoral students and alumni.

He also serves as an academic mentor for higher education and self-development in the U.S. Army, as well as the Chairman and Chief Academic Officer for the Dr. Cindo Nicholson Memorial STEM Fellowship. This fellowship provides academic mentorship to international students from developing economies in Jamaica and the greater Caribbean region to pursue advanced studies in STEM.

Additionally, Nicholson and his wife have been foster parents since 2015, providing short term care and structured parenting to children from Helping Hand Home Foster Care and Adoption Center, which supports the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

Held on an annual basis, the BEYA Conference highlights the contributions of African-American leaders in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Nicholson holds a Master of Science in Homeland Security and Master of Business Administration from Trident, a Master of Arts in Procurement and Acquisition Management from Webster University, and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Southern Connecticut State University.

Nicholson is in the final stages of Tridents DBA program, having successfully defended his Doctoral Study Project in February.

About Trident University International

Founded in 1998, Trident University International is a member of the American InterContinental University System, which is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org). Trident uses the EdActive learning approach, which employs case-based learning in an online setting to teach real-world relevant critical thinking skills designed to enhance the lives and education of students. Trident offers quality associate, bachelors, masters, and doctoral degree programs and certificates, led by a qualified faculty team, over 80% of whom have doctoral degrees. Trident has nearly 27,000 alumni, of which more than 22,000 have a military affiliation and has received acknowledgements from Washington Monthly, Military Times, and Military Advanced Education & Transition for their dedication to student success. Visit http://www.trident.edu or call at (855) 290-0290 to learn more about Trident's wide range of educational options.
Some Worcester Public Schools students are heading back into classrooms on Monday, the first time students and teachers are meeting face-to-face in a year.

The school district has been remote thus far through the academic year, as high numbers of COVID-19 cases in the city delayed previous plans to start hybrid learning.

Monday marks the first day of in-person learning for students with high needs and New Citizens Center Program students. In two weeks, other students from Pre-K through 12th grade are planning to head back to buildings for hybrid classes. About half of the districts 24,000 students opted to participate in hybrid learning.

The need for remote education through the pandemic has highlighted existing inequities in the community. Last spring, when all students in Massachusetts first went remote, many Worcester students did not have Chromebooks to log on to class. Other students lacked internet access.

As this school year got started, the district handed out thousands of laptops and internet hot spots to families.

Some Worcester parents have been critical of the districts delay to bring students back into buildings, saying that students of all ages are feeling isolated and have come to dislike school because of remote learning.

Worcester is making the transition to a hybrid model as state education officials have required districts to start offering five days a week of in-person learning for elementary school students by April 5 and for middle schoolers by April 28. Superintendent Maureen Binienda has said the district is working on applying for a waiver, seeking to delay that process so students and teachers can adjust to hybrid learning and so concerns about spacing can be evaluated.

The Worcester School Committee through the pandemic has held firm to a 6-foot rule for social distancing in classrooms. However, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary requires a minimum of 3 feet and has said waivers to delay full-time learning will not be granted for the districts that are using more than 3 feet distancing.

For Worcester, there is a concern that a handful of schools would not be able to fit all students even at 3 feet. And then having enough space at lunchtime, which requires 6 feet of distancing by state regulation because students wont be masked, is another worry.

The district first wanted to start hybrid learning in November. Two issues got in the way: updates to HVAC systems and buildings to improve airflow were still ongoing, and then coronavirus cases headed into the winter peak.

COVID health metrics have since improved in Worcester and school buildings now have bipolar ionization units to mitigate virus spread in school.

Meanwhile, with vaccines just becoming available for K-12 employees, the Educational Association of Worcester this week sought an emergency meeting with the school committee, wanting to reevaluate the districts timeline for in-person education.

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LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 15, 2021 /The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit against Velodyne Lidar, Inc. ("Velodyne" or "the Company") (NASDAQ:VLDR) for violations of 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investors who purchased the Company's securities between November 9, 2020 and February 19, 2021, inclusive (the ''Class Period''), are encouraged to contact the firm before May 3, 2021.

If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.

We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at brian@schallfirm.com.

The class, in this case, has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.

According to the Complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. Certain Velodyne directors failed to maintain an attitude of respect, honesty, integrity, and candor with the Company's officers and directors. The Company had launched investigations into this matter. Based on these facts, the Company's public statements were false and materially misleading throughout the class period. When the market learned the truth about Velodyne, investors suffered damages.

Join the case to recover your losses.

The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.

Story continues

CONTACT:

The Schall Law Firm

Brian Schall, Esq.,

Office: 310-301-3335

info@schallfirm.com

https://schallfirm.com/

SOURCE: The Schall Law Firm





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Members of the Maui Drone Project with their unmanned aerial vehicle. From left, Willy Wang, Hayley Nessia, Pete Carscellen and Tane van der Boon.

A fascination with drones has landed a Leigh Marine Laboratory student a place on a team using a high-tech unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in a bid save the worlds most endangered dolphin.

PhD student Hayley Nessia spent time in China to learn how to fly the JOUAV CW-25, which uses computer vision technology that is programmed to search for and track the distinctive Maui dolphin fin.

The vision technology was developed in New Zealand by non-profit MAUI63 and tracking operations are due to start in earnest on the west coast of New Zealand next month.

Hayley got the plum role after regularly pestering Leigh senior laboratory technician Brady Doak to fly his hobby drone  a DJI Phantom Pro.

When Brady was approached to fly the larger and much more sophisticated UAV to track Maui dolphin, he found he had too much on and recommended Hayley for the job.

Although Hayleys primary research interest involves lobsters, she leapt at the chance.

Im really interested to see the uses drones might have for science, she says.

Hayley joined the Maui Drone Project  a collaboration between the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-New Zealand, the Government, fishing companies and technology experts  and was sent to China for two weeks to learn how to fly a JOUAV CW-25.

The CW-25 looks like a small plane with a 4.5 metre wingspan, but can take off and land vertically using four electrically-powered propellers. Once in the air, it uses a two-stroke engine to power a single larger propeller, which drives the UAV forward. Each CW-25 costs around $300,000.

Hayley says she has already successfully flown the CW-25 to track Hectors dolphin in the South Island in January without serious mishap. Though the first time Drone Project team attempted to take off from a beach, they accidentally sucked sand into the propeller mechanisms and had to clean them out before re-attempting to fly.

Now, a tarp is laid on the ground before attempting a beach take-off.

The UAV has a range of 50km but currently CAA rules insist that pilots must be able to see their drone at all times, limiting it to a range of about 2km. Hayley says the project team hopes to get permission from the CAA to extend the range in the future.

A flight path is programmed into the UAV so that an onboard camera can systematically scan the ocean for Maui.

Currently, scientists have little understanding of where Maui dolphin travel, how they use their various habitats and how often they swim into dangerous areas. The Maui Drone Project aims to fill these knowledge gaps.

WWF-New Zealand chief executive Livia Esterhazy says with only around 60 Maui dolphin left, the current lack of data is unacceptable.

If we dont remove all the threats they face, protect the right places and Maui dolphins become entangled in fishing gear, or are harmed by seismic surveying, we could lose them forever. Their population is that critical, she says.

Hayley Nessia agrees, pointing out that the worlds smallest dolphin is only found on the west coast of New Zealand and has been there for about the last 15,000 years.

It would be a blow for New Zealands clean, green image if we lose something so rare and unique because we did not do anything about it, she says.
When it comes to issues about race and racial bias, views for many years were based on or shaped by someones personal experiences. Beyond that, it came down to what someone heard and discussed within their family and circle of friends. Thats why you could have whole segments of society claim that racial bias wasnt much of an issue, even though it is still prevalent today.

But, over the last couple of decades, with the advance of technology, these views have become less dependent on individual experience, and are more the stuff of hard data. I suspect thats part of the reason we now have regular claims of fake news. When you cant argue with the data, you can always dismiss it as a lie and move on. One glaring data-driven example of bias concerns drug overdoses, particularly during the pandemic.

A March 3 report by Brian Mann on NPRs Morning Edition, using studies conducted in Philadelphia and California, stated that Black Americans were dying from overdoses far more than white Americans. One study by a University of Pennsylvania researcher, and published in Journal of the American Medical Association, gathered data in Philadelphia. The analysis found that overdose deaths among African-American surged 50% from what they were before the pandemic, while the rate remained unchanged or even dipped for white residents during the same timeframe.

Other data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that 83,000 people of all races died from drug overdoses in 2020, with a 20% increase during the pandemic, which covered most of the year. Preliminary numbers from Yale University research that focused on California found a disparity between Black and white overdose deaths that was similar to the one in the Penn study.

As for the reasons, the main conclusion is that whites are far more likely to be treated for addiction through the health care system and medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and Black and brown people are far less likely to have that option. This is the difference between treating addiction as mostly a medical problem, versus treating it as mostly a criminal problem.

This idea of medicalizing as opposed to criminalizing addiction is something we have to stop and consider. To look just at the main headline from the research cited above  that Blacks are dying from overdoses far more than whites  might lead someone to conclude that the problem rests exclusively with the users. But, the problem is systemic on a number of fronts.

For example, if white communities were aggressively policed in the same way Black communities are, encounters with drug users would be far more likely to result in criminalized outcomes. Another systemic inequity could be access and referral to treatment, especially when cases involve the courts. It would be worth knowing how often judges allow white defendants to pursue treatment as an alternative to jail, compared with Black defendants.

In the NPR piece, one addiction treatment specialist, Dr. Nzinga Harrison, who runs a black-owned addiction recovery network in Massachusetts, uses the term addiction treatment deserts. Weve often discussed food deserts, which are communities that do not have a supermarket so that residents must travel miles to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. Food deserts are generally in urban areas with large minority populations or in very rural areas. How many similar areas are addiction treatment deserts?

Harrison also referenced a 2019 JAMA study that showed that Black patients with opioid addiction were 35 times less likely than white patients to be prescribed buprenorphine. This medicine is given in order to reduce cravings and help prevent overdoses. Perhaps we have a medication desert as well as a treatment desert.

There has been a focus on lowering the number of people in jail through bail reform and similar measures. These reforms are needed, but if were serious about justice, perhaps its time to confront the inequality found in our approach to addiction.

Albert B. Kelly is mayor of Bridgeton. Contact him by phone at 856-455-3230 Ext. 200.

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KYODO NEWS - Mar 15, 2021 - 23:43 | All, Japan

Family members of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s on Monday requested that U.S. President Joe Biden's administration focus on resolving the long-standing abduction issue.

Sakie Yokota, 85, mother of then 13-year-old Megumi Yokota, who was kidnapped on her way home from school, and her younger brother Takuya, 52, filed the request addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a meeting with Joseph Young, charge d'affaires ad interim at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.

It marked the first time that relatives of abduction victims had met with a senior U.S. official since Biden took office in January.

The meeting took place a day before the foreign and defense ministers of Japan and the United States hold security talks in the Japanese capital at which North Korea and other regional issues are on the agenda.

"We requested the Biden administration focus on resolving the abduction issue," just as previous U.S. administrations did, Takuya Yokota, who serves as secretary general of a group of the victims' families, told reporters.

Tsutomu Nishioka, chairman of an advocacy group for the abductees, joined the Yokotas in handing Young a letter asking the new U.S. administration to "continue closely cooperating with the Japanese government in striving to realize the swift repatriation of all abduction victims."

Japan officially lists 17 people as having been abducted by North Korea with five already repatriated. But Pyongyang maintains that eight died, including Megumi Yokota, and that the other four never entered the country.

Later, Sakie Yokota told reporters at the Cabinet Office that she wants her daughter and other abductees to be able to "step on Japanese soil" again.

Nishioka said he would like the United States to support Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's efforts to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un without conditions.
In this Feb. 5, 2021, file photo, vials AstraZeneca vaccine ready to be used at the Wellcome Centre in London. In recent days, countries including Denmark, Ireland and Thailand have temporarily suspended their use of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine after reports that some people who got a dose developed blood clots, even though there's no evidence that the shot was responsible. The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization say the data available do not suggest the vaccine caused the clots. Britain and several other countries have stuck with the vaccine. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

At least a dozen countries including Germany, France, Italy and Spain have now temporarily suspended their use of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine after reports last week that some people in Denmark and Norway who got a dose developed blood clots, even though there's no evidence that the shot was responsible.

The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization say the data available don't suggest the vaccine caused the clots and that people should continue to be immunized. Here's a look at what we knowand what we don't.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Denmark was the first country to halt its use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine last week after reports of blood clots in some people, including one person who developed multiple clots and died 10 days after receiving at least one dose. Danish health authorities said the suspension would last for at least two weeks while the cases were investigated, even as they noted that "it cannot be concluded whether there is a link between the vaccine and the blood clots."

Norway, Iceland, Bulgaria, Thailand, and Congo soon followed suit. On Saturday, Norwegian authorities reported that four people under age 50 who had gotten the AstraZeneca vaccine had an unusually low number of blood platelets. That could lead to severe bleeding. Ireland and the Netherlands then announced that they too, were stopping their use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

"We must always err on the side of caution, which is why it is sensible to press the pause button now as a precaution," said Hugo de Jonge, the Dutch health minister.

After saying last week they would continue with the vaccine, German officials said Monday they would suspend its use after fresh reports of new problems. French President Emmanuel Macron said France too would suspend its use until at least Tuesday afternoon, followed by announcements by Italy and Spain that they too would halt the vaccine for now.

In this March 12, 2021, file photo, a health worker holds a bottle of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine with name Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha written on it, at Bamrasnaradura Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. In recent days, countries including Denmark, Ireland and Thailand have temporarily suspended their use of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine after reports that some people who got a dose developed blood clots, even though there's no evidence that the shot was responsible. The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization say the data available do not suggest the vaccine caused the clots. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

In response to the suspensions of its vaccine, AstraZeneca said it had carefully reviewed the data on 17 million people who received doses across Europe and found there were 37 cases of people who developed blood clots. It said there was "no evidence of an increased risk" of blood clots in any age group or gender in any country.

"This is much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size and is similar across other licensed COVID-19 vaccines," the company said.

___

IS THERE ANY PROOF THE VACCINE IS RESPONSIBLE?

No. The European Medicines Agency says there is "no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions." The EU regulator said its investigation was continuing and was conducting a "rigorous analysis" of all data. It said while its review was ongoing, the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweighed the potential side effects.

The EMA said it was convening its expert safety committee Tuesday and would hold another meeting on Thursday to decide on any necessary actions.

In Britain, where 11 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been administeredmore than any other countrythere have been reports of about 11 people who developed blood clots after getting a shot. None were proven to have been caused by the vaccine.

In this Jan. 11, 2021, file photo, a man receives an injection of the AstraZeneca vaccine at the mass vaccination program in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. In recent days, countries including Denmark, Ireland and Thailand have temporarily suspended their use of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine after reports that some people who got a dose developed blood clots, even though there's no evidence that the shot was responsible. The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization say the data available do not suggest the vaccine caused the clots. Britain and several other countries have stuck with the vaccine. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell, File)

Some doctors pointed out that since vaccination campaigns started by giving doses to the most vulnerable people, those now being immunized are more likely to already have health problems. Experts say that could make it difficult to determine whether a vaccine is responsible.

Blood clots that form in the arms, legs or elsewhere can sometimes break free and travel to the heart, brain or lungs, causing strokes, heart attacks or a deadly blockage of blood flow.

___

SO WHY DID THEY STOP VACCINATION?

Any time vaccines are rolled out widely, scientists expect some serious health issues and deaths to be reportedsimply because millions of people are receiving the shots and problems would be expected to occur randomly in a group so large. The vast majority of these end up not being connected to the vaccine, but because COVID-19 vaccines are still experimental and there is no long-term data, scientists must investigate every possibility that the shot could have unforeseen side effects.

WHO's chief scientist, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, said officials at the U.N. health agency "don't want people to panic" amid the reports. She noted that of the 300 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been given to people globally, "there is no documented death that has been linked to a COVID vaccine."

___

In this Jan. 11, 2021, file photo Mary Williams, right, receives an injection of the AstraZeneca vaccine at the mass vaccination centre in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. In recent days, countries including Denmark, Ireland and Thailand have temporarily suspended their use of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine after reports that some people who got a dose developed blood clots, even though there's no evidence that the shot was responsible. The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization say the data available do not suggest the vaccine caused the clots. Britain and several other countries have stuck with the vaccine. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell, File)

IS THIS A CONCERN WITH OTHER COVID-19 VACCINES?

The EMA is currently examining whether COVID-19 shots made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna Inc. and AstraZeneca might be causing low levels of blood platelets in some patients, a condition that could lead to bruising and bleeding.

___

HAS ASTRAZENECA RUN INTO OTHER TROUBLE?

The vaccine has been approved for use in adults in more than 50 countries and has been proven to be safe and effective in research done in Britain, Brazil and South Africa. But there have been concerns raised about how the vaccine data have been released, and some European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, have questioned the vaccine's effectiveness in older people, citing a lack of information.

Britain first authorized the vaccine based on partial results that suggested the shots were about 70% effective. But those results were clouded by a manufacturing mistake that led some participants to get just a half dose in their first shotan error the researchers didn't immediately acknowledge. When it recommended the vaccine be licensed, the EMA estimated the vaccine's efficacy to be about 60%.

The data on whether the vaccine protected older adults were also incomplete, leading some European countries to initially withhold the shot from older people.

In this Jan. 2, 2021, file photo, doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and U.K.-based drugmaker AstraZeneca arrive at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, England. In recent days, countries including Denmark, Ireland and Thailand have temporarily suspended their use of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine after reports that some people who got a dose developed blood clots, even though there's no evidence that the shot was responsible. The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization say the data available do not suggest the vaccine caused the clots. Britain and several other countries have stuck with the vaccine. (Gareth Fuller/Pool Photo via AP, File)

In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration suspended a study in 30,000 Americans for an unusual six weeks, as frustrated regulators sought information about some possible side effects reported in Britain.

"All the data we have seen about the AstraZeneca vaccine suggests it's very safe and is saving people from dying of COVID," said Dr. Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. "But this may be more of a perception problem because every time there is a vaccine issue, we hear the name 'AstraZeneca' soon after."

___

SO WHAT ARE EXPERTS TELLING PEOPLE TO DO?

The WHO and the EMAas well as regulators in several countriessay people should continue to be immunized and that the small risks of getting vaccinated far outweighs any potential harm.

"The safety of the public will always come first," said Britain's drug regulator. "People should still go and get their COVID-19 vaccine when asked to do so."

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.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 02:04:15|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) and China joint team has suggested continuing to look for possible early cases in a wider range around the globe.

Liang Wannian, a member of the WHO-China joint team, made the remarks at a briefing to European diplomats on the origin of the novel coronavirus on Friday.

Liang said that China overcame the pressure of domestic epidemic prevention to work with the WHO to do the research of tracing the origins of the novel coronavirus. Chinese experts and the WHO experts worked together in Wuhan from Jan. 14. to Feb. 10 this year.

They visited nine places, including Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, Huanan seafood market, and the Wuhan Institute of Virology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The team also visited and talked with local medical workers, lab researchers, scientists, market managers, community workers, recovered patients, and families of medical workers losing their lives in the epidemic, he added.

The joint study has achieved positive outcomes and reached some findings and conclusions, thanks to efforts from the two sides, Liang said.

Firstly, a coronavirus with high similarity to the novel coronavirus in gene sequences occurs in bats and pangolins. But the similarity is still not enough to make it a direct ancestor of the novel coronavirus. Other species all could be potential natural hosts.

Secondly, the first case in Wuhan got sick on Dec. 8, 2019. The Huanan seafood market could be an outbreak site and amplifier of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Thirdly, the virus was found in environmental tests at the Huanan seafood market after its closure, especially in its aquatic product stalls. The coronavirus at the market might have been introduced through channels such as infected people, contaminated cold chain products, and animal products, but it is still uncertain.

The COVID-19 virus is "the most likely" to be introduced through an intermediary host species, "likely" to be introduced through direct transmission or cold-chain food, and "extremely unlikely" to be introduced through a laboratory incident, according to the joint study.

In terms of future study, Liang said that the joint study proposed four suggestions, and the first one is to expand globally unified database, including molecule, gene sequence, clinic, epidemiology, animal monitoring and environmental monitoring data.

The second suggestion is to continue to look for more possible early cases in a wider range around the globe.

The third one is that scientists around the world should search animal species that may become virus hosts in many countries and places, not limited to bats, and the last one is to further understand the role of cold chain and frozen food in virus transmission. Enditem
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At least six Myanmar pro-democracy protesters have today been shot dead by security forces after yesterday saw the bloodiest day of demonstrations since the military coup began six weeks ago.

One of the victims was shot in the head while another was shot in the face in Myingyan, according to witnesses.

Yesterday saw 44 protesters shot dead by security forces - and despite the unrelenting violence they face, supporters of detained democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi marched again today.

The ousted leader, who has been detained since the coup and faces various charges, was set to appear in a virtual court today but it could not go ahead because the internet was down which meant no video conferencing, her lawyer Khin Maung Zaw said. The next hearing will be on March 24.

Police today opened fire on the protesters in the central towns of Myingyan and Aunglan, according to witnesses and local media.

'One girl got shot in the head and a boy got shot in the face,' an 18-year-old protester in Myingyan told Reuters by telephone. 'I'm now hiding.'

A man uses a slingshot during the security force crack down on anti-coup protesters in Mandalay

At least five Myanmar pro-democracy protesters have today been shot dead by security forces after yesterday saw the bloodiest day of demonstrations since the military coup began six weeks ago. Pictured: People run away from security forces in Hlaing Thar Yar Township, Yangon on Sunday

Yesterday saw 44 protesters shot dead by security forces - and despite the unrelenting violence they face, supporters of detained democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi marched again today. Pictured: An injured protester is carried after being injured during a crackdown by security forces in Yangon on Sunday

A group of young protesters, some wearing plastic helmets, crouch behind their handmade shields as they face attacks by the security forces in Yangon on Monday

Detained democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi was set to appear in a virtual court today but it could not go ahead because the internet was down which meant no video conferencing, her lawyer Khin Maung Zaw (pictured) said today

Relatives of pro-democracy protesters who were killed by security forces are overcome with emotion outside a morgue at Thingangyun Hospital in Yangon on Monday

The Myanmar Now media outlet reported three people were killed in Myingyan and two in Aunglan, while a journalist in Mandalay said one person was shot dead there.

Monday saw four more Yangon townships put under martial law - adding to two subjected to the measures on Sunday - while mobile internet connections appeared to have been shut down.

The declaration of martial law means anyone arrested in the six townships faces trial by military tribunal rather than civilian courts, with sentences ranging from three years' hard labour to execution

The protesters took to the streets in defiance of the authorities, whose escalating use of violence since the February 1 coup has led to the UN to accuse the military junta of committing crimes against humanity.

Sunday saw violent clashes between security forces and protesters, leaving at least 44 demonstrators dead according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) monitoring group.

'The ruling junta has showed its teeth and taken its mask off... they are showing their true self,' Khin Maung Zaw said of Sunday's violence.

Demonstrators take cover behind a barricade as security forces fire tear gas at them in Mandalay on Monday

Protesters stand near makeshift barricades during demonstrations in Yangon on Monday

People clash with security forces as they continue to protest against military coup and detention of elected government members in in Hlaing Thar Yar Township

Protesters and resident (behind) make new road block after police burn their makeshift blockade near BayintNaung bridge which links to Hlaingthaya

Protesters display cards and shout slogans as they protest against the military coup in Mandalay on Monday

A wounded person is being carried to hospital as people continue to protest against military coup and detention of elected government members

Protesters take cover behind homemade shields as they face heavily armed security officers in Hlaing Tharyar township in Yangon on Sunday

Yesterday, several Chinese-owned factories in a textile-producing district of Yangon were torched, as many protesters believe Beijing to be supportive of the coup.

The arson attacks provoked China's strongest comments yet on the turmoil gripping its Southeast Asian neighbour.

The Chinese embassy urged Myanmar's ruling generals to stop violence and ensure the safety of people and property.

China's Global Times newspaper said 32 Chinese-invested factories were 'vandalised in vicious attacks' that caused damage worth $37 million and injuries to two Chinese employees.

Japan, which has long competed for influence in Myanmar with China, said it was monitoring the situation and considering how to respond in terms of economic cooperation.

The worst of Sunday's bloodshed came in the Yangon suburb of Hlaingthaya where security forces killed at least 37 protesters after arson attacks on Chinese-owned factories, said a doctor in the area who declined to be identified.

Sixteen people were killed in other places, rights group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said, as well as one policeman.

Demonstrators have been using fire extinguishers to protect themselves from police and tear gas in the protests

A protester is treated for a head wound by fellow demonstrators after being injured during a crackdown by security forces in Mandalay on Monday

Protesters block a road during a protest against military coup in Yangon on Monday

Residents display a red banner with an insignia of the National League of Democracy party of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi during an anti-coup rally held despite an overnight curfew at the Myaynigone area of Sanchaung township in Yangon on Monday

The latest deaths bring the toll from the protests to about 140, based on a tally by the AAPP and the latest reports.

A junta spokesman did not answer calls requesting comment.

In an apparent bid to suppress news of the turmoil, telecoms service providers were ordered to block all mobile data nationwide, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. Telecom Telenor said in a statement 'mobile internet was unavailable'.

The army said it took power after its accusations of fraud in a November 8 election won by Suu Kyi's party were rejected by the electoral commission. It has promised to hold a new election, but has not set a date.

Families are grieving. Pictured, the relatives and friends of Ko Saw Pye Naing, 21, who died in the anti-coup protests

Demonstrators have been using make shift clinics to receive treatment for their injuries during the protests

Relatives on Monday cry over the body of Min Khant Soe, who was shot and killed during the security force crack down on anti-coup protesters in Yangon

Demonstrators have had to use metal shields as barriers to protect themselves against the weapons being used by military

Suu Kyi has been detained since the coup and faces various charges, including illegally importing walkie-talkie radios and infringing coronavirus protocols.

Last week, a charge related to accepting illegal payments of $600,000 in cash as well as a large quantity of gold was added to the list - allegations her lawyer days are 'groundless'.

She was due to face another virtual court hearing on Monday but her lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, told Reuters the session could not go ahead because the internet was down which meant no video conferencing. The next hearing will be on March 24, he said.

Khin Maung Zaw has complained he has not been allowed to meet Suu Kyi, who has been in custody since the coup, though he said the 75-year-old appeared in good health at her last court appearance, by video link, on March 1.

The anti-coup protests are continuing, despite the increasingly violent crackdowns on demonstrators

Demonstrators hold candles in vigils held after the 8pm curfew as part of the protests across the city

Protesters sit on a makeshift barricade to deter security forces during demonstrations against the military coup in Yangon

He also said on a video message received by Reuters that he had been informed by authorities that the detained Nobel laureate was only permitted to be represented by two junior lawyers.

Western countries have called for Suu Kyi's release and condemned the violence and Asian neighbours have offered to help resolve the crisis but Myanmar has a long record of rejecting outside intervention.

Tom Andrews, the United Nations human rights investigator on Myanmar, appealed for U.N. member states to cut the supply of cash and weapons to the military.

'Heartbroken/outraged at news of the largest number of protesters murdered by Myanmar security forces in a single day. Junta leaders don't belong in power, they belong behind bars,' he said on Twitter.

Myanmar's oldest ethnic minority insurgent group, the Karen National Union, which signed a ceasefire with the army in 2012 after decades of fighting, also condemned Sunday's violence and said it fully supported the demonstrators.

China's embassy described the situation as 'very severe' and urged authorities to 'stop all acts of violence, punish the perpetrators... and ensure the safety of life and property of Chinese companies and personnel'.

A number of people were shot dead during the protests in Myanmar's largest city as security forces continue their crackdown

The United Nations has said that around 70 protesters have been 'murdered' since last month's coup

Protesters carried signs that read 'Coups have no place in our modern world' as they marched in Mandalay on Sunday

Anti-Chinese sentiment has risen since the coup, with opponents of the army takeover noting Beijing's muted criticism compared with Western condemnation.

China's Global Times newspaper blamed instigators for the arson and called for their punishment. It said China was trying to promote a peaceful settlement of the crisis.

Protest leader Thinzar Shunlei Yi said Myanmar people did not hate their Chinese neighbours but China's rulers had to understand the outrage felt in Myanmar over their stand.

'Chinese government must stop supporting coup council if they actually care about Sino-Myanmar relations and to protect their businesses,' she said on Twitter.

Beijing's embassy in Myanmar issued a statement condemning the actions of 'destroyers' and urging police to 'guarantee the security' of Chinese businesses.

The UN envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, strongly condemned Sunday's bloodshed, while the former colonial power Britain said it was 'appalled' by the use of force 'against innocent people'.

Last week Thomas Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on rights in Myanmar, said there was growing evidence that the junta was engaging in crimes against humanity - including murder, forced disappearances and torture.

The human rights campaign group Amnesty International has also accused the military of using battlefield weapons on unarmed protestors and carrying out premeditated killings.
European Union mediator holds a series of meetings with political parties in Georgia

By Veronika Malinboym

The EU-appointed mediator, Christian Danielsson, began a series of meetings with Georgian political parties, both the ruling Georgian Dream party and members of the opposition. Upon his arrival to Georgia, Danielsson told the press that the main topics for the upcoming negotiations would revolve around the issue of political prisoners, politicized justice, and electoral reform:Electoral reform, politicized justice  those are the issues that we should be considering closely, the issues that will become the [primary] topics of the upcoming negotiations. In the days to come, we are ready to work on resolving those issues, Danielsson said.Christian Danielsson has already held a meeting with the opposition United National Movement party, whose leader, Nika Melia, currently remains in detention on charges of repeatedly refusing to post his bail, as well as violating the conditions of his bail. Danielsson has also met with the ruling Georgian Dream party, as well as other opposition parties that won the seats in Parliament during the October 2020 elections: Strategy Agmasehenebeli, Girchi, Alliance of Patriots, European Georgia, Citizens, Patriots, and Lelo parties. The European Union delegation to Georgia also reported that Danielsson has already met with PM Irakli Garibashvili and President Salome Zurabishvili.Leader of the Strategy Agmashenebeli opposition party Giorgi Vashadze later explained that the meeting was rather introductory, and an opportunity for parties to outline their positions amidst the ongoing crisis. Vashadze did, however, mention that the issue of political prisoners as well as the holding of early elections did remain the main priority of the meetings.Similarly, the Girchi party mentioned that during the meetings, the release of the political prisoners was discussed as a precondition for solving the ongoing crisis among the political parties.Speaker of the Georgian Parliament and a member of the ruling Georgian Dream party, Archil Talakvadze, has also commented on the possible beginning of the negotiations, marked by the arrival of Christian Danielsson. He said that Georgian Dream is ready to agree with the countrys opposition bloc, should the conditions of such an agreement be just:I would like to tell you that Georgian Dream is ready to agree if the terms of such an agreement are just We value the position of our allies and, of course, we would like to come to an agreement that will be able to guarantee a stable, long-term political cooperation in our country, Talakvadze said.
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Drawn from previous collections, the African American Experience in Florida (AAE) is a new, online portal that includes hundreds of artifacts that highlight the injustices that affected Black communities and businesses. Some of the archives date back to the early 1800s. As part of USFs ongoing efforts to dismantle systemic racism and promote racial equity, the portal will support the growing need for resource materials that reveal the experiences of Black lives.

Were sitting on some very rich collections that can form the basis of fact and can make it possible for people to inform themselves. They dont have to rely on another persons interpretation, said Todd Chavez, dean of the USF Libraries.

The curated collection pulls from decades-old acquisitions and includes unaltered photographs, newspaper archives and personal narratives. The goal is to continue to build the portal into a larger collection that will help students, educators, researchers and the general public learn about Black experiences in Florida. A recent addition to the collection features 3D laser scans recently completed by the USF Libraries Digital Heritage and Humanities Collections (DHHC) of the Jackson Rooming House, which hosted Black travelers and entertainers during segregation.

The AAE is a shift for the library, as it typically focuses on building comprehensive local and regional collections. Its now looking to create meta-collections, allowing users to search multiple collections within a curated subject area. It took about a year to sort through hundreds of images and letters, write descriptions and identify themes.

One of the most challenging things was identifying which materials best represent the African American experience in Florida, said Tomaro Taylor, university librarian and head of Special Collections for the USF Libraries Tampa campus. We have [many] collections that talk about Black people and African Americans in Florida, but they are not necessarily wholly representative of what one might consider an experience.

The AAE was the first collaborative project between the USF Tampa and St. Petersburg campus libraries. As librarians sorted through the materials, they also shared a list of themes with an advisory committee of library liaisons, staff and faculty to help identify the most easily accessible categories. Six overarching categories emerged: Activism, Black-Owned Businesses, Community, Journalism, The Arts and General History.

This project has the potential to bring history to life, said David Shedden, assistant librarian and head of Special Collections and University Archives at the USF Nelson Poynter Memorial Library in St. Petersburg. This collection of stories can help bring all of us into a conversation about the painful history of racism, but also about the inspiring stories of African American communities during the past 150 years.

Thanks to a close partnership with St. Petersburg newspaper The Weekly Challenger, the portal also includes stories dating back to 1967. Every week, Shedden archives newly published articles, such as those related to the protests that followed the death of George Floyd last summer, to help make connections to the past.

We build upon generations of not only history, but also archivists and librarians who have come before us. At some point all of us will be gone. We can just hope that what we are starting here can help not only the conversations now, but in the future, Shedden said.

The USF Libraries invites you to consider making a gift online to the Special Collections Operating Fund, where your generosity will help to fund the AAE portal and future projects. For more information, contact Christina Wisz, associate director of development, at cwisz@usf.edu or 813-974-3888.
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DALLAS (AP)  The U.S. government plans to use the downtown Dallas convention center to hold up to 3,000 immigrant teenagers as sharply higher numbers of border crossings have severely strained the current capacity to hold youths, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press.

The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center will be used for up to 90 days beginning as early as this week, according to written notification sent to members of the Dallas City Council on Monday. Federal agencies will use the facility to house boys ages 15 to 17, according to the memo, which describes the soon-to-open site as a decompression center.

U.S. Health and Human Services is rushing to open facilities across the country to house immigrant children who are otherwise being held by the U.S. Border Patrol, which is generally supposed to detain children for no more than three days. The Border Patrol is holding children longer because there is next to no space in the HHS system, similar to the last major increase in migration two years ago.

A tent facility operated by the Border Patrol in Donna, some 165 miles (265 kilometers) south of Dallas, is holding more than 1,000 children and teenagers, some as young as 4. Lawyers who inspect immigrant detention facilities under a court settlement say they interviewed children who reported being held in packed conditions in the tent, with some sleeping on the floor and others not able to shower for five days.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Saturday directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help manage and care for children crossing the border.

I am incredibly proud of the agents of the Border Patrol, who have been working around the clock in difficult circumstances to take care of children temporarily in our care," Mayorkas said in a statement. Yet, as I have said many times, a Border Patrol facility is no place for a child.

The memo sent to Dallas City Council members says the Federal Emergency Management Agency and HHS will be responsible for providing shelter management and contracts for food, security, cleaning, and medical care at the convention center. Dallas previously offered space to HHS during the 2014 surge of crossings of immigrant children.

Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax said in a statement that collective action is necessary and we will do our best to support this humanitarian effort. He referred questions to HHS, which did not respond to requests for comment Monday.

Asked about housing migrant teens at the convention center, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that the administration has been looking for additional facilities for unaccompanied children but that she'd have to look into the specifics of the arrangement in Dallas.

Certainly we would ensure that were meeting the standard that we have set out, she Psaki said.

HHS also has said it will house immigrant youths in Midland. Teenagers began arriving Sunday at a converted camp for oilfield workers where volunteers from the American Red Cross will care for them.

Neither HHS nor the Red Cross would detail how the volunteers have been trained or whether they have undergone FBI fingerprint checks. The Red Cross said in a statement that it was working with HHS to orient our volunteers.

HHS will utilize all available options to care for the children referred to us safely, the agency said in a statement. BuzzFeed News first reported the opening of the Midland facility.

The surge at the U.S.-Mexico border has presented a major test for President Joe Biden's administration, which promised to break from the more restrictive measures against migrants enacted by former President Donald Trump. Biden has left in place some Trump policies, notably the expulsions of immigrant adults and families under a public-health declaration citing the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden declined to reinstate public-health expulsions of children, and his administration has also been unable to expel many families in South Texas due to policy changes in Mexico's Tamaulipas state, across from the Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Border agents are apprehending more than 400 children a day on average, far more than the number of children that HHS is processing and releasing to sponsors. The Biden administration has announced several policy changes to try to expedite releases, but experts and immigration lawyers say the government could do more to speed up the process, particularly of releasing children to their parents in the U.S.

___

Merchant reported from Houston.
[March 15, 2021] vLex International Writing Competition 2021 winners announced!

London, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Since its creation four years ago, the vLex International Writing Competition has become a true staple for students around the world. This year was no exception, with registrants from over 700 universities, law schools and academic institutions in over 80 countries. Earlier in the year, vLex was pleased to announce a shortlist of fifteen articles that were anonymised and passed onto a renowned select of judges, including Dr Liz Dowthwaite from the University of Nottingham, Roger Skalbeck from the University of Richmond, Richard Tromans from Artificial Lawyer, Masoud Gerami from vLex, Emily Allbon from The City Law School, and Dr Shaun Wallace, barrister, who also features on ITVs The Chase. The overall winner of the 2021 vLex International Writing Competition will be awarded a grand prize of 1,500, and will also be invited to undertake a three-month remote internship with vLexs Global Markets team. Three best-in-category winners will also be awarded 250 each. vLex is pleased to announce this years winning articles are from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, The University of Lagos, BPP University and The University of the West Indies. Winning articles: The overall winner of the 2021 vLex International Writing Competition: Amending 230 for Public Safety by Anokhy Desai from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

School of Law. Best in Category winner for the vLex International Writing Competition category: Movement, Law & Technology: Activism in the 21st Century by Keshinro Oluwalani Deborah fro The University of Lagos .

. Best in Category winner for the vLex International Writing Competition category: Movement, Law & Technology: No Silver Bullet for Fake News by Sara Kachwalla from BPP University .

. Best in Category winner for the vLex International Writing Competition category: Money, Law & Technology: What legal framework could there be to regulate a decentralised currency? by Malcolm Superville from The University of the West Indies.



A huge congratulations to Anokhy Desai and all the authors of our best in category articles and a special thank you to every student who entered this year as well as our excellent panel of judges! As the competition grows each year, we are extremely pleased to provide students from around the world with a platform to showcase their writing skills and legal knowledge. With so many outstanding entries, this year has been the most challenging to shortlist only a handful of articles. However, to those students whose articles did not enter the final round of scoring, there is still a chance their article will be featured in one of four upcoming special edition vLex journals.  Dr Matthew Terrell, Head of Marketing at vLex Global Markets. The winning articles will be published on the vLex social media accounts in the coming weeks/months, and they will also be featured in the vLex international newsletter.

Interested in entering? Planning for the 2022 vLex International Writing Competition has already begun. Well be releasing more information later in the year. For all enquiries about the vLex International Writing Competition, please contact the vLex team on hello@vlex.com. For the original news story, please visit https://www.prdistribution.com/news/vlex-international-writing-competition-2021-winners-announced.html Attachment vLex

Media Company: vLex, Media Name: Matthew Terrell, Media Phone: 07453455040, Media Email: press@vlex.com

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 22:48:17|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on July 14, 2020 shows the Golden Bauhinia Square in south China's Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu)

Hong Kong's culture and education sectors voice support for the NPC decision on improving the electoral system in the HKSAR, saying it is imperative and critical to implement the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong."



HONG KONG, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's culture and education sectors have voiced their full support for the decision by the National People's Congress (NPC) on improving the electoral system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).



Problems in Hong Kong's education sector have shown it is imperative and critical to implement the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," figures from the sector said, urging efforts to enhance patriotism and cultural recognition in the younger generation.

Secretary for Education of the HKSAR government Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said the Education Bureau will strive to foster more capable and patriotic talents for Hong Kong and will give priority to national education.

The bureau will help students strengthen their national identity through learning more about national history, culture, economy, technology, political systems and laws, Yeung said.

The Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers said fostering more talents who love the nation and Hong Kong is crucial to the implementation of the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" and the education sector should strive to improve the students' understanding of the HKSAR Basic Law, "one country, two systems" and national security.

Hong Kong's New Territories School Heads Association said the improvement of the electoral system will reduce the political impact and push the education sector back on track so that students can focus on their studies and teachers can concentrate on fostering more talents.

Ho Hon-kuen, chairman of Education Convergence of Hong Kong, said the improvement of the electoral system is necessary to Hong Kong's development and will ensure the steady advance of Hong Kong's school education.

Shi Zhu, chairman of the China Culture Foundation, said the improvement of the electoral system will help Hong Kong overcome current difficulties and continue its prosperity in the future.

Shi hopes Hong Kong will complete the related legal work so that Hong Kong's politics can return to a healthy track, which will provide a guarantee for resolving the deep-seated problems in housing, economic structure and youth development, among others.

The Hong Kong Culture Association said the NPC decision will ensure the steady and sustained implementation of "one country, two systems", and urged efforts by people from all walks of life in Hong Kong to jointly safeguard "one country, two systems" and Hong Kong's stability and prosperity.
Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered an ancient Christian monastery complete with three churches, monks' cell and biblical graffiti dating back some 1,500 years.

The finds at the Tal Ganoub Qasr al-Agouz site in the Western Desert's Bahariya Oasis shine a light on monastic life in the area in the fifth century AD, the team said.

The mission unearthed 'several buildings made of basalt, others carved into the bedrock and some made of mud bricks,' the Egyptian antiquities ministry said.

Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered an ancient Christian monastery (pictured) complete with three churches, monks' cell and biblical graffiti dating back some 1,500 years

The finds at the Tal Ganoub Qasr al-Agouz site in the Bahariya Oasis shine a light on monastic life in the area in the fifth century AD, the team said. Pictured, an ancient Christian inscription

The complex is comprised of 'six sectors containing the ruins of three churches and monks' cells', whose 'walls bear graffiti and symbols with Coptic connotations', said the ministry's head of Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities, Osama Talaat.

Head of the joint French-Norwegian archaeological team Victor Ghica added that in the mission's third excavation campaign last year they discovered '19 structures and a church carved into the bedrock.'

The church walls, he added, were adorned with 'religious inscriptions' and biblical passages in Greek  revealing 'the nature of monastic life in the region'.

The discovery will help experts understand 'the development of buildings and the formation of the first monastic communities' in that area of Egypt, he added.

The remote Tal Ganoub Qasr al-Agouz, which lies around 180 miles southwest of Cairo, was occupied from the fourth to the eighth centuries AD, peaking in the fifthsixth centuries, explained the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology.

The organisation  who oversees the mission  added that previous excavations undertaken in 2009 and 2013 shed light on subjects including 'the production and preservation of wine as well as the husbandry of animals' in a monastic context.

The mission unearthed 'several buildings made of basalt, others carved into the bedrock and some made of mud bricks,' the Egyptian antiquities ministry said. Pictured: the dig site

The complex is comprised of 'six sectors containing the ruins of three churches and monks' cells', whose 'walls bear graffiti and symbols with Coptic connotations', said the ministry's head of Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities, Osama Talaat. Pictured: Christian religious inscriptions and biblical passages decorating the walls of the ancient church

Cairo's tourism sector has suffered multiple blows in recent years  from the 2011 uprising to the coronavirus pandemic  and officials have hoped that several recent major archaeological discoveries will spur visits to the region.

In February, it was announced that a high-production brewery believed to be more than 5,000 years old was uncovered at a funerary site in the country's south.

Also last month, an Egyptian-Dominican archaeological mission working near Alexandria said that it had discovered mummies from around 2,000 years ago bearing golden-tongued amulets.

And in January, Egyptian officials unveiled ancient treasures found at the Saqqara archaeological site south of Cairo  including a sarcophagi over 3,000 years old  in a discovery that Egyptologist Zahi Hawass claimed 'rewrites history'.

The finds at the Tal Ganoub Qasr al-Agouz site in the Western Desert's Bahariya Oasis, pictured, shine a light on monastic life in the area in the fifth century AD, the team said
HARRISBURG, Pa. - The promoter of a gun show in Berks County has agreed to ban the sale of "ghost gun" kits, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Monday.

The agreement comes on the heels of two surveillance operations conducted by Shapiro's office at Eagle Arms Productions' Morgantown Gun Show in Caernarvon Township.

The operations, conducted in partnership with local and federal law enforcement, tracked the purchasing of Polymer 80% gun kits to the recovery of 10 fully functional firearms or partially assembled kits in Philadelphia, Shapiro said.

"Ghost guns are quickly becoming the weapon of choice for criminals and fueling the gun violence epidemic," Shapiro said. "These DIY gun kits should be subject to the same background checks and qualifications as fully functioning firearms to prevent criminals who are not legally able to purchase or possess guns from getting their hands on these deadly, untraceable weapons."

Shapiro said Eagle Arms Productions, the largest gun show promoter in Pennsylvania, is the first in the United States to stop the sale of the 80% receivers, which are often sold in kits without background checks.

"We are calling on all gun show promoters to contact my office and follow suit to help keep our neighborhoods safe until criminals can't buy these weapons," Shapiro said.

The attorney general said his office's surveillance operations in Morgantown revealed that a purchaser of 80% receiver kits there was in a criminal enterprise that made and sold unserialized ghost guns on the streets of Philadelphia, making $500 on each sale. A second investigation resulting from the same gun show uncovered an illegal gun manufacturing and trafficking operation of the ghost guns at a house in Philadelphia, he said.

32:01 WATCH: Attorney general's announcement on 'ghost guns' Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced that Eagle Arms Productions has agreed to stop selling "ghost guns" at his gun shows. Als

"This decision by Eagle Arms Productions is a positive step toward limiting access to ghost guns by criminals," Shapiro said. "We also need to remain focused and vigilant to stop the current legal loopholes that allow prohibited purchasers to acquire, assemble and possess these ghost guns."

In 2019, Shapiro said authorities seized 99 ghost guns in Philadelphia. That number rose to 250 in 2020, and in the first two months of 2021, almost 100 ghost guns have been taken off the city's streets.

Previous investigations, Shapiro said, show that ghost guns have been responsible for multiple homicides, including a Polymer80 9mm handgun used in two shooting deaths in July 2020 in Snyder County.
Here's what you need to know: Monday, March 15
Armenia economic competition protection commission: Experts forecast inflation of butter prices

Armenia citizens' protest against acting health minister is over

Pashinyan visits France, judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku, Jun. 2 digest

Armenian Ambassador, FMO representatives consider opportunities for expansion of cooperation in Armenia

Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Armenia citizens throw polyethylene bags at Health Ministry building, police apprehend protesters

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

Newspaper: What instructions did Armenia acting defense minister get in Moscow?

Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

Armenia 3rd President reacts to photos of bodies of soldiers in freezer: It felt like the blood froze in my veins

Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

Turkey's Erdogan expresses willingness to support Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral cooperation

Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

Wargonzo: Russian MOD is dealing with settlement of conflict in Armenia's Syunik Province on a daily basis

Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

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Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

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In a recent Facebook post, Christian Apologist Ken Ham listed the reasons why accusing Jesus of "racism," as mentioned by a gay minister in his viral TikTok video, is blasphemy.

After Christian theologian James White released his response video on Brandan Robertson's progressive take on the Mark 7 account on Jesus' life, apologist Ken Ham decided to give his opinions on the issue.

His list are as follows:

1. "He has taken this passage out of context and totally distorted it."

Ham did not waste time in pointing the obvious. As what James White had previously stated, Christians over the centuries are agreed on their understanding of the exchange between Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman.

As a progressive LGBT activist and a preacher, Robertson has -in the eyes of these two theologians- re-interpreted the text to suit his idea of racial justice.

"I love this story because it's a reminder that Jesus is human. He had prejudices and biases, and when confronted with it, he was willing to do his work. And this woman was willing to stand up and speak truth," said Robertson in his viral video.

2. "He doesn't understand who Jesus is, the Son of God "who knew no sin," Corinthians 5:21)."

As an apologist, Ham knew that if a preacher attempts to paint Jesus in a bad light by twisting the Scripture, then that just shows how little he knows of the Jesus in the Bible. Disparaging his character is also an attempt to sow doubts in the minds of people.

3. "Jesus taught against racism, "'You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31). "

Ham noted that "love" has always been at the core of Jesus' teachings, so "racism" has no place in his life and practice.

Also, by adding a verse from the same book, Ham is essentially demonstrating the importance of considering the entire book context of a Bible passage. The same could be said at how James White addressed the text's historical context.

4. "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality" (1 Corinthians 6:9).

Here, Ham moves in for the kill. Knowing that the viral video was made by a gay minister, he used the opportunity to remind everyone that the Scripture is clear on "righteousness" as prerequisite to God's Kingdom. To love means to also speak the Godly, Biblical truth even when it's inconvenient or hurtful.

5. "The qualifications of a pastor include, "Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach..." (1 Timothy 3:2)."

Ham's last point on his list is self-explanatory. While it's easy for anyone to just claim the "pastor" or any church title to amp their virtual platforms, the Bible, again, is clear on the qualifications of God's ministers.

Comments to Ham's post had slight differences in opinions. While some were more sympathetic, saying Christians should spend more time praying for the person they deemed as wrong instead of being argumentative online, a majority pointed out the error in Robertson's assertions.

"What a complete twisting of scripture! How scary to blaspheme the Holy, Mighty God. It makes me fearful of the judgment he will face if he doesnt repent," wrote a commenter.

"Pray for this man to find the truth. If he truly knew the Bible as the Word of God, he would understand and not be blinded by this foolish interpretation of Scripture," another commenter wrote.

"He needs to be prayed for so that he will turn from this wicked way," another one wrote. "Also so he doesn't lead anyone away from God."
Burma Myanmars Sunday Death Toll Rises to 71

Rescue workers carry a civilian wounded by the security forces firing at anti-regime protesters in Mandalay on Sunday. / The Irrawaddy

A total of 32 more deaths have been reported from Sunday, bringing the total to 71, the bloodiest day since the Feb. 1 coup, as Myanmars regime steps up its crackdowns on protesters.

The total death toll reached 167 on Monday afternoon.

The majority of deaths on Sunday were in Hlaing Tharyar Township, western Yangon, where the security forces used live rounds, tear gas and stun grenades on anti-regime protesters staging sit-ins.

Of the 32 extra deaths on Monday, three were shot during a Sunday night protest in Pathein, Ayeyarwady Region. Four others were wounded in Pathein.

On Sunday night, The Irrawaddy confirmed 39 deaths across nine Yangon townships  Hlaing Tharyar, Shwepyithar, North Okkalapa, South Dagon, Insein, Hlaing, Thingangyun, Kyimyindaing and North Dagon  and in Bago Region, Hpakant in Kachin State and Mandalay Region.

A hospital in the Hlaing Tharyar Township said on Monday that it has received 37 dead bodies and around 40 people with injuries.

Another hospital in Yangon said it has also received seven dead bodies and 56 people with wounds from live rounds on Sunday.

On March 3, 28 civilians across Myanmar were killed by police and soldiers.

The security forces opened gunfire in Hlaing Tharyar on Sunday morning and shooting continued late into the night. A video shows personnel shooting at anti-regime protesters and residents in Hlaing Tharyar from the Aung Zaya Bridge connecting Insein and Hlaing Tharyar townships. The security forces shot both protesters and residents.

The militarys governing body, the State Administrative Council, imposed martial law on six Yangon townships on Sunday night. The situation in Hlaing Tharyar remains tense.

But hundreds of thousands of citizens across Myanmar continue to take to the streets to protest against the military regime.

Four more protesters were shot dead at Myingyan in Mandalay Region and in Mandalay itself on Monday.
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Anyone who wants to file a claim seeking damages for clergy sex abuse against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse must do so by midnight on April 15.

The diocese issued a reminder of that deadline, known as the bar date, in a news release Sunday. The deadline was initially set in November 2020 by U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Margaret Cangilos- Ruiz.

The diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Northern District of New York in June 2020. That move immediately shifted all abuse claims from state court to bankruptcy court.

At the time, there were more than 100 claims of abuse against the Syracuse diocese. The bankruptcy filing came just days after 38 people filed Child Victims Act lawsuits against the church.

Under the judges order, those with claims must file them by April 15 or risk losing their rights as potential creditors to vote in the dioceses financial reorganization and any shares in the settlement made to victims.

Information on the case and how to file a claim is available online, or by calling (855) 329-4244.

Syracuse Bishop Douglas Lucia said at the time of the bankruptcy filing that it was intended to ensure that all potential victims could get something for their pain while also making sure that the diocese would not be destroyed by the onslaught of claims. Chapter 11 bankruptcy allows the diocese to operate while reorganizing its finances.

I feel it is the only way we can address the victims claims in a fair and equitable manner, Lucia said at the time of the bankruptcy filing.

In a letter to parishioners dated June 19, 2020, Lucia wrote: It is my hope that during this process of reorganization and following its completion, we will continue to pray for the healing of those who had been harmed during this very dark chapter of the Church. As your Bishop, I must again, apologize for these heinous acts and ask you all to join me in our diocesan commitment that these acts will never take place again.

Lucia became Syracuse bishop in 2019.

The diocese has also established what it calls a Safe Environment plan in response to the abuse allegations.

Many other Catholic dioceses in the United States, including Buffalo and Rochester, have also filed for bankruptcy in the wake of the sex abuse scandal.

Jeff Anderson, a lawyer whose firm represents 50 plaintiffs suing the Syracuse Diocese, told syracuse.com last year be believed the bankruptcy filing was a way for the church to hide the systemic abuse and cover-ups.

It gives them the opportunity to stop us and the survivors from excavating their secrets, their history, their practices, Anderson said.

Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
BTS failed to clinch a trophy during the 2021 GRAMMY Awards after they lost in the best pop duo or group performance against "Rain on Me" by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande. Despite this, Jin, Jimin, Jungkook- J-Hope, RM, V, and Suga expressed their joy over the fact that they were part of the prestigious event.

BTS Felt Honored to be Nominated at 2021 GRAMMY Awards

In an interview with E!, BTS member RM revealed that all of them are very honored to be part of the 2021 GRAMMY Awards. J-Hope, then, admitted that he and his co-members are very happy to make history for being the first K-pop group nominated at the esteemed awards ceremony.

J-Hope added that all BTS members are proud that the people behind GRAMMYS were able to notice and appreciate their music. The BANGTAN Boys also considered their nomination as a chance to introduce Korean culture to the world.

BTS also gave a special message to all ARMYs, who have been showing their unwavering love and support from the very start. V and Jin said the group badly wants to see their devoted supporters already and claimed they are aware that ARMYs are feeling the same way too. They, then, promised to work harder to give them greater music and performances in the future.

Though they did not win, BTS still treated the viewers with an outstanding performance of their chart-topping hit titled "Dynamite." Jin, Jimin, Jungkook- J-Hope, RM, V, and Suga lighted up the stage with their stunning choreography and contagious smiles.

Taylor Swift won the Album of the Year award with her "folklore" album while "Everything I Wanted" by Billie Eilish nabbed the Record of the Year award. "I Can't Breathe" by H.E.R was named the Song of the Year and Meghan Thee Stallion is pronounced as the Best New Artist. Click here for the full list of 2021 GRAMMY Awards winners.

BTS' 'Dynamite' Music Video Increases Views in the Last 24 Hours

Meanwhile, following their breathtaking performance at the 2021 GRAMMY Awards, the official music video of "Dynamite" saw a whooping 6.3 million view increase in the last 24 hours. As of this writing, the clip has garnered more than 25 million likes and more than 12.8 million comments on YouTube.

Aside from that, "Dynamite" also improved its placement in the iTunes U.S. Chart. The same track also placed at No. 1 in 20 countries, including Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, Mexico, Oman, Paraguay, Philippines, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates among others. Other BTS tracks that entered the U.S. iTunes Chart include "Love Yourself: Answer," "Wings," "Love Yourself: Tear," "Dark & Wild" and "You Never Walk Alone."

BTS even returned at No. 1 in the Global Digital Artist Rankings after it amassed more than 3,513 points. Coming in second place is The Weeknd with 3,443 points, followed by Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Dua Lipa, and Drake with 2,097 points, 1,998 points, 1,973 points, and 1,909 points, respectively.

For more K-Pop news and updates, always keep your tabs open here on KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Nica Vaughn
BOISE - On Monday, March 15, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed House Bill 205 into law, the first of his Building Idahos Future bills that make strategic investments in critical state priorities. House Bill 205 focused on the needs of law enforcement.

While other places seek to defund the police, I am proud to say that Idaho DEFENDS the police. Idaho backs the blue, Governor Little said. I appreciate my partners in the Legislature  especially the floor sponsors, Representative Scott Syme and Senator Jeff Agenbroad  for sharing my support for our brave women and men in law enforcement.

Building Idahos Future is Governor Littles plan to use Idahos record budget surplus to provide Idahoans historic tax relief and make strategic investments in transportation, education, broadband, water, law enforcement, and other critical areas to propel our state forward.

The $964,000 investments in law enforcement include the items necessary to support frontline personnel at the Idaho State Police (ISP):

New rifles with suppressors for ISP troopers. New jackets for ISP troopers designed to give troopers quick access to vital tools needed to handle a situation effectively and efficiently, and to keep troopers warm during cold Idaho weather. New laser safety glasses that prevent ISP troopers from permanent vision damage when non-peaceful protesters shine lasers in law enforcement officers eyes. New body cameras for ISP detectives and ISP troopers assigned to Capitol Protective Services. During the 2020 special legislative session, ISP interactions with highly agitated protestors were typically only captured with cell phone cameras and posted online by protestors themselves. The new body cameras will document interactions with visitors, protestors, and opposing groups, along with many other incidents. New non-lethal-force riot batons for troopers to use to defensively protect people, property and themselves. The equipment can also be used in offensive crowd control situations, such as separating opposing sides during a confrontation. Resident housing for the Victor/Driggs patrol resident troopers area of responsibility, which includes Teton County and parts of Fremont and Bonneville Counties. The new housing significantly reduces the response time for service and emergency calls when requested in the area. New money counters to help further ISP narcotics and drug trafficking investigations.

The investment Governor Little and our Legislature has made into law enforcement in Idaho will keep our state troopers safe and provide them with the necessary tools to continue to serve the people of this great state at the level that Idahoans have come to expect from members of the Idaho State Police, ISP Director Colonel Kedrick Wills said.

Its never been a more difficult time to put on the uniform. These brave souls demonstrate great restraint in order to deescalate intense situations. Their path to law enforcement stems from a true desire to serve and protect us. They are committed to implementing the best training and building strong relationships with the communities they serve, Governor Little said in his 2021 State of the State and Budget Address earlier this year.
Germany, France, Italy and Spain have become the latest countries to suspend use of AstraZenecas Covid-19 vaccine over reports of dangerous blood clots in some recipients, but the company and global regulators have said there is no evidence the jab is to blame.

AstraZenecas is one of three vaccines in use on the continent, but the number of nations raising the alarm is another setback for the European Unions vaccination drive, which has been plagued by shortages and other hurdles and is lagging well behind the campaigns in the UK and the US.

The EUs drug regulatory agency called a meeting for Thursday to review experts findings on the AstraZeneca vaccine and decide whether action is needed.

The moves came as much of Europe tightened restrictions on schools and businesses amid surging cases of Covid-19.

Germanys health minister said the decision to suspend AstraZeneca jabs was taken on the advice of the countrys vaccine regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, which called for further investigation into seven cases of clots in the brains of people who had been vaccinated.

Todays decision is a purely precautionary measure, Jens Spahn said.

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country will suspend shots until at least Tuesday afternoon, Italys drug regulator announced a temporary ban, less than 24 hours after saying the alarm over the vaccine was unjustified, and Spain said it will stop using the vaccine for two weeks while experts review its safety.

Portugal and Slovenia have taken similar steps.

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AstraZeneca is expected to apply for US authorisation of its vaccine in coming weeks. The US currently relies on Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

AstraZeneca said there have been 37 reports of blood clots out of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the 27-country EU and the UK.

The drug maker said there is no evidence the vaccine carries an increased risk of clots, adding that the incidence is much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size, and is similar to that of other licensed Covid-19 vaccines.

The World Health Organisation and the EUs European Medicines Agency have also said the data does not suggest the vaccine caused the clots and people should continue to be immunised.

Many thousands of people develop blood clots annually in the EU for different reasons, the EMA said. The incidence in vaccinated people seems not to be higher than that seen in the general population.

The agency said that while the investigation is going on, the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing Covid-19, with its associated risk of hospitalisation and death, outweigh the risks of side effects.

Blood clots can travel through the body and cause heart attacks, strokes and deadly blockages in the lungs. AstraZeneca reported 15 cases of deep vein thrombosis, or a type of clot that often develops in the legs, and 22 instances of pulmonary embolisms, or clots in the lungs.

Denmark last week became the first country to temporarily halt use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. It said one person developed clots and died 10 days after receiving at least one dose. The other countries include Ireland, Thailand, the Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, Congo and Bulgaria.

Canada, Britain and several smaller European countries are standing by AstraZenecas vaccine for now.
Here's a superlative you won't find in a glossy brochure: Fast-growing, prosperous Saratoga County is home to more trailer parks than any other county in the state.

But it appears therell be one fewer soon - and its the latest warning sign flashing its big red NO VACANCY arrow toward Saratoga County's lack of low-income housing. This is a serious problem, one with repercussions for all residents, rich, poor and in between.

The owner of Saratoga Lakeview Mobile Home Park notified residents in January that the land under their trailers will be sold, and the new owner has other plans. Brett Van Zandt gave families two choices: Either come up with the purchase price of $650,000 or leave.

But where will they go? The city's other trailer parks are full. The fair-market value of a two-bedroom Saratoga Springs apartment is more than twice what park residents pay for their lot rental. Affordable places in nearby communities are full up, too.

The county may be chockablock with trailer parks, but as a sole solution to low-income housing, that just doesn't cut it. The free market won't go out of its way to build enough working-class homes. But without them, the community as a whole will suffer.

This is not a new problem. Its been five years since a study found that 80 percent of renters in Saratoga Springs struggled to pay housing costs. Business leaders have long warned that a lack of affordable housing makes it hard for Spa City employers to find workers.

Yet when leaders seek to add affordable housing, theyre often met with resistance. People tell planning boards theyre OK with low-income units as long as they're built ... somewhere else. People wring their hands in fear that their home values will plummet. That outsiders will come in. That their quality of life will take a hit. Remember Malta residents fretting last year that subsidized senior housing would bring everyone from New York City residents to Democrats into their town?

But it's not outsiders who are being hurt by a lack of affordable housing. It's those already here. People whose kids have come up through the schools. People with Saratoga County roots who can't afford their hometowns anymore. And people who work in all the restaurants and day cares and stores  in other words, people whose presence in Saratoga Springs makes life easier for the wealthier residents. So not only is it callous for the community not to invest in affordable housing, it's short-sighted.

And in more ways than one. Studies show that affordable housing strengthens the whole community: Its residents have more money to put toward other needs, increasing their spending power. Housing stability is linked to higher graduation rates and improved health among residents, which both contribute to lower community costs and a stronger workforce.

This housing crisis requires government solutions. Local officials have a responsibility to working-class residents to push past the NIMBYs and expand housing options. They must require developers to include an adequate number of affordable units in their building plans. In the Spa City, this should mean revisiting the idea of inclusionary zoning, which would give builders a density bonus or permission to make projects 20 percent larger if they include the same percentage of affordable units.

Or, if all that seems too unpalatable, here's another approach: Raise working-class wages so employees can afford to live where their jobs are. Whatever the solution, Saratoga County cannot afford to price its own working class out of the market.
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A sign points the way to the Anaheim Police Department visitor entrance in Anaheim, Calif., on Sept. 10, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Man in Custody in Fatal Stabbing of Man at Homeless Shelter in Anaheim

ANAHEIMA man was in custody today for allegedly fatally stabbing another man at a homeless shelter in Anaheim, police said.

Alvaro Sahagun, 57, of Anaheim was arrested in the death of Marcos Zavala, 36, also of Anaheim, said Anaheim police Sgt. Shane Carringer. Sahagun was booked on suspicion of murder, and was being held on $1 million bail.

Anaheim police officers went to the Salvation Army shelter in the 1400 block of South Salvation Place about 6 a.m. March 14, and found Zavala suffering from at least one stab wound, Carringer said. Zavala died at a hospital. Sahagun was arrested at the scene, Carringer said.

Detectives are not discussing a motive for the murder, Carringer said.

Anyone with information on the case was urged to call Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS.
The son of Evangelist Luis Palau led an evangelistic festival in Florida, turning more than 2,000 people to Christ prior to the minister's passing.

A few days before the passing of the late evangelist, Andrew Palau spearheaded the Space Coast CityFest throughout Brevard County on March 6-7. The event took off after more than two years of preparation.

Detailed in the Luis Palau Association website, the event was preceded by a "festival week" that held multiple outreaches and gatherings in the county, including prison outreaches, a couple of gatherings for women, first responder breakfast and luncheon for civic and business leaders.

The festival featured a number of artists such as Casting Crowns, Zach Williams, Mac Powell, Mandisa, Social Club Misfits and Andy Mineo. It also presented shows like stunt demos from professional skaters, BMX and FMX athletes, as well as presentations of the Gospel.

The program has provided opportunities for the churches in the region to unite in service, including foster care and adoption, partnering with schools, addressing homelessness and hunger, revitalizing families and neighborhood and awareness campaign on opioid crisis and mental health.

The organization plans to hold the same event on other cities and countries such as Hermiston in Oregon, Blantyre in Malawi, Buenos Aires and Mendoza in Argentina, Egypt, Naples in Italy, Pakistan, Manchester in New Hampshire, Manchester in United Kingdom and Ghana.

14 years ago, the late evangelist also held a campaign in the state, establishing relationships in the community.

The ministry was founded in 1978 after Reverend Billy Graham inspired Mr. Luis Palau to build his own evangelistic organization.

In an interview with CBN News in 2020 after contemplating on his cancer diagnosis, Mr. Palau said that he was ready to go with the Lord but also sad over leaving his family and friends.

"The only sad thing is leaving my wife and my kids and the team and a few of my best friends. But really, I'm ready to go. I have the peace of the Lord," he said.

He further shared that it was time for him to allow his sons to handle the ministry.

"You got to make room for the next generation to freely minister - freely do. Although you think, 'Ok, we've transitioned.' Kevin is the president [and] Andrew is the better-known evangelist. But are you still in the way? And I've come to realize I am somewhat in the way," Mr. Palau stated.

Mr. Palau passed away on March 11, following years of battling lung cancer. He is remembered for his 50 years of service in evangelism, proclaiming the gospel to millions of people in more than 80 countries. He wrote almost 50 books, discussing issues of faith. He started ministering through radio broadcasts in 1964, flourishing into radio programs such as the Spanish-language "Luis Palau Responde" and "Reaching Your World" which were played on 5,000 radio outlets in 48 countries.

His son, Kevin, joined the ministry as its staff in 1985, uniting churches in various cities for community service and sharing the Gospel.

Andrew has been serving in the organization for more than 24 years.

The ministry is currently working to create a network of evangelists in 150 countries.
The White House Gender Policy Council co-chairs has released a statement committing to uplift women and girls especially throughout the effects of the global pandemic, but show preference to members of the LGBT community as part of the female category.

International Women's Day saw President Joe Biden launching the White House Gender Policy Council, an entity defined as one that will "instill, advance, and oversee [the Biden administration's] commitment to a government-wide approach to gender equity and equality."

Its co-chairs are Jennifer Klein, International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) and Brown University School of Public Health advisory council member, and attorney and diplomat Julissa Reynoso, chief of staff First Lady Jill Biden. In a statement dated March 12, the pair outlined their plans for the White House Gender Policy Council.

Klein and Reynoso shared how they intend to provide a "government-wide strategy for advancing gender equity and gender equality," which will include "for advancing gender equity and gender equality." However, it seems that the Biden White House Gender Policy Council are looking to cluster members of the LGBT community into the "female" category.

According to Klein and Reynoso's statement, the Gender Policy Council will work closely with the Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women to "end gender-based violence against women, girls, and LGBTQ+ people."

Klein and Reynoso's statement also showed how the Biden White House Gender Policy Council will work with the Department of Education to come up with strategies to "combat systemic bias, and ensure that all young people-including girls and LGBTQ+ youth-can be guaranteed education free from sexual violence."

As to why the Gender Policy Council is clustering LGBT with women and girls in their statements is strange, especially after the White House showed openness to adding a third gender option to federal identification documents.

According to FaithWire, President Biden's spokesperson Matt Hill confirmed that the administration "remains committed to advancing state and federal efforts that allow transgender and non-binary Americans to update their identification documents to accurately reflect their gender identity."

When asked if President Biden had plans to pass this into law, Klein said that they are "very inclusive in our definition of 'gender' and we intend to address all sorts of discrimination and fight for equal rights for people, whether that's LGBTQ+ people, women, girls, men."

Klein added that at the moment, she is unsure if a policy that enables a third gender option in federal identification documents needs an executive order. Some states, including Washington D.C., already have laws in place that allow for individuals to choose a third option for some identifying documents such as birth certificates and driver's licenses. Citizens may, however, ask to have this changed if they can provide the medical certificates that prove they had transitioned from one sex to the other, as per The New York Times.

In the move to further push the Equality act, the Biden White House Gender Policy Council promised that they are "building a big table because the moment calls for it."
RALEIGH, N.C., March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SECU Foundation has awarded a $200,000 grant to the North Carolina Education Fund in support of a new project, the North Carolina Education Corps (NCEC). The initiative was developed in 2020 by North Carolina educators and leaders to help tackle some of the most pressing needs of public schools throughout the state  specifically addressing the learning inequities intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Foundation grant will assist the North Carolina Education Fund with administrative services, including NCEC training programs and in-service support for the first cohort of corps members delivering services to students and school systems as tutors, mentors, or technology navigators. NCEC is a joint project of the North Carolina State Board of Education, the Governors Office, and Local Education Agencies.



Through the initial launch of the project, NCEC will recruit, train, and deploy over 250 corps members across the state to provide wraparound support services virtually and/or in-person for K-12 students. Corps members were selected from a diverse applicant pool of more than 1,000 North Carolinians  college students, recent graduates, and retirees who applied to participate in the program launch. All corps members commit to six months of service and will be compensated for their time serving students and school districts. NCEC deployed the first wave of corps members in January to 21 school districts with an emphasis on Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties.

Among the many major disruptions in our lives caused by COVID-19 has been the necessity for schools, teachers, and students to shift to remote education options, observed Jo Anne Sanford, SECU Foundation Board Chair. This shift has exposed the heightened economic, health, and social disparities among student families and school systems, especially in the states most economically distressed counties. We are so pleased to join with the North Carolina Education Corps to help address the stark academic learning challenges students and schools are experiencing.

North Carolina Education Corps creates opportunities for North Carolinians to learn, earn, and serve public school students in roles such as tutor and contact tracer, and our corps members offer relief to hardworking teachers and administrators across the state, said John-Paul C. Smith, NCEC Executive Director. SECU Foundation will expand these opportunities and fuel the launch of North Carolina Education Corps as it seeks to recruit, train, and deploy corps members to support public school students and teachers this year and beyond.

About SECU and the SECU Foundation

A not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by its members, SECU has been providing employees of the state of North Carolina and their families with consumer financial services for over 83 years. The Credit Union also offers a diversified line of financial advisory services including retirement and education planning, tax preparation, insurance, trust and estate planning services, and investments through its partners and affiliated entities. SECU serves over 2.5 million members through 271 branch offices, 1,100 ATMs, 24/7 Member Services via phone, a website, www.ncsecu.org and a Mobile App. Members can also follow and subscribe to SECU on Facebook and YouTube. The SECU Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization funded by the contributions of SECU members, promotes local community development in North Carolina primarily through high impact projects in the areas of housing, education, healthcare and human services. Since 2004, SECU Foundation has made a collective financial commitment of over $200 million for initiatives to benefit North Carolinians statewide. In addition to the website, highlights are also available on the SECU Foundation Instagram page.

Contact: Jama Campbell, Executive Director

Office: 919-839-5562 | secufoundation@ncsecu.org

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/14f882c1-fb2c-47bf-af0b-127f2db20187
Six months after the Trump administration dealt a crushing blow to Technologies smartphone business, the Chinese telecommunications giant is turning to less glamorous alternatives that may eventually offset the decline of its biggest revenue contributor.

Among its newest customers is a fish farm in eastern China thats twice the size of New Yorks Central Park. The farm is covered with tens of thousands of solar panels outfitted with Huaweis inverters to shield its fish from excessive sunlight while generating power. About 370 miles to the west in coal-rich Shanxi province, wireless sensors and cameras deep beneath the earth monitor oxygen levels and potential machine malfunctions in mine pit  all supplied by the tech titan. And next month, a shiny new electric car featuring its lidar sensor will debut at a China auto show.

Once the worlds largest smartphone maker, the Chinese corporation has seen a series of US sanctions almost obliterate its lucrative consumer business. With the Biden administration keeping up the pressure on Huawei, billionaire founder Ren Zhengfei has directed the company to grow its roster of enterprise clients in transportation, manufacturing, agriculture and other industries. is the worlds leading supplier of inverters and its now banking on growing those sales alongside its cloud services and data analytics solutions to help the 190,000-employee business survive. Its very unlikely that the U.S. will remove us from the Entity List, Ren said last month at the opening of a mining innovation laboratory.
Vote Percentage of Parties in Puducherry2021: How did the parties fare

Puducherry elections 2021: CPI(M) announces own candidate in Kuttiyadi

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

Puducherry, Mar 15: Founder of AINRC and Opposition Leader in the outgoing Assembly N Rangasamy filed nomination on Monday seeking election from Thattanchavady constituency in the April 6 polls. Rangasamy contested from Kadirkamam constituency in the last poll held in 2016.

Now, he seeks to contest from Thattanchavady which was his pocketborough in the past. He told reporters after filing nomination that the NDA, headed by AINRC in the Union Territory, would romp home in the poll.

He said he would also file nomination on Wednesday in the lone segment in Yanam, an enclave of Puducherry, in Andhra Pradesh). Former Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao (Congress), who quit the ministerial post and also the MLA post in February, extended support and started wooing voters to back Rangasamy through extensive campaign even before the latter filed the nomination.

West Bengal elections 2021: Suvendu seeks rejection of Mamata Banerjee's nomination

AKD Arumugham, who crossed over to AINRC a few weeks ago from Congress, filed the papers as AINRC nominee in Indira Nagar segment. Former Parliamentary Secretary to Chief Minister, K Lakshminarayanan, who shifted his allegiance from Congress to AINRC in February, filed his nomination seeking retention of Raj Bhavan constituency on AINRC ticket.

The DMK nominee SP Sivakumar,a former Education Minister, filed his papers to contest from Raj Bhavan constituency and he would lock horns with Lakshminarayanan in the constituency. A John Kumar who quit the Congress in February and joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) filed the papers to retain Kamaraj Nagar constituency.

Kumar told media that his son Richards John Kumar, who also joined the BJP along with him in February, filed nomination y to contest from Nellithope constituency on BJP ticket. PML Kalyanasundaram, a former AINRC legislator, filed papers as BJP nominee in Kalapet constituency.

G Nehru, who was AINRC legislator between 2011 and 2016, filed papers now as Independent seeking to regain Orleanpet. Among the others who filed nominations included the DMK candidates R Siva (Villianoor constituency), L Sampath (Mudaliarpet) and Gopal (Orleanpet).

Tamil Nadu elections 2021: CPI to contest from six seats

Congress would release names of its candidates on Tuesday, party sources said.

The party has been allotted 15 seats out of the total 30 constituencies and is part of the Secular Democratic alliance comprising DMK, VCK, left parties among others.

The DMK has been earmarked 13 constituencies. The party has already announced names of its candidates for 12 out of the 13 segments. CPI, a constituent of the Secular Democratic Alliance, has been allotted the Thattanchavady constituency.

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Story first published: Monday, March 15, 2021, 18:51 [IST]
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The compassionate dentists at Belle Meade Family Dentistry are working to improve oral health in Nashville, TN by encouraging their community to seek necessary care, especially when it comes to decay or tooth loss. When a mouth suffers from pain, decay, or tooth loss, a persons overall health can suffer. In order to remove decay and provide a reliable solution to tooth loss in Nashville, TN, these reputable dentists are offering life-changing dental implants, with or without a referral.

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Dental implants are considered the gold standard of tooth replacement and have up to a 98 percent success rate. A dental implant is a titanium screw secured within the jawbone and affixed with a crown or bridge. Dental implants replicate the look and function of natural teeth, and those who receive them from a reputable team, like the dentists and staff at Belle Meade Family Dentistry, report a boost in confidence, as well as the ability to eat all of the foods they love once again.

For those suffering from tooth loss or decay, the highly experienced dentists at Belle Meade Family Dentistry can provide tooth extraction and dental implant placement, often in one appointment. In their years of experience, they have helped a countless number of patients improve their health and their confidence with the help of dental implants.

Those suffering from tooth loss or decay who are interested in receiving life-changing dental implants in Nashville, TN can connect with the dentists at Belle Meade Family Dentistry for a consultation. To schedule an appointment, visit http://www.bellemeadedental.com or call 615-298-2030.

About the Dentists

Belle Meade Family Dentistry serves the Nashville, TN area with full-service family dentistry, for 43 years running. Dr. James Pace Sr. has served as a Chairman of the Nashville Peer Review Committee and as a delegate to the Tennessee Dental Association. He was selected by his peers in 2019 as one of the Top Dentists in Nashville, has consistently received recognition by the Tennessee Dental Association for his hours of continuing education, and has led and participated in multiple dental and medical mission trips to the Dominican Republic. Along with Dr. James Pace Jr. they have been honored each year from 2015-2019 as Patients Choice Award Winners. Dr. Pace Jr. has also received the 2011 Tennessee Dental Associations Ace Award. Dr. Temp Sullivan earned his fellow in laser dentistry at World Clinical Laser Institute and serves as a delegate for the Tennessee Dental Association and as a member of the Peer Review committee for TennCare. The team at Belle Meade Family Dentistry strives to provide the finest quality dental care for patients in a warm, caring, and clean environment. They execute the most advanced dental care with every service, including dental implants, Invisalign, the Pinhole Surgical Technique and laser dentistry. To learn more about the dentists at Belle Meade Family Dentistry and the services they offer visit http://www.bellemeadedental.com or call 615-298-2030.
The wife of jailed Canadian Pastor James Coates spoke up regarding her husband's condition a week after the Edmonton Court of Queens Bench decided to keep him behind bars until his trial scheduled on May 3 to 5.

Erin Coates, the pastor's wife, told FaithWire via email that her husband had only been able to "go out" and "be able to be with his inmates" recently unlike when he arrived in prison in mid-February during which he had to be quarantined for two weeks. Back then, she said, he was allowed twice of 15-minute blocks outside his jail cell.

The pastor's wife said that due to the "high profile" nature of her husband's case, he was removed from sharing a cell with another inmate and was quarantined such that he "spent the majority of the two weeks alone". It was only this March 11 that Coates was joined to the rest of the inmates.

"Now, he gets about three hours out, in one-hour chunks. He is able to be with the inmates on his unit during this time," she said.

A mother of two, Mrs. Coates said she is able to talk to her husband through video calls but still "can't visit him because of COVID restrictions."

Coates'application for bail order release review condition was denied by Edmonton Court Justice Peter Michalyshyn last March 5 following two charges of non-compliance to COVID-19 restrictions and a criminal charge for non-compliance to the undertaking he made for his initial arrest last December. The charges were filed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Parkland following recommendations by the Alberta Health Services.

Days after the court's decision, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has posted a news release on their website on March 10 declaring that the Coates' congregation has also been charged for two accounts of violations against the Alberta Health Services COVID-19 restrictions.

"The legal counsel for GraceLife Church was served with a Summons to attend Stony Plain Provincial Court on May 5, 2021. GraceLife Church was charged as an entity for exceeding the 15% allowable capacity for the services held on Feb. 21 and Feb 28., 2021, contrary to section 73(1) of the Public Health Act," the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.

"The Parkland RCMP supported the AHS investigation at GraceLife Church this past Sunday. The Church was non-compliant with the Public Health Order in that it was over the allowed capacity," it explained. "The RCMP members were present for public safety and to support AHS, and did not go inside the church."

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police added that investigation for GraceLife continues to be done by the Alberta Health Services. It stressed that further comments about the matter will not be provided further since "charges are now before the court."

Meanwhile, Faith Wire added in a separate report that the GraceLife Church was fined last December for $1,200 for exceeding the church occupancy limit of 15% and its last worship service with Coates on February 14 involved an estimate of 400 attendees.

In a public statement issued on February 7 and updated February 16 posted in its website, the GraceLife Church "addressed" their reasons for gathering as "a local church" after "having engaged in an immense amount of research, interacting with both doctors and frontline healthcare workers" that the "negative effects of the government lockdown measures on society far surpass the effects of COVID-19."

The church argued that there was no evidence lockdowns decreased COVID-19 cases and that the government control being set is an impediment on one's religious liberties.
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Esther McGeer appointed head of digital innovations at hoola Modern Agency

Advertising agency, hoola Modern Agency, has appointed Esther McGeer as its new head of digital innovations to elevate the dynamic digital solutions which the agency offers.



McGeer has 15 years of experience working in the media and communications industry and possesses a degree in language and communications from the University of Pretoria.
For many teachers, covering their faces all day has become second nature during the coronavirus pandemic. But for Loren Hsu, an unobstructed view of her face is non-negotiable  she relies on students being able to see her mouth.

Thats because Loren, an American Sign Language teacher at Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark, is communicating in a language that is as much about the shape or placement of ones hand, as the way one purses their lips or makes a facial expression.

One sign can mean a million different things based on your facial grammar, Loren told NJ Advance Media.

One of the five key parameters of ASL, non-manual markers or grammatical features like head nods, shoulder shrugs, raised eyebrows, mouth movement and eye gazing, comprise a huge component of the language, much in the same way intonation is used in spoken language to convey meaning.

Unfortunately, that turns a much-needed public health measure into an acute problem for New Jerseys deaf and hard of hearing learners or anyone studying ASL. The solution, in part, has been a shift to clear masks in ASL classrooms, with companies taking notice of the unique need.

When you block (the face), youre really not getting true ASL ... thats something that a lot of people that either dont know ASL or havent grown up around ASL dont realize  its really not just about the hands, Aaron Hsu, co-founder and CEO of ClearMask, LLC, a company that manufactures fully transparent, FDA-approved masks, told NJ Advance Media.

Aaron (of no relation to Loren) and Allysa Dittmar, founded the company in 2017 after the Freehold native had a traumatic experience in surgery. When Dittmar, who is deaf, went in for the operation and her interpreter never showed up, she was unable to read lips or communicate with any of the nurses or doctors.

They soon gave up on communicating and began poking and prodding her, underscoring the need for a transparent mask.

That experience of losing control of your humanity and autonomy  thats how we started ClearMask, Aaron Hsu said.

Though that was only back in 2017, the team of entrepreneurs, who have since been named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list, never anticipated a day where masks would be ubiquitous and demand would balloon as it has. Last year, the small start-up with just 14 full-time employees sold about 15 million masks and earned nearly $40 million from sales.

A file photo shows a box of ClearMask face coverings.Courtesy of ClearMask, LLC

Schools are one of the companys largest customer bases, Dittmar told NJ Advance Media, with teachers like Loren depending on transparent masks to lead daily lessons.

Loren asked her district to order about 150 transparent masks over the summer, one for each student. Each mask sits in a labeled Ziploc bag placed in Solo cups throughout the classroom.

However, Loren said she wouldnt be comfortable all day in the transparent masks, which her district ordered from Staples. She uses them most often for exams or presentations, finding them to be stifling and extremely hot over long periods.

Theres just no air at all, Loren said. I know thats the purpose of wearing a mask, but at least with the paper mask or cloth mask you can breathe a little bit better.

And transparent masks are often prone to fogging up, said Jessica Merz, a special education teacher at the Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf and 2020s Mercer County Teacher of the Year.

Merz tried five different brands of clear masks but found they all cloud over and can be uncomfortable for long periods. Like Loren, Merz reserves the equipment for specific lessons, instead of keeping it on all day.

Chris LaZich, of Fleet Science Center in San Diego, wears a mask with a window as she talks with Delpha Hanson. Face coverings to curb the spread of the coronavirus are making it hard for people who read lips to communicate. That has spurred a slew of startups making masks with plastic windows to show one's mouth. The companies are getting inundated with orders from family and friends of deaf people, people helping English learners see the pronunciation of words, and even hospitals that want their patients to be able to see smiles.AP

But clear masks arent the only new tool in instructors toolbelts. ASL instructors and teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing have embraced all sorts of new technology and learning practices to keep the ball rolling during the pandemic.

Professionals have approached the numerous challenges of meeting the unique needs of this population in creative and effective ways, a Department of Education spokesperson told NJ Advance Media.

For one, teachers have had to rearrange their classrooms to allow for social distancing while also ensuring students can see each other. Both Merz and Loren had their students desks oriented in a horseshoe pre-COVID.

Now, Merz has her students staggered in a rhombus formation, with three tables in the front and two in the back.

When youre speaking in English, it doesnt really matter if they can see the teachers full body, but in American Sign Language it does, Merz said.

Shes also had to train her young students to turn around to look at other signers.

Luckily, new technology provides a much-needed hand to offset the challenges of in-person ASL instruction.

Zoom has a new feature where, with a green screen, teachers can superimpose themselves onto a PowerPoint presentation, allowing Merz to point exactly to what she wants students to see. Before, Merz would be in a bubble off to the side, trying to explain where she wanted students to look.

There are also more and more educational resources that allow teachers to add a video of them interpreting into the video, transcribe audio in real-time or come with subtitles.

This year has been amazing with all of the technological advances that have come out that will benefit the deaf community for years and years to come, Merz said.

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Josh Axelrod may be reached at jaxelrod@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
Postmasters warned that the Government needs to act quickly and decisively to keep Irish post offices open or put access to local banking at risk.

Irish Postmasters Union (IPU) general secretary Ned OHara said a Government financial intervention must be in place by June.

Mr OHara said Covid-19 has made the viability of the hundreds of post offices even more challenging.

He said: The question is, who will provide financial services to communities, such as those where Bank of Ireland branches are to close, if post offices do not get government support in time?

He warned of a significant reduction in postmasters payments rate, to take effect from July 1.

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The challenge faced is related to the delay in providing new government services which have been promised since 2018, but are only now being seriously examined.

There is a cliff face in front of the post office network that is coming this July Ned O'Hara, IPU

Minister of State for Postal Services, Hildegarde Naughton, last week promised to establish a new Inter-Departmental Group to examine directing more government business to the post office network and to report back at the end of July.

Mr OHara added: This is too late. There is a cliff face in front of the post office network that is coming this July.

Decisions need to have been made and actions taken before then.

While the IPU welcomes additional banking services which post offices will provide, such as following the Bank of Ireland branch closures announcement, this can only happen if there is a network there to provide it.

The IPU has been invited to attend the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications Networks on Tuesday.

Mr OHara said: The IPU will recommend that an annual government retainer payment be put in place from this summer with a commitment among all parties (government, An Post and postmasters) to expand the range of services provided as much as possible and urgently.

In 2018 a national plan for the post office network was launched giving a commitment to services within 3km in urban areas and 15km or community of 500 people in all rural areas.

To deliver on this policy, an underpinning government retainer is needed.
Can you assess the potential of Vietnamese tourism in 2021 compared to neighbouring countries?

Michael Piro, Indochina Capitals COO and Wink Hotels CEO

Vietnam has been exceptional with its approach to COVID-19, which recently ranked second worldwide by Australian think tank Lowy Institute. Not only does this highlight the countrys competence on a global level, but it also allowed the domestic market to travel relatively unhindered, which puts us in a very good position compared to other countries for 2021.

Vietnam is among a few countries that recorded a positive GDP growth rate in 2020; additionally Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City is the second-busiest flight route in the world and Vietnam is one of the worlds top destinations for foreign direct investment.

This means we can expect recovery and growth for the tourism sector, especially as the country starts to open its borders. The Vietnam Tourism Association has initiated plans to welcome travellers from international markets and we expect Vietnam to be a top destination given the importance of safety to travellers.

Are you concerned about debuting a new hotel amid the pandemic?

From an industry standpoint, there is a gap in the hospitality industry at the moment. Close to 80 per cent of the hotel supply is unbranded, meaning smaller hotels of under 100 rooms, managed independently mostly by locals. There is a chance to consolidate that demand with a branded product which follows international quality standards, that speaks to both local and foreign travellers.

From a social standpoint, nowhere in the world do I see a more dynamic, young-at-heart generation than Vietnam and Wink Hotels was created to cater to their fast-paced lifestyle while immersing them in each destination. Am I aware it will be challenging for us to reach a certain occupancy rate? Yes, but I would say I am excited and believe in our team and the market.

Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Danang are well-established on the Vietnamese tourist trail but do you intend to expand across the country and open up in secondary markets?

Wink Hotel Saigon Center at 75 Nguyen Binh Khiem will open on March 24th 2021

Wink Hotels is part of the initial $1 billion investment commitment of Indochina Kajima, Indochina Capitals joint venture with Kajima Corporation, into Vietnam. This month, we will open the brands first hotel, Wink Hotel Saigon Centre on Nguyen Binh Khiem of District 1. Hanoi and Danang will follow and then we will expand to secondary markets such as Can Tho, Haiphong, Vung Tau, and Tuy Hoa.

More than just a brand, we believe Wink will become a lifestyle that every stakeholder and guest will be a part of  we want to create a lasting community. We will bring our unique lifestyle movement to every city we operate in, creating a one-of-a-kind ecosystem and deliver on our promise of building a community of one, where every Wink stakeholder embodies and personifies the Wink way of work, travel, play, and life. We are confident this will create synergies that will boost our brand and performance.

What are the main challenges for a developer venturing into hospitality sector, especially amid COVID-19?

A recent survey of hotel operators revealed the challenges facing the hospitality industry at this time, which include the implementation of technology, environmental friendliness and sustainability, personalising the customer experience, and retaining quality human resources.

Coincidentally, our initial design and concept help us navigate through many of these challenges. Our hotels incorporate state-of-the art technology such as self-check in and check out, usage of the room key as a top-up card for services provided at the hotel, and vending machines on every floor, among other features.

Our past experience with luxury resorts also gave us the construction expertise and best practice to ensure sustainability: Wink Hotels is the first hotel property in Vietnam to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certification version 4. Our guest experience is driven by Wink Guides, our front-of-house team, which was hired and trained in a manner not yet seen in Vietnam. The group is genuine and always available to help guests experience their destination to the fullest.

Collaboration is also key in overcoming these challenges. Operators need to work with local authorities and companies when it comes to human resources training and creative customer experience packages to encourage people to travel again.

What are the major lessons from your time developing branded residences with luxury hotel chains like Four Seasons and Six Senses?

The idea behind Wink Hotels came to us back in 2015 as we wanted to leverage our experience in building luxury developments and apply that learning to a new, affordable product. Wink will disrupt the market in a number of ways, because we have learned that a hotel should be about the convenience and comfort for our guests.

We have a Stay24 programme to guarantee a full 24-hour guest stay regardless of check-in time. Guests can come at their time of convenience to enjoy unlimited a-la-carte breakfast, a free pass to any Toong coworking space in the city (including their flagship site at 75 Nguyen Binh Khiem) and lifestyle and fitness workshops from our partners.

And at the end of the day, the rooms, though minimal and smaller in size, offer a powerful shower with high-quality shower products and a premium mattress and bed linens, designed only for Wink Hotels, that will guarantee a five-star hotel sleep experience.

Our membership programme will guarantee the best rates, and allow our members to accumulate points for every dollar spent at the hotel, as well as various promotions from our partners such as Grab and their rideshare services.
ALBANY  Investigators with the state attorney general's office on Monday interviewed Charlotte Bennett, the second woman to come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, her attorney said in a statement.

The interview comes amid an intensifying investigation of multiple sexual harassment allegations against Cuomo that is being coordinated by the office of state Attorney General Letitia James. Two private attorneys are leading the probe: Joon H. Kim, a former acting U.S. attorney for New York's Southern District in Manhattan, and Anne L. Clark, who specializes in labor law and sexual harassment cases.

The meeting with Bennett took place on Zoom, said Debra Katz, the lawyer, and lasted more than four hours. Bennett also provided the investigators with more than 120 pages of records and other evidence from her time working for Cuomo that she said would corroborate her accusations of harassment. Bennett alleges that Cuomo groomed her under the guise of mentorship, working his way up to asking her probing questions about her sexuality, such as whether she would sleep with an older man. She said that he communicated to her that he would sleep with a woman of her age.

"One piece of new information that came to light today was the governors preoccupation with his hand size and what the large size of his hands indicated to Charlotte and other members of his staff," Katz said.

Cuomo has repeatedly denied that he ever touched anyone "inappropriately," harassed anyone or assaulted anyone. He has said instead that his desire to be friendly and "playful" with colleagues has been misinterpreted as flirting.

"I never meant to make anyone feel uncomfortable I never meant to make anyone feel awkward," Cuomo said recently as he denied the womens' allegations.

Lawmakers, and Cuomo, have said publicly they want the attorney general's investigation to proceed quickly. There's currently an uncomfortable stalemate where more than half of all Albany lawmakers have called for Cuomo to resign, but he says he intends to stay until the investigation finishes. The two lawyers conducting the probe were named last week by the attorney general, and other women with allegations against Cuomo have also been interviewed already.

The investigators have been moving quickly, and with sensitivity, to get to the heart of these allegations. We remain confident that their investigation will substantiate Charlottes claims of sexual harassment against Gov. Cuomo, as well as the failure of his senior staff to meet their mandatory reporting requirements under the very laws he signed," Katz said.
SAO PAULO, March 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sungrow, the global leading inverter solution supplier for renewables, will supply the SG3125HV central inverter solution for the implementation of the project Sol do Sertao Solar after an agreement with Essentia Energia, a new Renewable Energy firm created by Patria Investimentos. The projects will be implemented in Oliveira dos Brejinhos, a city in Bahia that is about 600 km from the capital and will have a total capacity of 475 MWp once completed.

According to Gilberto Peixoto, director of implementation of the Sol do Sertao Complex, there are eight solar PV plants that is generating more than 4,000 job (directly and indirectly) creations throughout its works. Sungrow will provide 122 units of SG3125HV inverters, which comprise a set of 61 blocks, in addition to the commissioning and training service of the team's O&M. "We always look for suppliers that are market leaders, for first-tier solutions, and Sungrow was chosen for its proven technology and reference in the solar energy sector," said the executive.

The project is in a region where the thermal feeling can exceed 40C, while Sungrow SG3125HV can work without derating even temperature reaches 50C. The inverter is equipped with a smart forced air-cooling system that in addition to increasing the life of the equipment, ensures that it does not lose productivity even in the most extreme conditions. The product is compatible with bifacial modules and tracking systems, enabling higher yields. It is prefabricated with inputs for DC-coupled storage solutions which could be added at a later stage.

According to Rafael Ribeiro, Country Manager of Sungrow Brazil, the Company sees a lot of potential across the country and takes the first place in market share. "It is an honor to be part of Essentia Energia birth and support them in a utility-scale project of this size," said Rafael Ribeiro. "We're also committed to powering more communities with standout residential and commercial products supplied to the Brazilian distribution market," he added.

The work on the Sol do Sertao Solar Complex is under construction and the complete commercial operation of the plant is scheduled for the second half of 2021.

About Essentia Energia

Essentia Energia is a renewable energy company that operates in the wind and solar generation and commercialization segments. The company has as its investing partner the Patria Infraestrutura fund, from Patria Investimentos, a leader in alternative asset management in Latin America and with more than 30 years of experience in the areas of Infrastructure, Private Equity, Real Estate and Credit.

About Sungrow

Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd ("Sungrow") is the world's most bankable inverter brand with over 154 GW installed worldwide as of December 2020. Founded in 1997 by University Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters, with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions. With a strong 24-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power installations in over 150 countries. Learn more about Sungrow by visiting www.sungrowpower.com.

SOURCE Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd

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Three advocacy groups have filed a criminal complaint against Russian private military contractor Wagner Group over the torture and death of a detainee in Syrias civil war.

"This litigation is a first-ever attempt by the family of a Syrian victim to hold Russian suspects accountable for serious crimes committed in Syria," the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights, the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression and the Russian group Memorial said in a joint statement on Monday, which noted that Russian law allows the state to investigate crimes committed by Russian citizens abroad.

The criminal complaint filed in Moscow alleges that six Russian mercenary soldiers took part in the 2017 killing of Muhammad Hamdi Bouta Taha al-Abdullah in Syrias Homs governorate.

Originally from Syria's eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, Abdullah had fled to neighboring Lebanon during the civil war, but upon his return to Syria in 2018 he was arrested and forcibly conscripted into the Syrian army. He reportedly defected and was then captured by the Russian paramilitaries.

The NGOs legal action comes after open-source investigators identified Wagner Group contractors in gruesome video clips that showed Russian-speaking men torturing and beheading Abdullah before setting fire to his body at the al-Shaer gas plant near the Syrian city of Palmyra.

Mazen Darwish, director-general and founder of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, called on the Russian government to take responsibility for the actions of its paramilitaries in Syria, where Moscow's intervention in 2015 helped turn the tide of the war in President Bashar al-Assad's favor.

We know that the networks of political and economic relations of such groups are complex," Darwish said. Nevertheless, it is simply not permissible to regard the blood of Syrians as cheap and think of lost civilian lives as mere collateral damage.

The Russian government denied any involvement in Abdullahs killing in Syria, and in general denies using the Wagner Group's mercenaries in Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic and other conflicts.

The Wagner Group case is the latest to seek justice in courts outside of Syria for crimes committed in the war-torn country. Last month, a German court convicted a former Syrian intelligence officer of crimes against humanity and sentenced him to four and a half years in prison.

Similar cases against former members of Assads regime are ongoing in European countries with broad universal jurisdiction laws that allow for trying heinous crimes committed abroad. Anwar Raslan, a former colonel in the Syrian army accused of torturing opposition activists, is currently on trial in Koblenz, Germany.
Bangladesh: Illegal fish enclosures in Meghna river

by Moniruzzaman

March 15,2021 | Source: Prothom Alo

The water of the rivers surrounding Dhaka has been contaminated for a decade because of industries and waste. These rivers barely have any fish. But water of the Meghna river stretching from Munshiganjs Gajaria to Bishnadi ferry jetty area of Narayangajs Araihazar upazila via Narayangajs Sonargaon upazila is very clean. Several local factories have started dumping waste in the Meghna river, but fishermen still find various species of local fish along the 25km area stretching from Gajaria to Bishnadi. But a syndicate of influential people has grabbed this 25km stretch of the river over the past few by building fences with branches, bamboos and net to form fish enclosures. This syndicate consists of the leaders of Awami League as well as the local leaders of BNP. They prevent other fishermen from catching fish. Locals alleged fish sanctuaries are being destroyed and the fish populations continues to decline due to catching various species of fishes including their fries. Locals said various local species of fishes including koi, shing, magur, puti, rui, katla, shol, kachki, boal, tengra, bele, pabda, and mola are found in this part of Meghna river. These fish are sold at Baidyerbazar fisheries jetty at the early hours every morning. People come to Baidyerbazar fisheries jetty from Dhaka and Naryanganj every day to taste the fish of Meghna. Visiting this part of Meghna, several hundreds of fish enclosures were seen on the river. The highest number of enclosures has been built in Nunertek area, known as a fish sanctuary.



Locals said a gang has been setting up these enclosures for about three years under the patronage of several leaders of the ruling party. Fisherman Ali Ahmad from Nunerthek said hundreds of fishermen have become jobless as the syndicate of political leaders has built enclosures in the river. They cant fish in the river due to enclosures. Fishermen are beaten up if they cast their nets near the enclosures. Chairman of Baidyerbazar union parishad Abdur Rouf said fishing continues right under the administrations nose defying the fisheries act but the administration isnt taking any action. No preventive measure has been taken, though the administration has been informed several times, he added. Several residents of Sat Bhaiapara talked about situation of the river. One of them, Ali Hossain, said an enclosure is available for Tk 1-1.5 million (Tk 10-15 lakh). Leaders receive half of the profit and those who build the enclosure share the rest of it. The syndicate members are taking away several millions of taka in the months of Kartik, Poush and Magh of the Bangla calendar every year. Hossain Mia from Nunertek village built four enclosures in the river. He said, I have built four enclosures in the river. Whatever my earning will be, I have to give a portion of it to some people. Besides, fishes are sent to the government officials as gifts. He said they catch fish by building enclosure every year. Whether the fish act is being violated, he has no idea.



According to the locals, the syndicate of the illegal fishing consists of Bardi union Awami League men Mujibar Rahman, Moktar Hossain, Abul Hossain, Hossain Mia, Golzar Hossain, Abdul Karim and several others. All of the syndicate members are union level leaders of Awami League. Since there has been no committee for long, they hold no position. Prothom Alo talked to the leaders of the syndicate-- Mujibur Rahman, Hossain Mia and Golzar Hossain. Mujibur Rahman said, Fish wont be found unless they are caught in this way. Whats wrong with that? BNP leaders had also built enclosures during their tenure. Many leaders and activists of BNP are with us now. Chairman of Bardi union parishad and president of Awami Leagues union unit, Zahirul Islam, also said that BNP leaders and activists are with the syndicate that set up enclosures. General secretary of BNPs upazila unit and former upazila chairman Azharul Mannan said, There are allegations that our leaders and activists doing this business in collusion with the ruling party (leaders and activists). No significant administrative initiative has been taken albeit fishing has been going on by building enclosures for many years. Upazila nirbahi officer of Sonargaon, Atikul Islam said he conducted several drives after his posting there recently. He also ordered the upazila fisheries officer to continue the drive. Senior upazila fisheries officer Jesmin Akter said the people who are cultivating fishing in enclosures have been served notice. Drives are not being conducted due to lack of funds. Catching fish in such way really damages the fish sanctuary. Fish fry and biodiversity are being destroyed, she added.

 2021 Prothom Alo.
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Simone Goulet is a first-floor resident at Fairview Personal Care Home in Brandon.

As the novel coronavirus fiercely reappeared in Manitoba after a rather quiet summer, Manitoba Public Health announced outbreak after outbreak in personal care homes. Fairview, with 243 residents, was no exception.

Simone Goulet, a resident at Fairview Personal Care Home, receives her first shot of the Moderna vaccine on Jan. 19. (Submitted)

When Simones daughter, Lorraine Winters, first heard of a positive case at the home, she was petrified.

The province declared the outbreak at the home Nov. 16, 2020. There were 109 cases, all told  41 staff and 68 residents. There were 18 reported deaths among residents. Manitoba Public Health declared the outbreak over on Feb. 3.

"Its very scary when your loved one is in there. Ive since told my kids, Im not going to personal care. Its very scary. And, at that age, youre a 94-year-old, or the age group that is normally in personal care  they depend a lot on their children or their caregiver to go in there and take care of them," said Winters.

"Personal care doesnt take care of everything. Theres still financial stuff you have to do and talk to them about. Theres still things like cleaning their glasses, when you go there. They depend on you. She says, Every time you come in here, you tidy up my room, and it just looks so nice. You clean out my closet and straighten things out."

Moreover, there is the love between mother and daughter, which for some is a tangible force. Hugs from a daughter cannot be replaced.

Winters, who once again visits with her mother in her room Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, said it has been tough on the residents. During the outbreak, staff provided updates by email. Simone tells her that she really appreciates the staff and they take very good care of her.

Winters is relieved her mother is safe, and as she said so, she sighed. The outbreak, for her, felt harrowing.

"When I found out that the virus was in the building, I was going to take her out of there," she said.

"Then I felt that as long as they had it contained fourth and fifth floor, I was kind of OK. But if that had come down any further, I think I would have had her out of there, even if it would have been just for six weeks or two months, or whatever it took to sort it out."

Winters was also very afraid that she might bring the virus into the home and to her mother. Groceries were essentially her only outing. She was not putting herself at risk.

"But you never know, right? That was definitely a concern," she said.

Cynthia Chartrand, care team manager for the home, said four resident families requested to remove their loved one during the outbreak  two of whom ended up requesting to be discharged, while the other two returned.

"They seemed to be doing everything they could to stop the spread. I became more comfortable. I wasnt as petrified. I think they did a pretty darn good job, to be honest," said Winters.

Fast-forward to March 2021  the focused immunization teams have travelled to all personal care homes to administer two doses of Moderna vaccine to residents and staff. Simone is among the many residents who consented to double doses.

"At this time, 210 residents obtained the vaccine. We will continue to provide vaccinations to our newly admitted residents on an ongoing basis," said Chartrand.

Winters was ecstatic when she learned the province was rolling out a COVID-19 vaccine to care homes. Her daughter, a nurse, had already been vaccinated. Winters had no reservations.

"In fact, they had phoned me," she said. "It was quite funny because they phoned me and they said, you know, your moms hair looks pretty good today. Shes about one of the only ones in this building that has good hair. So can we take her picture?"

Thinking back to March of last year, Winters said it seemed as though the world went gloomy.

"At that time, it seemed like there may be no light at the end of the tunnel. It had just begun, and were getting all these conflicting messages from the doctors and they just dont know whats going to happen," she said.

"It was more scary, scared of the unknown, at the time."

The Winters have four children, 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Before the pandemic, Winters would bring Simone home and family visits with the younger generations took place there. The pandemic halted that family activity. These days, its mostly video chats. Simone is beginning to forget names because she doesnt see them as much.

"Thats pretty hard on her. She used to feel like my kids were her kids, and thats just not the way it is anymore because they just dont see her as much. Its difficult," said Winters.

Simone, as of last week, could only receive visits from family members, aside from Winters and her husband Gary, once every two weeks. Those take place in an outfitted shipping container. Simone and one of her visiting granddaughters, who live close enough to visit, must be physically distanced and masked.

"Its hard for those older people because my mum doesnt hear well. Then, if someones wearing a mask, she cant even read their lips. Its not ideal, lets put it that way," said Winters.

"And not being able to get out  Shes so anxious to get out of there and come to my house."

Chartrand said some resident activities, including some group activities, have started up again and continue to be reviewed based on the provincial guidelines. Hairdresser services are also now allowed at the facility.

"We are also noticing an increase in scheduled visits within the two outdoor co-visitation shelters located on the grounds of Fairview. With the addition of a second shelter, it has allowed the frequency of general visits to increase from one visit every two weeks to every week," Chartrand said Wednesday.

"Residents are doing as well as possible considering the circumstances, but we know that it has not been easy for personal care home residents and their loved ones."

Staff have worked extremely hard to try to mitigate the impacts whenever possible, Chartrand added. But the pandemic has not been easy on them, either.

"Staff continue to be supported on an ongoing basis in regards to dealing with the after-effects of dealing with the outbreak, the stress that came with it, as well as dealing with the loss of the residents," she said.

As more people in Manitoba, and in Alberta, are vaccinated and restrictions loosen, its possible Simones son, Denis Goulet, and his wife Gerri may have a better annual visit with her than they did last August. The two drove out from Calgary for a pre-planned, appointment-only visit at the home, only to find the facility in lockdown. They only heard the cancellation voicemail when they arrived home in Calgary.

"I think chances are better than not that we would end up making the trip in August," said Denis, adding, this time, they are likely going to fly.

Last week, he said thats the intention. That morning, a local newspaper published an article stating the province hoped to have everyone immunized by early summer. At 73, chances are he will get the vaccine sooner rather than later.

"I think chances are better than not that we would end up making the trip in August," said Denis.

"You know what? It is what it is. I expect, though, that things will have opened up by then to some degree."

A total of 1,542 personal care home residents tested positive for COVID-19, along with 750 staff. Twenty-nine cases remained active as of March 2, while the province recorded 445 deaths.

 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.
A giant underwater telescope has been deployed 4,300ft below the surface of Lake Baikal in a bid to observe neutrinos - the smallest particles known to science.

Baikal-GVD has been under construction since 2015 and consists of strings with spherical glass and stainless steel modules measuring a total of 17,657 cubic feet.

A neutrino is a subatomic particle with no electrical charge and a very small mass - they are one of the most abundant particles in the universe but because of their small size they are very difficult to detect.

The new underwater telescope was carefully lowered into a rectangular hole cut in the frozen water two and a half miles off the shore of Lake Baikal.

The team behind the telescope say understanding neutrinos can help reveal details of the early evolution of the universe, dark matter and dark energy.

A ceremony to launch the Baikal Gigaton Volume Detector (Baikal-GVD) deep underwater neutrino telescope built on Lake Baikal.

Russia's Science and Higher Education Minister Valery Falkov and Maxim Libanov (L-R front), director of the Institute for Nuclear Research (INR) of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) watch as the device is lowered into the water

LAKE BAIKAL: THE LARGEST FRESH WATER LAKE IN THE WORLD Lake Baikal, Siberia is the largest fresh water lake in the world by volume. The lake contains 22 to 23 per cent of the world's fresh surface water. It was formed as an ancient rift valley and has a long, crescent shape. It is home to thousands of species of plants and animals and freezes in the winter when temperatures drop to -2F. Advertisement

Russian scientists dropped the device on Saturday to peer deep into the universe.

The new Baikal telescope will be a rival to the US Ice Cube, a giant neutrino detector under the Antarctic ice.

This new telescope is the largest neutrino detector in the northern hemisphere.

It was placed inside Lake Baikal as it is the largest freshwater lake in the world.

'Lake Baikal is the only lake where you can deploy a neutrino telescope because of its depth,' Bair Shoibonov from the project team told AFP.

He added that fresh water and water clarity are also important.

'And the fact that there is ice cover for two - two and a half months is also very important,' the researcher from the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research explained.

The telescope itself is actually a set of clusters and each can be treated as an independent detector of high-energy neutrinos.

This allows the team to expand and enhance the device without having to reconfigure the entire telescope, the team explained.

Over time they plan to expand the current third of a mile cubed underwater telescope to twice its current size over the next decade.

The Baikal Gigaton Volume Detector (Baikal-GVD) deep underwater neutrino telescope built on Lake Baikal. The project is aimed at studying the flux of high-energy cosmic neutrinos and searching for their sources

The new underwater telescope was carefully lowered into a rectangular hole cut in the frozen waters two and a half miles off the shore of Lake Baikal

Baikal-GVD has been under construction since 2015 and consists of strings with spherical glass and stainless steel modules measuring a total of 17,657 cubic feet including strings

A neutrino is a subatomic particle with no electrical charge and a very small mass - they are one of the most abundant particles in the universe but because of their small size - the smallest known to science - they are very difficult to detect

Expanding the size of the neutrino detector increases the chance of detecting the particles which have very little interaction with matter, making them harder to find.

Detecting neutrinos require very large and very sensitive detectors as the particles will travel light years without interacting with any normal matter.

Detecting them requires a deep, clear natural location such as a lake, the Mediterranean Sea and the South Pole.

Despite being one of the most abundant forms of particle, a neutrino detector will pick up about 30 per day out of 100 trillion that pass through every second.

Expanding the size of the neutrino detector increases the chance of detecting the particles which have very little interaction with matter, making them harder to find.

Detecting neutrinos require very large and very sensitive detectors as the particles will travel light years without interacting with any normal matter

'A tremendous flow of neutrinos arrive at the Earth along straight lines pointing back to their sources,' according to the Baikal-GVD team.

'They carry undistorted information about the phenomena, objects, and events where they have been produced, even if the events took place far away in the most distant cosmic corners.'

Understanding these particles is particularly important for science, as they hold the key to understanding everything from fusion in the sun to the early Earth.

The new Baikal telescope will be a rival to the US Ice Cube, a giant neutrino detector under the Antarctic ice

'A tremendous flow of neutrinos arrive at the Earth along straight lines pointing back to their sources,' according to the Baikal-GVD team

Neutrinos can help scientists better understand a wide range of topics including the evolution of stars, and the inner structure and composition of the sun.

Baikal-GVD has been designed to study some of the most violent processes in the universe through the subatomic particles.

'The large detection volume, combined with very good angular and energy resolution and the moderate light background in fresh water of Lake Baikal allows for an efficient study of the diffuse neutrino flux,' the team explained.
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WASHINGTON  Threats from China and North Korea will loom large over the Biden administrations first Cabinet-level trip abroad, part of a larger effort to bolster U.S. influence and calm concerns about Americas role in Asia.

A senior administration official said Saturday that U.S. officials have tried to reach out to North Korea through multiple channels since last month, but have yet to receive a response. That makes consultations with the reclusive countrys neighbors, Japan, South Korea and China, all the more critical.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are heading to Japan and South Korea for four days of talks starting Monday as the new administration tries to shore up partnerships with the two key regional allies. Blinken and Bidens national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, will meet with Chinese officials in Anchorage, Alaska, on Thursday.

The trip is intended to restore what Biden hopes will be a calming and even-keeled approach to ties with Tokyo and Seoul after four years of transactional and often temperamental relations under Donald Trump. He had upended diplomatic norms by meeting not once, but three times, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

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Blinken and Austin also plan virtual meetings with journalists, civil-society members and others. After reassuring their counterparts of U.S. commitments to Japanese and South Korean security, they plan to focus on an increasingly assertive China, the nuclear challenge from North Korea and the coronavirus pandemic.

In his first months in office, Biden has signaled his desire to return the Asia-Pacific to the top of the U.S. foreign policy agenda. In keeping with his broader America is back diplomatic theme, Biden has pledged to keep stability in the region at the core of his international initiatives.

On Friday, Biden participated in a virtual summit with the leaders of India, Japan and Australia. A free and open Indo-Pacific is essential, Biden said. The United States is committed to working with you, our partners and all of our allies in the region to achieve stability.

As part of that effort and to reduce the risks of escalation, the senior official said efforts had been made to connect with the North Koreans since mid-February, including through what is known as the New York channel. To date, the official said, we have not received any response from Pyongyang. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the diplomatic outreach and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, U.S. and South Korean negotiators have overcame years of contentious discussions under Trump to reach a tentative deal on paying for the American troop presence in South Korea. That agreement, along with a similar one for Japan, will be front and center in Blinken and Austins meetings.

As he had done with allies in Europe, Trump threatened to reduce security cooperation unless host countries paid more. That led to fears of troop withdrawals at a time of particular uncertainty as China boosts efforts to dominate the region and North Koreas nuclear weapons remain a major source of angst.

Diplomacy is back at the center of our foreign policy, and we are working to strengthen Americas relationships with our allies as well as the relationships among them, said Sung Kim, who is the top U.S. diplomat for Asia. He served in the Philippines and Indonesia during the Trump administration and was also previously the special envoy for North Korea.

For all of Bidens suggestions that he will reverse Trumps overt hostility to China, Biden has yet to countermand a single one of his predecessors policies. He has, in fact, reaffirmed several of them, including maintaining sanctions in response to human rights abuses in western Xinjiang and Hong Kong and restating a Trump-era decision to reject outright nearly all of Chinas maritime claims in the South China Sea.

Many of Chinas policies that the U.S. finds objectionable  including its crackdown in Hong Kong, stepped up rhetoric against Taiwan and actions in the South China Sea  began during the Obama administration. The previous Democratic administration took office promising a pivot to Asia after a period of what many saw as American neglect for the region during George W. Bushs presidency, which was consumed by the onset of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In fact, although some obvious circumstances have changed since 2009, Blinken and Austins trip mirrors in many ways the initial overseas journey of President Barack Obamas first secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, when she traveled to Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and then China in a bid to reassert U.S. interests in the Asia-Pacific. Obamas engagement with China, however, did not produce the desired results, and the North Korean threat grew.

Although China is not on Blinkens itinerary, after wrapping up the stop in Seoul, he will fly back to Washington via Anchorage, Alaska, where he and Sullivan, will meet senior Chinese officials. Austin will go from Seoul to New Delhi for meetings with Indian leaders.

Still, the administration is convinced that its domestic efforts to revitalize the U.S, economy and step up the fight against COVID-19 have put it in a better position both to blunt Chinese ambitions directly and leverage its partnerships to do the same.

After the work of the past 50 days, Secretary Blinken and I will enter the meeting with senior Chinese representatives from a position of strength, Sulllivan said Friday.
Three nongovernmental organizations based in France, Syria, and Russia have announced a legal case in Moscow against the Vagner Group, a Russian military contractor with indirect ties to the country's political elite, over the 2017 torture of a detainee in Syria.



"This litigation is a first-ever attempt by the family of a Syrian victim to hold Russian suspects accountable for serious crimes committed in Syria," the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, and the Moscow-based Memorial Human Rights Center said in a joint statement on March 15.



They said that the brother of a Syrian citizen who was "tortured, killed, and had his corpse mutilated by six individuals in 2017 in Homs Governorate" filed the criminal complaint before Russia's Investigative Committee on March 11.



The complaint, which was facilitated by the FIDH, the SCM, and Memorial, "demands the initiation of criminal proceedings on the basis of murder committed with extreme cruelty, with a view to establishing the alleged perpetrators' responsibility for this and other crimes, including war crimes," the statement said.



The case not expected to lead to any convictions since the Vagner Group is believed to be headed by Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close associate of President Vladimir Putin.



Although private military companies are illegal in Russia, observers say Vagner has in recent years played an increasingly important role in buttressing the Kremlin's ambitions abroad.



The group has been active for several years in combat operations in different regions, including in Syria, Libya, and other parts of Africa.

In their statement, the three NGOs cited "numerous reports of serious human rights violations committed by the group against civilians, at times with extreme cruelty."



"The ambiguous legal status of [Vagner] under Russian law and the denial of factual links pointing to its complete dependence on the Russian authorities, is a way for Russia to shirk its international responsibility for the crimes committed" by members of the military contractor, they added.



The statement cited one of the lawyers for the Syrian plaintiff as saying that Russian law "contains an obligation for the State to investigate crimes committed by Russian citizens abroad."
Britains long-haul travel industry has suffered another blow with the addition of four more countries to the so-called coronavirus red list of high-risk countries.

The third big Gulf air hub, Qatar, has been added to the list  meaning travellers who merely change planes at Doha airport face 11 nights of hotel quarantine at a price of 1,750 for a solo passenger returning to the UK.

The Department for Transport (DfT) announced that Qatar, as well as Ethiopia, Oman and Somalia, would be added to the red list at 4am on Friday 19 March  giving arrivals 82 hours warning and allowing many of them to come home early.

The DfT said the move was in response to new data showing an increased risk of importation of variants of concern.

There is likely to be an immediate rush to return from the Gulf state. The addition of Doha will affect many travellers from Asia, Africa and Australia who have plans to transit the airport.

The UKs Global Travel Taskforce report in November 2020 vowed to investigate measures to facilitate safe transit. But nothing has changed, and any affected passengers may be seek earlier departure dates to beat the deadline.

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Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said that the sudden change would undermine consumer confidence.

The addition of Qatar shows the risk of booking future travel, he said.

If the country youre holidaying in is added thats a 1,750 bill for hotel quarantine. Government needs a way to remove or reduce this risk for holidays.

Red list countries are often described as facing a travel ban or flight ban, but neither is accurate. Planes from Oman, Ethiopia and Qatar are likely to continue to operate, bringing in cargo and flying travellers out to Muscat, Addis Ababa and Doha.

But they are not allowed to bring passengers in. Instead, returning British residents must book flights through third countries, significantly adding to the risk for themselves and others.

The government insists the passenger ban is to reduce the risk of importing variants of concern, while in fact the ban on travellers using direct flights may do the opposite by forcing them to have many more contacts on the journey.

Paul Charles, chief executive of the travel consultancy The PC Agency, said Adding Qatar to the UKs high-risk red list means no-one can transit without having to hotel quarantine on their return.

This effectively adds tens of destinations to the high-risk list.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 13 May 2021 Muslim girls ride on a mini train after attending the Eid Al-Fitr prayer that marks the end of the Holy month of Ramadan at Uhuru Park in Nairobi, Kenya AFP via Getty Images World news in pictures 12 May 2021 Israeli artillery fire as the escalation continues between Israeli army and Hamas at the Gaza Border EPA World news in pictures 11 May 2021 Maya Nakanishi competes in the womens long jump - T64 category during a para-athletics test event for the 2020 Olympics at the National Stadium in Tokyo AFP/Getty World news in pictures 10 May 2021 A Palestinian man helps a wounded fellow protester amid clashes with Israeli security forces at Jerusalems Al-Aqsa mosque compound, ahead of a planned march to commemorate Israels takeover of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War AFP/Getty World news in pictures 9 May 2021 Falconer Giovanna Piccolo performs with her Eurasian eagle-owl at 'Roma World' theme park, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Rome Reuters World news in pictures 8 May 2021 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) is introduced as a starter against the St. Louis Blues at T-Mobile Arena. 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Tonnes of fish have washed up dead on the shoreline of the highly polluted artificial reservoir in eastern Lebanon in recent days AFP/Getty World news in pictures 28 April 2021 Health workers wearing PPE attends to coronavirus patients inside a banquet hall temporarily converted into a covid care centre in New Delhi AFP/Getty World news in pictures 27 April 2021 The full moon, known as the Super Pink Moon rises behind the Statue of Liberty in New York City, Reuters World news in pictures 26 April 2021 Balinese people lay wreaths with names of the crew on board the sunk Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala during a prayer at the sea near Labuhan Lalang, Bali, Indonesia EPA World news in pictures 25 April 2021 An Ethiopian Orthodox Christian worshipper walks around the Edicule, the place believed to be where Jesus Christ was buried, during Palm Sunday celebrations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem AFP/Getty World news in pictures 24 April 2021 Fans of Wuhan Three Towns FC cheer for their team during the 1st round match Wuhan Three Towns FC and Beijing Institute of Technology FC during Chinese Football League One in Wuhan, China Getty World news in pictures 23 April 2021 A girl prays in front of the Dome of the Rock, in the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalems Old City, on the second Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, as coronavirus restrictions ease around the country, in Jerusalem Reuters World news in pictures 22 April 2021 People walk through the art work 'THE SPIRITS OF THE PUMPKINS DESCENDED INTO THE HEAVENS' by Yayoi Kusama, during the press preview of a retrospective exhibition of the Japanese artist at the Martin Gropius Bau museum in Berlin, Germany AP World news in pictures 21 April 2021 Hungary's Sara Peter competes in the Women's floor qualifications during European Artistic Gymnastics Championships at the St Jakobshalle, in Basel AFP/Getty World news in pictures 20 April 2021 South Korea university students gets their heads shaved during a protest against Japan's decision to release contaminated water from its Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, in front of the Japanese embassy, in Seoul Reuters World news in pictures 19 April 2021 A spectator wearing a football jersey of Argentina's forward Lionel Messi attends the ATP Barcelona Open tennis tournament singles match between Japan's Kei Nishikori and Argentina's Guido Pella at the Real Club de Tenis in Barcelona AFP/Getty World news in pictures 18 April 2021 People raise their fist during a demonstration near the George Floyd Memorial in Minneapolis, Minnesota AFP/Getty World news in pictures 17 April 2021 Security personnel stand guard outside a polling station during the 5th phase of West Bengal's state legislative assembly elections in Kolkata AFP/Getty World news in pictures 16 April 2021 Palestinians take part in the first Friday prayers of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site, in Jerusalem's Old City AFP/Getty World news in pictures 15 April 2021 A firefighter inspects the site of a car bomb attack in Sadr City district of Baghdad, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 14 April 2021 This picture shows the 100 days countdown till the start of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games displayed on the illuminated Tokyo Skytree in Tokyo on April 14, 2021 AFP/Getty World news in pictures 13 April 2021 This photo taken and received courtesy of an anonymous source shows Buddhist monks gesturing while taking part in a demonstration with protesters against the military coup in Mandalay during the Myanmar New Year festival of Thingyan AFP/Getty World news in pictures 12 April 2021 An Indian holi man during the Kumbh Mela royal bath (Sacred Hindu Pilgrimage) in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India. Thousands of pilgrims are gathering and taking holy dip in Kumbh Mela that is a mass Hindu pilgrimage which occurs after every twelve years and rotates among four locations EPA World news in pictures 11 April 2021 Nasa released images of of sand dunes on Mars captured using infrared reflections NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU World news in pictures 10 April 2021 People watch devotees pulling a chariot in Biska Jatra Festival in Bhaktapur, Nepal AP World news in pictures 9 April 2021 Maintenance workers clean the monument of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in Moscow on April 9, 2021. - Sixty years ago Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space, marking it a new chapter in the history of space exploration. 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The news will also cause dismay at Heathrow airport. In December Dubai was by far the biggest source of passengers; after the UAE joined the red list, Doha became the leading destination.

Portugal and Mauritius will be removed from the red list at 4am on Friday. People planning to travel from these countries are likely to defer their journeys in order to avoid hotel quarantine.

Of the 100 or so daily arrivals from red list countries, a significant number have been from Portugal, where many UK residents have family connections or property.

The removal of Portugal may cut the rate of arrivals. About 1,200 people are currently in hotel quarantine, which is likely to reduce.

The government says it has more than 58,000 hotel rooms on standby.
DCC Healthcare has agreed to acquire Worner Medizinprodukte, a supplier of medical and laboratory products to the primary care sector in Germany and Switzerland.

( ) is to acquire Worner Medizinprodukte, a supplier of medical and laboratory products to the primary care sector in Germany and Switzerland.

Established in 1991, Worner sells a broad product range to around 20,000 customers annually, including general practitioners, primary care centres, specialist medical centres and laboratories. The business recorded revenue of about 70mln in 2020.

DCCs purchase price puts an enterprise value (i.e. taking into account cash or debt) of around 80mln on Worner.

DCC, a sales, marketing and support services group, said Worner will join its DCC Vital group, a distributor of medical products to the hospital, community and primary care sectors in Britain and Ireland.

Announcing what will be seen as a bolt-on acquisition, the FTSE 100 constituent noted that Worner has a pipeline of bolt-on acquisition opportunities of its own, and DCC will work with the German company to accelerate the execution of these opportunities.

The acquisition of Worner will also provide a platform for the expansion of DCC Vital's broader activities into Continental Europe, particularly in Germany, which is a large, well-funded and growing healthcare market, DCC said.

"The acquisition of Worner represents a significant scale-up of our primary care business and extends DCC Vital's sales and marketing activities into Continental Europe for the first time. DCC Vital is a key growth platform for DCC and has delivered strong organic growth in recent years in the sales and marketing of medical products across the primary care, community, and hospital sectors, said Donal Murphy, the chief executive of DCC.

DCC Vital will continue to build its business across Europe in the coming years and Worner will provide an excellent platform for further acquisition activity, both in Germany, Europe's largest healthcare market, and across the DACH region," he added.
Long-awaited results from AstraZeneca Plc's U.S coronavirus vaccine trial are currently being reviewed by independent advisors to determine whether the shot is safe and effective.

Dr Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), said the drug company and its partner, the University of Oxford, completed enrollment of 30,000 participants earlier this year.

If the data are positive and all goes well, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could complete its reviews and issue an emergency use authorization in about a month, adding one more vaccine to the U.S. arsenal, Collins said.

It comes as Germany, Italy, France and Spain became the latest countries to halt use of AstraZeneca's vaccine over fears of possible serious side-effects, including bleeding and blood clots.

AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford will file for emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccine with the FDA this month or early next month. Pictured: A vial of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, March 2021

On Monday, Germany, Italy, France and Spain became the latest countries to halt use of the jab over fears of side effects such as bleeding and blood clots

About 50 people out of 17 million immunizations have experienced blood clotting after getting the vaccine

Asked about those issues, Collins said he has not personally seen the data but has been 'pretty reassured' by statements by European regulators that the problems could be occurring by chance, and are not related to the vaccine.

A World Health Organization expert advisory committee is currently looking into the matter.

AstraZeneca's immunization combines genetic material from the new virus with the genes of the adenovirus, which causes the common cold.

It codes for the spike protein that the coronavirus uses to enter and infect cells in order to train the body to recognized the virus and induce an immune response if infected.

This is the same technology that Johnson & Johnson used to make an experimental Ebola vaccine for people in the Democratic Republic of Congo in late 2019.

If the data show the vaccine is safe and effective, the shot could be authorized by the FDA within one month as two million people are being vaccinated every day

The late-stage study in the U.S. was put on hold on September 9 when a British participant was rushed to the hospital after suffering a serious reaction that triggered spinal cord inflammation.

An internal safety report revealed the British patient was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, an inflammation of a section of the spinal cord.

The condition damages the myelin sheath, an insulating barrier of fatty protein that protects the nerves, and interrupts messages sent by spinal cord nerves.

The trial was on hold for about a month in the U.S. before regulators determined testing was safe to resume.

The AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for use in the EU, but several countries - such as Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Ireland and the Netherlands - have paused use over concerns the shot may be tied to blood clots.

On Monday, Germany, Italy, France and Spain became the latest countries to do so.

'The decision today is purely a precautionary measure. It is a purely scientific and not a political decision. And that's why I'm following the recommendation of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, ' according to a statement from German Health Minister Jens Spahn.

Spain's Health Minister Carolina Darias said the suspension will last for two weeks and is 'temporary and precautionary' suspension until the risks can be evaluated by the European Medicines Agency.'

It's another setback fo the vaccine, which has been fighting against public perception that it is a less effective vaccine because of its lower efficacy rate in clinical trials compared to shots from Pfizer and Moderna.

This is despite evidence that the vaccine does protect against severe cases of COVID-19 and death.

The World Health Organization, which is currently investigating the matter, argues that millions of people around the world have receive the vaccine and have not experienced blood clotting.

In addition, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Monday that the benefits of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any risks.

The EMA is planning to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the safety of the jab on Thursday.

AstraZeneca defended its vaccine in a statement and said data shows the shot is safe and effective.

'Around 17 million people in the E.U. and U.K. have now received our vaccine, and the number of cases of blood clots reported in this group is lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected among the general population,' said Ann Taylor, the company's chief medical officer.

Italy launches manslaughter probe into death of teacher, 57, who died a day after being given AstraZeneca vaccine

By Chris Pleasance for MailOnline

Italian prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation today after a music teacher died on Sunday - a day after receiving AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine.

The judiciary in Biella, in northern Italy, opened a preliminary probe into the death of 57-year-old Sandro Tognatti, whose cause of death remains unknown. They stressed that there is no link to AstraZeneca's vaccine at this stage and the probe is intended to establish whether anyone has a case to answer.

Italian prosecutors have opened a manslaughter investigation into the death of Sandro Tognatti, 57 (pictured), a music teacher who died one day after getting AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine

It came as Italians woke up to fresh lockdown restrictions today, with 13 of the country's 21 regions now in a 'red zone' meaning schools, restaurants, shops and museums have to close, and people cannot leave their homes except for work, health or other essential reasons.

Another seven regions have been declared 'orange zones', meaning shops and beauticians can remain open except during a night-time curfew, while all other venues have to close and travel outside the local area is restricted. Just one region, Sardinia, is in a lockdown-free 'white zone'.

Italy also temporarily banned the use of all AstraZeneca vaccines amid fears it causes blood clots, with France and Germany also enacting bans and saying they are waiting for European regulators to give guidance.

The European Medicines Agency said last week that there is no reason to halt use of the jab and that 'the benefits outweigh the risks of side effects', but its investigation is continuing and another report is due Thursday.

It comes after Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria also suspended the jabs. Austria, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have impounded one batch of vaccines thought to be linked to clots.

It is just the latest episode in a long-running saga between EU countries and drug-maker AstraZeneca over its vaccine, which has seen ministers accuse the company of nationalism, impose export bans on its jabs, wrongly claim it is not effective in over-65s and reopen old wounds with recently-departed Brexit Britain.
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Hunt Military Communities Launches Annual Hunt Little Heroes Program for Military Children Tweet this

What is the program?

We are asking children of military families to share their "Hero Story" of what they think it takes to be a hero and how they have been a positive influence in their community. Submissions can be via a 300-word essay, a drawing or a video. The Hunt Little Heroes program is open to all children of military families, not only those living within HMC housing communities. Winners will be selected and recognized in their community with a special "coining" ceremony as well as a monetary prize of $500 to the first place "Little Hero," $250 to second place, and $150 to the third place winner. Each winner will be able to make a charitable donation equal to the amount of their monetary prize to an organization of their choice. All applicants will receive a special hero cape, mask and a letter of appreciation for sharing their hero story or drawing.

Submissions are open March 15 through April 15, 2021. Additional guidelines and details for submission can be found at https://huntlittleheroes.org.

About Hunt Military Communities

Hunt Military Communities, the largest military housing owner, offers unsurpassed quality and service to more than 165,000 residents in approximately 52,000 homes on Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Army installations across the USA. We do this through our core values: safety, kindness, efficiency, enthusiasm and selflessness and our 5-Star Service commitment. With a 50-year legacy and a partnership with the Department of Defense, HMC strives to ensure the integrity of our military communities and the families who live there. For more information, visit www.huntmilitarycommunities.com.

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The evening she received her 28th Grammy and made history, Beyonce didnt even bother making an entrance at the annual music industry awards event, held outdoors this year in downtown Los Angeles. Rather, she simply materialized at one of the little round tables in front of the stage, sitting next to her husband, Jay-Z, and wearing off-the-shoulder black leather, a black mask and shades, and gold earrings that swung down against her collarbones like a ball and chain.

It was only when she joined Megan Thee Stallion onstage to receive the award for Best Rap Song (Savage), that her dress was fully visible: very short, sculpted into exaggerated curves, with matching leather gloves that ended in gold panther claws.

The look was femininity, the X Games version. And it pretty much summed up the night: one dominated by women, who (Billie Eilish aside) were unapologetically in your face with their lady parts and the associated power politics, whether it was Megan in her strapless tangerine dream of a Dolce & Gabbana gown complete with mega-butt-bow, Lizzo in a mint green shirred Balmain prom dress or Dua Lipa in a sheer crystal Versace butterfly slip with cutouts at the side.
As concerns mount over the efficacy of the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine, the Bay Areas leading public health officials have come together for what appears to be their definitive statement on the vaccine options currently available in the United States.

Public health officers from Santa Cruz, Berkeley and all nine Bay Area counties  Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma  issued a statement Monday emphasizing the fact that all of the vaccine options are safe and have been shown to be highly effective at preventing symptomatic illness and hospitalization.

The clinical trials for all three vaccines demonstrated that they were 100% effective in preventing deaths from COVID-19, reads the dispatch. There is also growing evidence that all three vaccines help prevent asymptomatic illness, too.

The statement mirrors that of prominent public health experts, many of whom have emphasized that the newest vaccine to be authorized for emergency use in the United States is just as valuable as its two-shot brethren.

The statement acknowledges the general perception that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is less effective than its two-shot counterparts, in part exacerbated by officials such as Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who turned down an allocation of the Johnson & Johnson doses after suggesting that they are inferior to the Moderna and Pfizer shots.

What is not in dispute is that all three vaccines  Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson  are extremely effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths, Duggan said in an op-ed in the Detroit Free Press days after he was criticized for those remarks.

There has been much debate about the advantages of one brand of vaccine over the other, but its difficult to compare their efficacy, reads the statement, adding that none of the vaccines have been examined head-to-head to determine how well they work at the same time.

The commonly touted statistics for each vaccines efficacy levels all took place in different contexts, with Johnson & Johnson having to contend with newer variants of the virus.

With COVID-19 continuing to circulate as we work toward community immunity, the statement reads, our collective medical advice is this: the best vaccine is the one you can get the soonest.
As an example of the difference between established cannabis companies and new entrepreneurs, existing growers may grow up to 210,000 square feet of flowering plants, while new craft growers initially will be limited to 5,000 square feet. In addition, many of the states retail stores have been consolidated under the largest companies, and most new licenses so far will be concentrated among a few wealthy investors.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

It enables glitch-free Netflix streaming. It hosts digital drug-design tools of the kind that led to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine. The Seahawks use its computing power to analyze game data. It stores a digital repository of King County's archives. And even The Seattle Times relies on it to make sure the website doesn't crash during surges of reader traffic.

What is it?

It's Amazon Web Services (AWS).

The massively successful Amazon division, which opened for business 15 years ago, doesn't have the same consumer cachet as two-day shipping or Prime Video. "Cloud computing"? Gobbledygook to many.

Yet the importance of AWS to the company, consumers and the global internet economy is difficult to overstate. Internally, the division is Amazon's cash cow, making up 59% of the company's $22.9 billion profit before interest and taxes in 2020, despite accounting for just 12% of Amazon's revenue. AWS infrastructure also supports Amazon logistics, helping route more than 2.5 billion packages every year to the right address (most of the time), not to mention nearly all of Amazon's other operations.

On a wider scale, the launch of AWS revolutionized the economics of web-based business by creating a $300 billion industry, cloud computing. Nearly every large company and government agency in the country uses some form of cloud-computing services, according to research firm IDG.

Amazon will elevate AWS CEO Andy Jassy to lead the company when founder Jeff Bezos steps down later this yeara promotion that in part recognizes the centrality of cloud computing to Amazon's business model, industry observers say. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also led Microsoft's cloud-computing division before acceding in 2014 to the top post at the Redmond-based software giant.

Meanwhile, AWS booting Parler offline in January over what Amazon has said is the social network's inability to moderate violent content has highlighted the tremendous sway cloud-computing platformsincluding AWS, Microsoft's Azure and Google Cloud Platformhold over their clients.

Cloud-computing services are "gateways," said University of Washington Information School professor Chirag Shah. "Without them, it's really hard to be alive as a business."

Origins of AWS

As AWS has grown, it has developed its own icons and quasi-mythical origin storiesmany woven deep in the fabric of Seattle.

One possible starting point for the tale is at the McMenamins Six Arms on Capitol Hill circa 2005, when AWS senior technologist Allan Vermeulen sketched the initial design principles for a key cloud-computing servicethe provision of unlimited, pay-as-you-go data storageon the back of a napkin while drinking a Hammerhead Ale. (Vermeulen retired from the company this month.)

The seeds for what would become AWS, though, had been planted years before, in Amazon's realization that scaling up computing power and offering internet-based services to software developers were among its strengths.

In the early 2000s, Amazon software engineers complained that they were spending too much of their time creating and maintaining digital infrastructure.

"'Look, you guys think these projects should take two to three months total, but we're spending two to three months just on the storage solution or the database solution or the computing solution,'" Jassy, in a 2018 New York Magazine interview, recalled engineers saying to him. "They felt like they were reinventing the wheel with every project."

In part to address its own growing pains, Amazon centralized the process of building reliable, cost-effective data centers and offering services like database management, so its own teams could focus on designing products to draw more consumers to Amazon.com.

Amazon was concurrently making its first forays into marketing digital infrastructure as a service. The company began partnering on web design with retail partners, like Target, in 2001, eventually giving major merchants tools to build their own e-commerce sites on Amazon's platform.

In March 2002, Amazon launched a feature targeted at affiliate marketersthird parties who earn small commissions whenever customers purchase an Amazon.com product via links on their sitesallowing them to receive extensive product data that they could incorporate into the code of their own websites.

Almost immediately, software developers came up with innovative ways to display the ballooning Amazon catalog on their sites, recalled Colin Bryar, the former head of Amazon's affiliate marketing program. One game challenged consumers to name the author, movie or recording artist based on cover art that flashed on the screen. Another page allowed customers to create virtual bookshelves of their favorite Amazon products.

"Literally hours after releasing this feature, I knew that we were onto something big and that our experiment would far exceed our expectations," Bryar said in "Working Backwards," cowritten with another former Amazonian, Bill Carr.

Amazon hosted a conference later that year that brought heavy users of the product data to the company's headquarters, then in the old Pacific Medical Center on Beacon Hill. Eight people attended. One would join Amazon that year, and go on to become the cherubic face of AWS for legions of software developers around the world.

Jeff Barr, who got his start in computing working as a teenage janitor at the Retail Computer Store in Greenlake, is now AWS' explainer-in-chief. Known for a signature purple-haired look he sported between 2017 and 2019, and his deep love of Legos, Barr is the author of thousands of blog posts evangelizing new AWS features, at least one using Lego dioramas as visuals.

"When we gave [affiliate marketers] access to web services, they could build their own really cool graphical visualizations of the catalog," Barr said. "They'd send us traffic, we'd send them money. It created a virtuous circle for the first time in the web services space."

Amazon began putting the pieces of what would become AWS together in 2003.

That summer, executives gathered for a retreat at Bezos' Medina manse to brainstorm new business directions for Amazon. The company's strengths in the as-yet-unnamed world of cloud computing soon came to the fore, Jassy said in a 2017 University of Washington talk. Amazon was already offering limited software tools to developers and businesses. And the company was good at rapidly building the digital infrastructure it needed to run its expanding enterprises.

Jassy, nearing the end of an 18-month stint shadowing Bezos in a chief-of-staff-like role, proposed that Amazon start a new, 57-person division selling digital infrastructure. By that autumn, AWS had been greenlighted, with Jassy at its helm.

Jassy, a gregarious manager with a notable love for chicken wings, put his own mark on the organization. Not an engineer by trade, Jassy has guided the development of new AWS services, former AWS employees say, by nurturing an Amazonian culture of customer obsession.

In 2004, the division released test versions of what would become some of its foundational products. By 2006, AWS had officially opened for business.

"The Lego of the IT world"

AWS rolled out its first mass-market product, Simple Storage Service, or S3, on March 14, 2006. To many at Amazon, that day marked the birth of AWS.

Guided by Vermeulen's back-of-the-napkin blueprint, streamlined in a brainstorming session in a rented room at the Washington State Convention Center, and designed, Amazon chief technology officer Werner Vogels said, over the course of many "long, dark nights" at the Pacific Medical Center, S3 allows developers to store and retrieve "any amount of data, at any time, from anywhere on the web," the company wrote in its initial news release.

"Storage for the internet wasI don't want to say obviousbut so clear that if we had it, customers would find it useful," Barr said. In those early days at Amazon, he shared an office with Rudy Valdez, who now leads Amazon's solutions architecture and training division. "He was literally calling up customers and saying, 'Hey, I'm Rudy from Amazon, would you like some storage?'" Barr said. Many bit.

Within two months, the number of objectsthink of them like filesstored on S3 had exceeded Amazon developers' expectations by a factor of 100. Today, objects are stored on S3, an ocean of data underwriting advances in fields from weather forecasting and genomic research to advertising and facial recognition.

Within the year, Amazon had announced the other technology at the heart of Amazon Web Services: elastic compute, or EC2, giving developers access to on-demand computing power they could use to process and analyze data, among a host of other functions. The idea for the product had been around since 2003, when a rookie Amazon engineer, Benjamin Black, and his boss, Chris Pinkham, circulated a memo advocating that Amazon start selling access to a web-based app allowing developers to run software on computers they didn't own or maintain.

Developed largely in South Africa by a small team led by Pinkham, EC2 was a revolutionary technologyfor software developers, akin to replacing snail mail with email. Suddenly, you could program a computer from anywhere.

The dawn of cloud computing, heralded in a 2006 New York Times article proclaiming that the internet was "entering its Lego era," fundamentally changed the economics of opening a computer-dependent business. Early internet entrepreneurs likely spent 70% of their engineering time and effort building data centers and designing and maintaining basic infrastructure software, Vogels estimated, and only 30% of employee energy developing new products.

AWS flipped that ratio on its head. Initially, customers needed only an email address and a credit card to access data storage, computing power and database services, making it easier for people to start businesses online with a minimal infusion of capital. Backed by AWS, app-based startups like Lyft and Airbnb proliferated.

Amazon's head start in cloud computing has made it tough for rivals to catch up. Microsoft launched its cloud-computing division in 2010, followed by Google in 2011. While AWS' early lead has shrunk in recent years, Amazon still dominates, commanding 31% of market share by revenue, compared with Microsoft's 20% and Google's 7%, according to market research firm Canalys.

Since 2006, Amazon has rolled out hundreds of other AWS applicationsso many, in fact, that even AWS engineers can't keep up, said Corey Quinn, the founder of AWS consultancy Duckbill Group.

"Even technically inclined people feel daunted by what this thing is," Quinn said. "We are long since past the point where I can talk to Amazonians and make up services and not get called out on it."

There are database management services, machine learning tools and web hosting. There are also tools to talk to satellites in orbit, a 3D race car simulator and an experimental quantum computing technology.

"Amazon is the Lego of the IT world," Vogels said. "We built very small building blocks. So it allowed developers to stack things together."

For years, AWS has built huge off-site data centers, places where "rows and rows of servers" stretch into the far distance, Vermeulen described in a 2014 interview. But the future of AWS, Vogels said, is local. The company has launched a suite of hardware designed to bring AWS into users' homes and officesenabling superfast mobile applications that run on 5Gand out into the field where data collection is taking place.

Cloud services have not erased every computing frustration. For a product designed to give developers flexibility and choice, it's often excruciatingly difficult to migrate from one cloud-computing provider to another, Shah said.

"Your services are tangled with the AWS language. You're using special proprietary databases that AWS has," he said, using AWS as an example to describe problems common among cloud platforms. "It's not easy to pack things up and go to a different service provider" like Azure or Google. And while AWS touts its ability to save clients money, cloud computing can be astronomically expensive.

Meanwhile, the degree of power that cloud-computing titans hold over their customers, as evidenced by Amazon's decision to take Parler offline, is concerning, Shah said. "You're handing someone your entire business to run. Can you really trust them?"

Quinn, though, said it's unlikely that a cloud-computing provider like AWS would act against "any reasonable company." Parler, he said, was very much an edge case.

After all, he said, "The National Enquirer attempted to blackmail Bezos and is still an AWS customer."

Explore further Amazon seeks to build on soaring growth as Bezos hands over

2021 The Seattle Times.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Most New York voters say Gov. Andrew Cuomo should not resign over sexual harassment and misconduct allegations, according to a new Siena College poll released today.

The poll found voters believe Cuomo can still effectively do his job as governor (48-34%) and are satisfied with how he has addressed the allegations (57-32%), Siena pollsters said.

The poll surveyed New York voters Monday through Friday (March 8-12) last week as new accusers stepped forward to allege misconduct and inappropriate behavior from Cuomo, and a growing number of elected officials called for the governor to resign.

Siena pollsters asked voters a series of questions about how they view Cuomo, including whether he should resign, whether he could continue to do his job effectively and whether or not they believe the sexual harassment allegations.

When asked if the governor should immediately resign, 50% of voters said Cuomo should remain in office, 35% said he should resign and 15% had no opinion.

A plurality of voters in New York City (55-28%), its suburbs (46-40%) and in Upstate New York (47-39%) said Cuomo should not resign, said Siena pollster Steve Greenberg.

Despite those numbers, the poll showed increasing voter dissatisfaction with the three-term Democratic governor.

Cuomos job performance rating is down 10 points, and his favorability rating is down 19 points since February, according to the poll.

When voters were asked if they would support Cuomo for a fourth term as governor in next years election, 52% said they would prefer to see someone else. Only 34% said they would vote to re-elect Cuomo.

Voters appear to be able to compartmentalize how they feel about Cuomo, Greenberg said.

While their views on him generally  favorability, job performance, re-elect  took a significant hit this month, voters views on Cuomos handling of the pandemic remain largely positive, except for his handling of nursing home death data, Greenberg said.

New Yorkers approved (60-33%) of the job Cuomo is doing to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

But 66% of voters (including 56% of Democrats) gave Cuomo a negative grade for failing to make public all data about Covid-related deaths of nursing home patients.

The poll comes amid mounting calls from top Democrats and Republicans in state government and at the national level for Cuomo to resign.

New Yorks two U.S. senators, Democrats Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, issued a joint statement Friday calling for Cuomo to resign.

The senators said Cuomo had lost the confidence of the people of New York and his governing partners.

Cuomo has repeatedly denied that he ever touched anyone inappropriately and has refused calls to resign. He has expressed support for an independent investigation led by the state attorney generals office.

When the Siena poll asked voters whether Cuomo has or has not committed sexual harassment, 41% said they didnt know. An additional 35% said they believe Cuomo did harass women, and 24% said they believe hes not guilty of sexual harassment.

Separately, Assembly Democrats last week took the first steps to launch an impeachment investigation.

If Cuomo is impeached or resigns, he would be succeeded by Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul. The poll found 64% of New Yorkers have never heard of Hochul, a former congresswoman from Buffalo and a Syracuse University graduate.

Among those who are familiar with Hochul, 23% viewed her favorably, compared to 14% who viewed her unfavorably. It was the first time Siena had included Hochul in a statewide poll.

The poll of 805 registered voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points. Siena used live operators to reach poll respondents by landline and cell phone, and through an online panel of voters.

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
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Dr Anthony Fauci has said 'wildly popular' Donald Trump could be a 'game changer' if he tells his supporters to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Almost half of Republican men say they will not get the vaccine when it is available to them compared with just six percent of Democrat men, according to a new poll.

Asked whether Trump should speak to his supporters directly, given those numbers, Fauci told Fox News: 'I think it would make all the difference in the world.'

Trump, Fauci said, 'is a such a strongly popular person...it would be very helpful for the effort for that to happen.'

Fauci added: 'If he came out and said, "Go and get vaccinated. Its really important for your health, the health of your family and the health of the country," it seems absolutely inevitable that the vast majority of people who are his close followers would listen to him.

'I think it would make all the difference in the world. Hes a very wildly popular person among Republicans.'

Though it wasn't publicized at the time, Trump and First Lady Melania Trump got the vaccine in January before they left the White House, a Trump adviser told DailyMail.com in February.

In a round of interviews on the morning news shows, the government's top infectious disease expert said politics needs to be separated from 'commonsense, no-brainer' public health measures.

Anthony Fauci has said 'wildly popular' Donald Trump could be a 'game changer' if he tells his supporters to get the COVID-19 vaccine

Trump did tell supporters at the Conservative Political Action Conference, pictured, last month: 'How unpainful that vaccine shot is, so everybody go get your shot.' It was the first time he had encouraged people to do so

Fauci said: 'It seems like an intrinsic contradiction that you had a program that was started during this presidency and hes not out telling people to get vaccinated, but I wish he would.

'He has such incredible influence over the people in the Republican Party, it would really be a game-changer if he did.'

Trump did tell supporters at the Conservative Political Action Conference last month: 'How unpainful that vaccine shot is, so everybody go get your shot.'

It was the first time he had encouraged people to do so.

Fauci said on NBC's 'Meet the Press' program: 'How such a large proportion of a certain group of people would not want to get vaccinated merely because of political considerations...it makes absolutely no sense,' Fauci said.

The other living former U.S. presidents - Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter - are set to appear in two public service announcements for the coronavirus vaccine alongside their wives, without Trump.

President Joe Biden and other political leaders received their shots publicly to encourage Americans to get vaccinated.

Getting the vaccine is 'no brainer,' Fauci told 'Meet the Press,' as he listed some of the diseases that vaccines had wiped out such as small pox. 'What is the problem here? This is a vaccine that is going to be lifesaving for millions of people,' Fauci said.

Fauci is the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and an adviser to Biden.

Trump early in the pandemic appeared at coronavirus briefings with Fauci but later turned on him. Trump in October, weeks after being hospitalized for three days for COVID-19 treatment, criticized Fauci, saying, 'Fauci is a disaster. People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots.'

As president, Trump minimized the need for coronavirus restrictions including wearing masks and predicted the pathogen would disappear 'like a miracle.'

Asked whether Trump should speak to his supporters directly, given those poll numbers, Fauci told Fox News' Chris Wallace, left: 'I think it would make all the difference in the world

Fauci on Sunday underscored his call for officials around the United States not to lift restrictions prematurely and risk a spike in COVID-19 cases. Some states such as Texas have lifted mask-wearing and other restrictions.

An uptick in cases can be avoided if Americans continue to get vaccinated 'without all of a sudden pulling back on public health measures,' Fauci told CNN's 'State of the Union' program.

'We will gradually be able to pull them (restrictions) back. And if things go as we planned, just as the president said, by the time we get into the early summer, the Fourth of July weekend, we really will have a considerable degree of normality.

'But we don't want to let that escape from our grasp by being too precipitous in pulling back,' Fauci added.

The number of vaccine doses distributed and administered each day in the U.S. is rising, with more than 2.5 million daily shots in arms on average in the last week.

About 1 in 5 Americans have received at least one dose, with about 1 in 9 fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The coronavirus is blamed for over 530,000 deaths in the United States. Deaths and newly confirmed infections per day have tumbled over the past two months. But cases are running at a still-troubling average of about 55,000 a day.

Almost half of men who identify as Republicans say they will not get the COVID-19 vaccine when it is available to them and nor will almost half of Donald Trump supporters, according to a poll released by PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll Thursday (above)

A poll, released by PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll last Thursday, surveyed 1,227 US adults from March 3 to March 8 about their views on taking one of the three vaccines approved by the federal government.

It uncovered stark differences in opinion depending on political beliefs with 49 percent of Republican men saying they would not be taking the shot.

More than a third (34 percent) of Republican women also said they will not get vaccinated, compared to just 14 percent of Democrat women.

Overall, around two-fifths (41 percent) of Republicans said they will not get the vaccine, while 24 percent said they have already been administered it and 3 percent were unsure.

By contrast, almost two-third of Democrats (58 percent) said they will take the vaccine when they are eligible, with 29 percent having already had it, and 2 percent unsure.

Just 11 percent of Democrat supporters said they would not take the vaccine.

The survey shows an ongoing distrust in the COVID-19 vaccine among a large proportion of the US population as Joe Biden announced this week all Americans will be eligible for vaccination no later than May 1.

The poll also found a high amount of opposition among Trump supporters, with 47 percent saying they will not get the vaccine compared to just 10 percent of Biden supporters who said the same.

Survey respondents were also asked about their views of how Biden has handled the pandemic since taking office.

Overall, 62 percent said they approved and 30 percent disapproved.

Unsurprisingly, the approval rating fell to 30 percent among Republicans and 22 percent among Trump supporters.

Aside from political belief as a factor, ethnic minority groups have long been more skeptical about getting the vaccine.

The new poll showed 37 percent of Latinos do not plan to get vaccinated, compared to 25 percent of black people and 28 percent of white people.

Overall, 30 percent of all adults surveyed said they will not get the vaccine.

A total of 68 percent have either had the vaccine already or said they will get it while 3 percent are unsure.

Fauci has previously said 75 to 85 percent of the population must be vaccinated for the US to reach herd immunity.

Based on the poll's findings, this target is some way off.

Dr. Vin Gupta told CNBC this week if Americans don't get the shot and lead to herd immunity, the pandemic will likely continue for some time.

'All forecasts right now say that we're going to be past the worst of this with normalcy by say end of June, early July,' he said.

Joe Biden receives his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine in Delaware in December on television

Mike Pence receives the COVID-19 vaccine in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, on December 18

'That, however, is contingent on people actually getting the vaccine to the tune of 75 percent to 80 percent of eligible adults by that time period.

'If that's not the case - if there's skepticism or hesitancy that high - we're not going to get there.'

Many Americans have voiced concerns about the vaccine, particularly the speed with which it was developed.

However medical experts are assuring the public it is safe and urging people to get vaccinated when it is their turn.

Despite the skepticism, a separate poll this week found most Americans believe people should be vaccinated before returning to returning to normal life.

The survey by Reuters/Ipsos, of 1,005 US adults aged 18 and older on Monday and Tuesday, found six in 10 Americans want to work for an employer who requires everyone be immunized against coronavirus vaccine before returning to the office.

Trump quietly received the vaccine at the White House back in January

Seventy-two percent of Americans said it was important to know 'if the people around me have been vaccinated,' with 60 percent saying they wanted to work for an employer 'who requires everyone to get a coronavirus vaccine before returning to the office' and 56 percent thought unvaccinated workers should stay home.

A majority, 62 percent, also said unvaccinated people should not be allowed to travel on airplanes.

Fifty-five percent agreed that unvaccinated people should not work out at public gyms, enter movie theaters or attend public concerts.

Dr Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said the poll responses made sense, given the social restrictions placed on everyone over the past year.

'People are saying: 'If I'm vaccinated, it's going to change my life,'' Adalja said.

'And if you're not vaccinated, that's your choice. But you're going to be in a different status because you might be a carrier of this virus, so you could spread it to another unvaccinated person.'

The poll's results suggest the pace of vaccinations may pick up as more vaccines become available and more people want them.

A new poll found 60% of Americans want to work for an employer 'who requires everyone to get a coronavirus vaccine before returning to the office

Surveyors also found that 62% don't believe unvaccinated people should be allowed to travel on airplanes

This survey found that, altogether 54 percent of respondents said they were 'very interested' in getting vaccinated.

That was up from a January survey, when 41 percent expressed the same level of interest, and 38 percent in a May 2020 poll before a vaccine was even developed.

It also found disparities along party lines, with about 69 percent of Democrats very interested in getting a COVID-19 shot compared to 45 percent of Republicans.

Republicans, who have been generally less concerned than others over the past year about the coronavirus, were also generally less supportive than Democrats of workplace and lifestyle restrictions for the unvaccinated, according to the poll.

Yet even among Republicans, four out of 10 said they supported keeping people without vaccines from going to gyms or movie theaters.

Five in 10 Republicans think vaccines should be required for airline travel.

Twenty-seven percent of Americans said they were not interested in getting vaccinated, which was relatively unchanged from a similar poll that ran in May.

Interest in the vaccine increased over the past year among whites and racial minorities, with about six in 10 whites and five in 10 members of minority groups now expressing a high level of interest.
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Daniel Andrews has revealed he narrowly avoided a 'life-changing' injury when he slipped over on holiday and broke his ribs and back.

The Victoria premier was rushed to hospital last Tuesday when he fell on wet stairs outside a rental house on the Mornington Peninsula.

Mr Andrews, who previously asked for privacy, has now described the full nature of his injuries which require him to wear a back brace except when sleeping.

Daniel Andrews (pictured in hospital) has revealed he narrowly avoided a 'life-changing' injury when he slipped over on holiday

The premier said he will take six weeks off work while embarking on a tough program of physio.

Explaining what happened, he said in a statement: 'I fell heavily on wooden steps at the front of a rental beach house that our family had been staying at for the long weekend.

'I landed flat on my back and hit the steps hard directly below the shoulder blades fracturing at least five ribs and sustaining an acute compression fracture of the T7 vertebra.

'I narrowly avoided permanent damage to my spinal cord.'

Mr Andrews was released from hospital on Sunday after being cared for in ICU.

'It's been a long, painful and difficult week,' he wrote.

The Victoria premier (pictured with wife Cath) was rushed to hospital last Tuesday when he fell on wet stairs outside a house his family rented on the Mornington Peninsula

'These are serious injuries that require me to wear a brace throughout each day except when sleeping.

'My doctors also want me to get rest and undertake a comprehensive program of physiotherapy. That's why I will take a leave of absence from my duties for at least six weeks.'

Mr Andrews also revealed that one doctor told him 'you are very lucky to be here in one piece' and urged him to buy a lotto ticket.

'I'm not sure about the Tattslotto ticket but I'm certain that with rest, continued high quality care and the support of family, friends, colleagues and the Victorian community, I'll be back doing the job I love as soon as possible,' Mr Andrews said.

Deputy Premier James Melino will continue to act as premier.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament MP Sidharth "Cookie" Bijlani has expressed serious concerns that new policies proposed in the Council of Ministers can have severe consequences for an already ailing St. Maarten economy.

He said in a press release issued Sunday the focus should be eliminating some of the cumbersome procedures that the community is burdened with, such as applying for permits. "Consider creating a one-stop service, so people don't have to come and go then come back every time they want something done within Government."

He said these are easily achievable and goals that do not cost a lot but will help rebuild the economy. Today many people are concerned that some procedures form an impediment to attracting foreign investment to St. Maarten. According to MP, Bijlani Countries such as Aruba has many top brand hotels, which contribute to them being able to have high visitor arrivals even in these difficult economic times. "If we take a moment to work on simplifying some of the processes to apply for business licenses, that simple act will lead to job creation and increased economic activity, attract branded hotels and create significant opportunities for our people.

He is also calling on the Government to look seriously at the systemic targeting of specific businesses within the community while leaving others untouched. At this moment, our goal should work with companies to get them to the standard that they need to reach, not to close them down. "When we close a company because of a document they paid for but we as Government did not have the proper process in place to print and hand to them, we are destroying the livelihood of dozens if not hundreds of people.

"I would like to see training programs put in place for inspectors and Civil Servants in general, but this training should concentrate on Customer Service. We are in an economy driven by the hospitality industry, and we must be hospitable to businesses if we want to be ahead of the other islands," said Bijlani

He also urges Secretary Generals and Ministers to do all they can to stop those who misuse their authority and abuse policies, as their actions put a terrible light on hard-working Civil Servants.

He was also critical of the proposed amendment of a policy requiring Dutch Naturalized citizens married to foreigners to earn Naf.3000 instead of Naf.2000 before their spouse can come to St. Maarten to live with them.

"What happens if a foreign national living here for five or six years has had a reduction in salary due to the pandemic and his residence permit is up for renewal, and the yearly gross is now less than Naf.36,000? What solution is there for such cases?"

MP Bijlani reiterated the call to have a better administrative process and said even Civil Servants complain about the overlap in tasks and the unnecessary lengthy processes that could be simplified to make everyone's life better.

"This is an opportunity to reset the way we do things, so it makes more sense, and we can make things more accessible. I believe in doing so, compliance in all areas will increase," said Bijlani.
The person replacing Art Acevedo will inherit a police force of more than 5,200 officers and a 671-square-mile jurisdiction.

Video Transcript

SYLVESTER TURNER: Good morning, good morning, good morning. I'm joined this morning by Councilmember Karla Cisneros and Chief-- Chief-- Chief Pena. And I apologize to keep you waiting. But let me just start off by saying, look, let me congratulate Chief Art Acevedo following this morning's announcement that he has accepted the Chief of Police job in Miami, Florida.

I hate to see him leave the city of Houston. A lot of us hate to see him leave the city of Houston. But if you allow me from a Biblical nature, we all recognize that there is a time and a place, and there's a season for all of us. But I also realize this is a-- an excellent, extraordinary opportunity for him at a time when he is one of the nation's leading voices in law enforcement.

I spoke with Chief Acevedo yesterday afternoon, and I also talked with Miami Mayor Suarez last night. In fact, I know Mayor Suarez quite well. We both served as officers of the US Conference of Mayors. Chief Acevedo will stay in Houston a few more weeks, as we make a transition with the Houston Police Department.

When I hired Chief Acevedo-- Art-- from Austin almost five years ago, I was impressed with his relationship with the people of Austin, his style of policing, his ability to see the big picture, and his leadership skills. Art Acevedo seceded former interim police chief Martha Montalvo to become Houston's first permanent Hispanic chief. And quite frankly, I'm proud of the fact that-- that I appointed both-- both of them.

And he has managed to build trust and strong relationships across the city's diverse neighborhoods. Chief Art Acevedo has been a champion of policing and a transformational leader, while commanding a department of roughly 5,300 officers and hundreds of civilian support personnel in the nation's fourth-largest city. And during his tenure, Art has accomplished several objectives that helped change the culture of the Houston Police Department and how the police interacts-- how the public interacts with-- with police.

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He brought back the Greater Houston Police Activities League, better known as PAL, to help better police and youth relations. He instilled a philosophy of relational policing. He rode regularly on patrol shifts throughout the city, to find firsthand how-- how officers do their jobs. And even on occasion, he made a few arrests, or at least that's what he said he did. He implemented a night-- a night-shift major [INAUDIBLE] assault squad of investigators to go to scenes, to gather immediate evidence in violent crimes.

He implemented a Special Investigations unit of detectives to investigate officer-involved shootings. He served our city while also serving as president of the Major Cities Chief Association. Our city has faced a number of challenges in the past five years, from natural disasters to city-wide celebrations. And Chief Art Acevedo has-- and his department have never hesitated to stand with the people of Houston during good times and in moments of crisis.

We have faced a rising number of homicides, and we have lost officers in the line of duty. And there are ongoing investigations into alleged officer misconduct. To help respond and build the department, I announced last week that I will be adding a sixth cadet class to the next fiscal budget. HPD and its mission will continue to be a top, top priority as long as I am mayor, providing more resources to clear cases, including the Houston Forensic Center.

After the George Floyd murder in Minneapolis, Art marched with 60,000 peaceful demonstrators, helped facilitate positive conversations in societal unrest, and called for police reform. And I want to thank Art, and I say that in a very personal sense. I-- I knew him before I hired him to become police chief; worked with him when I was in the legislature for those number of years when he served as the chief of police for Austin; asked him to come to the city of Houston.

He performed at an exceptional level, and he will-- he will be missed by many of us in this city. But I wish him well, he and his family. And I know he will do an excellent job in Miami with Mayor Suarez. I will make an announcement on the future of the leadership of HPD later this week.
New Delhi, March 15 : Tightening its noose around the Islamic State (IS) operatives in India, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday carried out searches at 11 locations in Kerala, Karnataka and Delhi, including the premises of Mohammed Ameen aka Abu Yahya, whose group had identified several people in Kerala and Karnataka for "targeted killing".

An NIA spokesperson said that the anti-terror probe agency carried out searches at 11 locations, including eight locations in Kerala spread over the districts of Kannur, Mallapuram, Kollam and Kasargod, two locations in Bengaluru and one location in Delhi in a case pertaining to terrorist activities of a group led by Ameen, a resident of Kerala.

The official said that the group has been running various IS propaganda channels on different social media platforms such as Telegram, Hoop and Instagram for propagating the violent Jihadi ideology of ISIS and radicalising and recruiting new members for the IS module.

The NIA had registered a case on March 5 this year against seven known and other unknown accused persons under several sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

The official said that the searches were preceded by extensive verification carried out jointly by the NIA, the Special Cell of Delhi Police, and the ATS of Kerala Police.

The official said, "The group of radicalised individuals under the leadership of Ameen owning allegiance to proscribed terrorist organisation IS had identified certain individuals in Kerala and Karnataka for targeted killing." They had also planned to undertake 'Hijrat' (religious migration) to Jammu and Kashmir for engaging in terrorist acts.

The official said, "Ameen had travelled to Jammu and Kashmir immediately after his return to India from Bahrain in March last year and had been camping in Delhi for the last two months for establishing connection with J&K based operatives having allegiance to IS." The official adde that the searches were conducted at the premises of Ameen and his associates, who were members of various groups or channels on encrypted chat platforms.

The official said that during the searches, several digital devices including laptops, mobiles, hard disks, pen drives, multiple SIM cards of different service providers and incriminating documents were seized.

The official said that the exhibits are being scrutinised and will be sent for forensic examination.
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Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
New York, March 14, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FTC Disclaimer (Any/all of the links on this post are affiliate links of which the author receives a small commission from sales of this product/service, but the price is the same to you.

Are you an online business, website, or blog owner striving for leads and sales? If yes, this review will show you how to make money with a low-cost chatbot and higher conversions. Numerous Website owners endeavor to convert their visitors into leads and sales by the end of each day. Trying to see your site's conversion rate could take months. It could also take up thousands of dollars you simply don't have. The great news is that it does not need to take so long, and neither does it have to be expensive. Customer interactions are a really great way to increase leads and sales. Currently, approximately 85% of customer interactions can be done by an artificial intelligence chatbot. A chatbot does so by increasing your affiliate commissions and growing your email list on Autopilot. This Conversiobot review will tell you what you need to know about this product and if it's worth your investment.

What Is A Chat Bot?

Chatbots are artificial intelligence-based computer programs that simulate human conversations. Bots are digital assistants that understand human capabilities through interpreting, processing user requests, and offering prompt relevant answers. Chatbots can communicate through tests and voice. Besides completing 60-90% of the average human team's workload, they engage with your visitors enjoyably and interactively.

What is Conversiobot?

Conversiobot is an AI chatbot designed to help website owners convert their leads into subscribers and sales. The affiliate bot was created by two successful and popular internet entrepreneurs, Simon Wood and Imran S. The conversiobot cloud-based software can be installed on your site with a plugin or code. It works by helping you to increase your conversions while enabling you to create a proper script by creating chatbots in minutes, either by allowing you to create your own through the simple "drag and drop" interface or fully customizable "done-for-you" chatbots. Using Conversiobot, you can easily install your chatbot onto your website by uploading the plugin into your WordPress dashboard. Afterwards, you can install a single line of code. Conversiobot has two various offers. You can get the Conversiobot Lite offer and the Conversiobot Pro offer. Further info and a discount can be found here on the official website!

Who is Conversiobot for?

This cloud-based software was designed for website owners, affiliate marketers, and those who desire to convert their visitors into leads, list building, subscribers, and sales. The AI tool is suitable to increase engagement and sales for groups such as local business owners, bloggers, small business owners, affiliate marketers, eCommerce shop owners, social housing marketers and freelancers.

How To Use Conversiobot

Conversiobot is a user-friendly Artificial Intelligence chatbot that does not require a great deal of knowledge from its users. Given that it has a straightforward process, you will not have trouble using conversiobot for higher conversions. There are three needed actions through which people can setup Conversiobot on their website. To begin with, first, open the chatbot software. Afterwards, open the main Conversiobot dashboard from where you might discover a comprehensive variety of chatbot templates. It has templates under various categories like Affiliate, Discount, Feedback, Lead Generation, Social Shares. For each template, you can hit the "Preview" button to check it. Choose any chatbot design template depending on your desire. After choosing the chat design template, you need to select the Chatbot code line and copy the created code on your website. Subsequently, hit each module inside your flow chat to customize it. The next step is to customize your design bots as background, message bubble, bot message, user message, text, and bot design. It provides a "drag & drop" builder utilizing which you can design a chatbot for your website within minutes. Furthermore, you can set up elements like bot settings, widget settings, sound settings, email notification settings, autoresponder settings, goal settings. Afterward, Publish your chatbot. There are few choices to choose from when publishing, such as Full page bot, bot widget, embedded bot, WordPress plugin. You will not have to fret about how Conversiobot works, as the product does offer a video that will guide you step by step. It can be summarized in three stages:

Step 1- pass one of the Done-For-You AI Chat Templates. Step 2- Click to generate a Line of Chatbot code link. Step 3- Finally, Copy and Paste the single link code onto your website's head section.

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Conversiobot Active Products

At a glance, you can get the following products when you use conversiobot.

Conversiobot Pro

The Conversiobot Pro allows you to get more sales and leads due to its award-winning Artificial intelligence technology. Besides, Conversiobot Pro has a commercial multi-site license and have agency assets to exceptionally increase your profit.

OTO 1 - Done for You Pro - Done for You Pro is a library of templates or a library of bots. It includes a highly converting done for you chatbot templates for your business. Using Done for You Pro, you can simply create a copy of any of them and then modify it to your liking. At the same time, it makes it incredibly easy to generate different types of chatbots for demonstrations to specific niche businesses. As a result, it makes your work really fast and simple.

OTO 2 - The Auto Chatbot Builder - One of the most prominent features of Conversiobot is The Auto Chatbot Builder. This feature allows you to create a customized chatbot with just a few clicks. Therefore, you do not have to use up a lot of time writing customized chats, as this tool will do it for you. Besides, the generic information from those templates will be automatically replaced with your business or client's information to help you upgrade to smart marketing.

OTO 3 - Conversiobot Extreme - According to a Conversiobot review, Conversiobot Extreme is most useful due to its functionality. This tool allows you to allow you to add custom branding to your chatbots. Other than that, it helps you to come up with various types of bots, like full-page bots and bots that are embedded via iframes. Other commercial chatbot options do not offer such features.

OTO 4  Agency License/ Agency Assets - Using this tool, you can have the ability to add a lot of team members to your account. As a result, you can have an employee or virtual assistant do the heavy lifting for you. Agency License has bonus features such as a website builder, which allows you to create your agency website. At the same time, agency assets allow you to invest in chatbots' future and potentially use them to scale your business.

What Bonuses are Included? - When you buy Conversiobot from the official website or store, you will get some great and unique bonuses. These bonuses added automatically to your account immediately after the purchase. Besides being known to increase sales by approximately 30%, the bonuses comprise front-end offers and the Value Bonus Bundle.

Front End Offers - When you purchase the front-end offer, it comes with some great generic templates. Besides, when you buy the chat bot, you will also get the following products:

Bonus #1: The Additional Bot Images

Once you buy Conversiobot, you can come up with an avatar for the chat bots. This bonus comes with a lot of bot images. Aside from that, it allows you to upload your images to the dashboard to get more conversions.

Bonus #2: The Extra Templates

The Conversiobot comes with only ten chat templates for artificial intelligence. However, using this bonus product, you will be able to enjoy some great generic templates.

Bonus #3: VIP Training

After buying Conversiobot, buyers will get to get access to the training of the product. The VIP training consists of all the necessary guidelines to get you started once you purchase the product. At the same time, you will also have access to a VIP training session to help you get more conversions with the product.

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The Value Bonus Bundle

The value bonus bundle does offer 42 bonus packages. They include:

Facebook GFX Pro. The Facebook GFX Pro shows users ways on how to maximize the essential tools on the internet effectively.

The Facebook GFX Pro shows users ways on how to maximize the essential tools on the internet effectively. Facebook Timeline Optin. This bonus is suitable for a small business Facebook application. It allows its users to create professional business hub pages within no time. Besides, it will enable you to cater to your offline clients.

This bonus is suitable for a small business Facebook application. It allows its users to create professional business hub pages within no time. Besides, it will enable you to cater to your offline clients. Facebook Direct Pro. Facebook Direct Pro is the third bonus of the package. It equips people with traffic generation strategies suitable for the business.

Facebook Direct Pro is the third bonus of the package. It equips people with traffic generation strategies suitable for the business. Social Audience Builder. Another bonus is the Social Audience Builder that entails a strong web-based app that allows you to get extreme value from your list while refining your Facebook audiences.

Another bonus is the Social Audience Builder that entails a strong web-based app that allows you to get extreme value from your list while refining your Facebook audiences. FB Company Finder. The FB Company Finder gives several companies that might be your potential customers. Besides, you do not need to break a sweat using this fifth bonus because hundreds of spit-out local companies come from this easy 2-click software!

The FB Company Finder gives several companies that might be your potential customers. Besides, you do not need to break a sweat using this fifth bonus because hundreds of spit-out local companies come from this easy 2-click software! Facebook Timeline Survey. The Facebook Timeline Survey enables you to identify approximately 110 top Shopify niches.

The Facebook Timeline Survey enables you to identify approximately 110 top Shopify niches. Finally Drive Huge Traffic from Facebook and Profit. This bonus provides social signals for Search Engine Optimization. Aside from that, the skills gained will enable you to be at the top of search results and generate social shares for search engines.

This bonus provides social signals for Search Engine Optimization. Aside from that, the skills gained will enable you to be at the top of search results and generate social shares for search engines. Uber Optin plugin. The other bonus of this package is the Uber Optin plugin. It offers methods to set up a sales funnel using WordPress.

The other bonus of this package is the Uber Optin plugin. It offers methods to set up a sales funnel using WordPress. 20 Retargeting Ad Images. 20 Retargeting Ad Images Is the tenth and eleventh bonus of the package. It provides its users with about eleven retargeting hacks to kickstart Facebook product campaigns.

20 Retargeting Ad Images Is the tenth and eleventh bonus of the package. It provides its users with about eleven retargeting hacks to kickstart Facebook product campaigns. WP Store Press bonus. At the same time, the WP Store Press bonus is a WordPress theme that will enable you to create your own Facebook shopping mall quickly. This bonus has been created and designed to allow Facebook, smartphone, and pc-based e-commerce stores to run in five minutes for e-commerce marketers. It is perfect for anybody who wants to tap into Facebook's potential to market their goods.

At the same time, the WP Store Press bonus is a WordPress theme that will enable you to create your own Facebook shopping mall quickly. This bonus has been created and designed to allow Facebook, smartphone, and pc-based e-commerce stores to run in five minutes for e-commerce marketers. It is perfect for anybody who wants to tap into Facebook's potential to market their goods. Instagram traffic. Instagram traffic is the eleventh bonus. It enables users to learn how to use Instagram to build a viral thrill for your goods that people will go crazy for.

Instagram traffic is the eleventh bonus. It enables users to learn how to use Instagram to build a viral thrill for your goods that people will go crazy for. Pinterest perfection package. The Pinterest perfection package allows you to tap into the viral power of Pinterest. As a result, you can trigger lots of traffic back to your website or blog. Besides, you will learn to tap into your images' power to reach the audience you desire.

The Pinterest perfection package allows you to tap into the viral power of Pinterest. As a result, you can trigger lots of traffic back to your website or blog. Besides, you will learn to tap into your images' power to reach the audience you desire. YouTube Video Mastery. YouTube Video Mastery teaches you how to use YouTube, especially for your YouTube videos, to earn passive income, monetize your content, and create compelling video material.

YouTube Video Mastery teaches you how to use YouTube, especially for your YouTube videos, to earn passive income, monetize your content, and create compelling video material. Tube Ads Genie. Tube Ads Genie enables you to Push visitors who watch videos on your web to click on your adverts to carry commissions and sales on full Autopilot.

Tube Ads Genie enables you to Push visitors who watch videos on your web to click on your adverts to carry commissions and sales on full Autopilot. The video support face. The video support face allows you to build video training centers for your goods quickly and easily. As a result, you will reduce support tickets, lower reimbursement rates, create high stick rates, and let you run your company on Autopilot!

The video support face allows you to build video training centers for your goods quickly and easily. As a result, you will reduce support tickets, lower reimbursement rates, create high stick rates, and let you run your company on Autopilot! Like, Share & Follow bonus. The Like, Share & Follow bonus is a 30 day Social Media Marketing Mastering Guide. It teaches you ways to use social media and improve your outreach with unique, tested techniques more efficiently.

The Like, Share & Follow bonus is a 30 day Social Media Marketing Mastering Guide. It teaches you ways to use social media and improve your outreach with unique, tested techniques more efficiently. Wp Local Business Plugin. Another one of the bonuses is the Wp Local Business Plugin. Yes, it provides a framework that generates social-powered business landing pages in seconds is simple to use. Aside from that, it allows you to set up a Killer Professional Business Landing Page that anyone can produce. Other bonuses include Video Marketing Hack, Ultimate Minisite Templates, Passive Email Riches, Low-Cost Web Traffic Surge, The Traffic Generation Personality Type, Quick Guide to WordPress SEO, SEO Stone Plugin, Lead Avalanche, Traffic Extreme, Graphics Blackbox, Wp EZ Share It Plugin, and more.

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Conversiobot Features

According to a conversiobot review, there are many features that the Conversiobot possesses that make it easy to build a chatbot.

Artificial Intelligence - Conversiobot is powered by artificial intelligence. As a result, it will assist you to use the aggregated data from every customer service interaction. Besides, the chatbot builder allows you to learn what works best and improve responses over time.

Done for You Chatbot Templates - Through chatbots, Conversiobot generates leads by conversing and interacting with the visitors on your website. It can automatically send messages to the customers when they visit your website. Consequently, it will help you to prevent hours of talking to customers.

Easy Customization - Using Conversiobot, a website owner can easily customize it to do whatever they desire for their website or blog. To customize, you do not need to have any professional skills as all you have to do point, click, and finish.

Commercial License - The front-end offer allows you to get a commercial license in the software. If you've been thinking of a way to have a steady stream of passive income, conversiobot should be one of your viable options. Yes, you can rake in hundreds of dollars in profit from different and multiple streams.

It Is Compatible on All Platforms - This AI chatbot deals with all sorts of websites. Whether you are using an affiliate website, WordPress blog, e-commerce website, consultancy site, or any other website, Conversiobot works well on all of them.

Step by Step Procedure - Conversiobot offers Step-By-Step training videos to walk you through everything. As a result, users will know how to install it and work with it professionally.

24/7 Team of Consultants - Conversiobot has a highly skilled professional team available 24/7 to assist you with your queries about the product.

Simple to Use - It employs easy-to-understand analytics. Hence, it will help you enhance, improve, and access your performance. A conversiobot review graded it 100% amateur-friendly due to the simple "point and click" as well as the "drag and drop" interface. Other than that, you don't really need to know a single line of code to add a highly responsive and personalized interaction.

Suitable For A Wide Range Of Businesses - Conversiobot can be used by multiple and vast groups such as online marketers, social marketers, blog owners, affiliate marketers, e-comm sellers, freelancers, newbies, consultants, and many more. ConversioBot can connect to various marketing tools, such as MailChimp and AWeber.

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Pros the Conversiobot software

There are multiple advantages of utilizing the Conversiobot software. At a glance, this section encapsulates the overwhelming benefits of this product. From helping you increase your sales and affiliate commissions to being Cost-effective, user-friendly, and broad compatibility, including google analytics, and the provision to build lists to earn profits immediately, the benefits are overwhelming. Besides, users can set it up in less than 60 seconds as some full custom OTO templates are available on the cloud. Conversiobot provides you with a commercial license; hence website owners can get custom designs according to their liking to get conversions from multiple channels. This product is GDPR compliant and has a series of videos that provide step-by-step training, making it easier for you to install and work with it professionally. As an AI tool that offers 30 days for you to get your money back in case of a complaint, the front-end offer comes with a commercial license meant to protect you.

Cons of The Conversiobot Software

While there are some cons to the product, they do not outweigh the pros of Conversiobot. Users must acquire the pro edition to get additional features to increase their sales by a marginally high percentage. At the same time, Conversiobot offers only ten free templates and can only incorporate one account from each marketing software it connects to. Another major downside was highlighted in one conversiobot review that revealed the customer service team could, at times, take 48 hours to respond.

Where Can I Buy Conversiobot?

To avoid a scam, only purchase the product only from the official website through the link, https://conversiobot.com/. Given that the website does offer crazy discounts on the product and its bonuses and promo codes that you can find online, you'll save a lot by making a purchase through the official website. Another fascinating thing about this product is that you will only have to pay for it once. It does not have any monthly subscription charges as it is a one-time purchase. Conversiobot members get conversiobot software updates every time there is an upgrade. Nonetheless, keep in mind that the creators accept payments from visa, MasterCard, Discover, Paypal, and master express. Visit the official website here to find a discounted price!

A 30- Day Money-Back Guarantee

By purchasing through the official website, you will get to enjoy the perks of a money-back guarantee. The creators offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, with no question. Ensure you initiate the money refund process within 30 days of buying the product.

Customer Support Team

The product offers intelligent customer support through chatbots. However, if you want to get personalized support within the support team, ConversioBot offers a ticket system. The team will answer all inquiries, from technical and billing to general questions. At the same time, conversiobot has a support email, so they have all angles covered, which is true dedication to customer support.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Types of Chatbots Can I Create With Conversiobot?

There are 4 Types of Chatbots You can create with Conversiobot. These are :

The widget Bot appears in the bottom corner of your website.

The exit bot shows up when the visitor exits the web page.

The full-page bot that occupies the entire screen

The embedded bot can be inserted inside a post just like a YouTube video.

Is Conversiobot a Scam Or Worth The Cost?

Conversiobot is not a scam. It is a legitimate and authentic chatbot tool. Besides, the software is simple to use and is compatible with any website and google analytics, and Facebook pixel.

Will Conversiobot Work with Any Operating System?

Yes, Conversiobot is perfectly compatible with MAC OS, Windows, Linux, or any other operating system.

Do I Need to Have Coding Skills To Use The Conversiobot Software?

There are no skills needed to operate this AI tool. It is 100% amateur-friendly as it is a drag and drop builder or a point-and-click software. Besides, the software gives you a single link code that you need to paste on your website to start using the chatbot.

Can I Sell the Chatbots That I Create?

Yes, you can make money by selling custom chatbots. If you build quality and unlimited chatbots, you can sell them to businesses at a profit. Conversiobot Pro offers a Full commercial license. In one conversiobot review, a consumer ascertained that you could sell your chatbots for 100% profit.

Does Conversiobot Work In Multiple Languages?

Yes, Conversiobot allows you to create Chatbots in any language you like. Besides, the software has a simple 1-click setting to enable this feature.

Conversiobot Review - Final Thoughts

If you really desire to get rid of making numerous emails, phone calls, and messages for your business, you should consider using an AI Chatbot. Chatbots are incredibly effective for all sorts of users as they can successfully answer approximately 80% of routine questions. Without a doubt, ConversioBot is the right fit for you. By using this software, you can have a highly responsive and personalized chatbot to your site. As a result, you will get to encourage customer engagement due to its unique approach to dealing with the challenges of website conversions. Besides, this AI Chatbot software allows you to drive and increase sales exceptionally well because it will enable you to generate traffic. other than that, it will enable you to make money by converting online website visitors into potential customers. A Conversiobot review showed that the product had garnered a rating of 4 out of 5. Whether it is list building, sales, and live interaction with your customer, you can use conversiobot and finally stop ignoring email marketing. Click here to discover the current discount!

Contact Information

Innovative Chat Limited

Homepage: www.conversiobot.com

Email: support@conversiobot.com

Phone: +1 (646) 741-0119

About

Mike Vaughn is a blogger from a bigger enthusiastic team which loves to review products based on personal research. His contact E-Mail is mvaughn-revs@gmail.com. Feel free to contact him every time you like.

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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.

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This news has been published for the above source. Mike Vaughn [ID=17301]

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Community News Editor / Librarian

Jeannie Maschino is community news editor and librarian for The Berkshire Eagle. She has worked for the newspaper in various capacities since 1982 and joined the newsroom in 1989. She can be reached at jmaschino@berkshireeagle.com.
This Friday, more than 1.357 million travelers took to the air as spring break revelers sought respite and leisure from a long, painful winter. This was the single highest air travel figure since the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

Though these figures are far less than from the same day in 2019, it has alarmed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to a recent travel industry survey, 12 percent of respondents were making travel plans, and Miami expects university students from over 200 colleges to visit over the next few weeks.

A group of spring break revelers pose for a photograph on the beach, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Pompano Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Despite their premature guidelines for vaccinated individuals, the CDC continues to recommend against non-essential travel even for fully vaccinated people. Last Monday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, appearing on MSNBC, said, We know that after mass travel, after vacations, after holidays, we tend to see a surge in cases. We really want to make sureagain with just ten percent of people [fully] vaccinatedthat we are limiting travel.

The United States, with more than 30 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and nearly 550,000 deaths, is in a precarious position. As it manages to fumble along with the most extensive vaccination campaign in its history, it also casts aside nearly every precaution against the pathogen. President Joe Biden is hedging his bet, tantamount to reckless endangerment, that sufficiently enough people have been vaccinated or previously infected to see a blunting of the impact of a spring surge.

All eyes are now on Florida, where the B.1.1.7 variant, the variant first detected in the United Kingdom, is approaching a dangerous threshold50 percent of all new cases subject to genetic testing. Not only is this variant more transmissible, but almost everyone also agrees the virus is more lethal than its predecessor. In December of 2020, the UK saw a dramatic surge in cases leading to a lockdown. At the same time, Manaus, Brazil, despite having had many previous infections, faced a deluge of new cases attributed to the variant first discovered there known as P.1.

However, many state and local officials who have repeatedly called for reopening all businesses and schools throughout the pandemic are now playing down the risks attributed to these variants and instead touting the recent declines and vaccine initiatives as a cause to celebrate.

However, do the numbers bear such optimism?

After a one-day high of over 21,000 cases on New Years Day, numbers have been steadily declining in Florida. But more recently, they have been falling at a slower pace and then reached a plateau with approximately 5,000 new COVID-19 cases per day. Since March 6, numbers have been ticking upward and over the weekend, when figures usually are lower, the state posted over 5,000 three days running. Other states, such as New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island, have seen numbers plateau or tick upwards.

Already cars are causing traffic congestions throughout Miami as vacationers are flooding restaurants, bars, cafes along strips of white sandy beaches. Daytona Beach has been hosting the 80th edition of its ten-day annual event known as Bike Week. There is virtually no attention to public health measures. With 300,000 people having attended the Florida motorcycle rally, it is reminiscent of the Sturgis motorcycle rally that converged in western South Dakota in August. With weeks, both North and South Dakota were inundated with cases of COVID-19.

Dr. Olveen Carrasquillo, chief of general internal medicine at the University of Miamis Miller School of Medicine, told the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Its a challenge. We see the light at the end of the tunnel, so theres a lot of complacency. The thing that concerns me is there are much more infectious variants coming around. Florida has the highest number of B.1.1.7 variants detected, at 690 out of more than 3,000 nationally. They have also reported five cases of the P.1 variant and one case of the B.1.351, the variant first reported from South Africa.

Dr. Carrasquillo added, Were almost there, but its not a time to relax everything weve been doing. The numbers look really, really positive, but an event like this [Bike Event], where people come, gather, and then go back to other parts of the country, has the potential to be really catastrophic.

Estimates obtained from the COVID Tracking Project noted that by February 21, approximately 28.6 percent of Floridas population had been infected. According to the Washington post-vaccination tracker, as of March 14, 20.4 percent of Floridians have received at least one jab, while 11 percent have completed their vaccination. Close to 60 percent of the elderly over 65 have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

Assuming some level of overlap between those who survived being previously infected and those vaccinated, it is safe to think that probably 40 percent of the population has some protection against the coronavirus. The actual proportion of the population needed for herd immunity has been estimated at 70 percent, but those figures were for the wild-type variants and a higher percentage may be needed for the new strains. Given all precautions have been tossed aside, it remains to be seen how the B.1.1.7 lineage will impact the predicted spring surge with this level of immunity. Yet, such an irresponsible experiment is not settling well with public health officials.

Speaking with Chuck Todd on NBCs Meet the Press, Dr. Anthony Fauci reminded the host again that his concern is with a plateau in numbers of daily cases being above 60,000. He called that discomforting. Like Sweden, Italy, and Germany, where their epidemiological curves had plateaued, as these countries moved to lift restrictions, it led to a sudden rise in new infections.

Many states like Texas and Mississippi are rapidly rescinding mask mandates, demanding school reopening and lifting local businesses restrictions. An emergency room physician from Austin, Texas, Dr. Natasha Kathuria, told ABC, We fear that opening our economy to 100 percent, just before spring break, is a recipe for disaster. Without a mask requirement, front-line workers are at exceptional risk for a potential confrontation with patients who may be unwilling to wear a mask now that there is no mandate. Texas was the most aggressive state to reopen after our national lockdown, and we became the epicenter for COVID-19 a few months later. We cannot risk that again.

Approximately 70 million people in the United States have received one or both doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the US, accounting for 21 percent of the population. The seven-day average stands at more than 2.5 million vaccinations per day. With 136 million doses distributed, this is the largest rollout across the globe thus far. However, the rollout has been extremely chaotic and has prioritized speed over eligibility.

Those who are 75 years or older have accounted for 60 percent of all COVID-19 deaths but only account for 23 percent of all first doses. Additionally, more affluent populations in wealthy counties have been disproportionately vaccinated than underserved regions of the country. The implication of these developments means that a possible fourth wave will punish those poorest and most vulnerable.
In 2020, New Brunswick issued 2,020 nominations, comparable to 2019, but the number of new immigrants was underwhelming.

New Brunswick committed to welcoming immigrants despite COVID-19 In 2020, New Brunswick issued 2,020 nominations, comparable to 2019, but the number of new immigrants was underwhelming.

New Brunswick committed to welcoming immigrants despite COVID-19 In 2020, New Brunswick issued 2,020 nominations, comparable to 2019, but the number of new immigrants was underwhelming.

New Brunswick committed to welcoming immigrants despite COVID-19 In 2020, New Brunswick issued 2,020 nominations, comparable to 2019, but the number of new immigrants was underwhelming. Mohanad Moetaz Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

Sans Font Size A

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The number of immigration candidates who were nominated by New Brunswick to immigrate to Canada in 2020 were similar to previous years.



Despite the immigration challenges that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, New Brunswick issued a total of 2,020 nominations through its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in 2020. In 2019, the province issued 2,022 PNP nominations.

Although the number of nominations did not drastically drop, only 2,740 new permanent residents landed in New Brunswick as of November 31, 2020. In 2019, this number was a record 6,000.

This drop comes as a result of travel restrictions put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19, as well as processing delays from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, according to a New Brunswick Multicultural Council (NBMC) press release.

The President of the NBMC, Moncef Lakouas, said the immigration numbers show that the province is addressing employer needs.

Find out if youre eligible for Canadian immigration

We know many sectors have been devastated by the impacts of the pandemic, especially the tourism industry and small and medium enterprises, but other sectors havent slowed down and the labour needs are just as urgent, Lakouas said in the release. Our settlement agencies and employers have worked hard to ensure new arrivals in the province followed quarantine plans and safety protocols to avoid spread of the virus. We even saw communities rallying to support newcomers collecting food, toys and games to welcome families during the quarantine period.

New Brunswick continues to work towards reaching their immigration targets of around 7,500 newcomers per year by 2024. The province is also trying to attract more French-speaking immigrants, as it is Canadas only province with both English and French as official languages. By 2024 they hope that a third of new immigrants to the province are French-speakers.

The last year has been challenging for everyone, but we know employers across New Brunswick are still looking to grow their labour force and there is still a lot of work to do to rebuild the provinces post-pandemic economy, said Ginnete Gautreau, who is the interim Executive Director at the NBMC.

What you need to know to immigrate to New Brunswick

If you wish to immigrate to New Brunswick, here are two economic immigration pathways to consider:

The NBPNP is divided into four streams.

The Express Entry Labour Market Stream is for candidates who are already in Canadas federal Express Entry system. You will need to submit an Expression of Interest, meet age, education, language and work experience requirements and have enough money to settle.

The Skilled Worker with Employer Support Stream is for workers who have received a full-time permanent job offer from an employer in the province. They must also meet age, language, education and other requirements to be eligible.

The Post-Graduate Entrepreneurial Stream is for candidates who have graduated from a New Brunswick university or college who wish to start a business in the province. They must meet age, language, education and other requirements to be eligible.

The Entrepreneurial Stream is for foreign nationals who wish to start and manage a business in New Brunswick. Candidates must meet age, education, language and other requirements. They will also need to provide a business plan.

New Brunswick is one of four Atlantic provinces. The other four are Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island.

Employers from these four provinces can use the AIP to hire foreign workers to fill jobs that they were not otherwise able to fill.

This means that to be eligible for the AIP, candidates will need a job offer. They do not need a Labour Market Impact Assessment. This is a document that proves there are no Canadian citizens or permanent residents available to fill the vacant position.

Once a candidate receives the job offer, they will be connected with a designated settlement service provider organization to help them develop a settlement plan.

Find out if youre eligible for Canadian immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.
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[MUSIC PLAYING] (SINGING) When you walk in the room do you have sway.

kara swisher

Im Kara Swisher and youre listening to Sway. If you want to know who the pope, Bill Gates, and AOC are turning to these days for advice on how to reimagine a more equitable capitalist society, its economist Mariana Mazzucato. Since her first book, The Entrepreneurial State, Mazzucato has argued that were thinking about capitalism all wrong. She says governments should lead innovation and act more like venture capitalists instead of leaving it up to the private sector. Why take a backseat to Silicon Valley and tech billionaires? Thats a great question. Mazzucato has been called one of the most influential economists in the world, and one of the scariest. I say shes on to something. In her latest book, Mission Economy, Mazzucato looks to the 1960s. ^ARCHIVED RECORDING (JOHN F KENNEDY)^ We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. JFKs Apollo moon shot missions sparked a frenzy of innovation. Nothing quite like it has been attempted since. Can that kind of ambitious publicly funded effort solve todays biggest problems  polluted oceans, poverty, maternal mortality, cancer? Do we need a Manhattan Project for climate change, and where would we even start? Welcome to Sway, Mariana, thank you for coming on.

mariana mazzucato

Thank you for inviting me.

kara swisher

So youre on a mission to save capitalism. It sounds like a moon shot mission. Lets talk about whats wrong with it at this moment from your perspective.

mariana mazzucato

Well, so theres lots of things wrong with it, but its not a coincidence. We actually have framed the way we think about capitalism in a problematic way, and thats actually then filtered down to how we govern our public institutions, and also corporate governance. So the first thing is we often think of the market as this thing thats sort of external to say business, and business gets forced into doing things. Which then might be problematic because of market pressures. Thats already the first thing thats wrong. Markets are actually outcomes. Markets are outcomes of how we decide to structure our businesses, our government institutions, and I think theres problems in both of those. We have a business sector, which is often too short-termist. So just in the last 10 years the S&P 500 companies have spent over $4 trillion just on buying back their shares to boost stock prices. Thats a problem. Thats a lack of reinvestment. And government is also problematically structured, often kind of too little too late. And thats because at best we think of the role of policy as fixing markets  fixing market failures. So by definition, you almost have to wait for a problem to arise before you can justify any sort of policy. But one of the big things, I think, thats also wrong is how public and private relate to one another. If you use the word partnership or ecosystem, which is the trendy way to talk about public private partnerships, and you use that word with a biologist theyll actually stop you and say, excuse me, do you mean a predator prey ecosystem? A parasitic one, a symbiotic, a mutualistic? And I think we have often predatory parasitic public private partnerships.

kara swisher

Whos the predator in that regard?

mariana mazzucato

Well, you know, interestingly it sometimes changes. But in general by parasitic I mean that you might have one doing one thing, so government funding a massive amount of infrastructure or everything in our iPhones, our smartphones, was publicly financed  internet, GPS, touchscreen, Siri. And then the private sector benefiting from that 

kara swisher

Yeah, and sucking up all the information. They often do that with their customers, too. The trade that is made between tech customers, for example  Ill use that because its something I know about. What they give us, free maps, dating service, whatever it happens to be, we hand over all the data, we hand over all the value. And they extract it and use it for themselves, and then hand it back to us, but not as value.

mariana mazzucato

And theres nothing inevitable in that. There is decisions made that lead to that. I mean, the broader way I might define a parasitic relationship in this case is when youre socializing the risk. So its not that we dont have private sector investment. We do, of course, thats socialized, both public and private are risk taking. But then the rewards are privatized. So thats what weve seen in digital, its what weve seen in the health sector, where you have in the United States $40 billion a year invested by the National taxpayer-funded Institutes of Health. And then the prices of the drugs that come out of that dont reflect that collective value creation, the intellectual property rights are structured so they are too wide, so its not that patents on their own are a problem. Its how we have decided and badly negotiated to structure them.

kara swisher

Right. So what youre essentially saying is theres nothing wrong with capitalism that better capitalism cant save, essentially?

mariana mazzucato

Well, first of all, theres varieties of capitalism, we shouldnt forget that. Theres some countries in the world where trade unions are, you know, regularly on the board of companies  many Scandinavian countries. You also have countries, I mean just look at the Covid-19 epidemic and how recovery funds have been structured. In France, for example, President Macron was very clear. He said, well were not here to just bail out companies. Were here to help transform them. So there was conditions that were attached to the bailouts that both the car industry and the airline industry got in France. They had to commit to reducing their carbon emissions in order to access the recovery funds. And its quite interesting, actually, with the U.S. CARES Act, which was the coronavirus, um  the beginning of the discussion about what to do with the recovery finance mechanisms. In the U.S there was kind of terminology that went in that direction. So companies getting recovery funds couldnt just use it to pay out dividends and share buybacks. But its not the normal way of doing things.

kara swisher

Right. So lets get to that general idea, your argument. You have a new book  your latest book  its called Mission Economy, which is the idea of governments being bold and having the entrepreneurial spirit. Mission Economy takes its inspiration from the well-known Apollo program. So lets talk a little bit about the idea of moon shot, because in a lot of ways its already happened. But talk a little bit about this idea of the government actually being entrepreneurial when the widespread idea is that its not, and that its there to stop things from happening, or to clean up afterwards.

mariana mazzucato

So the reason I took inspiration from the moon landing was that it wasnt just about public investment. There was a lot of private sector investment, but it was very much state led. Not state led in terms of micromanaged, because that would not help innovation if youre telling everyone what to do. But if you set a really clear goal  getting to the moon and back again in one generation  or today, getting the plastic out of our oceans or having carbon neutral cities, thats a direction.

kara swisher

So setting giant goals?

mariana mazzucato

Setting big goals that get lots of different sectors involved. So moon shots should not be like big castle in the desert, just the Concorde plane, a big project, a big infrastructure project. How I think about moon shots are inspirational bold goals that actually require lots of different sectors to invest and innovate. So getting to the moon was not just aeronautics. There was investment in innovation and nutrition, materials, electronics, the whole software industry in some ways was a spillover of that, and lots of private sector investment, whether it was Motorola, General Electric, Honeywell, The Grumman corporation. But what was interesting was that NASA was very careful when it was collaborating and procuring what it needed from these companies, that the contracts were fair. So they actually changed their procurement methods away from cost-plus contracts, which they believed were easily gamed because cost could be easily inflated, to fixed-price contracts with incentives for continuous improvement. They also had, believe it or not, a clause called no excess profits. In other words, this should not just become a gambling casino. If we are going to, again, share the risks, were going to share the rewards in the sense that you cant just speculate and make basically privatize all the rewards from this joint enterprise. So thats so interesting, because that to me is a real partnership with a common purpose 

kara swisher

Where the incentives are aligned between people?

mariana mazzucato

Exactly. And another really interesting thing is that the head of procurement inside NASA, called Ernest Brackett, he was very aware that the way to not get conned and the way to have that kind of more mutualistic partnership was reliant on NASA actually investing within its own structures. At one point he said, we have to be aware of not getting captured by brochuremenship, when you have a company coming in and just kind of selling themselves.

kara swisher

Yeah.

mariana mazzucato

And actually, theres not much substance behind it. So they thought we need to invest in our own intelligence so well be able to better draft the terms of reference that we need when partnering with the private sector.

kara swisher

And so this is an idea that government is not just a money bag that hands over the money, and then lets them more entrepreneurial private sector take over?

mariana mazzucato

Exactly.

kara swisher

The allegedly more entrepreneurial private sector.

mariana mazzucato

Yeah. I mean, first of all, with the private sector in The Entrepreneurial State, I didnt say that government invented the iPhone. It was just that we wouldnt have any smart product without all the smart technology, which was government financed  again, internet, GPS, et cetera. What was interesting about those technologies is they came about not only from public money, but public money that was purpose driven. So the internet was solving a problem. No one obsessed about the internet as a thing in and of itself. Same thing with GPS. So what does it mean to actually foster kind of purpose driven problem solving public organizations that are not just well financed, because you cant just throw money at problems.

kara swisher

I was thinking about that the other day, the people that work for NASA. I wrote a column in The Times talking about why are we letting private citizens decide our space programs? Essentially, where is the leadership and the money and the involvement as much? And I know NASA works with Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, so this is in 

mariana mazzucato

Sorry, just one thing about Elon Musk, just super quickly.

kara swisher

Sure, yeah.

mariana mazzucato

Two things. One is, hes received over $5 billion from the U.S. government. I actually once tweeted some years ago, Say thank you, please. As a mother of four children, please, say thank you. I mean, that was across his different companies. But also, the problem is when you dont have a purpose driven kind of direction driven government, you end up maybe partnering with different organizations in the private sector, like NASA of course, is partnering with Elon Musk. But if its not clear what the terms are, you end up with the current situation, where you have all this debris in space.

kara swisher

Right, yeah, yeah.

mariana mazzucato

So thats not how you govern a system in the common interest. Where youre just kind of saying, oh of course, we should commercialize space because thats a good thing in and of itself. Thats not how NASA thought. NASA thought, of course, were going to partner with the private sector, because together were going to solve problems. And again, they paid attention to the contract, so the way that they would do it together was smart and dynamic and really fostering capabilities and innovation and collaboration between the organizations, but without one kind of dominating over the other.

kara swisher

But arent there limits to using, say, a moon landing as a template? Not all problems are so technological. How could a moon shot mission solve what you call wicked problems, like climate change, poverty, dementia? These are kind of things you need government involvement to really move the needle in significant ways.

mariana mazzucato

Yep. So in the first part of the book I kind of unpick what it took to get to the moon, precisely in terms of those intraorganizational kind of government capabilities. And the second part I say, well, we need this today, obviously, to tackle all the social problems of our time. Which I do think we need to remember weve agreed globally what those are, and those are the 17 sustainable development goals. Number one is no poverty. Number two zero hunger, three is good health and well-being for everyone. Four  quality education, and so on. These are wicked in the sense that they require not just technological change, but also behavioral change, regulatory change, political change. So really, it needs a moon shot program even more, we just cant restrict our understanding of moon shots just in the technological areas.

kara swisher

Because they have parameters. They have certain get to the moon, land on it, put a rocket down, come back, essentially.

mariana mazzucato

Right, but I mean, you can still have really clear goals. I mean, a clear mission would be plastic free ocean, reducing by 90% say plastic entry in the marine environment, and so on. And the first thing is to say if this is going to be a really inspirational moon shot we need to first of all really map out all the different kind of sectors that are going to be critical to this. So that would include investment in marine areas, AI, the chemical sector, design, biotech, waste, and so on. And my key point often is theres already a lot of money in all these different areas, but theyre not really designed in such a way that is thinking about how could we collaborate across all these different sectors, but also actors, public private third sector in order to reach that goal? So the real issue is what does it mean for redesigning, again, procurement, industrial strategy, innovation policy, to really catalyze that bottom-up experimentation and innovation. Which would mean, in this case, all sorts of projects related to say plastic and microplastic digestion mechanisms, reusable and biodegradable plastic substitutes, and so on. So just because you have a life sciences strategy that can lead you just to make a lot of public investments in areas like health innovation, and then not actually govern that to reach a particular goal. So one of the things I convinced the U.K. government was to have a challenge led industrial strategy. And the challenges they chose included things like clean growth, future mobility, and aging. And then the idea was beneath those challenges. The challenge for the moon landing was the space race Sputnik, but the mission was getting to the moon and back in one generation. So a very concrete mission underneath the challenge of future mobility might be to have a sustainable universally accessible travel, and so on. And that would require lots of innovation also in the areas of disabilities. If you want your public transport system, for example, to be 100% accessible by everyone.

kara swisher

One of the things, in todays dollars, the JFK moon shot would have cost $283 billion, and there was no promise at the time that it would even work when he was saying it was not feasible at that moment. One of the things that really strikes me is when entrepreneurs that Ive covered for decades make mistakes they call it a pivot, or failure is good. They quote Thomas Edison, I didnt fail. I found 10,000 ways that it didnt work. And its celebrated. When government does that, and theres a failure, it is widely decried, theres investigative reports, and this is the worst thing in the world. Why isnt investment worth the risk of failure for a government, and are Americans capable of shifting their idea back to collective action that may or may not work?

mariana mazzucato

Its quite extraordinary that in Kennedys speech at Rice stadium he was quite clear. I mean, he said were going to do this because its hard, not because its easy. And we probably will screw up along the way, but its worth it. So what does it mean to explicitly admit that youre going after something, but theres going to have to be experimentation and innovation, and thats part of that process of learning by doing. As you rightly said, today when a civil servant, public servant, makes a mistake theyre on the front page of the newspaper. So we dont allow what everyone knows needs to be allowed to learn. I mean, youre not going to learn how to ride a bike if you are fearful of falling off. And the whole venture capital community is always bragging about all the risk that they took for every success, six or seven failures. As soon as government fails thats not allowed. And thats why if youre not even seen as a value creator, if the government is there simply to fix market failures, then theres no real justification for you even to invest within your government institution to create that value. Learning by doing doesnt just happen if youre not investing within your own capacity to learn. But if you think of it as a venture capitalist, a public venture capitalist, which I think the U.S. government has played public venture capitalist role, you should also be thinking about how do we make sure were not then just subsidizing the failures, but also getting an upside.

kara swisher

Right, you get a piece of it, yeah.

mariana mazzucato

Yeah.

kara swisher

Which is also stunning, is that they make these investments and get none of the return.

mariana mazzucato

Well in theory, they could get a return if, again, they werent so naive. I mean, something Ive written about was just how extraordinary it was after the financial crisis when Obama decided to not only have a stimulus, which was about $800 billion, but to at least try to direct it towards greening the economy. Thats why, by the way, he had Steven Chu, a Nobel Prize winning physicist, come in and direct the Department of Energy, who then set up ARPA-E. They were very interested in making investments, green investments across the board. And they had portfolios, so they invested in companies like Solyndra, which failed. Everyone knows about that because again, front page of the newspaper, rubbish government, dont pick winners, and so on. But they also made the same amount of investment in companies like Tesla, and the world thinks thats a private sector success. So Obama then said to Elon Musk were going to give you this loan  I think it was $465 million. If you dont pay back the loan were going to get three million shares in your company, which was not very smart. What youd want is shares in a company thats successful. So again, its not like they werent thinking about it at all. They were just thinking of it in reverse.

kara swisher

Yeah, its also political, though. I think youre maybe underplaying the politics. In the 1960s it was like we all wanted to beat the Soviets together, we had a common enemy. But American politics are now one, deeply divided, and also, the distrust of government is deep. And the idea that government is incompetent has gotten really out of hand in some ways. So how do you get to a mission oriented approach to public policy, if thats the case?

mariana mazzucato

I think we shouldnt exaggerate, because government does end up doing lots of things that are entrepreneurial, not only those technologies in our smartphones, but even fracking was basically all government funded initially. Most of our different forms of energy were government financed, as I mentioned. Most of our blockbuster drugs trace the research back to government financing. So partly its that even in countries that do it, there is no proper marketing and storytelling about it. They dont take credit. But also that we end up with not a very refined understanding of how to do that, and how to learn kind of what works, what doesnt. So now, if you look at Bidens plan, hes supporting Chuck Schumer and Todd Youngs proposal for this Endless Frontier Act 2020, which will kind of revive the idea that we need proper basic science in terms of actually investing in different key technological areas. But the risk is that if you dont have a mission oriented approach, which is again, purpose driven  I mean, the risk is that it just becomes very technology centric. And they forget that the reason actually that DARPA has been so successful in its history, including, by the way, with some of the Covid-19 technology, is that it was trying to solve problems. So weve just had four years of Trumps mercantilist policy. Which was all about in the 1600s the mercantilists just worried about things like exchange rates and trade, and the walls that you had to kind of build between countries in order not to get screwed by another country, as opposed to a more active investment and innovation driven strategy, which you would advocate if you had a proper industrial strategy. Which is what Biden is saying, that in order to really compete with China this isnt about building walls, its actually about becoming better in terms of investing in 21st century technology and so on. But the problem is that kind of misses the point of the moon landing, which is that a lot of that technology that spilled over in going to the moon, again, it was a spillover of actually trying to achieve something. So the real question is, what are we trying to achieve?

kara swisher

Anything can be defined as a mission, and then the spillover is sometimes unanticipated. The examples youve given for the moon, there were all kinds of technologies that fell off of a moon landing. And some of them are famous.

mariana mazzucato

Well, lots  I mean, camera phones, athletic shoes even 

kara swisher

Right.

mariana mazzucato

Home insulation, foil blankets, CAT scan, scratch resistant lenses, you could go on and on.

kara swisher

Right. Give me another example that isnt as well known, because I think people do have in their minds that government has to get out of the way. That they are not helpful in that regard.

mariana mazzucato

Well, I mean, in the digital and kind of computing area, definitely areas like internet, GPS, again, Siri voice activated system, in the energy area nuclear fusion, even though we dont have it yet, you wouldnt even have any of the investment without government funding. But also a lot of the green and the solar technology initiated with government funding. This, by the way, is a key point we havent said yet. Its not that the private sector is not doing anything. Its that the government comes in first, does the heavy lifting, invests in the most early stage high risk stage, which is exactly the opposite of the storytelling and the narrative. Which is the VC industry or the entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley are the risk takers. Well, actually no, they come in later. If you look at the biotech sector, the NIH invested 20 years before there was ever an even biotech company.

kara swisher

So set the table essentially?

mariana mazzucato

Yeah, I mean, investing in the early stage high risk capital intensive areas before the private sector gets its guts up to come in. Which in theory, would be fine. Its not an accusation. But because all the narrative about the value and wealth creation is on the private side, its not a coincidence that then the profits get privatized. Because there isnt this idea of risk sharing and reward sharing.

kara swisher

So Im not saying youre glorifying the public sector, but the narrative has been off. And youve talked about the government needs to move to the drivers seat in pushing innovation, but it already is in a lot of ways. What got you into this idea of the government as hero of innovation? I mean, your own dad was a nuclear fusion physicist.

mariana mazzucato

Still is.

kara swisher

Still is.

mariana mazzucato

He still believes its going to happen.

kara swisher

OK, good. Keep on dreaming. His research had a tie to government funding, for example.

mariana mazzucato

Yeah, Department of Energy.

kara swisher

And you saw what investment from government R&D could yield. When you think of those systems, how do you get that narrative to shift? Because its not just a PR problem.

mariana mazzucato

I mean, the first thing is to admit that economic growth has not just a rate, but a direction. And even deregulation causes a particular type of direction. Our over financialized form of growth is a direction. So if we actually care, and the first question is, do we? If  big if  if we care about direction, if we want more inclusive and sustainable growth, what is it going to take to get there? So even though theres lots of discussions inside business about stakeholder value, the whole Davos kind of jetset talks about that all the time, thats not really causing any change. Because that concept of stakeholder value is not at the center of the system.

kara swisher

So lets explain whats stakeholder value to people. Theres a shift thats sometimes called compassionate capitalism. They have all kinds of names for it. But its the idea that theres more than  its not just a shareholder that should benefit.

mariana mazzucato

Yeah, and in recent years its become so evident just how problematic that idea of maximizing your shares. What that actually then causes is this extreme short-termism. Its bad for people, planet, communities, and so on. So the right starting point at stakeholder value has to be whoops, we have to admit that value is collectively created. Its not just created in business. The public sector itself is a value creator. Workers are value creators, trade unions for Gods sakes are value creators. We wouldnt have weekends, we wouldnt have the eight hour workday without trade unions. So and I do think thats a very important place to begin. Your question about how do we begin to create change, the first place is to rethink our narratives but our framings, and the theory of where we think value comes from the first place. The second thing is, coming back to this issue of the economy having a direction, that obviously requires investment. Were not going to get a greener planet and so on just by letting the market do its thing. So the question is, what do we need government to do in that? And this idea that government should just fill the gap of what the private sector is not doing is what leads us to this notion of simply fixing a market failure. So there I think we need 

kara swisher

So theyre the clean up squad?

mariana mazzucato

Yeah.

kara swisher

You can see that in technology. Theres a lot of problems now with these technology companies. And its now the governments job to clean it up.

mariana mazzucato

Oh, its too little too late.

kara swisher

Yeah.

mariana mazzucato

Exactly. [MUSIC PLAYING]

kara swisher

Well be back in a minute. If you like this interview and want to hear others, hit subscribe. Youll be able to catch up on Sway episodes you may have missed, like my conversation with antitrust expert Lina Kahn, whos rumored to be the Biden administrations pick for the Federal Trade Commission. And youll get new ones delivered directly to you. More with Mariana Mazzucato after the break. [MUSIC PLAYING] So youve advised Jeremy Corbyn in the U.K., Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the US, conservatives like Marco Rubio have cited your work. Youve advised Pope Francis as part of the Vaticans Covid-19 economy task force. Its a broad appeal for a lot of your things. Most economists sort of pick a lane, essentially, like Im this, Im that, and then stick by it.

mariana mazzucato

I mean, the reason I first wrote The Entrepreneurial State was that it was just after the financial crisis and there was this idea that in order to grow again governments needed to cut back. And a lot of the language that was being used was like oh, and we also need to become more innovative and look at Silicon Valley, and we need to do more of that and less of this kind of big welfare state. So it was like oh wait a second, hold on. If you want to talk innovation do you have any idea where the innovation in places like Silicon Valley came from? But that was being used to justify austerity. And so I wrote that book to both combat these kind of wrong assumptions that were leading to the austerity, which led to massive cuts and all sorts of areas that affected public education, public health. But also really, if we do want to innovate and grow through innovation led growth, were going to have to understand more about the role of the public sector. And I think that message coming to your question was equally appealing to those on the left and the right, who had 

kara swisher

Because want to save money versus government does have a role?

mariana mazzucato

Well, I mean, the first thing is I think they were equally appealing to those sensible people on both the left and the right who realized that how in certain countries capitalism was going, was getting us the kind of problems that led to the financial crisis. And I do think Marco Rubio, I would put him in that category. Because even though hes very different from Elizabeth Warren, hes written about this problem again of short term corporate governance structures and value extraction and so on. Interestingly, he has positioned it as though its also about family values, which bringing in a bit of that conservative kind of story around it.

kara swisher

Yeah, why not.

mariana mazzucato

But I mean, I also helped advise the Tories not just Labour. In fact I was a bit disillusioned when I helped Jeremy Corbyn because I didnt find that he was listening very much. So I think in the end it is about ideas. I mean, those policy makers and politicians who are willing to abandon ideology.

kara swisher

How confident are you that they will abandon that? Because ideology seems to have taken over policy almost completely.

mariana mazzucato

I mean, the reason I set up an institute which is all around these ideas, so at University College London, UCL, I set up the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, was that I dont think you can just get better policies without new training. So we need bureaucracies, we just have the wrong ones. We need creative, dynamic, agile, flexible bureaucracies. That requires a particular way of thinking, and a course for it if youre going to be a civil servant. Theres nothing like that currently in MPAs. Whereas in the MBAs, Masters in Business Administration, all the talk is that, strategic management, organizational behavior, decision sciences. We havent had that inside government.

kara swisher

So youve talked about, speaking of that, Covid is a perfect opportunity to relearn things. One of the things Ive  word Ive used a lot is Covid learnings. What are the actual learnings weve gotten from this, and what can we take away in a positive way? And youve talked about not wasting opportunities that come out of crisis. Thats where a lot of opportunities have come. What opportunities do you see in the Covid crisis as far as radical change, and are there any lessons we can learn from other economies in how they dealt with Covid?

mariana mazzucato

Its interesting how some countries, like Vietnam and the State of Kerala in India, actually did quite well compared to many advanced industrialized countries. But that wasnt coincidental. It was because it was on the back of decades of actually investing within their public administrations, often because they had to learn from previous crises that they had. And realized that they needed those, again, capabilities within government, but also greater trust between the different types of organizations that inevitably are going to have to work together when you have a crisis  so academia, government, and business. But if we look at the vaccine, for example, its an outcome of huge amounts of both public and private investment. Globally its about $12 billion that governments have spent on the different six leading candidates that we have now. But if you dont then govern that its a mess. So you have Doctor Tedros and the World Health Organization talking about the fact that we now have vaccine apartheid, almost all this hoarding of the vaccines by the rich countries. But also the intellectual property rights, which I often come back to, are being abused. And he says we need a patent pool in order to foster true collective intelligence.

kara swisher

Explain what a patent pool is.

mariana mazzucato

So a patent pool means when you actually really share the knowledge instead of privatizing the knowledge through patents that are all privatized by different companies getting their own chunk. You have literally a pool of common knowledge where that sharing of information is fostered. And often patents, what they do is, by privatizing a lot of the information then you cant also get the kind of imitation, replication, and experimentation. So it becomes very hard to roll it out globally.

kara swisher

You wrote an Op-Ed in The New York Times arguing for a free Covid vaccine to every person in the world. Instead weve seen vaccine nationalism and poorer countries getting shut out, as you just referenced. And then the drug company Pfizer didnt accept U.S. federal funding to develop the vaccine, yet it came out with a vaccine in record time. Does that undercut this thesis? Was it competition, not government funding that fueled the breakthrough?

mariana mazzucato

Well, first of all, Im not sure thats true. I mean, theres global government funding. So in the Pfizer case, the BioNTech Pfizer one, they got money both from the European Union they got money, and from the German government, and the EIB had given some of the early stage, again, high risk finance. You have to look at the evolution of technology and knowledge over long time periods. So there was even in that case, in the Pfizer vaccine, if you look at the knowledge it was built on, there was lots of public money on that as well besides the immediate investment on the actual vaccine. Pfizer, by the way, is one of the most financialized companies in terms of share buybacks over net income 

kara swisher

Companies buy back shares and it elevates their stock.

mariana mazzucato

Their stock, and a lot of executive pay is based on stock options, so absolutely.

kara swisher

It also means they arent investing in their products or making things better. Its a financial machination, not a growth strategy, but go ahead.

mariana mazzucato

Yeah, and its not surprising actually that Pfizer also refused to control the prices of the vaccine, so its multiples higher than the AstraZeneca Oxford one. But the patent pool, I mean, the whole pooling of the treatments and the data would basically allow qualified manufacturers from around the world to produce all the critical equipment, the drugs, the vaccines, without fear of being prosecuted for breaching different types of patents. And so the whole goal would be to actually lower the production costs, ease global shortages of key drugs and technology, because its not just about the vaccine. Its also about all the different therapies and technologies used. Which will actually help us globally to 

kara swisher

To get back on our footing. And then perhaps 

mariana mazzucato

Exactly.

kara swisher

Some the inventions could be privatized around cancer or whatever. That then it has the next step of the evolution of these inventions. So talk about the recovery, because as we move into recovery obviously healthy people is the critical part. That we dont have the pandemic continuing, that most people are vaccinated. But how do you see a conditional hand out idea playing out in the U.S. and across the world around recovery? What does that look like?

mariana mazzucato

I mean, if you say build back better, which Biden but also other world leaders have been using that for a while 

kara swisher

Right.

mariana mazzucato

Youre entering into the space of having a particular type of recovery. In Europe, the current next Gen EU recovery, which is about $1 trillion Euros, is conditional on all the different member states actually having a plan around climate change and digitalization. In other words, they wont actually get the package if they dont have a strategy around these social goals. I guess by definition thats what a build back better recovery would be. But that requires first really having a diagnosis of what the problems are. So the danger is that when youre rushing to give out money because theres an immediate emergency, its like yeah, yeah, lets worry about climate change later. Thats a luxury, thats icing on the cake. Lets just make the cake for now and get growth back. And thats incredibly dangerous. Thats why it was so interesting to see that some countries like France they said no, no, of course, were going to give you money right away, you need it now. But only if you commit now in this contract, itll take you just a minute to sign, please read here, youll commit to lowering your carbon emissions the last five years.

kara swisher

Thats not the case here, right?

mariana mazzucato

No, its not the case yet, and I think that should definitely be a concrete part of the build back better.

kara swisher

Right, but when theres no reinvestment thats where the problem is, reinvestment in the newest ways to go. Why doesnt that happen?

mariana mazzucato

Well, again, I mean, it depends. If people dont ask you to do something  if I dont ask my kids to clean up after themselves, theyre not going to do it. So theres a lack of an ask. I mean, Bell Labs occurred because there was an ask by government. AT&T at the time had a monopoly, and in order to retain their monopoly government said you need to give back. And the way to give back is A, reinvest your profits into the real economy, into innovation and big innovation beyond telecoms. And Bell Labs was the answer. Theres ways to have kind of economic renewal if again, there are conditions that when you have a coal plant closing down that maybe it wont close down right away, but you will try to transform the coal industry along the way and create kind of a pathway transformation for the industry. You will help that industry transform towards a greener future. But that does require, again, that kind of not just asking government for a bailout, but becoming part of the solution. And this again, coming back to an example in Europe, the steel sector in Germany  and I think it was before Covid began  was asking government there for help, as steel is asking in every country, including the U.S., for help. And the conditions set by the German government for the loan that they provided to the steel sector was they had to lower their material content in order to access that public loan, which they then did. They did it by innovating. And they are now one of the greenest most sustainable forms of steel production in the world. Not because they decided to do corporate social responsibility, they had to. They had to in order to get one penny from government. And thats what we need in some parts of the U.S., where its not a digital capital like Silicon Valley, but you have these sectors. That instead of just letting them completely destroy themselves or just get government handouts for nothing, there can be processes of transformation that also lead to investment, innovation, jobs, and training.

kara swisher

So this is putting government at the center of innovation ecosystem, right? So lets talk about tech regulation, and heres something weve done later. Weve given  they get all the stuff, and they get no laws hindering them. But you cant argue they havent created amazingly innovative products. One of the quotes you had, let me read this, But the history tells us that innovation is the outcome of a massive collective effort, not just from a narrow group of young white men in California. If we want to solve the worlds biggest problems, we need to understand and challenge this. So take apart this industry. What do you do here? Because thats whats been allowed to happen essentially, unfettered.

mariana mazzucato

Yes, definitely unfettered. One of the problems is if you just, again, try to solve it afterwards you end up just picking up the mess and looking at it simply from a regulation perspective. So the first thing is to say learn that lesson and make sure that as we invest today in all sorts of new areas that there are agreements of how this technology will be used. And that it cant be used against the very people that helped to finance us.

kara swisher

So what do we do about the tech? When you look at all the regulatory schemes, take away the political stuff around bias, et cetera, what should happen to these companies?

mariana mazzucato

Well, if you think about how ESG metrics are used, environment social governance criteria, we should have the same thing inside tech companies, but we dont have the equivalent for this concept of do we have metrics that big tech companies have to report against that are transparent showing how they are making their money? We could actually have metrics that would require companies to report against those, which then would also possibly direct the kind of money that theyre getting not just from government, but also from big financial institutions. So in the same way that a lot of big investment companies are de-investing in areas that they think are not green, you could form a whole movement for large financial institutions that at least pretend to care about making our world better.

kara swisher

We have an expression is that we stop funding the menace economy that its a menace to, whether its employees, or a social construct, or political. All kinds of things that they extract value from and then leave disaster in their wake, essentially.

mariana mazzucato

Yeah, and I mean, that is whats starting to happen around climate. So I think what hopefully will happen in the next five years is that we do the same thing for big tech. Because if we dont do that the risk is we end up at best having these slogans like break up big tech, and you just get a lot of little value extraction machines instead of just one big one. And thats not necessarily better. Its not about size.

kara swisher

Right, so we set standards for them?

mariana mazzucato

Standards, but also you need to really go after the actual sources that are creating monopolistic power. I mean, theres often this idea that just because youre big and your market share is large thats a problem without actually looking at whats led to that excessive size in terms of also  I mean, in the case of Amazon it would be very interesting to see if it was actually valued by what it did and not just overvalued say by the stock market. But also if they paid fair living wages. If they actually contributed back again to the community. If you look at a lot of the bad practices and then calculate what their actual profits would be, thats interesting.

kara swisher

Yeah, like Facebook and its content moderation. The reason their business is so good is because they just dont clean up their mess, and the rest of us pay the price.

mariana mazzucato

Yeah, and also I mean, with Facebook theyre called big tech, but they havent actually funded the tech. So what theyre actually using is the tech funded by someone else to distribute and to put out information like Facebook does. I mean, forget the bad part, just even the good part of what Facebook is used for. But its not clear why were classifying them as tech companies and actually not media companies, you could argue. And then theyd have to be regulated like the BBC.

kara swisher

I have discussed this many times, Mariana. One of the things thats important, I think, is to create sort of an entrepreneurial citizen that does understand this. That we used to be that way, the idea that everybody is entrepreneurial. What is the key to spurring innovation within the citizen themselves? Is there a way, not just to get the government more entrepreneurial, but the citizens of that government more entrepreneurial?

mariana mazzucato

I mean, for sure, but that also requires people to have what Amartya Sen, a Nobel Prize winning economist, called kind of the capabilities and the opportunities that even give them access to engage. To really care about citizens as being entrepreneurial we need to look at those horizontal conditions. Having really well-funded, well-structured  its not just about money  public education. Lets just shout it out again  public education. Because I dont think any one individual is an entrepreneur. We need entrepreneurial ecosystems that really kind of distribute that capacity. Its just so interesting to see how I mean, all the kids I know in London know about the plastic free ocean mission. Not because an academic or a minister or business leader spoke about it, but there was a really good documentary by David Attenborough called Blue Planet, and it just really captured peoples imagination. So in terms of how we talk about innovation, its not just about the space race, et cetera. Theres something about getting the creative sector, the full power of poetry, theater, music, actually making people  all sorts of people in all sorts of walks of life  just rethink how they want to live, and what kind of society we want.

kara swisher

Right.

mariana mazzucato

So how do you get citizens both in the co-design, co-creation bit, but also knowing when to pivot? Just because you begin on a mission, if its not working, you should stop. I mean, thats what DARPA has been good at, stopping and pivoting, not just going down. Knowing when to turn the tap off. So at least for those kind of missions that are about, say, carbon neutrality, if we start thinking of them in places like housing estates, or in the U.S. you call them projects  housing projects. What would it mean to bring housing associations and citizens living in particular places to the table to think about sustainability targets where they live? And how to design the public squares, the playgrounds, and how they live together.

kara swisher

Youre talking about giving people a voice in their own destiny. What? How dare you?

mariana mazzucato

Yeah, thats part of that predistribution agenda. Its not just about this public private kind of sharing. Its about bringing different voices. And Black Lives Matter, Fridays for Future, the MeToo movement, we need to bring those voices to the table in designing these missions.

kara swisher

All right, when you talk about all the work youre doing, who is seeking your advice these days? Whats next on your meetings agenda? Has the Biden administration reached out to you to work for them?

mariana mazzucato

So well, over the summer I mean, there was lots of names being put into the ring. And I was, I guess, I mean, I dont know how confidential this is, but who cares. I was asked whether I was possibly interested in Secretary of Commerce, which was interesting. My answer was no. Im not saying they would have chosen me, but there was lots of names being put into the ring. But I have been speaking to 

kara swisher

Why not? Isnt the census good enough for you?

mariana mazzucato

First of all, I live in London, got four children in public schools here.

kara swisher

Right, right.

mariana mazzucato

No, Im kidding. I mean, I see myself very much as a global citizen. So recently I was a special advisor of the Italian government. One of the roles I now have is  or have had for the last two years is advising the South African president, indirectly advising the pope around issues around the common good. He read my book, that was great. Im also I just going to talk to 120 mayors, including many U.S. mayors a couple of days ago as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropy 

kara swisher

Thats where everything gets done.

mariana mazzucato

 At the city level, I absolutely think so. But the best thing Im doing is Im about to announce this that Im chairing the World Health Organizations Council on the Economics of Health For All. Its going to be only women.

kara swisher

Oh, wow.

mariana mazzucato

And when people say why, Ill say why the bleep not. And the idea is instead of just saying invest in health because its good for the economy, which some have said and done research on that, its the opposite. Well say invest in health for all because its good in and of itself, and then work backwards and ask yourself what does it mean for the economy? How we do finance, how we do procurement, how you design public private partnerships, what it means for budgeting, deficits.

kara swisher

Huh. Thats fascinating. I always say that to people, I say whats wrong with doing it because its the right thing? I say that to tech people all the time.

mariana mazzucato

Yeah, cool.

kara swisher

And theyre like uh  and Im like just because its the right thing. Thats good enough. I dont know who raised you. So last question, youve been called the worlds scariest economist. Im not clear why that is. Ive been called Silicon Valleys most feared journalist. I dont think either of us are very scary. But do you like your label? Because I love mine.

mariana mazzucato

Well, I like it, and I put it on covers because I think its funny. But the really funny thing is, the woman who wrote the article wrote this really nice article, almost too complementary. Editors put the title, and then she tweeted after it came out in The Times, shes like thats not the right title.

kara swisher

Right.

mariana mazzucato

So its interesting that an article that was all about like force and having a voice and helping to shape the world just because I was a woman, that must be scary.

kara swisher

Its scary.

mariana mazzucato

So Ive been kind of reversing it and using it as a pun.

kara swisher

Yeah, thats what I do.

mariana mazzucato

Like its a good thing if you scare the editors and they have to call you scary just because youre making change.

kara swisher

Good. Anyway, this has been really fascinating. I really appreciate it. Thank you so much.

mariana mazzucato

Thank you, I really enjoyed it. [MUSIC PLAYING]

kara swisher
Pakistan: Civil society, experts join hands to address climate change and coastal vulnerabilities

March 15,2021 | Source: The News

Climate change is seriously threatening the coastal belt of Pakistan and posing a serious threat to livelihoods, health, economy and ecosystems as a whole, experts said and called for public action involving youths, women, grassroots level activists and frontline communities to lead the fight. They said mankind has only 10 years left to radically shift economies and societies to deal with a climate emergency that is threatening to push millions into hunger and poverty. They added that climate crisis is already here and now, and it is disproportionately affecting the worlds poorest people, youth, women, indigenous people and other marginalised groups. Public action was the key for unlocking greater ambition on climate change and the engagement of the youth had a critical part to play as they were future leaders, they said while speaking at a seminar on the engagement of the youth in addressing coastal climate vulnerability held at Karachi University. The event was jointly organised by Oxfam and WWF-Pakistan as part of a nationwide campaign called the CLIMATE project. This is a people-powered movement, agile communications lead campaign that connects with and amplifies the voices of women, grassroots activists and frontline communities leading the fight against climate change. The mobilisation will create change in key climate justice actions during the current pandemic and demonstrate public support for systemic change. Welcoming the guests, Oxfams Climate Campaign Lead Shirin Abbasy said, Climate change-associated destruction is a powerful story of inequality and injustice in both causes and impacts. Its a crisis that touches almost every aspect of life, providing opportunities to connect to our work on hunger, poverty and the food system, as well as connecting to land rights, rights in crisis, and access to health care. We know first-hand that the crisis is here and now, and were already responding through our humanitarian work and emergency responses. We are here to celebrate and support the women who stand on the frontlines of this crisis as climate heroes. We stand for climate justice and for equitable climate action, not just against climate crisis.



Dr Tahir Rasheed, director wildlife, WWF-Pakistan, said that severe impacts of climate change were being felt in the Indus Delta, which was a rich biodiversity hotspot and home to seventh largest mangrove forests in Asia. He said the delta was now at greater risk due to an inadequate freshwater supply from the Indus River, climate change vulnerabilities, pollution and other anthropogenic pressures. The fallout of climate change impacts was also leading to biodiversity loss in the deltaic region, he added. Dr Rasheed highlighted the key outcomes of the joint initiative of WWF-Pakistan and Oxfam GB in the Indus Delta and shared that two sectoral Local Adaptation Plans of Action (LAPAs) had been developed on the basis of Vulnerability Risk Assessment (VRA). This will serve as guiding mechanisms for policymakers to support in building the resilience of natural resource-dependent communities. The youth, who can inspire hope, should come forward to reverse climate change and protect the mangroves ecosystems in the deltaic areas of Sindh, he added. Abdul Rahim Soomro, secretary agriculture, supply and prices department, Government of Sindh, appreciated the efforts of Oxfam and WWF-Pakistan towards engaging the youth and enhancing awareness of the issue of climate change and its impacts on the coastal communities.



The role of youth, he added, is critical in addressing climate vulnerabilities in the future. This generation will also be witnessing some of the grim impacts of climate change and hence enhancing their capabilities and knowledge of this issue would be instrumental for future adaptation plans and strategies. Waqar Hussain Phulpoto, additional director of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa), gave an overview of the agency and said they were working to mitigate the effects of climate change by adopting the 3R (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) concept. Sugara Hajani, a 70-year local from Kakapir, Karachi, who is taking care of a mangroves nursery at Sandspit, shared that coastal women were well aware of the fact that their survival depended on the mangrove forests which protected them from natural calamities and were an important source of fisheries. Other women from the coastal belt of Sindh shared their stories and experiences of supporting the conservation of the mangrove forests and improving their livelihoods through small-scale interventions at the community level. Arif Ali Khokhar, conservator at the Sindh Forest Department; Aamir Alamgir, Professor Environment Sciences, Karachi University; Shoaib Kiyani, Professor Marine Sciences at Karachi University; Khalid Mahmood, Director Fisheries Development Board; Hamera Aisha, Manager Conservation, WWF-Pakistan; Jawad Umair Khan, Coordinator WWF-Pakistan; Shabina Faraz, environmental writer and Kalsoom Siddique, Youth Leader UNEP, also spoke on the occasion.
Help India!



The Adivasi women issued a stern warning to the government and administration, declaring that should they fail to take action on those responsible for this atrocity and those involved in its cover-up, they would have no choice but to launch a wider full-fledged agitation for their rights.

Suchitra, New Delhi

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New Delhi: Over a thousand Adivasi women gathered in Barwani, Madhya Pradesh on February 17 to demand the arrest of 20-25 men who had barged into an Adivasi home falsely accusing them of organizing religious conversion, allegedly molested young girls and attacked an 8 months pregnant woman, who suffered a stillbirth as a result. In a country that falls behind in maternal healthcare, especially among marginalized groups, its shocking that this event went unnoticed.

Comprising of mostly non-Adivasi and upper-caste men from nearby villagers, the group seemed to be affiliated to RSS, the Adivasi women alleged.

On the evening of December 31, 2020, while family and friends of Sardar, an Adivasi of Dewda village in Thikri of Barwani district in MP had gathered to prepare for New Years eve celebrations. As per him, a mob of 20-25 men barged into his home accusing them of religious conversion. They took their mobiles and attacked the assembled community members and friends including women and minor girls. According to the family, an 8-month pregnant mother, Lilabai, at the time of the attack, was thrown to the ground and hit in the stomach. Lilabai went into labour while being transferred to the nearest hospital and gave birth to a stillborn son before arriving at the hospital.

Despite receiving death threats against registering a complaint, the family approached the police on the day of the attack. The Thikri police, however, refused to register an FIR and made the family wait for two days before finally asking the family to write the complaint themselves. No action has been taken to date.

Asserting that such attacks were a direct assault on all Adivasi women and the whole of Adivasi society, protestors in Barwani demanded that the accused be arrested under the Atrocities Act and relevant sections of the IPC. They also demanded action against the police for protecting the perpetrators.

What kind of religion would permit a person to perform such an inhumane attack? How can we be converted when we are already Christians? These men must be punished for Lilabais unborn child and Adivasi womens security, says Nasri Bai, a grassroots activist from Jagrit Adivasi Dalit Sangathan.

Madhya Pradeshs South-East regions with areas like Jabua, Alirajpur, Barwani etc, have had a predominance of saffronisation because those regions were bordered by primary strongholds of RSS machinery in Gujarat, says Rameshbhai, an activist of Ekta Parishad.



In recent years, however, the dominance of religious tensions have increased.

On Feb 7, 2021, another incident of such violent Hindu nationalism was observed in an area not far from Barwani. On Hindu Janjati Sangathans allegations that Christian missionaries have been practising conversion in tribal-dominated Alirajpur and Jhabua region for a considerable time, Udaigarh police in Alirajpur district jailed a Christian priest and two women for approaching and converting family members of particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs) to Christianity.

The BJP government in 2003 led by Uma Bharti was also responsible for reprehensible attacks on the Adivasi Christian community. A young girl was found raped and murdered in the Catholic Mission compound in Jhabua. Groups associated with the fundamentalist Hindu Jagaran Manch blamed the crime on the Church and instigated a series of attacks on Church personnel and premises. Even after Manoj Jadhav of Bajrang Dal admitted to the crime, the minorities were systematically targeted  their homes were burnt, their property was looted and vandalized and their religious effects desecrated  with the primary objective of teaching the Christian community a lesson. This surge in anti-Adivasi violence and the conversion bills passed point to a serious mishandling of the crimes by the police administration.

More than two months have gone by, not only is it absolute police inaction, we are also being told to back away from agitating against this, or we will be attacked too. We have received death threats, but the police do nothing. They know the law and we need them to act now, Loya Bai, an activist from Jagrit Adivasi Dalit Sangathan told TwoCircles.net.

However, despite the personal threat to the safety of the Adivasi women and the forcible entry and rummaging off the hosts house by this violent mob, the loss of Lilabais unborn child, no First Information Report (FIR) has been registered till now against the accused upper-caste, non-Adivasi perpetrators.

Lilabais older child is intellectually disabled, making the loss of the unborn child even more tragic and poignant for her and her family, as the protestors repeatedly pointed out.

Women from several Adivasi Sangathans (organizations) raised slogans of Lilabai ko Nyay Do! [Justice for Lilabai!] Doshi Gundon ko Giraftar Karo! [Arrest the Hooligans!].

The protesting women said that an FIR should be filed against the culprits under the applicable sections of the IPC and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and said they want the administration to know that they would be responsible for whatever has happened to Lilabai and her family, who have been threatened with death. We will treat an attack on them as an attack the whole of the Adivasi community, Nasri Bai said.

The district police department is attempting to defend its negligence by claiming that they are trying to investigate the situation. However, the failure to apprehend the accused is a direct violation of Section 18 (A)(1)(a) of the SC/ST (Prevention of) Atrocities Act, which states that preliminary investigation shall not be needed for registration of a First Information Report against any citizen. By not filing the FIR, the officials also opened themselves up to prosecution under section 4 of the act for willful neglect of duty. Furthermore, the Barwani police department is in breach of several Supreme Court rulings, which say that the police cannot fail to file an FIR by arguing that they need to conduct a preliminary investigation or that the allegation is untrue (Lalita Kumari case etc). The Supreme Court ruled in Arumugam Servai v. the State of Tennessee that, if it is found that they do not immediately arrest the perpetrators and those involved and institute criminal proceedings against them in cases of atrocities, the District Magistrate/Collector, SSP/SPs of the area, as well as other authorities concerned should be disqualified, charged, and be subject to departmental investigation.

The women issued a stern warning to the government and administration, declaring that should they fail to take action on those responsible for this atrocity and those involved in its cover-up, they would have no choice but to launch a wider full-fledged agitation for their rights.
By Tom Malinowski and Josh Gottheimer

Short of crushing the COVID pandemic itself, we believe that nothing is more urgent than getting our children back into schools for in-person instruction.

Going virtual was the right thing to do when the virus struck us, to save the lives of school staff, parents and students alike. Our teachers did all they could to make it work; our kids have been resilient. But the toll on children after one year away from physical school  on their emotional and mental health and their educational progress  has been great, and grows each day. The greatest harm is done to the youngest children, who need hands-on instruction and opportunities for play with their peers the most, and to their parents, who must somehow juggle their jobs with making sure their kids are paying attention to virtual classes. Its time to re-open our schools safely.

We do not yet know the full extent of our students learning losses during this past year. But along with troubling reports of absenteeism, we have seen indications that declines in reading and math proficiency could be significant. One study has estimated that virtual learning has already cost students 3% of their career earnings. The opportunity gap between public and private school students has also grown, as wealthier private schools have been able to afford the investments needed to stay open.

Meanwhile, many kids have told us that their biggest challenge with virtual school is coping with feelings of isolation. Weve seen a rise in youth emergency room visits related to mental health and in student suicides across the country.

In the early days of the crisis, virtual education let our political leaders off the hook, creating the illusion that our nations population of children and parents had been taken care of during the COVID crisis. There was more angry debate about opening gyms and bars than about opening schools. Thankfully, that has changed  there is now a consensus that we must prioritize the needs of our kids.

But there has still been a debate about how to get kids back in classrooms. In Congress, many wanted to force schools to reopen, whether safe or not, by withholding federal funds from districts that continue virtual learning. We argued it was better to help schools reopen safely, by funding physical upgrades and vaccinating educators. That debate has now been settled.

First, the American Rescue Plan Congress enacted last week includes $170 billion in education funding. New Jerseys K-12 schools will get almost $3 billion to make in-person education safer, by reducing class sizes and creating spaces, indoors or outdoors, in which social distancing is possible, modernizing ventilation systems, buying more PPE and hiring more educators to help our children whove fallen behind. This builds on the three bipartisan bills we helped lead, dating to the first days of the crisis, which allocated significant resources for our schools.

Second, in early February, we wrote to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and urged the Biden administration to prioritize teachers and other school staff for the COVID vaccine, arguing that they should be treated like police officers and firefighters  workers who perform an essential job that puts them at risk. On March 2, President Biden delivered, ordering states to make educators eligible for the vaccine and setting a goal of giving them all their first shots by the end of March.

In New Jersey, our state government has responded by creating special lines for educators at vaccine mega sites on weekends and after school hours on weekdays. Last week, RiteAid pharmacies set aside two days when only educators were able to make appointments for shots.

But New Jersey is not currently on track to meet President Bidens end-of-March goal. We hope our state and local leaders will do more, including, if necessary, setting aside full days at state- and county-administered testing sites just for teachers and school staff. We recognize that there is still a limited supply of vaccine, which is not our states fault, so difficult choices must be made. The choice we would make is to put New Jerseys children first.

Ultimately, it will be up to local school districts to decide, in consultation with parents, when to reopen. Our job as elected officials is to give them the tools they need to feel confident to do so soon, so students can finish this academic year in a classroom.

Congressman Tom Malinowski represents New Jerseys 7th Congressional District, which includes Hunterdon County and parts of Essex, Morris, Somerset, Union and Warren counties

Congressman Josh Gottheimer represents the 5th Congressional District, which includes parts of Bergen, Passaic, Sussex and Warren counties.

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

Heres how to submit an op-ed or Letter to the Editor. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.coms newsletters.
With the start to the new year behind us, it is time to once again plan ahead for tax season. With the exception of those serving in combat zones or stationed outside the U.S, most military personnel and their families must file taxes by the traditional April 15 deadline.

As usual, there are a number of unique credits and deductions available to servicemembers. This article will focus on the deductions available to military families. All information in this piece is based on information supplied by the IRS in the Armed Forces Tax Guide. For further clarification or for additional deductions, as well as information on available tax credits, you should refer to this document.

Gross Income

Military servicemembers receive many different types of pay. For tax purposes, it is important to identify the types of pay and allowances that can be excluded from your gross income. These exclusions generally include: living allowances, moving allowances, travel allowances, combat zone pay, and death allowances. Excluded items are not subject to tax, but may have to be shown in your tax return. Below, we will examine some of these exclusions as well as relevant deductions from income in more detail.

Combat Zone Exclusion

If you are a member of the Armed Forces serving in a designated combat zone, then you can exclude certain pay from your income. The month for which you receive this pay must be a month in which you either served in a combat zone or were hospitalized as a result of wounds, disease, or injury obtained while serving in the combat zone. You need only serve for one or more days in a month to qualify for exclusion for the entire month. A few examples of pay types eligible for exclusion include:

Active duty pay earned in any month you served in a combat zone

Imminent danger/hostile fire pay

A reenlistment bonus if this extension occurs in a month you served in a combat zone

Pay for accrued leave earned in any month you served in a combat zone

Portion of any student loan repayment made for the year while serving in a combat zone

It is important to note that retirement pay and pensions do not qualify for combat zone exclusion. In some cases, service outside a combat zone can be considered service in a combat zone if the Department of Defense designates it in direct support of military operations in the combat zone, or if the service qualifies for duty subject to hostile fire or imminent danger pay.

Retirement Contributions

Generally, you can deduct some portion of the contributions you make to your traditional individual retirement account (IRA) for the year. However, if you or your spouse were covered by an employer-maintained plan at any time during the year then not all of these deductions may be eligible. According to the IRS, Armed Forces members (including reservists on active duty for more than 90 days during the year) are considered covered by an employer-maintained retirement plan.

Keep in mind that military personnel qualify for additional time to make contributions to an IRA. It is also important to note that even though combat pay is nontaxable, you must calculate it as part of your limits on IRA contributions and deductions of IRA contributions.

Sale of a Home

You may not have to pay tax on all of the profit realized from the sale of your main home. A deduction of up to $250,000 of gain (or $500,000 if married, filing jointly) is generally available upon the sale of a main home in 2009. A main home is one defined as having been lived in as a primary residence for more than two years. You may also be able to exclude gain from the sale of a home that was used as a rental or business property as long as it meets certain ownership test criteria outlined by the IRS. You cannot deduct a loss from the sale of your main home.

Moving Expense

If you are a member of the Armed Forces on active duty and you move because of a permanent change of station, then you are entitled to a deduction for reasonable un-reimbursed moving expenses related to travel and the cost of moving household goods and personal effects.

Travel expenses

You are able to deduct un-reimbursed work-related travel expenses when you are traveling away from your permanent duty station. You cannot deduct expenses related to travel overseas when you are stationed there, or when you are traveling for personal reasons. You are considered away from home when you are away from your permanent duty station for longer than an ordinary day's work and you need sleep or food. Eligible expenses include business-related meals, lodging, laundry, and business phone calls.

If you are a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces that must travel more than 100 miles away from home in connection with your service, then you can deduct your travel expenses as an adjustment to income.

Transportation expenses

The costs of traveling from one workplace to another, attending a business meeting away from your regular workplace, or traveling away from home overnight can be deducted from your income. However, the expenses of commuting to your regular place of work are not deductible. For reservists, if a meeting of a reserve unit is held on a day of regular work, then related travel expenses are deductible.

Uniform expenses

Generally, these are not deductible, except when regulations prohibit you from wearing uniforms off duty. In this case, you can then deduct the un-reimbursed cost and expense of upkeep of the uniforms. According to the IRS, examples include:

Military dress uniforms and utility uniforms that you cannot wear when off duty

Articles not replacing regular clothing such as insignia of rank, epaulets, and swords

Reservists' uniforms if they can only be worn while performing reservist duties

Professional dues

You can deduct dues paid to any professional society that is directly related to your military position (ex. engineering society), but you cannot deduct dues paid to an officers' club or a noncommissioned officers' club.

Educational expenses

You can deduct the cost of work-related education as long as it meets one of two qualifying criteria as defined by the IRS:

It is required by your employer or the law to maintain your salary, status or job. This must also serve a bona fide business purpose of your employer.

It maintains or improves skills needed in your present work.

In both instances, this education cannot be used simply to meet minimum job requirements or cannot be used to find a new trade or business. With some exceptions, travel and expenses for obtaining this education can also be deducted.
We failed, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said of the Barack Obama administrations approach to Syria. Not for want of trying, but we failed.

A slew of Obama veterans who now fill the ranks of President Joe Bidens foreign policy team say they got it wrong in Syria, where a decade of fighting has killed hundreds of thousands of people, spawned a new generation of extremist groups and caused the biggest displacement crisis since World War II. In the years since Obamas red line debacle, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has only tightened his two-decade grip on power, clawing back much of the country using a mix of barrel bombs, chemical weapons and siege warfare with the help of his foreign sponsors, Iran and Russia.

Nearly two months into Bidens tenure, it remains to be seen where the ruinous civil war that confounded his predecessors and still haunts his trusted aides  and on Monday marked its 10th anniversary  fits among his foreign policy priorities.

Early indications suggest the Middle East country is on the back burner, with the civil war in Yemen, the US mission in Afghanistan and nuclear diplomacy with Iran diverting attention. In his first foreign policy speech since taking office, Biden made no mention of Syria. Nor did Blinken.

Thats pretty telling, said Steven Heydeman, director of Middle East studies at Smith College and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

We also have these appointments that are not reassuring when it comes to how much time the administration will devote to Syria, Heydemann said, pointing to Biden's Iran envoy Robert Malley and the White Houses Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk as figures who represent perspectives that would push back against appeals for a more assertive US diplomatic role in the Syria conflict.

In another signal that Syria may take a back seat to other regional conflicts, Biden has yet to name a permanent replacement for Joel Rayburn, who held the high-profile post of US special envoy for Syria after veteran diplomat James Jeffrey retired last year. The Biden team has instead named State Department official Aimee Cutrona as its acting representative for the war-torn country.

Theyve distanced themselves from Syria, but they will be forced to confront it, said Mouaz Moustafa, the executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a DC-based nonprofit.

The Biden administration could be compelled to act if the looming crisis in the northwestern Idlib province  the last stretch of land still in the hands of the opposition  reignites and threatens to spill across Syrias borders.

My fear is, instead of coming in in a leadership position and pushing for the protection of Idlib  were going to have to come in in reaction to perhaps another chemical weapons attack or another military offensive displacing hundreds of thousands or killing countless civilians, said Moustafa.

Syrian and Russian warplanes pummeled Idlib and parts of the neighboring Aleppo and Hama provinces for nearly a year, killing hundreds and uprooting more than one million people before Russia and Turkey, which back opposing sides in the war, reached a fragile cease-fire in March 2020. Renewed fighting in Syrias remaining rebel bastion could aggravate the countrys financial meltdown and usher in a new refugee crisis on Europes doorstep.

The Biden administrations policies on Syria are meanwhile undergoing an interagency review, and advocates are hoping the end result will emphasize alleviating the humanitarian catastrophe in Idlib. It could include restoring assistance to northern Syria, where previous President Donald Trump slashed funding for stabilization projects in areas once controlled by the Islamic State.

Theres also pressure on the United States to flex its diplomatic muscle at the UN Security Council, which in July will vote on whether to reauthorize a cross-border aid operation into Syria that Assads veto-wielding backers on the 15-member council, Russia and China, are intent on eliminating.

This is a critical time for the Biden administration to really reinvigorate the political process and let Russia and Assad and the Iranians know that were serious about our engagement on Syria, said Jomana Qaddour, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

The Biden team has so far signaled it will promote a political settlement to end the conflict in Syria, much like the Trump administration. But UN-led talks at the heart of that approach have failed to produce any meaningful results and in January, the last round of negotiations between the Syrian government and the opposition ended in a stalemate.

Biden has limited leverage to pressure Assad at the negotiating table, but is expected to use his sanctions power under the Caesar Act, a bipartisan law intended to choke off Assads financial lifelines. The laws proponents have called on Biden to scale up Trump's use of Caesar and other sanctions authorities to more aggressively target the regimes foreign investors and military sponsors.

As a debate over the US role in ending the civil war continues behind the scenes, former Ambassador Frederic Hof, who served as an adviser on Syria under Obama, says he understands the desire among Biden officials to deprioritize the conflict.

There will be a temptation on the part of many people in the administration  people who mean well, people who are trying to do their jobs as well as possible  to try to keep the whole thing at arms length, Hof said.

Its a real dilemma for an overburdened administration, he said. But trying to prevent Syria from getting any worse than it is now, Im afraid, is going to be an obligatory task.
[March 15, 2021] NOTICE TO DISREGARD -- Avicanna Inc.

TORONTO, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- We are advised by Avicanna Inc. that journalists and other readers should disregard the nes release, Avicanna to present at the Q1 Virtual Investor Summit issued March 11, 2021, over GlobeNewswire.







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Space4Youth Stories

Cracking the shell of a hard-science dominated sector: my experience as a young political scientist presenting research at a space tech conference - by Sam Arne Whalley

Having spent years aspiring to enter the space sector as a political scientist, when, at 20 years old, an associate of mine staunchly declared that '99% of jobs in the sector are just for 'hard scientists'', to say I was simply disappointed would have been an understatement.

I was in the midst of a bachelor's degree in International Relations, and had recently been elected one of the youngest ever Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society in London as a result of my writings on matters related to Green Space Politics, particularly focusing on the worsening state of the so-called 'Orbital Space Debris Crisis'. I had always been fascinated by space, and by growing up in what can arguably be considered as the Second Space Age, with near constant exposure to the multitude of technological developments in the sector, it would have been difficult for me to have not become progressively more and more interested in the sector. And, upon beginning my studies in the political science field, I was inevitably drawn into the legal and political questions which loom over the contemporary space sector.

Being a young and cocky bachelor's student, I was keen to make my mark on the space-politics field. However, the somewhat pessimistic sentiment of this associate of mine continued to rattle in the back of my mind, and I began questioning how rational I was in my pursuit of a career in this supposedly 'hard scientist' dominated sector. The more encouraging and positive reality of the situation, however, became apparent when I started looking for opportunities that could allow for me to present my own work and research. I subsequently found such opportunities in the form of international space research conferences.

Space-related research conferences offer a diverse range of opportunities for those who wish to pursue careers in the space field; be that for those interested in aeronautical engineering, architecture, legal research, with such a wide array of related conferences, there truly is something for everyone. Seemingly, however niche your field of interest may be, finding the appropriate research conference is absolutely possible and can provide a platform to share your work with other industry professionals and researchers, build a network, and immerse yourself in the practical and academic developments of your chosen subject area.

I found my new niche in a conference series dedicated to the burgeoning field of interplanetary 'cube' satellites (iCubeSats). Due to my previous focus on 'Green Space Politics', I decided to explore how this subject area could potentially be applied to the context of contemporary development and utilisation of iCubeSats. I turned my attention to 'planetary protection policy', an area which has, legally speaking, remained largely unchanged since the Outer Space Treaty of 1957, and seeks to prevent the biological contamination of other celestial bodies as a result of clumsy (biologically speaking) missions. This was an entirely unexplored area of focus within the niche of iCubeSat utilisation and development, and I dived into it alongside my bachelor's studies.

Following the acceptance of my abstract, which opened the door for me to present my research at this chosen conference, I began to explore who else will be presenting alongside me over the course of the two-day conference. It was at this point that I realised the gravity of the situation which I had voluntarily dived head-first into. Aside from the mild-anxiety caused by the list of organisations being represented at this conference, including the likes of ESA, DLR, etc., I quickly realised that I was one of the youngest in attendance, the only 'soft-scientist' in attendance, and also the only soft-scientist who will be presenting their research. The aforementioned sentiment of my associate once again flashed in my mind, as I realised that I will be addressing a crowd comprised mostly of hard-scientists, who may not be interested in the political, legal, and even ethical questions on the nature of future biological contamination via iCubeSat utilisation. However, I tried to not let this deter me from my long-standing dream to work in the space sector, and spent the following few months compiling my presentation and finalising my research.

The conference took place in Milan, and happened to coincide with my birthday. I was able to spend a week in the city with my girlfriend, and drowned my conference fears in copious amounts of good pasta.

When in Milan..

A brief excursion to the roof of the Duomo in Milan before the conference start

Aside from this brief holiday, on the first day of the conference, I was blown away by some of the incredible young talent presenting their projects. I particularly noticed the competence and passion of the young engineering students of the university hosting the conference, Politecnico di Milano, and of the various student iCubeSat teams from countries such as India and Bangladesh (among many others).

A snapshot of one of the presentations in full-swing

For the sake of the story, I wish that, when the time for my presentation finally came, that it resulted in a grand and exciting climax. However, the reality was slightly different. My presentation overran slightly, but was otherwise smooth-sailing and was seemingly well received, resulting in wide engagement with the conference attendees both directly following the presentation and also over the rest of the conference; some of whom I am still in contact with today.

ESA kicking off the conference presentations

This lack of a dramatic ending, however, is the primary reason as to why I believe this story is important to share with other young professionals and academics who dream of entering or furthering their positions in the space sector. I was perhaps somewhat misguided in my entering into a conference in which I was the only 'soft-scientist' in a pool of exceptional and passionate 'hard scientists'. But the outcome was nonetheless great: I got to learn a lot about a new field and so did my audience - hopefully - and I made interesting contacts in the sector I dream of working in.

Trying to stay positive following the 5am start on the day of my presentation.

Since the conference, I have sought to engage myself widely in the field and I am certain that this conference has a positive impact on applications I put forward both for my academic and professional pursuits. I have since begun a master's degree in European Affairs, received grants and scholarships to pursue my own research projects, coordinated a series of space law and politics lectures, and I have recently undertaken a new position as a Research Fellow for an independent research institution; all of which are steps which can be seen to have contributed greatly towards my securing of an internship position with ESA, which I will begin in the latter half of 2021.

If you can find a specialisation you love, it is very possible that there will be a conference series, focusing on said area of interest, which you could contribute towards. Be that as a 'soft scientist' like myself, or as a 'hard scientist', one should never look at the space sector, being so broad and multi-disciplinary in nature, with apprehension in relation to whether or not there is a spot for you to fill. Global space governance would not be possible without a range of professions, such as diplomats, government officers, and communication professionals, just to name a few. These different professions are well represented in the work of UNOOSA, an organisation which encompasses areas including space law, space applications, and space diplomacy, and has professionals from all of these fields in its ranks.

Regardless of where your passions may lie, as long as you engage yourself with the sector and specialise in an area that interests you, your academic background should not slow you down in your pursuit of a space related career, and conferences provide an excellent platform from which young professionals, regardless of their backgrounds, can begin this journey.
In his Sunday homily, the cardinal stands in solidarity with populations "anger" of the population. The army duty is to defend democracy, sovereignty and neutrality of the nation. He asks young people and demonstrators, the hope of tomorrow, not to block the roads and avoid clashes with the military.

Beirut (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Maronite patriarch, Card. Beshara Rai, has again spoken out on the political and institutional crisis that suffocating Lebanon, criticizing - albeit implicitly - the pro-Iranian Shiite movement Hezbollah.

In rising tension with the extremist Shiite party, the Cardinal branded the endorsement of the illegal possession of weapons as inconceivable and only the army is entitled to have a monopoly.

During the homily of the mass celebrated yesterday, Card. Rai said he understands "the anger of the people" and that "of the army" which is a direct emanation of the people and it is "inconceivable" to set them against each other. It belongs "to the entire Lebanese population, no one has the right to make an army for a faction in power".

The Maronite primate continued that since the army represents the bulwark of democracy, it must not foment repression and in all its components it is a symbol of national unity. "By protecting this, they protect the homeland, its sovereignty and its positive neutrality".

The Cardinal then criticized those responsible in the government, for having ordered the military to reopen the roads blocked by the demonstrators, while the Commander in Chief, Gen. Joseph Aoun attacked the political class for letting the army sink into crisis.

Card. Rai then also addressed the demonstrators, who returned to the streets. The young revolutionaries - he said - are the hope of tomorrow. We urge them to close ranks, to harmonize their demands and to take their movement independent, so that the revolution is promising and destructive.

Finally, a new call to the political and ruling class to form a government of qualified people, capable of embarking on a path of reform, who work to save Lebanon and not for the defence of personal, partisan and confessional interests.

The religious leader also criticized the blockade of the streets by the demonstrators, inviting them to favour protests in public squares to avoid clashes with the army or the police.

"The population - concluded the Maronite primate - is hostage to the struggles of those in power [...] despite all the international appeals and popular aid, as if they had lost all national conscience and all compassion".

In the mass celebrated yesterday in the church of St. George of the Greek Orthodox, Metropolitan Elias Audi strongly criticized the political leaders, who forced people to fast and made them die of hunger. This is terrorism. Starvation kills, then wondering what country can persist without a government? .

He called for more border controls, an end to smuggling and the protection of money and funds so that they are truly for the benefit of the people, at a time when poor citizens are struggling for their very survival. The situation in the country is tragic - he concludes - and you [politicians] are just looking on while it burns like Nero. Leave your interests and ambitions aside!.
Tata Motors launches 31-tonne 3-axle 6x2 truck, Signa 3118.T

Tata Motors, Indias largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, on Tuesday launched its latest offering in M&HCV segment  the Tata Signa 3118.T  the countrys first 3-axle 62 (10 wheeler) rigid truck with 31 tonnes Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW).

With a 3,500 kg higher certified payload than the corresponding 28-tonne GVW rigid truck and equivalent cost of operations with similar fuel, tyre and maintenance cost of a 28-tonne truck, this product is conceived to significantly enhance the net operating profit for its customers by nearly 45 per cent over a 28-tonne truck.

The Tata Signa 3118.T offers a unique blend of value proposition in terms of both, revenue and operating cost, for its customers, says Tata Motors.

The incremental investment on the Signa 3118.T, over the corresponding 28-tonne truck, can be recovered in less than one year of operations and followed by years of incremental earnings, it adds.

The Signa 3118.T is a landmark in Tata Motors journey towards customer excellence. The model is evidence of unmatched customer-focused engineering and unique value positioning by Tata Motors. Value features like fuel economy switch, gear shift advisor, ICGT brakes, Fleet Edge telematics system with inbuilt anti-fuel theft, reverse parking assistance perfectly complement the pioneering vehicle design exceeding the expectations of the new-age customer, Rajesh Kaul, vice president, sales and marketing, commercial vehicle business unit, Tata Motors, said.

The Lx version also comes with air conditioning and unitised wheel bearings. This model expands the array of choice for customers seeking to enhance their profitability through revenue growth model, he adds.

The Tata Signa 3118.T, with its 12.5-tonne dual tyre lift axle configuration, can operate at 31-tonne GVW with the lift axle down and at 18.5-tonne GVW with the lift axle up, offering a large band of operating payload for various application needs. The lift axle is beneficial for tanker customers yielding higher fuel economy in empty returns.

It is ideally suitable for all types of tanker applications  petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL), chemicals, bitumen, edible oil, milk and water, as well industrial good such as packed LPG cylinders, lubricants, agricultural products etc. The Signa 3118.T is certified by Petroleum & Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) for 25KL POL tanker, which is 2KL higher than the highest allowed capacity on a 10-wheeler, 28-tonne GVW truck, says Tata Motors.

The Tata 3118.T comes in 24-feet and 32-feet load spans in Signa avatar with Lx, Cx versions, and a cowl variant. Powered by the Cummins BS6 engine, developing 186hp of power and 850Nm of torque, the Tata Signa 3118.T is mated to the G950 6 speed transmission and heavy-duty axles.

Under Tata Motors Sampoorna Seva 2.0 a bouquet of value added services and standard driveline warranty of 6 years/6-lakh kilometres, the Tata Signa 3118.T will be launched in phases across states and markets.
He's only 'weeks away' from becoming a father of two.

And AFL star Lance 'Buddy' Franklin shared a rare photo to Instagram on Monday of himself with his one-year-old daughter, Tullulah.

The 34-year-old athlete captioned the post, which showed him and the child wearing bathrobes in a hotel suite: 'Always a beautiful stay with my girls.'

Twinning! Sydney Swans star Buddy Franklin shared a rare photo of his one-year-old daughter, Tullulah, on Monday. The 34-year-old athlete captioned the Instagram post, which showed him and the child wearing bathrobes in a hotel suite: 'Always a beautiful stay with my girls'

Buddy and his daughter posed by the impressive floor-to-ceiling windows of Sydney's Crown Hotel.

In the sponsored post, Tullulah, whose face was hidden by her hooded towel, looked out over a glorious view of Sydney Harbour.

Buddy and his wife of five years, Jesinta Franklin, 29, welcomed their first child in February last year.

Her man: Buddy and his wife of five years, Jesinta Franklin, 29, welcomed their first child in February last year. Pictured together in January

In an interview with the Herald Sun in February, Buddy confirmed Jesinta was just weeks away from giving birth to their second child.

'We are five or six weeks away from having our second. I am really excited about that and can't wait to become a father for the second time,' he said.

'The main thing is you have got a happy and healthy family. Being a father has been the best thing for me. I am loving every minute of it and I wouldn't have it any other way.'

The Sydney Swans player proposed to model Jesinta in December 2014, after 14 months of dating. They married in November 2016.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian yesterday, according to the readout posted on the U.S. Department of State's website.

During the conversation, Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Le Drian emphasized the special role of the Transatlantic Alliance in addressing global security challenges.

"The Secretary and the Foreign Minister discussed Iran, Russia, and China, and the political process in Libya. They also spoke about peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean," the statement reads.
During his visit to Ukraine, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda will speak at the Verkhovna Rada, Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament Dmytro Razumkov said.

"On Thursday, the President of the Republic of Lithuania will visit Ukraine. There was an appeal to the Verkhovna Rada with a proposal for Mr. Nauseda's speech within the walls of parliament. I talked beforehand with representatives of all parliamentary factions and groups, they supported this initiative, I think we will be able to organize this process," Razumkov said at a meeting of the conciliatory council of the leaders of parliamentary factions and groups on Monday.
St Augustinus JHS from Axim in the Nzema East Municipal of the Western Region has won the 2021 annual Sixth edition of the Western Region Inter-District Independence Day Quiz Competition held at Wassa Akropong last Thursday.



The Champions beat their closest contenders VRA International School from the Shama District with 36.5 points as against 36 points, whiles Peace International School representing the Jomoro Municipality placing third with 35 points, with the defending champions Tarkwa UMaT basic school placing fourth with 33 points.



BOPP Basic School from the Mpohor District placed fifth with 28 points with Services Basic School from the Takoradi Metro placed sixth with 27 points and RIIS Presby School from the Wassa Amenfi East placed 7th with 22 points.



The Champions took away a trophy, gold medals, a multipurpose printer machine, a Dell laptop, educational tablets for the three contestants, textbooks, plaques, certificates, school bags and t-shirts with the first runners taking away medals, laptop, certificates, tablets for the contestants, school bags, textbooks, T-Shirts, plaques, the second runners up Peace International School also receiving same package.



Speaking at the occasion, the Executive Vice President and Head of Goldfields West Africa, Mr. Alfred Baku, the Special Guest of Honour whose speech was on his behalf by Mr Alex Obu-Simpson, Acting Vice President and Head of HR and Corporate Affairs of Goldfields Weat Africa commended Nananom for their continuous support towards promoting education in the region for the past six years, hence their interest to support such course by the traditional leadership of the region and assured of Gold Fields continues support in future events.



He added that "the competition aligns with Gold Fields' commitment to education why is the request to be the Headline Sponsor of this programme received the full support of our Executive Committee members. This is our commitment as a business to support Sustainable Development number 4 which focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.



On her part, Hon. Mrs Eunice Jacqueline Buah Asumah-Hinneh, the very special guest of Honour congratulated the participating schools and the planning committee for their focus on promoting education.



She urged the students to focus on their education and become better and responsible citizens in society.



The Chairman for the Occasion Tetrete Akuamoah Sekyim II and Paramount Chief of Wassa Amenfi Traditional Area lauded the commitment of sponsors of the programme and called on them to put in place measures to sustain them them such an initiative by the traditional leadership of the region.



He also advised students to eschew all manner of nefarious activities that will endanger their future chances.



The Managing Director of Perseus Mining Ghana Ltd, Dr Stephen Kofi Ndede underscore how relevant education falls within the vision of his company, thus committed to the supporting of the sector in its catchment areas over the past years.



He assured of Perseus Mine's commitment towards enhancing quality education in the region.



On his part, the Executive Chairman of the organising and planning committee Obrempong Hima Dekyi XIV and Omanhene of Upper Dixcove Traditional Area applauded sponsors such as Gold Fields Ghana Ltd for headlining the quiz programme on two consecutive times, Perseus Mining Ghana Ltd, Takoradi International Company Ltd (TICO-TAQA), BCM International Group as gold sponsors, Wayoe Engineering and Construction Ltd, Seedco Construction, Engineers and Planners, and Westfield as sponsors.



Others include BBS Construction, REF Engineering, Office of the Members of Parliament for Wassa Amenfi East, Tarkwa Nsuaem, Jomoro, Ellembelle, Evalue Ajomoro Gwira, Mpohor and Shama Constituencies for their immense contributions.



Obrempong Hima Dekyi highlighted that the quiz programme which an initiative of Nananom of the region has come to stay and urged all stakeholders to continue supporting Nananom's course aimed at promoting education and unity among the respective Municipal and Districts of the region.

The Western Regional Director of Education whose speech was read on his behalf by Mrs Binney thanked Nananom for their continuous support towards education and promised of the directorate's partnership.



Thirteen Municipal and Districts of the Western Region participated in the competition, namely, Wassa Amenfi East (Host), Wasa Amenfi Central and West, Prestea Huni Valley, Tarkwa Nsuaem, Mpohor, Ahanta West, Takoradi Metro, Shama, Wassa East, Nzema East, Ellembelle and Jomoro Municipal and Districts Assemblies.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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

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[March 15, 2021] Atlantic-Pacific Processing Systems Signs Meruelo Media for Payment Processing

Atlantic-Pacific Processing Systems NV, Corp. (APPS), a leading North American payment solutions provider, announced today that Meruelo Media, operator of KPWR 105.9 "Power 106," 95.5 KLOS, 93.5 KDAY, 93.9 KXOS and KWHY radio and television stations in Southern California, has become a full-service payment processing client. APPS is providing comprehensive payment processing services and support, helping Meruelo Media deliver consistent and intuitive payment experiences to advertisers across its portfolio of media holdings. "Adding Meruelo Media to the APPS family of merchants is a great honor," said SVP of Strategic Accounts Leo Daboub. "We are grateful to be able to provide Meruelo Media with marquee-level payment processing services, custmizable reporting solutions, technology and pricing," added Daboub. "We look forward to a long-lasting relationship and appreciate the opportunity to provide merchant services for this amazing media organization."



About Atlantic-Pacific Processing Systems NV, Corp. (APPS) APPS is a full-service acquirer offering secure connectivity for card present transactions and online payment gateways for all e-commerce, mobile and virtual transactions. With more than 15 years in the payments business, APPS has organically grown into a premier leader in our trade through core solutions for service, savings, reporting, technology and security. The company is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada and has offices in Fountain Valley, California and Louisville, Kentucky. For more information, please visit approcessing.com or email ldaboub@approcessing.com.

About Meruelo Media Meruelo Media, an affiliate of the Meruelo Group, is the largest and fastest growing minority-owned media company in California. Meruelo Media operates Los Angeles television stations KWHY, cable channel Super 22 and KBEH, channel 63. It also operates Los Angeles market radio stations KPWR 105.9 "Power 106," 93.5 KDAY, in Riverside and San Bernardino, and now stations 93.9 KXOS and 95.5 KLOS. These strategic mass communication properties offer a powerful vehicle for marketing, advertising and messaging in the very culturally diverse Southern California community and beyond. For more information, please visit Meruelo Media. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005066/en/

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THE Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service says the temporary release from remand prison for a property developer to attend his father-in-laws funeral in August last year was above board.

Felix Munyaradzi was granted temporary release from prison by Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi.

ZPCS were responding to allegations by one Collen Mavhundutse that prison officials had corruptly released Munyaradzi.

In a statement, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service acting spokesperson Peter Chaparanganda said the facts recorded in the ZPCS occurrence books indicate that then inmate left prison in the morning and reported back at 1600hrs of the same day.

The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service has taken note with concern the exaggerated falsehoods raised by Mr Collen Mavhundutse in his sworn affidavit, said Chaparanganda.

The organization would like to categorically state and advise the public that Felix Munyaradzi, an inmate, who was remanded in custody at Harare Remand Prison was granted temporary release from prison to go and attend the funeral of his father in-law by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Honourable Ziyambi Ziyambi on 14 August 2020.

The Minister is empowered to exercise these powers by the Prison Act [Chapter 7:11] Section 129 which states that The Minister may, subject to such conditions as he may specify, grant a prisoner permission in writing to be absent from prison for a specified period for personal, family or other reasons if, in the opinion of the minister, the circumstances of the case warrant the granting of such permission.

In this regard, the inmate was temporarily released under ZPCS securiy surveillance for a specified period in accordance with the above quoted Section of the Prison Act.

The case of Felix Munyaradzi is not an individual case where incarcerated inmates are legally granted temporary release from prison as several inmates have benefited in line with provisions of the Prison Act, whenever circumstances warranted the granting of such release.

We would also like to take this opportunity to advise the public to seek legal opinion or advice before making any allegations out of ignorance on legal provisions, said Chaparanganda.

Munyaradzi was, in August last year, granted $55 000 bail on other stringent conditions after the High Court found no compelling reasons to keep him in custody pending trial on charges of selling State land and unserviced stands. H Metro
Iran said Israel was likely behind an explosion that damaged an Iranian container ship in the Mediterranean last week, as the longtime foes trade accusations of attacks at sea.

The geographical location of the sabotage operation directs the first suspicion toward Israel, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters at a briefing. The Islamic Republic will consider all options to respond to the perpetrators, he said.

Iran said on Friday that the Shahr E Kord cargo vessel had been damaged two days earlier by an explosive device in international waters.

The claim followed two earlier maritime incidents in which Israel had alleged Iranian involvement.

In February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran was responsible for an unexplained blast on an Israeli-owned cargo vessel in the Persian Gulf. And early this month, an Israeli minister accused Iran of environmental terrorism, saying one of its ships had dumped oil in Israeli waters that later washed up on shore.

An Israeli maritime intelligence specialist later said the crude spill likely originated from sanctions-busting oil trade between Iran and Syria.

Photograph: Shipping containers at Bandar Imam Khomeini (BIK) port in Bandar Imam Khomeini, Iran. Photo credit: Ali Mohammadi/Bloomberg

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.
This year many tourism sites around the County will go green for St Patricks Day including Killashee Hotel, Kildare Village and St Brigids Cathedral and Round Tower.

The Hill of Allen, the keep at Barberstown Castle, Ardclough Visitors Centre, the gates at Moore Abbey Woods and Castletown House are also set to be lit up in green. Joining in the celebrations is the entire Main Street in Naas, and of course Naas Ball will once again turn green.

The theme of St Patricks Festival this year invites us to embrace brighter days ahead. As Kildare goes green, we are joined by world famous Irish landmarks as well as global icons such as the Sydney Opera House, the London Eye and Niagara Falls being illuminated as part of Tourism Irelands Global Greening Campaign.

The Global Greening initiative was launched in 2010 by Tourism Ireland and has grown each year.

It is an opportunity, this year more than ever, for Irish people abroad who cannot travel home to join in the celebrations and feel connected to their home county. The green light this year is symbolising that better times are to come, as well as connecting Irish and Kildare nationals around the world.

Commenting on the initiative, CEO of Into Kildare, Aine Mangan said, We are delighted to see so many buildings light up green and join in the global greening.

"St Patricks Day would usually kick-start the tourism season, so while we are all still staying local we felt it was important to mark the day in some way. Were also delighted that many events in the County are moving to a virtual platform this year, meaning Kildare diaspora around the world who can join in.

Several towns around the county are holding virtual and socially distanced events including colouring competitions, ceili dancing, poster hunts and whiskey tasting. For a full list of activities, visit www.intokildare.ie
Supplier News

15 March 2021

Cenium AS, a global provider of hospitality fulfillment software solutions, announce today the release of the Cenium Hospitality ERP Connector, an Add-on solution to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. This provides a smooth integration and synchronization between the two solutions.

At the same time, the solution is available on the Microsoft Appsource.

As Master Data, such as items, customers, contacts or currency exchange rates can be generated or changed in the two solutions, the ERP Connector ensures real-time synchronization automatically. This avoids additional work or risk of errors.

Also, it provides an integrated tracking-ID between the two solutions, so that finalized sales documents from Cenium are easily traced in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central General Ledger and Accounts Receivables, through an ID-code and hence a full audit trail.

The ERP Connector Add-On is already implemented at Islandshotel on Iceland. As their Chief Accountant Erla Kristinsdottir, says; "Islandshotel implemented Cenium in 2018 as the system offered more solutions than the company's previous system. The Cenium ERP Connector is the latest addition and change to the system. It's a key improvement and enables us to streamline financial control and auditing processes, also to combine data to improve our analytics capabilities. Cenium's staff has knowledge of our needs and our cooperation has been successful where there is mutual respect."

Michael Ramm stgaard, the CEO of Cenium AS, says: "Our goal is to help hospitality groups to gain control of their operational processes. With this smooth integration, there will never again be unclarities between the operational hospitality system and the finance system."

In parallel with releasing the new solution, the ERP Connector is also available through Microsoft Appsource , which is a sign of the robustness and quality of the Cenium solutions.

Contact Cenium for more information at [email protected].

Read more at https://www.cenium.com/solutions/ceniumhospitalityerpconnector/.

See on Microsoft Appsource here.
The nine-county San Francisco Bay Area has maintained a very low COVID-19 death rate throughout the course of the pandemic, recording 72 deaths per 100,000 residents as of March 12.

For reference, California's death rate per 100,000 is 140, while the national rate is 162.

With an estimated population of 7.7 million, the Bay Area would be the nation's 13th-largest state if it were severed from California.

Currently, there are only seven states with lower death rates than the Bay Area: Washington, Utah, Oregon, Maine, Alaska, Vermont and Hawaii.

(You can see the Bay Area's death rate compared across the 50 states in the chart below.)

The Bay Area has implemented some of the toughest restrictions during the pandemic, becoming the first region to issue a stay-at-home order in March 2020, and then voluntarily adopting the state's winter lockdown order before local counties were required to.

Stringent restrictions have helped the Bay Area keep the death rate down, though the seven states that fared better were not as strict at times. For example, California is the only state that mandated the closure of outdoor dining during the winter surge, and the state's tier system is generally more restrictive than the reopening plans in other states.

Some of the states with lower death rates than the Bay Area  Alaska, Vermont and Maine specifically  have the added benefit of a much lower population density to partially explain their successes.

While the Bay Area has kept its death rate low, some have warned about the costs of doing so.

"San Francisco has been one of those cities where our response to other aspects besides COVID-19 has been worse than other places," Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at UCSF, told SFGATE in February. "So economics, school closures, mental health, substance abuse, homelessness and overdose deaths. I'm concerned that the overemphasis on COVID means that we will have deal with the fallout for years to come.

"For example, I fear we have set back students in low-income communities greatly. In my mind, given the fact that vaccines are here, and given the fact that San Francisco has low disease severity, we should turn our attention at this point to all of the other collateral damage that occurs from business and school shutdowns and pay attention to that damage."
The "Amusement Parks (European) Industry Report" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report provides a detailed overview of the European amusement parks market and delivers a comprehensive individual analysis on the top 120 companies.

This report covers activities such as amusement, park, theme, park, rides and includes a wealth of information on the financial trends over the past four years.

The analysis is ideal for anyone wanting to:

See the market leaders

Identify companies heading for failure

Seek out the most attractive acquisition

Analyse industry trends

Benchmark their own financial performance

Using the publisher's exclusive methodology, a quick glance of this report will tell you that 49 companies have a declining financial rating, while 8 have shown good sales growth.

Each of the largest 120 companies is meticulously scrutinised in an individual assessment and analysed using the most up-to-date and current financial data.

Every business is examined on the following features:

The Publisher's Chart: A graphical assessment of a company's financial performance

Four year assessment of the profit/loss and balance sheet

A written summary highlighting key performance issues

Subsequently, you will receive a thorough 100-page market analysis highlighting the latest changes in the market.

This section includes:

Best Trading Partners

Sales Growth Analysis

Profit Analysis

Market Size

Rankings

Key Topics Covered:

The analysis is the most definitive and accurate study of the Amusement Parks (European) sector in 2019.

The report is split into two sections and uses both a written and graphical analysis analysing the 120 largest Amusement Park companies.

The report contains the most-up-to-date financial data and the publisher applies these figures to create their unique and authoritative analysis.

The first section thoroughly scrutinises the market and this section includes the following:

Best Trading Partners: These are companies that are winning in both sales and financial strength for example MUUMIMAAILMA OY has been ranked as a best trading partner in the industry.

Sales Growth Analysis: This section reviews the fastest growing and fastest shrinking company for example SARL PARC SAINT-PAUL is among the fastest growing.

Profit Analysis Analysis of gross profit and pre-tax profit over the last ten years and a profitability summary comparing profits in the industry against small, medium and large companies.

Market Size: Based on the largest 120 companies, this is a comparison between last year's market size and the most current figure.

Rankings: The top 50 companies ranked by: Market Share, Sales Growth, Gross Profit and Pre-tax Profit.

The next section focuses on company analysis and provides an in-depth analysis of the largest companies within the Amusement Parks (European) industry.

Each business is analysed using the publisher's unequivocal model and culminates in the production of the Publisher's Chart. The Model uses a series of charts to graphically analyse an individual company and measure its ability to achieve sales growth while maintaining financial strength.

The Publisher's Chart is a quick and dependable method of analysing a company's financial well-being. It's simple to understand: a rising line is good news and a falling line is bad news.

Companies Mentioned

Aqualandia Espana

Brean Leisure Park Ltd.

Euro Disneyland Imagineering

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/k84v4k

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005343/en/

Contacts:

ResearchAndMarkets.com

Laura Wood, Senior Press Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900
Video of Crowded House playing for thousands of delighted fans has demonstrated the difference between the handling of the pandemic in New Zealand compared to countries battling a 'third wave'.

The scenes at Queenstown's Gibbston Valley Winery showed no social distancing and 6000 people enjoying the homegrown band as if Covid-19 never happened.

"What a beautiful day, amazing crowd and epic scenery. Thanks Queenstown!!" Crowded House wrote on Twitter along with a video of them playing to fans.

Crowded House plays to a crowd of 6000 fans. Source: Twitter/Crowded House

The video shocked Twitter users from around the world, baffled by how the country wasn't in lockdown or struggling to contain community transmission anymore.

So in New Zealand concerts are rocking, while rest of world [is] mostly locked down, one person commented.

"This is what it's like in New Zealand. This is what #COVIDzero looks like!" one person declared.

"I am so envious New Zealand - you got your lives back," another said.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

"So jealous...sick of the UK, can I come live with you guys?" one man wrote.

Another person posted similar scenes of Midnight Oil playing in front of a live crowd at the Hunter Valley in NSW on the weekend as the vaccination rollout continues.

One fan of the band said he was hopeful America could "get our act together" in the hopes of attending a concert in the future.

"Just an extremely jealous North American over here. Hopefully we can get our act together and y'all can come back over."

"Why do I not live in Australia," a woman questioned with a sad face emoji, while another stated: "The rest of the world is now jealous."

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Italy, Papua New Guinea, France struggle to contain virus

All remaining restrictions in New Zealands largest city Auckland were lifted last week after no locally transmitted cases of coronavirus were reported for two weeks, meanwhile some other countries are still scrambling to deal with recent surges.

Story continues

Italian authorities recently announced a partial lockdown for the majority of the country following a fresh surge in infections.

The Queensland Premier called on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to assist with vaccinations after half of the 500 Covid-19 tests Queensland assisted with in Papua New Guinea came back positive.

French President Emmanuel Macron has imposed curfews on a number of regions facing a sharp spike in cases.

Swift public health measures combined with aggressive contact tracing, border closures and compulsory quarantine for travellers have been credited with making New Zealand highly successful in keeping the pandemic from spreading.

Australia has also celebrated long periods with no local cases, NSW only recently ended a 55-day streak with one new locally acquired case on Monday - a NSW security guard whose infection was flagged on Sunday.

There were 13 new overseas-acquired cases in hotel quarantine; six in Queensland, three in NSW, three in SA and one in WA.

More than 164,000 people have now been vaccinated in Australia, including about 40,000 aged care residents across 437 facilities.

with Reuters and AAP

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.


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The United States was founded on the idea that all people can come to a new land and be free to live, work, and pursue happiness in the way they see fit. The authors of the Constitution therefore created the Bill of Rights, which, along with the amendments that followed, give us civil liberties which form the basis of our civil rights law as it exists today.

Equal Protection and Discrimination: History

Civil rights law is a widely varied practice area. Perhaps the biggest part involves the right to equal protection under the law, which stems from the Fourteenth Amendment. This aspect of civil rights law is practiced by many attorneys. The Fourteenth Amendment was enacted after the Civil War. The country was flooded with newly freed slaves who wished to work, own property, and build new lives for themselves. However, many people refused to do business with former slaves, and local law enforcement often refused to protect African Americans solely because of their race. Congress therefore passed the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868, and, although it was only partially successful at the time, it has since grown to protect people of all races, national origins, and genders from discrimination at the hands of government authorities.

The federal government and many state governments have since developed more laws to prevent many forms of discrimination by private establishments. This is why employers cannot make hiring or firing decisions based on protected categories, such as race, religion, national origin, or gender, and restaurants cannot refuse to serve people based purely on race. This section contains extensive background information on the Equal Protection Clause and discrimination laws.

Other Civil Liberties

There are many other civil liberties that stem from our Bill of Rights. A few of the most well-known are:

The Fourth Amendment limits law enforcement's ability to search your person or private property. Police must have a warrant or a good reason to believe that you committed a crime before conducting a search or arresting you.

With the Fifth Amendment's right to remain silent and the Sixth Amendment's rights to an attorney and a speedy trial, the Bill of Rights protects the rights of criminal suspects against an overzealous government.

The First Amendment grants individuals the right to a free press, to free speech, to free assembly and association, to petition the government, to practice any religion, and to be free from religious indoctrination. The right to vote belongs to all U.S. citizens and is guaranteed by the Constitution. The Voting Rights Act has rules on how states may conduct elections to ensure that everyone has the chance to vote.

One of the strengths of our civil liberties is that they belong to all U.S. citizens, even those who have committed crimes. Prisoners still maintain basic constitutional rights to privacy, speech, religion, and due process. However, a number of rights and liberties may be limited while an individual serves prison time. Indeed, even afterward, those on parole or individuals who committed serious offenses may find their right to vote or other freedoms curtailed.

Due Process and Enforcement of Civil Rights Violations

The unsung hero of the constitutional amendments, however, is the right to Due Process, which can be found in both the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. The right to Due Process means that the government cannot take away the rights to life, liberty, or property, without a proper hearing. Because of the right to Due Process, Congress and state legislatures have created complaint processes in several government agencies designed to help you enforce your civil rights.
In Lamezia Terme, an industrial city in Southern Italy overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, a historical event is going unnoticed. Between the cultivated fields and factories, the first so-called maxi trial of the Ndrangheta, the Calabrian criminal organization, began on Jan. 13. With 335 defendants (almost all men) and 600 lawyers dealing with 400 counts of murder, drug trafficking, money laundering, and more, its one of the largest criminal prosecutions in recent history.

Expected to last at least two years, the trial is known as Rinascita-Scott, or Rebirth Scott. Nicola Gratteri, the prosecutor driving the case, explained that its name refers to a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent who spent eight years in Italy fighting against narco-ndranghetist organizations and died upon returning to the United States in a car accident. The trial is dedicated to his commitment. Its been called the trial of the century in some Italian newspapers, but curiously, no television news stations are reporting on it, it never ends up on the newspapers front pages, and its not even creating political controversy.

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This despite its huge scale and dramatic scenes: Everything takes place in a bunker built just for the occasion, at a cost of 4.7 million euros. It was an abandoned call center transformed over five months into a record-breaking courtroom that belies the fame of Calabria, which is known as the region of unfinished work. It is a structure of 35,500 square feet, where 947 people can sit at a safe distance, in compliance with COVID regulations. It is a maxi trial via Zoom, because many defendants follow the hearing from their prisons, dressed in overalls, carefully taking note of names and villagesall, strictly, with masks.

The new "mafiosi" no longer wear flat caps and tote sawed-off shotguns, as in folkloric tradition.

This giant event is observed in silence in Italy. The reasons are many. For one, the fight against organized crime has long ceased to be a priority of the Italian government. In recent months, COVID has consumed all interest and public debate. And there is also a certain amount of inurement among the Italian people to news about the mafia. This is partly by design: After the attack season of the 90s, with the killing of Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, the two Sicilian magistrates on the front line in the fight against the Cosa nostra Sicilian mafia, these criminal organizations have believed that it is better to avoid sensational actions that bring the focus on them, and it is usually better to work under the radar. Crime in Italy has also changed its face: Previously mainly in the southern regions, it has spread throughout Italian territory, concentrating in the richest part of the country, in the north. There, it has abandoned the somewhat folkloric characteristics of its origins and has camouflaged itself in the wealthy modern northern entrepreneurship and in politics. It has used the proceeds of drug trafficking to invest in legal activities, from finance to catering to construction. During COVID, its involvement in the funeral business made headlines.

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In the public perception, the Ndrangheta has historically been considered the least relevant and powerful criminal organization. But in reality, especially in the last 10 years, it has become the dominant one, not only in northern Italy but also in many European countries, including Germany.

Who are the men of the Ndrangheta? The new mafiosi no longer wear flat caps and tote sawed-off shotguns as in traditional iconography. In some cases, they are well-heeled college graduates who operate in an economic context that is not recognized as criminal. Consider the case of Gennaro Pulice, 41, who has murdered six people and, as we learned recently in the magazine Il Venerdi, killed for the first time at 16, on the anniversary of his fathers death, because he felt he had to avenge him. Now cooperating with authorities, Pulice became one of the most important names in the organization and has degrees in law, speaks multiple languages, and has international business experience. He reportedly explained the law, history, and the economy to his comrades. Hes not exactly the over-the-top brute mobster figure from the past.

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The fact that the mafiosi are not what they used to be can be seen most clearly by these pentitithe informers. The word pentito, in Italian, means repented, and has almost a religious connotation. Historically, the Ndrangheta has never had important pentiti, unlike the Cosa nostra mafia, which had the once infamous Tommaso Buscetta, for example. Repenting means denouncing the family, the greatest conceivable sacrilege. But this maxi trial is the first in which these collaborators of justice play a fundamental role. There are 58, in fact, and they all say they did it for their children. They speak on video with their backs turned, in secret places to avoid being recognized. Many of them have been left by their wives, because repenting is a real sin.

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Among all the strange and extraordinary parts of this process, there is also the prosecutor who guides it, Gratteri, loved by many for the passion and dedication he puts into the fight against the Ndrangheta and hated by some of his colleagues for his methods, which are not always in line with the behaviors expected from a prosecutor. Hes a free thinker who strongly wanted this trial and who, apart from everything, really does risk his life every day. In an intercepted phone call last year, the clans called him walking dead.

Meanwhile, most of Italy looks away. But that doesnt mean the trial is not pivotal to the countrys future. Calabria is one of the poorest places in Italy, with the highest rates of crime, and the success of this process weighs on the credibility of the Italian judiciary against the mafiaand also the credibility of the region, an area with a beautiful sea and breathtaking historic centers, but undermined by decades of criminal activity. Though the appetite for the trial may seem diminished, privately, its citizens are hoping that as the prosecution ramps up, Italy, Europe, and the world will look at this so-called maxi trial with open eyes.
WASHINGTON  As religious freedom emerges as a major theme at the Supreme Court this year, some court watchers predict a series of opinions involving COVID-19 restrictions have put that issue on a collision course with gay rights.

In nine cases since November, the high court has sided with churches and synagogues that sued over coronavirus regulations limiting the number of worshippers who can attend services. The disputes have put religious freedom center stage and may provide clues about how the justices will handle a blockbuster case involving same-sex couples.

The Supreme Court is set to rule this year on a major case questioning whether Philadelphia can stop working with a Catholic charity that declined to screen same-sex couples as foster parents, Fulton v. Philadelphia. Some legal scholars said the COVID-19 disputes show the Catholic group may have momentum on its side.

More: Supreme Court hears Philadelphia foster parent dispute

This voting lineup makes clear that Fulton is going to be reversed, predicted Douglas Laycock, a University of Virginia law professor and expert on religious liberty. "At least five, and maybe all six, of the conservatives will protect the Catholic Church from having to place children with same-sex couples or else losing its foster-care mission entirely."

Though not everyone has signed on to that assessment  including the organizations that support Philadelphia  there is agreement the court's new conservative 6-3 majority has already looked favorably on religious freedom claims and will probably continue to do so.

Even before Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett took her seat on the court in October, adding another conservative voice to the bench, the justices have looked kindly on religion in high-profile cases. The court allowed taxpayer money to be directed to religious entities in some situations, exempted employers with religious objections from requirements that they provide health insurance coverage for contraceptives and let a massive Latin cross stay on government land within a few minutes' drive from the nation's capital.

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More recently, the court overturned coronavirus regulations that curtail indoor religious services because they included exceptions for secular businesses, such as retail stores and hair salons. Those decisions have come through the court's so-called shadow docket, meaning they have been decided quickly  without oral argument  and often without an opinion from the court.

Shadow docket: Supreme Court blocks some COVID-19 rules for churches

Six years later: The impact of the Supreme Court's 2015 same-sex marriage ruling

Those cases have represented a huge win for evangelical Christian congregations and other religious groups who say the government shouldn't be able to force them to take positions that conflict with their belief.

"People felt more excited than usual because there was nothing to fear," Adelheid Waumboldt, a spokeswoman and parishioner at Harvest Rock Church in California, said as she described services after the church won a case at the Supreme Court last month. "There was no fear of being arrested or fear of persecution."

The White House is lit up in rainbow colors in commemoration of the Supreme Court's ruling to legalize same-sex marriage on Friday, June 26, 2015, in Washington.

Same-sex foster parents

Fatma Marouf and Bryn Esplin sat in stunned silence for a few seconds when the person on the other end of the line told them that if they wanted to qualify as foster parents, their home would need to "mirror the Holy Family. For a second, they weren't completely sure what that meant. It became clear soon enough.

Marouf, director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic at Texas A&M School of Law, works professionally with Catholic Charities Fort Worth and had toured the center where the organization helps care for unaccompanied refugee children for the federal government. In 2017, she and Esplin, a bioethics professor at the University of North Texas, decided they wanted to help in a more direct way.

Catholic Charities was the only foster agency available for the migrant children.

"I thought, for sure, this can't be legal," Marouf said. "This is a federal program using taxpayer funds."

The prohibition, Esplin said, not only shrinks the pool of potential foster parents, it also assumes there are no LBGT children who might benefit from same-sex parents.

One of the questions raised by the Fulton case is whether government contractors, such as the Catholic foster care agency, may object to anti-discrimination requirements  after all, they work for the government. Another question is whether the government must offer exceptions to religious groups if they offer them to secular organizations.

That second question, several observers said, is where the COVID-19 cases may become relevant.

The foster agency case pits Philadelphia's position that it can prohibit same-sex discrimination by its contractors against Catholic Social Services, which asserts it cannot screen same-sex couples to be foster parents because it opposes gay marriage on religious grounds. The court heard arguments in November.

Part of the issue in the Philadelphia dispute is what test the court will use to determine whether a law violates the First Amendment right to free exercise of religion. The outcome could turn on whether the court finds that any secular exceptions to a law  say, allowing people into a hardware store during the pandemic  means there must be exemptions for religious activity, such as attending Sunday morning services.

The opinions we're seeing and the votes we're seeing in the shadow docket coronavirus and church closing cases suggest that in the Fulton case, the court is going to come out in favor of the Catholic adoption agency, said Richard Garnett, director of the University of Notre Dame law school program on church, state and society. They do involve a similar question of, Once you open the door, then what?

Attorneys for the Catholic charity said the city's other foster care agencies benefit from exemptions to the city's nondiscrimination rules. They might not place a disabled child with a family if the would-be parents don't have the means to care for her. If the city allows that, attorneys said, it must allow religious exemptions.

Others said that's not the same as Catholic Social Services declining all same-sex couples.

Patrick Elliott, senior counsel at the Freedom From Religion Foundation, conceded that the Supreme Court has been willing to give "special preferences to religion even when that causes harm to third parties." He also agreed that the COVID-19 cases have been a part of that trend under the court's more conservative majority.

But Elliott disputed that the church cases have anything to do with Fulton.

"Philadelphia's rules requiring nondiscrimination are altogether different," he said. "CSS has a complete ban against same-sex couples providing a loving home for foster care children. Philadelphia has neutral rules that prohibit that type of discrimination in the foster care certification process."

The Rev. Daniel Belken sprinkles ashes on top of a parishioner's head during the Ash Wednesday Mass at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. This year ashes were sprinkled on top of the head as a precaution against spreading COVID-19.

Controversial precedent

The Supreme Court ruled in a 1990 decision that a government can impose restrictions that affect a religious entity as long as they are applied equally to religious and secular activities. A city can impose a 30 mph speed limit, for instance, and if someone claims his religion requires him to drive 60 mph, too bad. The claim gets tossed.

Some conservatives want to overturn the precedent  which, ironically, was written by Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, a stalwart conservative in his time on the bench. Critics said the opinion, Employment Division v. Smith, reduced religious protections provided by the First Amendment.

Voting: Supreme Court's conservatives question effort to unwind voting laws

Warrants: Court debates whether misdemeanors can trigger warrantless searches

Three years after Smith, in another groundbreaking case, the court invalidated a Florida citys attempt to stop a church from performing animal sacrifices. The justices found that laws that are not applied equally must receive far more scrutiny and that secular exceptions to a law restricting religion signal that the higher scrutiny should apply.

In other words, if a city tried to ban animal killings in a church because of objections from neighbors but exempted the slaughterhouse or the killing of pests from that rule, it would probably be in for a much tougher fight in federal courts.

Snap forward 30 years to a world besieged by a pandemic that has killed more than 530,000 people in the USA and that sent officials scrambling to pass restrictions on gatherings. Many of those regulations affected churches, and many included exemptions for essential secular activities.

Shadow docket

In one of the first such cases, the justices ruled in July that Nevada could impose tighter crowd restrictions on churches than casinos. In the 5-4 ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's four liberals. The court did not explain its order.

Four months later, after Barrett was seated, the court took the opposite tack, ruling 5-4 against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's crowd limits on houses of worship in the states hardest-hit regions.

In an unsigned opinion, the justices noted New York allowed exceptions to the COVID-19 rules for acupuncture clinics, garages and campgrounds. They applied the tougher standard and ruled against New York. In subsequent disputes, including one involving five California churches that the court decided last month, the conservatives again noted exemptions to the COVID-19 restrictions for retail stores and hairstylists and blocked the rules.

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Liberal justices have countered the exemptions are not similar  a church, where people may sit together for an hourlong service, is more like a theater than a grocery store, they said. Entities that health officials describe as similar to churches, such as movie theaters, have generally been subject to the same COVID-19 restrictions.

Frank Ravitch, a Michigan State University law professor who studies law and religion, said the Supreme Court majoritys comparisons of churches to grocery and other retail businesses "are ridiculous and trample on public safety measures created by state health officials and trample on common sense, in my view."

More: Supreme Court faces balancing act between physical and spiritual health

Anti-abortion activists with "Bound 4 Life" demonstrate at the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020, as the justices begin a new term without the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

'Actual proof of harm'

Lori Windham, an attorney who represents Catholic Social Services in the Fulton litigation, said the COVID-19 cases have demonstrated that when a government begins making exceptions for secular activity, it's going to have to find a "really good reason" for why it doesn't make similar accommodations for religious organizations or activities. Windham is a senior counsel at Becket, a nonprofit law firm that represents litigants fighting for religious freedom.

"The second part of that is the COVID cases show that when the government is restricting religious exercise, it needs to show actual proof of harm," she said.

In the COVID-19 cases, Windham said, local governments haven't proved religious services are more dangerous than gyms or big box stores. In the Fulton case, no same-sex family was turned away by the Catholic charity, because none came to the group looking for a foster child in the first place.

Instead, those families went elsewhere.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court COVID-19 cases could affect Philadelphia same-sex fight
By Lisandra Paraguassu

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday named a doctor as the country's new health minister, hours after the general currently in the role confirmed that Bolsonaro was weighing candidates to replace him.

Marcelo Queiroga, a cardiologist, is set to replace General Eduardo Pazuello and become the fourth health minister in Brazil since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Pazuello's job was on the line after a week that saw record COVID-19 fatalities in Brazil. More than 279,000 Brazilians have died in a worsening outbreak that killed more people in Brazil than any other nation last week.

Bolsonaro told reporters that Queiroga would follow Pazuello's agenda at the health ministry and that the government would redouble efforts to implement mass vaccinations against the coronavirus. He added the transition would take one or two weeks to complete.

Pazuello, an active duty Army general without a medical degree, has been criticized for lacking public health expertise and supporting Bolsonaro's push to use unproven drugs to fight COVID-19, while downplaying the need for social distancing.

Pazuello's two predecessors resigned in roughly the span of a month last year, in part because as physicians they would not fully endorse treating COVID-19 patients with the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine.

Pazuello expanded access to hydroxychloroquine and allowed it to be prescribed to virtually anyone testing positive for the coronavirus. Regulators elsewhere have said hydroxychloroquine is unlikely to be effective for that purpose and have cautioned against its use.

Brazil has also been slower than many other countries to roll out the vaccine. It has administered enough vaccine so far to cover around 2.7% of the population, according to Reuters data.

Pazuello's failure to secure timely supplies of vaccines for the country has led to calls for an inquiry in Congress, while the Supreme Court is investigating his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the northern city of Manaus, which ran out of oxygen.

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Bolsonaro met on Sunday with Ludhmila Hajjar, a doctor who has been at the forefront of COVID-19 treatment and research in Brazil, but disagreed on how to approach the crisis.

Hajjar told CNN Brasil that she declined the job, saying that as a doctor she had to "remain above ideology."

(Reporting by Ricardo Brito, Maria Carolina Marcello and Lissandra Paraguassu; Writing by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Dan Grebler and Rosalba O'Brien)
Authorities in Myanmar extended martial law in more areas of the main city of Yangon Monday amid reports of more killings of protesters at the hands of security forces.

State-run MRTV news channel announced that the districts of North Dagon, South Dagon, Dagon Seikkan and North Okkalapa are under martial law, a day after security forces killed at least 40 people across Myanmar. Most of the killings took place in the Yangon suburb of Hlaingthaya, making it the bloodiest day of demonstrations against the junta that seized power in a February 1 coup.

Authorities imposed martial law on Hlaingthaya, a suburb of Myanmars main city, after several Chinese-owned factories were set on fire and about 2,000 people had stopped fire engines from reaching them, according to Reuters quoting army-run Myawaddy television. China is seen as supportive of the Myanmar junta.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian responded to Sunday's attack on the factories during a regular news briefing Monday, The burning and looting of Chinese companies is abhorrent. We hope the Myanmar side will take concrete measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens in Myanmar.

The spokesman also said, The top priority is to prevent the occurrence of new bloody conflicts and to achieve an easing of the situation as soon as possible."

Various reports quoting the advocacy group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said more than 30 people were killed Sunday in Hlaingthaya, up from the initial 22 fatalities reported by the group.

Sixteen more protesters were killed in other cities and townships, the AAPP said, as well as one police officer. [[ https://aappb.org/?p=13671 ]] The previous deadliest day was March 3, when 38 deaths were reported across Myanmar.

Two people were killed in protests in Myingyan, while three people were killed there and two in Aunglan town, according to Reuters which quoted the Myanmar Now media outlet.

On Monday the AAPP was quoted as saying the nationwide death toll for Sunday had reached 44.

As the violence continued to rage across Myanmar Monday, a scheduled court hearing in the capital Napyitaw for deposed de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi via videoconference was postponed because internet service had been blocked, according to her lawyer Khin Maung Zaw.

Suu Kyi has been detained since the February 1 coup and is facing five criminal charges, including accepting $600,000 in illegal payments plus gold bars while in office. She is also charged with illegally possessing six unregistered walkie-talkie radios, operating communications equipment without a license, violating COVID-19 protocols by holding public gatherings and attempting to incite public unrest.

The AAAP says security forces have killed at least 126 people in the seven weeks since the coup, not including the latest fatality reports since Sunday, and detained more than 2,150 as of Saturday, with more than 300 released so far.

Christine Schraner Burgener, the U.N. special envoy of the secretary-general on Myanmar, Sunday strongly condemned the continuing bloodshed.

The international community, including regional actors, must come together in solidarity with the people of Myanmar and their democratic aspirations, Burgener said in a statement.

On Saturday, the acting head of the countrys parallel civilian government, who was appointed by deposed legislators after the military coup, promised a revolution to oust the junta.

Mahn Win Khaing, who is in hiding along with most other top NLD (National League for Democracy, a ruling political party in Myanmar since 2015 until the 2021 coup) officials, addressed the public for the first time, announcing on Facebook that the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, or CRPH, plans to establish a federal democracy.

CRPH is formed by NLD MPs who escaped arrest and are elected members of the ousted parliament on February 5.

Mahn Win Khaing told supporters the CRPH would try to legislate the required laws so that the people have the right to defend themselves. He added, This revolution is the chance we can put our efforts together.

The military government did not immediately respond to Mahn Win Khaings remarks, but it has declared the CRPH illegal.

The junta has called the CRPH a terrorist organization and said anyone involved with it could face treason charges, which are punishable by death, the military government said.

Military officials have claimed widespread fraud in last Novembers general election, which the NLD won in a landslide, as justification for the takeover. The fraud allegations have been denied by Myanmars electoral commission.
RyersonClark/iStockBy BILL HUTCHINSON, ABC News

(JACKSON, Miss.) -- Long-suffering residents of Mississippi's capital city have been told by officials that a monthlong water crisis is almost over.



Tens of thousands of Jackson residents remain under a precautionary boil water notice, but city officials said that could soon end depending on the test results of surface water samples being sent to the state Health Department as early as Sunday or Monday.



"We feel confident that water service has been largely restored throughout Jackson. Any remaining incidents of low/no water pressure are likely localized meter issues or broken pipes," city officials said in a statement issued late Saturday.



The city needs to submit 120 good surface-water samples from various locations in Jackson for two consecutive days "to determine when we can begin lifting the precautionary boil water notice" still affecting 43,000 surface water connections to homes, schools, businesses, churches and other structures.



The big problem has been getting the water pressure back up to a proper working level of 80 to 90 pounds per square inch, officials said. During the height of the crisis in February, water pressure across the city of more than 160,000 people plummeted to 37 pounds per square inch, resulting in water outages throughout the city and in neighboring Byram.



"Today was another good day with pressure getting up to 90psi. Tanks are continuing to fill," reads the city's statement.



In another sign that things are looking up, officials announced last week that they had received clearance to lift the precautionary boil water notice on its 16,000 well water connections primarily serving South Jackson and Byram.



The city's water treatment plants were knocked offline when back-to-back winter storms swept through the South in mid-February bringing snow and below-freezing temperatures that caused widespread power outages across the region.



As the crisis unfolded, Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba called the emergency an "act of God" that exposed the city's crumbling infrastructure. Lumumba and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves agreed that the city's water system had been neglected for decades.



In the latest update on the crisis, Jackson officials identified a list of "key needs" for residents, including one-gallon jugs of distilled drinking water, hand sanitizing wipes, utility assistance and debris removal.



"This is not the way were supposed to live," Sheila Davis, who resides in an assisted living facility in Jackson, told ABC affiliate station WAPT-TV in Jackson.



Davis said she uses more than 50 bottles of water a day to cook, clean and bathe. She and other Jackson residents say they won't use their tap water until the Department of Health is certain it's no longer contaminated.



"I can't wash my dishes in it," Davis said. "I use bottled for everything because its not safe."



Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
The New Canaan Republican Town Committee (RTC) has signed a resolution in support of Home Rule that was proposed by an action group named CT169Strong.

The RTC hopes other town bodies sign it after the committee approved a resolution unanimously on Monday, March 8th, according to committee members.

CT 169 Strong is advocating for individual rights and local oversight, according to its website.

The resolution was prompted by a series of proposed bills, especially Senate Bill 1024, An Act Concerning Zoning Authority, according to RTC member Cristina Ross.

The bill calls for the state to establish requirements for zoning regulations concerning accessory apartments, mixed-use developments and multifamily housing. The bill is planned for a public hearing Monday, March 15.

If the state is to take over roles normally performed in local communities, the regulations would be one size fits all, Ross said. The bills will give power to developers to build at will.

We have been keeping up to date with the legislation coming from Hartford and these zoning proposals in particular will have a chilling impact on all our residents, both renters and homeowners, as well as businesses, Chairman of the Republican Town Committee Patrick Donovan told Hearst Connecticut Media.

As Connecticut has serious issues and just because something may be well intented does not mean that it is good public policy, Donovan said.

When considering legislation, the first thing one must consider is if the legislation will meet its intended goals, and these zoning changes will dramatically change the landscape of the entire state and will not meet its intended goals, Donovan said.

Former New Canaan Planning and Zoning commissioner Laszlo Papp appears prominently on the CT169Strong site. He is quoted saying: Our representatives in Hartford need to remember how important it is for the community to make decisions for itself. .

The town committee members hope New Canaans Board of Selectman, Town Council, Board of Finance, Planning and Zoning Commission and others will join them in support of the resolution.

The resolution

The resolution has 11 clauses, emphasizing the need to keep Planning and Zoning regulations local to balance private property rights, the communitys interests, demands on infrastructure, housing needs, and economic growth.

The resolution states that if the the General Assembly passes new laws it will eliminate public hearings and community input on zoning matters would have unintended consequences such as increased infrastructure costs, increased local property taxes, and reduced home and business values.

It also raises concerns that multi-family housing allowed by right, meaning by law and not needing to be passed by the Planning and Zoning Commission, can lead to exponential market value overbuilding and can cause adverse impacts to town infrastructure.

Localized decision making ensures the greatest level of accountability while allowing affected community members the greatest level of input, states the resolution.

The Republican Town Committee opposes any state mandated one-size-fits all zoning Legislation that would  diminish local control and decision making related to planning and zoning or affordable housing in the town of New Canaan.
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ANKARA, Turkey  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has toned down his anti-Western and anti-US rhetoric in an apparent effort to reset the rocky relationship with his NATO allies, but so far hes been met by silence from U.S. President Joe Biden.

Nearly two months into his presidency, Biden still hasnt called Erdogan, which some in Turkey see as a worrying sign. By contrast, former President Donald Trump and Erdogan spoke just days after the 2016 election.

Ties between Ankara and Washington  which once considered each other as strategic partners  have steadily deteriorated in recent years over differences on Syria, Turkeys cooperation with Russia and more recently on Turkish naval interventions in the eastern Mediterranean, which U.S. officials have described as destabilizing.

Despite tensions, many within Erdogans government were hoping for four more years of the administration led by Trump, who had a personal rapport with Erdogan and didnt give him any lectures about Turkeys human rights record.

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Biden drew ire from Turkish officials after an interview with the New York Times in which he spoke about supporting Turkeys opposition against autocrat Erdogan.

In public statements, Turkish officials have played down the lack of a phone call from the White House, noting that conversations are happening at other levels, but a senior Turkish government official told The Associated Press that Erdogans office is not thrilled about it. The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said last week that there were many world leaders Biden still hadnt talked to and that she was sure he would call Erdogan at some point.

Left with few friends due to a spate of assertive foreign policy, anti-Western rhetoric and increasing authoritarianism, Turkey is now looking to attract foreign investments to rescue its troubled economy. Erdogan has been reaching out to the U.S., European nations and other former allies in a bid to patch troubled relations and end its international isolation.

Biden, who has spoken about restoring international alliances and traditional ties as well as strengthening NATO, would have an interest in rebuilding ties and trying to pull Turkey away from Russias sphere of influence.

But analysts say its going to be very difficult to reset the relationship, given the range of issues where the two countries dont see eye to eye, including Turkeys decision to acquire the advanced Russian S-400 anti-aircraft system, which Washington says poses a threat to NATO and to the U.S. F-35 fighter aircraft program. Washington kicked Turkey out of the F-35 production program and last year imposed sanctions on senior Turkish defense industry officials as well as bans on military export licenses.

Turkey argues that the Russian system, which cost the country $2.5 billion, is not a threat to the NATO alliance and it has repeatedly called for dialogue to resolve the issue. Washington insists the sanctions cannot be lifted as long as the Russian system remains on Turkish soil.

During a Senate hearing before his confirmation as U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken described Turkey as a so-called strategic partner and called it unacceptable for Turkey to be in line with one of our biggest strategic competitors in Russia.

Merve Tahiroglu of the Washington-based Project on Middle East Democracy, said it would be difficult for Erdogan to backtrack on the S-400 because he made such a big deal about the purchase and what this would mean for Turkeys geopolitical independence.

American military support for Syrian Kurdish fighters to combat the Islamic State group is another point of contention. Turkey argues they are inextricably linked to a decades-long Kurdish insurgency and Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said that ties cannot improve unless Washington halts its cooperation with the Syrian Kurdish group.

In 2019, Biden accused Trump of betraying U.S. allies, following the latters decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria, which paved the way for a Turkish military offensive against the Syrian Kurdish group.

The Biden administration is likely to put pressure on Turkey on its energy dispute with Greece in the eastern Mediterranean, which led to a tense standoff between two NATO members. Turkey has since halted its search for energy reserves in disputed waters while Erdogan has toned down his fiery rhetoric.

Gonul Tol, director of the Middle East Institutes Center for Turkish Studies, said Turkey cannot give concessions in the eastern Mediterranean because it is considered a national cause by a wide segment of Turkish society.

The Biden administration is expected to place more emphasis on democracy and human rights than Trump did. During a telephone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Blinken underlined the importance of democratic institutions, inclusive governance and respect for human rights for Turkey, according to a U.S. readout of the conversation.

Last week, Erdogan pledged a series of reforms to improve human rights but analysts said they were unlikely to make a huge impact or lead to the release from prison of high-profile figures such as activist Osman Kavala, who is accused of ties to anti-government protests in 2013 as well as a 2016 failed coup attempt.

For a true reset to happen, the Biden administration needs to see more of a democratization process  that can come in the form of major judicial reforms or by the release of some of the most contentious political figures, Tahiroglu said.

Turkey is also seeking the extradition of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating a failed military coup in 2016. U.S. officials say Ankara has not been able to present documents that would allow his extradition. Turkey accuses Washington of providing him shelter.

Also threatening to perturb ties is a trial against Turkish state bank, Halkbank, accused of helping Iran to evade U.S. sanctions worth $20 billion.

If the court sentences Halkbank, it is going to be devastating for the Turkish economy and I dont see how you can have a reset after that, Tol said.
AMG

Despite having developed only two distinct models throughout its 29-year history, Horacios pride and joy is a prolific maker of a multitude of special editions that can be seen as individual works of art.The last time we heard about a new model from Pagani was in 2019 when the gorgeous Huayra BC Roadster made its appearance and conquered the hearts of many, despite only 40 units having been manufactured.We are now three days away from the official reveal of the magnum opus of the Huayra range and maybe Pagani supercars in general, the Huayra R.Set to be powered by a bespoke, natural aspiratedV12 that can rev to a stratospheric 9,500 rpm and supposedly delivers over 900 horsepower, the Huayra R is set to be the culmination of Horacio Paganis entire career as a sculptor of hypercars.Were not here to talk about that, though, because Pagani has apparently just started public testing the Huayra replacement, using a Huayra BC Roadster as a mule for its all-new powertrain.The prototype was spotted in Affalterbach, Germany, where Paganis engine supplier AMG is based, but sadly this doesnt give us too many clues regarding what powers the model.Having a closer look at the spy photos, it seems that the mule is definitely hiding a new powertrain since the traditional four-tip exhaust is actually fake, as the rear exhaust is a dual-tip one hiding inside the massive rear diffuser.Neither Mercedes-AMG nor Pagani has confirmed anything about this subject, but the Huayra replacement is expected to continue to offer a V12, most likely a heavily modified version of the 6.0-liter twin-turbo in the current models.Mercedes-Benz has already announced that the current S-Class will only get a version of said V12 in a Maybach version, which is yet to be officially introduced.A bit long in the tooth when it comes to modern emission standards, the AMG-built V12 may have gone through a massive redesign that could even feature a 48-volt mild-hybrid system on the new Pagani supercar.
SpaceX is aiming to topple its records for flights and launches worldwide to deliver payloads to various locations in space, as Elon Musk reveals the company's plans to deliver more than it did in 2020. This 2021, the company aims to deliver three or four times more than the rest of the world and more than the previous year.

The popular SpaceX and Tesla CEO is known for his massive words and claims on social media, but in the aerospace manufacturing company's case, most of his plans continue to proceed and come true.

This means that Elon Musk somehow teased and revealed that SpaceX is already lined up for deliveries this year, using the company's resources to bring needs outside the atmosphere.

In 2020, SpaceX had delivered and brought payload to the cosmic skies twice (2x) the amount as the rest of the world did, and that was during the pandemic, where a lot was restricted and contained. Moreover, the company has also partnered up with various agencies and companies with the likes of NASA Commercial Crew, government agencies, and the like.

Read Also: SpaceX Starlink Internet Won't Be Available on Teslas? Musk's FCC Request Expands Connection to Trucks, RVs

Elon Musk: 3x or 4x More Than The World for 2021 SpaceX Payload

SpaceX brought twice as much payload as the rest of the world last year, and the only one who can top that record is the company itself, and its next aim is to exceed that and bring three times more than other companies.

Having increased its goal for this year, Elon Musk (@elonmusk) is taking it up a notch for the private space company.

SpaceX did 2X rest of world payload to orbit last year, probably 3X to 4X this year  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 15, 2021

The space industry is massive for the entire world, and it is surprisingly so, despite being a very costly venture that requires a handful of resources to be mustered and gathered before beginning a single mission. However, despite all of those, SpaceX has prevailed last year, bringing massive payloads to space, including a team of NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).

SpaceX Payload: Launching Satellites, Humans, and MORE

SpaceX may still have a lot to work on with its Starship venture and its plans to bring humans to Mars with NASA, but it still has massive projects on its list to work on, especially with its Falcon and Dragon spacecraft.

The company offers a reusable spacecraft that efficiently cuts costs and production for every mission it does.

Most of SpaceX's missions were to add more Starlink internet satellites to Earth's orbit, as the company aims to start its services and product that beams wireless connection from the stars. The company's missions for Starlink in 2020 have now made their way to fruition, as it aims to debut Starlink's services in the coming months.

Related Article: Tesla Semi Track Test Drive Video Shows Prototype-Is it With the 4680 Batteries?

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isaiah Alonzo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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Press Release  Paris, March 15th, 2021

New governance at Danone

Emmanuel Faber steps down as Chairman and CEO

Gilles Schnepp appointed non-executive Chairman

The Board of Danone today announces key governance changes.

First, the Board has decided that Emmanuel Faber will step down as Chairman and CEO. As a consequence, it has appointed Gilles Schnepp as Chairman of the Board with immediate effect. Second, the Board has decided to appoint Veronique Penchienati-Bosetta, currently Chief Executive Officer International, and Shane Grant, currently Chief Executive Officer North America, to jointly lead the business while the search for a new CEO is underway. Veronique Penchienati-Bosetta (CEO) and Shane Grant (deputy CEO) will work together, with a focused attention on operational execution and delivery.

The immediate priority of the new Chairman, together with the Board, will be to lead the transition, including the search for a new CEO. Danone has appointed an international search agency to support the process. Gilles Schnepp and the Governance Committee will oversee the search to ensure that a world leading CEO is found. In his overall mission, Gilles Schnepp will be supported by the Executive VP Chairmans Office, Laurent Sacchi, the Chief Financial Officer, Juergen Esser and the full Executive Committee.

The Board believes in the necessity of combining high economic performance and the respect of Danones unique model of a purpose-driven company, built on the strength of its brands and enabled by the outstanding quality of its teams.



Gilles Schnepp, Chairman of Danone, said:

I am honoured to be appointed as Chairman of the Board of Danone at this important time for the company. I have tremendous regard for Danones history and its contribution to society through its world leading healthy food and beverages, and commitment to sustainability. The priority of the Board is now to transition towards an improved governance. This means accelerating the process to recruit a new CEO, while Veronique and Shane continue to lead the business during this period. I look forward to working with the Board to support them in their interim roles, and the wider management team as they accelerate our efforts to create value for all our stakeholders.

The Board and I want to thank Emmanuel for his leadership and significant contributions to Danone since 1997, and since 2014 as CEO and then Chairman & CEO. His vision and commitment to One Planet. One Health are ahead of the industry and have ensured that Danone is a world leader on sustainability. He leaves Danone with a strong platform from which to accelerate and grow. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Danone employees around the world that continue to work to grow and build the business for all consumers, customers and stakeholders.

Biographies

Gilles Schnepp

Upon graduating from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC) in 1981, Gilles Schnepp started his career in 1983 at Merrill Lynch France where he became Vice-President. He then joined Legrand in 1989, holding various positions before being appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2000. He was appointed to the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors in 2001 and Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 2004. Between 2006 and 2018 he has been Legrand Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Gilles Schnepp has been Chairman of the Board between 2018 and 2020. Since 2020, he has been an operating advisor of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.

He is today also a member of the boards of Legrand, Saint-Gobain and Sanofi.

Veronique Penchienati-Bosetta

Veronique Penchienati-Bosetta joined Danone in 2001 in marketing and General Manager roles before being appointed as Executive Vice President of Growth & Innovation for Danone in 2017, and as a member of the Danone Executive Committee in 2018. Veronique led Danones Growth & Innovation in e-commerce, leading to a doubling of sales from 2017 to 2020, and oversaw a 40% increase in innovation-led initiatives. Veronique became Executive Vice President of Specialized Nutrition in 2019, before being appointed Chief Executive Officer International in November 2020. Prior to Danone, Veronique worked in global health and beauty companies including Proctor & Gamble, in executive marketing positions.

Shane Grant

Shane Grant was previously Executive Vice President and CEO of Danone North America. Before joining Danone, Shane spent almost 20 years with The Coca-Cola Company, where he held various leadership roles in marketing, commercial and general management, including SVP Glaceau and President, Coca-Cola Canada. Shane was appointed President of the Still beverages business unit for Coca-Cola North America in January 2019, before joining Danone in May 2020.

o o O o o

About Danone ( www.danone.com )

Danone is a leading multi-local food and beverage company building on health-focused and fast-growing categories in 3 businesses: Essential Dairy & Plant-Based products, Waters and Specialized Nutrition. With its One Planet. One Health frame of action, which considers the health of people and the planet as intimately interconnected, Danone aims to inspire healthier and more sustainable eating and drinking practices. To accelerate this food revolution and create superior, sustainable, profitable value for all its stakeholders, Danone has defined nine 2030 Goals, and paved the way as the first listed company to adopt the Entreprise a Mission status in France. With a purpose to bring health through food to as many people as possible, and corresponding social, societal and environmental objectives set out in its articles of association, Danone commits to operating in an efficient, responsible and inclusive manner, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. By 2025, Danone aims to become one of the first multinational companies to obtain B Corp certification. With more than 100,000 employees, and products sold in over 120 markets, Danone generated 23.6 billion in sales in 2020. Danones portfolio includes leading international brands (Actimel, Activia, Alpro, Aptamil, Danette, Danio, Danonino, evian, Nutricia, Nutrilon, Volvic, among others) as well as strong local and regional brands (including AQUA, Bledina, Bonafont, Cow & Gate, Horizon Organic, Mizone, Oikos, Prostokvashino, Silk, Vega). Listed on Euronext Paris and present on the OTCQX market via an ADR (American Depositary Receipt) program, Danone is a component stock of leading sustainability indexes including the ones managed by Vigeo Eiris and Sustainalytics, as well as the Ethibel Sustainability Index, the MSCI ESG Indexes, the FTSE4Good Index Series, Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, and the Access to Nutrition Index.

Attachment
Australia will send a team of doctors including an infectious diseases expert to Papua New Guinea and consider fast-tracking vaccine supplies for the country as it battles an out-of-control coronavirus outbreak.

Fears about the situation escalated on Monday after Queensland health authorities found 250 positive COVID-19 results from 500 tests taken by PNG residents.

An Australian Medical Assistance Team will be deployed to PNG within days after the country reached out to the Morrison government for help. Credit:Eddie Jim

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk warned the surging COVID-19 cases presented a real risk to Australia, saying she had major concerns the virus could spread into her state and the Pacific nation needed more vaccines.

Some 500 tests, 250 positives, Ms Palaszczuk said. So one in two people. Thats quite extraordinary and quite concerning when its right on our doorstep.
South Africa: Load shedding to continue until Wednesday

Stage 2 load shedding is set to continue until 5am on Wednesday, Eskom has announced.

Over the past two days, Eskom teams successfully returned a generation unit each at the Matimba and Medupi power station. However, during the weekend we have suffered further breakdowns at five power stations, putting further strain on the generation capacity, Eskom said in a statement on Sunday.

The power utility said generation capacity is still severely constrained. Load shedding has been implemented since Wednesday.

On Sunday, the utlitity said additional breakdowns have occurred at Tutuka, Majuba, Kusile, Matimba and Duvha, adding to previous breakdowns at the Kriel and Kendal power stations.

Further to this we have had delays in units returning to service at Hendrina, Duvha and restoring full load on the Cahora Bassa line.

We currently have 6 545MW on planned maintenance, while another 12 915MW of capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns and delays. This has led to our inability to supply the demand, Eskom said.

The power utility said its working hard to return the units back to service.

Eskom will continue to assess and communicate promptly as the situation changes.

As previously communicated, Eskom continues to implement reliability maintenance during this period, and as such, the system will continue to be constrained, with the possibility of load shedding remaining elevated.

Eskom has requested the public to continue using electricity sparingly as the system remains vulnerable and unpredictable, and we will communicate timeously should there be any significant changes to the power system. SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-03-15. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Chinas path to green growth

Published 15 March 2021

Its been almost 25 years since Changming Gao, senior consultant of FLSmidth (Beijing) Co Ltd, proposed the Four-Zero and One-Negative sustainable development strategy. Since then, continuous improvements and innovation have enabled the cement industry in China to make considerable progress along the green growth track. By Changming Gao, FLSmidth (Beijing) Co Ltd, China.

In the first issue of 1997 of the Cement Technology magazine (January 1997) the author published an article on the Sustainable development strategy of the cement industry where he proposed the Four-Zero and One-Negative concept. This entailed:



Four-Zero

1. Minimising pollutants to achieve zero pollution from the cement manufacturing process

2. Reduce specific power consumption, and develop and apply waste heat power generation (WHPG) to achieve zero external power consumption during clinker production

3. Eliminate various wastes generated in cement production to achieve the zero deposit of wastewater and waste residue from plants

4. Use 100 per cent alternative fuels to achieve zero consumption of fossil fuels during the clinker production process.



One-Negative

Utilise more additives and less clinker, absorb (activate) waste residue and contribute to the negative growth of various wastes across society.

To continue reading this story and get access to all News, Articles and Video sections of the CemNet.com website, please Register for a subscription to International Cement Review or Login
Yashwant Sinha appointed as TMC Vice President, National working committee member

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Kolkata, Mar 13: Former union minister Yashwant Sinha, who joined the TMC this week, has been appointed the Vice President of the Mamata Banerjee-led party. He has also been made member of the TMC national working committee.

Sinha will campaign for the TMC and earlier said he was joining Mamata Banerjee to ensure her win in the West Bengal election, which will have national repercussions.

On Saturday, Sinha a bitter critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's regime, joined Trinamool Congress days ahead of the high octane West Bengal assembly poll saying the tipping point was the attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Sinha says Mamata offered self in exchange for Kandahar hostages

Sinha, a senior BJP leader who was a cabinet minister of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, told reporters that democracy is in peril in the country and it is the need of the hour to ensure that TMC wins the poll with a thumping majority.

Grammys 2021: Beyonce breaks record for most Grammy wins for a female artist | Oneindia News

Sinha was the union finance minister twice - once in the Chandra Sekhar cabinet in 1990 and again in the Vajpayee cabinet. He also held the portfolio of the external affairs ministry in the Vajpayee cabinet. He had served as the principal secretary to the then Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur in 1977. Influenced by Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan Sinha had resigned from the IAS in 1984 and had plunged into politics.
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PARIS  France will return the only painting by Gustav Klimt in its national collection to the heirs of Nora Stiasny, a Jewish woman who sold it under duress after the Nazis annexed Austria, Frances culture minister announced on Monday.

The minister, Roselyne Bachelot, said it was difficult but necessary for France to part with Klimts Rosebushes Under the Trees, which she called a masterpiece.

It is the completion of an act of justice, Bachelot said at a news conference in Paris, standing beside the early-20th-century painting, a lush, green canvas dotted with specks of floral color.

Rosebushes Under the Trees, which currently resides at the Musee dOrsay in the city, was not part of the special inventory of looted artworks returned from Germany to France after World War II ended. Unlike those artworks, which are not fully part of Frances national collections, the Klimt painting, which was bought in 1980, is legally considered the countrys inalienable property.
DUBLIN, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market by Type (PA, PEI, PEEK & PEKK, Reinforced), Form (Filament & Pellet, Powder), Technology (FDM, SLS), Application, End-use Industry, and Region - Forecast to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Global 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market is projected to grow from USD 72 million in 2020 to USD 202 million by 2025, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.9% between 2020 and 2025.

3D printing high performance plastic are a group of polymers that have heat distortion temperature greater than 150 degrees Celsius. These material features excellent properties such as extreme temperature resistance, superior strength & rigidity, increased durability, and high resistance to chemicals. However, the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic across all the end-use industries has affected the 3D printing high performance plastic market adversely.

PEEK & PEKK type is the fastest-growing segment in the 3D printing high performance plastic market in terms of both value and volume

PEEK & PEKK high-performance, engineering thermoplastic characterized by an unusual combination of properties such as superior mechanical strength, high chemical resistance, and very high strength to weight ratio. There are many companies in the market offering PEEK includes Victrex (VICTREX, PEEK VICOTE), Lehman & Voss (LUVOCOM), Evonik Industries AG (VESTAKEEP), and Solvay Group (Ketaspire, Novaspire. On the other hand, companies such as Lehvoss Group, Oxford Performance Materials, EOS, and Solvay offer PEKK. Most of these companies have been making huge R&D investments and hold significant stakes in the 3D printing industry.

Selective laser sintering (SLS) technology is anticipated to grow at highest CAGR in terms of value and volume

SLS is the fastest growing 3D technology that uses thermoplastic powder for making 3D printed parts. SLS technology is used for 3D printing PA, PEEK, and PEKK powder by aircraft, automotive, and consumer goods manufacturers. The technology is expected to advance its footprint in 3D printing other high performance plastics such as PAI, PSU, and PPSU.

Filament and pellet form is the largest used form of 3D printing high performance plastic in terms of both value and volume

The 3D printing high performance plastic in filament and pellet form dominated the market in 2019. The majorly used FDM technology employs high performance plastic filaments in the process. Companies such as Arkema, Solvay, Stratasys, Victrex, Evonik, and SABIC offer high performance plastics in the filament and pellet forms. However, powder form is expected to grow at a faster rate owing to their increasing adoption in the aerospace & defense industry and technological development in powder bed fusion technology.

Medical & healthcare is the largest end-use industry of 3D printing high performance plastic in terms of both value and volume

3D printing high performance plastic are widely used in medical & healthcare industry. Materials such as PEEK have found novel applications in spine implant design and is now broadly accepted as a radiolucent alternative to metallic biomaterials in the spine implant field. They also have high demand in orthopedic implants and bio-printing human organs. Variety of 3D printing high performance plastic are also used in manufacturing medical devices such as surgical equipment, prosthetics & implants, and tissue engineering products driving the growth of the market.

North America is the leading 3D printing high performance plastic market in terms of both value and volume

North America accounted for the major share in the 3D printing high performance plastics market, followed by Europe and APAC. The robust medical & healthcare, government support for aerospace & defense industries, and huge investments in research & development of novel high-performance plastics are triggering the growth of these plastics in the region. The region accounts for significant share of the global healthcare expenditure, which offers new avenues for medical-grade high performance plastic manufacturers to tap the medical & healthcare industry of the region.

The US is one of the largest markets for 3D printing high-performance plastics in the world, with some of the major companies, such as Stratasys, Oxford Performance Materials, 3D Systems Corporation, and 3DXTECH, in the country. Additionally, the US hosts one of the largest numbers of 3D printing start-ups in the world. This is further likely to supplement to the growth of the market in the region.

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction

2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights

4.1 Attractive Opportunities in the 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market

4.2 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market, by Application and Region

4.3 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market, by Form

4.4 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market, by Technology

4.5 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market, by End-use Industry

4.6 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market, by Key Countries

5 Market Overview

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Market Dynamics

5.2.1 Drivers

5.2.1.1 Increased Demand for 3D Printing High Performance Plastic from Medical & Healthcare, Aerospace & Defense, and Automotive Industries

5.2.1.2 Development of Application-Specific Grades of 3D Printing High Performance Plastics

5.2.1.3 Government Initiatives to Support Adoption of 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Technologies in Different Industries

5.2.2 Restraints

5.2.2.1 Environmental Concerns Regarding Disposal of 3D Printed Plastic Products

5.2.2.2 Skepticism Regarding Acceptance of New Technologies in Emerging Economies

5.2.2.3 Declining Economy due to COVID-19

5.2.3 Opportunities

5.2.3.1 Increasing Demand for Bio-Based Grades of 3D Printing High Performance Plastics

5.2.3.2 Growing Penetration of Reinforced 3D Printing High Performance Plastics in Functional Part Manufacturing

5.2.4 Challenges

5.2.4.1 High Manufacturing Cost of Commercial Grades of 3D Printing High Performance Plastic

5.2.4.2 Reducing Lead Time

5.2.4.3 Market Recovery from COVID-19

5.3 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.3.1 Bargaining Power of Buyers

5.3.2 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

5.3.3 Threat of New Entrants

5.3.4 Threat of Substitutes

5.3.5 Intensity of Competitive Rivalry

6 Industry Trends

6.1 Ecosystem: 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market

6.2 Value Chain Analysis

6.3 Technology Analysis

6.4 Pricing Analysis

6.5 Patent Analysis

6.5.1 Methodology

6.5.2 Document Type

6.5.3 Insights

6.5.4 Jurisdiction Analysis

6.5.5 Jurisdiction Analysis for 3D Printing High Performance Plastics

6.6 Key Market for Import/Export

6.6.1 US

6.6.2 Germany

6.6.3 France

6.6.4 UK

6.6.5 China

6.7 Case Study Analysis

6.8 Tariff and Regulations

6.9 YCC Shift: 3D Printing High Performance Plastic

7 Macroeconomic Overview and Key Trends

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Trends and Forecast of GDP

7.3 Trends in Aerospace Industry

7.3.1 Disruption in the Industry

7.3.2 Impact on Customers' Output & Strategies to Resume/Improve Production

7.3.3 Impact on Customers' Revenue

7.3.4 Most Affected Countries

7.3.5 Short-Term Strategies to Manage Cost Structure and Supply Chains

7.3.6 New Opportunities

7.4 Macroeconomic Overview and Key Trends in Automotive Industry

7.4.1 Introduction

7.4.2 Trends in Automotive Industry

7.4.3 Disruption in the Industry

7.4.3.1 Impact on Revenue Generated from Customers

7.4.3.2 Most Affected Countries

7.4.3.3 Short-Term Strategies to Manage Cost Structure and Supply Chains

7.4.3.4 Impact on Electric Vehicle (EV) Demand due to Lower Oil Prices

7.4.4 New Opportunities

7.4.4.1 Measures Taken by Customers

7.4.4.2 Customers' Perspective on Growth

8 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market, by Type

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Polyamide (PA)

8.3 Polyetherimide (PEI)

8.4 Polyether Ether Ketone & Polyether Ketone Ketone (PEEK & PEKK)

8.5 Reinforced HPP

8.6 Others

8.6.1 (Polyphenylsulfone) PPSU

8.6.2 (Polyamide-Imide) PAI

8.6.3 (Polysulfone) PSU

8.6.4 (Polyether Sulfone) PES

9 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market, by Form

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Filament and Pellet

9.3 Powder

10 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market, by Technology

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM)

10.3 Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

11 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market, by Application

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Prototyping

11.2.1 Develop Models at Low Costs and Reduced Time

11.3 Tooling

11.3.1 Manufacture Components at Low Cost Without Compromising on Quality and Functionalities

11.4 Functional Part Manufacturing

11.4.1 Shift Towards Bulk Manufacturing to Drive Penetration of 3D Printing High Performance Plastics

12 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market, by End-use Industry

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Medical & Healthcare

12.2.1 High Demand for Making Medical Devices, Implants, and Bio-Printing Human Organs

12.3 Aerospace & Defense

12.3.1 High Demand for Replacing Metal Components to Increase Fuel Efficiency

12.4 Transportation

12.4.1 High Demand for Prototyping Automotive Components

12.5 Oil & Gas

12.5.1 High Demand for Manufacturing Stiff, Light, Durable, and Corrosion Resistance Components

12.6 Others

12.6.1 Electrical & Electronics

12.6.2 Consumer Goods

12.6.3 Industrial

13 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market, by Region

13.1 Introduction

13.1.1 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market Size, by Region

13.1.2 North America

13.1.3 North America: 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market Size, by Form

13.1.4 North America: 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market Size, by Type

13.1.5 North America: 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market Size, by End-use Industry

13.1.6 North America: 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market Size, by Country

13.1.6.1 US

13.1.7 US: 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market Size

13.1.7.1 Canada

13.1.8 Canada: 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market Size

13.1.8.1 Mexico

13.1.9 Mexico: 3D Printing High Performance Plastic Market Size

13.2 Europe

13.3 APAC

13.4 MEA

13.5 South America

14 Competitive Landscape

14.1 Introduction

14.2 Market Share Analysis

14.3 Market Evaluation Framework

14.3.1 New Product Launch/ Development

14.3.2 Acquisition

14.3.3 Agreement/Contract/Partnership

14.3.4 Expansion

14.4 Revenue Analysis of Top Market Players

14.5 Company Evaluation Matrix

14.5.1 Star

14.5.2 Pervasive

14.5.3 Participants

14.5.4 Emerging Leaders

14.6 Strength of Product Portfolio

14.7 Business Strategy Excellence

14.8 Start-Up/Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) Evaluation Matrix

14.8.1 Progressive Companies

14.8.2 Responsive Companies

14.8.3 Dynamic Companies

14.8.4 Starting Blocks

15 Company Profiles

15.1 Arkema S.A.

15.2 Royal DSM N.V.

15.3 Stratasys, Ltd.

15.4 Evonik Industries AG

15.5 3D Systems Corporation

15.6 EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems

15.7 Victrex plc

15.8 Solvay Group

15.9 Oxford Performance Materials

15.10 SABIC (Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corporation)

15.11 Other Key Players

15.11.1 BASF New Business GmbH

15.11.2 3DXTECH

15.11.3 3D4Makers

15.11.4 Lehman & Voss &Co.

15.11.5 Treed Filaments

15.11.6 DuPont

15.11.7 Toray

16 Appendix

16.1 Discussion Guide

16.2 Knowledge Store: The Subscription Portal

16.3 Available Customizations

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Denton, TX (76205)

Today

Thunderstorms this morning, then partly cloudy during the afternoon hours. High 77F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
So, in today's edition of 'things the world doesn't need because we have more pressing matters at hand', a fundraising campaign had been started on GoFundMe to pay Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's mortgage to help them pay for their huge mansion in California.

This happened after the Sussexes announced that they had been cut off financially by the British royal family.

Also read: Meghan Markle's Alleged Email to Royal Aide About Kate Middleton Tabloid Story Has Surfaced

AP

From racism to financial issues, the ugly truths were bared for the entire world to see during their interview with Oprah.

During all of this, a woman named Anastasia Hanson from California started a GoFundMe page to raise $10 million to help Meghan and Harry to pay off the mortgage on their luxurious mansion in California.

Hanson said that the page is not a joke and that she genuinely wants to help the couple through this time. The page was named 'Harry and Meghan $5 Donation to buy Home.'

Also read: John Oliver Had Warned Meghan Markle In 2018 That Marrying Into The Royal Family Would Be 'Weird'

Twitter

The page, that was taken as a joke, was removed after raising just $110.



According to The Daily Mail, Hanson said that she just wanted to help the couple in any way that she could and she would have done the same for anyone who needed a home. Turns out, she lives about 25 minutes away from the Sussexes.

Also read: Someone Edited Special Effects From An Indian Soap Into Meghan Markle's Interview & It's Hilarious

AP

According to a 2020 report by The Street, Prince Harry was worth $40 million at the time and his wife, Meghan, was worth around $5 million as a successful Hollywood actor last year.
The same precautions that will protect you from the common cold and the flu will protect you from COVID-19:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

Avoid touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.

Cover coughs/sneezes with your arm or a tissue.

Avoid exposure to others who are sick.

Stay home if you are ill (except to visit a health care professional) and avoid close contact with others. See CDC guidelines on when to quarantine.



Get adequate sleep and eat well-balanced meals to ensure a healthy immune system.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

We continue to closely monitor the guidelines from local, state and federal agencies. The university works closely with and maintains coordination with local and state departments of health.

As always, the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, patients and visitors is our top priority. We will continue to keep our community informed  and we encourage everyone to practice routine hygiene etiquette as this is the best way to prevent the spread of infection.
[March 15, 2021] ucfunnel and NetRange partner to enable dynamic ads across the Smart TV ecosystem

SAN FRANCISCO, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ucfunnel, a global Smart Media programmatic solution provider, today announced a new partnership with NetRange MMH GmbH ('NetRange'), an ACCESS CO., LTD. company and the leading global provider of white-label certified Smart TV ecosystems, to deliver value-added advertisements on NetRange's portal for Premium Streaming VoD Content. ucfunnel and NetRange's exclusive industry-leading partnership builds on MediaTek Smart TV turnkey solutions to integrate the advantages of ucfunnel's IAB Tech Lab certified OM SDK into NetRange's portals for Smart TV and MediaTek's hardware design to serve the needs of premium OEMs. The collaboration provides access to NetRange's advertising tool, which includes full backend control (removing the requirement for underlying software to change code), customizable ad placement, and ad targeting based on factors such as device, country, brand and more. The integrated solution benefits both premium content providers and media buy sides, creating a seamless user experience by providing a highly visual digital journey on Smart TVs. Leveraging ucfunnel's splash ad solution on Connected TV launchers, ucfunnel will showcase NetRange's CTV inventory, attracting global media buy sides to reallocate media spend on high-impact ad formats exclusively available on Smart TV portals. This year alone, over 10 million Smart TVs will ship with ucfunnel's marketing automation solution, reaching more than 100 countries across North, Central, and South America, the Asia-Pacific and MENA regions, and the EU and Africa. ucX, the ad exchange platform powered and developed by ucfunnel, serves 150 billion impressions monthly. The platform meets the growing needs of both media buyers and trade media across the globe by achieving market penetration on an automated system level, intelligently tailoring campaigns to deliver high-impact ad experiences and boosting campaign relevance and stickiness. "ucfunnel's Smart Media solution redefines what is possible with Smart TV portals," said Mr. Michimasa Uematsu, Director, CTO & Senior Managing Executive Officer at ACCESS CO., LTD., NetRange's Parent Company. Kenny Wu, Head of Smart Medi BU at ucfunnel, applauded the strong partnership with ACCESS CO., LTD. and NetRange. "We are excited to work with NetRange to deliver and leverage brand images on Smart TV portals through marketing automation."



The partnership with ACCESS evolves the monetization strategy of NetRange's portal for Smart TV (powered by MediaTek Smart TV turnkey solutions) by scaling dynamic advertising and increasing interactive user experiences while accessing Premium Streaming VoD Content. Smart TV portals combining Recommendation and e-commerce related services are expected to launch in the coming months, further expanding the reach of ucfunnel's marketing automation solutions. About ucfunnel

ucfunnel, a global Smart Media programmatic solution provider, helps media and publishers leverage content and generate value by strategically showcasing their inventory across devices, especially in the Smart Media ecosystem. ucfunnel has established end-to-end media marketing solutions for Ad Exchange, SSP, and DMP using IAB Tech Lab certified OM SDK. The total AI solution serves up to 150 billion bid requests monthly by partnering with over 50,000 publishers across the globe, especially in the US, APAC and MENA markets. ucfunnel teams with global buy side partners while also providing 24/7/365 technical and business support to grow with them across devices and ad formats. The variety of offerings includes Web, App, DOOH, IoT, OTT, STB, audio, standard and high impact ad formats. ucfunnel operates across regions at a global scale, optimizing current products and working with partners like ACCESS and NetRange on new product development. For more information, please visit https://www.ucfunnel.com . About ACCESS Since 1984, ACCESS CO., LTD. has provided advanced IT solutions centered around mobile and network software technologies to telecom carriers, consumer electronics manufacturers, broadcasting and publishing companies, the automotive industry and energy infrastructure providers around the world. The company develops mobile software solutions that have been installed on over 1.5 billion devices, and network software solutions that have been used by over 300 telecommunication equipment manufacturers. Utilizing its network virtualization technology skills and knowledge, the company is currently focusing on the development and commercialization of IoT and media solutions that combine embedded and cloud technology. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, the company operates subsidiaries and affiliates in Asia, Europe and the United States to support and expand its business globally. Learn more about ACCESS at www.access-company.com. About NetRange As one of the pioneers of Smart TV, NetRange is the global provider of white-labeled turnkey Smart TV and OTT ecosystems. NetRange is operating an integrated, full-service solution that includes UI design, payment, billing and customer management, content aggregation, backend services including global CDN, second level support and app development for more than 100 global CE, TV, STB, retailer and operator brands, such as Vodafone, Grundig, Arcelik, TCL, Skyworth, Sharp, Loewe, Changhong, Ikea, MSH, Thomson and HD+. Its fully featured content portfolio includes local and global premium VoDs, linear TV channels via IP, cloud games, live sports, music and lifestyle apps. On its white-labeled Smart TV app store, NetRange makes media content available for TV users in over 100 countries around the world. In 2016 NetRange has launched OS.CAR, the new connected car infotainment platform. Recently, NetRange has released VISNOS, the new client-based Smart TV OS. With VISNOS, NetRange enables a full Smart TV experience on low end / low CPU powered DTV/ATVs without the integration of a browser and significantly reduces BOM costs. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ucfunnel-and-netrange-partner-to-enable-dynamic-ads-across-the-smart-tv-ecosystem-301246685.html SOURCE ucfunnel

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A woman was stabbed in the stomach by a mugger who demanded her bag and attacked her when she refused to hand it over.

The 48-year-old was walking along Bougainville Road at Lethbridge Park in Sydney's west about 9pm on Sunday when she was approached by the man.

The attacker demanded the woman hand over her bag then stabbed her in the abdomen before fleeing from the scene.

The 48-year-old was walking along Bougainville Road at Lethbridge Park in Sydney's west about 9pm on Sunday when she was approached by the man

The woman was stabbed in the abdomen by the man and was taken to Mount Druitt Hospital (pictured)

The woman was rushed to Mount Druitt Hospital and was later transferred to Westmead Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police are investigating and urged anyone with information about the man to come forward.

The attacker is described as Mediterranean or Middle Eastern appearance with a thin build.

Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, disappeared while walking home from a friend's house in Clapham Common on March 3

The stabbing occurred just days after Sarah Everard's body was found in Kent, southeast England, after she disappeared on her way home from visiting a friend on March 3.

Scotland Yard Police confirmed the human remains found in Kent belonged to Ms Everard.

On Saturday, serving police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, was remanded in custody after appearing in Westminster Magistrates' court charged with kidnap and murder.

The court heard Miss Everard's body was found inside a builder's bag and identified through the use of dental records.
More than 30,000 people booked Covid-19 vaccination appointments in the first three hours after the programme was opened up to people over 50, it has emerged.

The Health Minister has revealed the booking system experienced a surge in demand on Monday morning  despite concerns the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine may be linked to people developing blood clots.

Health officials and politicians have been speaking out in a bid to ensure public confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine after a number of countries, including the Republic of Ireland, suspended the use of the jab.

Robin Swann appeared at the Assembly on Monday afternoon and stood by the decision to continue to use the vaccine, which has been given to more than 300,000 people in Northern Ireland to date.

Whilst my Department is aware of the decisions of some other jurisdictions to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccination as a precautionary measure  in this instance I will again be led by the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) experts.

Read More

They are very clear that members of the public should continue to come forward for their vaccination.

The evidence available from the UKs very large dataset shows no unusual correlation between receiving the vaccine and the frequency at which blood clots occur naturally.

While he accepted that some people may not feel want to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, he said there will be no facility to allow people to choose an alternative vaccine.

Until now, Northern Irelands vaccination centres have been administering the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

However, following delivery of a significant amount of the AtraZeneca vaccine last week, this will be offered to people attending to the vaccination centres, including the SSE Arena which is due to open before the end of the month.

The media was invited to the Ulster Hospital on Monday morning as Northern Irelands chief medical officer, Dr Michael McBride, received his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Speaking afterwards, he described the move by the Republic of Ireland as a very precautionary decision.

He also said there are no cases of people developing blood clots that have been linked to the vaccine.

He continued: The MHRA is looking at all of the data, we have a small number of individual case reports of concerns but the MHRA is very clear they do not feel those are linked to the vaccine and are probably random events which are occurring and would have occurred normally.

Read More

But as I said, what the public should be assured of is that the MHRA is a global leader in safety and efficacy of vaccines and is publishing data on side effects on a weekly basis.

This is a safe, effective vaccine as recommended by MHRA and lets remember, this virus kills people, it kills people my age, younger people and older people, and the benefit is strongly in favour of people getting this vaccine at this time.

The chair of the Stormont health committee, Sinn Feins Colm Gildernew, has said that he has booked an appointment, while the First Minister, Arlene Foster, has also said she is looking forward to receiving her first dose of the vaccine.

Im more than happy to take the vaccine and in fact very much looking forward to getting it, she said.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization and the European Medicines Agency have said there is no indication of a link between the vaccine and reports of blood clots.

As of today, there is no evidence that the incidents are caused by the vaccine and it is important that vaccination campaigns continue so that we can save lives and stem severe disease from the virus, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said.
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A special forces soldier who served in two wars and works for a shadowy group has been arrested over the sniper execution of a notorious bikie leader.

The suspected hitman was arrested after a three-month investigation into the brazen murder of Rebels boss Nick Martin.

Dozens of police officers shut down a quiet suburban street in Waikiki, in Perth's south, and stormed the man's red-brick home before arresting him on Monday.

Armed officers formed a ring of steel around the station on Monday night in a bid to protect the man amid fears of a bikie attack, The West Australian reports.

Police are still grilling the man over the high-profile execution and are expected to lay charges on Tuesday.

An engineer-turned-soldier (pictured) is being questioned by officers over the murder of a bikie boss

Martin (pictured) was shot in the back at a drag-racing event in Perth in December last year. Police suspect he may have been shot by a sniper from a distance as far as 300metres away

The suspect, who portrays himself as an adventure-loving humanitarian on social media, has links to an international organisation called 'Shadow of Hope'.

Last year, the organisation shared a post online paying tribute to the soldier for his service in Iraq, describing him as their 'resident thrill-seeker and heartbreaker'.

'He was a natural fit for this role, and his tireless work, courage, and unique humor have given so much to those we serve,' the group wrote.

The man was an electronics engineer before serving in two wars, 'both privately and as a team leader, sniper and combat medic', according to the organisation.

He has also been described as an 'adrenaline junkie', with a passion for wingsuit BASE-jumping, which has seen him star in documentaries and 'compete on the world stage'.

'He has stated to us that while he loves the adventurous life, it is selfish that he pursues these risks simply for his own benefit, the group said online.

'[He said] Anyone can risk their life BASEjumping. But with Shadows of Hope, at least Im risking mine to help others.

The man told the organisation he chose to serve with them.

Police raided the man's home in Waikiki on Monday, seizing several items, with forensic teams scouring nearby bushland at Warnbro

Police pictured raiding the man's house in Waikiki over the sniper shooting of bikie Nick Martin

Forensics teams and detectives, including Australian Federal Police, spent all of Monday afternoon sweeping the man's home in Waikiki.

Police spent a considerable amount of time examining a boat parked out the front and a motorbike before taking both items away.

Other investigators were seen scouring bushland surrounding the salt water flats along Safety Bay Road, in nearby Warnbro, before loading evidence bags into vehicles.

Shocked neighbours said the man and his girlfriend were 'model neighbours' who always looked out for the community.

Forensics teams and detectives swarmed the suspected shooter's home in Shoalhaven Place, in Waikiki, on Monday

Police seized a boat from his Shoalhaven Place property on Monday

A bike was also towed away from the property by police as part of the investigation

The man's arrest comes after police posted a $1 million reward for information related to the brazen shooting.

The Rebels bikie boss, 51, was shot in the back at a packed drag racing event at the Perth Motorplex, Kwinana Beach at 8.30pm on Saturday, December 12.

He died at the scene in front of hundreds of horrified families and children including his own wife and step-daughter.

After being hit, Martin told his wife Amanda: 'babe, I've been shot', as she tried to give him CPR while he died in her arms.

Another man, convicted drug dealer Ricky Chapman, was injured in the shooting at the Kwinana raceway, south of Perth.

Police said the same bullet that killed Martin had passed through to hurt Chapman - and a bullet fragment was recovered from his arm.

The public were shocked by the brazen execution which happened right in front of families. Pictured: the scene on the night of the shooting

One of the possible shooter locations previously identified at the Perth Motorplex. A long shot would indicate a sniper, experts say

Queensland University of Technology associate professor of criminology Mark Lauchs, an expert on outlaw motorcycle gangs, told Daily Mail Australia 'If it's from a long way away, I would assume it's not bikie related as that's not how bikies do things,' he previously told Daily Mail Australia.

'It may be associated with things other than a bikie war.'

Professor Lauchs said a deliberate execution of this type would be more likely to do with organised crime than an inter-club bikie war or an internal club dispute.

Martin (pictured) died in the arms of his wife Amanda as she tried to give him CPR. His last words were: 'babe, I've been shot'

WA Police had reportedly been trying to work out whether the sniper shot the bikie from an area close to bushland on the edge of the motor complex.

It is thought that surveillance cameras at the complex might yield some clues to the public killing that shocked the nation, with a toilet block 20 metres from where Martin was sitting thought to be the most valuable.

Mr Lauchs told Daily Mail Australia that bikies were more direct, preferring brute force and open violence such as drive-by shootings and bashings to settle inter-club bikie war or internal club disputes.

He said a deliberate execution of this type would be more likely to do with organised crime.

Big outlaw motorcycle clubs often had individuals within them involved with organised crime even when the club itself was not an organised criminal group, he said.

A $1 million reward was offered for information leading to the arrest of the shooter who killed Nick Martin, 51, (pictured with wife Amanda)

Hundreds of mourners gathered on December 23 to farewell the former Rebels president at his Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park funeral - the majority turning up in patched Rebels colours.

Martin's coffin was covered in pictures of $100 bills and Bob Dylan's All Along the Watchtower played as bikies took turns to walk up and touch it as it was brought in under a marquee for the service.

The public execution sparked fears of an bikie war, and WA Police launched Taskforce Ravello to find the killer.

Bikie compounds and properties were raided across Perth in December but no leads have been made public.

Rebels bikie Nick Martin was riden in to Pinnaroo Cemetery in a coffin covered in pictures of $100 bills (pictured) at his extravagant bikie funeral on December 23
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A US judge has slapped Google with a class action lawsuit that might land the search giant with a fine of $5 billion. As per the suit, Google has been tracking and collating data even when people use the private 'Incognito' mode on its Chrome browser.

In a significant ruling, District Judge Lucy Koh in the state of California adjudged that the tech giant "did not notify users that it engages in the alleged data collection while the user is in private browsing mode," the Bloomberg reported.

Also Read: Google to support 1 million women entrepreneurs in rural India

Meanwhile, a Google spokesperson told American technology news website The Verge on Saturday, March 13 that the company disputes the lawsuit's claims. "We will defend ourselves vigorously against them," the representative was quoted as saying in the news report. Google Chrome's 'Incognito' mode allows users the option to browse the internet without their activities being saved to either devices or browser.

"As we clearly state each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity during your session," Google reaffirmed.

A formal complaint was filed by Chrome users in the US in June last year, alleging that the company has a "pervasive data tracking business." They claimed in the lawsuit that the "tracking persists even if users take steps to protect their private information, such as using incognito mode in Chrome, or private b rowsing in Safari and other browsers."

Also Watch: Google to inform about vaccination centres; Buffett's net worth crosses $100 bn

Meanwhile, Google, on its part, has already announced a gradual phase-out of third-party cookies from Chrome browser.

The search giant had said earlier this month that once third-party cookies are removed from its platforms, it will not create alternate identifiers to track users as they browse across cyberspace, nor will the company use them in its products.

Google Chrome had expressed its intent to pull out support for third-party cookies last year. Cookies let advertisers trail users as they move between several websites.

Third-party cookies have been obstructed in Apple Safari and Mozilla Firefox and Google means to do the same in Chrome.
Gardai have described the arrest of a man as extremely significant as they aim to dismantle an organised crime gang involved in laundering over 10m of invoice re-direct fraud funds through Irish bank accounts.

Detectives found a number of fake ID documents when the suspect was arrested at a property in Naas this morning and he is currently being questioned by fraud squad detectives at Irishtown Garda Station in south Dublin.

He is the 15th suspect to be arrested as part of Operation SKEIN by detectives from the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB).

This individual states that he is aged 24 but gardai are not satisfied that is his age until further checks are carried out, a senior source told Independent.ie.

But what specialist officers are certain of is that the Nigerian national has played a key role in the international crime gang involved in the massive fraud operation.

He can be described as money management in that he is suspected of recruiting money mules and then managing their accounts. He decides what goes in and what goes out of the bank accounts and is deeply involved in the co-ordination of where the money goes, the source pointed out.

Investigations have established that the suspect has set-up a number of bank accounts using a false name but he was also previously arrested after he attempted to open an account at a bank in the capitals north inner city with a false passport while using his actual name around two years ago.

This suspect is very presentable and clean cut and it is suspected that he has been setting up bank accounts under a false name for a number of years which has meant he has been the focus of major investigations by at least four different garda stations during that time, the source added.

Sources say that he has close connections to the Crumlin area and is closely linked to another Nigerian national who is 37-year-old man who had been living in the south Dublin suburb and is considered one of the main players in the mob.

He was arrested last month as part of the probe last month and investigations have also established that Irish based females from Ghana and Zimbabwe are important members of the organised crime gang.

While 15 arrests have now been made so far as part of Operation SKEIN, the GNECB have identified 90 suspects resident in Ireland and are satisfied that 10m has been laundered through Irish bank accounts.

Invoice redirection fraud happens when a person or a business fall prey to requests, purporting to emanate from trusted suppliers or service providers, into believing that a beneficiarys bank account details have been changed.

As a result, funds that are due to be paid out are transferred to a fraudulent account known as a money mule account.

Money mule accounts are usually held by unconnected third parties, who are approached by recruiters and asked to allow their accounts be used for a transaction in exchange for a fee of a few hundred euro.

Often the fraudsters use students' and young people's bank account details by offering them a fee to allow use of their accounts for a few days.

Operation SKEIN is focusing on an international criminal organisation who have been using Irish bank accounts to store money stolen from companies in every EU country, Russia, Canada, China, African countries and the US gardai say.
Paul Stanhope has always been a composer to harness the resonance of association with other music Credit:Rhett Wyman

With soprano and tenor soloists (a pristine clear-voiced soprano Chloe Lankshear, and gently grained tenor, Richard Butler) and small instrumental ensemble of oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, harp and percussion, the new Requiem has clarity of shape, and fresh and imaginative musical ideas, all wrought together with Stanhopes characteristic high craft.

In his new Requiem, Paul Stanhope has interspersed and, in some cases, replaced the words of the traditional Latin Requiem with poems by five women. As Stanhope notes, the choice of female poets was not pre-planned but the end result of an instinctive set of decisions. The result is a work of nuanced expressive variety alternating between ritualised sorrow and reflection reminiscent of Brittens War Requiem.

Stanhope has always been a composer to harness the resonance of association with other music, and, in addition to the link with Britten, this work includes a fragment of plain chant at the start, and an unmistakably Stravinskyan sound in the woodwind, percussion and rhythmic vocal writing of the Sanctus, dedicated to Sydney chamber choir conductor Richard Gill.

Like Faure, Stanhope hints right at the start at music to be heard later in Lux Aeterna with luminous harmonies in the high voices. This is a major contribution to Australian choral music and deserves not only the standing ovation given it at the end but wide dissemination.

The program began with Minga Bagan  Mother Earth by Brenda Gifford, a work of quiet warmth and telling simplicity. In music by Victoria, Mary Finsterer and James McMillan, the balance and sometimes the pitch of the Sydney Chamber Choir seemed hindered by the socially distanced spacing, but their return to the stage after an exile of 364 days generated palpable energy and joy.

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Earlier on the same day, Sydney Philharmonia youth choir Vox also returned with a beautifully structured program built around Arvo Parts Berlin Mass, celebrating the remarkable flowering of choral music in the Baltic states in the past four decades. Vox cut through the imposing and potentially overwhelming space of Saint Andrews Cathedral with purity of sound, clarity of articulation and precision of pitch, cohesively balanced within each section, albeit with a slight deficit of numbers among tenors and basses.
Many readers of the EL PAIS English Edition have been getting in touch to request information about Spains Covid-19 vaccination program, while doubts and queries are regularly being voiced on Facebook groups that cater to United Kingdom nationals (UKNs) and other foreign residents in the country.

As such, the English Edition has requested clarification from the British Embassy in Madrid as to their advice for UKNs as the campaign progresses.

All people living in Spain are eligible for the vaccine, regardless of nationality or residency status Spokesperson from the British Embassy in Madrid

An Embassy spokesperson said: The Spanish Governments Vaccination Strategy is clear that, as a matter of public health, all people living in Spain are eligible for the vaccine, regardless of nationality or residency status. At the current time, those in the priority groups are being vaccinated  irrespective of nationality or type of sickness insurance. The Vaccination Strategy is updated regularly to include new priority groups as the number of doses available gradually increases.

Those UK nationals who are already registered in the public health system should be contacted by their regional health service to arrange an appointment. The Spanish authorities are asking insurance companies to coordinate with regional health services in order to provide vaccines to their customers. We are in touch with the Spanish authorities regarding progress of the rollout and what that means for UK nationals. Meanwhile UK Nationals living in Spain can contact their local health centre or insurer for more information.

The embassy also recommends that people check the Spanish governments list of frequently asked questions at this link and can also find information about priority groups here (Spanish text). The Health Ministrys Twitter account is also regularly publishing information on the progress of the pandemic in Spain and the vaccination program.

The English Edition will continue to publish regular updates about the vaccination campaign in Spain, all of which will appear under the Society section here. You can also follow our Twitter and Facebook pages to receive all of our stories via social media as we publish them.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Editors Note: The original version of this article incorrectly stated the monetary amount of the six industrial revenue bonds.

The proposed expansion of the Facebook data center in Los Lunas has prompted community concerns about water use competing with local farms and businesses.

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The Los Lunas Village Council last week unanimously approved the issuance and sale of up to six series of industrial revenue bonds totaling $40 billion for Facebook subsidiary Greater Kudu, LLC. The bonds will help finance the data center expansion of six new buildings, which would double its size.

Village attorney Jill Sweeney said the site expansion will not change the companys October 2016 water services agreement.

The data center has access to up to 500 acre-feet, or about 163 million gallons, of consumptive water rights through that agreement.

Data centers use water to cool servers and other equipment, and to maintain humidity levels in a desert environment.

Currently, the maximum one-day demand availability is 1.5 million gallons, Sweeney said. However, Greater Kudu LLCs typical average day demand for 2020 was 153,000 gallons. The data center uses 80% less water than the average data center, and restores more water annually in the Rio Grande watershed than it consumes.

The council cited company water use data to conclude that even a large expansion of the facility supported by the bonds would not exceed the centers allotted water use.

About 180 acre-feet of water is what Facebook uses currently, and thats about 5% of our total capacity water use, so its not a huge amount, Councilor Phillip Jaramillo said. The Corrections Department uses almost that amount of water as well. Its not that much for our system, but of course, any bit of waters important.

Before Thursdays council vote, about 50 Valencia County farmers and residents protested the expansion plans with a vehicle caravan to the Los Lunas village administration offices.

They carried signs saying Water for peoples needs, not corporate greed, and Stop sucking Valencia County dry.

Deirdra Velazquez, a member of Valencia Water Watch, said the community organization has not confirmed Facebooks claims about efficient water and energy use at its data center campus.

Were not anti-Facebook, Velazquez said. But the village has been doling out our water to different corporations. Its time they realize the people in this community, the backbone of this community, need to have a say in whats going on with the water.

In February, Niagara Bottling Co. withdrew an application with the Village of Los Lunas to expand its water use after outcry from farmers and residents, including some who attended Thursdays protest.

Los Lunas pumps water from the aquifer at five wells near the Rio Grande for its municipal supply.

Agriculture uses the biggest share of New Mexicos water. The Office of the State Engineer estimates irrigated agricultural water use accounts for 76% of the states total withdrawals.

The extended drought and a large water delivery debt to southern New Mexico and Texas has prompted severe water shortages and irrigation restrictions for area farmers.

The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District delayed the start of the irrigation season until April 1.

State water managers advised farmers who do not absolutely have to farm to abstain this year, as water along the Rio Grande will likely be in short supply.

Another business demanding water is a concern for farmers like Leroy Baca, whose family has grown alfalfa, oats and sorghum wheat in Tome for several generations.

This year, Ill probably only get one cut of oats, Baca said. Farming is our traditional way of life, but if you dont have an expensive attorney like some of these companies, its difficult to maintain those water rights.

Facebook funding has enabled the conservation group Audubon Southwest to lease and release water into the Rio Grande to benefit wildlife habitat.

In 2018, the organization used the social media companys funding to release about 32 million gallons into the river.

In 2020, the company helped fund a 65 million-gallon release.

The entities have agreed to work together on supplementing river flows through the year 2027.

Tax breaks and increased water allotments should be directed to the countys small farmers and businesses instead of large corporations, said Alejandria Lyons, a SWOP environmental justice organizer and native of Los Lunas.

We want to make sure theres water for our small farms, she said. We want to have people who grow chile and local food.

Economic development groups tout the data center expansion for its local job creation.

The center has 100 full-time employees and 200 contract employees. The planned expansion would create at least 30 more full-time jobs and hundreds of construction jobs.

Melinda Allen, president and CEO of New Mexico Partnership, said the bonds and resulting expansion could help diversify the local and state economy.

By creating these clusters of technical jobs and projects, it allows New Mexico to leverage these assets to recruit additional high-tech related businesses and projects to the state, Allen said.

Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- Cable veteran Noel Dempsey has been promoted to vice president of field operations for Spectrums Northeast Region, which comprises the companys cable systems serving millions of customers in Upstate New York and New England.

Dempsey succeeds Terence Rafferty, who retired from Charter Communications earlier this month after a decades-long career with Charter and its predecessor companies.

Dempsey, who will be based in Rochester, previously served as area vice president of field operations for Central New York, which stretches from Watertown to Binghamton and includes the Syracuse, Utica and Corning markets.

Noel brings to the role extensive experience in both technical operations and network engineering, a powerful combination for leading our field operations organization, said Tom Adams, executive vice president of field operations for Charter, which operates the Spectrum brand of broadband, video, mobile and voice services.

Dempsey will lead the field operations workforce, including technicians who perform installation and service calls in customers homes and businesses, as well as maintenance, design and construction of local broadband networks.

He will also oversee the completion of Spectrums extension of its network to 145,000 Upstate New York homes and small businesses, which the company agreed to as part of the Charter-Time Warner Cable merger.

Dempsey joined Charter as a result of the merger with Time Warner Cable in 2016, after holding a series of senior engineering leadership roles at TWC, most recently as group vice president, network expansion and outside plant design. He began his career in the cable and broadband industry as a field technician with TWC in 1996.
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The new director-general of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said she may not have won her election if she did not enjoy the tremendous support of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, who is on a working visit to Nigeria, said this at a meeting with Mr Buhari in Abuja on Monday.

Details of the meeting were contained in a statement by presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina.

You nominated me, you wrote hundreds of letters, called up hundreds of world leaders. Without your personal and direct intervention, it may not have worked, Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, Nigerias former finance minister, was quoted to have said.

Read Mr Adesinas full statement below.

President Muhammadu Buhari Monday hosted in audience Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, newly appointed Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), telling her that despite the robust support Nigeria gave to her candidacy for the position, You also earned it. We are happy you made it, but you earned it with your record of performance both at home and abroad.

The President said Mrs Okonjo-Iweala was putting Nigeria more on the world map, and I congratulate you, as well as the country. I know you will represent us so well.

President Buhari lauded Nigerian women once again, pointing to key positions they hold like Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, and many others. He said the same way, government would encourage the youths, so that they can be ready for the challenges of the future.

The new WTO DG thanked President Buhari for the pulsating support she received from her own country in the race for the position.

You nominated me, you wrote hundreds of letters, called up hundreds of world leaders. Without your personal and direct intervention, it may not have worked. The people of Nigeria also supported me massively. The youths were wonderful, always encouraging, backing me up on social media.

Mr President, the world recognizes what you have done. Since its establishment, only men have led the WTO. Now, a woman has emerged for the first time, and shes a Nigerian. We are so honoured, Mrs Okonjo-Iweala said.

She apprised the president of the opportunities for Nigeria in the global organization, as well as the challenges, stressing that WTO will do more to help Nigeria, but we need to add value to our products in order to trade more. We should exploit all the opportunities in front of us.

She added that the support and leadership of President Buhari will help her a lot in her position as DG.

Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala assumed office on March 1, 2021, as the first female DG of the World Trade Organization
Europes biggest countries, including Germany and France, suspended use of AstraZeneca Plcs COVID-19 vaccine amid a growing health scare thats creating yet another delay for the European Unions inoculation campaign.

The decisions add to the list of governments that have halted the distribution of the shots following reports of serious blood clotting, even as the EU drugs regulator reiterated its support for the vaccine.

The suspensions mark a U-turn for some countries that had previously said inoculations should continue while the issue was investigated. Italy also suspended AstraZenecas shot and Spain was poised to do so, according to media reports. The announcements follow crisis talks among health officials from those countries as well as Germany and France.

EU health ministers are due to hold a video conference on Tuesday, where the latest concerns will probably dominate proceedings. In its statement on Monday, Germany cited additional cases of serious thrombotic events in recent days as reason for the temporary suspension.

As Europe tries to sort the vaccination issue, its also dealing with rising coronavirus cases that are forcing some governments to reimpose restrictions on activity. Most of Italy returned to lockdown on Monday.

The European Medicines Agency said the benefits of the Astra vaccine continue to outweigh the risks. It said its working closely with the company and health officials, including the drug regulator in the U.K., based on its experience with about 11 million of the shots.

The agency previously said that inoculations should continue while the clotting is investigated, and only 30 people have had issues out of about 5 million vaccinated. The EMAs safety committee is scheduled to further review the information Tuesday and has called an extraordinary meeting on Thursday to take any further actions needed, according to a statement.

Many thousands of people develop blood clots annually in the EU for different reasons, the agency said. The number of thromboembolic events overall in vaccinated people seems not to be higher than that seen in the general population.

The response to the Astra issue has until now been far different in the U.K., where authorities have moved to reassure the public. Prime Minister Boris Johnsons official spokesman Jamie Davies said Monday it remains both safe and effective, a view echoed by Scotlands first minister, Nicola Sturgeon.

For the EU, the latest suspensions are yet another blow to a vaccination campaign thats been embarrassingly slow and is proving politically damaging to governments. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkels Christian Democratic Union suffered a rout in regional elections over the weekend thats being partly blamed on the governments handling of the pandemic.

Despite the efforts of some medical officials to reassure the public about the safety of the Astra shot, concerns are growing. In Sicily, some 7,000 people canceled their vaccination appointments after an Astra batch was seized by the authorities, while 4,000 called off appointments in Tuscany, according to local media.

An AstraZeneca representative declined to comment on the latest round of suspensions, referring to the companys previous statement that the incidence of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism reported among those given the vaccine in the EU and U.K. is much lower than would be expected to occur naturally.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn said the countrys agency that oversees vaccine safety changed its opinion on Monday, and cited seven instances of serious clotting that had occurred out of some 1.6 million doses administered. That agency, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, issued a statement highlighting a striking accumulation of very rare clotting in the brain.

This all concerns a very low risk, but if it proves to be related to the vaccine, then it would be an above-average risk, Spahn said.

AstraZenecas vaccine is one of four that have been approved in the EU, alongside those from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, Moderna Inc., and Johnson & Johnson. With supplies from J&J yet to arrive and doses of Moderna limited, that means the bulk of immunizations in many countries will now be conducted with the Pfizer-BioNTech shot.
When prison officials watched Patrick Giblin depart on a plane from a Pennsylvania airport in July, they knew he was a convicted scam artist and someone who had escaped from custody once before only to continue his deceiving ways.

They still put him on the plane alone.

They wouldnt see Giblin again for months, even though the 56-year-old was required to report to a halfway house in Newark later that day to serve the remainder of his sentence for defrauding women over telephone dating services of tens of thousands of dollars.

Giblin was designated an escaped federal inmate.

Last week, after more than seven months on the run, the U.S. Marshals Service located Giblin in Atlantic City and arrested him, the U.S. Attorneys office announced Monday.

It is the latest development in Giblins criminal record of swindling that dates back to at least 2007, when he was convicted to scamming more than 50 women out of $200,000.

While serving the final part of the sentence in a Philadelphia halfway house, he failed to return after going to look for a job as part of his work-release program in 2013. He was eventually found in an Atlantic City hotel and arrested for escaping and sentenced to additional prison time. Authorities said he had continued scamming women again on telephone dating services after escaping, according to court documents.

After serving a few months in prison for escaping, Giblin was again released from prison. Under his supervised release order, Giblin could not travel out-of-state.

However, on Dec. 16, 2014, he was captured at a motel in Colonie, N.Y., where authorities said he was in the midst of his latest scheme to defraud women.

From Jan. 13 until he was captured in New York, authorities said Giblin posted advertisements and messages on telephone dating services throughout the country in order to form a rapport with numerous women to eventually dupe them into paying him money through lies and manipulation.

Giblin used some of the money to purchase more airtime minutes for his cell phone to continue defrauding other women, authorities said.

He pleaded guilty in 2017 to one count of interstate travel and use of a facility in interstate and foreign commerce with the intent to launder money, and was later sentenced to five years in prison.

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Giblin was approved to be released from prison and serve the remainder of his sentence at a halfway house in Newark.

On July 23, officials from the Bureau of Prisons traveled with Giblin from a federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, to a local airport and observed him depart the airport by plane on a route to Newark, which included a layover in Charlotte, North Carolina, officials said. The travel plans were an approved itinerary, according to court documents, that required him to report to the halfway house at 3 p.m.

He never showed up, authorities said.

A warrant was put out for his arrest that same day, but Giblin was not located until last week.

Giblin faces up to one year in prison if convicted of the escape charge. He has not been accused of any other wrongdoing after he escaped from custody.

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BOSTON - Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have uncovered new clues that add to the growing understanding of how female mammals, including humans, "silence" one X chromosome. Their new study, published in Molecular Cell, demonstrates how certain proteins alter the "architecture" of the X chromosome, which contributes to its inactivation. Better understanding of X chromosome inactivation could help scientists figure out how to reverse the process, potentially leading to cures for devastating genetic disorders.

Female mammals have two copies of the X chromosome in all of their cells. Each X chromosome contains many genes, but only one of the pair can be active; if both X chromosomes expressed genes, the cell couldn't survive. To prevent both X chromosomes from being active, female mammals have a mechanism that inactivates one of them during development. X chromosome inactivation is orchestrated by a noncoding form of RNA called Xist, which silences genes by spreading across the chromosome, recruiting other proteins (such as Polycomb repressive complexes) to complete the task.

Jeannie Lee, MD, PhD, an investigator in the Department of Molecular Biology at MGH and the paper's senior author, has led pioneering research on X chromosome inactivation. She believes that understanding the phenomenon could lead to cures for congenital diseases known as X-linked disorders, which are caused by mutations in genes on the active X chromosome. "Our goal is to reactivate the inactive X chromosome, which carries a good copy of the gene," says Lee. Doing so could have profound benefits for people with conditions such as Rett syndrome, a disorder brought on by a mutation in a gene called MECP2 that almost always occurs in girls and causes severe problems with language, learning, coordination and other brain functions. In theory, reactivating the X chromosome could cure Rett syndrome and other X-linked disorders.

In this study, Lee and Andrea Kriz, a PhD student and first author of the paper, were interested in understanding the role of clusters of proteins called cohesins in X inactivation. Cohesins are known to play a critical role in gene expression. Imagine a chromosome as a long piece of string with genes and their regulatory sequences being far apart, says Lee. For the gene to be turned "on" and do its job, such as producing a specific protein, it has to come in contact with its distant regulator. Chromosomes allow this to happen by forming a small loop that brings together the gene and regulator. Ring-shaped cohesins help these loops form and stabilize. When the gene's work is done and it's time to turn off, a scissor-like protein called WAPL snips it, causing the gene to disconnect from its regulator. An active chromosome has many of these loops, which are continually forming and dissociating (or separating).

These small loops, which are essential for gene expression, are relatively suppressed on an inactivated X chromosome. One reason, as Lee and her colleagues have already shown, is that Xist "evicts" most cohesins from the inactive X chromosome and that this cohesin depletion may be necessary to reorganize the shape and structure of the chromosome for silencing.

In the current study, Lee and Kriz used embryonic stem cells from female mice to find out what happens when cohesin or WAPL levels are manipulated during X chromosome inactivation by using protein-degradation technology. "We found that if cohesin levels build up too high, the X chromosome cannot inactivate properly," says Lee. Normally, retaining cohesins (which are normally supposed to be evicted) prevented the X chromosome from folding into an inactive shape and gene silencing was affected. "You need a fine balance between eviction and retention of cohesins during X chromosome inactivation," says Lee.

Next, the authors asked what happens when cohesin is manipulated in an active X chromosome. The short answer: It takes on some peculiar qualities of an inactivated X chromosome. First, when there is insufficient cohesin, the active X develops structures called "superloops" that are usually only seen on the inactive X. Second, when there is too much cohesin, the active X develops "megadomains," which Lee calls two "big blobs," and are also ordinarily unique to the inactive X. "The fact that we can confer some features of the inactive X chromosome onto the active X chromosome just by toggling cohesin levels is intriguing," says Lee. She and her colleagues are trying to understand how and why that happens.

These findings suggests that shape and structure of the X chromosome play a vital role in allowing Xist to spread from one side to the other and achieve inactivation. "The more we learn about what's important for silencing the X chromosome," says Lee, "the more likely we'll be to find ways to reactivate it and to treat conditions like Rett syndrome."

###

Lee is director of the Lee Laboratory at MGH, vice chair of Molecular Biology, and a professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School.

About the Massachusetts General Hospital

Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The Mass General Research Institute conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the nation, with annual research operations of more than $1 billion and comprises more than 9,500 researchers working across more than 30 institutes, centers and departments. In August 2020, Mass General was named #6 in the U.S. News & World Report list of "America's Best Hospitals."
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Kildare farmer instructed to pay over 2,500 following Wildlife Act prosecution

NPWS on high alert for hedgerow cutting and removal during the bird nesting season

Minister for Heritage Malcolm Noonan welcomes NPWSs zero tolerance approach to habitat destruction

The National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has warned of a zero tolerance approach to the illegal cutting of hedges between 1st March and 31st August each year. This follows a recent prosecution related to illegal hedgerow destruction in Kildare, which resulted in a large fine.

Hedgerows are superhighways for nature, a hugely valuable and biodiverse network that extends throughout the country and includes some of the oldest and most well established habitat in our landscapes, said Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD. The vast majority of landowners are already aware that, while limited exemptions do exist, it is illegal to damage or destroy hedgerows during the breeding season. I welcome NPWSs zero tolerance approach to offences under the Wildlife Act. These are extremely serious matters and my Department is responding by actively recruiting additional Conservation Rangers and establishing a Wildlife Crime Unit to properly resource our efforts to protect nature. I call on members of the public who witness these acts to contact and provide as much evidence as they can to the NPWS.

Commenting on the need for a zero tolerance approach, Padraig ODonnell, Regional Manager with the NPWS, said: We are experiencing a crisis in our countryside and we have to undertake a zero tolerance approach. Were losing hedgerows forever, and we need to temper it. There are exemptions and not all hedge cutting is illegal. This is not about people clipping a hedge, this is about hedgerow destruction. The biodiversity-rich hedgerows in the greater countryside are part of our shared heritage, but these are being destroyed by contractors and landowner, and we are determined that this must stop.

In addition to increasing staffing resources on the ground and establishing the Wildlife Crime Unit, NPWS has said that it will bring further cases to court for any cases that see bird nesting habitat destroyed through the removal of hedgerows. NPWS is on high alert for hedgerow cutting and hedgerow removal, Mr ODonnell added, and we are determined to follow up on reports and prosecute where possible.

A successful prosecution took place earlier this month. On Monday March 1st, Mr. Robert Conlon, Eyrefield Road, Athgarvan, Co. Kildare, appeared before Nass District Court charged with two offences under the Wildlife Acts. The case was prosecuted by Gareth Robinson BL instructed by State Solicitor Sharon Murphy. The case was taken on behalf of the National Parks & Wildlife Service (NPWS) of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Both offences occurred on the 15th of July 2019 at Dunmurry, Co. Kildare. The first charge relates to Section 40 of the Wildlife Acts, which makes it an offense to destroy vegetation on uncultivated land during the bird nesting season, which runs from the 1st of March to the 31st of August each year. The defendant was also charged under Section 69 of the Wildlife Acts for aiding and abetting the Section 40 offense. Mr. Conlon pleaded guilty to both charges.

Mr. Kieran Buckley, a Conservation Ranger with the NPWS, outlined to Judge Desmond Zaidan at Naas District Court, that on the day of the offense he observed a significant amount of vegetation had been destroyed in an area near Dunmurry House. He told the Judge that Mr. Conlon cut the vegetation at a particularly sensitive time of the year when young birds are still in their nests  and which are hidden among vegetation. He told the court that vegetation growing in uncultivated land is very important habitat for breeding birds. Judge Zidane said he was aware that there was a lot of this type of activity going on and wondered why it cannot be done outside of the nesting season, to protect wild birds. The Judge also noted the high level of public concern surrounding the cutting of vegetation during the bird nesting season and asked Mr. Buckley: was this act carried out with malice. Mr. Buckley explained to the Judge that Mr. Conlon told him that he was "tidying up the place and he claimed the defendant seemed indifferent to the consequences of his actions.

Prosecuting counsel Gareth Robinson BL told the Judge that Wildlife Act offenses carry a Class A fine of up to 5,000 for each summons. When asked by the Judge what were the costs, Mr Robinson replied 1,000. The Judge revised this figure to 500, plus vat. Defence council for Mr. Conlon told the court that her client who farms land in Dumurry was prepared to make a charitable donation of 1,000. Judge Zidane replied that this figure was insufficient and imposed a 2,000 fine on Mr. Conlon for the Section 40 offense, ordered that he pay the 500 plus vat, and took into consideration the Section 69 offense. The Judge found the facts of the case proven and applied the Probation Act to Mr Conlon. He asked Mr. Buckley to nominate a wildlife charity. The Irish Wildlife Trust were nominated as the recipients of the fine imposed.

Commenting on the value of hedgerows, Padraig ODonnell, Regional Manager with the NPWS said: Around the country, hedgerows which have been growing for hundreds of years are being wiped out. These have been growing out and supporting huge biodiversity but once they are destroyed they are gone forever, as is the biodiversity that depended on them. Everything from birds to mammals to insects to plants. They are a source of food and shelter and one of our most important habitats.

He urged people observing loss to contact the NPWS by sending an email to natureconservation@chg.gov.ie outlining their concerns and providing evidence where possible. Wildlife Act enforcement relies on evidence, he noted.

Dates for the cutting of hedges are set down in primary legislation under the Wildlife Acts. Section 40 of the Act prohibits the cutting, grubbing, burning or destruction of vegetation, with certain strict exemptions, from 1 March to 31 August.

There is provision in the legislation for some restricted exemptions from the prohibition during the closed period - for example, for works undertaken in the ordinary course of agriculture or forestry, for health and safety reasons, the destruction of noxious weeds, in respect of works permitted under statute and for works undertaken for road safety reasons (both landowners and public authorities can take reasonable steps to address hedges and trees for road safety reasons at any time of the year).
In this photo from Jan. 4, 2019, students take part in a Korean essay composition competition hosted by Yonsei University's Korean language school at the school's Sinchon campus in Seoul. Korea Times file



By Ko Dong-hwan



An increasing number of Korean language schools in Incheon are closing as social distancing rules for the COVID-19 pandemic have deterred people from taking classes.



The dip in student enrollments comes as schools across the country ceased outdoor activities teaching Korean culture and traditions and shifted all lessons online to comply with the government's measures aimed at coping with the deadly disease.



According to Yonhap News Agency, Incheon National University's Songdo Campus plans to temporarily close its Korean language school after the ongoing spring semester that runs from March to May is complete. The language school had been running three-month semesters, four times a year.



The school saw an enrollment boom during its fall semester (September to November) in 2019 before the new coronavirus was reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan, with over 2,000 enrolled students. In the spring semester this year, enrolled students only numbered about 200, down 90 percent.



Yonsei University International Campus on Songdo Island closed its Korean language school earlier this month after completing the last semester in 2020 with 46 students. For students who still have remaining classes to be completed, the school started directing them to the university's Sinchon Campus in Seoul's Seodaemun District.



Yonsei University's Korean Language Institute has been running since the campus was opened in 2010.





A sign at Yonsei University's Korean Language Institute Sinchon Campus advises of the school's temporary closure Jan. 28, 2020. Yonhap
Manish Malhotra is a leading designer who has been dressing some of the biggest stars in Bollywood for a very long time now.



His costumes in movies have served as an inspiration for a lot of Indians who look to emulate the outfits.

Goes without saying that Manish is also a major fashion aficionado who strives to bring his creativity into his personal outfits and looks as well.

Just like other b-towners who have time and again wore some zany ensembles, Manish too has been at the forefront when it comes to bold fashion statements.

 Viral Bhayani

Having said that, he clearly has a grasp on what works for him.



His monstrous sneakers or tech running shoes are a testament to the fact that he knows how to deck up for a particular occasion.

We have been following his style moves quite closely and this time, yet again, he wore a pair with dope aesthetics. Take a look.

What He Wore:

 Viral Bhayani

Manish kept his outfit quite simple. We like how he has opted for a monochromatic look. He teamed a black short kurta with black pants.



The outfit looks dapper and even though it's basic, the shoes here, no doubt, added that much-needed panache to his overall look.

The Brands:

 Louis Vuitton

Another thing that's certain about Manish is the fact that he is into extravagant things.



This time, he wore Louis Vuitton's Beaubourg Platform Derby with heels. These are actually from the women's section but combine masculine and feminine influences.

This is one of the standout looks from the Fall-Winter 2019 collection.

 Louis Vuitton

The pair has thick laces with white eyelets and stitching. The chunky but lightweight outsole is made to add extra height.



The Price:

 Viral Bhayani

These sneakers are a statement piece for several reasons and since they are designed by a high-end luxury brand, the cost of the shoes is bound to be sky-high.



For those of you who are as curious as we are, these cost roughly $1060, which converts to Rs 77,124 approximately. Add your regular customs and import duties and these would be worth almost Rs 80,000.

Why It Works:

 Twitter/Meninheels

 Viral Bhayani

For the unversed, decades ago, heels had actually found their place in the wardrobes of male soldiers, royals and aristocrats. The origin can be traced back to 15th Century Persia when soldiers wore such heels to secure their feet in stirrups.



Well, Manish continues to score brownie points for taking bold fashion risks and knocking it out of the park, every time!
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Mumbai, March 15 : Actor Akshay Kumar will be heading to Ayodhya soon for the mahurat shot of his upcoming film "Ram Setu".

The actor will reach Ayodhya on March 18 along with the film's director Abhishek Sharma and creative producer Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi. It was the Dwivedi who came up with the idea of shooting the mahurat shot at Ayodhya, "What better way to embark upon the journey of 'Ram Setu' than to kick-off at the very birth place of Lord Ram. Having visited Ayodhya several times myself, I suggested to Akshay and the team that we should launch the production schedule with blessings from the holy temple of Lord Ram. We are scheduled to hold our mahurat shot in Ayodhya and commence our filming on an auspicious note," says Dwivedi.

Sharma reveals that Akshay will be seen in a new avatar. "Akshay sir plays an archaeologist and his look and character is inspired by several Indian and international professional archaeologists who work in the field. In terms of both look and character, Akshay sir's fans are in for a totally new avatar," he says.

The film also stars actresses Jacqueline Fernandez and Nushrratt Bharuccha. Talking about their roles in the film, the director says: "They both play strong, independent women with well-etched out parts. We are keeping their looks under wraps for now!" Meanwhile, Sharma adds that Akshay came on board with the film almost instantly.

"I first read newspaper coverage about a court case related to a project to build a shipping canal in the shallow straits between India and Sri Lanka and the issues that the project was facing. I found this to be an opportunity to explore the truth behind an Indian legend and was amazed at the magnitude of the subject. It's like I was being presented with the possibility to bring forward a true story that would connect generations of Indians to a part of our heritage that was not getting the attention it deserved. I pitched the first draft of the screenplay to Akshay sir and he immediately came on-board," says Sharma.

The film will be shot at multiple locations while 80 per cent of it will be based in Mumbai.

Producer Vikram Malhotra says that all Covid protocols are in place for the shoot.

"For 'Ram Setu', there will be strict protocols in place, including travel and stay bio-bubbles, frequent health checks and a professional agency on-board to manage these protocols all through. Given the complexity of the story and ensuing locations, VFX etc, the production will be spread across multiple schedules over the next few months," he says.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
France, Germany, Italy and Spain on Monday became the latest countries to suspend use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine as EU regulators investigate reports of blood clots in recipients, joining Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Ireland and several others.

The latest: The European Medicines Agency said in a statement it would carry out a" rigorous analysis of all the data related" to blood clots this week, but added: "While its investigation is ongoing, EMA currently remains of the view that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing COVID-19, with its associated risk of hospitalisation and death, outweigh the risks of side effects."

The state of play: AstraZeneca has insisted that its vaccine is safe, and the World Health Organization has cautioned countries against suspending vaccinations. The countries said they were taking the steps as a precautionary measure.

What they're saying: AstraZeneca said in statement Sunday that there have been 15 cases of deep vein thrombosis and 22 cases of pulmonary embolism among the 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union and United Kingdom thus far.

"This is much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size and is similar across other licensed COVID-19 vaccines," the pharmaceutical company said.

"The nature of the pandemic has led to increased attention in individual cases and we are going beyond the standard practices for safety monitoring of licensed medicines in reporting vaccine events, to ensure public safety," AstraZeneca's chief medical officer Ann Taylor said.

A World Health Organization spokesperson said Monday: "As of today, there is no evidence that the incidents are caused by the vaccine and it is important that vaccination campaigns continue so that we can save lives and stem severe disease from the virus."

The big picture: AstraZeneca is one of four coronavirus vaccines that have received emergency authorization in the EU, in addition to Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. AstraZeneca has not yet applied for emergency authorization in the U.S., as it awaits data from a large clinical trial.
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Letitia Wright has paid tribute to her late Black Panther co-star Chadwick Boseman, describing him as the big brother I never had.

Boseman, who died in August aged 43 after being diagnosed with colon cancer, received a posthumous Oscar nomination on Monday for his role in Netflix drama Ma Raineys Black Bottom.

He became an international superstar playing the lead role in Marvels 2018 blockbuster Black Panther, which also featured Wright.

Speaking to British Vogue, Wright, 27, recalled their first meeting.

She said: From the moment we met, I loved Chadwick Boseman. I landed in Los Angeles in September 2016, called to audition for a Marvel Studios film that was to be directed by Ryan Coogler. It was clear this was a big deal.

I was only 22 and incredibly nervous, but Chad  already cast as the lead  walked in with a smoothie, laid-back and cool. I heard God speak to my heart; that he would be my brother, and that I was to love him as such.

As we read our lines, playing siblings for the first time, my hand reflexively went to his chest, over his heart surprising me. Why was I touching the chest of a man Id just met? But then he wrapped his huge, beautiful hands around mine and held them there.

Wright, who played Shuri, Black Panthers technologically gifted younger sister, added: It became more than an audition scene. I felt I had found the big brother I never had. The next time we met, on set in Atlanta, his energy was lower.

He said he was just tired, flying coast to coast to test with different actors, and I worried our connection wasnt clicking anymore. But, unbeknown to me, he had already told his team and Marvel that he felt like he had found his sister in me.

Guyanese-British actress Wright, also known for roles in Doctor Who and Black Mirror, credited Boseman with changing her life.

Expand Close Letitia Wright has paid tribute to her late Black Panther co-star Chadwick Boseman (Steven Meisel/Vogue/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Letitia Wright has paid tribute to her late Black Panther co-star Chadwick Boseman (Steven Meisel/Vogue/PA)

She said: I wish I had got to say goodbye. I wish that I could tell him how much he inspired me. How cherished he is by the world. How grateful I am to him for seeing me, a young black woman from Guyana  a small fish in a big pond.

How his yes for me to be a part of his world changed my life forever. For his selfless act of sharing his spirit and gift with us.

See the full feature in the April issue of British Vogue available via digital download and on newsstands now.
OSLO, Norway, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DigiPlex, the Nordic leader for sustainable, innovative, and secure data centers, has hired Phil Coutts as Chief Development Officer to oversee the ongoing, planned and future development of DigiPlex's data center portfolio.

As Chief Development Officer (CDO), Coutts will lead DigiPlex's team of development experts who together create facilities that meet the stringent specifications of both hyperscale and colocation customers. He will focus on combining world class safety, quality and sustainability standards with right first-time delivery to meet today's accelerated demand cycles.

Commenting on Coutts' appointment, DigiPlex CEO, Wiljar Nesse, said: "At a time when we have significantly grown our portfolio, Phil will play a key role in orchestrating our capabilities and capacity to deliver high quality facilities at speed." Nesse added, "We opened two major data centers in 2020 and have another due to come online in Q2, plus we have acquired 170,000 m2 of land for new campuses near Oslo and Copenhagen - Phil will be busy from day one!"

Prior to joining DigiPlex, Coutts founded and led Mace International Data Center Business operating in several of Europe's leading data center markets including the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands and Denmark. As such he has developed deep expertise in data center and critical infrastructure design, construction and development.

Coutts is committed to the continuous improvement of health and safety standards and is involved in a number of Health &Safety boards and leadership schemes, including co-chair of the British Safety Council (BSC) Construction Sector Interest Group. This commitment to health and safety is demonstrated on Phil's projects, where his teams have received industry recognition at the highest level earning five stars in British Safety Council Five-Star Health and Safety and Environmental Management audits and winning Swords and Globes of Honour in consecutive years and across multiple geographies.

"DigiPlex is an established leader at the intersection of digitization and environmental developments and so is uniquely well placed to meet the evolving demands of the market," Coutts said. "We have a compelling solution to anyone seeking an environmentally friendly technology platform, both in our standard facilities and in our build to suit capabilities. I am delighted to be joining the DigiPlex family at this exciting time to help develop and deliver the sustainable digital infrastructure the global economy needs while guaranteeing the safety, sustainability, quality and on time delivery standards demanded in the modern world."

CONTACT:

Elisabeth Lennhede

Head of Communications

+46703322705

[email protected]



This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/digiplex/r/digiplex-appoints-phil-coutts-as-chief-development-officer,c3306126

The following files are available for download:

https://news.cision.com/digiplex/i/wiljar-nesse--ceo--digiplex,c2888519 Wiljar Nesse, CEO, DigiPlex https://news.cision.com/digiplex/i/phil-coutts--cdo-digiplex,c2888520 Phil Coutts, CDO DigiPlex

SOURCE DigiPlex
A lofty idea to help constrain fires begets a wondrous outcome.

War remnants made into fire extinguishers

As a mechanical engineering graduate, Mr. Nguyen Quang An (born 1962, from Thu Duc, HCM City) had a zeal for firefighting. A terrible gas storage fire that caused many houses to burn down in January 1975 in Binh Thanh District fueled that passion within him.

Despite firefighting foam being in vogue, equipment containing it remains a rarity. That is how fire extinguisher came to my mind. If fire-prone areas are equipped with fire-fighting foam containers, people can take a proactive approach in case of emergency, said Mr An.

Mr Ans ardour for firefighting has never cooled off.

He said alleys with a breadth of only two motorcycles are inaccessible to firefighting equipment. So the man embarked upon a lengthy search for long-lasting materials and ultimately discovered a 155-millimeter cannon cartridge in scrap. This was rolled in 1.2-mm thick corrugated iron with a lining of excellent quality which is resistant to destruction and corrosion of chemicals for decades. The cartridge shell was superb itself, so it did not require much additional work and WAS very cost-effective.

The finished products were brought to HCMC Police Department of Fire Fighting and Prevention for quality evaluation and were greatly acclaimed. The Department signed a contract with Mr An for 5,000 fire extinguishers.

Mini fire trucks

In Mr Ans view, any conflagration in a dense city like HCMC can be destructive if massive fire trucks have no access. Mini firefighting means come in handy in this case.

The portability of the smaller version should go along with flexibility and efficiency.

Mr An turned his Honda 2-wheel motorcycle into a 3-wheel mini fire truck, which required effort to design, saw, and weld, and installed a water pump. Sixty-meter-long water pipes and a water container with a capacity of 150 liters were placed around the rear area. The vehicle was also equipped with four fire extinguishers and a dedicated kit and siren system as well as priority indicators.

Being well supplied with professional fire-fighting equipment can be bulky, but this is not the case with the mini truck. It is compact and sturdy, making it perfect for small alleys.

The mobility and potency of this quirky three-wheeled fire truck was certified by HCMC authorities. Orders have been coming in since 2001. The product is used in most wards of Binh Tan District, District 11 (HCMC), Ca Mau city (Ca Mau province) and some localities in Cambodia.

Firefighting boats

A follow-up to tiny fire trucks were fireboats that help douse bushfires.

There have been annual fires in Upper U Minh and Lower U Minh National Parks, rudimentary means did not suffice for such enormous area. I hence devised forest patrol boats which could initially intervene if any fire is detected. The plow motor cage wheel and the propeller motor allow boats to circulate on land, in mud and underwater, said Mr An.

After research, he did a trial run. Regrettably, spinal surgery resulting from years of dedication to manufacturing fire-fighting equipment hurt the noted engineer, leaving the fireboats unfinished.

Mr An had all the disassembled parts transferred to a friend, a teacher at the Central Transport College VI who fulfilled the task.

The mini fire truck.

Well-equipped yet compact.

Small alley problem solved.

Fireboat on trial.

Another success of Mr An.

Nguyen Son
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HBO's latest true crime docuseries Allen v. Farrow has been making headlines for several weeks. The finale and fourth episode of the show has conveyed the lingering effects of filmmaker Woody Allen's alleged sexual assault of his daughter, writer Dylan Farrow.

Dylan's mom, actress Mia Farrow who also features in the documentary, revealed that she never brought another man home to her family after Allen, because "I don't trust myself to know. If I couldn't trust Woody after 12 years, how would I - I would never take another risk on anybody else."

She also said that she was afraid of the consequences after the docuseries was aired and of the filmmaker Allen. "A person who has no allegiance to truth will do anything. A person who will do anything, is somebody to be scared of, " sahe said

Woody Allen was accused of sexually assaulting Dylan in 1992 in Mia's Connecticut home. However, Allen has repeatedly denied the allegation and has never been charged with the crime. The docuseries also shed light on how Dylan has been coping with the assault. She said, "It doesn't go away. It doesn't vanish overnight. It's a lifelong sentence."

One of the biggest revelations from the final episode came from Allen and Mia Farrow's biological son Ronan Farrow. He said that Allen had offered him financial support on the condition that he discredits his mother and sister.

"Our mother did such a good job shielding us from all this. She went above and beyond to never say anything that would be construed as critical of my father or push or think one thing or another. She really just tried to distance us and shield us," Ronan Farrow, a renowned journalist said in Episode 4.

Woody Allen had accused Mia Farrow of being an unfit mother, following which Soon-Yi Previn, Allen's current wife, and Moses Farrow, his adopted son, have alleged that Mia was abusive to them over the years.

Now, opening up about the allegations against his mother, Ronan said, "But for all of us growing up, there was always a lot of incentive to be drawn into Woody Allen's efforts to discredit my sister."

"For example, he made funding my college education contingent on me speaking out in his support publicly. The offer always stood that if I were willing to publicly go against my mother and my sister that he would offer financial support, support for my education and perhaps a comfortable life with a powerful, influential guy," he added.

Ronan also revealed in the series that initially, he tried distancing from his sister's allegations. After listening to Dylan and looking at the court documents, "my reaction was, 'Well, holy (expletive). I've been turning away from a real (mischaracterization) of justice here."

ALSO READ: Kate Winslet On Woody Allen, Roman Polanski: Must Set A Decent Example For Younger Women

ALSO READ: Woody Allen Is A Great Fan Of Miley Cyrus
Mercedes has made "a horrible start" to the 2021 season, according to team boss Toto Wolff.

The team, having won every single title throughout the rest of the 'hybrid' era, suffered reliability and handling issues during the mere three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain.

So with some pundits describing Lewis Hamilton as recently 'grumpy', is the seven time world champion now feeling nervous as well about his prospects for 2021?

"No, he's not and neither are we," Wolff insisted. "I'm not surprised by anyone - it's all still hidden. We'll see at the first race weekend.

"But we do have to understand what was wrong with the balance," he added. "As for Red Bull, they have made a start like we managed in the previous years."

Many, though, think Mercedes may be bluffing, to which Valtteri Bottas replied jokingly: "Of course we are."

Red Bull is therefore not getting too excited.

"Two years ago they also had problems in testing, and then we know what happened," said team boss Christian Horner.

However, Dr Helmut Marko has described Red Bull's start to 2021 as "the best in the team's history".

The other Honda-powered team, Alpha Tauri, also looks quick on the Bahrain timesheets.

"The engine is much better," said the team's rookie Yuki Tsunoda. "Honda has taken a big step compared to last year, especially with the power on a fast lap."

Mercedes, meanwhile, is struggling with the rear handling, as observers pointed out the 'lasagne'-style solution to cope with the new floor regulations.

"The rear of the car doesn't feel very good with these rule changes," Hamilton admitted. "But we are trying to find solutions."

Red Bull's Marko noted to Sky Deutschland: "I don't think we have seen the full potential of Mercedes yet, but their car does seem pretty nervous."

Max Verstappen finished the test with the best time in his new Red Bull, revealing that the car "reacts exactly as it should, which is nice".

But he insisted: "I don't see us as favourites. The favourite is the team that has won all those races and titles. So nothing has changed for me."

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz is also sceptical, telling Spanish journalists: "I don't believe anything about Mercedes or what I see from the other teams either. It's still too early."

Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel added: "What you can say is that Mercedes didn't do the miracle mileage it did in the past. But I'm sure they'll be well positioned in the first race."

(GMM)
The decades-long search for missing California college student Kristin Smart has taken a new turn with investigators conducting a search warrant at the family home of the prime suspect in her disappearance.

Investigators brought in ground penetrating radar equipment and cadaver dogs to search the home in Arroyo Grande on Monday morning.

The San Louis Obispo County Sheriff's Office said the home belongs to Ruben Flores, the father of Paul Flores who has long been a suspect in Smart's 1996 disappearance.

The investigators say the search of the property using the new tactics could take up to two days to complete.

Smart was last seen in the early hours of May 15, 1996 when she returned to her dorm after a party near the California Polytechnic State University campus.

The decades-long search for missing California college student Kristin Smart has taken a new turn with investigators conducting a search warrant at the family home of the prime suspect, Paul Flores, in her disappearance

Investigators brought in ground penetrating radar equipment and cadaver dogs to search the home in Arroyo Grande, California on Monday in the search for Kristin Smart's remains

Flores, now 44, was a former classmate and the last known person to see Smart the night she vanished.

The sheriff's office said Flores, who has never been charged, is still 'prime suspect' in Smart's disappearance.

The search warrant related to his father's home is currently under seal so no other details about the efforts are being released by authorities.

Authorities also carried out several search warrants last year in both California and Washington.

It is not clear if anything was found during those searches but two trucks belonging to the Flores family were seized as evidence at the time.

A spokesperson for the Smart family said the were 'encouraged' by Monday's search.

'We appreciate the vigilance and professionalism of Sheriff Ian Parkinson and his department and our family looks forward to learning more in the hours and days ahead,' the family said.

It comes just weeks after Flores was arrested on a weapons charge stemming from an April 2020 search of his property in relation to the Smart investigation.

The search warrant related to his father's home (above) is currently under seal so no other details about the efforts are being released by authorities

The investigators say the search of the property using the new tactics could take up to two days to complete

Flores, who isn't allowed to have a firearm because of a felony DUI conviction, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

He was later released on bond.

Flores was the last person to see Smart alive, according to investigators.

He told police at the time that he walked Smart back from the party but parted ways with her about a block from her dorm.

She was reported missing two days later by a friend but a search didn't begin until days later due to a miscommunication between authorities.

During the investigation, four different search dogs trained to pick up the smell of human remains led police to Flores' dorm room.

No evidence was found in Flores' room.

Smart was officially declared dead in 2002 but her body has never been found.

Various search efforts have been carried out over the years, including the excavation of three different hillside locations near the campus in 2016.

At the time, an investigator said a lead strongly suggested her remains might be buried near a large concrete letter 'P' that is the school's landmark.

The search ended with no trace of Smart's remains.
We are extremely proud of the ongoing success that both Lorrie and Sherri continue to achieve for Avita and ZP and the communities they serve.

Private equity firm Kinderhook Industries LLC announced today that two portfolio companies Avita and ZVRS and Purple Communications (ZP) recently earned Best Places to Work honors from two of the nations foremost benchmarking surveys for equity and inclusion. Under the leadership of Chief Executive Officers Lorrie A. Carr of Avita and Sherri Turpin of ZP, both companies continue to drive strong business growth and innovation, providing access to critical healthcare and communications services for the LGBTQ and Deaf communities respectively.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Avita is a leading pharmacy management company that provides integrated on-site and central fill pharmacy services nationwide to its AIDS Services Organizations, Ryan White/STD Grantees, Federally Qualified Health Centers and other Covered Entity customers. Newly headquartered in Austin, Texas, ZP is a leading provider of communication solutions for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community.

Avita and ZP  Best Places to Work, Creating Inclusive Workplace Cultures

Avita received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundations 2021 Corporate Equality Index and the designation as one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality. Avita is among 767 major U.S. businesses in 2021 earning top marks from the Human Rights Campaign based on four criteria: non-discrimination policies across business entities; equitable benefits for LGBTQ workers and their families; supporting an inclusive culture; and corporate social responsibility.

ZP was recognized as a 2020 Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion, earning a score of 100% on the Disability Equality Index (DEI), a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities and Disability: IN. A total of 247 companies participated in the 2020 DEI survey which evaluates companies disability inclusion efforts in the areas of: culture; leadership; enterprise-wide access; employment practices; and community engagement.

We are extremely proud of the ongoing success that both Lorrie and Sherri continue to achieve for Avita and ZP and the communities they serve, said Chris Michalik, Managing Director of Kinderhook Industries, a New York-based private investment firm managing more than $3 billion of committed capital with a focus on middle market businesses. They are proven leaders who are not only delivering superior business results but are also exemplary advocates who are reshaping the future of equity and inclusion. I am thrilled for Lorrie, Sherri and all Avita and ZP employees that they have been recognized with these prestigious awards. It is especially fitting that we have the opportunity to recognize Lorrie and Sherris leadership and accomplishments during womens history month.

Avita and ZP - Driving Business Growth and Innovation With Equity and Inclusion

With the completion of four acquisitions and four divestitures in the past 18 months, Avita has increased annual revenue growth by more than 30 percent and expanded its customer base to 300 unique covered entity relationships. Under Carrs leadership, five distinct cultures have been successfully integrated into one unified Avita organization. Carr continues to serve as a leading advocate to help ensure equal and affordable healthcare access, especially in the areas of HIV treatment and prevention.

In 2017, ZVRS acquired Purple Communications, consolidating the two leading industry providers. Backed firmly by a community first mission, Turpin has successfully unified both companies, now ZP, growing both revenue and market share exponentially. ZP recently opened its new Austin headquarters featuring innovative DeafSpace design and architecture that puts the deaf community and experience front and center. ZP also launched sivo, a new app free to consumers and employers enabling seamless three-way video communications between Deaf and hard of hearing individuals, sign language interpreters and hearing individuals.

Carr was named Avita CEO in July 2019. Prior to Avita, Carr was CEO of ExceleraRX Corporation; Chief Commercial Officer at ZappRx, Inc.; and an executive at Walgreens, Takeda Oncology and Schering-Plough. She serves on the Board of Directors of Community Voices 340B, an organization dedicated to ensuring access to critical healthcare services for underserved populations.

Turpin was named ZP CEO in 2015. Prior to ZP, Turpin was Channel Chief at Earthlink Business, Vice President of Sales at XO Communications and executive in residence at Kinderhook Industries. She serves as a Board of Trustee for the New York School for the Deaf and a member of the Foundation Board for the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She is proficient in American Sign Language.

About Avita

Avita is a national pharmacy services organization that unlocks the full potential of health for covered entity partners and individuals with unique health needs. As a full-service pharmacy, Avita has proven experience in 340B program administration and onsite pharmacy management. The Avita team has deep expertise in understanding and addressing the needs of communities disproportionately affected by complex health conditions, as well as HIV, PrEP, STI and LGBTQ+ care. Avita provides care for more than 100,000 patients through over 250 covered entity relationships at 60 pharmacies nationwide. Avita is the largest independent nationwide provider of pharmacy services and solutions for Ryan White/STD Grantees, AIDS Service Organizations, and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). For more information please visit Avita.

About ZP Better Together

ZP Better Together, LLC (ZP) provides communications solutions dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and most innovative communication services to meet the unique needs of each Deaf and hard-of-hearing individual. Our commitment extends across hardware, software, and in-person solutions within these four areas of service: Video Relay Service (VRS), Video Remote Interpreting (VRI), Communication Access Real-Time Translation (CART), and On-Site Interpreting. These four pillars of service are the foundation of our commitment to the belief that every conversation matters. Whether it is at home, on the go, at school, or in the workplace, our mission is to grow and bridge two worlds with innovative, accessible communication solutions, creating more opportunities in our Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. For more information please visit ZP.

About Kinderhook Industries

Founded in 2003, Kinderhook Industries, LLC is a private investment firm that manages over $3.3 billion of committed capital. We have made in excess of 250 investments and follow-on acquisitions since inception. Kinderhooks investment philosophy is predicated on matching unique, growth-oriented investment opportunities with exceptional financial expertise and our proprietary network of operating partners. Our focus is on middle market businesses with defensible niche market positioning in the healthcare services, environmental/business services, and automotive/light manufacturing sectors. We have a track record of successfully and consistently building industry leaders. For more information, please visit Kinderhook Industries.

Media Contact:

Karen Durkin

The Durkin Agency

karen.durkin@thedurkinagency.com
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Garnier goes green: Will ditch virgin plastic, lower carbon emissions The Covid2019 pandemic seems to have accelerated the agenda for a greener and cleaner Earth. Sustainable living and environment-friendly actions are top of the agenda for consumers across the globe in 2021. Read More...

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#IndiaKaApnaMantra is Star Sports' new IPL campaign The year 2020 threw up unprecedented challenges but the nation endured the impact and found innovative ways to overcome them. The year saw India dig deep into its reserves of enterprise and "can do" spirit to bounce back. Read More...

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Hiring now: Why Fi wants a 'Chief Broke Officer' 'Where did the money go?" We've all asked ourselves this question at some point or the other. We don't understand our money, where it goes, what to do with it or how to grow it. We run to our parents, chartered accountants, and anyone else willing to help us with it. Read More...

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Hardeep Singh Brar is Kia Motors' national head of sales & marketing Kia Motors India has appointed Hardeep Singh Brar as national head of sales and marketing. He will be responsible for enhancing Kia's leadership position in the Indian market and for enabling the next wave of growth. Read More...

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Tata Sky leverages influencers' clout for 'Har Ghar Ki Khidki' Tata Sky has launched its new social media campaign Har Ghar Ki Khidki, in tandem with the unveil of its new brand purpose statement - 'Tata Sky exists to make tomorrow better than today for family and home.' Read More...

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Mamaearth's first TVC reveals the secret to Shilpa Shetty's glowing skin d2c personal care brand Mamaearth has launched a national television commercial featuring Shilpa Shetty Kundra, highlighting the goodness of natural ingredients in its face wash product. The film reiterates the brand's core purpose of propagating 'Goodness Inside' in products and actions. Read More...
Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is all set to launch the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Sido-Kanhu Samman Yatra as a part of BJP campaign in West Bengal on Monday (March 15).

The party, earlier, disclosed that the objective of the yatra is to celebrate the contributions of great freedom fighters.

"This yatra will be launched by Amit Shah in a massive public meeting in Jhargram," a BJP leader told news agency PTI. The yatra will also mark union home ministers second day of West Bengal campaigning for the upcoming assembly elections in the state.

Yesterday, on Sunday, the BJP leader, along with BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and party state president Dilip Ghosh, held a colourful roadshow in West Midnapore district. The roadshow started from local BJP office, 'Premhari Bhavan' and was concluded at Malancha petrol pump in the town.

Meanwhile, the political environment in West Bengal is getting tense as both the parties, BJP and TMC, have started their election campaigns in the state. The assembly elections in West Bengal are scheduled to be held in eight phases. The voting for phase 1 for 30 constituencies will take place on March 27, voting for phase 2 for 30 constituencies will be held on April 1.

The polling for phase 3 for 31 seats will take place on April 6, for phase 4 for 44 constituencies on April 10, for phase 5 for 45 constituencies on April 17, for phase 6 for 43 constituencies on April 22, for phase 7 for 36 constituencies on April 26 and for phase 8 for 35 constituencies on April 29.

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Congress will come back to power in Karnataka: Siddaramaiah

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

Bengaluru, Mar 15: The day was not far off when the Congress would occupy the treasury benches in the Karnataka Assembly, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah said as he asserted that the party would come back to power after the next assembly polls in 2023.

The former Chief Minister targeted the ruling BJP on various fronts, especially over its handling of the state's finances. Speaking during the discussion on the budget, he questioned whether anyone could call it a good one, prompting Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to intervene and ask "what would you have done if you were in my position."?

To this, Siddaramaiah retorted that if he were given the opportunity, he would have said what has to be done. "People will certainly give us (the position) next time... they will change (the party in power). The day is not far off when we will come and occupy your seat We will come back (to power)," he asserted.

BJP meeting: Rajnath Singh urges dialogue between farmers, government

The LoP also said that looking at the way the government was functioning, people would not sit quiet during the next assembly election. Replying to Siddaramaiah, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Basavaraj Bommai tried to justify the presentation of the deficit budget by stating that it was unprecedented due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He pointed out that when Siddaramaiah was Chief Minister in the past, revenue surplus had dwindled despite there being no pandemic or economic slowdown and said the people, looking at their performance, had made them sit in the opposition.

"How can you come back when your performance is so dismal? it is impossible," Bommai added. Siddaramaiah said probably never in the history of Karnataka had such an 'anti-development' budget been presented. A revenue deficit budget had never been presented since 2004-05 till date in the state after the passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, he said.

Batla House encounter: Delhi Court awards death penalty to IM terrorist Ariz Khan

"This is for the first time that a deficit budget has been presented," he said. Noting that Karnataka would have borrow a loan to set right the revenue deficit, Siddaramaiah, who has held the finance portfolio in the past, said the loan is usually taken for asset creation.

Targeting the government for its 'inability' to get the state's share of funds and grants from the centre, he asked, "why did you fail to take it or ask the PM for it? Despite having 25 BJP MPs from Karnataka, the Finance Minister also represents the state...are you scared? I fail to understand. It is our right."

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For East Hartford resident Torrina Evans, its about long, stressful nights spent figuring out how to make ends meet on the low pay she draws in disabilities services.

For Woodburys Deborah Schultz, it comes down to how much more shell have to shell out in retirement, dipping into a lifetime of earnings she and her husband saved over the years.

Dozens more weighed in Monday, as the Connecticut General Assembly initiated debate on a trio of bills that would reshape portions of the states tax code  notably to include what many are describing as a mansion tax, which would allow the state to collect property taxes on homes worth more than $430,000 as determined by municipal clerks.

On Monday, Gov. Ned Lamont said he was not supportive of the tax proposals discussed in the Connecticut General Assembly session.

We just got $10 billion from the federal government  some of it [is] direct payments that will be a shot in the arm for our economy, and about half of it which we have discretion over which will be helpful for education, for rent relief, .. for our not-for-profits, Lamont said. Im going to be working closely with the legislature to figure out what our priorities are for that money. I think were in pretty good shape right now.

Sen. Martin Looney, D-New Haven, proposed the mansion tax in January. It would allow the Connecticut Department of Revenue to collect taxes equal to the rate of one mill on real estate values, with the first $300,000 exempted on the assessed value on any home and no exemption for commercial properties. (One mill is equal to a dollar on $1,000 of assessed value.)

My husband and I live in a 2,600-square-foot home, which we love, but is by no means a mansion, Schultz said at a public hearing of the legislative Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee.

The proposed mansion tax is an insult to all taxpayers. Its more accurate to call it the lets rob Peter to pay Paul tax. ... You and the legislature have for years been unable to properly manage, maintain and advance the taxpayers money that you have received.

But Evans and others said the state needs to do a better job of apportioning how it taxes and spends  the mansion tax as a prime example  to help those lower down on the pay scale, or at least avoid making cuts that will hurt them even more.

With the wages we earn, I find it very difficult to support my family, said Evans, an East Hartford resident who works for the Oak Hill disabilities services agency. We are being given crumbs as hazard pay and being asked to put our lives and our families lives on the line. ... Who would want to spend 40-plus hours a week doing backbreaking work for poverty wages?

Roughly 300 members of the public  including advocacy groups, business owners, public officials and economists  filed their intent to testify Monday.

The discussion was a rehash of past years  do wealthy earners and businesses pay enough to the cash-strapped state?  couched inside a killer pandemic that has hit hardest the poorest pockets of the Connecticut economy.

Senate Republican Leader Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford, said Looneys proposal was designed to suck money out of the middle-class and send it directly to Hartford Democrats to redistribute at their discretion.

Stratford is not the land of mansions, Kelly said. Its a town with a median income of just $38,000.

Opponents of higher taxes in Connecticut have long countered that hikes only make it more difficult to keep jobs in Connecticut, whether as a result of corporations hiring here or executives choices for where to live.

Last week, Subway confirmed that it has opened a corporate office in Miami where new CEO John Chidsey has a Coral Gables home, at the expense of jobs at its Milford headquarters.

Mark Brault, a self-described lifelong resident who wants to stay in Connecticut, said he feels pushed out of the state by additional taxes. Weve enjoyed [Connecticuts] glory days, he said.

New Canaan resident James Basch said technologies like Zoom have enabled a mobile workforce, which makes it even more enticing for workers to relocate.

Were not just competing against New York or Massachusetts, which has around a 5 percent flat income tax rate, Basch said. Were increasingly competing and losing to Texas, Florida and the Carolinas among other states. Spend some time in Fairfield County, if you dont believe that people are leaving because of higher taxes.

In addition to a number of tax code revisions, a bill co-sponsored by several Democratic senators would have the state make one-time payments of $500 to the hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents who received unemployment benefits last year.

In this pandemic-inspired downturn, the wealthiest individuals and families have been doing very well, said David Gamage, an Indiana University law professor. The most profitable corporations and largest businesses have been doing well. Its the ordinary, Main Street economic activities that have been suffering. This is a great opportunity in these bills to address these longer-term imbalances... putting money in the hands of ordinary Americans and Connecticut residents and struggling, lower-income families has large beneficial economic effects.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
A British woman has been arrested after allegedly killing a delivery driver in a head-on smash as she drove the wrong way along a Costa del Sol dual carriageway.

The 35-year-old was found hiding in bushes by the side of the road by police after allegedly attempting to flee the scene of the accident in her damaged Mercedes then getting out and continuing on foot.

Police sources said she appeared to be so drunk they couldn't breathalyse her.

She was taken to hospital for alcohol and drugs tests but the results have not yet been made public.

A British woman has been arrested after allegedly killing a delivery driver in a head-on smash as she drove the wrong way along a Costa del Sol dual carriageway. Pictured: The damaged Mercedes car (left) and the motorcycle on fire after the collision

The accident happened around 8.30pm on Saturday on the A-7 dual-carriageway near the turn-off for the upmarket holiday resort of Puerto Banus. Pictured: The burnt motorbike of Juan David

The delivery driver killed in the smash has been named as 28-year-old Colombian Juan David.

The accident happened around 8.30pm on Saturday on the A-7 dual-carriageway near the turn-off for the upmarket holiday resort of Puerto Banus.

The unnamed Brit, who lives in the area, allegedly hit the moped rider about 400 yards past the Puerto Banus exit before continuing for around 500 feet and getting out of her vehicle, a rented Mercedes GLA 200.

The moped burst into flames which also affected the British woman's car.

Police and emergency responders attempted to revive the dead man as he lay on the ground near his burning moped.

Footage from the scene as police and emergency responders arrived showed the attempts to revive the dead man as he lay on the ground near his burning moped

One of the officials could be overheard telling a passing motorist the Mercedes driver had been going up the dual-carriageway the wrong way and fled the scene after the smash.

The woman driver, thought to be from Liverpool, was arrested after being discovered in bushes by a nearby garage car wash.

Unconfirmed local reports said she had already called for a taxi before she was held.

Police have yet to make any official comment about the incident but are expected to do so once the Brit has appeared in court.

One of the officials could be overheard telling a passing motorist the Mercedes driver had been going up the dual-carriageway the wrong way and fled the scene after the smash. Pictured: The burning moped on the dual carriageway

She is expected to face charges including manslaughter, road traffic offences and leaving the scene of an accident.

A spokesman for a regional emergency services co-ordination centre confirmed: 'A man aged 28 died on Saturday evening in a traffic accident between a moped and a car on the A-7 in Marbella.

'The accident occurred at kilometre 174 around 8.30pm and led to the two vehicles involved catching fire.

'Civil Guard, local police, paramedics and firefighters from Marbella and San Pedro were mobilised.'

The moped rider worked for Spanish start-up Glovo.

Colleague Alex Gonzalez said: 'We're all devastated by what's happened. I hope justice is done.'

Antonio Garcia added: 'A poor innocent man who was going about his daily life has died because of the actions of a reckless person.'
The leading tour operator in the Baltic States Novaturas from the 27th of March resumes flights from Latvia to Egypt. From April, 4 flights per week program will be operated from Latvia to the main Egyptian resorts.

"On the 9th of March, the Latvian government has lifted restriction on traveling to the third countries. The governments decision states that flights to the third countries are allowed to be operated from the 17th of March. We are starting with two flights per week program from Latvia to Egypt. The first plane after almost a year from Riga airport to Hurghada is planned to take off on the 27th of March, and on the 28th of March - to Sharm El Sheikh resort. From April, the number of scheduled flights will double - we will operate 4 flights a week program. Planes to Egyptian resorts have been departing from Estonia and Lithuania for some time now, and we are glad that travelers from Latvia will soon be able to enjoy their holidays in Egypt as well, says Audrone Keinyte, head of Novaturas group.

The Company currently operates flight programs to Tenerife and Egypt. From mid-February, holiday destinations program has also been supplemented with holiday offers to the United Arab Emirates, and from March to - Maldives. Flights to Turkish resorts will be resumed in all markets in April. Depending on the period, up to 10 flights per week are planned from Lithuania, four flights are planned from Latvia and five flights from Estonia per week.

About Novaturas group

AB Novaturas group is the largest tour operator in the Baltic States, offering summer and winter package holidays in more than 30 destinations worldwide and more than 100 sightseeing routes. In 2019, the group served more than 293 thousand customers.

CFO

Tomas Staskunas

tomas.staskunas@novaturas.lt ,

+370 687 10426




NINETTE  A second-degree murder charge has been laid in Ninette after a 61-year-old womans body was found Friday morning.

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NINETTE  A second-degree murder charge has been laid in Ninette after a 61-year-old womans body was found Friday morning.

The suspect, 22-year-old Nicholas Mass, has been arrested, and neighbours say the victim was Catherine Mass, 61.

An RCMP spokesperson said the suspect and victim were known to each other.

Police have yet to identify the victim, but in addition to neighbours confirming her name, a canada411.ca search of 102 King St. in Ninette links the property to "C Mass."

The small house on the property, shaded by trees, was surrounded by police tape Saturday afternoon. A few RCMP members were seen conducting an investigation, including one who flew a drone overhead.

A media release issued Saturday notes the Killarney RCMP have joined RCMP Major Crime Services and Forensic Identification Services for the ongoing investigation.

Police involvement began at approximately 9 a.m. Friday, when the release said police visited the residence to "to check on the well-being of a female."

Once there, they report finding the victim, deceased.

The suspect was arrested at the scene and remanded into custody.

TYLER CLARKE/THE BRANDON SUN RCMP members are seen outside of a house in Ninette on Saturday that was the scene of a suspected homicide. Officers deployed a drone to get a birds-eye view of the scene.

A neighbour said Catherine was a "very friendly, very outgoing" artist who welcomed her to the neighbourhood with a freshly baked loaf of bread.

An area resident, upon spotting a Brandon Sun vehicle in the neighbourhood, pulled his truck parallel for a quick chat to ensure readers were aware of the "gentle, kind, talented woman" Catherine was.

"She was a really kind, sweet person," he said. "A gentle, kind-hearted woman, really."

The man in the truck added that Catherine was a longtime resident well known in the area, and that for a small community of Ninettes size  fewer than 300 people  "It hits hard."

RM of Prairie Lakes Coun. Glen Johnston, who serves the area, declined comment on what he described as a "terrible tragedy."

In Manitoba Co-operator story from 2010, Catherine was described as a skilled artist of various mediums who held a fine arts degree from the University of Manitoba.

According to the story, she was at the time communication and program development manager for Southwest Community Options  a Ninette organization that opened homes for people after the Pelican Lake Centre for adults with intellectual disabilities closed in 2000.

Mass also worked as day service facilitator for a time, helping members with arts and crafts.

"What we hope we are doing is instilling a sense of the ownership of their work," she said at the time. "All of this goes toward social valourization."

The Sun reached out to the Manitoba RCMP for more clarity on Fridays suspected homicide but has yet to receive a response.

 tclarke@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB
SOUTHINGTON  A Bristol man turned himself in last week in connection with charges related to pulling a knife at a strip club when his debit card declined, police said.

Kevin Lee Bazilio, 40, of Jerome Avenue in Bristol, was charged with second-degree threatening, breach of peace and first-degree criminal trespass.

Police said he was held on a $10,000 bond. Court records show he was released from custody and hes expected in court on July 13.

Officers were dispatched on Feb. 2 to Hollywood Cabaret at 1104 Queen St. for a report of a man inside with a knife, police said. Police said officers were told the suspect left the building, allowing employees to lock the doors.

Arriving officers found Bazilio outside the establishment. He told officers after his bank card was declined, he went to his vehicle for cash, paid his tab and left, police said. When he was outside, he told officers he realized he forgot his card inside and tried to go back in, but the doors were locked, police said.

During a pat down, police said officers found a black knife. Police said Bazilio later acknowledged he did take the knife out, but only because he was concerned for his safety after staff were acting hostile and surrounded him.

Bar staff told officers that Bazilio became argumentative when his debit card was declined, police said.

After being asked to leave the establishment, staff reported, which was confirmed through video surveillance footage, Bazilio was argumentative and noted he was holding a folding knife that was open with the blade exposed, later stating, Ill just keep stabbing, police said.

Bazilio initially refused to leave the bar or put the knife away when asked by staff, police said. Once he did leave, staff locked the door behind him. He came back soon after and started to bang on the door, prompting workers to call police, according to the report.

The bar initially didnt want to have Bazilio arrested, but police told him he was not allowed to return to the property or any associated businesses.

But the next day, police said, Bazilio went to the establishments other location, Rock Star in Wolcott. Police said he again had to be removed from the property by officers.

After both incidents, police secured an arrest warrant. Bazilio turned himself in on March 9.

Court records on the Connecticut judicial website indicate Bazilio has two other cases pending  one from a January arrest in Bristol on a fourth-degree larceny charge, and another from a recent violation of probation arrest by Southington police.

Bazilio was convicted in May 2014 on a second-degree breach of peace charge, court records show. He received an unconditional discharge.

In September 2020, he was sentenced to five years in jail, suspended after one year, on a felony first-degree criminal mischief charge and violation of probation, according to court documents. He was also given a three-year term of probation.
London, March 15 : Germany, France and Italy on Monday joined several European nations in blocking the roll out of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine after several cases of blood clotting were reported in those who took the jab.

Germany's Health Ministry announced it would stop administering the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine with immediate effect, the BBC reported.

"The background to this decision follows new reports of cases of cerebral vein thrombosis connected with an AstraZeneca vaccination," Health Minister Jens Spahn was quoted as saying.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the country was "suspending the vaccine until new advice was given by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Tuesday afternoon".

Italy's medicines agency extended a ban introduced on individual batches of the vaccine throughout the country, also pending the EMA decision.

The Netherlands, the Irish Republic, Denmark, Norway, Bulgaria and Iceland have also temporarily halted the AstraZeneca vaccine, while the Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia have postponed the launch of their rollouts.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has, however, said there is no evidence that the incidents are caused by the vaccine, adding that the agency was reviewing reports relating to the jab.

About 17 million people in the EU and the UK have received a dose of the vaccine, with fewer than 40 cases of blood clots reported as of last week, according to AstraZeneca.

The AstraZeneca vaccine was authorised by the European Commission for use within the bloc on January 29.

Following recent concerns raised around blood clots or thrombotic events, AstraZeneca has reassured on the safety of its Covid-19 vaccine.

"Safety is of paramount importance and the company is continually monitoring the safety of its vaccine," it said.
ARCHIVED - More than a million covid-related fines issued in Spain since the pandemic began



Police have also made 12,125 arrests, according to a report from the Spanish Interior Ministry.

Data from the Interior Ministry published one year on from the start of the first state of alarm called in Spain due to Covid-19 has revealed that more than one million fines have been issued for breaking the rules during this period.

9,173 arrests were also made during the first national state of alarm, between 14 March and 21 June 2020, and 2,952 during the second national state of alarm, which came into effect on 26 October 2020 and remains in force.

Altogether, 1,142,127 fines were issued across Spain during the first state of alarm and 220,296 during the second. However, less than 1 per cent of these fines have actually been processed by the government delegations responsible for doing so due to a massive backlog.

It is unlikely that most of the fines will ever be paid as the resources required to enforce them are so limited.

The majority of the fines were issued for non-compliance with lockdowns and mobility restrictions or in application of the controversial 2015 Citizen Security Law, or Gagging Law as it is commonly known.

Although the current government had promised to repeal the law, they have yet to do so.

The ministrys report also outlined other activities the police and state security forces had carried out over the year, including efforts to guarantee the correct functioning of the coronavirus vaccine supply chain, 154,000 humanitarian assistance activities, 30,000 contacts with care homes and associations for the elderly, 336,000 actions to protect victims of gender violence and 20,500 actions at medical centres.




The Vatican has said that priests and other Catholic Church ministers cannot bless same-sex unions because God cannot bless sin.

The Vatican's doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), issued the ruling in response to questions and moves in some parishes to impart such blessings as a sign of welcome to gay Catholics since the Church does not permit homosexual marriage.

Pope Francis approved the response, the CDF said, adding that it was not intended to be a form of unjust discrimination, but rather a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite.

Read More

It said such blessings were not permissible even though they were motivated by a sincere desire to welcome and accompany homosexual persons and help them grow in the faith.

The CDF note said that since marriage between a man and a woman was a sacrament and blessings are related to the sacrament of marriage, they could not be extended to same-sex couples.

For this reason, it is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage (ie, outside the indissoluble union of a man and a woman open in itself to the transmission of life), as is the case of the unions between persons of the same sex, it said.

God does not and cannot bless sin: he blesses sinful man, so that he may recognise that he is part of his plan of love and allow himself to be changed by him, it said.
After a solid year of living with a pandemic, the national press is beginning to ask the question that even Democrats have been quietly pondering in the Sunshine State: Was Gov. Ron DeSantis' pandemic response right for Florida?

Don't forget: More than 32,000 Floridians have died, a number the state's leaders rarely acknowledge, but our death rate is no worse than the national average  and better than some states with tighter restrictions.

Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.

The Los Angeles Times compared Florida and California's responses:

"California imposed myriad restrictions that battered the economy, and have left most public school students learning at home for a year. ... Florida adopted a more laissez-faire approach decried by public health experts  allowing indoor restaurant dining, leaving masks optional and getting children back in classrooms sooner."

But, it points out, "If California had Floridas death rate, roughly 6,000 more Californians would be dead from COVID-19, and tens of thousands of additional patients likely would have landed in already overburdened hospitals. And if Florida had Californias death rate, roughly 3,000 fewer Floridians would be dead from COVID-19."

On Sunday's front page, the New York Times explored the positives  from the booming real-estate market to Florida's low unemployment rate  of an early reopening: "Much of the state has a boomtown feel," writes Patricia Mazzei, "a sense of making up for months of lost time."

The Times notes that Florida's unemployment rate is 5.1%, compared to 9.3% in California, 8.7% in New York and 6.9% in Texas.

"That debate about reopening schools? It came and went months ago. Children have been in classrooms since the fall."

The big picture: Much of the public part of DeSantis' pandemic response feels more and more like an audition for a 2024 presidential run, which Politico's Marc Caputo has noted.

Story continues

"With a COVID death count cover-up consuming New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and a pandemic-related recall effort haunting California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Republicans are embracing DeSantis as a red-state exemplar."

Our thought bubble: We've long known that the state's pro-business Republican leadership was making a sort of grand bargain: that the death toll was the price paid for keeping commerce flowing and keeping kids in school.

The closer you are to either loss or to the fullness of life will likely determine how you feel about the state's response.

This story first appeared in the Axios Tampa Bay newsletter, designed to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news unfolding in their own backyard.

Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.
The March 15 episode of Bigg Boss Kannada 8 begins with housemates expressing unhappiness over sacrificing the bedroom area to save Shamanth aka Bro Gowda from getting directly nominated. For the unversed, Bigg Boss had reprimanded Shamanth for repeatedly speaking in hushed tones sans the mic. Shubha Poonja and others feel that Shamanth could have taken accountability and got nominated instead of making everyone sacrifice the bedroom area.

Everyone is seen figuring out how to sleep without anything as the bedroom has been locked. Shamanth is seen requesting Bigg Boss to lower the punishment at night.

The next morning, many members continue to express displeasure with Shamanth after sleeping outside. Nidhi Subbaiah is seen telling Shankar Ashwath that everyone wants to look good in front of Sudeep and hence they agreed to give up the bedroom area. Later, Bigg Boss gives a task where everyone gets paired with a member of the opposite gender. Bigg Boss also announces this weeks nomination process and asks these teams to nominate together by taking two names.

Most housemates take Shamanth, Nidhi and Geetha Bharathi Bhats name. However, Bigg Boss nominates every contestant who got named even once in the process. It must be noted that Prashanth Sambargi was already directly nominated by Nirmala Chenappa in Sundays episode.

Bigg Boss gives Captain Rajeev the special power to save one of the nominated contestants and he decides to save Shankar. The final list of contestants who are nominated for this weeks eviction are Shamnth, Nidhi, Geetha, KP Aravind, Vishwanath Haveri, Divya Suresh, Divya Uruduga and Prashanth.

ALSO READ: Bigg Boss Kannada 8: Nirmala Chenappa Gets Eliminated; Will There Be A Secret Room Twist?

ALSO READ: Bigg Boss Kannada 8 March 12 Highlights: Shamanth Aka Bro Gowda Named Worst Performer Of The Week
Postal services provider TTPost yesterday shut its branches in Port of Spain and San Fernando after dozens of people rushed to collect senior citizen pension and public assistance grants and would not adhere to physical distancing rules.

Eventually, police were called to disperse the crowds.

Several elderly people at the St Vincent Street branch in Port of Spain complained about not being able to collect their pension cheques because other unruly ones refused to socially distance and abide by the law amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stella Griffith, 68, of Diego Martin, said she was adhering to rules of social distancing, but there were other people who came for their public assistance and disability grants and were refusing to listen.
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EpiAnalytics, a leader in automotive artificial intelligence, today announced a technology integration partnership with ZipDeal, which offers a streamlined, post-sale, pre-F&I vehicle delivery system for automotive dealers. Through this partnership, ZipDeal has integrated EpiAnalytics VINoptions solution with its vehicle and accessories module to help dealers improve revenue streams by enabling sales staff to present more details about vehicle options, features and corresponding accessories. The new tool, which launched last summer, is available to dealers now.

Our collaboration with EpiAnalytics offers a powerful solution in terms of providing vehicle equipment data, options and matching accessories to help dealers increase their customers satisfaction and deliver a better buying experience, while increasing revenue streams, said Tony Gomez, Chief Executive Officer, ZipDeal, LLC. By integrating our platform with EpiAnalytics technology, were enabling dealers to reduce the barriers associated with closing the deal by providing their customers with unprecedented access to information about the vehicle theyre purchasing, which can help them determine how certain add-ons and accessories might impact their payment.

The ZipDeal platform leverages EpiAnalytics technology to extract and categorize VIN-level information and provides standardized OEM specifications for each vehicle. The integration of EpiAnalytics technology with ZipDeal is a benefit to dealers seeking better, more robust data about a vehicles exact specifications. Additional benefits of this combined solution allow automotive dealers to:



Increase revenue derived per vehicle through add-ons and accessories that are critical to a dealerships bottom line

Improve customer satisfaction and tenure through a consistent and personalized delivery experience

Reduce time and expenses associated with contracts in transit (CITs) after vehicle delivery

We are extremely excited to be working with ZipDeal, said James Vecchio, President, EpiAnalytics, Inc. Automotive data contains extremely valuable information about a vehicle, however it is not always easy for buyers or sellers to discern a vehicles actual equipment, trim or options using a standard VIN decode. The streamlined experience that ZipDeal provides by integrating our VINoptions solution with their platform gives automotive dealers and their customers a better car buying experience overall.

Companies interested in learning more about ZipDeal can schedule a demo here: https://www.zipdeal.com/demo. To learn more about VINoptions, call +1-619-742-0880, visit http://www.epianalytics.com/automotive-intelligence or schedule a demo here: https://www.epianalytics.com/contact/.

About ZipDeal

Based in Columbus OH, ZipDeal is the first online tool to link all of the processes between the end of vehicle negotiations and entering the F&I office on one customer-facing platform. It leads customers through the titling and registration process, insurance information, finance and protection products, vehicle features, personal vehicle settings, and posting online reviews. By putting customers in the driver's seat, dealerships deliver a consistent and personalized delivery experience that increases F&I profits, improves cash flow, boosts CSI, and a dealership's online reputation while mitigating frustrating customer downtime. Visit ZipDeal at https://www.zipdeal.com/.

About EpiAnalytics, Inc.

EpiAnalytics delivers information services to manufacturers, dealers, auctions, finance and insurance companies. The company helps automotive clients increase customer loyalty, target and win new business, and make better lending and vehicle purchase decisions. Its VINoptions Database houses more than 200 million vehicles to meet the industrys growing demand for an integrated information source. EpiAnalytics advanced AI and machine learning services help clients convert data and information into improved business results. For more information on EpiAnalytics and its suite of services, visit our website or call +1-619-742-0880. You can also follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/epianalytics/ and Twitter: https://twitter.com/EpiAnalytics.

Media Contacts:

Bree Bolognese

760.231.7902

bbolognese@epianalytics.com

Blair King

833.685.1570

blair@zipdeal.com
John Storey / The Chronicle 2015

If youve walked by the Slanted Door in San Francisco lately, you might have seen an empty dining room, with all the furniture removed. You might have freaked out  particularly after the recent news of fellow Ferry Building tenant Cowgirl Creamery permanently closing in April.

Indeed, rumors are flying that acclaimed contemporary Vietnamese restaurant the Slanted Door has quietly shuttered its Ferry Building restaurant. But theyre false. Chef and owner Charles Phan said the restaurant looks suspicious because its undergoing a huge renovation.
Senior military officers have been stripped of their command following a devastating Daily Mail expose on alleged sex abuse at an RAF base.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said yesterday that officers from the regiment had been suspended after this newspaper exposed an appalling abuse of a naked airman during an initiation ceremony.

Last week the Daily Mail obtained footage of the man being held down by rowdy, drunken troops who spat mouthfuls of lager at his backside before lowering a four foot-long mortar barrel weighing 28lb behind him.

Daily Mail obtained footage of the man being held down by rowdy, drunken troops who spat mouthfuls of lager at his backside before lowering a four foot-long mortar barrel weighing 28lb behind himl (pictured)

The weapons ball-shaped socket was then used on the airman as his colleagues violently slapped his buttocks.

The disturbing video was shot recently at an RAF base in the UK but the squadron cannot be named for legal reasons.

The Defence Secretary also confirmed that this unit is to be disbanded  though this decision is likely to have been taken before the Mails report on Saturday.

Mr Wallace added that the victims of the incident were being offered support.

Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 the act of assault by penetration carries a custodial sentence. A key issue in such cases is consent.

It will be for military police to determine whether or not the airman was forced to go through with what appears to have been a grotesque ordeal.

The RAFs Special Investigation Branch launched a criminal investigation on Friday.

But ahead of its conclusions Mr Wallace told the Commons: We were appalled by the reporting we saw of the incident involving members of the RAF Regiment at the weekend.

The weapons ball-shaped socket was then used on the airman as his colleagues violently slapped his buttocks

The Chief of the Air Staff and I had a discussion about the incident over the weekend and he has, with my support, acted quickly.

He has removed officers from the immediate chain of command without prejudice pending the findings of a police investigation and the unit involved will be disbanded with immediate effect.

Last night the head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, spoke of his anger over the incident and launched two inquiries which will run alongside the criminal investigation.

He said: Many of you will have seen coverage at the weekend of a deplorable incident involving members of the RAF Regiment. Many of you have contacted me personally saying how appalled you are and I share your anger.

He added: This incident does not represent our Royal Air Force. We are so much better than that. And that is what I see demonstrated every day in all that we do to serve our country.

Veterans minister Johnny Mercer tweeted a link to the Mails report and said: There is zero tolerance of inappropriate behaviours in the military under this Government.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said yesterday that officers from the regiment had been suspended after this newspaper exposed an appalling abuse of a naked airman during an initiation ceremony

RAF Regiment personnel protect air bases and during the UKs long military campaign in Afghanistan its men defended Camp Bastion, the main British base in Helmand.

This role requires its troops to be proficient in military skills more commonly taught to army soldiers, including how to load and accurately fire mortars.

It is thought the airmen in the video were learning to use the 81mm variant of the mortar weapon system.

The 75-second clip has raised fears that initiation ceremonies  which the Ministry of Defence has tried to stamp out in military units  remain a common occurrence.

Last July Mr Wallace launched an anti-bullying 24/7 telephone helpline for personnel across the Army, Royal Navy and RAF.

In 2019 Royal Marines taking part in a multi-national exercise to prepare for any future conflict with Russia scrawled a Nazi swastika on the chest of a comrade in another such ceremony, which was filmed on a mobile phone and shared online.

In 2016 Army private Oliver Scudder launched legal action against the MoD after he was forced to quit the ranks due to injuries sustained in a violent initiation ceremony.
HOUSTON, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- KBR (NYSE: KBR) announced today it has been awarded a $25 million contract to perform sustainment services for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Secure Deployed Networks, including Naval, Special Operations, Land and Coalition networks. These services include supply-chain management, identity and access management, and technical services to enable convergence of these networks.

Under the terms of this contract, KBR will provide Information Communications Technology (ICT), engineering and logistics support for the ADF Chief Information Officer Group (CIOG), in Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane. This work is expected to be performed over three years, with KBR performing technical services to sustain and uplift these warfighter networks. This work represents a new business line for KBR within CIOG, working alongside a number of industry partners.

"This win bolsters the sovereign industry capabilities of our mission IT and security solutions business and fosters growth in the Australian market through our partnership with oobe, an innovative local company that leads transformation of legacy systems to secure cloud platforms," said Rob Hawketts, Vice President, Government Solutions  Asia Pacific.

This award aligns with KBR's strategic vision to deliver high-end, solutions-oriented government services and leverages the ongoing capability growth of KBR's Australian business.

About KBR

We deliver science, technology and engineering solutions to governments and companies around the world. KBR employs approximately 29,000 people worldwide with customers in more than 80 countries and operations in 40 countries.

KBR is proud to work with its customers across the globe to provide technology, value-added services, and long- term operations and maintenance services to ensure consistent delivery with predictable results. At KBR, We Deliver.

Visit www.kbr.com

Forward Looking Statement

The statements in this press release that are not historical statements, including statements regarding future financial performance, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the significant adverse impacts on economic and market conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic; the company's ability to respond to the challenges and business disruption presented by the COVID-19 pandemic; the recent dislocation of the global energy market; the company's ability to realize cost savings and efficiencies relating to the streamlining of its Energy Solutions business; the company's ability to manage its liquidity; the company's ability to continue to generate anticipated levels of revenue, profits and cash flow from operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and any resulting economic downturn; the outcome of and the publicity surrounding audits and investigations by domestic and foreign government agencies and legislative bodies; potential adverse proceedings by such agencies and potential adverse results and consequences from such proceedings; the scope and enforceability of the company's indemnities from its former parent; changes in capital spending by the company's customers, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; the company's ability to obtain contracts from existing and new customers and perform under those contracts; structural changes in the industries in which the company operates; escalating costs associated with and the performance of fixed-fee projects and the company's ability to control its cost under its contracts; claims negotiations and contract disputes with the company's customers; changes in the demand for or price of oil and/or natural gas; protection of intellectual property rights; compliance with environmental laws; changes in government regulations and regulatory requirements; compliance with laws related to income taxes; unsettled political conditions, war and the effects of terrorism; foreign operations and foreign exchange rates and controls; the development and installation of financial systems; increased competition for employees; the ability to successfully complete and integrate acquisitions; and operations of joint ventures, including joint ventures that are not controlled by the company.

KBR's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Form 10-Qs and 8-Ks, and other U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss some of the important risk factors that KBR has identified that may affect the business, results of operations and financial condition. Except as required by law, KBR undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

SOURCE KBR, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.kbr.com


Libya's new interim prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah will be sworn in Monday to lead the war-torn country's transition to elections in December, after years of chaos and division

Tobruk (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Mar, 2021 ) :Libya's new interim prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah will be sworn in Monday to lead the war-torn country's transition to elections in December, after years of chaos and division.

The North African nation descended into conflict after dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled and killed in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, resulting in multiple forces vying for power.

A United Nations-supervised process is aimed at uniting the country, building on an October ceasefire between rival administrations in the country's east and west.

Dbeibah, selected at UN-sponsored talks in February alongside an interim three-member presidency council, was due to take the oath of office in the eastern city of Tobruk.

More than 1,000 kilometres (630 miles) from the capital Tripoli in the west, Tobruk has been the seat of Libya's elected parliament since 2014.

Dbeibah's swearing-in comes after parliament last week approved his cabinet, in a move hailed by key leaders and foreign powers as "historic".

His government includes two deputy prime ministers, 26 ministers and six ministers of state, with five posts including the key foreign affairs and justice portfolios handed to women, a first in Libya.

"This will be the government of all Libyans," Dbeibah said after the vote. "Libya is one and united."Lawmakers began arriving at parliament late in the morning ahead of the ceremony, with ambassadors and envoys from the UN, regional and European nations due to attend, parliament spokesman Abdallah Bliheq said.
(Alliance News) - Some 30,000 people due to receive the AstraZeneca PLC Covid-19 jab this week in Ireland will have their vaccinations rescheduled in the next few weeks, the health minister in Dublin has said.

Stephen Donnelly said he hopes most of the people whose vaccines are being deferred will receive their first dose by the end of the month without affecting the rollout of vaccine to other people.

Use of the jab was suspended by Ireland on Sunday as a precaution after reports of serious clotting in adults in Norway which left four people in hospital.

Donnelly said he understood that people were naturally "disappointed" by the deferral of their appointments but that the National Immunisation Advisory Committee and the Health Products Regulatory Authority had acted "decisively and quickly" in response to new information late on Saturday night about the Norway cases.

He added that he had no hesitancy in temporarily suspending use of the AstraZeneca jab and that he hopes it will only be for a short period.

Donnelly told RTE Radio 1's Morning Ireland programme: "Hopefully the 30,000 for this week will be rescheduled very, very quickly.

"So will everybody be done within the time left in March? I'd say pretty close, possibly, maybe there may be a bit of spillover into April, but very, very quickly.

"We should be able to reschedule them and in so doing, not have to delay other people. So in other words, do the 30,000 at the same time as people who we were planning on doing in the coming weeks as well."

By Michelle Devane, PA

source: PA

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Associated Press

A top Sudanese military official said the government will review an agreement with Russia to establish a navy base in the African country. The remarks about the deal, which dates back to the government of now-deposed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and has not been ratified by the Sudanese parliament, indicate that Khartoum is seeking some changes to the agreement. Sudans Chief of General Staff, Gen. Mohammed Othman al-Hussein told Blue Nile television station late on Tuesday that negotiations are underway with Russian officials to achieve Sudans interests.
Three soldiers assigned to the Army Albany Recruiting Battalion, headquartered at the Watervliet Arsenal, have been inducted in the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club in recognition of them being outstanding noncommissioned officers.

Sgt. 1st Class Rufino Quinones, Staff Sgt. Vimarie Pedro, and Staff Sgt. Matthew Biagiotti were inducted into the U.S. Army Sergeant Audie Murphy Club during a ceremony at the arsenal.

The club commemorates Murphy, a Medal of Honor winner and one of the most highly decorated soldiers of World War II, who later became an actor, author and songwriter. He is buried near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, Va.

Maj. Gen. Kevin Vereen, Army Recruiting Command commander, officiated virtually with local Army leaders presenting certificates and medals to each recipient.

Each sergeant received a Sergeant Audie Murphy Club Medallion with an infantry blue ribbon that was placed around their necks. Their induction recognizes and exemplifies excellence in leadership, personal interest in the training, development, and concern for the welfare of their assigned soldiers and their families, according to Michaellyn Perkins, battalion spokeswoman.

Quinones is the station commander for the Waterbury, Conn., Recruiting Station. Pedro is the station commander for the Spring Valley Recruiting Station in Spring Valley. Biagiotti is the station commander for the Glens Falls Recruiting Station. The Albany Recruiting Battalion area of operation includes 46 recruiting stations in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont.

Murphy earned a Medal of Honor, two Silver Stars, a Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars including one with V device for valor, three Purple Hearts, two Distinguished Unit Citations, a Combat Infantry Badge, a French Legion of Honor, a French Croix de Guerre with Silver Star, three French Croix de Guerre with three Palms, and a Belgian Croix de Guerre with Palm.

He served with the 15th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division. He earned his Medal of Honor when he single-handedly held off a company of German soldiers for an hour. Murphy fought in Tunisia, Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome-Arno, Southern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland and Central Europe battles. He served in the active Army in World War II, the Texas Army National Guard, and the Army Reserve before ending his military career as a major. He was a staff sergeant at the end of the war.

Middle East deployment

Eighteen New York Army National Guard soldiers assigned to the 1108th Ordnance Company (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) have been mobilized and deployed from the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Glenville to prepare for a Middle East mission. The soldiers departed for Fort Bliss, Texas, where they will train there for 30 days before the deployment.

The soldiers specialize in dealing with improvised explosive devices, and disposing of unexploded bombs, grenades, and shells. The explosive disposal experts will be part of Task Force Spartan Shield, the U.S. Army force in the region, which is headquartered in Kuwait and operates across the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Including Iraq and Afghanistan.

The unit is expected to serve for nine months in the region. The 1108th EOD Company will be augmented by nine soldiers from the Puerto Rico Army National Guard.

Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, adjutant general, and Lt. Col. Douglas Baker, the commander of the 501st Ordnance Battalion, the 1108th's higher headquarters, Command Sgt. Maj. Marc Maynard, the senior enlisted leader for the 153rd Troop Command, spoke at the sendoff.

"I know how difficult EOD school is, how small and close knit this unit and the EOD community is, and I have no doubt you will bring that expertise and comradely with you on your deployment," Maynard said.
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A memorial site for victims of the Christchurch shootings in front of the Masjid Al Noor mosque, New Zealand

The Interfaith Committee of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC) expresses its support with the countrys Muslims, and prays for an end to violence as the nation commemorates the second anniversary of the 15 March 2019 Christchurch Massacre.

By Fr. Benedict Mayaki, SJ

On Saturday, New Zealand marked the second anniversary of the tragic killing of fifty-one worshippers at two Christchurch mosques by a gunman. Several hundred people gathered at the Christchurch Arena for the national remembrance service in honor of those who died during the attack.

In a gesture of closeness and solidarity, the New Zealand Bishops Committee for Interfaith Relations sent a letter of support to the countrys Muslim communities.

In a spirit of peace and prayer we reach out at this time to those who live in this land, and especially the Muslim community of New Zealand, says the letter, signed by committee chair, Colin MacLeod. We continue to pray and work for rich dialogue with, and warm welcome to, those of diverse beliefs and cultures.

In the 15 March 2019 attacks, Australian Brenton Tarrant killed 44 people at the Al Noor mosque during Friday prayers and then drove to the Linwood mosque where he killed seven others. Following the attacks, New Zealand passed laws banning various types of semiautomatic weapons.

Love recreates society

We acknowledge that intolerant and violent attitudes and behaviors still exist in Aotearoa (New Zealand), but we believe that the united power of love, lived out as neighbors and friends, has the capacity to re-create our society, continued the statement.

Moreover, as Catholics, Muslims and Jewish brothers and sisters all have an ancient relationship through shared connections to Abraham, we give thanks for the diversity of deeply held religious beliefs which draw people to embrace one another with compassion, healing and hope.

The statement further highlights that while many may hold those religious beliefs are the cause of violence, the experience of the rich relationships with those of many faiths shows that the choice to cause harm to others is grounded not in the divine but in other attitudes such as selfishness and fear.

The Interfaith Committee, therefore, prays that all violence may cease and that all diversity of faith may be seen as an opportunity for dialogue through which all may be blessed.

Re-echoing the words of Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, in the Document on Human Fraternity, the statement concludes with a reminder to all that faith leads a believer to see in the other a brother or sister to be supported and loved.

This, the Bishops Interfaith Committee says, is how we choose to respond. Brother, sister  welcome.
Robert Nichols is the state senator for Senate District 3. First elected in 2006, Nichols represents 19 counties, including much of East Texas and part of Montgomery County. He can be reached at 699-4988 or toll-free at (800) 959-8633. His email address is robert.nichols@senate.texas.gov.
Parents of teen girls were more likely to say their child had a new onset or worsening of depressive symptoms and anxiety than parents of teen boys. Credit: C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health at Michigan Medicine.

For teens, pandemic restrictions may have meant months of virtual school, less time with friends and canceling activities like sports, band concerts and prom.

And for young people who rely heavily on social connections for emotional support, these adjustments may have taken a heavy toll on mental health, a new national poll suggests.

Forty-six percent of parents say their teen has shown signs of a new or worsening mental health condition since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, according to the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health at Michigan Medicine. Parents of teen girls were more likely to say their child had a new onset or worsening of depressive symptoms and anxiety than parents of teen boys.

"Just as young people are at the age of being biologically primed to seek independence from their families, COVID-19 precautions have kept them at home," says poll co-director and Mott pediatrician Gary L. Freed, M.D., M.P.H.

"Pandemic-related lifestyle changes have wreaked havoc on teens' lives, with many experiencing disruptions to their normal routines. Our poll suggests that pandemic-era changes may have had a significant mental health impact for some teenagers."

The nationally representative report is based on responses from 977 parents of teens ages 13-18.

One in three teen girls and one in five teen boys have experienced new or worsening anxiety, the poll suggests. More parents of teen girls than parents of teen boys note an increase in anxiety/worry (36% vs. 19%) or depression/sadness (31% vs. 18%).

But similar proportions of parents report negative changes in their teen's sleep (24% for girls vs. 21% for boys), withdrawing from family (14% vs. 13%) and aggressive behavior (8% vs. 9%).

Recent research has shown teen depression during the pandemic to be associated with teens' own fears and uncertainties, as well as high levels of parental stress, Freed notes.

"Isolation during the pandemic may be triggering new problems for some teens but for others, the situation has exacerbated existing emotional health issues," Freed says.

Parents in the poll say their kids seem hardest hit by changes in social interactions over the last year, with three in four reporting a negative impact on their teen's connections to friends.

Many parents say their teens have been texting (64%), using social media (56%), online gaming (43%), and talking on the phone (35%) every day or almost every day. Few parents say their teens have been getting together in person with friends daily or almost every day, indoors (9%) or outdoors (6%).

"Peer groups and social interactions are a critical part of development during adolescence. But these opportunities have been limited during the pandemic," Freed says. "Many teens may feel frustrated, anxious and disconnected due to social distancing and missing usual social outlets, like sports, extracurricular activities and hanging out with friends."

Parents who note negative changes in their teens' mental health have tried different strategies to help their teen, the Mott Poll suggests, including relaxing COVID-19 rules and family rules on social media, seeking professional help and even using mental health apps.

"Parents play a critical role in helping their teens cope with the stress of the pandemic," Freed says. "There are strategies parents can engage to help, whether or not their teen is showing signs of problems. One of the most important things for parents to do is keep lines of communication open; ask their teen how they are doing and create the space for them to speak honestly so they can provide help when needed."

More Mott Poll findings on methods parents have used to improve children's mental health and what Mott experts recommend:

1. Relaxing family rules

Half of parents have tried relaxing family COVID-19 rules to allow their teen to have more contact with friends, with most (81%) saying it has helped. Freed says families should encourage social interactions that follow COVID-19 safety guidelines, such as spending time outside or participating in activities wearing masks and socially distanced.

Half of parents have also loosened social media restrictionsand most (70%) say it helped. Experts recommend that families allow teens to engage with peers on age-appropriate platforms but to continue providing boundaries to ensure screen time doesn't interfere with other health-related behaviors, such as physical activity and sleep. This could mean banning electronics close to bedtime, encouraging or only allowing social media use during designated times of the day.

2. Talking to an expert

One in four parents sought help for their teen from a mental health provider, with three-fourths feeling it helped.

A third of parents also talked to teachers or school counselors, with over half (57%) saying that strategy was helpful.

"Teens may experience a wide range of severity of mental health problems, but if parents hear their teen express any thoughts of suicide or self-harm, they should seek mental health assistance immediately," Freed says.

3. Trying a Web-based program

A quarter of parents encouraged their teen to try a web-based program or app to improve their mental health, and 60% say it has helped. A third of parents in the poll also looked for information online (58% say it helped.)

Apps may make therapy more accessible, efficient, and portable, Freed notes, but parents should consult their primary care provider or other trusted sources for app recommendations as well as for online resources about teen mental health.

4. Keeping communication open but also giving space

One in seven parents in the poll reported their teen has withdrawn from family since the start of the pandemic.

Parents may try to show teens they're not alone by sharing some of their own worries and successful strategies that help them cope while asking questions that create a safe space for candid conversations.

At the same time, Freed notes, it's also normal for teens to crave privacy from their family. Giving them space for some quiet time, creative time or music time can be helpful to their mental health.

5. Encouraging sleep hygiene

Child health experts emphasize the importance of sleep for teens, especially when they are under stress. Almost one in four parents in the Mott Poll say their teens were experiencing negative changes in their sleep since the pandemic started.

Experts recommend helping teens craft a healthy and productive routine to their days and nightswhether they're in virtual or in-person school. This includes a regular sleep and wake cycle that fits with their online learning schedule, other responsibilities around the house and their interactions with peers and family. Making time to get outside is also helpful in regulating sleep.

Explore further Nearly 9 in 10 parents say teens spend too much time gaming
CLEVELAND, Ohio  A mass vaccination site for the coronavirus opens Wednesday at the Wolstein Center, and the state hopes to administer up to 210,000 doses by the time its done.

You can listen online here.

The site on the Cleveland State University campus downtown will offer vaccinations for eight weeks, and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Sunday a portion of those will be set aside for underserved minority communities. DeWine said he hopes to ramp up the clinics capacity to 6,000 shots per day by next Monday, March 22. Meanwhile, the latest federal stimulus package will send hundreds of millions of dollars to Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. And former Cleveland City Councilman Zach Reed will take another shot at becoming mayor.

Hear cleveland.com editor Chris Quinn discuss these stories and more in The Wake Up podcast.

The podcast is a summary of cleveland.coms morning newsletter The Wake Up. You can receive The Wake Up through email at 5:30 a.m. each weekday by subscribing here.

You can get our podcasts delivered directly to your phone, and 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.
AstraZeneca said Sunday a review of its data found no evidence that its vaccine against the coronavirus causes blood clots, the same day that Ireland and the Netherlands joined a growing list of countries that are suspending the use of the shot.

A careful review of all available safety data  has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country, the company said.

The review, which covered more than 17 million people who had received the vaccine in Britain and the European Union, was conducted as Ireland and the Netherlands joined Denmark, Norway, and Iceland in suspending the use of the vaccine because of clotting issues. Austria stopped using a batch of the shot last week while investigating a death from coagulation disorders.

Ronan Glynn, Irelands deputy chief medical officer, said Sunday that though there was no conclusive link between the vaccine and incidents of blood clots, he would recommend suspending the use of the shot as a precaution.

His recommendation followed Norway reporting four cases of blood clots in adults inoculated with the AstraZeneca shot.

In addition to the company itself, the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organisation have said there is no indication the clotting events were caused by the vaccine.

Brazil

Meanwhile in Brazil, many have noted the absence of Ze Gotinha (roughly translated as Joe Droplet), a mascot invented in the 1980s to promote the polio vaccine and put children at ease.

Since the 1980s, the mascot has become a symbol for many vaccination campaigns, but hes been notably absent since December when Brazils vaccine campaign was launched.

Where is our beloved Ze Gotinha? former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in a speech criticising the current presidents handling of the pandemic. But some have speculated that since adults, not children, are receiving the vaccine, Gotinhas presence may be less needed.

Chile

Also in South America, Chile said it has reached one of the highest rates of vaccination in the world, having vaccinated roughly a quarter of its population as of Sunday.

While Chile struggled in the first months of the pandemic to contain the virus and stop its spread, health officials say they began early negotiations to buy vaccines, enabling them to launch a robust vaccination campaign this month.

The U.S. appears to be on a path to have enough vaccine doses for almost double the countrys population after President Joe Biden directed his administration to order 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnsons vaccine.

The U.S. has committed funding to several vaccine initiatives, including $2 billion to COVAX, the international program designed to provide coronavirus vaccines globally.

The U.S., Australia, India and Japan also agreed last week to a partnership to make one billion vaccines available across Asia by the end of 2022, Indias foreign secretary said at a news conference in New Dehli after a virtual meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of the other countries.

The initiative is designed to attack the global vaccine shortage and counter Chinas growing diplomatic campaign to distribute vaccines in Southeast Asia and globally.

Meanwhile, in Massachusetts on Saturday, Yo-Yo Ma, the internationally acclaimed cellist, celebrated receiving his second vaccine doing what he does best.

While he waited seated with others for the 15 minutes of observation post-vaccination, Ma, 65 and wearing a mask, started playing his cello.

His impromptu performance included Ave Maria and Bachs Prelude in G Major.

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As Ma got up to leave, he was applauded by others seated and socially distant waiting for their observation to end.

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Through pending legislation, hearings in support of it and nominations to key positions in the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and the Biden administration have heralded a new era in federal antitrust vigilance.

And because of big social media platforms increasing dominance over politics-related communications, the move toward stronger antitrust laws and enforcement has significant bipartisan support.

Klobuchar, chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Committees Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, introduced a bill in February that fundamentally would change the federal approach to antitrust cases. Most important, it would shift the burden of proof, which now requires the federal government to prove that proposed corporate mergers would harm competition, consumers and the public interest, to requiring the parties to prove that the merger would not do so.

The bill also would change a number of definitions in antitrust law to better protect competition and consumers, and it would increase budgets for the FTC and the antitrust division in the Justice Department.

In recent hearings on the bill, Klobuchar and other senators have touched on an array of anticompetitive practices, from inclusion in app stores to online search protocols.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has nominated several people with records in opposition to monopolies in a wide array of businesses.

Antitrust enforcement has been more of a phrase than an actual practice over the past several decades. Klobuchars effort is a welcome reinsertion of the public interest into the antitrust equation.
"Vincenzo" ended with another cliffhanger, and it makes us crave more!

In continuation of the chaos at the Geumga plaza, Vincenzo Cassano's plan didn't go according to how he expected it to be, but the sudden change of events turned out successful for him and the tenants.

"Vincenzo" Episode 8: Choi Myung Hee Continues to Prove Her Capability to Babel Group's Chairman

In the middle of a meeting, Jang Joon Woo (2PM's Taecyeon) challenged Choi Myung Hee (Kim Yeo Jin) and Mr. Han (Jo Han Chul) to bring back all the funds that the Babel group lost after their court loss. He pointed out the old-fashioned techniques of Choi Myung Hee. She got provoked, and this made her more determined to redeem herself. The Babel group chairman then said he wants to continue seeing that devilish side of Choi Myung Hee.

The next day, the two invited Hong Cha Young and Vincenzo to their office to settle things with the Babel group. But knowing how the duo works, Jang Joon Woo got pissed off with the kind of confidence that Vincenzo and Hong Cha Young were showing.

Oh Gyeong Ja's (Yoon Bok In) condition got worse, making Hong Cha Young and Vincenzo rush to the hospital where she has been confined. Our dark hero is seen struggling and uncomfortable during his encounter with the patient, knowing that she is his mother.

Vincenzo offered to pay all the treatment expenses of Oh Gyeong Ja, but she declined. He was worried and upset, making Hong Cha Young curious about his sudden change of heart.

Meanwhile, Choi Myung Hee was able to close the deal with the president of Shinkwang Bank, Hwang Min Seong (Kim Sung Cheol), to have an alliance with the Babel group. This is their last resort to secure funds.

Hong Cha Young gathered clues about their opponent's new plan, and she was able to come up with the best idea to get the president's interest. Prior to official signing of the partnership between the Babel Group and Shinkwang Bank, Vincenzo and Hong Cha Young put on yet another show.

Vincenzo Can't Say No to Hong Cha Young's Request

Nam Joo Sung (Yoon Byung Hee) and the lady lawyer want Vincenzo to act as a potential lover of Hwang Min Seong after knowing that among his weaknesses are men. They want Vincenzo to disguise as Tae Ho, a lawyer, and get closer to him.

Vincenzo was initially hesitant. But knowing that it can avenge Oh Gyeong Ja after she was framed for murder, he agreed.

The trio began the plan with Vincenzo joining Hwang Min Hyeong at a horse riding arena, and feigned interest in Shinkwang's president.

Hong Cha Young and Nam Joo Sung were secretly on the lookout for the two. Cha Young kept on pursuing Vincenzo to show his charms to fulfill their mission and because of this plan, both lawyers got closer.

Vincenzo gained the trust of Hwang Min Seong and made him pursue not to sign the investment contract with the Babel Group.

But an unexpected twist that Choi Myung Hee pulled carried on the signing of contracts.

Vincenzo and Hong Cha Young's Explicit Partnership

Before "Vincenzo" Episode 8 concluded, Choi Myung Hee warned Hong Cha Young to lie low if she doesn't want to end up like her father. This angered Hong Cha Young and turned into a fearless lawyer by declaring, in front of the press, that she will expose the corrupt deeds that the Babel Group.

Meanwhile, Vincenzo was in awe upon seeing Hong Cha Young's new and fierce persona. He then stepped up and got her out of the mobbing reporters, and the two exited while exchanging smiles with each other.

Look at how Vincenzo try to protect Chayoung. Their chemistry just *chef kiss*#Vincenzo #VincenzoEp8 pic.twitter.com/cdRgXeRtUb  lova #Vincenzo #Mouse (@lovariria) March 14, 2021

It seems like we're going to see the lionhearted Hong Cha Young in the next episodes.

"Vincenzo" Episode 8, as expected, took over the internet. Also, the chemistry between Vincenzo and Hong Cha Young keeps getting better.

Meanwhile, Song Joong Ki and Kim Sung Cheol also had their sweetest reunion in this episode, following their previous drama project "Arthdal Chronicles."

Eun seom x Ipsaeng reunion in #VincenzoEP8 



I miss #ArthdalChronicles so much  pic.twitter.com/92jbS0HBL1  kdrama tweets (@iconickdramas) March 14, 2021

"Vincenzo" Episode 7 was able to achieve an average rating of 9.241 percent nationwide and 9.992 percent in the metropolitan area.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 'Vincenzo' Episode 7 Recap: Song Joong Ki and Jeon Yeo Bin are Victorious in Court

Have you watched "Vincenzo" Episode 8? What's your favorite scene so far? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars.

Kdramastars owns this article.

Written by Shai Collins
[March 15, 2021] Momentum Building as Xtrackers MSCI USA ESG Leaders Equity ETF Exceeds USD 3 Billion in Assets

Momentum (News - Alert) is building in the Xtrackers MSCI USA ESG Leaders Equity ETF (NYSE Arca: USSG) after it broke through the USD 3 billion in assets under management level last month. The increasing popularity of the product reflects growing investor interest in environmental, social and governance (ESG) ETFs. The ETF tracks large- and mid-cap U.S. stocks, with similar risk and return characteristics to the MSCI USA Index, but with a weighting towards companies with the strongest ESG characteristics relative to sector peers. It has a net and gross expense ratio of 0.10%. Amanda Rebello, DWS Head of Passive Sales, and U.S. onshore, commented: "The Xtrackers MSCI USA ESG Leaders Equity ETF continues to attract significant investor interest as ESG moves into the mainstream. We expect to see inflows come in at a strong pace this year." According to independent analysts ETFGI, assets invested in ESG ETFs and exchange-traded products (ETPs) globally reached a new high of USD 187 billion at the end of 2020, representing a yearly increase of 206%.1 Net inflows for ESG ETFs and ETPs globally in 2020 were USD 88.95 billion, up significantly from the USD 27.79 billion gathered in 2019, according to ETFGI. Xtrackers MSCI USA ESG Leaders Equity ETF ranks fifth in the U.S. in terms of ESG ETF assets under management and, with USD 296 million positive flows in January, placed fourth in its category for inflows for the first month of 2021.2 The Xtrackers ESG range was awarded 'ETF Suite of the Year' at Fund Intelligence's Mutual Fund Industry and ETF Virtual Awards 2020.3 # # # 1 Source (News - Alert) : ETFGI, 22 January, 2021

2 Source: Morningstar, as at January 31, 2021

3 Xtrackers ESG ETF product portfolio was named 'ETF Suite of the Year' at the 27th annual Fund Intelligence's Mutual Fund Industry and ETF Virtual Awards 2020. These industry awards are meant to recognize people and organizations whose excellence, achievements and contributions to the mutual fund industry have stood out. In addition, Xtrackers MSCI USA ESG Leaders Equity ETF (USSG) won the 'Newcomer ESG/Impact ETF of the Year' accolade. For more information on methodology and judging process for the awards, please visit: https://mutualfundindustryawards.awardstage.com/#!/home-of0eb3nc9stuglc7mkd About DWS Group



DWS Group (DWS) is one of the world's leading asset managers with USD 969bn of assets under management (as of 31 December 2020). Building on more than 60 years of experience, it has a reputation for excellence in Germany, Europe, the Americas and Asia. DWS is recognized by clients globally as a trusted source for integrated investment solutions, stability and innovation across a full spectrum of investment disciplines. We offer individuals and institutions access to our strong investment capabilities across all major asset classes and solutions aligned to growth trends. Our diverse expertise in Active, Passive and Alternatives asset management - as well as our deep environmental, social and governance focus - complement each other when creating targeted solutions for our clients. Our expertise and on-the-ground-knowledge of our economists, research analysts and investment professionals are brought together in one consistent global CIO View, which guides our investment approach strategically.

DWS wants to innovate and shape the future of investing: with approximately 3,500 employees in offices all over the world, we are local while being one global team. We are investors - entrusted to build the best foundation for our clients' future. IMPORTANT INFORMATION ETF shares are not individually redeemable, and owners of shares may acquire those shares from the Fund, or tender such shares for the redemption to the Fund, in Creation Units only. Consider each fund's investment objectives, risk factors, and charges and expenses before investing. This and other important information can be found in the fund's prospectus, which may be obtained by calling 1-855-DBX-ETFS (1-855-329-3837) or by viewing or downloading a prospectus at www.Xtrackers.com. Please read it carefully before investing. Xtrackers ETFs are managed by DBX Advisors LLC (the Advisor), and distributed by ALPS Distributors, Inc. (ALPS). The Advisor is a wholly owned subsidiary of DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA, and is not affiliated with ALPS. Xtrackers MSCI USA ESG Leaders Equity ETF: Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. ESG criteria in a fund's investment strategy does not guarantee a return or protect against a loss. Stocks may decline in value. This fund is nondiversified and can take larger positions in fewer issues, increasing its potential risk. Performance of the fund may diverge from that of the Underlying Index due to operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows, use of sampling strategies or operational inefficiencies. An investment in this fund should be considered only as a supplement to a complete investment program for those investors willing to accept the risks associated with the fund. Please read the prospectus for more information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the laws of such state or jurisdiction. Certain statements contained in this release may be forward-looking in nature. These include all statements relating to plans, expectations, and other statements that are not historical facts and typically use words like "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "intend," and similar expressions. Such statements represent management's current beliefs, based upon information available at the time the statements are made, with regard to the matters addressed. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, such statements. Management does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements: (i) the effects of adverse changes in market and economic conditions; (ii) legal and regulatory developments; and (iii) other additional risks and uncertainties, including public health crises (including the recent pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus), war, terrorism, trade disputes and related geopolitical events. NOT FDIC/ NCUA INSURED  MAY LOSE VALUE  NO BANK GUARANTEE

NOT A DEPOSIT  NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY The brand DWS represents DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA and any of its subsidiaries such as DWS Distributors, Inc. which offers investment products or DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. and RREEF America L.L.C. which offer advisory services. DBX004833 (3/22) R-081809-1 (3/21) View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005541/en/

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KYODO NEWS - Mar 15, 2021 - 17:49 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

Japan may consider issuing certificates to those who have been inoculated against the novel coronavirus if pressed by calls overseas for systems to ensure safe cross-border travel, the minister in charge of vaccination efforts said Monday.

"If requested internationally, we will have no other choice but to consider issuing inoculation certificates," Taro Kono said in a session of parliament, adding the certificates can be processed through government vaccine rollout management systems.

Kono's remarks deviated from his earlier position that Japan would not be in favor of issuing such documentation and comes as debate on the issue starts in the United States and Europe. Israel has already introduced a COVID-19 vaccine certificate scheme.

Last month, Kono appeared to shoot down the idea of using COVID-19 vaccine certificates for official purposes, including as a vaccine passport that would permit international travel. He argued doing so would exclude those who cannot be inoculated because of allergies.

On Monday, the former foreign minister also said the government is "not thinking as of now" of using such certificates domestically.

Bearing in mind that some people may worry about making time to go to vaccination venues, the government plans to urge companies to allow employees to take paid leave to get shots and to go to hospital in the event of side effects, its top spokesman said.

"We will examine what steps we can take, including making requests regarding the issue to the business community and considering whether the government should allow national public employees to take paid leave (to get shots)," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a news conference.

Among domestic companies, Nippon Life Insurance Co. has decided not to dock pay if employees get jabs during their working hours.

Japan began rolling out vaccinations last month, with health care workers at the head of the queue.

On Monday morning, the fifth batch of COVID-19 vaccines developed by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech SE arrived at Narita airport in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo.

The latest shipment from the drugmaker's factory in Belgium can cover 216,000 doses, with a vial containing six shots. The government plans to deliver them to prefectural governments for the inoculation of the 4.8 million health care workers prioritized in the vaccination program.

Japan has lagged behind other countries such as the United States and Britain in its vaccine rollout amid a supply shortage due to production delays at Pfizer's factory and the European Union's export controls.

But, as the country is expected to receive more vaccines than initially scheduled from the week starting next Monday, the central government expects to secure and send sufficient supply for the two shots to cover health care workers by the week starting May 10.

Related coverage:

Vaccinations for elderly to begin in populous areas in limited supply

Olympics: Vaccination not required for Tokyo Games athletes, Bach says

Japan to get 100 million doses of Pfizer vaccine by June
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The winner of the trial 'sprint qualifying' races in 2021 will receive 3 points as well as pole position for the main event.

It now appears set in stone that at three race weekends this year - expected to be Silverstone, Monza and Brazil - a 30-minute Saturday sprint race after qualifying on Friday will be trialled to determine the order of the grid for Sunday's main event.

Sources report that only the top three will score points - 3 for the winner, 2 for second place, and a point for third. None of them will stand on the podium.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said he is likely to vote for the trial.

"After that, we have to be honest with ourselves and check what advantages and disadvantages the format brings from both a sporting and commercial point of view," he said.

F1 sporting boss Ross Brawn said in Bahrain: "We will have a much more complete weekend, and this is exactly the scenario we want to explore.

"If it doesn't work then we will raise our hands and abandon the idea, but I have to say that I am quite optimistic about it.

"I think if you really consider the whole weekend, this format has a lot more to offer," Brawn added.

(GMM)
There's lots of great news about Covid-19 vaccines and one major catch.

First, the good news:

-- A record-high 2.4 million vaccine doses are going into arms each day, according to the latest seven-day average of daily vaccinations.

-- About 11.5% of the US population is now fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

-- Millions more Americans are now eligible to get a vaccine this week as many states broaden their pools.

-- For the first time, teachers in all 50 states and Washington, DC, are now able to get vaccinated.

Now here's the problem: Some Americans are still reluctant to get vaccinated, even though that's the easiest ticket to herd immunity and a return to normal life.

About 70% to 85% of people must achieve immunity -- either by surviving Covid-19 or receiving a vaccine -- for the population to reach herd immunity. That's the point at which enough people are protected against a disease that it cannot spread through the population.

But while 92% of Democrats either have gotten vaccinated or want to get vaccinated, that number plummets to 50% among Republicans, a CNN poll conducted by SSRS shows.

"What we need to do is find a way to de-link anti-science (beliefs) from the Republican Party," said Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

For the US to quash this pandemic as quickly as possible, more Americans need to roll up their sleeves -- especially as more contagious variants and travel increase, health experts say.

"On the one hand, we are getting vaccines out at a record pace, but on the other hand, we have these variants," emergency physician Dr. Leana Wen said.

"We also know surges have occurred after spring break and after holidays before. So what happens now is really up to us."

Despite warnings, air travel reaches record highs

More people traveled by air in the past four days than any other four-day period in this pandemic, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

At least 5.2 million people have flown since Thursday, the TSA said Monday.

And health experts say spring break can be a perfect storm for spreading variants.

The B.1.1.7 strain is spreading rampantly in Florida, Hotez said, and research shows that strain is 59% to 74% more transmissible than the original novel coronavirus.

Yet revelers have packed Florida hot spots, and they could unknowingly bring back the virus to their home states.

Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said "too much spring break activity" happened over the weekend.

"We've got a problem with too many people coming here," the mayor said. "We've got a problem with too many people coming here to let loose."

Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Clements told CNN on Monday spring breakers tend to "congregate closer to one another." Once that happens, social distancing goes out the window, Clements said. This, in turn, exposes officers to Covid-19.

"We passed out almost 7,000 masks this weekend alone trying to get people to recognize the threat of the virus and the potential spread of the virus if they don't take those precautions," Clements said. "We obviously don't want to see anymore in our ranks contract the virus."

And just because spring breakers are outside on a beach doesn't meant they'll be safe.

"They're not going to be (outdoors) all day and all night," Hotez said. "They're going to be in bars and everything else."

Health experts are begging all Americans to wear masks and avoid mistakes from the past that led to devastating surges.

"We have seen footage of people enjoying spring break festivities, maskless. This is all in the context of still 50,000 cases per day," said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"I'm pleading with you for, the sake of our nation's health. These should be warning signs for all of us. Cases climbed last spring, they climbed again in the summer, they will climb now if we stop taking precautions when we get more and more people vaccinated."

With masks on, is 3 feet of distance enough?

The CDC is reviewing new data to see whether physical distancing guidance for schools should be changed from a minimum of 6 feet to a minimum of 3 feet, Walensky said Monday.

"Schools were having a hard time with the 6-foot guidance, and that of course prompted more studies to say, 'Is 6 feet necessary in the context of mask wearing?'" she said.

A study published last week showed "no significant difference" in rates of Covid-19 at Massachusetts public schools that had implemented social distancing rules of more than 3 feet apart compared to those with 6-foot rules.

"Lower physical distancing policies can be adopted in school settings with masking mandates without negatively impacting student or staff safety," the authors concluded.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said, "The CDC is very well aware that data are accumulating making it look more like 3 feet are OK, under certain circumstances."

"I can assure you within a reasonable period of time -- quite reasonable -- they will be giving guidelines according to the data that they have," Fauci told CNN on Sunday. "It won't be very long."

If schools are advised that 3 feet of distance between students (with masks) is sufficient, that could be a game changer, as many schools have not been able to bring more students back to classrooms due to insufficient space.

You asked, we answered: Your top questions about Covid-19 and vaccines

States are expanding who can get vaccines

As vaccine supply and distribution networks expand, states are letting more groups get vaccinated:

Starting Tuesday, "ALL new appointments will be open to ALL Mississippians," Gov. Tate Reeves tweeted. "Get your shot friends - and let's get back to normal!"

(Not literally everyone can get a vaccine. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is authorized for people 16 and older, and the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are authorized for people 18 and older.)

In Alaska, people living or working in the state age 16 or older can get the vaccine. In Georgia, residents 55 and older and people with disabilities and certain medical conditions are now eligible for a vaccine.

Kentuckians 16 and older with any medical or behavioral health condition who the CDC says could be at increased risk of severe Covid-19 illness are now eligible for the vaccine. Health officials said smoking will not be in the covered conditions in the state.

Rhode Island recently expanded vaccinations to those ages 60 to 64, as well as people 16 to 64 with certain underlying health conditions.

In California, those with certain high-risk medical conditions or disabilities are now eligible for a vaccine.

But "the national supply of the vaccine remains limited," state health officials said, "so appointments for the estimated 4.4 million Californians with these conditions or disabilities will not immediately be available to all who are eligible."

How to beat variants before they get out of control

In the race between vaccines and variants, "the best way that we can avoid any threat from variants is do two things," Fauci said.

"Get as many people vaccinated as quickly as we possibly can, and to continue with the public health measures until we get this broad umbrella of protection over society that the level of infection is very low."

That means the US shouldn't be easing restrictions before daily Covid-19 case numbers fall below 10,000 and "maybe even considerably less than that," Fauci said.

The US is not even close to that goal. Over the past week, an average of more than 53,000 new Covid-19 infections were reported each day. And an average of more than 1,350 deaths were reported every day over the past week.

One voice could help quash vaccine hesitancy

Of all the current challenges in this pandemic, one could be greatly alleviated if a former President spoke up, health experts say.

Forty-seven percent of people who supported President Donald Trump in the 2020 election said they would not get a Covid-19 vaccine if it became available to them, a recent poll by NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist found. (Only about 10% of people who supported President Joe Biden said they wouldn't get a vaccine.)

Fauci said on "Fox News Sunday" that if Trump told Republican supporters to get vaccinated, it "would make all the difference in the world."

"He's a very widely popular person among Republicans. If he came out and said, 'Go and get vaccinated, it's really important for your health, the health of your family and the health of the country,' it seems absolutely inevitable that the vast majority of people who are his close followers would listen to him," Fauci said.

Former presidents from both parties publicly received their Covid-19 vaccines to show Americans that they're safe. Trump did not and got his vaccine quietly instead.

And there's even more good reason to get vaccinated. Growing evidence suggests coronavirus vaccines don't just prevent people from getting sick, they can also prevent you from getting infected and passing the virus to others.

"All of the evidence across all the vaccines now is pointing in the direction that these vaccines reduce asymptomatic infection and reduce transmission," Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner and current Pfizer board member, told CBS on Sunday.

"If that's the case, the vaccine creates what we call 'dead-end hosts' -- a lot of dead-end hosts -- meaning people will no longer be able to transmit the infection."
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was widely, and deservedly, criticized for her refusal to retire from the Supreme Court at a time when a Democratic president could have chosen her replacement.

Justice Stephen Breyer is making a similar and arguably even more egregious mistake.

The evident indifference on the part of Democrats regarding the failure of Justice Breyer, 82, to announce his retirement is apparently a product of the assumption that he will do so at some point during the current Congress and that therefore whether he does so anytime soon is not particularly important.

This is a grave mistake.

Consider that because of the extremely thin nature of their Democratic Senate control, the shift of a single seat from the Democrats to the Republicans or even one vacancy in the 50 seats now controlled by the Democratic caucus would probably result in the swift reinstallation of Mitch McConnell as the majority leader.

What are the odds that something like this  a senators death, disabling health crisis or departure from office for other reasons  will happen sometime in this Congresss remaining 22 months?
China's Ministry of Education has issued a notice to improve second bachelor's degree programs in universities.

Universities should fully harness their educational resources to train interdisciplinary talents, thus providing support for stabilizing employment and enhancing students' employability, said the document.

It also made clear that universities are allowed to enroll students across schools for a second bachelor's degree education.

Also, the ministry will establish a national online platform for universities to release relevant enrollment information.




Richard Haldeman is a former journalist, English teacher, college public relations director, and married father and grandfather presently residing in Due West, South Carolina. He has completed his new book Charles Haldeman, A Memoir: Midcentury Journeys of a Vagabond Author: a poignant synthesis of his own experiences with his older brother, his letters, and the reflections of others who knew him best.

Charles Haldeman (193183) was a man with unusual literary and artistic abilities who sought to identify his and his generations mission in the world of the mid-twentieth century. Charles was born in the Depression; lived six months as a child in Hitlers Germany during the 1930s; grew up in a US Army town during World War II; and traveled, studied, and worked throughout the US, the Pacific, Europe, and Canada during the mid-twentieth century. He lived his final 25 years in Greece, where he befriended and hosted the literary elite of this time and published three novels based on his experiences and knowledge of his generation and time. Charles Haldemans letters reveal his search for his own identity. He was born to a mother from the segregated South and a father who migrated to the United States from Germany less than a decade before Hitler came into power. From an early age he sought to understand and separate himself from the racism in his familys American and German heritage, to reconcile the principles of the American dream with the reality of American life, and to help bring about a world in which human beings no longer used war as a school for life to build monuments to stupidity. Seeking a country where the artist had the freedom to thrive, he made Greece his home, only find ultimate disappointment in his love affair with Greece. Despite this disappointment and his early death, Charles Haldeman left a legacy of three novels that described a time in American and world history, giving voice to his silent generation. This memoir attempts to honor that legacy.

Published by Page Publishing, Richard Haldemans engrossing biography captures the spirit of a gifted novelist and true citizen of the world.

Readers who wish to experience this engaging work can purchase Charles Haldeman, A Memoir: Midcentury Journeys of a Vagabond Author at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing understands that authors should be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
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This is one installment of a special series published in partnership with The Guardian: Disconnected: The Lost School Year. See additional coverage of the past year for students and schools: As Teens Pile on Jobs to Help Their Families, Schools Strive to Keep Tabs on Students They Havent Seen in a Year and Families Face Steep Truancy Fines, Contentious Court Battles As Pandemic Creates School Attendance Barriers.

The day her teenage daughters hair began to fall out, Eva Garcia knew the stress had become too much.

For months, Kimberly Son Garcia had been getting bumped off Zoom classes and missing deadlines because of slow internet access. Until November, the Los Angeles family had grabbed Wi-Fi from the parking lot of Carls Jr., a local fast-food chain, or through a school-provided hotspot. After shopping for her own internet service and rejecting bundles she couldnt afford, Garcia finally signed up for a $30-per-month plan from Spectrum.

I told them I just need basic service  this is for my children. Garcia said in Spanish through an interpreter. Sometimes I cant afford to pay one month, and sometimes my bills accumulate. Its really hard because the internet is such an essential piece.

Kimberly Son Garcia, a 10th grader at Orthopaedic Hospital Medical Magnet High School in Los Angeles, works on her laptop at home. (Linda Jacobson / The 74)

A year after the coronavirus shut down the nations schools, Garcias children, Cristofer and Kimberly, are among the under-connected  the estimated 12 million students who, according to a recent analysis, lack internet service or make do with a patchwork of short-term fixes to participate in remote learning. Their issues are regionally specific, from a lack of broadband in the isolated reaches of Appalachia to worn-out and obsolete devices distributed to poor families on Chicagos South Side. But the heartache and exhaustion are universal.

Students in rural areas, Hispanic students and those in households earning less than $50,000 per year are most affected by the digital divide. (Boston Consulting Group, Common Sense and Southern Education Foundation)

The federal government is addressing the divide with $7 billion schools can use for internet hotspots and devices, part of the pandemic relief bill President Joe Biden signed last week. The issues, however, arent just technological. As schools continue to reopen this spring, they will confront the pandemics legacy of lost learning, one that has disproportionately affected students of color and those from low-income families.

Story continues

Its frustrating watching the state and federal government work so slowly, said Devon Conley, school board president in the Mountain View Whisman School District in California. In the grand scheme of things, internet access shouldnt be just for students. I think its a human right.

Mountain View isnt a hard-to-reach rural outpost. The district office is about a seven-minute drive from the international headquarters of Google, a company practically synonymous with the internet. Yet in some parts of Santa Clara County, which includes the district, more than a quarter of households dont have service, and there are many residents who cant afford the high-speed internet necessary to run learning platforms like Zoom.

Educators are not immune. Jorge Pacheco Jr., who teaches fourth grade in Mountain View, is among 400,000 teachers nationwide who lack sufficient service.

There is so much lag when I talk to the kids, they say, Oh, you broke up, said Pacheo, who needs to connect four or five devices to the internet in order to teach his remote lessons. I have to turn off the video for the kids to hear me.

Jorge Pacheco, a fourth grade teacher in Californias Mountain View Whisman School District, often doesnt have sufficient internet service to deliver lessons. (Jorge Pacheco)

Connecting the hardest to reach

Like the pandemic itself, the lack of dependable internet has disproportionately affected those who were already struggling before COVID-19.

In Chicago, where one in five children under 18 lacks access to broadband, a new initiative aims to get free high-speed service to 100,000 students before the end of the school year. But even with $50 million from foundations and the federal government, Chicago Connected has yet to reach about 40,000 families.

Many are homeless or bounce between temporary living situations with friends or relatives. Margaret Bingham hasnt had a stable place to live since 12-year-old Mariah was born. They lived in her brothers basement until he was murdered in 2019, and since then have been going house to house and door to door. The two currently share the living room at Binghams adult daughters house on the South Side. Keeping Mariah connected to virtual school has been a series of daily frustrations.

The first laptop the school issued had a screen obscured by horizontal blue lines. They traded it in for an iPad, but even charged, the device wouldnt turn on.

Related: 17 Million Students Lack Home Internet. With No Relief From Congress in Sight, Schools Deploy an Awkward Mix of Buses, Mobile Hotspots to Get Them Online

Districts nationwide have scrambled to get an estimated four to six million devices in the hands of students since last March, according to the Boston Consulting Group. But the devices are sometimes old and faulty. Those that work often get damaged in students hands, and repairs can take months  leaving them without a way to connect.

In Chicago, Mariah now logs into school from her phone with a Wi-Fi hotspot she shares with three other children in the house. I catch on quick, she said. I do my work before the internet goes out. My teachers are really understanding. They know how hard e-learning is because they lose their internet, too.

In spite of attending seven schools since kindergarten, Bingham said Mariah has all As and gets frequent encouragement from family members. Nonetheless, she is reluctant to send her daughter, who has asthma, back to school now that the district has slowly begun to reopen. Mariah, who enjoys math and currently only interacts with friends through games on her phone, said she most definitely wants to be in a classroom. Its hard to stare at a screen all day.

Margaret Bingham, of Chicago, and her daughter Mariah, 12, havent had a stable place to live for years. Trying to connect to remote learning has been a source of daily stress. (Claire Sloss)

Outside of the nations major population centers, the fiber-optic cable necessary for high-speed internet is spotty and sometimes non-existent. Families in some rural areas are relieved their schools have reopened because theyre not any closer to having home broadband than they were at the start of the pandemic.

In Tennessees Polk County Schools, based in a one-time copper mining hub in the Appalachian Mountains, only about 35 percent of the districts students have high-speed internet. Before students returned to classrooms in January, Karen Cribbs often had to drive her ninth grader Maddie to her school, Copper Basin High, to pick up a Wi-Fi signal.

Maddie, who plays volleyball for the school team and is also a cheerleader, said she and her classmates grew frustrated with service that was so slow that links for assignments disappeared before they were able to click on them.

Also, the buffering constantly is very frustrating to the point that we just give up, she said.

High-speed internet is now available in the Cribbss home after a local company extended service  but not two miles away where Holly Smith, Copper Basins principal, lives. She put a Wi-Fi booster in her attic, but still has to sit in the front foyer to get enough service. While schools were closed, she went to the post office to participate in Zoom faculty meetings. At one point, she offered to donate part of her country farm for a cell tower so students in her area could get a better connection  to no avail.

Copper Basin High Principal Holly Smith once offered to donate land on her familys farm for a cell tower to improve internet access in her rural community in southeast Tennessee. (Copper Basin High School)

The primary obstacle

The pandemic year has made a major dent in the number of under-connected: an estimated 4 million students who did not have home internet when schools first closed last March are now connected. But the staggering amount of lost learning that resulted will not be easy to fix. For example, a recent review found that 20 percent fewer kindergartners are on track to learn how to read compared to their peers at this time last year; for Black and Hispanic kindergarteners, those projections are even higher.

Evan Marwell, founder and CEO of EducationSuperHighway, a nonprofit focused on expanding internet access for students, said even though tremendous efforts have helped more students get connected, the primary obstacle to closing the homework gap is affordability.

Related: An Education System, Divided: How Internet Inequity Persisted Through 4 Presidents and Left Schools Unprepared for the Pandemic

Experts say the piecemeal approach to the problem is not sustainable. They argue that federally subsidized at-home internet service and device purchase programs should be universally available like school lunch  and that efforts should increase to reach families that havent traditionally relied upon the internet to learn and work.

Liliana Madrid of Los Angeles is one of those parents. She found help from iFamily, a tech support program from the parent advocacy group Speak Up. But even with high-speed service and district-provided hotspots, Madrids daughters have trouble submitting their assignments. Their grades have dropped.

Zoom just kicks me off for no reason, said Madrids 10th grader Itzel Godoy. Shes not alone. Routinely during remote classes, students disappear from the screen. Some of my friends, they text me, Can you tell me what were doing?

This is one installment of a special series published in partnership with The Guardian: Disconnected: The Lost School Year. See additional coverage of the past year for students and schools: As Teens Pile on Jobs to Help Their Families, Schools Strive to Keep Tabs on Students They Havent Seen in a Year and Families Face Steep Truancy Fines, Contentious Court Battles As Pandemic Creates School Attendance Barriers.

Lead Image: Eva Garcia, center, with her children Kimberly and Cristofer. The students, who attend Orthopaedic Hospital Medical Magnet High School in Los Angeles, have struggled to stay connected to the internet for distance learning since schools closed a year ago. (Linda Jacobson / The 74)
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Washington County BOE nixes recommendations on school closures

The Washington County Board of Education votes against the superintendent's recommendations to close Hancock Middle-Senior High and Cascade Elementary schools.
[March 15, 2021] The Crane Foundation, Inc. Donates $105,215 to Richard T. Crane Medical Prep High School for Student Training Program

Crane Co. (NYSE:CR) today announced that the Crane Foundation, Inc., the company's charitable nonprofit corporation, has donated $105,215 to fund a Revenue Cycle Management Certification Program for students and alumni of the company's namesake Chicago, IL.-based Richard T. Crane Medical Prep High School (RTC). The program, which will be housed at Rush University Medical Center and Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, will provide training, support, and professional experience to participants, who will gain employable skills in the healthcare industry, and, upon receiving their certifications in Revenue Cycle Management, will be well positioned for strong career opportunities. "We are incredibly grateful to the Crane Foundation for its support of our students, who are passionate about science and medicine but may not otherwise have the resources to pursue their career goals," said Fareeda Shabazz, Principal of Richard T. Crane Medical Prep High School. "We are equally thrilled to launch this program to develop important, real-world career skills as students earn certifications in Revenue Cycle Management, one of the fastest-growing fields in healthcare today." The program will begin in the summer of 2021 and will consist of a six-week internship, including shadowing sessions with medical professionals, workforce development sessions and lecture series on a variety of healthcare professions, and clinical workshops. All course materials and equipment will be provided to participants free of charge by the Crane Foundation, Inc. "We are extremely pleased with the success of RTC, which has achieved 100% graduation rates for three years in a row and has placed students in some of the best colleges in the country," said Richard Maue, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Crane Co., and a trustee of the Crane Foundation, Inc. "We look forward to continuing to extend our values of leadership and responsibility to our communities, by better equipping more and more students notjust for college, but for a competitive job market."



Dedicated exclusively to making charitable contributions for religious, educational and scientific purposes, the Crane Foundation is one of three charitable institutions affiliated with Crane Co., which also include The Crane Fund, a charitable trust dedicated to former Crane Co. employees in need of financial aid who are unable to be fully self-supporting due to age or physical disability, and The Crane Fund for Widows and Children, which makes contributions to charitable organizations that provide direct assistance to underserved populations in the communities where Crane Co. operates. In total, these three funds donate approximately $17 million each year to assist more than 500 charitable organizations and over 1,200 former associates and their family members around the world. About Crane Co.

Crane Co. is a diversified manufacturer of highly engineered industrial products. Founded in 1855, Crane Co. provides products and solutions to customers in the chemicals, oil & gas, power, automated payment solutions, banknote design and production and aerospace & defense markets, along with a wide range of general industrial and consumer related end markets. The Company has four business segments: Fluid Handling, Payment & Merchandising Technologies, Aerospace & Electronics and Engineered Materials. Crane Co. has approximately 11,000 employees in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. Crane Co. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:CR). For more information, visit www.craneco.com. About The Crane Foundation, Inc. Created in 1951, the Crane Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit corporation organized exclusively to make charitable contributions for religious, educational and scientific purposes. About Richard T. Crane (RTC) Medical Preparatory High School RTC is a magnet high school that offers a full and articulated college preparatory curriculum and rigorous career coursework focused on the health sciences to students across the city. RTC Medical Preparatory High School will meet the growing demand for medical professionals by preparing a diverse student body to go on to the best colleges and universities. RTC's college preparatory curriculum, which includes a rigorous science and mathematics sequence and competitive dual enrollment and Advanced Placement courses, arm students with an essential academic foundation. All students participate in an innovative four-year health sciences program, which provides students with practical learning experiences under the supervision and guidance of health professionals in the classroom and through the Illinois Medical District. Founded in 1890 as the English Manual and Training School, the school was renamed in honor of Richard T. Crane, the founder of Crane Co., in recognition of his long history of support for education in Chicago. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005739/en/

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Jazeera Airways has announced the launch of a new route to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, starting from March 16.

This will be the second new service for the airline in 2021. The route will connect Kuwait and Addis Ababa twice a week, offering connections to the rest of the Middle East and Asia.

Rohit Ramachandran, CEO Jazeera Airways, said: We are pleased to continue with our network expansion plans. There is a significant Ethiopian expatriate population living in Kuwait and the across the region and opening this new route will provide them with a great value option. Jazeera Airways has plans to launch a number of new routes during the year as travel gradually returns around the world thanks to vaccinations rolling out.

Passengers arriving in to Ethiopia must hold a negative RT PCR test certificate for Covid-19 and must self-isolate for 14 days on arrival, either at their home or at a hotel.

Flight J9-781 will depart Kuwait every Saturday and Tuesday at 09.35 and arrive in Addis Ababa at 13.35 pm. Flight J9-782 will depart Addis Ababa on the same days at 14.20 and arrive in Kuwait at 18.10.

Flights to Addis Ababa will be on Jazeeras expanding fleet of new Airbus A320neo aircraft, all equipped with hospital grade HEPA air filters. Jazeera Airways has also taken every safety and precautionary measure on its aircraft and at Jazeera Terminal T5 in Kuwait to ensure passengers fly safely.

Since the start of the pandemic, the airline has been at the forefront of supporting government efforts to prevent its spread.

Jazeera placed its fleet at the disposal of the State of Kuwait and participated in the largest air bridge repatriation program ever launched by the State of Kuwait. The airline operated over 60 flights bringing home over 6,800 Kuwaiti citizens from around the world, as well as converted its Park & Fly facility in record time into the first drive-through Covid-19 centre in Kuwait for the use by the Ministry of Health. A second drive-through testing facility has also been constructed by the Jazeera Airways team at the Jaber Al-Ahmad national stadium.

The airline also continued to serve business without interruption by operating full-cargo flights with a capacity of up to 15 tons per aircraft to bring in essential supplies to Kuwait. Jazeera also operated flights scheduled under the directive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by request from local embassies to fly expatriates traveling out of Kuwait.

By the end of June, Jazeera Airways announced offering 50,000 free round-trip tickets to frontline heroes fighting the Covid-19 pandemic in the State of Kuwait. The total value of these tickets is estimated at KD5 million, the airline said.  TradeArabia News Service
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Solar FlexRack, the solar division of Northern States Metals (NSM) and an innovative leader in photovoltaic mounting and solar tracker solutions, announced that it has settled the lawsuit brought against it and Northern States Metals by Nextracker. In settling the lawsuit, Solar FlexRack has also agreed to dismiss its claims filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to invalidate certain of the patent rights of Nextracker which were the subject of the suit. Northern States Metals and Nextracker entered into a confidential settlement agreement, but NSM denies that it ever infringed upon any of Nextracker's patent rights. The settlement agreement provides for only nominal payments by NSM, which NSM agreed to pay in order to avoid a protracted legal process.

"We were surprised that Nextracker issued a press release disclosing confidential court protected information. Our company has always operated with integrity and throughout the legal proceedings, Solar FlexRack has denied any wrongdoing. We decided to settle in order to avoid wasting time, money and energy, which could all be better spent serving our customers and the solar industry" said Ken Mack, CEO at Solar FlexRack. "Our focus is on our commitment to our customers and the solar industry."

"We're pleased to have resolution to this lawsuit," added Steve Daniel, EVP of Sales and Marketing at Solar FlexRack. "The settlement will not affect our customers, pricing or the quality of our products or services. Solar FlexRack has built its reputation on offering the most reliable solar tracker and racking solutions and will continue to provide the best project and support services in the industry."

About Solar FlexRack

Solar FlexRack, a division of Northern States Metals, is an integrated solar company that offers custom-designed, fixed tilt ground mount and single-axis solar tracking systems in the commercial and utility-scale solar mounting industries. Solar FlexRack also offers full turnkey packages, including engineering, geotechnical, pullout testing, field, layout, and installation services to address the actual site conditions of an installation and provide a full scope of services from design to delivery and installation. Solar FlexRack has completed over 2.5 GW of solar racking installations in 40 states across America and five countries globally. For more information, go to solarflexrack , and follow us on Twitter , Facebook , and LinkedIn .

Solar FlexRack Media Contact:

Staci Lombardo

[email protected]

330-799-1855

SOURCE Solar FlexRack
Malaysia is committed to achieve justice in the investigation into the downing of flight MH17, but its approach has always been based on evidence rather than political influence. In this context, the position of incumbent Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on the MH17 case does not differ from the position of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Malaysian Ambassador to Ukraine Raja Reza Raja Zaib Shah said this in an exclusive interview with Ukrinform, when asked whether the Malaysian authorities' attitude to the MH17 case has changed since February last year, after the resignation of Mahathir Mohammad, who saw no convincing evidence that Russia should be held responsible for the MH17 crash.

"Despite the change in the Malaysian government and the leadership from Tun Dr. Mahathir to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in 2020, Malaysia's position on MH17 remains unchanged. We are still committed to the Joint Investigation Team process, and we still maintain that we want to have a transparent, credible and also effective process of the trial, based on the rule of law, in order for justice to prevail. So our approach has always been based on evidence, not to be influenced by any political motives," he said.

The ambassador added: " In that sense, we always reiterate that the downing of MH17 should not be attributed to any country until the District Court in The Hague, the Netherlands, has examined all the evidence and delivered its judgment later, which I think is going to be a long process."

He said that Malaysia would not take sides until the completion of the criminal investigation. "Other parties are free to file any legal actions, like what Ukraine is doing. So these are all parallel and alternative actions to seek justice," the ambassador said, commenting on two applications from the victims' relatives and a lawsuit filed by the Netherlands before the European Court of Human Rights to support the victims' relatives.

Malaysia is one of the five countries in the Joint Investigation Team, together with Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia, and Ukraine, and has pledged to contribute $5.7 million for the trial. The money will be allocated in the first quarter of 2021 and will cover all expenses, including security, transportation, communication, facilities, including Ukraine's liaison office and other contingencies expenses, Raja Reza Raja Zaib Shah said.

According to the ambassador, the MH17 tragedy has brought Malaysia and Ukraine closer. "I know this is a painful process for the family members but we are very pleased that finally, the trial has started in The Hague. There are four people who have been accused in the court. Although the trial is being conducted in absentia, meaning the accused are not present, we hope that at the end of the trial the family members of the 298 passengers and crewmembers will have something to say, 'Okay, now we know who is responsible for the downing of MH17.' For me it is important to seek the truth, but we must follow a true, credible and transparent trial," he said.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over conflict-hit Donbas in July 2014. There were 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board. All of them died.

The international Joint Investigation Team reported that the plane had been shot down from a Buk missile system that belongs to the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces stationed in Kursk.

The Hague District Court in March 2020 began to consider the case of the downing of flight MH17.

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The union representing city firefighters wants the province to seize control of ambulance services in Winnipeg.

The union representing city firefighters wants the province to seize control of ambulance services in Winnipeg.

In a letter to Premier Brian Pallister, the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg president Alex Forrest says the move would be "in the best interests" of all concerned.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES In a letter to Premier Brian Pallister, United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg president Alex Forrest says the move to have the province seize control of ambulance services in Winnipeg would be "in the best interests" of all concerned.

Forrest claimed that his members and paramedics, represented by the Manitoba Government and General Employees Union (MGEU), are in agreement on the issue.

The provision of ambulance services is a provincial responsibility. The province currently contracts this out to the City of Winnipeg.

Forrest's letter, dated March 15, comes days after the MGEU demanded the immediate removal of its members from city fire halls. Paramedics say they're increasingly concerned about an unsafe working environment.

Unlike many other Canadian cities, Winnipeg operates an amalgamated firefighting and paramedic service. The relationship between firefighters and paramedics in the combined service has always been an uneasy one. The gulf between them is now as large as it's ever been.

The latest controversy surrounding the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service came after a paramedic accused two of his firefighter colleagues of refusing to help treat and transport a seriously injured Indigenous woman during a call in October.

Forrest did not consult the paramedics' union before claiming the two groups had agreed the province needed to step in to remove the paramedic service from city control, the MGEU said.

The MGEU has yet to take a public stand on whether the province should take control over city paramedic services.

"As of right now, the City of Winnipeg is the employer at the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, and there is an urgent crisis in this workplace," MGEU president Michelle Gawronsky said in a statement. "As we said last week, the city should immediately take steps to remove ambulance-based paramedics from the often toxic environment in fire halls. Regardless of any future transition to another level of government, this needs to happen as soon as possible."

Derek Balcaen, principal officer within UFFW and a frontline firefighter paramedic, told the Free Press that the impetus for the letter was "to make it crystal clear" that firefighters are supporting the MGEU's position that ambulances be taken out of fire halls.

"Health is a provincial responsibility and we believe that if they (paramedics) were fully run and overseen by the province then their needs and their concerns would be better addressed by the province directly."

Winnipeg has been calling for an updated deal with the province to keep providing paramedic services. It's also seeking greater provincial funding.

Health Minister Heather Stefanson said Monday that negotiations on a new emergency response services contract between the province and city are ongoing.

In a statement to the Free Press, the minister did not respond directly to Forrests letter.

"We are aware of the ongoing internal issues within the WFPS. However, as these are internal operational and human resource matters, it would be more appropriate for the WFPS to respond to these concerns," she said.

If the province were to take control of city paramedic services it's unclear how that would affect the current system in which both ambulances and fire crews respond to medical calls in Winnipeg. At least one licensed primary care paramedic is aboard every city fire truck.

 with files from Joyanne Pursaga

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
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Australias Attorney General Sues ABC for Defamation

Australias Attorney-General Christian Porter has launched defamation action against the ABC and journalist Louise Milligan.

Porter has offered to give evidence under oath and challenged the public broadcaster to run a truth defence.

He is suing the public broadcaster for publishing false accusations against him in an online story that claimed he was the subject of historical rape allegations.

The legal action is also aimed at a report aired in November that alleged he was a misogynist and sexist.

His lawyers have accused the ABC of running a trial by media and Milligan of acting with malice, damaging Porters reputation.

If the ABC and Ms Milligan wish to argue the truth of the allegations, they can do so in these proceedings, lawyer Rebekah Giles said in a statement on Monday.

Under the Defamation Act, it is open for the ABC and Ms Milligan to plead truth in their defence to this action and prove the allegations to the lower civil standard.

Giles and colleague Sue Chrysanthou together represented former Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins in her settlement against Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, who had called Higgins a lying cow after Higgins went public with a rape claim against another staffer in Reynolds office.

Reynolds has since apologised to Higgins and will pay legal costs and make a donation to a sexual assault charity.

They argue the attorney-general has been subjected to several weeks of trial by media without regard to the presumption of innocence, rules of evidence or proper disclosure of the material said to support the allegations.

The trial by media should now end with the commencement of these proceedings, Giles said.

The claims made by the ABC and Ms Milligan will be determined in a court in a procedurally fair process. Mr Porter will have and will exercise the opportunity to give evidence denying these false allegations on oath.

The defamation action comes days after a former boyfriend of the woman who accused Porter of rape offered to give evidence about his conversations with both parties about the allegations.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said that police have dealt with the historical allegations and that no further action by the government is required.

Porter has taken indefinite mental health leave but Morrison is adamant he will be welcomed back into cabinet.

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham rejected suggestions from the media that the government was out of touch with community expectations.

I think Australians do expect that proper legal processes should be followed in relation to addressing such allegations, he told ABC radio.

Those legal processes have been deployed by the NSW Police as theyve outlined. Of course, there are also legal processes in relation to the tragic death (of the woman involved) and those processes remain under way in South Australia, and we should let them run their course.

Porters former wife was among thousands of West Australians to march through Perth on Sunday in protest against gender discrimination and violence.

Thousands more marched on Parliament House in Canberra on Monday while other rallies took place across the country.

By Daniel McCulloch
Pirates kidnap 15 sailors in Gulf of Guinea off Benin: company

March 15,2021 | Source: Hellenic Shipping News

Pirates have kidnapped 15 crew members from a chemical tanker in the Gulf of Guinea after boarding the vessel off the coast of Benin, the ships Dutch owners said on Friday.



The latest incident of high-seas piracy happened on Thursday afternoon around 210 nautical miles (389 kilometres) south of Cotonou when pirates attacked the chemical tanker Davide B, the De Poli tanker company said.



Fifteen crew members have been taken while six other seafarers of the vessel are safe and unhurt, said the company, based in Barendrecht, just south of the Dutch port city of Rotterdam.



The six crew members remain on board of the ship, the De Poli Shippingmanagement added.



The Maltese-registered Davide B was sailing from Riga to Lagos in Nigeria when the attack happened.



The companys management is now greatly concerned about the well-being of the missing crew, said company spokesman Cor Radings.



Our main priority now is to establish contact with the missing crew in order to secure their earliest and safe release, he told AFP.



He could not give details about the missing crew members, but they are believed to be Russian, Ukrainian and Filipino.



The rest of the sailors were unhurt on the ship which was currently attended by security personnel who have arrived on scene, Radings said.



He added that there was no further information about the physical condition of the kidnapped sailors.



Kidnap attacks on ships for ransom have become common in the Gulf of Guinea which runs from Senegal to Angola, taking in the southwest coast of Nigeria.



The perpetrators are usually Nigerian pirates.



The Gulf of Guinea accounted for more 95 percent of all maritime kidnappings last year  130 out of 135 cases, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), which monitors security at sea.



So far this year there have already been 16 acts of piracy in the area, according to maritime security consultancy Dryad Global.



Shippers and western military officials say pirates are increasingly targeting a soft spot between Nigerias naval capacity and the limited foreign presence beyond its waters, where gangs know a response is less likely.



Shippers say pirates now raid farther out, and their violence and sophisticated tactics are prompting pleas from the firms for a more robust foreign naval presence, like the mission to curb Somalia piracy a decade ago.



Since December, the Danish, Indian and Cypriot shipping lobbies have all called for action against piracy.



Denmarks industry, with an average 30 to 40 vessels in the Gulf of Guinea each day, is lobbying for coalition of the willing to operate a naval deterrent while helping local forces build capacity.



Earlier this month, the global Maersk shipping giant called for a major naval mission to protect the busy but dangerous shipping lanes off the West African coast.



In 2021 we should not have seafarers who are afraid of sailing anywhere because of piracy, this is not the age of piracy, Aslak Ross, head of maritime standards at the Danish giant, told AFP.

 Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide All Rights Reserved.

Theme(s): Others.
BERLIN - Buoyed by regional election results over the weekend, Germany's Greens are eyeing a pivotal political role in a post-Merkel era, and even have a shot at power.

In the first results of what is being described in Germany as a "super election year," the Greens party took 32.6% of the vote in prosperous Baden-Wurttemberg, the heartland of the country's car industry. In southwestern Rhineland-Palatinate, they more than doubled their seats in the state parliament, drawing 9.2% of the vote, according to preliminary results Monday.

It was in sharp contrast to Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, who recorded their worst election results in both states. While the personality politics of the local votes mean that analysts are reticent to draw too much of a conclusion for Germany's federal elections in September, senior Christian Democrats described the results as a "wake up call".

"What is pretty clear heading into this election year is that the main opposition on the federal level will be between the Christian Democrats and the Greens," said Peter Matuschek, a political analyst with pollster Forsa. "It will be probably the Greens who will be the kingmaker."

And there is also the chance of them taking the crown. After 16 years in opposition, polling second place nationally, analysts have for months pointed to the Greens as a likely junior coalition partner for the Christian Democrats in a post-Merkel era.

But with the leading party in crisis amid criticism over a sluggish vaccine rollout, a mask profiteering scandal and who to pick as leader after Merkel steps aside this year, it wouldn't be inconceivable for the Greens to be able to lead their own coalition - a possibility increasingly suggested by pundits on the country's talk shows.

That prospect marks a coming of age for a party that grew out of grass-roots ecological and anti-nuclear activism of the 1980s.

"We are growing in rural areas. We are growing in older age milieus. We are reaching the breadth of society," Greens co-leader Robert Habeck said Monday, though party officials said it was too early to draw any conclusions over what a coalition may look like after federal elections - especially given the uncertainties of the coronavirus.

Much of the Greens' success in Baden-Wurttemberg is attributed to the "pragmatism" of the incumbent Winfried Kretschmann, a 72-year-old who has managed to win over traditional Christian Democrats with his conservative, business-friendly brand of Greens politics.

He's said he hopes that Baden-Wurttemberg, home to Porsche and Daimler, can show that climate protection measures can be good for business, as he touts a Greens agenda where the burden on companies is not too onerous.

And a churchgoer who during the refugee crisis said he prayed for Merkel daily, he's proved popular in conservative southern Germany.

At a federal level, Greens leaders have also taken an increasingly pragmatic approach, and point to Baden-Wurttemberg to refute criticism that they would struggle to govern. The coalition in the state, between the Greens and the Christian Democrats, could be a road map for how a federal coalition of the two parties might work.

Merkel's party is currently in a "grand coalition" with the center-left Social Democrats.

Congratulating Kretschmann on Sunday evening, Annalena Baerbock, the other co-leader of the Greens tweeted that the result would create "tail wind" for the federal elections in September.

But much is still unknown, including who both the Greens and the Social Democrats will run as their candidates for chancellor.

"No one knows what happens this summer," said Ulrich Eith, political science professor at Freiburg University.

While traditional Christian Democrats may be willing to vote Greens at a local level, that doesn't necessarily predict their voting at a national level, and the Christian Democrat candidate in Baden-Wurttemberg ran a particularly poor campaign and has failed to connect with the electorate, said Eith.

On Sunday night, the candidate, Susanne Eisenmann, told a German television station that she took responsibility for the "disastrous and disappointing" result.

Still, the gouging for the party is likely to add weight to the voices that argue that Armin Laschet, voted in as head of the party in January, is not a strong enough candidate to steer through to a new term in power.

Popular with the party establishment that picked him, his approval ratings lag behind those of Markus Soeder, the head of the Christian Democrats' sister party, with which it fields a joint candidate.

The scandal over profiteering over masks that saw two parliamentarians resign from the Christian Democrats last week, including one from Baden-Wurttemberg, may not have been fully reflected in the vote this weekend as many voters cast their ballots early by mail.

Both parties risk alienating voters as they battle for the country's center middle-class voters.

A new party called the Climate List, ran in Baden-Wurttemberg this weekend. Set up by former Greens members, it accuses the party of failing to stand by election politics and not doing enough to limit global warming.

"We are frustrated with the Greens," the members said in an open letter. They said they cannot wait for the Greens party to "renew" itself. While the Climate List failed to reach 1% of the vote in either state, it's a reminder of the frustration on the part of their electorate with the party's more moderate positioning.

For the Christian Democrats, or CDU, while the party is in competition with the Greens party in western states, the picture is different in the east where the far-right Alternative for Germany party is stronger.

"In the West the CDU must demonstrate the liberal parts of the party, to convince potential Greens voters," said Eith. In the east the CDU needs to show its conservative side to win over AfD.

"The is a very complicated situation for the CDU," he said.


The influence and power of the local church The influence and power of the local church

Our society seems to be changing at a hectic pace, especially as we start to emerge from the pandemic restrictions, and church leader Ian Savory believes that the local church has an important role to play in influencing that change. Tony Rothe reports.

Ian, senior leader at Lighthouse Community Church in Sheringham, believes that whilst there has been a big decline in some British churches, there has been much encouraging growth in others.



There can often be a lack of realisation of what is dead, and what needs to be left behind he explained, We are often not honest enough about how consumerism affects the church - Its natural to want to go to a church that has the best music, rousing songs, eloquent sermons, or even the finest coffee! But if we strive for these things, we are missing the point.



Does Ian think churches are changing? He pointed out that major disasters, such as flooding and plagues, have always had a big impact on the community, but the local church always rises to the occasion. Not just through on-line services, which in themselves have enabled churches to reach many more people than those who would normally come through the doors, but by serving the needy in their local communities.



There have been several articles in the local and national press about how the pandemic has brought churches back to life. Churches are genuinely loving and caring, and over one third of people believe the church is making a real difference.



Ian also feels that people underestimate the amount churches do. Several years ago, Norwich City Council looked at social action in Norwich and concluded that if the work churches did in the city was removed it would leave a massive hole, and I believe it is the same in many other places.



Ian spoke of a book he had been reading by Rodney Stark called The Rise of Christianity, which pointed out that when plagues came most people laid low, but it was the churches who stayed and cared for the dying. This laid foundations for the growth of the church, and is one reason why Christianity grew so quickly.



When asked how the church in Britain needs to change, Ian said that the pandemic will force churches to move on and realise whats not working. The church hasnt been confident enough, and needs to rebuild following the model in Ephesians 4  recognising the gifts of those that God has placed in His church, such as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, and making sure those people are used.



We must hold on to Christ and what He stands for  no compromises Ian said, Churches need to ask if what they are doing is bearing fruit, and if not, it must change, and cut away all the dead wood, and fruitless activities. The Gospel needs to bear fruit, see lives changed and churches grow in numbers and influence.



He said that churches cannot afford to prop up whats not working but need to direct their resources to the front line. Workplace chaplains, for example, such as police chaplains can have as much influence as church leaders.



Ian said he was generally optimistic about the future of the church. It is, after all, the body of Christ, and there is a huge amount of power in the local church. But we must hold tight to Christ, but loosely to all the things we do.


Police Chief Art Acevedo is leaving Houston to take over the Miami Police Department, the chief told his officers in an email obtained by the Chronicle.

Acevedo informed HPD troops in an email dated Monday, March 15, that some officers working Sunday night received early. The Miami Police Department is expected to announce the news at a 9 a.m. Monday press conference.

This is like getting the Tom Brady or the Michael Jordan of police chiefs, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told the Miami Herald Sunday.

In the email, Acevedo thanked officers and called his departure truly bittersweet.

We have been through so much as an extended family, he wrote. Hurricane Harvey, two World Series, a Super Bowl, (Imelda), the summer of protest, and most recently, an ice storm of epic proportion. On top of all this, we have sadly buried six of our fallen heroes.

'I HATE TO SEE HIM LEAVE': Mayor Turner says Police Chief Acevedo departure caught him by surprise

Acevedo said he hadnt been looking to move, but with the end of Mayor Turners final term in office fast approaching and my strong desire to continue serving as a police officer, we decided that the timing for this move was good. Good because you will continue to serve with the strong support of Mayor (Sylvester) Turner and his council colleagues and good because Executive Assistant Chiefs (Matt) Slinkard and (Troy) Finner are ready and highly capable of continuing to move our department forward.

Acevedo, 56, did not respond to a request for comment. Slinkard and Finner were not immediately available.

Houston Police Officers Union President Douglas Griffith confirmed the news.

We received an email from Art Acevedo advising he would be leaving the department after accepting the Miami Polices Chief job, Griffith said. We thank him for his service here in Houston and hope he does well in his new position.

WHIRLWIND: Houston's top cop sets whirlwind pace during first six months

He will be replacing Jorge Colina, a 30-year veteran of the Miami Police Department who stepped down earlier this year. Acevedo leaves the Houston Police Department  an agency of some 5,200 officers tasked with policing the nations fourth largest city  to an agency a quarter of the size.

Acevedo was born in Cuba and migrated to the United States with his family in 1968. He grew up in California, where he earned his bachelors of science degree in public administration from the University of La Verne.

Acevedo started his law enforcement career in 1986 with the California Highway Patrol, serving as a field patrol officer in East Los Angeles. He was gradually promoted within the agency until he became chief in 2005.

In 2007, Acevedo went on to serve as chief of the Austin Police Department, leading a department of 2,400 sworn officers and support personnel. He became the first Latino to lead the department when he was sworn in as Houstons police chief in November 2016, replacing Charles A. McClelland, a longtime Houston cop who had spent nearly 40 years in the department.

RETROSPECTIVE: Austin police chief tapped to lead Houston's department

Acevedo quickly gained attention in Houston for an unrelenting drive and charismatic personality. He made waves at HPD when he changed uniform policies to allow his officers to wear beards, short-sleeved uniforms, tattoos, and shorts  and debuted a new badge. Acevedo, who came up in the ranks of CHP after years as a highway patrolman, Acevedo made a habit of riding patrol every New Years Eve, and frequently pulling over speeding drivers.

He also oversaw significant changes within the departments leadership, often making assistant chiefs to agree to take the job for no more than five years before they had to retire or find their own departments to lead.

During his tenure, three assistant chiefs left HPD to command other agencies: in May 2020, Pete Lopez was sworn in as chief of the Houston ISD Police Department; in October 2020, Henry Gaw left to assume command of the Katy ISD Police Department, and in February, Assistant Chief Sheryl Victorian was named chief of the Waco Police Department.

Acevedo quickly established himself as an outgoing leader who wanted his department to be in touch with the community it protected, and became a fixture at community meetings - neighborhood associations, schools, civic clubs and public hearings on a variety of issues and for his friendly relations with local media. He required senior leadership to attend community events, and disciplined some when they did not.

He was also prolific on Twitter, occasionally breaking news there, particularly during high-profile spats with politicians like Attorney General Ken Paxton and Texas senior Sen. John Cornyn. After moving to Houston, Acevedo also took over the Major Cities Chiefs Association. His outspoken personality led many to speculate that he would run for office, potentially following in the footsteps of Lee P. Brown and C.O. Bradford, two former chiefs who ran for political office after their stints leading HPD. Acevedo steadfastly denied questions that he was interested in running for office or a prominent appointment within the federal government.

Wrong Door: Botched Houston drug raid was not the first

Just as Acevedo made waves in Houston, he quickly gained national attention, speaking at the Democratic National Convention and making headlines for kneeling with protesters at George Floyd protests  even as some questioned his commitment to transparency.

He also came under significant scrutiny and criticism after a street-level narcotics squad broke into a home in south Houston, killing the couple within. In the ensuing probe, HPD investigators discovered the lead narcotics officer had lied on a search warrant application about buying drugs from the home. Gerald Goines is now charged with felony murder and a slew of other charges in state and federal court.

The scandal led to a federal civil rights investigation, the internal HPD probe, and a wide-ranging probe by the Harris County District Attorneys Office. A dozen current and retired officers have since been charged with crimes, including two for murder charges. Internally, an HPD audit discovered wider-ranging problems.

District Attorney Kim Ogg has said that more than 150 old cases may need to be overturned. Several people convicted in those cases have already seen their convictions overturned.

Reporter Julian Gill contributed to this story.
The divorce between the U.K. and the EU is turning nastier by the day.

FILE - In this Friday, Dec. 11, 2020 file photo, lorries queue at Check-in at the port in Dover, Britain, before entering the EU. Britain announced Thursday, March 11, 2021 that it is delaying the imposition of checks on some goods from the European Union to give businesses more time to prepare for new post-Brexit rules. The U.K. government says it is postponing full border controls until Jan. 1, six months later than planned, because of disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, file)

The divorce between the U.K. and the EU is turning nastier by the day.

The European Union said Monday it is starting legal action against the United Kingdom, arguing the former member does not respect the conditions of the Brexit withdrawal agreement and is violating international law.

The 27-nation EU is objecting to Britain unilaterally extending a grace period beyond Apr. 1 that applies to trade on the island of Ireland, where the EU and the United Kingdom share a land border and where a special trade system was set up as part of the Brexit divorce deal.

The recent measures once again set the U.K. on the path of a deliberate breach of its international law obligations and the duty of good faith that should prevail, EU Vice-President Maros Sefcovic wrote to his U.K. counterpart David Frost.

It marks a further worsening of relations between the two sides since a divorce transition period ended on Jan. 1. Disputes have ranged from fights over vaccines, to the full diplomatic recognition of the EU in Britain and now again the terms of the divorce agreement.

FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, Jan. 1, 2021, lorries disembark a ferry from Scotland, after arriving at the P&O ferry terminal in the port at Larne, Northern Ireland. Outlawed Loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland have written to Britain's prime minister Thursday March 4, 2021, saying they are temporarily withdrawing their support for the historic 1998 peace accord because of disruption caused by new post-Brexit trade rules. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, FILE)

On March 3 the U.K. decided to unilaterally extend a grace period until October on checks for goods moving between Britain and Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom but remained part of the EUs single market for goods after Brexit to avoid a hard border that could revive sectarian violence. That means that products arriving from Britain face EU import regulations.

A U.K. government spokesperson said it will respond to the EU Commission in due course," insisting the measures are temporary and aimed at reducing disruptions in Northern Ireland.

They are lawful and part of a progressive and good faith implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol," the spokesperson said in a statement. Low key operational measures like these are well precedented and common in the early days of major international treaties. In some areas, the EU also seems to need time to implement the detail of our agreements. This is a normal process when implementing new treaties and not something that should warrant legal action."

In September last year, the U.K. had already upset the 27-nation bloc when it considered legislation that would have given Boris Johnsons government the power to override part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement relating to Northern Ireland. So the EU sees the U.K.s March 3 statement as proof that Britain has now twice sought to violate an international agreement.

The sensitivity of Northern Irelands status was underscored this year when the EU threatened to ban shipments of coronavirus vaccines to Northern Ireland as part of moves to shore up the blocs supply. That would have drawn a hard border on the island of Ireland - exactly the scenario the Brexit deal was crafted to avoid.

The grace periods cover areas such as animal products and parcel deliveries to Northern Ireland from the rest of Britain and mean checks are not yet fully applied. The first of the grace periods had been due to expire at the end of this month but the U.K. has pledged to extend them until October in a move widely welcomed by businesses in Northern Ireland.

The U.K. government said that it saw challenges that businesses like supermarkets faced in Northern Ireland in the first weeks of the year. Thats why it is right to provide a proper further period for them to plan ahead, particularly in the current circumstances of a global pandemic," it added.

In what is part of a drawn-out legal process, the EU has sent a so-called letter of formal notice to London complaining it was breaching the EU-U.K. deal. The U.K. has one month to reply before the EU can start a second phase. The issue could eventually go to arbitration, and ultimately, the U.K. could be hit with financial sanctions.

Sefcovic wrote in his letter he was hoping that the U.K. would soon come ahead with a plan on how to enforce the Northern Ireland checks so as to stave off further legal action.

Monday's move was indicative of the overall bad climate between the two sides. Only last week, the leaders of the EU and the U.K. went head-to-head in an angry exchange over vaccine exports.

After the British government summoned the EU envoy to explain comments by European Council President Charles Michel that Britain had issued a vaccine export ban, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the House of Commons that it was his wish to correct the suggestion from the European Council president."

Already uneasy bedfellows during Britains 47 years of EU membership, relations have worsened since the 2016 referendum when the United Kingdom voted to leave the bloc. After acrimonious departure talks, the split became official last year, but both sides then started fighting over a trade agreement.

A deal was reached on Christmas Eve but still needs to be approved by the European Parliament. The latest legal troubles could have an impact on the legislative approval.
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NTU AB aNovaturasa resumes flights from Latvia to Egypt at the end of March

The leading tour operator in the Baltic States Novaturas from the 27th of March resumes flights from Latvia to Egypt. From April, 4 flights per week program will be operated from Latvia to the main Egyptian resorts.

"On the 9th of March, the Latvian government has lifted restriction on traveling to the third countries. The governments decision states that flights to the third countries are allowed to be operated from the 17th of March. We are starting with two flights per week program from Latvia to Egypt. The first plane after almost a year from Riga airport to Hurghada is planned to take off on the 27th of March, and on the 28th of March - to Sharm El Sheikh resort. From April, the number of scheduled flights will double - we will operate 4 flights a week program. Planes to Egyptian resorts have been departing from Estonia and Lithuania for some time now, and we are glad that travelers from Latvia will soon be able to enjoy their holidays in Egypt as well, says Audrone Keinyte, head of Novaturas group. The Company currently operates flight programs to Tenerife and Egypt. From mid-February, holiday destinations program has also been supplemented with holiday offers to the United Arab Emirates, and from March to - Maldives. Flights to Turkish resorts will be resumed in all markets in April. Depending on the period, up to 10 flights per week are planned from Lithuania, four flights are planned from Latvia and five flights from Estonia per week. About Novaturas group AB Novaturas group is the largest tour operator in the Baltic States, offering summer and winter package holidays in more than 30 destinations worldwide and more than 100 sightseeing routes. In 2019, the group served more than 293 thousand customers. CFO Tomas Staskunas tomas.staskunas@novaturas.lt, +370 687 10426
Chinas pension and social security pressures are mounting. Despite the fact that fiscal subsidies exceeded 2 trillion yuan ($307.7 billion) in 2020, the national social security funds revenue-expenditure gap reached a stupefying 621.917 billion yuan, marking the first deficit since records began. Also, for the first time, 50 billion yuan was paid out from the strategic reserve fund. Although this measure was mainly a result of Covid-19 response policies, such as the reduction or exemption of companies social insurance premiums, it still sounded a warning alarm for Chinas pension system. In recent press conferences, Premier Li Keqiang has repeatedly brought up the pension issue, indicating its significance in the minds of policymakers. A sustainable pension system is a necessary component of systematic reform and overall planning. As for specific measures, delaying the retirement age would be an important step.

During this years Two Sessions, the proposal to raise the national retirement age aroused heated discussion  and understandably so, as the age for retirement affects the vital interests of many millions of workers nationwide. The fifth plenary session of the 19th Communist Party of China Central Committee decided to raise the retirement age in steps. This has become an important part of the 14th Five-Year Plan and also appeared in the 2021 Government Work Report. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security recently disclosed that the ministry is working with relevant departments to develop a detailed plan for the reform.

The delayed retirement reform is inevitable; the key now is guiding implementation to attain the desired results. Proper implementation will depend on the rationality and feasibility of the plan itself, its relevance to Chinas national conditions, the transparency of the formulation process and whether diverse opinions are considered to reach a true consensus. It is difficult enough to design a perfect social security system, but remedying any deficiencies will be even harder after implementation. Policymakers must therefore open all the doors and consider a variety of opinions while formulating the plan, which is best practice for scientific, democratic and law-based policymaking. But for the moment, rumors and suspicions abound. This is certainly not normal.

Raising the retirement age can significantly mitigate pension pressure in both revenue and spending, so it is a common practice around the world. But China is facing a particularly urgent situation. At present, the mandatory retirement ages in China are 60 for all male workers, 55 for female officials and 50 for other female workers. These are noticeably lower than 65, the average retirement age in other major economies. For instance, the United States is currently making plans to raise the retirement age from 66 to 67.

Chinas current regulations were developed according to the average life expectancy, overall labor conditions and modes of employment in the 1950s. At that time, average life expectancy of a Chinese citizen was approximately 40 years. But in 2019, this figure had been raised to surpass 77. During the 14th Five-Year Plan, Chinas old-age population is estimated to exceed 300 million, classifying the country as a moderately aging society rather than a mildly aging society.

When determining a reasonable age for retirement, China will naturally take factors of economic and social development into consideration. The retirement standards currently in place are the product of an industrial society, which strikes a balance between physical conditions and the industrial load. But things are different now. China has transitioned to an information society, with the service sector gradually creating the most jobs. Thus, Chinas current retirement regulations are divorced from the reality of Chinas social development. If the system is not adjusted in a timely manner, there will be a huge waste of human resources. Raising the retirement age is a momentous decision, and the longer it is put off, the less control there will be.

Retirement reform will entail a systematic project demanding a high level of inclusiveness. The plan itself and the procedures for its formulation should be based in openness. For many countries, when it comes to major decisions affecting all peoples rights and interests (such as raising the retirement age), the participation of all levels of government and sectors of society is a common and encouraged practice. Final votes will only be taken after long-term, even heated, public debates. Departments involved should listen to the views of all parties carefully and discuss all aspects thoroughly.

A consensus has already been reached on the pace of implementation  maintaining steady and flexible progress. In this case, the one-size-fits-all approach is infeasible. Instead, a designated system structure should give different age and occupation groups the opportunity to make their own choice. After hearing the suggestions of all parties and drawing experience from international practice, China should develop a clear roadmap and write it into law for a strong guarantee and rigorous implementation.

For the reform to achieve stable implementation, it should have majority support among the population. As in most countries, many Chinese citizens do not welcome delayed retirement. However, such an action is unavoidable; if China leaves the current retirement age in place, it will be unable to cope with the increasingly aging population. Of course, a reform plan that neglects full discussion can still be enforced compulsorily. But the effect may not be as desirable. We hope that through public discussion, the government can clarify the reforms rationale and inevitability, as well as the potential benefits it brings to income and welfare. The Chinese are a reasonable people. The reform should also be supported with incentives  for example, a design for preferential treatment in terms of taxation and pension collection  to increase the appeal of delayed retirement.

Still, there is only so much that can be done so quickly. We should not expect delayed retirement to be accomplished in one stroke that immediately resolves the pension problem. There are many more onerous tasks ahead. First of all, pension pressure is ultimately an actuarial problem. The degree of the gap will directly determine policy design. Chinas current actuarial level for pensions is in urgent need of improvement.

In terms of mechanism, overall planning for endowment insurance needs to be prioritized. Some members of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference believe that the 14th Five-Year Plan period is both the optimal window and the last chance for implementing the overall endowment insurance planning. The 2021 Government Work Report also explicitly stated the authorities will work toward unified national management of basic old-age insurance funds as overall planning has reached the critical stage. The work report also noted that (a)s the third pillar, private pensions will develop in a well-regulated way, indicating that the tertiary private pension system is expected to see a faster rollout.

Calls to improve the operation of pensions in the interest of financial sustainability have been growing in recent years. The pension system needs a healthy capital market, and the capital market also depends on the participation of pensions. It is possible that the capital market will act to preserve and increase the value of pensions. Still, the contributions of economic and social systems are also indispensable. Older adults should be provided with more suitable job opportunities and work environments should be made fair and friendly for them.

In China, delayed retirement is not simply an issue of financial sustainability within the pension system; it is a complex issue left to us by history. It involves the plethora of complications that come with transition between systems, which must additionally be balanced for inter-generational equity. Rights and interests are weighed differently by different departments, groups and generations. Thus any deviation from considerate planning could throw off the consensus on reform. Whether or not delayed retirement reform can advance smoothly will depend on the transparency of the formulation process, which will reflect the greatest common denominator of public opinion.

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If you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien, the rules for filing income, estate, and gift tax returns and paying estimated tax are generally the same whether you are in the United States or abroad. Your worldwide income is subject to U.S. income tax, regardless of where you reside.

When to File

If you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien residing overseas, or are in the military on duty outside the U.S., on the regular due date of your return, you are allowed an automatic 2-month extension to file your return and pay any amount due without requesting an extension. For a calendar year return, the automatic 2-month extension is to June 15.

If you are unable to file your return by the automatic 2-month extension date, you can request an additional extension to October 15 by filing Form 4868 before the automatic 2-month extension date. However, any tax due payments made after June 15 will be subject to both interest charges and failure to pay penalties.

Where to File

If you are a U.S. citizen or resident alien (Green Card Holder) and you live in a foreign country, mail your U.S. tax return to:

Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service Center Austin, TX 73301-0215 USA

Estimated tax payments should be mailed with form 1040-ES to:

Internal Revenue Service P.O. Box 1300 Charlotte, NC 28201-1300 USA

Taxpayers with an AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) of $57,000 or less can electronically file their tax return for free using freefile. Taxpayers with an AGI greater than $57,000 can either use the Free File Fillable Forms or efile by purchasing commercial software. A limited number of companies provide software that can accommodate foreign addresses. To determine which will work best for you, get help choosing a software provider.

Taxpayer Identification Number

Each taxpayer who files, or is claimed as a dependent on, a U.S. tax return will need a social security number (SSN) or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN). To obtain a SSN, use form SS-5, Application for a Social Security Card. To get form SS-5, or to find out if you are eligible for a social security card, contact a Social Security Office or visit Social Security International Operations. If you, or your spouse, are not eligible for a SSN, you can obtain an ITIN by filing form W-7 along with appropriate documentation.

Exchange Rates

You must express the amounts you report on your U.S. tax return in U.S. dollars. If you receive all or part of your income or pay some or all of your expenses in foreign currency, you must translate the foreign currency into U.S. dollars. Taxpayers generally use the yearly average exchange rate to report foreign-earned income that was received regularly throughout the year. However, if you had foreign transactions on specific days, you may also use the exchange rates for those days. Exchange rates can be found at Foreign Currency and Currency Exchange Rates. Yearly average currency exchange rates for most countries can be found at Yearly Average Currency Exchange Rates.

How to Get Tax Help

The IRS Office in Philadelphia provides international tax assistance. This office is open Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. EST and can be contacted by:

Phone: 1 (267) 941-1000 (not toll-free)

FAX:1 (267) 941-1055

Email: Email the IRS (e-mail is for general tax questions; NOT questions regarding your tax account)

Mail: Internal Revenue Service Philadelphia, Pa 19255-0725

The IRS has customer service personnel available to provide tax assistance in the following Embassies and Consulates abroad:

Permanent IRS Offices Outside the United States Office Address Office Phone Numbers and Email U.S. Consulate Frankfurt Giessener Str. 30 60435 Frankfurt am Main Germany Taxpayer service by appointment only. Tuesdays: 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. To schedule an appointment, call +49 069-7535-3811 U.S. Embassy 24/31 Grosvenor Square London W1A 1 AE England Walk-In Assistance: Tu-Th: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Phone Service: M-F: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Tel: +44-207-894-0476 Fax: +44-207-495-4224 U.S. Embassy 2 Avenue Gabriel 75382 Paris Cedex 08 France Walk-In Assistance: M-F: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Phone Service: M-F: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. & 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m Tel: +33-1-4312-2555 Fax: +33-1-4312-2303 Email: irs.paris@irs.gov U.S. Embassy No. 55 An Jia Lou Lu Beijing 100600 China Taxpayer service by appointment only. To scheduled an appointment, call the Telephone number below. Tel: +86-10-8531-3983 Fax: +86-10-8531-4287

Help with Unresolved Tax Problems

If you are experiencing a tax problem that is causing you economic harm or has not been resolved through normal channels, you can contact the Taxpayer Advocate.
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Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Monday said he felt no side effects three days after taking the COVID-19 vaccine injection.

Mr Sanwo-Olu said this at Lagos House, Ikeja, while responding to questions from State House Correspondents on his experience after taking the vaccine on March 12.

The governor received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine alongside the deputy governor, Obafemi Hamzat; the Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi; and the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso.

Also, health practitioners, frontline workers and some newsmen, among others, took the COVID-19 vaccines at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Yaba,

Mr Sanwo-Olu reassured Lagos residents that the vaccine is safe, hence, they should get vaccinated to curb the spread of the virus.

It has been three days since I got the AstraZeneca vaccine. I can confirm to you that I felt no after effects at all. I didnt have any headache, any malaria or any symptoms whatsoever.

I have taken and Lagos has continued to vaccinate all of our frontline workers. There is nothing to worry about. We encourage others to continue to take the vaccine, he said.

Slight pains

Also, the Deputy Governor, Mr Hamzat, said he felt no after effects.

No symptoms at all, I didnt feel anything, he said.

The Commissioner for Health, Mr Abayomi, however, said he felt slight pains at the side of the injection a day after taking the vaccine, but was relieved after taking pain relief medicine.

I just took some Panadol, I went to sleep, I did a bit of exercise and then I went to sleep and I woke up yesterday morning and I felt fantastic, he said.

According to him, everybody is different, as some people wont feel anything at all, some people will have a bit of body pain, some may even have shivering, and those are all expected side effects.

He said such effects were in the literature of the vaccine and had been mentioned to get people prepared, and such effects were just categorised as `Adverse Effects Following Immunisation.

There is another category called `Adverse Effects of Special Interest and those are very rare.

So, the first type of getting pain at the site of the injection, feeling body pain or headache is normal.

Most people will experience something like that if you take the vaccine.

But the one of Special Interest, they are serious, they cause people to collapse, they go into shock, they get severe complications and it can happen with any vaccination, it is not confined to COVID-19.

They are very rare, they happen; maybe one in five million people who will take it will experience anaphylactic reaction. In other words you react to something in the vaccine, you are allergic to one of the chemical carriers.

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But we are ready for that. If you notice the kits that we have at the site, it contains steroids and all kinds of medications.

If anybody gets the vaccine and had anaphylactic reaction, the doctors at the site of vaccination are ready to deal with that, Mr Abayomi said.

(NAN)
The ACE Program is designed for students who would like to study at the University of Cincinnati but their English skills are not strong enough for direct admissions. ACE is a two semester program (one academic year) that provides English as a Second Language (ESL) courses while also taking major-based classes that will count as credit towards their UC degree. After successfully completing the ACE Program, students are guaranteed admission into their selected major.
Denton, TX (76205)

Today

Thunderstorms this morning, then partly cloudy during the afternoon hours. High 77F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.


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Components the size of a few atoms, known as quantum materials, can enhance how technology functions and manages its heat. However, little is known about how heat is emitted and exchanged in quantum materials in contrast with their more common counterparts, three-dimensional bulk materials.

Sheila Edalatpour, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Maine, is studying how the emission of heat changes when the materials involved are quantum-sized, or when they are separated by a gap of the same size as one or multiple atoms. The proposal earned her an intended amount of $526,858 from a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the organization's most prestigious award for early career faculty. The funding is jointly allocated by NSF's Thermal Transport Processes Program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

Optical and electronic properties can differ between bulk and quantum materials, and therefore, so can how they transfer radiated heat, according to Edalatpour. Determining how material size affects thermal radiation, energy emitted from heated surfaces and transferred from one component to another in the form electromagnetic waves, can help engineers design new materials to build more efficient, powerful and reliable devices for energy, computing, health care and other purposes.

"Quantum size effects provide an excellent opportunity for engineering materials with novel thermal properties suitable for energy conservation and conversion technologies such as thermophotovoltaics, solar cells and smart windows," Edalatpour says. "However, we know very little about how thermal radiation from materials is affected as the material size approaches the quantum scale. We plan to elucidate the quantum effects on thermal radiation via a theoretical-experimental study."

The study will involve creating a theoretical framework for how quantum materials radiate and exchange thermal energy, researching the thermal radiation of different types of quantum materials and demonstrating how reducing material size to atomic scales affects the magnitude and spectrum of thermal radiation. Tests will be conducted on zero-dimensional, dot-shaped quantum materials; one-dimensional, line-shaped materials; and two-dimensional, thin film-shaped, materials. Edalatpour will be the first to quantify in exact measurements the magnitude, spectrum, spatial coherence and polarization of thermal radiation from atomic-scale materials.

By expanding scientists' understanding of thermal radiation at the quantum level, her research may help them create new materials with thermal radiative properties that can more effectively transfer heat in nano-scale devices. These materials could fuel "technological breakthroughs in thermophotovoltaic waste heat recovery, electronic devices and thermal diodes," all of which can help reduce fossil fuel consumption, according to the UMaine researcher.

Edalatpour also hopes to elucidate how electron tunneling affects thermal radiation. Electron tunneling, when an electron moves through a barrier it cannot typically pass, can occur between two materials separated by a gap of the same size as a few atoms. How the process affects thermal radiation is "not fully understood," according to the UMaine assistant professor.

"Radiative heat transfer at the atomic length scale can play a significant role in thermal management of nanoscale and quantum-scale devices such as transistors, ultra-compact circuits, quantum computers, solar cells and medical imagers," Edalatpour says.

Edalatpour will recruit female students and students with disabilities, two groups underrepresented in mechanical engineering, at the high school, undergraduate and graduate levels to assist with the study. She will also seek supplemental financial support to provide research experience for high school teachers from rural Maine. Her work will help create a new course about radiative heat transfer with lecture and lab components.

"By involving high school girls and teachers, we hope to contribute to increasing the number of female students choosing mechanical engineering as their career," Edalatpour says.

###

Lashing out at the Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in Pakistan, opposition leader Javed Latif on Sunday said that some 'incompetent people have been imposed on the nation'.

Latif was addressing Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers, who had gathered outside his residence, according to Geo News.

Instructing the workers to prepare for the long march under the banner of the opposition alliance Democratic Movement (PDM), Latif said: "The purpose of the march is to get rid of this incompetent [government]. For the march, caravans should leave every neighbourhood and union council of [the city]."

He also said that even if someone sees the future generations of Pakistan "sinking" or moving towards a decline, they are expected to stay silent for the fear of being labelled a traitor.

"Call me a traitor, hang me, but we will not let Pakistan sink as long as we are alive," Latif said.

Earlier, Latif had said that if anything happens to Maryam Nawaz, then "PML-N will not say Pakistan Khappay (we want Pakistan)", unlike Zardari, who had used those words after former PM Benazir Bhutto was assassinated, reported Geo News.

Following the comment, PTI Central Punjab had announced a protest against the remarks made by Latif.

(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| 2021-03-15 16:44:14|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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BEIJING -- Nearly 65 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered across China as of Sunday, Li Bin, deputy head of the National Health Commission, told a press conference Monday in Beijing.

- - - -

KATHMANDU -- Nepal's drug regulator has permitted private companies to import the COVID-19 vaccines to ensure early availability of vaccines and support the ongoing vaccination drive against the pandemic.

By issuing a notice on Sunday, the Department of Drug Administration asked interested manufacturing companies and their authorized importers or sellers to apply for the import of vaccines within seven days with all required documents.

- - - -

SEOUL -- South Korea reported 31 more cases of COVID-19 variants in recent days, bringing the total number of such cases to 213, the health authorities said Monday.

Among the newly confirmed cases spotted since Thursday, 19 were imported while the remaining 12 were locally transmitted, according to the Central Disease Control Headquarters.

- - - -

MANILA -- Presidential spokesman Harry Roque announced on Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

In a televised press conference, Roque said that he got his swab test results a few minutes before he went on air around noon for the regular Monday press briefing.

- - - -

WELLINGTON -- New Zealand reported seven cases of COVID-19 in managed isolation on Monday, with no new cases in the community.

The new imported cases came from the Netherlands, India and Pakistan, with the other three cases' travel itineraries pending, according to the Ministry of Health.

- - - -

SYDNEY -- A quarantine hotel in the Australian State of Queensland was placed into lockdown on Sunday, with genomic sequencing showing the likely spread of COVID-19 between returned overseas travellers.

Last week a local doctor was tested positive for the B117 strain of virus after treating two patients who were transferred from the hotel to a nearby hospital.

- - - -

ADDIS ABABA -- Ethiopia reported on Sunday 1,413 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours, taking the national count to 175,467, said the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, 10 new fatalities were reported across the country, pushing the nationwide death toll to 2,550, said the ministry.

- - - -

BEIJING -- The Chinese mainland reported no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Sunday, the National Health Commission said Monday.

Five new imported COVID-19 cases were reported on Sunday, said the commission in its daily report.

- - - -

BUENOS AIRES -- Argentina registered 3,697 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the national tally to 2,195,722, the Ministry of Health said.

The ministry also reported 24 more deaths from the disease, taking the nationwide death toll to 53,670. Enditem
The night my father, economist Abdulaziz Al-Dakhil, was arrested last year, the authorities broke into our house with military force. They seized my fathers documents, money and assets and froze his bank accounts. Then he disappeared inside a state security prison.

My father is an economist and finance expert who had always been a perfect example of a law-abiding citizen. He was a deputy finance minister in the 1970s, but resigned in 1979 because he had come to realize the scale of corruption in the country and the depths of its governance problems. His only crime was exercising freedom of speech, eulogizing an imprisoned dissident and lauding transparency, accountability and democracy.

Since 2015, when Salmans branch of the family took the reins of power, he has systematically carried out a zero-tolerance policy for criticism that has obliterated all breathing space for public discourse among Saudi writers and intellectuals. Critical thinkers, such as Jamal Khashoggi, have been silenced by threats, imprisonment and murder, and Saudi society has been turned into one giant echo chamber to praise and celebrate the crown prince.

Walking the fine line of dissent

After he left the Finance Ministry, for years my father kept a low profile and avoided contact with senior officials. He knew his resignation might put him and his family at risk. But when the financial crisis in the late 1980s began and the countrys financial surplus began to be rapidly depleted, as an economist he felt he could no longer keep quiet. As a former deputy minister he believed he had a higher margin of freedom than most other Saudis.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah in 2019.

My father began speaking publicly at events and seminars, some of them government sponsored. He proposed an economic reform agenda based around the separation of powers, empowering civil society and creating institutions able to withstand the transfer of power between kings. He knew the authorities were unlikely to listen to him  he used to say his advice was like blowing sand in the wind  but he believed he had a duty to see the oil money properly invested to serve the people.

Story continues

Then he made a misstep. During an economics presentation in 2015, he made remarks that were not well received. The authorities arrested him and accused him of inciting instability.

FLASHBACK: Saudi Arabia needs to pay for what happened to Jamal Khashoggi

He spent two years in prison, and after his release he was banned from travel outside Saudi, his bank accounts were frozen, and he was barred from managing any assets or property he owns. But true to himself, knowing he was at risk, he continued his public commentary, trying at least to avoid direct criticism of government policy.

The West must stand for human rights

But last April, he crossed the line again. This time the offense was a tweet to commemorate a famous Saudi poet, Arabic professor and human rights activist, Abdullah Al-Hamid, who had recently died in detention. My father was arrested again. All contact between him and the outside world was cut off and he disappeared, as they say in Saudi Arabia, behind the sun. We do not know where he is or what has happened to him.

USA TODAY World: Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman complicit in Jamal Khashoggi's murder, US report says

Up until recently, my family and I have chosen to remain silent, mainly out of fear. Our family and friends have been threatened that if they do speak out, they will also be targeted, and some have been forced to publish false information about my father in an attempt to justify his detention. We thought if we remained silent, he might be free sooner.

The economist Abdulaziz Al-Dakhil in Saudi Arabia.

But over the summer, seeing how the crown prince has ruthlessly targeted his opponents as well as the bravery that the families of other political prisoners have shown, we decided that the time had come for us to join them.

The Saudi regime states that it has its own human rights framework that also balances cultural and religious values. But this claim is a fraud, perpetuated by public relations firms hired by the Saudis and some Western political institutions that prefer their national interests over basic principles, and arms deals over human rights. Human rights organizations make a valued effort to expose human rights violations in the kingdom, but the truth is the Saudi regime only brushes off their reports.

FLASHBACK: In Jamal Khashoggi's death, Saudi money is talking louder than murder

The Saudi regimes Western allies need to bring meaningful pressure to bear because, while it is tyrannical toward its own people, history shows that it is very responsive to pressure from the West. If Western governments fail in their humanitarian responsibility to do this, their legislative bodies should force their governments to do so.

My father is a victim of the corrupt political, security and judicial practices in Saudi Arabia like so many other hundreds to thousands of political prisoners. He wanted to improve the lives of ordinary people in Saudi Arabia, even though he knew that what he was doing put him at risk. When he talked about the distribution of wealth in Saudi Arabia, he would always say that we had to achieve social justice. Now I am calling for justice for my father and for all the political prisoners in Saudi Arabia.

Abdulhakim Al-Dakhil is the son of former Saudi finance minister Abdulaziz Al-Dakhil.

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Saudi Arabia's crackdown on free speech targets human rights advocates
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Three teachers were kidnapped in the attack Monday morning by bandits on a primary school in Kaduna State.

According to the state government, two pupils initially declared missing after the attack have been found.

The state goverment had earlier on Monday announced the attack on the primary school in Rema, about 150 kilometres from the state capital, but said it was awaiting details on the incident.

In an update he provided later, the states Commissioner of Internal Security and Homeland Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said only three teachers were kidnapped in the attack.

He said this was according to the report provided by the school authorities and as gathered by security operatives and the state government.

According to Mr Aruwan at a press conference in Kaduna, after the state government compiled and analysed security reports, it confirmed there was an invasion of the school.

The Government can confirm that three teachers, Rabiu Salisu, Umar Hassan, and Bala Adamu have been kidnapped.

Pupils who had just arrived the school to begin the days activities, took to their heels in the course of the commotion, as the bandits invaded the premises on motorcycles. This led to two pupils going missing, identified as Ahmad Halilu and Kabiru Yahaya.

However, we are happy to inform you that the two missing pupils have been found. We can also confirm that no single pupil was kidnapped from the school. Other than the three teachers previously mentioned, no staff or pupil of the school is missing following the attack.

Security reports have also revealed that the bandits rustled several cattle and went away with five motorcycles and other valuables.

In summary, as it stands, three teachers of the Rema Primary School, Birnin Gwari LGA have been kidnapped, and following thorough checks, we can verify that no pupil was kidnapped.

Mr Aruwan also said the military and other security agencies in the Birnin Gwari general area were in hot pursuit of the bandits to ensure that the three kidnapped persons are rescued safely.

 Similarly, troops of the Nigerian Army on patrol in the Faka general area of Chikun Local Government Area, rescued a young boy wandering in the Faka Forest. The boy, identified as Adewale Rasaq, was kidnapped over a week ago in the Kudenden area of Chikun Local Government, and escaped from his captors while his parents were negotiating the payment of a ransom of about 15 Million Naira to the bandits.

 Furthermore, troops of the Nigerian Army while on aggressive fighting patrol in a forest around Kachia and Kauru Local Government Areas found a girl, Fatima Lawal, who also escaped from bandits. According to her statement, she was kidnapped about three weeks ago at Randa village, in Kadage general area of Kauru Local Government.

These two persons will be handed over to their families through the Chairmen of Chikun and Kauru Local Government Areas respectively.

 Overall, the Kaduna State Government is sustaining collaborative efforts towards tracking down the criminals and retrieving their hostages. The Governor is actively engaging critical stakeholders towards the speedy achievement of this objective.

 Citizens are encouraged to assist the efforts of the Government by volunteering useful information to the Kaduna State Security Operations Room, on 09034000060and 08170189999.
"Daily life as we know it depends on access to healthy, dependable sources of water," said Philippe Cousteau, Jr., founder of EarthEcho International Tweet this

"Daily life as we know it depends on access to healthy, dependable sources of water," said Philippe Cousteau, Jr., founder of EarthEcho International. "Taking simple steps to protect local waterways is an investment in the health of any community. The EarthEcho Water Challenge provides information and tools to help anyone understand, respect and preserve our most important natural resource."

The EarthEcho Water Challenge runs annually from March 22 through December 31 and is comprised of three easy steps:

Test  It all begins by understanding the state of water quality in your community. Get started by purchasing a simple test kit at www.monitorwater.org;

 It all begins by understanding the state of water quality in your community. Get started by purchasing a simple test kit at www.monitorwater.org; Share Enter your data online through the EarthEcho Water Challenge database and share your stories and photos on our website at www.monitorwater.org or though social media using #MonitorWater; and

Enter your data online through the database and share your stories and photos on our website at www.monitorwater.org or though social media using #MonitorWater; and Protect  Armed with knowledge about local water resources, use the information and tools available at www.monitorwater.org to protect local water resources every day.

EarthEcho Water Challenge sponsor Xylem, a leading global water technology company, believes that understanding the world's water supply, its impact on local communities and inspiring a commitment for change is important at every age.

"The actions that we take now to preserve our waterways and increase access to water will leave lasting impacts for generations to come," said Austin Alexander, vice president of sustainability and corporate social responsibility at Xylem. "By ensuring that young people are brought into these conversations and provided with the proper tools to enact change from an early age, we can build more resilient communities. As we persist against the challenges of a global pandemic, we are glad this work can continue and create additional pathways for resiliency."

World Water Week Student Forum

The 2021 EarthEcho Water Challenge kicks off on March 22 with a week-long series of student forums where classrooms learn about water monitoring, local protection and water industry careers, among other topics. Students will converse with peers and share their own experiences taking action to implement change in their communities. Students will also have the opportunity to connect with experts from Xylem Inc., Love A Sea Turtle, National Aquarium, Smartfin, OCEARCH and Hugo Neu Corporation. Registration is open to teachers and organizations working directly with youth. Visit www.monitorwater.org to learn more.

EarthEcho Water Challenge Ambassadors

World Water Day 2021 also marks the continuation of the EarthEcho Water Challenge Ambassadors program. Young environmental enthusiasts ages 14-22 are invited to apply for the program beginning April 1. Coordinated by EarthEcho International's Youth Leadership Council (YLC), the Water Challenge Ambassadors will increase knowledge of local water resources throughout their communities by leading citizens through water quality monitoring events and water restoration and conservation programs. To learn more about this year's Water Challenge Ambassadors, visit http://monitorwater.org/ambassadors.

Partners

Water Challenge partners around the country are holding water monitoring and conservation activities as part of this year's events. 2021 partners include Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Denver Public Works, EarthX and the Loggerhead Marine Life Center, Love a Sea Turtle, Luanda International School, Ocean Protection Advocacy for Kids, Oregon State University and Surfrider Foundation Student Club.

For more information, visit www.monitorwater.org, follow us on social media, and join the conversation with hashtag #MonitorWater:

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/EarthEcho

Twitter: @EarthEcho

Instagram: @EarthEcho

About Xylem

Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology company committed to solving critical water and infrastructure challenges with innovation. Our more than 16,000 diverse employees delivered revenue of $4.88 billion in 2020. We are creating a more sustainable world by enabling our customers to optimize water and resource management, and helping communities in more than 150 countries become water-secure. Join us at www.xylem.com.

About Xylem Watermark

Xylem Watermark, the Company's corporate citizenship program, was initiated in 2008, with a focus on protecting and providing safe water resources around the world and also educating people on water-related issues. The global initiative, which encompasses employee and stakeholder engagement, provides access to clean drinking water and sanitation, and humanitarian emergency response to help communities become more water-secure and sustainable. Learn more at xylem.com/watermark.

SOURCE EarthEcho International

Related Links

http://earthecho.org


 Close Joe Biden says hell run for a second term in 2024

On the 65th day of his presidency, Joe Biden held his first formal press conference since entering the White House on 20 January.

In the hour-long Q&A, Biden courted controversy on migration at the Mexico border, the US relationship with China, and the potential to face off against Trump in 2024 in a rematch that see two oldest presidential candidates in US history (Biden 82 v Trump 78).

Of the 15 presidents of the past 100 years, all but for Biden have held a press conference within 33 days of being sworn into office. Donald Trump did it 27 days in, while Barack Obama outdid Trump by a week at 20 days.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg dismissed the company's role in polarising the US, blaming the "political and media environment" for promoting extremism and misinformation. His opening statement in the Senate big tech hearing came after a cutout of the Facebook boss dressed as the QAnon Shaman Jacob Chansley appeared on Capitol Hill before Congress began grilling the social media platforms.

Kayleigh McEnany, former White House press secretary to Mr Trump, has meanwhile appeared on Fox News to claim Joe Biden is in badly declining health and is concealing his condition behind a Covid face mask, a baseless smear intended to undermine his first press conference as president, where questions on immigration, the coronavirus vaccine rollout, infrastructure and gun control are likely to be forthcoming.

His vice president, Kamala Harris, is also already facing criticism from Republicans Ted Cruz and Doug Ducey, Arizonas governor, after being appointed to lead the countrys response to the latest surge in asylum seekers arriving at the US border with Mexico as the administration struggles to find temporary housing for hundreds of unaccompanied children.

Read more:
Armenia economic competition protection commission: Experts forecast inflation of butter prices

Armenia citizens' protest against acting health minister is over

Pashinyan visits France, judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku, Jun. 2 digest

Armenian Ambassador, FMO representatives consider opportunities for expansion of cooperation in Armenia

Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Armenia citizens throw polyethylene bags at Health Ministry building, police apprehend protesters

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

Newspaper: What instructions did Armenia acting defense minister get in Moscow?

Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

Armenia 3rd President reacts to photos of bodies of soldiers in freezer: It felt like the blood froze in my veins

Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

Turkey's Erdogan expresses willingness to support Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral cooperation

Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

Wargonzo: Russian MOD is dealing with settlement of conflict in Armenia's Syunik Province on a daily basis

Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

Latest on scandal over improper storage of Armenian soldiers bodies, more on COVID-19, Jun. 1

Armenia Constitutional Court launches case proceedings based on President's application

Armenia acting emergency situations minister says he's concerned about situation in army

Armenia acting education, science, culture and sport minister receives ICRC Delegation

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

Armenia deputy police chief: No real cases of vote-buying reported to date

Armenia human rights activists: Nearly 10 protesters detained during protest in front of government building

Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

Yerevan court rules to conditionally release man who attempted to assassinate ex-presidential candidate

People came to power in Armenia who consistently destroyed army combat-readiness, says ex-President Kocharyan

Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

Armenia 1st President spokesperson: Ter-Petrosyan has nothing to speak with the nation-destroying plague

Armenia acting PM orders internal investigation into case of storage conditions of fallen soldiers bodies, remains

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan gives interview to Russia newspaper

Armenia acting deputy PM on unblocking of roads with Azerbaijan: There will be no troops standing there

Nikkei: Toyota and Honda stop car production in Malaysia

Armenia official on deploying international observers at Azerbaijan border: You will hear reaction on this matter soon

USAID helps UN World Food Programme support displaced people in Armenia

Armenia official: Work of trilateral working group on roads unblocking has stopped after recent incidents

Russias Putin to Armenias Pashinyan: Relations between our countries are developing very successfully
Queensland health officials should know by noon on Tuesday if there was any community spread of COVID-19 from an unvaccinated infected doctor, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

A returned traveller, believed to be a super-spreader, infected a doctor at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and another guest who was staying on the same floor of Brisbanes Hotel Grand Chancellor.

The doctor visited a cafe, gym and bar on Brisbanes southside while infectious with the more contagious UK strain of the virus, sparking fears of another citywide lockdown.

No local cases were reported on Monday and at least 86 people who came in contact with the doctor had tested negative, Ms Palaszczuk confirmed.
The Mississippi Supreme Court is ordering a third trial in a wrongful death case, years after a jury told Hyundai Motor Company to pay millions of dollars to families of three people killed in a 1995 car crash.

In a ruling released Thursday, Chief Justice Michael Randolph wrote that a new trial is warranted because an attorney for the families had paid a self-described consultant who boasted about holding revivals and social events to try to gain favor with potential jurors, and that the attorney, Dennis Sweet, had later tried to conceal his connection to the man when Hyundai sought to overturn the judgment from the second trial.

The total record before this Court evinces that a fair and impartial trial was not had, Randolph wrote. We find overwhelming evidence of actual impropriety, which destroys any confidence in the jury verdict. The facts developed in this record threaten the publics confidence in our system of justice.

Justice Jim Kitchens issued a strongly worded dissent in which he quoted Sweet saying that depictions of the man he paid as a consultant, Carey Sparks, relied on nonsensical stereotypes about Black people. Both Sweet and Sparks are Black, and the wrongful death trials took place in Coahoma County, which is majority-Black.

It is far-fetched to imagine that any attorney would expect to influence potential jurors by hiring a preacher to hold revival meetings in advance of a trial, hoping that some of those summoned for jury duty would have attended the revival, that some of those attendees would end up on the jury, and that they would recognize the preacher sitting behind the plaintiffs and then decide to violate their oaths and award money to the plaintiffs, Kitchens wrote.

The wrongful death case was filed against Hyundai Motor America and Hyundai Motor Company by the families of three people who were killed in a Hyundai Excel in 1995 when they were returning home to Clarksdale after working the night shift at a Tunica casino. Court records say the Excel was southbound on U.S. Highway 61 in the Mississippi Delta when it crossed into the wrong lane and was hit by a northbound Lincoln Continental. The Hyundai split apart.

In a 2008 trial, a jury awarded $1.5 million to each of the three families, for a total of $4.5 million. Hyundai appealed, and the Mississippi Supreme Court in 2011 ordered a new trial.

In the 2014 trial, another jury awarded $3.5 million to each of the three families, for a total of $10.5 million.

Randolph wrote Thursday that multiple people had heard Sparks boast of trying to influence potential jurors. An attorney not connected to the wrongful death case against Hyundai testified that Sparks had told her the verdict in that case should have been $21 million instead of $10.5 million but there were uneducated people on the jury, including a woman who did not know how to count.

Kitchens noted that Mississippi courts are required to ensure people chosen as jurors can read and write. He also wrote: Sparks bragged and boasted about being a great jury manipulator, but no one took him seriously.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Mississippi
COLMAR, France, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Millesimes Alsace, the biannual trade show organized by CIVA  Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d'Alsace/Wines of Alsace Board, cancelled in 2020 due to Covid, has been reinvented as a hybrid event  virtual meetups with an extensive tasting element. Entirely conceived and created by the CIVA, the Millesimes Alsace DigiTasting will provide wine professionals from around the world an opportunity to explore the full potential of Alsace wines from their homes or offices.

Sharing ideas, meeting colleagues, and tasting winesthese priceless experiences will be recreated in this new format. Qualified wine professionals will have the opportunity to register and order Alsace wine samples free of charge, which they can taste along with Alsace producers during this virtual trade show. In keeping with the specifications of AOC/PDO wines and Alsace's rigorous quality standards, wine samples are bottled in Alsace, their region of origin, in small recyclable glass containers shaped like a traditional Rhine flute bottle. A meticulous technological process guarantees the wines' integrity so that they retain their most subtle qualities and aromas, respecting the very essence of Alsace wines.

How to Participate

Beginning March 22, wine professionals can register via www.millesimes-alsace.com where they can learn about each exhibiting winery. Visitors can search and select wines to taste from among the 100 wineries and 400 wines using filters including wine name, color, sweetness level, vintage, grape variety, appellation, as well as distribution, importer, environmental practices, etc. Visitors will also be able to chat virtually with any producer, even if they did not order a tasting kit.

Tasting Kits: 400 Wines

Orders can be placed from March 29 to May 2, 2021. Each tasting kit will contain four (4) still wines from the same producer in 3cl mini bottles, allowing the taster insights into the winery's expertise and personality. As a key part of any trade show is finding unexpected treasures, participants will also receive a 'discovery' sample kit added to their wine order by Millesimes Alsace DigiTasting.

Story continues

Each registrant can choose between two options, totally free of charge and shipped to the address of their choice:

5 kits = 4 selected kits + 1 'discovery' kit (5 wineries, 20 wines)

10 kits = 8 selected kits + 2 'discovery' kit (10 wineries, 40 wines)

Webinar & Panel Program

Millesimes Alsace DigiTasting will feature seminars and workshops about wine, terroir, the business of wine, and consumer trends. Visitors will be able to share their experiences thanks to integrated networking features on the platform and via social media (program to be announced soon).

100% "Made in Alsace" Event

Millesimes Alsace DigiTasting is also the first virtual exhibition to be devised, created, and entirely organized by a terroir-driven wine region. From the show's layout, kit design, shipment, printing, assembly, bottling, to the creative and digital design processes, everything is carried out by local craftsmen and service providers within a 45-mile radius.

Didier Pettermann, CIVA President, commented on this ground-breaking initiative, "Alsace is undergoing a major shift in all activity sectors, this innovative DigiTasting initiative is just an example. We may be a small vineyard on the global scale, but we are ambitious and determined to achieve our goals. Alsace has a strong history and is resolutely turned towards the future!"

#MillesimesAlsace #Digitasting #DrinkAlsace #VinsAlsace

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PRESS CONTACTS:

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Teuwen Communications

Stephanie Teuwen | stephanie@teuwen.com

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Kristen Grealy | kristen@teuwen.com

212.244.0622

ALSACE

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Foulques Aulagnon

f.aulagnon@civa.fr 011.333.89.20.16.20

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View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vins-alsacewines-of-alsace-launches-millesimes-alsace-digitasting-an-audacious-first-regional-virtual-trade-show-featuring-100-producers-with-on-demand-sampling-kits-june-7-9-2021-301247507.html

SOURCE Wines of Alsace
Williamstown Planning Board Advances Cannabis Bylaw for Inclusion on Town Meeting Warrant

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The Planning Board last week voted unanimously to send a cannabis cultivation bylaw amendment and two less controversial zoning measures to the Select Board for inclusion on the annual town meeting warrant.

But first Chair Stephanie Boyd reviewed the steps the board took to gather input and generate consensus around the marijuana issue, which generated angst, confusion and, ultimately, no action at the 2020 annual town meeting.

Boyd talked about the feedback the Planning Board received from the Select Board; the Board of Health; the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee; the Zoning Board of Appeals, which ultimately would apply the bylaw in special permit proceedings; and the Agricultural Commission, which last year ended up writing a competing bylaw to that proposed by the Planning Board.

Boyd also ran the draft bylaw language past the Williamstown Fire District and the Williamstown Police Department, she said. Neither raised any objections to the language the board has been developing since September.

"It's good to hear from other community boards on how they feel about it," Susan Puddester said. "I think we've done a good job with you spearheading this, Stephanie."

Chris Winters agreed.

"I've been on the Planning Board a fairly long time, and I can't think of another issue that's had such broad outreach, broad input, including from many people who have been to our meetings and are here tonight," Winters said. "We've had a deliberative process that puts some guardrails around the issue of indoor and outdoor cultivation that aren't there now because the last time we had a marijuana bylaw was before the state defined the legal framework."

That bylaw was passed in 2017, just months after a statewide November 2016 referendum decriminalized pot. It was passed long before the commonwealth's Cannabis Control Commission set the ground rules for cannabis production and sale in Massachusetts and it lacked the setback, screening and odor mitigation requirements written into the 2021 draft bylaw.

That current draft is not without its critics.

Andrew Skinner of Cluett Drive spoke at Tuesday's meeting to try one more time to the Planning Board to reconsider bylaw language that would allow the largest cannabis farm available under state law with setbacks to neighboring properties of 150 feet (500 feet to the nearest neighboring home).

Skinner pointed to odor studies conducted in California, where the cannabis industry is better established, that indicate noxious odors can be detected up to half mile from the plants, and a study done in Great Barrington in conjunction with a proposed cannabis business in the South County town. And Skinner reminded the planners of the testimony they took from Pittsfield cannabis cultivator Suehiko Ono, who admitted that his product gives off an odor but compared it, favorably, to the smell of manure used to fertilize more conventional crops.

"There will be some smells, roughly 45-60 days of the year," Ono told the board in December. "What is the smell of raw cow manure? I'd much rather be standing next to Ted Dobson's [Sheffield cannabis farm] than any of the corn farms in Sheffield.

On the other hand, cannabis entrepreneur Jacob Ziemenski told the Planning Board that, "soda is more dangerous than cannabis" and shared an odor study from September 2020 that backs up his argument.

"People talking about Great Barrington, Oregon, California, who cares about those places?" said the Adams resident who owns a farm in Cheshire. "We have a certain environment in Northern Berkshire County. We have a data study we can lean on."

Tuesday's procedural vote by the Planning Board advances the cannabis cultivation amendment to the Select Board, which has a largely ceremonial role in placing it on the town meeting warrant. The Planning Board itself tentatively set a public hearing on the pot bylaw and other proposals for town meeting for Tuesday, April 13.

If the cultivation bylaw gets to town meeting in its current form, Williamstown residents will be asked to buck some recent local trends, including developments in places that have been held up as cannabis success stories in Planning Board meetings.

In December, Ono of EOS Farm told the Williamstown planners about his venture near Barker Road. Late last month, the Pittsfield City Council voted 10-1 to ban new large-scale outdoor cannabis cultivation operations.

Also in December, Sheffield Planning Board Chair Ken Smith told the Williamstown board that existing cannabis farms in the South County community produced "no complaints from anyone in town." Currently, Smith's board is the venue for a controversy over a new cannabis farm proposal that has neighbors raising concerns about odor, noise and water usage, according to the Great Barrington-based Berkshire Edge

While the cannabis bylaw discussions have dominated the conversation at the Planning Board for more than a year and generated voluminous public comment for and against tighter restrictions, the board has two less contentious proposals for June's annual town meeting.

One would rezone an area of Eastlawn Cemetery and Clover Hill Farm from Limited Industrial to Residential. The parcels in question currently are undeveloped but were classified as industrial back in the time when nearby acreage on Water Street also was industrially zoned.

A second proposal would provide two slight expansions of the town's Limited Business District to reflect the actual use of the parcels in question. In one case, a Limited Business zone on Main Street (Route 2) on the North Adams border would be expanded from the north side of the road to include a parcel on the south side, 25 Main St., the former Country Peddler. In another instance, the parcel at 248 Cole Ave. (formerly Leo's Luncheonette and, more recently, LaPlante's Appliance) would be wrapped into the adjacent Limited Business District across Hall Street from the property.

Both parcels are zoned General Residence but function as mixed use or business properties because of pre-existing non-conformities, but they require Zoning Board of Appeals permission whenever the businesses change hands.

The proposed changes would recognize in the zoning regime the reality "on the ground."

"Sometimes people don't want to go through the hassle of a purchase and sales agreement contingent on Zoning Board action," Town Planner Andrew Groff said in explaining the rationale for the proposed changes.
She is never afraid to push the boat out when it comes to fashion.

And Amanda Holden looked typically stunning in an eye-catching lilac tweed A-line dress and matching jacket as she left work at Global Studios in central London on Monday.

The presenter, 50, cut a chic figure in the perfect spring ensemble while heading home from hosting her Heart FM radio show.

Lovely in lilac: Amanda Holden looked typically stunning in an eye-catching lilac tweed A-line dress and matching jacket as she left work at Global Studios in central London on Monday

The broadcaster showed off her svelte pins in the knee-length tweed dress which featured a hot pink band around her midriff and two front pockets.

Amanda added a matching jacket which boasted similar bright piping on the four front pockets, as well as chic pearl details.

The beauty proved she had expensive taste as she draped a nude Louis Vuitton bag across her body.

If you've got it, flaunt it! The presenter, 50, cut a chic figure in the perfect spring ensemble while heading home from hosting her Heart FM radio show

Beauty: The broadcaster showed off her svelte pins in the knee-length tweed dress which featured a hot pink band around her midriff and two front pockets

Amanda accentuated her legs with a pair of nude Christian Louboutin court heels which matched her purse.

The mother-of-two appeared to be in good spirits as she fixed the cameras with a smile and covered her face with a large pair of sunglasses.

She wore her golden locks in subtle natural waves and added a lick of makeup to draw attention to her beauty.

Earlier on Monday, Amanda still managed to look glamorous as she took a go-kart for a spin around the Heart FM studios.

Typically chic: The beauty proved she had expensive taste as she draped a nude Louis Vuitton bag across her body

Off to work: The mother-of-two appeared to be in good spirits as she fixed the cameras with a smile and covered her face with a large pair of sunglasses

She flaunted her incredible physique as she slipped into a skintight checked racing suit while pushing herself around a makeshift track.

Amanda teamed her catsuit with a pair of towering nude Christian Louboutin court heels in the fun Instagram clip.

In the clip, Amanda scooted past on the kart, which had the registration plate 'H34RT' on the front - before waving at the camera as the video began to go slow motion.

The mother-of-two styled her blonde locks in loose curls and added a slick of glamorous make-up.

Amanda beamed for the camera as The Chain by Fleetwood Mac, the iconic BBC Formula 1 intro, played over the clip.

On your marks, get set, go! Amanda still managed to look glamorous as she took a go-kart for a spin around the Heart FM studios on Monday morning

She joked she had 'learned from the best' before tagging former British racing driver David Coulthard, who had 13 Grand Prix victories over his career.

Amanda penned: 'I learnt from the best @davidcoulthardf1! Converted our @thisisheart boardroom into a race track for @moneysupermkt.'

The star also took to her Instagram Stories to share a snap of her on the kart with her 1.7million followers, as she joked about her choice of shoes.

She captioned the picture: 'Not the greatest footwear for the race track.'

Amanda always looks stunning, and recently shed light on how she goes about selecting her daring ensembles for Britain's Got Talent.

Still chic: She flaunted her incredible physique as she slipped into a skintight checked racing suit while pushing herself around a makeshift track

Hot wheels! Amanda teamed her catsuit with a pair of towering nude Christian Louboutin court heels in the fun Instagram clip

The TV judge famously racked up 235 Ofcom complaints during last year's BGT for a very risque dress; but she remains defiant in her wardrobe choices.

Amanda said she seeks advice from her husband, record producer Chris Hughes, and her daughter, Lexi, 15, when selecting her ensembles.

She sadi: 'If I'm trying on outfits for shows I'll say to Lexi, "Is there too much side-boob?" or "Is this too much?" and she'll grin and say, "Go for it, Mum".

'I'll ask Chris if I'm looking like mutton and he says, "Mandy, you could never look like mutton." It's positive affirmation that we women need.

'My mum loves it. She just laughs about it. So does my daughter.'

Speaking to the Mail On Sunday's YOU Magazine, Amanda was more than happy to chat about how comfortable she is being naked.

Cool rider: The beauty styled her blonde locks in loose curls and added a slick of glamorous make-up

Always glam! Amanda took to her Instagram Stories and joked about her poor choice of footwear as she sported towering Christian Louboutin heels on the kart

Chatting about cooking her family a roast recently, she said: 'I was quite literally the Naked Chef. I got out of the shower, realised I was running late to get everything on the table so I didn't bother to get dressed.

'I just raced downstairs, got the potatoes on, the meat in the oven and my veggie option. It definitely made it more interesting.'

Chris, Lexi, and younger daughter Hollie, nine, didn't seem to care, she added.

'No one noticed. It's absolutely par for the course for me to be walking around with no clothes on in our house.

'Obviously now Lexi's a bit older she does a bit of eye-rolling every now and again, but they're all very used to me.'
Reacting for the second time to the ongoing diplomatic crisis with Jordan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said March 13 that Israel has "good relations" with its neighbor on the east. Interviewed by Channel 13 News, Netanyahu said, "Jordan needs good relations with us as much as we need good relations with Jordan, and we have that.

The current diplomatic crisis between the two countries erupted March 10, when several bodyguards of Jordanian Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah were refused entry to Israel. The prince was planning to visit the Temple Mount compound and pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque. Israel claims that the detail of the prince was larger than what was agreed upon beforehand. After a dispute erupted between the teams of both sides, the prince decided to cancel his visit.

The day after, Jordan took its time approving for the airplane that was scheduled to carry Netanyahu to the United Arab Emirates to pass thought its airspace. The Jordanians agreed in the end, but it was too late, and Netanyahu had to cancel his visit. Israeli sources said that the Jordanian move came as retaliation to the crown prince incident the day before.

Asked March 13 why he didn't choose a different flight path that didn't enter Jordanian airspace, Netanyahu simply said, "We had some issues a week ago over Saudi Arabia, missiles that were there. I dont want to get into that. Apparently, Netanyahu referred to the threat of the Iranian-backed Houthis targeting the jet.

On March 12, Israels Cabinet approved for 700 Jordanians to enter the country to work in the Eilat hotel industry. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Wadi Araba crossing point between the two countries, located in the south of Israel, has been closed for civilian movement.

This recent Cabinet move is being considered as an attempt by Israel to send positive signals to Amman after rising tensions, though it is also related to the upcoming Passover holiday at the beginning of April. As Israel starts emerging from a nationwide lockdown and coronavirus restrictions are being lifted, hotels in Eilat have demanded the government to enable Jordanian workers to return. They are expecting many Israeli tourists during the Passover vacation.

Still, contrary to Netanyahus soothing tone on March 13 and the decision in regard to the Jordanian laborers on March 12, Ben Caspit wrote March 13 that the prime ministers office had ordered March 11, right after the Jordanian air passing refusal, to block Israeli airspace to Jordanian civil flights. According to Caspits exposure, officials in the aviation authority had tried disputing the order, pointing out its absurdity and significant implications. Reportedly, it was only long minutes after that the Ministry of Transportation and Road Safety retracted it.

Oded Eran, a former Israeli ambassador to Jordan, criticized Netanyahus handling of the crisis, stating, The major problem is that there is no dialogue between the No. 1s, that is the prime minister and the king of Jordan. Eran noted there is a lack of trust between the leadership, especially on the backdrop of Netanyahus plans last year to advance annexation of parts of the West Bank. The two leaders did not meet in person for the last three years. Last June, King Abdullah refused to take a call by the Israeli prime minister because of the annexation plan.
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Q: We have an upcoming trip planned and will have to leave our vehicle at the long-term parking lot at the Albany International Airport. Does the new parking garage have long-term parking and rates or do I need to park in the lot on the other side of the airport?

J. Martin, Westerlo

A: The albany Airport has closed the economy E-Lot on the east side of the airfield due to the dramatic decrease in air travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Doug Myers, director of public affairs for the Albany County Airport Authority.

The airport authority has also reduced the daily rate in long-term parking to $6 per day, the same rate as the economy lot.

Both parking garages are $10 per day, and short-term parking is $24 per day and free for the first half-hour. There is no limit on length of stay.

You should use the regular long-term parking lot for the cheapest rate, but you wont have to go to the other side of the airport.

Drowsy driving: The New York Partnership against Drowsy Driving is warning drivers of the dangers of drowsy driving in the days following the start of Daylight Saving Time.

In 2020, fatigue/drowsy driving and/or driver fell asleep were listed 3,654 times as contributing factors on police crash reports across the state, out of over 310,000 crashes, according to data from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research. Eight resulted in at least one fatality and 1,391 resulted in at least one injury.

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, a national organization, 24 hours without sleep has similar effects on driving ability as a blood alcohol content of .10 percent, over the legal limit in New York.

More than half of drowsy driving accidents involve drivers 25 and younger, the GHSA estimates. Commercial drivers, tour bus and public transit drivers, people who work long hours or late night shifts, people with sleep disorders and new parents or caregivers of infants and young children are also particularly at risk.

The best ways to avoid drowsy driving are getting adequate sleep before driving, taking a break about every 100 miles or two hours, and bringing a passenger to help stay awake and share driving.

Opening a window, turning on the air conditioning and playing loud music are not reliable ways to overcome fatigue, the partnership warns. The safest thing when experiencing drowsiness while driving is to pull over and find a safe place to sleep.

The partnership includes the Governors Traffic Safety Committee, state Department of Health, Thruway Authority, Department of Transportation and State Police.

Thruway Authority: The state Thruway Authority has announced that its enhancing the Thruways Intelligent Transportation Systems and adding live camera feeds. It is upgrading and replacing the 169 cameras along the 570-mile Thruway system that comprise the ITS. The live camera feeds can be accessed on the Thruways interactive traffic map [[https://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/map/index.html?layer=cameras]] and will also be available on the Thruways app in the coming weeks.

Have a question about transportation in the Capital Region? Email gettingthere@timesunion.com and include your name, town and phone number or tweet @abigail_rubel.
Hume Dam (formally Hume Weir) is the main supply storage and one of the two major headwater storages for the River Murray system. Credit: University of Adelaide

Researchers at the University of Adelaide have tested claims of water hoarding and speculative behavior in Murray-Darling Basin water markets and found no evidence of hoarding, or a clear source of speculative behavior, driving water price rises.

Water hoarding is a strategy to restrict supply, forcing prices up. Price speculation occurs when individuals can influence the market to trigger price rises and gains from trade.

In the research published in The Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, the researchers combined three separate analysis techniques to test for hoarding and speculative behavior, including a benefit-cost assessment of trade gains for irrigation and external investment parties.

Lead author, Associate Professor Adam Loch from the University of Adelaide's Centre for Global Food and Resources said: "There are a lot of market myths out there right now but in our research we found no evidence of hoarding behavior in the market volume trends assessed and, therefore, dismissed hoarding as a driver of recent higher prices."

Associate Professor Loch says there is a long history of identifying and analyzing speculative bubbles in financial and stock markets but in water markets using those same approaches is challenging due to data limits, differences between water and financial assets, and a lack of clear signals to explain market volatility or severe price hikes.

"Market power is very difficult to assess and test given the unidentified nature of water allocation trades. There is evidence to suggest that some users may control around two percent of trade volumes when that water is available to them but that does not really provide a basis for market influence," said Associate Professor Loch.

"There is high likelihood of speculative behavior in Murray-Darling Basin water markets because the opportunity to make high profits in certain years is clearly apparent.

"But the claim that speculation is solely undertaken by external agents such as superannuation funds does not hold water. It is just as likely for an irrigator with lower total trade costs to be speculating and achieving significant gains in the market."

So why the recent price rises?

Co-author Dr. David Adamson, also from the University of Adelaide's Centre for Global Food and Resources, said: "We don't find any evidence of 'sinister forces' at play here. Low water supply during drought conditions and higher demand by perennial-crop irrigators who need water to keep their trees alive are more realistic recent price drivers.

"One outcome from these results is that any calls to regulate speculation in water markets would harm farming and irrigation market users.

"Regulating speculation in water markets is unlikely at any rate. It would be like trying to limit speculation in the housing or share markets."

The research has provided some much-needed insight into the market fundamentals underlying water trade, and supports early conclusions by a Victorian inquiry that greater water market trade transparency and data improvements go a long way to answering future concerns about market activity.

"In our view, in the absence of a central pricing and a true water stock marketsimilar to that of share tradingwater brokers are best-placed to play buyers and sellers against one another for trade gain. This was raised a number of times in submissions to the ACCC inquiry," said Associate Professor Loch.

"If any regulation was to be introduced, attention on water broker trade behavior and transparency is where it would have the most impact."

The ACCC will release its final report from the MurrayDarling Basin (MDB) water markets inquiry in the coming months. A key focus for the ACCC was whether speculative behavior and/or the hoarding of water by some market users was driving higher than normal prices in the 2018-2020 period.

Explore further When is the price right for selling water?

More information: Adam Loch et al. Markets, misdirection and motives: A factual analysis of hoarding and speculation in southern MurrayDarling Basin water markets*, Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics (2021). Adam Loch et al. Markets, misdirection and motives: A factual analysis of hoarding and speculation in southern MurrayDarling Basin water markets*,(2021). DOI: 10.1111/1467-8489.12419
As Siobhan Marsh prepared to face breast cancer surgery in the middle of a pandemic, her friends made a moving gesture to lend their love and support.

Covid-19 meant no hospital visits and she would have to undergo the surgery on her own. But on the morning of her operation, her childhood friends lined up to wish her the best.

"There was no one coming in. There was no visitors allowed into the hospital at all. My three very best friends arrived outside the hospital on the morning I had to go in for surgery, and stood outside. We've been friends since we were in school, so very long standing friends.

"Louise, Olive and Tara, they stood from afar, and I stood on the footpath. And we talked. And they were very good at not crying. They did great until I left apparently!

"I kept saying: 'I'm not losing sleep about this. So you don't lose sleep about it. Come on now. Keep going. And we'll be back having dinner in town soon'. That was emotional."

Siobhan, from Stepaside in Co Dublin, is one of thousands of cancer patients who've had to face a life-changing illness in a year like no other.

Now she's giving her support to an Irish Cancer Society campaign to show the real-life impact a cancer diagnosis has on patients and their loved ones.

The 'Still Here, Every Step of the Way' campaign comes just weeks before the charity holds its second Daffodil Day in a row virtually, on March 26.

She's doing so in the hope of offering encouragement to others facing a recent cancer diagnosis. Last week, she celebrated with husband Gregg and their daughters Caoilfhinn (10) and eight-year-old Millie after completing her final round of chemotherapy.

She begins radiotherapy treatment next month.

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"I felt very happy to give back or to do something positive to put out that this can be OK. Especially maybe for someone who's just gotten a diagnosis or found a lump or is not feeling well and worried about going to see about it. And to use the supports that are there because there's a huge amount of support.

"I've been lucky with my actual illness in that it was caught early and dealt with quickly."

It was last summer when she first noticed a lump on her right breast while propped up in bed one morning.

"I put my arm above my head to rest my head on my arm. I could feel a lump straight away, as clear as day. I went and rang my GP that morning."

She was referred for a triple assessment, where various tests including a mammogram and biopsy are carried out, within a week. The doctor told her that while results would take up to a week to come back, that his view was the lump was suspicious.

"I thought, right, get your head on now, there's something there. Get ready, get organised to face this. Whereas that first week between going to my GP and going to the hospital for the assessment, I was very emotional. After I spoke to him I was much more able to go, OK there'll be a plan of action.

Expand Close Siobhan, with her husband Gregg and their daughters, says she had to have her chemotherapy treatment alone due to Covid restrictions / Facebook

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Whatsapp Siobhan, with her husband Gregg and their daughters, says she had to have her chemotherapy treatment alone due to Covid restrictions

"From finding the lump it was August 25, and I had surgery on September 15. So very, very quick and I had the lump removed from my breast. I had six weeks off for recovery from the surgery and then I started chemotherapy.

"I think I'm someone who's quite emotionally self resilient anyway, when it comes to dealing with things that are problematic. However, obviously, I needed huge amounts of support from my closest family and my family needed support as well."

As well as her surgery - which was successful - and consultations, she had to attend her chemotherapy sessions on her own because of Covid protective measures.

"It would be very normal for your husband, or I'm very close to my sister, to be in hospital, or my friends. I've never done this - so I only know one way of doing it and that's the pandemic way. Everyone was on their own where in other times, my husband or my sister would have been taking turns to come and sit with me during the chemo. So, yeah, that was different, to say the least."

One of the things Siobhan found most difficult was telling her family, including her dad, and her girls. "There are two levels. I told my girls in a very, very simplistic way, I didn't even mention the word cancer. I said there was something that wasn't working under my arm. And I needed to go and have an operation to get it fixed.

"I went to the Irish Cancer Society website and there was some good information there about talking to family, talking to children, which was helpful for someone who's in this for the first time ever; it was a good resource."

Siobhan hopes her story will offer support to others whose lives are affected by cancer. "It's completely normal to be in the middle of your life, in charge of your life, running your family, or running your career and your family. And this comes upon you and you fall, you falter, and feel: 'Oh, my God, I don't know if I can actually handle this'.

"I think being strong is reaching out and looking for help and knowing that even in this year, and it is just a crazy off-the-wall year, but even in this circumstance, the support is still there."

Daffodil Day takes place virtually on March 26. For more information on how you can support the Irish Cancer Society's work, log on to cancer.ie

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Tata, Spicejet left in race to acquire Air India, other EoIs rejected: report

Tata Group and private airline Spicejet are the only remaining bidders for acquiring Air India as all the other expressions of interest (EoI) have been rejected after evaluation, reports citing sources close to the development said.

The odds seem to favour Tata Sons, which is reported to be planning consolidation of its aviation business comprising the two joint ventures of Air Asia and Vistara.

The group is also reported to be setting up a strategy team headed by group chief financial officer Saurabh Agrawal to explore various possible solutions such as mergers and on rebranding its airline ventures, reports citing sources close to the development said.

All other EoIs, including that by a consortium of Air India employees, supported by a group of non-resident Indians, were rejected after the evaluation of the expressions of interest (EoI).

The Air India employee consortium that had put in an Expression of Interest for the privatisation of the national airline, hasn't made it to the next round of divestment, leader of the the emp;oyees consortium and the airline's commercial director Meenakshi Malik said the consortium hasn't been shortlisted.

"As of late last night, I have seen an email from the Transaction Advisor to the Government of India (Ernst & Young LLP), informing the Employees of Air India that we have been unsuccessful in qualifying to the next phase of the Disinvestment Acquisition process," she said.

"While I write to you with a heavy heart on the outcome of our bid to acquire Air India, I cannot help but be filled with a great sense of pride and admiration for the sincere efforts we have made over the last few months, together," Malik said in the letter.

"The EoI and the supporting documents submitted by you have been duly evaluated and have been found to not fulfil the eligibility requirements set out in the Preliminary Information Memorandum (as amended) (PIM) issued in respect of the strategic disinvestment of Air India Limited (AI) and is liable for disqualification, including on account of:

(A) non-submission of required three years audited financial statements for foreign consortium member.;

(B) non-submission of information or details by IB for investments in offshore companies, which form substantial part of Net Worth of foreign consortium member.; and

(C) the foreign consortium member not being an appropriately regulated Foreign Investment Fund as defined in the PIM... Accordingly, we hereby inform you that, you have been disqualified from proceeding to Stage II of the strategic disinvestment of AI."

With the exit of the consortium, which had later also got support from NRI businessman Laxmi Prasad and his Interups Fund, Tata Sons becomes a clear favourite to buy Air India. Sources added that SpiceJet may also be in the reckoning.

The transaction advisors are reported to be in touch with the interested bidders regarding queries on bid rejection and the qualified bidders will be intimated only after the government is satisfied with responses from the bidders, reports said.

Once the list of bidders is finalised, which is the first stage, and bidders are shortlisted on the basis of the eligibility criteria, interested bidders will be provided with a request for proposal (RFP) and thereafter there will be a transparent bidding process.

As per the eligibility criteria set by transaction advisor EY, which is currently assessing the EoIs from potential parties, a bidder should have a net worth of Rs3,500 crore.

Under the RAF, which will have additional details on the divestment, bidders will provide additional details of their offer. This will be followed by the bidders placing a financial bid.

Apart from Air India, the government will also sell Air India Express and of 50 per cent shareholding in Air India Airport Services Private Ltd.

The government is hoping to raise approximately Rs15,000 crore from the sale of Air India, its subsidiary Air India Express and AISATS - a 50:50 joint venture partnership between Air India and Singapore Airport Terminal Services (SATS) Limited.
Most American kids have returned to some form of in-person school by now  but low-income school districts are paying a higher price for it.

The big picture: Preparing for testing, infrastructure improvements and distancing has cost school districts tens of millions of dollars. And poorer districts have had to freeze hiring and cut entire programs to make it work.

"Whenever you have an event like the pandemic, poor communities always get hit first, they always get hit the hardest, and the impact always lasts the longest, Arne Duncan, former education secretary under Barack Obama, told Axios.

What's happening: To reopen safely, education officials say, schools need to be able to pay for measures like COVID testing, masks, new ventilation systems and additional staff and space to reduce class sizes and keep students safely apart.

And while federal aid has helped, schools still have to make sacrifices and shoulder unexpected costs. It's often worse in smaller, more rural districts, and in long underfunded urban districts.

"Its been a combination of belt tightening and hard decisions, says Christopher Doherty, the chief financial officer of Baltimore City Public Schools. I dont see how any districts can find the money without finding other costs to cut."

Details: In Goreville, Illinois, restrictions on the number of kids on buses became a big problem because rural school bus routes are so long and adding more buses was too expensive.

Thankfully, enough parents volunteered to drive kids to school so bus routes could stay the same, superintendent Steve Webb tells Axios.

Winchendon, Massachusetts cut eight instructors who taught elective courses to make room in its budget for COVID safety measures, like storing excess furniture to allow for social distancing and updating air conditioning systems, USA Today's Suzanne Hirt writes.

Baltimore has frozen hiring and spending since the beginning of the pandemic.

Concerns about equity are very real, says Mike Magee, CEO of Chiefs for Change, a coalition of state and local education leaders.

In urban  and often disadvantaged  school districts across the U.S., the effects of chronic underfunding are potentially making the costs of reopening higher, he says.

The people who have been able to get kids back more easily are private schools or charter schools," giving an advantage to wealthy families. says Margaret Spellings, former education secretary under George W. Bush.

And many schools are using a hybrid of remote and in-person learning, which can exacerbate inequality because remote instruction has proven inferior to in-person instruction.

What to watch: There's a lot of money on the way. President Biden's coronavirus relief package includes nearly $130 billion to help schools reopen, on top of the $13.2 billion in the original CARES Act and $54.3 billion in December's COVID relief bill.

School districts are supposed to use 20% of the money in the new bill to address learning loss, through measures like summer learning, longer school days and extended school years.

Districts will receive money according to their Title I share, so funds are weighted towards districts with large numbers of low-income students. The bill also sets aside $30 billion to address learning loss among students disproportionately hurt by the pandemic, such as kids of color and English learners, a senior Biden administration official tells Axios.

But, but, but: Some damage has already been done. The last year of interrupted and remote school could cost the U.S. economy up to $28 trillion because of all the learning loss American kids have experienced.

This experience will affect kids for years to come, Spellings said. Duncan said a national tutoring initiative may be needed to help them catch up.

"Its not just the academic loss  its the social/emotional impact. None of us have ever lived through anything like this, said Duncan. "Of course the most vulnerable kids  the ones who were already behind  will now be even farther behind.

The bottom line: I think the main takeaway is, its all over the place," Spellings tells Axios. "There is no best practice; there is no research; everyone is making it up as they go."
STORY LINK GBP/AUD Outlook: Pound Australian Dollar Exchange Rate Edges Higher on Bullish Bank of England Comments

GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Rises as BoE Governor is More Positive About UK Economic Outlook

Australian Dollar (AUD) Dips as Demand for US Dollar Weighs on Risk Sensitive Aussie

GBP/AUD Exchange Rate Forecast: Could a Dovish Reserve Bank of Australia Drag Down the Aussie?

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The Pound Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) rose today following upbeat comments from the Bank of Englands (BoE) Governor Andrew Bailey, who said that he was now more positive about the outlook for the UK economy. The pairing is currently trading around AU$1.79.Mr. Bailey said:Im now more positive, but with a large dose of caution.The economic effects of the restrictions appear over time to be reducing.As a result, GBP investors are becoming more confident about the outlook for the British economy, especially now that coronavirus infection rates are showing a consistent downward trend.Today saw daily Covid-19 cases fall by -559 compared to last week, while those in hospital are presently reported to be 8,029  down by -2,896 against the previous week.Currently, 36.2% of the UK population have been vaccinated against the virus, buoying confidence in the UKs cautious reopening in the months ahead.Sunday also saw UK Covid-19 deaths fall to their lowest levels since October 2020.The Australian Dollar (AUD) dipped against Sterling today largely owing to renewed strength in the US Dollar.Instead, investors are beginning to turn to safe-haven currencies like US Dollar as the outlook for the global economy falters on growing fears over increasing Covid-19 infections in Europe.A mixture of souring risk-sentiment and an improved outlook for the US economy has driven demand for the US Dollar, overriding demand for the risk-sensitive Australian Dollar.In Australian economic data, today saw the release of Februarys HIA New Home Sales report, which beat forecasts and rose by 22.9%.As a result, AUD investors are becoming more confident in Australias economy as economic data continues to point to a marked improvement in activity.However, Australia-China relations are weighing on confidence in AUD.If tensions between China  the worlds second-largest economy  and Australia continue to deteriorate, then we could see the AUD/GBP fall over the coming weeks.Australian Dollar (AUD) investors will be looking ahead to the Reserve Bank of Australias (RBA) Meeting Minutes.Any dovishness about the outlook for Australias economy, however, would be AUD-negative.Tomorrow will also see the release of the latest Australian Westpac Leading Index data for February.If this shows a marked improvement, then the AUD/GBP exchange rate could begin to head higher.Risk sentiment will also remain an influential factor on the AUD/GBP exchange rate this week. If Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Europe, however, demand for the risk-sensitive Aussie would fall.The GBP/AUD exchange rate will likely continue to head higher this week if the outlook for the UK economy remains positive.

International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements.

TAGS: Australian Dollar Forecasts Pound Australian Dollar Forecasts
TORONTO and NEW YORK, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Real Brokerage Inc. (Real) (TSXV: REAX) (OTCQX: REAXF), a national, technology-powered real estate brokerage in the United States, today announced its expansion to Wisconsin with the addition of a leading real estate group, Inventure Realty Group, and other top agents in the Madison and Milwaukee metro areas.

"We look at Real as a great opportunity for the agents, one that we could never offer them." Tweet this Kathleen Sona Olson joins Real as Designated Managing Broker in Wisconsin. Kenneth Kaiser, founder of Inventure Realty Group in Madison, Wisconsin, joins Real.

Inventure Realty Group is a 90-agent Madison-based real estate group sold 960 homes in 2020 worth US $283 million in closed volume. Local entrepreneur and UW-Madison alum Kenneth Kaiser founded Inventure in 2007 after learning the business from his parents and later making his mark as a top newcomer at Keller Williams. In 2014, his former colleague and fellow alum Kathleen "Sona" Olson joined him at Inventure as managing broker. Sona has over 20 years of experience as a broker in Wisconsin and is a third generation REALTOR. She spent the first 12-years of her career working with her father, a residential real estate developer, learning about land development and the residential market.

Driven by its family roots in the business, Inventure's mission is to return as much value as possible to agents with the belief that well-supported agents provide the best service to clients. In 2021, Real presented an opportunity to expand on Inventure's education platform and its mission to provide their agents with the best support possible. The next-generation brokerage that Real presents is an "opportunity we cannot afford to lose for our agents or our company," said Kaiser, who will be taking on the role of Wisconsin growth leader at Real.

"The question we had was how do you keep growing when the model for real estate is changing?" said Kaiser. "We look at Real as a great opportunity for the agents, one that we could never offer them, with additional financial opportunities, technology and national footprint. It gives our agents a way to build other revenue sources and be associated with something bigger."

"Real is shaking up the traditional models in our industry. It's exciting that we can be involved and help build a foundation here for our agents," said Olson, who has signed on to be Real's Designated Managing Broker in Wisconsin.

"We are excited to launch Real in Wisconsin with Inventure Realty Group's local recognition for extraordinary service and the shared desire to provide agents in the Badger State with the best platform for growth possible," said Real co-founder and CEO Tamir Poleg.

Additional agents who joined in Real's launch in Wisconsin include the following:

John Glassbrenner with Newfangled Realty in the Chippewa Valley

with Newfangled Realty in the Chippewa Valley Jacqueline Knight and Guy Lofts in Verona

and in Danice Kalscheur with NextHome Metro in Madison

with NextHome Metro in Mary Lausted in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls

in and Leah Marsh in Appleton

in Omar Ortiz with Flamboyant Real Estate Group in Milwaukee

with Flamboyant Real Estate Group in Brian Redlich and Mike Lu with the Real Estate By Redlich Team in Milwaukee .

Guy Lofts served as associate broker for Real's Wisconsin launch. Lofts brings over 20 years of experience to the role, including leadership positions at eXp Realty and Keller Williams. He is known for identifying talent, providing vision, recruiting, training and motivating agents.

"At Real I look forward to helping both customers and agents achieve the American dream through best-in-class technology and the most compelling opportunities for agents with competitive splits, stock purchase programs and revenue sharing," said Lofts.

About Real

Real ( www.joinreal.com ) is a technology-powered real estate brokerage operating in 25 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Real is building the brokerage of the future, together with agents and their clients. Real creates financial opportunities for agents through better commission splits, best-in-class technology, revenue sharing and equity incentives.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities of the Company will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of U.S. persons except in certain transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act)

Forward-looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as " seek", " anticipate", " believe", " plan", " estimate", " expect", " likely" and " intend" and statements that an event or result " may", " will", " should", " could" or " might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. These statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof. Forward-looking information in this press release includes, without limiting the foregoing, Information relating to Real's future growth plans and strategy, and eligibility of agents to receive performance-based or equity incentives as part of Real's incentive program.

Forward-looking information is based on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect, including but not limited to Real's business objectives, expected growth, results of operations, performance, business projects and opportunities and financial results. Real considers these assumptions to be reasonable in the circumstances. However, forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. These factors should be carefully considered and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, Real cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and Real assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

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, and the OTCQX has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

Contact:

Lynda Radosevich

917-922-7020

[email protected]

SOURCE The Real Brokerage Inc.
kWh

Well, it wasn't necessarily the difference between the official figures and the de facto ones that caused the biggest upset, but rather the fact the company decided to keep it hidden from the public by consciously manipulating the emissions tests. But that was in 2015, and this is 2021.The German carmaker promised it would make good by focusing intensely on electric vehicles. Although it only has two actual models to show so far, most analysts (and even Tesla fans) consider Volkswagen to be the legacy manufacturer with the most serious intent of making the switch to EVs.Well, in true Tesla fashion, VW has just presented its plan for the upcoming decade by holding its first "Power Day", a presentation of the company's roadmap to 2030 that will see it shift even more of its focus on developing electric vehicles and the required infrastructure.E-mobility has become core business for us," says Volkswagen Group CEO and fledgling Twitter user, Herbert Diess . As Elon Musk (as well as common sense) repeatedly told us, if you want to build EVs, you're going to need batteries. Unsurprisingly, Volkswagen has a plan for that. Somewhat more surprisingly, this plan includes "gigafactories."That's right, no capital "G". Why? Because they are not Gigafactories , just regular factories that happen to be "giga". Yup, apparently, that's how Volkswagen refers to the plants it will build to ensure it'll have the supply of battery cells when production of EVs truly ramps up.No fewer than six of them are on the cards by 2030, with a scheduled cell production capacity of 240 GWh (240,000,000) per year. With an average battery size of 70 kWh, it equates to nearly 3.5 million units per year. Don't forget, however, that these six plants will all be located in Europe, with the U.S. as well as China likely to host others as well. The first two should be located in Sweden (Skelleftea) and Germany (Salzgitter), with a production capability of 40 GWh each.The German carmaker also plans to introduce a unified cell by the end of 2023, aiming to reduce the costs and improve the EVs' range and performance. According to the officials, this cell (which, strangely, has no Tesla-connected name; then again, it doesn't have any name whatsoever) will feature in 80 percent of the group's EVs by 2030. Cost reductions of up to 50 percent in the entry-level segment and up to 30 percent in the volume segment are expected.Finally, Volkswagen is also targeting the other key aspect of electric mobility: the charging infrastructure. The Wolfsburg-based company has deals in place with three important energy suppliers in EuropeBP (United Kingdom), Iberdrola (Spain), and Enel (Italy)that will lead to the opening of roughly 18,000 new fast-charging points across four countries.The U.S. and China won't be neglected either. The former is set to welcome up to 3,500 new fast-charging points across North America (which presumably includes Canada as well) by the end of the year, while the latter has a more generous figure of 17,000 in-store, but by 2025.All name-related jokes aside, Volkswagen's "Power Day" shows once again the company takes EVs seriously, and if a player the size of VW does, then maybe everybody else should as well. Or maybe they know better. We're pretty sure that's what the dodo thought as well.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 15)  Filipinos sent back home less money in January for the second month in a row, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas revealed.

In a statement Monday, the BSP said personal remittances hit $2.89 billion during the month, a 1.7% drop from the $2.94 billion logged a year ago.

The marginal decline in personal remittances during the month was attributed to the 2.4 percent drop in remittances from land-based workers with work contracts of one year or more to US$2.219 billion from US$2.274 billion recorded in January 2020, said the central bank.

Seafarers and short-term overseas Filipino workers, meanwhile, transferred $609 million in funds to their families and beneficiaries during the period  a slight growth of 1% from the $603 million posted last year.

Januarys figure is also smaller than the $3.2 billion sent back home by Filipinos abroad in December.

Personal remittances likewise recorded a year-on-year drop of 0.3% during the last month of the year. Decembers figure ended three straight months of bigger amounts sent to the Philippines.

The United States is once again the countrys biggest sources of total remittances this January, comprising 40.9% of the total figure overseas Filipinos transferred back home. Most transfers from Filipinos abroad also originated from Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Malaysia and Taiwan.

"Realities about increased number of OFWs repatriated back to the Philippines and reduced OFW remittances already started to set in," said RCBC chief economist Michael Ricafort of the recent figure.

He further noted remittances may continue to contract annually for the early part of 2021 until OFWs displaced by the pandemic are able to get back jobs abroad, along with restrictions on travel getting eased.

Any further bounceback in remittances in the months ahead would largely depend on the economic recovery of major host countries worldwide from lockdowns, added Ricafort. Another factor would be the pace at which jobs lost amid the pandemic are restored to OFWs especially in industries gravely hit by the pandemic, which can be boosted by the speedy deployment of COVID-19 vaccines this year.

Remittances are among Filipino families sources of disposable income, with dollars sent home paying for everyday expenses such as food, utilities, school fees, and even luxuries of their loved ones. This in turn boosts private spending and supports economic activity, which ongoing quarantine rules have dampened.
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

A shower or two possible this morning with partly cloudy skies for the afternoon. High 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 47F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Banking services are likely to be impacted on Monday, March 15 and 16 as the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) has given a call for a two-day nationwide strike. The strike has been called to protest against the Centre's proposal to privatise two public sector banks.

According to UFBU and All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), 10 lakh bank employees will participate in the strike. Banking services are likely to be hit at several public sector banks (PSBs) like State Bank of India (SBI), Canara Bank and Bank of Maharashtra (BoM).

Bank of Maharashtra has already warned its customers about the same. "If the strike materialises, the normal functioning of the bank's branches/offices is likely to be affected. The bank is taking all necessary steps to minimize the impact of the strike so as to provide the normal banking services to its customers," an official Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) release read.





Maharashtra: The United Forum of Bank Union (UFBU), has called a two-day nationwide strike today and tomorrow, against the privatisation of Public Sector Banks and 'retrograde banking reforms'. Visuals from Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/lmLGJaXNfv a ANI (@ANI) March 15, 2021

Also read: Two-day bank strike from March 15; services to be hit. Check details

Which services will be hit by bank strike on March 15 and 16?

Services such as deposits and withdrawals at bank branches, cheque clearance and loan approvals are likely to be affected due to this strike. ATMs may, however, continue to function normally.

Banks have assured their customers they are taking all necessary steps to ensure the smooth running of bank offices and branches on the days of the proposed two-day bank strike. In a sigh of relief for customers, services at private banks like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and IndusInd Bank are likely to remain unaffected by the strike.

Who will participate in March 15-March 16 bank strike?

The UFBU comprises nine main bank unions, which will participate in the strike. The said bank unions are-All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA), National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), Indian National Bank Employees Federation (INBEF), Indian National Bank Officers' Congress (INBOC), Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI), National Organisation of Bank Officers (NOBO) and National Organisation of Bank Workers (NOBW).

Also read: Two-day bank strike: SBI, Bank of Maharashtra services likely to be hit; here's what you should do

Why are bank employees observing the strike?

Bank unions are protesting the Centre's privatisation policy after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget 2021 speech, announced the privatisation of two public sector banks as part of the Centre's divestment plan.

"Other than IDBI Bank, we propose to take up privatisation of two public sector banks and one general insurance company in the year 2021-22. This would require legislative amendments and I propose to introduce the amendments in this session itself," FM Sitharaman said during her budget speech.

The Centre has already privatised IDBI Bank by selling its majority stake in the bank to LIC in 2019 and has merged 14 public sector banks (PSBs) in the last four years.

Also read: Bank of India, three other public sector banks shortlisted for privatisation
A nurse prepares a dose of the CoronaVac vaccine -developed by China's Sinovac laboratory- against the COVID-19 disease, in Bogota on March 9, 2021. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)

China Eases Visa Rules to Entice Visitors to Take Homegrown Vaccines

Foreigners seeking to enter China can now get a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine shot to lessen their load of visa paperwork, the Chinese foreign ministry stated on March 15.

The new visa rule, which took effect on March 15, marks Beijings latest attempt to win international appeal for its homegrown vaccines.

Foreign travelers who visit China for work and their relatives would only need to provide documents required before the pandemic began upon presenting a vaccination certificate, according to a March 12 notice released by the office of Chinas foreign commissioner in Hong Kong.

Zhao Lijian, Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, said at a March 15 briefing that the decision was made with a view to resuming international travel in an orderly fashion.

China stands ready to advance mutual recognition of vaccination with other countries, he said. While Zhao didnt clarify how widely the visa relaxation would apply, similar notices have appeared on the websites of around a dozen Chinese embassies, including those in Israel, Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam.

Chinas regime has promoted its homegrown vaccines globally, exporting vaccine aid to 69 countries as of the end of February, while carrying out disinformation to discredit its vaccine rivals.

Chinese vaccine trials around the world have, meanwhile, received lackluster results.

In Brazil, the CoronaVac vaccine developed by Chinas Sinovac was found to have a 50.4 percent efficacy rate, barely passing the threshold of approval under World Health Organization standards. In Indonesia, authorities said the CoronaVac shots were about 65.3 percent effective.

Tianjin-based CanSinos single-dose vaccine reported a 65.7 percent protection rate. State-owned Sinopharm, another Chinese COVID-19 vaccine frontrunner, said in late December 2020 that its vaccine had a 79.3 percent efficacy based on interim data; that compares to the more than 90 percent figures from the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in the United States.

In March, Peruvians began an intense public debate about whether they should continue using the two vaccines developed by Sinopharm, after a Peruvian scientist revealed that the companys vaccines are between 11.5 percent and 33.3 percent effective.

None of the Chinese drug makers have made detailed clinical trial data public.

Safety scares have also dealt setbacks to the regimes vaccination efforts.

Hong Kong, which has distributed nearly 92,000 doses of CoronaVac shots to its residents, has recorded 69 cases of adverse reactions as of March 12 (pdf). At least seven people have died after taking the vaccine and two developed facial paralysis. The health authorities found no link between the deaths and the vaccine but are still looking into the paralysis symptoms developed by the two people.

Japans Olympic team has rejected Chinas offer to inoculate its athletes even though the International Olympic Committee has agreed to purchase Chinese vaccines for the Tokyo Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.

I dont know of any Chinese companies that have applied for approval in Japan, Tokyos Olympic minister told the nations public broadcaster NHK.

The United States has announced plans to work with its allies Japan, India, and Australia to boost COVID-19 vaccine distribution in the Asia-Pacific region.

Chen Kuide, a dissident Chinese scholar, told The Epoch Times that the regime has made vaccine diplomacy one of its top objectives to shut the mouth of the recipient countries and block criticisms over the transparency around the virus origin.

There could be a lot of backlashes, but thats beyond what they can deal with, because this is the most immediate issue, he said.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

As more people across the country become vaccinated against COVID-19, the CDC released guidelines last Monday allowing for fully vaccinated people to gather together without masks. But pulling off the mask and adjusting to life before the pandemic will come with a learning curve, according to experts.

Dr. Aderonke Pederson, an instructor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said the one year anniversary of the pandemic has become a landmark for people who have adjusted to a new normal.

"If we were talking one week or two weeks of a change in routine, then reverting back to a semblance of normalcy would be a different point. But we're talking about a year of change and adjusting, a year of loss on many levels," she said.

Illinois public health officials reported Thursday that more than 1.3 million residentsjust over 10% of the state's populationhave been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Hesitation among those who are fully vaccinated stems from learned behaviors as well as trauma associated with those who have been affected by the virus.

"A year in, we've been conditioned to say the safe thing to do is to put your mask on and not be close to other people, and now we're having to readjust and adapt to what will end up being a new normal in the coming months," she said. "There's a level of conditioning that happens when we are changing our behavior, when you continue to engage in that particular behavior for a specific time, your body adjusts to that behavior."

Moving away from dedicated mask wearing will take time, and levels of comfort will vary from person to person, she added. Additionally, snapping back to old routines before the pandemic will come with time, added guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and an increase in fully vaccinated people.

"It's important for us to pace through the next few months and be patient with each other," she said. "Step by step socialization approaches will be best for reclamation into what will be our new normal."

For example, people may choose to have one-on-one gatherings before engaging in large social groups.

Jacqueline Gollan, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said that "baby steps" to normalcy will help in overcoming anxiety.

"Anxiety decreases when you rely on medical science," she said. "We are able to make predictions more accurately. It's like slowly stepping on ice to make sure it is thick enough to hold us. Each of us have our own timelines to normal. Some people will take big steps, others will need to look and see where they can make changes that are safe enough and mitigate their own risk."

Habitual and small steps will help manage anxiety that can be created by taking larger steps, Gollan added.

"We perceive social scenarios with a lot of apprehension and vigilance," she said. "Now, once safely vaccinated, we have to reset our expectations about social situations. The challenge however is that our vigilance and built stress systems may not reset as fast as we prefer, but it's just going to take time to realize that social situations are safer when vaccinated."

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

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Thank you for tuning in to episode 106 of The CUInsight Experience podcast, with your host, Randy Smith, co-founder of CUInsight.com. This episode is brought to you by our friends at PSCU. As the nations premier payments CUSO, PSCU proudly supports the success of more than 1,500 credit unions.

My guest on todays show is The Honorable Todd M. Harper, Chairman of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). Chairman Harper was recently appointed to lead the NCUA Board by President Biden. We talked about what it was like when he got the nod to lead the NCUA personally, his journey to getting there, and what he wanted to be when he grew up. We also had a great conversation on the importance of DEI in credit unions.

Chairman Harper shares his F.I.R.E. philosophy on credit union regulation, what the NCUA will focus on in the next twelve months, and the first place people should start when getting ready to have the DEI conversation. Chairman Harper also talks about how he keeps up with the pace of change in the credit union space.

Chairman Harper has been lucky to have some great friends in his life, and he talks about the ones that have shaped him into who he is today. He also discusses how networking, being kind, and confident can lead you up the ranks when you are looking for a promotion. He tells us how he stays true to his purpose in his personal life and his career.

In the rapid-fire questions, we learn what Chairman Harper was like in high school and how he likes to recharge. Who was the first person who came to mind when Chairman Harper hears the word success? Youll have to listen to find out. This was a great conversation and I cant wait to do it again. Enjoy!

Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher

Books mentioned on The CUInsight Experience podcast: Book List

How to find Chairman Todd Harper:

The Honorable Todd Harper, Chairman of the NCUA

www.ncua.gov

board@ncua.gov

LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

Show notes from this episode:

A big shout-out to our friends at PSCU, an amazing sponsor of The CUInsight Experience podcast. Thank you!

If you are interested in taking the Diversity Self Assessment, click here.

Chairman Harpers remarks at the 2021 CUNA GAC are available now.

Check out what Chairman Harper and his team are doing at the NCUA to assist Credit Unions, including the Share Insurance Fund, by clicking here!

To learn more about the NCUA Office of Business Innovation, click here.

To learn more about the NCUA Office of National Examinations and Supervision, click here.

Shout out: Catherine Galicia

Shout out: Chuck, former Chief of Staff on Capitol Hill

Shout out: Mike Fryzel

Shout out: Mike Radway

Shout out: Rick Metsger

Shout out: John McKechnie

Shout out: Paul Kanjorksi, Kanjorski Scholarship

Shout out: Debbie Matz

Shout out: Mary Schapiro

Shout out: Pat Montebono, Chairman Harpers Math Teacher

Shout out: Antonio Neves

Shout out: JT

Shout out: Pat and Lorraine

Shout out: Indiana University

Shout out: Jim Hayden

Shout out: CULCT

Shout out: Diana Dykstra

Shout out: Jill Nowacki

Shout out: Brian Schools, Chartway FCU

Shout out: Paw Paws USA

Book mentioned: Thank You for Being Late: An Optimists Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations by Thomas Friedman

Book mentioned:The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of Americas Wealthy by Thomas J. Stanley & William D. Danko

Book mentioned: The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein

Book mentioned: The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair by Erik Larson

Book mentioned: The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson

Book mentioned: StrengthsFinders 2.0 by Tom Rath

Book mentioned: Leadership Without Easy Answers by Ronald A. Heifetz

Album mentioned: The Police: Ghost in the Machine

Song mentioned: RESPECT by Aretha Franklin

Album mentioned: Queens Greatest Hits

Album mentioned: Immaculate Collection by Madonna

Album mentioned: Tracy Chapman by Tracy Chapman

Album mentioned: Faith by George Michael

Previous guests mentioned in this episode: Diana Dykstra (16), Jill Nowacki (episodes 4, 18, 37, 64, 82 & 101)

In This Episode:

[02:30]  Welcome to the show, Chairman Harper!

[02:59]  What did you feel like when you got the position as Chairman of the NCUA?

[05:36]  Chairman Harper shares his philosophy on regulation in the credit union space.

[07:37]  Chairman Harper discusses what the NCUA will focus on around credit unions in the next 12 months.[10:35]  The first place people should start when starting the DEI conversation is by taking the Diversity Self Assessment and NCUA.gov.

[12:53]  How do you keep pace with the changes happening in the space?

[16:58]  Chairman Harper shares which in his life helped shape who he is.

[19:19]  Chairman Harper is lucky to have some very good friends in his life.

[20:50]  Did you start out knowing you were going to be in public service? Government?

[23:23]  Chairman Harper speaks about the inspiration to take a position with the NCUA.

[24:46]  Chairman Harper shares how the inspiration has changed with the new titles.

[28:27]  Chairman Harper discusses that networking and being kind is what a person can do to move up through the ranks.

[30:02]  How do you stay true to your purpose in your personal life and in your career?

[31:01]  Chairman Harper shares what he used to do that he doesnt do anymore.

[32:23]  You have to be strong is a myth about leadership that Chairman Harper wants to debunk.

[34:43]  Chairman Harper keeps his weekends free, and he takes a long vacation each year, but also he hangs out with friends to recharge.

[36:27]  Chairman Harper talks about what he said no to, that he is so glad he did.

[37:40]  Chairman Harper speaks about what he was like in high school and whether he ever got into memorable trouble.

[40:11]  What book do you think everyone should read?

[44:15]  What is the greatest song of all time?

[45:50]  Chairman Harpers mom is who he thinks about when he hears the word success.

[48:12]  Chairman Harpers final thoughts for the listeners.

[48:37]  Thank you for being on the show!
Tesla added Technoking of Tesla to billionaire chief executive officer Elon Musks list of official titles, in a regulatory filing that also named finance chief Zachary Kirkhorn Master of Coin.

The electric-car maker did not explain the reasons for the cryptic new titles as it filed an official notice with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday (US time). Last month, Tesla revealed it had purchased $US1.5 billion of bitcoin and would soon accept it as a form of payment for cars, sending the price of the worlds most popular cryptocurrency soaring.

The electric-car maker did not explain the reasons for the cryptic new titles as it filed an official notice with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Credit:Bloomberg

Later on Monday, Musk tweeted an animation depicting what appeared to be a golden trophy decorated with coins and accompanied by a pulsing electronic soundtrack.

Im selling this song about NFTs as an NFT, the tweet said.
Two men have been charged with assaulting US Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick with bear spray during the January 6 MAGA riots, the day before the officer died.

Julian Elie Khater, 32, of Pennsylvania, and George Pierre Tanios, 39, of Morgantown, West Virginia, were arrested on Sunday, the Washington Post reported.

Authorities are still working to determine whether the suspects' actions may have contributed to Sicknick's death the day after the riots.

More than two months later a cause of death has still not been released publicly but investigators are said to be treating the case as a potential homicide.

Investigators initially believed that Sicknick was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, based on statements collected early in the investigation, according to two people familiar with the case.

But as they've collected more evidence, the theory has evolved and investigators now believe Sicknick may have ingested a chemical substance - possibly bear spray - that may have contributed to his death, officials have said.

Video allegedly showed Khater and Tanios standing near Sicknick and other officers on the Capitol's Lower West Terrace during the insurrection, according to court filings obtained by the Post.

Prosecutors said Khater could be heard telling Tanios: 'Give me that bear s**t.'

About nine minutes later, Khater was allegedly seen discharging chemicals believed to be bear spray into the face of Sicknick and two other officers.

Two men were arrested on Sunday and charged with assaulting US Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick (left) with bear spray during the January 6 MAGA riots. One of the men, George Pierre Tanios, 39, of West Virginia, is pictured right

Authorities are still working to determine whether the suspects' actions contributed to Sicknick's death the day after the riots (above in a file photo)

Khater and Tanios are each facing nine charges, including for assaulting Sicknick and the other two officers with a deadly weapon, civil disorder and obstruction of a Congressional proceeding.

Court documents said the men - described as childhood friends - were apprehended after tipsters contacted the FBI and identified them in 'wanted' posters released by authorities.

Tanios is the owner of a sandwich shop called 'Sandwich University' in the college town of Morgantown and was wearing a shirt with the shop's logo on January 6, prosecutors said.

He appeared in court via Zoom on Monday wearing in orange jail scrubs and a surgical mask. Another hearing is scheduled for Thursday to decide whether he will be released on bail.

Khater was also slated to appear before a judge on Monday but its unclear if that hearing took place.

Tanios (pictured) is the owner of a sandwich shop called 'Sandwich University' in Morgantown and was wearing a shirt with the shop's logo on January 6, prosecutors said

Sicknick, 42, died on January 7, hours after he faced off with Donald Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol in a bid to block Congress from certifying Joe Biden's election victory.

Capitol Police said he 'was injured while physically engaging with protesters' and collapsed after he had returned to his office following the riot.

Initial media reports suggested that Sicknick had died of injuries sustained when he was bludgeoned by a fire extinguisher during the chaos.

But sources close to the investigation recently told the Post that Sicknick did not die of blunt force trauma - calling the entire fire extinguisher narrative into question.

Authorities still have yet to release an autopsy for Sicknick as the investigation remains ongoing.

DailyMail.com spoke to the officer's mother, Gladys Sicknick, last month, who said she believes her son died from a fatal stroke, not a strike to the head.

'He wasn't hit on the head no. We think he had a stroke, but we don't know anything for sure,' Gladys, 74, insisted.

She said the family has been largely left in the dark about the investigation into Sicknick's death, adding: 'We'd love to know what happened.'

Capitol Police are yet to confirm Sicknick's official cause of death and have only said he died from 'injuries sustained while on duty'

Sicknick's mother Gladys (far right) 76, told DailyMail.com the family believes her son may have suffered a fatal stroke but they 'don't know anything for sure.' Pictured: Sicknick's father, Charles (far left) his longtime girlfriend Sandra, and his mother

SICKNICK DEATH TIMELINE January 7 CNN is among the first to report that an officer has died as a result of the Capitol riots. 8pm US Capitol Police issue a statement describing reports of the death as not accurate but that an officer is on life support. 9.30pm US Capitol Police announce Officer Brian Sicknicks death and state he was, injured while physically engaging with protestersreturned to the division office and collapsed. January 8 AP reports that a fire extinguisher was hurled but does not connect it to Sicknicks death. The New York Times publishes its story claiming that pro-Trump supporters, overpowered Sicknick and struck him in the head with a fire extinguisher. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, issues a statement condemning, the violent and deadly act of insurrection targeting the Capitol. She adds, The perpetrators of Officer Sicknicks death must be brought to justice. Trumps Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere also issues a statement describing Sicknick as an American hero. Officer Sicknicks family members give their own accounts and make no mention of any blunt trauma or attack. Sicknicks brother, Ken, speaks with ProPublica and reveals that his brother texted him on Wednesday evening and was in good shape. Sicknicks father, Charles, 81, tells Reuters his son was resuscitated twice on the way to the hospital. He says, He had a blood clot on his brain and had a strokeoperating was not an option. January 10 Footage of a protester hurling a fire extinguisher into law enforcement on the steps of the Capitol become public. January 14 Retired Philadelphia firefighter Robert Sandford is identified as the rioter who threw the fire extinguisher. His charges include assault on a police officer, disorderly conduct, civil disorder and unlawful entry of the Capitol. January 29 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announce that Officer Sicknick will be given state honors in the Capitol Rotunda and will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery. February 2 CNN report that investigators are vexed by a lack of evidence and that medical examiners have found no sign of blunt force trauma. Democratic House Impeachment Managers file their pre-trial brief and state as fact, The insurrectionists killed a Capitol police officer by striking him on the head with a fire extinguisher. February 3 Officer Sicknick is honored in the Capitol Rotunda by dignitaries including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. February 11 Investigators consider whether an adverse reaction to bear spray may have contributed to Sicknicks death February 16 The New York Times updates its January 8 report stating, New information has emerged regarding the death of the Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick that questions the initial cause of his death provided by officials close to the Capitol Police.' February 17 Officer Sicknicks mother tells DailyMail.com her son was not killed by a blow to the head but died of a stroke. The Medical Examiner has yet to release a cause of death. Advertisement

An analysis by DailyMail.com showed how Sicknick's death began mired in misinformation before it even happened.

The first reports that an officer had been killed were premature and emerged on January 6. US Capitol Police were swift to issue a denial.

It is now known that Officer Sicknick was on life support at the time and his death was confirmed barely 24 hours later at 9.30pm on January 7.

The official statement was measured and vague as to the cause. According to the police, 'Officer Brian D Sicknick passed away due to injuries sustained while on duty.'

It continued: 'Officer Sicknick was responding to the riots on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, at the US Capitol and was injured while physically engaging with protesters. He returned to his division office and collapsed. He was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.'

One day later the New York Times reported that 'pro-Trump supportersoverpowered Mr Sicknick, 42, and struck him in the head with a fire extinguisher according to two law enforcement officials. With a bloody gash in his head, Mr Sicknick was rushed to the hospital and placed on life support.'

DailyMail.com confirmed with Douglas Buchanan, Chief of Communications for D's Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services that Sicknick was not 'rushed to hospital' from the Capitol and had returned to his division department as described in the initial statement.

In fact, the very day that the Times account ran, Sicknick's brother, Ken, spoke with ProPublica and said that his brother had been in good spirits and had texted him after returning to the department.

'He texted me last night and said: "I got pepper-sprayed twice," and he was in good shape,' Ken said.

That same day, January 8, Sicknick's father, Charles, 81, told Reuters that on January 7, as they rushed from their homes in New Jersey to DC, the family were told that Sicknick had a blood clot on his brain and had suffered a stroke. He was being kept alive on a ventilator but was dead by the time they got there.

Yet these few publicly available facts were bulldozed over by political fervor and it was the unattributed account of a brutal attack, also reported by the Associated Press, that gained traction.

Less than 24 hours after his death, with no autopsy, no confirmation of any sign of blunt trauma, no investigation nor due process, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for the 'perpetrators' of Sicknick's 'attack' to be brought to justice and vowed: 'We will not forget.'

Despite the family's earnest desire to the contrary, Sicknick's death was politicized and seized on as an exemplar of all of the savagery of the pro-Trump mob's assault on the temple of American democracy.

On January 10, video emerged of a rioter hurling a fire extinguisher towards law enforcement on the steps of the Capitol. The clip was co-opted into the narrative as evidence of the protesters' lethal force.

Four days later, on January 14, retired Philadelphia firefighter Robert Sanford, 55, was arrested as the rioter in the video. His charges included assault of a police officer, disorderly conduct, civil disorder and unlawful entry of the Capitol.

The fire extinguisher he hurled was reported by AP to have 'bounced off the heads of three officers, two of whom were wearing helmets'.

None of the charges related to Sicknick and yet the narrative continued to run unchecked with not one leader acknowledging the ongoing investigation or the complete absence of any certainty amid the melee of misreporting.

On February 2 CNN reported that investigators were 'vexed' by the lack of evidence linking anyone with Sicknick's death. According to their source medical examiners had found no sign of blunt trauma.

Yet that very day Democratic Impeachment Managers filed their pre-trial articles in which they ignored all doubts and evidence to the contrary and stated as fact: 'The insurgents killed a Capitol police officer by striking him in the head with a fire extinguisher.'

On February 3, the 42-year-old cop became only the fifth person to lie in honor in the Capitol as a non-elected official, judge of military leader.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris paid their respects during two days of visitation, as did members of Congress.

Hundreds of officers lined the Capitol's East front after the ceremony and saluted the hearse that transported Sicknick's urn to Arlington National Cemetery where he was interred: so much ceremony and outrage; so little certainty.

The deadly riots marked a tragic end to a life of service for the officer (pictured with parents during his ceremony) who enlisted in the National Guard six months after graduating high school in 1997

Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick lies in honor in the Rotunda of the US Capitol February 3

Family members, including Sicknick's mother Gladys (circled left) and father Charles (circled right), watched as an honor guard to carries an urn with the slain officer's remains down the steps of the Capitol

Long after the first doubts were cast, the New York Times quietly rowed back their first reports in mid-February, stating: 'New information has emerged regarding the death of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick that questions the initial cause of his death provided by officials close to the Capitol Police.'

It came as reports emerged that new video footage was being examined in a bid to identify suspects and anything that might help establish what led to the officer's death; a death still being treated as a homicide despite the absence of a cause of death or any persons of interest.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that investigators are now considering an adverse reaction to the bear spray with which rioters sprayed cops as a potential factor.

A research paper into the health hazards of capsaicin, the active ingredient in both pepper and bear spray, uncovered by DailyMail.com and published by the University of North Carolina, found that one potentially lethal side effect of inhalation was, 'acute hypertension (similar to ammonia inhalation), which in turn can cause headache and increase the risk of stroke'.

But pepper spray  used by both cops and rioters - has a higher percentage of this active ingredient than bear spray, rioters reported seeing cops sprayed with their own pepper spray amid the confusion and Sicknick told his brother he had been sprayed twice by pepper spray.

Indeed DailyMail.com has learned that one officer was admitted to hospital suffering adverse symptoms on January 6 having inhaled pepper spray which was being liberally used by both law enforcement and rioters.

According to Douglas Buchanan Chief of Communications for DC's Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS), 'The officer was treated on the scene and seemed to be fine but when his vitals were taken his blood pressure was very high and it was decided that he should be transported to hospital for further treatment.'

If Officer Sicknick was suffering any such ill-effects from inhaling the chemicals that clouded the air that day, he was unaware of them or simply did not seek treatment on the scene.

Instead, he returned to the police department and texted his older brother, Ken, to let him know that he was in 'good shape', before collapsing.

During the siege of the Capitol, Sicknick was pepper-sprayed and hit in the head, according to his father. He appeared to be fine after the mob dispersed, but was rushed to the hospital later that evening after suffering a medical episode. He died the following day. Pictured: police and protesters clashing outside the building on January 6

DC's Fire and Emergency Medical Services declined DailyMail.com's request for further details regarding the emergency call placed for Sicknick or his transportation to hospital, citing the ongoing criminal investigation.

But speaking to Reuters shortly after his sons death, Sicknick's father, Charles, said that his son had been resuscitated twice on the way to the hospital and placed on a ventilator on arrival.

It was a tragic end to a life of service for the officer who enlisted in the National Guard six months after graduating high school in 1997, deploying to Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan.

According to his family he had wanted to be a police officer all of his life and joined the National Guard as a means to that end. He had been an officer with the US Capitol Police since 2008 and lived in Springfield, Virginia with his girlfriend of 11 years, Sandra Garza and their two rescue dachshunds.

Sicknick's mother said that the family are still waiting for an explanation as to why her son ended up on life support just hours after telling his sibling he was fine.

She said that the intense speculation that has swirled up around his death and its politicizing has only compounded the familys pain.

'It hasn't helped, no. It's very hard not knowing [what happened] but we have to wait for a finding just like everybody else,' she said.

For now, all they can do is try to process a devastating personal loss that they have been forced to play out on the national stage, as they hope for a cause that makes sense of it all.
Thai pro-democracy activist Parit Penguin Chiwarak flashes a three-finger salute as he arrives at a Bangkok court for a hearing on Lese-Majeste charges, March 15, 2021.

At a pretrial hearing on Monday, jailed Thai activist Parit Penguin Chiwarak said he would go on hunger strike until he and others accused of royal defamation are granted bail, his lawyer and a statement attributed to him said.

A judge, meanwhile, ruled that Parit and 21 others would stand trial together for alleged sedition and insulting the monarchy at a massive pro-democracy protest in September.

From now on, I will announce a fast and will live on water, syrup and milk until the court returns to common sense and grants bail to me, all Lese-Majeste defendants and all political accused, until death do me part, Parit said in a statement uploaded to a Facebook page of the protest movement he helps lead, the Ratsadon or Peoples Movement.

Parit and six other pro-democracy activists accused of royal defamation under Article 112 of the Thai criminal code have been denied bail multiple times since they were indicted and jailed starting in early February.

The others are Panusaya Rung Sithijirawattanakul, Panupong Mike Jadnok, Jatupat Pai Boonpattararaksa, Arnon Nampa, Patiwat Saraiyam and Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).

The charges against them and sedition charges against 15 others stem from a two-day protest in September 2020 that drew as many as 100,000 pro-democracy demonstrators.

At the time, protest leaders submitted a letter to the metropolitan police chief asking the king to accept political reform. They said they had hoped to deliver the letter to a panel of the kings advisers, but were prevented from doing so by police.

Protesters also placed a plaque in an area of Bangkok reserved for royal ceremonies, and where the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej was cremated, stating that the country belongs to its people and not its king. The plaque was hastily removed and handed to police as evidence.

Parit faces 19 Lese-Majeste charges, Arnon 11, Panusaya nine and Panupong eight. A Lese-Majeste conviction carries a sentence of up to 15 years, while sedition carries a seven-year sentence.

Earlier this month, a court charged pop star-turned-activist Chaiamorn Ammy Kaewwiboonpan with Lese-Majeste after he allegedly set fire to a portrait of King Maha Vajiralongkorn prior to an anti-government protest in late February.

All eight Lese-Majeste defendants are in custody while activists facing sedition and other charges have been released, according to organizers and court officials.

Penguin wishes to let the society know that the court is not giving them the rights to be temporarily released, which is a constitutional right. He has announced in the hearing room that he will go into a hunger strike from now on and until he is given the right to bail and fight his case, his lawyer Krisadang Nutcharas said outside the courtroom.

Following Mondays hearing, a judge adjourned proceedings until March 29, according to Reuters.

Mistakes

Pro-democracy demonstrators have issued three demands since beginning their protests in July 2020  for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha to step down, for the Constitution to be amended and for the monarchy to be reformed. Their three-fingered salute, borrowed from The Hunger Games, is a shorthand for these demands.

As of March 3, as many as 382 activists had been charged with alleged offenses stemming from the protests, according to TLHR. In addition, at least 68 protesters had been charged with Lese-Majeste since Prayuth announced in November that authorities would begin enforcing that law for the first time in about two years.

Puangthong Pawakapan, a political science assistant professor at Chulalongkorn University, said she went to the court to give moral support to those in custody.

She called on Thailand not to repeat past mistakes of deadly crackdowns on young activists on university campuses, citing a series of violent incidents seared onto Thai consciousness.

Thailands society made several mistakes in the past by hurting our younger generations. In the incidents of Oct. 14, 1973, Oct. 6, 1976, and Black May 1992, many youths died, Puangthong said.

All told, 175 people died and more than 1,000 were injured in those three incidents, according to official figures.

We are making a second mistake. We are harming a new generation who I think are a group of good people, she said.
Orange County Reopens More Businesses in Red Tier

SANTA ANAOrange County entered the less-restrictive red tier of the states coronavirus regulatory system on March 14, allowing for bigger crowds in retail stores and the reopening of museums, movie theaters, and indoor dining at restaurants.

We expected itits almost anti-climactic at this point, but its a step forward. It gives people the relief theyve been waiting for, Supervisor Doug Chaffee said late last week.

The governor is finally changing his rules in favor of getting us back to some form of normal, Supervisor Don Wagner said. Good for him. And good for the people of Orange County who have been following safety protocols and getting the vaccine to protect themselves, their friends, and family.

The county had been preparing to move from the most-restrictive purple tier to the red tier by March 17, but the timetable was moved up to one minute after midnight March 14 when the state met its goal of inoculating two million Californians in underprivileged communities where coronavirus has spread more widely.

The red tier allows for many more businesses and organizations to reopen. For instance, retail stores can allow for half capacity instead of 25 percent, and museums, zoos, and aquariums can reopen for indoor activities at 25 percent capacity, as can movie theaters, gyms, and restaurants.

Wineries, breweries, and distilleries can reopen for outdoor business only.

Meanwhile, the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) reported 151 new cases of COVID-19 and 31 additional deaths March 14, raising the cumulative totals to 248,712 cases and 4,465 fatalities.

Of the deaths reported March 14, one was a skilled nursing facility resident and three lived in assisted living facilities, raising the death toll among those groups to 1,023 and 493, respectively.

The OCHCA reported 241 COVID-19 patients in county hospitalsa slight increase from the 237 reported March 13and 76 in intensive care, up from 71 the previous day. The county has 35.5 percent of its ICU bed space available, and 70 percent of its ventilators.

The county also reported 9,487 COVID-19 tests, raising the cumulative total to 3,181,309. There have been 239,130 documented recoveries.

On March 9, when the state updated its weekly numbers in the tiers network, the countys test positivity rate improved to 3.2 percent from 3.9 percent, and the adjusted case rate per 100,000 people on a seven-day average with a seven-day lag improved from 7.6 to 6.

The countys Health Equity Quartile rate, which measures positivity in hotspots in disadvantaged communities, improved from 4.9 percent last week to 4.1 percent.

Under the previous standards, the county was in the red tier with case rates per 100,000 and in the orange tier for the positivity rates.

Orange County chief executive Frank Kim said the countys case rate was at 4.8 per 100,000 on March 12 and the positivity rate was at 2.6 percent. The positivity rate for the Health Equity Quartile was at 3.7 percent, Kim said, adding that he was excited about moving up to the red tier.

But Kim cautioned residents to keep their guard up.

People should be careful, and I think most people in Orange County are smart enough to assess their level of comfort and safety, he said. For me, I intend to go visit my mom and have a meal with her, which will be great.

Kim said he was encouraged that Congress has approved the $1.9 trillion stimulus because it will provide much-needed funding to help pay for a $200 million budget hole created by COVID-19-related expenses.

Some of those expenses will be covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but the stimulus can cover the rest and also help defray expenses from future booster-shot campaigns and other expenses over the next few years, he said.

Kim said officials estimate the county could receive nearly $616 million and cities in the county that receive Community Development Block Grant funding could receive about $715 million.

Now I dont have to worry whether Ill have FEMA support for booster shots for next year or the year after, Kim said. Well sit down and figure out how to appropriately budget this money over a multi-year period of time. The intent is to make sure its available to ride out COVID for the next couple of years.

The federal funding will come with specific directions on what it can be used for, but since the county has been dipping into its general and rainy-day funds to pay for testing and vaccine distribution, the stimulus will at least indirectly help the county avoid significant service cuts and layoffs, Kim said.
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More than 100 street racers were arrested in Georgia at the weekend after police surrounded a parking lot and put out spike strips to prevent them all from escaping.

Authorities blocked every exit to a Sam's Club parking lot in Morrow, south of Atlanta, in the early hours of Sunday morning following reports car were racing and performing stunts.

The Clayton Clayton County Sheriff's Office said they deployed spike strips to flatten tires of anyone who tried to flee.

Once closing off all areas of escape, officers went from car to car to search and arrest everyone.

More than 100 street racers were arrested in Morrow, Georgia on Sunday after police surrounded a parking lot and put out spike strips to prevent them all from escaping

In total, 88 adult street racers and 16 juveniles were taken into custody.

The parents of the juvenile offenders were issued tickets for curfew violations when they arrived to pick up their children.

Four firearms were also seized and at least 50 of the vehicles were towed.

An image from the scene showed dozens of young men handcuffed while sitting on the ground of the parking lot.

One driver, 20-year-old Oscar Gallegos, did manage to flee in his Dodge Hell Cat and was pursued briefly by a sheriff's deputy.

The deputy managed to get Gallegos' license plate details before calling off the pursuit once they were in a more populated area.

One driver, 20-year-old Oscar Gallegos (left), did manage to flee in his Dodge Hell Cat and was pursued briefly by a sheriff's deputy. He handed himself in after officers initially mistakenly identified him as his brother Eric Gallegos (right)

Officers had initially mistakenly identified him as his brother Eric and said he had hours to turn himself in.

Oscar eventually turned himself in on Monday in a bid to clear his brother's name.

Clayton Clayton Police Department officer Aubriel Stroud described being issued a 'challenge' to crack down on street racing in the area.

After describing the operation, Stroud said: 'Of course, some tried to leave, driving over sidewalks and medians attempting to fle,

'But, no worries, we got them, too.'
Mary T. Washington Wylie in 1943 became the nations first Black woman to earn the CPA license, a notable achievement in a remarkable life filled with many accomplishments. Washington Wylie also made it her lifes mission to hire and mentor Black aspiring CPAs. Her story illustrates the importance of early Black CPAs success and the advances they made for future generations of accountants.

A decision to pay it forward

Born in Mississippi, Washington Wylie (19062005) was a child when she was sent to live in Chicago with her grandparents after her mothers death. Eager to escape a home life with an abusive grandmother, she was about to drop out of high school in her junior year, but a caring teacher took her in so she could finish her studies. I think this was life-changing for her and helped her to become a giver, said Washington Wylies granddaughter, Angie Spencer. She decided to pay it forward, and she did in a big way.

After high school, Washington Wylie, always proficient at math, began working at Binga State Bank, a Black-owned bank. Bank vice president Arthur Wilson, who in 1923 became the second Black person to become a CPA, encouraged her to go back to school to study business and made sure she would have the experience she would need to qualify for licensure. She ultimately graduated from Northwesterns College of Business in 1941, the only woman in her graduating class. Becoming a CPA in 1943, she started her own practice in her basement after no firm would hire her.

Of the 14 Black CPAs in the United States at the end of World War II (Washington Wiley was the 13th), half were in Chicago, according to A White-Collar Profession: African American Certified Public Accountants Since 1921, by Theresa A. Hammond, CPA, Ph.D., accounting professor at San Francisco State Universitys Lam Family College of Business. A large number of Southern Black people moved to the city seeking opportunity after the war, and many of the Black accountants there took it upon themselves to help other aspiring Black professionals.

Washington Wylie dedicated herself to making her firm a gateway into the profession for future generations. She hired her first full-time employee, Hiram Pittman, when she read in a Black-owned newspaper about him passing his CPA Exam. She later hired Lester McKeever, who could not find work at any other CPA firms. McKeever remembers her as a taskmaster and perfectionist. You really grew under her, he said.

Most clients of Washington Wylies firm were small Black-owned businesses and not-for-profits, along with numerous large Black-owned companies, including the Fuller Products Company, which made beauty products for the Black community. Its owner, entrepreneur Samuel B. Fuller, offered Washington Wylies firm office space in his companys building, subsidized half of Pittmans pay for six months when he was hired, and kept the firm on retainer for 35 years, according to Hammond.

Pittman and McKeever would become Washington Wylies partners, and McKeever would ultimately become managing partner of the firm, as well as chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and a member of the Finance Transition Committee under Chicagos Mayors Harold Washington and Richard M. Daley, among other achievements. For him, Washington Wylies great strength was her love of the profession and of the African Americans who aspired to grow in it, he said. When Washington Wylie retired, the firm gave her a gold bracelet with about 30 charms, each one with the name of someone who earned their CPA license while working for her, he recalled. Her firm grew to become one of the largest Black-owned firms in the country. In 2018, the countrys largest minority-controlled accounting firm, New York-based Mitchell Titus, acquired most of her firm. A division of Washington, Pittman & McKeever continues to this day.

An active family life

Washington Wylie also had a strong commitment to family and community. She was the mother of five children and grandmother of nine. She loved to cook and did her own laundry on an old-fashioned washing machine that you fed through a roller, her granddaughter remembers. She taught us how to make homemade ice cream, and she enjoyed making spiked eggnog for Christmas. The grandchildren gathered at her house on Sundays so their grandfather could teach them to play pool. Washington Wylie worked on taxes at a desk nearby but always stayed part of the fun.

For her 95th birthday, the family asked loved ones to skip gifts and instead write testimonials about something Washington Wiley had done for them. The outpouring of examples of her generosity was overwhelming, with stories of her giving people down payments for homes and for the headquarters of a sorority that supports Black professional women, helping to pay off a mortgage, or sending a child to college. Everyone benefited because of her, and we were grateful, Spencer said. Washington Wylie retired at 75 and lived to be 99. Even toward the end of her life, she used to love to help my children with their math homework, Spencer said.

A strong influence

Her influence and example extended even to those who never knew her. Early female CPA leaders and pioneers are critically important to the profession because they confirm that, if given the opportunity, people and particularly people of color can thrive and add value not just to their own firms or employers but to their communities at large and the league of professionals that follow in their footsteps, said Genevia Gee Fulbright, CPA, CGMA, president and COO of Fulbright & Fulbright CPA PA and former chair of the AICPA Minority Initiatives Committee, which initially formed in 1969 and in 2012 evolved into the AICPA National Commission on Diversity and Inclusion. Such strong leaders can help the generations to come by providing hope, opportunity, and financial stability, she said. I have been inspired by Mary Washington Wylies story to continue to mentor others and strive to serve as a positive example of what can be, as well as to create opportunities for others.

In one example of the recognition of Black women in the profession, the late CPA and professor of accountancy Sybil Collins Mobley has been named a 2021 inductee into the Accounting Hall of Fame. She is the first Black woman CPA to be conferred that honor.

Visionary, Trailblazer, Mentor. Those words were printed on banners that hung on lampposts in Chicago in 2018 when the city honored Washington Wylie on the 75th anniversary of her becoming a CPA. Mentored by a Black CPA, she made it her lifes mission to hire and train others, open doors, and inspire future generations.

The Black CPA Centennial is a yearlong effort to honor, celebrate, and build upon the progress Black CPAs have made in shaping the accounting profession. The celebration is a collaborative effort of the AICPA, Diverse Organization of Firms, Illinois CPA Society, National Association of Black Accountants, and National Society of Black CPAs.

 Anita Dennis is a freelance writer based in New Jersey.
New Delhi:

The great German scientist Albert Einsteins personal letter to his close friend Michele Besso discussing God and ways to find him is up for the auction and expected to fetch over USD 60,000 in the US.

The letter dated April 15, 1950, melds the philosophy and science. The letter gives insight into the disciplined scientific mind of the great physicist.

In the letter, Einstein discusses the spirituality and ways to get closer to the god.

He has discussed wide-ranging issues, from spirituality to his Unified Field Theory, with equations from the theory in his hand, that he believed neutralises his critics, according to Nate D Sanders auction house.

Also Read | Albert Einstein's iconic photograph expected to fetch $100,000 at auction in US

There is one thing that I have learned in the course of a long life: It is devilishly difficult to get closer to Him, if one does not want to remain on the surface, news agency PTI quoted Einstein as writing in the letter.

There is no such thing as a particle in the strictest meaning of the word, Einstein writes taking aim at quantum physicists. He even tackles the tricky issue of knowledge itself writing no guarantee that it will ever be possible to know whether the theory is true, he wrote in the letter.

The two paged letter is signed as Affectionate greetings. Your A.E. The online auction bidding will end on September 28.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Um, Jesse Plemons is white so obviously he's the lead?? I don't understand what the issue is

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He was definitely supporting. I don't understand the qualification system because the supporting actor category is a mess.

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They've done this before, I don't remember the name of the Black actor but it was in the '10 and he was definitely the lead of the film. These awards shows are blatantly racist so I don't understand why it's so shocking.

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There isn't really a qualification system, people can nominate the actors in whichever categories they want.

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I've remember times when it was talked about if the studio or whomever doesn't think the lead will win lead they'll submit for supporting. It had to do with actresses though. It's interesting how things work out.



Edited at 2021-03-16 03:12 pm (UTC)

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i assumed martin sheen was the lead. i mean he put on character makeup! that is acting.

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guess they couldn't have too many black men nominated for best actor?!

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What they're saying is that there was no lead in the film. Jesse is a non factor.

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Delroy Lindo, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Sophia Loren were snubbed. Also why the fuck was Regina King not nominated?

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The male members of the Acadamy would've had a collective heart attack if 3 women were getting noms for Best Director, cause look at how high the chances then are for a woman winning! So for health reasons one had to be snubbed.

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I really don't think there are any particularly egregious snubs this year. There are some 'it would have been nice's but nothing shocking imo

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yeah, IA

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In the Foreign Film category there were the snubs of "La Llorona" from Guatemala and "I'm no longer here" from Mexico.



The Latin American reviewers I follow on Twitter were fuming and said that 2 of the films nominated were the worst out of the shortlisted films for the category.

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yeah it wasn't that surprising and pretty expected besides lakeith's to be honest

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kinda wanted to see my boy tahar rahim. ofc regina king was snubbed. im not mad that spike lee was ignored, i dont like him. but delroy lindo defo deserved a nom.

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why don't you like Spike Lee

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and bless the Sorkin snub, that direction was nothing special



and this is neat

LaKeith Stanfield is the latest SHORT TERM 12 cast member nominated for an Oscar, following Brie Larson and Rami Malek.



Youre up next, Kaitlyn Dever. pic.twitter.com/1U7qxw4exL  Daniel Howat (@howatdk) March 15, 2021



Edited at 2021-03-15 10:23 pm (UTC) the award pundits are all also very confused about how Stanfield ended up thereand bless the Sorkin snub, that direction was nothing specialand this is neat

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So many people going on to have big careers came out of that small movie.

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Wow that was a pretty great young cast for that movie. Kaitlyn Dever is great I would love to see her in some bigger roles.

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i feel like john gallagher jr. is primed to eventually get an oscar nom too, with the right role.

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yeah definitely! he seems more into his music though, but one role can change everything

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Yeah I like him, he seems to lack the ego and just show up and do his job + is pretty good in most things I've seen him in.

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and they both won 

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Oh, I didn't realize that was Stephanie Beatriz until now!

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i thought i had watched some movies this year but then i looked at the noms list and this might be the first year i don't recognize almost ANYTHING on the list. turns out i guess i haven't watched but a single movie from 2020.



It was Artemis Fowl.

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why would you admit seeing that publicly

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Because I'd been waiting like 12 years to see it since they said Jason Statham would play Butler!!!

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As it should be!

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I am so so sorry and offer you my deepest sympathies at your lost time.

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As a fellow Artemis Fowl (book) fan. Im so sorry. I actually watched it twice. Once with Pretty Much It commentary.

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i feel like there have been rules cited in the past for what makes someone "supporting" vs "lead" because iirc it implicates union agreements, but between this and green book it seems like sometimes the academy just freestyles. it's absolutely bogus that lakeith was nominated as supporting but i think either he or daniel could have been eligible for lead.

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They're definitely making shit up as they go along, because LaKeith was campaigning for Lead. That's what their For Your Consideration ads said. So I guess they were just like, nnnnnnnn no. The Academy itself doesn't have any specific rules about what counts as Lead or Supporting (but the union might, I don't know).

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It seems that they wanted to nominate him but lead was packed so the voters put him supporting? When leads go to supporting categories it's usually the studios behind it pushing, but not in this case.

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I'd consider Lakeith the lead in Judas and also Steven supporting in Minari. Delroy was a big snub.



lol remember when people were giving Malcolm & Marie buzz?

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i saw a couple of trades mention malcolm and marie as snubs and i'm like 'for what, razzies?'

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I'm so glad that quickly ended.

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the critics went crazy over M&M for like two days and than more people saw and realized how bad it is, lol

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Malcolm and Marie can sweep the Razzies tbh

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lol m&m is definitely getting a 'this had oscar buzz' episode in a few years.

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Im excited lmao

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The comments here after GG and SAG noms came out and Zendaya wasn't included were like, "it can still happen, it's still possible!"

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M&M had 0 critical buzz tho. IDK who thought it would be otherwise.

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Russell Crowe for Unhinged!!!



Third time I've plugged that film here and I wanted to say "just being ironic" but the more I think of it, the more I realise I just really bloody loved his crazy ass in that film and I'm on board with my own sarcastic opinion.

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I saw it in theatres (I know, I know) and although parts of it made me uncomfortable, parts of it was were also just fucking crazy in a good way.

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I'm genuinely envious. I don't know what it is about that clearly not particularly quality movie that I love so much, but I do, and I'd kill to see it on the big screen.

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Lol, he truly went for it and I respect that. Kinda sad his ridiculous Foghorn Leghorn accent disappeared after that initial confrontation scene, though.

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Lol, I enjoyed that movie way too much. He was perfect in that role.

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No Sorkin in best director was the biggest surprise for me

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I'm sad for Regina. I really thought that she'd get a director nod.

Shaka King was snubbed but he was pretty vocal about how he didn't gaf about the awards, especially the white ones. So I'm kinda (pleasantly surprised at the JATBM nominations.



I'd also like to point and laugh at how Kate Winslet got nothing this season. Ha! Ha! 

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Yeah, I was thinking to myself like "oh, remember when people briefly cared about Ammonite?" lol

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One Night in Miami was beautiful, I thought it was a perfect film of a play.

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the lindo snubs this whole season just irked me. how the fuck did that performance just get passed over so easily?? UGHHHH



im so glad helena zengel and jodie foster's blatant category fraud wasnt fallen for, but im so curious as to why voters choose lakeith in supporting over lead where he was campaigned. there is some trickery afoot.

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Yay Lakeith Stanfield, who also took the place of what mightve been a nomination for Jared Leto that didnt happen, thank Christ  Jimmy Geurts (@JimmyGeurts) March 15, 2021



i buy the conspiracy theory they didn't want to vote for leto's awful performance and opted to switch lakeith from lead to supporting to fill up the fifth spot i buy the conspiracy theory they didn't want to vote for leto's awful performance and opted to switch lakeith from lead to supporting to fill up the fifth spot

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I'm so happy for Steven!

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Judas and the Black Messiah seems more like a case where they're both leads, idk.



Like, how many people had to have made the decision to put him in supporting? And then did the voters just vote based on that being the category he was in? Or did voters themselves decide that?



I think for the most part the nominations are pretty good.



Edited at 2021-03-15 10:42 pm (UTC)

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The voters themselves decided. Warner Brothers was campaigning for him as Lead, but when it comes time to nominate people, you can write their names in wherever you want. So, it's also very likely that some people did nominate him as Lead, but that he just got more votes in the Supporting category.

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The Welsh government has been urged to provide farmers with a 'voluntary approach' before imposing an all-Wales nitrate vulnerable zone (NVZ).

A cross-parliamentary letter organised by Virginia Crosbie MP, and signed by eighteen Welsh Conservative Members, has been sent to Welsh government.

The letter states that farmers should voluntarily tackle water pollution instead of introducing compulsory regulations which soon come into effect.

A vote on a motion to annul the controversial all-Wales NVZ rules was narrowly lost in the Senedd earlier this month.

Numerous farming industry groups fear the new regulations pose a significant threat to the economic viability of Welsh farming.

NFU Cymru said it was 'deeply disappointed' with the vote outcome, warning that the Welsh government had 'copied and pasted ineffective EU regulation' during the pandemic.

The union has informed legal panel firm JCP Solicitors to question the lawfulness of the controversial water quality rules.

An NVZ designation is now set to rolled out gradually across the whole of Wales starting from 1 April 2021.

Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs Janet Finch-Saunders, who signed the letter, said the proposed NVZ was a 'regulatory overstep that should be halted'.

As I have tried to make clear in my series of representations to this devolved administration, the regulations are already having a detrimental impact on the mental health of many in agriculture.

"Given that this concern was also raised in their own Explanatory Memorandum, the continued pursuit of the NVZ should alarm us all," she said.

Our letter urges the First Minister to renew his trust of our land custodians and give the voluntary approach a real chance.

"It is not too late to recognise the serious plight of our Welsh farmers and reel in this regulatory misstep.
Enid

Bryan Hart

Jordan O'Reilly

Sara Kelley

Nicole Hall's

May 2019

Cass Rains

Enid Police Department

Crime Stoppers

Enid

(TNS)  In Enid, Okla., the streets, yards and parking lots have additional eyes through surveillance cameras, which are becoming invaluable tools for law enforcement.Video systems such as Ring doorbells help officers and investigators build stronger cases and solve crimes such as vandalism or theft by capturing suspects on video and identifying them, saidPolice Department Detective Lt."(Video surveillance) has made things a lot easier for us," Hart said. "It's a key piece of evidence  it's hard to say you didn't (commit a crime) when you're on video doing it. You're basically caught red-handed without anybody actually seeing you do it."'We go look for cameras'Hart has seen technology advance in his nearly 20 years with EPD, including home surveillance. Home surveillance systems were "rare" to find in 2001, and cellphones with built-in cameras were manufactured only a year earlier in 2000.Businesses such as banks and gas stations had video surveillance, but Hart said they were "easily poor quality" depending on how much money was spent on them."Back then, a lot of it was real grainy, slow, wasn't in real time  just real poor quality," he said.Now, video surveillance is everywhere, whether it's cellphone video or body camera footage, and more homes and businesses have surveillance cameras with much better quality than before, Hart said, with cameras set up inside and outside in the front and back.Hart gave an example of someone who stole a package and covered the camera after noticing it, but "the damage was already done.""If somebody is not specifically watching you, somebody's cameras are watching you," Hart said. "Either it's going to catch you coming, it's going to catch you going, or it's going to catch you doing what you're doing because cameras are everywhere."When canvassing the neighborhood of any type of crime scene such as vehicle burglary or a home being broken into, EPD Officersaid if a crime could potentially be caught on video, "we go look for cameras.""If I can see a camera from the street, then I'll go knock on the door," O'Reilly said.Hart said officers will ask victims or neighbors with cameras if they have access to their footage. If they don't, EPD's crime scene technicianwill make an appointment to download the footage needed.After downloading the footage, Kelley takes it back to the station, puts in on the department's server and lets officers know it's ready, a process that takes about 30 minutes if Kelley is on the scene, or otherwise up to a week, she said."If something does happen, (video surveillance systems) are a great way for us to get a timeframe of when it happened or gets us the information," Kelley said. "All that digital evidence just helps us be able to get more out on social media and get help from the public."Kelley said another way for the public to help EPD in solving crimes is to know how to use surveillance and security systems."There may be video footage around, especially for our major crimes, where we ask for the public's help in getting video footage, and we'll get footage in a certain area," she said. "They may not ever watch it or know how to work it, and they never contact us. ... The more educated you are on how to use the system, the more beneficial it will be for you."'Another avenue of communication'When Brookside Heights residentneighbor's vehicle was broken into, she was able to give video evidence from her Ring doorbell and surveillance cameras around her property to police."My Ring doorbell caught it, and then my security cameras were able to pinpoint the exact time and get a decent picture of the person who actually was in her car," Hall said.She said with the help of other surveillance cameras in the neighborhood, they were able to follow the person's movements down the street, and although the suspect hasn't been identified or caught yet, Hall said, she was able to provide video evidence to police through her surveillance cameras.Hart said multiple cameras like this help the department track where the suspect came from and where they went."Normally, people aren't going to pull up in front of a house or business, get out, commit a crime and then go," Hart said. "They're going to park down the street or park somewhere else and approach on foot because it's more stealthy. It's nice to be able to track them backwards from where they came from, to see what images and evidence you can get."EPD has had a partnership with Ring sincethat allows the department to request area-specific video footage from people who have both Ring devices and the Neighbors by Ring app following a crime, EPD spokespersonsaid, with three requests since September."It's basically just a little map with five dots, and we draw the area we want and can then send it out to that area," Rains said.Neighbor uses a person's address to create a radius around homes and can be used to anonymously share alerts about crime or safety issues in neighborhoods. The app is available for anyone with or without a Ring device or any other surveillance system.Rains said EPD can also post on Neighbors and specify the areas in which the department is looking for video that users can submit, and Hart said people typically want to help."If you live in an area where crime has been committed, and we're seeking information like that, a lot of people are going to be jumping on board because they don't want to be victimized," Hart said. "Somebody else was, they could be next  it's always in the back of their head, so if they can help us catch the bad guy, they're going to do that."Hall also has the Neighbors and Nextdoor apps, which she said helps neighbors stay in touch and post about pets, crime and things seen around the neighborhood."I think that (the apps are) pretty handy for neighborhoods, especially since we have moved so far away from back in the day of knowing our neighbors, and being very friendly with our neighbors," Hall said.EPD uses Neighbors and is specified on the app as "." Rains said the app allows the department to send out safety alerts and public service announcements to help protect and serve the community.When reports are filed with EPD with video surveillance involved, the videos are sometimes posted to the department's social media such Facebook and Twitter to help identify suspects. Tips come in to EPD from social media more nowadays, Hart said, and also fromand Tip411  either online or through a text message to 847411 using the keyword "EPDTIP."Hart said video surveillance can make communities safer by deterring crime and helping police identify suspects."It's a security blanket, but it's also an invaluable tool," he said.When it comes to video surveillance, Hart said people have to understand that if they're out and about or at any business, "they're on video" and the "expectation of privacy has gone down.""People just need to be mindful that if they go out, no matter where they're at, there's probably a camera capturing what they're doing, whether it's good or bad," Hart said.Hall, theresident, called this a catch-22 situation when it comes to posting videos or alerts.Although the surveillance cameras don't necessarily give her an extra sense of security, Hall said they make her more aware of what's going on in her neighborhood, especially when she's not home, and can help discover any suspicious activity."There's always potential for instead of asking, 'Hey, what are you doing?' just assuming that somebody is up to no good," she said, "but at the same time, especially in neighborhoods where kids are concerned ... I'd rather be safe than sorry."
Highlights HMD Global may be working on Nokia X20 and Nokia X10 phones.

The Nokia X20 and Nokia X10 may be new mid-range phones.

HMD Global has already confirmed an event for April 8.

Nokia's phone business licensee HMD Global is holding an event on April 8 to launch a new product. Speculation is that this event is going to be focused on the new Nokia phone, the G10 that we have been hearing about for some time. The Nokia G10 is expected to be an entirely new device that will follow HMD's renewed naming system, away from the dot pattern. Now, a new report has suggested HMD has two more smartphones in the offing and they are going to be called Nokia X10 and Nokia X20.

As reported by Nokiapoweruser, the Nokia X20 could be the Nokia Quick Silver that was spotted some time back on the Geekbench benchmarking platform. Similarly, the Nokia X10 is what has so far been known as the Nokia Scarlet Witch on a benchmarking website. The Nokia X20 and Nokia X10 are going to be 5G smartphones, according to the report. And both these phones may be powered by the Snapdragon 480 processor that was announced recently as Qualcomm's most affordable 5G chipset.

The Nokia X20 is rumoured to come with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, which gives an idea that this could be a mid-end phone. This Nokia phone could arrive in Blue and Sand colour options. The Nokia X10, on the other hand, will be a lower model with 6GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. This is a weird RAM and storage configuration, so maybe this report is not telling the whole truth right now. This phone is going to be available in White and Green colourways.

The report does not tell anything further about the specifications of the Nokia X20 and Nokia X10, but it has an idea about how much these two phones will cost. The Nokia X20 price is said to be EUR 349 (roughly Rs 30,300) while the Nokia X10 may come at around EUR 300 (roughly Rs 26,000). If this pricing is anything to go by, the Nokia X20 and Nokia X10 could be HMD's first such phones that neither belong to the Nokia 7.X series nor the Nokia 8.X series.

It is not immediately clear when the Nokia X20 and Nokia X10 will be launched but rumours are rife that HMD may announce these phones alongside the Nokia G10 at the upcoming April event. The Nokia G10 seems confirmed as it has been spotted multiple times on various platforms, along with the specifications. The Nokia G10 is expected to come with a 6.4-inch display, an octa-core processor, and a 48MP quad-camera setup on the back. This phone will be the first phone that does not follow the dot naming system of HMD Global.
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All politics is local is an old observation about how local government develops its own character depending on the prevailing cultural, political and security situation. One of the strangest examples of a unique local government is the Salvation Government that has run Idlib province in northwest Syria since 2011. There is now a civil war brewing in Idlib as the main rebel coalition HTS (Hayat Tahrir al Sham) and its more than 15,000 armed men seek to replace the Salvation Government. One of the key disputes between the Salvation Government and HTS is control and regulation of the dozens of arms dealers who operate in Idlib under the authority of the Salvation Government and in cooperation with HTS, the biggest customer for weapons.

Both HTS and the Salvation Government tax the arms dealers and no one wants to lose that source of income. But during 2020 there were several explosions in arms dealer shops, which often double as warehouses for weapons, ammunition and lots of explosive material. There were also incidents of prospective customers insisting on test firing assault weapons and machine-guns before buying. This seems odd for arms deals in urban neighborhoods, often in major market neighborhoods where dozens of shops are located and hundreds, if not thousands of shoppers are always present. The explosions and occasional gunfire caused a lot of anger among the million or more civilians still living under the control of the Salvation Government. Only about half the province is currently controlled by the Salvation government because attacks by the Assads and the Turkish government over the last five years have forced the very pro-rebel civilian population into a smaller area. They are kept alive by foreign aid arranged by the UN, and the Salvation Government justifies its existence by dealing with the UN and the aid donors to see that the aid is distributed rather than stolen.

HTS justifies its presence by providing most of the firepower to keep the Turks and Assad forces from simply taking control of the entire province, now the last one not controlled by the Assads, the Kurds in the northeast or the Turks in the north. HTS suspects that the Salvation Government is supporting an internal rebellion against HTS leaders while HTS has, over the last year, demonstrated its political ambitions. This became obvious in February 2021 when HTS leader Abu Mohammed al Golani shocked many of his followers and supporters by appearing in a TV interview wearing a business suit and not holding an assault rifle. His interviewer was an American journalist. Golani justified the non-terrorist attire by describing his recent efforts to make alliances with foreign nations. To do this he had to convince them he was serious about turning HTS into an unarmed political movement in return for sanctuary. His enemies, including the Salvation Government, had always accused Golani of secretly doing that. Until 2021 Golani denied the accusations but now he embraces them. Golani has a $10 million price on his head as the leader of HTS. The Americans offer the reward for capturing or killing Golani, no matter what he is wearing or saying at the time. For Golani sanctuary is a matter of life or death.

Technically all Islamic terrorists in Idlib belong to the HTS, which al Qaeda supports but does not entirely trust. HTS is a coalition of coalitions and many of the factions never did trust each other. The major fear is that another faction, or even HTS leadership, has made a deal with Turkey which, so the story goes, wants to control HTS as a sort of Sunni Hezbollah and use it to drive Shia Iran and its Lebanese Hezbollah out of Syria. Many HTS leaders do have a history of working with the Turks. Russia and Syria believe the Turks are actually supporting some of the HTS factions. The Turks do support moderate Islamic terror groups but refuse to outright admit it. This policy is unpopular with Israel and Western nations as well as Syria, Iran and Russia. Many Turks also oppose any pro-terrorist policy but the current Turkish government is controlled by an Islamic party that favors cooperation with some Islamic terror groups to protect Turks from the more rabid Islamic terrorists. Syria used to play this game and it worked until 2011 when that policy backfired in a big way. The accommodation approach to Islamic terrorists rarely works for long, but to many shortsighted politicians it is still an attractive option. During 2020, the steady advance of Syrian forces, accompanied by Russian airstrikes and artillery fire plus the inability of the Turks to do anything about it, led to the unravelling of the HTS coalition and growing paranoia within the Salvation Government.

When the rebellion against the decades-old Assad government began in 2011, Idlib province was one of the first provinces to drive out the Assad officials and form its own Salvation Government of Sunni Arabs aligned with Islamic conservative groups, many of which became affiliated with Sunni Islamic terror groups like al Qaeda. This rebellion turned into a civil war with rebels, representing the Sunni Moslem majority (70 percent of Syrians) against the Assad coalition strongly supported by 13 percent of the population who are Shia Moslem. Initially it seemed that the rebels would win but political and religious reality intervened as more of the Assads lost control of more of the country and the Assad clan feuded with itself.

By 2015 it seemed as if the Assads were doomed. Then Iran increased its military support, made possible by a 2015 treaty that lifted economic sanctions on Iran in return for Iran promising to halt its nuclear weapons program, a project it always insisted did not exist. The 2015 treaty included the release of billions of dollars worth of frozen assets. Some of this was flown in from the United States as pallets of cash. Suddenly thousands, eventually over 30,000, Iranian mercenaries were working with the depleted and demoralized Assad forces and winning. Another problem with the rebel forces was ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant), which became a major rebel faction in 2014 because of the fanaticism of its members and the ISIL policy of demanding other rebel Islamic terrorist factions submit to ISIL control or be destroyed. This weakened the rebel forces when they could least afford it. That was because in 2015 Russia intervened militarily and in 2016 the Turks did likewise. Meanwhile the United States was providing substantial material and training support for the Syrian Kurdish forces in the northeast. The American also organized and led a large air support coalition that concentrated on attacking ISIL. By 2017 ISIL had been defeated, but not entirely destroyed. At the same time the rebels lost control of most of the territory they ruled by 2014 and the only remaining rebel stronghold was Idlib province. That was because the Assads adopted the policy of offering surrounded rebel areas the option of surrendering their territory while the rebel fighters and their families were transported to Idlib province. The Assads, even with the help of Russia and Iran, did not have the manpower to fight for all the rebel areas they had cut off from the outside world. The trapped rebels did not want their families slaughtered in a last stand battle so the surrender and move to Idlib became a popular compromise solution for all concerned. That did leave one major problem; what to do with rebel dominated Idlib province. A solution has been elusive because no one, including the Turks, wants to accept these pro-rebel refugees and their hardcore Islamic terrorist members in as refugees. A large- scale military offensive is also unacceptable because the UN would not tolerate it nor could UN managed aid continue getting in.

The Assads were the only ones who seriously considered mass murder in Idlib as a solution because deliberate attacks on pro-rebel civilians had been Assad policy for a decade and they had cooperation from their Russian and Iranian allies in this policy. A decade of this sort of thing had changed the ethnic and religious composition of Syria. In 2011 the country was about 70-75 percent Sunni. Most of these were Arabs but over ten percent of the Sunnis were Kurdish, Turkomen and other minorities. The largely Sunni Kurds were about nine percent of the population. The Assad clan is Shia, a minority that comprised about 13 percent of the population. Various Christian groups totaled about ten percent of the population. Another religious minority were somewhat Islamic groups like Druze and Yazidis who are considered heretics by conservative Moslems but tolerated in many Moslem majority nations.

The Assads had always been brutal towards any Sunni opposition. This has been a problem for Iran in Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia continues to expand its control of the entire country in the name of the Shia minority they represent. Because of the two million Sunni Arab Syrian refugees that have fled to Lebanon since 2012, the Lebanese Shia are now a smaller minority. Lebanon is overwhelmed, economically and otherwise, by the Syrian refugees it is hosting. Thats in a country of only five million. Since nearly all those refugees are Sunni Moslems, that radically changed the religious mix of Lebanon from 27 percent Shia, 27 percent Sunni, and 46 percent Christian (and other religions) to a more volatile combination. With the refugee influx there are now over seven million people in Lebanon and 47 percent are Sunni, 19 percent Shia and 34 percent Christian (and others). This puts the Hezbollah militia in a bad situation. Their better armed and trained fighters have been able to dominate the other minorities since the 1980s. That was possible because of Iranian cash, weapons and advisors. But the Iranian help and better organization is no longer enough when the Sunnis are nearly half the population and out for blood because of the slaughter the Iran backed Shia Syrian government inflicted on Syrian Sunnis. Lebanon does not want another civil war over this, but it is becoming more difficult to contain the anger. Hezbollah and Iran have had some success attracting non-Shia factions (especially Christians) to be part of the Shia coalition. This is traditional Lebanese politics, with the Christians surviving by forming a coalition with non-Christian groups. Now even these Christian factions are backing away from Hezbollah.

In Syria the non-Sunni groups now comprise about half the population because most of the of the Assad policy of driving Sunni Arab populations out of the country. About two percent of the pre-war population of 23 million have died during the war and half the prewar population, most of them Sunni Arabs, became refugees. Half were displaced inside Syria and half, almost all Sunni Arabs, outside the country. That means the Sunni majority is largely gone, although Sunni Arabs still comprise nearly half the current Syrian population. The most pro-rebel Sunni Syrians have been sent into exile and the Assads do not want them back. While most of the country is now controlled by the Assad government, most of that territory is shared with foreign troops; Iranian, Turkish, Russian and American, in that order. Syrian forces have to be wary of these allies, as well as the Islamic terrorist groups. The few thousand remaining ISIL fighters are split into dozens of independent factions and remain particularly active in attacking Syrian troops.

The Syrian civil war staggers on unresolved because few of the factions involved are able to agree on an overall settlement. The feuding within Idlib province between the rebels is an example of how dysfunctional the opposition remains. The anti-rebel coalition is not much better with the Assads, Russians, Iranians, Turks, Kurds, Israelis, Iraqis, Americans, Gulf Arabs and other NATO nations all pulling in different directions, and often regard the war between the Assads and the Syrian opposition a secondary consideration to why they are in Syria.
[March 15, 2021] TmaxSoft Announces Partnership with Microsoft Azure

CHICAGO, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TmaxSoft, a global software innovator that delivers mainframe modernization solutions with OpenFrame, announced their partnership with Microsoft Azure to deploy OpenFrame on Azure. OpenFrame is a solution that enables mainframe applications, resources, and data to be migrated to a high-performance open system, such as the cloud, with no changes to the underlying business logic. Azure is a cloud computing service for building, testing, deploying, and managing applications and services. OpenFrame deployed on Azure provides deployment flexibility and choice based on client mainframe workload requirements. In a recent benchmark study, OpenFrame on Azure performed better than an IBM Z mainframe and at a much lower cost. When running on Azure, OpenFrame can deliver the equivalent of thousands of MIPS (million instructions per second). "TmaxSot OpenFrame is an efficient and reliant way of re-platforming client's IBM, Fujitsu, or Hitachi mainframe workloads to the Microsoft Azure Cloud. By doing so, enterprises can run mission-critical Assembler, COBOL, and PL/I applications, while benefiting from the reliability and scalability of the cloud," said Bob Ellsworth, WW Director Mainframe Transformation at Microsoft.



"This partnership with Microsoft Azure is very important for our customers. Deploying OpenFrame on Azure dramatically reduces operating costs while delivering improved agility and flexibility. It enables our customers to more easily modernize their application portfolios to meet their ever-changing business needs," said Karthik Masilamani, VP of Global Partnerships at TmaxSoft. OpenFrame modernizes an existing mainframe from a monolithic architecture to a cloud-ready, multi-tier architecture. It supports both containers, as well as virtualized environments for deployment on an open system. OpenFrame supports deployments that require high transactions per second and can scale to over 100,000 MIPS.

Mainframe workloads moved to OpenFrame on Azure provide a low risk, high value strategy to support legacy application, process, and infrastructure modernization. Together OpenFrame and Azure provide a well-tested and pre-integrated mainframe migration solution that allows customers to migrate off the mainframe to the cloud in less than 12 months. About TmaxSoft TmaxSoft is a global software innovator focused on cloud, infrastructure, and legacy modernization, with solutions that offer enterprise CIOs viable alternatives to support their global IT powerhouses and drive competitive advantage. TmaxSoft was founded in 1997 in Korea and today has over 1,700 employees in 20 strategic centers around the world. Visit www.tmaxsoft.com. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tmaxsoft-announces-partnership-with-microsoft-azure-301245939.html SOURCE TmaxSoft

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With utilities such as Entergy, Cleco and LUS looking to buy renewable energy, another solar farm is being proposed in Louisiana.

A $98 million solar farm in Morehouse Parish is seeking tax breaks for manufacturing renewable power, according to an advance notification filed with the state economic development office.

With more solar farms in the works, West Baton Rouge leaders move to require permits Solar energy farm builders will now need to submit their plans before building in West Baton Rouge Parish after the parish council approved a 

Bayou Galion Solar Project LLC, a subsidiary of Recurrent Energy Development Holdings, proposes building a 98.1-megawatt solar farm on 1,000 acres leased from landowners outside of Bastrop. That has the potential to power 20,500 homes.

The company is also a subsidiary of Canadian Solar, a publicly traded business that manufactures solar panels and builds solar farms.

Bayou Galion estimates it would create three permanent jobs to run the solar farm and support 150 construction jobs starting in July 2022 and wrapping up by December 2024. The company is seeking up to 80% property tax abatement for 10 years through the state's Industrial Tax Exemption Program. So far, all of the solar farms proposed in Louisiana have been approved for economic incentives, but some residents have pushed back to include a local permitting process.

It was not immediately clear whether Bayou Galion Solar Project expects to bid on an Entergy contract, but construction of the solar farm is not dependent on a contract with the utility. Bayou Galion did not respond to a request for comment.

Demand for solar farms has increased since Entergy announced it would be buying solar power. Entergy has been mostly interested in solar farms in southeast Louisiana, according to recent bid records.

+3 There's a solar farm movement coming to Louisiana; here's where these facilities are headed Over the next three years, there could be enough solar-generated electricity in Louisiana to power 60,000 homes in a state rich with oil and g

Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

However, new requests for proposals are expected in the coming years as part of "a recurring series of RFPs for renewable resources to support ongoing Entergy Louisiana energy needs to capitalize on the improving economics of solar and potentially offer other technologies relative to conventional resources," according to Entergy.

West Baton Rouge Parish saw the state's first utility-scale solar farm, 50 megawatts, that is being connected to the power grid under a 20-year power supply contract with Entergy.

The utility has two open requests for proposals: one for 300 megawatts released in June 2020 and a second opened this month for 500 megawatts of power. Entergy Louisiana has made final selections with undisclosed companies for its 300-megawatt proposal and is still negotiating a deal.

Elsewhere in Louisiana, Lafayette Utilities System wants to diversify its power sources into renewable energy by purchasing up to 300 megawatts of solar power.

Separately, Pineville-based electric utility Cleco, which has a regulated unit serving 24 parishes primarily in central and south Louisiana and an unregulated unit serving nine Louisiana electric cooperatives, announced it is looking to add 400 megawatts of solar electricity in the coming years.

Solar farms in East Feliciana: Police Jury clears zoning to permit solar operations in parish CLINTON  The East Feliciana Parish Police Jury amended its zoning ordinance on Jan. 19 to include large solar arrays that generate electricit
Fans were left shocked when actor Hrithik Roshan and his wife Sussanne Khan got separated after 14 years of marriage. However, the former couple impressed their fans by being excellent co-parents to their sons Hridhaan and Hrehaan. It seems now, according to the latest developments, Sussanne has found love again. The interior designer might be dating none other than TV actor and Bigg Boss 14 contestant Aly Goni's brother Arslan Goni.

According to a news report in Pinkvilla, Arslan Goni and Sussanne Khan have known each other for more than six months now. For the unversed, Arslan is a model and actor by profession and had met Sussanne through common friends in the industry. A source close to the fashion and interior designer revealed, "They have known each other for more than six months now. They met through common friends from the TV world. But recently, the two have gotten close."

Also Read: Hrithik Roshan Enjoys Hiking With Ex-Wife Sussanne, Her Brother Zayed And Kids; Says 'It Makes My Heart Smile

The source also said that it is evident from Arslan Goni and Sussanne Khan's body language that they are more than just friends. The two also spend a lot of time chilling together along with their other industry friends. The source further added, "It's evident from their body language that they are more than just friends. Arslan and Sussanne often hang out together with their common friends from the TV industry. Considering that Sussanne Khan went through heartbreak with Hrithik Roshan in 2014, she has been taking things slowly."

However, neither Sussanne Khan nor Arslan Goni has commented on these speculations. Meanwhile, on the work front, Arslan has been roped in for Alt Balaji's web series, Main Hero Bol Raha Hoon. The actor will be essaying the role of an antagonist in the same. Sussanne on the other hand often shares some glimpses of her impeccable work for her furniture store, The Charcoal Project. Arslan had earlier also broken his silence on his brother, Aly Goni's relationship with TV actor Jasmin Bhasin who was also his co-contestant in Bigg Boss 14. Arslan had said that he was unaware of anything romantic brewing between Aly and Jasmin the last time he met them. However, he had added that Jasmin is a lovely girl.

Also Read: Aly Goni's Brother On His Relationship With Jasmin Bhasin: Don't Know What Is Going On
Non-resident college students in Pennsylvania can buy a Pennsylvania fishing license for less than half the price of a regular non-resident license.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission recently announced the availability of a new, discounted fishing license for non-resident students attending accredited institutions of higher education in Pennsylvania.

At a price of $22.97, which is the same as an annual resident fishing license, the license can save eligible students $30 over the cost of an annual non-resident license ($52.97).

For years now, we have been hearing from young anglers who live and work in Pennsylvania for 4 or more years while attending college that the price of a non-resident license was an impediment to getting out on the water, said Commissioner Charlie Charlesworth. By offering this discounted license to eligible students, were not just saving them a few dollars. If we open the door for them to enjoy, more affordably, all the great fishing opportunities around them while they are here, we believe those positive experiences on the water will keep them coming back for years to come. Upon graduation, each of these students will decide either to stay in Pennsylvania or go back home, and great fishing may be the determining factor in that decision.

Eligible students can purchase a discounted fishing license through the HuntFishPA online licensing system accessible at www.fishandboat.com, or can visit one of nearly 700 retail license issuing agents.

At the time of purchase, the student must check a box to certify that he is an out-of-state resident attending school in Pennsylvania.

Holders of the license must be able to provide proof of eligibility, such as a current college identification card, if requested by a waterways conservation officer while fishing.

Pennsylvanias 2021 trout fishing season is about to get under way. The statewide Mentored Youth Trout Fishing Day is Saturday, March 27, and the statewide opening day of the regular season is Saturday, April 3.

Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.
The last island penal colony in Mexico, also known as Las Islas Marias, was the government's pride when it was established in 1905. It was the most modern prison model of its time back then.

Mexico closed its infamous penal colony in 2019 to turn into an environmental and cultural education center. Now, Mexican officials announced that ferries and cruise ships will now be allowed to visit the penal colony after its closure in 2019, according to an Associated Press report.

The administration of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is currently driving the last island penal colony on a different track after the education camp has not performed well, with only 40 youths trained on the island. Also, it has not been offsetting the costs associated with keeping it open.

On Saturday, officials said they plan to build a dock for larger ships on the Isla Madre main island. Isla Madre is one of the four Marias islands that is inhabited.

READ NEXT: Mexico's Unusual Cultures and Unknown Facts

Islas Marias Federal Prison History

The island penal colony was a feared detention center due to violence, disease, and forced labor. More than 29,000 prisoners were housed inside the prison, according to a Grim Happenings article.

Under Ernesto Zedillo's administration, the government decided to modernized the prison model system. Islas Marias was then deactivated.

On Nov. 27, 2003, it was declared a biosphere reserve. However, the prison system remains to exist. It was reactivated in 2004 to transfer 2,500 prisoners to various prisons all over the country.

Lopez Obrador said the island prison has been a symbol of oppression and was a place where human rights violations were recorded.

Lopez Obrador announced in 2019 that it would be turned into a cultural education center, believing that there should be more schools and fewer prisons, according to a Mexico News Daily report.

"The island will be transformed into a center for the arts, for culture, and to learn about the environment and nature, and the flora and fauna of these and other islands," Lopez Obrador said in a report.

Over the course of the history of the Islas Marias prison, there had been at least 76 escapes in the last 25 years. Out of the total number of escapes, 29 took place in 1986 alone. An entire family of kidnappers escaped back on Oct. 25, 1986.

In 2006, three drug dealers managed to escape. The said drug dealers were Jose Abraham Gonzalez Salas, Fernando Mendez del Fierro and Luis Rey Lopez Barrera. On Nov. 24, 2011, six inmates tried to escape using plastic containers to float themselves.

Meanwhile, officials said that visitors would be able to tour the remote island prison. However, they cannot stay overnight.

"The experience begins with the cruise ship or ferry arriving from Mazatalan or San Blas, to Isla Madre, and on the voyage the passengers can admire the beauty of the ocean," Tourism Secretary Miguel Torruco said in an ABC News Go report.

Officials compared the Islas Marias to the now-closed U.S. prison at Alcatraz.

READ MORE: Mexico's Languages in the Brink of Extinction

WATCH: Mexico Closes Infamous Island Prison - from CGTN America
New Delhi:

DMK acting president MK Stalin on Wednesday blamed Centre for the political crisis in Tamil Nadu, saying that the latter is behind everything happening in the state.

Stalin also attacked Governor C Vidyasagar Rao. He said the governor has involved himself in politics and they have been saying this from the beginning. He said Rao is playing politics over floor test.

Stalin informed that President Kovind has agreed to meet them on Thursday at 11 am and they will visit him with their allies.

If action is not taken against TN govt even after meeting president, will consider legal action: DMK working president MK Stalin in Chennai pic.twitter.com/swH7rvQVHs  ANI (@ANI) August 30, 2017

If action is not taken against TN government even after meeting the president, we will consider legal action, he said.

Also Read: Dhinakaran warns party factions to mend ways or be mended

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Unprecedented.

Its a word thats been used to describe nearly every facet of life over the past 12 months as the coronavirus continues to radically alter the way most people go about their lives  whether thats going to the doctors office, attending school or making a trip to a grocery store.

But it also aptly describes the level of federal funding pumped into the economy through various stimulus programs including the Paycheck Protection Program.

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Weve never dealt with anything like this before, John Garcia, director of the Small Business Administration New Mexico office.  This has been very different. This is a virus that we are at war with.

Nationally, more than $800 billion was set aside for the PPP to provide low-interest, forgivable loans to businesses for payroll and other business costs. The program was created by Congress to incentivize businesses to keep employees on their payroll rather than laying them off during business closures related to COVID-19.

And money is still coming, since the second round of funding is open until the end of March.

With nearly 12 months of data on the program available to the public, the Journal took a look at how New Mexico and its most important industries fared when competing for loans through the unprecedented program.

How did it start?

When the program launched in late March of last year, businesses rushed to lenders in order to submit their applications, Garcia said.

Last year, the stimulus program netted New Mexican businesses more than $2.2 billion in approved loans and helped cover payroll expenses for nearly 270,000 jobs, according to data from the SBA.

Under the initial rules, businesses with fewer than 500 employees per location could receive loans of up to $10 million if the business was affected by the coronavirus.

The program also allowed organizations typically exempt from receiving SBA loans, like nonprofits and religious organizations, to apply for and receive funding.

There were hitches. While the first round of the program funneled more than $500 billion in loans nationwide, many small businesses had difficulty applying, Garcia said.

We had a lot of small businesses that didnt have a chance to get in and get their loans processed, he said.

A second round of funding, which began in January, came with more restrictions. Through last week, New Mexico businesses received 9,170 loans totaling more than $792 million as part of the second round, compared to $2.3 billion in the first round. All told, more than 32,000 loans have been issued in New Mexico over the course of two funding rounds, totaling more than $3 billion.

Borrowers looking to receive a second PPP loan must employ no more than 300 employees and show a 25% decrease in gross receipts in comparable quarters in 2019 and 2020.

How did New Mexico businesses fare?

While the federal program has had a massive impact on many New Mexico businesses and nonprofits, federal data shows that the PPP has provided fewer loans, and less money, to organizations in New Mexico than in most other states.

Reilly White, associate professor of finance at University of New Mexicos Anderson School of Management, said those funds impacted about a quarter of New Mexicos overall labor force.

However, on a per person basis, New Mexico still lags behind many of its neighbors. According to a Journal analysis of SBA data, New Mexico received more PPP funding per capita than just four states: West Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas and South Carolina.

As a point of comparison, White said Utah, which has a population about 50% larger than New Mexicos, has supported roughly half its labor force with PPP loans.

The lenders, the providers  have been doing heroic work, but I think we have, proportionately, a greater amount of underserved populations than many other states, White said.

White and Garcia agreed that New Mexicos shortage of large, publicly traded companies worked against it when competing for PPP loans, particularly at the beginning of the eligibility window last spring.

Anne Haines, president and CEO of DreamSpring, a community development financial institution that operates in Albuquerque, said the first round of PPP funding was dominated by loans made by large banks, which prioritized existing customers during the initial rush of applications. Smaller businesses, which sometimes lack those traditional banking relationships, were largely shut out.

If they were not a customer with a bank, then chances are they were not on the radar, Haines said.

She said access to good information about the program has proven to be a barrier as well, particularly in rural parts of the state. Many entrepreneurs in rural New Mexico dont have easy access to banking services, and Haines said some were intimidated by the program requirements.

I think there continues to be, in New Mexico, an enormous information gap, Haines said.

Garcia acknowledged that getting the word out has been a challenge, and said the SBA has held multiple webinars per day to educate business owners about the program.

Haines and Garcia agreed that the program became more inclusive to small businesses in the second round of funding, which opened in January.

The second round gave small community lenders, which tend to work with smaller businesses, two days of access before larger lenders could make loans. A federal announcement in February provided a two-week period where only organizations with fewer than 20 employees could apply.

Haines said small changes made a big difference in the second round. The program allowed business owners with felony convictions that arent related to fraud to apply, which Haines said made the funding more accessible to formerly incarcerated people. And a change that allowed business owners to use Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers to apply helped clarify that immigrants could participate in the second round.

There really are significant barriers that a lot of low- and moderate-income households face to accessing conventional financial opportunities, Haines said.

What industries got the most money?

When it comes to industries receiving the biggest paydays, New Mexico largely mirrors national trends, with industries like construction, food services and retail trade services receiving top spots in funding.

Nationally, health care, professional services, construction, manufacturing, and accommodation and food services were the top five recipients of funding with nearly $300 billion of aid going to those industries during the first draw of funding which lasted through August.

An analysis from UNM shows that the lions share of PPP funds in New Mexico from the first round of funding  more than $900 million  went to a broad swath of services ranging from health care to restaurants to automotive repair shops.

White said it makes sense that service-based industries received nearly 41% of the first round of PPP funding since there was a huge market impact for those services.

While the state largely follows the national trends in regards to funding, the mining industry received a larger share of funding in New Mexico than it did nationally. In New Mexico, mining received 8.67% of funding in the state, compared to just 0.87% of funding nationally, according to data collected from the SBA and analyzed by UNM.

A full analysis of the second round of PPP funding, which began this year in January, has yet to be carried out at the state level. But data from the SBA shows that while the top five industries receiving funds remain unchanged, the accommodation and food service industry is the greatest recipient of funds from the PPP this year.

Shelley Brown, a lender relations specialist with the SBA, expects this trend to be the same for New Mexico.

The accommodation and food services is No. 1 throughout the nation, and Im sure it is the same here because  thats our source of revenue in the state of New Mexico, she said.

The greater level of funding for lodging and food services could be in part fueled by changes to the loan program that allowed those businesses to apply for loans equal to 3.5 times their monthly payroll cost, rather than the standard 2.5 times the monthly payroll cost equation used by other businesses.

What NM organizations got the most cash?

Whites analysis showed that a wide variety of New Mexico businesses received loans through the PPP, from oil and gas giants to shellfish farmers.

Well over 90% of loans were for $500,000 or less, but a few exceeded $5 million. The largest publicly released loan in New Mexico went to BAM! Pizza Management, a Dominos Pizza franchise-holder headquartered in Roswell that received $7.78 million to support 500 jobs. A call to the company was not returned.

The second-largest loan went to Dreamstyle Remodeling, which received $7.57 million to support 403 jobs. Dreamstyle founder and CEO Larry Chavez said the pandemic forced the company to furlough 220 employees across its footprint.

We sat around our conference table and began planning survival mode, Chavez said.

The company applied for a PPP loan in late spring, just as the stock market began to stabilize and the housing market began to improve.

Chavez said the loan helped the company weather the initial shock along with continuous supply chain challenges. Ultimately the company not only brought back its furloughed employees but added new positions, growing from 490 employees before the pandemic reached New Mexico to 550 today. Chavez said Dreamstyle has grown its Albuquerque footprint from 225 to about 250 employees.

The PPP program was a real bridge from crisis to returning to being a good, solid business, Chavez said. And having hundreds of happy employees who are able to take care of their families and contribute to the local economy.

Not every PPP recipient was a for-profit company. St. Johns College, a liberal arts college with a campus in Santa Fe, received a loan for just over $2.25 million. Michael Duran, treasurer and chief financial officer for St. Johns, said the college opted to send students home last spring when the pandemic hit. This meant that the school had to refund room and board for students, a decision that initially cost the school about $900,000, he said.

Duran said the school has not yet resumed in-person instruction, and estimated that the school has lost about $4 million since the pandemic hit. The federal loan helped the college make the transition without laying off employees, Duran said.

It was one less thing to worry about for the college, he said.

Has it helped?

Despite the challenges associated with the program, sources reached by the Journal largely agreed that it was a net positive for New Mexico. Garcia, with the SBA, said the program helped businesses stop the bleeding and reset during the worst of the pandemic. All told, the SBA estimates the program affected about 51 million American workers, Garcia said.

We know this is working, and this is helping small businesses, he said. Were not out of it yet, but its allowed the businesses to adapt.

As the economy begins to stabilize and the program nears its end, the focus is shifting toward forgiving loans for organizations that met the program requirements.

UNMs White said New Mexicos comparatively low PPP usage could wind up being both a benefit and a drawback. The lack of federal dollars may have cost the state a chance to lower its unemployment rate, which remains higher than the national average, and may leave firms more vulnerable to future volatility.

On the other hand, White said fewer companies using the program means less debt for firms that cant meet the requirements of the program.

On the whole, White said he thought the program was helpful to New Mexico businesses.

Certainly it was a net good, because it smoothed a very significant economic shock, like a generational economic shock that happened with these firms, White said.
Army preparing temporary camps for fleeing Myanmar nationals

THAILAND: The army is planning temporary camps in Ranong and Chumphon provinces for Myanmar nationals fleeing political violence, as the death toll among protesters opposed to the military coup there continues to escalate.

Myanmarviolencepolitics

By Bangkok Post

Monday 15 March 2021, 02:08PM

Security forces stand guard during a demonstration by protesters against the military coup in Yangons Hlaing Tharyar township yesterday (Mar 14). Photo: AFP.

Maj Gen Santi Sakuntak, commander of the Thep Satri Task Force, said today (Mar 15) that Muang, La-un and Kra Buri districts in Ranong and Tha Sae district in neighbouring Chumphon have been designated as areas for temporary shelters. He said Thailand would accept them on humanitarian grounds and send them back after the situation returns to normal, instead of setting up permanent refugee camps at the border. Protests against the military junta in Myanmar have turned deadly since the Feb 1 coup, with dozens of demonstrators killed yesterday. The military regime imposed martial law in two townships in Yangon. Thailand shares a 2,400 kilometre land border with Myanmar.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 15, 2021) - American CuMo Mining Corporation (TSXV: MLY) (OTC Pink: MLYCF) ("CuMoCo" or the "Company") and International CuMo Mining Corporation, (formerly Idaho CuMo Mining Corporation ("ICMC")) are pleased to announce that the arms-length purchase and sale agreement to purchase the Bleiberg Zinc-Germanium-Lead-Cadmium-Fluorite mining project located in southern Austria announced December 4, 2020 has received TSX Venture Exchange approval.

American CuMo Mining Corporation currently owns all the outstanding shares of ICMC. ICMC owns and manages the CuMo Project in Idaho on behalf of the Company.

The Bleiberg property consists of 116 exploration licenses totaling 6,582.4 hectares that cover the western 8 kilometers of a historically defined mineralized zone, 130 kilometres southeast of the city of Salzburg, Austria. It is a very well-known 700-year-old mine site with extensive data, numerous scientific publications, and over 1,150 km of underground workings with numerous shafts. The mine site covers a total strike length of over 20 km of which the first 12 kilometers have been mined historically. The project is close to railway and power lines and has all the infrastructure available. The licenses being purchased are located at the western end of the mine complex where the most recent (1993) drilling was completed. The Bleiberg mine operated from the 1300's through to 1993, when it closed as part of a larger bankruptcy of an Austrian state-owned mining conglomerate. Historic production was about 500,000 tonnes per year, and it was one of the largest germanium producers in the world while it was in production. Germanium is used by the semiconductor industry and in solar panels. Average mined grades were 5 to 6 percent zinc, 1 to 1.2 percent lead, and 150 to 200 parts per million (ppm) germanium. The deposit also averaged 10% Fluorite and 0.2% Cadmium. Based on published estimates done by Cenry (1991) and Schroll (2006), Bleiberg has a geologic target of 13 to 50 million tonnes at grades similar to the average historic production grades.

Note: The targets and the potential quantity and grade are conceptual in nature as there had been insufficient exploration work done to define Mineral Resources as defined by NI 43-101 and it is uncertain if further exploration would result in establishing the existence of Mineral Resources.

The Company and ICMC entered into a purchase and sale agreement with JJD Management & Capital Consulting Corporation("JJD"), a Toronto based privately owned company and owner of the concessions and Bleiberg Mining LLC ("Bleiberg"), a shareholder of JJD) to obtain 100% ownership of 116 exploration licenses totaling 6,582.4 hectares that comprise the western extension of the historic Bleiberg Mine.

The terms of the agreement are as follows:

The issuance of 20 million common shares of ICMC, a U.S. based private company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company before the transaction, representing not less than 19% of all fully diluted and outstanding stock of ICMC at the time of the signing of the agreement.

The issuance of 10 million common shares of American CuMo Mining Corporation at a deemed price of CAD$0.05 per share.

and

The payment of 235,000 Euros in expenses to JJD and Bleiberg within ten business days of ICMC receiving initial funding of a minimum of US$2 million.

In addition, ICMC shall list its shares for trading on a United States public stock market, such as the OTCQB or OTCQX, within one year from the receipt of a minimum US$2 million in funding. Should the public trading on a United States public stock market have not been accomplished within the one-year time frame, an additional six (6) million shares of CuMoCo would be issued to JJD and Bleiberg to continue with the agreement.

Following the issuance of the shares of ICMC, the Company would still own 85 million shares of ICMC representing 80.96% rather than the current 100%. The 100% ownership of the Bleiberg concessions are signed over by JJD and Bleiberg to ICMC and that ownership is registered with the Austrian Government. ICMC will be responsible for concession taxes that amount to approximately $1,300 Euros per year. Concessions are valid until December 31, 2022 and can be extended in additional 5-year periods by performing exploration work on the concessions.

Shaun Dykes, President and CEO, stated "With the recent increase in demand and prices for the metals contained in Bleiberg and the positive future for green energy minerals such as Germanium, this is a tremendous opportunity to add significant value to both ICMC and CuMoCo in the short-term, while concentrating on the longer-term and larger CuMo Project. The underground Bleiberg project allows the Company to diversify into other metals and stable regions of the world. The multi-element nature of the Bleiberg deposit (Zn-Ge-Pb-Cd-F) and the Company's expertise in ore-sorting will be beneficial to the development of this new project."

Mr. Shaun M. Dykes, M.Sc. (Eng), P.Geo., President and CEO of the Company, is the designated qualified person for the CuMo and Bleiberg Projects and has prepared the technical information contained in this news release.

References

Cerny,I. (1991). Lagerstattenforschung in Karnten Neuergebnisse und Aspekte fur die Zukunft. Carinthiall 181./101. Jahrgang S. 119-129 Klagenfurt 1991

Schroll,e. (2006). Neues zur Genese der Blei-Zink Lagerstatte Bleiberg. Carinthia II 196./116. Jahrgang Seiten 483-500 Klagenfurt 2006

About CuMoCo

CuMoCo is focused on advancing its CuMo Project towards feasibility. Management is continuing to build an even stronger foundation from which to move the Company and its projects forward. For more information, please visit www.cumoco.com, www.idahocumo.com and www.cumoproject.com.

For further information, please contact:

American CuMo Mining Corporation

Shaun Dykes, President and Chief Executive Officer

Tel: (604) 689-7902

Email: info@cumoco.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 new release.

Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation including, but not limited to, statements that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, such the Company's ability to move its CuMo Project to feasibility and production, and to become one of the largest and lowest-cost molybdenum producers in the world as well as a significant producer of copper and silver. Forward-looking information is based on a number of material factors and assumptions, including the result of exploration activities, the ability of the Company to raise the financing for a feasibility study and to put the CuMo project into production, that no labor shortages or delays are experienced, that plant and equipment function as specified that the Court will not intervene with the Company's proposed exploration activities at the CuMo Project, and the ability of the Company to obtain all requisite permits and licenses to advance the CuMo Project and eventually bring it into production. Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, future events, conditions, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future prediction, projection or forecast expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others, the interpretation and actual results of current exploration activities; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; future prices of molybdenum, silver and copper; possible variations in grade or recovery rates; labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing, as well as those factors disclosed in the Company's publicly filed documents, including the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the period ended September 30, 2020. 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 under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/77318
This is the shocking moment a masked man appears to harass a woman in the street and asks to take a picture with her on the day of the Sarah Everard vigil.

Video shows the man approaching the lone woman asking to 'take a snap' with her as she walks down the street in London.

When she declines, the man, who is on an electric scooter, is filmed riding away while aggressively shouting abuse at her.

The woman, Simmy, who shared the footage online, said the incident took place on the same day as women gathered to pay their respects to Sarah Everard.

The 33-year-old marketing executive went missing earlier this month as she walked home.

The man is seen approaching the lone woman asking to 'take a snap' with her as she walks down the street in London

She was later found dead - sparking widespread anger about women's safety while walking in public.

Simmy said: 'On the day of the Sarah Everard vigil, this just happened. For those who doubt it, it's a daily occurrence. I was just walking home too.'

The video starts with Simmy telling the man: 'You're following me down the street.'

The man, who is dressed in a hoodie and red trainers, and is riding an electric scooter replies: 'Don't take a snap of me - take a snap with me.'

Simmy replies: 'Go away. Let me go on my walk.'

After he mentions about taking a photograph with her, Simmy adds: 'No you're not going to snap a photo of me. Leave me alone.

'Stop following me.'

As she crosses a road, the man appears to briefly follow her before riding off.

The 18-second video ends with the man shouting insults at her, as she calls him a 'freak'.

When she declines, the man, who is on an electric scooter, is filmed riding away while aggressively shouting abuse at her

The clip has been shared hundreds of times on social media, with many sending messages of support.

One person said: 'This is deeply unpleasant. What had he been doing/saying before you started to film him?'

Simmy replied: 'Asking where Im from, saying do I think hes weird, why wont I chat to him. I explicitly said please leave me alone and he continued to follow!'

Others also backed Simmy, with one saying: 'I really hope women feel that there are enough men on their side that they don't keep quiet. Make a scene. Make a noise. We will help if we hear you.'

She replied: 'THANK YOU. More like you please.'

Another said: 'Wow, who knew stuff like this even happens in posh areas on a daily basis.'

However, others asked about what had happened before the video started, with one asking: 'I don't get it. How was he following you if he's in front of you? Sounds like his take is you started filming him for no reason and the insult was due to that.

The incident took place on Saturday, the same day hundreds of people gathered on Clapham Common to pay their respects to Miss Everard. Pictured: Well-wishers leave flowers in tribute to Sarah Everard earlier today

But Simmy explained: 'I slowed down to let him go past and as you can see hes stopped there waiting for me.'

The incident took place on Saturday, the same day hundreds of people gathered on Clapham Common to pay their respects to Miss Everard.

Miss Everard disappeared as she walked home through the area on March 3. Her remains were discovered by police on Friday.

Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, has been charged with her kidnap and murder.

Organisers Reclaim These Streets had cancelled a vigil in memory of Ms Everard after Scotland Yard rejected their proposals for making it Covid secure.

A High Court judge also refused to intervene in a legal battle launched by the organisers.

Today Met Police chief Cressida Dick (pictured) said the tragedy around Ms Everard's death had made her 'utterly determined' to hold onto her job

Mourners wearing facemasks went to the common throughout the day, including the Duchess of Cambridge who paid a private visit to the makeshift shrine.

But a vigil on Saturday night in Ms Everard's memory ended in police officers pinning protesters to the ground in images that appalled the nation.

Today Met Police chief Cressida Dick said the tragedy around Ms Everard's death had made her 'utterly determined' to hold onto her job.

Dame Cressida said her officers were right to break up the event, which saw thousands of people break Covid rules.

Both Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel are believed to have 'full confidence' in her amid calls for her resignation over the way officers handled the protests.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was 'not satisfied' by Dame Cressida's response but is still believed to support her, while Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and the Women's Equality Party are among those calling for her to go.

Today the Prime Minister is set to chair a meeting of the Government's Crime and Justice Taskforce to discuss ways to protect women and girls from violence.
As a company that is national and global, we need to have the ability to move our people between our assets, which is an important part of our growth and prosperity. As the world comes out of COVID-19, we need a sensible road map to integrate back into national and international travel whilst managing the COVID-19 risks. Fortescue Metals Group chief executive Elizabeth Gaines labelled the WA governments approach to the pandemic, including its border controls, as considered and thorough and said they had been a critical factor in controlling the outbreak. As the vaccine rollout gains momentum across Australia and additional controls come into effect, we support regular reviews by the government to ensure their COVID policies remain effective and science-based, ensuring Western Australia has access to the skills and expertise required to continue growing our economy, Ms Gaines said. Fortescue chief executive Elizabeth Gaines says the government has demonstrated a considered, thorough approach to the pandemic. Credit:Phil Gostelow Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA chief executive Paul Everingham pointed to the strong working relationship between the government and the resources industry during the pandemic, which allowed mining operations to continue almost uninterrupted.

He said the lobby group and its member companies would continue to work with the government to to refine the protocols that have enabled the sector to operate safely and effectively through the pandemic. The economy While S&P Global Ratings recently described the WA budget as the strongest in the world, thanks primarily to soaring iron ore royalties, business leaders cautioned the government on its fiscal management. Mr Chaney said the government had to use every opportunity it had to pay down debt, which had arisen during the pandemic. I like the idea of establishing a WA Future Fund, into which any windfall gains can be distributed, like those at the moment from iron ore royalties. If you do that it means your net debt goes down, but you may earn higher returns from such a fund and its there, available for future expenditure, if you need it, or for repaying debt, Mr Chaney said.

South 32 chief executive officer Graham Kerr in the company's Perth offices Credit:Mark Griffin at Jacaranda Photog Mr Kerr urged the McGowan government to tread carefully with spending in its second term. While Western Australia has had a great windfall from the recent and unexpected surge in iron ore prices, that will not last forever, Mr Kerr said. I would like to see sensible stewardship of this windfall for the people of WA for now and into the future. Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA chief executive Chris Rodwell said the re-election of the McGowan government provided the strongest foundation for real economic reform.

The fundamental task ahead will be to foster broader growth across WAs economy, Mr Rodwell said. Western Australians know the boom-bust cycle all too well, and we can use the next four years to set the state up for decades of growth. Mining makes up 43 per cent of WAs economy, with the next biggest share in Australia being finance in NSW at just 12 per cent. Last financial year, mining contributed nine times more growth than WAs next biggest sector, and 27 per cent of total general government revenue through iron ore royalties alone. Meanwhile business investment outside mining has been falling for seven of the last eight years. Skills shortages Mr Everingham said the resources industry was currently dealing with significant labour pressures.

He said it would be seeking government support to ensure the mining and resources sector has access to the right people, with the right skills at the right time to seize current opportunities. While the sector is strongly focused on creating jobs and training West Australians, and the 135,000 people currently working within it is a record, there are significant labour pressures in the current environment, he said. Property Council WA executive director Sandra Brewer also identified labour pressures as one of three key issues. WA is growing quickly, and with growth comes both opportunity and challenge, Ms Brewer said. The first 100 days of government will see the end to the moratorium on rental evictions, ongoing labour pressures as the state continues to build significant infrastructure projects and increased health security as the vaccine rollout continues. The Property Council stands ready to work on policies that will support affordable housing and add to rental supply.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-16 02:57:40|Editor: huaxia

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JERUSALEM, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Ministry of Health reported 2,241 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, raising the tally of confirmed cases in the country to 820,789.

The COVID-19 death toll in Israel reached 6,029 with the addition of 21 new fatalities, while the number of patients in serious condition decreased from 640 to 603, out of 958 hospitalized patients.

The total recoveries in Israel rose to 787,976, with 3,410 newly recovered cases, while the number of active cases decreased to 26,784.

The number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 in Israel has surpassed 5.18 million, or 55.7 percent of its total population, since the vaccination campaign began on Dec. 20, 2020.

The country's COVID-19 reproduction number, also known as the R number, decreased from 0.78 to 0.76.

The R number is an indicator used to determine how fast the COVID-19 is spreading, as an R number greater than 1 means that the number of patients increases at an exponential rate and multiplies from time to time.

Also on Monday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the number of active patients among its soldiers had dropped to 241, the lowest figure in the Israeli army since Dec. 15, 2020.

A total of 1,260 soldiers are currently in home quarantine, the IDF added. Enditem
TORONTO, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Tim Hortons today announced an C$80M corporate investment in Canada for 2021 to supercharge advertising expenses, highlight menu improvements in product quality and support continued enhancements in the digital guest experience, including the Tims Rewards program.

Tim Hortons recently launched three new quality upgrades to its menu as part of its Back to Basics plan, including a new dark roast coffee, Craveables lunch sandwiches and freshly cracked Canadian eggs in breakfast sandwiches. Part of the corporate investment will support awareness of these launches and additional menu quality initiatives planned for 2021.

Guests at Tim Hortons are increasingly interacting with the brand through its digital channels. The Tim Hortons mobile app in Canada has seen monthly active users grow approximately five-fold since 2018 and about one-third of all Canadian adults have used the Tims Rewards loyalty program in the last 18 months. The investment will support the Tims Rewards loyalty program and other strategic digital initiatives to continue building a best-in-class digital experience for guests.

This investment in 2021 will also provide a substantial increase in overall advertising throughout the balance of the year  all intended to highlight taste and quality, great value for money and continuing to strengthen the love that Canadians have for the Tim Hortons brand.

In addition to the C$80M corporate investment, advertising contributions from restaurant owners in Canada will be increasing by 0.5% of sales to historical levels permitted under the current contracts, leading to a sustained, increased level of investment in advertising, community and digital initiatives in 2022 and beyond.

Jose Cil, Chief Executive Officer of Restaurant Brands International commented on the announcement:

"The efforts behind our Back to Basics plan are starting to deliver results. The plan focuses on building an experienced, talented and stable leadership team, investing in product quality, becoming an industry leader in the digital guest experience, delivering great value for money, and continuing to build our strong, iconic brand in communities across Canada.

With an exceptional leadership team now at the helm, early successes in our digital journey and encouraging results from our investments in product quality, we are confident the business is heading in the right direction. Our investment today reflects that confidence and our optimism in the plan."

Axel Schwan, President of Tim Hortons added:

"Despite the disruptions from COVID, our team maintained focus throughout 2020 and has delivered three consecutive product launches with encouraging early results, contributing positively to our sales. Our new dark roast coffee has received a higher guest rating than any of our previous recipes; our affordable, Craveables lunch platform - with the roast beef and crispy chicken sandwich is receiving great feedback; and we are seeing meaningful sales contributions from our nationwide launch of freshly cracked, Canadian eggs in our breakfast sandwiches.

We are also seeing strong progress in digital with the adoption, usage and increasing level of guest engagement on our Tim's Rewards program and app. In addition, we are continuing to work hard on improving personalized offers on the app and are rolling out predictive selling on our drive-thru menu boards across the country this year. This is all part of our goal to provide Canada's best in class digital guest experience.

And when it comes to our brand perception overall, we continue to see improvements  guest satisfaction has grown significantly driven by simplifying and improving the quality of our menu items plus guests are experiencing faster speeds of service. Community contributions by so many of our restaurant owners, bolstered by our branded coffee trucks travelling Canada and supporting front line workers with free coffee and baked goods also had a key role in driving continued improvements in overall brand perception," concluded Schwan.

About TIM HORTONS

Tim Hortons is one of North America's largest restaurant chains operating in the quick service segment. Founded as a single location in Canada in 1964, Tim Hortons appeals to a broad range of guest tastes, with a menu that includes premium coffee, hot and cold specialty drinks (including lattes, cappuccinos and espresso shots), specialty teas and fruit smoothies, fresh baked goods, grilled Panini and classic sandwiches, wraps, soups, prepared foods and other food products. Tim Hortons has more than 3,900 system-wide restaurants located in Canada and over 4,900 including the United States and internationally. More information about the company is available at www.timhortons.com.



Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements, which are often identified by the words "may," "might," "believes," "thinks," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "intends" or similar expressions and reflect management's expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof. These forward-looking statements include statements about Restaurant Brands International Inc.'s ("RBI") expectations and beliefs regarding the amount and timing of the investments, the use of these funds, the success of the back to basics plan, the timing and acceptance of product launches, and the ability to successfully implement and maintain digital guest experience and effective marketing offers . The factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from RBI's expectations are detailed in filings of RBI with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and with the securities regulatory authorities in each province and territory of Canada, such as its annual and quarterly reports and current reports on Form 8-K and include the following: risks related to RBI's ability to successfully implement its advertising, marketing and growth strategies; risks related to RBI's ability to compete in an intensely competitive industry; risks related to unforeseen events including the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, risks related to technology, risks related to the franchised business model and risks related to RBI's vertically integrated supply chain operations. Other than as required under U.S. federal securities laws or Canadian securities laws, we do not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, subsequent events or circumstances, change in expectations or otherwise.

SOURCE Restaurant Brands International Inc.
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The Neurotechnology and Freedom Online Conference

The latest innovations in neurotechnology allow scientists not only to improve and restore functions brain, but also to effectively influence human behavior. The interdisciplinary discussion will focus primarily on the impact of neurotechnology on human rights and freedoms. Neuroscience & Art project: international online conference 'Neurotechnology and Freedom' to be held on March 18, 16.00 - 22.00 (GMT+3, Moscow Time).

New neurotechnologies allow not only to improve and repair brain function, but effectively manipulate human behavior. The main subject of the interdisciplinary discussion is the impact of neurotechnology on human rights and freedoms. What are the social, cultural and economical consequences of the quickly growing neurotech? Can acquisition of brain data (e.g. using brain-computer interfaces) violate our freedom? Scientists, philosophers, researchers of art and artists will take part in the discussion about the impact of neurotech on the freedom of human beings.

Neuroscientists for decades study and challenge the concept of free will - the idea that we are free to choose our behavior. Neuroscience developed convincing experimental methods to study the brain processes that precede voluntary decisions. Interestingly, some influential neuroscientists believe that free will is an illusion. For example, scientists manage to predict peoples' decisions a few seconds before the subject becomes aware of it. Professor Patrick Haggard, a neuroscientist at University College London suggests that people have the strong belief that we make choices about what we do and that our conscious decisions initiate our actions, at least on some occasions. At the same time, our actions are clearly the result of a causal chain of neuronal activity in premotor and motor areas of the brain. Patrick Haggard declared, "We certainly don't have free will. Not in the sense we think."

As opposed to this, Danil Razeev, a philosopher at Saint Petersburg State University, emphasises some limitations of neuroscience: "Some experiments, which were recently conducted by neuroscientists, seem to support the thesis of free will as an illusion. I claim that these experiments neither prove nor reject the existence of free will, because contemporary neuroscience confuses the notions of free will and free action."

Some artists, for example, Dr. Ippolit Markelov, an artist and biologist at ITMO University, states that the importance of the Free will is overstated.

But despite the fact that scientists question the traditional notion of freedom, our society is not ready to accept this scientific view. For example, the Declaration of Independence states: "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." The idea that people are born 'free and unique' faces various challenges. For example, a prominent neuroscientist Mikhail Lebedev notes: "With the extraordinary development of brain-computer interfaces, the mankind is faced with the challenge: will the human beings maintain their presumably unique abilities, or will they adhere to the new technologies that interface to the brain directly to obtain the best-quality communication channel with external devices and the other brains".

Modern neurotechnology aims to repair and improve cognitive functions. Since, "improving" neurotech devices will become widespread in coming years, it is the right time to discuss the ethical issues of neurotech. Accordingly, Dr. Suzanne Dikker, a senior researcher at NYU Max Planck Center for Language, Music, and Emotion: "As biophysiological tools and data are increasingly permeating people's everyday lives, neuroscientists should be mindful about possible societal implications of their research."

On the other side, some influential neuroscientists believe that neurotechnologies can be used to enhance our freedom in art and creativity. For example, Risto Ilmoniemi??, a professor at Aalto university, emphasises that neurotechnologies may enhance creativity and perhaps even stimulate art.

While philosophers do not give us a definitive answer to the question "Are we free in our decisions?", scientists continue to warn us about technologies that can restrict our freedom. "The time has come to understand and stop being afraid of this complex topic." - states professor Vasily Klucharev and calls for a deeper discussion on Freedom and Neurotech.

The participants of the event: Prof. Patrick Haggard, University College London, UK; Prof. Gabriel Curio, Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany; Prof. Risto Ilmoniemi, Aalto University, Finland; Prof. Danil Razeev, Saint Petersburg University, Russia; Dr. Suzanne Dikker, NYU Max Planck Center for Language, Music, and Emotion, USA; Prof. Vasily Klucharev, Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, HSE University, Russia; Dr. Ksenia Fedorova, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Dr. Ippolit Markelov, ITMO University, 18 Apples, Russia; Prof. Mikhail Lebedev, HSE University, Russia and Skoltech, Russia; Dr. Vadim Nikulin, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Germany, and HSE University, Russia; Dr. Maria Nazarova, HSE University, and Centre for Brain Research and Neurotechnologies, FMBA, Russia; Pia Tikka, Tallinn University, Estonia, University of Lapland, Finland, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong.

The Neurotechnology & Freedom Conference, which will be held online, is organized by the Centre for Cognition & Decision Making at HSE University with the support of the I-Brain Erasmus + project and the Department of Innovation Management of HSE University.

Visit the conference website for more information.http://neuroscienceart. org/

Register for the event here. https:/ / www. hse. ru/ en/ polls/ 448688339. html

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This story has been published on: 2021-03-15. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Inflow Communications, an innovative provider of strategic advisory, consulting, and managed services for contact center and unified communications technologies, announced today that they have combined with PeakView. The partnership accelerates Inflows expansion of advisory and technical services for contact center and unified communications technologies.

Based in Denver, Colorado, PeakView is an experienced and proven industry-leading Cloud adoption consulting firm, with a core focus on Cloud Contact Center technology and solutions. Their focus is guiding Fortune 500 to mid-sized enterprises from legacy contact center technology to modern, future-proofed cloud contact center solutions through a consultative, technology-agnostic approach.

Inflows founder and CEO, Travis Dillard, said PeakView and Inflow are well-aligned in market focus, company cultures, experience, and our approaches to working with customers and partners. PeakViews contact center consulting depth and enterprise experience combined with Inflows sales, marketing, and services offerings will allow us to expand our reach to more organizations. Ultimately, were excited to bring our collective customers a wider breadth of contact center and unified communications offerings, and more resources to help organizations in their communications and customer interaction technology initiatives.

Ken Smith, CEO and co-founder of PeakView stated, Inflows culture, people, and services provided a natural fit for PeakView  their capabilities complement ours in a way that enhances and expands our capacity to serve our clients. The suite of offerings in the combined company is unparalleled in the cloud services industry. Our focus has always been one of providing the highest caliber of service and support to our clients, and this merger allows us to more comprehensively meet their evolving needs.

Inflow is a portfolio company of Renovus Capital Partners, a Philadelphia area private equity firm specializing in the Knowledge and Talent industries. More information can be found at http://www.renovuscapital.com

About Inflow Communications

Based in Portland, Oregon Inflow Communications is an innovative provider of strategic advisory, consulting, and managed services for contact center, customer experience, and unified communications solutions to over 500 customers nationwide. Inflow has grown to be a trusted advisor in its market through the high caliber of its work, problem-solving approach, and focus on client satisfaction. More information can be found at http://www.inflowcomm.com

About PeakView

PeakView is an experienced and proven industry-leading Cloud adoption consulting firm, with a core focus on Cloud Contact Center technology and solutions. PeakView supports companies from Fortune 500 to mid-sized enterprises, as they transition from legacy contact center technology to a more robust and capable omnichannel platform that meets their clients evolving requirements. Learn More About PeakView at https://peakviewco.com/

About Renovus

Founded in 2010, Renovus Capital Partners is a private equity firm specializing in the Knowledge and Talent industries. Renovus, from its base in the Philadelphia area, manages $600 million across several investment vehicles. The firms current portfolio includes over twenty U.S. based businesses specializing in educational technology and content, higher education, corporate learning and development, healthcare services and technology services. Renovus typically partners with founder led businesses, leveraging its industry expertise and access to debt and equity capital to make operational improvements, pursue tuck-in acquisitions and oversee strategic growth initiatives. More information can be found at http://www.renovuscapital.com
A mere 0.88% of the population worldwide has received the second shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Ukrainian Deputy Health Minister and Chief Medical Officer Viktor Liashko says Ukraine plans to issue international COVID-19 vaccine certificates.

Yet, there are no plans to introduce any other "immune passports," the Ukrainian Health Ministry's Coronavirus_info Telegram channel said.

According to the official, the international health regulations clearly define the requirements for an international certificate of vaccination. If a certain country requires such a certificate of vaccination for crossing the border, Ukrainians will be able to get it for free in two clicks, he added.

"But now it is not worth implementing and demanding a COVID-19 vaccine certificate. I fully share the opinion of WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr. Hans Kluge who publicly warns the European Commission against plans to introduce documents on vaccination against COVID-19," Liashko said.

Read also Almost 250,000 Ukrainians sign up for COVID-19 vaccination waiting list Vaccination against COVID-19: What is known

A mere 0.88% of the population worldwide has received the second shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. At the same time, the supply of such vaccines on the global market is limited.

Europe is actively preparing for the launch of COVID-19 passports, which should simplify travel between countries and, perhaps, give their holders more opportunities in everyday life.

On February 24, 2021, Ukraine launched a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign with the Indian-produced Covishield vaccine (AstraZeneca), which arrived in Ukraine on February 23. An emergency room doctor from Cherkasy region was the first one to get vaccinated. He has been working in intensive care with COVID-19 patients since the beginning of the epidemic.

As of March 15, 2021, as many as 53,155 Ukrainians had received their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Reporting by UNIAN
The railway was one piece of Sir Richards master plan to dominate the US travel and transportation market. It would complement airline Virgin Atlantic, his burgeoning portfolio of Virgin Hotels and nascent cruise business Virgin Voyages. Virgin Galactic was closing in on its first space flight and Virgin Hyperloop - high-speed technology that fires passengers at eye-watering speeds through a vacuum tube - would soon become reality. But as Sir Richard prepared to celebrate his 70th birthday in 2020, his dreams came crashing down. With the pandemic bringing travel to a standstill, Virgin Atlantic cut almost 5000 jobs as it flirted with collapse, the launch of Virgin Voyages was put on ice and Galactics maiden trip into space was delayed. Branson is not expected to gie up on his US plans however, with the Biden administration making improving the US rail network one of its priorities. Credit:AP Then, in August 2020, Brightline terminated its deal with Virgin. High Court filings now reveal the basis of the termination. Brightline claimed Virgin no longer held a brand of international high repute and that it would be materially damaging to Brightlines reputation and the value of its business - claims that are denied by the British entrepreneurs group.

While both Virgin and Brightline declined to comment this weekend, the relationship had started to sour with the ink barely dry on their agreement, according to insiders. The Virgin Trains USA joint-venture was conceived in late 2018. The original plan was for a stock market float that was targeting a $US3 billion market value. But by February 2019, the public debut was shelved amid claims that investors were more interested if the business was kept private. Just six days after Aprils grand unveiling in Miami, 4000 miles away in the UK, Chris Grayling, the erstwhile transport secretary, disqualified Sir Richard from bidding for rail franchises. It was a decision that effectively booted the entrepreneur off Britains railways after more than two decades of involvement. Sir Richard said he was devastated and baffled by the decision, which was due to a breach of bidding rules. This was a significant turning point and where the rot first set in, according to some insiders. When this relationship was touted, it was based on the fact that they [Virgin] run a successful rail line in the UK. Within months of this agreement being signed, they lost that charter, says one US source.

But if Brightline was already getting cold feet in 2019, there was little to suggest as much. Sir Richards publicity machine was in full swing, working with Brightline to promote the Virgin brand. Edens proclaimed in June the start of a red spike era, a reference to the original golden spike moment 150 years earlier that marked Americas first coast-to-coast railway. In hindsight, insiders say there were signs of cracks in the relationship. For instance, plans for Brightlines trains to be painted in Virgin colours, originally scheduled for October 2019, were delayed until the following spring. Richard Bransons Virgin Atlantic filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in the US last August. Credit:AP It was all beginning to look quite expensive, says one insider. There was this feeling of some people not wanting it to go ahead - and that was before the pandemic.

Brightline took the first step towards terminating its agreement with Virgin on April 27, 2020, court filings reveal. A series of legal letters followed before Brightline ties were cut in August. Although Brightline services remain suspended, the outlook for passenger rail has brightened considerably following the election of a new president. Joe Biden has promised to spark the second great railroad revolution. Pete Buttigieg, Bidens transport secretary, last month set out his ambition for the US to be leading the world when it comes to access to high-speed rail. Paul Charles, of the PC Agency, a travel consultancy, says: For politicians and businesses alike, high-speed rail is highly attractive. It boosts trade by connecting A to B easily, and crucially helps to reduce environmental impact through lower emissions. But Alex Jan, an infrastructure expert who has advised US railway investors on both sides of the Atlantic, highlights the technical difficulties with achieving Bidens aspirations.

Apart from Brightline, Amtrak is the only passenger operator, its effectively government owned - and it has struggled for years, says Jan. In the US, driving and flying allow you to reach every corner of the country. On the railway, freight is king. Nearly all Americas 125,000 miles of track are owned by freight operators. Its all geared towards slower speed with very long trains. They carry about a third of all US freight. Youd be lucky to find lines that are allowed to get above 50 or 60mph for safety and engineering reasons. Loading The Democrats in particular look at Europe and Japans rail network with envy. For sure, they like the idea of a clean green network covering America, but the costs involved in building anything approaching a fast network are just enormous. You could spend the whole of the $US1.9 trillion stimulus package on the railway and have no change to spare. But this has not dampened Sir Richards enthusiasm for a US railway. Virgin insiders say that he is as passionate as ever about Virgin Trains USA and is exploring ways to rekindle his American dream.
New Delhi:

The Congress on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise for demonetisation, describing it as the countrys biggest scam which had inflicted misery on the people and dealt a body blow to the economy.

None of the measures that Modi had promised with the ban on high currency notes, put into effect in November last year, had been realised, Congress senior spokesperson Anand Sharma said.



Demonetisation is the biggest scam, as the government has helped the wrong people legitimise their illegitimate money through it and has betrayed the poor people of the country with false promises, he said.



He stressed it was the prime ministers direct responsibility as it was his personal decision.

Read | GDP growth slips to 5.7 per cent in April-June quarter from 6.1 per cent in January-March



The prime minister should take moral responsibility by accepting his mistake and apologise, he told reporters in New Delhi.



Sharma alleged demonetisation had led to a GDP loss of Rs 2.25 lakh crore.The prime minister had committed a breach of trust with the people by making false claims on the issue, he added.



Sharma said Modi had promised to unearth black money and end corruption, terror funding and counterfeit currency.



None of the promises made by him while announcing the decision had come true, he said.



Once the honour of the prime ministers word is gone and the trust of the people destroyed, then where is his credibility and where does he stand, he asked.

Read | Demonetisation effect: Govt clamps down on black money, 44 per cent increase in undisclosed income detected: I-T dept



The Congresss attack came after the Reserve Bank of India said in its annual report yesterday that banks had received Rs 15.28 lakh crore or 99 per cent of the invalidated currency.



The senior Congress leader wondered what the note ban decision had achieved as 99 per cent of the money had been returned, and accused the prime minister of changing the narrative on the issue repeatedly.



The prime minister made a sensational announcement on November 8 that unleashed financial anarchy and economic chaos in the country. The Reserve Bank figures yesterday exposed the falsehood propagated by the government, he said.Sharma said dozens of people died and committed suicide.



Who is responsible for it, he asked.

Read | RBI data suggests Prime Minister Modis demonetisation move failed on most fronts



The former Union minister also accused the government of being insensitive as the decision brought misery to people who kept waiting in long queues to get their own money from the banks.



Training his guns on Modi, Sharma said he kept changing his narrative and kept pace with a species called the chameleon, which keeps changing its colours.He added that Modis ministers, too, had a direct responsibility.



Sharma accused Modi of defaming his own people before the world. Had this happened in any other country, the PM would not be in office, he added.



He asked the prime minister to explain his Independence Day speech where he mentioned that Rs 3 lakh crore of black money had been unearthed and challenged him to make public the list of companies and individuals whose undeclared money it was.

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 Close Joe Biden says hell run for a second term in 2024

On the 65th day of his presidency, Joe Biden held his first formal press conference since entering the White House on 20 January.

In the hour-long Q&A, Biden courted controversy on migration at the Mexico border, the US relationship with China, and the potential to face off against Trump in 2024 in a rematch that see two oldest presidential candidates in US history (Biden 82 v Trump 78).

Of the 15 presidents of the past 100 years, all but for Biden have held a press conference within 33 days of being sworn into office. Donald Trump did it 27 days in, while Barack Obama outdid Trump by a week at 20 days.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg dismissed the company's role in polarising the US, blaming the "political and media environment" for promoting extremism and misinformation. His opening statement in the Senate big tech hearing came after a cutout of the Facebook boss dressed as the QAnon Shaman Jacob Chansley appeared on Capitol Hill before Congress began grilling the social media platforms.

Kayleigh McEnany, former White House press secretary to Mr Trump, has meanwhile appeared on Fox News to claim Joe Biden is in badly declining health and is concealing his condition behind a Covid face mask, a baseless smear intended to undermine his first press conference as president, where questions on immigration, the coronavirus vaccine rollout, infrastructure and gun control are likely to be forthcoming.

His vice president, Kamala Harris, is also already facing criticism from Republicans Ted Cruz and Doug Ducey, Arizonas governor, after being appointed to lead the countrys response to the latest surge in asylum seekers arriving at the US border with Mexico as the administration struggles to find temporary housing for hundreds of unaccompanied children.

Read more:
New York's "vaccine czar" - a longtime adviser to Gov. Andrew Cuomo - phoned county officials in the past two weeks in attempts to gauge their loyalty to the embattled governor amid an ongoing sexual harassment investigation, according to multiple officials.

One Democratic county executive was so unsettled by the outreach from Larry Schwartz, head of the state's vaccine rollout, that the executive on Friday filed notice of an impending ethics complaint with the public integrity unit of the state attorney general's office, the official told The Washington Post. The executive feared the county's vaccine supply could suffer if Schwartz was not pleased with the executive's response to his questions about support of the governor.

The executive said the conversation with Schwartz came in proximity to a separate conversation with another Cuomo administration official about vaccine distribution.

"At best, it was inappropriate," said the executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear that the Cuomo administration would retaliate against the county's residents. "At worst, it was clearly over the ethical line."

Schwartz, who is working in a volunteer capacity to run New York's vaccine distribution, acknowledged making the calls in response to an inquiry by The Post, but said he did so as a 30-year friend of Cuomo and did not discuss vaccines in the conversations.

"I did nothing wrong," Schwartz said. "I have always conducted myself in a manner commensurate to a high ethical standard."

Schwartz is one of Cuomo's longtime lieutenants, serving as secretary to the governor - the most influential aide to the New York governor - from 2011 until 2015, and then advising him off and on since, earning the reputation as Cuomo's enforcer. Schwartz returned last spring to be the administration's point person on the coronavirus pandemic - moving into the governor's mansion at one point - and has managed much of the state's response.

His calls to county officials could fuel questions about an intermingling of politics with the state's public health operation. The conversations came in advance of a March 8 announcement by the governor's office that the state plans to open 10 new mass vaccination sites around New York - distribution hubs that have been keenly sought by local officials.

Arthur Caplan, director of medical ethics at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said political outreach by the person helming the state's vaccine response could lead to officials fearing that vaccine decisions could be based on favoritism.

"People do not see calls coming from the governor's mansion as somebody wearing one hat and then putting on another hat," he said. "If you are in control of a vital supply of a lifesaving resource like vaccines, you are carrying an enormous amount of implicit clout when you ask for political allegiance. And you shouldn't be doing that anyway. The public health goal to maximize the best use of vaccines has nothing to do with any public declaration of political fealty. And it shouldn't even be implied or hinted at."

In several statements he emailed to The Post on Saturday, Schwartz said the calls he made to assess political support for Cuomo were distinct from the role he plays in the vaccine distribution effort.

"I did have conversations with a number of County Executives from across the State to ascertain if they were maintaining their public position that there is an ongoing investigation by the State Attorney General and that we should wait for the findings of that investigation before drawing any conclusions," he wrote.

Schwartz described the calls as "cordial, respectful and friendly," adding: "Nobody indicated that they were uncomfortable or that they did not want to talk to me."

He added that decisions about where to locate mass vaccination sites are not made by one individual but are determined by members of the governor's vaccine task force and outside consultants, "based on merit, data and facts and not politics."

Schwartz declined to answer if he had taken the ethics oath required for New York state public officers. The law states that no officer should engage in conduct that could give an impression that any person could "unduly enjoy his or her favor in the performance of his or her official duties."

Beth Garvey, acting counsel to the governor, said in a statement that the ethics oath is not required of volunteers under an executive order issued by Cuomo to facilitate the participation of volunteers in the state's coronavirus response. "Any assertion or implication that this was a failing on the part of Larry Schwartz is simply false," she said.

In interviews with The Post, several public officials who received the calls from Schwartz spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the conversations, saying they fear swift retribution from Cuomo if they speak out against him.

The officials said Schwartz appeared to be taking stock of where they stood on Cuomo and whether they would continue to support him, and said he emphasized the need to let the state investigation play out.

One official who received a call did not view it as an explicit threat and was not disturbed by it, but added: "Looking back on it, Larry probably wasn't the best person to make a call like that." A second official from a separate county said: "I didn't feel that there was correlation between the answer I was going to give and my vaccine supply. But I could see how maybe someone else maybe got that impression."

They described the outreach as politics as usual in the Cuomo administration, which has long earned a reputation for leaning on allies and threatening opponents. The spotlight on the governor's style has intensified in recent weeks, as Cuomo's political power has become mired in dual scandals: one related to multiple accusations of sexual harassment and unwelcome touching, and the other centered on his actions related to nursing-home deaths.

On Friday, a majority of the New York congressional delegation - including the state's two U.S. senators - called for Cuomo to step down, issuing a barrage of public statements, many just minutes apart from one another. One official involved in the discussions said the timing was planned to absolve any one lawmaker from receiving Cuomo's wrath.

"He can't kill us all at the same time," said the official, a senior aide to one of the lawmakers who called for Cuomo to resign, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the internal strategy.

The governor has been accused of workplace harassment, improper touching or both by five women, including four who worked for him. An allegation by a sixth woman - also an employee - was referred by the governor's office to local police for investigation Wednesday. Many others, male and female, have described a hostile and abusive workplace in which young women were frequently treated differently.

Cuomo has denied accusations of unwanted touching and largely been defiant in the wake of growing calls for his resignation. He has dismissed some of the claims as part of a "cancel culture" that he derided as "dangerous" and "reckless," urging critics to wait for the conclusion of the state attorney general's probe of the harassment allegations. He said earlier this month that he never intended to cause any pain or make anyone feel uncomfortable.

The controversies have been fueled in part by a growing willingness - even among party allies - to break a code of silence that was long expected in the notoriously cutthroat and fealty-driven world of New York politics.

Ron Kim, a New York state assemblyman, went public in February with a call from Cuomo that he said was explicitly threatening in nature over his criticism of the nursing home deaths scandal. A top Cuomo adviser has disputed that Cuomo threatened to "destroy" Kim, as Kim has said.

One of Cuomo's accusers, former staffer Lindsey Boylan, has alleged that Cuomo's aides leaked her personnel file to reporters, and on Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported on attempts by the governor's aides to call former employees attempting to glean information about Boylan.

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said Cuomo's tactics of using fear to govern largely worked because "retribution was very harsh if you crossed him. People were very concerned."

But now, she said, "You're seeing some of the fear starting to crumble. So when you have that stripped away, you don't have a lot to back you up."

A spokesman for Cuomo did not respond to a request for comment on the governor's reputation for exacting retribution.

Amid the burgeoning crises, Schwartz has remained his staunch ally. After several years working in the private sector, he returned to Cuomo's side in the early days of the coronavirus pandemiclast year, volunteering to manage medical equipment and supplies directed to hospitals and health care systems.

Schwartz told The Post that he assisted with ensuring bed capacity for hospitals and helped launch a contact tracing program. He said he currently is volunteering in his role as head of the vaccine rollout.

In his book "American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic," Cuomo wrote that when he had asked Schwartz to help him manage the public health crisis, "I knew that if I asked, he wouldn't say no; he was that good a friend. I'd known him for thirty years."

Cuomo said he even invited Schwartz to move into the governor's mansion for a period of time, along with him, his dog, Captain, and his three daughters, writing, "Now Larry was added to the pack." He said Schwartz put in long hours, often not returning to the mansion until midnight or 1 a.m.

Across the state, Schwartz is viewed as someone with singular influence.

New York state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat who represents the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, said he was in a meeting with Schwartz and the state health commissioner earlier this year in which he said Schwartz often answered questions before the commissioner. Mamdani had been pressing for incarcerated individuals to receive access to the vaccine, and he said that during the meeting, it became clear to him that Schwartz had large sway over decisions about vaccine distribution.

"He sets policy in regards to rollout, in regards to eligibility and has the real ability to dictate the supply to different parts of the state," said Mamdani.

Schwartz told The Post that he holds weekly calls with county executives and county health officials.

But he said that when he called county officials to assess their support for Cuomo, "they were hearing from me as someone who has (known) the Governor for 30 years and someone who has been involved in NYS Government and Politics for about the same time."

He said he made the calls at night, although he said some officials may have returned the calls the following morning. "I find time to oversee the vaccine program [as] well as take on other responsibilities," he wrote in an email. "I am able to multi task."

"Everyone took my call or called me back," he added. "NOBODY indicated they were uncomfortable discussing with me or thought it was inappropriate."

When asked whether Cuomo directed him to reach out to county officials, he responded: "It was my decision to make the calls."

A spokesman for Cuomo did not respond to a request for comment on whether the governor was familiar with Schwartz's outreach to county officials.

The Democratic county executive who filed notice of an ethics complaint said that Schwartz made no explicit threat to withhold vaccines, but felt there was an implication of what was at stake, given Schwartz's influence over the vaccine distribution channels and the fact that he only called or emailed to discuss vaccine allotment.

"I'm not calling about vaccines," Schwartz told the executive, then stressed that it was crucial to let the investigation by the attorney general play out, according to the executive.

If the executive's position on Cuomo changed, Schwartz said, he would appreciate a head's up, according to notes the executive took at the time.

"There was a lot going through my mind," the executive recounted. "This is putting me in an impossible position where I potentially have to choose between like a weird political loyalty to a governor who controls a lot of things, not just vaccine, and is known to be vindictive, and on the other side, doses of lifesaving vaccine every week for my residents who are literally desperate for them."

A spokesman for the state attorney general's office did not respond to a request for comment about the notice of an ethics complaint the executive filed.

In describing the calls to The Post, Schwartz said, "there was no pressure and I never asked anyone to support the Governor. All I asked them was if their public position of calling for an independent investigation by the Attorney General and waiting for the outcome of her report had changed."

He said vaccines are distributed in the state based on the number of eligible residents and a county's administration rate.

"It's not based on favoritism, politics or anything else," he wrote. He also said he took offense at the fact that his "accuser" was speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Several Republican county executives reached by The Post said they had not received such calls from Schwartz. A longtime Cuomo critic, Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin, quipped, "He didn't call me because he knew I would never say something nice about (Cuomo)."

- - -

The Washington Post's Michael Scherer and Alice Crites contributed to this report.
Arna Kimiai, 24, the second suspect in the March 7 aggravated assault and robbery of a 32-year-old Uber driver, turned herself in Sunday and is now in custody, San Francisco police said.

The first suspect, 24-year-old Malaysia King, was apprehended by Las Vegas police officers on Thursday. That same day, through her attorney, Kimiai stated her intention to surrender, police said.

Kimiai was booked into San Francisco County Jail Sunday night on an arrest warrant for charges of robbery, assault and battery, conspiracy and violation of health and safety code, police said.

The incident began around 12:45 p.m. March 7, when the Uber driver picked up three female passengers at San Bruno Avenue and Felton Street in San Francisco, police said. When the driver saw that one of the passengers was not wearing a mask, he refused to continue the ride unless all passengers were wearing masks, in compliance with state and local public health orders for COVID-19.

An argument ensued, which was largely captured in a viral video that showed the passengers berating and coughing on the driver. The suspect identified as Kimiai is seen reaching over the seat and taking the driver's phone.

Police said the driver was able to regain possession of his phone, but after the suspects exited the vehicle, one of the passengers reached into an open window and sprayed what is believed to be pepper spray into the car. Then the suspects fled the scene.

King was arrested in Las Vegas Thursday on a warrant for the charges of assault with a caustic chemical, assault and battery, conspiracy and violation of health and safety code.

Police are continuing to investigate the case and are asking anyone who may have information to contact SFPD's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or to text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with "SFPD."

Copyright  2021 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

Copyright  2021 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
Armenia economic competition protection commission: Experts forecast inflation of butter prices

Armenia citizens' protest against acting health minister is over

Pashinyan visits France, judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku, Jun. 2 digest

Armenian Ambassador, FMO representatives consider opportunities for expansion of cooperation in Armenia

Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Armenia citizens throw polyethylene bags at Health Ministry building, police apprehend protesters

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

Newspaper: What instructions did Armenia acting defense minister get in Moscow?

Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

Armenia 3rd President reacts to photos of bodies of soldiers in freezer: It felt like the blood froze in my veins

Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

Turkey's Erdogan expresses willingness to support Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral cooperation

Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

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Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

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Armenia Constitutional Court launches case proceedings based on President's application

Armenia acting emergency situations minister says he's concerned about situation in army

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Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

Armenia deputy police chief: No real cases of vote-buying reported to date

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Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

Yerevan court rules to conditionally release man who attempted to assassinate ex-presidential candidate

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Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

Armenia 1st President spokesperson: Ter-Petrosyan has nothing to speak with the nation-destroying plague

Armenia acting PM orders internal investigation into case of storage conditions of fallen soldiers bodies, remains

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan gives interview to Russia newspaper

Armenia acting deputy PM on unblocking of roads with Azerbaijan: There will be no troops standing there

Nikkei: Toyota and Honda stop car production in Malaysia

Armenia official on deploying international observers at Azerbaijan border: You will hear reaction on this matter soon

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LONDON, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Non-resident Indians may potentially face citizenship-based taxation along with the removal of certain privileges offered to those who hold Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) status. This has left many high net-worth individuals to seek out new means of protecting their wealth and future. OCI status is given to people of Indian origin and operates similarly to a dual citizenship, however, new guidelines have heavily curtailed rights offered to OCI holders. Traditional employment-based routes to emigration, like the United States H-1B Visa, has long been a top choice for wealthy Indians. However, with the visa currently frozen until at least March 31st and quotas contributing to long waiting times, many have begun looking to greener pastures.

Over the last year, Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programmes have witnessed a global boom. Wealthy investors from emerging markets with driving factors ranging from COVID-19, wealth preservation and the increasing need for physical and financial security have contributed to its popularity. Indian investors, particularly, have looked to the Caribbean for alternative routes to second citizenship, the CBI Programme's birthplace. Most notably, St Kitts and Nevis' Citizenship by Investment Programme  the market's oldest  continues to welcome a growing population of Indian entrepreneurs and businesspeople.

During a recent webinar with Times of India, Les Khan, CEO of St Kitts and Nevis CBI Unit, highlighted how Indian investors were contributing to the nation's economy: "In all aspects of our economic areas, we have Indians who have found a welcoming place and are contributing in a constructive way to nation-building. We are open, and we will be most comfortable in having them come and be part of our economic landscape."

Introduced in 1984, St Kitts and Nevis' CBI Programme has been attracting high net-worth individuals and their families to become citizens of the dual-islands once investing in a government fund. The one-time qualifying investment is $150,000 for a single applicant. However, under a limited time offer, a family of four can acquire citizenship for the same price rather than the usual $195,000.

"Citizenship by investment is such a powerful tool," says Micha Emmett, CEO of CS Global Partners, a leading global government advisory and marketing firm. "[It gives] someone the label of being a citizen of the world because an alternative citizenship gives access to new frontiers."

Investors gain access to a wealth of advantages, including increased travel freedom to nearly 160 countries and territories, the right to live and work in the nation, tax benefits, and the ability to pass citizenship down for generations to come. Additionally, those who choose to reside in St Kitts and Nevis do so with the United States only a short distance away with access to some of the world's greatest education institutions and home to the globe's largest economy.

Contact details: +447867942505, [email protected], www.csglobalpartners.com





SOURCE CS Global Partners
Vietnam is running for election to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in the 2023-2025 tenure with a hope to contribute more to the worlds joint efforts to promote and protect human rights.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. Photo: VNA

Vietnam is running for election to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in the 2023-2025 tenure with a hope to contribute more to the worlds joint efforts to promote and protect human rights.



Vietnam is honoured to be nominated by ASEAN countries with high consensus to become the blocs candidate for a seat in the UNHRC  the UNs inter-governmental agency comprising of 47 members in charge of promoting and protecting human rights around the globe.

Ensuring human rights amidst the pandemic



Addressing a High-level Segment of the 46th Regular Session of the UNHRC via video conference last February, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of millions, and affected the well-being of billions around the world, and has strained public health and social security systems of all countries, thus triggering and exacerbating various human rights challenges.



However, he said, when the world is moving towards a new normal state, the pandemic is also a chance for it to build a better future, based on the capacity of adaptation and innovation, cooperation and solidarity at the local, national and global levels.



Ensuring a safe society against epidemics like COVID-19 is the best way to ensure that each and every member of the society can fully enjoy their human rights, Minh said.



He stressed that Vietnam continues to put emphasis on the protection and promotion of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of our people, even in this most difficult of times, adding that the country has tackled the pandemic head on, putting the people at the centre of all its efforts.



Minh also shared that Vietnam has provided medical masks and supplies to support more than 50 countries and international partners in their response to the pandemic. Under Vietnams proposal, the UN General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution proclaiming December 27 as the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness to help raise awareness on the importance of preventing and responding to epidemics.



In 2020, as the Chair of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), Vietnam exerted efforts to boost solidarity, unity and cooperation in AICHR, including its efforts to ensure human rights amidst the pandemic. In May 2020, under Vietnams initiative, the commission for the first time issued a joint press release related to the pandemic reflecting the cooperation and unity within the bloc.

Vietnam  a responsible member of UNHRC



In November 2013, Vietnam was elected to the UNHRC and officially become a council member in the 2014-2016 tenure with high votes (184 yes votes out of 192 votes  the highest among 14 new members).



The countrys winning the election with high votes demonstrated its position and prestige reflected through its great achievements in ensuring human rights, particularly in the fields of ensuring civil, political, socio-economic and cultural rights, and at the same time showing the international communitys expectation for the engagement of the country.



During the three years of the first tenure as a UNHRC member, Vietnam participated in the councils activities and programmes fully and responsibly. The country attended all annual high-level meetings of the council, during which Vietnamese delegates participated in not only plenary sessions but also thematic discussions on issues of Vietnams priorities such as the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, the impact of climate change on human rights, and the implementation of international commitments on human rights.



Vietnam has put forward many initiatives and engaged in promoting human rights such as promoting the rights of vulnerable groups and responding to climate change.



Vietnam was also ASEANs coordinator at the UNHCR. The country fulfilled the second Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the council in 2014 and is carrying out recommendations of the third UPR.



The countrys running for election to the UNHRC is a step implementing its Party and States foreign policy and is a good chance for it to increase its position and prestige and strengthen its relations with other countries. VNA

Deputy PM addresses high-level segment of UNHRCs 46th regular session Vietnam continues to put emphasis on the protection and promotion of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of our people, even in this most difficult of times, said Vietnamese Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh.
The Gibson Herald reports that Steve Woolston is the owner of one of only three 1979 Corvette C3 s in the country, which puts him in a very select and small group of car owners. As if that wasnt enough, this particular car comes with a touching story. Woolston bought it when he was 30 after selling his boat, and he used to drive it on a daily basis.Some time later, Woolston had to travel across the country and abroad for work, so the C3 remained in his hometown of Gisborne. When he returned home, he talked to some friends, and they lent him their garage so he could start fixing it.That is where the story takes a turn for the worst. While the friends were away on a mini-vacation, thieves broke into the locked garage and stole the silver-and-black car. Woolston believes he was targeted because the C3 wasnt running at the time, so they couldnt have dropped by accidentally and made off in it. The thieves disabled security cameras and most likely came with a trailer to haul it away.It wasn't driveable, he tells the publication. "I had parts of the engine off and the ignition wiring needed to be finished off, bits and pieces like that.Woolston has reported the theft to the police and, as expected, took his story online on social media. The response has been so overwhelming that he tells the publication that the whole country is upset about what has happened to him.For now, all thats left for Woolston to do is hope he gets his Vette back in one piece. It's not a little car but who knows what condition it is in now, he says. It's useless to whoever stole it. They can't register it and the serial numbers on the chassis have been reported. It's flagged nationwide as a stolen vehicle.Here's hoping the internet can work its magic again and reunite this man and his Corvette.
Several Russia watchers - Patrick Armstrong, Andrei Martyanov and Andrei Raevsky - are musing about a renewed attack by the government of Ukraine on its eastern Donbass region. The Donbass separated in 2014 after the U.S. driven coup in Kiev installed an anti-Russian government which then waged a war on its ethnic Russian east.

There have been a number of reports about heavy Ukrainian equipment moving east and other hints of military preparations. Russia has seen enough such signs to issue a strong warning:

"I would like to warn the Kiev regime and the hotheads that are serving it or manipulating it against further de-escalation and attempts to implement a forceful scenario in Donbass," [Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova] said, commenting on the statement of head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Contact Group for settlement in Donbass Leonid Kravchuk on some "radical steps" of Kiev if Russia refuses to recognize itself as a conflict side in eastern Ukraine.

...

Zakharova recalled that the Minsk Agreements clearly outline the conflict sides in Donbass as Kiev, Donetsk and Lugansk. "The unwillingness of Ukrainian negotiators to recognize this fact and their refusal to find agreements with Donbass is the reason that hinders the establishment of long-lasting peace in the region," the diplomat noted.

The main catalyst for such a war is the sorry state of the government in Kiev. The country is in in the midst of a constitutional crisis:

[T]he Constitutional Court of Ukraine (CCU) recently plunged the country into one of its deepest crises in its 30-year history. Specifically, on October 27, 2020, the Court declared that the main elements of Ukraines anti-corruption legislation, adopted between 2014 and 2020, were unconstitutional. In response, President Zelensky introduced legislation calling for the early termination of all Constitutional Court judges. Later, in December, he suspended the chairman of the Court for two months. The result was widespread chaos in Ukraines political system. Zelenskys actions were of questionable legality and provoked harsh criticism from all political sides. The ramifications of the Courts decision include the cancellation of over 100 pending corruption investigations, a development that potentially could endanger future EU-Ukraine trade and economic cooperation Ukraine under the 2014 Association Agreement.

After the 2014 Euromaidan coup an 'independent' National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) was created to oversee the investigation and prosecution of corrupt state officials. The NABU has since been used by the U.S. embassy to bring criminal cases against those oligarchs it dislikes and to cover for those it likes. The constitutional court found that NABU is a criminal investigation agency outside the control of the executive branch which is a contradiction to the Ukrainian constitution.

The crisis has since escalated:

President Zelensky has now taken several provocative steps, including proposing legislation that voids the Constitutional Court's anti-corruption rulings and begins the process of dismissing and replacing those justices who supported that decision. None of these actions are supported under present-day Ukrainian law. The rhetoric between the president and the Constitutional Court is also escalating, with Constitutional Court Chairman Tupitskyi warning that the presidents actions threaten the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Calls for impeachment proceedings are being raised in the Rada, and Zelensky yet again escalated the crisis on February 3, 2021 by blocking pro-Russian TV channels controlled by Victor Medvedchuk. The legality of the latter action was even questioned by the EU, who told Zelensky that while Ukraine possessed the right to protect itself from disinformation, it still had to comply with international standards and fundamental rights and freedoms. The pressure on Zelensky is growing as he tries to navigate the fine line of obeying the law as written while simultaneously claiming that the very integrity of the country is at stake. And Zelenskys problems are only mounting, with the Cabinet of Ministers recently calling for the dismissal of the head of NABU and the IMF delaying the next tranche of financial support, in part because of Ukraines failure to implement a comprehensive anti-corruption program.

Polling numbers for Zelensky have sharply declined. Right wing city councils call on Zelensky to outlaw the largest opposition party. Meanwhile the pandemic puts a record number of people into hospitals while a meager vaccination campaign is failing.

A war against the eastern separatist could be a Hail Mary attempt by Zelensky to regain some national and international support.

But nothing will happen on the frontline without the consent or even encouragement from Washington DC. The Biden administration is filled with the same delusional people who managed the 2014 coup in Kiev. They may believe that the NATO training the Ukrainian army received and the weapons the U.S. delivered are sufficient to defeat the separatist. But the state of the Ukrainian military is worse than one might think and the separatist will have Russia's full backing. There is no question who would win in such a fight.

As a commentator at Turcopolier remarked:

If the US is not careful it is going to give the Russians another opportunity to show to the World their military prowess, the flexibility of their Military District system allowing multi front operation and their unfailing support for an ally. As well as potentially letting the Russians show to Europe that they have nothing to fear, if they stop at 30 miles or so and basically go back home. All whilst the US demonstrates the opposite, but then reinforcing DC may trump the World.

Springfield, MA, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Merriam-Webster Inc., the digital media company helping millions of people understand and use language better through dictionaries and other learning products, today announced that it has named Greg Barlow as its new president. Barlow will be rejoining Merriam-Webster, having previously served as Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer at Merriam-Webster and Encyclopaedia Britannica.



Greg brings passion for our iconic brand and its mission alongside rich experiences in digital media and monetization, says Karthik Krishnan, global CEO of the Britannica Group. I look forward to working with Greg to further scale the brand reach and amplify the impact of Merriam-Webster in innovative and engaging ways.



Barlow has more than twenty years of digital media experience, most recently serving as Managing Director at North Equity, a venture equity firm that invests in and acquires digital media brands, among them Popular Science, Saveur, Outdoor Life, and Domino. While at North Equity, Barlow also served as CEO and President of The Drive Media Inc. Other leadership experience includes tenures as CEO of Constructive Media, where he oversaw all day-to-day operations for a suite of digital properties reaching over 50 million monthly users, as Director of Multimedia Sales at the Wall Street Journal, and as Director of Digital Sales at This Old House.



I am absolutely thrilled to join the team as President of Merriam-Webster, one of the world's most-trusted and iconic brands," said Barlow. "I look forward to building on the achievements and innovations of the past 180 years and delivering on the companys mission to propagate our love of language.







About Merriam-Webster Inc.

For over 180 years, Merriam-Webster has been Americas leading and most-trusted provider of language information. Each month, our award-winning websites, apps, and popular social media channels offer guidance to tens of millions of visitors. In print, our publications include Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary (among the best-selling books in American history) and dictionaries for English-language learners. All Merriam-Webster products and services are backed by the largest team of professional dictionary editors and writers in America, and one of the largest in the world.



For more information, visit Merriam-Webster.com, an official Webby Award Winner for 2020, and follow @MerriamWebster on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.



About Britannica Group

The Britannica Group is a global knowledge leader serves the needs of students, lifelong learners, and professionals by providing curriculum products, language-study courses, digital encyclopedias, and professional readiness training through Encyclopaedia Britannica, Britannica Digital Learning, Britannica Knowledge Systems, Merriam-Webster, and Melingo. The companys mission to inspire curiosity and the joy of learning. Britannica Group today generates over 5 billion page views annually through its consumer-facing digital experiences. It reaches more than 150 million students in 120+ countries via 20+ languages. recent recognitions include: No. 1 company to watch in EdTech, Top 20 brand in voice innovation, and a Great Place to Work. The company is headquartered in Chicago.



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Yacqub Khayre had a long criminal history, had previously been acquitted of terror charges and was watching extremist material online in the weeks before he killed a Melbourne man in the name of Islamic State.

But an inquest into the 2017 siege in Brighton, when Khayre shot dead a receptionist at the Buckingham Serviced Apartments, took a woman hostage and then died in a shoot-out with police, has been told he wasnt considered a person of interest by counter-terrorism police at the time.

Yacqub Khayre leaves court in Melbourne in 2010 after being acquitted of planning a terrorist attack on the Holsworthy army base in Sydney Credit:AAP

On June 5, 2017 Khayre shot dead the apartments receptionist, Kai Hao, and soon after told triple zero operators of a hostage situation as he held a sex worker against her will.

In the calls, played in the Coroners Court on Monday, the sex worker can be heard crying while Khayre tells the operator: Its a hostage situation ... No one comes into room 11 or else this hostage dies.
A Zimbabwean union of communications workers is calling for the beleaguered state-backed mobile firm Telecel to enter receivership or a corporate rescue process.Local outlet TechZim quoted David Mhambare, the Secretary-General of the Communications and Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe (CASWUZ), as saying: We have proposed the issue of corporate rescue to the government through the Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Jenfan Muswere and he promised to institute some changes at Telecel but there has not been any movement to date.

Under Zimbabwes corporate rescue process, the government would impose a temporary supervision order on the operator in a bid to help it manage its debts and liabilities.

As noted by TeleGeography, state-backed Telecel held around 6% of Zimbabwes total wireless market at the end of 2020, lagging behind its rivals Econet and NetOne in terms of subscriber numbers. Its total now sits at around 750,000, down from a peak of 2.5 million in 2012.
Attendees wait in line to enter a Google product launch event at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Oct. 4, 2017. (Elijah Nouvelake/AFP via Getty Images)

Australian Regulator Begins Probing Googles Search Browser Dominance

Following its acrimonious battle with Google and Facebook over media payment laws, the Australian regulator is now targeting the dominance of Googles search engine and web browser services.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is seeking submissions from stakeholders, including consumers and industry participants, to examine the possibility of mandating choice screens in all new smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

Choice screens appear when a user starts up their device and it shows the consumer a list of alternative web browser or search engines to choose from, rather than just the one service already preselected by the manufacturer.

A sample of a choice screen offering European consumers a selection of alternative web browsers to use (Screenshot).

Such a move would seek to counteract Googles dominance in the space, with Google Search being the default search service for over 95 percent of mobile devices in Australia.

Manufacturers of desktops, tablets, and mobiles typically include a pre-installed operating system, and a specific web browser. Web browsers, in turn, often include a default search service, which is embedded within the browser.

According to the ACCCs Digital Platforms Inquiry Final Report Googles Chrome is pre-installed in nearly all Android devices (owned by Google), with Google Search being the default search service.

Also, the U.S. Department of Justice claimed in 2020 that Google is paying Apple U.S. $8$12 billion each year to be the default search engine across all its devices and services, including Apples web browser Safari, its voice activated assistant Siri, and Spotlight.

A sample of a choice screen for European consumers to select an alternative search engine (Screenshot)

We know that, in general, setting a default option substantially increases the likelihood that consumers and businesses will stick with that option. This can have the effect of reducing competition and consumer choice in the supply of these services, ACCC Chair Rod Sims said in a statement.

Were also interested in competition in the supply of web browsers in Australia and the linkages between search services, web browsers, operating systems and devices, he added. The relationships between suppliers, through vertical integration or contractual arrangements, may impact the supply of search services and browsers to Australians.

We would like to hear from consumers and businesses about the impact of the pre-installation of services and default settings on devices on their use of these services.

Dr. Rob Nicholls, associate professor at the University of New South Wales and competition law expert, argued that government action may not be enough, The actual effect on Google is minimal as consumers tend to choose Chrome based on functionality and the portability of settings.

The logos of mobile apps Facebook and Google on a smartphone in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 9, 2020. (The Epoch Times)

Google Chrome is heavily integrated with a suite of other free services used by organisations and businesses including Google Search, Gmail, Maps, News, Drive, Maps, Docs, and YouTube.

The ACCC is following in the footsteps of European regulators, who compelled Google to introduce choice screens in 2019.

Following the changes we made to comply with the European Commissions ruling last year, well start presenting new screens to Android users in Europe with an option to download search apps and browsers, Paul Gennai, product management director of Google wrote in a blog.

The ACCC has been tasked by the government to investigate the progress of the European decision and its influence on competition.

The investigation is part of a five-year inquiry into the supply of digital platforms and services in Australia, with reports to be provided every six months targeting different facets of the online landscape.

The latest examination of Googles search comes after a recent report into the tech giants dominance of the digital advertising industry, and the rollout of the contentious New Media Bargaining Code, which saw Facebook ban news content on its platform throughout Australia.
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Two days before the last election, Scott Morrison was asked by 7.30s Leigh Sales what he would do if the election yielded no clear winner in the Parliament. He said the most important fact would be that Mr Shortens campaign to change the direction of Australia would not have succeeded. This meant that Morrison should remain Prime Minister.

No doubt Bill Shorten would have had a different view. But what is more interesting is Morrisons pithy formulation of Labors aim, which echoed Paul Keatings famous dictum on the eve of the 1996 election: When the government changes, the country changes. Morrison was, in essence, offering more of the same.

Illustration: Simon Bosch Credit:

At noon on Monday, the March 4 Justice will begin. The march grew directly from a tweet by academic Janine Hendry, who suggested women gather to link arms, forming a ring around Parliament House, their backs turned on the building and the politicians inside. Four thousand women would be needed. As it happens, the protesters (men are welcome too) wont be circling Parliament, due to restrictions. But, across the country, there will be far more than 4000 of them.

Hendry says she has seen an Australian outpouring of rage. It has not come all at once. So many factors have accumulated over time: the public attention given, finally, to the prevalence of violence against women; the #MeToo movement; the growing awareness of sexism as a pervasive social force; the alleged rape in Parliament House; the accusation against Christian Porter; and the weak responses of the Prime Minister to various issues over several years.
(CNN)  Spain, Germany, France, and Italy have become the latest European countries to temporarily halt the rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine over a small number of blood clot concerns, going against the advice of international medical agencies as a third wave of infections looms over the continent.

Spain will stop using the vaccine for two weeks, the country's Health Minister Carolina Darias announced in a nationally televised news conference Monday.

It's a "temporary and precautionary" suspension, she said, "until the risks can be evaluated by the European Medicines Agency."

After initially standing by the safety of the vaccine, German health minister Jens Spahn said Monday that the country would pause inoculations as a precaution, following reports of a handful of cases of blood clots in people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca shot in Denmark and Norway.

France and Italy also halted their rollouts of the vaccine Monday, pending review by the EU's medicines regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), although the body later reiterated its advice that countries stick to the rollout.

"We have decided to suspend the use of AstraZeneca as a precautionary measure and are hoping to resume it quickly if the EMA's advice allows it," French President Emmanuel Macron said at Monday news conference.

The suspensions came hours after prosecutors in northern Italy ordered a batch of the vaccine to be seized, citing a man who fell ill and died after taking a shot. Italy's medicines agency also suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine "as a precaution and temporarily," prior to the EMA meeting, the Italian medicines agency AIFA announced Monday.

Much of Europe has now halted the shot for the time being, following the fatality of one woman in Denmark that has yet to be linked to a vaccine. Another death was also reported in Norway on Monday, along with a handful of non-fatal cases in both countries.

The suspensions go against the advice of the World Health Organization, the EMA and the pharmaceutical giant itself, all of whom have said there is no evidence of a link with clotting and that rollouts should continue while the reports are investigated.

"As of today, there is no evidence that the incidents are caused by the vaccine and it is important that vaccination campaigns continue so that we can save lives and stem severe disease from the virus," the WHO said in a statement to CNN. The organization added it was assessing the latest reports, but said any change in its recommendations would be "unlikely."

The EMA also reiterated that countries should continue their rollouts, adding that it would meet on Thursday to discuss the concerns but that the benefit of vaccinations outweigh any potential risks.

"While its investigation is ongoing, EMA currently remains of the view that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing COVID-19, with its associated risk of hospitalisation and death, outweigh the risks of side effects," the agency said.

More than 11 million AstraZeneca jabs have been delivered in the UK, which is now one of few major European countries still backing the vaccine. Spahn said he spoke with his counterpart in the UK before halting Germany's rollout.

AstraZeneca doubled down on the safety of its shots Sunday, saying that a careful review of the 17 million people inoculated with it in the EU and Britain found again that there was "no evidence" of a link with clots.

It found that of those millions of people, there have been 15 events of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and 22 events of pulmonary embolism reported after vaccination; lower than the number that would be expected to occur naturally within that population size.

Nonetheless, the death of one woman in Denmark prompted a number of countries to pause their rollouts until reviews have been conducted. The Danish Medicines Agency said on Monday the woman in question had an "unusual" combination of symptoms before she died.

Later on Monday, Norway's Rikshospitalet hospital reported the death of another inoculated person with severe cases of blood clots, bleeding and low platelet count.

In the Netherlands, a lab that monitors the use of pharmaceuticals said it has received reports of 10 instances of blood clots in people who received the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, but none had the low blood platelet condition reportedly observed in Norway and Denmark.

Over the weekend Ireland and the Netherlands joined the pack of countries pausing their use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The chairwoman of Ireland's vaccination advisory committee said it took the step to "maintain confidence" in the country's inoculation program. The Dutch government said its move was "precautionary" and would last for two weeks; this came just days after health minister Hugo de Jonge said there was "no cause for concern" over the shot.

The UK has by far led the way in administering the AstraZeneca vaccine, with more than 11 million people receiving a dose, and it too has stood by the shot. Real-world data from the country has also shown it is having a significant impact in reducing Covid-19 hospitalizations.

A single dose of the vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalization from Covid-19 by more than 80% in people aged over 80, data from Public Health England showed earlier this month. The vaccine is given in two doses, though countries differ in how far apart they are spreading those shots.

Wave of infections in Europe

The episodes marked the latest example of the AstraZeneca vaccine dividing Europe. In the space of a few weeks, several EU countries have angrily rebuked the firm for failing to provide its full amount of promised doses; cast then walked back doubts about its efficacy in older people; blocked shipments of the vaccine from leaving the continent; and now halted their rollouts over blood clot concerns.

The continent's newest concerns over the vaccine come at a difficult moment, with a third wave of infections threatening to grip Europe one year after the pandemic began.

Italians are back under lockdown restrictions and millions have had their Easter plans canceled again, in scenes eerily similar to last March when Italy became the first European country to restrict people's movement as the coronavirus ran rampant.

Citizens were banned from traveling between regions from Monday and were told the entire nation would be considered a "red zone" over the Easter weekend.

Italy's new Prime Minister Mario Draghi had said the rules were necessary because "we are unfortunately facing a new wave of infections," a somber reality after 12 months of pandemic misery.

The restrictions mean that once again, many Italians can't celebrate Easter with their families. "I am aware that today's measures will have consequences on children's education, on the economy and also on the psychological state of us all," Draghi admitted last Friday, when the measures were passed by his cabinet.

But the picture is similarly bleak across Europe, where several countries are scrambling to respond to an uptick in infections.

On Monday, Germany registered another increase in cases. In France, hospitalizations are again on the rise -- and the situation became so stark in Paris over the weekend that leaders started evacuating around 100 Covid-19 patients from the region, citing increased pressure on hospitals.

The patients will be moved to "other regions where the situation in ICUs is less tense," French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal said on Sunday. Parisian hospitals were already canceling many surgeries to tackle the outbreak, with health minister Olivier Veran saying a coronavirus patient was being admitted to their intensive care units every 12 minutes.

The main cause of the wave of infections across the continent appears to be the more contagious coronavirus variant first identified in the UK; in France, the strand is now accounting for 66% of cases, according to the latest official data.

That variant caused havoc in Britain over Christmas and early in the new year, quickly adding to the UK's death toll, the highest in Europe at over 125,000 fatalities.

A stringent lockdown and a rapid vaccination drive has since combined to bring UK cases down dramatically and ease the pressure on hospitals.
In 1966, US Army scientists drilled down through nearly a mile of ice in northwestern Greenland--and pulled up a fifteen-foot-long tube of dirt from the bottom. Then this frozen sediment was lost in a freezer for decades. It was accidentally rediscovered in 2017.

In 2019, University of Vermont scientist Andrew Christ looked at it through his microscope--and couldn't believe what he was seeing: twigs and leaves instead of just sand and rock. That suggested that the ice was gone in the recent geologic past--and that a vegetated landscape, perhaps a boreal forest, stood where a mile-deep ice sheet as big as Alaska stands today.

Over the last year, Christ and an international team of scientists--led by Paul Bierman at UVM, Joerg Schaefer at Columbia University and Dorthe Dahl-Jensen at the University of Copenhagen--have studied these one-of-a-kind fossil plants and sediment from the bottom of Greenland. Their results show that most, or all, of Greenland must have been ice-free within the last million years, perhaps even the last few hundred-thousand years.

"Ice sheets typically pulverize and destroy everything in their path," says Christ, "but what we discovered was delicate plant structures--perfectly preserved. They're fossils, but they look like they died yesterday. It's a time capsule of what used to live on Greenland that we wouldn't be able to find anywhere else."

The discovery helps confirm a new and troubling understanding that the Greenland ice has melted off entirely during recent warm periods in Earth's history--periods like the one we are now creating with human-caused climate change.

Understanding the Greenland Ice Sheet in the past is critical for predicting how it will respond to climate warming in the future and how quickly it will melt. Since some twenty feet of sea-level rise is tied up in Greenland's ice, every coastal city in the world is at risk. The new study provides the strongest evidence yet that Greenland is more fragile and sensitive to climate change than previously understood--and at grave risk of irreversibly melting off.

"This is not a twenty-generation problem," says Paul Bierman, a geoscientist at UVM in the College of Arts & Sciences, Rubenstein School of Environment & Natural Resources, and fellow in the Gund Institute for Environment. "This is an urgent problem for the next 50 years."

The new research was published March 15 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

BENEATH THE ICE The material for the new PNAS study came from Camp Century, a Cold War military base dug inside the ice sheet far above the Arctic Circle in the 1960s. The real purpose of the camp was a super-secret effort, called Project Iceworm, to hide 600 nuclear missiles under the ice close to the Soviet Union. As cover, the Army presented the camp as a polar science station.

The military mission failed, but the science team did complete important research, including drilling a 4560-foot-deep ice core. The Camp Century scientists were focused on the ice itself--part of the burgeoning effort at the time to understand the deep history of Earth's ice ages. They, apparently, took less interest in a bit of dirt gathered from beneath the ice core. Then, in a truly cinematic set of strange plot twists, the ice core was moved from an Army freezer to the University of Buffalo in the 1970s, to another freezer in Copenhagen, Denmark, in the 1990s, where it languished for decades--until it surfaced when the cores were being moved to a new freezer.

More about how the core was lost, rediscovered in some cookie jars, and then studied by an international team gathered at the University of Vermont in 2019 can be read here: Secrets Under the Ice.

For much of the Pleistocene--the icy period covering the last 2.6 million years--portions of the ice on Greenland persisted even during warmer spells called "interglacials." But most of this general story has been pieced together from indirect evidence in mud and rock that washed off the island and was gathered by offshore ocean drilling. The extent of Greenland's ice sheet and what kinds of ecosystems existed there before the last interglacial warm period--that ended about 120,000 years ago--have been hotly debated and poorly understood.

The new study makes clear that the deep ice at Camp Century--some 75 miles inland from the coast and only 800 miles from the North Pole--entirely melted at least once within the last million years and was covered with vegetation, including moss and perhaps trees. The new research, supported by the National Science Foundation, lines up with data from two other ice cores from the center of Greenland, collected in 1990s. Sediment from the bottom of these cores also indicate that the ice sheet was gone for some time in the recent geologic past. The combination of these cores from the center of Greenland with the new insight from Camp Century in the far northwest give researchers an unprecedented view of the shifting fate of the entire Greenland ice sheet.

The team of scientists used a series of advanced analytical techniques--none of which were available to researchers fifty years ago--to probe the sediment, fossils, and the waxy coating of leaves found at the bottom of the Camp Century ice core. For example, they measured ratios of rare forms--isotopes--of both aluminum and the element beryllium that form in quartz only when the ground is exposed to the sky and can be hit by cosmic rays. These ratios gave the scientists a window onto how long rocks at the surface were exposed vs. buried under layers of ice. This analysis gives the scientists a kind of clock for measuring what was happening on Greenland in the past. Another test used rare forms of oxygen, found in the ice within the sediment, to reveal that precipitation must have fallen at much lower elevations than the height of the current ice sheet, "demonstrating ice sheet absence," the team writes. Combining these techniques with studies of luminescence that estimate the amount of time since sediment was exposed to light, radiocarbon-dating of bits of wood in the ice, and analysis of how layers of ice and debris were arranged--allowed the team to be clear that most, if not all, of Greenland melted at least once during the past million years--making Greenland green with moss and lichen, and perhaps with spruce and fir trees.

And the new study shows that ecosystems of the past were not scoured into oblivion by ages of glaciers and ice sheets bulldozing overtop. Instead, the story of these living landscapes remains captured under the relatively young ice that formed on top of the ground, frozen in place, and holds them still.

In a 1960's movie about Camp Century created by the Army, the narrator notes that "more than ninety percent of Greenland is permanently frozen under a polar ice cap." This new study makes clear that it's not as permanent as we once thought. "Our study shows that Greenland is much more sensitive to natural climate warming than we used to think--and we already know that humanity's out-of-control warming of the planet hugely exceeds the natural rate," says Christ.

"Greenland may seem far away," says UVM's Paul Bierman, "but it can quickly melt, pouring enough into the oceans that New York, Miami, Dhaka--pick your city--will go underwater."

###
CAIRO  Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have called for Syrias return to the Arab League nearly 10 years after its membership was suspended.

Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry said during the opening session of a March 3 meeting of the Arab League Foreign Ministers Council, Syrias return to the Arab League as a stable and active state would be vital for maintaining Arab national security.

However, Shoukry stressed the need for Syria to pragmatically demonstrate a will to move toward a political solution based on the Security Council resolutions. He added, Accommodating the [Syrian] national opposition would reduce the intensity of the conflict and pave the way for Syria to emerge from the furnace of this ongoing war to safety.

Days later, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan called for regional cooperation to end the war in Syria and ensure its return to the Arab League.

Speaking at a press conference in Abu Dhabi with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on March 9, Nahyan said, Syrias return to the Arab fold is essential and has nothing to do with who wants or who does not want it. It is a matter of public interest and the interests of Syria and the region.

In 2011, the Arab League foreign ministers suspended the participation of Syrian delegations in the meetings of the Arab League and all affiliated organizations and agencies and imposed economic and political sanctions against the Syrian government. They also called on Arab countries to withdraw their ambassadors until protection is secured for Syrian civilians protesting against President Bashar al-Assads regime.

Diplomats and political analysts in Cairo who spoke to Al-Monitor believe that suspending Syrias membership in the Arab League not only produced no positive results, but led to an increase in foreign interference. They said that Syrias return to the Arab League would give Arab parties an opportunity to contribute to resolving the Syrian crisis.

Syrias return to the Arab League would help Arab countries play a role in finding political solutions and settling the crisis there, former Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed el-Orabi told Al-Monitor.

He added, Suspending Syrias membership in the Arab League led to increasing foreign intervention, especially Turkish and Iranian meddling, in the Syrian crisis. Besides, Arab countries must have a clear role in helping resolve the crisis to protect Arab national security.

Ahmed Youssef Ahmed, a professor of political science at the University of Cairo and former dean of the Institute of Arab Research and Studies, told Al-Monitor over the phone, Suspending Syrias membership at the Arab League has been a mistake from the start, since the Syrian government continued to represent Syria at the United Nations and participate in all deliberations related to the conflict there.

Ahmed said, The Arab League did not gain anything from suspending the membership of Syria, except for reducing chances of settling the conflict. In fact, removing Syria from the Arab League did not have any positive effect. The conflict has exceeded 10 years and the situation is stagnating.

He went on, Restoring Syrias membership in the Arab League would be a positive decision because it would help deliberate with the Syrian government, listen to it, advise it or even pressure it into reaching a solution to the conflict that has deeply harmed a major and influential Arab country in the Middle East.

Ahmed said, I now feel a shift in the stances of some of these countries. I hope this will facilitate a majority decision to bring the Syrian government back to the Arab League.

With the increasing calls for Syrias return to the group, Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Abdul Rahman Al-Thani stressed his countrys objection to the Syrian government reentering the Arab League in a March 11 press conference, saying, The reasons behind the suspension of Syrias membership in the Arab League are still valid.

In September 2011, the Arab League presented a 13-point initiative to settle the crisis in Syria including an immediate halt to violence against civilians, serious political contacts between Assad and opposition representatives and multi-party presidential elections.

Ahmed said, The countries that consider themselves against Assads regime and support the opposition against him believed that distancing the Syrian government from the Arab League would expedite his fall. But this did not happen.

Abdul Menhem Said, a political analyst and member of the Egyptian Senate, told Al-Monitor over the phone, Egypt wants the situation in Syria to stabilize. The current Syrian government must be given some incentive by restoring it to the Arab League, especially since it represents Syria at the UN. Besides, its return to the Arab League is logical as negotiations on a solution to the crisis would be more appropriate and reflective of the situation on the ground in Syria.

He added, Syrias return to the Arab League is important because it would give Arab parties a chance to take part in resolving the Syrian crisis. Egypt is especially interested in stability in the Middle East and in calming the areas of conflict and tensions.

Khaled Okasha, director of the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies, told Al-Monitor, The Egyptian call and the subsequent Emirati demands for the return of Syria to the Arab League are important and reflect major strategic awareness. The region needs Arab efforts to solve its crises and to take control of Syrias future amid foreign intervention, especially from Ankara and Tehran, which have deeply harmed the Syrian internal arena.

Okasha said, Returning Syria to the Arab League, allowing it to rehabilitate its political life, will help maintain regional security for all Arab states.
Becoming successful in business does not depend on your religion; it is about attitude, discipline and knowledge, Mr Stephen Boafo, a Business Consultant, has stated.



He explained that the success or otherwise of any business venture does not only depend on ones religious standings, but rather adherence to business ethics.



Mr Boafo told the Ghana News Agency in an interview at Tema that entrepreneurship depended on following fundamental principles of economics.



He noted that, the difference between successful and unsuccessful businessmen and women had nothing to do with the religious affiliations.



According to him, it was all about being trustworthy and to ensure that customers were treated well and it would bring repeated purchase.



He advised that finances should be managed well when starting businesses to avoid mismanagement; pricing should be done well in order not to incur cost.



He claimed that some Christian businessmen and women thinks that they can sell their products anyhow with the view that God will definitely bless them, so they do not price their products very well, this is wrong.



Mr Boafo alleged that sometimes some Christians think that by virtue of being Christians their businesses should be successful. "Some Christians would leave their business for days or weeks without opening to go and pray somewhere".



He added that businesses thrive on principles and once you do not follow the principles, your business would not grow.

Source: GNA









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Prominent investment house Bell Potter has publicly attacked a new compliance test for financial advisers, claiming it is biased against stockbrokers, will lead to job losses and push up costs for retail investors.

The mandatory compliance exam written by the soon-to-be-defunct Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority has sparked outrage within the broking community, with experienced professionals struggling to pass it. Three sources told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that Bell Potters failure rate at the November sitting was 100 per cent, while Shaw Stockbroking and Morgans both said a majority of its brokers did not pass.

Minister for Financial Services Jane Humes chief of staff met with two senior Bell Potter directors. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Bell Potters head of compliance Lewis Bell and retail broking boss Dean Surkitt met Financial Services Minister Jane Humes chief of staff on February 9 after the firm sent a letter of complaint about the exam. The exam is not specific to stockbroking and tests competency across a broad range of issues including ethics and insurance.

Mr Surkitt sent an email to the ministers office following the February meeting to outline his request for changes to the test. I appreciate your candid response to our questions, the email, obtained by this masthead, said. Whilst we will continue in earnest to have our adviser cohort sit and pass the exam by the deadline, we remain committed to the cause of a specialised exam specifically for stockbrokers.
With COVID-19 cases down, camping picks up in South Dakota

South Dakota parks are seeing camping reservations fill up. That includes at recreation areas in Aberdeen and Watetown.
A 60-year old Danish woman who died of a blood clot after receiving AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine had "highly unusual" symptoms, the Danish Medicines Agency said late on Sunday.

It said the woman had a low number of blood platelets and clots in small and large vessels, as well as bleeding.

European vaccination programmes have been upset in the last two weeks by reports that recipients of the AstraZeneca inoculation have suffered blood clots.

The European Medicines Agency has said there is no indication that the events were caused by the vaccination, a view that was echoed by the World Health Organization on Friday.

AstraZeneca Plc said on Sunday a review of safety data of people vaccinated with its COVID-19 vaccine has shown no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.

Also read: AstraZeneca to seek US approval for its coronavirus vaccine this month

Also read: COVID-19 vaccine: Netherlands halts use of AstraZeneca jab amid blood clotting concerns
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(Newser)  More than two years after crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger was found murdered in West Virginia's Hazelton federal prison, no charges have been filed in his slaying. For that same period, Sean McKinnon has been asking why he was thrown into the "hole"aka solitary confinementafter Bulger's murder, insisting he isn't tied to the mobster's demise. "I know nothing. I'm an innocent man," 35-year-old Sean McKinnon tells NBC News, which had also reported on McKinnon's plight back in May 2019. "I told the feds if I had something to tell them, I would." McKinnon was whisked to solitary after Bulger's killing. So was his cellmate, mob hitman Fotios "Freddy Geas, and another gangster, Paul DeCologero, both deemed suspects, and Felix Wilson, who'd stayed in the same cell as Bulger the night he was killed. Critics say solitary confinementgiven the somewhat more palatable label "restrictive housing" by the governmentis overused, and often for periods that breach federal rules.

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"Under international human rights law, solitary confinement lasting longer than 15 days is categorically prohibited, so 2 1/2 years is really beyond the pale," David Fathi, director of the ACLU's National Prison Project, tells NBC. "They plan to keep [McKinnon] in solitary until he breaks or confesses or shares information." But McKinnon, who's serving an eight-year sentence for firearms theft and has no known ties to the mob, says he has no info to share, and in January he filed a grievance about his status, which allows him just one phone call a month. After nearly a year of being completely alone, he does now have a cellmate: DeCologero. Hazelton's warden is staying tight-lipped on the matter, as is the Bureau of Prisons, citing "privacy, safety, and security concerns." Geas is said to be in solitary in another unit; Wilson has since been released from prison. Though McKinnon is set to get out next July, he now worries that won't happen. "They're treating me as a guilty man," he says. (Read more Whitey Bulger stories.)
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What must you believe to be a Christian?

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A man was on a bridge, intending to jump and end his life. Another man saw him and cried out, "Don't do it! God loves you. Do you believe in God?" The conversation then went on like this:

First man: "Yes."

Second man: "Are you a Christian or a Jew?"

First man: "A Christian."

Second man: "Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?"

First man: "Protestant."

Second man: "Me, too! What franchise?"

First man: "Baptist."

Second man: Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?"

First man: "Northern Baptist."

Second man: Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?"

First man: "Northern Conservative Baptist."

Second man: "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?"

First man: "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region."

Second man: "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?"

First man: "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912."

There was then a slight pause, after which the second man shouted "Die heretic!" and pushed the first man off the bridge.

Maybe its Premillennialism vs. Amillennialism. Or Arminianism vs. Calvinism. Or young earth vs. old earth. Or ransom theory of Christs atonement vs. penal-substitution.

Take your pick, debates and divisions occur all the time in Christianity over matters of doctrinal belief. But when it comes to true saving faith, is there a must-have set of things a person must believe to be saved?

Moreover, once you settle on what a person must accept to be a Christian, then youre staring the next question right in the face: why do you believe that? And then comes the final question: what difference does that make in your life?

The Bedrock of Belief

When it comes to what teachings a person must hold to be saved, the answer isnt as hard as you might imagine. While there are a number of doctrines that form the foundation of Christianity, they all contribute to one high-level belief.

What does a person have to believe in order to be a Christian? They must believe the Gospel.

Young earth vs. old earth? That doesnt matter for salvation.

Pre-mill vs. post-mill vs. a-mill? That also doesnt matter for salvation.

When I was saved at age 19, I had no deep understanding of the divinity of Jesus, the inspiration of Scripture, the virgin birth, creation out of nothing, etc. But what I did get was John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

In a very real sense, my experience was like the tax collector Jesus describes in Luke: But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, the sinner! I tell you, this man went to his house justified (18:13-14).

Of course, understanding all the doctrines that contribute to and support the Gospel message (e.g. divinity of Christ, inspiration of Scripture, etc.) are vitally important, but a deep understanding of them typically comes later for most people as the Holy Spirit teaches them through Gods Word and via great Bible teachers. But as for the Ground Zero of saving faith, the Gospel message is it.

Why do you believe that?

So, the Gospel is what we believe to be saved, but why do we believe that? What are the necessary and sufficient conditions that make believing the gospel message credible?

Just like the answer to what a person must believe to be a Christian is simple to understand, the response to the question of why a person is justified for believing in the Gospel is equally straightforward. When anyone asks me why I am a Christian, I tell them its because:

1. God exists.

2. Jesus exists and He rose from the dead.

Thats it.

If those two truth claims are correct, then Christianity is true and all other teachings opposed to it are false. Like with the Gospel message, of course there are a lot of supportive teachings, questions, facts, and more behind the existence and identity of God, His Son, and the Resurrection. But from a high-level perspective, when everything is boiled down to the absolute essentials as to why Christianity is true, these are it.

So what?

This leads to our final questions of, so what? If the gospel message is true, and the core reasons for believing it are correct, what difference does that make in our lives?

It means, as C. S. Lewis wrote, You have never met a mere mortal.

Surprisingly, the ones who have best articulated the answer to the so what question of Christianity are the atheistic existentialist philosophers. For example, Nietzsche had the courage to admit that the rejection of God ends in nihilism. Another, Jean-Paul Sartre, well describes existence without God with the chosen title of his book Nausea and the portrayal of life as an empty bubble floating on a sea of nothingness.

Sartres study partner, Albert Camus, tells us in An Absurd Reasoning (contained in The Myth of Sisyphus: And Other Essays) that a God-less life leads to there being only one really serious philosophical question, and this is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy.

Its what Daryl on The Walking Dead calls opting out.

But life with God? Then we have actual purpose and meaning in life, real moral values, a path worth living, and the promise of eternity where God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. And He who sits on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new (Rev. 21:3-5).

So, in the end, the answers to some seemingly weighty questions about Christianity and belief are relatively simple.

What do you have to believe to be a Christian? The Gospel.

Why is the Gospel worthy of belief? Because God exists, Jesus exists, and Christ rose from the dead.

Why does all this matter? It gives us true purpose, an objective moral path to follow, and meaning in this life as well as glorifying God both now and in eternity.
New Delhi, March 15 : Tightening its noose around the Islamic State (IS) operatives in India, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday arrested three persons after carrying out searches at 11 locations in Kerala, Karnataka and Delhi, including the premises of the mastermind of the module, Mohammed Ameen aka Abu Yahya, whose group had identified several people in Kerala and Karnataka for "targeted killing".

An NIA spokesperson said that sleuths of the anti-terror probe agency arrested Ameen and his associates Mushab Anuvar and Rahees Rashid after questioning them.

The official said that Ameen was leading the module while the other two arrested accused were his close associates.

Earlier in the day, the NIA carried out searches at 11 locations, including eight locations in Kerala spread over the districts of Kannur, Mallapuram, Kollam and Kasargod, two locations in Bengaluru and one location in Delhi in a case pertaining to terrorist activities of a group led by Ameen, a resident of Kerala.

The official said that the group has been running various IS propaganda channels on different social media platforms such as Telegram, Hoop and Instagram for propagating the violent Jihadi ideology of IS and radicalising and recruiting new members for the IS module.

The NIA had registered a case on March 5 this year against seven known and other unknown accused persons under several sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

The official said that the searches were preceded by extensive verification carried out jointly by the NIA, the Special Cell of Delhi Police and the ATS of Kerala Police.

The official said, "The group of radicalised individuals under the leadership of Ameen had identified certain individuals in Kerala and Karnataka for targeted killing." They had also planned to undertake 'Hijrat' (religious migration) to Jammu and Kashmir for engaging in terrorist acts.

The official said, "Ameen had travelled to Jammu and Kashmir immediately after his return to India from Bahrain in March last year and had been camping in Delhi for the last two months for establishing connection with J&K based operatives having allegiance to IS." The official added that the searches were conducted at the premises of Ameen and his associates, who were members of various groups or channels on encrypted chat platforms.

The official said that during the searches, several digital devices, including laptops, mobiles, hard disks and pen drives, multiple SIM cards of different service providers and incriminating documents were seized.

The official said that the exhibits are being scrutinised and will be sent for forensic examination.
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The Opposition on Monday praised the government's efforts to bring back people who were stranded in the Gulf and other countries during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Congress leader Anand Sharma said, "All the officials of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian missions abroad should be complimented for the work they have done during the pandemic."

Anand Sharma also requested the government to take up the issue of the students who have lost an year due to the pandemic.

In reply, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said, "Our main focus was to bring the stranded Indians back. Once the recovery picks up pace, we will try to arrange for their return."

Earlier in the day, Jaishankar told the Parliament that more than 45 lakh people from various countries have been brought back during the lockdown, which highlights the success of the diplomacy of the current government.

Noting that seafarers are a category that requires special attention, the minister said that crew change rules pose a challenge but even the issue with the crew at the Chinese ports have been successfully resolved.

Jaishankar was speaking on the recent developments pertaining to the welfare of Indians starnded abroad during the pandemic.

In the process, the minister said, the government spent Rs 33.5 crore from the Indian Community Welfare Fund.

"This repatriation process would not have been possible without partner governments. This highlights the success of diplomacy of the current government," Jaishankar said.

He added that India has confirmed agreements for air bubbles with 27 nations so far.

Jaishankar also mentioned how under the Prime Minister's directions, India pushed its effort to provide food items and medicines to the people in the Gulf region.
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(Bloomberg) -- Xiaomi Corp.s shares jumped in Hong Kong after a U.S. court blocked the Defense Department from restricting American investment in the Chinese smartphone giant.

Shares of the consumer electronics maker surged as much as 12% on Monday, the biggest intraday gain in almost a month. Under the Trump administration, the Defense Department placed Xiaomi on a list of companies with alleged links to the Chinese military, triggering financial restrictions that were set to go into effect next week. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras on Friday put a temporary halt to the ban, siding with Xiaomi in a lawsuit that argued that the move was arbitrary and capricious and deprived the company of its due process rights.

Contreras said Xiaomi was likely to win a full reversal of the ban as the litigation unfolds and issued an initial injunction to prevent the company from suffering irreparable harm. After the ban was announced, the smartphone manufacturer faced the prospect of being de-listed from U.S. exchanges and deleted from global benchmark indexes, wiping out as much as $44 billion from its market value.

Read more: Xiaomi Shares Soar in Hong Kong After $1.3 Billion Buyback Plan

What Bloomberg Intelligence Says

Xiaomi could reverse negative market sentiment on a temporary injunction against a U.S. investment ban, coupled with its announced HK$10 billion buyback plan. Despite improving fundamentals, the smartphone makers share price is down 22.5% since the ban was announced on January 15. Xiaomi remains well-positioned to keep capturing market share amid Huaweis retrenchment and drive average prices and margins higher with the rollout of 5G devices.

-- Matthew Kanterman and Nathan Naidu, analysts

Click here for the research

Founded more than a decade ago by billionaire entrepreneur Lei Jun, Xiaomi is the third-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world by volume. In the third quarter, it surpassed Apple Inc. in smartphone sales, according to IDC. The company has attracted a suite of American investors from Qualcomm Inc. to Vanguard Group and BlackRock Inc., according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Story continues

Xiaomi plans to continue to request that the court declare the labeling of its connection to the military as unlawful, and to permanently remove the designation, according to a company statement.

In November, former President Donald Trump signed an order barring American investment in Chinese firms owned or controlled by the military in a bid to pressure Beijing over what the U.S. has described as abusive business practices. The U.S. has also pursued bans on popular Chinese-owned apps like WeChat and TikTok, invoking threats to national security.

Contreras brushed those concerns aside in his ruling Friday. The court is somewhat skeptical that weighty national security interests are actually implicated here, he wrote. The Defense Department didnt immediately return a request for comment on Friday evening.

The Xiaomi ruling could pave the way for more more firms to challenge the Trump-era restrictions, with non-state-owned companies like including Huawei Technologies Co. and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. standing a better chance of winning a similar lawsuit, according to Jefferies. Shares of SMIC gained as much as 3.3% in Hong Kong Monday.

Xiaomis potential victory could challenge the Defense Secretarys discretion in classifying non-SOEs in China as Communist Chinese Military Companies, analysts including Edison Lee wrote in a note. Xiaomis potential win would likely increase the chances that many of Trumps sanctions on Chinese companies may have to be reversed.

The case is Xiaomi v. Defense Department, 21-cv-280, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia (Washington).

(Updates with analyst comments in fourth and ninth paragraphs)

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Robert Patrick is seen as Mays on Sunday's "The Walking Dead." Josh Stringer/AMC

Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for season 10, episode 19 of "The Walking Dead."

Robert Patrick joined Sunday's episode playing twins scarred and changed by the zombie apocalypse.

Patrick told Insider it was fun filming 20-minute takes with Seth Gilliam and Ross Marquand.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Robert Patrick made his debut on "The Walking Dead," playing not one, but two characters on Sunday's episode.

His time on the show didn't last long, though, as the twin brothers he played were killed off by the episode's end.

Insider spoke with Patrick Friday afternoon over the phone to find out how the "Terminator 2" star got involved with the show, of which he's been a fan of for years. He was good friends with some of the series early stars, including Laurie Holden and the late Scott Wilson.

With the star at home in Atlanta, Georgia, where the AMC series is filmed, the pandemic helped Patrick finally appear on the series. Patrick told us how he called up returning episode director Laura Belsey and learned they would film his scenes with Ross Marquand and Seth Gilliam in one long take so it felt like acting out a play.

Patrick was able to join the show as they filmed during the pandemic because he lives down in Atlanta. He's also known producer Gale Ann Hurd for forever because of her work on the 'Terminator' franchise.

Robert Patrick comes out of the shadows on Sunday's episode of "TWD" to surprise Gabriel. Josh Stringer/AMC

Kirsten Acuna: Your casting caught me off guard. When I first heard you were going to be on the show, I was so excited. I figured there was no way that Robert Patrick was joining "The Walking Dead" and wasn't going to play some sort of villain. I'm so curious. How did this come about? Have you been a fan of "TWD"? Are you friends with some of the people on the show?

Robert Patrick: A bit of all of the above. I've been a fan of the show. I've watched the show. Being filmed in Atlanta, that's my birthplace. The whole concept was very interesting to me. So yes, I was aware of it. Of course, I know Gale Anne Hurd from the "Terminator" franchise, so I was curious what she was doing. Glen Mazzara was one of the writers and showrunners for a while. Scotty Wilson was an old friend of mine. Laurie Holden, I worked with on the "X-Files," so thematically I was very curious about it and was a fan.

Story continues

I often wondered, well, maybe someday I'll get a shot to get down there. I've been busy doing other things, as well. And I'm just glad it finally fell into place where I could actually do it. They wrote such a great role that I read it and I went, "Oh my God, how can you not want to do that part?"

Acuna: I'll come back to Mays in a second, but I forgot - of course you and Gale Ann Hurd go way back. I have to wonder then, was there ever considerations for you to play a villain earlier on the series?



Patrick: If there was, I never heard about it.



Acuna: I had to ask because I could've seen you being - I don't know - the Governor or bringing some of that other energy elsewhere onto the show.

Acuna: Mays seems like a character study on what can happen when you're in isolation for too long. Something that I think a lot of people have experienced over the last year during the pandemic. What were the conversations you had either with Angela Kang or "TWD" crew in developing this character?

Patrick: They didn't really come at me with a lot of advanced notes or comments on the character. I really had such a visceral reaction to it when I read it. It hit me on all those levels, what you just mentioned, isolation. I also looked at it from a spiritual point of view. I'm a practicing Episcopalian. I go to church. To let yourself wander and think about your faith being challenged to the point where you turn your back on God was a really heavy concept for me and something I wanted to play, you know? It hit me on so many different levels. I was kind of glad that they didn't come in and layer on a bunch of some backstories and other things for me to think of that I had to consider as I was putting together the performance.

I'll tell you what - they kind of gave me a rope and kept it loose, and let me go hang myself.

Patrick said filming his scenes with Seth Gilliam and Ross Marquand was like doing a play. It was all one long take.

Mays puts his faith in the Father and realizes too late that he didn't call Gabriel's bluff. Josh Stringer/AMC

Acuna: I was wondering how much they let you improv here - if at all.

Patrick: There was no improvisation. Maybe a couple times I might've slipped a "padre" in there. There must have been a few little things that I slipped in there.

When I read it, I went, "Oh my God, how are they going to shoot this?" I contacted [episode director] Laura [Belsey]. I said, is your intention to have some cut beats here where we're gonna reset and do this part of the scene and then do this part of the scene? She said, "No. We're going to shoot it as a oner." Beginning, middle, and end, it's a big one act. It was very much like doing a play. And once I realized that's what was going to happen, Seth and Ross, we were all off book and we were ready to rip it. And it was just fun, you know, take after take 20 minute long takes.

Acuna: I have to imagine some of those concerns were because of the pandemic?

Patrick: Yeah. My thing was for the mechanics of the props. We had a gun we had to fire, we had the bullets, moving Aaron out of that room. [You had] all those practical beats that were in there. I was concerned that we weren't going to be able to do it all in one long take, but we did. And it was so much fun. I can't think if I've ever done a television show where I've had that long of a take in one scene. It was like a 20-minute take.

Patrick says Gabriel made the wrong choice in killing Mays and that he proved Mays' point. He's a murderer.

Seth Gilliam kills Mays in an unexpected moment. Josh Stringer/AMC

Acuna: I love a good hypothetical. If Aaron and Gabriel let maze live, do you think he could have turned out to be good and be an asset to Alexandria? Or do you think he would have endangered the group? Did Gabriel make the right call in killing him?

Patrick: I think Gabriel feels that he made the right call. My contention is that, no, I was a lost sheep. I let myself be vulnerable in front of the Father. Help me bring me back in. Like, you would go to a priest - bring me back into the flock. And I looked at him for that leadership, and I laid it out to him like that.

You don't know yet about my brother that's up there in the upper crawl space. I've done some things, but I want to come back. Please forgive me, allow me to come back in. And he doesn't. He's a judge, jury, and executioner right there. He takes me out. I said that to Seth the other day - I think [Gabriel] messed up. I really do. I think he should have brought me back to the flock, let me bring my brother back in. Let me find redemption with him. I could be an asset, and he said, 'No, you're, you're just too crazy. You would have been a threat to the group."

Acuna: By having Gabriel kill Mays, it feels like Mays winds up being right in the end. His world view was that the only people left in this world are murderer and thieves. Was Mays right?

Patrick: I think you are correct. I think that Gabriel proved that he was a murderer in this episode and this episode was to service his character, to be honest with you. And Aaron as well. He proves that he's a murderer. Mays is willing to take that step. I think at this time, Mays is just tired. He's kind of done and just stressed about the whole situation. So let himself be vulnerable. He let his guard down.

You can follow along with our "The Walking Dead" coverage here.

Read the original article on Insider
Bolivia's former interim president Jeanine Anez was transferred to a jail Monday where she began four months of pre-trial detention as investigators review allegations that she helped plot a coup that forced Evo Morales to resign as president in 2019.

Anez, who led a conservative government that lasted for less than a year after the ouster of Morales, a leftist, was apprehended Saturday morning at her home in the north-central city of Trinidad.

Bolivian judge Regina Santa Cruz feared Anez could use her political influence to flee the South American nation and ordered her held following a court hearing Sunday. Prosecutors initially requested six months of pre-trial detention.

Former Justice Minister Alvaro Coimbra and ex-Minister of Energy Rodrigo Guzman were apprehended Friday evening and also placed in pre-trial detention for four months after Sunday's court session.

The three are each accused of terrorism, sedition and conspiracy.

The Attorney General's Office has also issued arrest warrants for former Presidency Minister, Yerko Nunez; former Defense Minister, Luis Fernando Lopez and former Interior Minister, Arturo Murillo.

Former interim president Jeanine Anez (pictured center) is escorted to a prison in La Paz, Bolivia, on Monday after a judge ruled on Sunday that she had to remain in pre-trial detention for four months while investigators went over claims that she helped plot a coup that led to the removal of former President Evo Morales in 2019. Anez along with former Justice Minister Alvaro Coimbra and former Minister of Energy Rodrigo Guzman - who also have to spend four months in pre-trial detention - are being accused of terrorism, sedition and conspiracy

Evo Morales (center) welcomed a Bolivian court's decision to investigate former interim president Jeanine Anez over what he says was an attempt by her and his rivals that 'looted the economy and attacked life and democracy in Bolivia' after he was forced to step down as president of the South American nation in 2019

Anez reportedly used security force allies to push Morales to resign in November 2019 after contested elections and eventually install herself as interim president.

She was transferred to a women's prison in the capital La Paz on Monday.

'As we have reported, the [Movement for Socialism decides and the judicial system obeys: they sent me to detention for 4 months to await the trial for a 'coup' that never happened,' Anez tweeted Saturday evening. 'From here I call on Bolivia to have faith and hope. One day, together, we will build a better Bolivia.'

Prior to Anez's arrest, Morales, who spent his exile in Mexico and Argentina, called on the Bolivian court system to find those who were responsible for the alleged coup.

'For justice and truth for the 36 fatal victims, the more than 800 injured and more than 1,500 illegally detained in the coup,' Morales tweeted. 'That the authors and accomplices of the dictatorship that looted the economy and attacked life and democracy in Bolivia be investigated and punished.'

Justice Minister Ivan Lima said on state television late on Sunday that he would ultimately seek a 30-year jail sentence if Anez is convicted of fomenting a coup.

Lima added that the state would look to introduce further charges of corruption and what he described as grave human rights abuses, without giving further details of the accusations.

'We are talking about bloody massacres, and we will press on with our bid to give the Bolivian people justice,' he said.

Former interim president Jeanine Anez allegedly security force allies to push Morales to resign in November 2019 after contested elections and eventually install herself as his replacement

Former Justice Minister Alvaro Coimbra (left), former Energy Minister Rodrigo Guzman (second from left), former interim President Jeanine Anez (right) and her daughter Carolina Ribera (second from right) attend a virtual hearing in La Paz, Bolivia on Sunday

Tensions were high in Bolivia on Monday amid rumors of further arrests to come.

Protests have been called for in major cities including La Paz, Sucre and Santa Cruz, while police have been ordered to step up security around state buildings, particularly prosecutors' offices, ahead of potential unrest.

Bolivia's police chief said on Sunday he had no more arrest orders pending.

The crackdown on former members of Anez's administration as well as police and military chiefs represents a sharp change of direction by President Luis Arce, who was Morales' economy minister.

Arce pledged to 'rebuild and stabilize' the Andean nation when he led Morales' Movement for Socialism party back into office in elections last October.

Anez, 53, a lawyer and former senator for the center-right Democrat Social Movement, took power after Morales resigned amid widespread violent protests and claims backed by international organizations that he fraudulently won the October 2019 election.

At least 33 people were killed in the violence that followed the election, 30 of them after Anez took office.

She has rejected the charges against her as 'political persecution' and insisted she took part in a 'constitutional succession' to replace Morales after he stepped down.

Anez's lawyer Ariel Coronado told local television on Monday that he would appeal the decision to remand his client in custody, since there was no evidence to support the state's case against her.

He said his client had played no part in the civil unrest following the 2019 election that led up to Morales' resignation, remaining in her home city of Trinidad.
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Story by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA

HARRISBURG  Within weeks of the first coronavirus cases last spring, as large swaths of Pennsylvanias economy shut down, the state legislature followed suit, allowing most of its members to vote remotely.

Lawmakers said they were confident they could carry on the business of the people without gathering inside the General Assemblys ornate chambers  where desks are spaced fewer than six feet apart  and, in some cases, without being in Harrisburg at all.

But that didnt stop many of them from cashing in on expenses.

A Spotlight PA analysis of legislative records found lawmakers requested and received $726,877 from the beginning of March  as the pandemic emerged  through the end of 2020 as reimbursement for lodging and meals while traveling to and from the Capitol or other meetings across the state.

The analysis found two House Democratic lawmakers each padded their salaries by more than $24,000 in additional taxpayer money during that time through the special perk.

The payments, known as per diems, have long been criticized as an unnecessary largesse for the countrys largest full-time legislature, which pays the third-highest salaries for state lawmakers in the country.

But against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused historic hardship for so many across the state, the payments are receiving fresh attention.

Per diems are daily flat rates lawmakers can claim when they travel more than 50 miles from their house for legislative business. Unlike in the private sector, legislators dont have to provide receipts, leaving open the possibility that their actual daily expenses could be more or less than the full per diem rate, which in 2020 generally ranged from $178 to $200.

Pennsylvania has some of the most generous per diem rates among all state legislatures, according to an analysis by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Lawmakers are not required to accept per diems and always have the option to forego them and instead submit receipts for expenses.

All of us have been asked to make sacrifices during this pandemic, and the General Assembly should be no different, Sen. Tim Kearney (D., Delaware) said last summer, as he and three Democratic colleagues introduced legislation to suspend per diems during the pandemic.

It seems like the least we can do, he added in a recent interview.

The bill was assigned to a committee last September but never got an airing. A bipartisan group of senators has signaled they will try, once again, to pitch a bill this session to require receipts for reimbursement. But politically, doing away with per diems will likely be a heavy lift because any change would be up to those who benefit most  the lawmakers themselves.

According to Senate officials, legislators in the chamber received a total of $90,425 last year in per diems. Of that, just under $58,000 was shelled out to 17 of 50 senators after the first presumed positive cases were identified in early March.

(Cant see the table of per diem payments above? Click here.)

At the top of the list: Sen. Pat Browne (R., Lehigh), who  at $16,157 in per diem reimbursements during the pandemic months  far exceeded his colleagues, even those in leadership positions. Then-Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R, Centre), who was required to be on the floor during sessions and was second on the list for the most reimbursements in the chamber, collected $5,426.

Browne did not respond to requests for comment. In the past, he has noted that his role as chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee requires him to be in the Capitol more than other senators, particularly during budget hearings in early spring and budget negotiations that often bleed well into summer.

Still, the Senates reimbursements pale in comparison to the 203-member House of Representatives.

In all, the House paid out $955,696.68 for per diems in 2020, with at least $668,993 after the virus began to spread in Pennsylvania in March, records show. (Because House members were given extra time to file expenses after the pandemic hit, it is possible that the chambers per diem spending is higher.)

State Rep. Mark Longietti (D., Mercer) was neck and neck with Rep. Chris Sainato (D., Lawrence) in topping the list of reimbursements in the chamber. Longietti collected $24,115 to Sainatos $24,073. Neither lawmaker responded to requests for comment.

Sainato, for one, is no stranger to rising to the top of the per-diem list. In 2016, he charged taxpayers for just over $30,600 in meals, lodging, and incidental expenses, according to PennLive. That was the most that year for any House member or senator.

At the time, Sainato noted that at roughly 250 miles away, his district is one of the farthest from the Capitol. He also said that since being elected in the 1990s, hes never missed a voting day.

Indeed, in 2020, records show, he collected a per diem for nearly every voting session in the House after the chamber permitted remote voting in mid-March. He also often charged per diems for the day before and the day after session, in order to travel to and from the Capitol (although the flat rate for travel days is lower).

Even through the summer months, when the legislature wasnt in session, Sainato raked in thousands in per diem expenses, mostly to attend hearings by the House Democrats policy committee. (Policy committees hold non-voting meetings focused on issues important to political parties).

Sainato attended 24 such meetings in July and August, according to House records, taking in about $5,800 in per diems in that time frame.

In March 2020, the Pennsylvania Senate held the first session in state history where members can meet online and vote remotely due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Members voted on changing the date of the primary election. Even with the pandemic, some lawmakers rang up big bills in per diems. | Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

At taxpayer expense

Often, the public doesnt know whether or how much their lawmakers have padded their salaries with per diem payments. That is because there is no easily accessible line-item in the legislatures budget that spells out what it spends annually on such reimbursements.

Both chambers provide per diems breakdowns only through public records requests but do so in a format that is difficult to analyze in a meaningful way.

Dan Truitt, a Republican former House member from Chester County, said when he joined the legislature in 2011, he quickly came to the conclusion that per diems were something of a racket.

During voting weeks, he said, there were always breakfast fundraisers or receptions where lawmakers could score a free meal. As for dinner, lobbyists were frequently available to pick up the tab.

Taking a per diem on top of that seemed excessive.

It started feeling really creepy to me, all the different ways people were maximizing the amount of money going into their pockets at taxpayer expense, said Truitt, who served six years in the House.

While in office, Truitt said he introduced a bill in each legislative session to ban per diems. When he would circulate a memo to colleagues seeking co-sponsors for the legislation, he said he would jokingly start out with the phrase, In an effort to make new friends...

The bills never got a hearing, he said.

House Democrats cash in

In mid-March of last year, the House passed temporary rules to allow members to vote remotely (the Senate already had rules in place to allow remote voting). Party leaders and committee chairs still had to physically be present in the Capitol to formally consider legislation, but rank-and-file members could submit votes from afar to their leaders, though they could not participate in debates.

The normally packed voting floor in both chambers cleared out significantly. Still, on any given session day, there were more Republicans in the chambers than Democrats. As time went on, Democrats complained bitterly that a handful of GOP lawmakers would show up in person but flout mask-wearing rules, creating an unsafe work environment.

Even so, in the House, Democratic lawmakers ended up charging more in per diems than their GOP colleagues: $401,068 from March 1 through Dec. 31, to Republicans $267,925, according to records.

The top per diem earner on the GOP side, former state Rep. Tom Murt of Montgomery County, received nearly $10,000 less than Sainato, collecting $14,732. Murt was sixth for per diems overall in the House, with the Democrats snagging the top five slots.

Rep. Kevin Boyle, a Democrat from Philadelphia, had the third-highest reimbursement total in the House, collecting $21,604 during that time frame.

In an interview, he said 2020 was an unusually hectic year for the House State Government Committee, on which he serves as minority chair. The panel was the hub last year for COVID-19 and election-related legislation, making it one of the busiest in the legislature. It met at least 17 times after the pandemic began, legislative records show.

Not only was it one of the busiest committees in the state legislature, Boyle said, but one of the busiest in America given the scope of its work in a historic election year during a pandemic. And as the ranking Democrat on the committee, he was required by House rules to attend committee meetings in person.

The committees Republican chairman in 2020, former state Rep. Garth Everett of Lycoming County, collected just $2,138 after the pandemic began. In an interview, he seconded Boyles description of how busy the committee was last year. But he said he tried to commute most days, given that his district is a manageable 90-minute drive, and took partial per diems mostly for meals.

I was never one who liked to hang out in Harrisburg, just to hang out in Harrisburg, Everett said.

Lawmakers have the option to opt-out of collecting per diems and instead get reimbursed by submitting receipts for the actual cost of lodging and meals while in Harrisburg or other parts of the state on legislative business.

In the House, 61 members went that route in 2020, according to chamber officials, who noted that it is possible some of those lawmakers also collected partial per diems (for instance, just for lodging or just for meals).

Still, the difference in price tags is stark: The House last year paid out $115,747 to lawmakers who submitted receipts for lodging and meals  nearly $840,000 less than what it shelled out for per diems.

Spotlight PA reporter Cynthia Fernandez and Sam Janesch of The Caucus contributed to this article.

WHILE YOURE HERE... If you learned something from this story, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- The New York State Thruway toll booths at Exit 34A, just east of Syracuse, are coming down.

The removal is one of the last steps in the states $355 million installation of cashless tolling. That went online in mid-November.

The overall plan calls for removing all 230 toll booths on the system by the end of summer, Gov. Andrew Cuomos office announced.

Beginning this week, the projects contractor, Cashless Tolling Constructors, LLC, will begin removing toll plazas at six interchanges:

Exit B2 (Berkshire Spur - Taconic Pkwy)

Exit 23 (Albany - I-787)

Exit 25A (Rotterdam - I-88)

Exit 34A (Syracuse - I-481)

Exit 47 (LeRoy - I-490)

Exit 48 (Batavia)

During construction, drivers should expect traffic shifts and increased construction activities near toll plazas. Thruway officials are asking drivers to use caution in these areas. The speed limit in the construction zones will be 20 mph.

Thruway drivers are still billed when traveling the Thruway. That happens through the E-ZPass system. For non-E-ZPass users, the Thruway tracks travel with sensors and camera and sends a bill to the person or entity registered to that vehicle. Those cameras cannot be used to track speed, the Thruway authority has said.

Got a story idea or news tip youd like to share with a Syracuse-area reporter? Please contact me through email, Twitter, Facebook or at 315-470-2274.
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Victor Dedjoe, a brother of Prince Charles Dedjoe, the businessman who is in the grips of the police over the alleged murder of his wife says he cant forgive himself over her death. Mr Dedjoe who has described himself as a confidant of the deceased said he was privy to every detail of the marriage including its low and high moments. She calls me all the time to tell me everything that happens in their home. She told me about the incidence that resulted in the husband hitting her with his slippers.



According to Dr Dedjoe, Lilian once seized her husbands gun and it took him to convince her to give the gun to her husband. Speaking exclusively on Adom FMs Dwaso Nsem show, the Kumasi-based doctor said he could have changed the narrative.



I cannot forgive myself and I feel guilty because, throughout Lilians troubles, I could have gotten her a doctor to speak to her because I could see that she was very depressed.



Dr Dedjoe said he was in full support for justice to take its course, adding that if his brother is guilty, so be it, if not then so be it. Madam Lillian Dodjoe, reportedly died on Saturday, March 6, 2021 under circumstances that have become a subject of police investigation.



Lilians husband, Prince Charles Dedjoe has since been remanded by a Madina District Court as investigations continue.

Source: adomonline.com









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Louisville City Hall in Louisville, Ky., on May 9, 2007. In an important court decision in April 2020, the mayor's banning of church services due to the pandemic was found unconstitutional. (Bedford at English Wikipedia/Public Domain)

Religious Freedom Advocate Celebrates Big Wins for Constitutional Rights at Pandemics 1st Anniversary

When U.S. District Court Judge Justin Walker issued his April 11, 2020, decision granting a temporary injunction sought by the On Fire Christian Center against Louisville, Kentucky, Mayor Greg Fischer, it was clear he wasnt happy with city officials.

On Holy Thursday, an American mayor criminalized the communal celebration of Easter. That sentence is one that this Court never expected to see outside the pages of a dystopian novel, or perhaps the pages of The Onion, Walker said.

But two days ago, citing the need for social distancing during the current pandemic, Louisvilles Mayor Greg Fischer ordered Christians not to attend Sunday services, even if they remained in their cars to worship, and even though its Easter.

The Mayors decision is stunning. And it is, beyond all reason, unconstitutional, Walker said.

The decision was a resounding victory for the church and a historic win for the First Amendments guarantee of freedom of religious exercise and assembly, according to First Liberty Institute (FLI) President Kelly Shackelford.

Kelly Shackelford, president, First Liberty Institute. (First Liberty Institute)

We call that the shot that was heard around the world, it was the very first one, any decision handed down during the pandemic, and it was a slam-dunk, a strong decision by Judge Walker, Shackelford told The Epoch Times on March 15. Attorneys from FLI represented the On Fire congregation in the case.

Fischer, citing the public health threat posed by the CCP virusalso known as the novel coronavirushad decreed no worship services were to be held in the city that is home to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Fischers order, which was issued three days before Easter Sunday, covered indoor worship services, outdoor gatherings, and even those that congregants attended while sitting in their cars in the church parking lot.

In the months since, thousands of congregations across the country have been ordered by state and local officials to limit attendance severely or stop services altogether, with a result that many churches have gone to court with constitutional challenges. The deaths of more than half a million Americans have been attributed to the disease since March 15, 2020.

Many churches have also defied the orders and continued holding services, most notably in California, New York, and Nevada where Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom, Andrew Cuomo, and Steve Sisolak, respectively, issued decrees that singled out religious groups for singularly harsh treatment while exempting liquor stores, gambling casinos, and big-box stores such as Walmart.

People try to take advantage of fear and the unknown, and its easy for people to forget why this country is so special, Shackelford said. People have the freedom to make their own mistakes and to make good decisions. You know, freedom is something some people consider very dangerous, but its what makes America, America.

The result was dozens of court challenges across the country in which churches repeatedly won, culminating in some respects at Thanksgiving when the Supreme Court in a 54 decision struck down a Cuomo decree aimed at specific Christian and Jewish congregations in Brooklyn.

In Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo, et al., Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch observed that no apparent reason exists why people may not gather, subject to identical restrictions, in churches or synagogues, especially when religious institutions have made plain that they stand ready, able, and willing to follow all the safety precautions required of essential businesses and perhaps more besides.

The only explanation for treating religious places differently seems to be a judgment that what happens there just isnt as essential as what happens in secular spaces.

Indeed, the Governor is remarkably frank about this: In his judgment laundry and liquor, travel and tools, are all essential while traditional religious exercises are not. That is exactly the kind of discrimination the First Amendment forbids.

Brooklyn Diocese, in turn, led to decisions against equally harsh anti-church decrees issued by Newsom and Sisolak. But Shackelford sounded a note of caution about the Supreme Courts ruling against Cuomo.

Significantly, however, all three of the decisions involved requests for emergency injunctions.

While these emergency motion decisions are not merits decisions, that means they are therefore not considered precedents, still, they are a very strong signal to the lower courts what the makeup of the Court is and what they think about this, Shackelford said.

He also pointed to another cautionary note in that officials can easily withdraw an offending decree, modify it slightly, and then reissue it, thus making moot the issues raised in the initial court challenge and requiring those seeking to uphold the First Amendment to go through a whole new costly legal challenge.

Weve won all of our cases on religious freedom with all of the churches and synagogues, but its really hard to get a decision up to the Supreme Court because as soon as you win, they just drop the [offending] order and come up with a new order, he said.

As an example, Shackelford pointed to FLIs representation of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in the District of Columbia, when local officials banned indoor and outdoor services.

It was going to be a crime in D.C. to have 101 people outside, with masks and socially distanced for a church service. However, at the same time, they said it was fine to have thousands and thousands of people protesting, he said.

We went into federal court and we won. What did D.C. do, did they appeal it, did we get to go to the Supreme Court. No, they dropped their order, he said. You can win these decisions in the lowers, but to get it to the Supreme Court is almost impossible because they simply drop or change their order.

Shackelford said cases involving substantial fines against churches such as those in California amounting to more than $2 million could be more likely to make it to the high court and prompt a decision on the merits of the issue.

Contact Mark Tapscott at Mark.Tapscott@epochtimes.nyc
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Prince Georges joined up handwriting reveals a 'very well-balanced, sensible little boy with a realistic, down-to-earth view on life,' while Princess Charlotte's small letters are indicative of maturity, according to a handwriting expert.

Prince William, 38, and Kate Middleton, 39, shared home-made cards from Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two, addressed to their 'Granny Diana' to mark Mother's Day yesterday.

The cards, which were shared by the Kensington Palace official Instagram account, were adorned with flowers, hearts and rabbits - with Princess Charlotte writing: 'Papa is missing you.'

Prince George, seven, and Princess Charlotte, five, wrote the letter themselves, while Prince Louis, who turns three in April, signed his name.

Speaking exclusively to FEMAIL, graphologist Tracey Trussell, told how Princess Charlotte's use of long downstroke stems suggest she likes to 'keep up standards,' while Prince George's drawing of birds are suggestive of his 'big dreams.'

Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two, made home-made cards addressed to their 'Granny Diana' to mark Mother's Day. Pictured, Princess Charlotte's use of long downstroke stems suggest she likes to 'keep up standards,' according to graphologist Tracey Trussell

Tracey claimed that the large crown of Prince Georges tree (pictured) shows 'kindness, maturity and a wealth of knowledge already swirling around in his young mind'

Prince Georges balanced and joined up handwriting (pictured) reveals a very well-balanced, sensible little boy with a realistic, down-to-earth view on life, Tracey explained

Prince Louis, who turns three in April, signed his name (pictured), and at the age of three, will still be 'learning to master his pen grip and hand-eye coordination,' Tracey claimed

In the touching post from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge yesterday, the eldest children, George and Charlotte, wrote letters saying how much they loved their grandmother, who died in 1997.

'Dear Granny Diana, Happy, happy mother's day. I love you very much and think of you always, sending lots of love from George,' one read.

According to Tracey, Prince Georges handwriting reveals a 'very well-balanced, sensible little boy with a realistic, down-to-earth view on life.'

She continued: 'Hes naturally adaptable and enjoys playing with his friends, and although he tries to be cool and poised like the grown-ups, he cant help showing how much he loves his family. '

'This is all seen in the overall balanced, joined up writing with vertical/ slight mixed slant veering towards a right slanting "I Love", natural bobbing baselines and closely spaced words.'



In her own letter, made with pink paper and a rainbow heart, Princess Charlotte wrote: 'Dear Granny Diana, I am thinking of you on mother's day. I love you very much. Papa is missing you Lots of love, Charlotte.'

The Duke and Duchess with their three children Prince George (left), Princess Charlotte (right) and Prince Louis at Anmer Hall in Norfolk

The drawings were shared alongside a sweet message encouraging those struggling with bereavement (pictured)

According to the handwriting expert, Princess Charlotte shows all the hesitations you might expect for a little girl who is in the early stages of developing her handwriting.

'The small size reveals her maturity, and the way she completes her long downstroke stems (on the letters y and g) show how intent Charlotte is on finishing what shes started, and keeping up standards,' she explained.

'There are little starting strokes, particularly on some of the ovals (in both words "you") in the middle of words, which shows a self-protective attitude, and also tells how she already realises the importance of how you talk to people and the things you say about them.'

Tracey went onto say how it's a 'very caring and considered piece' of writing for somebody so young - adding she is a 'serious little girl with a loving heart and huge potential.'

A final card in green was adorned with a colourful heart and signed 'Louis' in capital letters.

'Prince Louis is nearly three so he is still learning to master his pen grip and hand-eye coordination,' explained Tracey. 'So you would expect to see unjoined letters, unsteady awkward movements and large size at this age.

It will be interesting to see how his handwriting develops!'

Prince William with Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Harry on the day he joined Eton in September 1995

Tracey also went on to analyse the pictures that the young royals drew on the front of their cards to accompany the emotional tributes to 'Granny Diana.'

The expert says Prince Georges picture is more revealing and gets right to the heart of his psyche.

'Trees are symbolically associated with the inner person and their development, and also tell us about their emotional state,' she explained. 'The large crown of Georges tree shows kindness, maturity and a wealth of knowledge already swirling around in his young mind.'

'The birds flying from his tree enhance this meaning, uncovering his vivid imagination and big dreams.'

She added: 'The trunk is quite broad showing firm self-esteem, and the placement of the tree, on the far-right hand side of the page, shows how well he gets on with his father, and a close loving relationship with his Grandfather (Prince Charles) too.'

Tracey went on to discuss the 'black knot or hole within the tree trunk,' which she says shows how much he worries about bad things that happen, and how anxious he can feel at times.

Meanwhile, the graphologist explained that Princess Charlottes drawing of a big multi-coloured heart is symbolic of love - and tells of 'an affectionate, sensitive, empathetic nature.'
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Denton, TX (76205)

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Thunderstorms this morning, then partly cloudy during the afternoon hours. High 77F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

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Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
An American pastor produced a program seeking to tackle the healing of women who are victims of sexual abuse.

In a webinar hosted by Covenant Eyes, a pornography accountability software company, Pastor James Reeves of City On a Hill church shared about "Fearless Series for Women," a tool to help women recover from the trauma of sexual abuse, The Christian Post (CP) reported.

"So we were dealing with the sexual issue in men, but they were not addressing the fact that they had women who were survivors of sexual abuse. Maybe one out of every three probably, is what they say in churches today. ... It was very frustrating to me, so I decided to do a [film project]," the pastor said.

"This is a subject that the Church can talk about. God's Word says a lot about it, and we should be talking about it. And we should be helping women who have experienced the trauma of that violation. [The Church] is the best place. ... Our culture now is really opening up to this and the opportunity for ministry in the local church," he continued.

Pastor Reeves assured that the program is biblically based and professionally done, having been a pastor for more than 40 years, as well as a strong educational background on Theology.

"So I designed it as a pastor for pastors. They can trust that this is good stuff. It's biblically based. It's professionally done just to give women the opportunity to get the conversation started and watch what happens," he stated.

The pastor said that he modeled his church as a "hospital church" wherein people can come to heal. The video series will help women share about their experience in a safe environment and recover from it.

"Fearless" has five sessions, discussing relevant factors such as the prevalence of sexual abuse in the country, problems that resulted from the abuse, priority of the Church's participation to address the issue, prevention of abuse and pathway to healing.

CP further said that the video series will run for 25 minutes per session, followed by a small discussion headed by a facilitator and a follow-up series for eight weeks.

The pastor pointed out that the program also aims to bring people to Christ.

"Our greatest arm of evangelism at City on a Hill is our help, hope and healing groups, our freedom group," he said.

Pastor Reeves is a senior pastor from Fort Worth, Texas since 1984. He studied B.A. in Greek from Baylor University. He also completed his master and doctorate degrees in Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has written four books such as "Refuge," "Life Change for Every Christian," "Life Change for Every Couple" and "Everyday Greek." He is also organizing "The Safe Place/Safe Process Workshop" in churches around the country, ministering to people with "real-life hurts and wounds."

He formed the project in 2020 after realizing the relevance of a church ministry that would address healing of women who are victims of sexual abuse. They began filming interviews from survivors from all over the country, sharing about their own experience and healing process. The program was tested in his church and had an overwhelming response, concluding that the project is an effective tool to help women overcome their horrifying experience.
Tinder, along with its parent company Match Group, is working with a non-profit called Garbo to help customers find out if their potential dating partner has a criminal record.

Why it matters: Most people know very little about the person they have just met online. Garbo allows people to find out whether someone they are interacting with has a criminal record or other court actions, such as a restraining order.

Match Group expects to have Garbo's service integrated into Tinder later this year, but many of the details have yet to be finalized.

After that, Match hopes to make Garbo available within its other dating services.

Match will make a significant "seven-figure" contribution to Garbo, enabling it to hire engineers and rapidly accelerate its national expansion.

"This is an industry first," says Match Group safety head Tracey Breeden. "There have not been any background check options in the dating industry."

Between the lines: Garbo is the brainchild of its CEO Kathryn Kosmides, herself a survivor of gender-based violence.

Kosmides said the service's reports include details of initial charges, as they often get watered down as part of a plea bargain.

They exclude drug possession and other charges that tend to be disproportionately enforced against marginalized groups.

"Our mission is trying to find the balance between protection and privacy," Kosmides said.

The big picture: The move by Match part of a broader effort by the dating company to rethink safety across its services.

Late last year, Match partnered with the Rape and Incest National Network (RAINN) to audit the company's assault prevention systems.

It also hired Breeden, a law enforcement and Uber veteran, as its first head of safety and social advocacy.

Editor's note: This story was corrected to show Kosmides is a survivor of gender-based violence.
Crowds gather in Parliament Square against the police response to a vigil held marking the death of Sarah Everard. The Metropolitan Police has defended its handling of the event on Clapham Common after male officers were seen physically restraining female demonstrators.

Video Transcript

[CHEERING]

- Yeah, the reason why I think it's important is because we grew up just constantly threatened by the risk of you getting murdered, getting raped, getting sexually harassed. Most of my friends have had, I think the majority of all of my friends have been sexually assaulted. Not just harassed, sexually assaulted. So you realize how much of a massive issue it is and how tragic it can be with the recent death of Sarah this week.

[CHEERING]

[INAUDIBLE] And we will fight together and protect each other even when [INAUDIBLE].
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  As Tanzanias president has not been seen in public for more than two weeks, the East African countrys vice president on Monday sought to reassure the nation, saying it was normal for human beings to suffer colds and other illnesses.

Addressing a public rally in Tanzanias Tanga region, Samia Suluhu offered no update on the health or whereabouts of President John Magufuli even as she said she had been sent by him to calm the East African nation.

I want to assure you Tanzania is safe. It is normal for a human being to be tested, often for colds and flu, for anything, Suluhu said. I want to tell you that if there is an important time for Tanzanians to remain united, it is now. It is not the time to listen to information from outside the country which will confuse or divide us. Let all unite as Tanzanians and continue working to build this country.

Her comments deepen the mystery surrounding the health of Magufuli, a populist leader who is often seen in public and makes frequent appearances on the state broadcaster. But his last public appearance was on Feb. 27 at the swearing-in ceremony of his chief of staff in the commercial capital of Dar es Salaam.

While Magufuli has not been seen in public, speculation has swirled over his health status as some, including his main rival, assert that he is suffering from COVID-19 and hiding it.

Magufuli is one of Africas most prominent COVID-19 skeptics. Last year he said the disease had been eradicated from Tanzania by three days of national prayer. He mocked COVID-19 tests, discouraged Tanzanians from wearing masks, and expressed doubts on the efficacy of vaccines.

But last month Magufuli acknowledged his country had a coronavirus problem amid reports of a rising number of deaths related to breathing problems and days after the death of the vice president of the semi-autonomous island region of Zanzibar, whose political party had earlier said he had COVID-19.

Last week Tanzanias prime minister insisted Magufuli was well and busy with his duties. That explanation did little to calm anxiety.

Police over the weekend began arresting people discussing Magufulis health on social media and other forums. Its not clear what those arrested will be charged with. Police confirmed they had arrested at least one man on Saturday.

Opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who has openly questioned Magufulis absence in many Twitter posts, alleged three others had been arrested by Monday, including a 73-year-old man in a desperate bid by the government to stop the public from asking questions about the presidents health.

Lissu is able to freely comment on the presidents health because he lives in Belgium.

By TOM ODULA

Associated Press
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky at a conference call on preventing the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection noted the need for re-vaccination against COVID-19, the press service of the head of state said.

"We need to explain to people that the first inoculation against coronavirus reduces the risk of infection by 76%. So the chances of infection still remain. And only after the second dose, the complete protection from this danger is achieved. Therefore, we must not forget about masks even now, when vaccination is already underway," Zelensky said.

During the meeting at the Ministry of Health, it was reported that side effects are manifested only in 0.8% of cases, no severe cases were recorded.

In turn, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal noted that over the past week, the number of intensive care beds occupied by COVID-19 patients has increased. According to him, "if a third of the places were filled the week before last, now it is almost half: 2,212 out of 4,694. There are 1,072 ventilators in use today  the largest number since the beginning of the pandemic in Ukraine."

"This confirms the negative dynamics and the complex course of the incidence. In Ivano-Frankivsk region, the situation stabilized with the introduction of the red level of epidemic danger, but so far the region remains among the leaders in the number of active patients  17,994. Most of them are in Kyiv  44,600. Vinnytsia [15,133] and Chernivtsi [14,220] regions are also among the leaders. In total, there are 213,000 active patients in Ukraine," the head of government said.

In turn, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov noted that the European Medicines Agency has already officially announced that the AstraZeneca vaccine does not increase the risk of blood clots at all.

Representatives of the government and law enforcement agencies reportedly took part in the conference call.
Rapid tests will be implemented in Luxembourg's schools shortly as a measure to protect staff and students.

"If the number of weekly new infections in our schools remains around 300, we do not have to fall back on home schooling", Minister of Education Claude Meisch recently stated in an RTL interview. For that reason, rapid tests will be introduced after the Easter holidays as a measure to increase safety inside schools. He elaborated: "We are soon launching the first major pilot project in six different institutions, four primary schools and two high schools. We will systematically test pupils once or twice per week."

Nevertheless, the number of new Covid infections in the Grand Duchy is on the rise again, and Minister Meisch acknowledged that officials have to adapt to the developments as they unfold. An analysis of the pilot project will show at what rate tests need to be conducted and how to best deal with positive cases.

In the meantime, opposition party CSV vocalised their loss of patience with the creation of a new legal frame to implement safety measures in Luxembourgish schools. Minister Meisch made it clear that his party advocates for a strict legal base to be embedded in the Covid laws, but emphasises that they cannot afford to lose the necessary degree of flexibility to react and adapt quickly to new events. He further noted that they should not be so afraid of the virus that they no longer dare to keep schools open and provide adolescents with the education they deserve.

Minister Meisch also reiterated his belief that the virus has always been under control at any given moment: "We are dealing with the situation and conduct the required analyses. At the moment, only very few classes have to be cancelled or taught remotely, and there are not many quarantines in the education sector." The DP politician finally expressed his hopes that pupils will soon have their freedom back again to foster social contacts.
(Photo : TimeStatement) TimeStatement is an all-in-one easy solution for employers. (Photo : Traqq) Traqq is a free software that works for remote and office-based setups. (Photo : example of ethical tracking)

Businesses require a management software that has all the features they need: from time tracking, expense tracking, customer management, and most importantly, a secure server to guarantee the safety of their customers' personal details.

There are tons of choices in the market these days, all catering to small businesses and freelancers. People can choose from cloud-based solutions to installed server-based software.

Choosing the right software for your specific needs can be a bit overwhelming, but here's a rundown of the top five best Time Tracking software that other freelancers and small business owners can use:

TimeStatement is a cloud-based simple time tracker and online invoicing solution made for small businesses and freelancers alike. There is also an on-premise installed version available upon request. Both versions have the same powerful reporting features. The choice is up to you, whether you perform a server-based or cloud-based solution.

One good thing about cloud-based solutions is that you can download any files you need on any device, wherever you are, as long as you have a connection to the internet. Such services have gained popularity over the years for both small and big businesses as it allows remote collaboration.

It has a simple user interface, making it an ideal software for non-tech-savvy entrepreneurs and freelancers.

TimeStatement is now serving thousands of customers around the world.

TimeStatement is the ideal solution designed for consultants, such as accountants, engineers, architects, freelancers and design agencies, business and company owners. Here are some of the main features of TimeStatement:

Time tracking - TimeStatement has an hourly tracking feature, which business owners can use to track the time of their teams. You can then save your team's timesheet as an Excel file. Since the software has multi-language support, supranational companies can carry out proper time measurement even for their non-English speaking members.

As of now, TimeStatement supports English, Italian, and German languages. French and Spanish will be added soon.

Time management - Besides tracking your employees' work hours, TimeStatement also has a time management feature that helps every freelancer and employee be more productive and make the most out of their work hours. Users can allot time to specific tasks and even add break times. All that's left to do next is to follow the schedule created.

Project creation and management - To assure that the details of each project campaign do not get mixed up, TimeStatement has also included a project creation and management feature. Collaborators can check the overview of a certain project, along with the specifics and the deadlines.

Customer management - Businesses can't thrive without their customers, so one essential feature TimeStatament has is its customer management tool, wherein freelancers and business owners can input important details about their customers and manage them.

Professional invoicing - Every business needs invoicing software, and TimeStatement has included it in its arsenal of features so you won't have to install another tool for it. Users can easily generate an invoice and adapt invoice layouts to their needs. Moreover, invoices can be saved as a Word document, making edits easier. As with the software's time tracking tool, invoicing also supports multiple languages and even multiple currencies.

Expense Tracking - Tracking your expenses is another important aspect of having a business. Good thing this software also includes a tool for expense tracking where users can define their own expense categories and generate reports with just a few clicks.

Why choose TimeStatement?

Besides being an all-around software, TimeStatement has a straightforward interface, so you don't need any experience with other software to get the hang of things. However, if you do get stuck, the company offers customer support to guide you on anything you need.

Moreover, TimeStatement provides utmost security. All users' data are stored in servers that are located in Switzerland, meaning they are under very strict Swiss privacy laws, which has one of the highest privacy standards in the world.

Last but not the least, TimeStatement has a free version for freelancers who are yet to generate income. The free version has powerful basic tools you will need to run your business or start your career. Once you are generating some income, the premium version is available for a low price compared to its competitors.

Traqq is a free time-tracking software that works well for both remote and local work setups. It has fully automated monitoring tools that could help boost the productivity of every employee. The tools include screen recordings, screenshots, web tracking, team activity levels, and a dedicated app.

Most of the time, time tracking services get a bad reputation for privacy issues, but Traqq provides ethical tracking.

What this means is that the quality of the video clips and screenshots Traqq takes are intentionally blurred, so any personal details such as passwords and private messages are blurred and left out. Still, admins would be able to clearly tell what their employees are doing and detect whether their employees are doing something suspicious or inappropriate during work hours.

Moreover, the tracking features can be turned on and off. Users can also delete the screenshots as well as tracked activity.

The software works whether you are online or offline, so it still tracks employee productivity even with a wonky internet connection or if they are working somewhere remote with no internet access. Then, it would sync all the data gathered when you have a stable connection.

Beta is completely free and works for both Windows and Mac computers. Sign Up now for free!

The time tracking software by eBility also works as an attendance sheet, and so much more as it offers features for invoicing and payroll. It can be accessed from any devices, from computers and laptops to your smartphone devices. Every account comes with a free iOS and Android app, allowing you to access the software anytime, anywhere.

With the eBility time tracking software, employees could clock in and out with ease with the dedicated time cards included in the service. Employees can even take break times and it would be recorded on the software.

Meanwhile, admins could also approve employee time entries with just a couple of clicks, saving admins precious time. Every second of work is captured, which avoids unnecessary overtime and under time. Before you approve employee time entries, you may also edit or reject them, if required.

Moreover, it should also be easier for both employees and employers to track paid and unpaid time-off requests with the eBility tracker. Workers can easily request time off, and once they do, a notification will be sent to the manager, letting them approve or reject the request.

Admins can also create time-off codes, so they can track working hours based on vacation days, sick leaves, stat holidays, and more.

BigTime is another time tracking software, which is mainly designed for consultants, such as accountants, engineers, architects, and more. Nevertheless, business and company owners may find BigTime and its features quite useful.

The timesheets available via the software can be customized based on how you like it, making it easier to track your employees' working hours. The time tracking feature includes daily and weekly timesheet views, automated time entry rounding, customizable columns, and more. Completed timesheet periods can be locked to avoid further editing that could cause more delays disputes.

BigTime also has some good security settings to protect everyone using the software.

Admins can limit the information that employees can see in the timesheet to reduce errors and speed up the time entry process. You can also control who gets to see sensitive information.

The software has intuitive and easy to use interface, so it's perfect even for the most non-tech-savvy people. There's also a dedicated mobile application for it, so admins can view reports and employee attendance anywhere they go.

There are three plans available: the Express tier, which is available for $10 a month and the cheapest plan they have; the Pro plan, which is available for $30 per month, and the Premier plan, which is $40 a month.

TimeSheets provide easy-to-use time tracking software that counts every second of your employee's working hours, and then translates it to accurate payroll and invoicing billable time. This software is a great choice for remote workers, thanks to its GPS-enabled mobile time tracking app.

The software is also great for team collaboration, despite the distances between each one. It can handle electronic signatures, so if there are documents needed to be signed, admins don't have to pay extra for a separate e-signature software.

TimeSheets has a simplified time tracking timesheet for employees, which allows admins to know who clocked in at what time and get real-time information from the Dashboard. Admins can also track jobs as they are being done through the timer feature.

Workers who are on the field can also be tracked through the mobile app. You'll know they are exactly where they are supposed to be and not somewhere else. TimeSheets is integrated with Google Maps, so their location data can be easily tracked.

When it comes to pricing, TimeSheets is free for freelancers, while the Standard plan is available for only $4.50 per user. They also have a nonprofit tier, which is available for $3.60 per user. You can enjoy a 15-day free trial to see if the software works for you.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
New Delhi: Delhi's Patiala House Court on Monday (March 15) granted bail to seven accused in the 2016 Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) sedition case.

The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma ordered the prosecution to supply the copy of the chargesheet and other documents to all accused in the JNU case.

The court granted bail to Aquib Hussain, Mujeeb Hussain Gattoo, Muneeb Hussain Gattoo, Umar Gul, Rayeea Rassol, Khalid Bashir Bhat and Basharat Ali on personal bond of Rs 25,000.

"We order for supply of charge sheets. Let the charge sheet be supplied to all the accused persons today," said Pankaj Sharma.

Prime accused Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya were already given bail by the court in the matter.

Earlier, last month, the court had studied the detailed charge-sheet filed by the police in the case, in which Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and eight others are the accused.

The case goes back to February 9, 2016, when anti-national slogans were allegedly raised during a staged protest, which was called against the death sentence of convict in the 2002 Parliament attack, Afzal Guru.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma on Monday took cognisance of the offences, which includes 124A (sedition), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 465 (forgery), 471 (using forged document), 143 (punishment for unlawful assembly), 149 (member of unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

"After careful perusal of the charge sheet and consideration of the material, all the accused persons mentioned herein above are summoned to face trial for the offence. Accused persons be summoned for 15.03.2021," the judge stated in the order.

The charge sheet filed by the police is about 1,200-page and includes the names of these accused. One of the primary evidences is the SMS sent by Umar Khalid to Kanhaiya Kumar to arrive at Sabarmati Dhaba in JNU campus, which was retrieved by the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL). The SMS stated that the university administration has cancelled the permission for protest and had details of the new venue.

Towards the end of the charge sheet the police officials also confirmed the presence of Kashmiri students during the protest and that they were in contact with Umar Khalid all along.

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As all institutional investors know, purchasing shares in bulk can be a real pain in India. Traders at a biggish asset manager would be lucky to fill even a fifth of the entire demand from individual funds. The rest will become a feast for unrelated buyers.

Its a design quirk, which grew out of a misplaced egalitarian sensibility and a fear of mischief by business families.

The idiosyncrasy is not without its costs. Imagine what would happen if a Nike store owner tried to accommodate a wholesale buyer inside a packed retail showroom by shouting to everyone that the next 15,000 pairs come at a 15% discount. There would be a stampede. Other customers could rush to the cash register first, the shop might run out of shoes, the bulk buyers would go home disappointed. This is why most other have a well-established tradition of an upstairs market for large orders that runs parallel to the downstairs market. Its just more sensible to organize things this way.

But a preponderance of family-controlled firms in the countrys business landscape made the Indian regulator wary to take a laissez-faire approach to side deals. What if the controlling shareholders, or promoters, set up hard-to-trace investment entities in offshore tax havens to play their own stock back home, confounding price discovery on the main exchange? So the upstairs market is allowed to work only twice a day, for 15 minutes each time, and with stringent price restrictions that render it ineffective.

A sizable buy order in Mumbai begins its life like in any other place: The broker lines up a seller, maybe another institution. But if the agreed price involves a discount or premium to the previous close of more than 1%, the block deal, as these wholesale transactions are known, cant be conducted in a separate window for negotiated trades. The orders have to be punched into the main market screen, where other participants are waiting, the term sheet of the bilateral deal usually having leaked beforehand.

In the grab-and-run melee that ensues, large buyers encounter 70% to 80% slippage  orders not getting filled. With growing institutional participation, disappointment is rising. Trying to acquire billions of dollars of stocks when theres no certainty of landing them is an expensive affair. Outside of a handful of shares, Indian lack depth. Splashy orders cause price kinks. Algorithmic traders parse signals from the sudden volume changes, and introduce yet more unnecessary volatility.

More efficient bourses in Asia handle things differently. During regular market hours, Hong Kong allows the same broker acting for both a large buyer and a seller to execute trades that fall within 24 ticks of the lowest bid or the highest ask. (A tick is the minimum change possible in a stock price.) To ensure proper signaling to players downstairs, the exchange insists on a 15-minute reporting cycle. In case of dark pool trading, the disclosure time is 1 minute. Australia has no restrictions on the price at which bilateral deals are struck. Singapore only insists that they be done at fair market value.

Global investors are urging the Securities and Exchange Board of India to fix the upstairs market. Our members think that Indias price band for the block window should be at least +/- 7% as in Japan, said Eugenie Shen, who heads the asset management group at the Hong Kong-based Asia Securities Industry & Financial Association. Slippage is a major issue for asset managers. Members want the same certainty of execution in India that they get in other markets.

Its a reasonable demand, though according to Indian media reports, the securities board has asked the association to show proof that others are utilizing asset managers purchase intentions to front-run a stock. Frankly, thats the regulators job. In one of the few studies on block trades executed on the main exchange screen, two professors at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad found that prices start rising 8 minutes before a large buy order hits the market. The regulator can easily update that 10-year-old research.

In the downstairs market, the seller of a large block pays a premium for liquidity. The wholesale buyer provides durable information about what something may be worth. It makes no sense to allow this signal to get corrupted in an environment where big trades are almost impossible to execute cleanly. As for the original concern of company bosses creating an artificial market in their stocks, overregulation is not a substitute for muscular surveillance and supervision. Its time India took a more relaxed approach to what goes on in the quieter corner upstairs. Making it busier would be a good start.
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Tata Power has proclaimed that TP Saurya, solely owned subsidiary of the Tata Power Company, has been signed a power purchase contract with Tata Steel (TSL) to progress a 15 MW solar project at Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.

For a period valid of 25 years from scheduled commercial operation date, the energy will be supplied to TSL under a PPA . The project was essential to be commissioned within 6 months from the date of implementation of the PPA .

The plant has been estimated to produce an average of 32 MUs of energy per year and will offset yearly with approximately an average of 25.8 million kg of CO2.

Tata Powers renewable capability will escalate up to 4,047 MW, out of which 2,687 MW is operational and 1,360 MW is under implementation including 15 MW won under this PPA.

Dr. Praveer Sinha, CEO & MD, Tata Power states, We are glad to collaborate with Tata Steel to reduce their carbon footprint and reaffirm the Tata Groups commitment for sustainability. Presently the association is limited to Tata Steel at Jamshedpur and we look forward to working closely with them for covering all their other plants across India.
"Tony has the right skills, values and servant-leadership style to create a coworker centered organization that will continue to grow a profitable business in China"

Reell Precision Manufacturing, a world leader in small package position and motion control, has announced that Tony Wang has been promoted to the position of Head of Reell China - Sales. This promotion recognizes Tonys excellence in sales as well as his ongoing strong values-based leadership.

The announcement was made by Reells Vice President of Sales and Customer Service, Jack Field. "Tony joined Reell China when the organization was created in April 2016 and has been instrumental in our continuous revenue growth, as well as in the development of strong service capabilities. We believe Tony has the right skills, values and servant-leadership style to create a coworker centered organization that will continue to grow a profitable business in China. We are confident that under his leadership, Reell China will succeed."

Tony will lead the Reell's China sales team and serve customers from Reell's office in Shanghai.


During meet with Antony Blinken, Jaishankar thanks US for strong support

India recognised by US as important part of conversation on Afghanistan: Jaishankar

EAM S Jaishankar meets UK minister Lord Ahmad, discusses bilateral ties

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

New Delhi, Mar 15: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held talks with UK minister Lord Tariq Ahmad covering bilateral ties and global cooperation against the backdrop of strain in relations between the two countries following a debate on the farmers' protest in the British Parliament.

The minister for South Asia in the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office also held talks with Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla. "Received UK Minister of State Lord @tariqahmadbt. Discussed our bilateral ties and global cooperation," Jaishankar tweeted.

Lord Ahmad's visit to India came days after New Delhi conveyed to the UK its strong opposition to the "unwarranted and tendentious" discussion in the British Parliament on India's agri reforms, describing it as a "gross interference" in politics of another country.

What about the agony of families of BJP workers killed in TMC rule: Amit Shah to Mamata

Several British MPs held a discussion in their Parliament over issues around the use of force against protesters opposed to agricultural reforms in India.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the talks between Shringla and Lord Ahmad were comprehensive. "Foreign Secretary @harshvshringla had a comprehensive discussion with @tariqahmadbt Minister of State @FCDOGovUK on issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation," he said in a tweet.

Lord Ahmad's meetings in Delhi also came on a day Jaishankar said in Rajya Sabha that India will take up with the UK when required the alleged incidents of racism in that country.

The external affairs minister was responding to concerns raised by a BJP MP over racism and cyberbullying that forced Indian-origin Rashmi Samant to resign as the president of the Oxford University Students Union. The minister said India has strong ties with the UK and will take up such matters with great candour when required.

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Story first published: Monday, March 15, 2021, 21:24 [IST]
A security guard was charged Friday with placing false calls to several police departments in New Jersey and New York, falsely claiming that he was sexually assaulting a child, authorities said.

John P. Laforgia, 36, of Staten Island, New York, was served with a summons for creating a false public alarm, according to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella.

(The) caller was using technology to anonymize his caller ID and was placing repeated telephone calls to them, Musella said in a statement.

During these phone calls, the caller told operators that he was currently sexually assaulting a child or was about to while on the phone with them, Musella said.

The prosecutors Cyber Crimes Unit received complaints from multiple police departments and a community crisis hotline on Feb. 15, Musella said. Calls were made more than 130 times since Feb. 1 to agencies in Hackensack, Oakland, Ramsey, Ridgewood and New York City, the prosecutor said.

Investigators determined that the calls were false and there was no sexual assault in progress, Musella said.

Laforgia surrendered to detectives at the Bergen County Prosecutors Office and was charged with one count of third-degree false public alarm and released pending a court hearing.

The prosecutors office states Laforgia works as a security guard but did not list his employer.

Public records show Laforgia was charged with making bomb threats in Lodi several times between Aug. 5 and Aug. 11, 2011. The cases were resolved in New Jersey Superior Court, records show.

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Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 16:05:04|Editor: huaxia

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JALALABAD, Afghanistan, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Security forces during special operations have killed a local leader of the Islamic State (IS) group and arrested another in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, said a statement of the provincial government released here Monday.

According to the statement, the security forces stormed the terror group's hideout in Dagai area of Mohmandara district Sunday night killing its local leader Mahmoud Jan on the spot.

The statement also said Mahmoud Jan who had served as IS commander in Mohmandara district was also in charge of the conscription for the extremist group in the neighboring Lalpor district.

In a separate incident, the security forces in a crackdown against insurgents in Nangarhar's provincial capital Jalalabad city captured another IS operative Khan Ghulam alias Khan Qari and Huzifa on Sunday.

The arrested Huzifa who had served as leader for recruitment of youngsters in Pachir Agam district also used women and poor children for conducting subversive activities in the provincial capital Jalalabad, the statement said.

The IS, which is active in parts of Nangarhar province, has yet to make comment. Enditem
New March 15 : The Congress has extended support to the two-day nationwide bank strike on March 15 and 16 against the privatisation of public sector banks and banking reforms.

"We stand in solidarity with 10 lakh bank officials and staff participating in the strike against reckless privatisation of public sector banks," said Randeep Surjewala, Congress General Secretary.

The strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine bank unions, is against the ill placed priorities of the Modi government.

The Congress leader said there is no rationale for selling state owned lenders to private lenders - foreign or domestic. This is yet again a desperate attempt to meet the disinvestment target of Rs 1.75 lakh crore.

The Congress statement said the whole idea of bank nationalisation, a bold step taken by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was to bring banking closer to every Indian. The aim was to make banks and loans available even for those who do not meddle in High Street finance. PSU banks are not just profit-making ventures, they have in the past been used as vehicles of social reforms.

A very large part of our population lives in rural areas and are involved in agriculture. We need public sector banks for outreach and to ensure banking is more accessible to the largest number of population that we have in villages and smaller towns, which aren't high on the priority list of private lenders, the statement said.

The Congress alleged that the government is running away from its responsibility of ensuring better governance in public sector banks by recklessly selling them. What we really need is higher accountability of public sector banks and not their outright sale. Public sector banks have been at the forefront of lending to the priority sectors like public infrastructure and also rural areas which need financing, it added.
A teenage boy is fighting for his life after being stabbed in the street in broad daylight.

Harrowing pictures show emergency workers battling to save the 16-year-old after he was knifed in east London.

The youngster was attacked in Barking on Friday and a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder the following day.

The youngster was attacked in Barking on Friday and a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder the following day

Police were called to the scene in Barking, east London at around 3.45pm on 12 March, following reports of an assault.

Officers found a 16-year-old boy suffering from stab wounds, who was later taken to a hospital in east London where he remains in critical condition.

Footage has been shared on social media that shows an air ambulance landing in a nearby park.

Police are now appealing for witnesses who can assist officers in the investigation.

A 15-year-old male was arrested on Saturday, 13 March on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in custody.

Harrowing pictures show emergency workers battling to save the 16-year-old

Footage has been shared on social media that shows an air ambulance landing in a nearby park

Emergency vehicles raced to the scene and took the boy to hospital, where he remains in a critical condition

A Met Police statement reads: 'An investigation was launched after police were called to reports of a male assaulted in Hulse Avenue, Barking at approximately 15:45hrs on Friday, 12 March.

'Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and found a 16-year-old male suffering stab injuries - he was taken to an east London hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

'Detectives are appealing for any witnesses who were in the area around the time of the incident, or any road users who may have dashcam footage that could assist the investigation, to contact police.'

'If you can help, please call 101 or tweet @MetCC and quote CAD4305/12Mar.'
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THIS Mothers Day will be a welcome break away from the frontline for clinical nurse manager Vanessa Cremin.

Ms Cremin, who works in the Medical Assessment Unit at the Bon Secours Hospital, said she has two titles in life  a mum and a frontline worker.

She stressed that she is equally proud of both. So too are her teenage sons Daniel (17), Luke ( 15), Matthew (11).

This year they will celebrate their mothers achievements following a challenging year for the family.

Seeing whats going on in the world has given them a better appreciation of the work that I do, Vanessa said of her sons.

They understand how important it is and the impact it has on peoples lives. Going to work is the best lesson I can teach them as a mother. They are proud that I am a working mum.

Vanessa is equally proud of her sons.

Since the pandemic started they have become so independent, she said.

Before, I used to do everything for them, but now they have stepped up to the mark. I came home one day and my youngest had made me a cake. It was so welcome after a long day. My hope is that Mothers Day will be full of cake too.

Vanessa described how far her family has come since the beginning of the pandemic.

It was when everything started closing down that I sat down to chat about everything that was going on. I wanted to make sure they all understood what was going on. Seeing how resilient they have become has made me very proud as a mother.

The pandemic has brought the family closer than ever.

I appreciate my days off a lot more now.

We are doing more now as a family than we ever did. Board games are being taken out a lot now that would previously have only been played with at Christmas time. My days off mean more to me than ever now.

Vanessa is looking forward to a time when restrictions are finally lifted.

Over the last 12 months we have had to change our way of nursing. Thankfully, we know that things will get better.

Last year we were all so scared. Its a different world now, but its one full of hope. I am very proud to be part of the unit that I work in. I also love being a mum too so you really could say I love both of my jobs.
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The owner of a now-defunct Virginia Beach real estate title and settlement company pleaded guilty Monday to taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from the businesss escrow account, creating havoc for nearly 50 real estate transactions that had funds in it.

Tammy Hamrin, 57, formerly known as Tammy Cheek, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Norfolk to one count of wire fraud as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors. The crime carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and up to a $1 million fine.

U.S. District Judge Raymond Jackson scheduled Hamrins sentencing for July 26. He agreed to allow her to remain free on bond until then.

Hamrin was the owner of Preferred Escrow & Title in Virginia Beach, where she maintained and controlled the businesss escrow account, according to a statement of facts submitted in the case. The account was where various lenders and individual buyers deposited money for real estate closings in which Hamrin had served as the settlement agent.

In January 2018, Hamrin made seven wire transfers from the account totaling $715,000 for her own personal purposes, the statement said. The money was wired to certain entities at the request of a person Hamrin had a personal relationship with, the statement said.

Hamrin later put $199,000 of her own money back into the account, leaving it with a shortage of $516,000.

Lenders and individual buyers involved in 48 real estate closings that Hamrin was the settlement agent for at that time had put money in the account. As a result of the shortage, all 48 transactions were left with insufficient funds, the statement said.

Losses were sustained by sellers, buyers, business entities, financial institutions, lienholders, municipal clerks of court, treasurer offices and a national title insurance company, the statement said.

Jane Harper, 757-222-5097, jane.harper@pilotonline.com
Bigg Boss 15 has been hitting the headlines ever since the previous season ended. Many celebrities want to be a part of the show and now, Naagin actress Anita Hassanandani has expressed her desire to be on Bigg Boss 15, courtesy Sidharth Shukla!

Well, here is what exactly happened! Recently, Anita's husband Rohit Reddy shared a video of a commercial of an app which featured Sidharth Shukla. Apparently, Rohit's firm is producing the commercial and hence he promoted the same on his Instagram.

In the video, Sidharth and Rohit were seen goofing around and flexing their biceps. Rohit captioned the video as, "Bringing on the big guns!" And the post was filled with huge number of comments, almost all of them praising Sidharth. Impressed with Sidharth's popularity, Anita joked and commented saying this time she wants to do Bigg Boss with her son Aaravv.

Anita wrote, "So many commentssssssss I'm doing BigBoss next season  with Aaravv @rohitreddygoa Bye ." Many replied to Anita's comments with hearts and laughing out loud emojis. And a few of them asked her to try and they would support her.

Click here to watch the video here

For the uninitiated, Sidharth Shukla emerged as Bigg Boss 13 winner. The Dil Se Dil Tak actor, who had already many fans, gained a few more with his Bigg Boss stint. His bond with Shehnaaz Gill in the Bigg Boss 13 house was loved by fans and the couple did two music videos- 'Bhula Dunga' and 'Shona Shona', both of which garnered a lot of views. They will be seen in yet another music video titled 'Habit' and the song will be sung by Shreya Ghoshal.

While Shehnaaz is currently busy in Canada shooting for her upcoming Punjabi film Honsla Rakh with Diljit Dosanjh, Sidharth is shooting for web series Broken But Beautiful 3.

Also Read: Shehnaaz Gill Says All The Girls Hit On Sidharth Shukla & Don't Leave Him Alone

Also Read: Rahul Vaidya Credits His Bigg Boss Success To Sidharth Shukla; Hopes To Meet Him Soon To Thank Him Personally
Ukraine has invited Kuwait to take part in the Crimean Platform initiative.

This was discussed during a meeting of Ukraines Ambassador to the State of Kuwait Oleksandr Balanutsa with Assistant Foreign Minister of Kuwait for Protocol Affairs H.E. Dhari Al Ajran, the press service of the Embassy of Ukraine in Kuwait reported.

"During the meeting, the parties discussed ways to intensify bilateral cooperation in various fields, in particular the possible participation of the Kuwaiti side in the Crimean Platform initiative," the statement reads.

As reported, the Crimean Platform is a new consultative and coordination format initiated by Ukraine to improve the efficiency of the international response to the occupation of Crimea, respond to growing security challenges, step up international pressure on Russia, prevent further human rights violations, protect victims of the occupying power and to achieve the de-occupation of Crimea and its return to Ukraine.

The Crimean Platform is to be launched officially at an inaugural summit in Kyiv on August 23, 2021.

ish
Joan Collins' film producer goddaughter has died after a battle with terminal cancer, seven years after losing her best friend Charlotte Brosnan to the disease.

Milica Kastner, 49, was the daughter of American film producer Elliott Kastner and British celebrity interior designer Tessa Kennedy, and counted Robbie Williams, Jemima Khan and model Saffron Aldridge among her friends.

The mother-of-two was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and stage 4 uterine sarcoma - a rare cancer of the uterus - in February 2019 and was told she had 'six months to live' if she didn't have treatment and '33 months' if she did.

Posting a tribute on Instagram, Joan posted: 'May you #restinpeace my beautiful brave #goddaughter @milica_kastner. You fought a great fight and I admire you so much for your strength. You are with the #angels now and you have always been an #angel.'

Moving: Milica Kastner, 49, daughter of American film producer Elliott Kastner and British celebrity interior designer Tessa Kennedy, has died after a battle with cancer (Pictured: Milica and Tessa with Piers Brosnan at an event in 2007. Milica was a close friend of Brosnan's daughter Charlotte, who lost her battle with cancer in 2013)

Milica's siblings were among those posting tributes to the 49-year-old online, with actor brother Cary Elwes, who appeared in The Princess Bride, posting on Instagram: 'My dear sweet Milica. I dislike having to write this about you as it puts the finality on something I have been dreading to accept, which is that you are gone.

'What can I share about my extraordinary sister in this short space?

'First and foremost, she had an enormous capacity to care for others over herself. A rare quality of inclusion which makes this loss even more insurmountable.

'Even whilst suffering she would not want to talk about her day, but about yours. And that conversation would usually end with a few good laughs. In fact, having a good laugh was really important to Mil and that laugh was totally infectious.

Milica previously wrote about her terminal cancer battle in a Tatler magazine article and said she was choosing not to be a 'victim' Pictured, Milica in a photograph shared on her Instagram account Two Stage Fours

'She was able to laugh as much at death as she was at life.'

He continued: 'Truly a force to contend with. A candle that burned ever so brightly. I would watch people who met her for the first time and stand back trying to not to smile as I watched them realize this woman was completely without pretense. No filter at all. But in a good way.

Hollywood upbringing: Milica with her father Elliott Kastner, best known for Where Eagles Dare (1968), The Long Goodbye (1973) and Angel Heart (1987), in 2002. He died in 2010

'Looking for the good in people and then making sure to make friends with them. I have met many of the Angels who have surrounded her from the start of their friendship and never left her at the end.

'To all of you, too many to mention here, I thank you from my completely shattered heart. And to all of you who have shared your outpouring of support to me and my family at this difficult time, we are truly grateful.

'My North Star will forever twinkle tears in memory of you, Milica. God speed, sweet angel.'

Meanwhile artist Damian Elwes posted on Instagram: 'I am so sad about the passing of my darling sister Milica. She had been battling cancer with such bravery.

'This is a photo from much happier times when she was little. I loved holding her and playing with her and we always had such a beautiful relationship.

'She is gone physically but that deep love will always be there every day.'

Milica's brother Cassian also posted a tribute online, taking to Twitter to write: 'In shock. My baby sister battled cancer for two years and died last night in London. Cant describe my sadness.'

Close: Princess Grace of Monaco and Princess Firyal of Jordan were named her godmothers. After Grace Kelly's death in a car crash, Dame Joan Collins stepped in (pictured in 2011)

In January, Milica spoke of her story publicly for the first time. 'Having had two stage 4 cancers I was inspired to share my story even if it helps four people,' she explained on her dedicated Instagram account, Two Stage Fours.

Milica was born in January 1972 to Kastner, whom she described as a 'tough, Jewish, New York film producer with a heart of gold' and 'social swan' Kennedy, whose clients have included Elizabeth Taylor and King Hussein of Jordan (who was also Milica's godfather).

Kennedy made headlines in the 1950s when, aged just 18, she defied her father's wishes and married painter Dominick Elwes, who was eight years her senior.

Her father Geoffrey obtained a restraining order preventing the couple from marrying in England or Wales, prompting the young lovers to travel to Cuba where they had a civil ceremony at a Havana hotel owned by notorious gangster Meyer Lansky.

Joan Collins was among those sharing emotional tributes to her goddaughter online, calling the 49-year-old 'an angel'

They later fled the country and legally wed in New York before returning to England where Elwes was initially arrested and temporarily jailed for contempt of court.

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She had three sons with Elwes, including actor and star of The Princess Bride Cary Elwes, before divorcing in 1967.

She married husband Kastner, best known for Where Eagles Dare (1968), The Long Goodbye (1973) and Angel Heart (1987), and had son Dillon before welcoming Milica.

Princess Grace of Monaco and Princess Firyal of Jordan were named her godmothers.

After Grace Kelly's death in a car crash, Dame Joan Collins stepped in.

In Tatler, Milica recalled the charmed upbringing she enjoyed as the daughter of a Hollywood producer.

'One of my earliest memories is a magical Easter at Frank Sinatra's house in Palm Springs,' she wrote.

'Grace Kelly (my godmother), the Grants, the Pecks and Roger and Luisa Moore (my brother Dillon's godparents), were all there.'

Milica, who befriended Robbie Williams when she moved in next door to him in Notting Hill, spent some time in Los Angeles before moving back to the UK, where she lived with her two children.

She had a son Jack, 15, with American film producer Cary Woods, and daughter Sophia, 11, whose father is art dealer Alex Corcoran.

In 2010, shortly after Sophia was born, Milica's father died following a long battle with cancer.

Three years later, in 2013, Milica lost her close friend Charlotte Brosnan, daughter of James Bond star Piers, to the disease.

Support network: Milica and close friend model Saffron Aldridge, on her first day of chemo

Milica is godmother to Charlotte's daughter Isabella, or Bella, now 22.

Although she has seen the illness up close, Milica admitted her own diagnosis was 'shattering'.

'Having terminal cancer, it turns out, is scary,' Milica wrote. 'You can't control it - it controls you. Sometimes, I panic that I won't see my children grow up or get to watch what they do with their lives.'

As well as undergoing chemotherapy, Milica underwent an operation to remove a tumour from her brain after doctors discovered the disease had spread.

She ended the article on an optimistic note, saying she believed she 'has the power to floor the cancer, to beat it at its own game'.

She wrote: 'We all have a story and I am choosing not to be a victim in mine. When you do that, it's game over.'

Her latest post was shared six weeks ago and read: 'Met with Dr Robin Jones and Dr Noreen Starling today and they said all things considered I look great and seem strong. I'll take that! #mindovermatter.'
Armenia economic competition protection commission: Experts forecast inflation of butter prices

Armenia citizens' protest against acting health minister is over

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Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

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Dollar is stable in Armenia

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Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

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Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

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Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

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Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

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Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

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Tam Chuc Pagoda Complex, Vietnam's largest Buddhist compound in northern Ha Nam Province, welcomed 50,000 visitors on the weekend, the largest crowd the pagoda has ever drawn since the novel coronavirus emerged in the country last year.

Most Venerable Thich Minh Quang, Tam Chuc Pagodas representative, said that the premises were crowded on Sunday due to the unexpectedly high number of visitors, which caught the pagoda management off guard.

The crowding was eventually eased thanks to the pagodas effort to mobilize shuttle buses to send pilgrims to the entrance to the main compound.

According to Quang, around 50,000 visitors reached Tam Chuc Pagoda on that day, the most crowded the place has seen since early 2020, when COVID-19 first hit Vietnam.

Visitors crowd Tam Chuc Pagoda Complex, Vietnam's largest Buddhist compound, on March 14, 2021 in this supplied photo.

Deluges of pilgrims flocking to pagodas to pray for health and good luck is a scene usually seen in Vietnams festival season, which commences after the Lunar New Year holiday ends around late January or early February.

However, the majority of traditional festivals and religious ceremonies have been canceled this year, with household names such as Huong Pagoda in Hanoi and Yen Tu Pagoda in Quang Ninh Province imposing entry restrictions to maintain safe distancing.

Meanwhile, Bai Dinh Pagoda, which is considered the biggest pagoda in Vietnam, joins Tam Chuc Pagoda in a list of religious places that remain completely open to visitors.

Thanks to its more relaxing policies, Tam Chuc Pagoda had reported at least a thousand pilgrims on previous weekends, which soared to tens of thousands last weekend.

Most Venerable Quang attributed the visitor upsurge at his premises last week to the fact that Huong Pagoda, about 55km away, lifted its entrance curbs on Saturday, which pulled in around 40,000 visitors to the area.

Thanks to Vietnam's initial success in its combat against the latest COVID-19 outbreak, which emerged on January 27, tourists can now visit many fesitvals and social gatherings in the country.

However, none can be sure whether risks of community transmission have been fully eliminated, as the entry of border jumpers into Vietnam through trails and footpaths could enkindle another outbreak anytime.

Most Venerable Quang expressed concerns over the negligence of many pilgrims, who frequently pulled down their face masks to pose for pictures on the premises, despite the pagoda's constant reminder of mandatory face mask wearing, hand washing, and safe distancing.

As the pandemic has generally settled, we cant deny the [visiting] demands of Buddhists, he said.

We can only try our best to maintain epidemic prevention guidelines.

Visitors crowd a wharf at Tam Chuc Pagoda Complex, Vietnam's largest Buddhist compound, on March 14, 2021 in this supplied photo.

Visitors crowd a prayer room at Tam Chuc Pagoda Complex, Vietnam's largest Buddhist compound, on March 14, 2021 in this supplied photo.

Ta Dinh Quyen, deputy director of the Ha Nam Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, said the number of visitors also came as a surprise to local authorities.

Quyen has ordered the administration of Tam Chuc Tourism Site to carefully run body temperature checks while strictly enforcing medical declaration, handwashing, face mask donning, and safe distancing on all visitors.

His department also called a meeting with the administration of Tam Chuc Tourism Site on Monday to discuss solutions for maintaining safety while welcoming large crowds of tourists.

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Aleksei Navalny's whereabouts are unknown -- again -- as the state appears to use the Kremlin foe's long journey to prison to make a point. Meanwhile, back in Moscow, police raid a forum of independent lawmakers and arrest everyone in the room. RFE/RL senior correspondent Robert Coalson joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.
Shanghai delegation representatives submitted 22 legislative proposals this year

By:Liu Xutong | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-03-12 14:49

The Shanghai delegation of the Fourth Session of the 13th National People's Congress held an online press conference via online video. Liu Shijun, spokesperson of the Shanghai delegation and director of the Research Office of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Peoples Congress, introduced that the Shanghai delegation submitted 22 proposals and 143 suggestions to the conference. Among them, for the first time, 2 proposals and 2 suggestions were proposed in the name of the delegation.

All 22 bills are legislative bills, involving legislation and amendments in the fields of market economy, technological progress, social governance, ecological environmental protection, and people's livelihood security. Of the 143 proposals, 75 were for economic construction, 41 for social construction, 16 for legal construction, 6 for cultural construction, and 5 for ecological civilization construction.

Suggestions focusedon six aspects: reforming and optimizing the business environment;coordinated regional development;the promotion of green development;promoting innovation;the modernization of governance;and the improvement of peoples livelihoodsand well-being.
Las Vegas protesters - Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Thousands of tourists have descended upon Las Vegas, as the city takes a gamble on loosening coronavirus restrictions and allowing casinos to operate at 50 per cent capacity.

Governor Steve Sisolak announced that the rules would be eased from Monday, but photographs taken over the weekend show revellers from across the US mingling on the citys main strip with scant regard for social distancing measures.

With only 222 new cases and one death in the whole of Nevada on Sunday, restaurants, gyms, arcades, bowling alleys, racetracks and casino floors can now increase their operating capacity from 35 per cent to 50 per cent. Nightclubs and brothels remain closed.

The new limitations are expected to remain in place until May 1 when the state says it will review the measures and make changes.

But concerns have been raised that despite clear signage and a number of enforcement officers, tourists are not adhering to the rules.

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Videos on social media showed the citys strip bustling with partygoers.

I took a few pictures to send to my son in Chicago, and I said, I cant believe there are this many people out, 55-year-old local resident Laura Amendala told the Las Vegas Review Journal.

Its scary just because mask compliance is an issue, she added.

One tourist, Yolando Hagwood, said: I think most businesses are trying to adhere and still let people have a good time.

You cant tackle people. Youre gonna see people with no masks. Youre gonna see people not social distancing. But you just try to do your part.

Hotels were ready for the changes and MGM Resorts, which runs the Mandalay Bay, Park MGM and The Mirage hotels, resumed 24/7 operations earlier this month.

"As we begin to see positive signs around the public's sentiment about traveling, coupled with important progress on the vaccination front and decreasing Covid-19 case numbers, bringing Mandalay Bay, Park MGM and The Mirage back to full-week operations is an important step for us," Bill Hornbuckle, MGM Resorts' CEO & President, said in a statement.

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"We remain optimistic about Las Vegas' recovery and our ability to bring employees back to work as business volumes allow us to do so."

On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris boarded a plane to visit the city with plans to visit the University of Nevada, Las Vegas vaccination clinic and the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas.

Since the start of the pandemic, Nevada has seen 299,326 coronavirus cases and 5,119 deaths.
LONDON  Patsy Stevenson said she only intended to observe the vigil for Sarah Everard, whose disappearance while walking home in London has captivated and appalled the nation.

But, staring down the camera while two officers restrained her on the ground, Stevenson has become a symbol of the protests themselves.

Stevenson, one of three women detained at the event amid scuffles with police, told Sky News that she never wanted the notoriety but would try and use it to force change anyway.

I accidentally went viral, she said. The only way that I can make this not in vain is to not make it political, not make it against the police or against anyone. It literally is just about the safety of women.

Image: Police detain a woman as people gather at a memorial site in Clapham Common Bandstand, following the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard, in London, Britain (Hannah McKay / Reuters)

We need to change the system where women don't have a voice and it isn't safe for women to walk down a street, Stevenson said.

Despite her reluctance to be thrown into the public eye, Stevenson, along with Everard, continued to trend on Twitter in the United Kingdom on Monday.

Stevenson was among around 1,000 at the mass gathering Saturday to honor Everard, 33, a marketing executive. The official vigil was earlier canceled by organizers after law enforcement said it would violate national lockdown measures.

On Friday, Wayne Couzens, an elite officer with London Metropolitan Polices diplomatic protection command, was charged with Everards kidnapping and murder.

Everard's disappearance on March 3 and the discovery of her body a week later triggered an outpouring of anger and sadness over the low conviction rates for those who commit violence against women in the U.K., and prompted reaction from politicians across the political spectrum.

Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to meet with senior Cabinet members Monday to discuss strategies to combat violence against women and girls. The meeting comes amid more planned protests outside Parliament.

Like everyone who saw it, I was deeply concerned about the footage from Clapham Common on Saturday night, Johnson said in a statement released Sunday, referring to images from the impromptu vigil in south London.

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Johnson commissioned two reviews into how Saturdays vigil was handled but stopped short of joining growing calls for the head of London Metropolitan Police to resign.

Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has defied such calls, calling the vigil an unlawful gathering, which posed a serious risk to peoples health according to the regulations.

She defended her officers who had to conduct fiendishly difficult policing to disperse the mass gathering but fully understood the strength of feeling, especially from women.

I wouldn't have wanted to see a vigil in memory of Sarah end with those scenes, Dick added.

Everard was last seen walking home on a busy London street earlier this month. Closed circuit television footage showing her wearing brightly colored clothing on a well-lit street has become etched in the minds of many women who take similar precautions when walking alone after dark.

Jamie Klingler, an organizer at the group Reclaim these Streets, told NBC News that that imagery has become painful for many women because the onus of their safety falls on them, despite the behavior of male perpetrators.

She was abducted and killed and it struck fear into the heart of all of us, she added.

The furor following Everard's death upset some of those closest to the slain woman. An opinion piece written by one of her friends, Helen Edwards, asked for the politicization of Everard's death to stop.

Her abduction and murder is not, in my opinion, a symptom of a sexist, dangerous society. When something awful like this happens, there is a rush to look for reasons and apportion blame, Edwards wrote.

The impact of Everard's killing continues to reverberate in public conversations about violence against women around the globe.

The reason why the killing of Sarah Everard has shocked us all is because it could have been any one of us, Rothna Begum, a senior women's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, said.

Now whats really resonating is, Why was she killed? How was it that she happened to be killed just for simply walking home at night?

Unrelated to Everard's murder case, a policing bill is set to have its second reading in Parliament this week. The nearly 300-page bill has quickly become controversial off the heels of the police response, prompting some lawyers to say it would hugely expand policing powers and spurring criticism from several opposition politicians, who now plan to vote against the legislation.

The #PolicingBill hashtag was trending on Twitter in the U.K. on Monday.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- U.S. Census Bureau officials say it would be impossible for them to finish their work by the end of the month, as Ohio is trying to force them to do so the state can meet legal deadlines for its process of redrawing its political maps.

Lawyers for the federal government filed documents in federal court over the weekend that included a sworn statement from James Whitehorne, a top U.S. Census Bureau official, who said producing usable census data by March 31 is not possible under any scenario, and the Census Bureau would be unable to comply with any such order from the Court.

The census was delayed last year by the coronavirus pandemic, hurricanes and social unrest, and the Census Bureau was unable to receive a time extension from Congress to make up for it, officials said.

Put simply, Ohio seeks the impossible, reads the federal governments response, one of 23 times the filing uses the word.

Federal lawyers also argued that Ohio lacks legal standing to sue, and has failed to explore alternative solutions to meet its redistricting deadline, like seeking a time extension from state courts, or exploring using different data The filings come ahead of a court hearing scheduled for Friday in which Southern District of Ohio Judge Thomas M. Rose may rule on a lawsuit filed last month by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

Yost sued the Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Commerce, seeking to force the Biden Administration to stick to a March 31 federal legal deadline so the state can meet its own deadlines for its redistricting process. The Census Bureau announced in mid-February that its data wouldnt be available to states until as late as Sept. 30, blaming the delay in part on the pandemic.

An initial deadline for redrawing congressional maps under the Ohio Constitution falls on Sept 30, while a different initial deadline for redrawing state legislative maps falls on Sept. 1. States use the census data to draw their state legislative and congressional maps, which are designed to contain equal numbers of people, and which must follow rules and legal standards meant to ensure fair maps.

Yosts office filed a response to the federal governments response, writing that the its-just-too-hard argument, if accepted, will permit them to ignore deadlines for every future census.

Lawyers representing a coalition of voting-rights groups and local governments, including the cities of Chicago and Los Angeles, also filed court documents over the weekend seeking to intervene in the case. They say granting Yosts March 31 deadline would conflict with a court order from their own federal lawsuit, in which they successfully blocked the Trump Administrations effort last year to wind down the Census a month early.

As part of that lawsuit, the Census Bureau agreed to not report census results before April 16, about two weeks later than the date Yost is seeking in his lawsuit, according to the court filing from the NAACP, the League of Women Voters, the Gila River Indian Community and others.

Judge Black granted the coalition of voting-rights groups and local governments permission on Monday to participate in the case.

An earlier version of this story gave an incorrect first name for the U.S. Census Bureau who was quoted in the federal governments lawsuit response. His name is James, not Jason Whitehorne.
Chief Minister and TMC supremo on Monday said no conspiracy can stop her from campaigning ahead of the assembly polls in the state and will continue to fight against the BJP.

Addressing her first rally in a district after being injured at the hustings in Nandigram, Banerjee said as long as she has her voice and her heart functions, she will continue to fight.

"Wait for a few days, my legs will be better. I will see whether your legs move freely on Bengal's soil," Banerjee said without naming anyone.

"Only conspiracy," she said, addressing the election rally here in Purulia district.

She also said the BJP has come from Delhi with many of its leaders to win the assembly elections.

"But I say you will not get Bengal," she said, claiming that her government has done a lot of development and welfare works in the state in its 10-year rule.

"No other government in the world has been able to do as much work as ours. Their (BJP) prime minister cannot run the country, totally incompetent," she said.

Banerjee was injured in her left leg, head and chest while campaigning in Nandigram on March 10 after filing her nomination from the high-profile seat, an incident the ruling TMC claimed was a "BJP conspiracy to take her life".

The Election Commission, however, ruled out that there was an attack on the chief minister after reviewing the reports sent by its two special poll observers and the state government.

The poll panel concluded that Banerjee sustained injuries due to a lapse on part of her security in charge.
FLINT, MI -- The Flint pediatrician who first found elevated levels of lead in the blood of Flint children during the citys water crisis is advising against the use of a portable bone scanning devise for children -- one thats being used to help win higher money awards as part of a $641-million settlement between residents, the state of Michigan and others.

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha said the portable X-ray fluorescence device (XRF) being used in a Flint clinic set up by the law firm Napoli Shkolnik PLLC concerns her because the device was not designed for human testing, because of the potential unknown harm it may cause and because it will not capture historic exposure suffered by Flint children.

For so long, the people of Flint have felt, you know, experimented on, and rightly so, and this is another example of this injustice -- where something is being applied on them that is not tested, that has not been approved ... and also (produces) a massive underestimation of exposure, Hanna-Attisha said.

The pediatricians strong words are latest development in the lingering controversy over the use of the portable XRF to measure lead in the bodies of Flint residents making settlement claims.

Earlier this month, seven attorneys who represent Flint residents in the settlement process abruptly withdrew a request in U.S. District Court to suspend the use of portable bone scanning equipment without explanation after filing it less than 24 hours earlier and after meeting with Judge Judith Levy.

In the original motion, the attorneys complained the XRF had not been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as safe and effective for use in diagnosing lead exposure in humans or by any federal or state regulatory body for use on humans.

But Levy said after a 26-minute off the record conversation with attorneys involved in the settlement that she set forth that the motion must be withdrawn as non-compliant with the courts practice guidelines as well as the duties of the counsel.

Before that filing, Dr. Lawrence Reynolds, health advisor to Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley, filed his objections to the settlement and its reliance on the XRF in federal court, calling the bone testing a human rights violation ... the Tuskegee experiment all over again.

In October, Flint attorney Val Washington also protested after attorneys involved in drafting the settlement agreement, which included greater payments to those who could demonstrate lead exposure, advertised for clients based in part on having primary access to the portable bone scanning equipment.

Hanna-Attisha became one of the most trusted voices in Flint during the water crisis.

Her 2015 study of the blood lead levels of Flint children showed the percentage of infants and kids with elevated blood lead levels doubled after the city changed its water source to the Flint River in parts of 2014 and 2015, triggering the release of lead in drinking water.

Within weeks of her public release of the information, the citys water source was switched back to pre-treated Lake Huron water and the citys water crisis, which Flint and state officials had denied, was later recognized as a state and federal emergency.

Bone scans are never a good idea for children ... (In this case), theres risk and no benefit, she said. However minimal the risk, there is no benefit.

Hunter Shkolnik of Napoli Shkolnik and Corey Stern of Levy Konigsberg LLP, who were appointed as lead attorneys in the settlement, have defended the use of the XRF, saying it is not being used to diagnose, prevent or treat any disease, and poses no risk to children or adults to exposure to radiation.

The sole purpose of the test is to quantify lead exposure for purposes of settlement ..., Stern and Shkolnik said in a March 5 letter to U.S. District Court Judge Judith Levy. The tests are not being used to inform the recipient of any medical or diagnostic criteria beyond the test results itself for purposes of litigation and claim categorization.

The bone scans are not available in Flint except for those being carried out by the law firm Napoli Shkolnik, which has also made the testing available to clients of other attorneys one day per week.

Although the initial appointments for the scans filled up immediately, several time slots remained available through a website as of Monday, March 15.

The bone scans are one way those filing a settlement claim can earn a bigger piece of the settlement, potentially twice as much as someone in the same circumstances would otherwise qualify for.

Adults and children can also attempt to show their exposure to lead in Flint water through blood or neurological examinations but because lead in blood is released over a short period of time, those tests would be only valuable if testing was done years ago.

I can understand the legal world trying to determine extent of harm -- the desire for like a magic gun that could figure that out and give you a number, but that doesnt exist, Hanna-Attisha said. There is no easy, quick, reliable way to determine past exposure without rewinding the clock and ... unfortunately, that window has passed and theres not an easy way to figure out exactly how much lead was consumed.

The portable XRF being used in Flint is described by Stern and Shkolnik as a portable device that requires approximately five minutes of exposure to generate a lead reading. Participants are tested in private screening rooms where trained nurses administer the test, focusing on the tibia -- or shinbone -- in the leg.

The device was modified from its commercial state for human use and without such modifications, which require proper supervision and calibration, the devise would not be suitable for use in humans, Stern and Shkolnik said in their letter to the judge.

The medical director for the scanning program, Dr. Michael Weitzman, is a board-certified pediatrician specializing in environmental neurotoxin exposure in children, and the modifications made to the XRF in Flint is consistent with modifications that have been done in studies conducted at Purdue University and Harvard University ..., the letter continues.

In the original request to suspend use of portable bone scanning equipment in the settlement process, attorneys including co-class lead counsel Theodore J. Leopold and Michael L. Pitt said the XRF manufacturers user manual suggests the device is not intended for use on humans.

The fact that the manufacturer of the portable (scanning device) has not envisioned its use in human applications has significant regulatory consequences, the motion says. Typically, these handheld analyzers are used extensively by scrap metal recyclers to identify the metal and alloys in a scrapyard, including identifying the existence of contaminants or hazardous elements.

The $641-million water crisis settlement is the result of mediation between attorneys for Flint residents who claim they were harmed by Flint water and the state of Michigan. The state was later joined in the settlement by the city of Flint, McLaren Regional Medical Center and Rowe Professional Services, each of which agreed to pay into the settlement fund in exchange for being removed from water crisis lawsuits against them in state and federal courts.

Hanna-Attisha said parents have been left to decide whether to subject their children to the testing or settle on receiving a potentially smaller cash award.

Its a painful choice for a parent to have to make, she said. Do I let my child be subject to equipment that was designed for inanimate objects -- not even animals ... when this is what may allow them to get resources or not?

Its ultimately up to the person (and) their family, but no, I wouldnt recommend it.

Read more on MLive:

Attorneys for Flint residents ask judge to stop bone lead testing in water crisis settlement

Attorneys pull request to stop bone lead testing in Flint water settlement without explanation

Flint mayors health advisor calls water settlement bone lead testing a human rights violation

Elevated lead found in more Flint kids after water switch, study finds
Authorities have released the name of a man shot to death while sitting on the front porch of a boarding home on Birminghams St. Charles Avenue S.W.

The Jefferson County Coroners Office on Monday identified the victim as Levert Mickens. He was 63.

Birminghams gunfire detection system  Shot Spotter  indicated a single shot was fired in the 500 block of St. Charles Avenue shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday. Moments later, Birmingham 911 also received a call of a shot fired.

When West Precinct officers arrived at the location, they found Mickens unresponsive in a chair. He was pronounced dead on the scene at 10:08 p.m.

Sgt. Rod Mauldin said the location is a boarding house, but it wasnt immediately clear whether the victim lived there. The preliminary investigation indicates there was an altercation before the fatal shooting.

Mauldin said Saturday one person was detained. No arrests have been announced.

Mickens is Birminghams 19th homicide of 2021. Of those, one has been ruled justifiable and therefore is not deemed criminal. In all of Jefferson County there have been 32 homicides including the 19 in Birmingham.
Nifty futures on the Singapore Exchange traded 0.42 per cent higher at 15,093 around 8.40 am, indicating a firm start for benchmark indices on Monday.

Here are the top stocks that are likely to stay in focus today:

MTAR Tech: Shares of MTAR Technologies will debut on the bourses today. The issue which ran between March 3-5 was subscribed over 200 times. The segment reserved for retail investors was subscribed 28.4 times, qualified institutional buyers category was subscribed 165 times and non-institutional category received 650.79 times subscription.

SBI Card: SBI Cards and Payment Services (SBI Card), on Friday, said it has received the board's nod to raise up to Rs 2,000 crore by issuing bonds. The company said it will raise the money in one or more tranches over a period of time.

ONGC: The company has seen its contribution to the national production jump to over 70 per cent from under 53 per cent a decade back, petroleum ministry data showed.

NMDC: The company, on Friday, said its board has approved an interim dividend of Rs 7.76 per share for the current financial year.

JSPL: Jindal Steel and Power (JSPL) reported an 18 per cent jump in its crude steel output to 6.53 lakh tonnes (LT) in February this year. The company had produced 5.54 LT steel in February 2020, said in a statement.

Vodafone Idea: Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL) is planning to raise up to $750 million (about Rs 5,500 crore) via convertible bonds to repay its adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues and spectrum fees to the government. READ HERE

Tata Motors: Auto major Tata Motors is optimistic that the supply constraint of semiconductors that has impacted its commercial vehicles production will be back to normal by the second half of the next fiscal, according to a senior company official.

Tata Communication: The government will sell its entire stake in Tata Communications through an offer for sale and the rest to Tata Son's investment arm Panatone Finvest Ltd, according to a regulatory filing. Currently, the government holds 26.12 per cent stake in Tata Communications, Panatone Finvest Ltd 34.8 per cent and Tata Sons 14.07 per cent, respectively.

Titan: The Tata group firm said it has completed its exit from joint venture Montblanc India Retail, which operates retail boutiques in the country for Montblanc products.

NHPC: The company said it has paid Rs 890.85 crore as an interim dividend to the Centre for the financial year ending March 31, 2021.

UCO Bank: Ishraq Ali Khan has taken over as executive director (ED) of state-owned UCO Bank. Prior to taking over as the bank's ED, he was the chief general manager of Union Bank of India.

DLF: The company board will meet on March 17 to consider the proposal of offering secured NCDs aggregating upto Rs 500 crore in one or more traches.

Kotak Mahindra Bank: The board of directors have approved dividend on 8.10 percent non-convertible perpetual non-cumulative preference shares for FY21.

Asian Hotels: India Ratings has downgraded the credit rating for the bank facilities availed by the company as 'IND BB+/Negative'.

Power Finance Corporation: The board has declared interim dividend of Rs 8 per equity share for FY21.

IIFL Finance: The NBFC has decided to excercise the option of early closure of its bond issue and will close it on March 18 as against March 23 decided earlier.
The Ekiti government on Monday began the payment of N507.4 million as compensations to victims of defunct SARS brutality and other segments of the society.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Governor Kayode Fayemi, at different ceremonies in Ado Ekiti, presented cheques, covering the sum, to victims of human rights violations and those whose lands were acquired for the building of International Cargo Airport in the state.

NAN also reports that out of the total sum, N7.4 million was paid to petitioners who were awarded compensations by the state Judicial Panel of Inquiry into cases of human rights abuses by the disbanded SARS.

A total of 700 farmers, whose lands were acquired for the construction of the airport, also received N500 million.

Mr Fayemi said his administration decided not to wait for the six-month period given to the judicial panel of inquiry to conclude its sitting before commencing the payment to assure the people of governments sincerity.

He promised that his government would follow up by also carrying out law reforms, policy change and institutional strengthening that would fight crime in the state and ensure justice for all.

In most cases, we pay attentions to the offenders, while also trying to remedy the emotional and psychological damage done to the victims.

The House of Assembly has begun work on Ekiti Criminal Code, with the task of ensuring that victims of crime are put side by side with the offenders and get compensations, while the offenders get punished.

I hereby apologise to the victims of human rights violations in Ekiti for the hurt and damage they had suffered, both emotionally and psychologically.

These monetary compensations will help to alleviate your feelings and what you have suffered, he said.

Speaking, Chair of the panel, Cornelius Akintayo, applauded the governor for approving the compensations for the petitioners.

We thank the state government for not waiting until we round off our sitting before starting the payment of compensations.

If we recommend and there is no political will to implement, it means nothing will happen, he said.

While also presenting cheques to farmers and owners of 4,017 hectares of lands acquired for the airport, Mr Fayemi said the money would be distributed to farmers from Afao, Ago-Aduloju, Araromi-Obo, Ijan, Igbogun, Ogbese and other towns and villages.

READ ALSO: Ekiti judicial panel recommends compensation for widow of murdered SARS officer

This, he said, was aimed at alleviating their sufferings through the process of construction.

The construction of the airport will create jobs, drive investments, while our crops will be better marketed locally and internationally.

We have been able to surmount all the initial problems and settle issues with those whose farms were acquired for the construction.

Since Ekiti is purely agrarian, this airport will help us maximise our gains in this sector, he said.

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In her remarks, Olufunke Falodun, director general and special adviser to the Governor on Land Matters, said aside the N500 million monetary compensations, land owners would also get certificates of indemnity covering all the losses they had incurred.

(NAN)
[March 15, 2021] Austin Browning to Join Nolan Capital

Nolan Capital is pleased to announce the addition of Austin Browning to its team. Austin will serve as a Managing Director focused on private equity, real estate and other investing activities of the firm. He will assist Nolan Capital in identifying new investment opportunities and work alongside the Nolan team on the firm's portfolio companies. Prior to joining Nolan Capital, Austin was a Partner at Silver Rock Financial, which he joined in 2016. Silver Rock is a multibillion dollar hedge fund platform focusing on both credit and equities. Austin was responsible for the Industrials, Homebuilding, and Building Products sectors, investing across the capital structure. Austin joined Silver Rock's predecessor company in 2014 when it functioned as the family office for Michael Milken. From 2013 to 2014, he was an Associate at Cerberus Capital Management, an investment firm based in New York, where he worked in the Private Equity Group. From 2011 to 2013, he was an Analyst with Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York, working in Leveraged Finance and Financial Sponsors within the Investent Banking Division. Austin received his Bachelor's Degrees in both Economics and Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2011.



"We are thrilled to announce the addition of Austin Browning to our team of professionals," said Peter Nolan. "Austin brings deep experience in a wide variety of industries." About Nolan Capital

Nolan Capital, based in Southern California, is the family office of Peter J. Nolan. We originate, execute and manage private equity, real estate and other investments on behalf of the Nolan family. Our private equity strategy is focused on making control investments in leading middle-market companies. We are patient investors who take a long-term approach in providing strategic and financial support to help build sustainable shareholder value. Nolan Capital has control investments in companies such as Fresh Brothers Restaurants, Diamond Wipes Inc., and Ortega National Parks. In addition, the company has real estate investments in agricultural, commercial, and residential properties across the country. Our firm is managed by Peter J. Nolan, who has over 39 years of investment experience, most recently as former Managing Partner and current Senior Advisor of Leonard Green & Partners, a leading private equity firm with over $40 billion of private equity capital raised since inception (www.leonardgreen.com). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005165/en/

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Bill Burr under fire for Grammys joke

Comedian Bill Burr is facing backlash for his jokes during the 2021 Grammy Awards pre-telecast ceremony. Was I the only one that wanted to kill himself during that piano solo? he cracked of his intro music. I bought a suit for this. I thought I was going to be on TV. Im such a moron. Im losing so much money right now. Burr presented multiple awards, including Best Tropical Album, when he said: How many, like, feminists are going nuts? Why is the cis-white male doing all this Latino stuff? He also mispronounced Natalia Lafourcades name when he announced her as the winner of Best Regional Mexican Musical Album. I cant say the name. The Grammy goes to Natalia Lafourcade. I will accept on behalf of her. If I butchered her name, Im sorry. Natalia, you won, he said. Burr was nominated for Best Comedy Album for Paper Tiger, but lost to Tiffany Haddishs Black Mitzvah. He became a trending topic Sunday night as fans criticized the Recording Academy for selecting Burr as a presenter.

I finally found the bill burr clip everyone's talking about. pic.twitter.com/3cjgQka47B  Carl A Methuselah (@UglyOne10) March 14, 2021

The Talk on hiatus

ET reports The Talk is going on a brief hiatus as CBS conducts an internal review over Sharon Osbournes defense of Piers Morgan during a conversation with Sheryl Underwood last week. Osbourne apologized, but also told Variety she blamed the network for the controversy. I was blindsided, totally blindsided by the whole situation. In my 11 years, this was the first time I was not involved with the planning of the segment, Osbourne claimed. The daytime talk show wont air Monday or Tuesday pending the investigation.

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Steven Yeun makes Oscars history as first Asian-American best actor nominee ( ET

Grammys highlights: 9 must-see moments from Grammy Awards ( SYR

Billie Eilish dedicates Grammys win to queen Beyonce ( E!

Selena honored with Lifetime Achievement Award at Grammys ( BB

Grammys in memoriam leaves out Benny Mardones, others ( SYR

Zack Snyders Justice League early buzz: Much better than theatrical cut ( SF

Pippa Middleton gives birth to second child ( ET

Avatar becomes highest-grossing film of all time again, passing Endgame ( SF

Jamie Dornans father, 73, dies after contracting Covid-19 ( DM

Alex Rodriguez says hes not single, still with Jennifer Lopez ( ET

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: See final trailer ( SF

Kids Choice Awards: See 2021 winners list ( BB

Tayshia Adams, Kaitlyn Bristowe to replace Chris Harrison on Bachelorette season ( ET

Yo-Yo Ma performs at vaccination center after getting 2nd shot ( RS

Fashion designer Jessica McClintock dies at 90 ( ET

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Buzz is a daily roundup of entertainment news about movies, TV, music and celebrities.
The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) has launched Tourism Shapers, a new initiative to support the learning and development of local travel trade partners in the tourism private sector.

As Saudi continues to develop its destination offering for local, regional and international audiences, it is now more important than ever to enable and empower the private sector.

"Across the Kingdom, we are seeing different types of small-to-medium sized businesses transform their working models and offering so that tourism is at the heart of their core product," remarked Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority.

"Businesses are beginning to think differently about the future, recognizing the immense growth opportunities within the tourism sector and how they must adapt, evolve and innovate to meet the needs of their customer," he added.

Hamidaddin pointed out that Tourism Shapers aims to not only support the growth of the tourism ecosystem, but also inspire small-to-medium sized businesses in Saudi to recognize the opportunities within the industry, so they can grow their business and their livelihood.

The first-of-its-kind initiative began with a series of monthly interactive webinars. Each session focuses on a different topic, designed to equip the audience with best practices, key insights, and information to keep them informed on the tourism industrys constant evolution, he noted.

The first webinar, The Future of Travel and Tourism, brought together thought leaders Noor Nugali, Assistant Editor-in-Chief, Arab News, travel expert and founder of start-up enabler, Why Bolt, Aya Sadder, and Abdulrahman Bakhsh, Private Sector Partnerships Directors at STA, to share insights and their view on the tourism industry of tomorrow and how businesses can adapt and evolve for the future.

During the session, keynote speaker Aya Sadder shed light on how businesses need to be more agile during uncertain times.

"Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world, it is constantly transforming and businesses must be ready to adapt. The future of the industry will focus on building more resilient communities and businesses through innovation, effective partnerships and readiness to embrace digitalisation," remarked Sadder.

"The next webinar will be broadcast on March 17 via the Tourism Shapers website with the main focus on 'pricing strategy for tourism businesses.'

According to Hamidaddin, the future of tourism is dependent on building partnerships at all levels.

"Tourism Shapers is just one initiative through which STA is sharing ideas and insights that will help empower our partners to win their share of visitation," he added.
The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost.
Mar. 14Scranton police identified a suspect for an alleged shooting in the Hill Section on Saturday evening, Chief Leonard Namiotka said.

Police were called to the 1200 block of Vine Street around 6:10 p.m., Namiotka said.

"There was some type of argument that went on and he came outside and fired 10 to 12 rounds off into the air," Namiotka said. "We identified who the shooter was and we have an arrest warrant issued for that person."

Namiotka said no one was injured and there was no property damage.

Contact the writer: rtomkavage@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9131; @rtomkavage on Twitter.
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Uncertainty about why only 75% of the House is confirmed as vaccinated against the coronavirus is fueling a debate about when the chamber can return to its normal rules of operation.

Between the lines: The other 25% of members have either refused to get the vaccine, have not reported getting it at home or are avoiding it because of medical conditions. Until the Office of Attending Physician is clear about this, it can't make recommendations "regarding the modification or relaxation of existing social distancing guidelines."

Congress has its own supply of the coronavirus vaccine. While it's not certain which party is most to blame for any vaccine hesitancy, the phenomenon is higher among white Republicans than any other demographic group, as Axios has reported.

I wont be taking it. The survival rate is too high for me to want it, 25-year-old Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) told Axios in December.

Why it matters: Multiple waves of voting, meant to ensure social distancing inside the House chamber, are slowing a full legislative schedule.

It's also giving power to disrupters like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who's used a procedural move to further drag out the process.

who's used a procedural move to further drag out the process. Votes can take more than three times longer than pre-pandemic times.

What they're saying: Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) had a lively debate on the House floor Thursday about reopening.

"Now that we have seen from reports ... that roughly 75% of all members in this House have had a vaccination for COVID-19, there's a strong desire to get back to a regular floor schedule," said Scalise.

"It would be a lot simpler if every member had been vaccinated," Hoyer replied.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's most recent guidelines suggest avoiding "large events and gatherings, when possible."

Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) last Wednesday. He asked for timelines of when the House will end proxy voting, extended voting sessions and resume full-time, in-person committee hearings.

"Simply put: its time that we return to regular order. House Republicans are eager for the chance to reopen the Peoples House, restore Americas voice in Congress and work day in and day out to address the many concerns our constituents face," wrote McCarthy (R-Calif.)

The House continues to conduct our business in accordance with public health guidelines and in consultation with the Office of the Attending Physician," Hoyer spokesperson Margaret Mulkerrin said in a statement to Axios.

"The health and safety of members, legislative staff, journalists and House employees remains paramount."

What's next: A memo sent last by the Office Attending Physician, obtained by Axios, urged continued social distancing and mask-wearing by members.

The office cares for those in the House and Senate, as well as the Supreme Court.

The OAP urged members who had received vaccinations from outside the OAP's domain to report them.

In addition, the office said members who had previously contracted COVID-19 "are strongly encouraged to complete a full SARS-oV2 vaccination course at the earliest possible opportunity."

The bottom line: The Office of Attending Physician reinstated the use of the congressional gym showers, locker room and swimming pool on Friday evening, according to the memo.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) on Friday announced an indictment against Jean-Francois Eap, the CEO of encrypted messaging company Sky Global, and an associate for wilfully participating in a criminal enterprise to help international drug traffickers avoid law enforcement.

Eap (also known as "888888") and Thomas Herdman, a former high-level distributor of Sky Global devices, have been charged with a conspiracy to violate the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), according to warrants issued for their arrests.

"The indictment alleges that Sky Global generated hundreds of millions of dollars providing a service that allowed criminal networks around the world to hide their international drug trafficking activity from law enforcement," Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in the announcement. "This groundbreaking investigation should send a serious message to companies who think they can aid criminals in their unlawful activities."

Specifically, the indictment alleges that the company "knowingly and intentionally" sold its encrypted communications devices to criminal organizations involved in the transnational importation and distribution of narcotics, used digital currencies such as Bitcoin to conduct illegal transactions on the firm's website and protect its customers' anonymity, and obstructed investigations of drug trafficking by "remotely delet[ing] evidence of such activities."

A Wave of Law Enforcement Action

The development comes on the heels of a coordinated exercise called "Operation Argus" and "Operation A-Limit," in which law enforcement agencies from Belgium, France, and the Netherlands announced major interventions against the messaging platform to disrupt the illegal use of encrypted communications by large-scale organized crime groups (OCGs).

By successfully breaking the encryption protections of Sky ECC in mid-February, authorities said they were able to decipher over half a billion messages and gain "invaluable insights into hundreds of millions of messages exchanged between criminals," culminating in a series of nearly 275 raids and the arrest of 91 suspects, besides seizing 17 tonnes of cocaine and 1.2 million.

The Belgian Federal Police and the Dutch National Police said the encrypted message traffic was read "live" for a period of about three weeks, forestalling "dozens of planned serious violent crimes, including kidnappings, liquidations and shootings."

"This has resulted in the collection of crucial information on over a hundred of planned large-scale criminal operations, preventing potential life threatening situations and possible victims," Europol noted.

Sky ECC is said to have surged in popularity following a similar takedown of Encrochat last July by French and Dutch investigators, with many criminal gangs shifting to the service to carry out criminal acts. Sky, like Encrochat's EncroPhone, is part of the encrypted phone industry, in which iPhone, Google Pixel, and Blackberry handsets are altered by incorporating tamper-resistant hardware and OS-level protections capable of resisting (lawful) attempts to gain access to their contents.

Sold for either a three or six months subscription at $185/month, the phones also integrate their own encrypted messaging applications with support for self-destructing chats, in addition to disabling features like camera outside of the app, microphone, calling, Bluetooth, NFC, biometrics, GPS sensors, and app store access that could potentially compromise security.

Worldwide, there are an estimated 170,000 Sky ECC custom-made phones in service, Europol said, adding around three million messages are being exchanged each day on a global scale. Sky ECC is operated from the U.S. and Canada while making use of computer servers based in Europe. Around a quarter of its active users are located in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Sky ECC Denies Involvement

Denying that it's a "platform of choice for criminals," Sky ECC contested its involvement in the operations and said that its platform remains secure and that none of the authorized devices had been hacked, instead pointing fingers at an impostor reseller (named "SKYECC.EU") that had no connection to the company.

"SKY ECC authorized distributors in Belgium and the Netherlands brought to our attention that a fake phishing application falsely branded as SKY ECC was illegally created, modified and side-loaded onto unsecure devices, and security features of authorized SKY ECC phones were eliminated in these bogus devices which were then sold through unauthorized channels," the company said.

The company has also claimed it had not been contacted by any investigative authority, nor it cooperated with the parties involved with the fake phishing application.

Responding to the DoJ's indictment, Eap said, "the unfounded allegations of involvement in criminal activity by me and our company are entirely false," adding, "In the coming days, my efforts will be focused on clearing my name of these allegations."

Sky Global's technology "was not created to prevent the police from monitoring criminal organizations; it exists to prevent anyone from monitoring and spying on the global community," he added.

News of Sky ECC's dismantlement also follows an identical crackdown on providers of encrypted communications, including Ennetcom and Phantom Secure, over the past five years.

UPDATE: FBI Seizes Sky ECC Website

Days after the U.S. government indicted Sky ECC CEO Jean-Francois Eap and an associate for allegedly selling their services to help international drug traffickers evade law enforcement, the company has allegedly shut down its communications platform. Visitors to the website are now greeted with a seizure notice, stating that the domain has been taken over by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to a report from Vice, the company is said to have made the decision after BlackBerry disconnected its United Endpoint Management (UEM) service, citing screenshots of Sky communications sent to its resellers. We have reached out to Sky ECC for comment, and we will update the story if we hear back.
The World Customs Organization (WCO) Trade Facilitation Agreement Working Group (TFAWG) met (virtually) for the 13th time on 8 and 9 March 2021. About two hundred delegates, representing WCO Members and observers from international organizations, the private sector, academia, and missions in Geneva registered to the event. The Meeting was chaired by Ms. Ira Tan (the Netherlands) who was elected as Chairperson at the last TFAWG meeting.

In his opening remarks, the Director of Compliance and Facilitation Mr. Pranab Kumar DAS started by wishing all female delegates, the Chairperson Ms. Ira Tan and the female WCO colleagues a Happy Womens Day. He recalled that Facilitation is one of the three Strategic Objectives of the WCO indicated in the Strategic Plan 2019/2022. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WCO has been supporting Members to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 in terms of trade facilitation and supply chain continuity.

The Chairperson of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Committee (TFC) Mr. Christopher OToole (Canada), addressed developments taking place in the WTO TFC, how they relate to the WCO and how the WCO can further assist in its work. He stressed that the WCO has played an important role in providing valuable insights to the Committee. As the organization of Customs expertise, its close working relationship with the private sector and, more recently, with its important work in relation to Customs' role in mitigating the COVID-19 crisis, the WCO continues to provide important support to the work of the Committee.

The Secretary General of the WCO, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, expressed his appreciation for the keynote remarks from the TFC Chairperson and underlined the longstanding WCO/WTO cooperation, including through the two bodies, the WTO TFC and the WCO TFAWG. He stressed the WCOs continued commitment and support to TFA implementation through the Mercator Programme, launched in the presence of the former WTO Director General, Mr. Roberto Azevedo, in 2014. In the past year, the WCO focused on supporting Members in mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, both in terms of identifying and facilitating essential goods such as medicines and medical goods, and in terms of supporting supply chain continuity. He reiterated the WCOs readiness to share its experiences in the TFC and finished his address by emphasizing the critical role of cooperation during the pandemic.

The WTO Secretariat provided an overview of the latest developments and shared the relevant sources of information regarding ratifications, notifications and Members individual profiles, available on the WTO TFA Facility and TFA Database web sites.

The TFAWG was updated on the developments under the Mercator Programme, the WCOs flagship Capacity Building Programme supporting WCO Members in implementing trade facilitation measures to enhance their economic competitiveness.

The TFAWG had an opportunity to hear about the technical assistance and capacity building support during the COVID-19. The donors and beneficiary Members for two WCO projects presented their experience at the meeting.

Furthermore, the TFAWG agreed on the Work Programme and Annual Work Plan 2021/2022 that provides direction to its future activities.

On the second day of the meeting, the TFAWG discussed a number of aspects in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as facilitating the cross-border movement of relief and essential supplies, partnerships with other agencies and the private sector, as well as the role of technology.

H.E. Ambassador Jose Briz, Ambassador of Guatemala in Brussels, through the Guatemala experience, addressed the TFA and how different stakeholders, government and private sector can mitigate the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to international trade.

The Deputy Director of the Procedures and Facilitation Mr. Brendan OHearn thanked all delegates for their active participation, as well as all speakers for their informative presentations.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A proposed Bridge to Nowhere that would have connected a small Alaskan city with a nearby island became a focus of outrage more than a decade ago over a process called earmarking that let Congress members request federal dollars for local projects.

Critics said earmarks funded boondoggles and promoted corruption. Former House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio called them a symbol of a broken Washington, when he banned them in 2011 after scandals where legislators like California Republican Randy Duke Cunningham traded projects for payoffs.

Democrats who took control of Congress this year have a different view of earmarks. Before the ban, Ohio legislators earmarked money for bridges all over the state, including Clevelands Fulton Road and Woodland Avenue bridges and restoration of a bridge at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Ohio hospitals, universities and business groups also got earmarked money from Congress to pay for auditoriums, laboratories, bike paths and theater restorations.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, who the Center for Responsive Politics indicates sponsored or co-sponsored 74 earmarks totaling $121.3 million in the year before the ban, believes that that if theyre done right, earmarks are another tool for securing funding for Ohio projects and priorities, a spokeswoman said. He believes we should use every tool we have to get resources to Ohio communities, so long as the process is fair and transparent.

Last month, the chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees announced theyll reinstitute earmarks in upcoming spending bills, limiting them to no more than one percent of discretionary spending and limiting each Congress member to 10 funding requests. Democrats say doing so will return control of federal spending to Congress from the executive branch, while Republicans including Ohios U.S. Sen. Rob Portman and Rep. Jim Jordan want the ban to continue.

Instead of reviving earmarks, Congress should be pushing to ban them permanently, and Ive consistently supported legislation to do so, said a statement from Portman, who worked to put congressional earmarks online when he headed the Office of Management and Budget during George W. Bushs presidency. At a time of record debt, it is more important than ever to eliminate unnecessary and wasteful spending once and for all.

Jordan, of Champaign County, and Republican Warren Davidson of Miami County signed a recent letter urging the funding committee chairs to strongly oppose resurrecting what is widely considered one of the most wasteful and corrupt practices in Congressional history, observing the practice was marred by infamous earmarks like the Alaskan Bridge to Nowhere, an indoor rainforest in Iowa, a Teapot Museum, and absurd research projects like one analyzing goth culture.

Citing statistics from the taxpayer watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste, the letter says earmarks help enable Washingtons spending addiction and notes that Congress has doled out more than 111,000 earmarks worth more than $375 billion since 1991. A database of earmarks from the group shows Jordan sought two earmarks when the practice was allowed: $98,400 for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project in Findlay and $2.4 million for research and development of a friction stir welding program at a U.S. Army tank plant in Lima. Earmarks havent been allowed during Davidsons years in Congress.

A coalition of taxpayer watchdog groups including Citizens Against Government Waste, National Taxpayers Union and Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter to members of Congress last month urging rejection of earmarks. The letter called them one of the most corrupt, inequitable, and wasteful practices in the history of Congress and said dressing them up as member-directed spending will not change anything.

Earmarks are a lazy, unfair, and corrupt way to circumvent the authorization and appropriations process, said the letter, which observed that members of the House and Senate appropriations committees have been responsible for a disproportionate share of earmarks. They are not a path to unity; they are a road to fiscal ruin for taxpayers.

Bainbridge Township Republican Rep. Dave Joyce, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee that makes funding decisions, is more sympathetic to reinstituting earmarks. He notes that he wasnt yet elected when Republicans eliminated earmarks back in 2010, but said he believes it was the right response to the instances of corruption we were seeing at the time.

However, when done responsibly, earmarks provide more efficient benefits to local communities across a wide range of issues including infrastructure projects, economic development initiatives, law enforcement training, and education programs, said a statement from Joyce. Its also important to note that earmarks dont create new spending. They simply ensure that Congress, which was given the power of the purse by the Constitution, is the entity allocating authorized funding instead of the Executive Branch. Who better to direct funding to your district than your Member of Congress as opposed to a random government bureaucrat? As long as there are strict rules to ensure transparency and prevent any misuse, I would not oppose reinstituting earmarks. The benefits that member directed spending would provide local communities cannot be overstated as we work to restore our way of life and rebuild our economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Toledo Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who chairs the Appropriations subcommittee that funds energy and water projects, argues that restoring earmarks will allow Congress members to bring their knowledge and experience to the decision-making. Kaptur sponsored or co-sponsored 57 earmarks worth $71.3 million in fiscal 2010, the Center for Responsive Politics says, ranking 28th out of 435 representatives.

Members want bipartisan reforms that will produce a small number of projects with strong community support, a transparent process where no members family can benefit and where projects are audited to ensure money was spent as planned, said a statement from Kaptur. Community Project Funding is a critical reform that will make Congress more responsive to the people.

Niles-area Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, who chairs an Appropriations subcommittee that funds the governments legislative branch, is similarly sanguine. In the fiscal 2010, he sponsored or co-sponsored 39 earmarks totaling $35.4 million, ranking 111th out of 435 representatives, the Center for Responsive Politics indicates. Losing the ability to bring home that money hurt a lot of our communities, says Ryan, and restoring earmarks will provide a lot of opportunities to bring back more and more money to our communities.

Ryan acknowledged there were occasional instances of corruption amid thousands of congressionally directed earmarks over the years, and says their perpetrators were prosecuted and imprisoned. He argues a few cases of abuse shouldnt taint thousands of legitimate projects that helped local communities, and that Congress members who advocate for district interests in Washington have a deep understanding of their long-term needs.

We dont want to rely on some formulaic program for our communities to have to only appeal and apply for grants, said Ryan. Members of Congress should have some say in directing some amount of money back to the district to address the most pressing needs. Thats what the earmarking allows to happen, and if you somehow abuse that you should get prosecuted.

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Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has called on three jailed Belarusians to stop hunger strikes they started to protest their incarceration as part of a crackdown on those speaking out against authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.



In a video statement issued on YouTube on March 14, Tsikhanouskaya tells journalist Ihar Losik, musician Ihar Bantser, and activist Dzmitry Furmanau that Belarus cannot risk losing them.



"You are now risking your lives by expressing your protest through a hunger strike. But, we, Belarusians, are not ready to risk you....Your loved ones, parents and children need you. Belarus needs you," Tsikhanouskaya said in the statement.



Tsikhanouskaya also said that she was "doing her best" to secure the release of "hundreds of other [innocent[ Belarusians who are locked up."

Tsikhanouskaya added that she had met officials across Europe last week and asked them to impose additional sanctions on Belarusian officials over the jailing of activists across Belarus who have been protesting the official results of an August 9 presidential election they say was rigged to hand Lukashenka a landslide victory.



"As early as next week, the UN should launch a mechanism to bring to justice those who carried out illegal detentions and passed verdicts imposed from above," Tsikhianouskaya said. "But I don't know if you still have a week."



Losik, a consultant for RFE/RL on new-media technologies, tried to slit his wrists in front of an investigator and a lawyer and restarted a hunger strike on March 11 after new unspecified charges were filed against him.



This came less than two months after he ended a six-week hunger strike to protest the original charges that he allegedly used his video blog to help organize riots to protest the election results.

News of the new charges against the 28-year-old father of a 2-year-old daughter prompted RFE/RL President Jamie Fly to urge Lukashenka to release Losik immediately so he can be reunited with his family.



Journalism is not a crime and Ihar has been unjustly detained for far too long. Ihar and his family should not be tortured in this way, Fly wrote, adding that RFE/RL was "deeply distressed" by the new charges and Losik's deteriorating health situation.

Bantser, a musician from the western city of Hrodna, was detained on October 20 over his participation in an anti-Lukashenka rally and charged with hooliganism. Bantser started his hunger strike on March 3, protesting his arrest and the charge filed against him.



Furmanau was arrested in Hrodna in late May when taking part in an event on collecting signatures to endorse Tsikhanouskaya as a presidential candidate. He was charged with organizing activities that disrupt social order. Furmanau started his hunger strike on March 11.



Tsikhanouskaya is currently in Lithuania, where she relocated for security reasons after the presidential election that she and her supporters say she won.



She ran in the vote after the candidacy of her husband, vlogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, was rejected by election officials and he was arrested in May last year.



Last week, Tsikhanouski was served with final charges -- impeding election officials' work, organizing mass disorders, and activities to disrupt social order -- that could see him imprisoned for up to 15 years.



The EU, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada have refused to recognize Lukashenka as the legitimate president of Belarus.



Lukashenka has overseen a violent crackdown on the protesters which has seen thousands -- including members of the media -- detained and scores injured.



Overall, more than 1,800 criminal cases have been launched over the protests against the official results of the presidential election.
It turns out that Nokia's upcoming 'gaming smartphone' is little more than a budget device. The Nokia G10 will feature a 6.3-inch FHD+ screen, up to 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, four rear cameras and a 5,000mAh battery. It is expected to cost around EUR 139 (US$165) at launch.

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A somewhat sketchy-looking rumour from earlier told us that Nokia was working on a new gaming smartphone called the Nokia G10. It came as a bit of a surprise, considering that this was uncharted territory for Nokia. Those who were expecting it to be so will be in for a bit of disappointment, as a new leak paints the device in an entirely different light.

Nokiapoweruser (the same source that purported the Nokia G10 to be a gaming smartphone) has now received word that the smartphone will come with a 6.3-inch FHD+ screen, a mystery octa-core SoC, up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB internal storage, and a 4,000mAh battery that supports 10W fast charging. None of these alleged Nokia G10 specs indicates that it is a gaming smartphone. In all likelihood, Nokia got a bit too "inspired" by the recently launched Moto G10.

The leak also says that the Nokia G10 will retail at EUR 139 (US$165) for the entry-level variant with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. At the very least, it'll serve as a decent option for those on a tight budget. It is abundantly clear that Nokia took several pages out of Motorola's book. Therefore, we can expect its successors to arrive as the Nokia G30, Nokia G50, Nokia G100, etc. One of them could even be the Snapdragon 775-powered Nokia phone we talked about earlier.

Buy the Nokia 5.4 on Amazon
Banking services in Punjab and Haryana were hit on Monday as employees under the aegis of the United Forum of Bank Unions went on a two-day countrywide strike to protest against the proposed of two state-owned

Banking services like cheque clearances and deposits were affected, said protesting bank employees.

However, private sector remained open.

United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of nine unions, had given a strike call for March 15 and 16, and claimed that about 10 lakh bank employees and officers of the will participate in the strike.

In the Union Budget presented last month, Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the of two public sector banks (PSBs) as part of the government's disinvestment plan.

Bank employees held protest rallies at many places in Punjab and Haryana to oppose the Central government's move.

At Ludhiana, convener of the UFBU Naresh Gaur said they opposed the decision of the government to privatise two public sector banks.

Protesters also shouted slogans against the proposed move of the government.

Members of UFBU include All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), All India Bank Officers' Confederation (AIBOC), National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA) and Bank Employees Confederation of India (BEFI).

(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.)
ATLANTA, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing to expand the benefits of automated verifications to small and medium businesses and their employees, Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX) announced a new integration for The Work Number database with PrimePay, a payroll service and human capital management (HCM) provider. The integration will help automate the transfer of information required for verifications of income and employment supporting a more accelerated decision process for consumers.

"PrimePay has done a great job of delivering value by focusing on HR efficiency and we are pleased that adding The Work Number through PrimePay payroll can help support that mission," said Joe Muchnick, SVP Alliances for Workforce Solutions. "While automated verifications help eliminate some manual HR tasks, they also help to accelerate decisions for those employees waiting on credit and benefit decisions. It's an efficiency win-win."

The new integration allows PrimePay to offer additional configurability to its HR and payroll services which are specifically designed to help create efficiencies. Employers using PrimePay payroll solutions can help automate verification of income and employment requests from credentialed verifiers through The Work Number database, reducing the workload and helping improve the privacy related to such verification tasks.

"The addition of this integration continues to bolster the value that PrimePay's HCM solution delivers," said Bill Pellicano, CEO of PrimePay. "By utilizing The Work Number offering, PrimePay clients can improve their efficiencies and enhance the support that they provide to their employees."

The Work Number provides a more streamlined, transparent and automated service which allows verifiers with permissible purpose to more quickly and accurately tap into more than 114 million active records to help complete the employment and income verifications needed to help make benefit and credit decisions. By automating the verification process, the chance for human error is reduced, while providing the timely responses that employees count on when applying for credit, jobs or social safety net benefits.

The integrated verification service is available at no cost to PrimePay clients. More information on The Work Number service can be found here.

ABOUT EQUIFAX INC.



At Equifax (NYSE: EFX), we believe knowledge drives progress. As a global data, analytics, and technology company, we play an essential role in the global economy by helping financial institutions, companies, employees, and government agencies make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our unique blend of differentiated data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights to power decisions to move people forward. Headquartered in Atlanta and supported by more than 11,000 employees worldwide, Equifax operates or has investments in 25 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, visit Equifax.com.

ABOUT PRIMEPAY

PrimePay, founded in 1986, is a payroll service and human capital management (HCM) provider, offering solutions that empower business to focus on what matters most. PrimePay delivers highly configurable HR and payroll solutions designed to create efficiencies and to maximize compliance for its clients across its nationwide presence. To learn more, visit primepay.com .

For more information

[email protected]com

SOURCE Equifax Inc.

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A Northern Territory man has allegedly sexually assaulted a toddler in the front yard of the boy's Darwin home.

The man, 21, allegedly attacked the three-year-old in the northern suburb of Karama on Thursday evening, NT police said.

A passer-by witnessed the incident and came to the child's aid.

Police arrested the man and he was charged on Friday with sexual intercourse without consent.

He was remanded in custody and is due to appear in court on Monday.
New Delhi:

As his sentence was being pronounced by the judge in a CBI court in Sonaria, convicted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Singh stood with folded hands in the courtroom and, upon learning his fate, broke down.

"It took the judge just a minute to pronounce the quantum of sentence," the CBI counsel said. "He kept standing silently with folded hands and even cried."

The court sentenced the Dera chief to imprisonment of 10 years each in two rape cases and imposed a fine of Rs 15 lakh in each case.

The sentences will run consecutively, resulting in imprisonment of 20 years and fine of Rs 30 lakh.In Rohtaks Sonaria jail, Gurmeet Singh is accorded 1997 as the prisoner number since he was taken to jail after the guilty verdict on Friday.

The sentence was passed by Jagdeep Singh, a special CBI judge, in a makeshift court in the Sunaria jail where Ram Rahim, 50, had been lodged since his conviction on Friday.

ALSO READ: Dera chief Gurmeet Singh gets 20 years in jail, Rs 30 lakh fine for raping two women

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Like many of us, the Bishop regretted the harm the military has done to postcolonial development in Nigeria to the extent in which over half a century after independence, the country is stuck with an old soldier without a clue on how to run a ward, let alone the largest economy in Africa, and one of the most complex states in the modern world.

Of course, a bald man with a beard could search for a comb until he is out of breath, but why would a bald man without a single strand of hair compete vigorously for a comb? The mission can only be explained in one frame  misplaced purpose. It is my considered opinion that many share the commonality of the syndrome alluded to in the aphorism of the bald man. They include the politician who builds his or her career on the economic destruction and social dislocation of a society; those who create the illusion of security against the same society only to spend billions of naira on security details, including bulletproof cars; the people colonised under the yoke of ethnic and religious identities through which they do the bidding of the political elites responsible for their poverty, but turn around to complain about their pathetic condition, understood not as a result of their social environment but extraterrestrial powers; and the holy men who seek the financial contributions of unholy men.

Many experts and seasoned scholars, including the former Nigerian Minister of Finance, now head of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, have, for a while now, concluded that states in Africa can survive without foreign aid if only they can stop the flow of wealth to Western capitals, cities in Southeast Asia, and Islands in the Americas and the Caribbean. What is common in the sense that informs the proclivity of those responsible for this financial hemorrhaging with seismic socio-economic implications is what could be called the mosquito syndrome.

Recognising how short its lifecycle is, a mosquito is super-determined to feed on human blood, sometimes to the extent to which it commits suicide. Two things: Mosquitoes are not particularly built to feed on human blood; this only became a preference since other animals are permanently covered/protected against the penetration of their proboscis; the suicide they commit from bloated bellies is the lack of aversion to greed.

For many centuries, dating as far back as the evolution of the human race to a sedentary being, religion has served as the nucleus of social production, while the economy has been at the root of its reproduction. For the better part of humanitys checkered history, the religious institution has been directly responsible for the political development of society. Balancing the interaction between these two is another fundamental question that has been raised in recent times, with the rise of dollar-pastors, naira-worship Imams, as well as the simultaneous rise between religious establishments and corruption. In the least of its involvement, and one which was most frequent before the present century, wars were waged with the promise of victory by the gods, even though both sides of the belligerent forces could be assured of such by their priests, inspired by the gods. By implication, wars have been fought and peace has been made on the instruction or advice, as the case may be, of religious leaders. If we begin to probe the role of this institution in the rise and fall of empires, volumes of books will be published with entertaining accounts.

The role of religion in a society is indeed a paradox filled with many complexities and contours. One of the main callings of religious leaders has always been to help bad people and sinners identify their priorities and pursue the right cause. However, neither this cause nor the society and people involved are simple or predictable entities. The contours and complexities of this agelessly powerful religious institution remit lots of damages to society. It does this by inadvertently diverting the attention of the people away from the core issues bedeviling them. Faith values and beliefs are a part of the overall culture of a people. So, it is hard to exempt religious institutions from the composition of a society, both in the creation and management of the evils within the society.

In contemporary times, and with regard to African politics and the sweeping process of democratisation, the only thing war priests have to predict for the political class is the contest for the ballot. During this age, as in the old, visions of priests often defile the logic of political contest, which is to give victory to one of the competing parties. As if co-winners could be announced in a political competition, various candidates are promised political offices by their priests, further exacerbating the heat and pressure for competition. Courtesy of their desperation, it has become an inherent feature of the political elites to manipulate the institution for their cynical ends.

Partly in respect to this, the institution has installed and dispossessed many political leaders of their positions. As Bishop Matthew Kukah, quoting another eminent figure, noted during the latest Toyin Falola interviews, you cannot become a successful politician in Nigeria without pretending to be religious. And as he correctly added himself, political power is still largely spiritualised in this part of the world to the extent that religious leaders are appointed as de facto spiritual fathers of political parties and candidates. Whereas, until recently, the state and the church were inseparable in Europe, theocracy has remained the hallmark of governance in the oriental world till date, with Africa increasingly dangling between democratic and theocratic governance, featuring, at the moment, in the governed and ungoverned spaces.

More importantly, however, priesthood was commissioned as a system for the purification of the mind, the society, and the state. Few have been steadfast in this pursuit, and the thoughts of one of the brightest of them all in contemporary Nigeria, if not in the whole of Africa, have been asked about the current state of African politics on the latest Toyin Falola Interviews. Born in the twilight of the colonial epoch, the eminent activist Reverend Father, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah (I wonder why he doesnt add Dr. to his name), belongs to the generation of those who witnessed and enjoyed the golden age in Nigeria. With a sound mind, an impeccable character, and tantalising academic qualifications, he has been at the frontline of liberating the African political space from the vestiges of its contemporary colonisers for over two decades. If there is anyone to be asked to discuss the relationship between the state and religion in our current state as a nation, it can only be none other than the Bishop because of his ability to garner the courage of an activist, maintain the temperament of a priest, the demeanour of a diplomat, and the deep knowledge of an intellectual, and the sagacity of a statesman, all in one body just a bit bigger than mine. As I noted in an earlier piece, the Bishop is perhaps the only one at the moment who is able to combine and manage these complexities effectively.

Again, bringing life to his bald men and the comb metaphor, Father Kukah reminded all that the radicalisation of the individual and incitement of the society against any government can only be achieved through the social milieu that the state has created. In other words, people dont get radicalised on some phantom interest without tangible implications on their social environment.

To be sure of the no-gain intent of this submission, it is worth mentioning that with these attributes, Bishop Kukah has been able to navigate the hurdles of the Nigerian state with no scandal, in a space where such has been used to silence or discredit many. The only scandal I can remember at the moment, as it is with every other, is in being accused of an attempt to use his network to liberate the people of Nigeria from the shackles of elite domination and systemic exploitation of the poor in the North through Western education, an experience he recounted when engaged by Dr. Abimbola Adelakun during the Interview. Like his mentor and master, Jesus Christ, Kukah has mastered both the art and science of human relations so well that hes a friend to the good, the bad, and the ugly. If these attributes have not earned him a major scandal to destroy his career, they have brought him to the plains of persecution, heavy criticism, and threats only lesser to that of his master and Lord. Yet, with his neuro-radiance, he has continued to attract many to his voice, like the bee is attached to nectar. During the session at the Toyin Falola Interviews, I became the first bee to call others to this charismatic nectar when I asked about the role of religious platforms in the radicalisation of individuals and the society, and what his roles are when he climbs the pulpit. Informed readers can easily discern from where this question came.

About four months ago, the Bishop had, in his typical self, taken on the ever-worsening condition of the country on all fronts (economic, social, security, and political) as his Christmas digest during his sermon to his congregation at the Sokoto Diocese and interested Nigerians by extension. This got him into the verbal gallows of those whose ox he gored with his acerbic tongue. All hell broke loose, and Lucifer was on the errand for Kukahs head. Failure to bring this revered head home to his detractors and colonisers of the Nigerian postcolonial commonwealth and destiny to roast, he was charged with public incitement, which is tantamount to treason, but only in the court of public opinion paraded on the pages of newspapers, radios, TV sessions, and other media outlets. All these were in consonance with voices in the Aso of the Rock and their political almajiri brothers vigorously competing for the position of the man with the silk, the rope, and the gavel.

Again, bringing life to his bald men and the comb metaphor, Father Kukah reminded all that the radicalisation of the individual and incitement of the society against any government can only be achieved through the social milieu that the state has created. In other words, people dont get radicalised on some phantom interest without tangible implications on their social environment.

It will amount to nothing less than sheer deceit and denial of a macabre height to believe some youth in this age of technological advancement and digital revolution, with presence even in the skies for those in remote villages to feel, will join the modern crusading fronts only to be killed for some Yemojas in a diaspora heaven. The picture of the heavy goodies becomes real only when the earthly reality becomes hellish, as both hell and heaven are dialectical symbolism that brings tangible realities through everyday human experience. The honourable Bishop even brought more nuances to this when he expressed the irrefutable words of keen observation and wisdom that those we refer to as the radicals of yesterday are leaders of today, the radicals of today will occupy the same leadership position tomorrow, and what he described as the cycle of radicalisation would continue to unseat these ones as well, so long as we maintain a democratic state.

Like many of us, the Bishop regretted the harm the military has done to postcolonial development in Nigeria to the extent in which over half a century after independence, the country is stuck with an old soldier without a clue on how to run a ward, let alone the largest economy in Africa, and one of the most complex states in the modern world. Father Kukah uses his platform in all dimensions to teach, the same way professors teach their students to excel in their academic endeavours. If the state will be the cog in the wheel of expected progress in the lives of his congregation and followers, it becomes incumbent on him to speak up (#sorosoke) for them since their voices have been systematically repressed by the same state. Indeed, accusing the great priest of any aversion or wrongdoing, as his detractors have consistently and shamelessly done without refuting his messages, is like waging a war without expecting an opposition.

Taken further by the social crusader, Ayisha Osori, on how he has maintained a steady passion for Nigeria, even in its depressing monotonous crises, and the relationship between the state and religion in Nigeria, the priest expressed hope and faith. Agreeing to the tiring monotonous circumstance of the postcolonial condition of the state, which makes his works, written in decades past, to remain as relevant as recent publications addressing current situations. According to him, the major commodity message of a priest is hope: We are men of hope, and our hope does not fail us. His waned energy has been renewed and sustained by reserved energy, likened to the second energy that enhances an athletes possibility to finish a tedious race. However, in response to another question, he warned that faith without reasoning radicalises, as he delved deeper into the discussion about the state and religion.

After this very session, it became clear that there are two basic schools of thought on the role of the youth in politics, especially with regard to the Not Too Young to Run campaign. In my curious self, as Ayisha engaged the Bishop, I interrupted the flow to pose this question to both of them. On this, the jury will have no choice but to pause as the duo ironed out their positions excellently. While Ayisha insisted on the political culture and not the emotive sensation of age or gender consideration as the essential ingredient for a new Nigeria, the Bishop argued that although the political culture is an essential instrument for needed change in Nigeria, that culture can only be engineered by the new generation, not by the generation born and bred in the ways of a cultural divide.

His position on the essence of a viable political culture was extended to the debate on the need for a new constitution to replace the extant one. This was in his response to the question raised by the eminent investigative journalist and publisher of Premium Times, Dapo Olorunyomi, on the ongoing unstructured constitutional debate.

Although the Bishop didnt inform us of the age stretch that defines this new generation, this could be put at those between the age range of 18 and 35. Education and exposure, which the larger portion of the present generation possesses, thanks in part to technology, are described by Father Kukah as the repellant to the danger of religion and culture. The more distant young people are from their primordial identity enclaves, he noted, the better it is for the polity. He related culture and religion to a knife that could be used for good or bad purposes. For this, and considering that maintaining our diversity has been at the heart of current agitations, managing diversity, he explained, is a science that can only be understood and disentangled by those with the capacity to relate with the complexities of today.

The Bishop seemed to douse the concern of many of us whose voices were represented by Ms. Osori that the Not Too Young to Run campaign would only work in favour of the ruling elites, whose wards would take their place in the name of being the youth. Referring to his vast memory on the postcolonial political ambiance of Nigeria, he asked us to remind him if this memory has failed him to recollect any political elite who has managed to recycle his/her family in power at any point of this long duree. Of course, a slight exception to the rule would be with the peculiar exception of the Sarakis, now living their last political dynasty. As he argued further, it is not that the Sarakis of this world do not wish to sustain a political dynasty as feared by the skeptics; the problem is that they cannot.

On the mention of this impossicantibility is the high probability that, following the departure from the old order, their children would detest politics and chart a new course for themselves; and where they sustain such ambition as their parents, the records of their parents will affect their success in a democratic state. What the Bishop is saying, to put it simply, is that elections in Nigeria are won on several considerations, even though the people get to vote without making a choice. The vibrancy of the youth, he noted, is needed to engineer social change in Nigeria. The contradiction that the #EndSARS protest suggests could not elude the clergyman in this respect. He expressed his worry that a government that took over power on the #EndSARS of the youth on the streets and on the social media space will be the one to order the killings of the same youths in a peaceful protest.

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His position on the essence of a viable political culture was extended to the debate on the need for a new constitution to replace the extant one. This was in his response to the question raised by the eminent investigative journalist and publisher of Premium Times, Dapo Olorunyomi, on the ongoing unstructured constitutional debate. In his conclusion, a Made in Highest Heavens Constitution will not change the steady course to the abyss of the Nigerian state unless the people reinvent themselves. A new constitution, he said, could create the ground for change but it cannot all by itself see us through this endless postcolonial scene. If the constitution were to be the problem, he asked why, in spite of the ubiquitous presence of the holy books in the country and with multiple churches and mosques, there is no accountability or transparency in the system. The constitution doesnt make the people good or bad, strong, responsive; only efficient institutions that uphold the social contract between the people and the state. Bringing to the fore his own experience, he recalled how efforts at bringing about inclusive development in his local government area by a Local Government chairman was frustrated by the same chairman, who inaugurated a committee for the same purpose in the face of facts that defiled his cynical motives. In response to a question raised by the prominent journalist, Chido Onumah, the Bishop said the worry is that if the little room left for the practice of a federal structure cannot be utilised now, because of what he called the casino mentality that governs the entity, it is hard to suppose that either a restructured state or a new constitution will perform magic.

In as much as these two are imperative for the country to leave its current state of quagmire, they lack the magical wand to create a better society, let alone an El Dorado. The casino mentality turns political offices into prebendal posts, as it gives the impression of an investment and expected returns in a political race, competition, or plan. When we stop deceiving ourselves, we will all realise that altruistic intentions and brilliant ideas dont pay loans, and as such, political gladiators will always want to recoup their investments upon a successful contest. In this realisation and to avoid the bald man and the comb predicament, the people can only consistently demand for accountability, transparency, justice, and a certain level of performance from those in government, right from the time of their campaigns.

Unruly campaign behaviour is a marked signature on a pending unruly governance. Still with Onumah, Bishop Kukah explained that politics in Nigeria is a coup, only that these coups dont involve military boys and guns anymore. The clergyman must have forgotten that up to the last general elections, not only were the military boys there to carry guns and ballot boxes, the entire security architecture of the country was present to do the same in pitiable conjunction with political thugs. And it is this picture that separates a military coup from a democratic coup. Again, whereas the former used only brutal force and deployed some level of diplomacy afterward to share the bounty and supposedly rule the state, in the latter, both force and diplomacy are weaponised and deployed simultaneously.

The Dutch Ambassador to South Sudan, Michel Deelen, raised a question about whether the current protest and agitations in Nigeria will last long or become wilder as the people are too busy searching for livelihoods to continue to engage the government. In response to this, the Bishop anchored the nations fate on the youth he enjoined to colonise the street for a systemic and strategic purge of the Augean stable. At the moment, it is elevating that Nigerians are rising beyond limiting their political participation to the election period, as seen in the recent protests and burgeoning political awareness/consciousness. To this end, the Bishop commended the media for their role in charging the political ambiance of the state, even in the face of imminent threat and persecution.

Toyin Falola is professor of History and University Distinguished Teaching Professor at The University of Texas at Austin.

This is the first report on the interview conducted with Bishop Hassan Kukah on March 7. The entire recording of the proceeding is HERE.
An Emirati oil and gas company owned by the ruler of Fujairah has surprised U.S. authorities by claiming an oil cargo the U.S. seized earlier this year, alleging that it carried Iranian crude in violation of sanctions.

Fujairah International Oil & Gas Corp., Bloomberg reports, told a federal court in the District of Columbia that the 2 million barrels of crude oil originally came from Iraq. However, it did not disclose the supplier. The Emirati company, which is owned by the Fujairah emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, then sold the crude to an undisclosed buyer from China.

The United States early last month said it was going to detain the supertanker Achilleas, which was reportedly en route to the U.S. coast, according to reports at the time.

Bloomberg quoted unnamed sources as saying that the owner of the supertanker, Greek company Capital Ship Management Corp, had notified the U.S. that it might have unknowingly loaded Iranian oil on board, believing the crude had come from Iraq.

According to Fujairah International Oil & Gas Corp., however, the cargo was Iraqi, and it still owns a financial interest in it.

Iran has also denied ownership of the cargo on the Achilleas. In mid-February, Tehran said the U.S. seizure of the vessel was an act of piracy but noted the cargo was not Iranian state property, according to a Reuters report.

This shipment does not belong to the Iranian government. It belongs to the private sector, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said at the time.

Earlier this year, Iran said that the United States owes it some $70 billion in missed oil revenues because of the unilateral sanctions, and repayment of these lost revenues would be a prerequisite for negotiations with the Biden administration about the U.S. return to the Iran nuclear deal.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
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OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  Police in Omaha say a man has died after the motorcycle he was driving crashed as he tried to exit Interstate 80 at 60th Street.Police say the crash happened around 3:30 p.m. Sunday on an interstate offramp, killing 37-year-old Travis McQueen, of Omaha.Investigators say Mc
The European Commission will issue two letters to the UK government

The European Union is taking legal action against the UK over its unilateral move to change the terms of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

It comes as the Ulster Unionist Party also brings a Judicial Review against the protocol.

The first review, by UUP leader Steve Aiken and party chair Lord Empey, will be heard in the Royal Courts of Justice, Belfast on Monday morning.

The UK Government has unilaterally extended until October some grace periods of light-touch regulation on goods arriving in Northern Ireland from Great Britain, which had been due to end this month.

The European Commission will now issue legal proceedings through two letters to the UK government, following its decision, RTE News reports.

There will be a letter of formal notice, triggering an infringement procedure due to an alleged breach of EU law, and what sources describe as a second "political" letter, alleging a breach of the good faith provisions of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.

The former letter could result in the UK being taken to the European Court of Justice, while the latter potentially marks the beginning of an arbitration process under the dispute settlement mechanism within the Withdrawal Agreement.

The UK denies its actions are unlawful.

Unionists are angry at the protocol, which they feel cuts Northern Ireland off from the rest of the UK, by keeping it aligned with trade rules post-Brexit.

It was designed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland by keeping the whole island in the EU single market.

Mr Aiken says as his party was central to the negotiation and delivery of the Belfast Agreement, they have no option but to act to protect it.

Our application is based upon the fact that the Northern Ireland Protocol breaches the rights and safeguards granted to the people of Northern Ireland by the Belfast Agreement," he said.

"If this is allowed to proceed it undermines the rights afforded to those of all traditions and undermines the very basis on which the Belfast Agreement was negotiated. In our view, the Northern Ireland Protocol runs roughshod over the Belfast Agreement.

We believe that the Belfast Agreement granted real protections and real rights to the people of Northern Ireland, whatever their identity, culture or creed. This application will bring legal definition and legal certainty to the question of what the Belfast Agreement gives to the people of Northern Ireland and to the question of whether the Northern Ireland Protocol is compatible with it.

Mr Aiken added: We believe that the Northern Ireland Protocol fundamentally and detrimentally changes the status of Northern Ireland and seriously damages the economic, societal and democratic fabric of Northern Ireland and that it is unlawful and incompatible with the Belfast Agreement and also the Withdrawal Act itself.

"We have brought this application to avail of the protections afforded to the people of Northern Ireland by the Belfast Agreement and we hope and believe that the courts will find that the Northern Ireland Protocol and the 2020 Regulations are unlawful.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged loyalist groups not to withdraw their support for the Good Friday Agreement as a result of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Speaking during a visit to the region on Friday the PM admitted that the current working of the protocol was unbalanced and said his Government was working to address unionist concerns.

He also noted that the UK reserves the right to invoke Article 16 and suspend the protocol at any time if issues persist.
"We are excited to have Susie lead our marketing and communications team. As an expert in her field, Susie brings with her extensive knowledge and experience in delivering innovative marketing solutions to drive business," stated Mohr Partners Chairman & CEO Robert Shibuya.

Susie Azevedo commented, "I am excited to join such a diverse team of industry experts and look forward to furthering the Mohr Partners brand across the country."

Susie brings with her over 20 years' experience in commercial real estate. She is highly specialized in marketing, communications, business development and management. Susie joins Mohr Partners from Newmark where she held a leadership role in operations. As the National Director of Marketing & Communications, Susie will oversee marketing, strategy, and communications across the United States.

About Mohr Partners, Inc. :

Mohr Partners, Inc. is a global corporate real estate advisor, providing corporate tenants with an integrated set of portfolio services including strategic planning, business intelligence, lease administration/accounting & FASB ASC 842 compliance, research and site selection, labor analytics, project and construction management, comprehensive demographics analysis, economic incentives negotiations and transaction management. Since 1986, Mohr has been managing real estate portfolios for corporations, and each year completes transactions for its clients in all 50 U.S. states, all provinces of Canada and locations around the world. Mohr seamlessly provides corporate real estate services globally through its strategic alliance partners in Canada, Mexico/Latin America, EMEA and Asia Pacific. For more information on Mohr, please visit www.mohrpartners.com.

SOURCE Mohr Partners, Inc.

Related Links

www.mohrpartners.com


IRVINE, Calif., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cal-SARA has entered into a defamation lawsuit brought by Veronica Lake, CEO of Diamond PEO against one of its members, Alex Cervantes and a second defendant, Power PEO. Cal-SARA will be representing Cervantes on his defense and counterclaims.

Diamond PEO filed the defamation suit on February 26, 2021 alleging that Cervantes and the other defendant made false claims about the legality of its operations and business practices, specifically as it applies to valid workers' compensation insurance. Diamond is asking the court to find damages in excess of $100,000 in damages.

Cervantes answered and filed counterclaims against Diamond and Veronica Lake alleging the plaintiff unlawfully gained competitive advantages over its competitors by circumventing the protections to employers and employees provided under California law.

Due to the increasing demand for a contingent workforce and declining capacity in the California workers' compensation market, sketchy workers' compensation insurance arrangements are surprisingly common in the California staffing industry. While this is a widely-recognized issue, regulators have been unsuccessful in their attempts to control it.

Nonprofit organization, Cal-SARA was recently established to help. "Our mission is to clean up workers' compensation insurance fraud in the staffing industry, and this case provides a perfect opportunity to stand up for a member who is trying to move the industry in the right direction," says Mark Bertler, Executive Director of Cal-SARA. "If we don't act now, the underground market will continue to proliferate."

The effects of fraud in the market continue to negatively impact the staffing industry staffing agencies that pay for legitimate work comp programs are undercut by agencies with illegitimate and unreliable black market programs. "Allowing companies to operate without proper workers' compensation coverage is a dangerous proposition for the workers involved and for the entire staffing marketplace," Bertler explains. "We encourage impacted parties and whistleblowers to come forward and to partner with Cal-SARA."

Cal-SARA has retained John Shoreman of McFadden and Shoreman to serve as counsel for this case. Shoreman has extensive trial experience with cases involving antitrust claims and commercial litigation.

Cal-SARA believes that industry self-policing is the most efficient and effective strategy for identifying and eliminating workers' compensation fraudulent practices. By supporting aggrieved parties through legal and regulatory interventions, Cal-SARA believes that bad actors can be publicly held accountable and eventually removed from the market.

About Cal-SARA

Cal-SARA promotes legal and regulatory compliance in the sale of workers' compensation insurance and advocates for the common business interests of its members in recognizing and eliminating workers' compensation fraud in the temporary staffing/staffing/recruiting industries. To learn more and join the fight against staffing industry workers' compensation fraud, visit https://www.cal-sara.org/.

MEDIA CONTACT:





Mark Bertler

[email protected]

(909) 638-2433

SOURCE Cal-SARA

Related Links

https://www.cal-sara.org


Perth detectives have arrested a man overnight in connection with the public assassination of former Rebels bikie boss Nick Martin.

Officers involved in Operation Ravello spent Monday combing through a house in Waikiki, in Perths south, before a man was escorted in handcuffs into a police car.

The man, who is yet to be charged, was taken to Perth amid a heavy security operation to be questioned by police.

He is a former soldier with military experience and engages in high-risk adventure sports including base jumping and rock climbing.
Two more COVID-19 testing clinics have been set this week in Cayuga County.

The county health department and Auburn Community Hospital are hosting a no-cost drive-thru clinic from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday, March 17, at the hospital. Visitors should use the helipad entrance on Lansing Street and will be given instructions on how to get results from an online portal.

This clinic is for people who are both symptomatic or asymptomatic.

In addition to the testing at the hospital, a free rapid-result clinic is set for noon to 6 p.m. Thursday, March 18, at Emerson Park Pavilion, 6843 E. Lake Road, according to a news release from Cayuga County Emergency Services.

This clinic is for people who are not experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

People are asked to prepare to wait at the site for up to 30 minutes for their results. Participants must wear face masks and observe social distancing. People are also asked in park in the pavilion's lot and not in the circle in front of the pavilion. There is no residency requirement for the clinic.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-14 20:38:30|Editor: huaxia

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Suspected militants arrested by Afghan security force members are seen in Jalalabad city, capital of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, March 14, 2021. The personnel of Afghanistan's national intelligence agency have recently captured 19 militants in the country's eastern Nangarhar province, the province's governor said Sunday. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

JALALABAD, Afghanistan, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The personnel of Afghanistan's national intelligence agency have recently captured 19 militants in the country's eastern Nangarhar province, the province's governor said Sunday.

"The arrestees were captured in provincial capital Jalalabad city, Surkh Rod, Shinwar and Behsud districts within the past seven days," Governor Ziaulhaq Amarkhil told reporters.

The militants included 17 Taliban militants and two militants of the Islamic State (IS) group, he said.

The National Directorate of Security (NDS) personnel also seized in their operations weapons and ammunition including suicide bomb vests, pistols, mines and one improvised explosive device, said the governor.

In a separate development, Afghanistan's security forces nabbed three armed members of Taliban in Khan Abad district of northern Kunduz province on Sunday, according to the district's deputy chief Qudratullah Safi.

The official added the militants were captured in an ambush laid by the security forces when they were travelling along a main road in the province, 250 km north of the national capital Kabul.

The militant groups have not yet made comment on the report. Enditem
HOUSTON, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- C-Bond Systems (the Company or C-Bond) (OTC: CBNT), a nanotechnology solutions company, today announced that it has promoted Allison Tomek to President of the Company and added her as a member of its Board of Directors. She joined C-Bond Systems in March 2018 as Vice President of Corporate Communications and Corporate Secretary. She will continue to report to Scott R. Silverman, the Companys Chairman and CEO.



Tomek has over 20 years of experience in various leadership roles including corporate communications, investor relations, corporate governance, business development, and strategic planning, including Senior Vice President of Investor Relations for PositiveID Corporation and Applied Digital Solutions, and Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications at Andrx Corporation, among others.

Tomek will succeed Vince Pugliese as the Companys President and board member.

I am very pleased to have Allison, who I have worked with for the better part of the last 15 years, help me lead and shape the growth strategy and future of C-Bond, said Scott R. Silverman, Chairman and CEO of the Company. Allisons collaborative approach, fresh perspective, and ability to garner trust and respect from shareholders and employees alike will be a benefit to our leadership team and the Company overall.

Tomek stated, I am excited to take on this challenge to help propel C-Bond to the next level. We have unique technologies, great products, and a strong core team. This is a pivotal juncture for the Company as revenue growth is paramount for 2021 and beyond. I am dedicated to working with our team on the execution of our strategy, which is integral for C-Bonds future success.

Silverman continued, On behalf of the Company, the Board of Directors, our partners, and employees, I wish to thank Vince for his dedicated service to the Company and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

About C-Bond

C-Bond Systems, Inc. (OTC: CBNT) is a Houston-based advanced nanotechnology company and marketer of the patented and patent-pending C-Bond technology, developed in conjunction with Rice University and independently proven to significantly strengthen glass in key automotive and structural applications. The Companys Transportation Solutions Group sells C-Bond nanoShield, a liquid solution applied directly to automotive windshields, sold through distributors. The Companys Safety Solutions Group sells ballistic-resistant glass solutions directly to private enterprises, schools, hospitals, and government agencies. The Company also sells disinfection products, including MB-10 Tablets. For more information, please visit our website: www.cbondsystems.com, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cbondsys/ and Twitter: https://twitter.com/CBondSys.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release about our future expectations, including the likelihood that Allisons collaborative approach, fresh perspective, and ability to garner trust and respect from shareholders and employees alike will be a benefit to our leadership team and the Company overall; constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, and our actual results could differ materially from expected results. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, C-Bonds ability to raise capital; the Companys ability to successfully commercialize its products; the effect of the COVID-19 global pandemic on the Companys and its customers ability to operate; the Companys ability to source materials; the Companys ability to retain key employees and consultants; as well as other risks. Additional information about these and other factors may be described in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) including its Form 10-K filed on March 25, 2020, its Forms 10-Q filed on November 16, 2020, August 14, 2020, and May 15, 2020, and in future filings with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this statement or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.
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Staff of Vodafone Ghana have embarked on four major community-based Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects across the country as part of a staff-led philanthropic drive by the Vodafone Ghana Foundation.



The initiative dubbed Kindred Month, which coincides with the 12th Anniversary of the Vodafone Ghana Foundation, has seen staff of Vodafone Ghana take the lead to identify, initiate and implement impactful community intervention projects with guidance from the Foundation.



The four projects are aimed at improving healthcare delivery and boosting education in four key communities across the country. These include the rehabilitation of the Akyem Achiase Health Centre Labour Ward, in the Eastern Region; making it safer for the pregnant women and health workers, and furnishing of the Okorase Community Clinic, also in the Eastern Region, with clinical equipment and furniture.



Additionally, Vodafone employees have constructed and handed over an Information Communication Technology (ICT) lab to the Adaklu Ahunda Kpodzi Basic School in the Volta Region, to facilitate ICT teaching and learning in the community. Similarly, another group of employees are upgrading the computer lab at the Ofankor M/A 3 Primary and Junior High School (JHS), in the Greater Accra Region.



Commenting on the initiatives, Vodafone Ghana Foundation Lead, Amaris Nana Perbi said:



Vodafone Ghana Foundation has been on an impactful journey to improve the livelihoods of individuals and communities across the country. We are also very committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) with a clear focus on investing in activities that directly support these goals. Implementing these transformational programmes will address a multiplicity of issues in education, digital literacy, female and infant mortality and healthcare delivery.

Amaris also revealed that that the projects were co-funded by Vodafone Ghana Foundation and staff of Vodafone Ghana. He explained that beyond funding the outlined projects, various staff members are also volunteering their time, expertise and other resources to ensure the various CSR interventions are completed within the span of one-month.



Kindred Month, scheduled to commence annually in the month of February, is slated to become Vodafone Ghanas flagship employee volunteer programme. It adds on to Vodafones long-standing corporate tradition of employee volunteering which has seen employees of the Telco champion myriad community CSR projects as a means of giving back to society and providing critical interventions in health, sanitation, education, the environment, economic welfare etc. for marginalized communities within the country.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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

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The ship, Bach Dang, drifted into waters off Hon Rom - Mui Ne in the south central Binh Thuan Province on its way to carry fly ash from Vinh Tan 2 thermal power plant in the province to the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Rescue forces mobilized canoes, fishing boats and water scooters as soon as they received an SOS from captain Nguyen Duc Trung saying the boat was in rough waters. The seven people on the ship were safely brought ashore in about an hour.

Binh Thuan border guards said the ship was hit by waves of up to 1.7 meters high.

After the incident, authorities tightened their monitoring of the Mui Ne area, watching out for eventualities like oil spills. The ship was sailing with 8,000 liters of oil.

According to the Vinh Tan 2 thermal power plant, Bach Dang is a specialized ship, so there was no fly ash spill when it sank.

Fly ash is a fuel source for the thermal power industry, which plays an important role in electricity production in Vietnam.
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RADNOR, Pa., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP is currently investigating potential violations of the federal securities laws on behalf of shareholders of CytoDyn Inc. ("CytoDyn") (OTCMKTS: CYDY).

KTMC (PRNewsFoto/Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check)

CytoDyn is a late-stage biotechnology company developing innovative treatments for multiple therapeutic indications based on leronlimab, a novel humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the CCR5 receptor. CCR5 plays a critical role in the ability of HIV to enter and infect healthy T-cells.

On March 5, 2021, CytoDyn issued a press release providing an update on its product "Vyrologix (leronlimab-PRO 140), a CCR5 antagonist with the potential for multiple therapeutic indications." The press release stated, in part, that "the Phase 3 trial of leronlimab for the treatment of severe-to-critical patients with COVID-19 demonstrated continued safety, substantial improvement in the survival rate, and faster hospital discharge in critically ill COVID-19 patients."

Although the press release touted purportedly positive results, industry observers and analysts quickly characterized CytoDyn's press release as misleading. For example, on March 8, 2021, Seeking Alpha published an article entitled "CytoDyn: Parsing Failure." The Seeking Alpha article asserted that CytoDyn's "leronlimab Phase 3 trial on COVID-19 severe-to-critical patients failed . . . to meet both its primary endpoint and all secondary endpoints with any statistical significance" and described CytoDyn as having effectively "buried" the results in its press release. The article noted that "[a] normal biotech company would have stated this clearly, both in its PR titles and in their text bodies. Cytodyn, however, did something else."

Following this news CytoDyn's common stock price fell $1.70 per share, or 41.98%, over the following two trading sessions, closing at $2.35 per share on March 9, 2021.

Story continues

If you are a CytoDyn investor and would like to learn more about our investigation, please contact Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP: James Maro, Esq. (484) 270-1453 or Adrienne Bell, Esq. (484) 270-1435; toll free at (844) 887-9500; via e-mail at info@ktmc.com; or please visit the following link to fill out our online form https://www.ktmc.com/cytodyn-inc-investigation?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=cytodyn.

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country involving securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duties and other violations of state and federal law. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP is a driving force behind corporate governance reform, and has recovered billions of dollars on behalf of institutional and individual investors from the United States and around the world. The firm represents investors, consumers and whistleblowers (private citizens who report fraudulent practices against the government and share in the recovery of government dollars). For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP, please visit www.ktmc.com .

CONTACT:

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP

James Maro, Jr., Esq.

Adrienne Bell, Esq.

280 King of Prussia Road

Radnor, PA 19087

(844) 887-9500

info@ktmc.com

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/investigation-alert--kessler-topaz-meltzer--check-llp-is-investigating-securities-fraud-claims-on-behalf-cytodyn-inc-investors-301247595.html

SOURCE Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP
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Being Memorial Day, memories come flooding in of one of the Angels that God let me an others have the pleasure of knowing. I got to meet John Michael Sullivan while he was in high school at Sequoyah Technical Center (formerly Sequoyah Vocational Technical Center). John represented Sequoyah in the Tennessee Southeast Regional Skills USA Automotive Technology competition. ... (click for more)

I was surprised  and then I wasnt  when the Center for Disease Control revealed it is believed that 4,863 have died as a result of the COVID-19 vaccine. Thats 0.0017% of the 285 million doses that have been given since Dec.14, 2020, and I am no longer deceived by the thought that everything will turn out perfect every time. Ive watched too many litters of pups born. Instead, ... (click for more)
Ace Nigerian blogger, Linda Ikeji, has taken to social media to advise young women who pray to marry rich men. The mother of one via her Instagram page talked about how young ladies should focus on being their boss rather than praying to marry rich men.



According to her, young women should find and fight for their dreams rather than praying to get a rich man. She took to her verified Instagram page with over 6.2 million followers and wrote:



Dear young lady, instead of praying to God for a rich man to locate you, why dont you pray to God to make you a rich man? Because what happens if the rich man leaves? you start hustling for another one? Cmon, thats too much stress .



Below is her post on IG:



















































































































































































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A post shared by Linda Ikeji (@officiallindaikeji)











































































































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A post shared by Linda Ikeji (@officiallindaikeji)

















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A post shared by Linda Ikeji (@officiallindaikeji)













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

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A woman who discovered an enormous tarantula spider on the window of her home says she has been left 'sleepless' and fearing for the safety of her pet dogs.

Sue Richardson shared the pictures of the huge spider on window outside her home in the Lower Daintree in far north Queensland.

The self-professed insect lover posted the picture in the hope someone could identify the species of spider that caused her 'sleepless night'.

The huge Tarantula was capture in the Lower Daintree, far north Queensland

The post Ms Richardson wrote pleaded with viewers to help her identify the spider

The pictures posted on the pictures to the Amateur Entomology Australia Facebook group prompted hundreds of spider aficionados to share information about the spider.

One helpful comment said: 'Australian tarantula, and can be lethal bite for dogs, not too awful for humans tho, but painful.'

'Beautiful male tarantula.... Most likely looking for a female', another wrote.

Many spider lovers were stunned to see such a big spider out in the open

'Beautiful spider. A lovely tarantula... Would love to see one myself', one wrote.

Dr Robert Raven, an expert on arachnids at the Queensland Museum, said the spider was a male Northern Tarantula that was at least seven years old.

'It's common to see them when there is good rain around, it's when they moult,' he said.

'It happens when the pressure drops, and usually there's rain with that.

'Rain is critical, so usually summer is their active season. Males go wandering looking for females in logs, under leaves and in the ground.'

He recommended relocating the spider for its own benefit - as well as the peace of mind of the home-owner.

'He's looking for females, so let them go at night, in the bush', he said.

Ms Richardson captioned the picture 'OMG! WT* is this? I love beetles, stick insects, butterflies, moths etc.. can someone please ID the reason I'm having a sleepless night??? Will this eat my dogs? (I'm worried it might have found my spare key!)'

Some commenters took a lighthearted approach.

'If its moved into the spare room and asking for you to hook up Netflix I can come help?' One user shared.

'Put a saddle on him and go for a ride', another wrote.

Many users shared their adoration towards the massive Tarantula

The Tarantula was pictured on the outside of her window

Many users noted that the spider was a male and was likely looking for a female to mate with

'It's definitely got your spare key, in it's leather jacket. That thing is bad ass', a third commented.

Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 16:30:13|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, March 15 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to export COVID-19 vaccines, while ensuring domestic needs are met, a Chinese official said Monday.

"China's production capacity will continue to be released and output will continue to expand, and so will our supply both at home and abroad," said Tian Yulong, chief engineer at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, at a press conference.

China has provided vaccine aid to more than 50 countries and exported the jab to 27 nations, data by the Foreign Ministry showed at the end of February, said Tian.

"I believe that China's high-quality and safe vaccines will be welcomed by more countries, and we are willing to make more efforts in this regard," Tian added. Enditem
A member of Cambodias banned political opposition party was arrested at the weekend on accusations she incited social unrest by claiming that Chinese-made vaccines aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 were unsafe and had caused several deaths, sources in the country said Monday.

Thorn Kimsan, a Koh Totem commune council member In Kampong Cham province for the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was taken into custody by plainclothes police on Sunday while working in a restaurant in Phnom Penh, her daughter told RFA on Monday.

They arrested her for no reason, and I watched and waited all night for her to come home, Thorn Somethea said, calling her mothers arrest politically motivated and unjust and saying that officers had not shown a warrant ordering the arrest.

They didnt explain anything. They only said that they were going to take her to the Tuol Kok district office. I want the authorities to get in touch with [our family] and tell us what is going on, she said, adding that her mother suffers from hypertension and high cholesterol and now needs medicine brought to her in jail.

Phnom Penh Police Commission spokesperson San Sok Seyha told RFA on Monday that Thorn Kimsan had been arrested because of statements made on her Facebook page that had gravely affected social security.

She sent a voice message saying that the Chinese vaccine has caused people in Cambodia to die, and this is not true. This constitutes incitement to create social unrest and misunderstandings. In reality, there has been no such problem so far, he said.

Thorn Kimsans arrest was the latest in a string of arrests of political opposition and social activists on unspecified charges or accusations of incitement, with no warrants shown or explanations provided to suspects or their families.

Including CNRP members, environmental activists, NGO members, and Buddhist monks, nearly 80 have been taken into custody from the end of July 2020 to March 15 this year, sources say.

These arrests routinely violate the rights of those taken into custody, said Seung Sen Karuna, spokesperson for the Cambodia-based rights group Adhoc.

The person placed under arrest has to be told why he or she is being arrested and [where they will be taken next], he said, adding, Those enforcing the law have to be completely transparent and not hide anything related to the arrest procedure.

Two others also arrested

At least two other CNRP activistsThun Chantha and Mey Sophonwere recently arrested for making comments on Facebook criticizing the Chinese-made vaccine, with a court in Phnom Penh charging them on Feb. 28 with making comments likely to incite grave social unrest.

We are busy now trying to motivate people across the entire country to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but they were creating chaos by saying the vaccine can cause death, said Chhay Kim Kheourn, a spokesperson for the National Police Commission.

They were confusing people and insulting [Cambodias] leaders. Is that really freedom of speech? he asked.

We have to enforce the law.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has variously spoken in favor or against Chinese vaccine.

Cambodias Ministry of Health on March 11 confirmed the countrys first COVID-19 related death, one year to the day that the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus that causes the disease a global pandemic.

The patient, 50, was a driver for a Chinese company chief who lived in Sihanoukville city, and who had also tested positive for COVID-19, according to a ministry statement. The driver died at a Phnom Penh hospital, the statement said, without providing further details.

There have been no confirmed reports in Cambodia of deaths caused by use of the Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine.

Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Sok Ry Sum. Written in English by Richard Finney.

With vaccinations ramping up in New Jersey, herd immunity from the coronavirus could be just months away, experts say, a forecast that offers hope for a return to a semblance of normalcy by the summer.

In a state of 8.9 million people, 22% of New Jerseys residents have already received at least one shot of the coronavirus vaccine, with half of that number fully inoculated. But as capacity has increased and a one-dose option by Johnson & Johnson has hit clinics, thats spurred optimism that better times are indeed ahead.

Perry Halkitis, the dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health, said he predicts that 80% of the states adults could be vaccinated by the end of June, less than four months from now. Schools should be able to open in the fall, and even large public events could be resuming by the end of the year, he said.

Already, Halkitis said, falling hospitalizations, new infections and deaths speak to the returns that vaccinations are producing.

Were seeing it, the numbers are going in the right direction, Halkitis said. Its like the light at the end of the tunnel.

Sandra Adams, a biology professor at Montclair State University who specializes in virology, estimates the state will reach herd immunity by July or August  though she said she is being cautious because she fears some residents are reluctant to get vaccinated and could delay the process.

Still, Adams said, New Jersey is in good shape in terms of being on the way of approaching the goal of herd immunity.

Herd immunity is reached when enough members of a community  the herd  have developed protections that prevent a disease from gaining a toehold and spreading quickly among the rest of the population. Measles, mumps, polio and chicken pox are other infectious diseases that were once rampant but have been largely checked by vaccines that reached a wide swath of the public, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Experts say that for herd immunity to occur with the coronavirus, 70% to 90% of the population needs to carry immunities. The United States has been steadily increasing vaccine supplies after a rocky rollout, and on Thursday, President Joe Biden announced that he was directing states to make the shots available to all adults by May 1.

Biden held out hope for a return to cherished social rituals, saying that if everyone does their part, friends and family likely be able to gather on July Fourth for a backyard cookout.

After this long, hard year, that will make this Independence Day something truly special, where we not only mark our independence as a nation, but we begin to mark our independence from this virus, Biden said in televised remarks.

New Jersey began vaccinations in late December, with the goal of getting 70% of the state immunized within six months, though the rollout has faced complaints of long and confusing waits for appointments. Last week, Gov. Phil Murphy said he is confident that by Memorial Day, any adult who wants a vaccine will get one.

Experts underscore there remain plenty of notes of caution, after a harrowing 12 months in which COVID-19 claimed the lives of more than 530,000 Americans, including nearly 24,000 New Jersey residents.

New variants of the disease could arise that vaccines do not protect against. It is unclear how long immunities may last once someone is vaccinated. And what happens in other states also matters to New Jersey, since travel is a key factor in COVID-19s spread, said Corey Basch, chair of William Paterson Universitys public health department.

While I do appreciate the importance of being hopeful that we will reach herd immunity, our expectations should be to continue using masks and practice social distancing, said Basch, who stopped short of predicting when herd immunity will be reached.

There is no way to be certain of a date, she said. Accelerating the vaccine rollout so we can move from priority groups to clearing the public for vaccination en masse is an important goal to be focusing on.

There also is debate over whether those who have been infected with the virus over the past year should be counted toward immunity totals. While those people carry antigens that protect against the disease, medicine has not determined how long they remain, with some experts saying they should not be considered in herd immunity calculations.

In New Jersey, more than 742,000 people have tested positive for the coronavirus since March 2020, but that number is an undercount, given that not everyone is tested. One nationally recognized data scientist, Youyang Gu, has estimated that as much as 39% of the hard-hit states population had contracted the disease as of late February, or roughly 3.4 million people.

Either way, experts said, once reached, herd immunity wont mean the quick return of pre-pandemic life.

Adams, the Montclair professor, said shed still recommend avoiding large gatherings indoors, though itll permit people to expand their activities and the circle of those they are in close contact with.

Halkitis, the Rutgers dean, said to expect that the new normal will come slowly, with the state continuing to gradually lift restrictions as a precaution. He likened it to an athlete who has suffered a serious injury and who must carefully rehab for fear of aggravating it again.

We are a state and a country that has been wounded, and we need to slowly work back to whatever that normal is, Halkitis said.

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

Riley Yates may be reached at ryates@njadvancemedia.com.
An Agri-Tech firm in Co Armagh has won a 4m contract for its machinery to be used to help a Canadian company improve its mushroom harvest.

Axis Technology in Craigavon used support from economic development agency Invest NI to improve its equipment for mushroom harvesting.

Its machinery makes mushroom harvesting and packing more efficient and enables harvesters to operate at four-times their usual level.

Economy Minister Diane Dodds congratulated the company for winning the lucrative deal with Highline Mushrooms, based in Ontario.

She said: Axis Technology is a great example of a Northern Ireland company which has put innovation at the forefront of its growth strategy. Seeing a gap in the market, it has used Invest NIs R&D support to strengthen its competitive position and grow sales in export markets.

This ambitious strategy is delivering valuable results for the company with this 4m contract. It will complete the final stages of the remaining installation over the next few weeks.

Successes such as these show that there is still a clear appetite for Northern Ireland products and services in international markets, even during challenging times. Invest NI is on hand to help and has a vast range of support on offer.

Axis Technology is recruiting seven new staff to support its growth. The deal involves the delivery of 32 harvesting conveyors and 17 mushroom processing units to Canada.

Company director Alan Noake said: Mushroom growers face a constant challenge of recruiting and retaining staff to harvest their crops. Traditional mushroom harvesting by hand is not only time consuming but can lead to a considerable amount of wastage.

Our mushroom harvesting system combats these challenges and enables farmers to increase the volumes of mushrooms harvested by more than 10% from reducing wastage alone.

Utilising our system considerably increases the farms profitability through increased efficiency while also typically halving harvesting costs.

With Invest NIs support, we have invested in R&D to refine and improve our technology which is manufactured on site in Craigavon. Last year, we hit a bump in the road when Covid travel restrictions were implemented but thankfully over the last few months we have been able to travel to Canada to complete the initial installation works.

Winning this contract is a huge deal for us as it reinforces our growing reputation in the Canadian market. We very much look forward to expanding our team with seven new staff to support the demand for our technology in not only Canada but worldwide and in doing so, continue to build a strong export focused business.

Invest NIs R&D support is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth & Jobs Northern Ireland (2014-2020) Programme.




Police are hunting for a pickup truck driver who ran over a woman kneeling in a Florida parking lot last week before fleeing the scene.

Footage shows the white truck driving away from the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in Fort Myers on March 8.

The driver got into the car which was towing a utility trailer and slowly set off from the parking lot at 11.30am.

A woman was kneeling in a parking lot in Fort Myers, Florida, last week near a white pickup truck

The female pedestrian, 49, remained stationary in the road as the truck rolled towards her.

It is not known why she was kneeling on the ground.

As the truck pulls forward to exit the parking lot, its front right tire strikes the woman, knocking her over.

The car then runs over the woman before continuing its journey, not stopping to check what had caused the bump in the road.

The woman is seen struggling in the parking lot as the truck exits on to 4260 Boatways Road.

The female pedestrian, 49, was stationary in the road as the truck rolled towards her

As the truck pulls forward to exit the parking lot, its front right tire strikes the woman, knocking her over

Florida Highway Patrol said the pickup is likely a white Ford F250 and the driver remains unknown.

The woman, from Cape Coral, was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital with serious injuries but she survived the apparent hit and run.

Police have asked anyone with information about the incident to contact FHP or Crime Stoppers.

The car then runs over the woman before continuing its journey, not stopping to check what had caused the bump in the road
In a methodologically trailblazing paper published in the journal Nature Genetics, a team of Belgian scientists uncovered an assembly of coronavirus host factors that may be exploited to develop drugs against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but also potentially forthcoming zoonotic coronaviruses.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has resulted in a global health and economic crisis; however, while vaccines are now being used around the world, only a handful of effective drugs are currently available to treat patients with the disease.

Albeit remdesivir was initially viewed as a promising candidate for severe COVID-19 cases, trials conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that actually it does not have a significant impact on mortality. On the other hand, dexamethasone was shown to reduce mortality by a third in those critically ill, primarily by suppressing the hyperactive immune response.

Still, dexamethasone benefits only severe cases with a relatively limited effect. Thus novel, safe and efficient treatment options are urgently needed. In that regard, the development of broad-spectrum drugs against coronaviruses would help not only in addressing the current pandemic but may also be used to swiftly contain potential zoonotic events in the future.

But in order to develop such drugs, a complete understanding of host factors that are used by coronaviruses to infect a cell is essential, as each step of the viral replication cycle may serve as an intervention target. Although the entry step of coronaviruses has been described in ample detail, the particulars on hostvirus interaction in later parts of the viral life cycle are still elusive.

Consequently, a research group from Belgium (led by Dr. Jim Baggen from the Rega Institute in Leuven) utilized genome-wide CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-based genetic screens in order to discern exact host factors that are required for SARS-CoV-2 and human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E) infection.

A CRISPR-based genome-wide knockout screen

In this study, the aforementioned CRISPR-based genome-wide knockout screen was performed in the human Huh7 cell line (derived from male hepatoma tissue) without the introduction of an exogenous receptor since the SARS-CoV-2 strain used in the study prompted the development of an evident cytopathic effect in these cells.

Furthermore, screens were performed with both SARS-CoV-2 and much less pathogenic HCoV-229E that is endemic and causes the common cold. This, in turn, enabled the identification of not only host factors specific for SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-229E, but also for HCoV-OC43 and coronaviruses.

To validate the obtained findings, the researchers have expressed single guide RNA targeting the identified genes and the known receptor genes in Huh7 cells. As a result, they could see whether the ablation of those genes affected the sensitivity of cells to cytopathic effect induced by either SARS-CoV-2 or HCoV-229E.

Common host factors for human coronaviruses

This study has unveiled phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) type 3 as a common host factor for SARS-CoV-2, HCoV-229E and HCoV-OC43, which means that small molecules that target this protein might be broadly applicable as anti-coronavirus inhibitors.

Moreover, the screens have demonstrated that lysosomal protein TMEM106B actually serves as a key host factor that enables SARS-CoV-2 infection in primary lung cells and liver-derived human cell lines. In patients with COVID-19, single-cell RNA-sequencing of airway cells has shown that the expression of TMEM106B correlates with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The researchers have also shown that TMEM41B  a novel regulator of autophagy (intracellular degradation system) and lipid mobilization  is needed for HCoV-229E infection, and to a lesser degree for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Informing future research endeavors

In short, this methodologically robust research study exposed a plethora of coronavirus host factors that may be used in the development of drugs against SARS-CoV-2 infection, but also zoonotic coronavirus outbreaks that may arise in the future.

The set of essential coronavirus host factors identified in our genome-wide screens will form a basis for studies unraveling the cellular pathways hijacked by these viruses, say study authors. In addition, these factors can serve as targets for medicinal chemistry efforts to counter the current COVID-19 pandemic or future outbreaks of pathogenic coronaviruses, they add.

It is now clear that pathogenic coronaviruses tend to periodically emerge, which means that they will continue to pose a global public health threat beyond the current COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, conducting fundamental research studies (akin to this one) aimed at developing broad anti-coronavirus inhibitors will be an indispensable step forward.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin has given his backing to the Tanaiste after Sinn Fein called for Leo Varadkar to resign over the leaking of a GP contract.

Mr Varadkar came under renewed pressure today after Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said he had given a cock and bull" story over the leaking of the confidential document.

Two Fianna Fail TDs also broke ranks with their party to say Mr Varadkar should stand aside while a garda investigation into the matter takes place.

However Mr Martin this afternoon backed his Tanaiste saying he has confidence in him.

A spokesperson for the Taoiseach said: The Tanaiste made a statement and apology on this matter in Dail Eireann, which was fully accepted by the Government.

"The Taoiseach has confidence in the Tanaiste and has nothing further to add to the comments he made previously.

The calls come after Garda Headquarters upgraded its inquiries into his leaking of a confidential document into a criminal investigation.

Gardai are probing a complaint which centres on Mr Varadkars leaking of a copy of the Governments proposed new GP contract with the Irish Medical Organisation to Dr Maitiu O Tuathail, who was then the head of the rival National Association of General Practitioners, in April 2019.

Mr Varadkar has apologised over the affair and has said his legal advice is that he committed no offence.

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He has offered to meet gardai to provide a full statement.

However, Ms McDonald has called for his resignation, saying that Mr Varadkar gave a cock and bull story when Village Magazine first made the revelations last year.

He gave a cock and bull story to the Dail last November and has been forced to change his story repeatedly as more and more information has come to light, Ms McDonald said.

Last November, Sinn Fein tabled a motion of no confidence in Mr Varadkar.

Last November we said that Leo Varadkar should have been sacked by Micheal Martin for a blatant abuse of power while he was Taoiseach and everything that has happened since then has proven that we were correct, she said.

"He has only remained in office because Fianna Fail, the Greens and a number of independents are keeping him there.

He gave a cock and bull story to the Dail last November and has been forced to change his story repeatedly as more and more information has come to light.

She called it a political stroke and an abuse of power by the former Taoiseach.

This was a political stroke, pure and simple. It was an abuse of power by the then Taoiseach designed to give advantage to a friend. This was about doing favours for insiders. Politically this cannot be tolerated.

However, our position remains as it was in November. The Fine Gael leader needs to go, she added.

As part of the Coalitions rotating Taoiseach deal, Mr Varadkar is set to become Taoiseach again in 2022.

Meanwhile, two Fianna Fail TDs have has broken ranks with their party line which supports of the Tanaiste and full confidence in his ability to continue in Cabinet.

Sligo-Leitrim TD Marc MacSharry told the Irish Independent: The reality is if a Minister is the subject of a criminal investigation, prudence demands that they should step aside  albeit temporarily pending the conclusion of the investigation.

Mr MacSharry told the Irish Independent it was not about anything retaliatory, but a serious matter of standards.

This isnt a political issue. Its about a question of a senseof State. If we apply the standards we aspire to for the State, then the course of conduct is clear.

We need our ministers in office to be focussed on the very difficult job we have with Covid at the moment. It is relatively unprecedented to have a minister continuing to serve with a Garda investigation underway.

The Arms Trial, which was before he was born, was much more serious, but ministers were either sacked or resigned, and long before any charges were brought.

Rules are rules and they have to equally apply. We either do that or we dont. I take no pleasure in the fact that Leo Varadkar is involved in a Garda investigation, but different standards are being applied, depending on who is involved.

Mr MacSharry made it clear he was making his remarks absolutely without prejudice to the investigation being carried out, but he did not think it could be a matter left until the outcome of the Garda probe because the questions of standards arose now and was a distraction to the work of Government.

Jackie Cahill TD told Tipp FM he believes that the Tanaiste should consider his position.

He referred on radio to the resignations of Barry Cowen and Dara Calleary as Minister for Agriculture last yea, saying his partys ministers had resigned for less.

I think the ball is very much in the Tanaistes court as regards this. He has to see whether its any hindrance to the work hes doing at the moment and he needs to examine his position, the Tipperary TD told his local station.

You know this was very regrettable that a document was leaked, and for a man in his position it shouldnt have happened.

The Fianna Fail TDs position starkly contrasts with that of Michael McGrath, who on RTE radio on Sunday signalled his partys full backing for Mr Varadkars continuation in Cabinet.

The Fianna Fail Minister for Public Expenditure said: The Tanaiste acknowledges that it was wrong to provide that document, but he has also stated on a number of occasions that his advice is that he did not break any law, and I think he is entitled to due process.

There is now an investigation on the way. And I think its important that we all protect the integrity of that investigation, it will take its course in the fullness of time, and the ultimate outcome will be determined by the conclusions reached.

Asked directly if Mr Varadkar should stand aside from his Cabinet role until the investigation is completed, Mr McGrath said: I dont believe that that is necessary.

A Green Party spokesman reacted to the Sinn Fein call: The gardai have received a complaint and they must be allowed to do their job.

The Green Party acknowledges the account and apology given by the Tanaiste in the Dail last November and has confidence in him.

A senior Fianna Fail source said dismissively of the Mary Lou McDonald statement: Sure dont they want the Government to go every day?

Fine Gael's Peter Burke, minister for state for local government, said: The legal advice to the Tanaiste is that he has committed no offence, and he looks forward to the matter being concluded.

He said Fine Gael wont be lectured by anyone in Sinn Fein.

In the case of Mr Varadkar case, he said the gardai have to do their job and investigate the complaint.

The Tanaiste set out a full account of his actions last November. He apologised, and the Dail voted to accept his explanation with a motion of confidence.
Optimism seems to be ruling global oil markets at the moment.

Even the recent OPEC report, in which the global oil group cut its demand predictions for Q2 2021 by more than 690,000 bpd, seemed unable to alter price assessments. Bullishness stemming from the OPEC+ production cuts continues to rule the market, with analysts happy to assume that the cartel will remain optimistic in its assessment of H2 2021.

With oil prices hovering around $70 per barrel and some analysts even suggesting that the fabled $100 per barrel is within sight, it seems all sense of realism has been lost. Brent is set for its eighth straight week of gains, and the market is happy to all but ignore the fundamentals.

Analysts seem convinced that demand recovery in H2 2021 is a certainty. If you were to ask them what that assumption is based on, there is no specific answer but rather a reference to sentiment. Bidens recent announcement that Americans could be having barbecues with their families on the 4th of July, that sentiment is only growing stronger. Additional financial support schemes around the world are adding to this sentiment. In fact, oil prices seem to be more closely linked to the cash injections being given out around to world than to historic fundamentals. However, as we all know, theres no such thing as a free lunch. These financial injections are going to come at a cost. No normal economy can continue to spend as its income continues to fall. At the end of 2021, a major rebalance in payments can be expected, and there will be many losers. In the coming months, demand is expected to weaken slightly, as highlighted in OPECs recent report. The bullish sentiment in oil markets seems based on the period after summer though. Strong demand in the second half of the year will depend on successful COVID vaccination schemes and a decrease in global lockdowns. If the optimistic predictions of a successful summer fight against covid dont come true, oil bulls are set to be slaughtered.

The current commodities frenzy has largely been fed by institutional investors and hedge funds, all vying to reap the financial rewards of an over-optimistic market. Media reports have been fueling this optimism, as most investors prepare for the recovery of crude oil demand. Fuel analysts are confident that driving season in the U.S. and Europe will increase prices despite most vaccination projects still being far from complete. With no real travel increase on the horizon, a fuel demand increase seems far from certain. Additionally, when looking at the oil futures market, it seems optimism isnt as strong as it first appears. Net long vs net short positions are at nearly the same level. So even when it comes to bullish sentiment, it seems media reports are exaggerating where we are.

When looking at current price settings, hovering around $70 per barrel, and plenty of bullish sentiment amongst analysts, observers should be worried. In a normal situation (pre-COVID), price increases as we have seen in recent months always lead to two main reactions. First, parties will take their profits, then others will look to get into the market. The current stability on the supply side is purely cosmetic. OPEC+ unexpectedly decided to roll-over its existing agreements for another month. Saudi Arabia is still supporting its unilateral 1 million bpd cut, while others are keeping to their existing commitments. Non-OPEC producers Russia and Kazakhstan were allowed to increase their production slightly.

Media reports have all been very positive about the decision in Vienna last week, painting it as proof of the internal stability of the cartel. But that analysis fails to address the growing internal pressure of major OPEC and non-OPEC producers to increase their own volumes in the coming weeks or months. $70 per barrel is a very enticing level to increase production, and cash is needed throughout OPEC+. OPEC+ producers have lost trillions of dollars in the past year, and now they have the ability to make up for that loss.

At $70 per barrel, producers not controlled by OPEC+ are also looking to boost production. Profit margins of $10-15 per barrel are too high for most producers to ignore. JP Morgans recent assessment suggests that U.S. shale is going to be bringing more production online soon. There are also reports that the real OPEC+ compliance rate is different from the official quotas. Market analysts should be keeping an eye on Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Russia. It is likely that all three markets are already producing more crude than is being reported. Internal demand for crude is also playing a key role in these countries maintaining compliance. In Saudi Arabia, for example, Aramcos latest refinery project will account for 300-400K barrels per day. Both US shale and Libyan production are certain to increase if price levels are kept at around $70 or higher. Greed is the blood of capitalism, and the oil and gas market has some of the most tempting profit margins out there at the moment.

While optimism may be ruling the market right now, bearish sentiment could flood back into oil markets very soon. At current prices, supply is certain to increase, while demand is far from guaranteed. It is too early to call it a bear market, but observers should be wary of being overly optimistic when the fundamental balance of the oil market remains decidedly delicate.

By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com
If you read through the Bible each year, youll discover three scriptures that reference the balm of Gilead. But unless the verses are considered together, it is easy to miss their significance.

The first mention of the balm is from Genesis 37:25-26. The words read, As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm , and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt. This portion of Scripture records the story of Joseph who was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. The traveling merchants purchased the youth, then delivered him to Egypt. Although it might seem as though the mention of spices, balm, and myrrh are superfluous details, they are recorded intentionally. Well explore those purposes later in this article.

The other two references are found in the book of Jeremiah. They concern the prophets lament over Gods impending judgment of Judah and Israel as well as Gods disciplinary actions against unbelieving nations (Jeremiah 8:21-22, Jeremiah 46:11). Based on these three verses, we discover that the balm produced in the region of Gilead was both valuable and rare.

What Is the Meaning of Balm in Gilead?

If we circle back to the book of Jeremiah, we read about the prophets dismay as he foretells Israel about its coming captivity. Is there no balm in Gilead, Is there no physician there? Why then is there no recovery for the health of the daughter of my people? (Jeremiah 8:22 NKJV). These words are the heart-cry from Gods prophet who used the example of a FRANK medicine of the day to create a picture of spiritual healing.

First, Jeremiah points out that spiritual healing for Israel and Judah was readily available through God. The Lord was the balm that could completely heal and restore the nations hurts. Hadnt He provided spiritual leaders, or physicians of the soul, like Jeremiah to guide the people?

As the prophet continues, he pronounces words over the land of Egypt, as well. Go up to Gilead and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt; In vain you will use many medicines; You shall not be cured (Jeremiah 46:11 NKJV). Jeremiah observes that Gods judgment extends to nations who do not know Him. Here, Jeremiah shares the vision he has about the battle between Egypt and the Babylonians in Carchemish near the Euphrates River. Although the Egyptians were a world power at the time, King Nebuchadnezzars army would overpower them, and the demoralized army would return home traveling through the land of Gilead. Based on Jeremiahs prophecy, Egypt would never return to heights of prominence.

What meaning, then, does the Balm of Gilead have for us? From Jeremiah, we discover that the Balm of Gilead means spiritual health. Even though God had delivered Israel from slavery and they had walked through the Red Sea, the people still looked elsewhere for spiritual fulfillment. They even worshipped other gods. Eventually, the chosen people of God learned that spiritual fulfillment is found in no one other than Christ.

For the Christian captured by sin, God is eager to provide healing. We only need to turn from our sin, or repent, and seek His will in our lives. Others may not yet have a relationship with Jesus. In Jeremiahs time, we see this represented by the country of Egypt. Many probably hadnt heard of Israels God and few knew what made Him different than the gods of wood and stone they were accustomed to worshipping. But God yearns for all people to know Him. You can read more about how to invite Him into your life here.

Now that weve dug deeper into the verses in Jeremiah, lets reconsider Josephs plight. Thrown into a pit, his envious brothers were eager to be rid of him. A traveling group of Ishmaelites who traded goodsincluding the balm of Gilead, arrive on the scene. Ishmaelites were distant, often unfriendly, relatives of Israel. But the meaning of Ishmael is keyit means, God that hears. Despite the boys desperate situation, God had not forgotten him. Instead, the Lord provided a way out of the pit and a road leading to the purpose.

The writer also tells us the camels were loaded with spices, balm , and myrrh. I believe these details are important for a few reasons. First, Joseph would have recognized these items. Because God had given him unusual prophetic insight, I believe Joseph would have been encouraged by their presence as he realized God was with him and able to heal any wound, emotional or spiritual.

Not only that, but these itemsfrequently associated with Jesus, are listed in the Genesis account because Joseph is a type of Christ. He was 1) a shepherd, 2) rejected and abused by those he loved, 3) wrongfully accused of a crime and given unjust punishment, and 4) raised to a position of prominence to rescue those in need. From this verse, then, we are reminded not only that God hears our cries for help in every situation, but that He is the one to whom we can turn for help.

What Was Gilead Known For?

Gilead, an area located in modern-day Jordan, was a mountainous region east of the Jordan River first mentioned in scripture in Genesis 31. This section of the Bible details Labans pursuit of his son-in-law after Jacob unexpectedly fled from Laban and his oppressive demands. Unable to outrun Laban and his men, Jacob faced his adversary in the hill country where they made a covenant with one anothera heap or mass of testimony.

Most well-known for its spices and ointments, Gilead was especially celebrated for the balsam plant or tree which was used to produce its most precious commodity, the Balm of Gilead. This balm could either be applied to cuts, burns and wounds or it could be used in the embalming process to mask the scent of rotting flesh (Luke 23:56). The title, Balm of Gilead, also provides important clues about the process required before being made useful. According to Strongs Concordance, the Hebrew word for balm, tsoriy, means to crack as pressure, or leak. While the tree no longer exists, the healing resin either had to be forced from the stems and leaves of the plant by piercing them, or the resin leaked from the tree through open pores or wounds.

Why Is the Balm of Gilead so Important for Christians?

The Balm of Gilead is a powerful symbol of Christs power in the life of a believer beginning with the initial covenant established in the book of Genesis. Like Laban with Jacob, we have an enemy who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy, but once Christ is our Lord the covenant is sealed. There is a testimony that stands as an agreement between heaven and hell. Satan knows He has no power over those who belong to God.

This was made possible because the Balm of Gilead, the Great Physician, was pierced like the tender root of the balsam plant. In the same way that the leaves of the plant were thrust through to extract the resin, Jesus was broken that we might benefit from His wounds. We received new life through the one treethe cross upon which Jesus died.

Further Reading

What Is the Balm of Gilead?

What Did Jeremiah Mean by 'There Is Balm in Gilead'?

Photo credit: Getty Images/dulezidar

Tammy Kennington is a writer and speaker familiar with the impact of trauma, chronic illness, and parenting in the hard places. Her heart is to lead women from hardship to hope. You can meet with Tammy at her blog www.tammykennington.com where shell send you her e-book, Moving from Pain to Peace-A Journey Toward Hope When the Past Holds You Captive.

This article is part of our larger Holy Week and Easter resource library centered around the events leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We hope these articles help you understand the meaning and story behind important Christian holidays and dates and encourage you as you take time to reflect on all that God has done for us through his son Jesus Christ!

What is the Holy Week?

What Is Palm Sunday?

What is Maundy Thursday?

What Is Good Friday?

What Is Easter?

Easter Prayers

At Easter, the Son of God took on the worlds sin and defeated the devil, death, and grave. How is it, then, that historys most glorious moment is surrounded by fearful fishermen, despised tax collectors, marginalized women, feeble politicians, and traitorous friends?

In The Characters of Easter, youll become acquainted with the unlikely collection of ordinary people who witnessed the miracle of Christs death and resurrection. This FREE podcast provides a fresh approach to the Lenten season and can be used as a devotional or study for both individuals and groups.




Crash Leads to Several Drug Charges for Hazel Man

By West Kentucky Star Staff

CALLOWAY COUNTY - A Hazel man faces several drug charges after a single-vehicle crash Saturday morning in Calloway County.The Calloway County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded at around 10:30 a.m. to a crash on Walston Road near Short Road.Deputies said during the investigation they found suspected methamphetamine and other illegal substances on the driver, 33-year-old Joey Duncan.Duncan was arrested and charged with driving with a DUI suspended license, failure to maintain required insurance, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, third-degree possession of a controlled substance, and prescription controlled substance not in proper container.He was booked into the Calloway County Jail.
The St. Landry Parish Animal Control Center's former director has been arrested, booked on theft charges and malfeasance in office Friday.

Stacey Alleman McKnight, who was the director from February 3, 2015, to March 8, 2020, has been charged with three counts of theft of livestock by the Louisiana Livestock Brand Commission, and eight counts of theft, one count of injuring public records, and one count of malfeasance in office by the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Office after an investigation began looking into missing horses at the Animal Control Center.

"After taking office in August 2020 to fill the parish president's position, I asked the sheriff's department to start looking into the missing livestock at the parish's animal control center," said Jessie Bellard. "Theft and malfeasances cannot be overlooked or ignored in government. St. Landry Parish Government will not tolerate this type of behavior."

The investigation discovered that three horses, files, and equipment from the animal control facility in Opelousas were missing and later found at Alleman's home in Ethel, Louisiana.

Bellard added that parish employees would be held accountable for any transgressions.

"If we learn of any alleged criminal activity by parish employees, we will investigate and prosecute if need be," said Bellard. "Citizens put their trust in us and rely on us to make sound and appropriate decisions on their behalf. For this parish to succeed, we must retain the trust of our citizens by doing the right thing and stopping those that don't."

On March 12, 2021, McKnight turned herself in at the St. Landry Parish Jail.
Dozens killed by security forces in bloodiest day of Myanmar's anti-coup protests

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Security forces shot and killed at least 51 people in Myanmar over the weekend as the nationwide protests against last months military coup carried on in cities and towns across the Southeast Asian country despite the juntas violent crackdown.

According to The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, at least 38 protesters were killed on Sunday alone, a day that has been described as one of the bloodiest since the unrest began on Feb. 1.

On Feb. 1, the military detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in response to her National League for Democracy partys landslide victory in last years election. The coup makes an army general the de-facto leader of the country.

The New York Times reports that at least 51 people were killed by soldiers and police officers over the weekend as the nationwide civil disobedience movement shows no sign of waning despite the military juntas continued use of force, teargas, rubber bullets and live rounds to silence protesters.

AAPP, an organization monitoring the killing and arrest of protesters, said at least 38 were confirmed to have been killed Sunday, adding that casualties are drastically increasing. It also reported that about 100 protesters, including students and youths, were arrested Sunday.

The majority of the casualties were reported from the Hlaingthaya district of Yangon, Myanmars commercial hub and former capital.

On Sunday, several Chinese-funded factories were set on fire as Beijing reportedly supports the military junta. It could not be determined who started the fires, The Wall Street Journal reports. In light of the fires, martial law was declared in the district, which allows the military to assume authority.

The military and police personnel also used force on protesters in the areas of South Okkalapa, Shwe Pyi Thar Township, Tamwe Township, North Okkalapa Township, Thingangyun Township, South Dagon, North Dagon, Bago, Mandalay, HpaKant and Myitkyina in Kachin State, as well as Taunggyi in Shan State, among others, the AAPP reported.

At least 126 people have been killed in Myanmar due to violent and arbitrary crackdowns, according to the AAPP.

The United Nations Special Envoy for Myanmar Christine Schraner Burgener strongly condemned the continuing bloodshed in the country as the military defies international calls, including from the Security Council, for restraint, dialogue and full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The ongoing brutality, including against medical personnel and destruction of public infrastructure, severely undermines any prospects for peace and stability, Burgener said in a statement.

The AAPP reported that 2,156 people had been arrested, charged or sentenced, while 1,837 people were still in detention as of Sunday,

Last week, Catholic nun Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng made headlines by going down on her knees in front of police, pleading with them to stop shooting and spare the children. In the town of Myitkyina in the Christian-majority Kachin State near the China border, she offered up her life instead.

A viral video showed the member of the Sisters of St. Francis Xavier congregation in a white robe and black habit kneeling with her arms spread on a street while speaking to two police officers who were also kneeling.

I begged them not to hurt the protesters, but to treat them kindly like family members, the nun told Reuters. I told them that they can kill me. I am not standing up until they give their promise that they will not brutally crack down on protesters.

Christians make up just over 7% of the majority-Buddhist nation. Formerly known as Burma, the country is ranked No. 18 on Open Doors USAs World Watch List of 50 countries where it's most difficult to be a believer.

Rights groups have warned that the militarys consolidation of power will only make things worse for religious minorities and have urged the international community to take action against the abuses being perpetrated by the military regime.

The military is notorious for its relations with the ultranationalist ultra-Buddhist group the Ma Ba Tha, International Christian Concern's Southeast Asia Regional Manager Gina Goh said earlier. The military together with Ma Ba Tha has targeted the Muslims in the country, but they also go after Christians. Once they get a hold of the power, they might resort to things they were doing before they passed the power to the civilian government. They kill. They rape minority Christians.

The military in Myanmar controls 25% of the government, according to the country's Constitution. Military leaders are nationalists who support Buddhism.

Goh called the coup a "power play."

"The military is almost like a gang," she said. "They can use their power to intimidate people.
RADNOR, Pa., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP is currently investigating potential violations of the federal securities laws on behalf of shareholders of CytoDyn Inc. ("CytoDyn") (OTCMKTS: CYDY).

CytoDyn is a late-stage biotechnology company developing innovative treatments for multiple therapeutic indications based on leronlimab, a novel humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the CCR5 receptor. CCR5 plays a critical role in the ability of HIV to enter and infect healthy T-cells.

On March 5, 2021, CytoDyn issued a press release providing an update on its product "Vyrologix (leronlimab-PRO 140), a CCR5 antagonist with the potential for multiple therapeutic indications." The press release stated, in part, that "the Phase 3 trial of leronlimab for the treatment of severe-to-critical patients with COVID-19 demonstrated continued safety, substantial improvement in the survival rate, and faster hospital discharge in critically ill COVID-19 patients."

Although the press release touted purportedly positive results, industry observers and analysts quickly characterized CytoDyn's press release as misleading. For example, on March 8, 2021, Seeking Alpha published an article entitled "CytoDyn: Parsing Failure." The Seeking Alpha article asserted that CytoDyn's "leronlimab Phase 3 trial on COVID-19 severe-to-critical patients failed . . . to meet both its primary endpoint and all secondary endpoints with any statistical significance" and described CytoDyn as having effectively "buried" the results in its press release. The article noted that "[a] normal biotech company would have stated this clearly, both in its PR titles and in their text bodies. Cytodyn, however, did something else."

Following this news CytoDyn's common stock price fell $1.70 per share, or 41.98%, over the following two trading sessions, closing at $2.35 per share on March 9, 2021.

If you are a CytoDyn investor and would like to learn more about our investigation, please contact Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP: James Maro, Esq. (484) 270-1453 or Adrienne Bell, Esq. (484) 270-1435; toll free at (844) 887-9500; via e-mail at [email protected]; or please visit the following link to fill out our online form https://www.ktmc.com/cytodyn-inc-investigation?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=cytodyn.

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country involving securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duties and other violations of state and federal law. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP is a driving force behind corporate governance reform, and has recovered billions of dollars on behalf of institutional and individual investors from the United States and around the world. The firm represents investors, consumers and whistleblowers (private citizens who report fraudulent practices against the government and share in the recovery of government dollars). For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP, please visit www.ktmc.com .

CONTACT:

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP

James Maro, Jr., Esq.

Adrienne Bell, Esq.

280 King of Prussia Road

Radnor, PA 19087

(844) 887-9500

[email protected]

SOURCE Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP

Related Links

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While Hurricane Harvey dumped 60 inches of rain on the Houston area in August 2017, the authority that operates the Lake Conroe Dam opened the floodgates to release water at a rate almost equal to the flow over Niagara Falls.

Water in the lake flowed counterclockwise as if draining from a sink, causing fallen trees, unmoored boats and other debris to slam into 22 boat dock slips owned by the Playa Vista Conroe condominium association. The association filed a claim seeking $208,177.44 to repair hurricane damage to the complex, including replacement of the boat docks. Insurance Co. of the West denied the claim, saying hurricane damage was excluded by the associations policy.

A panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on March 5 affirmed a trial court ruling that requires ICW to pay $190,827.50 for the damage to the boat docks plus $50,000 for the associations legal fees. In an opinion written by Circuit Judge Andrew S. Oldham, the court chided ICWs lawyers for making an absurd argument in an effort to undo its litigation mistakes.

ICW first argues that it creatively drafted its insurance contracts to avoid any burden to prove anything, the court said.  Texas law establishes a burden-shifting framework under which the insured must establish coverage, but then the insurer must prove an applicable exception.

The opinion says ICW sold Playa Vista a policy that excludes flood damages arising out of a hurricane or tropical storm, but also defines flood as an inundation of normally dry land. ICW paid extra for an endorsement to cover flood damage, but the policy included a separate exclusion for any flood damage to the boat slip/docks (BSE) on the property.

It is unclear why ICW drafted its BSE to exclude flood damage to property that normally appears on water rather than dry land, the panel said. But it was ICWs policy to draft, so ICW must assume the perils of its chosen language.

After Playa Vista filed suit in state court, ICW removed the case to the U.S. District Court for Southern Texas in Houston. The condo associations president, Robert G. Copes, testified in an affidavit that the boat slips survived the rainfall from Hurricane Harvey, but when the San Jacinto River Authority released water from Lake Conroe a super-powerful suction effect pulled debris from all around the lake and destroyed the boat slips.

ICW did not challenge Copes testimony. Instead, it entered into a stipulation with the condo association stating the loss was caused by the release of water from the lake.

After the district court granted summary judgment in favor of the condominium association, ICW filed a new motion for summary judgment. The insurer argued that the case should be dismissed because the association had admitted that the damage was caused by the actions of a governmental body, which was excluded from coverage.

The 5th Circuit panel refused to accept that ICW had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat through a legal gotcha.

That is far too little too late, the opinion says. If ICW wanted to rely on the governmental-body exclusion, it was obligated to raise it (at the latest) at summary judgment.

About the photo: Water is released from Lake Conroe Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Conroe, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Topics Carriers
In two weeks one of the most explosive trials in all of Americas history will get underway in Minneapolis, Minn. It is pretty obvious that white police officers used uncommon force in arresting a black man who was unarmed, yet who was overtly defiant to the police officers and did not obey their pleas to calm down. While George Floyd was being physically restrained with a long-established method known as a choke hold, the career criminal repeatedly cried out that he could not breathe, this while fighting with the police, and the officers increasingly desperate to control an unfolding catastrophe.

George Floyd, age 46, was visibly troubled even before the first officer tapped on his car window, as we can see through tapes from at least two or maybe three police officers body cams that have been released to the public domain. Having taken illicit drugs that erased all reasoning and now suffering horribly in a siege of overdose, Floyd fought with the police for a good 30 minutes.

Whats worse, Floyd, once an imposing and powerful college athlete who stood 6-4 and weighed 240, was filled to the brim with a lethal dose of the powerful narcotic fentanyl, and on Memorial Day last year, only one thing was clear to Floyd  I cant breathe!

Why? His lungs were filled with increasing body fluids (pulmonary edema.) He was gasping from a lack of oxygen no matter which way he would stand, sit, or lay yet breathing was easiest when he would stand. Medical doctors explain this simple act of gravity may have allowed the rapidly increasing edema to settle below the ever-diminished air space at the top of each lung.

All the while, the savage fentanyl was causing his body to create more water in his lungs, which quickly overcame the remaining oxygen levels inside the lungs. Rapidly, the too-small volume of air space was replaced with the edema and Floyds lungs were insufficient to sustain life. This is why I personally believe that George Floyd actually drowned to death by his own hand.

When police first approached Floyd, it was immediately clear to see he was scared  thats right  terrified out of his wits. His raging thirst for oxygen had overcome all else. In his overdosed state, Floyd couldnt discern what was happening inside of him, and he absolutely panicked. It is also my personal belief that while officer Chauvin was still holding his muscular body in the choke hold, George Floyd suffocated and died before the ambulance team ever arrived on that fateful day last May.

So, the root question in the trial is this: Did Derek Chauvin and several other police officers murder Floyd by a choke hold and other restrictive means, allowing the perpetrator to suffocate or drown to death while he was in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department? Or did George kill himself in what we might term, an involuntary drug-induced suicide. The fact could be argued that Floyd had three times the lethal amount of fentanyl in his system because he wasnt cognizant of what he was doing.

Based on all available medical knowledge, there is a popular theory among emergency room doctors and law enforcement drug experts alike who have repeatedly studied his behavior in the videos, Floyd was terminal before the MPD officers first arrived over a counterfeit $20 bill Floyd attempted to use to buy cigarettes.

Regardless of who killed who, the biggest victim has been the United States. Far more, what will the verdict mean to an already sensitive America?

SOMETHING YOU NEED TO KNOW: Earlier this week, workers in Portland, Oregon, started taking down the barriers and the fencing around the Mark Hatfield Federal Courthouse. Then, on Thursday night, President Joe Biden addressed the American people on live television. Within an hour or two of Bidens speech, a group of over black-clad troublemakers, each the surly type, screamed something about its the same kind of presidency we had with Trump, and stormed the Hatfield courthouse. Fires were set, the protesters ripping away the protective plywood from doors and windows, and one guy was so undone that he used his scooter to break a window down.

Over 100 of the protesters were detained and another 15-20 were arrested and jailed. Again, this was on Thursday. Over 100 more showed again on Friday as a signal the protesters aint about to relinquish their newly found vocation. Going into the weekend, it is a cinch the warm weather will heat up similar criminal events.

SOMETHING ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW: The liberal city of Minneapolis agreed on Friday to pay the family members of George Floyd $27 million to settle a civil lawsuit. Floyd, a known thug who some medical officials and forensic law enforcement experts believe was a victim of drug overdose, died on May 25. The initial death reports, collaborated by a video that was taken by a bystander, was easily the most horrifying piece of evidence I have ever seen. It lasts for about four minutes and viewer discretion is advised. This tape has been watched over 5 million times. To see the initial video, CLICK HERE.

SOMETHING ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW: George Floyd was chock full of drugs before he was choked. He was apprehended for allegedly using counterfeit money to buy a pack of cigarettes. When the police attempted to subdue Floyd, a cell phone video emerged, that horrified the nation with its chilling I cant breathe.

But soon another tape emerged, this much-longer version harder to watch than the world famous version because we all knew by now that George Floyd was amid an overdose. Way before the video choke hold, he repeatedly told all four officers at one point or another in the longer tape: I cant breathe and now we know why.

Police officers asked him twice had he taken drugs and twice he said no. The truth is autopsies found Floyd had 11 nanograms of the toxic drug fentanyl per milligram of blood (is his body)  three to four times what is lethal for a human being. He also suffered from a heart condition which causes pulmonary edema and can cause death if untreated quickly. Upon autopsy, his lungs weighed 2  times more than what is normal.

According to hospital sources, the reason Floyd said he could not breathe was because his lungs were so filled with edema and one of the worst side effects of fentanyl is that it aggressively triggers additional heart conditions and  what? -- causes more edema. Heres a great over-view from, the Wall Street Journal. CLICK HERE.

* * *

THE FULL BODY-CAM TAPE OF THE GEORGE FLOYD TRAGEDY

This 30-minute tape may be offensive to some Chattanoogan.com readers, which is why it has this disclaimer. To many gentle souls we offer this disclaimer before those who may watch it should shield small children and the familys dogs from its content. CLICK HERE.

* * *

NOW, HERE IS WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW

This entire case has come to the point it is huge but secondary in the big scheme. Whether Derek Chauvin or George Floyd committed murder/suicide is the question, but we need the wisdom of the Bibles King Solomon on this one. For example: What if George Floyd had been white? I feel certain we would have never heard about it. We would not have had over $2 billion in wanton criminal activity, a true-enough felon weve unbelievably hammered into a martyr, nor a now-ticking charger attached to a bomb far more deadly than any atomic device.

But, no, Floyd was  in reality  a mere pawn in a very evil game and here is how I know. As President Biden was speaking to the nation on Thursday, well over 100 rioters were being assembled somewhere near Portland. At the very moment Biden wished the nation goodnight, the poet William Shakespeares immortal words ran true. Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war. (Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene I, William Shakespeare 1599)

You know, I know, black people know, white people know, and the world-wide people know that there aint no way rioters are going to show up in Portland over 100 straight nights without room and board, much less a handsome stipend of sorts. Why hasnt our FBI identified and prosecuted the enablers of such vermin?

These hoodlums were bitterly upset when Biden won the election because it killed their business worse than COVID hit the American economy. Seriously, what we are seeing is a well-orchestrated effort by paid soldiers to destroy America.

Whether Chauvin is declared guilty of far less charges, set free, or sentenced to life doesnt really matter. It was proven Thursday in Portland, and again on Friday. Believe me, the rioters from last summer are eager and trumped up, so to speak. The weekend practice sessions in Portland proved they have lost none of their swagger and are eager to get back on the payroll.

Cry havoc, indeed. Let slip the dogs of war.

royexum@aol.com
The mask mandate was lifted statewide on March 10, but the very next day on Thursday a 65-year old Texas woman found herself being tackled to the ground by police after being told by a Galveston Bank of America branch to mask up.

Abbott had left it up to businesses or any premises on private property to decide if they want to require masks or not. The Republican governor explained in his announcement early this month, "If businesses don't feel safe opening, they should not be required to." Here's what happen when the woman in Galveston defied the bank's mask order on Thursday...

Galveston police were called to the scene after the woman refused to conform when asked by bank staff, after which officer body cam video caught the intense exchange:

"Maam, if they ask you to leave, you have to leave," the officer says in bodycam video. "My money is in this bank, and Im going to take it out," she replies. "Well then you have to abide by their rules," the officer answered.

In many cases Texans in the few days since the mask requirement was lifted have been flaunting the the social distancing measures and mask-up restrictions of private businesses while citing Gov. Abbott's order.

This has led to continued encounters like the one in the police-cam video:

"Businesses have the right to refuse service even if youre not wearing a mask," the officer explains. "You need to go and get a mask and then take your money out." She continues to protest, and the officer tells her "were gonna do this the easy way or the hard way." "What are you gonna do, arrest me?" she replies. "Yes, for intruding on premises," he says. After some more back and forth, the officer adds, "This is not a public place. This is a private business."

The elderly woman then cried out, hoping that other customers would come to her defense, "Back up, back up! An old lady is getting arrested here!"

She later recounted in an interview with FOX-26 Houston that she was simply there to close her account, and that she couldn't enter the drive-thru due to driving a large vehicle. "Ma'am you have to leave...," the bank staff told her upon entering. "I just want to close my account, I'm gonna get my money and then I'll leave. I can't got through the drive-thru, I'm pulling the rig."

"Wow, not wearing a mask people... this is what they do to ya!" she's later heard exclaiming in the parking lot while handcuffed as police backup arrives.

The woman, identified in multiple reports as Terry White, later calls the other customers in the bank - who appear to be supportive of the officer's move to arrest her - a "bunch of sheep".

Police issued an arrest warrant based on "trespassing" given the bank had asked her to leave over the mask compliance issue.

Meanwhile, the city of Austin is actually fighting to keep the public mask mandate in place...

MASKS STAY: #Texas loses at court, #Austins mask mandate to stay in place for at least 2 weeks https://t.co/gn2A7J4Rcf  KXAN News (@KXAN_News) March 12, 2021

She further lambasted the police as "taking away people's human rights" before being led away. Local reports say she was taken to a hospital for an injury to her foot sustained in the scuffle with police.
How Nepal became a playground for Islamic terrorists like the Indian Mujahideen

Jaish-ul-Hind is a terror group on Telegram and not Indian Mujahideen 2.0

Batla House encounter: Delhi Court awards death penalty to IM terrorist Ariz Khan

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Mar 15: Delhi court on Monday awarded death penalty to Ariz Khan for murder of inspector Mohan Chand Sharma and other offences in connection with the 2008 Batla House encounter.

The court had last week held him guilty in connection with the Batla House encounter case. The court held that the prosecution has successfully proven the case.

Khan, who was arrested in February 2018, after a decade of allegedly being on the run. Ariz Khan was arrested by the Delhi Police's Special Cell.

Batla House encounter: Court holds IM terrorists Ariz Khan guilty of killing inspector Sharma

Police has claimed that he was present at Batla House, along with four others, and had managed to give police the slip during the encounter on September 19, 2008 in Delhi's Jamia Nagar, in which two Indian Mujahideen terrorists were killed and as many arrested.

Encounter specialist and Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, who led the police action, was also killed during the operation.

Grammys 2021: Beyonce breaks record for most Grammy wins for a female artist | Oneindia News

A trial court here in July 2013 had sentenced Indian Mujahideen terrorist Shahzad Ahmed to life imprisonment in connection with the Batla House encounter case.
On Monday's episode of Married At First Sight Australia, the show introduced its first ever bisexual groom, Liam Cooper.

The Brisbane native, 29, married pink-loving 'bride' Georgia Fairweather, before revealing his sexuality at the reception.

And fans watching at home were thrilled by the revelation, with many praising the reality show's move.

Here he comes: On Monday's episode of Married At First Sight Australia, the show introduced its first-ever bisexual groom, Liam Cooper (pictured)

One clearly impressed person Tweeted: 'Channel 9 showing some diversity with bisexuality'.

Another pleasantly surprised viewer wrote: 'Wow a bisexual, I did not see that coming. I love it!'

Someone else chimed in: 'Wow some sexuality diversity on TV finally!' while another added: 'Love that we have a bisexual guy on here!'

Ready: The Brisbane native, 29, married pink-loving 'bride' Georgia Fairweather (left), before revealing his sexuality at the reception

Fine! An insider said Liam had concerns his bride 'would not react to the news well', but after getting over her initial surprise, Georgia was apparently very accepting

One more Tweeted: 'Oh my god the bisexual community finally has some representation on Australian television'.

Yet another praised the new groom, writing: 'Liam seems really cool. Good on him'.

However, some fans felt that traditional marriage being presented as a route to settling down was a little unfair of the show.

Welcome: Fans watching at home were thrilled by the revelation, with many praising the reality show's move

One fan Tweeted: 'You can have kids, marriage and a future with a man. Don't put this narrative that bisexual people can only have those things with the opposite sex.'

An insider said Liam had concerns his bride 'would not react to the news well', but after getting over her initial surprise, Georgia was apparently very accepting.

'It all panned out in the end,' they said.

The source explained that while Liam is attracted to both sexes, he is looking to settle down and start a family with a woman.
GUEST COLUMN: Publics right to know should be front and center, especially now, in Texas
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Germany on Monday halted the use of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine after reported blood clotting incidents in Europe, saying that a closer look was necessary.

"After new reports of thromboses of the cerebral veins in connection with the vaccination in Germany and Europe, the PEI considers further investigations to be necessary," the health ministry said, referring to a recommendation by the country's vaccine authority, the Paul Ehrlich Institute.

"The European Medicines Agency EMA will decide whether and how the new findings will affect the approval of the vaccine," it added.

Several European countries, including Ireland and the Netherlands, have suspended usage of the shots, which were jointly developed with the University of Oxford.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn said seven cases of cerebral vein thrombosis had been reported, and that while this is a "very low risk" compared to the 1.6 million jabs already given in the country, it would be above average if confirmed to be linked to the vaccine.

"The decision today is a purely precautionary measure," said Spahn, adding that he hoped EU medicines regulator EMA would deliver guidance within the week after examining the cases.

Both the British-Swedish company and Oxford have said there was no link between their vaccine and blood clotting.

AstraZeneca had said at the weekend that the 15 incidences of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and 22 events of pulmonary embolism reported among those given the vaccine was "much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population".

The vaccine has been widely used in Britain's inoculation campaign, but in the European Union, a rollout using the jabs has been slowed down by delivery problems.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
Karlie Kloss has welcomed her first child with husband of two years, Joshua Kushner.

The 28-year-old supermodel's partner took to social media to share the happy news as he posted a sweet picture of her newborn on Sunday.

Businessman Joshua, 35, showed an intimate snap of their bundle of joy on Instagram, writing: 'Welcome to the world.'

The new parents are yet to release any further details about their baby.

Baby joy! Karlie Kloss has welcomed her first child with Joshua Kushner, with the 28-year-old supermodel's partner taking to social media to share the happy news on Sunday

Long-time love: The couple, who have been together since 2012, got engaged in July 2018 and married in October 2018 in an Upstate New York ceremony (pictured in May 2019)

The former Victoria's Secret Angel officially announced her pregnancy via Instagram in November 2020 after weeks of speculation.

Karlie posted a sweet video of her growing bump which she captioned 'good morning baby' followed by a heart emoji.

In late December, the star confessed to WSJ Magazine she had already been hankering for 'bizarre' food cravings prior to her pregnancy.

'I've always had bizarre cravings, so it's kind of nothing new, but I've really been loving everything salty and crunchy,' Karlie told the magazine.

Oh baby! The former Victoria's Secret Angel officially announced her pregnancy via Instagram in November 2020 after weeks of speculation

Karlie has always been active prior to becoming pregnant, and nothing has really changed since then - except, understandably, her stamina level.

'I normally love running but I have to say I'm out of breath these days just talking or going up a flight of stairs,' she said.

'Being pregnant has put a little bit of a damper on my running routine but I still have been trying to stay active no matter what, going for lots of long walks.'

Karlie also said she was excited for all of her friends 'entering this next chapter of life' and that she was looking forward to some 'new mom groups'.

The supermodel also said she looks up to fellow models and mothers Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford and Natalia Vodianova.

Shortly before Karlie confirmed her pregnancy, she and Joshua celebrated their second wedding anniversary.

The couple, who have been together since 2012, got engaged in July 2018 and married in October 2018 in an Upstate New York ceremony.

The lovebirds wanted to publicly celebrate their love again, so they had a second ceremony in Wyoming in June 2019.

Big news: Karlie posted a sweet video of her growing bump which she captioned 'good morning baby' followed by a heart emoji to announce the couple's baby news

Joshua is famously the brother of Jared Kushner, who is married to Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka.

Despite her family connections to the Trump family, Karlie and Joshua have been vocal about their liberal politics, and she confirmed that she voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the 2020 election.

On Sunday, Ivanka and Jared were seen on the driving range at Trump Doral.

The former First Daughter, 39, was spotted hand-in-hand with her husband, 40, as their sons Joseph, seven, and Theodore, four, practised their swings.
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The French connection

Most kiwis would be amazed to learn that New Zealand takes in waste from France (Dome likely dumping ground for New Caledonia waste, MM March 3). The point is that New Caledonia is not some poor Pacific island, it is a territory, aka colony, of France. It is owned, run and financed by France. Why should we be taking their waste? From 1965 to 1996 we took some of their nuclear waste through the airwaves, and I think I recall they blew up a ship in Auckland port and killed a person. Was that not enough? Wake up, New Zealand!

Craig Rickit, Snells Beach

On foreign waste

Isnt Waste Management owned by a Chinese company now? I think I read that somewhere. Why is rubbish from New Caledonia allowed to be dumped here in New Zealand? Why isnt it sent back to France? They are the protectorate for New Caledonia. Would you trust the Chinese owner of Waste Management to not bring other materials into the country from, say China. Who would know? The way China is running roughshod over the rest of the Pacific countries, would you really trust Waste Management to not bring in more harmful waste? I have sat on the sidelines these past months, watching and reading what Waste Management is wanting to do, and this eye-opener regarding rubbish from the Pacific, and namely New Caledonia, made me think, what else are they not telling us? What has Redvale received that is more than harmful to the environment? The mind now boggles. This dump should not be in our backyard, and does Auckland Council really know what has been brought into the country by Waste Management, I wonder.

Brian Henman, Snells Beach

Waste Management is indeed Chinese owned  Ed

Forget tolls, its speed

I read the article regarding the proposed road toll for the new piece of motorway between Puhoi and Warkworth (MM Mar 3). To my knowledge the proposal has, and always was, for a user-pay tolls on this section of road. My hope would be that the road is not tolled, but I think the fact is we will be facing tolling charges for its use. My concern is that the state highway we currently use has a speed limit of 100km per hour. The powers-to-be intend to drop that road speed to 80km/h once the new motorway opens. They would say this is done for safety. This is a crock  I drive it all the time, day and night. It is, and has always has been, safe at 100km/h. If safety was so critical, surely the speed limit should have been dropped decades ago. The timing suggests it is being done because they see the old road being competitive to the new, which if left at 100km/h will take revenue away from the newly-constructed motorway. They did exactly the same on the old road between Orewa and Puhoi once the new motorway opened. My thoughts: the bigger issue is to fight the speed drop on the old road, therefore giving us locals a fairer alternative. I would love to see the Mahurangi Matters do a campaign to see what the local feeling is towards this anti-competitive move towards lowering this speed limit. Over the years, our governments have pushed laws against anti-competitive regimes, yet here they are proposing exactly that. I look forward to hopefully seeing and reading some investigative work from the paper into this issue, which has been shadowed by the bigger picture of us trying to fight against the proposed toll.

John Greacen, Matakana

We will look into it - Ed

The U.S. Justice Department on Monday charged two suspects who allegedly worked together to spray a chemical irritant on three Capitol Police officers on January 6, one of whom later died.

Julian Elie Khater and George Pierre Tanios are facing multiple counts, including assaulting police with a deadly weapon, after investigators said they sprayed at least three officers with an unidentified but powerful chemical agent.

One of those officers, Brian Sicknick, was later rushed to a hospital and died the next day.

Khater and Tanios are not charged with killing Sicknick.

According to the complaint, the FBI said the two men "appeared to time the deployment of chemical substances to coincide with other rioters' efforts to forcibly remove the bike rack barriers that were preventing the rioters from moving closer to the Capitol building."

Khater, 32, of State College, Pennsylvania, was arrested as he disembarked from an airplane at Newark Airport in New Jersey. Tanios, 39, of Morgantown, West Virginia, was arrested at his residence in West Virginia. Both are scheduled to make initial appearances in court later this afternoon.

In video footage, investigators say Khater walked toward Tanios and said, "Give me that bear s---" and reached into a backpack Tanios was carrying. Tanios then replied, "Hold on, hold on. Not yet, not yet.  It's still early."

The complaint said the officers were temporarily blinded and disabled by the substance and "needed medical attention and assistance from fellow officers."

More than 300 people have been charged in connection with riots at the U.S. Capitol by a mob of former President Donald Trump's supporters who were hoping to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's election victory.

Five people, including Sicknick, died in connection with the deadly attack, and lawmakers hid in fear for their lives.

In court filings last week, the Justice Department revealed it intends to file charges against more than 100 additional defendants in what it described as the most complex investigation it has ever handled.


Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Slovenia's government said on Monday it was joining other European nations in suspending use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 jab as a precaution over blood clot fears.

Germany, France, Italy and Spain have all previously announced similar decisions, following several Nordic countries, the Netherlands, Ireland and Bulgaria.

Health Minister Janez Poklukar said the government had taken the decision in order to "ensure the highest possible level" of safety.

"There is no medical expertise justifying this halt" but it is a preventive measure pending an opinion from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), he said.

The European Medicines Agency says it is examining the vaccine and has set an emergency meeting for Thursday.

The World Health Organization, whose experts will meet on Tuesday, said people should keep on taking the jab "for the time being".

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
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Attorney Michael O. Smith I am honored to be recognized as an Elite Lawyer for 2021. By working tirelessly for the rights of injury victims, my team and I are committed to securing fair compensation for their damages. I look forward to continuing to serve clients throughout Massachusetts, Smith commented.

Elite Lawyer is a directory and rating service that awards and recognizes attorneys who have displayed a high level of competence in their practice area and received recognition from their peers, community, bar, and committees. It serves as a comprehensive resource for attorneys, as well as a user-friendly directory for potential clients who are looking to hire a highly respected lawyer. Only the most outstanding and experienced attorneys receive the Elite Lawyer award through a rigorous selection process.

After graduating with honors from Boston University School of Business Management, he started his career as a workers compensation claims adjuster. Michael then attended Suffolk University Law School on Beacon Hill in Boston. He worked briefly at a prestigious insurance defense firm in Boston but realized he wanted to represent the less fortunate by pursuing injury and disability claims on behalf of clients and their families.

As the founder of Mass Injury Group, Michaels firm represents thousands of clients across the state of Massachusetts. Mass Injury Group handles all types of injury claims, including motor vehicle and pedestrian accidents, wrongful death claims, negligence claims, premises liability cases, workers compensation injuries, and Social Security disability matters.

Throughout his career, Michael has gained valuable trial experience by handling a variety of court cases. With his tenacious negotiation skills, he has represented clients in numerous jury and non-jury trials, and has successfully advocated for clients in administrative hearings. The Mass Injury Group and Attorney Michael Smith have recovered millions of dollars on behalf of their clients.

I am honored to be recognized as an Elite Lawyer for 2021. By working tirelessly for the rights of injury victims, my team and I are committed to securing fair compensation for their damages. I look forward to continuing to serve clients throughout the great state of Massachusetts, Smith commented.

About Mass Injury Group

Attorney Michael O. Smith and his skilled legal team have over 50 years of experience handling workers compensation, personal injury, and Social Security disability matters. By providing aggressive representation and attentive, personalized legal service, Mass Injury Group attorneys achieve the best possible outcomes for those individuals who were hurt due to another partys negligence.

To learn more about Mass Injury Group, visit https://www.msmithlawoffices.com/ or call 617-263-0060 for a free consultation.

To learn more about Elite Lawyer, visit https://www.elitelawyer.com/ or call 833-40-ELITE (833-403-5483).


ChiragM Senior - BHPian



Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,341 Thanked: 14,302 Times

Toyota Fortuner Legender 2.8L Diesel AT Review





The Fortuner gets the same 2.8L diesel that powers the pre-facelift Fortuner. This motor uses a variable geometry turbocharger. It now produces 201 BHP (@ 3,400 rpm) and 500 Nm of peak torque starting at a low 1,600 rpm (held till 2,800 rpm), which is 26 horses and 50 Nm up on the old Fortuner. Thanks to the hike in power, this new engine is even better now. It is more eager and the throttle response is really nice and sharp.



Like before, Toyota has equipped the Fortuner with driving modes. These include Normal, Economy and Sport. The Sport mode was called Power mode in the outgoing car. The Normal mode now gets a separate button to engage it. This is a superb way of customising the engine / throttle behaviour for prevailing driving conditions.



 Normal mode: If neither of the two (eco or sport) modes is selected, the Fortuner's engine runs in normal mode. This is a balance between economy & power.



 Eco mode: Press the ECO button on the center console and the power delivery is lower, with the throttle response dulled a bit. That said, because the engine is big & powerful, ECO mode is very useable in the city. It doesn't feel sluggish at all and there is more than enough grunt on tap to keep up with traffic. On a lighter note, having ECO mode on a big 2.8 diesel is in itself a contradiction .



 Sport mode: Engage Sport mode and you'll feel the throttle to be sharper. The engine is very, very responsive in this driving mode. Acceleration times also noticeably improve.



The Fortuner Automatic doesn't use a fancy dual-clutch transmission. Instead, a simple old school torque-converter unit does the job. It has proven to be super reliable too. The Fortuner AT isn't going to wow you with lightning fast shifts or super smart logic, yet it will take you from point A to B in extreme convenience. The AT doesn't leave much room for complaint, but it doesn't give you anything to write home about either.



Press the brake pedal & hit the engine start button to fire her up. The AT's gear shifter is calm and composed. It remains that way on the move. However, on startup, the car suffers cabin shake. At idle, the big 2.8L diesel is audible on the outside, but shut the door & windows and the noise goes away. Cabin insulation is very good. Outside noise stays outside (note: engine noise is audible at higher revs).



Thanks to the torque converter, the way the vehicle moves from a standstill is smooth & seamless. In bumper to bumper traffic, the transmission's creep makes the Fortuner crawl at 8 km/h (without accelerator input). You can drive with just your foot on the brake pedal through bottlenecks. Peak torque is developed early @ 1,600 rpm, thus there's very little lag to speak of in the AT. Even at low rpms, the throttle is responsive. With a light foot in the city, upshifts happen at as low as ~1,500 rpm! This helps you cruise around with smooth shifts & low engine sound. The AT is keen to upshift and will quickly make its way up the ladder - at times, you'll see upshifts happening as soon as you take your foot off the accelerator (uncool for people like us who like engine braking). This is a big & powerful diesel, hence you don't need to give it heavy revs within the city. Soft inputs work best for normal commuting. However, press the accelerator halfway in and shift quality definitely becomes perceptible. While the gearbox is still overall smooth, it's not an absolutely seamless shifting experience above 2,000 rpm. You'll know when the shifts are taking place. The engine & gearbox are also very responsive to throttle input. Some owners might feel that they are in fact too responsive! Even in normal mode, the engine revvs with a slight tap on the pedal. This is why you'll see the 2.8L revving unnecessarily when shifting between the lower gears. Solution? Eco mode.



On Team-BHP, we don't usually recommend driving around in ECO, yet for the city, we'll make an exception with the Fortuner AT. Because of the dulled throttle response, the driving experience is smoothest in ECO. This is the mode you have to use within the city and - as mentioned before - it's still quick enough. Sport mode for your daily commute? Fellow passengers will find it too jerky as the throttle is damn sharp. Drive around town in ECO mode and the experience is calm.



On the open road, the Fortuner AT is a fast SUV. The engine remains responsive above 2,500 rpm. Because of its big engine and the power on tap, you'll never be left wanting for punch. Also, sport mode does bring an enhanced sense of urgency to the engine (although normal & ECO are useable on the highway too). The Fortuner AT can be a lively intercity express. In kickdown, upshifts take place in the vicinity of 4,000 rpm. Don't drive it in a pedal to the metal style though. Rather, you should build up speed gradually, else you'll get a lot of noise as the engine revvs & the gearbox drops a gear (more on NVH later, but it makes quite a racket for a premium SUV). Best part about the car is its cruising ability. Thanks to the tall 6th gear, 100 km/h comes in at merely ~1,500 rpm. At this point, engine noise is virtually absent. The Fortuner AT is a very calm long distance cruiser. Overtaking doesn't pose a problem at all. There's ample power and you have a great view of the road ahead. However, the 6-speed has that conventional AT lag (~1 second) between your putting the foot down and the gearbox downshifting. After that, she pulls away nicely. I did face one problem at high speeds here - due to conservative tuning and limited revs, at times if you jump out of the lane and want to overtake, the gearbox drops just one gear when you wish it had dropped two. The downshift logic isn't aggressive and you'll need to be patient in such a situation. Thus, on two-lane highways where you need to make quick moves, I'd recommend Sport mode. It'll give you more punch. Another option is to prepare the car for overtaking (via a downshift using the paddle shifters) before the actual move. Overall, the gearbox logic is good. It is smooth, responds well to accelerator input and when driving hard, it knows when to hold on to gears as well.



These paddle shifters are of good quality and very well placed, making them convenient to operate. However, at times, there is a noticeable lag with the paddle shifts  the actual gear change happens so late (1+ second) that you cant really depend on them. The only time you should use manual mode is for overtaking and when you need the additional engine braking (say, going downhill). Other than that, I don't see anyone playing with the manual mode in a big, fat SUV. Further, manual mode is tuned conservatively. It won't allow aggressive downshifts where the resultant rpm would be too high, thus you can't entirely rely on it for engine braking when running down a ghat.



The Fortuner's S mode is very funny. Actually, it's not an S mode at all. Remember the D2 / D3 / D4 positions on older ATs which denote the max gear you are allowing it to shift up to? That's exactly what the Fortuner AT does in 'S' mode. As an example, move the lever to S and you'll see S4 on the instrument cluster chosen by default. This doesn't mean that the current gear is no.4. Rather, that's the topmost gear that the AT will drive in. It will remain between 1 - 4. You can similarly choose to restrict the AT to 3rd; drive at 4,500 rpm all day long and the box won't upshift. This is unlike proper 'S' modes which move up the shift points and give the gearbox a more aggressive nature. No such thing here, Sport mode doesnt necessarily result in a lower gear for every situation. The problem is, the layman won't realise this. He'll select 'S' mode thinking it's quicker and see 120 km/h at higher revvs in 4th (as S4 is chosen by default). Many people won't even know what they are supposed to do for easier cruising. Only an enthusiast will manually shift up to S5. This feature is very useful while off-roading but it is quite stupid for an SUV that is going to be used primarily on-road, especially in the 2WD variants.



Paddles shifters work just like the S mode - they set the highest gear that the gearbox will use. If you use the paddle shifter on the road, the only way to get back to full auto mode is to move the gear shifter to the right to S mode and then to D. This car should have paddle shifters that work the conventional way in 4X2 mode.



Those looking for a real 'sport' mode can keep the gear lever in D, but select the engine's Sport mode. The real S isn't on the gear shifter...it's on the center console!



In terms of NVH, at idle, the diesel is audible on the outside, but shut the doors & windows and the cabin is sufficiently insulated from that sound. At city rpms (2,000 rpm & under), engine noise is under control. Even above that, the 2.8L emanates more of a 'hum' rather than a 'clatter'. It's a typical big diesel hum that you won't see in smaller engines. Over 3,000 rpm however, the engine does get noisy. And it's not got a nice note. Where the now discontinued Endeavour 3.2L sounded sweet, the Fortuner is too utilitarian. Take the revv needle to 4,000 rpm and the diesel gets awfully loud. Passengers will ask you to back off.



Due to the heavy kerb weight, large engine size & AT, don't expect FE to be high. Depending on traffic conditions and how happy your right foot is, you can expect anywhere between 7 - 10 km/l (tops) in the city. On the highway, figures should be more respectable, thanks to the 6th gear & low cruising rpms. An ECO light comes on in the instrument cluster when the car is being driven economically.



There is no replacement for displacement. The Endeavour took a step back by dropping its 3.2L in favour of the smaller 2.0L turbo. The Fortuner's 2.8L has always been a fantastic engine and now they have given it more power. Its a phenomenal, fantastic engine and far superior to the Endeavour's motor:





When the idling stop system kicks in, you'll see this green indicator in the MID:





To meet BS6 emission norms, the Fortuner diesel is equipped with a Diesel Particulate Filter system. The device is designed to remove diesel particulate matter from the exhaust gas:





The button for manual regeneration of the DPF is placed to the right of the steering wheel. Regeneration burns off the accumulated soot from the filter:





Adblue filler is placed in the engine bay:

The Fortuner gets the same 2.8L diesel that powers the pre-facelift Fortuner. This motor uses a variable geometry turbocharger. It now produces 201 BHP (@ 3,400 rpm) and 500 Nm of peak torque starting at a low 1,600 rpm (held till 2,800 rpm), which is 26 horses and 50 Nm up on the old Fortuner. Thanks to the hike in power, this new engine is even better now. It is more eager and the throttle response is really nice and sharp.Like before, Toyota has equipped the Fortuner with driving modes. These include Normal, Economy and Sport. The Sport mode was called Power mode in the outgoing car. The Normal mode now gets a separate button to engage it. This is a superb way of customising the engine / throttle behaviour for prevailing driving conditions. Normal mode: If neither of the two (eco or sport) modes is selected, the Fortuner's engine runs in normal mode. This is a balance between economy & power. Eco mode: Press the ECO button on the center console and the power delivery is lower, with the throttle response dulled a bit. That said, because the engine is big & powerful, ECO mode is very useable in the city. It doesn't feel sluggish at all and there is more than enough grunt on tap to keep up with traffic. On a lighter note, having ECO mode on a big 2.8 diesel is in itself a contradiction Sport mode: Engage Sport mode and you'll feel the throttle to be sharper. The engine is very, very responsive in this driving mode. Acceleration times also noticeably improve.The Fortuner Automatic doesn't use a fancy dual-clutch transmission. Instead, a simple old school torque-converter unit does the job. It has proven to be super reliable too. The Fortuner AT isn't going to wow you with lightning fast shifts or super smart logic, yet it will take you from point A to B in extreme convenience. The AT doesn't leave much room for complaint, but it doesn't give you anything to write home about either.Press the brake pedal & hit the engine start button to fire her up. The AT's gear shifter is calm and composed. It remains that way on the move. However, on startup, the car suffers cabin shake. At idle, the big 2.8L diesel is audible on the outside, but shut the door & windows and the noise goes away. Cabin insulation is very good. Outside noise stays outside (note: engine noise is audible at higher revs).Thanks to the torque converter, the way the vehicle moves from a standstill is smooth & seamless. In bumper to bumper traffic, the transmission's creep makes the Fortuner crawl at 8 km/h (without accelerator input). You can drive with just your foot on the brake pedal through bottlenecks. Peak torque is developed early @ 1,600 rpm, thus there's very little lag to speak of in the AT. Even at low rpms, the throttle is responsive. With a light foot in the city, upshifts happen at as low as ~1,500 rpm! This helps you cruise around with smooth shifts & low engine sound. The AT is keen to upshift and will quickly make its way up the ladder - at times, you'll see upshifts happening as soon as you take your foot off the accelerator (uncool for people like us who like engine braking). This is a big & powerful diesel, hence you don't need to give it heavy revs within the city. Soft inputs work best for normal commuting. However, press the accelerator halfway in and shift quality definitely becomes perceptible. While the gearbox is still overall smooth, it's not an absolutely seamless shifting experience above 2,000 rpm. You'll know when the shifts are taking place. The engine & gearbox are also very responsive to throttle input. Some owners might feel that they are in fact too responsive! Even in normal mode, the engine revvs with a slight tap on the pedal. This is why you'll see the 2.8L revving unnecessarily when shifting between the lower gears. Solution? Eco mode.On Team-BHP, we don't usually recommend driving around in ECO, yet for the city, we'll make an exception with the Fortuner AT. Because of the dulled throttle response, the driving experience is smoothest in ECO. This is the mode you have to use within the city and - as mentioned before - it's still quick enough. Sport mode for your daily commute? Fellow passengers will find it too jerky as the throttle is damn sharp. Drive around town in ECO mode and the experience is calm.On the open road, the Fortuner AT is a fast SUV. The engine remains responsive above 2,500 rpm. Because of its big engine and the power on tap, you'll never be left wanting for punch. Also, sport mode does bring an enhanced sense of urgency to the engine (although normal & ECO are useable on the highway too). The Fortuner AT can be a lively intercity express. In kickdown, upshifts take place in the vicinity of 4,000 rpm. Don't drive it in a pedal to the metal style though. Rather, you should build up speed gradually, else you'll get a lot of noise as the engine revvs & the gearbox drops a gear (more on NVH later, but it makes quite a racket for a premium SUV). Best part about the car is its cruising ability. Thanks to the tall 6th gear, 100 km/h comes in at merely ~1,500 rpm. At this point, engine noise is virtually absent. The Fortuner AT is a very calm long distance cruiser. Overtaking doesn't pose a problem at all. There's ample power and you have a great view of the road ahead. However, the 6-speed has that conventional AT lag (~1 second) between your putting the foot down and the gearbox downshifting. After that, she pulls away nicely. I did face one problem at high speeds here - due to conservative tuning and limited revs, at times if you jump out of the lane and want to overtake, the gearbox drops just one gear when you wish it had dropped two. The downshift logic isn't aggressive and you'll need to be patient in such a situation. Thus, on two-lane highways where you need to make quick moves, I'd recommend Sport mode. It'll give you more punch. Another option is to prepare the car for overtaking (via a downshift using the paddle shifters) before the actual move. Overall, the gearbox logic is good. It is smooth, responds well to accelerator input and when driving hard, it knows when to hold on to gears as well.These paddle shifters are of good quality and very well placed, making them convenient to operate. However, at times, there is a noticeable lag with the paddle shifts  the actual gear change happens so late (1+ second) that you cant really depend on them. The only time you should use manual mode is for overtaking and when you need the additional engine braking (say, going downhill). Other than that, I don't see anyone playing with the manual mode in a big, fat SUV. Further, manual mode is tuned conservatively. It won't allow aggressive downshifts where the resultant rpm would be too high, thus you can't entirely rely on it for engine braking when running down a ghat.The Fortuner's S mode is very funny. Actually, it's not an S mode at all. Remember the D2 / D3 / D4 positions on older ATs which denote the max gear you are allowing it to shift up to? That's exactly what the Fortuner AT does in 'S' mode. As an example, move the lever to S and you'll see S4 on the instrument cluster chosen by default. This doesn't mean that the current gear is no.4. Rather, that's the topmost gear that the AT will drive in. It will remain between 1 - 4. You can similarly choose to restrict the AT to 3rd; drive at 4,500 rpm all day long and the box won't upshift. This is unlike proper 'S' modes which move up the shift points and give the gearbox a more aggressive nature. No such thing here, Sport mode doesnt necessarily result in a lower gear for every situation. The problem is, the layman won't realise this. He'll select 'S' mode thinking it's quicker and see 120 km/h at higher revvs in 4th (as S4 is chosen by default). Many people won't even know what they are supposed to do for easier cruising. Only an enthusiast will manually shift up to S5. This feature is very useful while off-roading but it is quite stupid for an SUV that is going to be used primarily on-road, especially in the 2WD variants.Paddles shifters work just like the S mode - they set the highest gear that the gearbox will use. If you use the paddle shifter on the road, the only way to get back to full auto mode is to move the gear shifter to the right to S mode and then to D. This car should have paddle shifters that work the conventional way in 4X2 mode.Those looking for a real 'sport' mode can keep the gear lever in D, but select the engine's Sport mode. The real S isn't on the gear shifter...it's on the center console!In terms of NVH, at idle, the diesel is audible on the outside, but shut the doors & windows and the cabin is sufficiently insulated from that sound. At city rpms (2,000 rpm & under), engine noise is under control. Even above that, the 2.8L emanates more of a 'hum' rather than a 'clatter'. It's a typical big diesel hum that you won't see in smaller engines. Over 3,000 rpm however, the engine does get noisy. And it's not got a nice note. Where the now discontinued Endeavour 3.2L sounded sweet, the Fortuner is too utilitarian. Take the revv needle to 4,000 rpm and the diesel gets awfully loud. Passengers will ask you to back off.Due to the heavy kerb weight, large engine size & AT, don't expect FE to be high. Depending on traffic conditions and how happy your right foot is, you can expect anywhere between 7 - 10 km/l (tops) in the city. On the highway, figures should be more respectable, thanks to the 6th gear & low cruising rpms. An ECO light comes on in the instrument cluster when the car is being driven economically.There is no replacement for displacement. The Endeavour took a step back by dropping its 3.2L in favour of the smaller 2.0L turbo. The Fortuner's 2.8L has always been a fantastic engine and now they have given it more power. Its a phenomenal, fantastic engine and far superior to the Endeavour's motor:When the idling stop system kicks in, you'll see this green indicator in the MID:To meet BS6 emission norms, the Fortuner diesel is equipped with a Diesel Particulate Filter system. The device is designed to remove diesel particulate matter from the exhaust gas:The button for manual regeneration of the DPF is placed to the right of the steering wheel. Regeneration burns off the accumulated soot from the filter:Adblue filler is placed in the engine bay: Last edited by Aditya : 15th March 2021 at 13:22 .
Damian Hurley paid a sweet tribute to his glam mum Elizabeth on Mother's Day with a series of personal snaps.

Taking to Instagram, the teen shared a cute photo of him when he was a child, splashing around in a pool with his famous mother, now 55.

He shared a more recent picture of the actress, barely having aged, in a plunging swimsuit, sat on a boat.

Sweet: Damian Hurley paid a sweet tribute to his glam mum Elizabeth on Mother's Day with a series of personal snaps

Smiling for the camera, Damian captured his mum as she sat underneath a rainbow in the sky above her.

He also shared a more recent snap of the both of them, in the countryside.

He rounded off the tribute with a snap of Elizabeth wrapped up in winter clothes, karate kicking.

He captioned the images: 'All hail all mamas everywhere. Especially mine because shes supreme. Happy mamas day xxx'

Glam: Taking to Instagram, the teen shared a cute photo of him when he was a child, splashing around in a pool with his famous mother, now 55. He shared a more recent picture of the actress, barely having aged, in a plunging swimsuit, sat on a boat

Close: He also shared a more recent snap of the both of them, in the countryside

Action gal! He rounded off the tribute with a snap of Elizabeth wrapped up in winter clothes, karate kicking

Elizabeth replied: 'My beautiful baby '

Elizabeth paid tribute to her own mum Angela on Sunday.

In a sweet post, the model uploaded images of her relatives as she celebrated the special occasion with 'every mother in the world'.

The Royals star caught the eye as she slipped into a glamorous low-cut dress in one photo with her parent, and cosied up to her only child in a cute throwback snap.

'All hail our mighty mamas': Elizabeth paid tribute to her own mum Angela on Sunday

Close: The model, 55, cosied up to her only child, 18, in a cute throwback snap (pictured with a young Damian)

Putting on a leggy display, the actress stunned in the peep-hole ensemble as she held hands with Linda.

The media personality previously revealed her mother had moved into her Herefordshire mansion so they could spend the lockdown together.

In an older photo, the Austin Powers star cuddled a young Damian as they appeared to ring in the festive season.

Heartwarming: The media personality uploaded images of her relatives as she celebrated the special occasion with 'every mother in the world'

Tasty! The swimwear designer was treated to eggs on toast, muffins and a card as she enjoyed breakfast in bed by the teen

In her accompanying caption, the businesswoman wrote: 'Happy Mothers Day to every mother in the world.

'I have been blessed to have a wondrous mama and I give thanks for that every day. Ive been a mother myself for 18 glorious years and my mother has guided me through every stage of parenthood. All hail our mighty mothers .' (sic)

The swimwear designer was treated to eggs on toast, muffins and a card as she enjoyed breakfast in bed by the teen.
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It was announced today that SITA are significantly expanding their Agile DevOps teams by over 55 people in Letterkenny to develop the next generation of its highly successful SITA AT AIRPORTS portfolio. These new roles include software engineers, test engineers, UX designers, scrum masters and product owners.



The leading IT provider to the air transport industry is accelerating the innovation and development of new solutions across baggage management, airport operations, passenger processing and border management. These solutions are used in more than 1,000 airports and more than 60 governments globally.



SITA established its office in Letterkenny in 2003, growing the team from 20 to more than 100 today. In 2015 it invested in a new-state-of-the-art building to accommodate the growing software teams. Today, SITAs teams in Letterkenny are responsible for designing and creating software solutions for four of SITAs key portfolios.



Welcoming the investment, Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar said, "Im really pleased with the news that SITA is expanding in Letterkenny, creating 55 new jobs over the next two years. This planned expansion highlights the companys continued commitment to Ireland and the North-West and shows that we are succeeding in attracting high-calibre companies and highly skilled jobs across the country. I look forward to SITAs continued success in Letterkenny."



CEO at SITA AIRPORTS & BORDERS, David Lavorel added, "Through the support of the Irish government, Letterkenny is recognised as a vital hub for software innovation, making it an obvious choice as a strategic location for the development of our SITA AT AIRPORTS portfolio."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Now, we say her name over and over because it reminds us the fragility of a life that is burdened with inequities. We say her name because hearing it strengthens our resolve to demand social justice for all and it helps us push forward with fortitude.
Federal workplace safety regulators said on Friday they will revisit several COVID-19 related safety investigations performed during the Trump administration as part of a wider effort to better protect workers from the pandemic.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) also announced a new enforcement program targeting companies that put the most workers at serious risk of virus exposure, or that retaliate against workers who report unsafe conditions.

The announcements follow a Reuters special report earlier this year that found OSHA has so far largely failed to hold employers accountable for unsafe conditions during the pandemic. The story identified dozens of workplaces where employees complained of slipshod pandemic safety around the time of outbreaks  and regulators never inspected the facilities or, in some cases, took months to do so.

REUTERS REPORT-Regulators Ignored Workers COVID-19 Safety Complaints Amid Deadly Outbreaks

In one example, workers at a United Parcel Service Inc facility complained twice last spring to Arizonas OSHA agency about unsafe conditions and workers contracting COVID-19. Arizona OSHA officials never inspected the facility, despite a well-publicized outbreak among dozens of workers, including a manager who died from COVID-19.

UPS expressed regret about the managers COVID-19 death but said the illness was not work-related. The company said it has strengthened protocols requiring social distancing, masks and sanitation since the early days of the pandemic.

Reuters also revealed last month that about two-thirds of employers cited by federal OSHA for COVID-19 safety violations had not paid fines, and more than half had appealed the OSHA citations. During the appeals  which can drag on for years  companies dont have to pay fines and arent required to fix problems identified by OSHA inspectors.

Many Firms Arent Paying OSHA Fines Levied for COVID-19 Safety Violations: Reuters

As part of its new effort to target workplaces with the highest COVID-19 risk, OSHA officials said inspectors will prioritize industries including healthcare, meat packing, grocery stores, restaurants and prisons, where workers are frequently in close contact with others.

The agency said it will also use data it has collected on reported COVID-19 fatalities and illnesses to plan unannounced inspections and follow-up visits to workplaces with a history of infections.

FOCUS ON WORKERS

James Frederick, acting head of OSHA, said the aim is to truly focus on workers with the biggest need for assistance. OSHA has limited resources, and we want to utilize them the best we can.

Frederick, an appointee of President Joe Biden, did not criticize the prior administrations worker safety efforts, but said OSHA now has enough experience and data to pinpoint where workers face the highest risk.

He said the agency is planning to do 1,600 inspections over the next year as part of the new program, some of which will be reviews of prior OSHA COVID-19 investigations.

A report last month from the Labor Departments Office of Inspector General found that most of OSHAs COVID-19 inspections last year were done remotely, which meant there is an increased risk that OSHA has not been providing the level of protection that workers need at various job sites.

OSHA received 15% more complaints between February and October last year, compared to the same period in 2019, yet the agency conducted 50% fewer inspections, most of which were done virtually, the report found.

OSHA said on Friday it would now prioritize on-site inspections, and only conduct virtual inspections if site visits cannot be performed safely.

OSHAs new enforcement initiative applies to about half of states where the federal agency enforces workplace safety; the agency is encouraging state OSHA agencies in the remainder of the country to adopt a similar approach.

OSHA has still not announced whether it will set an emergency standard that could require masks and social distancing at workplaces, a move supported by worker advocates but resisted by the former administration of President Donald Trump. President Joe Biden issued an executive order in January directing OSHA to study whether such a standard is needed, and if so, issue it by March 15.

Frederick, the acting OSHA head, said Friday the agency is still reviewing the matter, but declined to say what OSHA plans to do.

(Reporting by Chris Kirkham; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

Topics COVID-19 Workers' Compensation Commercial Lines Business Insurance
Regulatory News:

Pherecydes Pharma (FR0011651694 ALPHE) (Paris:ALPHE), a biotechnology company specializing in precision phage therapy to treat resistant and/or complicated bacterial infections, today announces that its PhagoPROD project, partly funded by the European Commission, has been featured in CORBIS magazine. To read the article, please click on this link

CORBIS is the European Commission magazine highlighting the most strategic Research and Development projects financed by the European Union (EU).

PhagoPROD is one of the elements of Pherecydes Pharma's development that benefits from Horizon 20/20 funding enabling the Company to implement all the production procedures required to produce phages in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). These high pharmaceutical quality phages are necessary to launch clinical trials and make them available to medical professionals within the framework of Early Access Program. This project, granted 2.4 million in funding by the European Union, was initiated in late 2018 and amended in 2020.

Guy-Charles Fanneau de La Horie, Chairman of the Executive Board of Pherecydes Pharma, states: "We are delighted to have been chosen by the European Commission to feature in this issue of CORDIS. At a time when the production of biological drugs has become a strategic priority, the EU is assisting us with the implementation of manufacturing procedures for products that aim to reduce the impact of the upcoming public health tsunami represented by resistant and/or complicated bacterial infections that could be responsible for more than 10 million deaths a year by 20501. Thanks to this funding obtained in 2018 and to the network of European partners we have built up, we know how to produce batches of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) phages in Europe, henceforth opening the way for the large-scale development of phage therapy

About Pherecydes Pharma

Founded in 2006, Pherecydes Pharma is a biotechnology company that develops treatments against resistant bacterial infections, responsible for many serious infections. The Company has developed an innovative approach, precision phage therapy, based on the use of phages, natural bacteria-killing viruses. Pherecydes Pharma is developing a portfolio of phages targeting 3 of the most resistant and dangerous bacteria, which alone account for more than two thirds of hospital-acquired resistant infections: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The concept of precision phage therapy has been successfully applied in 22 patients in the context of compassionate use, under the supervision of the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines (ANSM). Headquartered in Nantes, Pherecydes Pharma has a team of around twenty experts from the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology sector and academic research.

For more information, www.pherecydes-pharma.com

Disclaimer

This press release contains non-factual elements, including, but not limited to, certain statements regarding future results and other future events. These statements are based on the current vision and assumptions of the management of the Company. They incorporate known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could result in significant differences in results, profitability and expected events. In addition, Pherecydes Pharma, its shareholders and its affiliates, directors, officers, counsels and employees have not verified the accuracy of, and make no representations or warranties about, statistical information or forecast information contained within this news release and that originates or is derived from third party sources or industry publications; these statistical data and forecast information are only used in this press release for information purposes. Finally, this press release may be drafted in French and in English. In the event of differences between the two texts, the French version will prevail.

1 Jim O'Neill report, 2016

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210315005484/en/

Contacts:

Pherecydes Pharma

Philippe Rousseau

CFO

investors@pherecydes-pharma.com

NewCap

Dusan Oresansky

Investor Relations

pherecydes@newcap.eu

T.: +33 1 44 71 94 92

NewCap

Nicolas Merigeau

Media Relations

pherecydes@newcap.eu

T.: +33 1 44 71 94 98
Ram Madhav says, the United States now wants India to participate in Afghanistan discussions. He further stated America's dilemma is that it is a hesitant powerhouse.

The Biden administration is debating whether to completely withdraw the 2,500 American troops currently stationed in Afghanistan in the next seven weeks, despite the fact that the figure is now about 3,500. According to US, European, and Afghan authorities, the US has around 1,000 more troops in Afghanistan than it has disclosed.

This brings another element of uncertainty to the White Houses raging controversy about whether to hold to an agreement negotiated between the Trump administration and the Taliban, which calls for the remaining American forces to be removed by May 1.

Last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a sharp letter to Afghanistans president, Ashraf Ghani, that suggested several measures to restart the stalled peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, as first reported by the Afghan outlet TOLO News.

Read More: UN accepts SFJs donation: Time for India to put its foot down

In an article published in the Indian Express, Ram Madhav says, the United States now wants India to participate in Afghanistan discussions. Tony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, wrote to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, proposing an UN-led dialogue organised by Turkey and attended by the United States, Pakistan, India, Iran, Russia, and China. To put it another way, the Doha process will be replaced by the Istanbul Process.

He further stated Americas dilemma is that it is a hesitant powerhouse. The nation is encased in a protective cocoon, surrounded on all sides by vast oceans and benevolent forces, and faces the least major security threats. If Taliban takes over, US wants the mess to be handled by countries like India.
US defense secretary Lloyd Austin and Defense Minister of India Rajnath Singh will meet next week to discuss Indo-US defense partnerships and boost bilateral ties, says a Pentagon official

U.S Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin commences his Asia trip where he will meet with allies and hold key talks with the leaders to reflect on bilateral ties and foster credible deterrence against China. The Pentagon ( headquarter buildings of the United States Department) officials stated that the US Defense secretary would visit India, South Korea, and Japan this week, making his first trip abroad as a senior member of the current Biden administration.

The Pentagon, in an official statement, said that Austin will meet his counterparts and other senior officials to discuss the importance of international defense relationships and reinforce the United States commitment to a free and open India-Pacific region that is founded on respect for international rules. As per the official release, Austin will travel to Hawaii on March 13th to visit the Pacific Command Headquarters and meet senior government officials and his counterparts in India, Japan, and The Republic of Korea.

US secretary of state Anthony Blinken will also join Lloyd Austin in Japan for the US-Japan Security Consultative Committee which will be hosted by Toshimitsu Motegi, Japans Foreign Minister and, Nobuo Kishi, Defense minister of Japan. Austin and Blinken will then travel to the Republic of Korea for the US-South Korean Foreign and Defense Ministerial to ensure the USAs commitment to the stability of Korea.

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On the last leg of his visit to meet Asian allies, Austin will meet his Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh. The Pentagon asserted that in India, US Secretary will meet Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and other senior security leaders to discuss deepening the Indo-US Major defense partnerships and advancing cooperation between the two countries for a free, prosperous, and open Indo-pacific region.

Also Read:

The following statement was unanimously approved by educators, parents and other workers from California, Oregon, Washington and other states who attended a meeting held Saturday by the West Coast Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committees. We urge all those opposed to the reopening of schools throughout this region to sign up today to join and help build committees in your district and state!

Over the past two weeks, school districts across the West Coast have struck deals with local teachers unions to reopen schools for in-person instruction as the pandemic rages out of control. Teachers, school staff, students and families must oppose this reckless policy and fight to keep schools closed in order to contain the pandemic and eradicate COVID-19.

Study after study has shown that remote learning is one of the most effective means of reducing COVID-19 transmission. Without developing rank-and-file committees to coordinate emergency action independently of the teachers unions and both big business parties, given the slow pace of vaccinations and the wholesale reopening of schools and non-essential workplaces, the pandemic is likely to surge again in the coming weeks as more infectious and lethal variants become dominant.

The Democratic Party dominates politics on the West Coast with the support of the unions. It has proven to be just as ruthless as its Republican counterparts in Florida or Texas in the drive to reopen schools.

In California, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed Assembly Bill 86, which incentivizes school reopenings regardless of the level of viral transmission, encouraging elementary schools to begin reopening by April 1 with higher grades to follow.

On Friday, Washingtons Democratic Governor Jay Inslee announced that he will soon issue an executive order banning fully remote instruction. This follows a similar order issued on March 5 by Oregons Democratic Governor Kate Brown which also requires districts to offer at least some in-person instruction by March 29.

Upon taking office, the Biden administration has rapidly implemented its stated aim of reopening the majority of all the nations schools by the end of April. This policy has the full support of the teachers unions, with American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten telling the New York Times that she spends 15 hours a day on the phone with the White House, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local mayors and teachers union officials.

A critical turning point in this campaign was the aggressive push to reopen the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), in which the pseudo-left Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) played the critical role of pressuring its members to support the deal, which passed by a narrow margin of only 54 percent voting in favor.

In the aftermath of this betrayal, local unions have struck deals to reopen schools in Philadelphia, Detroit, Memphis and other Democrat-led cities. The West Coast has been the last front in this national campaign, with the unions in Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and other cities all reaching deals in the past two weeks.

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD)the second largest in the US, with nearly 665,000 studentsstruck a deal on Tuesday with the pseudo-left United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), which followed the same playbook crafted by the CTU. Under the tentative agreement, which teachers will vote on this week, elementary school students would return to the classroom by April 19, with secondary students returning by the end of the month.

Los Angeles County remains in the most severe purple tier of transmission after being a global epicenter of the pandemic this winter, with over 22,000 Angelenos dying from COVID-19 in the past year. The UTLA and district are now trying to bully teachers into ratifying their deal with death. Statewide, the California Teachers Association (CTA) and California Federation of Teachers (CFT) have both praised Newsoms demand for in-person instruction.

In order to save lives, Los Angeles educators must take a stand and vote down the agreement, but they must be joined by workers across the region and country. The concerted, bipartisan push from President Biden down to local school boards to resume in-person instruction during the pandemic must be met with a conscious and coordinated resistance from the working class.

The pandemic can be contained and eradicated but only through an aggressive campaign of public health measures, including the closure of all school sites and non-essential businesses, financial support to workers and small business owners, increased funding for health care infrastructure and vaccine distribution.

The drive to resume in-person instruction is based on a fundamental falsehood that must be exposed.

Myth: Children do not readily transmit COVID-19

In a political move, only days after the CTUs betrayal in Chicago, the CDC revised its guidelines to state that school sites can be safely reopened at any level of community transmission. This is based on ignoring a consistent international body of evidence that in-person instruction is a major source of COVID-19 infections.

A review of international government interventions published in Nature Human Behaviour showed school closures as second only to barring small gatherings in reducing the spread of COVID-19. Last year, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study showing statewide school closures in the United States resulted in a 60 percent decrease in COVID incidence and mortality.

A more recent study in The Lancet measured the impact of opening or closing schools in 131 different countries. It found that after one month, halting in-person instruction was associated with a 20 percent decline in the reproduction number (the average number of people infected by each new case of SARS-CoV-2), while reopening school sites was associated with a 20 percent increase.

The results of these peer-reviewed studies have been further confirmed in practice. In Michigan, where much of the state has resumed in-person instruction, schools have become the leading source of new COVID-19 outbreaks. In the first week of March, K-12 schools were the site of 47 new outbreaks, with day cares and youth programs, like sports, accounting for another 24.

The AFT has claimed that with enough safety measures implemented at the local level, in-person instruction will not increase transmission. This is fundamentally false because the pandemic is not limited by district. Even the most comprehensive mitigation measures would only be effective when there is minimal community transmission, which is not the case throughout the West Coast and globally.

Once transmission levels are near-zero, effective mitigation measures would require large reductions in class sizes, modern facilities with effective air filtration, keeping children in cohorts that do not share space at lunch or recess and other measures. This would require hundreds of billions of dollars in new funding and the mass recruitment of additional teachers and staff to limit class sizes, far beyond the one-time funding provided by the latest federal stimulus package.

Without those measuresand no state has even suggested implementing themthe risk might be mitigated in isolated well-funded schools, while the disease runs rampant throughout the chronically underfunded public education system.

The more COVID-19 cases that occur, the more likely it is that new variants will evolve that are more infectious or deadly. It is even possible for new strains to evolve which current vaccines are no longer effective against.

The British variant B.1.1.7 has grown from one to four percent of the viruses in the US analyzed four weeks ago to 30-40 percent now. This variant is significantly more infectious in school settings and between 40 and 80 percent more transmissible overall. The homegrown California variant, CAL.20C, which is associated with higher viral loads in those infected, grew from three percent of cases in California in November to more than half in January.

Although daily new cases have been declining, the seven-day average across the country remains over 55,000 as these more infectious variants take hold. This led Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, to declare, We are in the eye of the hurricane right now. In order to prevent these variants from causing another deadly surge, he argued, We do have to keep America as safe as we can from this virus by not letting up on any of the public health measures weve taken.

Any claim by politicians, school districts or unions that children do not significantly transmit COVID-19 and that schools can be safely reopened at present is a lie.

Build rank-and-file committees to stop the reopening of schools and save lives!

On the West Coast, educators have formed rank-and-file safety committees in Los Angeles, San Diego and Northern California, with more in formation in Oregon, Washington and Utah. These committees are the only force organizing educators, parents and students in opposition to the deadly betrayals of the unions.

We are part of a growing network of committees throughout the US and worldwide which are democratically controlled by their members. These committees work to unite educators with Amazon and other transportation workers, workers in health care and basic industry, and all sections of the working class, to fight for a shutdown of schools and non-essential industry in order to contain the pandemic. We demand the following:

 For the immediate closure of all public, private and charter schools and all non-essential production to stop the spread of COVID-19.

 All decisions about school openings and closures must be overseen solely by rank-and-file educators and parents in consultation with scientific experts of their choosing.

 Full funding for internet access, technology and all resources needed for high-quality remote instruction.

 Full income protection to all parents and caregivers who stay at home with their children.

 No loss of income for educators and staff members who choose to stay home.

 For free speech and the protection of whistleblowers.

While opposing the reckless reopening of schools, we recognize that in many cases teachers are being forced back in. Under these conditions, we will continue to fight for school closures while demanding that the following safety measures be universally implemented:

 Districts and schools must report numbers (not names to ensure privacy) of students, staff and associated household members diagnosed with COVID-19 and any associated deaths, which must be tracked through mandatory contact tracing.

 The immediate modernization of HVAC systems for all schools.

 Every school building must be provided with a carbon dioxide sensor to monitor air exchange, and whenever levels surpass 1,000 parts per million that building must be emptied to allow fresh air to recirculate.

 Nurses at every school, and daily testing of students, teachers and staff.

 Full and accurate reporting of all cases among students, staff and associated households, along with robust contact tracing.

 The mass hiring of teachers, school employees and bus drivers to reduce class sizes and bus capacity to no more than 10 students.

All educators, parents, students and workers in agreement with these core demands should make the decision today to join and help build a rank-and-committee in your school district or neighborhood today.
Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) chief Kamal Haasan's car was allegedly attacked by a man on Sunday night in Kancheepuram while he was returning to Chennai after an election campaign.

However, the actor-turned-politician did not suffer any injury in the incident. The man was reportedly thrashed by MNM cadres and people, before being handed over to the police.

"Haasan was not injured in the incident though his vehicle's windscreen was damaged. The man who attempted to attack Haasan was handed over to the police," MNM leader A G Mourya said.

MNM will be contesting 154 of 234 assembly seats. Of the remaining 80 seats, MNM's two alliance partners -- All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi (AISMK) led by R Sarathkumar and TR Paarivendhar's Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK) -- will contest 40 seats each.

Tamil Nadu Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 6 and the counting of votes will take place on May 2. The term of the 15th legislative Assembly in Tamil Nadu is ending on May 2, 2021.

Ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is contesting the poll in a pre-poll alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Paattali Makkal Katchi (PMK). PMK and BJP will contest in 23 and 20 constituencies respectively in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly. As of now, 14 seats still remain to be shared in the coalition.

The DMK will contest 173 seats out of the total 234, while 187 will contest under the DMK symbol. The DMK will contest 173 seats while apportioning a total of 61 seats to its alliance partners. MK Stalin-led party has allotted 25 seats to its Congress party, and six each for CPI, CPI (M), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Vaiko's Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK).

Candidates of MDMK, Tamilaga Vazhurimai Katchi, Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi, Forward Bloc, Makkal Viduthalai Katchi and one of the two candidates of Manithaneya Makkal Katchi would contest on the DMK's 'Rising Sun' symbol.

In the 2016 Assembly elections, the won 134 seats, the DMK bagged 80 seats and Congress managed to secure only 8 seats. The BJP drew a blank.

(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.)
EDWARDSVILLE  On Wednesday, at Sunset Hills Country Club, city police convened a forum for residents and others to discuss community safety measures.

I wasnt able to attend but Major [Michael] Fillback attended for me, Police Chief Jay Keeven told the public safety committee Thursday during its regularly scheduled meeting. There were about 30 attendees, many of whom are concerned about the vehicle burglaries and thefts that occurred over the past two or three weeks. The meeting lasted three hours.

Alderman Art Risavy was there as was [Yolanda Crochrell, who is running for the Ward 2 aldermanic seat], Troy Police Chief Brad Parsons, and a representative from Utilitra, which is J.F. Electrics technology arm.

Keeven said Utilitra has been doing some license plate camera installations and they discussed ways subdivision homeowners associations (HOAs) can purchase camera and license plate reader systems.

Utilitra has been making sales pitches to local HOAs to say if they will buy the cameras, the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) will allow those cameras to be tied into the law enforcement network if the camera belongs to the Edwardsville Police Department, Keeven explained.

A HOA that wanted this, would buy it, have it installed and then give it, via a legal document, to the department or to the city. According to Fillback, many people in the group who attended are interested in participating in this offer.

Its not a magic bullet, Keeven said, But as Fillback told them, Just locking your car and keeping your keys doesnt mean someone wont break a window and steal your laptop if its in your car.

By the same token, just having a camera system doesnt mean the EPD will catch every thief.

City Administrator Kevin Head interjected, suggesting that the HOAs could use the citys ENERGI grants to pay for as much as 50 percent of the cameras price.

Keeven used the meeting as a springboard into his next topic, license plate reader cameras for the city. He revealed that he and some of his staff met with Utilitra earlier in the week because he knew the company would be at the forum.

Right now, the Drug Enforcement Administration has worked with local law enforcement throughout Illinois, particularly in the Metro East region with license plate readers on the interstates, Keeven said as part of drug interdiction.

What we have seen is a pattern of a vehicles coming from North St. Louis, coming on 270 eastbound and then stealing a vehicle over here, heading westbound with the stolen vehicle and then we will, after the fact, plug that license number in, Keeven explained.

We saw those stolen vehicles left our venue going westbound and we checked the license plates of the vehicles that passed around that same time and sure enough, were finding that a vehicle, which is later reported stolen, was stolen out of St. Louis, came eastbound.

He said what happens is there are three or four people in one car, who come over here, spread out and steal valuable items from cars or if the keys or key fobs are left in the cars, they take the entire vehicle in most cases. Keeven added that if its a freshly stolen vehicle, it will not show up in the system until its been entered into the law enforcement data system.

We have a lot of local police agencies that have purchased license plate reader (LPR) systems, he said. The DEA has made an agreement with local law enforcement that it will pay to store the data and give us access to all of the data so we can share it.

The only costs to the city would be the initial cost of each camera and $50 to $60 per month for a cellular modem to back up the data. If there are two cameras at the same location, they can share a modem, otherwise its one modem per camera in different locations.

Keeven wants two LPR cameras on Route 157 where it splits at the SIUE entrance and ascends Sunset Hill. The university already has its own LPR system that the city could link to, Glen Carbon is putting a system in on 157 south of Interstate 270 and plans a second camera location on Route 159 northbound from I-270, he said.

Ballparking this, if we were to put up a license plate reader camera is about $10,000, Keeven said. That covers the camera, installation and software upgrades. I would like to catch those coming up that hill, then wed probably want to catch both directions, so wed probably need two cameras to the tune of $20,000, Keeven said, plus the monthly cellular service fee.

Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at 618-659-5735
A Soviet nuclear-powered Kirov at anchor, with a Soviet Krivak I-class frigate in the background in December 1989. US Navy/PH1 Davis

Russia's Kirov-class nuclear-powered battlecruisers are among the world's most imposing ships.

The Kirovs' fortunes fell along with the Soviet Union, but Russia has invested in upgrading them.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

With the possible exception of the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, no ships in the Russian navy are as important or held in higher regard than Kirov-class nuclear-powered battlecruisers.

At 827 feet long and with a displacement of more than 24,000 tons, they are the largest surface combat ships in the world that are not aircraft carriers, and their massive armament of missiles makes them among the most powerful warships ever built.

Arriving in the late stages of the Cold War, the Kirovs were seen as a major threat - so much so that all four of the US Navy's Iowa-class battleships were reactivated and rearmed in part to deal with them.

A nuclear battlecruiser

The Soviet Kirov-class nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser Frunze in March 1986. Defense Intelligence Agency

The Kirovs were not the first nuclear warships. The US Navy had nine nuclear cruisers and three nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in service by the time the first battlecruiser, Kirov, was commissioned into the Soviet navy in 1980.

But their sheer size and massive armament set them apart from their nuclear and conventional US counterparts. They were so large that Western observers designated them "battlecruisers," the first ships to receive that designation since World War II.

Five of the ships were planned but only four were built. Three of them, Kirov, Frunze, and Kalinin, entered service before the breakup of the Soviet Union, after which they were renamed Admiral Ushakov, Admiral Lazarev, and Admiral Nakhimov, respectively.

The fourth ship, Pyotr Velikiy (Russian for "Peter the Great"), was commissioned in 1998, almost a decade after its launch.

The Soviets designated them "heavy nuclear-powered guided-missile cruisers," and like most of the Soviet fleet, they were intended to counter the threat of US Navy carrier groups and nuclear submarines, the biggest priorities for the Soviet navy in the event of war.

Story continues

Because they had nuclear propulsion, their range was limited only by mechanical problems, food supplies, and crew comfort. That extended range allowed them to pose a greater threat to carriers than other surface ships in the fleet.

Armed to the teeth

The weapons systems and cruise-missile and surface-to-air-missile launchers aboard the Soviet Kirov-class nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser Kalinin in April 1991. US Navy

While American supercarriers are larger, no other warship is as well armed as the Kirovs.

The primary armament is 20 P-700 supersonic anti-ship missiles, each of them carrying a 1,600-pound high-explosive warhead. They could also carry low-yield nuclear warheads.

The ships also have a layered anti-air defense suite, consisting of 96 S-300F and 40 9K33 Osa surface-to-air missiles, along with six Kortik close-in weapon systems.

Each Kortik has two 30 mm Gatling guns capable of firing more than 4,000 rounds a minute and eight 9M311 anti-aircraft missiles, with an additional 144 9M311s in storage.

Ten torpedo tubes can fire Type 53 torpedoes as well as RPK-2 Vyuga and RPK-6 Vodopad anti-submarine missiles. A single double-barreled AK-130 130 mm gun and multiple anti-submarine rocket launchers are also present, as is a hangar and landing pad for three Ka-25 or Ka-27 helicopters.

There are slight variations among the four ships. Admiral Ushakov, for instance, had two single-barreled AK-100 100 mm guns and a twin SS-N-14 Silex anti-submarine missile launcher. Even with their differences, they were still considered some of the most heavily armed vessels on the seas.

President Ronald Reagan, elected the same year Kirov was commissioned, worried about the increased Soviet naval power and pledged to bring the total number of US Navy vessels to 600.

Part of the plan involved reactivating all four Iowa-class battleships and arming them with Harpoon and Tomahawk missiles, as well as Phalanx close-in weapons system.

Time in service

The Soviet Kirov-class nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser Frunze underway with a US Navy P-3B Orion overhead in October 1985. Corbis via Getty Images

The first three Kirovs were commissioned in 1980, 1984, and 1988. Although they saw limited service with the Soviet navy's Pacific and northern fleets, they were a source of anxiety for NATO naval commanders.

After the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia could not afford to keep all the battlecruisers operational.

Admiral Ushakov was taken out of service in 1990 after an accident with its rector, and Admiral Lazarev was permanently docked in 1999. Both are set to be scrapped this year.

Admiral Nakhimov was commissioned in 1988 but was rarely deployed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and in 1997 it entered the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk for upgrades.

As the newest battlecruiser, Pyotr Velikiy is more modern and is the only vessel of the class in active service.

As the flagship of Russia's Northern Fleet, Pyotr Velikiy has operated in Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa. In 2009, it captured 10 pirates off the coast of Somalia in what is perhaps the most uneven match in naval history.

Modernization

The Russian navy Kirov-class battlecruiser Pyotr Velikiy in the port of Severomorsk, in February 2016. Lev Fedoseyev\TASS via Getty Images

Despite the Kirovs' fall from grace, the Russian navy is attempting to revive their glory days with a complete refit of Admiral Nakhimov, which began in earnest in 2014. The battlecruiser will receive new weapons, radars, and other electronics.

The specifics of Nakhimov's new arsenal are not known, but the 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missile, reportedly capable of reaching speeds up to Mach 9, is expected to be a large part of it. Smaller than a P-700, Admiral Nakhimov could be able to carry as many as 60 Zircons.

Admiral Nakhimov's upgraded arsenal could also include Kalibr cruise missiles and dual-purpose Oniks land-attack and anti-ship missiles.

Weapons that will be included after the refit are the Fort-M surface-to-air missile system, the Pantsir-M CIWS, and the Paket-NK and Otvet anti-submarine missiles.

Russian officials have said they expect Admiral Nakhimov to be delivered to the Navy by late 2022. It will be the most powerful warship in the entire Russian navy and one of the most powerful in the world.

Read the original article on Business Insider
I was shopping in a grocery store yesterday afternoon.

I heard one beautiful piano piece playing as store's background music.

Simple, deep, touched and overtones harmonic.

Somehow I knew it was one of Tchaikovsky's work but I didn't know the name of it.

I remembered the vivid melody and went back home searching the WIKIPEDIA.

Luckly I found the name is " Old French Song".

Please enjoy my classical guitar's record, it was simplified version of course:).



I don't like Russia and Russian very much because of the unpleasant history of our two nations.

But I love Tchaikovsky,



I love St. Petersburg.



I love the painting" Barge Hauler on the Volga.



Hopefully I will visit Russia sometimes in the future.
DES MOINES, Iowa, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- The National Pork Board has teamed up with Mexican TV personality Karla Martinez to launch Menu Urbano FRESH, a campaign to help Latinos discover ways to recreate and enjoy authentic street-food dishes in a nutritious way without sacrificing what consumers love most about pork: its flavor.

National Pork Board @pamelaberrondo @karlamartineztv @nataliasaenz

"I'm thrilled and honored to be part of this effort, not only to keep Hispanic traditions alive through cooking but also to show consumers how pork is good for them and their families," said Martinez, a co-host in the popular morning show Despierta America on Univision. "Food is one of the primary ways Latinos celebrate and share our culture with family and friends. Every day, we are becoming more conscious of the dishes we cook and serve at our family's tables."

The campaign is a continuation of the original Menu Urbano campaign that launched in late 2020 to find the best street food pork dishes in select cities in the U.S. Menu Urbano FRESH will re-imagine those same dishes but with a nutritious twist.

"With pork, consumers don't have to give up flavor to eat a nutritious meal, and that's exactly what this campaign is all about," said Jose de Jesus, senior director of multicultural marketing at the National Pork Board. "Our goal is to ensure Latinos are confident that with pork, the possibilities are endless, and you can enjoy a nutritious, flavorful and authentic meal."

Menu Urbano FRESH is launching just in time to celebrate National Nutrition Month. Along with Martinez, the National Pork Board is also collaborating with three influential Latina content creators. They will provide tips and swaps for recreating popular street-food dishes into mouth-watering, nutritious dishes made with fresh pork cuts and ingredients that are ideal for families to prepare and enjoy at home.

Menu Urbano FRESH partners include:

Chef Mia Castro , a Puerto Rican chef and former participant at Food Network's hit show Chopped, and Fox TV's Hell's Kitchen based in New York

, a Puerto Rican chef and former participant at Food Network's hit show Chopped, and Fox TV's Hell's Kitchen based in Natalia Saenz , a Colombian health and wellness and lifestyle content creator based in Miami, FL

, a Colombian health and wellness and lifestyle content creator based in Pamela Berrondo , a Mexican, certified Holistic Nutritionist based in San Francisco, CA

According to NPB proprietary research, 79% of Hispanics cook meals to retain a connection to their native culture and 62% say they prefer food that reminds them of their family's tradition. In addition, 62% of Latinos agree that "healthy means fresh to me." Although there are different versions of a typical meal within each culture, one thing that remains constant in Hispanic cuisine is pork.

"Pork has been a staple in Hispanic kitchens throughout generations. And today, pork is 16% leaner and 27% lower in saturated fat compared to about 20 years ago, thanks to the pork industry's response to consumers' desire for lean pork products," de Jesus said.

A study conducted by the National Pork Board revealed that pork is a nutrient-rich and high-quality protein that is packed with flavor, making it the ideal protein for any meal. Additionally, pork is a very accessible protein that lends itself to a variety of cooking methods using traditional Hispanic ingredients found all over Hispanic markets across the country, including fresh vegetables and fresh fruit-based sauces, spices such as habanero, aji amarillo, and chipotle, as well as sauces such as Mojo Criollo and Guava.

Traditional recipes from Latin American street-food cuisine that have been revamped with a nutritional twist for this campaign include Tacos de Lechuga con Cerdo y Salsa de Mango, Tostadas de Cerdo al Chipotle and Cachapa de Cerdo Adobada en Citricos, y Salsa Guasacaca.

For pork recipes, visit PorkEsSabor.com and follow @PorkEsSabor on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Join the conversation using #MenuUrbano Fresh

About the National Pork Board

The National Pork Board has responsibility for Pork Checkoff-funded research, promotion, and consumer information projects and for communicating with pork producers and the public. The Pork Checkoff funds national and state programs in consumer education and marketing, retail and foodservice marketing, export market promotion, production improvement, science and technology, swine health, pork safety, environmental management, and sustainability. For the past half-century, the U.S. pork industry has delivered on its commitment to sustainable production and has made significant strides in reducing pig farming's environmental impact. Through a legislative national Pork Checkoff, pork producers invest $0.40 for each $100 value of hogs sold. Importers of pork products contribute a like amount, based on a formula.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1451951/National_Pork_Board__Menu_Urbano_FRESH.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1452928/pamelaberrondo.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1452937/karlamartineztv.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1452938/nataliasaenz.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/332733/logo.jpg



SOURCE National Pork Board
The end of Keeping Up With the Kardashians is in sight and it truly is the end of an era.

This family from Calabasas has risen from semi-notoriety to become the most famous family in the world, and it was the reality show that started it all.

For the last 15 years, cameras have captured everything, taking an unflinching look at the lives of sisters Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kendall and Kylie as well as their ever-present momager Kris!

Nothing was off limits, so we witnessed their successes as well as their most painful moments... And perhaps that's why it turned out to be the phenomenon it is.

From fights to laughter and questionable outfits to high fashion, we've loved every minute getting to know the gang.

It's time to say goodbye to Kylie, Kendall, Kim, Khloe and Kourtney...

So nothing will stop us from tuning in to watch the final season as it premieres on March 19th. And the good news for fans in the UK is we can watch every new episode on the same day it airs in the US, thanks to streaming service hayu.

That means no waiting, no FOMO, no adverts and no spoilers! Click HERE to start your free trial now.

And if you still can't get enough Kardashian action then hayu also has all the spin-off shows, so you can catch up on Revenge Body with Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney and Khloe take Miami and Flip it like Disick to name just three.

But to get you in the mood for the last series of the original, we've picked out our top 10 favourite (and most iconic) moments from the last 19 seasons of Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

Read on to reminisce along with us, but do you agree with our picks? Let us know your best Kardashian moments in the comments below...

1. Every single time Kim cried

The now iconic 'Kim Ugly Crying Face'

Kim did not take kindly to Kourtney laughing at her when she got upset on a family ski-ing vacation

Keeping Up With the Kardashians has spawned many memes, but perhaps the most famous is 'Kim's Ugly Crying Face'.

Kim is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful women in the world, but when she becomes emotional that all goes out of the window, as her elder sister Kourtney happily pointed out when the family headed to the mountains back in season two.

In fact, she found it so funny that it only made the argument between the siblings worse. To give Kim credit, she has since seen the funny side herself and even created a special emoji (or Kimoji) showing her 'Ugly Crying Face' in all its glory.

2. When Kim lost her diamond earring

Kim was understandably upset when her $75k earring came off in the ocean...

L-R: There was trouble in paradise when Kim lost her earring but Kourtney, as ever, was the voice of sardonic reason

Another family vacation, another 'Ugly Crying Face' incident.

This time, in season 6, the Kardashian / Jenner clan were in beautiful Bora Bora, but it wasn't long before the holiday took a downturn after Kim's then boyfriend playfully threw her into the ocean.

Finding it funny at first, Kim emerged laughing, but soon realised that one of her diamond earrings had come off on impact. Cue a very distraught Kim bursting into tears and storming off to tell her mother what had happened.

On hearing the news (and Kim's wails), Kourtney, as ever, tried to bring some perspective to the situation...

3. The handbag fight...

Kim made her feelings about the Bentley argument VERY clear

Khloe was forced to defend herself against Kim's handbag attack

Back in season 2, just before they flew off for their ski-ing trip, the sisters had an almighty argument over a Bentley.

But it was the subsequent fight later that night, that made this moment a definite contender for this top 10.

With tempers flaring, Kim attacked younger sibling Khloe with her handbag!

This scene has become so iconic that even now, 13 years later, it is recreated regularly on social media by fans and celebrities.

4. When Kourtney was the 'least exciting to look at'

Kim uttered the immortal words in season 15

And a tearful Kourtney hit back at Kim's cruel words

Describing someone as 'the least exciting to look at' is possibly one of the most effective insults we've ever heard!

And that's just what Kim said about Kourtney in season 15 after they clashed over a scheduling conflict.

A tearful Kourtney hit back calling Kim 'evil' during a phone conversation and even called the whole family 'disgusting' before they finally made friends.

But fans of KUWTK will recognise this fight as the beginning of the end... Kourtney's commitment to the show and the family business was wavering and it wasn't too long before she announced she wanted to quit.

Sob.

5. Kris' allergic reaction...

Poor Kris suffered an allergic reaction while the family were on holiday

Having already broken her toe, it wasn't really the getaway she'd been planning

Kris' family were, of course, on hand to take pictures and make her feel worse about it!

Avid viewers of KUWTK will have noticed that the family's holidays often didn't go to plan...

And when they jetted off to the Dominican Republic in season seven, this was certainly the case for matriarch Kris Jenner who not only broke her toe, but woke up one morning to discover she had suffered an allergic reaction, leaving her with a VERY swollen upper lip.

She was understandably upset, but as we've come to expect from the famous reality TV family, sympathy was in scarce supply. Kim took great pleasure in snapping some photos, encouraging her siblings to come and take a look and even comparing her mum to a cartoon character.

Poor Kris.

Binge every episode on hayu Keeping Up With the Kardashians might be coming to an end but you can still relive every single fabulous, hilarious, heartfelt moment on hayu. Click HERE to sign up for a one month free trial and you can binge it all, as well as the other brilliant reality shows available on hayu. *There's no lock-in contract, so you can cancel any time. *All shows are completely ad-free *Stream or download to watch anywhere, anytime and on your favourite devices! So what are you waiting for?

6. Todd Kraines...

Why is this funny? We don't know, it just is...

Scott's prank always leaves Khloe, Kourtney and Kim in hysterics

There have been many pranks played on KUWTK over the years.

From fake paparazzi shots to placenta pranks (yes you read that right), the gang are always finding ways to poke fun at each other. And one of the longest running jokes has been 'Todd Kraines'.

Scott Disick started phoning Kris pretending to be an old family friend called Todd Kraines back in season eight, and his skit has become a real favourite.

Why his impression of Todd Kraines is funny we're not entirely sure, but it's hard not to laugh along.

7. When nothing could stop Kim taking a selfie

Kim took literally any opportunity to snap a selfie

To be fair, the light was rather lovely that morning...

Thanks to a DUI, Khloe Kardashian spent a very brief time in jail.

Kris, Kourtney and Kim all came to support her, but while Kris was visibly anxious and concerned about timings, Kim was more concerned about capturing the moment for posterity.

She took a few photos of Khloe (who didn't seem to mind) before turning the camera on herself, snapping some now legendary selfies.

To be fair on Kim, the lighting provided by the California sun on that fateful morning was particularly pretty...

8. "You're doing amazing sweetie..."

Immortal words uttered by Kris...

Yet another absolutely classic line from KUWTK.

And one which, again, has made a major mark on pop culture with memes and gifs of the moment still used on a regular basis.

Back in season one, Kim was booked to pose in a sultry photo shoot.

Feeling nervous, momager Kris came along to support her. And while the pictures from the shoot were stunning, it was Kris' stage mom antics which captured our imaginations.

9. "I love my friends..."

The sisters got together to record a song for their mother's 60th birthday

Turns out they weren't going to be the next big girl band

When Kris turned 60, her daughters wanted to make sure it was special, so they got together to recreate a music video Kris had made 30 years earlier.

Now, the original video from the 1980s is absolute gold, but it's fair to say the Kardashian / Jenner sisters' updated rendition was hilarious in its own right.

If any of them had wanted to start a music career then the footage of them singing in a recording studio would have put a quick end to that ambition...

10. Kourtney's amazing put downs...

Kim announced she was the number one Google search to which Kourtney replied: "Do you also know that you are the number two on the dumbest people?" BURN!

As we've already seen, if anyone can cut someone else down to size, it's Kourtney.

She's quick, sarcastic and often very, very funny, managing to nail her family members with a whole range of sharp one-liners.

From bringing Kim down a peg or two to slamming her mum, you don't want to end up on the wrong end of Kourtney's tongue!

Kris was doing a sexy shoot in her pool when her daughters suddenly arrived... And naturally, far from being supportive, Kourtney went in for the kill!

That time Kourtney taught us all the best way to just end any conversation in its tracks

Sorry Scott but the convo is OVER... Like, totally over!
Highlights All the camera manufacturers faced troubles last year in selling the cameras.

The camera sales numbers declined sharply in the year 2020.

Nikon is one Japanese camera maker that has been badly affected.

BCN Retail, or BCN+R, is a Japanese analyst firm which collects sales data of cameras from both online and offline markets. Recently, BCN+R has released a trends report from 2020. The report reveals that the whole camera industry did struggle last year, especially Nikon. The camera company is still in a rough market position post the pandemic.

The report discusses the market as a whole, but it spends a large portion of it focusing on Nikon's numbers. Nikon holds 44.8 per cent share in DSLRS, which is like scoring a second place overall. The camera company also holds 6th-place share of mirrorless with just 4.3 per cent. Nikon saw its placement among integrated lens cameras drop from first to fourth place between 2019 and 2020. Meanwhile, Canon secures the pole position in both DSLRs and compact cameras whereas, Sony leads the way in interchangeable lens mirrorless.

Undeniably, the last year was very difficult for all the camera companies. The annual sales volume for all digital cameras dropped significantly by 59.6 per cent from the previous year according to the BCN+R's latest report. In the order of Nikon, Canon, Olympus (now OM Digital Solutions), and Sony have the largest declines in sales among all camera manufacturers.

If we compare the sales numbers of the year 2019 and 2020, then the report states that Nikon just saw 36 per cent of the sales. Canon saw 55.1 per cent sales, OM Digital Solutions saw 66.4 per cent, and Sony saw 76.5 per cent. Out of most of the leading camera makers, only Fujifilm has emerged as the strongest manufacturer with 91.1 per cent of sales in 2020 when compared to 2019.

However, BCN+R seems hopeful with how Nikon is trying to come of the present situation. It looks like that the camera company has no plans on quitting the imaging industry which means we will probably witness Nikon bringing promising cameras in future. In fact, Nikon has officially announced the development of the company's next flagship camera. It has adopted its Z mount system for the upcoming Nikon Z9. The company also revealed the launch timeline of the product. The full-frame Nikon FX-format camera is scheduled for release in 2021.

What's interesting is that the camera will pack a newly-developed FX-format stacked CMOS sensor as well as a new image processing engine. The company promises that the Z9 will bring together "Nikon's groundbreaking technologies to deliver the best still and video performance in Nikon history, meeting the advanced needs of professionals across a wide range of genres." For the video recording capabilities, Nikon Z9 will support 8K shooting.
Industrial Bank of Korea CEO Yoon Jong-won speaks during an event to discuss next-generation vehicles industry in Seoul on Feb. 4. Yonhap



By Lee Min-hyung



The Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) is pressed to follow a similar path to Woori Bank which decided Monday to accept a regulator's arbitration result, and pay a sizable amount of compensation for its mis-selling of Lime Asset Management funds.



Woori's decision came weeks after the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) dispute mediation committee released its own probe on the two banks last month. The recommendation urged the banks to provide compensation of up to 78 percent in principle to victims who had invested in the troubled Lime fund products.



As Woori was the first to accept the request from the watchdog, the state-run lender is also set to accept the arbitration proposal sometime in the near future.



"We have not confirmed whether or when to make the final decision over the arbitration result, but will make it public within this month," an IBK spokesman said, without elaborating further due to the sensitivity of the issue.



Under the suggestion, Woori will provide about 270 billion won ($236.7 million) for compensation of losses stemming from the mishandling of the fund sales. IBK is expected to make compensation worth 29 billion won.



IBK CEO Yoon Jong-won also pledged recently to abide by any result from a dispute mediation procedure to compensate troubled customers. As Yoon said the bank will "sincerely abide by dispute settlement results" from the FSS' committee, the lender is set to follow in the footsteps of Woori for the Lime fiasco.



Woori Bank held a board of directors meeting, Monday, and decided to abide by the mediation from the FSS' dispute settlement committee.



"We took the preemptive step to regain customers' trust regarding the fund mis-selling," an official from the lender said. "The board of directors will continue to discuss measures to prevent the recurrence of such cases and enhance customer protection."


(Natural News) The United States is undergoing a transformational shift. What was once a prosperous, homogenous bastion of liberty is collapsing into a third world cesspool of debt-ridden, multicultural chaos, not to mention the fact that the nation now has a two-tiered justice system just like every other failed state throughout history.

With Beijing Biden and his fascist regime occupying the White House, America is ripping at the seams like perhaps never before in its history, save for the first Civil War. By the looks of it, the country is headed towards a second internal melee, this time predicated upon Republicans versus Democrats.

The Jan. 6 false flag siege appears to be the flash point of this budding conflict. Conservatives who support Donald Trump are being rebranded as terrorists, and communist leftists are the brownshirts ready to round them all up and dispose of them.

Even though far-left Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Antifa terrorists ravaged the country back in the summer, almost none of them are facing justice. Meanwhile, any Trump supporter who was present at the Capitol on Jan. 6, even if they were nowhere near the Capitol building, has been promised persecution by the occupying regime.

Merrick Garland, China Joes pick for attorney general, indicated during his opening statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 22 that he plans to hunt down the white supremacists who stormed the Capitol building. This tracks the same language put forth by Nancy Pelosi, who has repeatedly blamed white supremacy for the Jan. 6 uprising.

If you protest as a Republican, in other words, then you are a white supremacist and a terrorist who deserves to lose your job and go to jail. If you are a BLM or Antifa comrade who burns down cities in the name of black lives, on the other hand, then you are a brave victim of systemic racism, the patriarchy, and other such words that trigger the Left.

Remember when they called the last president a fascist? His critics walked the streets unimpeded, Tucker Carlson of Fox News stated during a recent segment. Thats not true anymore. Joe Bidens DOJ (Department of Justice) is cracking down on the Jan. 6 insurrectionists.'

They even made sure Chewbacca guy didnt get out of jail; hes still there tonight. But it turns out that not all insurrectionists are treated equally. Were now learning that many of the last years rioters, actual rioters, the people who attacked the federal courthouse and ruined small businesses, are not even facing prosecution anymore.

Leftists rioters are almost never charged, but conservative protesters are being jailed without bail

Carlson spoke with New York Posts Miranda Devine, who expanded on his points with more data. Almost every anti-cop rioter from last summer, she explained, was released from jail without bond, and all charges were eventually dropped.

This happened to some 400 rioters in New York who were arrested back in June, only to be released with no charges. Washington, D.C., rioters were likewise given a free pass after being caught burning vehicles and destroying property as a show of solidarity with George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

And in Portland, where police were attacked with Molotov cocktails and bricks and a federal courthouse were under assault for months; rioters there, 90 percent of them had their charges dropped, Devine added.

And by contrast, you have the people arrested over the capital riot. Most of them are still in jail two months later. They have been transported to a jail in Washington, D.C. from all around the country, far from friends and family; theyre not allowed  theyve been refused bail or bond.

More related news about the Lefts tyrannical response to the Jan. 6 Capitol false flag siege can be found at FalseFlag.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheNewAmerican.com

NaturalNews.com
A medical staff in Hanoi (R) receives her first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine, March 9, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Bao Loan.

A week after starting Covid-19 vaccination, Vietnam has had its first case of serious anaphylaxis caused by the AstraZeneca shot.

Eight hours after getting the first dose of the vaccine developed by the British-Swedish company in collaboration with Oxford University, the person, whose identity has not been disclosed, showed symptoms of third-degree anaphylaxis like fever, shivering, convulsions, and hand numbness.

Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death. It typically causes some symptoms such as an itchy rash, throat or tongue swelling, shortness of breath, vomiting, lightheadedness and low blood pressure. These symptoms appear within minutes to hours.

The person was among 1,382 who were vaccinated on Sunday, the national Expanded Program on Immunization reported.

Another person vaccinated on Sunday showed symptoms of dizziness, restlessness and irritability after 30 minutes.

Both are being treated in hospital and are in stable condition.

Earlier there were at least 12 cases of second-degree anaphylaxis.

The mass vaccination began last Monday, and so far 11,605 medical staff and other frontline workers in 12 localities have received their first shot.

At least 10 European nations including Denmark, Iceland and Norway have suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine following reports of severe cases of blood clots following shots.

The U.K., France, Australia, Canada and Mexico are among nations that have sought to reassure citizens about the benefits of getting the vaccine and have said they will continue their respective inoculation campaigns.

Vietnam has yet to have cases of blood clot, Professor Dang Duc Anh, director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and head of the immunization program, said.

Vietnam has ordered 30 million doses, and 117,600 arrived late last month. The country will receive another 4.1 million AstraZeneca doses through Covax by April. It is also negotiating with the U.S.s Pfizer and Moderna and other vaccine manufacturers in Russia and China.

In the latest outbreak beginning on January 28 Vietnam has had 901 cases.
Ex-gay pastor cant sue Vimeo for removing church's account, appeals court rules

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A federal appellate court has ruled that an ex-gay Southern California pastor and his Christian ministry cannot take legal action against the online video hosting platform Vimeo after his account was removed for promoting sexual orientation change efforts.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled last week that Pastor James Domen and his Church United cannot sue Vimeo due to the companys immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which Big Tech companies often use to evade liability for content on their websites.

The Second Circuit agreed with U.S. Magistrate Judge Stewart Aarons January 2020 decision that Vimeo deleted the churchs account because it violated the platforms content policies barring the promotion of SOCE, which is often derisively called conversion therapy.

This policy, in turn, fell within the confines of the good-faith content policing immunity that the CDA provides to interactive computer services, the Second Circuit opinion authored by U.S. Circuit Judge Rosemary S. Pooler states.

Domen, who is now has a wife and kids, alleges he was a homosexual for three years. But because of his desire to pursue his faith in Christianity, he began to identify as a former homosexual.

In October 2016, his ministry created a Vimeo account to upload various videos promoting the organization, including videos addressing sexual orientation as it relates to religion. They allegedly uploaded 89 videos over the following two years.

At some point, Church United upgraded to a professional account, which requires a monthly fee in exchange for access to more features and bandwidth, the Second Circuits opinion states.

On November 23, 2018, Vimeo e-mailed Domen, informing him that a moderator had marked the Church United account for review. The e-mail explained, Vimeo does not allow videos that promote [SOCE].

Vimeo instructed Church United to remove the videos and warned that if it did not do so within 24 hours, Vimeo might remove the videos or the entire account.

It also instructed Church United to download the videos as soon as possible to ensure that the organization could keep them in the event Vimeo deleted the account.

The pastor says that the videos were part of Church United's effort to challenge a California Assembly bill proposing to expand the states ban on SOCE to talk therapy and pastoral counseling.

On Dec. 6, 2018, Vimeo deleted Church Uniteds account, saying that "Vimeo does not allow videos that harass, incite hatred, or include discriminatory or defamatory speech.

The pastors lawyer, Nada Higuera, told the court during an oral argument in December that Vimeo discriminated against the pastor. She argued that Vimeos actions were not against content, but against James Domen himself, and based on his sexual orientation.

According to Courthouse News, Pooler pushed back by saying that Vimeo did target content."

They said they wouldnt allow it, and he knew that when he signed up. What did he not understand? Pooler, a Clinton appointee, argued.

In a 2019 op-ed for The Christian Post, Liz Flaherty, author of Discover Eden: Empowering Christian Women to Walk in Sexual Liberty, wrote that some of the examples of conversion therapy described in some government hearings include such harmful practices as electric shock therapy, exposure to pornography, forced separation from loved ones and extreme public shaming.

However, the greater health care community, including those with faith-based practices, already considers these methods barbaric and unethical, she noted. Blasted by the media, this kind of conversion therapy has become a straw man, erected with the intent of advocating one-sided and biased counseling methods that support an ideology that sexuality is completely fixed.
2 Key US Cabinet Members Visit Japan for China-Focused Talks

TOKYOShared concerns about Chinas growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region will take center stage when President Joe Bidens defense chief and secretary of state visit Japan for their first in-person talks with their Japanese counterparts.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tokyo on March 15 for meetings meant to reaffirm Americas commitment to the region and to the two nations alliance.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin listens to a question as he speaks during a media briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, on Feb. 19, 2021. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

The two secretaries will hold so-called two plus two diplomatic and security talks on March 16 with their Japanese counterparts, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi.

The United States is now making a big push to revitalize our ties with friends and partnersboth in one-to-one relationships and in multilateral institutionsand to recommit to our shared goals, values, and responsibilities, Blinken and Austin said in a piece published March 15 in The Washington Post.

The United States and others share the values and principles of keeping an open Indo-Pacific region, but China is all too willing to use coercion to get its way, the two ministers said. Here again, we see how working with our allies is critical.

The U.S. will lead with diplomacy, maintain Americas military might, and renew our alliances and ensure theyre fit for purpose to address the threats and opportunities of our time, Blinken and Austin wrote. Together they can hold China accountable for its human rights abuses and other problems in Xinjiang and Tibet, as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan, they said.

Japan and the U.S. are also expected to reaffirm the importance of their three-way alliance with South Korea and may touch on the strained relations between Tokyo and Seoul over wartime compensation issues.

In a move meant to signal his intention for the U.S. to return to more engagement in the Asia-Pacific region, Biden on March 12 held a first summit of the leaders from Australia, Japan, India, and the U.S. known as the Quad virtually and emphasized Washingtons commitment to the region.

Motegi said in a parliamentary session on March 15 that he expected China to be the topic he and Blinken discussed most and that Japan being the first destination of their foreign travel signaled the U.S. emphasis on the Japan-U.S. alliance.

Motegi said he hoped to show the rest of the world an unshakable unity in the alliance and hoped to discuss how Japan and the U.S., through their alliance, can step up their deterrence and response capability in answer to China.

Japan, together with the U.S., will resolutely respond to Chinas unilateral attempt to change the status quo, Motegi said. But at the same time, China is the worlds No. 2 economy and it is important to firmly encourage that country to act responsibly based on international rules.

President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (on screen) participate in a virtual meeting with leaders of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue countries at the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, on March 12, 2021. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Japan is in a delicate diplomatic situation because its economy, like those of other countries in the region, heavily depends on China.

But it also considers Chinas growing presence in the region a security threat. Beijing has built militarized manmade islands in the South China Sea and is pressing its claim to virtually all of the seas key fisheries and waterways. Japan is concerned about Chinas claim to the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, called Diaoyu in China, in the East China Sea and its increased activity in the disputed area.

China has denied it is expansionist and said it is defending its territorial rights.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Monday that concerns about Chinese influence were rooted in outdated Cold War mentality and ideological prejudices.

For some time, individual countries have been eager to hype and incite the so-called China challenge and drive a wedge between regional countries, especially with China, Zhao said at a daily briefing. But what they are doing  is not welcome and will never succeed.

On the Biden administrations first Cabinet-level trip abroad, Blinken and Austin are also expected to discuss the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, as well as the nuclear threat posed by North Korea and the situation in Myanmar after its military coup.

Japans Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, second right, speaks during the virtual summit of the leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the U.S., a group known as the Quad, at his official residence in Tokyo, Japan, on March 12, 2021. (Kiyoshi Ota/Pool via AP)

Later Tuesday, they will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who is expected to visit Washington sometime in the first half of April to meet with Biden in personbecoming the first foreign leader to do so.

Blinken and Austin also plan to have virtual meetings with business leaders, civil society members, and others while in Tokyo before heading Wednesday to South Korea, another key ally in the region.

China is not on Blinkens itinerary, but he is set to meet senior Chinese officials in Anchorage, Alaska, on his way back to Washington. Austin will go from Seoul to New Delhi for meetings with Indian leaders.

By Mari Yamaguchi
Thiruvananthapuram, March 15 : If there will be one single constituency in the 140-member Kerala Assembly to which elections are going to be held on April 6, it would be the Nemom constituency in the heart of the state capital which would be the cynosure of all eyes.

It will be the most keenly fought triangular contest in the state.

In the 2016 Assembly polls, Nemom rode into national headlines, when the BJP opened its account in the Kerala Assembly, when its star candidate -- former Union Minister O.Rajagopal defeated CPI-M leader V.Sivankutty and left the Congress-led UDF candidate, a former state Minister V.Surendran Pillai of the then Janata Dal (U), a poor third.

Rajagopal romped home with a margin of 8,671 votes and created history for the BJP.

This time with the veteran 92-year-old Rajagopal decided not to contest, and the party fielded another popular leader and former Mizoram Governor -- Kummanem Rajasekheran.

Nemom is often referred to as the 'Gujarat of Kerala' by the BJP. The CPI-M for long has been taunting the Congress that it allowed Rajagopal to win by bringing a weak candidate.

Ever since the run up to the April 6 Assembly polls began, the CPI-M has been going hammer and tongs alleging that there was a secret pact between the Congress and the BJP. This caused a huge resentment in the Congress and they promised they would bring in one of their most popular and the strongest candidate.

The speculations were rife and the media went to town that it would be none other than two time former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and despite denials by him, the media then said legendary Congress leader K.Karunakaran will contest from two seats.

In 1982, Karunakaran contested from Mala -- his home turf and also from Nemom and won both the seats.

However, Chandy clarified before his supporters in his home turf Puthupally that he will not be leaving them.

After this, the name of K.Muraleedharan, son of K.Karunakaran, surfaced and the Congress high command decided to let him contest.

CPI-M's Sivankutty, putting up a brave face, said that he is not wary of any candidate pitted against him.

"Muraleedharan has made a habit of contesting elections. He will go down as the only Minister who had to resign after losing an Assembly poll in 2004 (he joined the cabinet of A.K. Antony and then contested in a by-election, but lost), I have no fear at all," said Sivankutty.

Incidentally, Sivankutty got a jolt last week when the Kerala High Court dismissed a plea of the Pinarayi Vijayan government for withdrawal of a case registered against six Left legislators in 2015 for indulging in vandalism in the Assembly.

Sivankutty is one of the six Legislators charged and the picture of him with folded dhoti standing on the table on the floor of the Assembly, has made an entry again in social media.

However, Muraleedharan said he decided to take up the challenge as asked by the party.

"Winning or losing is not the point, I decided to take up the challenge as this has now become a prestigious electoral battle for the Congress party. Am not one who goes after posts, instead I take up what the party asks me to do and there is no rider or conditions in my contesting ," said Muraleedharan.

Both Rajasekheran and Muraleedharan will be arriving in the constituency on Monday to begin their campaign.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
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Steelhead Fishing in Lake Erie Tributaries

Lake Erie's tributary streams, both big and small, receive an annual run of migratory rainbow trout called "steelhead." From October through April, thousands of steelhead ascend New York's Lake Erie tributaries on their mission to spawn. Excellent fishing opportunities await any angler who wishes to try their hand at steelhead fishing. Between the acrobatic leaps, long drag-screaming runs and rod quaking head shakes, the fight of an early run steelhead is a truly exhilarating experience. It is no wonder that this steelhead fishery draws anglers from across New York, surrounding states, and Canada.

Lake Erie Steelhead

New York's Lake Erie steelhead fishery is supported by an extensive stocking program and natural reproduction. Current NYS DEC stocking targets are 230,000 Washington strain yearlings that are stocked annually between 9 major tributaries. In recent years, the DEC has also stocked surplus Skamania strain steelhead in Cattaraugus Creek when available. Stocked steelhead typically spend two years in the open lake, feeding on smelt and other forage, before maturing and returning to the tributaries as three year olds. Besides steelhead, brown trout and a small number of domestic rainbow trout are stocked into Lake Erie as yearlings. These stockings supplement and diversify the harbor, main lake and tributary fisheries. In addition to stocking, the steelhead population is further supplemented by natural reproduction in the New York tributaries, most notably Cattaraugus Creek and its feeder streams.

The Washington strain is a winter run, anadromous strain of rainbow trout (steelhead) derived from eggs imported from the state of Washington. In Washington, the native stock migrate between the Pacific Ocean, where they do most of their growing, and freshwater mountain streams, where they spawn. Similarly, the naturalized Washington strain steelhead in Lake Erie utilize the lake for the bulk of their feeding/growing and the tributary streams for spawning. Mature Washington strain steelhead enter the Erie tributaries as early as mid-September; however the bulk of the run occurs from mid-October through April.

The Skamania strain also originates from the state of Washington. This anadromous strain is considered a summer-run fish as they have the potential to enter streams earlier than Washington strain fish. The DEC has stocked Skamania steelhead in Cattaraugus Creek since 2005 with the hopes of boosting the early runs by having fish enter the creek in late August through September. A portion of stocked Skamania steelhead have a double fin clip: adipose fin and left pectoral fin.

Steelhead Tackle and Equipment

Steelhead in the Lake Erie tributaries generally average 5-8 pounds; however fish up to 10-12 pounds are common, so specific equipment is required. Lighter equipment used for inland trout will simply not do. Leave your ultralight spinning rod or 3-4 weight fly rod at home as these powerful fish can break lighter equipment. In addition, by using light gear, there is also a tendency to overplay or completely exhaust the fish which could lead to delayed mortality.

Spinning Combo

The spinning rod and reel combo is the most widely used fishing gear; so many anglers first try for steelhead using this combo. Its versatility and ease of use are good reasons for its popularity. A spinning combo works well for drifting egg sacs or casting spinners, spoons and stickbaits. At the very minimum, a 6.5 foot long medium action rod combined with a spinning reel capable of handling 6-12 lb test line will work for steelhead. Eight pound test main line is a safe bet for a combo like this. More often, steelhead anglers employ 8.5-10 foot rods with medium or medium-light action that are rated for 6-12 pound test line. These rods combined with a multiple ball bearing reel with a smooth but strong drag system and at least 150 yards of 6-8 pound test line is a good all around steelhead spinning combo.

Some anglers prefer to use a spinning reel with an ultra long and lighter action "noodle rod", which can be up to 14' long and rated for as little as 2-4 pound test line. An advantage of noodle rods is they allow for delicate presentations of small baits on light leaders, which is beneficial when fishing for spooked fish in clear water. A longer rod also helps improve your drift by reducing slack and keeping more line out of the water.

Float Fishing

Float fishing is a very effective method of catching steelhead and subsequently has become quite popular among steelhead anglers. Also referred to as center pin fishing, this method gives the angler better control over drifts and the ability to make much longer drifts than their spinning combo counterparts. Rods are generally long, between 11.5 and 14 feet long. The center pin reel is the basis behind this technique. These reels resemble fly reels, but with a larger diameter. The main difference is that center pin reels are free-spinning with no drag mechanism. Essentially, the angler's hand acts as the drag when fighting a fish. The spool sits on a central spindle and line peels from the reel smoothly when pulled by the stream current. Center pin reels for steelhead should hold 250-300 yards of 8-10 pound test line.

Fly Fishing

Anglers can use 6-8 weight fly rods that are between 8-11 feet long to catch steelhead. However, a 7 weight, 10 foot long rod is considered a good all around steelhead rod for the Lake Erie tributaries. This size can be used effectively to dead drift egg patterns or swing streamer patterns. Fly rods of 7 weight plus often come with an extended fighting butt, which is helpful when fighting these powerful fish. Fly reels should have a smooth adjustable disc drag system and have the capacity to hold the floating fly line and at least 100 yards of 20 pound test dacron backing. Large arbor reels are ideal for steelhead fishing. The larger spool diameter of these reels allows for quicker line retrieval, reduces line memory and allows for a more consistent, uniform drag. Most steelhead anglers go with a weight forward floating fly line because of its versatility; it can be used effectively for dead drifting with a strike indicator and also works well casting large streamers.

Fishing Locations

Tributary fishing is by far the most utilized and productive aspect of the Lake Erie steelhead fishery. Any stream that empties into Lake Erie has the potential for a steelhead run. The major Lake Erie tributaries such as Cattaraugus, Canadaway, Chautauqua and Eighteen Mile Creeks are the most popular among steelhead anglers. This is due to the high quality of steelhead runs and the amount of public access on these streams. Stream information and Public Fishing Rights Maps that detail public fishing areas are available for each of these popular tributaries. Other tributaries such as Buffalo, Cayuga, Cazenovia, Silver and Walnut Creeks receive good runs of steelhead; however there is very limited or no public access on these streams. In addition, numerous small tributary streams or feeders to the larger streams can provide decent fishing. To fish sections of stream that are on private lands, you must have landowner permission. Your fishing license is not a permit to trespass on private property.

Lake Erie harbors also offer steelhead and brown trout angling activity, most notably Dunkirk and Barcelona Harbors. Anglers can catch trout in these harbors from October through April; however the most productive months are March and April. Dunkirk Harbor remains a popular fishing site throughout the winter as a warmwater discharge from a power plant keeps the harbor ice-free. Sturgeon Point Marina, Buffalo Harbor and the Upper Niagara River also have some trout fishing activity.

Starting in mid-August, steelhead begin staging in deeper water off the major tributary mouths in preparation for their seasonal run. At that time, trollers can target steelhead in 70-90 feet of water. Spoons work well when run near the thermocline at 2-2.5 miles per hour. The deep water bite can last through September. As creek temperatures drop during September and October, trolling closer to the creek mouths becomes productive as the first of the steelhead start to enter the creeks. Also at that time, wading and casting spoons near creek mouths or from the Cattaraugus Creek breakwall works well at dawn and dusk.

Lake Erie Steelhead Fishing Overview Map (PDF)

Steelhead Streams with Public Access




THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Socially distanced voters cast their ballots Monday in churches, conference centres and even the national parliament on the first day of a Dutch general election that has been spread over three days to allow people to vote safely during the coronavirus pandemic.

Dutch riot police kick a man during a demonstration to protest government policies including the curfew, lockdown and coronavirus related restrictions in The Hague, Netherlands, Sunday, March 14, 2021. Thousands of people took part in the rally ahead of three days of voting starting Monday in a general election. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Socially distanced voters cast their ballots Monday in churches, conference centres and even the national parliament on the first day of a Dutch general election that has been spread over three days to allow people to vote safely during the coronavirus pandemic.

The COVID-19 crisis has been a dominant theme of the campaign, with opposition parties criticizing the government's handling of the health care emergency and candidates explaining how they will rebuild the economy when the virus recedes.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte's popularity soared last year as he guided the country through the pandemic, though it took a hit early this year when the Netherlands became the last European Union country to start its vaccination rollout.

I think Rutte has done well," said Guido van den Elshout, 72, after voting in the Dutch parliament building in The Hague. "I don't vote for him. He is a good prime minister, but I think he is a bit past his sell-by date.

Dutch riot police arrest a man during a demonstration to protest government policies including the curfew, lockdown and coronavirus related restrictions in The Hague, Netherlands, Sunday, March 14, 2021. Thousands of people took part in the rally ahead of three days of voting starting Monday in a general election. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Voting Monday started exactly a year after the first Dutch lockdown began and the country is in another tough lockdown amid stubbornly high infection numbers. More than 16,000 people are confirmed to have died of COVID-19 in the Netherlands, with a population of a little over 17 million people.

The conservative Peoples Party of Freedom and Democracy, or VVD, led by Rutte, is forecast to win most seats in the 150-seat lower house of Parliament. That would put 54-year-old Rutte first in line to begin talks to form a new governing coalition. If he succeeds, he could become the longest-serving Dutch leader.

The pandemic's ongoing effects were clearly visible in the Dutch capital Amsterdam, where a drive-thru polling station for cars and bicycles opened at a conference centre.

Voters could fill out the ballot paper, fold it up and deposit it in ballot boxes without leaving the driver's seat, while cyclists parked their bikes in racks before registering their votes. As an extra hygiene measure, voters could keep or throw away the red pencils that are used to mark ballot papers in the Netherlands.

Voting in Amsterdam, Karin Hoffmeister said she expects a new government that will handle things differently, be more focused on climate issues.

Elections officials take COVID-19 related sanitary precautions in a ride through polling station for bicycles in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Monday, March 15, 2021. Polling stations opened across the Netherlands early Monday in a general election that has been spread over three days to allow people to vote safely during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

The first two days of voting are intended for vulnerable groups to be able to cast their ballot. People aged over 70 also are entitled to vote by mail. Far more polling stations will be open on Wednesday, the official date of the election.

National broadcaster NOS reported that a number of municipalities reported that some postal votes could be invalid because the voters had not followed instructions correctly when mailing their ballot paper.

The broadcaster reported from the small municipality of Bernheze that 1,688 people voted by mail and 143 of the votes could be invalid. Other municipalities reported similar problems, the NOS reported.

The interior ministry said in a statement that it had received reports of procedural mistakes with postal votes and has instructed municipalities to save them. It added that it is discussing the issue with the country's electoral council.

A record 37 parties are fielding candidates, from established, mainstream parties, to right-wing populists to a former television presenter leading a party pushing for moves to tackle racial inequality. After votes are counted Wednesday night and into Thursday, the process of forming the next ruling coalition will start.

An election official disinfects voting booths in a ride through polling station for bicycles in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Monday, March 15, 2021. Polling stations opened across the Netherlands early Monday in a general election that has been spread over three days to allow people to vote safely during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Christian Democrat leader Wopke Hoekstra said Sunday he favours a repeat of the last four-party coalition, which was led by Ruttes VVD and also included the centrist D66 party and religious party Christian Union.

Ruttes government has been in caretaker mode since January, when it resigned over a scandal involving tax officials seeking to root out fraud wrongly targeting families, plunging thousands into debt.

The countrys second largest party is the Party for Freedom, led by anti-immigrant lawmaker Geert Wilders. Polls suggest the party will retain that position, but Wilders is unlikely to be invited to join any coalition because of his outspoken anti-Islam policies.

He has labeled that undemocratic. We believe from a democratic point of view that the three biggest parties should at least attempt to talk to one another and govern together, he told NPO Radio 1.

In a televised debate Monday night, Wilders accused Rutte of being weak on immigration.

A vote for the VVD these days means that even more Dutch people, Mr. Rutte, will feel like a stranger in their own street, a stranger in their own neighbourhoods and their own city," he said.

Rutte responded that Wilders fails his own supporters by calling for unrealistic policies to rein in migration.

You are structurally letting them down because you propose sham solutions," Rutte said.

The polls also forecast that at least two new parties could enter Parliament with a small number of seats  the right-wing populist JA21 and the pro-European party Volt.

Student Mila Kastelein was among those voting for Volt.

For Kastelein, the key issues were the climate crisis and growing racism but I also think Europe is very important. I'm quite pro-Europe so I voted for Volt, she said.

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema visited the drive-thru polling station Monday.

"I think is very good because it gives people security. If they are afraid to vote, they can come here and they dont have to leave their car so they can vote very safely, she said.
TORONTO, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- McEwen Mining Inc. (NYSE: MUX) (TSX: MUX) reports that activities at its El Gallo Project in Mexico have been temporarily suspended as the result of an illegal blockade of the main access to the property by members of nearby communities. Certain individuals involved in the blockade believe that the annual payments and infrastructure improvements made to the local communities should increase significantly. El Gallo has operated harmoniously with the local communities since mining started in 2012, having demonstrated a long-standing track record of supporting local communities. In this context, the current situation is surprising. The site remains minimally staffed to maintain appropriate safety and security, and the environmental systems. McEwen Mining is negotiating for a peaceful resolution to the issues.



El Gallo has been residual heap leaching since Q3 2018 and is expected to contribute 3-4% to the Companys gold equivalent production in 2021.

CAUTION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and information, including "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements and information expressed, as at the date of this news release, McEwen Mining Inc.'s (the "Company") estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations or beliefs as to future events and results. Forward-looking statements and information are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties, risks and contingencies, and there can be no assurance that such statements and information will prove to be accurate. Therefore, actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements and information. Risks and uncertainties that could cause results or future events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information include, but are not limited to, effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, fluctuations in the market price of precious metals, mining industry risks, political, economic, social and security risks associated with foreign operations, the ability of the corporation to receive or receive in a timely manner permits or other approvals required in connection with operations, risks associated with the construction of mining operations and commencement of production and the projected costs thereof, risks related to litigation, the state of the capital markets, environmental risks and hazards, uncertainty as to calculation of mineral resources and reserves, and other risks. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information included herein, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to reissue or update forward-looking statements or information as a result of new information or events after the date hereof except as may be required by law. See McEwen Mining's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, under the caption "Risk Factors", for additional information on risks, uncertainties and other factors relating to the forward-looking statements and information regarding the Company. All forward-looking statements and information made in this news release are qualified by this cautionary statement.

The NYSE and TSX have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this news release, which has been prepared by management of McEwen Mining Inc.

ABOUT MCEWEN MINING

McEwen Mining is a diversified gold and silver producer and explorer focused in the Americas with operating mines in Nevada, Canada, Mexico and Argentina. It also owns a large copper deposit in Argentina.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Investor Relations:

(866)-441-0690 Toll Free

(647)-258-0395



Mihaela Iancu ext. 320



info@mcewenmining.com



Join our email list for updates: https://www.mcewenmining.com/contact-us/





Website: www.mcewenmining.com



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M5H 1J9








Washington County BOE nixes recommendations on school closures

The Washington County Board of Education votes against the superintendent's recommendations to close Hancock Middle-Senior High and Cascade Elementary schools.
PV Gas D amd Tokyo Gas Asia are tightening ties

Tokyo Gas Asia, a unit of Tokyo Gas, is currentlythe second-largest shareholder of PV Gas D with the ownership of a 24.9 per cent stake in the company.

This signing will contribute to reinforcing the strategic alliance the two parties signed in 2017 for natural gas distribution in Vietnam.

At the time, Tokyo Gas Asia planned to use its technologies and expertise in demand development and energy-saving technologies to boost the business value of PV Gas D.

In 2012, Tokyo Gas and PV Gas signed a comprehensive MoU on the development of a liquefied natural gas value chain in Vietnam. This led to the establishment of LNG Vietnam, a joint venture, in 2016.

At present, PetroVietnam is the largest shareholder at PV Gas D with a 50.5 per cent stake, and after Tokyo Gas, the third-largest one is Saibu Gas Co L., Ltd. with a 21 per cent stake.

Established in 2007, PVGas D focuses on pipeline networks, compressed natural gas, and wholesaling.

In 2020, the company acquired VND7.53 trillion ($327.4 million) in net revenue, a decrease compared to the figure of VND7.98 trillion ($346.96 million) in 2019. After-tax profit dropped to VND202.9 billion ($8.82 million) from VND233.7 billion ($10.16 million) in 2019.

It currently has a charter capital of VND900 billion ($39.13 million) and equity of VND1.32 trillion ($57.4 million). The total debt is estimated at VND1.94 trillion ($84.35 million).

In 2021, the company sets the target to generate 1.063 billion standard cubic metres.
The Iranian and U.S. flags are seen during the Iran nuclear talks at the Vienna International Center in Vienna, Austria, on July 14, 2015. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

Stop Appeasement: We Cannot Afford to Be Weak With Iran

Commentary

Its time to get tougher with the Iranian dictatorshipnot weaker.

Historically, relations between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran have never been positive. When Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini overthrew Shah Pahlavi in the 1979 Iranian Revolution, he had totally fooled President Jimmy Carter and his administration into thinking the new regime in Iran would be a friend to America and promote peace in the region.

Of course, as soon as the Ayatollah cemented his power, the mask of friendship was dropped and Iran began waging a 40-year war on the United States and our allies in the Middle East.

The trouble was, Carterand virtually all his Democratic predecessorscould never come to grips with the fact that they had been duped, and that the Islamic Republic of Iran had no intention of being friendly.

President Barack Obama and his administration were the most recent demonstration of this profound misunderstanding about the Iranian dictatorship. Obama spent years in office sending money to and weakening checks on Iran in hopes that the same regime which chants death to America would suddenly be a good partner. This misunderstanding was the driving force behind the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)more commonly called the Iran nuclear dealwhich the United States rightfully exited. The JCPOA may have slowed Irans path to attaining nuclear weapons, but it did not stop it. It also did nothing to stop Iran from funding terrorism around the globein fact, it gave the regime more resources to do so.

Each day, it seems President Joe Bidens administration is moving closer and closer to returning to his predecessors Iran strategy of weakness and appeasement. Friday on Newts World, I spoke with Cliff May, a former journalist who started the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD). The Foundation has kept a serious and close focus on the actions and movements within the Islamic Republic of Iran.

May has unique insights into Iran, because he was a foreign correspondent in Iran when the Islamic Republic was formed. Unlike many of his colleagues in journalism, he never believed the Iranian regime had any intention of being peaceful.

As May told me, when they were chanting death to America and death to Israel, they meant what they said. They just didnt have the capabilities at that point to achieve their goals. But thats, of course, why theyre pursuing nuclear weapons right this very minute.

Yet, since the Iranian Revolution, many diplomats in America and around the world have been working off a system that is lacking imagination and built upon wishful thinking, May told me.

As he pointed out during our discussion, the peace process only makes sense when all parties want peace. In the case of Iran, May argues the regime doesnt want peace. It wants Americas destruction, Israels elimination, and Irans victory.

Moreover, May told me the path America is currently on will lead to dire consequences.

You would think this administration, current administration would have learned from  the failures of the Obama administration and would be punishing the Iranian regime for all this. Instead, they are actively, right now, rewarding that regime and trying to reward the regime more, May said.

Presently, there is no incentive for the Iranian regime to relent. They are growing more and more intransigent and are betting that the Biden administration will continue making concessions. On the matter of the JCPOA, Iran realized under the Obama administration that the White House politically needed a deal, but Iran didnt. The same is true for the Biden administration.

As May and I discussed, the only strategy that has ever worked in dealing with Iran is a policy of maximum pressure. Its what worked for President Ronald Reagan, and its what was working for President Donald Trump. You cannot allow Iran to procure or create nuclear weapons. You cannot allow the regime to take hostages or fund terrorists. There must be real consequences for these behaviorsin the form of strong, united economic pressure.

As May said, if you had neighbors who were abusing their children, dealing drugs, or engaging in other illicit activity, you would not invite them to dinner or go on summer vacation with them. You would keep them at arms length and isolate them from your family and friends. Most likely, youd call the police to stop them from further wrongdoing. This is the perfect model to follow with Iran.

I hope you will listen to Fridays episode and share it with your friends, relativesand members of Congress.

Our leaders must make clear that Americans are not going to bankroll and support the worlds leading funder of terrorism. We are not going to help pay for Irans missile and nuclear weapons programs. We are not going to condone hostility and hostage-taking throughout the Middle East. We are not going to stand by and allow our allies in the region to be threatened by a belligerent bully.

From Gingrich360.com.

Newt Gingrich, a Republican, served as House speaker from 1995 to 1999 and ran as a presidential candidate in 2012.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Ever since Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate, March 15 has been considered an unlucky day for politicians. Like Caesar, Liberal leader Michael OBrien ignored weeks of whispers warning Beware the Ides of March, only to betrayed by a colleague on Monday.

For months now it has been difficult to find a member of the Victorian Liberal Party who was confident OBrien would lead them to the next election. It has always been a matter of when, not if. Recently, The Age reported a new plot to challenge OBrien in one of three sitting weeks before March. The story was dismissed, the warnings were ignored.

Victorian Liberal leader Michael OBrien ignored the warnings of an impending challenge. Credit:Scott McNaughton

Again, on Saturday night when Labor recorded a historic victory in Western Australia, OBriens office tried to spin the loss as a consequence of switching from an experienced leader to someone lacking in credibility. They naively thought the party would lap it up.

The Liberal Partys loss in Western Australia left it reduced to just a few seats in that states Parliament. It was the final straw for self-interested MPs in Victoria, terrified of losing their seats next year.
UC is a public university that boasts campuses that are among the most beautiful in the country and especially welcoming to visitors.

As such, our campus community is committed to assisting all persons who visit any UC locations, whether in Blue Ash, Center Hill, Clermont, Reading, Uptown or Walnut Hills.

During these challenging times, it is recommended that whenever possible, all wishing to visit campus to conduct business first attempt to do so online, by email or by phone.
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.
Chinese Medicine "Lianhua Qingwen capsules registered in Kenya

By:Zheng Qian | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-03-15 16:05

Lianhua Qingwen capsules, an innovative patented traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) produced by Chinas Yiling Pharmaceutical, has been successfully registered with the Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board, marking the first TCM product that has been registered in the country.

Having been proven effective in the treatment of novel coronavirus, Lianhua Qingwen has captured more and more recognition from countries overseas. Yiling Pharmaceutical has registered the drug in an increasing number of countries to make it available to more people.

The registration in Kenya means that we can sell Lianhua Qingwen as a drug in the country, which I believe will play an important role in Kenyas anti-pandemic fight, said Gao Yanchang, sales director of Yiling Pharmaceutical International Trade Center. In his view, the success in Kenya is a big step forward in the drugs access to other East African Community countries.

According to Li Changhong, managing director of Kenya J&K Investment Company, drug registration in Kenya usually takes two to three years but Lianhua Qingwens registration only took six months due to the support of the Hongqiao Overseas Chinese Business Association Expo and Trade Promotion Center as well as the Kenya Shanghai Chamber of Commerce.

Li, who is also president of the Kenya Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, said that besides drugs, more products with Chinese characteristics will be introduced to Kenya in the future.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy Florida (DEF) today announced the locations of its two newest solar power plants, which continue the expansion of its renewable generation portfolio.

The solar plants are the latest milestones in the company's strategy to deliver clean energy to customers. DEF currently has more than 900 MW of solar generation under construction or in operation, and will more than quadruple the amount of in-service solar on its system over the next four years.

The Fort Green Power Plant will be built on approximately 500 acres in Hardee County, Fla. The 74.9-megawatt (MW) plant will consist of approximately 265,000 solar panels, utilizing a fixed-tilt racking system that will produce enough carbon-free energy to effectively power more than 20,000 average-sized homes at peak production.

The 74.9-megawatt (MW) plant will consist of approximately 265,000 solar panels, utilizing a fixed-tilt racking system that will produce enough carbon-free energy to effectively power more than 20,000 average-sized homes at peak production. The Bay Trail Solar Power Plant will be built on 500 acres in Citrus County, Fla. Once operational, the 74.9-MW facility will consist of approximately 197,000 tracking bifacial solar panels. Its innovative double-sided panel design is highly efficient and tracks the movement of the sun. The plant will be capable of effectively producing enough electricity to power approximately 23,000 average-sized homes at peak production.

"Citrus County welcomes the Duke Energy Bay Trail Solar Power Plant into our community," said Citrus County Commission Chair Scott E. Carnahan. "This investment promotes clean energy, brings jobs to our area and capital investment into our community. We believe this project will bring many benefits to our residents."

The Bay Trail facility is the site of a future mining location and the Fort Green site is a former phosphate mine.

"These solar power plants are examples of how mining sites can be developed for renewable energy and benefit our communities and the environment," said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. "Duke Energy Florida is delivering on what our customers want  access to clean energy at a competitive price. We are providing environmentally friendly, cost-effective and innovative solar that benefits all of our Florida customers."

Building A Smarter Energy Future

Duke Energy Florida remains a leader in advancing clean energy in the state.

The company has now installed more than 1.9 million solar panels in Florida to date.

Once both sites are finished, the Bay Trail and Fort Green solar power plants will help Duke Energy Florida complete the installation of its three-millionth solar panel in the state.

In February 2020, Duke Energy Florida announced the installation of its one-millionth solar panel in Florida at the company's Columbia Solar Power Plant in Fort White, Fla.

Video of installation of one-millionth solar panel at Columbia Solar Power Plant

Video of Columbia plant, from drone

More information about the installation

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns a diverse generation mix of natural gas, coal and renewables, providing about 10,200 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 1.9 million customers in a 13,000-square-mile service area.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 30,000 people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts through its regulated utilities, and 3,000 megawatts through its nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit.

Duke Energy is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit's regulated utilities serve approximately 7.7 million retail electric customers in six states  North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to more than 1.6 million customers in five states  North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as well as energy storage and microgrid projects.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2020 "World's Most Admired Companies" list, and Forbes' 2019 "America's Best Employers" list. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Ana Gibbs

Media line: 800.559.3853

Cell: 813.928.7263

SOURCE Duke Energy

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Embattled New York Governor Andrew Cuomo obsessively wanted to know what the ratings for his daily TV briefings were during the pandemic, according to former aides and sources who have shared more claims about his brash and attention-seeking leadership style.

Cuomo is facing mounting calls to step down amid a landslide of allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and racism. He is also facing tough criticism of his handling of the number of nursing home deaths that happened across the state as a result of COVID-19.

The 63-year-old governor is refusing to step down and instead has vowed to carry on serving, saying he is the best person for the job.

On Monday, he refused to take questions from the media and didn't even invite them to his public appearance at a vaccine site where he announced he was going to get the Johnson and Johnson vaccine soon.

As the walls close in around him, more and more aides are speaking out anonymously to share details of what kind of boss he is.

In a New York Times article published on Sunday, some described how he 'quizzed' them about how many people watched his daily briefings during the height of the pandemic.

They say that almost immediately after the cameras cut away, he demanded to know which networks broadcast him live, how long they let him stay on for and when they cut away.

Embattled New York Governor Andrew Cuomo obsessively wanted to know what the ratings for his daily TV briefings were during the pandemic, according to former aides

CNN - where his brother works - aired the broadcasts daily and normally cut away only during the question portion of the briefing. Others, depending on the day and context, cut away sooner.

Cuomo won an Emmy for the briefings. On the 111th day of them, he said: 'To the 59 million viewers who shared in these daily briefings, thank you.'

Aides say that far from being the collaborative leader he was presenting himself as, he was so desperate not to share the spotlight that he went to great lengths to avoid having to.

On one occasion, he said to have insisted on greeting the USNS Comfort - a hospital ship sanctioned by President Donald Trump to be sent to New York City after Cuomo begged him for it but which was never filled - on a separate pier from NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The pair routinely held sparring press briefings where they took jabs at one another.

According to the Times piece, Cuomo was angry when de Blasio received a shipment of supplies from FEMA.

On March 30, Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio were due to do a joint press conference to welcome the USNS Comfort to Manhattan. According to sources, Cuomo pulled out of it and then held his own event an hour earlier on a different pier

Mayor Bill de Blasio on March 30, giving his press conference at Pier 90

Albany politicians say Cuomo was 'the enforcer' for his father Mario when he worked for him

He contacted the regional administrator, Thomas Von Essen, and berated him, sources said.

In another incident, he allegedly pulled out of a planned joint appearance to welcome the USNS Comfort to New York City and showed up an hour before de Blasio to hold his own event.

His spokesman denied that he ever pulled out of a joint event, and said he also did not berate the FEMA administrator.

New York politicians said the 'problem' with Cuomo was that he had burned so many bridges that he has 'no path forward'.

'The problem with Cuomo is no one has ever liked him. Hes not a nice person and he doesnt have any real friends. If you dont have a base of support and you get into trouble, youre dead meat,' Richard Ravitch, a former Democratic lieutenant governor, SAID.

State Senator Alessandra Biaggi said: 'I have not met a person yet in New York politics who has a good relationship with Andrew Cuomo.

'And Im not saying "close relationship,"

'Im saying "good relationship." Even people who are close to him I cannot say in good faith have a good relationship with him.'

They said that when he was working for his father, the late former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, the younger Cuomo was known as the 'enforcer'.

'Mario got to be the nice guy, and when it was time for someone not to be the nice guy, it was Andrews job.

'He was very good at it,' Assemblyman Richard N. Gottfried said.
The decision did not imply a judgment on people involved nor a form of unjust discrimination, but rather a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite of the sacrament of matrimony, Cardinal Luis F. Ladaria, the prefect of the congregation, said in an explanatory note. Cardinal Ladaria wrote that Pope Francis, who has staunchly opposed gay marriage in the church, had given his assent to the publication.

In the United States, where more than 6 out of 10 Catholics support same-sex marriage, according to a 2019 Pew survey, many gay Catholics and their advocates mourned the announcement, and said it would inevitably lead to more gay people and those who support them leaving the church.

The Vatican does what the Vatican does, and sometimes the Vatican really hurts people whose lives they are unfamiliar with, said Jason Steidl, a theologian at St. Josephs College who is gay. Pastorally, its a devastating pronouncement for L.G.B.T.Q. people.

Francis DeBernardo, the executive director of New Ways Ministry who has been an advocate for gay Catholics for four decades, noted that priests in parishes were already celebrating such blessings. He said that Catholics would continue to find creative ways to bless the couples they love and support, and that Catholic laity will step in and perform their own rituals, gestures, and words of support.

Francis has repeatedly expressed support for gay people. Only a few months after his election in 2013, he famously said, Who am I to judge? when asked during a papal flight from Brazil about priests who might be gay. The pope also made headlines in October when he appeared to endorse same-sex civil unions. The Vatican later clarified that the pope believed that gay couples deserved civil protections, including legal rights and health care benefits, but that his comments had not marked a change in church doctrine.
Oman has cut off access to the buzzy new audio chat app Clubhouse, the countrys telecommunications regulator confirmed Monday, setting off fears that authorities across the Persian Gulf may censor a rare forum for discussion of sensitive topics in the region.

The Omani government has forbidden the app because it was operating without the proper license, Omar al-Abri, an official in the countrys telecommunications regulator told The Associated Press. He did not elaborate on the licensing problem, and it remains unclear whether the ban is a temporary suspension to smooth out the bureaucracy or the latest government attempt to suppress dissent in the sultanate.

Don't miss: Missing Clubhouse? Here's how you can start a Voice Chat on Telegram

Over the past few days, scores of users in Oman reported receiving error messages when they tried to use the platform. Many said they could only bypass restrictions using a virtual private network (VPN). Clubhouse did not respond to repeated requests for comment on restrictions in Oman or elsewhere in the Gulf.

Clubhouse, the invitation-only social media app, has exploded in popularity in recent months, particularly gaining traction in the Middle East where social media remains a highly contested and sometimes perilous space.

The sheikhdoms of the Persian Gulf retain tight controls on traditional media like newspapers and television, and increasingly employ vague cybercrime laws to patrol internet platforms and apps. Private outlets self-censor out of fear of running afoul of so-called red lines. In Oman, where the police often patrol in riot-ready vehicles with chicken wire covering the windows, U.S. diplomats routinely describe the press as muzzled.

The chatrooms of Clubhouse, a sort-of town square for unfettered discussions of politics and social issues, have provided a window through the censorship. Recent free-flowing exchanges in the region have featured activists from Egypt's 2011 uprising, feminists in Kuwait, government officials in Libya and even a transgender woman in Saudi Arabia.

Read more: Clubhouse announces creator accelerator programme, new features

But the surging excitement has been tempered by anxiety over possible censorship, following Chinas decision to block the app last month as part of the government's crackdown on free speech. Thailands government also has warned users not to misuse the app or face possible legal consequences.

Although the United Arab Emirates reassured users earlier this month that the government had not banned the app, users nationwide have reported audio glitches that frequently make listening into discussions impossible.
Today

Abundant sunshine. Near record high temperatures. High 99F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

A few passing clouds. Low 67F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Partly cloudy skies. Near record high temperatures. High near 95F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
A new Siena College poll today found New York voters dont want Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign (50-35%) as he faces an investigation over sexual harassment and misconduct allegations.

A closer look at the poll shows distinct differences about how the embattled governor is viewed among men and women, and among those from various age groups, races, and religions.

Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, receives some of his strongest support from women  even as he faces claims of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior from seven different women since February.

New York women voters told Siena pollsters by a 20-point margin (52-32%) that they dont want Cuomo to resign, compared to an 8-point margin among men (47-39%) surveyed in the poll.

Voters across all age groups said they dont believe the governor should resign. But that support was strongest among older voters over age 55 (55-34%) and weakest among younger voters 18 to 34 (38-35%).

Likewise, voters across all racial groups said the governor shouldnt resign, but that view was held more strongly by Black (69-22%) and Latino voters (47-27%) than white voters (45-41%) who were almost evenly split on the question.

Among religious groups, Cuomo received his weakest support from Catholics, who are evenly split on the issue of whether he should resign. About 43% of Catholics said the governor should resign, compared to 44% who said he shouldnt resign, a difference within the polls margin of error.

Protestant voters (53-33%) and Jewish voters (57-24%) overwhelmingly said that Cuomo should not resign.

Those who identified their political view as conservative were the only political demographic who told Siena pollsters (57-34%) that the governor should resign immediately.

Liberal (63-24%) and moderate (53-28%) voters said by strong margins that Cuomo should stay in office as New York Attorney General Letitia James oversees an investigation into the allegations.

Democrats (61-25%) and independent voters who are not enrolled in a political party (45-32%) said Cuomo should not resign, while Republicans (64-29%) strongly believe he should step down immediately.

Education and income made little difference in how New York voters view the issue. Those with a college degree (54-32%) by a slightly larger margin said Cuomo shouldnt resign, compared to those with a high school degree or less (47-36%).

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
It was a chilly start to the day in Durham, but what happened at at least one elementary school will warm your heart.

Video Transcript

ANTHONY WILSON: You can tell by my gear, this day started off kind of cold here at Southwest Elementary School in Durham, but what you're about to see will warm your heart. Relieved families lined up in car runner drop off lanes like this one in Durham Southwest Elementary School. They spent anxious months away due to coronavirus concerns, and until now, attended virtual classes.

PASCAL MUBENGA: But after a year with all these positivity rates really improving, going down, and staff getting vaccinated, we're feeling really comfortable with everything that we've been working with for the past nine months to make sure that our school is going to be safe.

ANTHONY WILSON: Students arriving by bus got a special welcome.

[APPLAUSE]

- Welcome back.

- Welcome back.

- Welcome back.

ANTHONY WILSON: Encouragement from these brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha.

BETTINA UMSTEAD: I'm excited about the pep rally. I hope that students feel a lot of joy. I know there's some anxiousness about returning to in-person learning, but I hope with seeing all these caring adults, they'll feel some joy about returning to school.

ANTHONY WILSON: The men went one step further, recognizing teachers, Antoinette Tate and Katie Kizzie, with gifts they can use to enhance their classrooms.

- On behalf of Beta Theta Lambda Chapter, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc, we'd like to give you this and say, go forth and brighten young minds.

[APPLAUSE]

- Thank you.

ANTHONY WILSON: Some of these youngsters inspired by today's encouragement could become tomorrow's leaders. That's the hope of the men who proudly wear black and gold.

JUSTIN SESSOMS: It's definitely a great feeling from the brotherhood to be able to come out to the community and make a contribution in any way that we can, and just make an impact and see and show the students that we're there for them and each and every week throughout this process.

ANTHONY WILSON: We'll check back from time to time see how they're making out over here and let you on air and online. Reporting from Durham Southwest Elementary School, Anthony Wilson, ABC 11 Eyewitness News.
Mary Lou Widmer, an author and novelist whose work included romance, historical fiction, local history and a series of nostalgia books chronicling New Orleans from the 1900s through the 1960s, died Thursay. She was 94.

Widmer was a former junior high and high school English, journalism and history teacher whose interest in history informed much of her professional writing. In 1980, she published her first book, "Night Jasmine," a period romance set in New Orleans in 1906. It was followed by "Lace Curtain," a novel about the Irish in New Orleans.

In 1983, Widmer teamed with a fellow teacher, Joan B. Garvey, who was also a certified tour guide, to write Beautiful Crescent: A History of New Orleans. The book, which was updated in 2012, is still used as a textbook in local schools and in classes for local tour guides. Garvey and Widmer also wrote a history of the state, Louisiana: The First 300 Years. Garvey died in 2016.

In the 1990s, Widmer launched a series of four books for Pelican Publishing chronicling the citys more recent history. Her first volume, "New Orleans in the 30s," was filled with dozens of photos and written in a breezy style that showcased her personal memories of growing up in the city during that time. She said she wrote the book with the idea of leaving a record for her grandchildren about how she grew up.
On March 15, healthcare workers at two separate clinics at the site at, 418 E Main Street in Moncks Corner, administering the first shots of the Moderna vaccine.
The result, prosecutors said, was that Brookdale has been awarded higher star ratings than it deserved. They added, The chains manipulation has allowed Brookdale to attract prospective patients and their families to its facilities by misleading them about its quality of care.

Prosecutors also accused Brookdale of illegally evicting or transferring residents so that the chain could fill its beds with residents who will bring in more money. In one instance highlighted in the suit, prosecutors said Brookdale discharged a 78-year-old resident who suffered from heart and kidney disease without removing his catheter.

Heather Hunter, a spokeswoman for Brookdale, strongly denied on Monday that the company had engaged in intentional or fraudulent conduct.

We are disappointed in the allegations against the skilled nursing industry, Ms. Hunter said. Publicizing unproven allegations is reckless and undermines the publics confidence in a service necessary to the care of elderly individuals, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The lawsuit seeks civil penalties and an injunction to prevent future unlawful conduct. Under California law, civil penalties are up to $2,500 per violation. In this case, where the violations are committed against seniors or people with disabilities, the law provides for an additional penalty of up to $2,500 per violation.

The Times previously reported that a Brookdale facility in Lexington, Ky., told Medicare in 2017 that every resident got an average of 75 minutes of care each day. In reality, nurses at the Brookdale Richmond Place facility spent an average of less than 30 minutes a day with patients. Brookdale received five stars for staffing. Absent the inflated numbers, it probably would have received only one or two stars.

A former Brookdale nursing assistant said in a deposition last year that her supervisors had told her to falsify residents medical records to make it look as if they received more care than they did.


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Michael McCormack looked a bit like a bushie whod got dressed up for his first trip to the city and, confronted with a traffic light, couldnt quite believe such a thing existed.

He wasnt alone, of course. The federal government, from the Prime Minister down, appeared skittish as lost explorers in a land of quicksand as thousands of women brought their anger to the national capital.

The tone of the day was set in the morning when Michael McCormack was button-holed by the organiser of the womens March 4 Justice rally, Janine Hendry. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Indeed, before the day was out, Scott Morrison would trip over his own tongue by reassuring the protesting women they were fortunate they lived in Australia, for otherwise, they might be shot.

This is a vibrant liberal democracy, Mr Speaker, the PM told Parliament.
The Louisiana Department of Health reported 146,666 more vaccine doses administered in its noon update Monday.

Since the rollout began in mid-December, 1,418,805 total doses have been administered. The department of health releases new vaccine data twice a week. More than half a million people are now fully vaccinated.

Out of the entire population in Louisiana, an estimate 11.48% of people are fully vaccinated. An estimated 19.74% of the population has received at least one dose of a vaccine.

Looking for a coronavirus vaccine in Louisiana? These providers will receive doses this week More than 600 providers will receive "very limited" doses of coronavirus vaccines this week in Louisiana, according to the Louisiana Departmen

Click here for information on finding a vaccine appointment this week.

The Louisiana Department of Health also reported 138 more confirmed coronavirus cases and 14 more confirmed deaths in its noon update Monday.

The number of hospitalizations decreased by two, and the number of patients in need of ventilators decreased by two.

There are now a total of 375,261 confirmed coronavirus cases and 62,304 total "probable" coronavirus cases in Louisiana, according to the agency's dashboard.

Louisiana tells coronavirus vaccine providers they must use doses in 7 days or lose future doses Louisiana is telling its coronavirus vaccine providers that they must get shots in arms within a week of receiving the doses or risk getting b

These are another few key statewide statistics as of Monday:

Total confirmed cases: 375,261

Total "probable" cases: 62,304

Total confirmed deaths: 9,148

Currently hospitalized: 455

Currently on ventilators: 66

Vaccine series initiated: 917,628 (updated twice weekly)

Vaccine series completed: 533,644

Presumed recovered: 420,459 as of March 8 (updated weekly)

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

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.

Here are some of the parishes with the highest single-day increase in confirmed coronavirus cases, based on the Monday report:

Jefferson: 25

Calcasieu: 20

Orleans: 19

East Baton Rouge: 17

Bossier: 13

Ascension: 11

St. Tammany: 10

Can't see chart below? Click here.

Can't see chart below? Click 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 before putting Louisiana back in a modified Phase 3 on March 2, 2021.

This is a developing story. More details and analysis to come.
Germany, France, Italy and Spain became the latest countries to suspend use of the vaccine even as a third wave of the pandemic threatens the continent.

ROME  As a third wave of the pandemic crashes over Europe, questions about the safety of one of the continents most commonly available vaccines led Germany, France, Italy and Spain to temporarily halt its use on Monday. The suspensions created further chaos in inoculation rollouts even as new coronavirus variants continue to spread.

The decisions followed reports that a handful of people who had received the vaccine, made by AstraZeneca, had developed fatal brain hemorrhages and blood clots.

The company has strongly defended its vaccine, saying that there is no evidence of increased risk of blood clots or hemorrhages among the more than 17 million people who have received the shot in the European Union and the United Kingdom.

The safety of all is our first priority, AstraZeneca said in a statement Monday. We are working with national health authorities and European officials and look forward to their assessment later this week.
GPR Ventures has completed the sale of the final four parcels of a 26-lot portfolio that was originally purchased by the company in 2011. This portfolio was one of our first ventures into the Sacramento market and allowed us to build a strong presence throughout the region. We are grateful to our partners at CBRE for their assistance in brokering this sale, and we are pleased to have been part of this project.

GPR Ventures has completed the sale of four industrial lots located at 3830, 3840, 3850 and 3860 Prosperity Drive in Rocklin. The lots total 106,300 square feet and are the final four parcels of a 26-lot, 26-acre portfolio that was originally purchased by GPR Ventures in 2011. Since the 2011 purchase, GPR Ventures has sold 22 of the 26 lots to various entities, and this recent four-lot sale marks GPR Ventures full exit from the investment.

This portfolio was one of our first ventures into the Sacramento market and allowed us to build a strong presence throughout the region, said GPR Ventures co-founder and Managing Principal Phil Rolla. We are grateful to our partners at CBRE for their assistance in brokering this sale, and we are pleased to have been part of this project.

TWEET THIS: Local real estate investment firm #GPRVentures has sold four industrial lots totaling 106,300 square feet. Located in Rocklin, the four lots are the final parcels of a 26-acre portfolio originally purchased by the company in 2011. #business #realestate

Each of the 26 fully improved industrial lots were equipped with streets, curbs and gutters, sidewalks and utilities specifically paired for each individual lot. Located west of Highway 65, the lots are easily accessed via Sunset Blvd. and are adjacent to abundant businesses, restaurants and shopping.

Escrow closed on Friday, March 12 and Todd Sanfilippo, Senior Vice President of CBREs Roseville office, helped broker the sale.

For more information on GPR Ventures and its complete portfolio, visit https://www.gprventures.com/.

About GPR Ventures

Founded in 2011, GPR Ventures is a privately held real estate investment firm with offices in Silicon Valley and Sacramento that specializes in providing real estate opportunities for a select group of sophisticated investors. GPR Ventures uses a dynamic, fully developed process and the acquisition-to-disposition expertise of founders Glen Yonekura and Phillip Rolla to yield consistent results. GPRs portfolio includes 82 buildings totaling nearly 3 million square feet and an additional 26 acres of land. For additional information, please visit GPRVentures.com or call (408) 559-3300.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 13:40:08|Editor: huaxia

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YANGON, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's State Administration Council on Monday has added martial law in North Dagon, South Dagon, Dagon Seikkan and North Okkalapa townships of Yangon region, according to the announcement of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services.

The council gave the administrative and judicial power to the commander of Yangon region to perform security, maintain the rule of law and tranquility, the announcement said.

On Sunday, martial law was also imposed in the Hlaingthaya and Shwe Pyi Thar townships of Yangon region after some factories in the townships were burnt down.

A one-year state of emergency was declared in Myanmar on Feb. 1 this year and the state power was handed over to the Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, chair of newly formed State Administration Council. Enditem
New Delhi: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay High Court order granting bail to Rhea Chakraborty.

The matter will be taken up by a bench consisting of Chief Justice SA Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian on Thursday (March 18).

The actress was arrested over drug-related charges in connection with actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case.

The Bombay High Court had granted bail to Chakraborty on October 7 last year. The court directed her to deposit a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh.

It had rejected the bail plea of her brother Showik Chakraborty, who is also an accused in the case.

Showik Chakraborty was, however, granted bail by a special court in Mumbai in December.

Rhea, her brother and another accused Abdel Basit Parihar, an alleged drug peddler, were arrested in September last year by the NCB.

While granting bail to Rhea Chakraborty and the other two accused, the high court had directed them to deposit their passports with the NCB and to not leave the country without the permission of the special NDPS court.

The court also ordered Rhea to visit the NCB office at 11 am on the first day of every month for the next six months.

All those out on bail will also have to seek the permission of the NCB's investigating officer to go out of Mumbai, the court had said.

Rajput, 34, was found hanging at his apartment in suburban Bandra on June 14 last year.

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BioVaxys Technology Corp. (CSE: BIOV) (FRA: 5LB) (OTC: LMNGF) ("BioVaxys"), the world leader in haptenized protein vaccines for antiviral and cancer applications, announced today that it has entered into a major bioproduction agreement with WuXi Biologics Limited ("WuXi"), a leading global Contract Development and Research Organization ("CDMO") and business unit of Shanghai-based Wuxi AppTec, to produce SARS-CoV-2 s-proteins required by BioVaxys for BVX-0320, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, and for its Covid-T immunodiagnostic program.

Under the terms of the March 11th, 2021 agreement, WuXi will synthesize high yields of fully characterized, Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) grade SARS-CoV-2 s-protein for BioVaxys' preclinical safety study of its COVID-T diagnostic this spring. The recombinant s-protein will be constructed and expressed using WuXi Biologics' proprietary vector, with high yield protein production in a pilot plant bioreactor. By establishing its own source of s-protein, rather than depending upon a bulk commercial supplier, BioVaxys will be able to secure the level of purity, consistency and protein characterization required by the U.S Food and Drug Administration ("the FDA"), as well as the economics of sourcing its own protein supply, facilitating the future production of GMP-grade s-protein for human trials and future commercial-scale production.

Synthesized GMP-grade s-protein is used in both BioVaxys's Covid-T immunodiagnostic as well as in BVX-0320, the company's SARS-CoV-2 candidate vaccine which is also being prepared for a clinical study this year. BioVaxys will submit its pre-IND meeting request to the FDA for Covid-T early next month.

BioVaxys President and Chief Operating Officer Ken Kovan stated that "Establishing a bioproduction method for a steady supply of purified and fully characterized s-protein from a validated process will enable us to quickly transition from having the GLP material for the upcoming Covid-T animal toxicity study to having a steady source the GMP-grade s-protein for clinical trials later this year. Now that we know the gene sequences, a further major benefit of our relationship with WuXi will be our ability to quickly source the s-protein of newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants for use in a planned multi-valent version of BVX-0320 and line extensions of Covid-T."

James Passin, BioVaxys CEO, stated "We are delighted to execute a definitive agreement with WuXi Biologics, a leading China-based CDMO listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the symbol 2269, with a market capitalization of USD$45 billion. The relationship with WuXi positions BioVaxys to accelerate the regulatory and commercial advancement of Covid-T and BVX-0320."

For greater certainty, BioVaxys is not making any express or implied claims that it has the ability to treat the SAR-CoV-2 virus at this time.

About BioVaxys Technology Corp.

Based in Vancouver, BioVaxys Technology Corp . is a British Columbia-registered, early stage biotechnology company that is developing viral and oncology vaccine platforms, as well as immuno-diagnostics. The Company is advancing a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine based on its haptenized viral protein technology, and is planning a clinical trial of its haptenized autologous cell vaccine used in combination with anti-PD1 and anti-PDL-1 checkpoint inhibitors that will initially be developed for ovarian cancer. Also in development is a diagnostic for evaluating the presence or absence of a T cell immune response to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. BioVaxys has two issued US patents and two patent applications related to its cancer vaccine, and pending patent applications for its SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) vaccine and diagnostic technologies. BioVaxys common shares are listed on the CSE under the stock symbol "BIOV" and trades on the Frankfurt Bourse (FRA: 5LB) and US OTC: LMNGF.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Signed "James Passin"

James Passin, CEO

+1 646 452 7054

Media Contacts BioVaxys Technology Corp.

Nikita Sachdev

Luna PR

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Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information

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These forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates, primarily the assumption that BioVaxys will be successful in developing and testing vaccines, that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies including, primarily but without limitation, the risk that BioVayxs' vaccines will not prove to be effective and/ or will not receive the required regulatory approvals. With regards to BioVaxys' business, there are a number of risks that could affect the development of its biotechnology products, including, without limitation, the need for additional capital to fund clinical trials, its lack of operating history, uncertainty about whether its products will complete the long, complex and expensive clinical trial and regulatory approval process for approval of new drugs necessary for marketing approval, uncertainty about whether its autologous cell vaccine immunotherapy can be developed to produce safe and effective products and, if so, whether its vaccine products will be commercially accepted and profitable, the expenses, delays and uncertainties and complications typically encountered by development stage biopharmaceutical businesses, financial and development obligations under license arrangements in order to protect its rights to its products and technologies, obtaining and protecting new intellectual property rights and avoiding infringement to third parties and their dependence on manufacturing by third parties.

The Company does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

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SOURCE BioVaxys Technology Corp.
The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost.
UPDATE: Man charged in Easton break-in is person of interest in Bethlehem sex assault, DA says

A 34-year-old Bethlehem man accused of breaking into an Easton home while armed with a knife is now charged with the break-in and attempted sexual assault, authorities report.

Clement Swaby, of the 600 block of Hayes Street and formerly of Palm Beach County in Florida, broke into a home March 5 in the 400 block of McCartney Street in Easton and attempted to sexually assault two females, Northampton County District Attorney Terry Houck said in a news release.

Swaby was arrested Saturday afternoon at his Bethlehem home, Houck said. Police said they found clothing at the home that matched clothing seen on the intruder in surveillance footage from the day of the attempted assaults.

Swaby was arraigned Monday morning on charges of burglary, attempt to commit indecent assault, attempt to commit involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, terroristic threats and theft in the second of two armed break-ins in recent weeks just off Lafayette Colleges campus, Houck said.

Swaby was sent to prison in lieu of $300,000 bail. An attorney has not yet entered an appearance on his behalf, according to court records.

Police said two break-ins on the block were done by the same person; Swaby was only charged Monday in the March 5th incident. The other remains under investigation.

A man with a knife entered a home just after 6:30 a.m. March 5, 2021, in the 400 block of McCartney Street on Easton's College Hill, city police report.Tim Wynkoop | lehighvalleylive.com contributor

A little after 6:30 a.m. March 5, city police said an intruder armed with a knife broke into an apartment in a privately owned home on McCartney Street.

The two 22-year-old female victims told police the man entered their bedroom armed with a knife and demanded they perform a sex act, prosecutors said. The man fled the home after the attempted assault.

The college went into lockdown until about 9 a.m. that day, and added a security guard to the block. City police later asked for the publics assistance and released photos taken by nearby surveillance cameras.

Investigators were able to collect surveillance footage from nearby homes on Cattell, Parsons, and McCartney streets.

Video showed a male at about 6:19 a.m. that day walking to the rear of the home, looking through the kitchen window and checking the back door to the residence, investigators said.

The man got inside by climbing through a bedroom window. The intruder could be seen moving around the first floor apartment, then exiting the apartment and walking into the common area of the building.

Swaby was seen entering the second floor apartment, prosecutors said, and then ran out the front door a short time later.

Police said $500 and a Starbucks gift card was stolen; the gift card used by someone at stores in Oakland, New Jersey and Allentown.

A white rented SUV helped lead investigators to Swaby, Houck said.

Footage from police cruisers that responded to the March 5 break-in showed a white Mazda SUV parked in the 400 block of Cattell Street. It was similar to an SUV seen surveillance video from a Cattell Street home, Houck said.

A Phillipsburg police license plate reader captured the Mazdas registration just after 6 a.m. heading toward Easton on the free bridge, court papers say.

Investigators then learned Swaby rented the SUV on Nov. 3, 2020, from Avis. The vehicle was supposed to be returned by Feb. 16 and it was reported stolen on March 9, police said. He returned it on Saturday, the same day he was arrested, police said.

Swaby is wanted by Philadelphia police on charges of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, theft, and receiving stolen property.

One of the victims identified Swaby from a photo array and Swabys girlfriend said she was there when Swaby used the Starbucks card in Allentown and she identified him from the surveillance photos, court papers say.

When interviewed by investigators, Swaby admitted to driving the Mazda on March 5 to Easton, climbing through the window, taking a knife from onside, stealing the card, going upstairs and pointing the knife at the women to scare them, court papers say.

This is a breaking news post and will be updated if more information becomes available.

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

Tony Rhodin can be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com.
Ulrika Jonsson has called out Davina McCall. (Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)

Ulrika Jonsson has called out Davina McCall for a tweet about "fear-mongering" and men's mental health, saying "it has no place in the conversation" about male violence against women.

Following Sarah Everard's death after being abducted while walking home in south London, many women have shared their own experiences of assault and feeling unsafe.

But McCall tweeted: "Female abduction / murder is extremely rare. Yes we should all be vigilant when out alone. But this level of fear-mongering isnt healthy. And mens mental health is an issue as well. Calling all men out as dangerous is bad for our sons, brothers, partners."

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Many commenters disagreed with McCall about how rare the issue is and the relevance of male mental health, and Jonsson appeared on Lorraine on Monday morning to give her views.

She said: First of all, it is not fear-mongering, because this is happening. To say that it is rare is also incorrect. We know that domestic abuse is definitely not rare.

Read more: Ulrika Jonsson shocked by X-rated pics on Tinder

"I am sure what she was trying to do was say 'lets not forget that this is not all men',but I dont even think that is a conversation that needs to be had, because I dont think anybody has ever said that this is all men.

"Mens mental health is a separate issue to this."

Talking about social media messages she had received from men sharing their own experiences of sexual assault, Jonsson added: "It is men who are fearing men, who arent fearing women, I wouldnt have thought.

"So mens mental health is a very important issue but I think it is not one that has a place in this conversation.

Jonsson said it was time to focus on what women need. (Keith Mayhew/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Jonsson said she was horrified to realise that "every single woman that I know, my close friends, some extended friends, have had some form of harassment or violence, verbal, physical or whatever".

Talking about a conversation she'd had with her 16-year-old daughter Martha when she was 14 about safety, Jonsson shared: "She said, Why are you having this conversation with me, is this conversation not one you should be having with young men and boys? That really put me in my place.

Story continues

Read more: Ulrika Jonsson defends Stacey Solomon from internet troll

Jonsson also said she was proud to find that her son Cameron had set up a group chat with his sisters to address the issue of male violence.

She said: "He just wanted to say that for every one man who would want to harm a woman, there are many who would die defending her and he takes responsibility for the fact that men need to be part of the societal change that needs to take place.

"And I was moved to tears by this.

Watch: Ulrika Jonsson has joined Tinder
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Suspected gunmen, on Sunday night, abducted two female students of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago Iwoye, Ayetoro campus.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the incident occurred at about 9p.m. on Sunday when the suspected bandits stormed the Igbole Aibo quarter in Ayetoro, shooting sporadically.

It was further gathered that the suspected bandits had targeted a female bulk call card dealer living in the area.

However, due to their failure to break through the gate to her house, they resorted to abducting the two female students who were returning home from an outing.

The Deputy Registrar, Corporate Affairs Unit of the institution, Niyi Oduwole, confirmed the incident, describing it as unfortunate.

Mr Oduwole said the university management was on top of the situation, assuring of safe return of the two students.

He said,The incident is most unfortunate. The university is beefing up security around all our campuses and hostels.

We sympathise with the parents of the victims and we want to assure them that their wards will be rescued unhurt. We are on top of the situation, he said.

The Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the state police command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, also confirmed the incident on Monday.

He explained that the Area Commander in Ayetoro and the commands anti-kidnapping team were already on a rescue mission to bring back the victims.

It is true that two students of Olabisi Onabanjo University were kidnapped on Sunday night at Ayetoro at about 9.30 pm.

The Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, has directed the Area Commander, Ayetoro and the Anti-kidnapping team of the command to ensure that the students are rescued unhurt from their abductors.

We are on top of the situation and we will ensure their safety, while security in the locality is being beefed up, he said.

(NAN)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 15) Five of the 11 respondents tagged in the death of flight attendant Christine Dacera will soon go after their accusers.

Lawyer Mike Santiago said its time for his clients  Clark Rapinan, Gregorio de Guzman, Rommel Galido, Alain Chen, and JP Dela Serna  to go on the offensive.

Lagi na lang kami depensa nang depensa. Pwede na siguro. Theyre challenging our clients bakit hindi nagsasampa ng kaso. Its a wake-up call, Santiago pointed out in a press conference.

[Translation: We are always on the defense. I think its time...Theyre challenging our clients because we are not filing a case. Its a wake-up call.]

He explained that they are preparing countercharges against the Dacera family for malicious prosecution, incriminating innocent persons, perjury, and cyber libel.

Because they want to make it appear theres rape with homicide and yet NBI already categorically stated no rape occurred. No homicide, said Santiago.

They will also pursue those people who are concocting lies one after the other, Santiago added.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed a separate complaint against the 11 individuals who partied with Dacera to welcome the New Year.

Dela Serna, Rapinan, Chen and Louie Delima were accused of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide for neglecting Dacer which led to her death.

But Santiago said this is laughable.

Nakakatawa tong reckless imprudence," he said. "We normally hear this sa vehicular accidents. Wala pa kaming na-encounter na namatay sa inuman, dinemanda yung mga kainuman ng reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.

[Translation: This reckless imprudence is laughable. We normally hear this in vehicular accidents. We have not encountered anyone who died from drinking, then they charged those who were drinking with her with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.]

Santiago argued Dacera and her friends were simply having fun and should not be expected, morally or legally, to take care of their drinking buddies.

Respondents also questioned the drug complaint filed against Rosales and Galido.

Santiago said all his five clients voluntarily submitted themselves to drug test, and submitted the negative result as early as Jan. 13 to the Makati Prosecutors Office.

The same documents were also given to NBI, he added.

Cotton swabs lang ang basehan para sabihin nila na may administering of drugs, may taking of drugs, Santiago said.

[Translation: It is only based on cotton swabs for them to say that there was an administering of drugs and taking of drugs.]

NBI relied on the two pieces of cotton found inside Room 2209. Examination yielded presence of fluoromethamphetamine and methamphetamine, both illegal drugs, the NBI said.

Santiago also dismissed as hearsay the testimonies used by NBI that Dacera told them that she did not want to be at Room 2209 because her companions were high on party drugs.

Meanwhile, Chen said they are victims of injustice.

Kami na nga yung tumulong kami pa yung napasama," Chen said. "Napaka-unfair sa part namin tas ngayon hindi na rin kami natutuwa kasi inaabuso na.

[Translation: We were the ones who helped, yet we were tagged as criminals. That is so unfair on our part and we are not happy that it was being taken advantage of.]

The Makati Prosecutors Office has yet to resolve the complaint filed by the Makati police against the 11 respondents.
New Delhi, March 15 : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday attacked the BJP government over privatisation of airports by commenting on social media: "They don't know how to build but sell." Gandhi tweeted on Monday afternoon: "#IndiaAgainstPrivatisation which hurts the public and benefits only a handful of cronies." Gandhi's attack comes in wake of the government aiming to sell its residual stake in four airports as part of the Rs 2.5 lakh crore asset monetisation pipeline.

The sale of Airport Authority of India's remaining stake in the Delhi Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports, as well as identification of 13 more airports for privatisation, has been planned for the next fiscal.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation will take approvals for divestment of equity stake of the AAI in the joint ventures running Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports.

For the 13 AAI airports identified for privatisation, the possibility of bundling of profitable and non-profitable airports will be looked at to make more attractive packages.

In the first round of airport privatisation under the BJP government last year, the Adani Group bagged contracts for six airports - Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, and Guwahati.

Adani Enterprises in January had signed the concession agreement with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for operating and developing the Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram airports.

In a regulatory filing, the company said that the concession period is 50 years from the commercial operation date.

"Adani Jaipur International Airport Ltd, Adani Guwahati International Airport and Adani Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, wholly-owned subsidiaries of the company, have signed the concession agreement on January 19, 2021 with Airports Authority of India for the operations, management and development of Jaipur, Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram airports respectively," it said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A WA coastal shire plans to spend $500,000 redeveloping a foreshore park despite engineers predicting that by 2030, the whole area could be underwater during big storms.

Commissioned to inform coastal planning at the key coastal townsites of Lancelin, Ledge Point, Seabird and Guilderton, Baird engineers modelled major storm events, taking into account predicted sea level rise.

They reported while homes would be safe, foreshore areas were susceptible to the impacts of wave run-up ... which may result in overtopping of dunes and foreshore structures.

Lancelin focal point Grace Darling Park was once protected by 50 metres of grass, and a four-wheel-drive track leading south to Edward Island Point was once protected by a vegetation buffer.
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Denton, TX (76205)

Today

Thunderstorms this morning, then partly cloudy during the afternoon hours. High 77F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
On Wednesday morning, two days after a Supreme Court justice annulled his criminal convictions and restored his political rights, Brazils former president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, returned to where his career began: the ABC metalworkers union headquarters. It was there, in greater Sao Paulos industrial belt in the late 1970s, that Lula led a series of general strikes demanding higher wages and the right to freely unionize in defiance of the military dictatorship that later imprisoned him. It was also in that stronghold that 40 years later, in 2018, a mass of Lulas supporters surrounded the building and pushed against gates, trying in vain to prevent the founder of the democratic socialist Workers Party, who ruled Brazil from 2003 through 2010, from turning himself in to the police. Theres no point in trying to end my ideas, he told a mournful crowd before surrendering. Theyre lingering in the air and you cant arrest them.

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The unexpected decision by Justice Edson Fachin, which cleared the path for Lula to make a comeback and potentially challenge a weakened President Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 election, instantly sent the country into a frenzy. In his ruling, Fachin found that the court in the southern city of Curitiba that convicted Lula in 2017 lacked jurisdiction to judge cases involving alleged corruption and money laundering as part of a now-disbanded corruption probe known as Operation Car Wash. The judge also ordered a retrial by a federal court in the countrys capital.

Lula, who ended his second term with an 87 percent approval rating and was once called the most popular politician on earth by Barack Obama, served 580 days in prison before his release under a November 2019 Supreme Court order determining that prison sentences should only be served after all chances of appeal were exhausted. Because of a law known as Clean Slate that prohibits candidates from running for office if they have criminal convictions upheld on appeal, he was disqualified from the 2018 race that elected Bolsonaro. The former president and his defense teams claims that the convictions were politically motivated were bolstered after leaked conversations published by the Intercept raised questions about the integrity of former Judge Sergio Morolater appointed Bolsonaros minister of justiceand the anti-corruption crusade he led.

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I was a victim of the biggest judicial lie in 500 years, Lula said Wednesday, with a large picture projected behind him showing a web of raised arms lifting him off the ground. So if there is a Brazilian that has reason to hold many, deep grudges, its me. But I do not. The suffering the poor people are going through in this country is infinitely worse than any crime they committed against me. Wearing a red mask featuring his partys star logo, Lula refrained from announcing official plans to run for president, but forcefully antagonized Bolsonaro and his deadly and dismissive handling of a raging pandemic that has taken the lives of more than 270,000 Brazilians. This country has no government, Lula said. In doing so, he reminded even some of his harshest critics not only of the qualities that endeared him to the nation a decade agochiefly charisma and rhetorical masterybut also of what leadership guided by common sense and basic humanity looks like. We were getting used to truculence, lack of empathy, unrestrained speech. Lula put things back in place, a conservative commentator wrote.

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Still, the dominant narrative of coverage in the past few days, both within Brazil and abroad, has been centered on the countrys potentially cataclysmic polarization. The mere possibility of Lula as a candidateand a popular one at thatwas enough to set off headlines highlighting investor woes, warning against a diversion from the public health crisis and the potential that his longtime nemesiss return could further radicalize Bolsonaro (its hard to imagine how).

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It felt like a reenactment of the 2018 electionwhen newspaper editorials and political pundits perpetuated a false equivalence between the Workers Party candidate, Lulas former minister of education and former mayor of Sao Paulo Fernando Haddad, and Bolsonaro, a far-right demagogue whos openly nostalgic about the dictatorship. Despite the ever-worsening tragedy engulfing Brazil, the self-serving economic elite and segments of the media insist on falsely painting Lula and Bolsonaro as two equally dreadful sides of the same coin. Brazilians, they either imply or inexcusably affirm, are stuck with an impossible choice: two forms of extremism.

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From a descriptive point of view, there is a polarization, Rafael R. Ioris, associate professor of Latin American history at the University of Denver, told me, adding that one candidate stands for the rule of law and can restore normality, while the other is an anti-system authoritarian who militarizes politics and erodes institutions. That does not mean that they are two equidistant poles, unless its in the sense of civilization versus barbarism.

Others are pushing back against the narrative. Bolsonaro is not a counterpoint to Workers Party leftism,  journalist Vinicius Torres Freire wrote in an op-ed for the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo. On Twitter, the anthropologist Isabela Kalil said, What a relief to know that we will be haunted by polarization again, because until now it was 7-to-1 for fascism. A former House speaker noted, You dont have to like Lula to understand how hes different from Bolsonaro.

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As president, Lula helped lift millions of people out of poverty and hunger and elevated Brazils profile as one of the worlds largest economies during a global commodities boom. His ally, Dilma Rousseff, was elected to succeed him in 2010. But four years later, during Rousseffs second term, a sweeping investigation into the state oil company Petrobras and overpriced contracts awarded to construction firms began. Operation Car Wash eventually linked Lula and the Workers Party, as well as politicians of a dozen other parties, with businesspeople in an intricate, cross-border corruption scheme. Lula was charged with and found guilty of receiving bribes in the form of a beachfront apartment and renovations to a country house.

At 75, the former union leader who presided over some of Brazils most prosperous but also most scandal-tinged years is by no means a unanimously popular figure today. Recent polls suggest that while half of surveyed voters would at least consider casting a ballot for Lula, 44 percent would never consider it. He has represented many things to many people: a warrior, the devil, a thief, my man. The opening shots of the Oscar-nominated documentary The Edge of Democracy illustrate well the clashing passions and hopes for the country that his legacy mobilizes: On the one hand, supporters say Lulas generous social programs allowed them to put food on the table and send their children to university for the first time; on the other, detractors accuse his government of racist quotas against white people and rank fighting corruption as the main priority. In his speech following the annulment of his convictions, Lula spoke to both sides: Dont be afraid of me. Im radical because I want to go to the root of this countrys problems.

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Polarization in Brazil runs much deeper. It is, to a certain extent, an expression of class warfare that, Ioris says, the wealthy and the middle class have bought into a Cold Warlike narrative in which the Workers Party represents a communist threat, and that they have been willing to embrace a leader like Bolsonaro who, similar to Donald Trump, inflates and stimulates a kind of rage and racism that, before, people tried to hide.

The discourse has gotten very emotional and angry, he says. The social fabric has been torn, and rebuilding it might take almost like a therapeutic work, some kind of catharsis or shock therapy, and even a certain grief.
Land scandals like Thu Thiem (HCM City) have revealed distorted land values caused by decisions of officials on authority, Mr. Dang Hung Vo told VietNamNet.

Whats your view about public land acquisitions in such scandals as the Phan Van Anh Vu case and Thu Thiem?

As I said earlier, the law regulates the peoples ownership over public land but assigns the decision power to some people in authority.

In theory and practice, corruption always occurs whenever the decision power is not controlled, especially when the realization of that power certainly brings benefits for those with vested interests.

As such, the administrative agencies are affected as realizing their rights over public land and land value. We can only expect their decision based on ethics.

In reality, public ownership of all land should be considered a political direction. Once the public land is for sale, it must be based on the value of land-use rights of land owners.

Phan Van Anh Vu.

Huge gaps in regulations came from the coexistence of political direction and land solutions, incentivizing corruption. Besides, Land Law 2013 created a management mechanism over some types of land which have not been under specific management of the administration. They consist of land for public security, commercial land, land for high technology, and land for airports. Provincial peoples Committees handed them to state organizations which then assigned them to other contractors and individuals. Under this mechanism, former Navy Admiral Nguyen Van Hien could use his rights on public land sales, and after that say he hadnt fully understood the law.

Other public land sale scandals, namely Phan Van Anh Vu and Thu Thiem, have shown the gap in land value due to decisions made by officials in authority.

Under Articles 199 and 200 of the Land Law, there were regulations about setting up a proper management mechanism to monitor and control decisions on public land. However, they have yet to be realized since Land Law took effect. So it is easy to understand if there more public land scandals occur.

Different process between public and private land

At the court, former Deputy Minister of Defense Nguyen Van Hien blamed his shortcomings on his lack of knowledge about the economy and economic management. Phan Van Anh Vu also explained his land acquisition through trading, not just requesting it from officials. What do you think?

Thu Thiem urban area.

It is necessary to review the management mechanism. A large piece of land was under the management of the Ministry of National Defense and its officials. They are allowed to decide the land areas and their usage. Hence, its easy for them to make illegal decisions.

In the case of Phan Van Anh Vu, his explanation is a fallacy. In many countries, the regulations are different between public and private land sales. The process to acquire public land is strictly regulated and monitored by the people.

In Vietnam, the transfer of public land to the market must be done through auction. It must not be done as a secret deal between the person in authority and the business. Doing so is considered illegal. All related parties have to bear the responsibility over the loss of State property.

Land law needs to be amended

We have lost both government officials and public property. What can we learn from it?

In the amended law, the benefits of the people are considered a top priority. Some shortcomings in the legal system can be seen.

Thanks to our strong fight against corruption in recent years, many public land scandals have been brought to light. Consequently, a number of central and local leaders have been convicted.

Firstly, there remain huge gaps in the land law, causing weak land management. The public ownership of all land in the country means all land as public assets. It is not distinguished between public and private land as in other countries.

For better management, it is necessary to be clear on two different land use rights, public vs private.

Secondly, there remains conflicts between land law and other laws such as investment, construction, and planning. This has caused too tight or too loose attitudes toward regulations related to public land.

Thirdly, the management mechanism fails to meet the demand of the market. The local Peoples Committees are assigned powerful rights in administrative decisions, planning, and finance. Their powers are uncontrolled, paving the way for corruption. In other countries, administrative agencies are responsible for administrative tasks. Planning and finance are under other agencies authority.

Fourthly, people with professional knowledge and ethical behaviors have not been recruited. This is the main cause in transforming public assets to private hands.

Thus, the Land Law should be amended so it can become practical and effective.

Kien Trung
DUBAI (Reuters) - U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken's comments about supporting a Yemen free from foreign influence are "positive", Houthi official Mohammed Ali al-Houthi said on Twitter on Monday.

He said the United States should back up its intentions by ending its involvement in military operations carried out by the Saudi-led coalition against his group.

Washington plans to reinvigorate diplomatic efforts, alongside the United Nations and others, to end the war in Yemen, Blinken told U. N. Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths, a State Department spokesperson said on Sunday.

"He highlighted that the United States supports a unified, stable Yemen free from foreign influence, and that there is no military solution to the conflict," State Department Spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

A Saudi Arabia-led military coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 after the Iran-allied Houthi group ousted the countrys government from the capital Sanaa. The United Nations describes Yemen as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

(Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; Editing by Catherine Evans)
A new Sydney city centre will be named after the engineer who helped shape the states capital, with the NSW government to name its advanced manufacturing facility and airport city Bradfield.

Bradfield will be built adjacent to Sydneys second airport at Bringelly and will grow into a third city, alongside the other city centres of Sydney and Parramatta.

Major earthworks are under way at the site of Western Sydney Airport. Credit:Brook Mitchell

The name Bradfield was selected after the community was asked to have a say, with a panel settling on the final decision to honour John Bradfields enduring city-shaping impact on Sydney, including his major role in the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Bradfield would define Australias first 22nd century city, a key driver of economic growth and deliver up to 200,000 jobs across the Western Parkland City.
Columnist

Tom Kacich is a columnist and the author of Tom's Mailbag at The News-Gazette. His column appears Sundays. His email is tkacich@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@tkacich).
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Over the years, the proteomics market has created new opportunities in life science industries due to increasing usage of the technology in cancer drug development and personalized medicine. As per findings of Persistence Market Research (PMR), the global market for proteomics will witness stupendous expansion at a CAGR of 17% over the forecast period ( 2019-2029 ).

With growth projected to showcase over 5X expansion in revenues, the global proteomics market remains buoyed by advancements in high-throughput technologies that are constantly being used to investigate proteomes. As proteomics are widely used in diagnostics, prognostics, and various other healthcare applications, there has been increasing demand for proteomic techniques in disease diagnostics and drug development.

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Companies covered in Proteomics Market Report Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (US)

GE Healthcare (US)

Danaher Corporation (US)

PerkinElmer, Inc. (US)

Merck KGaA (Germany)

Caprion Proteomics Inc.

Bio-Rad Laboratories

Luminex Corporation (US)

Waters Corporation

Promega Corporation

Bruker Corporation

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Key Takeaways of Proteomics Market Study

The reagents and kits segment under component is expected to contribute more than 30% of revenue share in the proteomics market.

of revenue share in the proteomics market. In terms of technology, the protein fractionation systems segment is expected to grow twice its size by the end of 2029 .

. Leading proteomics service provider companies are collaborating with local proteomics service providers as well as research institutes to strengthen their market position.

North America is dominating the global proteomics market, while East Asia is expected to offer lucrative opportunities, owing to rapid increasing healthcare programs and industrialization in the region.

Technological advancements in proteomic techniques and growing demand for proteomics research for drug development focussing on large-scale manufacturing of personalized medicine are bringing in new avenues for market development, says a PMR analyst.

Potential Impact of COVID-19 on the Proteomics Market

The global outbreak of COVID-19 is indirectly affecting the proteomics market, as applications in pharmaceutical companies witness a downtrend. This is mainly due to hampered drug production and the preference of pharmaceutical companies toward the production of vital drugs that are needed now.

On the other hand, the proteomics market will gain traction, as numerous proteomic labs across the U.S. and Europe are taking up the research of therapeutic methods for fighting the coronavirus, thus providing insights about the inclusion of proteomics in the vaccine for COVID-19. This factor is expected to partially subdue the shortcomings that the market will face in the foreseeable future, due to the pandemic.

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Acquisitions and Partnerships - Key Strategies of Market Players

Key players in the proteomics market are focussed on improving their product portfolios though the launch of new products. For instance, in June 2019, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc launched New-Generation Benchtop Mass Spectrometer Advances Quantitative Proteomics and Translational Research. Manufacturers are also working toward getting new products approved by regulatory bodies and launching them at the earliest.

Various players in the proteomics market are focusing on growth strategies such as acquisitions and partnerships. For example, in June 2019, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc announced a collaboration with Biognosys for Advance Plasma Quantitation Methods in Proteomics.

What Does the Report Cover?

Persistence Market Research offers a unique perspective and actionable insights on the proteomics market in its latest study, presenting historical demand assessment of 20142018 and projections for 20192029 , on the basis of component (instruments, reagents and kits, core proteomics services, bioinformatics services, and quantitation services), technology (microarrays, X-Ray crystallography, spectroscopy, chromatography, protein fractionation systems, electrophoresis, and surface plasma resonance systems), application (drug discovery, clinical diagnosis, and cancer research), and end user (contract research organizations (CROs), research & academic institutions, and pharma & biotech companies), across seven key regions.

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Cult mockumentary comedy Wellington Paranormal will land on Sky Comedy and NOW TV in April.

From Grammy and Emmy award-winning Jemaine Clement and Oscar-winning Taika Waititi, the series will be available to watch online in the UK this Spring on Sky.

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All episodes of Seasons 1 to 3 Wellington Paranormal available as a boxset from Monday 5 April 9PM on Sky Comedy and NOW TV.

A teaser for the show shares: "There are some crimes normal cops cant investigate Officers Minogue and OLeary are invited to join the new Wellington Paranormal Unit of the Police when they unwittingly bring in a young woman possessed by the demon Bazuaal; a demon who can jump from body to body and who is literally hell-bent on opening a portal to Hades in Cuba Streets iconic Bucket Fountain.

"With the help of their Senior Sergeant Ruawai Maaka, they succeed in banishing the demon thanks to some quick googling and so the Wellington Paranormal Unit is born.

"For the rest of the series, our hapless duo investigate an alien invasion on a farm; meet a werewolf out for revenge on her ex; resolve a noise complaint at a haunted house full of ghosts from the 1970s; encounter the vampire Nick from What We Do In The Shadows stealing blood from the hospital, along the way investigating a ghost behind a dairy, a scary ritual in a park, some creepy clowns by the road and a couple of dreary goths in a cemetery; then in the exciting conclusion to the series, Minogue and OLeary race to stop a pair of zombified cops from their station before they get to Courtenay Place on a Friday night and cause a zombie apocalypse! All in a series work for our dynamic duo and their brave sergeant."

Wellington Paranormal will be available on Sky Comedy and NOW TV from 5 April.
Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent.

1. Switching from TDF- to TAF-containing ART associated with the development of obesity in people living with HIV

Abstract: https:/ / www. acpjournals. org/ doi/ 10. 7326/ M20-4853

URL goes live when the embargo lifts

Switching from antiretroviral therapy (ART) containing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) to ART containing tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) is associated with increased risk for significant weight increases, obesity, and rising blood lipid levels in people living with HIV. In contrast to most previous studies that were performed among treatment-naive patients, the changes in weight in the present study could not be attributed to better health due to starting HIV treatment as the patients studied were already taking ART with TDF for 6 months or longer. These findings from a cohort study are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Tenofovir plays an important role in ART and is recommended as part of the first-line regimens in all major HIV treatment guidelines. Because TDF is associated with kidney disease and loss of bone mineral density, TAF is an attractive alternative. However, TAF has been associated with significant weight increases, rising blood lipid levels, and an increased need for lipid-lowering therapy in treatment-naive patients.

Researchers from the University Hospital of Bern used data from the Swiss HIV Cohort Study to examine changes in weight and lipid levels over 18 months among more than 3,000 adults living with HIV who initially received TDF-containing ART for at least 6 months and then switched to TAF. They then compared these changes with those of nearly 900 patients who continued the TDF-based therapy during the same period. The researchers found that switching to TAF was associated with a significant increase in weight compared to those who continued TDF. A significantly higher proportion of patients who switched to TAF became overweight or obese, and those who switched to TAF also had greater increases in levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides during the 18-month follow-up.

According to the study authors, these findings suggest that the decision to prefer TAF over TDF as a component of ART should be individualized and accompanied by the repeated assessment of cardiometabolic risk factors, including weight and lipids.

Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org.

The corresponding author, Bernard Surial, MD, can be contacted via kommunikation@insel.ch, phone: 0041 31 632 79 25.

2. Deferred initiation of ART may increase risk for AIDS-defining cancer among patients living with HIV

Abstract: https:/ / www. acpjournals. org/ doi/ 10. 7326/ M20-5226

URL goes live when the embargo lifts

Deferred antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation in ART-naive, HIV-positive persons is associated with a small increase in risk for AIDS-defining cancer. These findings add to the evidence that early ART may reduce risk for non-AIDS-defining cancer. A multinational prospective cohort study is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Immediate initiation ART regardless of CD4 cell count has been recommended in all HIV-positive persons since 2015. However, only about half of HIV-positive persons in non-resource-limited settings continue to initiate ART when their CD4 count decreases below 500 cells/L, primarily because of late diagnosis. Incidence of non-AIDS-related and AIDS-related cancer is increasing in HIV-positive persons for a number of reasons and is now a leading cause of death in HIV infection. It is unclear to what extent delayed ART initiation, with its consequences of continued HIV replication and immune deterioration, contributes to the increased risk.

Researchers from University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland studied data from D:A:D (Data collection on Adverse events of anti-HIV Drugs), a large observational database that included data from HIV-positive persons from Europe, Australia, and the United States, to estimate the 10-year risk difference for non-AIDS-defined and AIDS-defined cancer with two different ART initiation strategies - immediate or deferred. After adjusting for baseline and time-dependent confounders (CD4 cell count and viral load), the researchers found that the 10-year absolute risk of non-AIDS-defining cancer was slightly lower in the immediate ART group compared to the deferred treatment group. Strategies promoting deferral were associated with a small increase in risk for AIDS-defining cancer. More research is needed to determine the effect of early art on non-AIDS-defining cancer.

Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org.

The corresponding author, Heiner C. Bucher, MD, MPH, can be reached at heiner.bucher@usb.ch.

3. ACP releases new policy addressing Ethical Implications of Physician Employment and Health Care Business Practices

Abstract: https:/ / www. acpjournals. org/ doi/ 10. 7326/ M20-7093

URL goes live when the embargo lifts

The American College of Physicians (ACP) says that the practice of medicine should account for efficiency and productivity but must be defined by medical ethics and serving the needs of patients. In a new policy paper published in Annals of Internal Medicine, ACP lays out a framework that addresses the impact that business practices, employment terms, and contracts can have on ethics and professionalism.

The paper was developed by ACP's Ethics, Professionalism and Human Rights Committee in response to practice environment changes. Those changes have raised concerns in the areas of physician employment, practice model shifts, new regulatory requirements, physician contracts, practice ownership, clinical priority settings and physician leadership as well as greater emphasis on the business of medicine.

ACP calls for physicians to ensure that both relationships and practices are structured to support the commitments of the physician and the profession of medicine to patients and patient care. The paper further encourages physicians to be prepared to ask questions about arrangements and feel empowered to advocate for practices that promote patient health and the patient-physician relationship. If a practice or policy harms or has the potential to harm patient care, the physician should speak out and resist and if necessary, refuse to carry it out.

In the paper, ACP states that the challenges to care and to medical practice during and after the COVID-19 crisis underscore the need to reemphasize the ethical foundation of medicine. Some see in COVID-19 an important lesson that the system can be reset to better serve both patients and clinicians. Physicians should lead in ensuring business relationships explicitly recognize and support the fundamental and timeless commitments of the physician and medicine to patients. Recommendations include:

In the shift of incentives to Value-Based Care, ethics and professionalism must be emphasized and explicitly addressed in the implementation of business practices and employment relationships, including in the face of external motivators for clinicians such as financial incentives.

Contract provisions affecting practice should align with the ethical commitments of physicians and in-network referral requirements, confidentiality clauses, and restrictive covenants, for example, should recognize that and the patient's best interest.

Physicians should consider carefully whether to sign employment contracts that permit termination without cause, as abrupt terminations can interfere with patient-physician relationship continuity.

The net value of private equity investment in physician practices for patients, physicians, and medicine is unclear. Systematic studies of this trend on patients, medicine and society are needed.

Organizations and employers should recognize and appropriately value time for patient-physician encounters and engage patients and physicians in priority settings across all aspects of health care.

Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org.

To speak with someone from ACP, please contact Andrew Hachadorian at ahachatorian@acponline.org.

Also in this issue:

Clinical Practice Guidelines Registry: Toward Reducing Duplication, Improving Collaboration, and Increasing Transparency

Chen

Ideas and Opinions

Abstract: https:/ / www. acpjournals. org/ doi/ 10. 7326/ M20-7884

On the origin of Sensitivity and Specificity

Binney

History of Medicine

Abstract: https:/ / www. acpjournals. org/ doi/ 10. 7326/ M20-5028

Post-operative Delirium

Caputo

Annals Consult Guys

Abstract: https:/ / www. acpjournals. org/ doi/ 10. 7326/ W20-0019

Under-recognition of Aldosteronism in Patients with Resistant Hypertension

Centor

Annals On Call

Abstract: https:/ / www. acpjournals. org/ doi/ 10. 7326/ A20-0008

Inpatient Notes: Timely Hip Fracture Surgery

Borges

Annals for Hospitalists

Abstract: https:/ / www. acpjournals. org/ doi/ 10. 7326/ M21-0298

###
(Adds details, background)

GENEVA/ZURICH, March 15 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization's director general said on Monday that systems meant to protect public health were working, as several countries suspended use of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine to investigate possible side-effects.

"This does not necessarily mean these events are linked to COVID-19 vaccination, but it's routine practice to investigate them, and it shows that the surveillance system works and that effective controls are in place," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a virtual media briefing.

A WHO advisory committee plans to meet on Tuesday to discuss the vaccine, which Germany, France and Italy said on Monday they were pausing after several countries reported serious conditions in people who had received the shot.

Denmark and Norway had stopped giving the shot last week after reporting isolated cases of blood clots, bleeding or a low platelet count. Iceland and Bulgaria followed suit and Ireland and the Netherlands announced suspensions on Sunday.

Even so, the top WHO scientist reiterated on Monday that there had been no documented deaths linked to COVID-19 vaccines.

"We do not want people to panic," WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan told the briefing, adding that no association had so far been found between the "thromboembolic events" reported in some countries and COVID-19 shots.

Even as some countries suspend AstraZeneca's shot, others are continuing its use as the WHO and other bodies say the benefits continue to outweigh any risks.

The United Kingdom, where the AstraZeneca vaccine was developed in partnership with Oxford University, says it has no concerns, while the drugmaker has said a review of safety data has shown no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots. (Reporting by John Miller and Silke Koltrowitz in Zurich, Stephanie Nebehay and Emma Farge in Geneva; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
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A new legislation has reportedly caused concern for the Family Research Council since it was been passed by the House of Representatives with a provision that requires a "religious test" before anyone can serve in a state's redistricting commissions.

According to the Christian Post, the House passed last March 3 the "For The People" Act that is also known as the HR 1, which is an almost 800-paged bill meant to expand voting rights. It was passed by an almost all-Democrat vote except for one--Mississippi Representative Bennie Thompson--who joined all Republicans against it.

For The People Act, the Christian Post explained, intends to create in every state an independent redistricting commission that will draw voting districts every decade depending on the population census. The states currently use varied methodologies when drawing districts for the House of Representatives such as relying on independent commissions and others on legislative authority.

The Washington-based Family Research Council contested the bill due to Section 2412 that requires a "religious test for redistricting" and requires candidates for the commission to fill out an application form detailing the reason for serving, the person's qualifications, and fair and impartial information relevant to the person's ability.

However, the Family Research Council pointed out, as per the Christian Post, that it requires the candidate to supply information on a person's affiliations such as "any involvement with, or financial support of, professional, social, political, religious, or community organizations or causes," which becomes dangerous as disclosure of information on a person's involvement with or "financial support of" religious organizations may be used against the person to serve as in the case of the prevailing cancel culture.

"While it may appear minor, this is incredibly problematic because it suggests that religious affiliations may affect an individual's ability to be impartial, and thereby may make them ineligible to serve on the commission," pointed out Family Research Council Vice President Travis Weber in a statement posted in their website.

"Article 6, Clause 3, of the U.S. Constitution states that 'no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States'," he stressed.

Weber added that the bill's provision can easily be used to target Christians since they hold biblical values contrary to "certain favored ideologies" as perpetrated by the cancel culture. In addition to the "religious testing," the bill also has other provisions that The Heritage Foundation's election expert Hans Von Spakovsky finds questionable.

"(H.R. 1 will) make it easier to cheat and easier to manipulate election results," Spakovsky revealed to the Christian Post during an interview.

Spakovsky elaborated that the H.R. 1 would "eviscerate state voter ID laws" since it dictates to the state to "allow someone to vote by just simply signing a form in which he swears that he is who he says he is" such that the witness signature requirement on absentee ballots can not be enforced anymore.

In addition, Spakovsky highlighted that the For The People Act isn't really as such for it endangers the First Amendment right to participate or join a political activity by requiring donors to be disclosed by non-profit organizations. He and other lawyers actually echoed Weber's belief that the bill is unconstitutional, especially when it comes to setting election policies in a state that should have been a state's sole discretion, which, in turn, increases the federal government's control in managing a state's elections.

"The mandate and the prohibitions that it puts on the states, I think, are extremely dangerous, and they basically get rid of any and all of the safety and security protocols that the states have in place," Spakovsky said.

The approval of the bill in the Senate looks bleak for it will require 60 votes to pass and would require the vote of 10 Republicans to overcome the filibuster. Currently, there seems to be no way of having the filibuster changed to a vote of simple majority as the Democrats are actually lobbying for, especially since Democrat West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin has firmly expressed support of the filibuster.
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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 Financial Times yesterday published a plea from Indian vaccine manufacturers, who lamented that the U.S. decision to invoke the Korean-War era Defense Production Act to protect crucial inputs threatens world vaccine supplies:

Two of Indias top vaccine manufacturers making AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson shots have warned that the worlds vaccine production is being threatened by Americas pandemic export controls. Mahima Datla, chief executive of pharmaceutical company Biological E, said US suppliers claim they may not be able to fulfil orders to global clients because of Washingtons use of the Defense Production Act. Calling for urgent international intervention, Datla told the Financial Times: Its not only going to make the scale up for Covid vaccines difficult, but because of this its going to make manufacturing of routine vaccines extremely difficult.

Note that prior to the emergence of COVID-19, Indias vaccine manufacturers produced 60% of the worlds supply of vaccines. I dont have more recent figures, which would also include COVID jabs.

At the risk of overloading readers with vaccine posts, I decided to write this issue up, as its received far less attention than South Africa and Indias proposal for a temporary waiver of the World Trade Organizations (WTO) intellectual property rights so as to ramp up global vaccine production  the subject of a Common Dreams crosspost that I launched earlier today, Disturbing: Rich Nations Vaccinating Person Per Second While Blocking Effort to Share Recipe With Poor Countries.

Note two crucial points. U.S. export controls  and the supply chain distortions they cause  threaten global vaccine production generally, and are not limited to manufacture of COVID-19 shots alone.

And second, unlike the WTO provisions, the DPA controls are unilateral and the U.S. could lift them at anytime. By contrast, to waive the WTO provisions, other rich countries, including the EU and Switzerland, would need to sign onto the proposal backed by developing countries.

As the FT notes, Biden has followed in Trumps footsteps in invoking the DPA:

Both US President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump have invoked the Korean war era DPA during the pandemic to secure priority supplies of materials needed to control the disease. But with the US having ordered more than enough doses for every adult in the US, American suppliers are struggling to make enough to fulfil contracts outside the country.

I understand why the U.S. has made vaccinating Americans its top priority, bulldozing over what might be the global good. But those in charge should not be blind to the impact that export controls have on global vaccine production and especially so once the U.S. achieves its domestic vaccination goals.

The issue is attracting World Health Organization (WHO) concern:

On Friday, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization director-general, also warned of global shortages of vital components, which were limiting the production of Covid-19 shots but also jabs used for routine childhood immunisations. He said some countries had imposed legal restrictions, which was putting lives at risk and called on nations not to stockpile supplies. Were all interdependent, he said. No country can simply vaccinate its way out of this.

What materials are in short supply? Per the FT:

The materials that are a crucial part of vaccine production include plastics such as disposable fermenters and bags made by a limited number of companies. Some vaccine makers have been days away from stopping production because of a lack of these large sterile liners. Supplies of lab reagents, used for chemical tests, were also a concern, [Datla] added.

At the moment of course, most global attention is focussed on manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines. In this regard, the DPA restrictions limit the capacity makers have to scale up production to meet global needs. According to the FT:

Datla, whose company is manufacturing Johnson & Johnsons vaccine, said the DPA meant suppliers were reluctant to commit that they will stick to their delivery timelines. The supply chain challenges are going to make scaling up extremely difficult. . Biological E, a family run pharmaceutical business based in Hyderabad, supplies vaccines to WHO and Unicef for distribution around the world. It is developing a Covid-19 vaccine in partnership with US pharmaceutical company Dynavax Technologies Corporation and the Baylor College of Medicine with a target of producing 1bn doses. The company is also manufacturing at least 1bn doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine by the end of 2022. Datlas remarks come after Adar Poonawalla, the chief executive of the Serum Institute of India, the worlds largest vaccine manufacturer, warned that the Defense Production Act could undermine the global vaccination effort. The Novavax vaccine, which were a major manufacturer for, needs these items from the US, Poonawalla said. We are talking about having free global access to vaccines but if we cant get the raw materials out of the US  thats going to be a serious limiting factor.

Vaccine and Pharma Diplomacy

Are policymakers paying attention to these issues? The FT suggests the U.S. DPA restrictions might soon be addressed:

Datla said she was hopeful that after a Friday meeting between the Quad  a diplomatic and security initiative between the US, Japan, India and Australia  that the supply situation could be resolved. The US is working with the Quad to counter Chinas growing presence in the region and hopes to combat Beijings growing sway with vaccine diplomacy.

There are lots of players in the vaccine version of the great game. Both China and Russia are aggressively practicing vaccine diplomacy. As is the EU. The primary goal of U.S. vaccine diplomacy seems to be to ensure the profits of Big Pharma, rather than on maximizing the number of people vaccinated, in the shortest possible time. Could these priorities shift? Perhaps. Time will tell. India has stepped forward to represent the perspective of developing countries, drawing on its role as a major vaccine manufacturer  and perhaps sometime soon  developer.

As Ive written before, in various Indian venues (which alas, are not digitally available) India has increasingly been practicing pharma diplomacy, which it is able to undertake due to its outsize role in global pharma manufacture. India is the third largest global supplier of pharmaceuticals by volume, the leading exporter of generic drugs, and its pharma makers account for the most plants certified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

When Donald Trump demanded in 2020 that India lift its export ban on hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), an anti-malarial drug touted as having some promise as a possible COVID-19 treatment, instead of taking a page from the U.S. export controls playbook, India responded more elegantly. Note Trump requested that India ship HCQ supplies to the U.S. for an unproven use of the drug, diverting them away from Indians who relied on HCQ for known treatments for autoimmune diseases and for malaria prophylaxis.

What was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis response? Rather than bridling at the veiled threat underlying Trumps request, Modi seized the suggestion as an opportunity for Indias pharma manufacturers. Modi agreed to export millions of HCQ doses, emphasizing the need for the international community to co-operate in this time of pandemic.

What Is to Be Done?

What will the US do at the upcoming Quad meetings? I have no special insight.

Sadly, the state of global vaccine distribution is a mess, and the global solidarity and co-operation Modi called for in response to the pandemic in all-too-short supply.
Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, delivers a speech during the evening session on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention on July 21, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

PayPal Co-founder Gives $10 Million to Super PAC Backing Potential Senate Bid by JD Vance

The billionaire co-founder of PayPal donated $10 million to a newly formed political action committee backing a potential U.S. Senate bid by J.D. Vance in 2022.

Peter Thiel, a billionaire who was also one of the earliest investors in Facebook, donated $10 million to the Protect Ohio Values PAC, according to Bryan Lanza, the communications director for the PAC.

Protect Ohio Values was created to support Vances bid for the U.S. Senate, the groups website states. The formal paperwork was filed late last month.

Were a network of grassroots conservatives committed to electing a Senator who will stand for and defend Ohios values in Washington, DC. We believe J. D. Vance is the right man for the job and we are signing up supporters and raising funds to demonstrate a groundswell of support in the Buckeye State, the website states.

Rise of the Rest Seed Fund managing partner J.D. Vance speaks onstage during Day 2 of TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2018 at Moscone Center in San Francisco, California, on Sept. 6, 2018. (Steve Jennings/Getty Images for TechCrunch)

Thiel has donated to dozens of American figures on the political right, including former President Donald Trump. Thiel was one of the California delegates for Trumps nomination. He announced a $1.25 million donation to Trump in October 2016 and was subsequently named to the executive committee on Trumps transition team.

Like Trump, Vance is an outsider to politics. Vance amassed a fortune as a venture capitalist and author. His book was the subject of a Netflix film released last year.

Vance hasnt publicly said whether he will run, but a source familiar with the matter told The Epoch Times that all signs point to JD pulling the trigger on a run. Vance would run as a Republican, the source confirmed.

Vance had spoken about running for office as early as 2016. He reportedly contemplated a run as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in 2018.

He previously worked as a principal at Thiels venture capital firm, Mithril Capital Management. He is perhaps best known as the author of Hillbilly Elegy, a book about the values of his Kentuckian family and the social problems in his hometown of Middletown, Ohio.

The New York Times included Hillbilly Elegy in a list of six books necessary to understand Trumps win in 2016.

If he chooses to run, Vance would be a contender for the seat that will be vacated by Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio). Portman said in late January that he wouldnt seek reelection in 2022, citing the worsening political polarization in Washington.
A 15-year-old boy is continuing to be treated in hospital today after he was the victim of an horrific assault in the capitals south inner city after allegedly being lured to the scene by a girl.

Gardai suspect the teenager was lured to the Inchicore area by a girl before he was attacked by a gang of youths some of whom are suspected of being armed with iron bars.

The boy who is from the Tallaght area suffered a broken leg, broken arm and several broken ribs.

The shocking incident happened at Vincent Street West in Inchicore at around 5pm yesterday and it is being investigated by Kilmainham gardai but no arrests have yet been made.

Read More

It is understood that the boy was too unwell to make a statement last night as he was being treated for his injuries in hospital.

The victim travelled to the location to meet a girl and all the indications are that this was a set-up because when he arrived to the scene there were a group of male youths present as well as the juvenile female, a senior source said.

He then was very badly assaulted in an incident which was witnessed by a number of onlookers some of whom contacted the emergency services.

Gardai are investigating whether this attack may have been organised online and are gathering CCTV from the location, the source added.

When gardai arrived at the scene he was at a nearby Luas stop and he was then rushed to hospital.

By this stage his attackers had fled the area but sources say that gardai are confident of making arrests in the case.

They intend to speak to the boy later today and are hopeful of identifying who was involved in the savage attack.
If you are eligible to receive a Pell Grant, you are not required to pay the confirmation fee. Once eligibility is verified by the UC Financial Aid Office, that's when you won't see the request for payment. After completing the FAFSA, you will receive a Student Aid Report within 3 weeks of your submission. You will log into your account on the FAFSA website to view this report. This report will tell you if you are eligible for a Pell Grant based on your level of financial need. If you are eligible, you will not see the request for payment on your status page.


FDI flows into India totalled $67.54 billion during April-December 2020

Foreign investors pumped a whopping $67.54 billion into India during the first nine months of the current financial year (April-December 2020-21), despite the economic downturn caused by the corona virus pandemic, figures released by the commerce ministry showed.

It is the highest ever for the first ninth months of any financial year and 22 per cent higher compared to the first ninth months of 2019-20 ($55.14 billion).

The spike in FDI inflows was led by a 40 per cent rise equity investments in the first 9 months of FY 2020-21 to $51.47 billion, commerce ministry data showed.

FDI inflows increased by 37 per cent to $26.16 billion in the third quarter of 2020-21 compared to $19.09 billion during the thurd quarter of 2019-20.

FDI inflows showed growth of 24 per cent, at $9.22 billion in December 2020, against $7,46 billion in December 2019.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is a major driver of economic growth and an important source of non-debt finance for the economic development of India. The government has put in place an enabling and investor friendly FDI policy by removing policy bottlenecks that have been hindering the investment inflows into the country.

Measures taken by the government on the fronts of FDI policy reforms, investment facilitation and ease of doing business have resulted in increased FDI inflows into the country, says the commerce ministry, adding that it is an endorsement of Indias status as a preferred investment destination amongst global investors.
NGC 1808 is barred spiral galaxy located in the southern constellation of Columba. It was discovered by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop from Australia, who describe it as a "faint nebula". It is a barred spiral with marked similarities to our home Milky Way Galaxy. NGC 1808 is distinguished by a peculiar nucleus, an unusually warped disk, and strange flows of hydrogen gas out from the central regions. Amidst all of this, because NGC 1808 is undergoing with intense star formation activity it has been deemed a starburst galaxy. NGC 1808 is relatively close to our Milky Way, and spans in about 35,000 light-years.8" Orion Optics UK / QSI 583 WS / LRGB (130,90,90,90)more info atwww.baskies.com.ar
When Piers Morgan stormed off the set of Good Morning Britain last week as a Black colleague chided him for trashing Meghan Markle, it felt like a familiar American scene: a tone-deaf old-timer getting swept aside by an anti-racist younger generation, as the culture of media changes.

Morgan sure embraced that narrative. Last week, he tweeted, among other things, a photograph of a defiant Winston Churchill, a clip of Tucker Carlson calling him an inspiration and then, apparently getting impatient for the arrival of a mob, a demand that the Society of Editors remove his nomination as columnist of the year. I am canceling myself, he announced.

British media has traditionally presented a dynamic opposite to that of the United States. Here, we have radio screamers and spittle-flecked television hosts, while broadsheet newspapers seek to balance both sides of a story. In Britain, the newspapers are often wildly partisan and the television is customarily staid. But Morgans theatrics last week seemed to signal a shift, and to mark the extent to which the forces driving the culture wars are money and commercial opportunity.

This is the moment that is going to transform British TV, and take it in a direction that is more Americanized, Amol Rajan, the former editor of The Independent who now the host of The Media Show on BBC Radio 4, said in an interview.

Of course, sober-minded British commentators wonder, as my colleague Mark Landler recently reported, why anyone would want to import any element of our hyper-polarized American life. The answer, of course, is that it sells. And at a confusing and unstable moment in American media, theres something clarifying about watching Britains television drama play out around its monarchy.

The whole thing, at times, has the schematic quality of theater, sometimes verging into parody, as various actors play their parts and state their values with admirable clarity. But the players also speak openly about the opportunities the new cultural conflict presents, as their countrys political split over Brexit settles into a lasting divide.

The American culture war has come here in a big way, Morgan told me cheerfully in a telephone interview, appearing to be welcoming its arrival. And while he denied that his walkout was in any way staged, he acknowledged that his departure comes at a particularly opportune time.

Morgan, a former tabloid editor, Americas Got Talent judge and CNN host, spent the past five years nudging upward the ratings of ITVs morning show  long a distant second to the BBCs more staid Breakfast  largely by generating an unending stream of news about his own on-air antics.

The show for the first time outdrew the BBC last Tuesday, when he walked off the set. And he is walking straight into a bidding war for his services between two new news networks, one backed by Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch. Both are aiming to capitalize on populist discontent with the BBC. (Many of the nationalists who supported Brexit  and the royal family  believed that the network was unfair to their cause, even as Brexit critics complained that the BBC was too soft on Brexit supporters rosy projections.)

The opportunity for a new era in British television begins in the studios of LBC, a radio station that has tested, and effectively stretched, the British legal requirements that broadcast news be balanced. Instead of offering down-the-middle recitations of news developments, the network serves up clashing and sometimes strident debates over issues. The station thrived during the long run-up to Brexit, making clear to broadcasters that they could abandon their starchy customs and reflect more partisan passions  as long as the stations didnt embrace just one political side.

Now, television is poised to fill the space that LBC opened. The most ambitious player in this new arena may be Andrew Neil, a Scot who transformed The Sunday Times for Murdoch in the 1980s before emerging as one of the BBCs most formidable interviewers. Hes a conservative, but his style shares almost nothing with his right-wing American counterparts, who alternate between tossing coddling questions to Republican politicians and obliterating obscure liberals who have foolishly wandered onto their sets. Neil is an equal opportunity interrogator, and may be best known in the United States for a hoisting in 2019 of conservative figure Ben Shapiro. In the 2019 British election, the Tory Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to submit to an interview with him.

I reached Neil at his home in the French Riviera, where he has been weathering the pandemic and preparing the start of a new 24-hour cable channel network, GB News, this spring. When I called, he was watching MSNBC Live with Craig Melvin. I think there are things to learn from it in terms of programming, and the visuals are very strong, he said of the left-leaning American channel. In terms of formatting and style, I think MSNBC and Fox are the two templates were following.

Neil has raised 60 million pounds (about $83 million) to start the channel, including investments from the American giant Discovery and hedge fund manager Paul Marshall. ( Marshalls son, unrelatedly, is taking time off from playing banjo in the band Mumford and Sons to examine my blind spots after praising a far right book on Twitter.) Neil said he expected that sum to last the network at least three years, though its a pittance by the standards of American cable news.

He said he planned to hire some 100 journalists, a fraction of the more than 2,000 at the BBC, but aimed to capture the resentment of the London-centric media by having many of them broadcast from their hometowns in the north. The channel will rely on other news services for its breaking news, he said, and focus its resources on producing American-style, personality-driven news shows. But he said he wouldnt follow the American right into outlandish conspiracy theories, and he has denounced Donald Trumps claim that he won the U.S. election.

I dont think theres an appetite in Britain for ridiculous conflict, Neil said. Still, he plans to carry a segment on his own prime-time show called woke watch in which he can mock what he sees as progressive excesses. He cited as an example a recent report that British nurses were told they could use the word chestfeeding rather than breastfeeding to be inclusive of transgender people.

GB News will need a huge audience to succeed, because in Britain, unlike the United States, cable channels depend entirely on advertising, rather than regular payments from cable companies. Morgan, an old friend of Neil, would be a huge asset for the channel, Neil said. And, indeed, Morgan seems an ideal fit for a network determined to showcase personality and passion without violating British rules against partisanship.

Morgan lost his job running the left-leaning Mirror in 2004 for publishing fabricated pictures of alleged British war crimes in Iraq. Before emerging as the queens leading defender, he was a confrontational critic of Johnsons flawed response to the pandemic. He told me he had proven at ITV that he could be highly opinionated but without the viewers ever having any idea what my personal politics would be.

The delightful British gossip newsletter Popbitch noted last Thursday that Morgan appeared to be weighing his options for his next job. But his defense of the crown against the assault from Los Angeles can only make him more valuable to GB News.

I dont think the channel will have a corporate voice, Neil said. But I think it will be the natural inclination of most of our presenters to side with the dignity of the queen as opposed to the victimization portrait of two of the most privileged and pampered people in the world.

Neil is challenging the BBC as the broadcaster has restored some of its centrality to British culture through its coverage of the pandemic. But his main competition for Morgans services may be a new digital television service planned by Murdochs News Corp, News UK, that will be led by a former Fox executive and CBS News president, David Rhodes. The first move by that service has been to import a different American television format: the soft showbiz news embodied by Inside Edition and Access Hollywood, for an evening broadcast called News To Me. But it also promises to carry on Murdochs long crusade against the BBC into right-leaning shows.

It now suffers, however, from Murdochs long-standing tendency to underfund digital projects in favor of his first loves, print and television. And it has shrunk in ambition from a full-scale television network to a series of shows associated with newspaper brands and carried on video streaming platforms. Rhodes, who declined to be interviewed, has tried to cast that as an advantage, as traditional television is gradually replaced by digital services. Neil bitingly suggested otherwise, casting Rhodes as losing out inside the Murdoch empire to the companys powerful newspaper boss Rebekah Brooks, who is perhaps best known here for being tried and acquitted in a scandal over the British tabloids hacking of crime victims phones. (Morgan was also accused of, and denied, employing the tactic when he was editor of The Mirror.)

In the old days, Murdoch wouldnt have allowed that to happen, Neil said of the modest scale of the News UK plan. He would have said either, Were not going there or Heres 100 million  go blow GB News out of the water. 

News Corps current challenge, though, may be the broader uncertainty surrounding the direction of a company whose dominant figure celebrated his 90th birthday in Los Angeles last week. His birthday party was canceled for the second year in a row because of the restrictions on gatherings during the pandemic that Foxs anchors have often criticized. (His son Lachlan, the CEO of Fox News parent company, decamped with his family from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia, after his fathers birthday.)

These days, at least some of the companys energy is going into producing a star-studded video for the delayed birthday celebration, two people familiar with the project said. It is being produced by a former News Corp executive, David Hill, and will feature figures from Murdochs history, including the former News Corp president, Peter Chernin, and the former New York Post editor, Col Allan, telling the story of his career.

Morgan said he was currently fielding offers and enjoying revived sales of his 2020 book on cancel culture (though if youve got broad shoulders like me, you can handle it). He said he hoped to record his segment for Murdochs birthday soon.

In the meantime, hes simply enjoying the attention.

Ive got the whole world talking about me in varying degrees of either praise or shame, he said with satisfaction.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-16 05:42:34|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, March 15 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday called for more efforts to end the Syrian conflict by adhering to political settlement and upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

The Syrian crisis has lasted for a full decade. Over the past 10 years, Syria has suffered from illegal invasion, external occupation, terrorism, and unilateral sanctions. The national development process has almost stalled and people's lives are in dire straits. The Security Council should vigorously promote an early end to the Syrian crisis and alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

He asked for adherence to the general direction of political settlement.

China supports UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen's continued efforts to promote the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2254 and advance the work of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, Geng told the Security Council. "We call on all parties in Syria to maintain communication with the special envoy, carry out in-depth political dialogue on the basis of existing consensus, and make progress at an early date."

The Constitutional Committee must remain independent in discharging its functions and be free from outside interference, he said.

All parties concerned in the Syrian crisis should actively respond to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' appeal for a global cease-fire, stabilize the security situation, and create conditions for a political settlement, he said.

Humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Syria should not be linked to the political process. Doing so violates the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, and will undermine the mutual trust of the parties, he said.

China welcomes the establishment of a tripartite coordination mechanism for Syria by Russia, Qatar and Turkey, and welcomes the positive considerations by relevant Arab countries for Syria's return to the Arab League, said Geng. "We hope that this positive momentum will produce pragmatic results and form synergy with the mediation efforts of the United Nations. The international community should encourage countries in a region to strengthen dialogue and cooperation instead of threatening or obstructing them."

Geng said the purposes and principles of the UN Charter should be adhered to in resolving the Syrian crisis.

Over the years, illegal aggression, occupation and attacks on Syrian territory have caused turmoil in Syria and the entire region. China calls on all parties concerned to respect Syria's sovereignty, independence and territory integrity and avoid adding new complications to the situation in Syria, he said.

The international community should be committed to promoting the unity and tolerance of Syrian society, and reject all intentions and actions to separate the country, he added.

In northwestern Syria, terrorists are entrenched and frequently launch attacks, resulting in civilian casualties. There have been worrying new trends in the activities of the terrorist group Islamic State. Many members of the Security Council are concerned about terrorist activities in Syria and their spillover risks. The international community should support the Syrian government's efforts in defending national security and combatting terrorist forces in Syria, said Geng.

Advancing the Syrian political process and restoring peace and tranquility in Syria require all parties in Syria and the international community to strengthen dialogue, build consensus, and work together. Sanctions and pressure will only cause strong pushback, create more confrontation, intensify and prolong the conflict, bring more suffering to the people, and will not help solve the problems in a fundamental way, he said.

The future of Syria is in the hands of the Syrian people. The Security Council and the international community should adhere to the principle of a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned process and play a constructive role in achieving an early political settlement of the Syrian issue, Geng said. Enditem
At first glance the rocks that make up Greenland's Isua supracrustal belt look just like any modern basalt you'd find on the sea floor. But this outcrop, which was first described in the 1960s, is the oldest exposure of rocks on Earth. It is known to contain the earliest evidence of microbial life and plate tectonics. CREDIT Hanika Rizo

New research led by the University of Cambridge has found rare evidence - preserved in the chemistry of ancient rocks from Greenland - which tells of a time when Earth was almost entirely molten.

The study, published in the journal Science Advances, yields information on a important period in our planet's formation, when a deep sea of incandescent magma stretched across Earth's surface and extended hundreds of kilometres into its interior.

It is the gradual cooling and crystallisation of this 'magma ocean' that set the chemistry of Earth's interior - a defining stage in the assembly of our planet's structure and the formation of our early atmosphere.

Scientists know that catastrophic impacts during the formation of the Earth and Moon would have generated enough energy to melt our planet's interior. But we don't know much about this distant and fiery phase of Earth's history because tectonic processes have recycled almost all rocks older than 4 billion years.

Now researchers have found the chemical remnants of the magma ocean in 3.6-billion-year-old rocks from southwestern Greenland.

The findings support the long-held theory that Earth was once almost entirely molten and provide a window into a time when the planet started to solidify and develop the chemistry that now governs its internal structure. The research suggests that other rocks on Earth's surface may also preserve evidence of ancient magma oceans.

"There are few opportunities to get geological constraints on the events in the first billion years of Earth's history. It's astonishing that we can even hold these rocks in our hands - let alone get so much detail about the early history of our planet," said lead author Dr Helen Williams, from Cambridge's Department of Earth Sciences.

The study brings forensic chemical analysis together with thermodynamic modelling in search of the primeval origins of the Greenland rocks, and how they got to the surface.

At first glance, the rocks that make up Greenland's Isua supracrustal belt look just like any modern basalt you'd find on the sea floor. But this outcrop, which was first described in the 1960s, is the oldest exposure of rocks on Earth. It is known to contain the earliest evidence of microbial life and plate tectonics.

The new research shows that the Isua rocks also preserve rare evidence which even predates plate tectonics - the residues of some of the crystals left behind as that magma ocean cooled.

"It was a combination of some new chemical analyses we did and the previously published data that flagged to us that the Isua rocks might contain traces of ancient material. The hafnium and neodymium isotopes were really tantalizing, because those isotope systems are very hard to modify - so we had to look at their chemistry in more detail," said co-author Dr Hanika Rizo, from Carleton University.

Iron isotopic systematics confirmed to Williams and the team that the Isua rocks were derived from parts of the Earth's interior that formed as a consequence of magma ocean crystallisation.

Most of this primeval rock has been mixed up by convection in the mantle, but scientists think that some isolated zones deep at the mantle-core boundary - ancient crystal graveyards - may have remained undisturbed for billions of years.

It's the relics of these crystal graveyards that Williams and her colleagues observed in the Isua rock chemistry. "Those samples with the iron fingerprint also have a tungsten anomaly - a signature of Earth's formation - which makes us think that their origin can be traced back to these primeval crystals," said Williams.

But how did these signals from the deep mantle find their way up to the surface? Their isotopic makeup shows they were not just funnelled up from melting at the core-mantle boundary. Their journey was more circuitous, involving several stages of crystallization and remelting - a kind of distillation process. The mix of ancient crystals and magma would have first migrated to the upper mantle, where it was churned up to create a 'marble cake' of rocks from different depths. Later melting of that hybrid of rocks is what produced the magma which fed this part of Greenland.

The team's findings suggest that modern hotspot volcanoes, which are thought to have formed relatively recently, may actually be influenced by ancient processes.

"The geochemical signals we report in the Greenland rocks bear similarities to rocks erupted from hotspot volcanoes like Hawaii - something we are interested in is whether they might also be tapping into the depths and accessing regions of the interior usually beyond our reach," said Dr Oliver Shorttle, who is jointly based at Cambridge's Department of Earth Sciences and Institute of Astronomy.

The team's findings came out of a project funded by Deep Volatiles, a NERC-funded 5-year research programme. They now plan to continue their quest to understand the magma ocean by widening their search for clues in ancient rocks and experimentally modelling isotopic fractionation in the lower mantle.

"We've been able to unpick what one part of our planet's interior was doing billions of years ago, but to fill in the picture further we must keep searching for more chemical clues in ancient rocks," said co-author Dr Simon Matthews from the University of Iceland.

Scientists have often been reluctant to look for chemical evidence of these ancient events. "The evidence is often altered by the course of time. But the fact we found what we did suggests that the chemistry of other ancient rocks may yield further insights into the Earth's formation and evolution - and that's immensely exciting," said Williams.

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New Delhi, March 15 : A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court on Monday was told that reservation ceiling fixed at 50 per cent cannot be breached and the court should not re-examine the Indra Sawhney case (Mandal Commission) verdict.

Senior advocate Arvind Datar, representing petitioners against Maratha reservation, submitted before a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan whenever the Parliament wanted to overcome the Indra Sawhney case, it did by introducing amendments. Citing Article 16 (4) of the Constitution, he added that this does not use the word proportionate, but rather used "adequate representation" for socially and economically backward classes.

Datar contended that if there is any need to revisit the 50 per cent ceiling, which was pronounced in the nine-judge bench in the Indra Sawhney case, then it can be done through a constitutional amendment. He added that the 50 per cent ceiling is important part of right to equality, taking into consideration social dynamics, and it has been maintained for close to three decades.

Senior advocate Shyam Divan, also representing petitioners against Maratha reservation, cited various judgements during the day-long hearing, as he insisted there is no need to refer the matter to a 11-judge bench.

Divan argued that in PG medical courses, there was no rationality of having reservation.

"Please do not allow reservation in that category. This should be completely on merits," he said, noting that the general category faces stiff competition as 72 percent of seats in medical PG courses are reserved for different categories.

The top court will continue to hear the matter on Tuesday.

On March 8, the Supreme Court had said the 50 per cent cap on reservation laid down by a 9-judge bench in 1992, could be re-examined in view of subsequent constitutional amendments and the socio-economic changes that has followed.

The top court posed six queries while hearing a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Maratha reservation.

The Constitution bench headed by Justice Bhushan said: "Whether judgment in case of Indra Sawhney v. Union of India needs to be referred to larger bench or require re-look by the larger bench in the light of subsequent Constitutional Amendments, judgments and changed social dynamics of the society etc?"
Anthony Quinn Warner, 63, of Antioch, Tennessee, killed himself when he detonated a bomb attached to his RV in downtown Nashville in the early morning hours of Christmas Day 2020

The man who blew himself up inside his recreational vehicle in a Christmas Day bombing in Nashville was grappling with paranoia and eccentric conspiracy theories, but there are no indications he was motivated by social or political ideology, the FBI said Monday in closing out the investigation into the blast.

The FBI statement sets out to resolve some of the lingering mysteries of an explosion that initially perplexed investigators and the public because it appeared to lack an obvious motive or fit a clear profile.

Though the blast damaged dozens of buildings, it took place early on a holiday morning well before downtown streets would be bustling with activity and was preceded by a recorded announcement warning anyone in the area that a bomb would soon detonate.

The FBI concluded that the bomber, Anthony Quinn Warner, chose the location and timing so that it would be impactful while still minimizing the likelihood of 'undue injury.'

Police were responding to a report of shots on the morning of Christmas Day when they encountered the RV blaring a recorded warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes.

Then, inexplicably, the audio switched to a recording of Petula Clark's 1964 hit Downtown shortly before the blast.

The FBI has wrapped up its investigation into the case. It found that Warner was not motivated by any political or social ideology

The image above was taken from surveillance footage showing Warner's RV before it exploded on Christmas Day in downtown Nashville

Three people were injured and dozens of buildings were damaged by the blast on Christmas Day (seen above)

Three people were injured and several dozen buildings were damaged.

The report found that Warner acted alone and set off the bomb to end his own life, driven in part by his longtime beliefs in several 'eccentric' conspiracy theories and paranoia as well as 'the loss of stabilizing anchors and deteriorating interpersonal relationships.'

The Associated Press has previously reported that investigators scrutinized Warner's interest in conspiracy theories after being told by some of the people they've interviewed that he believed shape-shifting reptiles take on a human form to gain control over society and that he discussed taking trips to hunt aliens.

Despite online speculation that Warner may have been motivated by conspiracy theories about 5G technology, given the proximity of the explosion to an AT&T building and the resulting havoc to cellphone service in the area, the FBI statement gives no indication that that is the case and said that the bombing was not related to terrorism.

'The FBI's analysis did not reveal indications of a broader ideological motive to use violence to bring about social or political change, nor does it reveal indications of a specific personal grievance focused on individuals or entities in and around the location of the explosion,' the FBI said.

Investigators conducted more than 250 interviews and combed through more than 2,500 tips, the FBI said.

Authorities were able to identify Warner through DNA recovered from the blast site, quickly zeroing in on him as the culprit and concluding early on that he had acted alone.

The FBI said Warner held far-fetched beliefs and espoused wild conspiracy theories. He was also said to have been driven by a desire to end his life

Even if Warner didn't leave behind a clear motive, he did take steps in the weeks leading up to the bombing that suggested he didn't expect to survive.

For instance, he gave away his car, telling the recipient that he had cancer - though it was not clear if he did - and signed a document that transferred his home in a Nashville suburb to a California woman for nothing in return.

He told an employer he was retiring.

A neighbor who made small talk with Warner about the upcoming Christmas holiday later recalled to the AP that Warner said something to the effect of, 'Oh, yeah, Nashville and the world is never going to forget me.'

Law enforcement actions received scrutiny in the days after the bombing when it was revealed that Nashville police in 2019 had visited Warner's home after his girlfriend reported that he was building bombs in a recreational vehicle at his residence.

But the police did not make contact with him or see inside his RV.
Surf Life Saving New Zealand is calling for greater investment in beach and coastal safety education following a report published today outlining New Zealands poor beach and coastal drowning rates.

On average, 36 people fatally drown every year on New Zealands coastlines, according to the Beach & Coastal Safety Report published by SLSNZ with the figure on the increase.

There have been 33 fatal drownings in the Bay of Plenty during the 10-year period 2010 to 2020.

The last one-year overview, for 2019 to 2020, showed three fatal drownings in the region, matching the annual average fatal drownings for the BOP.

The national statistics are equally sobering.

The number of fatal beach and coastal drownings in New Zealand has actually increased by 18 per cent over the past five years compared to the previous five years, says SLSNZ chief executive, Paul Dalton.

And our fatal beach and coastal drowning rate is 48 per cent worse, per capita, than Australias.

Every person who dies on our beaches and coastlines is someone with a whanau and a community who loves them and misses them. Whats particularly gut-wrenching is that, as with the road toll, most fatal drownings are preventable.

Paul says the vast majority of fatal beach drownings occurred on non-lifeguarded beaches, or outside of patrol hours. Swimming, 22 per cent, boating, 17 per cent, and falls, 17 per cent, made up the majority of activities being undertaken at the time that someone fatally drowned.

A staggering 87 per cent of victims were male.

Pasifika, Maori and Asian community members were the most over-represented in fatal drowning figures.

Geographically, Northland has the highest fatal beach drowning rate in New Zealand with 4.22 fatal drownings per 100,000 people, compared to 0.77 for Auckland. The Bay of Plentys average sits at 0.91.

Its time for us to think seriously, as Kiwis, about prevention and education when it comes to beach and coastal safety, says Paul.

We cant have surf lifeguards everywhere, so how are we going to approach this? Whos responsible? And whos going to pay for it?

SLSNZ is a charity and, while the organisation does receive government funding towards frontline operational expenses, this funding does not cover public safety campaigns or education.

Road, fire and boating safety have had significant investment in public education strategies and campaigns, which has reduced deaths and injuries and also raised awareness of the issues, says Paul.

It's now time to do the same for beach and coastal safety.

It is no co-incidence that education and training is the first Strategic Priority in the recently launched New Zealand Water Safety Sector Strategy 2025.

The Beach & Coastal Safety Report also offers a striking insight into the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff role that Surf Lifeguards play in keeping beachgoers safe in the face of a critical lack of public awareness around beach and coastal safety.

In the decade to 2020, Surf Lifeguards rescued more than 10,000 people on beaches and coastlines across New Zealand.

This astonishing figure does not include the almost 1,000,000 preventative actions taken by Surf Lifeguards on the beach, nor the 20,400+ first aid responses conducted by lifeguards over the same time period.

These are incredibly sobering figures, but theyre just part of the picture, says Paul.

Surf Lifeguards do more than patrol between the red and yellow flags over summer. Through emergency callout squads, they conduct search and rescue operations year round  often in difficult and dangerous conditions. Surf Lifeguards also utilise their skills in non-beach events, such as car crashes or medical events.

Paul says the National Beach & Coastal Safety Report is SLSNZs way of drawing attention to the importance of more public education as set out in the Water Safety Sector Strategy.

As a volunteer-based organisation with a 111-year-old focus on beach and coastal safety, we are at the coalface of what could accurately be described as a major public safety problem, says Paul.

What the figures in this report tell us is that, had it not been for our volunteers, more than 10,000 people could have died from drowning on our beaches and coastlines over the past decade. Thats more than twice the road toll for the same period.

Fortunately, New Zealands fatal beach and coastal drowning toll over this time period sits instead at 360. Yet, thats still 360 mums, dads, grandparents and children who died unnecessarily in an environment that should have been a source of joy, relaxation and kaimoana.

Surf Life Saving New Zealand, are now saying its time to do better.

We are strongly supporting the Water Safety Sector Strategy in calling for greater investment in long-term, evidence based beach and coastal safety education. We can only do so much as the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, we need better public education as the fence at the top.
From March 5 to 7, President Xi Jinping joined group discussions and deliberations with national lawmakers and political advisors during the 2021 two sessions.

He asked questions and gave instructions on key issues ranging from education to anti-corruption efforts.

Let's review Xi's key moments at this year's two sessions.
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A few showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.
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A HIGH-TECH firm founded by two Limerick brothers has become the most valuable private company the Silicon Valley has ever produced.

On top of this, Stripe, which provides online payments, is to create 1,000 new jobs in Dublin over the next five years.

The company was founded by John and Patrick Collison, who grew up in Monaleen and were educated at Castletroy College.

Investors have struck a deal which now values Stripe at $95bn. Participants in the firms latest financing, which has raised $600m of new equity include the National Treasury Management Agency, Allianz, Fidelity and Axa.

Its value has almost tripled in less than a year, surpassing those achieved by Facebook and Uber before they went public.

Padraig Flanagan, the principal of Castletroy College said there is immense pride at the pairs achievement.

He said: It doesnt get much better than this.

The school community is buzzing with excitement and pride at John and Patricks achievements. Many of my colleagues have very fond memories of working with them. They are two excellent students and we are very proud of their success, he said.

Mr Flanagan was not at the school when Patrick and John were there, but many teachers were. And he said they are remembered fondly.

He added: They were two very fine young men in every sense of the word. They were really good students, really so bright. They worked hard, were so ambitious. But they were ordinary guys and theyve not forgotten the school. A number of past pupils are working with Stripe, and its great the school link has been maintained, particularly in California.

Stripe already employs around 300 staff at its Dublin offices, which acts as its international headquarters, and 3,000 globally in 14 offices, with operations in 43 countries.

Dublin represents Stripe's fastest-growing international office and is home to a broad range of functions.

The companys payment technology is used by a large number of Irish firms, including Intercom, LetsGetChecked and DoneDeal.
People take part in a protest following the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard, in London. Photo: Reuters/Henry Nicholls

The head of the Metropolitan Police has said she will not stand down despite calls for her to quit over her forces actions at a vigil in memory of Sarah Everard.

Cressida Dick said what happened to the 33-year-old appals me and made her more determined, not less to lead the organisation.

She welcomed the Home Secretarys request for an independent investigation into the events, which she described as fiendishly difficult policing.

In ugly scenes on Saturday night, officers clashed with crowds who had gathered on Clapham Common to remember the marketing executive.

Ms Dick said: What happened to Sarah appals me. As you know, Im the first woman commissioner of the Met, perhaps it appals me, in a way, even more because of that. What has happened makes me more determined, not less, to lead my organisation.

Ive listened to what people have been saying in the last week, I know that in the streets all across the UK women dont feel as safe as we would all like women to feel."

She said all the women and men of the Met are outraged at what has happened and theyre working as hard as they can to get justice for Sarah.

In that context, none of us would have wanted to see the scenes we saw at the end of yesterdays events, she added.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has said the death of Sarah Everard must unite us in determination to drive out violence against women and girls.

The British prime minister will chair a meeting of the Crime and Justice Taskforce today to look at what action needs to be taken to ensure the UKs streets are safe.

Metropolitan Police chief Ms Dick is expected to attend the meeting along with English Director of Public Prosecutions Max Hill, British home secretary Priti Patel and Robert Buckland.

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Mr Johnson will use it to discuss his governments strategy on violence against women, securing safer streets, rape prosecutions and the criminal justice system. Ahead of the meeting, he said: Like everyone who saw it, I was deeply concerned about the footage from Clapham Common on Saturday night.

I have spoken with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner who has committed to reviewing how this was handled and the home secretary has also commissioned HM Inspectorate of Constabulary to conduct a lessons learned review into the policing of the event.

Tomorrow I will chair a meeting of the Governments Crime and Justice Taskforce to look at what further action we need to take to protect women and ensure our streets are safe.

The death of Sarah Everard must unite us in determination to drive out violence against women and girls and make every part of the criminal justice system work to protect and defend them.

Earlier yesterday, Home Secretary Ms Patel asked the Chief Inspector of Constabulary to conduct a lessons learned review into the events.

Ms Patel spoke with Ms Dick, having received her report into the polices actions at the vigil.

But in the interest of confidence in policing Ms Patel asked Thomas Winsor to conduct an independent review into what happened, a Government source told the PA news agency.

Ms Dick has faced calls to resign after the clashes in which her forces officers were seen grabbing several women and leading them away in handcuffs.

The Metropolitan Police later said four people were arrested for public order and coronavirus regulation breaches.

Three of those  including a man and two women  were arrested on suspicion of breaching the Health Protection Regulation and have been reported for consideration of a fixed-penalty notice.

A fourth person  a woman in her teens  was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence and has been released under police investigation.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called on Ms Dick to resign, while Womens Equality Party co-founder Catherine Mayer said her position was untenable.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said the London police commissioner should not quit, but condemned the policing on Saturday as wrong.

He told reporters: I was very disturbed to see the police action. I think it was wrong and I am pleased it is now going to be reviewed.
Amaravati, March 15 : Actor-politician and Janasena founder Pawan Kalyan alleged that the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) won majority of seats in the municipal polls by "threatening to cut rations and food supplies to people if they do not vote for them".

"YSRCP may have won the highest number of seats in the municipal elections but that victory came with threats," said Kalyan.

"We will remove pensions for you parents. We will stop the money you receive for your children's education. We will not waive loans for farmers. Like this they threatened and hit them where it hurt most -- source of food and shelter -- to win. However, they did not give them any assurance," he added.

How long the YSRCP will continue in the same manner, he wanted to know.

The actor asked everyone to think about it and react.

Kalyan also alleged that candidates were being threatened when they wanted to contest in MPTC, ZPTC and panchayat polls.

The actor-politician made the allegations at an event celebrating seven years of his party's existence.

Meanwhile, senior YSRCP leader and Nagari MLA Roja Selvamani said it was better for people to talk less about Janasena.

"It is limited to 17 to 19 wards or divisions, you have to think that. When these injustices were done, where did you people go to complain?" questioned Selvamani.

She alleged that all the people who believe in Janasena are being embarrassed by Kalyan because in Telangana he tells people to vote for TRS and comes to Vijayawada and calls people to vote for Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

"He goes to Tirupati, leaves the seat for BJP and falls on their feet. So he does not have any agenda. Accordingly it appears, he himself doesn't know when he will tell people to vote for which party," she claimed.

She claimed that Janasena members should realize the embarrassment of being in that party and better exit it. She alleged that if they believe in the actor, he will just show them and do his business.

Similarly, YSRCP leader Modgugula Venugopal Reddy slammed Janasena's multiple alliances. He likened these stitching of various alliances of Kalyan's party to a marriage between a man and woman and said they should stick together come what may. However, it has not been the case with Kalyan's party, Reddy said.

Reddy alleged that it was becoming one samasaram (political marriage) a month for Janasena and termed it incomprehensible.

"How much respect one garners depends on the individuality one maintains. If you join Chandrababu it will go from good to worse," he claimed.
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DEAR ABBY: I recently had a child with a man who is now incarcerated. I was widowed when I met him, and although he brought me happiness, it has come at a steep price.

I pay for literally everything. I love him very much, but his entitlement was an issue even before he had legal issues. Now he has become very nasty and minimizes everything I do.

If I send $100, he's upset that I didn't send $200. If I have a day off from work that I don't spend communicating with a lawyer and the courts, I'm "not taking initiative." He has even gone so far as to say it was my fault he got in trouble because I was on his case so often that he "had to go out to get some peace." His only redeeming quality is his wonderful relationship with the kids, who see none of our fights and regard him as a father figure.

He is now even more negative and derogatory than when he was at home. I manage a busy restaurant and a household of five children. Since he has been away, I'm ashamed to say life has actually been less stressful.

I think my loneliness when I met him made it easier to ignore red flags. In every other aspect of my life, I am an independent woman who has the respect of my peers. Is it too late to set boundaries with him? -- GROWING IN FLORIDA

DEAR GROWING: This emotionally abusive individual is milking you like you are a Guernsey cow. His ingratitude is boundless. You are not the reason he got himself in trouble with the law, and it isn't your responsibility to get him out or support him financially.

It is way too late to set boundaries with this manipulative ingrate. He won't change. What you must do now -- for your own sake and for your children's -- is tell him you are finished and cut ties with him.

DEAR ABBY: I live in Kansas and my boyfriend lives in another state. We talk online all the time, but I haven't heard from him in three days and I don't know what to think. My friends say I'm being paranoid, but I can't help but think that he might be seeing another girl. I've had problems like this before and ended up getting hurt because I didn't listen when my friends told me that a guy was cheating. What should I do? -- LONG-DISTANCE LOVE

DEAR L.D.L.: Recognize that as much as two people might care about each other, long-distance romances don't always have fairytale endings. I don't know if your boyfriend is cheating. Neither do you and neither do your friends.

It's time for you to have a calm conversation with your boyfriend. Tell him you were worried by his three-day silence because it was unusual. Let him respond. If you are satisfied with his answer, change the subject. However, if you aren't, ASK him if he has met someone closer to home and tell him to level with you. It takes courage to do this, but it will save you a lot of pain in the long run.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
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Chairman of the Chamber of Advocates of Armenia Ara Zohrabyan has issued the following statement:

The initiative of the Government of Armenia to change the regulations for the funds allocated from the state budget to the Office of the Human Rights Defender is a cause for deep concern. The regulations serve as a major guarantee for the independence and effective activities of the Human Rights Defender.

Taking into consideration the functional features and special role of the Office of the Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) in human rights protection, the proposed changes will lead to undermining of the regular activities of the Ombudsman as a constitutional body and the Office of the Ombudsman, and this may lead to worsening of the state of human rights protection in the country.

What is particularly troubling is the information about changes based on discrimination, as well as the activities of the Human Rights Defender that are not pleasant for state bodies.

What deserves appraisal is the consistent activities that the Human Rights Defender carries out to protect and advance citizens rights at the international level, and this became of greater significance during and after the hostilities that Azerbaijan launched in 2020.

Interfering in the activities of the Human Rights Defender or creating disproportionate restrictions may have a negative impact on the state of human rights protection in Armenia, the activities of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia abroad and the reputation of Armenia in the international arena.

The Chamber of Advocates of Armenia expresses its support to the Human Rights Defender and suggests that the government of Armenia reviews the negative stance on the Human Rights Defender by taking into consideration the mentioned concerns and annul the legislative initiative that has become a topic for criticism.
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Odisha govt says forest fires totally contained and controlled

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Bhubaneswar, Mar 15: The Odisha government on Sunday claimed that the forest fire situation in the state is "totally contained and controlled" while the opposition BJP alleged that the forest department was responsible for the widespread wildfire in different jungles.

The state government's Forest Fire Task Force chief Dr Sandeep Tripathy said the forest fire situation across Odisha including Similipal National Park as on Sunday is "totally contained and controlled".

He said: "There is no continuous fire in the state as of now. This has been possible because of immediate and proactive steps taken by the government to check and control forest fire in the state and massive inhibited support of local communities who have come all out and assisted the forest officials in fire extinguishing in the field".

9 persons killed after fighting massive fire in Kolkata

On the forest fire incident at Barunei hills near Khurda town, about 25 km from Bhubaneswar, Tripathy said that the fire was spotted at about 12 noon and due to immediate intervention, the inferno was doused within some hours.

"No trees were affected at Barunei and only ground fire was seen which had been extinguished at 2 pm," Tripathy said.

However, considering that the major fire season is still left and fire activity increases with the rise in the temperature after the onset of summer season, the state government has asked the field officials to be on full alert to prevent any proliferation of fire in their areas.

The response of field officials is more than 95 per cent. As of now as per Forest Survey of India Alerts information, there is no ongoing continuous fire point in the state, Tripathy said, adding that the augmented manpower and infrastructure is effectively deployed in the field to continue mitigating prevailing fire situation effectively, particularly in identified vulnerable areas and hot spots.

Eight ODRAF teams with 25 members along with Fire Officials are being actively engaged in dousing forest fire along with forest staff, he said, adding that the Central Team after their visit to Simlipal National Park and Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary on Sunday toured Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary.

The central team is scheduled to meet the state government oficials on Monday, Tripathy informed.

Meanwhile, BJP's Sambalpur MLA and former minister JN Mishra, who led a 13-member party legislature team to Similipal National Park for verification of ground reality said: "During our visit, we found two major fires at Joranda and Chahala range inside Similipal National Park, one of the biggest biosphere in Asia."

Rejecting the state government's allegation that the local people set fire in forests in order to clear bushes for collection of Mahua flower and Kendu leaves, the BJP delegation said: "There is absolutely no coordination between the local people and forest department. The people are rather unhappy over the activities of forest department."

Mishra claimed that the local people have a major role in detection and dousing of the forest fire and alleged that the officers do not involve local people in the forest protection, regeneration of forests and other activities. He said unless the local people are not taken into confidence, one cannot extinguish fire in forests.

The BJP delegation said that they would raise the issue in the Assembly. They also alleged that they could not find water bodies inside the forests which were supposed to be created for animals to drink water during the summer.

Grammys 2021: Beyonce breaks record for most Grammy wins for a female artist | Oneindia News

"We doubt huge corruption in utilisation of both the central and state government funds in forests," Mishra alleged.
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President Joe Biden speaks as he gives a primetime address to the nation from the East Room of the White House March 11, 2021 in Washington, DC. President Biden gave the address to mark the one-year anniversary of the shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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PROMOTIONS

 Jesse D. Hale has been named counsel. Hales practice focuses on health care law, litigation, insurance defense, and real estate law. He was recently re-appointed to serve a second term as vice chair of the membership committee of the ABAs Health Law Section. He is also a member of the board of directors of the New Mexico Chronic Disease Prevention Council.

 Noe Astorga-Corral has been promoted to head the firms Committee on Equality. This committee is commissioned to develop ways to use Sutins resources in creating and supporting programs that tangibly empower marginalized communities in New Mexico. Astorga-Corral joined the firm in 2019. His practice focuses on commercial litigation and employment matters.

Kendra Pesko, Ph.D. has been promoted by TriCore Reference Laboratories to the position of technical director, infectious disease. Pesko has a bachelors degree in biology from the University of Michigan, a masters degree in entomology from the University of Florida and a doctorate in biomedical sciences from the University of New Mexico. She moved to New Mexico to work on dengue virus and West Nile virus. Following four years in the molecular department of the New Mexico Scientific Laboratory Division, Pesko joined TriCore, spending three years in the assay development department and was pivotal in the implementation of Tri-Cores COVID-19 assays.

Andrew Bowen, New Mexico State Universitys Deputy Police Chief and a 19-year veteran with the NMSU Police Department, has been named interim chief of the department. Another search will be conducted after the pandemic is over to find a permanent replacement for Chief Stephen Lopez, who is retiring after more than 33 years with the department. Bowen currently serves as deputy chief, managing and directing the Field Services Division of the NMSU Police Department. Bowen develops and implements the yearly budget, serves as the primary public information officer for the department and provides press releases and information to the media and community. He has a masters degree in criminal justice and leadership management and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the FBI Command College and International Chiefs of Police Association Leadership in Police Organizations.

WELCOME Brwyn Downing has joined the Senior Citizens Law Office Inc., as executive director. Downing previously worked for the Senior Citizens Law Office Inc., from 2014-2019, serving as a paralegal and then as a staff attorney. She then went to work for the states Aging and Long-Term Services Department as the assistant general counsel. Downing has a law degree, cum laude, from UNM. TriCore Reference Laboratories has hired two new employees. They are:  Cecilia Thompson, PhD, MLS (ASCP), Medical Director, Infectious Disease. Thompson has a bachelors degree in biology and clinical laboratory science from Loyola University Chicago and while there, she also completed the MLS certification, received a masters degree in infectious disease and immunology, and obtained a doctorate in microbiology and immunology. She spent the last two years at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill completing a fellowship in clinical microbiology.  Veronica I. Luzzi, Ph.D., DABCC, FACB, Medical Director, Clinical Trials and Research. Luzzi has a doctorate in biology from the University of California, Irvine, and completed her training in Clinical Chemistry in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis. In her new position, she will focus on clinical device trials, providing a centralized infrastructure to promote quality research, ensure fiscal and regulatory compliance, and encourage collaborations. She will implement solutions to meet quality standards for all stages of analytical testing, writes analytical procedures, and teaches clinical chemistry to laboratory scientists, residents, and fellows.
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Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

Theres an age-old truth, though not everyone recognizes this truth. Sometimes within Christian communities, discussions emerge about a seemingly profound difference. To some individuals, the God in the Old Testament is vastly different from the God in the New Testament. Some would argue that God is much more punitive in the Old Testament, quick to punish sins, a more fire and brimstone type of God. Then they assert that God in the New Testament is much more patient, forgiving, and kind. Maybe this God doesnt even deal out punishment for sins and if so to a much lesser degree. The truth is that the God in the Old Testament and in the New Testament are one and the same God. We know this because Scripture says as much.

How Do We View God?

We Christians understand God in three parts. Firstly, we view God the Father. Secondly, we view God as the Son, Jesus. And lastly, we understand God as the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. These three components existed during creation in the Old Testament, indicated by our image (Genesis 1:26). And the three facets of God continue to exist today. The aforementioned verse indicates that God is the same throughout Scripture. However, the more we read, the more we notice and change in descriptions of God and even His relationship to believers. For example, certain sacrifices were required for atonement, and then they were not. Jesus Christ was once not born, and then He was.

Why this change? Though the descriptions may seem different, the God being described is the same. Pastor Mike explains, in the Old Testament God reveals Himself, yes, to be um, clearly communicating to His people what right and wrong are and that theres a consequence for choosing right and a consequence for choosing wrong. But he also reveals His heart to be the heart of someone who loves. He cites the Psalms as an example of descriptions where God is shown to be patient, and longsuffering on behalf of His people. This matches the behavior of Jesus in the New Testament. Jesus Himself spoke on sin and also at times referred to Hell (Mark 9:43). Christianty.com cites a similar view from David Murray:

In fact, Jesus spoke of hell more than any other biblical person. We can thus conclude that God is not different. Between both testaments, He remains the same, but the relationship to the people changes. More specifically, how we understand God changes. Important to remember is that God created humankind in His image (Genesis 1:26). Later passages of Scripture go on to describe Gods love for humanity with terms such as an everlasting love. How God treats us is consistent. God loves us, but does not like our sin. Therefore, in the Bible we receive story after story, lesson after lesson, admonishing us to be better people.

Instead of viewing God as changing, we have to acknowledge our ever-changing perspective of God. Typical of the human experience, we view God through a cultural lens and family teachings. For example, in the Antebellum South Scripture was once used to defend slavery. Then leading up to the Civil War, the Bible became a tool for ending slavery. Much like learning a subject in school, our understanding of God will shift with the times. The more we want to learn, the more we will have to study, pray, and be in community.

Though we can conclude now that God is the same, what did the writer of Hebrews 13:8 mean when they said it thousands of years ago? How did they know?

The Context and Meaning of Hebrews 13:8

Interestingly, the author or authors of Hebrews is unknown. This final chapter of Hebrews begins with exhortations to the ancient church about love and faith. Within the first line, fellow believers are encouraged to continue showing love to one another (Hebrews 13:1). The love described here is best defined as the ancient Greek word philadelphia also known as brotherly love.

The first paragraph goes on to describe other appropriate behaviors for believers, such as honoring marriage, showing hospitality to neighbors, and staying away from obsession with money. By the fifth verse, the tone of the passage shifts from loving others to maintain faith in God. Here, believers are reminded that God will never leave nor forsake them and that He will always help them (Hebrews 13:5-6). Then a couple of lines later we read a very important detail about Jesus.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

Knowing that Jesus is God, all the descriptions whether God or even Jesus are mentioned by name are interchangeable. The remainder of the passage encourages the listeners to go about their lives practicing obedience to God, to leaders, and all for the purpose of performing Gods will and bringing Him glory (Hebrews 13:21). At the end of the passage, the writer offers a farewell and grace to all who heard the message.

An important detail to note, though it is briefly mentioned is that while Jesus is the same, not everyone who teaches about Jesus will teach the same message. Instead, some people will share their own strange teachings (Hebrews 13:9). This is to be avoided in order to follow Gods biblical teachings. This same admonishment applies to believers today. Though Jesus, or God, or the Holy Spirit remains the same day after day, our understanding of God can benefit or be limited by the culture and the teacher. We too have to be careful with the messages we hear and what we choose to believe.

What Are the Implications of God Being Immutable or Changeless?

Knowing that the qualities of God are immutable or changeless gives clarity to discussions about whether God is different between the Old and New Testaments. God is always the same, but the teachers are different. Some teachers align with Gods precepts and others do not. This may sound scary at face-value, but this is good news. If we know that God does not change, but people do, then we can do as the Hebrews writer suggests and carefully observe the outcome of their lives (Hebrews 13:7).

When we observe we can weigh someones message against Scripture and see if the teachers words match. If we receive a good message from someone who is faithful then we can begin to imitate their faith (Hebrews 13:7). The more we can emulate proper Christian living, the more we will bring glory to God, and magnify His name in our lives. If God is unchanging, then this also means when we read about Gods promises in the Bible, we know that what He says will come to pass will in fact occur. If God said that He will never leave nor forsake us then we know His Word is true. Unlike people, Gods nature is consistent, and therefore His love will never end.

Why Should We Be Encouraged by God's Consistency?

Much like our human relationships evolve with time and effort, the same applies to our relationship with God. The more of His character that is revealed, the greater our sense of understanding. Recognizing Gods character as unchanging is encouraging news. The love that led Him to create humans in Genesis and the love put on display by Jesus continues to play out today. Gods love is available to us. We can read the Bible and know confidently that all of Gods promises are true. Scripture is true.

Therefore whenever the Bible tells us to not be afraid, we know not to be afraid. If the Bible tells us that God heals, then we know God heals. The more we know about God and His unchanging character, the stronger our relationship with Him, but also the more we can tell others about God. There will come times in our lives when fellow believers need reminders, or a nonbeliever wants to hear more about God. Now, we can speak with much more wisdom and much more clarity.

Source:

TheGospelCoalition.org, 'The Uncomfortable Subject Jesus Addressed More Than Anyone Else'

OverviewBible.com, 'Authors of the Bible'

Photo credit: GettyImages/Arthit_Longwilai

Aaron Brown is a freelance writer, dance teacher, and visual artist. He currently contributes articles to GodUpdates, GodTube, iBelieve, and Crosswalk. Aaron also supports clients through the freelance platform Upwork.

This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy to read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. It is our hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in relation to your life today.

"Be Still and Know that I Am God"

"Pray Without Ceasing"

"Fearfully and Wonderfully Made"

"All Things Work Together for Good"

"Do Not Fear"
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NEW YORK  Gov. Andrew Cuomo has urged New Yorkers to wait for the facts.

Patience, though, has grown thin. The states two U.S. senators, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and most of the 27 other members of New Yorks congressional delegation have called for his resignation. In the state legislature, more than 120 lawmakers have called on the Democrat to quit.

Leaders in the state Assembly on Thursday announced an impeachment investigation, a first step toward potentially removing Cuomo from office.

Cuomo has rebuffed calls to resign and staked his political future on the outcome of an independent investigation by Attorney General Letitia James, who is examining allegations that the governor sexually harassed or inappropriately touched several female aides.

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Heres a look at the next steps on a possible road to impeachment:

ATTORNEY GENERALS INVESTIGATION

James, an independently elected Democrat, hired former Acting U.S Attorney Joon Kim and employment discrimination attorney Anne Clark to lead her inquiry into the governors workplace conduct.

The investigative team will have the power to subpoena documents and interview witnesses. Its findings will go in a public report.

Cuomo has since said that he will fully cooperate.

James lacks power to unilaterally remove Cuomo from office, but any findings corroborating the allegations could sway potential impeachment proceedings  or add pressure for Cuomo to leave voluntarily.

Kim and Clark may choose to limit their scope to allegations that are already public, or broaden it to look for other women who might have complaints about Cuomos behavior.

James office sent a letter last week instructing the governors office to preserve all evidence related to the harassment allegations. That could include documents and emails to and from Cuomos staff, calendar entries and communications involving the transfer of one of his accusers to another office.

There is no deadline for completing the investigation and James hasnt said how long she expects it to take. A 2010 investigation that Cuomo oversaw as attorney general into his predecessor, Gov. David Paterson, lasted about five months.

Andrew G. Celli Jr., who was chief of the civil rights bureau in the office of attorney general from 1999 to 2003, said that while James is a Democrat, her independence would allow her to to do what she thinks is in the best interest of all the people, even if that means an adverse finding to the governor.

THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

The Assemblys Judiciary Committee will also have power to subpoena documents and witness testimony. It could rely on work done by the attorney generals team of investigators, or gather its own evidence.

The scope of its inquiry might go beyond Cuomos conduct with women. The governor is also under fire for his handling of the COVID-19 crisis in the states nursing homes.

Many lawmakers have been outraged that the Cuomo administration declined, for months, to release the full number of nursing home patients killed by the virus.

The governors office said some of the data, related to deaths of nursing home patients who had been transferred to hospitals, was unreliable. But in a recorded conference call with lawmakers, Cuomos top aide said the administration withheld the data in late summer because it was afraid the fatality numbers could be used against us.

Federal investigators are scrutinizing how the Cuomo administration handled data about nursing home deaths.

The committees work could result in the drafting of articles of impeachment against Cuomo, though that outcome is far from certain.

One of the women who has reportedly accused Cuomo of groping her has not spoken publicly about what happened and it is unclear whether she would be willing to offer public testimony in an impeachment trial.

THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS

New Yorks process for impeaching and removing a governor from office has some parallels  and some important differences  to the process the U.S. Congress uses for impeaching presidents.

Like at the federal level, New York impeachments starts in lower house of the legislature  in this case, the Assembly. If a majority of members vote to impeach Cuomo, a trial on his removal from office would be held in whats known as the Impeachment Court.

The court consists not only of members of the state Senate, but also judges of the states highest court, the Court of Appeals, who would also cast votes. There are seven appeals court judges and 63 senators, though not all would serve on the impeachment court.

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (HOH-kull) and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins are also members, but they are excluded when a governor is on trial. At least two-thirds of the jurors must vote to convict in order to remove Cuomo.

Democrats control both chambers of the Legislature. Many have joined Republicans in calling for Cuomos resignation or impeachment in recent days. Cuomo has appointed all seven members of the Court of Appeals.

New York has only impeached a governor once, in 1913, when Gov. William Sulzer was bounced after 289 days in office in what he claimed was retribution for turning his back on the powerful Tammany Hall Democratic machine.

Sulzer, accused of failing to report thousands of dollars in campaign contributions and commingling campaign funds with personal funds, blasted the courts secret deliberations, complaining: A horse thief in frontier days would have received a squarer deal.

SIDELINING CUOMO

If Cuomo were impeached by the Assembly, state law might force him to step aside immediately  a dramatic difference from what happens when the U.S. president is impeached.

A section of the states judicial code regarding impeachment states: No officer shall exercise his office, after articles of impeachment against him shall have been delivered to the senate, until he is acquitted.

According to the state constitution, the lieutenant governor would then take over.

In case the governor is impeached, is absent from the state or is otherwise unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor, the lieutenant-governor shall act as governor until the inability shall cease or until the term of the governor shall expire, the constitution states.

When Sulzer was impeached, Lt. Gov. Martin Glynn was appointed acting governor.

If Cuomo were to be acquitted in an impeachment court, he would return to office. If the Impeachment Court were to remove him from office, Hochul would serve out the remainder of Cuomos term  through the end of 2022. The court could also opt to disqualify him from holding office in the future, on top of removing him.

___

Villeneuve reported from Albany, New York.

___

On Twitter, follow Michael Sisak at twitter.com/mikesisak and Marina Villeneuve at https://twitter.com/reportermarina.
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Convicted terrorist Ariz Khan, convicted of murdering Delhi Police constable Mohan Chand Sharma during the Batla House encounter, has been awarded the death penalty by a Delhi Court. The same court has pronounced Ariz Khan guilty on March 8, asserting that the prosecution has successfully proved the case.

Delhi Court awards death penalty to convict Ariz Khan in 2008 Batla House encounter case. The court calls the case as 'rarest of rare case'  ANI (@ANI) March 15, 2021

The Batla House encounter had taken place in 2008. It is a locality in Delhis Dalmia Nagar. An encounter had taken place between Delhi Police and Indian Mujahideen terrorists on September 19, 2008. Delhi Police had received intel that Indian Mujahideen terrorists, linked with the Delhi serial blasts a week prior that had killed over 30 people, were hiding at a residence in Batla House.

Two terrorists named Atif Amin and Mohammad Sajid were killed in the encounter while 3, including Ariz had escaped. Constable MC Sharma was martyred. Ariz was arrested near the Nepal border in 2018. Another terrorist Shahzad is facing life imprisonment for the case. Junaid, another terrorist who had escaped, is still at large.

Batla House encounter was vehemently opposed by Congress leaders, who were then in power in the UPA government. It was also claimed that Sonia Gandhi had wept a lot at the death of the terrorists whom the Congress called innocents. Many so-called secular leaders had termed these encounters as fake and had blamed the Delhi Police for hurting Muslims.

Source : OpIndia
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Joe Biden told reporters at the White House he wanted to see the outcome of the investigation into New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is facing pressure to resign over sexual harassment allegations.

Asked if Cuomo should resign, Biden told reporters: 'I think the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings us.'

Cuomo faces accusations of sexual harassment leveled by seven young women and has come under pressure from revelations that his administration withheld the number of nursing home residents killed by COVID-19 in the state.

Joe Biden is seen on Sunday evening returning to the White House and asked about Cuomo

Joe and Jill Biden return to the White House Sunday with their grandson Hunter and his friend

Governor Cuomo (pictured) continued to resist calls for him to resign on Friday

However Nancy Pelosi refused on Sunday to call for Cuomo's resignation - despite claiming she has a 'zero tolerance' rule with sexual assault and harassment accusations.

'The governor should look inside his heart  he loves New York  to see if he can govern effectively,' the House speaker told ABC's 'This Week'.

'What I said at the time that these revelations came forward, I said what these women have said must be treated with respect,' she continued.

'They are credible and serious charges, and then I called for an investigation. I have confidence in the Attorney General of New York.

'Again, with all respect in the world for what these women have come forward and said.'

Biden is pictured with Cuomo at a 9/11 commemoration in Manhattan in 2020

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wouldn't call on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign on Sunday, despite claiming she has 'no tolerance' for sexual harassment and assault

'No tolerance,' she insisted when ABC News host George Stephanopoulos asked if Cuomo can still be an effective leader.

'And this is a subject very near and dear to my heart. This is  no tolerance for sexual harassment. I'll let the world know that.'

'But you're not calling on him to resign right now?' Stephanopoulos pushed.

'I think we should see the results of the [investigation],' she said of the attorney general probe into the allegations.

Charlotte Bennett, 25, accused Cuomo of propositioning her in his office in June

Anna Ruch (left) and Ana Liss both accused Cuomo of inappropriate behavior

Karen Hinton (left), a press aide, and Jessica Bakeman accused Cuomo of inappropriate actions

Lindsey Boylan, a former Cuomo aide, came out in December with allegations against him  she further detailed her experience in a February post to Medium

Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York, reiterated on Sunday his call for Cuomo - a fellow Democrat, but a frequent rival - to resign.

'I think he'll try to hold out,' de Blasio predicted of Cuomo during an interview on CBS News' Face the Nation.

'I think he is used to getting things his way, and it's been almost an imperial governorship.

'But I got to tell you, the folks in this state and the political leadership don't believe him anymore. He doesn't have any credibility.'

MEMBERS OF THE NY CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT CALLING FOR CUOMO'S RESIGNATION Issuing statements Friday: Rep. Jerry Nadler Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Rep. Jamaal Bowman Rep. Mondaire Jones Rep. Yvette Clarke Rep. Adriano Espaillat Rep. Carolyn Maloney Rep. Grace Meng Rep. Nydia M. Velazques Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney Rep. Antonio Delgado Rep. Brian Higgins Rep. Paul Tonko Issued statement last week: 14. Rep. Kathleen Rice Advertisement

De Blasio continued: 'So I think an impeachment proceeding will begin, and I think he will be impeached and perhaps right before that he'll decide to resign. That's probably the most likely outcome right now.

'But I've got to tell you something.

'He should resign right now because he's holding up our effort to fight COVID. He's literally in the way of us saving lives right now.'

On Friday, New York's two senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and multiple members of the state's congressional delegation, including leading liberal voice Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, called on Cuomo to step down.

Schumer and Gillibrand released a joint statement Friday afternoon, saying that their state had lost confidence in the 63-year-old.

'Confronting and overcoming the Covid crisis requires sure and steady leadership. We commend the brave actions of the individuals who have come forward with serious allegations of abuse and misconduct,' they wrote.

'Due to the multiple, credible sexual harassment and misconduct allegations, it is clear that Governor Cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners and the people of New York. Governor Cuomo should resign.'

Both had previously said an independent investigation into the allegations against Cuomo was essential.

Shortly after the Senators' joint statement was released, House Intelligence Chairman and California Rep. Adam Schiff also urged Cuomo to resign.

'I don't think he can carry on,' Schiff told Wolf Blitzer on CNN.

Meanwhile, New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapooli tweeted: 'These allegations are extremely disturbing and are impairing Governor Cuomos ability to lead, as our state struggles through a crisis and must make critical budget decisions. It is time for him to step down.'

Pressure is growing on Cuomo as a seventh woman alleged sexual harassment in a first-person essay published in New York magazine on Friday.

Additionally, 30 women spoke to the same publication claiming they experienced bullying while working for the governor.

But a defiant Cuomo told reporters in a conference call Friday that he will not bow to 'cancel culture' by tending his resignation. He then hit out at colleagues who are calling for him to go.

A protestor sits outside the New York State Capitol on Friday demanding Cuomo resign

A group also gathered Friday to protest over the nursing home COVID scandal (pictured)

'Politicians take positions for all sorts of reasons including political expediency and bowing to pressure,' he stated.

'People know the difference between playing politics, bowing to cancel culture and the truth... let the review proceed.

'I am not going to resign. I was not elected by the politicians. I was elected by the people - part of this is that I am not part of the political club and you know what, I'm proud of it.'

On Friday evening, Cuomo was seen looking strained as he paced up and down outside the Governor's Mansion in Albany with his daughter, Mariah.

At one point, the governor draped a blanket over his shoulders as he spoke into the phone while sipping from a bottle of Saratoga Springs water.

Cuomo is pictured outside the Governor's Mansion in Albany with his daughter on Friday

Cuomo draped a blanket around his shoulders and appeared to be in a downcast mood
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Priti Patel has defended a potential new crime bill being debated in Parliament tonight that will give police new powers to deal with protests - but MPs including Theresa May have raised concerns over the impact it will have on freedom of speech.

MPs are debating the Police Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which Labour intends to oppose at a vote tomorrow.

The bill will see new powers given to the police and Home Secretary to deal with protests that are deemed to have caused 'serious unease, alarm or distress'.

It will also raise the maximum sentence for defacing statues to 10 years, while new measures are also expected to crack down on knife crime.

Powers given to officers to remove traveller encampments were branded 'racist' at tonight's debate in the House of Commons.

The bill has garnered controversy, particularly after Met Police officers were seen restraining women attending a vigil in memory of Sarah Everard in Clapham Common on Saturday night.

Speaking at the debate, Ms Patel said peaceful protest was a 'cornerstone of democracy,' before adding: 'The current legislation police use to manage protests, the Public Order Act 1986, was enacted over 30 years ago. In recent years we've seen significant change in protest tactics, with protesters exploiting gaps in the law which have led to disproportionate amounts of disruption.'

Former prime minister Theresa May argued: 'Freedom of speech is an important right in our democracy, however annoying or uncomfortable sometimes that might be and I know there will be people who will have seen scenes of protest and will have said, 'why isn't the Government doing something?', to which the answer in many cases may simply be because we live in a democratic, free society.'

Priti Patel tonight defended new powers that would be given to police and the Home Secretary to curb protesters, should the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts bill be approved on Tuesday

Politicians, including former prime minister Theresa May, have raised concerns with the bill, following Met Police's handling of a vigil in memory of Sarah Everard in Clapham Common on Saturday

Speaking tonight, Ms Patel said: 'Last year we saw XR (Extinction Rebellion) block the passage of an ambulance on emergency calls, gluing themselves to trains during rush hour, blocking airport runways, preventing hundreds of hard-working people from going to work.'

The bill will mean that home secretaries will be able to create laws to define what 'serious disruption,' to communities and organisations means.

Ms May added: 'It's tempting with the Home Secretary to think that giving powers to the Home Secretary is very reasonable because we all think we're reasonable, but actually future home secretaries may not be so reasonable and I wonder if the Government would be willing to publish a draft of those regulations during passage of the Bill so we can actually see what that is going to be and make sure that it is not also encroaching on the operational decisions of the police.

'So there are very important elements of this Bill, but I would urge the Government to consider carefully the need to walk a fine line between being popular and populist. Our freedoms depend on it.'

Speaking during tonight's debate, former PM Theresa May called on the Government to outline what powers the Home Secretary would be given, to ensure they are not 'encroaching on the operational decisions of the police'

The Home Secretary added: 'This Bill will give police the powers to take a more proactive approach in tackling dangerous and disruptive protest. The threshold at which the police can impose conditions on the use of noise at a protest is rightfully high.

'The majority of protesters will be able to continue to act, make noise as they do so now without police intervention. But we are changing it to allow the police to put conditions on noisy protest that cause significant disruption to those in the vicinity. As with all our proposals, the police response will still need to be proportionate.'

Protestors in London tonight have been chanting 'kill the bill,' in opposition to the powers, as Patsy Stevenson, a demonstrator protester who was seen being pinned on the ground by two policemen in images that went viral on Saturday night, said earlier today that she was 'terrified' by the officers' behaviour.

She told Good Morning Britain: 'As someone who stands up for women's rights I think we need to get the message away from ''We are against the police'' and focus on how we need to open a new dialogue to protect women's safety.'

Labour MP Sarah Champion said that ministers must consider making misogyny a hate crime.

She told the Commons: 'Tragic events of the last week have shown just how important this Bill is. For too long, abuse and particularly violence against women and girls, has gone on unchecked and survivors have been left to deal with a system that not only isn't working, but is often making their situation worse.

'Crimes against women often specifically occur because they are women. These crimes are not gender neutral and so the law should not be either. The definition must be considered about making misogyny a hate crime.'

Conservative former minister Andrea Leadsom said: 'The appalling events of recent days have caused great anger and anxiety. My inbox has many emails calling for curfews on men and many others calling for greater understanding that not all men are perpetrators.

'At such a difficult time, we must find the right balance between personal freedom and state intervention, but also recognise how vital it is that we teach our boys and our girls the profound importance of mutual respect.'

Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle said: 'In public speaking sometimes you'd call it a 'something sandwich', where you'd put the bad in the middle and sandwich it with the good and that's what this Bill is.'

Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds criticised the Government for its prioritisation of the protection of statues - after some monuments were destroyed or vandalised during Black Lives Matter protests last year.

He told the Commons: 'The Government wants a maximum penalty of 10 years for damage to statues. Now, no government should ever send out a signal that the safety of a statue carries greater importance in our laws than the safety of women.

'But as currently drafted, this Bill would allow someone to receive a sentence for attacking the statue of a slave trader of up to 10 years when rape sentences start at five years. That does not reflect the priorities of the people.'

Making an intervention, Home Office minister Chris Philp said: '(Nick Thomas-Symonds) should well know and should honestly tell the House that the maximum sentence for rape is life.'

Protestors in London tonight have been chanting 'kill the bill,' in opposition to the powers, as Patsy Stevenson, a demonstrator protester who was seen being pinned on the ground (pictured) by two policemen on Saturday night, said earlier today that she was 'terrified' by the officers' behaviour

Labour's Harriet Harman said she will table amendments to the bill to punish those who follow, film and harass women in other ways in the street.

She also wants to amend the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill to criminalise kerb-crawling - with the punishment including loss of driving licence - and to prevent victims of sexual offences having their previous sexual history read out in court.

Ms Harman, known as the Mother of the House as she is the longest continuously serving woman MP, said politicians must act on the demands to allow women to walk the streets safely - which have emerged following the death of Sarah Everard.

She recalled joining the Reclaim the Nights protests in the 1970s, telling the Commons: 'But then women's demands were not listened to by the men in the corridors of power. Now there are women in government, in the Home Office, in the Cabinet. There are women in all parties in Parliament. We are in these corridors of power so we must use our power to deliver for women.

'We all argued it'd make a difference if we were here as women in Parliament. Now we had better prove it.'

On her amendments, Ms Harman said: 'Following a woman on the street, filming her, trying to get her number, not taking no for an answer is harassment. Why should women and girls have to put up with it? Let's make that a criminal offence.'

Labour's Andy Slaughter said the Bill 'targets' the Gypsy and Traveller communities, telling Home Secretary Priti Patel: 'She'd be advised to drop these racist and draconian proposals from the Bill before it progresses any further.'

SNP justice spokeswoman Anne McLaughlin earlier said Gypsies and Travellers are among the 'most persecuted and most misunderstood' communities in the country, adding: 'This Tory Government wants to criminalise their way of life.'

Speaking earlier today, Ms Patel told MPs that the scenes of officers manhandling women from the scene on Clapham Common in South London had been 'upsetting', and the murder had 'rightly ignited anger' about male violence.

But she also defended the police's efforts during the pandemic and highlighted the death toll from coronavirus as she urged the public to stay off the streets in large groups.

Her comments came after Boris Johnson said he has full confidence in Met chief Cressida Dick as she faces a huge backlash for defending the police operation on Saturday night.

Called to Westminster to answer an Urgent Question about the Ms Patel told MPs: 'Over the past year during the coronavirus pandemic, the police have been faced with an unenviable and immediately difficult task. It is one for the most part that they have approached with skill and professionalism, helping to enforce regulations as determined by Parliament with one crucial objective in mind, to save lives.

'This House approved those changes by 524 votes to 16 on January 6 this year. Sadly, as of Sunday March 14, more than 125,500 lives have been lost to this horrible virus.

'It is for that reason that I continue to urge everyone for as long as these regulations are in place not to participate in large gatherings or attend protests.

'The right to protest is the cornerstone of our democracy, but the Government's duty remains to prevent more lives being lost during this pandemic.'

Striking a more personal tone, she also said women and girls must feel safe whilst walking on the street.

'Accounts shared online in the wake of Sarah's disappearance are so powerful because every single one of us can relate to them,' she said.

'Too many of us have walked home from school or work alone only to hear footsteps uncomfortably close behind us. Too many of us have pretended to be on the phone to a friend to scare someone off.

'Too many of us have clutched our keys in our fist in case we need to defend ourselves and that is not OK.

'Women and girls must feel safe whilst walking our streets, that is why we have continued to take action.'

Her Labour shadow Nick Thomas-Symonds accused the Government of 'failing to address violence against women and girls'.

He told MPs: 'And whilst the event was a vigil not a protest, the scenes from Clapham should be a red warning light to the Government that ministers should not be rushing through laws cracking down on protest.

'The truth is this Government is failing to address violence against women and girls and ministers even want to curtail their right to protest about it. It is a chronic failure from this Government and meetings and reopening surveys alone are nowhere near enough.

'And meetings that we understand the Women and Equalities Minister won't even be attending this evening.'

The Prime Minister described events at the vigil as 'very distressing' and when asked if he had full confidence in Dame Cressida, he replied: 'Yes, I do. And what she's asked is  that we look at what happened on Saturday night.

A woman was arrested in Clapham Common on Saturday night as police tried to break up a vigil for Sarah Everard

The vigil was planned for Saturday in memory of marketing executive Sarah Everard, who disappeared while walking home to Brixton on March 3

A well-wisher places a tribute on the growing pile from a gap in a police cordon at the band-stand

'The police do have a very, very difficult job. But there's no question that the scenes that we saw were very distressing and so it is right that Tom Winsor, the inspector of constabulary, should do a full report into it.

'I think people have got to have confidence in the police and Tom's going to look at that.'

Earlier, Policing Minister Kit Malthouse had also said the images from the event on Clapham Common at the weekend were 'distressing', but dismissed calls for the 'superlative' Scotland Yard commissioner to quit.

He said officers were in a 'very, very difficult position' during the pandemic - with gatherings restricted by law to avoid spreading coronavirus.
Press Release

15 March 2021

Deutsche Hospitality is the first major hotel company in Germany to instigate free rapid testing for all its front-line staff. The project will be launched over the next two weeks. A weekly nasal swab or saliva specimen test will be made available to around 3,500 staff who work for the group's brands that are represented in Germany - Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts, MAXX by Steigenberger, Jaz in the City and IntercityHotel. Hotel guests will be able to acquire the tests at the reception if they wish. All tests used will meet the standards of and will have been certified by the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute.

"We have been continuously developing our hygiene and safety concepts since the beginning of the pandemic," stated Marcus Bernhardt, CEO of Deutsche Hospitality. "We have arranged for independent checks and have made improvements and adjustments. The issue regarding the rapid tests was to examine whether and how quickly we could make them available to our guests and employees at the hotels. Now that the tests have been certified by the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute, we are in a position to roll out our testing strategy, starting with Germany. The aim is to test every member of staff at the hotels once a week. There will be no cost to our colleagues, and both they and the guests will be provided with maximum protection and transparency."

Deutsche Hospitality currently operates around 75 hotels in Germany. Its worldwide portfolio comprises about 160 hotels across three continents. At the start of the pandemic, the group implemented a concept entitled "Safe Travels by Deutsche Hospitality". This consisted of a comprehensive package of measures drawn up in conjunction with independent institutes and set new benchmarks for the endeavours being undertaken to contain and combat the virus.
The CEO of Goldman Sachs, who has raged that employees working from home in the pandemic is an 'aberration', took seven weekend holidays on the company's private jet in as many weeks, according to a new report.

CEO David Solomon's trips over seven weekends in January and February were mostly to the Bahamas, including an exclusive enclave on the pink-sand beaches of Barbuda, sources told Bloomberg.

The exact dates and destinations of the trips were not immediately clear. Two planes identified by DailyMail.com as beneficially owned by Goldman Sachs had their flight histories scrubbed from public databases, a common practice among financial firms to prevent competitors from learning of client meetings.

Solomon has been outspoken in his frustration about Goldman employees working from home as a pandemic precaution, and even made a failed push to force a return to the office as early as last July.

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon took seven holidays on the company jet in as many weeks, all while raging that employees should return to the office and stop working remotely

Goldman last year acquired two Gulfstream jets, including a G280 similar to the one above

'It's not a new normal,' huffed Solomon of remote working at a conference in February. 'It's an aberration that we are going to correct as quickly as possible.'

'I do think for a business like ours, which is an innovative, collaborative apprenticeship culture, this is not ideal for us,' he told the annual Credit Suisse virtual financial services forum.

In private conversations, Solomon frequently grouses about an incident last year, when a junior Goldman employee approached him at a restaurant in the Hamptons to say hello in the middle of the workday, sources told Bloomberg.

Solomon often repeated the anecdote, raging that it demonstrated how employees are running wild and abusing remote working -- but some executives who heard the tale were privately struck that he seemed unaware that it revealed he himself was taking a luxurious extended weekend in the Hamptons.

Meanwhile, Solomon was also making heavy use of the company's private jet for weekend holidays over the winter, frequently escaping to the sunny Bahamas, according to Bloomberg.

Goldman had long resisted purchasing private jets, instead relying on timeshare service NetJets. But after a NetJets snafu left Solomon and top lieutenant John Rodgers stranded in Anchorage, Alaska on the way back from Asia, the company broke down and purchased two Gulfstream jets.

Solomon's trips over seven weekends in January and February were mostly to the Bahamas, including an exclusive enclave on the pink-sand beaches of Barbuda (above)

Solomon, an amateur DJ known as DJ D-Sol, came under fire after DJing a party in the Hamptons last summer that was accused of breaking COVID protocols

The company ordered a G650ER model and a G280 in 2019, and the planes were delivered in the second half of last year.

The planes were even given custom tail numbers -- the equivalent of vanity plates -- ending in 'WS' to signify both 'Wall Street' and the address of the company's skyscraper headquarters on Manhattan's West Street.

Goldman Sachs says in a regulatory filing that its policy is to limit personal use of its aircraft and require reimbursement for personal trips.

A spokesman for the firm insisted that Solomon's weekend jaunts were not inconsistent with his stance that employees need to return to working in the office as soon as possible.

'David has been running the firm from our headquarters at 200 West Street since the pandemic hit hard last March, and the results speak for themselves,' the spokesman told Bloomberg.

'When he's away for a weekend, David continues to work, pays for his travel, follows Covid protocols and is back in the office first thing on a Monday morning,' added the spokesman.

In addition to the Bahamas, Goldman executives have used the company jets for personal escapes to Montana and the Caribbean.

Solomon is keen for all employees to return to work at the office. The company's Manhattan headquarters is seen above earlier this month

Some observers were critical of the private jet usage in the midst of the pandemic. There is a Marie Antoinette aspect to it,' Nell Minow, who advises institutional investors on corporate governance issues as vice chair at ValueEdge Advisors, told Bloomberg.

Others were more supportive, saying Solomon deserved to get away for the weekend if he chose.

'Bravo if he's going off to the Bahamas for the weekend,' Bill George, a former Goldman Sachs board member, told the outlet from St. Thomas.

'I am from the work-hard, play-hard culture. I bet you dollars to doughnuts, he's working the phones and talking to clients while in the Bahamas.'

In January, Solomon said he expects to have nearly all his employees back in the office by the end of the year, as the vaccine rollout ramps up.

'The big focus right now is we've got to get people vaccinated -- we've got to get to the other side,' Solomon said in a Bloomberg Television interview Tuesday.

'I certainly would expect a lot of Goldman Sachs employees back in full by the end of the year. We will get through this, and I'm really hopeful that over the course of the next six months we see a real improvement.'

This week marks one year since most white-collar workers in Manhattan were required to work remotely as the pandemic descended on the city.
Anhui has taken a slew of measures to promote the coordinated development of free trade zones (FTZs) in the Yangtze River Delta region, local authorities said.

The eastern Chinese province took part in forming a think-tank alliance for the FTZs in the region with the aim of sharing resources, information and achievements, the Department of Commerce of Anhui Province said.

The High-Tech zone in the Hefei FTZ in Anhui and the High-Tech zone in the Hangzhou FTZ in Zhejiang entered into strategic partnership.

The province held a project promotion meeting, seeking investment from the Yangtze River Delta Entrepreneurs Union. As a result, 20 contracts worth a total of 30.13 billion yuan (US$4.63 billion) were signed.

In addition, the province strengthened cooperation with Shanghai Port as a direct route from Wuhu to Shanghai was launched. Wuhu Port handled 135 million tonnes of cargo in 2020, up 5.9 percent from a year earlier. It also injected 800 million yuan into an offshore industry incubator in Shanghai.

The State Council, China's Cabinet, released plans for the new pilot zones in Beijing and in Hunan and Anhui provinces last year, bringing the number of the country's FTZs to 21.




It's refreshing to hear Governor Greg Abbott of Texas challenge the chaos (and lawlessness) at the U.S.-Mexico border. We are beyond a debate about kids on the border. This is about encouraging criminal elements in Mexico, as the governor said on Fox News:

Abbott told "Sunday Morning Futures" anchor Maria Bartiromo that he went to the border last week and met with border patrol officers who said that they warned the Biden administration that its new border policies would lead to a "massive surge" in illegal immigration. He said that officers believe the number of migrants arriving at the border will only increase in the coming months.

Of course, it will only increase. Why wouldn't people in Central America walk over, or even pay a transport fee, if they could come to the U.S.? It is a totally predictable result.

President Trump understood the risk of an open border. Apparently, President Biden does not, or at least the people around him don't.

As someone who came to the U.S. legally, I can understand that people want a better life or to pursue their dreams up north. I get it. I am sympathetic with the intentions.

At the same time, they have to wait their turn and do it legally. The biggest problem at the border is the chaotic nature of the whole thing. No country in the world can take thousands of people violating the process.

Governor Abbott is right. President Biden's action are helping the criminal elements moving people to the border. It must be stopped, and Governor Abbott is ready to take the Biden administration head on.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).

Image: World Travel & Tourism Council.
Husavik and LaKeith Stanfield showed up, while Ma Raineys Black Bottom missed out in Best Picture. Photo: John Wilson/Netflix/Warner Bros./David Lee /Netflix

In a season where in-person campaigning was forbidden by public-health mandates, this years Oscar nominations were poised to be full of surprises. Left to their own (streaming) devices, who knew what voters would choose? But the biggest surprise of all turned out to be how uncontroversial the nominations were, as many of the results lined up with our predictions from two weeks ago. (Just dont mention our predictions from last week.) But that doesnt mean everyone woke up happy. Or that everything even made sense. Read on to see the biggest snubs and surprises of the 93rd Academy Awards nominations.

After last years controversy, a remarkably diverse year.

Though Parasites triumph ultimately added a lot of shine to their reputation, on nomination morning the 92nd Academy Awards sparked another #OscarsSoWhite controversy, with 19 of 20 acting slots going to white performers and an all-male directing lineup to boot. Fourteen months and one pandemic-induced disruption of the entire industry later, thats changed. This years nominations brought forth a bevy of firsts: Nomadlands Chloe Zhao and Promising Young Womans Emerald Fennell became the first two women nominated for Director in the same year (and Zhao the first woman of color to ever get in); Minaris Steven Yeun became the first Asian American ever nominated in Best Actor, while Sound of Metals Riz Ahmed became the first Muslim actor to do so, too. (Yeun and co-star Youn Yuh-jung are also the first actors born in Korea to be nominated.) And Maria Bakalova of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm became the first Bulgarian ever nominated for an acting Oscar. Very nice!

Congratulations to LaKeith Stanfield, supporting actor?

It was a great morning for Judas and the Black Messiah, as the late-breaking Black Panther drama earned six nominations, including a Best Picture nod. But strangely, two of those nominations came in the same category: Best Supporting Actor, where LaKeith Stanfield was a surprise inclusion alongside the categorys purported front-runner Daniel Kaluuya. After his acclaimed turns in Sorry to Bother You, Atlanta, and Uncut Gems, no one is complaining about Stanfield getting his first Oscar nom, but the circumstances are odd. Both men are arguably co-leads  its right there in the title  but Warner Bros. wisely decided to split them up. Since he has more screen time, and his POV dominates the narrative, Stanfield would run in lead; Kaluuya would go Supporting. However, Oscar voters overruled the studio, slotting Stanfield in Supporting alongside his co-star. Its not unheard of for a movie to have no lead actors in the Oscar race: The supporting-actor field is filled out by Sacha Baron Cohen and Leslie Odom Jr., who rep ensemble pieces with no obvious star. But Judas and the Black Messiah is not Trial of the Chicago 7 or One Night in Miami  this is a movie that, on a structural level, has a main character. Whatever the reason, its an odd look all around.

Oscar says, Its Best Picture, not Best Filmed Play.

One quirk of this weird Oscar year was just how many of the big contenders were based on plays. Netflix had Ma Raineys Black Bottom, a star-studded version of the August Wilson play, and Pieces of a Woman, an expansion of a 2018 Polish production. Amazon had Regina Kings One Night in Miami, originally written by playwright Kemp Powers. And Sony Pictures Classics had The Father, Florian Zellers screen adaptation of his play Le Pere. All but Pieces of a Woman were widely tipped as potential Best Picture nominees, and though all four received acting nominations, only one of them cracked the Best Picture field: The Father, which perhaps not coincidentally was also the one that made the most use of cinematic technique. I suspect that, in precarious times for the industry, the Academy is still very conscious of its role as guardian of the movies, but you can also read these results as a sign that actors really are losing influence in the Academy at large, or that voters have a hard time recognizing more than one Black-centered film at a time.

Aaron Sorkin got snubbed in Director.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 was not based on a play, but the legal drama was still one of the more visually earthbound of this years contenders. For that reason, Aaron Sorkin was considered the DGA nominee most likely to be snubbed by the Academys directors branch, who usually prefer an auteur. Still, the TV veteran could take solace in the fact that the categorys second tier was mostly made up of the people who directed those plays-turned-movies, who all had the same issue. As it turned out, Sorkin was indeed the one missing on nomination morning, but his spot was taken by Another Rounds Thomas Vinterberg, who pulled a Pawe Pawlikowski by nabbing a Director nomination without an accompanying Best Picture nod. A ding on Chicago 7s status as an Oscar front-runner, and a reminder that, in this most international of branches, you should never bet against a venerated European.

Husavik got a Song nomination!

The elves went just far enough: Eurovisions soul-stirring ballad Husavik really did crack Oscars Original Song category, a happy development for a movie I feared might be too light and too old to resonate with voters. With Borats Maria Bakalova also nabbing a nomination, this was a very good morning for comedies and people on the internet who love them. Weve talked a lot about the Academy getting more diverse on a race and gender level, but is it possibly becoming more diverse on a taste level, as well?

The Delroy Lindo comeback was not to be.

The critical community went to bat for a lot of performers this year, and their efforts paid off as Bakalova and Youn both made it into Supporting Actress, while Sound of Metals Paul Raci scored a Supporting Actor nomination after being snubbed by both SAG and the Globes. But when it came to Da 5 Bloods Delroy Lindo, their luck ran out. Despite plenty of love from critics groups  and an entire merch line  Lindo was once again missing in action in Best Actor. Pundits have guessed that category confusion might be to blame (he was originally campaigned in Supporting), or blamed the fact that he was playing an unrepentant Trump supporter. But I think the simplest explanation makes the most sense: Voters just didnt like the movie. Even an actor as beloved Chadwick Boseman got left out for his work in Da 5 Bloods, as the Spike Lee joint managed only a single Score nomination. BlacKkKlansmans run seemed to indicate Lee was finally being welcomed into the Oscar club, but now, that brush with gold looks like it may have been a one-off.

Golden Globe winner Jodie Foster got snubbed for The Mauritanian.

A Supporting Actress nomination for Foster would have given us two different opportunities to restage Oscar history. First, she would have joined Best Actor nominee Anthony Hopkins for a 30-year Silence of the Lambs reunion. And second, Foster making it in alongside The Fathers Olivia Colman would have pitted ostensible front-runner Glenn Close against two of the women who beat her out for Oscars. A juicy scenario, certainly, but it was not to be: The Academy remembered it had spent the entire 2000s not voting for legal dramas about Bush-era human-rights abuses, and wasnt going to start now. So The Mauritanian blanked across the board, and Foster became the first Golden Globe acting winner since Aaron Taylor-Johnson to be denied a subsequent Oscar nomination. On the bright side, that means Kevin Macdonalds film will join Ammonite, The Little Things, and of course, Wild Mountain Thyme in the pantheon of future This Had Oscar Buzz episodes. Saints preserve us!
Ten years into the Supercity and how has it panned out? Unfortunately, Wellsford was slow to get off the mark as people in Wellsford did not understand the submission process. They did not understand that after every Auckland Council election they have to submit on proposed works to footpaths, roads, drainage, park upgrades and so forth. This is to ensure they are included in a works programme. It seems stupid to logical thinking people that you must keep submitting on the same items each time. Ratepayers believe Council has a duty of care to provide the service that they pay for and they should not have to badger Council to get basic items repaired or renewed. But to neglect to submit means the item has no more money spent on it, and it inevitably fails.

Because Council has gone digital and used more social media methods to advertise the submission process, they have neglected the technologically disadvantaged members of our community who are not on social media. These people therefore dont make submissions, leading Council to erroneously believe that the community is satisfied with the status quo. Thats why it is so important to submit on Auckland Councils 10-year budget, which closes on March 22. We need to submit or we lose. What goes into this 10-year plan is what will determine what Wellsford receives.

Auckland Council has many branches including Auckland Transport, Heathy Waters, Community Services and more. The people that work in these departments do the best with what they are given. What is hard to understand, though, is the inequity in the amount spent because of population.

To maintain an unsealed road costs 18 cents per square metre. To tarseal 1.8 kilometres of rural road costs $1.80 per square metre. However, to tarseal and upgrade Puhunui Road, in south Auckland, cost $1600 per square metre. This equates to $16 million for 1.6 kilometres. Unbelievable!

I believe that each Council department should complete an infrastructure project in each subdivision. Imagine then what could be achieved in 10 years. Instead, Wellsford is looking at 160 metres of footpath on School Road and a new footpath on Rodney Street in Wellsford, and we may receive a footbridge sometime in the next two years.

On a happier note, here are some positive developments that are worth pointing out 

 The toilets in Wellsford are still coming.

 Currys Bush track is near completion, thanks to Caroline Milner.

 Watercare has upgraded the Hood Street waterline, upgraded the sewerage plant and installed the new water bore to support our town water supply. Awesome effort, thank you.

 Alan Wallace and his team at Auckland Transport have progressed the unsealed road upgrade programme. They also completed tarsealing of Wellsford Valley Road. An excellent contribution, thank you.

Finally, I will not be supporting targeted rates for our drainage areas. I support the farmers who argue general rates should cover this work.

To submit on Auckland Councils 10-year budget, visit akhaveyoursay.nz/recoverybudget

Colin Smith, Rodney Local Board

colin.smith@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Guwahati, Mar 15 (UNI) Urging people to again repose faith on the `Sarbananda-Himanta jodi to save the culture of Assam, Home Minister Amit Shah today said if voted back to power BJP will make Assam free from agitation, infiltration and flood.

Taking part in town hall meeting of social media workers of BJP at Guwahati, Mr Shah said, This election is for saving the culture of Assam. Repose faith on Sarba-Himanta Jodi as it is an election of development versus agitation, infiltration and flood. We will tackle all this and make Assam free from agitation, infiltration and flood, Mr Shah said as he announced that religious praying place Namghars across Assam will be given Rs 2.5 lakhs grant if BJP is voted back to power in the state.

Mr Shah said during its five year rule in Assam, BJP led government has put a strong vigil across Indo-Bangladesh border and have put a brake on the infiltration which was continuing for last sixty years.

Blaming Congress for protecting illegal migrants for their vote bank, Mr Shah said Congress all this while knew that infiltration will give them vote, so they never tried to stop it which blocked the development of Assam.

If they come to power again infiltration will happen, they have also tied up for the same reason with Badruddin Ajmal. Do you think Congress can protect Assamese culture by depending on vote banks of infiltrator, questioned Mr Shah as he said that BJP government in Assam has uprooted infiltrators from UNSECO heritage site Kaziranaga National Parks, Sattras- the nerve centre of Assamese culture.

He appealed to the people of Assam to vote for BJP to stop the demographic changes taking place in the state.

Mr Shah also said that BJP wants to make Assam agitation free which has hampered the growth prospects of youths and had put brake on development for last sixty years.

He claimed in last five year of its rule, BJP has made the state agitation free and have embarked the state on the path of development

Delving on another major issue floods, which is perennial problem, Mr Shah said his government has chalked out a plan to solve the flood problem of Assam through satellite imagery and ponds will be created at major flood prone areas which could be used for irrigation and other purposes.

Listing out achievements, Mr Shah said foundation for the development has been laid in the last five years and now its time for the speedy infrastructure expansion across the state.

Three-phased elections have been scheduled for 126 legislative constituencies in Assam on March 27, April 1 and April 6, as announced by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The incumbent government by the BJP and its allies won 86 seats in the last assembly elections in 2016.

UNI ABI AND
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SAN ANTONIO  Police in San Antonio says a man was fatally shot early Saturday during an argument inside a restaurant on the citys west side.

The 44-year-old victim was dining at an IHOP restaurant with two women about 2:15 a.m. when they began arguing with a male and two females at a nearby table, according to a statement from police.

One person at the second table pulled out a gun during the argument and fired several times, striking the 44-year-old man, who died after being taken to a hospital, police said.

The mans name has not been released and no arrests have been announced.

Police said the three suspects have not been identified and that they left the scene in an unknown vehicle.

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BERLIN - French President Emmanuel Macron says that France is suspending the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine use out of precaution.

A syringe with the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19 is picutred at a new vaccination centre at the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany, on Monday, March 8, 2021 (Tobias Schwarz / Pool via AP)

BERLIN - French President Emmanuel Macron says that France is suspending the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine use out of precaution.

Macron told a news conference Monday that French authorities have decided to suspend shots at least until Tuesday afternoon, when the European Medicines Agency will issue its recommendation over the vaccine. He didn't elaborate on the reasons for the decision.

He said France hopes to be able to vaccine again with AstraZeneca shots soon.

Other countries, including Germany on Monday, said it would temporarily halt the use of the vaccine as a precaution amid reports that some people developed blood clots after receiving the shot.

AstraZeneca and global health authorities insist the shot is safe.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. APs earlier story follows below.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn attends a press conference in Berlin, Germany, Friday, March 12, 2021. Spahn said Friday that Germany takes reports of possible side effects from coronavirus vaccines very, very seriously but added that both the European Medicines Agency and Germanys own vaccine oversight body have said they have no evidence of an increase in dangerous blood clots in connection with the shots. Denmark has temporarily suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after reports of blood clots in some people, and Norway decided to follow suit, despite the lack of any evidence the shot was responsible. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, pool)

Germany on Monday became the biggest country in Europe to suspend use of AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine over reports of dangerous blood clots in some recipients, though the company and European regulators said there is no evidence the shot is to blame.

The country's health minister said the decision was taken on the advice of Germanys national vaccine regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, which called for further investigation into seven reported cases of clots in the brains of people who had been vaccinated.

Todays decision is a purely precautionary measure, Jens Spahn said.

Several countries, starting with Denmark last week, have temporarily halted use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in recent days to investigate cases of blood clots that occurred after vaccination. They include Ireland, Thailand, the Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, Congo and Bulgaria.

Last week, Germany was one of several nations that stuck by the shot.

Blood clots can travel through the body and cause heart attacks, strokes and deadly blockages in the lungs.

AstraZeneca has said that there is no cause for concern with its vaccine and that there were fewer reported thrombosis cases in those who received the shot than in the general population.

The European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization have also said that the data does not suggest the vaccine caused the clots and that people should continue to be immunized.

Spahn, the German health minister, said of the decision to suspend the AstraZeneca shot: The most important thing for confidence is transparency."

Spahn said the European Medicines Agency would determine whether and how the new information will affect the authorization of the vaccine across the continent and expressed hope that the Amsterdam-based regulator would make a decision on the issue this week.

According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Germany has received slightly over 3 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Spahn said about 1.6 million doses of the shot have so far been administered in the country.

Follow APs pandemic coverage at:

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine

https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak
Editors Note: On March 15, 2020, Gov. Ned Lamont ordered all schools in Connecticut closed due to the pandemic. In the months that followed, learning moved online and many schools still havent reopened to full-time classroom instruction. On the one-year anniversary of this event, we examine the impact a year of disrupted learning has had on the states children.

On his first day as the nations education secretary, Miguel Cardona claimed the spotlight as he and the first lady toured an elementary school in his hometown, about one year after COVID-19 first disrupted the lives of students, teachers and parents.

After a quick round of thanks to the school staff, family and mentors who got him here, Cardona pivoted to the most pressing issue.

And how are the children? And how are the children? Cardona asked, slightly raising his voice for emphasis the second time. You know the strength of a community when you ask: And how are the children?

Cardona might also have asked where are the children?

Connecticut saw a record 3.1 percent drop in enrollment  thats 17,844 fewer students  in public or private schools this school year at the same time 95 percent of enrolled students didnt attend full-time in-person classes through January due to the pandemic, either because of family hesitancy or districts not offering a full return.

Its a huge question. Where are these children? said state Child Advocate Sarah Eagan, who heads the watchdog agency.

While most districts throughout the state saw fewer students showing up for school or logging on from home, the drop disproportionately landed in the states 10 lowest performing districts, as drastically fewer children from low-income families showed up for school.

The impact has left many children struggling to cope with the disruption and trauma the virus brought with it.

Data from the states child welfare, social service and education agencies show how serious the problems are. The number of families reported to the state Department of Children and Families for educational neglect between October and December more than doubled compared to those same months in previous years. Thousands more people are calling the states hotline seeking emergency shelter each month, many of them with children. Hospital officials warn they have reached a crisis level as more kids show up at their emergency departments in distress, typically with threats of self-injury or suicide  and a record number of 40 children from low-income families on any given day are now stuck in the hospital while they await a bed in a psychiatric treatment facility. One in three students with ADHD is now chronically absent from school, and half of those with a diagnosed emotional disturbance, such as anxiety or bipolar disorder, are missing an excessive amount of school.

MIA students

Shortly after the pandemic hit last March, Shkeia Dickersons landlord asked her and her three children to move out of their apartment in Meriden. She wasnt behind on rent and she thought the state and federal eviction moratoriums should have prevented her from being uprooted during a pandemic, but her landlord said she was planning to sell the place.

Dickerson  who suspects that the hot housing market piqued her landlords interest in selling  left as soon as an eviction was threatened. She couldnt risk losing her Section 8 voucher if she was evicted and she was anxious to avoid the permanent stain on her credit from an eviction request.

She packed light as she prepared to bounce between family, friends and motels. She left behind the childrens beds, dressers and countless other belongings.

During this upheaval, her kids sporadically logged onto school online.

It didnt take long before DCF was called.

My kids were stressed out. We were everywhere. We went from house to house to house. I got family members that was trying to help, but everybody was saying we could only stay so long. So were like, two weeks here, two weeks there, bouncing around, bouncing around, said Dickerson. Youre calling [DCF] on us left and right, left and right, left, right. And then what if our kids get taken? What if our kids get taken all because you made a report [when] you simply could have came up to that parents house and said, Hey, this is going on  What can we help you with?'

Dickersons family was just one of the 1,468 families reported to DCF for educational neglect during the first three full months of the school year, which is about 2.5 times more reports than the agency receives in a typical year.

When social workers and other DCF staff investigated this influx of reports, the percentage that turned out to be actual cases of educational neglect was smaller than normal. However, the influx did result in an increase of cases substantiated as neglect.

Chaz Brackeen, a DCF social worker in the New Haven region, has seen the uptick in reports firsthand. Most of her cases involve children who are old enough to stay at home and not logging on while their parents work.

Ive had cases where kids have not signed on since the whole pandemic, so the whole school year. So these kids have like 80 absences or more because they never signed on. You should see all the cases that Ive had because of kids just not logging on at all and lying to their parents, said Brackeen.

Many teachers and parents have been successful in getting students back in school before DCF is called, however.

In Middletown, teachers and school counselors are showing up at students doorsteps to encourage their attendance. If the students family is struggling to connect to the internet, they bring tech support or give the family free wi-fi. If the student seems to be struggling with anxiety or depression, they bring a mental health expert. If the family is facing eviction, they help get them in the long line for rental assistance.

If the student just isnt interested in school, they talk about something exciting going on at school.

Sometimes the visits are just to check in and see what a student looks like if theyve never turned on their camera during remote class  with the goal of building a better relationship with them in-person.

During a recent visit, the team encouraged one of the sophomores learning from home to turn on his camera more. Another, aware that one of his teachers and the school counselor were going to stop by, turned in some overdue assignments shortly before they arrived.

The visit is to figure out the why: Why are our students maybe not engaging? said Kristen Negron, a high school counselor in Middletown.

When one student went completely MIA for two weeks, Negron and some other school staff decided to go where they thought he might be.

If we had gone by the book with him during this school year, he would have been our first call phone call to DCF. Instead, we drove around for a while and found him on a street corner. Our whole crew hopped out. We were so excited. We got his new cell number and got him connected with his teacher. He was in school yesterday in the building, Negron said.

Research released last month by the RISE Network  the same organization that is helping to fund initiatives to get student re-engaged in school, such as the porch visits in Middletown and tutoring sessions in Meriden  found that the percentage of students in danger of failing has doubled since last year in historically struggling high schools. This school year, 33 percent of students are not on track to progress to the next grade, compared to 15 percent last year.

Jahnaya West Flemings two sons were not on track.

Fleming works full-time at a daycare near her apartment in New Haven and couldnt convince her 12- and 13-year-old sons to regularly log into school while she worked. When she got their second quarter report cards, she panicked.

She sat them down and tried to appeal to them to work harder while they waited for their school to reopen and offer in-person learning. She also set up cameras so she could spy on them from her phone while she was as work, took away their cell phones and video games, and installed a landline so she could call them if she saw they were not in front of their computers when they were supposed to be.

She also warned her boss that she might need to leave work for a while.

I was showing her the grades, and I told her, Im going to have to take some time from work  because honestly, from my perspective, I kind of felt like I was neglecting my own children. I am giving my heart out here with these children, but my children were struggling. And that, that right there really hurt my soul, said Fleming. And I put that responsibility on [my sons]. I sat them down, and I had a critical conversation with them, and I let them know.  So now what if I dont go to work? They say, Youre not going to get paid. I said, Exactly, and asked what is that going to mean for us?

It seems to have worked. They now attend classes and are earning all Bs and Cs.

But many other students are still absent.

Bria Parkman-McCullough, an English teacher at Central High School in Bridgeport, has students who havent shown up for months at a time, often because they have to go to work to help their parents who lost their jobs during the pandemic.

Sometimes they might show up for the first or second week of the semester, and then you dont see them anymore. And then there are the students who will come sporadically, maybe once a month, twice a month, say Hi, and thats pretty much all you hear from them, she said. When I think about students who are not getting the things that they need to be successful in the world, it just breaks my heart. It really does, because they already started at a disadvantage even if it was just because of the color of their skin  and now theyre in a place where theyre not getting the education at all.

Certain groups of students are showing up for school much less than they were last year  an issue that might worsen the states already largest in the country achievement gaps.

Homeless children, who have the highest share of students learning entirely online this year, are not showing up for classes at nearly twice the rate of last year, state data through Feb. 17 shows. Last year, on average, homeless students were absent one out of every nine days; this year that rate increased to one out of every 5 days. These students are primarily concentrated in the states poorest and historically underserved districts.

Caseworkers at New Reach, a New Haven-based agency that provides services for homeless people, have seen firsthand how housing insecurity prevents children from learning and creates other problems.

Housing instability creates stress for parents and, as with other stressors, this can impact the parents ability to navigate the situation of shelter or housing insecurity, one counselor wrote in a recent survey. There is a focus on housing and basic needs, which is tiring and takes a lot of energy. Education with and for their children is not as much a priority when there is the threat of homelessness or getting basic needs met. In my opinion, this stress and uncertainty trickles down to the children as well and may show up as behavior issues, difficulty sleeping, acting out, needing reassurance etc. Housing is a basic need, the threat of not having this need met could be similar to the impact hunger has on children and their ability to focus in school.

Everyone has the right to a sound mind. Homelessness and poverty robs one of such. Children experiencing homelessness and poverty often lack the ability to eat a healthy nutritious meal, ability to control emotions, ability to focus and the ability to be happy in general. These are all elements a child needs to receive a good solid education, another wrote.

Are children better off with DCFs involvement?

Connecticut has strict laws requiring teachers and other school staff to report to DCF when they believe a child is being abused or neglected.

In the pandemic world  where 74,000 public school children are still learning entirely from home  that law complicates things since a student not logging on can indicate an issue of internet access or potential neglect.

What we see, based on continued reporting about kids being left behind in the pandemic, can be also construed as panic on the professionals part, saying, I need to make the call just to protect myself, not that I believe this parent is neglecting their child, or is intentionally neglecting the child, but to protect myself and make sure I dont get in trouble. I need to make a report. And thats kind of where we are struggling in the pandemic, said Michael C. Williams, the agencys deputy commissioner of operations.

I do think people are concerned, said DCF Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes during a recent interview. Dorantes noted that when people call the DCF hotline because a child has gone off the radar, those teachers and others are just asking, How are they? Is everybody okay?

Dorantes said its the job of her vast agency to assess each call, and further investigate if necessary, to determine if a child is being neglected. But most often, as the data show, it is not neglect  it is just a matter of getting parents and children help for whatever is preventing them from showing up for school.

When something rises to the threshold of educational neglect, theres a suspicion that the parent is not providing the educational opportunity for that child or doing something that inhibits this child from coming to school, she said. I think families have been trying to hold it together to keep everybody healthy and safe and to try to understand the expectations of remote learning, which is difficult. So I do think that the bucket of educational neglect is a little bit more complex than just, you know, kids and their attendance at school.  Educational neglect for me feels different than [just attendance], it feels like theres a willfulness of not having your child be educated, and I dont know that we see that. I think we see families trying to figure it out.

While DCFs mandate is to help get students back on the right track, there can be downfalls associated with their involvement.

Once DCF starts looking and they get into a familys life, they can find something, said Josh Mitchom, an attorney in the public defenders office that helps families intertwined with the states child protection agency. In the aggregate, it is not good. Im sure we could find examples where a report of a child and family getting access to services leads to a good outcome. But I think calling DCF for most non-acute problems is like calling the police for a noise complaint. It is a blunt instrument  Theyre not going to remove a kid for absenteeism  but it is a stressor on families that are already stressed.

He has a client whose 14-year-old child struggles with significant mental health issues and hasnt been showing up for school. When the child walked out of the house and the mom called the police, DCF got involved.

And now DCF is harping on the issues of non-attendance. The mom already knew she had a situation, and now DCF is saying, We want you to get a mental health assessment, we want this, we want that. And I think it can often be more stress than resolution, he explained. Its good to provide services, but its not usually good to provide them under threat of coercion. That causes a lot of stress, and Im not sure that it works.

Williams, the agencys deputy commissioner, said that DCF has an obligation to do a full audit on families where neglect is suspected based on what was reported to the agencys Careline  a process that typically takes weeks.

It requires us doing a lot more in-depth, kind of collateral gathering on a family, other than just what the report was made for. So we look to see if they are up to date on medical and dental and on just a whole host of things, because now we are involved, and if something else is going on in the home, other than an educational neglect, we can be held liable for missing that, he said. A knock on the door from DCF announcing a suspicion of abuse or neglect will put a level of anxiety inside of you, because you dont know what else were going to find.

A record drop in student enrollment

Public schools throughout Connecticut saw a record drop in students enrolling this school year compared to last year. Nearly two-thirds of those not enrolling were from low-income families.

Public schools lost one out of every 33 students. In private schools, it was one in 16.

Roughly 44 percent of the drop can likely be attributed to families deciding to wait a year to send their child off to public pre-kindergarten or kindergarten, state officials believe. Another 17 percent can be traced to more families opting to homeschool their children.

That leaves a decrease of 6,981 students whose absence is unattributed to any cause.

The state Department of Education stopped tracking student transiency several years ago, but officials there believe the drop is a combination of the states natural declining school-age population and parents who are homeschooling their children but didnt formally unenroll them. Parents are asked to inform the district if they decide to homeschool their child, but the state Department of Education does not require them to do so.

Connecticuts law that enables parents to take children out of school says, Each parent or other person having control of a child five years of age and over and under 18 years of age shall cause such child to attend a public school regularly during the hours and terms the public school in the district in which such child resides is in session, unless such child is a high school graduate or the parent or person having control of such child is able to show that the child is elsewhere receiving equivalent instruction in the studies taught in the public schools.

Gov. Ned Lamont proposed legislation in 2019 that would have required home-schoolers to start registering annually with their school district. The proposal came shortly after Eagan, the states child advocate, found in a study of six public school districts that 36 percent of students withdrawn for homeschooling lived in families that had at least one prior report for suspected abuse or neglect from the Department of Children and Families.

That study was prompted by the death of Matthew Tirado, a 17-year-old Hartford youth with autism who died from starvation, dehydration and child abuse in 2017 after he went missing from school. While he was never withdrawn from school, his mother did fill out the paperwork to homeschool his sister.

There is an inadequate framework in Hartford and statewide for ensuring the safety of and education for children who are withdrawn from school to be home-schooled, Eagan wrote in her 80-page investigation.

Droves of protesters showed up at the state Capitol to oppose a registration for home-schooled children, some alleging the registry would be used by DCF to crosscheck families with abuse or neglect investigations. Proponents point out that Connecticut is among those with the least regulations.

The legislature ultimately opted not to require a registration.

The unaccounted drop in enrollment has left many worried.

One of our biggest concerns is how much of the declines in enrollment are attributable to students leaving the education system altogether and not receiving any education. Right now, its very difficult to identify that group of students that has fallen through the cracks in the system, said Michael Morton, the deputy executive director of the School and State Finance Project, an organization that lobbies at the state Capitol for education reforms.

The drop-off has disproportionately shrunk the states largest public school districts, with places like Hartford losing one in 13 students, Bridgeport losing one in 17, and New Haven losing one in 24. While declining pre-Kindergarten enrollment is a main driver in these districts, there has essentially been no increase in the number of children whose families have submitted the paperwork to show that they are being homeschooled, state data show.

In Bridgeport, just over half of the districts decline in enrollment is from the drop in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten enrollment.

Michael Testani, the districts superintendent, said he believes the remaining drop is attributable to fewer immigrants moving into the city as the federal government tightened the border, more families being priced out of his and other neighborhoods in Bridgeport as the housing market heats up, and a slight uptick in students attending a local charter school.

I dont think theres kids missing. I mean, weve gone as far as getting people out to the homes to check on kids that arent engaged, he said, adding that since the end of October, when his district submitted enrollment numbers, several families have notified the district they are home schooling their children. With any homeschooling option, obviously, the concern is: are they getting the time, the instructional time, from mom or dad or whomever?  Is it robust curriculum thats being used? And then, also, are we going to start seeing them once the pandemic kind of subsides? Are we going to get an influx of students? Thats why were planning as if all these kids that we normally would have enrolled in our buildings are coming back.

Where are the kindergarteners and pre-kindergarten students?

When it came time to decide whether she was ready to send her two daughters off to school, Brackeen decided to send 3-year-old Gabriella to pre-kindergartens but to keep her 4-year-old in daycare rather than enroll her with her sister at their school in New Haven.

Keeping her oldest daughter in the same program she was already attending was appealing, and Brackeen needed to work.

My job never stopped, she said of being a social worker.

In New Haven, nearly three-quarters of the decline in student enrollment is from fewer children enrolling in pre-kindergarten or kindergarten.

Statewide, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten enrollment shrunk this year by just over 7,800 students, a 14 percent drop from the 2019-20 school year.

There were basically thousands of students who [the education department] expected would be enrolled who were not, said Beth Bye, the commissioner of the states Office of Early Childhood.

There wasnt an uptick of children from low-income families showing up at daycares, data provided by the Office of Early Childhood shows.

Instead, many families were keeping children home.

We said this is a real problem. There are all these preschool kids who havent shown up anywhere, said Bye.

So the agency used some of the federal emergency response money sent to the state to deploy staff and the community and found 1,000 young children who were staying home. They helped families enroll 700 of those kids in public or private preschool or day care programs.

But you know, thats 1,000 kids out of 15,000 that were missing, she said. There are definitely concerns. We know how important the first five years of life are and that most brain development is going on in those first six years. And so losing a year of preschool is a big deal.

This story was produced with support from the Education Writers Association Reporting Fellowship program. The Connecticut Mirror retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.
Attorney-General Christian Porter will delegate key parts of his job to others when he returns from leave on March 31 under a plan to keep his cabinet position while he wages a defamation battle against the ABC.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has backed the plan to retain Mr Porter in his cabinet ministry and structure the portfolio so another minister could oversee the courts.

Attorney-General Christian Porter will return to work on March 31. Credit:Trevor Collens

The government plan is to stand by Mr Porter and challenge the ABC to meet Mr Porters lawyers call to argue the truth of allegations that he raped a woman in January 1988, forcing the claims to go to a civil trial before a judge.

Mr Porter launched the defamation action on Monday against the ABC and its reporter, Louise Milligan, claiming they damaged his reputation and should present any evidence they believe would justify their action.
Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey is facing questions over his role designing a scheme allegedly linked to a Royal Bank of Scotland unit that mistreated small businesses.

The chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking, Kevin Hollinrake, called for Mr Bailey to explain why he had not disclosed his role in the establishment of the Treasurys Asset Protection Scheme while working for the Financial Conduct Authority.

RBSs Global Restructuring Group (GRG) was billed as somewhere that distressed companies would be helped back on their feet.

However, business owners claim that bank managers at the group deliberately pushed potentially viable businesses into worse positions and moved them into GRG, which would sell or close businesses.

A review by Promontory Financial Group, commissioned by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), later said that the bank failed to ensure customers were treated fairly, but did not find that it had artificially engineered transfers of businesses to the restructuring unit.

Mr Bailey was in charge of the FCA when it released the report into the GRG, which Mr Hollinrake called a complete whitewash.

Yet he does not appear to have revealed his role in the establishment of the Asset Protection Scheme, which was set up to guarantee RBSs 280 billion assets during the financial crisis.

It was this scheme that was in 2014 accused of pushing GRG to foreclose on loans.

A Bank of England spokesperson said: Andrew Bailey had no role in the creation and scoping of the GRG Review which was then undertaken by Promontory.

These decisions were taken prior to Andrew becoming chief executive of the FCA. He was not a decision maker in respect of any decision by the FCA on whether or not to undertake an enforcement action.

In 2014 Derek Sach, the former head of GRG, told MPs that while it would never be in the long-term interest for RBS to destroy their customers, it would strengthen the balance sheet short-term.

The Asset Protection Agency came into being in 2010 and they were always pushing us to go for more foreclosure for exactly that reason, which is something I robustly resisted throughout the period, he said.

There is quite a bit of correspondence between me and them of threats and counter threats and not being prepared to do that.

In 2009 then Bank governor Mervyn King said that Mr Bailey had a role in designing that the Asset Protection Scheme.

The person who has been working most closely with the Treasury on the design of this is Mr Bailey, Lord King told MPs at the time.

There is no suggestion he pushed for businesses to be foreclosed on, but questions have been raised over his transparency.

Mr Bailey is alleged to not have revealed his role as he headed the Financial Conduct Authority between 2016 and 2020.

A Freedom of Information request seen by the Mail on Sunday shows that the authority did not hold records of the FCA board being informed during the period that Andrew Bailey was CEO.

Mr Hollinrake told the paper: It is disgraceful. I can hardly believe it. I did not know (Bailey) was involved in the design of the Asset Protection Agency because no one did.

In public life you are meant to declare your interests because the FCA was leading this investigation into GRG and it was a complete whitewash.

We need a proper investigation and he needs to answer in public why he did not disclose this.
Good morning.

Did you remember to reset your clocks this weekend? You forgot, didnt you? Well, you can always wait about nine months, when the clocks will be correct again.

Three weeks of arguments in the extradition case of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou are scheduled to begin in Vancouver today.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation will release its annual list of what it deems to be the worst examples of government waste today.

After starting their season Saturday, the Winnipeg Ice play again tonight in the Western Hockey Leagues East Division hub in Regina.

 Adam Treusch, assignment editor
Please note The Sun Chronicle is providing this story and all of our local coronavirus coverage for free so that all readers have access to this important information about the pandemic. Please visit our dedicated coronavirus coverage page for more stories. If you'd like to support our mission, please subscribe.
A 30-year-old skydiver has died after his parachute failed to deploy during a competition.

The man, a foreign national, was performing a solo wingsuit jump at Jurien Bay, north of Perth, on Sunday at 1.30pm during the Virtual Nationals Skydiving Competition.

The skydiver's parachute failed to open properly. Emergency crews rushed to help but he died at the scene.

The skydiver's parachute failed to open properly. Emergency crews rushed to the help but he died at the scene (stock image)

Skydive Jurien Bay said the man was 'very experienced' and was performing a 'high level' jump, The West Australian reports.

'Our thoughts are with the man's family and friends,' a spokeswoman for the skydive company said.

An investigation will be conducted by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Australian Parachute Federation.

WA Police will also prepare a report for the coroner.

Daredevils and tourists are known to visit Jurien Bay to skydive, but it's not the first time death or injury has occurred at the hotspot.

In 2019 a man in his 20s fractured his leg during a 'hard landing' while skydiving.

He was airlifted to hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

A former Waterbury resident was recently sentenced to four years in prison after he fled to Mexico with his girlfriend after violating sex offender laws, federal prosecutors said.

Lester B. Joy, 40, was sentenced by Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport on Friday to serve 48 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. according to the U.S. Attorneys office.

Joy previously pleaded guilty on Nov. 3, 2020, to failing to register as a sex offender.

Authorities said Joys girlfriend, who didnt have legal custody of her three minor children, had a supervised visit with the kids at a Waterbury restaurant on Feb. 17, 2019. When the woman went to take the children to the bathroom, officials said she slipped them out the eaterys back door and into a waiting vehicle.

On March 7, 2019, Joy, his girlfriend and her three children were found by Mexican law enforcement. Joy and his girlfriend were arrested, according to authorities.

Joy had failed to provide information to the Connecticut Sex Offender Registry about his trip to Mexico, required under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. Joy has been detained since his arrest.

He pleaded guilty in Waterbury Superior Court on Oct. 29, 2020, to three counts of risk of injury and was sentenced to three years of incarceration, followed by seven years of special parole.

Underhill ordered Joys federal sentence to run concurrently with his state sentence.

Joy has a criminal history that spans nearly a decade.

On Oct. 25, 2002, Joy was convicted in New Jersey court of second-degree sexual assault, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child and third-degree theft. Authorities said he was sentenced to three years in prison, lifetime community supervision and was subject to lifetime registration as a sex offender.

On Jan. 4, 2006, Joy was convicted in New York of three counts of third-degree rape, two counts of third-degree criminal sexual acts and two counts of disseminating indecent material to a minor, authorities said. On those offenses, he was sentenced to 42 to 84 months in prison and lifetime probation.

Joy was released by New Jersey prison on Nov. 30, 2013, after serving a sentence on a violation of his lifetime term of community supervision in the state.

Following his release from prison, authorities said Joy didnt register as a sex offender in New Jersey or New York  despite his requirements at each sentencing hearing  and then moved to Connecticut. Officials said he failed to inform any of the three states of his move, which was required.

Joy pleaded guilty in Connecticut on Feb. 23, 2015, to failing to register as a sex offender. He was sentenced on May 18, 2015, to 27 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

He was released from prison in January 2017. Authorities said he failed to report to parole in New Jersey, failed to seek permission to change his address and failed to advise the state of New Jersey of his new Connecticut address. Officials said Joy also failed to comply with treatment requirements.

In April 2017, Joy was sentenced to another seven months in federal prison on violating the conditions of his supervised release. He was released in August 2017.

Plant fossils, twigs and leaves have been discovered under a mile of ice on Greenland, suggesting the area was free of ice within the last million years.

Scientists from the University of Vermont have called it a 'stunning' discovery, with some of the discovered vegetation looking as if it had 'died yesterday'.

The discovery was made from ice core samples dug in the 1960s by US Army scientists as part of a decoy bid to disguise the location of a Cold War military base.

They drilled down through nearly a mile of ice in north west Greenland in 1966 and pulled up a 15ft long tube of dirt which was lost in a freezer until 2017.

Finding twigs and leaves rather than sand and rock suggests there may have been a boreal forest in the recent geological past - where the mile deep ice stands today.

The discovery revealed the ice sheet is more fragile to climate change than thought, putting every coastal city at risk if it were to melt again, with study authors warning the Greenland ice sheet melting could see a 20ft rise in sea levels worldwide.

'Greenland may seem far away,' says author Paul Bierman, 'but it can quickly melt, pouring enough into oceans that New York, Miami, Dhaka - will go underwater.'

Most of Greenland is covered with ice today. But a new study shows that within the last million years it melted off and became covered with green tundra, perhaps like this view of eastern Greenland, on the coast near the ocean

Plant fossils, twigs and leaves have been discovered under a mile of ice on Greenland, suggesting the area was free of ice within the last million years

CAMP CENTURY: US ATTEMPT TO PUT NUCLEAR WARHEADS NEAR RUSSIA Camp Century was a US military research base in Greenland. It operated from 1959 to 1967 and was advertised as an 'affordable ice-cap military outpost and research base'. When it was declassified in 1996 it was revealed that the true purpose was to be part of a network of nuclear missile launch sites that could survive a strike. Missiles were never fielded to the site. There were 21 tunnels covering 9,800ft but research revealed the ice wasn't as stable as thought, leading to the cancellation of the missile project. Danish officials were told the US government were testing construction techniques under Arctic conditions at the base. This was in addition to supporting scientific experiments on the icecap to create climate models and understand the strength of the ice cap itself. Advertisement

The 15ft core samples, discovered in 2017, came from Camp Century, a Cold War military base dug inside the ice sheet far above the Arctic Circle in the 1960s.

The real purpose of the camp was a super-secret effort called Project Iceworm, to hide 600 nuclear missiles under the ice close to the Soviet Union.

As cover, the army presented the camp as a polar science station, and while the military mission failed, the science team did complete important research.

Now the long-lost ice core provides direct evidence that the giant ice sheet melted off within the last million years and is highly vulnerable to a warning climate.

Dr Andrew Christ, study author said: 'Ice sheets typically pulverise and destroy everything in their path. But what we discovered was delicate plant structures, perfectly preserved.

'They're fossils, but they look like they died yesterday. It's a time capsule of what used to live on Greenland that we wouldn't be able to find anywhere else.'

In 2019, Dr Christ looked at the frozen sediment through his microscope and was astonished to see twigs and leaves instead of just sand and rock.

It suggested that the ice was gone in the recent geologic past and that a vegetated landscape, perhaps a boreal forest, stood where a mile-deep ice sheet as big as Alaska stands today.

Over the last year, Dr Christ and colleagues have studied these one-of-a-kind fossil plants and sediment at the bottom of Greenland.

Their findings show that most or all of Greenland must have been ice-free within the last million years, perhaps even the last few hundred-thousand years.

The discovery makes clear that the deep ice at Camp Century, some 75 miles inland from the coast and only 800 miles from the North Pole, entirely melted at least once within the last million years

The discovery was made from ice core samples dug in the 1960s by US Army scientists as part of a decoy bid to disguise the location of a Cold War military base.

They drilled down through nearly a mile of ice in north west Greenland in 1966 and pulled up a 15ft long tube of dirt which was lost in a freezer until 2017

Finding twigs and leaves rather than sand and rock suggests there may have been a boreal forest in the recent geological past - where the mile deep ice stands today

The discovery makes clear that the deep ice at Camp Century, some 75 miles inland from the coast and only 800 miles from the North Pole, entirely melted at least once within the last million years.

During this ice-free period the landmass - about the size of Alaska - was covered with vegetation, including moss and perhaps trees.

The discovery helps confirm a new and troubling understanding that the Greenland ice has melted off entirely during recent warm periods in Earth's history.

The worrying part comes from the fact those warm periods included periods like the one we are now creating with human-caused climate change, authors said.

The discovery revealed the ice sheet is more fragile to climate change than thought, putting every coastal city at risk if it were to melt again, with study authors warning the Greenland ice sheet melting could see a 20ft rise in sea levels worldwide

'Greenland may seem far away,' says author Paul Bierman, 'but it can quickly melt, pouring enough into oceans that New York, Miami, Dhaka - will go underwater'

SEA LEVELS COULD RISE BY UP TO 4 FEET BY THE YEAR 2300 Global sea levels could rise as much as 1.2 metres (4 feet) by 2300 even if we meet the 2015 Paris climate goals, scientists have warned. The long-term change will be driven by a thaw of ice from Greenland to Antarctica that is set to re-draw global coastlines. Sea level rise threatens cities from Shanghai to London, to low-lying swathes of Florida or Bangladesh, and to entire nations such as the Maldives. It is vital that we curb emissions as soon as possible to avoid an even greater rise, a German-led team of researchers said in a new report. By 2300, the report projected that sea levels would gain by 0.7-1.2 metres, even if almost 200 nations fully meet goals under the 2015 Paris Agreement. Targets set by the accords include cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero in the second half of this century. Ocean levels will rise inexorably because heat-trapping industrial gases already emitted will linger in the atmosphere, melting more ice, it said. In addition, water naturally expands as it warms above four degrees Celsius (39.2F). Every five years of delay beyond 2020 in peaking global emissions would mean an extra 20 centimetres (8 inches) of sea level rise by 2300. Advertisement

Geoscientist Professor Paul Bierman, who led the research at UVM, said: 'This is not a twenty-generation problem. This is an urgent problem for the next 50 years.'

Understanding the Greenland Ice Sheet in the past is critical for predicting how it will respond to climate warming in the future and how quickly it will melt.

Since some 20ft of sea-level rise is tied up in Greenland's ice, every coastal city in the world is at risk if the ice sheet were to melt completely - as it had done at some point within the past million years, the team behind the study warned.

The new study provides the strongest evidence yet that Greenland is more fragile and sensitive to climate change than previously understood.

Study authors warn that the large ice-sheet is at grave risk of irreversibly melting off.

The team of scientists used a series of advanced analytical techniques - none of which were available to researchers fifty years ago - to probe the sediment, fossils, and the waxy coating of leaves found at the bottom of the Camp Century ice core.

For example, they measured ratios of rare forms - isotopes - of both aluminium and the element beryllium that form in quartz only when the ground is exposed to the sky and can be hit by cosmic rays.

These ratios gave the scientists a window onto how long rocks at the surface were exposed verses buried under layers of ice.

This analysis gives the scientists a kind of clock for measuring what was happening on Greenland in the past.

Another test used rare forms of oxygen, found in the ice within the sediment, to reveal that precipitation must have fallen at much lower elevations than the height of the current ice sheet, 'demonstrating ice sheet absence,' the team explained.

The new study shows that ecosystems of the past were not scoured into oblivion by ages of glaciers and ice sheets bulldozing overtop.

Instead, the story of these living landscapes remains captured under the relatively young ice that formed on top of the ground, frozen in place, and holds them still.

The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
New Delhi, March 15 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday filed a complaint with the Returning Officer accusing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of hiding six cases against her and demanded cancellation of her nomination.

Banerjee is contesting the upcoming West Bengal Assembly polls from Nandigram and the BJP has fielded Suvendu Adhikari, who was once the close aide of the Trinamool Congress supremo.

Adhikari said, "In her nomination, Trinamool Congress candidate Mamata Banerjee has not given information about five cases filed against her in various police stations in Assam including Geeta Nagar and Pan Bazaar in 2018. All the cases against her have been filed for her inflammatory speech over the NRC." "Apart from this, she has also not disclosed the information about the case filed against her by the CBI in Kolkata in 2008," he added.

Referring to a Supreme Court judgement, Adhikari said it is mandatory for the candidate to disclose all the cases filed against him or her. "If the candidate fails in doing so, the nomination gets cancelled. In such a situation, the nomination of Mamata Banerjee should be cancelled as she has hidden the information about six cases against her," the BJP leader said.
Students placing orders at Collegeboxes.com and using the code "STORE20" will receive 20% off storage fees for the entire summer when scheduling a socially distanced on-campus pickup. Collegeboxes will deliver students' items to a secure U-Haul facility until the fall term.

Students can also use the code "SHIP10" to receive 10% off shipping fees to have Collegeboxes direct ship their belongings home  or to any address in the world.

The discount codes are valid for orders placed March 15 through April 15. Customers enter their codes during sign-up when providing their billing information.

"For students on campus during spring break, we suggest spring cleaning and early packing," said Dain Howell, Director of Collegeboxes. "You can ship items home now or pack things for summer storage  winter items that are no longer needed, and other belongings you can do without the final six weeks of school. We can have boxes delivered to your door and picked up outside your door, with no contact, if that is your preference."

The promotion is a way to reward students who plan ahead and make safe choices to minimize crowds during a traditionally busy time, Howell noted. "When items are shipped or stored, students can take their last test, or go to their graduation ceremony, and then leave campus with their essentials in a backpack and a suitcase. This makes the move-out process easy for everyone, including the colleges."

Students enrolled at Collegeboxes full-service schools have access to the program's signature service, which includes scheduled pick-up dates on campus for storage and shipping. These dates are posted at Stanford University, the University of Tennessee and hundreds of other schools.

Students at all other schools can utilize the direct shipping service. This service simplifies shipping by providing boxes from Collegeboxes delivered to their door. Students print shipping labels and have their items picked up from their residence on a day they schedule from their account; or students can choose to drop their boxes at the nearest FedEx store.

The discount codes are available to all students. For more information, call (866) 269-4887 or email [email protected].

Being backed by U-Haul means that Collegeboxes has the advantages of a large company with local teams in every U.S. market. Collegeboxes serves hundreds of schools at a high capacity and can offer its partner schools added benefits such as priority consideration and rapid response; allowing schools to stipulate timelines, dates and hours for our service providers; and access to the complete lineup of services, including packing, loading and unloading, photographing and barcoding, real-time reporting for students to follow their items, secure local U-Haul storage, and direct domestic and international shipping to students.

As an essential service provider, U-Haul has remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic while offering contactless business programs and enhanced cleaning protocols, including added steps for sanitizing equipment between customer transactions. U-Haul products are used daily by First Responders; delivery companies bringing needed supplies to people's homes; small businesses trying to remain afloat; college students; and countless other dependent groups, in addition to the household mover. Please visit uhaul.com/announcement for more information on how U-Haul is keeping customers and Team Members safe.

About U-Haul

Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of 22,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 176,000 trucks, 127,000 trailers and 41,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 774,000 rentable storage units and 66.7 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry, and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S.

Contact:

Jeff Lockridge

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E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 602-760-4941

Website: uhaul.com

SOURCE U-Haul

Related Links

www.uhaul.com


Armenia economic competition protection commission: Experts forecast inflation of butter prices

Armenia citizens' protest against acting health minister is over

Pashinyan visits France, judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku, Jun. 2 digest

Armenian Ambassador, FMO representatives consider opportunities for expansion of cooperation in Armenia

Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Armenia citizens throw polyethylene bags at Health Ministry building, police apprehend protesters

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

Newspaper: What instructions did Armenia acting defense minister get in Moscow?

Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

Armenia 3rd President reacts to photos of bodies of soldiers in freezer: It felt like the blood froze in my veins

Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

Turkey's Erdogan expresses willingness to support Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral cooperation

Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

Wargonzo: Russian MOD is dealing with settlement of conflict in Armenia's Syunik Province on a daily basis

Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

Latest on scandal over improper storage of Armenian soldiers bodies, more on COVID-19, Jun. 1

Armenia Constitutional Court launches case proceedings based on President's application

Armenia acting emergency situations minister says he's concerned about situation in army

Armenia acting education, science, culture and sport minister receives ICRC Delegation

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

Armenia deputy police chief: No real cases of vote-buying reported to date

Armenia human rights activists: Nearly 10 protesters detained during protest in front of government building

Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

Yerevan court rules to conditionally release man who attempted to assassinate ex-presidential candidate

People came to power in Armenia who consistently destroyed army combat-readiness, says ex-President Kocharyan

Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

Armenia 1st President spokesperson: Ter-Petrosyan has nothing to speak with the nation-destroying plague

Armenia acting PM orders internal investigation into case of storage conditions of fallen soldiers bodies, remains

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan gives interview to Russia newspaper

Armenia acting deputy PM on unblocking of roads with Azerbaijan: There will be no troops standing there

Nikkei: Toyota and Honda stop car production in Malaysia

Armenia official on deploying international observers at Azerbaijan border: You will hear reaction on this matter soon

USAID helps UN World Food Programme support displaced people in Armenia

Armenia official: Work of trilateral working group on roads unblocking has stopped after recent incidents

Russias Putin to Armenias Pashinyan: Relations between our countries are developing very successfully
Jeep India has decided to postpone the launch of its first Made-in-India Wrangler SUV, which was scheduled to be launched today. The carmaker issued a statement that said, Due to some organisational priorities, the price launch of the locally assembled Jeep Wrangler has been postponed to Wednesday, 11:30 am, 17th March 2021." On Wednesday Jeep will reveal the price of the India-made Wrangler SUV, along with the details about the off-roader which will compete with the Land Rover Defender SUV and Mercedes-Benz G 350d when launched.

Here are five things you can expect about the India-made 2021 Jeep Wrangler SUV.
US President Joe Biden is still keeping his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan waiting for a phone call, but Washington has recently cheered Ankara up by casting a role for Turkey in peace efforts in Afghanistan.

A US plan for Turkey to host a meeting to finalize a peace deal between the Afghan government and the Taliban is not an unlikely choice, as Turkey is the sole Muslim-majority member of NATO, which maintains a military mission in Afghanistan. As such, Turkeys possible mediation might prove more effective than that of Qatar. But given the chill between the Biden administration and Ankara, the US move could be seen also as a gesture of goodwill or an attempt at mending a damaged partnership.

A US-Taliban deal, signed in February 2020 under the Donald Trump administration, requires all American troops to leave Afghanistan by May 1, but the Biden administration is still weighing its options on how to proceed. At this critical junction, Washington has called for an international meeting under UN auspices, intra-Afghan talks in Turkey and a 90-day reduction-in-violence in Afghanistan, hoping to muster utmost international support for peace in the war-torn country. During talks in Kabul in early March, US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad shared a settlement draft that calls for a new, interim administration until a new constitution is agreed upon and elections held, while a joint commission monitors a cease-fire, according to Reuters.

Since last years deal, the Afghan government and the Taliban have mutually released thousands of prisoners, while Washington has downsized its troops to 2,500. Intra-Afghan peace talks began in Doha in September, but have since stalled without any real progress. To continue the talks, the Taliban have called for the release of 7,500 prisoners and the removal of their leaders from international blacklists. And while Kabul wants to negotiate a cease-fire first, the Taliban say a deal on interim power-sharing should precede the truce. Moreover, the Taliban insist on replacing the existing Islamic republic with an Islamic emirate.

In a bid to unlock the stalemate, Russia invited the Afghan parties as well as representatives of the United States, China and Pakistan to a meeting in Moscow on March 18.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a letter to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani outlining a number of initiatives toward a settlement. We will ask the government of Turkey to host a senior-level meeting of both sides in the coming weeks to finalize a peace agreement, he wrote, according to a copy of the letter published by the Afghan news site TOLOnews.

Ankara hailed the proposal as a recognition of its diplomatic clout and acumen. We are ready to assume any mediation that would contribute to peace in Afghanistan, Omer Celik, the spokesman of the ruling Justice and Development Party, said March 9. Turkey, however, does not figure among the participants of the UN-sponsored meeting proposed in Blinkens letter, which include Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan and India, along with the United States.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey was planning to host the meeting in April in Istanbul, stressing that both Afghan sides had previously welcomed the idea of Turkish mediation. Turkey will coordinate the meeting with Qatar and appoint a special Afghanistan envoy, he said March 12.

Afghan scholar and writer Aqa Mohammad Qurishi told Al-Monitor that neither Kabul nor the Taliban are likely to object to a Turkish role in the peace process, given Turkeys traditional friendship with Afghanistan as wells as Ankaras great relations with both the current Afghan government and Pakistan, an important ally of the Taliban. Turkey has not been involved in the Afghan war and has been impartial, he stressed.

Yet a Turkish role alone could hardly break the current deadlock in the talks, Qurishi said, stressing the need for pressure by the Biden administration, regional cooperation and the acceptance of UN mediation by all parties. The Afghan government, he noted, is explicitly opposed to the formation of an interim administration and advocates power sharing through specific, inclusive mechanisms after a peace deal is reached.

Turkey has failed to acquire an influential role in the Afghan peace talks thus far, even though it has made notable contributions to Afghanistan since the ouster of the Taliban in 2001 and is directly affected by the fallout of the war, lying on the route of Afghan refugees fleeing to the West.

Ankara has stayed on good terms with Kabul, but at the same time, it has not allowed its role in the NATO mission to fan enmity with the Taliban. Yet Ankara lacks strong channels with the Taliban, which might diminish its mediation edge. This weakness owes not to Turkeys military presence in Afghanistan or Ankaras reluctance to cultivate ties with the Taliban, but Kabuls efforts to prevent moves legitimizing the insurgents. Reports of a planned Taliban office in Turkey have occasionally hit the media since 2011, followed by official denials.

Back in 2001, Turkey refused to send combat troops to Afghanistan despite US pressure, assuming only noncombat tasks in the NATO mission. This decision as well as Turkeys traditionally close ties with Pakistan, the Talibans main benefactor, have allowed it to avoid the enmity of the Taliban.

What is more, Turkish-Afghan relations are deeply rooted in history. The Afghan people sent money to support the Turkish liberation war after the Ottomans defeat in World War I. Afghanistan was the first nation to recognize the Turkish parliament, established in Ankara in 1920 in defiance of the Ottoman monarchy in Istanbul, and the second after the Soviet Union to recognize the modern Turkish republic proclaimed three years later. Meanwhile, a Turkish embassy was inaugurated in Kabul, becoming the first foreign mission in the city. In 1928, Afghan ruler Amanullah Khan became the first foreign head of the state to visit the young Turkish republic, while many Turkish teachers, doctors and military officers helped the establishment of modern institutions in Afghanistan over three decades until 1960.

Since 2001, Turkey has carried out about 1,300 projects in various fields in Afghanistan, including education, health care and infrastructure, and trained 5,000 Afghan soldiers and 10,000 policemen. It has opened consulates in Mazar-i-Sharif and Herat and is preparing to open a third one in Kandahar, the Talibans former stronghold on which the insurgents are closing in anew. Since 2010, the two countries have marked March 1 as Turkish-Afghan Friendship Day.

Bringing peace to a country plagued by multi-actor wars for four decades could indeed prove a tall order for Turkey, as Qurishi noted. Still, a peace deal achieved at talks hosted by Turkey would set another milestone in Turkish-Afghan ties as they mark their centenary. Such a breakthrough would strengthen Turkeys standing in Central Asia and could offer a chance to break the ice between Ankara and Washington. One caveat is what ties Ankara would foster with the Taliban in such a process, given its controversial record of alignment with Islamist groups in the region.
Ireland is working to revive the once-valuable seed potato industry given that imports from Scotland are now prohibited under EU-UK trade rules.

IFA, Teagasc and Bord Bia are encouraging local potato growers to source seed from Irish suppliers since supplies from Britain are prohibited under the trade agreement or TCA concluded between the UK and EU last Christmas.

More than 30,000t of seed potatoes were exported from Ireland to Europe and the Middle East up to the 1980s. However, the trade slowly died out in Ireland, despite the country being classed a high grade region within the EU for growing seed potatoes.

Last year, Ireland grew just 40pc of its seed potato requirements, or around 4,000-4,500 tonnes.

The remaining 5,500-6,000 tonnes of certified seed potatoes were imported, at a cost of around 3.5 million.

Scotland supplied 60pc of Irelands imported seed potatoes last year, with 18pc coming from Northern Ireland, and a further 10pc from England. The remainder came from Europe.

IFA potato chairman, Thomas McKeown, said the exclusion of Scottish seed potatoes from the EU was both a concern and an opportunity for Irish spud growers.

Mr McKeown accepted that securing seed potato supplies for 2022 plantings could prove challenging, but he said there was an opportunity for Irish growers to fill the void in the market.

He pointed out that Ireland was one of four high grade regions in the EU which were classified as particularly suited to growing seed potatoes because of their disease-free status. The other regions include the Azores, an area of Finland, and parts of northern Germany.

Mr McKeown said, there was no reason why seed from all the non- controlled potato varieties such as queens and kerrs pinks, could not be produced in Ireland.

The IFA representative encouraged growers of these varieties to make arrangements with existing Irish seed producers, in order to secure supplies for next season.

As part of the Potato Development Group, IFA along with Teagasc and Bord Bia, are endeavouring to facilitate this process, he said.

There are less than 20 specialised seed potato growers in Ireland, planting around 230 hectares.

However, if the enterprise recovered to 1980s levels, the business could be worth in excess of 15 million.

Charlie Doherty from Burt in Donegal certainly sees an opportunity for Irish growers. He plans to double the area of ground under seed potatoes to around 55 acres this year.

He grew 30-35 acres last year, but he feels there will be more demand for seed potatoes for next years main crop plantings.

There was always a tradition of growing seed potatoes in Donegal. There is now an opportunity to recover the industry; and it is up to growers to grasp it, Mr Doherty maintained.

He said growers had the facilities, the fridges and drying stores, to produce high-grade seed. What was needed was a commitment from main-crop potato growers to take that seed.

I have built a market selling seed potatoes to the same men for 10 years. If the commitment is there from commercial growers for the seed, we can grow it, Mr Doherty insisted.

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Flood control projects approved by Houston area voters in 2018 in response to Hurricane Harvey are facing a $1.4 billion shortfall that could delay their completion, officials have announced.

The projects in need of the most funding are in some of the areas poorest neighborhoods that have repeatedly flooded in recent decades and have not received the same amount of funding for flood mitigation as other local communities, according to experts and community advocates.

That has reinforced the belief by many residents of low-income areas in eastern Harris County along Greens and Halls bayous, which have repeatedly flooded, that they will continue to be left behind and forgotten about, said Iris Gonzalez, director of the Coalition for Environment, Equity, and Resilience, a Houston-based advocacy group.

A lot of the questions that the community has for  our elected officials is, When is the investment going to come? How many hurricane seasons do they have to face before they can feel and see the level of protection that they deserve, Gonzalez said.

Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall as a powerful Category 4 storm on Aug. 25, 2017, killed 68 people and caused an estimated $125 billion in damage in Texas. Thirty-six of the deaths were in the low-lying Houston area, where days of torrential rainfall and decades of unchecked development contributed to the flooding of more than 150,000 homes and 300,000 vehicles.

More than 24,000 homes along Greens and Halls bayous flooded.

In 2018, voters in Harris County, where Houston is located, approved the issuance of $2.5 billion in bonds to fund flood-control projects that might mitigate the damage caused by future storms.

Officials said the $2.5 billion bond referendum would be supplemented by another $2.5 billion in state and federal funding to help complete more than 180 projects, most of which are underway. But Harris County Budget Director David Berry told county commissioners on Tuesday $1.4 billion of that state and federal funding has yet to come through.

The hope after Hurricane Harvey that federal and state partners would really be focused on Harris County, where we saw the worst damage from Harvey, has not altogether turned out to be true, Berry said. We do have a real issue to work through.

In 2019, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state would allocate more than $4 billion in federal funding awarded for flood mitigation after Harvey. Officials in Houston and Harris County had hoped the funding would have been directly awarded to local governments.

Local communities are having to compete with one another by applying for grants through the Texas General Land Office for the funding. Harris County has applied for $900 million from the state, but its unclear if it will get all of that funding.

The flood control projects along Halls and Greens bayous still need about 75% of their funding.

Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis said he worried that if officials cant make up that shortfall, We would be telling people in these neighborhoods, Greens and Halls,  Thats all youre going to get. We can give you swimming lessons.

The Harris County Flood Control District, which is building the various projects, was directed to create a plan by June 30 to secure funds to make up for the shortfall.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Flood
On March 20, the Congregation Bnai Amoona Mens Club will honor four people who are making a positive difference at the Conservative synagogue and in the wider community.

The congregation will recognize winners of the Man of the Year, Youth of the Year and Medallion awards during its Mens Club Shabbat service streaming online.

Mark Givarz will receive the Man of the Year award. Givarz served as president of the Mens Club in 2007 and has led many club events, including its annual Chanukah dinner, according to the synagogue. He has also been an advocate for the club in the Bnai Amoona community.

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Givarz serves as an active floor gabbai (a person who assists in running the services) for Shabbat and the High Holidays.

After serving as club president, Givarz joined the Federation of Jewish Mens Clubs Midwest Region Executive Board, where he led numerous committees and was chairman of the Midwest Region Retreat in 2012. In 2017, he became the region president.

For the mens club federation, Givarz served as the Program Fair chair at the its 2015 convention in Miami Beach and has been a long serving member of the Hearing Mens Voices Committee. In 2019, Givarz became the secretary of the federations executive committee and has just completed his role as the co-chair of the federations annual Leadership Development Institute, which was held virtually in January 2021. Givarz will become the chair of the event in January 2022.

Leetal Cohn, a senior at Ladue Horton Watkins High School, will receive the Youth of the Year award.

Cohn has been involved in many different activities and organizations including serving for two years as captain of the Ladue Sparkle Effect, a cheer and dance team for students with and without disabilities that promotes friendship, inclusion, and spirit.

Cohn has also been a captain of a Special Olympics team. She is an alum of Cultural Leadership youth development program and continues to be involved in social justice work, facilitating dialogue, and fighting anti-Semitism in St. Louis and elsewhere.

Cohn is also a group leader in Jewish Community Relations Councils Student to Student program, where Jewish students teach other high schoolers about Judaism.

During the summer, Cohn has attended Herzl Camp for many years, where she has read Torah and led services, and she will be returning as a staff member this summer.

Cohn has also read from the Megillah at Bnai Amoona and is involved in the Shomrei Amoonim volunteer program with her family.

The Medallion Award winners are Madeleine Ryan and Charlie Rosenzweig.

Ryan is a senior at Parkway North High School, where she is captain of both the girls cross country and track team. Ryan is also the secretary and treasurer of the National Honors Society and a peer teacher in the Safe and Drug Free Program.

Ryan attended the Meyer Kranzberg Learning Center from second to tenth grade and enjoyed helping as a madrichah(teen assistant) for each year of high school.

Ryan is now also part of the Student to Student program.

Rosenzweig is a senior at Parkway Central High School and a member of the varsity cross country and track teams.

Rosenzweig is actively involved in National Honors Society, serving as chapter treasurer, and in Future Business Leaders of America, where he has competed at the at regional, state and national competitions. Rosenzweig also participated in Cultural Leadership program and served as a math tutor to students in algebra and geometry.

At Bnai Amoona, Rosenzweig reads Torah and has been a member of the Yad Squad, a Torah reading program, since eighth grade. He is also a madrichat the Meyer Kranzberg Learning Center and will be on staff at Camp Ramot Amoona this summer.
The sister of North Korean leader, Kim Yo Jong, criticized ongoing military drills in South Korea and warned the new U.S. administration against 'causing a stink' if it wants peace, state news reported on Tuesday.

The statement came a day before America's top diplomat and defense chief are due to arrive in Seoul for their first talks with South Korean counterparts.

'We take this opportunity to warn the new U.S. administration trying hard to give off powder smell in our land,' Kim said in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA. 'If it wants to sleep in peace for coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step.'

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's influential sister slammed the US and South Korea on Tuesday, as the new US secretaries of state and defense began a visit to Tokyo and Seoul

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are travelling in Asia this week for foreign policy and security talks with allies in Japan and South Korea, among other stops.

The timing of Kim's comments seems designed to ensure that North Korea will be at the top of Blinken and Austin's agenda when they land in Seoul, said Ramon Pacheco Pardo, a Korea expert at King's College London.

'Until now, the discussion was focusing on The Quad, dealing with China and the North Korea policy review,' he said. 'Now Kim's statement will be central to discussions.'

North Korea has so far rebuffed entreaties from the United States to engage in dialogue, the White House said on Monday, as a chill in relations that began under then-President Donald Trump has extended into Joe Biden's presidency.

It is the first explicit reference by the nuclear-armed North to a new president in Washington, more than four months after Joe Biden was elected to replace Donald Trump -- although it still did not mention the Democrat by name

The White House confirmed Monday that the administration had reached out to North Korea through undisclosed 'channels'  but that the country has yet to respond.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the U.S. has not received 'any response' despite the outreach, following a burst of contacts during the Trump Administration that was followed by a freeze at the end of Trump's term.

'So I can confirm that we have reached out. We obviously have a ... number of channels as we always have had that we can reach through,' she said.

'Diplomacy is always our goal. Our goal is to reduce the risk of escalation,' she said.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Monday that the U.S. had reached out to North Korea through diplomatic channels but had not received a response

But the effort has been fruitless so far. 'To date we have not received any response,' Psaki said at the White House.

Describing the nature of the efforts, Psaki was vague, saying the U.S. is 'focused on consulting with many former government officials who have been involved in North Korea policy  including from several prior administrations. And we have and will continue to engage with other Japanese and South Korean allies to solicit input, explore fresh approaches. We listen carefully to their ideas, including through trilateral consultations.'

Pressed on North Korea's failure to respond, Psaki responded: 'This follows over a year without active dialogue with North Korea, despite multiple attempts by the U.S. to engage. So diplomacy ... continues to remain our first priority. We have, I think you can anticipate that there will be a continued expansion of engagement with partners and allies in the region.'

North Korea has not responded to behind-the-scenes diplomatic outreach since mid-February by President Joe Biden's administration

The Biden administration has so far been cautious in publicly describing its approach to North Korea, saying it is carrying out a comprehensive policy review following former President Donald Trump's unprecedented engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

A confidential UN report found that Kim Jong-un's regime has maintained and developed its nuclear and ballistic missile programs throughout 2020 in violation of international sanctions, helping fund them with some $300million stolen through cyber hacks

A senior administration official told Reuters Saturday that the U.S. reached out to Pyongyang's mission to the United Nations.

The so-far unsuccessful US outreach raises questions about how Biden will address mounting tensions with Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. It also comes as Biden's new team contends with other holdover issues  including efforts to restart the Iran nuclear deal and manage a scheduled troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

It also adds a new dimension to a visit America's top diplomat and defense secretary will make next week to South Korea and Japan, where concerns over North Korea's nuclear arsenal are expected to be high on the agenda.

The senior Biden administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, offered few details on the diplomatic push. But the official said there had been efforts to reach out to the North Korean government 'through several channels starting in mid-February, including in New York'.

North Korea's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Biden administration has so far been cautious in publicly describing its approach to North Korea, saying it is carrying out a comprehensive policy review following former President Donald Trump's unprecedented engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Trump's efforts failed to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

The Biden administration official said it appeared there had been no active dialog between the United States and North Korea for more than a year, including at the end of Trump's administration, 'despite multiple attempts during that time by the United States to engage'.

The US official declined to speculate about how the silence from Pyongyang would impact the Biden administration's North Korea policy review, which was expected to be completed in the coming weeks.

During his election campaign, Biden described Kim as a 'thug' and said he would only meet him 'on the condition that he would agree that he would be drawing down his nuclear capacity'.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has held out the possibility of additional sanctions, in coordination with allies, to press North Korea to denuclearize.

Sanctions have so far failed to convince Kim to give up his nuclear weapons.

Blinken is slated to host the first face-to-face discussions between senior Biden administration and Chinese officials on March 18 in Alaska. The Trump administration accused China of failing to enforce sanctions against North Korea.

A confidential UN report found that North Korea maintained and developed its nuclear and ballistic missile programs throughout 2020 in violation of international sanctions, helping fund them with some $300million stolen through cyber hacks.

The report by independent sanctions monitors said Pyongyang 'produced fissile material, maintained nuclear facilities and upgraded its ballistic missile infrastructure' while continuing to seek material and technology for those programs from abroad.
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Havana Clubs first spiced variant has just arrived at MoM Towers. So we decided to take a look and see what to expect from the new expression.

The fact that Havana Club is entering the spiced rum market is not particularly surprising, given that the category is enormous. The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) revealed in 2019 that sales of flavoured and spiced rum in the UK shot up from less than six million bottles in 2014 to more than 10m in 2019. The only real surprise is why the Cuban rum giants took so long to get involved.

Rum can be confusing

Perhaps Havana Club was reluctant due to the stigma attached to the spiced rum category. Saccharine products laced with artificial flavourings and colouring have led to an association with them being inferior. In fact, its newest addition is technically a spirit drink, not a rum. According to EU law, rum may not be flavoured. Therefore spiced rum is not technically rum, but a category in its own right. Confusing, isnt it? As consumers become more knowledgeable and demanding, the lack of authenticity and transparency is becoming an issue.

Producers, however, are reacting to the thirst for more transparency. More and more rums are being released that prioritise quality, story and provenance over volume or cost, often with a price tag to match. A new generation of distillers and bottlers has been key to this dynamic shift. But innovative products can also come from big global brands too.

Distinctive flavours from Cubas tropical climate

This brings us to Havana Club Cuban Spiced. Anne Martin, global marketing director at Havana Club International, explains that the concept behind Havana Club Cuban Spiced was to create a product that would appeal to the growing audience of spiced fans, while revealing that more than two-thirds of young adults that purchase rum opt for spiced offerings.

The press release also wastes no time in telling us that the brand wants to create something different from other nautical-inspired spiced rums on the market. How? By showcasing the innovation and craftsmanship in Cuban rum production and celebrating the provenance of Havana Club with distinctive flavours from Cubas tropical climate.

A Cuban rum recap

So, lets talk about how Havana Club makes rum. The process begins with sugar cane. It grows a-plenty in Cubas fertile soil (just ask cigar fans about the quality of crop the country grows). To create molasses your squish the harvested cane to extract the juice and then boil it. Then you add water and yeast to the molasses in tanks to ferment for about one and a half days. Its a short amount of time. In places like Jamaica, fermentation lasts for five days to a week.

Thats because Cuba is one of the pioneers of what is often described as Spanish-style rum, which refers to light, fresh and crisp rum made in Spanish-speaking countries thanks to a request from the Spanish Crown, which preferred its spirits delicate in flavour. Youre not going to find those big funky Jamaican-style rums here.

After fermentation, the liquid is distilled in a mix of pot and column stills before being placed into American white oak barrels for ageing. By law, it must age for at least two years. Charcoal-filtration and then some more blending and ageing typically occurs after this, but its not a legal requirement. Maestros roneros (or master rum makers) watch over this entire process and it takes 15 years of work to become one.

There has been rum in Cuba since the introduction of the sugarcane crop to the Caribbean and access to it and the tropical climate the rum matures in has led to Cuba getting the nickname the isle of rum and ensured the spirit has become an essential part of the nations culture.

A spirit drink not a rum

Its this rum that forms the bedrock Havana Clubs new spiced spirit drink, which has been infused with natural tropical flavours like vanilla, aromatic spices, ripe guava, toasted coconut and fresh pineapple. Three Cuban fruits alongside the typical vanilla and spice mix demonstrate the brand is living up to its billing of utilising local flavours. Theres no information about sugar levels, however. The bottles label clearly states that its a spirit drink at least, which is refreshing, and the pricing is fair. As far as expressions in this category go, Havana Club Cuban Spiced certainly has promise.

Which shouldnt be too much of a surprise. The exceptional distilling pedigree outlined earlier and some strong branding has helped Havana Club become one of those rare producers that has an entire core range worthy of keeping in stock. Which most bars and supermarkets around the world make a habit of doing. Excluding the US, of course, thanks to its embargo on Cuban products.

The producers tasting notes suggests there will be rich, fresh tropical fruit, light honey, vanilla and warm spices to enjoy. But it will be interesting to see if the additional flavours overwhelm the light rum at the core of this expression or enhance it. Of course, most people will mix it anyway. Ginger beer, cola or coconut water and other tropical fruit juices will all work well as mixers, but dont be afraid to experiment with cocktail classics. A Spiced Daiquiri or a Spiced Espresso Martini sounds pretty good to me.

Havana Club Cuban Spiced is now available from Master of Malt.
LOMAHASHA  Even the fact that it is Womens Month is not enough to deter people from being violent to their spouses.

Had it not been for her children, a 43-year-old womans name would have been added to the growing list of victims of gender-based violence (GBV). *Zama was beaten to a pulp by her husband who left her thinking she had died then attempted to commit suicide by consuming a poisonous substance. She allegedly ran to her childrens bedroom and used them as shields while her husband, *Jack, wielded a spear which he allegedly wanted to stab her with. After noticing that he could not use the spear due to the presence of three children, the oldest being about 11 years old, Jack is said to have used a stick to hit his wife. She sustained injuries on the head and her right arm. The bone of contention was that he allegedly accused her of wanting to kill him. Jack, who is a member of the Jericho Church, is said to have gone to see a priest, who is also a traditional healer and prophet. He is said to have gone to consult the prophet after concerns that he had unending troubles, including poor health.

Priest

The priest is said to have told Jack that his wife was the one trying to kill him. When he returned home on Saturday, at around 5pm, Jack is said to have asked his wife about one of the pots he claimed was missing. Zama said an argument ensued over the pot he claimed he could not see in the house. He is also alleged to have accused her of wanting to kill him. The argument is said to have started inside the couples bedroom. She said during the argument, Jack began to attack her, but she fled to the dining room. I noticed that he was aiming at stabbing me because he had a spear in his hand, said Zama. She said she then fled to the childrens bedroom and found her three children terrified due to her screaming, but used them as shields. If it wasnt for them, he would have stabbed me to death, she said. Zama said it was at this point that her husband went to look for a stick, which he used to attack her.

Violently

She said he began to hit her violently while hurling out unpalatable words. I screamed for help and my neighbours came to my rescue, she said. Zama said one of her neighbours then called out to Jack to stop hitting her. However, his response was; Ngifuna kumshiya afile which means, I want to leave her dead. Eventually, Jack is said to have left his wife and fled to another room. This was after the neighbour managed to stop the fight. When reached for comment, the neighbour said he rushed to the homestead after hearing the screams for help.

He said Jack quickly went to another room to get a bag, but did not understand why. He said Jack then gave him instructions on how he should distribute his cattle when he was gone.

I did not understand what he meant until I realised that he was drinking a poisonous substance, said the neighbour. He said he rushed to take away the container from Jack, but he had already consumed the substance. He said he then rushed to give him cooking oil and some cow dung to force him to vomit. Jack was then rushed to hospital where he is still admitted.
This weeks Last Week Tonight was a break from John Olivers recent coverage of systemic disasters the United States has no hope and no intention of fixing, like our unemployment insurance system or our police raids or our meatpacking industry. Instead of broad, difficult problems in which we all have some degree of complicity, Oliver gave us a classic Oh, this asshole again segment about Tucker Carlson, who may be the most malignant television personality since Lonesome Rhodes. Last Week Tonight usually evokes a sense of hopelessness in the face of the nigh-unsolvable problems humanity will be facing over the next century or so. This week, however, in a return to the carefree days when Oliver was paying giant squirrels to insult coal barons, the host offered audiences the pure, innocent pleasure of watching him insult someone who richly deserves to be insulted. Enjoy!

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It wouldnt be Last Week Tonight if Oliver didnt explore the historical and systemic forces that enable people like Carlson to command an audience, so lets face it: As long as theres a market for thinly disguised white supremacist content on national television, there will always be a Tucker Carlson, even if his name is not Tucker Carlson. But this specific Tucker Carlson is terrible! And, unlike, say, a world with no police raids, its pretty easy to imagine a world in which Tucker Carlson is no longer pumping racist poison into impressionable white peoples brains on a nightly basis. Lets see if theyll let us live there.
The Canadian Real Estate Association is predicting home sales will be so strong they'll reach record highs this year, before starting to cool in 2022.

A new home is displayed for sale in a new housing development in Ottawa on Tuesday, July 14, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The Canadian Real Estate Association is predicting home sales will be so strong they'll reach record highs this year, before starting to cool in 2022.

The association said Monday that it expects nearly 702,000 properties to change hands through Canadian MLS systems this year, up from the 551,262 recorded in 2020, while sales for 2022 are expected total 614,000.

CREA believes the national average home price will rise by 16.5 per cent on an annual basis to just over $665,000 in 2021 and $679,341 in 2022.

CREA's heated predictions show COVID-19 has not spooked buyers, who have waded into expensive markets even as layoffs are plentiful and unemployment high. Throughout the second half of 2020 and the start of 2021, realtors reported bidding wars and high numbers of offers for suburban homes or properties that need renovations.

CREA doesn't believe those trends will dissipate soon.

"At this point everyone knows how far the current monthly sales numbers are from historical norms, and that they have been setting record after record for eight months now, so this should not be a surprise," CREA chair Costa Poulopoulos said in a statement.

The new outlook came as CREA reported Monday sales in February totalled 58,021, a 6.6 per cent jump from January and a 39.2 per cent increase from the 40,550 units sold in February 2020.

The actual national average home price in February was a record $678,091, up 25 per cent from $542,484 a year earlier.

February was a "super competitive" month, said Cody Skrzypkowski, a realtor with the Keller Williams Real Estate Associates North Group in Toronto.

It's now normal for him to see condos priced at under $800,000 receiving multiple offers and he's noticing the appreciation on many properties is rising by double digits within a month or two.

"I've never seen pricing like this in my career," said Skrzypkowski.

Those price jumps aren't just reserved for traditionally hot real estate markets like Toronto or Vancouver, said CREA.

The largest year-over-year gains  above 35 per cent  that CREA reported came from the Lakelands region of Ontario cottage country, Tillsonburg District and Woodstock-Ingersoll.

Price hikes in Hamilton, Guelph, Cambridge, Brantford, Kitchener-Waterloo, Peterborough hovered between 25 and 30 per cent, but increased by 18.8 per cent in Montreal and by between 10 and 15 per cent on Vancouver Island, Winnipeg, the Greater Toronto Area and Quebec.

A spike between five and 10 per cent came in Greater Vancouver, Victoria, Regina and Saskatoon and prices shot up by 3.5 per cent in Calgary and Edmonton.

Costa and CREA senior economist Shaun Cathcart blamed COVID-19 and supply for the conditions.

"We are right at the start of the first undisturbed (by policy or lockdown) spring housing market in years and we also have the most extreme demand-supply imbalance ever by a large margin," said Cathcart in a release.

He believes demand is building because of regulatory changes in the years leading up to COVID and because people now see the need to have a home to ride out the pandemic. Many also want to make a purchase before prices climb any higher and while mortgage rates remain at record lows, he said.

Both CREA and Skrzypkowski believe supply will slowly return to the market, but it will take some time to cool conditions.

Skrzypkowski said, "If you're a seller, congrats. If you're a buyer, buckle up because it may not be the most easy process for you."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 15, 2021.
She was on hand to announce the nominations for Academy Awards on Monday morning.

And Priyanka Chopra's The White Tiger received its own nod for Best Adapted Screenplay in the coveted ceremony which will take place on April 25.

The 38-year-old actress presented the nominations alongside her husband, Nick Jonas, during a two-part live presentation on Monday via global live stream due to the ongoing pandemic.

Congratulations! Priyanka Chopra's The White Tiger received its own nod for Best Adapted Screenplay in the coveted ceremony which will take place on April 25

Best Adapted Screenplay nods were also given to Regina King's One Night in Miami, Chloe Zhao's Nomadland, Florian Zeller's The Father, and Jason Woliner's Borat Subsequent MovieFilm.

The White Tiger is a film from a novel of the same name, written by Australian-Indian author Aravind Adiga.

The film describes 'an extraordinary journey of a self-made man from a tea-shop worker in a village to a successful entrepreneur in a big city.'

Priyanka worked alongside Adarsh Gourav, Rajkummar Rao, Mahesh Manjrekar and Vijay Maurya.

Good work: The White Tiger is a film from a novel of the same name, written by Australian-Indian author Aravind Adiga

The film describes 'an extraordinary journey of a self-made man from a tea-shop worker in a village to a successful entrepreneur in a big city'

Director Ava DuVernay previously tweeted her love for the movie in March.

'The caliber of the filmmaking, from direction to design to screenwriting to performance to editing to music, is a sight to see. I'm not the only one who thinks so...,' she wrote.

While the Oscars are usually held at the Dolby Theatre, this year's ceremony will be hosted in multiple locations due to the coronavirus.

'The caliber of the filmmaking, from direction to design to screenwriting to performance to editing to music, is a sight to see. I'm not the only one who thinks so...,' Ava DuVernay described the movie on social media

'In this unique year that has asked so much of so many, the Academy is determined to present an Oscars like none other, while prioritizing the public health and safety of all those who will participate,' a spokesperson for the Academy told Variety.

'To create the in-person show our global audience wants to see, while adapting to the requirements of the pandemic, the ceremony will broadcast live from multiple locations, including the landmark Dolby Theatre.'

The 93rd Academy Awards were originally scheduled for Feb. 28 and will now air on April 25.
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, has announced the Top 50 Colleges In New Jersey for 2021. The comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 150 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment.

The 2021 rankings are calculated through a unique scoring system which includes student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third party evaluations. Intelligent.com analyzed 150 schools, on a scale of 0 to 100, with only 50 making it to the final list. The methodology also uses an algorithm which collects and analyzes multiple rankings into one score to easily compare each school.

To access the complete ranking, please visit: https://www.intelligent.com/best-colleges-in-new-jersey/

2021 Colleges In New Jersey featured on Intelligent.com (in alphabetical order):

Atlantic Cape Community College

Bergen Community College

Berkeley College

Bloomfield College

Brookdale Community College

Caldwell University, New Jersey

Camden County College

Centenary University

College of Saint Elizabeth

County College of Morris

DeVry University

Drew University

Eastwick College

Fairleigh Dickinson University

Felician University

Georgian Court University

Hudson County Community College

Kean University

Mercer County Community College

Middlesex College

Monmouth University

Montclair State University

New Jersey City University

New Jersey Institute of Technology

Ocean County College

Passaic County Community College

Pillar College

Princeton University

Rabbinical College of America

Ramapo College of New Jersey

Raritan Valley Community College

Rider University

Rowan College at Burlington County

Rowan College South Jersey

Rowan University

Rutgers University

Rutgers University, Camden

Rutgers University, New Brunswick

Rutgers University, Newark

Saint Peter's University

Salem Community College

Seton Hall University

Stevens Institute of Technology

Stockton University

Sussex County Community College

The College of New Jersey

Thomas Edison State College

Thomas Edison State University

Union County College

William Paterson University

About Intelligent.com

Intelligent.com provides unbiased research to help students make informed decisions about higher education programs. The website offers curated guides which include the best degree programs as well as information about financial aid, internships and even study strategies. With comprehensive, user-friendly guides and hundreds of program rankings, Intelligent.com is a trusted source among students and prospective students. To learn more, please visit https://www.intelligent.com/.
BRUSSELS  The European Union announced on Monday that it is taking legal action against Britain for what it called a violation of a legal agreement over Brexit and Northern Ireland that was part of a trade pact forged between the two sides last year.

European officials said Brussels was responding to a move this month by the British government to unilaterally ease trading and border rules for Northern Irish businesses by extending a grace period for implementation of the Brexit accord.

Under a protocol on Northern Ireland that was part of the pact, Britain is required to consult the European Union on changes to its implementation  which it did not do. The protocol was aimed at ensuring that there was no hard border between Ireland, a member of the bloc, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.

The officials said Britain had twice in the last six months unilaterally broken the agreement, first with a bill last December that dropped some elements objected to by the European Union, and then with the unilateral decision earlier this month to extend a grace period for British goods arriving in Northern Ireland until Oct. 1.
During the LISD regular board meeting, the board trustees discussed a number of topics including a hybrid instruction during testing days, their missed school waiver as a result of the winter storm and other topics of interest.

According to the presentation regarding the hybrid instruction, students between kindergarten and eighth grade who are not scheduled to test during STAAR exam dates may be transferred to a remote learning day to reduce the number of individuals on campus.

The Texas Education Agency stated that the waiver applies for testing days including the STAAR, TELPAS online assessments, PSAT-8 and ACT Aspire. They said the dates would be limited to a maximum of five days per administration, but districts are expected to be flexible to utilize other methods to lessen the impact on students.

As of now, the STAAR testing dates are as follows:

April 13 - 4th grade writing

April 20 - 7th grade writing

May 6 - 8th grade science

May 7 - 8th grade social studies

May 11 - 3rd - 8th grade math

May 12 - 8th grade reading

May 13 - 5th grade science

The board of trustee approved the request to approve the use of the missed school day waiver for Feb. 16-19 due to the winter storm which affected the district infrastructure and resulted in power outages.

The waiver states that during the initial days of the storm, LISD experienced a low attendance rate of 74% due to the impact. Later that week, classes and district operations were suspended due to power and water outages.

At approximately 6 p.m., the board moved forward to discuss the naming of a number of facilities including the Nixon High Vocational Building, Heights Elementary, Cigarroa High Multipurpose Facility, and the Martin High Multipurpose Facility.

According to Trustee Hector J. Garcia, the discussion would pass down the facilities to be named to a committee that will work in tandem with the schools and their staff. After both the committee and schools come up with a recommendation, that recommendation will be presented during the April regular board meeting for the trustees to vote on it.

cocampo@lmtonline.com
Italy will be placed under lockdown from March 15 through at least Easter weekend as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the country, Italian health officials announced on Friday.

Why it matters: This is the second year the country has needed to impose lockdown measures over the Easter holiday due to COVID-19. Italy was the first in the world to implement a nationwide lockdown last year, CBS News reports.

Details: Seven of Italy's regions, including Rome and Milan, will move into the red zone, placing them under the country's strictest restrictions starting Monday, Reuters notes.

Three regions were already designated red, meaning half of Italy's regions and the bulk of its population will see schools and non-essential retailers close and people unable to leave their homes for anything other than work or emergency purposes.

The entire country will become a red zone from April 3 through April 5  Easter weekend.

The entire country will become a red zone from April 3 through April 5  Easter weekend. Context: Italy designates restrictions based on a color-coded system (white, yellow, orange and red being the highest) that specifies local infection levels.

What they're saying: The "measures are necessary to avoid a deterioration that would make even more stringent measures inevitable," Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said, per CBS.

He added that the latest restrictions would come with financial help, "as well as the acceleration of the vaccine program, which alone gives hope of an exit from the pandemic."

The country's vaccine campaign got underway in late December, but much like other countries across Europe the rollout has been plagued by distribution delays.

On Friday, Italy's health agency approved the use of Johnson & Johnsons single-dose vaccine, with hopes that the shots be delivered within the next month, per Reuters.

Premier Mario Draghis office on Saturday setting a goal to have 80% of the population vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of September, AP writes.

By the numbers: Italy reported a total of 3,175,807 coronavirus cases on Friday, compared to the approximately 3,067,000 total reported cases the week prior, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
KYODO NEWS - Mar 15, 2021 - 07:44 | World, All

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden started reaching out to the North Korean government from mid-February but has received no response so far, a senior government official said Sunday.

The U.S. move, conducted through "several channels," including Pyongyang's mission to the United Nations, is aimed at reducing "risks of escalation," the official said, possibly referring to North Korea's testing of ballistic missiles and nuclear devices.

"To date, we have not received any response from Pyongyang. This follows over a year without active dialogue with North Korea, despite multiple attempts by the United States to engage," the official added.

The Biden administration, meanwhile, continues what it calls a "thorough" review of U.S. policy toward North Korea in consultation with Japan and South Korea.

The review includes an evaluation of "all available options to address the increasing threat posed by North Korea," it said, adding the United States is working with the two allies in Asia to "solicit input and explore fresh approaches."

"We have listened carefully to their ideas, including through trilateral consultations," the official said.

The North Korean nuclear issue is expected to be one of the key topics discussed when the U.S. and Japanese foreign and defense chiefs meet in Tokyo on Tuesday.

The review is expected to be completed in the "coming weeks," the U.S. official said.

Biden's predecessor Donald Trump engaged in unprecedented summit diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, meeting him three times in 2018 and 2019 in hopes of convincing the country to give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

But negotiations made little progress during Trump's four years in the White House that ended on Jan. 20 this year, with the two countries at odds over issues such as the degree of sanctions relief Pyongyang should receive for denuclearization steps.

Related coverage:

FOCUS: Uncertainties linger over how U.S. promotion of Quad will play out

Biden aims to bring U.S. closer to pre-pandemic normal by July
NEW YORK, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HC2 Holdings, Inc. (HC2 or the Company) (NYSE: HCHC) announced today that its core infrastructure business DBM Global (DBM) has reached an agreement to acquire a 100% interest in Banker Steel Holdco LLC (Banker Steel). The Banker Steel family of companies, in the portfolio of Atlas Holdings LLC (Atlas), is based in Lynchburg, Virginia and provides fabricated structural steel and erection services primarily for the East Coast and Southeast commercial and industrial construction market. Banker Steel consists of six operating companies: Banker Steel Co., LLC, NYC Constructors, LLC; Memco LLC; Derr & Isbell Construction LLC; Innovative Detailing and Engineering Solutions; and Lynchburg Freight and Specialty LLC. The transaction is subject to a financing condition and other customary closing conditions and adjustments, and is expected to close during the second quarter of 2021.



"DBM is one of the leading steel fabrication and erection companies in the US. This transaction, which is expected to substantially increase DBMs revenue and EBITDA, expands DBMs footprint nationwide and further strengthens its position as a preeminent company in its field, said Avie Glazer, Chairman of HC2.

Infrastructure spending in America is poised for substantial growth. The acquisition of Banker Steel greatly enhances the ability of DBM to take increased advantage of substantial infrastructure and commercial opportunities at a critical time, added Wayne Barr, Jr., Chief Executive Officer of HC2.

The addition of the Banker Steel family of companies will add significant scale and breadth to our operations, enabling us to provide fabricated structural steel for the entire East Coast construction market, and position us to deliver strong, accelerated growth, said Rustin Roach, President and CEO of DBM Global. Banker Steel also brings a highly talented, dedicated group of employees, who have overseen state-of-the-art design-build projects such as the Washington Nationals Park and the Barclays Center, and we look forward to welcoming them to the DBM team.

This is a terrific opportunity for Banker Steel to expand our business alongside DBM Globals industry leading suite of steel construction companies, said Don Banker, CEO of Banker Steel. DBMs values and objectives closely align with our own, and we look forward to joining forces to provide modern, innovative solutions to customers nationwide.

About HC2

HC2 Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HCHC) has a class-leading portfolio of assets primarily in Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Spectrum and Insurance. HC2 is headquartered in New York, New York and through its subsidiaries employs more than 2,800 people.

About DBM Global

DBM Global is focused on delivering world class, sustainable value to its clients through a highly collaborative portfolio of companies which provide better designs, more efficient construction and superior asset management solutions. DBM Global offers integrated steel construction services from a single source and professional services which include design-assist, design-build, engineering, detailing, BIM co-ordination, steel modeling/detailing, fabrication, rebar detailing, advanced field erection, project management, and state-of-the-art steel management systems. Major market segments include commercial, healthcare, convention centers, stadiums, gaming and hospitality, mixed use and retail, industrial, public works, bridges, transportation, and international projects. The Company, which is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, has operations in United States, Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and the United Kingdom.

About Banker Steel Company

Based in Lynchburg, Virginia, Banker Steel provides fabricated structural steel and erection services for the east coast commercial construction market. The company also provides design-assist services and has had the privilege of fabricating steel for design-build projects such as One Vanderbilt and the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center Expansion, both in New York City, the award-winning Washington Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Banker Steel Family of Companies (www.bankersteel.com) consists of 6 operating companies and approximately 1,500 employees with offices or plants in Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia, and Ontario, Canada.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This press release contains, and certain oral statements made by our representatives from time to time may contain, forward-looking statements regarding the purchase of Banker Steel by DBM Global and our expectations regarding building shareholder value, as well as those that may be identified by words such as will, intend, expect, anticipate, should, could and similar expressions, all of which involve risks, assumptions and uncertainties, many of which are outside of the Companys control, and are subject to change. There can be no assurance that the Banker Steel acquisition will be completed as proposed or at all. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and unless legally required, HC2 undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. HC2s actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of important factors, both positive and negative, that may be revised or supplemented in subsequent statements and reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including in our reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K. These risks and other important factors discussed under the caption Risk Factors in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC, and our other reports filed with the SEC could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release.

Media Contact:

Reevemark

Paul Caminiti/Pam Greene/Luc Herbowy

HC2@reevemark.com

(212) 433-4600

Investor Contact:

FNK IR

Matt Chesler, CFA

ir@hc2.com

(212) 235-2691
PHEV

Back in the 1990s, automakers werent so preoccupied with keeping their design teams so tight on a leash, meaning the styling brought many interesting creations in the era. Granted, some of them were of extremely questionable aesthetic qualities , but the association between Giugiaro and BMW wasnt one of them.The Bavarian company trusted the designer that penned the styling of the M1 enough to allow its branding on the debut creation of Fabrizio Giugiaro, the Nazca M12 concept. He was just 26 years old at the time, and the success of the prototype shown back in 1991 at the Geneva Motor Show led to the arrival of two other upgradesthe Nazca C2 coupe in 1992 and the C2 Spider in 1993.As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the polished aesthetics of the Nazca trio certainly remained a part of BMW history going forward. That means the aerodynamic and very sleek body will serve as inspiration from time to time for a modern reinterpretation.After all, considering last years decision to retire the plug-in hybrid i8 from production, BMW is currently without a hero car. Dont even try and remind us of the insipidly styled and inaptly named iX because were talking here about real image vectors, not something to stir up further controversy.Fortunately, theres always the sprawling virtual artist community to return to in times of design-infused distress. Rain Prisk is no stranger to delivering CGI interpretations of supercars that may never be , so its as safe as it gets when pointing out one of his designs.Because the Nazca concepts celebrate three decades since their official debut, its only fitting to see a modern reinterpretation for the XXI century. As noticed by the user community, this eschews the use of a massive grille for something thats decidedly contemporary without going for an extreme shock value.With the kidney grille completely blocked off, we could speculate the virtual artist would infuse the new supercar with something greenperhaps a souped-upsetup akin to what McLaren is doing on the Artura . That would certainly justify the use of the substantial front ventilation seen below the closed grille.Because theres just one CGI angle, its hard to judge the rest of the design, so we can only imagine whats in the back of the sleek coupe or inside the cockpit. Still, we really hope BMW takes notice of these creations going forward.
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Market Reports on India Provides the Trending Market Research Report Department Stores in India under Consumer Goods Category. The report offers a collection of superior market research, market analysis, competitive intelligence and Market reports.



Department Stores in India

After seeing double-digit current value growth for most of the review period, in 2020 department stores saw a significant sales decline. The emergence of COVID-19 in the country led the government to impose a nationwide lockdown, which included the closure of stores selling non-essential goods, such as department stores. Meanwhile, shopping centres were also closed, which is where many department stores are located, and these also saw stricter restrictions for longer, with delayed opening to the



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A number of countries in Europe and across the world have suspended use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

It comes amid reports of a small number of people developing blood clots after having the jab.

Here we take a look at the key questions surrounding the situation.

 What has happened?

There have been a small number of reports of people experiencing blood clots in the days and weeks after their vaccination.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) reported one person in Austria was diagnosed with blood clots and died 10 days after vaccination, but it stressed there is currently no indication that vaccination has caused these conditions.

Last week the World Health Organisation (WHO), (EMA) and the UKs Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said there was no evidence of a link between the vaccine and an increased risk of blood clots.

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 Which countries have suspended rollout?

On Monday Italy, France and Germany said they would be suspending distribution of the jab, joining the Republic of Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Bulgaria, Iceland and Thailand.

French president Emmanuel Macron said the country was making the move as a precaution.

 What do the regulators say?

The EMA has again insisted the benefits of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine outweigh the potential side effects.

It said events involving blood clots, some with unusual features such as low numbers of platelets, have occurred in a very small number of people who received the vaccine, but that thousands of people develop blood clots annually in the European Union for different reasons.

The MHRA issued a statement last week saying more than 11 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine had been administered across the UK with no issues.

Last week the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) recommended that all eligible adults continue to receive their Covid-19 vaccinations.

 What happens next?

The EMAs safety committee (PRAC) will further review the information on Tuesday and has called an extraordinary meeting on Thursday to conclude on the information gathered and any further action that may need to be taken.

If an increased association is found with vaccination, then attempts to understand the mechanism usually follow  so as to avoid similar problems in the future.

(PA Graphics)

 Are UK scientists worried, and what does this mean for vaccine hesitancy?

No. Scientists in the UK say there is no data to directly link the vaccine and the blood clots.

Dr Michael Head, senior research fellow in global health, University of Southampton, said the decisions to halt the rollout look baffling.

He added that the suspension during a pandemic has consequences, resulting in delays in protecting people, and the potential for increased vaccine hesitancy.

Dr Stephen Griffin, associate professor in the school of medicine, University of Leeds, said nationwide gestures such as this are bound to fuel hesitancy, or more extreme anti-vaccine sentiment, further undermining the vaccination effort.

Others have said that while it is right that any possible links between serious adverse reactions to a vaccine are investigated, it is important to establish the likelihood of causation, as opposed to association.

 Does it make a difference who has been getting the vaccine?

Experts have said it is likely that the early stages of the European rollout have primarily comprised elderly and more clinically vulnerable patients, which might be expected to have a much higher incidence of random clotting-related events.

 What has AstraZeneca said?

AstraZeneca also said its own review had found no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country.

In clinical trials for the jab, the number of clotting incidents was small and lower in the vaccinated group than in those who were unvaccinated, it added.

 Hasnt the EU had issues with supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine?

The EU has been unhappy with AstraZeneca because the company is delivering far fewer doses to the bloc than it promised.

Of the initial order for 80 million doses first quarter this year, the pharmaceutical company will be struggling to deliver half that number.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Germany has received slightly more than three million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and only used 1.35 million doses so far.
Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum says the sector has not approved any textbook meant for students of basic four, teaches Oral Language, Reading, Writing and Grammar.



He described the report circulating that the Ghana Education Service (GES) has given the green light for the anti-Ewe book for use in basic schools across the country as untrue  and urged the public to disregard the publication.



The book is not approved, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum exclusively told Peacefmonline.com.



Okyere Baafi Alexander has authored An English language textbook that allegedly portrays people of Ewe extraction as Juju-loving.



The book with the inscription Golden English is said to be based on the new NaCCA (National Council for Curriculum & Assessment) syllabus.

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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New Delhi, March 15: Both American threats and the involvement of more countries has had a salutary effect on the Afghan government. Kabul has announced that it is making comprehensive plans to have meaningful peace talks at both Turkey as well as Moscow.

Afghan media organisation TOLO News quoted Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib on Saturday that Kabul will participate in the UN-led conference in Turkey and also the one proposed by Moscow to find out a solution to the problems of the conflict-ridden nation.

Doha Peace Process Scuttled Exactly a year after the then US President Donald Trump had tried to force a settlement to the vexed Afghan problem by entering into an exclusive deal with the Taliban in Qatar, that peace process has been completely scuttled by the new US administration. The Biden administration has proposed to hold fresh peace talks with all Afghan parties, not just the Taliban alone, under the aegis of the UN at Turkey.

It has also included other countries like India, Pakistan, Turkey, Iran and Russia in the new talks.

One of the reasons for scuttling the Doha peace talks was that the talks had pushed up bloodshed in Afghanistan to unprecedented levels. These also included targeted killings by militants in Afghanistan.

The US-Taliban agreement of February 2020 had stipulated that the US will withdraw its armed forces by May 2021 if the Taliban stops attacks and cuts off ties with other terrorist organisations. However, the Biden administration noted that the Taliban attacks had only increased after the deal.

Afghanistan Comes Around Slowly A sceptical Ashraf Ghani, the Afghan President, was as lukewarm to the Biden proposal as he was to Trump's talks with the Taliban last year. But a letter by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation, seems to have persuaded a reluctant government to join the Istanbul talks next month.

According to reports, Blinken's suggestions to kickstart the Afghan peace process included convening a UN-facilitated conference with international stakeholders, finalising a peace agreement between militants and the government to arrive at a ceasefire and bring down the heightened levels of violence within three months.

The Afghan government is planning afresh for the UN-led talks with a wider representation from the diverse Afghan society. It will also have a larger number of stakeholders--the Afghan government, the Taliban, representatives from the US, Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran and India. TOLO News says that Ghani held a meeting with senior advisors and influential politicians to discuss the upcoming peace conference in Turkey.

The Moscow Peace Talks Kabul has not just accepted the US proposal to join the Istanbul talks, but has also agreed to participate in the Russian talks. High-level officials, including President Ghani, Abdullah and foreign envoys, along with Taliban representatives, are expected to attend the meeting in Moscow on March 18 to discuss the Afghan peace process.

The TASS News Agency reported on Thursday that Zamir Kabulov, the Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan and Director of the Foreign Ministry's Second Asian Department has confirmed the participation of all invited parties, including the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad.

The other parties include the US, China, Pakistan, representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban. However, Moscow has not invited India for the Afghan talks, unlike the Biden administration.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative/
Hillsboro City Council To Meet Tuesday Evening The Hillsboro City Council will meet in a regular session Tuesday, March 16, at 6 p.m.



The council is expected to award a bid and contract for water, wastewater and street improvements related to the Texas Capital Fund Infrastructure Grant Program in the industrial park.



A public hearing and first reading of an ordinance regarding an agreement with Atmos Energy to construct, maintain and operate pipelines in Hillsboro is on the agenda.



An advance funding agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation for the Safe Routes to School sidewalk project will also be considered.



A grant administration contract with the Texas Department of Agriculture for the Community Development Block Grant for downtown sidewalk improvements will also be reviewed.



The meeting will be held at Historic City Hall, located at 127 East Franklin Street in Hillsboro.



In accordance with social distancing guidelines, the meeting will be open to the public, or the public and council members can call 1-646-749-3112 and enter access code 172-523-125.


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New Jersey on Monday reported another 2,468 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 23 additional confirmed deaths, while there have now been more than 3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses  both first and second shots  administered in the state, with more than 1 million people fully vaccinated.

Gov. Phil Murphy tweeted the state has delivered another 1,000,000 shots into arms over the last two weeks as supply and eligibility increase, though residents continue to report struggles to make appointments.

Were vaccinating New Jerseyans as quickly and equitably as possible, Murphy wrote.

Weve now administered over three million #COVID19 vaccine doses, with a current total of 3,007,152.



In just two weeks, weve delivered another 1,000,000 shots into arms. Were vaccinating New Jerseyans as quickly and equitably as possible. pic.twitter.com/WkvoORNicL  Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) March 15, 2021

The update comes the same day the state formally expanded eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine to new groups of people. Transportation workers, public safety personnel, members of tribal communities, migrant farmworkers, and those who are homeless in New Jersey are became eligible to receive the vaccine, while the state also added 11 pre-existing conditions to the eligibility list.

Teachers and day care workers were set to become eligible Monday, as well but were moved up earlier this month. Other essential workers, including restaurant employees, will become eligible March 29.

Slightly more than 3 million vaccine doses have been administered in New Jersey as of Monday morning  including slightly more than 2 million first doses and slightly more than 1 million second doses. The state is currently including the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the first dose totals.

The states goal is to vaccinate 70% of its eligible adults  about 4.7 million people  by the end of May.

NEW JERSEY #COVID19 UPDATE:

2,468 new positive PCR tests

744,499 total positive PCR tests

537 new positive antigen tests

96,348 total positive antigen tests

23 new confirmed deaths

21,451 total confirmed deaths

2,474 probable deaths https://t.co/JW1q8awGh7 pic.twitter.com/jCdQ0JWhBc  Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) March 15, 2021

New Jerseys seven-day average for new confirmed coronavirus cases is now 3,109, up 14% from a week ago and 11% from a month ago.

The statewide rate of transmission was 1.02 for the fourth straight day. Any number over 1 indicates that the outbreak is growing, with each new case leading to at least one other case.

The number of patients across New Jerseys hospitals increased slightly, to at least 1,870, as of Sunday night, according to the states dashboard. But thats down by more than half since peaking at 3,873 on Dec. 22.

In all, New Jersey has now reported 744,499 confirmed coronavirus cases out of more than 11 million PCR tests in the year since the state reported its first case on March 4, 2020. There have also been 96,348 positive antigen tests. Those cases are considered probable, and health officials have warned that positive antigen tests could overlap with the confirmed PCR tests because they are sometimes given in tandem.

The state of 9 million people has reported 23,925 residents have died from complications related to COVID-19  21,451 confirmed deaths and 2,474 fatalities considered probable.

Murphy appeared with First Lady Jill Biden in Burlington on Monday to highlight the latest federal stimulus bill that President Joe Biden signed into law last week.

New Jersey is set to allow restaurants, bars, casinos, gyms, personal care services, and amusement venues will be allowed to increase their capacity to 50% beginning Friday.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

HOSPITALIZATIONS

There were 1,870 patients hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases at 70 of New Jerseys 71 hospitals as of Saturday night  31 more than the previous night, according to the states dashboard. One hospital did not report data.

That included 402 in critical or intensive care (five more than the previous night), with 161 on ventilators (74 more, though that could be a reporting error).

There were also 205 COVID-19 patients discharged Sunday.

Hospitalizations peaked at more than 8,000 patients during the first wave of the pandemic in April.

SCHOOL CASES

New Jersey has reported 173 in-school coronavirus outbreaks, which have resulted in 804 cases among students, teachers and school staff this academic year, according to the states dashboard.

The state 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. 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.

There are about 1.4 million public school students and teachers across the state, though teaching methods amid the outbreak have varied, with some schools teaching in-person, some using a hybrid format and others remaining all-remote.

With teachers now eligible to get the vaccine, Murphy has said officials are fully expecting schools across New Jersey to return for in-person learning safely and responsibly when the next school year starts in September, if not sooner.

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 (30.9%), followed by those 50-64 (23.1%), 18-29 (19.6%), 65-79 (10.7%), 5-17 (8.7%), 80 and older (4.9%) and 0-4 (1.8%).

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 (47.16%), followed by those 65-79 (32.77%), 50-64 (15.63%), 30-49 (4.05%), 18-29 (0.37%), 5-17 (0%) and 0-4 (0.02%).

At least 7,952 of the states COVID-19 deaths have been among residents and staff members at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

There are active outbreaks at 254 facilities, resulting in 4,890 active cases among residents and 5,214 among staffers. Those numbers have been dropping in recent weeks as vaccinations continue at these facilities.

GLOBAL NUMBERS

As of early Monday afternoon, there have been slightly more than 120 million positive COVID-19 tests across the globe, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. More than 2.65 million people have died from coronavirus-related complications.

The U.S. has reported the most cases, at more than 29.45 million, and the most deaths, at more slightly more than 535,000.

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.
ORLANDO, Fla., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LSQ, a leading provider of technology-driven working capital solutions, announced the successful completion of their 2020 System and Organizational Controls (SOC) 1 Type 1 examination for their LSQ FastTrack working capital platform. The examination was the fifth to be completed by LSQ, but the first to include LSQ FastTrack, which encompasses Accounts Payable (Supply Chain Finance and Dynamic Discounting) and Accounts Receivables solutions. The completion of the examination exemplifies LSQ's continued commitment to deliver high-quality services to its clients and partners by demonstrating they have the most stringent internal controls and processes in place.

The audit was performed by Schellman & Company, Inc., a leading provider of attestation and compliance services, that is the only company in the world that is a CPA firm, a globally licensed PCI Qualified Security Assessor, an ISO Certification Body, HITRUST CSF Assessor, and a FedRAMP 3PAO. Schellman found that LSQ successfully completed the examination and achieved an unqualified opinion across all tested compliance frameworks.

The Type I SOC 1 is a reporting option established by the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants ("AICPA") to opine on management's description of a System and Organization's system and the suitability of the design of controls. The examinations are performed by independent auditing firms to evaluate the suitability and design of controls that support LSQ operations and financial reporting.

"LSQ FastTrack was built with the highest standards surrounding controls and confidentiality. Successful completion of the Type 1 SOC 1 examination demonstrates our efforts to build a secure platform," said Steve Piubeni, director of compliance at LSQ. "LSQ will undergo a SOC 2 audit later this year, which will further demonstrate our commitment to implementing the highest standards for security, confidentiality, and availability. Our engineering department currently builds our platform to SOC 2 standards, and the audit will confirm the implementation of these strict security and data protection protocols."

LSQ FastTrack is an intuitive working capital platform built to meet the needs of buyers and their suppliers. The platform allows enterprises of all sizes to offer supply chain finance, dynamic discounting, and accounts receivable finance to their entire seller ecosystem. LSQ FastTrack enables companies to get paid faster, optimize working capital, assess their customers' health, and provide insights into their business's performance from any device.

More information on LSQ FastTrack is available at https://www.lsq.com/supply-chain-finance/

About LSQ

LSQ provides businesses with trade finance solutions to optimize their working capital and improve their cash flow. Offering accounts receivable and accounts payable finance solutions, LSQ provides clients and their suppliers with a simple, secure, and honest funding experience through our LSQ FastTrack platform. LSQ blends AI-powered credit risk and data science with human insights to give customers the means to obtain full visibility into their cash flow and accelerate their business. LSQ, headquartered in Orlando, Florida, has helped 1,000s of companies access $25 billion in its 25+ years in business. Learn more about our solutions at www.lsq.com/

SOURCE LSQ Funding

Related Links

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London, March 15 : In the wake of several European countries suspending the use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, the company has said that there has been no evidence of increased blood clot risk from its jab.

The suspensions have come amid several reports of blood clots following vaccinations with the Covid jab developed by the British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant and the University of Oxford.

"Safety is of paramount importance and the Company is continually monitoring the safety of its vaccine," the company said in a statement on Sunday.

"A careful review of all available safety data of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the European Union (EU) and UK with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca has shown no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender, batch or in any particular country," it added.

So far across the EU and UK, there have been 15 events of DVT (a condition arising out of blood clot forming in a vein) and 22 events of pulmonary embolism (blockage in one of the pulmonary arteries in lungs due to clood clots) reported among those given the vaccine, based on the number of cases the company has received as of 8 March, AstraZeneca said.

The company said that this is much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size and is similar across other licensed Covid-19 vaccines.

"Around 17 million people in the EU and UK have now received our vaccine, and the number of cases of blood clots reported in this group is lower than the hundreds of cases that would be expected among the general population," Ann Taylor, Chief Medical Officer at AstraZeneca, said in a statement.

"The nature of the pandemic has led to increased attention in individual cases and we are going beyond the standard practices for safety monitoring of licensed medicines in reporting vaccine events, to ensure public safety." In terms of quality, there are also no confirmed issues related to any batch of our vaccine used across Europe, or the rest of the world, the company said.

Additional testing has, and is, being conducted by ourselves and independently by European health authorities and none of these re-tests have shown cause for concern, it added.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Dahlia Caro is the first Delgado Community College student to be awarded a scholarship from the National Society of Leadership and Success, the New Orleans school has announced.

She is one of 12 students nationwide to win an Academic Excellence Scholarship from the society that selects members who exemplify leadership accomplishments and maintain a high academic standing.

It is the largest collegiate leadership honor society in the United States, with more than 1 million members who collectively have completed more than 200,000 hours of community service. Students such as Caro are selectively invited based on their academic achievements and leadership potential.

In 2020, Caro graduated from Fontainebleau High School, where she was a National Honor Society member. The Robert resident is pursuing an associate degree in general studies at Delgado and will build on that foundation to earn a bachelor's degree in the field of behavioral psychology and applied behavioral analysis.

Like many Delgado students, Caro works part-time, helping at a north shore center serving children with autism. Her job provides both income and the opportunity to do good work for fellow humans  something for which she is recognized by teachers, friends and associates.

Caro makes room in her busy schedule to explore interests in dance, art, writing, history and music. She studied dance and humanities at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, which she attended for three years.

The Academic Excellence Scholarship awarded by the National Society of Leadership and Success has affected my life in the most positive way, said Caro. I chose to write about my emancipation and my journey to beginning adulthood as my submitted essay, and this scholarship is a perfect example of the assistance I have received over the years on my way to independence.

Caro said she plans to divide the scholarship between two savings accounts: one for school expenses and another for an apartment. Most of the funds will go toward school to help meet tuition and textbook costs, as well the cost of transportation, she said.

This was one of the first scholarships I have ever applied for, and the Delgado team made the process very smooth."

Caro said that setting achievable goals is how she plans to ensure continued success. She credits her experience with the National Society of Leadership and Success chapter at Delgado with helping her to understand a key life lesson.

Ive learned that the size of the goal doesnt make it any more impressive than does achieving a goal in itself. No matter how much you get done, what matters is you got it done.

St. Tammany top stories in your inbox A weekly guide to the biggest news in St. Tammany. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

HONORS

Bryon Nguyen, of Slidell, earned a bachelor of applied science in business administration from the University of Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky.

Mandeville resident Lauren Biggs was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Biggs was initiated at Nova Southeastern University.

Natalie Wong, of Mandeville, has been named to the president's list at the University of Hartford for maintaining a 3.75 or higher FPA.

Julia Urbina, a senior social work major at Harding University, has been named to the dean's list for maintaining a GPA of 3.65 or higher.

Mandeville resident Zachary Lebreiro has been named to the dean's list at Emmanuel College in Boston for maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Edward Smith, of Slidell, and Sydney Vincens, of Mandeville, have been named by The University of Alabama to its student-athletes academic honor roll for receiving a 3.0 or better GPA.

Students from St. Tammany named to Northwestern States presidents list for receiving a perfect 4.0 GPA included Rachael Coyne and Michaela Kleyle, of Covington; Norman Davis, of Folsom; Sarah Schmalz, of Lacombe; Katharine Armijo, Lene Potter and Mykia Wiggins, of Mandeville; Ayrianna Edwards, Alexzandra Hattier, Ashley Henry, Allyssa Marshall, Abigail Miller, Matthew Spencer, Maci Walgamotte and Olivia Warren, of Slidell.

Students named to Northwesterns dean list for earning a 3.5-3.99 GPA included Destiny Simon, of Abita Springs; Madison Blanks, Joshua Mclain, Madeline Monlezun, Alina Smith and Amy Nesbit, of Covington; Shaylee Laird, of Folsom; Marissa Rogers, of Lacombe; Barrett Hodgson, Joshua Mclain, Bailey Perrilloux, of Madisonville; Abigail Aldridge, Maci Burt, Sheridan Smith, Joseph Tucker and Ryan Zimmerman, of Mandeville; Shakera Dixon, Christa Dugas and Katy Rigol, of Slidell.

Students on Northwesterns honor roll for earning a 3.0-3.49 GPA include Kierra Blase, of Covington; Monique Basse, of Folsom; Ainsley Rusca and Jalen Willis, of Mandeville; Kendra Farve, Tristan Johnson, John Norvel and Gracie Pelas, of Slidell.
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TORONTO, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gran Colombia Gold Corp. (TSX: GCM; OTCQX: TPRFF) (Gran Colombia) and Gold X Mining Corp. (TSXV: GLDX; OTCQX: GLDXF) (Gold X) are pleased to announce that they have entered into a definitive arrangement agreement dated March 14th, 2021 (the Agreement) pursuant to which Gran Colombia will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Gold X (the Gold X Shares) not already owned by Gran Colombia by way of a statutory plan of arrangement (the Arrangement) under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia). Gran Colombia currently owns 9,571,158 shares of Gold X, or approximately 18% of the Gold X Shares outstanding.

Under the terms of the Agreement, all of the issued and outstanding Gold X Shares will be acquired by Gran Colombia in exchange for Gran Colombia common shares (the Gran Colombia Shares) on the basis of 0.6948 of a Gran Colombia Share for each Gold X Share (the Exchange Ratio). The Exchange Ratio implies consideration of CA$4.10 per Gold X Share based on the 20-day volume weighted average price of the Gran Colombia Shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange as of the market close on March 12, 2021 (the Value Date) for total consideration of approximately CA$315 million on a 100% and fully diluted in-the-money basis. The Exchange Ratio represents a premium of 39% based on the closing price of the Gold X Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (the TSXV) on the Value Date and a 44% premium based on the 20-day volume weighted average price of the Gold X Shares ending on the Value Date.

Transaction Highlights

Creation of a New, Latin American-Focused Growth Platform  the combined company will consist of a complementary asset portfolio including the world-class, free cash flow generating Segovia Operations located in Colombia, as well as the large, high-growth and substantially de-risked Toroparu Gold Project in Guyana that boasts 4.5 million ounces of LOM gold production over a 24-year mine life. 1





 the combined company will consist of a complementary asset portfolio including the world-class, free cash flow generating Segovia Operations located in Colombia, as well as the large, high-growth and substantially de-risked Toroparu Gold Project in Guyana that boasts 4.5 million ounces of LOM gold production over a 24-year mine life. Latin American Operating & Mine Building Expertise  unlocking the value of the Toroparu Gold Project through development and achieving production will be supported by Gran Colombias proven track-record of mine building and operating in Latin America.





 unlocking the value of the Toroparu Gold Project through development and achieving production will be supported by Gran Colombias proven track-record of mine building and operating in Latin America. Significant Resource Growth & Exploration Potential  significant potential to grow mineable ounces from 24 largely untested, highly prospective veins in close proximity to the Segovia Operations, as well as delineate additional large gold deposits and discover high-priority targets within the 538 km 2 Toroparu Gold Project land package, which predominately remains unexplored.





 significant potential to grow mineable ounces from 24 largely untested, highly prospective veins in close proximity to the Segovia Operations, as well as delineate additional large gold deposits and discover high-priority targets within the 538 km Toroparu Gold Project land package, which predominately remains unexplored. Enhanced Balance Sheet & Access to Capital  the combined company will have approximately US$100 million in cash, greater access to equity and debt capital markets, financing support from Wheaton Precious Metals as well as robust free cash flow from Gran Colombias Segovia Operations.





 the combined company will have approximately US$100 million in cash, greater access to equity and debt capital markets, financing support from Wheaton Precious Metals as well as robust free cash flow from Gran Colombias Segovia Operations. Enhanced Capital Markets Profile  combining Gran Colombia and Gold X has the potential to result in increased critical mass for further consolidation, improved trading liquidity and attracting greater support from institutional investors.



Serafino Iacono, Executive Chairman of Gran Colombia, commented: We are pleased to present this arrangement to the shareholders of Gran Colombia and Gold X. Creating long-term value for our shareholders is at the core of our strategy. The contemplated acquisition will provide Gran Colombia with an opportunity to add a large-scale, long-life Latin American gold development project to its portfolio. When this transaction is consummated, the Toroparu Gold Project will join our Segovia Operations as cornerstones of our long-term growth strategy.

Paul Matysek, Chief Executive Officer & Director of Gold X, stated: "Gold X has delivered on its commitment to maximize value for its shareholders through its disciplined approach to risk mitigation, exploration and project development. This transaction provides Gold X shareholders with an immediate and significant upfront premium, exposure to an established Latin American gold producer and re-rating potential. With a strong operating history, solid balance sheet and track-record of developing assets within the Guiana Shield, we believe that Gran Colombia is an ideal partner to bring Toroparu into production.

Benefits to Gran Colombia Shareholders

Adds a large, substantially de-risked growth project to Gran Colombias portfolio

7.35 million gold ounces added to Gran Colombias Measured and Indicated mineral resource profile 2

Significant potential to upgrade inferred resources into mineable ounces

Exploration and incremental resource growth within a highly prospective 538 km 2 land package

land package Geographic and asset diversification

Alignment with Gran Colombias geographic, development and operational competencies

Capital markets re-rating opportunity



Benefits to Gold X Shareholders

Significant premium (44% based on Gold Xs 20-day VWAP as of March 12, 2021 on the TSXV)

Increased balance sheet strength, access to capital and free cash flow to fund development

Continued exposure to upside at the Toroparu Gold Project

Diversified ownership in Gran Colombias world-class Segovia Gold Mine

Access to Gran Colombias in-house development and operational capabilities

Gran Colombias monthly dividend

Significant improvement in trading liquidity and greater capital markets exposure



Transaction Conditions & Timing

Gold X intends to call a meeting of shareholders to be held in May 2021 to seek shareholder approval for the Arrangement (the Gold X Meeting). Completion of the Arrangement will require:

approval of at least 66 2/3% of the votes cast by Gold X shareholders at the Gold X Meeting, and

approval of a simple majority of the votes cast by Gold X shareholders at the Gold X Meeting, excluding votes from certain shareholders, including Gran Colombia, as required under Multilateral Instrument 61-101.

Completion of the Arrangement is also subject to the receipt of court and stock exchange approvals, the approval of a simple majority of the shareholders of Gran Colombia to the issuance of the Gran Colombia Shares and other customary closing conditions for transactions of this nature. Gran Colombia intends to hold its shareholder meeting on or around the date of the Gold X Meeting.

The Agreement provides for, among other things, non-solicitation covenants, with fiduciary out provisions that allow Gold X to consider and accept a superior proposal, subject to a right to match period in favour of Gran Colombia. The Agreement also provides for a termination fee of CA$5.5 million to be paid by Gold X to Gran Colombia if the Agreement is terminated in certain specified circumstances and a reverse termination fee of CA$5.5 million to be paid by Gran Colombia to Gold X if the Agreement is terminated in certain specified circumstances. Gran Colombia and Gold X have also agreed to a reciprocal expense reimbursement of CA$1 million payable if the Agreement is terminated in certain circumstances.

The directors and senior officers of Gold X, holding in aggregate over 2.5% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Gold X, have entered into voting support agreements with Gran Colombia, pursuant to which they have agreed to vote their shares in favour of the Arrangement. Together with shares already owned or held by Gran Colombia, approximately 20.6% of Gold Xs issued and outstanding shares would be voted in support of the Arrangement at the Gold X Meeting.

The directors and senior officers of Gran Colombia, holding in aggregate over 4.3% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Gran Colombia, have entered into voting support agreements with Gold X, pursuant to which they have agreed to vote their shares in favour of the Arrangement at the Gran Colombia shareholder meeting.

The companies are working towards closing the transaction in late May/ early June 2021.

Board Approval and Recommendation

The special committee of independent directors of Gold X (the Special Committee) has received an opinion from BMO Capital Markets that, based upon and subject to the limitations, assumptions and qualifications of and other matters considered in connection with the preparation of such opinion, the consideration to be received by Gold X shareholders (other than Gran Colombia) pursuant to the Arrangement is fair, from a financial point of view, to the Gold X shareholders (other than Gran Colombia) (the Fairness Opinion).

Following its review and in consideration of, amongst other things, the Fairness Opinion, the Special Committee has unanimously recommended that the board of directors of Gold X approve the Arrangement. The Gold X board (with any interested directors having abstained from voting), following the receipt and review of recommendations from the Special Committee, has unanimously approved the Agreement and the Arrangement and has determined that the Arrangement is fair to shareholders of Gold X (other than Gran Colombia) and is in the best interests of Gold X, and recommends to shareholders that they vote in favour of the Arrangement.

The Agreement has also been unanimously approved by the board of directors of Gran Colombia.

Additional Information

Full details of the Arrangement are set out in the Agreement, which will be filed by Gold X under its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . In addition, further information regarding the Arrangement will be contained in management information circulars to be prepared in connection with the shareholder meetings and filed on each companys profile on www.sedar.com at the time that each is mailed to shareholders. All shareholders of each company are urged to read the management information circular once it becomes available as it will contain additional important information concerning the Arrangement.

Gran Colombia currently owns 9,571,158 Gold X Shares, representing approximately 18% of the issued and outstanding Gold X Shares on a non-diluted basis. Gran Colombia also holds warrants to acquire up to 4,625,000 additional Gold X Shares at a weighted average exercise price of CA$2.33 (subject to adjustment in certain events) expiring at various dates within the next 42 months. Assuming exercise in full of the warrants, Gran Colombia would own 14,196,158 Gold X Shares, representing approximately 25% of the issued and outstanding Gold X Shares on a partially diluted basis.

If the Arrangement is not consummated for any reason, Gran Colombia intends to continue to review Gold Xs business affairs, capital needs and general industry and economic conditions, and, based on such review, Gran Colombia may, from time to time, depending on market and other conditions, increase or decrease its ownership, control or direction over the shares or other securities of Gold X, through market transactions, private agreements, public offerings or otherwise, or approve a corporate transaction with regard to Gold X. A copy of Gran Colombia's related amended early warning report will be filed with the applicable securities commissions and will be made available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Advisors and Counsel

Gran Colombia has engaged Canaccord Genuity Corp. as its financial advisor and Wildeboer Dellelce LLP as its legal advisor in connection with the transaction.

BMO Capital Markets is acting as financial advisor to the Gold X Special Committee and Stikeman Elliott LLP is acting as legal advisor to Gold X and the Special Committee in connection with the transaction.

About Gran Colombia Gold Corp.

Gran Colombia is a Canadian-based mid-tier gold producer with its primary focus in Colombia where it is currently the largest underground gold and silver producer with several mines in operation at its high-grade Segovia Operations. Gran Colombia owns approximately 44% of Aris Gold Corporation, a Canadian mining company currently advancing a major expansion and modernization of its underground mining operations at its Marmato Project in Colombia. Gran Colombias project pipeline also includes an approximately 18% equity interest in Gold X Mining Corp. (TSXV: GLDX) (Guyana  Toroparu), an approximately 36% equity interest in Denarius Silver Corp. (TSX-V: DSLV) (Colombia  Guia Antigua and Zancudo) and an approximately 26% equity interest in Western Atlas Resources Inc. (TSX-V: WA) (Nunavut  Meadowbank).

Additional information on Gran Colombia can be found on its website at www.grancolombiagold.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

About Gold X Mining Corp.

Gold X Mining Corp. is a Canadian junior mining company developing the Toroparu Gold Project in Guyana, South America. Gold X has spent more than US$150 million on the Project to date to classify 7.35 million ounces of Measured and Indicated and 3.15 million ounces of Inferred gold resources, develop engineering studies for use in a feasibility study, and define a number of exploration targets around the Toroparu Project on its 53,844 hectare (538 km2) 100% owned Upper Puruni Concession.3 Gold X has 53,032,452 issued and outstanding common shares with more than 40% of the shares closely held by insiders and Gold Xs executive management team.

Additional information on Gold X can be found on its website at www.goldxmining.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Contact Gold X Mining Corp.

Investor Relations

+1 (604) 609-6132

Email: investors@goldxmining.com

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information:

Certain of the information contained in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements within the meaning of securities laws. Such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements relating to: the transaction and the proposed Arrangement as proposed to be effected pursuant to the Agreement; the ability of the parties to satisfy the conditions to closing of the Arrangement; the mailing of the management information circular in connection with the Gold X Meeting and Gran Colombias shareholder meeting and the anticipated timing thereof; and the anticipated timing and effects of the completion of the Arrangement, involve risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, obtaining required shareholder and regulatory approvals, exercise of any termination rights under the Agreement, meeting other conditions in the Agreement, material adverse effects on the business, properties and assets of Gold X, and whether any superior proposal will be made. Although each of Gold X and Gran Colombia has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Neither Gold X nor Gran Colombia undertakes to update any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

The forward-looking statements in this press release involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Gold Xs actual results, performance and achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied therein. Neither TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

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.

None of the securities to be issued pursuant to the transaction have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act), or any state securities laws, and any securities issuable in the transaction are anticipated to be issued in reliance upon available exemptions from such registration requirements pursuant to Section 3(a)(10) of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable exemptions under state securities laws. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities.



____________________

1,2,3 The latest mineral resource estimate for the Toroparu Project in the Preliminary Economic Assessment Technical Report (the PEA), published on July 23, 2019 can be found under Gold X filings on www.sedar.com or at www.goldxmining.com. Highlights of the results published in the Sept. 4, 2019 information release are available at https://goldxmining.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ssp-20190723-PR.pdf
Calling it a 'rarest of the rare' case, a Delhi Court on Monday awarded death penalty to Ariz Khan, convicted of the murder of police inspector Mohan Chand Sharma and other offences, in the 2008 Batla House encounter case.

On March 08, the court had convicted Khan in the case, noting that he murdered encounter specialist and Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma.

He has been awarded the capital punishment under Section 302 (murder), three months jail under section 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), tens year under 333 (voluntarily causes grievous hurt).

Two year punishment under 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant), life imprisonment for 307 (attempt to murder), seven years jail for 174A (Non-appearance in response to a proclamation) and three years jail for 27 (using any prohibited weapons) of the Arms Act.

Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav said, directed Rs 10 lakh out of the fine of Rs. 11 lakh imposed on Khan to be released as compensation to wife of deceased Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma.

"No amount of compensation can alleviate the agony, pain and trauma of family members of victim, resulting from the crime committing in this case," the judge said.

However, monetary compensation would provide some solace and would apply balm to the wound of family members of victim, it added.

The prosecution had sought death penalty for Khan in the case, while the counsel for the convict sought leniency on the ground of his young age.

On March 08, the court had convicted Khan in the case, noting that he murdered encounter specialist and Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma.

The Additional Sessions Judge had said that Khan, along with his associates, intentionally and voluntarily caused murder of Sharma by the use of gun shot.

On September 19 in 2008, the Special Cell of Delhi Police carried out an encounter in Jamia Nagar's Batla House, in which two suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists and Inspector Sharma died.

Ariz Khan had fled from the spot and was declared proclaimed offender. He was arrested on February 14, 2018, and faced the trial.

He is allegedly associated with the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen. Police claimed that he was present at Batla House and managed to give police a slip during the encounter.
New Delhi, March 15 : In a bid to fight misinformation ahead of the Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry, Twitter on Monday launched an information search prompt with the Election Commission of India and State Election Commissions.

The search prompt is designed to make it easy to find credible and authoritative information about candidate lists, voting dates, polling booths, and EVM (electronic voting machine) voter registration, among other election-related topics.

It will be active in six languages including Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, Assamese, Hindi, and English, supporting more than 20 hashtags, Twitter said.

Other initiatives that the microblogging platform announced include a custom emoji to encourage participation; a series of pre-bunks and de-bunks to tackle election-related misinformation; and a youth discussion series titled #DemocracyAdda aimed at voter literacy and civic participation among young Indians for the Assembly polls.

"By leveraging the power of the Open Internet, we are encouraging people across India to be a part of the #AssemblyElections2021 conversation," Payal Kamat, Manager Public Policy & Government, Twitter India, said in a statement.

"None of this would be possible without support from the Election Commission of India, the State Election Commissions, and hope our efforts contribute to healthy and vibrant civic dialogue." Additionally, to put a spotlight on women in Indian politics, Twitter said it will be bringing back #HerPoliticalJourney, a video series where women political leaders talk about their personal stories with leading women news journalists.

Twitter said it is publishing a series of pre-bunk prompts across languages including English, Hindi, Tamil and Bengali based on content by the national and State Election Commissions and civil society partners such as Youth Ki Awaz, Association of Democratic Reforms.

The prompts will appear on people's home timelines and in Search, including information about how to register to vote, and details on EVMs and VVPATs (voter verifiable paper audit trail).

They will also serve the public with relevant voting information about booths, postal ballots, Covid-19 restrictions and accessibility, among other topics.
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Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

Newspaper: What instructions did Armenia acting defense minister get in Moscow?

Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

Armenia 3rd President reacts to photos of bodies of soldiers in freezer: It felt like the blood froze in my veins

Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

Turkey's Erdogan expresses willingness to support Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral cooperation

Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

Wargonzo: Russian MOD is dealing with settlement of conflict in Armenia's Syunik Province on a daily basis

Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

Latest on scandal over improper storage of Armenian soldiers bodies, more on COVID-19, Jun. 1

Armenia Constitutional Court launches case proceedings based on President's application

Armenia acting emergency situations minister says he's concerned about situation in army

Armenia acting education, science, culture and sport minister receives ICRC Delegation

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

Armenia deputy police chief: No real cases of vote-buying reported to date

Armenia human rights activists: Nearly 10 protesters detained during protest in front of government building

Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

Yerevan court rules to conditionally release man who attempted to assassinate ex-presidential candidate

People came to power in Armenia who consistently destroyed army combat-readiness, says ex-President Kocharyan

Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

Armenia 1st President spokesperson: Ter-Petrosyan has nothing to speak with the nation-destroying plague

Armenia acting PM orders internal investigation into case of storage conditions of fallen soldiers bodies, remains

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan gives interview to Russia newspaper

Armenia acting deputy PM on unblocking of roads with Azerbaijan: There will be no troops standing there

Nikkei: Toyota and Honda stop car production in Malaysia

Armenia official on deploying international observers at Azerbaijan border: You will hear reaction on this matter soon

USAID helps UN World Food Programme support displaced people in Armenia

Armenia official: Work of trilateral working group on roads unblocking has stopped after recent incidents

Russias Putin to Armenias Pashinyan: Relations between our countries are developing very successfully
The Oscar nominations were announced early on Monday morning by power couple Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas via livestream from the UKfor the Motion Picture Academy.

There were several nods that were expected such as The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari, Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal and The Trial of the Chicago 7, which were all nominated for Best Picture.

But there were several snubs as well which took fans by surprise.

Scroll down for list of nominations...

None: The Oscar nominations were announced early on Monday morning by power couple Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas via livestream for the Motion Picture Academy. Zendaya was left off the list for Malcolm & Marie with David Washington

Her big role: The beauty from Oakland, California seen in the Netflix art film written and directed by Euphoria creator Sam Levinson

Michelle Pfeiffer delivered a stunning and brave performance for the drama French Exit but she did not get included.

Tom Hanks is usually Oscar beloved, but this year he was left off the list for two movies: Greyhound where he played Captain Krause as well as the film News Of The World where he helped an orphan played by Helena Zengel.

Zendaya did not receive any Oscar love for her work in Malcolm & Marie alongside Denzel Washington's son David Washington.

Regina King was left off the list for directing the film One Night In Miami. The 50-year-old powerhouse had received a Golden Globe nomination so this was unexpected.

Cold shoulder: Michelle Pfeiffer delivered a stunning and brave performance for the drama French Exit but she did not get included

No thanks: Tom Hanks is usually Oscar beloved by the Academy, but was left off the list for Greyhound where he played Captain Krause as well as the film News Of The World where he helped an orphan played by Helena Zengel

She is out: Jodie Foster, 58, won a Globe for best supporting actress for The Mauritanian, but did not make the Oscar list

It was believed legendary Italian actress Sophia Loren would get nominated for the film her son Edoardo Ponti directed, The Life Ahead, but she did not make the list.

Jodie Foster, 58, won a Globe for best supporting actress for The Mauritanian, but did not make the Oscar list.

The Joker star Jared Leto was ignored for his work in The Little Things.

Nothing for her: It was believed legendary Italian actress Sophia Loren would get nominated for the film her son Edoardo Ponti directed, The Life Ahead, but she did not make the list

Chadwick Boseman received a best actor nomination for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, but did not get recognized for best supporting actor category for his dramatic role in Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods.

Spike Lee was passed over for his directing work in Da 5 Bloods.

Amy Adams did not get a nod for her work in Hillbilly Elegy opposite Glenn Close, who was recognized.

A shame: Amy Adams did not get a nod for her work in Hillbilly Elegy opposite Glenn Close, who was recognized

Aand Ellen Burstyn was not acknowledged for her turn in Pieces of a Woman.

Stacey Abrams for All In: The Fight for Democracy was not on the list for the Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes helmed documentary.

The 93rd Academy Awards will take place in-person from multiple locations, including the Dolby Theatre, on April 25, after being pushed back from its original February 28 date.
In the early days of this year, Xiaomi was subject to an executive order ban by the US Department of Defense over allegations of being a Communist Chinese Military Company. The action undertaken in the last days of President Trumps term prevented US companies from investing capital in Xiaomi and naturally raised concerns if more severe measures could be taken in a similar manner to Huaweis ban.

In a sigh of relief, Xiaomi was granted a preliminary injunction by the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia which lifts the investment restrictions for US companies. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras expressed his doubts that civilian Chinese companies like Xiaomi pose a direct threat to the National security of the United States and commented there is no evidence of Xiaomi sharing information with the Chinese government.

In a press statement, Xiaomi declared in will continue to request that the Communist Chinese Military Company designation be removed as its use is arbitrary and volatile. Xiaomi also reiterated its commitment to work with its global partners to help bring its innovative technology to more users around the world.

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Schematic illustration of the system to prevent joint disorders. The signals produced from the attached sensors are transmitted to an intelligent terminal through a microcontroller. The multilayer sensor consists of a cross-shaped substrate, a square top sensor and a square bottom sensor. Credit: Dr. Zhengbao YANG from the City University of Hong Kong

A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in China has developed a kirigami-inspired device to monitor joint motion for sedentary workers. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes how their device works and how it performed when tested.

Prior research has shown that working long hours sitting in front of a computer can be a health hazard. In addition to promoting obesity, eyestrain and related ailments, hours-long computer use can lead to musculoskeletal disorders such as chronic pain in the shoulders or neck. Doctors suggest people get up from the computer periodically to move around as a way to prevent joint and muscle stress. Quite often, however, the nature of computer work makes it difficult for workers to feel the passage of time, and thus to note how long they have been working. Prior research has also shown that part of the problem is related to simple inactivity of the joints. In this new effort, the researchers have developed a wearable device that alerts a computer user to periods of inactivity for the neck and shoulder joints.

The device was inspired by kirigami, a type of paper art similar to origami that uses both folding and cutting to create unique paper shapes. The device is a small sensor that can adhere to the skin. The sensor is a sandwich design with dual layers of piezoelectric materials that are used to power other layers that monitor changes or compressions. The devices are placed on the back of the neck where the head meets the shoulders and on the top of each shoulder. Each of the devices also has a micro-transmitter that sends signals to a computer application. In addition to monitoring joints for motion, the devices also run clocks to keep track of sedentary periods. If any of the devices find that a joint has not been moved for a 10-minute interval, it sends a signal to the computer application, which creates a popup message alerting the user to move around.

The researchers have applied for a patent on their system and are working on plans to license it for others to sell.

Electrical signals of the top sensor and the bottom sensor deriving from neck and shoulder motions., and a demo shows that after 30 minutes, a reminder pops up to alarm the prolonged sedentary behavior. Credit: Dr. Zhengbao YANG from the City University of Hong Kong

Explore further Multifunctional skin-mounted microfluidic device able to measure stress in multiple ways

More information: Ying Hong et al. Highly anisotropic and flexible piezoceramic kirigami for preventing joint disorders, Science Advances (2021). Journal information: Science Advances Ying Hong et al. Highly anisotropic and flexible piezoceramic kirigami for preventing joint disorders,(2021). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf0795

 2021 Science X Network
New Zealand Rural Land Company Limited is pleased to announce that is has a conditional agreement for the first in a series of expected acquisitions.

NZLs first purchase is a 456 hectare dairy farm in Mokoreta, Southland with a settlement date of 1 June 2021. The purchase price is NZ$10.373 million. The agreement remains conditional on a successful Drop Test to test the integrity of the effluent pond on the farm and this condition is due to be confirmed on 26 March 2021.

NZL has agreed the terms of a lease for the farm with Fortuna Group which will commence from settlement. The lease is for 10 years with a rental of $515,667 per annum, representing a 4.97% per annum lease yield (after transaction costs). This acquisition is consistent with NZLs stated plans and tenant requirements at the time of the IPO in December 2020.

NZL continues to work on several larger scale acquisitions of dairy farms in the South Island and expects to complete those negotiations in the ensuing weeks with earlier settlement dates than traditional dairy farm settlements (being 1 June). Successfully concluding these negotiations would see NZL generate lease income prior to its 30 June 2021 balance date that would be earlier than indicated in the IPO documentation. NZL is in discussions with debt funders to establish funding lines for these further acquisitions.

Please see the links below for details:

NZX Announcement

Acquisition Announcement - Property and Tenant Summary

Source: New Zealand Rural Land Company Limited

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Cuomo, a Democrat, has said he'll "fully cooperate." His office didn't immediately comment Monday when asked about Bennett's interview with investigators.

The attorney general's investigation is on top of scrutiny that Cuomo is facing from federal prosecutors who are scrutinizing how his administration handled data on COVID-19 outbreaks at nursing homes.

John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor Daniel Feldman, who served as a state lawmaker from 1981 to 1998, said the governor is in the tough position of needing political support from a Legislature that's increasingly said he's lost his ability to lead.

He pointed to former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who quit in 2008 after admitting he paid for sex with prostitutes.

"It was said at that time, that had Spitzer maintained cordial relations with a majority of the Legislature, he would not have resigned and if he was impeached he wouldn't have been convicted," Feldman said.

Cuomo has insisted he won't let himself be distracted and he won't resign.

At his event at the Long Island vaccination site Monday, from which reporters were barred, ostensibly because of COVID-19 restrictions, the governor didn't address the scandal but did speak generally of comebacks in the face of adversity.
Rough&Polished correspondent Sergey Goryainov sat down for a talk with Professor Andrey Ametistov, a Russian gemologist to discuss similarities and differences between the diamond market and coloured gemstones market.

Over the past five years, the technologies for the synthesis of gem-quality diamonds have been developed by leaps and bound and there has been a corresponding industrial and commercial boom, as a result, the supply of high-quality large-sized synthetic stones is growing exponentially, the synthetics production cost is falling, and it can be said with a high probability that this process will develop quite fast. The diamond market has never seen such a situation before in its history unlike the market for coloured stones where high-quality synthetics at a relatively low production cost have been present for many decades. What is the situation today with the jewellery synthetics expansion on the coloured stone market?

Since the widespread implementation of the growth processes (Verneuil and Czochralski growth methods) for the production of synthetic spinel gemstones, sapphires, rubies and other stones in the post-war period, mainly for the needs of electronics and optoelectronics, the coloured man-made stones have never occupied their niche in the premium jewellery market. The only exception was the jewellery manufacture in the USSR (interestingly, it was under the Ministry of Culture of the USSR). At present, it is impossible to find a synthetic centre stone set in an expensive precious metal (gold, platinum or palladium) in the national markets. The Russian gold jewellery market is no exception. The jewellery piece made of a low-end precious metal setting studded with coloured synthetics is considered futile. A few exceptions are the jewellery pieces supplied by swindlers or made by ignorant jewellers. At the same time, with the rare exception of the jewellery from Thailand and India, the pieces studded with man-made stones predominate on the silver and fashion jewellery market. Buyers of various wealth groups are willing to buy highly treated natural coloured stones and purely natural ones. At the same time, the majority of buyers refuse (at this point) to buy any synthetic coloured stones. The consumers prefer a heavily treated, lower-quality but natural coloured stone over a synthetic one. And this happens amid the steady increase in the prices for coloured gems by 10-80% per year, which we have seen over the past decade. Among the price rise leaders are the aquamarines of a Santa Maria colour, watermelon-colour and other bright tourmalines.

The methods of enhancement of the coloured gemstones are constantly being improved, is there a convergence of the markets for treated natural stones and synthetic ones?

Forty years ago, the radiation treatment, impregnation, gluing, crack healing, doubletting, scribing, atomic and molecular volumetric and near-surface diffusion, and much more ways of treatment were added to the simple thermal treating the coloured stones to improve their colour. The widespread implementation of these new technologies resulted in the concepts of synthetic and natural stones coming closer. The difference between 100% natural stones and highly treated composite studs in jewellery pieces is gradually disappearing. The price gap is also narrowing. For example, in 2002, the price of an untreated ruby of average quality was ten thousand times higher than that of a similar quality ruby with healed cracks. Now, you can find an untreated ruby, which is only 10 times more expensive than a hardened and filled stone. The market for coloured stones has adapted to the demand for stones that were originally natural and over 80% of the coloured and other gemstones are now treated. At present, 99% of rubies, 97% of emeralds, 95% of sapphires of various colours, 30% of aquamarines, 70% of morganites, 95% of tanzanites, 30% of demantoid garnets, 99.99% of topaz of various colours in the world market were thermally treated and underwent highly complex treatment, as well as 95% opals that required their proper drying (otherwise, the stones would simply fall apart while wearing a jewellery piece). Most tourmalines (except for Paraiba colour stones), red garnets and tsavorite garnets, alexandrites, amethysts and a great many of the most beautiful, rare gemstones - the demand for which is constantly growing on the market - remain untreated so far.

Is there a trend towards improving the technologies aimed at making it difficult to identify synthetic stones?

The speedy progress of the technologies for precious stone growing intended not for optoelectronics but for a jewellery market, mainly in the United States and Japan, fell on the period from 1990 to 2010 and saw only some temporary success. The Chatham firm was able to use the silicate fluxes to obtain the emerald crystals in the form of druses - the twin clusters of hexagonal prisms - on a reproducible basis. The crystals could be obtained with any number of structural defects, with the inclusions typical of natural emeralds of matrix rocks, with simultaneous alloying with two Cr+V chromophores and, accordingly, of any Zambian, Colombian or other colour. For three years, the Chatham emeralds triumphantly hit the precious stone markets. Then, sufficiently effective identification methods were developed and these synthetics disappeared from the qualified markets. Although, judging by the repeated mistakes made by the Russian expert laboratories, the Chatham emeralds remain the most difficult synthetic emeralds to identify.

For some time, the Gilsons project for the manmade rod-globular opals synthesis was economically efficient. The project was profitable for 10 years due to high prices for Australian opals, although the identification of the Gilson opals was not difficult from the very beginning (the rod structure of cabochons from the girdle side). However, the discovery of a deposit of Ethiopian hyalites - water opals - with anticipated reserves of up to 40,000 tonnes in the Wollo Plateau led to the almost complete disappearance of these man-made stones from the markets. The Ethiopian water opals turned out to be cheaper than their synthetic counterparts and practically crashed many opal mines and opal processing factories in Australia.

The third rather successful project for the synthesis of one of the most popular gemstones continues to be profitable even now. This is a semi-synthetic turquoise produced by Kingman (USA). The Kingman dyed turquoise stones synthesized from natural white phosphate do well, they are set in gold and platinum and sprinkled with small diamonds in any jewellery pieces, but in the USA only. The high-end jewellery studs are called Kingman Turquoise. So, they really make no secret of the fact that the stone is synthetic. Moreover, at present, 50% of the turquoise stones on the world market are represented by the dyed howlite minerals, 10% - the dyed wastes of the aluminium production, and by 25% - by the dyed magnesite. The annual turnover of the synthetic substitutes of one the most popular gemstones in the world is up to $100 mn per year.

So, it can be said that the synthetics have taken their own niche, and there is practically no competition with the natural stones, at least for now.

How big is the market for jewellery with coloured synthetic stones?

Large quantities of man-made stones are widely used only in silver jewellery. Basically, these jewellery pieces are manufactured by the Asian cluster jewellery giants in the cities of Shenzhen, Panyu (a suburb of Shanghai with a population of 7 mn people), Bangkok, Chanthaburi. At these factories, the central very low-quality natural stones are surrounded exclusively by cubic zirconia. The financial turnover of these silver giants is comparable to that of the entire jewellery industry in the rest of the world. But cubic zirconia is the main synthetic stone used, by volume. It is followed by the imitations of jadeite and jade  China accounts for the entire volume of imitation of these two stones. In India, glass and goshenite simulants of emeralds dominate as well as aleksites. The aleksites are not produced in the same quantities as turquoises or synthetic opals, but they are promising. The aleksite is a super-slow curing glass with a short-range order and a Mohs hardness of 6-7. Aleksite is alloyed with rare earth metals from China. It is easy to distinguish aleksites from the natural stones. But, for example, the sultanite sold to the tourists in Turkey for 5 years has been the only one like that.

Recently, the diamond industry has been actively discussing the topic of blockchain in relation to the diamond trade. It is said that the ethical aspect of the goods is very important for the new generations of consumers, therefore, it is necessary to provide the buyers with full information about the diamonds, covering all parts of their supply chain from their mine to a store, so that there are no armed conflicts, crime, child labour, etc. Probably, the major diamond producers ALROSA and De Beers and other companies are capable of creating blockchains - distributed ledgers - that truly reflect the full history of diamonds. But it is also obvious that the idea becomes meaningless when a buyer purchases, say, a ring with an emerald as a central stone surrounded by five small diamonds; the buyers will be able to get complete information for the diamonds, and as for emeralds, they will be able to get, at best, a standard gemological certificate, in which the history of the stone is not indicated. Considering that up to 10% of diamond engagement rings now have coloured stones as a central one, is it possible, in principle, to develop a technology that allows to accurately trace the coloured gemstones from their mine to a store, and is there any use at all in using such technologies?

This attempt is doomed to failure for the following reasons:

- it is necessary to clearly establish an exact correlation between the stone on the finger and its trace in the Internet. That is, the stone must be marked. Otherwise, it is not clear what exactly all the blockchain information would relate to. At present, the problem is more or less solved for polished diamonds. Possibly, the problem can be solved for individual non-stressed spinel gemstones. And thats all. The ratio of the dynamic limit of the destruction of coloured stones having a non-cubic structure, their unidirectional natural dislocation pattern, strong anisotropy of all the mechanical and strength properties and thermal conductivity will lead to the inevitable destruction of any girdle of a coloured stone under strong thermal and mechanical exposure of a laser beam. In this respect, luck can come in the desktop researches only;

- the simplicity of counterfeiting and repackaging stones for marking them in various blisters, which can be made in China by a phone order within 5 days with their delivery to any place in the world, also gives an advantage only to organized fraudsters;

- finally, one need to clearly understand that a more or less powerful and well-focused laser can be assembled by any graduate student - a skilled assembler- in the garage. The marking laser is expensive for individuals only. Any organization can afford it.

As far as the ethical aspect of gemstones mining is concerned, this fig leaf used by the mining companies is pretty self-explanatory and is meant for media. Without exception, all the mining companies operating in Africa have impoverished and continue to impoverish millions of Africans to the point of starvation for one simple reason. The miners concessions are paid to the governments of the countries, and hundreds of thousands of families are deprived of the means of living for a long time. The direct assistance is provided by the mining companies to local employees and their families and communities just for the advertising purposes. Local African artisanal miners prefer to work for a huge informal organization of the Guineans, the immigrants from Guinea (Conakry is the capital). The turnover of these coloured stone purchasers is many times greater than the sales of both Tanzanite One Minning Co and Gemfields Group. Taking into account the purchases made by the Indian and Thai purchasers of stones, the annual turnover of the Guinean communities can reach $300-$400 mn. These are the most conservative estimates. Of course, these market players are not interested in blockchain.

Over the past hundred years, a huge amount of gem-quality diamonds have been mined, some of which are again in the market due to the new generations of their owners. In the diamond market, the impact of the pressure of this constantly growing deposit on the current prices is estimated in different ways, but no one is able to provide accurate quantitative data. What about the secondary market for coloured stones? Does it affect the current prices, say, for rubies and emeralds, and if so, to what extent?

Actually, it does not affect. The secondary market for coloured stones is most developed at the auctions in Hong Kong, UK. Approximately 50% of the inherited coloured stones have a fake provenance. The famous spinel gems, rubies, sapphires and emeralds with a real history of more than 20 years are rarely sold. Up to 95% of the family jewellery pieces sold at the Hong Kong jade auctions, at Christies and Sotheby ones are modern replicas.

An abundance of sectoral regulatory and advisory organizations such as the Kimberley Process, the World Diamond Council, etc. is characteristic of the diamond market. There are practically no such institutions in the coloured stone market. In your opinion, is the absence of such transnational regulatory organizations a positive or negative factor for the market?

The transnational regulatory organizations in the coloured stone market are currently impossible and unnecessary. There are too many types of goods, and there are even more deposits in many countries. The concepts of still-born non-market organizations like CIBJO - the World Jewellery Confederation - headquartered in Paris, imposed upon the market, are rightfully rejected. After more than five years of the pressure on the market in emporiums and on the trading floors, the terms like a composite are still not accepted, and the recommended postulates like a processed [stone] means not a natural and non-precious one and a lot of documents are needed to sell any truly precious stone were totally rejected by the global market. The market still uses its own terms and quality criteria. Moreover, the main thing in these established criteria is that for each type of coloured gemstones, the quality and price criteria are different, which is needless to say. The fine characteristic for an emerald barely reaches the commercial purity characteristic of a sapphire. The vivid green colour of an emerald is quite liquid, and the reddish pink colour for a ruby moves the stone to the category of rather inexpensive pink sapphires. Any regulations and standardization imposed on the market will not result in noticeable changes either in prices or in the supply and demand ratio. Over the years, the only factors have really regulated the market for coloured stones - the depletion of the traditional sources of rough stones and the discovery of new deposits as well as the development of new treatment methods.

What are the most striking events that had a significant effect on the coloured stone market over the past 50 years and resulted in significant price fluctuations?

Each of the below events caused a market redistribution in the amount of $0.5 bn or more:

- the 1970s, plus/minus 5 years. The Ceylon gem treaters developed a simple low-temperature annealing technology for geuda sapphires by way of blow-pipe heating to produce sapphires with the unique and inimitable cornflower blue colour. The exact reproducibility of the cornflower blue colour after annealing in ovens was not achieved for the rough gemstones of any origin;

- 1967 and 1968. The discovery of the colour change from polychromic, brown and gray zoisites mined at the Merelani mine to bright dichroic crimson-blue tanzanite (Tiffani proposed the name). The first annealing was carried out occasionally in a fire. In 2012, a simple and reliable sufficient indication of a rough tanzanite was found;

- 1989. A foreman of an artisan miner team (garimpeiros) got the first occasional experience in annealing the tourmalines on a coffee hotplate at the Sao Jose de Batalha mine in the Paraiba state, Brazil. For the first time, a tourmaline of the brightest blue-turquoise colour was obtained. Before that, there was only one coloured turquoise stone - annealed brown zircon from the Ratanakiri deposit, Cambodia. In 2015, the process of losing the identity of the Paraiba tourmaline colour started, and the price declined and the market trend changed;

- 1992-2006. The technology for strengthening the fractured rubies from the Mong Hsu deposit in Burma was developed and this technology was used for block-shaped monocrystalline rubies in the zoisite rock mined at the Tanzanian Merelani deposit. The strengthening and slight improvement of the red colour was achieved by impregnating the rubies in a superfluid melt of light orange oxide Pb 2 O 3 at 600-750 degrees Celsius. The volume of the ruby sales in the world market has increased more than 100 times;

- 2008. The richest deposit of opals of various basic colour and structure was discovered on the Ethiopian Wollo plateau. This resulted in the significant price drop for Australian opals, including the black ones;

- 2008-2012. The worlds largest alluvial blue sapphire deposit, Bo Phloi, in the Thailands Kanchanaburi province totally depleted. In the 21st century, the deposit was developed using excavators and the flotation plants for selection. Until 2015, every four out of five blue sapphires used in jewellery pieces all over the world came from this mine. The prices for blue sapphires increased more than threefold.

The rough diamond market is divided between several major companies, dozens of small producers traditionally operated on the coloured stones market, but the Gemfields Group appeared and broke this tradition. Can this experience be considered successful and setting the trend for the market defragmentation?

The Gemfields experience is mixed. The first concession acquired for some part of the Kafubu emerald deposit was extremely successful, but only thanks to the way - revolutionary for Africa - of selling the selected stones, and not the stones mined during a day or a week in dirty piles that buyers cannot identify. First, they were sorted out according to their quality, then the dealers from Israel, India were invited and they got the stones they required for their clients. In the rest of Africa, this simple principle does not work. There are extremely unsuccessful purchases of the stone parcels by the Israels cutters and Indian craftsmen, since everyone purchases stones not only for their customers.

The Gemfields second experience - the purchase of a ruby mine in Montepuez, Mozambique, balances on the brink of profitability and future prospects due to the initial evaluation of the red stone quality. There is no public information about this, but all the rubies from Montepuez are two-dimensional and they are flat. The Montepuez rubies have the only possible crystallization form - a low hexagonal prism; besides, during the growth, the layers in the prism were prone to twinning around the basic axis C with indices of the <0001> type in the hexagonal lattice of corundum. As a result, it is quite possible to cut ten 1.5-2 carat rubies from the largest 40-carat Rhino flat ruby found at the mine, but not two rubies weighing 5-10 carats. However, from each ruby from the Mogok and Mong Hsu deposits in Burma, or from the Tanzanian Morogoro or Winza deposits, one gemstone can be cut and polished, but its weight could be half or 35% of the rough ruby. The rubies with an octagonal bipyramidal crystallization form dominate at these deposits. Gemfields has enormous losses when selling its stones from the mine because they do not take into account the simple form of the crystal growth pattern.

A couple of years ago, the Gemfields Group announced a total expansion into the mining markets of other African countries and Brazil. But all the companys price proposals in these countries were categorically rejected.

Historically, the diamond market has evolved under the monopoly control by De Beers, which bore the burden of the global generic marketing for a long time and financed its diamond advertising campaigns - engine of the market growth for several decades - using their super-profits. After the De Beers monopoly control over the market came to an end, the generic marketing practically stopped and diamonds were rather behind other sectors of the luxury market. There has never been any monopoly or organized generic marketing in the coloured stone market, nevertheless, it is relatively stable. What makes consumers to take their interest in the coloured gemstones today?

The factors of the growing popularity of the coloured gemstones is explained by their rarity, availability, the widest choice of colours, sizes, qualities and, most importantly, commercial legends. The coloured stones have many unique, almost mystical optical effects like the cats eye, dichroism, adularescence, labradorescence, iridescent diffraction, iridescent opalescence, the strongest multicoloured play of light in sphenes, zircons, demantoids, Mali garnets, golden labradorites, as well as the light change effects in various types of corundum, alexandrites, andesines, garnets, sultanites, and blue opalescence due to the Tyndall effect in moonstones, and much more. The choice of the effects you like is practically unlimited.

Sergey Goryainov, Rough&Polished
A 14-year-old Indian Muslim boy who was thrashed mercilessly for drinking water at a Hindu temple is still not better as he sustained injuries on his head, hands, and legs, even as police arrested two men allegedly involved in the crime.

Speaking toThe Independent, the boys mother Sitara Habib said this is the first time something like this has happened to him in that area. The boy is the youngest of her four children. The family says the two men who thrashed him were not known to them.

The incident, which is one in a series of several assaults reported against Muslims in India in the last few years, took place in the city of Ghaziabad, near the national capital Delhi on Thursday.

A video of the incident went viral, inviting widespread condemnation on social media. In it a man can be seen brutally thrashing the minor as a second person records the beating. The boy can be seen telling him his details as well as his reason for entering the premise, which was to drink water.

However, the man doesnt stop and pushes him to the ground, continuing to beat and kick him.

Read more:

In the beginning, the man, who was seen beating the boy, is also heard saying both the faces should be visible properly, making it evident that the minor was being beaten with the intention of recording and posting the video.

The video has been shared several times over the weekend, as it caught the attention of people and rights groups, which resulted in outrage and demand for strict action. A hashtag with an apology to the minor also trended on Indian Twitter as users, including politicians and influencers, used it express solidarity with the victim.

Ghaziabad police have now arrested two men, including the man who was seen beating and kicking the teen, identified as Shringi Nandan Yadav, and the person filming it, named only as Shivanand.

However, as the video went viral, several activists and politicians have also reached out to the boy and his family. In a video shot after Thursday, the 14-year-old can be heard detailing the incident.

I went inside to drink water, when I returned two priests came and said come with us, we will make a video, he said. He said he was dragged by the two men to the backyard of the premise and beaten. He also said he came across two policemen outside the premise but they did not act on his complaint.

According to Human Rights Watch, there has been a rise in assaults against minorities in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where this incident was reported from. The group said Muslims have been disproportionately affected by laws targeting forced conversion and cow slaughter, with 4,000 people arrested in Uttar Pradesh over the latter in 2020 alone. Assaults by vigilante groups have also made headlines more frequently in recent years.
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2021

Hypocrisy and the Cockpits for War

March 14 , 2021 (EIRNS)The Schiller Institute Conference this coming weekend, March 20-21, will include on Sunday morning a panel on the rapidly escalating danger of war, focused on the most dangerous cockpits for war, which are being intentionally stoked by the trans-Atlantic war partythe Middle East and East Asia. Spokesmen from these regions, as well as American military experts who are warning against this madness, will present both the danger and the necessary solutions, based on development of the sort represented by the Belt and Road Initiative.

Look at the madness: Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO (emphasis on North Atlantic), speaking virtually to the CFR March 11, described NATOs importance in terms of confronting the rise of China, which, he said, poses challenges for our security and way of life. That is why we should deepen our partnerships with countries like Australia and Japan. President Joe Bidens Defense Secretary Gen. Lloyd Austin (ret.), who is now travelling to Japan, South Korea and India, told reporters on March 13 that while the U.S. was focused on fighting terrorism, China was modernizing its military forces. Austin claimed the competitive edge that weve had has eroded. We will maintain that edge. We are going to increase that edge going forward. Note that Chinas annual defense budget for 2020 was $178 billion, compared to the U.S. budget of $721 billion.

A very wise retired French General, Gregoire Diamantidis, addressed this NATO madness in an open letter to Stoltenberg released on March 11 (see below). NATOs new posture, called NATO 2030, the General says, is based on presenting Russia and (increasingly) China as severe threats to the Western nations. Two major ideas emerge from this study, he writes.

The first is the enlistment of Europeans against Chinas planetary domination, in exchange for American protection of Europe against the Russian threat. The second is the circumvention of the consensus rule [in NATOs command], in several ways: operations in coalitions of the willing; implementation of decisions that no longer require consensus; and above all the delegation of authority to SACEUR (Supreme Allied Commander Europe, an American general officer) on the grounds of efficiency and speeding up decision-making. He stated that the Russian threat was  patiently created and then maintained, so as to bring to heel the European allies behind the United States, in the perspective of an forthcoming battle with China for world hegemony.

NATO, initially a defensive alliance, he continues, is being transformed into an offensive alliance against an enemy that does not exist for Europe. He concludes that the new posture would seek to justify the military tool of this alliance in the future by transforming it into a political instrument, unavoidable, for the management of vast international coalitions, for the benefit of a true planetary governance, even going so far as to override the decisions of the UN and crushing national sovereignties!

Look then at Syria, where the Biden administration appears to have decided to keep the American military presence indefinitely, blatantly breaking international law while also stealing the nations oil, and now even their food. The official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported yesterday: During the past two weeks, the U.S. occupation forces have stolen large quantities of wheat from the silos of Tal Alou through more than 112 trucks and sent them to northern Iraq. Syria is a nation the UN has declared to be facing famine. One is reminded of the British exporting food from colonial India during the recurring famines which killed over 60 million citizens.

In China, the government partys newspaper Global Times correctly characterizes the Biden administrations policy regarding vaccines as extreme selfishness. What is widely known, todays editorial reads,

is that the U.S. has purchased a large quantity of vaccines. Europe hopes the U.S. could share with it some AstraZeneca vaccines, but the White House has refused. What makes the public even angrier is that the U.S. has not yet authorized the AstraZeneca vaccine and it is just stockpiling them in reserve. Many European countries have approved the AstraZeneca vaccine, but do not yet have it. Despite the enormous difference in their situations, Washington has refused to offer a helping hand, so how could developing countries count on the U.S.?... Besides its hypocrisy, Washington also smears Chinas efforts to share its vaccines with developing countries and mobilizes its opinion mechanism to accuse China of engaging in deliberate vaccine diplomacy. Chinas timely vaccine program has saved many countries and groups of people who are most at risk. Washington has not reflected on its absence in this emergency aid, but described the aid as a geopolitical competition, which is terrifying.

The final panel at the Schiller Institute Conference, on Sunday afternoon, will address the mobilization led by Helga Zepp-LaRouche to address the pandemic and the mounting famines around the world, in what she calls the Committee on the Coincidence of Opposites. Only if the perceived opposites of the U.S., Russia and China join forces, as they did in World War II, to mobilize the agricultural resources, the medical resources, and the vaccines desperately needed in the nations of the Middle East, Africa and South America, and mobilize the necessary military and other government-sponsored institutions to deliver these goods where needed, and build modern health capacities in all these regions, will the world escape from the unfolding biological holocaust, the threat of nuclear war, and the economic disintegration now being imposed under the Malthusian Green New Deal.

Register for the Schiller/ICLC conference at the Schiller Institute website.
Danjuma Adda, a Nigerian public health expert, became the president-elect of the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA) in November last year. He is the first African to hold the position.

Having been infected and lost his mother to hepatitis B, Adda's personal experience has fueled his passion and drive for a paradigm shift in fighting the liver disease, which the WHO estimates affects 60 million Africans.

In an interview with SciDev.Net, he outlined his plans to increase evidence-based research to improve treatments for patients with hepatitis, and investment commitments by African governments that will drive efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis.

What does it mean to you to be elected president of the WHA?

Becoming the president of the WHA is a dream come true for me, having attempted this same position seven years ago but was not successful. Although it comes with great responsibilities, I am hopeful that with the support of the WHA team, we will succeed in accelerating elimination of viral hepatitis by 2030.

How serious is the burden of viral hepatitis among the world's low- and lower middle-income countries?

Viral hepatitis disproportionately affects marginalised and low-income populations in the world. Similarly, chronic viral hepatitis is a major global public health problem but the population most affected is based in the least developed countries.

These countries account for 80 per cent of the world's population and face numerous obstacles in containing the epidemic such as high diagnostic and treatment costs, stigma and discrimination from the public and healthcare workers.

The most endemic regions have limited resources, with a low human development index and, often, a population living on less than US$2 a day. Africa alone accounts for over 60 million people living with hepatitis B and hepatitis C, resulting in over 200,000 deaths a year.

In highly endemic regions, including Africa, the Amazon Basin, and Central and Southeast Asia, the prevalence of hepatitis is estimated to be up to eight per cent, reaching 10-15 per cent in some countries. In developing regions, hepatitis B and C infections mostly occur early in life, with high risk of developing chronic liver disease.

Dying from viral hepatitis in Africa is becoming a bigger threat than dying from HIV/AIDS, malaria or tuberculosis. Yet, viral hepatitis remains neglected in many parts of the continent.

What are some of the socioeconomic implications of hepatitis?

Viral hepatitis has a major impact on overall health and quality of life. People living with

hepatitis B and hepatitis C suffer worse health and wellbeing, experience considerable social stigma and have lower self-esteem.

People with hepatitis C also have a greater burden of cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and type 2 diabetes.

Viral hepatitis often affects people in the prime of their working lives and reduces social and workforce participation and personal financial security, with major implications for national economies.

What pressing issues in tackling hepatitis do you plan to prioritize?

Africa is lagging behind other regions of the world in terms of financial and political commitments from governments and private sector participation towards elimination of viral hepatitis.

Many Africa governments have not prioritised elimination of viral hepatitis, and thus very little investment by those governments goes towards attaining the elimination goals. The lack of commitment from governments also affects private sector investment.

Private sector partners would like to see government commitment before investing their finances. But most governments would wait for donor funding to finance the delivery of healthcare services to their people.

Some significant barriers need to be addressed before the goal of eliminating viral hepatitis can be realised. The barriers include the lack of action from the majority of countries and the international community as a whole to eliminate viral hepatitis epidemics.

Few countries such as Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Mauritius, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda have national viral hepatitis strategies or plans, and even fewer have designated units and budgets within their health ministries to lead, guide and coordinate their hepatitis responses.

Key issues to address include low levels of awareness among populations and policymakers, poor domestic financing by governments in most low- and middle-income countries that limits the attainment of hepatitis elimination targets and poor political will towards improving healthcare services among poor populations.

What kind of legacy do you plan to leave for the continent at the end of your term?

I expect to see a significant increase in commitment by African governments that will accelerate the elimination goals of viral hepatitis in the region, evidence-based research to improve treatment outcomes among African patients.

Also, I would like to see an empowered patient community that is ready to push and engage governments and relevant partners towards elimination of viral hepatitis and improved access to hepatitis B and C diagnostics and treatments for patients.

How do you plan to boost treatments for hepatitis B in Africa?

Working with the WHA global team, member states across the region and other local and global partners, we will prioritise raising the profile of viral elimination and build political commitment through global, regional, national and local forums that engage affected communities, healthcare professionals and the general public.

We will also prioritise an investment case for elimination that provides achievable country-specific targets and strategic actions to optimise resource allocation and embed these within universal health coverage activities.

Informed by the investment case, we will mobilise domestic, private and international resources to support countries to implement elimination programmes. Moreover, we will increase access to low-cost diagnostics and treatment through advocacy, international support, private partnerships and community mobilisation.

Also, we will strive to strengthen health systems, including improving workforce skills and investments in technology and surveillance systems, integrate activities into existing health programmes to strengthen infrastructure, improve co-ordination, and optimise resource allocation.

There is a need to get our governments to commit more towards domestic financing to encourage pharmaceutical industries to invest in local production of drugs as showcased in Rwanda and Egypt.

Governments in Africa need to provide health insurance to prevent out-of-pocket cost of healthcare for patients. We would strengthen advocacy to get pharmaceutical companies to invest in Africa and reduce costs of drugs for patients.
Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations.
Duthie Power Services uses Schedule Engine's scheduling software. "At Schedule Engine, we believe technology should make it easier for customers and service providers to do business with each other."

Duthie Power's implementation of Schedule Engine's self-serve online booking software makes booking a generator service visit as easy for their customers as ordering takeout. Both residential and commercial Duthie clients are excited by how Schedule Engines text message alerts, photo uploading capabilities, and convenient online scheduling make it easy to keep up with crucial generator maintenance.

Adopting Schedule Engines technology is a huge win for our clients, says Mike Goodman, Sales Engineer at Duthie Power. It lets them quickly and accurately schedule a service visit based on their needs.

BOOKING SERVICE IS SIMPLE

Duthie customers will appreciate how simple it is to book a service visit, both from Duthie Powers homepage and via the Duthie mobile app.

Its both straightforward and precise, says Shana Duthie, Head of Sales and Marketing. A few clicks tell us not only when they want their visit, but also the reason: maintenance, testing, repairs, quotes, or rentals.

Choosing one of these categories introduces a new set of options to specify the exact problem. Since Schedule Engine is designed particularly for contractors and industrial clients, these options (combined with the ability to upload media) help clients to share the precise nature of their issue.

To further help technicians see what their customers see, Schedule Engine also allows customers to share media and relevant information such as the size and location (i.e. indoors, outdoors, basement, or rooftop) of their generator.

BETTER TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTS BETTER SERVICE

One of the most useful features of Schedule Engine's software is how easily customers can upload photos and videos to Schedule Engine, says Shana. It takes just a few seconds to snap and submit a picture with their phone, and it really helps show our technicians the precise situation and issue. This information helps technicians come prepared with all needed tools.

At Schedule Engine, we believe technology should make it easier for customers and service providers to do business with each other, says Laura Good, Senior Marketing Manager at Schedule Engine. Were thrilled to see that Schedule Engine has helped Duthie remove the headaches of scheduling service appointments, increase productivity and save everyone valuable time.

Were happy that this tool is making generator service scheduling so easy for our customers, says Shana. With regular servicing and maintenance, they can have peace of mind that their homes and businesses will have power no matter what happens.

For over 50 years, Duthie Power Services has served as the largest independent generator and fire pump service provider in Southern California. The Duthie team specializes in generator sales, installations, rentals, routine maintenance, diagnostics, repairs, and 24/7/365 emergency power restoration. The companys commitment to using high-quality parts, coupled with fast, guaranteed customer service and preventative maintenance packages, have made them an industry leader. Duthie Power is a family-owned business and active member of BOMA San Diego (Building Owners and Managers Association), as well as EGSA (Electrical Generating Systems Association) with offices in Long Beach and San Diego California.

For more information, contact Duthiepower.com at 800-394-7697 and/or Shana Duthie at shana.duthie@duthiepower.com.


WOOD RIVER  Every Illinoisan might be able to get a COVID-19 vaccination by the end of April, according to Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

President Joe Biden on Thursday said he would advise states to make a vaccine available to every adult by May 1. Pritzker said Illinois may act sooner.

Im excited about the fact that we will be able to get to more and more people across the state of Illinois and Im confident that not by just May 1, but maybe even a little bit earlier, we could open up to everyone in the state, Pritzker said.

The state will be receiving 100,000 doses per day from the federal government this month, including the one-shot dose from Johnson & Johnson, the governor said.

At noon Monday, the health department had open vaccination times available on March 16, 18, 19 and 21. County residents who have internet and computer access should schedule COVID-19 vaccination appointments at www.madisonchd.org. People who do not use a computer can call 618-650-8445 for first dose appointments when available.

On Monday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 88,301 vaccinations had been administered in Madison County. The IDPH said 56,871 first vaccine doses  or 21.5% of the population  had been given and 31,430 residents, or 11.88% of the population, were fully vaccinated.

The Madison County Health Department has said the actual numbers for both vaccination categories is higher than the IDPH figures.

The IDPH on Monday also reported that 17.93% of Greene County was fully vaccinated. Other fully vaccinated rates were 18.72% in Jersey County, 14.51% in Macoupin County and 16.66% in Calhoun County.

The IDPH on Monday said 4,623,735 doses of vaccine had been delivered to providers in Illinois. About 414,900 doses have been allocated to the federal governments Pharmacy Partnership Program for long-term care facilities. This brings the total Illinois doses to 5,038,635.

More Information Vaccinations First: 56,871 (21.5%) Fully: 31,430 (11.88%) Source: IDPH COVID-19 cases by county Madison - 28,032 (466 deaths) Jersey - 2,505 (47 deaths) Calhoun - 494 (5 deaths) Greene - 1,323 (47 deaths) Macoupin - 4,569 (108 deaths) Montgomery - 3,563 (71 deaths) St. Clair - 26,095 (481 deaths) Clinton - 5,603 (89 deaths) Bond - 1,919 (24 deaths) Monroe - 4,120 (89 deaths) Randolph - 3,999 (80 deaths) Washington - 1,597 (25 deaths) Source: IDPH & Madison, Macoupin and Jersey county health departments See More Collapse

A total of 4,102,810 vaccines have been administered, including 354,773 for long-term care facilities. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 102,147 doses.

The IDPH on Monday reported no additional COVID-19 related deaths in Madison, Macoupin, Jersey, Greene or Calhoun counties. A total of 12 additional COVID-19 related deaths were reported Monday by the IDPH, as well as 782 new confirmed and probable cases.

Late Sunday the Madison County Health Department was reporting no additional COVID-19 related deaths, leaving the countys death toll to 466.

There are sometimes discrepancies in the number of cases and deaths reported at the state and local levels, in part because of the volume of cases, and also as each local department forwards the information and it is verified. Local health officials have said the cases eventually reconcile as the reporting catches up.

The county health department on Sunday was reporting 21 COVID-19 patients in county hospitals, one on a ventilator. The county reported 25 new confirmed and probable cases as well as 774 tests.

To date, the county has reported 28,032 cases and 273,371 tests.

The three-day positivity rate in the county on Sunday was 4.08%. The seven-day rate was 4.61% and the 10-day rate was 4.03, the lowest since July 9, 2020.

The IDPH said the preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total tests March 8-14 was 2.2%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity for the same period was 2.6%.

To date, the IDPH has reported 1,210,113 cases, including 20,955 deaths. As of Sunday night, 1,112 people in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 227 were intensive care unit patients and 95 were on ventilators.

For more COVID-19 information, visit https://coronavirus-response-madcoil.hub.arcgis.com/, www.madisonchd.org or Facebook @madisonchd. Also visit www.co.madison.il.us or Facebook @madisoncountyil for more vaccination news and daily updates.

For The Telegraphs online vaccine tracker, visit https://www.thetelegraph.com/coronavirus-vaccine-tracker-alton-illinois/. For additional vaccine locations visit https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/vaccination-location.

Local and statewide information also is available at www.dph.illinois.gov. Click the coronavirus banner.

For health-related questions about COVID-19, people also can call the IDPH hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.

The Center Square contributed to this story.
Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, was recently awarded Level 4 of the New Distribution Capability (NDC) certification from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The NDC Certification Programme, the only official industry certification programme in support of the NDC standard, is provided by IATA to airlines upon completing a set of requirements and achieving a number of deliverables, said a statement.

NDC is a key transformation project, launched by IATA to modernise airline distribution. The NDC standard enhances the capability of communications between airlines and travel agents by enabling an airline to make sales offers directly in real time which will also permit airlines to define and price their products in multiple ways. It enables travel agents across the globe to access Gulf Air content such as images of the aircraft cabin, a list of ancillary products and a list of add-on services which were only available on the airlines website before NDC activation.

Gulf Airs Chief Commercial Officer Vincent Coste said: As part of our digital transformation, our focus continues to be on driving innovation and strengthening the value proposition through this downturn. With IATAs NDC Level 4 certification, we are well-poised to improve the retailing and servicing experience across our global multi-channel distribution network, underpinned by a customer-centric approach. Apart from the anticipated cost savings, it will also give us the flexibility to create and fully control our inventory and content distribution across channels - from Online Travel Agencies, travel agents and Travel Management Companies (TMC) - providing easy access to rich content and differentiated, personalized and dynamic offers.

Gulf Airs Offer and Order Management solution is being powered by TPConnects, a leading technology company in Middle East and is based on Level 4 NDC Schema 18.2, which will enable Gulf Air to introduce content on NDC channels. The travel community is evolving to adapt to new consumer needs, thanks to opportunities brought by modern technologies. Gulf Air has invested in NDC enabled Offer and Order Management and Distribution through TPConnects and is geared up to meet the needs of travel partners and corporate customers to satisfy the changing expectations of how they can shop, book and pay.

Congratulations to Gulf Air on achieving Level 4 NDC Certification, an important step on its journey to airline retailing, which will deliver a superior experience for its customers with richer content and increased transparency across all its distribution channels, said Kamil Alawadhi IATAs Regional Vice President Africa & The Middle East.  TradeArabia News Service
A mother-of-three battling an ultra-rare form of cancer is desperately trying to raise 100,000 for treatment so she can spend precious time with her young children.

Amanda Cox, 36, from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, has been given just months to live and may not see next Christmas without specialist treatment in the US that could prolong her life.

The solicitor is desperately battling against the clock to raise enough money for the treatments so she can spend more precious time with her three sons - Edward, nine, James, seven and George, three.

One of the two cancer drugs that the family are seeking, which is currently unavailable on the NHS, costs 5,000 for just one month of treatment.

While the immunotherapy treatment, which is unavailable on the NHS for Amanda's rare form of cancer, costs a staggering 100,000 for a one-month course.

Amanda Cox, 36, from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, is trying to raise 100,000 for cancer treatment so she can spend more time with husband Matt and sons Edward, James and George

Amanda was diagnosed with extremely rare liver cancer Fibrolamellar carcinoma seven years ago, of which there are only ten known cases in the UK.

Her husband Matt, 38, who served as an RAF logistics officer in Afghanistan, explained: 'She's had it seven years and has been so incredibly brave.

'My wife has always been positive and she's still got so much to fight for, but there is a reality check that there's not much more we can do as a family.

On March 5, Amanda and Matt received the heartbreaking news that doctors were unable to help her further and were warned to prepare for the worst.

But their friends and family refused to give up hope and launched a GoFundMe campaign to get Amanda the treatment she urgently needs - and have already raised a staggering 27,000 in just ten days.

The doting mother bravely continues to work and look after her three children while battling cancer, and even homeschooled her sons during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The mother-of-three (pictured with Edward, nine, James, seven, and George, three) has been given months to live and may not see next Christmas without specialist treatment in the USA

Matt explained: 'She'll go to her treatment at hospital, have her chemotherapy and sit there for a few hours.

'And then she'll come home with a pump in her arm and go off to work. She'll see her clients come back and put dinner on.

'That is how it's been we've just got on with it and learnt to adapt and live with cancer.

What is fibrolamellar carcinoma? Fibrolamellar cancer (also known as FLC) is a rare liver cancer that usually affects adolescents and young adults. It is thought to occur in one in five million people, and makes up 1-5% of all liver cancers. It is sometimes referred to as fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma. However, it differs from the most common form of primary liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, in several ways  most significantly, patients with fibrolamellar do not usually have a history of liver disease. Many people with early fibrolamellar cancer have no signs or symptoms of the condition. When symptoms are present, including loss of appetite, abdominal pain and jaundice, they are often non-specific and blamed on other conditions. Source: rarediseases.org Advertisement

'We try to not let it control our lives because we still have a life to live and have three young children.

'I am a proud man and a private person, I have tried to deal with this as best as I can and it doesn't really come natural to me to ask for help.

'There are still treatments out there we know we can pursue - we just need that little bit of hope.'

Amanda's tumour was first found when she was having a gall stone removed at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital in 2014, when she was 29-years-old.

Two years later, the family received the devastating news that the cancer had returned, and Amanda underwent another operation.

The tumours initially shrunk and she was given the all clear, but in March 2018, she was told that the cancer had grown back and spread to her nearby lymph nodes.

Matt continued: 'Everybody deserves a life, it's just frustrating she's got so much left to live for.

'I will do anything, I will fight for her for the sake of our beautiful three boys and do everything it takes. I would give her my liver if I could.

'All our savings and funding is going into this and I will remortgage my house just to give her a chance at life.

'Nobody should be facing cancer with three young boys.'

Matt explained that the doctors said Amanda may not live to see 'another Christmas' but he heartbreakingly said he cannot tell their sons because he doesn't want to 'count down'.

He added that the ongoing restrictions amid the Covid-19 pandemic have been 'upsetting' for the family, particularly when Amanda was told 'on her own' that there was nothing else the doctors could do to help her.

Matt continued: 'The doctor's talk of her not seeing another Christmas but I can't tell the boys that. We don't want to count down, we just want to live.

'She has said to me she wants to prove her value to society and pay her taxes and that she still has a point to live.

Amanda was diagnosed with rare liver cancer Fibrolamellar carcinoma seven years ago, of which there are only ten known cases in the UK (pictured with Edward, James and George)

Her husband Matt, 38, said Amanda (both pictured) may not live to see 'another Christmas' but he heartbreakingly said he cannot tell their sons that as he doesn't want to 'count down'

'What's also upsetting for me is I can't go with her to the chemotherapy due to Covid and sit by my wife's side.

'In March she was sat there and the consultant came up and said this is all we can do, she should not have heard that on her own.'

Matt admitted that Amanda has penned birthday cards for their three children in case the 'worst does happen'.

He continued: 'We've written birthday cards for all our three children and put them in a box so if the worst does happen, I can give them a card from their mum.

'Every day is precious, every day she's here is another positive day.'

The rare liver cancer attacks healthy livers and is more prone in teenagers and people under 40, and Amanda has never smoked or drunk alcohol and even swam for Birmingham county.

Matt added: 'We have done a lot of research and there seems to be only ten other people in the UK that have it.

'I think there are only 200 people in the whole of the world.

'It's a really rare cancer and this is so disheartening that it affects young healthy livers of young healthy people. Amanda was a fit and healthy woman.

'We contacted doctors in America and were told that there are treatments available over there such as immunotherapy.

One of the two cancer drugs that the family (above, Matt and Amanda) are raising funds for on GoFundMe costs 5,000 while a one-month course with immunotherapy costs 100,000

'These drugs are here for lung cancer or breast cancer but have not been tried and tested for Amanda's cancer.

'If you've only got 10 people in the UK with it how are you going to test it? It'll take 50 to 100 years.'

Matt explained that they are raising money for the treatment to try and shrink Amanda's tumour, as there then could be the option for a transplant.

He said: 'We just need to get the tumours shrunk and reduced and then they may offer us a the option for a transplant.

'I want to say a huge thank you to everybody who has donated and for the fantastic support we have had to date.

'The NHS have also been brilliant over the seven years and they have supported us the best they can, I can't thank them enough.'

Anyone wishing to donate to the family's campaign can visit uk.gofundme.com/f/Please-help-save-amandas-life.
The 'Black Widow' killer Linda Calvey has opened up about the crimes she committed in London's East End - adding that they are very 'surreal' to her now.

Linda Calvey, from Ilford in east London, was jailed for 18 years in Holloway Prison, London, over her involvement in the death of her lover, Ronnie Cook - despite protesting her innocence.

It was there that she rubbed shoulders with some of the UK's most notorious serial killers including Myra Hindley and Rose West.

Now a 72-year-old great-grandmother, Linda, who was given the moniker 'Black Widow' because every man she was involved with ended up dead, has taken a look back at her former life, which includes slapping Myra Hindley in prison.

'I look back and think, 'Was that really me?' she said, according to The Daily Star. 'It's surreal. It's like looking back on the life of somebody else, because I can't imagine how I did do the things I did.'

The 'Black Widow' killer Linda Calvey, now 72, has opened up about the crimes she committed in London's East End - adding that they are very 'surreal' to her now

Linda Calvey who was dubbed the Black Widow because her men 'ended up either dead or in jail', pictured aged 22

Linda Calvey pictured with her children Neil and Melanie at a recent charity event

She continued: 'These days, I wouldn't even walk into a shop and pinch a sweet, but I used to rob banks and security vans.

'I was scared about going to prison, but I still did it. We saw getting caught as being part of the job.'

She also went on to say how her reputation as the Black Widow stood her in 'good stead.'

'In some weird way I was looked up to, like a mother figure,' she told the publication. 'The women in jail wanted me to be their friend. 'I never experienced bullying personally, and I would step in and stop people doing it to others.'

However, she says that her crimes are not without 'regret' - adding: 'I've always really regretted it. I would say to anybody, 'Don't go for a life of crime.'

'Rarely does it pay, and there's a lot of heartache with it.'

Calvey, who was in prison among the likes of Myra Hindley, recalled: 'The very first time I came face to face with Myra I walked up to her and gave her a slap.

'I got worried about what I'd done, but I was glad I did it. She was a really horrible person.'

Linda Calvey (pictured in 1978) previously revealed that she used to do Myra Hindley's hair in prison despite calling the child murderer a 'b****' and slapping her during their first meeting behind bars

Linda recalled how the very first time she came face to face with Myra (pictured), she walked up to her and 'gave her a slap'

Linda Calvey previously revealed that she used to do Myra Hindley's hair in prison despite calling the child murderer a 'b****' during their first meeting behind bars.

'The first time I saw Myra Hindley she was doing her laundry and singing to herself.

'I marched straight over and slapped her in the face and said, 'You b****! How can you sing like that when you've killed little children?' She was very bitter and believed she didn't deserve prison.

'There was nothing nice about her, she had a horrible, cold way,' she said, according to the Mirror.

LINDA'S LIFE OF CRIME Linda Calvey was born on April 8 1948 in Ilford, Essex. She had two children with her first husband Mikey Calvey. When he was shot dead by police for his involvement in a robbery that went wrong, Calvey turned to crime herself. She took part in robberies, her involvement in which getting more and more serious. Calvey began her criminal career first as lookout, then as a getaway driver and finally donned the balaclava and wielded the shotgun herself. Her worst crime came in 1990 when she murdered her lover Ronnie Cook Advertisement

Hindley had been in partnership with Ian Brady in the rape and murder of five small children, which became known as the Moors Murders, before police received a tip off from her brother-in-law in 1965.

But Calvey and Hindley ended up having number of run-ins after Calvey got a prison job doing the other inmates' hair.

She said that Hindley was 'very particular' about getting her hair dyed dark red once a month and would often sit and smoke roll-up cigarettes.

Hindley would often ask Calvey to speak to her mother on the phone and clear spiders out of her cell but Calvey said that they were never friends.

Calvey had grown up in Ilford, east London, alongside eight siblings.

She had started dating convicted armed robber Mickey Calvey in 1968 following a chance meeting as a teenager.

She had been taken to a party by some of her friends that was to celebrate his release from prison after serving eight years for robbing an M&S security van.

The pair married and had two children - Melanie, now 49, and Neil, now 45.

Calvey insists that she only got involved in hard crime after Mickey's death in 1978 when he was shot by police during an armed raid at a supermarket.

Speaking to the publication, she went on to say that taking over his role in the gang was just a process of 'natural progression' - adding that she'd always got on better with men than women.

She started her life of crime as a menacing getaway driver before becoming a gun-toting robber targeting post offices and banks.

Later, she became a leading figure in the underworld, claiming that she was addressed as 'Lady Boss' and was dubbed the Queen of the East End underworld.

Calvey is believed to have earned 1million from her armed robberies but claims that she actually stole 100,000 a raid, suggesting the actual earnings are considerably higher.

She was eventually caught and given a seven-year sentence for armed robbery and was forced to leave her two young children behind in the care of her mother.

Linda began a relationship with Ronnie Cook when she was released but Cook was still behind bars.

Linda received 18 years in Holloway (pictured) which made her Britain's longest-serving female prisoner for a time

But he was murdered on the day of his release 18 months later in what was thought to be an attempted robbery gone wrong.

Calvey had described a masked man kicking down the door of her kitchen before shooting Cook in the elbow and head.

Police investigated and accused Calvey of paying hit-man Daniel Reece 10,000 to shoot her lover.

Reece was sentenced to life in prison with Linda receiving 18 years which made her Britain's longest-serving female prisoner for a time.

Calvey has since spoken of how she told her children the truth about her life of crime after her then teenage daughter Melanie, now 50, found piles of cash underneath her bed, and went on a shopping spree at the toy-shop Hamley's.

Linda told Bella magazine that her children 'weren't bothered' by her revelation, saying: '[Melanie] asked if that was why I had loads of different wigs in my cupboards.'

Linda said that one Saturday, she couldn't find daughter Melanie, then 13.

Her son Mikey, 9, told her that he had gone shopping after finding piles of stolen money hidden underneath her mother's bed.

Linda told how Melanie spent 'a fortune' on toys and games in Hamleys toy store.

She went on to tell her children where the money was from and explained that she was a bank robber.

The former gangster said her children were 'unbothered' by her revelation at the time, and 'giggled' as they learned the truth.

She said: '[Melanie] asked is that why I had loads of different wigs in my cupboards'.

She added: 'In a special cupboard in my wardrobe, I had several wigs, glasses, and scarves for disguises.'

Calvey's first novel The Locksmith, which tells the story of East End crime matriarch Ruby Murphy, is out this week, and has even won praise from crime writer Martina Cole.
My story was on the front page for the sole reason that it was a painful reminder to women that it can happen in Parliament House and can truly happen anywhere, a strained and visibly distressed Ms Higgins told the crowd. Thousands gathered at Parliament House for the Womens March 4 Justice Credit:Alex Ellinghausen I was raped inside Parliament House by a colleague and for so long it felt like the people around me did not care about what happened because of what it might mean for them. It was so confusing because these people were my idols. Ms Higgins spoke of watching her life play out in the media from a laptop in a spare bedroom in her fathers apartment on the Gold Coast. I watched as the prime minister of Australia publicly apologised to me through the media, while privately the media team actively undermined and discredited my loved ones, she said.

I tuned into Question Time to see my former bosses, people that I had dedicated my life to, downplay my lived experience. Sharon Buikstra, who drove on her own from Wollongong to attend the march, had never been to a protest before. Helen Dalley-Fisher, Janine Hendry and Sharon Buikstra ahead of the Womens March 4 Justice at Parliament House. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen I dont normally do this sort of thing, Ms Buikstra says. Im just an everyday single woman in my 50s bringing up two children. But she says the march spoke to her because Ms Higgins could have been her own daughter.

I thought Well, she needs to be supported, as does every other woman who works in Parliament House. I just felt we are all in this together, whether we are male or female, we should be respecting a young girl who was trying to get ahead in her career and was taken advantage of. Fiona Thatcher, who left a top-tier Australian law firm after she said she was sexually harassed, organised an event in London in solidarity. The protests mostly attracted women, many wearing black. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The protests mostly attracted women, many in black, some wearing face-masks that said enough. They carried signs From the ditches come the witches (a play on the infamous Ditch the witch slur referring to Julia Gillard at a 2011 rally against the carbon tax), We will not stay silent so you can stay comfortable, and simply, Enough is enough. One girl in Canberra carried a placard reading: Im 11 and Ive had enough of harassment.

Both Labor and Coalition MPs attended the protest in Canberra, including Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese with Tanya Plibersek, Penny Wong, Kristina Keneally, and Liberals Bridget Archer, Jane Hume and Sarah Henderson. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Neurologist and founder of Doctors Against Violence Towards Women, Kate Ahmad, presented Ms Plibersek and Australian Greens Senator Larissa Waters with a petition signed by 94,000 people. We have two tangible demands, we want women to be safe in Parliament and we want an inquiry into the rape allegations against the Attorney-General, Ms Ahmad said. Attorney-General Christian Porter has vehemently denied allegations that he raped an Adelaide woman in 1988 when she was 16 and he was 17.

On Monday he launched Federal Court defamation proceedings against the ABC over an online article that he alleges portrays him as the perpetrator of a brutal rape that contributed to the woman taking her own life. The organisers of the protest refused the Prime Ministers offer to meet with a delegation from the march, saying they would not be meeting behind closed doors. We have already come to the front door, now its up to the government to cross the threshold and come to us, organiser Janine Hendry tweeted. Senator Jane Hume speaks with the March 4 Justice organiser Janine Hendry in a hallway at Parliament House. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer It was, said Liberal Senator Jane Hume, who attended the march, an extraordinary lost opportunity. They have been invited in with open arms and open ears, we want to listen, she said on Sky News.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison later said in Parliament he respected the right of the protest organisers to turn down his offer. He outlined the actions his government is taking on the topics addressed in the March 4 Justice petition, including again saying all cases of gendered violence should be referred to police. This is a common cause, and we must not let our frustration with the failure to achieve so many of the results we would hope for, to undermine the unity needed to continue our shared progress, he said. In Hobart, Australian of the Year Grace Tame said 10 years ago she made the choice to stand up against a man who had repeatedly raped her. Ms Tame, 26, was groomed and abused by a 58-year-old maths teacher. The abuse began when she had just turned 15.

Loading She said she felt immensely proud that the societal push to give sexual assault survivors the right to be named started in Tasmania. Evil thrives in silence, she said. Behaviour unspoken, behaviour ignored, is behaviour endorsed. In Melbourne a banner was unfurled, listing the names of 898 women and children who had been killed by men since 2008. A minutes silence was held in their honour. Ms Hendry, a 58-year-old academic and designer, whose tweet on February 25 spawned the 42 nation-wide rallies, told the Canberra protest that when she saw Ms Higgins courageously taking action she thought So can I.
Australia's domestic borders should all remain open despite new coronavirus cases in New South Wales and Queensland, an expert believes.

Travellers are now free to travel anywhere across Australia for the first time in almost 12 months after Western Australia eased its restrictions with Victoria on Monday.

But health authorities remain on alert after a Sydney hotel quarantine security guard tested positive on Saturday night, breaking NSW's streak of 55 days without a locally-acquired case.

The new case came two days after another virus breach in Queensland hotel quarantine saw a hospital doctor tested positive in Brisbane, sparking a lockdown of hospitals and nursing homes.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness chairwoman Jane Halton has echoed the pleas of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg for all Australian domestic borders to remain open with Easter and the April school holidays just around the corner.

All of Australia's domestic borders are open for the first time in 12 months, despite new cases in NSW and Queensland. Pictured are travellers being screened by health workers at Sydney Airport

'I don't think they need to close,' Ms Halton told the Today show on Tuesday.

'Think about NSW, who every single time there's been the occasional and I mean occasional breach from hotel quarantine, it has not gone terribly far and they've chased it down really quickly.'

'I don't think anyone needs to close a border at this particular point.

'I think our systems are now working really well on contact tracing. So no, I do not believe we need to close any borders.'

The former Australian public servant also wasn't too concerned about the the latest outbreak in Queensland.

Both NSW and Queensland recorded no new locally-acquired Covid-19 cases on Monday following virus breaches from hotel quarantine.

Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness chairwoman Jane Halton (pictured) has echoed growing calls for Australia's domestic borders to stay open, despite new cases in NSW and Queensland

'What we are wanting our authorities to do is chase down how things have happened and then make sure our systems are safe going forward,' Ms Halton said.

'That's what we saw happen in Victoria when they had some leakage. They put in place new systems which are actually pretty robust, I'm impressed with them. What we need is make sure everyone learns from each other.'

Her comments come a day after Ms Berejiklian insisted there was no need for her interstate counterparts to 'overreact' to the latest case.

The NSW Premier urged other state and territory governments to 'give us a chance to demonstrate our capacity to get on top of this' and show how the vaccine rollout is working.

'There is no evidence of widespread transmission,' Ms Berejiklian told reporters on Monday.

'(It) dashes confidence everywhere if people can't rely on borders staying open.

'I'm not suggesting there is no risk, there always is, but ... please assess the risk against the facts, and at the moment there is one case of a guard.'

Many hope Australia's borders will stay open over Easter and the April school holiday. Pictured are travellers at Melbourne Airport

Ms Berejiklian was also backed by federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who will address border closures at Business Council of Australia's annual dinner on Tuesday night.

He will call for state and territory leaders 'think twice' before rushing to close their borders in response to future outbreaks following the end of the government's JobKeeper wage subsidy, the Australian Financial Review reported.'

'The end of JobKeeper will force state governments to think twice before they implement state border closures,' his speech states

'The economic consequences of such action are immense.

Mr Frydenberg wants premiers to take a proportionate response to any outbreaks like New South Wales did with the Northern Beaches cluster in December.

'When new cases arise, as they invariably will, the response needs to be targeted and proportionate while commensurate with the risk,' his speech adds.
Tracy Grimshaw has slammed Scott Morrison for not attending the March 4 Justice rally where thousands protested against sexual violence in Australia in a blistering monologue on A Current Affair.

Grimshaw said there was no excuse for the Prime Minister not to meet outside protesters - which he refused to do - and criticised him for saying women rallying against inequality and sexual violence in other countries would be 'met with bullets'.

Police in Myanmar had earlier this month fired rubber bullets at civilians who were protesting the Asian country's military coup. They also shot and killed one man.

Grimshaw added both Mr Morrison and minister for women Marise Payne, who also did not attend the rally, 'we're in the wrong game' if they were unable to deal with criticism of the government.

'The Prime Minister should have walked outside and met the leaders of that rally today. At the very least his minister for women Marise Payne should've been there,' Grimshaw told viewers on Monday night.

Scott Morrison (pictured on Monday) has been heavily criticised for saying that women protesting against inequality and sexual violence in other countries would be 'met with bullets'

'Not everyone would've welcomed them but if they can't cop the odd boo, they're in the wrong game. Sexual assault and harassment is not political so let's not make it about politics.'

The protesters who rallied across the country on Monday, including just outside Parliament House in Canberra, were calling on political leaders to make greater strides towards equality and ending violence towards women.

'Women and men want a world where reporting sexual assault is a given. Not an agonizing decision where she she has to juggle the risk of ostracism, persecution, shaming and victim blaming against her fundamental right to seek justice,' Grimshaw said.

She also said 'we want a world where daughters will grow up not having to manage a groping boss or a violent partner or be too scared to walk home from the bus at night'.

'Telling us how lucky we are because if we gathered like this in another country like this, we'd be shot, well that just didn't cut it today PM,' she said.

Senator Payne defended the pair not attending the protest in an interview with 7:30 on Monday night and said it was not normal protocol for the Prime Minister to attend a rally.

'Both the Prime Minister and I offered the opportunity to meet with organisers of today's protest on a number of occasions and in a number of contexts and those offers were politely declined,' Senator Payne told the ABC program.

'I don't normally attend marches. The Prime Minister does not normally attend marches. But we are very, very willing to engage on the issues. I've been doing that consistently in this role.

March 4 Justice rallies were held right across the country on Monday, with protesters taking to the streets to voice their anger and frustration. Pictured, a protester in Sydney

A March 4 Justice protester in Sydney held up a sign which read 'Support sisters not just cisters'

'I'm very open and very willing to meet with the organisers of today's rally, as frankly is the Prime Minister. That is an offer that has been made and which we would hope would have been taken up.'

Mr Morrison was earlier heavily criticised by politicians for his comments, including Greens leader Adam Bandt who tweeted: 'Scott Morrison to marchers today: be glad we didn't shoot you. Unbelievable. He just doesn't get it.'.

As thousands of women marched just outside Parliament House, Mr Morrison championed the right to free speech and protest - but his choice of words sparked anger.

'This is a vibrant liberal democracy, Mr Speaker. Not far from here, such marches, even now, are being met with bullets - but not here in this country,' he said in Parliament.

'Not here in this country because of this is a triumph of democracy when we see these things take place.'

Liberal Senator Jane Hume said the comment should not be over-interpreted and insisted he was just making the point that Australia supports freedom of speech.

The March 4 Justice rally outside Parliament House in Canberra, which Prime Minister Scott Morrison did not attend

Pictured: the March 4 Justice rally in Brisbane, which was attended by thousands of protestors

Crowds chanting 'enough is enough' had stood on the front lawns of Parliament House, within a few hundred metres of where political leaders can make the changes protesters are seeking.

Thousands joined 40 rallies across Australia including in major cities Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart on Monday.

March4Justice organiser Janine Hendry called for equality and systemic change.

Ms Hendry rejected Mr Morrison's offer to meet, instead asking him to visit protesters. He did not, but about 15 coalition MPs and senators went to hear speeches.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese attended the rally with a contingent of colleagues, along with the Greens and independents.

Signs including 'we are marching for everyone's daughters', 'stop violence against women' and 'it's time for men to change' were visible in the crowd.

Those signs could be cemented in the nation's history, with attendees encouraged to leave them at the National Library of Australia for a future exhibition.

A Current Affair host Tracy Grimshaw (pictured) slammed Mr Morrison on Monday night for not meeting with March 4 Justice protesters outside Parliament House in Canberra

People were also encouraged to head to the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, to sign a book which will also feature in a public display.

Protesters handed a petition backed by 94,000 people to Labor MP Tanya Plibersek and Greens senator Larissa Waters, to present to parliament.

Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins had a hand in kick-starting the movement, after she went public with claims she had been raped by a colleague at Parliament House.

'For so long it felt like the people around me only cared because of where it happened and what it might mean for them,' she told the crowd.

'It was so confusing because these people were my idols. I had dedicated my life to them. They were my social network, my colleagues and my family.

'And suddenly they treated me differently. I wasn't a person who had just gone through a life-changing traumatic event, I was a political problem.'

Australian Council of Trade Unions president Michele O'Neil had a clear message: 'Enough is enough'.

Pictured: Brittany Higgins speaking at the March 4 Justice rally in Canberra on Monday afternoon

'We say to the men inside this place who are drunk on power, and those around the country who yield their power more privately - don't think you have, or you will, get away with it,' she said.

The crowd is calling for an independent inquiry into Attorney-General Christian Porter, who rejects allegations he raped a woman in 1988 when they were teenagers.

Licia Heath, who runs a runs not-for-profit Women for Election that helps women run for public office, travelled from Sydney to attend the Canberra protest.

Ms Heath doesn't expect the issue to disappear for the government.

'The public is on to it and they are not looking away. And that's when change happens. The behaviour's not new, what's new is the public's reaction,' she told AAP.
Considering the sharp hike in prices of petrol and diesel, Union Minister of State for Finance, Anurag Thakur, on Monday suggested the states to think about reducing taxes on petroleum products.

In reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Anurag Thakur said the Central government is ready to consider the idea of reducing tax on petrol and diesel, but all the states should also consider the matter.

"The state governments should reduce taxes on petrol. We (the Centre) will also try to reduce tax on petrol. Both the Centre and the states need to think about it (reducing taxes on petrol)," the minister said.

Thakur said the government is ready to discuss the issue to bring petroleum products under the ambit of Goods and Services Tax (GST). He said the Centre levies excise duty on petrol and diesel, while the states levy VAT.

The minister said the price of crude oil was around $19 per barrel in March last year, and currently it is around $65 per barrel.

Asked why the government is not bringing petroleum products under GST as promised by the then Finance Minister late Arun Jaitley, Thakur said no state has so far given a proposal for the same.

"If any state feels that petroleum products should be brought under GST, the Centre has no objection in discussing the matter," the minister said.
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Spain is set to trial a four-day working week after the government agreed to launch a pilot project among interested companies.

In December, deputy prime minister Pablo Iglesias confirmed that the government was looking into the idea, saying that reducing the number of working hours in a week to 32, without loss of pay would 'undoubtedly' lead to more jobs.

Mas Pais, a small leftwing Spanish party, celebrated the news of the pilot scheme on Twitter, with member Inigo Errejon saying the four-day work week was 'an idea whose time has come'.

'Spain is one of the countries where workers put in more hours than the European average. But we're not among the most productive countries,' Errejon said.

'I maintain that working more hours does not mean working better.'

Errejon previously said that now was the perfect opportunity to trial the four-day working week as Spain rebuilds its economy following the strain of the coronavirus pandemic.

Mas Pais, a small leftwing Spanish party, celebrated the news of the pilot scheme on Twitter, with member Inigo Errejon (pictured) saying the four-day work week was 'an idea whose time has come' [File photo]

The idea of a four-day work week has gained popularity in several developed countries as a way to increase productivity, improve workers' mental health and even fight climate change.

In November, an international coalition of politicians, trade union leaders, business chiefs and campaigners wrote to politicians across Europe, urging them to demand the measure in response to the economic damage wrought by the coronavirus.

In Spain, a small number of companies have already independently adopted a four-day working week, reportedly leading to an increase in productivity and the Valencian government introduced a similar proposal in its budget last year.

The exact details of the Spanish pilot are yet to be agreed but Mas Pais have proposed a three-year 50m ($42.8m) project that would allow companies to trial reduced hours, The Guardian reported.

The proposal would see companies trial the scheme at minimal risk, with costs covered at 100 per cent for the first year, falling to 50 per cent for the second year and 33 per cent for the third.

'With these figures, we calculate that we could have around 200 companies participate, with a total of anywhere from 3,000 to 6,000 workers,' said Hector Tejero of Mas Pais. 'The only red lines are that we want to see a true reduction of working hours and no loss of salary or jobs.'

The party has also suggested that the pilot be overseen by a panel of experts, including representatives from governments, unions and business lobbies.

Supporters of the four-day working week say it boosts productivity, while being friendlier to the environment and workers' mental health than the five-day week [Stock photo]

Once underway, the scheme would be one of the first initiatives to reduce working hours since France began moving towards capping the work week at 35 hours in 1998.

For its part, Spain was one of the first countries in western Europe to adopt the eight-hour workday after a 44-day strike in Barcelona in 1919.

Changes to work patterns are often introduced at times of economic crisis - for example the introduction of the weekend and the 40-hour working week during The Great Depression - but supporters say a shorter working week has benefits beyond the economic.

In December, Business Psychologist Pedro Sanchez told 20minutos that having an additional day off is better for people's mental health as it allows them to 'dedicate more time to personal and family life'.

Others have noted that losing a day of work would be beneficial to the environment as fewer people would be commuting and office buildings would not need to be lit, heated or cooled.

But not everyone supports the idea. Some economists have argued that working fewer hours would decrease the standard of living and the leader of one of Spain's main business associations described it as 'madness'.

'Getting out of this crisis requires more work, not less,' Ricardo Mur of CEOE told a forum in December, noting that Spain has suffered its worst recession since the civil war.

Elsewhere in the world, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has voiced support for a four-day working week and the Scottish and Welsh governments have also set up commissions to explore the idea. Successful trials have already been run in Iceland.
Well be hearing from staff very soon about the particulars, Mr. Regan said.

Reducing carbon emissions from power plants and vehicles, which are the largest sources of planet-warming pollution in the United States, is critical to meeting Mr. Bidens goal of no net carbon emissions by 2050.

Unless Congress passes legislation  an unlikely scenario  it will be up to the E.P.A. to create new regulations for both sectors. The Obama administration sought to reshape the electric power sector by pushing utilities away from coal and toward electricity generated by natural gas, solar, wind and other lower or no-carbon sources. That rule, the Clean Power Plan, was halted by the Supreme Court.

But the Trump administrations efforts ran into trouble as well. The Clean Power Plan replacement  a far weaker rule that only asked utilities to make modest efficiency modifications at individual power plants  was struck down entirely by a federal court earlier this year.

That decision, by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, affirmed that the E.P.A. has the authority to regulate carbon dioxide from the power sector. Mr. Regan said he intends to take advantage of that.

Were starting with a clean slate but were not starting from scratch, he said. In addition, Mr. Regan noted, market forces have changed. Coal-burning power plants already are retiring at a rapid pace, and according to the International Energy Agency, renewables could surpass coal as the worlds largest source of power by 2025.
The Texas Medical Board has cleared a Harris County doctor accused of stealing a vial of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The board said there was insufficient evidence to prove that Dr. Hasan Gokal had violated the Medical Practice Act. The board stated there was neither a patient waiting list nor established protocols for how to handle unused doses on Dec. 29, the day the former Harris County Public Health employee supervised a vaccination site in Humble.

The investigation determined that Dr. Gokal appeared to have administered doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to patients that were properly consented, in the eligible category, and they were given doses that would have otherwise been wasted, the board said.

Harris County Public Health fired Gokal Jan. 7. Two weeks later, without ever interviewing him, Harris County prosecutors charged Gokal with theft. District Attorney Kim Ogg accused him of abusing his position to help friends and family get the vaccine.

After the case received news coverage around the world, the Houston hospitals where Gokal had admitting privileges asked him not to return until the case has been resolved, leaving the doctor unable to work.

A Harris County judge on Jan. 25 tossed the case citing a lack of probable cause, and excoriated prosecutors for attempting to criminalize a doctors documented administration of vaccine doses during a public health emergency.

Harris County Public Health has declined to detail which specific policy Gokal violated; his dismissal letter does not cite one.

The district attorney plans to take the case before a grand jury. Paul Doyle, Gokals attorney, said that decision is perplexing given the medical boards decision.

If the medical board believes Dr. Gokal in any way committed a crime of moral turpitude like theft, they wouldnt dismiss it, Doyle said. The D.As office is refusing to own up to a mistake.

Prosecutors, the health department and Gokal largely agree on the initial facts of the case: On Dec. 29, Gokal was the supervisor of a Harris County vaccination site at Lindsay/Lyons Park in Humble. Health workers there were administering the Moderna vaccine, which comes in vials that each contain about 10 doses. Once a vial is punctured, the doses must be used within six hours.

An eligible recipient arrived just as the site was about to close around 6:30 p.m., forcing staff to open a new vial. The county said extra doses should have been offered to people on site. Gokal said he offered the nine remaining doses to police and health workers; all declined or had already been vaccinated.

Gokal said he called a Harris County Public Health colleague, who provided no additional guidance. Gokal then improvised, using contacts in his cell phone to find eligible recipients. He left the site with the extra doses and administered them to patients including a 93-year-old home-bound woman and an 86-year-old woman with dementia.

After 11 p.m., with no other patients available and the vaccine about to expire, Gokal said he gave the final dose to his wife, who has a serious lung condition, at their home in Fort Bend County. He entered the patients into the state immunization database the following day, as required.

Gokal, an emergency room physician by training, joined Harris County Public Health in April 2020. Gokal said then-Executive Director Dr. Umair Shah recruited him from Houston Methodist to join the departments Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response.

In the ER, you treat one person at a time, Gokal said. I saw an opportunity to treat millions, potentially, at a time. That was very appealing to me.

He said he generally enjoyed working for the county health department, though he said the institutional culture was rigid and colleagues were not interested in his ideas. Gokal said he had to rely on outside data to track last summers surge in Hispanic cases because department analysts were reluctant to share their own findings. As a result, he said the county missed an opportunity to improve its messaging to at-risk communities.

Gokal suggested his disagreements with superiors influenced their decision to fire him after he took it upon himself to distribute the extra vaccine doses on Dec. 29.

Doyle, Gokals lawyer, said details about Harris Countys investigation show that leaders at the county health department scrambled to address what they viewed as a serious offense.

After Gokal mentioned to a colleague Jan. 6 that he had administered vaccine doses offsite, the lawyer said, the department immediately began an internal investigation, sharing its findings with county prosecutors and the Texas Medical Board.

According to Doyle, Ed Anderson, the departments human resource director, said the patients looked to be friends and family of Gokal because they were individuals of the same nationality which he defined as Asian.

Gokal is American, though he was born in Pakistan. He said his wife was the only relative that received a dose; the rest were patients or elderly family of colleagues. All were eligible to receive the vaccine under state guidelines.

Mac McClendon, director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, told investigators that Gokals actions went against everything the agency stood for, according to Doyle. McClendon said there was not a specific policy related to the vaccine but by taking doses offsite, Gokal had stolen county property, the lawyer said.

Shah, who left as the departments leader a week before the incident, said Gokal should have known better than to take vaccine doses offsite without permission from his superiors, according to Doyle. He said he tried, but failed, to make Gokal understand how his actions were inappropriate.

Anderson, McClendon and Shah did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Chronicle in January requested the health departments vaccine distribution policies. The County Attorneys Office said the records are exempt from disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act because of pending litigation.

The District Attorneys Office said the medical boards decision does not change prosecutors plan to present the case to a grand jury. Harris County Public Health declined to say whether it will reconsider its decision to fire Gokal.

Last week, Texas Medical Center hospitals allowed Gokal to resume working shifts. He said he wishes to return to working in public health, though he is not interested in going back to his old job.

The threat of being prosecuted remains nerve-wracking, Gokal said, but added his exoneration by the medical board was the best news he has received since the ordeal started.

When peers judge you, and tell you that theyve looked at the same data as everyone else and find that they dont believe you did anything wrong, its an uplifting feeling, Gokal said.

zach.despart@chron.com
(Alliance News) - Condor Gold PLC on Monday announced it has entered an agreement to purchase a complete new semiautogenenuous mill package from First Majestic Silver Corp for USD6.5 million.

A semiautogenenuous mill circuit uses the ore itself in the grinding process, with large chunks of ore being uses to grind smaller chunks.

The gold explorer and mine developer in Nicaragua said the acquisition price comprises the issue of USD3.0 million shares at 50 pence per share to First Majestic, with the remaining USD3.5 million paid in cash over the next three to four months.

Shares in Condor Gold were up 9.2% at 50.25p in London on Monday. It has a GBP66 million market capitalisation.

Condor said the mill package represents a "key" item of the plant required to bring its La India project in Nicaragua into production.

The package is estimated by technical support group of Metso Outotec, a manufacturer of grinding mills and systems, to have a throughput of up to 2,300 tonnes per day on a sustained basis using the existing motor. This is based on the metallurgical characteristics of the ore and mineralised material at the La India project, Condor said.

"Increasing the motor size would increase throughput to 2,850 tonnes per day. Initial gold production is expected to be between 80,000 to 100,000 ounces of gold per annum. The new SAG mill forms stage one of production. The aim is to materially expand production capacity after two to three years," said Condor Chair & Chief Executive Mark Child.

By Zoe Wickens; zoewickens@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
New Delhi: National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches on Monday (March 15) at 11 locations including in Delhi, Kerala and Karnataka against suspects linked to the Islamic State (IS).

In the Kerala ISIS Module case, the NIA raided the premises of accused Mohammed Ameen and his associates who were members of the various groups and channels on encrypted chat platforms.

In its press statement, NIA revealed that several digital devices including laptops, mobiles, hard disk drives, pen drives, multiple SIM cards of different service providers and various incriminating documents have been seized during the searches. The seized material will be sent for forensic examination.

This group have been running various ISIS propaganda channels on different social media platforms such as Telegram, Hoop and Instagram for propagating the violent Jihadi ideology of ISIS and radicalizing and recruiting new members to this ISIS module, NIA said in its statement.

The anti-terror probe agency disclosed that radicalised individuals had identified individuals in Kerala and Karnataka for targeted killing. The group of radicalized individuals under the leadership of Mohammed Ameen owing allegiance to proscribed terrorist organization ISIS had identified certain individuals in Kerala and Karnataka for targeted killing. They had also planned to undertake Hijrat (religious migration) to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) for engaging in terrorist acts. Further, Mohammed Ameen had travelled to J&K immediately after his return to India from Bahrain in March, 2020 and had been camping in Delhi for last two months for establishing connection with J&K based operatives having allegiance to ISIS, NIAs statement further said.

The raids were conducted at eight locations in Kerala, two locations in Bengaluru and one location in Delhi.

Earlier, NIA had lodged case against seven known and other unknown accused persons under multiple sections of the IPC.

Live TV
Victorian Liberal leader Michael O'Brien is facing a leadership spill as he struggles to compete with Premier Daniel Andrews.

Shadow Minister Brad Battin is reportedly plotting to challenge him at a party room meeting on Tuesday morning.

Four Liberal MPs told The Age that Mr Battin, a 45-year-old father of two, has been phoning his colleagues to ask for their support since Monday morning.

Victorian Liberal leader Michael O'Brien (left) is facing a leadership spill as he struggles to compete with Premier Daniel Andrews

It comes after the Liberal Party in Western Australia was almost wiped out and left with only three seats in Labor's huge election win on Saturday.

Premier Mark McGowan's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic boosted his popularity to record levels.

Some Liberals in Victoria fear a similar fate as the pandemic favours incumbents around the country.

Leaders in Queensland, the Northern Territory and the ACT have all won elections since Covid by urging voters that now is not the time to change government.

Shadow Minister Brad Battin (pictured) is reportedly plotting to challenge at a party room meeting on Tuesday morning

Leaders have also benefitted from increased airtime with daily press conferences to provide Covid updates.

The next Victorian election is not due until November 2022 but Mr O'Brien has struggled to make an impact since taking the Opposition leader job in 2018.

An Ipos poll in October found only 15 per cent of Victorians approved of him, compared with Mr Andrews' 52 per cent approval rating.

It comes as Mr Andrews reveals he narrowly avoided a 'life-changing' injury when he slipped over on holiday and broke his ribs and back.

The Victoria premier was rushed to hospital last Tuesday when he fell on wet stairs outside a rental house on the Mornington Peninsula.

Mr Andrews, who previously asked for privacy, has now described the full nature of his injuries which require him to wear a back brace except when sleeping.

Daniel Andrews (pictured in hospital) has revealed he narrowly avoided a 'life-changing' injury when he slipped over on holiday

The premier said he will take six weeks off work while embarking on a tough program of physio.

Explaining what happened, he said in a statement: 'I fell heavily on wooden steps at the front of a rental beach house that our family had been staying at for the long weekend.

'I landed flat on my back and hit the steps hard directly below the shoulder blades fracturing at least five ribs and sustaining an acute compression fracture of the T7 vertebra.

'I narrowly avoided permanent damage to my spinal cord.'

Mr Andrews was released from hospital on Sunday after being cared for in ICU.

'It's been a long, painful and difficult week,' he wrote.

The Victoria premier (pictured with wife Cath) was rushed to hospital last Tuesday when he fell on wet stairs outside a house his family rented on the Mornington Peninsula

'These are serious injuries that require me to wear a brace throughout each day except when sleeping.

'My doctors also want me to get rest and undertake a comprehensive program of physiotherapy. That's why I will take a leave of absence from my duties for at least six weeks.'

Mr Andrews also revealed that one doctor told him 'you are very lucky to be here in one piece' and urged him to buy a lotto ticket.

'I'm not sure about the Tattslotto ticket but I'm certain that with rest, continued high quality care and the support of family, friends, colleagues and the Victorian community, I'll be back doing the job I love as soon as possible,' Mr Andrews said.

Deputy Premier James Melino will continue to act as premier.
At the White House event last week honoring women in the military, President Biden praised the military for its progress in designing body armor that fits women properly; tailoring combat uniforms for women; creating maternity flight suits; updating  updating requirements for their hairstyles.And that they can completely, fairly engage in promotion and compete all across the board, including on the  on age and gender neutrality and the physical fitness test. I noted the White House event in Ride, Sally ride.

Tucker Carlson mocked the Biden public relations campaign and the Pentagons participation in it. Fox News subsequently posted Carlsons March 11 monologue here. The video is below.

The Pentagon has engaged. Indeed, it has brought out its big guns to sink Carlson, as Business Insider noted here on March 11. As of Friday, however, Carlson was still afloat, as Business Insider further noted here.

Carlson has precipitated something of a crisis. The Pentagon is taking on all hands on deck approach to the national security threat posed by Tucker Carlson. RedState has chronicled the battle in posts here (March 13), here (March 14), and here (later that same day).

The Pentagons argument against Carlson is of the ad hominem variety, as in the tweeted video below.

Drama TV  my response to Mr. Carlsons comments on women in the Armed Forces. @TuckerCarlson pic.twitter.com/acix7CFLO9  U.S. Space Command, Command Senior Enlisted Leader (@US_SpaceComCSEL) March 11, 2021

At last word, Senator Cruz now wants to take a meeting with Defense Secretary Austin. The Daily Caller reports:

Under Biden, the military is launching political attacks to intimidate Tucker Carlson & other civilians who criticize their policy decisions, Cruz tweeted along with a copy of the letter he sent to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Officials in uniform are being used for the campaign. Ive demanded a meeting with the Commandant of the USMC to put a stop to it.

Having brought out the big guns, the Pentagon is flailing. My assessment is that they are losing in a humiliating fashion. The Pentagons approach to the Carlson crisis is most telling. Bidens Pentagon has picked a needless fight. It is abasing itself and losing in the process.

Surely someone in the chain of command must be familiar with the fallacy of the ad hominem argument. With the forces arrayed against him, Tucker Carlson is winning. What an utterly pathetic display by the authorities responsible for the defense of the United States.
TALLINN, ESTONIA / ACCESSWIRE / March 15, 2021 / Decentralized finance (DeFi) as an ecosystem within the huge cryptocurrency industry is gaining insurmountable growth. As of March 2021 DeFi, projects have $83.34 billion in market capitalization, yet in 2020 market cap stood at $2 billion. The powerful technology behind DeFi movement is the ability to harness certain benefits of blockchain technology and combine it with smart contract technology to build an ecosystem devoid of middlemen or other third parties. Additionally, the fact that blockchain aids secure storage of data, Ethereum blockchain has been fundamental to developing decentralized finance applications due to the protocol being public and open source and has smart contract functionality.

Therefore, numerous applications can be developed on top of Ethereum network, leading to decentralized autonomous organizations and disrupting industries. One such area of application of DeFi concept is within the supply chain industry. The supply chain industry is characterized by having multiple stakeholders leading to high-level market fragmentation. Eventually, creating certain problems unique to the industry, including difficulty sharing data across multiple actors, is time-consuming because of the many actors required to process activities, which is done manually. Even in cases where organizations have invested in IT and digital resources, usually, these are customized to fit individual needs and cannot be used across the industry. Overall, existing supply chain systems are filled with fragmentation, costly processes, mistrust among different actors, delays, disputes, and uncertainties.

All the above problems can be solved by leveraging blockchain technology to build a fully digital network featuring equal participation rights, process visibility, user control of data, real-time notification, and information sharing remotely. One project named Obortech is in actualizing this vision and will disrupt the supply chain industry. Obortech is developing a Smart Logistics Hub, creating a decentralized and democratic digital ecosystem fitting every stakeholder in the industry. The core team at Obortech has immense experience in the supply chain industry, therefore building a platform designed to eliminate pain points within the industry. Already, they have developed and deployed their platform prototype for testing in Mongolia, aiding meat exporters' shipment process to China. The team is focused on starting operations of the Smart Hub in the second half of 2021, targeting a market share of 5 percent of inland transportation. Targeted transportation items include perishable products traveling Europe and Asia markets with plans to roll out intra-Europe activities by 2025.

Obortech is not looking into blockchain technology alone but will also develop systems supported by artificial intelligence (AI) and Big Data technologies. Artificial intelligence will be essential in automating repetitive work initially carried out by human beings and improving process reach, quality and speed. An upgrade of logistic systems will be carried by the AI system's ability to learn complex data patterns collected through Big Data technology.

The platform's technology stack includes the use of Hyperledger Fabric blockchain, which is key to building a permissioned blockchain-based consortium for various industry stakeholders. Participants in the ecosystem will have authorized access to the platform to review or update information where network consensus has been reached. Among the unique features of the Obortech platform include:

An easy process of on-boarding

Integration of IoT significant to grant the platform industry activity visibility and traceability.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and document sharing.

A distributed marketplace for buying, selling, and exchange of services with a smart contract functionality.

User privacy enabled by Channels feature available on Hyperledger Fabric to maintain private information where a user desire.

High level of performance and scalability

A decentralized governance system for smart contracts.

A token system (OBOT tokens) that members in the Smart Hub ecosystem can use in different ways, including paying for transactions, gaining voting rights, giving rewards, launching crowdfunding activities, and escrow contract bonuses.

Overall, Obortech is in the process of revolutionizing the supply chain business. Their prototype has proven to be a success, and the team has recorded fundamental partnerships within Mongolia, Asia, and Europe. For more information about the project, check their official website http://www.obortech.io/

Media contact

Company: OBORTECHglobal OU

Contact: Tamir Baasanjav

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OBORTECHhub

E-mail: info@obortech.io

Website: https://www.obortech.io/

Address: Harju maakond, Tallinn, Kesklinna linnaosa, Maakri tn 21, 10145, Estonia

SOURCE: OBORTECHglobal OU

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/635514/Defi-for-Digital-Supply-Chain-Is-Introduced-with-Blockchain-Platform-by-OBORTECH
Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Market Key Players Studied In this Report are Medela AG, KCI Licensing, Inc, Smith & Nephew, Lohmann & Rauscher GmbH & Co. KG, ConvaTec Inc, PAUL HARTMANN Asia-Pacific Ltd, Cardinal Health, Talley Group Ltd, Molnlycke Health Care AB.

Pune, India, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the report, Negative Pressure Wound Therapy market size is projected reach USD 2.74 Billion by 2026. Global Negative Pressure Wound Therapy market was USD 1.85 billion in 2018 and is anticipated to exhibit a CAGR of 5.1% during the forecast period set between 2019 to 2026.

As per the study, there is an increasing incidence of surgical site infections and chronic wounds amongst the masses worldwide. Thus, such factors would affect the market positively in the coming years.

Increasing Cases of Diabetic Foot Ulcer to Drive Growth



Nowadays, there exists a large patient pool across the world that are affected by chronic diseases, such as diabetes. Such conditions are further giving rise to diabetic foot ulcers. As per a published report by NHS, for instance, approximately 4.5 million people were affected by diabetes in the U.K. in 2017. Also, around 10.0% of that diabetic population developed foot ulcer at some point in their lives.

Additionally, as the geriatric population is rising, the cases of various conditions and diseases is also up surging. It is, in turn, causing reduced mobility amongst the affected populaces. These would contribute to the vacuum assisted closure devices market growth during the forecast period.





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INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT:

The market houses several organizations of all sizes. They are at present, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, as well as bagging FDA approvals to gain maximum negative pressure wound therapy market share and strengthen their positions. Below are two of the key industry developments:

Story continues

October 2019: 3M, a multinational conglomerate corporation based in the U.S., announced that it has completed the acquisition of Acelity, a privately held medical device company. 3M also acquired the latters KCI subsidiaries worth USD 6.7 billion. This acquisition would aid the former in enhancing its presence in surgical and advanced wound care.

October 2018: ConvaTec Group plc, an international medical products and technologies company, headquartered in the U.K., declared that it received FDA approval for Avelle NPWT system. It aids ConvaTec in entering the competitive U.S. NPWT market. Avelle can be used on a range of moderately-exuding to low wound types, consisting of surgically closed incisions, skin grafts, dehisced and sub-acute, traumatic, acute, and chronic wounds.





Click here to get the short-term and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on this Market.

Please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/negative-pressure-wound-therapy-npwt-market-101243





North America to Grow Significantly Stoked by High Treatment Cost



In terms of region, the market is grouped into the Middle East and Africa, North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Latin America. Out of these, North America had acquired USD 738.1 million NPWT market revenue in 2018 and is expected to expand steadily in the forthcoming years. This growth is attributable to the high treatment cost and rising incidence of chronic wounds in the U.S. Europe would showcase a slow growth owing to the inadequate reimbursement policies in countries, namely, Italy, Spain, and France.

Asia Pacific, on the other hand, is anticipated to grow significantly by exhibiting a high CAGR. It is likely to occur because of the rising patient pool affected by chronic wounds, as well as an increasing prevalence of chronic diseases. The Middle East & Africa and Latin America would show a moderate CAGR on account of the unavailability of favorable reimbursement policies and expensive nature of treatments.





Quick Buy - Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Market Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/101243





Key Companies Mentioned In Report:



Medela AG

KCI Licensing, Inc.

Smith & Nephew

Lohmann & Rauscher GmbH & Co. KG

ConvaTec Inc.

PAUL HARTMANN Asia-Pacific Ltd.

Cardinal Health

Talley Group Ltd.

Molnlycke Health Care AB





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Global Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Market Segmentations:

By Device

Conventional NPWT

Single-use NPWT

By Indication

Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Pressure Ulcers

Burns & Trauma

By End User:

Hospitals

Clinics

Homecare Settings

By Geography

North America (U.S. and Canada)

Europe (U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, and Rest of Europe)

Asia Pacific (Japan, China, India, Australia, Southeast Asia, and Rest of Asia Pacific)

Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, and Rest of Latin America)

Middle East & Africa (South Africa, GCC and Rest of Middle East & Africa)





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Five-time Daytime Emmy nominee Wendy Williams opted to not to wear pants beneath her Supreme sweatshirt while heading to work in the frozen Big Apple on Monday.

The 56-year-old presenter kept her feet warm with white fuzzy Mukluk boots and she toted a black reptilian Hermes 'Birkin' bag.

Wendy finished off her morning attire with a blue faux fur maxi-coat from the third collection of Ivy Park X Adidas designed by Beyonce, which dropped February 19.

30F degrees! Five-time Daytime Emmy nominee Wendy Williams opted to not to wear pants beneath her Supreme sweatshirt while heading to work in the frozen Big Apple on Monday

The 39-year-old R&B diva's five-year-old company pays Sri Lankan factory workers $6.17/day, according to Women's Wear Daily.

Williams made sure to protect herself and others from the coronavirus by wearing a face mask.

As of Monday, there have reportedly been 1.74M confirmed COVID-19 cases in New York state (777K in NYC) leading to 48,475 deaths.

Label lover: The 56-year-old presenter kept her feet warm with white fuzzy Mukluk boots and she toted a black reptilian Hermes 'Birkin' bag

Trendy: Wendy finished off her morning attire with a blue faux fur maxi-coat from the third collection of Ivy Park X Adidas designed by Beyonce, which dropped February 19

Icy Park: The 39-year-old R&B diva's five-year-old company pays Sri Lankan factory workers $6.17/day (posted February 18)

The New Jersey-born talk show host later changed into a cleavage-boosting LBD to tape her self-titled syndicated series where she discussed Sunday night's Grammy Awards ceremony.

It was on the February 26th episode of the infotainment program where Wendy met contractor Mike Westerman, who won the virtual 'Date Wendy' segment.

Williams went on to kiss the 55-year-old Maryland native, who's friends with Mario Lopez, during their March 4 date at Midtown Manhattan member's only club, CORE.

'How you doin'?' Williams later changed into a cleavage-boosting LBD to tape her self-titled syndicated series where she discussed Sunday night's Grammy Awards ceremony

Mr. Right? It was on the February 26th episode of the infotainment program where the New Jersey-born talk show host met contractor Mike Westerman (2-L), who won the virtual 'Date Wendy' segment

'Mike & I are having fun!' Wendy went on to kiss the 55-year-old Maryland native, who's friends with Mario Lopez, during their March 4 date at Manhattan member's only club, CORE

The What a Mess star - who boasts 6.8M social media followers - gushed that same night on Instagram: 'Mike & I are having fun! I'm glad he's a REAL gentleman.'

Wendy previously ended her 22-year marriage to philandering ex-husband #2 Kevin Hunter in January 2020.

Williams and her 48-year-old ex-manager are parents of 20-year-old son Kevin Jr.

Divorced: Williams previously ended her 22-year marriage to philandering ex-husband #2 Kevin Hunter (L, pictured in 2018) in January 2020
The early Sunday morning announcement that the roll-out of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is being put on temporary hold here will cause concern.

However, it is important to note it is a precautionary move. Good vigilance means these tough decisions must be taken.

The worry surrounds reports of a small number of blood-clotting events in a number of people who got the vaccine.

There is no evidence the vaccine caused the blood clots and the cases are under investigation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Nearly 117,000 doses have been administered here.

What has led to the decision ?

It was recommended by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee, which oversees the roll-out here. It followed information from the Norwegian Medicines Agency of four reports of serious blood-clotting events in adults.

Three health workers, all aged under 50, are in hospital for bleeding, blood clots and low count of blood platelets. Health experts said they had unusual  symptoms.





Is this the first time reports of blood clots in people who got the vaccine have been made?

No. The issue came to light last week and the EMA met in emergency session.

Thirty cases of thromboembolic events had been reported among five million people. Denmark, Norway and Iceland temporarily suspended use of the vaccine last week.

Austria was first to report a case involving a death from coagulation disorders and an illness from a blood clot.

Denmark suspended it for two weeks after a 60-year-old woman was given a vaccine from the same batch used in Austria. She formed a blood clot and died.

Their response led to reports of possible serious side-effects in other European countries.

Read More

What have investigators found so far?

The preliminary EMA assessment was that the number of clotting events in vaccinated people was no higher than in the general population. More than 11 million doses have been administered in the UK and it has not reported any higher-than-normal rate of blood clots.





Have any cases been reported in Ireland?

The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) said it has received a small number of reports associated with blood clots following vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine. They were not of the same nature as in Norway. There is no indication vaccination caused the illnesses.

The HPRA said Ireland was among 17 countries which received the same batch which led to a suspension of the vaccine in Austria. It was administered in the second half of February.





Are the cases associated to a particular batch?

No. Last week it was thought one was involved but it has now widened to others.





When are we expected to get the results of the EMA investigation?

It should be completed at the end of the week.





Will the roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine be put on hold until then?

Yes. It was planned to vaccinate more healthcare workers and people at high risk due to underlying illness with the AstraZeneca vaccine this week. That will now be halted. The decision does not affect the roll-out to the over-70s who receive the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.





Who has received the vaccine so far?

It is mostly healthcare workers and the first number of people with underlying illness at high risk from Covid-19.





What are the symptoms of a blood clot?

In the rare event someone feels increasingly unwell three days after the jab they should seek medical help. They should look out for larger or smaller blue spots in the skin  purpuric non-blanching skin rash or skin haemorrhages.

General symptoms include a throbbing or cramping pain, swelling, redness and warmth in a leg or arm. Others include sudden breathlessness, sharp chest pain and a cough or coughing up blood. Blood clots can be life threatening if not treated quickly.

Is this an over-reaction?

No. It is good surveillance.





What are the outcomes of vaccines so far?

They have proved very effective in reducing infection, illness and death from Covid-19.





Will the roll-out of other vaccines continue? Will it affect roll-out to the over-70s?

No. But it will delay this weeks jabs for healthcare workers and people at high risk due to underlying illness.
Most people in Mississippis capital now have running water, more than three weeks after the majority of taps in the city of 161,000 went dry during a winter storm. Still, officials said Thursday that thousands will likely remain under a boil-notice into next week.

Based off of what were seeing right now, checking fire hydrants, checking pressure, we do believe that the connections on the city service right now should have water, Public Works Director Charles Williams said during a briefing.

Williams said there still might be isolated pockets of Jackson with low water pressure because of elevation and distance from the water treatment facilities. Overall, however, he said hes feeling optimistic.

Residents have been boiling water to cook, clean and brush their teeth since a winter storm passed through the region Feb. 15 and froze machinery at one of Jacksons water treatment plants.

Jackson on Wednesday received preliminary clearance to lift the boil-water notice on its 16,000 well water connections. The city has around 43,000 surface water connections still under advisory.

The city has begun testing the water, and Williams said officials hope to have samples they can give the state Health Department by the end of the weekend. The quality of those samples will determine whether the boil advisory can be lifted.

For Jackson, getting water pressure back and the boil advisory lifted are only the first steps to addressing deeper issues with the water system.

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said the crisis has been caused in part by decades of neglect of aging infrastructure. Parts of Jacksons water system are a century old, he said.

A major factor affecting the citys ability to update its system has been a rapidly declining tax base due to white flight. Jacksons tax base began crumbling decades ago, starting after the integration of public schools.

Voters in 2014 overwhelmingly approved an extra 1% sales tax for infrastructure repairs, but the $15 million a year raised is only a fraction of what Jackson needs. Lumumba said close to $2 billion is required to modernize the water system and other infrastructure.

A week ago, the Democratic mayor wrote a letter to Republican Gov. Tate Reeves and other officials to request $47 million in state and federal funding to begin repairing the water system.

Since then, the mayor and other city leaders have begun meeting with legislative leaders to discuss options.

There were deficiencies at the plant prior to the storm that we have been working with the EPA on, we want to try to get those addressed if we get funding and we also want to make improvements in the distribution system, Williams said Thursday.

We believe that working those two areas right there will help us consistently keep the pressure up where it needs to be, he continued.

Williams said officials are hoping for federal COVID-19 relief funds or other appropriations so they can repair wastewater collection and water distribution systems.

The work does not stop right now, Williams said. Its just now beginning.

___

Leah Willingham is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Windstorm Mississippi
Marine Corps Account Deletes Critical Tweets to Tucker Carlson, Another Civilian as Sen. Cruz Sends Letter

A Marine Corps Twitter account at the center of controversy for lashing out at civilians deleted several tweets after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) sent a letter to the Pentagon secretary requesting a meeting with the commandant of the Marines following unusual and bellicose comments from the account against Fox host Tucker Carlson.

The Marines II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group account sent a series of apologies for its tweets criticizing Carlson over the weekend. Whats more, the account on Sunday night appeared to delete the tweets to Carlson and another civilian, Scott Malkinson, who called on the Marines to please focus on China and not Tucker Carlson. In response, the account had said that he should come back when youve served and been pregnant (sic).

Cruz, in a letter to President Joe Bidens Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, wrote that the accounts tweets created a spectacle that risks politicizing the military after several centuries of efforts to keep military officials out of domestic affairs, undermining civil-military relations by having the military take a side in a contentious cultural dispute, and the perception that military leaders are happily weaponizing the institution against political critics of the sitting administration.

This kind of behavior, while perhaps typical in a military-controlled Third World country, is completely unacceptable in the United States of America, Cruz wrote in his letter, requesting he meet with the head of the Marine Corps.

Our intentions were misinterpreted and we are working to move forward from this mistake.  II MEF Information Group (@iimigofficial) March 13, 2021

Carlson last week on his Fox News show delivered a monologue about how Biden was focusing on unnecessary reforms to make the military more accommodating to women in the face of the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party.

Some military leaders and commanderswhile in uniformcommented about Carlsons comments on social media, drawing condemnation from many, who argued they should stay out of domestic political and cultural affairs.

What it looks like in todays armed forces @TuckerCarlson. Get right before you get left, boomer, the Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group tweeted to Carlson with a photo of a female Marine carrying another female Marine.

The account then issued a series of apologies on Twitter.

Our intentions were misinterpreted and we are working to move forward from this mistake, it posted on March 13. Weve strayed away from our brand and realize that. Our standard practices will be in effect and you can count on us to correct our mistake going forward, it also wrote.
The New York Times building in New York City on June 30, 2020. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images)

Shadowy Firm Uses New York Times to Spread Disinformation About Epoch Times

The New York Times on March 9, 2021, published an article containing incorrect information about The Epoch Times prepared by a shadowy firm.

The article, authored by Davey Alba, centers around the inaccurate claim that The Epoch Times is connected to more than a dozen sites. The New York Times makes this false claim without providing any evidence nor stating which websites its referring to.

This is likely because the claim is not a result of The New York Times own reporting, but rather based on information that the newspaper was handed by a third party.

While the initial version of Albas article did not reveal the source of the false information, The New York Times disclosed the identity of the entity in a correction statement.

In its correction, The New York Times states that the actual source of the data is Advance Democracy. (The newspaper has since also updated its article.)

The NYT describes Advance Democracy innocuously as a research group but fails to disclose the special interests behind the group, including Silicon Valley funding, and its founder Daniel Joness ties to Fusion GPS, the firm responsible for the widely discredited Steele dossier.

Jones, a former congressional staffer, founded Advance Democracy Inc. in 2018. The organization operates largely in the shadows, running a website that only states, Advance Democracy, Inc. (ADI) is an independent, non-partisan organization that conducts global investigations to promote accountability, transparency, and good governance.

An investigation by The Daily Caller in 2019 found that the organizations donors have largely been kept secret, as Jones has avoided revealing his backers. The article also alleges that Jones took credit for planting anti-Trump stories in the press.

The New York Times in its correction also reveals a connection between Advance Democracy and a foreign entity named Global Disinformation Index, saying, The data was provided by Advance Democracy, a research group, and analyzed by the nonprofit Global Disinformation Index, not provided solely by GDI.

Global Disinformation Index is based in the UK. Its stated goal is to defund and down-rank websites it considers as containing disinformation. The group has admitted to working with governments.

The fact that The New York Times relied on a foreign entity to attack a U.S.-based media organization is concerning. There is also a larger ethical question about the relationship between so-called disinformation reporters and special interest groups.

This involvement by other entities in The New York Times article likely explains why the experience of communicating with Alba was such an unusual one for The Epoch Times. Alba would not provide The Epoch Times with information to back up her claim of a connection to the websites cited, despite a specific request. Furthermore, despite that The Epoch Times clarified multiple times that it was unconnected to the websites cited, Alba broke with journalistic conventions and chose not to include The Epoch Times clarification in her article.

This is not the first time that The New York Times has resorted to publishing false information about The Epoch Times. In November last year, the publication published an article that contained numerous false accusations. The Epoch Times at the time provided an in-depth analysis that can be read on our website (New York Times 8-Month-Long Investigation of The Epoch Times: Light on Facts, Heavy on Bias).

Another concern is The New York Times ongoing attempts to criticize The Epoch Times for its critical position on the Chinese Communist Party, especially given The New York Times business ties to Chinese state-owned media entities, from which it has received advertising funding.

In its latest article, The New York Times suggests that The Epoch Times is among conservative media organizations that spread misleading information and then notes that we regularly publish anti-Chinese Communist Party content, as though this were an example of misleading information.

The Epoch Times was founded by Chinese Americans who had fled communist China and had experienced its horror firsthand. It is saddening to see that an American media outlet would attack a competitor for exposing the crimes committed by a communist regime.

At The Epoch Times, we believe that it is the job of a media organization to point out wrongdoing when it happens, and the Chinese Communist Party is the worlds worst violator of human rights. We sincerely hope The New York Times recognizes the threat that this regime poses not only to the Chinese people, but to the rest of the world.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that the government is not shutting all windows for cryptocurrencies, or blockchain, and fintech as yet. Speaking at the India Today Conclave South on Sunday, March 14, FM Sitharaman stated that a Cabinet note was being readied in this regard, which will give exhaustive information on the formulation of cryptocurrency in India.

"My view on this is that, of course, the Supreme Court has commented on cryptocurrency and while the RBI may take a call on official cryptocurrency, from our side, we are very clear that we are not shutting off all options," said FM Sitharaman.

She added that the Centre will give people adequate windows to experiment with bitcoins, blockchain, and cryptocurrency.

Also Read: What's the problem with Cyrptocurrency Bill? Industry insiders explain

"A Cabinet note is being prepared. It's almost nearing completion and then it will be taken to the Cabinet... we will allow a certain amount of window for people to experiment on blockchain and bitcoin. However, the formulation of cryptocurrency will be part of the Cabinet note which will be ready soon," the finance minister noted.

She further stated that fintech is a big area where India has an advantage. "A lot of fintech companies have made a lot of progress on it. We have received several presentations. Much work at the state level is happening. And we want to take it in a big way in IFSC or Gift City in Gandhinagar," FM Sitharaman said.

Also Read: Govt response to cryptocurrency will be 'calibrated'; open to experiment: Sitharaman

She said the finance ministry is mulling a meeting for start-ups involved in fintech at the Gift City in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

"Once Parliament is over, I will probably spend more time executing and planning that. On fintech and blockchain, there is a lot of work going on in India and we will certainly encourage that," FM Sitharaman stated.
The companys flagship product, the Netlinkz VSN, provides a physical and virtual secure Network as a Service for enterprises of all sizes.

Netlinkz is focused on cloud-first, security, scalability and simplicity, allowing customers to concentrate on business growth, team collaboration and global sharing of critical data

( ) has appointed experienced executive Stephen Gibbs to the board as non-executive chairman with effect from today.

Gibbs is the non-executive chairman of ASX-listed Ltd, which has $5 billion in funds under management and 62,000 clients.

He has more than 30 years of experience as a director and chairman of many companies in industry and funds management, particularly those with a focus on ethical and responsible investing.

Wealth of experience

Netlinkz managing director and CEO James Tsiolis said: We are delighted to welcome Stephen Gibbs as non-executive chairman.

Gibbs wealth of experience in board representation and corporate governance will give Netlinkz the additional bandwidth it needs at board level as it moves forward with global expansion.

From 2000 to 2008 he was chief executive officer of ARIA, the trustee of the CSS, PSS and PSSap superannuation schemes for Commonwealth Government employees.

ARIA (now known as CSC) was and remains one of the largest superannuation schemes in Australia.

Prior to ARIA, Gibbs was CEO of the industry body Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST).

Previous regulatory roles

Previous regulatory roles held by Gibbs include Expert Panel Member Fair Work Commission and a Member of ASX Corporate Governance Council.

He has a Bachelor of Economics and a Master of Business Administration and was the only Australian to receive a personal invitation from the then Secretary of the United Nations (UN) to join the steering committee which developed the UN Principles of Responsible Investment (UNPRI).

Company secretary appointment

Netlinkz has also appointed Guy Robertson to company secretary effective from todays date.

Robertson has replaced Erlyn Dale and Winton Willesee, who have acted as joint secretaries.

The board has thanked Dale and Willesee for their significant contribution to Netlinkz over the last year.
Beginning Monday, startups can raise up to $5 million every year from ordinary people who can get a proportionate slice of the company in return.

Why it matters: The changes take effect amid a retail investing mad dash, kicked into high gear by the pandemic and the extra money in (some) people's pockets.

Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.

It gives regular investors the opportunity to participate in a private company's upside (or the opposite, if a company goes under).

Catch up quick: Previously companies had been limited to raising a little more than $1 million in "regulation crowdfunding" per year.

This higher threshold could draw a new crop of later-stage companies into the crowdfunding equity trend that may have felt the $1 million wasn't worth the effort.

"There's kind of a snowball effect: When more companies do this, they're bringing their audience and customers, which brings in a whole bunch of new investors in the market," says Brian Belley, founder of Crowdwise, an equity crowdfunding research site.

Other changes taking effect today: Retail investors are now allowed to invest higher amounts this way each year, and companies can essentially pool crowdfund investors into a single line on the cap table.

Companies can also scope out whether there's crowdfunding interest before filing for eligibility, which can be a burdensome process.

What they're saying: "It increases the likelihood that good companies raising money from other options will also decide to allow their fans and customers and supporters to invest alongside those same terms," Nick Tommarello, founder of WeFunder, an equity crowdfunding portal.

What's going on: Gumroad  a platform that allows creators to get paid for their work  plans to raise $6 million in its latest funding round, it told Crunchbase today. It has already raised $1 million and plans to crowdfund the rest.

Story continues

As of 4 p.m, it had raised more than $3 million from over 4,000 investors. (It's updating these figures on the hour here).

Gumroad's CEO Sahil Lavingia tells Axios the company wanted to let creators invest in the platform  it didn't necessarily need the money.

What to watch: Whether the eagerness ordinary individuals are displaying for the stock market translates into startup investing enthusiasm, as more cash flows into America's wallets.

Yes, but: The slosh of cash cuts both ways. Companies are raising bigger rounds of funding earlier, a nod to the voracious appetite of venture capitalists  which could make crowdfunding less necessary.

But these new rules create a bigger outside pool for companies, especially those without as much access to (or who have been rejected by) venture capitalists or angel investors.

By the numbers: So far the movement has been teeny, compared to the billions invested in startups each year.

Over 1,000 companies raised a record $215 million from equity crowdfunding last year.

More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
Sam Carraro officially left Married At First Sight on Sunday after his 'wife' Coco Stedman's affair with Cameron Dunne came to light.

And less than 24 hours after his walkout, rumours are swirling he may have already found a suitable partner for himself without the experts' help.

Sam, 32, seemingly debuted a relationship with former Bachelor star Sandra Rato over the weekend.

Scroll down for video

Moving on? Married At First Sight's Sam Carraro (left) sparked romance rumours over the weekend when he was spotted hanging out with former Bachelor star Sandra Rato (right). He called it quits with 'wife' Coco Stedman at Sunday's commitment ceremony

Sandra starred on Sam Wood's season of The Bachelor in 2015, and was quickly labelled a 'mean girl' by viewers.

In 2017, Sandra appeared in the documentary Creating A Monster, which was about reality TV 'villains' on shows like The Bachelor, Married At First Sight and Big Brother.

Over the weekend, the pair were see hanging out, walking Sandra's dog and watching Sam's last commitment ceremony together.

However, Sandra told Daily Mail Australia on Monday the pair were 'just friends' and had known each other for more than 10 years.

Remember her? Sandra starred on Sam Wood's season of The Bachelor in 2015, and was quickly labelled a 'villain' by viewers

'We caught up as Sam shared his experience and how he was feeling, as I can relate': Sandra said she was supporting Sam through his reality TV stint as a longtime friend

'Sam and I are friends, we have known each other for 13 years... we caught up as Sam shared his experience and how he was feeling, as I can relate being a former reality show contestant myself,' she explained.

'He's really genuine and caring and we get along really well as we are both positive, fun loving extroverts,' Sandra said, but made clear there was nothing romantic between them.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Sam Carraro for comment.

Lying: During the commitment ceremony, Sam's 'wife' Coco Stedman (right) insisted she and co-star Cam Dunne hadn't been intimate despite sharing a kiss earlier in the episode

Married At First Sight newlyweds Sam and Coco were one of three couples who chose to leave the social experiment on Sunday.

An emotional Samantha Harvey broke down as she told the experts she'd hoped for a 'man' in Cameron Dunne, who had been having an 'affair' with Sam's 'wife' Coco.

Beth Moore and Russell Duance also chose to leave the experiment.

A group of intruders are expected to soon enter the experiment to replace them.

Married At First Sight continues Monday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Monday said it has filed a police case against a actor for allegedly violating COVID-19 guidelines.

The civic body in a release said despite being infected by the coronavirus, the actor moved out in public places and took part in shootings.

As there is a chance of spread of the infection among others, the has filed the FIR against the actor, the release said without naming the actor.

"No Compromise On City's Safety! has filed an FIR against a actor for non-compliance to COVID19 guidelines on testing positive. The rules apply to all alike and we urge citizens to follow all guidelines and help the city beat the virus," the civic body tweeted along with a copy of the FIR.

The in its release said on a complaint of the K- West ward's health officials, the police registered a case against the actor under IPC Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and other relevant provisions.

The actor has been quarantined, the release added.
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Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins says for two years she felt people only cared about her accusation a colleague raped her because it happened in Parliament House.

Ms Higgins made a surprise appearance at the March 4 Justice rally outside Parliament House in Canberra to call for leaders on both sides of politics to stop avoiding the subject and side-stepping accountability for sexual harassment and abuse in politics and the wider community.

Brittany Higgins surprised demonstrators at the Canberra march. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

I was raped inside Parliament House by a colleague, and for so long it felt like the people around me only cared because of what happened and what it might mean for them, she told the crowd of more than 5000.

These are the people making our laws and governing the country.
Nigerians are beginning to understand why they should vote for the people they know or want, not just the political party they know or get paid to vote for. APC can do better than displaying what seems like an obsession with Seyi Makindes government.

It has been two years since the last general elections in Nigeria. Two years came so fast, didnt it? So much has happened these past 24 months in Oyo State, where we witnessed the most intriguing showdown, and the epic fall of the ruling politic party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

As expected, the most common expressions since then have been reconciliation, fence-mending, rallying.

In truth, politics should be our last worry now because these are trying times for the good people of Oyo State and indeed South-West Nigeria. Our hearts are perpetually worried for the lives of our people, owing to the rise in cases of violence and general insecurity caused by those we welcomed into our communities but who now bully us while we watch helplessly.

However, so much has been said about the state governments actions and inactions, with Governor Seyi Makinde, especially, coming under fierce criticism for failing to make strong public statements, give orders, deploy policemen, read riot acts and generally make a show of his commitment to the peoples safety. There is no way politics will not creep into the discourse.

Do I feel nothing is being done? No! But do I feel a lot more can be done? Absolute yes! Interestingly, the APC would rather say nothing is being done as this presents them a perfect opportunity to start their 2023 politics. They appear to be more focused on the performance of the Peoples Democratic Party, rather than developing a superior plan with which they can convince the good people of Oyo State of being the better alternative in 2023. Right now, the easiest song to sing is that Seyi Makinde is not performing.

There has to be a better strategy for winning an election than that same old trick of demonising the incumbent, a style that is fast losing its potency among a very politically sophisticated and informed Oyo State electorate. If your only strategy for winning in 2023 is to milk the perceived non-performance or failure of the Makinde-led government, then 2023 might be more embarrassing than 2019.

If the opposition party, APC, insists on selling the narrative that PDP should be discarded because they have not performed, then they should be reminded that APC did not lose the 2019 election due to non-performance but due to fundamental errors that turned Ibadan against the former leadership.

For PDP, for now, despite the somewhat sluggish style many complain about, we must admit that Governor Makinde has not made any of those fundamental errors that made past governments lose elections in Oyo State. He has remained committed to civil servants, pensioners and teachers. He has maintained his religious liberality. He has not openly fought the elders or royal fathers and, finally, he has not lost the Ibadan people.

Since we are all students of history, I will take us just two years back to my analysis after the March 9, 2019 governorship election in the State. One thing we learnt is that Ibadan remains the key to survival for any party in Oyo State and this same Ibadan gave APC their biggest problem at the 2019 polls.

APC got 73,102 votes from the five local governments in Ibadan metropolis alone, while PDP got 151,325 votes. The margin of 78,223 votes was half of the 157,829 votes with which APC lost the entire election. Other local governments covering Ibadan hinterlands, like Oluyole, Lagelu, Akinyele, Ona Ara and Egbeda also gave PDP double the votes of APC. It is also no coincidence that the only National Assembly seats that APC lost to PDP are the ones in Ibadan metropolis  Oyo South.

Governor Makinde knows he cannot mess with the Ibadan voters and he wont make the APC mistake of 2018/19! So, what will APC campaign with, if Makinde refuses to make these monumental errors?

Oh, they are also banking on the large turn out that greeted the recently launched APC membership revalidation exercise, which also seems to have created some form of false belief that the party has recovered. But show me the data that says PDP in Oyo would not get a higher turnout if they launch a similar exercise?

The last time I checked, Nigeria has not developed the machinery to checkmate multiple registration in one party, let alone dual or multiple membership of different political parties. Therefore, the loyalty of those thousands of new and returning APC members across the state cannot be guaranteed just by their possession of the party membership card, especially a party that is not in control of government.

Finally, on APCs risky strategies, the party went to town recently with pre-victory vibes when news emerged that senior and influential members of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) had concluded merger plans with the All Progressives Congress (APC). The media was agog as APC celebrated what they say was a sign of recovery for them. The question no one seems to be asking is how many of those party elders were followed into the party by their supporters?

This is not to dismiss the political value of these very experienced politicians but if the word on the street is to be taken seriously, the news that a larger number of the same Zenith Labour Party members has opted for PDP should make the APC realise that while they are winning the top political personalities, the ruling party may be winning their followers, who have higher electoral value. Shall we call it dejavu?

Nothing really seems to be sitting well for the APC yet but members seem to be the only ones who dont know this. They are building their bounce back strategies on many assumptions and wishes that the ruling party would end up with an underachiever tag by 2023.

By now, the APC should be asking all their known and unknown governorship aspirants what their contributions have been to teachers, civil servants, pensioners, traders and artisans, who are well known to be the kingmakers. Remember that in the absence of an influential leader or a powerful incumbent to carry them on his shoulders, aspirants will have to make their cases by themselves, come 2023.

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Nigerians are beginning to understand why they should vote for the people they know or want, not just the political party they know or get paid to vote for. APC can do better than displaying what seems like an obsession with Seyi Makindes government. The party should look inward and support candidates who have the track record of performance; those who have been tested in different capacities and did not fail the people, whose religious affiliations, as well as origin would be an advantage to position the party for acceptability.

The success of the PDP-led Oyo State government is good for all of us and we gain nothing if they fail. Dont tell us they have failed, show us what you can do better. Lets have a good battle of ideas at the next election. The days of getting away with deceiving the electorates are gone. Oyo people cannot be forced, you have to sell yourself come 2023 and be sure that the people will ask questions. Let this not shock you.

Keni Akintoye is a seasoned marketing communications consultant and the founder of KT Communication, a digital media, PR and communications agency.
ABC managing director David Anderson has launched a strong defence of the independence of the public broadcaster from government intervention, amid a deepening rift with the federal government over its political coverage.

Addressing the role of the ABC in a speech in Melbourne on Monday, Mr Anderson said it was in no-ones interest to see any erosion of the ABCs independence.

ABC managing director David Anderson at a Senate estimates hearing in November, where he defended the broadcasters reporting. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Essential to the perception of the ABCs independence and impartiality is the reality that we are independent and detached from government direction, Mr Anderson said in the speech.

The arrangements for his address at La Trobe University on Monday were made in late January. But coincidentally, the speech was delivered hours after the public broadcaster was hit with a defamation lawsuit from federal Attorney-General Christian Porter over its reporting of a historical rape allegation against him.
But events moved so fast over the intervening two years that that not only did the Quad leaders meet by video link on Saturday, they also announced an immediate initiative to provide an extra 1 billion doses of COVID vaccine to needy nations and a four-part, longer-term work agenda. The Quad, said Modi, had come of age  it will now remain an important pillar of stability in the region. Only one man could have achieved this transformation of the geopolitics of the Indopacific region, from ocean foam to a Coalition spanning two oceans in two years. Xi Jinping, Chinas dictator. They are only there because of China, says the Australian Strategic Policy Institutes director, Peter Jennings. Well done, Beijing. Illustration: Andrew Dyson. Credit:The Age The vaccines outcome was a stunning coup in the words of Mike Green, an American Asia expert who served in the George W. Bush White House. Supplying an extra billion doses for nations of South-East Asia by the end of 2022 addresses their most urgent need. It gives the Quad a constructive first mission. And it pits the group against China in a game of vaccine geopolitics.

For the US, this is a big change from Trumps America First mantra. If we have to compete, at least millions of Asians and others in developing nations will benefit from it, former US diplomat Bob Manning reflected. The summit, says Mike Green, should also silence the many critics of this grouping of countries. Green explains in the journal Foreign Policy that it had long been en vogue for so-called realists to pooh-pooh the Quad as ideologically driven and overly provocative towards China. But then Chinese President Xi Jinping began bullying everyone. With Washingtons credibility waning and its options limited, the Biden team just played its one high-value card to the greatest possible effect. So what next? The Australian military strategist Hugh White, one of the sceptics whod thought the Quad would come to naught, concedes that he was wrong: I dont think you can call the first summit an insignificant event.

However: We are right to see China as a risk to Australia diplomatically and even strategically. So great idea, guys, but its not going to work. For two main reasons. First, because he thinks its too late. This sounds like melodrama, but the South China Sea has been the Berlin of this new cold war, he tells me. The Soviets started to press the West at Berlin, and the West pressed back. In the end, the West convinced the Soviets they were willing to fight a nuclear war to stop them taking Berlin. But when Beijing started grabbing South China Sea territories from its neighbours starting with the Philippines, the US and its allies let them: The Philippines said, do you mind if we borrow the Seventh Fleet for the weekend, and the US said no. China won. So Berlin has already been taken in the contemporary cold war? They have taken a few suburbs at any rate, says White. Loading

Second, White argues that the Quad nations lack the will needed to halt Chinas next steps. Their joint statement showed just how nervous they were about declaring their purpose  the word China wasnt mentioned. Im pessimistic because whats required will be very much like what was used to contain the Soviet Union. There has to be a very clear conviction to make it clear to Beijing that an attempt to change the status quo will be met with force. The Quad nations are too ambivalent, says White: We all want to contain China, but none of us want to damage our relationship with China, hoping for more trade and investment with Beijing as well as co-operation on climate change and other matters. But just as the sceptics wrote off the Quad prematurely in the past, might they be repeating their mistake? Chinas aggression forged the Quad. Further aggression from Xi could harden the Quad. History is in the making. Peter Hartcher is international editor.
Mumbai, March 15 : The Marathi film "Picasso", starring award-winning actor Prasad Oak, child actor Samay Sanjeev Tambe and Ashwini Mukadam, is set to digitally release on March 19.

"Picasso" gives a glimpse of Dashavatara art through a feel-good story about a troubled alcoholic father and his son.

Produced by Shiladitya Bora, Picasso is directed and co-written by debutant director Abhijeet Mohan Warang along with co-writer Tushar Paranjape.

"The world of 'Dashavatara' has always fascinated me since my childhood. I am thrilled to present 'Picasso', a first Marathi film documenting 'Dashavatara' in its pure and original format. I was determined to make this film relatable for each artist, hence we shot the film in real locations," Warang said.

He added: "As per folklore, the origins of this folk art originates from Lakshmi-Narayan Temple in Valaval town of Tal Konkan, where the film has been shot. With this film, we have tried to bring out the essence of day-to-day challenges of an artist's life. The relentless, painful yet satisfying process of creativity- from doubting yourself to discovering new ways of facing it." The film will have its premier on Amazon Prime Video.

Producer Shiladitya Bora said: "There's no doubt that Marathi film industry is one of the most progressive film industries in India creating some groundbreaking cinema in the recent decade." The film revolves around a young student named Gandharva from a remote village in the Konkan, who is selected for national level of the Picasso Arts Scholarship. The winner of the competition gets to travel to Spain -- Picasso's birthplace -- to hone his or her art.
Vietnamese scientists have for the first time successfully cloned pigs using the somatic cells of ear tissue.

The first pig born in Vietnam thanks to the application of somatic cell nuclear transfer technology. (Photo: VNA)

Four healthy pigs were born on March 10 using somatic cell nuclear transfer technology.

Visiting the National Institute of Animal Sciences on March 14, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said this was an important breakthrough for the animal cloning sector of Vietnam, proving the countrys science and technologys role and position in the regional and the world.

The institute launched the project to study the cloning of pigs by somatic cell nuclear transfer technology in July 2017.

Director of the institute Dr. Pham Cong Thieu said although the facilities and equipment were limited, Vietnamese scientists have strived to study and apply animal cloning technology.

This outstanding achievement has opened up new research opportunities to apply animal cloning technology in breeding, preserving rare and valuable animals as well as creating livestock resistant to diseases and the impacts of climate change. It could also help to create cloned pigs for organ transplants in the future, he said.

Somatic cell nuclear transfer technology was successfully carried out for the first time in 1996 in the UK, where scientists created Dolly the sheep.

Cuong praised the efforts of the researchers of the institute for cloning the pigs, which make up a high proportion of Vietnamese food.

Vietnamese scientists have been creative and determined to apply world achievements to develop Vietnams own achievements in the context of limited equipment and facilities, he said.

He asked the institute to review the process to strengthen the results and continue to study and uphold this technology to preserve native animals and develop livestock as part of the husbandry strategy./.VNA
His remarks came as his team prepared to fan out across the country for a week of sales pitches for a bill that has proved very popular with voters but garnered zero Republican votes.

Mr. Biden will visit Delaware County, Pa., on Tuesday and appear with Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday in Atlanta, which helped deliver Democrats the Senate majority that made the relief plan possible.

A group of administration officials, including the first lady, Jill Biden, and Ms. Harriss husband, Doug Emhoff, will make their own trips. Ms. Harris and her husband landed in Las Vegas for an event on Monday afternoon, while Dr. Biden finished an event in New Jersey.

The road show is an effort to avoid the messaging mistakes of President Barack Obamas administration, which Democrats believe failed to continue vocally building support for his $780 billion stimulus act after it passed in 2009. The challenge for the Biden administration will be to highlight less obvious provisions, including the largest federal infusion in generations of aid to the poor, a substantial expansion of the child tax credit and increased subsidies for health insurance.

Mr. Sperlings challenge will be to meet Mr. Bidens promises of transparency and accountability for those programs.

The president and White House officials called Mr. Sperling well qualified for the task. He was the director of the National Economic Council under Mr. Obama and President Bill Clinton. In the Obama administration, where he first served as a counselor in the Treasury Department, Mr. Sperling helped to coordinate a bailout of Detroit automakers and other parts of the administrations response to the 2008 financial crisis.

He advised Mr. Bidens campaign informally in 2020, helping to hone the campaigns Build Back Better policy agenda. Friends have described Mr. Sperling in recent months as eager to join the administration; he had been mentioned as a possible appointee to lead the Office of Management and Budget after Mr. Bidens first nominee for that position, Neera Tanden, withdrew amid Senate opposition.
After a Massachusetts study found "no substantial difference" in COVID cases in schools observing six-foot and three-foot rules, the United States is mulling to cut social distancing rules to three feet (one meter).

The move, if comes into effect, would change a key tenet of the global fight against COVID-19.

Anthony Fauci, a world-respected figure during the coronavirus crisis, said experts at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) were examining the study.

NYT

Asked on CNN's "State of the Union" show whether that meant that a three-foot separation was sufficient, Fauci replied, "It does, indeed."

"The CDC is very well aware that data is accumulating making it look more like three feet are OK under certain circumstances," Fauci added.

While cautioning that the CDC was still weighing the data and conducting its own tests, he said its findings would come "soon."

Six-foot social distancing rule a globally accepted measure

The six-foot social distancing rule has been a widely-adopted global measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, along with mask-wearing and hand-washing.

Reuters

School officials across the world are under pressure to fully reopen as soon as safely possible, but many say the six-foot requirement makes it difficult without adding portable classrooms or shortening the school day.

Many teachers unions have also insisted on six-foot distancing.

Policies on reopening schools and businesses have varied sharply around the globe as governments try to balance quelling infections with a return to normal life.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-16 04:38:24|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Monday reported a record 9,417 new COVID-19 cases on a daily basis, increasing the nationwide caseload to 486,470. Meanwhile, Turkey confirmed 15,503 new coronavirus infections, as the total number of positive cases in the country reached 2,894,893.

With 82 deaths being added in Jordan, the death toll of the country reached 5,428. Meanwhile, 5,124 patients recovered in hospitals and home quarantines, bringing the total number of recoveries to 401,319.

In Turkey, the death toll from the virus rose by 63 to 29,552 on Monday, while the total recoveries climbed to 2,716,969 after 15,893 more cases recovered in the last 24 hours.

The country started mass vaccination for COVID-19 on Jan. 14 after the authorities approved the emergency use of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine. More than 7,937,000 people have been vaccinated so far.

Spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Sciences Sadat Lari noted that 7,980 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed between Sunday and Monday, raising Iran's total infections to 1,754,933.

The death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran rose to 61,330, after 100 new deaths were registered in the past 24 hours. So far 1,499,301 COVID-19 patients have recovered or been released from Iranian hospitals, but 3,839 others remain in critical condition, she added.

In Iraq, the country's Ministry of Health reported 4,901 new COVID-19 cases, bringing total nationwide infections to 763,085.

It also announced 37 new deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 13,788, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 4,850 to 690,620.

Iraqi Minister of Health Hassan al-Tamimi told the official Iraqi News Agency that the coronavirus infections have increased more dramatically than a year ago, especially with the spread of the new strain of the virus.

Nevertheless, the health minister noted the death rate of the pandemic has decreased to 1.8 percent from 17 percent last year.

Israel's Ministry of Health reported 2,241 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, raising the tally of confirmed cases in the country to 820,789.

The COVID-19 death toll in Israel reached 6,029 with the addition of 21 new fatalities, while the number of patients in serious condition decreased from 640 to 603, out of 958 hospitalized patients.

The total recoveries in Israel rose to 787,976, with 3,410 newly recovered cases, while the number of active cases decreased to 26,784.

The number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 in Israel has surpassed 5.18 million, or 55.7 percent of its total population, since the vaccination campaign began on Dec. 20, 2020.

Lebanon registered on Monday 1,505 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 419,953, the Health Ministry reported. Meanwhile, the number of deaths from the virus went up by 42 to 5,422.

Kuwait reported 1,332 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 210,855.

Seven more deaths were also announced by the Kuwaiti Health Ministry, taking the death toll to 1,179, while the tally of recoveries rose by 1,335 to 195,507. A total of 14,169 coronavirus patients are receiving treatment, including 219 in ICU.

The Qatari health ministry on Monday confirmed 481 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total confirmed number in the Gulf state to 170,733.

Meanwhile, 311 more recovered from the virus, bringing the overall recoveries to 158,508, while the death toll increased by one to 267, according to a ministry statement.

In Oman, the health ministry announced 556 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total confirmed number in the sultanate to 147,423.

Meanwhile, 341 people recovered during the past 24 hours, taking the overall recoveries to 136,770 while one fatality was added, pushing the death toll up to 1,609.

Morocco registered 159 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the overall infections in the North African country to 489,096.

According to a statement of the country's Ministry of Health, the death toll mounted to 8,733 as ten COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours.

The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco increased to 476,126 after 277 new ones were added, while 396 people are in intensive care units, the statement said.

On Monday, Palestine recorded 2,298 new COVID-19 cases, 22 more deaths and 1,356 recoveries in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, according to the Health Ministry.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye said that great progress has been made in the government's efforts to obtain the coronavirus vaccine. Enditem
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OAKLAND (BCN)

Oakland schools will begin reopening before the end of March, after leaders from the teachers' union and the school district reached a deal Sunday after weeks of negotiations.

The tentative agreement -- which won't become official unless it is first approved by the Oakland Education Association and then passed by the Oakland Unified School District board -- also preserves the option for students to remain in distance learning.

The first phase of the agreement has in-person classes resuming March 30 for pre-kindergarten through grade 2 and priority students, with the second phase resuming April 19 for grades 3-5 and at least one secondary grade to be determined later.

The district announced the tentative agreement late Sunday night just before midnight in a press release. The union is expected vote on the agreement this week and, if approved, would then go before the district school board for its vote.

The agreement allows families to keep their students in distance learning if they prefer. Few other details of the agreement were included in the district statement.

Teachers in the first phase who choose to opt-in would return to campus March 25 to prepare for the transition. Teachers in the second phase would return to campus April 14.

The district noted that campuses will operate at a limited capacity due to public health guidance to maintain physical distancing.

"This is a critical step forward for our students, families and staff, as we all can now see the light at the end of the tunnel of this year-long ordeal," said Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell, in statement included in the press release. "I want to express my deepest appreciation to our teachers for working so hard to get us to this point and supporting their students through distance learning."

Union officials echoed her remarks, as quoted in the same press release.

"We reached a tentative agreement that is just, equitable, and most importantly, safe," said Keith Brown, president of the Oakland Education Association. "We believe that phasing in student return on April 19 allows all educators to complete their vaccinations, if they so choose, and for California's targeted vaccination program to reach our most vulnerable communities."

Despite the approval of union leaders, opposition to the agreement has already formed among some teachers and community members.

Even before the district announced the deal, a group calling itself the Equal Opportunity by Any Means Necessary Caucus called a virtual press conference for 5 p.m. Monday to call on teachers to reject the agreement.

The group's press statement said it opposes any reopening of schools while transmission rates of COVID-19 are still high. Teachers and parents opposed to the deal are expected to speak at the event, which will be held on Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/95263761949?pwd=Zk1QblltUTFsK3hQbzZxTFk2NXZGQT09.

Copyright  2021 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

Copyright  2021 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
TOKYO  Shared worry about China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region will take center stage when President Joe Biden's defense chief and secretary of state visit Japan for their first in-person talks with their Japanese counterparts.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived Monday, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to join him later in Tokyo for meetings meant to reaffirm America's commitment to the region and to the two nations' alliance following former President Donald Trump's more confrontational approach.

The two secretaries are holding so-called two plus two diplomatic and security talks on Tuesday with their Japanese counterparts, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi.

The United States is now making a big push to revitalize our ties with friends and partners  both in one-to-one relationships and in multilateral institutions  and to recommit to our shared goals, values, and responsibilities, Blinken and Austin said in a piece published Monday in The Washington Post.

The U.S. and others share the values and principles of keeping an open Indo-Pacific region, but China is all too willing to use coercion to get its way, the two ministers said. Here again, we see how working with our allies is critical."

The U.S. will lead with diplomacy, maintain America's military might and renew our alliances and ensure they're fit for purpose to address the threats and opportunities of our time," Blinken and Austin wrote. Together they can hold China accountable for its human rights abuses and other problems in Xinjiang, Tibet, as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan, they said.

In a move meant to signal his intention for the U.S. to return to the Asia-Pacific region, Biden on Friday held a first summit of the leaders from Australia, Japan, India and the U.S. known as the Quad virtually and emphasized Washington's commitment to the region.

Motegi said in a parliamentary session Monday that he expected China to be the topic he and Blinken discussed most and that Japan being the first destination of their foreign travel signaled the U.S. emphasis on the Japan-U.S. alliance.

Motegi said he hoped to show the rest of the world an unshakable unity in the alliance and hoped to discuss how Japan and the U.S., through their alliance, can step up their deterrence and response capability in answer to China.

Japan, together with the U.S., will resolutely respond to China's unilateral attempt to change the status quo, Motegi said. But at the same time, China is the world's No. 2 economy and it is important to firmly encourage that country to act responsibly based on international rules.

Japan is in a delicate diplomatic situation because its economy, like those of other countries in the region, heavily depends on China.

But it also considers China's growing presence in the region a security threat. Beijing has built militarized manmade islands in the South China Sea and is pressing its claim to virtually all of the sea's key fisheries and waterways. Japan is concerned about China's claim to the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, called Diaoyu in China, in the East China Sea and its increased activity in the disputed area.

China has denied it is expansionist and said it is only defending its territorial rights.

On the Biden administrations first Cabinet-level trip abroad, Blinken and Austin are also expected to discuss the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, as well as the nuclear threat posed by North Korea and the situation in Myanmar after its military coup.

While in Tokyo, they plan to have virtual meetings with business leaders, civil-society members, business leaders and others while in Tokyo before heading on Wednesday to South Korea, another key ally in the region.

China is not on Blinkens itinerary, but he is set to meet senior Chinese officials in Anchorage, Alaska, on his way back to Washington. Austin will go from Seoul to New Delhi for meetings with Indian leaders.

This article was written by MARI YAMAGUCHI from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow, speaks at the Let the Church ROAR National Prayer Rally on the National Mall in Washington on Dec. 12, 2020. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

MyPillow CEO Says New App Will Be Safe Place for Those Canceled by YouTube, Twitter

MyPillow founder and CEO Mike Lindell says a social media platform he will launch in coming weeks will be a safe place for those who have been canceled by big tech platforms such as YouTube and Twitter.

You wont have to walk on eggshells anymore, said Lindell, whose personal and MyPillow accounts were suspended by Twitter last month, noting that the release of his platform, Vocal, is scheduled within the next fortnight.

Its YouTube and Twitter kind of combined. Theres nothing like it out there. Journalists can actually go out and invite guests on and speak the truth, Lindell told NTDs Focus Talk host Jenny Chang. Im really looking forward to it. Its been four years in the making, and it is absolutely amazing. Theres technology out there that nobody else has.

Lindells site would compete with the likes of Parler and Gab, which have attracted conservatives and supporters of former President Donald Trump.

Twitter suspended Lindells accounts over his claims about the 2020 presidential election. When Lindell released his video on YouTube, the Google-owned platform deleted it, citing its presidential election integrity policy. The video was also taken down by Vimeo.

He has been sued by Dominion Voting Systems over his statements about the election technology vendor after the election. The company filed a lawsuit against Lindell on Feb. 22 in the District of Columbia.

The suit alleges that Lindell, a staunch supporter of Trump, harmed Dominions brand by raising questions about the companys vote-counting equipment. The company is seeking damages in excess of $1.3 billion.

Mike Lindell of MyPillow speaks at a Make America Great Again rally in Rochester, Minn., on Oct. 4, 2018. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Trump and his advisers have said the former president is considering starting his own social media company. Lindell, when asked about the possibility of a platform launched by Trump, said, I think its great to have more than one place to speak out the truth.

For me, my platform is made for more for the influencers out therepeople that have podcasts, people that have radio, and TV stations that they cant speak the truth or they lose their YouTube or they get threatened to being sued by Dominion or whatever it is, Lindell said.

I have so many friends of mine that lost their followers on Facebook, they lost their Twitter, they lost their YouTube channels, they maybe lost Vimeo.  Thats their livelihood. I know a friend of mine had 12 employees. Theyre all laid off right now because they took away his whole platform, and just for speaking out his opinions.

I want to be able to talk about election fraud with the machines, and I want to talk about the vaccine, which I dont believe in. I want the word to get out.

Lindell told NTD that his company has so far lost 22 retailers. In a recent interview with Business Insider, he said that he lost about $65 million in revenue this year due to mass boycotts from various firms such as Kohls and Bed Bath & Beyond.

Right now, my company has been attacked, he said. Google has attacked me; they wont let me buy my own name. My Twitter is taken down; my company Twitter is taken down; my YouTube is down; Vimeos down; Facebook wont let me live streamall these attacks.

The MyPillow CEO said he intends to countersue Dominion because this is about our First Amendment right of free speech.

Whats coming is communism and socialism. It came into our country, theyre suppressing free speech, and right now, its terrible, Lindell said. Even Democrats see thats not who they voted for. This is terrible, what is happening. Its happening to everybody.

Jenny Chang contributed to this report.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Eli Lilly & Co. presented highly anticipated details from a mid-stage study showing that its experimental drug modestly slowed Alzheimer's disease progression over about 18 months.

The study of 257 patients with early Alzheimer's showed that Lilly's donanemab slowed decline by 32% on a composite measure of cognition and function when compared with a placebo. It also completely removed an Alzheimer's-associated protein from the brains of the majority of patients who received it.

The results are being watched closely by Wall Street analysts and researchers for a hint of whether donanemabor any other drugs that eliminate amyloid, a tell-tale protein that accumulates in Alzheimer's patients' brainswill finally work. Over the years, numerous other candidates have aimed at amyloid only to yield confusing or negative results in big human trials.

Lilly's results appear to be more straightforward than many previous studies, said Marwan Sabbagh, director of translational research at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas.

"I have been in this field a long time," Sabbagh, who wasn't involved in the study, said Saturday in an interview prior to the presentation. "This is some of the best phase 2 data I have seen, hands down."

Lilly first announced the top-line results in January, sending its stock soaring, but the virtual presentation Saturday at the International Conference on Alzheimer's & Parkinson's Diseases meeting is their first detailed unveiling. The trial data is also being published contemporaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.

On secondary goals of the study, including certain other dementia rating scales that have been commonly used in other Alzheimer's trials, the findings weren't as clear-cut. While patients on the drug did numerically better on these various other scales compared to placebo, the differences weren't statistically significant in some cases.

"Results for secondary outcomes were mixed," researchers from Lilly, Brown University, and the Indiana University School of Medicine concluded in the journal article. Longer, larger trials are required to further understand the drug's effects and side-effect profile, they said.

Given the number of previous Alzheimer's trial failures, "I was surprised and impressed by these results," said David Knopman, a neurologist and dementia researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He called it "a small but significant clinical benefit" and said the finding needs to be confirmed in another trial.

Key unknowns include whether the benefit lasts over the long term, and whether patients and caregivers would consider that modest benefit to be meaningful, Knopman said. He wasn't involved in the trial, but has been involved in studies of other Lilly Alzheimer's drugs.

Side effects of the Lilly drug in the trial included brain swelling spotted on imaging scans, drug-infusion reactions and nausea.

For more than a year, the Alzheimer's disease field has been consumed by another drug that targets amyloid, Biogen Inc.'s aducanumab. Until the Lilly results came along, the Biogen drug was viewed as one of the last hopes for anti-amyloid therapies.

Trials of that drug have produced confusing results that have sharply divided Alzheimer's disease researchers. It's under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is scheduled to make a decision by June.

In the donanemab study, Lilly treated Alzheimer's patients like an oncologist might stage and treat cancer, Lilly Chief Scientific Officer Daniel Skovronksy said in an interview before the presentation. They selected a subset of patients with high amyloid levels and middling levels of tau, a second abnormal protein linked to brain-cell death. The goal was to study patients who weren't too late in the disease to treat, yet were affected enough to show a benefit if the drug worked, he said.

"This is a really profound effect that appeared early," he said. "We are in discussions with regulators around the world about this data."

He declined to go into details about next steps for the drug. Lilly has another efficacy trial of the therapy ongoing.

Explore further Experimental drug for Alzheimer's disease shows promise

2021 Bloomberg L.P.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
In a shocking incident, an elderly man raped several animals in Mumbai and it seems like theres no end to animal cruelty. The 65-year-old accused has been identified as Ahmad Shahi, who is a vegetable vendor.

Vijay Mohnani, from an animal rights NGO in Mumbai, reached out to the police and shared a video wherein Ahmad can be seen raping a dog. The video was shot in December last year, however, according to police, animal rights activist Vijay received the video a few days ago. As soon as he received the video, he registered a complaint against the accused.

Animal Rights activist Mohnani has said in his complaint, I received a call from a resident of Juhu Galli, who told me there is a man in their area who rapes street dogs. The man said he has a video shot in December 2020, where the accused is caught on camera raping the dog. I asked him why he did not complain to the police earlier the man said he knew the accused and had warned him not to repeat the act, but the accused kept repeating it, and hence, he informed me about it.

Police officials have arrested Ahmad under Section 429 (Whoever commits mischief by killing, poisoning, maiming, or rendering useless) and 377 (unnatural sex) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Police said, "Ahmad may have raped several other female dogs in the area."

The accused even claimed that since he had been feeding the animals and the animals did not object, it is not a crime.

After people got to know about the disheartening news, they started to trend #SorrySheru on Twitter in the morning. People are bashing Ahmad and want Peta India to take strict against him for his cruelty against the innocent animals. People even want the court to give the death penalty to Ahmad for his heinous crimes. People are also upset with the fact that Bollywood is mum on it.

Act done by #AhmadShahi just showed the stage of the humanity we are living in. Rape with female dogs, how can a person imagine it. Humanity is superior of any greed or evil fascinations. Humans are the part of Natures cycle, not the cycle itself.#SorrySheru #WeareHumans  Jatin Katyal (@JatinKatyal10) March 15, 2021

68-year-old five time 'Namazi' Ahmed Shah was arrested for raping 30-40 dogs in Mumbai



What's with beastility and Muslims? Goats, sheep, dogs....#AnimalPeople #SorrySheru pic.twitter.com/JHH3rPDsQT  Ravi Kant  (@LegalKant) March 15, 2021

What about #SorrySheru ?



Mumbai animals being raped????



What is wrong with you?



Have a spine @peta @PetaIndia @PETAUK  James Petterson (@MediaResolve) March 15, 2021

This is spine-chilling and we hope PETA India will take strong action against the accused.
Senate bill tries again to require sheriffs to cooperate with ICE

RALEIGH  The state Senate has passed a new version of a bill that would require N.C. sheriffs to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, two years after Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a similar effort.

The new bill, however, has a major concession: It only requires sheriffs to hold suspected illegal immigrants for ICE agents if the person is in jail on suspicion of committing a violent crime.

Sheriffs, who run the jails in their counties, are already required to check the immigration status of people charged with a felony. If they cant determine whether the person is a legal resident, sheriffs must check with ICE.

Under Senate Bill 101, sheriffs would also need to determine whether a prisoner is in the country legally if they are accused of violent misdemeanors like assault on a female or assault with a deadly weapon, or charged with violating a domestic protection order.

Then, if the prisoner has a detainer and administrative warrant from ICE, sheriffs would need to hold on to them for 48 hours or until federal immigrations agents can pick them up, whichever comes first. A judge would first need to rule the detainer is valid.

The goal, Senate leaders say, is to keep illegal immigrants accused of violent crimes in custody rather than release them back into the community.

The bill passed by a 27-20 vote in the Senate along party lines, with no Democrats voting in favor of the bill.

I cannot fathom how anybody could support shielding an illegal immigrant who rapes or murders a North Carolinian, Sen. Chuck Edwards, R-Flat Rock, said in a statement. Removing violent criminals who are here illegally should be a unanimous priority.

The bill is similar to the ICE bill passed by the General Assembly in 2019. That bill, however, required sheriffs to check the immigration status of people charged with any criminal offense, not just violent crimes.

That bill was in response to numerous blue county sheriffs who announced they were refusing to cooperate with ICE.

Just a few months earlier, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden released an illegal immigrant with an ICE detainer accused of domestic violence. Within a week, he was embroiled in a nine-hour standoff with police after allegedly strangling the same woman.

In total, ICE estimated 500 suspected illegal immigrants were released from N.C. jailed despite being wanted by federal agents.

Cooper vetoed the bill that would fix the problem, calling it unconstitutional and saying it was about scoring partisan political points and using fear to divide North Carolina.

The new bill, known as Require Cooperation with ICE 2.0, goes to the House. If it passes there, it would again go to Coopers desk  where it would presumably face another veto.

Reasonable immigration laws like this used to be a shared priority among Republicans and Democrats, said Sen. Norm Sanderson, R-Pamlico, in a statement. Now, the Democratic Partys agenda supports shielding murderers and rapists from deportation.
An actress has accused the Metropolitan Police of 'ghosting her' after officers failed to track down a suspect who harassed her as she walked home alone.

Corrine Priest, who starred in Les Miserables in the West End, claims she was followed and harassed by a man after she complained about people not wearing face masks on the Tube.

Video footage shows the man calling her a 'posh c***' and a 'sl**' as she walked home from Hendon Tube Station in London last November.

Ms Priest says she gave officers the suspect's name and telephone number, and footage of his appearance on a television dating show.

But four months on from the incident, she says Scotland Yard ignored her and fail to 'take this kind of thing seriously.'

Her comments come amid fury over the forces handling of a vigil held on Saturday evening for Sarah Everard on Clapham Common.

Corrine Priest (pictured) is a West End actress who appeared in the Les Miserables stage production

A shaken Corrine posted the videos to Twitter shortly after the altercation, saying: 'Trigger warning. Just got harassed, threatened and followed home because I told my mum on the phone that people aren't wearing masks on the tube'

Ms Priest (pictured) says she was called a 'posh c***' and a 'sl**' by the man as she walked home from Hendon Tube Station in London, and filmed the incident

Trigger warning  Just got harassed, threatened and followed home because I told my Mum on the phone that people arent wearing masks on the tube. These narcissistic men will continue to do this & it is dangerous. I am upset for us. Outside Hendon tube. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/CoObAlJs9K  Corrine Priest (@CorrinePriest) November 6, 2020

The exchange apparently began after the man overheard Ms Priest on the phone to her mother talking about people not wearing face coverings on the Tube.

Ms Priest told The Telegraph: 'What can women do if the police won't stand up for us?

'I honestly did everything I could but the Metropolitan Police just don't seem to take this kind of thing seriously.'

As the video begins, Ms Priest is seen filming herself as she is pursued by the man, who tells her: 'You're a dirty little f****** life.'

Speaking to the camera, she says: 'Someone is filming me, he is following me. I don't know what to do.'

She then turns to him and says: 'I don't want any trouble, I don't want any trouble.'

But the man shouts: 'Apologise now', as Ms Priest replies that she is sorry.

Still following her, he continues: 'You said some guy wearing a mask, did you say it or not? You didn't directly do it to me no?'

Ms Priest retorts: 'No I did not, not to you, no I promise I don't want any trouble.'

The man says: 'I ain't threatening you yeah, but I've got people yeah if you want to mouth off like some rude girl.'

Ms Priest responds: 'I was speaking to my mum on the phone, it's not okay and now you're following me I'd really appreciate if you don't because it is quite intimidating.'

The stranger says: 'Intimidating yeah? I am an intimidating person.'

Speaking to the camera, she says: 'Someone is filming me, he is following me. I don't know what to do'

Ms Priest, still filming, responds: 'And you called me a posh sl** and a c*** that's unacceptable.'

The man responds: 'Yeah well that's exactly what you are behaving like.'

The pair continue to have a back and forth on whether Ms Priest's comments were directed at the man for not wearing a mask, as she repeatedly tells him they were not.

The man tells Ms Priest to apologise for a second time, despite her already doing so.

She responds: 'But also at the same time don't come and threaten me to say that you're going to beat me up and follow me home.'

The man adds: 'I've got two other sisters. I would never touch a girl, but it doesn't mean I can't f**** say what's on my mind. Watch yourself yeah and don't behave like that.'

The argument continues as Ms Priest retorts: 'You and your friend coming to beat me up?' The man responds: 'We can easily do that right now.'

Ms Priest posted the videos to Twitter shortly after the altercation last November, writing: 'Trigger warning. Just got harassed, threatened and followed home because I told my mum on the phone that people aren't wearing masks on the tube.

'These narcissistic men will continue to do this and it is dangerous. I am upset for us. I hate how scared I was. I had to be submissive for my safety.

'It is not ok that this s*** happens. It happened because I am a woman and I was alone. He walked away thinking he taught me a lesson and without apologising. He is reported.

'I feel it's my responsibility to share. I don't know, just stay safe everyone, there are some odd people out there.'

A Met Police spokesman said: 'Police received an online report on 6 November 2020. A woman aged in her 20s reported that she had been harassed and threatened by a man near Hendon tube station at around 13:50hrs that afternoon. There have been no arrests. Enquiries continue.'
Star campaigners from the BJP and the opposition will hold public meetings in poll-bound West Bengal. Amit Shah will speak at two public meetings in Jhargram and Bankura.

Today, star campaigners from the BJP and the opposition are holding public meetings in poll-bound West Bengal. Amit Shah, a senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister, was expected to speak at two public meetings in Jhargram and Bankura. However, the Union Home Ministers helicopter ran into a technical problem. Then, He virtually addressed the Jhargram rally and announced that if elected, the BJP govt will build Pandit Raghunath Murmu Tribal University in Jhargram, for the tribal community.

He has blasted West Bengals Trinamool Congress government for its ten-year misrule. Shah accused the Mamata Banerjee government of blocking central government schemes in the state, depriving the poor of their rights, while speaking at a virtual rally in Jhargram. If the BJP enters the next government, he also vowed to end the gunda raj in the eastern state.

Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal and the leader of the Trinamool Congress, spoke at a rally in Purulia district. She criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for running the country in an autocratic manner. She also said that PM is incompetent, cannot run the country.

PM is incompetent, cannot run the country: Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 15, 2021

Read More: TN Elections 2021: DMK releases manifesto, promises cut in fuel prices, 75% jobs for locals

Sharad Pawar, the veteran leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Tejaswi Yadav are among those who will participate in the campaign drive in the state. Pawar, whose party is a coalition partner in Maharashtras ruling alliance, has already announced his campaign dates, according to the TMC sources.

As the high-stakes elections in Bengal become something of a Modi versus Mamata showdown, anti-BJP political forces across the country seem to be gathering behind Mamata Banerjee, backing the ruling TMC, rather than the Congress-Left-ISF coalition, which is also focusing on the ruling TMC, which is seeking a third term in power.

The involvement of JMM (Jharkhand), SP (UP), and RJD (Bihar) may serve as influencers on such voters to some degree since Bengal shares borders with Jharkhand and Bihar and is home to many domiciled individuals from the two states, as well as from Uttar Pradesh.
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Federal labor officials have ordered Fort Worth, Texas-based BNSF Railway Co. to pay more than $290,000 in back pay, damages and fees, and reinstate an employee after an investigation found the workers rights were violated under the Federal Railroad Safety Act.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, BNSF had accused the employee of violating a doctors restrictions against physical activity following a work-related injury. When the employee provided documents during a subsequent hearing to prove that his doctor allowed physical activity, the company ignored the documents and fired him.

The U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that BNSF violated federal law and ordered the railway to reinstate the worker, and pay back wages, attorneys fees and compensatory damages. OSHA also assessed $150,000 in punitive damages.

The company and the employee may file objections or request a hearing, within 30 days of receipt of OSHAs order, before the departments Office of Administrative Law Judges.

BNSF operates on a 32,500-mile rail network across 28 states and three Canadian provinces. The 170-year-old company, which now consists of nearly 400 railroad lines, is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Source: OSHA

Topics Texas Berkshire Hathaway
BSP to contest assembly polls in three states on its own: Mayawati

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Lucknow, Mar 15: Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Monday asserted that her party will contest the assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry on its own, saying the BSP has had a bitter experience of aligning with other parties in the past. She also stated that her party will go alone in the UP assembly elections next year.

"We are working internally on the elections. We do not reveal our strategy. The BSP will will contest on all the 403 assembly seats in UP, and will perform well. The performance of the party will be good in the panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh," she told reporters at an event to pay tributes to BSP founder Kanshi Ram on his 87th birth anniversary.

BSP chief Mayawati slams UP govt over law and order situation in state

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said her party has had a bitter experience of aligning with other parties in the past.

"The experience of our party forging an alliance with others has not been good. Our party leaders, workers and voters are highly disciplined. This is not the case with other parties of the country. In an alliance, our votes are transferred to the other party, but the votes of the other party are not transferred to us," she said.

Grammys 2021: Beyonce breaks record for most Grammy wins for a female artist | Oneindia News

"This has been a very bad and bitter experience. In future also, we will not forge any alliance with any party," she added.
Around 150 spring breakers were taken into custody over the weekend by the Miami Beach Police after a crowd of unruly people descended into the city's famous getaway spot despite medical experts' continuous call to avoid large gatherings.

With their aim to disperse the crowd that is on the beach, the Miami police were forced to spray pepper balls as spring breakers did not listen to the warnings. A New York Post report said that Friday marked the wildest day in the party hotspot as some 120 people were apprehended and two police officers were injured during clashes with the partygoers.

READ NEXT: Small Armed Protests Erupt Around Statehouses in US

Miami Beach Authorities and Spring Breakers

"A lot of people are coming here and they are coming here with the wrong intentions," said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, adding that they are in a tough spot because of the swarm of people going into their area.

South Beach residents shared with Associated Press that the confrontation between the authorities and people started when at least 200 spring breakers gathered at an intersection to party.

"People were just having fun in that general area," a local said, adding that the people seemed to be recording Snapchat videos.

The city of Miami Beach is placed under a midnight curfew amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an attempt to control the situation, a Miami resident told The Hill the officers popped pepper balls, and "a bunch of people started running."

One spring breaker, identified as James Harrison of Brooklyn, was arrested by the authorities for three charges, including starting a riot and resisting an officer with violence.

Authorities were trying to stop a crowd of 200 people blocking the traffic and even individuals who are smoking cannabis. The arrest resulted in two police officers' injuries because the swarm of people also attacked the authorities.

"That presented a very dangerous situation for our officers," said Ernesto Rodriguez, a public information officer from the Miami Beach Police Department.

Harrison violently resisted the arrest by grabbing one of the officer's collars and kicking, prompting one of the officers to punch him in the chest to stabilize the situation.

A police report said that Harrison's actions made the crowd extremely aggressive towards officers that posed a clear threat to the officers' safety because of the large number of unruly people.

Miami Beach Authorities' Reminders

Because of the recent incidents, additional officers from different police departments were deployed in the area and now patrolling the location, including places where many tourists are known to visit.

"If you are coming here because you think anything goes, you are going to have a terrible time," Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said in a statement, adding that unruly tourists will be arrested.

Meanwhile, law enforcement officers had expected large gatherings for spring break this month despite the coronavirus pandemic. Around 119 arrests, confiscations of 13 guns, and 866 traffic citations were already recorded by authorities over the past week.

READ MORE: Google, Apple Suspend' Free Speech' Parler App in Wake of Capitol Riot

WATCH: Spring Break Ready: Miami Beach Police Cracking Down On Rule Breakers - From CBS Miami
NEW HAVEN, Conn.  Calvin Roberson and Brandon Batiste have been indicted for the kidnapping and slaying of Francisco Roman, of Chicopee, who went missing on Christmas.

The indictment by a federal grand jury in Connecticut was recently unsealed, though the pair were arrested in connection with the case last month.

Investigators believe Roman, a father of three, was fatally shot in Massachusetts, handcuffed and stuffed in the trunk of his own car. Romans car was discovered burning on a street in Hartford on Dec. 26, according to court records.

Roberson, 38, of Waterbury, and Batiste, 32, of Springfield, were charged in an eight-count criminal indictment including allegations of kidnapping conspiracy, kidnapping resulting in death, firearm-related murder, obstruction of justice and interstate transportation of a stolen motor vehicle.

Roberson is set to be arraigned on March 17; similar information for Batiste was not immediately available.

The charges are death eligible, meaning prosecutors may choose to seek the death penalty. The government has yet to signal whether they will choose to.

Roberson, a.k.a. Cutty, was arrested in Waterbury after authorities tracked a Sony PlayStation 5 gaming system stolen from under Romans Christmas tree, according to court records. Batiste, a.k.a B, was arrested in Athens, Georgia, authorities said.

In addition to tracking the gaming system, investigators and a witness spotted a diamond pendant Roman purchased for one woman around the neck of another in a Dec. 26 Snapchat post, court records say. The woman is a dancer at Springfields 5th Alarm strip club who lived with Roberson, according to investigators.

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From the steps of Town Hall to NSW Parliament House, there was no silencing the women of Sydney as they marched for cultural change and sexual assault reform.

Hand painted placards and banners screamed slogans protesting the treatment of women in Parliament, the handling of sexual assault complaints and a womans right to safety.

Girls just wanna walk home, read one. Hear me roar, read another. Enough is enough, read many.

Womens March 4 Justice protest in Sydney. Credit:Nick Moir

Five members of the NSW government were seen joining roughly 10,000 protesters at the March 4 Justice rally on Monday. Their leader Premier Gladys Berejiklian did not attend.
(Newser)  If you live in Memphis, have been planning a trip to Memphis, or just like chatting about Memphis online, you may have recently found yourself getting a slap on the wrist from Twitter. CNET reports that users on the social media platform who mentioned the Tennessee city over the weekend in their tweets found themselves with an instant 12-hour suspension, meaning they couldn't tweet or retweet, and a directive to nix the offending post. Gizmodo has a screenshot of the alert that "violators" received, noting that they "may not publish or post other people's private information without their express authorization and permission."

story continues below

The Guardian cheekily points out that although "Memphis is the home address of more than 600,000 people ... most postal carriers require more specificity to delivery a letter." Translation: This wasn't exactly a doxxing. Engadget notes some people tried to have fun with the snafu while it was in progress, trying to bait others into tweeting "Memphis" just so they'd then get temporarily banned. At any rate, the glitch has been remedied. "It's been fixed and the accounts have now been restored," Twitter Support tweeted Sunday evening. "We're sorry this happened." (Read more Twitter stories.)
The easy part is over for Lt.-Gen. Frances Allen  making history this week as the first woman appointed as the Canadian Armed Forces second-in-command.

Editorial

The easy part is over for Lt.-Gen. Frances Allen  making history this week as the first woman appointed as the Canadian Armed Forces second-in-command.

Now comes the hard part  helping to stamp out a sexual misconduct crisis that appears to be worsening every day and includes explosive allegations against the militarys top commanders. As the first woman to hold the position of vice-chief of defence staff, Ms. Allen now finds herself responsible for the day-to-day administration of an embattled Canadian military.

The appointment of a woman as deputy commander is not only long overdue; it is being seen as a clear signal that a shakeup in the senior ranks could be on the way  a shakeup that is desperately needed.

Her historic promotion comes at a time of extraordinary crisis within the military as the two most senior officers  former chief of defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance and his successor, Admiral Art McDonald  are both under investigation by the Canadian Forces National Investigative Service for alleged sexual misconduct.

Mr. Vance is facing allegations of inappropriate behaviour with two female subordinates, while Mr. McDonald, after just six weeks on the job as top soldier, abruptly stepped aside over a sexual misconduct probe into allegations involving a crew member aboard a warship a decade ago.

A House of Commons committee is now probing what the Liberal government knew and when about the allegations against Messrs. Vance and McDonald.

The controversy only deepened this week when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed in Parliament his office was aware of an allegation of sexual misconduct against Mr. Vance in 2018, but opted to keep him in his role as defence chief.

Ms. Allen now finds herself as a key player  most likely the key player  in changing a military culture that Supreme Court Justice Marie Deschamps condemned in a 2015 report as "toxic" and "hostile," a culture in which sexual misconduct was "endemic."

As workplace challenges go, this one is daunting. The militarys latest departmental plan presented to Parliament this week notes there were 356 reported incidents of sexual misconduct in 2019-20, up from 256 incidents reported in 2018-19.

A quick glance at Ms. Allens resume suggests she is eminently qualified to handle this hot potato. She most recently served as Canadas military representative to NATO headquarters in Brussels and is only the second woman to have attained the rank of lieutenant-general in the Armed Forces.

She had been touted as a contender to replace Mr. Vance as Canadas first female defence chief, holds several degrees and has been a commander at multiple levels throughout a military career that began in 1983.

Her appointment has been hailed by Mr. Trudeau and the other party leaders, but hopefully none is under the delusion that sexual misconduct in the military can be eradicated simply by throwing a woman at the crisis.

But the fact a woman has been placed in such a critical job at such a difficult time still makes a significant statement  the Armed Forces can no longer operate as an old boys club in which women are routinely subjected to bullying, discrimination and even sexual assault.

It remains to be seen if the new deputy commander can do the necessary job of restoring trust in leaderships ability to eradicate sexual misconduct in the Forces, but this much is clear: she could hardly do worse than those who came before.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-16 06:55:25|Editor: huaxia

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BRUSSELS, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Eurozone finance ministers said on Monday that they are committed to a supportive fiscal stance in 2021 and 2022, pledging to continuously protect the eurozone economy through the deployment of the necessary level of fiscal support.

The ministers stressed that "premature withdrawal of fiscal support should be avoided," according to a statement released by the Eurogroup following a regular video conference.

They said the progress in the development of efficient vaccines and a high vaccination rate are crucial for overcoming the pandemic.

"This will allow a greater opening up of our economies and a resumption of growth. Nevertheless, the outlook remains clouded by uncertainty and the recovery is expected to be uneven across countries, regions and sectors," the statement read.

The ministers insisted that fiscal policy should remain agile and effectively adjust as the health and economic situation evolves. "Once the health situation improves and restrictions ease, fiscal measures should gradually shift towards more targeted actions to promote a resilient and sustainable recovery."

Moreover, the Eurogroup warned that member states should address the increased public debt levels by implementing sustainable medium-term fiscal strategies once the recovery is firmly underway.

"The best way to secure public debt sustainability is to support the recovery and thereby reduce the risk of scarring and economic divergence," European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni told a press conference. Enditem
Between 2015 and 2017, Seattle, Washington, became the first U.S. city to increase its hourly minimum wage to $15, more than double the federal minimum wage and 60 percent higher than Seattle's previous minimum wage. A new study examined the impact of this change on public safety. The study was motivated by the idea that since crime is sometimes the result of material deprivation, changes in the minimum wage might have implications for criminal activity: Boosting the minimum wage could raise workers' salaries (which could be associated with reduced crime). But if higher minimum wages spur employers to substitute capital for labor, this could increase unemployment (which could be associated with increased crime). The study found little evidence that Seattle's aggregate rate of violent or property crimes changed relative to other U.S. cities. It also found no meaningful adverse effects on low-wage workers' rates of employment.

The study, by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, appears in Criminology & Public Policy, a publication of the American Society of Criminology.

"Our study suggests that Seattle increased its minimum wage without compromising public safety, at least in the short run," explains David Mitre-Becerril, a doctoral student in criminology at the University of Pennsylvania, who led the study.

Past research on the effects of minimum wage legislation on crime has been mixed.

In this study, researchers compared crime trends in Seattle to 118 U.S. cities in 18 states that did not increase their minimum wage but whose pre-2015 crime trends were comparable to Seattle. Seattle's minimum wage began to be implemented in 2015 and rose to $15/hour by 2017. For the period 2010 to 2017, researchers collected crime data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports and the Seattle Police Department. They also collected sociodemographic and employment/earnings data from the American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Sociodemographic data included information on race, age, schooling, and poverty level.

The study found that Seattle's rate of violent crime (murder, robbery, aggravated assault) did not diverge significantly from the other cities' rates. With respect to property crimes (burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft), the findings were more nuanced. Although researchers found evidence that Seattle's rate of burglaries may have increased 15 to 30 percent during the study period, driven by offenses on commercial premises, they did not detect an aggregate change in property crimes.

The increase in Seattle's minimum wage appears to have had little impact on arrest rates among any major demographic group, including young men, who tend to drive an outsized share of offending and whose employment has been considered the most sensitive to changes in the minimum wage. This, the authors note, may be because Seattle's law did not end up reducing employment for low-skilled workers.

This could be because Seattle has more college-educated workers and fewer low-wage earners than other cities, primarily because of its booming tech industry, which would mean that fewer workers were affected by a shift in the wage structure than in other cities.

The study's authors note that they focused on one city, thus limiting the generalizability of their findings to other cities. To address this matter, the researchers supplemented their work with analyses of four other U.S. cities that have increased their minimum wages substantially, though less than in Seattle, during the same period. In those cities--Chicago and three cities in California: San Francisco, San Jose, and Sunnyvale--the laws spurred few consistent increases in criminal offenses.

The authors also note that Washington State legalized recreational marijuana in December 2013 and allowed retail sales of recreational marijuana beginning in July 2014, which may have affected crime rates, though there is little evidence of a change in public safety immediately following the law.

"In the aftermath of Seattle's decision to raise the minimum wage, several other U.S. cities and states plan to follow suit," notes Aaron Chalfin, assistant professor of criminology at the University of Pennsylvania, who coauthored the study. "Therefore, the question of how high minimum wages can be pushed without compromising public safety is timely.

"However, the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to affect regional economic dynamics: Although a $15 minimum wage appears not to have disrupted Seattle's labor market during a period of broad economic growth, it could become a structural barrier to employment during the coming months, which may have implications for public safety."

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A boy of four died from sepsis after hospital doctors sent him home only minutes before test results confirmed he had a potentially deadly infection, an inquest heard yesterday.

Sheldon Farnells condition appeared to be improving and he was discharged  even though it was still unclear what had made him so ill and his mother had begged doctors to give her son antibiotics.

On returning home, Sheldon took a turn for the worse and begged his mother not to let him die.

Meanwhile, hospital staff were trying to phone the family to let them know the results had shown the boy needed urgent treatment  but an admin error meant the contact details were taken from the wrong person.

By the time Sheldon was rushed back to hospital early the next morning, he could not be saved. A post-mortem examination found he died of overwhelming sepsis that resulted from an ear infection.

An inquest heard yesterday that Sheldon Farnell, four, (pictured with mother Katrina Keegan) died from sepsis after hospital doctors sent him home only minutes before test results confirmed he had a potentially deadly infection

In an emotional statement read to an inquest, his mother Katrina Farnell, 25, said: On the last day of his far too short life my son begged me not to let him die.

'No four-year-old should even know about death. My baby boy knew he was facing it.

We begged for help. Just try antibiotics, please, we said, Hes ill, look at him.

They said no, we are supposed to put our trust in doctors so we naively did and now my only son is dead.

They let my Sheldon die. My heart is broken, there is a massive hole in my life that will never be filled.

Coroner Derek Winter told an inquest jury in Durham that Sheldon was first taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital by his mother at 10.20pm on Friday, November 23, 2018, following two days of headaches and high temperatures.

Sheldon (pictured) took a turn for the worse and begged his mother not to let him die while hospital staff were trying to phone the family

His case was dealt with as urgent and consultant paediatrician Dr Geoffrey Lawson told the jury that sepsis and treatment with antibiotics was considered but not acted upon.

The next day the boys temperature and pulse had come down.

At 8.45pm the interim result of a blood test indicated a streptococcus infection  which can lead to sepsis  but the doctor in charge that night decided this was a contaminant or false result due to the boys improvement, the inquest was told.

Dr Lawson agreed and sent Sheldon home at 1pm on Sunday  about 15 minutes before the final blood tests came through and confirmed a genuine infection that needed treatment with antibiotics.

Dr Lawson told the inquest that in retrospect he didnt appreciate the seriousness of Sheldons illness, which will be my lifelong regret.

When staff were unable to contact Miss Farnell to tell her to pick up antibiotics for Sheldon, Dr Lawson decided against getting police to visit the family to inform them as he believed they would return to hospital if the boy deteriorated.

Sheldon was rushed back to hospital at 4am on Monday, November 26, by which time he was in septic shock.

He was admitted to intensive care but died hours later. Dr Lawson told the inquest Sheldons case was very unusual because there had been a long delay in the development of septicaemia.

Sheldon was first taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital (stock picture) by his mother at 10.20pm on Friday, November 23, 2018, following two days of headaches and high temperatures

He told the jury that clearly in retrospect it would have been better if I kept him in hospital until I actually knew the result of the blood test that confirmed the need for antibiotics.

Dr Lawson, who retired in 2019 after 42 years with the NHS, said he had just been to a conference about improving standards of care and one lesson was that doctors should ignore parents concerns at their peril.

But he also said Miss Farnell did not respond negatively to his view that her son should go home.

The Mail launched the End the Sepsis Scandal campaign in 2016 to raise awareness of symptoms. Known as the silent killer, it occurs when the body overreacts to an infection.

The inquest continues.
BEIJING, March 15 (Reuters) - Chinese search giant Baidu Inc said on Monday that its artificial intelligence chip unit Kunlun recently completed a round of fundraising, which according to one source with direct knowledge of the matter values the business at about $2 billion.

The fundraising, which comes as the company pushes forward with AI chip design and manufacturing ambitions, was led by Chinese private equity firm CITIC Private Equity Funds Management (CPE), the source said. Other investors include IDG Capital, Legend Capital and an industry fund Oriza Hua, the person added.

"Kunlun chip business has recently completed a round of financing. We will release more information in due course," Baidu said in a statement sent to Reuters on Monday, declining to comment on the investors, fundraising amount or valuation.

(Reporting by Yingzhi Yang and Tony Munroe Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
New Delhi:

Taking a jibe on the AIADMK jailed party chief Sasiakala and her nephew TTV Dhinakaran, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami said that there is no room for family rule in the party on Wednesday.

Palaniswami said, The government of Amma is a fort that protects the poor and there is no room for family rule,"

The Tamil Nadu chief minister addressing a government function in commemoration of the

centenary of late chief minister and AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran at Vandalur in Chennai said "there is no place for graft and anarchy in the regime.

Palaniswami further added, "those who believe us will not be let down and we will not allow such a situation come about",

His comments come amid the rebellion by 21 MLAs, loyal to Dhinakaran, who had met state Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao on August 22 and expressed lack of confidence in the chief minister, a day after factions led by Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam merged.

Palaniswami and leaders of the unified AIADMK are locked in a turf war with the sidelined Dhinakaran and are opposing involvement of Sasikalas family members in the party and the government affair.

Dhinakaran had sacked a number of ministers, including Palaniswami, from various party posts.

Sasikala is serving a prison sentence after being convicted in a disproportionate assets case.

(With PTI inputs)

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Fashion brands should fix their "broken industry" by ensuring millions of pandemic-hit workers receive their full wages and by guaranteeing severance pay if jobs are cut, a coalition of more than 200 rights groups said on Monday.

The #PayYourWorkers campaign said brands and retailers that made a profit in 2020 - like Nike, Amazon, and Next - could stop garment workers "going hungry" and set up a severance fund by paying manufacturers the equivalent of $0.10 more per t-shirt.

"This is the minimum brands should do on the way to the living wages which must become the standard of a post-pandemic recovery," said Ineke Zeldenrust from the Clean Clothes Campaign, a coalition member. "This proposal is achievable."

Although manufacturers in some countries do pay workers severance if they lose their jobs, factory owners often come under pressure when a brand suddenly withdraws orders, which ultimately affects the worker, researchers say.

Fashion companies canceled orders worth billions of dollars in the first three months of the pandemic as COVID-19 shuttered stores worldwide, leading to wage losses estimated at at least $3.2 billion.

While orders picked up in the second half of 2020, some Western brands demanded price cuts and delayed payments to suppliers desperate for any orders to survive, campaigners said.

Amazon said in an emailed statement that it had honored all orders for its "U.S. and EU private-label apparel businesses" and created a $1.3 million fund last year to invest in organizations that supported workers impacted by the pandemic.

Nike, meanwhile, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation it had paid in full for finished products and was also working with institutions to support suppliers with financing opportunities and explore solutions to support workers in the supply chain.

Next was not immediately available for comment.

About 60 million people work in the textile, clothing, and footwear sector globally, and industry experts say falling sales have left workers, many of whom either lost their jobs or are being paid less than before, vulnerable to exploitation.

Nearly 10,000 workers from eight factories supplying to 16 fashion brands, which made a total of $10 billion in profit last year, are still owed wages, rights group the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre said in a study last week.

The coalition, which called on brands to publicly announce their support for its appeal, is made up of groups from 40 nations - including garment-producing nations such as Bangladesh and Cambodia - and international organizations like Oxfam.

In Cambodia, Sophorn Yang, president of the national trade union alliance, said workers there had lost millions of dollars in wages during the pandemic because of "brands' actions."

"It's time for brands to recognize the crucial position they hold," Yang said.
The Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has met Heads of the various agencies under the Ministry of Education.



The meeting, which was aimed at interacting with the heads, was also used to explain his vision which was basically about the transformation of the education sector in the country.



Transformation



Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum told the agency heads that his main goal was to fulfill the vision of the President who had set a bold national agenda for education transformation.



The transformation, he said, was crucial since education played a very important role in every facet of the economy, and that no country can develop without education hence the need for the best minds and talents to be developed to support the development of the country.



In attendance at the meeting which lasted about two hours, were Heads from the Ghana Education Service, the Ghana Library Board; the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, National Teachers Council, National Service Scheme, National Schools Inspectorate Authority and the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, among others.



Team work



The minister urged the various agencies to strive to work as a team and put in place the right strategies which could help in the attainment of the presidents agenda of transforming the nations education.



He pledged to operate an open door policy and urged the heads to always bring their views and ideas on board for the collective good of the ministry and the country as a whole.





The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday, March 5, 202I swore into office 28 ministers, including Dr Adutwum, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bosomtwe, as Minister for Education.



It is worth noting that Dr Adutwum was the Deputy Minister for Education from 2017 before being elevated as a substantive minister due to his excellent performance when he was the deputy minster.



The Chief Director for the Ministry, Mr Benjamin K. Gyasi, on behalf of the Heads pledged support to the minster to ensure that the Presidents dream of transforming the nations education would be attained.









Source: graphiconline.com









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Border Policy Focused on Bringing People in Quicker, Expert Says

The recent surge of illegal immigrants and unaccompanied minors attempting to cross the U.S.Mexico border can be directly attributed to the immigration policies enacted by President Joe Biden, according to experts and the administrations own officials.

Biden, who pledged on the campaign trail to reverse his predecessors immigration policies, refuses to describe the historically high numbers of illegal immigrants entering the country as a crisis, something that journalists have increasingly been pressing his administration on.

But some are starting to question what lies beneath the surface of whats going on.

I think the real question is, why are they doing this? James Carafano, vice president of the Heritage Foundations Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute, told The Epoch Times. And you could argue its actually a deliberate policy that theyre actually seeking to attract illegal aliens into the United States.

There are three data points that together help paint this picture, according to Carafano. First, its the policies that are clearly attracting an unprecedented number of illegal immigrants, such as the shutdown of the border wall, reinstating the catch and release policy, and the restriction of ICE agents ability to do their jobs, among other reversals of President Donald Trumps border policies. Then theres the H.R. 1 election bill, which includes a provision that noncitizen residents on a path to citizenship can vote in U.S. elections. And finally, theres an amnesty bill that places most illegal immigrants in the country on a path to citizenship.

Placing these factors together makes it very, very difficult to not argue theyre just literally trying to import millions of new voters they hope will vote Democrat forever, he said.

The additional resources that the Biden administration is sending to the border are not to secure the borderits to help move people into the United States faster.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki recently appeared to confirm that. At a March 11 briefing, Psaki responded to a reporter pressing her on the administrations refusal to call the border surge a crisis. The reporter noted there are thousands of unaccompanied minors in Border Patrol custody.

We want to expedite the timeline between when kids cross the border and when they are getting to sponsor homes, Psaki said. So our focus here is on getting to the root of the issues and taking actions, and we dont feel the need to play games with what its called.

In early March, it appeared that illegal immigrants were photographed donning T-shirts in support of Biden at the San Ysidro crossing port in Tijuana, Mexico. One of them held up a poster that read, Biden, please let us in! according to FOX10Phoenix.

Roberta Jacobson, the Biden administrations southwestern border coordinator, told reporters during a White House briefing that it acknowledged its new immigration policies may be driving the migrant surge at the southern border.

Surges tend to respond to hope, and there was a significant hope for a more humane policy after four years of pent-up demand, she told reporters.

She added that Bidens vision is to fix our system and make sure that we are better at dealing with the hopes and the dreams of these migrants in their home country.

Border Patrol apprehended 100,441 illegal border-crossers along the southern border in February, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). At the same time, another 26,000 people evaded capture, according to Jaeson Jones, a former Texas Department of Public Safety captain who received the provisional CBP data from internal sources, which were reviewed by The Epoch Times.

We are on pace to encounter more individuals on the southwest border than we have in the last 20 years, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandra Mayorkas stated on March 16.

Carafano said the Biden administration sees it not as a crisis, but an opportunity. When they say theres a challenge on the border, from their perspective, they see the challenge is that they dont have the resources to move people, illegal aliens, into the country fast enough, he said.

I think theyre absolutely trying to not be clear with the American people about what their plan is.

In a March 12 op-ed penned by Carafano and former Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, the pair argue that Bidens policy changes clearly signaled that Team Biden is not serious about border security or enforcing present immigration laws.

It is hard to believe that the administration did not foresee that their actions would spark a run to the border, the two wrote. Perhaps, the surprise has been how fast and how voluminous it has been.

Jeh Johnson, Homeland Security secretary during the Obama administration, said the country was truly in a crisis when referring to the border during a 2019 interview. Johnson said that when daily apprehensions surge over 1,000 people, it overwhelms the system.

My staff will tell you if it was under 1,000 apprehensions the day before that was a relatively good number, and if it was above 1,000 it was a relatively bad number  I know that a thousand overwhelms the system.

Border authorities are currently encountering 4,000 to 5,000 people daily, an unnamed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official told CNN on March 9, noting that just over 500 of them are unaccompanied children.

Under Bidens immigration agenda, construction of the US-Mexico border wall was shut down and ICE agents are now limited by narrower guidelines. The DHS is also suspending deportations of illegal aliens for 100 days with the exception of those who have either engaged in or are suspected of terrorism or espionage.

And as of Jan. 21, DHS no longer enrolls asylum seekers newly arriving on the southern border in a Trump program known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). Biden in January had promised on day one of a Biden presidency to eliminate President Trumps decision to limit asylum and end the program that ensures asylum seekers remain in Mexico while waiting for their claims to be adjudicated.

Carafano also criticized comments by the press secretary and other Biden officials who argue they are reversing immigration policies to make them more humane.

Well look, youre incentivizing illegal immigration, which by definition is inhumane, he told The Epoch Times. First of all, it massively puts illegal immigrants at risk. Its incredibly dangerous to come to the United States illegally across the border.

Theres not just the exploitation by the cartels, but the murder, robbery, and all other kinds of things, he added. And then youre intentionally encouraging policies that break up families, and they have reports of parents literally throwing their kids across the border. So this is not making the world more humane. This is essentially creating a massive civil and human rights crisis.

The higher concentration of illegal immigrants along the border has encouraged gangs to recruit some as drug mules, and kidnap others for money, said Cesar Peniche, the attorney general of Chihuahua, the state that shares the longest stretch of border with the United States.

Both Mexican and U.S. policy should be more clear-cut so as not to spur illegal immigration, he told Reuters.

Bidens new immigration bill would, among other policies, give an eight-year path to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants. Just hours after being sworn in, he sent an immigration bill to Congress that proposes opening a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants currently living in the United States.

Masooma Haq and Reuters contributed to this report.
Hollyoaks has teased the emotional moment Mandy Richardson (Sarah Jayne Dunn) desperately tries to persuade Nancy Hayton (Jessica Fox) not to tell the police that her daughter Ella (Erin Palmer) murdered Jordan Price (Connor Calland).

Mandy and Darren Osborne (Ashley Taylor Dawson) finally tied the knot on Friday, and in a new post-wedding scene set to air on Monday, a tearful Mandy begs Nancy to see things from her perspective, with Nancy accusing her of manipulation.

Nancy tells Mandy - who is still wearing her wedding dress: 'I would ever use my own personal heartache as an excuse to dump an innocent child in prison,'

Nancy's son Charlie Dean (Charlie Behan) is currently incarcerated for Jordan's murder making the blow-out all the more shocking.

Mandy has been desperate to clear her daughter's name ever since discovering she took Jordan's life, with her secrecy coming to a head on Friday when Darren came across a note from Charlie in which he threatened to expose Ella.

The letter, which was tucked into Ella's notebook, fell to the ground as Darren removed it from his pocket, wanting to go over his wedding speech.

Despite Mandy's best efforts, Darren read Charlie's letter, drawing the attention of Nancy, who overheard her son's name.

Tense: Hollyoaks has teased the moment Mandy Richardson (Sarah Jayne Dunn) desperately tries to persuade Nancy Hayton (Jessica Fox) not to expose Ella to police

Guilty: Mandy's daughter Ella (Erin Palmer) murdered Jordan Price (Connor Calland) and Nancy's son Charlie Dean (Charlie Behan) is currently incarcerated for the crime

In a preview of Monday night's episode, Mandy desperately tries to explain herself to Nancy, sobbing: 'Ella has been my constant. The only unconditional thing in my life.

'Through everything. All the chaos of Luke's drinking, my step-brother going off the rails. She's the only thing I'm proud of, and I want her to have a decent future.'

Fighting Charlie's corner, Nancy fiercely told Mandy: 'He's a teenager! He's frightened! He wants to come home.'

She also scolds Mandy for using the death of her first daughter Grace as an excuse for keeping Ella's crimes secret: 'I know about loss. My heart is scarred by loss. I am so weighed down by grief it is a struggle to get out of bed in the morning.

Lies: Mandy has been desperate to clear her daughter's name ever since discovering she took Jordan's life

'But I do it. And I would ever use my own personal heartache as an excuse to dump an innocent child in prison.'

Mandy insists that Charlie 'set Ella free,' adding: 'He's a lad. He's tougher.' The newlywed even goes as far as to suggest that Charlie wanted the crime to be pinned on him.

'Ella came clean a few days later. She didn't want Charlie to pay for what she'd done, but Charlie insisted. He was so brave and I've got so much respect for him,' she desperately told an appalled Nancy.

Anger: Nancy tells Mandy: 'I would ever use my own personal heartache as an excuse to dump an innocent child in prison'

Also on Monday, recovering drug addict Ollie Morgan (Gabriel Clark) is still determined to take down county lines boss Victor Brothers (Benjamin O'Mahony) with his friend Brooke Hathaway (Tylan Grant) unknowingly giving him an idea to gain back Victor's trust.

Meanwhile, Damon Kinsella (Jacob Roberts) tries to help Liberty Savage (Jessamy Stoddart) with her stage fright, but Liberty is certain her recent mental health battles have made her lose her sparkle.

Watch the moment Nancy confronts Mandy on Monday's episode on E4 at 7pm.
Tripoli, Libya (PANA)  The Prime Minister of the Libyan national unity government, Abdelhamid Al-Dbaiba, on Monday met with members of the joint 5+5 military commission in Sirte (center) to enquire about their needs, the press office of the chief of government said
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu and the Interior Ministry's Secretary of State for Parliament liaison and International Cooperation, Aurelian Paduraru, attended on Monday the informal virtual meeting of the EU Foreign and Home Affairs Ministers dedicated to the external dimension of migration.

Minister Aurescu stressed the importance of strengthening the link between the internal and external dimension of migration, in line with the integrated approach proposed in the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, as a key element for the efficient and sustainable management of migration.

Aurescu welcomed the strengthening in recent years of the EU's capacity to mobilize numerous instruments and policies, such as the new Neighborhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI), the Team Europe approach which was validated as a successful EU initiative in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, or the New Mediterranean Agenda.The Foreign Minister emphasized that a key aspect is the strengthened commitment of the countries of origin and transit and rendering them accountable for the goal of developing comprehensive, balanced and functional partnerships, and maintained that the EU must pay sustained attention to both the African continent - through an intensified cooperation with the African Union, which has developed its own framework on migration - as well as to the rest of the regions affected by migration, mentioning countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan as source countries, but also Western Balkan states as a transit region."The discussions also highlighted the crucial role of economic and social development in the regions affected by migration. In this context, the Romanian top diplomat stressed the need for complementarity between the goals of migration policies on the one hand, and international assistance for development and humanitarian support on the other hand, of which he said they should address the root causes of migration by supporting areas such as education, youth, job creation, climate change, health etc.," the release said.Minister Bogdan Aurescu concluded that talks on this complex file must continue in order to identify the most effective way of coordination between all relevant EU actors - institutions, member states, European agencies - in order to build a coherent and constructive approach to the profound consequences of migration. AGERPRES
While December results season is over for UK larger caps, it is a very busy week for UK small caps. Meanwhile, in an otherwise subdued week in the US, Dublin-based consulting giant Accenture is expected to be the highlight among the handful of tech related businesses reporting.

The week ahead

In the UK, we anticipate December final results from (LON: CCC), (LON: BGO), (LON: KRM), (LON: BOKU), (LON: KAPE), (LON: TRB) and Emis Group PLC (LON: EMIS) and interims from (LON: EYE). Meanwhile, (LON: OCDO) is expected to release a first-quarter trading update on Thursday.

Computacenter, the information technology services provider, reports its final results tomorrow. In its trading update in late January, the company increased its guidance yet again, with adjusted profit before tax in excess of 195mln, up from no less than 190mln in the December update. Total revenue grew by 8% or 3% excluding the impact of acquisitions, and the group closed the year with adjusted net funds, excluding IFRS16 lease liabilities, of around 188mln. The company said the positive momentum in trading showed no signs of slowing down, and its pipelines for both technology sourcing and services are as strong as at any time in the last year

Bango, the mobile commerce operator that connects payment providers, merchants, and app stores, releases its final results tomorrow. In its trading update in January, it said that revenue was ahead of expectations at 12.2mln, reflecting 70% growth, while adjusted underlying earnings (EBITDA) were expected to exceed 4mln. End-user spend jumped to 1.9bln, up from 1.1bln in 2019, boosted by global lockdowns, which drove more users online and accelerated the adoption of digital payments by merchants and consumers. The group finished the year with net cash of 5.83mln. Earlier this month, Bango announced the appointment of Matt Garner as its chief financial officer.

KRM22, which is focused on capital markets risk management, announces its final results tomorrow. In its January trading update, it said it expects to report revenue of 4.6mln, up from 4.1mln in 2019, while the EBITDA loss shrank to 0.1mln from 3.1mln. Annualised recurring revenue stood at 4.3mln at the end of December, reflecting constant-currency growth of around 5%, and the group ended the period with gross cash of 2.0mln and net debt of 1.0mln. In February, KRM22 announced a partnership with Kintail Consulting to address the area of people and culture risk in capital markets.

Boku, which provides direct carrier billing, releases its final results tomorrow. In its January trading update, it said it expects to report both revenues and EBITDA ahead of the current market consensus expectations. Revenues are expected to grow by at least 20% to US$56.3mln while adjusted EBITDA is expected to more than double to US$15.0mln. The company has progressed on launching wallets as a new payment method, initially to its existing merchants, with 11 wallets live supported with material volume growth, albeit off a small base. Since the update, Boku has announced several new partnerships, including with Microsoft for direct carrier billing payment method in South Korea & Saudi Arabia.

Eagle Eye, the marketing technology company, releases its interim results tomorrow. In its January trading update, it said it expects to report revenue growth of 8% to 10.8mln with adjusted EBITDA up 62% at 2.1mln. The group swung to a net cash position of 0.1mln at the period end. The company said the outlook for the current financial year remained in line with the boards expectations, notwithstanding the impact that the pandemic has had on the food and beverage and non-grocery customer segment.

Kape, the digital security and privacy software business, announces its final results on Wednesday with revenue at the upper end of management's forecasted range and adjusted EBITDA ahead of management's expectations. Revenue grew by 85% to about US$122.2mln, with recurring revenue representing around 89%, and adjusted EBITDA jumped by 168% to around US$39.0mln as the margin expanded significantly to 31.9% from 22.0% in 2019. Last week Kape announced the acquisition of Webselenese, a fast-growing Israel-based publishing business focused on consumer privacy and security content, for US$149.1mln on a net cash basis.

Tribal, the provider of software and services to the international education market, announces final results on Wednesday. In its trading update in January, it said it expects to report results in line with current market expectations that were upgraded in October. It expects to report a 7% dip in revenue to 73mln, with adjusted EBITDA easing by 3% to 14.9mln. More significantly, annual recurring revenue (ARR) increased by 12% over the twelve months to stand at 47.5mln, reflecting the groups strategy to make the transition to software as a service (SaaS). Last week, the company announced the appointment of Diane McIntyre as its chief financial officer, with effect from 1 June.

Emis, the healthcare software and systems company, announces final results on Thursday. In its January update, it said that following an improvement in the second half, trading for the year was marginally ahead of the board's expectations, with both revenue and adjusted operating profit maintained at similar levels to the previous year. The group retains a strong balance sheet with net cash of 53.0m at the period end.

Across the pond, it remains quiet on the earnings front with expected to be the highlight, reporting second-quarter (Q2) numbers on Thursday. Other tech-related companies reporting include PAR Technology, Yalla, Coupa Software, Crowdstrike, Jabil and Smartsheet.

Date Company Event Period ending 16-Mar Crealogix Final results 31-Dec 16-Mar Computacenter Final results 31-Dec 16-Mar Bango Final results 31-Dec 16-Mar KRM22 Final results 31-Dec 16-Mar Boku Final results 31-Dec 16-Mar Eagle Eye Interim results 31-Dec 17-Mar Kape Final results 31-Dec 17-Mar Tribal Final results 31-Dec 18-Mar Emis Final results 31-Dec 18-Mar Ocado Q1 trading 28-Feb 22-Mar Blackbird Final results 31-Dec 23-Mar Alfa Financial Software Final results 31-Dec 23-Mar Loopup Final results 31-Dec 23-Mar Accesso Final results 31-Dec 23-Mar essensys Interim results 31-Jan 24-Mar Keywords Studios Final results 31-Dec 24-Mar Interim results 31-Jan 24-Mar Final results 31-Dec 24-Mar Telit Communications Final results 31-Dec 25-Mar Learning Technologies Final results 31-Dec 25-Mar IQGeo Final results 31-Dec 25-Mar IQE Final results 31-Dec 29-Mar Quixant Final results 31-Dec 29-Mar Dev Clever Final results 31-Oct 30-Mar Dialight Final results 31-Dec 30-Mar K3 Business Technology Final results 30-Nov 31-Mar Seeing Machines Interim results 31-Dec Week of 29 Mar Mobile Tornado Final results 31-Dec April Supply@Me Final results 31-Dec 08-Apr Interim results 31-Jan 08-Apr Alpha FMC Trading update 31-Mar 12-Apr Quixant Final results 31-Dec 13-Apr XLMedia Final results 31-Dec 21-Apr Pennant Final results 31-Dec 28-Apr Final results 31-Jan 29-Apr Proactis Interim results 31-Jan April AdEPT Technology Trading update 31-Mar

Source: Data from regulatory news and company websites
 With a new Attorney General now in place, should we expect to see any changes in the federal prison population? | Main | Acting SG tells SCOTUS that new administration now supports broad application of crack retroactivity provision of FIRST STEP Act in Terry 

March 15, 2021

Georgia Supreme Court affirms discretionary juve LWOP sentence despite judge's statement it could not find juvenile "irreparably corrupt"

In the next few months, perhaps in the coming weeks, we should be getting an opinion from the Supreme Court in Jones v. Mississippi to help us better understand if Eighth Amendment jurisprudence requires a sentencer to make a specific finding about a juvenile before exercising its discretion to impose a sentence of life without parole. In the meantime, states continue to struggle with juvenile LWOP sentencing requirements amidst all the resentencings that had to take place after Miller v. Alabama prohibited mandatory LWOP for juveniles.

This morning, the Supreme Court of Georgia in Moss v. Georgia, S20A1520 (Ga. Mar. 15, 2021) (available here), addressed this issue in a case in which the sentencing court suggested it was impossible to make a certain finding about a juvenile defendant. Here is the start and a key passage from the unanimous ruling in Moss:

Jermontae Moss was convicted of felony murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and theft by receiving stolen property in connection with the shooting death of Jose Marin. On appeal, Moss contends that his trial counsel provided constitutionally ineffective assistance and that the trial court erred in sentencing Mossa 17-year-old juvenile at the time of the crimesto life in prison without the possibility of parole (LWOP) for murder. Neither of Mosss contentions has merit, so we affirm.... It is true, as Moss points out, that at one point in its lengthy order the trial court also opined on the role of the Divine in the ultimate judgment of a human being: This Court cannot find, in this case or in any other, that the Defendant himself is irretrievably corrupt or permanently incorrigible. And it is this Courts firm opinion that no court at any level is ever able to make such a determination; it is beyond human capacity. Only a Divine Judge could look into a person and determine that he is permanently and irretrievably corrupt; that he has reached a state from which there is no return, no hope of redemption, no hope of any restoration. (Emphasis in original.) But we do not view Miller or Montgomery  or cases from this Court applying Miller and Montgomery, such as Veal, White, and Raines  as requiring the trial court to conduct a metaphysical assessment of a juvenile defendant. Given the express determinations contained in the trial courts order and summarized in part above, we cannot say that the trial courts additional observations about the metaphysical  especially when viewed in the full context of the courts order  somehow rendered the trial courts analysis erroneous.

March 15, 2021 at 09:41 AM | Permalink

Comments

Besides the original sentencing issues, there is a separate set of cases involving the impact of Miller and Montgomery on parole hearings. To grossly oversimplify the issue, the question is, in light of the language in those cases about a realistic opportunity for release, how much of a factor can the original offense play in the parole decision after the juvenile offender becomes parole eligible.

On the one side of the arguments are the proponents of the traditional rules in some states that allow the parole board to decide that -- given the seriousness of the offense -- an inmate should have to serve a longer period after becoming parole eligible. In other words, if the juvenile's original conduct was bad enough, a parole board could decide that he should have to serve thirty-five years before release instead of twenty-five years.

On the other side are those pushing, on behalf of these offenders, for a rule that would limit the parole boards to considering the offender's conduct while incarcerated with a strong presumption for release when these offenders become parole eligible.

In the middle are those pushing for some kind of sliding scale where the offender's behavior in prison is measured against the original offense. For defendants with a lesser role in an offense with fewer aggravating factors, there would be a presumption for release. For offenders with a serious role in an offense with significant aggravating factors, the offender would have to overcome a significant hurdle to demonstrate that they had -- in fact -- changed for the better while incarcerated.

Posted by: tmm | Mar 15, 2021 10:26:07 AM

There are so many Graham/Miller implimentation issues that I suspect SCOTUS will keep avoiding as long as possible.

Posted by: Doug B. | Mar 15, 2021 11:32:20 AM

Post a comment
Following the release of the declassified US intelligence report on the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, there are signs that the US sanctions on the kingdom  alongside US efforts to reenter the Iran deal  could drive Saudi Arabia and China closer together.

The report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, released in late February, said US intelligence assess[ed] that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey, to capture or kill Khashoggi.

While no sanctions were imposed on the crown prince, the Saudi Royal Guards rapid intervention force and a former Saudi intelligence chief were put on the sanctions list. In addition, around 76 Saudi individuals suspected of having been facilitators in the crime were barred from acquiring US visas.

Sanctioning MBS could have rattled th US-Saudi strategic partnership at risk, and had implications for Washingtons foreign policy objectives in the Middle East. As Secretary of State Antony Blinken observed, The relationship with Saudi Arabia is bigger than any one individual.

However, there may be some new implications for US-Saudi ties in the days ahead. Though things may look normal, Riyadh has become the second US ally after Turkey to be affected by sanctions. Though symbolic in nature, the kingdom might feel differently about these restrictions if Iran finds its own sanctions removed.

With both Washington and Tehran making focused efforts these days to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the two sides could reach a consensus anytime. If this happens, Riyadh might feel compelled to make some symbolic move, and at that point, China may look appealing. Just like Riyadh relied on its neighboring Gulf Cooperation Council states for support when the CIA intelligence report was first released, it could reach out to Beijing this time.

For China, this might become a golden opportunity for increasing its soft power in the kingdom. Even at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, Beijing unleashed its so-called COVID diplomacy, including generous offers of vaccines to Riyadh once the worst phase was over. For sure, any space left by Washington is bound to be snapped up by Beijing, as it is trying to extend its presence in the kingdom.

There are several areas where Sino-Saudi interests currently converge.

First, economic cooperation remains the key in ties with Beijing. In recent years, Saudi Arabias trade ties with China have grown considerably. Riyadh has now become Beijings largest oil supplier with an export volume of over 2 million barrels per day.

Already, 35 bilateral economic cooperation agreements worth over $28 billion were signed in 2019 at a Saudi-Chinese investment forum in Riyadh; since then, a 100% increase was noted in Chinese companies entering the Saudi market.

In addition, the kingdom happens to be part of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative as well, and several large-scale construction and infrastructure projects  such as the worlds largest oil-fired power station in the port city of Yanbu by the Shandong Electric Power Corporation or the $667 million contract to build 5,000 homes in Riyadh  are already underway.

If China wants to gain more influence, it can also make large investments in the crown princes dream project  the $500 billion futuristic city of NEOM  and help make it a success. Meanwhile, Riyadh is also part of the China-Arab Space Silk Road and cooperates with Beijing in promoting the BeiDou navigation satellite system.

Complementing the main vision of the Saudi Vision 2030, the business possibilities between Riyadh and Beijing are simply endless. Adopting a China-related resolution at the foreign ministerial level, the 155th session of the League of Arab States Council on March 3 announced that Saudi Arabia will be hosting the first Arab-China summit this year.

Responding to questions at the press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, Going forward, China is ready to step up communication and coordination with Arab states and the League of Arab States, make good preparations for the China-Arab Summit, join hands to build a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era, and aim for new strides forward in the China-Arab strategic partnership for the benefit of our two peoples.

Second, Sino-Saudi military cooperation is another major sector, especially after Washingtons recent decision to limit arms sales to Saudi Arabia to just the defensive weapons category. As a result, Riyadh may be forced to look toward Beijing if it wants to obtain more lethal weapons.

According to a US intelligence report released in June 2019, Riyadh has already received Chinese help with its ballistic missiles program. During discussions on this issue in the US Congress, various lawmakers even recalled that the Saudi crown prince had vowed in 2018 to follow suit if Iran makes a nuclear bomb.

Having had a nuclear cooperation pact with Beijing since 2012, Riyadh does have a Chinese option. According to reports, China might be helping with the kingdoms nuclear program, as a facility for extracting uranium yellowcake from uranium ore was constructed recently. Last year, around the same time that US and Saudi officials were unable to reach a cooperation agreement for developing nuclear energy, this development was reported in The Wall Street Journal.

At that time, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia had voiced fears that this could result in a purported ally turning to China to accelerate a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Responding to questions about Beijings role in Riyadhs nuclear plans, Wenbin had simply stated that "China and Saudi Arabia are comprehensive strategic partners that maintain normal energy cooperation.

Though denied by the Saudi Energy Ministry as well, the existence of such a facility would signify that Riyadh wishes to reach a state of preparedness as yellowcake production is the main step for refining uranium fit for military as well as civilian use. When questioned, Saudi officials just acknowledged that Riyadh plans to build at least 16 civilian power nuclear reactors over the next two decades.

Finally, the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia is not very different from that in China. Nowadays, Washington has been stressing that Riyadh will have to work on improving human rights in the kingdom.

Specifically mentioning his concern over human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia, President Joe Biden affirmed the importance the United States places on universal human rights and the rule of law during a recent phone call to King Salman, according to a White House readout. Consequently, Riyadh might have to release the remaining activists in detention and introduce further legal reforms.

Having done away with a lot of conservative norms in the last two years, the kingdom has become much more tolerant. However, if the crown prince tries to modernize Saudi Arabia further, he could face criticism or even extremist backlash from influential conservative groups at home. If this happens, Riyadh might find it much easier to turn toward China, as Beijing also remains in the middle of human rights controversies constantly and has no objections whatsoever.

However, some major limitations will always remain in Sino-Saudi ties, as China does not wish to have a security role like the United States has in the Middle East. In fact, Washington continues to guarantee Beijings energy security in a very unpredictable region.

Meanwhile, the debate over the sanctions is not completely over yet, as pressure continues to build in Washington for taking some action against the Saudi crown prince. Various US lawmakers have initiated legal proceedings for holding the Saudi royal accountable. According to William Hartung, director of the arms and security program at the Center for International Policy, if such legislation is put in front of Biden, it would put him in a very difficult position as to whether to veto.
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[March 15, 2021]

Marshall Small Business Alliance Meeting to Feature Presentations, Breakout Sessions, Contract Support Process Updates

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 18, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, will host the 31st Marshall Small Business Alliance meeting. The virtual event will take place 9 a.m.-4:15 p.m. via Webex.

The event will include presentations from Marshall's Human Exploration Development & Operations Office and Science and Technology Office, as well as updates on acquisition and agency product service lines from Marshall and other NASA centers. Other topics will include a Small Business Program update, an update from The Catalyst Center for Business & Entrepreneurship, and an update on the Marshall Operations Services, Systems, and Integration contract.

There also will be three afternoon breakout sessions: "Doing Business with NASA"; "Doing Business with NASA Prime Contractors"; and "Challenges Faing Small Businesses Today."







Participants for the event include:

Rick Burt , Marshall deputy director

Jason Detko , director, Marshall Office of Procurement

Rae Ann Meyer , deputy manager, Marshall's Science and Technology Office

Nicole Herrmann , technical integration manager in the Human Exploration Development & Operations Office

Reggie Alexander , manager, Marshall's Partnerships and Formulation Office

David Brock , Marshall small business specialist

Media interested in covering the meeting should contact Janet Sudnik, public affairs officer in the Marshall Office of Communications, at 256-544-0034 or janet.m.sudnik@nasa.gov no later than 4 p.m., Wednesday, March 17.

For more than a decade, the Marshall Small Business Alliance meeting has aided small businesses in pursuit of NASA procurement and subcontracting opportunities. The meeting is sponsored by Marshall's Office of Procurement and Small Business Office.

To learn more about doing business with Marshall, please visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/about/business.html

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/marshall-small-business-alliance-meeting-to-feature-presentations-breakout-sessions-contract-support-process-updates-301247494.html

SOURCE NASA
On the second anniversary of the Christchurch terror attack, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has fought off accusations her government has failed to meet the needs of victims left behind.

On 15 March 2019, Australian Brenton Tarrant stormed two mosques, killing 51 men, women and children as they gathered for prayer services.

New Zealand's worst mass shooting united the country against the white supremacist sentiment that drove the terrorist.

New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern has defended accusations her government could be doing more to support survivors of the 2019 Christchurch massacre

It also devastated Kiwi families still struggling to come to terms with grief and lives turned upside down.

The milestone has brought to the surface a portrait of a community still much in need of care.

Many specifically want to see the availability of New Zealand's ACC cover - which covers all Kiwis for physical accidents - applied to those mentally harmed by the attack, allowing them compensation for lost wages.

Largely, those physically injured in the attacks have received ACC payouts - those who did not have not.

Many Kiwis have called on Ardern's government for compensation for those mentally harmed by the attack, currently only those physically injured have received ACC payouts

Ms Ardern's government has denied this on budgetary and precedent grounds.

'If we were to change that we'd change that for everyone,' she told TVNZ on Monday.

'They are eligible for support through our health system and through the benefits system.'

There's no denying a range of support is available, with around 200 individuals and families having had case managers with New Zealand's welfare agency to help with the range of support.

Brenton Tarrant (pictured) is the Australian man who killed 51 worshippers in New Zealand's worst modern-day mass shooting in 2019 and was jailed for life without parole

Ms Ardern said 'we've realised now we need to intensify that'.

'When families have said you can do better, we have tried to do better.

'I don't think anyone would fault us for the effort we've put in ... there has always been a huge amount of energy.'

New Zealand commemorated the shooting on Saturday with an emotive national remembrance service in Christchurch attended by around 1000 guests, including family of the dead.

Many in Christchurch's Muslim community are spending Monday with private services to remember the dead.
Published: 15 March 2021

Gross domestic product fell by 2.8 cent in 2020

According to Statistics Finlands preliminary data, the volume of Finlands GDP fell by -2.8 per cent in 2020. The fall became slightly revised from Februarys quarterly national accounts as the data on general government finances were updated (was -2.9 per cent). Households' saving rate grew in 2020.

Annual change in the volume of gross domestic product, per cent

Households' saving rate grew as a result of corona  disposable income increased slightly and consumption expenditure fell clearly

Wages and salaries received by households fell in nominal terms by 0.4 per cent to EUR 92.8 billion. In the previous year, wages and salaries went up by 3.5 per cent. Received social benefits other than social transfers in kind increased by 5.4 per cent to EUR 47.6 billion. This was particularly due to the 2.6 per cent growth in employment pensions paid to EUR 29.4 billion and the 38 per cent growth in unemployment benefits paid to EUR 5.0 billion.

Households' saving rose to EUR 6.9 billion (EUR 1.0 billion in 2019). This was affected by the 0.5 per cent growth in disposable income to EUR 133.1 billion and by the 4.6 per cent decrease in consumption expenditure to EUR 115.2 billion. Saving grew faster than disposable income as consumption expenditure fell clearly. As a result, households' saving rate grew to 5.7 per cent in 2020. According to preliminary data, households indebtedness rate rose to 133 per cent in 2020 having been 129 per cent in 2019.

Adjusted disposable income of households also includes welfare services, i.e. services produced by general government and organisations for households. This adjusted disposable income grew at current prices by 1.0 per cent and in real terms, that is, adjusted for price changes by 0.3 per cent in 2020.

General government deficit grew by over EUR ten billion

The financial position, or net lending, of general government showed a deficit of EUR 12.9 billion. In the previous year, the deficit was EUR 2.4 billion. General government deficit was boosted by expenditure related to the corona pandemic and the decrease in the accrual of tax revenue and social security contributions, the main individual items of which were reductions in corporation taxes and employment pension contributions. In 2020, the deficit was 5.4 per cent relative to GDP. Statistics Finland will publish the deficit and debt data to be reported to the European Commission on 21 April.

General government surplus / deficit by sector (EUR million) relative to GDP (per cent)

The deficit of central government was EUR 13.4 billion, while one year before it was EUR 2.7 billion. According to preliminary data, local government (municipalities and joint municipal authorities, etc.) was in surplus after a long time, EUR 175 million. Central government contributed to the costs of the corona pandemic in local government and the deficit of local government turned into surplus as central government transfers to local government grew.

The surplus of employment pension schemes contracted considerably as dividend income and received social security contributions decreased, to around EUR 429 million. The surplus does not include holding gains in assets. The financial position of other social security funds also weakened, being EUR 158 million in deficit.

Revision of quarterly national accounts

In connection with the March release, we have also updated the database tables of quarterly national accounts in accordance with the European revision policy. Compared with February, the data have partly become revised especially as concerns general government finances and the rest of the world.

Source: National Accounts 2020, premilinary data. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Tapio Kuusisto 029 551 3318, Jarkko Kaunisto 029 551 3551, kansantalous@stat.fi

Head of Department in charge: Katri Kaaja

Publication in pdf-format (254.5 kB)

Updated 15.3.2021

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Annual national accounts [e-publication].

ISSN=1798-0623. 2020. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 2.6.2021].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/vtp/2020/vtp_2020_2021-03-15_tie_001_en.html
In an interview with Factor.am, leader of the My Step faction of the National Assembly of Armenia Lilit Makunts said the factions position on snap parliamentary elections remains unchanged, that is, the faction is open and ready to hold discussions and take practical steps.

The Prime Minister has been holding talks with the leaders of the other parliamentary factions over the past week and will end meetings soon, and we hope to consider the options for future actions. In any case, the My Step faction has expressed its political will, Makunts said, adding that, in terms of the process, there is a procedure for snap elections which, in her opinion, the opposition parliamentary factions have indicated.

During the talks, we need to understand that they agree on snap elections. The ruling faction has put into circulation the Electoral Code, and if there are comments or objections, were ready to discuss them, she stated.

Makunts said she couldnt mention dates since the talks need to be held and confirmed the fact that the Prime Minister had had a meeting with the parliamentary faction at the government mansion yesterday, but didnt provide details.
SINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / March 15, 2021 / XinFin FinTech, an enterprise-ready hybrid blockchain technology company, is now set to launch its regulated XDC index following a strategic collaboration with the regulated index provider Vinter.

The Vinter XinFin XDC/USD Index is a key component to launch exchange-traded products containing the XDC token - the native utility token and fuel of The XDC Network.

Atul Khekade, founder of XinFin explains: "The XDC Network is a hybrid blockchain network empowered by the XDC digital asset for settlement purposes. XinFin focuses on regulated industries such as payments, trade finance, and capital markets. By partnering with Vinter, we bring our institutional partners a regulated index to develop their investment products on."

Jacob Lindberg, founder and CEO of Vinter adds: "Building a regulated XDC index is an important first step for XinFin to institutionalize its offering and to build financial products based on XDC. The index is designed to be tradeable and reliable."

Positioning XDC for Institutional Investors

The Vinter XinFin XDC/USD Index is a single crypto asset index that has been developed to provide a rules-based and transparent way to track the price of XDC in US dollars (USD). Both the administration and calculation are compliant with standards required by the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and the EU Benchmarks Regulation (EBR) - ensuring competent record-keeping and data integrity.

The XDC index methodology combines the best of traditional calculation methodologies, while making appropriate adjustments for factors such as liquidity, exchange stability and regulatory requirements.

With the crypto market still in its infancy, there remains a challenge to establish accurate indexing methods - however, Vinter has successfully overcome these challenges through its reliable and accurate indexing solution, making the Vinter XinFin XDC/USD Index an attractive proposition for investment funds, custodians, and investors looking to gain exposure to an asset that has appreciated by more than 2500% in the last year alone.

The index is set to be launched on the first of March 2021, following approval by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). Subsequently, the index will be available to trade on a regulated exchange platform.

About XinFin Network

The XDC Network - created by eXchange inFinite (XinFin) - is a delegated proof of stake consensus network (XDPoS), enabling hybrid relay bridges, instant block finality, and interoperability with ISO 20022 financial messaging standards, making XinFin's Hybrid Architecture developer-friendly. XinFin Digital Contract (XDC) is the digital asset that powers the The XDC hybrid blockchain network. The XDC token acts as a settlement mechanism for decentralized applications (dApps) built on The XDC Network.

Website: https://xinfin.org/

About Vinter

Vinter was founded in Stockholm in 2019 with the mission to further the global adoption of blockchain technology. For this, Vinter developed the first-ever crypto indexes in the Nordics approved by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). Vinter introduces crypto assets to the traditional financial industry, and reliable pricing and trust to the blockchain community. The products bridge the professional investment industry with the blockchain community. Vinter is a multinational team of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experience in cryptocurrency research and trading, data engineering, corporate law, investment banking, and structured products.

Website: https://www.vintercapital.com/

Contact:

Billy Sebell

Head of Ecosystem Development for Xinfin North America

billy@xinfin.org

SOURCE: XINFIN FINTECH PTE. LTD

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/635493/XinFin-Hybrid-Blockchain-Network-Taps-Vinter-to-Launch-Regulated-XDC-Index
On Monday, Shaun Ryan was escorted in chains and shackles from the Colbert County Jail to the Colbert County Courthouse for an arraignment hearing where he pleaded not guilty to three counts of capital murder stemming from a 2015 case.

Ryan pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity or mental defect for shooting into a car and killing Kayla Glover and Gary Wayne Baskins outside of Jody's Restaurant in 2015 in Muscle Shoals.

In the state of Alabama, if you shoot into a car killing someone, that can add an additional capital murder charge onto the case. That's why he's facing three capital murder charges.

Both families were in court and saw Ryan in person for the first time. It was an emotional day for them.

The district attorney's office has advised the families not to speak out on the case since the court process is now happening and they want to maintain the integrity of the case. Since this is a capital murder case, the death penalty is on the table.

Ryan is being held without bond. He has a long rap sheet including burglary, assault and drug charges in both Colbert and Lauderdale Counties.

Muscle Shoals police are being tightlipped on the case because it took years to get enough evidence to arrest Ryan for the murders.
Who would ever think that Vogue, the fashion industrys in-house bible, might be racist? Or that its editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, could be considered very racist indeed?

Might a rational person accuse one Chioma Nnadi, who runs Vogues website, Vogue.com, of also being racist, along with at least a dozen of the magazines most senior writers?

What about the person in charge of British Vogues Instagram account  a young woman called Lexxi Duffy? Is she guilty of casual racism, too?

I only ask because there is compelling evidence that, behind that glossy facade, Vogue must believe that its magazine, along with a great many of the senior journalists who run it, are indeed guilty of such crimes.

We can say this with some confidence because a week ago, an extraordinary article appeared on Vogues internet site chronicling the supposed viciousness of British Press coverage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Written by a British journalist called Hamish Bowles, it sought to argue that the UK media was institutionally racist and, more specifically, suggested that racist intent lay behind a decision by the Daily Mail to use the word niggling in the headline of an article about the couples engagement that was written by my colleague, Sarah Vine, back in 2017.

Last week, the Mail therefore wrote to Ms Wintour (right) asking Vogue.com to withdraw the extremely serious and unfounded allegation of racism regarding the use of the word niggling that was made in the article

Mr Bowles appears to think that because niggle has some phonetic similarities with the N-word, it must therefore carry racist connotations.

Furthermore, he seems to be suggesting that the editor who chose to use the term (it did not feature in the article) did so because he or she wanted to draw malign attention to Ms Markles ethnicity (which was also not mentioned in the article).

Its quite an allegation to make, in an era when such claims can end careers and, in extremis, land people in prison. Particularly since the Oxford English Dictionary correctly points out that the word, in fact, has several possible meanings, none of which dovetails with the one Bowles projects.

Indeed, the most common definition of the term is: to cause slight or persistent annoyance, discomfort or anxiety.

The OED records that it has been in use since the 1500s, when spelled nigle, and while its exact origin is uncertain, etymologists believe it may derive from Swiss German, or Scandinavian.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge used it to describe an illness in a 1796 letter. William Blake used the word to describe over-fussy artwork in an 1810 speech. Earlier, it notes, the Stuart dramatist Thomas DUrfey included the term to describe ungracious behaviour in a stage version of Don Quixote.

Written by a British journalist called Hamish Bowles, it sought to argue that the UK media was institutionally racist and, more specifically, suggested that racist intent lay behind a decision by the Daily Mail to use the word niggling in the headline of an article about the couples engagement that was written by my colleague, Sarah Vine, back in 2017

The point is that, contrary to what Mr Bowles claimed, there is no context historically in which niggle or niggling appears to have been considered racist by any qualified expert.

That may explain why it has been used on more than 3,687 occasions by The Times, and 2,268 times by the high priests of political correctness at The Guardian (the Mail has clocked up just over 2,000 mentions).

Last week, the Mail therefore wrote to Ms Wintour asking Vogue.com to withdraw the extremely serious and unfounded allegation of racism regarding the use of the word niggling that was made in the article.

On Saturday, the aforementioned Ms Nnadi wrote back stating that Vogue endorses the journalists view.

This is an opinion piece, she wrote of his article. We are agreed on the definition of the word (which Hamish noted within the story). At the same time, our editors concluded that Sarah Vines word choice was indeed surprising and jumped from the page.

Forget, for the time being, the fact that Ms Nnadis letter (falsely) accused Ms Vine of writing the headline in question. Consider instead a simple point: if the word niggling is indeed likely to be racist, as this senior Vogue editor seems to be arguing on behalf of her organisation, then her lofty title needs to take a very hard look at itself.

Why so? Well in common with most English language publications, Vogue appears to use the words niggle and niggling on a very regular basis indeed.

Take, for example, a post uploaded to Instagram before Christmas by British Vogue, whose social media is managed by Lexxi Duffy, a white woman. It read: Buying skincare products is always accompanied by that troublesome niggle: is this even going to work?

It was illustrated with a picture of a heavily freckled woman, believed to be a British model called Giselle Norman.

Was the post trying to suggest that freckles are troublesome? Was some wider racial slight intended? I very much doubt it. But by Vogues own logic, the use of the word niggle leaves it open to that very criticism.

Take, to cite another example, an article published on Vogue.com a few years back by Suzy Menkes, the hugely influential former editor of Vogue International, who has appeared on the U.S. TV series Project Runway and played herself in the 2016 Absolutely Fabulous movie. It notes that she has a niggle of concern about one of Meghan Markles favourite designers, Roland Mouret, and his latest catwalk show.

To illustrate the article, several photos of BAME models were chosen. Does this make Ms Menkes racist? Of course not. But Vogue might argue that it does.

Then, to pluck a third case study from thin air, comes the oeuvre of fashion pundit Tim Blanks, a white Canadian.

In the course of a single month, he used the word niggling no fewer than three times in catwalk reports he wrote for Vogue.

The racial connotations of the pets name were, of course, overlooked. And the author of this puff piece? Why, that would be Hamish Bowles (pictured)

He mentioned a niggling in the back of ones mind about Haider Ackermann, the Colombian-born designer who was raised in Africa. An intriguing question niggling about German designer Jil Sander. Plus a niggling sense that Cavalli hadnt quite pulled this one out of the bag. This final quote was a reference to attempts by photographer Ruvan Wijesooriya to create an art happening during the show.

Perhaps importantly, if you are one of Vogues moral arbiters, Mr Wijesooriya is of Sri Lankan heritage. Was Mr Blanks therefore racist to use the word niggling in connection with him?

Again, of course not. But by Vogues own twisted logic, we are entitled to argue that he was.

What makes the titles position still more hypocritical is the fact that Vogue has, in recent months, been the subject of a series of toxic race rows in which the culture at the very highest echelons of the organisation has faced severe, and seemingly justified, criticism.

It dates back to October 2020, when the New York Times published a highly critical article about editor-in-chief Anna Wintours attitude to race-relations, saying she oversaw a hostile working environment where women of colour, and especially black women, had been sidelined for decades.

The articles author had spoken to 18 black journalists who worked in Wintours office. They all agreed that Vogue, where the 71-year-old Briton has been in charge since the 1980s, favoured a certain type of employee  someone who is thin and white, typically from a wealthy family and educated at elite schools. Eleven of the journalists went so far as to call for her resignation.

What makes the titles position still more hypocritical is the fact that Vogue has, in recent months, been the subject of a series of toxic race rows in which the culture at the very highest echelons of the organisation has faced severe, and seemingly justified, criticism

According to the article, Wintour  who, to the apparent dismay of some woke employees is a Dame of the British Empire  had presided over a string of culturally offensive incidents in recent years, most notably when she used the term picaninny in a derogatory way to describe black models in an internal email about a 2017 photo-shoot.

The same year, it reported that Wintour had dismissed claims her magazine had glorified cultural appropriation in an article which had praised an appearance by reality TV star Kendall Jenner wearing fake gold teeth  popular with black rappers  saying: I honestly dont think thats a big deal.

A few months later, Wintour published a photo-shoot depicting white model Karlie Kloss in a geisha outfit.

Colleagues had warned her the images would again lead to allegations of cultural appropriation, but she refused to scrap the project due to its enormous expense.

Wintour also drew severe criticism for having failed to attend an important meeting on race relations, organised by Vogues publisher Conde Nast in June last year, despite serving as head of the companys diversity and inclusion council.

The New York Times article cited computer analysis of the average lightness of the skin tones of Vogue cover models during her reign. In one span, from 2000 to 2005, it noted only three of the 81 women featured were black.

Wintour took it on the chin: Undoubtedly, I have made mistakes along the way, and if any mistakes were made at Vogue under my watch, they are mine to own and remedy and I am committed to doing the work.

That apology cut little ice with Andre Leon Talley, a black fashion journalist who was once Wintours right-hand man and most senior black employee but who left in 2013 after a falling out.

Dame Anna Wintour is a colonial broad, he said. Shes part of an environment of colonialism. She is entitled and I do not think she will ever let anything get in the way of her white privilege.

Elaborating on the remarks during an interview with the Daily Mail, Talley added: At one point, I was the only black person on Annas staff. This statement, for me, is devoid of sincerity. It comes from the world of whiteness and privilege.

Anna probably feels that her apology will be a defining moment, but knowing her, it will soon be back to business as usual.

Shell click, clack, clickety-clack down the hall in her Manolo Blahniks and move on. Its a corporate stance, directed at future advertisers.

Fast forward to this weekend, and one of Wintours protegees, Alexi McCammond, the editor of Teen Vogue, was forced to issue a grovelling apology after tweets from a decade ago emerged in which she wrote about stupid Asians and swollen Asian eyes and used the words gay and homo as insults.

At least 20 members of Vogues staff have filed complaints about her past racist and homophobic remarks. Yet, for now, she remains in her job.

Its hard to square this fact with Vogues apparent conviction that the word niggling can be deployed as a racially loaded term and used to bully a mixed-race celebrity. But no one can accuse the fashion magazine of consistency.

Back in 2011, Wintours designer friend John Galliano was fired by Christian Dior after being filmed in a Paris bar making appalling anti-Semitic remarks and at one point declaring: I love Hitler.

Although he was later found guilty of a hate crime by the French courts, and shunned by most of the fashion industry, Ms Wintours magazine elected to stand squarely beside him.

And when Galliano returned to the catwalk in 2015, he was the subject of a hugely flattering 3,600-word Vogue profile in which he was not asked a single awkward question about the notorious incident.

Instead, the article declared that the designer had successfully struggled with his demons and hed found happiness with the help of his dog, Gypsy, his tiny Brussels Griffon.

The racial connotations of the pets name were, of course, overlooked. And the author of this puff piece? Why, that would be Hamish Bowles.
More Exposure Sites Added To Health Alert as Quarantine Worker Contracts COVID-19

NSW Health has published a new public health alert after a 47-year-old security guard, who worked at two quarantine hotels, the Sofitel Hotel in Wentworth and the Mantra Hotel in Haymarket, tested positive to COVID-19 on the weekend. This marks the end of NSWs 56-day COVID-free record.

In a media release on Monday, NSW Health noted that there were now 12 exposure sites, including two public transport routes under public Health Alert. They have also advised that anyone at Beverly Hills Pancakes on the Rocks 507 King Georges Road on Saturday, March 13, between 10:45 am12 pm to immediately be tested and isolate for 14 days regardless of the result.

According to Kerry Chant, the NSW Chief Health Officer, NSW Health believe a returning traveller infected the man from the hotel where he worked as a security guard.

The genomics is being done urgently, and we are expecting thatvery late into the evening or early tomorrow morning, Chant told the media on Sunday.

The security guard had already received his first Pfizer vaccine shot on March 2, with his second shot to be administered in a week. Chant warned that the Pfizer shot could not guarantee protection against COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP virus, for at least 12 days after the injection.

The New South Wales opposition has called the state Liberal government to make all hotel quarantine security guards work full-time so that they will not need to work across different places.

The role security guards play in hotel quarantine is too important, Labor health spokesman Ryan Park said on Monday. Its not going to be effective if guards are forced to take other roles in other parts of Sydney to make ends meet.

Responding to the new case in NSW, Victorian Health Department has announced in a media release that anyone who visited the site at specified times to get tested and immediately quarantine.

The department also said that as more information comes out, further NSW areas may be re-designated as red or orange zones.
President Joe Biden's nominee for deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget that was being poised to take the director's position reportedly equates abortions with "racial justice" and wants the Hyde Amendment to be removed.

Townhall reported on Saturday that senators are actually thinking twice of approving the replacement for Biden's nominee for the Office of Management and Budget Director, Shalanda Young, after her statements on the Hyde Amendment.

According to Townhall, Young replaced the original nominee of Biden for the post, Neera Tanden, who voluntarily withdrew her nomination after speaking against Republican lawmakers. Townhall, in its November report, cited a post by Drew Brandewie that Tanden had "zero chances" of getting approved of her appointment due to her "disparaging comments" on Republicans after Biden announced his nomination for her.

"Neera Tanden, who has an endless stream of disparaging comments about the Republican Senators' whose votes she'll need, stands zero chance of being confirmed," Brandewie, the Communications Director of Texas Senator John Cornyn, said in Twitter.

The person next in line to Tanden, Townhall said, was Young who originally received few negative criticisms was supported by both parties, especially with her good credentials. Young is a Clerk and Staff Director for the House Appropriations Committee and being a Deputy Staff Director for the same Committee that allowed her to oversee $1.3 trillion annual appropriation bills according to her profile on the Council on Foundations.

It turned out her credibility became questionable due to her stance on the Hyde Amendment, which protects American taxpayer money from being used for abortion excluding cases of rape, incest, or threat to a mother's life.

Townhall highlighted that Senators had second thoughts in affirming Young for stating that abortion is necessary for women since it is "a matter of economic and racial justice."

"The President has spoken in favor of Congress ending the Hyde Amendment as part of his commitment to providing comprehensive health care for all women. Further, eliminating the Hyde Amendment is a matter of economic and racial justice because it most significantly impacts Medicaid recipients, who are low-income and more likely to be women of color," Young told lawmakers during her interview with them.

Young's pronouncement changed the mind of Ohio Senator Rob Portman who earlier agreed in Young taking the directorship position, Townhall stressed. Portman, who is the Committee Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, decided otherwise since removing the Hyde Amendment would put on people's conscience the use of taxpayer's money for abortion while not everyone agrees on the issue on abortion per se.

"This is one where our country is so deeply divided on abortion, where we've been able to come together and decide, at a minimum, let's not tell people with a deep view based on their conscience on this, that they have to pay taxpayer funds for abortion," he explained.

A matter that Michigan Senator Gary Peters took to the defense of Young as a statement of facts during his interview with Roll Call.

"In her written responses, Ms. Young stated that ending the Hyde amendment is a matter of economic and racial justice because its impact is felt most among low-income women of color. This is simply a statement of fact," Peters told Roll Call. "But she also confirmed that she will follow current law, which includes the Hyde amendment. So I have a hard time following the objections of my Republican colleagues."

Roll Call reported that Young's nomination as Office of Management and Budget Director was voted against by all seven Republican members of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and by eight out of eleven Senate Budget panel members.

Despite Democrats pushing for Young's appointment, Biden has not nominated her for the post since there are a "range of individuals in the country who are qualified for the job, so we'll leave (the president) the space and time to make a decision about who he'd like to nominate as a replacement for Neera Tanden," according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki last March 4 as reported by CBS News.
Medical workers in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine as the country began its COVID-19 vaccination rollout on March 15. After being inoculated, the deputy director of Georgias national center for disease control, Paata Imnadze, expressed confidence that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe. The rollout extends to several other Georgian cities, with 29 vaccination centers already open and another 58 set to open in the coming days.
The day before the anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death, her boyfriend Kenneth Walker III filed a federal lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) and the officers involved in last year's fatal raid that seeks damages for violations of his constitutional rights, according to a lawsuit filed Friday and obtained by CNN.

The lawsuit stems from the flawed forced-entry raid at Taylor's apartment on March 13, 2020. Walker, thinking officers were intruders, fired one shot as officers broke down the door, hitting Sgt. John Mattingly in the leg, authorities said. The officers returned a barrage of gunfire throughout the apartment, killing Taylor and, according to a statement from the state Attorney General's Office, nearly hitting a family in another apartment.

Walker was arrested and charged with shooting at an officer, but those charges were initially dismissed last year and then dismissed with prejudice, or permanently, last week.

Filed in US District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on Friday, Walker's lawyers allege in the suit that LMPD officers violated Walker's Fourth Amendment rights when they executed the search warrant on Taylor's residence.

The suit alleges that the warrant was based on fabricated assertions; the raid was unnecessarily conducted in the middle of the night; the officers did not announce they were police; and the officers responded with excessive force. The lawsuit also alleges that officers carrying out the raid did not coordinate with Louisville Metro Police SWAT team, which, the lawsuit says, typically handles no-knock raids.

Further, the lawsuit levels broader criticisms at the LMPD, saying it permits officers to execute late night search warrants and routinely does so "regardless of circumstances." The lawsuit alleges that late night search warrants "predictably leads to dangerous situations in which the targets of searches mistake police for intruders."

LMPD said it does not comment on pending litigation. However, the officers involved in the raid have told investigators they repeatedly knocked and announced themselves before bursting through her front door with a battering ram.

Georgetown University Law Center professor Cliff Sloan, one of the lawyers representing Walker, told CNN in a statement Saturday that the lawsuit was important to vindicate Walker's rights.

"We are seeking to ensure that there is justice and accountability for the tragic and unjustified police assault on Kenneth Walker and killing of Breonna Taylor in her home in the middle of the night," he said.

Taylor's death has led to widespread protests against the ways police and the criminal justice system can devalue Black people's lives. Her death has also sparked a wider recognition of the dangers of forced-entry raids, both for a home's occupants and for police. The Louisville Metro Council unanimously passed "Breonna's Law" last June banning no-knock search warrants.

No officer involved was directly charged with Taylor's death. Former detective Brett Hankison, one of the officers who opened fire the night of the raid, was charged with three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment for allegedly blindly shooting into the apartment, endangering a neighboring family of three, according to a September 2020 statement from Attorney General Daniel Cameron. He has pleaded not guilty.

Joshua Jaynes, who had written the search warrant for the raid, was fired in January. His attorney said he planned to appeal the termination. Another detective involved in the raid, Myles Cosgrove, was also fired in January.
AXIS Insurance, the specialty insurance business segment of Bermuda-based AXIS Capital Holdings Ltd., has formed a strategic partnership with cyber security company Elpha Secure.

Cyber insurance and software protection will be offered to small businesses globally to help improve their cyber security, said AXIS in a statement.

A cyber security company built for the insurance industry, Elpha Secure offers Elphaware, a Software as a Service (SaaS) application used to mitigate the risk of common cyber threats. Elphaware provides small and micro businesses with the cyber security tools and protections that are expected in todays marketplace.

Todays small businesses have a need for efficient, effective solutions to manage their cyber risks, said Dan Trueman, global head of Cyber and Technology at AXIS Insurance.

Cyber risk mitigation requires sound insurance solutions balanced with resolute cyber security for the resiliency of small businesses and for long-term stability. The Elpha Secure team are innovators, having brought critical cyber risk mitigation solutions to small enterprises and micro-sized businesses, he added.

Elphaware provides small business owners with a suite of cyber security tools that work alongside existing security measures in a single, simple installation. The software has five primary features:

Secure, encrypted backups of critical data

Multi-factor authentication for remote access

Ability to restore compromised systems in hours

Creation of a virtual private network (VPN)

Insider threat and anomaly detection

Elphaware provides its users with fundamental cyber protection from social engineering and malware attacks, such as ransomware, and enables small businesses to recover quickly in the event of an incident, explained AXIS.

About AXIS Capital

AXIS Capital, through its operating subsidiaries, is a global provider of specialty lines insurance and treaty reinsurance with shareholders equity at Dec. 31, 2020 of $5.3 billion and locations in Bermuda, the United States, Europe, Singapore and Canada.

Source: AXIS Capital

Topics Mergers Cyber Commercial Lines Business Insurance Small Business
Recently, Telios representative visited N.T.N., a grocery store owner in Cau Giay district, Hanoi who had to undergo surgery for her left cheekbone and was at a loss of dealing with the high hospital bills.

Living on a small income with no allowances or benefits, me and my family exhausted our finances when I was hospitalised for surgery. Fortunately, with Telios timely support, we can pay our medical bills and ease the burden of treatment, said N.T.N., one of many grocery store owners who frequently use Telio as supplier.

Supporting and accompanying customers is Telio's core policy, said a company representative, adding, Telio Care is a part of our customer loyalty appreciation programme to strengthen relations with our retailers. We will roll out even more initiatives to support them.

The Telio Care  Trustworthy Companion support fund worth VND1 billion ($43,480) is the initiative of Telio  the B2B e-commerce platform connecting retailers and brands, supporting more than 15,000 retailers. Their distribution network is widely developed throughout the country, especially in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, providing retailers with diverse sourcing options, transparent pricing, and efficient delivery.

The Telio Care Support Fund targets providing support for income loss when retailers receive outpatient or inpatient care in medical facilities. This programme is more meaningful in these times when retailers are struggling due to COVID-19. Thus, any support is valuable, especially when sickness and hospital care adversely impact store owners business operations.

Under the fund's scheme, if a retailer fails to generate monthly revenue due to health problems, Telio Care will support them with VND5 million ($217.39)/month or VND10 million ($434.78) a month, depending on the actual business retailers are doing with Telio to secure the store owners normal income.

Telio, established in November 2018, is Vietnam's first B2B e-commerce platform to connect small retailers with brands and wholesalers on a centralised platform that delivers more choice, better pricing, and more efficient logistics. Telio was one of 17 companies in the inaugural cohort of Surge, a rapid scale-up programme launched by Sequoia Capital India earlier in 2019 for startups in India and Southeast Asia.
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Rich Isaksen has had no trouble catching fish during a pandemic.

Selling his catch, however, has been a disaster.

Isaksen is the president of the Belford Seafood Cooperative Association in Monmouth County, a collection of about 20 independent fishing boats. When governments around the region ordered restaurants to close in efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, demand for fish caught by people like Isaksen evaporated. Prices at the docks plunged.

In June, the fisherman was offered just three cents per pound for red hake, a fish that normally draws 50 or 60 cents per pound. It wasnt an isolated case.

Last week, I think they got $1.20 (per pound) for summer flounder, Isaksen said. Normally, thats like three or four dollars.

Wholesalers, to whom Isaksens co-op usually sells, tried to compensate for disappearing restaurant demand by peddling more to supermarkets and grocery stores. That helped some, Isaksen said, but he still estimates his 2020 income from selling to wholesalers was slashed in half.

The thing about the fishing industry, theres not a lot of people buying whole fish and cleaning them, Isaksen said. A lot of people are going to restaurants.

The COVID-19 pandemics fallout slammed New Jerseys multi-billion dollar fishing industry, especially in the early months, and Isaksens experience is just one example. Elsewhere, for-hire recreational fishing boats were stuck at the docks thanks to social distancing measures, while bait shops faced strained supply chains as the global economy underwent a sudden transformation.

Now, with vaccines and relief money being distributed, hope is slowly returning to the docks as anglers like Isaksen continue to tread water.

The $11 million life raft

The $2 trillion CARES Act, passed last spring, included $300 million for fishing industry relief. New Jersey got about $11 million of that money, which was made available through grants to the states fishing businesses. U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-6th Dist., said Monday he and the rest of the states delegation pushed hard for the money to be set aside.

This fishing industry often gets left behind, and sometimes has a more difficult time competing for a general pot of money, Pallone said. Therefore, there should be a carveout, if you will, for fishermen and fisherwomen.

Shawn LaTourette, acting commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, speaks during a press conference to highlight aid delivered to New Jersey's fishing communities as U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-6th Dist., looks on. Belford, N.J. March 8, 2021

After nearly a year of waiting for bureaucratic processes on two levels of government, that money was finally distributed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection last month.

As a steward of all of New Jerseys environmental and natural resources, its imperative for our Department of Environmental Protection to support our thriving fisheries throughout the state, which are important not just to our economic environment, but to our very identity as New Jerseyans, said Shawn LaTourette, the acting DEP commissioner.

Of the grants awarded, $6.1 million was awarded to the states commercial and aquaculture sector, while seafood dealers and processors were allocated $3.8 million. The recreational fishing sector got $1.1 million.

We dont like hand outs, we like doing it ourselves, but this year was really hard on us, said Dave Tauro, the general manager of the Belford co-op. Im just glad we got this money. Its a big help for us, it really is.

Not every business that sought a CARES Act grant was able to get one. Of the 112 applications received by the DEP, 89 were approved, according to records reviewed by NJ Advance Media.

Another $300 million for similar fishing industry relief grants was approved by Congress in December. Pallone said that money now has to be split up among various states, but he expected New Jersey to get about $11 million again.

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act signed by President Joe Biden this week, does not include more carveouts for the fishing industry.

LaTourette urged all New Jerseyans to support the states fishing businesses by buying local, and chartering trips on local boats. The state has created a Support NJ Seafood website to showcase businesses that sell seafood caught, grown or harvested in New Jersey waters.

Buying local seafood, chartering from our recreational community, these are great ways to support an industry that brings so much to our state, LaTourette said.

Lost demand, sinking revenue

Nationwide, fishermen have suffered dramatic declines in revenue during the pandemic, according to a federal report examining COVID-19 impacts on the seafood industry between January and July of last year. During that time, the nations commercial fisheries saw profits sink about 29%.

New Jersey was no exception.

In Cumberland County, Bivalve Packing Company harvests and sells oysters from Delaware Bay. The 75-year-old company is one of the last vestiges of a once-prolific oyster hub in Port Norris. Today, the company has about 25 employees, according to president Steve Fleetwood, making it one of the areas largest employers.

Bivalve Packing took a loan through the federal Paycheck Protection Program last spring, Fleetwood said, to help keep those employees paid. The company got another lift from the government this month, when it was awarded a CARES Act grant.

Fleetwood said the start of the pandemic was a very uncertain time, but he was impressed with how the wholesalers adapted. and he tried to help his business partners where as well, understanding that everyone was feeling the crunch.

I tried to help some of my good customers out somewhat on pricing and stuff like that, Fleetwood said. You always hope that when you make an attempt to help somebody out that they pass that on.

Fleetwood said budget tightening forced him to put off work on his boats, but he stressed he never believed Bivalve Packing would shut down because of the pandemic. He said the 80s and 90s were a much worse time for the oyster industry, as disease swept through Delaware Bay and ravaged shellfish stocks.

Its been a pretty tough year, Fleetwood said. But it didnt really compare to what Ive been through back then. We didnt have anything for three or four years to sell. Thats bad.

Fleetwood said hes hopeful for a better year in 2021, but he worries about the restaurants that cook most of his oysters.

Theres a lot of other people that that are worse off than I am, Fleetwood said. So Ive just been thankful.

Boston mackerel, farm-raised hybrid striped bass, sea bass, fluke and ling for sale at the Belford Seafood Co-Op in Middletown, N.J. on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Back in Monmouth County, another CARES Act grant went to the Belford co-op, which Isaksen said plans to use the money to help deal with lingering damage due to Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

Were on borrowed time. Thats the first thing were getting done with this money is the electric [repairs]. Because otherwise, well lose the building, Isaksen said.

(Once a business is awarded a CARES Act fisheries relief grant, there are no spending restrictions.)

Isaksen said some of the Belford boats that fished through the pandemic faced another problem: Too few fishermen.

They dont want to go to work  theyre scared to death, Isaksen said, noting that some fishermen had concerns about asthma and other preexisting conditions. I know a lot of fishermen that died from it. That scares everybody.

Months stuck on shore

The fishing industry comprises more than those who catch fish for the masses. Charter boat captains and bait shops around the state are a big part of the Shores tourism economy, and theyre supported by hobbyists looking to relax with a day on the water.

But that business, too, dried up as the rest of society was locked down. COVID-19 restrictions put charter boats out of business for two months last spring, just as seasons for prized fish like fluke and striped bass were heating up.

Charter boat trips in the northeast plummeted 97% in March and April, according to the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration. Business picked up as social distancing rules were loosened in May and June, but the number of trips in the region remained well below normal.

Tim Ferrara operates the T-Wrecks charter boat out of Farley State Marina in Atlantic City. He estimates his business sank 40% during the pandemic.

I just assumed I wasnt going to make much this year, and I lived my life that way, Ferrara said.

The financial squeeze hit Ferrara hardest early in the 2020 season. After a strong 2019, he made major investments in his boat, he said, and those bills were coming due as his ability to generate income was cutoff.

Ferrara said he took a federal small business disaster loan to stay afloat at the start of the pandemic, when he couldnt operate at all. Hell have to pay that back, but he has 30 years to do so and he said that shouldnt be a problem. Hes happy to have gotten some of the CARES Act money as well.

I just got the grant now, Ferrara said. I really couldve used it earlier on, but Im grateful it was there.

Mike Scardigno, captain of the Mi-Jo II charter boat in Atlantic Highlands, was stuck in a similar situation after making improvements to his boat in the offseason.

We put money into the boat, Scardigno said. I bought some things I needed and this and that. And then when it came to this, all of a sudden it was like Oh, s***. how are we going to pay for all of this now? It hurt us.

Before the pandemic, the Mi-Jo II typically hosted about 70 customers on a normal trip. The boat was popular for companies seeking corporate outings for their employees. Scardigno said he was caught in a bind last spring, when he had to refund deposits on canceled company trips while his boat was tied to the dock.

Some charter boats have closed for good during the pandemic. Scardigno said he knows at least three slips are open in Atlantic Highlands  vacant marina space that was once unheard of.

I remember when I got in business 34 years ago, you had to be on a list for either a charter boat or a party boat and hope someone would get out so you could move up the list, Scardigno said.

Ferrara understands the restrictions placed on his business. He said he knows people whove gotten severely ill from COVID-19, and he fears what would happen to him if he got the disease.

The whole time Im out there, Im scared, Ferrara said. Im 53 and Im fat, so that puts me in the category of If Im going to get it, Im going to die.

The economic pain extends beyond the docks. The bait and tackle shops that serve recreational anglers took a hit as well, especially when the state closed in-person shopping.

Jung Kim has owned Freds Bait and Tackle in South Amboy with his wife Christine for 35 years. Jung said his business plunged about 65% in 2020, and he found himself squeezed by the supply chains issues that have spread around the world.

Nobody was delivering anything, he said. So our walls were getting emptier and emptier and emptier and emptier. Now were almost barren.

The Kims worried theyd have to close Freds for good. The business pre-dates their ownership, and the couple didnt want to disappoint their regulars.

I was very sad, because Im taking care of third-generation of original customers, Jung Kim said. These guys are bringing in their children and their grandchildren. And I want to see their great grandchildren, if we stay longer.

The Kims were able to get a CARES Act grant this month. Jung Kim said the money will help him finally put new merchandise on the wall, and keep the doors open as the economy bounces back.

We survived the biggest calamity we have ever experienced. Hurricane Sandy was bad, but it was nothing compared to [this], he said. It would be a ghost town around here if it wasnt for the help. So Im feeling very positive and optimistic for the future.

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

Michael Sol Warren may be reached at mwarren@njadvancemedia.com.
Danone said Monday it had dismissed its chairman after months of complaints from foreign shareholders about the French food and drinks giant's underperforming share price.

Activist investors took aim at Emmanuel Faber, who became Danone's boss in 2017, and his management team, demanding his departure and a revamp at the top as the company struggles to plot a post-Covid recovery strategy.

Danone is a household name in France mostly for its eponymous yogurts and other dairy products, but its business portfolio also includes waters such as Evian and Volvic, baby foods and medical nutrition.

Last month, US fund Artisan Partners said it had built up a sizeable stake in Danone in the hope of prompting strategy and personnel changes, weeks after another hedge fund, London-based Bluebell Capital, revealed it had also acquired shares to force changes.

During Faber's reign at Danone -- which is one of Europe's biggest food companies and in the world top 20 -- it added a mission statement to its statutes saying it would combine profitability with social responsibility and environmental targets.

- 'Irritated markets' -

"We want finance to serve the economy, and the economy to serve the people," Faber once said, a view that one unnamed analyst said "certainly irritated financial markets a bit".

Faber's departure prompted a flurry of media and social media reactions, with concerned commentators wondering about the future of French capitalism and attempts to be more socially responsible in a globalised world of finance.

"Emmanuel Faber defeated by the law of the markets," read a headline in left-leaning daily Liberation which said Faber had been "brutally dismissed".

Le Monde called his departure "another thunderclap in the heart of French capitalism".

But despite Faber's professed care for social issues, Danone in November announced plans to lay off around 2,000 of its 100,000 employees worldwide as part of a project to "reinvent" the company -- and stem a decline in the share price which dropped by about a third in 2020.

Story continues

Sales fell 6.6 percent last year to 23.6 billion euros ($28.1 billion) in the context of Covid.

- 'Lot of push' -

"Emmanuel Faber leaving is connected with the negative results presented by Danone in their annual results," said Maria Mascaraque, an analyst at Euromonitor, a market research firm.

"There has been a lot of push coming from key Danone stakeholders and I think the reason is that other food competitors reported positive sales in their annual results," she told AFP, citing the food sector's world leader Nestle as an example.

"Unfortunately, the financial performance of Danone is not consistent with the quality of its assets," Artisan wrote to other shareholders in February, adding that it had spent some $1.6 billion to take a stake of over three percent in the firm to make it the third-largest shareholder.

Artisan called for a spinoff of Danone's bottled water division and which suffered a steep sales decline as Covid restrictions hit restaurants and cafes, the main outlets for the business.

Ahead of Monday's move, investors had already split Faber's dual roles of both board president and chief executive to improve accountability.

- 'Desires for change' -

While searching for a replacement "with an international profile", Danone named a trio of top managers to head the firm.

In a statement, Danone's board said it still "believes in the necessity of combining high economic performance and the respect of Danone's unique model of a purpose-driven company".

The Paris stock market welcomed Faber's departure, with Danone shares trading close to four percent higher in early afternoon Monday, making it the strongest riser among French blue chips.

The share jump was "proof of the desires for change and has built back investors' confidence", said Mascaraque, adding that "decisions need to be made on what are the priorities for the future growth of the company".

Brokers Oddo BHF upgraded their view of the stock to "neutral" from "underperform", saying Faber's departure would diminish the group's "management discount" and "open the path towards a more constructive approach".

burs-jh/adp/rl
Like 2020 never happened, the Bay Area real estate market is surging again.

Buyers  restless from the pandemic and eager to take advantage of low interest rates  are bringing in multiple offers over asking, sending sales of single family homes across the region soaring.

"The market is hot going into spring," Vanguard agent Alan Thuma told SFGATE. "Like always it's a tale of many markets, with the single-family homes being the most sought-after properties, especially those in $1-2 million range."

Real estate brokerage Compass characterized San Francisco's market as coming "in with a vengeance in early 2021, especially within the city's house market," in a recent report that revealed the year-over-year active listings for houses and condos was up 66% for February.

As the shift to remote work becomes the new normal, many of these buyers are looking for single family homes and second bedrooms over smaller units. Though condos with any extra space for new owners spending more time than ever at home are also in demand.

"Condominiums that offer alternatives to single-family homes, with deeded outdoor space and home-office potential can be as hot as single-family homes," said Thuma.

Sales of existing single-family homes in the Bay Area rose 36% in January, as buyers hunted for bargains and suburban space, reports the San Jose Mercury News. Median sale prices jumped nearly 16 percent to $860,000 in eight Bay Area counties, driven by a thin inventory and eager buyers.

One year on from coronavirus upending the market, condo sales in San Francisco are up 64%, year-over-year, as buyers seek out deals and start to see the end of pandemic restrictions.

In Alameda County, data from the California Association of Realtors revealed the median home price surged 21% to $1.06 million  the 7th consecutive month the countys median home sale prices have topped $1 million.

The rise in buyers combined with scant inventory has led to a surge in offers particularly in the $1 - $2 million range.

Santa Clara-based agent Alan Wang told the Mercury News that the January surge in buyers was more bullish than hes seen in nearly two decades. The aggression of the buy side is shocking to us, Wang said.

This was exemplified in one of his clients, a family who bid on a single-family home in Dublin, discovering they were one of 49 offers on the house. The four-bedroom home sold for about $400,000 over the $1.7 million listing price.

And as for the much reported Bay Area pandemic exodus? There may be signs that the tide is returning to San Francisco.

"We're even starting to see buyers who left the city make their returns," said Thuma, "after moving away during the pandemic."
Id like to wish all you math nerds reading this on or around March 14 a Happy Pi Day.

Since 2010, my family has celebrated the 3.14 calendar date by hosting a neighborhood pie-eating blowout in my backyard. (Sadly, no party this year. #ThanksCOVID.)

Pi Day also reminds me of the one and only time I participated in a Kickstarter campaign. In 2013, via Kickstarter, I pledged $15 to a stranger on the internet who promised to manufacture metallic baking pans in the shape of the pi symbol. Obviously, I had to have one. A few months later, he delivered. Ive been the happiest Pi Day nerd in the world ever since.

Kickstarter, launched in April 2009  during the depths of the Great Recession  offered an entirely new way to fund creative ideas. Kickstarter quickly became a brand that sounds less like a company and more like a way to do things, kind of like Kleenex and Zipper started as brands but then just became the word for a thing we all need.

But the company is real  its not just a word. Kate Bernyk, senior director of communications, says Kickstarter has been profitable since the beginning and currently employs 90 people.

The largest category of Kickstarter projects are games, followed by art, design, film, music, fashion and comics. The typical Kickstarter fundraiser is an artist, musician, builder/designer or author  someone who has something new and experimental but doesnt have the funding to make it happen.

Kickstarter does not allow backers to fund traditional businesses through a loan or ownership in a business. There are other online funding platforms for that. But many businesses use Kickstarter to experiment with new project ideas and product lines.

Austin-based camping equipment marker Kammok launches product designs on Kickstarter, with nine successfully funded products, including a two-person tent, a hammock tent, sleeping bags and quilts.

Necessity as the mother of invention led to a new use for Kickstarter in the past year. Bars turned to Kickstarter to market private-venue rental events and fund the creation of branded swag. The COVID-era version of projects on Kickstarter became known at the company as LightsOn, because thats what businesses needed to do this past year  keep the lights on.

Kickstarter does not do fundraising for purely philanthropic projects. There are other online funding platforms for that as well. And yet a clear social-mission orientation drives a huge number of projects on the platform. Bernyk pointed me proudly to the companys corporate charter as a public benefit corporation. This is a state designation Id never heard of before. It indicates a kind of additional bottom line beyond profit, one that includes social values, support for artists, transparency and other dont be evil company practices.

That is not to say that people and businesses cant make money with Kickstarter.

I contacted the producer of the Pi Pan, not realizing hes from my hometown, San Antonio. Garrett Heath says he and his partners made money from Pi Pans. And they continue to sell Pi Pans on Amazon, which he says provides a small but welcome income every year. Hes enthusiastic about Kickstarters role in helping them pay for a manufacturing mold and large purchase order that they otherwise could not have funded.

Kickstarter charges 5 percent of the money raised for each project. That is the companys entire revenue stream, according to Bernyk.

They update stats on their website everyday. Heres where Kickstarter stood recently: $5.08 billion raised in total for 197,579 projects, and a 38.5 percent success rate on projects launched.

Since 2012, the company has successfully facilitated funding for 18,000 to 22,000 projects per year. More than 500 projects have raised over $1 million; this includes some high-profile movies and documentaries.

The Hog Book: A Chefs Guide to Hunting, Preparing and Cooking Wild Pigs got funded recently through a $45 pledge per donor. It is scheduled for delivery in April. The Hog Book is a project coming out of Texas, because, duh, obviously. I assume youre going to want to order that book for Texas Hog Day, which happens in April every year? (OK, I just made that holiday up.)

The defining characteristic of a Kickstarter project is that its time-limited, with a clear beginning, middle and end.

Kickstarters success supports one of my counterintuitive but strongly held beliefs about money. Namely, there is always more money available than there are good ideas to fund. Wealthy philanthropists know this. Venture capitalists and angel investors know this. They always suffer from too much money and too few good ideas.

Now, regular people mostly walk around with a scarcity mindset  the I wish I had more money mindset. Whenever I have a brilliant idea, my next thought is, Well, but where would I get the money for that?

That should not limit creative people. Since Kickerstarters launch in 2009, the money part has largely been taken care of, at least for certain types of creative projects.

As for Heath, hes pleased with the realization of his brilliant idea, made possible by Kickstarter.

It was a great experience, he said. It opened up the doors to make something cool and something relatable that people love. Those Pi Pie pans will be around for an irrationally long time.

I see what he did there. Heath is officially invited to my next Pi Day Party on March 14, 2022. As are all of you. Entry fee: Bring a pie for every 3.14 guests. Extra props if you bake the pie in a pi-shaped pan.

Michael Taylor is a columnist for the San Antonio Express-News and author of The Financial Rules for New College Graduates.

michael@michaelthesmart

money.com |twitter.com/michael_taylor
DUBLIN, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Antifreeze Market Forecast to 2027 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Product Type, Technology Type, and Application (Automobile, Construction, Electronics, and Others)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

According to this report the global antifreeze market was valued at US$ 6,280.33 million in 2019 and is projected to reach US$ 9,603.41 million by 2027; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.6% from 2020 to 2027. The report highlights key factors driving the market growth and prominent players along with their developments in the market.



Antifreeze is a type of additive that helps in lowering the freezing point in a water-based liquid. A mixture of antifreeze is used to obtain freezing point depression for cold environments. Antifreeze are used to increase the boiling point of a liquid and provide higher coolant temperature. It is mainly deployed in automobiles for the altering the freezing point and the boiling point of coolants in the combustions placed internally in the liquid cooled engines. Antifreeze can be developed from organic acid, azoles, and inorganic salts or from the combination of these. It helps in preventing rigid enclosures from bursting when they expand due to freezing. The study also takes into consideration coolants, which are significantly obtained by mixing antifreeze into water usually at a 50-50 ratio. The ethylene glycol antifreeze is used as a base to create the liquid that is pumped into the vehicle engine for regulating and maintaining the optimum operating temperature during the extreme cold or hot temperatures. The companies are offering more products in accordance with coolants as compared to antifreeze.



Increasing demand for high performance vehicles is driving the market growth. The use of highly potential and advanced engine in the car offers better competency in terms of its overall weight, acceleration, and high performance quality. The high performance vehicles are gaining momentum owing to their aerodynamic builds, sticky tires, smart suspensions, and fortified brakes. The high performance cars have high requirement for automotive antifreeze or coolants as they help in managing the excessive heat generated by engines and other components of vehicles.

Antifreeze also maintain temperature by protecting the cooling systems from overheating during extreme heat conditions and from freezing during the winters. They prevent rust and corrosion and engine failure, as well as extend the life of the engine components. The high performance cars have experienced a surge in sales in the past few years. For instance, as per a report published by the University of Groningen, the Mercedes Benz car division sold a total of 2,339,562 cars in 2019 in spite of the difficult situation. The growth in its sales was due to the huge market success of their new compact-class models together with the continued strong demand for the E-class and SUVs. Antifreeze plays a crucial role in such high performance vehicles, which helps in regulating the engine during extreme temperatures and in maintaining the heat produced by the components. Thus the rising demand for the high performance vehicles drives the growth of the antifreeze market.



A few of the major key players operating in the global antifreeze market are Spec Amsoil Inc.; BP p.l.c; Chevron Corporation; BASF SE; CCI Corporation.; Old World Industries, LLC; Prestone Products Corporation; Total; Exxon Mobil Corporation; and Royal Dutch Shell Plc.



The COVID-19 outbreak was first reported in Wuhan (China) during December 2019. As of January 2021, the US, India, Brazil, Russia, France, the UK, Turkey, Italy, and Spain are among the worst affected countries in terms of confirmed cases and reported deaths. According to the latest WHO figures updated in January 2021, there are ~83,322,449 confirmed cases and 1,831,412 total deaths globally. The COVID-19 crisis is affecting economies and industries in various countries due to lockdowns, travel bans, and business shutdowns. The global chemicals & materials industry is one of the major industries suffering serious disruptions such as supply chain breaks, technology events cancellations, and office shutdowns.

For instance, China is the global manufacturing hub and largest raw material supplier for various industries, and it is also one of the worst affected countries. The lockdown of various plants and factories in China is restricting the global supply chains and disrupting manufacturing activities, delivery schedules, and various chemicals & materials sales. Various companies have already announced possible delays in product deliveries and slump in future sales of their products. In addition, the global travel bans imposed by countries in Europe, Asia, and North America are hindering the business collaborations and partnerships opportunities. All these factors are anticipated to hamper the chemicals & materials industry, which would restrain the growth of antifreeze market in the coming months.



Reasons to Buy

Highlights key business priorities to assist companies realign their business strategies.

Features key findings and crucial progressive industry trends in the global antifreeze market, thereby allowing players to develop effective long-term strategies.

Develops/modifies business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering from developed and emerging markets.

Scrutinizes in-depth market trends as well as key market drivers and restraints.

Enhances the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to products, segmentation, and industry verticals.

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 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. Antifreeze Market Landscape

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 PEST Analysis

4.2.1 North America

4.2.2 Europe

4.2.3 APAC

4.2.4 MEA

4.2.5 SAM

4.3 Expert Opinion



5. Antifreeze Market - Key Market Dynamics

5.1 Market Drivers

5.1.1 Upsurge in the Demand for High Performance Vehicles

5.1.2 Rising Use of Antifreeze in Non-Automotive Applications

5.2 Market Restraints

5.2.1 Harmful Environmental Effects and Fluctuating Raw Material Prices

5.3 Market Opportunities:

5.3.1 Development of Eco-Friendly and Bio-Based Antifreezes

5.4 Future Trends:

5.4.1 Rising Demand from the Aerospace Sector

5.5 Impact Analysis of Drivers and Restraints



6. Antifreeze - Global Market Analysis

6.1 Antifreeze Market Overview

6.2 Antifreeze Market -Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

6.3 Market Positioning - Global Market Players



7. Antifreeze Market Analysis - By Product Type

7.1 Overview

7.2 Antifreeze Market, By Product Type (2019 and 2027)

7.3 Ethylene Glycol

7.3.1 Overview

7.3.2 Ethylene Glycol: Antifreeze Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

7.4 Propylene Glycol

7.4.1 Overview

7.4.2 Propylene Glycol: Antifreeze Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

7.5 Glycerin

7.5.1 Overview

7.5.2 Glycerin: Antifreeze Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

7.6 Methanol

7.6.1 Overview

7.6.2 Methanol: Antifreeze Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)



8. Antifreeze Market Analysis - By Technology Type

8.1 Overview

8.2 Antifreeze Market, By Technology Type (2019 and 2027)

8.3 Organic Acid Technology Antifreeze (OAT)

8.3.1 Overview

8.3.2 Organic Acid Technology Antifreeze (OAT): Antifreeze Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

8.4 Inorganic Acid Technology Antifreeze (IAT)

8.4.1 Overview

8.4.2 Inorganic Acid Technology Antifreeze (IAT): Antifreeze Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

8.5 Hybrid Organic Acid Technology (HOAT)

8.5.1 Overview

8.5.2 Hybrid Organic Acid Technology (HOAT): Antifreeze Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)



9. Antifreeze Market Analysis - By Application

9.1 Overview

9.2 Antifreeze Market, By Application (2019 and 2027)

9.3 Automobile

9.3.1 Overview

9.3.2 Automobile: Antifreeze Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

9.4 Construction

9.4.1 Overview

9.4.2 Construction: Antifreeze Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

9.5 Electronics

9.5.1 Overview

9.5.2 Electronics: Antifreeze Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

9.6 Others

9.6.1 Overview

9.6.2 Others: Antifreeze Market - Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)



10. Antifreeze Market - Geographic Analysis

10.1 Overview

10.2 North America: Antifreeze Market

10.3 Europe: Antifreeze Market

10.4 Asia Pacific: Antifreeze Market

10.5 MEA: Antifreeze Market

10.6 SAM: Antifreeze Market

11. Overview- Impact of COVID-19

11.1 North America: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic

11.2 Europe: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic

11.3 Asia-Pacific: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic

11.4 Middle East and Africa: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic

11.5 South America: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic



12. Industry Landscape

12.1 Overview

12.2 Strategy & Business Planning

12.1 Product News



13. Key Company Profiles

13.1 Amsoil Inc.

13.1.1 Key Facts

13.1.2 Business Description

13.1.3 Products and Service

13.1.4 Financial Overview

13.1.5 SWOT Analysis

13.2 Bp p.l.c.

13.2.1 Key Facts

13.2.2 Business Description

13.2.3 Products and Services

13.2.4 Financial Overview

13.2.5 SWOT Analysis

13.3 Chevron Corporation

13.3.1 Key Facts

13.3.2 Business Description

13.3.3 Products and Services

13.3.4 Financial Overview

13.3.5 SWOT Analysis

13.4 BASF SE

13.4.1 Key Facts

13.4.2 Business Description

13.4.3 Products and Services

13.4.4 Financial Overview

13.4.5 SWOT Analysis

13.5 CCI Corporation

13.5.1 Key Facts

13.5.2 Business Description

13.5.3 Products and Services

13.5.4 Financial Overview

13.5.5 SWOT Analysis

13.6 Old World Industries, LLC

13.6.1 Key Facts

13.6.2 Business Description

13.6.3 Products and Services

13.6.4 Financial Overview

13.6.5 SWOT Analysis

13.7 Prestone Products Corporation

13.7.1 Key Facts

13.7.2 Business Description

13.7.3 Products and Services

13.7.4 Financial Overview

13.7.5 SWOT Analysis

13.8 Exxon Mobil Corporation

13.8.1 Key Facts

13.8.2 Business Description

13.8.3 Products and Services

13.8.4 Financial Overview

13.8.5 SWOT Analysis

13.9 Total

13.9.1 Key Facts

13.9.2 Business Description

13.9.3 Products and Services

13.9.4 Financial Overview

13.9.5 SWOT Analysis

13.10 Royal Dutch Shell Plc

13.10.1 Key Facts

13.10.2 Business Description

13.10.3 Products and Services

13.10.4 Financial Overview

13.10.5 SWOT Analysis



14. Appendix

14.1 About the Publisher

14.2 Glossary

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India and Bangladesh are likely to sign three MoUs during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka next week to attend the celebrations of the golden jubilee of the country's independence and the birth centenary of its founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

"Its a historic event for Bangladesh as five heads of state and government never (without any summit) visited here within a time span of 10 days," Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen told a media briefing here ahead of the 10-day celebrations starting on March 17.

Prime Minister Modi and heads of state and government from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives will be among the distinguished foreign guests to join the celebrations under separate schedules, he said.

"This is a very unusual time (due to Covid-19) but heads of state and government of our neighbouring countries are coming here to show their tribute to our Father of the Nation," Momen said.

Read | India-Bangladesh meet on river water sharing on March 16

During his trip, Prime Minister Modi will hold talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and visit three places outside Dhaka.

The two sides are expected to sign three MoUs, Momen said. "These (MoUs) are not final yet," he said.

Foreign Secretary Masud bin Momen said the MoUs were likely to be signed in the field of disaster management and cooperation between some institutions of both the countries.

"We are still working on every MoUs. We will get the final scenario regarding the MoUs within one or two days," he said.

According to the schedule, all the foreign leaders would visit the National Memorial in Savar to pay homage to the independence martyrs, Bangabandhu Museum at Dhanmondi 32 to pay tribute to Bangladeshs founding father, watch special military parades and join State banquets.

Also Read | Seamless transport will hugely benefit India-Bangladesh: World Bank report

Prime Minister Modi is also set to visit Bangabandhu shrine at his village home in Tungipara and two Hindu temples outside Dhaka - one in Gopalganj and the other in southwestern Satkhira.

The temples are places of worship, particularly of the Hindu Matua community. A large number of the Matua community members reside in West Bengal.

Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih will be the first top foreign dignitary to arrive here on a three-day visit on March 17. He will be followed by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa who will arrive here on a two-day tour on March 19.

Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari will be in Dhaka on a two-day tour from March 22 while Bhutans premier Lotay Tshering will visit Dhaka from March 24 to 25. Prime Minister Modi will arrive here on March 26 and return home the next day.

Momen said Chinese President Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau and some high-level leaders of different countries and international organizations would send video messages on the occasion.
OTTAWA - The Public Health Agency of Canada is expecting a smaller-than-normal shipment of COVID-19 vaccines this week, with fewer than 445,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech shots scheduled for delivery over the next seven days.

A dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is pictured at a vaccination site in Vancouver Thursday, March 11, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

OTTAWA - The Public Health Agency of Canada is expecting a smaller-than-normal shipment of COVID-19 vaccines this week, with fewer than 445,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech shots scheduled for delivery over the next seven days.

Yet that seeming trickle is set to explode into a full-blown flood starting the week of March 22 as the companies dramatically ramp up their deliveries and other pharmaceutical firms start making good on their own promised shipments.

The Public Health Agency says this coming week will be the last in which Canada will receive fewer than 1 million doses over a seven-day period. Pfizer and BioNTech alone are on tap to deliver more than that each week for the foreseeable future.

Canada is also expected to start receiving more shots of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine starting in April, as well as Johnson & Johnsons one-dose inoculation. Those are in addition to the bi-weekly delivery of doses from Moderna, the next of which is scheduled for the week of March 22.

Public Procurement Minister Anita Anand said on Friday that Canada is on track to receive 7 million vaccine doses from the various companies by the end of April, with a total of 36.5 million delivered by the end of June and 118 million before Sept. 30.

This week's expected lull comes amid a report that more than 3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered in Canada as of Sunday, according to COVID19tracker.ca, with more than six per cent of the population having received a dose.

The coming week is also expected to see Canadas National Advisory Committee on Immunization release new guidance on the AstraZeneca vaccine for seniors after initially discouraging their use for older residents.

Those vaccines have been under the spotlight over the past week amid concerns within some European countries about alleged links to blood clots, though Canadian officials have said there is no scientific evidence to support such a link.

"There's not a good biological explanation about why a vaccine of this type, injected into a muscle, would cause that kind of adverse event," Health Canadas chief medical adviser Dr. Supriya Sharma told The Canadian Press last week.

Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Bulgaria are among almost a dozen European nations that paused the use of AstraZeneca's vaccine last week  either entirely or specific batches  after reports of some patients developing blood clots afterward. Ireland joined the list on Sunday.

None of those countries' health officials said there was evidence of a link, but rather they were pausing use of the product out of an abundance of caution pending a review.

AstraZeneca released a statement on Sunday saying a review of 17 million patients who received the shot in Europe and the United Kingdom showed no elevated risk of blood clotting.

Ann Taylor, the company's chief medical officer, said there's no increased risk of either pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis or thrombocytopenia in any age group, gender, batch of vaccines or country.

The company said there are reports of 15 patients experiencing deep-vein thrombosis and 22 pulmonary embolisms as of March 8, which is much lower than what would occur naturally in a population of more than 17 million people.

Germany, France, Poland, Nigeria and the United Kingdom are all among the countries joining Canada in sticking with AstraZeneca injections.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 15, 2021.
Former Mahila Congress president in Kerala Lathika Subhash, who resigned from the post and tonsured her head hurt over the denial of election ticket, on Monday said she would take a "decisive decision" about her political future this evening.

Her statement comes amidst widespread speculation that she would contest as an independent candidate from Ettumanoor, her hometown, in the April 6 Assembly polls.

"I will take a decisive decision about my future plan this evening. I am discussing it with my supporters and well-wishers. I cannot say anything about it right now," Subhash told PTI.

Sources close to her said the woman leader was likely to resign from her primary membership in the Congress party to contest from Ettumanoor constituency, the seat from where she had been keen to contest on the party ticket in the upcoming elections.

Also read: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan files his nomination from Dharmadam constituency

She had already said she would not join any other political party.

However, former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Monday made it clear that there was no possibility of any discussions with Subhash at this juncture.

Though she deserved a seat, the public protest should have been avoided, the senior party leader reiterated.

In an embarrassment to the Congress in Kerala, Lathika Subhash, on Sunday resigned from the post and tonsured her head shortly after the candidate list for the April 6 Assembly polls was released in New Delhi.

The 56-year-old senior leader also shaved her head sitting in front of the Congress office here as a mark of protest.

Subhash, who met reporters at the party headquarters Indira Bhavan here, soon after the KPCC chief Mullappally Ramachandran announced the party list in New Delhi, said it was short of women candidates.

Of the list of 86 candidates released by Congress, only 10 are women.

Also read: Kerala Mahila Cong chief gets her head shaved after being denied party ticket; resigns from post

A weeping Subhash told reporters that she had tonsured her head as a symbol of protest for all the women in the party who have been toiling hard for the success of other candidates, have been sidelined and ignored by the leadership for years.

She also said she did not want to continue in a position that could not earn her even a deserved election ticket.

However, Mullappally Ramachandran rejected the charges that she had been sidelined.
WASHINGTON - Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious-disease expert, said in interviews Sunday that former president Donald Trump should be enlisted to encourage his supporters to get the coronavirus vaccine, after recent polling showed Republican men and Trump supporters have the highest rates of vaccine hesitancy.

An NPR/PBS News Hour/Marist poll released last week showed that nearly half of Republican men and 47% of those who supported Trump in the 2020 election said they would not choose to be vaccinated, even if the coronavirus vaccine was made available to them. Ten percent of supporters of President Joe Biden said they would not choose to be vaccinated if offered one, the poll found.

Fauci, director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, called the poll results "disturbing" when presented with them Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"How such a large proportion of a certain group of people would not want to get vaccinated merely because of political consideration, it makes absolutely no sense," Fauci told host Chuck Todd. "And I've been saying that for so long. We've got to dissociate political persuasion from what's common sense, no-brainer public health things."

As he has for weeks, Fauci touted the effectiveness of the three coronavirus vaccines available to U.S. adults, and emphasized the history of vaccines rescuing society from infectious diseases such as smallpox, polio and measles.

"What is the problem here? This is a vaccine that is going to be lifesaving for millions of people. How some groups would not want to do it for reasons that I just don't understand," Fauci told Todd.

Fauci's alarm mirrored that of other public health experts who have voiced concern about whether the United States can reach herd immunity through vaccines, which they believe could be when between 70% and 85% of the population is inoculated. While messaging on vaccine safety has focused on possible hesitancy among certain racial groups, recent polling suggests that the divide could be greater between political groups.

Trump, who has pushed people to give him credit for the vaccine, told the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference last month, "Everybody, go get your shot." Earlier this month, Trump's office revealed that the former president had received a vaccine in January before leaving the White House but did not publicize it.

Trump did not participate in a recent public service announcement by the Ad Council that featured all of the other living former presidents encouraging Americans to get vaccinated, an omission Fauci said was "puzzling."

Any push by Trump "would make all the difference in the world," Fauci said on "Fox News Sunday."

"He's a very widely popular person among Republicans," he added.

On "Fox News Sunday," Fauci said that accelerating vaccinations and recent drops in daily cases and deaths are encouraging, but that he remained concerned about what could be a recent leveling-off in the decline in new infections.

"When you see a plateauing at a level of anywhere between 50,000 and 65,000 cases a day, that is absolutely no time to declare victory, because we know from previous surges we've had over the year that when you see that leveling off at a high level, there's always a risk of a surge back up," Fauci said. "And, in fact, unfortunately that's exactly what's happening in Europe right now."

Fauci said it would be "ill-advised" to ease restrictions on gatherings, and he said the decision this month by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, to lift a statewide mask mandate and open businesses was "risky and potentially dangerous."

"If you look at the numbers, we're not out of the woods yet," Fauci said.

In his first prime-time address as president Thursday, Biden vowed that all U.S. adults would eligible for the vaccine no later than May 1, and that he was confident friends and family members would be able to gather in small groups by July 4 to celebrate Independence Day.

He also urged people to trust the vaccines' safety and effectiveness and encouraged people to talk to family, friends and neighbors about getting the shot when it is their turn.

"Talk to your family, friends, your neighbors. The people you know best have gotten the vaccine. We need everyone to get vaccinated," Biden said.

- - -

The Washington Post's Tory Newmeyer and Steven Mufson contributed to this report.
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Vietnam is one of the pioneering countries in building a national digital transformation programme, with the three main pillars of digital government, digital economy, and digital society.

Vietnam is one of the pioneering countries in building a national digital transformation programme. (Photo: VNA)

The Party Central Committee issued Resolution No 52-NQ/TW in September 2019 on a number of policies and guidelines regarding the countrys engagement in the fourth Industrial Revolution, with an emphasis on speeding up digital transformation.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also issued Decision No 749/QD-TTg approving the national digital transformation programme by 2025 and vision towards 2030.

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung described digital transformation as an institutional revolution, saying institutions need to be adjusted flexibly in order to adapt to new technologies, products, services, and models.

Only innovation and creation can help Vietnam escape from the middle-income trap, he emphasised.

Under the programme, Vietnam expects to be among the top 50 countries in terms of e-government by 2030, while the digital economy is to contribute 30 percent to GDP.

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung (Photo: VNA)

More than 80 percent of the population is to have e-payment accounts over the course of the next decade, and Vietnam aims to be among the 30 leading countries in cyber security and safety.

According to Pham The Truong, former General Director of Microsoft Vietnam, digital transformation is an inevitable trend among businesses in the context of integration and COVID-19.

Vietnam was one of the first two countries worldwide to organise online trade promotion conferences amid the pandemic, helping enterprises approach partners and markets while remaining at home, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) said.

Last year, the MoIT and other ministries, localities, and business associations organised more than 500 international trade promotion conferences virtually. As a result, over 1 million transactions were conducted and hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese firms assisted in trade promotions around the world.

The banking and finance sector has also taken strong steps forward in digital transformation over recent times.

Figures from the Ministry of Information and Communications reveal that the country is now home to around 58,000 digital technology firms employing more than 1 million workers.

In 2020 alone, up to 13,000 digital technology enterprises were established, the ministry added.

Truong said businesses that have a vision, a strategy, an organisation culture, and potential will lead the digital transformation./. VNA
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Up to 210,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses will be distributed to the public at Cleveland States Wolstein Center, with a portion of those set aside for underserved minority communities, Gov. Mike DeWine said Sunday.

DeWine visited the Urban League of Greater Cleveland Sunday evening to give more details about how the mass vaccination site at the Wolstein Center will work.

Vaccine registration for the week of March 24-30  the second full week of the clinic  will open Monday morning, DeWine said.

DeWine provided hard numbers of what kind of vaccines, and how many, will be available at the Wolstein Center. For the first three weeks the clinic is open, Pfizer vaccine will be administered. The following three weeks will be for second doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Up to 126,000 doses can be given.

During the seventh and eighth weeks of the clinic, Johnson & Johnsons one-shot vaccine will be administered, DeWine said. Up to 84,000 of those vaccines will be given.

Those 210,000 doses, promised to Ohio by the Biden administration, are in addition to the weekly allocations of vaccines dispersed to pharmacies, hospitals and health departments across the state.

DeWine said he hopes to be able to ramp up the clinics capacity to the previously mentioned 6,000 shots per day by next Monday, March 22. DeWine also hinted at opening up the vaccine eligibility, possibly to those 40 years old and up, in the coming days.

While at the Urban League of Greater Clevelands offices downtown, DeWine also formally announced community partnerships with organizations, like the Urban League, that will work to expand access to the vaccine for minority communities in Cleveland.

Our community partners are a priority, DeWine said. Its a priority to reach underserved populations, no matter where they are.

A large number of spots for the first days of the mass vaccination clinic, including a limited-capacity soft opening Tuesday of about 1,500 appointments, were set aside for community partners, so they could arrange for vaccines to be given to those who may need them the most but struggle for access, DeWine said.

In the weeks ahead, community partners will continue to have a portion of the weeks appointments set aside in order to ensure equitable access to the vaccine, says a news release sent by the DeWine administration following the press conference.

If all the spots set side for the community partners are not filled, the remaining appointments will become available to the general public, DeWine said. They will open 48 hours before each clinic date. The same method will be applied to appointments that have been canceled for whatever reason.

Appointments left unfilled by community partners, or open due to cancelations, will be available for Mondays registration as well. The governor encouraged anyone who wants a vaccine to regularly check the online registration to see if appointments have opened up.

Community partners will work to not only register people for vaccines, but also ensure transportation to the Wolstein Center and educate the public about the vaccines effectiveness. For example, Urban League of Greater Cleveland President Marsha Mockabee said they are running 30-second primetime radio commercials on local RadioOne networks, encouraging listeners to get vaccinated.

I am sure that by working together  because it takes a village  that well be able to get this done, Mockabee said.

DeWine and Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish, who also attended the press conference, both mentioned the possibility that mobile vaccination clinics will be deployed across Greater Cleveland, particularly to areas where vaccination rates are low. However, details about those mobile units are still taking shape.

Anyone who is eligible and would like to register for a COVID-19 vaccine at the Wolstein Center, or at any local provider, can visit gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov or call either 1-833-427-5634 or the United Ways 211 hotline.

Those receiving a vaccine at the Wolstein Center will be able to park for free in five parking lots near the arena, the city of Cleveland announced Saturday night. All nearby Cleveland State-owned lots will also be free for vaccine recipients.

Read more Ohio coronavirus news:

Cleveland outlines free parking sites, parking restrictions around Wolstein Centers mass coronavirus vaccination clinic

Free parking, Pfizer vaccine: What to expect at the Wolstein Center coronavirus mass vaccination site when it opens Wednesday

Ohio reports 893 new coronavirus cases: Sunday update
This weekend's expected snowstorm has arrived as snow began falling in the Colorado Springs area just before 10 a.m. Saturday. Forecasters exp
Fooks Foods is one of two Asian-centric grocery stores in Athens. Its been a town staple since it opened in 2003, especially for international students and residents who cant rely on chain grocers to stock the products they want.
Sharad Pawar meets NCP ministers, says government schemes should not stop

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

Mumbai, Mar 15: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Monday said Maharashtra has to be on alert in view of the rising coronavirus cases, but the implementation of welfare schemes should not stop.

Pawar met ministers from his party, which is part of the Shiv Sena-led MVA government in the state, here. "The state has to be alert in view of the rising cases, but welfare schemes of the government should continue," he said.

He also expressed satisfaction about the Budget presented by deputy chief minister and his nephew Ajit Pawar last week. The government had to do a tightrope walk to manage the finances but still a balance was struck, the NCP chief said.

Puducherry elections 2021: CPI(M) announces own candidate in Kuttiyadi

After the meeting, Pawar held discussions with state NCP chief Jayant Patil and Ajit Pawar, party sources said. Earlier in the day, Pawar had met Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at the latter's official residence.

The meeting came against the backdrop of the case pertaining to the recovery of a car with explosives near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house and the subsequent arrest of Mumbai police officer Sachin Waze by the NIA.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, March 15, 2021, 19:53 [IST]
Opposition politician Aleksei Navalny has confirmed his relocation to a notorious penitentiary in the city of Pokrov, likening the institution to "a friendly concentration camp."

In a sometimes lighthearted message posted on his Instagram account on March 15, Navalny said he was fine after his move three days earlier to the IK-2 prison, noting his daily routine, like that of the other prisoners, was guided by the "literal fulfillment of endless rules."

"I have to admit that the Russian prison system was able to surprise me. I had no idea that it was possible to arrange a real concentration camp 100 kilometers from Moscow," he said in the post.

"That's what I call my new home: our friendly concentration camp.

On March 3, Navalny was moved to Detention Center No. 3 in the town of Kolchugino, though it was expected that eventually he would be moved to a penal colony in Pokrov. The colony has been known as one of the toughest in the European part of the Russian Federation.

Navalny said he had seen no violence in his new surroundings, "or even a hint of it," joking that he was shocked by a rule prohibiting swearing, though he noted an underlying tense atmosphere in the prison which made it "easy to believe the numerous stories that here, in IK-2 Pokrov, people have been beaten half to death with wooden hammers."

"Three things never cease to amaze me. The starry sky above us, the categorical imperative within us, and the amazing feeling when you run your palm over your freshly shaven head. Greetings to all from the Sector of Enhanced Control A," Navalny wrote on March 15, attaching an old photo showing his shaven head.

As news of his transfer broke, dozens of countries, including the United States, called for his immediate release and an investigation into his poisoning last year with a military-grade nerve agent.



Navalny was detained at a Moscow airport in January immediately upon returning from Berlin, where he was recovering from what several Western labs determined was a poisoning attempt using a Novichok-type nerve agent that saw him fall ill on a flight in Siberia in August 2020.



Russia has denied involvement but Navalny has said the assassination attempt was ordered by Putin.



A Moscow court in February ruled that, while in Germany, Navalny had violated the terms of parole from an older embezzlement case that is widely considered to be politically motivated.



His suspended 3 1/2 year sentence was converted into jail time, though the court reduced that amount to 2 1/2 years for time already served in detention.



Navalnys incarceration set off a wave of national protests and a crackdown against his supporters.



On March 2, the European Union and the United States imposed fresh sanctions against Russia over the Navalny case.



On March 12, the representative for Poland read out a statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council that said the actions against Navalny by Russian authorities were "unacceptable and politically motivated."

With reporting by TASS
New Delhi, March 15 : India's single-day rise of new cases of Covid-19 on Monday reached the high of 86-day period.

In the last 24 hours, the country recorded 26,291 cases of Covid-19 an increase of 971 cases from Sunday. However, there were 118 deaths in the last 24 hours, a reduction of 43 fatalities from the previous day, the data shared by the Union Health Ministry showed.

On December 18, India had logged 26,991 cases.

The cumulative tally of the cases has risen to 1,13,85,339 while the death toll has reached 1,58,725 in India.

However, 72 per cent of the country's cases were recorded from three states only.

Maharashtra has reported 16,620 cases in the last 24 hours, the highest single-day rise of this year, whereas Punjab recorded 1,501 new cases of Covid-19. Meanwhile, Gujarat logged 810 new cases.

The infection level in the country is back to last December's as it has soared to 1.93 from 1.55 per cent in a short interval.

India logged 25,320 new cases of Covid-19 and 161 deaths on Sunday; 24,882 new cases and 140 deaths on Saturday. On Friday, 22,885 Covid-19 cases and 117 fatalities were reported.

On Thursday, India had reported 22,854 Covid-19 cases and 126 deaths while on Wednesday, 17,921 cases and 133 deaths were recorded.

As per the Ministry's data, the active caseload in the country has reached 2,19,262, rising by 9,000 cases from the previous day.

With the discharge of 17,455 patients in a day, a total of 1,10,07,352 persons have been discharged so far.

The rise in the number of Covid-19 cases, which had so far appeared confined to Maharashtra and Punjab, is now beginning to show up in several other states.

States/UTs such as Delhi, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh have had very similar growth trajectories in recent weeks.

Delhi on Sunday reported 407 cases. It has continued recording over 400 cases for the fourth day in a row.

As the number of Covid-19 cases is rising across the country, the Centre has sounded a word of caution for states which are not yet seeing a surge but are at the threshold.

Niti Aayog (health) member V.K. Paul last week said the situation of Maharashtra is worrying as part of the state is going back to strict lockdown. However, he shared his concern for other states as well.

"Would like to caution Delhi-NCR, Gurugram, part of Gautam Buddha Nagar and Ghaziabad to some extent. These areas are seeing a slight rise in the number of cases," Paul had said.

The Ministry also informed that 7,03,772 samples were tested on Sunday. The cumulative tests done by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) so far stands at 22,74,07,413.

So far, 2,99,08,038 doses of corona vaccine have been administered in the country since the drive began on January 16 after approval for 'Covishield' and 'Covaxin'.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
We all know that Big Tech executives do a lot of talking. On their platforms, in interviews and on Capitol Hill. But Silicon Valley's uber-rich and powerful CEOs don't speak for the whole tech industry or even their own employees, who are increasingly finding themselves at odds with their companies' most senior leadership.

To take a pulse of where tech employees across the country stand on key issues facing the industry, Protocol, a new media company from the publisher of POLITICO, has introduced its first Tech Employee Survey, a survey of 1,504 employees nationwide, from C-suite level executives to associates. They hail mostly from large tech companies  almost 40% of respondents work at companies with annual revenue over $500 million and most of the companies have more than 1,000 employees.

Protocol asked questions on a host of key issues from whether Big Tech should be broken up, to the threat posed by China and more to see how their answers align with or diverge from the industry party line. Below is but a snippet of what they found:

Is Big Tech too Powerful?

A whopping 78% of the tech employees they surveyed agreed that the tech industry is too powerful, with just 11% disagreeing. The same goes for Facebook, Amazon, Alphabet and Apple. Over 77% of respondents said those companies have too much power, and just over 8% disagreed.

(Click on image to Enlarge)

Not only did the majority say that the industry is too powerful, but around 40% also said that tech does more harm than good. Only about 45% of tech employees disagreed, signaling that even within the industry, tech workers worry about the negative impact technology is having on the world.

And yet, remedies are in short supply. More than 68% want their companies to partner with or be acquired by a Big Tech player, and three quarters said Big Tech companies should be allowed to acquire other firms. Just over 40% think that Facebook, Amazon, Alphabet and Apple should be broken up. Despite their concerns about tech's power and negative influence, tech employees don't see antitrust enforcement as the solution.

A Majority want Section 230 Reform

Even people within the tech industry agree it's high time to reform Section 230, the law underpinning the modern internet  that is, if they know what it is.

Only 62% of respondents said they knew what Section 230 was (the rest said they either don't know or are neutral). But of that 62%, nearly three quarters  71%  said they agree the law needs to be reformed.

(Click on image to Enlarge)

For the responses to the other three questions about whether the U.S. should work with Chinese tech companies; whether it was time to regulate AI; and whether Big Tech should work with Law Enforcement, check out the full report by Protocol.
The Housing Minister is under pressure to scrap his controversial Shared Equity Scheme after the Central Bank warned it could push house prices up.

Darragh O'Brien has been urged to focus on other measures instead of his Shared Equity Scheme, which he has been strongly pushing despite widespread concerns and criticism.

In a letter to members of the Oireachtas Housing Committee, the Central Bank has warned that the proposals could result in an increase in house prices and will do little to deal with supply issues.

The plan, which Mr O'Brien brought to Cabinet before Christmas, offers equity loans of up to 30% on new-build homes under 400,000.

In his letter, Vasileios Madouros, the Central Bank's director of financial stability, said: "Overall, taking a broader housing market perspective, the proposed scheme  in isolation  is likely to have a limited impact on the ultimate supply-side problem in the Irish housing market."

"We would, therefore, encourage a continued effort to focus on policies on the supply side of the market  including, but not limited to, some of the other elements of the Affordable Housing Bill."

The Central Bank also suggest that, depending on the final details of the scheme, it could be "in contradiction" with the macro-prudential lending rules.

Mr Madouros has advised members of the Housing Committee who are considering the detailed parameters of the scheme "to be mindful of the potential implications of increased demand for house purchases in a supply-constrained market," if a shared equity model is introduced.

Sinn Fein housing spokesperson Eoin O Broin has again called on Mr OBrien to remove the proposed shared equity loan scheme from his Affordable Housing Bill in the wake of the Central Bank's warning.

The call was made on foot on a submission from the Governor of the Central Bank to the Oireachtas Housing Committee detailing

"In their first full public commentary on the Government's Shared Equity Loan scheme, the Central Bank have outlined a series of potential risks for families, banks and the housing system arising from the proposal," he said.
Allies should lure North Korea back to dialogue



The U.S. State Department emphasized the importance of cooperation with South Korea and Japan in dealing with North Korea as Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarked on his visit to Asia, Monday. Blinken is thus expected to discuss ways of solidifying the trilateral alliance during his visits to Seoul and Tokyo. On Sunday, the department said in a statement, "No relationship is more important than that between South Korea and Japan." It added, "A robust and effective trilateral relationship is critical for regional and global peace and security."



Blinken along with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Japan Monday and will visit Seoul for two days from Wednesday. Earlier, Sung Kim, acting assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs, said the Biden administration's North Korea policy review will be completed within weeks. He said the U.S. government will make sure to incorporate the allies' input into its policy toward the North.



Washington has purportedly attempted to reach out to the reclusive North through behind-the-scenes contacts, but has yet to receive any response from Pyongyang. This indicates the U.S. has begun to draw up its own policy. We urge the three allies to closely discuss ways on how to lure North Korea back to dialogue.



Blinken and Austin will hold the so-called two-plus-two meeting with their South Korean counterparts and pay a courtesy call on President Moon Jae-in. We call on the Moon administration to have sufficient and in-depth discussions with the U.S. officials to find ways to facilitate the President's much-touted "peace process" on the Korean Peninsula.



The security situation surrounding the peninsula has remained deadlocked since the collapse of the U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi in February 2019. Since then Pyongyang's relations with Seoul and Washington have continued to worsen. The North will possibly react in accordance with what the U.S. will offer in the prospective negotiations.



We expect the Biden administration will present a new initiative toward North Korea that will help achieve a breakthrough in stalled relations. In order for this to take place, the U.S. will have to offer specific and concrete measures to get the reclusive North to move forward toward denuclearization and peace.



It is time for the allies to think about improving inter-Korean relations first by exempting, for instance, cross-border exchanges from international sanctions, to pave the way for a thaw in ties between Pyongyang and Washington.



The U.S. needs to scrap the Obama administration's "strategic patience" approach toward the North, which failed to resolve the nuclear issue and eventually fortified the North's nuclear capabilities. Pyongyang, for its part, should come back to negotiations table at the earliest date possible without resorting to provocative acts under any circumstances that will further strain relations with Seoul and Washington and deepen its international isolation.


The official online launch event of the EU- and Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)- funded Project Environmental Protection of Lake Sevan (EU4Sevan) kicked off Monday with participation of Mr. Romanos Petrosyan, the Minister of Environment of RA, EU Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin, and H.E. Mr. Michael Johannes Banzhaf, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Armenia. The project is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the coordination of the Ministry of Environment of RA.

EU4SEVAN project plans to enhance the capacities of public and private stakeholders to ensure improved wastewater treatment through nature-based solutions and to support the local stakeholders in ecosystem-friendly and water-protecting land-use and cultivation. Water monitoring and management capacities for the Lake Sevan watershed will be one of the key outputs of the project. The project intends to raise awareness about the significance of the protection of Lake Sevan among the basin communities, the private sector, and other stakeholders. In cooperation with UNDP, the project aims at further and sustainable improvement of Lake Sevan ecosystem governance in Armenia.

The Project launch event brought together the EU4SEVAN donors, representatives of the national and Gegharkunik local government and the diplomatic corpus in Armenia, public and private sector partners and experts, as well as the media representatives to celebrate the official start of the Project.

Minister Petrosyan, Ambassador Wiktorin, and Ambassador Banzhaf welcomed all the participants. In her welcoming speech, the Ambassador Wiktorin noted: While addressing with the dual COVID-19 and post-war crises are the focus of our immediate efforts in Armenia, climate change, biodiversity loss, excessive use of resources and pollution are also existential and global emergencies affecting both EU and Armenia. They are as relevant as ever. Therefore, the full implementation of CEPA, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Climate Agreement and internationally agreed biodiversity goals remain crucial to help better equip Armenia and all Armenians for future systemic shocks. The European Green Deal and its Green Recovery dimension are top priorities in the EU-Armenia and Eastern Partnership agendas. This new EU4Sevan partnership shows once again the strong EU-Armenia engagement in the environmental protection of a unique Lake Sevan. Together, lets protect and sustainably enjoy Lake Sevan!

The participants were also warmly welcomed by Minister Petrosyan who expressed his readiness to support the project future activities and events as a reliable partner of the project. In her opening remarks Ms. Mihaela Stojkoska, UNDP Resident Representative, highlighted the relevance of the project at the current stage of the environmental situation of Lake Sevan and emphasized the fruitful cooperation on environmental issues of all the partner organizations.

During the event, Mr. Christian Henschel, GIZ Team Leader, EU4Sevan presented in detail the goals, objectives, and expected results of the EU4SEVAN project to protect the Lake. Mr. Henschel also highlighted the 5 Outputs through which the positive changes will be made for the Lake Sevan. In addition to the key outputs of EU4SEVAN, the Project will implement fast track activities aimed at neutralizing the economic and social consequences of COVID-19 jointly with the Ministry of Environment and Restoration of Riparian Zones in Armenia COVID-19 Response Project implemented by GIZ. The activities include the planting of around 600,000 willow cuttings and fruit trees in the riparian zones of a number of rivers in Gegharkunik as well as the collection of waste from riverbeds and riverbank vicinities in Spring 2021 and ensuring short-term employment for 750 residents most affected by the socio-economic consequences of COVID-19. Within the COVID-19 fast response measures, the EU4SEVAN project is planning to support local farmers in cultivating new varieties of cabbage on around 3 ha area providing significantly 2-3 times more income for local farmers, 2 times less water consumption through ecosystem-friendly cultivation practices.

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 15) Health Secretary Francisco Duque III is not discounting the possibility of reverting to stricter quarantine measures amid the spike of COVID-19 cases in the country.

Speaking to CNN Philippines on Monday, Duque said the matter will "for sure" be tackled during the meetings of the Inter-Agency Task Force should the country continue to log an uptrend in coronavirus infections.

"We'll see what happens in the next few days, if there's going to be really a continuing increase, then that should be one of the possible recommendations that the IATF will first discuss before recommending to the President," Duque told The Source, but did not detail whether this will cover only Metro Manila, the epicenter of the health crisis.

"We will have discussions on this, that's for sure," he added.

For now, Duque stressed that enhanced protocols have been put in place, in the form of localized lockdowns.

Meanwhile, IATF and Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said a return to the strictest form of quarantine won't possibly happen by this month, as he cited sufficient healthcare capacity for COVID-19 patients.

"We do not know what will happen in April kaya binabantayan natin (that's why we're monitoring it)," Roque said, but stressed that a total lockdown will be difficult to carry out.

He assured the public that the task force's decisions will always be "guided by data" and that all recommendations will be "a result of a delicate balancing act."

Surge alarming

The country for the past week has been recording over 3,000 and 4,000 new cases daily  a development Duque and other government officials described as "alarming."

On Saturday, the nationwide tally also reached 5,000, the first time it hit that mark since August of last year.

Asked about the cause of the surge, the health chief maintained it is a "combination" of factors which include quarantine fatigue, breach of minimum health protocols, increased mobility, easing up of restrictions, and the threat of new COVID-19 variants.

He also expressed hope the revised projection of the OCTA research group  which sees around 8,000 new daily infections in the country by month-end  will not happen.

"Anything is possible if the measures are not implemented aggressively," Duque pointed out. "That is why it is incumbent upon our local government units to really be very aggressive, to intensify all of our measures."
MIAMI, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- To commemorate the launch of Florida Technical College (FTC) new Culinary Arts Program located at its South Miami Campus in Cutler Bay, FTC joined forces with the Miami Dolphins Foundation Food Relief Program to host a drive-up food distribution last Thursday for hundreds of families in need.

With one thousand meals prepared by local minority-owned business Mike & Jackie's Catering and packaged by FTC students, this collaboration with the Food Relief Program is assisting to alleviate the food insecurity and stress experienced by families in Miami-Dade County while generating jobs and revenue for local minority owned restaurants in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its ongoing economic impact.

Hot meals consisting of barbecue chicken and pulled pork in addition to sides of coleslaw, baked beans and dinner rolls, were offered free of charge via the partnership of 11 local non-profit organizations.

"This partnership was the perfect way to help formally mark our launch of the South Miami campus's new Culinary Arts Program," said Dr. James Michael Burkett - President of Florida Technical College. "Our students gained practical hands-on experience, and hundreds of families in need benefited as our community continues to forge a path forward to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic fall-out."

Florida Technical College have made the commitment of a multi-year partnership where FTC is the "Official Culinary School of the Miami Dolphins" and together, they will collaborate in multiple initiatives to provide relief to the most affected local communities.

"The Miami Dolphins recognize food insecurity is an ongoing issue faced by our community in the wake of COVID-19," said Miami Dolphins Senior VP of Communications and Community Affairs Jason Jenkins. "Through our partnership with FTC, we are able to continue finding ways to come together and be part of the solution to help feed our neighbors."

Florida Technical College's 12-month Culinary Arts Diploma program, available at the South Miami campus, offers students hands-on opportunities to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for careers in the culinary industry, including a range of management, supervisory, and cooking positions.

[Press: Click HERE for pictures]

SOURCE Florida Technical College
With the West Bengal Assembly Elections approaching soon, some celebs from the Bengali film and TV industry join BJP and Trinamool Congress party. Bengali actor Tanusree Chakraborty has become the latest celeb to do so. The actor has now joined BJP, a day after Mithun Chakraborty did the same at the Brigade Parade Grounds in Kolkata.

Speaking about the same with India Today, Tanusree Chakraborty revealed that she believes in the ideologies of BJP. She said that she has high hopes for the creation of 'Sonar Bangla' (Golden Bengal) with her association with the political party. The Gumnaami actor added that being a resident of Bengal, she has had a taste for politics.

Also Read: Mithun Chakraborty All Set To Join BJP During PM Narendra Modi's Kolkata Rally

Tanusree Chakraborty further said that the people of Bengal are always into political debates and can speak their mind in a bold manner. However, Tanusree is not the first celeb from the Bengali film industry to join a political party ahead of the 2021 elections.

Also Read: Khushbu Sundar In BJP's First List Of Candidates For Tamil Nadu Polls

This phenomenon of many Bengali celebs joining political parties before the elections has stirred up rumours of a negative environment being created in the Bengali Film Industry. The speculations further suggest that this groupism and hostility might be affecting the celebs who have joined the political parties more. Tanusree Chakraborty also broke her silence on the same and went on to rubbish these rumours. The actor said that she does not believe that actors joining political parties will result in groupism in the Bengali film industry. Tanusree also added that celebs will treat their film work differently than politics. Apart from this, the Khaad actor also revealed that she is interested to contest the elections. However, she added that she would await the final decision of the party to give her the green signal for the same.

For the unversed, the actor is known for some commercially and critically successful Bengali movies namely Uro Chithi, Buno Haash, Bedroom, Window Connections, Obhishopto Nighty, Gumnaami and Khaad. The actor also hosted the beauty and lifestyle show, Sampurna.
On Monday, President Klaus Iohannis addressed a message on the occasion of the Day of Hungarians Everywhere, in which he showed that by cultivating interethnic harmony, a "strong" and "prosperous" society will be consolidated, according to AGERPRES.

"For you, the Romanian citizens of Hungarian ethnicity, today is one that offers you the opportunity to reaffirm the values that you cherish and that have united you as a people, as well as to proudly present the identity that has consecrated you in history and in universal culture," Iohannis said in the message.

The head of state noted the "significant" contribution of the Hungarian minority in Romania and its political representatives to the important steps taken by our country in European integration, in the recovery of democratic values and in the establishment of our society on the basis of respect for human rights and protection.

"These are the foundations of our common path for a European future, which show a deep understanding of the lessons of the past," said President Iohannis.

He underscored that the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the solidarity efforts to overcome the difficulties of the period are a proof that the Romanians and the Hungarians can bear fruit of their special qualities and human potential.

"Together, by cultivating interethnic harmony, we will consolidate a strong and prosperous society, a common project in which the Hungarian minority in Romania has its place and its remarkable contributions," the head of state said.
March 15, 2021 U.S. And Its Five Eye Partners Use 'Persuasion', Sabotage And Disinformation To Gain Vaccine Supremacy The U.S. and some of its allies are engaged in efforts to malign the Russian Sputink V vaccine and to promote the more expensive mRNA vaccines produced by 'western' companies. Back in November we warned that the vaccine competition would be ruthless: The mRNA vaccines hyped in the U.S. media are simply too expensive to be used around the world. If we want to limit the global effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic we will have to use the cheaper vector based vaccines. That the AstraZeneka vaccine was immediately attacked in U.S. media by an unqualified writer quoting an investment bank and the U.S. pharma promoting (Remdesivir!) Antony Fauci is quite suspicious. Pfizer and Moderna expect to make billions of dollars with their vaccines. They will use all possible ways and means to defeat any potential competition. Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, recently noted how unfair competition practices are used to keep some vaccines away from nations who urgently need it: Producers are struggling for the global vaccine market worth $100 billion, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. Some producers compete unfairly, sell a small batch of vaccines at a lower price on the condition to be an exclusive supplier, Putin said, speaking at a video meeting on measures to boost investment activity in Moscow. "We see how competitors behave in the global vaccine market worth $100 billion. They come, sell a small batch of their vaccine at a discount, on the condition that everything else will be purchased only from this producer," he said. To no one's astonishment the U.S. government is directly involved in manipulations of vaccine accessibility. As Brazil Wire found: The US Department of Health and Human Services recently published its Annual Report for 2020. 2020 was one of the most challenging years in the history of our country and in the history of the Department of Health and Human Services, former US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar introduces the report. There is an end to the pandemic in sight, he continues, with the delivery of safe and effective vaccines through Operation Warp Speed. Tucked away on page 48, the report shockingly reveals how the US pressured Brazil to reject Russias Sputnik V vaccine. The HHS Annual Report is here. On page 5 it says: Developing a strategy for supporting global vaccine access: HHSs Office of Global Affairs (OGA) led the development of an interagency strategy, coordinated through the National Security Council, to provide international access to COVID-19 vaccines once domestic needs are met . "Once domestic needs are met" is certainly not an altruistic or even reasonably prioritizing strategy one should be proud of. A sensible effort to save lives and to end the pandemic would prioritize risk groups in every country of this planet before inoculating people at home who have little risk of serious Covid-19 complications. On page 47 the HHS report notes that the U.S. is coordinating with its Five Eyes spy partners on vaccine 'messaging': Combating vaccine hesitancy globally: OGA leads a group of the Five Eyes countries (U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States) on vaccine confidence, aligning our nations efforts and sharing best practices to enhance vaccine confidence messaging globally. One page on we learn what such communication entails: Combatting [sic!] malign influences in the Americas: OGA used diplomatic relations in the Americas region to mitigate efforts by states, including Cuba, Venezuela, and Russia, who are working to increase their influence in the region to the detriment of US safety and security. OGA coordinated with other U.S. government agencies to strengthen diplomatic ties and offer technical and humanitarian assistance to dissuade countries in the region from accepting aid from these ill-intentioned states. Examples include using OGAs Health Attache office to persuade Brazil to reject the Russian COVID-19 vaccine, and offering CDC technical assistance in lieu of Panama accepting an offer of Cuban doctors. "To persuade Brazil to reject the Russian COVID-19 vaccine" is, simply said, criminal behavior that has near genocidal consequences. Brazil is currently getting swamped with a more infectious variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its medical institutions are near a breakdown: It feels like were putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound, said Eduarda Santa Rosa Barata, a 31-year-old infectologist who works in three ICUs in the north-eastern capital of Pernambuco state, all now stretched to the limit. Were engaged in damage reduction  You open new beds and they fill up immediately. A few days earlier, Barata had admitted a 37-year-old man who had no underlying medical conditions but whose lungs were so badly damaged he needed intubation. It seems so random, she said. Its a bizarre disease. Its frightening.

...

Before the end of 2020, youd get a family and one member would be infected but not the other three or four members, even though they lived in the same environment. You dont see this any more. If theres one confirmed case, everyone ends up getting infected by the virus, he said. Its obvious that this new variant is now circulating among us. Panama, which under U.S. pressure rejected an offer from Cuba for medical support, has one of the highest death rates from Covid-19. That is one reason why its economy shrank by 18%. The HHS report also speaks of Bolivia: Opening Bolivia to health diplomacy: After decades of silence between the U.S. and Bolivia, OGA re-established health diplomatic relations with the Ministry of Health of Bolivia following national elections. Re-engaging allows the U.S. to strengthen ties in the region, which is important for influence in regional and multilateral fora , including the Pan American Health Organization. What was "following national elections" in Bolivia was a fascist coup which produced repression and tyranny. The U.S. used its cooperation with the coup plotters to influence other organizations. Meanwhile the U.S. is also falsely stating that Russia is spreading vaccine disinformation. Following a Wall Street Journal piece planted by U.S. officials these claimed, without evidence, that Russia was sowing fear about the mRNA vaccines: On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported that four publications, all serving as fronts for Russian intelligence, have targeted Western-produced COVID-19 vaccines with misleading coverage that exaggerates the risk of side effects and raises questions about their efficacy. The State Department confirmed that report on Monday, saying U.S. officials had identified four Russian online platforms that were spreading disinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines. However paragraph 21 of the original WSJ piece, coauthored by Iraq WMD propagandist Michael Gordon, acknowledged: In each case, the Russian outlets were repeating actual news reports ,,, The 'Russian outlets' repeated the news 'western' news agencies were distributing. It is nice though to see acknowledged that such is often disinformation. There are some signs that the U.S. is coordinating with its spy partners to malign the very efficient Sputnik V vaccine. The British Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) recently put up a comment that warns of Russia's soft power gain through vaccine diplomacy especially in South America: Sputnik Vs rapid foray into new markets in Latin America may indeed have longer-term implications in an area that has traditionally been the USs backyard. Argentina gratefully received more than half a million doses in January. It served as an embassy of sorts for Sputnik V; reportedly, Argentinian delegations to Moscow in late 2020 translated reams of details into Spanish and shared these with Bolivia, Peru, Mexico, Uruguay and Chile to speed up their ability to decide. Bolivias first batch arrived at the end of January. By mid-February, Mexico received its first 200,000 doses. By mid-March, Brazil and Peru appeared close to sealing respective deals. This is followed by musings about potential sabotage targets: There are several factors that could make Sputnik Vs current bounce shortlived. The inability to deliver supplies quickly is an immediate one. Russia has acknowledged its production squeeze, raising doubts about its ability to honour its vaccine pledges. It is dependent on plants in the likes of Brazil, India and South Korea upholding good manufacturing practice and delivering at speed and scale on Moscows promise to provide hundreds of millions of quality vials quickly. The piece closes with an ominous call to action: The biomedical science of Sputnik V may well be genuinely welcome worldwide, once full data is available and has been appropriately interrogated. But the corresponding political ramifications of deeper and wider Russian influence globally may not be so beneficial. The UK and the US must not be blindsided to the full extent of Russian vaccine diplomacy already underway. The U.S. efforts to prevent Russian vaccine distribution failed in Argentina where President Alberto Fernandez has led an early and successful effort to introduce the Russian vaccine: Amid plenty of public skepticism, Buenos Aires sent missions to Moscow in October and December 2020 to inspect data from the vaccines phase 3 trial. An Argentine presidential aide said the delegation had translated hundreds of pages of information about the vaccine into Spanishnecessary for approvalwhich it later shared with other governments in the region, including Bolivia, Peru, Mexico, Uruguay, and Chile. This is how, a day before the phase 3 results were published, trucks of Sputnik V shots were already trundling through Bolivias countryside. A photo of a delivery in a poultry truck draped in a Bolivian flaga creative (and health department-approved) solution for cold storage requirementswent viral. Argentina began vaccinating with Sputnik this past December, meanwhile, and Mexico announced the purchase of 24 million Sputnik doses on Jan. 25. U.S. efforts to dissuade countries from acquiring Sputnik V have not be fully successful. That again requires to launch a propaganda campaign to malign Sputnik V wherever it is distributed: Maxim A. Suchkov @m_suchkov - 15:35 UTC  Mar 13, 2021 1. #Putin: "Global market for #COVID19 vaccines is worth $100 billion. We see how competitors of our producers behave: they enter a country [that is in need for vaccines], sell a small batch of vaccines on a discounted price but condition the sale with that... 2. "...the country will only purchase that vaccine from that producer in the future. So, theres a real fight for the markets". 3. $100 billion is a big market. #Russia makes over $15 bln on arms sales (unofficial stats have it as high as $55 bln), about $25 bln for agricultural sales; around the same amount on gas sales (thou it depends on supplies), oil and oil products a little over than $100 bln. 4. So all of a sudden theres this huge market and theres heavy fight over it. @dimsmirnov175 cites an anonymous source in the #Kremlin who said that Russian intel services are aware that their foreign counterparts seek to launch a massive infowar against #Russia/n vaccines 5.The source reportedly said that soon therell be many reports over #Russia/n vaccines inefficiency & that they even health dangerous. Allegedly, even "staged cases of massive losses of human life after using Sputnik V will be propagated via @USAID, @georgesoros @thomsonreuters 6. The target audience for this campaign will be European countries who registered #SputnikV for their emergency use  #Hungary, #Slovakia, #Montenegro, #SanMarino and N.#Macedonia. 7. On a parallel track,#US & allies, according to the Kremlin source 'd release investigations about "incompetence of #Russia/n specialists in vaccination & immunology to halt their certification by @WHO, other relevant agencies, lower demand for RU vaccines from other countries 8. The #Kremlin source adds #US "aggressively promotes @pfizer, eyes to make sure US free of not only from the payment of possible compensation to citizens in lawsuits in the event of side effects, but also from liability for negligence of the direct manufacturer" 9.#SputnikV now worlds 2nd in terms of demand with 50+ countries having provided permit for its use. Struggle for markets in #Europe,#LatinAmerica,#Africa #Asia will get even bigger when well [most likely] learn that vaccination is not a one time deal but a seasonal routine /END PS.This chart is telling in the kinda tricks one may pull: #Russia's #SputnikV completed all the stages, but designers of the chart (1) put it at the bottom (2) don't use its product name (3) mark it with (*) caveating its effectiveness as if ABC "independently fact-checked" others

Source: ABCnews - bigger Graphics like the above are only one example of media manipulations in support of 'western' vaccine 'diplomacy'. This is more than just arrogance: The West's reaction was not exactly objective in August 2020 when Russia presented the world's first corona vaccine. Words like "vaccine muck from Moscow", "nasty vaccine propaganda", and accusations of "clumsy manipulations" of a "high-risk experiment on humans". Distrust, malice and suspicion were easier to find. One newspaper quipped that Sputnik V was effective not only against the virus, but also against "homosexuality as well as epilspsy and hives." The Five Eyes, their intelligence agencies and friends are pulling all possible strings to win the markets for their vaccines. The continuous delaying of the official EU authorization for Sputnik V is obviously a part of this sabotage scheme. That these efforts will keep people away from other good and available vaccines and that this will inevitably cost a number of them their lives, is seen as a reasonable price for gaining vaccine supremacy. Posted by b on March 15, 2021 at 12:16 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP)  Kosovos new parliament holds its first session next week to discuss and likely nominate the new prime minister.

Acting President Vjosa Osmani decided on Monday to convene the new parliament, which resulted from the Feb. 14 election, on March 22.

Upon confirming the lawmakers vote, the parliament will likely nominate the new prime minister.

Albin Kurti is expected to take the post after his left-wing Self-Determination Movement, or Vetevendosje!, won 58 out of the parliaments 120 seats, but short of an absolute majority to form a Cabinet on its own. Kurti has said he will need the votes of the non-Serb minority parties.

Forming the new government may be easier for Kurtis Vetevendosje! rather than electing the new president, until May, when it needs to secure two thirds of the votes.

The new government will need to revive Kosovo's economy, beat back unemployment, as well as to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, organized crime and corruption.

Negotiations to normalize ties with neighboring Serbia, which stalled again last year, dont figure high on Kurtis agenda, despite international pressure.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a decade after a brutal 1998-1999 war between separatist ethnic Albanian rebels and Serb forces, which ended after a 78-day NATO air campaign that drove Serb troops out and a peacekeeping force moved in.

Most Western nations have recognized Kosovo, but Serbia and its allies Russia and China don't. Tensions over Kosovo remain a source of volatility in the Balkans.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-16 02:31:40|Editor: huaxia

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RABAT, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Morocco registered 159 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking the overall infections in the North African country to 489,096.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Health, the death toll mounted to 8,733 as ten COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours.

The total number of recoveries from COVID-19 in Morocco increased to 476,126 after 277 new ones were added, while 396 people are in intensive care units, the statement said.

The COVID-19 fatality rate in Morocco stands at 1.8 percent while the recovery rate is 97.3 percent.

Meanwhile, 4,225,311 people have received so far the first vaccine shot against COVID-19 in the country, and 1,767,472 people have received the second dose.

The North African country launched a nationwide vaccination campaign on Jan. 28 after the arrival of the first shipment of China's Sinopharm vaccines. Enditem
Every effective medicine has unwelcome side effects. Take for instance life-saving chemotherapy which is used to kill cancer cells but can cause exhaustion, hair loss and infertility. It comes down to the risk versus the benefit.

When it comes to vaccines, it is accepted that extra vigilance is needed because they are given to people who are healthy rather than to treat disease.

More than 580,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered here so far. So what do we know about their safety?

Suspected side effects

The most recent report from the medicines watchdog shows that by February 25 a total of 3,484 reports of suspected side effects were notified. The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) report was based on 271,594 first doses and 137,935 second doses. Overall it was found the commonly reported side effects notified were in line with those typically associated with vaccination. The reports are based on suspicion that an adverse reaction may be associated with a vaccine but this does not mean the jab caused it.

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Commonly reported reactions

For the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, one in 10 of the reported side effects involved dizziness, headache, muscle pain, general pain, nausea, tiredness, chills and fever. There was a small number of reports of altered taste, difficulty breathing, enlarged lymph nodes, increased heart rate, pins and needles, vomiting, sweating, flushing and feeling hot or cold.

AstraZeneca vaccine

Around 10pc of suspected reactions to the AstraZeneca vaccine involved headache, muscle pain, limb pain, nausea and feeling unwell. The smallest group of reports echoed those around the other vaccines, such as cough, difficulty breathing, enlarged lymph nodes, numbness, tingling, pins and needles, weaknesses and chills.

Allergic reactions

There was a small number of reports  eight in total  of anaphylaxis, a serious allergic reaction, after people got the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. In all cases, the people recovered. Additional reports of allergic-type reactions were also received which required medical treatment or close observation. The European Medicines Agency has said that it will closely monitor reported cases of anaphylaxis. Currently, the advice is that people who have received the vaccine need to stay behind for observation for a period of time. It also received reports of a number of allergic-type reactions to AstraZeneca vaccine, such as itchy rash and swelling. None were classified as anaphylaxis. But cases of anaphylaxis after the vaccine have been reported in the UK and elsewhere in the EU.

Deaths

The HPRA received 17 reports of elderly patients who died following vaccination. In all cases they had underlying conditions and illness, with a small number testing positive for Covid-19. The cases are being reviewed but the watchdog said it can be expected that fatalities due to progression of underlying disease or natural causes will continue to happen, including following vaccination. It said this does not mean the vaccine causes deaths. Deaths were also recently reviewed by the European Medicines Agency and it did not find a safety concern.

Impact on daily activities

Some reports concerned the impact on daily activities after vaccination, such as fatigue, headache, muscle pain and fever. The HPRA says these are common, particularly in younger people, and usually disappear in a few days.

Blood clots

The HPRA reported yesterday that it received a small number of reports associated with blood clots following vaccination with the AstraZeneca jab. None were similar to those described in four cases in Norway in younger people which led to the suspension of the use of the vaccine here this week pending an investigation by the European Medicines Agency. There is no indication the vaccine was the cause of these events. However, it is important that all potential safety concerns are rigorously and swiftly investigated. As of March 10, there were 30 cases of blood clotting events reported in Europe.

Vaccine trials v real world

All vaccines undergo trials before they are approved by the regulator. The aim of the trial is to see if the vaccines are effective and safe. However, it is not until they are rolled out to the wider population of millions that problems which did not arise in trials are picked up. There is very strong surveillance of these Covid-19 vaccines, given they were approved so early on. Side effects to vaccines are not uncommon. For instance, in the case of the flu vaccine there is a one in a million chance of Guillain-Barre syndrome, which is a nerve condition. There is a one in 900,000 chance of a severe allergic reaction. The investigators of reported side effects need to find out if the adverse effect happened due to the vaccine or as a coincidence.

Northern Ireland

The AstraZeneca vaccine continues to be administered in Northern Ireland today although it is temporarily suspended here. It is following direction from the UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency which reviewed data of around 11 million doses of the vaccine and recommended no change in its use. Referring to the reports of blood clots, the UK watchdog's safety lead, Dr Phil Bryan, said it was keeping the issue under close review but available evidence does not confirm the vaccine is the cause.

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The Nigerian government has temporarily banned Emirates airline from operating in the country over its continuous refusal to fly passengers without a pre-boarding rapid diagnostic test (RTDs).

The chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 (PTF), Boss Mustapha, while speaking at its weekly briefing on Monday said the ban will take effect from midnight on Wednesday, March 17.

KLM will resume outbound flights from Lagos on March 15, 2021, without RDTs while a letter has been written to Emirates airlines to suspend flights with effect from midnight Wednesday, March 17, 2021, he said.

Mr Mustapha, however, said discussions are ongoing to resolve the matter amicably.

Emirate and KLM had in the past few weeks flown passengers into Nigeria but refused to fly passengers out owing to new guidelines introduced as part of measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Regarding KLM and Emirate airlines, at the time that we resumed flight, these two airlines made demands that there would be PCR test for passengers within 72 hours of their flight and there will also be antigens rapid test at the airport and also a PCR test on arrival in their countries, the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said at the briefing.

Mr Sirika said the actions of the airline were discriminatory and devoid of scientific reasons.

It is devoid of any scientific reasons because the virus itself will incubate at least within or after 72 hours, he said.

So, it sounds not correct for you to take a PCR test within 72 hours and take a rapid test before flight and seven hours later, you take another test, you are likely to show negative and the reasons at the time was that the PCR results are being faked.

Mr Sirika said KLM has accepted to bring passengers in and out on the conditions agreed upon which is to have a PCR test within 72 hours.

Emirate didnt accept the position and so, we have asked that Emirate be banned from operations from midnight Wednesday, he said.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  In response to a growing number of requests for help in escaping domestic violence on Staten Island, local government officials and community leaders are offering a webinar to help guide victims toward safety.

The office of District Attorney Michael E. McMahon on Thursday joined the mayors office along with local organizations, service providers and agencies in presenting Domestic Violence 101.

The webinar can be viewed here.

Please join @StatenIslandDA as they host a webinar on Domestic Violence March 11, 2021. This even will be full of great information about identifying Domestic Violence and resources and options available to survivors. Thank you to SI DA for hosting this great event pic.twitter.com/nacv1vnuR9  NYPD Dom. Violence (@NYPDDV) March 10, 2021

Local groups behind the effort include the NYPD, the Staten Island Family Justice Center, Central Family Life Center and True 2 Life Cure Violence.

Topics discussed include the types of services offered for domestic violence survivors, steps for victims to safely and confidentially report abuse, ways to formulate a safety plan and how to access available domestic violence resources.
iStock/Rawpixel (KENTUCKY) -- Saturday marked a year since Breonna Taylor was killed in her home by police. In all, the incident ended with 32 bullets shot into her apartment.

Taylor, a 26-year old emergency medical technician, was shot six times.

Her mother, Tamika Palmer, joined protestors taking to the street to honor Taylor and demand accountability in her death. There have been no criminal charges brought against the Louisville Metro Police Department officers who raided her home, for what activists call a botched narcotics raid.

Later reports found the officers were searching for a suspect, but he was not in Taylor's residence on March 13, 2020. He was later identified as Taylor's ex boyfriend and no narcotics were recovered in her home.

At least three officers tied to the incident have been dismissed from the Louisville police force.

Protestors took to the street on Saturday night, chanting Taylor's name and demanding County Commonwealth's Attorney Tom Wine to prosecute the officers.

"Tom Wine you got a job to do that's all we asking you to do," said Palmer. "You've seen us stand, you've seen us gather, march, protest, cry it's crazy how long it's been what you won't see is us divide on what we want."

The Associated Press reported that there is a federal investigation into potential civil rights violations, which includes an inspection of the warrant served for Taylor's house.

In addition, President Joe Biden has called upon Congress to pass a police reform bill and name it after Taylor. Biden said Saturday that he remains "committed to signing a landmark reform bill into law."

Protests were held at Jefferson Square Park in Louisville and outside Wine's office over the weekend. At least one other demonstration was deemed illegal by police because it blocked a roadway "forcing vehicles, while armed, to turn around."

Other protests were held around the country, taking place from Los Angeles to New York City.
A consortium led by researchers at TU Berlin has launched a 6.5-million project to develop an automated battery exchange station for electric heavy goods vehicles. The eHaul project is funded by Germanys Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy with further financial input provided by partner organizations.

Other partners are Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (IVI); IBAR Systemtechnik GmbH; Robert Bosch GmbH; and Unitax Pharmalogistik GmbH.

Long-haul heavy-duty trucks are used for journeys of distances which cannot be covered by a single battery charge. Haulage companies cant afford to lose hours waiting for a battery to charge, notes Professor Dr. Stefanie Marker, head of the Chair of Naturalistic Driving Observation for Energetic Optimisation and Accident Avoidance at TU Berlin.

Professor Marker suggests that a network of battery exchange stations for heavy-duty trucks could solve the problem. Project eHaul is a feasibility study on such a solution, adds Jens-Olav Jerratsch, team leader in Professor Markers research group and project leader for the joint project.





Schematic diagram of the battery exchange station for trucks.

As part of the new project, which will run until the end of September 2023, the consortium is now commissioning two electrified trucks for subsequent regular use by two logistics companies. Additionally, a battery exchange station is being developed in south Berlin to be used by haulers as part of their regular delivery operations. The goal is to provide a fully automated battery exchange.

Upon arrival at the station, the spent battery is removed from the vehicle by a specially developed robot and exchanged for a fully charged battery. This can all be done in a matter of minutes with no need for time-consuming interruptions to charge batteries.
On the third day of testing in Bahrain, Kimi Raikkonen and Carlos Sainz had a moment at turn ten where the two just missed each other. Raikkonen explained his side of the story.

Raikkonen driving slowly

Sainz tried to set a fast lap at the end of the session but ran into a slow Raikkonen in turn ten. Footage showed Sainz taking the inside bend but Raikkonnen also turning inwards so the cars almost hit each other.

Read more VIDEO | Sainz knocks Raikkonen aside at the end of the test

Sainz was clearly not happy with the Finn's action and continued to drive by Raikkonen during the inlap to express his displeasure. Raikkonen himself, however, was oblivious to the situation. "I don't think we hit each other, I don't know," Raikkonen explained on Motorsport.com.

Pissed off Sainz

"I had zero idea he was there, and then I saw him at the last moment, and I pulled to the right. But I don't know," continued the Alfa Romeo driver. "I think he was pissed and trying to play games. Anyway, I doubt we touched. I didn't feel it."

Good winter test for Alfa Romeo

Despite this minor incident, Raikkonen and Alfa Romeo had an excellent winter test. The Finn finished the final day with the highest number of laps driven (166) and the fourth fastest time.

However, Raikkonen wouldn't be Raikkonen to consider it all quite sober. "It's just testing, so you never know what the others are doing, but purely by feeling it's definitely better than last year", he said. "I think the feeling with the car is a bit better. We'll see in a couple of weeks where we end up."
By one recent tally, the governor has issued 260 orders and counting in the campaign against COVID-19. The odds are that at least a few of those orders could conceivably be deemed missteps in hindsight  by the lights of of Democrats as well as Republicans. Isnt it reasonable to revisit decisions in the interest of making better ones in the next crisis?
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Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen , Minister for Trade and Industry on Thursday, 11th March, 2021 visited Editor in-chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako to commiserate with him on the passing of his mother, Madam Gloria Aba Addison.



The Minister of Trade was accompanied by Nana Ohene Ntow, a former General Secretary of the NPP, Steve Kyerematen an elder brother of the Minister, Hon. De. SK Nuamah, former MP for Kwadaso constituency, Barima Sarpong, a former parliamentary aspirant of Afigya Sekyere East, Hon. Ofori Kraku, Former MP for Bosomefreho and other NPP senior members.



The late mother of the veteran journalist passed away on the 6th of March 2021 at the Tema Maritime Hospital after a short illness.



Madam Gloria Aba was the wife of the late Kofi Baako, who served as Information Minister under Ghanas first President, Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Mumbai:

Mumbai's famed 'dabbawalas' on Wednesday cancelled their delivery of over two lakh tiffins to office goers in the city in view of the disruption of suburban rail services.

Dabbawalas, who had ventured out on their task on Tuesday, returned home only on Wednesday morning after being stranded at railway stations.

"The over 5,000 'dabbawalas' who deliver around two lakh 'dabbas' (tiffins) a day won't be able to do so today as they returned only this morning after being stranded at railway stations", Subhash Talekar, spokesperson of the Mumbai Dabbawala Association told PTI.

"We will resume our services tomorrow", he said. The tiffin delivery men use suburban trains to ensure the lunch boxes reach their destinations on time.

Read more: Mumbai rains: Govt helping people amid rains, says Pres Kovind

The three railway lines- Western, Central and Harbour -that link 70 stations, ensure that the lunch boxes travel from the farthest northern suburbs to the business areas on the southern tip of the city within a maximum of two hours, Talekar said.

The tiffin delivery men, most of who come from villages around Pune, are from the Maratha community.

On August 9, the 'Dabbawalas' took a day off to join the Maratha reservation rally here and to express solidarity with the movement for demanding reservation to Maratha community in jobs and education.

The dabbawallas pride themselves on the 'deliver on time' motto, irrespective of Mumbai's heat or heavy rains.
EDMONTON, Alberta (March 15, 2021) - 48Hour Discovery (48HD) and CQDM are proud to announced that the company has been awarded $800,000 for peptide drug discovery using its patented drug discovery platform. The two-year project is funded through the CQDM Quantum Leap program, which supports exploration of innovative technologies, tools, and platforms that accelerate or facilitate drug discovery and development. Merck is supporting the study as a member of CQDM. 48HD will collaborate with the University of Alberta on the project. GlycoNet, a Network of Centres of Excellence based at the University of Alberta is also providing funding support.

"This project offers 48Hour Discovery and its University of Alberta collaborators the opportunity to demonstrate the value of this game changing, peptide drug discovery platform." said John Dwyer, Vice President of Research for 48Hour Discovery.

For the CQDM project, researchers at 48Hour Discovery will screen targets selected by Merck. Specially constructed libraries containing billions of peptides will be screened using phage display and proprietary bioinformatic algorithms to quickly identify hit compounds.

"This valuable collaboration increases our ability to explore and deliver the therapeutic potential of our technology." said Ratmir Derda, CEO of 48Hour Discovery.

"CQDM is pleased to have facilitated the establishment of collaborations for 48H Discovery by creating beneficial links between this emerging company and the pharmaceutical giant Merck. These links between small Canadian companies and big pharma are important for a sector as crucial as life sciences," said Diane Gosselin, president and CEO, CQDM.

"We are delighted to see the growth and evolution of 48Hour Discovery in the Canadian biotech industry. As an organization investing in early, cutting-edge technologies, GlycoNet is proud to support 48Hour Discovery since its creation in accelerating drug discovery. We are also looking forward to continuing our partnership with CQDM to co-invest in innovative projects of great economic impact." said Elizabeth Nanak, CEO of GlycoNet.

"We are very proud to support this initiative and help 48Hour Discovery extend the potential of this platform with the hopes to accelerate drug development and ultimately address unmet medical needs," said Jennifer Chan, Vice President, Policy and External Affairs at Merck Canada.

###

About 48Hour Discovery Inc.

48Hour Discovery Inc. is a University of Alberta biotechnology spin-off company that develops peptide-based therapeutic drugs from billion-scale libraries of molecules. It uses phage display and high throughput next-generation sequencing to identify peptide ligands with high affinity for promising drug targets. Founded in 2017, 48Hour Discovery Inc. has a number of peptide discovery projects underway, including contracts with five of the top pharmaceutical companies in the world.

About CQDM

CQDM is a biopharma-based research consortium created in 2008 with the mission to fund the development of innovative technologies to accelerate the discovery and development of drugs and vaccines. Its business model is based on a collaborative approach bringing together world-leading pharmaceutical organizations, Canadian biotech companies as well as the Canadian and Quebec governments who share the costs of the research. CQDM uses this leverage to reduce the risks inherent to early-stage biopharmaceutical research. In doing so, CQDM bridges the funding gap needed to drive innovation across the academic and private sectors, especially where early-stage research is concerned. CQDM receives contributions from Quebec's Ministry of Economy and Innovation (MEI), from large pharmaceutical companies, and from the Government of Canada under the Business-Led Networks of Centres of Excellence Program (BL-NCE). For more information: http://www. cqdm. org/ en

About GlycoNet

GlycoNet is advancing research, innovation, and training in glycomics to improve the quality of life of Canadians. GlycoNet is a one-stop global destination focused on developing new carbohydrate-based drugs, vaccines and diagnostics, in collaboration with academic and industry organizations to address areas of unmet need through applied glycomics research. Funded by the federal Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) program and a range of partners, the network includes over 150 researchers across Canada who focus on cancer, chronic diseases, infectious diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases. This national platform supports translational research, protection of intellectual property, novel drug development, company formation and training.

About Merck

For more than 125 years, Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, has been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases in pursuit of our mission to save and improve lives. We demonstrate our commitment to patients and population health by increasing access to health care through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. Today, Merck continues to be at the forefront of research to prevent and treat diseases that threaten people and animals - including cancer, infectious diseases such as HIV and Ebola, and emerging animal diseases - as we aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world. For more information about our operations in Canada, visit http://www. merck. ca and connect with us on YouTube and Twitter @MerckCanada

Contacts

John Dwyer

VP Research

48Hour Discovery

jdwyer@48Hourdiscovery.com

David Alton

VP Finance and Business Development

48Hour Discovery

dalton@48Hourdiscovery.com

Jesse Paterson

Senior Director, Business Development

CQDM

+1 (514) 850-7088

jpaterson@cqdm.org

Ali Chou

Communications Associate

GlycoNet

+1 (780) 231-5181

ychou@glyconet.ca

Merck Canada Media Relations:

1-833-90MERCK (1-833-906-3725)
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The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), says the signing of a seven-year 350 million dollars term loan facility will provide financing to OCP Group, the worlds largest phosphate mining and leading fertilizer company.

Afreximbanks Head of Corporate Communications, Amadou Sall, said in a statement that the facility would support OCP Groups expansion plans across Africa.

According to the statement, Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank, said that Afreximbank was fulfilling its mandate through a partnership with a major player in the fertilizer industry and with a strong presence across Africa.

Mr Oramah said that the bank was also fulfilling its mandate of facilitating export development in the continent and promoting intra-African trade and investments.

This is an important transaction which supports the development of Africas agricultural capacity.

OCP Groups products, which are tailored to the needs of African farmers, will generate broad and deep improvements to the continents ability to compete in international agricultural markets.

This facility also has symbolic value, as it marks the beginning of a productive and close relationship between Afreximbank and OCP Group.

We are delighted to announce this facility as the first demonstration of the strong relationship the Bank enjoys with Morocco, Mr Oramah said.

Mr Sall said that the OCP Group numbers among the worlds largest phosphate producers, with a strong position across all five continents was exporting to more than 160 clients.

He said that over the last decade, the Group had consolidated its position in many African countries.

African player is committed to developing South-South cooperation, placing Africa at the heart of its growth plan to contribute to bolstering the entire African agricultural ecosystem, Mr Sall said.

(NAN)
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In last Monday's Derry News, business columnist John McGowan wrote an article about how he believes that Derry should take a leaf out of Cork's book when it comes to economic development. Reader Joe McLaughlin wants to take issue with the article.

What an offensive and ill-informed article by John McGowan.

Cork`s population has doubled thanks to an historic boundary extension granted by the Irish government - something unlikely to happen to Derry in the N Ireland statelet.

Contrarily, Derry endured a deliberate attempt to replace it as second city during the laughable Craigavon fiasco.

For many years, Cork has been fortunate in being championed by various Taoiseachs from that city.

In contrast Derry was systematically run down by sectarian Unionist governments, denied a university, basic living accommodation for its citizens, jobs and to this day still has no motorway infrastructure.

When recently Ulster University`s health department was transferred to Derry, Diane Dodds issued a warning to Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Bartholomew that the UU is dependent on funding from her department.

Meanwhile, Cork enjoys two billion euros investment.

It is indeed a tale of two cities Mr McGowan but what you fail to note is how heavily the dice are stacked in each city.

------------------------------------------

You can read John McGowan's article here - http://bit.ly/30FmIU1
Man Arrested for Hitting Woman with Axe Handle

By West Kentucky Star Staff

METROPOLIS - A Metropolis man was arrested Sunday after police said he assaulted a woman with an axe handle.The Metropolis Police Department said that when officers responded to a home in the 400 block of West 7th Street, they could hear a female screaming for help. They also noticed a front window had been knocked out.Officers then saw 70-year-old Mack Goodman Jr. with blood on his hands and arms as well as a head injury.Officers found the victim covered in blood with numerous injuries. She was taken to a hospital for treatment.The investigation reportedly revealed Goodman had hit the victim with an axe handle and held her against her will.Goodman was arrested and charged with aggravated domestic battery and unlawful restraint.
The official says he got infected within a period when post-vaccination immunity has not yet been fully formed.

Deputy Minister of Health, Chief State Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine Viktor Lyashko has contracted COVID-19.

"My PCR test for COVID-19 has returned positive. This was a period when post-vaccination immunity has not yet been fully developed," Lyashko wrote on Facebook, breaking the news himself.

"As evidenced by the analysis of clinical research data, the effectiveness of the vaccine after a single standard dose is 76% - from day 22 to day 90. The level of antibodies remains the same for the said period, with a minimal decrease. It was only 13 days since my vaccination when symptoms appeared," Lyashko explained, adding that the public shouldn't misinterpret the news.

At the same time, the chief sanitary doctor is confident that thanks to vaccination, he will experience no complications throughout the course of disease.

Read alsoCOVID-19: Ukraine to issue international vaccine certificates"Separately, I would like to note that all vaccines for COVID-19 are primarily developed and tested to alleviate the course of the disease, to evade complications. And I emphasize again. If there are symptoms, contact your doctor and do diagnostics. A timely diagnosis is a key to the containment of coronavirus spread. Now I'm on sick leave," Lyashko added.

Background

On March 2, Lyashko was vaccinated with the CoviShield vaccine produced in India under license from Oxford/AstraZeneca.

Reporting by UNIAN
YEREVAN, 15 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 15 March, USD exchange rate up by 0.17 drams to 527.05 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.84 drams to 628.51 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.06 drams to 7.21 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 1.34 drams to 734.34 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 320.16 drams to 28887.92 drams. Silver price down by 12.98 drams to 431.68 drams. Platinum price down by 366.19 drams to 20096.83 drams.
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First Quad Summit gives shape to an Indo-Pacific Vaccine Alliance

Leaders of four Indo-Pacific nations  the US, India, Japan and Australia - have called for a free, open Indo-Pacific, whch they said, would be an enabler of peace, stability and prosperity for all nations of the region and the world.

Leaders of the Indo-Pacific Quad grouping, at their first virtual meeting that lasted twenty minutes, discussed issues like distribution of corona vaccines, climate change and emerging technologies.

The Quad also decided to launch a new ambitious joint partnership that wlill boost vaccine manufacturing for the global benefit ad strengthen vaccinations to benefit the entire Indo-Pacific and the world.

Speaking at the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Quad an important pillar of stability in the Indo-Pacific region. I see this positive vision as an extension of India's ancient philosophy of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.' which regards the world as one family. We will work together closely as ever before for advancing shared values and promoting secular, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific, Modi said.

US President Joe Biden said the United States is committed to working with all its allies in the region to achieve stability. We are launching a new ambitious joint partnership that is going to boost vaccine manufacturing for the global benefit, strengthen vaccinations to benefit the entire Indo-Pacific, said President Biden

This group is particularly important because it is dedicated to the practical solutions and concrete results, he added.

Australian PM Scott Morrison said that it's the Indo-Pacific that will now shape the destiny of the world in the 21st Century. As four leaders of great democracies in Indo-Pacific, let our partnership be an enabler of peace, stability and prosperity and to do so inclusively with many nations in the region, he added.

With the four countries working together, I wish to firmly advance cooperation to realise a free and open Indo-Pacific, said Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga.

The virtual meeting marks the first summit since the idea for the grouping of the four major democracies was conceived in 2004, in response to the devastation of an earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean.

Reports citing sources said under the new initiative, vaccines will be developed in the US, manufactured in India, financed by Japan and the US, and supported by Australia.

Quad is also expected to establish, a senior-level Quad vaccine experts group and this is a part of the building habits of cooperation that is one of the key focus of the Quad, said a senior US administration official.

The Quad summit, however, comes as a distraction for China, which is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas, as it hotly pursues militarisation of the South China Sea and beyond.

Ahead of the Quad summit, China said exchanges and cooperation between countries should contribute to mutual understanding rather than targeting a third party and refrain from pursuing exclusive blocs.

Asked for China's reaction to the Quad conclave, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing here that exchanges and cooperation between nations should contribute to the mutual understanding and trust among nations, rather than targeting a third party or damaging the interest of a third party.
Portugal's Constitutional Court on Monday blocked a law passed by parliament introducing euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill and gravely injured people.

The court said in a statement that the law is imprecise in identifying the circumstances under which those procedures can occur. The judges rejected the law in a 7-5 ruling.

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa asked the Constitutional Court last month to evaluate the law, which parliament passed early this year. The law requires the president's approval to enter into force.

The governing center-left Socialist Party, which was the driving force behind the bill, said that if the head of state sends the bill back to parliament it will reword the legislation and pass it again.

The court agreed with Rebelo de Sousa, who said the legislation appeared to be insufficiently imprecise and apt to create legal uncertainty.

The court said in its decision that the rules on when euthanasia can take must be "clear, precise, clearly envisioned and controllable." The law lacks the "indispensable rigor," the judges wrote.

Euthanasia is when a doctor directly administers fatal drugs to a patient, while medically-assisted suicide is when patients administer the lethal drug themselves, under medical supervision.

Several other European Union nations allow euthanasia and assisted suicide.

Explore further Portugal's euthanasia law goes for constitutional review

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
This is the shocking moment blood pours from a snake handler's face after a three-foot-long python strikes at his eye.

In the footage Nick Bishop, 32, a reptile enthusiast from Los Angeles who calls himself 'The Wrangler', is seen holding the snake he found whilst scouring the Everglades National Park in Florida.

As Mr Bishop talks to the camera enthusiastically about his wild find, the Burmese python, native to Southeast Asia, makes repeated lunges at him in order to defend itself.

The reptile manages to sink its razor sharp fangs into the handler's arms several times, as Mr Bishop casually tells viewers 'he's munching on me' and calls the creature a 'naughty little' snake.

However Mr Bishop is stunned when the snake suddenly lurches towards his eye, sinking its fangs into his eyebrow and narrowly missing his eyeball.

The wrangler is left with blood pouring from above his eye as he tries to play off the dangerous attack by telling viewers: 'Well we call that a love bite.'

Mr Bishop later said: 'I captured the snake as fast as I could and pulled my camera out and then wham, that's when it happened. I was bit.'

'That sucker got me good and it almost took my eye out.

After being struck by the Burmese python which he found in Everglades National Park in Florida, the wrangler, Nick Bishop, 32, poses with the python wrapped around his neck

The Burmese python is a non-venomous snake and there haven't been any recorded cases of them killing humans in Florida. Pictured: The python gets ready to strike Mr Bishop's arm

'I knew it was going to strike, that's what they do. I just had no clue it was targeting my face until it was too late.

'Usually, I don't film myself and this is a prime reason why. Accidents like this happen but I'm lucky though. It could have been a whole lot worse.

'Snakes don't want to use their precious energy on humans. They need that energy to hunt and to survive.

The wrangler is left with blood pouring from his eye after the near miss as he tries to play off the dangerous attack by telling viewers: 'Well we call that a love bite'

Just before the attack the snake appears to be looking Mr Bishop in the face before striking his eyebrow

'The biggest misconception of snakes is that they attack and chase people when in reality, every time I have ever been bitten it was because it was being defensive.

'That's why it's my goal to help bring some understanding about the animals that I love.'

Luckily the Burmese python is a non-venomous snake and there haven't been any recorded cases of them killing humans in Florida.

However, snakes account for as many as 138,000 deaths per year. The only creatures on earth to be considered deadlier are mosquitoes and humans.
Taiwan on Monday advised its companies in Myanmar to fly the island's flag to distinguish themselves from Chinese businesses, which came under attack over the weekend amid a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Yangon.

Several Chinese-owned factories were torched in a textile-producing district of Yangon on Sunday, when Myanmar saw its deadliest day of protest against the military since the February 1 putsch.

The attack on the Chinese factories has rattled Taiwan, whose businesses have previously been mistakenly targeted during bouts of anti-Chinese sentiment in Southeast Asia.

Taiwan's de facto embassy in Myanmar advised companies "to label themselves as 'Taiwanese business' in Myanmar language, to fly our national flag and explain to local employees and nearby residents that they are Taiwanese factories to avoid confusions and misjudgement".

Public anger towards China has soared in Myanmar, as many in the pro-democracy movement believe China has sided with the army.

China initially pushed back against international outcry over the coup, calling it interference in the country's "internal affairs", though more recently it agreed to a United Nations Security Council resolution which "strongly condemns the use of violence against peaceful protesters".

Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island, vocally condemned the coup from early on, as well as the junta's "successive abuse of lethal force against peaceful protesters".

On Monday, Taipei's foreign ministry said ten Taiwanese citizens were temporarily trapped during the unrest on the outskirts of Yangon, while some property was damaged when their factory in the district was attacked.

The group is currently safe and has remained inside the factory to wait for the situation to stabilise, the ministry said in a statement.

Chinese state media said 32 factories in Yangon were attacked on Sunday, causing $37 million in damage and leaving two employees injured.

Story continues

Beijing's embassy in Myanmar issued a statement condemning the actions of "destroyers" and urging police to "guarantee the security" of Chinese businesses.

Around 270 Taiwanese companies operate in Myanmar with an estimated total investment of over $1 billion, including banks, textile and shoe factories.

aw/jta/am/reb
The White House said it would welcome former President Donald Trump's help in promoting the coronavirus vaccine to his supporters but says there are other ways to convince conservatives to get the shot.

The topic of how to sway White Republicans -- who polls have shown are more likely to be hesitant to receive the vaccine -- has been the subject of discussion among President Joe Biden and his advisers.

'I discussed it with my team and they say the thing that has more impact than anything Trump would say to the MAGA folks is what the local doctors, what the local preachers, what the local people in the community say,' Biden said at the White House on Monday.

'I urge all local docs and ministers and priests to talk about why, why it's important to get in to get that vaccine, and even after that, until everyone is in fact vaccinated, to wear this mask,' he said.

Earlier, the White House laid out how it was reaching conservatives with vaccine messaging, even as officials acknowledged a Democratic president did not carry the same weight among that population as other public figures.

'If former President Trump woke up tomorrow and wanted to be more vocal about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine certainly we'd support that,' press secretary Jen Psaki said at a Monday's White House briefing.

Health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, have said Trump's voice in promoting the vaccine would go far in convincing Republicans to get it. Polls have shown Republicans are more likely to say they are wary or don't plan to get inoculated.

Trump has made small efforts to promote the vaccine, including in a speech at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference, but he did not appear in a public service announcement featuring former presidents that was released last week.

Psaki noted those presidents -- Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter -- 'did not need an engraved invitation' to promote the vaccine.

Trump wasn't approached to participate in the PSA, CNN recently reported, and expressed little interest in joining his predecessors to promote the vaccine.

Still, Psaki said the administration was focused on using 'trusted messengers' to convince wary populations to get the vaccine.

'The President's goal is to vaccine all Americans, not just those who voted for him,' she said. 'We know we need to meet everyone where they are, and that includes conservatives.'

She said Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins, the head of the National Institutes of Health, would meet with evangelical leaders on Tuesday to discuss vaccines and the best way to promote them among that population.

And she cited polls showing more Republicans would trust a doctor or health care provider when deciding whether to get a shot.
GDPR Is Failing By Not Being Enforced

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation was put into effect on May 25th 2018 butthere are still many areas of confusion, especially concerning which types of data to delete and what is okay to keep. The drive behind the regulation was to bring the historical patchwork of laws and obligations about personal data, privacy and consent across Europe up to speed and make them fit for purpose in a world dominated by surveillance capitalism.

On the face of it, the GDPR looks like a valuable piece of legislation, but according to some of its critics, GDPR has failed to protect personal data and that failure is killing the media and social institutions.

That is the conclusion of Dr Johnny Ryan, a senior fellow at non-profit the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, speaking ata a round table debate organised by the Brussels Privacy Hub. His contention is that the GDPR is good legislation, but nothing more than a 'beautiful dream' because no-one is interested in prosecuting it. "The Commission is not serious about it; the member states are not serious about it because no-one enforces it. And activists aren't serious about it either because we're not taking cases. No one is serious about it," he said.

According to Dr Ryan, this lack of seriousness in enforcement of EU GDPR rules risks allowing a hollowing out of the media industry, and by extension society, is in a race to the bottom.

Dr. Ryan, who was previously chief innovation officer at The Irish Times, said that publishers are chasing the "false science and illusion" and, lacking their own data science know-how, have engaged with the wide range participants that make up the adtech industry, a move which he argued could ultimately destroy them. "Publishers became integrated with the tracking industry. They became incapable of protecting their own data. For the last decade the tracking industry has been finding desirable audiences on a publisher's site and then moving to very cheap websites and targeting those audiences there as well. This arbitrage enables the bottom of the web to make money and makes it impossible for legitimate publishers to charge at the same price that they had for their own audience."

Dr. Ryan described the current situation as "a dystopia", said the host has become dependent on the parasite.

"We've got this crazy situation where both advertisers and publishers by attempting to embrace what you might call innovation and data are trapped in a crippling conservativism. And they have both railed against the privacy protections that could have reformed the advertising industry and saved their businesses." Ryan argued that there is no point in the EU working on new data protection, consumer and competition laws which which aims to regulate online content, if it has shown itself unprepared to act on GDPR, for which he blamed the influence of technolgy industry lobbyists and the weakness of the Data Protection Authorities.

Massimo Attoresi, Deputy Head of the Technology and Privacy Unit at the European Data Protection Supervisor, which regulates data processing by European institutions, argued that some of the acknowledged issues with the practical outcomes of GDPR would be resolved when it became part of a larger framework of legislation, including the incoming DMA and also agreements with the OECD and the USA. "It was a very thorough piece of law enforcement, it was also very well thought through .... The problem is that the time was late and all the business models we are finding ... which are not legal at the end of the day were already in place." Arroresi said.

In general the type of data protected by the GDPR is any information relating to an individual which can be used to identify that person, either on its own or when put together with other information. It includes traditional identifiers like name, age and location, and online identifiers such as username, IP address and cookie identifiers.

Other participants at the Brussels Privacy Hub event took a more business orientated perspective. Luke Mulks, a Director of the internet search company Brave said that his company is working on a new model for advertisers in which users' attention is rewarded with the BAT (Basic Attention Token) crypto currency. This model envisions users viewing far fewer ads which are better directed, he explained, adding that Brave is now working with some of the biggest ad agencies and is growing rapidly year-on-year.

Isabella de Michelis CEO of mobile privacy app ErnieApp says that one answer to the problem would be to combine the key elements of GDPR into an interface so that they are easy to digest by app users via a process she calls Privacy Knowledge Management (PKM). "We have a law but it's meaningless for consumers; we have solutions, but they're so complex that the users might not understand it, or simply they will not be aware of them because the big tech is dominating the narrative around what the solutions are. ErnieApp engineers GDPR Article 6A "into four clicks, opt in, opt out, delete and transfer," she explained, allowing users to understand what is happening with their data and act on it.

The GDPR has conferred formidable powers on the data protection authorities (DPAs) of EU states, including the power to impose fines of up to 4% of a companys global revenues. Howver, to date, the number of fines levied has been minuscule compared to the scale of the covert data-broking marketplaces that underpin the revenues of social media and other companies.

The number of data protection staff across the EU has barely increased since 2019 and it's unlikely to do so, with most member states saying they haven't been allocated sufficient resources to carry out their work properly. In Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia, national courts and authorities have been abusing the GDPR to curtail investigative journalism, or to target civic tech NGOs by trying to force outlets to reveal their sources.

In the UK, meanwhile there is a possibility that acrimonious Brexit negotiations involve a lowering of current standards which could make it hard to authorise the transfer of data between the EU and the UK.

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GDPR's Impact In The US And Globally:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said on Sunday the virtual summit he held last week with the leaders of India, Japan and Australia went very well.

Biden and the other leaders pledged on Friday at the first summit of a group known as the Quad to work to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region and to cooperate on maritime, cyber and economic security, issues vital to the four democracies in the face of challenges from China.

"It went very well. Everybody seemed to like it a great deal," Biden told reporters when asked about the meeting on his return to the White House from a weekend stay at his home in Delaware.

(This story corrects to add missing comma in headline)

(Reporting By David Shepardson; Writing by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Tom Hogue)
A heritage-listed home on a sprawling suburban block in Sydneys north-west will be transformed into a school for dozens of pupils after an independent planning panel found the divisive project was in the public interest.

Best Practice Education Group lodged plans with Hornsby Shire Council to use Mount Errington house and its gardens for a preschool and primary school, named Blue Gum Community School, for 80 pupils and nine staff.

Mount Errington in Hornsby is considered a strong example of the arts and crafts Federation style of home. Credit:NSW Planning Department

The group, which also runs a school in Canberra, says restoring the property is a labour of love, but a local heritage conservation group criticised the plan as totally inappropriate for the house, which was built in 1897. Best Practice bought the property for $2.9 million in 2019.

The proposal was supported by the Planning Department, but it referred the state significant development to the Independent Planning Commission in January because the application attracted more than 50 objections.
SAN DIEGO, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Air Logistics and Training, Inc. (GALT) announced today that it was awarded a prime contract valued at almost $23.9M to deliver and support advanced networking and communication payloads to the United States Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL). The Fused Integrated Naval Network (FINN) Communications Gateway is a robust communications system prototype intended to be integrated aboard an Unmanned Airborne System (UAS) in order to experiment with concepts involving means to share information between widely distributed forces. This contract is intended to: mature designs, develop emerging communication technologies, and integrate the aforementioned designs and technologies on to hosting platforms. The contract scope includes development and delivery of four prototype airborne systems. The prototypes will be certified for flight for use during DoD Live Force Experimentation.

"GALT has demonstrated a novel approach to inform the USMC's solutions communications challenges by combining legacy and emerging communication technologies and waveforms in podded gateways. Under MCWL leadership, these capabilities will be tested in a fast-paced series of developmental test flights with operational Marine Corps forces to ensure fieldable and relevant systems will reach the fleet", said John N. Kohut, GALT Chief Executive Officer.

About Global Air Logistics and Training, Inc.

GALT is a non-traditional, veteran owned, small business that delivers premier communications and command and control solutions in support to the Department of Defense. GALT's combination of technical innovation and fast-paced execution unleashes new capabilities, bolsters security, and transforms information flow. GALT specializes in open, scalable, and tailorable communications architectures, rapid prototyping, and user experience design. GALT's process is based on Agile Software and System engineering development to improve, modernize, and enhance command, control, and communications systems.

Superior outcomes are the result of GALT's collaborative analytical approach and partnering with small and innovative large partners. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, GALT builds flexible solutions that evolve as missions change, delivering results that last. Learn more at galt.aero.

SOURCE Global Air Logistics and Training, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.galt.aero/


This job expired on 13 May 2021.
NEW YORK (AP) - Published reports say a longtime adviser to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo leading the states COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been calling county executives to gauge their loyalty to the Democratic governor amid a sexual harassment investigation.

The Washington Post and The New York Times report that one Democratic county executive was so disturbed by the call from vaccine czar Larry Schwartz that the executive filed notice of an impending ethics complaint with the public integrity unit of the state attorney generals office.

Schwartz told the Post he did not discuss vaccines in the conversations. He said he "did nothing wrong."

Cuomo's attorney, Beth Garvey, released the following statement Monday afternoon:

"Vaccine distribution in New York is based on objective criteria to ensure it matches eligible populations, ensure equity, and ability to rapidly administer shots in arms. To be clear, Larry's conversations did not bring up vaccine distribution -- he would never link political support to public health decisions.

"Distorting Larry's role or intentions for headlines maligns a decades long public servant who has done nothing but volunteer around the clock since March to help New York get through the COVID pandemic. Any suggestion that Larry acted in any way unethically or in any way other than in the best interest of the New Yorkers that he selflessly served is patently false."
Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer refuse to listen to the cries of millions of Americans who believe that the 2020 presidential election yielded a dubious outcome. All they seem to care about is winning, while many in this country demand elections that yield trustworthy results. There is a possible solution for this problem, although Democrats will resent it because it limits opportunities to cheat, and conservatives will resent it because it is profoundly humiliating to America.

What exacerbates the problem of political leaders refusing to acknowledge questions about the 2020 election is that mainstream media and online social networks have conspired to censor complaints that the election of 2020 was mangled in favor of the Democrats. When seventeen states appealed to the Supreme Court after the election claiming that the Constitution was ignored by battleground states to ensure a victory for Joe Biden, the Supreme Court, seemingly fearful of the new administration (and the threat of court-packing), refused to hear the appeal. Leaders of the Republican Party, who were anxious to see Donald Trump leave Washington, joined Biden, Pelosi, and Schumer in calling the election legitimate.

A recent article by U. S. News and World Report shows that we compare badly to other democratic governments around the world when you raise the issue of election integrity:

A 2019 report published by the Electoral Integrity Project, an independent project based out of Harvard University, found that U.S. elections from July 2012 through December 2018 rated "lower than any other long-established democracies and affluent societies." Each country in the index was given a score out of 100 based on assessments of the quality of each of its elections  including categories such as electoral laws, voter registration and voting process  one month after polls closed. The U.S. score of 61  the same score as Mexico and Panama  is the second-lowest among liberal democracies and much lower than other countries in the Americas region, including Costa Rica, Uruguay and Chile. Denmark, Finland and Norway are among the top-ranked countries in the index, all with scores in the 80s.

Even though the swamp won't admit it, they have a major credibility problem involving election integrity. Dubious elections are not new in world history. Most recently, places like Russia and Venezuela have held elections that were laughable in terms of integrity. It was sad in 2020 to see our country join them in such bad company.

Restoring credibility to U.S. elections will require hard work, and it will invite furious opposition from the "win at all costs" coalition. One of the measures we need to employ is what has been done before, in other countries, to promote fair elections. We need to invite delegations from other respectable democracies with reputations for fair elections to come and monitor our elections. Perhaps the humiliating prospect of inviting foreign election monitors will spur our own leaders to clean up election integrity in America.

Image: Voting by Element5 Digital on Unsplash.
MISSISSAUGA, Ontario and TORONTO, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Microbix Biosystems Inc. (TSX: MBX, OTCQB: MBXBF, Microbix), a life sciences innovator and exporter, and Seegene Canada Inc. (Seegene), a provider of leading-edge molecular diagnostics assays and instruments (made by Seegene Inc. of Seoul, Korea), are pleased to announce a collaboration under which Seegene will distribute and recommend Microbixs new COVID-variant Quality Assessment Products (QAPs) to monitor the workflow accuracy of Seegene Allplex assays across Canada.



In this collaboration, Seegene becomes a QAPs distributor and will recommend Microbixs whole-genome COVID-variant QAPs to support Seegenes molecular assays that detect the more-contagious emerging strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus  initially the Brazilian, South African, & UK variants (P.1, B.1.351, & B1.1.7 respectively). Seegenes unique Allplex assays more rapidly and economically detect the genetic point-mutations associated with these variants. In turn, Microbixs novel COVID-variant QAPs will monitor the workflow accuracy and laboratory testing performance of those assays.

Combining Seegenes Allplex new-variant detection assays with Microbixs new-variant QAPs creates a faster, less-expensive, accurate, and effective means of assessing the prevalence of viral variants in populations. Use of Allplex and QAPs is therefore a superior alternative to costly and slow genomic-sequencing of patient samples. The resulting accurate knowledge of the presence and proportion of viral variants is critical for public health decision-making, including about the severity of lockdowns and the timing and extent of re-openings.

Seegene Allplex assays are designed to readily detect even single-nucleotide changes to genetic sequences and are therefore well-suited to viral variant detection (kits are now available in Canada on an RUO basis). Microbixs QAPs are available to support both PCR-based (molecular) and antigen-based SARS-CoV-2 assays in refrigerator-stable liquid vials or formatted on Copan FLOQSwabs and room-temperature stable. Microbixs PROCEEDx brand QAPs are RUO samples, while its REDx brand QAPs are In-Vitro Diagnostic IVD Controls. Regular use of QAPs helps ensure the accuracy of laboratory-conducted assays, such as for variant detection.

James Yantzi, CEO of Seegene Canada, commented, It is vital for Canadian laboratories to have immediate access to the tools they require to generate the data that guides Canadas public health responses. Were therefore very pleased to collaborate with Microbix to help ensure the accuracy of our viral variant assays.

Phil Casselli, SVP of Business Development at Microbix, remarked, The emergence of variant viral strains drove us to create additional QAPs to support important new assays such as Seegenes. We are delighted to count Seegene Canada as a supporter of Microbix, a technical collaborator, and our latest QAPs distributor.

About Microbix Biosystems

Microbix develops proprietary biological technology solutions for human health and well-being, with about 90 skilled employees and sales growing from a base of over $1 million per month. It makes a wide range of critical biological materials for the global diagnostics industry, notably antigens for immunoassays and its laboratory quality assessment products (QAPs) that support clinical lab proficiency testing, enable assay development and validation, or help ensure the quality of clinical diagnostic workflows. Microbix antigens enable the antibody tests of over 100 international diagnostics companies, while its QAPs are sold to clinical laboratory accreditation organizations, diagnostics companies, and clinical laboratories. Microbix QAPs are now available in over 30 countries, distributed by 1WA (Oneworld Accuracy Inc.), Alpha-Tec Systems, Inc., D.I.D. Diagnostic Intl Distribution SpA, Labquality Oy, The Medical Supply Company of Ireland Ltd, R-Biopharm AG, and Seegene Canada Inc. Microbix is ISO 9001 and 13485 accredited, U.S. FDA registered, Australian TGA registered, Health Canada establishment licensed, and provides CE marked products.

Microbix also applies its biological expertise and infrastructure to develop other proprietary products and technologies, most notably viral transport medium (DxTM) to stabilize patient samples for lab-based molecular diagnostic testing and Kinlytic urokinase, a biologic thrombolytic drug used to treat blood clots. Microbix is traded on the TSX and OTCQB, and headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

About Seegene Canada Inc.

Seegene Canada Inc. is a Toronto-based subsidiary of Seegene Inc. (of Seoul, Republic of Korea). Seegene companies are global leaders in multiplex molecular diagnostics, and offer platforms with real-time PCR amplification technologies. The Seegene Inc. sales network covers over 60 countries, with subsidiaries in Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Mexico, the Middle East, and the United States.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes forward-looking information, as such term is defined in applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, all discussion regarding Seegene, its products and the collaboration, Microbixs products, Microbixs business and business results, goals or outlook, risks associated with financial results and stability, development projects such as those referenced in its corporate presentation, regulatory compliance and approvals, sales to domestic or foreign jurisdictions, engineering and construction, production (including control over costs, quality, quantity and timeliness of delivery), foreign currency and exchange rates, maintaining adequate working capital and raising further capital on acceptable terms or at all, and other similar statements concerning anticipated future events, conditions or results that are not historical facts. These statements reflect managements current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward looking information is inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Companys control. Accordingly, actual future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. All statements are made as of the date of this news release and represent the Companys judgement as of the date of this new release, and the Company is under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking information.

Please visit www.microbix.com or www.sedar.com for recent Microbix news and filings.

For further information, please contact Microbix at: Cameron Groome, CEO

(905) 361-8910 Jim Currie, CFO

(905) 361-8910 Deborah Honig, Investor Relations

Adelaide Capital Markets

(647) 203-8793 ir@microbix.com

Copyright  2021 Microbix Biosystems Inc.

Microbix, DxTM, Kinlytic, PROCEEDx, QAPs, and REDx are trademarks of Microbix Biosystems Inc.

PROCEEDxFLOQ and REDxFLOQ are trademarks of Microbix Biosystems Inc. in collaboration with Copan Italia S.p.A.

Copan, FLOQ, and FLOQSwab are trademarks of Copan Italia S.p.A.

Seegene and Allplex are trademarks of Seegene Inc.
The jury at Belfast Crown Court spent around four hours deliberating

A 32-year old man was today convicted by a jury of threatening his ex-partner with a knife and raping her on Valentines Day.

The jury at Belfast Crown Court spent around four hours deliberating before returning unanimous guilty verdicts against the accused.

During the trial, it emerged that the former couple had spent Valentines night last year together, and that after they became embroiled in a row, the defendant threatened her with a knife.

He then sexually assaulted and raped her, and before leaving her north Belfast home he said to her do you hate now me? Happy Valentines Day. He also threatened to end her if she went to the PSNI.

The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with, and denied, seven offences committed over February 14 and 15, 2020.

During the trial, the defendant gave evidence and rejected his exs version of events. He admitted he had been at her house on the evening in question and claimed that all sexual contact between them was consensual.

Despite his denials of any wrong-doing, the jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on all seven charges including rape and breaching a restraining order.

When she gave evidence, the 33-year old mother of four said the incident left her terrified. Following todays verdict, Crown barrister Gavan DuffyQC said he would be seeking a Victim Impact Statement from her.

Defence barrister Des Fahy told Judge Stephen Fowler QC that a pre-sentence report will also be compiled on his client.

Judge Fowler thanked the jury of six men and five women for the attention they gave the case then released them.

The defendant  who showed no emotion when the seven guilty verdicts were returned  was remanded back into custody ahead of sentencing, which will take place on May 7.
A couple who were stranded overnight in a canyon have been pulled to safety by emergency services after a massive rescue effort.

The 34-year-old woman and 41-year-old man activated an emergency radio beacon at 2am on Tuesday after becoming stuck in Claustral canyon at Mount Tomah in the Blue Mountains.

They are being treating by paramedics for exposure and minor lacerations.

A helicopter was dispatched after an emergency radio call overnight and emergency crews have began abseiling into Claustral Canyon near Mount Tomah in the Blue Mountains

Emergency services began descending into the canyon after noticing a light source on Tuesday morning.

A New South Wales helicopter was dispatched and a large scale operation to rescue the couple was activated this morning.

The gorge is a popular spot for adventurers, but is challenging and takes between 8 to 10 hours to complete.

A pair of Sydney-based eighteen-year-olds were rescued from the spot in February 2018 and another couple were winched from the ravine in April 2016.
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Michigan public schools official student headcount is 1,437,612 for 2020-21, down 4.1% or 61,910 students from 1,499,552 a year earlier, according to new data posted by on the states mischooldata.org website.

Its the biggest drop in the states student count in at least two decades.

Michigans public school enrollment has been on a downward trend since fall 2003, when 1.7 million were enrolled. Its is now at a level last seen in the 1950s, a reflection of Michigans falling birth rate.

But the decline between 2019-20 and 2020-21 was particularly sharp because of COVID-19 pandemic, which had many schools suspending or limiting in-person learning this school year. That had families opting for homeschooling or private schools or simply not having their children participate in schooling this year.

Below is a database of headcount by school district for this school year compared to 2020-19. You can search by district name or county. (Cant see the database? Click here.)

Note that enrollment for intermediate school districts is specifically for schools or programs operated by the ISD.

Next is a database of headcount by school district. You can search by name of the school or by district or county. (Cant see the database? Click here.)

Note: The database for school buildings only includes buildings open in 2020-21. In a few districts, schools were closed at the end of the 2019-20 school year and their students were sent to other buildings, which caused those buildings to see a significant jump in enrollment.

A few highlights of the statewide data:

White students comprise about 65% of enrollment in Michigan public schools. Their numbers dropped by about 4.8% compared to last school year.

Black student are about 18% of total enrollment. Their numbers dropped by 5.2%.

Hispanic students, the third-largest group, are about 8% of the total, and had a 1.8% enrollment drop compared to last year.

About 51% of public school students qualified for the subsidized lunch program this year, about the same as last year. The number of low-income students dropped by 4.5% compared to a 3.7% drop in middle-class and affluent students.

Charter schools account for 10.4% of total enrollment in 2020-21, up from 9.8% in 2020-19. Charters have 149,478 students this school year, up 1.5% from the 147,339 enrolled the previous year.

Schools operated by intermediate school districts, typically for special-education students, were particularly hard-hit by enrollment declines. The ISD programs currently enroll 36,185 students, down 29% from the 50,921 last year.

Read more on MLive:

COVID-19 pandemic still teaching Michigan schools lessons a year later

9 things we got totally wrong about COVID-19 a year ago

Detroits Ford Field picked as new mass COVID-19 vaccination site
Laois reported less than five cases of Covid-19 this evening

The 14-day incidence rate now stands at 81.5 with the national average standing at 148.3.

There have been no new deaths reported to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre today.

There has been a total of 4,534 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.

As of midnight, Sunday 14th March, the HPSC has been notified of 575 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 227,316 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.

Of the cases notified today:

289 are men / 282 are women

73% are under 45 years of age

The median age is 30 years old

232 in Dublin, 48 in Meath, 41 in Tipperary, 38 in Kildare, 30 in Galway and the remaining 186 cases are spread across 20 other counties.

As of 8am today, 360 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 85 are in ICU. 25 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

As of March 12, 606,904 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland:

443,092 people have received their first dose

163,812 people have received their second dose

Dr Ronan Glynn, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health said: While there has been a very understandable focus on the vaccine programme over recent days, we must not lose sight of the danger that COVID-19 continues to pose. While, in time, vaccines will have a very significant positive impact on COVID, they will not stop a further wave of disease over the coming weeks. We are seeing this play out across Europe with many countries now experiencing pressure on their hospital and critical care capacities. We must not let this happen here.

Together, we have done an extraordinary job of driving down incidence of disease. These efforts are cause for real hope and, if we can return to decreasing indicators of disease, we can continue to protect our loved ones and look forward to much brighter days ahead.

Professor Karina Butler, Chair of National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) said: All vaccines authorised for use Ireland are proven to be very effective against severe COVID-19 disease. The safety of vaccines is underpinned by the ongoing monitoring that the NIAC, the HPRA and the EMA undertake on a rolling basis.

We will continue to monitor the situation relating to COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca and if we can be satisfied that these events are coincidental and not caused by this vaccine, we will reassess the situation and our recommendations. The HPRA will keep NIAC fully informed as the EMA investigation progresses and we, in turn, will ensure to keep you updated.

Dr Ray Walley, Member of the National COVID-19 GP Liaison Committee said: Every medication, including every vaccine, has side effects. Our role as clinicians, is to weigh up the benefits and risks of medications. I want to reassure those who have received a COVID-19 vaccine in this country that there are, and continues to be, enormous benefits in the vaccine programme, based on evidence relating to all the vaccines were using in this country, including COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca.

Evidence coming to light from other countries, and here in Ireland, indicates benefits for older people and vulnerable people, in terms of reduced hospitalisation and reduced death, particularly in older and frailer people. The temporary deferral of use of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca is necessary in order to give the assurance that were taking notice if there are any safety signals at all, any risks that may be identified during the considerable, ongoing monitoring of vaccination programmes internationally, and I hope people take comfort from this cautious approach.

Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said: I noted last week that we are also seeing an increase in mobility, and, while some increase is to be expected due to many returning to school, we must continue to be very cautious. Now is not the time to be socialising, its just too risky.

We must do all we can to continue to suppress this virus and to ensure that as many people as possible get to benefit from vaccination over the coming months. Each of us knows the range of tried and trusted tools at our disposal. If we continue to keep our distance, wash our hands, wear face masks and stay home we will continue to drive down transmission of this disease.
Showering is such a basic part of your daily routine that you probably dont think much about it. But if youre living with eczema, its crucial to make sure youre taking steps to ensure your showering habits wont make your symptoms worse.

In general, washing your skin is necessary for good hygiene; however, people with eczema have a compromised skin barrier and are at greater risk for bacterial colonization and skin infection, explains Adam Wulkan, MD, the director of laser and cosmetic dermatology at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts.

Also known as atopic dermatitis, eczema is a chronic skin disease that causes a variety of symptoms, including itchiness, swelling, redness, and scaling, according to the Mayo Clinic. Skin care is vital to eczema treatment, and bathing is vital to skin care  but just as the right bath products can soothe skin, the wrong ones can irritate it and bring on a flare-up. Even the temperature of the water you use may be triggering.

RELATED: How Stress Can Trigger an Eczema Flare-Up

Use these tips to make your shower a pleasant, healing experience.

Why Washing Up Is Important When Managing Eczema

The benefits of bathing are twofold for people with eczema.

For one, bathing then moisturizing directly afterward can quench dry skin, according to the National Eczema Association (NEA).

Secondly, water gets rid of bacteria and allergens that might otherwise linger on your skin, causing eczema flare-ups, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Getting water on the skin is an important aspect of eczema skin health, says Dr. Wulkan.

Shower vs. Bath: Which Is Better for Eczema-Prone Skin?

It depends. But in general, showering may pose less of a risk for a flare-up than a bath does.

Part of the reason for that is baths tend to be longer than showers, and for people with eczema, its important to keep your time in the water short, advises the NEA.

Excessive water exposure can strip away the natural oils and sebum, Wulkan says. Sebum is a mixture of fatty substances produced by your sebaceous glands that helps prevent water loss on your skin, notes the Cleveland Clinic.

Thats not to say showers cant also irritate skin. I recommend no longer than a 10-minute shower  and ideally less, says Wulkan.

A too-hot shower can also pose problems for eczema. While our heads may love hot showers, our skin does not  long exposures to water, particularly hot water, can strip the skin of essential oils, disrupting the outer skin layer, says Joshua Zeichner, MD, a dermatologist and the director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

Be sure to bathe with lukewarm water, which is typically 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (though you can simply go by feel, or base it on room temperature), notes the Baylor College of Medicine.

The dangers come in when the showers or baths are long and too hot, says Wulkan.

RELATED: Your Everyday Guide to Living Well With Eczema

How Often Should You Shower When Managing Eczema?

Your skin may be more prone to eczema flare-ups when it isnt clean, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Thus, the hospital recommends showering daily to get off all the days dirt and grime.

Still, there are some differing philosophies on the topic, says Wulkan. I agree with both the American Academy of Dermatology as well as the National Eczema Association, who feel that showering or bathing once daily is a good idea, says Wulkan. The critical part is the time, water temperature, products used and post-treatment moisturization, he adds.

Indeed, an article published in July 2016 in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology found that bathing daily is effective for soothing the dry skin that can come along with eczema, as long as you do the soak and seal method.

RELATED: I Tried Wet Wrap Therapy for Eczema, and It Helped Reset My Skin

What Is the Soak and Seal Method?

The soak and seal method involves getting your skin wet via a bath or shower followed by sealing the water in with a moisturizer, explains Wulkan. Explaining this to patients allows them to understand that showering and bathing can actually hurt the skin unless you moisturize and seal in the water, he says. For the record, the NEA, too, recommends this post-bathing approach for people with eczema.

Ready to give your bathing routine an overhaul, and try the soak and seal method? Heres a guide to getting your shower time right.

Before Showering

Have an eczema-friendly towel at the ready. Ensuring that laundry detergents are free of dyes and fragrance is essential, and this is true for all laundry  not only towels, says Wulkan. There are fragrance-free fabric softeners and dryer sheets as well, but these are nonessential for washing clothes, so its often wise to forgo fabric softeners and dryer sheets altogether, Wulkan adds.

Ensuring that laundry detergents are free of dyes and fragrance is essential, and this is true for all laundry  not only towels, says Wulkan. There are fragrance-free fabric softeners and dryer sheets as well, but these are nonessential for washing clothes, so its often wise to forgo fabric softeners and dryer sheets altogether, Wulkan adds. Have your products at the ready. Make sure your moisturizer and any treatments for your eczema (as recommended by your doctor) are handy in the bathroom, because youre going to need them as soon as you get out.

Make sure your moisturizer and any treatments for your eczema (as recommended by your doctor) are handy in the bathroom, because youre going to need them as soon as you get out. Test the water temperature. Draw your bath (if youre taking one) or get the water going for your shower, and test the H 2 O to make sure its lukewarm.

RELATED: A Comprehensive Glossary of Eczema Terms

While Showering

Keep the clock in mind. Bathe for 10 minutes max to avoid drying out your skin.

Bathe for 10 minutes max to avoid drying out your skin. Skip any shower tools that scrape your skin. That includes loofahs, washcloths, or sponges, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Lather with your hands instead.

That includes loofahs, washcloths, or sponges, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Lather with your hands instead. Avoid irritating exfoliating products, advises Dr. Zeichner. Those would be granular salt and sugar scrubs that often include a fragrance.

Those would be granular salt and sugar scrubs that often include a fragrance. Use a gentle, soap-free cleanser on the skin. True soaps have an alkaline pH and can disrupt the outer skin, Zeichner adds. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology recommends, for example, the Dove Sensitive Skin Unscented Beauty Bar ($12.98 for 16 bars, Amazon.com) and CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser ($14.64, Amazon.com), neither of which includes the word soap on its label.

True soaps have an alkaline pH and can disrupt the outer skin, Zeichner adds. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology recommends, for example, the Dove Sensitive Skin Unscented Beauty Bar ($12.98 for 16 bars, Amazon.com) and CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser ($14.64, Amazon.com), neither of which includes the word soap on its label. Lock moisture into the room. Consider keeping the bathroom door closed when you shower to trap humidity in the air, suggests Zeichner. Low humidity can dry out your skin, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

After Showering

Gently pat your skin dry. Rubbing can further interrupt an already compromised skin barrier that can lead to an eczema flare, says Wulkan.

Rubbing can further interrupt an already compromised skin barrier that can lead to an eczema flare, says Wulkan. Apply your treatment. This may include your topical medicine, like a corticosteroid cream (as approved by your doctor), to eczema-affected areas if you have them.

This may include your topical medicine, like a corticosteroid cream (as approved by your doctor), to eczema-affected areas if you have them. Whip out your moisturizer. Dont wait any longer than three minutes after getting out to apply moisturizer, according to the National Eczema Association. Youll want to lock in that H 2 O, stat. Apply your moisturizer liberally using downward strokes the NEA notes, rather than stroking up and down or in circles.

Dont wait any longer than three minutes after getting out to apply moisturizer, according to the National Eczema Association. Youll want to lock in that H O, stat. Apply your moisturizer liberally using downward strokes the NEA notes, rather than stroking up and down or in circles. Let the moisture seep in. After applying your moisturizer, wait a few minutes before putting on clothes, the NEA advises.

After applying your moisturizer, wait a few minutes before putting on clothes, the NEA advises. Put on eczema-friendly clothing. As far as fabric goes, opt for 100 percent cotton, bamboo, or silk, which may be most comfortable for people with eczema, according to the National Eczema Society.

RELATED: 8 Surprising Triggers for Contact Dermatitis

Tips for Selecting Bath and Shower Products When Managing Eczema

Its easy to grab whatever soap or shampoo is on sale at the grocery store, but you should consider your bath products more carefully than that. Here are some things to keep in mind.

Skip Soap-Based Products

As mentioned, these can cause irritation for eczema-prone skin. Many soaps can be harsh and drying, says Wulkan. One reason, the Eczema Foundation says, is that soap has a higher pH value than the skin (10 versus 5.5), and to keep flare-ups to a minimum, you want to use a cleanser that is of a similar pH level. Gentle cleansers without fragrance, such as CeraVe or Cetaphil, are the best, says Wulkan.

Avoid Anything With Fragrance or Labeled as Antibacterial

Also, youll want to stay away from products with fragrance or that are antibacterial, Wulkan adds. Keep in mind that unscented may still have fragrances, so ensure that any products you buy say fragrance-free and sensitive skin, says Wulkan. Beware of big health claims on the bottle, too. Just because something is natural doesn't mean it's gentle on the skin, Wulkan adds.

Opt for Oil in Your Moisturizer

When it comes to choosing an eczema-friendly moisturizer, the oilier the better. An ointment, such as Vaseline, is the ultimate moisturizer  the problem is that it can be too greasy for many patients to apply to their entire skin, says Wulkan. Therefore, I typically recommend a cream, which is the next best thing, he says. Meanwhile, lotions are often less oily, and not as effective for people with eczema, so the American Academy of Dermatology advises skipping them. The American Academy of Dermatology also suggests buying moisturizers that are dye-free and fragrance-free, too.

RELATED: Top 10 Tips for Healthy Winter Skin

Special Baths That Can Help Soothe Eczema Symptoms

Interested in taking a special bath to help your eczema even further? Ask your doctor if one of these soaks may be a good fit for you.

Bleach Baths

A bleach bath sounds harsh, but adding just a small amount of bleach may help with eczema symptoms, the Mayo Clinic notes. Bleach can potentially kill bacteria on the skin as well as reduce itching, redness, and scaling, they add.

The Mayo Clinic advises adding  cup to  cup of bleach to a 40-gallon bathtub of water, depending on whether you have a half-full or full tub (and remember to make sure that the water isnt hot). Stay in for a maximum of 10 minutes  soaking from your neck down  and repeat no more than three times a week. Also, if its irritating to your skin, rinse and pat dry with a towel.

Oatmeal Baths

You know it as a breakfast food, but oatmeal also acts as a soothing treatment for eczema. The NEA suggests adding colloidal oatmeal (which is oatmeal that is finely ground) to your bath, or putting it on your skin in the form of a paste. You can also find ready-made oatmeal soaks, like Aveeno Soothing Bath Treatment with 100 Percent Natural Colloidal Oatmeal ($6.97; Amazon.com).

Research has found that compounds in colloidal oatmeal help ease inflammation and reduce itch, and could be a beneficial therapy for those with atopic dermatitis.

RELATED: Can Essential Oils Help Eczema or Atopic Dermatitis?

Baking Soda

If youre taking a bath and have an uncomfortable itch, try adding a handful of baking soda, which the American Academy of Dermatology notes can be calming to skin.

Natural Oils

While not all oils are helpful for people with eczema, certain ones can be added to your bath for a little bit of eczema relief. The NEA suggests pouring a small amount of eczema-friendly natural oil into your bath to reduce skin irritation caused by the water. Some oils with benefits include virgin coconut oil, virgin sunflower seed oil, and jojoba oil  however, the group notes that olive oil may be irritating for people with eczema because of its fatty acids.

Also, these oils can make the bottom of the tub super-slippery, so exit your bath with caution.

One Last Thing About Bathing When Living With Eczema

Even though showering  or bathing  may seem complicated for someone with eczema, if you keep things consistent, it will likely become as easy as your previous showering routine.

And when in doubt, ask your dermatologist, who can give you suggestions for the best shower and bath products, as well as share advice on natural remedies to try and avoid.

Additional reporting by Kristen Stewart.
The Health Ministry Secretary of State Andreea Moldovan declared that "very soon" there will be an increase in accessibility of population testing for detecting cases of infection with COVID.

"Very soon we will have available an increase in accessibility for population testing, because there is a a very large difference between counties. Furthermore, we are making an appeal to the population, when they have COVID suggestive symptoms, to test in one of the places where this testing can be done correctly. It is very important that in the event a single person has COVID suggestive symptoms and with diagnostic to not delay the doctor's appointment, to not delay the contact with the family doctor, because a part of these severe cases we see now in Intensive Care Units are cases where people were tardy in going to the doctor," Moldovan said.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) Secretary of State Raed Arafat made an appeal to the population to vaccinate, because vaccination is currently "the only solution" for getting out of this situation."The vaccination itself is the only solution at this time in order to get past this situation as quickly as possible... We need people with high immunity, as many as possible. It is still an appeal towards the population to register, to go vaccinate and to be informed from official sources," the MAI secretary of state said.

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Students arrive at St Andrews RC Secondary School in Glasgow as more pupils return to school in the latest phase of lockdown easing. (Jane Barlow/PA)

Pupils and staff have said they are delighted to be returning to the classroom as many return to school in Scotland for the first time since December.

Children in primaries 4-7 have returned to join their younger classmates who went back to school on February 22, while more secondary pupils have also gone back.

Senior secondary school pupils required to attend for practical work for qualifications were also able to return from February 22, however, now all high school students are returning to the classroom part-time.

They will study as part of a blended learning model meaning they will continue to do some learning at home until after the Easter break.

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At St Andrews RC Secondary School in Glasgow, pupils in S5, S6 and S3 returned to the classroom on Monday March 15 while the other year groups will return later in the week.

Head girl Orla Irvine, 17, said: Im really excited to come back to school, its been good to see everyone and it feels like a bit of normality is coming back into our lives after the lockdown.

She said that the remote learning experience has been better this time than in the previous lockdown, but that people have missed the social side of school.

The S6 pupil said: You havent been able to see your pals, we were getting a little bit of normality back and then it got taken away again but weve been doing the stuff that you can, zoom calls and that, but itll be good to see them again in school because thats like the main social place where you see everyone.

I'm delighted to be back, it feels good to have a bit of normality back in our lives Jordy Yahve, St Andrew's RC Head Boy

Jordy Yahve, 17, the head boy, said: Im delighted to be back, it feels good to have a bit of normality back in our lives , its good to see other people, seeing our friends again and its much easier than being at home because its much easier for teachers and pupils to engage face-to-face so Im very happy to be back.

Commenting on remote learning, he said: It was difficult at first but the teachers at this school made it a lot easier, they really helped us, tried to engaged as much as they could with us, really checked up on us to check our mental health and how were doing at home, they really care at this school.

Secondary school pupils are required to observe two-metre social distancing in school and on school transport as well as wearing face coverings.

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St Andrews RC Headteacher, Gerry ONeil, said they are absolutely delighted to have the young people back.

He said: The next three months will be very important for our pupils in S4, S5 and S6 as they prepare for the assessments that are required to achieve their qualifications between now and the end of the school year, but its also great to have a small group of S1, S2 and S3 pupils back.

The online learning this year has gone really well, theres been a great deal of engagement, its been significantly better than the last lockdown because weve had a chance to prepare and weve been able to run more of a timetabled offering and theres been much more been live learning going on, but I think many of our young people have just got to that stage where theres a lack of variation there and theyve got to the stage where they just really want to get back into school.

Nicola Sturgeon confirmed the plans in a speech to MSPs on March 2 and has repeatedly stressed that having pupils return to school is her priority in easing lockdown.

She previously defended the partial return for secondary school pupils, despite being told some youngsters could spend less than two hours a week in the classroom.

Education Secretary John Swinney said the Governments sole motivation was ensuring pupils wellbeing.
Chicago twin brothers who flipped on Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman and were key in helping the United States government put him in jail for life may now be facing federal charges for crimes they committed during their prison terms.

Margarito Flores and Pedro Flores caught a break when a judge in 2015 gave each of the drug dealing siblings 14-year prison terms in exchange for flipping on the Sinaloa Cartel kingpin.

However, a federal court filing shows that the 39-year-old twins are once again the subject of a new investigation.

Margarito Flores (pictured) and his twin brother Pedro Flores helped the Unites States government's investigation into Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman. In return, they each received 14-year sentences. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the siblings are part of a new federal investigation stemming from charges that they still managed to carry out crimes while they were in prison. The Flores brothers are currently out on probation

Pedro Flores provided Chicago federal investigators 70 to 80 recordings of conversations that included deals with El Chapo and his network associates. He and his brother, Margarito Flores, reportedly received 1,500 to 2,000 kilos of cocaine each month from El Chapo's Sinaloa Cartel and his rival, the Beltran Leyva Organization.

According to court records obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, the Flores brothers can expect 'to be indicted afresh on new charges stemming from criminal conduct that occurred while they were incarcerated.'

The revelations were made in December by Ralph Meczyk, an attorney for Felipe Cabrera-Sarabia, who in June 2020 was extradited from Mexico to Chicago.

The 50-year-old Cabrera-Sarabia, who is also known as 'El Ingeniero' or 'The Engineer,' is accused of conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine, conspiracy to import cocaine and heroin to the U.S., and distribution of heroin.

Meczyk, who did not disclose further details of the Flores brothers' investigation, said that 'the governments two star witnesses and close family members are currently the subject of additional federal investigation likely to result in charges.'

Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman (center) entrusted the leaders of a Chicago drug ring to distribute 1,500 to 2,000 kilos of cocaine between 2005 and 2008

Pedro Flores (left), a former associate of El Chapo (right), testified in front of the founder of the Sinaloa Cartel at a New York federal court in December 2018

A federal indictment in August 2009 showed that the Flores twins reportedly received 1,500 to 2,000 kilos of cocaine each month from El Chapo's Sinaloa Cartel and his rival, the Beltran Leyva Organization.

The drugs were shipped from Colombia to Mexico via planes, boats and submarines before they were smuggled over the Mexico-United States border.

The Flores siblings took approximately half of the cocaine shipment and distributed it in Chicago. The remaining half was sent out to the Ohio cities of Columbus and Cincinnati; Philadelphia; New York; Washington, D.C.; Detroit; and Vancouver, Canada.

As part of their deal with the federal government, Margarito Flores met with El Chapo and his henchmen in northern Mexico in October 2008. In addition, Pedro Flores handed Chicago federal investigators 70 to 80 recordings of conversations that included deals with El Chapo and his network associates.

The brothers also admitted to sending back $930 million to El Chapo's transnational criminal organization in Mexico.

Pedro Flores testified at El Chapo's trial in 2018.

The feds seized $4million from the twins, but allowed their families to keep $300,000. The prosecutors believed they hid a lot more money, perhaps to support their families and fund their post-prison lives.

'The government no longer holds the view that all recoverable proceeds were turned over to the government,' the court filing indicated.

Margarito Flores and Pedro Flores have been reportedly released from jail on probation, sources told the Chicago-Sun Times.
After going to ask a Colorado Department of Transportation worker about the opening of I-25, Traveler Tom Nielsen realized he cannot find any way north. The interstate was closed between Colorado Springs and Castle Rock on Sunday.
A man with chronic health conditions was found dead this month inside a San Antonio Housing Authority complex after a stench was reported in the building.

On March 5, someone reported to police that a foul odor was coming from the fourth floor of the Fair Avenue Apartments, a southeast San Antonio high-rise for low-income seniors and people with disabilities.

Police were told that the tenants living in Apartments 413 and 414 hadnt been seen in more than a week, and as soon as the officer stepped out of the elevator onto the fourth floor, he was confronted by the smell.

The officer found a man dead in Apartment 413 on the floor next to the bed. The man looked as if he had been there more than a week, according to the police report.

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Police identified the resident who died as Robert Charles Shumaker. One of the complexs managers later told police that he had late-stage liver disease, ulcers and high blood pressure, according to the police report.

"Losing a resident is always saddening for our communities and the neighbors who become family, the San Antonio Housing Authority said in a statement. The resident in question had been in and out of the hospital with medical illnesses since December.

SAHA said staff contacted Shumaker on Feb. 17, who was in the hospital and that a video showed Shumaker being pushed on a stretcher into the building on March 1.

SAHA said it doesnt have access to medical reports, and the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office said his cause of death is under investigation. Its unclear when he died.

The heaters and oven were all on, and the room was very hot, the officer wrote in the report. It appeared (the man who died) may have been there since the snowstorm.

This isnt the first time a body has gone undiscovered for a length of time at the Fair Avenue Apartments.

Two years ago this month, the body of Thomas Lyons, a father of two, was found stuffed into the closet of Apartment 1116, hidden by a shower curtain. Maintenance crews had searched the apartment because of a stench that overwhelmed the eleventh floor. Hed been shot several times, and police said his body had been hidden there for months.

His murder remains unsolved, according to Crime Stoppers San Antonio.

Can you imagine what those people went through with that odor? said State Rep. Elizabeth Liz Campos. The same thing with this man that was found ... His body was starting to decompose, but yet they had people sleeping there.

Campos is among elected officials and residents who have criticized SAHAs response during the catastrophic freeze.

The seniors and people with disabilities living at the Fair Avenue Apartments were among those left without heat, electricity and water for days during the record-cold storm that began the night of Feb. 14 and lasted most of the week.

SAHA said its staff reached out to residents to offer them shelter elsewhere, but that just a fraction of them chose to leave, citing concerns about contracting the coronavirus or having to leave their pets behind. At the time Shumakers body was discovered, SAHA hadnt told police that he said he was in the hospital on Feb. 17.

SAHA spokesman Michael Reyes said staff went went door-to-door and made phone calls to each resident and ended up shuttling about 60 residents to the Grand Hyatt. In the days that followed, the agency said it delivered residents emergency supplies and responded to repair requests.

Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert said he arranged buses to transport residents to hotels. He said he found out about the situation because a community advocate, Queta Rodriguez, called him.

It wasnt anybody from SAHA, Calvert said. It was Queta. She said, Im here, we need help.

Rodriguez, a community advocate and Marine Corps veteran, had learned through social media that residents at Fair Avenue were freezing in their apartments. She arrived at the complex to find medically fragile seniors and people relying on wheelchairs without heat, running water or a way to warm food.

The security guard told me he just got there not too long before, and he was not aware that they had been without electricity and water for several days, Rodriguez said. No one from SAHA was there.

marina.riker@express-news.net
The humility, tenacity and determination that makes entrepreneurs successful in commercial ventures is the same that makes them successful in charitable ones and we seek to support both.

The Cascade Innovation Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation today announced its launch to support innovation and entrepreneurship among non-profit and philanthropic organizations in Oregon.

Personally established by Cascade Seed Fund founders Julie Harrelson and Robert Pease as a donor-advised fund through the Oregon Community Foundation, the Cascade Innovation Fund makes charitable donations to those organizations in Oregon demonstrating innovation while making a positive impact on their communities.

Both Harrelson and Pease have deep ties to Oregons entrepreneurial community through their on-going work managing Cascade Seed Fund. Cascade Seed Fund is a regionally focused early stage investment fund focused on technology and consumer products companies. Notable investments include Slumberkins, EnviralTech, A Kids Book About, Deep Surface and ZipCan as well as Topbox recently acquired by Khoros and Stabilitas acquired by OnSolve.

We are excited to be partnering with the Oregon Community Foundation to leverage our support and passion for entrepreneurs working in nonprofit and charitable organizations, said Julie Harrelson, Managing Director, Cascade Seed Fund. The humility, tenacity and determination that makes entrepreneurs successful in commercial ventures is the same that makes them successful in charitable ones and we seek to support both.

Coinciding with the launch, the Cascade Innovation Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation announced its first two grants in Central Oregon - Bethlehem Inn and i4Education. Bethlehem Inn provides transitional emergency shelter services for adults and children struggling with homelessness and poverty in Central Oregon. i4Education is the innovation arm of the High Desert Education Service District supporting educators as entrepreneurs to incubate ideas and create solutions for education.

Bethlehem Inn is honored to have been selected as one of the non-profits to be supported by The Cascade Innovation Fund, said Gwenn Wysling, Executive Director, Bethlehem Inn. Their compassion and investment in a vital community resource will directly benefit our regions vulnerable population as well as the community at-large.

We co-created i4Education with local entrepreneurs to empower educators and students to bring their best ideas forward and refine those ideas with the expert support of entrepreneurs, said Ann Higgins, Executive Director of i4Education and Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, High Desert Education Service District.

Funds like the Cascade Innovation Fund highlight how the Oregon Community Foundation can extend its resources and expertise to donor-advised funds, said Max Williams, CEO of the Oregon Community Foundation. We believe supporting entrepreneurship in all forms can improve the well-being of our communities.

About Cascade Seed Fund

Founded in 2013 and investing as Cascade Angels Fund across five funds, we became Cascade Seed Fund in 2019 building on more than six years of early stage investing experience. Today we continue to seek out opportunities to work with amazing entrepreneurs in Oregon and throughout the Pacific Northwest. Since 2014, all of the Cascade Funds combined have raised over $12 million and invested in over 40 early-stage companies that cumulatively employ over 200 people. For more information, visit http://www.CascadeSeedFund.com.

About Oregon Community Foundation

Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) puts donated money to work for Oregonians. Thanks to the generosity of Oregonians, OCF distributes more than $100 million in grants and scholarships annually. For nearly fifty years, OCF grant making, research, advocacy and community-advised solutions have helped individuals, families, businesses and organizations create charitable funds to improve lives for all Oregonians. Impactful givingtime, talent and resources from many generous Oregonianscreates measurable change.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 23:38:40|Editor: huaxia

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HONG KONG, March 15 (Xinhua) -- A man who bit off a police sergeant's finger during the social unrest in 2019 in Hong Kong was sentenced to five and a half years in jail by a local court on Monday.

Twenty-four-year-old To Kai-wa, a University of Hong Kong graduate, was accused of disorderly conduct in a public place, assaulting a police officer, causing grievous bodily harm to another, and wounding with intent police sergeant Leung Kai-yip by biting off part of his right ring finger in a shopping mall in Shatin of the New Territories in July 2019.

The judge said that the two police officers under attack were performing their duties at that time and the defendant obviously had the intention of provoking others to disturb social peace and attack and insult the police.

The two attacked police officers had no prior contact with the defendant and they were attacked only because they were police, said the judge. Enditem
Kolkata, March 15 : Noted artist Subhaprasanna on Monday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in connection with its probe into the Saradha chit fund case, sources said.

According to ED sources, the artist, perceived to be close to West Bengal's ruling party Trinamool Congress, appeared before the financial probe agency's officials at its CGO Complex office here.

The source said that he appeared before the agency with documents relating to banking transactions.

His statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

According to ED sources, Subhaprasanna was quizzed regarding certain financial transactions done with the Saradha Group through his bank account with regard to the sale of a television channel to Sudipta Sen, the chief of Saradha group, who is in prison. According to ED sources, a Rs-6-crore transaction had taken place between Subhaprasanna and Sen.

Subhaprasanna has been questioned in the case in 2019 and 2015 as well. His daughter was questioned in 2016 in connection with the case by the ED.

Subhaprasanna's questioning comes almost 13 days after the ED questioned Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghose.

The ED has earlier questioned Trinamool Congress MLA Samir Chakraborty on March 12 for over two hours.

The CBI and the ED, which are probing the ponzi scam, have interrogated a number of Trinamool Congress leaders and close aides of the party in the last few years.

In recent times, the CBI also recorded the statement of West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee's wife Rujira Banerjee and her sister Menka Gambhir in connection with the illegal coal smuggling case.

The central agencies' actions have turned the heat on in the poll-bound West Bengal, where the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP are engaged in a bitter war of words.

Polling for the 294-member West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases, on March 27, April 1, April 6, April 10, April 17, April 22, April 26 and April 29.
Comedian Trevor Noah opened the Grammy Awards with a joke about the royal family as Harry Styles kicked off the performances (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Comedian Trevor Noah opened the Grammy Awards with a joke about the royal family as Harry Styles kicked-off the performances.

Ahead of the so-called biggest night in music, Beyonce led the way in nominations with nine, ahead of Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and rapper Roddy Ricch all on six.

The latter three were among a star-studded list of performers which also included Styles, BTS and Cardi B.

The Grammys  delayed by the pandemic from January  were anchored from the Los Angeles Convention Centre and hosted by Noah.

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During his opening monologue, Noah nodded to the pandemic and said music saved our souls over this unprecedented year.

Speaking from a tent in downtown LA, Noah quipped the ceremony would be the biggest outdoor event this year besides the storming of the Capitol.

He pointed to the masked nominees, seated and socially distanced and said there is more tension in that tent than at a family reunion at Buckingham Palace, a reference to the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs recent bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Noah added: Tonight were hoping that this is all about what 2021 can be, full of joy, new beginnings and coming together.

Never forgetting what happened in 2020 but full of hope for what is to come.

Styles kicked off the show with a rendition of Watermelon Sugar, which scored a nomination for best pop solo performance.

The former One Direction star, known for his androgynous fashion sense, performed wearing an open leather jacket and trouser combination with a green scarf.

Noah joked that the UK is diverse after noting that Styles is from the same country as Boris Johnson.

Billie Eilish was next up singing her single Everything I Wanted, performing on top of a car which appeared to be submerged in the studio floor.

Girl band Haim also performed.

The 63rd running of the so-called biggest night in music had been rocked by an announcement from Canadian superstar The Weeknd that he was boycotting future Grammys.

He was snubbed this year, despite enjoying a hugely successful 12 months with his album After Hours. The Weeknd blamed his boycott on the secret committees that vote for the Grammys.

Before the main televised event, awards were handed out during the virtual Premiere Ceremony, with Beyonce and daughter Blue Ivy among the winners.

Blue Ivy, nine, is the second youngest winner in Grammy history after Brown Skin Girl, her mothers song which she featured on, won best music video.

The only Grammy winner younger than Blue Ivy is Leah Peasall, who was eight in 2002 when recognised for her appearance on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, which won album of the year.

Beyonce also picked up an award for Savage, her collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion, leaving her on 26 Grammys, one short of drawing level with Alison Krauss as the most awarded woman in the ceremonys history.

Ariana Grande, Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Fiona Apple, John Legend and Lady Gaga also picked up prizes before the main show.
Four people have been killed in Jefferson County traffic crashes since Friday, including a 30-year-old man whose SUV plowed into a vacant home in Birmingham.

Davon Sinclair Harrell has been identified as the man who was found dead early Friday when a woman on her way home from work discovered the vehicle partially inside a home at 1008 Fourth Way in Pratt City.

The discovery was made at 5:20 a.m. Harrell, of Dolomite, was pronounced dead on the scene at 6:01 a.m.

Another fatal crash happened Friday, and one on each on Saturday and Sunday.

According to the Jefferson County Coroners Office, 46-year-old Juan Jose Madina Torres, of Thorsby, was killed Friday following a wreck on Interstate 65 at Green Springs Avenue.

Authorities said Madina Torres was driving a pickup truck that was involved in a three-vehicle wreck at 6:20 a.m. He was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 9:22 a.m. Birmingham police are investigating.

On Saturday evening, 74-year-old James Edward Henderson died following a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 59 at Allison Bonnett Memorial Drive.

Authorities said the Adamsville man was the driver and lone occupant of a sedan traveling southbound on I-59/20 when, for unknown reasons, he lost control of his vehicle, left the roadway onto an adjacent interstate entrance ramp and crashed into the woods line.

Henderson was pronounced dead on the scene at 6:48 p.m. Alabama State Troopers are investigating.

Early Sunday, a woman was found dead on Interstate 65 northbound at Sixth Avenue North.

The coroners office said authorities were notified by a motorist that a female was observed laying on the side of the interstate. Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said it is believed the woman was a pedestrian struck by an unknown motorist on I-65.

The woman, who has not yet been identified, was pronounced dead on the scene at 7:35 a.m. Birmingham police are investigating.
[March 14, 2021] AUTOCRYPT teams up with Foxconn's MIH Alliance as security partner

SEOUL, South Korea, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading EV and autonomous vehicle cybersecurity provider AUTOCRYPT announced that the company had officially joined the MIH Alliance, an open platform for electric vehicles (EVs) established by Foxconn Technology Group. The growing numbers of EVs on the market as well as EV software/hardware in development point to a need for corporations to work together in order to expedite technological advances. This led Foxconn to establish the MIH Alliance in October 2020, promoting real-time research and development as well as prioritizing vehicular security and safety. Especially with the recent implementation of WP.29 regulations requiring cybersecurity type approval in all new vehicles by July 2022, AUTOCRYPT's security solutions and its team of experienced cybersecurity specialists allow for a comprehensive, holistic approach to secure EVs as well as connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) through its in-vehicle security technology and security operations center (SOC). resident of AUTOCRYPT North America, Sean HJ Cho stated, "We look forward to actively participating in the alliance as a security partner. While the technological advances in the automotive industry are astounding, security is often an afterthought. AUTOCRYPT's contributions to the alliance can bring to light the need for security to be first, ensuring that drivers and passengers of EVs and CAVs can be assured that their vehicle, surrounding infrastructure, and data are not at risk."



AUTOCRYPT's in-vehicle security solution has been optimized for automotive communication protocols, and through its Intrusion Detection System (IDS), provides security modules to guarantee secure communications between the many ECUs in a connected vehicle and the CAN bus. The SOC functions as a round-the-clock monitor with real-time collection and detection logs, identification based on machine-learning, as well as policy and OTA updates. The solution ensures a safe and secure vehicular environment, blocking all abnormal activity. Ideal for OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, as well as mobility-based service providers, AUTOCRYPT's offerings span the entire automotive lifecycle. For more information, contact AUTOCRYPT at global@autocrypt.io.

--- AUTOCRYPT is the leading player in transportation security technologies. Beginning in 2007 as an in-house venture at Penta Security Systems Inc., AUTOCRYPT spun off as a separate entity in 2019 as its presence expanded worldwide. Recognized by TU-Automotive as the Best Auto Cybersecurity Product/Solution of 2019, AUTOCRYPT continues to pave the way in transportation and mobility security through a multi-layered, holistic approach. Through security solutions for V2X/C-V2X, V2G (including PnC security), in-vehicle security, and Fleet Management, AUTOCRYPT ensures that security is prioritized before vehicles hit the road. SOURCE AUTOCRYPT

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An insurer that paid to defend a policyholder against a lawsuit, but determined later that no coverage was owed, is entitled to reimbursement for its costs, a divided Nevada Supreme Court said.

In a 4-3 decision on Thursday, the high court answered a certified question by the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to clarify a point of Nevada law that up to now had not been addressed. The majority ruled that a carrier has a right to seek reimbursement if it reserved its rights in writing.

The majority opinion notes that an insurer can be exposed to liability for damages far beyond the limits in an insurance policy if it refuses to defend an insured against a lawsuit and a court determines that coverage was owed.

Under these circumstances, we conclude that when a court determines that the insurer never had a duty to defend, and the insurer clearly and expressly reserved its right to seek reimbursement, it is equitable to require the policyholder to pay, the opinion says.

The question came to the Nevada Supreme Court because of a 2014 lawsuit filed in California state court by Ted Switzer against his former business partner Robert Clark Wood II. Switzeraccused Wood and his businesses, Access Medical and Flournoy Management, of taking money and customers that belonged to his own spinal implant distributorship.

Wood asked Nautilus to pay for the cost of defending the lawsuit because one of Switzers 31 claims was based on an allegedly false statement made by an agent for Woods businesses, Jacqueline Weide. She allegedly told a hospital administrator that Switzer had been banned from selling spinal implants. The policy issued by Nautilus covered damages caused by libelous or slanderous statements.

Nautilus filed its own lawsuit in Nevada federal court seeking a declaration that it had no duty to defend Wood and his companies from Switzers lawsuit. The federal court complied, finding that the Weide email did not contain a false statement that would support a defamation, slander or libel claim under California law.

Nautilus asked the district court to order Wood and his companies to reimburse it for the costs incurred, but the court refused. It found that the carrier had not shown that it was entitled to reimbursement under Nevada law.

On appeal, the 9th Circuit affirmed the decision that Nautilus had no duty to defend, but it punted the question of whether the insurer was entitled to reimbursement to the Nevada Supreme Court.

The Supreme Courts majority opinion says that some state courts have held that an insurer cannot seek reimbursement for defense costs from an insured unless the policy expressly requires it. But the majority of jurisdictions have adopted the view that insurers can recover defense costs once a determination that no duty to defend existed.

Under generally applicable principles of unjust enrichment and restitution, the insurer has conferred a benefit on the policyholder; the policyholder appreciated the benefit; and, because it is reasonable for the insurer to accede to the policyholders demand, it is equitable to require the policyholder to pay, the majority said.

The three dissenting justices said the majority opinion contradicts prevailing Nevada case law. They said Nautilus had agreed to a lengthy contract that covered the entire insurer-insured relationship. It did not contain any provision allowing for the recoupment of costs should a court determine Nautilus had no duty to defend.

Wood, Flournoy and Access Medical are on the hook for far more than Nautilus legal costs. They lost the lawsuit filed by Switzer and a jury awarded $2.8 million in damages.

Switzer appealed, arguing that the trial court erred by failing to award treble damages for violations of Penal Code 496, which allows for enhanced civil penalties to recover money that was stolen. The 5th District Court of Appeals agreed and ordered that the damages resulting from theft be tripled, increasing the amount of the award to more than $6 million.

Wood appealed to the California Supreme Court, but the court refused to hear the case.
Fulton County election workers examine ballots while vote counting, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga., on Nov. 5, 2020. (Tami Chappell /AFP via Getty Images)

Georgia County Asks State Lawmaker to Resign Over His Support for Election Integrity Bill

Georgia state Rep. Barry Fleming has resigned from his role as county attorney after being pressured to quit over his support for an election integrity bill.

Fleming, a Republican, sponsored House Bill 531, which passed the House along party lines last week. The bill, which awaits Senate action, curbs the use of drop boxes, changes early voting hours, limits no-excuse absentee voting, and requires ID for absentee voting.

House Bill 531 is designed to begin to bring back the confidence of our voters back into our election system. A main component of that effort is by enacting several revisions, which will make the administration of elections easier by our local elections officials, Fleming said last week, according to WABE.

Some advocacy groups, claiming the bill amounts to voter suppression, called for protests against the measure.

Advocacy group Fair Fight wrote in a tweet, It would have devastating consequences for voting rights in Georgia, and it is absolutely unacceptable that legislators, voting rights advocates, and the people of Georgia have been blindsided by its release.

About 40 protesters took to the streets in front of the Hancock County Courthouse in Sparta on March 10, calling for Flemings resignation.

We have lots of protests at the capitol, but when we have protests in our local communities, that sends a message everywhere, protest participant Jeanne Dufort told a local outlet. Taxpayers are paying for the guy whos trying to take their voting rights away.

The protests prompted Hancock County commissioners to vote 40 to ask Fleming to resign. Fleming, who is currently chairman of the House Special Committee on Election Integrity, said that he stepped down after receiving the request.

Hancock County is a great place. Theres a great board of commissioners there, he told WXIA-TV. I enjoyed working with them for, I think, nine years. I only wish them the best.

Fleming said he didnt object to his forced departure, although he said protesters misunderstand many of the bills controversial provisions, according to The Associated Press.

The state House speaker pro tem, Republican Jan Jones, told WABE that the changes to Georgias election laws were needed after the controversies of the 2020 election, which saw allegations of voter fraud.

Its time again because of the lessons we learned from the implementation of the new voting system and an unprecedented pandemic that revealed extreme stresses in our elections system, such as the need for greater transparency, uniformity, and confidence, Jones told the outlet.

Fleming has been at the forefront of election integrity efforts, including backing a 2015 effort to purge voter rolls in Hancock County.
Pure Harvest Smart Farms, a world-leading, sustainable technology-enabled agribusiness, has secured $50 million in growth funding through an Islamic structured finance solution, led by SHUAA Capital.

This unique growth-financing/ venture-debt solution is a highly structured Sukuk with embedded warrants, which reflects the innovative financing capabilities of SHUAA Capital. The sukuk comes on the heels of a successful second growth equity raise of $10 million, led by Sancta Capital in January 2021.

Sky Kurtz, Founder and CEO at Pure Harvest Smart Farms, said: We are thrilled to have secured this innovative structured financing solution that supports our aggressive growth campaign within the GCC region. We are passionate about our mission to make local-for-local production of high-quality fresh produce possible anywhere, including within the harsh climate of our home the Arabian Gulf. World events like the Covid pandemic highlight the critical need for homegrown food solutions to reduce our reliance upon international supply chains. This type of financing underscores the innovation occurring within the regions venture capital markets. Congratulations to our financing partners for this first-of-its-kind solution. We thank you for believing in us.

Founded in Abu Dhabi on the premise that the region needs local, sustainable food sources, Pure Harvest is soon to complete its third hybrid greenhouse growing system within the Emirates, is currently constructing its beachhead in Saudi Arabia, and has announced a further EUR39 million expansion project in Kuwait. Upon completion of its new projects the company will produce a variety of tomatoes, leafy greens, and berries, with plans to continue to diversify its offering in the future. The capital raised through these transactions will be used to support Pure Harvests capacity expansions, attract new talent to the companys fast-growing team, advance research & development activities (including various innovation projects in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office), and to facilitate new market entry.

Natasha Hannoun from SHUAA, the regions leading asset management and investment banking platform, commented: At SHUAA, we have a strong track record in identifying businesses with market-leading propositions and teams and Pure Harvest fits this criterion perfectly. We witnessed Pure Harvest Smart Farms leadership in Agriculture Technology (AgTech), the strength of the team, and its proven ability to execute, giving us the confidence that Pure Harvest has significant growth potential as it seeks to address the need for food security within the Gulf and wider region.

We are delighted that SHUAA has been able to deliver this innovative and highly complex structured financing solution for Pure Harvest Smart Farms in another regional first. This funding will help the company to scale into a major regional player in controlled-environment agriculture and we are excited to back the regions AgTech champion when it comes to food security, sustainability and economic diversification.

Mohieddine Kronfol, CIO of Global Sukuk and Mena Fixed Income at Franklin Templeton, spoke about why Pure Harvest is an attractive investment. He said: Investor interest in access to middle market credit transactions is increasing across the region, and is particularly exciting in growth sectors that are addressing global challenges like food security and water scarcity. Were backing the regions pioneer in high-tech agriculture and supporting their efforts to have a large-scale impact in the markets they serve. This investment supports our ESG and Sharia compliant mandates, and we wish the company continued success.

Gus Chehayeb, CIO of Sancta Capital, said: Sancta Capital is proud to play an active role in Pure Harvests Sukuk and growth equity raises. The company is the regions most advanced AgTech player and has built significant brand awareness, defensible intellectual property, and a top-tier management team with a large, vested interest in its success.

Pure Harvest has proven that the Gulf can serve as an excellent agricultural base, where abundant sunlight, vast land, affordable electricity and labor, and ample CO2 can be optimised to beat the landed cost of comparable quality imported fresh produce from industrial greenhouses within Europe, resulting in compelling production economics. The company is enhancing the regions food security, providing consumers fresher and more sustainable choices, creating local jobs, and driving lucrative opportunities for investors. -- Tradearabia News Service
U.S. authorities have arrested and charged two men  Julian Elie Khater and George Pierre Tanios  with assaulting Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick with bear spray during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, The Washington Post reports.

Sicknick died following the attack, although the cause of death has yet to be determined, meaning his case has not been established as a homicide. Therefore, it remains unclear if anyone will be charged directly in connection with his death, the Post notes.

Prosecutors reportedly zeroed in on Khater and Tanios after tipsters identified them from wanted images taken from surveillance video and police body camera footage that was released by the FBI. In a video, arrest papers allege, Khater can be seen discharging a bear spray canister into the faces of Sicknick and two other officers.

Khater and Tanios were charged with nine counts overall, including assaulting Sicknick, civil disorder, and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. They could face up to 20 years in prison. Read more at The Washington Post.

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By Deauwand Myers





Literally, for centuries, Korea has been geographically and geopolitically stuck between implacable nation-states: adversarial and powerful. Whether it be the Mongolians, the Chinese, the Japanese or more recently North Korea, Korean society has endured being rolled over by wars and the rumor of wars for most of its existence.



Some 5,000 years of resistance and valiant attempts at maintaining cultural and geographical integrity has taught Korean governments, whether royalty (King Sejong), quasi-dictatorships (President Park Chung-hee) or democratic Korea, to negotiate national interests with those of its neighbors.



President Moon, particularly after the recent, dramatic election of America's President Joe Biden, is placed in a precarious, yet familiar, position.



What's new, by historical standards, is the injection of the United States into East Asian affairs. America has a rather complicated and bloody history with this region of the world. The United States' defeat of Imperial Japan, though unnecessarily brutal (the firebombing of civilian targets, and the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki are examples) ushered in an age of democracy for the second-largest economy on earth (this rank has been taken over by China, who, by some metrics, may have supplanted the United States as the biggest economy in the world. Though, per capita, Americans earn more income than their Chinese counterparts).



About half a decade after the end of World War II, the United States entered the Korean War, a sad affair bifurcating the Korean Peninsula and setting up the status quo in which President Moon finds himself.



The challenges facing Korea and its relationships with its neighbors are not enviable. How does the Korean government revitalize its economy and strengthen ties with a conservative government like Japan, one in which former Prime Minister Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) too often indulged in revisionist history or played apologists for Imperial Japan's atrocities before and during World War II?



Is Japan a good faith partner in the international community's pursuit of a peaceful and durable rapprochement with North Korea? Does Japan want a sustainable and thriving economic relationship with Korea, a seemingly natural fit considering both Korea and Japan's strongest and most important ally is the United States, wherein both countries host large American military bases and are covered under America's defensive nuclear umbrella?



Finally, and most importantly in regard to Japan's future diplomatic ties to Korea, is the newly elected Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga as stridently insensitive to Korea's and China's appropriate indignation at former Prime Minister Abe and company's penchant to romanticize Imperial Japan's behavior in Korea and Manchuria?



Prime Minister Suga, a strawberry farmer by family trade, is far less vocal on any issue, including Imperial Japan, than his predecessor. However, he was the longest-serving chief cabinet secretary (basically an amalgamation of chief of staff, vice prime minister and chief policy adviser to the prime minister) in Japanese history. Further, he served in this position from 2012 to 2020 under Abe and shares Abe's ideology, which would invariably include a refurbishing and reimagining of Imperial Japan's brutal conquest of much of Asia as something other than what it was: evil.



President Moon of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has deftly navigated his administration's relationship with the nation's biggest neighbor, China. Though the Moon administration officially calls on human rights reforms within Chinese society like its biggest ally, the United States, Korean foreign policy towards China has been fairly deferential, much more so than with Japan (obviously, for historical reasons).



President Moon has been exceedingly prudent in his and his administration's interactions with China, and with good reason. Korea must engage a country of 1.3 billion people, with a burgeoning middle class, a modernizing military and nuclear arsenal and an unabashedly assertive foreign policy (sometimes violently so, as with the recent and fatal skirmishes between India and China at the Sino-Indian border, near the disputed Pangong Lake and the Tibet Autonomous Region). China's unilateral and illegal claims of sovereignty over much of the South China Sea, claims made even more real after China constructed artificial islands throughout the area and had them militarized, doesn't make said engagement any easier.



Then there's China's leader. Xi Jinping brooks no political dissent even mildly different from his own, has committed cultural genocide to most of the minority Uyghur Muslim population in the northwest province of Xinjiang, all but annihilated democracy in Hong Kong (violating the treaty China signed with Britain when the city was returned to the mainland), constantly threatens to militarily take over democratic and independent Taiwan and has created a vast police state, surveillance network and a propaganda machine touting Xi within a cult of personality.



All this, and President Moon hasn't had much time to get to know President Biden. We should all wish President Moon the best of luck. He's going to need it.





Deauwand Myers (deauwand@hotmail.com) holds a master's degree in English literature and literary theory, and is an English professor outside Seoul. The views expressed in the above article are the author's own and do not reflect the editorial direction of The Korea Times.


LOS ANGELES  Having been closed for a year, museums were finally granted the right to reopen indoors at 25 percent capacity on Monday when the state moved Los Angeles County into its less restrictive red tier of Covid-19 regulations.

Its thrilling that weve finally been given permission to reopen, said Michael Govan, director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which plans to reopen April 1. Millions of visitors in other cities have already safely visited art museums and been able to take advantage of the beauty, the solace, and the engagement with the issues of our time that museums can provide. Finally, those in Los Angeles can too.

The change reflects an improving pandemic picture in Los Angeles, where coronavirus cases are declining as the number of vaccinations is increasing. Visitors will finally be able to see shows like Made in L.A. 2020 at the Hammer and the Huntington, an important showcase for rising local artists.

The protracted shutdown cost the countys museums, zoos and aquariums more than $5 billion in 2020, according to the California Association of Museums. Galleries have been allowed to operate because they are classified as commerce.
Armenia economic competition protection commission: Experts forecast inflation of butter prices

Armenia citizens' protest against acting health minister is over

Pashinyan visits France, judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku, Jun. 2 digest

Armenian Ambassador, FMO representatives consider opportunities for expansion of cooperation in Armenia

Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Armenia citizens throw polyethylene bags at Health Ministry building, police apprehend protesters

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

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Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

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Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

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Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

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Russias Putin to Armenias Pashinyan: Relations between our countries are developing very successfully
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The excavations in 1972 of the bath house that formed a central part of the Roman legionary fortress (looking SW from the Cathedral).

Major new study shows ancient international trading routes between Exeter and Europe

Cutting-edge scientific techniques used to study ancient artefacts found in Exeter have revealed more about the ancient international trading routes between the city and Europe.

A five-year research project by a team of archaeologists led by Professor Stephen Rippon at the University of Exeter shows the links between merchants in Exeter and France, the Low Countries, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and the Mediterranean.

The artefacts are held by the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery in Exeter. The analysis has helped experts establish where various pottery vessels found in Exeter were made,

The analysis shows that in the Late Roman period people in Exeter traded with other ports along Europes Atlantic coast and in the Mediterranean. Fine quality table wares were imported from South West France, while vessels carrying olive oil, wine, and fish sauce arrived from North Africa.

The research shows pottery was imported from mainland Europe in the medieval period from Normandy, Brittany, and Frances South West coast, though some vessels also came from the Low Countries. In the 15th century pottery vessels were imported from even further afield including northern France, Spain, Portugal, and Italy.

The research project Exeter: A Place in Time, is a partnership between the University of Exeter, Cotswold Archaeology, Historic England, Exeter City Council, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery, and the University of Reading. It was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, Historic England and the University of Exeter.

Exeter began life as a fortress housing a Roman legion that, for a few years in the 60s AD became one of the most important supply bases in Britain as the Roman army tried to defeat a rebellion led by the British queen Boudica.

Exeter was a major town in both the Roman and medieval periods, with its fluctuating fortunes reflecting demand for local resources such as tin and silver, and its role in international trade.

When Britain ceased to be part of the Roman Empire in the early 5th century AD Exeter was abandoned for a few hundred years, but from the 10th century its fortunes revived. It became the fifth most productive mint in England, and a major centre for the tin trade. In the 16th and 17th centuries the regions production of woollen cloth led to Exeter becoming the sixth wealthiest city in England.

Most of the pottery used by people living in Exeter was produced locally, although chemical analysis carried out as part of the project shows that vessels known as Fortress Wares were made from fine-quality potting clays found in the Teign Valley east of Dartmoor. This suggest that the Roman potters scouted quite widely around Exeters hinterland, searching for good quality material to work with.

Scientific analysis of another distinctive type of pottery found across the South West  South Western Black Burnished Ware  shows it was produced in the western parts of the Blackdown Hills, perhaps in the Hemyock area. In the Roman period clay from there was used to produce roofing tiles, and stone was quarried to make quern stones for grinding corn. Iron was also produced, showing how this now rural area was once a hive of industry.

Chemical analysis of animal bones from Exeter carried out as part of the project shows animals were moved seasonally during the Roman period, around a thousand years before the practice of taking livestock to graze on Dartmoor in the summer was recorded in written documents in the medieval period.

Professor Stephen Rippon of the University of Exeter said: It is great to see this major study of Exeters emergence as a major city published. The application of modern scientific techniques has shown us how Exeter was at the centre of a network of trade routes that stretched across much of Europe.

Neil Holbrook, Chief Executive of Cotswold Archaeology said: As an archaeologist who worked in Exeter in the 1980s I was delighted to be a partner on this project. Together we have been able to achieve much more than any one of us could have done alone. The heroic efforts of Exeter City Council archaeologists working to salvage information ahead of redevelopment in the 1970s and 80s were not in vain  we can now see Exeter more clearly in its national and international context, in both the Roman and medieval periods. This project is an exemplar that can be followed by archaeologists and historians interested in other British historic towns and cities.

Owen Cambridge, Principal Project Manager (Heritage) at Exeter City Council, said: This is an important book which represents the culmination of five years of collaborative research. It results in a comprehensive re-evaluation of our understanding of how the City evolved, the influences and events which shaped its history, and ultimately how the past provides the context for the present, and for the future, of this unique City.

Camila Hampshire, Museum Manager and Cultural Lead at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery, said: The project has brought out the potential of Exeters archaeology collection that have been stored at the RAMM for many years. The museum can now bring the new discoveries and the science behind them to a wider audience.

The research is published in two books the first of which - Rippon, S. and Holbrook, N. (2021) Roman and Medieval Exeter and their Hinterlands: From Isca to Excester (edited by Stephen Rippon and Neil Holbrook) - is published by Oxbow books this month. A companion volume - Studies in the Roman and Medieval Archaeology of Exeter (also edited by Stephen Rippon and Neil Holbrook - will be published later in March. Both will be available as both an open access downloadable PDFs (from the Oxbow Books website) and in print form.
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.
Rotunda Rumblings

Stimulating discussion: Ohio state and local governments are in line to get big money through the federal stimulus bill signed by President Joe Biden last week. Andrew Tobias rounded up reaction to the bill, detailed what amounts cities are estimated to get  led by Cleveland, which is tabbed for an estimated $541 million over two years  and whether restrictions on the money could hamper how it is spent. The state will be getting $11.2 billion in all, half going to the state and the rest going to local governments.

Oops: One possible major issue -- the Ohio Township Association says that technical changes between the House and Senate versions of the bill may have inadvertently excluded townships from the funding formula for smaller local governments. OTA officials said theyve been in touch with the states congressional delegation and are hoping the issue will be fixed when the U.S. Treasury Department issues guidance detailing how the money can be spent.

Not our problem: Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted last week wrote President Joe Biden urging a national, coordinated response to unemployment fraud, saying loosened federal verification standards have fueled the deluge of bogus claims, Jeremy Pelzer reports. This is not an Ohio problem  its a national problem that requires a national solution, DeWine and Husted told Biden.

Jobs and lost jobs: The good: Ohios unemployment rate dipped to 5.3% in January from 5.6% in December. The bad: Ohio is still down 307,000 jobs from ahead of the pandemic, in January 2020, Rich Exner reports. Thats a drop of more than 5%.

Whats in a name: State Rep. Mike Loychik, a Trumbull County Republican who took office in January, is proposing renaming a park in his district after former President Donald Trump. As Tobias reports, Loychik sent colleagues a memo on Friday seeking co-sponsors for a bill to rename Mosquito Lake State Park in Cortland. Asked about the proposal, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources said in part that the lake, created in 1944 with the damming of Mosquito Creek, has withstood the test of time.

Ready to give it a shot: DeWine visited Cleveland Sunday to update plans for the mass vaccination center opening Wednesday at the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University, Jane Morice reports. DeWine said that up to 210,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses will be distributed to the public at the center, with a portion of those set aside for underserved minority communities.

Weekend numbers: The Ohio Department of Healths twice-weekly update for coronavirus deaths included an additional 209 COVID-19 fatalities on Friday, Exner reports. And 1,806 new cases were added. Saturdays new case total was 1,558, and Sundays was 893.

ZIP it: While Ohio DeWines test of 50 cases per 100,000 residents over two weeks before lifting his health orders will be tied to the statewide rate, ZIP code details do offer a local look. Most ZIP codes in Greater Cleveland are still well above that level. See the rates for every ZIP code in Ohio with the database Exner has posted.

Senate watch: Cleveland investment banker Mike Gibbons is kicking off a statewide listening tour as he considers a run for the 2022 Republican primary for the U.S. Senate. He is marking the occasion by releasing a biographical campaign video touting his business background. This listening tour will allow me the opportunity to meet directly with the voters who understand that we cant afford to send another politician or party insider to Washington, Gibbons said in a statement. Operatives close to Gibbons expect him to officially enter the race in April.

Reed between the lines: Former Cleveland City Councilman Zack Reed left his job as Secretary of State Frank LaRoses minority outreach coordinator and is likely to launch a bid for mayor of Cleveland, Seth Richardson reports. Reed ran in 2017 against Mayor Frank Jackson, losing by 18 percentage points, and has been raising money for the past several months.

Look back: A review of whether Ohios medical board properly closed old cases of alleged sexual assault or impropriety by medical professionals has resulted in recommendations to refer 11 cases to law enforcement and reopen 91 more for further investigation, the Associated Press reports. The review began in 2019 after the board learned that evidence of misconduct had been ignored in its 1996 abuse investigation of former Ohio State University team doctor Richard Strauss, who is now deceased.

Not a swan song: The trumpeter swan remains on the states threatened species list, Cameron Fields reports, but its population is growing. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources recorded 650 swans in 2020, a nearly 20% increase over 2019.

Under fire: Lordstown Motors, the electric vehicle startup in Trumbull County that state officials have backed, was the target of a scathing report by a prominent short seller. The Wall Street Journal reports that the companys stock fell 16% after Hindenburg Research alleged that the company misled investors about the strength of its truck preorders and the progress it is making toward putting its first model into production. Company officials responded to the claims by defending their preorders, and saying theyre confident theyll be able to begin production in September.

Theyre on board: An anti-Trump Republican group has paid for three billboards thanking Rocky River Rep. Anthony Gonzalez for his January vote to impeach then-President Donald Trump. Per the Canton Repositorys Benjamin Duer, two billboards are in Stark County, and one is in Rocky River.

Co-signers: Another group of elected officials from state Rep. Larry Householders district want him out of the state legislature. As Karen Kasler reports for the Statehouse News Bureau, 13 Republicans from Licking County, including leaders of the county Republican Party, two county commissioners and the mayor of Newark, signed a letter last week asking House Speaker Bob Cupp to expel Householder. Officials in Coshocton County, which is also in Householders district, sent a similar letter last month.

Lobbying Lineup

Here are five clients represented by the Success Group, a prominent Columbus lobbying firm:

1. AT&T

2. Buckeye State Sheriffs Association

3. Diversified Gas and Oil

4. Northfield Park Associates LLC

5. Wholesale Beer and Wine Association of Ohio

On The Move

Rocky River GOP Rep. Anthony Gonzalez last week joined the House Select Climate Committee on the Climate Crisis. Americans agree that action is needed to lower energy costs, protect our environment, and improve American competitiveness in the global economy, said a statement from Gonzalez. But to solve these issues, we need constructive solutions, not dangerous proposals like the Green New Deal.

Gov. Mike DeWine appointed Gina Russo, a former Franklin County Common Pleas judge, to the Franklin County Municipal Court to replace retired Judge Paul Herbert. DeWine also appointed Anthony Moraleja to the Pike County Court. Moraleja will replace Judge Paul Price, who has been elected to a different bench.

Birthdays

State Sen. Bob Peterson

State Rep. Brian Baldridge

Straight from the Source

Mr. President -- Thanks for all the help with the vaccine. We enjoy working with your team!

- Gov. Mike DeWine to President Joe Biden, in a handwritten note at the bottom of a letter DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted wrote asking for a national, coordinated response to unemployment fraud.

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.
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Rise in demand for faster transportation mode has majorly driven the demand for hyperloop technology. Furthermore, low cost of the transportation technology as compared to other transportation modes and energy-efficient & environment-friendly nature fuel the growth of the market. However, the possibility of technical glitches and shortage of power act as the considerable restraints of the market. Conversely, decongestion of traffic is anticipated to provide potential opportunities for market expansion.

Requirement of less land area to construct a Hyperloop network than other transportation modes and resistance to earthquakes and other natural calamities across globe is trending the overall Hyperloop Technology market. However, Safety & security concerns will restrain the market growth. The estimated highest revenue generating region will be Europe in 2028; followed by North America and APAC. Europe is estimated to grow at one of the highest rate during 20182028. In Europe region Slovakia and Czech Republic have high income economies with exports to the European Union being their major source of income. Hyperloop technology will fulfill the need of improvement in accessibility between the two countries for different reasons such as passenger, cargo transport, business travels, and others. This technology is expected to prove as a strong opportunity to extend their business relations between all European countries. However in Asia-Pacific region China is expected to register the highest growth.

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AECOM, Dinclix Ground Works, Hyperloop India, Hyperloop One, Inc., Hyperloop Transportation Technology, Space Exploration Technologies Crop., Tesla, Inc., TransPod Inc., Uwashington Hyperloop, and VicHyper are some of the key players operating in the global hyperloop technology market.

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies

Hyperloop One

Transpod Inc.

Dgwhyperloop

Spacex

Aecom

Ascend popular for speedier transportation mode has significantly determined the interest for hyperloop innovation. Moreover, minimal effort of the transportation innovation when contrasted with other transportation modes and vitality productive and condition amicable nature fuel the development of the market. Be that as it may, the likelihood of specialized glitches and lack of energy go about as the impressive limitations of the market. On the other hand, decongestion of movement is foreseen to give potential chances to advertise development.

Necessity of less land region to develop a Hyperloop organize than other transportation modes and protection from quakes and other regular catastrophes crosswise over globe is drifting the general Hyperloop Technology advertise. Be that as it may, Safety and security concerns will limit the market development. The assessed most elevated income creating area will be Europe in 2028; trailed by North America and APAC. Europe is evaluated to develop at one of the most noteworthy rate amid 2022 2026. In Europe locale Slovakia and Czech Republic have high wage economies with fares to the European Union being their significant wellspring of salary.

Hyperloop innovation will satisfy the need of change in availability between the two nations for various reasons, for example, traveler, payload transport, business ventures, and others. This innovation is relied upon to demonstrate as a solid chance to expand their business relations between every single European nation. However in Asia-Pacific district China is relied upon to enlist the most elevated development.

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Ascend popular for speedier transportation mode has significantly determined the interest for hyperloop innovation. Moreover, minimal effort of the transportation innovation when contrasted with other transportation modes and vitality productive and condition amicable nature fuel the development of the market. Be that as it may, the likelihood of specialized glitches and lack of energy go about as the impressive limitations of the market. On the other hand, decongestion of movement is foreseen to give potential chances to advertise development. Hyperloop Technology  Global Market Outlook and Analysis 2018-2028 report includes different applications such as Capsule (Total Cost of the Hyperloop Passenger Transportation System and Total Cost of the Hyperloop Passenger Plus Freight Transportation System), Tube, Propulsion System, Route, and others.

This report aims to estimate the Hyperloop Technology  Global Market Outlook and Analysis for 2018 and to project the expected demand of the same by 2028. This market research study provides a detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of the Hyperloop Technology  Global Market Outlook and Analysis 2018-2028. It provides a comprehensive review of major drivers and restraints of the market. Major companies such as Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Hyperloop One, Transpod Inc, Dgwhyperloop, Spacex , etc. are profiled in this report. Hyperloop Technology  Global Market Outlook and Analysis 2016-2023 is also segmented into major transport systems and geographies.

Various secondary sources, such as annual reports, directories, and databases to identify and collect information useful for this extensive commercial study of Hyperloop Technology  Global Market Outlook and Analysis 2018-2028 have been used. The primary sources, experts from related industries and suppliers, have been interviewed to obtain and verify critical information as well as to assess the future prospects of Hyperloop Technology  Global Market Outlook and Analysis 2018-2028.

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ROME, MAR 15 - Carabinieri NAS health police on Monday started seizing doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from a batch that officials in the northern region of Piedmont suspended the use of on Sunday. Piedmont banned the use of that batch as a precautionary measure following the death of a clarinet teacher after he had the vaccine. Several countries have suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine or of specific batches of it in relation to fears about blood clots and other possible side effects. Last week Italian medicines agency AIFA suspended another batch following reports of a sailor and a policeman dying in Sicily after taking the vaccine. They were followed by another officer in Sicily and a school janitor and teacher in Campania, making six such deaths in all in Italy. AIFA stressed that the suspension was a precautionary measure and that a causal link between the "severe adverse events" and the vaccinations had not been established. Health Minister Roberto Sperenza has said the COVID-19 vaccines being used in Italy are safe and the World Health Organization has defended the AstraZeneca jab. (ANSA).
Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik here urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah not to offend farmers.

Speaking at an event in his home district, Malik said if the Centre gives legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) for crops, farmers will relent.

Satya Pal Malik

The Meghalaya Governor also claimed to have prevented the arrest of farmer leader Rakesh Tikait when he heard rumours about it.

Malik further said he had requested the prime minister and the home minister not to use force against farmers, and not to send them home from Delhi empty-handed.

"None of the laws are in favour of farmers. The country in which farmers and soldiers are not satisfied, that country cannot move ahead. That country cannot be saved. Hence, the Army and farmers should be kept satisfied," Malik said, urging PM Modi and Home Minister Shah not to offend them.

Farmers' protestDescribing the condition of farmers as bad, Malik said, "They are getting poorer day by day while the salary of government officials and staff increases after every three years. Whatever is sown by a farmer is cheap and whatever he buys is expensive."

They do not know how they are becoming poor. The 'satyanaash' (annihilation) of the farmers is taking place without their knowledge. When they go to sow (crops), there is some price, and when they go to reap it, the price decreases by almost Rs 300," Malik said.

Taking a jibe at the arguments offered in favour of the new farm laws, Malik said, "A lot of noise was created that farmers can now sell (crops) at any place. This is a 15-year-old law. Despite this, when a farmer from Mathura goes to Palwal with wheat, there is a lathicharge on him. When a farmer from Sonipat comes to Narela, there is a lathicharge on him." "There are many questions of farmers, which must be answered. Today, there is no law in favour of farmers. This has to be corrected. I want to assure you that in the matter of farmers, I will go to any extent to solve their problems," he said.

Apparently referring to Sikh farmers protesting against the laws, Malik said, "The Sikh community does not back down and forget things even after 300 years." Indira Gandhi (ex-PM) had got the ''Mahamrityunjay Mantra Jaap'' done for a month after the Operation Blue Star. Arun Nehru told me that when he asked her that you do not believe is such rituals, then why are you performing these, she said you don't know, I have damaged their 'Akal Takht'. They will not spare me."
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Border guards in Vietnam said they had opened fire in a 40-minute chase to catch a fishing vessel carrying fuel of unknown origin in Vietnamese waters on the weekend.

Officers from the Con Dao border post, in collaboration with drug and crime prevention forces in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, signaled the vessel numbered ST 92627TS from the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang to pull over for a random inspection off Con Dao Islands on Saturday afternoon.

However, the fishing ship did not obey the command and accelerated away from the functional forces.

After around 40 minutes in pursuit at sea, the functional forces were able to stop the fishing ship by firing a gun in the air.

Checking the suspicious vessel, the officers discovered about 3,000 liters of diesel oil in its cabin.

This supplied video shows a border guard from the Con Dao border post firing a gun in the air to stop a suspicious fishing vessel in the waters off Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province, Vietnam, March 13, 2021.

However, 29-year-old captain Le Thanh Tu, hailing from Kien Giang Province, failed to provide legal documents proving this oils origin upon request.

The border guards of Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province thus booked Tu for his administrative violations.

They have also continued to investigate and handle the case according to regulations.

On March 10, the border guards of the province also caught the fishing boat numbered BT99889 TS transporting 180,000 liters of diesel oil of unknown origin in Con Dao waters.

This supplied photo shows the border guards from the Con Dao border post inspecting a suspicious fishing vessel in the waters off Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province, Vietnam, March 13, 2021.

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Beverly Crane, 73, a resident at Haven of Scottsdale, died Feb. 2, 2021.

She was born in Salisbury, Md. to Dorothy and James.

She is survived by her daughter, Misti Kekevian; and grandchildren, Bella and Beau. She was the oldest of four siblings and her bothers, Dennis and Chet, along with her younger sister, Donna, also survive.

She was an avid harness racing participant and enthusiast during her younger life. Her favorite horse when she was young with the Crane family was Scottish Dream, aka Dreamer. Her favorite horses with her first husband, Roger Hammer, were Call The Butler and Butlers Luck, aka Lucky. She also had a favorite dog named Snoopy. Call The Butler would not eat when she was not around or gone for a while.

She was married twice, first to Roger Hammer and then to Joe Roszin.

The main focus of her life began in 1973 with the birth of her beautiful daughter, Misti. She always tried to make sure that she was headed in the right direction in life and with God. She was so very proud of Misti and her children, Isabella and Beau.

She liked to be called Bev and lived in these different states through the years: Maryland, California, Pennsylvania, Delaware and finally Arizona.

She suffered many injuries and health issues during her life and was in constant mental and physical pain through the last few months of her life. Even with all of that she was a fighter and would never give up and always kept her faith in God.

(USTA)

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Beverly Crane.
YANGON, Myanmar  Myanmars ruling junta has declared martial law in six townships in Yangon, the countrys largest city, after security forces killed dozens of protesters over the weekend in an increasingly lethal crackdown on resistance to a military coup last month.

The state broadcaster MRTV said Monday that the Yangon townships of North Dagon, South Dagon, Dagon Seikkan and North Okkalapa had been put under martial law. An initial announcement was made late Sunday saying two other townships  Hlaing Thar Yar and neighboring Shwepyitha  were being placed under martial law.

At least 38 people were killed Sunday and dozens were injured in one of the deadliest days of the crackdown on protesters, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent group tracking the violence. Several estimates from other sources gave higher figures.

Complicating efforts to organize new protests as well as media coverage of the crisis, mobile internet service has been cut, though access is still available through fixed broadband connections. Mobile data service has been used to stream live video coverage of protests, often showing security forces attacking demonstrators.
The Associated Press checks out some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. This one is bogus, even though it was shared widely on social media. Here are the facts:

CLAIM: The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill awards a $25 million bonus to members of the House of Representatives.

THE FACTS: The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, as the bill is titled, contains no allocation for bonuses or raises for House or Senate members.

A Facebook post that circulated around the approval of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill Wednesday promoted the false information, stating: Did you know? Line 17 of the $1.9 TRILLION CV #Stimulus awards a $25 MILLION BONUS to House Reps?

It is not clear what Line 17 means in the post since theres a line 17 on nearly every page of the 628-page bill.

There are several passages that cite $25 million in funding, but no mention of congressional pay raises or bonuses. The sweeping package, approved by a 220-211 party-line vote, would give most Americans $1,400 checks and billions of dollars would be directed to schools, state and local governments and businesses.

That claim is false. In fact, there is no funding for the House of Representatives or Senate in the bill at all, Evan Hollander, communications director for the House Appropriations Committee, confirmed to The Associated Press in an email. The AP knocked down a similar false claim in March 2020 when a $2.2 trillion rescue package was passed.
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Pope Francis is calling for the passage of civil union laws for same-sex couples. This is a significant departure from the position of the Vaticans doctrinal office as well as the popes predecessors on this issue.

His remarks came as part of a documentary that premiered last night and reflects on pastoral care for those who identify as LGBT. Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. Theyre children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it, Pope Francis said in the film.

He then spoke directly to the issue of same-sex marriage: What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered.

What the pope and Church have previously stated

According to the Catholic News Agency, the popes statement is a shift from his position in 2010, when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires and opposed efforts to legalize same-sex marriage. In the 2013 book On Heaven and Earth, he did not reject civil unions outright but described laws assimilating homosexual relationships to marriage as an anthropological regression. He also expressed concern that if same-sex couples are given adoption rights, there could be affected children. Every person needs a male father and a female mother that can help them shape their identity.

However, the National Catholic Reporter states that the pontiff has spoken in the past in favor of civil unions as a way to differentiate between Catholic marriages and relationships recognized by state authorities.

Conversely, under the leadership of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (who later became Pope Benedict XVI) and at the direction of Pope John Paul II, the Vaticans Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) stated in 2003 that respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions. The common good requires that laws recognize, promote, and protect marriage as the basis of the family, the primary unit of society.

The CDF added: Legal recognition of homosexual unions or placing them on the same level as marriage would mean not only the approval of deviant behavior, with the consequence of making it a model in present-day society, but would also obscure basic values which belong to the common inheritance of humanity. The Church cannot fail to defend these values, for the good of men and women and for the good of society itself. The document called support for such unions by politicians gravely immoral.

It also stated: Not even in a remote analogous sense do homosexual unions fulfil the purpose for which marriage and family deserve specific categorical recognition. On the contrary, there are good reasons for holding that such unions are harmful to the proper development of human society, especially if their impact on society were to increase.

Three major questions

The popes statement has generated global headlines and raises a variety of related issues.

First, will his opinion change church doctrine?

The person who made the documentary said that in his view, the film is not about the popes call for civil unions but about many other global issues. He explained that he looks at Pope Francis as a humble human being. Nonetheless, when the pope speaks to an issue, even on a personal rather than official basis, his opinions can sway many in the Church and beyond.

Second, if the Church changes its position on same-sex marriage, will this affect its adoption agencies and related ministries?

Fulton v. Philadelphia is set for argument before the Supreme Court on November 4. The case concerns whether the city of Philadelphia had the right in 2018 to stop placing children with foster parents that partner with Catholic Social Services, since the agency cannot endorse same-sex or unmarried couples as agency partners. This is just one of many cases where Catholic agencies have faced discrimination for upholding the biblical definition of marriage. In light of the popes statement, will these agencies change their stance on this issue in the face of legal and cultural opposition?

Third, if the Church changes its position on homosexual behavior and same-sex marriage, how will this affect ministries who affirm biblical marriage?

Since the Supreme Court discovered a constitutional right to same-sex marriage in 2015, many have been concerned that the IRS could eventually question the tax-exempt status of religious entities who continue to uphold the biblical definition of marriage. As the Roman Catholic Church is one such entity, some have felt that, given the Churchs enormous size and political significance, it would be unlikely that the IRS would take such action. However, if the Church were to shift its stance, would other ministries be more likely to face this threat?

How to respond with biblical compassion

My purpose today is not to be an alarmist, since it is far too soon to know if the popes personal opinion will lead to any of these consequences. Rather, it is to note that, since the consequences of our personal beliefs are far larger than we might imagine, each of us should measure our opinions by biblical truth.

As I have previously written, Gods word clearly prohibits same-sex sexual activity (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:2627; 1 Corinthians 6:910; 1 Timothy 1:811) and defines marriage as the covenant between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:1824; Matthew 19:46). (For more, see my paper on biblical answers to readers questions about these issues.)

It may seem compassionate and tolerant for evangelicals to endorse same-sex sexual relationships and marriage. Such a decision certainly shields us from the vilification we face in a culture that brands us as intolerant and homophobic.

However, it is not truly compassionate to endorse what the Bible forbids, since this offers people less than Gods best for them. Rather, we need to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) out of a desire that all people experience abundant life in Christ (John 10:10). And we need to speak such truth in a spirit of humility (Colossians 3:12) that admits our mutual brokenness (Romans 3:23) and offers hope and help in Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:11).

In The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis wrote: It does not matter that I know I must become, in the eyes of every hostile reader, as it were personally responsible for all the sufferings I try to explain. Then he added, But it matters enormously if I alienate anyone from the truth.

I pray that we would not alienate anyone from the truth today, but that we will lead them to the Truth (John 14:6).

Will you join me?

Originally posted at denisonforum.org
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Kate Garraway was seen stepping out after candidly detailing her fears over how her husband Derek Draper may 'never lead a normal life' again on Monday morning.

The Good Morning Britain star, 53, who was sporting a face mask, waved as she arrived at Global Studios in central London for her Smooth FM show.

The outing comes after how Kate opened up about a hospital blunder which left her fearing Derek had died and how she leaned on friends finically while off work.

Outing: Kate Garraway was seen stepping out after candidly detailing her fears over how her husband Derek Draper may 'never lead a normal life' again on Monday morning

Kate put on a brave face as she arrived at work on the back of a motorcycle, after giving an update on how her husband was doing amid his coronavirus recovery.

The presenter told how she had to rely on friends for financial support while off work during Derek's coronavirus battle.

She explained how although those in TV are 'paid a good wage compared to the nurses keeping Derek alive', she had to stop earning 'quite suddenly' last March and turned to pals for support.

Derek, 53, remains in ICU almost a year after he was admitted to hospital with Covid and the father-of-two has been left suffering from multiple health conditions.

Heartache: The Good Morning Britain presenter's husband Derek Draper, 53, remains in ICU almost a year after he was admitted to hospital with novel coronavirus. Pictured in 2019

Arrival: The Good Morning Britain star, 53, who was sporting a face mask, waved as she arrived at Global Studios in central London for her Smooth FM show

Candid: The outing comes after how Kate opened up about a hospital blunder which left her fearing Derek had died and how she leaned on friends finically while off work

Recalling the blunder, which happened last year, she said: 'I was just sitting on the phone, waiting to know if hed died or not.'

She was told over the phone: 'He may have died. Somebody will call you back.'

Of waiting more than a day to learn Derek was still fighting, she recalled: 'Then it turned out that somebody had died who had a similar name to his.'

Kate has has said she's not sure if her husband will have 'any kind of life again', as he continues to fight the myriad of complications stemming from his COVID battle.

Update: Kate put on a brave face as she arrived at work on the back of a motorcycle, after giving an update on how her husband was doing amid his coronavirus recovery

She said her husband's current state is something from a 'horror story,' as she tries to come to terms with the possibility that his health battle could leave him suspended between life and death.

The star said to The Times: 'The very worst moment was when they said he could be locked in forever. And I just thought, this is a horror story. I don't know if he'll ever have any kind of life again. We just don't know.'

Derek was admitted to hospital in March after contracting the respiratory illness and was subsequently placed in a medically induced coma before he awoke in July.

The virus has wreaked havoc throughout his entire body, resulting in kidney failure, and liver and pancreatic damage.

On more than one occasion his heart stopped beating, he battled bacterial pneumonia and fought multiple infections which punctured holes in his lungs. He is considered to be the longest surviving COVID-19 patient in the country.

Support system: The presenter told how she had to rely on friends for financial support while off work during Derek's coronavirus battle

Kind: She explained how although those in TV are 'paid a good wage compared to the nurses keeping Derek alive', she had to stop earning 'quite suddenly' last March and turned to pals for support

Trying to make sense of Derek's current condition, Kate said it appears he is in an 'ocean of unconsciousness,' and only manages to rise to the top for air on rare occasions.

However she did note some tentative progress with her husband during the Christmas period. As she pretended to forget her accountant's name, Derek was able to fill in the blank and vocalise the name.

He also heartbreakingly mouthed the word 'pain' in October.

By the end of last year, he had had reportedly made some small steps towards recovery. He was able to breath naturally throughout the day and was able to swallow his own saliva - despite still being fed by a tube through his stomach.

Derek no longer required kidney dialysis and had managed to increase his movement on one side, allowing him to move his glasses on his nose.

Recalling the blunder, which happened last year, she said: 'I was just sitting on the phone, waiting to know if hed died or not'

He was even able to recognise some faces and add snippets to conversation before sinking back into the deep waters of his unconscious mind.

She is still not allowed to visit her husband due to coronavirus restrictions.

Kate said she tried to keep his hopes up by promising things would improve, but tragically his only response was: 'How?'

When Boris Johnson enforced a new lockdown in December, Kate wasn't able to see Derek at all, as she revealed his health worsened 'dramatically,' counteracting the progress they had made.

'I have tried to sort of wake up from that and think about the future,' Kate added. 'But nobody can tell you what the future is.'

Kate is set to host an ITV documentary about her husband's battle with COVID-19.

Finding Derek will air on 23rd March, and will show Kate giving an 'unflinching account' on the past 12 months.

Sad: Kate  who shares Darcey, 15, and William, 11, (pictured in 2019) with her husband of 15 years  admitted it is 'shocking' to see his current state, including his eight stone weight loss

In the special one-off film, Kate will offer an 'intimate insight' into coping with the impact of Covid-19 on her family, as well as meeting survivors of the disease.

ITV said in a statement: 'Kate offers an unflinching account of the profound effects on her family and on others as she opens up on camera for the first time on the reality of the past 12 months.

'As Kate lays bare in the film, her family, along with many others who have suffered the effects of the virus, is now facing the reality of adjusting to a very different way of life to the one they lived before the pandemic hit.'

While Derek no longer has coronavirus, the disease has left him suffering from multiple health conditions including diabetes and holes in his heart and lungs.

Finding Derek: Kate is set to host an ITV special about her husband Derek's battle with coronavirus, and the programme is set to air on 23rd March

During one of her darkest moments Kate was told her husband may 'never come out of a coma' amid his ongoing battle.

Derek has regained minimal consciousness from his medically induced coma and while he has not been speaking, he heartbreakingly mouthed the word 'pain' in October last year.

Last week, the Smooth presenter shared her heartache about not being able to visit her husband due to coronavirus restrictions.

She said to her co-host Ben Shephard: 'Well, I haven't been able to see him, Ben. I haven't seen him since Christmas, which of course means he's back into a situation where he's looking at strangers in masks...

'And I think that's the situation for everybody, they've got somebody in the hospital at the moment, it's not unique. It's tough...

Worry: During one of her darkest moments Kate was told her husband may 'never come out of a coma' amid his ongoing battle

'It's also the same for people in care homes. And when you're someone like him who is dealing with a consciousness problem and trying to emerge, I can't help but fear it's not helpful.'

In September, Derek, passed the grim milestone of becoming the longest patient battling coronavirus in hospital in the UK, with doctors telling Kate that Derek's infection was the 'highest they had seen in a patient who had lived'.

Reflecting on her last hospital visit with their children in December, Kate admitted the family reunion was 'heightened with emotion' because they saw how Derek had been ravaged by the virus.

'It was very heightened with emotion, because he's very changed,' she told viewers.

'So all the routines that we'd normally do, it was one of those moments that it was so wonderful but also it amplified how sad everything was.

'And how different it is. But it was still fantastic, and we're very grateful to have had that opportunity.'
Katie Cour is President and CEO for the Nashville Public Education Foundation We have data that reflects proven paths to success. Investment in education is an investment in the future of our state, and its time our investment matches our priorities for students, said Katie Cour, President and CEO, Nashville Public Education Foundation.

In an effort to raise awareness of challenges in education and push for data-driven solutions, the Nashville Public Education Foundation (NPEF) has released an informational Policy Brief outlining the complexities, challenges, inadequacies, and consequences of Tennessees Basic Education Program (BEP) funding formula for schools. Titled Funding Our Schools: How Tennessees Funding Formula Fails to Meet the Needs of Nashvilles Students, the brief encourages Tennessee to fully adopt the recommendations of its own BEP Review Committee and calls on the community to advocate for increased funding for the states schools.

The states funding formula affects every neighborhood and public school student in the state, yet its complexity makes it difficult for families and neighbors to understand or talk about. We want to help shed light on why the formula fails to meet the needs of our students and amplify this critical conversation, said Katie Cour, President and CEO of the Nashville Public Education Foundation. Bottom line, the BEP consistently underestimates what it takes to run schools and places an unattainable burden on local districts to pick up the difference. Too often people feel relieved when they hear the state has fully funded the BEP, but this statement is essentially meaningless. Tennessee is grossly underfunding schools that serve one million students each year  more than 82,000 just in Nashville.

Tennessee is currently ranks 43rd in the nation on per-pupil funding levels according to the Education Law Center. The BEP formula dictates a per-student budget amount in Tennessee that is approximately $3,655 less than the nationwide average. In addition, while the nationwide split of local and state funding is often close to equal, Tennessees deficient formula means that Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) receives only approximately 26% of its revenue from the state, with the balance coming from local tax dollars in Davidson County.

In addition to insufficient funding, a primary challenge of the formula is its consistent underestimation of the budget requirements of running a school system, regardless of its size. NPEFs Policy Brief breaks down key controversial and confusing components of the formula, such as why approximately 7,000 more teachers are hired statewide each year than are actually accounted for in the BEP, and why this is a failure on the part of the formula. These differences in what the state formula generates and what local districts actually need to spend must be made up by local funds, which is incredibly challenging for even the wealthiest counties.

Each year, a BEP Review Committee examines the formula and its results and makes recommendations to improve how it funds our schools. Last year, the committee proposed an array of improvements that would help to bring some key objectives closer in line with national best practices. Approving and funding those recommendations is essential in the short-term, but ultimately NPEF advocates for a complete overhaul of the formula.

Additional fundamental miscalculations of the BEP are outlined in the Policy Brief, allowing for robust discussion around changes that can improve outcomes for students across the state. NPEF believes a better-funded and more strategic BEP will transform Tennessees public education system.

Understanding the BEP and seeking its necessary reformulation is something that should be on every Nashvillians mind, said Cour. We have data that reflects proven paths to success. Investment in education is an investment in the future of our state, and its time our investment matches our priorities for students.

NPEF regularly convenes stakeholders to advocate for data-driven solutions and change. In addition to education funding, NPEF programs and coalitions address topics such as college access and success, the importance of effective principals and leaders, teacher recruitment and retention, and the conditions that must be present in schools for children to thrive.

About the Nashville Public Education Foundation

The Nashville Public Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization that raises private funds to support teachers and leaders, champion successes, and dismantle inequities in Metro Nashville Public Schools. More information is available at nashvillepef.org.
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 15.03.2021 - The 65th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will open on Monday 15 March 2021 in New York. The main focus of this year's session will be on the effective participation of women in decision-making in public life and on the elimination of violence against women. The Swiss delegation is led by Federal Councillor Alain Berset.

The coronavirus crisis has had a disproportionate impact on women, both in economic and social terms. Gains made in gender equality over the past few decades could be lost to this crisis. To prevent this from happening, the international community must make a firm commitment: every effort must be made to ensure that progress achieved over the past few years is not undone by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Switzerland has made gender equality a priority for both domestic and foreign policy. At this year's CSW, Switzerland will focus on the economic independence of women, promoting equal pay, promoting rights in the area of sexual and reproductive health, combating discrimination and violence (online and offline), and the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

Switzerland will also hold two side events. The gender pay gap will be discussed in cooperation with the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC). In addition, Switzerland, together with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, is working on statistical data collection with a view to combating violence against women more effectively.

The Women, Peace and Security agenda is an important aspect of this year's CSW. In 2007, Switzerland was one of the first countries to implement the Women, Peace and Security agenda through a National Action Plan (NAP). Switzerland is currently executing its fourth NAP (201822) to implement UN Resolution 1325. The objectives of the present National Action Plan include the involvement of women in conflict prevention and the active participation of women in peace negotiations.

This year, the updated Women's Human Rights app (W'sHR app)  developed by Switzerland  will be available for use during negotiations on the agreed conclusions document. The new version of the app was launched on International Women's Day in the presence of the UN Secretary-General in New York.

This year's main theme is also a priority area of Switzerland's international development cooperation. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) provides targeted support to encourage women's participation, particularly in local planning and budgeting processes or in electoral processes (both as candidates and voters). In Benin, for example, the SDC has been involved in training and mentoring young women to redress their under-representation in decision-making and the resulting lack of regard for their needs and problems in public policy. In 2019, more than three quarters of the 294 participants reported that their confidence and self-esteem had increased. 75% have joined, and are now active members of, a political party; this result is testimony to how their ambition and leadership have grown.

The Swiss delegation is led by Federal Councillor Alain Berset, head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA). Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 65th session will be held virtually. Switzerland is also represented by Markus Seiler, Secretary General of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and deputy head of delegation, and by Sylvie Durrer, Director of the Federal Office for Gender Equality (FOGE). Also forming part of the delegation are alliance F (the Federation of Swiss Women's Associations), the Swiss Conference of Gender Equality Delegates (SKG), and a youth delegate.

At national level, the 2030 gender equality strategy initiated by the Federal Council in its legislature plan is set to be adopted in the first half of 2021. Last year, the revised Gender Equality Act (GEA) entered into force. Among other things, the GEA obliges employers with more than 100 employees to conduct an equal pay analysis. Government-affiliated companies will be required to reach a target of at least 40% women in their management bodies by the end of 2023 at the latest. Since the beginning of the year, the Confederation has also been supporting targeted projects to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence.

Address for enquiries

FDFA Communication

Federal Palace West Wing

CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland

Tel. Communication service: +41 58 462 31 53

Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55

E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch

Twitter: @SwissMFA

Publisher

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html



Federal Department of Home Affairs

http://www.edi.admin.ch




A British woman lay unconscious next to her dead husband for nine hours after the pair fell into a ditch near their Costa del Sol home.

The expat was rescued after coming to and alerting the emergency services.

Nothing could be done to save her 74-year-old husband, who died after hitting his head on a stone in the seven-foot-deep ditch.

On Monday, it was reported that the ditch had been created by a flood nearly 15 years ago but that the local community in charge of the area were awaiting permission from a second body to carry out repairs.

The British couple at the centre of the tragedy have not yet been named.

They are understood to have fallen into the ditch as they took a shortcut to head home on a residential estate called San Juan de Capistrano, north of the town of Nerja on the eastern Costa del Sol.

A British woman lay unconscious next to her dead husband for nine hours after the pair fell into a ditch near their Costa del Sol home. Barriers have been erected around the ditch and the entrance to the path (pictured) in the San Juan de Capistrano residential estate near Nerja

Local reports said the couple had just returned from the town centre by bus and had ordered a takeaway pizza and drinks at a bar by a bus stop.

The fall happened around 9pm on March 6, but the survivor was not able to raise the alarm until 6am the following day.

Details of the incident, published by Malaga-based daily Diario Sur, have only just emerged.

A local living in the same estate as the couple said: 'The place where they fell is actually a gulley which got worse after a flash flood in 2007.

'The flash flood washed away a walkway that was there.

'The regional government had given permission for its repair but the estate managers were waiting for a building permit from the town hall.

'It was taped off and residents knew they shouldn't have gone along there but it's very tempting as a short cut.'

Another local resident added: 'They were walking into the gulley on what was the pathway that was broken with the flooding.

'It was night-time and it had been raining.

'The woman and her husband had been living in the area for some time but they kept themselves very much to themselves.

'She is okay physically but obviously very distressed.

'Neighbours and friends are rallying round to support her and keep an eye on her.'

Local reports said the couple had just returned from the town centre by bus and had ordered a takeaway pizza and drinks at a bar by a bus stop (pictured) before their fall

Barriers have now been erected around the ditch while a more permanent solution is found.

Last June, a British expat died when he fell into an uncovered manhole in the holiday resort of Calahonda, an hour's drive west of Nerja.

Richie Kennedy, 39, died instantly from head injuries after tumbling down the hole, but his body lay undiscovered for 15 hours.

The expat, originally from Brighton, East Sussex, had been walking home from seeing friends when he tripped and fell.

His distraught partner, Claus Dueholm, recounted finding Kennedy's body.

The fall happened around 9pm on March 6, but the survivor was not able to raise the alarm until 6am the following day. Pictured: The San Juan de Capistrano residential estate where the couple lived

'I called an ambulance and helped his stepdad jumping down into the 8-foot-deep hole but we couldn't help him out of there until about two hours later, the 56-year-old hotel worker said in August.

'He was completely cold at this point, he had been lying there for more than 15 hours.

'The police and the people from the ambulance couldn't get to him, so it wasn't until the fire brigade came with a ladder and they finally got him out.'
RTHK: Biden sidesteps call for Cuomo to quit

President Joe Biden declined on Sunday to call on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign over sexual misconduct allegations, saying he wanted to await the outcome of an investigation into the matter.

Asked on returning from Delaware if Cuomo, a fellow Democrat, should step down, Biden told reporters: "I think the investigation is under way and we should see what it brings us."

Cuomo faces accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct leveled by at least seven women, including former aides, and has come under pressure from disclosures that his administration withheld the number of nursing home residents killed in the state by Covid-19.

On Friday, New York's two Democratic US senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, and most of the state's congressional delegation, including leading progressive Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, urged Cuomo, now in his third term as governor, to resign.

Cuomo, 63, who is divorced, repeated his denial of the allegations on Friday and said it was "reckless and dangerous for politicians to ask him to resign before they have all the facts.

"Women have a right to come forward and be heard, and I encourage that fully. But I also want to be clear: There is still a question of the truth. I did not do what has been alleged, period, Cuomo said on a call with reporters.

Asked if he ever had consensual romantic relationships with any of the women, Cuomo said he never intended to make anyone feel uncomfortable, and was sorry if he did.

On Sunday, Democratic US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi declined to join the call for Cuomo's resignation, telling ABC's "This Week" programme the allegations must be investigated.

"What these women have said must be treated with respect. They are credible and serious charges," Pelosi said. "The governor should look inside his heart - he loves New York - to see if he can govern effectively."

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, often at odds with Cuomo, told CBS' Face the Nation he did not think the governor would resign quickly.

"I think an impeachment proceeding will begin, and I think he will be impeached and perhaps right before that he'll decide to resign," the Democratic mayor said. "He should resign right now because he's holding up our effort to fight Covid. He's literally in the way of us saving lives right now."

Republican Governors Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas and Larry Hogan of Maryland also both declined in separate appearances on Sunday news programmes to call for Cuomo's resignation, but said the allegations needed to be investigated. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-03-15. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Yangon, March 15 : Myanmar's military-backed State Administration Council has imposed martial law in the Hlaingthaya and Shwe Pyi Thar townships of the Yangon region, state-run media reported.

The Council on Sunday authorised the commander of Yangon region to put the martial law into place, Xinhua news agency quoted the state media report as saying.

The move came after some factories in the townships were burnt down, according to the report.

A one-year state of emergency was declared in Myanmar and state power was transferred to Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing after President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi were detained by the military on February 1.

The coup was staged as the military alleged massive voting fraud in the 2020 general elections, which saw Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy win a majority of seats in both houses of parliament.

In response to the coup, Myanmar has witnessed continued protests demanding the release of the former de facto leader and other senior officials of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party and also the restoration of the democratically elected government.

A BBC report citing The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) monitoring group said that at least 38 protesters were killed in Yangon on Sunday, in one the bloodiest days since the coup.

In total, more than 120 protesters have reportedly been killed during the crackdown, according to the AAPP.
One year on from the outbreak of coronavirus, Northern Ireland has been through lockdowns, surges and recorded more than 2,000 Covid deaths.

Ahead of an Executive meeting to discuss the current restrictions tomorrow, we look at the state of play of the pandemic in five key areas.

Infections

Daily positive cases of coronavirus reported in Northern Ireland have been largely falling in recent weeks and months. Back in January, after restrictions were eased over Christmas, there was a surge in new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new infections peaked at around 1,800 on January 1. This has steadily declined since then, with the latest data showing the seven-day rolling average on March 10 was 187.

This figure is, however, still significantly higher when compared to the same period last year when lockdown was first imposed. On March 10, 2020, the seven-day average was just six cases.

The infection rate in Northern Ireland has fallen to around 64 cases per 100,000 people.

Read More

R-rate

The R-rate is the reproductive rate of the virus. R is the average number of people that one infected person will pass the virus to. It is estimate that Covid-19 would have an R-rate of around three if no action was taken to stop it spreading.

According to the latest data from the Department of Health (DoH), the R-rate in Northern Ireland is currently between 0.75 and 0.95. The R-rate for hospital admissions is estimated to be around 0.65 to 0.95, however it is slightly higher for intensive care occupancy  between 0.80 and 1.20.

Looking back at the R-rate at the start of the pandemic, we can see how the current reproductive rate of Covid is now significantly lower. In March 2020, the rate was around 2.5.

Hospitals

Northern Irelands hospitals have been under immense pressure throughout the pandemic, however on several occasions it was feared that the health service could be overwhelmed by a surge in cases, most recently in December last year. Less than two weeks before Christmas, the chief executives of NIs six health trusts issued a joint statement warning of unbearable pressures facing the system in the event of a likely Covid surge at the start of January.

At this point, several hospitals here were already operating beyond capacity. While a spike did hit in January, the healthcare system managed to cope with the pressures and hospital admissions began to fall gradually.

Read More

As of March 14, there were 182 Covid patients in hospitals across Northern Ireland. At its peak in January, this figure was 1,051. In mid-March last year, there were around 30 Covid patients in our hospitals.

A similar decline has been seen in intensive care units. There are currently 22 Covid patients in ICU, compared with 74 during Januarys peak and around 30 in March last year.

Hospitals in Northern Ireland are now running at 93% occupancy.

Deaths

Since the Covid pandemic took hold in March 2020, there have been a total of 2,098 deaths related to the virus recorded by the DoH.

The latest seven-day rolling average of deaths recorded by DoH is three, compared with a peak of 23 in January and two towards the end of March last year. For the first time in five months, there were no Covid deaths recorded by the DoH in the previous 24 hours on Sunday.

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra), however, records Covid deaths differently than the DoH. Nisra records deaths where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, whereas the DoH records deaths following a positive test for the virus.

Latest Nisra statistics show that coronavirus was mentioned on 33 death certificates in the week to March 5, the sixth consecutive week of decline. Nisras Covid death toll is now 2,839.

Vaccines

The speed at which Northern Ireland exits lockdown will be guided to a large degree by the rate people here are vaccinated against the virus.

Latest figures show that 625,195 people here have received a first dose of a vaccine  around 42% of the adult population  with 52,407 receiving their second jab.

Rates in the Republic of Ireland, however, are much lower. Latest statistics compiled by the Irish Times show that, as of March 11, 426,819 have had their first dose  around 11% of the adult population  with 162,693 receiving their second.

When taking into account cross-border travel and other factors, the differing vaccination rates on either side of the border could be an issue coming out of lockdown.

Another potential hurdle could be the fact that health officials in the Republic temporarily suspended the roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine over concerns about its safety.

On Sunday night, however, it was announced that the roll-out of the vaccination programme in Northern Ireland would continue.
Pope Francis endorses civil unions for same-sex couples

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Pope Francis has called for the creation of civil union laws that would help same-sex couples create families as children of God, challenging a previous conclusion by the Catholic Church that endorsing such unions would be an approval of deviant behavior.

Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it, Francis said in a documentary, called Francesco, that premiered Wednesday in Rome, the Catholic News Agency reported.

What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that, Francis, whose comments came as he reflected on pastoral care for those who identify as LGBT, added.

The documentary by Oscar-nominated Director Evgeny Afineevsky, which highlights the life and ministry of Pope Francis, is set to make its North American premiere on Sunday.

Francis has previously expressed support for same-sex civil unions. During his tenure as archbishop of Buenos Aires, he advocated for same-sex civil unions in a bid to block a same-sex marriage law. Argentina legalized same-sex marriage in 2010.

In 2003, the Vaticans Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under the leadership of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and at the direction of Pope John Paul II made it clear that same-sex civil unions cannot be supported by the church.

The Church teaches that respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions. The common good requires that laws recognize, promote and protect marriage as the basis of the family, the primary unit of society, the document said.

Legal recognition of homosexual unions or placing them on the same level as marriage would mean not only the approval of deviant behavior, with the consequence of making it a model in present-day society, but would also obscure basic values which belong to the common inheritance of humanity. The Church cannot fail to defend these values, for the good of men and women and for the good of society itself, it concluded.

On Wednesday, the Human Rights Campaign, Americas largest LGBT civil rights organization, praised Pope Francis for shifting Catholic theology to be more accepting of the LGBT community.

Today, Pope Francis took a significant step for inclusion and acceptance in the Catholic Church by embracing unions for same-sex couples and affirming that LGBTQ Catholics are a part of their religious family, HRC President Alphonso David said in a statement.

By shifting Catholic theology in a more inclusive direction and making clear that LGBTQ people have a right to their own families, Pope Francis is letting LGBTQ Catholics know that being a person of faith and being LGBTQ are not mutually exclusive ... Many members of the LGBTQ community have had difficulty engaging with places of worship because they have not been accepting of LGBTQ people. We are hopeful that this is another in line of many actions toward full inclusion and acceptance of LGBTQ people in Catholicism, and in all faiths.

James Martin, a Jesuit priest who also serves as editor at large of America Magazine, said in a statement on Twitter that Pope Francis comments are a major step for the Catholic Church.

It is in keeping with his pastoral approach to LGBT people, including LGBT Catholics, and sends a strong signal to countries where the church has opposed such laws, Martin wrote.

Retired Democratic politician Howard Dean also celebrated Francis comments on Twitter, noting: I knew I liked this Pope. This took a lot of courage and I am sure there are political knives out for him in the Vatican. This is a true act of Christian compassion and an example for all Christians not just Catholics.

Conservative Catholics saw the comments as a betrayal of Scripture.

Fr. Darin Schmidt, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls in South Dakota who currently serves as pastor of St. Anthony of Padua in Hoven and St. Augustine in Bowdle, argued in a series of tweets that the pope does not have any authority to challenge Gods plan for the human family.

Can someone remind me what magisterial weight a documentary has? Maybe the problem for many is that we don't ignore nearly enough. If I know what God has revealed about human sexuality and His plan for the human family, then I also know that no bishop on earth has any authority to change it, Schmidt wrote.

Writer Maike Hickson who has closely followed the papacy of Pope Francis and the developments in the Catholic Church urged Pope Francis to immediately recant the statements or risk being seen as a heretic.

Any words of a pope spoken in public do have a terrible weight. And they reveal his attitude toward Church doctrine, irreversible doctrine, doctrine that comes straight out of Holy Scripture. He must make an immediate recantation or will be under suspicion that he is a heretic, Hickson noted on Twitter.
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. High 68F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 53F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
WPVIBy JULIA JACOBO, ABC News



(LAKEWOOD TOWNSHIP, N.J.) -- A brush fire that raged through New Jersey forced residents to evacuate after it destroyed or damaged dozens of structures.



The fire began early Sunday afternoon near Airport Road and Cedar Bridge Avenue near Lakewood. By Sunday night, the fire had consumed at least 170 acres but was at least 50% contained, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.



At least 29 homes and buildings were damaged in the fire, ABC Philadelphia station WPVI reported. Two mixed-use professional and commercial structures were destroyed, according to the fire service.



More than 100 people were forced to evacuate, Fire Service spokesman Maris Gabliks told reporters during a news conference. The fire also shut down portions of the Garden State Parkway.



One New Jersey Forest Fire Service firefighter was taken to an area hospital in critical condition, fire officials said.



Investigators have discovered the origin of the fire but not the cause, although they ruled out that it sparked from a prescribed, or controlled, fire, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.



Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
When COVID-19 sent millions of Californians home to work remotely, shop online and video conference their doctors, companies adapted by replacing certain services with new technology.

Now, that automation is reshaping jobs faster than previously thought.

Everythings online. Its become the nature of our lives during the pandemic, said Jane Oates, president of the nonprofit WorkingNation and former assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Labor during the Obama administration. Its going to accelerate the use of technology in every job and for functions where it wasnt used before. Some jobs that were already beginning to go, the pandemic will accelerate their demise.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register.

The pandemic is speeding up Americas rush toward automation, a trend that is now set to displace an additional 8.4 million American workers by 2030, according to a study by the research branch of the Washington-based management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. Thats a 23% increase from a pre-COVID scenario. The report modeled the effects of the pandemic on automation, accelerated e-commerce and remote work in more than 800 occupations in the U.S. and found that jobs in sales, office support, and food and customer service will face the largest losses.
Our Dignity Memorial associates are committed to supporting military families in our communities and appropriately honoring their sacrifices and service to our Country. Tweet this

Bonnie Carroll, TAPS Founder and President, added, "TAPS is honored to be partnering with SCI to support our military survivors. The entire organization has shown their dedication to honoring the lives of those who have served and died for our country's freedoms by caring for the families they loved and left behind."

SCI and Dignity Memorial's commitment to honoring those who serve encompasses several programs and initiatives, including:

The Dignity Memorial Homeless Veterans Burial Program, founded in 2000, ensures honorable and dignified burials for qualifying homeless or indigent veterans.

Affinity partnerships with certain veterans organizations offer discounted packages on arrangements.

We Honor Veterans, a program committed to working with local hospices and community organizations, meets the unique needs of America's veterans and their families.

Since 1994, TAPS has provided support and hope around the clock through a national peer support network, grief counseling services and support groups  all at no cost to surviving families and loved ones. TAPS also provides a variety of programs to survivors worldwide, as well as resources for grief professionals to better serve the military and veteran communities.

About Dignity Memorial

The Dignity Memorial network of more than 2,000 funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers is North America's most trusted resource for funeral and memorialization services. Dignity Memorial providers offer an unmatched combination of products and locations serving families with care, integrity, respect and service excellence to celebrate each life like no other. For more information, visit www.dignitymemorial.com.

About Service Corporation International

Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI), headquartered in Houston, Texas, is North America's leading provider of deathcare products and services. At December 31, 2020, we owned and operated 1,470 funeral service locations and 483 cemeteries (of which 297 are combination locations) in 44 states, eight Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Through our businesses, we market the Dignity Memorial brand, which offers assurance of quality, value, caring service, and exceptional customer satisfaction. For more information about Service Corporation International, please visit our website at www.sci-corp.com. For more information about Dignity Memorial, please visit www.dignitymemorial.com.

As used herein, "Service Corporation International" and "SCI" refer to Service Corporation International and its affiliated companies.

About TAPS:

The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) is the national organization providing compassionate care for the families of America's fallen military heroes and has offered support to more than 100,000 surviving family members of our fallen military and their caregivers since 1994. TAPS provides peer-based emotional support, grief and trauma resources, grief seminars and retreats for adults, Good Grief Camps for children, case work assistance, connections to community-based care, online and in-person support groups and a 24/7 resource and information helpline for all who have been affected by a death in the Armed Forces. Services are provided free of charge. For more information go to www.taps.org or call the toll-free TAPS resource and information helpline at 1.800.959.TAPS (8277).

Contact: SCI Media Line, 713-525-5235

[email protected]

SOURCE Service Corporation International

Related Links

http://www.sci-corp.com


SOUTHFIELD, Mich., March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lear Corporation (NYSE: LEA), a global automotive technology leader in Seating and E-Systems, will host a virtual E-Systems Product Day on March 25, 2021.

During the event, Carl Esposito, SVP and President E-Systems, and other senior members of the E-Systems management team will describe Lear's E-Systems product portfolio, including growing opportunities in electrification and vertical integration. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.

The video webcast will begin at 9:00am EDT and is expected to run for approximately 60 minutes.

A webcast link will be available on the Company's website at ir.lear.com.

About Lear Corporation

Lear, a global automotive technology leader in Seating and E-Systems, enables superior in-vehicle experiences for consumers around the world. Our diverse team of talented employees in 38 countries is driven by a commitment to innovation, operational excellence, and sustainability. Lear is Making every drive better by providing the technology for safer, smarter, and more comfortable journeys. Lear, headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, serves every major automaker in the world and ranks 166 on the Fortune 500. Further information about Lear is available at lear.com, or follow us on Twitter @LearCorporation.

SOURCE Lear Corporation

Related Links

http://www.lear.com


Maxim Ageev, CEO of De Novo

The other day, one of the four buildings of the French data center OVH - the largest European operator for renting data centers, dedicated servers and cloud resources - burst into flames like a match and burned to the ground. The fire also affected neighboring buildings, which led to a complete shutdown of the provider's entire data center complex.

The Strasbourg incident immediately became a notoriously well-known world leader on the list of disasters that happened to data centers. Nothing like this has happened anywhere in many years, the story looks just apocalyptic.

A fire in a building of this class looks stunning.

All approaches and standards for the construction of modern data centers are contrary to this egregious disaster. At the time of writing this, the reasons for such a large-scale fire are unknown.

The consequences for OVH will be dire, if not fatal.

We must wait for at least preliminary conclusions and hypotheses about the reason for such a mighty fire.

But at first sight, no other versions except for the total mess and violations of all norms are not visible. Perhaps a fatal coincidence of many circumstances happened, bordering on mysticism.

According to media reports, the major losses were incurred by tenants of dedicated servers. The cloud community doesn't seem to be hurt.

The discussion of this news in the Ukrainian segment of Facebook looks curious.

I would classify the general tone of many posts as variants of "Magic Consciousness", namely the state in which the author evaluates everything that happens outside, based on his vision, but does not undertake to substantiate the nature and mechanism of realization.

Magic outlook 1. Everything seems to be more reliable, nothing and never breaks in Europe / America. You can only store data there. Everything there is free of charge. In general, other countries will help us - reserve sites, recovery on a call, we owe everything and everything, and other "all-inclusive" tourist logic.

Magic outlook 2. In Ukraine, everything is always bad - where we are and where their technologies are, thefts, lack of qualifications, our data will be lost at the slightest issues, etc. We do not trust local providers, and we do not succumb to their tricks, let's find the Magic # 1.

Magic outlook 3. We will close our eyes tightly and hide in the house - we will build our data center and leave these operators. And then we will not be afraid of any fires, floods, droughts, and Ebola. Our faith is strong with Magic outlook No. 1 and No. 2. On that and stand in our procurement budget.

The reality looks different on almost all the points mentioned.

Everything can get on fire - your property, neighbor's, on our street, or a distant continent. Papers, cars, offices, data centers, communication channels can be destroyed. The Strasbourg accident clearly shows that the point is not in the geography of the location of equipment or data, but in entirely different things, which will be discussed below.

The value of processed and stored "digitally" data today for most enterprises is an order of magnitude higher than 15 years ago. And this fact has a significant impact on the current operations of the main business. The unwillingness or inability of the owners and top management to correctly assess the new balance of risks does not save the company from the consequences - with this approach, it is more often wrong than neutral.

No model of ownership and processing of business data denies the threat of their (data) de-actualization, destruction, and theft. You have your own data center or outsourcing (and even an external cloud) - no option guarantees the safety of your data in the absence of not declarative, but actually working information security system of a company of any type, size and form of ownership.

Local and global cloud or data center operators carry approximately the same set of threats in terms of probability and quantity in relation to the data of their customers. The threat to this data from an external operator is several times, or even an order of magnitude, lower than the consumer's threat to himself. In combination with the obvious economic effect, this leads to the long-term growth of the service market of Clouds, hosting, data centers.

The upward trend in digital business transformation is largely related to its attitude to the value of its data and the very model of creating added value based on the mentioned digital data.

Perhaps you are cool and want to have a business-like Jeff Bezos, but you are ready to spend on your happiness like on a stall site of the 2000 model. Then you have to live with a bomb and don't complain if something happens.

The reality is that no service provider in the world guarantees 100% protection and/or recovery of lost customer data by default. You have to pay for such a service separately and a lot, taking into account a dozen possible scenarios for its implementation. And you will need not only competent specialists "on the customer's side", but also the support of the top management, as well as

financial resources.

The whole bunch of technologies, incomprehensible to an ordinary director, an abundance of project efforts and costs - this is not a Masonic conspiracy of "IT developers". A life jacket, an emergency first aid kit in a backpack, a reserve of your blood in a medical refrigerator - that's what it is for modern business. And the services of a professional IT service provider will cost you less than the old-fashioned tools in the form of a server under the table. This is if you move away from the Magical Consciousness and evaluate the offered price and the entire "kit" of the service operator.

And even if you have a Disaster Recovery Plan on your table, most of you never test its effectiveness in practice. In Ukraine, this is all too common, even if there are two sites for placement.

The modern world is not only cats and cute pictures on Instagram. It is also an endless effort to defend its digital footprint, where threats breed like fruit flies. And where they will take you by surprise - in Strasbourg or Kyiv - this is a question for the Magical Consciousness.
World Consumer Day: New Strategy Needed To Infuse Life into the Consumer Movement

We, in India, celebrate two consumer days  the national consumer day on 24th December to commemorate the date on which the Consumer Protection Act came into force to promote consumer rights and responsibilities in 1986, and the world consumer rights day (WCRD) on 15th March on which the US president announced the consumer rights for the first time in 1962 and is being celebrated since 1983. WCRD gives us an opportunity to reflect on what Indias consumer movement has achieved so far and what direction we should take in the future.

Consumers International, a global federation of consumer groups, has approved the theme for this WCRD to be tackling plastic pollution. It is certainly a worthy and pressing consumer problem for India in general and Mysuru in particular.

However, the real and basic problem we face is getting any type of service from our own, democratically elected government. Even after 73 years of Independence, we the public are, with rare exception, treated in all the government offices as servants rather than mastersa continuing colonial hangover.

It is unfortunate that even some government-sponsored WCRD celebrations have organised events to discuss the theme of plastic menace rather than highlighting the real consumer problems we face every day. This article is a small attempt to show why Indias consumer movement should take a different path.

How many of us are even aware that we, the public, should be treated with dignity irrespective of whether we are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, connected with VIPs or no connection at all, while seeking government services? This is true both in urban and rural areas.

It is because of such indifference to serve the public that there are always big lines in front of the residences and offices of MLAs, MPs, or even defeated political leaders, of citizens seeking help.

There are large crowds in front of the offices of the bureaucrats where the public stands with patience for hours to get services like registration, paying property taxes, completion reports, building permits, and ration cards, for which there are all kinds of schemes like tatkal, e-platform, e-complaints, and Right to Information (RTI) Act.

It is a rare event when any one can accomplish the task at first attempt in any government office.

Consumer activists (including myself) have welcomed with great excitement the latest Consumer Protection Act (COPRA) 2019 which replaces the Consumer Protection Act 1986.

It is a progressive law which certainly helps the consumers by providing several reforms like the concept of product liability, filing complaints electronically, alternate resolution mechanism like mediation, action against unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements, flexibility to file from where consumers live or work, no fees for filing for cases involving less than Rs5 lakh, and providing consumer protection while purchasing online.

Unfortunately, just as COPRA 1986 failed to bring about the systemic changes, COPRA 2019 may face the same dismal results and provide, at best, band aid. One of the biggest hurdles was the inefficiency of consumer courts which were turned into civil courts by the presiding officers by giving never ending adjournments and consumer unfriendly environment in the courts.

In short, consumer courts, which are now called consumer commissions, more often than not violate the advice so beautifully stated by Mahatma Gandhi on the correct way of handling the consumers.

Customers are the most important visitor on our premises, they are not dependent on us, we are dependent on them. They are not an interruption in our work. They are the purpose of it. They are not outsiders in our business. They are part of it; we are not doing them a favour by serving them. They are doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so.

Do any of our government offices follow the above advice given by Mahatma Gandhi in serving the public?

Often, the basic philosophy is how to send back the persons seeking any government service by raising every possible excuse one can dream of: the concerned officer is on vacation, come tomorrow since the officer has not signed, bring some more documents, review is not over and it is not certain when it will be ready, etc. In short, how to delay the process of providing services is the motto of every government offices.

Just to give an extreme example of such a delay is the number of times a former president of Mysore Grahakara Parishat had to go to the Mysuru City Corporation seeking a permit to rebuild a house. Even though he was complying with all the building regulations (he is the person who has helped thousands seeking solutions to consumer problems over the past 25 years) and knew all the officers, he had to visit MCC 111 times over two years to get the required permit.

He did not have to make one change between the first submission and the last one when he finally got the building permit. But those who are prepared to bribe can get the permit even in a day and when the by-laws are violated!

Let us take a look at services like water supply, and electricity, basic needs to be supplied by the government. For a large percentage of our population, securing potable water is still a Herculean task.

Electricity is as undependable as always in most cities and certainly in villages but we claim that all the villages are connected to the national grid. The less said the better about the services provided by the Indian Railways, the public sector banks, public sector transportation companies, and Life Insurance Corp of India (LIC) where we are often treated with discourtesy and neglect despite the COPRA.

All over the country on 15th March, in a ritualistic manner, in each state capital and major cities, World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated by publishing the famous quote of the Mahatma, or praising the outstanding benefits of the new COPRA 2019 or how consumers should be treated as kings.

This is because most such functions are organised by the government departments. No one mentions how we, the public, are treated worse than servants by the government departments.

It is high time the non-government organisations (NGOs) start demanding our rights of getting services with minimum delay and inconvenience. For that, we need to strengthen the consumer movement by taking active part either by joining an existing NGO or starting a new one.

Consumer movement should stop concentrating only on COPRA, and start working on the concept of public being the masters and not servants. Just like Mahatma Gandhi used a simple concept of protesting salt tax to usher a new chapter in Indias freedom movement, we, in the consumer movement, should adapt a new strategic direction to demand the status of masters in all the government offices and stop acting as servants.

(Dr Bhamy V Shenoy, an IITM alumnus, is the founder of Mysore Grahakara Parishat, a leading consumer organisation in the city. He was also governing council member of Consumer Voice.)
An ecologist who has spent his career recording walrus sightings in Ireland fears for the fate of the tusked juvenile who was spotted on Valentia Island over the weekend.

Dr Don Cotton said there have been at least a dozen sightings of walruses in Ireland over the years  with the first dating back to 1897  but the majority were glimpses in the water or unconfirmed.

In 1999 another wandering walrus from the Arctic was seen near Old Head in Clew Bay, Co Mayo.

To see clear footage of one on rocks in 2021, still alive, was probably a once in a lifetime chance, he told the Irish Independent.

Expand Close Five-year-old Muireann Houlihan points to the walrus she spotted along the coast of Valentia Island, Co Kerry. Photo: Alan Houlihan/PA Wire / Facebook

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Whatsapp Five-year-old Muireann Houlihan points to the walrus she spotted along the coast of Valentia Island, Co Kerry. Photo: Alan Houlihan/PA Wire

He said local man Alan Houlihan and his five-year-old daughter Muireann are extremely lucky they got to witness such a phenomenon.

Its probably the best sighting anyone has ever had of a walrus in Ireland, he said.

Most of the walruses seen in Ireland were dead, decomposing carcasses or a brief glimpse of someone popping its head out of the water. So to see one sitting out on the rocks, its incredible.

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The sad reality is it will probably die. The fact it is so young, it probably hasnt a clue which direction to go and I doubt it will find its way back home.

"Our walrus is one of thousands, wherever it came from, and the most likely origin is from Greenland. They need a huge supply of shellfish to survive and I dont think it will get the food it needs here.

Melanie Croce, executive director of charity Seal Rescue Ireland, said the last confirmed sighting of the walrus was Monday morning and she is urging anyone who spots the mammal to contact them.

It was last seen swimming out of the channel so we ask for anyone on the coast or in the southwest of the country to keep your eyes peeled, she said.

It doesnt look in super bad condition, but it is exhausted from such a long swim. If anyone does see it please report it. We have trained volunteers lined up to monitor, so please give it space as these are very sensitive species. We dont want it to be wasting any more energy.

Ms Croce said more and more Arctic animals have been appearing on Irish shores in recent years, which isnt necessarily a good thing.

It is quite rare but its not unheard of. There is an increase in Arctic species showing up in Ireland. In the last year there was a ringed seal and a hooded seal, these are animals that are living on pack ice and are losing their homes.

I would be concerned. Ice is melting much faster than in previous years. Their habitat is changing rapidly and Im concerned about more of them showing up.

Ms Croce said the odds are currently stacked against Atlantic mammals as global warming, changing currents and more severe storms are endangering animals.

So far this year, Seal Rescue Ireland has received reports of 109 dead seals from across the coast of Ireland, and 14 of them were in Co Kerry, with six alone in the past week.

Although we've been tracking this data for the past five years, 2020 was a recording-breaking year for both seal rescues (170) and dead seal reports (201). We have already received more dead seal reports this year in the first few months than we did for the entire year of 2019, with 103 dead seals in total.

Please remind readers to be sure to keep a safe distance of at least 100m from any marine mammal resting on the beach and to keep voices down and dogs on a lead, as it can be very dangerous and harmful to approach them.
Though Israel will be getting F-35 Stealth jets, they would rather get the F-22 Raptor. UAE will be getting these F-35 fighters into their Air Forces as well. Israeli Air Force operates as the most lethal air force globally, with the F-35 is a definite upgrade. But, the F-22 is still the apple in their eyes as a pure 5th generation-dogfighter.

Israel Wants to Buy Ultimate DogfighterF-22 Raptor

When Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allowed the sale of the single-engine stealth fighters to the United Arab Emirates, he asked if the Raptor could be sold due to Israel and the United States' military alliance. Whether Trump or his successor allows it, the stealth fighter will be an important addition to the IAF.

The F-35 is a hot item for Arab nations wanting a stealth advantage for their air force. They lobbied for the new jets even before the Abraham accords. Before signing the peace deal, only then did Israel relent and agreed later on. One of the reasons was that arms were not a part of the peace deal.

In a meeting with the former US Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Israel finally decided to agree with the sale of the jets to the UAE. Netanyahu expressed disappointment on the sale that was not transparent.

The Israeli leader was only told of the sale to the United Arab Emirates, which always had a keen interest in the F-35s. He added if Americans would allow the sale of F-22 Raptors.

What Makes the F-22 Raptor Tick, and Why It's So Hard to Beat

Israel would not allow an advantage over them by the UAE. Top defense officials of the Israelis inquired if the Raptor would be allowed in Israeli possession. Selling the air superiority raptor was requested to the Israeli Air Force. Keeping supreme control in the middle east is important to Israel.

One official in the defense sector of Israel said that others were catching up fast. A need for the twin-engine Raptor to keep the dominance of the IAF.

The Middle East is in an arms race that is escalating strikingly since a decade ago. Arab countries are spending a lot on advanced weapons even if there is no conflict. Raptors have been on the shopping list of Israel that will add to the F-35s and F-16s in the IAF.

Many countries, not just Israel, want a stealth fighter that approached the Pentagon. These countries include Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and even China. Selling the 5th generation plane is not allowed by the "Obey Amendment." No sale of the stealth fighter will be allowed to any country to keep the US advantage.

The law made by Congressman Dave Obey wants the US to have the only true 5th generation dogfighter under US control. Russia and China would give anything to steal the technology.

Israel is still hopeful that the Pentagon will allow a sale, but the U.S. is quiet. This is a sign that Raptors will be exclusively American until others develop their own.

Lockheed Martin developed the F-22 Raptor as a single-seat, dual-engine fighter for all-weather and 5th-gen. One of the most advanced, nearly radar invisible fighters made today. Inside it is sophisticated tech that is coveted by China. Few planes can match it in a toe-to-toe dogfight.

Also from HNGH: China Calls F-22 Unsound and No Better Than F-4 Phantom. US Air Force Upgrades F-22 Raptors to Give a New Lease of Life



US Air Force Secret Plane Might Be the Next 6th Generation Fighter.

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By DAMALI MUKHAYE

Over 30 people have been evacuated and rushed to hospital after the ceiling of the building that houses Fido Dido ice cream parlor along Kampala road collapsed.

Most of the victims of the Monday afternoon accident are said to have been members of Pastor Isaac Kiweesis House of Rest Church who had converged in one of the rooms for lunch hour prayers.

Kenneth Nkuubi, one of the businessmen who operates in the building says a technician had climbed in the ceiling after power went off only to come tumbling down with the ceiling.

The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has cordoned off the building and ordered closure of all businesses operating their-in.

Vylley Agaba a physical planner at KCCA says the building is in a sorry state and unfit for use.
Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon walked two of her four dogs in Santa Monica on Sunday alongside her second husband Jim Toth and their eight-year-old son Tennessee James.

The New Orleans-born blonde - turning 45 next week - walked black Labrador puppy Major (whom they adopted January 15) and the 51-year-old Quibi exec walked chocolate Labrador Hank.

Reese (born Laura Jeanne) was the only one protecting herself and others from the coronavirus by wearing a blue cloth mask.

Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon walked two of her four dogs in Santa Monica on Sunday alongside her second husband Jim Toth and their eight-year-old son Tennessee James

Turning 45 next week! The New Orleans-born blonde walked black Labrador Major (whom they adopted January 15) and the 51-year-old Quibi exec walked chocolate Labrador Hank

As of Sunday, there have been 1.2M confirmed COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles leading to 22,451 deaths - according to Johns Hopkins University.

Witherspoon and Toth - who met at a 2010 party - will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary on March 26.

The married couple have come a long way since their highly-publicized April 19, 2013 arrest and jailing in Atlanta for obstruction and DUI, respectively.

Still going strong! Witherspoon and Toth - who met at a 2010 party - will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary on March 26 (posted February 14)

Christmas family portrait: Reese is also mother to two children - son Deacon (L), 17; and daughter Ava (2-L), 21 - from her seven-year marriage to Cruel Intentions leading man Ryan Phillippe, which ended in 2007

'#momlife': On Friday, The Little Fires Everywhere producer-star posted a TikTok of the kind of 'important videos I send to my kids' while blowing a raspberry

The Little Fires Everywhere producer-star is also mother to two children - son Deacon, 17; and daughter Ava, 21 - from her seven-year marriage to Cruel Intentions leading man Ryan Phillippe, which ended in 2007.

On Friday, Reese - who boasts 36.6M social media followers -posted a TikTok of the kind of 'important videos I send to my kids' while blowing a raspberry.

Since October, Witherspoon has been hard at work executive producing and reprising her role as reporter Bradley Jackson in the second season of Apple TV+ series The Morning Show.

Action! Since October, Reese has been hard at work executive producing and reprising her role as reporter Bradley Jackson in the second season of Apple TV+ series The Morning Show (pictured on set Wednesday)

'#lucky': Last Thursday, Julianna Margulies - who plays UBA News anchor Laura Peterson - shared a BTS snap of the 'double banger' trailer she shares with castmate Mark Duplass

Rainy day: The ensemble newsroom drama also features Jennifer Aniston (pictured Wednesday), Steve Carell, Billy Crudup, and Hasan Minhaj

Last Thursday, Julianna Margulies - who plays UBA News anchor Laura Peterson - shared a BTS snap of the 'double banger' trailer she shares with castmate Mark Duplass.

The ensemble newsroom drama also features Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell, Billy Crudup, and Hasan Minhaj.

The Big Little Lies alum will also reprise her role as pig mother-of-25 Rosita in Garth Jennings' star-studded animated sequel Sing 2, which hits US/UK theaters December 22.
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Piers Morgan's wife has put him to work at home as Good Morning Britain ratings trail behind BBC Breakfast again days after the host sensationally quit in a smash-hit final episode.

Journalist Celia Walden - who has been married to Mr Morgan for more than 10 years - shared a picture of the morning show host with a vaccuum cleaner in the family's west London home.

She sarcastically captioned the post: 'I want it all done by the time I get back from work. Also, you missed a bit.'

Ms Walden - who shares nine-year-old daughter Elise with Mr Morgan - shared the picture shortly after today's Good Morning Britain episode ended at 9am.

Ben Shephard - who traditionally co-hosts the show on Thursdays and Fridays - stepped into Mr Morgan's empty chair alongside Susanna Reid today.

The ITV morning show has been left with a hole in its line-up after Mr Morgan - who transformed GMB from a ratings flop - stormed off camera during a heated on-air row over his criticism of Meghan Markle last Tuesday.

His final episode last week was a ratings hit, beating BBC Breakfast's viewing figures for the first time ever, prompting Mr Morgan to thank the 'hard work and dedication' of the production team.

But the ratings rapidly flopped again following Mr Morgan's departure, with Breakfast winning out over GMB on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Piers Morgan's wife has told him to get on with the vaccuming after Ben Shephard took over his Good Morning Britain seat for the first Monday show since the host sensationally quit in a smash-hit final episode. Pictured: The picture of Mr Morgan shared by his wife

Journalist Celia Walden - who has been married to Mr Morgan for more than 10 years - shared a picture of the morning show host with a vaccuum cleaner in the family's west London home

Her husband then shared her post, adding angry-faced emojis to share his light-hearted frustration

Hundreds of thousands sign petitions urging ITV to bring Piers back A petition launched after Piers quit GMB, found here, said the popular host had been treated 'appallingly.'

A second petition titled 'Keep Piers Morgan on GMB for his common sense approach to life' seen here.

Another set up to 'Save Piers Morgan from being sacked from GMB', said any decision to remove him from the show would be 'an absolute farce.' It can be found by clicking here. Advertisement

Mr Morgan presented Good Morning Britain from Monday to Wednesday. Ranvir Singh covered his Wednesday slot last week following his resignation.

Desperate viewers are now calling for ITV to reinstate Mr Morgan, with online petitions demanding his return topping 250,000 signatures.

Mr Morgan, however, is said to be in a 10million bidding war with TV bosses both in the UK and the US.

Britons last week voted Tipping Point presenter Mr Shephard, 46, the best replacement for Mr Morgan - with Bradley Walsh, Jeremy Clarkson and Alex Beresford the nest most popular choices.

It was during an on-air row with Mr Beresford that Mr Morgan stormed off last week.

Mr Morgan had declared the Duchess of Sussex's incendiary claims to Oprah about the Royal Family 'contemptible' and said: 'I don't believe almost anything that comes out of her mouth' on the show last Monday.

Mr Beresford accused him of unfairly 'trashing' Meghan, and branded him 'diabolical'.

When Mr Morgan walked off screen, Mr Beresford continued: 'I'm sorry but Piers just spouts off on a regular basis and we have to sit there and listen.'

Ben Shephard was drafted in to replace Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain for the first Monday show since the host sensationally quit in a smash-hit final episode

Mr Morgan's final episode last week was a ratings hit, beating BBC Breakfast's viewing figures for the first time ever, prompting Mr Morgan to thank the 'hard work and dedication' of the production team. But the ratings rapidly flopped again following Mr Morgan's departure, with Breakfast winning out over GMB on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (pictured)

The ITV morning show has been left with a hole in its panel after Mr Morgan (pictured last week) - who transformed GMB from a ratings flop - stormed off camera during a heated on-air row over his criticism of Meghan Markle last Tuesday

Mr Morgan had declared the Duchess of Sussex's incendiary claims to Oprah (pictured) about the Royal Family 'contemptible' and said: 'I don't believe almost anything that comes out of her mouth' in the show one day prior

Mr Morgan - who refused to apologise - later announced his resignation and tweeted his thanks to the GMB team, praising them for their 'hard work and dedication' that led to them beating their main breakfast TV rival.

At its peak, Tuesday's episode of Good Morning Britain had 2.2 million viewers tuned in to watch Mr Morgan and co-host Susanna Reid. Its viewership averaged out at 1.29million.

Meanwhile, presenters Dan Walker and Louise Minchin on the BBC's morning show Breakfast pulled in no more than 1.8 million viewers at its most-popular - with an average of 1.25million.

But on Wednesday, GMB's views plunged again with its peak number of viewers standing at 1.8million - and an average of 1.2million.

Breakfast, on the other hand, had 2.3 million viewers at its peak and an average of 1.4 million.

A similar trend happened on Thursday - when GMB had an average of 932,000 viewers and Breakfast had 1.6 million - and Friday - when the averages stood at 856,100 for GMB and 1.47 million for Breakfast.

Those figures, coming at the end of such a dramatic week for GMB, were up on the previous Thursday and Friday.

Shares in ITV also plunged in the wake of his resignation with almost 200million wiped off the company's value overnight and share prices dropping by 3.8 per cent.

A TV insider said a bidding war is now on to secure the services of Mr Morgan, who is also Editor at Large for MailOnline.

The source told The Mirror: 'He has had millions of pounds worth of offers. He turned GMB into a ratings hit, it seems everything he touches turns to gold.

Desperate viewers are now calling for ITV to reinstate Mr Morgan, with online petitions (some pictured) demanding his return topping 250,000 signatures

TV presenter Ben Shephard voted best replacement Ben Shephard has pipped Bradley Walsh and Jeremy Clarkson as the best replacement for Piers Morgan, according to a survey of 1,864 adults in the UK. WHO BRITONS WANT TO REPLACE PIERS: THE TOP 10 1. Ben Shephard 2. Bradley Walsh 3. Jeremy Clarkson 4. Alex Beresford 5. Adrian Chiles 6. Alan Carr 7. Eamon Holmes 8. Alison Hammond 9. Amanda Holden 10. Dermot O'Leary Advertisement

'Some of the offers have hit the 10million mark, and it seems he may be able to land exactly what he wants.'

Mr Morgan issued a tongue-in-cheek reply to a story about the reported bid, writing on Twitter: 'Only 10?'

Meanwhile, signatures on five petitions calling for Piers to be reinstated on Good Morning Britain have now reached more than 250,000.

Morgan ruled out a return to Good Morning Britain but called the petitions a 'pleasant surprise'.

One titled 'BRING BACK Piers Morgan!' had 48,981 signatures this morning.

It accused ITV of treating him 'appallingly', claiming: 'They have thrown him under the bus and allowed him to be bullied by an colleague on air. Piers has turned the show into the most talked about show on ITV.

'He was the only person who spoke on behalf of viewers during the pandemic and now he's been bullied by the snowflakes all for speaking the truth.

'BRING PIERS BACK ITV.'

Another petition titled 'Save Piers Morgan from being sacked from GMB' had a similar 47,877.

A third called 'Keep Piers Morgan on GMB for his common sense approach to life' had a massive 150,682. Two other petitions' total signatures stood at 2,626 and 1,470.

ITV is said to be interested in the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire as Mr Morgan's replacement.

ITV are said to be interested in replacing Piers Morgan with the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire as petitions urging the channel to reinstate him on Good Morning Britain reach 250,0000

Derbyshire - who appeared on ITV's I'm a Celebrity last year - currently presents the news for the BBC after her award-winning current affairs programme was axed last March.

A source told the Sun: 'ITV producers have been looking for the right platform for Victoria for a while.

'They think she is a real talent and one of the few opinionated TV journalists who could be a real powerhouse addition to GMB.

'She's not afraid to challenge guests, ask tough questions, get straight to the point and wax lyrical about what she believes in.

'They're using Piers' exit as an opportunity to trial new faces.'

Good Morning Britain has lost 500,000 viewers since Piers Morgan quit the show on Tuesday

Piers tweeted that GMB had beaten ratings for BBC Breakfast in the ratings on his final day

There were more than 41,000 complaints received by Ofcom - the UK's communications regulator - over Mr Morgan's comments on Meghan, including one from the Duchess herself following the clash.

Meghan is said to have raised concerns with ITV about the effect Piers's comments may have on the issue of mental health generally and those attempting to deal with their own problems.

But Mr Morgan later repeated his condemnation of her interview when he told reporters outside his West London home: 'If I have to fall on my sword for expressing an honestly held opinion about Meghan Markle and that diatribe of bilge that she came out with in that interview, so be it.'

Mr Morgan resigned from the daytime show after an on-air row with colleague Alex Beresford who criticised him for 'continuing to trash' the Duchess of Sussex

Mr Morgan - who had been on the show for five years - recently responded to the soaring petitions on Twitter by writing that although the support came as a 'pleasant surprise' he will not be returning to GMB.

He said: 'I won't be going back, but thanks to everyone who has signed these petitions. Normally, people start petitions to have me fired or deported, so this is a pleasant surprise.'

In a 332-word statement shared on Instagram, the tough-talking journalist thanked his supporters and declared he was 'willing to stand my ground'.

In a statement, Morgan thanked supporters and declared he was 'willing to stand my ground'

He wrote: 'To all my supporters, I just wanted to drop you a note of thanks. (To all my haters, whatever.)

'It has been an extraordinary week for me, for Britain, for our monarchy and for our future.

'Those of you that know me well enough know that, despite my many faults, I'm always willing to stand my ground for the things that I think matter most.

'My fervent opposition to the Iraq War led to my demise from the Daily Mirror. My outspoken views on the insanity of American gun laws led to the end of my time at CNN.

'And now I've lost my job at Good Morning Britain because I chose not to apologise for disbelieving Meghan Markle's claims in her interview with Oprah Winfrey.'

He added: 'I thus became the latest ''victim'' of the cancel culture that is permeating our country, every minute, of every hour, of everyday. Though of course, I consider myself to be neither a victim, nor actually cancelled.

'However, I do believe the defence of free speech and the right to express honestly held opinions, is the most important issue of my career, and the most important issue in British society.'

Sources at ITV have said that Piers 'will continue to make programmes for the channel', according to iNews.

This is likely to include his popular celebrity interview programme, Life Stories, which has been on air since 2009.

At least 15 civilians were massacred overnight in eastern DR Congo, a monitoring group in the region said Monday, saying the notorious ADF militia were suspected

Beni (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Mar, 2021 ) :At least 15 civilians were massacred overnight in eastern DR Congo, a monitoring group in the region said Monday, saying the notorious ADF militia were suspected.

"At least 15 civilians were killed last night in Bulongo (Beni territory, North Kivu).

The ADF are suspects," the Kivu Security Tracker (KST) group posted on Twitter.

Local sources separately confirmed the attack and also blamed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a historically Ugandan militants group that has holed up in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since 1995.
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Some students may not be eligible to receive honors grants due to the amount of scholarship funding that they are already receiving. This can especially impact students who have the full cost of their education funded by scholarships. If you are unsure of whether you would be eligible to receive an additional scholarship (the honors grant is posted to your student account as a scholarship), please contact OneStop.



Students will see the funds posted on their accounts as the "Mary Rowe Moore Book Award" or "Honors Student Award."



Grants can only be posted to a student's account during a term in which a student is enrolled full time (12 or more credits). This requirement could delay the receipt of grant funds.

Grants cannot be posted to students' accounts during terms in which they are on co-op.



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Contact Tricia Yee at tricia.yee@uc.edu or 556-6236 with questions regarding the administration of the grant. Contact your University Honors advisor with questions about to the self-designed honors experience proposal.
by Fady Noun

Over the weekend, former Prime Minister Siniora, head of the committee, met with Card Beshara Al-Rahi. Christians and Muslims support the cardinals appeal against the politics of factions and never-ending conflicts. An appeal is made to the international community to protect and respect Lebanons sovereignty.

Beirut (AsiaNews) - The interreligious committee created after the 2017 declaration of al-Azhar on citizenship, diversity and complementarity led by former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has expressed full support for the proposal of the Maronite Patriarch Beshara Cardinal al-Rahi in favour of Lebanon's neutrality.

We have come here today, Christians and Muslims, to affirm our support for the appeal of the patriarch in favour of the neutrality of Lebanon in the face of a politics of factions, armed conflicts, and games between states, Siniora said at the end of a meeting on Saturday in Bkerke that included committee members and the Maronite patriarch.

The goal is to safeguard our shared life and confirm Lebanon's mission in the Arab and international context. We call on the international community to fulfil its obligations towards a founding member of the United Nations, he added.

Lebanon is witness today, as the patriarch states, of a coup d'etat against its own charter, its constitution and its own sovereignty, which is equivalent to attacking its own raison d'etre, Siniora explained.

The former prime minister says that Patriarch Beshara Al-Rahis appeal is that of a good shepherd [...] in the face of an oppressor who, thanks to an excess of force that comes from abroad, keeps the Lebanese people in a situation of slavery.

For this reason, Siniora urges citizens of all classes and communities to generously welcome the patriarch's initiative.

In all this, we can see the echo of the famous 'Declaration on human fraternity (2019) signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar (Ahmad al-Tayyeb), with all that it represents as a force for moderation and tolerance in a troubled world.

The Pope followed this voice once more in the context of the historic meeting in Iraq with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, thus helping to preserve the pluralism, coexistence and sovereignty of the Iraqi state.

As he was leaving Iraq, His Holiness said he wanted to go to Lebanon, a nation that is facing an existential crisis. So how can we not be on the side of the Patriarch and support his ideas and his efforts to face this crisis? noted Siniora.

We have come to say that the protection of Lebanon passes through compliance with the national document of understanding (Taif Accord), the constitution and its democratic parliamentary system, as well as the application of resolutions (of the UN Security Council) relating to its sovereignty, said the former head of government in concluding his address.

The committee delegation that visited Bkerke included former minister Khaled Qabbani, former lawmaker Fares Souaid, co-chairman of the National Committee for Islamic-Christian Dialogue Mohammad Sammak, together with professors Mona Fayyad, Antoine Messarra ( coordinator of the Master in Islamic-Christian relations at the Universite Saint-Joseph) and Khaled Ziade.

Pictured: the al-Azhar interreligious monitoring committee in Bkerke. What is under attack is the nature and essence of Lebanon itself. Michel Akl / Bkerke
A massive crowd gathered to watch street racing stunts in Granada Hills in a weekend "street takeover." Two officers and a suspect were injured as law enforcement tried to break up the crowd. (Los Angeles Times )

A massive "street takeover" in the Granada Hills neighborhood of the San Fernando Valley led to 11 arrests and several injuries, including two officers who were hurt while trying to break up the crowd, authorities said.

Video of the Saturday night incident shows cars screeching and spewing exhaust as they drive in tight circles, or "doughnuts," at San Fernando Mission and Balboa boulevards.

Dozens gathered to watch and cheer on the event, which blocked traffic at the intersection. Some drivers were stuck behind the wheel as traffic piled up.

California Highway Patrol officers arrived around 10:40 p.m., CHP Officer Weston Haver said. At least half a dozen CHP cruisers blocked off the intersection.

As officers worked to break up the crowd, scuffles broke out, including one in which at least four officers struggled to detain a suspect, video shows. During one rough interaction, two officers and a suspect were injured, Haver said.

In addition to the the arrests, 21 vehicles were impounded and 25 citations were issued, authorities said.

So-called street takeovers or sideshows involve street racers or members of car clubs taking over a stretch of road or an intersection to perform burnouts, doughnuts and other dangerous driving stunts.

Officers across multiple agencies say the events are a serious problem throughout Southern California, with the COVID-19 pandemic emptying streets and leaving people with more time on their hands.

In October, a pickup flipped during a raucous takeover event in Costa Mesa, killing a 23-year-old passenger.

Prior to that fatal crash, an 18-year-old woman was struck by a reversing car and flipped into the air during a similar event in Anaheim.

Meetups typically occur every weekend, Haver said, describing it as "lawlessness."

"People want to do everything for [Instagram] and TikTok," Haver said. "We have to address it."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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BACKED BY Mayor Joyce Craig, Manchester school Superintendent Dr. John Goldhardt has gone big in an attempt to restart high school in the Queen City. To be sure, Manchesters schools are struggling but Goldhardt and Craig would have us believe that the way to turn things around is to lau
Bhubaneswar, March 15 : A youth in Bhubaneswar was allegedly duped of Rs 1 lakh while trying to sell his cow on an online marketplace.

After being duped by the cyber criminal, the youth, Debasish Sahoo, lodged a complaint at Bharatpur Police Station here.

As per the complaint, Sahoo put up an advertisement on the digital marketplace, Krishify to sell his cow on March 11 when the scamster posing as a potential buyer duped him.

The imposter identified himself as Manjit called Sahoo and introduced himself as an army officer. He showed interest to purchase the cow and the deal was finalised at Rs 20,000.

The fraudster sent QR scan code five times to the number of Sahoo and Rs 1 lakh was debited from his bank account in five separate transactions.

"Initially, the caller sent a QR scan code for Rs 5. When I scanned the code on my smartphone, Rs 5 was credited to my account," the complainant said.

After building trust, the caller then sent another scan code for Rs 20,000 to the phone of Sahoo.

"As I scanned the code in my phone, Rs 20,000 was debited from my bank account. Surprised with the debit, I told the caller about the debit of my money. The caller maintained that the amount might have debited due to a technical glitch and asked me to scan the code again. In a similar manner, I lost a total of Rs 1 lakh from the account," the complainant said.

Following the incident, Sahoo, in a video message, appealed the people not to fall prey to the online fraudsters.
The U.S. and some of its allies are engaged in efforts to malign the Russian Sputink V vaccine and to promote the more expensive mRNA vaccines produced by 'western' companies.

Back in November we warned that the vaccine competition would be ruthless:

The mRNA vaccines hyped in the U.S. media are simply too expensive to be used around the world. If we want to limit the global effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic we will have to use the cheaper vector based vaccines. That the AstraZeneka vaccine was immediately attacked in U.S. media by an unqualified writer quoting an investment bank and the U.S. pharma promoting (Remdesivir!) Antony Fauci is quite suspicious. Pfizer and Moderna expect to make billions of dollars with their vaccines. They will use all possible ways and means to defeat any potential competition.

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, recently noted how unfair competition practices are used to keep some vaccines away from nations who urgently need it:

Producers are struggling for the global vaccine market worth $100 billion, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. Some producers compete unfairly, sell a small batch of vaccines at a lower price on the condition to be an exclusive supplier, Putin said, speaking at a video meeting on measures to boost investment activity in Moscow. "We see how competitors behave in the global vaccine market worth $100 billion. They come, sell a small batch of their vaccine at a discount, on the condition that everything else will be purchased only from this producer," he said.

To no ones astonishment the U.S. government is directly involved in manipulations of vaccine accessibility. As Brazil Wire found:

The US Department of Health and Human Services recently published its Annual Report for 2020. 2020 was one of the most challenging years in the history of our country and in the history of the Department of Health and Human Services, former US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar introduces the report. There is an end to the pandemic in sight, he continues, with the delivery of safe and effective vaccines through Operation Warp Speed. Tucked away on page 48, the report shockingly reveals how the US pressured Brazil to reject Russias Sputnik V vaccine.

The HHS Annual Report is here. On page 5 it says:

Developing a strategy for supporting global vaccine access: HHSs Office of Global Affairs (OGA) led the development of an interagency strategy, coordinated through the National Security Council, to provide international access to COVID-19 vaccines once domestic needs are met.

"Once domestic needs are met" is certainly not an altruistic or even reasonably prioritizing strategy one should be proud of. A sensible effort to save lives and to end the pandemic would prioritize risk groups in every country of this planet before inoculating people at home who have little risk of serious Covid-19 complications.

On page 47 the HHS report notes that the U.S. is coordinating with its Five Eyes spy partners on vaccine 'messaging':

Combating vaccine hesitancy globally: OGA leads a group of the Five Eyes countries (U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States) on vaccine confidence, aligning our nations efforts and sharing best practices to enhance vaccine confidence messaging globally.

One page on we learn what such communication entails:

Combatting [sic!] malign influences in the Americas: OGA used diplomatic relations in the Americas region to mitigate efforts by states, including Cuba, Venezuela, and Russia, who are working to increase their influence in the region to the detriment of US safety and security. OGA coordinated with other U.S. government agencies to strengthen diplomatic ties and offer technical and humanitarian assistance to dissuade countries in the region from accepting aid from these ill-intentioned states. Examples include using OGAs Health Attache office to persuade Brazil to reject the Russian COVID-19 vaccine, and offering CDC technical assistance in lieu of Panama accepting an offer of Cuban doctors.

"To persuade Brazil to reject the Russian COVID-19 vaccine" is, simply said, criminal behavior that has near genocidal consequences. Brazil is currently getting swamped with a more infectious variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its medical institutions are near a breakdown:

It feels like were putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound, said Eduarda Santa Rosa Barata, a 31-year-old infectologist who works in three ICUs in the north-eastern capital of Pernambuco state, all now stretched to the limit. Were engaged in damage reduction  You open new beds and they fill up immediately. A few days earlier, Barata had admitted a 37-year-old man who had no underlying medical conditions but whose lungs were so badly damaged he needed intubation. It seems so random, she said. Its a bizarre disease. Its frightening.

...

Before the end of 2020, youd get a family and one member would be infected but not the other three or four members, even though they lived in the same environment. You dont see this any more. If theres one confirmed case, everyone ends up getting infected by the virus, he said. Its obvious that this new variant is now circulating among us.

Panama, which under U.S. pressure rejected an offer from Cuba for medical support, has one of the highest death rates from Covid-19. That is one reason why its economy shrank by 18%.

The HHS report also speaks of Bolivia:

Opening Bolivia to health diplomacy: After decades of silence between the U.S. and Bolivia, OGA re-established health diplomatic relations with the Ministry of Health of Bolivia following national elections. Re-engaging allows the U.S. to strengthen ties in the region, which is important for influence in regional and multilateral fora, including the Pan American Health Organization.

What was "following national elections" in Bolivia was a fascist coup which produced repression and tyranny. The U.S. used its cooperation with the coup plotters to influence other organizations.

Meanwhile the U.S. is also falsely stating that Russia is spreading vaccine disinformation. Following a Wall Street Journal piece planted by U.S. officials these claimed, without evidence, that Russia was sowing fear about the mRNA vaccines:

On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported that four publications, all serving as fronts for Russian intelligence, have targeted Western-produced COVID-19 vaccines with misleading coverage that exaggerates the risk of side effects and raises questions about their efficacy. The State Department confirmed that report on Monday, saying U.S. officials had identified four Russian online platforms that were spreading disinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines.

However paragraph 21 of the original WSJ piece, coauthored by Iraq WMD propagandist Michael Gordon, acknowledged:

In each case, the Russian outlets were repeating actual news reports ,,,

The 'Russian outlets repeated the news 'western' news agencies were distributing. It is nice though to see acknowledged that such is often disinformation.

There are some signs that the U.S. is coordinating with its spy partners to malign the very efficient Sputnik V vaccine. The British Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) recently put up a comment that warns of Russias soft power gain through vaccine diplomacy especially in South America:

Sputnik Vs rapid foray into new markets in Latin America may indeed have longer-term implications in an area that has traditionally been the USs backyard. Argentina gratefully received more than half a million doses in January. It served as an embassy of sorts for Sputnik V; reportedly, Argentinian delegations to Moscow in late 2020 translated reams of details into Spanish and shared these with Bolivia, Peru, Mexico, Uruguay and Chile to speed up their ability to decide. Bolivias first batch arrived at the end of January. By mid-February, Mexico received its first 200,000 doses. By mid-March, Brazil and Peru appeared close to sealing respective deals.

This is followed by musings about potential sabotage targets:

There are several factors that could make Sputnik Vs current bounce shortlived. The inability to deliver supplies quickly is an immediate one. Russia has acknowledged its production squeeze, raising doubts about its ability to honour its vaccine pledges. It is dependent on plants in the likes of Brazil, India and South Korea upholding good manufacturing practice and delivering at speed and scale on Moscows promise to provide hundreds of millions of quality vials quickly.

The piece closes with an ominous call to action:

The biomedical science of Sputnik V may well be genuinely welcome worldwide, once full data is available and has been appropriately interrogated. But the corresponding political ramifications of deeper and wider Russian influence globally may not be so beneficial. The UK and the US must not be blindsided to the full extent of Russian vaccine diplomacy already underway.

The U.S. efforts to prevent Russian vaccine distribution failed in Argentina where President Alberto Fernandez has led an early and successful effort to introduce the Russian vaccine:

Amid plenty of public skepticism, Buenos Aires sent missions to Moscow in October and December 2020 to inspect data from the vaccines phase 3 trial. An Argentine presidential aide said the delegation had translated hundreds of pages of information about the vaccine into Spanishnecessary for approvalwhich it later shared with other governments in the region, including Bolivia, Peru, Mexico, Uruguay, and Chile. This is how, a day before the phase 3 results were published, trucks of Sputnik V shots were already trundling through Bolivias countryside. A photo of a delivery in a poultry truck draped in a Bolivian flaga creative (and health department-approved) solution for cold storage requirementswent viral. Argentina began vaccinating with Sputnik this past December, meanwhile, and Mexico announced the purchase of 24 million Sputnik doses on Jan. 25.

U.S. efforts to dissuade countries from acquiring Sputnik V have not be fully successful. That again requires to launch a propaganda campaign to malign Sputnik V wherever it is distributed:
BOSTON and TEL AVIV, Israel, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aulos Bioscience, a biotechnology company that is developing highly differentiated interleukin-2 (IL-2)-binding monoclonal antibodies as therapeutics against solid tumors, announced today that Aron Knickerbocker has joined the company as its chief executive officer and a member of its board of directors, effective immediately. Yanay Ofran, Ph.D., CEO of Biolojic Design and co-founder and founding CEO of Aulos, will continue to serve on the Aulos board.

Aulos was formed late last year by ATP, a leading life sciences venture capital firm, and Biolojic Design, a biotechnology company that computationally designs functional antibodies. "With the addition of Aron Knickerbocker as CEO, we are building a world-class organization with deep experience in bringing breakthrough medicines to cancer patients. Aron's record of accomplishment is remarkable, and we are confident that his leadership will propel Aulos to become a signature oncology therapeutics company," said Michael Ehlers, M.D., Ph.D., co-founder and executive chair of Aulos, and venture partner and chief scientific officer at ATP.

Knickerbocker brings to Aulos deep and broad expertise in oncology and a track record of success leading innovative biotechnology companies. Most recently he was a co-founder, founding CEO, and chairman of RayzeBio, a developer of targeted radiopharmaceutical treatments for cancer. Prior to that, he spent ten years in executive leadership positions at Five Prime Therapeutics, culminating as president and CEO. At Five Prime, Knickerbocker in-licensed the company's lead asset, bemarituzumab, prioritizing it in the portfolio and driving its advancement into the randomized trial that recently demonstrated a significant overall survival benefit when added to chemotherapy as first-line treatment for advanced gastric cancer. He significantly expanded the Five Prime clinical pipeline, established multiple transformational strategic alliances, and was instrumental in taking the company public. Before Five Prime, Knickerbocker led oncology business development at Genentech for more than eight years, orchestrating many key collaborations including those that led to the marketed products VENCLEXTA, COTELLIC, and ERIVEDGE. He serves on the boards of KAHR Medical Ltd. and Phenomic AI.

"We are very pleased to welcome Aron as our new CEO," Ofran said. "He comes to Aulos at an exciting and pivotal time for us as we work to complete IND-enabling studies for our lead pipeline candidate AU-007, a functional antibody computationally designed by Biolojic Design to solve the challenges seen in other IL-2 approaches. Our aim is to be in human trials before year-end, and Aron's wealth of experience in leading and growing leading-edge oncology companies, programs, and partnerships will be vital to our progress and success."

"It's a distinct privilege to join the team and board at Aulos," said Knickerbocker. "In addition to the outstanding founding group, I was recruited by the simple elegance of the idea behind AU-007, and I commend the insight and innovation of Yanay and the Biolojic Design team. I believe that AU-007 offers possible competitive advantages in stability, immunogenicity, and manufacturing, and I am excited to advance it expeditiously toward the clinic. Our hope is that AU-007 will prove to be a cornerstone immunotherapy that can help patients with cancer live longer and better lives."

About Aulos Bioscience

Aulos Bioscience, an ATP company, is dedicated to revolutionizing patient care in cancer with highly differentiated immuno-oncology therapeutics. Aulos is initially developing unique IL-2 targeting antibodies that it believes have the potential to become best-in-class treatments for solid tumors. For more information, visit aulosbio.com.

Contact: info@aulosbio.com

Media inquiries: sjacob@appletreepartners.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1455554/Aulos_Bioscience_Logo.jpg

Related Links

http://www.aulosbio.com



SOURCE Aulos Bioscience, Inc.
Boris Johnson vows to end 'conversion therapy'; MPs attack prayer as harmful, like 'torture'

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U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson described therapy for unwanted same-sex attraction as "repulsive" and vowed to end so-called conversion therapy days after Parliament members likened prayer and fasting to such past practices as electroshock therapy and "corrective rape."

Johnson apologized last Friday amid complaints from activists that his government has delayed taking action on the issue of gay conversion therapy after he declared in July 2020 that the practice was absolutely abhorrent and vowed to ban such therapies.

According to The Telegraph, three of his advisers who identify as LGBT "quit over a lack of progress."

Proponents of such a ban say the practice is cruel, ineffective and contributes to suicide among LGBT-identifying people.

During a trip to Belfast last week, the prime minister described the practice of trying to change someone's sexuality as "repulsive," according to Sky News. Johnson reportedly noted that the issue was "technically complex" but assured that he was committed to outlawing conversion therapy.

"I think this practice is repulsive and I think it's abhorrent and I'm sorry these advisers have gone but be in no doubt that we will deal with this issue," he told reporters. "It is technically complex to deal with but we're determined to take further steps to stamp it out."

At a Westminster Hall debate titled "LGBT Conversion Therapy" last Monday, members of the Petitions Committee discussed a petition demanding that the government criminalize the practice of so-called conversion therapy and criminalize the act of sending people abroad to attend conversion therapy.

Conversion therapy is defined as any effort to change one's sexual orientation or gender identity.

During the debate, pastoral support was also branded as a form of conversion therapy and described as torture.

Eliot Colburn, a Conservative member of Parliament and a member of the Petitions Committee, led the debate and said the practice shows up in several ways, from pseudo-psychological treatments and aversion therapies to practices that are religiously based, such as purification or fasting, according to the Christian Institute.

"With every day that passes, there is another person at risk of being subject to this degrading treatment and we risk losing even more lives of people who feel there is no other way out, he said.

Angela Eagle, a Parliament member who served as a government minister during the tenure of former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown, derided the use of prayer for people with unwanted same-sex attraction as harmful. Eagle said it was akin to being told by faith leaders or your family that you are sinful.

Being told to pray harder to change and to question your innermost feelings and thoughts, none of that should be legal, she asserted.

In February, Conservative MP Alicia Kearns wrote in The House magazine that the existing laws do not enable prosecution where no physical harm has been caused.

She further argued that any attempt to stop someone from expressing their adopted gender identity or sexual orientation is conversion therapy and ought to be banned. In her description of what constitutes conversion therapy, she listed "prayer sessions" alongside things like electroshock therapy and "'corrective' rape."

By contrast, opponents of a therapy ban argue that the term conversion therapy belies what is actually occurring, particularly in Christian churches and ministries, as electroshock and other forms of aversion treatments have been against the law for many years.

What is practiced in some therapeutic environments  often though not always religious  is talk therapy, where individuals who present with conflicting feelings or distress regarding their sexual attractions or gender confusion speak with a counselor.

Christian Institute Deputy Director for Communications Ciaran Kelly said in a statement that it is deeply worrying to see the level of ignorance of the beliefs and practices of mainstream Christianity on display from some of these MPs.

Of course we believe people should be protected from quack therapists and charlatan preachers. Most of these practices are already illegal and we would urge the government to ensure the law is applied properly, he said, adding that there must also be room for the preaching of Gods Word and for believers to receive prayer and pastoral support, whatever temptations they are facing.

A pastor or church should not face prosecution if a gay man or woman attends church, comes to faith and seeks help in following Christs teaching on sexual ethics.

The Christian Institute is a U.K. charity that exists for the furtherance and promotion of the Christian religion in the United Kingdom and the advancement of education, according to its website.
One Nation will demand casual staff get a choice to become permanent sooner among changes it wants to the Morrison governments industrial relations bill in exchange for its support.

The government needs three of the five crossbench votes to pass its IR overhaul, two of which are controlled by One Nation senators Malcolm Roberts and Pauline Hanson.

Senator Malcolm Roberts and Senator Pauline Hanson control two critical votes in the Senate. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Under the governments proposal, casuals who have worked regular hours for six months but been employed for at least a year must be offered the chance to become permanent part-time or full-time staff. One Nation wants the one-year threshold cut to six months.

Employees need to feel empowered to explore work arrangements that better suit their changing needs and when it suits their lifestyle, for example, when looking for a loan, Senator Roberts said.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), says she may not have clinched the job without the interven...

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), says she may not have clinched the job without the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari.





At the time of Okonjo-Iwealas nomination, there were rumours on social media that Buhai played no role in her emergence.

There was even speculation that it was former US President Donald Trump, not Buhari, that nominated her for the job.

But speaking on Monday when Buhari hosted her in Abuja, Okonjo-Iweala acknowledged that the president campaigned for her tirelessly.





She confirmed that Buhari wrote several letters and called many world leaders to support her candidacy.

You nominated me, you wrote hundreds of letters, called up hundreds of world leaders. Without your personal and direct intervention, it may not have worked. The people of Nigeria also supported me massively. The youths were wonderful, always encouraging, backing me up on social media, Okonjo-Iweala said.

Mr President, the world recognizes what you have done. Since its establishment, only men have led the WTO. Now, a woman has emerged for the first time, and shes a Nigerian. We are so honoured.

WTO will do more to help Nigeria, but we need to add value to our products in order to trade more. We should exploit all the opportunities in front of us.

On his part, Buhari said although his government supported Okonjo-Iweala, her track record also helped her in clinching the job.

The president said Okonjo-Iweala was putting Nigeria more on the world map, adding that he knows she will represent the country well.

You also earned it. We are happy you made it, but you earned it with your record of performance both at home and abroad, Buhari said.





The president expressed confidence that Okonjo-Iweala will represent the country well on the global stage.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-15 22:16:11|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH, March 15 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Monday committed 10 million U.S. dollars to increase Cambodia's mine clearance and victim assistance efforts from 2021 to 2025, according to a joint press statement.

The project is implemented by the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) with strategic and technical advisory support from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the statement said.

"Landmine and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) presence severely affect livelihoods," CMAA's first vice president Ly Thuch said.

"They deprive the affected communities and to a greater extent the mine/ERW victims and survivors of their food security, limiting their access to safe water, adequate housing, and safe and secured land for cultivation, irrigation and roads," he added.

Nick Beresford, UNDP Cambodia's resident representative, said the new contribution would help Cambodia in mine clearance, victim assistance and mine risk education.

"This saves lives, protects communities and supports the growing prosperity of rural and farming communities," he said.

Rho Hyunjun, director of Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to Cambodia, believed that the funding would help Cambodia clear more land of mines and ERWs and to make the lives of Cambodians safer.

Regional and internal conflicts from the 1960s to late 1998 had left Cambodia as one of the most mine and ERW affected countries in the world. An estimated 4 to 6 million landmines and other munitions were left over from the almost three decades of conflicts.

According to a CMAA report, from 1979 to 2020, landmine and ERW explosions had claimed 19,797 lives and either injured or amputated 45,123 others.

Ly Thuch said the Southeast Asian nation is committed to clearing all types of landmines and ERWs in the kingdom by 2025 and to achieve this, the country needs a total budget of 377 million U.S. dollars. Enditem
Commons chiefs are threatening to 'pull the plug' on the Parliamentary restoration body amid warnings its plans could cost 20billion.

It is understood that the ruling Commons commission refused to sign off on two years of funding for the programme at a recent meeting - instead merely approving 155million for this year.

Senior sources told MailOnline tensions with the Sponsor Body are now reaching crisis point after a strategic review of the huge project said vacating the crumbling Houses of Parliament for years and moving MPs and peers into temporary chambers remains the best option.

'It is a potential pull the plug situation,' one source said, pointing out that MPs will need to approve the final plan. 'They have got to get real.'

The Restoration & Renewal Sponsor Body was set up in 2019 to oversee an Olympics-style delivery authority for the project. The statutory organisation has a board including MPs, peers, historians and infrastructure experts.

But last week Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg slammed its approach to the overhaul, warning taxpayers will not tolerate spending 20billion turning Westminster into 'Disneyland'.

Mr Rees-Mogg - who sits on the commission along with Speaker Lindsay Hoyle and has been hunting for ways to slash the bill - said creating the temporary chambers alone could cost 1.5billion.

He told MPs that the idea was 'for the birds' after coronavirus hammered the public finances, suggesting that if the estate does need to be shut down for works it should switch to virtual proceedings instead.

That would entail a minimal physical chamber, perhaps just for frontbenchers, with other MPs participating remotely.

Despite pressure for a rethink from many MPs, the strategic review concluded that staying in the historic building is 'technically possible' but would mean an 'extraordinary level of risk', extending the length of the process by 'decades' and a far higher cost.

Instead the review said creating temporary Lords chambers in Richmond House and the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre respectively was still the most attractive option.

It also suggested a focus on 'essential' works and measures to accelerate the pace, such as installing a dry dock along the length of the estate on the Thames.

A review overseen by the Restoration Sponsor Body backed a plan for peers to relocate to the nearby QEII centre during the works, while MPs would have a temporary chamber in Richmond House. But Jacob Rees-Mogg suggested it would cost 1.5billion

The strategic review suggested a focus on 'essential' works and measures to accelerate the pace, such as installing a dry dock along the length of the estate on the Thames

Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured) and Speaker Lindsay Hoyle have been hunting for ways to slash the bill

A source told MailOnline that the Sponsor Board, which is meant to set the scope and budgets of the overhaul, asked the commission to agree two years' of funding at a meeting at the end of last month.

However, only 155million of spending in 2021-22 was agreed. At least the same sum would have been expected in 2022-23.

'It asked for the second year,' the source said. 'They said no.'

Some peers have previously suggested lavish improvements to the QEII before they move in, including a central staircase to bring in natural light and banqueting suite on the top floor.

The Restoration & Renewal team will continue to develop a fully costed plan, but various price tags from 4billion to many times that have been estimated.

Parliament will be asked to approve the final plan with work expected to begin in the mid-2020s.

A spokesan for the Restoration and Renewal Programme said: 'We are getting on with the vital job of restoring the Palace of Westminster by carrying out the complex work that will for the first time provide an accurate sense of costs, timescales and designs for restoration and renewal, with a focus on keeping costs down.

'Until this work has been done, there are no properly costed plans for the restoration. We will keep costs down by continuing to identify the essential work needed and develop a restoration plan based on more than 100 investigations by specialists, including thousands of hours assessing Victorian systems and designing new services to replace hundreds of miles of old heating, gas, electric and sewage pipes.

'We will make sure every penny is invested effectively, minimising costs of temporary accommodation, and are subject to robust audit and assurance processes.

MPs and peers voted two years ago in favour of moving off the estate for the first time since the Luftwaffe bombed chamber in 1941.

But there has been deep anxiety that the timetable - initially forecast to start in 2025 and end between five and eight years later - will stretch even further.

Opposition members of the ruling Commons commission have been accused of trying to add 'all sorts' of upgrades into the proposals.

Another senior Commons source told MailOnline: 'I do not see us leaving.'

MPs are due to sit in a temporary chamber being created in Richmond House, which borders the existing Parliamentary estate.

The original scoping report produced by consultants in 2015 laid out a range of possible upgrades to the estate including creating underground meeting space below the current New Palace Yard, with 'natural light from a landscaped courtyard above'.

Minutes of a cross-party Lords committee meeting last spring showed they discussed options for QEII including 'the provision of a staircase through the centre of the whole building to bring in natural light and improve access options between floors'.

Following concerns that peers will be deprived of access to subsidised bars and restaurants, the minutes referred to a proposal 'for the top floor to provide the majority of catering services, a mixture of served and self-service; with the main preparation kitchen located in the basement'.

There could be 'smaller outlets located throughout the building'.

At business questions in the Commons last week, Mr Rees-Mogg's Tory predecessor Andrea Leadsom said the review's recommendation was the same as reports in 2014, 2016 and legislation that she introduced in 2018.

'He must surely see that the risks of a major asbestos leak, a sewage failure or indeed a devastating fire such as we saw at Notre Dame are very high and remain very high and we have virtually no contingency for this place.

'My personal motto is JFDI (just f***ing do it) and I would like to offer that to (Mr Rees-Mogg) to gird his loins to make some progress.'

But Mr Rees-Mogg said: 'The proposal for Richmond House and for the Queen Elizabeth Centre was there would be about 1.5billion of expenditure on temporary chambers. This can't have been a sensible thing to do, even in less straitened financial times. In current circumstances, it seems to me to be for the birds.

'I am not the greatest advocate of hybrid proceedings, they're better than nothing but they're not as good as real, physical participation in debate  but I'd rather have hybrid proceedings for a little bit where we couldn't use this chamber than spend 1.5billion.

'And we as Members of Parliament have a responsibility to our constituents, when their money is being spent, to accept while great restorations are taking place, we may have to put up with a little bit of discomfort, there may be occasionally a little bit of banging and noise being made, we can't be too fussy about that if we're to keep this as a working operational building.'

He insisted: 'Regardless of all these reports, regardless of what people have suggested, this has to get value for money for the taxpayer. We have suddenly heard talk of cost of 10 to 20billion coming up.

'We cannot say that to our constituents. We in this House have the responsibility to protect taxpayers' money and the other place it has to be remembered doesn't, we are responsive and answerable to our constituents.

'And yes, we need to redo the wiring, yes we need to ensure this place is safe and secure but we must not turn this House of Commons into Disneyland.'

MPs are due to sit in a temporary chamber being created in Richmond House, which borders the existing Parliamentary estate (artist's impression)

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle (pictured right overseeing PMQs) has also been pushing to keep costs down as far as possible
The social media monopolies continue to systematically suppress conservatives. This is an excellent example: Twitter suspended Newt Gingrichs account because he linked the Biden administrations promotion of illegal immigration to covid:

Tech oligarchs are destroying the country's culture of free speech https://t.co/hWLa6jrfuK  Mollie (@MZHemingway) March 14, 2021



Pointing out, correctly, that illegal immigrants flooding the southern border are undoubtedly bringing covid with them is hateful conduct, in Twitters view. This is obviously ridiculous, and not only because Twitter endorses actually hateful conduct by liberals32,000 tweets with the hashtag #RapeMelania is just one of thousands of instances. The tech monopolies apparently think they can get away with anything, now that their party is back in power in Washington.

And yet, Twitter is useful. How do I know about this latest outrage? Via Twitter, naturally, even though I am no longer on that platform. In some ways, Twitter remains indispensable.

A few weeks ago, I got an email from Twitter, addressed to my Twitter username, telling me that someone had signed into my account from New South Wales, Australia, and changed my email address to something I didnt recognize. Twitters email said, if this wasnt you, click here. I clicked there. That brought up a screen that asked for my username, the same one Twitter had used not an hour before in its email to me. I typed in my username, and got a response to the effect that Twitter had no record of any such user. Despite numerous attempts on my part, and multiple emails from others pointing out that my account had been hijacked, Twitter continued to insist that as far as it knew, I had never existed.

I wasnt particularly big on Twitter. I had 14,000 followers but didnt use my account for much other than to push out Power Line posts and do an occasional retweet. But viewed in retrospect, it seems probable that the deletion of my account, regardless of whether it started with a hack by some unknown Australian, was part of Twitters war against conservatives.

I now have a Parler account and occasionally publish links to Power Line posts there. But there are not a lot of Parler users, and it has not become a significant source of referrals for sites like ours. I suspect that the major social media sites are natural monopolies on account of network effectsthey are useful precisely because everyone is on them. It is doubtful whether a startup like Parler would have a chance, even if it were not ganged up on by Amazon, Apple and Google. Talk about an Axis of Evil!

What is the solution? I have helped to draft legislation that prohibits discrimination in suppressing users or user content by social media platforms on the basis of race, sex, political orientation or religion. That bill, which is embedded below, has been introduced in both the Minnesota Senate and the Minnesota House. I testified in support of the bill before Minnesotas Senate Judiciary Committee a couple of weeks ago.

The bill was opposed by representatives of two Big Tech industry groupsthey have the same membership, as far as I could tell, i.e. Facebook, Twitter and the restwho claimed, ludicrously, that if they were barred from discriminating on the grounds identified in our bill they would not be able to police child pornography. You can watch the hearing, which lasted a little over an hour, on a Facebook Live stream here.

Various approaches have been tried in different states, but I think the anti-discrimination concept is optimal. In Minnesota, Democrats are using procedural dodges to avoid having to vote on our bill. Understandably, they would prefer not to have their votes recorded in favor of perpetuating race and sex discrimination on social media. I think they would be fine with political viewpoint discrimination, if that were the only issue. Roger Simon has more on the critical importance of state legislation at the Epoch Times.
New Delhi, March 15 : Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government of an attempt to run the Delhi government through the backdoor, giving more power to the Lieutenant Governor. The reaction came after the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill-2021 was moved in the Lok Sabha.

Sisodia termed the Centre's move undemocratic and unconstitutional and questioned what was the need for an elected government when it has no power to decide on any subject. "This amendment by the BJP is an attempt by the Centre to govern Delhi by the back door. There should be a legislative assembly for the National Capital Territory of Delhi. This Assembly should have the power to make laws for the whole and any part of the subjects list that matters in Delhi," Sisodia said.

While citing Article 239AA of the Constitution, Sisodia added, "There shall be a legislative assembly for the national capital. This Assembly shall have power to make laws for the whole and any part of the subject except public order, land and the police. After this amendment, Delhi government will be dependent on LG office on every single file to get necessary approval from it before implementing. What is the meaning of having an elected government and the Council of Ministers when it has no power? Sisodia added.

Delhi is a Union Territory with a legislature and came into being in 1991 under Article 239AA of the Constitution. As per the existing Act, the Legislative Assembly of Delhi has the power to make laws in all matters except public order, police and land.

The Centre moved a bill in the Lok Sabha on Monday where it proposed that government in the national capital territory of Delhi means the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. The Bill gives discretionary powers to the L-G even in matters where the Legislative Assembly of Delhi is empowered to make laws.

The proposed legislation also seeks to ensure that the Lieutenant Governor is necessarily granted an opportunity to give her/his opinion before any decision taken by the Council of Ministers or the Delhi Cabinet is implemented.

The Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government has on many occasions challenged the BJP-ruled Central government regarding administrative matters in the Capital. The Bill proposes to amend Sections 21, 24, 33 and 44 of the 1991 Act.

The Centre's move may lead to another faceoff between the elected government and the LG's office as both (AAP government and the LG) have been at loggerheads over administrative issues.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had opposed the Centre's move writing on his social media account. "After being rejected by ppl of Del (8 seats in Assembly, 0 in MCD bypolls), BJP seeks to drastically curtail powers of elected govt thro a Bill in LS today. Bill is contrary to Constitution Bench judgement. We strongly condemn BJP's unconstitutional n anti-democracy move ," Kejriwal tweeted.

Another AAP legislator Raghav Chadha tweeted, "The Bill introduced in Parl today is an unholy attempt to curtail powers of democratically elected Govt with highest mandate in India's electoral history. It is an affront not only to the will of the people but to the spirit of federalism - an inseparable part of basic structure.
New Delhi:

A 12-year-old girl registered rape case against her father with help of an NGO after attending a counselling session on good touch and bad touch organised in her school in Uttar Pradeshs Kannauj.

The victim after attending the counselling session informed her school teachers that she was allegedly raped by the father for last seven years.

Pratibha Deepak Maheshwari, who runs an NGO and helped the victim file the case said, School principal on learning the incident counselled the girl but did not report the matter to the authorities.

Uttar Police have registered a case of rape at Kannaujs Bajghera police station. A case under section 4 of the Pocso Act and IPC section 376 and 506 has been registered against the accused father.

Bajghera police station SHO said, The complaint came to via email after which we registered case of rape and POSCO act.

Maheshwari told the media the the girl told us that the accused father allegedly rape the girl since she was five-year-old.

She added that the victims mother was aware of the child abuse but was silent on the matter.

The girls elder sister is also victim of her father but she manages to avoid her father,  added Maheswari.

The elder sister of the girl is also a victim of rape but she manages to avoid her father. The father used to rape the girl whenever she was alone in the house.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-03-16 07:02:14|Editor: huaxia

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CARACAS, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan Transport Minister Hipolito Abreu announced Monday restrictions on the movement of people to and from the country's capital region, amid new measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Abreu outlined on state-owned television that collective transportation services to the Capital District, and the states of Miranda and La Guaira, in the north central part of the country, have been suspended from March 15 to 21.

The measure also applies to residents of the southeast state of Bolivar, which borders Brazil, who will not be able to travel to other regions of the country without special authorization.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday called for a "health fence" in these areas, after cases of the COVID-19 variant first detected in Brazil were confirmed in all four regions.

However, essential and priority economic sector workers will be able to move around normally and use the Caracas subway, along with the railway system that links the Venezuelan capital with neighboring cities, according to the minister.

"We can provide a safe capacity of 1.5 million users on the metro and railway; but, we are going to limit the daily average to about 800,000," Abreu said.

The minister also indicated that international air connections to and from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Bolivia and Turkey will remain in operation. Enditem
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday (March 15) attacked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and said that his helicopter faced a glitch which made him late, but he will not call it a 'conspiracy'.

Addressing a campaign rally in West Bengals Ranibandh in the Bankura district, Shah said, I am a little late today because of some glitch in my helicopter but I won't call it a conspiracy.

Shah was referring to the Nandigram where Mamata Banerjee suffered injuries on her leg and shoulder and alleged that she was pushed by four or five men.

The Union minister further said that if BJP is voted to power in the state, they will implement the seventh pay commission for the state government employees.

Taking a tig at the West Bengal CM, Shah said, Didi (Banerjee), when you got hurt in your leg, you felt pain. I wish you a speedy recovery. But, what about the pain of the mothers of 130 BJP activists who were killed by TMC goons. Did you ever try to feel their pain?

"You never felt the pain of these people. They will give you a befitting reply while casting their votes in the assembly polls," he added.

Shah promised that if BJP comes to power in the state, they will focus on the welfare of the tribals. "TMC seeks cut money even for a tribal certificate. We will ensure the land rights of the tribals. The special focus will be on education, health and drinking water for the tribals in the area. We will also mention it in our manifesto."

Earlier, Shah had attended a virtual rally in Jhargram, West Bengal. He slammed the Banerjee-led TMC government and said that Bengal which was once Indias leader is now entangled in goondaraj.

(With inputs from agencies)

Live TV
Around 1 million euro in COVID-19 relief funds aimed at businesses might have ended up in the pockets of terrorist groups in the Middle East, German media reported, citing sources in the Berlin police.

The misuse of coronavirus aid to finance terrorist activities was reported by German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

"In individual cases there is a suspicion of direct terrorism financing," a source within Berlin law enforcement told the newspaper.

According to the report, law enforcement in Germanys capital is currently conducting over 100 investigations into potential misuse of coronavirus aid for terrorism funding.

The fraud may yield lengthy prison terms for perpetrators, ranging from five to 10 years behind bars in the most aggravated cases. The funds were originally intended to support businesses struggling with the pandemic and it was not immediately clear how the cash ended up in the hands of terrorist groups.

The misused funds are estimated to total around 1 million euro, while some 250,000 euro was seized by police during searches. In at least three cases the fraudulently procured funds were used to directly support terrorist groups active in the Middle East.
My story was on the front page for the sole reason that it was a painful reminder to women that it can happen in Parliament House and can truly happen anywhere, a strained and visibly distressed Ms Higgins told the crowd. Thousands gathered at Parliament House for the Womens March 4 Justice Credit:Alex Ellinghausen I was raped inside Parliament House by a colleague and for so long it felt like the people around me did not care about what happened because of what it might mean for them. It was so confusing because these people were my idols. Ms Higgins spoke of watching her life play out in the media from a laptop in a spare bedroom in her fathers apartment on the Gold Coast. I watched as the prime minister of Australia publicly apologised to me through the media, while privately the media team actively undermined and discredited my loved ones, she said.

I tuned into Question Time to see my former bosses, people that I had dedicated my life to, downplay my lived experience. Sharon Buikstra, who drove on her own from Wollongong to attend the march, had never been to a protest before. Helen Dalley-Fisher, Janine Hendry and Sharon Buikstra ahead of the Womens March 4 Justice at Parliament House. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen I dont normally do this sort of thing, Ms Buikstra says. Im just an everyday single woman in my 50s bringing up two children. But she says the march spoke to her because Ms Higgins could have been her own daughter.

I thought Well, she needs to be supported, as does every other woman who works in Parliament House. I just felt we are all in this together, whether we are male or female, we should be respecting a young girl who was trying to get ahead in her career and was taken advantage of. Fiona Thatcher, who left a top-tier Australian law firm after she said she was sexually harassed, organised an event in London in solidarity. The protests mostly attracted women, many wearing black. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The protests mostly attracted women, many in black, some wearing face-masks that said enough. They carried signs From the ditches come the witches (a play on the infamous Ditch the witch slur referring to Julia Gillard at a 2011 rally against the carbon tax), We will not stay silent so you can stay comfortable, and simply, Enough is enough. One girl in Canberra carried a placard reading: Im 11 and Ive had enough of harassment.

Both Labor and Coalition MPs attended the protest in Canberra, including Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese with Tanya Plibersek, Penny Wong, Kristina Keneally, and Liberals Bridget Archer, Jane Hume and Sarah Henderson. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Neurologist and founder of Doctors Against Violence Towards Women, Kate Ahmad, presented Ms Plibersek and Australian Greens Senator Larissa Waters with a petition signed by 94,000 people. We have two tangible demands, we want women to be safe in Parliament and we want an inquiry into the rape allegations against the Attorney-General, Ms Ahmad said. Attorney-General Christian Porter has vehemently denied allegations that he raped an Adelaide woman in 1988 when she was 16 and he was 17.

On Monday he launched Federal Court defamation proceedings against the ABC over an online article that he alleges portrays him as the perpetrator of a brutal rape that contributed to the woman taking her own life. The organisers of the protest refused the Prime Ministers offer to meet with a delegation from the march, saying they would not be meeting behind closed doors. We have already come to the front door, now its up to the government to cross the threshold and come to us, organiser Janine Hendry tweeted. Senator Jane Hume speaks with the March 4 Justice organiser Janine Hendry in a hallway at Parliament House. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer It was, said Liberal Senator Jane Hume, who attended the march, an extraordinary lost opportunity. They have been invited in with open arms and open ears, we want to listen, she said on Sky News.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison later said in Parliament he respected the right of the protest organisers to turn down his offer. He outlined the actions his government is taking on the topics addressed in the March 4 Justice petition, including again saying all cases of gendered violence should be referred to police. This is a common cause, and we must not let our frustration with the failure to achieve so many of the results we would hope for, to undermine the unity needed to continue our shared progress, he said. In Hobart, Australian of the Year Grace Tame said 10 years ago she made the choice to stand up against a man who had repeatedly raped her. Ms Tame, 26, was groomed and abused by a 58-year-old maths teacher. The abuse began when she had just turned 15.

Loading She said she felt immensely proud that the societal push to give sexual assault survivors the right to be named started in Tasmania. Evil thrives in silence, she said. Behaviour unspoken, behaviour ignored, is behaviour endorsed. In Melbourne a banner was unfurled, listing the names of 898 women and children who had been killed by men since 2008. A minutes silence was held in their honour. Ms Hendry, a 58-year-old academic and designer, whose tweet on February 25 spawned the 42 nation-wide rallies, told the Canberra protest that when she saw Ms Higgins courageously taking action she thought So can I.
The long-missing nephew of a deceased Enniscorthy farmer was formally declared dead by Judge Alice Doyle at Wexford Circuit Court.

With his official passing, Herbert Latta lost out on inheriting at least 200,000 from the estate of his uncle, Francis.

The case was raised by Herbert's cousin, Charles Latta, who resides in the Ballycarney area.

Francis Latta died in 1980 but his estate, which included extensive farmland, was not divided up until after the passing of his wife Connie 38 years later.

Mrs Latta died in 2018, at which point the terms of her husband's will came into play, with two nephews and four nieces in line to a share of at least 1.2 million.

The next of kin set to benefit equally were Charles Latta and his sisters Susan and Margaret, all resident in Ireland, along with their English cousins, Deirdre, Lorna and Herbert.

The problem, as explained to the court by barrister Simon McDonald, was that there was no sign of Herbert.

He had not been in contact with his family in more than 46 years, despite appeals in newspapers for him to come forward.

The absent cousin, who would now be 72 years of age if still alive, was born in County Kilkenny, spending some time in the Castlecomer area.

However, the family moved to London and he had been living there in Islington.

He worked for a while as an office clerk with a timber company.

In 1974, he was on the radar of London police investigating a hold-up at a convenience store, though never charged.

One day in September of that year, he was due to babysit for one of his two sisters. However, he did not turn up and seemed to disappear.

Herbert Latta did not make contact when his uncle died six years later and there was no word from him when his mother died in 1984.

Mr McDonald stated that the missing man was single and childless at the time that he disappeared, was apparently in good health and had no mental health problems.

Counsel made a formal application under the Presumption of Death Act so that the five remaining beneficiaries may each receive their one-fifth share.

He cannot be located and is presumed dead, agreed Judge Doyle, summing up the situation and acceding to what she described as an unusual application.

She declared that there was no need to make any further enquiries as to the whereabouts of Herbert Latta. She formally presumed that he died within a year of his vanishing in September of 1974 and she signed orders to this effect.
Armenia economic competition protection commission: Experts forecast inflation of butter prices

Armenia citizens' protest against acting health minister is over

Pashinyan visits France, judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku, Jun. 2 digest

Armenian Ambassador, FMO representatives consider opportunities for expansion of cooperation in Armenia

Armenia Prosecutor General is on working visit to Russia

Armenia acting PM meets with European Council President in Brussels

Armenia citizens throw polyethylene bags at Health Ministry building, police apprehend protesters

Acting deputy minister: Armenia authorities plan to build 46km section of North-South highway in 2021

Dollar is stable in Armenia

Armenia official: Large number of projects being prepared in construction sector

Identity of man killed Wednesday morning in downtown Yerevan is found out

Armenian lawyer: Azerbaijan poses a threat to security in Europe

Deputy economy minister: There are signs of rapid tourism recovery in Armenia

Azerbaijan grossly violating 2 Armenian POWs rights, says international law expert

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani defense ministry disseminated disinformation about 40 Armenian soldiers crossing border

Armenian Republican Party: It's possible to restore borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with Lachin corridor

Missing Armenian soldiers' relatives hand letter to Russia Embassy with request to solve captives' issue

Georgia Internal Affairs Ministry reveals international narco crime, narcotic drugs were sent from Armenia

Advisor to Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijan brought up generation of Armenophobic Azerbaijanis and is proud of this

Armenian advocate: Azerbaijan is creepily expanding towards Armenia

Armenian acting minister: Armenia has potential to introduce major changes in high technology sector

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities put country's future in jeopardy with their actions

Man killed in downtown Yerevan is bodyguard of "criminal authority"

Construction of Eternity Square launched by Tovmasyan Foundation begins in Armenia

Armenia deputy police chief refuses to comment on murder in Yerevan at daytime

Acting finance minister: Armenia state employees were paid AMD 22bn in bonuses in 2020

Missing soldiers relatives stage picket outside Russia embassy in Armenia

Acting minister: Armenia high-tech ministry for first time received military development budget in 2020

Armenia President to pay working visit to Kazakhstan

Several Artsakh roads to be improved this year

Judicial farce against Armenian POWs kicks off in Baku

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: We will give such pace in terms of jobs that we will look for good professionals

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Let railway be opened but using the word "corridor" is outright crime

Armenia legislature, government reduce expenses for bonus pays, business trips

Netherlands acting FM: Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan must be released immediately

BSTDB Provides EUR 23 million Loan to Ameriabank to Boost SME Financing in Armenia

EU envoy to Armenia visits Meghri

Murder takes place in downtown Yerevan

92 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

World oil prices continue to be on the rise

Paris mayor to visit Yerevan in October

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan in Gyumri: I said 'If nothing changed second time I come, they will beat me here

Acting premier meets with Armenian community in France

Armenia parliament committees continue discussion on 2020 state budget report

Iran navy ship catches fire in Persian Gulf

US man commits suicide live on Instagram after police chase

Newspaper: What is situation at Sev Lake area of Armenia?

Newspaper: What instructions did Armenia acting defense minister get in Moscow?

Israel removes many coronavirus restrictions

Armenia acting PM arrives in Belgium

Emmanuel Macron: The Azerbaijani troops must leave Armenias sovereign territory

Armenia 3rd President on authorities and the upcoming elections

Armenia 3rd President reacts to photos of bodies of soldiers in freezer: It felt like the blood froze in my veins

Armenia Ombudsman addresses OSCE officials in regard to Ilham Aliyev's Armenophobic statements

Turkey's Erdogan expresses willingness to support Georgia-Azerbaijan-Armenia trilateral cooperation

Armenia acting MOD visits Border Guards Department of Russia Federal Security Service

French-Armenians hold protest against Armenia acting PM's visit to France

Karabakh ex-Ombudsman appointed State Minister

Rapid reaction service set up ahead of snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Armenia has new ambassador to Ukraine

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are ready to visit the Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia President appoints judges

Wargonzo: Russian MOD is dealing with settlement of conflict in Armenia's Syunik Province on a daily basis

Armenia police encircle stage placed at Republic Square (PHOTO)

Yerkir.am: ARF-D Bureau member: Armenia acting PM ignored Macron's phone calls on November 9, 2020

7 EU countries start issuing vaccination certificates

Latest on scandal over improper storage of Armenian soldiers bodies, more on COVID-19, Jun. 1

Armenia Constitutional Court launches case proceedings based on President's application

Armenia acting emergency situations minister says he's concerned about situation in army

Armenia acting education, science, culture and sport minister receives ICRC Delegation

Armenia ex-President Sargsyan nephew acquitted

Armenia deputy police chief: No real cases of vote-buying reported to date

Armenia human rights activists: Nearly 10 protesters detained during protest in front of government building

Audit Chamber director: About half of Armenia state agencies, institutions were not audited in 2020

Robert Kocharyan: Acting PM is an unsuccessful, political Lilliput

Armenia 2nd President: Authorities shamelessly deceived people throughout the 44-day war

Acting emergency situations minister: Armenia's Seismic Protection Service is the best in the region

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Macron: France will work towards restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Richard Ferrand: France stands with Armenia

Armenia 2nd President: Incumbent authorities failed to fulfill their promises

Armenia Diaspora Youth Ambassador Program is launched

Yerevan court rules to conditionally release man who attempted to assassinate ex-presidential candidate

People came to power in Armenia who consistently destroyed army combat-readiness, says ex-President Kocharyan

Armenia 2nd President rules out collaboration with Nikol Pashinyan

Central Bank chief: Armenia national debt exceeded 63% of GDP

Armenia ex-President Kocharyan: Turkey persistently crosses boundaries of permissibility

Finance ministry: Armenia 2020 economic growth forecasts are revised downwards

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: It is disgrace when law enforcement agencies are subject to PM himself

US sells oil seized from Iran

Robert Kocharyan: Government does not pay enough attention to security issues

Armenia 1st President spokesperson: Ter-Petrosyan has nothing to speak with the nation-destroying plague

Armenia acting PM orders internal investigation into case of storage conditions of fallen soldiers bodies, remains

Armenia ex-president Kocharyan gives interview to Russia newspaper

Armenia acting deputy PM on unblocking of roads with Azerbaijan: There will be no troops standing there

Nikkei: Toyota and Honda stop car production in Malaysia

Armenia official on deploying international observers at Azerbaijan border: You will hear reaction on this matter soon

USAID helps UN World Food Programme support displaced people in Armenia

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Russias Putin to Armenias Pashinyan: Relations between our countries are developing very successfully
When Jasmine Water and Beverages Factory, a large water and beverage factory based 120 km west from Riyadh city, needed a reliable and uninterrupted power supply for its 24/7 operations, it turned to Atlas Copcos partner GCC Olayan for a solution.

Jasmine Water and Beverages Factorys plant is in a remote location in the desert, without access to stable power grid. Therefore, the company was facing frequent power failures, making the continuous production line difficult. That is why Jasmine Water and Beverages required a reliable generator.

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Atlas Copco TwinPower is a 20-ft ISO containerised unit housing two compact 500-kVA generators; powered by compact Scania engines. This configuration, with an advanced control system, allows the two generators to work independently or in parallel with each other. This makes it ideally suited for applications that have variable power needs, whether due to the time of day or the current usage requirement.

The QAC 1100 TwinPower is perfect for applications that require intensive use because it delivers high performance while maximising fuel efficiency, cutting associated running costs, and low-cost of ownership, amongst other benefits. Also, thanks to its flexible design of two generators in one platform, it gives our client flexibility and the QAC 1100 generator works in the harshest conditions, such as a very hot climate in a Saudi desert, explained Ahmed Badawi, Regional Sales and Marketing Manager  Power and Light.

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We highly recommend working with GCC Olayan and Atlas Copco because all the projects have run smoothly and in a timely manner, concluded El-Nahas.

Atlas Copco TwinPower is designed for easy service. Large access doors and custom service tools make for effortless maintenance and assured uptime. The positioning of the motor and alternator sets on opposite sides enable multiple access points to all the main components.

Eng Ibrahim Nazih, Atlas Copco division manager- GCC Olayan commented: We are delighted Jasmine Water and Beverages Factory Ltd Co trusted us with this project, and we look forward to continuing working with them via our service package. Tradearabia News Service
Endorsement Comes Amidst Company-Wide Packaging Improvements

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 15, 2021) - TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN) (FSE: TH8) ("TransCanna" or the "Company") announces that world-leading cannabis information website Leafly.com has endorsed a Lyfted Farms cannabis strain in its February column, "Leafly Buzz". The endorsement comes amidst a Company-wide overhaul of product packaging that will have a significant impact on costs, distribution and marketing efforts.

In its February column, Leafly.com writes about "Nump's Garlic Noodles" strain as being "Biting, savory, and hella strong". Nump's Garlic Noodles is a strain that is unique and proprietary to Lyfted Farms, a wholly owned subsidiary of TransCanna Holdings. Inc. Leafly.com has over 15 million loyal monthly readers and highlights the newest, best, and top selling cannabis strains each month.

"The Lyfted Team is thrilled to have one of our strains endorsed by one of the most influential publications in the industry," said Bob Blink, CEO of TransCanna. "Millions of consumers turn to Leafly.com as one of the industry's most trusted cannabis resources -so this mention is a huge win of recognition and provides increased market exposure for our Company and for our superior genetic strains."

The endorsement comes amidst a Company-wide overhaul of product packaging from glass jars to flexible pouches - a move that will dramatically reduce waste and costs, and will greatly improve the product experience for the consumer.

"Consumers look for convenience, clear messaging, and superior product quality when deciding to purchase cannabis products, and these new pouches deliver on all three," said Shaun Serpa, CMO for Lyfted Farms. "This packaging features a clear side so customers can closely examine flower quality, while its heat-sealing and zip-type closure improves product shelf life and prevents loss of moisture and terpenes. This packaging is much lighter and easier to transport than glass jars, and the increased surface area means more marketing inches for us to communicate on product benefits and features."

The reduction in weight and mass from 100 gram jars to 5 gram pouches (for 3.5 grams of flower) represents a 95% reduction in packaging waste, a large reduction in shipping and transportation costs, and overall a 50% cost reduction in Company-wide product packaging expenses.

"The new packaging has already rolled out to retailers and consumers and the reduction in expenses is beginning to positively impact the Company's bottom line," said Bob Blink, TransCanna CEO. "The transition to pouches was planned to align with the opening of our new Daly California facility, which houses automated packaging lines that can produce the final product on a much more efficient and massive scale."

Update on Secured Convertible Loan

Further to its news release of February 3, 2021, the Company has extended the date for execution of the definitive documentation and satisfaction of other conditions from February 15, 2021 to March 18, 2021.

About TransCanna

TransCanna Holdings Inc. is a California-based, Canadian-listed company building cannabis-focused brands for the California lifestyle, through its wholly-owned California subsidiaries.

TransCanna's wholly owned subsidiary Lyfted Farms is California's authentic cannabis brand whose pioneering spirit has been continuously providing the finest cannabis flower genetics and cultivation methods since 1984. The Lyfted Farms brand of exclusive cannabis flower is sold at premium retailers throughout the state. With its new cultivation facility in Daly, California, the company is now poised to become one of the largest and most efficient vertically integrated cannabis companies in the California market.

For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.transcanna.com or email the Company at info@transcanna.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Bob Blink, CEO

Corporate Communications:

Hybrid Financial @hybridtcan

irteam@transcanna.com

604-800-3589

For updated information with respect to our company, please see our filings on SEDAR atwww.sedar.com and on the CSE at www.thecse.com.

FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION:

Certain information in this release may contain forward-looking statements, such as statements regarding future expansions and cost savings and plans regarding production increases and financings. This information is based on current expectations and assumptions, including assumptions concerning the completion of the expansion of the Daly Facility, government approval of pro-cannabis policies, greater access to financial services and increased cultivation capacity, that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. Risks that could cause results to differ from those stated in the forward-looking statements in this release include unexpected increases in operating costs, a continued strain on farmers due to fires and the Coronavirus pandemic and competition from other retailers. All forward-looking statements, including any financial outlook or future-oriented financial information, contained in this release are made as of the date of this release and are included for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to the Company. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com.

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

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 release.

NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/77103
Shelter WA calculates a shortfall of almost 40,000 social homes  nearly as many as currently owned by the government  and more than 19,000 affordable homes across the state. Chief executive Michelle McKenzie said the McGowan governments target to build 260 new social homes a year over the next decade was ridiculous and unambitious. We should bite the bullet and provide the homes that people need. They shouldnt just sell off homes and then go, Oops, weve run out, she said. We need a suite of solutions that are short-term and long-term to make sure that weve got social housing right now but also in that we plan into the future. Ms McKenzie said WA was losing out on millions of dollars in federal rent assistance for community housing clients every year due to the state governments reluctance to invest in the sector, which she believed was crucial in solving the states housing crisis.

The first thing the government could do is transfer some assets to the community housing sector, so they can grow, have a bigger balance sheet, and leverage that to access investment through the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation and invest in supply, she said. Homeless camps in Perth and Fremantle highlighted the states housing crisis. Credit:Marta Pascual Juanola Ms McKenzie said this aligned with similar strategies by the Tasmanian and NSW governments. Meanwhile, in WAs saturated private rental market, families are struggling to secure a home as landlords rush to sell their properties or raise their rents. A moratorium on evictions and rent rises is due to end on March 28, with no plans by the state government to extend it for a second time, and service providers are bracing for a tsunami of people in need that could create an even bigger bottleneck in the states social housing waitlist.

Loading Greens housing spokesman Tim Clifford accused the government of failing to use political capital to help renters at a time when thousands were grappling with the prospect of becoming homeless. Tenants are paying more than half their income on rent, theyre being encouraged to rent bid or are being forced into homes that are far more expensive than they can afford, and when attempting to negotiate lower rent increases they are being handed eviction notices, Mr Clifford said. A recent survey by Mr Cliffords office found two-thirds of renters interviewed were at risk of housing stress, defined as a household spending more than a third of its income on rent. More than half of those looking for a new home had been encouraged to rent bid, while 67 per cent had been unable to find a property they could afford or met their requirements.

Mr Clifford called on the government to introduce rent caps, ban no-grounds evictions, and boost support for the states social sector. Mark McGowan is the most popular premier the state has had, surely he can leverage some of this to commit to reforms that will protect renters and our most vulnerable, he said. A state government spokesman said it was responding to the situation by refurbishing 1500 public homes, many of which would have otherwise been demolished. Some have already been added to the social housing offering, but it is unclear when the remaining will be ready for habitation. We have also recently ceased the disposal of all public housing properties which will provide further relief for those who are needing secure accommodation, he said. The refurbishments are in addition to the hundreds of new builds that are under way.